With the 2011 season over and the playoffs about to start, here is a look back at the year that was in Major League and Minor League Baseball brawls and benches clearing incidents. If you see any that we are missing, please send us the link on our twitter page @MinorLeagueBlog. Enjoy the videos.
3-8-2011 – Milwaukee Brewers vs Los Angles Dodgers
4-26-2011 – Hagerstown Suns vs West Virginia Power
5-11-2011 – Baltimore Orioles vs Seattle Mariners
5-13-2011 – Greenville Drive vs Charleston River Dogs
Nashville Sounds skipper Don Money may be a minor league manager but he is apparently a big league prankster. Upon hearing the news that Taylor Green had been promoted to Milwaukee he called Green into his office and told him he failed a drug test. The story link below talks about the prank and Green’s parents, who have faced a large amount of adversity in their lives, talk about seeing their son fulfill his dream.
This is a pretty cool video. Seth Hatley who is the clubhouse manager for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Low-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, leads a tour of the clubhouse, manager’s office, kitchen, indoor batting cage, laundry room, training room, weight room, and press area within Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton Wisconsin which opened in 1995. You get to see just how scaled down everything is compared to what you’d find in a major league clubhouse.
At age 24, John Axford found himself out of baseball and working odd jobs to pay the bills. Among them was bar tending and time as a cell phone salesman before getting a second chance on baseball. Axford took advantage of that chance and is now one of the most dominant closers in baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers. In the outstanding read, Axford talks about his rags to riches journey to baseball stardom.
Ever since being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, outfielder Nyjer Morgan, and his alter ego T-Plush, has gained a cult like following among Brewers fans. The latest indication is the rap song that just surfaced on YouTube titled “Nyjer Morgan aka T-Plush Anthem”. Give it a listen and give Morgan a follow on twitter @TheRealTPlush. (Note: mild profanity in the rap).
No matter what happens in Nashville Sounds centerfielder Logan Schafer‘s career, he will always have a highlight to show the grandchildren. Saturday night Schafer started an improbable 8-4-3 triple play after Omaha Storm Chasers first baseman Clint Robinson hit a hard fly ball to center with two on and no one out. The ball bounced off Schafer’s glove as he tried to make a one handed leaping grab, then bounced off his head, then once again into his glove for the first out, he then through to second baseman Eric Farris who stepped on second base forcing out Irving Falu for the second out, and then threw to first baseman Mat Gamel who forced out Lorenzo Cain for the third out. Enjoy the video below.
The Washington Nationals have traded journeyman infielder Jerry Hairston Jr to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfield prospect Erik Komatsu. The 23 year old Komatsu is currently batting .294 with 19 Doubles, 6 Home Runs, 40 RBI’s, and has 13 stolen bases for the Double-A Huntsville Stars. Last season for the High-A Brevard County Manatees the 5’10” left handed hitter had a breakout season batting .323 with 31 Doubles, 6 Triples, 5 Home Runs, 63 RBI’s, and stole 28 bases in the normally pitchers friendly Florida State League. Komatsu was an 8th round pick of Milwaukee in the 2008 draft out of Cal State Fullerton.
The Huntsville Stars the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jerry Damson Honda are running their second annual Car Survivor contest. On July 20th during the Stars game against the Chattanooga Lookouts, five fans entered the 2007 Honda Accord parked outside the main gate at Joe Davis Stadium. When they leave is up to them. By rule they get a 15 minute break every 6 hours. So that means 23 of their 24 hours each day will be spent in the vehicle. The last one out wins the car. Last year’s contest went eight days before the final contestant folded. There is no air conditioning in the vehicle so they will only have the luxury of having the windows rolled down to circulate air. The five day forecast in Huntsville shows high of at least 87 degrees for the next five days with a couple of days over 90. I have posted the contestants into videos below. Contestant Susan is tweeting from the vehicle and you can follow her @BayouBabe1210 the Stars are also tweeting updates from the contest @CarSurvivor. In addition they are running 24 Hour per day U-Stream coverage, which you can watch below the contestant intros.
UPDATE #1: After 20 Hours, none of the five contestants have left the 2007 Honda Accord.
UPDATE #2: 7:38 p.m. Central: Deborah has just left the car. She’s the first one to leave. Down to the final four.
UPDATE #3: Susan bowed out after 26 Hours. Down to 3 left in the car.
UPDATE #4: Jan has left the car. Down to the final two.
UPDATE #5: As of 11:00pm EST on Sunday both Shawn and Nathan still remain in the car. Going on their 5th day in the vehicle.
UPDATE #6: No sign of either contestant leaving the car as the contest nears the end of its 6th day.
UPDATE #7: Car Survivor is in it’s 8th day with no sign of stopping.
UPDATE #8: Car Survivor is over. Shawn wins in the 9th day.
Meet The Contestants:
Susan: Eliminated After 26 Hours
Deboorah: ELIMINATED After 21 Hours
Shawn: WINNER
Jan: Eliminated After Just Over 48 Hours
Nathan Eliminated After 9 Days
Watch the 24 Hour Live Streams from inside the vehicle at CarSurvivor.com