Welcome to Roy Hobbs Baseball!

Thoughts from Tom Giffen

August 8
A tragic loss to our NEORH family…
   Scott Miller, who played with the Erie Coast Cubs Masters, passed away on Friday night. He apparently suffered a massive heart attack. He would have been 53 on Saturday.
   I know you will join us in sending out your thoughts and prayers to his wife, Cathy, and their family.
   The wake will be on friday at Brunner Funeral Home (8466 Mentor Avenue Mentor, OH 44060) in Mentor from 4 - 8 pm. Funeral Service will be on Saturday at 11 am.

July 25
Challenger State Tournament.
   Roy Hobbs Baseball wants to recognize and thank all of the NEORH volunteers who contributed to the success of the Ohio State Challenger Festival in Barberton Friday, Saturday and Sunday … John Berger, Paul Bliss, Don Booth, Rusty Chaboudy and his family, Ron DeGrand, John Horner, Marty Kraus, Allyson Kraus, Bob Leech, John Magensky, Megan Magensky, Abby Pritchard, Jeff Roetzel, Gary Salhany, Steve Sosebee, Iman Hammad, John Testa, Dave Vowles, Chet Warner, and Tom Giffen … These folks put up tents, parked cars, set up tables, chairs, did the cooking (1200 hot dogs, buns, and cut up 30+ watermelons) and a majority of the Saturday post-lunch clean up. Kudos Gang, For sure, there was no lunch on Saturday without your efforts! Thank you!

July 14
Players of the Week, a family affair.
   Justin Spicer and Stan Sipka were among the player of the week honorees for games from the week leading up to the July 4 holiday.
   Nothing unusual there, but … Stan is Justin’s grandfather … and that is a first with 2 player of the week honorees being related.
   In NEORH AAA play, Justin, 19, threw a 5-hit shutout to lead the Tallmadge Knights past the Hudson Explorers in a 1-0 victory. He struck out 7 and did not walk a batter.
   In 60s play, Stan, 76, threw a complete game in a 15-7 victory for his P&N SilverHawks over the Cleveland Buckeyes. Stan allowed 3 earned runs.
   Paolo’s at 1 West Exchange St sponsors the Player of the Week program, and recipients receive a certificate for a sandwich and a beer. For the record, Justin gave his beer certificate to Stan!
   And, Justin and Stan will play together July 15 in the postponed Father-Son game at Patterson Park. It will be their third appearance together in this annual game.

June 20
ADULT amateur baseball?
   I am having concerns about the number of incidences we are having at our games in recent weeks. We have had a few ejections. And a few issues where there were no ejections but were definitely problems.
   I can understand having intensity on the field, but it needs to be controlled. We are all adults in this league and we need to handle ourselves as such. When something questionable goes against you, please use good judgment and maintain professionalism.
   The umpires are out there every week doing the best job they can. They are not perfect, but neither are any of us. Believe me when I tell you that none of them goes out to the field with the intent of calling a biased game, it just makes their job so much harder. It is much easier to look at the game as a collection of nameless and faceless players.
   To close: We are all adults… lets act like it.

June 4
On vacation ...
   Hi folks ...
   I think I managed to somewhat keep up in May with this blog thing that my 'handlers' have been pushing me to do.
   And as a matter of fact, it has been fun, bringing back some memories of newspaper days and the fun times I had as a reporter/writer. (I have to say that some of the garbage I see today that attempts to pass as sports reporting is very discouraging.)
   Nevertheless, I'm on vacation the rest of June and will try to catch up later or file as providence strikes ... On personal travel stuff on Facebook.
   Hope you are having a great season ... Summer ...
   Cheers ...

June 2
Jim Tressel ... What a disappointment
   Jim Tressel is out as football coach at Ohio State.
   All because of some nit picky NCAA regulations regarding "improper" benefits for student-athletes who sold their gear for either cash or tattoos?????
   Nope, that's not why Jim Tressel is no longer the coach at OSU.
   The reason ... He lied. He lied to his boss (AD); he lied to his boss's boss (OSU president); and he lied to the sanctioning organization that validates the existence of his job and the OSU football program -- the NCAA.
   In all my working life, that would be enough to get me fired! How about you?
   Back to Jim ... It comes down to being all about covering up ... And we all know what happens when we try to cover up mistakes others (or we) make. In the end we get covered up and wish we had played it straight to start with.
   I met Jim Tressel in the late 70s in Phenix City, Alabama, when his dad Lee's Wittenburg football team played there for the NCAA D-III national championship, and I was sports editor of the newspaper in Columbus, Georgia -- ah, those were some great days ... But I digress.
   So, over the years I have followed Jim and ended up doing some coverage of him at Youngstown State when I was with the Akron Beacon Journal. He was a key source for me on NCAA alignment issues and conference expansion in the 90s.
   I was convinced Jim was as straight a shooter as there was (this from someone whose attitude toward D-I football coaches and ADs over the years was that a pre-requisite for employment was to be able to lie with a straight face). And that was one of the reasons that I was so happy when he got the OSU job 10 years ago.
   Wow ... Reading all of the stuff coming out of Columbus now ...
   It certainly appears I was fooled ... And I am really disappointed. I really thought Jim was one of the good guys, those who can be successful while keeping it on the straight and narrow.
   When all these allegations started coming out, I was ready to write it off as 'boys will be boys' and here's more picky NCAA stuff (although I do remember the $100 handshakes in the 60s and the $100 pencil sales in the early 70s that led to these picky rules).
   When it came out about what Jim knew and when he knew it and what he said to people in covering it up, I thought then that he either had to resign or be fired. But he hung on ... (I am sure one of OSU's motivations was not wanting to see Jim on an opposing sideline -- after all, that is the NCAA way!).
   And the more I thought about, the more I came to the conclusion that his actions, more than the players, was going to land OSU some serious NCAA sanctions and that he should stick around and suffer/live through those sanctions.
   There has been a lot of smoke coming from the OSU football program for a number of years, potentially starting with Maurice Claret, and, while the winds of winning will blow the smoke away, eventually they just fan the flames into a five-alarm job that consumes everything.
   Now we wait to see what everything encompasses.

May 30
Change rules for MLB catchers?
   While driving to Fort Myers Friday, I heard ESPN talking head after talking heard doing their dead-level best to create a controversy over the rules of catching.
   All this in the aftermath of the season-ending injury to SF Giants catcher Buster Posey following a collision on a play at home plate.
   At the time of listening to these guys I had not seen video of the collision, just that Scott Cousins was apologetic and remorseful about the injury, that Posey was in no mood to talk to Cousins and the there was a brewing controversy about rules regarding catchers blocking the plate.
   I suspected this was mostly hot air on the part of the talking heads as there were no sound bites from baseball people calling for a change. Add to that, when these microphone suckers attempted to explain to their listeners baseball rules with regard to contact between players and the right of way on the base paths, well, you guessed it -- 90% of what they said was wrong! (Makes one wonder how much else these guys say is just seat of the pants horse manure?). Hey, it's all about creating talking points to keep you and I tuned in, right?
   Then I saw video replays and still photos!
   What the hell were these guys talking about?
   Buster Posey was not blocking the plate. He did not control the throw and the baseball was lying on the ground behind him. Both Posey and the ball were in fair territory! And he was on his knees --a bad place to be -- scrambling looking for it.
   Cousins had a clear, unobstructed path to the plate. There was no cause for that collision, much less a season-ending injury for one of the bright young catchers in the game!
   The only thing that can be said in Cousins defense is that had Posey caught the throw cleanly, he could and should have turned into Cousins and applied the tag for an out. (In that case, Posey would have partially initiated that collision, and Cousins might have been the one slow to get up.)
   So, it is clear to me that Cousins intended to create contact to attempt to knock the ball free ... And that's fine -- part of the MLB game -- except that he went out of his established baseline to hammer a catcher, who, in this circumstance of not having the ball and fumbling for it, was unprepared for the collision.
   Was Cousins trying to hurt Posey? No.
   Was Cousins trying to insure he would score? Damn straight.
   Was it a dirty play? I don't believe so.
   Was it an unnecessary play? You bet.
   Was Cousins out of line? Yes. He essentially dove into Posey, launching his 200+ pounds at full running speed, and his dive took him away from the plate.
   Should the OBR/MLB rules be changed regarding catchers blocking the plate or contact between base runners and defensive players? No! Emphatically NO!
   If anything, a case could be made to call Cousins out, eject him and levy a substantial fine -- but you'd better be sure of malicious intent on Cousins' part! And I am not.
   Bottom line (at least to me), it was an unnecessary play and should have no bearing on current ORB/MLB playing guidelines.
   One last rant ... This is just one more example of the fact that most sportswriters and sportscasters are clueless about the rules of the games they report on. We should expect better and demand it.

May 29
Memories of Harmon Killebrew ...
   A week ago Harmon Killebrew was laid to rest, with moving memorial services in his adopted home of Scottdale, Arizona, in his hometown of Payette, Idaho, and at the home of the Minnesota Twins where he was Minnesota's first sorts superstar. Friends who attended one or the other, passed on their stories from the services, and those reminded me of encounters I had with Harmon while umpiring at the Twins Fantasy Camp in Fort Myers over the last 5-6 years.
   He was a class gentleman who had time for everyone, even us guys in Blue who were just working the camp rather than paying customers. He did not care; he had time for all of us.
   I grew up in Chattanooga, and he spent parts of two seasons there, playing in Engle Stadium for the Lookouts, a Senators Farm Team. Not a really good team, but I have lots of memories there as my parents brought me season tickets even though I was just 9-10 years old, and they made sure I saw most of the home games in the summer, at least when I was not playing ball.
   Engle Stadium is a story in itself … 370 down the left field line, 330 down the right field line, 470 to dead center and well over 500 feet in the left center power alley. Add to that a 30-foot high concrete block wall … if you hit a home run there, you HIT a home run. In front of the left field wall was a 75-foot high old style scoreboard, you know, the ones where someone was on a ladder behind it and dropping the game scores in wooden slots.
   Five players hit home runs to left in that park, one hit one out in dead center. Killebrew is on both short lists. I saw the one to left, was not there the night he hit the one to dead center. (The left field list is Killer, his teammate Bob Allison, Jerry Rhymer and Pat Corrales, one time Indians manager, and Babe Ruth – back in Ruth’s time, the field was reversed so that it was 370 to right, so he gets credit.)
   I mentioned to Harmon about seeing him hit that Engle Stadium home run to left, and he just laughed and told me a couple of stories …
   As a little background, Harmon was what they called a ‘bonus baby’ when he was signed by the Senators as a 17-year-old in the 50s, and by rule, he had to spend 2 years with the big club before he could be sent to the minors, so he had about 20 at-bats at the end of the 54 season and 100 or so at bats in 55 before going to the minors in 56. He ended up in Chattanooga in 57 and then again in 58 before spending August with the Senators and sticking with Washington in 59, when he hit 42 homers in what was really his MLB rookie season. He hit 29 homers in 57 and 17 in 58.
   “When I got to the Senators in 58,” he told me, “there was a headline in the Washington Post that the ‘Senators call up slugger’, and a young reporter was sent out to interview me. He asked me how many home runs I hit in Chattanooga, and I said ‘6’. (He hit 29 with Chattanooga that year but most were on the road.) He says, ‘and that makes you a slugger?'
   "I just laughed and said I didn't write the headline."
   "One thing for sure, there were no cheap home runs for right-handed hitter in Engle Stadium!"
   In his Bonus Baby years with the Senators, he did not hit a homer in 1953 but hit 14 in 1956. Hardly auspicious numbers, but MLB home run #1 certainly was.
   It was in Washington, and it was late in a game where the Senators were getting pounded, something like 14-2 when Killebrew came to the plate late in the game.
   "There was nothing special going on, I was struggling with major league pitching, but they were getting me some at-bats," he said, not mentioning he was just 18 and barely out of Payette High School. "I got in the box and was ready for the pitch and the catcher said, 'fastball'. It was and I hit it."
   Did he ever ... Measured at 476 feet. It was his first ... And the first of a goodly number of tape-measure jobs.
   In those conversations he talked about becoming a major-league hitter and how important it was for him to spend time in the minors. It led to a Hall of Fame career although his career batting average was in the .270s.
   Harmon Killebrew was a home run hitter, barely 5-foot-9 but incredibly strong and he never pretended to be anything else. In one biography, it says that Killebrew's intent in every plate appearance was to "mash a baseball as hard as he could" ... The only hitter in modern times I have seen swing a bat that hard is Jim Thome.
   But more than that Harmon Killebrew was a gentleman in all that he did and throughout his life the game of baseball could never have asked for a greater ambassador.

May 27
Roy Hobbs newsletter notes
   If you have been on royhobbs.com recently, we hope you found the 9-minute marketing video prepared from action at the 2010 Roy Hobbs World Series. It was produced so that we might be able to show folks who’ve not been to the RHWS in Fort Myers what we are up to. Please take a minute to check it out …
   We do have some individual DVDs of the production that we would be glad to send to leagues and teams that are not associated with Roy Hobbs or familiar with what we do in Fort Myers. Contact Rob Giffen at rg@royhobbs.com if you know someone who cannot get the video off the website and would like to get a recruiting copy.

World Series issue …
   Roy Hobbs' decision to adjust the order of the weeks of the 2011 World Series and expand play to five weeks has been well-received to date, and we have heard from more than a dozen potential teams that would be attending for the first time this fall. Details are at royhobbs.com and that same data was included in the last e-newsletter.
   However, as we were making those decisions, we were aware that some players had made reservations for hotels, condos, or houses and were concerned they might not be able to change those.
   To date, we have only heard of one private home owner who has refused to change or refund money. But we need to know if anyone is having that problem.
   First, we are willing to speak on your behalf with the property owner, assuming you are willing to rebook for a different week.
   Second, we want to compile a list of property owners who are not being cooperative with Hobbs patrons, and we will be glad to distribute that list during the World Series so that everyone might make there own decisions on who should be getting business and who should be avoided.
   Email me at tg@royhobbs.com if you have experienced any such difficulties.

Baseballs … Just a word to the wise … keep an eye on baseball prices.
   Rumors are flying around these days that pricing on baseballs will increase as of July 1 perhaps by as much as 10% or more.
   Roy Hobbs is an authorized Rawlings dealer, and we have already been notified to expect an increase in July, enough of an increase that we have put our order for 350 dozen for the World Series to be delivered before the end of June so we can use our current pricing.
   We have heard from sporting goods reps returning from sales meetings that Rawlings is not alone.
   As you may know, 95% of all baseballs are made in 3 factories in China, and it appears one or all of those companies have gotten together and set new pricing on a “take it or leave it” ultimatum to US sporting goods firms. And those prices are going to be passed along to us consumers.
   Just thought you’d like to know …

May 17
Harmon Killebrew, Rest In Peace ...
Sad night, not only for baseball, but for the best in all of us. Harmon Killebrew has passed. RIP Killer ... God bless you and your family ...

May 14
Pitchers have early MLB advantage
Home runs are exciting ... but IMHO good pitching and good defense make for great competition and 'small ball' becomes meaningful. And the races get more of us involved. This writer is a bit sarcastic but his numbers tell an interesting story.
And, oh, by the way, surprise, it’s raining again in NE Ohio!

May 13
Harmon Killebrew entering Hospice Care ...
Damn, Damn, Damn ...
From NBC News via Bleacher Report: Hall of Famer and Twins great Harmon Killebrew has entered into hospice care following unsuccessful treatments for esophageal cancer and issued a very sad and equally brave statement: "It is with profound sadness that I share with you that my continued battle with esophageal cancer is coming to an end. With the continued love and support of my wife, Nita, I have exhausted all options with respect to controlling this awful disease. My illness has progressed beyond my doctors’ expectation of cure.
"I have spent the past decade of my life promoting hospice care and educating people on its benefits. I am very comfortable taking this next step and experiencing the compassionate care that hospice provides. I am comforted by the fact that I am surrounded by my family and friends. I thank you for the outpouring of concern, prayers and encouragement that you have shown me. I look forward to spending my final days in comfort and peace with Nita by my side.”
Damn.
Bad, nasty news, especially since the initial reports about his treatment were so encouraging months ago. Killebrew is one of the greatest power hitters in baseball history, ranking fifth all time with 573 homers when he retired in 1975, but more importantly, he is also universally regarded as one of the CLASSIEST GENTLEMEN to ever play the game!!!!
I grew up watching Harmon play in AA Chattanooga, and he was easily one of my heroes... and in recent years, I've had the pleasure of talking with him about those days while working the Twins Fantasy Camp in Fort Myers. An absolute class gentlemen ... what a great example he is for all of us!
Here’s hoping his final days are comfortable and peaceful. God Bless You Harmon!!!!!!!!

May 12
Not sure how to behave ...
Yo ... 4 consecutive days with sunshine ... not sure I know how to behave!

May 11
AAA managers and team reps speak their mind
The NEORH AAA Division managers and team reps met Thursday night to review issues regarding the coming 2011 season.
The assembled managers, presented with a crossover plan to play at least one double-header with Greater Akron AA teams, voted the proposal down by an overwhelming margin after about 30 minutes of dicussion.
So there will be no crossover with GA AA in 2011. From a league leadership perspective, we are willing to do the crossover or not do the crossover – it’s what the teams wants and if we can make it happen we will. Rob and I put together a potential scheduling scenario, but there was minimal interest in the project.
The managers did tentatively approve an All-Star game with GA AA on July 5 at Hudson. A final decision on that will be made before the AAA season commences on Memorial Day weekend.
Again, from a leadership perspective, NEORH is willing to assist with this; however, the real issue is whether the players want to do it and will support it. We have no interest in putting a team on the field, based on best of who’s available. All-Stars are All-Stars, and if a player is chosen, he needs to commit to participating. From a logistical standpoint, on such a team, we plan to have at lease 7-8 pitchers with no one throwing more than 2 innings … as everyone has games the next night.
More to come …

May 11
Not sure how to behave ...
Yo ... 4 consecutive days with sunshine ... not sure I know how to behave!

May 10
Discussing NEO AAA – Greater Akron AA merger?
Rob G and I met with Bob Paradise today to discuss the potential merger of Greater Akron AA Baseball and NEO Roy Hobbs AAA Baseball leagues.
We did not get very far as Bob believes that a year of crossover play is the best way to go so that everyone can get a taste of what the other side brings to the table. With that being a logistical issue – NEO has 15 teams, maybe 16, and AA has 6, we already have an issue on making sure that everyone plays everyone at least once.
Additionally, since there are 4 former AA teams in NEO and 2 former NEO teams in AA, plus the fact that the better teams from both organizations have competed in post-season tournaments, just wondering what familiarity we are missing?
We compromised on one crossover DH over 6 weeks, from June 5 thru July 17. We agreed to work on a schedule to see if we could make it come out and then present it to the managers on Thursday evening when they can vote on whether they want to do crossover with AA teams.
Additionally, a July 5 All-Star game between NEO AAA and GA AA was proposed, and we will run that by the managers as well.

May 9
Political pondering …
I think anyone running for public office, either statewide or nationally, should have to wear patches from all their corporate sponsors, much like a NASCAR driver, so that we can really identify who and what they stand for. Sure would save having to endure the rhetoric!

May 8
Now that is impressive
Indians beat Jared Weaver tonight, in Anaheim ... now that's impressive ... and add to it Alex White goes 6 to get the win. Perhaps Carlos Curasco's awful rehab start in Akron Friday night is a moot point.

May 8
Putting your body where your blog is …
KC Star Royals blogger Lee Judge wrote that Rpyals Wilson Betemit should have let himself be hit by a 81-MPH slider with the bases loaded late in a tie game ... Depending on whose story you believe, Judge ended up in Kevin Seitzer's batting cages for an 81-MPH plunking experience ... see the video.

May 7
Seve Ballesteros, RIP
RIP Seve Ballesteros ... a good man (and a fine golfer) done too soon. Had the pleasure of watching Seve win '80 Masters (youngest ever to win there until Tiger in '97) and make an incredible 3-iron shot uphill on #7, 225 yards to 3 feet of the pin. Golf misses players like Ballesteros!

May 6
Don't forget Mom this weekend!
It’s Mother’s Day weekend, a special day or remembrance for me as I lost my mother in 2007. I’d like to share with you this story about Alabama football coach Bear Bryant, a story with special meaning for me.
Late in the Bear’s career, after his mother had died, South Central Bell Telephone Company asked him to do a TV commercial. It was supposed to be very simple — just a little music and Coach Bryant saying in his gravely voice: “Have you called your mama today?”
On the day of the filming, though, he ad-libbed his lines. He looked into the camera and said: “Have you called your mama today? I sure wish I could call mine.” That was how the commercial ran.
So on this Mother’s Day, if you do one thing, do this: Call your mother. I sure wish I could call mine.
Blessings to everyone …

May 5
Political pondering …
It's not whether you win or lose, 
but how you place the blame.

May 4
Rudy Piekarski, RIP
Rudy Piekarski passed away this past weekend.
We will post his funeral arrangements on the NEORH website as soon as we know. We are told calling hours and his funeral will be early next week.
Rudy was a character, a presence on the baseball scene in Summit County. He was involved in the beginnings of Summit Senior Baseball, the forerunner of the current NEORH operation. Rudy was a long-time organizer in the Greater Akron AA Baseball organization and founded the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame. He was a long-time play-by-play broadcaster of high school sports in Akron and was inducted into both the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame as well as the Akron Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
There is no doubt that Rudy rubbed some people the wrong way, but the bottom line is that he loved this game of baseball and was always looking for ways to promote both it and high school sports in Akron.
There are a lot of players in NEORH with long relationships with Rudy, especially players in the 48s and 55s. I hope you will forward this information to your teammates, and we need to keep Rudy, his brothers Ron and Bob and the rest of his family in our prayers this week.

May 3
Political ponderings …
The 2012 political season is well underway ... Here's something I try to remember: A politician is like a banana. Why? When he/she first comes in he is green, then turns yellow and then becomes rotten ...

May 2
Pinch me!
I need to check my gyroscope ... It's May and the Indians are in first place, best record in baseball. What's wrong with this picture? Oops, it's still raining, yes this is NEO Ohio in May! However, as much as the rain is disruptive and annoying, Mother Nature has been a whole lot nicer here than other places, so let's enjoy the burgeoning 'green' and very good baseball.

May 1
New Year’s Resolution … in May!
Okay … I have been absolutely terrible – er rather non-existant – doing blog entries here for me and for Roy Hobbs. So, my May resolution is to do a better job and try to post something as often as possible, both here and on Facebook.
Therefore, this is my starting point …