Fall Practice and other Quotes & Notes

Fall Practice

■ I dropped by Simmons Field yesterday after work, watched the team at practice. A few notes:

• Lots of new faces, most of them I didn't recognize.

• I did notice freshman Eric Anderson. He's hard to miss - built like a football player

• Freshman Blake Brown also caught my eye - and my ear. Extended batting practice was going on for most of the time I was there. At one point, I was watching Aaron Senne and some other players hitting off a tee into a net, and heard the unmistakable and incongruous sound of a wooden bat hitting a ball. Blake Brown was taking his turn at bat with an actual wooden bat. I noticed he switched to a metal bat later.

• Because of the construction going on down the left and right field lines, the bullpens are not available. Instead, the coaches have set up a bullpen of sorts under the green-roofed pavilion, with a pair of pitching mounds built up at the north end and a pair of home plates at the far south end. Seems to be working out fairly well.

• Luke Cassis is better at throwing BP than he is a hitting fungoes.

• Mike Alden and Tim Hickman showed up to watch the BP for a few minutes. Must be nice to have a job where you can legitimately get out from behind the desk and go stand behind the batting cage and call it work.

• It was a beautiful day for a ball game - or ball practice. Can't wait for the real thing

2010 Schedule

■ Texas A&M has posted their 2010 Schedule. Mizzou will play A&M at College Station the weekend of March 26th-28th.

MU in the Minors

■ Connecticut Defenders defeat Reading Phillies, 5-1, to set franchise record for wins (The Raw Feed)

Brock Bond (06-07) finished the afternoon 0 for 2, drawing a pair of walks, finishing the season with a .333 batting average and an Eastern League Batting Title.

There is not enough that can be said about the performance by RHP-Garrett Broshuis (02-04). The veteran righty tossed six strong innings allowing just one run on three hits while striking out a season high seven.

Draft

■ Q&A with Dayton Moore, GM of the Kansas City Royals (mlb.com)

nwroyal: Any update on the Aaron Crow (06-07) negotiations? If he signs soon, will he pitch in the Arizona Fall League?

Moore: Nothing to report at this time. We are very hopeful and optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement. As you know, Crow played at a local program and this is his boyhood team. It is our expectation to make him a Kansas City Royal.