From Deep Short - February, 2014

201402News-SFC-2

Two Weeks ...

… until pitchers and catchers begin to stretch and long toss in the Florida and Arizona sun. But it still feels like forever to me. I’ve been waiting, not so patiently, since the final out of the BoSox title clincher.

Maybe you’re not as fanatical about the diamond as I am. However, you must be ready to see any kind of baseball action after enduring this past month.

Not only did we set record low temperatures, but we also had to cancel our Fan Club meeting. Enough is enough.

“Sayonara, January. Konnichiwa, Tanaka.”

Looking forward, we have a lot of fair territory to cover. Let’s begin with a message from Emily Winslow, Senators Director of Community Relations and Box Office:

“The Harrisburg Senators 4th annual Hot Stove Dinner is quickly approaching and new guests have been added. The Senators had already announced that Cliff Floyd, Mike Ferrin, Sean Nicol and Doug Harris would be on hand and now are excited to announce that 2014 Sens’ manager Brian Daubach and hitting coach Mark Harris will also be guests. This will be Daubach’s first official appearance in Harrisburg as the manager of the Senators.

Brian Daubach is in his fourth season with the Nationals organization. The 42-year-old spent last season as the manager in Potomac. He was the Hagerstown Suns manager in 2011 and 2012, his first two in the Nats system.  He also managed the American Defenders (2009) of the Can-Am League and served as hitting coach for the Nashua Pride in 2008 in the same league. He has an overall record of 241-174 (.581) in his three seasons managing in the Nats organization. He has led his club to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

Mark Harris joined the Nationals organization in 2011 as the hitting coach for the Potomac Nationals. He was with Hagerstown in 2012 and back with Potomac in 2013. He spent four years with the Kansas City Royals’ organization from 2007-2010; first as a roving coach in 2007 and then as the Minor League Infield Coordinator. He has been a scout and coach in the Rangers and Phillies organizations. He played in the Yankees organization. He was a first round selection (25th overall) in the 1978 January Draft.

The evening begins with a cash bar cocktail hour at 6:00pm, followed by a sit down dinner at 7:00pm, and then the keynote speakers. Throughout the evening there will be a silent auction and, at the conclusion of the program, a raffle is taking place with the proceeds from both benefitting Easter Seals Western and Central Pennsylvania. Autographs will be available from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

The dinner is $60 per person.  Tickets are available online through the Senators website at https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/team.asp?SponsorID=6385 (use the promotional code SEASON for the $60 price online) or by calling Emily Winslow at 231-4444 ext. 109. No tickets will be sold the day of the event. The deadline to purchase a ticket for this wonderful event is Thursday, February 6th.”

My two cents? Worthy cause. Memorable evening. You’ll make it an annual tradition to attend.

* Next, we want to introduce you to our brand new Senators Fan Club sweatshirts, featuring the same attractive colors and cool new logo displayed on the T-shirts that debuted last summer. Please call Jeanne Jacobs, Fan Club Vice-President, to place your pre-orders with payment.

* We’ve begun organizing our annual Welcome Back Senators dinner and program scheduled for Wednesday, April 2.

* Our next Fan Club meeting – I hate to do this, but “weather permitting” – is scheduled for Tuesday, February 18. We’ll come to order (as well as we can do that) at 6:30 at the New Cumberland American Legion on Market Street.

Meanwhile, keep the faith, fellow seam heads. The days are getting longer; and, the time until we’re seated at Metro Bank Park for the home opener is growing shorter.

 

Brian Williams

President

Ouch!

The last time I experienced such a heart-breaking, gut-wrenching post-season loss was during the last swing of the 1993 World Series. I turned off the television before Joe Carter's ball landed in the seats. It took more than ten years before I could watch a replay of that swing. It still stings, but I can watch Joe jumping across the basepaths now.

That's the only comparison I have to Friday night's 9th inning meltdown in DC. As one of my best friends from Pittsburgh texted, "Pete Kozma is now to the Nats what Francisco Cabrera is to Pirates fans."

Strictly to refresh your memory, not to inflict pain on Pirates fans, search for ol' Francisco on the Internet. One of the ranked results is titled, "Francisco Cabrera Killed the Pittsburgh Pirates."

Here's the Wikipedia take on it:

"... in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7, with Atlanta down 2–1 and the bases loaded, the Braves' Francisco Cabrera cracked a two-run single that scored David Justice and Sid Bream. Bream famously slid to score the Series-winning run, beating the throw by Pirates left fielder Barry Bonds."

Atlanta actually created a bobblehead to commemorate the Bream slide into the plate with the catcher and the umpire signaling safe. Because they knew that Pirates fans would never forgive them, (especially since Bream used to don the Buccos' black and gold), the Braves at least waited two decades before doling out these little treasures.

Now that level of pain has returned with a vengeance. It will continue at least until the games begin again next April, and most likely beyond that time.

The great gift of baseball is that you can be the goat one day; and then, always come back the next to become the hero. During a post-season elimination game, that luxury is no longer valid as Mitch Williams, Doug Drabek, and now Drew Storen know all too well.

Clean Sweep? Almost

Don't we need to acknowledge this accomplishment? I mean, before yesterday, when is the last time the Senators, Pirates, Nationals, Phillies and Orioles all won on the same day?


Anyone care to research? Maybe that'd be a good question for Geoff Morrow (@patriotnews_gmo).

It would have been a clean sweep had the Pirates taken Game One of their twin bill against Colorado. As a bonus, the Hershey Bears also won their playoff game at the Giant Center in overtime. What a night!