Time for news! I keep my ear to the ground and have picked up a few items of interest for the casual as well as the die hard fanatics.
BALLPARK WORK TO BEGIN
Coming soon we will see construction at the ballpark as the new clubhouse is built in centerfield. Players will enter and leave the field by crossing to centerfield, which should prove interesting when a player or manager is ejected! I have not seen plans or renderings but am told that its a done deal.
NO NETS!!
Also coming are the dreaded pole-to-pole nets, encasing fans in a cage and ending an era of enjoyable baseball because SOME people can't be arsed to pay attention to the event they paid to get into. Tell your city officials we don't want more than they have already done.
GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
Speaking of paying lots of money to see in person something you can get a better view of for free on tv - did you hear how much tix for that Rickwood Field of Dreams game are? Someone told me they start at a thousand bucks!
The Biscuits and Barons play the annual Rickwood Classic next year, just days before the MLB game, and its expected to be a dress rehearsal of sorts as the game will be broadcast nationally. I am sure many will show up for that, either in Slagtown early for the Field of Dreams game or to take advantage of the somewhat lower ticket price!
Obviously the huge up-side to the Field of Dreams game is the renovation of historic Rickwood Field that will allow the annual throwback game to continue to enthrall baseball fans for years to come.
RESEARCH AND PRESENTATION UPDATE
For those that don't keep score at home, I am helping to organize a baseball history conference here in Montgomery next spring. I was asked to help in bringing together groups for an event that is the first of its kind, the Alabama chapter of SABR, along with the Southern Association Baseball Researchers group, the Alabama Dept of Archives and History, the Montgomery Biscuits and the city of Montgomery will all be pulling together to highlight our local baseball legacy.
My own research topic is the 1954 Montgomery Rebels, our first integrated team. And quite frankly, I am going to blow the roof off the place. I will be answering questions that have never before been asked and those answers will startle you. I guarantee it. This will be more than the usual baseball history talk.
Known among researchers for not wanting to bore listeners, I try to make history discussions a more lively experience, encouraging active participation from the audience in a way that is fun and educational for everyone, myself included!
This lecture is one I hope will open eyes about the amazing hidden history of Montgomery baseball's darkest secrets and shine the light of truth in a dark corner that hasn't been looked at in over fifty years.
HOW BOUT THEM BISCUITS?
These Biscuits are good Biscuits. Not great Biscuits but not bad either, somewhere in between. With the summer winding down I felt it was time to share some info that I have gleaned about the guys wearing Montgomery togs this year. Not all biographical information was fully vetted, some stories may be enhanced and/or fabricated for entertainment value, statistics via fangraphs, BREF and MiLB.com . Ronny Simon - smiles A LOT, enjoys bubblegum and is able to carry the team for a couple weeks at a time, once purchased a Ford Gremlin because he "liked its face", Ronny Simon's .278 BABIP is among the lowest on the team though his WRC is fourth among active Biscuits so Ronny gets it done without knocking down fences
Junior Caminero - nickname: El Maximo, prospecty and knows it, displays collection of rare gold chains, solid defense and line drive hitter, listed at 6'1 157lbs its obvious he is most of a hundred pounds heavier and at least three inches taller, Caminero's High-A bat was a lot more potent than his Double-A bat has been so far, look for Junior to finish the season strong as he adjusts to Southern League balltossers.
Mason Montgomery - nickname Mace, Biscuits best hurler has trouble getting deep enough into games to earn the W, probably shoots 68 at golf but loses his clubs on the 17th fairway and is denied final score, so far the only Biscuits pitcher to log 100K's this season, third in the Southern League in K-9 at 11.20
Eric Ostberg - nickname: Lord of Girth, Bergie, couldnt buy playing time after pissing Ensberg off in April by showing up relief staff in early mop up appearances, owns a luxury condo in Maui and is just playing baseball during the busy tourist season to have somewhere to stay during the summer.
Patrick Wicklander - nickname Big Wick, stingy with the free passes and once he learns to miss a few more bats Big Wick will be wearing a Bulls uni.
Carlos Garcia - been to Durham and back so many times this year he bought an extra set of clothes to keep there, hard throwing reliever is perfecting his slider and forcing the big club to find room for him in their plans, brings bling to the bullpen along with a sparkling 16.6% swinging strike ratio.
Jeff Belge - nickname Bulge, formerly nicknamed Beige after opening-day jersey typo, lefty reliever deals heat from the hill and witty sarcasm in the pen
Tristan Peters - nickname Stinky P, wallclimbing parkour outfielder plays shallow to show off his ability to chase deep flyballs, Peters has been challenged by Southern League pitchers but shows signs of making the adjustment in the second half, Part of the trade that sent Brett Wisely to the Giants, Peters was flipped by the Giants after they got him from the Brewers, Peters has done much to shake scouts notions that he was lackings defensively and continues to make solid contact
Graeme Stinson - nickname Donkey, the ginger bearded lefty from Georgia is learning how to navigate the late innings, tho he has shed the long whiskers that earned him a Yukon Cornelius nickname last season. Leading the staff in groundballs, the southpaw likely has a long career ahead once he finds a way to miss just a few more bats, prefers PBR to PFP.
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Biscuits pitchers Gau (l) and Belge(r)
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Chris Gau - nickname Holy Gau/Gausser, earning fine marks for his low opponent batting average and high baseball IQ, Gau's wit is as fast as his four-seamer, sub 1.00 WhIP likely tickets him to Durham next spring if not before
Nate Soria - newest Biscuits catcher on the roster, splitting backup backstop time means Nate spends a lot of time in the bullpen warming up pitchers and honing his wit, while we are still waiting for Sorias first base hit the silver lining is that he is just 1 for 5 in GIDPs, listed at 5'8 he catches while standing upright and is looking to put a hit out on whoever it was that drastically underestimated everyones height and weight on the Biscuits media handouts.
Logan Driscoll - nickname Bufalo, brings power and 70's era chesthair displays to the catching postition, takes over as BigBiscuit in the lineup after Moose Shenton's promotion, listed at 6'1 195 the beerbarrel backstop is obviously using a fake ID at weigh-in, Logan's .373 BABIP might indicate he is living large and due a regression but those pecs dont look at numbers so expect a strong finish - possibly in Durham
Nelson Alvarez - his strikeouts are up and his infield fly balls are at a career high, so you know that means he is probably throwing high heat effectively, Nelly also leads the squad in swinging strikes and has been more dominant than his 4.20 ERA would suggest.
Antonio Jimenez - nickname Frijolito, listed at 5'11 145 lbs, Jimenez is at least two inches and thirty pounds above that estimate, the Dominican southpaw has numbers this year that are a painful result of surrendering eight home runs in just twelve relief appearances, in his first season converting from being a starting pitcher, being in a new role likely gives Frijolito plenty of leash for learning and won't be punished for having bad numbers in his limited action this season.
Heriberto Hernandez - nickname The Kraken, leads active Biscuits regulars in On-Base Percentage at .372 in large part owing to his excellent understanding of the strike zone, Heriberto seems able to earn a walk in every game and has collected over fifty to lead the club in free passes, Hernandez hits well when he does swing and posts a .345 BABIP good for second on the team among regulars.
Cole Wilcox - nickname Big Country, Wilcox has been a staple in the Skitz rotation this summer and provides quality work, with a career high in innings approaching nearly double his workload in 2021 and second on the Montgomery staff in pitches thrown one has to wonder if he will be shut down or moved to a relief role in the final weeks, though that would be a real blow to the Biscuits pitching staff but would help the Rays protect a big piece in the deal that sent Blake Snell to the Padres.
Johan Lopez - nickname The Johan, Dont mess with the Johan, back with a vengance!
John Doxakis - nickname The Warden, but could also be the Punisher for leading the Skitz staff with 10 hit batsmen, Doxakis is one of the main men skipper Mo Ensberg turns to when the Montgomery team needs relief on the bump, sure he walks too many batters and he hits a few and yeah he is sometimes good for coughing up a longball but John Doxakis doesn't allow teams to pepper the field with hits and that is what brings Mo out of the dugout to wave in The Warden.
Apologies to the guys who didn't get mentioned due to lack of time and space!
#BULLPENLIFE
Eric Ostberg - nickname: Lord of Girth, Bergie, couldnt buy playing time after pissing Ensberg off in April by showing up relief staff in early mop up appearances, owns a luxury condo in Maui and is just playing baseball during the busy tourist season to have somewhere to stay during the summer.
Patrick Wicklander - nickname Big Wick, stingy with the free passes and once he learns to miss a few more bats Big Wick will be wearing a Bulls uni.
Graeme Stinson - nickname Donkey, the ginger bearded lefty from Georgia is learning how to navigate the late innings, tho he has shed the long whiskers that earned him a Yukon Cornelius nickname last season. Leading the staff in groundballs, the southpaw likely has a long career ahead once he finds a way to miss just a few more bats, prefers PBR to PFP.
Logan Driscoll - nickname Bufalo, brings power and 70's era chesthair displays to the catching postition, takes over as BigBiscuit in the lineup after Moose Shenton's promotion, listed at 6'1 195 the beerbarrel backstop is obviously using a fake ID at weigh-in, Logan's .373 BABIP might indicate he is living large and due a regression but those pecs dont look at numbers so expect a strong finish - possibly in Durham
John Doxakis - nickname The Warden, but could also be the Punisher for leading the Skitz staff with 10 hit batsmen, Doxakis is one of the main men skipper Mo Ensberg turns to when the Montgomery team needs relief on the bump, sure he walks too many batters and he hits a few and yeah he is sometimes good for coughing up a longball but John Doxakis doesn't allow teams to pepper the field with hits and that is what brings Mo out of the dugout to wave in The Warden.
