And we're off! Another season upon us already..

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HorseRaider	And we're off! Another season upon us already..	Lead	[-]
Posts: 208 ( 9-May-08 04:08:03) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None The older I get, the faster time flies by, it seems. What was like yesterday and the end of the season on a hot Saturday in Fort Worth back in September has come and gone. Here we go again. Ten teams with championship dreams and hopes. We're all even in the standings until a few hours from now. Lots of questions and wondering how things will end up? Can the Cats four-peat? (Very likely not, see below). Will my picks to play for it all, El Paso and St. Paul live up to that bold prediction of mine? Who will be the surprise team in the AA this year? Seems like there's one every year. My pick there is Sioux Falls or Pensacola. How will the rebuilding work not only for Fort Worth, but the likes of Lincoln as well? How will our two new league entries do? Who knows? All I care about is the season starting and being at the ball park (Plural this year for me with FW and GP in the area) all summer long, win or lose. I hope the Cats are competitive this year. With almost basically being a third expansion team, I have to trust the new manager and what the Cats management are saying, that they are very happy with the players they have. We took another hit with the pitching staff again when Lee Gwaltney, probably our second best starting pitcher, signed with the Padres yesterday. Even Chad Treadway in a short article in the DMN today admitted it will be a challenge this year. I just think this year will be a year of adjustment and learning by the new guys to play together the way the manager wants them to. Heck, all these new guys' names and faces I have to put together! I enjoyed meeting several of them the other night at the annual meet the team party. Every one of the guys I talked to were personable and fun to talk to. ( Bill, I met Steve Butler, now with the Cats..played for the Saints and a really nice guy..do you remember him?) When the fans are used to the same faces every year for three or four years and then have a whole new group of players to follow, it takes awhile to warm up to them. But knowing our fans here in Fort Worth, it won't take long for them to take a liking to the new guys. The booster club will find out Saturday night when we host our first postgame player meal. Here's to all the teams in the AA. Best of luck to every team and may this be the best season the AA has had yet!
nlfan		#1	[-]
Posts: 5655 ( 9-May-08 04:21:55) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Bill, I met Steve Butler, now with the Cats..played for the Saints and a really nice guy..do you remember him? Yep. I remember the name and may have a distant memory of the man.
midway tailgater		#2	[-]
Posts: 480 (11-May-08 01:08:27) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I remember Butler as a backup infielder who was adequate but didn't really stand out. He was effective as a "save the bullpen" pitcher too.
Bluebeard	Cat's Traction	#3	[-]
Posts: 1 (19-Jun-08 19:07:59) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	HorseRaider wrote: The older I get, the faster time flies by, it seems. What was like yesterday and the end of the season on a hot Saturday in Fort Worth back in September has come and gone. Here we go again. Ten teams with championship dreams and hopes. We're all even in the standings until a few hours from now. Lots of questions and wondering how things will end up? Can the Cats four-peat? (Very likely not, see below). Will my picks to play for it all, El Paso and St. Paul live up to that bold prediction of mine? Who will be the surprise team in the AA this year? Seems like there's one every year. My pick there is Sioux Falls or Pensacola. How will the rebuilding work not only for Fort Worth, but the likes of Lincoln as well? How will our two new league entries do? Who knows? All I care about is the season starting and being at the ball park (Plural this year for me with FW and GP in the area) all summer long, win or lose. I hope the Cats are competitive this year. With almost basically being a third expansion team, I have to trust the new manager and what the Cats management are saying, that they are very happy with the players they have. We took another hit with the pitching staff again when Lee Gwaltney, probably our second best starting pitcher, signed with the Padres yesterday. Even Chad Treadway in a short article in the DMN today admitted it will be a challenge this year. I just think this year will be a year of adjustment and learning by the new guys to play together the way the manager wants them to. Heck, all these new guys' names and faces I have to put together! I enjoyed meeting several of them the other night at the annual meet the team party. Every one of the guys I talked to were personable and fun to talk to. ( Bill, I met Steve Butler, now with the Cats..played for the Saints and a really nice guy..do you remember him?) When the fans are used to the same faces every year for three or four years and then have a whole new group of players to follow, it takes awhile to warm up to them. But knowing our fans here in Fort Worth, it won't take long for them to take a liking to the new guys. The booster club will find out Saturday night when we host our first postgame player meal. Here's to all the teams in the AA. Best of luck to every team and may this be the best season the AA has had yet! Still think the Cats have little chance of a fourth Victory? They have amazed me, true Cat's fans will not let the current lead by the team of six games up go to thier heads. From past experiance the Cat's have won three Championships coming from behind. I try to remember that the Cat's team is vastly differant with so many new players joined & so many other players gone. For me I'm shooting for the moon & have my eyes for a forth victory.
HorseRaider		#4	[-]
Posts: 227 (20-Jun-08 00:06:23) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Well, being that you're responding to my original post and predictions made BEFORE the season started and only now that the Cats are winning, I can't really buy anyone's comment saying they knew this was going to happen when they didn't bother to come on here and profess their knowledge of the Cats season BEFORE the season started. If I hear that kind of talk (about how they knew the Cats would contend for another title again) out of anyone I meet at the next Cats' game I go to, I will call them out on their phony baloney. As JPD can verify from the emails he got from disgruntled Cat fans early in the season, and from most of the fans I hang with, they were saying it looked like no fourpeat this season and it would be a rebuilding year.. I know you aren't saying all the above, but now it certainly looks like the Cats are the class of a relatively weak South division this season. We still have a long way to go, though, and you have to wait and see..things can change, people can get hurt or contracts of key players being sold to major league clubs, etc. Right now it's looking good...Our pitching is awesome, but we just need a little more production from about four players in the lineup before I'll feel like this team has the complete package working on all cylinders just yet.
Bluebeard		#5	[-]
Posts: 4 (20-Jun-08 04:51:33) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	HorseRaider wrote: Well, being that you're responding to my original post and predictions made BEFORE the season started and only now that the Cats are winning, I can't really buy anyone's comment saying they knew this was going to happen when they didn't bother to come on here and profess their knowledge of the Cats season BEFORE the season started. If I hear that kind of talk (about how they knew the Cats would contend for another title again) out of anyone I meet at the next Cats' game I go to, I will call them out on their phony baloney. As JPD can verify from the emails he got from disgruntled Cat fans early in the season, and from most of the fans I hang with, they were saying it looked like no fourpeat this season and it would be a rebuilding year.. I know you aren't saying all the above, but now it certainly looks like the Cats are the class of a relatively weak South division this season. We still have a long way to go, though, and you have to wait and see..things can change, people can get hurt or contracts of key players being sold to major league clubs, etc. Right now it's looking good...Our pitching is awesome, but we just need a little more production from about four players in the lineup before I'll feel like this team has the complete package working on all cylinders just yet. I wasn't on here then so I couldn't do that. I asked a question. I never said I knew anything, hope, wish but with the massive change in make up of the team I held my breath one way or the other. I still can't figure out how they are doing it, maybe like a Cat having nine lives, maybe we might have nine victorys. Not a prediction, I haven't made any just a hope. I also hope that when it comes down to crunch time for the Southern Division it will be Cats vs. Airhogs & it will be a wild & wooly ride giving all a lot of fun. I could do without the Ty Cobb homeplate bashing, anyone else feel this way?
HorseRaider		#6	[-]
Posts: 228 (20-Jun-08 06:00:06) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Not sure I follow what you mean about the Ty Cobb home plate bashing.
Bluebeard		#7	[-]
Posts: 7 (20-Jun-08 10:35:32) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	HorseRaider wrote: Not sure I follow what you mean about the Ty Cobb home plate bashing. Fort Worth's #33 nailing #2 from Pensacola knocking him on his butt coming in home. Ty Cobb use to like to come in cleates up this guy could have came in clean but targeted the catcher & knocked him senceless. I talked to fans from various vantage points & even Catcher Mike Napoli, they all agreed he never should have hit the catcher. One fan & I can't recall who said it was the worst hit he ever saw. The following game I was told I think it was Corey that nailed #33 in the butt with a well placed pitch. Shucks, we killed them 18 to 6 that night, it really isn't the type of baseball I hope we want to teach the kids.
dittrich1414	Home Plate Colission	#8	[-]
Posts: 150 (20-Jun-08 19:06:23) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	First... Cameron Blair, the player who hit the Pensacola catcher, came back out to the plate to check on him and you may have noticed that his gesture diffused the situation immediately. After the game, Cameron came into the manager's office and Chad told him that he had a lane to the plate and should not have hit the catcher. Cameron stated that he thought the catcher was going to have the ball and made a split second decision that he was going to have to knock it loose to be safe.... however, he realized he was wrong after it was too late. He (Cameron) said that he knew the Pelicans would hit him with a pitch the next day and he was prepared to take a hit and go to first base without incident. Which he did. Baseball is a tough game. Every player who has ever set foot on a field has made a mistake. Including my dear friend Mike Napoli. If you want to talk about hitting guys and knocking guys down you can believe in Mike Napoli's day it was pretty much the unwritten code that a tough hit would be dealt with, just like it was in our game the other night..... and the guys were MUCH tougher about things like that in the '40's and '50's. Mike can tell you some stories about that stuff.... he was as tough as nails in his playing days! The Cats and the Pelicans are currently playing yet another crucial series in Pensacola.... I think they will be very professional and play each other hard and tough. With regard to our team, if you read my blog on our website, you will see that we understood that some hitters were struggling early on. We've had very good pitching and good pitching will always keep you in a pennant race.... that's just a proven fact in baseball.... our hitting has come around of late and that makes it all the better. Keep in mind that in independent baseball, most teams revamp the roster constantly... our new team in Grand Prairie is an example. Pete is still making quite a few moves to try to improve his ballclub, and they have climbed into second place this morning! Any team can become successful pretty quickly if they make the right roster decisions... even during a season. You will often see a team which looked miserable in the first half become a factor in the second half. The reason the Cats have been successful over the years is because our people, such as Barry Moss and now Chad Tredaway have a knack for finding the right mix of players. They are always on the alert to make key roster decisions and key player pickups... knowing which players are worthy of patience when they are struggling and replacing injured or undeperforming players at critical points is the key to success each season. Chad is very quick to notice if a player does not fit in with the assembled group. I won't call out any player, but if you observe closely, you will sometimes see a player come and go very quickly, sometimes without even appearing in a game. That example may be rare..... but great attention is paid to the attitude and approach of each player. A quick example of a late season addition which can make a big difference would be the pickup by the Cats of Brian Fryer right before the playoff roster freeze deadline last season. This is just one example... there are many more if you study the roster moves made by the most successful teams. JPD
BarkeepND		#9	[-]
Posts: 439 (20-Jun-08 21:21:56) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	dittrich1414 wrote: After the game, Cameron came into the manager's office and Chad told him that he had a lane to the plate and should not have hit the catcher. Cameron stated that he thought the catcher was going to have the ball and made a split second decision that he was going to have to knock it loose to be safe.... however, he realized he was wrong after it was too late. He (Cameron) said that he knew the Pelicans would hit him with a pitch the next day and he was prepared to take a hit and go to first base without incident. Which he did. as was discussed on the winnipeg fight thread, the best way to keep things clean on the field is to deal with it on the field. I'm pretty sure there aren't many (if any) players in the game that would ever want to injure another player by his actions. Obviously i wasn't there and truthfully the only thing i know about it was what i read in this thread. The fact that the manager explained it to the player (and probably made it clear what was gunna happen whether cameron knew it or not), preparing him for the plunk the next night. He was disciplined, and has learned from the event. One can hardly ask much more from a corrective measure. i think Indy ball (and all baseball for that matter)could use a few more players coaches and umpires that understand that.
Bluebeard	The 08's	#10	[-]
Posts: 10 (21-Jun-08 03:11:12) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	dittrich1414 wrote: First... Cameron Blair, the player who hit the Pensacola catcher, came back out to the plate to check on him and you may have noticed that his gesture diffused the situation immediately. After the game, Cameron came into the manager's office and Chad told him that he had a lane to the plate and should not have hit the catcher. Cameron stated that he thought the catcher was going to have the ball and made a split second decision that he was going to have to knock it loose to be safe.... however, he realized he was wrong after it was too late. He (Cameron) said that he knew the Pelicans would hit him with a pitch the next day and he was prepared to take a hit and go to first base without incident. Which he did. Baseball is a tough game. Every player who has ever set foot on a field has made a mistake. Including my dear friend Mike Napoli. If you want to talk about hitting guys and knocking guys down you can believe in Mike Napoli's day it was pretty much the unwritten code that a tough hit would be dealt with, just like it was in our game the other night..... and the guys were MUCH tougher about things like that in the '40's and '50's. Mike can tell you some stories about that stuff.... he was as tough as nails in his playing days! The Cats and the Pelicans are currently playing yet another crucial series in Pensacola.... I think they will be very professional and play each other hard and tough. With regard to our team, if you read my blog on our website, you will see that we understood that some hitters were struggling early on. We've had very good pitching and good pitching will always keep you in a pennant race.... that's just a proven fact in baseball.... our hitting has come around of late and that makes it all the better. Keep in mind that in independent baseball, most teams revamp the roster constantly... our new team in Grand Prairie is an example. Pete is still making quite a few moves to try to improve his ballclub, and they have climbed into second place this morning! Any team can become successful pretty quickly if they make the right roster decisions... even during a season. You will often see a team which looked miserable in the first half become a factor in the second half. The reason the Cats have been successful over the years is because our people, such as Barry Moss and now Chad Tredaway have a knack for finding the right mix of players. They are always on the alert to make key roster decisions and key player pickups... knowing which players are worthy of patience when they are struggling and replacing injured or undeperforming players at critical points is the key to success each season. Chad is very quick to notice if a player does not fit in with the assembled group. I won't call out any player, but if you observe closely, you will sometimes see a player come and go very quickly, sometimes without even appearing in a game. That example may be rare..... but great attention is paid to the attitude and approach of each player. A quick example of a late season addition which can make a big difference would be the pickup by the Cats of Brian Fryer right before the playoff roster freeze deadline last season. This is just one example... there are many more if you study the roster moves made by the most successful teams. JPD Mike has told me some good stories of aggressive ball during his day. I would love to see a little drama between the Airhogs & the Cats to fuel a rivelry, at least in good fun to infuse a larger fan base to the game. Times are getting hard & people need to locate Minor League ball as a more affordable value to an evaporating budget. But one of the great things I think Carl Bell has supplied to Fort Worth is a clean & wholesome family enviorment that I would hate to see be reduced. If i wanted something else I can go somewhere else, we need sancuary's for familys these days & LaGrave Field is a Jim Dandy one. In a game of mathmatics, you give interesting interesting examples of the addition of chemistry to the game. I hope that chemistry continues to click us into a new Championship Win. How long till we know we are in the Playoffs & if we win both halfs of the Southern Division am I right there is only a run off between the Cats & the Northern pick? You notice my confidence in Playoffs?
dittrich1414	Playoffs	#11	[-]
Posts: 151 (21-Jun-08 04:25:44) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	No.... there will still be two rounds of playoffs. Our league rules read that if the same team wins both halves in a division, their playoff opponent will be the team in that division with the next best record for the ENTIRE SEASON. There is no "bye" for winning both halves. JPD
Bluebeard	Good	#12	[-]
Posts: 13 (21-Jun-08 04:55:08) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	dittrich1414 wrote: No.... there will still be two rounds of playoffs. Our league rules read that if the same team wins both halves in a division, their playoff opponent will be the team in that division with the next best record for the ENTIRE SEASON. There is no "bye" for winning both halves. JPD Oh well, it just means more baseball doesn't it?

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And we're off! Another season upon us already..

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