I should’ve taken the time to blog this a few days ago when the Pirates were a little closer to .500 for the season - as of this morning they’ve slipped to 25-29 and are 8.5 back of the division leading Cubs.  This time last year, they were 23-30 with manager Jim Tracy at the helm and en route to a 68-94 season, 6th in the NL and 17 games back of the lead.

Certainly the hopes, if not expectations of the Pirates faithful are that things will be different this go-round with John Russell at the controls.   As of Tuesday, the mood in the clubhouse was still positive:

The Pirates blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning Saturday and trailed the Chicago Cubs — again — in the bottom of the ninth. Closer Kerry Wood was on the hill, and the bottom of the batting order was due up.

Yet, the mood in the Pirates’ dugout was hardly doom and gloom. Every player was on the top step, leaning over the railing and jawing, an unbroken line of black-and-gold warmup jackets.

“The guys were into it,” manager John Russell said. “They were picking each other up, continuing to put the pressure on, believing they can win. It was outstanding.”

In recent years, “We will” was little more than a hollow marketing slogan at PNC Park. This season, the catchphrase is gone — but the sentiment has come to life in the Pirates’ clubhouse. 

“The atmosphere has been very different, even on the bench, every game,” outfielder Jason Bay said. “Stuff like that has been the difference this year. It’s nothing you can lay your finger on. It’s just … a different feel.”

Maybe that’s why Luis Rivas connected on an 0-2 pitch and lofted a sacrifice fly to tie the game, denying Wood his fourth save in eight outings against the Pirates. Maybe it helped Bay rip the game-winning single in the 14th inning.

The source of this quiet confidence, everyone in the clubhouse agrees, is Russell.

Certainly, a winning season would be a huge achievement for John and the Bucs - they’ve not had one since 1992, the year the Blue Jays won their first World Series.  Here’s hoping that John can help the Pirates tack on at least 56 more wins over the remaining 108 games.

“I’m not a guy who’s going to crack a whip, or scream at ‘em all day long.  I mean we’re going to have fun, but we’re going to do it right.”

It’s been a while since the blog checked in on FLC, Dave Trembley.  Rumor has it that Mr. Trembley might appear to be a little gruff, but beneath the tough exterior was a heart of gold.  Since being elevated to manager of the Baltimore Orioles at the end of last season, Dave’s record is 65-78.  Currently the team sits right at .500 with a 25-25 record.

From the little known fact department: Dave never played a game in the majors.

Trembley never got beyond a Canadian amateur summer league, so he doesn’t have eye-catching playing credentials he can point to when impressing upon a player the need to do things a certain way.

“Players don’t really care about that,” said Trembley, who managed 16 consecutive years in the instructional league, in addition to winter ball stints in Venezuela and Mexico.

“They want to know two things: Do you know what you’re talking about, and can you help them? Are you going to panic? Have you been through it? I managed 2,000 games (2,782, actually) in the minor leagues, for goodness’ sakes.”

Long time Lynx fans will likely recall the MiLB umpire strike of 2006, and the quality of the replacement officials was arguably less than stellar.  We missed the game when Dave, fed up with the bad calls, finally snapped and summarily “tossed” the entire umpiring crew.  Pretty sure you’ve seen this before, but it looks like he took this routine to Camden Yards… (sorry, WordPress wouldn’t permit the video embed, so you’ll have to follow the link to see it.)

Is is time to rename the UOLB, the “Unofficial Gary Burnham blog”?  Friend of the Lynx/blog, Tricia, was kind enough to send a link from Taipei to a story written in English (as opposed to mandarin).

While Yu was the big winner with five hits in the game, the night also belonged to the Bears’ foreign slugger Gary Burnham, who drove in a half-dozen RBIs on a 4-for-7 night, including two doubles and a three-run home run.

“Foreign slugger”.  Nice.

Tricia’s still on the case, looking for Gary’s stats.  In other FLP, err… FLC news, with John Russell at the helm, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a record of 22-25, six games behind the NL Central leading Chicago Cubs (28-19).

“I like where we’re at,” Russell said beforehand. “Obviously, I’d be happier with some more wins. But I think what we’ve been through to this point really sets up our season. We’ve had to deal with our injuries, like Jack Wilson and Ryan Doumit. We’ve struggled with our starting pitching, too. But we’re still right there. If we can piece things together, it will be interesting to see what happens.”

He added that he has appreciated what he considers a vibrant, upbeat attitude among the players, even in down times.

“That’s why you’re starting to hear guys frustrated when they lose. We believe we can win.”

And finally, it seems like at least one beat writer in Rochester can’t see too much of FLP, Howie Clark:

Howie Clark should play every day

That’s right. The versatile veteran brings a spark to the Red Wings and should be a regular.
Today, with the Wings mired in a seven-game losing streak, manager Stan Cliburn asked Clark to address the team. Howie is not a vocal guy, but he’s well-respected by just about everyone who knows him. He was even the captain of the 2002 Red Wings.
Howie spoke to the club about trying to do too much too soon, and not being patient. Then he went out tonight and clubbed an RBI triple in the seventh inning to put the Wings ahead to stay 3-2.
I’m not a fan of constant lineup switches, but I understand Cliburn has a lot of talent that needs to play. But one constant should be Howie.

Former Lynx Coach (FLC) John Russell probably didn’t hesitate when the call came from Pittsburgh last fall, but one wonders if he isn’t just a little uncertain now, some six months later.  The Pirates have had fifteen consecutive losing seasons.  Fifteen.  Presumably no one is looking at John as the entire “answer”, and expectations that this team will make the playoffs are probably quite low, but the new skipper will still face a great deal of scrutiny.

“The difference I need to make is in the clubhouse and on the field,” Russell said. “Accountability is the backbone of what we’re going to do. There is going to be accountability.

“There’s going to be attention to detail. We’re going to try to win, and we’re going to try to win today. I’m going to be accountable for what happens — myself and my coaching staff and the players. That’s one of the things I’m going to instill in them. If we do it right, we’re going to win more games. It’s worked for me in the past.”

So far this spring, they’re 9-15 - but as they say, it’s just Spring Training.  And it’s reassuring to know that players, and not all of them his, have a great deal of confidence in his abilities.

(David) Ortiz, now an All-Star with the Boston Red Sox, became one of several former Miracle players under Russell in 1996-97 to reach the majors. Others include Torii Hunter, A.J. Pierzynski, Jacque Jones, Corey Koskie, Mark Redman and Doug Mientkiewicz, who’s with the Pirates, trying to make the team as a utility player.

“He hasn’t changed,” Mientkiewicz said of his manager’s demeanor and style. “He’s exactly the same. He’s in the perfect spot.”

“He has that quiet confidence that a manager needs to have,” said Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer, who played for Russell in 2002 at Triple-A Edmonton. “He never blew up at people. There’s different styles. Not one way is right, not one way is wrong.”

Count Cuddyer and Ortiz as players who like Russell’s style.

“Russell is my man,” Ortiz said. “He’s my man. He was one of the best managers I’ve ever had. He makes it fun.

“He’s a guy who doesn’t talk too much. But he makes you feel comfortable. I knew that he was going to be at the major league level as a manager one day. He doesn’t talk too much, but he says everything that needs to be said. I was happy for him. He knows what’s going on.”

(emphasis mine).

With the storm raging outside and the rest of the family in balmy Toronto, it’s time to get back to the blogs.  Apart from the serious setback to my cycling plans for tomorrow, this snowstorm would normally have me very concerned about OD.  With the season start now pushed back to May 22, we should be safe - but you just never really know around here.

Caught a quick update from J.A. Happ over at the Philadelphia Phillies official website:

While this year’s newer, sexier pitching prospects Joe Savery, Josh Outman and Carlos Carrasco garner the attention, J.A. Happ, last year’s model, quietly walks in and out of the clubhouse.

Stationed in the back of the clubhouse, wearing No. 66, Happ realizes how close Triple-A is to the Major Leagues, but he understands it is also quite far away.

Maybe rushing things, like he did last season, isn’t the right idea.

“Last year, I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Happ said. “I thought it was the year I had to put up great numbers, because I wanted to get [to the Major Leagues]. I was focused on a week ahead instead of what I needed to do that day. I had to concentrate on Triple-A instead of worrying about getting to the big leagues.

“Obviously, that’s still what I’m aiming for, but day-by-day is the biggest thing.”

Here’s hoping that J.A. has a better 2008.  (I never really knew how to refer to him last season - was it J.A? James? Jim?)  Another former member of the Lynx, Tim Leiper was also making headlines this past week - this story c/o Benjamin Hill’s blog:

In recognition of their manager, Tim Leiper, the Altoona Curve have announced that they will be celebrating “Leip Year” all season long! The 2008 campaign is Leiper’s third as Curve manager, but the first that has occurred on an honest-to-God “Leip” Year. Accordingly, the club is pulling out all the stops in order to fully recognize this exquisite confluence of events.

Leiper is on board with this promotion, and has even agreed to change his uniform number to 29 (in order to honor February 29, of course).

“My only concern is that I hope the jersey fits because if not, I might be forced to go on an emergency diet before the start of the season,” remarked the fortuitously-named skipper in the Curve’s press release.

I regret that my interest in the Lynx came so late; I’m sure that I went to a few games during Leiper’s stint(s) here, but not enough to have any particular memory of Ottawa’s colorful former manager.  I’m sure that many Lynx faithful have stories to share - or not, as the case may be.

This story comes to us via Friend of the Lynx, Joe Bisenius Sr.  It seems that incoming manager Ed Nottle, was the manager in Joe Sr.’s home town of Sioux City Iowa.  Former Lynx Player (FLP), Joe Bisenius (Jr.) was a bat boy during Ed’s first stint as a manager with the Explorers, when they were in the Northern League.

Nottle finds work in Ottawa

Sometime last summer, Ed Nottle pulled off the rose-colored glasses and started taking inventory. The eternal optimist peeked in the mirror and realized that looking good for your age can’t entirely stop the march of time. He scanned all the empty seats at Lewis and Clark Park, conceding to himself that a second tour of duty as manager of the Sioux City Explorers wasn’t bringing back the crowds he’d helped attract the first time around.

There were plenty of disillusionments for a guy who gives the human race more credit than it probably deserves. And, Nottle, who believes minor league managers should stand at third base and take the heat, waved yet another runner home.

At age 68, the Philadelphia native rolled the dice, surrendering a bird in the hand for that one in the bush by stepping down as manager of the X’s with no new job yet in sight.

A verbal promise from ownership here would have kept Nottle employed for at least another two years. However, he’d made the rounds to service clubs several times over, heard various acquaintances vow they’d see him at the park, and noticed more and more they weren’t showing up.

This lifelong baseball salesman needed a new audience and a new challenge. And, Thursday, he got it, being named the skipper for the new Ottawa franchise in independent baseball’s Can-Am League.

In many respects, it’s a best case scenario for Nottle, who should relish the larger market and all its attendant media scrutiny.

“The press conference was unbelievable, there were something like 70 media there,” reported Ed late Thursday afternoon. “This may be the greatest situation I’ve ever been in. The ballpark is gorgeous and the city is mobbed.”

The Canadian capital is the country’s fourth largest city with a population of 812,129 and a metro area of over 1.5 million. Ottawa stadium, the new team’s home, is a 15-year-old gem with seating for 10,332.

Best of all, there are just enough skeptics around, thinking Ottawa and baseball aren’t a good match, that expectation levels should be easy enough for Nottle to surpass.

Ottawa, you see, petitioned the Can-Am League for a franchise after 15 years in the Class AAA International League. First, the Baltimore Orioles pulled out, relocating their top farm club to Norfolk, Va. Then, last year, the city became a pit stop for the Philadelphia Phillies, already committed to a new ballpark in Allentown, just 60 miles from the parent club.

Ottawa responded accordingly, attracting just 1,922 fans a game, which was easily the worst in all of Triple-A baseball. No sense getting caught up in a team that has one foot out the door.

These independent leagues, of course, are not just a phone call away from the bigs, like Triple-A. Nonetheless, Winnipeg, a Canadian metropolis much like Ottawa, has enjoyed a 15-year love affair with their Northern League Goldeyes, ranking 29th for all minor league teams with attendance of 6,542 a game last summer.

Like Winnipeg, Ottawa has two English language newspapers (also a French daily) that compete rather vigorously. Neither of them waited for Thursday’s press conference to report the new team’s managerial choice.

“The pro baseball club in Ottawa will be singing a different tune this season,” wrote Don Campbell of the Ottawa Citizen, “and not just because it will be a new team in a new league with new ownership.

“The still-unnamed Can-Am Baseball League club, which comes to Ottawa after the departure of the Triple-A Lynx, appears poised to hire minor league managing legend Ed Nottle, who is known throughout the minors at ‘Singing Ed,’ for obvious reasons.”

“Can-Am Manager in tune?” asked the headline in the Ottawa Sun, where writer Chris Stevenson was good enough to drop the “g” while introducing “Singin’ Ed.”

Miles Wolff, the Baseball America publisher who started the Northern League, heads up the ownership group for a team that will be called the Ottawa Rapids. Wolff saw Ed start from scratch in Sioux City and build attendance to over 3,500 a game and the two have been good friends ever since.

So, our friend should be off and running by now and we wish him the best, just as we we’re waiting anxiously for his successor, Les Lancaster, to put a fresh set of eyes on baseball in our town.

Judging from the roster Lancaster has worked hard all winter to assemble, the former Chicago Cubs pitcher could be fairly popular around here, too.

And, we’ll be telling you plenty about all of that in the weeks to come.

Sioux City Journal sports editor Terry Hersom can be reached at (712) 293-4214 or by e-mail at terryhersom@siouxcityjournal.com.

(Cross posted from the UORB)

And sadly, mine is awful.  As things begin the windup for the beginning of the end of the off-season, the loss of Triple-A really begins to sting; we’re in no-man’s land here - something’s coming in May, but right now it just all seems very abstract.  Regrets?  I wished I’d spent more time at Pecor Stadium, and that I’d started blogging earlier.

Watching the sports ticker this evening (in between The Natural - am I the only person on the planet who’s still not seen this movie in its entirety?), I noticed a lot of signings - and more than just a few involve FLP:

Tim Raines Jr. to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Luis Terrero, back with the Orioles.

Landon Jacobsen and Heath Totten picked up by the Twins.

Kane Davis and Ken “Bubba” Nelson signed by Toronto.

I may have missed a few, but still no sign of Gary.  Hard to believe (of course, it leaves the door open for a return to Ottawa in a managerial or player/coach role).

Finally, from scout.com, a quick report on “Options”:

Scout.com > Philadelphia
Options: How They Work and Who Has Them
Chuck Hixson PhillyBaseballNews.com	Jan 2, 2008
In an attempt to explain some of the detailed transactions in the world of Major League Baseball, Philly Baseball News starts with a look at options. How is a player “optioned out” and who on the Phillies 40 man roster has options left?Some of the rules regarding baseball transactions can be a little rough to understand. One of those rules that’s often misunderstood is the rule of “optioning out a player”. Many fans know that players have three options, but they don’t fully understand what that means. The basic explanation is that once a player is added to the 40 man roster, he can be optioned out in three separate seasons. Where the misunderstanding comes in is that a lot of fans understand the rule to mean that he can be optioned out three times, when in fact, he can be optioned out countless times over three seasons.A player who is “out of options” can’t be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. Players with five years of Major League service also can not be optioned to the minors without their consent.For some unknown reason, Major League Baseball and their teams don’t publicize how many options players have remaining. Using baseball rules and doing some investigative work, it’s possible to figure out where players stand. We’ve read over the rules and done the leg work for you to figure out where the players on the Phillies 40 man roster stand in regard to their remaining options. We’ll keep updating this list as time goes on, options are used and players are added to the 40 man roster. We’ve done our best to compile this list, but can’t absolutely guarantee that this list is 100% correct; after all, who do you think we are, Bud Selig? Players with five years or more experience, who can not be optioned to the minors: Pat Burrell, Adam Eaton, Tom Gordon, Wes Helms, Geoff Jenkins, Brad Lidge, Brett Myers, Jimmy Rollins and J.C. Romero. Players out of options: Clay Condrey, Greg Dobbs, Chad Durbin, J.D. Durbin, John Ennis, Chris Snelling, So Taguchi, Jayson Werth. Rule 5 Players: (Can not be optioned to the minors without first being offered to the team that they were drafted from and clearing waivers) Travis Blackley, Lincoln Holdzkom PLAYER REMAINING OPTIONS Joe Bisenius 2 T.J. Bohn 1 Eric Bruntlett 2 Fabio Castro 2 Chris Coste 2 Anderson Garcia 2 Cole Hamels 3 J.A. Happ 2 Brad Harman 3 Ryan Howard 1 Jason Jaramillo 3 Kyle Kendrick 3 Ryan Madson 2 Scott Mathieson 1 Carlos Ruiz 1 Matt Smith 1 Chase Utley 1 Shane Victorino 1 Mike Zagurski 2

Sorry about the chart - the names are there, you just have to hold the mouse pointer over them to get them to show up.

And once again in Ottawa, the snow is falling.  Just another quick blog today, updating the whereabouts of some FLPs:

From The Kansas City Star:

Like father, like son. That would suit Dusty Wathan just fine in terms of getting to the big leagues as a manager. Dusty’s father, John, took over as manager of the Royals at the age of 37.

Dusty, now 34, just got his first job as manager of the Phillies’ Class A minor-league affiliate in Williamsport, Pa.

“I’ll have to hurry if I’m going to beat my dad to the big leagues as a manager,” Dusty said. “I’m starting a bit lower, too. He started right at Triple A.”

Dusty Wathan officially retired as a player after 14 seasons of bouncing around the minor leagues.

“I just got halfway through this season and figured it would be my last,” he said. “I didn’t want to go to another spring training next year wondering if I was going to get cut or wondering if I was going to get another paycheck. I’ve got a family, and I’ve got to consider more than just me.”

Wathan said he had no regrets playing so many years in the minors.

“At least I got a taste of the big leagues (in 2002),” he said. “It was only eight days or so (with the Royals), but it’s something I’ll always remember.

“I always said I wanted to play the game long enough that I could start out being a manager rather than just a coach. I think that’s what kept me hanging on because I started to think I could be a manager five or six years ago. I felt very lucky that the Phillies organization gave me this chance.”

As I mentioned last week, at least two FLP are toiling away in Mexico for the Naranjeros de Hermasillo - Gary Burnham and Chris Roberson are both enjoying the relative warmth of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico.  Gary’s hitting just .258 in the 17 games he’s appeared in, while Chris is at .288 over 70 AB in 18 games.  The roster for the Naranjeros reads like a “who’s who” of past and current MLB players - Edgar Gonzalez, Miguel Ramirez, Nelson Figueroa, Geronimo Gil.  Eude Brito is playing in the Dominican League for Azucareros del Este - his ERA over 19 appearances is 2.21 (20.1 innings pitched).

 *** UPDATE ***

Neate beats me to the punch with the news that Chris has been traded to the Baltimore Orioles.  With fellow speedster Michael Bourn traded to Houston in the off-season, where will this leave FLP Javon Moran on the depth chart?

Over Christmas I had been meaning to update the whereabouts of a few FLP (that’s “Former Lynx Players”) - Chris Roberson, Danny Sandoval and a few others are playing in Winter Leagues in much warmer climes.  I was extremely surprised to find three comments “awaiting moderation” when I checked in today - two were from none other than blog favorite, Gary Burnham!

Anybody who follows the blog knows how impressed I was with Gary in 2007.  Anyone who went to the park this year could not have helped but notice how hard he played, and how great he was with the fans who showed up.  Back on December 5, I wrote that I felt a little stung by the comments he made about Ottawa and classy guy that he is, he’s taken the time and clarified them. 

Gary Burnham Says:
December 26, 2007 at 1:47 am e

Ottawa fans, Merry Christmas. Just wanted to say hello and a friend of mine emailed me this blog sight. Just to clear things up a bit, The main core of fans that were there for the whole season were awesome and I feel terrible if you guys thought that I was directing negative energy toward anyone. I actually loved the small group of fans that followed us around and I had a great time in the city. The challenging part of the season was the lack of attendance and the tough weather conditions at the beginning of the season. It was tough for us to put up power numbers. Carl made up for the lack of noise though..lol…..Happy new year! Gary

He also added this,

Gary Burnham Says:
December 26, 2007 at 1:53 am e

Guys I am down here in Mexico in the winter leagues. I havent signed yet for next season. My agent has informed me to sit tight. I will let you all know my where abouts as soon as I find out. Happy Holidays, GB.

Gary, you do know that we’re looking for a manager and an above average power hitter here in Ottawa, don’t you?

From scout.com:

Williamsport Crosscutters
Here’s where the names get interesting. Dusty Wathan, 34, has decided to end his playing career and change his focus to managing. Wathan, who played for the Phillies organization at the Triple-A level last season decided to call it a career after 14 seasons. “I’m looking forward to turning the page in my career. I’ve always wanted the opportunity to manage and after 14 years of playing professionally I thought the time was right. I’m really looking forward to being a part of the Williamsport Crosscutters,” said Wathan about his new opportunity.

Wathan will be joined by another rookie Minor League coach as Eric Valent takes over as the Crosscutters hitting coach. The 30 year old Valent played parts of five seasons for the Phillies, Reds and Mets after being a supplemental first round pick in the 2005 Draft. Bill Bliss returns for a second season as Williamsport’s pitching coach.

Gulf Coast League Phillies
The GCL staff returns with Roly deArmas, Luis Melendez and Carlos Arroyo handling the coaching duties.

System Notes:
Many of the Minor League coordinators are returning to the Phillies for the 2008 system, including: Bill Dancy (field coordinator), Mike Compton (catching coordinator), Jerry Martin (outfield coordinator) and Gorman Heimueller (pitching coordinator). The new members of the Minor League staff are Sal Rende (hitting coordinator) and Doug Mansolino (infield coordinator). Rende takes over for Don Long, who followed former Ottawa manager John Russell to the Pittsburgh Pirates and will serve as their hitting coach at the Major League level.