Whats New at the Park, Roster Shuffles

ROSTER MOVES
Fans have a hard time keeping up with the roster moves this time of year, even with a scorecard. Some players are listed as injured on the lineups given out at the ballpark but not on the league website. Some player promotions go unannounced and slip past even the most vigilant(e) of the cranks. It took five days to figure out the roster, but here is a summary:

Braxton Lee was dealt to the Marlins. He was immediately assigned to Jacksonvile.

Dalton Kelly was promoted from the Stone Crabs to fill Lee's vacated roster spot. Kelly was part of the deal that sent former Biscuits Shaffer and Motter to the Mariners.

Kyle Bird returned from Durham and got into the game on Sunday, pitching multiple innings.

Cade Gotta has been sent to Durham, unannounced on the league webpage but indeed has fallen off the Biscuits roster.

Genesis Cabrera arrived from the StoneCrabs and will be inserted into the starting rotation. Cabrera led the Florida State League in WhIP ratio, allowing just under a baserunner per inning. Cabrera had a fine first outing, piling up strikeouts without allowing an earned run.

Cabrera will replace Mike Franco, sent to Durham's starting rotation. When I tried to gripe about the rotating fifth man in the starting rotation pitching coach R.C. Lichtenstein simply said "Thats just how we do it around here!"

RHP Broadway

Reliever Mike Broadway was signed by the Rays and sent to Montgomery. He got into a pair of games this homestand and looked to have good life on his fastball.

Granden Goetzman is on the disabled list according to the team handouts but not the team webpage, and the league has yet to post it. Goetzman last played on June 14th.

Nick Ciuffo got banged up during the homestand and probably should serve a day or two as the DH during the road trip.

NEW HATS
The Biscuits finally brought in the fan-voted cap, the Biscuit Lid, for purchase. A long wait was frustrating for fans and front office alike, as the hat makers were unable to produce a product that looked like the design.

Also the Skitz announced a 4th of July hat for the first time. This year the patriotic hat has a red-white-blue motif but carefully without any American flag design, per agreement with the local Air Force base.

Why they can't use a flag is beyond me, as is how such an agreement even came about. Who brings that up at a meeting? Hopefully with new owners for the ball team and new brass at the AFB the Biscuits can renegotiate!

WHATS NEW AT THE BALLPARK
New ownership touted changes and already things are looking a little different around the yard.

Beer vendors wander the aisles with comforting shouts of "Cold Beer!" This is a staple of ball parks worldwide that has been sorely missing from Biscuits games until now. No longer need a fan with a dry throat from cheering the team have to walk across the stadium and wait in line. Beer is brought to the people!

First Base Concession Stand is open on Thursday night. Whoa, am I dreaming? Years we have begged for this, finally it has come.

Painted walls. Its a small thing, but the green paint on the wall in front of the seats give the park a good uniform look. The unpainted concrete had a construction-site feel, left over from 2004 when the city was literally finishing the paint the day before opening day.

Franx, re-purposed. Formerly the failed designer hot dog counter, now open as a quick-serve window with a scaled down menu for fast service. Excellent move, new owners!

Every Sunday is Bark in the Park. Another good move that the blog has been suggesting for a long time. Fans love to bring their dogs, dogs love to come along. Its a perfect match.



"Can they keep bringing in big crowds?" I was asked by a player who has been enjoying seeing the stands full. While noone really knows that answer, the things that have been done certainly show that the new leadership is aware of what fans want.

Now, about those ticket prices...

#BullpenLife