Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Minnesota Twins refused to let the Chicago White Sox make a move on them in the American League Central. In a crucial series for the Sox at U.S. Cellular Field over the previous three days, the Twins won all three games, expanding their lead in the division to nine games. So, essentially, it’s over. The Twins are going to win the division for the sixth time in Ron Gardenhire’s nine years as their manager. Here’s an interesting fact: Former Jackson Met Gardenhire has been runner-up for the AL manager of the year award five times. He’s never won it. Practically every year he takes a team with a middle-of-the-pack payroll and steers it into the playoff chase. He hasn’t won a pennant yet, but just getting to the playoffs these days is tough enough. Doing it six times in nine years, in Minnesota, that’s impressive. Surely Gardenhire will get his just reward this year.

It’s one of the best times of the year in major league baseball — magic numbers are becoming relevant. Closest to clinching its division is Texas, which reduced its magic number in the American League West to 9 on Wednesday. The Rangers topped Detroit while Kansas City was beating Oakland. Amory native and Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland and Starkville native Julio Borbon each went 1-for-4 with a run for the Rangers. Cincinnati beat Arizona on Wednesday and now has a magic number of 10 in the National League Central. Ole Miss alumnus Matt Maloney worked 2 1/3 strong innings in middle relief to get the win, his first of 2010 (he won twice last year). … Surging Colorado moved within 2 1/2 games of the wild card lead with another big win on Wednesday. Curiously, the Rockies have made their recent run without a lot of contribution from ex-Rebels star Seth Smith. Considering Smith’s ability as a pinch hitter alone, it figures that he’ll be heard from down the stretch.
P.S. Former Hinds Community College coach Rick Clarke will be among the school’s Hall of Fame inductees on Sept. 23. In 22 years with the Eagles, Clarke won 565 games and took four teams to the juco World Series. His 1989 team was the first Mississippi juco to make the trip. Clarke coached three future big leaguers at Hinds, all pitchers: Patt Rapp, Steve Bourgeois and Chad Bradford.

Mississippi juco products Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt are on the mound today in significant games. Actually, it’s hard to decide who’s feeling the greatest pressure. Former Meridian Community College star Lee, who has been down with a back problem, goes for Texas against the New York Yankees. Lee is 2-5 with a 4.69 ERA for the Rangers since they acquired him from Seattle, hardly the production they were looking for. Texas is a lock to win the American League West, but the Rangers would like to see some positives from Lee in what could be a playoff preview against the Yankees, who are in a dogfight in the AL East. Meanwhile, Holmes CC alum Oswalt has been dynamite for Philadelphia, going 5-1, 2.30 in eight starts since the Phillies got him from Houston. Oswalt faces the New York Mets today as the Phillies try to keep pace with Atlanta in the National League East. Oswalt is 5-5 career against the Mets.

The Phoenix Desert Dogs’ pitching staff will have a familiar look to Mississippi Braves fans. Four 2010 M-Braves hurlers are on the Arizona Fall League club’s roster: Brandon Beachy, Michael Broadway, Kyle Cofield and Erik Cordier. Position players headed to Arizona are first baseman Freddie Freeman (a 2009 M-Brave), shortstop Tyler Pastornicky (2010 M-Brave) and outfielder Cory Harrilchak (a possible 2011 M-Brave). The Desert Dogs manager is Don Mattingly. The AFL season starts on Oct. 12.

John Lindsey got his first official at-bat with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night — he flied out as a pinch hitter — and became the 26th Mississippi-connected player to participate in a major league game this season. Twenty of the 26 are native Mississippians. Considering the state’s relatively small population base, this is a remarkable number. Here’s another: 10 of the 26 are products of Mississippi junior colleges. As much as we beat our chest about football in the Magnolia State, evidence suggests that it is really a baseball state.
P.S. Fred Lewis, a Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product, had missed five straight games (elbow injury) before getting back on the field Wednesday for Toronto. He finally started again Thursday night, though not in his customary leadoff spot. It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep his strong season going as the Blue Jays play out the string as a spoiler in the American League East.

John Lindsey, the 16-year minor league veteran (see previous posts), finally got his name in a major league box score tonight. But the Hattiesburg native didn’t actually get to hit or even take the field. Called on as a pinch hitter by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning against San Diego, Lindsey, a right-handed hitter, was called back when the Padres changed pitchers from a lefty to a righty. Andre Ethier pinch hit for Lindsey — and hit into an inning-ending double play. Stay tuned.

Drafted in the 50th round — the last round of the MLB draft — in 2006, Jarrod Dyson faced some long odds in getting to the big leagues. Consider them conquered. Dyson, a McComb native who played at Southwest Mississippi Community College, made his major league debut with the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night as a pinch hitter. He drew a walk and scored a run in a 10-3 loss to Minnesota. Tonight, he pinch ran, this time in the ninth inning against the Twins. His best tool is speed — 131 minor league steals in 162 attempts — and he showed it by swiping second. He was stranded there as the tying run when the game ended. KC lost 4-3. Dyson, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound outfielder, moved through four levels of the minors to reach The Show this season. He hit .272 with 13 steals at Triple-A Omaha. The Royals figure to give him a long look.

Matt Tolbert is making the most of his opportunity to play for Minnesota as the Twins try to fend off Chicago in the American League Central. The former Ole Miss star, filling in at third base for injured Danny Valencia, had a career-high five RBIs and two triples on Saturday, drove in another run on Monday and rapped an RBI triple on Tuesday. The Twins won all those games. He also made a diving stop Tuesday that was included in the top plays of the day by both ESPN and MLB Network. Tolbert, born in McComb, is a product of little Centreville Academy in Woodville. He played four years at Ole Miss and was a 16th round pick by the Twins in 2004. It took him four years to reach the big leagues. He hasn’t been a star, but the 6-foot, 185-pound switch-hitter has held his own, batting .249 in 147 career games. And with the Twins, September is meaningful, this year and almost every year it seems. As Tolbert told the St. Paul Pioneer Press, “(E)verything counts out there, every play, situation, whatever it might be.” Sounds like fun.

He didn’t get in Monday night’s game at San Diego, but John Lindsey’s official debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers is just a matter of time. The watch is on. It’s hard to imagine how the Hattiesburg native will feel. After 16 years in the minor leagues, he is finally wearing a big league uniform. At age 33, he’s in The Show. Lindsey hit .353 with 25 homers in Triple-A this season, but it didn’t look like the Dodgers would make a spot for him. Until Sunday. “You reward people for the right reasons, including heart,” LA general manager Ned Colletti told ESPN the Magazine. When Lindsey debuts, he’ll be the oldest non-Asian player to make his first appearance since former Jackson Mets catcher Alan Zinter, who, at age 34, got the call from Houston in 2002.

Fans in the stands at Trustmark Park next April 7 might be a little confused. The Jackson Generals will be in Pearl to play the Mississippi Braves. No, not those Generals. Lance Berkman and Bobby Abreu and Billy Wagner aren’t going to make a ghostly return. The old Texas League team is long gone. This will be the new Jackson Generals, the Southern League team formerly known as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. Of all the nicknames they could have picked, they resurrect “Generals” for the club in Jackson, Tenn. Very strange. So don’t expect to see the Rally Gator or General Trash at the TeePee next year. Just a team called the Generals. Try not to cheer.