Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#16 Post by Borealis »

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Week 7

May 22, 2012: Aurora, Colorado - A week of high's and low's marked the Borealis experience of week 7 as Aurora began the week off taking 2-3 from Tempe and moving back into first place for the first time this season, only to lose 2 of 3 to Omaha, promptly falling back into second, remaining 0.5 games off the pace. The current week has the Borealis playing 3 with Fargo and 3 with Canton before beginning a stretch with 12 of 19 games with the Sandgnats (6), Bakersfield (3) and 3 more with Tempe.

Examination of the Tempe series begins with pitching, as Aurora pitchers held Tempe to 5 runs in 3 games. George Thompson gave up 3 in 5.1 IP, with his struggles with the BB continuing as he issued 8. His 7 strikeouts went a long way to his continually pitching out of trouble. Lara, Burris and Garza each pitched at least an inning, holding Tempe scoreless in Aurora's 12-3 victory. Game two saw John Roach make the unexpected start as Francisco Chavez was sent back to Thornton to make room for John Knight's return from the DL. Roach was the tough luck loser as he gave up the only run in the game over 5 IP. Burris, Ramos and Suarez all shut Tempe out over the remaining 4 innings, but the story of the game was Jack Cobb who held Aurora to 5 hits as Tempe won game 2, 1-0. That takes us to...

The Game of the Week

Markus Hancock squared off with Kojima in the third game of the series and expectations were high. Before the 36,000 fans got into their seats Tempe had spotted Hancock the run most would think was all he'd need. Tomas Gonzales opened with a double and promptly stole third, where Jose Gonzales drove him home with a sac fly. Aurora looked to be ready to strike back, but Augusto Quinones hit into a double play after a lead off Cory Pierce single - both themes for the game: lack of the big hit and a Cory Pierce hit, who went 4-4 against the Golden Arm winner. Pexego led off the second with a single, but Jim White hit into a DP. Hancock struck out the side in the third and the fourth was a repeat of the first: Cory Pierce single, Quinones double play.

Meanwhile, in a series where pitching was predicted to be the determining factor, Kojima quickly settled down and cruised. Aside from walks in the 2nd and 3rd, Tempe didn't have a base runner until the 6th when Roberto Rodriguez singled, but he was left stranded as Glendenning struck out to end the inning, Kojima's 4th of the game. Aurora finally got to Hancock in the bottom of the 6th as Salvador Bernal hit a one out single and then scampered around to third on Cory Pierce's third hit. Quinones hit a long sac fly to right and the game was suddenly tied. Tempe wasted no time trying to get the lead back as Miguel Soto singled, was bunted over to second and moved to third on a ground out, but Dean Bailey hit a scooting ground ball that Quinones handled for the third out.

After a quiet 7th, Jose Gonzales chased Kojima with a two-out single. Francisco Garza came in and put out the fire. Hancock got the first two outs of the 8th, bringing up what was the dynamic duo of the game: Bernal and Pierce. Bernal lined a 1-0 pitch for a two-out double bringing up on of the hottest hitters in the PEBA - the young Cory Pierce. Pierce took a strike before rolling a single through the infield, bringing home Bernal and giving Aurora a lead for The Vulture to save. And save Suarez did as it took him 7 pitches to get a pop-up, a fly out and a ground out and an Aurora victory.

After the game Cory Pierce was asked about his 4 hit game against the formidable Hancock and he said, "I went to the plate just trying to make contact. I know he makes his living off guys trying to do too much. Credit Salvador for starting those rallies."

Let Down in Omaha

After giving Tempe all of 5 runs, they surrendered 14 in game 1 and 19 total in the first two games against Omaha before Aurora salvaged the series with a 14-8 game 3 victory. When asked how his squad could hold the top team in the league to 5 and give up 27 to the Cyclones, Aurora manager Juan Toro said, "I think-a itta a lotta like da mosquito who lay hunderered of-a eggs, only to-a be dead before-a dey hatch-a." Martin Martinez was the main pest in Aurora's existence as he went 7-12, scoring 5 with a 3B, HR and 8 RBI. Ralph Gunter, 4-9 with a 2B, a HR and 4 RBI, was yet another pest. Thompson, Bradley and Tillman all struggled against the Cyclones, especially Tillman, who didn't even make it out of the second inning, surrendering 7 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. In the game 2 loss, Bill Bradley struck out 10, his fourth consecutive outing with 10+ strikeouts.

The coming week sees the Fargo Dinosaurs come to Aurora. Royal Raker runner-up Ramon Flores is hitting .291 with 10 HR and 29 RBI. Rookie Mike Arnopp is hitting .309 with 34 RBI's and 17-2B, leading the SL in that category. Roach, Kojima and Tillman match-up with Tolbert, Encarnacion and Gallegos in a series of intriguing pitching match-ups.
Last edited by Borealis on Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:25 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#17 Post by Borealis »

Aurora’s Bright Lights: May
Players of the Month


June 1, 2012: Bakersfield, California – The Aurora Borealis began the season playing .653 ball, only to find themselves 5.5 GB of a Tempe team that was as hot as it’s Sonoran Desert home. May proved to be a different animal as Aurora posted a 20-7 record (.740), picking up seven games on Tempe (13-14 in May) and moving into first place. The Borealis’ success came from two main areas: flexing their muscle – posting a team average of .328, 60 points higher than April – and shutdown pitching by the three-headed monster that is the backend of the Aurora bullpen: Bryant Burris, Francisco Garza and “The Vulture”, Juan Suárez.

Batter of the Month
When your team hits .328 with 45 HR, scoring 190 runs in a month, there are plenty of heroes. Chris Weaver hit at a .392 clip. Mark Richardson swatted 11 HR, 28 RBI and cut his strikeouts down. Quiñones hit .385 with 10 2B, 4 HR and 19 RBI with a number of clutch hits. But clearly, the choice here has to be Cory Pierce. Brought in when John Knight went down, Pierce has done nothing but torture SL pitching. With 8 HR (2nd on the team) and 24 RBI (also 2nd) for the month, Pierce hit a scorching .441, begging the question: What are baseball writers thinking when they named Bakersfield’s Pat Lilly Player of the Month for the SL? Pierce ended the month with a 12-game hitting streak where he was 30-55, a .545 shellacking of the leagues pitching.

Pierce's arrival has created some roster difficulties for Aurora that still need addressing, because for now Pierce is in the lineup for good. Perhaps Pierce’s best game came May 22nd against Fargo’s “Jelly Roll” Tolbert. Aurora knocked Tolbert out in the fourth inning as Pierce had a 4-4 game with 2 HR and 4 RBI.

Florida GM Kevin Lewis was quoted as saying, “I believe it was in 2010 where Weaver had his dominating year. Then in 2011, Knight's fast start had me calling him the next Pat Lilly. Now switch over to 2012 and it's a different Aurora outfielder putting up Lilly-like numbers… pretty crazy, if you ask me, to watch three different Borealis outfielders taking turns at being the offensive juggernaut.

Pitcher of the Month
The Aurora bats did their job of getting leads, but the opponents had a difficult time coming back as Aurora pitching was, for the most part, lights out. Speaking of lights out, in six starts, Bill Bradley threw 41 innings and struck out 68 while walking only 8, although the timing of those 8 was not the best and contributed to his two loses on the month. Francisco Garza, recently signed to a two-year extension, continues to mesmerize hitters as he struck out 10 in his 10 setup innings, with 7 hits and a solo walk.

My vote for the Borealis Pitcher of the Month goes to Bryant Burris, who is simply overwhelming opponents with his fastball. Burris failed to surrender an earned run in 18 relief innings, giving up 9 hits while striking out 26 and walking only 7. Aurora wanted to see Burris reduce the walks that haunted him in his rookie campaign and so far in 2012 he has done that, walking only 13 in 38 IP (and 54 K).

No game illustrates the Aurora bullpen’s dominance more than their tilt with Crystal Lake on the 28th. Kojima missed a start with a tender elbow, and thus a key matchup with the Sandgnats became a bullpen game. “Crabby” Ramos gave up a run in the first, and that was it as Burris picked up the win with 2 IP, 1 H and 3 K, while Lara, Johnston, Garza and Suárez closed the door on the Evil Empire.

Minor League Players of the Month
OF Michael Burton split time between AA and AAA, but neither level’s pitching has stopped his ascension towards Aurora as he’s hit at a .379 pace (.487 in 9 games at Thornton). The 25 year-old corner OF has shown an affinity for getting on base, as well, with an OBP close to .400. Possessing good speed, he has yet to incorporate that into his game.

Bruce Gilbert, the 23-year-old North Carolina native, continues to impress the coaches at AA. He sported a 5-0 record in 6 starts, posting a 1.90 ERA. The Gatineau right-hander held opponents under .200 (.199) while striking out 38 in 42 IP. Pitching in his 3rd full season of pro ball, Gilbert has shown great improvement at each step, from his start at Short Season-A ball through to AA. He looks to possibly begin 2013 at AAA.

Aurora’s A-ball club in San Luis Río Colorado is dominating their division and, along with El Cajon (Crystal Lake), dominating the league. Like Gilbert at AA, Chris Graves (5-0 with a 1.43 ERA in May) had a dominant month, but my choice for Player of the Month is Luis “Hugo” Reyes. Drafted in the 3rd round last season, Reyes looks to be moving quickly. After hitting .267 at SS-A, “Hugo” – or “Hurley”, as they’ve started calling him in the clubhouse – hit .391 for the month. A speedster who is still refining his base-running skills, Reyes has 15 doubles and leads the North American Farm Team Affiliation in hitting.

Coming Up
Over the next 11 days, Aurora has a three-game series with Crystal Lake, followed by a four-gamer with Tempe. Those seven days should determine who leads the division going into the All-Star break. Not to be forgotten is that Bakersfield, whom Aurora plays heading into the break, is only three games out. Once again, their pitching has been outstanding. Aurora hopes to miss Pedro Barrón this time around, as the Bears have won all three of his starts against Aurora. In those games, Barrón has a 1.37 ERA, a .269 OAVG and zero – that’s zero – HR allowed.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#18 Post by Borealis »

Borealis Survive Wild Week
Week 11-12


Aurora entered a week that saw them go from playoff atmosphere in Tempe to the morgue in Yuma as they sojourned through Arizona's brutal summer heat and came out with a 4-2 record thanks to some crazy games. Let us recap:

June 14 @ Tempe, 9-3 Loss: Aurora kind of had this one chalked up in the loss column as with the injury to Artie Tillman, Ernest Baker had been called up to make a spot start and The Spot was something that Ernest couldn't find. Aurora had hoped that Baker would give them a decent start with at least getting deep into the game, but alas, Baker was roughed up at the tune of 7 runs on 6 hits, but his big downfall (and hasn't this been a themes this year) was the 8 walks he issued, 4 of which scored. Meanwhile, Carlos Cervantes was not masterful, but he scattered 10 hits in holding Aurora to just 3 runs, 2 of which came on a 9th inning, 2-run blast by Ocatvio Pexego.

June 15 @ Tempe, 8-7 Win: The score would indicate a tight game, but in reality Aurora had this game in the bag, but the bullpen, Lara and Burris, gave up 4 runs in the 9th to tie the game, ultimately won by Jose Rivera doubling Wilson Berry home from first in the 10th. Aurora had scored 7 runs from the 3rd through the 6th as they banged 8 hits off Barney Sharp, including Ice Cold Richardson's 20th HR of the season. Lara came into a 7-3 game in the 9th and promptly gave up a 2-run HR to Roberto Rodriguez. Burris came in and after getting the first out, he too, gave up a 2-run bomb that tied the game. Lost amid all the late inning chaos, and definitely going down as one of the top lost causes on the PEBA season, was Bill Bradley's impressive 8 innings of 6-hit baseball, striking out 15 Knights, giving hiim games of 14, 14, 15 and 16 K's so far.

June 16 @ Tempe, 7-2 Loss: It would be difficult to argue that there is no bigger enigma on the Aurora team than George Thompson. Just when it looks like he may be getting things together he turns a bust all over again. His start v. Tempe on this day was no different. Just look at his lines and it's easy to see the problem: walks. But on this day, he walked only 2, albeit in just 3.1 IP, but today it was a 10 hit parade by Tempe hitters. Lara and Chavez shut the Knights down over the last 4.2 innings, but the damage was done as Tempe scored 7 runs in innings 2-4. Aurora banged out 10 hits of their own, 8 against starter Jeff Cobb, who earlier in the season mesmerized the Borealis. Uncharacteristically for Aurora, all 10 hits were singles. Clearly if you're going to give up 10 hits to this club and win, making them all singles is a good place to start.

June 17 @ Tempe, 8-3 Win: With a win needed by Aurora to maintain first place and seek a split in the series they sent to the mound a familiar face who seems to slowly be getting back into the swing of pitching: John Roach. Tempe, with a chance to reclaim 1st place once more, a position they've held most of the season, sent 2-time Golden Arm winner Markus Hancock. Most teams would wilt under that fire, but Aurora has had good success against 'Fireworks' and for the second time this year beat Tempe's Ace, this time pounding out 12 hits in 4.1 innings as Hancock gave up 5 runs, striking out 5 in his worst outing of the season. Cory Pierce continued to show mastery over Hancock with a 3-6 game, giving him a 6-13 standing against the Golden Arm. John Roach, on the other hand was solid, going 7, with 7 hits walking 2 and striking out 5, his only blemish a pair of solo HR's.

June 19 @ Yuma, 4-0 Win: In a game that featured Mark Richardson's 22nd HR of the season, the story of this game was Kojima's complete game, 3-hit shut out for his 11th victory against 0 loses, the best in the PEBA. Kojiima struck out 7 and walked none in an 89 pitch perfomance that really lacked drama, unlike...

June 20 @ Yuma, 18-11: Aurora jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the 4th, but Ernest Baker, since demoted to Thornton, couldn't hold the lead giving up 3 in the 4th and 3 in the 5th to allow Yuma to move within one. Aurora answered with 3 in the 6th as Richardson led off with a 3B and Pexego singled him home. Ice Cold and El Chupacabra combined for an 8-12, 6 R and 8 RBI on the night. But once more the Aurora bullpen struggled to hold a lead as Garza, Ramos and ultimately Burris in the 9th let Yuma tie the game. The crazy week got a wee bit crazier as Aurora posted 7 runs in the 10th as 5 1B, 3 BB and a Pexego 2B drove a stake into any hope the Bulldozers had in beating Aurora for the first time in the Topham era.

What's Coming Up
An abbreviated week has Aurora finishing the series in Yuma before heading home to face off with the Duluth Warriors. Duluth has struggled this season, last in the Great Lakes Division with an offense that ranks near last in virtually every category and a pitching staff that's also near the bottom in many of the major categories. Then Omaha and Palm Springs follow Duluth to Colorado before the Borealis travel to Reno and Bakersfield to close out the first half of play in the 2012 PEBA season.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#19 Post by Borealis »

Aurora’s Glimmerng Glow: June
Players of the Month
By Ray D. Enzé

July 2, 2012: Reno, Nevada – The Aurora Borealis posted a strong 22-6 record and, despite Tempe’s own stellar 20-9 mark, increased their division lead 2.5 games, entering July with a 4 game lead. Tempe looks to be primed to hound Aurora all season, and it’ll take standout performances as we saw in June to insure that Aurora finishes a top the Desert Hills and once more hold home field advantage throughout the playoffs. This month’s theme is the “Unsung Hero”.

Batter of the Month: In outscoring their Sovereign League opposition 191-114, a 6.8 – 4 average score, there are obvious choices. Cory Pierce, for instance, continues to amaze, swinging the bat at a .406 clip with 5 HR and 18 RBI. Ice Cold Mark Richardson, on pace to threaten the 50 HR barrier, hit 9 tatters with 23 RBI, out done only by Augusto Quiñones and his 27 RBI (along with 4 HR and a .350 average). This month we are going to honor a player who has been the forgotten man over the past season and a half. Aaron Turner, the much-maligned outfielder who, in no surprise to anyone, has been on the trading block all season. When Chris Weaver went down at the end of May and with John Knight struggling to find his 2011 form (.210 for the month), the pouting outfielder got his chance and take advantage of it is what he did. With 8-2B, 3 HR and 15 RBI, Turner finds himself with a .352 average for June and a .300 average for the season, far better than the .228 he sported last season. GM Will Topham has been open about his attempts to move Turner during the off season and during the start of this season, but with Turner’s fine performance thus far he was overheard saying to reporters that, “Although he’s still on the block, his value has increased dramatically. He won’t be the cheap pick-up for someone like he would have been in March”. No game may show his value than Aurora’s game on the 27th with Omaha were Turner took a 1-0 pitch from Jesse Powell deep to give Aurora a 3-2 walk off victory. After the game, when asked about his recent success with the team and the management’s attempts to trade him earlier, Turner said, “They didn’t want me, so the only thing to do is to play my best, when I get a chance, and hope some one comes calling. I have no control over that, so I focus only on what I can control – my play. I’m gone next season either way”, referring to his pending free agent status.

Pitcher of the Month: With the Borealis sitting a game past the halfway point of the season, it is too easy to sit here and type ‘K-O-J-I-M-A’ as Pitcher of the Month, especially since the Sovereign League named him the Leagues top pitcher for June. His 6-0 record (and 13-0 overall), 2.02 ERA in 6 GS, and 0.86 WHIP, certainly are deserving, but with the theme being ‘Unsung Hero’ we will turn our attention to another member of Aurora who had been all but forgotten, but for a very different reason. Where as Aaron Turner was simply the ‘odd man out’, John Roach missed most of 2011 with a severe arm injury and when he returned, he was not the same pitcher. Flash forward to June and ‘Pep’ looks to have found his stuff. A 4-0 record and respectable 3.44 ERA (especially when your bats are getting you nearly 7 runs a game) has the Aurora management hoping for the best. Pitching with a better than 2-1 K/BB average and keeping hitters under the .250 mark, ‘Pep’ is working himself into position where he may maintain the 3 spot in the rotation after the pitching rotation shake-up at the All-Star break, where it’s believed Kojima will move into the 2 slot, while George Thompson falls to take his place. Aurora was fearful they would be stuck with damaged goods when Roach hurt himself shortly after signing a big deal at the end of the 2010 season, and no realistic hope for passing him on to another team. Now, even if ‘Pep’ is 3/4 of the Golden Arm he was in the past, that’s a positive for Aurora’s rotation.

Minor League Players of the Month: At AAA Thornton, 1B/DH Martín Bido not only was the leader of the FasTrax, but he was also the RML Player of the Month. Thornton, who is in a dog fight with West Valley for control of a division that the Aurora Farm team has dominated the past three years, is a team dominated by some big bats, including En-Guo Guao, who, 4th in the RML in hitting at .323, just got the call up to Aurora with another injury to Chris Weaver. Ken Coleman, 1B, leads the RML in Hits and 2B’s, and Total Bases. On the mound, Tony Gordon was stellar with a 4-0 mark in 5 starts, 31 K in 29.2 IP for a 1.52 ERA.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#20 Post by Borealis »

Cool Winds Blowing on the Front Range
Change Coming Early to Aurora?

Mormon Missile Goes Bye-Bye?
by Ray D. Enzé

August 8, 2012: Aurora, Colorado - Following a dramatic, yet painful three game losing streak to the hands of the second place Tempe Knights and the loss of 2011 Royal Raker winner and leading 2012 candidate Mark Richardson for 4 weeks due to a fracture to his left foot after being struck there with a pitch, change is definitely on the way.

There had been much speculation surrounding what the structure of the team was going to take on for the 2013 season, but with injuries to Chris Weaver, John Knight, Jim White and Augusto Quinones, the sudden emergence of Cory Pierce, and now the injury to 'Ice Cold', those changes may happen sooner than the 2013 opener.

The Borealis have been sitting in a precarious position roster-wise and talent-wise all season long. Possessing 26 talented bodies for the 25 roster spots (and not including Sugar Bear Garcia, who has been on the DL all season after his injury at the start of the 2011 post season), they have gotten away with it all season as there has been a member of the team on the DL every week. That method worked before Cory Pierce burst on the scene and took over the LF job. As long as the DL was active, the roster crunch was postponed.

Until now. Last weeks return of Jim White and Augusto Quinones left Aurora with a predicament: Who to send down. Carrying 5 OF, it made sense one should go, but only Pierce had options and the freedom to be moved, but clearly that was not an option. On the infield only Jose Rivera and Al Edwards (up from AAA for the injured Quinones) had options. MR Jeff Marable was available to be demoted, but that would leave the Aurora staff vulnerable going into the 4 game set with Tempe (not that that helped any). So a very disappointed Jose Rivera and the Bungee Man, Al Edwards were shipped to Thornton.

That move left the Borealis thin on the diamond and sure enough, Ice Cold's injury left them short handed. John Knight and Aaron Turner each took turns at short (Turner making 1 E in 3 chances and Knight handling 4 flawlessly).

It has been no secret this season that three member of the Borealis have been on the trading block: Aaron Turner, Alex Poirier, and Salvador Bernal, with Turner getting a reprieve with his outstanding play of late. It's also been reported from sources within the inner circles of the PEBA that Aurora pushed hard to deal Bernal prior to the trade deadline. Rumors have it now that Aurora is prepared to Designate For Assignment the 28 year old Provo native. Word has leaked out from the usually tight-lipped Aurora camp that he has already been place on waivers.

Bernal, currently is hitting .232 with 9 HR and 37 RBI, but has hit only 1 HR since his two HR day on May 29 v. Crystal Lake. Bernal's playing time was reduced last season with the emergence of John Knight and has taken a bigger hit when Pierce came on the scene. The CF is in the last year of a 3-year, $25.5 M contract and reports are the Borealis management have not even broached the idea of an extension.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#21 Post by Borealis »

Aurora's Aubismal August
Lead Shrinks as Slump Continues

By Ray D. Enze

August 16, 2012: Fargo, North Dakota - In a perfect, more normal baseball universe one would look at an 8-5 start to the month of August and think, 'that's ok'. But the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance isn't your normal 'baseball universe'. You'd think that Tempe's 10-4 month and a gain of 1.5 games in the standing would not be of grave concern. But when 3 of those 10 came at the hands of the Borealis? Hmmm... And to make matter worse, the Bakersfield Bears, 12-2 for the month of August and as they did last season, making a late surge, have gained 3.5 games, leaving Aurora a tenuous 3.5 up on the Knights with the Bears 5 back and breathing down everyones backs.

Even the ever tough Crystal Lake Sandgnats are feeling the heat having lost 2 of 3 to the Bears and suffering back-to-back shut outs to Tempe as we publish this report! (and by the way the 'Gnats are 5-9 for the month, so Borealis faithful, take heart - it could be worse)

The cause of this slide for Aurora? Offense. Or lack there of. After a torrid May (.328), a hot June (.308) and and even solid July (.296), August finds Aurora where they began the season in April (.268). And in a shocking development, it's not only the lack of hitting, but it's a lack of power. After averaging over 35 HR a month for the first 4 months of the season, Aurora has hit 10 in 14 games, an Un-Aurora like .7 HR/G. That figure doesn't look to improve with 'Ice Cold' Mark Richardson on the DL for another 3 weeks. Richardson, who has 36 HR and was looking to break the 51 homer mark, might be back in time for the last series with Tempe. Aurora hopes to have held onto their slim margin.

It is not the loss of Ice Cold that alone has Aurora worried. It seems the league's pitchers have finally caught up to Cory Pierce, who has hit 'only' .312 for the month with no HR's. Chris Weaver? .150. Wilson Berry? .200. Aaron Turner, who in the absence of injured Weaver and John Knight (.243 and in a season long slump), has cooled to a barley over the Mendoza Line .208.

During this same time frame Tempe is hitting a robust .311 with 20 HR and Bakersfield .280 with 16 bombs. What's saving the Borealis thus far has been their pitching. Despite the continued struggles of George Thompson and John Roach, the staff ERA of 3.34 is more than a run better than the vaunted Tempe staff and their OAVG of .200 is 34 points better than the Knights. The highlight of the month thus far is Bill Bradley's chase of the K crown and record. With 37 K in 3 starts (22 IP), 'Slappy' looks to pass the 300 mark by mid September, if not sooner.

Bernal on Way Out
As reported earlier, Salvador Bernal's day's in an Aurora uniform are winding down. After failing to trade the CF prior to the trade deadline Bernal was put on waivers where he failed to get a bite. Subsequent to clearing waivers Aurora management placed Bernal on the Designated for Assignment list, clearing a roster spot for the promotion, and one can only assume for good, of Al Edwards. Edwards has attracted plenty of interest from other clubs and the new Aurora management has been frustrated about their inability to move him out of AAA for good. "We feel he has the potential to come in and perform much the same as Cory has." stated GM Will Topham "It's no slight against Salvador. He's a professional and the Aurora family as a whole appreciate all he has done for this franchise. He just got caught up in a numbers game - he had bad numbers and we needed Al's bat." What will happen when Mark Richardson returns is up in the air. Fortunately it will be September soon enough and Edwards will remain on the expanded roster. One can presume two things from this move. First, for Edwards to begin 2013 on the Aurora roster another infielder will have to be moved, suggesting that attempts to move Alex Poirier will resume. Secondly, with Bernal on the DFA list, Aurora has 17 days to make a move - taking the team into September and expanded rosters. We may very well see Sally back in the club house for the stretch drive. Either way, it's clear that Salvador Bernal will not be returning for the 2013 campaign.

Minor League Dealings
Last season all four of Aurora's minor league clubs raced into the post season as all four teams won their divisions. This year things look very different. AAA Thornton finds themselves leading the wild card chase, 3 games back of the West Valley Grizzlies. The movement of players back and forth up the 225-70-270 interchange between Aurora and Thornton has probably created problems of stability. S A Mokule'ia finds themselves in last place, 7 games out and victims of poor relief pitching. AA Gatineau and A San Luis Rio Colorado both lead their divisions by 20+ games.

Amongst the moves that have been made, either to cover for Edwards promotion and injuries across the minors was Rod Johnson's promotion to AA. After hitting .344 at A ball this year, Johnson has opened his AA career hitting .440 in 8 games. Moving up to AAA and filling Edwards spot is Jesus Rangel. Playing mostly 2B this year, Rangel hit .272 at Gatineau and many within the Aurora organization see 'Jessie' as ready for the move to AAA and probably a year away from the big leagues. This is viewed as a test. Whether he stays at AAA this season is linked to the return of Richardson to Aurora and any other injuries that may arise on the Front Range. Also getting a chance at a higher level is OF Christian Madden, fresh of his BCL Player of the Week Award. After hitting .342 in limited action last year at A ball, Madden has been a starter all season and has a .317 average with 11 HR and 71 RBI. In the crowded OF that is the Aurora Minor's, the one thing Madden has going for him is his age. At 22, the former free-agent signee has a chance to last in the system as many of the older, big prospects either move into the Aurora roster or move on.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#22 Post by Borealis »

Injury Bug Hits Again
September Looms; The Heat is On
by Ray D. Enze

August 24, 2012: Omaha, Nebraska - Injuries have played an interesting role in the Aurora Borelais' 2012 season. Without the injuries to Chris Weaver and John Knight we would not have Cory Pierce and his amazing chase of the record for highest average. His rise meant demise to Salvador Bernal. Neither would we have the resurgence of Aaron Turner, once outcast, often shopped, soon to be free agent, but for now an integral part of the outfield puzzle. Mark Richardson's own record breaking chase has been derailed by a foot injury that just doesn't want to heal, giving Al Edwards the extended playing time he's desired. After last season's horrendous flop by Ice Cold it feels funny to say Aurora needs him back if they are to hold off the Knights and Bears, much less progress through the post season.

And now the Bug raises it's ugly head once more, as Wilson Berry has a strained abdominal problem that occurred when he slid awkwardly to avoid a tag at third. Aurora's All-Star catcher, who's power numbers are down this season, will be missed for the remainder of the season and perhaps the post-season. Trainers suspect that the injury could be related to the strained back he suffered last month, citing that an over-zealous effort on Wilson's part to strengthen his core may have inadvertently made it susceptible to the injury.

GM Will Topham was left with a difficult decision: Who to bring up to fill Berry's place on the roster. He choose the obvious man - Bob Keller from AAA Thornton over Scott Vinson at AA Gatineau, who's power display this season has made him the favorite to make the bigger impact in the majors. Vinson will move to Thornton for the remainder of the season, although some suspect it more as a taste of AAA and that he may very well move back to AA for the playoffs. Topham explained, "Keller has had PEBA level experience, albeit negligible experience. What it really comes down to is that we view Keller's defensive skills as a notch better than Vinson's and we really don't want to rush Vinson up here. He's younger, and with Berry having signed a 3-year extension, baring a trade we envision Scott as the man in 2016." For Keller it is an audition for his future. A solid September could bring a trade or it could spell trouble for back-up Ernie Card, who has done exactly what has been expected of him as a back-up. His average is down significantly, but he has been flawless defensively and has nailed 33% of base stealers (compared to Berry's 23%; Keller has nailed 31%).

Last season Aurora nearly had the Desert Hills all but clinched as the calendar turned from summer to fall, but this year Tempe has turned up the heat, with a full season of Conan McCullough (15-5, 2.64) being a main reason. With the starting pitching struggles Aurora has dealt with this year, I'm sure they wished they had pursued the trade for Conan with New Orleans more vehemently. To coin a phrase, Tempe's "Knocking on the door". Tempe is dealing with their own injuries with Carlos Cervantes (10-3, 3.90 ERA) and Orlando Garcia (.373) out for the year.

Looking at the remaining schedules, Tempe has the edge in opponent winning percentage. But with 36 games left for Aurora, mathematically that works out to a game or 2 in the standings, but with 7 games left with Tempe and 6 with a very difficult Bakersfield team, mathematics and reality don't seem to mesh. Tempe's hopes really center around being within a game or two as the final week of the season unfolds, as they finish with Yuma and Reno, while the Bears and Borealis square off. Aurora's hopes lie in the coming three week with their games v. Tempe and the first 3 with the Bears. Both Tempe and Bakersfield still have a series left with Crystal Lake, so the Sandgnats have a chance to influence the Desert Hills from their Great Lakes perch. The Codgers and Kalamazoo also have games with all three teams, with hopes of being spoilers. Not to be overlooked? Reno, winners of 5 of their last 6, including 3 wins over Bakersfield.

The difference between the teams may boil down to the starting pitching. Although statistically the staff's seem equal, head to head on a daily basis the edge clearly lies, seemingly, with Tempe; although Bill Bradley and Kojima will argue that point. Two players alone on the Aurora roster may determine the teams fortunes: George Thompson and John Roach - neither of whom have distinguished themselves this season. With exactly that fear in mind, Aurora has announced that Roach will mis his upcoming start v. Omaha, and in his stead Jeff Marable will start. The Swing Man has had one start with Aurora this season, an abbreviated 5 IP appearance v. Duluth that was shortened by a rain delay. In that start he gave up 2 H, 0 BB and struck out 4. Currently Marable has a 1.35 ERA and a .111 OAVG in 20 IP with 8 BB and 27 K with Aurora. He was 7-0 with AAA Thornton, with a 2.44 era in 15 starts.

With all three teams in the hunt for the Division title AND home field advantage in the post season, it seems that the playoffs may actually begin in September for these three Big Dogs. Buckle your seat belts. The wild ride is about to begin... NOW.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#23 Post by Borealis »

Hot Summer Nights, Hot Playoff Chase
by Ray D. Enze

September 1, 2012: Aurora, Colorado - The Rocky Mountain foothills west of Aurora have already begun to turn from green to reds and golds as a summer full of tight, exciting, and sometimes frustrating baseball reaches the home stretch. Aurora began the summer on June 1 with a 1.5 game lead in the division and basically added a game per month as we sit on September 1 with a 4.5 game lead, despite losing 6 of 9 games to Tempe and 3 of 6 to Bakersfield. September begins with the continuation of a 3-game series with the Knights, followed by 3 with the Bears, and although all three teams are all but assured a playoff berth, seeding and home field advantage hinge on the crucial games yet to be played. Suffice it to say that the hills look like winter is not far off; let us hope that for the Borealis winter is still months away.

For a team feeling the heat from their divisional foes and from an inconsistent play that has seen them held to 1-run or less in 8 of their 22 losses, lose games late and blown saves, this Aurora team is on pace to finish better than last years team that won 113; a feat they can top this year by playing only .400 ball the rest of the way. That kind of finish will likely spot them in the 4th seed this year. As a team this summer they hit .307 with 108 HR and 576 runs scored in 80 games (a 7.2 R/G clip).

A large part of that success came from faces not expected to drive the club along the playoff trail. Much has been written about Cory Pierce, whose .363 average this summer leads the team. The number two hitter, for average, on the team? You'd think the injured 'Ice Cold' or 'El Chupacabra'? Nope. Jose Rivera, swinging a cool .335 with a very sweet .395 OBP - .375 and a .442 OBP since August 4, when Richardson went down with his broken foot, giving Rivera full playing time at short. Thirdly there is Aaron Turner, who could have been playing for any number of teams, but mysteriously remained in Aurora and has hit at a .329 pace with 10 HR and 35 RBI - neither team highs, but his presence has been invaluable. The big bat belongs, of course, to the big man. Octavio Pexego averaged slightly more than an RBI per game as he drove in 85 in the 76 games he played in, a figure that surely must top the league for the summer.

Aurora's charge to the post season has been led on the mound by their two horses: their young phenom, second-year pitcher Bill Bradley and the veteran Japanese star, Kojima. Together they combined for a 23-3 record. Batters managed a meek .212 off Kojima, while those who actually managed to make contact off Bradley, who has 163 K in 99.1 IP, are hitting .201 (he has 16 games with double-digit K in his 26 starts this season). Should they shine in September as they did all summer it looks like they may both get serious consideration for the Golden Arm award, especially if they can out-duel Tempe and Bakersfield down the stretch - starting today. The hitters are not the only source for surprises this summer as the pitching staff has their own. Jeff Marable has come on from AAA and seems to have made a name for himself. In 27 IP this summer his ERA is 0.98, his OAVG is .094 and his WHIP is 0.76, while striking out 33. While Burris, Garza and Suarez get the spotlight in the 'pen, Marable is forcing them to share the stage.

What vexes Aurora, as with the other contenders, is the injury front. Front and center is Mark Richardson, who has been very slow to heal. Once a real threat to break the Single Season HR record and win a second Royal Raker, Ice Cold's return is vital to Aurora's chances down the stretch for a division title. Mark hit .318 with 19 HR and 51 RBI this summer before his injury. Rivera has filled in admirably, but he is just not the same threat as is Ice Cold. Also missing at this time, and possibly throughout the post season is Wilson Berry, a career .280 hitter in the playoffs. Bob Keller was brought up from Thornton and he's hit .259 in 9 games. If he can show some of the punch he exhibited at AAA, it'll be a plus.

With the arrival of September rosters expand and players from the minors get that coveted chance to get exposure to the major leagues. For Aurora, with Thornton, Gatineau and San Luis Rio Colorado all in their respective playoffs, very few players will get the call. One of the big factors in their call-ups is the schedule: Aurora has one day off in September and they begin with 9 games in 13 days with Tempe and Bakersfield, so Francisco Chavez, who's bounced up and down between Aurora and Thornton, will not initially pitch in the AAA playoffs, instead he'll get the call to the Aurora bullpen as an extra arm with these tough games coming up. Also entering the 'pen, more so on technicalities - management would much rather see him at AAA pitching, is 'Sugar Bear' Garcia. Last seasons rookie sensation went down in the first playoff game and has missed this entire season. He'll start in the bullpen, but if Thornton advances he may move down. A familiar face, not from the minors, who gets a reprieve based sheerly on timing is Salvador Bernal. The out of favor CF who's been waived and designated for assignment, gets placed back on the active roster as insurance. Unless there is an injury to an outfielder leading into the post season, these will be Sally's last games in Aurora Blue.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#24 Post by Borealis »

Aurora's Minor League MVPs
by Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

October 1, 2012: Aurora, Colorado – The Aurora Borealis finished the 2012 baseball season with a 114-48 record, a game shy of the mark they posted last season, despite scoring 68 more runs than they did in 2011. This year’s model of the Borealis has a number of individuals who could vie for league honors. Batting champ Cory Pierce and “Ice Cold” Mark Richardson, the 2011 Royal Raker, are prime candidates. Octávio Pexego had an outstanding season - perhaps the best of his fine career. Lest we ignore the pitching staff, Kojima’s 20 wins and Bill Bradley’s 324 K are certainly worth recognition. Today, though, we'd like to recognize the future members of the Borealis as we take a look at the top players in Aurora's minors for 2012.

Thornton (AAA)
Thornton disappointed this year by not winning their division, but then turned around and surprised many by winning the Rocky Mountain League title before losing to Raleigh in the Ambassador’s Cup. There are many potential candidates here, including Ken Coleman, last season's MVP at Class Hi-A SLRC. Jetting right past AA, Coleman hit .289 with 16 HR and 93 RBI. Michael Burton, who split time between AA and AAA, hit .299 with 11 HR in 331 AB. This earned him a shot at the post-season with Aurora while Knight is on the DL. He may make the ML roster next season or in 2014. Tony Gordon had a superb season, his second as a starter, posting a 14-4 record and a 3.07 ERA. He struck out 159 in 146 IP and had an OAVG of .197.
All excellent choices, but this year’s MVP is En-Guo Guao. Signed as a free agent in 2009, the speedy Taiwanese CF hit .320 with 15 HR and 94 runs scored. On base 40% of the time from the leadoff spot, Guao stole 33 bases, and in his brief time at Aurora during the playoff push, he hit .400 before a concussion ended his season. A 2012 AAA All-Star and Glove Wizard winner, Guao is slated to be in the big leagues in 2013. The only question is whether he'll be starting next to Cory Pierce or not.

Gatineau (AA)
The Balloonists lost in the first round to Toronto this year despite winning 10 more games this in 2011, when they made it to the CAAL championship. Arvin Blanford hit .301 in 90 games for Gatineau and LF Edmund Hansen hit .296 and drove in 87. Brad Cain continued his impressive growth and movement towards the big club by hitting .297 with 87 RBI and 86 runs scored. Bruce Gilbert followed his outstanding A-ball experience with a similar job at AA, going 15-7 with a 3.13 ERA, striking out 156 in 164 IP. Opponents hit only .211 against the 24-year-old right-hander who may very well see AAA in 2013.

But for 2012, there is no question who the MVP is: catcher Scott Vinson. Vinson had a breakout season for someone who had 7 career HR in 441 professional AB and 19 total in his college career. Scott hit 22 for Gatineau and drove in 106 while hitting .304. He also scored 89 runs. Vinson hit .278 in a brief stint at AAA. Drafted in the 5th round in 2010, Vinson is a two-time All-Star: A-ball in 2011 and AA in 2012. It's presumed that Vinson will continue to move up the ladder to AAA for his fourth professional season, and if he performs well there, he may just push Wilson Berry for the job in Aurora.

San Luis Río Colorado (Hi-A)
A 90-win club that lost in the Baja Cali finals to National City, this team hit .307 for the 2012 season. Astounding. As you might think, they have many great candidates for MVP on the offensive side. Dale Griffith, with a lot of unmet promise at SS-A, began to show it in 2012 with a .327 average and a .469 SLG. He also stole 16 of 19 bases. Christian Madden showed his 2011 season was no fluke, as he led the Rapidos Blancos with 11 HR while batting .317. Orlando López hit .333 with 21 2B, 5 3B and 2 HR, and Rod Johnson nearly doubled his power numbers with 26 2B and 6 HR while hitting .344. In 23 games at AA, he hit .378 with 3 HR.

Luis 'Hugo' Reyes, drafted in the 3rd round in 2011, hit .386 with an OBP of .452 and 27 steals. He continued that excellence by hitting .471 at AA in an abbreviated nine-game game tryout. Reyes, SLRC's 2012 MVP, hit .344 his senior season at Rice, and although we won't mistake him for Barry Bonds, he is making waves in the minors and may be at the major league level soon enough. He is expected to make the move to AA next year.

Mokule'ia (SS-A)
The Oceanic started the season poorly but improved their play so much that they won the Hawaiian League and will play Akutan Island today for the Pacific Pennant – a title they won last season as well. Pitching was a rough spot for Mokule'ia, but they did have some offensive players who put up big numbers. Catcher Roger Bruce, a free agent signee in 2010, got his first extended playing time after two years on the bench and hit .360 with 19 2B in 78 games. Riley Cole, this year’s top selection, hit .305 in 59 games, missing about five weeks due to injury. Last year’s 2nd round pick Bobby Watson may have only hit .258, but he led the team with 8 HR and showed improved power by hitting 17 2B. The top pitcher on the staff may have been Aruban Virgil van Horssen. The ASU grad was not impressive in college but posted an 8-5 record and 3.15 ERA as a starter after pitching in relief this past college season. Perhaps his most impressive number was the 4 HR he gave up in 117 IP after giving up 7 in 34 IP at ASU in 2012.

This year’s #2 pick, 1B Tad King is the Oceanic's 2012 MVP. After showing improvement each year at Marshall, the lanky 1B hit .323 with 7 HR and a team-high 60 RBI, giving Aurora yet another hot-hitting 1B in their system. King follows in the footsteps of Bido, Coleman and Johnson.

Looking Ahead
As we look past the 2012 season, Aurora's biggest weakness appears to be on the mound. Only a handful of pitchers warranted a look for MVP. I expect to see the Borealis making moves in the future to shore up this deficiency, both through trades and the 2013 draft. Having no outstanding reliever at AAA to call up here at the start of the playoffs to replace the injured Bryant Burris and Ángel Lara may very well be the cause of any post-season failure. That is a storyline to watch come Wednesday when Bill Bradley takes the mound against presumed starter Pedro Barrón and the Bakersfield Bears.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#25 Post by Borealis »

Borealis Split Pair With Bears

October 6, 2012: Bakersfield, CA - The Borealis roll into the southern Central Valley of California after their game 2 match with Bakersfield early friday morning feeling... well, I'm not quite sure what they may feel at this moment in time. They could have touched down losers of two games to the Bears and thus facing elimination. They could have just as easily swept two from Pat Lilly and Company and thus enter The Chocolate Factory at YUM! Field looking for a shot at eliminating the Bears. Instead, they split the difference: Aurora winning game 1, 5-2 in come from behind fashion, while losing a heart-wretching 4-1 game 2. Both teams had chances, Both teams blew chances, Both teams saw stellar performances, and Both teams should probably book flights back to the Denver Metro Area as one might suspect a game 5 is in the works - just like last year.

Game 1 saw the return of one of Aurora's wounded warriors as Wilson Berry came off the DL and promptly suited up for the opening pitch. Berry who hadn't played in 5 weeks would make an instant impact at the plate in his first at-bat of the series as he opened the bottom of the third with a single. After Bill Bradley had spotted the Bears a run in the first, a Carlos Guerera double (and at 4-6 and 3 runs scored thus far, the Yuma refugee has been a Royal pain for the Borealis) followed by a two-out Pat Lilly double, Berry's leadoff shot was welcome relief, and after a FC by Chris Weaver, Mark Richardson hit a two run HR to put Aurora on top. It was Ice Cold's second hit of the game and fans went wild, in part the anticipation that this year 'Mighty Casey' would not strike out. The Bears managed to load the bases with two outs in the fourth, but they would never get another inning with more than one base runner.

Meanwhile in the bottom of the fourth the Borealis put the game away. Jim White led off with a double and then Mike Burton, subbing for Cory Pierce, singled and stole second in front of Augusto Quinones, whose two out single off a 1-2 pitch plated both runners and subsequently Chris Weaver had his own two-out hit to plate Quinones, giving Aurora three 2-out hits with runners in scoring position (they finished the game 3-5 in those scenarios). Bakersfield was 1-3.

Bill Bradley never did get into his strikeout groove as the Bears fought hard and early against the Strikeout King. Thirteen of the 31 batters he faced saw 2 or fewer pitches as Bakersfield hitters tried to jump on Bradley before he got the count in his favor. For one of the few times this year his opposing number struck out more; Pedro Barron struck out 7 Borealis to Bradley's 6. In the end, though, Slappy did enough, as he got Aurora into the 7th with the lead, which Crabby Ramos protected and Juan Suarez closed.

Game 2 saw the second of Aurora's walking wounded make a return to action, as Cory Pierce returned to the fold. Instead what he saw was Cal Edwards, picked up by Bakersfield in a post deadline waiver-trade deal, hit a towering HR over his head to give the Bears a 2-0 lead before he had his first AB of the post season. The HR came on a 1-2 pitch after Edwards fouled off a couple of tough 0-2 pitches following a walk to that nemesis, Guerera. It would be a lead the Bears would not surrender today. Kojima would go on to pitch shut out ball over the next 7 innings, but on this day Tetsuo Okazaki was better. Okazaki baffled the Borealis over 8 innings, giving up 6 hits. Aurora's best shot came in the first as Tetsuo was finding his control. A walk to Pierce and singles by Weaver and Octavio Pexego scored Pierce. Jim White followed that with a single to load the bases, but Aaron Turner and Quinones flew out to end Aurora's only threat.

McDonald walked and reached third with 2-out in the 2nd, but didn't score. Mark Richardson singled in the third and reached third with 2-out, but failed to score. Steve McDonald doubled in the 4th, but was doubled up off a Wilson Berry line drive that Artie Marsh caught moving towards the bag and he raced there to beat McDonald. Chris Weaver singled in the 5th for what would be Aurora's last hit as Okazaki retired the last 11 batters he faced and Curt Peterson closed out the victory. After Pat Lilly led off the 9th with a single off Kojima, Ramos came on in relief and gave up what turned out to be a meaningless HR to Jude Pew.

Kojima pitched wonderfully after that first inning and it was a shame his teammates could not pull out a victory with so many opportunities, as Aurora was 1-9 with runners in scoring position. Afterwards manager Juan Toro was asked about Kojima's performance. "I-a tink he-a pitch real-a well. De pitch-a to Calle, it-a was notta so bad. Sometime the tortoise, he eat-a da hare, even iffa da hare runna fast."

So on to game 3, and Toro calls upon John Roach. Pep has struggled all season to find his old self. He's had moments where it looked like he was back, only to fall back into a seemingly endless abyss. Why Roach and not Thompson? Simply look at the numbers. In 5 outings (and three starts) against the Bears this season Roach held the Bears to a .187 OAVG, giving up 8 runs in 21.2 IP, and with a single HR. If you eliminate his one bad outing on July 8, then the numbers look even better. Roach will square off against Simon Yates, who pitched a couple of scoreless relief innings in the first series of the year against Aurora, and nothing since. He was particularly tough on lefties this season, something the Aurora line-up, which hit lefties well this year, will have to adjust to, otherwise the fate of the team will fall on the shoulders of Artie Tillman, once again, in game 4.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#26 Post by Borealis »

NLN: Exclusive - Borealis Deal Poirier for 'Dingus'

November 4, 2012: Aurora, Colorado - On the cusp off the Presidential election all hell has broken loose in the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance as no fewer than 11 trades have been consummated within the span of 5 days. On the home front, the Borealis finally struck a deal for long-time Aurora 1B Alex Poirier. Signed as a free agent during May of the PEBAs inaugural 2007 season, Poirier fell out of favor with Borealis brass, especially after the acquisition of Octavio Pexego last season. Poirier is a career .282 hitter with 62 HR and 304 RBI. With the stellar play around the infield as an all-around backup, Jose Rivera ate into some of Poirier's time at first, and with Augusto Quinones playing primarily at first in 2012 - and having perhaps his best season, it became clear early on that Alex was going to see limited action.

GM Will Topham announced in a conference call from the Golden Entertainment offices in San Francisco that Aurora struck a deal with New Orleans, a team he said they had spoken to in the past about Poirier. In exchange Aurora will receive 23 year old OF Kane 'Dingus' Talley, the 2nd round (and 33rd overall) pick of Arlington in the 2011 draft. 'Dingus' brings a potentially powerful bat to the Aurora system, which may realize itself if he can become more selective at the plate. Willing to swing at about anything, Talley does have a knack of putting the ball in play. "We like his defensive abilities and he has pretty good speed, although we are a bit lopsided at the corner outfield spots in the minors." Will Topham said "But we really wanted to move Alex and give him a chance to play more before his age catches up to him. We certainly could have held onto him, his salary was in no way a drain, but we really wanted to get Al Edwards onto the Big League roster." Mission accomplished. Talley is a bright, hard working player and Aurora likes that of him as well, and they hope he'll still see some potential growth before he's major league ready. When asked if Talley would even be in the organization by spring training, Topham said "We don't go out seeking players simply to flip them. If something came up - and we are actively seeking ways to improve our club, then we would certainly entertain them."

Perhaps Poirier's biggest contribution to Aurora the past two seasons has been his hosting the Aurora Art Auction charity events at his downtown gallery AuroBora. $100,000s of dollars were raised the past two seasons for Autism and Prostate cancer. Poirier was spotted leaving the club house at Northern Lights Park and although he didn't stop to answer questions, he did wave and called out to the press, "See you next summer", suggesting that he would return for the charity event. New Orleans does not face Aurora during the regular season.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#27 Post by John »

Good to hear that Poirier's art auction may live on!
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#28 Post by Borealis »

NLN: Exclusive
Borealis Ink Rivera To 4-Year Deal
by Francis Ferry, NLN beat writer

November 9, 2012: Aurora, Colorado - The Aurora Borealis made a big splash towards what they hope will be stability in the infield while keeping costs down over the next four seasons as they came to terms with arbitration eligible all-around infielder Jose Rivera. Rivera agreed to the terms of a four-year deal that not only buys out all three of his arbitration years, but also his first year of free agency. In doing so Aurora hopes that they will avoid the potential prospects of escalating salary through the arbitration process while still providing the well sought after infielder with a fair salary scale.

The terms of the contract have Rivera agreeing to the teams 2013 arbitration number of $3.4M and the team agreeing to a slight increase over Rivera's 2013 request for the 2014 season, settling at $4.7M. Rivera gets a sizeable 2015 increase of $1M to $5.7M and a slightly lower increase for 2016, the last year of the deal, at $6.3M. The peculiar increases written in the deal reflect the financial constraints of Aurora's budget estimates for 2012, so Rivera accepted less in the first year of the contract in exchange for greater value in 2014 and 2015.

"We're really pleased with the course of the negotiations with Jose." said GM Will Topham from Aurora headquarters at Northern Lights Park. "When we decided that signing Jose to a long term deal was likely to be cheaper than going to arbitration over the next three seasons, it became a no brainer. We exchanged just a couple of figures before we found a common ground." The move assures Aurora will have at least half their league leading defensive infield through the 2016 season, when both Rivera's and 'Ice Cold' Richardson's contracts expire. Steve McDonald's contract ends in 2015.

"Jose's biggest concern was playing time. Despite the fact that he has logged well over 400 AB each of the past two seasons filling in all over the infield - that glove of his, being able to play all four spots flawlessly, has been invaluable for us, Jose wanted to start, and we assured him that he was going to get every opportunity to do so."

Rivera was reached at his family home in Yorba Linda, California, attending a party for his mother's 50th birthday, and he was pleased with the deal. "At this point I can't think of a better place to play. Not only are we in position to contend ever year, but playing with this group on the diamond is a treat. Mark gets plenty of hype for his hitting, but he is as hard-nosed an infielder as there is in the league. These guys push each other to be better defensively - and they do it good naturedly. We keep an 'Error Pot' where if you commit an error you put $500 in the pot and at the end of the month we all go out for a nice dinner on the next road trip. I'm thrilled to be assured of staying here for four more years."

We shall see if Jose Rivera remains with the Borealis for all four years. There are rumors that Aurora has had conversations with other clubs about Rivera's availability. It is presumed that these have been strictly exploratory and that this deal is a sign that Rivera will remain a Borealis for at least a few more years.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#29 Post by klewis »

Congrats on signing Rivera. I guess we can put the rumors to rest for now :) Now the question is how to find playing time for the kid. I hope to see him breakout next season.
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Re: Aurora Storialis - The Borealis Blog

#30 Post by Borealis »

Once Bright Borealis Light On The Move?
by Ray D. Enze, NLN baseball blogger

November 17, 2012: Aurora, Colorado - The Aurora Borealis may not be through making moves this winter as there are reports that former Ace and Golden Arm John 'Pep' Roach was seen entering the Aurora business offices at Northern Lights Park, only to exit the players entrance with a box of unknown items, leading to speculation that the Borealis' former leader may not be back in Aurora Blue for the 2013 season.

Roach, who is slated to make nearly $12M in 2013 and 2014, signed a four-year deal worth almost $48M after the 2010 season. Shortly after the start of the 2011 season, Roach strained his rotator cuff severely enough that he had to sit out four months, although no surgery was necessitated. Upon his return in late August, Roach was anything but stellar. The Borealis, hopeful that an off season strengthening program would help, showed patience in 2012 - but Pep did not respond well, mixing solid starts with too numerous poor ones.

One can only project that any move involving 'Pep' would be one of a financial nature. It is not believed that Aurora has been in discussions with any team regarding Roach. If, indeed, The Fallen Ace is to be moved, his destination is truly unknown.
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