Herd Ball

Amazingly Bad

2009-04-25T14:08:31Z

The New York Mets might have accomplished something in Buffalo in 14 games which the Cleveland Indians could not do in 14 years. Get themselves run out of Buffalo. The Cleveland Indians left Buffalo after 14 seasons, 9 of which were playoff years, 3 of which were championships. The Bisons never wanted the Tribe to leave, but everyone understood the move was not because the Indians were unhappy with Buffalo, but because more money could be made with a farm club in Columbus so games could be shown in Sports Time Ohio. This new ownership of the Indians is more about the money then the product on the field. But no hard feelings where held by either the Indians or the Bisons.

So after much speculation about who the new parent club would be, Toronto, Pittsburgh or someone else, the Bisons signed with he New York Mets. The love fest started, the uniforms changed to Mets colors, the logo was changed to something similar to the Mets logo. NY was put everywhere around the ballpark, everything looked good except for one thing, the team. As this team stands now, they might be able to compete in rookie ball. This is by no means a good Triple A or, Double A or High A team. Never before has Buffalo seen such a bad offense. The Bisons have been shut out in 3 of their first 14 games. The best hitter in pitcher Brandon Knight, whose double to the warning track is about all the power the Bisons have seen this season. Mets prospect 1B/LF Nick Evans, who was supposed to start the season in New York before Gary Sheffield was signed has people wondering why is he here? He should be playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones when the season starts. He is no where near ready for Triple A. He has five hits on the seaons (four off a pitchers, one off of a catcher). And the sad things is his .096 batting average is not far behind the rest of the team. No one on the team is batting over .300. Jason Cooper who has only 11 at bats leads the team with a .273 average.

The Mets seem somewhere intrested in signing some players, as Willey Mo Pena is expected to make an appearance in Bisons orange and blue soon. Bisons fans realize that when the major league team is struggling as the Mets are, putting a winning team on the field is Triple A is not the major concern, but this team is so bad it has fans upset, and they are not the only one. It seems the Bisons have voiced their displeaser already, and have even made it public they have talked to the Mets about how bad this team is. If things don't change around here soon, I would expect the Mets will be shipping their players out west again in 2011 as the Bisons get yet another new parent club.

What did he expect?

2009-04-15T22:51:02Z

Josh Beckett got suspended six games, and said he did not expect it. What did he think just because he was one of the best pitchers in baseball that MLB was going to ignore that he threw at a batters head and then moved towards the plate when Abreu did not charge the mound. Beckett is just lucky MLB did not nail him for ten games or so. He should have gotten tossed from the game the second that pitch flew over the batters head. No doubt he meant to do that, and you miss a bit and you hit a batter and things could be really bad.

The Bisons played another afternoon game, and lost again. Today the Bisons managed three runs, which is about the max you can expect from this team. So the Bisons record now falls to 1-6, which is worst in the IL. They are already 6 games out of first. So by the end of hte week I am guessing the playoffs will be out of the question. It is a very sad season when it is over before the team plays a road game.

Not a Great Start

2009-04-14T22:26:37Z

I don't think this is the way the New York Mets or Buffalo Bisons envisioned the season starting for the Mets top farm club. A lot of Bison fans were a bit worried about the Mets becoming the new parent club after seeing a lot of bad teams in Norfolk. But the Mets put a veteran club out on the field, with a few prospects mixed in, so there was some hope. But six games into the season this could be the worst baseball team I have ever seen. This team has no offense. Nick Evans, who was the "last man cut in New York" looks overmatch in triple a. I don't think this is a guy who is pouting, but more of a guy who is not ready for this level. But he is not far behind the rest of the hitters, because no one is hitting. Yet Jason Cooper is not on the roster yet. If he could hit .250 he could be leading the team. I know that triple a is to develop players, but you would think the Mets would not mind winning a game too. I strongly believe if players get used to playing for a losing team, it is a attutude brought to the majors.

Top pitching prospect Jonathon Niese has been awful in both his starts. This is a guy who could have won the Mets fifth spot? He is getting hammered in the minors. It looks more like the guy is out there throwing batting pratice then pitching. The only bright spot on the team has been the defense. Last year Morgan Ensberg, Josh Barfield and company could not field a ball to save their life. So there was really no where to go but up.

But the Bisons do look good in their snazzy new duds, so that is a positive.

I'm Back!

2009-04-05T16:18:05Z

I have not written in this blog in a long time, but it is time to start it back up. So with the relaunch of the blog, things have changed a bit around here. While the Jays are still my favorite team, this blog is about the Buffalo Bisons, which is why the Mets layout.

So it about that special day. Thursday is opening day for the Bisons at newly renamed Coke-Cola Field, formerly Dunn Tire Park, North Americare Park, The Ballpark in Downtown Buffalo, and Pilot Field. The name change of the ballpark is not the only new thing this year. Of course the biggest is the Cleveland Indians left for Columbus leaving the Bisons to find a new parent club. In come the New York Mets, who after getting booted out of Norfolk three years ago were exiled to New Orleans. To go with the new parent club, the Bisons got new uniforms, a new logo, and colors. Royal blue, orange and black to go with the new parent club. The Bisons have went all out with the New York Mets thing. Orange foul poles and home run lines, new "NY style" foods at the ballpark. The Bisons always had their own thing going, never really using the parent club Indians as a promotion. But this year it is all about the Mets. If this thing fails, the Bisons will have a lot of things to change. But I would expect the teams to sign an extension soon so the deal is up to four years.

Tonight I will be heading down to Pettibones, for the Phillies vs. Braves opening night party the Bisons put on every year. Can't wait for Thursday, which early weather reports are 49 and sunny.

Governor's Cup Teams Set

2006-09-10T18:33:01Z

IL Playoffs Report:Well, I guess that shows what I know about the IL playoffs. I said the finals would be Scranton vs. Charlotte. So the finals are Rochester vs. Toledo. But it kinda works out anyway, I will probably go down to Rochester for both games one and two and root for the Mud Hens. I just don't want to see the Rochester fans have the joy of winning the cup. Really, you can't find a bigger groups of jerks in minor league baseball. They throw things at you, they swear at you. It is not like I am doing anything but cheering for my team.

Blue Jays Report:Today after watching the Bills blow a 17-7 lead and lose to the Patriots 19-17, I turned on the Jays game to see Josh Towers coming in in the first inning. Needless to say that is not good because Doc was supposed to out there. I guess he got hit in the back, which is not good but I guess is better then the arm. I hope he is not out for any games. Not that it matters now, because the Jays are not going to make the playoffs, but I still want to see them catch Boston for second place. I think that and an increased pay roll of about $100 million, and it could make for a interesting year next year.

IL Playoff Preview

2006-09-06T23:33:42Z

Before I talk about the IL playoffs, who the heck is Anibal Sanchez? I have never heard of him in my life, and the guy threw a no hitter tonight for the Marlins. And as I type this, a guy I have heard of, Randy Johnson is throwing a no hitter in the eighth inning.

The Buffalo Bisons may missed the playoffs this season, but it don't mean that there is not baseball. The North Division champ always plays the wild card team. This year it is Scranton WB vs. Rochester. I like the Red Barons in five in this series. Scranton don't have a superstars (if you can call anyone a superstar in the minors) like Ryan Howard, but they have a solid club 1 though 9 in the order and a strong pitching staff. Jim Rushford has always been a player I hated to see playing against the Bisons. Pedro Swann has been a solid pickup for the Barons from the Independent Leagues. And one of my all time favorite former Bison, Dusty Wathan is behind the plate for the Red Barons. A huge loss was catcher Carlos Ruiz, who was called up to Philly. Rochester is a team that never really impressed me much. Maybe they just did not match up well with Buffalo, but even the games the Herd lost to them it was more the Bisons screwing things up then the play of the Red Wings.

In the other playoff series, I like Charlotte is four over the Toledo Mud Hens. The Mud Hens had to go down to the wire to make the playoffs, winning a one game playoff for the West Division title. When teams have play that hard, it usually means they are spent by the time the playoffs are here. Meanwhile the Knights have been pretty much a lock for the playoffs since June. Former Bisons Ryan Ludwick has turned around his career and had a heck of a season for the Mud Hens. On the Knights side, they have former Bisons Ernie Young, who maybe be having his last kick at another IL title.

In the Championship, I like Dusty Wathan and the Red Barons to clinch the Governor's Cup in five over the Knights. And after the party in Moosic PA, the Phillies will be pulling out of Scranton for their temporary home in Ottawa, while the Mets farm club which was pitiful will be heading to Lackawanna County.

Tomorrow I will be taking in some playoff action, as some friends and I are heading down to root on Dusty Wathan and the Red Barons in Rochester. I will be wearing my Muckdogs jersey because they are the Phillies New York-Penn League team, and one of the Red Barons hats.

Did I ever mention I hate JP and Gibbons

2006-09-05T23:00:07Z

JP Ricciardi and John Gibbons, please quite now. I have seen enough of you failures. For the first time in my life, I am embarrassed to be a Blue Jay fan. Ricciardi has done nothing to improve this team through the minor league system, and has proven that he can not find a bull pen pitcher if it hit him in the face. The Jays have two pitchers in the pen that I have any faith in. BJ Ryan and Brian Tallet. The rest are junk. Leading the way is Jeremy Accardo. Yeah great job, first the head clown in the dugout gets into it with Shea Hillenbrand, and then the clown in the front office trades him for this heap of junk. And why was Doc pulled after seven? I would rather have a tired Doc over a well rested Accardo. Doc should have went went eight, BJ comes in in the ninth to get the save. The Jay have played Cleveland five times, and had a lead in all five, but the pen has blown four of the five.

I have read some articles which say that JP and Gibbons will be back, and I have read some that say they have no chance at coming back. Well, I am sure hoping the are fired, I will probably throw a party the day when the black cloud leaves the top of the Sky Dome.

Trip to Scranton.

2006-09-03T14:25:57Z

One of the most disappointing seasons in Bisons modern day history will come to an end Monday in Ottawa. The Herd will miss the playoffs for only the third time since 1995, Cleveland's first year as the parent club of Bisons. They had a chance to make the playoffs with eight straight verse the division leading Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. The series ended up being seven because of a rain out last Sunday, and the Bisons dropped six of the games. I attended the two games in Scranton and they were two heart breaking loses. On Friday the Herd had a one run lead in the ninth when they gave up two runs on a ball hit off Bisons pitcher Vic Darensburg's leg. Saturday the Bisons and Barons were tied in extras when Buffalo walked in the winning run.

This will be the last season the Philadelphia Phillies farm club will be the Red Barons. Next season the Phillies are moving their minor leaguers to Ottawa for one season and then the whole team is moving to Allentown PA. But Scranton will still have Triple A baseball. It looks like the New York Mets will be the Red Barons parent club, as they are being forced out of Norfolk in favor of the Washington Nationals. So it looks like Baltimore, who's at the moment has its top minor league club in Ottawa, will end up having to move there prospects to New Orleans in the PCL.

Scranton has an okay stadium, really nothing special. Actually it kinda reminds me of Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, because the concourse is cramped, not very well lite, and very plain. And I guess it only gets worse for the players. In most minor league parks there is a bathroom outside the dugout for the players. In Scranton, there is a falling apart outhouse. The clubhouse is actually on the main concourse level. You follow a tunnel down under the concourse and then stairs back up. But some improvements have been made, with indoor batting cages added and a party deck for the fans. The best thing about the stadium is the view of the mountain side past the outfield walls. And the area is being built up with shopping plaza's and restaurants being built close to the stadium. While Scranton is far from the top of the attendance chart, the fans that do come love their team, and very knowledgeable about the International League. I plain on making another trip down to Moosic next season in August when the Bisons play down there. I just hope the weather gets better.

Back from Moosic PA

2006-08-28T07:48:05Z

I'm back from Scranton, and I saw two Bisons loses and Sunday's game was rained out. There was a chance of rain all weekend, and I don't think I saw the sun till we got back to Western New York, so I am happy we got two games in. And what a way to lose, the Bisons scored a run in the top of the ninth on Friday to take the lead, only to have Scranton score two in the bottom of the inning. Then on Saturday Buffalo walked in the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning. I have pictures from the game and some other stories that I will share, but I have to go to work now, so I will probably update later after the Bisons game tonight.

Time to Clean House in Toronto

2006-08-22T07:45:40Z

I will make this really short and simple. If somehow John Gibbons and JP Ricciardi are not fired at the end of the season I will be shocked. Actually I will be even more shocked if they make it to the end of the week.These guys have embarrassed the Blue Jays organization enough. And I hope the next player Gibbons picks a fight with knocks him out.

Rain Rain Go Away

2006-08-19T20:25:18Z

The weather has not been kind to my baseball schedules this week. Monday I was supposed to go to Jamestown for a Jammers game, but it was rained out. Today I was going to make the trip to Syracuse for the Bisons game, but it was rained out. Hopefully next week will be a bit better weather wise. The Herd is home Monday through Thursday and then we are off to Scranton for the games there Friday through Sunday.

Blue Jays Report: What the heck is happening in Toronto? The team is losing, Hinske was traded to Boston, the team they were trying to catch. Vernon Wells says he is going to leave when his contract is up, and JP Ricciardi called him an "idiot". First off, the only "idiots" are JP Ricciardi and John Gibbions. If the Jays want to win, it is time to fire these two. You are not going to get players to sign when you got a manager who is picking fights with his players, and an GM who is calling well respected players "idiots". These two are a long ways from Cito Gaston and Pat Gilliack in terms of class and winning. Please Mr. Rogers, fire these two clowns and bring some respect back to the organization.

Keep Rolling Along

2006-08-15T23:28:44Z

Bisons Report: That fat lady that was singing a couple weeks ago, well her throat is sore, and she may not be able to sing again till after the Bricktown Showdown September 19. The Bisons are red hot, winning games all kinds of different ways. Taking leads and holding on, blowing teams out, making comebacks. I wish they would have figured things out before August, but I guess late is better then never, right? They still do trial Rochester by three for the wild card, because Rochester managed to win one today, but that is still better then the seven they trailed going into last Fridays game. So what has sparked the Bisons turn around? My first guess would be Andy Marte going to the big leagues. We now have Kevin Kouzmanoff up from double a. But he actually can field the ball, he hits home runs, and don't get picked off the bases every other time he is on them. What a breath of fresh air from the former third basemen of the team. Next up for the Herd is three up North in Ottawa, and then they head down to Syracuse for two. I will be at Saturdays game in Syracuse to root the team on.

Blue Jays Report: Oh the Blue Jay pen. Doc went a strong seven, and did get the win tonight, but I must say the pen had me worried in the 8th inning. Once Brandon League got the final out of the inning the pressure was off, because I knew the next Jays pitcher I would see on the mound would be number 52, and that usually means the game is over. Probably the Jays won't make the playoffs, but it has still been fun. Right now I am still hold out hope for the playoffs, or at the very least, catch Boston. I would love to see Red Sox fans reaction to coming in behind Toronto.

Baseball Makes Things Better.

2006-08-13T01:01:59Z

I have not had much of a chance to get on here in the last week, but I have had an awful week. Actually the week was not bad, and I saw lots of baseball, but I got some bad news on Monday about a close friend and it had me worried the whole week, so I was pretty much as basket case. But I saw Bisons games Monday and Tuesday at home. Tuesday night the Bisons were down 9-5 in the ninth inning with two outs and a full count. A double, scored two. Then a home run tied the game. Then a walk, and error and a walk off home run by Jason Dubois won it. I don't know if the Bisons pulled victory from the jaws of defeat or Ottawa pulled defeat from the jaws of victory.

Wednesday it was up to Toronto for the afternoon Jays game. Doc was great and the Jays won 4-3. Thursday and Friday it was down to Rochester to see the Bisons. A lose 6-5 on Thursday, but it seemed better seeing the Bisons were down 6-0 early. Friday the Bisons got a 2-1 win. Today it was back to the ballpark for a 6-2 win over the Rochester Red Wings at home. Tomorrow is in Buffalo and then my buddy Tommy and I might make a trip to Jamestown for a game Monday night.

But thank god for baseball. When you get bad news, even thought I expected it, it still hurt. To be able to keep my mind off the issue for a few hours each night and just enjoy a game is great.

Just a total side note that has nothing to do with anything, but I am wearing a Beloit Snappers hat as I type this. You see, early in the season a foul ball came up, and I ended up on the ground with my hands over my head, trying to miss the ball when it went by, but also when it hits the wall behind me and comes back through. Well, my cell phone started ringing before I was up with people making jokes. So my friends Jessie and Tommy started calling me the "Turtle" because of my actions that day. So Jessie found the Beloit Snappers site one night and that of me and bought me that hat. Well, Thursday night in Rochester I had a chance for a foul ball, and ended up getting out of the way again, and the radio announcers for the Bisons mentioned it on the air I did not catch the ball. So when Jessie game me that hat, she was really laughing about it. So I just wet the hat down so it can form to my head.

Heartbreak in Championship

2006-08-06T12:22:18Z

What heartbreak for my little buddy Brian yesterday. His baseball team was down 2-0 heading into the seventh and final inning of the championship game. The worst part is they were getting no hit. The other team put in a new pitcher, got two outs but walked the bases loaded. Brian was up, and I was a nervous wreck. On a full count pitch Brian hit a slow roller to third which the pitcher fielded, and threw high to first. Brian would have beat out the throw, but the error allowed him to move to second and the second run to score to tie the game. With the no hitter over, the next batter doubled to put Brian's team up 4-2. Heading into the bottom of the inning with a 4-2 lead, they got the first two outs but loaded the bases. Then a kid hit a walk off three run triple to win the game, and take the championship. What heart break it is, being one strike away from losing the championship, and then one strike from winning it, only to lose it. Brian was upset they lost, but he and the team played a heck of a game, and should be proud of themselves.

Tommys game did not go so good either, but they had less drama. They took the lead in the top of the first 1-0, but that is all the scoring they would do, losing 6-1.

Bisons Report: That fat lady that was singing a few weeks ago, she is off the stage for the time being. The Bisons have won 12 of 16 and have pulled within 3.5 of wild card leading Rochester and 4.5 of division leading Scranton. With the Bisons having one more against the Norfolk Tides and Rochester in Charlotte for one more, the Bisons could make up more ground today. The Herd has a huge series against Rochester next week, playing Thursday and Friday in Rochester and Saturday and Sunday at Dunn Tire Park. Later in the month they have eight games in seven days against Scranton. It should be a fun last month of the season.

Blue Jays Report: That fat lady that was singing for the Bisons, has changed theaters, and is singing for the Blue Jays. I knew the seven games on the west coast would be hard, but I would have never imagined they would fall so far so fast. I don't even know what to say about this slide. I guess TSN has it right by saying, when will it end. Agh, not much to say then please win a game. The offense has failed, the pitching has failed, the defense has failed, the manager and GM have failed. Everything is going wrong. Maybe Shea was right with his message "The ship is sinking".

Championship Games Today

2006-08-05T11:06:20Z

No not the Buffalo Bisons, certainly not the Toronto Blue Jays the way they have been playing, but little league. My friend Tommy has his game at 3:30 today, and his little brother has this game at 1. So I plan on attending both games, and then heading up to Dunn Tire Park to see the Bisons play the already running for the bus Norfolk Tides. When I go watch Tommy or Brian's games, I think back to my days playing. How good it felt to win the championship, or even to just get a hit in a game. Brian has a really good coach who teaches the kids when they make a mistake, instead of just yelling at them. Tommy is older, so there is less teaching, even though they could use some on defense. Today I expect Brian's team to win, but I don't hold out much hope for the defense and offensive challenged team Tommy plays on. But which ever it should be fun.