AT LEAST TWO PLAYERS ENJOYED THIS 20-INNING CAN-AM MARATHON

The Los Angeles Dodgers' weekend victory when they were no hit was not the only unusual game of late.

Were you aware that the New Jersey Jackals and Worcester Tornadoes played a 20-inning game in Worcester Saturday? The game lasted six hours and six minutes so if anyone questioned a spouse about their late arrival home, it most likely was valid.

The Jackals finally won 5-4, but not before the lead changed or ties were created nine times from the sixth inning on. New Jersey scored the game's first run in the sixth, Worcester tied it in the seventh, went ahead 2-1 in the eighth and the Jackals pulled even again in the top of the ninth.

Then it really got fun. Innings 10-15 were scoreless, both teams scored in the 16th and again in the 19th. Tiring, huh? Thirty-three runners were left on base, New Jersey pitchers combined for 21 strikeouts (compared to only eight for Worcester) and the two leadoff hitters--NJ's Marcus Sanders and Worcester's B. J. Weed combined to go 9-for-19. Sanders had four singles and a home run in 10 official at-bats.

Sanders and Weed have used the game as a springboard for great offensive runs. Sanders, a 22-year-old second baseman out of Saratota (FL) Community College, has 11 hits in 22 at-bats in the last four games, including the marathon, to jump his rookie professional average from .303 to .333. Weed, who has been roaming Can-Am diamonds for several seasons and Monday was named Player of the Week, has gone 12-for-23 in the same stretch to climb from .328 to .357. He shares fourth in the league batting race while setting the pace in hits (55), doubles (17) and extra base hits (21).

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SHERRILL AND CHRISTIAN STAR ON MAJOR LEAGUE STAGE; CATS DO IT (AGAIN) IN INDY BASEBALL

Some quick hits while leading up to this week's Independent Baseball Insider column where the current plan is to feature the continuing first half exploits of Indy original and current Baltimore closer George Sherrill. He could be on the brink of another magic milestone.

The southpaw, who played in both the Frontier League (Evansville, IN) and the Northern League (Sioux Falls, SD and Winnipeg, CA), did it again Tuesday night when he got the final out in the eighth, then gave up two hits and a walk to start the bottom of the ninth at Wrigley Field. He stunned the Cubs, though, when he struck out Ronny Cedeno, Kosuke Fukudome and Henry Blanco to leave the bases loaded and give the Orioles a 7-5 victory..

His 26th save of the season, which is second best in the majors, ended the Cubs' home winning streak at 14, a mark they have not bested since 1890. This is not a typo, friends. It really is 1890.

STILL ANOTHER FRONTIER LEAGUER DEBUTS IN BIGS

The major league debut of outfielder Justin Christian was one of the few bright spots in the New York Yankees' 12-5 drubbing in Pittsburgh Tuesday. Christian, who follows pitchers Josh Kinney and Joe Thatcher as players who started their pro career at River City (O'Fallon, MO) and made it all the way to the major leagues, played leftfield and had a single, double and drove in two runs.

"He can create some havoc on the base paths, he plays very good defense, he had some important hits in the later innings (in spring training)," praised Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. With the Yankees scheduled to face five lefthanders in six games and regulars Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui hobbled the right-handed-hitting 28-year-old figures to get more at bats over the next few days.

FORT WORTH CATS WIN ANOTHER TITLE

Fort Worth, TX has become the first Independent league team to nail down a first-half championship. Congratulations to the Cats, who already are three-peat winners, having won the last championship in the Central League (2005) and the first two in the American Association. Fort Worth won the Southern Division title this time, with Sioux Falls, SD on the brink of doing the same thing in the North.

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DON'T BLAME JESSICA SIMPSON THIS TIME

Anyone who reads this blog or my expanded Independent Baseball Insider column on a weekly basis knows that it isn't my nature to rap many people on the knuckles. There are too many positive things that can be said about baseball, and especially the Indy game, to be taking time to throw darts.

That doesn't mean I cannot try to have a little fun now and then.

The first year Grand Prairie AirHogs have come alive in the American Association of late, climbing above .500 by winning eight of their last 10 and gaining second place behind their fellow Metroplex residents, the Fort Worth Cats.

Maybe they were just twitting Jessica Simpson's earlier misstatements with their media release today about planning a Jessica Simpson Night July 6 at their handsome QuikTrip Park although I am not convinced that was the case.

Three times the AirHogs referred to the promotion being at night. A word to the wise, however, in that they said game time is 2:05.

COLABELLO LETS LOOSE WITH ANOTHER THREE-HOMER BARRAGE

Can-Am League first baseman Chris Colabello isn't exactly what one would call a home run hitter in that his previous high in round-trippers was 13 in 91 games last season when he split the year with Worcester, MA and Nashua, NH.

But the 6-foot-4 Colabello seems to like to splurge. He homered three times last May 29 in a 10-RBI game against New Haven (CT) County. And Saturday night he repeated the feat, this time driving in eight, as Worcester put it to Atlantic City, NJ, 16-6. He had a 4-for-6 game, scored four times and raised his average to .333.

The three homers at Atlantic City represent half of the 24-year-old's home run output so far this season, although he is having another highly productive summer. Colabello has hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games, and has 29 runs batted in in his first 28 appearances of the season.

CHARITY, CHARITY AND MORE CHARITY

If anyone questions Independent Baseball's commitment to charitable endeavors I suggest that person visit the Frontier League website. I found stories only covering the first two thirds of June which talked of River City Rascals volunteers helping fill sandbags to fight off the Midwestern floods, Men's Health Week in Illinois, the (Washington, PA) Wild Things assisting a hospital, Traverse City, MI's gas protest, and the Florence (KY) Freedom aiding a polio campaign and kicking off a reading program.

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ROBINSON CANCEL'S KEY PINCH SINGLE HELPED HIM, BUT DID NOT SAVE WILLIE RANDOLPH

It did not save Willie Randolph's job as manager of the New York Mets, but Robinson Cancel helped his own chances of more major league time when he slapped a two-run, pinch-hit single to help the struggling team salvage a doubleheader split against Texas Sunday.

Cancel had batted only once in the major leagues since 1999 until he broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with an 0-2 single to center at Shea Stadium. The Mets won by that 4-2 margin. Coming on the heels of a solid spring training showing and being brought up from New Orleans twice in recent weeks, it is obvious some people in the Mets' heirarchy like the 32-year-old catcher-first baseman's bat.

"Cancel made me look good for a minute," the beleaguered Randolph told The Associated Press.

Cancel got 44 at-bats with Milwaukee in '99, and since then has traveled the AA-AAA-Independent world in search of another big-league opportunity. The right-handed hitter made Indy stops at Somerset, NJ of the Atlantic League in '03 and '04, and also was with the traveling Road Warriors for a time in that league in '03. Then he was a .297-10-52 performer on a fulltime basis with the Edinburg (TX) Roadrunners of the United League in 2006.

Have you visited www.IndependentBaseballClassifieds.com today?

HOW ABOUT THESE EARNED RUN AVERAGES?

Anyone wanting some bragging points about Independent Baseball need look no further than several major league ERAs. Independent teams are in parenthesis. Brad Ziegler of Oakland (Schaumburg, IL, Northern League) 0.00 for eight innings, Craig Breslow of Minnesota (New Jersey Jackals, now in Can-Am League) 1.69 for 16 innings, Tim Byrdak, Houston (Gary, IN and Joliet, IL of Northern League) 1.31 for 20.2 innings, Edwar Ramirez of New York Yankees (Pensacola, FL, now in American Association and Edinburg) 2.25 for 20 innings, George Sherrill of Baltimore (Evansville, IN, Frontier League; Winnipeg, Canada, Northern; and Sioux Falls, SD, now in American Association) 3.48 plus 22 saves in 31 innings.

We all know earned run averages for starting pitchers normally are higher, but Luke Hochevar is looking better with most every start for Kansas City. The onetime Fort Worth (TX) Cats (American Association) hurler is holding his own with a 4-5 record and a 4.66 ERA for 65.2 innings. He ranks fourth on the team in innings, and has the second best ERA among the four.

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IS FUN YOUR GAME? CHECK THIS OUT

After writing in this week's Independent Baseball Insider column about the evolution of promotions for the wacky--and successful--St. Paul (MN) Saints of the American Association, arguably the franchise that has meant the most in the 16-year development of modern day Independent Baseball, we thought readers might enjoy knowing more about their thinking. This is in their own words:

The Saints Experience:

Our fans feel appreciated (we thank them a lot, keep the prices in check and even in an older ballpark attempt to make continual improvements for their enjoyment of the game)

Since day one, we have a real nun giving therapeutic chair massages in the stands, Sister Rosalind Gefre.

Our 2007 live pig mascot (it is a new one every year) Garrison Squeallor weighed in at 530 lbs last week; this year’s pig is Boarack Ohama.

Hot Tubs behind the fence (thanks to the Colorado Sky Sox) and haircuts in the stands (thanks to Bill Veeck).

Peanuts tossed to the crowd during the 7th inning stretch (“borrowed” that idea from the Frederick Keys or Bowie Baysox, who used to toss Hershey candy bars during Take Me Out to the Ball Game).

Grand Fan (a fan in a Velcro suit hanging from a wall behind the rightfield fence… stay all game and win a night at a local casino; catch a HR and win $10,000 – bounced off a glove once but no one has caught it yet!)

Seats on the warning track… back in 2004 we had to find a way to welcome a huge group from a local real estate firm. We appealed to the League office to add seats to the warning track as we had noted was done in the old days of Saints Baseball in the early part of the 20th century. Every since, on big nights, we put up snow fence and folding chairs and welcome fans to their seats on our warning track.


Memorable Promotions:

Bobblection 2004 (soon to happen again for the 2008 campaign) – with all the teams in the Goldklang Group with Senator Kerry and President Bush bobbleheads – people voted/picked their preferred candidate – we predicted the November election in each of our 6 markets (Minnesota, South Dakota, Massachusetts, New York, Florida and South Carolina).

The recent Bobblefoot giveaway on National Tap Dance Day.

Our Mother’s Day/Dawn Game in May of 2005 as the earliest start of a professional baseball game… with a live rooster crowing to start the game.

Mime-o-vision with the mimes doing instant replay in June 1993… while it was a bust (even Minnesota-Nice people don’t like mimes!) it has given Mike Veeck a good story to tell ever since. He likes to say we sold 20,000 hot dogs that night… all thrown at the mimes.

Mary Tyler Moore Night and Sip, Stitch and Pitch Night (coffee, knitting & a ballgame) were both female fan favorites.

The iPig Giveaway last year, the day before Apple’s iPhone was released (one of those topical, last minute promos that got us lots of publicity).

The Randy Moss Hood Ornament was a great idea but not the best execution… we also did a Michael Vick Chew Toy last year with the local Humane Society as our special guests.

Being independent baseball we get to poke some fun at MLB and its commissioner. We have done a few promotions focused on Bud Selig – a tie giveaway after the MLB All-Star Game (before “This Time It Counts”), and a Bud Selig/Donald Fehr seat cushion giveaway after labor issues in 2002. This summer, on July 15 we are having a Bud Selig Retirement Party… he changed his mind but we are going ahead.

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