Comments on: More Musings

By: Robbie Shields, the Cape and the Draft : CodBall: Unofficial Blog of the Cape Cod Baseball League

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:50:39 +0000

[...] Shields, who was passed over by Miami and ended up playing for the Florida Southern Mocasins. As Dave reported last year, Shields had a great, albeit short, Cape season last year with the Cotuit [...]

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:52:10 +0000

Hi Lauren. Welcome to CodBall! It is great to hear that this is the first place you visit for CCBL info.

I’m not sure that any of us CodBall contributors know the real story about Dustin Ackley. I don’t mean that in a way that questions what has been reported here, but I just don’t think we are 100% sure. For whatever it’s worth, he is still listed on the roster on Harwich’s website, and there is no “X” next to his name on the Team Stats page to denote that he is no longer with the team.

Having said that, there have been a couple postings that seem to pretty clearly indicate that he is no longer on the Cape. Joseph F. Cavanaugh III noted in another posting titled “Day 36: Cut Short” that “A woman who hosts a Harwich pitcher told me that she thinks Ackley went home to have surgery on bone spurs and is done for the season.” In that same thread, David (not me) reported “I hate to hear that his throwing arm is still not right and needs surgery despite rehab all last summer.”
I don’t want to say that either of these comments are fact or that they are conjecture. I just don’t know. Having said that, I think it is safe to say that Ackley is no longer with Harwich. It would seem that Mr. Cavanaugh’s source is a pretty safe source. Also, if he was still on the Cape, I think we would be seeing him in the All Star game even though he only appeared in 12 games. A .415 batting average, and the cache that he has, would get him on the East team.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:01:09 +0000

This is the first place I visit for information on Cape Cod Ball. Keep up the good work! I’m glad someone else noticed that Dustin Ackley has been absent from Harwich’s lineup lately. He’s one of the hottest hitters on the Cape, batting over 400, and not a word about where he is. At the Harwich vs. Falmouth game last night I heard mention of an injury, but not really clear on if he is out for the summer. Just wondering if you could add to that?

By: Backstop`

Backstop` — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:23:30 +0000

Break up the Gatemen!

By: CapeMan

CapeMan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:16:06 +0000

I think playing on the Vineyard for one game is a great idea. I’m listening now actually and while the video for Falmouth isn’t working, the broadcasters have said a number of times that a great crowd has shown up.

I like the New Bedford games, the Brockton games and any other experiements..Sandwich in the past. It is good for the league and a great experience for the players.

By: ProspectTube.com

ProspectTube.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:27:50 +0000

Thanks Dave and Joseph. Actually, this was my first Cape game of the summer. I just moved back to Boston from London, UK, and haven’t been to the Cape since 2004. I have family in Falmouth, so attending Commodores games is easy. Now that I’m back in town, I plan on making more games this summer, hopefully starting with the All-Star game this weekend. Plus, I’d like to add as many videos to my site from Cape games as possible.

As for Tootle, I’ve heard through a few people now that he has the quickest arm in the Cape and some have seen him up to 97 this summer. I look forward to catching him soon.

Dave I added your RSS feed to my site, so keep them posts coming

By: The Wicker Man

The Wicker Man — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:19:54 +0000

Erickson shouldn’t be a loss for Orleans and they should be able to survive without Figueroa as long as guys like Brown and Pothryress continue to play well overall. They are the team to beat.

In the west, who the heck knows. I thought Hyannis was the best of the bunch until they fell apart. Bourne had a great chance to take control of the division but they lost what looks like a bad game to Falmouth. Cotuit appears to be heading south and Wareham, a team that is probably out of it, is playing the best right now.

I see that the Gateman are playing Falmouth on the Vneyard today? Who thought up this idea? Horrible.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:28:47 +0000

The loss of Cole Figueroa will hurt. As noted in the press release, he had been heating up offensively lately. The biggest impact might be felt defensively where he had anchored the middle infield as the Cardinals shortstop in all 30 games that he played.
Eric Erickson had appeared in only four games this summer. He started all four games but only pitched a total of 22 innings. He had one complete game which means that in his other three starts, he averaged less than five innings per start. Erickson last pitched on July 16 when Hyannis tagged him for 10 hits and 5 earned runs in 4 innings. Still, losing a starting pitcher at this time of year will have an impact. It is likely that someone from the bullpen will have to get stretched out to take over that starter’s role. It may not be easy to find a quality starter to bring in this late in the season.

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:48:15 +0000

How do these releases impact Orleans for the season? ORLEANS CARDINALS BASEBALL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: July 21, 2008 Figueroa, Erickson Released from Team Orleans, Mass. – The Orleans Cardinals have announced the release of SS Cole Figueroa (Florida) and LHP Eric Erickson (Miami). Figueroa has signed a professional contract and Erickson has returned home due to injury. Figueroa reached terms with the San Diego Padres this week, the team that selected him in the 6th round (195th overall) in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He will be assigned shortly after playing in 30 games for Orleans this summer. A Cape League All-Star with the Harwich Mariners last year, Figueroa had been heating up as the Cardinals starting shortstop. He was riding an eight-game hitting streak and led the team with 17 RBIs at the time of his release. The Tallahassee, Fla. native hit .350 for the Gators last spring and led Florida to a berth in the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA Tournament. He led his collegiate team with nine home runs and 57 RBIs under first-year head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. Another Floridian, Erickson had posted a 1-1 record with a 3.27 ERA in four starts for the Cardinals. He struck out 21 hitters and walked just three in hits during his Cape Cod League stay. The Sarasota, Fla. native was a late arrival after a College World Series appearance with the Hurricanes. At Miami, Erickson was 9-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 2008. His 13 starts helped the Hurricanes win their first-ever ACC Championship and reach the College World Series for the first time since 2006. The Cardinals have a 21-10-1 record, the best mark in the Cape Cod Baseball League. They lead the Eastern Division by five points over the Harwich Mariners with 12 games to play. The top two teams in each division make the playoffs for a best-of-three series followed by a best-of-three championship series

By: Joseph F. Cavanaugh III

Joseph F. Cavanaugh III — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:29:04 +0000

Nice report Christian. Tootle is amazing to watch. In Falmouth, they have a radar gun which gives the read-out on each pitch. When he entered a game I attended earlier in the season, I looked him up on the stat sheet and saw that he was from Jacksonville State. Not exactly a big name school. So I kind of half paid attention. Until those bright red numbers on the radar readout kept saying 96. I couldn’t believe it. This kid can really bring it. The pop his fastball makes in the catcher’s mitt is incredible. I most recently saw him pitch one inning in Wareham last night, and I paid closer attention. He is fun to watch. He’s got a high leg kick that reminds me of Andy Petit, and he simply looks like a Big League pitcher right now. I’ve overheard some scouts at various games talking about him. They have certainly noticed. I’m looking forward to watching him in the All-Star Game in Chatham on Saturday.