Basil's Blog

The best answer for a case of the Mondays is ending the Monday on a good note. And the Columbus Catfish did just that tonight, beating the Hickory Crawdads (Pirates) 6-4.

The Catfish put a pair of runs across the plate in the 1st inning. With 1 out, SS Shawn O'Malley singled, his 7th game game with the Catfish, and his 7th game with a hit. O'Malley stole second. RF Maiko Loyola walked, then both runners moved up on a wild pitch. 3B Greg Sexton grounded out to third, driving in O'Malley. Another wild pitch allowed Loyola to score.

Hickory tied it in the 2nd on a 2-run homer by Marcus Davis.

The Catfish regained the lead in the 4th on a 2-run homer by Sexton that cleared the Domino's Pizza sign in left.

Another run in the 7th extended the lead to 5-2. Loyola singled to right, driving in 2B Omar Luna, who had reached on a fielder's choice.

Hickory gave the Catfish a scare in the 8th, putting 2 runs up before Loyola cut the rally short with a diving grab in right for the 3rd out.

Back to back doubles by LF Reid Fronk and C Mike McCormick gave the Catfish a 2-run lead, 6-4.

Hickory threatened in the 9th, loading the bases with 2 outs, but P Kevin Boggan coaxed a ground ball out of Erik Huber, which Sexton fielded and stepped on third to end the game.

Alex Cobb went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 5, to become the 1st South Atlantic League pitcher to win 6 games this season. Lake County's Ryan Miller also won his 6th game tonight. Justin Garcia pitched 2-2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 6. Boggan finished the game, picking up his 3rd save.

Fronk went 3-for-4 and scored a run. Loyola was 2-for-3 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Sexton had 3 RBIs.

The win is the 3rd in a row for the Catfish. Game 2 of the series is tomorrow night.

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Former Columbus Catfish pitcher James McDonald (Catfish 2006) was named Pitcher of the Week for the Southern League.

Southern League
James McDonald, Jacksonville
1-0, 1.38 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 11 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 16 SO
The California native picked up his first victory in nearly a month on Sunday, when he tossed six innings of two-run ball at Mobile. He scattered six hits, striking out seven and walking just one. That came on the heels of his best effort of the season — seven innings of shutout ball at home against Carolina on Tuesday. McDonald tied a season high with nine strikeouts in that game and didn't walk a batter. He lowered his season ERA from 5.27 to 4.02 during the week.

McDonald played for the Catfish in 2006, earning SAL Pitcher of the Week honors the last week of the season. Last year, he picked up California League Pitcher of the Week honors for the week ending June 19. He was also named a Minor League All-Star by Baseball America for 2007.

During 2006 as a member of the Catfish, McDonald appeared in 30 games, 22 as a starter. Though he only went 5-10, his ERA was a respectable 3.98. He had 1 shutout, and had 2 complete games. No one in the SAL had more that year. McDonald allowed just 15 earned runs, 5th best in the league. McDonald was a member of the Catfish when they were a Dodgers affiliate. He's now at the Dodgers' Double-A team in Jacksonville.

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DH Shawn Williams went 5-for-5 and drove in 2 runs to help the Columbus Catfish beat the Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) 9-1 tonight.

The Catfish punched across 4 runs in the top of the 1st. 3B Greg Sexton drove in CF Emeel Salem, who singled. LF Steven Vogt doubled home Williams, who had also doubled, and RF Maiko Loyola, who had walked. C Mike McCormick reached on an error that allowed Sexton to score, and the Catfish had a 4-0 lead.

In the 2nd, Sexton singled in Williams, who was hit by a pitch, and the lead was 5-0.

The 3rd inning saw the Catfish score again. 1B Henry Wrigley tripled, driving in McCormick, who had singled. 2B Seth Dhaenens drove Wrigley in on a sacrifice fly. Williams singled in Salem, who had reached on a single, putting the Catfish up 8-0.

Augusta narrowed it slightly with a run in the 4th, but the Catfish got the run back in the 6th. Williams drove in Salem with a single up the middle, making it 9-1.

Besides Williams' 5-for-5 performance, Salem and Sexton had 3 hits each. Wrigley's triple was his 4th of the season, tops in the league.

Brian Flores picked up his 2nd win of the season, going 5 innings, allowing a run on 6 hits, striking out 7. Jesse Darcy pitched 3 perfect innings, striking out a pair. Jose Mejias pitched a perfect 9th.

The win gives the Catfish a split with Augusta, and brings them home Monday on a 2-game winning streak.

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I mentioned earlier the issues I had with using my Verizon phone's broadband capabilities with my MacBook.

I never could get the VZAccess Manager to work. But I got the phone to work.

Okay, Alex with Verizon tech support got it to work. But I get all the benefits.

And, it occurred to me. Others might have the same problem, since the research shows that others have had the same issue. Research also showed that many never could get VZAccess Manager to work.

Well, here's how to get the phone to work as a broadband modem, which is the goal anyway.

First, you got to make sure your phone supports the feature. Your Verizon sales associate … mine was Will, at the Verizon store in Peachtree Mall in Columbus … told me mine did. And he was right.

Next, you either need the Mobile Office Kit, or you need Bluetooth connectivity. I have both, but prefer the cable, since it's faster than the Bluetooth connectivity.

Then, try to use the Verizon installation discs. It might work for you. And, if it does, great. But if not, you're in the same boat I was in.

Assuming that, you need to remove your VZAccess Manager installation.

Next, open System Preferences. That's your little Apple icon in the top left corner, then selecting System Preferences.

When that opens, select Network.

In the left-hand column, look for something that refers to a USB modem. In the main window on the right, create a new configuration. Call it anything, but something useful … like VZW … would be a good idea.

For Telephone Number, enter: #777

For Account Name, enter your phone number, followed by "@vzw3g.com" … meaning that if your phone number is 404-555-1234, that you should enter: 4045551234@vzw3g.com

For your password, enter: vzw

Ensure that "Show modem status in menu bar" is checked.

Click Apply, then click Advanced.

Select the Modem tab. In Vendor, look for "Verizon." If you don't find it, select "Other."

In Model, look for "1xEDVO" or something along that line. Failing that, select a Verizon entry. I had "Verizon Support (PC 5220)"

Ensure "Enable error correction and compression in modem" is checked.

For Dial Mode, select "Ignore dial tone when dialing"

Ensure Dialing is set to "Tone" and that Sound is set to "On"

Click OK. Click Apply (if it's not grayed out).

Close System Preferences, because you're done!

To test it, look for the modem icon on the menu bar. It looks like a phone receiver with dots and dashes coming out of it.

You should see an option to connect your phone. Mine says "Connect LG CDMA USB Modem"

If all this doesn't work, call Verizon Wireless tech support. Ask for Alex. I'm sure he'd appreciate the reference.

But, be aware that this did work for me.

How do I know?

I'm sitting in a fast food restaurant, eating a hamburger, connected to the Internet using my Verizon Wireless phone on my MacBook.

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Got a new toy.

Okay, I didn't get a new toy. I just found a new use for an old toy. Which is just as good.

I've dealt with a couple of different cell phone providers over the years: Alltel, T-Mobile, Verizon … and others that are no longer in business or have been absorbed by others. Currently, we're using Verizon. Service is mostly good. Most of the time, in our travels, we find good to excellent reception.

Anyway, last summer, I got a MacBook. And, after some initial issues with the hard drive, it's been a good computer.

One problem, though. There aren't a lot of places where I can get on the Internet easily.

Sure, when I'm at home, it's easy to get on the Internet. We have a wireless network set up. I can get on with my MacBook. The Wife can get on with her Dell notebook.

But, what about when I'm away from home?

Some restaurants have free wi-fi access. Burger King in downtown Columbus, for instance. And the Subway downtown.

The McDonald's downtown says they offer it, but they don't. It don't work, anyway, and the folks I speak with there about it are totally without a clue.

The mall has connectivity, but it's through Wayport, who wants a monthly fee. Not a bad deal, either: $10 a month is cheap enough. But only a few places here use Wayport. There's the mall, and … well, Wayport says McDonald's, but the mascot isn't the only clown there.

I've been thinking about an iPhone. That'd be cool. But AT&T is the only provider there. That's not a problem, except that I'd have to switch the phone in the car back to a prepay package through On*Star, or do without; Verizon is the only provider that works with On*Star, or so Verizon and On*Star say. And I believe them.

The only other thing about an iPhone is the ease of use. I like to use a computer, not something the size of my iPod. Something with a real keyboard.

Verizon offers a USB attachment that will work with PC or Mac. And I nearly bought one of those.

Then, Will at the Verizon store in Peachtree Mall in Columbus told me about another route available to me.

Will told me that my phone, an LG VX8300, can be used as a broadband modem.

Wha…???

This little phone I've been carrying around for nearly two years?

Yep. I can connect it via the Verizon Mobile Office Kit (regularly $40, but on special for $10; less with my corporate discount).

Which means that, if I'm, say, at a baseball game, and I want to get on the Internet … I can.

Heh. I'm liking that idea.

So, I got it. And added the broadband access to the plan. Which, because we didn't need to make any major changes, did not require any change to our plan. We aren't tied to it for two years, for instance; we can drop it when we want.

And I went home happy last night.

Didn't stay happy long, though. I couldn't get it to work.

Rather than play through all the sordid details, here's (briefly) how it played out.

Verizon took two customer service reps to finally decide that I didn't have the proper modem script for my phone. I was told I needed to get that from Apple.

Apple, on the other hand, said they didn't make scripts or drivers for phones. They said I'd need to get them from Verizon.

So, this morning, I got Verizon on one phone, Apple on another, and the MacBook on the other.

Everyone finally decided the other was at fault.

Except that Alex, the guy from Verizon, wanted me to go away happy. The others, I suspect, just wanted me to go away.

So, Alex got on his computer, suggested some things I could look up on mine (remember, I'm trying to get my phone to work as a modem, but still have access via my home network, if desired), and we went to town on it.

Alex found a couple of settings to try with the modem drivers and scripts that Apple supplied with the computer (despite their statement that they didn't). And, after several instances that included the phrase, "Hey, y'all, watch this," we finally got it working.

Then, he agreed to stay on the line with me to get the phone to work without the cable; yes, a Bluetooth connection is possible with my phone. And we got it working.

All the folks at Verizon … all five of them, last night and this morning combined … attempted to be helpful. All wanted to do more. And the last, Alex, actually got it working.

Apple? The place with the geniuses? Not so helpful. I guess all their geniuses had the day off, and I ended up with the second string. One said he couldn't help me, that no one could, and didn't seem too eager to go above and beyond. The other guy at Apple was much more willing, but no more helpful, in the end.

Kudos to Alex at Verizon Wireless technical support for helping me get my broadband phone modem working. And kudos to Will at the Verizon store for directing me to the way that was most useful for me, even though it cost him the sale of a piece of equipment, since I was able to use existing equipment to connect.

Verizon? Can you hear me now? You done good.

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Shawn O'Malley kept his hitting streak alive and drove in 2 runs as the Columbus Catfish broke a losing streak, beating the Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) 5-3 tonight.

The Catfish broke out on top first, scoring twice in the 3rd inning. 1B Henry Wrigley singled, moved to second on a ground out, and scored when SS Omar Luna singled to center. With 2 outs, O'Malley singled home Luna, and the Catfish were up 2-0.

Augusta tied it in th bottom of the 3rd. But in the 5th, the Catfish took the lead for good. C Mike McCormick reached on a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, then scored when Wrigley singled.

In the 6th, 3B Greg Sexton drove in RF Maiko Loyola, who had singled, stolen second, and moved to third on an error.

Augusta closed it to 4-3 in the bottom of the 6th, but the Catfish extended the lead when Luna, who doubled and moved to third on a single by CF Emeel Salem, scored when O'Malley reached on a fielder's choice.

Starter Jason Ragan picked up his league-leading 5th win of the season. He joins teammate Alex Cobb in the 5-win club. Ragan went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs … 2 earned … and striking out 2. Reliever Travis Barnett didn't allow a hit in 2 innings work, and Kevin Boggan picked up a save by pitching the 9th, shutting down Augusta.

O'Malley's 2 RBIs lead the Catfish. The DH has hit safely in all 6 games he's appeared in since being called up. Luna led all batters with 3 hits, while Wrigley, Loyola, and Salem each had a pair.

Loyola had 2 stolen bases, bringing his total to 16, 3rd-best in the league, behind teammate and league leader Salem, who has 23, and Asheville's Everth Cabrera, who stole his 17th tonight against Charleston.

The win puts the Catfish in position to earn a split in the series with Augusta, if they can win the final game Saturday night. After taking Mother's Day off, the Catfish return to Columbus Monday to open an 8-game home stand.

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They had the lead, but couldn't hold it.

After coming from behind to take the lead in the 5th, a 3-run 7th did in the Columbus Catfish last night, as they lost their 2nd straight game to the Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) 6-4 Thursday night.

Augusta took a 1-0 lead in the 1st, and the Catfish tied it up in the 2nd. 1B Henry Wrigley singled home 3B Greg Sexton, who had reached on an error to start the inning.

Augusta retook the lead with single runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings. The Catfish closed the gap in the 4th. Sexton tripled, then scored on a single by RF Reid Fronk, making it 3-2.

In the 5th, the Catfish took the lead. Wrigley singled, DH Cody Cipriano walked, then 2B Omar Luna singled to load the bases. CF Maiko Loyola singled home Wrigley, then SS Shawn O'Malley drove in Cipriano, giving the Catfish the lead.

3 Augusta runs in the 7th, though, did the Catfish in.

Josh Johnson went 5 innings for the Catfish, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, recording 4 strikeouts along the way. Chris Fessler took the loss, going an inning and 2/3, allowing 3 runs and getting 1 K. It's his 1st loss, as well as his 1st blown save, of the year. Austin Hinkle pitched the rest of the game, allowing 2 hits and recording 2 strikeouts.

Wrigley went 3-for-4, his 3rd multi-hit game of this road trip. He had an RBI ad scored a run. Luna, Fronk, and Loyola each had 2 hits for the Catfish. O'Malley's hit means he's had a hit in all 5 games he's played since being called up.

The series continues Friday night, with the Catfish needing to win then and the following night in order to earn a split.

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The Augusta Greenjackets (Giants) edged the Columbus Catfish 4-3 tonight in the 1st game of a 4-game series.

Augusta jumped to a 3-0 lead, thanks to 2 in the 1st and 1 in the 4th, but the Catfish tied it up with a 3-run 5th.

With 1 out in the 5th, 1B Stephen Vogt singled, moved to third on a double by C Ian Paxton, and scored with 2B Omar Luna hit a 2-run single left. Luna scored on SS Shawn O'Malley's RBI single to right, tying the game at 3.

It stayed that way until the 8th, when Augusta punched the winning run across.

RF Maiko Loyola was 3-for-4 to lead all batters. Luna had 2 hits for the Catfish.

Starter Glenn Gibson allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, striking out 6 in the no-decision. Travis Barnett went 2 innings, allowing 2 hits and notching 4 Ks. Justin Garcia pitched the 8th, allowing the winning run on a walk and a hit. He was tagged with his 3rd loss of the season.

The win was the 8th straight by Augusta. The loss was the 7th in the last 10 games for the Catfish. The series continues Thursday night in Augusta.

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Columbus Catfish DH Greg Sexton went 4-for-5 and drove in 5 runs, including 4 on a 6th inning grand slam, to help the Catfish down the Greenville Drive (Red Sox) 11-5 tonight. It is the Catfish' 2nd straight win, and gives them a split in the series.

Down 1-0 after a 1st inning solo homer by Greenville RF Ryan Kalish, the Catfish scored twice in the 3rd, when SS Omar Luna, who singled with 1 out, scored on a bases loaded walk to RF Maiko Loyola. CF Emeel Salem, who had singled, then scored when Sexton grounded out to second.

Greenville took a 4-2 lead on a Che-Hsuan Lin 3-run homer in the bottom of the 3rd.

The Catfish tied it up in the 6th. Loyola walked and scored on groundout by C Mike McCormick. Sexton, who had doubled, scored on a single by 1B Henry Wrigley.

In the 7th, the Catfish broke it open. With 1 out, Salem singled, LF Stephen Vogt reached on an error, and Loyola singled to right to load the bases. That set the stage for Sexton's 4-run blast to left, putting the Catfish up 8-4.

Three more runs in the 9th capped the win for the Catfish. 3B Reid Fronk doubled in Loyola, then McCormick doubled home Sexton and Fronk to increase the lead to 11-4.

Alex Cobb pitched 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, walking a pair, as he improved to 5-2, tops in the league in wins. Kevin Boggan pitched 2 innings, allowing 2 hits. Jose Mejias pitched the 9th, allowing a run on 1 hit and 3 walks, to close out the game.

Sexton's grand slam was his 1st home run of the season. His 5 RBIs puts him at 18, 1 behind Wrigley for the team lead. Salem, who went 3-for-5, stole his league-leading 23rd base of the year.

The win gives the Catfish a series split with Greenville, and sends them to Augusta on a 2-game winning streak. The Catfish and Augusta play 4 games beginning Wednesday night, concluding the road trip. They open an 8-game home stand Monday night.

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1B Henry Wrigley drove in 3 runs and P Brian Flores picked up his first win of the year as the Columbus Catfish edged the Greenville Drive (Red Sox) 4-3 Monday night.

Wrigley got his 1st RBI of the night in the 2nd inning when he tripled with 2 out, driving in 3B Greg Sexton, who had doubled.

Greenville tied it in the 4th, but the Catfish took the lead for good in the 6th.

With 1 out, DH Maiko Loyola bunted his way on base, them moved third on a ground out by 2B Cody Cipriano. Following a pitching change, Sexton reached on an error, scoring Loyola, and putting the Catfish up 2-1.

In the 8th, the Catfish added to their lead when Wrigley doubled, scoring Sexton, who had walked, and C Mike McCormick, who had singled.

Greenville scored a run in the 8th, and another in the 9th, to make it 4-3, but reliever Austin Hinkle came in with 1 out and the tying run in scoring position. Hinkle picked of the runner, then struck out the Greenville batter to end the game.

Wrigley's 3 RBIs came on 2 hits, a double and a triple. Loyola went 3 for 5.

Flores had his longest outing of the year, pitching 5 innings. The converted reliever allowed 1 run on 4 hits, striking out a pair. Jesse Darcy pitched 3-1/3 innings, allowing a pair of runs on 5 hits, striking out 5. Hinkle's 2/3 inning work earned him his 1st save.

The win is only the 2nd in the last 8 games for the Catfish, who now have a chance to earn a split in the series with Greenville. The 4th and final game of the series is Tuesday night at 7:00 PM in Greenville. The Catfish head to Augusta Wednesday for 4 games, before opening an 8-game home stand Monday night.

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The Columbus Catfish dropped another game today to the Greenvile Drive (Red Sox), 5-0.

Three Greenville pitchers held the Catfish to just 4 hits on the night.

In the 1st inning, the Catfish had 2 runners in scoring position on an error, a walk, and a ground out, but couldn't score. And in the 3rd, CF Shawn O'Malley doubled but couldn't score. No other Catfish runners were in scoring position the rest of the night.

Jason Ragan took his 2nd straight loss, going 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4. Chris Fessler pitched the 6th, allowing a pair of runs, none earned, on 2 hits. Travis Barnett pitched the final 2 innings, and didn't allow a base runner. He had 3 Ks.

The Catfish now need to win both remaining games in the series to earn a split, before heading to Augusta on Wednesday.

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The Columbus Catfish dropped their 5th game in 6 tries, losing in the 9th to the Greenville Drive (Red Sox), 3-2 Saturday night.

Greenville jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 4th, but the Catfish fought back to tie it.

With 2 outs in the 7th, C Stephen Vogt doubled, then scored when 1B Henry Wrigley singled. In the 9th, LF Reid Fronk doubled to right, move to third on a fly ball out, then score when Wrigley had his 2nd RBI single, and the game was tied at 2.

But in the 9th, Greenville won it, giving the Catfish another loss.

Starter Josh Johnson went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 5, but walking 5. Justin Garcia went 3 innings, didn't allow a hit, and had 4 Ks. Jose Mejias came in to pitch the 9th, but allowed a pair of hits, had one intentional walk, and took the loss.

The Catfish managed 11 hits, but left 6 on base. 2 runners were caught stealing, and other was throw out trying to stretch out a single.

Wrigley was 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs in a losing cause. CF Emeel Salem and SS Shawn O'Malley each had a pair of hits.

The Catfish have 3 more games in this series before heading to Augusta for four games.

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One night after holding the Asheville Tourists scoreless, the visiting team returned the favor, shutting out the Columbus Catfish 3-0 tonight.

Glenn Gibson pitched 6 innings, allowing 1 earned rune on just 2 hits, striking out 4. However, his performance was matched by Asheville's Connor Graham, who allowed 4 hits in 7-2/3 innings. Gibson didn't get any run support, and would up with his 4th loss of the season.

Kevin Boggan pitched 2 perfect innings relief before allowing a run with 2 outs in the 9th.

The Catfish didn't get a runner into scoring position until there were 2 out in the 8th, and never mounted any offensive threat the entire night.

The loss means the Catfish lost another series, dropping 3 out of 4 to Asheville.

The Catfish head to Greenville then Augusta for a pair of 4-game series, before returning home on the 12th.

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The Columbus Catfish finally solved the Asheville Tourists puzzle. After losing big, then losing close, the Catfish finally beat the visiting Tourists, 4-0 tonight.

I didn't make the game; some family events took precedence. And I missed a good one.

The Catfish loaded the bases in the 1st, and had runners on the corners in the 4th, but couldn't score.

Until the 5th.

With 1 out, 2B Cody Cipriano walked, then moved to second on a bunt single by RF Maiko Loyola. 3B Greg Sexton broke the tie with a 2-run single to center.

In the 6th, DH Henry Wrigley singled, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by 1B Seth Dhaenens, then scored on a single by SS Omar Luna. Following a change in pitchers, CF Emeel Salem singled, then stole second … his league-leading 22nd stolen base. Cipriano walked, loading the bases. Then Loyola singled home Luna, putting the Catfish up 4-0.

Alex Cobb picked up his 4th win, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 6.

Austin Hinkle, called up yesterday by the Catfish, make his first appearance, took over in the 7th. He pitched 2 innings, didn't allow a hit, walked a pair, and struck out 2. Jose Mejias, also called up yesterday, pitched the 9th, allowing a hit, and striking out 1.

The shutout was the first time this year any team has held Asheville scoreless. The four hits is the least to which any team has held Asheville this season.

Every Catfish batter reached base at least once. Loyola and Sexton had a pair of hits to lead the Catfish. They and Luna had the Catfish RBIs.

The series ends tomorrow night, with the Catfish needing a win to earn a split.

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I like my job. I really do.

But I like baseball better.

So, when the Columbus Catfish announced their schedule, and I saw two weekday games, I immediately put in for those two days off.

One of those was today.

And it wasn't a good day at the ballpark. The Asheville Tourists doubled up the Catfish today, 4-2, before 1,429 fans, most of whom were schoolkids.

It was "Baseball in Education Day" … most of which was hippie talk about Earth Day or some crap. They had exhibits and such, and the police were promoting safety, but most of it looked like something Al Gore would have written up.

The baseball game wasn't much better.

Although the kids seemed to enjoy the game.

Asheville jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 5 innings, chasing starter Brian Flores after 4. Actually, that's unfair. Flores began the season in the bullpen, and hadn't gone more than 3 innings in any appearance. He was tagged for 3 runs on 3 hits, and struck out 9, so that's not a bad outing. But the lack of run support meant he got hit with his first loss … and first decision in 9 outings … of the year.

Jesse Darcy went 4, allowing a run on 3 hits, picking up 5 strikeouts.

The Catfish ended the 1st and 3rd innings with a runner on third. But in the 6th, they punched two across. With 2 outs, RF Maiko Loyola singled, then back to back doubles by 3B Greg Sexton and LF Reid Fronk cut the lead to 4-2.

Asheville starter Jhoulys Chacin worked a quick game, keeping the Catfish off balance most of the day.

The loss drops the Catfish to 11-15, and puts them in the position of needing both remaining games in the series to gain a split.

Me? I'm already ahead. I got to take off work and go to a baseball game.

Life is good.

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