I thought there was something familiar about the photo on the left (presumably taken during ST, 2008).  Nice to see that a multi-millionaire and constructor of two World Series teams isn’t a pretentious fashionista.  Quite apart from that, you know that a guy who still makes his home in Canada (albeit Toronna) and whose wife is named Doris must be a pretty good guy.  The photo on the right was taken on July 3, 2008 at Lynx Stadium.  Mr. Gillick was up negotiating a contract with “the boy’s” agent.

We

Carrying baseballs between dugouts last Saturday. 

We had to send our resumes back in April to be batboy. During the orientation, Jason Ross, the clubhouse manger told us all the duties. We had to clean and fill the water coolers, (three: two for the dugout and one for the bullpen. Note: One is actually a gatorade one. The bullpen one was later lost. Mike Thuemer, who helped me the first couple of times told me that the bullpen one was sent on the road and never came back) set out the batting helmets, rosin bags and donuts with 12 towels (9 in the dugout, 2 in the bullpen) and gum and Spitz sunflower seeds. During the game, we were supposed to put the stuff on the on-deck circle when the team that I’m doing when they’re batting (I’ve done no one but the Lynx so far and thank goodness).  I got my first chance in April I got to work with Tyler, another batboy and 4 years older than me.  He tought me a lot of the stuff that I know (He told me stuff like how many towels to use, what coolers to use and all those type of things) It was exciting before the game meeting all the players, a bit nervous once it reaches an hour before gametime but after a few more times I would lose the nervous feeling. I thought I did okay but didn’t really like how I did.

Emptying the Gatorade cooler. 

I got one other time in April and another time in May. I did pretty well those 2 times, one game each started by J.A. Happ and Jim Crowell. (who was released a couple months ago and is now playing for the Syracuse Chiefs) After the game, I got tips from John Ennis and J.J. for cleaning Ennis’ extra pair of shoes and Jaramillo’s shin guards.   My next time came up this past weekend, I was going to get Friday (which was rained out) and Sunday, a game in September and the last game of the season.  I was supposed to work Thursday and Saturday last week, it was good that it was moved from Thursday and Saturday because of the Junior Lynx Clinic. (but as fate would have it, I filled in Saturday and missed infield practice with Gookie Dawkins. Only one part though: big deal) On the way for my first turn since May, the skies darkened and rain came down after I walked in. I didn’t hear the announcement until Joe Bisenius yanked the headphones off of Geoff Geary and said “Geoff, game’s cancelled”. All that work for nothing. 

The next day (Saturday), I found out I had to fill in - 3 hours before I should be at the game. I got dressed and walked into the clubhouse. Kane Davis saw me and called me “statboy” and then John Ennis. I got it from when I hung around the bullpen in the Picnic Area when I went to games I wasn’t batboying and my friend talked to the players and said that I know a lot of stats and even Shoeless Joe Jackson’s batting average from 1905 (He actually didn’t make his debut until 1908 which I told them. He hit .408 in his rookie year) I guess I told them a lot of stats so I’d say I earned and lived up to my nickname. I did good that day and the other days. I love my job. The only thing that I don’t like is that it can get a little scary in the dugout sometimes!

I want to thank John and Mike and Jason and Chris and Mr. Bostwick for the great experience I’ve had this year!

At attention for the national anthems back in May.  (Photo credit: John Bradley [with permission, all rights reserved])

No change to the starting lineup - lead-off hitter, early a.m. guest blog over at Out of Left Field:

Sunday, August 19, 2007

LYNX: STRANGE GAME INDEED

Most peculiar. Poor Fabio Castro (5-5, 3.76 ERA) goes from being stood up one night, and then hit on incessantly the next (boxscore, play-by-play). Unfortunately for Fabio, the ones hitting on him last night were in Bisons unis ([cough] not that there’s anything wrong with that). Unsuspecting fans witnessed two oddities last night - an inside the park home run and a triple play. The former occurred when Lynx right fielder, Matt Padgett, was unable to field a fly ball cleanly in the fourth inning. The ball took a strange, hard bounce off the wall and caromed away from Matt at a 90 degree angle. By the time the ball found its way to the infield, Buffalo’s Joe Inglett made it all the way around. The first triple play for the Lynx since 1999 was the result of some very savvy baseball by Lynx second baseman, Joe Thurston. With men at first and second, Joe intentionally let an infield fly rule ball fall in front of him. Both baserunners were either confused by the tactic, or didn’t hear the ump call batter Ben Francisco “out”; they both left the safety of the bags they were on and got tagged out. For today’s tilt, centrefielder Javon Moran has promised to catch a fly ball in his hat.

OoLF bright spot: Gary Burnham kept the pressure on with a 2 run shot to right centrefield in the 9th. He now takes the club lead from Brennan King with 11 HRs.

Posted by ottawalynxblog at 5:34 AM 0 comments

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The time pressures this weekend have been CRAZY.  Unfortunately I missed all of the Junior Lynx Clinic, but I did get to spend quality time at the Trail Road dump instead.  It’s a long, unpleasant story, with bad olfactory memories….  Good memories for the kids yesterday though, with class acts Pedro Swann, Javon Moran and Gookie Dawkins taking time out of their day to do a little coaching.  Friend of the Lynx and sponsors of the Junior Lynx, Pathway Hyundai, was lights out yesterday throwing in an apres clinic barbecue for the kids and their families.

“The boy” had an exceptional day; the Junior Lynx clinic, followed by an evening in the clubhouse and on the field as bat-boy.  Apparently he’s picked up a new nickname, but I’ll let him guest-blog that stuff later.

Live blog:  Yoel Hernandez has been recalled by the Phillies.  According to today’s Phillies game notes, recent call-up Mike Zagurski has been placed on the DL with a right hamstring strain. 

MIA: Will Danny Sandoval be kept out of the lineup for a fourth consecutive day?

The boy, multi-tasking (note the “game face”)

The girl, hamming it up. (note the caterpillar/missing tooth face)

As much as I defend Ottawa’s weather (i.e. it’s not always cold here), June and July really were pretty awful - for the most part, the weather was unseasonably cold.  Not so August - and we look to be in for more above average temperatures.   The heat has helped the hitters and the ball certainly carried well last night for, who else, Gary Burnham.

Gary’s 8th, just after impact.

There was a decent sized crowd last night to witness his homer, many of whom were on hand for the 25 cent hotdog night promotion.  Big weekend coming up with Syracuse in town - unfortunately Gustavo Chacin pitched last night in Rochester, so we won’t get a look at him.  There’s still a possibility that we’ll see A.J. Burnett on Monday, if the weather holds; it’s a little dicey right now.  Even without these two Blue Jays, there’s still Adam Lind, Russ Adams, Scott Sauerback, Sal Fasano… you get the picture.

More Lynx roster changes were announced today - IF Gookie Dawkins and RHP Ryan Cameron have been added.  Gookie via a trade with Seattle, Ryan via a move up from Clearwater (blogger: Didn’t he just get sent from Ottawa to Clearwater?).  Clay Condrey’s been sent back to Philadelphia and Joey Hammond has been moved down to Reading.  These last two likely don’t know if they’re coming or going anymore.

I completely missed the trade involving Gookie.  Gookie?  Now, is that pronounced like “cookie” or “Mookie”?

“He actually has the name Travis Sentell Dawkins on his birth certificate. But his father, Terry, started calling him “Gookie” when he was 2, for reasons Dawkins still can’t quite figure out.”

Now that makes some sense to me - like most kids, both Zak and ‘Bekah have nicknames that mean absolutely nothing to anyone but Doris and me.  (e.g. “Foogie” and “Flow-bee”).    The article investigates further, heading right to the source.

“My dad was a big-time Mets fan, so he could have gotten it from Mookie as well,” Dawkins said, referring to Mookie Wilson, the popular Mets outfielder from the 1980s.

A telephone call to the elder Dawkins in South Carolina, where he recently retired from his laborer’s job at age 55 after suffering a stroke, cleared things up — a little.

“One day, it was raining out and we couldn’t find him,” Terry Dawkins said of his ball-playing son. “He was outside, throwing a ball up on the roof and waiting for it to come down so he could catch it. That’s when I started calling him “Gookie” and “Gook.” Because he was just standing out there in the rain, waiting for a ball to roll down off the roof.”

Okaayyyy. 

The rest of the article is here.

Ottawa goes from a solid 1-2 defensive pairing in Danny Sandoval and Joe Thurston on Thursday to having both guys “designated for assignment” Sunday.  Brilliant.  All’s not lost though; earlier in the season Clay Condrey was DFA’d and managed to hang on to a Lynx uni.  Here’s hoping - I’d hate to lose either Danny or Joe.  Other news I missed: Ken “Bubba” Nelson, was sent to AA Reading to make room for Mike Zagurski.

The upcoming homestand against the Jays AAA franchise, the Syracuse Chiefs, gets interestinger and interestinger - besides the A.J. Burnett rehab assignment, on Friday the Jays optioned Gustavo Chacin to Syracuse.  Maybe, just maybe, it’ll warrant more than a “Sunflash” from a local media outlet.

Sorry.  That was just me being a little bitter on a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon.

Here’s a few more from happier times - last week at the exhibition game in advance of the Tribute to the Expos.

Keeping an eye on the ball (Photo credit: Tricia Erickson)

Shadowed by Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd (Photo credit: Tricia Erickson)

Low five for the boy from “Cro”. (Photo credit: Tricia Erickson).

Thanks to Tricia Erickson of Cat’s Pride for emailing the photos to me!

I had to wake up early and get ready to get to the game. I found out that I was the only kid there because my dad bid on it, won and let me play. The game was at 10:45 and batting practise was at 10:15. When I got to the stadium, they gave me my jersey. It was black with a Lynx patch, my last name on the back and a number 1. I hit a couple grounders and some liners into left in BP pitched by Oil Can Boyd.

Dennis Boyd, throwin’ BP

It felt cool to hit a ball off Oil Can Boyd. I was the second last to take batting practise. I played in centrefield but no action. When we were at bat, I was leadoff. I walked. It actually would of been a strikeout but Warren Cromartie kept on saying stuff like “that was foul” or that was a “ball”. He kept on doing that until I walked. When I got down to first, Oil Can knocked me on the helmet with his glove. 

That’s interference on the base runner! (And a semi-missed photo op…)

When I scored that inning, people gave me a standing ovation. It felt great. In the field, I played in the outfield again but still no action. After that half-inning, the game was tied at 2. I got up to bat and walked on 4 pitches, and wound up being stranded at first. I played the pitcher spot (we were hitting against a pitching machine), and for the first time got some action. I fielded a weak grounder, threw to first and the first baseman missed the ball, and after that, Rodney Scott kicked the ball unpurpose and got to second. 

Zechariah and Rodney Scott.

He scored. I also got some more action at first base. I caught a throw from the pitcher to throw out Oil Can Boyd. The score was 3-3. I was batting. I walked again, this time on a 3-1 count. When I got down to first, Warren Cromartie said “good eye”.

Shadowed by Warren Cromartie (Photo credit: Patrick Shanks)

I got to third on a flyball that got over Claude Remond’s head. I would score on a grounder. We finished the game and lost 5-3. During the game, I got interviewed by A-channel news. They talked to me about the game and stuff.

Claude Raymond and the boy.

After the game, I got to hang out in this lounge and I exchanged autographs (I even got to sign some lineup cards). It was fun.

Zakky and Mr. Boyd.

When we watched the Lynx game, they won in 10 innings on an RBI single by Brennan King.

The men in black.  We can’t tell if they were having a great time!

I want to thank Andrea from the Marketing Department, Mr. Bostwick and the rest of the Lynx for organizing it and the Expos for coming out. I had a great time.

Like most Saturdays, it’s been busy (and I still haven’t mowed the lawn). The regular ride in the Gatineau Park was followed by Zak’s Little League Picture Day out at the Sportsplex, then a two hour practice at the Eagles Nest. I was surprised (pleasantly) to run into the dynamic duo that is “Bryan and Ryan” from the Lynx while we were out at the Sportsplex. Apparently, Skratch and Trash Monster were out at another baseball function in Orleans, but it didn’t matter - a more approachable, at ease pair of guys you won’t find anywhere.

As promised, some of the roster changes from March 31 to present.

Here’s how things looked on March 31, 2007:

CATCHERS:

Jason Jaramillo - still in Ottawa.

Dusty Wathan - still in Ottawa, but was sent to Reading temporarily before rejoining the Lynx last month.

INFIELDERS:

Brent Abernathy - traded to the Washington Nationals around April 9.

Gary Burnham - still playing here, but for how much longer?

Brennan King - still patrolling 3B.

Carlos Leon - still in Ottawa.

Danny Sandoval - still in Ottawa.

OUTFIELDERS:

Ron Calloway - still with the Lynx.

Lou Collier - still with the Lynx.

Chris Roberson - thankfully, still in Ottawa. Flyballs have no chance with Chris.

Jim Rushford - still local.

Pedro Swann - sent to AA Reading.

PITCHERS:

Joe Bisenius - still in Ottawa.

Eude Brito - local, but on the DL.

Fabio Castro - called up by Philadelphia.

Matt Childers - solid starter, still here.

Jim Crowell - released, now playing for Syracuse.

Kane Davis - in Ottawa.

John Ennis - playing for the Lynx, currently on the DL.

J.A. Happ - solid LHP, still in Ottawa.

Yoel Hernandez - called up by Philadelphia.

Brian Mazone - release granted, playing in Korea. This one hurts.

Justin Miller - released.

Brian Sanches - solid closer, still local.

NOW:

CATCHERS:

Chris Coste - sent down by Philadelphia. Solid, versatile (1B, catcher, 3B) player.

INFIELDERS:

Joe Thurston - as close to certain as you can get; every ground ball is a “routine” out with Joe.

OUTFIELDERS:

Since Pedro was sent down, there have been no other changes.

PITCHERS:

Zach Segovia - reliable SP, a little snake-bit on the run support.

J.D. Durbin - recent acquisition, assigned to Ottawa on May 4.

Rick Bauer - sent down from Philly on April 23.

Matt Smith - optioned to Ottawa by the Phillies on April 26.

Ryan Cameron - called up to Ottawa from Reading on May 6. I profiled Ryan back in March.

Heath Totten - called up from Reading.

Jason Anderson - sent down by Philadelphia a couple of days ago.

At some point this weekend I’m going to try (heavy emphasis on “try”) to post the changes in the Lynx lineup since Opening Day. Another change this week: reliever John Ennis has been moved to the DL with Heath Totten coming up from Reading to replace him. As Doug Bird notes in his report over on PhuturePhillies, from a scheduling/travel perspective the team is on an absolutely brutal road trip. Fortunately, they’ve not had to dip too deep into the bullpen on too many occasions. Tough loss last night against Louisville in a well pitched game all around - newcomer J.D. Durbin went five innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs.

When the team gets back to Ottawa, they’re likely going to note some changes to the local scenery; the leaves have come out, the flowers are in full bloom and the smell of lilac is in the air. This is definitely my favorite time of year - caught the scent of gasoline and a freshly mowed lawn last night on our way home from Zak’s Little League game… spring in Ottawa has truly arrived. “The boy” is having an absolute blast playing baseball this spring and I can see the effect of his studying various Blue Jays players; he’s adopted Paul Molitor’s batting stance and bat “waggle” (he’s still working on the swing part of it). During tryouts a couple of weeks ago, the coaches evaluated the kids skills in order to seed the teams evenly. In the hitting portion, a coach threw him ten wiffle balls - after the first five, Zak put up his hand to delay the next pitch, then turned to hit left handed in his best John Olerud stance. Bekah asked me what her older brother was doing.

“Showing off”, I replied. The coach turned and gave me a “is this kid for real?” look. I shrugged and acted as if I was someone else’s Dad…

Quick little video from last night - nice steal of home on a passed ball at the end. (Youtube should have it ready by 2.30 p.m. at the latest).