Baseball in Fort Wayne

Archive for July, 2008

Just got back from Louisville, Kentucky where we didn’t see Jared Wells. But We did see former Wizards and current Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay) pitcher, Dale Thayer pitch a scoreless inning for the International League All-Stars.

Thayer worked a scoreless fifth inning, giving up a one-out double to the PCL’s Matthew Brown, who went 2-3 with an RBI and run scored in route to being named PCL Star of the Game.

Now a full-time relief pitcher, Thayer is the three-time reigning Southern League (Double-A) saves champion and doing well at Triple-A. He has a 1.46 ERA in 37 appearances and a newly introduced slider, which he rarely threw before this season. In doing so, Thayer has posted better strikeout numbers (57 in 49 1/3 innings).

“Dale can pitch and be successful in the big leagues today,” Bulls pitching coach Xavier Hernandez said [source: Montgomery Advertiser].

With the Wizards in 2003, Thayer appeared in  45 games, all in relief. He posted a 1-3 record with a 2.06 ERA and 25 saves. In 48 innings pitched, he gave up 15 runs (11 earned) and struck out 72 while walking just 15. His WHIP was a crazy .960, although his MiLB career WHIP is still just 1.12.

In fact, his whole career has been remarkably consistent with the numbers he posted in the Fort. He boasts a career record of 24-13 with 132 saves (25, 23, 27, 27, and 21 over 2003-2007) and a career ERA of 2.10.

Photos by Chad Gramling. See more photos from the trip.

Cory Luebke was a first-round pick in 2007 and joined the Wizards late in the year. After going 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA for Eugene, he stopped in Fort Wayne for three games and didn’t exactly impress by posting a 3.33 ERA and a 1-2 record over five games. But he moved onto Hig-A Lake Elsinore anyway, where he struggled more by rounding out his first year as a pro by going 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA.

2008 picked up where Luebke left off on Lake Elsinore, where he went 3-6 with a 6.84 ERA over 17 games; 15 of them as a starter. In 72.1 innings, he struck out 60 and walked 23 before being demoted back to Fort Wayne where it’s hoped that he can regain his command a restore some of the promise that accompanied the prospect when he was drafted.

In his first outing after returning to Fort Wayne, Luebke walked three in two innings of work Sunday against Wisconsin. In two innings of work, he threw 45 pitches, struck out one and walked three while giving up one unearned run on no hits.

“I just want to be able to get out there, get more consistent in the zone with all my pitches. The off-speed was giving me a little trouble, I fell behind in some counts. I just want to go out there, pitch and get some confidence.”

Manager Doug Dascenzo liked what he saw from Luebke in limited action. “The ball is coming out of his hand pretty nice,” Dascenzo said. “He felt pretty good. He will have a little bruise on his side, but he’ll be fine.”

Credit Lamond Pope: Luebke Back as Starter | Luebke coming back to Fort Wayne

• Padres Prospect Interview: Drew Cumberland (subscription required) – MadFirar’s Jon Conniff sits down with the Wizards infielder to discuss his DL stint, playing in the Midwest League, playing the game the right way and what it’s like to have a brother (Shaun Cumberland) who also plays professionally (in the Reds’ farm system).
• Baseball proves therapeutic for beleaguered Storm catcher – In a season that has seen the Padres use five different catchers (three of them are former Wizards), the one drawing the most attention is one at Lake Elsinore. Mitch Canham, who i n 75 games for the Storm this season, is hitting .291 with five homers, 52 RBIs, 19 doubles and a .404 on-base percentage. Plus, he’s a perfect 9-for-9 in steal attempts. but success has not been one of luck for the former Wizard who has worked hard to overcome many struggles of various types in recent years.
• Q & A With Nick Hundley – SignOnSanDiego sits down with Nick Hundley, who let’s us know that he is not related to Nick or Todd, how much he loves being a catcher, honing his skills at Portland in the beginning of the season and more.
• Top 5 with Chase Headley – The Padres outfielder/third baseman runs down the top five things he’s learned about living in San Diego.
• Soria fitting right in with All-Star idols – Kansas city Royals closer, Joakim Soria‘s short list of influences as Mariano Rivera, Joe Nathan, Francisco Rodriguez. And now, he shared midseason honors with them at the All-Star Game. Great article that talks about the “business” Soria and the “funny guy” Soria in light of a season that has seen him prove that last season was just the beginning to a great career for the Rule-5 pick.
• Blanks hitting his stride in Double-A (subscription required) – The former Wizards first baseman and DH, Kyle Blanks is enjoying a solid season at Double-A San Antonio (despite rumors that he may be on the trade market). Great plate discipline and the tremendous bat speed has gotten the 21-year-old slugger promoted after every year of professional baseball since being taken in the 42nd-round of the 2005 amateur draft.
• Patient eye paying off for Venable -Will Venable is showing signs of becoming the type of hitter the Padres want him to be: a “patiently aggressive” hitter who gets a good pitch to hit and unloads on it, but also is willing to fall behind in the count rather than chase iffy pitches. The Triple-A center fielder has batted better than .300 in every month this season. Of greater significance to the Padres, he has started hitting home runs and drawing walks since April, when he had one walk and no homers. My money says we see him with the Padres before the end of the season.

Scott Johnson has been 13 of his 14 years at Angola High School as varsity coach and boasts an overall record is 227-146. During the last five seasons, that record is a lopsided 104-46. The Hornets won sectional championships in 1999, 2004 and 2008 and regional champs in 2004 in addition to three Northeast Corner Conference titles and a NECC tournament crown in 1998.

Next season, he takes his show to Hamilton County to take over the Hamilton Southeastern baseball program. He replaces Curry Harden, who resigned after serving six years as the Royals’ varsity coach. Coach Johnson came highly recommended to the Royals by (former long-time DeKalb High School Coach, Bill Jones) who is current president of the Indiana Baseball Coaches Association.

“It was my pleasure to have the chance to coach against Scott in my last few years at DeKalb high school,” said Jones. “He was a young, eager coach that worked very hard to learn the ropes and skills of being a good baseball coach. Since my retirement it has been rewarding to see his program at Angola grow and develop. He has put endless hours into making the new baseball field at Angola into one of the best in northeast Indiana” [source: Noblesville Daily Times].

Scott and his wife Shannon have three daughters. Scott will teach in the Language Arts Department at HSE.

Heading down to Louisville tomorrow to take in the Triple-A All Star Game. Former Wizards pitcher, Dale Thayer is on the roster so I’ll try to get some pics to post when I return. Jared Wells was on the roster, but because of an inept Seattle Mariners front office, I don’t think he’s going to be there.

Check thorughout the day tomorrow as there are some posts scheduled to publish while I am out.

As the Fort Wayne Wizards and Hardball Capital develop the oft-discussed ballpark at Harrison Square, onlookers see -  a new era or sorts on the local baseball horizon. However, a few miles north of where Harrison Square’s home plate awaits the first pitches of that new era, one of Northeast Indiana’s baseball treasures still thrives on its past.

In 1958, former Chicago Cub, Sal Madrid settled into Fort Wayne and took the field with local semi-pro quads; North American Van Lines and Allen Dairy. The Northeast Indiana Baseball Hall of Famer saw the local school diamond empty and was compelled to found the Wallen Community Baseball League. In doing so, he assured that any child who sought to play would play.

In 1959, 58 boys within four teams took the field for the inaugural season of Wallen Baseball. Since that day, the league has undergone change, but mostly to sustain its phenomenal growth. Tonight, the Wallen League celebrated its 50th anniversary for baseball, and 30th for softball. This season, some 1,500 kids put down their video games and turned off their televisions to step onto the diamonds at the Wallen Complex.

The league’s most famous alumnus, current Cleveland Indians Manager Eric Wedge, was on hand to join in the re-dedication efforts. He also signed autographs for the many in attendance and took time to speak with anyone who sought a small bit of his time. Other alumni from Wallen include Jim Crall who played in the Ranger’s farm system, Brian Reith who was drafted by the Yankees and made it to the Majors with the Cincinnati Reds and Mike Morrison who was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007 and is now on the roster of Gulf Coast Community College.

Growing up in Auburn, I sometimes find myself amazed by what I see and experience in Fort Wayne baseball. It’s pretty interesting to go to events like this and be among the few who are experiencing them for the first time. Because of that, I like to talk to anyone who will give me a few of their minutes. I met up with many other folks who had ties to the league, including current Wallen Baseball President Shawn Cumberland (thanks for the logo Shawn), and longtime Wallen Baseball player, coach, historian, et al, Chuck Itt.

I spoke to some of the kids who were about to take the field in the all-star games and I spoke to kids who used to play at Wallen, but had reached an age where they had to move on to different leagues.

In short, I spoke to folks with 50 years of tenure and I spoke to boys and girls in their first. But the stories were early the same. The common thread had folks telling me with pride that “My dad used to play here,” or “My brother played here,” or “This used to be where we would hang out even when there weren’t games.”

Physically, the Wallen Complex is a set of ball diamonds with a small concessions area and a couple bathrooms. But in reality, it is much more than that. Throughout the generations, stories are as varied as their participants. With Eric Wedge’s homecoming for the festivities, we’re reminded that Eric’s dad, Tim, served as President of the League from 1981 to 1985. As I watched the widow of league founder, Sal Madrid, meet with men and women, boys and girls, I was treated to a small glimpse of the literally thousands of lives she and her late husband touched through a little slice of baseball heaven on earth.

It’s a place where families and friends are rooted. It’s a fabric unlike any other that threads thousands of souls with baseball and softball.

Below is a gallery of photos taken from tonight’s event. Enjoy!

[Show as slideshow]

Two things real quick:

1. Going to be imlementing a new theme on BaseballinFortWayne.com soon. The current has served the blog well since it’s beginning in late 2006. But times are a changing and the site has grown a bit. WordPress technology has advanced and so has my abilities (a little). Time for an expansion of capabilities of sorts.
2. I have launched a new blog into beta release. MWLBlogs.com is a consortium of Midwest League related blogs for fans, media and followers of the Midwest League. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

That is all. Play ball!

Former Wizards pitcher, Jared Wells has had an interesting 2008 season. He started the year with the Padres as the 64th former Wizard to make his MLB debut, went to China, then got sent back to Triple-A before being traded to Seattle.

Thanks to Erik Bedard hitting the DL and Seattle’s release of Richie Sexson, Wells was back in the Bigs despite not putting up stellar numbers with Triple-A Tacoma. In 16 games and 16 innings of work with the Rainiers, Wells went 0-2 with a 4.41 ERA. He gave up 13 hits and eight earned runs with 20 strikeouts and six saves. However, his opposing batting average was just .217 against him. He’s also seemed to have turned a corner of sorts, giving up just two earned runs in his last 8 outings.

BUT WAIT! Maybe there was no room for him after all. One day later, when the Mariners have activated right-hander, Felix Hernandez, from the 15-day disabled list, they optioned Jared Wells back to Triple-A Tacoma.

But here’s the real kicker:

Wells was named to the Pacific Coast League Triple-A All-Star team. But since he was on the big league roster, he was replaced on the team by infielder Oswaldo Navarro. So now he isn’t on the MLB squad AND he isn’t pitching in the All-Star Game.

Wells was a 31st Round (925th overall) pick in the 2002 Major League Draft. He joined the Wizards in 2002. During that season, he started 14 games and compiled a 4.09 ERA with one complete game and 72 strikeouts over 81.1 innings pitched.

You’ve probably heard the news about the local Fort Wayne General Electric plant. If not, there is great coverage at WhatsGoingDown(Town) and Fort Wayne Observed. That’s in addition to the news in “traditional” media like the Journal Gazette. But in short, the stories relay the sad fact that General Electric Co. announced plans to spin off its Consumer & Industrial business group, which includes the company’s Fort Wayne operations. Basically, it means there are 265 or so employees who are potentially impacted and there is an uncertain future in store for the widely recognizable campus.

But, yes friends, there’s a baseball story here!

In the 1880′s there was a race to innovate a facet of the game of baseball through the novel idea of playing a professional game at night through the use – of all things – lights. On June 2 of that year, Charles Jenney, owner of the Jenney Electric Company provided 17 arch lamps to illuminate League Park. The lamps provided 4,000 candlepower each, with three lamps fastened to the grandstand; one behind the pitcher’s box and the rest stationed along the baselines and in the outfield. The game between the professionals of the Northwestern League from Quincy, Illinois and a team from Methodist College lasted seven innings, with the professionals winning the contest by a score of 19-11. It was covered by the media The Gazette, The Fort Wayne News and The Sporting Life – all of whom were critical of the use of artificial light. However, The Sporting Life did note that with the use of more lights, such events could be successful [source: Baseball History: 19th Century Baseball. Heck, it only took the Cubs a 100 years to catch up – must be something about centuries with them!

Jenney Electric Company was later to come under the umbrella of General Electric. Many claim this event to have been the first lighted baseball game on record, though there are others that claim the feat as many as two years earlier. Regardless, it was among the first and another innovation generated in Northeast Indiana.

But, yes friends, there’s more of a baseball story here! Our local electric innovation was more than features of the field. General Electric innovated on the field.

In the 1940’s, the GE Voltmen were the city’s baseball elite. The 1948 squad would go on to claim a national semi-pro championship, boasting a roster that included many members of the Northeast Indiana Baseball Assocation (NEIBA) Hall of Fame.

Pictured above, the 1948 GE Voltmen – (L-R) Standing; Coach Dee Hamilton, Bill Brandt, Paul Dyke, John Corridan, and Manager John “Red” Braden. (Second Row) Bob Winters, Stan Shargey, Pete Elko, Truett “Rip” Sewell, Bill Hardy and batboy Jimmy Slack; (Third Row) Al Hazle, Olan Smith, Charlie Harmon, Rudy Rundus, Art Garbrielli, Hugh Orphan, and Charlie Shipman. Photograph courtesy of Don Graham.

See Also: GE Press Release regarding intent to spin off.

The process of selecting a new name for Fort Wayne’s Minor League Baseball team continues with the next phase of public feedback. After sifting through more than 2,500 team name suggestions over the last three weeks, the team again looks to the public to provide guidance.

“We were impressed with both the sheer number and the creativity of team name submissions,” stated General Manager, Mike Nutter. “That makes it that much more difficult to choose the new name for the team.”

The team is asking the public to help one more time in the decision-making process. “We could go in any number of directions with the names we’ve received,” said Nutter. “We’re hoping that the community will help. We’ve identified four primary themes into which many of the suggested names fall into and we want fans to let us know which direction they prefer.”

The four categories that the team has identified are:

- FORT WAYNE ICONS and/or PROMINENT HISTORICAL INDIVIDUALS
- FORT WAYNE GEOGRAPHY (THREE RIVERS, SUMMIT, ETC.)
- FORT WAYNE’S HISTORY AS A CENTER OF INNOVATION and INVENTION
- The “OLD FORT” or SIMILAR MILITARY THEME

While the public gives their feedback, the team will be busy narrowing down the considerable list of potential names. “We are hoping that with the names we have received and this additional public input we can zero in on the best name and begin the considerable work required from there to design and develop a logo and team identity,” said Nutter. “It has always been our goal to create a brand that Fort Wayne and the surrounding community can identify with and embrace as their own.”

To give your feedback, CLICK HERE