New slogans, jokes, Darth Vader, stadium news and a sentimental article about one man's 36-year journey to the big leagues. What's not to love about the minor leagues?
Even though MiLB rosters haven't been set yet, we still have plenty to talk about. Here's what is going on around the Pacific Coast League right now.
The El Paso Chihuahuas are set to begin their inaugural season and according to the team's radio broadcaster, Tim Hagerty, some of the players are already getting into the spirit:
Infielder Brandon Wood tells me the team wants to adopt an actual chihuahua to run around the clubhouse.
— Tim Hagerty (@tdhagerty) March 18, 2014Also, in this interview with Padres manager Bud Black, Hagerty revealed that Black recently flashed the "Fear the Ears" hand symbol that the Chihuahuas have developed.
You might need to be over 30 to understand this joke from Cody Decker, an infielder in the Padres system:
Due to inflation, now they would be 5.8 Non Blondes....
— Cody Decker (@Decker6) March 18, 2014Keeping with the Twitter theme, Tacoma Rainiers radio broadcaster Mike Curto (who writes an excellent blog about the Rainiers) tweeted about his recent claim to fame:
Twitter is a magical place. I just got tweeted @ by the Stanford trombonist who was crushed at the end of "The Play." #blessed
— Mike Curto (@CurtoWorld) March 20, 2014
The Sacramento River Cats can’t figure out whether to be overjoyed or frightened after being followed by @EvilDarthVader on Twitter:
.@EvilDarthVader just followed us. Awesome or alarming?
— River Cats (@RiverCats) March 17, 2014The Omaha World Herald jumped aboard the NCAA basketball bracket craze and created one for Nebraska celebrities, who advance by popular vote. The first round pitted Bob Gibson vs. Alex Gordon (both of whom played Triple-A baseball in Omaha - Gibson with the Omaha Cardinals and Gordon with the Omaha Royals). Gibson won with 69% of the vote. Gordon didn't stand a chance.
Speaking of Omaha, Chris Jones (not the pitcher, despite the link to his profile) wrote a long feature for ESPN called A Long Journey to Spring about former Storm Chasers manager Mike Jirschele that is a must read. Jirschele played and then coached/managed in the minor leagues for the past 36 seasons before finally making it to the big leagues (where he will be a coach for the Royals this season).
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox posted a Q & A with manager Glenallen Hill on its blog. Hill is entering his second season at the helm.
All is not well with the Las Vegas 51s, for a couple of reasons. First, the Metshaven't decided whether or not they will renew their contract with the 51s for the 2015 season. And second, according to these twostories, Cashman Field isn't exactly ideal for baseball.
The Salt Lake Bees renamed their stadium Smith's Ballpark earlier this month. Smith's is a grocery store chain.