daily fog: not so fast

Friday, August 1, 2008

daily fog: not so fast

If we needed a reminder that the Western Division race is a long way from being decided, we got it last night. Fourth-place Bourne beat first-place Falmouth 5-4 while third-place Cotuit beat second-place Hyannis 12-2.

The result? The top four teams are separated by four points.

These are especially big wins for Bourne and Cotuit. Had they lost last night, they wouldn't be out of it, but they wouldn't be quite so far in it either. Falmouth would have had 43 points and Hyannis would have had 40. Cotuit would have stayed in third with 36 points and Bourne would have been in fourth with 35.

So it's a big difference.

Bourne got its victory thanks in part to a seventh-inning rally. With the game tied, Ross Wilson (Alabama) walked and Stephen Batts (East Carolina) doubled him to third. Wilson scampered home with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. That made a winner out of Nick McCully (Coastal Carolina), who allowed four runs and struck out seven in seven innings.

Meanwhile, Cotuit had a game like it used to have in the first few weeks of the season. The Kettleers, who for awhile hit double digits with regularity, used a 13-hit attack to blow past Hyannis 12-2. Interestingly, Hyannis had 10 hits but could only get those two runs across as Cotuit starter Seth Blair (Arizona State) consistently worked out of trouble en route to a complete-game victory. Cotuit, on the other hand, took full advantage of its opportunities. Michael Gilmartin (Wofford), Evan Crawford (Indiana) and Kevin Patterson (Auburn) each had two RBI.

As far as these kinds of match-ups go, last night was only the beginning. Those four teams will play each other again tonight, with Bourne taking on Hyannis and Cotuit meeting Falmouth.

Elsewhere

Y-D used a three-run seventh to grab a lead then held off a rally to beat Brewster 5-4. Josh Rutledge (Alabama) had two hits for the Red Sox and Andy Wilkins (Arkansas) had a home run.

Wareham beat Orleans 3-1 in a fog-shortened game. Kipp Schutz (Indiana) and Cole Leonida (Georgia Tech) each hit home runs to power the Gatemen.

Chatham and Harwich didn't get that far, as their game in Harwich was postponed due to fog.

What to Watch For Tonight

As I mentioned, more intriguing match-ups tonight in the West. Mario Hollands (UC Santa Barbara) will go for Cotuit at Falmouth, who counters with Chad Bettis (Texas Tech). Bourne sends Ricky Bowen (Mississippi State) to the hill against Hyannis and Will Weidig (Brown).

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as the fog settles in

The left-field sunset has faded. It is chilly now. You slip a sweatshirt on. The stat sheet you hold in your hands almost feels wet, the air is so damp. But the ink doesn't run. You can read it. That kid from LSU is still leading the league in home runs. That pitcher who they say throws 95 -- he's way up on the list in strikeouts.
The game is close, 3-2 through seven innings. You're staying till the end.
You look out at the field. Some fog has slipped in. It settles like smoke, just off the grass in front of the right fielder, like a cloud. When he runs through it to catch a fly ball, it looks almost magical, maybe even spiritual, like he's playing baseball in heaven.
Maybe he is.
The baseball is pure here. The players eager. The fans, maybe some of them don't know what they're seeing, maybe they just heard it was a fun night out, good for the family and everything -- but they know. They know somehow that this thing, this Cape League, is special.
Really, there's nothing like it.
I'm going to try and keep up.

Stop waxing poetic

The Cape Cod Baseball League is the top college summer league in the nation. Plenty of other leagues have cropped up of late, and some are having success, but the Cape League is still the model -- and the pinnacle. In 2006, 198 Major Leaguers had spent time in the Cape League.
The rosters are like a who's who of the best college baseball players. All the top prospects want to spend their summers on the Cape. The only better opportunity is Team USA. There are 10 teams in the league, divided into two divisions. Over the course of two months, they play 44 games. Scouts will watch many of them. They come because of the combination of talent and wood. Unlike college baseball, the Cape uses only wooden bats, providing an accurate picture of what players might do at the next level.
What else? Players live with host families. Some have part-time jobs (Jeff Bagwell worked at Friendly's). There's no admission charge at games. The level of baseball has been compared to Single A.
That should sum it up. If you have never experienced Cape League Baseball, you have missed out.

Friday, August 1, 2008