The Bourbon Street Baseball Blog

[Trendsetters]

Welcome to the Bourbon Street Baseball Blog's first ever blog publication. The hope is to publish this summary of New Orleans Trendsetters happenings with a look at the PEBA club (Life in the Big Easy) and, since the PEBA club usually sucks, a look at the Trendsetter's farm system (A Block Off Bourbon Street). We will try and feature a fan or two in each blog (Trendie Town Talks) and look at any notes that may affect the team's future in Crescent City (Crawfish Politics).

So with all of that out of the way, lets hit the road with the first issue of the Bourbon Street Baseball Blog!

Life in the Big Easy
It would be easy and probably desirable to skip this part, but since this blog is about the New Orleans Trendsetters, we should probably make them a part of it. After being swept by the Hartford Harpoons in a three-game set, the Trendies are now sitting at 34-59, 25 games under .500 and 38 1/2 games out of first. The team is struggling in almost every aspect, but the real culprit has been pitching. With #1 starter Nathan Gallard out for at 3-4 more weeks, the rest of the staff has been abysmal. Except for "Slippery" Joe Arnold. While he will likely not have the wins to show for it, Slippery Joe is putting together a very solid season. Over 19 starts, Arnold is 5-8 with a respectable 3.37 ERA. He is also eating up innings like M&M's and is expected to get back to his usual 200+ innings pitched this season. Unfortunately for Joe he is surrounded by a number of fill-in pieces. David Sanz and Shadi Ouakill, who both raised Trendie hopes with solid September debuts last year are both back in AAA. The pitching staff is ranked 16th in the league, the starters are ranked 16th and they are also ranked 16th in Runs Allowed, Hits Allowed, Opponents Average, and Home Runs Allowed. Tack on 14th in Walks Allowed and you have a recipe for pitching disaster.

A Block Off Bourbon Street
When GM Chuck Valenches joined the club prior to the 2038 season, the farm system was pretty barren. First round picks had not panned out, most levels of the minors had cupboards bare of prospects. Gallard, already in the big leagues was the top prospect and other than Li Zhu-Ho (currently on the IR with Single A Ensenada, there just was not much there. That has begun to change. The minor league system has moved up from 25th to 16th in the last year and that has been due to the additions of last years Number One pick Gabriel Santos, 2039 #1 pick Marcos Jimenez, the development of minor leaguer Hyung-On Che and the recent signing of 1B Keiji Shiroi. New Orleans has put a lot of their budget towards scouting and development and it looks like it may be starting to pay off. While the upper minors are still pretty lackluster, that may not be the case soon.

Trendie Town Talks
We asked local fan, 86-year old Tim Grubbs what he thought the best promotion he ever saw at a New Orleans Trendsetter game was:
Grubbs: I'd have to say it was back when the Trendies stopped winning very much. Probably round 2011-2012. They started trying every stupid promotion in the book. Fans were not showing up so they did an, of all things, an underwear giveaway! The first 10,000 fans got a free pair of Fruit of the Looms. The only problem was that they were all either small or XXXL. So you were either swimming in them or you couldn't breathe! Fans started throwing them on the field or, since it was also Thirsty Thursday and this is N'awlins, started picking up the discarded ones and wearing them on their head. A promotion so stupid it became a classic.

Crawfish Politics

The Ballpark in New Orleans has been named New Frontier Park for as long as anyone can remember. However, the park itself is starting to show it's age. While the park still has some life left in it, improvements are needed and the possibility of a ballpark without a permanent Pittsburgh Pirates logo does excite local businessmen and corporate sponsors. There may also soon be the opportunity for the naming rights to be secured. Owner Jack Cobb has been putting out signals that the money from a Corporate Naming Rights Sponsor would be welcome. Stay Tuned.

That is all until next issue folks.

Just a note, we are actively seeking submissions for a blog logo. And now we wrap it up with one of my favorite baseball quotes (Which I hope to do each issue).

"F**k You Shakespeare!" - Pete Rose yelling from the dugout steps to pitcher Jim Bouton during a spring training game following the publication of Bouton's "Ball Four"

[Borealis]

I'm smelling some CP rewards getting laid aside the bar-by...

[Trendsetters]

Bourbon Street Baseball Blog
August 14th, 2039

Life In the Big Easy
Life is definitely NOT easy in the Big Easy as manager Alfredo Vegas has watched the New Orleans Trendsetters struggle the entire 2039 season. New Orleans has obvious holes to fill and a lack of skills to address. There has been little good news of late as SP Nathen Gallard did suffer a setback in his recovery that cost him a couple of extra weeks, but he is close to being available, but not before he completes a rehab start or two at AAA Fayetteville. Starting LF Michael Bastide is back in the lineup after three weeks on the IL with a hamstring strain. He will be a welcome addition to the lineup. A few Trendsetters have quietly put-up respectable numbers this year; Freddy Morales got the nod as the starting catcher for the IL in the PEBA All-Star game this year and INF Tenshin Kudo has made steady progress knocking in 13 HR, though it is rumored that Kudo will likely hit the free agent market again this offseason. 1B, Manuel Munoz has begun to get his swing back and between Okinawa and New Orleans has 18 HR this season. GM Chuck Valenches, upon receiving Munoz in a trade for a 4th round pick from Okinawa, promptly re-signed Munoz for one year at $950,000.
A Block Off Bourbon Street
Down on the farm, especially A-Ball, Short Season A Ball and Rookie ball is where all the excitement is. Ensenada, while 30 games out of first, is eight games over .500 and the offense is beginning to develop some prospects. 2038 #1 pick Gabriel Santos has had his struggles this year, but continues to show promise. His biggest hurdle has been with power. Santos has 11 HR this season, but none in the last month. Henry Cole has been the real surprise. The 2038 3rd round pick has improved his offense and defense and has belted 18 HR so far this season while also sporting a .281/.383/.497 hitting line. Star pitching prospect and 2037 #1 pick, SP Li-Hzu Zo is expected back in the rotation any day after being out since late may with an elbow strain.
At Short-A Anchorage some pitching has appeared over the horizon. Hyung-On Che has become the top prospect in the system and is pitching like it. Che has gone 9-0 this year over 14 starts with a 1.77 ERA and a paltry 0.73 WHIP. Pitching Coach Manuel Marquez credits Che’s rise to his tireless work effort, “Hyung has worked his tail off this year. He is throwing strikes within strikes now, something he did not do the last three years”, said Marquez, “His command has greatly improved and he has made himself a real big-league prospect." Weston Harris has also arched some eyebrows in Anchorage. The 21-year-old, another 3rd round pick in 2039, has started his pro career by going 6-1 over 10 starts with a 2.39 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, picking up right where he left off after leaving Stanford.
Most of the recent draftees reported to Bridgetown, Barbados for their inaugural season and the tropical air must be doing them some good. Bridgetown holds a 4 game lead in the IBC Paradise League, led by the #1 offense in the IBC Paradise League. 2039 first rounder Marco Jimenez has made the successful transition to full time LF and is hitting a hearty .324 with 13 HR over 50 games. 2nd round pick, Takafumi Samurakami has exceeded expectations early on belting the ball at a .294 pace with 22 HR and 39 RBI. He is already being marked as the Trendies second sacker of the future.

Trendie Town Talks
We asked J.I. Vandergilder, longtime scorekeeper for the Trendsetters about the strangest game he ever saw. “Well, I’ve seen a lot of them, but the strangest one happened back in the early 2000’s when New Orleans was still a minor league team,” said Vandergilder,” We played a 27 inning game against Nashville in the old Pacific Coast League. It turned out to last 8 hours and 17 minutes and became the third longest game, time wise in baseball history. The game had to be suspended after 18 innings and play was stopped at around 1:30 in the morning. The problem was, it was promoted as a game with fireworks after the game. So, even though it was almost 2:00 AM and there were maybe 15 fans in the seats, the GM decided to shoot off a 20 minutes fireworks show”, recalled J.I.” BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Remember, our old stadium was in a residential area and the neighbors were none too happy. The next day the city passed an ordinance that no fireworks could be shot off after midnight.”

Crawfish Future
– We have changed the name of this section to focus on a wider area of Trendsetter issues that take place off the field.
This week Trendsetters owner Jack Cobb announced a deal with branding company Tone Deaf Marketing to help with the re brand of the team and its minor league affiliates. Said Cobb, “Our marketing has been all over the place. We have an A ball team whose nickname translates to “Cinderella of the Pacific” and a a team in Anchorage that has a moose in a hockey helmet for a logo and, let’s face it,“ continued Cobb ”The Delaware Diamonds name and logo are boring as hell. The only way we could give away a t-shirt is if somebody was checking their oil and needed a rag for the dipstick.” Some promotions will be revamped in the future as well. “Some of our in-game promotions are stuck in 1981. Have you seen the putting contest on top of the dugout after the 5th inning? It puts fans to sleep!“ Cobb was not done, however, “The only way that contest could be exciting is if the winner got to shove the loser off the top of the dugout!”
That’s all for this rendition of the Bourbon Street Baseball Blog.

A reminder that we are still looking for a logo for the blog and any submissions would be welcome

Finally we leave you with another one of my favorite baseball quotes:
“The batter still hits a grounder, but the first bounce is 360 feet away.” -Dan Quisenberry on what happens when his sinker wasn't working.

[Trendsetters]

SEPTEMBER IS HERE. WHAT WILL THE TRENDSETTERS DO?

September 1, 2039

Life In the Big Easy-It is no secret that the foundation and future of the New Orleans Trendsetters is still a few years off. The Trendies with the future talent are all at Level A Ensenada and points South, development-wise. As a result, this years September call-ups are less of a “Let’s see what the future holds” and more of a “I wonder if he can plug this hole?”. Only two call ups were made; SP Nathan Gallard made two rehab starts in AAA Fayetteville before returning to the Trendie rotation after 3 months on the IL with right rotator cuff inflammation. The other call up will be making his major league debut. 24-year-old catcher Kang Goo-Yi will get some time behind the plate to spell Freddie Morales. The thinking is that Morales has a player option this year and if he opts out, maybe Goo-Yi can be an inexpensive replacement. Don’t look now but the Trendsetters are the hottest team in the league! Winners of four straight and 11 of their last 12. Good pitching from David Saenz (who picked up Rookie of the Month in the Imperial League) and some timely hitting from players such as IF Tenshin Kudo have vaulted the team past Charleston and into 3rd place. The team finished with just their second winning month in two years going 17-11 in August. Keep it up boys!

A Block Off Bourbon Street - New Orleans has spent the last two years dealing away useful pieces at the major league level such as Hideo Miura who was dealt for a second and third round pick in 2038. Or Jefery Owen who was dealt to Hartford in a similar deal. The process was the same, dealing players who were not performing or who’s skills would be more valuable to a winning team in exchange for draft capital. GM Chuck Valenches was pretty happy with his haul. In 2038 the team had six picks in the first three rounds and in 2039 New Orleans made seven picks in the first three rounds. This helped to revamp a previously barren minor league system. Wheras the Trendsetters had a farm system ranked 25th in the league at the beginning of the 2038 season, additions and development of players such as Hyung-On Che, Gabriel Santos (2038 1st rounder) Marco Jimenez (2039 1st rounder, Lhi-zhu Ho (2037 1st rounder under the previous GM, Reg LeBlanc) and others such as SP, Weston Harris, 1B Henry Cole and 2B Takafumi Samurakami. Samurakami has developed nicely and has made a strong debut in Rookie Ball hitting .288 with 31 HR and showing quite a bit of polish at 2B. The 2nd round pick is still just 18, so he is still a few years away. Other news from the bus leagues saw Rookie League OF, William Fairlie go 16-30 with 5 HR and 12 RBI to be named the Player of the Week in the IBC. Both Bridgeport (R) and Anchorage (SS-A) lead their divisions and are hoping to punch their tickets to their respective postseasons.

Trendie Town Talks – Todays Trendie Town Talks asks a question of Mal Sheehan, the Ensenada Hitting Coach. We asked Mal what was one of the strangest things he ever saw on a baseball field. [WARNING: OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE ON THE WAY]

“Well, it would have to have been when I was playing in Single-A Ball in the Orioles organization. The High Desert Mavericks of the California League. We were horrible that year and we were playing the only team worse than us, the San Bernadino Spirit. They had a DH, big guy, all roided out, named Jeff Grotewald. This guy was all anger and acne and you never knew when he was going to go off. One game he’s at the plate and he takes the first pitch for a strike. Jeff didn’t like the call so he backed out of the box and starts barking at the home plate umpire! The next pitch he crushes over the RF wall for a home run. He goes into his home run trot and as soon as he rounds first base the 1B umpire starts running alongside him all the way around the bases! As soon as Jeff steps on home plate, the 1B umpire tosses him out of the game! Gives him the heave-ho! Nobody knew what the hell happened. The next day they are taking batting practice on the field and I go up to Jeff, a little scared because he had a reputation for losing his temper. I asked him, “What happened on that home run? Why did the ump toss you? With a gigantic shit-eating grin he turns and tells me, “I wasn’t real happy about the first strike so I chirped a little bit and when I hit the next pitch out I started jogging around the bases and when I rounded first I told Phillips (the 1B umpire), Fuck you and your cocksucking penguin friend too! Can you believe they threw me out of the game for that?”

Crawfish Future – With attendance slightly below last year and fan interest waning, Owner Jack Cobb has been tinkering with some special ticket packages. For a short time, Trendsetters tickets dropped to $17,00. Fans must have liked the discount as the weekend series vs. Charleston saw the attendance close to a sell out with 48-49,000 fans each game.

And once again we leave you with one of my favorite baseball quotes:
"I've found out that you don't need to wear a necktie if you can hit" - Ted Williams