The Spikes Guy

NY-PL Ties

Some players who helped the Detroit Tigers reach the World Series spent the early stages of their careers in the New York-Penn League.

Closer Todd Jones (Auburn, 1989), outfielders Craig Monroe (Hudson Valley, 1996) and Curtis Granderson (Oneonta, 2002), catcher Vance Wilson (Pittsfield, 1994), pitchers Zach Miner (Jamestown, 2001) and Nate Roberston (Utica, 1999), and infielders Brandon Inge (Jamestown, 1998) and Sean Casey (Watertown, 1995) are NY-PL alums.

Manager Jim Leyland and bullpen coach Lloyd McClendon also spent time in the NY-PL. Leyland played for Jamestown in 1965 and McClendon spent part of 1980 in Little Falls.

Missing from the list are former Oneonta Tigers. Detroit and Oneonta have been affiliated since 1999, but many of Detroit's top prospects in recent years, including pitchers Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya, have skipped the NY-PL

Shuffle Complete

The New York-Penn League's affiliation shuffle has completed with three teams switching parent clubs.

The group includes Batavia (St. Louis), Williamsport (Philadelphia) and State College (Pittsburgh). The Spikes, Crosscutters, Pirates and Phillies left the shuffle as winners simply because of geographic.

Geography hurt the Cardinals and Muckdogs. Batavia's lengthy relationship with the Phillies ended because Williamsport is closer to Philadelphia, and the Cardinals had little chance of extending their affiliation with the Spikes because of the distance between St. Louis and State College.

The rest of the league will remain the same. Vermont and Washington announced Thursday that they are extending their Player Development Contract until 2008. Other affiliations include: Aberdeen (Baltimore), Auburn (Toronto), Brooklyn (New York Mets), Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay), Jamestown (Florida), Lowell (Boston), Mahoning Valley (Cleveland), Oneonta (Detroit), Staten Island (New York Yankees) and Tri-City (Houston).

Changes and Jokes

Curve Baseball LP, which operates the State College Spikes, has developed a reputation as one of the most savvy ownership group in Minor League Baseball.

But those with the group aren't exactly the uptight, tie-wearing crowd.

Managing partner Chuck Greenberg, Curve Baseball general manager Todd Parnell and Spikes general manager Rick Janac simply wore Spikes polo shirts to Monday's news conference at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Greenberg and Parnell also tricked Pirates director of player development Brian Graham into wearing a suit jacket.

Greenberg's opening remarks proved this is a group that doesn't take itself too seriously.

"I have three announcements to make today," he said. "One, we landed on the moon 30 years ago. Two, Parny likes to have a good time. Three, we are happy to be affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the next four years."

With that, the Spikes had their long-term parent club.

More Prospects

In Sunday's Centre Daily Times we listed the Top 5 prospects on the State College Spikes. To make the list, players were required to spend at least 38 games in State College.

What would a list that includes anybody that spent time in State College look like? The following is our list of the Top 10 prospects that appeared in a Spikes uniform for at least one game:

1 Adam Ottavino
Position: RHP
Age: 20
Acquired: First Round 2006 Draft (Northeastern)

2. Luke Gregerson
Position: RHP
Age: 22
Acquired: 28th Round 2006 Draft (St. Xavier)

3. Brendan Ryan
Position: Shortstop
Age: 24
Acquired: Seventh Round 2003 Draft (Lewis & Clark State)

4. Brad Furnish
Position: LHP
Age: 21
Acquired: Second Round 2006 Draft (Texas Christian)

5. Gary Daley Jr.
Position: RHP
Age: 20
Acquired: Third Round 2006 Draft (Cal Poly)

6. Mark Hamilton
Position: 1B
Age: 21
Acquired: Supplemental Second Round 2006 Draft (Tulane)

7. Donovan Solano
Position: Infield
Age: 18
Acquired: Non-Drafted Free Agent

8.Tyler Norrick
Position: LHP
Age: 22
Acquired: Sixth Round 2006 Draft (Southern Illinois)

9. Allen Craig
Position: Infield
Age: 22
Acquired: Eighth Round 2006 Draft (California)

10. Nathan Southard
Position: Outfield
Age: 22
Acquired 17th Round 2006 Draft (Tulane)

Not Done

Some members of the State College Spikes didn't end their seasons last week at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Pitchers Gary Daley Jr., Brad Furnish, Luke Gregerson and Marco Gonzalez, outfielder Jim Rapoport, and catcher David Carpenter are expected to attend at short instructional league at the St. Louis Cardinals'
spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla later this month. The league doesn't include any official games.

The six players will be joined by prospects throughout the organization.

The Walk

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Two days after the end of the State College Spikes season, we witnessed a different kind of walk.

This one occurred at 1:17 p.m., Saturday when the Notre Dame's football team left the Basilica after its prayer service.

Thousands of fans created a gauntlet outside the spectacular church to watch the Fighting Irish trot from campus to Notre Dame Stadium. Digital cameras flashed pictures and the applause was comparable to the one Tiger Woods receives when he walks down the 18th fairway at a major championship.

Everything about the walk seemed perfectly planned from the security (cops on bikes) to the order of the team (quarterback Brady Quinn led the group and coach Charlie Weis emerged from the church last). Even some Penn State fans couldn't keep themselves from smiling during the event.

Last Call

Things look good from our Medlar Field at Lubrano Park perch.

The stands are more than three-quarters full, the full has a reddish tint and the temperature is somewhere in the low-70s. Plus, the Spikes are wearing their white jerseys, easily the most visually appealing of the seven tops they have worn this season.

Still, we have one complaint.

Nights like these are over. The Spikes end their season in less than two hours.

To say the least, the season went fast. Wasn't it 72 hours ago the Spikes gathered in Medlar Field for the first time?

For an in-depth look at this 75-game sprint, see next weekend's editions of the Centre Daily Times.

Finishing Strong

What are the State College Spikes playing for Wednesday and Thursday?

First, they still have a shot at winning 40 games. They entered a completion of a suspended game Wednesday against Jamestown 37-35. If the Spikes win their final three games, they are guaranteed of finishing among the top half of 14 New York-Penn League teams.

Next, they are playing for individual accomplishments. Center fielder Jim Rapoport has a a chance to lead the league in stolen bases and left fielder Nathan Southard can end the season with a .300 batting average. Other players are attempting to boost their numbers to leave a lasting impression with the St. Louis Cardinals. A few percentage points in a batting average or a lower ERA could help a player begin next year with a full-season team.

There also is some symbolism attached to a strong finish. A few strong performances to close the season may convince some fans to juggle their 2007 schedules around home dates. Momentum from a stong finish could help the front office sell season tickets and group packages during the offseason.

A Wet Move

A decision to move back Friday's game against Batavia cost the State College Spikes a home date.

The Spikes were scheduled to play at noon, Friday, but they announced earlier this season to play the game at 4 p.m. to coincide with Penn State's Football Eve festivities. The game was also moved so it didn't conflict with students moving into dorms.

The move backfired when it started raining around 3:30 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. An hour later, the Spikes lost their second home date of the season. Had the game started at noon, the teams would have received an opportunity to play an official game.

Losing home dates hurts in any level of professional baseball, especially the New York-Penn League where entire businesses are built around 38 scheduled home dates. The Spikes also lost a home game because of poor weather on July 27.

Situations and Roles

Something not associated with short-season baseball has occurred recently.

The teams competing for the Pinckney Division title are situational pitching. The most recent example of the late-season trend came Wednesday when Spikes manager Mark DeJohn used Ryan Hodinka and Ashley Hooks to face one batter each.

With one out in the seventh inning, Hodinka, a left-hander, replaced starter Kyle Sadlowski to face the left-handed hitting Josh Roberts. Hodinka threw six straight curveballs and Roberts waved and missed the final one. Hooks, a right-hander, then entered the game to face the right-handed hitting Cirillo Cumberbatch. Hooks struck out Cumberbatch looking at an inside fastball.

"I knew I was coming in for one guy because (DeJohn) told me that while I was out on the mound," Hodinka said. "I had to stay focus because it was the only job that I was going to get to do."

Don't be surprised to see Hodinka, one of three left-handed relievers on the roster, to receive similar work during the final nine games.