Senators Fans Unite: September 2008

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

"New Photo Friday"

New Photo Friday 10/3/2008

This week’s new photo comes from the game on August 31, Bowie vs. Harrisburg (Harrisburg won 13-7). The photo is of Senators outfielder Edgardo Baez and Bowie catcher Matt Wieters (2008 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year).

This photo goes to show how the vital stats of the players aren’t always accurate. Baez is listed at 6’2” while Wieters is listed at 6’5”. I wonder whose height is correct???

When Baez stepped in the batters box and stood next to Wieters I noticed the extreme height difference and I captured this image. It's not the most technically sound photo but I thought it was funny.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Jeff Banister - Harrisburg Senators - 1988-1990

Longtime Senators fans already know the story of catcher Jeff Banister, but it is well worth repeating.

Banister overcame bone cancer, which nearly caused him to have his leg removed. He also had ostemeomyelitis which is an Infection of Bone or bone marrow. He ended up having 7 surgeries on his left leg and ankle due to the infection. Then he had a crushed vertebra in a play at home plate, while playing baseball at a Junior College. All long he continues to keep focus of his dream to play in the Major Leagues.

Banister was picked in the 25th Round of the 1986 draft by the Pirates and debuted for the Senators two-years later, in 1988. He played 3 seasons for the Senators from 1988-1990. He hit .259 in 1988, .238 in 1989 and .269 in 1990. He was named as the Eastern League All-Star catcher in 1989.

After overcoming numerous battles with his heath and 7 long seasons in the minors Banister received “the call” in July 1991, his “obsession” of playing in the Majors finally came true. His stint in the majors only lasted 5 days but in his only at bat, he beat out a grounder to shortstop for a hit. This defined Jeff as a player (and person) as he always played with passion, determination, never quit and had a genuine love of the game. He made the most of the opportunity presented to him and delivered in his only Major League at-bat. His at bat was re-played on Sportscenter and by the local news channels. I will always remember the big smile he had and the pure joy that showed on his face while standing at first base.

His playing days ended in 1993 and he began his ‘life after baseball’ (well kind of). He managed minor league baseball from 1994 until 1996; also briefly in 2004. He then became the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Field Coordinator from 1999-2002. He has served as the Pirates Minor League Field Coordinator since 2003.

Jeff’s story has all the twists and turns of a good Hollywood movie; over coming adversity, determination, hard work, perseverance and never losing track of his goal/”obsession” of making the big leagues.

"Memorabilia Monday"

Another idea I came up with while brainstorming last week was "Memorabilia Monday". It’s another of my themed posts (see New Photo Friday) that I plan to do each week during the 'off season'. Each week I’ll share a piece of memorabilia from my collection. Obviously my collection has not grown much in the last few seasons as credentialed Media are not permitted to get autographs. Most of my collection focuses on the late 80's to early 90's.

In the future, I promise to keep the “Memorabilia Monday” posts to a few sentences or at the very most two short paragraphs. Unfortunately this one is a little long-winded.

As I was preparing to write this post I was conflicted as to whether or not this should fall under “Memorabilia Monday” or just a regular article featuring a past player. It is one of the most prized pieces in my collection but not because it has a high price value, but because of the story behind the player (and it has sentimental value). At the same time there is a good story behind the player. I decided to break it into two separate posts, one for “Memorabilia Monday” and another for a feature story on Jeff Banister (which will be posted at some point this week).

The story behind this piece of memorabilia does not lead to a baseball field but rather a Laundromat. I was attending Milton Hershey School (MHS) and my dad took me and my brothers ‘out’ for a visit one Sunday afternoon. Little did we know that our visit with dad would be to Morris Laundromat on the corner of 2nd and Calder streets in downtown Harrisburg. Also to my surprise it would net my first autograph. While waiting for my dad’s laundry to finish, in walked Jeff Banister. I had no clue who he was but luckily my dad was a Senators fan and pointed it out. After a short while my brothers and I went over and asked for an autograph (all we had was a sheet of paper).

Jeff was very nice person. My dad told him how much I enjoyed baseball and that I played ball as well. Jeff talked with me for at least 30-minutes about baseball. As a 12/13 year old baseball fan this was a huge experience.

Several weeks later my dad took us ‘out’ again, this time it wasn’t to the Laundromat but to a Senators game. To my surprise Jeff remembered me. He ended up hitting a home run that game.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Former Senator, Whitesell Honored by D-Backs

The D-backs named first baseman Josh Whitesell as their Minor League Player of the Year on Friday.

Whitesell, who was a September callup for Arizona, hit .328 with 26 home runs and 110 RBIs for Triple-A Tucson this season.

With the D-backs, Whitesell has gone 2-for-7 and hit his first Major League home run last weekend in Colorado.

For more information visit:D-backs honor top Minor Leaguers

Friday, September 26, 2008

"New Photo Friday"

“New Photo Friday” is something I came up with this week while brainstorming for new ideas to keep this site fresh/new during the ‘off season’. Each week I plan on posting a previously unpublished image with a brief write up about it. I’ve always received positive feedback on my images, so this is a way to give the fans what they want (more photos) while gaining some additional exposure for my images.

“New Photo Friday” will not take the place of the slideshow but the images featured in that post will be added to the slideshow. At some point, hopefully soon, the slideshow will receive a MASSIVE update that will include photos of a majority of the players, coaching staff, mascots and some front office staff that ended the season with the team.

In the coming weeks I plan to unveil a few different themed ideas I came up with. Hopefully you will enjoy them.

“New Photo Friday” 9/26/08

The first installment of “New Photo Friday” features GM Randy Whitaker. During the final game of the 2008 season Kevin Kulp and Randy Whitaker were drawing names each inning, and depending on what the Senators did on the field during that inning, a fan could have won $10,000! Unfortunately nobody won the money. GM Randy Whitaker was wearing the consolation prize, a heavy fall/spring Harrisburg Senators jacket (despite the fact that it was 85 degrees and sunny he still managed a smile).

Photo was taken on 9/1/2008. I snapped this photo during the game from the photog well adjacent to the Senators dugout on the first base side, as he was preparing for the between inning raffle.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Zimmermann/Davis Honored by Nats

From the Harrisburg Senators Press Release:

"Two Harrisburg Senators were named the Washington Nationals’ Minor League pitcher and Player of the Year. RHP Jordan Zimmermann, who spent most of 2008 on City Island, was selected as the Pitcher of the Year. INF/OF Leonard Davis took home the honors as Player of the Year."
Also included in the Press Release by the Nationals:
Double-A Harrisburg Senators Players of the Year:
C Luke Montz (selected in 17th round of 2003 First-Year Player Draft) - Batted .282 62-for-220) with 14 doubles, 14 homers, 53 RBI and a .554 slugging percentage in 63 games.
RHP Jordan Zimmermann (selected in 2nd round of 2007 First-Year Player Draft) - Went 7-2 with a 3.21 ERA (38 ER/106.0 IP) in 20 starts.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Part 3: Looking Toward 2009

Randy Whitaker picture with the 2008 Klubhouse Kids, Dominick Haley and Becca Zemaitis

1.) What was the thought process behind changing the start times of games for the 2009 season?
The fans made that call by their actions this year. When we still had lines at the box office well after the game had already started, they were telling us that the games were starting too early. When kids had to leave weekday day games half way through the game during the school day games to catch a bus home, we were starting the games too late. This is a religious region. One o’clock starts are too early to go to church and the game.

2.) What effect, if any, do you think ending the season a week later will have on September call-ups?
I think the major league season starts late as well, so there will be as many games for call-ups after the season next year as other seasons.

3.) Are there any plans for 2009 of returning to season ticket holders having their own gate and getting in 10-15 minutes early?
Without a clear idea of what the facility will look like next year, I have no idea what the gate situation will be. And season ticket holders were allowed to come in 10-15 minutes early all this season. I see no reason not to continue that practice next season.

4.) There were some rumors at the end of the season that SportsService might not return in 2009. Is there any truth to those rumors?
We have a long term relationship with SportService. No changes there.

5.) Are there plans for ‘The Spot’ to continue selling food at games in 2009?
The Spot is on a year-to-year basis – but I’d love to have Billy and company back. But that is a business decision, not a personal one.

6.) Does the Harrisburg Senators have any events tentatively scheduled for the fans this winter? We definitely want to keep people thinking of the Senators during the off season. We haven’t set any dates yet, but we are already talking some form of revamped Fan Fest. I encourage everyone to keep checking their email and the website in the coming months.

7.) Is there anything else you would like to say regarding the 08 season that I didn’t cover?
For the fans that were nice enough to give me a chance before they passed judgment: thank you!

Part 2: Talkin' Baseball with GM Randy Whitaker

Pictured from left to right: Willie Fordham, fan, Mayor Steve Reed and Randy Whitaker

1.) Assuming you had time to watch games this season, who were your favorite players to watch?
I loved watching Bernie make those great catches in center. Watching Seth Bynum hit during a hot streak was fun. And I really missed “heffay’s” (Luis Jimenez’) child-like enthusiasm after he left.

2.) Last week I picked Roger Bernadina as Team MVP. If you had to pick a team MVP who would it be and why?
Stearnsy, for keeping a team made up of 58 different players headed in the right direction despite all the changes.

3.) How difficult was it for you to not get autographs this season?
Early on it was downright painful to walk by my old buddies on the autograph line and not be able to join in. But there were benefits in my new capacity as well.

4.) What were some of the benefits that helped alleviate the pain of not getting autographs?
I’m in the game! This year we had a rain delay and the umpire came straight to me to discuss it. I had conversations with Devon White and Bill Singer. I had a really nice three inning conversation with Bob Boone – just talking ball. My autograph friends can’t say that!

5.) As a fan and now a GM you have witnessed the rebuilding of the Nationals farm system from the ground up. What are your thoughts on the improvements the Nationals made over the past few years?
This is one of the most encouraging things I’ve seen for the Senators – and I noticed it even before moving into this position. After several years of literal neglect, the Nats farm system is now a very active and functioning entity with some real purpose and future. The fact that we lost so many players this year, but the Nats were able to replace them with other talented players could never have been pulled off only two years ago. I like where they are going.

6.) When do you expect the Senators will start to benefit from the revamped farm system?
We already have. Shoot, we almost made the playoffs this year. Potomac, the level just below us, won both halves and the championship despite their team being turned over almost as much as ours was. That has to bode well.

7.) What players in the Nationals farm system are you most looking forward to watching on City Island in the coming years?
There are some good ones right below us. I hear that Chris Marrero is the real deal. Still not sure if he’ll be in the outfield or at 1B, but I’m told his bat is for real, and considering he is only 20, he has a high ceiling. Michael Burgess is supposed to be a horse too and had a great season. We might get to see some throws from right field like we enjoyed from Vlad. And even though he had a kind of mediocre season, Ross Detwiler is still very well regarded. They are supposed to have a ton of strong starters in the lower levels too. AND, the rookie level team won their championship too, so the good stuff should spread over several years to come!

Part 1 – Reviewing the 2008 Season with GM Randy Whitaker

Reviewing 2008 with GM Randy Whitaker

1.) You have been ‘in office’ for almost a year, what is the most important lesson you learned?
Stop worrying and have fun. Sometimes it is better to go with instincts and have fun rather than try to fight it out. Then it turned out the more I relaxed, the more everyone else did as well. Don’t know which came first, but it doesn’t really matter.

2.) What are some of the pre-season goals you/front office were able to accomplish this season? What are you most proud of?
Learn and grow. That didn’t necessarily mean to take the lead right out of the gate, but to always be moving forward. A goal like that is kind of hard to measure, but I think we achieved it. Still a lot of work to do though. And most proud: I’m still here.

3.) Back in February, during our first interview you said “It is all about marketing”. How well do you feel the team was marketed this season? What areas do you feel the marketing can be improved?
In the long term, I think marketing kicked in. But we got off to a late start. The Senators brand had declined over the last few years. That is something that can’t be reversed quickly. But I think it’s moving in the right direction now. What is key now is to keep it moving forward.

4.) Attendance issues have been widely publicized all season. Harrisburg finished in last place in the EL with just over 164K; all other teams in the league were over 200K. In reality, how big of an issue was attendance for the owners and front office? What plans are being made to improve the attendance in 2009?
I could go into a deep technical analysis of real vs. announced attendance and history vs. this season – but the public perception is what it is. Would we have liked to put up better “announced numbers?” Absolutely. But we made progress as the season advanced. By the last one-third of the season our “people in the park” was actually up nearly 25% over the same dates last year. That’s pretty significant. You won’t read about it in the newspaper though.

5.) Also in our first interview I asked you, after the season was over and you had time to reflect on it, what do you hope to have accomplished? You said that you were planning on “maximizing the fan experience” in the final year of the current stadium. Looking back at the season do you feel you were able to maximize the experience for the fans and how?

Nope. Not even close. But I understand a lot better what it will take and what “maximization” will look like. An improved facility – whatever shape it may take – will help accomplish that from day one next year. But even if we have the exact same facility, I know what steps we want to take to improve the experience and make an immediate difference.

6.) Speaking of the stadium, are there any updates you can offer to the fans regarding stadium renovations or upgrades that you hope will be completed for the 2009 season?
Not yet, but every day brings us closer to the brass ring.

7.) Just so everyone is on the same page, is there a possibility of no changes being made to Commerce Bank Park Stadium for the 2009 season?
That would be unlikely, but since I am a long time Senators fan that will “believe it when I see it,” that is always a possibility.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Guzman Arrested

I know this is a little late but I was sick most of last week and then I was debating whether or not to post this. Since it's news about a Senators player I figured I would. Not much else to say.

It appears as though Senators outfielder 'Garrett Guzman was Arrested' for allegedly having consensual sexual contact with a minor. Check the above link for more information.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Matt Stairs ('91) traded to Phillies

Matt Stairs, member of the 1991 Harrisburg Senators, was traded to Phillies last weekend.

40 year old Stairs has played 16 seasons in the major leagues for 11 different teams. He is a career 266 hitter, with 252 HR's.

While with the Senators in 1991, Stairs hit .333 with 30 doubles, 10 triples, and 13 homers and stole 23 bases. He led the league in batting average, hits, triples, slugging percentage, on his way to winning the Eastern League MVP. He also hit for the cycle on 8/23/91 vs. London. Stairs' was a versatile player as he once played every position in one game for the Senators (hope I'm remembering that correctly). One thing I'll never forget is the homerun he hit over the light tower in right field on City Island.

The 1991 Harrisburg Senators finished with a 87-53 record.

Matt Stairs Game Used Memorabilia from 1991

Stairs, game used hat

Stairs game used hat

Stairs, game used autographed bat

2008 Harrisburg Senators Staff Person of the Year

This was difficult as there was so much ‘bashing’ of the front office going on early in the season and then late in the season there were a few changes to the front office which seemed to cause a little confusion. Credit has to be given to Randy Whitaker for sticking it out and not losing focus during the difficult times. I’m sure this winter will go a long way in helping to build a cohesive front office for 2009.

At first I was skeptical of how the new announcing team of Terry Byrom and Dan Watson would work out but they did a fine job. They seem to not miss a beat and they work well together. Listening to games was enjoyable, for the most part.

The two things that seemed to be consistent all season were the outstanding performance of the Grounds Crew keeping the field in great condition and the hands-on approach of Mark Butler (part owner of the Senators and President of Ollie’s Bargin Outlet). Mark was always visible, easy to approach, and showed sincere concern for any issues that were raised.

My 2008 Harrisburg Senators Staff Person of the Year is the Grounds Crew and Mark Butler. Congratulations to them. (sorry no good photos of Mark Butler)

2008 Harrisburg Senators MVP

This award came down to two players: Jordan Zimmerman and Roger Bernadina.

As outlined in Zimmerman’s Starting Pitcher of the Year post he is considered one of the top prospects in the Nationals organization, probably will be the top prospect in 2009. He was 7-3 with a 3.21 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 20 games for the Senators. Zimmermann also collected my 2008 Senators Rookie of the Year award.

Roger Bernadina was consistent while he was here hitting .323 while leading the team in triples (7) and stolen bases (26) in only 73 games played. Like I mentioned in his Offensive Player of the Year award, he did the things the team need of him to help them win. Not only did he do them on the offense but on defense as well. His defense was outstanding; he finished a close second to Mike Daniel for my Best Defensive Outfielder award.

Dispite Zimmermann’s accomplishments, I pick Roger Bernadina as the 2008 Harrisburg Senators Player or the Year.

Congratulations to Roger Bernadina

2008 Harrisburg Senators Rookie of the Year

Rookie of the Year

This award goes to the player that made his first appearance in Double-A, previously never played above the Double-A level and his first appearance as a Harrisburg Senator this season.

There were a total of 58 players that suited up for the Senators in 2008. Out of all of those players only 10 qualified for this award: Marvin Lowrance, Mike Daniel, Andrew LeFave, Edgardo Baez, Bill Rhinehart, Jordan Zimmermann, Cory VanAllen, Marco Estrada, Adrian Alaniz and Yunior Novoa.

Immediately I can cross off Lefave, Baez, Rhinehart, Alaniz and VanAllen. All 5 have bright futures and all might start the 2009 season in Harrisburg but they all performed below expectations in Harrisburg this season. I’m curious as to why Rhinehart changed his stance in Harrisburg when he hit so well in Hagerstown and Potomac? Oh well that is for another post.

Initally I had Daniel penciled in for this award but looking at what Zimmermann, Estrada, Novoa and Lowrance did I’m glad he was only penciled in….

I can’t talk enough about how well Daniel played during the first half but his second half was really, really bad. He struck out a total 126 times, more than 40 of them looking. That is way too high for someone with leadoff hitter potential.

Zimmerman and Estrada are the more polished of the bunch, but I really like what Novoa did this season (2.44 ERA in 32 games with almost a strike out per inning). Lowrance also did very well in 47 games with Harrisburg hitting .286, 8 HR’s, 24 RBI’s and 27 runs scored.

2008 Senators Rookie of the Year is Jordan Zimmermann

2008 Starting Pitcher of the Year

Again, 32 players took the mound for the Senators in 2008. Of those 32 players 19 were starters (or spot starters). Only two of those players started 20 or more games (Zimmermann and Brownlie). To me this award comes down to 3 players; Bobby Brownlie, Jordan Zimmerman and Marco Estrada. Each of these players are deserving of this award so I can’t really go wrong.

Marco Estrada started 13 games for Harrisburg. Before his promotion he was 6-3 with a 2.66 ERA

Bobby Brownlie started a team-leading 21 games for the Senators. He was promoted and then returned to Harrisburg. Before his promotion he was 8-0 but when he returned he failed to win a game going 0-4. He finished 2008 with an 8-4 record and a 3.99 ERA. He lead the team in wins (8) and innings pitched (124).

Jordan Zimmermann was the top prospect in the Nationals organization that played on the 2008 Senators team, as rated by Baseball America. Zimmerman did everything he was expected to do on the mound. He finished the season 7-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 20 appearances for the Senators. He had a team leading 103 strikeouts (only 39 walks). Ranked second on the team in wins (7) and innings pitched (106.2). He gave up less than a hit per inning and he kept the ball down in the zone allowing 9 homeruns.

Estrada could have won this award if he was in Harrisburg for 20 games but the award goes to Jordan Zimmermann. I picked Zimmermann over Brownlie because of the walk-to-strike out ratio, hits allowed (Browline allowed 121) and homeruns allowed (Brownlie gave up 22). Everything else was to close to call. Both players performed well enough to win but Zimmermann edged out Brownlie.

Congratulations to Jordan Zimmermann

2008 Offensive Player of the Year

This award goes to the 2008 Harrisburg Senators Offensive Player of the Year.

Things I considered when choosing my Offensive Player of the Year: Average, power, runs scored, RBI’s, stolen bases, things that happen that don’t make the stat book (running bases, sac bunts, unselfish thing to help the team win). It was also based solely on their performance while in Harrisburg.

The case could be made for several players to win this award. Ofilio Castro lead the team in doubles while batting .277 but only had 4 HR’s and 37 RBI’s in 108 games. Mike Daniel had a great first half and look like a sure bet to win this until he fell apart in the second half. Still Daniel finished with 14 HR’s and, team leading 61 runs scored, 56 RBI’s and 134 games played. Luke Montz was on fire then was promoted. Before Montz was promoted he was hitting .283 with 14 HR’s and 53 RBI’s in only 63 games. Roger Bernadina was consistent while he was here hitting .323 while leading the team in triples (7) and stolen bases (26) in only 73 games played. Marvin Lowrance played well but was only here 1/3 of the season. Lowrance finished the season playing in 47 games for Harrisburg batting .286, 8 HR’s, 24 RBI’s and 27 Runs scored. If he suited up for another 30 games and continued putting up the same stats he might have won.

Picking someone for this award was difficult due to all the player moves. 2008 Harrisburg Senators Offensive Player of the Year is…..Roger Bernadina. It’s hard to ignore the numbers he put up while in Harrisburg. He didn’t hit a ton of HR’s but he did all the things needed to help the team win. He played a vital role in the Senators first half success. When he left the team started to lose more frequently.

Congratulations to Roger Bernadina.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

2008 Relief Pitcher of the Year

As with all of the awards it was difficult to name a winner due to the frequent player moves. To put this into perspective the Senators had 32 players take the mound for them this season (13 pitchers were exclusively relievers, did not start a game). For this award I will include any pitcher that served as a reliever a majority of their appearances.

I was able to narrow it down to Yunior Novoa, Tim Bittner and Steve Schmoll. All 3 were decent in relief roles and all of them ended the season with Harrisburg. Novoa can still be labeled a prospect where Bittner and Schmoll are a little old (28) for Double-A. All 3 of their numbers are similar so I’m going to go with the player that impressed me the most, Yunior Novoa.

Congratulations to Yunior Novoa.

Former Senator Whitesell Makes MLB Debut

Josh Whitesell, who played for the Harrisburg Senators in 2006 and 2007, was called up to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Many of you know that Whitesell was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks this spring when the Nationals tried to designate him for assignment. Josh played the entire 2008 season at Triple-A Tuscan where he hit .328, 26 HR’s, and 110 RBI’s.

Whitesell received the much deserved call-up on September 2 when the MLB rosters expanded. He has appeared in 1 game for the D-Backs going 0-1 with a strikeout.

Montz and Martis to Debut Tonight for the Nats

Two players that started the season at Harrisburg make their MLB debut tonight for the Washington Nationals. Luke Montz will be starting catcher and Shairon Martis will be starting pitcher. Good luck to both of them

Above is a screen shot from the Nationals website, they used my photo of Montz for tonight’s game.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Best Defensive Infielder

This award goes to the 2008 Harrisburg Senators Best Defensive Infielder.

For me this came down to two players, 3rd - Ofilio Castro and 2nd - Seth Bynum. Both players suited up for Harrisburg most of the season and they played their positions very well. Growing up I played both 2nd and 3rd so I understand the degree of difficulty it takes to play both positions.

Seth did a great job but the award goes to Ofilio Castro. Castro, made playing 3rd base look easy. He showed great range; from the hole at SS to the 3rd base box seats he covered it all. He also displayed soft hands and very strong arm.

Congratulations to Ofilio Castro

Best Defensive Outfielder

This award goes to the 2008 Harrisburg Senators Best Defensive Outfielder.

This was a difficult choice as both Roger Bernadina and Mike Daniel played great defense. Both players consistently displayed above average speed, covered a lot of territory, made difficult plays look easy and both made ‘sports center’ top 10 type of plays.

Bernadina made his MLB debut this year while Daniel played all year in Harrisburg. Daniel receives the award based on the fact that he played the entire season in Harrisburg and consistently delivered solid defense. In the final game of the season Daniel made two exceptional plays (a running catch against the CF wall and a diving catch in shallow CF to end the season). You have to love a player that plays hard every play.

Congratulations to Mike Daniel

Thank You

There was SOOOO much stuff that happened during the 2008 season both on the field and off that I wanted to take a minute to thank those of you helped me throughout the season.

The season started off dark, cloudy, and raining for most of April and May; which made for a difficult time photographing the team. July was difficult due to the passing of my brother on July 2nd. When my brother passed, I ended up missing July and two weeks in August.

I want to thank each person that visits Senators Fans Unite. It takes a lot of work researching and writing articles, taking photos, processing them 3 times (original file, for MLB and for on here) and then posting them (here and MLB). You are the reason why I keep this site running. Hopefully you will continue to come back for all the latest Senators information.

I want to thank my long-time friends Bob and Jane who continue to show their support and provide guidance ever since I was a little kid collecting autographs at games.

To Don Orris and family: Thank you for your support over the past few years. Wish we could have watched more games together this year.

Season ticket holders on the 1st base side: it was great to talk with everyone this season. Norm, I’ll make sure you get the first hug from Jane next season!!

Senators Grounds Crew, you guys are to funny.

Senators front office staff, thanks for everything this year.

Rick Becker, official scorer for the Harrisburg Senators and MiLB. Rick also works for Radio PA. Don’t forget to send me the Schmidt audio.

Extra special thank you goes out to those of you who personally reached out to me and offered condolences on the passing of my brother, Shawn Bentzel.
Greg at Greg's Connecticut Defenders
Verb at He Said Whaaat
Bob and Jane
Don Orris & family
Norm
Steve Eddy – Harrisburg Senators Photographer
Mark Butler – President and CEO of Ollies Bargain Outlet
My friends, family and, co-workers

Last but surely not least, thank you to my wife Andrea and my kids Justin and Maddie, for your continued support and understanding through everything. I’m lucky to have you.

Will

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Awards

Over the next day or two I will be announcing the Senators Fans Unite picks for the 2008 Harrisburg Senators season ending awards. These awards are strictly my picks and are in no way affiliated with the Harrisburg Senators organization, Harrisburg Senators Fan Club, MiLB, MLB Advanced Media or the Eastern League. All of these awards were picked by me. The winners were determined by stats and on-field performance of each player that suited up for the Senators during the 2008 season. Only the stats and on-field performance while with the Senators was taken into consideration.

A total of 8 awards will be announced.
Team MVP
Starting Pitcher of the Year
Relief Pitcher of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year
Best Defensive Outfielder
Best Defensive Infielder
Rookie of the Year
Senators Staff Person of the Year

Note: As always, Photos are available to the player or a player’s family at no charge. Contact me at hbgsenatorfans@verizon.net.

Rehabbing with the Senators in ‘08

Here is a recap of the Washington Nationals players that spent time rehabbing with the Harrisburg Senators during the 2008 season.

Ronnie Belliard – June 6-8 (pictured above)
3 games, 0/12, generously credited with only 2 errors.

Dmitri Young – May 13-15 (pictured above)
3 games, 3/8 (.375), double
Speaking of generous; Dmitri paid over $3000 on food for the team during his 3-day stay in Harrisburg. In case you were curious where the food came from:
Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and The Texas Roadhouse

Johnny Estrada - July9-13 (no photo)
5 games, 5/20 (.250), 1 home run, 3 RBI’s and 2 runs scored.

Bowie’s Montanez wins Triple Crown

Photo Copyright © 2008 Will Bentzel/MLB. All rights reserved

It’s not often that you will see an article on here about another Eastern League club or player but what Lou Montanez of the Bowie Baysox accomplished this season needs to be recognized. He became the first player in 32 years to win the Eastern league Triple Crown (lead the league in batting average (.335), home runs (26), and RBI’s (97).

Montanez becomes one of five players who have led the Eastern League in all three categories. Danny Thomas of the Berkshire Brewers was the last to achieve the feat in 1976, and the other players to have done it are Joe Munson of the 1925 Harrisburg Senators, Bob Chance of the 1963 Charleston Indians and George Scott of the 1965 Pittsfield Red Sox.

For more on Montanez accomplishment visit:
MiLB.com - Montanez wins Eastern League Triple Crown

2009 Harrisburg Senators Schedule

The Harrisburg Senators announced the 2009 Schedule. Here is a direct link to the schedule on my Flickr page:2009 Harrisburg Senators Schedule

Changes to the 2009 Schedule:
1.) Start time is scheduled to change from 6:05pm to 7:00pm.

Start time change is a big nightmare for photographers….need light to take action photos. Wonder if this change will hurt attendance?

2.) Sunday games are changing from 1:05pm to 2:00pm.

3.) There will be 3 “School Kids Day” games that are scheduled to start at 10:30am.

Not a bad idea. The ‘Business Person’s Special’ games that start at 12 don’t allow the school groups to stay for the entire game.

4.) There will be only 3 ‘Business Person’s Special’ next season that start at 12:00.

There were 7 ‘Business Person’s Special’ in 2008 (those games were for both the business person and school kids). Next season 3 days will go to the “School Kids Day”.

5.) Season starts a week later then pervious years and ends a week later.

The 2008 season started on April 3, next season it will start on April 9. The key here is the season ends a week later then normal. Have to wonder how or if this will effect September calls ups.

Final Thoughts:
Overall the changes are not that bad. The biggest change for me is moving the start time to 7pm. This is the worst possible change for a photographer as we need light to take action photos. Essentially photographers just lost April, most of May, a large part of August and all of September. 7pm start times also affect people who have to work early in the morning and people with young kids. Oh and we can’t forget the mayfly. As Senators fans know the mayfly’s ‘visit’ the fans and players when the lights come on. A later start time means the mayflies will make an appearance earlier in the game.

2008 Season Review is coming later this week!!!!

September Calls Ups

4 Former Senators were called up as part of the September MLB roster expansion:

LHP Mike Hinckley
RHP Shairon Martis
RHP Levale Speigner
OF Roger Bernadina

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