SHAWN HILL AND STEVE DELABAR COME UP BIG IN HANDING YANKEES KEY LOSS

Score another one for Independent Baseball.

Shawn Hill, who was with York, PA in the Atlantic League until June 18, made his first major league appearance since 2010 Saturday, and it was a dandy. The right-hander hurled three hitless innings (two walks) while Toronto was coming back to hand the New York Yankees a major loss, 3-2. Eight of his nine outs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings were on ground balls. The loss cut the Yankees' American League East lead to one-half game pending Baltimore's game against Boston Saturday night.

Steve Delabar, a veteran of two Independent leagues, worked a scoreless eighth inning for the Blue Jays although he also walked a pair. Delabar pitched for Brockton, MA of the Can-Am League and Florence, KY of the Frontier League.

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HOW IS THIS FOR A CHANGE? FROM FRONTIER LEAGUE TO STARTING QB FOR TULANE

It is not often that I offer college football tips in this space, but today is an exception.

That's because D. J. Ponder, who tried his hand at professional baseball for a time this summer before being released, is not only back in football as a fifth-year senior at Tulane but also will get his first collegiate start Saturday when the winless Green Wave host the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

Ponder missed spring football because he was the closer for Tulane's baseball team (2-1, 12 saves, 1.10 ERA, second team all-Conference USA) and much of the fall training camp after joining the Frontier League's Evansville (IN) Otters in mid-season. "You could tell he was an incredible athlete," Otters media relations director and radio broadcaster Mike Radomski said Friday, but the debut as a professional did not pan out as Ponder gave up nine runs in as many innings spread over seven appearances. He did get a victory in his only decision.

"(Ponder is) experienced," Tulane football coach Curtis Johnson said in a school media release. "He knows what to do. He's a good player. He's not a young guy so you like the experience factor. I don't think anything is too big for D. J. D.J.'s been in baseball. Just being out there, I don't think it's too big for him."

The Green Wave have had two previous starting quarterbacks go down with injuries. Ponder has appeared in 21 games in his career, including seven last season, and has completed 26 of 62 passes for 266 yards.

ONETIME GRAND PRAIRIE HURLER TO ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

Longtime Independent Baseball player David Espinosa (Lincoln, NE, American Association, plus York, PA and Southern Maryland of the Atlantic League in 2012) pointed out we missed one former Indy star in our original list of players headed to the Arizona Fall League.

Right-handed pitcher Chris Martin and Espinosa were teammates at Grand Prairie, TX in the American Association two years ago. Martin was signed by Boston at the end of that season, and the Red Sox obvious like the 26-year-old since he will represent them in the prestigious league that starts next month. Martin was 3-6, 4.48 in 23 games, including 12 starts, at Double-A Portland, ME this season.

The switch-hitting Espinosa, a 12-year veteran, is with York in the Atlantic League playoffs.

The AFL players with Indy experience we named earlier are lefty James Paxton (Seattle), who also pitched at Grand Prairie, southpaw Caleb Thielbar (Minnesota), who was at St. Paul, MN in the same league, and right-hander Kevin Johnson (Los Angeles Angels), still another American Association product when Pensacola, FL was in the league.

Paxton starred in the recent Southern League playoffs, winning Game 1 in both series for Jackson, TN and totaling 19 strikeouts. The highly-regarded prospect called the latter outing against eventual champion Mobile, AL "the biggest start of my professional career, for sure".

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LANCASTER SETS NEW ATLANTIC LEAGUE RECORD FOR WINS; INDY WELL REPRESENTED IN WBC

When Lancaster, PA outlasted Bridgeport, CT 11-9 in nearly four hours Thursday night, the Barnstormers gave themselves a huge present and dealt the Bluefish a major blow to their playoff hopes.

Butch Hobson's Barnstormers now own the Atlantic League's single-season wins record with 87, eclipsing the mark set by Somerset, NJ three years ago. As for Bridgeport, it now needs a sweep at Somerset this weekend and a Lancaster sweep at Southern Maryland (Waldorf) to give Willie Upshaw's troops any hopes of overtaking the Blue Crabs and getting into the postseason. It looks like second-year skipper Patrick Osborn will get to match up against first-half champion Long Island, NY in one playoff series while Lancaster and two-time defending champion York, PA will square off in the other series.

WBC UPDATE

We got into some news regarding the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in yesterday's Independent Baseball Insidercolumn (subscriptions available via www.WirzandAssociates.com), and added research today has our count of current and former Independent players on the rosters of the 16 countries vying to get into next spring's competition up to 33. There mostly likely are even more.

Spain, which blanked France 8-0 Thursday night, accounts for at least 11 players itself, including seven who were in Indy leagues this summer. First baseman Barbaro Canizares of American Association champion Winnipeg had a home run among his two hits in the Spaniard's opener. He drove in two runs.

Infielder Paco Figueroa (Southern Maryland) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs while shortstop Yunesky Sanchez of Laredo, TX (American Association) was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run. Nick Schumacher of Sioux City, IA (American Association) got the win when he allowed only four hits in 6.1 innings.

The other 2012 Indy players with Spain are hurlers Eddie Morlan of Southern Maryland and Richard Salazar of Sioux City, outfielder Yasser Gomez of McAllen, TX (United/NAL).
Infielders Rene Leveret of Quebec (Can-Am League) and Carlos Hereaud of Edinburg, TX (United/NAL) had two of the five hits for France.

At least eight of the countries have players with an Independent background.

INDY LEAGUERS BOTH WIN AND LOSE

I wonder how many fans noticed the American League game last weekend when Craig Breslow got a victory for Boston and Steve Delabar took the loss for Toronto. It was a rare event in that both played in Independent Baseball, Breslow with the New Jersey Jackals when they still were in the Northeast League and Delabar with Brockton, MA of the Can-Am League. Delabar also has experience with Florence, KY of the Frontier League.

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FIGUEROA, PAXTON SHINE IN PLAYOFFS AND SAINTS TO GET A NEW HOME

Nelson Figueroa added one more neat line to his lengthy baseball resume Thursday night when the 38-year-old right-hander lifted Pawtucket, RI (Red Sox farm club) to the International League championship with a strong six-inning start in a 4-1 triumph that ousted Charlotte, NC (Chicago White Sox).

Figueroa, who pitched briefly in the Atlantic League (Long Island, NY) in 2006 and has major league time with Arizona, Philadelphia (twice), Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, the New York Mets and Houston, allowed seven hits and a run. He had to work out of a first and third, no-out situation in the sixth with the strikeout of Seth Loman (St. George, UT, Golden League) the first out.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION'S PAXTON ALSO SHARP

Another strong playoff performance we did not get into yesterday's Independent Baseball Insider column was James Paxton's 7.1 innings of work in leading Jackson, TN to an 8-1 Game 1 triumph over Mobile, AL (Arizona) in the Class AA Southern League Championship Series.

Paxton, the Grand Prairie, TX (American Association) prospect, struck out 10 and was touched for only an unearned run. "James pitched great this whole postseason...the second half of the season," Manager Jim Pankovits told The Jackson Sun.

The highly-regarded Seattle prospect is due to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, and no doubt will be in the Mariners' spring training camp in February.

MAUI SPLITS IN JAPAN

I am not certain what to make of it, but the North American League's Na Koa Ikaika Maui split two games in Japan with a semi-pro team known as the Ishikawa Million Stars. The more important aspect seems to be continuing discussions about creating what has been called a World Independent Baseball League. It may be an outlet for the two teams the NAL has in Hawaii if there is sufficient backing to make a new league work. We are told the entire trip was being captured on video, and the games were broadcast back to home fans in Maui.

SAINTS TO HAVE A NEW STADIUM

After years of planning and lobbying, it appears the American Association's St. Paul (MN) Saints finally will get a new stadium. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed off on a $25 million state bond project to make it happen.

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INDY GRADS SHOW UP EVERYWHERE, INCLUDING KEY ROLES IN INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

It seems just about anywhere I look there is a reminder of how much former Independent players are making an impact.

The latest example popped up today when I saw that Charlotte had advanced to the International League playoff championship. The Knights just eliminated Indianapolis.

I had just seen where the parent Chicago White Sox had promoted four players to Charlotte, their top farm club. Sure enough, one of them played a major role in the deciding game. That was first baseman Seth Loman, who once played in the Golden League (St. George, UT). Loman not only hit cleanup, he drove in two runs in the series finale, won by Charlotte, 6-4. He had a double and sacrifice fly, and it gave him six runs batted in for the four-game series.

Righty Brandon Kloess (Windy City, Frontier League) worked in relief although he was touched for two hits and a run without retiring anyone. Dan Remenowsky, also out of Windy City, which is located in Crestwood, IL, and Ryan Kussmaul (Southern Illinois, Frontier) also were promoted shortly before the playoffs.

The neatest part of this story, to me, is that all three of the pitchers, now one step from the major leagues, got their professional start in Independent Baseball. Chances are they would not be in the game today without the Indy opportunity.

On the losing side, lefty Kris Johnson (Kansas City, KS, American Association), started the game for Indianapolis, but gave up three runs in 1.2 innings. Logan Kensing (Bridgeport, CT, Atlantic League) hurled 2.1 scoreless innings in relief.

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