COLLEGE WORLD SERIES REGIONAL NEWS

ROAD TO OMAHA UPDATE.
Two good friends from Franklin High School are competing in the NCAA College Baseball tournament, and had their first games today.

Bart Carter, of the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers, celebrated with his teammates as they beat second-seeded Missouri with a convincing 11-5 win today. WKU scored 6 runs in the first inning and never looked back. They will play either #8 Mississippi or Monmonth on Saturday evening at 6:00pm.

Jeff Mercer and the Wright State University Raiders traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to play the host TCU Horned Frogs. They didn't fare so well, losing 6-3. That drops WSU into the losers bracket, and they will play Texas A&M at 3pm on Saturday.

A GREAT WEEK FOR OUR FRIENDS

It was quite a week for the Mercer family—no, not ours but those with whom we have become extended family—dear friends of ours here in our community of Franklin, Indiana.

On Thursday, May 21, the first annual Small Victories Charity Golf Tournament was held in memory of Daniel Mercer, on what would have been his 21st birthday. Daniel died three years ago on Memorial Day, after a long, courageous battle with brain cancer. His life, death, and the subsequent charitable works that have been done in his honor have been an inspiration to all of us here in Franklin. His parents, Jeff and Pam, hosted a wonderful event that raised thousands of dollars for at-risk youth here in central Indiana. Thanks to all who participated and helped in so many ways!

To read Daniel's full story, go to the Small Victories website and order a copy of the book that details his remarkable, if all too brief, life.

Then, over the weekend their oldest son, Jeff Mercer and his baseball team from Wright State University battled to win the Horizon League Conference tournament and earned a berth in the field of 64 on the Road to Omaha for the NCAA Division I baseball championship.

And this just a week after Jeff had been named the Horizon League Player of the Year!

In the opening round of the tourney, WSU will travel to Fort Worth, Texas to face the top-seeded TCU Horned Frogs on Friday, May 29 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Go Raiders!

We thank God for such a blessed, exciting, and happy week for our friends!

ROOKIE UPDATE...

Austin pops out to end the inning...



Hey, at least he ran it out!

Red Sox (the good guys) 15, White Sox 6.

A Rookie to Watch...

If you would like to follow Austin's season, you can check out his baseball page at:

http://austinrookieleague2009.shutterfly.com.

RED SOX NATION...

Our grandson Austin starts his Little League career tomorrow. He is playing on the Rookie League Red Sox.

Of course, this makes grandma especially happy, since she grew up in New England, rooted for those great Red Sox teams of the 60's and 70's, and joined with Red Sox nation in celebrating their World Series victories in 2004 and 2007.

To get ready for a season of following our local rookie Red Sox, tonight we watched the ESPN Classic broadcast of game six of the 1975 World Series between the Red Sox and the Reds, one of the greatest baseball games ever played. Carlton Fisk delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the 12th, using every ounce of body english he had to keep the ball fair as it hit the foul pole above the Wall at Fenway.

Go, Red Sox!

Just in time for Opening Day...

Be sure to check out Jesus Creed today, where Scot McKnight has a post so funny that I would fall down laughing if I weren't hunched over crying my eyes out.

"Be of good courage, and wait, O longsuffering Cubs fan!"

THURSDAY THINGAMAJIG: Phillies win it all

My sister from Philadelphia called last night. She just had to rub it in, didn't she?

First, the Cubs tank.

Then, the Red Sox can't finish the job.

The Phillies outlasted them all, even the Cinderella Rays. Oh well, congratulations. You folks have waited a long time too (though not 100 years).

Another long off-season for this baseball fan.

SATURDAY SPORTS WRAP: October 3-4

Plainfield 24, Franklin 13
Grizzly Cubs break scoring drought, but fail to stop Plainfield's strong running game. Franklin will look to get back on the winning track next Friday at Greenwood.

Franklin College 30, Defiance 14
Grizzlies bounce back after last week's loss at Trine. In this week's Heartland Conference opener, Franklin scored on its first two possessions and controlled the ball the rest of the way for the win. Next week FC returns home to face Bluffton for homecoming.

Dodgers 3, Cubs 1... Dodgers advance
Dismal. Embarrassing. Season over. Baseball is not a hard game. If you don't pitch, field and hit, you don't win. The Cubs didn't pitch in the first game, field in the second, or hit in any of the three. See ya next year.

FRIDAY FOTO: Cubs on the brain

This shot was taken when my son Jesse and I went to a Cubs game in Cincinnati earlier this summer. This is Derek Lee at the plate. I remember that many Cubs swung at bad pitches that night and showed little discipline at the plate. That was an anomaly from the way they hit most of the season. Unfortunately, they are in one of those slumps again, if the first two games of the NLDS are any indication.

Of course, there is still hope, but it's the hope of what most would call a "miracle." Give credit to the Dodgers too. They are playing well at just the right time.

As for me, like most Cubs fans, I'm pretty sure the sky is falling.

THURSDAY THINGAMAJIG: It was the worst of times

(Photo from ChicagoSports.com)

"That wasn't good baseball. In fact, the last two games were probably the two worst games we played all year, from a walking and errors standpoint. It wasn't fun to watch, I can tell you that."

(Lou Piniella)

Superstitious fans will be invoking cosmic phenomena once more, and frankly, who can blame them? One of the best teams in baseball has completely fallen apart in the playoffs. The Cubs would have had a hard time beating a Little League team, the way they played in the first two games of the NLDS. And it wasn't just the walks and errors, painful and inexplicable as they were. It was also an uncharacteristic total lack of discipline at the plate and the absence of any kind of resilience or energy to fight back when down.

Folks, we're reduced to praying for miracles now.

WEDNESDAY QWOTE: Dodgers walk all over Cubs

Ryan Dempster walks seven.
In the fifth inning, he walks the bases loaded.
James Loney hits a grand slam.
Game over.
Cubs are down 1-0 in the NLDS to the Dodgers.

Sigh...


(Photo from ChicagoSports.com)

"We talked about the importance of throwing strikes before the ballgame. And their guys threw strikes and ours didn't. It hurts."

(Lou Piniella)

SATURDAY SPORTS WRAP: Sept 26-27

One game left for Cubs
The Chicago Cubs finish the regular season tomorrow against the Milwaukee Brewers, whom they defeated 7-3 today, dropping the Brew-crew into a tie in the wild card race. (photo from ChicagoSports.com)

Trine upsets Franklin
The Franklin Grizzlies, who had moved up in the NCAA Div III rankings to #14 this week, were surprised by a strong Trine Thunder team, 30-27, today at Trine's homecoming. Franklin's record drops to 2-1, in anticipation of next week's conference opener at Defiance.

The usually potent Grizzly offense had several chances in the fourth quarter to drive for a score, but the Thunder defense stiffened and prevented the comeback. Then sophomore QB Eric Watt took over, and Trine ran out the clock.

Turnovers were costly for Franklin, as Trine turned four Grizzly miscues into scores.

Whiteland dominates visiting Grizzly Cubs
The Whiteland Warriors soundly defeated Mid-State rival Franklin Friday night, 48-0, at Whiteland's homecoming. Franklin was in the game in the first quarter, and had chances to make some noise early, but mistakes and aggressive Warrior play quickly turned the tables, and the rout was on. (photo from The Daily Journal)

SATURDAY SPORTS WRAP: Sept 19-20

UPDATE: Cubs take Central Division Title!
The Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 to clinch first place.

Cubs Must Wait for Another Day
The magic number is now at 1.

Milwaukee did their part by losing to
Cincinnati, but the Cardinals shelled Carlos Zambrano in his first start since his no-hitter, winning 12-6.




No Offense
The Franklin Grizzly Cubs football team was punchless against Decatur Central Friday night, suffering their second straight Mid-State Conference shutout, 27-0. Clayton Simmons, one of the conference's leading rushers, was held to just 26 yards, and the DC defense gave QB Daniel Bechman little time to throw the ball. Unfortunately, the schedule doesn't get any easier—next week Franklin plays 8th-ranked Whiteland.

WEDNESDAY QWOTE: Big Z's No-No

"I guess I'm back...Next stop will be the World Series"

(Carlos Zambrano, after his no-hitter on Sept. 14, 2008)

Ninth-Inning Woes

Sean Marshall pitched well (1 run and 3 hits over 6 innings), but the Cubs stranded too many runners, and Kerry Wood couldn't hold the Reds in the bottom of the ninth inning. Result? Cubs lose a heartbreaker, 4-3.

It was a beautiful day in Cincinnati, a great view from the upper deck, a sense of camaraderie in a stadium mostly filled with Cubs' fans, and a pleasant afternoon at the ballpark over all. It was also a good family day, as Gail and I enjoyed going with my folks to the game before they left to return home to Tenn.

At least the Brewers lost too, so the Cubs lost no ground and maintain their four-game lead in the standings.



Photos from chicagosports.com

SWEEP! Cubs make Brewers look silly.

The Cubs finished a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers today, thrashing them 11-4. The Brewers fell into third place for the time being, and best of all, the Cubs proved to themselves that they could win big games away from Wrigley Field. They're going to need it at the end of the year, when they play 16 games in September and conclude the season back at Miller Park with three games against these same Brewers.

Practice makes perfect...

Austin getting in some swings in the front yard.

ITEM: Coach survives first T-ball game...

I'm happy to report that the Dodgers (and their coach) survived our first T-Ball game last night. In fact, it was better than that with regard to the kids. They did great! For the most part, they listened to instruction really well, stayed in their positions, hit the ball both from the T and from the coach's pitches, and seemed to have a great deal of fun.

As for the coach, well the word "survival" does apply. Picture him rushing home from work to get ready on time, then suddenly realizing as he approaches the house that he forgot to pick up his grandson for the game! No time to go get him. Can't get hold of anyone on the phone who can. Frantically making calls, and as he does, he locks his keys in the car! Picture him trying over and over again to call his wife to find the location of the spare key. Picture him tearing apart the usual places and finally finding it. Then watch as he talks to the babysitter again and she agrees to bring the grandson, except he will be late. Oh well, at least this incident won't go into the "Bad Grampas" Hall of Fame. Then watch as he pulls out only to notice that the back door is standing wide open. He runs up and shuts it and quickly drives to the field, only to realize that he forgot all his papers—the schedule, the roster, the sign-up sheet for snacks.

By the way, as you are picturing this, gently put your fingers in your ears. You don't want to hear some of the words being uttered against the chaos!

As the coach gathers his team for the pre-game talk, he asks, "Have you ever had a bad day?" and confesses his loony behavior. Confession is good for the soul. The kids are unfazed, have a great game, and Austin arrives for at least half of it.

An inauspicious debut for the coach...

Soriano on a tear!

When we saw the Cubs in Cincinnati recently, Alfonso Soriano looked terrible at the plate. Coming off a leg injury, his timing and pitch selection was atrocious. But boy, how he has come out of it lately!

Here are this week's stats:

• A home run Monday
• A home run Tuesday
• A home run Wednesday
• Two hits Thursday
• Two home runs Friday
• A five-hit day Saturday (with two more home runs)
• A hit and an RBI sacrifice fly Sunday

I think it's safe to say he's back.

My new favorite team

Go Dodgers!

Our T-ball team had its first practice this morning on a lovely sunny spring day here in Franklin. What a great group of kids and parents! Should be a fun season.