Holy Storm

If you follow me on twitter you heard me referencing the storm we were driving through last night...Check out this video from last night's Joliet-Southern Illinois contest...

I'm a Little Worried to Be On

Boomers 9, CornBelters 2

It was a hot one last night...But the Boomer bats were up for the heat as well...

Boxscore

Recap

Heat, Boomers Knock Out Belters: Bloomington Pantagraph

Chad Mozingo's third triple of the season opens the scoring in the first...


Mike Valadez with a first pitch single to score a pair...


Jereme Milons finishes things in the first inning with a two-run double...

Boomer BackUp

More Media

Welcome to Getaway Day, where I spend way more time than necessary reading things...This is my catch up on some media from around the league...

Windy City Notebook: T-Bolts Turn Up the Power - Daily Southtown

Joliet: Slow Start for Slammers Not New - Joliet Herald-News

Say What?

This story has nothing to do with the Boomers or the Frontier League but does relate to baseball and I find it very, very strange...Reports out of Tampa reveal that a fan was shot by a stray bullet at a Rays game that traveled over a mile and through the roof at Tropicana Field...Say what???

Stray Bullet Grazes Rays Fan

Almost Famous???

So get this...As we leave the hotel today there was a crazy ton of camera crews...Walking out into the lobby to get to the bus I almost felt like I was interfering with something...This leads me to a sidebar...In 2008 while with the Beach Bums, the hotel we stayed at in Kalamazoo was the sight of some horror movie that was being filmed or something...It was on a getaway day and the crew kept telling us we were getting in the shots because we were all hanging out outside to watch...Never heard the title of that indy flick nor saw it...

But today, turns out a few of the Boomers will now be featured on a TV show this fall entitled Chef Race: UK vs US...I know C.J. Thieleke and Chad Mozingo logged on camera time for sure...Apparently its a race across the country between 16 chefs making food in various cities...They asked about coming to the game tonight to cook our postgame meal so who knows...I will provide details as I learn them but I guess it is supposed to air on BBC America this fall...

Here are a few details I found about it...

Jamie Oliver to Produce Chef Race

Chef Race Films in Wichita

This truck was at the hotel today...

More Numbers

So after looking at the quality starts yesterday let's look at close games...Below is everyone's record in games decided by three runs or less...These numbers I think are much more reflective of competitive stature...Al the teams currently in playoff position have been involved in and won a lot of close games...

Rockford - 6-12
Evansville - 10-14
Washington - 9-13
London - 10-15
Normal - 9-10
Joliet - 12-12
Southern Illinois - 12-11
Lake Erie - 10-12
Florence - 14-15
Gateway - 10-13
Windy City - 14-8
River City - 13-10
Traverse City - 13-8
BOOMERS - 18-7

Battle for Labatt Park

Earlier you may remember my detailing that London has been battling to earn a liquor license for Labatt Park and that might be one of the reasons why the club had been struggling at the gates...Well, London's owner, Manager, and GM David Martin issued a challenge to the London Majors for a best of three series to find out who the real pros are at Labatt Park...Sounds like it ain't gonna happen...

Rippers Issue Challenge

LONDON FREE PRESS: London Owner Offers to Settle Fight on FIeld

LONDON FREE PRESS: Majors Pass on Battle for Suds

The Corn Crib

So since I have already been here once I can post some photos...Normal is home to the World's Greatest Women's Restroom...

WOMEN'S RESTROOM

THE CORN CRIB

Quality Starts

Since I had way more time than necessary because it was hot and I didn't want to leave the hotel room and there was nothing noteworthy on TV (With all do respect to EURO, Italy was up 2-0)...I decided to track each teams pitchers and examine quality starts...You tell me if there is a correlation between standings and quality starts...

Remember a quality start is six innings or more and three or less earned runs...This even though Roth allowed five last night only three were earned...

London - 23 (Richmond - 7)
Evansville - 21 (Blewett - 6)
Washington - 21 (Smith - 6)
BOOMERS - 19 (Staff Leader: Roth - 7)
Windy City - 19 (Sauer - 7)
Gateway - 18 (Brown - 7)
Florence - 18 (Lewis - 6)
Lake Erie - 16 (Fagan - 5)
Normal - 16 (Lavigne/Britt - 4)
Joliet - 15 (Maxwell - 5)
Southern Illinois - 15 (Harden - 6)
River City - 15 (Vancil - 4)
Traverse City - 14 (Kelly - 5)
Rockford - 6 (Lee/VanderWall - 2)

What's interesting is that the team who leads the league in ERA is second to last in quality starts...London ranks 11th in ERA but first in quality starts...

Project for tomorrow will be to examine how many close games each team has been in to see if maybe problems are at the backside of the pen or with the offense perhaps...Fascinating numbers none the less...

Schaumburg 5, Rockford 4

6-0 against Rockford this year...17-4 at home...13 comeback wins...Some impressive numbers from your first place Schaumburg Boomers...

BOXSCORE

RECAP

Mike Valadez Fifth-Inning Double


Chad Mozingo ties the game in the 6th...


Nick Kuroczko hands the Boomers the lead following a lengthy delay...



Boomer BackUp

Silver Cross Field