2008 Fan Fest Loaded With Fun!!!

I know there is a lot of interest in this years Fan Fest. This evening I received the Press Release regarding the event. I will plan on being there. I also plan to post photos of the event. I will continue to post updates as I receive them.

UPCOMING SENATORS’ FANFEST LOADED WITH FUN FanFest slated for March 1st at Harrisburg Mall

Harrisburg Senators fans will get a preview of the excitement of the 2008 season at the team’s 10th annual FanFest, March 1st at the Harrisburg Mall. This is the third year in a row the FanFest has been held at the Harrisburg Mall.

The FanFest will take place from 11am to 4pm and will feature the Senators speed pitch so that kids of all ages can find out how fast they can pitch; various games for kids; the Senators’ famous winning spinning wheel; and for the third year in a row, the Senators will have National Anthem tryouts.

The Senators’ single game tickets go on sale on Saturday, March 1st and fans attending the FanFest will be able to purchase special ticket packages that day. The Senators will also have merchandise on sale at the FanFest, so it’s your chance to buy tickets and have the appropriate Senators gear for the 2008 season.

The 2008 edition of the FanJam will also make an appearance at the FanFest and they’ll be joined by Rascal and Grrrounder. Fans of all ages will have an opportunity to get Rascal and Grrrounder’s autograph! The Senators will also be holding drawings on the half-hour giving away various prizes.

More information about the 2008 FanFest will be released in the coming days and weeks, including two very special announcements.

The 2008 season begins on Thursday, April 3rd at Commerce Bank Park when the Senators host the Cleveland Indians’ Eastern League affiliate Akron Aeros. The 2008
season marks the 22nd season for the Senators since baseball returned to City Island in 1987. For more information about the 2008 season or FanFest, please check out the Senators website at http://www.senatorsbaseball.com/.

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Five Former Senators Signed

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms with twelve players Friday on 2008 contracts. Five of the players are former Harrisburg Senators.

Pitchers Jason Bergmann, Matt Chico (Pictured above), Shawn Hill and Saul Rivera, along with outfielder Roger Bernadina, are the five who have played at Commerce Bank Park.

The Nationals also announced signings of right-handed pitchers Tyler Clippard, Enrique Gonzalez and Joel Hanrahan, catcher Jesus Flores and outfielders Elijah Dukes, Garrett Guzman and Justin Maxwell.

For more information regarding the signings please visit the Senators Web site: NATIONALS SIGN TWELVE MORE PLAYERS

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Family Fun Fest

The Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest will return to Commerce Bank Park on Sunday, May 18th. Prior to the 1:05pm game against Altoona there will be FREE for everyone. For more information please visit Principal Family Fun Fest Web site.

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Another Blog....

Just wanted to let everyone know that I just started another blog, Eastern League Baseball Photos. It is exactly what the title says, photos of Eastern League baseball. I plan to post breaking news or an occasional article but the primary reason for that blog is photos.

Senators Fans Unite is still my main blog and 95% of my posting will be on here. But if you enjoy baseball photos but sure to check out my other blog. As always all images are Copyright © Will Bentzel. All rights reserved. They may not be used without my permission. As always all images will be tagged. If I find that the images are being misused I will delete the blog. Sorry, I had to post that. In the past some individuals were printing photos from Flickr and getting them signed with the intent of making a profit.

Thanks
Will

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Greatly Improved

The Nationals farm system is now ranked 9th overall according to Baseball America (BA). In 2007 the Nats were ranked 30th, last overall. The 21 spot jump is the second-largest since BA started ranking farm systems in 2001. The Nationals have committed to improving the farm system by investing in scouting and player development, and it seems to be working.

What does this mean for Senators fans? Well, improved on-field talent which could lead to winning season. Several of the top 20 prospects (listed below) could suite up for the Senators in 2008.

Washington's Top 20 Prospects

1. Chris Marrero, 1B – Should start 2008 season in Harrisburg.

2. Ross Detwiler, LHP – Should start 2008 season in Harrisburg.

3. Collin Balester, RHP – Former Senator 06 & 07. (Pictured above)

4. Michael Burgess, OF

5. Jack McGeary, LHP

6. Josh Smoker, LHP

7. Jordan Zimmermann, RHP

8. Justin Maxwell, OF – Should start 2008 season in Harrisburg.

9. Colton Willems, RHP

10. John Lannan, LHP – Former Senator (2007).

11. Jake Smolinski, OF

12. Tyler Clippard, RHP

13. Adam Carr, RHP – Former Senator (2007).

14. Ian Desmond, SS – Former Senator in 2006, should start 2008 season in Harrisburg

15. Garrett Mock, RHP – Former Senators (06 & 07).

16. Stephen King, SS

17. Esmailyn Gonzalez, SS

18. Shairon Martis, RHP – Former Senator in 2006, Should start 2008 season in Harrisburg.

19. Brad Peacock, RHP

20. Kory Casto, OF/3B – Former Senator (2006).

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A Few Small Changes.....

Over the next few days you will see changes to the 'Links' located on the right side toolbar below 'Blog Archive'. Previously, all links were grouped together in one category called 'Links'. I will be breaking them up in to different categories (Senators, Nationals, EL Baseball, MiLB, ect...). In addition to creating new categories, I will be adding more links of my favorite sites. Hopefully you will find this layout more convenient and, the links useful.

If you would like to share a few of your favorite links, which would fit in these categories, please e-mail them to me at hbgsenatorsfans@verizon.net, and I will add them.

Thanks
Will

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Diaz, Heating up the Winter League

Frank Diaz, who played the last two seasons for Harrisburg and is a native of Valencia, Venezuela, returned to Venezuela to participate in their Winter League. Over the past four months Diaz has shown Venezuelans what Senators fans already know, he has a lot of talent. The Venezuelan League mixes home grown talent, with quality MiLB and MLB players.

Diaz more than held his own against the best players in the Winter League. In 60 regular season games, his offensive stats really stood out. He finished in the top ten in six categories, 6th in batting average (.323), 5th in total bases (105), 8th in homeruns (7), 3rd in hits (75), 6th in runs (36), and 10th in RBI’s (31).

Diaz continued his hot hitting in the playoffs. In 16 games he hit .333, with two homeruns and 10 RBI’s. The team he played for, Bravos de Margarita, was eliminated for the round robin tournament yesterday with a 6-5 loss. The Bravos were one of four remaining teams fighting to play in the Championship series.

Diaz will most likely start the 2008 season in Triple-A Columbus.

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Bodie Named Avalanche Hitting Coach

Former Senators Manager, Keith Bodie, was named the Hitting Coach for the Salem Avalanche. The Avalanche are the, Advanced Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Bodie, managed the Senators during the 2005 season.


As a player, Bodie was selected by the New York Mets in the 3rd round of the 1974 amateur draft.

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2007 Senators Season Photos Added

I just added more photos to my Flickr page of players that suited up for the Senators during the 2007 season. Players that were added are, John Lannan, Collin Balester, Jonathan Albaladejo, Melvin Dorta (shown above), Christian Guerrero, Beltran Perez, Brett Logan. I also added a photo of Senators Director of Transportation, Art Mattingly.

If you would like to view the images larger please visit my Flickr at:Senators Fans Unite Flickr Page

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Promotions and Events

Senators GM, Randy Whitaker, published a new blog post last evening, Keep 'em Coming!. The topic of that post and his previous post (Got Any Good Ideas?) was promotional nights or events. In the most recent blog entry he listed a “few of the more interesting suggestions” (which I have listed below)

-Change the music before the games (seems like the same music before every game)
-Christmas in July (actually this was done last year, but will probably repeat)
-NASCAR night
-Rewards for wearing Senators gear
-More games for adults or for whole families
-Update the website more often (I hope you’ve already seen that!)
-Ads and promo announcements in the restrooms
-Concerts on the field after the game (maybe an ‘09 thing)
-Halloween at the park
-More website contests
-Autographs, autographs, autographs (everyone wants more chances to get a player autograph)

I sent an e-mail of my suggestions and I figured I would share them here. Read over them and let me know what you think.

I vote for keeping the pre-game music the same, at least most of it. Most are classic baseball songs, wish I could get a CD with all of them on it.

Have to say, in recent months the Web site has been updated pretty often. About as often as I update mine. This time of year it’s hard to find breaking news or fresh content that isn’t already posted on five different Web sites.

Ads and promo announcements in the restrooms is another thing that was done in prior years, at least those types of things were posted in the men’s room.

In past seasons, concerts were being conducted on the back concourse prior to games. After game concerts would be a good idea. Only problem I see with that is it’s not really family oriented, at least not for families with small children. With games usually ending around 9-9:30, a concert would not begin until about 10 or so. This would be geared towards single people and couples without children.

Other ideas:

More raffles. Autographed game used materials (hats, bats, balls, jerseys). This is mostly done at the end of the season. Maybe offer this throughout the season and frequently (twice a month). Another raffle idea would be, Dinner with Your Favorite Player.

Photo with a Player Night. Use a Polaroid camera to take a photo of fans with a player of their choice and let the fan get it autographed (think something like this was done back in the early 90’s for Fan Club members).

To expand on the suggestion of Halloween at the Park, prizes for best costume by age group and best over all (grand prize).

This year there should be a fair amount of Nationals top prospects in Harrisburg. Anything that could be done to bring the fans closer to those players would be good. In past years this has seemed limited. Making the experience between player and fan more personal is something the fan will remember.

If you have any ideas make sure you e-mail them mailto:AFanistheGM@senatorsbaseball.com. If you want to share your ideas here, you’re welcome to post it in the comments section.

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Five Former Senators Agree to Terms

The Washington Nationals agreed to terms with eight players, five of which are former Senators. Those who signed contract extensions include, Kory Casto, Ross Detwiler, John Lannan, Lastings Milledge, Garrett Mock (pictured above), Chris Schroder, Josh Whitesell and Matt Whitney. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed. For more information regarding these signings, please visit the Senators Web site:"NATIONALS SIGN EIGHT FOR ‘08"

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Interview with Terry Byrom

Terry Byrom, Director, Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Harrisburg Senators, was kind enough to allow me to interview him. Enjoy…



Senators Fans Unite (SFN): Could you tell Senators fans about your background prior to coming to Harrisburg 3 years ago? What influenced you to get into broadcasting?

Terry Byrom (TB): I have a strange background compared to most people in baseball. I didn’t get my first job in professional baseball until I was 39 years old, in 2002, with the Ogden Raptors. Broadcasting baseball is something I’ve wanted to do most of my life, but never really found a way to get into it. That changed in 1998 when I moved to Indiana and was able to do some high school football, baseball, and basketball on the air which led to some small college stuff, which led to sending out my resume and tape in 2002 to several teams which led to being hired by Ogden. After one summer in Ogden I worked for the Fort Wayne Wizards for two years before being hired by Harrisburg. Prior to baseball, I was in the “corporate” world and the military for many years, which I think gives me a unique view of baseball and my job.

SFU: I always see you running around before and after a game. Could you tell Senators fans what a typical game day is like for you (pre and post game)?

TB: On home game days, I typically get to the ballpark at around noon. However, before going to the ballpark I usually get my game notes at home which take about an hour each day. Then when I get to the ballpark, the stat packets are the first thing to do. Those are the information packets that are given to the coaching staffs and the media each day. I generally have a fair amount of emails to respond to, phone calls to return, and other non-broadcasting duties such as making calls to my clients etc. I try to spend time each day on the field during batting practice chatting with the coaches and players. Then I spend time getting my scoresheet ready and preparing for the broadcast. After the game and after the broadcast is over, I write the game release for our website, and deal with any other media issues that need to be taken care of. I’m generally at the ballpark about an hour after the game is over.

SFU: A lot of players seem to have superstitions/rituals that they do prior to a game. Do you have any superstitions/rituals that you do before a broadcast?

TB: Not really. No long winded answer here.

SFU: You called games along side of Mark Mattern for 3 years. Mattern had broadcast more than 2000 games in over 20 years. What advice did he give you? What did you learn broadcasting games with him?

TB: First off I want to say how much I’m going to miss Mark on the air this year. He has been a pleasure to work with these past three years. He was instrumental in my hiring back in 2005. I had never worked with anyone on the air before that had so much experience, so right off the bat I learned several things from Mark. There are a couple of phrases I learned not to use such as “I believe.” We (broadcasters) can also use the word “obviously” too much and Mark pointed out when I would use it early on. We talked a lot during the off season about broadcasting and about baseball in general. As you mentioned, he had been with the team their entire 21 year history so I learned a great deal about the Senators from Mark and about the Eastern League. The thing I respected about Mark is that he let me be me which means that he didn’t try to make me his clone. I think we blended very well on the air, which made learning even easier.

SFU: What are the most memorable games that you broadcast while in Harrisburg and why?

TB: The first one that comes to mind was a game from this past May against Erie. The Senators rallied from a 7-0 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and then won the game in the 10th inning. Having the opportunity to broadcast a game from Fenway Park this past summer was amazing as well. There are many other games that I could talk about, but really just getting to see the incredible talent that passes through the Eastern League on a daily basis is amazing.

SFU: The Harrisburg Senators are a proud franchise with a winning tradition having made 12 playoff appearances and winning 6 championships in 21 years. Recently its been a little rough; they have not had a winning record or made the playoffs since 2002. Could you tell Senators fans what direction you think the Nationals are headed in to improve the farm system and the Senators chances of winning in the near future?

TB: Since the Lerner family has taken over the Nationals, they have been very vocal in wanting to build their scouting system and minor league system as well. Over the past three years, the drafts have gone very well, with this past year’s ranked best by Baseball America. It’s going to take a couple of years for the players drafted in 2007 to make it to Harrisburg, but we should start to see the prospects drafted in 2005 and 2006 this season in Harrisburg. I think the Senators are going to be a lot better this season than the past four or five seasons, and there should be several top 20 prospects as well, which would make for an exciting 2008 season.

SFU: Despite the losing season and high turnover of players in 2007, several prospects suited up for the Senators; Collin Balester, Zech Zinicola, Adam Carr, Roger Bernadina and Josh Whitesell. Could you share your thoughts on each player?

TB: Josh Whitesell really impressed me this past season. He really made himself into a legitimate prospect with a strong off-season which led to a solid, if not great, 2007 season. Josh has an outside chance to make the big league team this year but I would expect him to be in Columbus. Roger Bernadina is a very exciting player to watch but he has some things to work on so that he’s not passed by some of the younger prospects. I would expect he’d either be in Harrisburg or Columbus, depending upon the numbers. Zech Zinicola didn’t have a very good season numbers wise in 2007, but he still threw the ball very well. Much like many Senators in 2007, he just didn’t get many breaks. I still think he’s a very solid prospect and think he could get to the big leagues in 2008 and if not, certainly in 2009. Colin Balester is another prospect that could find himself in the big leagues this coming season. And much like Zinicola, he has a great temperament that allows him to get over a bad outing, which is very important. I didn’t see enough of Adam Carr to offer a strong opinion on him, but I would guess he’ll start the season in Harrisburg before moving along.

SFU: Since joining the Senators which players have been your favorite to interact with or watch play and why?

TB: Dan Dement ranks as probably my favorite player to interact with. Dan is a gritty, hard-nosed player that’s a throw back to a different era. I’d love for him to have a chance to play just one game in the big leagues. Justin Echols is another guy that was a favorite of mine. He and I had a chance to get to know one another a little as we played a little golf together in 2006. I really can’t believe that some organization didn’t take a chance on him last year. I really haven’t had a problem with any of the 130+ players that have come through Harrisburg the past three seasons and they are all unique. As for watching guys on the field, I already mentioned the enjoyment of watching Ryan Zimmerman.

SFU: The fans seemed to enjoy your Voice of Reason column but it’s been over a year since your last article. Do you plan to start writing again?

TB: Yes but probably in a somewhat changed format. Instead of being so long, it’ll come back in more of a blog form.

SFU: Do you have any hobbies or things you enjoy doing when you’re away from the field?

TB: Over the past year I’ve acquired (baseball terminology) a new wife and a new home. With a new home, I have a lot of projects going on that take a lot of time. The good news is that I LOVE working around the house, especially in the yard. I’m also an avid golfer, though I haven’t played much the past couple of years (see above to new wife and new home). One of the great things about living in this area is that we’re only about three or four miles from the Appalachian Trail, which we get to as much as we can. One of my/our goals is to take several weekends and hike the trail across Pennsylvania. I also enjoy reading and doing any sort of traveling.

SFU: Before we end the interview do you have any final comments for Senators fans?

TB: Just hang in there as I think things on the field are going to improve greatly over the next year or two. And I appreciate all the positive comments and all the interest in Senators baseball.





I want to thank Terry for his time and the opportunity to conduct this interview.

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New Header Added, More 2007 Photos coming soon

I justed updated the header to show a photo of Commerce Bank Park, home of the Senators. In the next week or so I will be adding more images of players that suited up for the Senators during 2007. If you have any requests of players photos that you would like to see either e-mail me of leave a comment on this post.

Note: In the next day or two I will be posting an exclusive interview with a member of the Senators Front Office staff. Be sure to check back for that.


Enjoy,
Will

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Raines, Not Hall Bound

23 year career, 7-Time All-Star (81-87), 1987 All-Star Game MVP, 5th All-Time in Stolen Bases (808), Holds NL record highest stolen-base percentage (300 or more stolen bases) with .857, Holds MLB record for highest stolen-base percentage (300 or more attempts) with .847, 2605 career hits, 1571 career runs, 1981 Rookie of the Year, 1986 Silver Slugger Award, Won 1986 NL batting title (.334) and 2-Time World Series Champion with the New York Yankees (96 & 98).

Doesn’t this sound like the numbers a of a Hall of Fame (HoF) member? In fact his numbers are better then some HoF’ers. When comparing his On Base Percentage (OBP) to members in the HoF; Raines .385 is higher then Willie Mays, Lou Brock, Carl Yaztrzemski, and Duke Snider. When comparing Raines .294 Batting Average (BA) to those in the HoF; Raines is higher then Frank Robinson, Dave Winfield, Carl Yaztrzemski and Willie Stargell. The 4 players ahead of Raines in the (Modern era) All-Time Stolen Bases (Henderson, Brock, Cobb); two are in and the other will be when eligible (Henderson). These are just a few stats I reviewed.

In his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot Raines only received 24.3% of the vote. Raines was one of the greatest players of the 1980’s early 90’s and one of the greatest lead-off hitters of all time; fell short of the 75% of the vote needed to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Tim Raines served as hitting coach for the Harrisburg Senators last season. During his time in Harrisburg he was always laughing or smiling. He always stopped to talk to fans and sign autographs for the kids. He also seemed to be well liked by the players.

One last statistics I will share is from an article I recently read on ESPN.com. This was a conversation between Jason Stark and Peter Gammons (both Hall of Fame voters), Debate: Is Tim Raines Hall of Fame Worthy

Jason Stark says: “Hey, I need to introduce a quick aside: This is off-topic, but since I mentioned Gwynn, did you know Tim Raines reached base more times in his career than Tony Gwynn did -- and that they had nearly identical career on-base percentages? And did you know that every eligible player who reached base as many times as Raines did, and had as high an on-base percentage as he had, is in the Hall of Fame?”

Peter Gammons replied: “There is a reason that I wait so long to file my ballot, and this debate is a great example. Given that he reached base more than Gwynn and, with Henderson and Boggs, helped change the leadoff position (if someone reaches base, one has a rally), I throw up my arms, beg mea culpa and am now voting for Raines.”

Tim Raines stats at Baseball-Reference.com

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Nationals Resign Justin Jones

The Washington Nationals have resigned Justin Jones. The Nationals resigned Jones even though he blew out his knee playing basketball earlier this off season. According to Nationals GM Jim Bowden, Jones will miss the entire 2008 season.

Jones, 23, finished the 2007 season in Harrisburg. With Harrisburg he was 2-0 with a 5.19 ERA. His combined 2007 record was 11-8 with a 3.72 ERA earned him a 40-man roster spot. After his knee injury he was released to make room for a healthy player.

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Stadium Renovations

This post started as a reply to a comment that was made on my ‘Happy New Year’ post. I was replying to a question that was asked regarding the status of the stadium renovations. After writing 4-paragraphs I realized my reply was getting to long and I needed to re-work it and publish it as a new topic.

I want to say that I have no ‘inside’ information as to the renovation plans of Commerce Bank Park. Everything discussed in this post is either my views or it was published/discussed elsewhere. As of this post the Harrisburg Senators have not released any detailed information regarding the renovations. I will continue to post any updates regarding the renovations as they become available to me. If given the opportunity to question the status of the stadium renovations I will do so and post my findings here. When the renovations actually start I will photograph the whole process and post the images here so you may follow the progress.

The original design, which was released to the public a while back, is being reworked. From what I read, the original design was geared towards attracting a Triple-A team (which was required at that time to receive funding from the State). The new plan will be designed to keep Harrisburg at the Double-A level. The new plan should cost significantly less which means they should not require as much State funding as they initially requested.

It has been discussed that they are waiting for funding from the State and the renovations can’t begin until they receive that money. With no new design finished, at least one has not been released to the public; they can’t honestly know how much they will need. To approach the State asking for money they will need a detailed design, a firm dollar amount, their portion of the renovation money and probably a bunch of other stuff. If you have ever purchased a house, just remember all the stuff you need to secure that money. Just imagine what you would need when asking for several million dollars. Renovations might be delayed for a long while if State funding is necessary. Trust me, any money that the State was in negotiations with the City of Harrisburg for stadium renovations is being used elsewhere (remember negotiations were about two years ago). Mayor Reed worked diligently to secure funding from the State but at the time of negotiations the City of Harrisburg did not have their portion of the money needed to fund the project. Which ultimately lead to a break down in negotiations with State officials. The City of Harrisburg came up with their portion of the money AFTER negotiations ended.

As far as what is rumored to stay and go; I read that only the field will remain. Which makes sense to me because that field is one of the best in the EL (maybe even the best). To me this means new seating, concession stands, press box, score board, and hopefully a much needed upgrade to the locker rooms, dugouts and front offices.

As for when the renovations will start. I’m not sure. I’ve read they are planned to start in August 2008 during the final weeks of the regular season. This doesn’t make much sense to me. What if the Senators make the playoffs? Do they really want construction going on during the final month of the season and during the playoffs? How much will the ongoing construction inconvenience the paying customer? That time frame might not be the best choice so I think this is more rumor then fact. At this point I highly doubt any construction will begin until after the 2008 season is over. Remember the key factor is that renovations will only begin if funding is secured.

If State funding is required for the project I’m not expecting stadium renovations to begin until after the 2009 season at best. If the new ownership can secure funding elsewhere then renovations might begin at the end of the 2008 season. Building a stadium takes money and if the money is not there then it has to be put off until it is available.

I’m sure the new ownership and Senators Front Office will do everything in there power to give the fans and players a new stadium. They are good people dedicated to building a quality stadium in Harrisburg. It will happen….but when? At this point I’m not so sure the stadium will be ready for the start of the 2009 season as many were hoping for. Anything can happen....

This seems to be a hot topic right now. So as always you are welcome to discuss it (just click on 'comments' below).

Will

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Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season.

What I enjoyed the most was the quality time I shared with my wife, son and daughter. Christmas was fun this year. My son, 3, is at the point where he enjoys opening presents regardless of who they were for. My daughter, 8 months, managed to open all her presents (with some help from her brother). A good time was had by all.

Now its time to return to Blogging. Nothing major happened regarding the Senators during my vacation. Only thing to note is GM, Randy Whitaker, continued to update his blog with a post titled Happy New Year! and resolutions.

2008 will be an exciting year here at Senators Fans Unite. I will continue to provide my readers with the most up-to-date coverage of the Harrisburg Senators. If there is ANYTHING newsworthy regarding the Senators you will find it here.

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT is also what I plan to provide my readers with in 2008. I am currently working on EXCLUSIVE interviews with members of the Senators front office. During the season I hope to post EXCLUSIVE player interviews. As always, I will continue to post EXCLUSIVE images (game photos and headshots).

This site is dedicated to providing Senators fans with all the information they need about their favorite team. Since this site is for the fans you are welcome to provide feedback on each topic. At the end of each topic, click on comments, to leave feedback. If there is something you are looking for that is not posted here, please contact me and I will do my best to post it.

I’m looking forward to the 2008 season. Hopefully the Senators give us plenty of reason to celebrate.

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