Catching up with ...

One of the best things about independent baseball is seeing random former major leaguers. Our game on Sunday didn't yield too many good names: Camden - Manager Von Hayes, catcher Toby Hall, pitcher Mike Koplove; Bridgeport - Antonio Alfonseca (OK, that's a good one) and one name that jumped out at me ... Adam Greenberg.

You don't remember this guy? He played a whole game for the Cubs in 2005. Sadly, he was hit in the head by the first pitch in his first at-bat and is still trying to get back to the majors.

We stumbled across his story because he shares a birthday with Christine.

He got the day off on Sunday, but we saw him in the dugout (No. 5). He's doing well for the first-place Bluefish in his fourth year of independent ball. He's old, but we're still rooting for a Hollywood ending in which he gets another chance in the majors.

Trent's gone pro

Today was a big day for our family: Trent's first outing to a professional baseball game. OK, it was Camden, not Philadelphia, and lacked all the Major League trappings. But c'mon, Citizens Bank Park does not have a carousel.

It was an odd game. Riversharks pitcher J.R. Mathes retired the first nine Bridgeport Bluefish in order before they took revenge with seven consecutive hits (no exaggeration) in a seven-run 4th inning on the way to a 9-3 win. We didn't follow much of the action, and I didn't attempt to keep score.

Trent did OK for a first time. We sat in the front row, and I was proud that he did not get upset when a batter fouled a rocket back against the net two feet from us.

He got a little squirmy in that long 4th inning, but
we were able to coax him through the 7th inning stretch before we went home to watch the Phillies lose a 14-inning game on TV.

Before the game, Trent took a couple of rides on the carousel while enjoying the view of the Ben Franklin Bridge and Philadelphia skyline. The guy who operated the ride was awesome. He was very friendly and a good representative for the organization.

After Trent got squirmy in his seat (mitigating factors: this weekend has been rough - slight cold, three vaccination shots, and the beginning of the end for his pacifier and bottles), we took a walk around the concourse and calmed him. Some Rita's water ice rejuvenated him.

His favorite part of the game seemed to be checking out babes in the crowd. (He's a hound dog.) But he knows when to get serious: Here's a picture of him scouting the 'Sharks for a hidden gem to recommend to Theo Epstein or Ruben Amaro Jr. (Never mind that sippie cup.)

We had a good time and know it won't be long before he takes his first trip to Citizens Bank Park. I just hope he doesn't expect a carousel.

Triple header

Christine and I, and her Mom, spent a brutally hot day at the ballpark watching the local nine. The Phillies were in Atlanta, so we went real local: the York Revolution and the Camden Riversharks squaring off in unaffiliated baseball at Campbell's Field.

Instead of Cole, Chase and J-Roll, we had Jason Phillips, Aaron Myette and Josh Rabe. Instead of the Phanatic, we had Finley - the friendliest shark we know. Instead of statues of Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn and Steve Carlton, there were tributes to the legendary Campbell's kids. And every time a ball was fouled off, a cow mooed. (Foul - or is it fowl? - balls are sponsored by Chik-fil-A.)

We should probably go see the local team more often, but going to a game in the beginning of June is becoming an annual thing for us and the Riversharks. Through work, Christine's Mom gets tickets for the picnic area. Minor league baseball can be entertaining if there's a highly touted prospect or an amusing has-been in the game. This one had neither.

We split in the 7th because of the heat. We had to wait until Myette gave up a hit, which he did in the 5th with one out. Phillips, the be-goggled former Met, Dodger and Blue Jay, followed that hit with an RBI double. It was 5-1 when we left, and when it ended, "the hometown Riversharks were outplayed Sunday to the tune of 9-4," according to the team's press release.

Still undetermined is whether we get free pizza out of the game. They have a promotion where if a pre-selected visiting player strikes out, you get a free slice. If it happens, twice you get two slices. Three times gets a whole pie. Last year, our guy struck out twice, but when we tried to cash in, the pizza place wouldn't honor the tickets because it was eight days after the game. That caveat, that the tickets had to be redeemed with a week of the strikeouts, wasn't mentioned or printed anywhere. I complained to the Riversharks GM, who apologized and offered a free meal at the park. I didn't collect but appreciated the gesture. Today's strikeout player, C Luis Taveras, the older brother of Rockies CF Willy Taveras, was 1-3 with a groundout and flyout by the time we left. He would have gotten another at-bat, but I can't find a box score anywhere.


Phillies: We got home in time to watch the Phillies win (yawn) another close game late against the Braves. Adam Eaton, who leads the Phillies in quality starts, got another one today, but he didn't get his third straight win because the game stayed tied at three until the Phillies scored three times in the 9th. That's now four straight for the Phillies, who distanced themselves from Atlanta with the sweep and could put some more space between them and the Marlins in Florida over the next three games. If so, it'll be at the point where we wonder if the Phillies will just cruise. Christine hopes they learned a lesson from the Mets last year and don't think the division is won until it's clinched.

Red Sox: The Red Sox won again (yawn, again) at home. This time, it was a crisp 2-1 game over the Mariners. J.D. Drew, who's quietly redeeming himself after last year, hit the go-ahead homer in the 6th. Justin Masterson won again (three in four starts). He's now 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA. You have to love young, homegrown pitchers. Not every team can be like the Phillies and get into June using only five starters.

Sox-Phils interleague history, 2000: Phillies swept a home series; two games went more than 11 innings. We didn't go to any games. The opener ended in the 11th when Alex Arias doubled off of John Wadsin, scoring Brian Hunter. The middle game was a 9-3 blowout behind another strong Randy Wolf start. And the finale went 12 innings before Rheal Cormier (then a Sox) gave up a double to Kevin Jordon, scoring Brian Hunter again. Other winners: Jeff Brantley and Steve Schrenk. Other loser: Tim Wakefield.

On second thought, while we searched for ticket stubs to the 2005 Sox-Phils series, we found one from 2000. It was the finale. Curt Schilling gave up five runs in 7.1 innings against Jeff Fassero. Derek Lowe, then a reliever, blew it, causing the extra innings. Pat Burrell played 1B. We don't remember a lick.

The kicker: We can't find any memorabilia from 2005 and can't remember which games we went to. Yeah, we're getting old.