All Things Bubba

In case anyone's wondering...the Louisville Bats started their season Thursday. Andy Phillips is playing 1B now. So far, he's 1 for 2 with a walk.

Thursday Andy also played 1B. He was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. Yesterday's game was rained out, so they played a doubleheader today. In the earlier game, Andy DH'd and was 2 for 6 with a run scored. (The game went 11 innings.)

Love Andy's Bats photo, BTW. Gotta say this about him: no matter what, he almost always has the sweetest smile on his face.

UPDATE: The game's over. (Minor league doubleheaders go only 7 innings.) Andy's line: 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored. Louisville won, 4-1. Ricky Stone blew the no-hitter in the last inning by giving up a home run to the first batter he faced.

Labels: Andy Phillips, Louisville Bats

"I'm in hell, and it's full of Red Sox fans..."

On July 22, I went Behind Enemy Lines to see Louisville at Pawtucket. I enjoyed it so much I went back the next day.

But first, I went in search of Lovecraft's grave (again). The day before, I ended up at the wrong cemetery - the Old North Burial Ground, not Swan Point Cemetery.

This time, I found the right cemetery, which is farther back from the interstate, as well as newer and larger. Unlike the North Burial Ground, Swan Point is still in current use. There are new graves with very old ones. It's a beautiful cemetery, and immense. About 70,000 people are buried there. There's a kiosk at the front, where you can get directions to graves, including Lovecraft's. I had come prepared, though, with a printout of the directions from this site. It was still a little confusing, because many roads have no signs, and they curve all over the place. Eventually, though, I saw an obelisk labeled Phillips, and knew I'd found it. (The P in "H.P. Lovecraft" is for "Phillips.")


There used to be an ancient and gargantuan beech tree behind the grave. Fans referred to it as "The Tree That Feeds On Him," and it was carved with Lovecraft-related graffiti. It blew over in a storm a few years ago, though.

Lovecraft shares the monument with his family. (His name is on the back of the obelisk, and he is presumably buried under it.) But in the '70s, some of his fans decided he needed a headstone of his own. They paid for it, and it is now installed in back of the obelisk.

That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die.

Actually, it reads, "I am Providence," something he once wrote to a friend in a letter. The stones on top and the white rose on the ground in front of the headstone are offerings from fans.

After paying my respects to Mr. Lovecraft, I drove around Providence and saw some other sights, including Prospect Terrace Park, where a statue of Roger Williams overlooks the City. It was one of Lovecraft's favorite places. I also saw the famous house on Benedict St. that was the inspiration for his short story, The Shunned House.


It's not shunned any more. It's well-cared for, and probably very expensive. (The city sort of grew up around the former farmhouse, which is why it's so awkwardly placed on the lot.)

Then it was time to head to McCoy Stadium. It was a rainy Monday night, rather than a sunny Sunday afternoon, so I didn't expect much of a turnout. To my surprise, it was pretty crowded. Gotta give those PawSox fans credit. Because of the rain, there weren't as many people sitting on the berm and in the bleachers, but other than that, the stadium was pretty much full.

I sat on the third base side last time, so this time, I picked a seat on the first base side.


(I know it looks empty in the photo, but it was taken well before the game started. Many people showed up very late - the 4th inning or so. Either they got out late from work, or they were waiting to see if there would be a rainout before they came out to the park.)

Though the view of the mostly left-handed Louisville batters is better from the third base side, the first base side gets a lot more action, plus the visiting team warms up in right field. Being a night game, and cloudy, it was harder to get good photos. Not enough light for action pics. But I tried.  

First out on the field was catcher Ryan Hanigan. He batted seventh, and went 1 for 4.


Dewayne Wise has been on the DL three times for the same problem this season (hamstring), but he was playing right field in this game.


Mark Bellhorn was given a day off Sunday, but was back in the lineup on Monday, to the delight of the local Red Sox fans.


Victor Santos started for the Bats. He pitched 3.1 innings, giving up 5 hits, two runs (both earned), a walk, and a home run. He had three strikeouts. The Reds have since called him up.


Leadoff hitter and left fielder Chris Dickerson was 1 for 3 with a walk.


He's out! PawSox third baseman Ed Rogers is caught stealing.


Larry Dewayne Wise had a rough night. He went 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts.


Joey Votto's night was worse. He was 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts.




DH Jesse Gutierrez singles, then takes second on a throwing error. He went 1 for 2.


Bellhorn was 0 for 3 with a walk, but was loudly cheered every time his name was announced. He was later called up by the Reds, then sent back down again a few days later.





Anderson Machado squares to bunt. He went 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts.


The struggling Paul Janish went 1 for 4.


Ed Rogers is caught in a rundown.



Jason Kershner entered the game in the 4th inning. He pitched two innings, giving up four hits and a walk. The Bats released him a couple of weeks later.


Gary Majewski came in in the 6th. He pitched 1.2 innings, giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk, with 2 strikeouts. He's since been called up to the big club.


Jay Bruce was 1 for 4 with a triple.


Bruce's two-out triple in the 9th raised the hopes of Bats fans, but Bellhorn was intentionally walked, then Travis Hughes got Hanigan to ground into a forceout.

After the inning-ending forceout, Janish brings Bellhorn his hat and glove.



Bill Bray pitched the 8th and 9th innings. He was packing some 98mph heat (at least according to the radar gun), which impressed the PawSox fans. He has since been called up to Cincinnati.


It was three up, three down, for Bray in the bottom of the 9th. Free baseball!

Brian "Love Shack" Shackelford came in to pitch the 10th. He's sort of the Colter Bean of the Bats - the record holder for most games played. Little did I know it would be one of his last appearances in a Bats uniform. (He was dealt to the Devil Rays a few days later, as part of the Jorge Cantu trade.) He gave up three hits, one run - and the game - while getting only one out.  


The winning run, in the bottom of the 10th. David Murphy (who would be sent to Texas a few days later as part of the Gagne deal) scores on a Brandon Moss single. Wise had a chance to throw the runner out at the plate, but his throw was offline. Pawtucket 3, Louisville 2.


If there's one thing worse than losing in extra innings, it's losing in extra innings while surrounded by the enemy. Most of the fans left after the 9th, but the few who remained were ecstatic. Hugging total strangers kind of ecstatic.

Thanks a lot, Shack. They should trade you to the worst team in baseball or something...

Labels: baseball photography, game photos, Louisville Bats, minor league baseball, pawtucket red sox

When Bubba was sent to Louisville, one of the first things I did was check the schedule, to see if I'd be able to get to any of the games. Three series were in reasonable driving distance: Syracuse, Scranton, and Pawtucket, each roughly three hours' drive away.

I didn't buy tickets or anything, because I thought that Bubba might be called up to the big club, or traded to a team that had more need for a lefty outfielder than the Reds did. As it turned out, if I wanted to see Bubba, I should have gone to spring training.

I didn't go to Syracuse, because Bubba was on the DL and I thought Pawtucket or Scranton would be a better bet. (I should have gone. He was at least still traveling with the team then.) But after they announced he was out for the season, I decided I still wanted to go see a game or three. I let Hotwire make my decision for me. They had a great deal for a cushy hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, only five minutes away from Pawtucket. And I was fan of H.P. Lovecraft as a kid, so that was another reason I wanted to visit Providence.

The drawback, of course, is that Pawtucket is the Triple-A club of the Boston Red Sox. I would be in enemy territory. (Kinda like when I tagged along with a school tour of Heinz Field, hoping no one would notice the Dallas Cowboys keychain hanging from the zipper of my backpack. ;-)

I got to Providence on Saturday, July 21. Ol' Bloody Sock was scheduled for a rehab start, so the game was sold out. But there were still tickets for Sunday, an afternoon game. Only the cheap seats were left, but it's not a very big stadium, so even the cheap seats are pretty good.

The Pawtucket Red Sox play at McCoy Stadium. It is a pretty old stadium, and though it's been extensively renovated, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that newer minor league parks have. Not much of a concourse, no restaurants, nothing for the kids to do except watch the game. It is, however, where the longest professional baseball game in history was played. They have a framed poster up commemorating it.

That game was played the night before Easter, and went until after 4am before it was suspended, after the 32nd (!) inning. The game was finished a couple of months later, and took only one more inning.

Check out the box score. (I wonder if the rest of the PawSox were annoyed at whoever scored that run in the bottom of the 21st?)

The Sunday I was there, they were giving away pink PawSox t-shirts to all female fans. I gave mine to a lady who was pitching a fit because she wanted one for her daughter at home. She seemed very puzzled at my generosity. It didn't seem advisable to say, "I'm a Yankees fan, and heck will freeze over before I wear this shirt," so I just mumbled something about pink not being my color.

I got there over an hour early, and staked out a seat on the aisle. Which proved fortunate, since, as usual, a seven foot tall giant sat down in front of me. (It never fails. I'm kinda vertically challenged, and no matter where I go, the seven foot giants always sit in front of me. Movies, lectures, Broadway plays - the giants always sit in front of me.) But since I was on the aisle, I could kind of lean around him and see the game.

Going for the Bats was The Lizard, Elizardo Ramirez:

He pitched 6.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 run, and 1 walk, with three strikeouts.

On the mound for the PawSox was their stud, Clay Buchholz:

He pitched 5 innings, and gave up only three hits, two runs, and two walks. And he had ten strikeouts. Nevertheless, he got the loss. It was only 2-1 when he left the game; relief pitchers Barry Hertzler and Craig Breslow were responsible for the lopsided score.

Joey Votto, the Reds' best prospect not named Homer Bailey, went 3 for 3 with a walk and a double:

Jay Bruce, the Reds' best prospect not named Bailey or Votto, was 2 for 5.

Calvin Medlock came in to relieve Ramirez:

Medlock would be traded to the D-Rays for Jorge Cantu not long after, along with Brian Shackelford.

The final out of the game: Jay Bruce makes the catch.

(Hey, kid. Use two hands! Bubba always does.)

And the Bats celebrate their victory: Louisville 11, Pawtucket 1. It snapped a five-game losing streak.

All in all, a very pleasant afternoon. Despite being surrounded by Red Sox fans. (Providence itself seems to be mixed: half Yankee fans, half Red Sox fans. But of course, it was all Red Sox fans at McCoy Stadium.) It's sort of bland, as ballparks go, but it's a comfortable place to watch a game. Tickets are cheap, parking is free, and it's in a residential neighborhood that's easy to drive to. I'd go back. (And in fact, I did. ;-)

Labels: baseball photography, game photos, Louisville Bats, minor league baseball, pawtucket red sox