Droppings from the Nest, August 28th

Once again, the Hawks just couldn’t pull it together to scoot by Spokane; three Boise errors allowed for three unearned runs for the Indians and a 4-2 outcome.  And while Logan Watkins saw his hitting streak end with 17 games, several other Hawks kept their bats alive.  Bobby Wagner extended his to 13 games, Hak-Ju Lee to 10 and Greg Rohan to nine games.  The Hawks are now just one loss away from the disappearance of post-season hopes.

Valdez.jpgOn to the droppings:

After Valdez was named to the post-season all-star team he was promoted to the Peoria Chiefs (Low-A).  Valdez hit .302 with 17 stolen bases in Boise.  Known for his speed, Valdez is tied at second in the NWL with stolen bases, only second to teammate Hak-Ju Lee (22).

Football…at a baseball stadium?

There is no denying that it is football season.  As a die-hard baseball
fan, this time of the year is always difficult for me as my beloved
sport is pushed to the back burner and talk shifts from homers and
double plays to touchdowns and tackles.  But…at the Boise Hawks we
take it in stride.

football.jpgYesterday
the front office held their fantasy football draft.  As a newcomer, I
didn’ t realize the intensity of this event, nor the what’s at stake. 
The Hawks front office has been participating in a fantasy football
league for the past four years.  None of the current front office
members have ever won the draft, but self-appointed “commissioner” Andy
Simon takes the responsibility of the league in his hands.  And what
does the winner get?  A brick trophy (the winner’s name engraved on the
brick) that is displayed in the winner’s office for the year.

Should be interesting…

Granted,
I’ve only lived in Boise since May but the presence that Boise State
football has in the city is undeniable.  Yea, maybe those outside of
Boise can only think of the “smurf turf,” but locals bleed orange and
blue.  Recently the BSU craze has been heightened, especially with the
BSU vs. Oregon game coming up.  The two rivals go head to head on
September 3rd.

bsu_logo.jpg…the
same day the Hawks take on the Spokane Indians.  Luckily the Hawks game
starts at 3 in the afternoon and doesn’t conflict directly with the BSU
game.  And to show our support for the Broncos (or the Ducks…whoever
you may be rooting for) the Hawks are sponsoring a free shuttle to
Bronco stadium for the first 47 people that have a Hawks ticket for the
September 3rd game.  You must RSVP in advance with the Hawks office at
322-5000 to get on the shuttle.  The service will take fans to and from
Bronco Stadium, and you can park in the Hawks lot that night.

And
if you can’t catch the game in person, stay after the Hawks game for
the big football post-game party in the Hawks Nest starting at 7 p.m. 
Drink specials and appetizer specials will be available for everyone,
there will be three large televisions broadcasting the game and you
don’t even need a Hawks ticket to get into the party!!

And to
help Bronco fans gear up for Thursday’s game, the Boise Hawks are
hosting a Bronco Nation pep rally at the Hawks September 1st game
against the Spokane Indians.  Former Bronco great QB Bart Hendricks
plus members of the Fiesta Bowl-winning team will be in attendance and
signing autographs.  Plus, there will be ticket discounts for fans
wearing blue and orange or any type of BSU gear!  HP and 3B reserved
tickets will be $8 and 1B reserved tickets will be $4.  Call 322-5000
for more info and TICKETS!

The players have even been getting
into the spirit of college football by taking their picks for the BSU
vs. Oregon game.  75% of Boise Hawks players favored BSU to win over
Oregon.  Check out some of the projected outcomes below:

 BSU
                             Oregon                                 BSU
38-21                             27-14                  
               7-3  

Finally,
so you should have an idea of the fans perspective in Boise, but how
are Oregon fans reacting to this match-up?  When visiting Eugene on a
Hawks road trip, HAM Insider Mike Sharp got the Oregon perspective on
the college football show down.  Check it out here.

Phew, enough talk about football…where’s my baseball?

Droppings from the Nest, August 27th

Not much to talk about in today’s droppings as the Hawks fall to the Spokane Indians 7-1 in last night’s game:

Droppings from the Nest, August 26th

Opening Night-6-20-09 167.jpgBefore we get to the droppings, the Hawks have made a roster move this morning.  RHP Josh Whitlock has been promoted to the Peoria Chiefs (Low-A).  Whitlock spent some time with the Chiefs last year and it’s good to see him moved back up there.  He struggled at the beginning of the season, but his recent outings have practically been flawless. 

Throughout the season, Whitlock logged a 3-3 record with a 5.72 ERA in 39.1 innings.  He allowed 10 walks, 47 hits and 29 runs.  He struck out 27.

Now to the droppings:

Droppings from the Nest, August 25th

Logan 2.jpgWhile some Hawks bats stayed hot, ultimately Boise fell to Spokane 14-5 last night. Bobby Wagner extended his hitting streak to 10, going 2-4 with two RBI.  And Boise’s resident hot hitter Logan Watkins (right) extended his hitting streak to 15–for the second time this season.  Watkins is the only player in short-season to have two 15-game hitting streaks.

Now let’s get to those droppings:

Droppings from the Nest, August 21st-24th

When the guys are out of town it gives me a chance to explore Boise a little more.  However, as you can tell, that keeps me from keeping up with the droppings.  So let’s just dive in:

SuMIn.jpgAdditionally, Hawks pitcher Su-Min Jung returned to Korea today for his freshman year of college.  As a result, the Chicago Cubs removed Jung from the Hawks roster and placed him on their restricted list.  The restricted list just means that the team still has contractual obligations to Jung, he just can’t play at the moment.

With Boise, Jung logged a 4.38 ERA in 24.2 innings.  He started
seven games for the Hawks with a 0-0 record, allowing 23 hits, 14 runs,
11 walks and striking out 17.

 

RHP Eduardo Figueroa will take Jung’s place in the rotation
on Tuesday against the Spokane Indians.  Currently, there is no
replacement for the roster.

Droppings from the Nest, August 20th

Hernandez2.jpgEven with a pitchers duel between Hawks Robert Hernandez and Spokane’s Braden Tullis, the Hawks pulled out the win 1-0 thanks to an RBI single by Logan Watkins. 

And on an interesting note, all three pitchers for the Hawks last night (Hernandez, Eduardo Figueroa and Dionis Nunez) happen to live with the same host family.  I’m sure they went home and had a big celebration.

But now the guys hit the road for a week and a half, making visits to Yakima, Spokane and Tri City.  It will be a nice break for us in the front office, and I have some pretty exciting plans in the works.  Tonight I head to the Caldwell Night Rodeo, Saturday I’m planning on floating the Boise river for the second time this summer and then going salsa dancing.  I’m also hoping to fit in another camping trip while the guys are gone.  Oh, and lots and lots of sleep!

But before I get carried away thinking about my upcoming plans, let’s get to those droppings:

Droppings from the Nest, August 19th

dj.jpgWell, Spokane returned the favor last night–beating the Hawks 6-1.  It was a pretty uneventful game for the Hawks besides DJ Fitzgerald’s homer…his second of the season.

So without further ado, let’s get to those droppings:

Tonight should be a fairly busy night at the ballpark.  Not only is it our Family Feast Night featuring $1 popcorn, ice cream sandwiches, hot dogs and sno cones, local boy Braden Tullis (out of Timberline HS) is the starting pitcher for Spokane.  We have already sold out of our 1B Res section, so it you want tickets run down the the box office fast!

Droppings from the Nest, August 15th-18th

It seems like towards the end of any long homestand I get bogged down with other things and my blog suffers.  So naturally I have some catching up to do–in more ways than one. 

I know I’ve been promising some great video from the past week and I’ve been working through some technical difficulties to get it up and ready.  Just bear with me a little longer–I only have one more video to load and edit.

Now let’s rehash those droppings I’ve missed:

Droppings from the Nest, August 14th

Another great game for the Hawks last night with a 8-7 win over the Everett AquaSox that came all the way down to the wire.  I’ll let our “droppings” fill you in on the details:

Humphrey.jpgTonight is Humphrey’s Birthday!  Happy Birthday Humph!!  Humphrey’s buddy Rumble is throwing a party for Humphrey at the stadium tonight so check out all of their mascot buddies.  And if you want to bring your favorite mascot a gift, the Hawks are collecting non-perishable food items for the Idaho Food Bank.

Yesterday, the team prepared for the food drive and Humphrey, Gang Green and pitchers Su-Min Jung and Trey McNutt volunteered their time at the food bank.  Video and pictures will be posted soon!