Outstanding Season for Tim Lincecum
With their first Cape League championship in 21 years, we can agree that 2008 was a great year to be a Harwich Mariner. The just completed ‘08 MLB regular season was a pretty good year for a member of the 2005 Mariners as well. Tim Lincecum put up some astounding numbers for the San Francisco Giants in his first full season in the majors. His 18-5 record only begins to tell the story. He started 33 of the 34 games he appeared in, and his 2.62 ERA ranked him second in the National League, behind Johan Santana. Over 227 innings pitched, Lincecum led the N.L. in strikeouts with 265, while walking 84. His WHIP was 1.17 and he struck out 10.51 batters per 9 innings pitched. Although Arizona’s Brandon Webb seems to be the favorite for the N.L. Cy Young award,...
Read MoreCodBall Conversation: Veteran Scout, Mel Didier, Tells Us A Story
In Field of Dreams, Shoeless Joe tells Ray that if he builds it (the field) they will come. The Cape Cod Baseball League might as well have a parallel quip, “if the scouts don’t come, neither will the top talent.” I had the great privilege recently of spending a little time with one of the great scouts, Mel Didier. Mel is currently with the Texas Rangers but also played important roles with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks. “I don’t know of anyone who has been in more baseball parks throughout the world,” Fred Claire, one-time GM of the Dodgers, told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. I ran into Mr. Didier recently in Yakima, Washington, where his son,...
Read MoreCape Stars in Hawaii, Arizona Leagues
Names familiar to Cape League fans are on rosters for this winter’s Hawaii Winter Baseball League. Kyle Galdeira of the Hawaii League announced rosters this week for its 4 teams. The rosters require approval from Major League Baseball, Nippon (Japan) Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization. Buster Posey (FL State, Y-D, Giants), Andrew Brackman (NC State, Orleans, Yankees) and Yonder Alonso (Miami, Brewster, Reds) are all on the Waikiki BeachBoys roster. The Arizona Fall League starts in October and also will feature former Cape Leaguers, including Gordon Beckham and Sean...
Read MoreTouching the Game: Alaska (Update)
The Touching the Game: Alaska DVD is now targeted for a spring 2009 release. The DVD tells the story of the Alaska Baseball League, and is by the same people that released the CCBL DVD in ’04. For more details on the progress of the DVD, visit the Touching the Game blog. For those that haven’t seen it, here’s the trailer:
Read MorePlaying for Peanuts
Playing for Peanuts is a 10-episode TV series (3-DVD Set) about the 2007 South Coast League’s South Georgia Peanuts. The episodes are now being made available online through iTunes, Youtube, Playingforpeanuts.com, and other video sites. The Peanuts played in the inaugural season of South Coast League and won the championship, before the franchise called it quits. The South Coast League is still in operation, but suspended the 2008 season. The Peanuts caused quite a stir when they hired ex-MLB player Wally Backman (Red Sox fans: this guy was an ’86 Met). Backman was hired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks on November 1, 2004, and fired 4 days later due to his checkered past. As you may have guessed, some of the Peanuts played on the Cape: Doc...
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