Patriots Add Pitcher: The Somerset Patriots signed pitcher Mark DiFelice to take the spot that opened when Brett Jodie returned home to rehab just days ago.

DiFelice has experience in the Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals organizations, including three seasons at the Triple-A level. - Scott Stanchak

AL Scoreboard: The Surf defeated the Patriots, 6-5, on a 9th inning Dario Delgado RBI single. Delgado extended his league lead in the category with his 46th RBI of the year. At least he won't have to go far to get to the All-Star Game.

Nashua beat Lancaster, 5-4. Danny Gonzalez went 4-5 for the Barnstormers in the loss. Here's a clip from the release talking about Nashua'a half of the sixth: With one out, Orlando Miller reached on in infield hit off a slow bounder up the third base line, and moved to second when Ryan Minor’s throw eluded the grasp of first baseman Raul Marcano. Miller moved to third on David Francia’s grounder. Tom Creighton drew a walk from Domingo Acosta (1-4), and with two strikes to Jimmy Hurst, broke for second. Lance Burkhart fired through, and Creighton stopped short. Miller broke for the plate and scored easily before Travis Hake could run Creighton down for the final out. Jim Mann got his 14th save for Nashua.

Nashua's magic number is now three. You can more or less congratulate them now for the division crown, but I think things would have been a little different if Bridgeport had kept a lot of their guys...

As would be the case in nature, the Bears killed the Ducks. The score was 14-6, and not only did Newark establish a new season high in runs, but in hits (20) as well. Teuris Olivares, Wil Quintana and Jose Olmeda all homered in the win. Jack Santora also had three hits. Bobby M. Jones, who told me he prefers starting, came out of the pen tonight and his second outing went much better than his first, as he allowed only one earned run over two and two thirds innings.

Camden and Bridgeport are off tonight.

Jennings Returns: As I told you a few days before you saw it anywhere else, the Long Island Ducks brought back Doug Jennings. He'll serve as player/coach, just like last year. As I also teased, he's the guy who'll be back for his bobblehead night, with the first 2,000 fans receiving bobbleheads on July 9th's game.

Stanchak's Take: Did you honestly think that Doug Jennings would not return this season? Jennings is as key to their team as Emiliano Escandon is to the Somerset Patriots. This Ducks team -- hitting wise -- is not one of their best in recent years and the addition of Jennings will surely help things get better.

Bluefish in talks with league veteran: The Connecticut Post's Rich Elliott reports that the team is in talks with P Ned Darley, who's been in the league since 2000. Darley, who most recently pitched with the Surf, will only be signed if he fits within the team's budget, writes Elliott.

"We'll see what we can do," Dowd told the paper. "(But), frankly, I'm not going to overpay for him right now. We need the help, but there's just some good stuff coming down the road."

I think that's somewhat telling of their confidence in a guy like Darley. If they felt like they needed him right away, he'd be there by now. I'd like to think Dowd has some feelers out to guys in the Mexican League, and that's what he's referring to...but we shall see.

Elliott also recently reported that the team could be expecting the returns of Jose Amado and Willis Otanez. There's another former big leaguer who's talked with the team - an outfielder, and not the one I was referencing in earlier updates - but I'm not sure how he fits in the Bridgeport budget. He's got seven years of big league time, so he'd be a real nice addition to the league.

Ejection Seat: The King of Nashua, The Nashua Telegraph's own Tom King, reports that there were three ejections in last night's 9-1 Pride win over Bridgeport. That's got to be a league high this year.

Anyway, King writes that Joe Kilburg was ejected for arguing being thrown out at the plate. Whether he launched a magic word or bumped the umpire remains to be seen. Then, he says, Pride SS Pete Shier took out Bluefish SS Tony Rodriguez with a hard slide at second. Shier was apparently disgruntled with being hit with a pitch and Rodriguez disgruntled with being wiped out and they "wrestled around the bag."

The benches emptied, but nothing else really happened. It's almost hard for me to believe that T-Rod would get in a fight. He's as friendly as they come, as are the vast majority of Bluefish players, actually...but I guess things are very different once you're inside those white lines. - Mike Ashmore

Leaving The Flock: Long Island Ducks pitching coach Dave LaPoint is leaving the position he's held for 3 1/2 years to pursue other ventures. He will remain with the team as their Director of Player Procurement.

Taking his place will be Jeff Scott, who was the pitching coach of the Pennsylvania Road Warriors last season. Scott has numerous major-league ties.

For interviews with both LaPoint and Scott, check out Mike Ashmore's interview archives.

Entering The Pond: As first reported yesterday on ALB, the Ducks did sign lefty pitcher Carl Sadler. The team also signed left-hander Chris Smith, who resides in the Long Island area.

Smith was originally selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the seventh selection of the 2001 draft. He began this season with the Delmarva Shorebirds (A, Orioles) and appeared in 13 games.

Check It Out: Be sure to check out my article on what players have to say are the best and worst things about the Atlantic League. The link is on the front page of ALB.com.

Bye, Bye Borowski: With the activation of starter Kerry Wood today, the Chicago Cubs designated reliever and former Newark Bear Joe Borowski for assignment. That gives the club 10 days to either trade him, release him, or send him to the minors if he clears waivers. - Scott Stanchak.

Pride and Puffer also gone: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim formerly known as the Anaheim Angels formerly known as the California Angels designated OF Curtis Pride for assignment. Same with Borowski, this gives the club 10 days to decide what to do with him.

P Brandon Puffer's fate was a little better, as the San Francisco Giants outrighted him to Triple-A after he got rocked for five runs in an inning and a third on Sunday.

Patriots Scoreboard: There is none, really. Somerset and Newark ended up tied at 2-2 through five complete innings. The game will be completed at a later date, but the stats do count. Therefore, Ryan Radmanovich's rocket to right field will count.

Despite the game being official, it was a classy move on the Patriots part to offer fans tickets to another game due to the fireworks being cancelled.

AL Scoreboard: Nashua beat Bridgeport.

Lancaster beat Atlantic City, 8-7. Lance Burkhart hit two home runs and drove in five.

Camden beat Long Island, 9-8. Henry Rodriguez homered, again, for Long Island. That's his 6th of the year and ties him for the team lead in just 14 games. Dave LaPoint took part in the exchange of lineup cards tonight, and likely stayed around long enough to see his two new pitchers in action. Carl Sadler gave up four runs, albeit only one of them earned, and picked up the loss. Chris Smith pitched a scoreless ninth.

Mathews Gone: The Bridgeport Bluefish have lost yet another player, reports Connecticut Post writer Rich Elliott, who's certainly been busy this year. Anyway, the Houston Astros have signed P T.J. Mathews and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock. I think he's got a real good shot to get back to the big leagues with them. He pitched for them in 2002, so they know exactly what they're getting when they signed him. The Astros bullpen has struggled mightily this year, so I think he's got a real shot to get back there sooner than later. Check my archives for an interview with him.

Ashmore on LaPoint: I'll miss him being around the Ducks clubhouse. I enjoyed our interview, and he'd always been very good to me and very helpful whenever I needed to get a player. A lot of people might think that's not saying a lot, but you'd be surprised how much crap you can get when you need to pull someone aside for an interview. My particular favorite is pointing me in about 17 different directions when I want to know where one player is.

10Q Update: I talked to former White Sox and Red Sox pitcher Carlos Castillo today, look for that interview to be posted around Friday night, along with the others. - Mike Ashmore

Scoreboard: Nashua beat Bridgeport, 5-4, in game one of the doubleheader. Well, sort of. They were completing the suspended game from yesterday's fog fest. Darren Bragg homered in the win, with Jim Mann getting the save.

Nashua swept the doubleheader of sorts by winning game two, 7-6. D.J. Boston was ejected in the loss for arguing balls and strikes. Jim Mann again got the save, tying for the league lead with 13.

Newark squeaked past Somerset, 8-7. Scott Sobkowiak had a poor outing, unable to get through four innings of work. Jake Brooks picked up his 11th save in the win.

Atlantic City beat Lancaster, 7-5. There's a handful of guys I like on the Barnstormers, but to me anyway, they're a really boring team to watch.

Henry Rodriguez beat the Riversharks, 2-1, in game one of their doubleheader. Oh, I mean the Ducks won, 2-1. H-Rod did some yardwork in the first inning, hitting a two run blast to play the role of "Ducks offense." Playing the role of Ducks pitching was Brian Dorsey, who went five innings for the W.

Camden beat Long Island in the second game, 8-1. Paxton Crawford got the loss, allowing six runs (three earned). - Mike Ashmore

Yesterday's Scoreboard: The game between the Camden Riversharks and Long Island Ducks was rained out...The Somerset Patriots beat up on the Newark Bears, 8-0...The Bridgeport Bluefish and Nashua Pride game ended in a tie and will be resumed today after rain forced the end of play.

Also, Lancaster beat Atlantic City, 4-3, in 13 innings. Jason Bryan had the game winning single.

Jodie Out: Somerset Patriots starting pitcher Brett Jodie is no longer with the team, and will return home to continue his rehab. Jodie, who is trying to return from a torn labrum, wants to regain his strength. - Scott Stanchak.

Elvis Has Left the Building: I'm so glad I got to do this one, couldn't wait to write in that headline. Anyway, the Newark Bears released P Darwin Peguero and INF Elvis Corporan. Darwin may have had the theory of relativity down (aware this isn't true, it's a joke...albeit a bad one), but his theory on pitching must have been a bit iffy. You could say the Bears roster's been "All Shook Up," but why would you do that.

More Bluefish Swimming Away?: Rich Elliott of The Connecticut Post reports that the Astros have called about T.J. Mathews and the Nationals about Robert Person. Teams call about players all the time, as has been the case in Somerset with Dave Elder, Scott Sobkowiak and Brian Tollberg...signing them is a different matter all together.

Rocker: The release of John Rocker yesterday made national news, with short clips of John in a Ducks uniform being shown on ESPNEWS. Also, I have contacted John's PR people in hopes of landing some sort of statement or perhaps, an interview. All I ever wanted to talk with him about since day one was baseball, so it was very frustrating that I wasn't allowed to do so.

Rocker, Part 2: I'm not sure what the level of interest is now, but right before he was released, another team in the league was reportedly in discussions with Long Island to acquire Rocker and use him as a starting pitcher. I highly, highly doubt he resurfaces in this league. If he did, I'd like to see him in Nashua. People would come out to see him, but not enough to where there'd be any issues with fans or whatnot.

Sadler signs with Ducks: I wouldn't treat this as fact yet, but I heard that the Ducks signed former Patriots P Carl Sadler. Sadler pitched for the Indians in 2002 and 2003 and, naturally, left the Patriots the day before I was set to interview him.

The very same day he was released, he essentially walked across the field and worked out for Nashua, but he rather obviously did not sign with them.

Mexican League: With the Mexican League almost over with, a lot of Atlantic League teams are getting in touch with players in the league and trying to set up deals for the second half.

Big Name Update: I obviously know who it is, and I can't really say. But I will tell you that he isn't coming to the team he was in discussions with, but will likely surface with another team in the league. My guess would be the Ducks, although I'm not sure they could use another outfielder...whoa, I've said too much!

More Vagueness: Will an Atlantic Leaguer be back in time for his own bobblehead night? Hmmm...

10Q Preview: Look forward to interviews with Jose Herrera, Jack Santora, Jeff Farnsworth and Bobby M. Jones in the very near future. - Mike Ashmore

Off His Rocker: The Long Island Ducks released pitcher John Rocker today after the team acknowledged that it was his decision. My take: it wasn't his decision.

Rocker told the New York Post today that he was starting to throw better after sitting out over a year. He also said that he was going to skip the July 15 deadline he gave himself and stick it out the rest of the season.

Some less notable altercations with fans, as well as the documented ones, most likely forced the lefty out of a Ducks uniform and you can all but figure that he isn't landing on any other A.L. roster. One high-up told me that he would not ever have had Rocker on their team's roster.

According to a source, the Ducks were officially releasing Rocker's #49 jersey for sale. That, however, is probably not going to happen anymore.

Rocker was 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA, allowed 18 hits and 28 walks while striking out 19 batters in 18 innings.

An Offer He Can't Refuse: The New York Mets recalled Jose Offerman from Triple-A Norfolk today. Offerman played for the Bridgeport Bluefish several years ago, as well as began this season with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Interest Piece: Be sure to check this Thursday on Patriotsbaseball.com as I wrote a piece about what the players think are good and bad about the league. I took a poll of several current Patriots players and it was interesting to see what they had to say. - Scott Stanchak.

Ashmore's Take on Rocker: Maybe it won't be such a huge hassle to interview Ducks players anymore. I'll cut the friggin lock on their clubhouse if they let me, that was a sad situation...

Here's a statement from Rocker: After pitching for two months with the Long Island Ducks, the consistency required to pitch at the Major League level, and the consistency I demand from myself, are not where they should be. As a result, I have elected to take a step back and reevaluate the options available to me. I would like to thank the Long Island Ducks organization for the opportunity they've given me to help me reestablish myself as a Major League pitcher. I would also like to offer a heartfelt thanks to the Long Island fans for being so supportive and accepting. The warm welcome I received here on Long Island went beyond all my expectations. I also appreciate my long-time fans who have supported me through my website, and with their prayers and kind words.”

But all will be fine. They'll replace Rocker with some new pitcher with big league time and Doug Jennings will likely be pulled from the cobwebs for one last run. - Mike Ashmore

Pride Projections?: According to a source, the Nashua Pride could sign INF Orlando Miller to fill a shortstop void. (Note: The team officially announced the signing a few hours after this was posted.) The team also is close to losing Joe Kilburg, who was being scouted by at least three teams, including Philadelphia.

(Miller's rights were traded from AC to Long Island last year for Mike Caruso. Neither player reported.) - MA

Bobby Jones (Not The Golfer): The Newark Bears today signed former New York Mets left-handed pitcher Bobby M. Jones.

From a Bears Press Release; Jones, a native of nearby Rutherford, NJ, is a 14-year pro who has pitched in 99 career major league games for the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox. A 44th round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1991 draft, Jones first reached the big leagues in 1997 with the Rockies. The following season he posted a 7-8 record with a 5.22 ERA in 35 games (20 starts) for the Rockies.

After winning 14 games over three seasons with Colorado, Jones was traded to the Mets prior to the 2000 season. He remained in the Mets organization for three seasons, winning ten games at triple-A Norfolk in 2000 and pitching in 23 games total at the major league level. While with the Mets, Jones pitched alongside Bobby J. Jones, a California-born right-hander.

In addition to his major league experience, the 33 year-old left-hander has appeared in 287 career games in the minor leagues. - Scott Stanchak.

Ashmore's Take: Think I'm not excited? I'm a huge Red Sox fan and this guy was on the Sox just last year. The man has a World Series ring. He played with the idiots. Can't. Wait. To. Interview. Him.

Vote Kevin McElhinney. Vote Often: On the Atlantic League's official site, you can find the All-Star ballot where you can vote for your favorite players. I was filling mine out and noticed that someone named "Kevin McElhinney" was listed under catcher for Somerset. I thought maybe they were trying to tell me something I don't know, but alas, I couldn't find any baseball playing Kevin McElhinney's. So yeah, that's interesting. Bring out your "I Like Eick" buttons to the ballpark to support Somerset's actual catcher, Chris Eickhorst...

Today's Scoreboard: Sur le feu. Translated from French to English, it means "on fire." And that's exactly what Kevin Nicholson and the Somerset Patriots are, beating the Ducks 7-0. The native of Canada hit his 7th home run of the year and 3rd of the series in the win, and Brian Tollberg got his 8th win of the year. That ties Ducks counterpart Paxton Crawford for the league lead.

Camden beat Newark, 8-4, giving the Riversharks three games out of the four game series. Guy Lynam and Troy Cameron homered for Camden in the win. Tom McGee, playing right field for Newark, went 3-5 in the loss.

Bobby M. Jones, making his AL Debut, did not impress. He gave up two hits, hit two batters and allowed four earned runs over two innings. Newark outhit Camden, 15-8, but could not get any clutch hits...they left 14 on base.

Lancaster beat Bridgeport, 6-1. Ryan Minor drove in three runs, but the real story was Norm Hutchins 18 game hitting streak coming to an end. He did reach base on a walk, however.

The Surf beat Nashua, 11-5. Rayner Bautista, Jose Velazquez and Ozzie Timmons all homered in the win. Anthony Chavez improved to 4-2 in the win, going eight innings. The press release says the temperature was near 100 degrees, so much for it not getting cold in New Hampshire.

I'll tell you what, the signing of Rayner Bautista was pretty under the Ray-dar, so to (unfortunately) speak, but this guy has been working wonders for AC. Seems like every day he's doing something to contribute.

--

Yesterday's Scoreboard: The Long Island Ducks beat the Somerset Patriots, 6-3, in front of 6,321. Patrick Lennon, Henry Rodriguez and Jason Johnson all homered in the win. Seems like Rodriguez has about 20 home runs by now, he somehow only has 4.

Nashua beat Atlantic City, 12-8. 3,338 fans at Holman Stadium, that's great to see. Anyway, Nate Teut injured his back before the game, forcing Patriot for a day Cam Esslinger to make the emergency start. Kevin Haverbusch, Pete Shier, Shane Hopper and Darren Bragg all homered for Nashua, but Esslinger didn't stick around for the win as it was Jason Blanton improving to 3-0.

Camden beat Newark, 9-8, in 12 innings. Both teams scored runs in the 12th, but Camden was able to hold off Newark in the bottom half, even after a Jeremy Todd solo shot. Jason Fitzgerald was 5-7 for Camden, Teuris Olivares 4-6 for Newark. Rich Barrett (3,4) hit two home runs for Camden as well.

Bridgeport and Lancaster took turns at kicking the crap out of each other in yesterday's doubleheader, with Bridgeport taking game one, 10-5 and Lancaster dominating game two, 15-4. Michael Coleman was 5-6 in the first game for Bridgeport. Norm Hutchins hit a grand slam in the second game for Lancaster. Where was this Norm Hutchins last year? This is the Norm of 2003, certainly not the Hutchins Patriots fans and front office, for that matter, got in 2004.

Nashua makes a move: The Nashua Telegraph's Tom King reports that the team has signed P Geoff Goetz. Now this is a name I know. Goetz is a career minor leaguer who I first saw play as a member of the Portland Sea Dogs, then affiliated with the Marlins, in 2000. I then got to see him pitch as a member of the Trenton Thunder in 2004. Hard to believe he's only 25 and was the 6th overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Mets. You might remember him as being one of the players the Mets sent to Florida to get Mike Piazza.

He's never advanced past Double-A, really hard to believe for someone who was as highly touted as he was, not to mention the fact that he has a career 21-20 record with a 3.37 ERA. Goetz got, get this (don't read that out loud, by the way), a $1,700,000 bonus to sign with the Mets in 1997. That's the third largest bonus the Mets have ever agreed to. The biggest? $2.15M to Scott Kazmir, who's also no longer with the club.

Geotz only appeared in two games in 2002 and zero in 2003, I'm assuming he's had some arm troubles in the past...

Shibilo Gone: Rich Elliott of The Connecticut Post, following up on an earlier report of his, wrote that Bluefish P Andy Shibilo has signed with a club in Mexico. Can't really blame him with the numbers he put up, his ERA was under 1 in 15 games. This marks the seventh player the Bluefish have lost this season, four to affiliated ball and three to Mexico. Why do guys sign in Mexico? Simple, the money is often more than twice what you can make in the AL.

P Phil Rosengren was activated off the DL to take Shibilo's roster spot.

Big Name Update: There isn't one, really. Whoever this guy is, he was supposed to be here around now. We'll see what happens, just didn't want anybody to think I was full of hot air here or anything.

Northern League Promotion, Part Two: In checking the rosters of the two teams taking part in the video game promotion, only one former Atlantic Leaguer stands out. P Blake Williams, who pitched for the Patriots and Bluefish last year, is on the Schaumburg Flyers roster. If his career were a roller coaster, I'd be unbuckling my seatbelt right about now... - Mike Ashmore

Barnstormers make moves: The team has signed INF Danny Gonzalez and released INF Kevin Wilson. Also, as previously reported, the team signed P Joe Dawley.

Gonzalez was a 4th round pick of the Phillies in 2000 who advanced as high as Double-A.

Yesterday's Scoreboard: Lancaster beat Bridgeport, 2-1.

Nashua swept their doubleheader with Atlantic City by the scores of 6-2 and 9-8.

Somerset beat Long Island, 6-2.

Camden shut out Newark, 9-0.

Sorry for the quick updates, but my cat Bo has followed in the footsteps of Robert Dodd and come down with diabetes. Not sure if he's a lefty like Dodd, just sure that he's pretty sick. Things are a little sketchy right now, so I might be a little infrequent with my updates.

Scott will have some news about some AL North Division teams soon. - Mike Ashmore

Picture courtesy of Mike Ashmore

Marlins sign Super Donovan: Ducks P Donovan Osborne was signed by the Florida Marlins and assigned to their Triple-A team in Albuquerque. Osborne was a sure All-Star and probably one of the best pitchers in the league this year, that's a colossal loss for the Ducks. Want to know why Osborne is such a valuable commodity? Look at what arm he's using to throw that ball...

Brewers sign Corey Hart: Bluefish star Corey Hart will be wearing his sunglasses at night for Triple-A Nashville after being signed by the Brewers, who seem to be very aggressive in going after Atlantic League talent. Hart led the league in OBP and walks and was hitting .305 at the time of his signing.

Shibilo Gone Too?: The Connecticut Post's Rich Elliott also reports that the team is set to lose P Andy Shibilo to Mexico. But, Elliott also confirms that the team has, in fact, signed P Robert Person. All the details on Person are in an earlier update, but this is a signing I'm happy about. He brings a ton of big league time to the table, let's just wait and see if he has big league talent left. He's set to make his first start in Lancaster.

Diaz Done: Barnstormers P Pedro Diaz, who was believed to be on the hot seat in Lancaster, is now gone. But he wasn't released, he was put on the DL and will likely have season ending Tommy John surgery, The Lancaster Intelligencer Journal reports. The paper also states that the team will bring in P Joey Dawley to replace him. Dawley pitched for the Braves in 2002 and 2003 and for the Indians in 2004.

Yesterday's Scoreboard: Nashua beat the Surf, 15-10. Glenn Murray had himself a bit of a game, going 4-4 and driving in 5. He also hit his league leading 14th home run. Surf starter Mark Persails went four innings, allowing 15 hits and 15 runs, 13 of them being earned. Talk about taking one for the team, that's an interesting decision to leave him in there for 15 runs.

Bridgeport beat Lancaster, 8-6. D.J. Boston and Gary Burnham homered in the win, Lance Burkhart and Jason Bryan went yard in the loss. Josh Kalinowski struck out four batters in the 2nd inning. Norm Hutchins extended his hitting streak to 15 games, one short of his 16 game streak earlier this year.

Newark beat Camden, 7-2. Carlos Castillo allowed only five hits over nine innings in his first complete game since 2001. He struck out 10 in the win.

Somerset beat Long Island, 11-4. Kevin Nicholson hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the win.

Transactions: The Atlantic City Surf have released P Barret Markey and P Dan Reichert and signed Greg Burke. I'm going to assume that this Greg Burke is the guy who played at Duke, which would make sense since his hometown is listed as Bellmawr, NJ. Anyway, he's a 23 year old pitcher who had Tommy John surgery in 2002. This continues the Surf's yearly tradition of releasing a pitcher with big league experience, after releasing Alan Newman last year. However, this is believed to be the first time they've released anyone with an enormous afro (Markey).

Interesting article: On Riversharks broadcaster Landon Sears - http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/s062405f.htm. I wouldn't have brought it up, but found two weird coincidences. For one, I too have called a game and had my dad drive me home and also "got my start" doing play by play with my wrestling action figures, not to mention Sega Genesis sports games. Check out "Behind the Lens: The Mike Ashmore Story" in my feature archives for more on that. For anyone curious, I'm not much older than he is...

There's just not much time for driving and/or acquiring a driver's license with school and covering games. - Mike Ashmore

The Northern League, your source for crappy publicity stunts: This was too stupid not to mention here...

The Kansas City T-Bones and Schamburg Flyers of the independent Northern League can take it easy at the start of their July 16th game. That's because the first two innings will be played virtually.

According to a report in the Kansas City Star two video gamers will climb into recliners stationed at home plate, grab their Microsoft Xbox game controllers and slug it out for two innings on the park's 16- by 24-foot video screen. Whatever the score is after those two innings will stand when the teams take the field to finish the game in more conventional fashion.

The idea originally came from the 6-year-old niece of Bryan Williams, director of community relations for the T-Bones.

"It was a fun way to get my niece involved in things I do every day," Williams said. "Then it just grew and grew and took off."

The two combatants will be determined through video game competitions at CompUSA stores in Overland Park and Independence, Kan.

The virtual game is a first for professional baseball, but unique promotions are commonplace for the Kansas City team. Last year, the T-Bones auctioned rights to a fan's night on eBay. The winning bidder found his likeness on 3,000 bobblehead dolls.

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I absolutely hate it when I see other independent leagues pulling crap like this, because it makes people think that's how it is all across the board. I mean, if you're a player on one of those teams and this doesn't tell you all you need to know about where your career is going, then I don't know what will. I hope the extra 17 butts they put in the seats because of this crapfest enjoy themslves... - Mike Ashmore

Scott's Take: hahahaha.

Bluefish Signing: The Bridgeport Bluefish re-signed infielder Gustavo Escobar, who began the season with Double-A Tulsa in the Colorado Rockies organization. - Scott Stanchak

Riding West With The Texas Rangers: Just days after the Rangers signed Somerset Patriots pitcher Derek Lee to a contract and sent him to Triple-A, the team signed Bridgerport Bluefish pitcher Hector Mercado and he will join their Double-A team in Frisco. This season, he threw 21.2 innings, allowing six earned runs while striking out 15, walking 13 and throwing two wild pitches. In the 88 batters he faced, Mercado allowed 22 hits, three of which were for home runs.

Pride Activated: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim activated former Atlantic-Leaguer Curtis Pride from the 15-day disabled list when they placed outfielder Steve Finley on the list.

Scoreboard: The Newark Bears had a six-run second inning to beat the Somerset Patriots, 6-3. Brett Jodie suffered the loss for Somerset and Andy Zwirchitz picked up the win. Wil Quintana hit his fifth home run of the season, and third of the series. - Scott Stanchak.

The Surf used a three run 9th inning to beat the Long Island Ducks, 3-2. Ducks closer Todd Erdos, who's more or less been lights out all season, gave up a two run single to Tom Goodwin to tie the game at two. Then Raul Marval hit a ball down the third base line to score the winning run in dramatic fashion.

Perhaps it's only when dogs are allowed in the stadium that the Riversharks play like the waste product of said animal. With that said, there were no dogs to be seen for miles as the Riversharks blew the doors off the Barnstormers, 11-2. Brad Strauss homered in the win for Camden. Brett Laxton pitched eight strong innings for the win, with his brother Josh Laxton pitching the ninth to finish it out.

The Bluefish avoided the sweep by beating the Nashua Pride, 5-0. Tim Cain improved to 1-1 by allowing only one hit through six innings in what was sure to be a sitting room only crowd at Holman. Nashua committed three errors in the loss.

Insert clever headline involving fish here: The Connecticut Post's Rich Elliott reports that the Bluefish are in discussions with both P Robert Person and INF Gustavo Escobar. Escobar I'd heard about, Person I hadn't. Escobar was recently released from affiliated ball, and has played for the Bluefish before.

Person has nine years of big league service with the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox. He has a career 51-42 record and went 15-7 in 2001 with Philadelphia. Coincidentally, I have one of the hats he wore as a Met sitting on one of my shelves. It looks rather sporty next to my Mark Whiten Indians hat.

But, turning to things you actually care about, I've been hearing some rumblings about Bridgeport talking to some outfielders as well. With the playoff race really heating up, let's see who can stock up the fastest.

Barnstormers signing: The Barnstormers have signed P Hayden Gardner, who was jettisoned from camp by the Patriots this season after it was said that he was not on the level of the others. Gardner gave up two runs in an inning and two thirds against Camden tonight, but those runs were unearned. - Mike Ashmore

Bears Moves: From the Not-So-Shocking Department, the Newark Bears released INF/OF Dalmiro Quezada today. He had only one hit in 24 at-bats. The team also placed INF Nick Steppe on the 7-day disabled list with a shoulder injury. The team signed former Yankees farmhand Teuris Olivares, who was solid with the Trenton Thunder two years ago, to fill a roster spot. - Scott Stanchak.

Scoreboard: The Somerset Patriots won their ninth straight road game with a 6-5 win over the Newark Bears. The Spurs may have "Big Shot Rob" but the Patriots have "Big Spot Rob" as Robert Marquez shut the door on the Bears in the 9th inning. Brian Tollberg improved to 7-2 for Somerset, and I'm absolutely shocked he's still here. Both Tollberg and Scott Sobkowiak are about as close to gone as you can get while still wearing an AL uniform. Somerset looks to sweep their third straight road series with a win tomorrow in Newark, game time 12:05.

Atlantic City beat Long Island, 10-4, behind the bats of Tom Goodwin and Al Benjamin. Goodwin went 2-3 with two runs and three RBI, while Benjamin also had three RBI after his three run shot off of Ducks reliever Mike Crudale.

Lancaster essentially beat the hell out of the Riversharks, destroying them 14-2. They batted around in the 2nd inning, scoring six runs. 3,064 fans and even some canines watched Raul Marcano (3) and Lance Burkhart (4) hit home runs for Lancaster on "Dog Days of Summer" Night. For Greg Powell, it must have been Christmas tree night, because he sure was lit up like one. He went two and third innings and gave up ten runs, all earned. Ouch. Brett Laxton goes for Camden tomorrow.

Nashua beat Bridgeport, 12-4. Brian Becker, Kevin Haverbusch and Jimmy Hurst all homered for Nashua in the win. Luis Arroyo picked up the loss for the Bluefish, giving up eight earned runs in two and a third in what could best be described as a Greg Powell-esque performance. The win puts Nashua two games up in their division.

Patriots Moves: Patriots beat writer extraordinaire Geoff Mosher fills in the blanks after the loss of Derek Lee with a very informative article. The Courier News scribe reports that the team has signed RHP Kyle Evans to take Lee's roster spot. Evans was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 6th round of the 2000 draft after a successful stint at Baylor. 61 of his 72 career games coming into 2005 were starts, but Evans will likely head to the bullpen with Todd Moser taking over D-Lee's role in the rotation. Evans came into 2005 with a 23-16 career record with a 3.72 ERA. He made one appearance in Triple-A in 2004, which is as high as he's advanced.

I wouldn't be suprised to see Moser only make a start or two before moving Evans into the rotation. Moser has been a nice addition to the Patriots' pitching staff after it seemed as if he was going to be gone if not for certain circumstances. However, he's done the job in spot starts and out of the pen. Keep him in that role and use Evans, who has never been a reliever, in a role that he should be used in. This could, perhaps, be an audition for Evans to show if he should be in the rotation with the likes of several pitchers who will most likely be out of here soon. - Scott Stanchak

Something that had been in the works for weeks finally went down, as Patriots C Ryan Kellner will be retiring after the end of the Patriots series in Newark. Kellner was a steady defensive catcher who would make the occasional spectacular play, but would also have the occasional temper tantrum as well. Give Kellner credit for hanging around until the team could fill his spot, a lot of players would have just left. Anyway, that leaves the team with Chris Eickhorst and new signing Brent Cordell.

Cordell, who was signed after talks with a now-current big leager fell through, has experience in the Devil Rays organization and went to spring training with them in 2003. Brent "The Shampagne's Not" Cordell has hit a combined 25 home runs over the past two seasons, but has never advanced past A-Ball. I'll be real curious to see if the lack of experience behind the plate eventually burns Somerset, although Eickhorst is a more than serviceable catcher. I just doubt team brass is comfortable with him being a starter...that's purely speculation on my part, I have no inside info there.

The first fan to bust out an "I Like Eick" button will be the coolest fan ever...

I like Eickhorst in the starting catcher role and the team will most likely keep him there. Pitchers enjoy throwing to him and he knows the game. He's also hitting pretty well, so why not start playing him more. - SS.

All you other Billy Hall's are just imitating: Also, Mosher reports that Billy Hall, who's been out with a rib cage strain since June 10th, could be out until the July 12th All-Star Break. Hall, who is traveling with the team, has been hampered all year by injuries and hasn't been the player he was a few years ago as a result. Hopefully the real Billy Hall can please stand up when it comes playoff time. Please stand up. Please stand up.

Rocky Road for Rocker: Ducks P John Rocker, according to a Connecticut Post article, left the game last night screaming at fans. His arm isn't keeping him on the team, and his mouth certainly isn't helping him, either. How long will Long Island stick with their man? And will Rocker ever learn?

Perhaps an easier question to answer is: If a tree falls in the forest and nobody's there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Also under consideration was: If you write a lame headline involving a kind of ice cream, but nobody's there to read it...

Rocker is ruining his chance -- and has probably done so already -- of ever getting back with a major league affiliate. He's going to be gone from the Atlantic League with what he's doing. Hey, but there's always the Can-Am League or wait, maybe him and Rickey Henderson can join the same forces. - SS.

Raggio to Mexico: The Bridgeport Bluefish are going to be taking a big hit by losing starting pitcher Brady Raggio to Mexico. The Connecticut Post reports the deal is not yet finalized, however. Regardless, Raggio was placed on the Inactive List to make room for the return of Will Pennyfeather, who made his not-so-triumphant return from the suspended list by not playing.

Related News: The Surf activated Jose Velazquez today. He was on the suspended list for 10 days after becoming the 3rd violator of the league's drug and alcohol policy.

Stop in the name of lame: Anyone who gets the Ducks newsletter and Mickey's Mail will know what I'm talking about. Anyways, the what stat is irrelevant and other various back and forth comments are pretty weak. Tease player signings, tell me things I can't get from a boxscore, but I can do without the you-know-what contest, regardless of how lighthearted it may or may not appear to be. I would have finished the headline with "before you make me barf," but there's just no way I would do that...

Both Mickey and the Ducks organization have been good to me, but I've had a few fans mention this to me and I'm not alone in saying that I hope it doesn't continue. - Mike Ashmore

Here's a stat for everyone: 2- The number of people who made comments in this post, myself and Mike Ashmore.

Gone: The Somerset Patriots lost pitcher Derek Lee to the Texas Rangers organization today. He will report to Triple-A and the team has not signed anyone to replace him. - Scott Stanchak.

Camden signing: OF Jason Fitzgerald agreed to terms with Camden. He was picked in the first round with the 41st overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Cleveland Indians. He spent six seasons in the Indians organization, advancing as high as Triple-A. He then spent 2003 with the Braves organization before spending 2004 in the Northern League. He brings a career .259 batting average with him to Camden.

Scoreboard: In a game that both Scott and myself attended, the Somerset Patriots beat the Newark Bears, 6-3. The Bears made things interesting late and had the bases loaded with two outs, but couldn't get the job done against Robert Marquez, who got the only batter faced out for the save.

I'll go more into detail about my experience in Newark later, but I will quickly say that their stadium was a pleasant surprise compared to my expectations.

The Surf got another complete game shutout out of one of their starters, this time from Jason Stocksill, as he outpitched Donovan Osborne and the Ducks for a 3-0 victory. Only one of the runs Atlantic City scored was earned, which can only lower the ERA of hard luck loser Osborne, but will also make his chances of getting out of here much, much higher.

Camden beat Lancaster, 7-6, in 11 innings. Dwight Maness, who's almost begging me to use a corny headline like "Don't mess with Maness" in my next update, went 4-6 with 5 RBI tonight...including hitting the game winning single.

Nashua beat Bridgeport, 5-4. Nate Teut picked up the win for Nashua, who moved into sole possession of first with the win. D.J. Boston hit a three run home run against his former mates, but it wasn't enough. Jim Mann got the save for the Pride, his 10th of the year.

Free Marketing Idea o' the day for Nashua: Get the Batman theme music, record "Jim Mann" over "Batman" and you've got yourself one hell of a catchy intro song. Eric Gagne can come out to Hell's Bells all he wants, I'd take the "Jim Mann" song any day. Not a diss at all to Mann, he was a blast to interview...very cool guy.

Assorted News and Notes: Bridgeport signed P Brian Warren after about a month of speculation. They placed P Phil Rosengren on the DL with a case of "having a 5.48 ERA-itis." The Ducks placed Edwin Diaz on the inactive list and the Barnstormers placed P Ross "Ordinary" Peeples on the DL. - Mike Ashmore

Scoreboard: Derek Lee's complete game shutout led the Patriots past the Barnstormers, 9-0. Lee was masterful today, making Lancaster look just awful. Ryan Radmanovich hit a towering home run to right field in the win. The guy is an All-Star already, but it looks like his power numbers are finally starting to pick up.

The Surf shut out Newark, 5-0. The Bears only managed four hits against Surf starter Rob Corrado, who put the Bears back at .500 with a record of 25-25. That marks the third consecutive complete game by Surf starters, albeit two of those coming in seven inning outings.

Nashua beat Camden, 3-2. Dwight Maness hit a rare home run, but it wasn't enough as Camden lost after a stellar performance from Jamie Steward through 7 innings. But, he came apart in the 8th inning and picked up the loss. Jason Pearson got the win and Jim Mann got his 9th save of the year.

Long Island beat Bridgeport, 4-1. Paxton Crawford picked up his league leading 8th win, and is proving yet again that he simply does not belong here. Todd Erdos pitched two scoreless innings for his 12th save. Despite them being at the bottom of the standings, how can you not believe in the Ducks with pitching like this. It seems like the addition of Henry Rodriguez, combined with the bat of Pete Rose, Jr. coming around are leading to the Ducks making a charge with about 20 games to go in the first half.

22,175: The Somerset Patriots set a new three-day attendance record, as well becoming the first team to draw 7,000 fans on three consecutive games. With today's crowd of 7,035, the total amount of fans to take in the Barnstormers-Patriots series was 22,175. This obliterates the previous record, set by Somerset in May of 2004. Congratulations to everyone in the Patriots front office on a job well done.

Name Player Countdown: Give it a week, and I think the odds are real good you'll see a new name you recognize on an Atlantic League roster. There was another player who was in talks with the league, but he ultimately signed back in affiliated ball.

Sharks signing: The Camden Riversharks have signed P Chuck Bechtel. Bechtel, a 6' 4" RHP who shares a birthday (11/12) with both Matt Dryer and Ben Simon, attended Marist College and was drafted by the Padres in both 2002 (R-25) and 2003 (R-15).

Bechtel has experience in the Padres, Tigers and Cardinals systems. The 25 year old started at Marist but has served mainly as a reliever in the pros.

He entered 2005 with a record of 3-5 and an ERA of 4.48. He'd only given up 5 home runs in a little under 95 innings, but had walked 62 batters compared to 100 strikeouts. He's never advanced higher than A-Ball.

With the Palm Beach Cardinals this year, where was a teammate of the aforementioned Matt Dryer, he was 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA in 5 games. However, he was being used as a starter there.

Puffer's Return: That sounds like an interesting movie title, but alas, it's about Brandon Puffer's debut with the San Francisco Giants last night. The former Somerset Patriot pitched four innings against the Detroit Tigers last night in relief of starter Kirk Reuter. Puffer allowed two runs and three hits, striking out one. He threw 59 pitches, 38 of them for strikes, and his season ERA stands at 4.50 - Mike Ashmore

Attendance Record set to be broken: Fans, if you'd like to be a part of an Atlantic League record, then head on down to Commerce Bank Ballpark on Sunday. With back to back crowds of over 7,000 people, the Somerset Patriots are on pace to obliterate their own record of highest attendance over a three game span. If you want to be a part of history, then you want to be there. Regardless of how many seats are left, I can tell you that good seats do remain, because every seat in the place is a good one to watch the game from.

Scoreboard: In front of another impressive crowd of over 7,000 fans, the Somerset Patriots snapped their losing streak with a late inning rally and beat the Lancaster Barnstormers, 4-2. Pat Boran's two run double was the difference for Somerset. Scott Sobkowiak got the win in what could be his last start for Somerset, he's been getting a ton of attention from scouts. One AL scout came back specifically for him today. Oreste Marrero blasted one off the scoreboard in the loss for Lancaster after just missing one in his last at-bat.

The Surf and the Bears split their doubleheader today. In game one, the Surf won 2-1. But in game two, the Bears pulled away and won 10-3.

Breaking news, Keith Maxwell is good. He hit two home runs and had 4 RBI in game two.

Bridgeport beat Long Island, 8-3. Josh Kalinowski went five innings and picked up the win, a key victory to keep his momentum going. D.J. Boston homered for Bridgeport as well.

Nashua and Camden split their doubleheader as well. Nashua took game one, 10-1. But Camden rebounded and took game two, 4-3.

Mike, who are the scouts looking at?: It's still pitchers. I won't get into specifics with player names, but you can pick up a stat sheet and figure out who they are by who's throwing well. At least two closers and one starter are being scouted. Several have had offers from Mexican League teams, as Jamie Gann did before ultimately signing with Tampa Bay, but they turned them down.

Big news for ALPlus members: A feature a lot of you ALPlus members have been asking for more of, and something we've been working very hard on, is audio clips. A lot of people send positive feedback about the written work, but they say they'd like to be able to hear a question or two from their favorite player. Well now, you can.

Audio clips from Brian L. Hunter, Mike Crudale, Todd Erdos, Pete Rose, Jr., Darren Bragg, Jimmy Hurst, Kevin Nicholson and Brian Tollberg are now posted, with some more to be added in the future. Let me know who you'd like to see clips from, and I'll see what I can do.

There's never been a better time to sign up for ALPlus, head on back to the main site for all the information.

Surf signing: The Atlantic City Surf signed C Adam Capodieci today. Capodieci was on the Road Warriors last year and has also played for the New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League.

The signing was the result of the team placing C Mel Rosario, a former Baltimore Oriole, on the disabled list.

Quintana returns: Bears OF Wil Quintana has been activated from the suspended list after serving his 10 day suspension for a violation of the league's drug and alcohol policy.

Affiliation Update Now Posted: My brand new Affiliation Update is now up, featuring stats, quotes and pictures of all your favorite former Atlantic Leaguers. Be sure to check it out.

10Q's Posted: My interviews with Jason Dellaero and Brian L. Hunter are now posted.

100: With my interview of Camden Riversharks outfielder Brian L. Hunter on Thursday, it marked the 100th former big leaguer I've had the opportunity to interview in the Atlantic League. With two of those players now back in the big leagues, you just never know who'll be next. - Mike Ashmore

Going Up: The San Fransisco Giants recalled former Somerset Patriots pitcher Brandon Puffer from Triple-A Fresno. - Scott Stanchak

Scoreboard: In front of a packed house at Commerce Bank Ballpark, the Barnstormers beat the Patriots, 5-4. 7,719 fans saw Ryan Minor's line drive home run to left field give the Barnstormers the lead and ultimately, the win. Jason Bryan also homered for Lancaster. Ryan Radmanovich and Jeremy Owens homered in the loss for Somerset.

The Surf beat the Bears, 4-1, in front of a season high crowd of 4,088 at The Sandcastle. Ben Grezlovski picked up his league leading 13th save for AC.

Long Island beat Bridgeport, 6-5, in front of a standing room only crowd of 5,550 at Harbor Yard.

6,889 fans saw the Riversharks come from behind to beat Nashua, 8-7, at Campbell's Field. Glenn Murray hit his league leading 12th home run in the loss.

The Ozz-Man Selleth: Well, you might not be an Atlantic League player, but you can own an Atlantic League MVP trophy. Former Newark Bears OF Ozzie Canseco is selling his Atlantic League MVP trophy on eBay on the undercard of his main prize, his 1990 A's ALCS ring. The baseball from his first big league hit is also included.

A funny story I guess I'll share is that when he tried to sell this last year, he included his phone number in the auction. Seeing how he was in the league well before I started covering it, I figured it would be worth a shot to give him a call and ask for an interview. Ozzie couldn't have been nicer and took the time to answer any question I had for him. So if anyone ever wondered how I got that Ozzie Canseco interview, now you know.

Ozzie's Stuff: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=50133&item=5209479880&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Here's What to Look For: Borrowing the line from ESPN Classic's "Cheap Seats," (one of my personal favorites, by the way) here's what to look for on atlanticleaguebaseball.com: Ten Questions with Peter Bergeron and Brett Laxton are now posted. Ten Questions with Kevin Nicholson will be posted today. Ashmore's Affiliation Update is scheduled to be completed today. - Mike Ashmore

Shark Signing: The Camden Riversharks signed pitcher Shaun Babula. They also placed both pitcher Wayne Gomes and outfielder Chris Wakeland on the inactive list.

'Stormers signing: The team signed P Enemencio Pacheco.

Scoreboard: Nashua beat Lancaster, 12-2. Newark beat Long Island, 6-1. Camden beat Somerset, 4-3. Bridgeport beat AC, 10-4.

Yesterday's Scoreboard: The Somerset Patriots lost to the Riversharks, 3-2. The Bridgeport Bluefish beat the Atlantic City Surf, 12-11, and the Lancaster Barnstormers beat the Nashua Pride, 5-2. Also, The Long Island Ducks shutout the Newark Bears, 3-0, with starter Donovan Osborne throwing a one-hitter.

Patriots Injury: Third baseman Jeff Nettles is listed day-to-day after injuring his hip in last night's game.

What the scouts are saying: I (MA) have been keeping in contact with a lot of scouts lately, and one thing always seems to come up...the constant need for pitching. Don't be surprised to see a few guys go real soon. - Scott Stanchak and Mike Ashmore.

Scoreboard: Camden beat Somerset, 6-2. Derek Lee got the loss for Somerset.

Long Island beat Newark, 10-1. Steve Torrealba went 4-4.

Nashua beat Lancaster, 3-2.

Atlantic City beat Bridgeport 5-2.

Gone: Jamie Gann of the Bridgeport Bluefish has had his contract purchased by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The team has signed OF Steven Larkin to replace him.

Gone 2: The Newark Bears released pitcher Reggie Harris today after discovering that he will miss the remainder of the season with an arm injury.

New 10Q's Coming: Keep your eyes peeled for a Ten Questions with former Nashua Pride OF Peter Bergeron. Bergeron, now playing for the Bowie Baysox, the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, now has a locker next to Luis Matos, who's on a rehab assignment.

Also, pieces with Kevin Nicholson and Brett Laxton are coming soon.

Yesterday's Letter: Well, it's yesterday's scorecard, actually...but why pass up a cheap 98 Degrees reference? Anyway, the Surf beat the Barnstormers, 5-3. Norm Hutchins hit his 3rd home run of the season in the loss. - Mike Ashmore and Scott Stanchak.

One Game Today: Only the Surf and Barnstormers are in action, with the rest of the league having the day off.

Bears sign infielder: INF Dalmiro Quezada signed with Newark today. Why this happened is beyond me. Looking at his stats from last year, it appears he'd have a tough time cracking the roster of a wiffle ball squad.

2004 stats with the Aces of the Northeast League: 26/145 (.179) in 53 games. 0 home runs, 5 RBI. 5 RBI in 145 at-bats? Oh. My. God.

Ducks Sign Another Former MLB Player: The Long Island Ducks agreed to terms with former Nashua Pride and big leaguer Henry Rodriguez.

On the Hot Seat: A source reports that Barnstormers P Pedro Diaz is on the hot seat. Diaz certainly wasn't the pitcher that the Barnstormers were expecting to get when they signed him. Last year, Diaz spent time with the Road Warriors and pitched so well that he was picked up by the Tigers.

That hasn't been the case this year. Diaz has struggled, posting a 1-0 record with a 7.33 ERA over 13 games going into Sunday's contest with Somerset.

Ten Questions Posted: I've finally caught up with all my Ten Questions pieces, just as I have to prepare to get some new ones done. My interviews with Nashua Pride pitchers Jason Pearson and Jim Mann are now posted, please check them out when you have a second. - Mike Ashmore

Pride Moves: The Nashua Pride signed catcher Luis Rodriguez and traded catcher Jonathan Nathans to the North Shore Spirit of the CanAm League. - Scott Stanchak

Ashmore's Take: So Nathans just has an awesome game and you trade him? I like the Rodriguez signing, he's an excellent defensive catcher who brought a great deal to the Ducks team last year, but it still leaves you with only one "legit" catcher.

Luis Rodriguez Fun Fact: L-Rod hit the first cycle in Ducks history last year against the Somerset Patriots.

Scoreboard: The Patriots shut out Lancaster, 10-0, behind a stellar performance from starter Scott Sobkowiak. Sobkowiak struck out 11 batters during his complete game, three hit shutout, only allowing one Barnstormer to advance past first base. Todd Betts homered for Somerset.

The Ducks beat Bridgeport, 10-2. Chris Latham, Dominick Ambrosini and Ryan Owen all homered for the Ducks.

Nashua beat Camden, 17-14. Yes, 17-14. L.J. Biernbaum, Vic Gutierrez and Jimmy Hurst each homered twice in the game. One of Gutierrez' blasts was a grand slam. Cam Esslinger again got the win for Nashua.

The Bears beat the Surf, 10-4. Keith Maxwell and Jose Herrera each drove in two for Newark. Tom Goodwin hit his first home run of the year in the losing effort.

Each winning team today, including one losing team, scored at least 10 runs. I'd venture to guess that might be a first in AL history.

Bear Moves: The Newark Bears activated pitcher Steve Crampton from the inactive list and placed infielder Melvin Falu on the seven-day disabled list with an injured knee.

10Q Posted: The long awaited Ten Questions with 2002 Triple Crown Winner Jimmy Hurst is finally posted. Which AL manager does he accuse of not being a man? What changes would he make to the league if he were commissioner? Did he actually get a crown for winning the Triple Crown? You've got to read to find out...

And, oh by the way, if you don't have an ALPlus account, you'll never know the answer to one of those questions...

There's never been a better time to sign up, do it now!

10Q Suggestions: I've interviewed 54 players currently in the league, as well as 15 coaches. That's a little more than one out of every four players in the league, and just about every coach. I've done 127 total Ten Questions pieces over roughly a two year span. Sometimes, outside of the obvious choices (i.e. guys with big league time) it's hard to come up with players I think the fans would like to hear from. So I'm asking you, the fans, to send me your suggestions of players around the league you think I should interview. Please send all requests to mashmore@patriotsbaseball.com, and let me know why you think they'd be a good interview. - Mike Ashmore

Scoreboard: The Patriots beat the Barnstormers, 10-7, in Lancaster. Kevin Nicholson homered for Somerset. Dave Elder got the save for the Patriots. He came into the game with an insane 0.45 ERA. Ryan Minor went 3-5 for Lancaster, but hit into double plays in his last two at-bats.

Nashua beat Camden, 7-5. Joe Nathans went 3-4 with two home runs for the Pride, who are going to lose Jamie Pogue for a while with a back injury. It's pretty crucial for Nathans to step up, and he certainly did that tonight. Patriot for a day Cam Esslinger (2-1) picked up the win for the Pride.

Bridgeport beat Long Island, 4-2. Brady Raggio picked up the W for Bridgeport, his fourth of the year. Lance Davis threw six scoreless innings for the Ducks, but it wasn't enough. Justin Lamber faces Josh Kalinowski tomorrow at 1:35.

Atlantic City beat Newark, 8-6. Rayner Bautista continues to be on fire for the Surf, getting three hits and two RBI. Dario Delgado (9) also homered against his former teammate, Andy Zwirchitz. Zwirchitz picked up the loss and fell to 1-3.

Bears moves: The Bears activated P Steve Crampton from the inactive list and placed INF Melvin Falu on the DL. Crampton didn't attend spring training with the Bears in order to train to be a firefighter, and will remain with the Paterson Fire Department while with the Bears.

Barnstormers signing: They signed OF Steve Van Note, who attended the University of Delaware.

10Q Update: My Ten Questions interviews with Brian Tollberg and Darren Bragg have been posted today, look for the remainder of the new ones to be up shortly. Keep an eye out for the Jimmy Hurst piece, it's a doozy. - Mike Ashmore

DRUG SUSPENSIONS: In moves curiously not mentioned by either team, the Bears have placed OF Wil Quintana on the suspended list as the result of a 10-day suspension for a violation of the league's drug and alcohol policy.

The Bluefish had to do the same with OF Will Pennyfeather.

The suspensions, believed to be the first in the eight year history of the league related to the policy, will expire shortly, but they might mean the end of the road for both players. Pennyfeather, hitting just .193 at the time of his suspension, had hinted at retirement for each of the past two seasons, even going as far as to tell me that last season would probably be his last in our interview. Management surely can't be pleased with his off field actions, and his play on the field doesn't seem to warrant him staying around.

Do not misunderstand me here, I like Pennyfeather a lot. Will has always been good to me and has been a big part of the Bluefish's loose, friendly environment in the clubhouse for the past two seasons. I will try to get in touch with him to see what really happened here...

As for Quintana, he was playing significantly better than Pennyfeather, hitting .291 with four home runs and 18 RBI. Quintana has bounced around the league over the past four years, playing with the Road Warriors, Bears, Surf, and Ducks. However, again, management cannot be pleased with the situation and I'm real curious to see whether or not Quintana will return.

My take on the situation? It's a great thing that the league has a substance abuse policy, of course. It's always been my opinion that, from a fan's standpoint, you could certainly subscribe to the theory that the use of performance enhancing drugs could be more prevalent in the Atlantic League due to the pressure that some players feel to get back into affiliated ball.

For as much as you all know I hint at stuff, let me make this clear: I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANYBODY IN THIS LEAGUE EVER DOING ANYTHING AT ANY TIME.

What's not so great is that the announcements of the suspensions are rather discreet. Obviously, if you're covering a team and a guy is AWOL for 10 days, you're going to figure it out. Or, if someone's put on the "suspended list," you've got a pretty good idea of what's up.

What would I like to see? A detailed description of exactly what the league's substance abuse policy entails, and what the specific penalties are. It's 10 days for a first time offender, but what does a 2nd time offender get? Do you get a 3rd shot? As I said, it's great that the league has introduced this policy and is beginning to enforce it. But I think there are also improvements that can be made as well. - Mike Ashmore

Information from Rich Elliott's Connecticut Post article was used in this report.

Somerset Signings: The Somerset Patriots signed infielders Patrick Boran and Ray Navarrete today. Boran has only Single-A experience with the Boston Red Sox organization, while Navarrete has experience with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, reaching Double-A last season. Both are from the area and no releases have been announced yet, and none may be coming as Somerset is at the maximum of 25. - Scott Stanchak

Navarrete and INF Kevin Nicholson were teammates on the 2003 Altoona Curve.

(Ashmore Speculation): However, if the Pats were to release someone...based on them signing infielders, you'd have to think that George Sandel is on the hot seat. He's well-liked by his teammates and works hard, but the numbers just haven't been there.

Another theory is that Nicholson could be playing his way out of the league and Pats GM Patrick McVerry and Director of Player Procurement Adam Gladstone could be stocking up on infielders as a result.

Patriots Scoreboard: Somerset beat Lancaster, 10-5. Ryan Radmanovich (3) had 2 home runs for the Patriots tonight. Jeremy Owens also homered for Somerset, one of 5 for the team tonight.

How did the new Patriots fare? Navarrete, 0-4. Boran, 0-1, K.

Brian Tollberg went seven innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs. He struck out five batters. Tollberg improves to 6-1, and his ERA actually goes up just slightly to 1.83, still tops in the league. It's been rumored for a little while now that Tollberg's next start would be his last, let's see if those rumors become truth over the next few days.

Shane Heams relieved Tollberg and allowed three runs over two thirds of an inning. Dave Elder came in, allowed one hit that scored the third run charged to Heams, and then struck out the next batter to end the 8th. Robert Marquez came in for the 9th and closed it out for Somerset.

Ryan Minor homered in the losing effort for Lancaster.

AL Scoreboard: Newark defeated Atlantic City, 5-4. Jose Herrera and Jack Santora led the charge with two hits and two RBI a piece. Joe Gannon (4-3) picked up the win for Newark, albeit in relief of Jeff Farnsworth. I'm hoping he was just "getting some work in" between starts, Gannon is a guy who should be in the rotation.

Long Island beat Bridgeport, 7-4. Brian Bowles (3-2) picked up the W for the Ducks, pitching six strong innings. Todd Erdos (10) pitched the 9th to re-tie for the league lead in saves. Jamie Gann and Michael Coleman homered in the loss for the Bluefish.

Camden beat Nashua, 5-2.

Ducks cut big leaguer Myers, sign big leaguer Diaz: The Long Island Ducks released former big league P Rodney Myers today, just a few days after he threw a temper tantrum of epic proportions after a bad outing in Somerset. The team also released INF Edgar Tovar.

Myers was 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 8 starts, it seems obvious that there was a little more going on here than poor play. I'll see if I can ask around about this one...

The team then signed INF Edwin Diaz, who has played with the Diamondbacks in 1998 and 1999. He went 2 for 12 in 7 career big league games, driving in one run in the process.

Take a look at the numbers in my "Features sorted by MLB team" section...think I'm happy that a Diamondback signed here?

MYERS UPDATE: Thanks to Ducks Assistant GM Mike Pfaff for his quick reply to my query on Rodney Myers. While it doesn't really clear up much, at least it's something that you won't find anywhere else and that's what we try so hard to bring to you every day.

"With the team entering a crucial stretch of games, there are some changes being made. As always, the baseball staff here is doing everything in their power in order for us to put the best 25-man roster possible on the field each night. At this time, Rodney Myers was not a part of that equation. Stay tuned for more moves as they become available." - Ducks Asst. GM Mike Pfaff

(Ashmore Speculation): Patriots P Brian Tollberg has one foot out the door in Somerset, don't be surprised if the aforementioned tandem of McVerry and Gladstone come knocking on the door of RHP Rodney Myers.

Another source close to the situation also tells me that Myers, who pitched for Japan's Hanshin Tigers for part of 2004, already has some offers overseas and may go that route.

Surf signing: Atlantic City signed INF Rayner Bautista today. Bautista, 26, has spent his entire 9 year career with the Tigers organization, advancing as high as Triple-A. Entering this year, he was a career .247 hitter, with just 31 career home runs. Well, make that 32, because he hit one in his Surf debut tonight.

Bluefish lose one, gain two: Bridgeport signed C Kevin Lidle after losing C Tino Sanchez to the Rockies organization. Sanchez will be getting down and dirty behind the plate for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.

No offense to Sanchez, but I don't even think he was considered the best catcher on his team...

He was hitting .250 with 1 HR and 9 RBI at the time of his departure. His only other extra base hit in just under 70 at-bats was a double.

Meanwhile, Kevin Lidle is the twin brother of Phillies pitcher Cory Lidle. Kevin was, apparently, a catcher for the Somerset Patriots in 2000 and has been out of baseball since 2002, where he was last a pitcher in the Tigers organization. His career minor league record was 4-16 with an ERA over 5, so you can kind of understand why the switch to catcher would have happened. However, I'd like to think there are better catching prospects out there...we'll see if he sticks or if this just a quick fix for the Bluefish.

Also, the team has signed indy legend 1B/DH Patrick "P-Nut" Williams to a contract. He is not to be confused with Planters' mascot, "Mr. Peanut."

If Phil Plantier ever had a mascot, don't confuse him with him, either. Williams has never reached the big leagues, a la Plantier, but did see some time in the White Sox organization, having a brief stint in A-Ball with the team last season.

10Q Update: My interviews with Steve Torrealba, Brian Bowles and Mike Crudale are now posted. - Mike Ashmore.

Patriots expected to sign new player: Geoff Mosher of The Courier News reports that the Somerset Patriots are expected to sign former Red Sox farmhand UTIL Pat Boran to a contract. Boran last saw time in the Indians organization in extended spring training.

10Q Update: Jason Pearson and Jim Mann interviews coming soon.

Big names coming soon?: With recently drafted players being signed and, consequently, assigned to various spots within their respective organizations, look for some big name players to be let go by their teams. I've already heard some rumors about a few players who would be big signings for the league, but we'll see what happens there. Until anyone actually signs, it's pointless to even think about it...Pete Harnisch, anyone? - Mike Ashmore

Patriots roster moves: The team has released P Carl Sadler and activated P Dave Elder. Sadler only appeared in two games with Somerset, going 0-1 and posting an ERA well over 10. The Patriots have some wiggle room, expect some moves very, very shortly.

Scoreboard: Somerset lost to Nashua, 10-4, for their third straight loss. Glenn Murray and Brian Becker both hit towering shots to left field for Nashua.

It took only 2 hours and 9 minutes for the Surf to beat Lancaster, 3-1. Considering there's an 11:05 start in AC tomorrow, that worked out pretty well. Dario Delgado homered for the Surf.

Paxton Crawford improved to 6-2 as the Ducks beat the Riversharks, 7-4. Todd Erdos got his 9th save, Carlos Hernandez hit his first home run, John Rocker pitched a scoreless inning and Patrick Lennon went 3-5 with an RBI.

Newark defeated Bridgeport, 8-7.

Yesterday's Scoreboard: NAS 1-SOM 0, G1, NAS 2-SOM 0, G2, CAM 3-LI 2, BPT 11-NWK 9, LAN 6-AC 5.

Former Newark Bear traded: The Kansas City Royals acquired INF Pete Maestrales from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for OF Eli Marrero and cash considerations.

10Q Update: An interview with 2002 Triple Crown Winner Jimmy Hurst will be posted soon. I apologize for not posting stuff right away, but I've been very busy lately working on stuff for the radio show and other things. I was in Philadelphia last night covering my first Major League game, and I took a lot of time to prepare for that. - Mike Ashmore

Scoreboard: The Somerset Patriots had their seven-game win streak halted by the Nashua Pride, who won Game One of the double header, 1-0. - Scott Stanchak.

Raining Rain: The Somerset Patriots and Nashua Pride were rained out after heading into the top of the fifth tonight. I believe the game was tied 2-2. There will be a double header tomorrow starting at 6:05. - Scott Stanchak.

Mosquera runs in the rain: Former Newark Bears C Julio Mosquera was called up today by the Milwaukee Brewers. Good for him, it's always good to see a former AL guy get another shot in the big leagues.

Blame It On The Rain: That's right, a Milli Vanilli reference. Somerset and Nashua was the only game on the schedule, all the other teams were scheduled to be off, anyway.

10Q's: Brian Tollberg and Darren Bragg interviews are coming soon. Make sure you sign up for your ALPlus membership for the Bragg piece. There's 32 questions with Bragg alone... - Mike Ashmore

New Affiliation Update Posted: My new update, with stats up to date as of 6/3, has been posted. Make sure you head on over to the main site and check it out.

Coming Soon: 10Q's with Steve Torrealba, Brian Bowles, Mike Crudale, Chris Latham, Todd Erdos and Pete Rose, Jr.

Scoreboard: The Somerset Patriots swept the Long Island Ducks with a 6-2 victory today...The Bridgeport Bluefish won 4-1 over the Lancaster Barnstormers. Nashua beat AC, 8-4. Camden was on the right end of a one run game this time, beating Newark 3-2.

- Mike Ashmore w/ Scott Stanchak.

Scoreboard: The Somerset Patriots defeated the Long Island Ducks, 4-0, behind Derek Lee's complete game. Kevin Nicholson hit a two-run home run for the first-place Patriots.

Over 7,600 fans saw the Patriots complete the sweep of the doubleheader, shutting the Ducks out again, 7-0. Greg Modica picked up the win for Somerset, going six innings.

The Surf also swept a doubleheader, beating Nashua 3-1 and 6-3.

Newark didn't want to be left out, sweeping their doubleheader with Camden. They won each game by one run, winning 5-4 and 4-3.

Lancaster beat Bridgeport, 8-3, behind Ross Peeples' complete game five hitter. Raul Marcano, Oreste Marrero and even Quincy Foster homered for Lancaster. Peeples evened his record to 3-3.

Ten Questions Update: Ok, I'll step off the soapbox for this one. Not to say I'm not still miffed with the situation, but anyway...

Using the "thanks for your time, now can you please get me (insert name of player here)" system; Pete Rose, Jr., Chris Latham and Todd Erdos were kind enough to give me a few minutes for some Ten Questions features.

I'll try to get them up shortly, but I have an affiliation update to work on as well, so it might be a bit.

I'll see what I can get done on Sunday, but Sundays are the absolute worst day to get anything done on, so... - Scott Stanchak and Mike Ashmore.

Hurst joins Pride: Jimmy Hurst was finally activated by Nashua today, about a week or so after he had agreed to terms with the team.

Who players like Drew and Weaver hurt by coming here: This article should tell you all you need to know. The league does a lot more for the subject of the article than it does for guys like Weaver and Drew.

Scoreboard: There is none, all the games were rained out and rescheduled as doubleheaders.

Ten Questions from Today: There are none. The Ducks had a closed clubhouse, so rather than being able to have easy access to everyone during the rain delay, the clubhouse was off-limits and I couldn't go inside. Awesome.

Glad I came to the ballpark today, really...I got so much done. Real productive day, no question.

Good to see one guy ruining it for people who want to hear from the other 24.

___

O'Keefe goes the way of the O'Jays: OK, so I can't make musical references like Scott, but the Somerset Patriots Mike O'Keefe is a thing of the past. Geoff Mosher of The Courier News reports he's left the team for the Northern League. Hitting below .150 will do that to you...

Ten Questions Update/Ashmore's Soapbox: With the Long Island Ducks coming to town, hopefully my hours (yes, literally) of prep will pay off with some quality Ten Questions interviews. If everything goes perfectly, I'll have about half the roster done by the time they leave Somerset.

But who won't I have? John Rocker. Several attempts to arrange something with Rocker have been met with "he's letting his pitching do the talking."

However, I haven't given up all hope. His people can meet my people...we'll do lunch. And, if his "people" do read this, you're missing a golden opportunity at some good publicity for him. If he can't handle an interview where all of the questions are about baseball, then he should have people handling his orders at restaurants and his calls on cell phones, too. Be protective, but let's not overdo it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the few people covering the league who still defend Rocker to an extent and actually like him. I had a good personal experience with him at a Phillies game after "everything" had happened, and I was happy to see that I'd have a shot to interview him. I want to see him do well.

Do I believe some people are out to get him? Honestly, yes. You have to believe that there are people who want to talk to him just to have their name on top of the next big story in case he says something out of the ordinary. Is that what Jeff Pearlman had in mind when he was penning his famous Sports Illustrated article...who knows?

I will say this, though...I highly doubt he's peeved his name is associated with that article. I didn't even have to look up who wrote it, I knew.

Hey, I want to make a name for myself too, but to deny access to Rocker is almost to insinuate that I (and every other legitimate journalist being shut out) am going to try to do it the wrong way.

Whoever decided that Rocker wouldn't be talking (and I don't buy that it was Rocker himself, rather that it was whoever's in his ear) is who I'm disappointed in. Hey, I love the Atlantic League...but in the same breath, it's the Atlantic League. I shouldn't have to be pulling the red tape off of my shoulder just to get to someone.

To all the Patriots fans out there, considering you likely have a better shot to talk to him than I do, come on out to the ballpark and get his autograph...sounds like he's been signing anything stuck under his nose since he's signed with Long Island, gotta give him credit for that. If you want to cheer, then cheer. If you want to boo, you can do that too.

Just do me a favor, tell me what it was like to talk to him...sounds like I'll never know. - Mike Ashmore ( mashmore@patriotsbaseball.com )

Scoreboard: What did the Pride have more of Thursday night, runs or errors? Trick question, they had five of each. With the errors come losses, and tonight was no different as Nashua lost to Somerset, 13-5. With the loss, the Patriots swept the Pride and will go 7-3 on their 10 game road trip, including winning their last four. Their record improves to 20-14, with Scott Sobkowiak improving his record to 3-1 with the win. Billy Hall had four hits for Somerset.

On the flip side, Nashua allowed 31 runs and had nine errors during the three game series.

With the way the fans have been coming out to the ballpark, the question might soon be whether the Pride have more errors than fans...seriously, head on over to Holman people.

Newark beat Bridgeport, 7-2. Tom McGee (2) homered, his second in two days. It was a short night for Bears INF Jack Santora, who was ejected in the 1st for arguing a play at the plate.

Camden beat Lancaster, 8-7. Chris Wakeland, L.J. Biernbaum and Vic Gutierrez homered for Camden.

Long Island beat Atlantic City, 9-5. Patrick Lennon was 3-4 with 3 RBI.

Player signing: The Nationals signed Barnstormers star Juan Melo to a contract. He will report to Triple-A New Orleans.

Riversharks signings: INF Troy Cameron, INF Jason Aquilino, OF Brian L. Hunter. Cameron was on the team last year, Aquilino was in the Phillies system. But Hunter is the signing I'm excited about. He's played for the Astros, Tigers, Reds, Rockies, Mariners and Phillies. Big league time, me likey.

Barnstormers signing: They signed INF Kevin Wilson to take the place of Melo. Wilson played for the Riversharks for part of last season.

Bears signing: The Newark Bears announced the signing of former big league pitcher Jeff Farnsworth to a contract. The brother of current Cubs pitcher Kyle Farnsworth, Jeff spent most of the 2002 season with the Detroit Tigers.

Awards: Long Island Ducks pitcher Paxton Crawford and Bridgeport outfielder Jamie Gann were named pitcher/player of the month for May.

Yesterday's Scoreboard: Newark beat Bridgeport, 6-5. Camden beat Lancaster, 8-5. Atlantic City beat the Ducks, 7-3. And Somerset beat the Pride, 6-4.

Ducks Innovations...sort of - It appears as though the Ducks are working on a new feature on their website that includes short video clips in their player profiles. I noticed this during my preparations for their trip into Somerset tomorrow, specifically on the profile of Tony Runion. I (MA) like the idea, I'd just like to see it executed differently. Rather than a quick intro clip, perhaps a quick highlight reel sort of video, which could help in the scouting department and perhaps further the chances of one of their players being picked up. Scouts will go to any lengths if they see even a quick snippet of something they like, and I feel like the Ducks could be a real innovator if they were to try out something like that. And besides, the fans would love it. - Mike Ashmore and Scott Stanchak.