HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL!
Congratulations to our manager, coaches and players on a first half championship, clinching a spot in the post season!  It was a good run for the Cats and a lot of fun!

Now, we are off on the chase for the second half and the team had a good start, winning two of three in Shreveport.  As we’ve always said, if you can play .500 or a little better on the road and win at home, you are going to be contending for the top spot in the standings.

I know it has been a while, since I’ve blogged.  It is a very busy time of year for us at LaGrave Field.   Although the Cats have been on the road for the best part of the last two weeks, it doesn’t mean that our staff is not working hard! 

Speaking of working hard, one of our young staff members, who is very excited to be working for the Cats, was telling me that his friends are envious of his position with the Cats.  They often ask “how on earth did you get that job?” or, the ever popular…… “gee, that must be a lot of fun!”

Yes, we have fun, but sometimes it is hard to tell exactly when we are having fun!

For example, yesterday, I had a lot of fun at Sam’s Club.  We were there to pick up supplies for the locker room for the seven game homestand which starts today.  I was at Sam’s for about two hours loading a big flatbed cart with cases of granola bars, sunflower seeds, cleaning products, peanut butter and jelly, toothpaste, razors, paper plates, sliced turkey, bread, and other assorted items which are used by our players in the clubhouse.  Most people probably don’t even think about the amount of small, miscellaneous supplies which are needed in the locker room, but it can be a lot!  Our bill was over $350.00.  That will not last the enitre 7 days of the homestand because the guys will eat the turkey, bread, etc. in the first couple of days so we will be back at Sam’s again probably on Sunday.

We also stopped for more fun at Lowe’s while we were out. We needed stakes, nails, some white plastic chain and a host of other small items needed to prepare for today’s big game.   The Fort Worth Police Department requested that we not allow street parking this weekend in order to make exiting safer and more efficient when the huge crowd attempts to leave the stadium all at once tonight.  So we had to purchase two hundred stakes and our stadium operations folks were nailing the signs to the stakes and putting them out yesterday afternoon.

Upon arriving back at the ballpark with a truckload of supplies for the locker room and stadium operations people, we had a lot more fun unloading it in the 100 degree heat. �

That was followed by some real fun times….. our General Manager, John Bilbow had phoned while we were at Sam’s Club to inform us that when Frankie Gasca arrived at the park to upload some new things on the video board computer and check everything out in the sound and video booth in advance of the homestand, the video board was not “booting up”.  Now it is the eve of the biggest day of our season, and the big video screen is not working.  Of course, it is the afternoon of July 3 and we are NOT going to be able to get a service technician to come out on the afternoon before a holiday.  There are only a couple of people in the entire DFW area who are capable of diagnosing and repairing equipment such as this.  So, we are depending on Chris Howard, our IT director from the Bell Company (Carl Bell’s company) to try to figure it out.  Chris was here at the ballpark well into the night  on July 3 and back again this morning… still working on it… while my stress level is through the roof, of course!  Like I said… really FUN!

Another fun element right now is the fact that we are selling standing room only because every reserved seat and general admission ticket has been sold.  While it is fun to think about having a MONSTER crowd, it is NOT fun to be scolded by fans who are frustrated because we don’t have tickets in the reserved seating area even though they waited until the day of the game to buy the tickets.  Every person on our staff dreams of filling every seat, and they can get a little demoralized when folks scold them FOR SELLING OUT THE STADIUM!   But, that is part of dealing with the public.

Of course, I am kidding about the “fun”.  These are just a couple of quick examples of what is involved in a given day and how stressful it is when getting ready for a homestand.  The physical labor involved on my part is actually minimal these days…. I am “over the hill” when it comes to the daily grind of running a minor league team.  That work is for a younger person.  And believe me, we do work our people very hard.  The reason I am picking up things at Sam’s or Lowe’s and delivering them to the ballpark is two-fold… (1) To avoid taking our hard working staff off-task.  If they have to run errands, then they cannot get on the phones and sell group tickets, they cannot be getting the stadium ready for our guests, they cannot be placing the advertising for the upcoming series or selling tickets to customers at the window, or cleaning the clubhouse and washing the uniforms, or cleaning the stadium, or mowing trimming and edging the field, or stocking the souvenir shop and receiving the next shipment of goods for sale or…. you get it….. on and on and on…. and (2) Because I have the credit card!

Anyhoo……  We are looking forward to THREE GREAT FIREWORKS SHOWS this weekend… we have shows on the 4th - 5th and 6th!  And we wish everyone a happy and SAFE holiday weekend.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

JPD

Back at the ballpark at 9 AM after a fantastic night in which the Cats clinched the first half championship with a 9-1 victory over second place Grand Prairie.  With last night’s win, the Cats have won 28 games in the first half.  The AirHogs have won 21 games.  They have 6 games to play in the half, while the Cats have just five.  Even if the “Hogs win all six of their remaining games, while the Cats lost all five of ours,  they (Grand Prairie) would finish at 27-21, while the Cats would be 28-20… which means the Cats’ win last night was the “clincher”!

I was very proud of our team last night….  not just because we won the first half, but because they did so in a very professional manner.   There was no big party on the field or in the clubhouse.  Yes, they were very happy and there was certainly a tad more exuberance than a regular victory might induce, but they all know that this first half championship merely assures us of a playoff spot.  There is a lot more to be accomplished if we are to defend our title as American Association Champions.

What makes me even more proud is the fact that our manager Chad Tredaway as well as six of our players and one batboy, are here bright and early at 8:30 in the morning to work with about 100 youngsters in our “Future Cats Training Camp”.   Brian Fryer, Dan Grybash, Osiel Flores, Jon Hunton, John Allen and Tim Haines along with batboy Caleb Crossman were back at the ballpark working with youngsters on the field just hours after winning the big game last night.  I was doing my walking routine around the warning track while watching and listening to the interaction of the players with the youngsters.  You can’t help but be proud when you see how good these guys are with the kids.  And the players I’ve named here this morning are not alone in this quality.  We have many players who continually go out into the community and help with everything from clinics to school functions, parades and events of all sorts.  Even during the off-season guys like Charles Carter and Lee Gwaltney are always ready to go when asked.   This is also true of ex-Cats, beginning with our “vintage Cats”, Carroll Beringer, Mike Napoli, Jack Lindsey and Joe Macko, who stand at the ready to help in any possible way.  They are joined by good guys like Terence Green, Jordan Foster, Pat Hannon, Kevin Hull, Ryan Weems and many others who make their homes in the area.  These fellows understand that even though they are not in the major leagues, they are fortunate to have been able to play baseball at the professional level.  They are humble and respectful, and make me proud to be a Cat.  

Baseball is a very humbling game.  I love the game for that very reason.  It mirrors life more than any other game ever invented.  I would like to share some of the reasons why I think it is the greatest game ever invented……

To begin with, like life, baseball is played EVERY DAY.  There is little time to savor last night’s victory, because we have to play again TONIGHT!  When the two teams show up on the field tonight to play one another, they will approach the game with virtually no thought of what was done yesterday.   Yes, in the back of their minds they will remember mistakes during their at-bats, etc. because, like life, we learn from our experiences.  But, as for the actual game… the slate is clean… what happened yesterday is over.  They will play to win the game TODAY….   and that is what we learn in our lives.  Lois and I went to see “Kung Fu Panda” last weekend.  The old “master” character repeated a “mantra” (for lack of a better word) which is one of Lois’ favorites.  He said “Yesterday is history…. tomorrow is a mystery…. today is a gift…. that is why it is called the PRESENT!”   Unlike other sports such as football, in which they seem to spend about three days hyper-analyzing the last game and then three more days hyper-analyzing the upcoming game, we don’t have time for that….  we’ve got another game to play TODAY!

Secondly, baseball is a “failure based” game.  For example:  A .300 hitter is considered a VERY GOOD hitter, but the fact is that a .300 batting average means that he gets a hit 3 times in every 10 at-bats… which means he FAILS 70% OF THE TIME.  Why is this a good thing?  Because, as I said, it is a humbling game just as life is a humbling experience.  When a batter strikes out, he has to suffer the humiliation of walking to the dugout knowing that the entire stadium has watched him FAIL and that while some are sharing his disappointment, others are taking delight in his failure.   Such is life.  What does a baseball player learn from this aspect of the great game?  He learns that there are always those who will encourage and support you (your teammates and fans) and there are others who wish you ill (your opponents and their fans).  That is also a fact of everyday life.  We have t o learn that everyone will NOT be on our side all of the time.  It mirrors the spiritual battle of good vs. evil.  But good will win out!  Remember this fact:  The great BABE RUTH is remembered for hitting 714 home runs.  He is considered an American icon and his name is still known all over the world today, 70 years after his death.  Many fans of the game can tell you how many home runs were slugged by the great “Bambino”.. the “Sultan of Swat”…. but hardly anyone can tell you that he struck out over 1,300 times…. YES, BABE RUTH STRUCK OUT NEARLY TWICE AS MANY TIMES AS HE HIT HOME RUNS.  And that doesn’t count the other outs… ground balls and fly outs… just strikeouts 1,300 of them!  So what do we learn here?  We learn that our human nature is to delight in our success and the success of others and to forget our failures and forgive the failings of others.  The great B abe Ru th had many faults, but yet people loved him and forgave him because it is our nature to place a premium on the good things and discount the bad.  Just like we remember the three hits and forget the seven outs for our .300 hitter.

Finally, baseball is the greatest game because it is the FAIREST game.  The primary element of fairness involves the lack of a clock.  In almost all other team sports (at least the big four “clock” sports of football, basketball, hockey and soccer), the clock is a factor.  The clock introduces an element of “unfairness” because the team with the lead can actually employ a number of strategies to “eat up” the clock.  All of these strategies involve avoidance of play.  In other words, stalling, which means rather than being forced to play the game and give the losing team an opportunity to come back and win, the clock allows the leading team to find ways NOT to play the game.  That is why they eventually had to install the shot clock in basketball… to minimize, but not eliminate, this strategy.  But in baseball, if a team has the lead, they still must give the other team an equal OR GREATER number of opportunities to play offen se.  Thus, the phrase “The game is not over until the last man is out!” applies only to baseball.  In some games, the team which is LOSING the game actually gets more at bats than the winning team.  When a home team is winning, the visiting team may get 27 outs (9 innings) while the home team will only have 24 outs…. because we don’t need to actually pile on runs in the bottom of the 9th, do we?

There are many more anecdotes and detailed reasons why baseball is the greatest game.  But enough about that…. tonight, the Cats will play the AirHogs and we will begin our preparations for the second half and for the playoffs!   

GO CATS!       JPD �

Happy Father’s Day to you dads out there!   This is the first Father’s day that I have experienced without my dad, who passed away 8 weeks ago.  I miss him and I know that those of you who have lost a parent can relate.  Those of you who have not, I pray that you have taken the time to let your dad know how much you love him and appreciate him. It was nice to see all the dads on the field today and as I write this from the press level of the ballpark I am watching a father and son continue to play catch on the field.  What a special place this is, and what a special way to enjoy it.  I remember playing catch with my sons so many, many days and I miss that experience very much.  In fact, the next time I see them, I am going to suggest that we play catch, even though they are 32 and 26 years old!

If you recall my last blog, I told you that I would give you a link to a discussion forum on which there was some debate about the article which appeared last week in the Star-Telegram.  It is on the website of my friend, Bill Tyler who hosts a fans’ site for both the American Association and the Northern League.  He is a die-hard Saints fan and he started the site many years ago when the Saints were, of course in the Northern League.  Thus, he now maintains the site for the many fans who still follow the Northern League and when the Saints joined forces with the Cats and other teams to form the moden version of the American Association, Bill opened up a combined site for both leagues.  I encourage you to visit the site at www.aabfan.com   If you would like to go directly to the stream regarding the recent article, try this link: http://nlfan.yuku.com/topic/2370

Some of the folks at the game today have let various members of our staff know that they are a little warm out there in the seats with the 2:05 start time, because so many of the seats are still in the sun at that time of day.

I have to agree.  We will have to make an adjustment to the Sunday start times, even early in the season for 2009.

Early in the year, when the league schedule was released to us, Carl Bell and I sat down and went over every date.  We talked long and hard about each game, about the travel plans for our road trips, and about every possible quirk in the schedule.  Trust me when I tell you that our ownership and management gives every consideration to both the fans and our players when it comes to setting the game times.  Unfortunately, we do not have total control over our schedule, of course, because each team in the league is given the opportunity to send in requests with regard to special home dates as well as certain times during which the team would prefer NOT to be at home. 

In our case, we try to stay away from home during the Colonial as well as certain other dates, such as Rangers - Yankees and Rangers - Astros dates.  We also try to minimize the conflict with Rangers home games as much as possible.

Then, when we are given the schedule, there are always some quirks as a result…. and we deal with them.  The most difficult situation in this year’s schedule was the first road trip which put us in the Northern Division at Sioux City, Wichita and then St. Paul.  That was a long and difficult trip for our team.  We decided to use air travel in order to reduce the stress on the team as much as possible.

Then, we turned our attention to the game times, particularly on Sundays.  We do like to have some “day” baseball at our historic little ballpark, so the best opportunity to do that is on Sundays.  When you consider Sundays here in the “Bible Belt”, you have to think a little bit about the fact that we are in an area in which church attendance is very high.  Many folks attend church in the evening as well as the morning on Sunday.  Furthermore, a lot of folks do not like to plan outings on Sunday evenings because they have usually enjoyed some activities on Friday night or Saturday and they are resting up for the work week again on Monday.

So… finding a time to play on Sunday is a bit of a dilemma.  Over the years, we have tried 2 PM… 3 PM…. 4 PM….. 5 PM… 6 PM and 7 PM.   The difference in attendance is almost negligible.  The fact is that in our part of the world, Sunday just isn’t a good day to play when it comes to attendance.

So, our decision to play a few day games in May and June stems from the fact that we are hoping it will be a little cooler still (although that was NOT the case this week!) and that our fans AND OUR PLAYERS will then get an evening off.  Keep in mind, that our players can spend the ENTIRE SUMMER in Fort Worth and get very, very few evenings off while in their own home city.  So, since there seems to be very little difference in the attendance factor, we tried to give the guys a couple of evenings off in Fort Worth early in the season.

However, after this Sunday… we will be playing night games on Sunday the rest of the year, and we will be looking hard at the game time on Sunday for next year. 

Once again, even if the day has passed, it is never too late to call your dad and tell him you love him, if you are lucky enough to have that ability.

God Bless,    JPD

I’ve had a number of calls and e-mails asking about the article in yesterday’s Star-Telegram, which outlined Carl Bell’s desire to sell LaGrave Field to any one of a number of public entities.  I know folks are expecting me to blog about it.  Tomorrow, I will give you a link to a discussion forum on which I have posted some business points.  If you are really interested in getting into the matter, you will find some interesting reading there, including a post from a reader using the moniker “strictly business”, who is a friend of mine and an individual who is very qualified to comment on the situation.
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But tonight I am going to give you the personal side of the story……………………..
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The issue of the ultimate, long-term ownership of LaGrave Field is a matter about which many people in Fort Worth who have been close to the Cats’ organization have known and understood for several years. �
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The history of the efforts by Bobby Bragan, Carl Bell and others in our community to re-build LaGrave Field dates back to the 1990’s, but we will pick it up in late 2001.  The Cats had completed their first season of their “modern” existence which was played at Lon Goldstein Field, a nice high school ballpark in far South Fort Worth….  Here’s a little-known tidbit of information…. The Cats’ organization spent around $200,000 on Lon Goldstein Field to make it a little more viable for professional baseball, including installation of chair back seating, a new outfield wall and other less noticeable improvements.  Those improvements stayed at Lon Goldstein as a donation from the Cats.�
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While there had long been discussions about rebuilding LaGrave Field on exactly the same historic location of its’ previous existence, the opportunity to do just that presented itself in a more urgent manner in late 2001.  The land on which the old ballpark once stood was available and the owner was willing to sell it to someone who would commit to rebuilding the ballpark whether it be the City of Fort Worth, the Sports Authority, the Trinity River Water District, or a private individual.  The owner of the property just wanted to see the old ballpark brought to life.  But the stars were not aligned for public financing of the stadium.  It was clear that the effort to get a publicly financed LaGrave Field was going to take still more time. �
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Carl Bell saw a window of opportunity to acquire the old site and was afraid that the window would close if immediate action were not taken.  So, he acquired the land on behalf of the Cats’ ownership in the hope that a deal could be struck with one of the aforementioned entities to build a ballpark.�
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Now, it was the fall of 2001 and we were facing a decision… play at least one more year at Lon Goldstein or try to figure out a way to re-build LaGrave Field.  Keep in mind that playing at Lon Goldstein was not a viable long-term option due to sponsorship limitations, sharing of the facility with high school baseball, lack of adequate concessions, restrooms, locker rooms, office space and many other challenges.  �
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One thing we knew for sure…. Carl wanted to see LaGrave Field re-built sooner rather than later.  His motivation for this came in many forms…. not the least of which was his desire to make a dream come true for a special man who is admired by thousands of baseball fans in our community…..  Bobby Bragan.�
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Bobby was 83 years old when he threw out the first pitch in “modern” Cats’ history at Goldstein in June of 2001.  He had attended numerous civic meetings with Carl Bell to lobby for the rebuilding of LaGrave prior to that historic evening, and the fact that Bobby wanted to see the day when baseball would be played again at LaGrave Field was not lost on Carl Bell.
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So, in the fall of 2001, Carl “pulled the trigger”.  He asked me to arrange a meeting with the former head groundskeeper at Arlington Stadium and the Ballpark in Arlington, Jim Anglea.  Jim had just a year earlier been enlisted to build a new ballpark in San Angelo, TX.  He had done the job in a very short turnaround time and on a very limited budget.  Our idea was to build a facility which would serve our basic needs and allow the Cats to return to their rightful home while negotiations would continue for a larger and more elaborate publicly owned facility. �
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Well…. the rest is history…. the fans of Fort Worth fell in love with the little ballpark from day one.  It became obvious that the right thing to do was to continue to find ways to improve upon what we had already constructed and so, we settled in to our beautiful little ballpark, still expecting that someday it would belong to the community.  Each year since then Carl has found a way to make improvements.  Some of them have been more subtle, like additional safety netting, or more deck areas and some have been more dramatic such as the stadium roof and additional chair back seating in year #2, the new concession building and some permanent restrooms in year #4, and the locker rooms, permanent restrooms ON THE CONCOURSE, and KINCAID’S kitchen and decks in year #5!  As we enter our 7th season at the new LaGrave and our 8th year of the “modern” Cats (hard to believe, isn’t it???), we continue to improve the ballpark. This year, we’ve softened the slope of the left field levee and opened the fence in left field to allow fans to enjoy an evening of baseball with a blanket or lawn chair on the levee.  �
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What we have now is a pretty nifty little ballpark!  Sure, it is “quirky”…. but that is part of what makes it so special and gives it character.  I’ve worked in a lot of ballparks over the years and I’ve loved them all.  Some were old wooden structures like my first ballpark, Bringhurst Field in Alexandria, LA and others were super modern facilities with all the “bells and whistles” of the day, such as Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, ND and Alexian Field in Schaumburg, IL.   As I said, I’ve loved them all and loved every day that I’ve spent in them…. but none has given me as much personal satisfaction and personal pride as LaGrave Field. �
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It has been a treat for me to have been involved since the very day we cut our way through the brush to reveal the old ballpark remnants.  What a thrill to be asked to be the emcee for the ground breaking in December of 2001…. and what an honor to be involved with Carl Bell, a man of undeniable decency, who did all of this for all of the right reasons…. I am eternally grateful to Carl for allowing me to play a role in making our much loved mentor Bobby Bragan so happy and so proud as we brought his beloved franchise and ballpark back to life!
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Not only did Carl bring LaGrave Field back to life, he brought an entire section of the City of Fort Worth back to life!  Prior to the reconstruction of LaGrave Field, the entire part of town between North Main Street and the Trinity River from NE 4th Street to NE 7th Street was pretty much a collection of dilapidated and abandoned buildings and hardly a human being had ventured East of Calhoun Street on that side of town in 20 years!  All of this urban blight was right in the shadows of the two magnificent glass towers and our glorious Court House…. just blocks from Sundance Square.  Visitors staying in our downtown hotels and traveling down North Main Street to see our Historic Stockyards area would drive past this blighted, ugly scene every day.�
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There is still much to do as we continue to improve our part of the city and make it a vibrant contributor to the economy, but there can be no denying the fact that rebuilding LaGrave Field was a bold move on the part of Carl Bell.  It doesn’t matter whether the grand plan of the Trinity River Vision comes to complete or just partial fruition.  There is no doubt that the development of our new LaGrave Field opened some eyes in our community and  made people realize that the revitalization of the near North side was both necessary and feasible.
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Now, it is time for all of us to take the next step.  It is time to make sure that LaGrave Field is preserved and that the Cats’ stay in Fort Worth for many, many years to come.   The only way to make sure of that is to get the ballpark into public ownership as it should be.  Carl Bell has stepped up to the plate.  He has rebuilt the ballpark and he has built a team and organization which has clearly made all of Fort Worth very proud.�
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As I write this, I don’t want to jinx our three-time Champion Cats, but we are making a legitimate run at the playoffs again in 2008.  There is little more Carl Bell can do to make it clear that he has done his part.  He could have waited for the political process to re-build LaGrave Field…. but something tells me we would still be waiting. �
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It is only right that the citizens of Fort Worth should own LaGrave Field.  It should be Fort Worth’s ballpark…. forever. �
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 JPD

The Cats have returned from a very difficult but successful road trip to Pensacola, Florida.   It is a grueling 12 hour bus ride each way.  The team pulled out from LaGrave Field in our “luxury motor coach” (I like that better than “bus”) at 2 AM on Tuesday morning and arrived in Pensacola around 12 hours later only to experience some problems upon check-in at the hotel.  I will not go into detail other than to say that the hotel was not up to the standards we have set as a league.  I won’t name the hotel, but you can probably figure it out by looking at our league media directory or maybe the Pensacola website.�
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At any rate, we moved to the nearby Quality Inn and it was an improvement which obviously agreed with our team since we went on to score 29 runs while allowing only 9 for the opposition in the three game sweep of the Pelicans at their own ballpark!�
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The Cats were certainly firing on all cylinders, both offensively and defensively in Pensacola.  The pitching was nothing short of sensational, highlighted by Joel Kirsten’s near no-hitter in the first game.  Joel, winner of the dramatic, series winning, game 5 in last year’s playoffs, has continued to pitch in spectacular fashion again this season.  Dan Grybash and Pedro Flores were also outstanding in the series as was the bullpen, when needed.
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But even more encouraging was the offensive output.  Twenty nine runs in three games is pretty impressive.  Everyone in the lineup contributed to the offense and that is, of course, what it takes to produce runs in great volume.  As I’ve mentioned before, we had two or three guys who we expected would be pretty productive hitters and had not yet produced this season.  All of that changed in Pensacola, and we’re hoping that it will carry through for the remainder of the season.�
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Of course, we were worried that the guys would be extremely tired when they arrived home on Friday, and they were….  but that did not stop them from posting a very nice 4-1 win on Friday night behind a strong pitching performance from Lee Gwaltney and Nelson Teilon’s 4-4 hitting including a mammoth home run off the LaGrave Field scoreboard.�
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What was even more impressive about Friday night was the crowd and atmosphere at the ballpark.  It was a special night as we honored our newest Fort Worth Cats’ alumni to be elected to the baseball Hall-of-Fame in Cooperstown, NY, Dick Williams.�
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A very nice crowd turned out for the game despite extremely muggy and windy conditions and the  fact that Danica Patrick, Mario Andretti, and company were at the TMS and the improved Rangers were playing the first place Tampa Bay Rays!�
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Our fans were, as usual, totally into the game!  Dick Williams commented several times on how enthusiastic our fans seem to be.  He also was very complimentary about the politeness of folks who waited in line to get autographs.  I hope everyone can appreciate that Mr. Williams is almost 80 years old and it is asking a lot of him to sit and sign for a long line of people like that.  But most of all…. he RAVED about our beautiful little ballpark.  He was totally impressed by the fact that we had rebuilt the ballpark on the very same spot where it stood when he played for the Cats in the late ’40’s and early ’50’s.  He thought we had preserved a tremendous piece of Fort Worth and baseball history and had done so by creating a “traditional” baseball environment.
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I could’t agree with him more.  LaGrave Field isn’t as fancy as the new ballparks in Frisco or Grand Prairie or other places.  It doesn’t have a lot of the “bells and whistles” as they say.  It is just a beautiful little “patch of heaven” for a baseball fan like me.�
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After the game last night… and the fireworks…. the kids were running the bases… and there were a lot of kids at the ballpark last night.  I was sitting in the back row listening to the music, watching the kids run the bases, watching the smiles on their faces and the faces of their parents and older siblings.  My boss (he likes to call me his “partner”, because he is a class act and treats me as an equal), Carl Bell, was doing the same thing as he stood on the concourse and spoke to fans while watching the kids on the field.�
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All I could think about at that sweet moment was how great it was to be a part of all of this and how nice it has been to have spent our lives and raised our three kids in ballparks.  (They are all grown up now and live a thousand miles away.)  How sweet it was to savor a 4-1 win and to see so many happy people sharing our own little heaven on earth called LaGrave Field.  How wonderful the downtown skyline looked over the right field grandstand…. and how lucky I was because…… it was my birthday!
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All of the kids called more than once yesterday…. (they pretty much call every day… thanks to cell phones!) and I continue to be ever grateful to our Creator who has given me a great wife, Lois, and family, a great mentor in Bobby Bragan, a great boss or “partner” in Carl Bell, and has allowed me to spend just about every single day of my life for the last 35 years in a ballpark.
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I can think of no better birthday gift than that! 

JPD

It is the beginning of a new month.  The first month of the season is behind us and, believe it or not, we have played 25% of our home games!  Sunday’s game was the 13th home game of the season already!
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So far, we haven’t been playing as well as everyone, including the coaches and players themselves, expected us to play.  We are holding our own, but now is the time for us to make a move if we are going to challenge for the first half championship.�
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You can be sure that Chad Tredaway is always looking for ways to improve the ballclub.  We’ve made some very nice additions to our pitching staff in the last few days with the addition of Kyle Yates and the return of Lee Gwaltney.  Now, we have to get some folks swinging the bats.  It is no secret that two or three players who were expected to deliver with the bats have struggled.  I really believe the bats will come around.  Patience is a big part of baseball, particularly with hitters.  The hitters need to display patience at the plate and the coaching staff needs to patiently work with proven hitters to bring them out of slumps.�
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Unfortunately, with two 48-game halves in our 96 game season, we do not have as much time as a major league team to work our way out of a slump.   When you play 162 ballgames, you can come back from a bad start and still have a good season.  Look at the Rangers, they have made a very nice rebound from a poor start.�
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Now, our start hasn’t been all that bad, but of course, Chad and his team won’t be happy until they are solidly on top of the standings.
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One of the things that really hits home for me on the business side of baseball at the end of the first month of the season is the economic impact of the Fort Worth Cats, or any minor league team, on the community.
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The May 31 payroll is the first “big” payroll of each season.   At that point, all of the players, coaches, concessionaires, ushers, ticket takers, parking attendants, groundskeepers, cleanup crew, souvenir merchandise staff, ticket office staff, clubhouse attendants, batboys, and yes, even DODGER expect to receive a paycheck.  Dodger is a very talented Cat, and he is paid for his talent!
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In all, over 225 people work at LaGrave Field during the summer months.  Of course, don’t forget that our full-time, year round staff numbers about 20 people!  So that is over 225 jobs, including the 20 year-round jobs, that did not exist in Fort Worth when the Cats didn’t exist.  Many of our seasonal employees are students, teachers or retirees who are looking to pick up some extra cash during the summer.   I know that everyone who works here can use the money in these tough economic times!
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I’m not sure that folks fully appreciate the economic impact of a minor league baseball club on the community.   Not only do we create jobs, but we are a HUGE customer for everyone from the hotels and restaurants to the food service and janitorial suppliers to the local transportation companies.   Since the home team must provide hotel rooms for the visiting teams, the umpires and other visiting dignitaries, we rent over 1,200 rooms each year.  Our hotel bills exceed $100,000 annually.  And think about the money spent in town by the visiting teams alone.  Each team gives the players, coaches, trainers and broadcasters a per diem for road trips.  A lot of people think this is a small amount, but the total for the team is about $600 per day.  We also provide hot food to both teams every night after the game…. but you can bet that the guys spend their full meal money every day.  This adds up to teams spending more tha n $30, 000 in our restaurants, etc.�
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Now, since a large number of our players are NOT from the Fort Worth-Dallas area, you can also count on a lot of visitors who spend their own money to come to town and visit their sons, boyfriends, college pals, etc. who play for the Cats.  These folks fly or drive to town, rent hotel rooms and buy food and other items while they are here.  This is NEW MONEY to our economy.�
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There is a lot more to tell about the economic impact of the Cats and I will do so on another day.  But just remember…. NONE of this was going on when the Cats were not in Fort Worth.  It is all good.
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Meanwhile, we are ready to begin our three game series with the Pensacola Pelicans in beautiful Pensacola, Florida.  The Pelicans have a one game lead on the Cats in the Southern Division.  When you are trailing in the standings, you like nothing more than to play the very team that you are trailing.  Each win is a “double whammy” to the losing team, because a full game is gained in the standings.  So, let’s tune in to Emil Moffatt on 1460 AM or tune in your computer by clicking the link to our internet broadcast on www.fwcats.com  …. and root, root, root for the Cats!

 recently received a rather unpleasant e-mail from someone who was angry with me over some personnel decisions we have made. The e-mailer reminded me that there have been several players who did NOT like me and that, if we do have another winning season I……. “won’t throw one single pitch, or take a single at-bat”.  Of course, he’s right.  It’s not my job to pitch or bat.  I was only an average athlete, at best, in my youth and now that I am nearing my 60th year, any semblance of athletic ability would relate to the ability to JOG!  Lest you think that golf is my game, you can ask my friend and our former Amarillo broadcaster, Ted Barker about that sorry mess called my golf swing!But the part about players, or other former employees “not liking” me.  Ouch!

I’ve learned a few things about leadership from so many of my mentors, such as the owners and many co-workers I’ve worked for over the years.  The first lesson one must learn is that when you are in a position of leadership, you will be forced to make decisions which are dead-on certain to make someone unhappy.  It is the hardest and most unpleasant part of running any business.

But…. Lois and I take a lot of pride in the many, many friendships we have made over the years.  One of the neatest things about spending a life in baseball is the lifetime bonds which seem to survive over long periods of time and separation. 

Along those lines, here is a”blog” from one of the newest members of our Cats’ front office staff…. Dave Moharter.  Dave and I were co-workers with the Texas Rangers some 25 years ago when I worked in minor league administration and he was one of our pitching coaches after retiring as a player.  We are glad to have Dave back in the baseball business.  Read on……..    

JPD

Back in the game I love…. by:  Dave Moharter
My association with the Fort Worth Cats is probably a unique one, as I had been away from professional baseball for twenty years before being recruited to come back to the atmosphere I loved by John Dittrich in December, 2007. After having spent fifteen years in the Rangers organization and two more with the Pirates, I left baseball to spend more time with my wife, Marcy, and growing daughter, Shannon. It was an extremely difficult decision for me, after having dreamed my entire life of being in the Major Leagues, but once I had made the decision, I essentially severed the cord and put baseball as far out of my mind as possible. I spent the next twenty years in the automobile business, with no previous background, and did remarkably well for most of those years.

The farther I got from organized baseball, the thinner the chances seemed that I would ever return to it in any capacity. Before the 2007 season, John Dittrich and I spoke for the first time in many years, and he suggested the idea to me of being the pitching coach for the Cats. At the time, I felt I couldn’t afford the job financially, and in reality dragged my feet too long in making a decision. John re-contacted me this past December, inviting me to a Christmas party, and though I was unable to attend, I found an e-mail the next morning which simply said “Question ?” John asked if I was still looking to make a change, as there was a Corporate Sales position available, and I immediately responded by saying “YES” and “Please don’t think you’ll underprice me !!”
So, I’m back in baseball, at probably the purest level of baseball in the country. All of us who have had the opportunity to play at every level look back most fondly on those years when everyone struggled to survive on minor league pay and meal money, and animosities over huge pay discrepancies were few. Friendships formed then were the strongest, and still continue. This time, though, there’s an entirely different perspective for me. In all the years I spent on the field, I put on my uniform and just assumed everything else took care of itself. NOT SO ! The constant preparation and off-season work required to present the quality entertainment product that the Cats deliver is beyond description. The Fort Worth Cats, tradition and all, are truly an on-going community project which changes itself every day. There are sponsorships, advertising, signage, promotions and every other facet of beautiful LaGrave Field to sell for the upc oming and ongoing season. There are special guests to enlist to provide fans with a taste of baseball’s storied past as it relates to the Cats’ history. And there are scripts for every night at the ballpark that may run 20-30 pages long, to make sure that Cats games – wins or losses —are an enjoyable and memorable experience for all of the fans and their children..
The involvement of our various sponsors is possibly the most rewarding area of the entire enterprise. No owner, president or general manager in minor league baseball will ever become independently wealthy, and that’s a fact. The love of the game, the opportunity to mingle with baseball people and to enjoy the atmosphere of this great game is what keeps the various clubs moving forward. The most successful clubs are those whose communities embrace them and recognize the values they represent to their cities and families. We have sponsors from nearly every business arena, large and small, and if you asked any one of them, they’d tell you very frankly that if they were looking for a dollar-for-dollar return on their investments, they’d be involved elsewhere. It’s truly a contagious and thrilling thing to have someone come onboard as an advertiser or sponsor and watch them get excited as we are as they visualize ways in which they ca n pres ent their products or services in such a fun, wholesome and family-friendly environment. We value each and every one of them and appreciate their dedication and time in assisting the Cats’ efforts and in developing lasting relationships with us.

Before I run out of space, a little on the baseball side. It took me some time to both adjust to and gauge the quality of baseball I was watching, after having been away for so long. Since the majority of my time had been spent coaching pitchers at every level, that’s my main area of focus as I watch the games, and this is what I’m seeing : There are a few outstanding arms in the American Association, many good ones and a few below-average. Many of these pitchers make typical mistakes, such as trying to throw an average fastball by a hitter too often, not working the inside of the plate enough, or they just have mechanical problems to solve. You’ll see vast improvement with the majority of our pitchers as the season progresses and James Frisbie has the opportunity to work with them individually over the long haul. The league has many hitters who try to pull pitches that they shouldn’t, and that’s why you see so man y ground ball outs. And there are some players who have yet to master the ability to control their emotions to the point where natural ability can take over. But by and large, the quality of play you’re seeing when you come to LaGrave Field is more than worth the price of the ticket, and you’re undoubtedly seeing some stars in the making.
From my personal point of view, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am on every game day, or how closely I listen to Emil Moffatt broadcast our road games on 1460AM. I’ve never been one to be late, but I can’t get here early enough when the Cats are in town. And when the games starts, and the music plays, and the fans react to what’s going on both on and off the field, and Dodger makes his grand entrance, and Ralph displays his flag and his patriotism during the singing of “God Bless America,” and when the Cat Dance plays every time a run is scored, and when the fireworks go off ……………. You get my drift. I hope you enjoy every inning of it as much as I do !

Dave Moharter

Looking out over LaGrave Field as Tuesday’s stormy weather continues to swirl around, placing tonight’s game in question.  We’ve had some good luck with the weather so far this year.  Our good luck is much deserved after what we went through with our weather last season.  It was one of the most difficult of our 35 seasons where the weather is concerned.
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Here are some thoughts on the just completed road trip:
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The Cats were 4-6 on the ten game trip.  Not what we had hoped for, but not bad after starting the trip 1-5.  The “big three” starting pitchers, Pedro Flores, Joel Kirsten and Dan Grybash, came through with some nice work in the clutch, winning the finale in Wichita and the first two in St. Paul.  That put us in a position to come out of the trip at .500 if we could pull off the sweep of the Saints at their ballpark.  But it was not to be.  A tough order, to defeat the Saints three straight in their own ballpark.  It was made even more difficult by the fact that they had a crowd of 7,000 on Sunday night.
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It was the night of the famous “bobble foot” promotion.  There may also have been fireworks.  If you haven’t seen our official position on the “bobble foot” promo from Cats’ owner Carl Bell, just click on this link:  http://www.fwcats.com/feature_display.cfm?id=201   There is also a lot of opinion on the “Deep Thoughts” blog of Channel 5 sportscaster, Derek Castillo.  Here is the link to that…  http://deepthoughtswithderek.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/cats-want-no-part-in-bobblefeet-doll/   I would love to know what you think about all of this.
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The other interesting thing that happened on the road trip was a play on the final night in Wichita.  It was the Cat’s only win in the series… final score 11-3.  But early in the game, the Cats successfully pulled off the old “hidden ball trick”.  The Cats were protecting a 3-0 lead and Wichita had runners on second and third with one out.  The next batter hit a fly ball to center and both runners tagged up.  The runner on third scored and the runner on second, Heath Keel, advanced successfully to third base as our third baseman, Aaron Sisk, took the throw from the outfield.  Meanwhile, pitcher Joel Kirsten was standing off the mound (I will explain the significance of this in a moment) and Sisk was still holding the ball.  Then, Keel made the fatal (for a baserunner) mistake of not knowing the location of the ball in play.  He stepped off the bag at third to talk to Wichita manager and third base coach Kash Beauch amp at which time Sisk tagged him with the ball and he was OUT!  The Cats had pulled off the “old hidden ball trick”!  Now, the significance of the fact that Kirsten was NOT standing on the dirt of the mound is in the fact that a “balk” would have been called if he had stepped onto the mound without the baseball.  So, the art of the trick is that the baserunner must think that the pitcher has the ball even though he is standing on the grass.
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What makes this story even more interesting is the way in which the Wichita newspaper writer, who was providing the story to our Fort Worth Star-Telegram, chose to portray and “slant” the story.  In the Star-Telegram the next morning, the writer portrayed the Cats as “desparate” and “amateurish” because they used the hidden ball trick.  He even went so far as to quote Kash Beauchamp (Wichita manager and third base coach) saying that something to the effect that it was “unprofessional” and that we were probably desperate because we had lost three in a row, etc.
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Now… the part about wanting to break a losing streak…. I will accept that.  WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BREAK A LOSING STREAK?   Losing three in a row is never good.  To use the word “desperate” is a little extreme, but again, I admit we didn’t want to lose FOUR in a row for sure!  But “amateurish” or “unprofessional”, absolutely NOT.   Here’s why the hidden ball trick is ANYTHING BUT “amateurish” or “unprofessional”…..   #1 because a “professional” baserunner should always know where the ball is when in play…. it is expected.   #2 because a base coach’s job is first and foremost to remind the runner of the situation at hand, including knowing where the ball in play is located at all times.  #3 because a big part of PROFESSIONAL baseball involves “dekeing:” or “faking” by the defense.   Just the other day, one of our Cats’ runners was rounding second base an d  ;could have easily made third on a ball hit to the outfield, but he held up because the second baseman and shortstop “deked” or “decoyed” him into thinking that the throw was coming in to second and he would be caught off the bag.  You see this several times a game in all PROFESSIONAL games.  This kind of “faking” or “dekeing” is against the rules in KIDS leagues, but not in PROFESSIONAL baseball.   That play is really nothing different than the hidden ball trick.  It is players acting like they are catching the ball when they are not…. IN ORDER TO TRICK THE RUNNER.  We (the Cats) don’t hold it against the other teams for “deking” or “faking”…. we know that it is our own fault if we don’t pick up the ball or our coaches don’t help us as they are supposed to… it is the runner’s job to know where the ball is at all times.
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Just yesterday, I was watching a MAJOR LEAGUE game on television in which a runner was on second base with one out.  The batter hit a soft liner toward right field which fell in front of the right fielder for a hit, BUT THE RUNNER ON SECOND DID NOT ADVANCE TO THIRD BECAUSE THE RIGHT FIELDER “DEKED” OR “FAKED” AS IF HE WERE GOING TO CATCH THE BALL and the runner kept his foot on the bag thinking it was going to be caught, thus he was unable to advance.  This was in a “professional” MAJOR LEAGUE game.�
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Final thoughts on “desperate, amatuerish, unprofessional” hidden ball trick….    It is the job of a professional baseball player not to get “tricked”.  The battle between the pitcher and the batter is nothing if not a series of mental exercises in which each is trying to “trick” the other.  What will the pitch be?  Where will it be located?  What will he throw in this count?   What about “faking” bunt and then pulling back and swinging away?  Is that “amatuerish, desperate, unprofessional”?   Hardly….   it is a great game…. you have to have your head in the game at all times…. or you might get tricked!
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I am reminded of a story I once heard about the great Ty Cobb.   It seems that on this particular day, Cobb was on second base and fell victim to the “old hidden ball trick”.  The second baseman made a throwing motion back toward the pitcher and the pitcher smacked his glove as if to catch the ball.  Cobb strolled away from second to take his lead at which time the second baseman smiled at him and held up the baseball!!!    …Cobb looked at him and said “If you tag me with that ball I am going to beat the s— out of you!”   The second baseman tagged him out.  I don’t recall if a fight ensued, but you can bet that the spikes were flying high the next time Cobb slid into second against that player.  As I said, it is a mind game out there on the baseball field.  �
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Anyway…. it was a long, difficult, road trip and we are glad it is behind us.  We had hoped to come home at 9-8 after a 5-5 trip and we fell one win short of that goal.  The standard theory in baseball is that we must play .500 ball on the road and have a nice winning record at home in order to be in the pennant race.�
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Now, we will be home for 13 of the next 19 games and we are optimistic.  Optimistic that we will play our game tonight…. and optimistic that the team is coming together.  

JPD

We are right in the middle of our first road trip of the season.  As many of you know it is a ten game trip.  We are however 2-5 to start the trip.  We are hoping to be .500 on this road trip which means we need to be 5-5, so all you mathematicians out there know we need to win the rest of our games on this road trip to accomplish  this.  It can be done, we just need to start clicking and firing on all cylinders.

The trip started out on a good note because we got to fly up to Omaha, Nebraska before busing up to Sioux City, Iowa.  Now this is a treat for us, because almost every other trip will be by bus.  Yes that means bussing to El Paso (13 hours) bussing to Pensacola (12 hours), and so on, so you can see why a two- hour flight and then a two-hour bus ride makes this trip feel more like a work vacation instead of the normal long grinding bus ride.�
I want to use this first blog as a way to tell all of our loyal fans and even the fans in passing, to stay with us.  We may not be coming out of the gates and dominating like Big Brown (Kentucky Derby and Preakness Winner,) but we have a very solid club.  One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that we have never played together. 

We have an entirely new roster as I am sure all of you know.  So jumping right into a season with an entirely new team is hard on everyone, players and fans alike.  All of the guys are trying to figure each other out, build that important team chemistry that is needed to win championships.  We have had spurts showing what we are capable of, and it is a great thing to see when that happens.  We just have to weather this first storm and continue to play and get better.�
Besides, the last two years if I am not mistaken the Cats didn’t start off hot, and I believe we still won the Championship.  So it’s a long season, people like to use the phrase, it’s a marathon not a sprint.

-Charles Carter, Cats’ outfielder

Time to get back to the Cats.  We have been struggling in the early going.  There’s no denying that we are not playing as well as we expected at the outset of the season.  We are scuffling on all fronts.  Our pitching hasn’t been all that poor, but we are thin in pitching depth.  Our defense has been spotty and some of our hitters with proven track records have gotten off to a very slow start. 

It all started with the loss of our top starting pitcher, Lee Gwaltney, to the San Diego Padres organization on the day before opening day.  Then, Dan Grybash had to miss his first start and we were forced to use a couple of guys who were slated for middle relief in spot starting roles, thus depleting the relief corps.

We’ve been getting “quality starts” out of our big three (formerly the big four until we lost Gwaltney) of Pedro Flores, Joel Kirsten and Dan Grybash.  But it is difficult to compete in a league as tough as ours without at least four experienced, dependable starters.  Our younger guys have been doing a good job, but we are asking a lot of them right now.  Kelly Shearer gave us a good effort last night.  He kept us in the ballgame, but our offense is still sputtering and our defense was not great either. 

Yesterday, we signed a solid starting pitcher, Kyle Yates.  Kyle has joined the team in Wichita and will probably pitch out of the bullpen initially since he has not pitched for several days after being released by the Toronto Blue Jays organization.  Eventually, I expect that Chad will put Kyle in the rotation.  That should help with our pitching depth.

Our hitting should come around.  We’ve got some pretty good bats in Nelson Teilon, Jake Geautreau, Brian Fryer, Charles Carter and Ed Montague.  These guys have been proven hitters in our league or other strong leagues.  I feel confident that the bats will come alive.   

If you look at our schedule, we play the first 17 games of the season against the Northern Division.  That is a quirk that is not really favorable to us.  From what I can see, the Northern Division is pretty tough this year.  St. Paul is off to a 10-2 start and the Sioux Falls club that opened the season here in Fort Worth is clearly a very good ballclub.  Wichita is also a formidable team and difficult to beat in their ballpark.  The Wingnuts (I hate that name) are a very good addition to the American Association. 

To top it off… 10 of the 17 games are on the road, and this is a grueling road trip.  We left home at 4-3 and were hoping to be at least 9-8 after these 17 games  That would require a 5-5 road trip.  We are now behind the 8 ball on that because we’ve started off 1-4, and we have a tough weekend series in St. Paul with the Saints already out to a 10-2 start.  We can only hope that the law of averages will help us in St. Paul.  By “law of averages” I mean the law of averages would indicate that good hitters like ours will come out of their slump and that the Saints are due for a little slump!

You can bet that the Cats will be glad to get home this coming Monday for a homestand against teams in our own division.  As we all know, it is easier to make up ground in the standings when you win games against teams in your own division. 

Monday is Memorial Day and we will have another spectacular fireworks display on Monday night.  There should be a great crowd on hand to welcome the Cats home.  The home fans at LaGrave Field are definitely the best in the league.  Our fans appreciate the game more than any I’ve seen in the other cities.  We support our players and we always applaud good plays on the part of the opposition.  The idea that you should hoot and insult the visitors is not acceptable with our fans.  As the famous song says…  we “root, root, root for the home team”.

I’ve always been proud of the fact that so many players in our league have said that they would love to come play for the Cats because we have such a great city, a great little ballpark and great fans!

Now, all we have to do is get our boys home within striking distance, and let some of that Fort Worth / LaGrave Field “mojo” take effect!

JPD