The Lugnuts get the home schedule going tonight with a 6:05 first pitch against the Fort Wayne Wizards (Padres affiliate). It is going to be an unusually warm opener as the temperature should be about 60 deg. F at the time of the first pitch. This is in stark contrast to the freezing rain, three inches of snow and lost 7 game homestand in Lansing that occured to years ago. The park should be full tonight and tomorrow (with tomorrow being fireworks and bobble head night), to welcome the Blue Jay prospects to the MWL. There was a nice article in the Lansing State Journal this morning that discusses the draft philosophy differences between the Cubs and Jays. The link is http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050407/SPORTS03/504070342/1022/sports03 if you are interested.

Great, Lugnut fan. If you're at tonight's game, and would like to post comments on it tomorrow, there will be a minor league update thread where these comments would be most welcome.

It looks like the Dunedin home opener is on Friday at 7:00pm.

http://www.dunedinbluejays.com/cgi-bin/gameinfo.cgi?4!8!2005

Minnesota top prospect Francisco Liriano goes for New Britain in the New Hampshire opener.

Liriano is Minny's #5 prospect. Scott Baker, Minny's #10 prospect, throws for Rochester against Syracuse today. The Jays counter with Scott Downs and Ismael Ramirez.

Unfortunately, the link for the Syracuse game has been blocked out on the internet.

...but, I found a working link from the Rochester Red Wings site, here ya go folks, enjoy. I'll give some play-by-play for a bit.

http://www.wysl1040.com/

Click on the Listen Live link.

Scott Downs is pitching for the SkyChiefs

Jason Tyner grounds out to Bryant Nelson at 2B, 1 out
Brent Abernathy grounds out to Aaron Hill at SS, 2 outs
Terry Tiffy grounds out to Hill again at SS, 3rd out

Downs needs only 8 pitches to set down the Red Wings in the 1st.

Thanks, BJL. I assure you that you've got listeners/readers.

Scott Baker is starting for Rochester

LF Anton French hits one under the glove of the 1st baseman and down the line for a Triple
SS Aaron Hill lofts one into RF for a single, scores French
2B Bryant Nelson grounds into a 4-6-3 double play, 2 out
OF Chad Mottola broken bat to left center, off the LF's glove for a double
DH John-Ford Griffin strikes out. 3rd out

SkyChiefs 1, Red Wings 0

End of 1st

Top of 2nd

Josh Rabe pops out to shallow left, taken in by Hill, 1 out
Kevin West hard grounder to short, snagged by Hill and onto 1st, nice play, 2 out
Garrett Jones chops one back to Downs who throws to 1st, 3rd out

Another quick inning by Downs

Mid 2nd

SkyChiefs 1, Red Wings 0

Keep it coming Lee and thanks.

Bot 2nd

3B Jason Alfaro well hit to RF, wind getting a hold of it, IT'S GONE! HR Alfaro!
1B Eric Crozier hammered to RF, back, GONE! Back-to-back jacks, HR Crozier!
CF Justin Singleton soft liner to LF for a single
C Ken Huckaby sent back thru the middle for a single, men on 1st and 2nd
LF Anton French dribbler to 2B, Rodriguez tags Huckaby but can't get French at 1st, 1 out, 1st & 3rd

Baker does the 'step to 3rd, go to 1st move' and French slips (who was running), and tagged out, 2 out

Aaron Hill strikes out, 3rd out

End of 2nd

SkyChiefs 3, Red Wings 0

Well, if nothing else, it answers the question that we ask ourselves every time we see that play run in the big leagues...

"When's the last time that worked?!?"

Answer: April 7, 2005.

The rain is starting to pick up a bit in Syracuse. Only 18 pitches for Downs so far.

Top 3rd

Luis Rodriguez grounds out to Nelson at 2B, 1 out
Rob Bowen is caught looking at strike three, 2 out
Augie Ojeda draws a walk
Jason Tyner grounds to short, Hill flips to Nelson convering, 3rd out

Mid 3

SkyChiefs 3, Red Wings 0

With a GPA of .700 in Triple-A so far, I think Aaron Hill can handle a promotion to the Blue Jays.

Did Scott Downs pitch a no-hitter last year against Las Vegas? I think I just heard that from the Rochester broadcast.

Make that .350 after the strikeout. Maybe Hill needs more time after all...

Bot 3rd

Bryant Nelson pops out to 2B, 1 out
Chad Mottola popped into shallow RF, taken by the 2B, 2 out
John-Ford Griffin chopper to 2B, 3rd out

Not much patience at all that inning.

End of 3rd

SkyChiefs 3, Red Wings 0

'Liriano is Minny's #5 prospect. Scott Baker, Minny's #10 prospect, throws for Rochester against Syracuse today. The Jays counter with Scott Downs and Ismael Ramirez.'

Yeah, I meant top prospect in the sense that he's A top prospect, not THE top prospect :).

Top of 4th

Brent Abernathy lines one to LF, rising, and over the wall, HR Abernathy
Terry Tiffy bounced back to Downs, onto 1st, 1 out
Josh Rabe looks at strike three, 2 out
Kevin West hard liner to LF for a single
Garrett Jones grounder to RF, another single, 1st & 2nd
Luis Rodriguez hit thru Alfaro (error), goes all the way to the wall, scores Jones and Rodriguez, man on 2nd
Rob Bowen shoots one into RF, play at the play, throw by Mottola, gets passed Huckaby, Rodriguez scores.
Ojeda pops out to end the inning, 3rd out

Tough inning for Downs, he needs to make some adjustments

Mid 4

Red Wings 4, SkyChiefs 3

rob, Rob, ROB, ROB!!!!!!! How many times need we go through this, you never discuss a no hitter, you don't say, didnt he throw a no hitter, you dont say, man Downs is throwing bb's......

I may open more than one thread to allow for easier reading rather than having two games going on at once.

Aw, multiple games at once is part of the fun of BBRadio!

Bottom of 4th

Jason Alfaro lines softly towards 1st, snagged by Jones, 1 out
Eric Crozier (feed cut out) out was recorded though, 2 out
Justin Singleton lines up the middle for a single
Ken Huckaby after a tough battle, chops it back to the pitcher, onto 1st, 3rd out

End of 4th

Red Wings 4, SkyChiefs 3

Timeline of Opening Day in Syracuse:
First inning for Downs: 1-2-3.
Second inning: 1-2-3.
Third inning: A walk and nothing more.
Between third and fourth: Rob mentions Downs' previous no-hitter
Fourth inning: Downs gives up a homerun to the first batter and four runs total in the inning.

I think there's a connection there. Sorry, guys.

Say, did you notice New Britian's Francisco Liriano has a perfect game going in the Double-A game that won't start for three hours?

Not only that, but I understand his warmup throws will be bullets, didn't he pitch a great game awhile back? Bronson Arroyo has been absolutely amazing too this year.

Top of 5th

Jason Tyner grounds one off Downs' glove into RF, single
Brent Abernathy bunts down the 3rd baseline, Alfaro can't get him at 1st, bunt single, 1st & 2nd
Terry Tiffy grounds one into LF, bases loaded none out

Scott Downs' day is done, replaced by Mike Nannini

Josh Rabe belted to LF, deep, it's gone, GRAND SLAM
Kevin West grounder to 2B, Nelson onto 1st, 1 out
Garrett Jones fouled into the catcher's mit for strike three, 2 out
Luis Rodriguez strikes out, 3rd out

Mid 5th

Red Wings 8, SkyChiefs 3

That's it. I'm not mentioning the city of Las Vegas anywhere near a Scott Downs start again.

Rabe had a .397 slugging average last year. In other words, slightly more power than Gregg Zaun or Alex Rios. Honestly...

LOL don't worry Rob, it can't hold up
score since Rob's comment..

Runs 8 outs 6

Downs' line is going to show 7 runs allowed, but it doesn't sound as though it was that bad, save for the homer to Abernathy. He throws a sinker, if I recall correctly, and it was working at least for the first 3 innings.

Bottom of 5th

Brent Schoening now pitching for Rochester

Anton French grounds inbetween 3rd and SS, taken by Tiffy, onto 1st, 1 out
Aaron Hill smokes one up the middle for a base hit
Bryant Nelson grounds into a 6-4-3 double play, 2nd & 3rd out

End of 5th

Red Wings 8, SkyChiefs 3

Top of 6th

Rob Bowen flies out to Singleton in CF, 1 out
Augie Ojeda is caught looking at a back-door slider, 2 out
Jason Tyner is also caught looking at a knee-high fastball, 3rd out

Mid 6th

Red Wings 8, SkyChiefs 3

For those wondering, here's Scott Downs' final line:
Scott Downs - 4 IP, 7 Hits, 7 Runs, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's

Bottom of 6th

Chad Mottola strikes out on a slider, 1 out
John-Ford Griffin drives one to CF, over the head of Tyner for a ground-rule Double
Jason Alfaro shoots one down the 3rd baseline into the corner, Griffin scores, Alfaro on 2nd
Eric Crozier looks at a called third strike on the outside corner, 2 out
Justin Singleton lines it to right center gap, to the track, scores Alfaro, double for Singleton
Ken Huckaby grounds to SS, onto 1st, 3rd out

End of 6th

Red Wings 8, SkyChiefs 5

Top of 7th

Brent Abernathy pops it up behind the plate, Huckaby makes a good catch, 1 out
Terry Tiffy grounds softly to Crozier who steps on the bag, 2 out
Josh Rabe whiffs on a change-up, 3rd out

Mid 7th

Red Wings 8, SkyChiefs 5

Bottom of 7th

Willie Eyre now pitching for Rochester

Anton French grounds out to 2B, 1 out
Aaron Hill sharply hit again up the middle for a single (3-for-4 so far)
Bryant Nelson works the count 3-1 and walks, 1st & 2nd
Chad Mottola watching some pitches, 3-1 delivery lined to the CF, Hill tags and goes to 3rd, 2 out
John-Ford Griffin grounds up the middle, Hill scores, Nelson to 3rd, men on 1st & 3rd
Jason Alfaro works the count full, payoff pitch, ball four, bases are loaded
Eric Crozier gets jammed, out to 2B, onto 1st, 3rd out

End of 7th

Red Wings 8, SkyChiefs 6

nice start for Griffin.

I have a feeling (hope?) that Arnold and Griffin put themselves back on the map this year.

Top of 8th

Ryan Glynn now pitching for Syracuse (will be rejoining the rotation)

Kevin West watches strike three, 1 out
Garrett Jones lined to RF, and over the head of Mottola for a double
Luis Rodriguez flies out to Singleton in CF, runner stays, 2 out
Rob Bowen grounds one up the middle, runner coming home, throw is late, Jones scores
Augie Ojeda grounds to 1st, snagged by Crozier, steps onto the bag, 3rd out

Mid of 8th

Red Wings 9, SkyChiefs 6

Here's the line for Nannini:
Mike Nannini - 3 IP, 1 Hit, 1 ER, 0 BB's, 5 K's

Griffin did hit pretty well in spring training. I know spring training doesn't mean diddly squat but Griffin had a horrible start in 2004, so any confidence builder in 2005 would be good.

I really like this Rochester broadcast. The broadcasters sound fun, and they don't have as many commercials as other minor league broadcasts. This means you get that fun 2-3 minute period where the two men have to share stories, and these two have had some amusing ones to share.

Bottom of 8th

Justin Singleton hits it softly to 1st, Jones touches the bag, 1 out
Ken Huckaby hits it to RF, to the track, caught, 2 out
Anton French hits it deep to RF, over the head of Kevin West, French with a Double
Aaron Hill grounds to SS, onto 1st, 3rd out

End of 8th

Red Wings 9, SkyChiefs 6

And the rain is coming down hard now, halting play. Tarps are out.

RAIN DELAY IN THE 9TH

Top of the 9th

Adrian Burnside now pitching for Syracuse (Scott Baker was ready but has sat down)

Jason Tyner singles to LF
Brent Abernathy flies out to Singleton in left-center, 1 out
Terry Tiffy grounds into a 5-4-3 double play, 2nd and 3rd outs

Mid of 9th

Red Wings 9, SkyChiefs 6

Here's the line for Glynn:
Ryan Glynn - 1 IP, 2 Hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

3-4-5 for the SkyChiefs in the bottom of the 9th

NOTE: Curt Schilling surrended 2 HR's in his rehab start vs. AAA Indianapolis Indians

Thanks again, Lee. Go Chiefs!

I'll do a few innings of the Lansing game at 6:05, but I'll start it up here.

Bottom of 9th

Beau Kemp now pitching for Rochester

Bryant Nelson line drive to CF, gets by Tyner, leadoff Double
Chad Mottola lined into CF for a single, Nelson scores
John-Ford Griffin grounds into a 4-6-3 double play, 1st & 2nd outs
Jason Alfaro lines out to Jason Tyner in CF, 3rd out

FINAL - Rochester Red Wings 9, Syracuse SkyChiefs 7

SYRACUSE:
Downs - 4 IP, 7 Hits, 7 Runs, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K's
Nannini - 3 IP, 1 Hit, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's
Glynn - 1 IP, 2 Hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Burnside - 1 IP, 1 Hit, 0 BB's, 0 K's

Aaron Hill 3-for-5 (all singles, 1 RBI, 1 Run)
Jason Alfaro 2-for-4 (Solo HR, RBI Double)
Eric Crozier 1-for-4 (Solo HR)
Justin Singleton 3-for-4 (2 Singles, RBI Double)
John-Ford Griffin 2-for-4 (Double & a RBI Single)

WP- Brent Schoening (1-0)
LP- Scott Downs (0-1)
SV- Beau Kemp (1)

I cannot connect to either the Lansing or Fort Wayne broadcast. I will try later. Maybe somebody else will have better luck.

Lansing radio feed now working. No score in second inning.

Fisher Cats pre-game on now at:

http://www.wkxl1450.com/dynamickxl/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=4&id=72&Itemid=58

Enjoy!

0-0 after 1 1/2 innings. Cassey Janssen has retired the first six batters.

I can connect to the Fort Wayne broadcast here, but Windows Media Player (you need Version 9? I have Version 9!) doesn't like the Lansing link, and I have to make dinner very soon.

But not until I finish listening to the F-Cats' pregame, of course. The burgers can burn, I don't care.

Casey Janssen has mowed down the first 6 batters he has faced. He struck out the side in the second. 0-0 after 1 and 1/2.

Snavely lines a ball up the left-centrefield gap, but the centerfielder track its down. Klosterman grounds out 3U, and then Joey Wolfe hits a roller at the second baseman. 3 up, 3 down.

0-0 after 2 innings.

Top of 3 (Lansing)
Matt Bush grounds out to Peralta at second.
Ramirez whiffs on high cheese.
Kazmir likes the cheese so much he whiffs too.

0-0 after 2 1/2.

Bottom of 3.

Peralta grounds out to second on a nice defensive play from the outfield grass.
Yuber Rodriguez pops one to center field which is caught. He flashes his speed as hes standing on second base by the time the ball is caught.
Curtis Thigpen lines a ball off the pitcher for a single on a 3-2 pitch.
Cory Patton playing left field strikes out swinging.

0-0 after 3.

Top of 4 (Lansing)

I missed a ground out.
Hanson grounds out to short.
Cianfarone grounds one softly towards second. Peralta scoops it to first for the out.

0-0 still.

Bottom of 4(Lansing)

Chip Cannon, who struck out earlier, leads off. Cannon swings through a high 1-2 fastball for the K.
Eric Nielsen strikes out swinging on a ball in the dirt.
Christian Snavely playing 3rd base tonight flies out to the track in left in front of the labatt's blue sign.

0-0 still.

Top of 5 (Lansing):

First batter strikes out swinging.

Second batter grounds out to Peralta at second.

Janssen's throwing quickly and nothing but strikes. He's pitching so fast that the announcers barely get out the hitter's name.

Morton drives the ball to center. Yuber races back and tracks it down.

0-0 halfway-home. I can do one more half-inning. It's probably a good idea for someone to pick this up.

Bottom of 5 (Lansing)

Jordan, it's a Thirsty Thursday, but the announcers are sane.

Shortstop Ryan Klosterman works the count, but bounces out to third.

Joey Wolfe drives one to right and Tom Vincent makes a great catch on the track.

Juan Peralta grounds out routinely to Matt Bush at short.

Scoreless after 5 innings and I'm outta here.

I just found out that Lansing scored 1 run on 3 hits, not sure of the inning

Fisher Cats

No score, bottom of second inning, two out.

Acuna on first, steals second, throw goes into centrefield, Acuna goes to third.
Umbria ground out to second.

0-0 after two complete.

Top of 8th (Fort Wayne) McGlaughlin pitching

Lansing 1, Fort Wayne 0

Infield Single, Runner on 1st
Colt Martin Singles, Runners on 1st & 2nd
Matt Bush lays down a bunt, Lansing goes to 3rd and gets the runner, 1 out
Ramirez bounces out to 1st, runners advance, 2 out
Sean Kazmir hits a little infield blooper, onto 1st, 3rd out

Mid 8th

Lansing 1, Fort Wayne 0

Bottom of 8th (Lansing)

Ryan Trytten now pitching for Fort Wayne

Curtis Thigpen walks
Cory Patton drives it into LF, runner advances, 1st & 2nd
Chip Cannon looks at strike three, 1 out
Eric Neilsen grounds into a 4-3 double play, 2nd & 3rd outs

End of 8th

Lansing 1, Fort Wayne 0

Top 3

Ramirez has issued one walk through 2 innings, 8-9-1 hitters up

Watkins HR, a no doubter to left
Velasquez called strike three, second K for Ramirez
Tomlin bloop hit to right field
Maza, line drive down the left field line, run scores, triple (maybe double and third on the throw) for Maza, 2-0 Rock Cats
Infield in for Torres, fly ball to left, runner tags and scores 3-0.
Madienzo (sp?) strikes out swinging

3 runs on three hits

Bottom 3

Last inning Acuna was on with a walk, the only baserunner off Liriano
Vito K's looking
Hassey grounds out to SS, booted and safe
Negron grounds out to second, Hassey moves up
Passed ball, Hassey to third
Cota K's swinging

3-0 after three

Top of the 9th (Fort Wayne)

Danny Hill now pitching for Lansing

Chris Kolkhorst lines it into CF for a single
Brett Dowdy strikes out swinging, 1 out

Ball bounces in the dirt, runner goes but Thigpen guns him out at 2nd, 2 outs

Peter Ciofrone swings at strike three, ball gets away, thrown to 1st, 3rd out

FINAL - Lansing Lugnuts 1, Fort Wayne 0

If you want to know the scores of games and go to the new minorleaguebaseball.com site (run by MLB.com) and click on scoreboard. you get a coming soon message. If you go to a league page, say the FSL you get this message:

"Results and linescores will be available when
the season begins."

Its good to see MLB got rid of the old minorleaguebaseball site, they were bad, right?

Does anyone know why Dominic Rich is not on openning day rosters for either New Hampshire or Syracuse?

Top 4

Deeds infield hit
Romero line drive to left, straight to Acuna
Kennedy GB hit to RF, runners 1st and 2nd
Watkins K's swinging on the curveball
Velasquez double down the RF line, two runs score, 5-0

Pitching change, Andrade coming in

Dominic asked for his release and it was granted. Not sure why he asked, other than he likely was heading for a backup role, and not in AAA.

Top 4 continued.....

Tomlin K's swinging

I will do the bottom of the fourth, then I need to bail.

Bottom 4

Jova ground out to SS
Barker ground out
Acuna FB CF

Thats it for me.

5-0 Rock Cats

I know this isn't the right place for this but the attached link is to all 30 teams 2005 payrolls. The Jays are 25th.

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/8365156

I have just gotten home from the Lugnut game and I have to say, what an opener. Casey Janssen had everything working tonight. His fastball was 87 to 89, change up was 78 to 80 (perfect speed differential in my opinion), and a very sharp breaking curve ball. It was arguably the most dominant pitching performance I have seen in an opening day. The problem was that Micahel Ekstrom from Fort Wayne was equally as impressive (except defensively as he had two throwing snaffu's in a row). He did very well changing speeds and moving the ball around. Both starters should have had no hitters entering the second. Curtis Thigpen got the first hit of the game in the third or the fourth, but in my opinion it was an error on the pitcher. Oh well we will take it. I think Janssen is someone to keep an eye on especially if he continues to throw like he did tonight. Very dominant performance and if he continues on this pace, he could move threw the system quite quickly.

My first obersvations of this club are that they are very sound defensively. I could see that they worked very hard on the defensive side of things in spring training. One thing I noticed is that these kids knew where to throw, and fielded everything cleanly. Past clubs here in Lansing would have lost this game tonight and would have had probably three or four errors. The key play actually came in the top of the eighth when the first two hitters from Fort Wayne reached on singles. The next batter squared to bunt and laid a pretty good bunt down. The pitcher knew what side of the field to cover and had the presence of mind to throw to third to get the lead runner. That play was the defensive play of the game IMO. Half the teams in this league would have either bobbled the ball, or just thrown to first.

The bats were pretty quiet tonight and everyone seemed to be a touch late on their swings, but I suspect that will come around.

I wsa sitting there after the fifth wondering how long they would let Janssen go. I thought for sure he would come out in the sixth. I started to try and do quick pitch counts in my head to try and guess how long he would go. In my opinion, Janssen would have thrown a no-hitter tonight if he would have went the distance. He was that good. With it being the first game however, seven innings is more than enough.

How are they going to follow this one up tomorrow is yet to be determined, but I think it is safe to say that it will probably not be a 1-0 game tomorrow.

Of paticular interst to Toronto fans, AJ Wideman will get the start tomorrow. This should be of paticular interest as he is a Toronto kid. I guess all that is left to say is "Go Nuts.".

I have a question for knowledgeable minor league baseball fans.

Given the number of prospects that make the jump to the majors from AA ball, and assuming a continuation of the trend, Is there a chance that in a few years AAA will lose its significance and become a wasteland of lesser lights?

This isn't meant to be a frivolous question, I'm curious.

Flex,

What I have noticed in minor league baseball is that top prospects generally make the jump from AA to the majors, and skip AAA all together. AAA ball clubs have become insurance policies for the big clubs. It seems like there are always experienced, formidable veterans at the AAA level that are there in case someone goes down, but in my opinion, the blue chip guys will almost always make the jump from AA to the majors.

Thanks LF. If that's the case, then I'm wondering what value there is in traditional notions like "send him to AAA to see how he handles the breaking ball" etc, if the guys that really throw it at a near major league level aren't even in AAA.

Years ago, with a smaller number of major league teams, I can see the best guys chomping away at AAA waiting for their turn. But not anymore. So do we take any stats or performances at AAA with a grain of salt?

A few observations:

Blue chip prospects often skip AA, regular prospects often do not. Russ Adams and Gabe Gross spent full years at AAA, Brandon League and Gustavo Chacin did not. David Bush spent a half year at AAA.

AAA players are more experienced so it is a tougher test than AA, but in a nuanced way. AA players are young prospects so bat speed and pitching speed are equivalent to the majors. But if you are a hitter who needs to learn to hit a breaking ball, or if you are a pitcher who needs to learn how to set up hitters, AAA is your destination.

Thanks Gerry. In your example, Brandon League wouldn't be considered a blue chip prospect. Is that true? I thought he was.

LF, those are some great comments, thanks very much. I had the game on in the background and it sounded like a good one. The kind of pitcher's duel that just leaves a pure baseball fan in the perfect balance between awe and contentment.

You're right about Janssen, if he keeps this up he'll move through the system very quickly. As you saw, his stuff isn't overpowering but he has a really good idea how to pitch. Jays GM JP Ricciardi talked about Janssen shortly after the draft and said “He throws strikes and he pitched at a great program, so if he’s going to come, he’s going to come quick." It's likely just a matter of waiting until a opens up in Dunedin or New Hampshire. If I heard the announcers correctly, Janssen was at 83 pitches through 7 innings.

It's nice to hear that the defense looks strong. Any early thoughts on Curtis Thigpen's defense? He's always been pretty successful throwing out runners even though scouts aren't enamoured with his potential upside behind the plate. It sounded like he made a great throw in the last inning to catch a runner, but it was hard to tell whether it was the play itself or the gravity of the situation that the announcers were excited about.

It's going to be awfully nice to be able to hear regular broadcasts of the low A team this year. It's been hard to follow Charleston and Dunedin the last few years with so little media coverage.

As far as I can find out, with details few and far between, New Hampshire lost 5-1 while Dunedin won 3-2.

So a 2-2 opening night for the minor leagues.

I saw Janssen pitch last year in Auburn. On that night no pitch looked outstanding but he had four pitches and can use them all. I remember his delivery, he really dropped and drove, with his knee scraping the mound.

Sorry to hijack the thread, guys. Thanks for your thoughts.

Lugnut Fan, a couple of times the radio crew raved about centerfielder Yuber Rodriguez' speed. From what you saw, how does he look in the field and on the basepaths, compared with Felix Pie?

After all of that, was anyone able to connect to the Lansing broadcast?

I'm trying to listen to the archived version of it now, and it keeps telling me that the server is busy and/or the server name may be incorrect.

Rob, I did connect to the Lansing broadcast eventually.

After reviewing my comments last night, I had some mistakes. I wote "He could move threw the system very quickly", instead of through the system. Also, my comment about both pitchers taking a no hitter was that they both shouuld have had a no hitter going into the seventh, not the second. I must have sounded like a fool. I guess that is what I get for not proof reading.

To answer some of your questions, here is what I saw (which is after only 1 game so my full opinion on anyone isn't concrete yet).

1) Yuber Rodriquez speed: He is not as fast as Felix Pie or even a Chris Walker who played here last year, but he did get down the line very quick. He also made a very nice catch in center last night that I thought for sure was over his head. No one really got on base last night as like I said above, the bats were quiet, so base running presence is yet to be determined.

2) Curtis Thigpen's defense. He appears to be a solid defensive catcher. There were no balls in the dirt that I remember last night, so to see how he blocks and moves his body is yet to be determined. He did make a solid throw in the ninth to catch a would be base stealer. There was also one stolen base on him, so he is 1 for 2 in that stat. His throws were a little high to second after the warm up tosses, but his arm seemed strong to second.

3) Janssen's pitching style: He is a drop and drive pitcher. I would like to see him get a little more life on his fastball, but he appeared to be a smart pitcher. He had the hitters guessing all night. I noticed he threw three very good pitches in a fastball, curve ball and change up. He might have four, but I didn't notice it. One thing he does that I noticed is that he twirls the ball in his glove while getting the sign on the rubber. The first time I noticed it, there was an 0-2 count in the second and I told my wife that I thought he was tipping his pitches, but I noticed after that he did it every pitch, probably because at one time he did tip them.

It was only one game, so true analysis is forthcoming, however I was very impressed with the presence and intelligence of the team in knowing the situations. I attribute that to the college age player being the focus of the Blue Jay draft.

Janssen was drafted as a senior and is 23.5 right now, so I'd be worried if he wasn't dominating A ball. He should probably be in Dunedin.

Checking Gerry's depth chart I was surprised to see Mike MacDonald as a starter in Dunedin. He was the team's 15th round pick last year and Janssen was their 4th rounder (and both essentially the same age).