daily fog: not there yet

Friday, August 8, 2008

daily fog: not there yet

The way the season has gone, it was pretty fitting that it couldn't end last night.

Bourne and Falmouth both won last night, which means they finished in a tie for second place in the Western Division. They'll meet tonight in a play-in game at 7 p.m. in Falmouth.

That sounds about right in a season full of parity. Nobody's been able to get separation, especially in the West. It'll take an extra day to get the last bit of it.

Falmouth will get its shot thanks to a four-run ninth inning in Hyannis last night. The game was tied at 1-1 before the Commodores loaded the bases against Hyannis closer Russell Brewer (Vanderbilt). Joey Wong (Oregon State) then fought through a long at-bat and drew walk to force in the go-ahead run. After another run scored, A.J. Pollock (Notre Dame) blew it open with a two-run double.

Over in Wareham, Bourne held serve. The Braves, who came into the game winners of four straight, didn't waste any time grabbing a lead. A double by Kyle Roller (East Carolina) in the bottom of the first plated Jordan Henry (Ole Miss) for the 1-0 lead. Bourne made it 2-0 in the third on a bases-loaded walk to Jamie Johnson (Oklahoma).

It wasn't a big cushion, but Ricky Bowen (Mississippi State) made it stand up. Bowen, who's had some good starts and bad starts, turned in a good one when it counted. He allowed one run on three hits in seven innings and struck out nine. He turned it over to the bullpen in the eighth, and David Erickson (UConn) and Eric Pettis (UC Irvine) each worked scoreless frames to seal the victory.

So now we get one do-or-die game. Bourne comes in a lot hotter than Falmouth, having now won five straight. Falmouth had hit the skids a little bit before bouncing back yesterday. Falmouth lists Nate Karns as its probable starter. Nothing yet from Bourne.

Elsewhere

Cotuit clinched the Western Division in the morning with a 3-1 victory over Hyannis then decided to keep on rolling anyway. In a game that didn't matter at all in the standings, the Kettleers beat Y-D 6-3 in the nightcap of their doubleheader. Cotuit used their regulars in the lineup and found plenty of offense. Five different pitchers saw action.

With their playoff berths secured, Harwich and Orleans didn't have to worry about much last night, but they weren't coasting. The Mariners used an 18-hit attack to pound Brewster 12-3. Brandon Belt (Texas) had five RBI to lead the way. Over in Orleans, the Cardinals finished strong with a 9-4 victory over Chatham. Angelo Songco (Loyola Marymount), Kyle Spraker (Kent State) and Mike Murphy (Maryland) all hit home runs to power Orleans.

In the first game of Chatham's doubleheader, Wareham got the A's off to a bad start, winning 5-4. Jake Lemmerman (Duke) went 3-for-4 and Raynor Campbell (Baylor) hit a home run to lead the Gatemen. Robby Broach (Tulane) struck out 10 in 5.1 innings and Zach Brewster (Georgia Tech) worked 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.

What to Watch For Tonight

Bourne at Falmouth, 7 p.m. Everything on the line.

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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 8, 2008