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San Francisco GiantsWho?Originally Posted by griffeyfan30
Who?
Joel Barreto pitched in the Reds game today
2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
he also picked up his first save didn't he?
the reds site says bergella still plays for chattanooga.
did the reds beat the blue jays today
Yup, the Reds won.
The Simpson family gathers around, as Homer places Bart's passed test on the fridge.)
Homer: We're proud of you, boy.
Bart: Thanks, Dad. But part of this D-minus belongs to God.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...agonsfans.html
Seats will be full at Fifth Third
Dragons will have 428 straight sellouts by season's end
By Kyle Nagel
Dayton Daily News
Last season, the Dayton Dragons played their 71 home games in front of a combined 593,663 spectators. For the third time in their five years, the Dragons set a Class A attendance record, surpassing their 590,382 figure of the season before.
Despite fielding a team that won just 48 of 140 games, the Dragons felt massive fan support that continues into this season. The team has already sold out its entire home schedule.
At season's end, the Dragons will have 428 consecutive sellouts, said team president Robert Murphy. By comparison, Murphy said, the Sacramento Kings lead the NBA in sellouts (259) and the Boston Red Sox lead Major League Baseball (145).
"We do have fantastic fans," Murphy said. "We like to think we keep things fresh. We are very conscientious of changing up the entertainment experience."
Whatever they're doing, it has worked. For the first season, in 2000, 581,853 fans came to Fifth Third Field. That broke the Class A record. The Dragons have consistently stayed in Minor League Baseball's Top 10 in attendance for any class, finishing eighth in 2002 (571,094), seventh in 2003 and 10th in 2004.
The secret, the Dragons say, is keeping the fans happy. More than 90 percent of season ticket-holders renew each year, and there's a long waiting list filled with potential buyers.
"I cannot say enough about how good this community has been to us," said Eric Deutsch, the Dragons' executive vice president. "We have great sports fans, so we try to give them a good experience."
Contact Kyle Nagel at 225-7389.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...nshitting.html
Dragons won't be taking first pitch in every at-bat
By Marc Katz
Dayton Daily News
Taking a strike before being able to swing caused a bit of a stir in the Reds' low-level minor leagues last season.
Batters from Class A and rookie leagues were required to take a strike before they were able to swing. The idea was that they would see more pitches, be more patient and eventually become more confident at the plate.
What happened? The four teams using the policy finished at .500 or worse, with low batting averages and lots of strikeouts, including a whopping 1,382 in Dayton. Opponents, realizing what was going on, began throwing easy fastballs over the plate for a quick strike, knowing none of the Dragons would swing.
A batter can't learn much watching a pitch like that.
Reds director of development Tim Naehring does not want to talk about last year. He wants to talk about this year.
"We are not in a take-a-strike program," Naehring said on the verge of the 2005 season. "The program that is in place is the way you should approach hitting. It's sound. There is nothing in there to take away from a hitter's success."
The Reds want batters to be more selective at the plate. The organization charts "chases," pitches a batter will chase that are often out of the strike zone and impossible to hit.
"They say you are going to get one pitch to hit," Naehring said. "Well, in Class A you're going to get more than one pitch to hit. I know sometimes you watch on television and you see a pitch on the inside corner that a guy should swing at and he doesn't. Well, maybe he was looking for a pitch more to the outside where he could punch it in the hole between first and second to move a runner.
"He has to be able to hit the pitch. The goal is to get a good pitch to hit. If you swing at the first pitch, you don't know what a pitcher's got. If you go up a second time and swing at a first pitch, by the time you get up a third time, you don't know anything about the pitcher. You don't know what his slider's like. You don't know anything.
"We want our batters to see everything a pitcher has."
Sure, there will be times when batters will be asked to take a first strike, but situations will change an approach. With runners in scoring position with two outs, a batter probably will not be asked to take a strike. Some of that was in place last year, too, but in the first year of the program, it didn't work well.
Naehring and Dragons manager Alonzo Powell said this year, batters will know what to expect. They will be more patient and more selective — and hopefully more successful.
Contact Marc Katz at 225-2157.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...gonscover.html
By the Dayton Daily News
The pitching will be better, the hitting stronger and the fielding could be a surprise bonus, especially if shortstop Paul Janish shows major-league promise as predicted.
But no matter what happens, it will be difficult for the Class A Midwest League Dayton Dragons to dip to last season's dismal 48-92 record.
Second-year manager Alonzo Powell says his players know what to expect from tight hitting and pitching philosophies put in place last season and tweaked this year. He said the talent level at most positions seems higher, from pitcher Homer Bailey to outfielder B.J. Szymanski to Janish to catcher Craig Tatum.
Some fans might be willing to sacrifice some victories if they know one or two of the players they are watching will soon become everyday players in the major leagues, especially for the Reds.
Ten players from the first two Dragons teams have already graduated to play in the majors, including Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Rainer Olmedo, Jose Acevedo, Bobby Madritsch, Brian Reith, Wily Mo Pena, Stephen Smitherman, Josh Hall and Ryan Snare.
The next major-leaguer from Dayton might be playing this summer. And the play should be much easier on the eyes.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...dragonsbj.html
Football's a passion, baseball's a career
Center-fielder Szymanski played both at Princeton
By Marc Katz
Dayton Daily News
There is nothing like Friday Night Lights or Saturday Afternoon Daylight as long as you're playing football, said Dayton Dragons center fielder B.J. Szymanski.
Actually, there's nothing like football.
"It's hard to top," said Szymanski on the verge of his first full season of professional baseball, "although I understand playing baseball in Dayton is something like that with all the fans they have."
Szymanski's thoughts echo those of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn. He was a redshirt freshman quarterback at Texas when was told he'd either have to move to another position or share. This was after he already had signed a contract to play in the Reds system.
"I called my agent and told him I was out of there (Texas)," Dunn said. "The coach lied to me."
Dunn has not played competitive football since.
"I still miss it," he said. "Something comes up every day that I miss it. I don't know if I could have played in the NFL, but I like baseball, too. If I don't like something, I don't do it."
Circumstances were not quite the same for Szymanski, who shares the same football passion as Dunn.
Szymanski is from the north Texas town of Wichita Falls — 93 miles northwest of Dallas — where he played four sports (baseball, basketball and track included), but football was king.
"Our town has about 100,000 people," Szymanski said. "We'd get 10-18,000 for a football game. It's not over the top like Odessa Permian (from the book and film Friday Night Lights), but if you weren't going to the football game on Friday night, there wasn't much else you could be doing."
As much as he loved football, Szymanski liked playing baseball, too. He said his high school games drew crowds of a few hundred people.
"Baseball at my school was always better than football," Szymanski said. "We usually went to the state tournament."
The problem was, baseball is just not football in Texas.
Szymanski graduated from high school, as a 6-foot-5, 180-pound wide receiver/baseball player, and college interest was minimal. Certainly there was none from the University of Texas.
"No one wanted to take a leap of faith," Szymanski said.
A year later, Szymanski put on 20 pounds ("I developed," he said), became a top football player at Princeton (he contacted them) and decided he'd take up baseball again after sitting out that sport as a freshman.
"I wanted to establish myself as a football player first," Szymanski said. "I was going to school and letting football occupy my time. I wasn't expecting what happened."
Szymanski not only developed in size, but in ability. He became what they call a five-tool player — one who can hit, hit for power, run, throw and field. He was prepared to return to Princeton's football team if he was drafted late in last summer's baseball draft. He was taken in the second round by the Reds. He signed.
"I'm not sorry at all," Szymanski said. "What's not to be happy with? There's something about a baseball game, playing without a helmet so people can see who you are."
Football, though, still occupies his thoughts.
"Toward the end of the year last year at Billings, it started to eat at me," Szymanski said. "Two-a-days were starting. Football without two-a-days wouldn't be football."
He got over it, and in the fall went back to Princeton to finish course work toward a degree in psychology. He watched from the stands as his buddies played football.
This week he'll open in the outfield — possibly center — with the Dragons. He'll also be thinking about football. His "little" brother Blake, a 6-4, 190-pound quarterback, will be playing at Baylor.
In the fall, Szymanski will root for Baylor. This summer, he will root for the Dragons.
How far do you think BJ will go this year. Does anyone think he will make it to Louisville this year?
http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...onsbailey.html
Top prospect takes mound
Reds hope Bailey can reverse recent trend
By Marc Katz
Dayton Daily News
Having a No. 1 free-agent draft pick is nothing new for the Dayton Dragons, who open their sixth season Thursday at South Bend.
When right-handed pitcher Homer Bailey takes the mound sometime this week, he will be the Reds' fifth No. 1 pick to play for the Dragons, all of them teenagers when they arrived in Dayton.
Only two of Cincinnati's top picks since 1998 have not worn the Dayton green and black — pitchers Jeremy Sowers (who did not sign) in 2001 and Ryan Wagner, who debuted in Class AA and was elevated to the Reds in his draft year, 2003.
Outfielder Austin Kearns — drafted No. 1 two years before the Dragons were born — played with them in 2000, the same year pitcher Ty Howington (1999) made his Dayton debut. Shortstop David Espinosa (2000), opened with the Dragons in 2001.
Pitcher Chris Gruler was the No. 1 in 2002, and he played in Dayton that year and the next before being shut down for arm surgery. He is expected to start this season with the team.
And now there's 18-year-old Bailey, who bills himself as an ordinary guy from La Grange, Texas, despite his draft status (No. 7 overall pick) and $2.3 million signing bonus.
He said he showed up for his signing in a signature Texas outfit — jeans, T-shirt, cowboy hat and boots, which he appears to wear any time he isn't in baseball cleats.
"I'm from the country," Bailey said. "I pee yellow and bleed red. I'm a normal guy."
He hunts. He fishes a little. He throws a 94-mph fast ball. He has just completed his first spring training.
"Spring training was not as bad as I thought it was going to be," Bailey said. "You kind of worry about the long days. But there have been hundreds and hundreds of guys who have gone through spring training."
Bailey just added his name to the list.
He has had some experience, both pitching and finding his way around. During his brief tenure with the rookie Gulf Coast League Reds last summer, he had an off day, "and I went and drove around for about two hours," Bailey said. "I found the restaurants, the clothes cleaners. I wasn't worried about it. Here's the cards dealt to you and you deal with them."
The Reds dealt their own cards with teenagers. Howington and Gruler have had arm surgeries. Espinosa eventually was dealt to the Tigers. Kearns was a shining light in the minors, and when he's healthy in the majors.
What Bailey has in his favor is a tall and lean body, a smooth motion, no history of arm trouble (he did have knee surgery last year) and the designation as Baseball America's High School Player of the Year in 2004.
The Reds intend to be careful with him, putting him into the tandem starter system used last year, giving him a chance to pitch every fourth day, but on a limited, 75-pitch count that likely will shrink some if the early games are played in cool weather.
Off just six games of rookie ball (0-1, 4.38), Baseball America calls him the Reds' No. 1 prospect.
With the pitch count in effect, Bailey might have to pitch awhile to get his first pro victory, although Dragons pitching coach Larry Pierson says that won't be a problem.
"If you pitch right, to contact," Pierson said, "you're going to get decisions."
Bailey should find those decisions, as he found the restaurants and other stores around Sarasota.
"I'm not a patient guy, but you have to be patient," Bailey said. "You have to take everything one day at a time."
The Dragons — and Reds — are willing to wait . . . one victory at a time.
Sarasota or Chattanooga maybe. Louisville no.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...onsroster.html
Dragons' projected 2005 Opening Day roster
By the Dayton Daily News
Pitchers
Homer Bailey
Phil Valiquette
Rafael Gonzalez
Ramon Ramirez
Damian Ursin
Rainer Feliz
Brad Morenko
Camilo Vasquez
Jon George
Carlos Bohorquez
Jared Sanders
Zach Stott
James Morrison
Catchers
Craig Tatum
Chris Kroski
Outfielders
B.J. Szymanski
Phil Gentry
Kenny Lewis
Infielders
Paul Janish, ss
Trevor Lawhorn, 2b, 3b
Robert Mosby, 1b
Tonys Gutierrez, 1b, of
Drew Anderson, 3b
Habelito Hernandez, 3b, 2b
Mayker Sandoval, 2b
http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...ly/0404qt.html
• "The Midwest League's a pretty good league. It's got some long trips, but I won't always be on the bus. I'll be able to drive to some of the places."
• "On this team (the Dragons), (B.J.) Szymanski and (Paul) Janish are two guys to watch, and (Kenny) Lewis if we get him. ... I guarantee you we won't be last in the league in hitting."
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