Bizarro Baseball? I don’t think so
Sports Illustrated, in one of its better cover stories in years, picks up on the youth movement in Major League Baseball, which of course is rooted in elite summer college leagues like the Cape Cod Baseball League. With the Tampa Bay Devil Rays rising to the top of the MLB, young pitchers like Tim Lincecum racking up wins and Ryan Braun racking up contract money, SI devotes its May 26 cover story to the fact that ”bottom-feeders are powerhouses, powerhouses are bottom-feeders, obscure players are putting up cartoon numbers; welcome of the season of the Bizarro Supermen.” These Supermen they write about are mostly ex-Cape Leaguers. Braun, Ellsbury, Lincecum, Ryan Theriot, Brian Wilson. As you can see from earlier posts on CodBall, these players...
Read MoreRosenblatt and the College World Series
CodBall has had an interest in the business story behind summer collegiate baseball, and so I couldn’t resist writing a post when The Wall Street Journal this week took on the story of Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha and the College World Series. Rosenblatt has hosted the CWS for nearly 60 years, but Nebraskans have taken sides on whether Rosenblatt should be renovated or a new ballpark constructed in order to preserve the College World Series in its rightful home, Omaha. The future of the CWS is in the balance. That’s where the business story enters. Here is the story in numbers: A new stadium will cost $140 million, and Omaha is on the verge of voting on a $100 million city spending plan to make it happen. Meanwhile, the venerable Rosenblatt...
Read MoreHoef Takes His Lumps
Iowa Hawkeye Kevin Hoef, the Cape League All-Star and batting leader who played second for the Bourne Braves last season, is the subject of an interesting milestone. It seems Hoef has been hit by no fewer than 47 pitches over his playing career with Iowa. CodBall missed asking Kevin about this phenomenon when we interviewed him for a CodBall Conversation last season. Hawk Central has some great quotes: “I probably have the most hours spent in the training room,” he said. “That’s not a good stat to have.” “It’s amazing how he stands in there,” Iowa coach Jack Dahm said. “A lot of guys when pitches are thrown at them are going to back out, especially when they’re going at your knee or ankle. Kevin’s got that mentality that he’s not going to...
Read MoreTeam USA Takes 6 from Cape League Rosters
Our friends at the College Baseball Blog alerted us today to the fact that a number of CCBL players were named this week to TEAM USA, this country’s baseball bid to the Olympics. Six of the twelve named were listed on Cape Cod Baseball League rosters for the 2008 season: CCBL – Christian Colon INF R/R Fr. Cal State Fullerton Corora, Calif. CCBL – Kyle Gibson RHP R/R So. Missouri Greenfield, Ind. CCBL - AJ Griffin RHP R/R So. San Diego El Cajon, Calif. CCBL - Mike Minor LHP L/L So. Vanderbilt Chapel Hill, Tenn. CCBL - Hunter Morris 1B L/R Fr. Auburn Huntsville, Ala. CCBL – Andrew Oliver LHP L/L So. Oklahoma State Vermillion, Okla. The remaining TEAM USA includes: Kentrail Davis OF L/R Fr. Tennessee Theodore, Ala. Josh Fellhauer OF L/L...
Read MoreUCLA Looks Like a Cape League All-Star Team
Cape-rich UCLA came to Seattle last weekend to play a three-game series against the Washington Huskies. The UCLA Bruins, ranked number one at the beginning of the college baseball calendar, has struggled so far but is exciting to watch with 14 current and past Cape Cod Baseball League players on its roster this season. On a sunny Friday evening on the UW campus, it felt very much like a summer warm-up on the Cape. There was Jermaine Curtis (Chatham ’07) hustling down the first base line after a walk, just like last summer. There was Ryan Babineau (Brewster ’07) catching top pro prospect Tim Murphy. There was Charles Brewer brewing up another win. Murphy is picked by Baseball America as the 28th top pro prospect. I watched his performance...
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