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

All of the Record Eagle’s Traverse City Beach Bums articles in one place…

Record Eagle’s Traverse City Beach Bums Special Section

The pregame celebration went well, but that’s where the fun ended as the Traverse City Beach Bums lost their inaugural game 10-2, to defending league champion Kalamazoo Kings.

Starter Robbie McClellan surrendered five runs on six hits in five innings to take the loss. The Beach Bums were never able to get on track offensively or defensively as they committed three errors.

Game 2 is tonight and I will be there. As long as the weather holds up, check back tomorrow for some pictures…

Read Kings have Traverse City bumming in the Kalamazoo Gazette

Updated at 11:05 AM
Here’s the Record Eagle links…

Read Fans give park thumbs up in the Record Eagle
Read Beach Bummer in the Record Eagle
View Beach Bums Opening Day 2006 Photo Gallery in the Record Eagle

Updated at 12:19 PM
Article from the Beach Bums site…

Read Enthusiastic Crowd watches Beach Bums drop opener at TraverseCityBeachBums.com

Photo © 2006 John Russell / Great Lakes Images and Traverse City Beach Bums

The Record Eagle has a special section in today’s edition about Opening Night for the Traverse City Beach Bums.

(I am thankful for Opening Day to distract me from the horrible Pistons performance last night)

Lots of area fans are excited, the team is excited and everyone is ready to go!

Check out the links below about tonight’s opening night versus the defending Frontier League Champions, the Kalamazoo Kings. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM. The game can also be heard on 94.3 The Fox.

Here’s a couple of my favorite articles…

Read Fans gear up for the game in the Record Eagle
Read Champion Kings first up for Bums in the Record Eagle (Calling the team the “Bums” is going to get old very quick)
Read What you need to know for game day in the Record Eagle

Read more in the Record Eagle Sports Section

Official Site at TraverseCityBeachBums.com

The Record Eagle has started their preview of the upcoming inaugural Traverse City Beach Bums season and their opening night on Wednesday.

I won’t be going until Thursday (check back for pictures) but here’s some links to some of the interesting articles on the Beach Bums.

The Team
A look at how John and Leslye Wuerfel got the man they wanted to manage, Jeff Isom, and his mark on building the current roster.

Read Wuerfels, Isom build up Beach Bums in the Record Eagle

The Economy
Local fans aren’t the only ones excited about the upcoming season.

Read Businesses ready to play ball as baseball season nears in the Record Eagle

The Food
A big part of a trip to the ballgame is the food you will be eating while watching the game. At least it is for me! Here’s rundown from Director of Concessions Randy Sharp on what to expect when attending a Beach Bums game.

Read Fresh pie — oh my — and other goodies at ballpark in the Record Eagle

Also here’s a cool article from Jeff Peek about a previous minor league team in Traverse City.

Check back for my review of Game #2 and my review of the ballpark!

No players were able to crack the Beach Bums roster, but manager Jeff Isom, still considered the tryout a success.

“Our guys got to play in a game situation and the prospects got a chance to show us what they’ve got,” Isom said. “They’ve been to other tryouts, so they know they haven’t been given the extensive look that we gave them today. Some of them got five or six at-bats. We gave them a fair opportunity, and that’s all you can ask for at a tryout.”

You can read more about the Beach Bums and the tryout out in the Record Eagle article below.

Read None signed, but dreams live on in the Record Eagle

Less than 100 tickets remain for Opening Day on May 24th! Click here for ticket info.

I am not going to opening day, but secured my tickets for Game 2 on the 25th. The nephews are excited as after the game they are going to let the kids on the field to play catch. Should be lots of fun, and of course check back for photos!

Jeff Peek and Dennis Chase report from the Traverse City Beach Bums Media Day. The concensus is that Wuerfel Park is one of the best minor league stadiums around and that the players are excited about playing in Traverse City. Opening Day is creeping closer as the Beach Bums get set to tangle with the Kalamazoo Kings on May 24th.

Read Wuerfel Park a hit with Beach Bums in the Record Eagle

Here’s another recent article about the Beach Bums in the Freep…

Read Pro baseball gets a team up north in the Freep

Better get there early, as all indications I have seen show that Beach Bums games are going to be the hot ticket in Traverse City this summer. On April 22nd starting at 8 am, individual game tickets go on sale including opening day tickets. Some are also going to be available via the web, but only a select number. Manager Jeff Isom and several players will meet fans and sign autographs between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

Read First Annual Beach Bums Fan Fest at TCBeachBums.com
See the 2006 Beach Bums Promotions