Blog 2-0 after 10-1 win. Now to St Louis- Get the brooms out baby. After this week we will be back to 500 if not over it. KEEP IT POSITIVE. How about Volquez- he has been amazing. A good trade for both teams.
My family lost a great friend yesterday Vic Fauser. The Smauser we would call him. He apparently died of a heart-attack in his favorite chair watching the NBA Playoffs. Vic, loved baseball-he was a pitcher in Iowa growing up as a young boy and when I was enjoying success as a youngster he always tried to teach me some trick pitches. This was a real tough one for my parents because Vic is there age. Really the first person to die and somebody they used to go to dinner, movies play golf with weekly. May Vic rest in Peace and his wife Elaine and there 2 children Mary Gail and Peter relish in the fact that they had a great dad.
Just as players have get away days scouts do also. Yesterday in San Diego was scorching hot 94 degrees. When your right next to the Pacific Ocean and there is no sea breeze, but a breeze warm- your covered in nothing but sweat.
As the Padres and AZ were finishing up there series yesterday the Webb and Peavy 6 innings were outstanding. I and other scouts are at the game scouting but at times you can't help but be a fan when Peavy throws a 86 mph slider for strike three-wooo did you see that pitch, Webb when anybody gets into scoring position against him, the velo goes right upto 92 and the sink sticks to the bat if the hitter can make contact. We as you sometimes marvel at these players skills and abilities- thats why their Big Leaguers- not many of us that have those special kind of abilities.
Apparently there was a high profile college game going on at the same time and free-agent scouts who were trying to see the player and then run to the airport to get home because most everywhere in the country on Mondays there are no games. The San Diego airport was a mess yesterday, the lane into security was a nightmare. Yesterday tested your patience.
As I sat into my seat one of the last people on the plane is the Seattle Mariners West Coast Cross-Checker Tom Davis nicknamed the Cowboy. Tommie is one of my favorite free-agent scouts, he is a former HS Principal. he is the guy you should use along with another scout named Larry Doughty of the Rays that if you want to train new scouts how to do the job right. These two men have incredible work ethic, great professionalism and always have time for the young scouts- they are true mentor scouts. Tommie I love him, he is so damn competitive, he will work as long as he has too and he is one of the old fashioned scouts who were trained to do tryout camps. Tommy can run a tryout camp. We talked about Matt Walbeck who is now a coach for the Texas Rangers-Tommy signed him as a player. And just the happiness he feels with Matts success, its almost as if its his own kid.
The flight also had Deron Johnson on it. Deron is the new Scouting Director of the Minnesota Twins. Deron is a great guy that will do a great job. His travel schedule is unbelievable, Derons a good looking guy, but even he has lost some weight from the rigors of his job. There were alot of Scouting Directors in San Diego this weekend. I heard as a scout always have your ears open, there is a kid in San Diego for next years draft that has touched 103 miles per hour and they say his CB is his best pitch. Apparently he struck out 23 of 27 guys a couple of weeks ago and this weekend only struck out 13 and the last pitch of the game was 96- that will get your adrenaline flowing.
The scouts at this last three game series I was at was my new clothing advisor the Dauper Dick Balderson-Braves, Polo slick former Big Leaguer Mike Paul-Rockies, Tim Schmidt-AZ,Matt Slater-Cardinals and New York Yankees scout Jay Darnell, saw Grady Fuson the Padres guru at the game yesterday also.
I drive to the Bay Area again and watch the Rockies vs the Giants three game series, I love the Bay Area my favorite spot in the United States.
My son got to go to the Rodeo yesterday. Real Cowboys and horses. I'm glad he has some good friends that take him places when I'm gone and he has a real nice girl friend Jayme and her parents are great the Kirbys. Thanks for letting him travel with you.
I'm watching Julie making lunches, she just showed me a full pan of boneless chicken she used bar b que sauce on. She just said to me eat em will ya. So on my restrictive diet I will do that. Have a great day everybody.
Keep It Real
Butch Baccala
ML Scout Cincinnati Reds
3-0 Baby! Gotta be the blog!
Posted by: Rick D in Chicago | April 28, 2008 at 08:10 PM