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Written by Edo Battousai
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By Saruwatari Tsuyoshi, Kyoto Shimbun News
9/27/2016: Kyoto, Japan – One day soon, it all will be gone. The purposeful stride. The slight squint of the eyes. The authority with which he hacked at the empty air while practicing his swing, his posture ramrod straight like an ancient Roman column. Years of playing the game left traces etched throughout his aging body. As he strode to the plate, it was impossible to discern where his powerful hands ended and the bat began. Everything about him said “ballplayer.”
  Backstop. On-field general. Dragonslayer. Kenko Nakamumra has been all of these and so much more to the Edo Battousai. A curious blend of grit and levity, he’s Edo’s most famous Three Stooges fan and himself the fan of so many. His youthful demeanor belies his 41 years of age.
He’s been a professional ballplayer for 23 ½ years, nearly as long as “Decoy” Murata has been alive, and he’s showing no sign of letting up soon. His numbers are down this year, but that’s mostly a result of limited playing time. Edo’s gone to platooning the catcher position to try and get every last drop of baseball from this immortal.
“I feel good,” he replied in our interview. “I see no reason why I shouldn’t be able to finish out my contract.” (He’s signed through 2017)
And after that? “We’ll see.” He paused thoughtfully. “I was thinking I might like to buy a ranch in Montana and raise buffalo. Have you ever seen a buffalo up close? When they run across the prairie, you can feel the ground tremble. It is really quite impressive. You should see one once in your life. They are most unique, legendary creatures… like me!” He let out a huge laugh and shook his head. “Yeah,” he said satirically, “legendary like me.”
I knew he was kidding, but it was hard to separate the man from his legend. A buffalo ranch? Strangely enough, it wasn’t all that difficult to imagine. Until the day comes, though, I think I’ll just appreciate watching him play. |
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Has Aurora’s Time Come and Gone? |
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Written by Jim Bazlyne, SI.com
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 Jim Bazlyne, SI feature Writer
 9/21/2016: Aurora, Colorado – Has there been a more dominant team in American sports history than the Aurora Borealis of the just-turned-10 PEBA? Sure, the old school Yankees won a boatload of World Series, The Celtics have added the past three championship banners to the rafters of the Garden and the 49ers are sporting seven Lombardi trophies, but if we look at sheer success on the field, Aurora has to take home the cake. Heading into the final week and a half of the season, the Borealis have an all-time record of 1119-490 for a .695 winning percentage in a sport where if you play .595 ball, you are doing great.
What does Aurora have to show for this prodigious success? One title. And that’s not going to change anytime soon!
Don’t let Aurora’s strong stretch drive fool you. Their 13-15 August is much more indicative of what this team is like than their 14-5 September. This is a team that, year in and year out, posts a gaudy winning percentage but chokes in the post-season. I don’t see that changing.
This year’s top three hitters, Orlando López, Cory Pierce and Bob Keller, are streaky and susceptible to strong pitching – not a good combination for the playoffs! López, on the verge of a batting title with a .334 average, has struck out 102 times, and Pierce (88) and Keller (70) are not far behind.
This year’s team will be the most power-starved team in Aurora history unless they come up with 15 HR over their last 11 games. Keller leads the way with 32 – a far cry from last year’s 38 – but other than that, only Ricardo Cruz, Brad Cain, and Pierce have more than 15. With 85 steals, they run the risk of being the slowest team in Aurora history, though they should be able to manage three more to tie the 2012 squad’s all-time low of 88. Still, that’s nearly 100 fewer than the next lowest total. Cain leads the club with a personal best 24 (in 29 attempts) and Al Edwards has 11 (in 11 tries), but no one else has more than five! The loss of John Knight and En-guo Guao during the off-season has had a major impact on the club, speed-wise.
It’s hard to imagine this team getting past Omaha or Crystal Lake in the first round with such minimal power and speed, much less topping pitching-rich Bakersfield or Duluth. This is a club that prided themselves on speed and power. Today, they do little to intimidate anyone with either of those key offensive elements. And yet, they sit atop the Desert Hills division and the rapidly improving Sovereign League.
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Crowds Pour In for Codgers' "September to Remember"™ |
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Written by Scott Vosper
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By Scott Vosper, Palm Springs Semaphore
 9/21/2016: Palm Springs, CA – The Palm Springs Codgers' season may have been a disappointment on the field, but the club is still seeing success at the turnstiles. The secret? Their "September to Remember"™ promotion.
"Even though the team has been a little less successful than we all hoped this year, we wanted to find a way to thank our fans for continuing to come out and support the Codgers. We believe our fans are the best in the business!" said the team's Vice President of Marketing, Carol Vandersloe.
The centerpiece of the promotional effort has been reduced ticket prices. Every seat at Elderberry Field has been reduced to a price of just $10.00* per game, and fans have responded; over 42,000 were in attendance for a game against Canton on September 17th. It has helped the club surpass the two million attendance mark for the first time since 2014.
"We want to give our fans the chance to see some of our up-and-coming Codgers prospects brought up from the minor leagues this month," said Vandersloe. "It will help them build a relationship with the next generation of Codgers."
But the attractions don't end once inside the ballpark. To reach out to one of Palm Springs' prime demographics, each fan over 65 receives a complementary CodgerPop® – a popsicle made with frozen prune juice – and a salmon-colored shawl to ward off the chill of those early-fall evenings. Weekend games have also featured episodes of Matlock shown on the scoreboard after the game.
Attendee Elmer Willadsen seemed appreciative of the perks. "What's that, sonny?" he asked. "Don't print my name – the nursing home staff doesn't know I'm here! I still can't believe my kids put me in a home. Worthless little bastards."
* There is an additional "ticket charge" of 50 cents per ticket. |
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Hal Puts His Money Where His Heart Is |
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Written by Gloucester Fishermen
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by Burke Davis, Gloucester Daily Times
 8/15/2016: Gloucester, MA – Hal Morrissey has spent his life consumed by two passions – baseball and jazz. His accession to the role of owner of the Gloucester Fishermen midway through the season has given him the chance to honor both.
“There are two art forms that are undeniably American,” said Morrissey, “baseball and jazz. And the fact is, one generates much more money than the other. During our last home series, we are going to use our relative wealth to support the musicians who have given their lives to singing the American song.”
Morrissey announced that 10 cents of each dollar spent on concessions and souvenirs during Gloucester’s final home series against the Connecticut Nutmeggers will be donated to the Jazz Foundation of America. The JFA provides performance opportunities for masters of jazz and blues. They have created an emergency fund to provide assistance to musicians facing eviction or foreclosure and a network of physicians and hospitals who will provide health care for uninsured musicians.
There has already been a response from a Fishermen player. Manuel Corona has pledged to match the monies raised during the Nutmeggers series. “My dad played guitar with Paquito D’Rivera when he came to the U.S. He has seen many musician friends lose homes and die with no pension,” Corona explains. “He would be in the same boat if I was not so fortunate in my salary. I thank Hal for his interest in the fates of musicians, and I am proud that I can help.”
Each game of the series will begin with a national anthem led by a prominent Massachusetts jazz musician, beginning with sax player Nick Goumas. Singers April Hall and Michelle Cruz and clarinetist Darryl Harper will also perform the anthem.
As the sound of Louis Armstrong’s West End Blues filled the office, Morrissey jerked his thumb toward the speakers. “For every guy like Louis or Duke (Ellington) who made and kept good money playing jazz and blues, there are thousands who couldn’t save, got ripped off by clubs and agents, lost money to their addictions. This is our chance to thank them for what they have given our culture.” |
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Gnats Axe Ferguson Amidst September Swoon |
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Written by Terrence Pines, The Daily Herald
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9/21/2012: Crystal Lake, IL – In a move that comes as a shock to nobody who has followed the ups and downs of the Sandgnats this year, Crystal Lake General Manager Brian Hazelwood moved to dismiss manager David Ferguson this morning on the heels of a 6-4 loss to the Reno Zephyrs yesterday evening.
While the team has yet to hold a press conference, Ferguson did speak briefly to beat reporters after emptying his office at Gnat Field prior to leaving today. "I'm saddened that I couldn't get the job done here, but I have faith that this team can bounce back and get that last playoff spot in the Sovereign League this year… I apologize for the brevity of my comments here, but would appreciate the media giving me and my family some time to work through this."
 Ferguson, ever the gentleman, refused to point fingers for what many will call an oddly timed dismissal. "I can't blame the front office – they put their faith in me and I let them down. I certainly would have liked to see this year turn out differently, but what's done is done." The Sandgnats reportedly bought out the remainder of Ferguson's contract, which covered the 2017 season at a reported $1.2 million.
The short statement issued by Hazelwood's office after the announcement of Ferguson's dismissal read: "We sincerely appreciate the dedication and time that Mr. Ferguson has given the Crystal Lake organization and respect both his talent and vision as a career baseball man. Unfortunately, given the recent lack of on-field success for this team, we felt that it was in the best interests of the Sandgnats to move forward with another manager immediately in order to preserve our chances of reaching the post-season. Everyone in the organization wishes Mr. Ferguson the best and hopes to see him on the field again soon."
In his place, Crystal Lake promoted former bench coach José Colón. In Colón, the Gnats add a baseball lifer to the top post. Known for his preference of veterans over prospects, sacrifice bunts, and aggressive base-running (none of which are Crystal Lake staples), it remains to be seen how much leash Colón will be given to turn the tide on what has been a disappointing campaign for the Gnats. Promoted to replace Colón is former Evansville pitching coach Soseki Ohayashi. Ohayashi has gained notoriety in baseball circles for his work with young Sandgnats hurlers. Bringing his considerable wisdom to the dugout should make him a solid choice to act as the Crystal Lake bench coach for the remainder of the campaign.
With the removal of Ferguson this late in the season, concluding what appears to be a series of panic moves on the part of the front office, the Gnats have painted themselves into a corner. Leading white-hot division rival Omaha by only a half game in the race for the final Sovereign League playoff spot, the Gnats need to win a number of huge ballgames over the season's last two weeks in order to cement their playoff position. Colón will have a limited amount of time to make changes however. The Gnats play host to the Zephyrs again tonight prior to a travel day for their upcoming series with Canton, another team that has been a thorn in their side this season. All of this comes prior to their momentous four-game series with Omaha next week, which will likely determine the wild card entry from the Great Lakes division. |
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Rookies Thrown into the Fire |
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Written by Florida Featherheads
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September 8th, 2016
 Around the same time last year, the Florida Featherheads were in a foot race with the New Jersey Hitmen for the final playoff spot. It was a race they would ultimately lose, and it snapped a five-year playoff run.
Things have changed. The Featherheads are still battling with the Hitmen for playoff positioning. This time around, however, both teams are vying for the top playoff spot. In just the span of an off-season, Florida has redefined its team. The 2015 team featured an amalgamation of All-Star veteran talent, including Brock Brett, Tsumemasa Morimoto, Dan Jamison, Kevin McNeill, Kwang-chih Zhu, Keitaro Kodo, and Dave Phelps. With the exception of Zhu ? who has a reduced role this season ? the aforementioned players are no longer with the team. In their stead, the team was infused with a handful of first-year players making key contributions.
Acquired in the Kodo trade, 1B Pablo Prado has done an admirable job replacing Florida's most famed player. A June Rookie of the Month winner, the 27-year-old leads all IL rookies in home runs (23), RBI (66), and slugging percentage (.437). The Salvadoran native offers a promising, true right-handed bat to combat southpaw pitching. As a matter of fact, Prado is slugging .537 against left-handed pitching. Along with his bat, Florida scouts have praised Prado for his defensive deftness at first base, especially his ability to make difficult picks on errant throws. Prado should be a mainstay at first base for the conceivable future.
When Prado was placed on the disabled list with a concussion earlier in the year, another first-year player stepped up. A former third round pick, Jaime López batted .405 (15-for-37) in the month of July while filling in for Prado. López has made appearances in all four infield positions ? providing the team with versatility and depth. The organization has praised López for being a student of the game and an extreme hard worker. The Texas native routinely takes 500 hacks during batting practice every day.
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