As the Bluefish are getting ready to play the 5th game of the Skeeters series, I thought I’d let you guys know a little bit about the new acquisitions. Last  Wednesday, GM Ken Shepard gave me the scoop on the Russ Mitchell signing. He is now listed on the active roster. The other new player is pitcher Mickey Jannis.

Mickey Jannis, RHP, Reliever - Jannis was drafted in 2010 by the Tampa Bay Rays. His time in affiliated ball didn’t last long as he never made it past High-A and was playing for the independent Frontier League by the start of the 2012 season. In 74.2 IP, he accumulated a 2.53 ERA. Not bad. The Bluefish acquired him from the Frontier League for a player to be named later. If there’s any truth to the Bluefish bio on him, he’s working on his knuckleball, so he might be fun to watch. 2013 stats with the Fish: 2 G, 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 SO, 0 BB

Russ Mitchell, 3B, 1B - Mitchell a bit of major league experience with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 and 2011. His ML claim to fame is a few timely homeruns, but there was no significant offense besides that. On the other hand, at the AAA level he has had great offensive numbers. Ken has brought him in hoping to bring some more power to the line up. So far, he has started the last three games vs the Skeeters at 3B. He has yet to show much offense; I’m sure Willie and the front office will give him some lee way on gettin’ in the swing of things. AAA stats: .302 BA, .367 OBP, .522 SLG

The latest releases: P Jordan Roberts, INF Daniel Barbero, P Edward Rodriguez, P Josh Schmidt, Utility man and fun guy to watch Sam Greenberg

Still in limbo:

We have yet to see pitcher Hayden Penn take the mound. Last week Ken mentioned he’s dealing with some arm tenderness but didn’t have a timeline on Penn getting in a game. I’m not sure why an Independent team is holding on to a guy this long when usually the rosters for most of the teams are such revolving doors. 

Is Matt Spencer OK? I haven’t checked on live game broadcasts so I don’t know the back story on why Russ Mitchell has started at 3B for the last three games, moving Luis Lopez to 1B and making Spencer the odd man out. I don’t mind it as long as Mitchell starts showing some offense. Spencer was definitely doing his part in the lineup, I’d hate to put that bat aside is Mitchell isn’t getting it done. If its because Spencer is injured, well then, no need for the conversation.

With Jeff Fulchino injured, the Bluefish are in need of a consistent effective closer. I’m not sure if Willie has put any one guy out there for the save opportunities I just know there hasn’t been a save since Fulchino except for one by Winston Abreu and hopefully that’s not who their counting on. My guess is Kanekoa Texeira should be the one to emerge as the closer. Only time will tell on this one. I’m usually not a fan of Willie’s pitching decisions.

Up Next:

Tonight is the 5th game of a 6 game series in Sugar Land. If the Bluefish win tonight they will have at least split the series, which is no small feat again the top team in the Atlantic League.

The Bluefish return home on Thursday, May 23rd, vs the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. This will be a pivotal series since the Crab are in 2nd place behind the Fish. Bridgeport will be looking to pull away in the standings. 

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Tonight the Bluefish look to hand the Sugar Land Skeeters the second of two straight losses. On paper, the Fish are the team to do it, but we know what should happen isn’t always what does happen. Bridgeport has the offense for it, enough to beat their weaker pitchers. On the other hand, our pitchers will have to be at their best to hold them. They’ve won 22 out of 26 for a reason. As I write this, the Fish have already allowed the Skeeters to tie that game 1-1 after jumping ahead in the first inning. Bluefish reliever turned starter Keith Bilodeau is facing the Skeeters’ Bobby Livingston—a lefty that’s 2-0 in his last two starts. Even though Bilodeau is 0-1 in his only 2 starts, this can be a fairly equal match up if he can keep the walks down. 

All the right guys are in the lineup tonight as well, except for Yusuf Carter. The catcher/DH is red hot these days with big hits; he might be able to get some power going if manager Willie Upshaw put him out there more regularly. Tonight veteran Luis Rodriguez is behind the plate and Alexis Gomez is DH. 

Tonight’s game is the second in a 6 game series, so the odds are the Fish may very well be the team to beat the Skeeters more than once in a series. And 6 games? Really? I hope I’m not the only one who thinks that is ridiculous. But even more ridiculous was the fact that the Atlantic League put a team out there. All the money spent on travel and lodging could have been better spent on updating the older ballparks in the league and raising that salary cap to make certain ball clubs more appealing to fans and players. 

On a final note, make sure you check out Sportswire Entertainment’s live broadcast tomorrow night, Friday, May 17th, at 8pm. I’ll be a guest on the show; you’ll be able to put a face to the blog and they’ve managed to have a pro wrestler on as a guest as well and we all know how I feel about that “sport”. Should be interesting, but it will definitely be fun. I hope some Fish fans can watch.

Now that the Bluefish have put the brakes on their losing skid with Game 1 of tonight’s doubleheader, I thought I’d throw together a quick update. There have been plenty of roster changes in the past week. Here’s the rundown:

Agreed To Terms with Russ Mitchell - 3B, 1B                                                        Last night, GM Ken Shepard let me know that the team had agreed to terms with former LA Dodger Russ Mitchell. Mitchell spent 2012 on AA teams for the San Francisco Giants and Miami. Before that he spent his career in the LA Dodgers organization. Between 2010 and 2011, Mitchell appeared in 30 games at the major league level.                                               AAA stats: .302 BA, .367 OBP

Signed Local Boys Sam Greenberg (INF) and Karl Derbacher (OF) Greenberg and Derbacher last played ball for Southern CT State University in 2011 and 2009, respectively. My impression is that both are on to fill roster spots for a bit for any “In Case of Emergency” situations—presently Chaves’ injury and Prentice Redman’s absence. I can’t imagine Willie will give them much playing time otherwise. Greenberg is “One More At Bat” Adam Greenberg’s brother, so it would be neat to see them out on the field together. I’ll always root for local ball players.

Signed Pitcher Winston Abreu                                                       Between ‘06, ‘07, and ‘09, Winston pitched about 44 relief innings at the major league level, mostly with the Washington Nationals in 2006. More recently, since 2009, he’s pitched at the AAA affiliated level and for the Mexican League.                                                                                 2012 Mexican League Stats: 3.83 ERA, 1.41 WHIP

Don’t forget, tomorrow is Thirsty Thursday, that means half price domestic drafts! 

See you at the Yard!

Quick Hits

• Apparently Collin DeLome announced his retirement some time yesterday before the Bluefish home opener. I found out while I was having drinks before the game and neurotically checking twitter. York’s play-by-play broadcaster Darrell Henry let us know. DeLome suffered a knew injury last year that required surgery. There’s no statement from DeLome to say what went into his decision. He seemed to be playing well so far.
• Alexis Gomez, of Mud Hen fame for hitting 4 home runs in one game, finally joined the team yesterday and didn’t look one bit ready to be in the lineup last night, but with the loss of DeLome I think Willie was forced to put him in.
• The Bluefish have 3 players in the top 10 batting average leaders of the of the Atlantic League: 3B Luis Lopez (.400), 1B Matt Spencer (.348), and LF Austin Krum (.320)
• Two Bluefish starters are first and third in ERA rankings for the Atlantic League, Josh Butler (0.82) and Mike Parisi (0.90). 
• Bridgeport has an awesome outfield; Austin Krum, Adam Greenburg, and Prentice Redman have all made Sportscenter Top Plays worthy catches out there.
• Most important of all—with a record of 6-2 and riding a 5 win streak— the Bluefish are securely holding on to first place in the Liberty Division. Is anyone else worried about how quick someone will get snatched up my affiliated ball with the team playing so well?

After three tequila and pineapple juices at Bridgeport Holiday Inn’s Blue Martini and a ball park beer, all I have for you are some highlights—this Fish Pen was not about to try and keep score last night, didn’t even bring the scorebook.

• It was defensive plays that got the fan’s out of their seats last night. Early on York was caught stealing by veteran catch Luis Rodriguez and I think it was on a dropped ball.
• Left fielder Austin Krum layed himself out across the third base foul line super man style to catch a fly ball. I’m pretty sure I spotted Prentice Redman out in right field doing the same at one point too. In a one run battle those plays are key.
• At one point manager/3B coach Willie Upshaw and/or Luis Lopez must have had some tequila as well because that would be the only reasonable explanation for Luis Lopez trying to tag up from 2nd to 3rd on a fly ball to center—I think you know what I’m getting at. We always think we can run much faster than we actually can don’t we?
• The game was over at 2-1 when Jeff Fulchino walked onto the mound to close the game. See above comment about affiliated ball.

Tonight Bridgeport’s Mike Colla will take the mound vs York’s Nick Green. Game time is at 6:05 pm with a fireworks show after the game. 

Today’s forecast for York will be dry, BUT still cold. As desperate as I usually am for the baseball season to get started, this kind of weather makes me wonder why season starts this early. It never fails, that come the Bluefish home opener, I’ll be wishing I brought a blanket with me. Oh, I’ll stare at the blanket on the way out, but do you think I ever grab it? Noooo, I’m going to watch a baseball game, in the spring, no way I need a blanket. That’s usually when I trek on over to the gear shop and buy one. Here’s what you can expect for tonight’s game in York:

I have a nifty new iOS app that gave me the idea to make my own little HR predictor image. It’s called BallParkWx. It lets you know what to expect at major league ball games rain-wise, but the feature that made me spend the $0.99 was the “Blowing Out” tab. The “Blowing Out” tab lets you know which games will potentially have more homeruns due to the wind direction and speed. Anywho, it doesn’t make me a meteorologist or a physics expert; it’s just another nerdy way to think about your team’s performance. My take for tonight? A plethora of mammoth foul balls to the right side???

Tonight’s starters are Josh Butler for the Fish and Brett Tomko for York. You can check out my roster post to get the scoop on Josh Butler. Brett Tomko is the veteran of all veterans having pitched for about 10 different major league ball clubs—most recently with the Texas (2011) and Oakland (2009). He has been used as both a starter and a reliever throughout his career. Its not a given just anyone can pitch at his age (40 yrs old) let alone start and give a quality outing. Honestly, I’m not sure what the York manager and front office are thinking if they’re relying on Brett Tomko to start regularly. I’d say its a “lightning in a bottle” scenario which we’re suckers for in baseball. Here’s was York beat writer Jim Seip had to say about Tomko’s signing:

Brett Tomko could prove to be a big signing, not because of his big-league history but because of his ability to fight and work to come back when no one thinks a comeback is possible. By Jim Seip, York Daily Record, March 25, 2013

 Hopefully I won’t be eating my words come the end of the game tonight.

I have a couple posts for my lucky readers today. For now, I’ll go over the outfielders, as promised when I broke down the pitchers and infielders. Yesterday, Alexis Gomez was put on the inactive list. He was supposed to get his VISA on the 16th and is expected to join the team this coming Monday, the 22nd, as reported by GM Ken Shepard. Here are the 2013 Bridgeport Bluefish outfielders as listed today, April 20th:

Collin DeLome  OF - DeLome made his Atlantic League debut with Bridgeport last season and only needed 23 games to prove his bat could contribute to an affiliated ball club. Check out what I had to say about him when he announced his arrival with a grand slam last season. Unfortunately, while playing for Gwinnett at the start of June, DeLome suffered a serious injury to his left knee that required surgery. His return to the Fish will be a return to baseball all together. His offensive power is undeniable if his body is back to 100%. I’m sure the DH spot will be his for a while. 2012 AAA & Bpt stats: 138 PA, .308 BA, .380 OBP, .550 SLG

Adam Greenberg CF - I have been ecstatic about Greenberg’s return. I don’t need to write much. He was great when he was with the Fish before and now his “One More At Bat” notoriety brought his name to fans across the country. Bluefish fans know that the one at bat as a Marlin vs Cy Young winner RA Dickey didn’t do him justice. He was an allstar caliber player for the Bluefish before and will continue to be this season. He gets on base, makes the most of it, and carries a mean glove. Make no mistake about it, Greenberg will be grindin’ away to make it back to the Bigs. Bluefish career stats: .255 BA, .371 OBP, .366 SLG, 126 SB (81 SB%)

Austin Krum CF, LF - Fans who follow the Yankees farm system (me) will recognize this name. After being drafted by New York in 2007, he worked his way through the minor league tiers playing roughly 120-130 games per year. He reached AAA in 2011. Krum has historically shown quick legs and great defense, but was released by the Yankees at the end of minor league spring training in 2012 and hadn’t found his next baseball home until now. 2011 AAA stats: .246 BA, .328 OBP, .308 SLG, 9 SB in 64 G

Prentice Redman RF - Redman returns to the Bluefish having led the team in RBI, 2B, R, and HR last season. Needless to say he is a fan favorite and there’s no reason to believe he won’t give the same performance this year. 2012 Bluefish stats: .282 BA, .366 OBP, .489 SLG

Although he’s not on the active roster yet, click here to read my post when he signed 2 months ago.

How the outfield will be shuffled around when Alexis Gomez arrives remains to be seen. I still suspect he won’t spend much time on the field, so the only player effected might be Collin DeLome.

Wow. If you missed last night’s game vs the York Revolution, kick yourself now. Go ahead, I’ll wait, it can be done with just the right upswing momentum. It was the kind of pitching you normally hope for all season and never get—everyone that came in followed the lead of the pitcher before and shut down the York lineup. Between innings 2 and 8, pitchers Mike Parisi, Matt Sommo, and Adam Carr put away 20 consecutive Revs. The lone base-runner in that stretch was caught stealing for the 3rd out of the 3rd inning. Both lineups were quiet—York with 3 hits and the Fish with 5 hits and 1 run. Outfielder-turned starting pitcher-turned first baseman Matt Spencer had the only RBI of the game in the 4th once the Fish had runners on the corners.  After that the York shut down 12 Bluefish in a row. Monroe resident Jeff Fulchino got the save for Bridgeport after a groundout, a strikeout, a walk, and a final ground out. His was the only walk of the game given up by the Bluefish pitching staff. 

Additional Notes

There were no surprises with the defense. As expected Willie will be keeping veterans Luis Lopez at 3B and Luis Rodriguez behind the plate. As I’ve said before, I’d love to see some fresher bodies at those positions this season, but Manager Willie Upshaw usually sticks with the veterans. I’ll admit the pitching performances tonight were a pleasant surprise.  Parisi and Fulchino hadn’t pitched last season and Sommo was a result of the team’s open tryout. I really expected spring training type of performances—short outings and definitely more hits. Last night was a sign of GREAT things to come.

I’d say my only annoyance was that Luis Lopez was 6th in the lineup. For 5 seasons, Lopez has been a consistent offensive force as a run producer and as an OBP leader. Most of the time Lopez will work the pitcher and get on base. I think he should at least be at #5. We’ll have to see if he gets shifted up soon depending on performances. 

Game 2 vs York will be at 6:30 tonight. You can watch the game at YorkRevsTV.com or listen using the Shoutcast app on your smartphone (search for YorkRevs).

Bluefish Josh Butler will take the mound against York’s Brett Tomko.

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As always, thanks for reading. Lets have some fun this season!

I don’t think I’m the only fan that gets giddy when a new season starts and I’m lucky enough to get that feeling twice a year—once with my beloved Yankees and once with the Bridgeport Bluefish. Today, the Boys of Bridgeport will head do to York, PA, to take the field versus the York Revolution and open the 16th season of the Atlantic League. As one of only two founding teams remaining in the league, Bridgeport is vying for a sixth division title and a second championship. 

The pitching staff I broke down on my last post has change a bit with the release of lefty Arnaldo Munoz and the addition of former New York Yankees minor Leaguer Kanekoa Texeira. If five are starters that only leaves four guys in the bullpen which is obviously not enough, but the Fish don’t have a full roster showing on their website yet so there will be plenty of moves made by today to open the season. GM Ken Shepard noted through twitter that they indeed have 14 pitchers set for the start of the season. Right now there are only 19 players listed on the roster.

Without further adieu, let’s take a look at the rest of the team:

Catchers:

Yusuf Carter - At 28 years old, I’m hoping Carter will get  most of the time behind the plate over the 39 year old veteran Rodriguez. He doesn’t offer better offense but a fresher body could be a good thing. Highest level in affiliated ball was at AA, but showed absolutely no offense. This will be his 3rd season in the Atlantic League.               2012 Somerset Patriots stats: 82 G, .209 BA, .651 OPS, 3.45 SO/BB, 19% CS

Luis Rodriguez - A true Bluefish veteran: 6th season with the Fish and 21st professional season overall. Here’s what I had to say about a month ago about Rodriguez:  

I’m actually hoping that at 39 he’s ready to come back as a coach. His veteran presence is way more valuable than his actual playing at this point. 

He’s on as a player/coach unfortunately. I think its time for him to focus solely on coaching. His catching ability is way more valuable than his offense.                                                                                               2012 Bpt Bluefish stats: .255 BA, .296 OBP, .363 SLG, 96 G, 15% CS

Infielders:

Brandon Chaves - SS, 3B - Chaves returns to the Atlantic League after a trip across the Atlantic Ocean to Italy where he played the 2012 season with the Italian Baseball League. Most of his playing time has been at shortstop with stints at third base. Highest level of affiliated ball was at AAA. With the Fish in 2011, he was never an offensive force.           2012 Italian Baseball League stats: 118 AB, .237 BA, .331 OBP

Luis Lopez - 3B, 1B - Lopez is starting his 6th season with the Fish and 19th in professional ball. Every year he’s been a consistent positive force in the lineup while his defense at third has been declining. I’d actually like to see him moved to first base or DH if open. He still sprinkles in some spectacular plays, but errors and diminished range are hard to watch at such a key defensive position.                           2012 Bridgeport Bluefish Stats: .265 BA, .386 OBP, .353 SLG

Daniel Mayora 3B, 2B, SS - Mayorga makes his Atlantic League debut this season having been in affiliated ball until last season. He spent 2005 - 2010 in the Rockies organization where he reached as high as AA. In 2011 he reached as high as AAA with the Tampa Bay Ray. He spent 2012 playing mostly 3B for the Giants AA affiliate.                   2012 AA stats: .281 BA, .345 OBP, .360 SLG

Matt Spencer RF, LF, 1B, LHP - Spencer also makes his Atlantic League debut this season having been in affiliated ball until last season. He spent his 6 years of professional ball with multiple MLB affiliated teams. Spencer’s latest stint was with the Cubs’ single A clubs; unfortunately in was only 15 games because he was trying his hand at pitching. During at least one spring training game Bluefish Manager Willie Upshaw played him at first, but most of his experience is really in RF. Who knows what kind of a defensive player he will be when all he has to show for the 2012 season is 18.2 IP in relief and obviously no at bats. I’d have to guess that the return to 1B means his arm is shot physically. I’m not sure his bat will be worth the “last resort” move defensively to keep him in the line up.                                                                                           2011 AAA/AA Offensive Stats: .246 BA, .319 OBP, .419 SLG

That’s the run down for now, I’m sure Ken will shake things up with signing announcements later today. The roster online is not yet showing 25 players. Look for an update from me before tonight’s game where I’ll review the changes and our outfield. 

Happy Opening Day

If you read my last post you’ll know that the ‘Fish are stagnant at 16 players signed, while the LI Ducks signed a few. I thought I’d start to give the rundown on this year’s players starting with the pitchers (in alphabetical order). 

*******Update, 2 additional pitchers since this post************

Hayden Penn RHP, Starter - Most of Penn’s MLB time was back in 2005 with Baltimore when he starteed 8 games. Unfortunately he accumulated a 6+ ERA in 38.1 innings. More recently, Penn started for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japan Pacific League, including a start and a win for Game 5 of the 2010 Nippon World Series that the team eventually won. JPL stats: 3.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP

Edward Rodriguez RHP, Reliever/Starter - Here is yet another player that didn’t play last season. He finished 2011 with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on the disabled list due to an “upper body injury” (via Blue Crabs “Transactions”). Before his time in Independent Leagues, Rodriguez was in affiliated ball until 2008, reaching as high as AA with the Blue Jays organization. Independent Leagues stats: 180 IP, 3.70 ERA, 1.39 WHIP

*************************************************************************

Josh Butler RHP, Starter - In 2009, Butler was rushed through AA and AAA after 3 years in single A to fill a roster spot and ultimately pitched 4 innings for the Milwaukee Brewers. Unfortunately he never made it back to the bigs. Instead he spent the next 3 years up and down the minor league tiers. AAA stats: 4.88 ERA, 1.60 WHIP. Any success from Butler will be a pleasant surprise.

Adam Carr RHP, Reliever - No major league time. The last time Carr was in AAA was in 2011. He spent last season  at Rookie and single A levels. AAA stats: 40.2 IP, 4.20 ERA, 1.47 WHIP

Mike Colla RHP, Reliever/Starter - Colla has spent time as a starter and reliever while making his way to AA affiliated ball with the Pirates organization. It might be fun to watch Colla continue developing with pitching coach Pat Ahearne and MLB veteran Jeff Fulchino.                   AA stats: 3.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2.80 SO/BB 

Jeff Fulchino RHP, Reliever - So far, Fulchino is the ‘Fish pitcher with the most significant time in the big leagues. Back in 2009 he pitched 82 innings in relief for the Houston Astros and had solid numbers to show for it. Last season he ended up with the Nationals organization but never pitched; he spent time on the disabled list. He will be a formidable veteran for the team, but not having pitched in 2012 makes him a big question mark.                                                                                      MLB stats: 3.40 ERA, 1.18 WHIP

Hunter Jones LHP, Reliever/Starter - Jones was invited to Red Sox Spring Training last season, but was released. The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs picked him up and he ended up putting some decent innings in with 15 starts. Interestingly, Jones was a reliever for most of his career; in 2010 he was starting again, but then had Tommy John Surgery.                                                                                              2012 Blue Crabs stats: 4.66 ERA, 1.48 WHIP 

Arnaldo Munoz LHP, Starter/Reliever - Munoz has been an affiliated minor league journeyman with only about 20 IP in the majors across two seasons—most of it back in 2004. He’s done just as much starting as relieving in his career. This guy will be a crap shoot; I’m not sure he’s even been in competitive ball since 2010. I’ve read he’s been playing in the Dominican but I didn’t find a team for him or stats.                                                2010 Mexican League stats: 7GS, 2.77 ERA, 26 IP, 2.26 WHIP

Mike Parisi RHP, Starter - Parisi was having a great season last year after starting with the Dodgers’ triple-AAA Isotopes when he left a game in May with shoulder pain. He then spent the rest of the season on the Disabled List. Until then he had a 2.72 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He was an Atlantic League All Star with the Ducks the season right before the Dodgers’ snatched him up (2011: 6-4, 3.50 ERA). This is one player we can get excited about. He was on the cusp of a great season at least at the AAA level before injury sat him down. A bounce back with the ‘Fish would sure be exciting.

Jordan Roberts LHP, Reliever - Roberts has spent the last two seasons in high-A ball for the Dodgers organization. He joined spring training this season as a non roster invite but was released in March. High A stats: 3.38 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 2.58 SO/BB

Wardell Starling RHP, Starter - Starling is another player coming back after not performing in 2012. He’s been pitching for independent teams since 2009, including the Bridgeport Bluefish. At 30 years old I’m not sure his body is ready for the regiment of pitching every five days, but if he’s ready, he’ll be a solid thrower that can keep the the team in the game. It won’t be smooth sailing, but he can win some games. Indy League stats: 3 seasons, 16-7, 3.57 ERA, 1.37 WHIP 

Up Next: The Fielders

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Also, I’m guest blogging every Monday for Lady At the Bat: A Mostly Yankees Blog, make sure you check it out.

ICYMI, while the Long Island Ducks were signing Dontrelle Willis and Vladimir Guerrero, the Bluefish were busy getting their promo van freshly wrapped. Woohoo! Way to go Ken. I’ve mentioned before how frustrated I’ve been with the stark difference in the way Frank Boulton deals with his two teams—the Long Island Ducks and the Bridgeport Bluefish, these signings just put me over the edge.

I can only dream of the excitement a big Latin name like Vladdy would bring to a ballpark like Bridgeport’s Harbor Yard. Such a name would draw in Bridgeport’s local Hispanic baseball fans to become Bluefish fans and attend games throughout the season. Right now, the weekends can sport some pretty full stands with folks that make one trip a year from the suburbs for the fireworks or because little Johnny’s Little League team will be out on the field or little Becky’s grade school choir is singing the national anthem. These folks don’t make it back and they most definitely don’t bother with weekday games. At some point the front office DOES have to bother with what will bring in actual baseball fans—big names and winning. 

So how are we doing on that folks? Well, the roster has gone up from 8 to 16 players. Great, it doubled, right? Yeah, sounds great until you check out the other teams’ rosters. Let’s just say the ‘Fish are playing catch-up, but isn’t that the story most seasons? The biggest names for the team so far are Alexis Gomez and Jeff Fulchino. Exactly, I had to look them up as well. I’m exaggerating a bit, Gomez was an AL Champion with Detroit and Fulchino had a great 2009 with Houston, but since neither were with northeast teams they don’t ring a bell for most. Oh and one more thing, those last two I mentioned, in addition to about 5 other players, didn’t play last season—ANYWHERE. So I root for the Bluefish and the Yankees. How’s YOUR baseball season going so far?