The Barnstormers’ season-opening win was impressive for a number of reasons. Two of them: 1. They scored 10 runs while getting nothing from cleanup hitter Matt LeCroy, late of the Minnesota Twins; and, 2. Without overextending starter Zack Parker, who went six innings, they used only three pitchers, all of them effective and none of them the likely closer. In the Atlantic League, as in the National League, minimal strain on the pitching staff is a close second in importance to actual winning and losing.
The opening-night ceremonial ado was at worst inoffensive and at best - as when a military helicopter buzzed in and hovered close over the field for a long moment before swooping away - pretty cool. It should also be noted that nearly 8,500 people showed up for the season-four opener. And I didn’t think this thing would fly in Lancaster.
Elsewhere the Sixers were destroying basketball’s Atlanta Braves, the Detroit Pistons, in game three of their series. Killer box score lines: Samuel Dalembert goes for 22 and 16. Rasheed Wallace goes 1-6 from the field for two points.
The Sixers not only can win the series now, they should. Somehow Detroit has devolved into Rasheed’s team. The dysfunctional Pistons are at the point where being at home won’t necessarily do them any good.
In other news: I was listening to WIP while coming in to the office today and Howard Eskin called in to report that Larry Brown is about to be named head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. OK, if you’re going to pit-pick, Howard called the Bobcats the Hornets, called just-fired Bobcats coach Sam Vincent Sam Mitchell, and reported that Vincent was about to be fired when in fact his firing was on SportsCenter this morning.
Still, I’m sure Howard’s right about Larry. He’s evidently itching to get back in. Eskin said Brown interviewed at Stanford, then turned down that job, which reportedly will now be offered to Coach K aide (and former Sixer) Johnny Dawkins.
The Barnstormers are at it again tonight, and I’ll be interviewing manager Von Hayes for “The Low Post,” in a bit. May slip in some live blogging, although I have a lot of other writing to do. I’d now like to point with pride to the fact that I just did a lengthy Post, on this particular Saturday, without mentioning a certain event that made Mel Kiper and his hair cultural icons.
No need to thank me.
