Sometimes, the latest surprise can be the most stunning.
I'm sitting at home in the pre-dawn light of Saturday and The Natural is on Bravo. I'm compiling the Biscuits-related chart that (hopefully) many of you see in our Sunday sports section. Roy Hobbs has hit the clock and that wonderful song is playing -- the same one you hear at the end -- when I roll across another awe-inspiring feat from a Tampa Bay minor-leaguer.
Victory Field in Indianapolis may have been shaken to its very foundation Friday night. It wasn't quite a Victory Lap -- but close enough.
Shawn Riggans has tripled.
Yes, that Shawn Riggans.
Riggans tripled in the sixth inning of Class AAA Durham's loss at Indianapolis on Friday. It's the first triple of Riggans' professional career and it was the catcher's 339th career game. I'd have never thought the former Biscuit had it in him.
Maybe we should be worrying about the poor outfielder(s) who must have been hurt on the play.
Maybe Victory Field suffered a power outage just as Riggans' hit crested toward an outfield gap. (I personally saw such a power outage in Indianapolis in 2000 with a ball heading toward the left-field line. The ball landed foul. Play resumed an hour later.)
Or, maybe, Riggans simply skipped first and second.
Here's the simple description available at minorleaguebaseball.com ... "Shawn Riggans triples (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Ray Sadler." Put those worries aside: Sadler stayed in the game.
To butcher a quote from the great Jack Buck and his call of the Kirk Gibson home run in the 1988 World Series, I don't believe what I just read.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Delmon suspended
The International League gave Delmon Young a 50-game suspension for hitting an umpire with a thrown bat last month.
Young won't play again until June 19, though he'll work out at Tampa Bay's minor-league complex in St. Petersburg. Young also will perform 50 hours of community service with inner-city children in Durham, N.C., and handicapped youth in St. Petersburg.
Delmon is an intense player, but hopefully this will curtail any further outbursts like the one April 26. Hopefully, he'll embrace the community service and not count the minutes until he's finished with it. Hopefully, he won't give the hecklers any new ammunition.
His brother Dmitri also had a long minor-league suspension and has become a major-league star popular with fans and media. Dmitri was suspended for 20 games after going into the stands after a heckler while he played in the Class AA Texas League. (Thanks go to Advertiser correspondent Wesley Lyle for finding that in the microfilm, but if you need online proof -- http://www.tulsaworld.com/SportsStory.asp?ID=060430_Sp_B5_Rocki38959_0, third item)
The bat throw is something that will follow Delmon long after his major-league debut. I know Delmon doesn't like being compared to his brother, but hopefully Delmon will react positively, like his brother, to it.
Young won't play again until June 19, though he'll work out at Tampa Bay's minor-league complex in St. Petersburg. Young also will perform 50 hours of community service with inner-city children in Durham, N.C., and handicapped youth in St. Petersburg.
Delmon is an intense player, but hopefully this will curtail any further outbursts like the one April 26. Hopefully, he'll embrace the community service and not count the minutes until he's finished with it. Hopefully, he won't give the hecklers any new ammunition.
His brother Dmitri also had a long minor-league suspension and has become a major-league star popular with fans and media. Dmitri was suspended for 20 games after going into the stands after a heckler while he played in the Class AA Texas League. (Thanks go to Advertiser correspondent Wesley Lyle for finding that in the microfilm, but if you need online proof -- http://www.tulsaworld.com/SportsStory.asp?ID=060430_Sp_B5_Rocki38959_0, third item)
The bat throw is something that will follow Delmon long after his major-league debut. I know Delmon doesn't like being compared to his brother, but hopefully Delmon will react positively, like his brother, to it.
Monday, May 08, 2006
E.J. wins award
The Southern League picked Elliot Johnson as its hitter of the week Monday.
Johnson was 10-of-19 with eight runs scored, three home runs and six RBIs in Montgomery's five-game home series with Mississippi. An 0-for-4 Sunday at Huntsville ended an 11-game hitting streak by the second baseman.
Johnson is the second Biscuit to win a league honor this year. Jim Magrane won the pitcher's award two weeks ago after throwing eight shutout innings at Mississippi.
Johnson was 10-of-19 with eight runs scored, three home runs and six RBIs in Montgomery's five-game home series with Mississippi. An 0-for-4 Sunday at Huntsville ended an 11-game hitting streak by the second baseman.
Johnson is the second Biscuit to win a league honor this year. Jim Magrane won the pitcher's award two weeks ago after throwing eight shutout innings at Mississippi.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
ESPN show Thursday night
The ESPN Outside the Lines episode on Delmon Young is scheduled for tonight.
An ESPN crew was in Montgomery on Wednesday and interviewed manager Charlie Montoyo, infielder Wes Bankston and me. (I prefer being on the other side of interviews.)
The show comes on about 11:30 p.m. Central.
An ESPN crew was in Montgomery on Wednesday and interviewed manager Charlie Montoyo, infielder Wes Bankston and me. (I prefer being on the other side of interviews.)
The show comes on about 11:30 p.m. Central.
Tiffany will miss start
Pitcher Chuck Tiffany will miss another start because of shoulder soreness. Tiffany was supposed to start Friday, but the Biscuits will turn to Mike Prochaska. Tiffany will probably land on the disabled list so that Montgomery can activate Prochaska. Tiffany missed a start April 24 at Mississippi with the same problem. He took his turn last week against Birmingham and lost, giving up eight hits and walking six in 3 1/3 innings.
UPDATE: Tiffany will miss 4-6 weeks. He flew to St. Petersburg for an MRI on Thursday morning and was to fly back to Montgomery on Thursday night. Current plans are for him to rehab with the Biscuits.
UPDATE: Tiffany will miss 4-6 weeks. He flew to St. Petersburg for an MRI on Thursday morning and was to fly back to Montgomery on Thursday night. Current plans are for him to rehab with the Biscuits.
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