Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Traded Tribe: Indians no more

The MLB trade deadline, it seems, is not any easier for the athletes than it is for the bleary-eyed sports writers trying to cover it.

As Indianapolis first baseman Jeff Clement told IndyIndians.com's Alex McCarthy, "I'm not sure there's any profession in life besides maybe athletics where you don't have control over where you're going to be the next day and you get a phone call and they say, 'Hey, you're moving across the country and we're no longer your employer.'"

In his story, McCarthy notes that Clement had been traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009, but the trade rumors including his name have died down over the past few years -- and after Tuesday's 3 p.m. trade deadline passed, Clement is still wearing his Indians-emblazoned No. 14 jersey.

A few of Clement's (now former) teammates did not make it through the carnage of the trade deadline, however. Here is a look at the Tribe's dearly departed.

Rudy Owens -- LHP
Stats with Indianapolis: 19 G, 8-5, 3.14 ERA (41 ER in 117.1 IP), 1 CG, 25 BB, 85 K

Traded to: Houston Astros, with Double-A outfielder Robbie Grossman and Class-A LHP Colton Cain.

Traded for: LHP Wandy Rodriguez [with Houston: 7-9, 3.79 ERA (55 ER in 130.2 IP), 21 G, 32 BB, 89 BB]

Notes: Owens made his first start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on July 26 against the Iowa Cubs, taking a no decision on 5.0 innings pitched with six hits (one home run), three earned runs, four walks and three strikeouts. Rodriguez made his first start for the Pirates on July 28 -- in Houston, against his former teammates -- also taking a no decision on 6.0 innings pitched, allowing six hits, three earned runs and five walks while striking out five Astros.

Brian Friday -- INF
Stats with Indianapolis: 66 G, .232 (45-for-194), 26 R, 10 2B, 2 3B, 25 RBI, 7 SB

Traded to: Atlanta Braves

Traded for: OF Christian Marrero [with Triple-A Gwinnett: 68 G, .247 (48-for-194), 14 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 6 SB]

Notes: In three games for Triple-A Gwinnett, Friday has gone 2-for-10 (.200) with a home run, an RBI, three runs scored, one walk and five strikeouts. He had spent nearly four years with Indianapolis. Marrero grounded out in a pinch hit appearance on Sunday, his only action with the Indians thus far.

Gorkys Hernandez -- OF
Stats with Indianapolis: 67 G, .257 (61-for-237), 43 R, 11 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 13 SB
Stats with Pittsburgh: 25 G, .083 (2-for-24), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB

Traded to: Miami Marlins

Traded for: 1B Gaby Sanchez [with Miami: 56 G, .202 (37-for-183), 12 R, 10 2B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB]

Notes: Hernandez had been written into the Indianapolis lineup on Tuesday prior to being traded, just four days after being optioned by Pittsburgh. After making his major league debut earlier this season for the Pirates, he is expected to go directly to Miami's big league roster. Sanchez will join the Pirates.

In addition to these players, the Pirates traded RHP Brad Lincoln -- who started the season with the Indians -- to the Toronto Blue Jays for OF Travis Snider. Snider is making his Pittsburgh debut tonight in Chicago, batting second and playing right field against the Cubs. Additionally, the Pirates were able to hold onto uber-prospect and former Indians OF Starling Marte, who had often been rumored as a trade piece but started in left field for Pittsburgh on Tuesday, batting leadoff.

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines and you can follow Alex McCarthy on Twitter and www.twitter.com/akmccarthy.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Conversation with Mark Prior

Early Thursday evening, I sat down with former Chicago Cubs wunderkind pitcher Mark Prior, who is attempting a comeback in professional baseball with the Boston Red Sox organization.

No joke, his steely gaze looks directly into your soul. (google images)
The oft-injured Prior was in Indianapolis with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston's Triple-A affiliate. He is working on making the transition from starting to relieving and has made 13 appearances out of the Pawtucket bullpen, posting a 1-0 record and 3.12 ERA.

On Tuesday afternoon, Prior pitched two scoreless innings against the Indians, allowing one hit while picking up a pair of strikeouts.

I spoke with Prior on behalf of Sports Illustrated baseball writer and injury expert Will Carroll, who was unable to make it to Victory Field. The questions are my own:

The Raines Delay: "First of all, how has the season gone for you so far in terms of making the comeback and pitching again?"

Mark Prior: "It's going good. You know, learning my way as a reliever. Just trying to learn my way and get used to the grind of a season with my body and my arm. But overall, I think it's been going pretty good."

TRD: "What has that switch from starter to reliever been like for you?"

MP: "It's been good. You know, there's some different approaches that you take as far as the preparation that you take, trying to understand how much you need to throw between outings, before outings, stuff like that. It's different from starting, where you're pretty regimented; once you start throwing as a starter, you basically get it all done and then you have time to recover. But as a reliever, you've got to go out and get your long toss in, you have to figure out what's enough -- how much do I need? -- to maintain arm strength and stuff like that but have enough left in the tank to go out and pitch that night or the next night or whatever.

So, that's been one adjustment: preparation from a physical standpoint. And then I think it's just different, you know, starting you just work your way into the flow of the game versus relieving, you have to come in throwing strikes right away, and a lot of it depends on the situation that you're coming into."

TRD: "What about starting with the new organization, with the Red Sox, how has that been working out for you?"

MP: "It's been great. They've been great to me here. I really like the way they run their program from top to bottom. I saw what they did down in extended [spring training] and what they started teaching their young guys here and just kind of what they do at this level (Triple-A) with a mixture of young and old guys that have been around. I've been impressed with their whole program, they way they try to take care of their guys, to put them in positions to get on the field and to succeed."

TRD: "What are you plans for the future?"

MP: "I haven't got that far, you know? Honestly, I'm just worried about day-to-day, more or less. I want to finish the year out strong, wherever that is. And then, you know, just reevaluate at the end of the year like I've done every year, see where I'm at and see what I've done and where I can improve and what opportunities are out there."

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com. You can follow him at www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Major league Marte: A Star(ling) is born

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday evening that the team plans to promote wunderkind outfield prospect Starling Marte to the major leagues on Thursday, prior to the start of a four-game series against the Astros in Houston.

With Josh Bell injured, Starling Marte is Pittsburgh's top-ranked positional prospect. (Bill Gentry)
Marte will become the second key player to leave the Indianapolis Indians, who at 65-41 have the best record in the International League. Left-handed starter Rudy Owens was dealt to the Astros on Tuesday night in a trade for major league southpaw starter Wandy Rodriguez.

Owens had gone 8-5 in 19 starts for Indianapolis, posting a 3.14 ERA.

As MLB.com Pirates beat writer Tom Singer noted on Wednesday afternoon -- prior to the announcement of Marte's impending call-up -- Rodriguez becomes a Dominican presence in the Pittsburgh clubhouse, possibly making the transition easier for the outfielder, a fellow Dominican Republic native.

Marte went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in his last game with the Indians, a 4-2 loss to the Pawtucket Red Sox. The hit extended Marte's current hitting streak to five games, during which he batted .409 (9-for-22) with three doubles, one home run, five RBI and three runs scored.

The outfielder's longest hitting streak with the Indians spanned 15 games between June 25 and the first game of a double header on July 12. During that stretch, Marte went 26-for-65 (.400) and collected three doubles, four triples, three home runs, 16 RBI and scored 13 runs.

A promotion had been much-anticipated for Marte, who started the season as the Tribe's everyday center fielder but had began to move around the outfield of late. He has also moved into the No. 3 hole in the Indianapolis batting order, where he batted .291 in 57 games.

Marte came into the season ranked as Pittsburgh's No. 4 prospect by Baseball America. The same publication also rated him as the system's Best Hitter for Average and Best Athlete, and as having the organization's Best Outfield Arm, which Marte confirmed with eight outfield assists for the Indians.

At the time his coming promotion was announced, Marte was batting .286 in 99 games for Indianapolis and had amassed 21 doubles, 13 triples, 12 home runs, 62 RBI, 64 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. He ranked in the top five in the IL in games played, at bats (388), hits (111), extra-base hits (46), total bases (194), RBI, runs scored and stolen bases. Additionally, Marte's 13 triples led all of Minor League Baseball.

Marte will obviously leave a gaping hole in the Indianapolis lineup, but he could prove to be a boon for the Pirates as Pittsburgh looks to secure its first playoff appearance in nearly two decades.

Fans and members of the media have been clamoring for Marte's promotion nearly the entire season, since the uber-prospect batted .520 (13-for-25) with three home runs in 12 Grapefruit League games during spring training.

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com. You can follow him (www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines) and/or Tom Singer (www.twitter.com/Tom_Singer) on Twitter.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Pat McAfee visits Victory Field

There was a white out at Victory Field early Friday evening, and Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee was the only one participating.

McAfee -- bedecked in white Converse Chuck Taylors, white Jordan brand shorts and a white T-shirt emblazoned with the image of the American flag -- had come out to the ballpark to take a round of batting practice with the Indianapolis Indians and throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the game.

Photo courtesy the Indianapolis Indians.
 "I figured, you know, it's baseball," McAfee said about his shoes.

His get-up included a trucker-style hat advertising the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, turned backward with the bill bent up at the end. McAfee only took his hat off for his round in the cage, when he wore an Indians batting helmet.

When McAfee stepped down out of the seating bowl and onto the Victory Field playing surface, the Indians had already began taking batting practice. "Oh man, he's throwing real fast," McAfee said about Wyatt Toregas, who was pitching. "He's throwing real fast."

Trying to get a feel for the bat before getting into the change, McAfee realized he wasn't sure whether he was a right-handed or left-handed hitter. Eventually, McAfee stepped up to the plate with a right-handed stance. It took him a few swings to make consistent contact that resulted in fair balls.

"Shit," McAfee lamented after fouling off a few pitches in a row before immediately turning around to apologize to the grade-school-aged son of his Colts escort.

After smacking a few soft line drives into left field, McAfee flipped around to the left-handed batters box. The result was decidedly worse as McAfee only managed to lift shallow pop flys into right field. He quickly turned back around to the right side.

McAfee managed to make more solid contact with quite a few pitches near the end of his round. His first really hard-hit ball shot down the left-field line and nearly sniped Indianapolis infielder Yamaico Navarro, who was making his way back onto the field.

Finally, McAfee launched a long fly ball that ended up in foul territory but smashed into the top of the Captain Morgan Cove area in the left-field corner of the stadium. Deciding that was the best he was going to get, McAfee ended on that one and left the cage with a smile on his face.

After his round of batting practice, McAfee played catch in foul territory with Indians pitcher Kris Johnson, warming up for his first pitch -- and looking for advice. The punter was hoping to end up with a better result than Colts quarterback Drew Stanton, who had one-hopped a ceremonial first pitch at Victory Field earlier in the season.

Indians outfielder Brandon Boggs let McAfee borrow his glove to use while playing catch.

"This is a sick glove, by the way," McAfee told Boggs as the latter headed into the dugout for a backup. "I played in a celebrity softball game, bought one at Walmart; It looked nothing like this."

After a few throws, some of which were out of Johnson's reach, McAfee began to wonder about his pitching prowess.

"What do you think that was, 70 [m.p.h.]?" McAfee asked, to which Johnson replied simply with laughter.

A few throws later, Johnson gave McAfee a boost of confidence: "That might be 60 right there."

When McAfee finally made his way to the mound for the first pitch -- nearly two hours later -- his training had apparently worn off. His throw sailed well wide of catcher Tony Sanchez and skipped to the backstop.

But it registered 70 m.p.h. on the stadium radar gun.

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines and, if you are so inclined, you can follow Pat McAfee at www.twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Back from the bigs and extending the streak

When Indianapolis shortstop Jordy Mercer slapped a one-out single to center field in the bottom of Monday's sixth inning, it extended his Triple-A hitting streak to nine games -- a streak that started over five weeks earlier.

Monday was Mercer's first game with the Indians since May 28, when the infielder went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run against the Durham Bulls, extending his hitting streak to eight games. Following that game, Mercer was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first major league appearance of his career.

"It was a dream come true," Mercer said of getting the call. "It's something that you dream of, you know, when you're little, and to actually go up and do it ... it was something that I'll always remember. It was a pretty cool feeling.

"My wife was with me [when I got the call] so I got to tell her, and then immediately call my parents and they got a flight the next day and were there for my first start and my first hit," Mercer added.

That first start and first hit coincided. After going 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in his major league debut, Mercer started the next game and picked up his first career major league hit, a single.

There were no good photos of Mercer hitting on Google Images, so here he is fielding a groundball for the Pirates.

"I had a little bit of jitters," Mercer said of trying to record that first big league hit. "I wanted to get it out of the way early. I wanted to not have to worry about it. It doesn't always work that way, but [this time] it did. I just got something out over the plate and put the barrel on it and it found a hole."

That hit ended up being the only one of Mercer's big league stint as he appeared in just five games for the Pirates and batted .111 (1-for-9) with a run scored. When he returned to Indianapolis, however, Mercer got right back into the swing of things, going 1-for-3 in his first game back -- his ninth-straight Triple-A game with a hit.

Mercer said on Tuesday that he didn't realize his single had extended his enduring streak.

"I had no idea. When you're up for a month, I guess you just kind of forget about those things," Mercer said with a laugh. "I'm just trying to get back into the flow of things and help the team."

That team he's trying to help has made strides in recent weeks when Mercer was in the majors, but the Indians will no doubt be happy to have Mercer back in the lineup. During his hitting streak, which started back on May 20 with a 2-for-4 performance at Buffalo, Mercer is batting .417 (15-for-36) with two doubles, a home run, four RBI and 10 runs scored.

"We were good when I was here, too, but I guess when I left they turned it on and played really well," Mercer said. "I'm hoping to keep things going here and we'll see where it takes us."

Mercer is looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of playing every day, but warns it may take some time to shake off the rust.

"It's going to be a little different, I guess, for just a few weeks. My timing's going to be a little off both at the plate and in the field," Mercer said.

Rusty or not, Mercer is looking forward to contributing on a team that holds a 9.5-game lead in the International League West and appears playoff-bound for the first time since 2005.

"It's good to be back out there," Mercer said. "It's good to have fun. It's one thing that's an enjoyment in my life, playing every day and being on the field and just having fun like a little kid. That's what I enjoy the most and what I'm looking forward to getting back into."

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and has recently brought his fauxhawk back from the dead. You can contact him a therainesdelay@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Boggs on the bump

Brandon Boggs has done a lot of things during is professional baseball career.

The product of Georgia Tech made his major league debut on April 29, 2008, and has played 703 major league games between the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers. In nine professional seasons, the switch-hitter has amassed 690 hits between the major and minor leagues -- including 29 triples and 88 home runs -- and has stolen 70 career bases.

An above-average defender with a good arm, Boggs has recorded 43 outfield assists in his career and turned six double plays from the outfield.

In 55 games this season, Boggs has committed just one error in 95 total chances.
Last Tuesday night, Boggs showed off that arm in a way he never had in the pros: On the mound.

With Pawtucket beating the Indians 13-2 in the eighth inning at McCoy Stadium, Boggs took the mound to save some arms in the Indianapolis bullpen and ended up tossing a perfect inning, inducing a pair of groundouts and a flyout.

In fact, Boggs was the only Indianapolis pitcher to not allow a run in that game.

"The last time I pitched was probably my senior year of high school," Boggs said on Saturday when the team returned to Victory Field for a four-game series against the Rochester Red Wings. "It was a long time ago, over 10 years ago."

Putting a position player in to pitch isn't unprecedented, even this season. On May 12 at Victory Field, the Norfolk Tides sent Allan de San Miguel, usually a catcher, to the mound in the bottom of the 14th inning. de San Miguel did not fare as well as Boggs, allowing two hits, two walks and the game-winning run while not recording an out as Indianapolis won 5-4 on Matt Hague's walkoff single.

When de San Miguel entered that game, there was much musing in the Victory Field press box about which position player would be the one to pitch for Indianapolis in an emergency. Less than a month later, the answer was revealed, but the Indians had already put a plan in place.

"A while back, [Indians manager Dean Treanor] asked me if I could [pitch] and if I could throw strikes and I told him yeah," Boggs said. "And it just ended up that same situation came about and they were like, 'Alright, you got it this time' and I was like, 'Alright, perfect.'"

Boggs, who also went 2-for-4 in the game, said he just focused on throwing strikes in his appearance, throwing only two-seam and four-seam fastballs that ran between 79-82 miles per hour.

"You just don't want to get on the mound and be that position player that can't throw strikes and then walks the bases loaded and stuff like that and then give up even more runs and, ya know, makes it look even worse in the box score."

Boggs said he was pleased with his outing, happy to come out sans damage.

"I was like, well, I got through it -- and unscathed -- so I was just kind of happy," Boggs said. "And at the same time, it's a surreal feeling that you can come in and get these guys out.

"These are guys in Triple-A -- one step away from the big leagues -- and you can get them out, ya know, just using location. So I was just happy and relieved."

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and called it that Boggs would be the Tribe's go-to positional pitcher. You can contact him at therainesdelay@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Matsui Media Mania

Victory Field was treated to a bit of celebrity on Monday night when former New York Yankees star Hideki Matsui came to town with the visiting Durham Bulls.

Matsui, who was an American League all-star in 2003 and 2004 and the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 World Series, has been on the down curve of his career for the past few seasons. In seven seasons with the Yankees, Matsui was a .292 career hitter with 140 home runs and 597 RBI, but after a season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (.274, 21, 84) and a season with the Oakland Athletics (.251, 12, 72), the man nicknamed "Godzilla" didn't have a team going into spring training this year.


http://www.cbc-raleigh.com/capcom/news/2012/bulls_12/dicek_matsui/matsui.jpg
Funny, I figured he'd bear a more striking resemblance to the giant lizard monster.

The Tampa Bays Rays signed Matsui to a minor league deal on April 30 and he has been working his way through the minor leagues in a  personal spring training. Care to venture a guess how well it has gone? Look at his face up there. Yeah, that about sums it up.

Following a lackluster 0-for-2 performance against the Indianapolis Indians, in which he looked very bad striking out twice, Matsui was batting .170 in 13 games with Durham, hitting no home runs while totaling just four RBI and a disconcerting 10 strikeouts.

Still, the native of Kanazawa, Japan, was once a household name amongst even casual American baseball fans. And he's a little bit more popular in his native Japan, where he spent ten professional seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, winning three Japanese Series championships.

With every celebrity encounter comes a dose of celebreality, and Matsui's manifested itself in the form of 35 members of the Japanese media following the former slugger around the minor leagues. Reporting to places like Japan, New York City and Tampa Bay, these videographers, photographers and writers filed into Victory Field on Monday afternoon to cover a guy hitting A BUCK SEVENTY IN TRIPLE-A!

In case the absurdity isn't clear, consider that the Indianapolis Indians are 29-21 and in first place in the International League's West Division but cannot convince the Indianapolis Star to come cover a game.

Apparently being a Japanese-born baseball player in America is a really big deal. And one reporter implied that Matsui is more popular in Japan than even Ichiro Suzuki, the face of Japanese baseball for most American fans. So 35 media members are following him around the minor leagues, covering his every move and capturing on video and in photographs every breath the man takes.

They even lined up along the warning track in front of the first base visitors dugout, waiting for several hours in the sun and intense heat to get a shot of him stepping onto Victory Field for the first time during pregame warmups. He never came out. After covering the game, they all filed into an auxiliary locker room deep in the bowels of Victory Field for a press conference, which didn't start for over an hour after the game had ended.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/photos/assets/201205/0529008-thumbx300.jpg
It looks harmless enough, until you realize you can only see 1/7 of the attendees.

The irony of the situation, from an outsider's perspective, wasn't lost on all of the Japanese reporters. I spent several minutes before the game talking to Yoichiro Takahashi, a friendly guy who spoke English very well and was nice enough to give me his business card (or else he would be unnamed in this blog).

Yo, as he asked to be called, works for Cosmomedia America, Inc., in downtown New York. The company telecasts American baseball games to Japan and in America with Japanese commentary via a pay channel called Japan TV. Yo was hoping that soon Matsui (and his media entourage) would be headed to the Tampa Bay and the major leagues. "We already told the people in Durham, 'Goodbye and thank you,'" Yo said with a laugh, implying hope that they would not be returning.

And Yo got his wish. Despite his poor numbers, Matsui was called up after Monday night's game and is expected to join the Rays before tonight's game against the Chicago White Sox. I guess the Tampa Bay brass figured they needed all the help they could get after Sox starter Chris Sale victimized the Rays for a Tropicana Field-record 15 strikeouts on Monday night.

Regardless, Victory Field will be a much quieter place on Tuesday night as the Indians host the Bulls in game two of their current four-game series. I wish I could have spent a little more time getting to know Yo, but I wish him all the best in Tampa Bay ... and will try to quell my jealousy.

Through all the controlled chaos, one thing became clear: if I want to go where there are baseball jobs, I need to start taking Japanese lessons.

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and managed to fight the astounding temptation to use the phrase "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" on Monday. You can contact him at therainesdelay@gmail.com and follow him at twitter.com/Michael__Raines.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

My love affair with Chipper Jones: One last hurrah

Working for the Indianapolis Indians, I spend every work day watching baseball or listening to baseball or writing about baseball or (usually) some combination of the above.

So that means the last thing I would want to do on my day off is go to a baseball game, right?

Wrong.

In just a handful of days off since the 2012 season began, I've been to three Major League Baseball games. The first was on the second day of the season, when my girlfriend Jessica and I went to Wrigley Field for Chicago Cubs-Washington Nationals, our fifth trip to the Friendly Confines -- and second year in a row we've been to Wrigley for the second game of the season. The second game was in late April on Chicago's southside, when I joined my former college roommate, Cory Bifoss, for a White Sox-Red Sox matchup, my first time at US Cellular Field, a ballpark which gets a bad wrap, in my opinion.

The most recent was Wednesday night in Cincinnati, when Jessica joined me for a Reds game against the Atlanta Braves, a team toward which I'm particularly partial. (If anyone knows who's in charge of such things, I'll go ahead and take that award for understatement of the year.)

If you know anything about me, it's obvious that I'm a lifelong, die-hard Braves fan -- fan being short for fanatic, which definitely fits in this scenario. I would watch a Braves game any chance I got, but this one was particularly important to me for one reason.

This guy:

Photo courtesy Jessica Boursier and her smart phone.
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones has been my favorite player ever since I started watching baseball, which encompasses the entirety of his spectacular career. A spectacular career that is rapidly coming to a close.

When Chipper announced his plans to retire following the 2012 season, I immediately grabbed an Indianapolis Indians schedule and an Atlanta Braves schedule to try to figure out when I could see Chipper play again. It worked out that the Braves were in the Queen City, an easy two-hour drive, on the same day the Indians were scheduled off.

In the days leading up to the game, Chipper was sidelined by a contusion on his left shin that he suffered when a hot-shot groundball got to him before he had a chance to get his glove in front of it. Rumors on Twitter were that he could possibly play by the game I was attending, but certainly not before then.

To my dismay, however, he wasn't in the starting lineup on Wednesday evening. I was still excited to be able to see the Braves play and to spend some time with Jessica, but I was (not-so) secretly hoping for a pinch-hit appearance by the great No. 10.

I got my wish in the top of the seventh inning, when Chipper pinch hit for pitcher Tommy Hanson with one on and one out in a tie game. The Reds, in a smart move, didn't give Chipper anything to hit and he drew a five-pitch walk. He was immediately replaced a pinch runner, his appearance short but oh-so-sweet.

As Chipper came off the field, a large conglomeration of Braves fans behind the third-base visitors dugout -- where I was sitting -- gave the 40-year-old slugger a standing ovation. No doubt there were several Reds fans in the fray, too. Chipper commands great respect from people who appreciate the game, regardless of team affiliation.

I, of course, was among those standing and cheering, clapping nearly as loudly as I likely would have if he had just hit a go-ahead home run. That man has been my baseball hero for my entire baseball life, and I would swear he looked right at me before he descended down the steps into the dugout -- but maybe that's just the fanboy in me. Since no one can prove me wrong, I'll believe what I want.

While I hope to be able to see Chipper play again this season, preferably in Atlanta or possibly in Pittsburgh for his final regular-season series, I'm not holding my breath. Instead, I'll be happy that I got the chance to see him again, period, the chance to see him draw a walk in a big situation, a chance to see him command the respect of an opposing team and the adoration of their fans.

I'm not looking forward to watching baseball without Chipper Jones, but I am looking forward to the day he gets his well-deserved call from Cooperstown, N.Y., and is enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Even when Chipper is gone, I'll still root my heart out for my beloved Braves, and may even one day come to accept a new face manning the hot corner in Atlanta on a full-time basis.

But there will never be another Chipper Jones.

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and is going to cry like a baby when Chipper's retirement becomes official. You can contact him (or express your condolences) at therainesdelay@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/Michael__Raines. Also, ya know, there's that comment section down there. You know you want to...

Sunday, April 15, 2012

So you want to work in minor league baseball?

Opening weekend.

It's a story that can't be told 140 characters at a time, try as I might. So here is the story I did tell via Twitter, with notes added to explain the behind-the-scenes nature of working in a professional pressbox at a minor league baseball stadium.

April 13, 8:24 a.m. "At bright and early. First pitch of home opener a little less than 11 hours away."

As a media intern, there's a lot of work to be done before the game starts. Game notes have to be written, stats have to be compiled, packets have to be printed. And then there's the running. From our second-floor administrative offices to the subterranean clubhouses. From the clubhouses to the third-florr pressbox. From the pressbox down to the field. Up and down, over and over. There's no single elevator that goes to each of the floors. Not that I would take it anyway; those things are too darn slow. But there's also no stairwell that goes to each floor. So I end up going as far horizontally as I do vertically -- if not farther -- on any given trip.

April 13, 12:37 p.m. "Just got word that P A.J. Burnett will make a rehab start for the at on Monday vs. . 7:05 first pitch."

The Pittsburgh Pirates are like the New England Patriots of Major League Baseball (minus the recent championships and behoodied coach). They will not release any roster or injury information until the last possible minute and anyone associated with any of their affiliates gets a good talking-to if they release any of the information before they give the OK. I was amazed that we got this info so early and it was posted on my Twitter account before I even finished reading the email announcing the move.

April 13, 7:33 p.m. " with the run back when Nick Evans' double off the center field wall scores Jordy Mercer. 1-1 after one inning."

Nick Evans hadn't recorded a hit all season when Indians manager Dean Treanor slid him into the DH spot in the Tribe's lineup. I off-handedly made a "hitless wonder at DH" joke to my manager. Evans quickly made me eat my words. It wouldn't be the only time that night.

April 13, 9:56 p.m. "Nick Evans -- who had no hits coming into tonight's game and had an RBI-double in the early going -- smacks a walkoff-single to right."

Look, sports writers aren't soothsayers. We can't tell the future, just what has happened going into the game. So for the second time that night Evans made me look like a jerk. Open mouth, insert foot.

As a side note, Evans had recently returned to the Indians after leaving the team to be with his wife, Anne, for the birth of the couple's first child. It could be that Evans' mind had been elsewhere during his early struggles. No one can blame him for that. Obviously, he was relaxed and locked in on Friday night.

April 14, 9:56 a.m. "At the stadium bright and early again. At my desk with a blueberry bagel and a Mountain Dew. "

I know that almost 10 o'clock doesn't seem bright and early to most people (me included) but I had actually been at the stadium for almost an hour and a half at this point -- and keep in mind that my work day typically lasts until 11 p.m. or later.

The reason I was at the stadium so early was for a tarp pull, one of my fellow interns' least favorite aspects of the job, but I spent two years playing college baseball -- which involved a lot of tarp pulls -- so it doesn't bother me so much. The thing that confused me was that we were pulling the tarp with the intention of putting it back on just a fewer hours later. It doesn't make sense to me, but I don't have a four-year degree in sports turf management. Our head and assistant groundskeepers both do, so I just do what they say.

April 14, 11:52 a.m. "Typed starter into 's search box: Thad Weber. "Did you mean t had weber?" How does that make any more sense?"

As it turns out, I had my projected rotation wrong for Toledo and Weber wasn't going to start until Sunday and we would later find out that his start was pushed back to Monday, but from this point on, his nickname in the media department is T-Had. Also, I would like to know what search results MiLB.com had for "t had weber."

April 14, 12:37 p.m. " set a new -era opening day attendance record yesterday, hosting 14,073 fans. drew just over 13K last night"

This one is pretty self-explanatory. But I have to express my grief at Indianapolis sports fans who refuse the go to Indiana Pacers games. In case you haven't noticed, they have a pretty good team.

As an aside, my dad, kid sister and granny were all a part of the record-demolishing crowd.

April 14, 5:58 p.m. "Tough news for Matt Hague. Optioned to to make room [on] roster for Charlie Morton. "

I started the #HagueWatch2012 during spring training when Hague was tearing up Grapefruit League pitching and there was speculation and uncertainty as to whether he would return to Indianapolis for opening day or break camp with the Pirates. The 2011 Indians MVP, he made the major league club and had a game-tying pinch hit single for the Pirates, but he was the first demotion of the season to make room for Morton, who was returning from the DL, on Pittsburgh's active roster. Pirates fans as a whole are none too happy about the move, but being with the Indians ensures Hague will get regular at bats.

April 14, 7:09 p.m. "Rain is picking up a little. Either going to be a long night or a short night at . "

I sent this tweet shortly after the start of the game had been officially delayed and a few minutes later the view of downtown Indianapolis disappeared into the clouds. The game was eventually postponed and a doubleheader was scheduled for the next day.

April 15, 8:21 a.m. " looks good following last night's deluge. As great Ernie Banks would say, "Let's play two." "

This tweet also followed an early-morning tarp pull. The field was in good shape and the weather was promising a great day for baseball.

April 15, 2:40 p.m. " win game one of the doubleheader 9-2. Game two coming up shortly. "

As far as trouncings go, game one's was fairly pedestrian. The Indians simply played good baseball and they won handily. As my college coach used to say, "Baseball is an easy game. You hit the ball, you throw the ball, you catch the ball. It's not that hard."

April 15, 3:48 p.m. "Kris Watts at bat with two on, two outs and a full count. Heard from the stands: "Wait for your pitch!" "

I love having the windows open in the pressbox. Keeping them closed makes me feel disconnected from the game, but sometimes the comments that make their way up from the peanut gallery make you sit back and scratch your head.

April 15, 3:48 p.m. "Watts must have gotten his pitch. RBI-double puts up 1-0 in the second inning of game two."

OK, so what do I know? Way to wait for your pitch, Kris. Good call, random fan. In my defense, the double was hit on the next pitch. It's not like Watts fouled off several pitches.

April 15, 4:14 "Brad Eldred with an opposite-field home run to tie the game 2-2. "

This man -- a former Indianapolis Indian -- has insane raw power. I've never seen a right-handed batter hit a home run perfectly down the right field line ... until today.

April 15, 5:04 p.m. " go down in order in the seventh. Heading to "extra innings.""

International League rules state that all doubleheaders be two seven-innings games, but it still feels weird for the eighth inning to be bonus baseball.

April 15, 5:35 p.m. "Wood gives up a laser down the left field line that is called a home run. Dean Treanor out for a lengthy argument and is finally tossed."

Tim Wood, who was 2-0 and had 22 saves for the Indians in 2011, has REALLY struggled this season. The line drive that was called a home run appeared to have never left the Victory Field playing surface, but replays were inconclusive in the pressbox. (Note: Replay reviews have not been instated as an option for minor league umpires, so even if replay had obviously shown the ball not clearing the wall, the blue crew would never have known.) As is implied, Treanor's discussion was for naught and he was eventually thrown out. Based on the length of time he spent arguing, I think he was trying to get tossed. The home run gave Toledo a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth.

April 15, 5:51 p.m. "PH Jeff Clement drives in PR Starling Marte to tie the game 3-3 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. "

Notice that Clement was a PINCH hitter and Marte was a PINCH runner. Makes you wonder if the Indians would have won this game had they played their best lineup for the entire game. But they did not and Toledo eventually prevailed 4-3 in the tenth inning (remember, that's three extra innings). I finally left the ballpark at about 7:30 p.m.

All told, I worked just over 36 hours this weekend. The homestand lasts for another five days, so who knows what adventures are ahead.

Well, I do know one. Report time is 8 a.m. tomorrow morning for another tarp pull.

Michael Raines writes (and pulls tarp) for the Indianapolis Indians and tweets at www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

It's a business decision

Professional sports is a business.

It's incredible how quickly people forget that when it comes to favorite players. But Indianapolis Colts fans have to find a way to forgive Colts owner Jim Irsay for making the decision to release quarterback Peyton Manning.

Everyone has been all-but-certain this was going to happen for nearly two months, but some ostriches are willing to bury their heads deeper than others. Some fans held onto a tiny glimmer of hope that they hadn't seen Peyton's last game in blue and white.

The fact of the matter is that the greatest Indianapolis Colt to ever play in this great city will not be an Indianapolis Colt anymore.

It's the franchise's saddest day since Baltimore residents watched Mayflower moving trucks ship their team halfway across the country.

But it had to happen.

Peyton's worth to the city of Indianapolis has been literally immeasurable. The children's hospital bears his moniker. He paved the way for the city to build Lucas Oil Stadium, which in turn paved the way for the city to host Super Bowl XVLI. That Super Bowl brought an estimated 1.1 million visitors to Indianapolis. The city has nearly doubled its number of hotel rooms.

By all accounts, the Colts could be playing in Los Angeles right now if not for Peyton Manning.

And Peyton's worth to the football team was nearly as immeasurable ... when he was on the field. He's a four-time NFL MVP. He won the team a Super Bowl championship and took them to another. He turned the organization around completely, pulling it up from the dregs of the league and making it a serious contender anytime he was on the field.

He wasn't on the field in 2011.

So how much is a 35-year-old quarterback who missed an entire season thanks to four neck surgeries worth?

Not worth a $28 million roster bonus, according to the Indianapolis Colts. And reasonably so. Again, professional sports is a business. To pay a person who may never be able to do his job again makes no sense. It's not fiscally responsible.

Especially when the organization has the opportunity to draft a young, healthy, promising heir apparent.

This is a business decision. So was the decision to draft Peyton No. 1 overall in the 1998 draft, ahead of Ryan Leaf. That decision worked out well (understatement of the year), and hopefully this one will, too, for both parties, because it is the best decision for both parties.

In a story that somewhat parallels Peyton's, Babe Ruth was the heart and soul of the New York Yankees for a decade and a half before he decided that he was about done playing and wanted the team to fire the manager so that Ruth could serve as player-manager before becoming a full-time manager. But that Yankees front office didn't feel that they owed Ruth any special treatment and stuck with their current manager.

So Ruth left the organization and played the with Boston Braves in 1935. He batted .181 with six home runs and retired mid-season. The Braves went 38-115, the fourth-worst record in the history of Major League Baseball.

The Yankees, on the other hand, finished 89-60, falling just three games short of winning the American League pennant.

What the Yankees did was make a business decision.

Because professional sports is a business.

Michael Raines writes for the Indianapolis Indians and indyindians.com and will continue to root for both Peyton Manning and for the Indianapolis Colts. He can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Lee Smith visits Indy


Today, the Indianapolis Indians hosted their annual Hot Stove Luncheon, a hoity-toity event with all of the hobnobbing one would expect from an event where (nearly) everyone is dressed to the nines.

As part of the goings-on, Indians general manager Cal Burleson recognized the team's and the city's efforts in making the week-plus-long Super Bowl celebration an experience where fun was had by all and field manager Dean Treanor gave his report on the team, which is beginning to take shape at the Pittsburgh Pirates' spring training facility in Bradenton, Fla.

The highlight of the event, however, was former Major League Baseball career saves leader Lee Smith serving as the keynote speaker. Smith played for eight teams in his 17-year major league career, racking up 478 saves while serving as the bridge from the era of the multiple-inning closer to the era of the ninth-inning specialist. He served admirably in both roles despite taking a short hiatus from baseball to play college basketball because he did not want to be a relief pitcher.

Smith is a big man, standing about 6-6 and towering over nearly everyone in attendance. It is not hard to see how he could be an intimidating presence on the mound even before chucking a mid-90s fastball past a batter.

Off the field, though, Smith is as amiable as they come, shaking hands, greeting fans and taking time to interview with every media outlet that requested his time.

He's so friendly, in fact, that many of the interviews ran over the allotted time simply because Smith loves talking to people.

I did not do a one-on-one interview with Smith, but I did spend enough time with him to see that he is undoubtedly a good guy, very down-to-earth, a great representative for the sport of baseball.

"I enjoy getting back and seeing that enthusiasm in the face of guys talking about the Chicago Cubs. I did see a lot of Cardinals fans and a lot of other people that were Boston Red Sox fans," Smith said during his keynote address, singling out three of the teams he played for while emphasizing the wide-spread fanbase of a city without a Major League Baseball team.

Smith said he's always enjoyed interacting with fans, even in his time as a player. "I would always be into going out after the game, not to party, but just to see the fans together and share the love that you have for the game because, I tell you, I feel it in here," Smith said, tapping his chest above his heart. "It’s unbelievable."

After his playing days, Smith figured he could quit the game for good, but he was wrong. "I got back into the game because I just can’t get it out of my system, you know? I thought once I retired from playing baseball, 'You know what, I’m just going to go home and retire and just relax,'" Smith said. "But as anyone who has ever played the game of baseball [will tell you], you can’t just relax as a ballplayer, you find everything you do in life sort of brings you back around to baseball."

Smith's return to the game has come in the role of coach. He is currently a roving pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants organization, a position he said he has held for 13 years, working with players in every level, from the Single-A minor leaguers to seasoned MLB veterans.

In addition to his role with the Giants, Smith enjoys working overseas, spreading the game of baseball across the globe. "I coach international baseball a little bit. I do it in South Africa," Smith said.

"I’m thinking, 'At least if we go to Africa we’re going to have some brothers that can run.' But you’re looking at the only black guy on the team," Smith said, referring to himself. "The whole team was blonde hair, blue eyes."

In terms of global talent in areas where baseball hasn't always been prevalent, Smith believes it's out there; it just has to be refined. "It’s unbelievable. I was actually just in the midst of trying to teach my pitchers … how to stand on the mound and how to throw the ball," Smith said of working with the South Africans.

"If they could play cricket or something, if I could get that guy to run from second and throw it, we’d have a chance," Smith said with a laugh, referring to the way bowlers (the cricket versions of pitchers) take a running start. "I don't think Cuba could hit that."

Smith is seemingly very happy in his position with the Giants, but he apparently wouldn't be opposed to working in Indy someday. "I really like to see that look on Dean’s face about pitchers, just to see that excitement in that look on his face," Smith said. "He’s got a pitching coach now who was a teammate of mine, Tom Filer. I was hoping to see Filer here, because I’m going to leave my résumé here in case Filer doesn’t get it right."

 
Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com. Follow him on Twitter or contact him via email at therainesdelay@gmail.com.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

The coolest thing ever?

I'm not a fan of hyperbole.

Nothing drives me crazier than listening to commentators and sportscasters call every halfway-decent play "the play of the decade" or every young star "the next big thing."

That being said, there have been two occasions in the past couple of weeks where I've ventured dangerously close to hyperbolic territory. The first was when I told my dad that the Super Bowl village was "Literally the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

And it was. For anyone who spent time in downtown Indianapolis, you know what I mean. Gigantic roman numerals acting as video screens in Monument Circle, an enormous tent in Victory Field's outfield, possibly the largest replication ever of the Lombardi Trophy adhered to the side of the normally-hideous JW Marriott hotel and hundreds of thousands of people milling about taking it all in. It was completely unbelievable.

For anyone who missed it, I'm sorry.

Anyway, that was my first near-miss with hyperbole. The second was when I saw this:

Holy crap.

That's a concept drawing of renovations to Bush Stadium, where the Indianapolis Indians played their home games prior to moving to Victory Field during the 1996 season. The building behind center field and the building that used to be the grandstands are being transformed into apartments, with the playing surface left intact.

Yeah.

That is the coolest thing I've ever seen. As a lifelong baseball fan, former baseball player and current baseball writer, there is nowhere that I can imagine that would be cooler to live than a former baseball stadium, especially the way this one is being laid out and preserved.

Bush Stadium is on the National Register of Historic Places and, in addition to serving as the home of the Indians for several decades, was the site of the baseball games when Indianapolis hosted the Pan Am games in 1987. It also served as a stand-in for both Comiskey Park and Crosley Field during the filming of Eight Men Out, a fictionalized retelling of the 1919 "Black Sox " scandal, when the Chicago White Sox allegedly threw the World Series.

Since the Indians moved out, the stadium was used as a dirt track (the "16th Street Speedway") for midget auto racing for two years and then served as a parking lot for the Cash for Clunkers program. In recent years it has sat vacant and in disrepair until, in 2011, the proposal was made to turn the structure into apartments. The project could take several years and upwards of $10 million (asbestos and lead paint have to be removed), but it's awesome to see Bush Stadium will live on in the city.

You can bet that if I'm still working in Indianapolis in a few years when the project is done, I'll be one of the first ones in line to see about moving in.

The only question is, would I want to live in the former grandstands, surrounded by history and looking out the window at the same thing I see at work, or  would I want to live in the outfield, looking in at home plate like I did as a high school- and collegiate outfielder?

Michael Raines writes for the Indianapolis Indians at Victory Field and could someday live at Bush Stadium (and so could you). He can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com.








Monday, February 6, 2012

Back to reality

Suddenly, it's all over.

No more spending my mornings photographing the Dan Patrick Show. No more city-wide party at night.

This week is going to be boring.

Last week was a blur of activity. From 9 a.m. to 12 noon Monday through Thursday, I took pictures of celebrities and sports personalities. Most afternoons, I wrote about my experiences. At night, I walked around downtown, seeing the sights, mingling with friends and strangers and catching parts of concerts by DJ Pauly D, Darius Rucker and O.A.R. I spent the better part of Saturday working at the Celebrity Beach Bowl, sneaking peeks at the game while acting as security for the VIPs.

This week, there will be none of that (except for the writing part, obviously).

As the media relations intern for the Indianapolis Indians, one of my jobs is to catalog ANY mention of the Indians or Victory Field in the national or local media. Today, I documented over 35 mentions from news outlets as far away as Boston and Seattle.

They all served as unwelcome reminders of what is missing this week.

But all is not lost. I bookended the Super Bowl festivities with an Indiana Ice hockey game on Friday, Jan. 27, and an Indiana Pacers basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 4. I had a blast at both of them (despite the Pacers' lackluster performance in a loss against the Orlando Magic), and those experiences help me remember that -- despite the end of the Super Bowl -- I still live in a great city with a lot of things to do.

Because of the timing of the beginning of my job, I got thrown headlong into the Super Bowl fanfare. And it was amazing. But now that I will have more free time, I'm looking forward to experiencing all the permanent entertainment fixtures this city holds.

There may be no more Super Bowl Village concerts and no more Dan Patrick Show live in Victory Field, but there will be more Pacers games and more Ice games, there will be more concerts at other venues and there are high school and college sports, museums and other attractions that help make Indianapolis a first-rate city.

And in a couple months, Indians games will start and I'll be doing my favorite thing: getting paid to watch baseball.

So, yeah, this week is going to be a time of transition, a snap back to reality. But when you think about it, reality isn't all that bad.

Michael Raines writes for the Indianapolis Indians and loves everything about the city. He can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The wrecks get real

As I mentioned yesterday, my favorite part of the Dan Patrick Show's insane setup in Victory Field's PNC Plaza is the go-kart track, where a couple of wrecks have taken place (boys will be boys, after all).

Those wrecks had so far resulted in nothing more than humorous antics: In one, a member of the Danettes racked himself on his kart's steering column, in the other, a Danette got spun around and ended up driving the opposite direction of the other drivers.

Today, the fans (and a certain intrepid photog) watching the go-kart races got a little more than they were expecting.

After the Dan Patrick Show goes off the air, it is followed by The Box Score, an online recap featuring the Danettes and, sometimes, a guest or two. The Box Score's guest today happened to be Tony "Goose" Siragusa, a former defensive tackle who started his twelve-year NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts and now serves as a sideline analyst for the NFL on FOX broadcasts.

Siragusa took one look at the go-kart track and decided he had to try it out. And who can blame him? It looks like a blast:

Woo-hoo!

So Siragusa folded himself into one of the go-karts and a couple of DIRECTV staffers manned the other karts to race him. After a couple of laps, they begin bumping each other (again, boys will be boys -- even when they're grown men.)

One of the staffers seemed to be having a little trouble controlling his kart -- he had already hit the wall once, forcing it back into the intrepid photog from earlier (hint: it was me). I took a step back to avoid the errant driver's wall-rubbing, and on the next lap all hay broke loose:

Get it?

That wall used to be straight. This is what changed it:

Crunch.

Yes, that's the same staffer who had already bumped the wall once. This time, however, it wasn't all his fault. As he came around the corner in the inside lane, Siragusa forced him outside and, subsequently, into the fence. Thankfully, it was in an area removed from the majority of the crowd:

The space between the crowd and the wreck? That's where I was standing.

Siragusa thought it was hilarious:

Laugh it up.

The higher-ups at DIRECTV and the Dan Patrick Show were not so amused. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, although another DTV staffer did get ran into pretty hard by the barrier. He complained of knee and ankle pain but refused medical treatment. He did happily accepted a ride back to DTV's headquarters in the parking lot:

He's the one not driving.

Siragusa made up for wrecking (no pun intended) the go-kart fun by climbing over the now-sideways barrier and signing autographs for several fans before heading on set to appear on the Box Score:

"Yeah, it was pretty sweet until we almost killed that dude."

And as for me? Well, thanks to dumb luck or fate or both, I'll live to photograph another day.

Michael Raines defies death as a Media Relations intern for the Indianapolis Indians. He can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com


Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Journalist or fan?

As the Dan Patrick Show kicked off its second day of live broadcast from Victory Field, I found myself surrounded by fans cheering loudly and waiting (rather impatiently) for the slim chance to get an autograph from Dan, the Danettes, any of the show's guests or maybe even from me if I took up a position on the other side of the fence and acted like I was important enough.

While I certainly enjoy the show (and especially the antics of the Danettes during commercial breaks -- you should have seen the go-kart wreck today), I found myself feeling somewhat flustered by the crowd as I stood there with a credential around my neck and a camera in my hands.

As I touched on yesterday, my main job this week is to watch the show (giving me fan-status) and to take pictures (forcing me into journalist-mode). Sure, sometimes I'm excited about the guests like the rest of the attendees, but my main job is to document the spectacle that's happening in The Vic's center-field concourse. That's why I roll my eyes when my photo of Dan Patrick hugging Jay Glazer turns out a little blurry:

Awwwwww.

Or when the guy in the Steelers hat decides to pick his nose:
Two photos, zero acceptable faces from the Steelers fan.

Thankfully, the huddled mass of autograph-seekers didn't ruin the entire day of shooting. In fact, they helped create the best shot I've captured in my two days as an on-the-job, getting-paid-to-do-this photographer.

When Tony Dungy came to Victory Field to appear on the Dan Patrick Show, he didn't sneak in the back way like Cris Collinsworth, Bob Costas and the aforementioned Glazer. Instead, he walked right into the crowd via the center-field gate, shaking hands as he made his way to the show's temporary (and utterly impressive) studio. Thank you, Tony:

Indianapolis LOVES this man.

Tony Dungy has always been a favorite of mine, so I'm fortunate that journalist-mode took over and I snapped the photo instead of standing there slack-jawed like some of the fans. In a moment when my role as a journalist and my calling as a fan collided, my journalism instincts thankfully took over.

Dungy's entrance and the reaction of the fans set up a great shot that I happened to catch mostly out of luck. Photography is hard. People make it harder. But every once in a while, your biggest annoyance also becomes your best subject.

Michael Raines writes (and shoots) for the Indianapolis Indians and can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com.

Monday, January 30, 2012

The right place at the right time

Still months away from the first pitch of the 2012 season, I've been kicking the idea for this blog around in my head for the past few weeks. Originally, it was meant to focus solely on baseball and my experiences in the press box, and it wouldn't have come to fruition until the days leading up to Opening Day.

The Super Bowl changed all that.

For those of you who are unaware, Victory Field is home to two major Super Week events. The one that has garnered the most attention is the DIRECTV Celebrity Beach Bowl, which will be played on Saturday, Feb. 4 in a giant temporary structure built in the outfield.

The other event, which started today and runs through Friday, is a live broadcast of the Dan Patrick Show from Victory Field's PNC Plaza in the center-field concourse. The set up is amazing. Dan Patrick's people have built a temporary studio featuring walls covered in sports memorabilia, leather armchairs for Dan, the Danettes and guests of the show, and access to an RV parked behind the set that serves as the show's green room.

Other amenities for the Dan Patrick Show include a barn built on the concourse which houses a basketball hoop, a football goalpost with a small turf field set up in the grass seating area, a video screen so spectators can watch the show from the plaza (which I would highly recommend -- dress warm) and a go-kart track which DP lovingly referred to as the "Indy 5."

As the media relations intern, my job this week, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. everyday, is to watch the show and to take pictures. Yeah, it's a rough life.

Today, due to a staff meeting, I had to leave the concourse for about 30 minutes, which I gladly welcomed as a chance to warm up. As I was heading back out to take in the rest of the show, Cris Collinsworth's chauffeured SUV pulled up to the stadium. Because I happened to be in the right place at the right time, I got to meet Cris and lead him and his handlers to the studio so Cris could appear on the show.

Figuring that would be the highlight of my day (and I say that with zero disappointment), I took my place among the crowd. Toward the end of the broadcast, I noticed a dude walk in wearing a West Virginia University t-shirt and -- what made him stick out -- no jacket.

I immediately recognized him as Colts punter Pat McAfee, one of my favorite footballers and a Twitter hero. I stood where I was, astounded that no one else seemed to notice him. After he made his way through the crowd to where I was standing, I struck up a casual conversation about the insanity of everything happening surrounding the Super Bowl, including the CCB tent in the outfield and the Dan Patrick Show's set.

We talked for maybe five minutes and Pat ventured off to greet some other fans before appearing on the Boxscore, the follow-up show to Dan Patrick. Stoked, I tweeted about my experience and tagged Pat in the message. It was a good day.

Oh, and when I got back to my desk I noticed the Pat had honored me with a (completely unsolicited) follow on Twitter. He's a cool dude, and I'm looking forward to finding out what other surprises this week has in store as celebrities and sports personalities continue to visit Victory Field.

Michael Raines is a media relations intern for the Indianapolis Indians and writes for indyindians.com. He can be reached at therainesdelay@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Michael__Raines.