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Photo: John Bowker with Dirtbags, 2004

Here's John Bowker's stats through 6 games with the Arizona Giants:

AB R  H 2B HR RBI BB SO  AVG  SLG

27 9 13  4  2   7  4  6 .481 .852

Danny Mocny, playing for the Alexandria Beetles in the Northwoods League, went 4 for 5 yesterday, with 4 RBI. His season batting average stands at .411. This was Danny's first game back at bat since being hit by a pitch on the wrist (contusion, no break) on July 17. Here is the story on the game yesterday (from the Alexandria Beetles website):

"July 30, 2004

Beetles Don't Miss a Beat

The Alexandria Beetles were playing great heading into Wednesday's off day, and kept the momentum Thursday as they ran away with a 10-3 win at home against the Waterloo Bucks. Another fine start from Nick Hall and a huge game from Danny Mocny in his return paced the Beetles to the victory.

Coming off the one-hit shutout victory over Mankato Tuesday, the Alexandria Beetles and starting pitcher Nick Hall gave the Beetle faithful thoughts of deja vu. Hall started the game with five no-hit innings. Tony Roth broke up the no-no with one down in the sixth inning when he doubled over the head of Baron Frost in deep left field. Roth went 3-5 with two doulbles in the game. He and Ryan Hastings scored on a John Shelby single before the sixth inning would end. Those were the only two runs Hall (4-1) allowed over seven strong innings. His control did get away from him at times as he walked six Bucks, but overall he was very effective in giving up just three hits and striking out six.

From his first plate appearance leading off the first inning, Beetles' third baseman Danny Mocny sparked the offense. Mocny, who had missed the last 10 games offensively after being hit by a pitch July 17, drew a hard earned walk against Bucks' starter Gib Hobson. Mocny eventually scored because an error in right field on a two-out single by Tim Stewart. Stewart got to thrid base on Marcus Taylor's misplay. Bryan Mitzel promptly drove in Stewart with a single to right-centerfield. The Beetles led 2-0 after an inning of play.

The score remained the same until the fifth inning when Hobson (2-3) struggled to get outs. Stewart walked to start the inning. Then Mitzel singled on a bad-hop bouncer to shortstop John Shelby. If the ball wouldn't have taken a wicked hop on Shelby, he may have been able to turn a doulbe play. But instead the Beetles had runners at the corners with no one out. The hits continued coming from there on. Bobby Barbier lined a single to right field to plate the first run of the inning. Next, Matt Rademacher loaded the bases with a perfectly placed bunt single along the third-base line. Then with one out, a botched safety squeeze attmept turned into a run for the Beetles when Bucks' catcher Philp Britton launched a throw intended for third base into left field to score the run. Drew Hirshon then bounced a single over a drawn in infield for the third run of the inning. Continuing to celebrate his own return to the lineup, Mocny crushed a three-run homerun over the wall in left-centerfield. At the end of five innings, the Beetles were ahead comfortably at 8-0.

Again in the sixth inning, Mocny enjoyed success at the plate. He and Casey Garms each spanked run scoring singles to push the Beetles lead to 10-2. Garms in the game picked up his first two hits as a member of the Beetles.

Britton lead off the ninth inning with a homerun to centerfield off Robert Michalkiewicz to complete the scoring at 10-3. Michalkiewicz pitched the ninth, and Nick Cranmer hurled a scoreless eighth inning in relief of Hall.

To go along with Mocny's four-hit game that included a ninth-inning double, Rademacher had three hits, and Stewart, Mitzel, and Garms each had two. The Beetles collected 16 hits in front of a very nice home crowd of 1,392.

The Duluth Huskies lost Thursday at home 5-4 to the La Crosse Loggers. Duluth's loss coupled with Alexandria's fourth straight win puts the Beetles four games behind the Huskies with 11 to play. St. Cloud lost 6-1 in Madison so Alexandria is now all alone in second place in the North Division with a record of 10-11 (20-33 overall).

Darren Coltrinari (1-4) will start Friday for the Beetles against Matt Lane (3-4) of the Bucks. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 at Knute Nelson Memorial Park in Alexandria."

Brian Anderson, pitching for the Alexandria Beetles in the Northwoods League this summer, is getting the job done. In 32 innings over 4 starts and 1 relief appearance, he's given up just 8 earned runs. His record stands at 2-1, and his ERA is 2.25.

Here's a story from the Beetles webpage on his latest start - last Sunday (read the entire article here):

"The Alexandria Beetles hit three solo homeruns Sunday on the way to their 5-3 comeback victory in La Crosse against the Loggers. Brian Anderson limited the Loggers to three runs in seven innings to pick up his second win....

Anderson (2-1) got the win while striking out three and allowing eight hits in seven innings. Nick Cranmer struck out two in a hitless eighth inning, and Mark Shorey picked up his seventh save while striking three in a hitless ninth...."

From CollegeSports.com (read it here):

Team USA Tops Mexico In 10-0 Rout

Long Beach State shortstop powers US in the World University Championship

July 27, 2004

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (www.USABaseball.com) -- Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (So., Long Beach State, Sunnyvale, Calif.) went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI to lead the 2004 USA Baseball National Team to a 10-0 victory over Mexico Tuesday afternoon at Chengching Stadium. The game, which included a lengthy one-hour, 15-minute rain delay, ended after seven innings due to a 10-run tournament mercy rule.

The victory keeps Team USA undefeated in the FISU II World University Baseball Championship with a 4-0 record heading into Wednesday's off day. Team USA returns to action on Thursday (July 29) at 1 p.m. (1 a.m. EST) against Czech Republic.

Tulowitzki's Long Beach State teammate Cesar Ramos (So., Pico Rivera, Calif.) combined with starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey (So., Wichita State, Wichita, Kan.) to give up only four hits in the shutout. Ramos picked up the win out of the bullpen with four scoreless frames. The left-hander improved to 3-2 after allowing just one hit and is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA this summer out of the bullpen (9.0 IP). Pelfrey had a solid outing with four strikeouts in three scoreless innings before not returning after the lengthy rain delay in the top of the fourth inning.

Tulowitzki homered in his first two at-bats and added a two-run single as part of a five-run sixth inning. He added three runs scored and tied teammate Ryan Zimmerman (So., Virginia, Virginia Beach, Va.) for the team lead with four home runs. He tied the National Team single-game record (dating back to 1984) and he became the first since former Tulane first-round draft pick Michael Aubrey (July 9, 2002) to hit two homers in a game.

Center fielder Drew Stubbs (Fr., Texas, Atlanta, Texas) recorded his third straight multi-hit game going 2-for-3 and leadoff hitter Trevor Crowe (So., Arizona, Portland, Ore.) went 2-for-5 with a double, triple and RBI. Designated hitter Brett Hayes (So., Nevada, Calabasas, Calif.) added two hits and his and his second double of the year.

Team USA took the early lead in the second inning with a towering home run down the left field line on Tulowitzki's first homer of the day. Crowe led off the third inning with a triple and scored on a two-out single by Stubbs to stake Team USA to the 2-0 lead.

Tulowitzki extended the lead to 4-0 with a two-run home run down the right field line in the fourth inning. Catcher Taylor Teagarden (So., Texas, Carrollton, Texas) led off the inning with a double and scored on the home run.

After the rain delay, Team USA added another run in the top of the sixth inning. After a two-out error by Mexican shortstop Roberto Bellazetin extended the inning, Crowe just missed a home run with a double off the left field fence to score John Mayberry Jr. (So., Stanford, Kansas City, Mo.).

The Red, White and Blue exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh inning to put the game away. Tulowitzki drove in a pair of runs with a single and Hayes plated a run with a double off the left field wall..."

This from ESPN (read the entire article here):

"TORONTO -- New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi will receive test results Tuesday that might explain why he's been feeling so weak for months.

Giambi, sidelined earlier this season because of an intestinal parasite, played down a report Monday that he was being checked for a parasite that can cause a potentially fatal condition.

"We're not in a third-world country, so we have medication," Giambi said.

Giambi's trainer, Bob Alejo, told the Newark Star-Ledger that the All-Star first baseman is being tested for a dangerous parasite called entamoeba histolytica.

According to Alejo's account in the newspaper, the parasite can cause a potentially fatal condition called amebiasis and can embed itself in the intestinal lining, making it undetectable except by very specific tests.

Giambi expects to learn more about his status Tuesday, when he is scheduled to meet with Dr. Scott Hammer, an infectious disease specialist at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.

"I want to see what this guy says before we make any decisions," Giambi said Monday before the Yankees' victory in Toronto. "All these tests have been run, and he's going to look them over."

The player was tested for cancer and for HIV in the past week -- both with negative results -- according to the Star-Ledger.

Giambi, 33, missed four of New York's previous five games. He is hitting just .221 with 11 homers and 36 RBI. The 2000 AL MVP, who did not start in eight straight games from June 26 to July 4 because of the parasite, is in an 0-for-21 slump.

"When I was playing, I was thinking I was just going to gut it out, but I'm obviously not going in that direction," Giambi said. "I feel a little bit better than when I first got diagnosed with it, but it's just not close to the level I want to be at and the team needs me to be at."..."

Thanks go out to poster BeachDawg at the Long Beach State 49ers Message Board for pointing out this story.

It may only be two, but John Bowker has made a big impression in his initial pair of games with the San Francisco Giants Arizona League (Rookie) team. The line: 6 hits in 9 at bats, including 2 doubles and a home run (11 total bases). And toss in 2 walks. That translates into a slugging percentage of 1,222%. Follow John's stats with the Arizona Giants here.

From New York Newsday (read it here):

"Relief pitcher Carlos Muniz, who had been suffering from right elbow tendonitis, completed his rehab assignment with the Cyclones and was returned to Capital City of the South Atlantic League on Sunday. Muniz went 3-2 with three saves and a 3.07 ERA for Brooklyn."

From the Alexandria Beetles website:

"The Alexandria Beetles are proud to announce that five Beetle players have been named to the 2004 Northwoods League Mid-Season All-Star Team. The five players are 1B Tim Stewart, 2B Brett Olson, INF Danny Mocny, DH Baron Frost, and P Brandon Adams...

Mocny may have earned his all-star birth from respect he's gained the past two seasons. The third-year Beetle has played in just 13 games this year since joining the Beetles June 28th. His 2004 numbers haven't dissappointed anyone either. He's hitting at .370 through 54 at-bats and has three doubles, one triple, five RBI, and five stolen bases. He arrived late into the season due to his playoff run in his junior season at Long Beach State University. It is Mocny's second career selection to the Northwoods League North Division All-Star Team."

Since this article was written, Danny's numbers have improved. He has 26 hits in 68 ABs in 18 games, for a .382 average. His slugging percentage is .544 (with 2 homeruns, a triple and 3 doubles). Danny has knocked in 9.

From the Portland Press Herald (read it here):

"BOSTON - Facing Portland Sea Dogs Manager Ron Johnson can be a funny experience.

That's why Abe Alvarez thought his manager was joking Tuesday night when he called him into his office.

"You're going to the big leagues," Johnson said after a game in Norwich, Conn.

Alvarez, 21, smiled. And then he realized Johnson wasn't kidding.

"He was serious and I started shaking," said the normally calm Alvarez. "I didn't sleep that night."

Next thing Alvarez knew, he was starting Thursday for the Boston Red Sox and facing Miguel Tejada of the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Fenway Park.

Catcher Jason Varitek called for a fastball up and in. Alvarez delivered and Tejada cranked it over the Green Monster, making it 3-0 in the first inning.

"It was, like, welcome to the big leagues," Alvarez said after the 8-3 loss in his major-league debut.

Alvarez, who was drafted out of Long Beach State only 13 months ago, will rejoin the Sea Dogs today but left an impression.

Boston Manager Terry Francona said Alvarez "showed a lot of good things that we thought he would show: some character and some guts."

My comments: That's why you draft Dirtbags!

Red Sox pitching coach Dave Wallace said "for a kid to come out of Double-A and face this offense (fourth-best in the American League), he can certainly take a lot of positive stuff. He didn't fold."

That's what impressed Varitek: "He didn't panic."

Alvarez allowed at least two runners in each of his five innings. The chief culprit was Alvarez's command, at least as interpreted by plate umpire Chris Guccione.

Alvarez is a left-hander and lives on location and change of speeds. When he pitches from behind, he's in trouble. Of the 25 batters he faced, he fell to 2-0 counts on nine of them. He walked five.

"I can't remember the last time I've walked that many people," said Alvarez, who threw only 46 strikes among 95 pitches.

"I couldn't find the strike zone, and some pitches I thought were there, I didn't get (the call)."

Wallace visited Alvarez twice and spoke with him in the dugout.

"(He) came up to me and said, 'you're probably not getting (the calls) because you're a (rookie),' " said Alvarez. "But (Guccione) had his strike zone and if I wasn't in it, that's just it."

Alvarez stranded five, including a bases-loaded situation in the fifth. Baltimore helped with poor baserunning, good for three outs, but Alvarez also made some out pitches.

"He was in jams inning after inning and that can wear a guy down," Wallace said. "But he didn't give in."

Varitek has seen young pitchers panic when the calls don't go their way. "They start throwing the ball right down the middle, but he kept making quality pitches."

Combined, Melvin Mora and Tejada went 4 for 4 against Alvarez with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI, four runs and two walks. The rest of the Orioles went 3 for 16 with one RBI and one run.

On the first-inning gopher ball to Tejada, Varitek said, "I'll take responsibility for that. I'd like that pitch back."

On Mora's shot, Alvarez simply spoke in awe.

"It was probably my best pitch of the day, a change-up down and away," Alvarez said. "He showed his power."

Not many Eastern League hitters put that kind of wood on such a pitch.

But that was part of Alvarez's lesson Thursday, a lesson that will bring Alvarez back to Boston.

Who knows when that will be? In his first full pro season, Alvarez was expected to be in Class A but leapfrogged to the Sea Dogs. His stock didn't drop Thursday.

"I think this was a huge step," Alvarez said. "I'm glad they have a lot of confidence in me, that I'm moving up quick. Hopefully I'll come back soon.

"I just have to get ahead of hitters a little better and I'll be fine.

The Red Sox appear to agree.

"He's got a bright future," Francona said. "Maybe not quite yet, here."

Varitek, who kept commenting on Alvarez's composure, seemed to think it will be sooner than later.

"He's going to come back and help us," Varitek said.

Alvarez will be scheduled to pitch again Tuesday or Wednesday at Hadlock Field. Portland can keep watching this sure-bet prospect, at least until Johnson motions Alvarez into his office again."

John Bowker, selected in the 3rd round by the San Francisco Giants, has signed and is playing for the Arizona Giants.

As expected, after his start for Boston, Abe Alvarez was optioned back to the class AA Portland Seadogs.

DATE  	   OPPONENT  		PLACE



JANUARY



Sat. 22    Old Timers

	   Pro Alumni		Blair Field

Fri. 28    at Arizona State 	Tempe, AZ

Sat. 29    at Arizona State 	Tempe, AZ

Sun. 30    at Arizona State 	Tempe, AZ



FEBRUARY 

  

Fri. 4 	   Saint Mary's 	Blair Field

Sat. 5 	   Saint Mary's 	Blair Field

Sun. 6 	   Saint Mary's 	Blair Field

Fri. 11    at USC		Los Angeles

Sat. 12    USC			Blair Field

Sun. 13    at USC		Los Angeles

Fri. 18    California 		Blair Field

Sat. 19    California 		Blair Field

Sun. 20    California 		Blair Field.

Fri. 25    San Diego State 	Blair Field

Sat. 26    San Diego State 	Blair Field

Sun. 27    San Diego State 	Blair Field



MARCH   



Tue. 1 	   Pepperdine 		Blair Field

Fri. 4 	   at Baylor 		Waco, TX

Sat. 5 	   at Baylor 		Waco, TX

Sun. 6 	   at Baylor 		Waco, TX

Tue. 8     Loyola Marymount 	Blair Field

Fri. 11    Houston 		Blair Field

Sat. 12    Houston 		Blair Field

Sun. 13    Houston 		Blair Field

Fri. 18    at Wichita State 	Wichita, KS

Sat. 19    at Wichita State 	Wichita, KS

Sun. 20    at Wichita State 	Wichita, KS

Thr. 24    CS Fullerton 	Blair Field

Fri. 25    CS Fullerton 	Blair Field

Sun. 26    CS Fullerton 	Blair Field



APRIL						



Fri. 1 	   *UC Riverside   	Blair Field

Sat. 2 	   *UC Riverside   	Blair Field

Sun. 3     *UC Riverside   	Blair Field

Tue. 5     UCLA	        	Blair Field

Fri. 8 	   *At UC Irvine   	Irvine, CA

Sat. 9 	   *At UC Irvine   	Irvine, CA

Sun. 10    *At Uc Irvine   	Irvine, CA

Tue. 12    at Pepperdine 	Malibu, CA

Fri. 15    *CS Northridge  	Blair Field

Sat. 16    *CS Northridge  	Blair Field

Sun. 17    *CS Northridge  	Blair Field

Tue. 19    at Loyola Marymount  Los Angeles

Fri. 22    *at Pacific 		Stockton

Sat. 23    *at Pacific 		Stockton

Sun. 24    *at Pacific 		Stockton

Fri. 29    UC Davis 		Blair Field

Sat. 30    UC Davis 		Blair Field



MAY			



Sun. 1     UC Davis 		Blair Field

Fri. 6 	   *At UCSB		Santa Barbara

Sat. 7 	   *At UCSB		Santa Barbara

Sun. 8     *At UCSB	 	Santa Barbara

Fri. 13    *Cal Poly SLO   	Blair Field

Sat. 14    *Cal Poly SLO   	Blair Field

Sun. 15    *Cal Poly SLO   	Blair Field

Fri. 20    *At CS Fullerton 	Fullerton

Sat. 21    *At CS Fullerton 	Fullerton

Sun. 22    *At CS Fullerton 	Fullerton  



*Big West Conference game.



JUNE



Fri. - Sun.

3-5 	   NCAA Regionals

(double elimination) 	Select Campus Sites 

	 

Fri. - Mon.

10-13 	   NCAA Super Regionals

(best two of three) 	Select Campus Sites 

	 

Fri. - Mon.

17-29 	   College World Series, Omaha, NE

Abe Alvarez, the Dirtbags Co-Big West Pitcher of the Year in 2003, made his major league debut today. Here is the story yesterday from the longbeachstate.com:

"From Blair Field to Fenway, Alvarez Called Up
Former Big West Pitcher of the Year to Make Major League Debut Thursday

July 21, 2004

BOSTON, MA-- Former Long Beach State Dirtbag and current Red Sox farmhand Abe Alvarez (Fontana) is scheduled to make his Major League debut on Thursday at 1 p.m. EST at Fenway Park by starting the first game of a doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles.

Long Beach State now has a record 10 former players who have played in the Majors this season. Alvarez is the fifth player over the past two years to make their debut, following in the footsteps of Chad Bentz and Terrmel Sledge with the Expos in 2004, and Bobby Crosby (Athletics) and Mike Gallo (Astros) last season.

Alvarez, who just two short years ago was a second team All-American for the Dirtbags, went 8-6 with a 3.53 ERA for Double-A Portland (ME) in 2004. In 19 games, Alvarez tossed 99.1 innings, giving up 100 hits, and striking out 82, while walking just 24.

Last year, Alvarez compiled an 0.00 ERA over nine games and 19.0 innings, giving up just two unearned runs at short-season Lowell. Alvarez struck out 19 and walked just two.

The 49ers' all-time winningest lefthander, at 23-5, went 11-2 with a 2.35 ERA in 2003. Alvarez was a two-time Big West Pitcher of the Year, sharing the award with Jered Weaver in 2003."

And here is a story from SFGate.com today, posted following the game:

"Red Sox promote Double-A lefty, designate LHP Anderson for assignment

Thursday, July 22, 2004

(07-22) 10:36 PDT BOSTON (AP) --

The Boston Red Sox purchased the contract of left-hander Abe Alvarez from Double-A Portland on Thursday and designated lefty Jimmy Anderson for assignment.

Alvarez, 21, made his major league debut as the starting pitcher in the first game of a day-night doubleheader against Baltimore.

Alvarez had 19 starts with Portland, going 8-6 with a 3.53 ERA. He didn't allow a run in 19 innings last season at Class A Lowell, his first professional season.

He was expected to be optioned back to the minors after his start.

Anderson, acquired from the Chicago Cubs on July 2 for minor league righty Andrew Shipman and a player to be named, allowed four runs in five games with no decisions."

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram (read it here):

"Jered Weaver set down the college baseball award season in order on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-7, 205-pound righthander from Long Beach State picked up the Roger Clemens Award as the top pitcher in college baseball at a cremony in Houston to cap a string of honors he's seized this summer.

The Clemens Award came two days after Weaver won the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation's top college baseball player.

"That was the greatest moment of my life,' Weaver said of the Golden Spikes Award. "Now this moment is even greater. It's amazing. I never thought something like this would happen.'

In prior weeks, Weaver has grabbed the Dick Howser Award and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year honors.

Weaver beat out J.P. Howell of Texas and Wade Townsend of Rice to win the Clemens Award, which was previously called the R.E. "Bob' Smith Award.

"All of these guys had great years,' said Clemens, who has won six Cy Young Awards and currently pitches for the Houston Astros. "Obviously, I knew Jeff (Weaver, a Dodgers starting pitcher) and he told me about his younger brother before. I've had the opportunity to talk with the J.P. and Wade as well. They all have a lot of character, will and desire.'

Jeff Weaver was a teammate of Clemens with the New York Yankees.

The award was selected in a national vote by all Division I coaches.

Weaver was drafted in the first round by the Angels with the 12th overall pick, although he has yet to ink a contract with the team.

Weaver set school records for strikeouts in a season (213) and a game (17) and tied the school mark for consecutive victories (14). His 213 strikeouts are the sixth-most for a single season in NCAA history."

From the Long Beach Press-Telegram (read the article here):

"Jered Weaver ended a season of honors with the biggest honor of all Tuesday.

The hard-throwing right- hander, who put together perhaps the most dominating season in Long Beach State history in 2004, won the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation's top college baseball player.

Drafted by the Angels in the first round last month, Weaver became the first Dirtbag to win the award considered baseball's equivalent to the Heisman.

Weaver beat out Ole Miss designated hitter Stephen Head, Arizona State shortstop Dustin Pedroia, Texas pitcher Huston Street and Rice pitcher Wade Townsend.

"I never expected any of these awards to come, so to even be among the top five amateur players in the country, that's a very big honor,' Weaver said in a story on the LBSU Web site. "This past season, I just tried to keep my team in ballgames, and I was able to do that.'

This season, Weaver set school records for strikeouts in a season (213) and a game (17) and tied the school mark for consecutive victories (14).

His 213 strikeouts are the sixth- most for a single season in NCAA history.

And his personal success equated to team success. He helped lead the Dirtbags to a victory at Stanford in the Regionals before Long Beach State fell a game short of the College World Series, losing the Super Regional to Arizona at home in three games.

This also caps off one amazing career.

Weaver was named the Big West Co-Pitcher of the Year as both a sophomore and junior, and set several Long Beach State career records, including strikeouts (431), wins (37) and innings pitched (370.0).

Having won the Dick Howser Award and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year honors, he can complete the national awards sweep Thursday, when the Roger Clemens Award is announced in Houston."

Thanks to James for passing along this link to photos of Dirtbags.

Drafted in the 5th round of the Major League Baseball draft in June, Brad Davis has signed with the Florida Marlins. Brad has been assigned to play with the Jamestown Jammers in the class A short season New York-Penn League, where he will be a team and battery mate with Jason Vargas.

So far, in 4 games, Brad is batting .273. You can follow Brad's current stats at Dirtbags Baseball here.

Despite the story I posted on June 22 from the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida that Jason Vargas had signed with the Florida Marlins, the Marlins website (here) on June 30, 2004, reported that Jason had not yet signed.

Well, now it's official. The Marlins' website now reports as follows (here):

"The Marlins have signed 10 more picks from the 2004 First Year Player Draft, including second-round choice Jason Vargas.

Vargas, a left-hander from Long Beach State University, is considered a possibility to be called up in September as a reliever."

Jason has been assigned to the Class A Jamestown Jammers of the New York-Penn League.

In his first start on July 1, Jason gave up 1 earned run over 3.2 innings. He followed up with a start last night, going 7.0 innings, giving up only 1 hit and no runs, with 7 strikeouts. Credited with the win (1-0), his ERA stands at 0.84.

Thanks to a tip from reader Joe, here is a link to a great digital picture tour of the Dirtbags home, Blair Field. I've added a link in the right column so you can come back to it later without having to find this post.

After you view the Blair Field tour, take a look at www.digitalballparks.com , where the Blair Field tour originates. It's a interesting site. The publishers, Eric and Wendy Pastore of Staten Island, NY, are attempting to create a visual museum of ballparks, many very, very old. What a great use of the internet medium.

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (real the entire article here):

"New Rainier a 'dirtbag'
Reed known for his all-out play at each stop in minors

By JANNY HU
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

TACOMA -- Of all the compliments hurled in Jeremy Reed's direction, none may be greater than this: He is a Dirtbag.

Yes, the key to the Freddy Garcia trade, the player whom Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi insisted be included into the White Sox package all along -- or no deal -- is a receptacle for dirt.

He is a dirtbag, as in the Long Beach State University Dirtbags, Reed's collegiate team. And while the name is guaranteed ammunition for hecklers, Reed says it is also the best way to describe his game.

"The hard-nosed player, the hard worker -- you do everything you can to win, leave it all out on the field and have fun," the outfielder said. "A dirtbag is definitely a good name for me. Absolutely."

The newest Mariners prospect, acquired on June 27 from Chicago with catcher Miguel Olivo and shortstop Mike Morse, played his first game for the Rainiers last night. He was 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tacoma's 7-6 victory over Portland.

Heading into the game, Reed was batting .275 with eight homers and 37 RBIs for Class AAA Charlotte. In batting practice, he sent back-to-back pitches over Cheney Stadium's right-field wall.

The Dirtbag, it seems, is having little trouble cleaning up in the minor leagues..."

2003 Big West Conference Co-Pitcher of the Year Abe Alvarez, playing with the AA Portland Sea Dogs, has been named to the Eastern League All-Star game roster. Read the story here.

In the final Collegiate Baseball newspaper Division I college baseball poll, the Long Beach State Dirtbags finished in 12th place. Read the poll here.

In the final Baseball America Division I college baseball rankings, the Dirtbags are 13th. See the rankings here.