Mike Devine- Frontier League

Mike Devine spent 2014 in the Frontier League.  He took the time to send me a great note recently about his career.

He says that, being from Pittsburgh, he grew up a Pirates fan.  He mentions that, at the end of his baseball seasons, he has enjoyed coming home to see the Pirates making it in to the post season!

He went from Traverse City to Normal in the middle of the season.  Concerning his time in Traverse City, he mentions that it is a great area, and he is grateful that they gave him his start in professional baseball.  It is a great town he says.

I asked him about favorite baseball books, and he mentions that he really enjoyed reading Josh Hamilton's book, "Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back."  He talks at length about how he can relate to it because he has witnessed many friends and ballplayers get into drugs, and have the game taken away from them.

He continues, "No matter what the situation I think it is extremely tough to go from that low and get back to an elite level, and that book did a really nice job of highlighting the struggle he went through."

Mike talks a lot about his love of the game.  "I have been blessed to play with and against many people all over the country, and while I am a strong competitor, the wins and losses come and go.  What stays with me is the friendships and going to the park each day during the season knowing that there are 23 or 24 guys in that locker room and dugout with me ready to go compete together for the next 9 innings.  Baseball has blessed me with many things, but the thing that never leaves me is the friendships of my teammates and coaches that extend into life off the field."

I wanted to put Mike's feelings on baseball in quotes, because he said it perfectly!

Good luck next year Mike, and thanks for the nice note!

Moeller Card Show and Denny McLain in Cincinnati!

I made it out to the Moeller High School baseball card show this weekend.  I wanted to get out there because Denny McLain was appearing!

It has been some time since I was last at this show, but I had a real good day.  The dealers are nice and reasonable, and there is more here than just the usual stacks of baseball cards from the 80s.  The show had a great selection of mini helmets, buttons, and vintage cards.  In fact, I enjoyed looking at the many cases full of old tobacco cards.

The show had several signers, but I was here mostly to get my album signed by Denny McLain (in addition to being an amazing pitcher, he also played the organ and he recorded on Capitol Records)!  I met him before, sometime in the mid 00s in Detroit.  I remember him being very pleasant at that time, and he also was a bigger guy.... as we all put on some weight as we get older.

Well, he has dropped a LOT of weight and he still seemed friendly and chatty.  He seemed very happy just to be there and he was very generous with doing photos and adding inscriptions and that sort of thing.

I have always found Denny's story to be one of the most fascinating in all of baseball.  I would put him right in there with Cobb and Rose as one of the most loved and hated MLBers ever.

Again, this was a great day at the card show for me.  One thing I miss about living in northern Ohio is that there were a lot of nice card shows like this, where they might have a few retired or current players signing autographs, AND dealers sold quality items.  I tip my hat to Cincy Card Shows for this one!

Good show, good signers, and good dealers!  I will have to make more of a point to hit their events when they come up!


Check out Cincy Card Show's link:


http://cincycardshows.com/

Here is my review of Denny's book, and a photo of him from about a decade ago:

http://kentuckybaseball.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-told-you-i-wasnt-perfect-by-denny.html

And here is a link to a Detroit News Article about his weight loss:


http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140226/SPORTS0104/302260097

Jared Reaves- Tigers Minor League Prospect

I got a great note from Jared Reaves talking about his career and the past season!

Jared let me know that this season started slow, but he feels that he managed to catch his stride and finish well.

He loved playing for the Whitecaps, and he let me know that the most impressive park in his league was Fort Wayne.

I asked him about missing home, and he said that he does miss the South when he is away, especially in April and May when it is warm.

He did grow up a Braves fan, but that changed when he was drafted by the Tigers organization.  He is proud to be with the Tigers, and he says that the people are caring and professional.

He does acknowledge that he still likes to see the Braves win...  unless they are playing the Tigers!

He ends his note with a "Roll Tide!"

West Michigan Whitecaps 2013

For the third season in a row, I was able to catch a game in the Grand Rapids area!

I can't exactly explain it, but we keep finding ourselves in this area.  Michigan is a fun state and this is a fun area.

See my previous mentions of this park, but it is one of my favorites.....

Wuerfel Park- Traverse City Michigan

One of the things about road trips is that sometimes you find yourself in an area with a cool ballpark during the off season.

When we recently travelled through Traverse City Michigan we found ourselves in that exact position.

As is my habit, I decided to still stop by the park and to say howdy to whoever was there.  Luckily, the cool folds who work for Wuerfel Park and the Traverse City Beach Bums were happy to show me around a bit!

It was early in the morning on a cold early April Day.  Snow was still on the ground. 

It was very easy finding the teams main offices.  Wuerfel Park reminds me a lot of a nice resort type place.  It is the homiest park I have ever been too.  VERY comfortable!

Tom Goethel, the F&B Director at Wuerfel was extremely accommodating.  I told him that I would love to have a glimpse of the field and I would like to make some purchases from their gift shop if I could.

Tom very kindly took me through his office area (see photo) and out through the balcony to see their amazing diamond.  Even with a ton of snow in some parts of it, you can see that this place is very special.

Tom must have the all time coolest job!  My lifetime dream is to have a job where my desk is right next to a balcony (maybe 4 steps away)- with a view of a beautiful ballpark!

I cannot stress enough just how cool Tom's office and balcony view was.

I chatted with Tom briefly about the fact that I have been to some of the Bums away games in Florence.  He made sure to find me a schedule so I would know when the Bums are playing in Florence this year.

There is something I really want to stress about visiting parks like this in the off season.  We stopped by Traverse City expecting to see a nice little town, and a nice little ballpark.  Well, we found an AMAZING CITY and one of the nicest ballparks around.  We are already itching to get back to the area ASAP to see more of Traverse City, AND to see Wuerfel Park on game day.






http://www.tcbeachbums.com/

Detroit Tigers- Commerica Park

Here are some more photos taken of Commerica Park in Detroit from around 06.


We took a tour of the park and had a lot of good access!


This park does rival the one in Pittsburgh for my personal favorite.

There is a lot of space, the skyline is amazing, and there is just a great game day vibe.

Briggs Stadium- Detroit MI.

I never made it to a game here, but I have been to the lot where it once was (see previous post).

I found this old undated postcard recently and thought it looked great!

Detroit Tigers- Comerica Park

Comerica Park is easily one of my favorite major league venues. I would rank it in the top 3.

It has a big spacious feel. There is a lot going on on the inside, but you don't feel packed in like at some other parks.

I know a lot of purists hated to see the old park go (and, there is nothing sadder in my opinion than the death of a great old ballpark) but this one is lively. The staff was great and the fans were on.

Outside of the park was a little iffy. We did park within a few blocks, and we were hassled a little on our way in. I was cussed at by an aggressive scalper whom I ignored, and several people asked for change. A couple of guys claiming to represent a veterans group asked for a donation, and a guy tried to sell me literature about an alien invasion from space. Seriously. I did not make that up!

That is part of Detroit's charm, I guess. I did see plenty of cops so the whole thing felt safe.

Still, when we got inside of the park, there was the stadium photo guy who asks to take your picture, so you can buy prints online later. Our party was in such a state of continuously telling people "no" and trying to walk away that we continued that with the photo guy.

Once we got in and got settled things were great. I casually chatted with several vendors and staff people who were all helpful. The fans were fun and the atmosphere was exciting.

I love the great tiger statues around the park. The growl and glowing eyes of the two on the scoreboard are just too cool. The huge stone ones outside of the front entrance have to be looked at in person. These aren't just cool statues of giant tigers at the ballpark, they are complicated works of art.

We walked all around the park and there was something exciting to see at every angle. You can see a lot of the city and the old buildings from about any seat. Detroit does have an amazing skyline. Plus, Comerica Park has a lot of rides and lights. It has a bit of an old carnival feel in some areas.

I would call this one of the best MLB parks for several reasons. Seating is comfortable. If you have been to a lot of parks, you know that at some you feel like you are looking down at the action if you have seats in an upper area. Other parks space the seats out better. You feel like you are looking across at the action, even if you are looking down. Comerica is that way. You don't feel like you could fall straight down at any moment.

I also like the vibe inside of the park. With the skyline and the fans, you never forget that you are in Detroit. Along those lines, I appreciate the odd characters outside of the park too.

Toledo Mud Hens-Fifth Third Field Toledo OH

Toledo is one of those towns I just find myself in ever so often. About once a year we do try to make it up there to catch the Mud Hens.

There is a great baseball tradition here. The Mud Hens have been around forever, and it seems like they have been affiliated with the Tigers forever.

I always have fun in Toledo. The town's art museum can compete with any similar museum in larger cities. Tony Packo's is a great place to stop for some unique food before a game. In fact, I think it might be safe to say that the Mud Hens and Tony Packos are the face of Toledo.

Here are a few pictures I took at a game right before the end of the season.