Baseball Camp Still On!

August 20, 2008 —You may have heard by now that Nick Gorneault was assigned to the Arkansas Travelers. Have no fear, however, matters are all neatly in hand. Terry Evans has graciously agreed to take over the role of Camp Director, should our high-flying outfielder be unavailable. Evans is another longtime Bees outfielder, and was a featured Player of the Month in 2009. If you haven’t turned in your registration and medical release forms yet, (and why haven’t you?!?), remember there is a $10 discount for early registration!

I went to last year’s camp last with my 8-year-old baseball pal, and everyone there had an absolute blast. Don’t just take my word for it. . .seeing is believing, right?

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Photo Credit | Brent Asay (c) 2010

July 18, 2010 — Hey young ballplayers! Salt Lake Stingers/Bees ballplayer, Nick Gorneault, is offering an advanced baseball clinic at Spring Mobile Ballpark next month. Click on the flyer below to download a printable flyer and registration form.

A bit of background on our veteran outfielder. In 2005, Gorneault led the Salt Lake Stingers in most offensive categories, including home runs, runs batted in, runs, hits, and slugging percentage. He led the PCL in RBIs for much of the season, finishing the year with 0.293 BA, 108 RBI, 26HR, 179 H (36 for extra bases) and 268 TB.

Upon his return to the Salt Lake Bees this year, Gorneault was voted Team Captain after Ryan Budde was called up to the Angels. It is important to note, unlike football or hockey, in professional baseball, the choosing of a captain is left completely to the discretion of the team. Most baseball teams simply don’t have one. Thus, when the “C” gets sewn onto a player’s uniform, it is truly an emblem of honor and respect, as determined by a his professional peers. …Your friend in baseball.

Lou Gehrig, Kenichi Zenimura, Babe Ruth

I’m writing to ask you a favor regarding our beloved national pastime. My good friend Kerry Yo Nakagawa has nominated Kenichi Zenimura (1900-1968) for the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Attached to this letter is a petition that must be delivered via hard-copy original—no emails, faxes or PDFs—in order to be counted. Also, would you print a few extras and pass them along to professional peers and personal friends?

As with so many aspects of our melting-pot history, American baseball has been shaped by immigrants and their immediate descendants. A glance at the roster of the upcoming All-Star Futures Game is but one proof of this influence.

Zenimura’s tireless efforts on both sides of the Pacific cleared the way for MLB athletes named Sasaki, Matsui, Nomo, Hasegawa, Okajima, Saito, Fukudome, Taguchi, Iguchi, Matsuzaka, Okajima, Shinjo and Iwamura. Not to mention the unique combination of an MLB manager named Wakamatsu and NPB manager named Valentine.

When Ted Williams was inaugurated into the Hall of Fame, he was gracious enough to endorse African-American ballplayers for Hall of Fame recognition:

“I’ve been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, and I hope some day the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way can be added as a symbol of the great Negro players who are not here only because they weren’t given a chance.” (1966)

Buck O’Neill, Kerry Yo Nakagawa

More recently, Buck O’Neill offered the same opinion regarding our Nisei ballplayers:

“(Nisei baseball) is what America is all about. All men and women were created free and equal and (it) shows that when you make up your mind, you can be the best that you can be. Japanese Americans proved that they were the best that they could be.” (2001)

Help give Zenimura his proper place in baseball history by making sure the HOF Committee gets your endorsement no later than July 31, 2010.

Click here to print the petition

My heartfelt thanks for your support.

Anita Y. Tsuchiya — Writer, blogger, thinker

August 04, 2009 —

For those who’d like to learn more about his baseball credentials, Pavkovich was my Player Pick for June.

And parents, I hope you’ll accept my personal endorsement of this young man as a coach and sportsman—he’s as good as they get…Your friend in baseball.

Important Note! All participants are required to complete the camp registration form, including a medical release that must be signed by a legal parent/guardian. You can pick up a registration form at the Bees office or request one via the email address in the flyer.

Then Matt Palmer pitched himself into a starting slot for the Angels. Sean O’Sullivan arrived from Double-A Arkansas to fill out the starting rotation in Salt Lake, until he pitched his way to Los Angeles as well. The next pitcher called up to bolster our Triple-A rotation was Trevor Bell.

When the transaction-go-round starts spinning as fast as it has this season, it seems awfully quick to the trigger to select a ballplayer who’s only been at Triple-A for just one-and-a-half months. On the other hand, Bell has been as steady as they come, even when he hasn’t gotten the run support he deserves. So

Trevor Bell was selected by the Angels in the first round, 37th overall, a supplemental pick to compensate for the loss of free agent Troy Percival. His development from Rookie through Advanced-A was steady, albeit unspectacular, with ERA stats of 3.50, 4.14, 4.22, respectively. Bell made the Double-A roster out of spring training this year, and it seems as though something clicked. In 11 starts for Arkansas, he relinquished only 54 hits and just one homer in 68.2 IP for a 2.55 ERA.

Pitcher injuries among the Angels resulted in a mid-June spot start for O’Sullivan against San Francisco and subsequent promotion for Bell, who got his first Triple-A start against division-leading Colorado. And what a start it was; a two-hit, complete game shut-out. Since then, the 21-year-old has pitched like he’s been with us all season: 2.81 ERA, 52 H, 36 SO, 14 BB, 64.0 IP. Best of all has been his ability to go deep into the game, averaging 7.1 innings per start, with two 9-inning complete games. Bell doesn’t have a blazing fastball, and relies heavily on ground-ball outs. Mentally, he is one tough competitor. One of my favorite moments from this season was a five-pitch duel between Bell and major-league veteran Sal Fasano.

Much has been made of Bell’s off-season acting career, as well as his relation to the original Bozo the Clown. And while these are interesting media bytes, they aren’t nearly as intriguing as a couple of other extracurricular activities engaged in by the youngster from North Hollywood, CA.

At the start of the 2008 season, Bell joined Barry Zito’s “Strikeouts for Troops” campaign, in which he pledged to donate funds to the charity for every strikeout he made. Later that summer Bell was sent down to Single-A Cedar Rapids shortly after horrendous flooding had devastated the Kernels home city, along with several other Midwest cities along the Iowa and Cedar Rivers. During his short stay, Bell took a tour of the area and wrote a personal check for $2,500 towards rebuilding efforts.

What is noteworthy about these contributions is how uncommonly rare it is for low-level minor leaguers to be thinking of something other than their on-field performance. For yours truly, it’s yet another reason to cheer on our latest young gun…Your friend in baseball.

It was a wonderful afternoon, well spent. Although I can’t recall exactly how we got to there, we found ourselves chatting about the joy of watching young minor leaguers develop into polished pros. The old coach chuckled in warm agreement when I declared there is nothing sweeter than witnessing the epiphany, the “aha!” moment, when all the hours of grinding away at drills and practice suddenly bear fruit.

What’s interesting about these moments is they can be simultaneously subtle and obvious. Subtle in that they rarely show up with the highlighted authority of a grand slam or double play. Obvious, though, if you’ve been following a particular athlete or spent some time coaching them. I liken it to how parents can recognize their children, even when they are too far away for facial recognition. The brain is a marvelous observer, picking up a multitude of visual clues, all of which add up to, “Oh, there’s Sue, over there on the berm,” or “No, I don’t think that’s Pete, he runs differently.”

The best part is the feeling you’ve stumbled upon a suddenly revealed treasure, a gift from heaven. And for athletes in organized baseball, this gift is more literal than figurative. Each moment is a step forward on the inside—physically and mentally— which is hopefully mirrored on the outside by a progression up the minor league ladder. Triple-A coaches are quick to note these moments are smaller and less frequent at this level. Subtle. At the same time though, they harbor the potential of a momentous reward—a spot on the major league roster. Obvious.

Regular readers know of my fondness for sharing these celebratory events: Angel Castillo, Matt Brown, Nick Adenhart, Brandon Wood, Kendry Morales. My latest involves one of our newest Bees, 24-year-old Trevor Bell, RHP.

Bell showed up in Salt Lake mid-June, amidst a flurry of pitcher promotions and demotions. His first start was certainly memorable, a two-hit, complete game shut-out. His latest start was, for yours truly, unforgettable. The game was against their division rivals,  the Colorado Sky Sox, who were leading Salt Lake by 4.5 games just prior to the all-star break. In short, a full-game gain or loss was at stake for both teams.

Amidst this crucial division rivalry, a more personal contest was developing between the Triple-A rookie Bell and 11-year MLB veteran Sal Fasano. It was a bit of a surreal sight, the contrast in their physical appearances mirroring their baseball experiences.

Sal Fasano is a bear of a backstop at 6’2″, 250 lbs, with dark, shaggy hair cascading from his head and Fu Manchu mustache flowing down his face. He’s logged over 400 games in the big leagues.

Trevor Bell, 6’2″, 180 lbs, is our California Golden Boy, with wisps of blonde hair sticking out from under his ballcap. This was only his 6th start in a Bees uniform since being promoted from Double-A Arkansas on June 16th.

In the 5th inning, on a 1-1 count, Fasano hit a very long ball to left field, foul. Bell turned and looked at the video board for the replay. He walked back to the mound, eyes down.

Fasano looked at Bell like a wolf eyes a baby lamb. His face said it all, “Kid, you’re meat.”

Bell looked impassively towards the plate as Fasano dug into the batter’s box. The next pitch was a high fastball—fouled back. Followed by another, fouled again. Fasano stepped back out of the box and banged his fist on the handle of the bat in frustration.

“Come on kid. You’ve got him now,” I whispered to no one in particular.

Next pitch, fastball, swing and a miss. Fasano didn’t even look up as he turned and headed down the dugout steps. Bell stood on the mound without a hint of emotion. Cool Baby Bell.

For Fasano’s next two at-bats, including the final at-bat and out of the game, the kid didn’t give an inch to the veteran.

I’m certainly not making any long-term career predictions from one “aha!” moment. I will, however, be happily looking forward to the next one from our promising young pitcher…Your friend in baseball.

Suddenly, she burst into tears, “I’m thinking I’m never going to make it. I’m wondering if I should just quit?”

I was caught off guard, and had to think over what she’d just said. I’d retired just the season prior. One of the hardest decisions of my adult life, . . .still. I had come to the point in my career when I needed to enter big money competitions in order to progress, as a legit athlete and marketable figure. I was a long, long shot. It would take luck as well as hard work if I was going to make any sort of mark beyond regional acclaim. The problem was, I simply didn’t have the funds. I managed to hold back the tears while I called my equipment sponsor. I thanked him for supporting me and told him to give away my slot. I hung up the phone, and sobbed.

I struggled to come up with something positive to say,”Hey. I’m sorry you’re having such a tough time. Um, geez, . . I can’t really tell you what to do.”

I mean, what could I tell her? We knew the odds. And I should point out, her talent exceeded my own by light years. I had no illusions about that reality. I was never good enough to be in her position. Perhaps even, it was still too fresh for me to be philosophical about my own loss. I’m sad to say I don’t remember being much help.

As time went on and I spent more time away from the field than on it, I came to find the words I’d been at a loss to provide in that crossroads moment. A message tempered by experience—mine, hers and dozens of young athletes over the years—and for me, a rather simple one.

Don’t ever quit because you’re afraid of failing. As much as it hurts to be told you’re not good enough, it’s nothing compared to the pain of wondering whether you might have been…Your friend in baseball.

While most of team is heading off to rest and recreate, a couple of Bees have gone to Portland, OR, to participate in the Triple-A All-Star Game, which pits the Pacific Coast League All-Stars versus the International League All-Stars in a one-game, winner takes all championship. In preparation of tonight’s game, which will be broadcast at 8 p.m. MDT on ESPN2 and MiLB.TV (MiLB.TV viewing requires $6.95 month subscription or $29.95 for a year), let’s take a closer look at our All-Stars, shall we?

Brandon Wood

Although he was selected to participate, Wood won’t be playing in this year’s All-Star game. Wood was called up to the Angels on July 10th, along with Bobby Wilson, and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup at 3B. Facing the Yankees, Wood showed his chops by drawing a walk during his first at-bat, on five pitches from starter Andy Pettitte. Later, he helped chase Pettitte in the 5th inning with a two-run homer. If you’ve been listening to the radio, you would have noticed Wood played 1B for a few games on the road.  On Sunday, still against the Yankees, he started at 1B—no hits, but he did sacrifice in a run in the 4th.

Of course, Wood has hardly lacked press coverage from the day he was drafted. Rather than retread the many fine articles already written on Wood’s career, I’d recommend the curious reader simply Google a few keywords and read to your hearts content.

One last thought arises that does seems worth mentioning. Yours truly is of course, well aware of the many seasons of grumbling over how the Angels have held him back at Triple-A. Until last summer, I honestly didn’t think he was quite ready. Now I do. He’s coming to the plate and thinking about “hitting the ball” instead of “hitting the long ball.” He’s using his natural quickness and keen eye to adjust his swing, instead of reacting to whatever shows up. The more he sticks to the plan, . . .the better he’ll be able to close up those holes in his swing, . . .which will force pitchers to start making adjustments to get him out, . . .and will present him with more “fat” pitches down the road. And goodness gracious, he knows very well what to do with those.

I believe in the long run, Wood will become a premiere ballplayer because the Angels kept the long-term goal in mind while developing his athletic skills. It’s hard to remember, particularly in athletes having so much natural talent, the most important and slowest-to-develop performance factor sits between the ears. It’s a simple fact of human biology that the motor skills develop far earlier than the cognitive skills. In short, it takes time and experience to learn how to hit the ball for average and power, under all sorts of conditions. Wood is 24 years old. And I wish for him a long and successful career.

Terry Evans

“When Evans hits in the lead-off position, good things happen, ” said broadcaster Steve Klauke during the last game prior to the All-Star break.

And indeed our 6’4″ lead-off/slugger has been enjoying one heck of a comeback season after missing most of last year due to a shoulder injury. In the aforementioned game, Evans went 2-3, with an RBI-scoring double and a walk, and stole his 19th and 20th bases. Klauke noted that with 17 home runs thus far in the season, Evans could quite possibly join the 20-20 Club (20 home runs and 20 steals within the same season). That would be a Salt Lake franchise first. Evans is already a member of the Minor League 30-30 Club, one of only 13 players to do so. Even more impressive is the fact he achieved this record in 2006, the same year he was traded from the Cardinals to the Angels organization.

In addition to being selected to play outfield for the All-Star Game, Evans was one of the three PCL representatives in the Home Run Derby, held on Monday.  He advanced to the second round, and eventually finished fourth among the eight contestants. Look for him in center field, batting 5th during tonight’s game. Last but certainly not least, Evans was this lady’s pick for May.

Jeremy Hill

Our 2009 PCL All-Star closer was acquired by the Angels via free agency this winter from Acereros de Monclova in the Mexican Leagues. Originally drafted as a catcher by Kansas City in 1996, he converted to pitching in 2000. He had some early success, including a short stay with the Royals during 2002. Otherwise, as noted in a Salt Lake Tribune article, his career has taken him to the far corners of baseball world, including Taiwan, Independent Leagues and Mexico before landing a spring training invite with the Angels.

Hill earned a Double-A roster spot, and made just two appearances before getting the promotion to Salt Lake on April 16. While the promotion was largely in response to an epidemic of pitcher injuries at the parent club, Hill promptly started building his case for it to stick. He was lights out through May, with a stingy 1.46 ERA, and earned the closer spot with 13 saves by mid-June. He struggled in the latter half of June, racking up an 11.56 ERA over four particularly rough outings that included a blown save.  Ouch, and then some. Still, he fought back, earning four more saves through that rough stretch, and as we know, an spot on the PCL All-Star Team. Not bad for a man who was wondering last winter whether his 14-year baseball career might be over at last.

Hill is not a power thrower, although his fastball can touch the low 90s. His most effective pitching weapon is his ability to fool hitters and get them to swing at the wrong pitches. He’s got a short delivery, hiding the ball well behind his body until he swings around to face the plate. As a closer, his job is to get three outs as quickly as possible, and that includes keeping runners off the bases. His SO:BB for Marvelous May was 10:4 (2.5:1). Comparing the first half of June to the second half, his SO:BB ratio was 11:4 (not quite 3:1) and 4:4 (1:1) respectively. No one knows the ups-and-downs of a long season better than this well-traveled veteran, and he came fighting back during the first half of July, producing a 4.16 ERA over four appearances and bringing his season ERA down to 4.13.

Hill will be pitching out of the bullpen tonight, although it’s hard to say when manager Randy Ready will bring him in. All-Star teammate Jess Todd from Memphis is leading the PCL in saves with 21. My guess? Hill will come in for short relief in the 8th, to set up Todd.

If you tune into watch the game on TV or internet, you’re in for a special treat. Rich Burk, Portland Beavers broadcaster, will be handling the play-by-play, along with color commentator, Eric Young, Sr. Burk knows our Bees players very well, having covered games between the Beavers and Bees since 2001, and seen the two teams square off for two series already this season.

Hey, I just realized that Evans and Hill won’t have to leave after the game, cause the Bees will be visiting Portland for a four-game series immediately following. Sweet!…Your friend in baseball.

Later, I recalled my own experiences with military personnel. Way back during my college days I had a dorm-mate, our “middle-aged freshman,” who was among the last to have served in Vietnam. He was a Green Beret. He was smart, funny and a fine athlete. I recall he and several dorm guys entering an intramural rugby tournament, although their most notable accomplishment of the day was sending three team members to the student health center.

A conscientious objector at one point in his life, he tried to reconcile his change of heart by becoming a special ops medic. One quiet evening over a few beers, the two of us found ourselves immersed in a conversation about what close combat was like, . . .after your service revolver rounds had been spent. Or how it felt to have survived multiple, harrowing battlefield encounters with your best buddy, only to watch him killed by a careless (and remorseless) driver during a weekend leave in Bangkok. These were topics he’d chosen to write about for his English composition class; he seemed to realize the therapeutic value of finally processing these long-buried memories. I suspect it was also easier for him to talk about them with a woman (who did her best to not flinch), rather than the teenage guys in the dorm.

I also remember how the “GI Bill” during the 1980s and 90s offered an attractive form of financial aid for low-income students. Without the Navy, another dorm-mate of mine could not have afforded his undergraduate and medical school education. Back then, he and many other young men and women were able to fulfill their duties for the most part without enduring enemy fire or extended, overseas deployments. As we know, all of this changed on September 11, 2001.

These personal moments spent with people I like and care about got me wondering, . . .how do military families deal with a loved one getting summoned to active duty in places such as Afghanistan or Iraq? Who pays the utilities, insurance or rent while the household provider is away? What happens when a family member comes home in not-quite-one piece and unable to work? How do families cope with the ongoing trials of an “invisible injury,” such as post-concussion syndrome (PCS) or post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD)?

And so I have a favor to ask of you, dear readers, on this Day of Our Independence. Would you visit the USA Cares website today? They can use your help, whether it be in the form of goods, time or cash. Or please consider purchasing a special edition “Ordinance Bat” from iFungo; 50% of the profits go to USA Cares.

Bonus offer: Bring your iFungo Ordinance Bat receipt and show it to me at the ballpark, and I’ll throw in two Box Seat tickets ($27 value) for the July 24th Pioneer Day game/fireworks show. I’m easy enough to find—section 7, row 2, seat 8, right next to the Bees dugout.

And lastly, as you are settling onto the grass for BBQ and fireworks, or if like me you are heading to the ballpark, please take a moment to pray for the safe return of our military men and women, as well as for the health and happiness of their families. . .Your friend in baseball.