No Brave Caravan This Year

The Atlanta Braves will indeed skip us on the Caravan this year. I mentioned it yesterday on twitter (give me a follow over there! @DrMiraculous) - no Tim Hudson means no big star offering coffee and a warm spot to crash the night before! In the past it was Hudson who gave shelter to the "lesser" players and hosted the caravan as it came thru Montgomery and Auburn.

Now that Huddy is off to the Giants, the caravan wont be headed here or to Auburn. Its a disappointment to area fans and a relief to Academy Sports employees, both of whom would have been out in force early on a saturday morning. In each of the past few seasons Montgomery has lined up as many as five hundred fans willing to fight the cold and the crowd for a chance to meet their Atlanta Braves.

Perhaps the Braves are giving up the area to the Rays, ceding to the Biscuits parent club ahead of the big league visit. More likely, they don't have the resources to support the trip without Hudsons help - or should I say the desire to foot the bill for hotel rooms for the notables and not-so-notables.

NOT ALL THAT
Our visits from the Bravos have had a theme of also-rans and sidekicks, role players and rehabbers. The most famous face the caravan brought us was Don Sutton, HOF pitcher for the Dodgers and current Braves announcer.

Triple-A Heartthrob Cory Gearrin

A rookie Freddie Freeman (once) and Auburn resident Tim Hudson have been the headline names for the morning meet and greets, supported by Eric Hinskes and Brandon Beachys. Chipper Jones? No, we got coach Chino Cahadia. Heyward? No, we got Tyler Pastornicky, who like Freeman had been here playing vs the Biscuits just about five months earlier.


WHO COMES ALONG?
Guys who are fighting for a 25man roster spot and doing everything they can to endear themselves to the brass and guys who have been injured and are trying to do the same. Also minor leaguers who are almost prospects but not quite, also trying to jockey into more playing time in spring camp.

So all in all, we lose out on getting up early to stand in a long line for four hours and talk for thirty seconds to a few minor league guys, maybe a broadcaster and one big leaguer. Im not crying about it, but it is a sign of disrespect for the area Braves fans who turn out in droves to support the team at the appearance, support the double-A team and also drive to Atlanta with the family for big league games.

Come on Braves, we deserve better than that.

MOBILE STADIUM ISSUES

The City of Mobile has been told to improve "The Hank" by the Diamonbacks. The city has postponed voting on replacing the clubhouse carpet, home and visitor, to the tune of almost $17,000.

Other pending issues at the home of the Baybears have mounted up to nearly $1million. Unfortunately the city of Mobile, owners of the ballpark, has $4.4 million deceit and even the 17 grand for the carpet may not happen.

The City had budgeted over $150K for stadium improvements but the funding may be shifted before the check is written as the Mayor wants to redesign the budget to address the gaping hole in municipal funding.

Hank Aaron Stadium

Mobile city officials say the Dbax have a long list of concerns still growing, including the need to upgrade and expand the clubhouses as well as the items the City needs to address to keep the park a viable public gathering place. Basic stuff like a new outfield fence, new seating and an elevator for handicapped access as well as patrons in general, who have to sit above the ground level suites in one of the worst designed ballparks ever.

The city of Mobile may be pointing the finger at the Arizona Dbax over the demands but the ballpark badly needs either drastic improvements or abandonment. If the Stars indeed bail from Hunstville as planned, it would make the Mobile ballpark the oldest in the league. Baybears ownership didn't return calls for comment, but I would say that the writing is on the wall for the franchise.

WRIGLEY RETURNS TO LEONES

Former Biscuit and blog fave Henry Wrigley is back in action making two straight starts for the Caracas Leones. Already he has big hits from the bench, now getting into games at DH and his natural position of first base. One of those was a game winner, reminding fans in Caracas of last years great season by Wrigley and the Leones.

Leones teammates celebrate Henry's game winning RBI

Video from the Leones games is hard to find this year, a real step back from last season when their website promoted its own teams broadcast. Now they want us to watch gameday and we all know how dramatic and precise that is.

Ball in dirt? Looks like down the middle on gameday!

Sad Anniversary Marked on 1/1

January first marks a sad but very significant note in Montgomery baseball history.

It was on the first day of 1955 that we learned a plane carrying Hoke Vandigriff and three other passengers had crashed in a Ramer field on a stormy New Years Eve.

Vandigriff and the others were returning from the Gator Bowl in the private plane owned by Hoke and flown by his personal pilot. The details of the crash from the AP report are not for the faint of heart....

Hoke was president of a local construction company bearing his name, the Montgomery Aviation Corp as well as the Rebels of the South Atlantic League. He was known for being active in civic groups and was a very prominent figure in Montgomery at the time of the crash.

TURNING POINT
 It was a major change in local baseball history put into motion with the sudden loss of the team owner on that rainy new years eve 1955. The Rebels had dominated the SALLY league winning 248 games from 1950-52, but in just five seasons they would be sent to the Alabama-Florida League at the bottom of the baseball ladder.

The Rebels play well in '55 after losing their owner - but in 1956 the ownership changes would factor into a switch of teams and then leagues. Our Rebels would move to Knoxville midseason and Montgomery would have to lure the Little Rock Travelers to the city to finish the season.

In 1957 things would change drastically and not for the better. Montgomery would drop to the dreaded D-League level. We would field lowly D-league teams for six years then lose our team - getting no pro baseball from the end of 1962 until 1965 when we would finally re-enter the Southern league.

It took a full ten years for Montgomery to regain relevance in baseball and so many other things after that rainy last night of 1954. We had a lot to work on.

Happy New Year 2014

Its been a nice holiday season, one that has kept me busy enough enjoying the tidings and away from the blog. Not that there isnt plenty to cover!

 like....

BYE BYE BILLY

Gardner hands the lineup card to the umps

Billy Gardner Jr taking the manager job with the Nationals AAA team in Harrisburg PA. I think its great for them, and maybe sucks for us. We lose one of the best managers in the minors, not just the Southern League. How valuable is he? Not only did Montgomery's newspaper cover it, but so did Birmingham, Mobile and Jacksonville. They know it likely means a few less wins for the Biscuits!

Its great for Billy, who finally gets to enjoy having a job AND seeing his lawn grow in the summer for the first time in who knows how long.

It should be even better for the Nationals, who get the benefit of Gardners experience and on field ability as well as his mentoring skills. Its a well deserved promotion.


WHO REPLACES HIM?
Ah, tough question!
It could mean an opening for Jim Morrison to finally take the helm. MrMojo has been at the helm for Single-A Port Charlotte since they arrived in 2009, though this past year he was skippering the Rookie league Rays.

Or perhaps Stone Crabs manager Brady Williams gets the job and moves up a level. Brady, son of legendary manager Jimy Williams, his first manager assignment was to skipper the 2009 Hudson Valley Renegades. Previously Williams had coached for the Rays following his exit from minor-league ball in 2005. On the upside, Williams has been to the playoffs twice in the past three years!

It could also be an opening for a new face in the Tampa coaching chain, someone maybe not yet in the organization.


ANDERSON JAPANESE GIANT BISCUIT
Leslie Anderson, former Biscuits 1b/Of, has signed with the Yomiuri Giants of the NPB. He officially becomes the first Japanese Giant Biscuit!

Leslie Anderson and Fidel Castro

ORIGINAL GIANT BISCUIT
Of course, the VERY first Giant-Biscuit is Jean Machi - the former Skitz RP has done well in the SanFran bullpen. Hes posted a 2.87 ERA in 59 games the past two years, finishing out 14 games for the Gigantes.

Listed at six foot, 260lbs, Jean Machi is a Giant in more ways than one!

AROUND THE HORN
Other teams have already announced their double-A field staffs. Mobile brings back Andy Green to defend the league title.

The Tn Smokies will welcome back Buddy Bailey to the helm, along with new pitching coach Storm Davis. Davis is a two-time World Series champ who won over 110 games for seven MLB teams during a career that spanned 12 seasons.

Razor Shines 2005

The Chattanooga Lookouts have a new skipper, Razor Shines. Shines is a legend to the people of Indianapolis and has managed in the Southern league previously - having captained the Bham Barons from 2004-05.

GMan Dealt to Dbax

HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT?
Todd Glaesmann learned a new way to spell his name - PTBNL. He was included in the Heath Bell trade and heads to the Arizona organization where he will join other former Biscuits Mark Thomas and Tyler Bortnick.

Todd had 11 three-hit games with Montgomery in 2013!

It appeared that Gman learned of being included in the deal via twitter on Friday afternoon. He was the Rays minor leaguer of the year in 2012 but had a bit of a down year for the Skitz this past summer - the third round pick of 2009 he hit just .240 with 11 homers.

makin it rain up in here

Gman also has wicked medicine man skills for the making of rain charms and can now help so many people in the desert with his rain making talents.

We all wish Todd the best in the new organization, I'm guessing he will rise to the opportunities in fine form!



INJURED INFIELDERS
Tim Beckham, former first round pick taken ahead of Buster Posey, has torn his ACL during an offseason workout and will miss significant time in 2014.

Beckham was expected to compete for a bench role in Tampa's spring training, now he will spend most of the season on the DL alongside rehabbing Hak Ju Lee.


DEALIN RUGGIANO
Former Skit OF Justin Ruggiano was dealt from the Marlins to the Chicago Cubs.

In 2006 Justin played about 30 games for Montgomery after coming over from the Dodgers as the PTBNL in the Dionner Navarro-for-Mark Hendrickson swap. He tore it up for us, swatting four homers and 27 rbi with a stout .333 batting average as the Biscuits rolled to their first title!


SIX TIME SKITZ GUY

The 'Naz

Craig Albernaz, diminutive defensive catcher for Montgomery in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 departed the Tampa Rays system for a contract with the Detroit Tigers. He hoped to find a better opportunity for playing time.

He played in just 105 games for Montgomery in six seasons, but warmed up pitchers in about 900 other games! His six different stints with the Biscuits may place him atop the list of service time, with two more seasons than Biscuit stalwart Gabriel Martinez.

REID RELEASED
Ryan Reid was DFA'd by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Reid was a seventh round choice in 2006 and played for Montgomery 2008-11, posting a 10w-8L record in about 125 games.

Ryan made his big league debut this past summer with the Pirates, playing in seven games and earning his first MLB save with three innings vs Milwaukee on June 28th.


BILOXI ON HOLD
Some teams in the Southern league are griping about moving the Stars to Biloxi. What was expected to be a formality when the SL owners met to vote at the Winter Meetings must have become a debate and either no vote took place or the move was voted down.

Southern League owners are supposed to meet again before the end of the year, possibly by video conference, and may approve the move then. Or not.

Obviously, some teams have issues with the move or aspects of it. Its a stretch to think that the distance added for three teams, Jackson Tn Generals, Tn Smokies and Chattanooga Lookouts, would derail the move. Those teams may even vote against the deal, its their right to do so, but they alone wouldn't be able to keep the Stars from heading to Biloxi.

Prz Webb oversees rough transaction

WHAT COULD IT BE?
Maybe the Miss Braves griped about not getting a piece of the oil-spill money. Perhaps Jacksonville didn't vote, abstaining to obstruct the move by creating a 4-4 tie.

Maybe Biscuits owner Sherrie Myers voted against it because she didn't like not being informed about it at the league meeting. Could be Birmingham voted against so they would still be the newest park in the league.

Its possible Pensacola voted along with Mobile in an effort to keep a third team out of the area. It can't be going over well with the new league prez, who has MLB looking over her shoulder at her first real leadership test.


NOT SO FAST
Its within the realm of possibility that MLB and SL lawyers are skeptical about having a casino as a landlord. Another concern could be in the fact that it is oil-spill money and if its deemed that this use isnt kosher, the SL would not be happy giving money back.

Its been mentioned that the Stars owner might be trying to keep his team and move them himself, or keep an interest in the team after its moved. Along those lines, the news station in Huntsville has switched from calling it the "sale of the team" to the "relocation of the team" so the ownership may be trying to hold onto their shares.

Which would be terrible, because if we have learned anything from this whole thing, its that the Stars owner is probably closer to being the problem than the solution whether its in Huntsville or Biloxi.

The Falling Stars

No comment... yet

Another step towards defunct-ity for the Stars as the Southern League owners have been summoned to Orlando for a vote on the sale of the Huntsville franchise today.

The Brewers have deferred comment to the Huntsville Stars front office. The Stars front office says "talk to the league office" and the Southern league pres has no comment.

INFER WHAT YOU LIKE
From that, we can likely say that the Stars are doomed following the vote and that Biloxi has indeed gotten its team for 2015.

Factors in the voting include getting a majority of owners to approve the sale, as well as MLB blessing to abandon Huntsville and open shop in Pensacola for the 2015 season.


REALIGNMENT

Some teams may have issues over travel time, going to the Mississippi coast instead of centrally located Huntsville will surely mean a change in how the divisions are drawn in the Southern League.

A few possible changes in divisions were covered in an earlier post, but it comes down to Montgomery moving to the North or the league going back to East-West divisions.


SPECULATIN
Mobile could be unhappy having to share market space with yet another gulf coast team. They may ask for money, like they did from Pensacola.

Chattanooga, the Smokies or Jackson Generals could have hurt feelings for adding to their travel time, but even if all three and Montgomery vote against there could be a majority for passing the sale.

FLY ON THE WALL
I have considered there was a chance of a major minor league overhaul, and at every turn I was told that it would have to be directed by MLB. It looked to me like this is being directed by MLB, so I think anything is possible. We may never know the depth of the discussion, or all the possible angles involved.

COULD GET WEIRD
It could be a very interesting meeting, consisting of Southern League team owners, MLB representatives and assorted posse, League pres Webb, MiLB representatives and their crew, the marketing and economics experts and a Baskin-Robbins of Lawyers (all flavors).

All options, no matter how bizarre are on the table when at the owners meetings.

The announcement could come out of such a meeting with a marketing survey filled out by crosseyed Bieberfans as Selig nods off his dozing is mistaken for approval, then who knows WHAT we end up with!

ON HUNTSVILLE
The Stars have been on their way out of Huntsville for most of the past year, some would say much much longer.

The Joe

The Joe is one of the worst ballparks for seeing baseball in the league, and abused fans dont keep showing up to games... eventually forcing this kind of change.

Politics of Huntsville and the economy kept the city from backing any effort to build a new park, which meant that the team would go elsewhere.


PITY THE SURVIVORS

playoffs vs stars

The victims of the whole affair have to be the few loyal Stars fans, who have tried to support the team in spite of the crappy ballpark and bad teams and lousy local politics. They deserve better.

They have had no help from anyone, Stars ownership, city of Huntsville, Southern league, the media and least of all - from Biloxi and their large pile of oil-spill cash.

SILVER LINING

Its hopefully the last stab that car saleman from Wisconsin can throw at us before they cart him away.

BISCUIT NEWS

EX BISCUITS RELOCATED

or

OLD BISCUITS IN NEW PACKAGES

DELMON SLIMS AND LEARNS FIRST

Delmon in 2013

Former Biscuit and Alabama native Delmon Young, who wore the buttery uni again in 2013, continues to work to find ways to improve. Young has been learning to play first base in an effort to be more versatile.

At only 28 years old, Delmon has dropped his weight to just under 220 and looks to land on someones roster this spring.

Young had three hits in 11 at bats this postseason, homering once and driving in three runs. For his career the former first round pick has an even 100 homers and a .285 batting average in eight seasons.



SEDDON SOON A GIANT?
Former Biscuits starting pitcher Chris Seddon is said to be on the radar of the Giants - the Yomiuri Giants of Japans NPB league.

The lefty Seddon has had stints with the Indians and Mariners after making his big league debut in 2007 for the Marlins. He spent last year with the SK Wyverns of the Korean league.

Chris Seddon with Rainiers

Chris Seddon was a fifth round draft pick by the BayRays way back in 2001. He played for the inaugural Skitz in 2004, getting an early season promotion gave him 21 starts for Montgomery that year and ten more in 2005 before he was promoted to Durham. After a season and a half in triple-A he was returned to the Biscuits where he started a dozen more games when the Marlins claimed him on waivers.

His record for Montgomery is 18w-15L, a pretty fair tally considering he pitched on some really bad teams in '04-05. He was one of the first Biscuits pitchers to make their debut in the big leagues for a team other than the Rays.


THE FIRST GIANT BISCUIT?
If Seddon or Leslie Anderson should sign with Yomiuri, I believe they would be the first Biscuits to play in Japan for the storied Tokyo franchise. They could be the first Giant Biscuits!

Giant fan base

 WRIGLEY TO CARACAS

Classic look for a class act

Henry Wrigley, who should have been Biscuits MVP in 2011 with 17 homers and a .274 average, has tweeted upon his arrival to Caracas to play in Venezuelan league.

He was just 31 games into this season when he sustained an injured tendon that forced him to miss the rest of the year. He had been with Tulsa, the triple A affiliate of the Rockies franchise when the ankle injury cut his season short.

Fun to watch

HenWrigs now returns to the Leones where he is a fan favorite after his impressive .299 avg with 11 homers for the Caracas team in last years championship season. Wrigley says he "loves Venezuela and the intensity of the fans" and looks to re-establish himself during winter ball.

Currently without a job in MLB affiliated baseball, the power hitting first baseman could be a threat to pitchers and a thrill for fans in Venezuela!


ASHLEY TO BUCCOS

Not known for wheels

Bubba reminds us that on Nov 26 there was a tweet confirming that former Biscuits backstop Nevin Ashley was headed to the Pirates organization. A nice upgrade to the Pirates catching depth, and we wish him the best of luck with Pittsburgh!

The 6th round pick out of Indiana State was a three-time Biscuit, appearing first in 2009 for 35 games and batting just .212. In 2010 he was the main catcher for Montgomery, dialing into 7 homers and a .255 average. Finally he turned the corner in his development in 2011 and batted .280 before his midseason promotion to Durham and points beyond.

Listed among his intangibles, but almost as important as his on-field ability is his wife, Ashley Ashley. How important is she to Nevins game? So much so that she was mentioned by name when former Tampa catchers were discussed during the TBS Postseason coverage by Keith Olbermann and Dirk Hayhurst!

Classic Olbermann

Convo with the Owner

MEETING THE BOSS

Skitz Owner

Back in October I had a chance to have a conversation with Biscuits co-owner Sherry Myers at the World Series party. It was as enlightening, though not earth shattering informal discussion in a relaxed group setting. I mentioned it briefly a few weeks ago but thought to offer up a few more details, as I love having good baseball conversations, especially about Biscuits. And certainly there were some interesting topics covered!


There were a handful of us at our table, we were about three innings into Game One when Sherrie Myers worked her way around to our side of the room, hob-nobbing with the season ticket holders.

WHO DAT?

Who IS that guy?

I'm not sure she really knows who I am. She sees me all the time, but in the past I have wondered if she ducked out or cut things short when faced with the prospect of having to chat with me for more than a minute or two. So I was pleasantly surprised when she took a breath and dove into a fresh discussion with our motley band of (ir-)regular Skitz fans!

She started by thanking us for supporting the team, that they relied on our being fans, etc etc. The usual front office script, but it gave me a chance to start asking questions that I had been storing up for some time.

Biscuits opening nite 2004

I smiled and started with a compliment, that it must be nice to have the new ballparks using Riverwalk and the Biscuits as the model for their own franchises.

Ms.Myers responded with how hard it is in the Montgomery market for a baseball team. She mentioned the costs of keeping the team in the city were rising and the level of competition for entertainment was higher. The economic downturn hurt everyone, that they needed help from season ticketholders to keep the team doing well.

Also, that it was a football town and how that was so much more of a challenge than they realized it would be when they first bought the team.

WHAT ABOUT BILOXI?
I point blank asked Ms.Myers about Biloxi and the chances of the Huntsville Stars or another team moving. Her response was that the League meetings were held the previous week, and no mention of any team sale was made. There were no discussions about any teams moving, at all. "IF Biloxi gets a team, it won't be any time soon, not in the next few years" she said.

Proposed Biloxi ballpark

She brought up the problems with getting a Bond approved and how "even if they do, having a ballpark and getting a Southern league team are two different things". She described to the folks at the table that it would have to be an existing Southern league team, since you cant have a league with an odd number of teams.

ADD A TEAM AND EXPAND?
"Is there any chance MiLB could reorganize double-A baseball?" I asked her, mentioning the fact that there are 12 Eastern league teams, 10 Southern League teams and 8 Texas League teams. "Could they move a team like Little Rock? Or alternatively, is it possible we could see New Orleans and Jacksonville switch?" I made sure to get the whole concept in, so she couldn't get around it.

"Not any time soon, not in the next few years. I haven't heard anything about expansion, and it would have to be a change designed by MLB teams and they fight for years over any changes to how the territory is divided" she replied, and followed with an example including getting a hypothetical Rays tv broadcast in Montgomery and the difficulty involved.

I consider myself more informed than the average fan, so when the conversation turned to basic territory & TV rights and being Braves territory, I felt like she was speaking to us as though we were children. I mentioned afterwards that I was a little annoyed that she would assume we didnt know anything about that topic, but Michelle burst my bubble by saying "I didn't know it, and I dont think anyone else at the table did either, so that was just you".

Whoa, okay! Point taken, it must be tough or even impossible, as an owner to meet everyone's questions with an answer of appropriate depth. No matter who you talk to, any statement runs the risk of going over the head of some while others think it sounds like a preschool teacher. Tough gig.

BISCUITS NEWS

ANDERSON TO JAPAN?
Former Biscuit Leslie Anderson is being scouted by the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese NPB league.

Anderson played for Montgomery in 2010, hitting .304 in 48 games, hitting six homers as he split his playing time in the field between first base and left field.

Anderson stretches to get Ichiro in WBC

The Yomiuri Giants won Japans Central league title but fell to the Rakuten Eagles in the Championship series.
The Giants are looking for other options besides DH-1b John Bowker and see the 31 year old Cuban Anderson as a possible fit.



THOMAS SIGNS NEW DEAL
Ex-Skitz catcher Mark Thomas has signed with the Arizona Diamonbacks.

He will miss the first ten games of the 2014 season finishing his drug suspension, but its not a stretch to think he would be on the roster when Mobile comes to Riverwalk next.

The irony?  At the same time Thomas' suspension came down for recreational drugs of abuse, so did one for the Mobile BayBears pitcher Eric Smith for the same reason. The Biscuits were in Mobile when the news broke, and we joked that the two had been caught partying together. Now theres an even better chance of that happening!

Joking aside, Thomas is an excellent defender and a better player than his 2013 numbers. He is an asset to any teams catching depth and I look forward to seeing him this year as he is always nice and easy to talk with.


PRIDIE ON THE MOVE
Former Biscuit outfielder Jason Pridie signed with the Colorado Rockies and will try to make his fifth different major league team. He hasnt played more than ten games at the big league level in any of his five seasons except 2011, when he appeared in 101 games for the Mets.

Jason bunts for the Skitz on the road

Pridie, who played for the Biscuits way back in 2005, 06 and 07, had 35 stolen bases during his time with Montgomery.

The 30 year old Pridie, has over 1200 hits in his minor leagues career, with a .275 average.

Jason was a second round pick for the BayRays in 2002. The Rays included him along with Delmon Young in a trade for Matt Garza before the 2008 season.


I remember Pridie mostly for the exuberant female fan who sat behind me one night, cheering him heartily heartily. A few Thirsty Thursday beers later she let out an ear-splitting "I LOVE YOU JASON PRIDIEEEEE!!!".


I wonder what ever happened to her?

Getting a feel for the game