Heard sad news tonight that Skip Caray, longtime voice of the Atlanta Braves on TBS, died at 68.
Thanks to the Braves national television exposure, Carey was one of the few announcers whom the average fan could identify at first listen.
But Tri-City play-by-play man Mike Boyle offered another somber announcement on KALE 960 AM upon conclusion of the Dust Devils 10-4 loss to Spokane tonight.
Its over, he said, referring to Tri-Citys already diminished hopes of a second-straight Northwest League East Division title.
I have to say, its difficult to disagree with him.
The Dust Devils started strong with a 4-0 lead and looked up to the task of hanging with what has been, without question, the leagues strongest team.
But Tri-City pitchers just couldnt find the strike zone, walking 10 and hitting two more. Credit the defense with three double plays in the first four innings, but if you give the Indians an inch on offense, theyll end up taking a mile.
A lot of times youre thinking about the tempo, said Dust Devils infielder Patrick Rose, who committed his 15th error of the season. Its tough to stay strong mentally out there. (Spokane) kept putting the ball in play, getting guys on base and putting pressure on us. I myself couldve concentrated a little better.
While the Dust Devils showed weakness pitchers putting runners on base, stranding runners on offense Spokane flat didnt make any mistakes.
They found ways to drive in runners, even if they did it with help from Tri-City. Their pitching is outstanding the Indians lead the NWL with a team ERA of 3.07, nearly half-a-point better than second place Tri-City (3.64).
Interesting note, though: Ive pointed out in several stories that the Dust Devils have struggled on defense, committing 67 errors through 46 games. Tonight, I found out that Spokane has 80 errors during the same time frame.
So how come that doesnt reflect in the Indians record? I guess its all about the timing. Spokane pitchers have allowed a league-low 348 hits, so they minimize the damage of those errors.
Either way, the Indians are a mighty good club, and its too bad they cant square off with Boise the leagues second best team for the NWL championship.
But since both teams are in the East, theyll have to duke it out in the regular season for the division title before taking on the West Division champ.
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On paper, Dust Devils have NWL title wrapped up
On paper, Dust Devils have NWL title wrapped up
PASCO -- If you look at the Northwest League website, you'll see that the Tri-City Dust Devils have vastly superior numbers to the Vancouver Canadians.
The Dust Devils swept the first half and second half East Division titles, and then went on to sweep Boise in the best-of-3 NWL divisional playoffs.
The Canadians didn't win either half in the West and backed into the playoffs after losing five of their last six regular season games.
Defense huge in Dust Devils' 2-1 win over Indians
Defense huge in Dust Devils' 2-1 win over Indians
The Northwest League All-Star team is due out this week, and the playoff-bound Tri-City Dust Devils should earn a few spots on the team. One thing the NWL doesn’t have is a defensive award. If it did, the Dust Devils certainly would grab another healthy handful of honors.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Game 3
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, Game 3
Here's a quick Dust Devils alumni update: Russell Wilson, who played second base here in 2010 before heading back to the North Carolina State football team, where he started at quarterback.
Well, this year, he's quarterbacking Wisconsin after he was essentially shown the door at NC State when he chose to keep playing baseball in the Colorado Rockies' system. But it's been a great pickup for the Badgers, who beat UNLV tonight 51-17 in the season opener for both teams.
Wilson played most of the game and showed he is a great fit for the offense. As expected, he handed the ball off a lot, but he was also efficient when it came to making passes. Wilson completed 10-of-13 passes for 255 yards and two TDs. He also broke off an impressive 46-yard touchdown run near the end of the first half, getting a couple of great blocks along the way.
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Spokane Indians, Game 2
LIVE BLOG: Dust Devils vs. Spokane Indians, Game 2
Another beautiful day at Gesa Stadium, and here I am getting paid to watch baseball. Rough life, I know.
Actually, it wasn't so beautiful earlier this afternoon, though. I was out in Richland doing some feature interviews for our upcoming football preview (which comes out Friday, Sept. 2), and there was a wicked windstorm that kicked up from the south.
The wind was still gusting as I headed out to Chiawana's practice in Pasco. No dirt to kick up, really, since they've got field turf on their practice field. But the wind was blowing my notebook pages all over the place.
Dust Devils head to NWL championship series
Dust Devils head to NWL championship series
PASCO -- The Tri-City Dust Devils have been able to hold champagne celebrations in the clubhouse twice this season.
First, the Dust Devils did it in late July after clinching the first-half title in the Northwest League East Division. They did it again Tuesday after a 9-1 win over Boise to win the NWL Divisional Playoff series at Gesa Stadium.
They're counting on getting good and happy one final time, hopefully to commemorate Tri-City's first Northwest League championship since 1984. The Tri-City Triplets were the last team from Tri-Cities to win the NWL title. The Tri-City Posse, an independent team, won the Western Baseball League championship in 1999.
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