Indy Baseball Chatter: A SIGH OF RELIEF AS 20-GAME LOSS STREAK ENDS

Thursday, August 31, 2006

A SIGH OF RELIEF AS 20-GAME LOSS STREAK ENDS

There must be a sense of relief in the beautiful farm country around Augusta, NJ today. The first-year Sussex Skyhawks, who play at Skylands Park, ended a 20-game losing streak in the second game of a Can-Am League doubleheader Wednesday night. I virtually share that feeling with them even though I have an involvement with the team that was on the short end of the 6-2 score, the New Haven County (CT) Cutters.

The loss didn't represent any major disaster for the Cutters since they started the twinbill with a 12-0 victory, thereby clinching a wild card entry into the Can-Am playoffs.

The most puzzling part of the losing streak is that Sussex sailed off to an 18-10 start in its Can-Am debut, and the Skyhawks were a decent 30-34 when they toppled powerhouse North Shore (Lynn, MA) August 4. It was a buzzsaw from that point until Jose Correa, who had not won since July 24 despite an overall 7-4 record, threw an eight-hitter at New Haven County.

The Skyhawks had something else to celebrate. A near-capacity 4,375 fans turned out, and joined in the jubilant singing of "We Are The Champions" at game's end.

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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