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

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

We had a great time as the Tigers finished off a sweep of the Cardinals with a 4-1 win. It was Kid’s Day so the nephews didn’t have much autograph luck, but they did get to run the bases afterwards. I didn’t though, the adults had to walk around the fence and meet the kid’s on the other side.

The game came down to one thing - pitching! Jeremy Bonderman was outstanding and Sidney Ponson was equally as good. It was a 1-1 duel until the eighth when the Tigers finally broke through on offense led by a Curtis Granderson double. Bonderman finished with 8 strikeouts and impressive back-to-back strikeouts of Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen in the 1st inning!

My favorite photo of the day!

The atmosphere was electric, the fans were pumped!

Brandon Inge made two great diving plays at third. On the first, he threw a guy out from his knees, and the second he robbed Pujols of extra bases and saved a run! He is fun to watch at third!

Joel Zumaya also had an impressive strikeout against Pujols, that was fun to watch. Todd Jones even managed to save the game.

All in all, it was a very fun day and it was fun to get back to the ballpark. I really think this Tigers team can contend and will be battling until the end. Never count them out!

Read Detroit 4, St. Louis 1 at Yahoo! Sports for a game recap.

Here’s some photos from the game, we sat behind the third base dugout (FREE tickets!) and the pictures are taken from my seat in section 122.

1st Place!

It was around 80° all game, luckily there was a nice little breeze.
The Sports Guy did get a little red!

Comerica was packed!

Bonderman pitched another great game!

Pudge played first and Polanco was at second.
It was Placido Bobblehead Day as well!

Pujols had a rough day, he was robbed of extra bases
by Inge and struck out against Bonderman and Zumaya.

Another crowd shot!

Curtis Granderson had another good day,
including the big hit in the eighth!

Pudge!

Maggs!

Zumaya “zooms” one in against Pujols!

GO TIGERS!

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