Yesterday, Quickly

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Yesterday, Quickly

I've got to get an all-star post up, so here's an abbreviated recap of last night's games.

Falmouth has had a pretty tough season, but the Commodores hit the all-star break on a roll thanks to a doubleheader sweep of Chatham. The Commodores took game one 7-6 on the strength of an 11-hit attack. Conner Mach (Missouri) hit a three-run homer that broke a 4-4 tie. Falmouth then held off a Chatham rally for the win. In game two, Falmouth won 5-2. Kyle Winkler (TCU) allowed two runs in six strong innings. Ryan Jones (Wichita State) went 2-for-2 and B.A. Vollmuth hit a home run. Jones went 5-for-5 in the two games, raising his average from .183 to .237. Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State) went 3-for-5 in the two games and head into the all-star game with a league-best .394 average.

Brewster's Matt Lujan (San Francisco) went six shutout innings and Hyannis' Tyler Wilson (Virginia) was almost as good through seven, but the one unearned run Wilson allowed was the difference in a 1-0 Whitecaps victory. A Harold Martinez (Miami) fifth-inning single brought home the game's lone run, after Tant Shepherd (Texas) reached on an error. Kendal Volz (Baylor) made his first appearance for Brewster, tossing a scoreless inning in relief.

Alex Wimmers (Ohio State) struck out 10 in six shutout innings as Bourne topped Wareham 4-0 in a crucial game in the West. Pierre LePage (Connecticut) and Zack MacPhee (Arizona State) backed Wimmers with two hits apiece. After Wimmers' night was done, Logan Billbrough (William & Mary) struck out five in two hitless innings and Stephen Harrold (UNC Wilmington) struck out two in the ninth. The win moved Bourne into a tie with Wareham for first place in the West.

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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.

Thursday, July 23, 2009