Last Game of May: Kalamazoo at Traverse City

Already having won more games ever in May than previously in franchise history, the Beach Bums look to win the second game against Kalamazoo and in the process capture the series which would assure Traverse City of staying tied with the Kings in the standings...Bryan Rembisz makes his third start tonight...Here are the rest of the lineups...Changes for the Beach Bums, tune in to the broadcast to find out why...

Beach Bums
Mike Goetz - LF
Steve Young - 2B
Jake Whitesides - DH
Pat Perry - C
Mike Epping - CF
Kyle Maunus - 1B
Brad Miller - SS
Damon Lessler - 3B
Jeff Brown - RF

Bryan Rembisz - RHP

Kalamazoo
Jeff Grose - CF
Joe Ramos - 2B
Mike Russell - DH
Chad Rothford - 1B
Matt Hudgins - C
Kyle Kmiecik - SS
Simon Williams - LF
Jorge Araiza - 3B
Cody Youngblood - RF

Jeff Long - RHP

Comment away tonight...

Back in First!

The Beach Bums are back in first place!!! Traverse City held off Kalamazoo last night 5-3 to pull even with the Kings in the standings at 7-3...What a tremendous outing by Brett Bostelman...On a night when the Beach Bums needed an extended start after having to go to the bullpen on Thursday in the second inning, Bostelman threw seven innings for his first quality start and his first win as a starter...He tossed five innings and allowed five runs in a loss at Washington during his first start...Jeff Brown drove in three as the Beach Bums scored five unanswered runs to open a 5-1 lead...

My Full Game Recap

Notes from the Game
The Beach Bums are 3-0 coming off of a loss and are 3-1 in the first game of a series...Traverse City lost 5-1 at Washington on May 25 but won 10-2 against the Wild Things on May 26...After losing 7-1 on May 27, the Beach Bums battled back to knock off Chillicothe 8-2 on the 28th...

Traverse City is 2-0 wearing the White uniforms...The starting pitcher picks what uniforms to wear...The Beach Bums also debuted the new white billed hat last night...

In every Beach Bums win this season the opposing starting pitcher has failed to make it out of the fifth inning...Joe DiPietro tossed 3.2 innings for the Kings, the longest outing in a win was by Midwest's Joey Doan in the second game of the season, 4.1 innings...By contrast in every Beach Bums win the starting pitcher has gone at least six innings and all seven have been quality starts (6 innings, Three runs or less)...The starting pitcher has been involved in the decision of every game thus far in 2008...

Brad Miller saw his nine-game hit streak come to a close while Mike Goetz extended his streak to 10 games...Goetz and Kalamazoo's Chad Rothford are the lone individuals in the league to have hit safely in the season's first 10 games...

Mike Epping stole second and third on consecutive pitches in the second inning...Epping has six steals, the most in the Frontier League...The Beach Bums stole four bases last night and lead the league with 20 stolen bases...Rockford is second with 18...Jeff Brown and Steve Young also posted steals...

Speaking of Jeff Brown...The Beach Bums utility man had just one hit entering the game last night but went 2-for-3 with 3RBI...Brown has been thrust into the starting role at third base with Matt Imwalle out...Brown's average lifted from .077 to .158...

Jeff Williams notched his first save as a professional, entering with the bases loaded in the eighth inning and getting out of that jam before striking out two in the ninth...It was just the second save opportunity of the season for the Beach Bums...Nick Pepper was successful in the other save try against Midwest on May 22...

Kalamazoo's Mike Russell hit his fifth homer in the last four games, going deep off of Bostelman in the sixth to pull the Kings within 5-3 with his two-run shot...

Media
Traverse City Record-Eagle

Labatt Blue On Deck Show Interview
Sit Down With Sexton #1: John Sexton, Pitching Coach



Highlights
Jake Whitesides ties the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning with his league leading 17th RBI



Jeff Brown drives in his first run of 2008 in the second inning to make it a 3-1 Beach Bums lead...



Jeff Brown doubles to make it a 5-1 lead in the fourth



Mike Russell homered in the sixth to bring Kalamazoo within 5-3



Jeff Williams strikes out Kalamazoo's Simon Williams to record his first professional save and put the Beach Bums back in first



League Media
I wanted to point you to a website that has all of the stories on the Frontier League teams published every night...Evansville finally lost last night...You can click here every day and read about every team in the Frontier League...

Frontier League Headlines

Calderwood's Corner Exclusive: Right Fielder Brad Roblin

OK well this is a kinda exclusive...I interviewed Brad for the first time in Chillicothe...We didn't talk for an interview at all last year but had a lot of fun with our first encounter of 2008...I tried to get him on the Labatt Blue On Deck Show but as you know technology in Chillicothe was not kind to me having to broadcast on a telephone...So...you get to hear it exclusively here!!! A full recap from last night is coming soon today as well as all the highlights and audio from last night...The Beach Bums are in first place!!!

Jiggety Jog: Home Again!!

3-3 Road Trip...John Sexton is my guest in the Labatt Blue On Deck Show tonight...FANtastic Fireworks Friday! Its the best night for baseball so far...Make your way to the park or listen to me!! Here's what you'll see in this early showdown for first place...

Beach Bums
Mike Goetz - LF
Brad Roblin - RF
Jake Whitesides - DH
Pat Perry - C
Mike Epping - CF
Kyle Maunus - 1B
Brad Miller - SS
Steve Young - 2B
Jeff Brown - 3B

Brett Bostelman - RHP

Kalamazoo Kings
Jeff Grose - CF
Joe Ramos - 2B
Mike Russell - C
Chad Rothford - 1B
Brendan Murphy - DH
Matt Hudgins - LF
Kyle Kmiecik - SS
Simon Williams - RF
Jorge Araiza - 3B

Joe DiPietro - RHP

Beach Bums Weekly: May 30, 2008

I recorded the second installment of Beach Bums Weekly with Craig Russell on The Morning Hustle this morning on The Fox FM shortly after returning from Chillicothe...My appearances are every Friday morning at 8:40AM...

Road Trip Finale: May 29, 2008

Looking to come home 4-2 from this six-game roadtrip...Jon Cahill told me in the Labatt Blue On Deck Show that he doesn't want to finish this trip 3-3 unless they lose while playing their best baseball...Find out tonight!!! Listen to the game live online or on The Fox FM in the Traverse City area...The Beach Bums return home tomorrow...Here are the lineups

Beach Bums
Mike Goetz - LF
Brad Roblin - RF
Jake Whitesides - DH
Pat Perry - C
Mike Epping - CF
Kyle Maunus - 1B
Brad Miller - SS
Steve Young - 2B
Jeff Brown - 3B

J.T. King - RHP

Chillicothe Paints
JT Thomas - DH
Josh Blackstock - 2B
Travis Garcia - SS
Adrian Cantu - 3B
Jaziel Mendoza - LF
Montana Dye - CF
Travis Storrer - RF
Jon Poterson - 1B
Jack Chapman - C

Brian Gartley - LHP

May 27, 2008: Beach Bums vs. Chillicothe

Opener of the series with Chillicothe at VA Memorial Stadium in Ohio tonight...Here are the lineups, different look for Jon Cahill's squad as the Beach Bums look to win their third straight series opener...Can Ryan Gehring pick up where he left off against Midwest?? Comment away!!

Beach Bums
Mike Goetz - LF
Brad Roblin - RF (Brad is my Labatt Blue On Deck Show guest today)
Jake Whitesides - DH
Pat Perry - C
Mike Epping - CF
Kyle Maunus - 1B
Brad Miller - SS
Steve Young - 2B
Jeff Brown - 3B

Ryan Gehring - LHP

Chillicothe Paints
JT Thomas - DH
Drew Saylor - 2B
Travis Garcia - SS
Adrian Cantu - 3B
Montana Dye - CF
Jaziel Mendoza - LF
Jon Poterson - 1B
Bubba Garcia - C
Travis Storrer - RF

Andy Polk - RHP
Polk was unscored upon in his first start...

Streaming Again

I was told today that the problem with the internet streaming of my broadcasts of Beach Bums Baseball on The Fox FM has been corrected...I look forward to having our loyal internet listeners back this evening...Again it is on a delay, but its better than none...I have a link set up on the right side of my blog that you can click on, or you can visit the Frontier League website, or the Beach Bums website, or The Fox FM website...

EXCLUSIVE: Eric Coleman Interview

I have been talking about this for a while but finally got the opportunity to post it here in CHillicothe...Enjoy this Calderwood's Corner Exclusive!!

I chatted with Midwest Manager Eric Coleman before the start of the final game between the Beach Bums and the Sliders on Thursday night...Hear the full interview below. Coleman talked about life on the road, his baseball background, his managing style, and what he see of his team early in the season...The Sliders led Kalamazoo 2-0 last night but fell 4-2 and are still searching for their first win...I really enjoyed chatting with Eric and will definitely catch up with him the next time the Sliders visit...

Thing Two of Three

The Beach Bums made it two of three in Washington, rebounding from their first defeat to topple the Wild Things 10-2 in a Memorial Day matinee...The contest was the second win of the season for Bryan Rembisz and places the Beach Bums tied for first at 5-1 heading into Chillicothe...Mike Goetz tied a franchise record with four hits....He also scored three runs, stole a base, and drove in two...In the three games with Washington, Goetz had nine hits...Brad Roblin drove in four runs...During both wins in the series, the Beach Bums scored more than 10 runs while totaling more than 10 hits...

After two series...The Beach Bums lead the league in runs scored with 45...Gateway has 38...Mike Goetz leads the league in hitting, hits and on base percentage...Jake Whitesides is tied for the league lead in RBI with 9...

Read the Full Recap

Media
Wild Things Recap

Record Eagle Recap

Washington Observer-Reporter Story

Interviews -- Coming Soon!!!
Labatt Blue On Deck Show: Cahill's Corner #6

Labatt Blue On Deck Show: Mike Goetz

Washington Finale

I think the Fox FM's internet is still down...I will post updates in the comments section here throughout the game...Starting lineups are below...Greg Jelks has opted to give most of his regulars the day off similar to what Jon Cahill did for the Beach Bums last night...

Beach Bums
Mike Goetz - LF
Brad Roblin - RF
Jake Whitesides - DH
Matt Imwalle - 3B
Mike Epping - CF
Kyle Maunus - 1B
Pat Perry - C
Brad Miller - SS
Steve Young - 2B

Bryan Rembisz - RHP

Wild Things
Chris Sidick - CF
Phil Butch - 2B
Matt Sutton - RF
Jacob Dempsey - DH
John Alonso - 1B
Adam Heffron - LF
Pat O'Brien - C
Rene Quintana - 3B
Jeff Beachum - SS

Alan Stidfole - LHP

First Defeat

The Beach Bums suffered their first defeat of the season last night, falling 5-1 in Washington...It was a tough night in all regards, the Beach Bums brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning but Brad Roblin grounded into a double play...Roblin never moved towards first, saying it hit off his foot...Brett Bostelman overcame a rough first inning in which he allowed four runs to go five in his first professional start...After the Beach Bums failed to score against Washington starter J.J. Hollenbeck despite three hits to start the first, Washington received a broken bat single and a bunt single to start the inning against Bostelman...After two outs and a run, John Alonso hit a two-run homer...

Read the Full Recap

Media
Record-Eagle

Washington Observer-Reporter

Interviews
Labatt Blue On Deck Show: Cahill's Corner #5



Labatt Blue On Deck Show Interview With Jake Whitesides

Looking For Five

The Beach Bums look to make it five straight tonight in the second road game of the season at Washington…RHP Brett Bostelman makes his first professional start for the Beach Bums after appearing in 42 games out of the bullpen last season…The full lineups are below…Comment away during the game…

Different look tonight
Beach Bums
Mike Goetz - LF
Brad Miller - SS
Jake Whitesides - RF
Matt Imwalle - DH
Mike Epping - CF
Kyle Maunus - 1B
John Brummett - C
Jeff Brown - 3B
Damon Lessler - 2B

RHP - Brett Bostelman

Wild Thing
Chris Sidick - CF
Chris Carrara - 2B
Matt Sutton - RF
Jacob Dempsey - DH
John Alonso - 1B
Mike Butia - LF
Robbie Knapp - 3B
Kris Rochelle - C
Jeff Beachum - SS

RHP - J.J. Hollenbeck

Remember…Monday’s game is a day game, beginning at 2:05 pm in Washington…Enjoy your Memorial Day by grilling out and putting the radio on during the contest…

Traveling to Washington: Sure Hate to Break Down Here

A normal venture from Traverse City to Washington takes close to 10 hours…Our season opening bus trip took close to 16…The plan was to arrive in Washington in the morning so we could rest all day before the game…Well, while driving outside of Toledo, the bus stalled on the highway…Most were fast asleep but woke up when the bus began to coast…Mitzie, our bus driver, attempted to restart on more than one occasion only to get it going for a few moments before shutting down again…Mitzie was able to maneuver the buss off an exit and into a parking lot where we waited for assistance as she called around at 4am…Assistance did not arrive until shortly before 6am…Cahill, Kira (The trainer), and I walked over to the nearby Fairfield Inn to grab some food…Upon return the bus was running as the problem had been diagnosed, but we had to drive to the garage a mile or two away…There we sat until near 10am before beginning our adventure again and arriving in Washington about 2:30pm…The reason for taking so long at the shop was that they needed the parts to arrive…Apparently a hose had a leak in it that caused the system to send a warning signal to the bus and shut down the engine…That was way over my head, but I, as did some of the players, was able to sleep while the bus was getting worked on…There is still no such thing as good sleep on a bus and I’m looking forward to sleeping in on Sunday…

4-0: Spoiling the Party

Another impressive showing for the Beach Bums last night in Washington, ruining the home opener for the Wild Things with a dominant 13-3 victory…Jake Whitesides established a Beach Bums record with six-RBI…He homered in the third, a three-run shot which was the first homer of the season for the Beach Bums…Whitesides then doubled in three runs in the seventh…For the third straight game a starting pitcher failed to make it past the fifth inning…Trailing 1-0, the Beach Bums hammered 2007 Frontier League Pitcher of the Year Aaron Ledbetter for seven runs in the third…Ledbetter struggled with his control, leaving the ball up and walking four in the frame and five in the game…Ledbetter lost just two games all of last season and suffered his first defeat at the hands of the Beach Bums this season…He threw just three innings and surrendered seven runs (five earned)…J.T. King posted the fourth straight quality start for the Beach Bums, surrendering two runs in seven innings of work to notch the win…Every member of the Beach Bums order posted at least one hit with six individuals (Including Mike Epping) posting two…Epping has recorded two hits in each of the first four games of 2008 and is hitting .500 entering tonight…

Full Recap

Washington Newspaper Recap

Highlights

Interviews
Labatt Blue On Deck Show: Cahill’s Corner #4



Labatt Blue On Deck Show: Chatting With David Nathanson

Sweeping the Sliders

There is no internet in Washington so I didn’t get the chance to post this sooner…To make matters worse we had one heck of a road trip to Washington (More on that soon)…David Nathanson was amazing in Friday’s 8-0 win and it seems like the pitching staff is attempting to one-up each other…Nathanson retired 14 straight to end his outing, tossing seven innings and allowing just two hits while striking out four…Matt Dillard worked the eighth and Pete McEneaney made his pro debut in the ninth, working a very impressive 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout to end the game on a filthy slider…This team is legit…

My Full Recap

Here’s some highlights from the game…
Brad Miller’s RBI singled in the 2nd to put the Beach Bums up 1-0



Mike Epping’s first hit of the game in the seventh inning helps open up the contest...



I also had some great interviews Friday...
Labatt Blue On Deck Show: Cahill’s Corner #3



Labatt Blue On Deck Show: Chatting With Ryan Gehring



In Game Chat: Tiger Great Denny McLain Drops by the Broadcast Booth