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Hilligoss Named Year-End All-Star
Charleston RiverDogs infielder Mitch Hilligoss has received yet another honor from the South Atlantic League. The SALıs all-time hitting streak leader has been selected to the year-end All-Star Team as a utility infielder. He was one of 14 players to be selected to the list, which was based on the votes of managers, coaches and media from around the league. Hilligoss, who has played in 119 of Charlestonıs 131 games thus far, hit safely in a 38 straight games from April 18 to June 1 to break Scott Seabolıs old record streak of 35 consecutive games in 1999. He also was named the Most Outstanding Player of the mid-summerıs SAL All-Star game.
  The 22-year-old out of Purdue University is currently tied for second in
the league in total hits with 154 and seventh in batting with a .315
average. Hilligoss also hit safely in 16 straight games from August 6 to
August 23.
  Hilligoss, normally a third baseman this year, showed versatility down the
stretch by starting several games at shortstop. He leads the RiverDogs in
many significant categories, including batting average, hits, doubles (32),
stolen bases (32) and multi-hit games (43). As a leadoff hitter, he has
struck out a mere 59 times in 489 at-bats. Charleston is only 6-6 this year
in the 12 games he hasnıt played.
  ³Hilligoss has been the heart of this team from day one,² RiverDogs
manager Torre Tyson said. ³We go as he goes, and heıs very deserving of all
the awards heıs gotten this year.²
  Other honorees include Greensboroıs John Raynor, who won the league Most
Valuable Player award. Kevin Pucetas of Augusta was honored as the Most
Outstanding Pitcher, while Fautino De Los Santos of Kannapolis was voted the
Most Outstanding Major League Prospect. Eighth-year Asheville manager Joe
Mikulik was named Manager of the Year.




STILL FLIRTING WITH FIRST                  JEAN AFFLECK
8.24.07  After a disastrous mid-August road trip, odds makers would have
hardly given the RiverDogs a chance to still be in contention for the
Southern Division playoffs, especially when they were scheduled to face
first-half winners Augusta and the first place Columbus Catfish.
  The angels, however, were on the side of Charlestonıs determined young
team who sometimes win in spite of themselves. Say what you will, they are
an undaunted bunch, as they proved Thursday night by overcoming a seven run
deficit to win it in the 11th.
  On their excursion up North to Lexington and West Virginia, the Dogs were
only able to salvage two wins out of the eight game trip, putting Charleston
behind Columbus and Asheville. After a split four-game series with Augusta,
the RiverDogs were three and one-half games out of first as the
division-leading Catfish came to town for three games with only 18 games
remaining in the season.
  It was a crucial series and the fans who came were ready for some tough
baseball. There were no giveaways and the kids were back in school. The fans
were not disappointed as Grant Duff,   Eric Hacker and the Charleston
bullpen turned in remarkable pitching performances. Duff allowed only two
hits and three relievers came in to complete 3-0 shutout. The following
night, four RiverDogs pitchers, led by Hacker, allowed only three hits and
one run in a 6-1 win.
  So the final game of the series  was the night to separate the men from
the boys. It was Thirsty Thursday and the fans were hungry for victory.
(Enough of them passed through the gate this night to break another
attendance records for the eighth time in ll seasons. In 2007, 234,840 fans
came to The Joe for professional baseball.)
  Mike Dunn, who has pitched so well all season, soon disappointed the crowd
as five Columbus runs crossed the plate. Dunn was still in the game for the
fifth inning when he allowed two more runs to score. The score was 7-0 and
the RiverDogs had left seven on base.
  Sometimes in baseball, itıs those guys who donıt always shine who come
through in the clutch. Joe Muich, who has to alternate the catching position
with someone else, started it off. A solo home run in the bottom of the
fifth gave the crowd a glimmer of hope.
  James Cooper, who also doesnıt play every day, fueled the fire with a home
run of his own. The score was 7-4 when the bottom of the ninth rolled around
and the remaining fans were hanging on when Kevin Smith, a late comer to the
Charleston lineup, stepped to the plate with two men on base. He hit it out
of the park, a long home run.
  The game tied. Bottom of the 11th. Again it is Cooper, who would have four
hits this night, who comes to bat with Mitch Hilligoss on first. It was an
unbelievable feat of base running as Hilligoss, got a jump on the hit and
run and, as he approached third base, was waved around.
  The RiverDogs had beaten the division leader coming from a seven run
deficit.
  The Charleston ball park is one of the most difficult anywhere to hit home
runs. It was a rare night indeed to see the Dogs hit three. It was Muichıs
sixth of the season, Cooperıs second and Smithıs seventh. Hilligoss, who
broke a South Atlantic league record for safe hits in consecutive games,
extended his present streak to 17.
  The Catfish were unable to score any more runs after the fifth and
Charlestonıs bull pen was remarkable.
  Charlestonıs three wins against the Catfish put them within a  half game
of first place. Itıs a three way race between the RiverDogs, the Asheville
Tourists and the Augusta Greenjackts. The Rome Braves are also still in
contention.
  And thatıs where the RiverDogs play next. Then itıs on to Columbus and
back here with Rome for the final four games of the season.
  Although playoff hopes were bouyed by the three-game sweep of the Catfish,
it must be noted that Charleston plays against most teams much better at
home than on the road. Overall, they are only 25 wins to 30 losses in away
games against Southern Division teams.
  The RiverDogs have won only five games when at Columbus and have lost
eight. However, against Rome, they have won five and lost three. At home
against Rome, they have split, 4-4-.
  The final four games are scheduled for August 31 through September 3.





ALL-STARS PLUS 2 HONORED AT PARK
8.23.07  When earlier this month The Charleston RiverDogs celebrated a special baseball night for Negro League players, they invited some surviving members of the Cannon Street All-Stars--and some other special guests.
  Although the 2007 Humanitarian award went to U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn, the 2004 recipient, Phillip Simmons, showed up amidst great applause. Simmons, is one of Charlestonıs best known figures. He is famous for his ironworks which adorn many homes in historic Charleston, but his admirers may not know of his participation in baseball. Simmons knew and worked with the league players.
  The 1955 Cannon Street All-Stars, more than a half-century ago, won the state and regional Little League tournaments by default. None of the 61 all-white Little League teams would play the all-black team locally, statewide or regionally.
  The All-Stars were invited to attend the 1955 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, PA, but could not play because officials ruled that they had advanced to the championship without actually playing on the field. Spectators at the tournament chanted, ³Let them play.²
  Robert Morrison, who founded the league, was represented by his granddaughter. RiverDogs staffers were concerned about her trip to the field, but Constance Morrison, age 106, made it just fine. (The photo shows her and the 95-year-old Simmons leaving the field after the ceremony.)
  Mrs. Morrison, who came down from Detroit for the recognition, teaches the family genealogy to her younger relatives.


SMITH, CALZADO  MAKE HITS COUNT       BY BRYAN HARRISON
8.22.07  When Josue Calzado was growing up in the Dominican Republic, he
dreamed of playing baseball in the United States. "It was always a goal," he
said. And he added that, while enjoying playing the game, playing in
Charleston "is a plus."
 Thatıs partly because the fans here ³make the game a fun atmosphere. They
make the game easier,² he said.² The fans love Calzado when heıs able to
throw a runner out at third from deep right field. Playing last year in the
Gulf Coast (rookie) League, there were no fans.
  ³He probably has the best throwing arm Iıve seen in the minors,² one old
time fan said of his arm. ³He reminds you of Clemente.²
  As he was growing up, Calzado practiced the long throw. ³Every day I
threw, throwing long, throwing long.²
  Calzado is also fast on the base paths, but his place in the batting order
doesnıt call for a lot of opportunities to steal. Stealing is important, he
said, but not if the situation doesnıt call for it. (Tuesday night, Calzado
scored from first base on a single.)
  Calzado is batting around .270, but heıs a clutch hitter, getting key hits
and batting in runs when theyıre most needed. Presently he is working on
being more consistent at the plate. ³After the game I try to realize what
Iıve done wrong, and then try to make adjustments. When the team needs me,
though,  I focus more.²
  He says heıs had trouble hitting breaking balls, but with help from
hitting coach Greg
 Colbrunn, heıs managed to improve. Fans from last season may remember
Calzado when he came up late in the season. Playing in 12 games, he batted
.375.
  He recorded career highs in batting average (.291), games played (60) and
RBI (31) with the Yankeesı Dominican Summer League team in 2004:
  Calzado is a team player and heıs one of the most likable guys on the
team. He speaks little English (this interview was translated by outfielder
Brian Aragon).
  Another .270 hitter, who has helped the team advance in the standings
during the second half of the season, is Kevin Smith. Lately, Smith has been
getting those key hits that put the RiverDogs ahead. (Smith tripled in a
game Monday and doubled Tuesday in the win against Columbus.)
  He has hit six home runs and 38 runs batted in.
  He realizes he has improved his performance since joining the team in the
second half. ³Iıve had more playing time and I see more pitches. I have
better timing, a better eye.² Smith also gives a lot of credit to his
coaches.
  Smith hails from La Miranda, California, a rapidly growing city of almost
50,000 people and located south of Los Angeles on the Orange County border.
Smith says he only went to Los Angeles to go to sporting events. ³I didnıt
hang around the big city,² he said.
  In high school Smith played both first and third and in his senior year
batted .310. He went to the University of Oklahoma before joining the Yankee
organization to play rookie ball.
  He played a lot in short season ball with about 10 of his present
teammates. ³Weıve got good chemistry, we all get along and that will help
(in the quest of the playoffs.) Everybody is set on the playoffs. A lot of
things have to happen.² At the time of this interview, the RiverDogs were
two and one-half games out of first place.
  If the RiverDogs do make the playoffs, Smith and Calzado will be two good
reasons.



FLIRTING WITH FIRST                         BY JEAN AFFLECK
8.8.07  Through rain delays, tough teams and one-hit games and, finally,
scorched playing fields, The Charleston RiverDogs pitched and batted their
way back into first place in the Southern Division of the South Atlantic
League standing Sunday afternoon while players and fans alike sweltered.
  The clock in right center flashed 99 when Ivan Novar took the mound
against the Greensboro Grasshoppers and the thermometer only dropped five
degrees when Luke Trubee finished the game with 3.2 one-hit relief innings.
Hacker and Trubee were part of the reason The Dogs made it to first.
  Then came the icing on the cake. Before a crowd of nearly 6,000, who also
came to celebrate Firefighter Appreciation Night (See story below), saw the
RiverDogs win their sixth straight game.
  Charleston was in first place when the team left on their previous road
trip, but the Asheville Tourists took it away from them by winning four
straight. After winning two games from Greenville, the RiverDogs returned
home to face the Hickory Crawdads who, in the Northern division, had an
identical record as Asheville.
  It appeared the home team was doomed to obscurity  when they dropped two
straight from the visitors. Then lightning struck. Josue Calzado won the
game with a walkoff single in the 10th inning after tying the game with a
home run in the eighth inning.
  The top of the batting order, Calzado, Mitch Hilligoss and Seth
Fortenberry propelled the surge as the RiverDogs took the last two games in
the Hickory series.
Pitching by Stephen Artz, Luke Trubee, Edgar Soto and Jonathan Hovis
combined to defeat the Crawdads.
  In the final game Friday, the RiverDogs came from behind to win and it was
Fortenberryıs 18th home run that clinched the win.
  Saturday, where the field was once again soaked, it was doubtful that the
first game in the Greensboro series would be played. But play they did and
again Calzado and Fortenberry led the team to a victory made easy by the
pitching of Ferdin Tejeda, Jesse Hoover, Garrett Patterson and Artz.
  In Mondayıs finale, the middle and bottom of the order came alive.
Charlestonıs weakest hitter, Tim OıBrien, went three for three. Eric Hacker
gave a solid start and Jesse Hoover closed out the game with a 7-4 victory.
  While Charleston was reaching first place, the Columbus Catfish moved
within a half game while Asheville remains one game behind. After a day for
traveling, the RiverDogs move north to Lexington where they play tonight.


Auction Helps Firemen's Fund
8.7.07 The Charleston RiverDogs, ServiceMaster of Charleston and 39 other
Lowcountry businesses have teamed together to donate over $50,000 to help
support the families of the nine fallen Charleston firefighters of June 18.
  On August 6, the RiverDogs hosted Tri-County Firefighters Appreciation
Night at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, and a check of $50,000 was presented to
the Charleston Fireman's Fund.
  The RiverDogs players wore specially designed Charleston Fire Department
jerseys that were red with white "CFD" lettering across the front, and they
wore special CFD caps to pay further tribute.
  During the game, fans bid on each player's jersey, which would later be
autographed, in a silent auction, with the money going to the Fireman's
Fund. The RiverDogs have also put replica CFD baseball caps on sale to
benefit the families of the Charleston 9. Proceeds from the apparel sales
have not yet been calculated.
  Members from each of the nine families attended Tri-County Firefighters
Appreciation Night and were each presented with authentic RiverDogs CFD
jerseys with autographs from every RiverDogs player.


DOGS SWEEP INTO FIRST                  BRYAN HARRISON
7.21.07  When the  RiverDogs began a four-game series with  the Kannapolis
Intimidators Tuesday, four teams were within a half game of each other in
the Southern Division of the South Atlantic League, and Charleston was a
half-game out of first place.
  By Wednesday they moved into first place by half a game, When asked what
the team had to do to stay there, most of the players said the same thing.
They had to keep on doing what they were doing. They had won seven out of
their last eight games.
  Chris Kunda, who was later to fall victim to a minor leaguerıs nightmare,
that is to be released, added that the team needed to keep getting the big
hits. Kunda hit a triple that night in what turned out to be a romp as the
team beat the Intimidators 10-0.
  That put the Dogs into first place by a full game as they prepared to
sweep the series. Over 5,000 fans poured into the ball park hoping to see a
victory and some fireworks. The RiverDogs had managed a four run lead when
the rains came. A severe lightning storm sent fans scurrying.
Play was resumed on a soggy field nearly an hour later.
   The Intimidators surged and took an 8-6 lead. But in the bottom of the
seventh, back to back home runs by Kevin Smith and Joe Muich gave the
RiverDogs their sweep. They were on their way to Asheville for four games.
  When the series began, the team to beat was Asheville. They had reigned in
first place part of the time during the second half of the season. But the
Rome Braves, who fared poorly during the first half, put them in fourth
place behind Columbus and Augusta.
  The Intimidators were a demoralized team. They had their good innings, but
an error or a fluke hit would cause collapse. The Tourists, despite their
recent losses, are always a tough team. McCormick Fieldıs short left field
fence has produced no less than four players who have hit 10 or more home
runs.
  Charlestonıs strength lies in a pitching staff that came alive in
mid-season. Although, Joe Riley Parkıs long distance fences havenıt produced
a proliferation of home runs, the Dogs can hit the long ball when they have
to as seen in Fridayıs win.
  The RiverDogs have been stealing bases as Manager Torre Tyson has even the
not-so-fast players running on Class A catchers. Steady Pitching, aggression
on the base paths and those ³key hits² can keep the RiverDogs in contention
for a playoff spot with little over a month to go.




HIGH HOPES FOR RIVERDOGS              BRYAN HARRISON
7.17.07  Returning home today for a short series with Kannapolis, the
RiverDogs have high hopes for the remainder of the season--that is if they
can keep their present pace against some tough teams.
  When they came back for their first home stand of the second half, they
troubled by an erratic bull pen. But a successful road trip saw the pitching
staff shine and, in their last home stand, they won four out of five games
largely because of superb performances on the mound, relievers included.
  It began with Eric Hacker who was relieved by Jesse Hoover in a three
hitter against Columbus. Hacker didnıt allow a hit until the seventh inning
as the RiverDogs beat the Catfish 3-1.
  The next game it was almost as though Gabe Medina was playing
can-you-top-this as he pitched six innings, striking out six of the 19
batters he faced, walked none, hit another and was relieved after retiring
the last seven batters in succession. Ferdin Tejeda and Jonathan Hovis
combined for the shutout. Medina allowed the only Catfish hit.
  Then came Friday the 13th and Charlestonıs winningest pitcher, Grant Duff,
didnıt fare so well in the final game of the home stand. He and his
relievers gave up 11 hits to the Catfish.
  On the road against Savannah, the RiverDogs, continued their pitching
prowess by winning a pair Sunday. Mike Dunn joined three others (including
Duff) to lead the league in victories. He allowed the SandGnats only one run
in six innings. Jonathan Hovis pitched the final inning to record his
league-leading 20th save.
  In the second game, Ivan Nova, just activated from the disabled list
started and Luke Trubee and Hoover completed the 6-1 win for the RiverDogs.
  Charlestonıs lineup is providing some exciting baseball also. Mitch
Hilligoss, recently joining the team after an injury, is batting over .321.
Itıs not all statistics. Catcher Kyle Anson  continues to amaze fans with
his ability to throw out runners. Josue Calzadoıs arm in right field would
do Roberto Clemente proud. The fences at Savannahıs Grayson Stadium helped,
too, as Chase Odenreider, Joe Muich and Anson hit home runs and Hilligoss
blasted a grand slam in the series finale as the RiverDogs won 12-4 behind
the pitching of Hacker, Paul Patterson and Tejeda.
   Manager Torre Tyson, coaching third base, is full of surprises. Fans saw
a rare double steal during their series with Columbus. His team is now 15-9
in the second half and is only a half-game behind Asheville and Augusta for
first place.
  After this series at home, the RiverDogs travel to Asheville and then,
away and at home, to face some Northern Division teams.




COLBERT SAVES A RAINY DAY          BY BRYAN HARRISON    
7.8.07  On the last day of June, one RiverDog fan pointed out to another
that their team was tied for first place.
 That was before the rains came.
 They came the next day. The interrupted game continued as the Charleston
bull pen was pummeled for 14 runs.
 One week from the first-place tie, the RiverDogs were next to the cellar
after a disastrous road trip. The team, especially its bull pen, and the
fans needed a lift.
 Instead of a lift they got a joke, and more rain.
 It was a sellout crowd, over 6,000, including a lot of kids participating
in a youth baseball tournament here, and the first 1,000 fans grabbing
giveaway beach towels.
 They only saw one half-inning of baseball, but they did see comedian
Stephen Colbert throw out the ceremonial ³first pint.²
 It was a pint of Ben and Jerryıs new ice cream flavor, Stephen Colbertıs
Americone Dream, It was Jerry Greenfield, the Jerry of Ben and Jerry, who
caught the pitch.
 While the Dogs were trying to put out the pesky Savannah SandGnats,
Colbert explained that Americone profits would go to his charity. The first
money from the sales will go to the families of the nine Charleston
firefighters.
 Colbert, a Charleston native, is best known for political satire and he
kept it up as the groundskeepers raced to cover the field with tarpaulin.
 ³Will you ever do any serious reporting?² someone asked.²
³Serious reporting is such a laugh. Actually I just repeat serious
reporting. When I say it again, they think itıs a joke.²
 Then he was asked if he would ever get off politics.
 ³Are you kidding, Ohe said. ³Itıs so exciting. Havenıt you seen the
debates? Iım on the edge of my coma.²
 Colbert was scheduled to lead the fans in the traditional seventh-inning
stretch song, ³Take Me Out To The Ball Game. ³ ²I might sing something
else,² he promised. He never got the chance as the downpour never let up.
 Fans scattering to get under any cover they could find lost hope pretty
quick. Among those surviving the deluge were the parents of Mitch Hilligoss.
 Hilligoss was expected to be reactivated this night after a nine day
layoff with an injury. Holder of a South Atlantic League record for most
consecutive game hits, Hilligoss was batting .318 in the leadoff spot.
 It wasnıt his return, however, in the next dayıs double header sweep of
the Gnats. He got one hit, but his team mates looked like first place are
supposed to.
 In the first game four pitchers held the Gnats to two runs. In the finale,
RiverDogs ace Grant Duff allowed one run and reliever Jonathan Hovis kept
the win intact.
  The team may not gain back their losses anytime soon, but with the kind
of play seen Sunday, it should keep the fans off the edge of their coma.  


REYES WANTS STAFF TO GO UP               BY BRYAN HARRISON
7.1.07  When Carlos Reyes starts talking about baseball, his eyes light up.
³Some people go to school to become doctors and things. I went to the
college of baseball. I have a passion for the game I love.²
  The 38-year-old pitching coach for the Charleston RiverDogs reminisced
about a baseball career which included 13 years in the big leagues after
breaking in with the Oakland Athletics in 1994. He spent four years in
Oakland ³and then I bounced around.²
  He pitched in San Diego, Boston, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. He left the mound, took up coaching and went back to play one more year. ³That gave me a different perspective. It humbled me. I appreciated what the game had taught me.²
  Now Reyes is teaching others. ³Iıve always loved coaching. As a pitcher I was never blessed with a 90-mile an hour fastball. I see things that perhaps others donıt, see things coming out of the hand.²
 
Most of the present RiverDogs staff were under his watchful eyes last year in the Gulf Coast League, where his staff led the league in strikeouts (442) and was second in combined ERA (2.92). ³We know what to expect (of each other),² he said.
  He talked about his ace starting pitchers, Grant Duff and Mike Dunn,
neither of whom professed throwing a curve ball. (See ³Winning Combo² below). ³They are power-arm pitchers,² Reyes said, ³so we thought it best to go with the slider.²
  Both Duff (10-5) and Dunn (9-3) have winning records despite a few bad days on the mound. Reyes is happy with their improvement, and he was happy with the promotion of David Robertson, an all-star relief pitcher.
  He wants to see his pitchers go up and is glad they are in The New York Yankees organization. ³There are no pin stripes like the Yankee pin stripes, that ball park and all that history.² he said.
  Reyes and his family have been living In Tampa, but after this season they plan to move to Arizona where they will be close to his wifeıs family. ³I
hope they need a coach in the  Arizona fall league,² he said. Reyesı family consists of his wife, Anna Lee, a son, Quinn and two daughters, Chelsea and Taylor.
  Before he began working with starter Eric Hacker, Reyes joined the players signing autographs. (See photos) The sign of a healthy team is when the players can kid around with each other. Reyes was out there kidding with the best of them.
  Dunn, laughing along with him, agreed that he was one of the guys.




MALEC, JACKSON TAMPA BOUND
  The New York Yankees have announced that two members of the Class-A
Charleston RiverDogs have been called up to the Class-A Advanced Tampa
Yankees. Outfielder Austin Jackson and infielder Chris Malec will play for
Tampa after helping lead the RiverDogs to a fourth-place Southern Division
finish in the South Atlantic Leagueıs first half.
  Jackson, a 20-year-old from Denton, TX, spent the 2006 season in
Charleston, hitting .260 and appearing in the SAL All-Star Game. He returned
to the RiverDogs for the start of the 2007 season, again hitting .260 with
25 RBIs and a team-high 19 stolen bases despite missing 10 games with a
lower body injury. He also went on hitting streaks of 10 and 12 games.
Jackson started 57 of his 60 games in center field.
  Malec was one of only two RiverDogs to start all 70 first-half games. The
24-year-old Laguna Niguel, CA, native split time between Charleston and
Tampa in 2006, but his batting average dropped from .262 to .205 upon his
promotion to Class-A Advanced.
  This year, Malec batted .308 with 38 RBIs for the RiverDogs in the first
half. Due to his team-leading 42 bases on balls, he also paced the club in
on-base percentage, sporting a .430 mark. After moving from third base to
first base at the start of the year, Malec showed versatility on defense by
making nine starts at second base and six at third.
  The Yankees will send two players to fill the roster spots held by Malec
and Jackson, and that announcement is expected later this week.



RIVERDOGS FIRST HALF 'WHERE SUPPOSED TO BE'
                                                                BY BRYAN HARRISON
6.19.07  At his initial press conference before the 2007 RiverDogs arrived
at Jospeh P. Riley, Jr. Park, Manager Torre Tyson warned the media followers and, consequently, the fans, not to expect too much from the 2007 team.
  There were to be no big bonus babies, no bright stars on the immediate horizon, just a bunch of Low Class A level kids playing baseball.
 The fans want a winning team while the parent club expects the emphasis to be on player development. But to its  credit, the New York Yankees want both, based on the philosophy that playing on a winning team is good for development.
  Tyson has done well on both fronts. Charleston has a winning team. They stand fourth in their division with a 37-34 record. Some of the players who looked mediocre in Spring training are definitely ready to move up.
  ³Weıre right where weıre supposed to be,² he said as his team played their last home game of the first half and prepared to hit the road after the All-Star break. ³Weıve had to beat the best teams.²
  The best teams, Augusta, Columbus and Asheville, met with the RiverDogs in almost half the games (34 out of 70.) Theyıve had to play Columbus 19 times, the away-games representing a distance of 350 miles. The schedule has not worked for them geographically or otherwise.
  Still the RiverDogs have played over .500 ball with a team batting average of .270 and three players batting over .300.
  While possibly boasting the best bullpen in the division, Charleston starters have been largely a disappointment. The pitching staff ended the first half with a 3.54 ERA.
  Tyson says he is ³happy with how far the guys have come.² Although he has good things to say about most of the players, he was asked about certain standouts.
  ³(Mitch) Hilligoss scared me to death the first tree weeks of the season
but looked what happened.² From April 18 through June 3, Hilligoss
established the new South Atlantic League record and, at the time, a modern
day Minor League Baseball record for getting at least one base hit in 38
consecutive games.
  ³ Chris Malec is learning to play second base, something we didnıt
expect,² he said. An improved Malec, returning from last year, has played at
both first and third and is batting .308.
  The Dogs began the season with three catchers, but Kyle Anson has been the
mainstay behind the plate.. What makes Anson so valuable is, in addition to
a .322 batting average, is his rifle-shot throw down to second base. ³He
keeps runners from trying to steal,² Tyson said.
  ³I was dead on about (Seth) Fortenberry,² he said. ³Heıs got a shot at
being a 30-30 ballplayer,² he remarked about the outfielderıs stealing and
hitting ability. Also, Chris Kunda ³came out of nowhere,² and Eduardo Nunez
made the all-star team.
  Tyson is pleased about how the players know and respect each other and
play well together, but one of the things he hopes for in the second half is
the emergence of a team leader.
  As for himself, Tyson is an aggressive manager. As the RiverDogsı hitting
coach last season, he could always be found in the third base coachıs spot
when the team was at bat. Then, as now, he wasnıt afraid to take chances or,
for that matter, make mistakes. He tells his players if one is going to make
mistakes, ³do it aggressively.²
  So what can the fans expect during the second half? Of course, it is
always hoped that the best players will not be called up to the home team,
but they will be promoted on the best teams. The schedule may be a little
kinder and good coaching should produce improvements.
  Regardless, Charleston fans are still turning out in heavy numbers and
every year seem to break last seasonıs record.



Stephen Colbert To Throw First Pitch
  Charleston native Stephen Colbert, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning
comedian, satirist, actor and writer, and the host of Comedy Centralıs The
Colbert Report, will appear at the Charleston RiverDogs home baseball game
on Saturday night, July 7, against the Savannah Sand Gnats.
  Named one of Time Magazineıs 100 most influential people of 2006, Colbert,
who was raised on James Island, S. C., will throw the gameıs ceremonial
first pitch (actually, it will be a pint of ³Stephen Colbertıs AmeriCone
Dream² ice cream instead of a baseball) to Jerry Greenfield (of Ben &
Jerryıs fame) and will also be a part of the RiverDogsı radio broadcast for
an inning with play-by-play announcer Josh Maurer.
  Fans will receive two-for-one general admission tickets for the July 7
game when they present an AmeriCone Dream pint top to the RiverDogs box
office (although those in the box office will gladly accept pints filled
with ice cream). AmeriCone Dream is available for sale at all local Piggly
Wiggly stores.
  The RiverDogs will ask fans to wear patriotic attire that night with a
chance to win free AmeriCone Dream ice cream and Piggly Wigglyıs beloved
mascot, Mr. Pig, will be handing out coupons for $1 off of Ben & Jerryıs ice
cream. (Piggly Wiggly coupons will be available at every game through the
end of the season.) The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a
free beach towel courtesy of Force Protection Industries.
  Throughout the game the RiverDogs will conduct a series of contests for
those in patriotic outfits and hold trivia contests in which they hand out
Ben & Jerryıs newest ice cream as prizes. Then, during the 7th inning
stretch, Colbert will lead the crowd in the singing of ³Take Me Out to the
Ball Game.²
  Stephen Colbert is donating his portion of proceeds from the sale of
AmeriCone Dream to charity through The Stephen Colbert AmeriCone Dream Fund
which will be managed by the Coastal Community Foundation. Piggly Wiggly
will also donate their profits from the sales of the ice cream from July 7
until the end of the RiverDogsı 2007 season to the AmeriCone Dream Fund.
  Additionally, any business or individual who donates $1,000 or more to the
AmeriCone Dream Fund at The Coastal Community Foundation will receive 20
tickets to the game plus an ice cream party, courtesy of Ben & Jerryıs and
Piggly Wiggly.
  For his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Colbert received three
Emmys and two Peabody awards. His credits also include Saturday Night Live,
The Dana Carvey Show, Good Morning America and Strangers with Candy. He has
hosted The Colbert Report since October 17, 2005. Colbert is co-author of
the satirical text-and-picture novel Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just
May Not (2003), and the forthcoming I Am America (And So Can You!)
  On December 9, 2006, Merriam-Webster announced that it selected Colbertıs
word truthiness, as its Word of the Year for 2006.




A BASEBALL STORY                                         BY BRYAN HARRISON
6.4.07 It has been a continuing controversy among baseball folk since the minor league franchise here was obtained by Mike Veek, Bill Murray, et al, that pits the purists against the unsophisticated fans who enjoy the shenanigans that the RiverDogs crowd can come up with.

THEY CAME FROM AFAR                     BY BRYAN HARRISON
  They came from St. Louis, Kansas City and Peoria, cousins and friends of
Mitch Hilligoss, to cheer for the young ball player as he looked for a
another hit after hitting safely in 25 consecutive games.
  But it wasnıt to be, or was it?
  Hilligoss reached base on what was initially scored an error and the fan
club left the game dejected but proud.
  But after the game, word came down from on high that the ground ball was a hit after all.
  Unless the small band packs up their sign and travels to Columbus, Georgia, "MITCH" will have only his team mates to cheer him on as he goes for 27.
  His team mates? They arenıt saying a word about it. Baseball players are as famous for their superstitions as they are their grand slams and perfect games. If he continues his streak, he will only get a normal high five, that is if he crosses the plate.
  Here, even the fans near the dugout were admonished by Manager Torre Tyson for bringing up the streak for fear of jinxing the farm kid from South Central Illinois. The midwest cheering squad said they fell in love with Charleston, especially after seeing the Tall Ships and joining baseball fans who Hilligoss described as "great." (See story below.)


HILLIGOSS AND ANSON STAR FOR RIVERDOGS
5.19.07  "I'm a farm kid," said Mitch Hilligoss. "My father still farms."
  The kid from South Central Illinois may have spent his youth on the farm, but he spent his college years at Purdue. Then he was off to New York to make his professional debut in baseball.
  That is, if you call Staten Island  New York. ³It was a big jump, eachtime.²
  As he sat in The RiverDogs clubhouse before Fridayıs game, he didnıt talk about hitting safely in 22 consecutive games, the best hitting streak in all of baseball. In the following game Hilligoss would get his 23rd consecutive
hit as the team snapped a 5-game losing streak with a win over the Rome Braves.
  The big difference from college or Staten Island and playing here is playing every day. ³I have to keep mentally focused, have to stay with it.²
  At the time the RiverDogs were playing just over .500 ball. ³Weıre not playing well right now. Sometimes itıs hitting, sometimes its pitching ad some time itıs defense.  Itıs usually the little things that make us lose.
We need to play better as a whole.² (At this writing the team had won three straight games.)
 Last year in Staten Island, Hilligoss ,  who is now playing third base, played part of the year at shortstop. He ended up batting .292 with 12 stolen bases in 67 games. He also had a 12-game hitting streak and during that period, batted .431 and scored 11 runs.  ³It doesnıt look like thereıs a great difference between third base and short, but there is.²
  In the early days of the season, he didnıt look like the teamıs best hitter. ³I had my struggles,² he said, ³but our coach (Greg Colbrunn) kept telling me to stay with it.²   The kid from Windsor, Illinois likes Charleston. OItıs Southern, more laid back.² A fan favorite said and he said the fans of Charleston are great.
  He had a lot of support from his family growing up. His sister played softball with a team and at least one of his parents was present at every game for each of them.
  Thinking about the future, he said that in three or four years, he would like to be on the cusp of the majors or already be there. At this writing, Hilligoss had extended his hitting streak to 25 games.
  Itıs a good bet that the major leagues are watching.
  The season before Hilligoss played third and short, Kyle Anson worked at
those two positions.
  ³I was playing third, and it was their idea to make me a catcher. Iım not a home run hitter, Iım a line drive hitter. They wanted a power hitter at third base.²
  Last season, Anson was assigned to Charleston but, because of a broken knee, didnıt play a single game.
  During the early days of this season, Jose Gil started more games but Anson  who makes it clear that he is is not a backup, and manager Torre Tyson has been starting him more and more.  In the last game here before the team went to Asheville, Anson was ejected after a melee developed. One of the visiting Savannah players started toward the mound after The RiverDog pitcher. ³I got between them, ² he said. A few minutes later he found himself surrounded by Sand Gnats.
  The last game at Asheville involved another peculiar play. On a pitch, a
ball was caught between his face mask and chest protector. The umpire ruled
it an error on him and  allowed the runner on third tocome home and score
the wining run. ³Iıve never heard of such a ruling,² Anson said.
  Last season at Staten Island, Anson batted .252 in 37 games, helping the
team win the New York-Penn League championship.
  A Texan, he went to Texas State University in San Marcos. Heıs from
Horizon City near El Paso.
He likes catching, likes controlling the game. Following his junior year, he
was named to theAll-Southland Conference Second Team.
  He has good rapport with his pitchers, some of them speak mostly Spanish.
³They know enough English work with,² he said. Also, ³Our pitching coach
speaks both languages and that helps.² Talking about his pitchers he says
some of them have good stuff. ³A couple have real good sinkers,² he said.
  ³Itıs a back and forth thing,² he said when it comes to advising or
talking to pitchers during the game. ³We are a close knit team,² he added.
 Anson is optimistic about the 2007 RiverDogs. ³Winning and losing is
contagious,² he said. Anson plays aggressively and opposing base runners
should watch. He can and does throw runners out trying to steal.
  A good arm, a good clutch hitter and a player willing to learn. What more
does team need in a catcher.



UMPS AID CONTENTION                      BY BRYAN HARRISON
5.14.07 "It's one thing when you have players who donıt understand the game,
but when the umpires donıt..."
   Torre Tyson, manager of the Charleston RiverDogs, expressed his
frustration over Thursdayıs game when the home plate umpire ejected the
RiverDogsı starter Mike Dunn from the game for supposedly throwing a ball
deliberately aimed at hitting a batter.
  What had happened, Tyson explained, was that the Savannah Sand Gnats first
baseman Josh Thole was tagging players much too hard during pickoff plays.
At one point one of the  RiverDogs base runners said something about it.
Neither the word exchange nor the heavy-handed tagging didnıt seem to bother the field umpire, Tripp Gibson.
   But Gibson apparently relayed his concern to home plate umpire Matt Abbott because when later Dunn grazed Thole with a pitch, Abbott threw Dunn out of the game. Torre argued, but it was all he could do to keep from being
ejected himself.
  Most brushback pitches are thrown at the head. In this case Thole turned around so that the pitch hit him in the posterior. It was hardly the kind of pitch designed to exact some kind of retaliation.
  ³If I was going to do that,² Dunn said, ³I would have done it on the first pitch.² The call didnıt make sense. Dunn, who had been struggling for four and two-thirds innings to keep opposing batters off the bases, was one out away from a win. As one fan put it, ³If he did it on purpose, he should have
been taken out for stupidity.² Thole later scored which added one more run
to Dunnıs ERA.
  Dunn was OK with it the next day. ³Iıve got to roll with the punches,² he said. Tyson seemed resigned also. After all the RiverDogs won the game. Little did they reckon what was to follow.
  It was the Sand Gnats who were obviously frustrated. They were 7-25 in last place, 18 games out of first, 12 behind the RiverDogs and tied for the most errors, 56.
  The professional game followed a college game at the ball park. (The
Citadel has priority when the schedules collide.) The Citadel game was over
unusually early and the groundskeeper had the field readied by eight
oıclock.
  In a case such as this, the groundskeeper informs the home teamıs  general
manager when the field will be ready and the general manager, or his
representative, informs both managers so that the respective teams may warm
up. After that the game is under way the umpires, who at this point should
have commenced play, are in charge
  When the field was ready the RiverDogs went through those motions that
players do before a game, most importantly the pitcher takes enough time to
throw enough pitches to warm up.
  So when game time arrived, the two umpires who customarily meet with the
managers to go over the ground rules and other matters, the Sand Gnats were
not ready,
  Sand Gnats manager Tim Teufel was heard to say that his team was not ready
because he did not know about the starting time. RiverDogs General Manager
Dave Echols said they were informed. Some felt that this was contentious
behavior and added to the tension between the two teams.
  During the wait for Teufel to join the manager-umpire huddle, Tyson could
be seen having a conversation with umpire Abbott (see photo) who would be on
the bases this night while Gibson would be behind the plate.
   The game finally began with RiverDogs starter Garrett Patterson threw the first pitch. Although the pitch was nowhere near Sand Gnat
center fielder Daniel Stegallıs head, Gibson marched toward the mound issuing a warning. Most write-ups say the pitch was thrown over Stegalls head. One of the major league scouts who was in attendance said the ball was actually outside. Smiling, he said it was not a brushback.
  It is not clear what happened to prompt the Sand Gnats pour out of the dugout and charge the field, but as the RiverDogs began to empty their dugout, Tyson and others restrained them momentarily. However, RiverDogs
catcher, Kyle Anson, was then either pushed, shoved, jostled or spoken to unkindly, and as he reacted the home team players roared on to the field.
  One could note that neither  Teufel nor the umpires initially moved to keep the Sand Gnats from charging the field.
  When the smoke cleared, Gibson ejected Patterson, Anson and Stegall,
leaving the RiverDogs without a warmed-up pitcher. Although pitcher Gabe
Medina could have taken as many warm up pitches as he wanted, the fans,
after having waited so long, were clamoring with shouts of ³Play Ball.²
  The RiverDogs were clearly at a disadvantage by having to field a pitcher
who wasnıt really ready and who was probably gun shy about throwing anything
inside.
  It is the umpires in baseball who are always in charge of the game,
controlling it so that the play runs smoothly. It is often said around
baseball that no one notices a good umpire. Abbott and Gibson actually
influenced the final scores in these two games more than some of the
players.



DUFF AND DUNN
A WINNING COMBO                        BRYAN HARRISON
  5.1.07 Grant Duff knows what hard luck is. In his first attempt at professional
ball, he only appeared in four games with the Gulf Coast Yankees before
breaking his foot. He didnıt even get a chance to prove himself, ending up
with a 6.48 ERA.
  But he showed his stuff in 2006 when he ranked third among all Yankeesı
minor-league pitchers with a 1.97 combined ERA, posting a 5-4 record in 14
games with the Gulf Coast League Yankees and Class-A Staten Island Yankees.
  That was more than enough to get him out of the short season ranks where
Duff is looking for consistency. The night after a win at home against
Savannah, he said ³I did real well the first game, pitched five innings with
six strikeouts and only three walks. The second game, however, was
disastrous.²
  Duff had a good reason to pitch well in his last outing. His bride of
three months was in the stands. Duff was married in January and honeymooned
in Jamaica. A Californian, Duff and his wife drove across country from San Diego.
  When one thinks of Staten Island one thinks of New York, but the crowds arenıt as big as those who have flocked to Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park at the beginning of this season. ³Iıve never played before this many fans before² he said.
  A lot of his teammates came with him from Staten Island. ³Weıre a close-knit group,² he said. ³Weıre all good friends.²
 Duff likes to talk pitching. The promotion of pitchers also means the hitters are better. ³You have to stay ahead in the count, the batters donıt chase as much,² he said.
  He has a four-seam fastball and a changeup. Right now heıs working off his slider, making his fastball more effective.
  Curveball? He smiled and admitted it was on the shelf right now. ³Itıs kind of loopy,² he said.
Duff is an optimistic and eager player. He was happy for his friend, Chase Wright, who pitched in New York the week before. They played together in the instructional league.
    Duff and Dunn. It sounds like a partnership and it is. Duff has shared a room with Mike Dunn since they were together with the Gulf Coast Yankees, then at Staten Island and now at Charleston.
  Dunn has been here before, not as a pitcher, but as a position player. He played fourteen games as an outfielder for the RiverDogs in 2006 and nine games at first base.
 When the parent organization sent him down to Gulf Coast, he made the transition to pitcher and posted a 3-0 record with a 0.73 ERA in 11
appearances out of the bullpen, holding opponents to a .155 batting average in three games with Class-A Staten Island.
  ³Starting out as a position player has given me an advantage,² he said.  ³Since I was a hitter I know what the hitting coaches teach at this level.²
  At this writing, Dunn had a 3-0 record and praised his teammates.  ³At
every outing, the team has given me an early lead,² he said. ³They come out to play.²
  Dunnıs best pitches are a fastball, changeup and slider. ³Iım getting strikeouts. I didnıt get that many last year.²
  Consistency is a goal with Dunn. ³I have the same game plan every game. I attack the hitters in the same way.²
  When here before, Dunn really liked Charleston as itıs ³quite a change² from his past haunts of Farmington, New Mexico and Las Vegas, Nevada.
³Thereıs water here,² he joked. He graduated from Southern Nevada Community College in 2005 and was on his way to Texas A and M, when he decided to play professional baseball instead.
  Mike has a girl friend in Las Vegas and his father traveled to Charleston to see him pitch. Together they tramped the historic streets of downtown.
His father had seen him pitch and win at the time of this interview, but watched him lose on the final day of the last home stand.
  It was a loss that could have been won had Dunnıs teammates come through once again. Although they scored a run in the first inning, they were unable to produce any more. The Columbus Catfish exploded in the gameıs fifth inning.
  After Dunn gave up a home run, a throwing error by RiverDog shortstop Eduardo Nunez opened the door for the visitors as they proceeded to bat around and score four more runs ­ all unearned. At gameıs end, he had nine strikeouts.
 It looks like Duff and Dunn are going to be a winning combination for a winning team. These two mainstays will be playing a big part of the RiverDogs success this season.




THE DOGS ARE OUT
4.25.07  Who let the dogs out?                    BRYAN HARRISON
  Fans of  The Charleston RiverDogs are seeing one of the most exciting
weeks in a long time as the home team, by sweeping a four-game series with
Savannah, yesterday posted their seventh straight victory in South Atlantic
League competition.
  Even on Sunday, which traditionally has been a low attendance day, the
Dogs drew 4.718 fans. The day before, a chilly Saturday night, attendance was still good.
  On  Monday, over 3,000 Little Leaguers poured into the park in uniform to watch the RiverDogs win 6-1 behind Chris Malecıs two home runs and Mike Dunnıs stellar pitching performance.. The home team won it again for the kids in a Tuesday day game when area school children were let out to watch baseball.
  RiverDog pitching has been dominating, but the teamıs batters have come through for them.
  Speaking of RiverDog pitchers, the teamıs 2006 ace, Chase Wright, went up to the Bronx last week to try his hand to improve an ailing New York Yankee pitching staff. Chase got one victory over the Cleveland Indians and was proving he had the skills against the  powerful Boston Red Sox Sunday. The following day he went back to AA Trenton.
  The likeable Wright gave up four home runs in a row in Fenway Park. The
next day he went down, but another former RiverDog went  up to try his hand
with the Yankees. In 2005, Phillip Hughes started 12 games for Charleston,
posting a 7-1 record with a 1.97 ERA.
  Hughes has been called the best prospect in minor league baseball since
Spring training when those who have watched them and those who batted
against him have heralded his talents. He will join a fellow 2005 RiverDog
teammate, T. J. Beam, who is part of the Yankee bull pen. Hughes is slated
to pitch Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
  General Manager Brian Cashman told The New York Times that the team needed
a starter ³right now² and he was thinking of only one start for Hughes.
However Manager Joe Torre indicated that he might want Hughes in the pin
stripes longer.
  Hughes, at 20, will be the youngest pitcher to start for the Yankees since
1984. 
  Meanwhile the Dogs of present hope to extend their hot streak as the
Columbus Catfish come to town.
 At this writing, Charleston (13-7) is in second place in the Sally League
standings while Columbus (11-8) is fourth.




WRIGHT GETS FIRST WIN                    BRYAN HARRISON
  An affable, but unflappable Chase Wright wouldnıt admit to being in awe of
his awesome teammates, some headed for The Hall of Fame, saying, ³I played
with them  in Spring training, but it was great²
  The former RiverDog, who  had just pitched his first game as a New York
Yankee, told Baseball Tonight, that he just tried to keep the ball low to
the Cleveland Indians. Baseball Tonight noted that nothing seemed to impress the young left-hander who pitched for Charleston in 2005.
  When asked if he were nervous about his Major League debut, Wright said ³No, ³I got here yesterday and came out and looked the stadium over.²
  It was nor the most stellar pitching performance in Major League history, but he got the win. And those teammates he met in Spring Training must have liked him. They gave him eight runs in the first two innings.
  He pitched five innings, gave up three runs on five hits. He walked three
and struck out three. The Yankee bull pen prevented any more runs and New
York won 10-3.
  Fans remember Wright as a hard-working pitcher, diligently trying to
improve under the tutelage of then pitching coach Steve Renko. Those lessons
paid off.



CHASE WRIGHT CALLED UP                           BRYAN HARRISON
4.17.07  Former RiverDog pitcher Chase Wright has been called up by the New
York Yankees and will start today against the Cleveland Indians in place of
Carl Pavano, who was placed on the disabled list retroactive to April 10.
The lefthander has been pitching for the AA Trenton Thunder and made the
Yankeesı 40-man roster this Spring.
  Wright pitched for the RiverDogs in 2005, compiling a 10-4 record with a
3.75 ERA in 24 starts. He led the 2005 team in innings pitched (144) and
strikeouts (110).
  Wright, a 24-year-old from Iowa Park,  Texas, went 12-3 with the High-A
Tamp Yankees in 2006 and pitched superbly with Class-AA Trenton to start
this season. In two starts with the thunder, he went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and
19 strikeouts in 14 innings.
 In calling up Wright, the Yankees passed over its triple A pitchers
including Phil Hughes, another former RiverDog and considered the Yankees
best farm club starter. Wright was a fan favorite here.
  The following story was published by the Charleston Daily News in 2005.


WRIGHT SAYS 'THINGS WILL GET BETTER'            BRYAN HARRISON
  Most nights when the team is home, you can find the RiverDogsı best
starter  in the grandstand.
  While most of the pitching staff is dressed out and watching the game from
the dugout, Chase Wright is busy working on the pitching chart, the batterıs
chart or manning the speed gun or the video camera.
  ³It gives me an advantage,² he says. ³I can watch the opposing batters.
Itıs good when Phil (Coke) starts. Heıs another lefthander and I follow him
in the rotation.²
  It also  gives the fans a chance to drop by and say hello. An
unpretentious, but affable ball player, Wright says ³the fans here are
unbelievable.² When playing at Staten Island last year, he once threw eight straight balls. ³The fans got on me. Then I threw a strike and 8,000 people stood  up and applauded.²
  Although, like most of the players this year, he hasnıt seen much of
Charleston (he was impressed with the Ghost Walk), he likes it because they speak like Southerners. ³In Staten Island, nobody understood what I was saying.²
  Wright is a native of Iowa, Texas, a small town 30 miles south of the
Oklahoma border. ³Iıve been pitching since I was eight years old,² he said.
His father  coached him in all sports through junior high school.
  On July 3, his father and stepmother came to watch him play. It was his
best game, going eight innings and giving up only two hits before a
standing-room only crowd. He got a nice round of applause more than once.
  At the class A level, most starters pitch only five or six innings. He was
doing so good, Manager Bill Mosiello decided to leave him in, relieving him
to let the closer insure a victory.
  ³I was tired,² he said, not used to pitching that long since coming in to
professional baseball.
  Admittedly, he has a lot to learn. ³I need to be more consistent with my
fast ball.² He had to learn to throw a curve and a changeup after high
school. When he got into pro ball, the fast ball didnıt get it. Everybody is
used to 90 mile-an-hour fast balls.²
  Dissatisfied with his performance early in the season, he said he would
rather his better games come toward the end of the season. He credits  a lot
of his improvement to RiverDogs pitching coach Steve Renko.
  ³Heıs coached me before we came to Charleston. Iıve gotten to know him and
he knows me, ³ Wright said he had a lot of respect for Renko, a former major
league pitcher.
  Heıs also known many of his team mates in the past.  Itıs a tight group
used to winning. After coming out on top of the division in the first half,
the team is battling to keep up with half the teams in the league. Coming
home after a losing streak, Wright said it was frustrating.
  ³When the pitching held up, we couldnıt get the runs. When the players
were hitting, the pitching let down.²
  Yet, heıs confident that things will get better. After this interview,
Wright helped the cause by chalking up another win.



________________________  T O P  _______________________


MALEC, FORTENBERRY
FANS AND YANKEES HAVE HIGH HOPES
4.16.07  During the 2006 season, this writer described Chris Malecıs style
of play as the "Charlie Hustle" type. It can still be said, although the
returning RiverDog has changed positions from third to first base.
  Actually Malec split the season beginning with Charleston and ending in
Tampa. His start with Charleston was notable and when he was called up, the first RiverDog to be promoted in 2006, he batted 262 in 36 games. With Tampa he ended the season hitting .205 in 63 games.
 Even though ³the numbers werenıt too good, it was a good learning
experience,² he said.  ³August wasnıt my month.² About hustle, he said ³if you donıt have the
tools thereıs got to be some way to get it done.²
  Despite the self-deprecating remarks, those who are watching Malec know it
isnıt all about numbers. Some times itıs the key hit, the willingness to lay
down a bat, the overall approach to the game--qualities found in Malec.
  ³There were a lot of flaws in my swing and I had to make some changes,² he
said about his time with Tampa. He didnıt have much time last year with
hitting coach Torre Tyson, but heıs glad to be back with him. ³You can never
go wrong playing for Torre. He knows how to relate to players.
  When the current season began, Tyson, the manager, said he was depending
on the older players to lead the team. Malec is pleased with this RiverDog
team. ³Everybody tries to help everybody out,² he said.
  Malec was off to a good start as the team hit the road for its first

Seth Fortenberry

out-of-town trip. In the first four games, he went three for four in one
games. He claims two RBIıs, a double and a stolen base. ³I had a good Spring,² he said.
  The Yankees, and the fans, have high hopes for the young Californian. In his first season with Gulf Coast Yankees, he hit .384. Before that, playing for UC Santa Barbara, he was named to the First Team All-Big West.
  One of the young prospects on the 2007 team is Seth Fortenberry who played his first professional season with Staten Island last year where he batted .268.
  Before the game against Asheville when he hit four for four including a home run, he  asked Tyson how to approach a knucleballer. Tyson told him not to change his approach at all.
  ³Iıve faced knuckleball pitchers before. You donıt know where the ball is
coming from, so you have to take your best hack,² he said.
  While Malec talked about a learning experience, Fortenberry says that so
far thatıs what it has been for him. ³At the level up from Staten Island,
the pitchers have more stuff.  No matter what the level, they can still
throw a 90 mile-an-hour fastball at you.² The higher the level, the more
command they have over the ball.²
  Fortenberry is happy with the ball club. ³We hang out on and off the
field,² he said.
  A history major with a special interest in the Civil War, the Baylor
graduate is looking forward to seeing the sights in Charleston.
  But at the beginning of the season, Tyson has kept them busy with training
and practice, practice, practice.

________________________  T O P  _______________________


RIVERDOGS ARE HOT DURING COLD SNAP
4.9.07  Charlie T. RiverDog and his sidekick, Chelsea, danced on to the
field Thursday and the 2007 baseball season was underway at Joseph P. Riley,
Jr. Park as 8,426 fans braved the weather and turned out to give the
RiverDogs a war..,, uh, cold, welcome.
  Although the event broke the all-time attendance record, when Monday
morning rolled around the big news was that the RiverDogs won a four-game sweep over the Greenville Drive.
  There are no highly touted number one draft picks on this young squad. There are no prima donnas and no multi-millionaires that we know about.   It seems Charleston has a bunch of guys who just like to play baseball and, so far, like to win.  In the first game of the football weather series, oddsmakers would have probably put the smart money on The Drive because the Boston Red Sox sent one of their pitchers, Jon Lester, down to Greenville for rehab purposes.
Lester did what was expected of him, pitching four complete innings,
allowing two hits and a walk while striking out five Charleston batters. He
threw 54 pitches of which 37 went for strikes while facing 15 batters.
  It was an impressive performance, but Charleston introduced an ace of its
own in Chris Norton who pitched five complete innings, permitting only two
hits while walking only one and striking out five.
 The net result was a 0-0 tie going into the bottom of the tenth. Second
baseman Wilmer Pino, hitting ninth in the lineup, lined a bases-loaded
single to center to win the game.
  Game two was a different story as the Dogs behind Eric Hacker, who had to
sit out most of last season but turned in a better than good performance,
giving up only three hits while striking out five.
  The two teams once again reached a scoreless tie by the bottom of the
sixth when, once again, Pino broke it, this time with a two run homer. Final
score:  8-2 .
 The bravest of brave fans were the ones who showed up Saturday night as the
weatherman predicted a below-freezing low for the night. Somebody in charge
of concessions came up with hot chocolate, hardly a ballpark staple, to keep
the fans on hand to watch the RiverDogs win another squeaker by  a score of
2-1.
  Four pitchers shared the outing. Starter Grant Duff (1-0), who won his
first game of the season, went five complete innings and struck out six.
Brady Martinez pitched the sixth frame and fanned two while Nick Peterson
went two innings and fanned six of the eight batters he faced. Closer
Jonathan Hovis, in recording his first professional save, pitched a perfect
ninth inning and struck out all three batters he faced.
  Pino again led the surge batting in his fourth run in three games. Other
standouts in the first three games include Chris Malec and Austin Jackson,
both returning from 2006.
  Finally, a small crowd watched the RiverDogs come alive big time on
Sunday, scoring eight runs and holding Greenville to only one. Mike Dunn,
position player turned pitcher, (he played for the RiverDogs in 2005 as an
outfielder/first baseman) earned the win as he pitched six complete innings
in his first professional start. Dunn gave up four hits while striking out
eight without a walk. He was followed by David Robertson and the game was
closed by Gabe Medina.
  Everybody in the lineup got in on the fun as each player had at least one
hit, led by Malecıs three and two by Mitch Hilligoss.
  The Asheville Tourist who won three of their first four games come to town
today for a four-game series. Then the the RiverDogs will travel to Augusta
to meet the Greenjackets, which , at this writing also has won four
straight.

________________________  T O P  _______________________



NOTES FROM THE JOE’
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW            BY BRYAN HARRISON
  4.3.07   Those folks at ‘The Joe’ (thatıs Joseph H. Riley, Jr. Park for
the uninitiated) are getting ready for Thursday night--thatıs when the 2007
RiverDogs will take the field to start a new season.
  The playing field will be the same. the roster necessarily different, but
the 2007 fan will be in for some changes.
  But first, the team. Last yearıs hitting coach, Torre Tyson, is returning
but this time as manager. The scrappy former infielder from St. Louis was a
favorite with last seasonıs players, many of whom he helped teach to hit at
lower levels.
  When we speculated last year about Tysonıs chances to manage the team this
season, his father said that being popular with the players might make it
hard for him to eke out discipline. Tyson the younger dispelled that notion
when he visited here during the winter.
’I hope the players don’t think that,’ he said.
’While our main goal is always to develop talent, the Yankees go into each
season with the intent on winning at every level,’ Tyson said on the teamıs
web site. ‘I am confident the players we receive in Charleston will keep us
competitive for a South Atlantic League championship.’
  He also said that although this seasonıs team should be competitive (the
Dogs are looking for their fifth winning season), we are not expected to see
the return of the likes of Phil Hughes and Jose Tabata. Fans will see some
good returning players and some new faces showing promise.
  Hughes was recently the subject of a lengthy USA Today article which more
than hinted at the former RiverDog making the Yankees’ rotation very soon.
  And Tyson was extensively quoted in The New York Times about the prospects
of Tabata, the 18-year-old outfielder who, last season, owned The Joe.
  Tyson, who admittedly may have problems with umpires, is a nice guy who
doesnıt intend to finish last. By the way, over the winter months, a new
baby joined the Tyson family.
  So what are the changes?
  One is called the Ashley View Pub under construction down the left field
line which, according to management, will be ‘a great leisurely hangout
during games.’
  And whatıs a ball game without hot dogs? Since they are Dogs, the Dogs
will offer “Dog World’ a hot dog stand that is located behind the first base
line, where fans can build their own hot dog and dress it with more than 20
toppings.
  Playing ³can you top this?² there will be the new ³homewrecker² hot dog
that is a foot long and weighs one-half pound, and those who get one may
also buy a ³homewrecker²  hat that accompanies it.
  Speaking of topping, an ice cream parlor will feature Edyıs ice cream and
³a multitude of toppings.²
  And to top it off, there will be fried dough (a dairy-free elephant ear)
and a ³rib-b-que sandwich.²
  The owners of the RiverDogs who practically invented between-inning
hijinks, zany promotions and donıt-be-surprised at what-happens next events,
havenıt clued us in on what we might expect in the unusual-to-say-the-least
department, but  at $4 for general admission, itıs the best show in town.

 RiverDogs Roster Promises Wins
   Former South Atlantic League All-Star Austin Jackson will be among ten
players returning from last seasonıs squad to make the Charleston RiverDogs
2007 opening-day roster, the New York Yankees announced Sunday.
Jackson, who led all SAL hitters with 535 at-bats last season, joins four
returning position players in addition to five hurlers from the 2006
pitching staff who will begin this season in Charleston. They combine with
13 players from last seasonıs New York-Penn      League champion Staten
Island Yankees to comprise the majority of the RiverDogsı roster.
  Former Charleston hurler Eric Hacker, who missed the O06 season due to
injury, will also be back with the RiverDogs for a second campaign. Before
shoulder problems forced him out of action in July 2005, Hacker posted a 5-2
record with a 1.60 ERA in 10 starts for Charleston that season. The
Duncanville, Texas native was a SAL All-Star in ı05.
  Joining Hacker on the O07 pitching staff will be returning RiverDogs
Garrett Patterson, Edgar Soto, Gabe Medina, Paul Patterson and Mike Dunn.
Dunn played 14 games in Charleston last season as a position player before
making the transition to the mound with the Gulf Coast League Yankees.
  Garrett Patterson and Soto combined to start 18 games with the RiverDogs
in ı06, accumulating three wins and two saves between them. Medina and Paul
Patterson were late-season additions to last seasonıs staff and appeared in
only six games combined.
  Other notable pitchers include right-handers Nick Peterson, Tim Norton and
Jonathan Hovis, who each put up solid numbers with Staten Island in O06.
Peterson, a NY-Penn League All-Star last season, recorded 14 saves in 30
relief appearances with Staten Island. He struck out 53 in 37.1 innings on
the way to a 5-3 record and 1.93 ERA.
Norton, the Yankees seventh round draft choice last June out of UConn, led
all NY-Penn League pitchers with 15 games started and ranked second with 83
strikeouts. Hovis went 5-1 with a miniscule 1.73 ERA in 25 relief
appearances with Staten Island last season.
  Other pitchers on the RiverDogs opening-day roster are Staten Island
call-ups Luke Trubee, Grant Duff and Angel Reyes; first-year player David
Robertson; and GCL call-up Brady Martinez.
  Serving primarily as Charlestonıs leadoff hitter last year, Jackson batted
.260 with 37 stolen bases in 134 games. The former eighth round draft choice
will be joined in the RiverDogs outfield by fellow returnee Josue Calzado,
Staten Island call-ups Seth Fortenberry and Brian Aragon and first-year
player Andres Perez.
Calzado spent 12 games with Charleston late in O06, batting .375 with three
doubles. The 21-year-old was promoted in August from the Gulf Coast League
where he hit .250 in 47 games.
  Fortenberry, the Yankeesı 11th round draft selection last June from
Baylor, hit .268 with 12 stolen bases in 67 games in Staten Island. Aragon
batted .237 in 41 games in the NY-Penn League last year.
  Perez signed with the Yankees in late August after Baseball America named
him the number two prospect in the New England Collegiate League last
summer. After playing college ball at Lamar University, Gulf Coast Community
College and Stony Brook University, the 22-year-old Manhattan native hit
.355 with six home runs in 29 games in the NECL.
  Infielders Chris Malec and Eduardo Nunez will each be back with the
RiverDogs for a second season. Malec hit .262 in 36 games before being
promoted to Tampa last May, while Nunez re-joins Charleston after hitting
.227 in 90 games there last season.
  Wilmer Pino, a NY-Penn League All-Star who hit .326 in 61 games with
Staten Island last season, will make the move to the SAL along with fellow
infielders Mitch Hilligoss and Chris Kunda.
  Hilligoss, the Yankees sixth-round draft choice from Purdue in O06, hit
.292 in 67 games in Staten Island last year. The 21-year-old was named the
NY-Penn League All-Star Player of the Game in August. Kunda, a member of the
College World Series champion Oregon State Beavers last June, went on to hit
.225 in 46 games with Staten Island in ı06.
  Charlestonıs opening-day catchers include Jose Gil, who hit .189 in 22
games for the RiverDogs in O06, and Staten Island call-ups Kyle Anson and
Brian Baisley. Anson missed all of last season with an injury after hitting
.252 in 37 NY-Penn League games in ı05. Baisley hit .290 in nine Staten
Island games last year.























BATTLING BACK
  Tim Battle is back and he’s hitting the ball again. The Charleston RiverDogs outfielder, who helped lead the 2005 team to first place in the Southern Division of the South Atlantic League in the first-half of the season, has returned after a brief season-opening stint in Tampa in the Class High A Florida State League.
  In addition to being named the MVP in the Sally League All Star Game last year, Battle led the league in runs scored and triples while finishing in the top five in stolen bases and extra base hits. His 16 home runs was the team high. By most accounts his prowess in the outfield was outstanding.
  “I wasnıt hitting,” he said of the Tampa experience. “I was moving my head. I had no stride.”  He also injured his wrist early in the season. Since returning to Charleston, Battle has made adjustments. “I changed my stance,” he said. “Now I’m seeing the ball a lot better. I’m not moving my body around.”
  Battle, who was drafted by the Yankees in 2003, suffered a setback as he
began his professional career. The young native of Riverdale, Georgia, was
suffering chest pains and became winded during his first days in the minors.
After only 27 days he went to a doctor and was told he had B-cell lymphoma.
The cancer was in his ribs and was detected in his bone marrow.
  After six months of chemotherapy, he began to get his strength back and
when he reached Charleston he was playing his game. “I feel strong now,” he
said. He is tested every six months.
  He says the experience humbled him. “I was cocky and arrogant. You canıt
be that way in pro ball.”
  His philosophy for young players is to listen and learn from older
players, In Spring training, he seeks advice from the big leaguers like
Derek Jeter and Gary Sheffield. “They have already been there,” he said.
  Coming back to the RiverDogs, he found a very youthful team in contrast to
some of the older players here in 2005. Other former RiverDogs came back
down with him and they form the nucleus of leadership for the 20006 roster.
  “Someone always has to jump start a team,” he noted.
  Tim’s interest in baseball began when he was little more than a toddler.
Growing up in Atlanta he was able to attend Braves’ games when he was a
child.
  His greatest fan is his mother who as often as possible comes to Jospeh P.
Riley, Jr. Park to see him play.