Baseball in Fort Wayne

Archive for November, 2007

Note: This is the third in a series of posts that cover my interview with Travis Weaver, who performed as Wayne the Wizard in Fort Wayne while employed with the Fort Wayne Wizards. Photo courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards. Part 1 can be read here. Part 2 can be read here.

Which players were your favorite/most memorable?

“Most of the players I enjoyed didn’t make it to the majors. Jake Patterson, Antuan Bunkley, Josh Gandy, Matt Carnes, and Mike Cosgrove are some guys that immediately come to mind. Former hitting coach, Riccardo Ingram may be the funniest human alive. I got to know the pitchers a lot more than the positional players, because they have more time to talk during the game and in the clubhouse before the game. Jake had the build and mannerisms of a pro wrestler, and Bunk pulled off one of the funniest R-rated pranks I have ever seen in my entire life.

How was it to interact with the Fort Wayne fans . . . any memories that stand out?

“I thought the fans were great. Even the season ticket holders that cheered every time I did Cotton Eyed Joe even though they had seen it 200 times before. The kids were great too…even the ones that were a little too overanxious and rambunctious and wanted to see what the real Wayne looked like. I always had fun playing with the inebriated fans that had thrown back about six cool ones by the third inning. I would act like I was doing a field sobriety test and they thought it was funny because I was paying them attention, all the while the rest of the fans in the section were getting a kick out of me clowning on the guy that forgot to say when.

“I can still do the Wayne the Wizard autograph in my sleep. I should have been sponsored by Sharpie with the number of baseballs, bats, shirts, seat cushions, Frisbees, foreheads, hands, arms, shoes, baseball cards, casts, etc. I signed over the years.”

Check back tomorrow for the fourth and final post of the interview.

[tags]Wayne the Wizard, Baseball in Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Wizards, Travis Weaver, Mascots, Minor League Baseball, Sharpie, Cotton Eyed Joe[/tags]

Note: This is the second in a series of posts that cover my interview with Travis Weaver, who performed as Wayne the Wizard in Fort Wayne while employed with the Fort Wayne Wizards. Photo courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards. Part I can be read here.

“I started to really loosen up after the first few games and started interacting more with the fans.” Once he discontinued the use of the “zip-up barrel contraption” things got even more natural when he performed.

What were you favorite on-field promotions/events to participate in?
“I liked the race where I started on second [base] and the kid started at home . . . I could only walk and the kid could run. I would get razzed a lot by the players. Things like ‘how are you gonna let a five-year-old punk you in front of all these people like that?” and ‘If that were me, I’d never lose’.

“I decided for one of my last games, I would finally win. [Before the game] I worked it out with the umpire that … there would be an appeal to third and he was to call me out. I also worked it out with the catcher and third baseman to do a mock appeal as well. So while I’m on the field doing other promotions, I’m working my ‘victory’ behind the scenes with the players and the ump. The hardest part for me was to tell the boy racing that no matter what happens; he is going to win and for him to keep running the whole time.

“To really make it look good, I went into the clubhouse before the game and started talking all sorts of trash . . . how I’m sick of losing that race and I’m gonna win today and I don’t care what the management says. They were all blowing me off, but I wanted them to believe that when I touched home plate first, that I really followed through on my trash talking.

“When the race starts, I start walking normally until I get a few feet from third base. Remember, I’m supposed to MISS third. I turn around to start taunting the kid and I step right on the base. Obviously, we couldn’t start the race over, so I just kept going. Many times I would lose because I trip on my way to home plate, the Diamond Girl would slap me, I would “get lost” and forget where home was.

“Well, the boy was a few feet behind me when I reached the batter’s box and I turned to him and tried my best to act like a bad guy from professional wrestling by having him get closer and closer and then BOOM! I stepped on home plate a step before he did.

“I thought I would get some laughs and a couple boos, but my goodness! I was soundly booed by everybody but the Wizards players. They came out of the dugout to congratulate me like I just won the Boston Marathon. They were very pumped for me, as the crowd is about to litter the field with debris and turn over some cars. The PA announcer, Jim Amstutz was just as floored. He’s a good guy and would rib me just as bad as the players would, so when I won the race, he was literally shocked. After they did the appeal to third and I was called out, everybody realized that the whole thing was put on and got a big laugh.”

Visit Tomorrow for Part 3.

[tags]Wayne the Wizard, Baseball in Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Wizards, Travis Weaver, Mascots, Minor League Baseball[/tags]

Note: This is the first in a series of posts that cover my interview with Travis Weaver, who performed as Wayne the Wizard in Fort Wayne while employed with the Fort Wayne Wizards. Photo courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

His first appearance as Wayne the Wizard wasn’t on a ball diamond. It was a two-hour gig at a skating rink. Travis Weaver, who performed as the now semi-retired, venerable sorcerer-mascot of the Fort Wayne Wizards from April 1996 to August 1998, struggled with a “large zip-up barrel type contraption that made me look like I was around 100 lbs heavier.” It was one of the first times he had donned the gear and “it took me a long, long time to get it on at the rink.”

“I had no idea what to do for the 2 hours,” says Weaver. “I pretty much gave out high fives and dodged out-of-control skaters the whole time.”

Travis recently answered several questions about his experiences as “the dancing” Wayne the Wizard. Among his most memorable moments, Travis opened up about interacting with players and coaches, season ticket holders who “cheered every time I did Cotton Eyed Joe even though they had seen it 200 times before,” fans who may have had one too many and the verbal poundings he took from players for never (well, almost never) being able to win the mascot race despite the head start.

He also commented on the Harrison Square project: “I didn’t know there was anything really wrong with Memorial Stadium, but I totally get what they are trying to do.”

Weaver now lives and works in Texas about as far from being a mascot as one could get and he hasn’t made it back to the Memorial Stadium since leaving his post, but does hope to do so during a future visit to Fort Wayne if his schedule allows.

Visit Tomorrow for Part 2!

[tags]Wayne the Wizard, Baseball in Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Wizards, Travis Weaver, Mascots, Minor League Baseball[/tags]

Normally I love to report the news of former Wizards and local ties. But, unfortunately the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Such is the case for now free agent, Dan Serafini, who was suspended 50 games today for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance that is in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

The former Wizards player got one out over three appearances this season while pitching for the National League champion Colorado Rockies. Prior to the 2007 campaign, Serafini pitched in Japan for 3 1/2 seasons after 7 while playing with the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds.

In a statement, the left-hander said that any use of banned substances was for medical reasons.

“I want to make it known that I did not use any banned substances in order to gain a competitive advantage,” Serafini said. “However, while playing baseball in Japan, I suffered two significant injuries. … While trying to accelerate the healing process of these injuries, I took substances that were prescribed for me by a doctor in Japan.”

Also in his statement, Serafini indicated that he discontinued the use of the prescription when he returned to the United States. He also suggested contrition and remorse.

“While I regret the circumstances that led to my suspension, I have learned that a Major Leaguer should only rely on medical care provided by U.S.-based doctors,” said Serafini. “I apologize to the fans of Major League Baseball, and I know I will be more careful in the future.”

Serafini was a first-round selection (26th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 1992 and was one component of the talented 1993 Wizards squad during their inaugural season. With the Wizards, he went 10-8 with a 3.65 earned run average over 27 games. He also had 147 strikeouts. He debuted with the Twins in on June 25, 1996.

You can read more about Dan Serafini in Baseball in Fort Wayne on page 106. Ironically, his photograph appears one page after Matt Lawton, the only other former Wizards player (to my knowledge) who has reached the Major League Left level to have been suspended for banned substance use.

Photograph courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

Read more about this story at: ESPN.com | MLB.com | Yahoo Sports

[tags]Dan Serafini, Fort Wayne Wizards, Steroids, Baseball in Fort Wayne[/tags]

Local indoor baseball and softball training facility, Extra Innings, has posted a promo video on YouTube. It’s provide below:

Extra Innings (Fort Wayne) Website

[tags]baseball training, softball training, Extra Innings[/tags]

One of the biggest names during the hot stove season this year was former Fort Wayne Wizards outfielder Torii Hunter. But news broke early this morning that Hunter has signed a five-year 90 million dollar deal with the California Anaheim Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It officially closes the book on one chapter of his career, which had been spent completely within the Minnesota Twins organization.

The signing was a surprise because Hunter was most pursued by the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. The Angels were not considered in the running – neither were the Twins following Hunter’s rejection of an offer about half of the one he signed with the Angels.

“It just was that time, time for me to go elsewhere. Both sides, I think, felt that way. They probably thought that it was time, too. That’s the way it goes. I’m sad though. That’s the team I wanted to finish my career with, but when you see what I signed for and that I get a chance to play for a team like the Angels, it just seemed like a perfect fit” [source: MLB.com].

In 1993, Torii Hunter was selected in the first round of the MLB draft. He joined the Fort Wayne Wizards for the 1994 season and turned in a solid .293 average while hitting 10 home runs with 50 runs batted. He made his big league debut on August 22, 1997 with the Twins.

You can read more about Torii Hunter’s stint in Fort Wayne and see additional photos in Baseball in Fort Wayne on pages 100-102. Photograph is courtesy of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

[tags]Torii Hunter, Fort Wayne Wizards, Baseball in Fort Wayne, Angels, Twins, Center Fielders, Free Agent Signings[/tags]

With the Rule 5 draft not far away, many teams are adding players to their 40-man rosters to protect them. As you might remember, the Royals picked up former Wizards pitcher Joakim Soria becuase they left him unprotected. Two days after KC snagged him, he pitched a perfect game in the Mexican League. He then went on to have an impressive first year as a Major Leaguer that saw him as a closer and outstanding set-up man.

Today, I picked up the following from the MLN Raw Feed:

MLN Newswire – www.mlntherawfeed.com – SAN DIEGO, CA – The San Diego Padres today purchased the contracts of right-handed pitchers Ernesto Frieri and Wilton Lopez from Single-A Lake Elsinore. Executive Vice President/General Manager Kevin Towers made the announcements.

Frieri, 22, combined to go 2-2 with one save and a 2.29 ERA (22 ER/86.1 IP) in 53 games (one start) between Single-A Fort Wayne and Single-A Lake Elsinore. He recorded 92 strikeouts compared to 29 walks in 2007, limiting opponents to a .196 (59-for-301) batting average. Frieri opened the season at Fort Wayne, making 40 relief appearances before being promoted to Lake Elsinore. In 13 games with the Storm, he allowed just three runs in 21.2 innings of work (1.25 ERA), surrendering all three runs in his only start of the season (4.0 IP).

Over parts of five minor league seasons, Frieri has a career record of 17-10 with four saves, a 2.49 ERA (74 ER/267.0 IP), 305 strikeouts and 115 walks.

Lopez, 24, appeared in 44 games between Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore, posting a 3-1 record with three saves and a 4.44 ERA (25 ER/50.2 IP). He combined to strikeout 36 while walking just three. Prior to 2007, Lopez had not pitched since he debuted in the 2004 season. Over parts of two minor league seasons with the New York Yankees (2004) and Padres (2007), he has a career record of 4-2 with four saves and a 4.29 ERA (30 ER/63.0 IP) in 53 relief appearances.

Photograph by Chad Gramling.

[tags]Rule 5 Draft, Ernesto Frieri, Wilton Lopez, Fort Wayne Wizards, Joakim Soria[/tags]

Fort Wayne, IN – Preparations for the Fort Wayne Wizards 2009 season have begun! The official ground breaking ceremony for the Wizards’ new downtown ballpark and the entire mixed-use Harrison Square project will take place Thursday, November 29th. The team will begin taking reservations for 2009 season ticket packages the following morning, November 30th, at 10 AM.

Fans can reserve their place on the priority list for 2009 season tickets by calling the Wizards office at (260) 482-6400 beginning on November 30th at 10:00 AM.

Season ticket reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis, although priority will be granted to 2008 season ticket holders and major corporate sponsors, then to ticket holders of weekender and mini-packs and smaller corporate partners (within these groups, priority will also be determined on a first-come, first-served basis). All reservations will require a $50 per seat deposit.

Click here to download the complete press release
Click here for Harrison Square news and photos

[tags]baseball in fort wayne, wizards, Harrison Square, stadiums, ballparks[/tags]

Former Fort Wayne Wizards outfielder, Yordany Ramirez, has signed with the Houston Astros and appears to have a good chance to make the big league roster. In fact, the signing is what enabled Houston to pull the trigger on a trade with the Atlanta Braves to acquire Oscar Villarreal for center fielder Josh Anderson.

“Making this deal was contingent on us being able to sign Yordany Ramirez,” Wade said. “[Ramirez] is a developing player with a lot of upside, and this was a chance to stockpile a quality outfielder to the system . . . we wouldn’t have made this trade without getting Ramirez signed. He’s a guy a lot of teams wanted.” [source: MLB.com].

Ramirez was signed to a Major League contract that includes a spot on the 40-man roster. In 2007, the 23-year-old batted .269 with four homers, 43 runs batted in and 22 stolen bases for Class high-A Lake Elsinore. He played 30 games with Triple-A Portland and hit .315 with four homers, 18 RBIs and six stolen bases. He is currently with Licey in the Dominican Winter League, where he is hitting .344 (11-for-32) with five RBIs in 12 games.

Baseball America’s 2007 Best Tools Survey ranked Ramirez as the best defensive outfielder and the best outfield arm in the San Diego organization.

While with the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2005, Ramirez appeared in 104 games where he hit .222 over 369 at-bats with 8 home runs and 68 runs batted in. He drew 18 bases on balls and stole 15 bases.

[tags]Yordany Ramirez, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Free Agency, Baseball in Fort Wayne[/tags]

Several former Fort Wayne Wizards have made it to the big leagues . . . 62 to be exact. Some of the more prominent names include Jake Peavy, Torri Hunter, LaTroy Hawkins, Michael Cuddyer, Corey Koskie, Matt Lawton, A.J. Piersynski and more.

During the 2007 season, a few more made their big league debuts . . . seven to be exact. That list includes; Joakim Soria, Aaron Fultz, Chase Headley, Cory Doyne, Jack Cassel, Colt Morton and Drew Macias.

When looking at the minor league seasons of several other former Wizards players, it appears that several are in position to break through and help the San Diego Padres to many successful seasons in the future.

There are two great articles appearing at MiLB.com that discuss the 2007 and current state of the Padres farm system. The first is Flashback: San Diego Padres – Championship runs indicate bright future for Padres. It highlights the key performances of many of the systems players throughout 2007 and is filled with the names of Former Wizards at all levels. The second is Prospects could send Pads to playoffs – Plenty of pitching, hitting, defense moving up fast. In addition to opining over players who changed their organizational positions, the author makes his picks for organizational players of the year. Both players, Chase Headley and Josh Geer are former Wizards

[tags]Padres, Fort Wayne Wizards, Chase Headley, Josh Geer, Baseball in Fort Wayne[/tags]