Sunday, September 23, 2018

MLBiscuits Jersey Auction, Skitz Announcer Way Off Base




MLB BISCUITS
JERSEY AUCTION

Many former Biscuits players jerseys were made available from the Players Weekend uniform auction. Bidding ran thru September 20th and a few until the 24th, its cool to see what the former Skitz chose for their nameplates. Also, that there are so many former Biscuits in the bigs!

Dylan Floro
Mikie Mahtook
Wade Davis
Curt Casali
David Price
Kirby Yates
Matt Moore
Alex Colome
Kevin Kiermaier
Jake Bauers
Jose Alvarado
Brandon Lowe
Yonny Chirinos
Diego Castillo
Hunter Wood
Adam Kolarek
Willy Adames
Ryne Stanek




MEAGER NEWS AND NOTES

Scott Trible
Longtime Biscuits General Manager Scott Trible has announced he is leaving the team and moving to pursue other ventures. Trible has been a friendly and easily accessible front office guy, guiding the business end since taking over for Marla Vickers back in like, 2007 or so. Best of luck to him in his future endeavors. Biscuits COO Brendan Porter will be at the helm and should be a fine steward for the Montgomery club going forward under the new ownership.


Infielder Tristan Gray, who got his first taste of double-A in the playoffs, will be playing in Australia this offseason with the Brisbane Bandits of the ABL. Gray will likely be back with the Biscuits next spring.




GARY REDUS IN COOPERSTOWN
Gary Redus set the all-time single season batting average record with .462 in his first pro season with Billings. One of his bats used in that campaign is on display at Cooperstown.

When I asked him about his bat being on display, he told me that it wasn't his only bat in the Hall of Fame. When catcher Johnny Bench set the record for home runs by a catcher, he used a Gary Redus bat that is now on display at the Hall.

So there are TWO Gary Redus bats in the Hall of Fame!



BISCUITS ANNOUNCER CAUGHT WAY OFF BASE
Espinal had hit rough patches before
During the final game of the playoffs in which the Biscuits were eliminated, Biscuit radio announcer Chris Adams-Wall absolutely roasted Yoel Espinal on the air for giving the Generals the first game and then repeatedly blamed him for the series loss.

Repeatedly.

Multiple times during the ninth inning of the final game he quoted the three walks and two runs allowed by the Biscuits closer in game one as the sole reason Montgomery would not advance to the championship round after game five.

How an announcer who travels with the team and presumably saw the same game I watched online, can throw a player under the bus for an entire series loss is beyond inexcusable.

That he would use the broadcast to single out Espinal for losing a five game series based on a game one performance is unbelievable.


That he would say it was Espinal's fault alone is simply incorrect.


It's true during that first game against the Generals, Yoel did walk three, he hit a batter, gave up one hit, allowed two runs to score and took the loss. There can be no debate about the line score.


However no mention was made in the game five broadcast by Chris Adams-Wall of the fact that during that fateful first game ninth inning Biscuits shortstop Lucius Fox mishandled/booted what could have been a game-ending double play grounder. That ball was a hit in the box score but as it happened on the field the Jackson announcer described it as an error, until the hometeam official scorer chose not to rob the Generals of postseason stats and ruled it thusly a hit.



WHAT IS A CLOSERS JOB?
When the closer is on the hill with the bases loaded in the 9th inning, the job definition is pretty basic. Get out of it with little or no damage.

How does it happen? Another simple recipe. Combine a strikeout or popup with a ground ball hit to an infielder for a double play usually works well.

When he gets that weak pop foul for the first out and a grounder to shortstop HE HAS DONE HIS JOB.

What more can you ask for? Another ground ball? Its baseball, not a movie script. In this instance, Espy even induced yet another weak fly ball for out two after the non-error by Fox, before the winning run scored on the third walk of the inning.




LISTENERS MISLED
When a shortstop commits what was could be called an error and allows a run to score without getting anyone out, it is hard to single out the pitcher and say he was the cause of it.

Yet that is exactly what the Biscuits announcer did, proclaiming Montgomery the better team and saying if it were not for the bad pitching of Yoel Espinal the Biscuits would be headed to the championship.

Being a road game, most Montgomery fans didn't watch that first game in Jackson and only have the announcers word about what happened. Yet the reporting of that game action left out crucial details.

Details that didn't back the assignment of blame on Yoel Espinal, so those details were left out and listeners led to believe Espinal was a worthy sacrificial goat.


Just last year, Biscuits closer Ian Gibaut allowed a two run walk-off home run in the ninth inning of playoff game five but he was not solely blamed for losing that game, the series or the Co-Championship. Nor should he be.


A team doesn't lose a series in one game. Reliever Yoel Espinal was not the only one to blame for the game one loss, the series loss or the Biscuits failure to win the championship. In baseball, you win as a team and you lose as a team. There were nine men in the field that night, not just Espinal alone.

If one is a professional sports announcer, one shouldn't throw a player under the bus during a broadcast, regardless of the reason. Blaming Espinal for the Biscuits failure in the postseason is simply sour grapes and not factual.

If the announcer is truly part of the team, an apology may be in order. At the very least an explanation on how Espinal is to blame for giving up two runs via walks in game one this year and why Gibeaut is not after serving up a two run walkoff homer in game five last year.

Otherwise, what should Chris Adams-Wall expect when he looks those guys in the face next spring?


Friday, September 7, 2018

Playoff Biscuits in Divisional Round



The Skitz took a split in Jackson against the Generals and now face them in three home-field contests to determine the divison champ. To say these are big games would be a vast understatement.


Historically, the Generals appeared to have the Biscuits number in recent years. However skipper Brady Williams feels more confident with this group than any of his previous September Biscuits, these guys have simply played great baseball over the past few months and earned their place in the postseason.




WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Fans that have cardiac issues or think they may be pregnant might want to just look for the box score in the newspaper the next morning, drama is going to happen in this series. Both teams are hungry for a shot at the title, Biscuits after being denied three straight seasons and the Generals who have been preparing for the playoffs since they won the first half of the season.

The Biscuits and Generals are well matched at this point, look for the series to be won and lost on bench and bullpen depth.


The Montgomery bullpen has had some rough patches lately, particularly in finding someone to get the last three outs of the game consistently. Look for Brady Williams to trust his bullpen arms, they have gotten the team where it is.



Look for the Biscuits to play hungry, using their strengths of baserunning and situational hitting.


Look for the Generals to challenge Biscuits catchers on the basepaths, though they aren't known as a running team. Clubs have made it a habit to force Montgomery backstops to prove they can throw.


Fans should look for the unexpected hero. In big games, its often a guy without the attention that comes through.


PLAYOFF NOTES
Announced attendance for the two Jackson playoff games were listed as 1100 and 1400, respectively. And generously.

Relief pitcher Travis Ott was sent to Durham for the final days of the season, but has returned to the Biscuits bullpen for the postseason. Ott did pitch for the Bulls but it didn't go well, so maybe don't bring it up to him.

3B Kevin Padlo is with the Biscuits, though not on the roster. Probably getting a feel for where he will likely play next summer.

Pitcher Reece Karalus was sent to Port Charlotte, but I suspect he is traveling with the Biscuits. The Stone Crabs were eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the season.

Blake Bivens
Pitchers Brandon Lawson and Blake Bivens were both activated for the Biscuits postseason.

Utilityman Michael Russell was sent to Durham and started the Bulls first postseason game at third base.

Shortstop Jermaine Palacios was sent to the Biscuits from the Stone Crabs. Palacios hit .370 with Port Charlotte, then struggled in his first taste of double-A and was sent back down where he proceeded to hit just .214 for the rest of the season.


MiLB lists Benton Moss as the starter for Friday, in fact its Sam McWilliams vs Justin Donatella.

The Generals Justin Donatella faced Montgomery five times in the regular season, including two relief appearances in April, garnering two wins and no losses. After being very good in the first half, Dontatella has been a little more mortal since the All Star break but still able to keep his team in a close ballgame. His Achilles heel is falling behind in the count, which sends opponent batters average from .168 when ahead to .284 when behind.


Biscuit pitchers will have to figure out Generals 3b Marty Herum. Batting .370 over the past month, the young third sacker has been opening eyes since he returned from the DL in June. Except the guy who writes the MiLB player bios.



 TALKIN BOUT LIB
In a twitter conversation I posted this image, one Biscuit fans should recall...


It got a response from the man himself...



Always happy to help out!


NEW TEAM
Rocket City Trash Pandas. We will get back to that later this offseason!

#BULLPENLIFE


HISTORY!

1870s ballplayers in Montgomery
Been doing a bit of interesting research lately, trying to narrow down persons involved in some 1800's local teams. Starting to suspect there was a LOT more baseball going on in the area than historians give credit for. 

Multiple examples of Alabamians playing baseball during the Civil War, with players local to Montgomery, Mobile, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, many other places. Amateur players and professional players, collegiate and civic games. Evidence leads me to believe that before 1864 there must be at least loosely-organized games and dozens of Alabamians with experience in them. It is not a game that was brought home from Yankee prison camps after the war.

Just now beginning to identify these individuals and excited about the prospect of changing how our area is viewed in terms of baseballs early days.


SEPTEMBER 6 1908 
Montgomery wins in 14 innings vs New Orleans 4-1

SEPTEMBER 8 1908 
Outfielder Elmer Bliss
Montgomery gets ten hits and scores 11 runs to beat Little Rock

SEPTEMBER 9 1905 
Montgomery Pitcher Lee throws a 2-hit shutout vs Little Rock

SEPTEMBER 9 1908 
Montgomery OF Elmer Bliss is 5-for-5 vs Mobile, as Montgomery racks up 15 hits.

SEPTEMBER 10 1906 
Montgomery pitcher Ted Breitenstein allows just one run on three hits vs Little Rock but loses as Little Rock's SP Keith shuts out Montgomery on just two hits.

SEPTEMBER 10 1920 
Montgomery, AL
"New Orleans Club Defeats Grey Sox - Mason is Driven From Mound and Streeter is Batted At Will -
By driving Mason from the mound in the second inning, and hitting Streeter at will, the New Orleans Add Club had little trouble in defeating the Montgomery Grey Sox Friday, 7 to 3.
Charlie "Two Sides" Wesley

Erratic fielding, by the Grey Sox outfielders, by the Grey Sox outfielders sided the visiting club, the local outfielders playing a slow game on safe drives. Ross for the visiting club carried off the batting honors with three triples and one single, while McGavock and Carpenter for the local each acquired a triple.

The absences of "Red" Cunningham at first base is felt by the Grey Sox, although Wesley is playing the initial corner in fair style. With Cunningham out of the game, the local players appear to lack the fighting spirit which has marked their playing all season.

The two teams will play again this afternoon, game starting at 4 o'clock."