Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Memorial Stadium’

The Fort Wayne TinCaps are hosting the 2010 Midwest League All- Star Game, with festivities taking place in Fort Wayne on June 21st and 22nd. The top prospects in the Midwest League will be showcased. Both East and West divisions will field teams of 35 players – or a total of 70 top prospects from the league’s sixteen teams.

The East will be the home team and led by Fort Wayne’s coaching staff. That division includes the Dayton Dragons, Great Lakes Loons, Lansing Lugnuts, West Michigan Whitecaps, South Bend Silver Hawks, and Fort Wayne TinCaps as well as league new-comers, the Lake County Captains and Bowling Green Hot Rods.

The Western Division will be managed by Burlington’s coaching staff and will be made up with players from the Burlington Bees, Clinton Lumberkings, Cedar Rapids Kernels, Quad Cities River Bandits, Peoria Chiefs, Beloit Snappers, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and Kane County Cougars.

This is the first Midwest League All-Star Game in Fort Wayne since 1994, when it was played at Memorial Stadium. The 2010 edition will also include a Monday night (June 21st) Skills Competition and Home Run Derby, which will consist of four players from each division as well as a local participant, Fort Wayne’s Hometown Hitter.

The evening of the Home Run Derby will be preceded by an autograph session by All-Star Game participants as well as an exhibition home run derby featuring members from area Little Leagues. Participants in the Little League Home Run Derby will be 12 years of age or younger and special fencing will be erected for this portion of the event. The evening’s events will culminate in a spectacular fireworks display.

Tuesday afternoon will feature an All-Star Game Fan Fest at the Grand Wayne Center,which is free to the public starting at noon and going through 3PM. The Fan Fest will provide access to players for autographs and also include interactive games, inflatables, and kids activities.

For on-field entertainment during the game, Fort Wayne has partnered with the best entertainment in Minor League Baseball, including the ZOOperstars, BirdZerk, Myron Noodleman, and Breakin’ BBoy McCoy. Fireworks will also conclude the night’s festivities.

I’ve got my tickets and can’t wait to enjoy the festivities!

Press Coverage:

• TinCaps To Host All-Star Game At Parkview Field (INC)
• TinCaps release MWL All-Star details (News-Sentinel)
• Fort Wayne to Host Baseball All-Star Game (NEIRP)
• Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars and Thousands Expected In Downtown Fort Wayne (INC)
• Area youth to join top hitters (News-Sentinel)
• Home run derby gives local flair to festivities (Journal Gazette)
• All-Star lineup: Baseball, fan faves, fireworks (News-Sentinel)

Kyle Blanks Autograph at Padnographs (Wizards).

Simon Klink Home Run Photo at Greg’s Connecticut Defenders Blog (Local Ties).

Jarrod Parker likely to be in Diamondback’s Rotation in 2010, says USA Today (Local Ties).

Huntington University baseball coach, Mike Frame will be inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame during a ceremony in January 2009 (Local Ties).

Memorial Stadium is profiled at Little Ball Parks (Wizards).

I finally got this posted. Sorry it took so long. Enjoy.

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Tonight was the last game we’ll ever see the Fort Wayne Wizards take the home field in Fort Wayne. It was also likely the last professional baseball game we’ll ever see played in Memorial Stadium; which is slated to be demolished in 2009 shortly after the yet-to-be-named Fort Wayne team takes the field for the inaugural season at the ballpark at Harrison Square.

The stadium first fielded Wizards in 1993 as an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins organization. Future Twins, such as Torii Hunter, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Lawton, Luis Rivas and Michael Cuddyer broke in their gloves while playing in the Summit City. In 1999, the Wizards became affiliates of the San Diego Padres. Since that time, future Friars like Sean Burroughs, Jake Peavy, Josh Barfield, Chase Headley and others kicked up dirt at Memorial Stadium. To date, 69 former Wizards players have made it to the Major Leagues – with many others sure to follow. And, for you trivia fans out there, here’s some:

• The last out in Memorial Stadium history was made by Danny Payne at 10:03PM Eastern.
• Former Norwell High School standout and Silverhawks prospect, Jarrod Parker dominated the Wizards through five innings of one hit ball. The Wizards offense came alive immediately after his departure . . . too bad they were already down 17 to 0.
• The last game at Memorial Stadium took place the same night that Major League Baseball first instituted instant replay availability.
• Dinger the Dragon faced off against former Wizard’ mascot, Wayne the Wizard in the Mascot Race. You would think one would finally win. Nope. They tied and therefore they both lost. Amazing.
• Olympian Gold Medalist, Lloy Ball threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
• My family came home with eleven softy balls, one Memorial Stadium replica and two bags of free potato chips.

And now, there is little else to do but turn our attention to the Major Leagues as the playoff races take shape. By early September, we may know the new name of the team and quite possibly have the opportunity to purchase (or receive) the new branded merchandise by the holiday season. And who knows, maybe I’ll publish another book during Spring Training! These are all some small milestones to help us endure another winter where following the Arizona Fall League just doesn’t quite cut it.

Oh, and there’s always this little vignette for Memorial Stadium that I put together. I’ll post a photo gallery tomorrow night.

It’s been a wonderful year. Thank you to the Wizards for keeping us entertained and providing me with the opportunity to take batting practice at Memorial Stadium, view an occasional game from the best seats in the house and so much more. To all those I have met and met up with at the Castle, I hope to see you downtown next season. I’m already looking forward to helping kick off a new era in Fort Wayne baseball history on Opening Day at Harrison Square.

Note: the music that accompanies the vignette is “The Last Song” by Thousand Foot Krutch. It’s a hidden track on their cd, “The Flame in All of Us” on Tooth and Nail Records.

• Fort Wayne Wizards say goodbye to Memorial Stadium (Chicago Tribue) (WLFI/Associated Press) (The Munster Times)
• Finale gets hometown touch: Parker faces Wizards at Memorial Stadium (Journal Gazette)
• Memorial Stadium, 1993-2009? (Journal Gazette)
• Big Send-Off For Memorial Stadium (Indiana’s News Center)
• Parker’s in Finale (News Sentinel)
• Final Game at the Slab Tonight (What’s Going Down(town))
• Charly Butcher Weighs in on Memorial Stadium’s Final Night [video] (Indiana’s News Center)
• Norwell Grad Parker Winds Down First Professional Season [video] (Dean Pantazi – Indiana’s News Center)
• Goodbye to All That (Rattler Radio)
• Goodbye to Memorial Stadium (Leeper, Sarvay, Pantazi, Olsen, Clabaugh -Indiana’s News Center)
• Goodbye “Castle” (Cathy Dee)
• Last Ballgame at Fort Wayne’s Memorial Stadium (AP/The Munster Times)

I’ll add others as I find them and have the time. If you find any, please comment. Check back late tonight. I’m planning on regapping the game with photos and video.

Three more games. That’s all that’s left in the history of baseball at Memorial Stadium.

Three more games. That’s all that’s left in the regular season home schedule of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

Three more games. That’s all that we’ll see the “Wizards” take the field in Fort Wayne, barring a miraculous run to make the playoffs.

In 1993, local old-timers like Red Braden ushered in an era of baseball in Fort Wayne. In 2008, a local up-and-comer who was a 2007 first-round draftpick will effectively bring that era to an end.

Jarrod Parker, the ninth overall pick in 2007, will take the mound for the visiting South Bend Silverhawks during Thursday’s Memorial Stadium finale against the home team Fort Wayne Wizards.

Parker is 11-5 during his first professional season. He has a 3.59 earned run average over 23 starts. In 112.2 innings, the former Norwell High School star has struck out 110. Last year, Parker helped lead the Knights to a 35-0 season, which included bringing home the Class 3A state baseball title, and Indiana’s Mr. Baseball in addition to several other accolades.

Wynn Pelzer (9-5) will start for the Wizards. In 28 games, Pelzer has a 2.84 ERA while allowing 107 hits, 28 bases on balls and 97 strikeouts in 114 innings.

The Fort Wayne Wizards have put together many great events and promotions for the week. It was kicked off with the naming of the All-Time Wizards on Sunday. Today, they announced the all-time Memorial Stadium team of players who came through Fort Wayne either as a visiting team or a home team. That list includes Alex Rodriguez, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Albert Pujols, Torii Hunter, Adam Dunn, Johnny Damon, Jake Peavy, and Billy Wagner among others.

Three more games. That’s all that’s left before the physical reminder of fifteen years worth of memories meets its fate with a wrecking ball. And the Wizards are senging it out with style.

After the last game, fans will be allowed to run the bases as they usually do. Limmer said they also will be given an opportunity to throw a “final pitch” from the pitcher’s mound. Front-office personnel considered having a ceremony to turn off the lights, but wanted the fans more actively involved.

And the chances are, Corey Kluber’s selection as last week’s Midewst League Pitcher of the Week will be the last in the grand history of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

Midwest League poses little challenge for him. On Aug. 19, Kluber had the week’s best start, striking out 11 batters over eight one-hit innings against Lansing. Unfortunately, the game was a pitcher’s duel that Fort Wayne lost in the 10th. Pitching against the same Lugnuts five days later, Kluber exacted a bit of revenge, and the win, this time with 10 strikeouts and four hits allowed over five innings.

Three more games. And tomorrow, one of the most recent breakthrough former Wizards, Chase Headley will field questions from fans in a live chat on padres.com at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Three more games. That’s all that’s left. And bloggers are memorializing Memorial Stadium in which he ask’s the Journal Gazette’s Ben Smith to tell us how he feels about it.

Three more games. And then several months during the offseason. That’s all that stands between this moment and opening day of a new era of baseball  in Fort Wayne. That’s when the first pitch will be thrown by a player from a yet-to-be-named Fort Wayne team from the mound at the ballpark at Harrison Square.

Three more games. That’s all that’s left before a hometown hero takes the mound in Fort Wayne. It’s ironic that it took fifteen years, but how fitting that it will be such a person to send the stadium out and effectively be the usher to the end of one era and the gatekeeper to the beginning of another.

From the Fort Wayne Wizards:

The final four regular season games at Memorial Stadium for the Wizards start tonight and run through this Thursday, August 28th!

Monday starts a four-game series with in-state rival, the South Bend Silver Hawks at 7:00 p.m. It’s the final Dollar Monday of the year, with $1.00 hot dogs, soft drinks and beer. In addition, the first 1,000 fans will receive a reusable grocery shopping bag from Digorno Pizza and Kroger.

Tuesday and Wednesday’s games, which both start at 7:00 p.m. will allow fans the opportunity to shop Memorial Stadium for Fort Wayne Wizards items in a ballpark garage sale. Multiple items, like baseballs and hats, will be available at amazing low prices.

Thursday the Wizards wrap up their regular season at Memorial Stadium with a 7:00 p.m. contest against South Bend. It’s the final Thirsty Thursday of the season, with $2.00 16-ounce beers and 20-ounce fountain drinks. The first 1,000 fans will receive mini replica Memorial Stadiums courtesy of Arby’s. Norwell High School grad, Jarrod Parker, is scheduled to pitch for the Silver Hawks. Also, fans will have a chance to throw a ceremonial “last pitch” at Memorial Stadium after the game.

For tickets, contact the Wizards Administrative Offices at 260-482-6400.