Yesterday, quite obviously, was different than any day we’ve all had in quite some time. We woke up, showered, made coffee, went to work, caught up on emails and days were relatively normal until 2:50 p.m. At that point, in Boston, Massachusetts, bombs went off, killing three people and injuring many more at the Boston Marathon. Since then, it’s been almost all I’ve been able to think about.

Why did it happen?

Who did it?

How will this change things going forward?

Those are the big picture questions that everyone will deal with.

For me, though, I also had the question of where my job fits in with all of this. Primarily, I’m here to bring you information about the TinCaps. I also look to entertain those people who stop in and listen to the games, because that’s what sports are–a form of entertainment to get away from the rest of the things that we deal with on a daily basis. But at what point do sports lose even that meaning? At what point do they become insignificant in comparison to what’s happening in the rest of the world? In Boston, the scheduled game between the Celtics and Pacers for tonight has been cancelled, which is an NBA first. The Boston Bruins also cancelled their scheduled game against the Ottawa Senators. It would have been ignorant to have those games go on as planned.

Sports have different meanings for different people. I love them because I grew up playing them and am still entertained each day as I go into the “office”. For others, sporting events after tragedies are said to be cathartic. The home run Mike Piazza hit at Shea Stadium in 2001 is said to be one of those moments:

While sporting events might provide a temporary moment of relief after a tragic event, I think we might give them too much weight as to their “healing effects”. In the grand scheme of things, what does a baseball game really mean? Will a home run by a Hall of Fame catcher really turn the emotional tide of a city? No. While games might provide three hours of ‘normalcy’, they can’t turn back the clock.

There is nothing that can change what happened on September 11, 2001 , in Manhattan or on April 15, 2013, in Boston. No lives can be replaced. No memories erased. Sometimes tragic events take place and there is no antidote. We want to look for ways to heal, but sometimes there is no answer. I feel like that was the case yesterday for me.

I have no personal ties to anyone injured or affected by the explosions that took place in Boston, but as an individual deeply struck by the images I saw yesterday, I thought about the significance of sports. They can be a great distraction and provide great entertainment, but let’s never let them become all-consuming. How silly do we feel arguing about balls and strikes or a close call at first base, when parents have to deal with the loss of their eight-year-old child?

But if sports, or baseball in particular are your getaway, please don’t let that change. Like a good book or a piece of poetry, sports mean different things to different people.

So today when I come on the air, I will do my best to entertain you and to bring you the stories of the TinCaps and Silver Hawks. I won’t let my emotions across on the air, but know that I will call the game with yesterday’s events in the back of my mind, my heart a bit heavier than it was the day before.

SOUND OFF WITH THE TINCAPS

With another baseball season underway, we also venture into year two of Sound Off With The TinCaps, the weekly show bringing you behind the scenes with the team. It’s hosted by 21 Alive Sports Director Tommy Schoegler and Kent Hormann, my broadcast partner for TinCaps TV games at Parkview Field. Below you’ll find a link to the entire first episode which features:

-An in-studio interview with Manager Jose Valentin

-A profile of outfielder Corey Adamson

-The “Bat Boy Breakdown” where six-year-old Preston asks the TinCaps some hard-hitting questions

-And an interview with TinCaps VP of Marketing, Michael Limmer

Here’s the link:

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/sports/Sound-Off-with-the-TinCaps-April-15-2013-203122701.html

I’M NOT THE ONLY BLOGGER

As much as I would like to say that this is the only TinCaps blog you should read, I would be lying if I told you that. The TinCaps’ own Maxx Tissenbaum is chronicling his season in blog form too, over at Maxx54Padres.wordpress.com. In his latest entry, he writes about the excitement of Opening Day at Parkview Field, the difficulties of grocery shopping for four professional athletes, and about the frustration of not coming through in a bases-loaded situation:

“We were one swing from a HUGE comeback win, one that could really put us on a roll.  “Now batting, second baseman, Maxx Tissenbaum,” the announcer boomed over the stadium speakers as I walked to the plate, not hoping to win the game, expecting to.  I dug in, as my walk up song played and I was ready. I knew the kid on the mound didn’t have great feel for his secondary stuff, and that I’d get a fastball to hit.  He fell behind 3-1 and I knew it was time to turn the game around.  The 3-1 pitch was a fat fastball, probably one that I should have hit into the gap or if I got it up in the wind maybe out, to win the damn game.  Instead I rolled it over to the second baseman to end the game.  Talk about a crushing blow to the confidence. That at bat hurt, I knew I blew our teams opportunity to win, and I knew that I SHOULD have done something with that pitch, especially in that kind of hitters count.  I sat in the dugout staring at the ground trying to find an answer to why I suddenly couldn’t hit when I was ahead in the count. “

Good stuff from Maxx, and I look forward to more of his posts throughout the season.

FORT WAYNE’S JACKIE ROBINSON CONNECTION

Did you know Jackie Robinson visited Fort Wayne on three separate occasions? With yesterday being Jackie Robinson day across Major League Baseball, John Nolan put together a solid post on Robinson’s visits to the Summit City. Give it a read here: http://tincaps.mlblogs.com/2013/04/15/fort-waynes-jackie-robinson-connection/

MUSICAL GUEST

John Lennon…take it away.

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Editor’s Note: The Padres are carefully monitoring Mike’s blog count early in the season so as not to over-work their young talent. So with that being the case, Mike’s taking an off day with the rest of the TinCaps on Monday before returning to action on the road Tuesday in South Bend. In the meantime, we turn to Number 2, John Nolan. 

In case you aren’t aware, today is Jackie Robinson Day. And no, it’s not just because the major motion picture, 42, was released to theaters Friday and topped the weekend box office as it brought in about $27.3 million.

Every year since 2004, Major League Baseball has celebrated Jackie Robinson Day on April, 15 to commemorate the anniversary of when Robinson broke the league’s color barrier in 1947. As part of the celebration on this day, every player in the majors wears uniform number 42 instead of his regular number (except for the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera, who is the final remaining player wearing 42 after Major League Baseball retired the number in 1997).

Robinson, who made the jump from the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League in 1945 to Triple-A’s Montreal Royals in 1946 to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, never played in Fort Wayne. But, did you know that Robinson visited the Summit City on at least three occasions?

Credit: Chad Grambling’s great book from 2007, “Baseball in Fort Wayne.”

Imagine what it must have been like to be a high school kid and have a national hero walk past your locker as you make your way to algebra class? And keep in mind, at this point in 1955, Robinson was still a Dodger. He retired after the 1956 season.

Robinson’s visit to Central Catholic in 1955 wasn’t his last trip to the Summit City, though.

Credit: News-Sentinel Photo by courtesy of Wildcat Baseball.

Here’s a photo from 1962 of Robinson with former Dodger Carl Erskine, Dale McMillen aka “Mr. Mac,” longtime Indian and Hall of Famer Bob Feller, and Red Sox great and Hall of Famer Ted Williams. They’re sitting on a bench at Fort Wayne’s McMillen Park on Progress Day for the Wildcat Baseball League, which McMillen founded.  It was Robinson’s second time visiting Fort Wayne for the Wildcat Baseball League’s Progress Day, according to The Journal Gazette.

You can watch video of Robinson speaking to the crowd of kids at McMillen Park, thanks to the News-Sentinel. Below is a transcript of what the famed number 42 said:

“Thank you very much, Mr. Mac. First of all, let me say how much I enjoy coming out here. I have a very important picnic that we have to get to tomorrow in New York, but upon hearing about this particular program, I felt that it would be to my advantage to come out and participate. I know that anything that Carl Erskine would be associated with would have to be a very fine thing.

But I just want to say to all of you youngsters that I think you’re very fortunate to have a man who’s as interested in you as Mr. McMillen is. I can’t think of anything that could be more important than teaching you the values of people being interested in you and in your welfare.  And I certainly want to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. McMillen and above all,  congratulate you fellas, for your determination. As we watch you on the ball field, we recognize that perhaps you didn’t have the best ability as ballplayers, but I think you have something that’s a lot more than just being a ballplayer. Your determination and your desire to succeed is very, very important.

You have the start, the rest is up to you, and I hope Mr. McMillen has the strength and energy and the complete desire to see this wonderful opportunity completely through. Because as I said earlier, you are our future leaders and the kind of encouragement we give you today is going to be very important later on in life. So good luck to you, and continued success as a member of the Wildcat League.”  

MUSICAL GUEST

In sticking with the Jackie Robinson theme here, Woodrow Buddy Johnson and Count Basie… take it away!

Fort Wayne’s connection with Jackie Robinson is another small piece of the city’s rich baseball history. Were you or anyone you know lucky enough to meet Jackie at Central Catholic or McMillen Park? If so, we’d love to hear the story.  Likewise, if you saw 42 and have a review,  feel free to share. You can reach me at nolan@tincaps.com or on Twitter @John_G_Nolan.

“Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort?”

Despite a 9-6 loss on Saturday night at the hands of the Lake County Captains–one in which the TinCaps held leads of 2-0, 4-2, and 6-4–there are plenty of numbers that the TinCaps will enjoy seeing as they head into their 10th game of the season this afternoon at 3:05 at Parkview Field:

57 – The number of runs scored by Fort Wayne, the most in the Midwest League

11 – The number of stolen bases for the TinCaps in as many tries. They are the only team that has not had a baserunner caught stealing.

10- The league-leading number of walks drawn by infielder Maxx Tissenbaum. His .488 on-base percentage leads the team.

And one they will not enjoy quite as much:

56 – The highest game-time temperature in their first nine games of the season.

But, hey, warmer weather has to be around the corner, right?

PODCAST

After the game last night, Jose Valentin explains, momma said there’d be days like this:

and Brian Adams, who hit a two-run homer, talks about his performance:

JACKIE ROBINSON DAY

Tomorrow Major League Baseball will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, celebrating the day in 1947 when Robinson made his MLB debut with the Brookyln Dodgers. Here’s a short anecdote about Robinson, and how he handled the adversity he faced:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sportingscene/2013/04/jackie-robinson-again.html

ROUGH NIGHT

One ball boy in Kansas City would probably like a re-do of this grab he made at a foul ball last night. 

Fortunately for the ball boy, his “play” did not have any impact on the outcome of the game, as the Blue Jays won, 8-4. Maybe the ball boy can help console Steve Bartman.

MUSICAL GUEST

Boston…take it away!

dancin’ in the streets of Hyannis…

Thanks for reading. Remember, tomorrow is an off day for the team, so the my voice on the blog will rest tomorrow, too. However, John Nolan will bring you some Fort Wayne baseball history tomorrow. Stay tuned.

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

For the second straight night at Parkview Field, it was cold, wet, and rainy. Yet despite the less-than-favorable conditions, a 19-year-old TinCaps starting pitcher proved the show was his. Thursday night it was Joe Ross, who earned a win, throwing five innings and striking out eight. Friday, it was another Californian–Max Fried.

The lefthander, making his first start in Fort Wayne, threw five innings, and despite walking the first batter he faced for the second straight start, also struck out eight, earning his first career victory.

“Finally getting out here and extending the leash, my adrenaline was pumping with the crowd and it was an unbelievable experience,” Fried said after the game.

Fried showed a willingness to throw his breaking ball in any count, something most pitchers in this league, regardless of age, sometimes lack the confidence to do. Of course that confidence comes from practice, but it also came from a careful study of Ross’ dissection of the Lake County nine from the night before.

“I’m keeping a close eye on what he’s doing and how he’s attacking hitters. Being here before and also having the experience he has, it’s really valuable information for me to go and pick his brain after a start, especially if it’s the same team. So, having him be able to be there and watch what he does and follow from his example is extremely beneficial,” said Fried of his rotation-mate.

Fried also had his dad in attendance for the game, and although it might be the coldest game he’s ever sat through to watch his son play, that it was well worth it for his first professional win.

PODCAST

Max Fried talks to the media in the clubhouse following his first professional victory:

FEATURED

MiLB.com talked to Fried and TinCaps pitching coach Burt Hooton about the outing:

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130412&content_id=44625478&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb

MUSICAL GUEST

Weezer…take it away!

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Last year on April 7th, Joe Ross made his Parkview Field debut as an 18-year-old, facing the Lake County Captains. It didn’t go according to plan. He gave up seven runs in 1 1/3 innings, which was the second-shortest starting outing of the year for Fort Wayne.

Now, in his second go-round with the TinCaps, he’s matured in ways that 365 days on a calendar can’t measure. His performance on Thursday night in front of a crowd of 5,524 was dominant. Ross allowed one hit in five innings, while striking out a career-best eight batters. In two starts Ross is 2-0, and has surrendered two hits, walked two batters and struck out 12. Not only is he a better pitcher from a year ago, but he’s a more mature individual, which no doubt has carryover into his play.

“In the back of my mind, I had a couple thoughts thinking about last year’s start. A few of the guys where here from last year, so I stuck in my head what they did last year to me, compared to this year,” Ross said after the game in the clubhouse.

“He was unhittable today,” TinCaps manager Jose Valentin told The News-Sentinel. “Even when guys were on base and he needed to get an out, he didn’t change at all. His tempo stayed the same. He maintained composure. He worked ahead in the count and made the pitches when he needed them.”

“His confidence (is strong),” Valentin said. “He’s throwing strikes, he’s working ahead in counts and he’s not afraid to get hit. When he’s got his stuff, he’s a power pitcher, but he has a good breaking ball and changeup. Attack the hitters and let the guys behind you help you out.”

After his first start, Ross told me that he threw about 80% fastballs, which obviously worked well as he shut out the Great Lakes Loons over five innings. Yesterday, though, he said it was his offspeed stuff that he relied on a bit more.

“The past two outings, my fastball command has gone pretty well, and the velocity is there despite the weather. Slider and changeup, especially tonight, I thought I threw very well. … It’s just staying aggressive. Being confident in my pitches, and stuff like that is really what gets me off to a good start,” Ross told The Journal Gazette.

I caught up with Padres minor league pitching coordinator Mike Cather, who is in town for the week,  after the game, and we talked about Ross’ spring training. Cather said that Ross distinguished himself from many other minor league pitchers because of his demeanor and improved quality of pitches during the spring. I suspect we’ll get to chat with Cather a few times this season, considering the wealth of arms Fort Wayne has in the starting rotation.

Speaking of which, last year’s seventh-overall draft pick Max Fried starts tonight for Fort Wayne. In his first TinCaps start, the California native allowed one run in four innings, while walking four and fanning five.

PODCASTS

Hear from batterymates Joe Ross and Dane Phillips as they discuss yesterday’s 4-0 win over the Captains:

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

Justin Cohn of The Journal Gazette took some nice video of last night’s action, which you can see here:

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130411/BLOGS07/130419887?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

GOOD BASEBALL READ

I highly recommend this piece on how James Shields, a former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher now with the Royals, is trying to change the Kansas City clubhouse culture for the better: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mlb–james-shields–the-royals–key-offseason-acquisition–is-leading-the-way-to-create-rays-like-chemistry-175011715.html

MUSICAL GUEST

Cher Lloyd…take it away!

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Welcome to Opening Day 2013! It’s the first game at Parkview Field in 2013, and the TinCaps will take on the Lake County Captains tonight at 7:05.

Although the forecast isn’t the best (and you can see some of the buildings in downtown Fort Wayne shrouded in dense fog), we’re all excited about the fifth season of baseball at Parkview Field.

After winning their first three games in impressive fashion, the TinCaps have dropped the last three (one against Great Lakes and two more in a rain-shortened two-game series at West Michigan.) The last few days have brought extremely cold weather, which isn’t atypical for this time of the year, although, hey, we’d all like some sunshine, right? Vitamin D is good for the soul. Vitamin C is good for graduation parties.

Outside of the actual game tonight, there’s lot’s more to be excited about. On our TV broadcast, we’re going to be debuting a new, 30-minute pregame show called “The Leadoff Spot” on Xfinity Channel 81. I’ll have interviews with Manager Jose Valentin, TinCaps President and General Manager Mike Nutter, and a look at what to expect from this year’s team. We’ll be bringing you that 30-minute special once a month during the season, and hope that you’ll enjoy it.

Mike Maahs and John Nolan will make their 2013 debuts on the radio broadcast, which you can hear on 1380 AM in Fort Wayne and TheFanFortWayne.com around the world. For those of you who have listened in past years, you are familiar with Mike, whose knowledge of the franchise is as good as anyone in Fort Wayne. John, who is a recent graduate of Syracuse University, is a very talented broadcaster, whose work you will enjoy.

Also, one fan tonight is guaranteed to walk away with $5,000 as part of our fifth anniversary celebration at Parkview Field. Come on out to the game…it could be you!

PODCAST

Today’s guest is catcher Dane Phillips, who tells us about the responsibility of shepherding what may be the best pitching staff in Minor League Baseball, ad

LIFE ON THE ROAD

If you’re not up to speed with the Padres blogosphere (and it’s OK if you’re not), PadresPublic.com is a great place to get all of your news in one place. One of their contributing writers, Geoff Young (also known as @ducksnorts) asked me to pen a piece about life on the road as a Minor League Baseball broadcaster…and here it is:

http://padrespublic.com/mike-couzens-life-on-the-road-part-1/

This is just part one of a two-part series. Hope you enjoy it.

MUSICAL GUEST

Lord Huron…take it away!

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Fort Wayne and West Michigan were rained out yesterday. The game that was scheduled for today will be made up at a date to be determined later this season. For now, we’re just looking ahead to tonight’s 6:35 scheduled first pitch. The forecast? More rain! But we can’t do anything about that…

Walker Weickel, who was Tuesday’s scheduled starter, will instead start tonight. Here were his thoughts on the rainout:

According to Urban Dictionary…Muddin =
when someone takes their truck offroad and tries to get their car as dirty as possible. The idea is to get your car so dirty that the air-conditioning spits up dirt molecules when you turn it on.

You know, I was cool with a nap. Car washes ain’t cheap, man.

Because of the rainout, Joe Ross is scheduled to start Fort Wayne’s home opener on Thursday against Lake County, and Max Fried, the #1 pick last year by San Diego, is scheduled to start Friday. That means you’ll have back-to-back first-round draft picks pitching in Fort Wayne Thursday and Friday. Get your tickets, folks.

PODCAST

In today’s TinCaps Report Podcast, I talk with center fielder Brian Adams, a former two-sport athlete at the University of Kentucky. Adams, a native of Georgia, played both football and baseball for the Wildcats. We talk about his decision to choose baseball, and which two former TinCaps, and Kentucky Wildcats, are friends of his:

WALK-UP MUSIC

Now that we’re just a day away from the home opener at Parkview Field, it’s that time of year where players have to request their walk-up music that will play either on their way from the dugout to home plate,  or when they enter the game from the bullpen. Here is the list of songs from players who made a request:

LIFE ON THE ROAD

Traveling throughout the world of Minor League Baseball means you’ll meet new people every single day. During the rain delay today, I had to walk down to the TinCaps clubhouse a few times, and you have to walk on the concourse to get there from the press box. During one of my trips, I walked past a fan wearing a throwback Whitecaps jacket, and had to snap a picture:

West Michigan Whitecaps super-fan Tom Grey proudly wears his original-issue Whitecaps jacket.

He claims the jacket is from the original season of Whitecaps baseball, which was back in 1994. That’d be impressive if he kept intact for 20 years. There are several nods to the baseball history of the Grand Rapids area (the ballpark is technically in Comstock Park) and the history of the team up on the suite level.

I wonder if anyone out there still has any Wizards gear…

MUSICAL GUEST

The Lumineers…take it away!

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

The TinCaps dropped their series opener against West Michigan yesterday by an 11-4 score. Not much to see yesterday in terms of Fort Wayne offense. After the fourth inning, the TinCaps had only two hits. Starter Erik Cabrera went 3 2/3 innings and allowed eight earned runs.

Today, with fog looming all around the city of Comstock Park, Michigan, the TinCaps and Whitecaps will try and play a noon game, although heavy thunderstorms are in the forecast. Will we be delayed by rain for a second straight day? You’ll have to tune in at 11:40 for our pregame show to find out!

Walker Weickel, the highly-touted 55th overall pick from last year’s draft, will take the ball for Fort Wayne. He was added to the roster today, and infielder Felix Cabrera was sent to extended spring training, giving Fort Wayne a full 25-man roster. Here’s to a TinCaps win.

Hope to have you along today as you work off your basketball national championship hangover. Pre-game coverage starts at 11:40 on TheFanFortWayne.com.

PODCAST

On today’s TinCaps Report Podcast, outfielder Corey Adamson joins me to talk about his busy offseason and why he had to get a new passport:

PROSPECTING

Corey Brock of MLB.com has a good look at some of the top prospects throughout the Padres farm system, and where each player is beginning the season. He mentions Zach Eflin, Max Fried, and Walker Weickel all opening the year in Fort Wayne.

Read his full story here: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130408&content_id=44212574&vkey=news_sd&c_id=sd

Speaking of Weickel, the Orlando Sentinel has a piece on the righty from before the 2012 draft. It tells us about how his dad, a golf pro, almost had a son who turned into a phenomenal golf player, rather than a first-round pick in baseball: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-31/sports/os-hs-walker-weickel-baseball-draft-0601-20120531_1_golf-team-baseball-draft-olympia-coach-randy-o-neal

BALLPARK EATING

If you didn’t tune into the broadcast yesterday (no excuses, it was an afternoon game), you missed a) the two-hour forty-two minute rain delay and b) my on-air review of the “baco”, the taco with a shell made entirely of bacon that’s served at West Michigan’s Fifth-Third Ballpark.

The item was selected by an online fan vote, as the Whitecaps decided which new food item they would add to their menu this year. The baco won with 30% of the vote, and has gone on to receive some serious national attention from places like Yahoo! Sports and CNBC. That said, I’m here to tell you the baco is more about the style than it is about the substance.

It’s exactly what it sounds and looks like, shredded lettuce and diced tomato inside of five strips of bacon. It’s a BLT without the bread, and perhaps a little more bacon. I must tell you that it was delicious, though. The bacon was well-cooked, so that it was crispy but not too crunchy, and was still flexible enough for the “I like my bacon droopy” type of people. For those of you who are bacon lovers, go for it. For anyone else, I’d recommend trying one of the many other unique and certainly delectable food options at Fifth Third Ballpark.

While I’m generally not a fan of rain delays, yesterday I didn’t quite mind so much.

BALLPARK LIVING

In Indianapolis an old ballpark has been turned into apartments.  While the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians now play at beautiful downtown Victory Field, they used to play at Bush Stadium. In their absence, it had been many things, including a storage lot for Cash for Clunkers cars. Not a good look. It’s quite different today:

Here’s the link to the full article: http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/gov-indianapolis-building-first-ballpark-apartments.html#next

MUSICAL GUEST

Local Natives…take it away!

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Goodbye, Midland, Michigan, and hello, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Midwest League Mitten road trip continues with three games against the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Class-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Fort Wayne has won three of its first four games, falling for the first time on Sunday against the Loons by an 8-3 final. With six combined errors (three for both sides) it was your typical April Midwest League baseball game.

Zach Eflin made his TinCaps debut just one day shy of his 19th birthday. While a win would have been a nice, early birthday present, perhaps the experience he got was even better. Eflin, picked 33rd overall in the 2012 draft, hails from Florida and was in high school at this time last year. During his high school days, he didn’t face much difficulty on the mound from his opponents because of how good he was compared to the competition. He’s also probably not worked in much cold weather, and game time temperature was about 45 degrees on Sunday, so that was probably a bit of a change.

They’ve even got a fireplace in the ballpark. That just about says it all.

After a 1-2-3 first inning, which included two strikeouts, he had to deal with a much more difficult second frame. Not only did he encounter a passed ball, but also a fielding error and a wild pitch. Coming into Sunday’s action, he’d only thrown seven innings as a professional pitcher. Because of his pitch count, Eflin was lifted after just three innings and took the loss.

The TinCaps didn’t have the same offensive firepower they’d brought to the table in the first three days–but after scoring 13 runs the night before,  it would be tough to expect them to match that on back-to-back nights. It’s always in games like Sunday’s where you wish they could’ve saved some runs from Saturday’s 13-0 blowout win to credit toward he next day. C’est la baseball…

Today is a 12:00 first pitch against West Michigan, which has started the season 2-2 after a four-game series against the Dayton Dragons. I’ll be on the air at 11:45 from high atop Fifth Third Ballpark, where I plan to try the baco–the taco with a bacon shell. I will be your concessions lab rat. Fear not.

As always, you can catch the games on TheFanFortWayne.com if you’re out of the area or 1380 AM in Fort Wayne.

PODCAST

Prior to Sunday’s series-ending game with Great Lakes, I chatted with Jeremy Baltz about his six-RBI night, and why he was disappointed after the game (nothing to do with baseball):

TRACKING PROSPECTS

If following the prospects within the Padres farm system is your thing, or you’re just trying to keep up with former TinCaps on their way to the majors, MiLB.com has a new feature you might like. This year they’ve rolled out a scoreboard that includes all of the Padres minor league affiliates, and it’s an easy way to keep track of what’s going on around the system. I use it each night on the broadcast. Enjoy:

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?sid=milb&org=135&ymd=20130408

LIFE ON THE ROAD

Since we’ve started the season on the road, I figure no better time than now to begin my official Subway count: 1. Somewhere between Midland, Michigan and Walker, Michigan, where the TinCaps team hotel is, I ate at a Subway. I also took these pictures on my way to Subway:

This was, at one point in time, a pool

Presumably, people swam in this area.

Those “pool” pictures are from the front “yard” of a motor inn that I had to walk past to get to Subway. At least they kept the lifeguard chair…

Also, at Great Lakes, as the visiting radio broadcaster, you have the great fortune of having your daily meal delivered to your radio booth. Pretty simple process–you fill out your meal ticket and they bring you the food.  On mine I write, “Mike – Visiting Radio”, to avoid confusion. Here’s what my awful handwriting was translated into:

Visay Radio? Seriously? Is my handwriting that bad?

So I’ve got a face for radio, a voice for newspaper and handwriting for…styrofoam boxes?

MUSICAL GUEST

Lady Antebellum…take it away!

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Another impressive win for the TinCaps last night, as they demolished the Great Lakes Loons by a 13-0 final score. The highlights:

-Jeremy Baltz hit two home runs and collected six RBI. Baltz had the first six-RBI game by a TinCaps hitter since Jeudy Valdez did it three seasons ago on May 26…also against Great Lakes. Here’s the box score from that game:

-Gabriel Quintana and Dane Phillips each hit home runs

-It was the first four-homer game for Fort Wayne since June 11, 2012 when Yeison Asencio (2), Lee Orr and Tyler Stubblefield all went yard at Parkview Field against South Bend.

-Justin Hancock earned his first Midwest League win, turning in five scoreless innings and striking out seven.

-In the last nine years, this is just the third time a Fort Wayne team has started the season 3-0. The 2009 squad, which won a MWL title, began the year on a 10-0 tear. In 2011, Fort Wayne won three straight against South Bend to open the season, before dropping the last of a four-game set to the Silver Hawks. The 24 runs scored in the first three games by the 2013 TinCaps edges the 18 scored by the 2009 team in its first three games.

The finale of the four-game season-opening series with Great Lakes is this afternoon at 3:05. Padres supplemental first-round pick Zach Eflin is the scheduled starter for Fort Wayne. San Diego drafted Eflin 33rd overall in the 2012 draft. You can hear the game on The Fan 1380 in Fort Wayne and everywhere else on TheFanFortWayne.com. I’ll be joined pregame by Jeremy Baltz, when our coverage starts at 2:45.

PODCAST

The guest on today’s TinCaps Report Podcast is outfielder Mallex Smith. The gregarious Floridian tells us about the origin of his unique name, his start to the season, and his natural speed (although he says he’s not even the fastest in his family):

EYE ON OPENING DAY

TinCaps President Mike Nutter joined WANE-TV in Fort Wayne on Saturday morning to talk about Opening Day at Parkview Field on Thursday, April 11th. It’ll be the start of the fifth season at Parkview Field, and one fan will be guaranteed to walk away with $5,000. It could be you…who knows.

Here is the link to Mike’s interview:

http://www.wane.com/dpp/entertainment/first_news/tincaps-president-discusses-season-opener

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I saw this tweet from former U-T San Diego columnist Tim Sullivan the other day, and wanted to share it because it makes the mind race, perhaps to places it hasn’t been in a long while:

How would you re-do things if you could? I think I’d play the guitar–it’s something I’ve always wished I could do. I was a “percussionist” from the fifth grade through 12th grade, and I put that in quotes to say that they allowed me to play the triangle and cymbals…and very little else. I wasn’t very good.

I’m sure a lot of people would like to be friends with Bill Gates, but that doesn’t mean even when he got rich that he’d share any of his money with you…

MUSICAL GUEST

Rihanna…take it away!

If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.