Umpires are an absolutely crucial and generally under appreciated part of the baseball at all levels, but the umpire should never upstage the game. Baseball is first and foremost a game for the fans and the players. The umpires are there to support the game, not distract from it. That’s the theory, anyway.
And then something like this happens. An umpire at the Daytona Cubs’ game ejected the stadium music guy Derek Dye for playing “Three Blind Mice” following an iffy call. According to Baseball America (with an asset from one Roger Fritz), this is the first music man ejection in the Florida State League since 1985.
And with that, I would like to officially open the floor for musical suggestions. Now that “Three Blind Mice” is probably off the table, and remembering that a minor league game should always be a family friendly entertainment venue, let’s have your ideas for future music selections that could be used by minor league stadium music guys around the country.
I’ll open things up by nominating “Send In The Clowns.” How can an umpire get upset listening to that?
[Iowa] Ty’relle Harris is back in Iowa and still starting. Whether he is being stretched out or just filling in for a rotation that has been rapidly depleted by Chicago remains to be seen. He gave up five runs (four earned) in his four inning start.
[Iowa] If the Cubs keep trading, Michael Bowden could get another chance in Chicago. He pitched three more scoreless innings and struck out six in this game.
[Iowa] Surrounded by promotion rumors, Brett Jackson finished 3 for 5 with a double and his 12th triple.
[Iowa] Also featured in promotion rumors, Josh Vitters hit his 16th home run of the season.
[Iowa] Welcome to Iowa Greg Rohan. The Triple A Cubs’ new first baseman started off his Iowa career in a Rizzo-like fashion by hitting two home runs as part of a 3 for 4 game.
[Tennessee] Thanks to the suspended game, Greg Rohan appears to have played for two different teams in two different leagues on the same day. He doubled in Game One before it was suspended. His replacement, Nate Samson, homered.
[Tennessee] Justin Bour‘s solo shot, his 12th home run of the season, was all the scoring the Smokies needed in Game Two.
[Daytona] Lendy Castillo continues his rehab work and his apparent conversion to a starter in Daytona. He pitched four innings for the Cubs, allowed one run on three hits, and struck out four.
[Daytona] Eduardo Figueroa was very good in relief. His three inning stint was marred by a single hit.
[Daytona] Micah Gibbs picked up his third stolen base of the season in this game. You remember correctly. He is in fact a catcher.
[Daytona] Rubi Silva drove in both of the Cubs’ runs. Silva, who was playing center field in this game, could yet be moved to Tennessee before the end of the year.
[Daytona] Ronald Torreyes had yet another two hit game. He is hitting .366 over his last ten games.
[Peoria] In one game Dustin Geiger put up enough stats to make a pretty great series. He finished this phenomenal game 3 for 5 with a double, two home runs, and eight (EIGHT!) RBI. His second home run was a three run bomb in the ninth that put the Chiefs ahead for good. He now has 13 on the season.
[Boise] In all, six different Hawks finished with more than one hit. Every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit in the game.
[Arizona] Pierce Johnson and Carlos Martinez-Pumarino both pitched well early in the game, but the really impressive performance game from Steve Perakslis. He struck out five in his two innings of relief.
[Arizona] Albert Almora hit lead off and finished the game 3 for 4 with a stolen base. Jorge Soler finished 2 for 4 with two steals.
Other Minor League Notes
For the time being, I am dropping the Minor League Standings section of the Daily. Only Boise and Arizona are currently in a realistic playoff hunt, and I will continue to update you on those chases from time to time in this section. Should Tennessee or Peoria or any other team jump into the playoff chase, I will be certain to cover that under the Notes as well. I no longer see the point in updating exactly how many games behind Iowa happens to be on a daily basis, so we’ll just focus on the potential playoff teams for now.
And speaking of Tennessee, they suddenly find themselves just four games out. Time is running out, but they are poised to make a run.
With their win, Boise holds a two game lead in their division.
Rock Shoulders has advanced to the Final Four in Minor League Baseball’s Moniker Madness. A name like Rock Shoulders cannot be allowed to lose. Go forth and vote!
There was a second game in Arizona last night (or rather, very early this morning), but I could not wait up for the final. When I fell asleep, Loiger Padron had struck out five and the game was tied at two after five. The box score should be available here by the time you read this.
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NEWSLETTER
Umpires are an absolutely crucial and generally under appreciated part of the baseball at all levels, but the umpire should never upstage the game. Baseball is first and foremost a game for the fans and the players. The umpires are there to support the game, not distract from it. That’s the theory, anyway.
