Tonight

Don't forget that tonight we will resume last evening's suspended contest...First pitch is scheduled for 6:05pm EDT...Between games I wil stay on air and you will hear from Joel Collins as well as an All-Star Interview with Travis Risser...I will go on air tonight in about 10 minutes...

All-Star Interview: Andrew Davis

Here is yesterday's All-Star interview with Andrew Davis from Crushers First Pitch that aired twice in the broadcast...

Sunday With the Crushers: Drew Saylor

Drew Saylor's interview from the Fourth of July...Yes I know its late :)

Power Outage Pictures

So here are some photos from the power outage last night and some of the things that happened during the delay of over an hour...It is in reverse chronological order with the random stuff at the end...Enjoy!!


The meeting with all of the coaches, umpires, and front office staff to decide to suspend the game...


The staff attempts to work on the tower...


The Evansville staff attempts to keep the crowd rolling by inviting them on the field for some fun (Taken from the roof)


Meeting with the coaches from field level where you can view the tower out in right...


The tower in question split between the two functioning towers...


Another picture of the lengthy meeting at home plate...From afar!


A closeup of the tower...


In an attempt to turn the tower back on they turned off all the lights in the same circuit creating the darkness seen here...


Looking to the right to see tower in question...


Eddie Tisdale points...Notice the darkness created by the outage in the area behind the Lake Erie first baseman...


The view from my broadcast booth at Bosse Field...


Some of the crowd assembled to the right (First Base Side)...


Crowd Assembled to the Left (Third Base Side)...


The view from on top of the Bosse Field roof...


Looking left from the roof...


Me on the roof!! I was scared initially, not gonna lie...


Me posing with Evansvile's Broadcaster, Mike Radomski, on the roof...


Me with the Patriotic Evansville Booster...The things we do to kill time during a delay!

All-Star Interview #1: Jeff Cinadr

Tim Vs.

Last year Shaq hosted a TV show called Shaq Vs. where he took on pro athletes in their sports...Small world story, Shaq vs. Albert Pujols was filmed at T.R. Hughes Ballpark, home of the River City Rascals...

Today, I may have my own reality TV...Tim Vs. The difference? I never win but funny things happen to me...Today, in the Econo Lodge in Evansville, I lost a battle with an iron while attempting to iron my Crusher Polo...The photo shows what a chunk it took off of my shirt...I didn't even know a polo could burn? Especially in the first stroke after just turning on the iron and putting it on the shirt to move...

Battle #2...Tim Vs. the Bosse Field window...They have wooden pegs to hold open the windows...I am a league vet, this I know...First window in my booth, opens no problem...Window #2 I don't even know how this happened...I open the window to place the peg in and bam the top of the window falls down onto my finger and slams to the bottom, overtaking the bottom window...Thanks to Evansville broadcaster Mike Radomski we were able to get the window back in place but it took three of us and I will no longer be attempting to open said window...So I will be broadcastign from the left side of the booth tonight...Usually I like both windows to be open, but not for the sake of my hand...


The window that I won't open again for as long as I am in the Frontier League...


The open window...


Tim Vs. -- The Iron...Iron wins...


The damage to the shirt from Tim Vs. -- The Iron...

Crushers at Florence: July 8

Well...Its cooled down a bit but yet I am still caked in sweat...There's a great image for you :) Lake Erie needs a win to slvage a split of the season series with Florence...The Crushers are 3-5 in rubber games this season...Lineups below! An interesting one tonight to give Saylor a day off...

CRUSHERS (24-20)
Dom Duggan - CF
Jodam Rivera - 2B
Andrew Davis - SS
Eddie Tisdale - 1B
Lee Huggins - 3B
Wayne Bond - LF
Arden McWilliams - RF
Julio Rivera - C
Raphael Turner - DH

LHP Esmelvin Jimenez (6th Start -- 4-2, 3.19)

FLORENCE FREEDOM (18-26; 20GB 5th FL West)
Billy Mottram - CF
Tim Grogan - 2B
Stephen Shults - SS
Michael Campbell - RF
Jimmy Baker - DH
Johnny Welch - 3B
Cory Wine - 1B
Michael Wheeler - LF
Justin Pickett - C

RHP Mike Jackson (1st Start -- 0-1, 6.35)

Florence Y'All

So, as promised I will post some pictures from everywhere we go...This image of the watertower was not taken by me but rather by a quick google image search...However the watertower is a lot that people in Florence talk about...I will post a few more and add some captions later...

Crushers 4, Freedom 3

Lake Erie jumped out to a 3-0 lead and was able to hold off Florence to win last night...Below are all of the highlights from the contest...

Lee Huggins 4th Inning Homer


Joel Collins RBI Double in the 4th


Michael Campbell Homers in the Bottom of the 4th to Pull Florence withing 3-2


Eddie Tisdale bloops a double in the fifth to pad the lead


Pinch Hitter Cory Wine drives home a run in the ninth


J.J. Pacella finishes his fourth save by striking out the side

Crushers at Florence: July 7

Florence's victory last night means the Fredom can do no worse than split the season series...That will be the goal for the Crushers over the nex two days as they attempt to build momentum leading up to the All-Star Break...Lake Erie drew a season high 10 walks last night, posted runners on base in every inning, but left a season high 12 in falling to the Freedom...The good news...The entire East Division lost so the Crushers did not lose ground on anyone but eventually they need to start taking opportunities to gain ground when the others lose...I do like this combination that John Massarelli has put together...

CRUSHERS (23-20)
Dom Duggan - CF
Drew Saylor - 2B
Jodam Rivera - SS
Andrew Davis - 3B
Eddie Tisdale - 1B
Lee Huggins - DH
Travis Vetters - RF
Wayne Bond - LF
Joel Collins - C

RHP Matt Smith (8th Start -- 5-3, 3.40)

FLORENCE FREEDOM (18-25)
Billy Mottram - CF
Tim Grogan - 2B
Jimmy Baker - DH
Michael Campbell - RF
Stephen Shults - SS
Johnny Welch - 3B
Michael Wheeler - LF
Justin Pickett - 1B
Curt Marshall - C

LHP Bryan Banes (8th Start -- 3-3, 4.32)

Flowing

It is currently 94 degrees in Florence where we are under a Heat Advisory...I thought this picture might help me feel cool :) On a side note neither team took batting practice, attempting to stay cool for this evening, the fifth meeting of six between the teams...Now lets play ball!!!

And Then There Were Five

The All-Star rosters were expanded today with each Manager adding three more players...The Crushers garnered a fifth All-Star as East Division Manager Gera Alvarez of Oakland County selected Jeff Cinadr as one of his three choices...The others, not surpisingly, came from Oakland County as Adam Dominick and Joash Brodin join the team as well...

Cinadr owns a 1-1 record with an ERA of 1.99 in 18 relief appearances to go with three saves...

Cinadr joins starting pitchers Travis Risser and Jsh Roberts in addition to infielders Jodam Rivera and Andrew Davis, who will start for the East...

Mike Pinto of Southern Illinois added River City Outfielder Caleb Curry in addition to Pitcher Nick Walters of Gateway...Pinto also added Southern Illinois starter Ryan Kussmaul and named Nate Hall of the Miners as a replacement for Todd Martin, also of Southern Illinois, who is currently on the IR...For those keeping track it now means the Miners will have 10 All-Stars plus five coaches...

Crushers at Florence: July 6

The Crushers open a six-game roadtrip to conclude the first half of the season tonight in Kentucky...You will notice a different look to the lineup this evening...I feel this roadtrip is important...Lake Erie posted a 3-3 mark against these two teams at home...

CRUSHERS (23-19 - 3rd FL East)
Dom Duggan - CF
Jodam Rivera - SS
Andrew Davis - 3B
Eddie Tisdale - 1B
Lee Huggins - DH
Drew Saylor - 2B
Travis Vetters - RF
Joel Collins - C
Raphael Turner - LF

RHP Phil Rummel (2-3, 5.80)

FLORENCE FREEDOM (17-25, 5th FL West - 19GB)
Billy Mottram - CF
Tim Grogan - 2B
Jimmy Baker - DH
Michael Campbell - RF
Stephen Shults - SS
Johnny Welch - 3B
Cory Wine - 1B
Michael Wheeler - LF
Curt Marshall - C

RHP Andy Clark (3-2, 4.93 -- 8th Start)

Welcome Raphael Turner

Prior to departing this morning, the Crushers signed outfielder Raphael Turner...Turner will be in the lineup tonight at Florence...To make room for him the Crushers released C Nick Maragas...Trner is a true rookie from Radford University...He batted .363 to lead Radford, connecting on 10 hoemrs and driving in 51, leading the team in both categories...The Highlanders were 29-26 this year...

A native of Washington, D.C., Turner, a left-handed bat, missed most of 2009 with injuries but finished tied for third in the Big South in triples in 2008 with four...

Broadcast Note

Please note that the broadcasts for this entire road trip will be audio only from Florence and Evansville...You can still tune in through lakeeriecrushers.com, frontierleague.com, or ibnsports.com...

All-Stars Announced

The first 21 players for each divisions All-Star roster were announced on the off day Monday...

Lake Erie will have four players repesented including at least two starters...Andrew Davis and Jodam Rivera will comprise the left side of the starting infield for the East Division...Starting Pitchers Travis Risser and Josh Roberts were also selected...I will interview each All-Star in the coming days on the trip leading up to the game...

Each Division's Manager (Oakland County's Gera Alvarez -- East and Mike Pinto of the Southern Illinois Miners -- West) will choose his coaching staff in addition to selecting three mroe All-Stars and any injury replacements...The Manager also rceived the honor of selecting the starting pitcher, and one would certainly think Josh Roberts has a chance depending on how Gera Alvarez chooses (Managers have a tendency to go with their own players for reserves and starting pitchers)...

Frontier League Announcement

Crushers Press Release

Another Frontier League Managerial Change

Another Frontier League team has switched managers before the All-Star Break and this one inadvertently affects the Crushers...Evansville fired its entire coaching staff yesterday despite winning 12-4 at All Pro Freight Stadium on Sunday night...

Wayne Krenchicki was in his second season with the Otters and finished 28-66 last year...Evansville was 15-27 this season and currently resides in last place in the West Division...In a period of just over four years, Evansville has used four managers and has fallen far from its championship season of 2006...The Otters had scheduled an announcement of a new coaching staff but as of 4:00pm on Tuesday I have not seen anything...I have Randy Gore of the Washington Wild Things on the look out for me (Washington plays at Evansville today) and will post when I find out...Lake Erie plays at Evansville for a weekend series beginning on Friday to close the first half of the season...

UPDATE: I just received a text from Randy informing me that the Otters have hired Andy McCauley to manage the team...McCauley managed in the Frontier League in 1998 and 1999, winning 54 games and a Frontier League title with the London Werewolves in 1999...He was the 1999 Frontier League Manager of the Year and again made the playoffs with London in 2000 before becoming the first Manager of the Kalamazoo Kings in 2001, posting a record of 11-39 before departing...McCauley has been in the Northern League since, managing the Kansas City T-Bones from 2007-09, and won a championship in 2008...Until the arrival of McCauley, Bill McKeon will handle the interim manager duties...I know McCauley from his days as the Manager of the Northern League's Schaumburg Flyers...

Full Story from the Evansville Courier Press