Category: Uncategorized

2011 MLB Postseason Preview

By Jeff Dickson, Director of Food & Beverage

With the end of the South Atlantic League season, as well as the hot summer months, comes the ultimate showcase for the best of the best in Major League Baseball: the postseason. The colder weather means fall is upon us, and nothing says fall like playoff baseball. Eight teams will make the playoffs, but only one team can call itself World Series Champion come the end of the year. Which team will that be? That’s where the Crawdads staff comes in, as we will be previewing the 2011 playoffs with a different team preview each day, subject to change as the playoff races get settled.

As it stands now, only two teams have clinched a spot in the playoffs, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Detroit Tigers, so we’ll begin by previewing those teams. Most of the other races are all but settled, however there are still a few to keep an eye on. The Boston Red Sox are injured and slumping and have just a two game lead on the surging Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card race. The Wild Card race in the National League is almost as tight, with the Atlanta Braves holding a 2 ½ game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. All the division leaders have at least a five game lead, so, barring any major collapse, those leads should hold up. As it currently stands, those leaders are the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.  

We’ll kick off our previews tomorrow with the team with the best record in baseball, and a heavy favorite to win it all, the Philadelphia Phillies. Each day, we’ll feature a different team and once the previews are done and the playoffs are set to begin we’ll even post our predictions, so stay tuned to find out who we think will win it all!

Jeff is entering his second season with the ‘Dads and first as the director of food & beverage.  The Oneonta, NY native joined the Crawdads in 2011 as a concessions assistant, and has previously worked with the Oneonta Outlaws as a sports marketing intern.  Jeff is a die-hard fan of the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Giants.

Coffee with the Crawdads: 8/4/11

By Ben Gellman
Broadcasting Assistant

The Hickory Crawdads got knocked around by the Hagerstown Suns Wednesday night, dropping game 3 of the four-game series 12-0.  The Crawdads mustered only five hits against the Suns, who scored five runs in an inning twice in the ballgame.  Listen here for the recap.

The Crawdads will look for a win tonight against the Suns, sending righty Cody Buckel to the hill to take on Robbie Ross for the Suns.  The game begins at 7 p.m., with gates opening at 6 p.m.  It’s Thirsty Thursday at the ballpark, with great drink specials and Banned on Wednesday performing after the game!  It’s also Throwback Jersey Night!  Tickets are still available at 828-322-3000, or by visiting the Hickory Crawdads website.  See you tonight!

Coffee with the Crawdads: 7/25

By Ben Gellman
Broadcasting Assistant

Time for another Coffee with the Crawdads!  Jared Weymier stops by as we recap the Crawdads’ 7-6 win against Delmarva last night!  You can hear the recap right here.

Game 3 of the 4-game series is tonight at 7 p.m.!  Right-handed pitcher Roman Mendez (8-1) will be on the mound for the Crawdads, so don’t miss it!  Tickets are still available by calling 828-322-3000 or visiting us online at www.hickorycrawdads.com.  See you at L.P. Frans!

Coffee with the Crawdads: 7/23/11

By Ben Gellman
Broadcasting Assistant

Unfortunately, the Crawdads dropped a 12-9 decision to the visiting Greensboro Grasshoppers last night in the rubber match of their three-game series.  Listen here for the recap!

Tonight, the Crawdads begin a four-game series against the visiting Delmarva Shorebirds!  The game will start at 6 p.m., with CL and Company performing music before the game and the Christian Concert featuring 2010 Dove Award winners Sidewalk Prophets after the game!  Tickets are still available by calling 828-322-3000 or by clicking through to this link.

See you at the game!

Coffee with the Crawdads: 7/22/11

The Crawdads are coming off a 5-4 victory to even the series with Greensboro at a game apiece. Listen here for the recap!

The ‘Dads will take on Greensboro in the rubber match of the series tonight at 7 p.m.! Come join the Crawdads for the best fireworks show in Western Carolina after the game, presented by Hickory Dickory Dock and WNNC 1230AM!  Tickets are still available at this link or by calling 828-322-3000.

Don’t forget to pick up your tickets for the Christian Concert Saturday night, presented by Chick-fil-A and 106.9 The Light, featuring 2010 Dove Award winner Sidewalk Prophets! Tickets are still available, but going fast, so click over here or call 828-322-3000 to purchase yours!

Coffee with the Crawdads 7/21

Hey Crawdads fans, it’s time for a fast and furious podcast! Here’s a quick roundup of what happened last night at the ball park.  Tonight’s game is at 7 p.m., with right-hander Nick Tepesch starting for the Crawdads!

Coffee with the Crawdads 7/21/11

Come on out tonight for Thirsty Thursday, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings! All Pepsi products and 12 oz. beers will be just $1!  The Jacob Johnson Band will perform on the concourse following the game! Plus, it’s Jimmy Buffett Beach Night! Throw on a beach bum shirt and your swim trunks, grab that lost shaker of salt and come on out for Crawdads baseball!  Tickets are still available at this link or by calling 828-322-3000.

Don’t forget to pick up your tickets for the Christian Concert Saturday night, presented by Chick-fil-A and 106.9 The Light, featuring 2010 Dove Award winner Sidewalk Prophets!  Tickets are still available, but going fast, so click over here or call 828-322-3000 to purchase yours!

Cutting Through Matt Thompson’s New Weapon

By Ben Gellman
Broadcasting Intern

Crawdads hurler Matt Thompson has added a new piece to his pitching repertoire this season: a cut fastball.  It’s a pitch that more and more pitchers in both the professional and amateur ranks are turning to, and its popularity is due in no small part to its success at the major league level.

The term “cut fastball” originally applied to a ball that had been illegally scuffed, scratched or cut so as to disrupt its airflow in flight and produce an overlarge break.  Since then, it’s evolved to apply to this pitch, a hybrid of sorts between a standard fastball and a slider.  It breaks in on left-handed hitters when a righty throws it, and the key is that it breaks late.  Since the time it takes for a pitch to reach the plate is less than two seconds, batters must make incredibly fast judgments on what a pitch is before they swing.  Because the cutter breaks so close to the plate, it’s often too late for a hitter to adjust.

The cutter came into vogue after the sensational results Yankees closer Mariano Rivera got with it.  Rivera has relied on the cutter for nearly all of his superlative career, and the numbers don’t lie.  Rivera’s wonder-pitch has gotten him the top ERA among active pitchers, the best WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings pitched) of any pitcher since 1917, and the second-most saves of any pitcher…ever.

This video demonstrates what makes Rivera’s cutter so effective.  As you can see, it’s so close in looks to his fastball that hitters are just bamboozled.

While I wouldn’t compare Thompson’s cutter to the Sandman’s just yet, he’s gotten excellent results from it this season.  Thompson has a 3.26 ERA in nine starts, and has struck out 53 batters in 47 innings.  What’s more, SAL hitters are mustering just a .228 batting average against him in 2011, down precipitously from last year’s .304 mark.  He’s also allowed just 0.57 homers per nine innings, the stingiest rate of his career.  He’s inducing ground balls at a higher rate, and he carries an ERA of 1.57 over his last six starts.

Is the cutter alone the explanation for all of this improvement?  Probably not.  But Thompson’s new weapon has certainly proven formidable against SAL foes.

Clawcast #3: Special Guest Jared Weymier!

Wow, it’s another Clawcast!  Crawdads Promotions Assistant Jared Weymier stops by to chat with us about all the incredible stuff happening at upcomingCrawdads games, as we take a quick status check on the Crawdads!

Download link: Clawcast 3

Right-click and click “Save Target As” to download the podcast, or left-click to listen to it within your browser!

Make sure you come out to the ballpark tonight for Game 2 of the series between the ‘Dads and the Charleston Riverdogs!  First pitch is at 7 p.m.!

Clawcast #2: Special Guest Douglas Locascio!

If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for the newest edition of the Clawcast (yes, we renamed it), WAIT NO LONGER.  We’ve got what you crave right here.

This edition’s guest: Crawdads Director of Ticket Operations & Merchandising Douglas Locascio!  He’ll stop by and talk baseball and bargains with us.

Download link: Clawcast 5/19/11

Right-click and click “Save Target As” to download the podcast, or left-click to listen to it within your browser!

We’ll have more in the future, and there’s still time to come out to the ballpark for tonight’s game against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at 7 p.m.!  See you soon!