The Northern Battery

Spawning Season Part Four: Frontier League deals

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 05:16:00 +0000

The Goldeyes made two deals with Frontier League teams in the last few days, sending Ridge Hoopii-Haslam to the Joliette Slammers Friday, then send RHP Rob Tasin to the Evansville Otters Monday. Both deals made for players to be named later.

Tasin was 0-1 with 3 saves and 4.50 ERA in 19 relief appearances in 2016.

Hoopii-Haslam batted .239, with 4 HR and 30 RBI in 61 games; the Hawaiian was the game hero several times in 2016, helping The Fish to key wins in their efforts to reach the post-season. Ridge is one of those character-players that quickly become fan favourites, and I have no doubt that Joliette fans will love having him.

Ridge Hoopii-Haslam celebrates in the dugout, Aug. 18, 2016.

Rob Tasin works the mound, July 14, 2016, Shaw Park.

Spawning Season, Part Three: More retirements...

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 05:06:00 +0000

On the heels of the retirements of Adam Heisler and Carlton Tanabe, two other Goldeyes have announced their retirements from baseball.

Willie Cabrera continued his stellar season after coming to Winnipeg from the Joplin Blasters midway through 2016; he wound up representing the Goldeyes at the American Association All-Star Game in St. Paul alongside David Rohm. Cabrera came as a fill-in for injured St. Paul Saints star Angelo Songco. Willie ends an 11-year career on a high-note with an American Association championship ring.

Much has been made elsewhere of the Goldeyes' key acquisitions from Joplin during 2016. Could they have won the championship without Willie Cabrera in the batting order and pitchers Winston Abreu and Victor Capellan? Perhaps the strongest argument in that case is Cabrera. He absolutely contributed at the plate: .318 batting avg., 17 HR and 77 RBI.

There is a long tradition of teams stocking up on key players in anticipation of a post-season run. The fact is, the Goldeyes didn't make the playoffs until the last day of the season. But when it came to getting a hired gun, Cabrera fit the bill and delivered as promised.

The last retirement to report could be perhaps the toughest to fill: LHP Eric Eadington. Despite having two Tommy John surgeries previously, Eadington proved to be a durable reliever that wound up being one of the most dominant lefties in the American Association. He was one of the reasons that The Fish were able to clinch a playoff spot and the championship. Here's a guy who probably could have been throwing in affiliated ball, but he came at the right time for Winnipeg.

Spawning Season Part Two: The Retirements

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 06:02:00 +0000

The Goldeyes have lost two of their 2016 American Association championship team to retirement: catcher Carlton Tanabe was the first to hang it up as a pro-ball player (in the fall), followed up by OF Adam Heisler, who announced his retirement Jan. 16, 2017.

As a strong baserunner and hitter who worked the top of the rotation, Heisler will be missed. A base-stealer of renown, Adam also graces the background image of this blog, sliding against the now-defunct Joplin Blasters.

Tanabe worked the slight majority of games behind the plate for The Fish in 2016, helping to fill the hole left by the departure of Luis Alen.

In the clubhouse, you couldn't meet two nicer guys, they'll be missed by fans and people behind the scenes. Best of luck in the future lads!

Carlton Tanabe belts in the game winning RBI, July 30, 2016.

Retro variant Adam Heisler, August 2016 at Shaw Park.

Spawning season, Part One: Three way deal

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 05:43:00 +0000

The snow is still on the ground in the Northern Battery, but the Winnipeg Goldeyes are already well into spawning season.

Today saw a three-way deal that hauls in 1B David Bergin from the St. Paul Saints. The Goldeyes send LHP Ethan Carnes to the Gary Railcats, while the Saints get the reversionary rights to Jose Sermo. Bergin has done a lot of damage to The Fish over the years, so they'll be glad to have him in the fold for 2017.

David Bergin during the 2016 Playoffs.

Jose Sermo played with Gary and in the Boston Red Sox system for 2016.

LHP Ethan Carnes works the mound.

Meet your 2016 American Association Champions!

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 02:52:00 +0000

It's been quite month for the Winnipeg Goldeyes: make the playoffs in the last day of the season, come back from a 2-1 deficit to beat St. Paul, and then they do it again, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to beat Wichita for the championship.

I thought I'd celebrate this win...after all, championship seasons don't come around often...with a special digital card set. This design will be used again, my hope is to do a complete league set in the off-season. Gentlemen, it's a been a pleasure to follow this amazon season!

2016 American Association/Can-Am All Star Game Part III: The Saints

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 03:57:00 +0000

While I'm obviously a Goldeyes fan through and through, I've come to really like the St. Paul Saints franchise over the past couple of years.

CHS Field is always a blast to visit, a true baseball temple if there ever was one. And maybe it's the sense of humour that permeates their game productions.

This season I had the pleasure to meet Mark Hamburger, Tony Thomas and Alonzo Harris more than a few times, and their contiguous enthusiasm for the game--and refusal to take themselves too seriously before and after the game--have made them three of my all-time favourites to photograph.

Tony and Alonzo are a couple of characters, I swear they should have their own buddy cop show...they never resist a chance to mug for the camera.

Family were a big part of the home run derby, here's a shot of Alonzo's pops and Tony Thomas taking in the action.

Alonzo has a sick bat and he put it to good use in the HR derby; he ended up coming in second on the night, even though he did a round with a Go-Pro strapped to his head.

He kept it up the next night at the actual game...

And Tony Thomas and Mark Hamburger represented the Saints in fine form as well.

Angelo Songco was there too; alas, he was had sustained a shoulder injury prior to the game and was unable to complete.

I suppose I should mention George Tsamis, the Saints manager. He's one of the best. The North's dugout was crawling with photographers, so at one point in the game I tried to crouch on the steps near his usual roost in the dugout. Under normal game circumstances, unthinkable...but this was a bit different.

He was going to shoo me away from the steps, but then asked: "are you going to shoot all the players?" i.e. not just Goldeyes.

"Yes, for sure."

"Then you can stay."

So, belatedly, thanks for letting me stick around, George. You're all right in my books.

2016 American Association/Can-Am All-Star Game Part 2: Lemurs and other creatures

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 04:26:00 +0000

In the middle of 16 games in 18 days so things are crazy here at The Battery...but I did want to get some more All-Star shots before they get too dusty.

One of the highlights of the St. Paul All-Star Game was photographing some of Laredo's top players. The Lemurs didn't have any games scheduled in 2015 or 2016 in Winnipeg so it was a rare opportunity.

Dennis Phipps was one of the participants in the Aug. 1 home run derby:

The following night we got to see some of Laredo's pitching crew: Ryan Beckman, Luis De La Cruz and Jeff Inman. Barret Loux was voted in but unable to participate, and I missed Jose Nivar unfortunately.

At the time, we hadn't seen the Wichita Wingnuts in two years in Winnipeg. That would change in a week or so when the Nuts did a four game trip to Shaw Park. But it was neat to get an advance preview of Harrison Kain and star closer Frankie Reed before they made it to The Peg.

And just before the night was through, I caught glimpse of the lone Joplin Blaster at the All-Star game, Victor Capellan. Lighting was poor by that point and I never did get a good shot of him. But oddly enough, the Goldeyes would make a cash deal for Capellan just ten days later. So I got a second chance to photograph the sideways-capped reliever right here in Winnipeg.

2016 American Association/Can-Am All-Star Game Part 1: the Winnipeg connection

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 07:36:00 +0000

Got back from St. Paul yesterday, full credit to the St. Paul Saints organization, who collectively worked their asses off to make for a memorable two-day American Association/Can-Am All-Star event. CHS Field is a world-class facility and it was the perfect location to showcase the best players in indy ball. The North beat the South/Can-Am team 6-1, thanks in large part to an outstanding performance by MVP David Rohm. He's as reliable a hitter as they come, and Aug. 2 was no exception.

As one of the shooters in the Goldeyes' photo pool, my main goal of the trip was fairly simple: get as many shots of Rohm and Willie Cabrera (a late addition to the North All-Stars in place of injured Saint Angelo Songco) as possible. So I definitely had my lens pointed in their direction much of the time. At one point, while he was fielding, Rohm looked over at me as if to say "dude, quit it, I'm not even doing anything right now." I don't think David and Willie will be filing restraining orders against me just yet...they asked me to shoot several shots during pre-game and the home-run derby...but I won't push my luck much further...

Another highlight was seeing former Goldeyes Josh Mazzola and Luis Alen once again. Regardless of what jersey these gentlemen are wearing, they are two of the best ambassadors for the game the American Association could ask for.

More shots to come in the next few days. A big thanks to Paul McKeen, who came through with a 70-200 lens after I bounced mine off the concrete steps at Shaw Park a couple weeks ago (a casualty of Bark in the Park). Every lens has its own personality, and while I don't think I got my strongest shots at the All-Star event, I got by all right and that's all that matters.

Also a big thanks to Kevin Luckow, Bill Tyler, leaders of the St. Paul tailgate crew. They were great hosts and it was fun to meet Steve Hamburger, Alonzo Harris Sr. and Will Alexander--a few of the all-star dads who also enjoyed a few hot dogs and beer just like the rest of us. Great, down to earth people who made the trip all the more enjoyable.

Dateline: St. Paul

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 04:01:00 +0000

The Northern Battery has ventured cross border deep into Saints territory for the American Association's All-Star Game at the fabulous CHS Field. The Goldeyes own David Rohm and Willie Cabrera will be representing the Northern Front on Tuesday night. Home run derby/Soul Asylum concert tomorrow night to start things off, should be a fun couple days of baseball, hot dogs and rocking in the free world!

Rohm has been as solid as they come for The Fish, while Cabrera was a fantastic mid-season addition from the Joplin Blasters. The latter Goldeye comes in as a replacement for the injured Angelo Songco, who was originally selected from the Saints. Still kind of surprising to see only two Goldeyes selected for the game, but it's a well-deserved honour for these two gentlemen. Looking forward to getting some great shots at CHS!

Storm weather

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 18:11:00 +0000

After beating the Saints twice in as many days, Game 3 was set for July 20. Duke Von Schamann was on the mound for the Fish while the formidable Mark Hamburger (undefeated this season) was in for the Saints. Mother nature had other ideas, however, as the killer humidity hit a cold front and the clouds starting swirling in the sky over Shaw Park. The players, who were sent to their dugouts because of the lightening, stuck around to watch the crazy cloud formations. I stuck around and watched along with them; Jacob Rogers pointed out a funnel cloud spiralling down towards St. Boniface, just behind the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. It lasted less than a minute, making it halfway to the ground before it pulled apart again. I was glad my old neighbourhood was spared the damage! Other parts of town weren't so lucky. Game was called with St. Paul up 3-0 in an 1.5 innings. We'll finish the game off Aug. 15!

Abercrombie breaks AA's all-time home run record

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 05:33:00 +0000

It was only a matter of time, and tonight (July 14) Reggie Abercrombie tied and broke the American Association's all-time home run record with his 87 and 88th shots over the wall. The homers helped The Fish to a 6-4 victory over a decimated Sioux City Explorers squad. Coming off a 17-3 loss the previous evening, the Xs made a game of it with two pitchers in their batting rotation (Rob Wort and Jake Kuebler).

Socks Up for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 04:47:00 +0000

Goldeye Great Max Poulin was at the July 3 game vs. Sioux Falls for a very special reason: to support Beyond Borders and their efforts to combat child exploitation. Both the Goldeyes and the Canaries wore their socks up for the game, and even took a rare break during the 7th inning for a mid-field photo. Great cause aside, I love the look of the high socks; Gary-Southshore wear it team-wide for each game and it looks very sharp. Maybe I'm old school but I love it. Pictured here are: Pitcher Shawn Blackwell and the Canaries; Adam Heisler, who returns after two-weeks on the injured reserve with his name still in the AA's top 10 batting leaders; Canaries' David Bergin; and the giant Goldeyes/Canaries group shot with Max Poulin.

Blake Schmit, Sioux Falls Canaries

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 04:30:00 +0000

(Photographed July 1-3, 2016 at Shaw Park, Winnipeg) Schmit is currently sitting at #2 in the American Association's league-leading batters, right behind Winnipeg's own David Rohm.

Mark Hamburger, St. Paul Saints

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 04:10:00 +0000

The St. Paul Saints June 17-19 stop at Shaw Park was a drubbing that left the Goldeyes and their fans ducking for cover. One of the highlights though for the die-hard autograph seekers was Mark Hamburger, who threw for the Saints in Game 2. He turned out to be one of the friendliest characters they'd met in some time and they couldn't stop raving about him! And he still throws a decent game as well.

Christian Ibarra, Lincoln SaltDogs

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 03:57:00 +0000

Mere days after the Lincoln SaltDogs passed through Winnipeg, Christian Ibarra's contract was purchased by the Minnesota Twins (Shot June 3-5 at Shaw Park, Winnipeg). Added bonus, a 2015 shot of Ibarra while still with the Amarillo Thunderheads.

Jose Sermo, Gary Southshore Railcats

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 03:30:00 +0000

Jose has been impressive in two abbreviated seasons in Gary, and now the Boston Red Sox have come calling and his contract has been sold back to the majors. I had the luck of snapping some early shots when Jose joined the team last year, and one of these made it to the Railcats' card set for 2015. Congrats Mr. Sermo! (Photos taken July 16, 2015 at Shaw Park, Winnipeg, and Aug. 22, 2015 in Fargo, N.D.).

Benji Waite, pitcher, St. Paul Saints

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 03:18:00 +0000

First met Benji as a Goldeye, later as a RedHawk and now he's slinging middle relief for the St. Paul Saints. Almost didn't recognize him during the Saints last series in Winnipeg, as Benji's shorn his trademark flow. We miss him up here! (Shot at Shaw Park, Winnipeg on June 19, 2016)

Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 03:11:00 +0000

Haven't had as much time to post here as of yet, I'm still getting settled in as one of the official photographers for the Goldeyes this year. More responsibilities to post elsewhere at the moment, I still get game day shots on the Northern Batteries twitter account and Facebook page. I think here I might just post random portfolios of players, always nice to draw attention to a player that may have gone under the radar as far as photos go. I'll be putting up a few sets in the next few days...it's time to get this clubhouse up and running again!

Further scenes from Training Camp, Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Sun, 08 May 2016 00:09:00 +0000

Pictured: Edwin Carl does some pre-throw training; new catcher Carlton Tanabe in the cage; and Reggie Abercrombie, who already looks to be settling into a leadership role. Saw Reg giving plenty of helpful advice/tips to the newcomers and it looks like he can still crush the ball.

Scenes from Training Camp, Day 1: Zach Dando

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Sun, 08 May 2016 00:01:00 +0000

Acquired from the Texas AirHogs in exchange for Mark Pope, Zach Dando looks like he has plenty to offer on the mound (shot May 7, 2016).

Fish will look to new leaders in 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Sat, 07 May 2016 04:40:00 +0000

The 2016 camp makes its formal debut in Winnipeg tomorrow with the Goldeyes annual open house at Shaw Park. This will certainly be a different team front the 2015 edition. The Fish were hit with a slew of retirements in the off-season: Casey Haerther, Matt Jackson, Nick Hernandez, Brendan Lafferty, Ryan Babineau are among the Fish who bid adieu to pro ball. Josh Mazzola signed with Fargo in an off-season shocker and Luis Alen was traded to Lincoln. So that leaves 2015 AA All-Star Adam Heisler (pictured with the departed Haerther), Casio Grider (who looked great during an injury plagued season last year) and Reggie Abercrombie becomes the elder statesman in the clubhouse. On the mound, we only have three returning hurlers: Edwin Carl, who showed all sorts of promise last season, Kyle Anderson and closer Jailen Peguero. First baseman Jacob Rogers and outfielder Josh Romanski are among some highly-regarded new recruits. Lots of new faces to learn, but that's indy ball in a nutshell. Come down to Shaw Park tomorrow and meet the lads, it should be a great day!

Fargo re-hires their hitman

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 03:54:00 +0000

The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks inked one of their heavy hitters today with the re-signing of Chad Mozingo. Mozingo led the RedHawks with a .307 batting average last season and also topped the AA in doubles with 34. Mozingo gave the Goldeyes all sorts of trouble last year, so the cross-border rivalry has definitely been turned up a notch.

Watching the Southern Arms Race

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 07:09:00 +0000

A few key movements down south this week with the St. Paul Saints and the Sioux City Explorers. These two teams were big rivals for the 2015 schedule and are looking for another battle in 2016. The Saints lose their third player to the MLB system with the signing of Anthony Phillips to the California Angels of Anaheim, while the Explorers have signed 2015 All-Star Ryan Court for 2016. So far the Saints appear to be losing troops for all the right reasons (Vinny DiFazio, Noah Perio Jr. and Phillips all deserve another shot), but the way players like Court and Michael Lang have been playing for the Xs, they could be getting another look from the majors as well.

Goldeyes trade King Luis to Lincoln

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 01:01:00 +0000

End of an era today as The Fish trade vet Luis Alen and OF Logan Vick to the Lincoln Saltdogs for lefties Kevin McGovern and Conor Spink. Alen was a key member of the Goldeyes 2012 championship season and holds many team records over seven seasons: base hits (714), doubles (130), RBI (347), and walks (232). Catcher Carlton Tanabe was also signed today, so he'll be the go-to for the departing Alen and retiring Ryan Babineau. Tanabe spent last year behind the plate for both the High-A California League’s Bakersfield Blaze and the Double-A Southern League’s Jackson Generals. Luis will definitely be missed in Winnipeg, as the face of this current era. Along with the departures of Matt Jackson and Nick Hernadez, it will be a different look to the 2016 edition of the team.

Xs re-sign All-Stars Lang and Perio Jr. for 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Dan LeMoal) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 00:35:00 +0000

The Sioux City Explorers signed a key player from their record-breaking 2015 year today, securing all-star outfielder Michael Lang for the upcoming season. Lang ranked in the top 5 in 4 different AA stat categories. He led the entire league in triples (10), ranked second in stolen bases (45), scored the third most runs in the league (75), and earned the 4th highest batting average at .343. This comes on the heels of last week's inking of all-star short stop Noah Perio Jr. Both signings make a whole lot of sense as the Xs look to replicate their successes from last year.