Leelanau Sports Guy at sportspig.com

The Traverse City Beach Bums have made a couple changes to the roster as they return home to Wuerfel Park for 2 games before heading back out on the road.

Catcher/Third Baseman Takeshi Yamamoto was activated from the IR and rookie outfielder R.C. Dickerson was resigned after being cut in spring training. To make room on the roster the Beach Bums released former MSU pitcher Craig Brookes and outfielder LaFringe Hayes. Brookes asked to be released as he prepares for workouts for affiliated teams.

Opinions on five current sports topics from yours truly…

1. Marissa Treece – The Glen Lake senior captured 3 more state titles on Saturday, giving her 10 in her track/cross-country career. She heads to Notre Dame this fall and we will follow along as she looks to star at the NCAA level.

Read Ten titles for Treece in the Record Eagle

2. What’s next for Pistons? – Lots of ideas are being talked about by fans including: Firing Flip, Trading Sheed, trying to trade for Kevin Garnett or Zack Randolph, and on and on. Not sure what Joe D is going to do, but I would definitely call Minnesota and see what they want for Garnett.

3. Beach Bums – A slow start to the season has the Bums in last place in the Central Division, 5.5 games back. It’s not going to get easier with 4 games against Kalamazoo looming, but the Bums are playing better and have lost a couple of close games.

4. Lions Scouting Reports – I don’t know if you have been following Killer Kowalski’s scouting reports as he is scouting a different Lion player every day, but I have and it’s been some great info. Kevin Jones is today, go check it out!

5a. Tigers finally beat Indians – Now everyone can relax a bit as the Tigers took the final two games in Cleveland to get within 2 1/2 games of Cleveland in the A.L. Central. The Tigers are showing what they are made of as they battle with injuries and keep getting big performances from Maggs and Sheffield.

5b. Two Near The Dugout, Please – Great article by Gren Eno looking back at some run-ins with Eric the ticket taker on his trips to Tiger Stadium.

If you want to let the me know what you think, you can always send me an email at leelanausportsguy@sportspig.com or post a comment!

The Traverse City Beach Bums have had a rough beginning to the 2007 season, starting 0-2, but look to change their fortune tonight as they ready for the home opener with the visiting Kalamazoo Kings. The Kings have had the Bums number so far, but a packed house at Wuerfel Park could be just what the home team needs!

Read 2007 Season Preview at the Record Eagle

The NFL Draft – I am in a NFL Draft contest again this year (last year I got 1 right) and I have absolutely no idea who is going where. The Lions have many options and they have to wait to see what the Raiders are going to do before they can get really serious about the draft. I like the Lions to trade down to #4 and then get Gaines Adams. It’s the position they need the most and Adams appears to be an impact player. Read Dan Wetzel’s column The misadventures of Millen if you want to laugh and be scared at the same time!

Maggs – Is it me, or is Magglio Ordonez quietly having a great start to 2007. He’s first on the Tigers in RBI’s, 2B’s, Runs, OBP, SLG & OPS, and he’s second in HR’s and BA, but no one’s talking about him. This is the Maggs that people weren’t sure we would ever see again, but he appears to be healthy and back to normal. I now it’s early, but Maggs playing like this is huge as Sheffield and the bottom of the order struggle.

Wings vs. Sharks – The Wings are in for a tough series, that should go seven games, and I like there chances with home-ice. They struggled against the Sharks during the regular season, losing 3 of 4, but they played two very solid games to finish off Calgary and will hopefully carry that momentum into tonight’s game. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost tonight either. It’s just going to be that kind of series.

Pistons vs. Magic – If Detroit is going to lose one, tonight’s the night. I just don’t see it happening. I think they will sweep the Magic and get some rest for the Bulls. Chicago is going to be the toughest team (and series) in the Eastern Conference.

High School Baseball – If you aren’t busy on Saturday, head over to Wuerfel Park to watch Lake Leelanau St. Mary take part in the inaugural Beach Bums Division 3 & 4 Invitational Tournament. The Eagles face Traverse City St. Francis at 10 AM, followed by Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart and Gaylord St. Mary’s at noon. A consolation and championship game will follow. Tickets are $5 for the entire day, and let me tell you Wuerfel Park is not a bad place to watch a game!

Random Stuff – Could less people be excited that Barry Bonds is now at 741 home runs? Seriously, no one cares outside of San Francisco. There’s not much better than Fantasy Baseball. Winning or losing, it’s just fun! I can’t wait for the Beach Bums season to start, it was exciting (and well played) baseball to watch last summer, and I look for more of the same as the Bums have added some good talent along with their “new” coach! Lots of people have Drew Stanton going very high in the draft, and I think be a good pick and could be a legitimate starter in the NFL!

Traverse City Beach Bums broadcaster Chad Cooper is moving to affiliated baseball after accepting a position with the Vero Beach Devil Rays of the Florida State League. Cooper was the Frontier League Broadcaster of the Year in 2005. This will be his eighth season in professional broadcasting.

“When people ask me what my ultimate career goals are, I would tell them that I was no different from the players in the Frontier League,” said Cooper. “I want to be a Major League broadcaster and this is a large step in trying to achieve that goal.”

Read Cooper moves to affiliated broadcasting at TCBeachBums.com
Read A Letter to the fans, from Chad Cooper at TCBeachBums.com
Visit the Vero Beach Devil Rays Official Site at VBDRays.com

Beach Bums begin search for new manager

Photo by John L. Russell

Jeff Isom turned the the Traverse City Beach Bums first season success into a shot in the big leagues. Isom is the new manager of the Helena Brewers in the Pioneer League. Helana is an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Isom led the Beach Bums to a 57-39 record in their first season.

The Beach Bums will hold interviews over the next few weeks and hope to have a new manager in place by the end of March.

Read Jeff Isom moves on to affiliated baseball at TCBeachBums.com

Northern Michigan baseball fans will get the chance to enjoy the Beach Bums at home or on the road as The Fox has once again signed on as the official home of Beach Bums radio broadcasts. I know I found myself listening to quite a few games and Chad Cooper, voice of the Beach Bums, does a great job at play-by-play. It didn’t hurt that the Beach Bums were also very competitive either! Here’s the details…

Providing the Beach Bums with over 120,000 watts of coverage between their simulcast feeds on 94.3 in Traverse City; 92.5 in Atlanta, Alpena and Petoskey; and 95.5 on the beach in Petoskey, The Fox gives the Beach Bums the 11th largest coverage area in all of minor league baseball.

“We’re excited to work with The Fox again in 2007,” said Beach Bums CEO and Managing Partner John Wuerfel, “We felt that being on The Fox last season really helped to enhance our radius for a fan base last season and we want to keep that growing to make sure that the Beach Bums are truly Northern Michigan’s team.”

I was blown away that the Beach Bums have the 11th largest coverage area in all of minor league baseball. That’s very impressive! The Wuerfel family has delivered on their promise of baseball in Traverse City and make it enjoyable for the entire family. If you haven’t been to a game yet, go in 2007 and see what you ‘ve been missing.

Read Beach Bums & The Fox partner up again in 2007 at TCBeachBums.com

For the latest Beach Bums news, visit their official site at www.TCBeachBums.com.

Photo courtesy of the Beach Bums

The Traverse City Beach Bums Baseball Academy is set to host two Northern Michigan Baseball Showcases at Wuerfel Park on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 and Saturday, June 23rd, 2007.

Here’s what the showcases are all about…

The Showcases will be an opportunity for the best high school baseball players in all of Northern Michigan to get in front of college coaches and professional scouts, who will be invited to the event from throughout the Midwest.

For more information Academy or Showcases, contact Director Jason Wuerfel at jason@tcbeachbums.com.

Read Northern Michigan Showcases Announced at the Beach Bums Academy’s Official Website

Lots of fun was had at the last Traverse City Beach Bums game of the season as the Bums scored six runs in the first inning and held off the Windy City Thunderbolts 8-4. In the process the Beach Bums set a first-year record for victories with 57 and passed the 200,000 mark for attendance, finishing with 203,574. Another great fireworks display was put on after the game as well!

“Actually, it was pretty emotional out there tonight,” said Bums infielder Nick Batkoski, who had two hits. “From the very first day, Ice (manager Jeff Isom) set the tone and said we’re going to be one of the best teams in the league. We didn’t make the playoffs, but we certainly were one of the best teams.

“To break the record for the most wins by a first-year franchise and be able to play in front of these fans — breaking 200,000 — what more can you say?”

The Beach Bums also were named East Division Organization of the year and Tony Casoli was named Pitcher of the Year.

Thanks for a wonderful (and fun) season!

Read A banner year for Bums in the Record Eagle

Terry Foster of the Detroit News and Jeremy Speer of the Gaylord Herald Times recently visited Wuerfel Park and give this rundown of the experience, the stadium, and Beach Bums fans…

Read Beach Bums’ park a hit in the Detroit News

Read If you build it…Beach Bums ‘Field of Dreams’ is T.C.’s Wuerfel Park in the Gaylord Herald Times

Just received this in my email box, I don’t know how many of you get FSN Midwest, but in case you do…

Fox Sports Net (FSN) Midwest will televise the 2006 Frontier League All-Star Game to a regional audience on tape delay on Saturday, July 15 at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT.

The minor league baseball game was played Wednesday night (July 12) at historic Bosse Field in Evansville, Ind. and resulted in a dramatic 6-5 win for the Western Division over the Eastern Division after a tie-breaking home run derby.

Read Frontier League All-Star Game To Be Televised by FSN Midwest at Fox Sports

The Traverse City Beach Bums are sitting at first place in the Frontier League East Division at the All-Star break as their inaugural season continues. Jeff Peek of the Record Eagle reflects on the first half of the season and gives us a preview as the Beach Bums fight for a division crown!

Read Things are just Beachy for Bums in the Record Eagle

Baseball Clinics
Looking to improve your game? The Beach Bums Baseball Academy is led by former Glen Lake star Jason Wuerfel as he leads clinics designed to help improve your baseball skills.

Check out the Beach Bums Baseball Academy at TCBeachBums.com

Well, it happened, I ran out of time to put together a good post on the above mentioned subjects, so I went ahead and found some good bloggers and articles about them. Of course I will always leave my little comments!

The Captain retires
We all knew this day was coming and of course it’s a very sad day for Red Wings fans. The greatest Red Wing ever (I’m a child of the seventies) was fun to watch play and lead by his example. There would be no Hockeytown without Stevie Y.

Read Yzerman’s Backloaded Career Almost Happened In Ottawa at Out of Bounds

Big Ben signs with Bulls
I was 50/50 on whether I wanted him back or not, so it wasn’t a big surprise or a big letdown. I liked that Dumars wasn’t going to go overboard to keep him and thought he made a more than fair offer. I think Big Ben’s best days are behind him, so a 4-year deal was more than I wanted to see anyway. I will cheer him when he’s not playing the Pistons. Thanks for the memories Big Ben!

Read Big Ben’s gone, off to Chicago at Sweaty Men Endeavors

Another good article on both…

Read Double whammy in the Detroit News

Tigers still in 1st
Although listening to the “experts” on the radio, not many are giving them a chance to be in 1st at season’s end. It’s going to come down to the starting rotation if that can happen or not. I still believe it can. Regardless of what happens I think this season can be considered a success and a big building block for the future.

Read Tigers hope pitching rotation holds up during second half at MLive

Beach Bums win again!
So far the Traverse City Beach Bums are a perfect 3-0 when I am in attendance. Last night I honestly didn’t get to pay much attention to the 9-0 win as I was busy chasing a 3 year old and a 22 month old around in the lawn seats. The lawn by the way is a great place to watch from. The 4th of July fireworks were spectacular as well!

Read Casoli twirls third straight shutout in 9-0 Beach Bums win at TCBeachBums.com

Home field is becoming a big advantage to the Traverse City Beach Bums. The Beach Bums improved to 9-2 at home behind Shaun Parker’s 2-hit shutout as they defeated the Evansville Otters 6-0. Parker finished with 6 strikeouts and improved to 2-3 on the season.

Al Roach and Kevin White had two RBI’s each to lead the offense as the Beach Bums scored three first inning runs to help set the tone for the evening.

The Beach Bums improved to 16-9 overall and remain one game back in the East Division.

Read Bums Win behind Parker’s Two-Hitter at TCBeachBums.com

This was the first game we took the entire family and everyone had a blast. I hate to say it, but the kid’s play room might have been the biggest hit of the night!

The Traverse Beach Bums defeated the Kalamazoo Kings 6-3 to even their record at 1-1 and earn their first ever franchise victory. We waited out a 47 minute rain delay, but it was well worth it as the nephews got to go on the field and play catch with the players after the game. They played catch with 3B Justin Meagher. It was part of the “Field of Dreams” promotional night which also included every kid getting a Beach Bums baseball glove.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional photographer!

Here’s some of my thoughts on the team, stadium and everything Beach Bums!

• Wuerfel Park is amazing! It’s a great place to watch a game, I came away very impressed. Lots of room and areas to explore in the ballpark. Not a bad seat in the house.
  

• Arrive early for great chances at autographs, we ended up with a bunch!
• Shaun Parker pitched tough. The lefthander earned the first ever win for the Beach Bums going six innings. His fastball was consistently in the high 80′s and touched 90 a couple of times. I look for him to have a big summer in TC.
  

• Mike Reese can just plain hit. His 2-run double down the left field line keyed the victory.
  

• Nathan Gravley also had a big night with two RBI singles to help the victory.
• Second baseman Stephen Young can play! He is solid defensively and gobbled everything up that came his way.
• Wuerfel Park is BIG! I don’t know how many homeruns will be hit there, but lots of runs should be scored.
  

• Hunter Davis threw two scoreless innings in relief and had the Kings baffled. His submarine style was fun to watch.
• Kids will love the mascots!
• The late inning rally!
  

• Food Report: Hot Dogs were good! Free Pop always tastes good (we carpooled and received free drink coupons) but the winner was the Mancino’s Cinnamon Ball Things with frosting, yum!
• Overall: Lots of fun and I can’t wait to go back. We kept thinking how great it was to have minor league baseball in Traverse City! Thanks Wuerfel Family!

Read Beach Bums earn franchise’s first victory in the Record Eagle