by Rusty Nobbs, Bluegrass Roundup 

8/14/2009: ARLINGTON, VA – Talk about dedication: Even though Ignacio Lópes is out for the season with a torn groin muscle, he still shows up each morning before a home game with his assistant, Ron Benson, to clean up the poop from the purple martins.  Together they scrape, sweep and wash away the remnants of the feast from the night before, making each entry to Churchill 1 clean for the public, employees, players and coaches.  And what a great team Ignacio and Ron are … like ebony and ivory working in perfect harmony.  We, the fans of Kentucky, thank them for their hard work and dedication to providing a better baseball experience for all.

Everyone knows Ignacio volunteered for poop scoopin' duty back in early 2008.  I bet you didn’t know that he provides his own tools – shovels, scrapers, rakes, wheel barrow, gloves, garden hose and special “green enviro-friendly” bags for discarding the poop.  The only things provided by the team and stadium are water and a lockable closet in the maintenance area to keep his tools.  Well, now for the bad new.  The other day, before the start of the second game with the visiting Connecticut Nutmeggers, Ignacio came to the park at his usual 6 AM only to discover that someone had broken into the closet and taken off with his poop scoopin’ tools.  Sgt. O’Malley of the Lexington Police Department made this statement:

“Whoever would want to steal such heinous items must be out of their mind.  Either that or someone has a grudge against Ignacio or the 30 or so loyal fans.”  I am sure he was trying to make a joke out of this since I know for a fact that there are just over 1,000 season ticket holders.  Sgt. O’Malley continued: “Whoever is behind this must have been in the stadium after the game yesterday, as there is no sign of any forced entry or other vandalism.  We will find the culprit even if we must interview each and everyone who is part of the visiting Nutmeggers organization.

DOH!!! (slaps self in head) I don’t know about you guys, but I am sure thinking that the suspect is pretty obvious.  Remember the trade recently of mega-prospect António Cruz?  Think there might be some bad blood?  Or maybe a klepto problem?  We all hope that this is resolved soon; the poop is piling up and making for a real stinky situation at the entrances.  Surely this will keep some fans away.

In other news, the recent swap of disgruntled Manny Sánchez for Gary Fisher (Tempe Knights) has resulted in continued disappointment, as Gary has not overcome his 2009 struggles.  The team is hoping he can right his ship and take over in the rotation for Ricardo Alonso, who has simply been stinking up the field.

Doctor’s Office

Gonzalo Flores – Injured in Spring Training with a herniated disc and will miss the entire season; estimated 2-3 months before he can start throwing again.

Jerry Armstrong – Started 21 games for Kentucky, then went down with a torn bicep muscle and is out for 7 more months.

Ignacio Lópes – Played 75 games and will miss remainder of season and into next season (estimated 12 more months).

2009 first round draft pick Dan Traux will miss entire 2009 season with a fractured foot.  He appears to be on schedule to make debut with SS-A Barrow for the 2010 season.

On the Farm

This may be the first time in which all four farm teams are above .500 and either leading or in second place in their respective divisions.

AAA Jefferson County (74-44) is leading division by 7 games.  Even with the departure of António Cruz, the team is all about pitching with three 11-game winners, and four of the five starters have an ERA less than 3.50.  Top closer and resident bad-ass Jaime Castillo has 32 saves and a 1.78 ERA and 0.98 WHIP – dominant!!!  Offensively, Ernesto Salazar leads the way with 55 stolen bases, while Rob Kline and Tim Grant provide the power.

AA Parma (61-57) is in a tie for second place and trailing by 16.  On paper the team appears to struggle for each of its wins and does not come close in comparison to the 2008 version.  Beyond Vincente Maestas, several highly-touted prospects have either faded or been demoted due in part to non-recovery from injuries.

A Roanoke (66-40) is leading the NAFTA Coastal Division by 2 games.  This is probably the most complete team in the system.  The pitching is being led by starters Pat Green, Cristián García and Lee Clem  On the field there is 3B Larry Sheppard (finally ready for a promotion to AA) and C Emílio Díaz providing the power.

SS-A Barrow (36-24) is in second place but trailing by 3.  A little green and inexperienced.  The growing pains are obvious.  Pitching has been dominant, led by Manual Torres – the Best Looking Man in the PEBA – with a 0.74 ERA, and a slew of top-notch relievers.