Love it.

Walking in across Ontario St, the first image I saw of this season’s baseball was way off in the distance, the unmistakeable figure of Old Gerry in the press box, who covers the Canadians for I’ve-never-been-able-to-figure-out -who.  

He’s still alive, and perched in his regular spot next to The Sun’s Lyndon Little, and this means, no matter how much things change, they’re still the same old C’s.  Bless ‘em.

The starting lineup for opening day is as follows:

VANCOUVER CANADIANS:
JD ‘Beanball’ Pruitt LF
Carlos ‘Peachy’ Arrieche 3B
Mitch ‘No Fear’ LeVier CF
Dan ‘Good King’ Wentzell 1B
Lorenzo ‘Rollin’ in the Benzo’ Macias RF
Walt ‘WAAAAAALT!’ Correa 2B
Jareck ‘Wild Wild’ West DH
Francisco ‘Tornado’ Tirado SS
Julio ‘Down in the Schoolyard’ Rivera C
‘Romping’ Ronny Morla RHP

TRI-CITY DUST DEVILS:
Scott ‘Swiss Family’ Robinson CF
Charles ‘Whiteboy’ Blackmon RF
Jordan ‘Pachinko’ Pacheco C
Brent ‘Slow Man’ Bowman DH
Josh ‘Rubber’ Banda LF
Austin Rauch 1B
Radames ‘The Lothario’ Nazario SS
Chris Vasami 3B
Patrick ‘English’ Rose 2B
Juan Nicasio RHP

We’re live-blogging the game, so check back often!

1st inning: 

Romping Ronny Morla is a 20-year-old Dominican hurler who throws pretty consistently in the 89-91 mph range (according to the Notes From The Nat radar gun hanging by the left field foul pole). He opened his professional account with a swinging K on Tri-City lead-off man Scott Robinson that left The Swiss Family looking goofy. Nice way to open the show.

Morla romped through the remainder of the inning, tossing 90 mph fastballs and the odd change-up, which lured Blackmon and Pachinko into weak pop flies. He might have mixed a breaker in now and then, but there didn’t look to be too much variation. Not that any was needed this early.

With the bat, the C’s sent up perennial baseball headbutter, JD Pruitt, who worked Juan Nicasio into a 3-0 hole before the Dust Devils starter tipped his cap, reached back, and started sending the nasty fastballs down the middle. K’s to Pruitt and #2 hitter Carlos Arrieche followed in quick time.

That brought Mitch LeVier to the plate, and he surely earned his ‘No Fear’ nickname, blazing away at everything sent in his direction. A big swing at a 95mph heater never looked like connecting, and neither did the ensuing swoosh in front of an 81 mph change-up. Nicasio went back to the nasty for the pay-off pitch to strike out the side.

Oh. And I LOVE the freaking radar gun, if you haven’t noticed.

2nd inning:

Ronny Morla is starting to play with change-ups now, and the result is a hard-hit ball to right field from Dust Devils DH Brent Bowman. Josh Banda, in his second year of Dust Devils ball, knocked a dribbler to third which ended up as a 5-4-3 double play that, really, even as a total homer, you had to say was a bad call by the ump.

Still, we’ll take it, if that’s what’s necessary to break the Canadians’ big crowd curse.

Another change-up later and Austin Raunch is watching his hit go up, up, up, and down, down, down into a glove. C’s time.

Dan Wentzell was a 20th rounder last year who, if memory served, spent that season playing in front of four people and a dog in Arizona. The dog’s name was Butch. It was often bored.

Hitting #4 for the C’s, Wentzell went 0-2 quickly in the second inning, but nicked off a few foul tips (including one that went through the protective screen and smacked an unsuspecting fan in the chest) and worked the count to an even 2-2 before a dodgy ump call saw him strike out looking.

Then came Lorenzo, rollin’ in the Benzo, out to a 0-2 count like everyone else before him, but rather than succumb to yet another K (there’d already been four on the first four hitters), instead he poked a reachy dribbler up the middle for the opening hit of the C’s season.

That brought up WAAAAAAAALT! who was hot and cold last season (often at the same time) for the C’s. With Nicasio suddenly having broken his strike out streak, he began to look vulnerable, and Correa took advantage by belting a nice single into right field.

With two on and one out, Jareck West strode to the plate, and though he looks like he’s a powerlord at first glance, he worked Nicasia smartly out to a 3-0 count. Things were looking good for the C’s to score a run or two, until Nicasia went back to his stock-in-trade; heat.

Full count. Swinging dribbler, runners move up, West sits down.

Tornado Tirado was up next and hit a fairly decent shot to the right center gap, only for it to be hauled in by a sprinting Charlie Blackmon who did well to get anywhere near it, let alone catch it.

Inning over, threat ended - but Nicasio is looking hittable all of a sudden.

3rd inning:

Spent the entire inning trying to get an internet connection. Nothing much happened beyond that, other than my freaking out that everything I’d written was possibly lost. Ultimately, it wasn’t, but it was close.

Oh, talked with Andy Dunn about how he needs to put it in his contract that whenever a media person asks him how long it’ll be until he heads back to the majors, he should get a dollar. Would be a heck of a rich deal.

Additionally, he tells me the mini-golf course in the kids’ area has a ‘Rob Fai par 4′. I’m fairly certain I saw the C’s media man out there elbowing kids off the course. I’m also fairly certain he stole some kid’s mini-donuts, but that’s just Fai being Fai.

4th inning:

Ronny Morla is dealing. Those with scorebooks are noting that, while Nicasio opened the game striking out his first four batters, he hasn’t stuck anyone out since. Morla, on the other hand, has been nibbling away at the Dust Devils, accumulating the same number of K’s, but with about 5mph less to work with.

"He’s still working on his command," says Andy Dunn of Nicasia, "but he’s got stuff, no doubt."

Me? I think it’s another case of, he can throw hard and he can mix it up just fine, but when he gets someone on base behind him, he loses his head. Sadly, the Canadians weren’t exactly testing my theory.

‘No Fear’ Mitch LeVier skied a fastball for the C’s in typical blazing fashion to register the Canadians’ first out of the inning, but Good King Wentzell is more of a ‘work the count’ kind of guy. He ultimately hit into a ground-out to second, but I like his approach as he watched a few pitches, waited for the right opportunity, and didn’t give up his out easily.

Lorenzo Macias, with bases empty and no outs, picked a Nicasio change-up perfectly, but was a little early on it, belting a nice long drive into deep into right field foul territory. ‘Zo has the swing, but he seems to be an easy strikeout, at least today.

And that brings up the Vancouver version of the hot dog race… the SUSHI RACE!

It was a neck and neck affair, but Miss BC Roll was pipped at the last by Mr Takanaki. Mr Wasabi never got hot.

5th inning:

Lothario Nazario opened the 5th with a doink down the left field line that he busted out into a double on JD Pruitt’s somewhat ambling chase. Beanball nearly nabbed the out with a hard throw, however, credit to him.

The Lothario wasn’t on second base for long though, as Chris Vasami caught up with an 89 mph meatball and drilled it hard for a stand-up RBI double into right center. 

A few batters later and the Devs have runners on the corners with two outs when C’s catcher Julio Rivera dives to his right to block what was a certain wild pitch, bare-handing it off the ground and saving a run to keep his team close.  

As Morla began to lose the handle on the ball, another pitch way inside barely missed Charles Blackmon, sending Rivera once again into ‘block at all costs’ mode, again getting his bare hand in the way and keeping things alive.

The pressure is mounting on Morla. He’s rattled with runners on the bases and his stuff is all but gone. Pitches are coming in at 79mph now, but a wild swing at a pitch low and away gets him out of the inning.

With the bat in hand, Julio Rivera looked teh-he-herrible as Nicasio toyed with him like Rosie O’Donnell and a jujube, but an odd catcher’s interference call gave him a free base. Not that it mattered much - JD Pruitt, pop-fly to center for the 3rd out.

6th inning: 

A couple of runners on the corners for Tri-City brings an end to Morla’s outing, and in comes 2006-7 C’s starting pitcher, Inoel Deaza. 

Deaza has spent three seasons at the low-A level now, and though he’s got decent stuff, you wouldn’t know it tonight… meatball down the center, towering shot over the centerfield wall, three-run homer for the bad guys.

Yes, you heard right… centerfield wall. At Nat Bailey Stadium.

4-0 Tri-City. 

Deaza’s curve hits mid-70’s and has bite, but it’s his fastball that is holding him back. If he reeeeeeeeally bends the back, he hits 89 mph, but he’s sitting on mid-80’s through most of this outing, and that’s basically ‘here comes the 24th round draft pick, so that’s me cut’ material. 

It took a second home run, this one off an 86 mph fastball, also over the centerfield wall, to Lothario Nazario, for anyone in the bullpen to even look like they’d be warming up soon… maybe. You could see the bullpen wanted in, but they’re going to have to get used to the rules of minor league pitching - the result is unimportant; you go until you’ve hit your minimum pitch count.

Basically, Deaza was going to have to fight through this and save his career or go down hard and be gone by Sunday.

Next pitch hits 90 mph, and also hits Vasami in the ass. Bye bye, Inoel.

A fly to left finds Pruitt, giving the home fans a reason to cheer (albeit an ironic one), and a hard hit fly to center falls down No Fear’s throat to end the inning.

With the C’s at the plate, Nicasio is still throwing. He’s laughing on the mound, throwing a lot of junk, but no Canadian looks capable of doing anything about it. 

Swinging K on LeVier… and his coach comes in to tell him he’s hit his pitch count. Sitting on a two-hit shutout, he’s off to the showers. Relief will come from Robert Paschal, a 6′1" lefty who the Rockies picked up as a non-drafted free agent last year. 

Interesting side note: C’s manager Rick Magnante is wearing a helmet at third base, not taking any chances after minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh was smacked in the head by a foul tip last season and killed. Smart move.

Dan Wentzell, struck out looking.

Hey, look! A TV on the concourse. And the C’s game is showing on it. And Rob Fai and Chris Pritchett are calling said game. And I have a hot dog! 

7th inning:

Edgar Tejada comes in to relieve for the C’s, and I like his game at first glance. He’s not a fireballer by any stretch, but he’s deliberate, focused, and when he unleashes a fastball, he looks like he’s throwing way faster than he is. His motion says ‘95mph’, but his results say 87.

Still, he struck out Whiteboy Blackmon, Pachinko Pacheco and Brent Bowman swinging, so maybe he’s one of those Joe Blanton-style ball-breakdancers who get guys out using the Jedi Mind Trick instead of, you know, actual pitching.

Tri-city still leading, 5-0.

8th inning:

Tejada is still dealing the solid stuff off the bump, mowing through the Devils in quick succession. One highlight - Walt Correa tracked down a hard-hit grounder up the middle with a full-stretch face first dive, then backhand-flipped it off the ground to get a runner at second base. Outstanding work by the Lost boy.

With the bat, the C’s are still struggling. JD Pruitt beat out a foul line slow-roller to get to 1st base, but even when the C’s hit the ball hard (as Carlos Arrieche did to right field), the Tri-City defense is right here to haul it in.

9th inning:

Tejada is a little loose, drilling Pat Rose in the middle of the back to open the inning. Julio Rivera lost the ball on a following K to allow Rose to take 2nd, and when Blackmon nailed a solid grounder to Correa’s left, WAAAAALT! once again took to the air, snaring it in with another full-stretch dive and getting the out at first off his knees.

Tejada starting to slow, dropping to 87 mph on his fastball and straying out of the zone some. With Pachinko at 3-0, he benefits from a couple of generous umpire calls to bring it back to a full count, before practically breaking his arm sizzling down a 90 mph heater for his eighth strikeout in three innings. Hot diggitty damn.

C’s have three batters left to score five. Warm up the car, dear.

A team of Scottish rugby players has taken root just to the left of Bud Kerr’s regular seat, and their passionate singing, shirts-off dancing, and general drunken mirth was at first annoying, but is right now about the only thing worth watching. Kilts and golf shirts, however - not a good look.

Dan Wentzell at the bat, watches a change-up inside for ball one. Another change down the middle evens the count at 1-1. He pulls up on a high fastball to inch ahead and another inside makes the count 3-1.

Paschal, clearly in trouble, goes to the fastball once again but he’s got no control of it by now and the lead-off batter walks.

Lorenzo Macias takes an early swing, knocking one over towards the second baseman, but Rose climbs the ladder for the first out.

The crowd suddenly starts to run for cover, leaving us in the press box wondering whether someone had a ‘gassy accident’, or maybe it was a repeat of the famous skunk invasion of 2004, when the bullpen scattered as a black and white critter wandered along the outfield wall.

No such luck. It’s just raining.

But with the entire crowd squeezed in around the rugby players, there’s some fun to be had as the lads decide to go crowd-surfing… credit to the guy who made it all the way up to the top row.

Back to the game, there’s a little too much air for Walt Correa’s swing as he donks Austin Chambliss’ 89 mph fastball into the right fielder’s waiting glove for out number two.

Chambliss, a 6′2" righty, sends in decent stuff, but Jareck West was camped out waiting for his fastball and pounded it off the Rogers Video billboard in left center for an RBI double - his second of the game. Wild Wild is one to watch.

Up next, Tornado Tirado, watches a couple of strikes and then, lazily, swings at a pitch that was so junky, someone tried to sell it heroin.

Game over. Ti-City continues the C’s ‘big crowd’ curse winning 5-1.

Hey, at least it wasn’t a shutout.

Last guy signing autographs: Walt Correa. Respect.
Highlight of the night: The dancing infield crew. No respect at all, but plenty of grins.
Best snack of the night: Do those french fries seriously have chicken salt on them? That’s awesome. Foot long and fries, $10.75. More expensive than last year, but the lines were practically non-existent and the food was genuinely fabulous, which is funny, since every other Aramark-catered ballpark I’ve ever eaten at blew massive chunks. Or I did, afterward.

C’s play the Devs again tomorrow night, and because the crowd will be smaller, we might even win. And Tim Raines will be there for the launch of the Bud Kerr Vancouver Baseball Museum, which will be built down the right field line, at the end of the barbeque area, where right now sits a Vancouver Baseball Wall of Fame.

Seriously.

As the fireworks begin, one last thought - there should be Scottish rugby players at every C’s game this season. 

June 17, 2008
	Final    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9      R   H   E   Tri-City   0   0   0   0   1   4   0   0   0      5   8   1   Vancouver   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1      1   5   0  Recap | Box | W: J. Nicasio (1-0, 0.00); L: R. Morla (0-1, 5.40) HR: TRI: J. Banda (1), R. Nazario (1).