Story #88 -- AZL Playoff Preview

This one will have to tide you over until after Labor Day, people.

Click here to check out my preview for the AZL Championship game (looks like the contest should be a good one), and be sure to check back next week for a bunch of stories, including my trip to Dayton (pics and articles).

For now, have a good, extended weekend!

Story #85, 86, 87 -- Monday recap.

The typical Monday fodder is finally all up on MiLB.com for your enjoyment, so here's the links:

Click here to check out the Pioneer League Notebook. The short-season league is about 1 1/2 weeks away from conclusion, so now is the time to get the facts, and get excited!

Click here to take a peek at the Northwest League Notebook. This league is also a little over a week from conclusion. Have you caught NWL Playoff fever!? I hope not, there's no known cure.

Click here for my wrap on the various Minor Leagues' Offensive Players of the Week. I'm going to have to go with the guy in the picture, the Isotopes' Joe Borchard, as my standout hitter of the week. Obviously whoever did the art for the story agrees.

Story #83, 84 -- A pair of keepers.

After the horrendous start to this week, notebooking out of my freaking mind, I got to buckle down and turn out a couple of stories that I'm really proud of for MiLB.com's Farm's Almanac. They went live yesterday on MiLB.com, but I've been busy (school, Mary's back from Greece, etc.). I've finally got them up here for your enjoyment though, so...uhh...enjoy!

Click here to read about some of the trials and tribulations Minor Leaguers must deal with when they're living life on the road (on a bus), for 6-hour plus long trips to visiting parks. There are some hilarious stories and all around bitterness involved, so read the article. It's a good clup for me.

Click here to read a story about Toledo Mud Hens sideline reporter Jordan Strack, a former MHS hockey teammate and friend of mine, not to mention someone I respect in the journalism world as a peer and colleague. I mean when you have a chance to toss someone some exposure, exposure you wish you had people handing you at this stage in your career, I mean why not. Fun to write, catch up with Jordan and a good story. That's money.

(PS- get over to MiLB.com and check out the main page and the art for the Farm's Almanac if you can, it's pretty cool, especially because one of my stories in the main, and the art is for it specifically).

Story #78, 79, 80, 81, 82 -- Believe it.

If you want a real understanding of what has been going on in the Minor Leagues for the past week, and even what's to come this week-- I've got five stories for you. The amount of information collectively in these notebooks is pretty staggering when you think about. And I'll let you do that, I have to get back to more work. Busy, busy, busy so I can pick up Mary on Wednesday. Until then, it's not fun for Mark though.

Click here to take a 'Peek at the Week.' This story involves me making picks so you, the reader, knows what matchups to follow this week in the Minors. Since it's coming down to the wire in some leagues for the pennant, there's some excitement. It's the leagues that are already all but decided that are really, really, really boring to research and write about.

Click here for the Pioneer League Notebook. I don't know what it is about the PIO League, but I love it so. I always do it first. I always do it better (in my opinion). Maybe there's a correlation there, but I think there's just some charm about the league I can't quite fathom.

Click here for the Northwest League Notebook. The Yakima Bears are in last in their division right now, but the good news is it's the tightest division in (possibly) all the Minor Leagues. Writing about Vancouver each week makes me want to go there more and more. Not for MiLB mind you, I want to just get to Canada and explore a bit.

Click here to hear about MiLB's Offensive Players of the Week. There are some pretty sick players in MiLB you'll be hearing about real soon. My pick out of the bunch for this week has to be Springfield Cardinals catcher Colby Rasmus. What he did in four games is amazing.

Click here for a roundup of MiLB's Pitchers of the Week. For some reason the pitchers story is much more tedious to write than the hitters story. I think it's because all of the pitchers get chosen for winning a pair of games while keeping their ERAs low. I actually revel in the few that either lose, or do something spectacular like a complete game, shutout or otherwise. I guess it's like defense in hockey, you either appreciate it, or you don't. I appreciate pitching, I just think offense is more fun to write about.

Wow. That's the most ridiculous 48 hours of notebooking in my young career. Let's hope it doesn't come to this again, or at least any time soon. OK, I need to be back to work. Heading to "exotic" Dayton on Wednesday, I'll make sure to take pictures! Until then, peace out!

Story #77 -- Martinez focuses on strikes, innings

Too busy to make this long, but here's my story for the Farm's Almanac that went live on MiLB.com today. Click right here to read a quick profile on San Jose Giants pitcher Joey Martinez, who currently leads the California League in strikeouts.

OK, back to work. I have to finish seven stories in the next five days in order to be able to pick up Mary this next week in Cincinnati without totally hosing myself. Busy, busy, busy.

Story #73, 74, 75, 76 -- A busy 48 hours...

Oy. Like two notebooks every Sunday aren't enough. Throw a few stories recapping the various Player of the Week honors today and it becomes a downright tedious beginning to the week. The fruits of my labors all went up on MiLB.com today though, so here are the links:

The Helena Brewers are struggling since winning the first-half division title, you can read a bit about that in the Pioneer League Notebook. The Yakima Bears are in one of the Minor Leagues' tightest races right now searching for a playoff spot, you can read about that in the Northwest League Notebook.

If you'd rather read about the best of the best instead of the short-season rookie league baseball, check out my story on the Offensive Players of the Week, or if you're a defense-first kind of person, the Pitchers of the Week.

Whew. That's a lot of notebook-ing.

OK, back to work. I've got a lot to get done before Mary is home next week! WOOOOO!!!

Story #70, 71, 72 -- The Akron Adventure (stories, pics)

Being home has been a blessing in many ways, but in terms of MiLB.com it's been best to be surrounded by a bunch of unexplored ballparks and teams again. Having hit Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco, Modesto and Stockton, I had pretty much exhausted what Northern California had to offer in terms of MiLB teams.

So when I saw I was assigned a few more 'On Location' spots before the conclusion of the regular season...well, let's just say I'm glad to be back in Ohio. There's like, 10 teams, within or a little over two hours from Toledo in just about every direction.

For my first road trip since the road trip back from Cali, I went with Akron. The Aeros were home, fit into my schedule, and...well, I'd never been to Akron. Here are the stories for your reading pleasure.

Click here for my general take on Canal Park. It was built by the same architectural group that had a hand in MLB parks like Jacobs Field and Camden Yards, so it had a big-league feel. Also, the Akron cityscape is actually pretty impressive in the background. Who'da' thunk it?

Click here to read up on Aeros radio broadcaster Jim Clark, who moonlights as the play-by-play caller, but his day job is being the Sports Information Director at Walsh University. A family man, that's what Clark's story is about-- a fun tradition he has with his two sons.

Click here to hear what Aeros first baseman Jordan Brown thinks of Akron and Canal Park. He's also having a pretty solid season statistically, so take notes Indians fans. He could be in Triple-A by the end of the season, and possibly into the Majors sometimes in the future.

For those of you who would rather look at pictures than read, click here to head to my Flickr! photo map and simply navigate over to the Akron area. As usual, I have some pics of the ballpark.

Story #67, 68, 69 -- It smells like notebooks in here

And they smell delicious. Three, count them three, notebooks for your reading pleasure. All of them went live today on MiLB.com.

I've got the Pioneer League Notebook for those of you who are interested in say, Brockman's Helena Brewers. What's that you say? You'd prefer something a bit more West coast-style, say closer to Paul's Yakima Bears? OK, well enjoy the Northwest League Notebook then. Still not good enough? Picky, picky. Well than I've saved the best for last-- enjoy the Pitchers of the Week. Whew, you were tough to please today.

OK, check back later this week for three more. I'm doing my first 'On Location' articles since I've returned to Ohio, and I'm still figuring out where I'm going to go. That means it'll be a surprise!

Story #66 -- Siblings share the same dream

I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you will enjoy reading it-- here's my story that went live on MiLB.com today. It's about the brothers scattered across MiLB, specifically Jake and Ryan Eigsti. The pair had some good stories to tell, so it made for a good story. Click here to check out the article.

On a more somber note-- R.I.P. Nick Blanke. A former neighbor, MHS hockey player and family friend-- it's a damn shame when people are snuffed out so soon...

Sigh...