Indy Baseball Chatter: JUAN GONZALEZ JOINS ATLANTIC LEAGUE

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

JUAN GONZALEZ JOINS ATLANTIC LEAGUE

The buzz should be terrific at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, PA Tuesday night, and not just because of the battle between the Atlantic League's two division leaders, the visiting Long Island Ducks and the Barnstormers.

Two-time American League MVP Juan Gonzalez will be making his long-rumored debut with the Ducks. He is scheduled to be the designated hitter in all three games in the series, the Barnstormers say.

Although limited to 48 games the last two seasons because of injuries, the 36-year-old slugger still seems certain to bring butterflies to Manager Tommy Herr's Lancaster pitching staff because of the 434 major league home runs he has launched since 1989.

CLAPP'S HOT SERIES HELPS EDMONTON

Stubby Clapp and his Edmonton Cracker-Cats won the personal and team battles over Harry Berrios and host Winnipeg over the weekend. Edmonton won two of the three games with their star shortstop helping out by going 6-for-12 plus four walks, scoring six runs and banging a home run. Berrios was 4-for-13 with a run and an RBI for the Goldeyes.

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Bob Wirz

Former chief spokesman for Major League Baseball Commissioners Bowie Kuhn and Peter Ueberroth. Six years as publicity director for the Kansas City Royals, and a background in newspaper, radio and television. Started Wirz & Associates, a sports PR and consulting firm, in 1985. Has written extensively on Independent Baseball since 2003.

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About 'My Nebraska'

It seems almost universally accepted that Nebraskans are friendly, hard-working people.

A native son, who eventually transitioned to the East Coast because it was the best avenue to follow his passion of continuing to work in major league baseball, has published a book to share a lifetime of memories of growing up in the Cornhusker state.

You may have guessed it when you saw the title: My Nebraska. Yes, Bob Wirz, now a youthful 85, is sharing his "rich memories of growing up in rural Nebraska" in the 1940s and 1950s in a delightful 136 pages in the book produced by Dorrance Publishing in Pittsburgh, PA.

Wirz, who got to live his passion of working at the highest levels of baseball and later developing his own sports public relations and marketing company, lovingly empties out his memories of everything from counting millions of tiny trees to playing grass-roots baseball where the age of teammates might run from the early teens to the 50s.

The colorful cover of My Nebraska, which features two paintings from Dunning, NE rancher/artist Laron McGinn that depict the beautiful landscape of rural Nebraska and the ranching lifestyle, sets the tone for the 5 x 8 book also filled with meaningful pictures.

It is "a wistful and endearing love letter to Nebraska filled with memories shared by generations raised in small towns throughout the Midwest", praises Shari Veil, who heads up the journalism and mass communications department at the University of Nebraska.

My Nebraska, a 5x8 paperback, is priced at $19.95 plus $4.00 for handling and shipping. Autographed copies may be ordered at www.WirzandAssociates.com