muckdogs

Muckdog's manager Mark DeJohn gets a favorable write up from the Centre Daily Times, the newspaper that covers the State College Spikes.

What would the 2008 State College Spikes resemble if Curve Baseball LP decided to extend its Player Development Contract with the St. Louis Cardinals after 2006?

The answer to this question rests in Batavia, N.Y.

For starters, they would have the same manager. Mark DeJohn, whose fiery moments left lasting impressions in State College, manages the Cardinals’ New York-Penn League affiliate for a fourth straight year.

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“I think it’s good to be young so you have some time to develop,” DeJohn said. “I prefer the high school guy over the college guy as long as the tools are the same. It gives us a chance to take them for four, possibly three, years that he would have been in college and kind of teach him our way of playing and how to play the game a little bit better than how they are taught in college.

“There are growing pains with it. We make mistakes like everybody else, but that’s what you are here for, to teach them and you have to learn from experience. I like the fact that they are young because then it tells me that you have a future with some of the guys.”

Speaking of player development, Philadelphia Magazine profiles Chase Utley and his wife Jen.

 With many Muckdogs being moved up to Quad Cities these last few weeks, we have a few players joining our team from Johnson City.  Here's a look at our two newest players:

• Adam Veres- Pitcher: Veres leaves Johnson City with a record of 2-2 and an ERA of 2.38.  In 22 and 1/3 innings, he has 22 hits, 13 runs (6 earned), 7 walks and 32 strikeouts.  Originally from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Veres played at St. Petersoburg JC.  In his Muckdog debut yesterday, he threw 3 innings with 4 hits and 6 strikeouts.
• Jairo Martinez- Outfield: In Johnson City, Martinez was batting .247 with 4 homeruns and 17 RBI through 30 games.  Hopefully he will be able to help out the Muckdogs by continuing his high on-base percentage of .781.  He is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2005.

Also to note, player features of pitchers Thomas Eager and George Brown and outfielder/first baseman Shane Peterson are up on the Muckdogs website, courtesy of the Redwings staff.  Be sure to check them out!

Still locked in a tie for second place in the Pinckney Division, the Muckdogs (29-19) went into Auburn (28-20) Thursday and won big on the road, shutting out the Doubledays 11-0.  Ramon Delgado (3-1) had a terrific start, going five innings with seven strikeouts and only one hit to get the win.  Auburn's Joel Carreno (5-2) pitched four innings with seven hits, five runs, three walks and five strikeouts for the loss.

Batavia started their big offensive night in the 2nd when Frederick Parejo scored the first run after he singled, stole second and came home on a Chris Swauger single.  They scored three in the 4th on a Charlie Cutler single, Xavier Scruggs double and a two-run homerun off the bat of Swauger.

The Muckdogs added another in the 5th when Jermaine Curtis walked and stole second.  Parejo then singled to drive him in.  The 6th inning was another big three-run inning.  It started off with a Jose Garcia double and a single by Colt Sedbrook.  Brett Lilley then flew out for an RBI.  Singles by Shane Peterson, Cutler and Scruggs set-up and scored the other two runs.

Batavia's last damage came in another three-run inning in the 7th.  Garcia started the rally again with his first homerun of the season.  Sedbrook singled and Lilley doubled to put two men on.  Sedbrook came in to score when Peterson grounded-out and Lilley came home on a Parejo single.

Swauger finished the night 2-for-4 with a homerun and three RBI.  Scruggs went 2-for-4 with a single and two RBI.  Parejo went 3-for-6 with two RBI and a stolen base and Sedbrook went 4-for-6 with a double.  In all, the Muckdogs had eighteen runs on the night.

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With the big win over Auburn, Batavia now sits alone in second place, one and a half games behind Jamestown and one ahead of Auburn.  The Muckdogs look to rise in the standings tonight as they take on the Doubledays again for the final game of the series.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 and Dwyer's gates open at 6:00 with fireworks after the game.

Here is an update of where we stand in the NYPL:

• Arquimedes Nieto remains 2nd in pitching, with a record of 5-0 and an ERA of 1.52
• Adam Reifer still leads in saves with 13.
• Jose Garcia is in 4th place with 16 stolen bases.
• Shane Peterson's .409 on-base percentage is 2nd in the league.
• Colt Sedbrook is tied for 2nd in triples with 5.
• The team is 2nd in batting with a combined average of .268.
• They are also 5th in pitching with an ERA of 3.28.

Batavia (28-19) and Auburn (28-19) entered Wednesday tied for second place in the Pinckney Division, and ended the day the same way after each winning a game of the doubleheader.

The first game was a continuation of the suspended July 20th game.  It started in the bottom of the 1st with two outs and two on for the Muckdogs who were down 1-0, and ended with a 2-1 win for the Doubledays.  Zach Pitts (0-3) suffered the loss in his five innnings with five hits, two runs and four strikeouts.  Daniel Farguhar got the win, going five and a third innings with two hits and three strikeouts.

Auburn scored the deciding run in the 3rd on a Bartolo Nicolas double and Adam Amar single.  The Muckdogs only run came in the 7th when Shane Peterson walked and moved to third on a Jermaine Curtis double.  Chris Swauger then came up with the RBI single.  Peterson ended the game going 2-for-3.

In the second seven-inning contest, Arquimedes Nieto (5-0) had an impressive start.  He went five innings with one hit, two walks and six strikeouts to earn the win.  Adam Reifer pitched the ninth with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts to get his thirteenth save.  On the losing end, Matthew Wright went five innings with five hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts in the loss.

The only run of the game came in the bottom of the 5th.  Swauger started off the inning with a double.  He then came around to score on a sacrifice bunt by Beau Riportella and a throwing error on the same play.  Swauger went a perfect 2-for-2 in the game.  Newcomer Brett Lilley also went 2-for-2 in his first Muckdog start.

The two teams battle it out again in Auburn tonight before returning to Batavia for their final contest of the series.  Game time on Friday is 7:05 with fireworks after the game.

Also, for those fans who haven't heard, outfielder Jon Edwards and shortstop Domnit Bolivar have been moved up to Quad Cities.  We expect to have new players brought up from Johnson City...I'll let you know when we hear more!

 Batavia (27-18) could only score one run to Williamsport's (24-21) ten for their second straight loss.  George Brown (0-2) started on the mound and got the loss.  He threw five innings with three hits, two runs, and four strikeouts.  Tyler Cloyd (3-1) earned the win in his seven innings with seven hits, one run, one walk and six strikeouts.

The Muckdogs scored first in the 2nd when Charley Cutler singled and Edwin Gomez doubled to send in their only run on the night.  The Crosssutters answered in the 4th when Cody Overbeck reached on a force out and Steve Susdorf followed him with a single.  Troy Hanzawa then singled to plate both runners.

They added three insurance runs in the 6th on a Susdorf single, Jim Murphy double, Hanzawa walk and single by Brandon Haislet.  The Crosscutter's other big inning came in the 7th when they added three more on a Susdorf homerun, Murphy walk, Hanzawa double then a Bryan Frew RBI single.

The best bat on the Muckdogs side came by Gomez.  He went 2-for-3 with a triple and one RBI.  Batavia is off tomorrow before facing Auburn at home for a doubleheader on Wednesday.  The first game starts at 5:05.

Going into tonight's game versus Williamsport, here is where we stand:

• we are two games behind Jamestown and still hold the second best record in the NYPL at 27-17
• Jermaine Curtis is 10th in the league in batting average (.308)
• Arquimedes Neito is 2nd in the league in pitching (4-0, 1.73 ERA)
• Adam Reifer leads the league in saves and games (12; 19)
• Jose Garcia is tied for 3rd in the league in stolen bases (15)
• Jon Edwards is 2nd in on-base percentage and 4th in slugging percentage (.425; .561)
• Shane Peterson is 4th in on-base percentage (.409)
• Colt Sedbrook is tied for second in triples (5)
• overall, the team is 2nd in batting (.266) and 6th in pitching (3.36 ERA)

The Muckdogs (27-17) looked like they were going to add a game to their win streak, but a Williamsport (23-21) three-run 9^th inning was enough for the Crosscutters to win 6-5.  Scott Gorgen (2-1) suffered the loss for Batavia, pitching three innings with three hits, three runs, two walks and three strikeouts.  The winning pitcher was Brain Rosenberg (2-1), who threw two innings with one hit, one run, two walks and three strikeouts.

 Williamsport struck first in the 3^rd inning, scoring two runs when Bryan Frew reached on a fielder’s choice and Brandon Haislet singled to put two on.  D’Arby Myers then singled to send both home.  They added one more in the 5^th on a Frew single and Travis D’Arnaud double.

 Batavia got on the board in the 5^th after Colt Sedbrook singled and eventually scored when Domnit Bolivar grounded out.  They went on to take the lead in the 6^th.  Frederick Parejo walked and Edwin Gomez singled before advanced a base on a Beau Riportella sacrifice bunt.  An error later in the inning got Jose Garcia on base and scored Parejo and Gomez.  Sedbrook then singled to score Garcia.

 The Muckdogs added one more in the 8^th when Parejo walked, stole second and scored on a Riportella single.  However, the Crosscutters came on in the 9^th to score three runs that the Muckdogs could not answer.  Troy Hanzawa singled and Tim Binkoski, Frew and Haislet walked to start the rally.  Myers and D’Arnaud both reached on a fielder’s choice to score the last two.

 Riportella was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and stolen base.  Sedbrook had the only other multi-hit night for the Muckdogs, going 2-for-4.  The two teams face each other again Monday night. 

My wife and I are going to see one of the hottest teams in professional baseball at 4 p.m. -- the Batavia Muckdogs.

If you attend and want to say hello, I imagine I'll be the only fellow there wearing an old-school San Diego Padres ball cap (brown, with mission gold "SD").

Centre Daily Times, which covers the State College Spikes, has an article this morning about "brutally competitive" Pinckney Division of the NY-Penn league.

The six-team Pinckney Division, the largest in size and smallest in markets of the New York-Penn League’s three divisions, has turned brutally competitive.

Consistent Jamestown entered Saturday holding a tenuous lead.

Talented Batavia, which includes four players selected in the first five rounds of this year’s draft and five teenagers, trailed the Jammers by a game.

Two games behind Batavia rested Auburn which has won the division every year since 2002.

Two games behind Auburn stood Williamsport.

The Jammers (27-15), Muckdogs (26-16) and Doubledays (24-18) entered this weekend with the league’s best records.

It should be a great race to the wire.  Jamestown, Batavia and Auburn all won yesterday.

Today's game is at 4:05 p.m. against Williamsport. Tickets are only $5 per person for general admiission. 

UPDATE: Here's an article from the Auburn perspective.

 Here is the first installment of my new Meet the Muckdogs segment.  Keep the feedback coming of who else you would like to here from! Enjoy!

The Muckdogs (26-16) offense scored ten two-out runs with fourteen total hits in the game to take down the State College Spikes (9-32) by a score of 12-7.  Arquimedes Nieto got the start, going four and two-thirds innings with six hits, three runs, one walk and three strikeouts.  LaCurtis Mayes (2-0) pitched two-thirds of a scoreless ball to get the win.  State College’s Maurice Bankston (0-5) suffered the loss in his four and two-thirds innings with nine hits, six runs and a walk and a strikeout.

Batavia jumped off to an early lead in the 1^st on a Jermaine Curtis single and Shane Peterson double.  They added another in the 3^rd when Jose Garcia doubled, stole third and scored on a double-play ball.  The Spikes got on the board in the 4^th after Jeremy Farrell reached on an error, advanced on a wild pitch, then came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Andrew Biela.  They took the lead in the next inning when Andy Vasquez singled and scored on Chase D’Arnaud’s double.  The bases were then loaded and D’Arnaud scored when Biela was hit by a pitch.

But the Muckdogs wouldn’t stay down long, as they rallied for five runs in both the 5^th and 6^th innings.  In the 5^th, Charley Cutler singled, Curtis walked and Peterson had a RBI double.  Jon Edwards then hit two in on a single before Domnit Bolivar doubled and Frederick Parejo singled to score the other two runs.  In the next inning, the bases were loaded and a run was scored after Garcia singled, Colt Sedbrook was hit by a pitch and Peterson and Edwards had back-to-back walks.  Bolivar then singled to plate two.  Batavia’s last two runs scored when Parejo reached on a throwing error.

State College tried to rally back in the 8^th, scoring four runs with the help of four Muckdog errors, but it was not enough.  Batavia goes for the sweep and their eighth win in a row tonight at 7:05.  Ryan Howard bobble-heads will be given away to the first 500 in attendance.

A gallon of gas is $4. A ticket to the Muckdogs is only $5. Conclusion? Why waste a lot of money on gas when you could  stick close to home for some inexpensive fun tonight at  Dwyer and watch the NY-Penn league's hottest team.

Batavia smacked down the Spikes last night 12-7, to move the team's record to 26-16.  The Muckdogs are a game behind Jamestown in the race for the Pinckney Division crown. The team also has the second best record in the entire NY-Penn league.

Tonight's game against lackluster State College is scheduled for 7:05  p.m. Tomorrow's game against Williamsport is at 4:05 p.m.

It was a back-and-forth game, but Batavia (25-16) prevailed to beat State College (9-31) 8-5.  Hector Cardenas (3-0) got the win on the mound, throwing two innings with two hits and three strikeouts.  Adam Reifer came in to pitch a scoreless 9^th with two strikeouts for his twelfth save.  Rudy Owens (1-5) suffered the loss and blown save in three innings with five hits, four runs, one walk and two strikeouts.

 The Spikes scored first in the 3^rd when Ciro Rosero hit a solo homerun.  Batavia answered back in the bottom of the inning on a Charley Cutler single and Jose Garcia double.  But the Spikes came back again in the 4^th to score two.  Andrew Biela and Quincy Latimore both had singles then Miguel Mendez cleared the bases with a double.

 They added to their lead in the 5^th when Chase D’Arnaud started off the inning when he reached on a throwing error.  Jeremy Farrell then singled before Latimore singled to plate the two.  However, the Muckdogs started their comeback in the bottom of the 5^th on back-to-back-to-back doubles by Frederick Parejo, Cutler and Xavier Scruggs.  Scruggs came through to score on a throwing error later that inning.

 Batavia came through with the win in the bottom of the 8^th after Jermaine Curtis, Shane Peterson and Jon Edwards all singled.  Peterson came through to score the go-ahead run when Cutler ground-out.  Scruggs added some insurance with a two run double.

The Batavia Muckdogs ended their road trip strongly, taking all three games from the Crosscutters of Williamsport.  Here is a look at those games:

• Monday, July 28: Batavia 4, Williamsport 3:  Ramon Delgado (2-1) got the start and win, going five innings with six hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts.  Jameson Maj closed out the game and got his first save with four hits, two runs and four strikeouts in his four innings of work.  Jermaine Curtis went 1-for-4 with a three-run homerun.  Christian Rosa went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Tuesday, July 29: Batavia 6, Williamsport 4:  On the mound, Scott Gorgen (2-0) pitched five innings with three hits, one run and four strikeouts in his start for the win.  Adam Reifer let up two hits, one run and a walk in the 9th, but was still good enough to earn his eleventh save of the season.  Offensively, Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.  Jon Edwards also had a multi-hit night, going 2-for-3.
• Wednesday, July 30: Batavia 8, Williamsport 1:  The Muckdogs excelled in both parts of the game to complete the three-game sweep of the Crosscutters.  Thomas Eager (2-3) threw the first five innings with three hits, one run, four walks and three strikeouts to get the win.  George Brown was impressive in the last three innings, letting up only two hits and one walk with six strikeouts for his second save.  And the Batavia bats were hot, totaling twelve hits on the night.  Edwards went 1-for-5 and Xavier Scruggs went 1-for-4, each with a homerun and two RBI.  Shane Peterson went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-3 and Curtis went 3-for-5 with a stolen base.

Batavia is back in action tonight, starting a long homestand.  The State College Spikes come into town to play a three-game series.  The Muckdogs hope to keep-up their impressive stretch.  Here is where we stand right now:

• We are on a 5 game winning streak, winning 8 of our last 10 games.
• We are tied for 2nd with Auburn in the Pinckney Division, 2 games back of Jamestown.
• Jermaine Curtis's .324 batting average is 7th in the New York Penn League (NYPL).
• Arquimedes Nieto has record of 4-0 and an ERA of 1.41 to put him 2nd in the NYPL.
• Thomas Eager is right behind him with a 2-3 record and 2.12 ERA to place him 5th in the NYPL.
• Adam Reifer leads the NYPL with 11 saves.
• The team is 3rd in batting, with an average of .262.
• Colt Sedbrook is tied with two others for the league lead in triples; he has 5 on the season.

This week, we also lost pitcher Lance Lynn, as he was moved up to Quad Cities. Blake Murphy also got the call up and Louis De La Cruz has also left Batavia.  However, Nick Vera is back on the roster and new infielder Brett Lilley has joined the team.  Lilley, oringinally from North Canton, Ohio, went to school at Notre Dame.  He has a .308 batting average with Johnson City.

Stay tuned for more information on games, players and everything else Muckdogs!

First, I want to let you all know that Lance Lynn was moved up to Quad Cities.  He had a great start on the road, going four innings with seven strikeouts.  We all wish him the best of luck!

We have a long homestand coming up starting this Thursday.  Here is some info on those games:

July 31-August 2: State College

• Thursday- Team Photo Giveaway
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks
• Saturday- Ryan Howard Bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans

August 3-August 4: Williamsport

• Sunday- Game starts at 4:05; dog bowl giveaway to the first 500 fans, courtesy of Invisible Fence; post-game run the bases
• Monday- "First Pitch Fly In" to benefit Mercy Flight; Muckdog Monday presented by the Daily News

August 6 & August 8: Auburn

• Wednesday- Doubleheader starting at 5:05; Genesee County ARC Night; reusable shopping bag giveaway courtesy of Genesee County ARC; Family Four Pack
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks

Keep checking in for game updates! I will have video after each home series! I hope to have a few player one-on-one interviews up during this homestand, too! Hope to see you at the ballpark!

Future Redbirds takes a look at the progress of several Cardinal Prospects.   Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Here are what they say about a few of the Muckdogs.  There's more coverage on the links above.

Pick #2, Supplemental First Round, #39 Overall - Lance Lynn

• Batavia - 14.2 ip, 15 k’s, 3 BB, 1 ER

Lynn pitched 89.2 innings for Ole Miss this season already, so it is my guess (hope) that the Cardinals are going to get him 30-40 relatively easy innings at Batavia this season before starting him at Quad Cities next year.  He has looked pretty dominant at Batavia so far, but there’s no need to rush him this year.  He hasn’t walked anyone in his last three appearances (11 innings) and he’s only given up one extra base hit (a double) in his time at Batavia.

Pick #3, Second Round, #59 overall - Shane Peterson

• Batavia - .352/.455/.429 14.4 BB%, 20 LD%, .471 BABIP

Shane has certainly torn up Batavia in his first twenty-seven games (take a look at that BABIP, though). He played three years in college at Long Beach State and has shown that he can play at this level, so I’d like to see him challenged by a move up to Quad Cities.  He has played all three outfield positions and a little bit of first base, but it seems to me that he profiles best in center field if he’s got the fielding chops to play there.  His power numbers have never really fit for a corner outfielder or first base and that has continued at Batavia (.077 isolated power).  He is, however, still only twenty years old, so he could still grow into more of a power stroke as he moves up the ladder.

Pick #5, Fourth Round, #125 overall - Scott Gorgen

• Batavia - 16 ip, 19 k’s, 5 BB, 4 ER

Gorgen put up outstanding numbers at UC-Irvine and has continued with similar rates at Batavia.  Like Lynn, Gorgen put in quite a few innings in college (115.2), so the Cardinals will probably not want to give him too many more innings this year.  I would bet that if Gorgen was 6′2″ with the same numbers he would get a lot more hype than he has, but continued success at higher levels will be the only antidote to the size bias.

Pick #6, Fifth Round, #155 Overall - Jermaine Curtis

• Batavia - .315/.390/.438 8.0 BB%, 14 LD%, .360 BABIP

Jermaine is a third baseman with a similar offensive profile to Shane Peterson (with the exception, of course, that Curtis is a righty and Peterson is a lefty).  He has hit well, but doesn’t seem to have the power to stay at third base (.123 ISO).  It has been suggested that he may be converted to second base, where his bat would play a lot better.  Of course, like Peterson he is still only twenty years old, so the power could still come.

Pick #20, Round Nineteen, #575 Overall - Xavier Scruggs

• Batavia - .189/.262/.305 7.4 BB%, 18 LD%, .266 BABIP

Xavier was a power hitting first baseman for UNLV, but he hasn’t yet lived up to his reputation in his first 95 at bats at Batavia. He’s got good size and had outstanding plate discipline in college, so it is a little disappointing that he has struggled so much.

Pick #43, Forty-second Round, #1265 Overall - Blakely Murphy

• Batavia - .253/.337/.471 3 hr, 10.1 BB%, 9.0 LD%, .365 BABIP

Blake has been called one of the great sleepers of the draft. Looking at his college numbers, he played four years at Western Carolina University, I can’t understand why he didn’t get more interest in the draft. He had a very solid junior year in college and then put up a line of .367/.495/.683 his senior year, hitting 16 homers in 221 at bats. He isn’t undersized (or oversized for a catcher) at 6′1″, 195 lbs, he’s got good patience at the plate and hits for good power. Maybe he’s a black hole on defense, but those numbers should play anywhere. He hasn’t quite put up the same numbers thus far at Batavia, but he has been solid.

Also covered (see links above):

Pick #15, Round Fourteen, #425 Overall - Charles Cutler

Pick #18, Round Seventeen, #515 Overall - Joshua Hester

Pick #23, Round Twenty-two, #665 Overall - Colt Sedbrook

Pick #25, Round Twenty-four, #725 Overall - Zachary Pitts

Pick #26, Round Twenty-five, #755 Overall - Jason Buursma

Pick #27, Round Twenty-six, #785 Overall - Christopher Swauger

Pick #28, Round Twenty-seven, #815 Overall - George Brown

Pick #39, Thirty-eighth Round, #1145 Overall - Daniel Richardson

Here is a quick video of the key players from the two home games against Oneonta last Tuesday and Wednesday.  More (and better) video is to come!

I also want to start a "Meet the Muckdogs" feature where I do interviews with the players.  Feedback would be great to see who you all want to hear from and learn about!

Enjoy!

 After yet another rainout on Thursday, the Muckdogs took to the road to win a series against the State College Spikes to improve their record to 21-16.  Batavia lost Friday’s contest 4-3 before winning 7-3 on Saturday and 6-5 on Sunday.  Here is a quick look at those games:

• Friday, July 25: State College 4, Batavia 3:  George Brown got the start on the mound, going three and two-thirds innings with seven hits, three runs (two earned) and three strikeouts.  Thomas Eager (1-3) suffered the loss, throwing the last three innings with four hits, one run and three strikeouts.  Jose Garcia led off the game with a triple and ended the night 1-for-3 with a stolen base.  Xavier Scruggs went 2-for-4 with a RBI.

• Saturday, July 26: Batavia 7, State College 3:  Batavia had fourteen hits and eleven strikeouts in the game to get back on the winning track.  Lance Lynn had a strong start, pitching four innings with three hits, one run, one walk and seven strikeouts.  Josh Hester (2-1) also threw four innings with four hits, two runs, one walk and four strikeouts for the win.  Offensively, Xavier Scruggs went 3-for-4 with two solo-homeruns.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple.

• Sunday, July 27: Batavia 6, State College 5:  Zachary Pitts went five innings with three hits, one run, two walks and four strikeouts for the start, but Arquidemes Nieto (4-0) got the win in his three innings.  Nieto let-up four hits and two runs and struck out two.  Jason Buursma earned his second save, facing the last two batters of the game.  Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a RBI and Charley Cutler went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The Muckdogs now travel to Williamsport for a three game series against the Crosscutters before returning home for another three game series versus State College.

From today's D&C:

Rochester Community Baseball is more than satisfied working with and promoting the New York-Penn League Batavia Muckdogs this year, and general manager Dan Mason on Friday said he expects to continue the operation in 2009, with the St. Louis Cardinals remaining as the parent club.

The Muckdogs drew 21,952 for their first 17 home dates this summer. Last year's final home attendance was 44,270 for 38 dates. "We expect attendance to pick up in August, when we'll have fireworks on four Friday nights, and bobblehead nights for Ryan Howard (Saturday) and Chase Utley (Aug. 23)," said Mason.

Dwyer Stadium seats about 2,600 and Mason said the July 4 crowd of 3,012 was the largest for Batavia "in years."