Second Half Preview

Hopefully, I will be a little better in the second half of the season about keeping the blog up to date, but here is a little preview for the second half of the season.

The Beach Bums head into their final 45 games with a whopping 33 home games, leaving only 3 bus trips remaining on the schedule including a 6-game swing to play Gateway and Evansville and 3-game dead-heads against Florence and Chillicothe in August.

Starting today, the Bums will benefit from a 12-game homestand, which includes 6-games against the Midwest Sliders and 3 each against Florence and Chillicothe. With the fortune of a schedule that is loaded with home games in the second half of the season coupled with a strong first half that sits us only a game behind KZOO, who has the best record in the league, we have to feel good about our chances. Speaking of KZOO, some exciting dates, and possible playoff preview, could be the final three games of the season, when the Kings come into Wuerfel Park to close our the regular season schedule.

In other news, former Beach Bums' ace Bryan Rembisz continues to do well with the Anaheim Angels class high-A team in Rancho Cucamonga (the "Quakes"). Rembisz is currently sporting a 4.15 ERA in 8.2 innings of work, striking out 8 and walking only 2. Opponents are hitting just .194 against him. Former Beach Bums catcher Joe Blackburn, who was sold to the Phillies a couple weeks ago, has been assigned to class short season-A Williamsport in the New York-Penn League.

One more bit of news off the rumor mill, whispers around the league indicate that Florence outfielder Angel Molina, who tore up the Frontier League in the first half and was named the All-Star Game MVP, is going to be sold to the Cincinnati Reds in the next couple of days. Good for Angel, but tough for Florence. He will be a hard to replace in the middle of that lineup.

Beach Bums Head to KZOO

The Beach Bums won the first game of a 3-game home series against Windy City 9-0 behind a Ryan Gehring complete game shutout, but lost the next two games 6-5 and 8-2.  However, the squad still heads down to the Kalamazoo today with a 3-game lead and a chance to create some distance between the second place Kings.

After Kalamazoo, the Beach Bums will make the long trip back to Washington, which will be the final three away games against the Wild Things this season.  The current road trip is the beginning of 18+ games against East Division teams, and a great opportunity for the Beach Bums to pull away.

Follow the action on 94.3 the Fox FM and check out Tim Calderwood's blog at calderwoodscorner.blogspot.com.

Bums take 2 of 3 vs. Rockford

The Beach Bums came out on the winning end of two of three straight tough pitching match-ups at Wuerfel Park against the Rockford Riverhawks over the past three days.  After dropping the first game 3-0, the Beach Bums won 1-0 in 11 innings and 4-1 yesterday.  Outstanding pitching performances from Brett Bostelman and Bryan Rembisz were the highlight, and the bullpen also pitched well - James Ledford, Jared Locke, and Ted Gjeldum all tossed scoreless innings in the series.

Windy City comes into town tonight for a 3-game set after taking 2 of 3 at Kalamazoo.  KZOO's losses combined with the Beach Bums' wins have provided a little more space a top the East Division standings as the Beach Bums now enjoy a 3 game lead over the second place Kings.

See you at the park!  GO BUMS!

Beach Bums finish road trip 5-1

The Beach Bums swept Rockford and took 2 of 3 games in Windy City to finish the recent road trip 5-1, bringing the overall record to 13-5, which is tops in the Frontier League as of today. There were a lot of standout performances on the road trip, highlighted by RHP David Nathanson, who won 2 games to improved a league leading 4-0 on the season. He is also currently second in the Frontier League in ERA. Beach Bums' fans can see Nathanson pitch during the current home stand on Saturday.

Other notable performances included OF Mike Goetz and DH Jake Whitesides. Goetz continued to rack up the hits and enters the current homestand as the league leader in batting average, on-base percentage, and hits. What Mike Goetz set up, Jake Whitesides knocked down, adding quite a few RBIs to his league best 26 in only 18 games, which is on pace to break the Frontier League record of 100 RBI on the season.

The Beach Bums' will play the same two teams they played on the road during the current home stand, starting with the Rockford Riverhawks from June 10-12 and the Windy City Thunderbolts from June 13-15. If you're bummed about gas prices, don't miss Thursday's protest at the ballpark, which will drop ticket prices to $4, or the current price of a gallon of gas.

For more Beach Bums blogging, don't miss Tim Calderwood's blog at calderwoodscorner.blogspot.com.

Beach Bums take 2 of 3 versus KZOO

The Beach Bums dropped Sunday's finale against KZOO, losing 7-3, after winning in the bottom of the 12th inning late Saturday night.  The 2 out of 3 series win is the 3rd time the Beach Bums have won a 3-game series in 4 chances this season.

Bryan Rembisz was outstanding on Saturday, but a late Kalamazoo comeback host him the victory, which was picked up by Nick Pepper by throwing a scoreless inning in the 12th.  Jeff Brown had the walk-off hit for the Beach Bums after Brad Miller lead off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Damon Lessler.

Several injuries had the Beach Bums playing out of position all over the field on Sunday, but held in the game offensively until Kalamazoo scored single runs in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th innings to take a 7-3 lead.  The Beach Bums rallied in the 9th, loading the bases with 2 outs, but came away empty.

TC heads out on a 6-game road trip after a much needed day off on Monday.  The Beach Bums will play three games in both Rockford and Windy City before returning to Wuerfel Park for a 6-game home stand against the same two teams.  After the next 12 games, TC won't see either Rockford or Windy City the rest of the season unless it is in the playoffs.

Bums bounce back against KZOO

After losing two of three in Chillicothe, the Beach Bums bounced back last night against the Kalamazoo Kings with a 5-3 win.  The win ties the Bums with the Kings for first place, making the next two games even more important as they struggle for early season control of the division.

Beach Bums' ace Bryan Rembisz (2-0) will go up against KZOO's Jeff Long tonight at Wuerfel Park - game time is 7:05 p.m.  

Bums win 2 of 3 in Washington

The Beach Bums squad just got into Chillicothe tonight for a 3-game set starting tomorrow after winning 2 of 3 games at Washington, which is traditionally a very difficult place to win a game.  The Beach Bums won their two games by the scores of 13-3 and 10-2, losing their first game of the season in between those two victories by a 5-1 count.

Mike Goetz came into the series finale hitting .529 and went 4-5 at the plate.  He has been nothing short of incredible in the lead-off role for the Bums this season.  Brad Roblin was back in the lineup after a day off and had two hits including a double while knocking in 4 runs.  Bryan Rembisz got his second win of the season by throwing 6 innings of 2-run baseball.  The Beach Bums bullpen looked sharp as Ted Gjeldum, Nick Pepper, and Jared Locke all threw a scoreless inning to seal the win.

The Bums will throw their 2-3-4 combination of Ryan Gehring, David Nathanson, and JT King against Chillicothe before coming home for a three game set against Kalamazoo starting on Friday.  Kalamazoo are tied with the Beach Bums atop the East Division standings with a 5-1 mark, so this weekend's series should be a big one.  We'll see you at the park!  Go BUMS!

Bums beat Wild Things 13-3

The Beach Bums bus broke down at 4:00 a.m. this morning and we didn't end up getting into Washington until 2:30 p.m., which was just a couple of hours before getting back on the bus to head to the game.  But the Beach Bums scored early and often on Washington and the 2007 Frontier League Pitcher of the Year, Aaron Ledbetter, to come away with the 13-3 victory.  Jake Whitesides finished with 6 RBI including a 3-run homer off Ledbetter in the 3rd and a bases loaded 3-run double later in the game.  Beach Bums' starter JT King went 7 strong innings, allowing just 2 runs.

Brett Bostelman will get the start for the Beach Bums tomorrow against Washington's J.J. Hollenbeck.  Hollenbeck pitched very well against the Beach Bums last season, so it should be a tough game, especially as the long bus ride starts to catch up with the squad.  Make sure to listen on 94.3 The FOX at 6:45 p.m. tomorrow night as the Beach Bums go for their 5th straight win to start the season.  GO BUMS!

Bums Sweep Sliders, 8-0

The Beach Bums completed the sweep of the Midwest Sliders tonight with a 8-0 victory.  The Beach Bums had a great all-around game with several sparkling plays on defense, seven two-hit innings from starter David Nathanson, and several hitters with multi-hit games.  

The Bums head out on a 6-day road trip tonight that will start in Washington before heading to Chillicothe.  The squad will be back in Traverse City next Friday May 30th for a 3-game set against in-state rival Kalamazoo, who won 2 of 3 against the Florence Freedom in their opening series.  It should be a good weekend of baseball next weekend, so make sure to get some tickets and we will see you at the park.  GO BUMS!

Beach Bums 4, Sliders 2

The Beach Bums improved to 2-0 on Thursday night with a 4-2 win over the Midwest Sliders (0-2).  The Beach Bums were paced by the play of left fielder Mike Goetz who had three walks and a huge 2-RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the eighth to put the Beach Bums up 4-0.   The Beach Bums bullpen made it exciting for the second night in a row, allowing two runs in the ninth, but Nick Pepper earned his first save of the season by striking out Anthony Albano with the bases loaded to end the game.  Starting pitcher Ryan Gehring earned the win with 7 one-hit shutout innings. 

The weather should be nice for a Friday Night Fireworks show, so come out to the park and see the Beach Bums go for the first series sweep of the season before heading out on a 6-game road trip.  See you at the park - GO BUMS!

Bums win on Opening Day

Opening night was a gut check for the Beach Bums as steady rain and sub-40 degree temperatures dumped down on just over 3,000 poncho covered fans at Wuerfel Park tonight.  The Bums came out on top 9-5 after jumping out 9-0 through the first four innings.

The Bums did an outstanding job blocking out the elements defensively, failing to commit a single error even though the rain had been soaking the new turf for over six hours before game time at 7:05 p.m.  Bryan Rembisz was spectacular on the mound, battling through six innings while only giving up two runs on two hits.

My hats are off to the Sliders, who surged late in the game to come within four runs after falling behind big, showing the next two games in the series will be a dog fight.  Nick Pepper did an excellent job in the ninth inning after sitting in the freezing weather for two straight hours - it's not easy to be that cold and come in and try to throw strikes.

The weather looks much better for tomorrow and we have a great promotion lineup up with Brittany and Bernie from the hit TV show "The Biggest Loser" stopping by to throw out the first pitch and sign autographs.  See you at the park - GO BUMS!

Final Cuts Announced

The Traverse City Beach Bums are now down to 24 players.  Below is a short synopsis of each position.

Outfield

The Beach Bums' outfield will consist of Mike Goetz, Mike Epping, Brad Roblin and Jake Whitesides.  Whitesides will also see time at DH and 1B.  Goetz, Epping, and Roblin all impressed during spring training both defensively and offensively.  All four outfielders are speed threats on the bases and Beach Bums' fans can expect a lot of excitement out of this group.

Infield

The Beach Bums infield includes 3B Matt Imwalle, SS Brad Miller, 2B Steve Young, and 1B Kyle Maunus.  The Beach Bums' have kept two utility infielders, Jeff Brown and slick fielding Damon Lessler.  After a difficult year defensively in 2006, Imwalle impressed the coaching staff at 3rd base this spring, only making one error during two weeks worth of intrasquads.  SS Brad Miller will pick up where Justin Holmes led off as one of the best shortstops in the league while late addition Kyle Maunus has been outstanding at 1st base and at the plate during spring training. 

Catching

The Beach Bums' will have veteran Patrick Perry along with former Oakland Athletics' farmhand John Brummett behind the plate.  Perry was the only catcher selected to the post-season All-Star Team in the CanAm League last season, which is widely considered to be a class double-A caliber independent league.  Althought this is Perry's 5th year of professional baseball, he is only an LS-1 by Frontier League standards.

Starting Pitching

The 1-2-3 combination of Bryan Rembisz, Ryan Gehring, and David Nathanson return for the Beach Bums along with newcomers to the rotation JT King and Brett Bostelman.  King, a former Brewers prospect, has looked great on the mound this spring while Bostelman, who was in the Beach Bums' bullpen last season, dropped 15 pounds in the off-season and will make the move into the 5th spot in the rotation in 2008.

Bullpen

The Beach Bums' return Matt Dillard, Jeff Williams, Nick Pepper, and Jared Locke from last year's squad along with newcomers Zac Cole, Ted Gjeldum, and Peter McEneaney.  Of the seven relievers, only Dillard and the submarining Pepper don't have the ability to hit 90 mph.  We have a great group of power arms in the bullpen this year, which should take a lot of pressure off the starting staff.  

Opening Day Roster Nearly Set

With a few days left until opening day at Wuerfel Park, we have cut the squad down to 27 players.  All three of the remaining cuts will be positions players including two catchers.  As of right now the pitching staff will include starters Bryan Rembisz, Ryan Gehring, David Nathanson, JT King, and Brett Bostelman.  The bullpen will consist of righties Matt Dillard, Zac Cole, Jeff Williams, and Nick Pepper with lefties Jared Locke and Ted Gjeldum.  The Beach Bums' first round draft pick in the Frontier League Tryout Camp, Peter McEneaney, has also made the squad and will start the season in the bullpen.

The exact order of the rotation has not been announced yet, but I'm assuming we will be able to make that public soon.  A list of position players who have made the cut should be available tomorrow or the next day.

Ledbetter, Dickerson Retire

Two members of the 2007 Traverse City Beach Bums retired suddenly yesterday. 1B/C Curtis Ledbetter, who was expected to be the every day 1st basemen for the Beach Bums in 2008, and outfielder RC Dicerkson both called to announce their intentions to pursue opportunities outside of professional baseball. Ledbetter has accepted a position as the University of Nebraska's Director of Baseball Operations. Both players will be missed for their attitude and ability on and off the field.

The impact of the announcement will have Matt Imwalle come into camp as the every day 1st basemen for the Beach Bums, although outfielder Jake Whitesides could also see some time there.

Beach Bums Deal for Pitchers

The Traverse City Beach Bums have acquired RHP Shannon Wirth and reacquired RHP David Nathanson from the Joliet Jackhammers of the Frontier League for a player to be named later. Both pitchers are expected to open the season in the Beach Bums' starting rotation.

Nathanson pitched for the Beach Bums in 2007 and was sent to Joliet this off-season in the deal that brought OF Jake Whitesides and SS Tim Hutting to the Beach Bums. Hutting was later traded for INF/DH Matt Imwalle.

Last year for the Beach Bums, Nathanson went 5-2 with a league 6th best 2.95 ERA in 76.1 innings. Over that stretch, Nathanson gave up just 70 hits, 3 home runs, and 11 walks while striking out 42 and holding opponents to a .244 average.

The unknown face for Beach Bums' fans is RHP Shannon Wirth, a 6'0" 215-pound native of Troutdale, Oregon. Wirth helped win the 2006 national title for Lewis & Clark State College, a NAIA powerhouse program, and was drafted in the 32nd round by the Texas Rangers. He pitched 38 innings amongst three different levels in the Rangers organization in 2006, reaching as high as class high-A. In 2007, Wirth pitched for now Joliet manager Wally Backman in South Georgia of the South Coast League. Wirth helped win a title with South Georgia in 2007, going 9-5 with a league 5th best 3.44 ERA in a league 2nd best 107.1 innings. He walked 33, struck out 71, and held opponents to a .265 average.