Lakewood BlueClaws First Hand Report

My first contributing reader email:

Although I have only seen the Lakewood BlueClaws play once, I have to agree with jb’s comment from 7/10, "As a frequent guest of the Lakewood BlueClaws... I must say they stink". At the Sunday game I attended in Greensboro, home to the Grasshoppers, the BlueClaws were so bad I barely got to see their offense during the first half of the game. What bothered me most was how much the BlueClaws reminded me of the current Phillies. The whole game was painful to watch with a total of four errors and batting into three double plays. To add insult to injury in typical Phillies fashion winning the game was within their grasp and thrown away in the 9th. All my complaining would lead you to believe that the whole experience was negative, but this wasn’t so. The new stadium was beautiful and I was given a free loaf of the new Sara Lee whole grain white bread after the game as a promotion. Here are a few pictures of players and the stadium:

The Grasshopper's First Horizon Park framed the quaint Greensboro downtown on a beautiful 90 degree Sunday afternoon. The park also made decent BBQ sandwiches and an excellent cole slaw.

A view from the left field lawn seats

Mike Spidale: He may be a 24-year old minor league lifer, but you can't deny the coolness of this picture

Jeremy Slayden: Is it possible he is the best pure hitting prospect in the system? Maybe not, but his name is at least in the discussion. This is no knock against Slayden, who is a fine young hitter by all accounts, but there is no team in baseball that can afford to have an advanced college hitter hitting well in Low-A even in the discussion about best hitting prospect.

Lou Marson: For some inexplicable reason, I remain a huge believer in Lou Marson as this organization's catcher of the future. Wishful thinking probably...

Welinson Baez: At least when Baez is in the batter's box, there is little chance he'll make some kind of error...

Justin Blaine: Groundball machine, but that only gets you so far when you have fringe-average stuff (at best). Blaine better get used to those long minor league bus rides, I see many more in his future...

John Urick: Another Phillies' mercenary signed off the minor league free agent scrap heap...another swell picture though