Monthly Archives: April 2010

The Atlanta Braves called up left-hander Jonny Venters today, and when he makes his big league debut, he’ll be the 43rd Mississippi Braves alumnus to advance to The Show. Venters was the M-Braves’ opening day starter in 2009 and went 4-4 with a 2.76 ERA before a promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett. Drafted in 2003 out of Indian River Community College in Florida, Venters’ progress was stalled early on by injuries. But he has taken off the last couple years and nearly made the Atlanta club out of spring training. He had a 1.35 ERA in two appearances for the G-Braves this year. Former M-Brave Jo-Jo Reyes, currently disabled, might never get his job back in Atlanta.

Fred Lewis put up good numbers at Triple-A Fresno on a rehab assignment to start the season. And the San Francisco Giants rewarded the former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star by trading him to Toronto today for a player to be named or cash. Lewis had a breakout season, or so it seemed, in 2008 when he hit .282 with nine home runs, 11 triples, 21 steals and 40 RBIs as the Giants’ everyday left fielder. But he slumped in 2009, hitting just .258 with diminished power numbers, and he also played erratically in the field. He had a lackluster spring and then suffered a ribcage injury that forced the Giants to put him on the disabled list to start the season. He hit .409 with six RBIs at Fresno. It’s not clear how Lewis fits into Toronto’s picture; the Blue Jays appear fairly set in the outfield with Vernon Wells, Adam Lind, Jose Bautista and Travis Snider.

We all know the Jackie Robinson story and the tremendous impact he had on the game and the country. It’s worth noting here on Jackie Robinson Day — he made his major league debut on April 15, 1947 — that three Mississippians played supporting roles in Robinson’s passage into history. Starkville native James “Cool Papa” Bell, a Negro Leagues superstar, helped convince Robinson that he should attempt to play second base — not shortstop — for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Their encounter is detailed in the book “Invisible Men.” Robinson’s first manager after he signed with the Dodgers was Greenwood native Clay Hopper, who ran the Triple-A Montreal Royals club in 1946. Though Hopper initially balked at the idea of managing a black man, he ultimately accepted the job and won a championship with Robinson, who led the league in hitting. Though accounts differ on the nature of their relationship, Robinson always said that Hopper was a fair man. Columbus native Red Barber was the Brooklyn Dodgers’ radio broadcaster in 1947, and he, too, had trouble accepting that a black man would play for the team he covered. “It tortured me,” Barber said in the biography “Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat.” Barber finally resolved to treat Robinson as just another ballplayer: “I didn’t resent him, and I didn’t crusade for him. I broadcast the ball.” Barber’s approach no doubt helped, in some small way, facilitate the so-called Great Experiment. And as Barber would say in “Rhubarb,” “(Robinson) did far more for me than I did for him.”

ESPN’s SportsCenter isn’t as fun or compelling as it used to be — who wants to watch a bunch of former players argue over mundane topics? — but the Top 10 plays is still worth a look. And today, two former Mississippi college stars were in the top three. Ole Miss alumnus Chris Coghlan, the left fielder for the Florida Marlins, made it at No. 3 for his sprawling catch in Tuesday’s game against Cincinnati. And ex-Mississippi State ace Paul Maholm, now of the Pittsburgh Pirates, earned the top billing for his rollover, glove-hand assist in a game against San Francisco.
P.S. Coghlan, last year’s National League rookie of the year and the inaugural Cool Papa Bell Award winner (see previous post), hasn’t been contributing much with the bat, hitting just .132 through eight games.

The Mississippi Braves, who open tonight at Trustmark Park, are usually one of the youngest teams in the Southern League. Not this year. Check some of the birthdates on the roster. This is a very different M-Braves club. Manager Phillip Wellman can trot out a wealth of experience among his position players, including major league veteran Alex Romero. It could be a scary lineup with Romero, Eric Duncan, Mauro Gomez and Luis Bolivar joining up-and-comers Cody Johnson and Donell Linares. Of course, it’ll be interesting to see how long this bunch stays together. Some changes could be in the offing when shortstop Diory Hernandez and outfielder Jordan Schafer, now at Triple-A Gwinnett, come off the disabled list in the next couple weeks. The M-Braves’ pitching staff is fairly young, topped by 2009 first-rounder Mike Minor. Kyle Cofield and Scott Diamond had some success here last year, so that’s a plus. There are quality arms in the bullpen, too, notably Stephen Marek, Lee Hyde and Brett Butts. The guess here is that this is a team that will get off to a good start and possibly contend for the first-half title in the SL South. But this team will probably look very different in the second half, probably younger. Then, who knows?

Belhaven claimed the Maloney Trophy with its 13-10 win over Mississippi College on Tuesday night at Frierson Field. It was appropriate in this season of the big fly that Craig Dean’s three-run homer in the ninth inning was the game-winning hit. The Blazers, ranked 15th in NAIA, are 4-1 in the small college series with one game left. MC, ranked as high as fifth in NCAA Division III, lost for just the fifth time all year but for the second time to Belhaven. Millsaps was the 2009 Maloney Trophy champ.
P.S. On the subject of the Majors, 11 has been their lucky number the last few days. They beat LaGrange with an 11-run ninth inning on Saturday, then came back Tuesday to top Huntingdon on a two-run homer by Drew Respess in the bottom of the 11th inning. … Tuesday was a rough day for the SWAC. At Starkville, Ryan Duffy homered three times as Mississippi State pounded Jackson State 18-2, and in Cleveland, Division II Delta State smothered Mississippi Valley 11-5. Valley plays Belhaven tonight at Smith-Wills Stadium. That should be interesting. Even more so will be the MSU-JSU rematch at Trustmark Park on May 4. If you’re planning to keep score, uh, bring two pencils.

It’s Opening Day in the big leagues, so here’s a nod to one of the best Opening Day performances of all-time. Gerald “Gee” Walker, Gulfport native and former Ole Miss star, hit for the cycle in 1937, the only major leaguer ever to pull off that feat. Playing for the Detroit Tigers, Walker homered, tripled, doubled and singled — in that order. He went on to make the All-Star Game that year for the only time in his 15 seasons. Walker hit .294 with 1,991 hits, 124 homers and 223 stolen bases. He has to be in the conversation for any all-time Mississippi team. And certainly no Magnolia State player has had a better first day.