Playoff Dream Ends

For the second straight year the Buffalo Bisons will not be in the IL postseason. Last nights 3-0 gave the wild card to the Richmond Braves. This is the first time since 1993 -1994 that the Bisons have missed the playoffs for consecutive seasons, and the first time since the Bisons have been an Indians farm club.

So what went wrong this season. First Hector Luna went wrong. He was a guy who did not want to be in Buffalo, and showed it with his lackluster play and countless errors. About the time the Tribe dumbed him, the Bisons started winning. Pitching was another problem. Adam Miller the teams ace could not stay healthy, Carmona never pitched a game in Buffalo, not that he should have seeing his success in Cleveland. Jeremy Sowers pitched as bad in Buffalo as he did in Cleveland, and could be looking at starting in Akron next season. All the retreads that Cleveland brought in like Jeff Harris, Eric Dubois, Sean Smith and John Kronika would have a good start and some bad starts.

A huge problem was the Bisons struck out like a home run hitting team, yet their leader Ryan Mulhern has only 18. They would consistently struck out 10 times or more a game, which will not get you wins at this level of baseball. Add in Rivas and Rouse's bad fielding and you have a pretty average team.

But their were lots of positives too. Ben Francisco played well in his time in Buffalo, and should not have to come back again. Adam Miller got off to a great start, and showed he has the stuff to be a great pitcher. The Bisons trailed the Paw Sox buy eight runs in the bottom of the seventh in seven inning game, and scored eight runs to win it, and still only had one out. The 20 year celebration at the ballpark was amazing, bring back lots of memories. Attendance was down in people through the turnstiles, but up in average because of so many rain outs. Actually the Bisons are second in the IL in attendance.

So this afternoon will be the last game of the year in Rochester, and I will be there as I have been the last three nights.

Ben Wagner No Rosey Behind the Mic

I guess I should start by saying that it did take some time to get used to Jim Rosenhaus as the Bisons play by play announcers. I had grown up listening to Pete Weber, and now this new guy had showed up in the middle of my teenage years. But I got used to "Rosey" and even got to know the guy a bit. And I think all Bisons fans would agree we were spoiled by listening to Rosey, he painted a picture of what was happening for the listeners. Plus Rosey and Duke McGwire made a great team, from being serious about the baseball game to joking around and making fun of Kevin the "K-Man".

But this off season Rosenhaus got the call to the big leagues, moving up to Cleveland to be the pregame host plus the engineer. So the Bisons had to search for a replacement and they came up with Ben Wagner, coming over from the Lakewood BlueClaws. From the start it was different then Rosey, and not in a good way. Now I realize Ben was put in a difficult situation to start. One he is replacing a guy who was liked by all. Second he did not have a heck of a lot of time to work with his broadcast partner because Duke has a "real" job with the Amherst schools and don't go on many road trips early in the season. Rosey would just do the games alone, but Ben brought in different friends to do some color. So Ben was working with different announcers all the time, and I really wondered if some where announcers or just guys off the street.

But then again I wonder if Ben Wagner is a baseball announcers or a professional announcer. He don't seem to know a lot about the game. And the way he describes things is very confusing for the listener. A few games ago he was watching the view from the "center plate camera". Hmm, is that home plate or center field? He also seems to assume that people can see the game, which you can't. He leaves out information, like last week when the Bisons should have hit into a double play but the third basemen missed the bag. He never told us that till a batter later. Meanwhile all the people listening were confused. I guess I am saying he is not fluid with the way he describes things. He seems to be all over the place and in the mean time the listeners are lost. Now I do have the XM radio, so I get to hear a lot of major league games, and Ben would not be the worst I have heard (the White Sox crew is really bad). But he is near the bottom. Thankfully Duke keeps the broadcast lively and knows how to call a game, so we get good play by play for two innings a night.

I really doubt the Bisons would fire Ben Wagner, the GM Mike Buczkkowski has never made a mistake in his life, just ask him. Maybe we will get used to Ben and he will become a legend in Western New York like Rosey has became, or maybe Bisons fans will just bitch for the next few years, either way I think Ben Wagner will probably be hear a while.

Busy Week of Baseball

So this week is going to be a busy week of baseball for me, and I have no complaints about that. Last Friday I was at Dunn Tire Park for the start of the home stand. I actually three and a half hours at the ball park Saturday even though the games were postponed because of a water pipe break under the field. I had dinner at Pettibones Grill for dinner before the doubleheader and we could see that the grounds crew was working a lot on the shortstop part of the infield. But I can't say we thought much of it till Kevin the K-Man said that there were no players out on the field warming up and it was 15 minutes before the game. We were informed that the game would start at 6:05, an hour late. But as the night went on we realized their probably would be no baseball that night. The Bisons did have an autograph session after the game was called, so I could get my Joe Inglett and Bubbie Buzachero jerseys signed.

Today I was at the ballpark for the doubleheader between the Bisons and Chiefs which the teams split. Tomorrow the same two teams are back at it again, and it is a doubleheader again starting at 6:05. Tuesday the Charlotte Knights, who just swept the Herd in Fort Mills, come to town. Wednesday is another game against the Knights. Thursday is an afternoon game, but I will have to miss that one, damn work gets in the way of my baseball fun. Friday the Bisons wrap up the series and the home stand with a Friday Night Bash. But that is not the end of baseball for me. Saturday we are traveling to Syracuse for the Bisons game. I have never been to Alliance Bank Stadium (if that is what it is still called) so that should be fun. Then Sunday I am flying to Baltimore for the Yankees vs. O's game. I really don't like either teams, I am just going because I have never been to Camden Yards. I think I will have to break out the Cal Ripken Rochester Red Wings T-Shirt for that one, seeing he is going into the Hall of Fame that day.

So I should be busy this week. Anyone want to come over and mow my lawn or clean my house this week?

Finally!

The Bisons finally played a home game. It had been over two weeks since we have seen the Bisons at Dunn Tire Park. And the Herd finally broke their 6 game losing streak beating the Syracuse Chiefs 6-2 in front of more then 15,000 fans. Jeremy Sowers looked like the pitcher of last year, not the BP pitcher of this year. Now if the Bisons could only sure up that middle infield of Rivas and Luna and they could have something going. Tonight is a double header againts the Syracuse Chiefs, and a chance to get two wins, because well, Toronto's top farm club sucks, to put it nicely. If there was a team in the IL you wanted to play in a double dip, the Chiefs are it. They have little hitting, not much starting pitching, and the pen looks about like the mess the Jays put out on the field to blow games.

But the biggest problem is we in Buffalo could be seeing much more of this bad baseball. The Bisons and Indians contract is up after the 2008 season. The Columbus Clippers are opening their new ballpark in 2009 and the Tribe has been hinting around they might like to have Columbus as their triple a club. But the Cincinnati Reds are also looking a Columbus. So it looks like a race of the Ohio teams to move in to the capital city of Ohio. If the Tribe or Reds do move into Columbus (and one will, because the Nats are nobody ideal parent club) it would set off a whole bunch of moves. The Mets want back into the IL, so they would look a Buffalo. But the Blue Jays might want to move their farm club just down the road a few hours. The Pirates would love to have their triple a club back in Buffalo. And the Nationals have been mentioned in intrested in Buffalo. While I am a Jays fan, I really don't want to see the Bisons lose year after year like the Chiefs do. The easiest thing would be for the Reds to move into Columbus, and the Indians to sign a long deal with Buffalo. Granted that would still set off a bunch of moves, because Lousiville is wanted by many teams, but it would insure winning baseball in Buffalo for years to come.

What Has Gone Wrong With Jeremy Sowers?

Jeremy Sowers made his first appearance in a Bisons uniform at the end of the 2005 for one game. In 2006 Sowers was dominated the IL opponents. He was the best pitcher the Bisopns have seen in their time with Cleveland. He was better then Bartolo Colon, better then Jaret Wright, better then Fausto Carmona, better then current AL Rookie of the Year candidate Jeremy Guthrie. Then Sowers got the call to Cleveland where he continued his winning ways, making it look like he would never see Buffalo again unless on rehab.

So who would have ever guessed he would be struggling so bad he may see Akron again, maybe even Kinston or Lake County. Sowers like so may other big leaguers struggled in his second season. So he was sent to Buffalo where everyone thought he would get his confidence up and quickly make a return trip to Cleveland. Well, things have went no better in Buffalo. Each game the IL hitters make it look like batting practice when Sowers is on the mound. So what is next for Jeremy Sowers?

Instead of letting him get beat up game after game I would send him down, and not to Akron either. He has no confidence at all, so send him to Lake County where he can dominate the game and let him get some confidence back. Remember Roy Halladay was in Toronto and got sent all the way back to Single A and had to work his way back up through the minors. I am just saying Sowers should go down to get his stuff back. He is the worst pitcher on the Bisons staff right now. And he really don't have much time to waste. Fausto Carmona has locked up a spot in the big leagues and looks to be the number two man behind CC Sabathia. When healthy Adam Miller has been the ace of the Bisons staff, and the Indians can't wait to get him to Cleveland. With Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook locked into the Indians rotation, that could leave Sowers on the outside looking in for a long time. But he has way to much talent to trade away. Everyone saw it in Buffalo and Cleveland last year, he is needs the confidence back. Let him go to single and and get that back.