4/07/13

Cats Scratch and Claw for First Win of Year, 8-4 Over Las Vegas.

Under cloudy Sacramento skies, River Cats pitcher Sonny Gray sparkled on the mound as the River Cats claimed their first win of the year, beating Las Vegas 8-4.

Using his 93 mph fastball and a sharp-breaking over-the-top curve, the stocky right-hander dazzled the 51s through six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and three walks while striking out four. When Gray departed in the sixth inning Sacramento held a 2-0 lead.

But Cats reliever Brian Gordon promptly gave up two earned runs in the top of the seventh allowing Las Vegas to tie the game. Sacramento answered with six runs in their half of the inning, built around a Michael Choice grand slam, his first home run of the year. Michael Taylor followed with a solo shot, his second of the season. Catcher Stephen Vogt followed with another round tripper.

Las Vegas added two more runs in the eighth inning off Sacramento reliever Hidecki Okajima. Pitcher Dan Otero shut the door in the ninth to preserve the 8-4 win.

Vogt went 3x4 with two doubles and two RBI, while second baseman Jemile Weeks went 3x5.

Weeks started the scoring in the third inning when he led off and dropped a pearl of a bunt up the third base line. With Grant Green at the plate, manager Steve Scarsone called for a hit-and-run, and Green delivered a double to the left field wall, scoring Weeks and giving Sacramento a 1-0 lead.

Weeks is hitting .353 for the season, as is Taylor.

Gordon earned a blown save for his effort in the seventh inning, but also claimed the victory. Rightfully, it belonged to Sonny Gray, who impressed in just his second start at the Triple-A level.

Last year at Double-A Midland, Texas, Gray went 6-9 with a 4.14 ERA in 148 innings. He struck out 97 and walked 57. Taken by Oakland with the 18^th pick in the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University, Gray led his school to its first-ever College World Series appearance in 2011, going 12-4 with a 2.43 ERA.

Sacramento opens a four-game home stand against the Tacoma Rainiers on Monday.

4/05/13

Professional News

Joe DiMaggio had his 56-game hitting streak.

Hall of Fame scribe Nick Peters owned a 55-game streak of appearing at and in most cases covering Opening Day for the San Francisco Giants. Peters' streak came to an end today, as we learned by John Shea's tweet, he of the SF Chronicle Sports staff and Peters' long-time friend.

Peters has a degenerative disease similar to Parkinson's Disease and its worsening. Hence, Nick had to forego Opening Day in 2013. But we're sure he watched on television, along with wife, Lise in their Elk Grove home. The Giants, behind Barry Zito's 3-hit, seven-inning gem, shut out the Cardinals at AT&T Park 1-0.

The La Salle Club Hall of Fame has elected Nick Peters and he will be inducted on April 27 as part of the 2013 class. For the other eight inductees, see list above.

To read our 2012 Spotlight feature on Peters, go here.

4/01/13

Opening Day!

Today marks the opening of major league baseball in both leagues.

The World Series champions Giants travel to Los Angeles to battle their bitter rivals at 1:10 p.m. The defending AL West A's meanwhile host the Seattle Mariners (Game time 7:05).

And 93 years ago the Sacramento Senators hosted the Seattle Mariners at Buffalo Park (also known as Recreation Park) in a Pacific Coast League opener.

Local video producer and baseball historian Chris Lango has assembled a two-minute video culled from home movies taken on that opening day down at the ballyard at at Riverside and Broadway (now Target). We invite you to check out this wonderful old film, complete with an old-time rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the background. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHH9xIyd6CU

As you look out at the yard realize this: just five months earlier Babe Ruth had played in this very ballpark as part of a traveling exhibition with Buck Weaver of the Chicago White Sox. That period was critical as Ruth would soon be sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees. And Weaver that season would be ensnared in the infamous Black Sox Scandal. To read more about that barnstorming game in Sacramento baseball, go to our Time Travelin 1919 page.

3/10/13

There aren't many from the Capital City area playing in the World Baseball Classic, but the Giants' Tyler LaTorre (UC Davis 2006) is one. He's playing for Team Italy, which dropped its first game yesterday to Team USA, 6-2.

In the second inning La Torre singled off fellow Giant Ryan Vogelsong and scored, going 1x4. He caught the entire game. Vogelsong pitched four strong innings to earn the victory.

During his seven-years in the Giants farm system, La Torre has played a number of positions with catcher his central spot. He caught 42 games for Triple-A Fresno last year, batting a respectable .278.

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Another familiar name in the WBC is Larry Bowa, who once again is serving as USA coach Joe Torre's assistant (bench coach), where he leads the team in wisecrackin' and spittin'. Bowa, who prepped at McClatchy, but never played there, has a long and illustrious career in the major leagues, including a World Series ring with the Philadelphia Phillies. To read more about Bowa, go to the Spotlight feature we did on his sister, Paula Graf.

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Also, at noon today you can pick up single-game tickets at the Raley Field Ticket Window. The River Cats are featuring free tours of the park, plus a number of fun activities.

2/8/13

"The Natural" To Air on MLB

The movie "The Natural will air next Monday at 6:30 on MLB Network. Bob Costas will interview director Barry Levinson in the preceding hour, beginning at 5:30 (PST).

For those who have not seen the "director's cut" of The Natural, it's definitely a must see. Levinson added 15 minutes and completely recut the first third of the movie, starring Robert Redford in the title role.

Miami Clinic PED-Scandal "Black Eye for Baseball" -- Larry Bowa

Today on the MLB Network, television analyst Larry Bowa (McClatchy High) commented on the unfolding saga regarding the allegation that several prominent Major League Baseball players are tied to Biogenesis of America LLC, a Miami-based clinic.

"It's a black eye for baseball again," Bowa said. "It's sad. You question when a guy has a great year now. Instead of saying 'This guy is a real good player,' I'm wondering if he's legit. And it shouldn't be like that."

The current penalties are not stiff enough, Bowa maintains. He recommends after the first offense the player be suspended for one year and forfeit any pay earned to that point. After a second offense, the player should be banned from baseball, with no possibility of returning to active status.

Bowa, voted the third best player to come out of Sacramento by a panel of local experts, played 16 seasons for the Phillies, Cubs and Mets and won a World Series in 1980 with the Phillies.

Tom Verducci has written extensively on the subject for Sports Illustrated.

1/31/13

Happy Birthday, Jackie Robinson

http://www.jackierobinson.com

1/9/13

Baseball Writers Pitch Shutout--Hall of Fame Admits No One in 2013

Bonds and Clemens Barred for PED Stain

by editor Rick Cabral

For the first time since 1996 and only the eighth time in history the Baseball Writers Association of America didn't vote anyone in to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

First timer Craig Biggio led all on the ballot with 68 percent, falling just seven percent or 39 votes short of reaching the threshold.

Once certain future Hall of Famers Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were not voted in despite their illustrious careers due to their association with Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED). In a surprise, Clemens received just 38 percent while Bonds netted 36 percent of the vote, far short of the requisite to get in. Baseball analysts were predicting Bonds and Clemens would generate nearly 50 percent of the vote.

Right behind Biggio was pitcher Jack Morris (68 percent) who has just one year of eligibility remaining.

The voting also included:
Jeff Bagwell (60 percent)
Mike Piazza (58 percent)
Tim Raines (52 percent)
Lee Smith (48 percent)
Curt Schilling (39 percent)
Fred McGriff (21 percent)
Dale Murphy (19 percent)
Mark McGwire (17 percent)
Sammy Sosa (12.5 percent)

On MLB.tv, where the voting results were announced, the panel considered whether the 36/38 percent tally was a significant punishment to Bonds-Clemens respectively. Commentator Bob Costas, conflating his pronouns, noted "Under other circumstances, including if he retired in 1998 and didn't add to your total, you get 100-percent of the vote. Now, you get a third: that's a pretty strong kick in the ass."

In a local angle, Hall of Fame baseball writer Nick Peters told BaseballSacramento.com last spring he intended to vote for Bonds, despite the PED connection. Peters said his fellow writers would no doubt snub Bonds on the first ballot, but that he believed eventually they would relent and vote in the home run record holder (762 career and 73 home runs in the 2001 season).

Today's results, however, portend a long slog for the Giants' former slugger and Clemens.

To read a reaction from Giants' president Larry Baer, go here.