Road Trip: Delaware Cows vs. Southern Ohio Copperheads

In my best NFL Films voice, “the green walls of Littick Field proved the backdrop for the epic battle between nine Copperheads and nine Cows.”

Last night got out to my first Delaware Cows game of the season as the squad swept the Southern Ohio Copperheads in Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League action. The Great Lakes League is an NCAA approved wood bat league focusing on players with college eligibility. For more information, read my interview with Commissioner Dr. Kim Lance from earlier this spring.

The Game: On Tuesday night the weather was a little muggy but almost perfect for what fans would expect from a late-July ballgame. But the on field action was pretty hot (and cold) as there were some players that really shined and others that well, didn’t. The Cows (16-14) came-from-behind to win both games over the Copperheads (13-19).

In the opener, the Cows plated three runs in the first to tie the game at three and then four in the third to stake a 7-3 lead and held on for a 7-5 (box) victory. George Biddle (4-1) picked up the win going five innings allowing four run on seven hits, walking one and fanning six. Dan Utts recorded his second save of the season working 0-2/3 innings with a strike out. Troy Testerman (2-3) took the loss allowing all seven runs on eight hits and a walk over three innings, Jonathan Nichols followed Testerman tossing a one-hit shutout over the final three innings. Aaron Hauser paced the Cows with a single and double with a walk and two runs, while Jason Zoeller and Daniel Webb added two hits. Ryan Hamilton finished 0-for-1 with two RBI on two sacrafice flies. The Copperheads were led by third baseman Dennis Winn's third homerun of the season, while Mike Folli added two hits and two stolen bases in the contest. (In the nature of full disclosure, I missed the first game because it started at 3 p.m.)

Hauser

In the nightcap, the Copperheads again drew first-blood and watched as their venom had no effect on the Cows. Southern Ohio plated four in the first inning and watched as a five-run fourth inning lifted the Cows to an 8-5 victory (box). Shortstop Paul Bennett led the Copperheads offense from his leadoff position going 2-for-2 with a walk, run, stolen base (14th on the season) and RBI; but he also committed a costly error and could have easly been charged with a second on a botched double-play attempt. Willie Walker and Josh Miller added a double for the Copperheads attack. The Cows offense was led by Hamilton's 2-for-4 with three RBI while Daniel Webb, Derek Lehrman added two hits. Ryan DeGeeter (2-1) picked up the win going five innings allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while fanning two. Dan Utts worked the final 1-1/3 innings with three strikeouts for his third save - and second of the day - of the season. Jon Oliver started for Southern Ohio and was bounced around in three innings allowing three runs - two earned - on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Richie Frahlick (3-1) took the loss going one inning allowing four hits, three walks, and a strikeout en route to allowing five runs.

Frahlick

The Players: I have to admit that I just got a new 300mm lens for the camera at work, so my “focus” was on playing with the new toy – hence I didn’t keep a great scouting report on the teams, but a couple of guys stood out in the game.

A player that really stood out was Delaware first baseman Aaron Hauser, a 6-1 and 225-pound junior from North Alabama, with the bat and the glove. Hauser made a wonderful play at first base on a bang-bang play, going up and over the Copperhead runner but having the presence of mind to attempt a tag and recorded and out with a tag to the head that sounded like something that happens on the gridiron. He is hitting .301-3-10 with five doubles in 103 at bats. The biggest concern is that he has posted a 3/18 walk to strike out ratio. With UNA this spring, Hauser hit .350-4-50 with 13 doubles and 18 stolen bases in 200 at bats. The ironic thing is that he walked 32 times, was hit by pitch 10 times, and fanned only 14 times. He looks like a guy that should get a shot to play in the low-minors and if some power develops he could become an interesting prospect.

A second player that really stood out was Cows third baseman Ryan Hamilton (.327-1-17, 7 sb). He was solid around the hot-corner making a couple of bang-bang plays (with the help of Hauser) over the course of the game. A native of Houston, Hamilton is a 5-10, 180-pound junior at Louisiana Tech. With Tech he hit .339-8-37 with 11 doubles in 224 at bats. He’s compiled an 8/16 walk to strikeout ratio this spring. He’s athletic and seems to have good instincts. He hits from a wide-open stance that just looks awkward. He looks a bit small to play third in the minors, but he has enough skills around the hot-corner that a move to second wouldn't be out of reach.

Hamilton

Southern Ohio’s hottest pitcher was all-star Richie Frahlick (3-1), of Ball State University, who had not allowed an earned run this season. From the “picked a fine day to see him” file, I watched him allow four hits and walk three en route to allowing five earned runs in a single inning of relief in the nightcap. Even with that Frahlick’s number now stand at 13 hits, 12 walks, 33 strike outs in 21-2/3 innings. He’s posted a 2.01 ERA with a 3-1 record and a save. He’s limiting opponent to a .176 average.

The Facility: Delaware Cows games are played at Ohio Wesleyan University’s Littick Field. The field is very nice and has limited seating right behind home plate and an open area down the foul lines. Take a blanket for the aluminum bleachers behind home plate. The fence around the field is a little high for a traditional lawn-chair but a couple of fans were able to prop lawnchairs up enough to enjoy the game from the first base line. The playing surface was beautiful and the hops looked pretty true on the infield.

If You Go: Ticket prices are $2 per person and you'll get a classic no-frills baeball experience. The stadium is located off Henry Street in Delaware on what is known as the East Side of Ohio Wesleyan's campus. There are currently no ammenities at the stadium, a couple of good restaurants - The Brown Jug (named for the famous horse race at the Delaware County Fair), Buns, and Old Bag of Nails - are located a long-walk from the Stadium in downtown Delaware.

Map Updated: 14% Complete

I've updated the map with the 12 counties that I've been able to visit. The goal is to begin posting on a daily basis until I get caught up with the counties I have yet to profile.

Ross and Pickaway Counties were the latest additions being visited on Friday night.

Ross County: Hidden Baseball Gem

Road Trip: Chillicothe Paints vs. Mid-Missouri Mavericks (VA Memorial Stadium – Chillicothe, Ohio)

I made the trip down the Chillicothe on Friday night. I had planned to visit the Court House, but after dealing with rush hour traffic and spending 20 minutes in Circleville; visiting the Hopewell Burial Mounds and V.A. Memorial Stadium will have to do.



Getting to the Stadium: V.A. Memorial Stadium was built in 1954 and stands on the grounds of the Veteran of Foreign Affairs Hospital northwest of Chillicothe along State Route 104. After spending an hour fighting the traffic of Columbus’ sprawl it was rather refreshing to head away from downtown Chillicothe, 104 heads north along the Scioto River past the rather large and very intimidating Chillicothe Correctional facility, past the National Park honoring the Hopewell Indian Mounds, and then turning at the golf course. It was another world from other Ohio stadiums that have taken up residence in the concrete hearts of their cities. I made a pit-stop at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and was offered a short, but very informative, chat session with a Park Ranger. I’m sure that he would have been much more detailed, but I’d arrived as they were locking up the doors and he stopped to speak with me on his way home. The park was a neat place to stop but not worth a trip to Chillicothe on its own unless you are a big fan of Indian burial mounds.

The Stadium: As you meander back the entry-road to the stadium, you pass a golf course and it really has that type of setting. You really feel like this stadium is hidden back in this golf course setting, reminded me a lot of a small college stadium that tries to integrate the facility into the greater campus. The first-base side is directly in the sun and Friday’s 90-plus degree day made the bleachers along that side a nice spot for a person wishing to escape the inebriated non-baseball folk that had gathered along the third-base side.

Environment (Food, Ambiance): I arrived at Memorial Stadium about one hour before game time and easily parked, for free, within three rows of the stadium. The Party Pavilion was hopping and the three youth-league teams were already amassed and enjoying the open grounds around the facility. The Paints appeared to have enough staff to handle about anything that could pop up and they were friendly and seemed to be having fun at the ballpark, which made for a more pleasurable experience. It really felt in a lot of ways like a “family” experience where you were being included in their family gathering that just happened to have a baseball game surrounding it. The Paints players were very accessible to fans right up until the first pitch and, despite a less-than stellar game, right after it as well. I discovered the high number of drunks may have had to do with $2 draft beers, which could be dropped to a $1 if the “Budweiser Batter of the Game” proceeded to strike out during the contest. A whiff by Mid-Missouri catcher Matt Oakes in the fifth sent many a fan to the beer truck for a refill of what appeared to be the favorite beverage. After having a cold hot dog, I relived why the beer was the food and beverage of choice for the Paints’ faithful.

The Game: This is Frontier League action so unless you are a fan of the league you will not know the names of any players on the field. The Paints’ dugout contained former major leaguer Glen Wilson as the manager, but the players are guys battling for their professional life. The game was smooth and a well-played for the most part. There were a few times when the game seemed to get away from the players and the Paints’ coaching staff seemed a bit reluctant to go deep into their bullpen much to the dismay of the three fans that were rather vocal near the Chillicothe bullpen.

Steve Soja: I was excited to know find that Mavericks starter Steve Soja, a 6-1 and 210-pound righty, was among the league leaders in earned run average entering the contest. Soja didn’t look impressive, his physical make-up reminded me of Bartolo Colon and he’s got a hitch when he pitches from the set-up that makes it very easy to run against him. But, in Soja’s defense he didn’t allow very many Paints on base all night. He limited the home team to six hits and three walks over eight innings while fanning three. With the win he improved to 3-3 with a 1.91 ERA on the season.



Thomari Story-Harden: Thomari Story-Harden stood-out from his competition from his size. The 6-6 and 250-pound first bagger for the Mavericks crushed a Matt Blanton pitch to left-centerfield in his first at bat, for his sixth round-tripper of the campaign. He finished the day 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, a walk, and hit-by-pitch. He raised his average to .372 with his performance.

Dusty Hillman: I’m a sucker for those Adam Eckstein type scrappy players that just find a way to play the game the right way. Hillman looked like that type of player to me. No chance for him to play in the majors standing at 5-9 and tipping the scales at 190-pounds, but the Mavericks second-bagger just has a great approach to the game. He finished the day 2-for-6 with a run and two RBI.

Overall: The Paints’ organization put on a good show with a lot of on-field promotions and excitement to keep all the fans in the game. If I’d had to drive more than 1-1/2 hours to get home, I’m not sure it would have been worth the trip.



Complete Box Score

Martin Lawrence in Mt. Vernon, Ohio?

Watching television this afternoon and the advertisement for Martin Lawrence's new movie, Rebound, was advertised.

Martin Lawrence in 20th Century Fox's Rebound - 2005

According to the advertisement, Lawrence was a star basketball coach that falls on hard times and ends up going back to his junior high and taking over the basketball team. The movie is the typical "feel good" sports movie that Hollywood likes to produce.

But what caught my eye, was that when they repossessed his Cadillac it had Ohio plates. A little later he's coaching the Mt. Vernon Junior High boy’s basketball team.

Could it be? This team is based in Ohio?

An Apology, Take 230,000,132

The old adage goes something like sometimes your the dog, and sometimes your the tail.

Well for the last couple of months, I've been that flea at the very-end of the tail.

There is finally some light at the end of the tunnel, and I've been able to emerge from the real world and get back to enjoying life outside of Tar Heel Drive.

I've got at least six county photos to write-up and get posted, so hopefully lots of new stuff coming from the Project in the next couple of weeks.

Special thanks to "discoverourcity.com" for linking to the blog. Unfortunately, I saw it in blog explosion and can't find the actual page that linked to the site.

A Weekend in Pittsburgh

Loaded up the Blazer and took the wife on a trip to Pittsburgh over the Memorial Day weekend for a Rascal Flatts concert at the Post-Gazette Pavilion.

pennsylvania.com (c)

We took advantage of the long-weekend and left for Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon and spent some time heading around the city before we headed to the concert on Saturday night and back to the concert on Sunday morning.

A little bit of this and that on the trip…

PITTSBURGH ROCKS: Okay, so Cleveland is still my favorite sports city, but if I ever had to pack up and move to a city Pittsburgh would be it. Sitting only 28 miles inside the state of Pennsylvania it is still close enough to be “Buckeye Country” but a walk through Robinson Mall proves that you are really in “Joe Pa Country” and Pitt basketball rules. The city is gorgeous and a friend of mine lives on South Shore and we had a great lunch at the Main Street Grill in an area that is completely being revitalized.

NO LIGHTER, NO PROBLEM: As Rascal Flatts went into a ballad and the number of cell phones got raised up above heads it dawned on me that the age of lighters was through. As smoking has continued to fall out of favor in public spaces, the increase of cell phones has to be growing exponentially during concerts. The two “teenagers” next to me were on the phone basically from start to finish during the show. I have never understood this, you drop $50 a ticket for this show – one of the cheaper ones – and you are more interested in talking to the people that wouldn’t/couldn’t fork over the money to attend with you?

PAVILION FALLS DOWN DRUNK: Might have been the holiday weekend, but the amount of public intoxication was utterly amazing to me. I have seen people thrown out of bars for being less intoxicated than many of the lawn-seat fans were.

GLAD TO BE HOME: It was great to cross over the river into Steubenville and return home to our Buckeye family!

SCOUTING THE TALENT: Browns Name Rees Director of Player Personnel

"With the third selection in the 2005 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select…"

When NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue makes this statement on April 23, there will be an Ohio Wesleyan connection to the Browns' pick. Bill Rees '76 will be part of his first draft as the Browns' director of player personnel.

New Browns General Manager Phil Savage brought Rees to Cleveland from the same position in San Francisco. "This is a great opportunity to work with Phil Savage, a guy who has been a good friend for a long time," said Rees. "There is a great tradition associated with the Browns, and Cleveland is just an outstanding football city."

However, Rees' start in college coaching was 30 years ago and 130 miles southwest of Cleveland Browns Stadium. Former OWU coach Jack Fouts got Rees, a three-year member of the football team, started on a career in coaching and scouting in 1975.

"Coach Fouts gave me the opportunity to coach the wide receivers my last year," said Rees. "I'm sure that experience helped me getting a coaching position at Northwestern."

Rees spent three years coaching the Wildcats, earning his master's degree in the process, before moving on to UCLA and spending 15 years with the Bruins.

In 1994, Rees decided that he wanted to move into player personnel and the NFL was the place for him. Rees joined the Kansas City Chiefs for three years before becoming the director of college scouting for his hometown Chicago Bears.

"In Chicago, I was responsible for college players, and that obviously put a major emphasis on the draft," said Rees. "When I went to San Francisco it was a dual role working with both college and professional players."

Rees estimates that he is on the road up to 60-70 percent of the time, which reaches its peak during the football season. He spends part of a typical week watching practices at the major-college level before traveling to wherever the Browns are playing that weekend. "The schedules are worked so that I can get to our games on Sunday," said Rees. "You usually watch practice on Tuesday through Thursday, do film study on Friday, and travel to the NFL game on the weekend. There is simply no substitute to seeing a player in person."

With all that travel, it has been a couple of years since he had the opportunity to return to campus.

"The quality of students," is what Rees, a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, remembers most. "Ohio Wesleyan has been able to attract a high level of students from all over the country. It was an extremely invigorating experience for me."

He also holds the faculty in special regard. "The faculty at Ohio Wesleyan was excellent. I've spent time at Northwestern and UCLA and put the quality of OWU's faculty on par with their better people." While Rees was hesitant to name a faculty member that stuck out, he commented on a history course with Dr. Richard Smith, professor emeritus of history. "It was exceptionally hard to get an 'A', but you learned a great deal."

Browns fans are hoping Rees' stops in Chicago and San Francisco have taught him a great deal about bringing a winner back to the city.

I know this is about my "trips" around Ohio. But I wrote this for work before the NFL draft about Rees returning to Ohio to work for the Browns after graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University. So thought I'd share. Might have a couple more of these "Ohio tied" pieces coming on a couple of unique Jazz musicians that spent four years in Ohio as they slid through to other pursuits.