Grizzlies Schedule Released

The Gateway Grizzlies Schedule has been released (home game dates are pictured right).  I won't go into a whole lot of detail just yet.  After all, the season is still far away (200 days until opening day...of course I'm counting).  Two new opponents join the Frontier League and the divisions are re-aligned for the upcoming season.  Gateway will play four exhibition games and 96 regular season games.  The new teams in the league are in Schaumburg, IL (nickname, the 'Boomers') and London, Ontario, Canada (no team mascot yet).  I'm in the process of getting a passport so I can call those games...needless to say, I'm very excited about getting to go to Canada to call some games this summer. 

Here's a look at the West Division, which GWY is still a part of. 

Photo Courtesy of Paul Baillargeon/ActionImaging.com

Gateway Grizzlies
Normal Cornbelters
Joliet Slammers
Rockford RiverHawks
River City Rascals
Windy City ThunderBolts
Schaumburg Boomers

Gateway's first EXH game is at home on May 9th against Southern Illinois.  That game gets underway at 11:35 A.M.  The Grizzlies open up for good on May 18th against the reigning FL Champion, Joliet Slammers.  GWY's first road trip takes them to Washington, PA and Canada May 22-27.  No game times yet. 

I'll be posting some pics and progress on the field turf very soon.  Also, college basketball will get some posts in the near future.  Until next time, Go Grizzlies, Bearcats and Cougars!

     -Adam Young

College Basketball Is Back

Hello all!  This week marks the beginning of the college basketball season and I couldn't be any more excited!  This will be an extremely busy college basketball season for me, serving as the Play-by-Play Voice for SIUE Women's Basketball, Men's Basketball Color Analyst at SIUE and the Public Address Voice for McKendree University.  Basketball has always been my favorite sport.  It's the sports I grew up playing religously and it has always been the sport where I feel I'm at my best when calling games.  Here's to a great basketball season for the school's I'll be calling games for and my favorite team growing up, Saint Louis University.  Here's my broadcasting schedule this week.

     Tuesday:  Public Address Announcing for McKendree Volleyball Senior Night
     Wednesday:  PA Announcing 'Meet the Bearcats Night' for McKendree Basketball
      Thursday:  Alongside Joe Pott for the SIUE Men's Basketball Exhibition Opener @ the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville.  The game will be broadcast on 88.7 FM WSIE and www.wsie.com.  KFNS will not carry either of the EXH games.
       Friday AND Saturday:  On the call of McKendree-Nebraska hockey on the Bearcats Sports Network.  Tune in @ www.mckbearcats.com. 
       Sunday: I'll be at the McKendree Bearcats Tip-Off Dinner in O'Fallon, IL to help kick off the McKendree University Basketball season.  Should be a great week!
     

Construction at GCS Ballpark: Bring on the Field Turf

Hello All!  Things have been a little hectic (and noisy) at GCS Ballpark already this week.  That's because construction is underway to replace the playing surface at the ballpark.  The project started Monday (all pictures courtesy of Paul Baillargeon/ActionImaging.com) and the progess has been drastic in just two days.  This is a very exciting time for the Gateway Grizzlies as the team transitions from grass to field turf.  It's a move that has understandably received a lot of flack from fans.  I, for one, am very excited about the switch.  Sure, like any baseball fan, I like the real grass, but financially this is going to be a great move for the organization.

It's a BIG change.  The Grizzlies will join a handful of team's in the Frontier League already using field turf and I'm excited to see how it looks when the project is completed.  According to people close to the project, it should be finished around Thanksgiving time.  If you want to see the construction first hand, stop by GCS Ballpark and check it out!

Livin' the Dream

Hello all!  With the off-season now in full effect for the Gateway Grizzlies, some of my blog posts will turn to other topics, with the majority of the non-Grizzlies related posts about my broadcasting ventures in the off-season.

After graduating from Southern  Illinois University Edwardsville in May 2010 with a degree in Mass Communication and a minor in Speech Communication, I've been fortunate to land numerous different broadcast gigs.  My main goal has always been to stay in the St. Louis market and broadcast the entre year...I wanted very little down time.  All I've wanted was to get on the air as much as possible.  I was hired by Gateway nearly a year ago (October 15th, 2010) and it has been amazing how much my career has taken off since then.  I'm getting the chance now to work for Gateway full-time and also call games for Division II McKendree University and Division I SIUE.  My schedule is full in the off-season, calling Volleyball, Soccer, Hockey, Basketball and Baseball at the two Universities.  Below is the link to the release from the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America, where I'm a client, announcing my newest gig as Women's Basketball PxP Broadcaster at SIUE.  STAA  President/CEO Jon Chelesnik has been very influential in my career and he contiues to give me great exposure.

   Young to call Women's hoops at Division I SIUE

At the age of 23, I'm extremely happy with the direction my career has gone already and I'm excited for what the future holds.  Getting the chance to be the Voice of a Minor League Baseball team and call Division I basketball next to my hometown is a dream come true.  The same day I graduated from college on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon in early May at SIUE, my parents had a going away party for me at our home in Waterloo.  I left for Fayetteville, North Carolina the next morning, one day after I received my college diploma.  I set out to begin my post-college broadcasting career and I had no idea when/if I would ever broadcast close to home again.

Broadcasting jobs are hard to find, let alone anywhere near your hometown or right where you want to be.  I'm blessed...I consider myself to be one of the fortunate ones.  Everything has fallen into place and worked out better than I could have imaginged.  This career can be fast..time flies when you are having fun and doing what you've always dreamed.  Now it's time to sit back, enjoy the ride a little more than usual and realize how lucky I am. 

I'm not done yet..I still have dreams to accomplish.  This business can eat up a young broadcaster really quick.  It's demading and challenging, but ever rewarding.  I'm back on the call tonight.  McKendree-Mid-Continent University Men's Soccer on the Bearcats Sports Network at 6:00, with a 5:45 air time.  Right before I go on the air tonight, I'm going to quickly reflect and give thanks for everything that has been given to me.  I'm a Gateway Grizzlie, a McKendree Bearcat and now an SIUE Cougar once again!

     -Adam Young

Analyzing Grizzlies-Rascals Blockbuster Trade

Hello all!  If you follow the Grizzlies closely, I'm sure you have read and/or heard about the completion of the Grizzlies/Rascals trade, that began on August 4th with Logan Parker heading to River City.  Last week, it became official that Charlie Lisk (Pictured below; all photos courtesy of Paul Baillargeon/ActionImaging.com) was the final Grizzlies piece heading to River City in a seven-person trade between the two teams. 

On August 4^th, Gateway traded Parker and a player to be named later to the Rascals for pitcher Erick Carillo and three player’s to be named later.  Now, with the deal completed, the Grizzlies receive pitchers Zach Robertson and Derrick Miramontes, former Grizzlies position player Chris McClendon, a 2012 first round draft pick and a player to be named later.

Here's Manager Phil Warren's take on the trade;

“Overall, It’s a very fair trade and we feel like we received four quality players and a first round draft pick for 2012.  With us out of the playoff hunt and Logan retiring, we essentially acquired five pieces for one.  We are extremely excited with the way it turned out.”

Lisk leaves Gateway as the team’s career leader in games played, at-bats, runs scored, total bases, hits, home runs and RBI.  The Wentzville, MO native began his Gateway career in 2007.  He is coming a 2011 season where he hit .294 with 24 homers and 94 RBI, both tops in the Frontier League.  Lisk is 28-years-old.   BUT, this deal is much more complicated than what most believe think.  Charlie lives in Wentzville, MO, which is MUCH closer to O'Fallon, MO then Sauget, IL.  He will save a ton of money on gas going to and from the ballpark.  Financially, this is a good move for Charlie and one that makes sense.  In my time here, Charlie was nothing short of outstanding.  His numbers speak for themselves.  I can understand why people are upset and confused, but as the Voice of this baseball team, I think the Grizzlies come out on top.  Logan Parker (Pictured Below) has retired, which Gateway knew he would do when they dealt time (hence him being traded to a winner for one more shot at a championship).  Charlie will put up great numbers once again in 2012, I believe...but, the Grizzlies received a ton of talent in return..let's analyze this deal.

Robertson finished 2011 with a 9-4 record and a 4.50 ERA for the Rascals.  He appeared 26 times, starting 12 games.  The 6-1 195 left-hander from Des Moines, IA struck out 77 batters in 88 innings pitched.  Robertson, 23, was drafted in the 30^th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins, where he went 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA.  He is a product of the University of Iowa. 

“Zach is a solid, consistent lefty who will begin the season as a starting pitcher for us,” Warren remarked.  “He made big strides since entering professional baseball in 2010 and is really starting to come into his own.”

I have liked Robertson ever since he stifled Gateway in a late-June start at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.  He will fit in very nicely into the Gateway rotation.  He has a veteran demeanor, going right after hitters.  Robertson throws pretty hard, touching the low-90s.  He is also versatile..since college he has been bouncing back and forth between the bullpen and rotation.  Like Phil said, as of right now, he will begin the season as a starter.

Miramontes, 24, enjoyed his second straight impressive season with the Rascals in 2011, earning his first Frontier League All-Star selection.  He finished with a 9-2 record and a 2.21 ERA out of the bullpen for River City.  Miramontes pitched in 44 games, all relief, collecting 17 saves.  A 5-10 180 pound right-hander from Durham, CA, Miramontes went 3-3 with a 2.19 ERA and five saves in 44 relief appearances in 2010.  He is known for using multiple arm angles during his outing’s to keep hitters off balance.

“Derrick’s numbers tell the story,” Warren said.  “He is one of the top flight relievers in the Frontier League and a legitimate back-end guy.”  
     

Miramontes has to be the most unique pitcher in the league, displaying numerous different arm angles and speeds on his pitches.  At times, he can be unhittable.  He struggled down the stretch in the regular season, including the final series with GWY, and that carried over to playoff struggles.  Hopefully that doesn't carry over to 2012.  I talked to Phil Warren last week and he expects Derrick to be a back-end of the bullpen guy for the Grizzlies, but not necassarily a guy who gets all the save chances.  Returner Richard Barrett will probably get save chances next year as well. 

The final piece of the deal is McClendon (Picture right:  GREAT photo by the talented Paul Baillargeon/ActionImaging.com), an infielder, who will come to Gateway for a second go around.  McClendon, 24, only appeared in seven games for the Grizzlies in 2009.  The 5-11 190 pound Lufkin, TX native helped the Rascals collect the 2010 Frontier League Championship, batting .279 and stealing 33 bases.  In 2011, McClendon battled injuries, but still managed to hit .332 with four home runs in 56 games.  He played his college ball at the University of Kentucky. 

“Chris is a spark plug and will fit in nicely at the top of our order,” Warren said.  “He is an outstanding third baseman and one of the key parts of the trade.”

Some people around the Frontier League said the best player on River City in 2011 was Chris McClendon.  On a team FULL of talent, many considered him to be the most important piece to the puzzle.  That is saying something!  Smooth with the glove at 3B, Chris will bat at the top of GWY's order (either first of second) and be as valuable as anyone in 2012.  He stole over 30 bases in 2010, batted over ..330 in 2011 and still has upside.  Phil Warren told me "I knew he was going to be a great player when we had him during 2009"...but an injury plagued 2009 season with GWY, and he wasn't invited back in 2010 (Donnie Ecker played 3B for GWY that year).  Chris McClendon is considered by many to be the centerpiece of this deal for the Grizzlies..if he's healthy, expect All-Star (maybe even MVP) type numbers for McClendon.

Phil Warren is hard at work building his 2012 roster..is there a chip on his shoulder?  Maybe...he's competitive and as hungry as any Manager I have come across.  He hates enduring 40 (2009) or 39 (2011) win seasons and wants to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.  I like this deal a lot..yes, I hate to see Charlie go.  If you know me, it was no secret that Charlie was one of my favorites..for many reasons.  He is a heck of a player and he never was shy around the microphone (a broadcaster's dream).  Charlie-good luck at River City..Robertson, Miramontes and McClendon-welcome to Gateway..time to bring a Championship back to Sauget!

    -Voice of the Gateway Grizzlies, Adam Young