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Farm's Almanac Features

Here are my first two features off of MiLB.com:

• Mitchells enjoying friendly sibling rivalry


• Asadoorian adjusting to life as a pitcher

The first is a profile of the Mitchell brothers, Lee and Russell, who man the hot corner for the Carolina Mudcats and Jacksonville Suns, respectively in the Double-A Southern League. It was interesting to hear the small differences in how they described their relationship: Lee, in classic older brother fashion, seemed less inclined to joke with his brother about stats and records (Russell didn’t mind pointing out he has the higher batting average). I was a little disappointed, however, to hear that their battles as kids never got too intense. I just can’t relate to that kind of sibling “rivalry.”

The second is on Suns’ outfielder-turned-reliever Rick Asadoorian. I talked to Asadoorian after Wednesday’s game at Carolina and was impressed by how he had never seemed to doubt his abilities, even during the years he struggled. In my initial draft of the story, written late Wednesday, my penultimate paragraph read:

And while he’s gotten off to a rocky start in 2008—his ERA currently sits at 7.90 after giving up six runs in one inning—it’s hard to bet against Rick Asadoorian. After all, he’s taken his share of punches and emerged, not unscathed, but unshaken.

I was back in Zebulon Thursday night in time to see this performance from Asadoorian:

5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2/3, HR, 2 RBI

Thanks for making me look good, Rick.

My First Stories

Here’s the links to the first stories I’ve done for MiLB.com, written Monday:

• Players of the Week
• Pitchers of the Week

Not much to add here, except that I enjoyed doing the Todd Frazier one the most (for obvious reasons).

The First Post

The aim of this blog is multifarious. First, it will serve as a way for me to post links to all my stories on MiLB.com (and maybe even throw some side commentary in there, if that’s allowed). Second, it can keep you updated on my ever-transitory whereabouts as I traverse the southeast United States (or, alternatively, the southeast United States within 2-3 hours of Durham, North Carolina). Finally, it will let me do something I love: write about me. Think about it as the first step in the transition from my journal to my novel (note that I dropped the “Great American” qualifier, at least for now. Remember, the lower the expectations, the better. Think: 2007 New York Giants).