Mizzou Baseball Quotes & Notes

MU in the Minors & Majors

■ Internet has brightened the spotlight for Minor Leaguers is the name of a feature article in Baseball America by Garrett Broshuis (02-04)

Players use Facebook and Myspace to communicate with each other and to friends and family back home. Pictures, comments, and the occasional prank are all posted.

Regardless of whether or not the Internet has ultimately eased the lives of players, it certainly has revolutionized the manner in which fans follow the game.

"It's helped the minor leagues tremendously," Turner declares. "The whole minor league boom and the rise of the Internet, I'd like to see a study done to see just how closely they're correlated. They've certainly taken place over the same time period."

Now if something could just be done about those grocery store sandwiches.

■ Gary SouthShore RailCats pitcher Andy Shipman (03)was named Northern League Relief Pitcher of the Year (OurSportsCentral)

Shipman, who was acquired by the RailCats on June 3rd after beginning the 2009 season with the Kansas City T-Bones, went 4-3 with a 1.85 ERA appearing in 36 games for the RailCats. On the year, the right-hander led the league with 42 Rolaids Relief Points (saves times 3, plus relief wins times 2, minus relief losses times two) and had a league-best 14 saves. After a slow start with the T-Bones, he still finished with a 4-4 record and 3.45 ERA overall. Shipman was third in the league in appearances (41) and led the league in games finished (35).

Shipman was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox as a non- drafted free agent in 2003 following his junior year at the University of Missouri (Columbia, MO). He played parts of two seasons for the Red Sox organization prior to getting traded to the Chicago Cubs in July of 2004. Pitching three seasons for the Cubs organization making it as high as Class AAA in 2006, he then played in the Oakland Athletics farm system in '07 and '08. He first joined the Northern League in August of 2008

■ Rare feat puts Goldeyes in series lead (Winnipeg Free Press)

For posterity, the triple-play went 5-4-3 — third baseman Vince Harrison spearing a grounder off the bat of Fargo’s Ruben Salazar, tagging (more or less) DH Nic Jackson running by, throwing to second baseman Josh Asanovich who touched second to put out Fargo’s Mike Coles and then throwing to first baseman Cody Ehlers (01-04) to get Salazar for the third and final put-out.

■ Scherzer eases durability concerns (AZCentral.com)

Scherzer (04-06) thinks the label ultimately was a result of slamming his finger in his apartment door just before the start of his junior season at Missouri in 2006. He cut his finger and even after taking 10 days off still felt pain while throwing, causing him to change his mechanics to compensate.

"As soon as you alter your mechanics even the slightest bit, that's what starts messing with your shoulder," he said. "I learned a hard lesson not to do that."

Scherzer wound up with biceps tendinitis, and some considered him a health risk going into the draft. He also missed time last season because of shoulder fatigue and
was set back to start this season due to inflammation in the deltoid muscle in
his shoulder.

"If I take the ball every fifth day and go out there and have success, nobody will worry about my shoulder," he said.

Recruiting & Compliance

■ Rick Allen has a new blog post up at InformedAthlete.com, on Campus Visits 101:

This article has addressed the difference between official and unofficial visits and outlined the rules for each. However, knowing the rules is only the starting point.

Many parents and athletes are so excited and happy about being noticed and recruited, that they often forget the ONE THING that is vital to their future success and happiness playing the sport they love at the level they aspire. That one thing is proper preparation for the visit!

He also has a detailed recruiting calendar for September and October for all sports, including Division Baseball.

Sept. 1-10 – Quiet Period (Recruits and parents can visit campus, but no off-campus recruiting by Division I coaches)

Sept. 11-Oct. 31 – Contact Period (Division I coaches can conduct off-campus recruiting)

Our thanks again to Rick Allen,father of former Tiger Ryan Allen (07-09), for providing this information on recruiting and compliance.

Art & Baseball

■ Garrett Broshuis, on his Twitter page, links to Para Rumbiar at PoetryFoundation.org:

I write from Caracas, the murder capital of the world, where I’ve been employed by the Leones to score runs and prevent balls from falling in the outfield. At the ankles of the Ávila Mountain amongst a patch of dusky high-rises, the downtown grounds of el Estadio Universitario packed beyond capacity are ripe for a full-bodied poem. A mere pitching change is an occasion “para rumbiar,” and the purse-lipped riot squad is always on the move with their spanking machetes swinging from their hips.