Even though there’s a game still being played (bottom 11th, Lynx leading 8-7, two outs), I’m still catching up from last night’s convincing win. We’ll start with the OoLF report:
Thursday, August 09, 2007
LYNX: CULLING ONE FROM THE HERD
Ottawa beat up on a Buffalo team which is stumbling towards the post-season, putting up 10 (yes, 10!) runs, four in the first inning alone last night (boxscore, play-by-play). The Bisons have been playing inconsistently of late, having not strung together three in a row since late June when they went on a five game streak. The game was put out of reach early by Jason Jaramillo (2-5, 4 RBI) who knocked in three runs on a bases loaded double in the top of the first. Gary Burnham (2-3, 3 RBI, BB) hit his 10th HR with two on in the 4th, and Dusty Wathan (2-4, 2 RBI) made his mark in the first and third innings. Last night was the first time the Lynx have put up double digits in a win since July 7 against the Scran-Yanks. Will non-40 man roster guy, Burnham get a look in September? It’s doubtful, but he’s certainly going to make the braintrust in Philly think about it - as of last night he was 3rd in the IL in on-base-percentage, 9th in total hits, 8th in walks.
Landon Jacobsen (2-5, 5.36 ERA) went six innings, scattering eight hits and giving up two earned runs for the win. Reliever Mike Zagurski (0-0, 1.35 ERA) came on in the 7th, striking out two before handing the ball over to Ryan Cameron (0-0, 7.62 ERA) who nailed it down in the ninth. Given his tools and ERA, Zagurski seems destined to be recalled by the parent club when the roster expands in September.
Quick update: With the A-Rod incident still making headlines, it seemed appropriate to note that Howie Clark, who was designated for assignment a few days ago, has reported to AAA Syracuse.
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I try to keep if fairly professional for the guest blogging gig - so there’s little “Burnham-boosting” going on. (Whoops. Make the final Lynx 8 Buffalo 7.) Last night’s game would have been nice to witness in person - having said that, I think some of the Cat’s Pride people might have made a Buffalo roadie.
Here’s a couple of “feel good” stories for a beautiful August afternoon. It’s come to our attention (from a reliable source), that the Lynx are doing what they can to welcome home an American Iraq war veteran. It seems that our source was in a visitor’s park watching the Lynx when they discovered that they were in the company of a vet who was a huge Phillies fan. “The source” also discovered that this veteran wasn’t going to be acknowledged by the home team while he was there. Our source (and later, us) were stunned - we’re hopeful that it was just a terrible bit of miscommunication or misunderstanding on the part of the home team’s organization. When “the source” explained what had happened to a few of the Lynx players, in what has to be considered a very classy move, they arranged to get some autographed Lynx memorabilia to him. A very, very nice gesture.
The second feel good story? Back on August 1, I was the winner of a raffle for an autographed bat - to my now great shame, I only had a vague recollection of the cause; I knew it was a cancer fundraiser, but didn’t really pay that much attention. It turns out the fundraiser was Tim Riley - here’s the rest of the story, please read it all:
Tim Riley, 25, once had a normal life as an analyst for a consulting company in Center City. He lived with his girlfriend, played guitar. He didn’t own a car and never drove.
But the Temple graduate quit in April and embarked on a mission of madness: Go to all 189 major- and minor-league baseball parks in one season - 159 days - to raise money for cancer research.
He’s been to 46 states already and three Canadian provinces, slept in the backseat of his rental car 15 times, and “drove across Kansas holding an ice pack to my jaw.” No time for root canal.
He was at the Trenton Thunder Sunday afternoon for Game 146 - but he was running into trouble.
In minor-league parks like Trenton’s, Riley gets the home team to donate a jersey signed by players and he raffles it off. He will donate the money, $17,000 so far, to the Jimmy Fund of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Riley started selling tickets in the second inning.
But before he could collect a dollar, the Thunder staff shut him down.
A local charity was holding a 50-50 raffle (the winner and the charity split the money).
And Riley’s raffle would cut into their business. Early in the tour, he discovered a cold truth: At most games, in most minor-league parks, some charity runs a 50-50.
“50-50 is my arch enemy,” he said.
Riley was told to wait until the seventh inning.
“As soon as they’re done, I’ll come get you,” said Patience Purdy, assistant director of ticket sales for the Thunder. “I’m so sorry.”
Riley thought about hunting down those 50-50 folks, having a little talk. He believes there is enough money out there for all the good causes.
His girlfriend, Edyta Szczepankowska, 24, who works in the investment office at the University of Pennsylvania, visited him at the game in Trenton. She hopes to get an MBA and, with regard to the 50-50, favors unrestricted competition. “You don’t see Apple crying about IBM,” she said.
In front of the gift shop - a prime spot - Riley found two dads from the Hatboro YMCA Indian Princesses’ Grand Slam We Care Foundation running Sunday’s 50-50.
The dads told Riley they had no problem with him selling tickets. Talk to their contact in group sales, they suggested.
“I’ll get to the bottom of it,” Riley vowed. “You don’t drive five hours to lose out to a 50-50.”
Since April 4, Riley has driven 43,000 miles. (Average: 344 a day.) His first day off - May 24 - he drove 11 hours across Texas and New Mexico.
To cover his own expenses, he raised about $15,000 before he left: $10,000 from Louisville Slugger and $5,000 from friends and family. He expects to kick in about $5,000 of his own.
So far he’s averaged $53 per hotel, but some are so seedy he crashes on his sleeping bag. He’s spent 60 nights elsewhere, anywhere - with his girlfriend’s boss’ parents in Colorado Springs; with a cousin’s boyfriend in Florida.
His shirt Sunday looked as if it had been balled up in a trunk. He hasn’t had a haircut since he left. “It’s not in the budget,” he said.
He usually wears a Phillies hat. Minor-league teams don’t mind. When major-league teams object, he wears a Tacoma Reindeer hat. His initials - TR - are the same.
His best friend from Temple and Archbishop Wood High School, Chris Richards, accompanied him to the first 100 games. As celebrities, they enjoyed many minor-league rituals together: sumo wrestling at one game, reverse tug-of-war at another.
Riley has also run the bases dressed as a hot dog. “The dizzy bat race is the only thing I haven’t done yet,” said Riley. But he had 43 to go; his mission is to go to every park affiliated with major-league baseball.
His favorite baseball moment so far was seeing Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th homer at Yankee Stadium.
Riley’s mother, Catherine, traveled with him for a week, including July 26, when they saw three games on one day: Rochester Redwings at 11; Buffalo Bisons at 1:30; Jamestown Jammers at 4.
His mother even threw out the first pitch in Buffalo.
“It was a little bouncy, and off center,” she said. “And they give you no warm-ups.”
Her son has thrown out 42 first balls, including one that nailed a mascot, the Palm Beach Cardinal, right in the chest. The bird had expected a child to throw, not Riley, and staggered back several steps.
“Mascots aren’t allowed to say anything,” said Riley. “But I knew he was cursing me under his breath. I felt bad.”
Riley himself has been surprised by many things on this tour, but maybe, above all, this:
“Everybody has a connection to cancer,” he said. “It is like America’s disease.”
Jason Schubert, group sales manager for the Thunder, cut Riley a break: Sell tickets in the sixth inning.
Riley smiled, thanked him.
“I could have argued,” he said, walking away, “but it’s not worth it. I’ll go in the fifth.”
It was nearly 2:30 p.m. Riley had a stadium to cover and needed to be in Reading by 6 - for the Reading Phillies, Game No. 147.
Suddenly, Schubert appeared; Riley could sell in the fifth inning - one out away.
So into the bleachers Riley plunged, a roll of tickets in one hand, the jersey in the other. Between batters, he’d make his own pitch to fans.
Ann Rebbeck, 74, of Trenton, bought eight tickets for $5. “My husband died the day after Christmas from cancer.”
The work was hot and long. Despite the late start, it was a big day. Riley raised $525.
“He’s a great guy,” says Lisa McEvoy with the Dana Farber Institute in Boston. “He’s definitely legit.”
Riley couldn’t stay to present the jersey to the winner; Thunder staff did that.
He packed up his sign, hugged his parents, who also visited him that day, and kissed his girlfriend goodbye.
He fired up the GPS on his dashboard - he never gets lost - and headed west.
Only 43 games to go before his finishes at Citizens Bank Park with the Phillies on Sept. 9.
And here’s the link to his blog - he hasn’t blogged his Ottawa visit yet. If I had known (blogger: Read “if I had been paying more attention”) I would have done more to support his cause. Not to worry - I’m in the process of rectifying my mistake. You can click here to donate to the cause.
