Brian: just talkin' baseball

The Twins played their 81st game of the season today (Saturday), so while the All Star Game might be the event that divides the season into the first and second half, I guess now is an even better time to look at the season so far, since it is exactly half over, at least for the Twins. Watching the Twins game today on FOX, I noticed when the graphic game up with the National League standings. I was aware of who all was in first place, but it never really hit me how neat of a story they all were until I noticed them all grouped together. The Braves lead the NL East, which really isn't anything new, but where all the experts expected the Phillies to run away with the East, maybe only to be contended by the Mets, the Braves are actually quite a story in that regard. But if the Braves are a good story, then seeing both the Reds and Padres in first place in their respective divisions pretty much speaks for itself. The Padres, like the Braves, are an amazing 15 games over .500, which kind of reminds me of the 2001 Twins, who got off to such a hot start only to fizzle a little after the All Star Break. I remember they had a five game lead at the break, which was pretty amazing for a team that no one expected anything from. Things didn't work that year for the Twins, but that season still set the stage for the impressive run of postseason appearances that they have had ever since. Maybe the Padres will fall like that later this season, maybe they won't. Funny thing is, I remember predicting that the Twins might make a trade deadline deal with the Padres for closer Heath Bell, figuring the Twins would be in contention and the Padres would not. Well, Rauch has done nicely for the Twins in place of Joe Nathan, but the Padres won't need to move anyone right now, that's for sure. As for the Reds, they lead the NL Central, and for me, they've done it very quietly. People always know what the Cardinals and Cubs are doing, but the Reds have just played good ball all season, really without any superstars to speak of.

In the American League, of course it's business as usual in the East -- Yankees and Red Sox on top, although the Red Sox have been pretty amazing lately, considering how slow they started. I guess that's no different than what the Yankees have done for about the last five straight years. Go Rays and Jays! - please?? In the West, the Angels were expected to be on top, as usual, but thanks to a slow start, they're still four games behind the Rangers, who are a very impressive 16 games over .500, which is a bit of a surprise, as far as I'm concerned.

And so that brings us to the AL Central, and for me it has been awesome to see the Twins start as strong as they did, but they did struggle quite a bit in June, which has helped the Tigers, and even the White Sox hang around. Now, after the Twins blew it today against the Rays, the Tigers have pulled back even with the Twins for first place. The pitching had better come around again, and if it does, I think we're in for an exciting second half of the season. Four words for the Twins: Go get Cliff Leee!! The most frustrating thing for me as a Twins fan this year? They've been in first for most of the season, but they have yet to go as many as 12 games over .500 to this point. By contrast, as mentioned, teams like the Padres and Rangers are 15 and 16 over, and I don't think one would have to argue too loudly to make people think the Twins are better than both of those teams. Okay, so the Rangers offense is pretty scary, but the Twins did sweep three from Texas a few weeks back.

A few other thoughts:
**Twins fans - if you didn't before, do you find yourself nowadays just dropping whatever you're doing when Jim Thome comes up to bat?
**Tigers fans - Joel Zumaya has a special arm, but if he doesn't change something for the rest of his career, he's really going to have a "special" arm before long.
**A lot has been made of the 4 no-hitters thrown so far this season. Two perfect games (ok 3, to be fair to Armando Gallaraga), which have been amazing, but the two non-perfect no-hitters have been about as ho-hum as they can be. By that I mean, how many guys can you allow on base before your no-hitter starts to lose its luster? Ubaldo Jimenez walked six batters in his no-no in April, and Edwin Jackson walked eight in his last week. Yielding no hits is great, but when you have to pitch half the game from the stretch, is it really that great? Incidentally, I had neglected to make Roy Halladay active on my fantasy team the day he threw his perfect game. :o( No worries, I'm still running away with the league. :oP
**A lot is also being made of Stephen Strasburg and whether he should make the All Star Team or not. The kid is 2-2 without a win in his last 3 starts, after a no-decision today. He's gonna be great -- he's already great -- but do we really have to debate this subject? I'd say not even close. Maybe they should play a "Futures Game" like they do during the NBA All Star Weekend, and then Strasburg would be worthy of trip to Anaheim next week.

Speaking of All Stars - here are my votes for who should be starting (some not so conventional):

AMERICAN ----- NATIONAL
C - Joe Mauer, Twins ----- Miguel Olivo, Rockies
1B - Miguel Cabrera, Tigers ----- Albert Pujols, Cardinals
2B - Robinson Cano, Yankees ----- Dan Uggla, Marlins
3B - Michael Young, Rangers ----- Scott Rolen, Reds
SS - Alex Gonzalez, Blue Jays ----- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
OF - Josh Hamilton, Rangers ----- Cory Hart, Brewers
Carl Crawford, Rays ----- Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
Vernon Wells, Blue Jays ----- Chris Young, Diamondbacks
DH - Vladimir Guerrero, Rangers ----- Aubrey Huff, Giants
P - David Price, Rays ----- Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies

HONORABLE MENTION
1B - Justin Morneau, Twins ----- 1B - Joey Votto, Reds
Paul Konerko, White Sox
2B - Dustin Pedroia (inj.), Red Sox ----- 2B - Martin Prado, Braves
3B - Adrian Beltre, Red Sox ----- 3B - David Wright, Mets
OF - Shin-Soo Choo, Indians ----- OF - Ryan Braun, Brewers
Alex Rios, White Sox ----- Marlon Byrd, Cubs
SP - Andy Pettitte, Yankees ----- SP - Josh Johnson, Marlins

Plenty of food for thought here, but it's not like we've given you much to read lately anyway. Happy Birthday, America! And way to go, Brock Lesnar!!
- Radiooo

Rod's Tuesday Take N Things

The Pierre Post 8 American Legion baseball team has won 3 of their last 4 but are still 1 game under .500. It seems that when they are hitting, they are not pitching. When they pitch, they don't hit. As witnessed by Sunday night's 12-10 comeback win over Orient where they spotted thier host an 8-0 2nd inning lead. Or last night, when they lost to Mitchell 12-11 in 8 innings in the second game of the doubleheader. They used 4 pitchers in game 2 last night. They have two games at Huron tomorrow night before going to Fargo for a tournament this weekend where they will be playing 5 games.

Rod's Tuesday Take N Things

OK, I was wrong yesterday when I said that by later today, the Big 12 Conference as we know it would be no more. All reports circulating yesterday said it was a done deal. Texas was off to the PAC 10 and the others in the Big 12 South would follow. So Texas said no to the Pac 10 and all of a sudden the Big 12 (minus 2) is happy and staying in tact. I can only hope that the other 9 Universities in the Big 12 (minus 2) enjoy Texas telling them what and what not to do. And kuddo's to Nebraska and Colorado for calling Texas's bluff and making their move. Nebraska to the Big 10 beginning in 2011-2012 and Colorado to the PAC 10 in the 2012-2013 school year.

Congratulations to a pair of Pierre youngsters. Peyton Zabel and Sydney Palmer. They competed on Saturday at the Minnesota Twins Pitch, Hit and Run competitons at Target Field in Minnepolis. Zabel won the 9- to 10-year-old boys division championship, and Palmer was the runner-up in the 13- to 14 year- old girls division.

And, The University of Nebraska wrestling summer camp will be coming to Ft. Pierre and Parkview Gym next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Guest Clinician will be Nebraska head wrestling coach and Vermillion native Mark Manning. Registration for the camp begins at 8:15 am with the camp for 7 year olds through 6th graders for the coming school year being run from 9 am to 11 am and the camp for those entering 7th grade through 12th grade next school year being held from 1 to 3 p.m. all 3 days. Registration fee is $65 for the younger wrestlers and $80 for the older group. Former national champion Jordan Burdiss is also expected to be on hand. For more information or if you have any questions on the camp you can contact Stanley County head wrestling coach Craig Heller at 605-280-0674.

Pierre Post 8 baseball is in Rapid City tonight for a doubleheader against Rapid City Post 320. The "B" Teeners are hosting Gettysburg at Hyde Stadium in a doubleheader and the Rattlers amatuer team puts their 11-0 record up at Miller tonight.

Also last night, the Pierre School Board hired several teachers and coaches. Scott DeBoer, a Huron High School grad is going to be the new Governor sophomore boys basketball coach. Shawn Schnabel will be a new assistant coach at the 9th grade level. In girls basketball, Cally Swanson will be an 8th grade girls basketball coach.

Rod's Monday Take N Things

The Pierre Post 8 American Legion baseball team was rained out of their doubleheader with Spearfish yesterday and this Friday's scheduled doubleheader at Sturgis has been cancelled due to the fact that Sturgis has 5 players at a football camp. Sturgis also has others on the JV or split squad team playing in a tournament that weekend so they did not have 9 guys available. Pierre may play in a triangular with Spearfish and Sturgis when they play on July 13, but their is nothing official on that at the present time.

The Pierre Rattlers amatuer team is 11-0 on the season and not ranked in the South Dakota Amatuer Baseball Association poll. Brookings Cubby's, a team they beat last weekend in the championship of the Brookings tournament, is ranked 2nd in the Class A poll. But of the 11 wins, only 2 have come against Class A opponents. And only one of those, Brookings, is from South Dakota. They also defeated Jamestown, North Dakota. The Rattlers go to Miller tomorrow night for a single 9 inning game. They are home Saturday hosting Rapid City and Refield Dairy Queen, a team they beat in the semi finals of the Brookings Tournament.

And today and tomorrow will be the final days of the Big 12 Conference as we know it in college sports. Missouri Board of Regents members had a behind closed door meeting last night Texas board members will meet tomorrow. Expect Texas to go the Pac 10 along with Colorado. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and Texas Tech should follow in line. Texas A&M will probably go with them although it has been reported that A & M has been looking towards the Southeast Conference. With Nebraska and Colorado leaving the Conference it leaves Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State along with Missouri and Baylor as the only schools left in the Big 12. And you cannot do a viable conference with only 5 schools in Division 1 college athletics.

Andy Shoe's Scuttlebutts

I have been working on something for the local baseball program for a while now. I came up with an idea of having an opening day celebration at the Legion Memorial Field in Mobridge. I hope it will be a huge success and lots of people will come out and support youth baseball and softball in this town. Over the past couple of years I have seen the decline in youth baseball become an almost bottomless pit of despair. What has happened to America's past time? Where are all of the die hard baseball players? I know that I am getting up there in age, but I can't believe that video games and television have that much of a strangle hold on our youth. I think there was time when every town in the Midwest had a program that they could be proud of and today it is hard to get more then nine boys or girls per team. I am proud of the way major sports are starting to step up with programs like Play 60 from the NFL or the RBI league from MLB to mention a few. No it is not for the lack of motivation from outside the home that the blame lies, it is a direct effect of letting the television be the babysitter. I know that with times being on the rough side in our economy that the idea of a single provider house hold is an old concept but I would say that instead of having kids at home watching TV or playing video games send them to baseball or softball practice. Get the children of America active! If you are paying attention to what is going on with the next generation then you will know that an entire generation is suffering from the effects of childhood obesity. If nothing is done soon the repercussion's could be catastrophic. I know that sometimes I can get a little melodramatic about things, but I know also that I am a member of a growing group that is concerned about what may be without some intervention.

I digress, Opening Day is what I am here writing about today and I want all reading this to make an effort to show up for the event. It will be held Sunday June Thirteenth at around five forty five in the evening at The New Legion Memorial Field. It is located in the same spot on Twelfth Street, but if it has been a while since you have watched a game there it will be an eye opening experience. Come and see all of the youth ball players introduced from T-Ball to Legion. See all of the people who are involved with the summer youth program and meet the people that donated so much time to help improve the complex. There will be a ceremonial first pitch and of course two great games featuring the Mobridge Teeners taking on the Selby Area Teeners then The Mobridge Legion team taking on The Linton North Dakota Legion team. I hope we will have a crowd there that we can be proud of.

Rod's Monday Take N Things

Don't give up on the Pierre Post 8 baseball team, not just yet. Despite an 0-6 start, yesterday's doubleheader against Rapid City Post 22 was the first time the entire team has been together. And there were bright spots. In pitching, Stephen Nielsen retired the two batters he faced in the 7th inning of the first game. Nolan Merrill was solid thru the 5 innings he pitched in the second game. And offensivly, hopefully Alex Deneke's home run will get him jump started. Plus, Post 22 is pretty dog gone good. They aren't on the schedule anymore until the Region Tournament. That is less than two months away, but basically a season away yet. Pierre plays Winner 4 games. Two tomorrow night at Hyde Stadium beginning at 5:30 p.m. and then a week from Wednesday a double header at Winner at 5:30 p.m. In between, a tournament at Yankton. I would say a sweep of Winner in both meetings and a 2-2 weekend this weekend would be a good week of baseball for this team.

Brian's Preview of State Track Meet

Probably the funnest (most fun?) event of the high school sports season takes place this weekend in the Sioux Falls area with the State Track & Field Meet. I think what makes it so great is that it brings together probably 90% of the best athletes in the state in one location. Think about it - if you are a good enough athlete to excel in football, basketball, wrestling, or volleyball, among others, you're probably involved in track as well. Yes, in some cases, it might just be to stay active as you keep your mind on your other favorite sports, but there are so many big names from around the state in other sports during the school year, and they're just about all coming to Sioux Falls this weekend for one last hurrah to close out the school year. That's another great thing about this event - the fact that it is the "last hurrah" for the school year. That fact in itself makes this one of the biggest social events of the year. Athletes who compete against each other all season long get to know each other, and in many cases, become good friends, and the State Track Meet allows them all to see each other one last time before they meet in the playing arena in the next school year again. Or, of course, for seniors who have now likely already graduated, well, who knows what lies ahead? You may not see some of these other people for a very long time to come, and along with that, what better way to close out your high school career than with a great performance at the "last hurrah?"

I invite you all to listen for reports from the State Track Meet throughout the days on Friday & Saturday, both on KGFX and KOLY AM. With warm weather, although with some breeze, I think we're in for a very enjoyable, not to mention a very exciting, weekend. Here are some things we'll be keeping a very close eye on this weekend:

Class AA:
Governors:
After a 4-year run among the elites, with 3 championships and a 3rd place finish last year, we should probably temper our expectations a little. There are clearly other favorites for the team title this year, but expect the Govs to still be in the Top 5, which should provide some excitement. RC Stevens, SF Washington, and Watertown will be among the boys teams that should battle it out for the top spot. Individually, Pierre still has the best hurdler in the state, in Parker McKittrick, looking to pick up where Matt Tetzlaff left off. McKittrick is the only hurdler in AA to break the :15 barrier in the 110m, and he has the 2nd best qualifying time this season in the 300. Other individuals have chances to contend for championships: Danny Mayer in the Pole Vault, and maybe Kyle Anderson in Shot Put, who rose up to be a surprise champion at the ESD meet. And maybe some good things can be expected from some of the relay teams, especially the 4x200 and the Medley relays, but all in all, the Govs will be hoping to pile on points from several events, as many as possible, to let everyone know that although they are no longer the team to beat, the Governor Track program is still among the state's elite.

Lady Govs – obviously they do not have enough depth to contend – Lady Govs will be hoping to do the best they can for individual honors and relay efforts. Anna Bondy in the High Jump (if she can overcome back pain) might have a chance to place high, although a SF Lincoln jumper is a clear favorite. The 200m Dash could be fun to watch with Tory Snyder and Taylor Larson competing together, after both ran well at the ESD meet. There will be some possibilities in the relays as well, but unfortunately, we still won’t hear a lot out of the Lady Govs this weekend. However, the silver lining is that there is a lot of youth among the Lady Govs, which gives us a lot to look forward to in the coming years.

Class A:
We’ll follow Stanley County, Mobridge-Pollock, Chamberlain, Miller, Lyman, Todd Co., Winner, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, etc. – not sure how many champions we can expect from these teams, although Jesse Parmely (MILL) will look to repeat in Shot Put; Kelli Norrid (WINN) has some of the best times in the hurdle events. Dyson Lends His Horse (C-EB) will be right up there in the distance runs; and the same goes for Tyler Schaefbauer (M-P) in Long Jump. All in all, don’t expect a lot of champions, but do expect a lot of solid place finishers.

Class B:
One of the things I will look forward to the most this weekend is how well the Philip boys will fare. They have to be considered the team to beat on the boys side this year, fueled primarily on the strength of their relay teams, who have registered the top overall times in 400, 800, 1600, and Medley relays this season. If anyone battles the Scotties, it could be fun to see the team title come down to that very last event – the 1600 Relay. Cvach, Guptill, O’Connell and crew will be fun to watch. Jeff O’Connell could grab some big extra points in the Long Jump and Triple Jump, and others will provide individual contributions, too.

It should be nice to hear from Sully Buttes on the track again. Expect high place finishes from Herman Kleinsasser in the sprints, Brandon Sieck in the middle to longer distances; and a couple of relay teams have potential as well.

Gettysburg will put some good relays together, and maybe Sunshine Bible, who has contended the last couple of years. Ethan McClain will contend in distance runs, and Brad Bridgman has the best qualifying High Jump in Class B this season. Eric Chilson of Highmore-Harrold will provide some excitement in the Hurdles as well.

For the girls, right away, in the Pole Vault, Gettysburg could have another champion, if Jessika Wager can pick up where Calley Worth left off last year – Wager has vaulted 9 inches higher than anyone else in Class B this year, and she could also be among the top finishers in the 400m Dash. Tia Carlson (Kadoka) has best overall 800 time this year. Plenty of other place finishers to expect from around the area. Also, from the teams up north, expect some big things from Eureka/Bowdle, who will have good distance runners and relays teams throughout. Jeffrey Mettler and Hilary Krein have posted top overall times in the distances to provide a potential sweep in the longer runs. (I can't hardly run a quarter mile, and here these kids run 2 miles like it's nobody's business!) E/B also has the longest qualifying girls Triple Jump this season, from Megan Sandmeier, so we'll see if that holds true this weekend as well.

So many schools, so many people to see and stories to catch up on....so many possibilities, but only ONE last chance to do something great this season. That's what we'll be covering for you this weekend from the State Track & Field Meet, so we hope you can join us. Congratulations to all athletes, and all graduated seniors! We're all proud of you. Have a great holiday weekend!