WILDCARD BITCHES!!!!!!!!! MLB playoffs are set, wildcard games will go tomorrow and wednesday night

If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that Charlie Day is excited for the upcoming MLB wildcard games (WATCH VIDEO).

It took 163 games to figure it out, but the AL playoff puzzle is finally put together.

The Tampa Bay Rays went into a hostile environment in Texas for a tie breaker game riding the back of strong performances from their leaders, like Evan Longoria, and Will Myers cruising to a 5-2 victory.

Staff ace David Price pitched all nine innings allowing only two runs on seven hits striking out four and walking only one. While Evan Longoria lifted his team once again going 3 for 4 at the plate with a HR and 2 RBI.

After the Rays picked up a 4-1 lead off the bat of a pinch-hitting veteran in David DeJesus, a questionable call on what should have been a Delmon Young single could have changed the game entirely.

But the Rays stuck with it and put up an extra insurance run in the 9th on a sneaky stolen base by pinch-runner Sam Fuld. Texas relief pitcher Tanner Scheppers threw the ball away trying to get Fuld at third as he scored Tampa Bay's fifth run.

The Rays will now travel to Cleveland to take on the Indians in a one game wildcard playoff on Wednesday night which will determine who will face off against the Boston Red Sox in the best-of-5 American League Division series.

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Meanwhile, in the National League, two bitter central division rivals will battle for the right to play against another bitter central division rival. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds will play their NL wildcard game to see who moves on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.

The Pirates will host the game as they finished with the better record, but the Reds have more playoff experience. It should be interesting to see how this game shakes out between two evenly matched teams.

The game will be highlighted (north of the border) by the amount of Canadian content that will be competing in it.

The Reds boast the best Canadian ball player out there in Joey Votto (Toronto), while the Pirates have Canadians Justin Morneau (West Minster) and Russell Martin (Toronto).

These two teams have seen a lot of each other lately, so sparks are sure to fly when they meet Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.

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A look back at the career of Mariano Rivera

For the past 16 years, when the Yankees have been holding on to a slim lead, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica would blare throughout Yankee Stadium, and every fan in the house knew that meant two things. One, that the game was about to come to an abrupt halt with the Yankees on the winning end, and two, they were about to see one of the best pitchers of all time.

Years after the MLB retired the number 42 in honour of Jackie Robinson, they can finally put it to rest for good after this season.

Mariano Rivera, the long time New York Yankees closer, and the last player to wear the number 42 before it was retired, made his final appearance at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night.

Rivera, who some hail as the greatest relief pitcher/closer of all time, will retire with many records and accolades to his name, including:

     - a win loss record of 82-60
     - a career ERA of 2.21
     - 1,173 strikeouts
     - 652 career saves
     - 13 All-Star appearances
     - five world series championships
     - five time AL Relief man of the year
     - three time delivery man of the year
     - AL championship series MVP award (2003)
     - World Series MVP (1999)
     - all time Major League Baseball saves leader (652).

Needless to say he's had quite the career.

Outside of baseball Mariano Rivera has had a huge impact on the community. Rivera operates the Mariano Rivera Foundation, which provides education to underprivileged children in both his native Panama and the United States.

He and his wife Clara have three sons named Mariano Jr, Jafet, and Jaziel. He has been married to his wife since 1991 and they've known each other since elementary school. Among his other charitable contributions is the renovation of a church, of which the congregation currently holds their services in the Rivera home, and he's also helping to build an elementary school in Panama.

When Enter Sandman began to play on Thursday night, in the top of the 8th with one out at Yankee Stadium, Yankees fans knew exactly who was coming into the ball game. Though it wasn't a save opportunity, because the Yankees were losing to the Rays 4-0, and already eliminated from the playoff race. He didn't come in to save the game, he came in to say goodbye to the fans that he has represented, the fans that have supported him through his 19 year career. One final goodbye.

Both teams came outside of their dugouts, and all the fans who packed Yankee stadium that night were standing and clapping right there with them. In what was a touching standing ovation.

After his performance, his long-time teammates Derek Jeter and Andy Pettite came to the mound to take him out of the ball game, marking the final time that Mariano Rivera would grace the mound at Yankee Stadium.

                                   Mariano Rivera's final performance at Yankee Stadium.

Rivera, along with Jeter, Pettite, and Jorge Posada were the corner stones of the 1990's/early 2000's Yankee team that took home the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

This is where the waterworks began to flow. Rivera loved the game since he was a kid playing with sticks and rocks in Panama with his childhood friends. He played hard, he worked hard, and he will go down as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. To achieve the level of excellence that he has throughout a 19 year career from start to finish is to achieve immortality in baseball.

So take a bow Mo, Yankees fan or not, no one can deny the impact that he has had on the game. The career of Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time, has come and gone, and now the MLB can finally put the number 42 to rest.

TWITTER! @burnsy004

Funny side note, here's a link to the Red Sox (Yankees biggest rival) honoring Mo's career, but also poking a bit of fun at the closer in the process. This is not the first sign of good cheer between the two teams, as Yankee fans belted out "Sweet Caroline" the Red Sox "theme song" earlier in the year in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.

                                                Red Sox tribute to Mariano Rivera

                                               Yankee fans sing "Sweet Caroline".

My strange relationship with minor league baseball

To a young baseball fan, there's nothing more exciting than being invited on the field before your local pro-team is set to play a ball game.

I was a young, bright blue eyed, blonde headed kid standing in between second and third base, waiting for my "McDonald's Baseball Buddy" to hit the field. Yeah, those little kids you see at Goldeyes games that each match up with a player, I was one of those once.

I met Jack Johnson. I think it was in the year 2000, and I can honestly say I don't remember what he did with his baseball career after that day. But I don't think he made it to the majors, he might not have even played after that year.

Not a lot of ball players do. You have to be pretty exceptional to get there. But to an eight year old kid, that didn't matter. He was a professional athlete, and that seemed pretty cool.

The Major Leagues: Every Young Baseball Fans Dream 

The Major League Baseball draft lasts 40 rounds. With 30 teams that means that 1200 players get drafted into the MLB every single year. Not to mention players that get plucked from different leagues around the world, like Japan, Mexico, or Cuba.

The number of players in the MLB currently sits around 1,200. And that is with the expanded 40 man roster teams are allowed to carry in September. Regular season, and playoffs they can only carry 25 players. Which means in any other month aside from September there is only about 750 baseball players in the MLB.

It's not an easy sport to make it to the highest level.

That's not to say that any other sport is easy to make it in. No sport is easy. But baseball is exceptionally tough. In the baseball business, you could be batting .300 in Triple-A, which is pretty exceptional. But if you make more mistakes in the field than a guy who's batting .240, you could find yourself out of a job. On the flip side, you could never make a mistake in the field but only hit .220 in Double-A and find yourself out of affiliated baseball and without a place to play.

It's a pretty cut-throat business. But many stick with it and end up in the minors. Most players who find themselves without a job in any organization have options across the continent to keep playing ball.

For example, let's look at Casey Haerther of the 2013 Winnipeg Goldeyes. He hit .270 with Arkansas in Double-A during the 2012 season with 10 homers and 56 RBI. For most, that's enough to catch the eye of the big club for at least a spring training invite. But that was not the case as Haerther was released at the end of the 2012 season and ended up with the Goldeyes in 2013, batting .307 with 10 homers and 66 RBI in what was a pretty successful season for him. He was a young guy who just slipped through the cracks of the system he was playing for.

On the other side of the spectrum. We have a guy like Ray Sadler. Who was also a Goldeye for half of the 2013 season. He's a veteran who's been to the majors before. He only spent three games with the pirates but he hit a home run. Not many independent ball players can say they've homered in the majors. Those three games would be the only time he'd spend in the majors. He just couldn't stay at that level.

Four members of the Goldeyes in the past two seasons have played in the MLB. Ray Sadler and Yurendell de Caster each played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tyler Graham got into ten games with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Chris Roberson played 85 games with the Philadelphia Phillies over two seasons, making only two errors in his time there. They are now all playing independent ball.

That's the kind of game that baseball is. One week you could be on top of the world. The next you could go 0 for 10 at the plate and find yourself out of a job. You have to be good. Very good.

Salaries in the Minor Leagues and Independent Baseball vs MLB Salaries

There are currently 9 independent baseball leagues in North America. As well as leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic, where many players play winter ball.

The average amount of money a player makes in Triple-A is $2,150 a month. Double-A, $1,500 a month. Anyone below that level will be lucky to make $1,200 a month. The Mexican league pays their players a bit better, a player will usually make about $10,000 a season in Mexico. In a league like the American Association, a very high end player will end up making $1,200 a month. Rookies will only make about $800.

Most players who play independent ball will head for Mexico if they have the opportunity. As an example, I will use Goldeyes CF Tyler Graham.

Graham was traded to Winnipeg from Fargo early in the season. After spending a short time here, Graham had a chance to go and play in Mexico. He did for three and a half weeks, and made more money in those three weeks than he made all year on his contract with the Goldeyes. 

The travel is also not easy. In some leagues like the Can-Am and Atlantic league the teams are all in very close proximity to each other. The American Association, however, isn't like that. Though the Goldeyes sometimes only have to travel to Fargo, St. Paul, or Sioux Falls, they still take long trips to Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, Texas, Kansas, and even out east in Quebec and New York to play inter-league games with the Can-Am league.

On the flip side. Team's like Wichita and Laredo make the long trek to Winnipeg, as did Quebec and Trois-Rivieres from the Can-Am league.

Some people ask me why I like this lower level of baseball. Everything I've just described makes independent baseball sound crappy. And obviously the level of play is far below major league standards.

I mean, why would a guy play for $900 bucks a month for four months and make barely enough money to live just to play baseball? Why do they pack themselves into boiling, crammed busses with no A/C and take 10-24 hour bus rides for next-to-no money? I've even asked myself those questions at times. Why should I like something that I've often heard described as "a joke"?

The truth is I can't speak for any of the players. I don't know why they do what they do. My best guess, simply put, is that they do what they love, and they love doing it.

While these guys may not be playing in the majors, they are still professionals. That is not a matter of opinion. Which is why it irks me when people say that it's "a joke." Anyone who wants to challenge that notion can step in and try to hit an 85 mph fastball, or a curveball that starts at your chest but ends at your knees. It's not an easy. So imagine how tough it would be to make it to the majors where pitchers can throw 90-100 mph fastballs with consistency.

I find what these guys do admirable. Day in and day out, from the start of the season to the end of the season with very few days off in between they show up to the ball park, and do what they love.

I also find the salaries of MLB players to be disgustingly high. To the point where I feel sick knowing that MLB players make so much more than minor league players.

Alex Rodriguez, who just began playing again after a cheating scandal and could still face a life-time ban makes $28 million dollars a year. The payment distribution in baseball is so unbalanced it's a wonder that minor league team's don't demand more money from their parent clubs in the MLB.

While minor league players struggle to make ends meet, A-Rod has more money than anyone on this planet knows what to do with.

Usually, when people ask me why I like minor league baseball, they expect me to give an answer similar to "I just love the game". Well, I do love the game, but I also like watching players who work hard at what they do for very little money on the off chance that someone picks them up and they get to affiliated ball. Or even just playing ball for the sake of playing ball. Call them delusional if you'd like, but I admire them. 

Don't Get Me Wrong

Before I conclude, I'd like to clarify that I am not bashing Major League Baseball. I'm a Blue Jays fan, I love watching the MLB on TV, and the best players in the world play there. They are world class athletes at the peak of their sport, and most of them have the skills and abilities to be there no matter what they did.

To me, minor league baseball is baseball in it's purest form. They don't play for fame, or money, or sponsorship deals. As cheesy as this may sound they play because they love the game. I love seeing players work their asses off not because they get paid millions of dollars to do so, but because they love the game they're playing and they want to work hard. They hold on to that dream of playing ball professionally that so many young baseball fans have.

I like knowing that there are independent teams that draw good crowds night in and night out. The Goldeyes have consistently led all independent baseball in the past five years, averaging about 5,880 fans a game.

I like seeing great ballparks get filled up with fans who want to watch baseball, like Shaw Park, or the beautiful Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska, the home of the Lincoln Saltdogs.

Playing and watching baseball is something I've always enjoyed since I was a kid, and I understand in a town like Winnipeg, baseball isn't at the top of the list. But it's great, cheap, and fun entertainment. I'll always suggest that if you have nothing to do on a warm summer night, head down to Shaw Park. Pay 5 bucks to get into the ball park and enjoy good food, cold beer, and some baseball.

 

  

Railcats beat Wingnuts in four to earn the American Association Championship

The Gary-Southshore Railcats have become the second team to win the wildcard and roll through the playoffs en route to the American Association Championship. 

After a close series with Fargo-Moorhead, the Railcats stayed hot, and were able to get enough wins for their first championship since 2007. 

This marks the second time in as many years that a wildcard team had won the American Association championship. Last year the Goldeyes went 6-0 on their way to the 2012 championship, and this year the Railcats went 6-2 en route to this seasons title. This is also the second time in as many years that the Wichita Wingnuts have lost in the finals.

I had the pleasure of seeing this Railcats team play here in Winnipeg earlier in the season twice during their four game set against the Goldeyes. It was hard not to see that there was something special, but strange about the way they played. They play a weird style of ball, something that other team's in the league have come to call "Railcatting."

By that, they mean that this team plays small ball. Instead of hitting home-runs they get on base, and use their speed to score runs. They go six innings without scoring a run, then they'll put up eight in the seventh. They don't have a lot of home-run hitters, but they have a balanced lineup that can drive the ball into the gaps, lay down bunts, steal bases, capitalize on their chances and make next to no errors. They also made great use of their pitching staff during the season.

After taking game one of the series 9-4, Gary dropped game two 6-4 which evened the series at one a piece. From there the Railcats took control of the series, beating Wichita twice in a row, wrapping up the series in Wichita on Saturday night. The second time in as many years the Wingnuts have lost the deciding game at home.

The Railcats outhit the powerful Wingnuts 49-40 in the series, and were led by lead-off man Adam Klein who was named MVP of the championship series. Klein went 8 for 15 in the series (.533) scoring five runs and racking up five RBI's in the four games. This capped off a fantastic playoff for Klein who went 12 for 30 (.400) with three doubles.
   The Railcats returned to Gary the night after to have a meet and greet with the fans and media.

Capitales win fifth consecutive championship --- Railcats take game 1 of AA Final

There's still a winner in Canadian professional baseball.

The Quebec Capitales were able to battle back and hang on for the series win yesterday, winning game seven 12-6. After holding a three games to one series lead, the Capitales let the New Jersey Jackals battle back to tie the series at three, before the Caps took the series four games to three, capturing yet another championship, which makes five in a row for Quebec.

The Capitales play in the Can-Am Association of Professional Baseball which houses teams in Quebec and the Northeastern United States.

Former Goldeyes third basemen Pat Scalabrini earned his fourth championship in as many seasons serving as the manager for Quebec.

The Capitales were led offensively by SS Jeff Helps who went 3 for 4 with two walks and 4 RBI'S. Charlie Rosario came on in relief for the Capitales pitching 4.2 innings in relief picking up the win.


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The Gary-Southshore Railcats continue to roll in the American Association playoffs, beating up on the best team in the league, the Wichita Wingnuts, tonight to take game one of the best of five AA final.

After the Railcat's Zac Mitchell was hit by a pitch to score the tying run, second basemen Danny Pulfer came to the plate and lined a double into the corner to score a pair. They would add another three runs throughout the game en route to a 9-4 win over their Central Division rivals.

Kevin Klein led the way offensively for the Railcats racking up three RBI's, while Mike Messaro and Christian Guerrero had three hits each.
  
Game two will go tomorrow night at U.S. Steelyard in Gary before the series shifts back to Wichita for game three, and if necessary four and five.

Red Sox Continue to Win Ballgames: With a Strange Form of Team Bonding

    The Boston Red Sox are one of baseball's hottest team's right now.
    Even with leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury sidelined with an injury right now, the Red Sox keep finding ways to win. They're 8-2 in their last 10 games, and just took three of four from their AL East rivals the New York Yankees.

   Many athletes have weird superstitions, but perhaps none more so than baseball players. Whether it's a certain brand of chewing tobacco they like, a wristband that they've worn every game for the past ten years, rally caps, or in the case of the Red Sox, beards.
   The Sox have found a strange way of bonding with their teammates through their beards. And they don't plan on shaving them any time soon. As reliever Andrew Miller put it, his wife has "given up the fight".
   As an avid fan of beards in general, I'm pretty pumped to see a team do this. Especially a team like the Red Sox, who are coming off two disappointing seasons where there was trouble in the clubhouse, and trouble between their manager (Bobby Valentine who was replaced this season by former Blue Jays skipper John Farrel), and their players, so there was some repairs to make this season.
   Coming into the Season, I imagine most baseball fans, myself included, had the AL East Standings looking somewhat like this:

1-Toronto Blue Jays
2-New York Yankees
3-Baltimore Orioles
4-Tampa Bay Rays
5-Boston Red Sox

   When in reality, the AL East Standings currently look like this:

1-Boston Red Sox (87-58)
2-Tampa Bay Rays (78-64)
3-Baltimore Orioles (77-66)
4-New York Yankees (76-68)
5-Toronto Blue Jays (67-76)

    The Red Sox have proved their critics wrong in so many ways. There were many changes. They traded players that most teams would kill to have. The likes of Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzales, and Josh Beckett. But they also added pieces that have quietly made this team into one of the best Red Sox teams in recent memory, and currently the best team in baseball. They added struggling but underrated players like Shane Victorino, Johnny Gomes, and Mike Napoli who have all been instrumental in the team's success, and found their stride at the right times. They've also found success at the plate with relatively unknown players like Will Middlebrooks, and Daniel Nava, both of whom are quietly having great seasons. Likewise for their core of Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and David Ortiz.
   They've also been getting great pitching performances from their rotation. Jon Lester is having a bounce back season, as is Clay Bucholtz. They've also gotten good starting pitching from pitchers like Felix Doubront, John Lackey, and Canadian Ryan Dempster.
   Though all these great performances have definitely helped with the Red Sox spectacular season, it's the beards that are being talked about.
   Everything I wanted to say about the beards was written perfectly by Scott Cacciola of the New York Times, who wrote an article about the Red Sox recently. A link to the article can be found below. It's a good one. Give it a read!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/sports/baseball/bonding-with-beards-the-red-sox-repair-their-clubhouse-chemistry.html?src=twr&smid=tw-nytimes

TOP 5 RED SOX BEARDS 2013 SEASON

   Yes! This is real. In honor of the Red Sox proving almost everybody wrong, I've decided to count down the top 5 beards on the team! They've played hard all year, and have stood out among the best division in baseball. So here we go! Starting with #5!

#5 Dustin Pedroia, 2nd Basemen:

   Ask anyone who's a Red Sox fan and they'll tell you that this guy is the heart and soul of this team, as well as the best player on their roster. He played in the All-Star Game this year in New York, and yes, he has a beautiful beard.


#4 Johnny Gomes, Outfielder:
    I have to include Gomes on the list because I remember seeing his beard appear in the first game of the season. He started the trend, and he's got a nice scruff going to prove it!

#3 David Ross, Catcher:

   Now this guy doesn't mess around. As highlighted in the New York Times article. He has his own comb for it. He takes his beard growing very seriously. He's played quite a bit this season and seems to be a popular guy around the dressing room. 



#2 Mike Napoli, First Basemen:
   Perhaps the most influential of all the beards on the list in the past ten games. Mike Napoli is on fire. He smashed a Grand Slam against the Yankees to tie a game in which they overcame a 8-3 deficit, and has been a very important part of the Red Sox success this year.

   Before we get to the number one beard on the list. Here are two honorable mentions. Both of these guys have been key to the Sox success this season. The first is Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Catcher, pictured on the left squeezing Mike Napoli's Beard), and the second is Shane Victorino (Outfielder, pictured on the right having his beard squeezed by Mike Napoli).











   And now it's time for the number one beard on the list. It comes to us from the infamous hurler himself. The man who's grown it for so long that his wife has decided to just "give up the fight"! I talk of course about relief pitcher Andrew Miller! He's not only got the beard, but he also has the hair to accompany it. Can't say the hair isn't a little bit gross, but the beard is beautiful!

   There you have it! The top five beards from this year's Boston Red Sox team. I would be lying if I said I didn't have some fun with this post because I did! Thanks for reading! I would suggest seeing the Red Sox play at least once this year. Seeing them squeeze each other's beards instead of high fiving one another is a weird sight to behold. Also, follow me on Twitter! @burnsy004

Gary beats Fargo to move on to AA final & MLB scores from Saturday Sept 7th

   It will be an all Central Division matchup in the American Association championship series.
   After Wichita steamrolled Grand Prairie in three straight to complete the sweep in their series. The Railcats won three in a row against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, after the Hawks took game 1.
   This will mark the second time in as many year's that Fargo has won the North Division and then been bounced out by the wildcard winning team.
   Morgan Coombs pitched 7 strong innings allowing only seven baserunners, and striking out eight for Gary picking up the win. He only ran into trouble once as he put runners on the corners in the top of the fifth. He got Ronnie Borquin to fly out to end the threat. Estevan Uriegas pitched the eight retiring all three batters he faced, and Ian Durham pitched the ninth striking out all three batters he faced to pick up the save.
   Offensively, the Railcats were led by leadoff man Adam Klein who had two hits in the game. Mike Massaro, Ried Fronk, and Brian Kolb each had an RBI for the Railcats.
   The championship series begins on Tuesday night in Gary at U.S. Steelyard. They will host games one and two, with the series shifting to Wichita for games three and if necessary four and five.

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On a busy night in the MLB, there were many games to recap. I attended a wedding last night so I was unable to watch any games. Here's a link to the scored from yesterday. (Saturday Sept 7th)
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/scoreboard/index.jsp?tcid=nav_mlb_scoreboard#date=9/7/2013

Major League Scores: September 6th, 2013.

   The Boston Red Sox trailed 8-3 after six innings to their arch-rival New York Yankees tonight in New York, but they never lost faith.
   The Sox(86-57) plated five runs in the seventh as Mike Napoli smashed a game tying Grand Slam that deflated the struggling Yankees (75-66). They proceeded to put up four runs in the eighth capped off by a two run homerun off the bat of Shane Victorino that put the Sox up for good. The Sox went on to win the game 12-8.
You can see both Napoli's Grand Slam and Victorino's game winning homer at the link below:
http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?c_id=mlb&content_id=30377109&partnerId=as_mlb_20130907_11643944
  
   Meanwhile, the Detroit Tiger's Omar Infante, and Andy Dirks were a combined 10 for 10 at the plate with Infante racking up 6 RBI's in the process. At the plate as the Tigers (82-59) pounded out 26 hits en route to a 16-2 smashing of the Kansas City Royals (73-68) tonight.
  
   Finally, Canada's team the Toronto Blue Jays (65-76) earned their second win in a row defeating the Minnesota Twins (61-78) tonight in Minneapolis.
   R.A. Dickey pitched 6 1/3 innings picking up the win, while the Jays plated five runs in the third winning 6-5 tonight. The Jays were led offensively by Brett Lawrie, and Moises Sierra, both of whom collected two RBI's in the five run third.
  Although the Jays are well out of it, they've won 8 of their last 11 and will look to win their fourth straight series tomorrow against these same Minnesota Twins.

For a full list of tonight's scores click the link below:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/scoreboard/index.jsp?tcid=nav_mlb_scoreboard

American Association Playoffs: How sweep it is for the Wingnuts, Railcats storm back to shock RedHawks

  With the majors coming into full swing expanding their September rosters to 40 players, those keeping the dream alive in the minor leagues are starting their playoff runs. In the American Association, the local Winnipeg Goldeyes missed out on the wildcard playoff spot by only 2.5 games losing out to the Gary-Southshore Railcats. The first round pitted those Railcats against the North Division winning Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. Meanwhile, the Central Division winner Wichita Wingnuts take on the South Division champion Grand Prairie AirHogs.

Gary-Southshore Railcats:2      Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks:1
After Fargo took a close game 1 winning 2-0, the Railcats have stormed back to take a 2-1 series lead. They were anchored by a game two 5 RBI performance by Reid Fronk which saw them cruise to a 11-2 victory over the RedHawks, evening the series at one.

   In game three Gary got back to doing what they do best. Gary scored three runs on only five hits en route to a 3-1 win over RedHawks tonight. The Railcats have been known to play small ball, utilize great pitching, and capitalize on their chances as often as possible. They take a 2-1 series lead on the RedHawks with games 4 and 5 both going in Gary tomorrow and if necessary Sunday.


Wichita Wingnuts:3     Grand Prairie AirHogs: 0
   For the second straight year, the Wichita Wingnuts are on their way to the American Association championship. And with many returnees from last year's team that fell in the final to the Goldeyes, this team will be hungry to win it all.
   The Wingnuts barely scratched out a 2-0 win in game one, having the winning run walked in in extra innings. Game's two and three weren't quite as close.
   In game two, Wingnuts pitcher Chris Smith pitched a nine inning shutout issuing three hits, three walks,  and registering five strikeouts in what was his first full fame shutout. The Wingnuts were led offensively by IF Ryan Khoury who registered three hits and scored the winning run, en route to a 6-0 pounding of the  AirHogs to take a 2-0 series lead.
   The Wingnuts kept their foot on the gas in game three hammering the AirHogs 13-0 in tonight's contest, completing the sweep. Officially booking their ticket to the American Association Championship for the second year in a row.

Baseball Blog!

   For a class at Red River College, where I am currently in the Creative Communications program we were told to start a blog. I thought to myself "what could I blog about? I have a local sports blog already, I have a hockey blog, although I haven't updated that one in quite some time".
   I eventually landed on baseball. It's a game I've loved and played since I was 6 years old since I first hit the ball off the tee. I'd like this to become a blog for all baseball fans of all ages, and all levels. I want to cover a wide array of topics from the Major Leagues, Minor Leagues, Independent ball, and even local tournaments.
   I want this to be a place where baseball fans of any team can come and read about their favourite local, or major league teams. From the New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox to the independent Sugarland Skeeters (Atlantic League) or the local Winnipeg Goldeyes (American Associaition).
   I will try my best to keep updated on baseball every week and I will post as much as possible. I will also have posts that are specifically assigned from my classes, so if there's a post that doesn't seem to fit with the topic, don't be confused!
   Anyways, I hope you like what I post, and if you're a fan of baseball I'm sure you will! Thanks for reading!

-Stephen Burns (twitter @burnsy004).