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Vindy.com reports that last nights game between Batavia and  Mahoning Valley was rained out.  No make up game is scheduled, the site reports.

That seems surprising given how tight the race is between the Muckdogs and Jamestown.  If the season ends with a tie or only half game separating the two teams, wouldn't this be an important game to get in the books?

Jamestown beat State College last night and sit atop the Pinckney Division standings by a game in a half at 41-24, while the Muckdogs are 39-25.

Batavia has the third best record in the league and a comfortable three game lead over Brooklyn in the wild card race.

The Muckdogs are at Williamsport tonight and tomorrow, and will match up with Jamestown on Saturday. The next home game is Sunday at 1:05 p.m. against Jamestown.

The Powers campaign is trying to make an issue of who Chris Lee (the Republican candidate for the 26th District) sold his company to.  The D&C:

The company Lee helped manage and his father founded was sold for $395 million less than a year after the buyer, an international conglomerate, pleaded guilty to two felony charges related to sensitive defense technology that had been sent to China, Britain, Singapore and Japan. The conglomerate, ITT, also paid $100 million in fines.

The Lee campaign maintains that International Motion Control, an engineering and technology company founded by Patrick Lee, was sold to a division of ITT that was separate from ITT's defense operations, which incurred the charges and fines.

...

"As a combat veteran, Jon Powers is deeply troubled by anyone who profited from a company that gave our national security secrets to the Chinese," said John Gerken, Powers' campaign manager. (via Rochester Turning)

It seems a stretch to knock a guy for legally selling his company.  It  doesn't seem like the sort of thing that will resonate with voters, and what Powers is doing is reminding people that Lee is an experienced, successful business man -- something that Powers, for all his great military experience -- doesn't have in his portfolio.  While that doesn't disqualify Powers for office, why draw attention to it?

It also seems to be a political misstep for Powers to raise this issue now, before he's even won the primary. By the time the general election rolls around, this will be a stale story that most media won't cover.  (Though, a lot of times campaigns get these stories planted in the press so they have a clip to include in a hit piece mailer. The timing, then, doesn't matter.)

I don't know much about International Motion Control, but if it were the case that IMC dealt in defense-related technology that could maybe make its way into Chinese hands via ITT, then Mr. Lee's judgment and fitness for office could be legitimately questioned.  But merely profiting from the sale? That's a stretch.

There isn't much on the web now about IMC, but I did find this press release about the sale. The list of products appears pretty non-threatening. However, it is interesting that Mr. Lee outsourced some manufacturing to Asian countries. That could be a liability for him in this district, but it seems Jack Davis has the stronger track record to make that case.

Chris Lee's campaign site. Jon Powers  campaign site.

WBTA story: The county Health Department is warning that a rabid cat was found in Le Roy and they want to speak to anybody who may have come into contact with the feline.

The black cat lived on Summit street and health officials are looking for people who may have come into contact with it between Aug. 14 and Aug. 24.

Two people were either bitten or scratched and are being treated for rabies.

Contact: Genesee County Health Department at 344-2580, Extension 5569.

The Muckdogs hitting instructor, Jeff Albert, is an interesting cat.  He's best known for his video analyst of players swings (he used to blog here and here's his Swing Training site.). It looks like his minor league playing experience was limited to 21 ABs on independent teams.

You can't argue with the results he's getting from the Muckdog hitters this season, though. It seems like the entire team has shown improvement over the course of the season.

FutureRedbirds.com posted an interview with Jeff.

Switching gears a little bit, tell me about some of your players. I thought Shane Peterson was an interesting draft pick due to his great college career at Long Beach St., but seeing him on video, he does have that odd two-step swing. Is that at all a concern of yours?

With Shane’s line-drive ability and strike zone judgment, I can see where he had success. The pre-swing move from his draft video is more exaggerated than what he showed up here with, so I wouldn’t say he has a two-step swing that causes concern. Everyone here is striving for a more efficient swing, and Shane is no different. He shows up every day to do his work and sometimes I literally have to kick him out of the cage.

Give me your impressions of the following players: Jermaine Curtis, Frederick Parejo, Colt Sedbrook, Charlie Cutler, Alex Castellanos and Xavier Scruggs.

Curtis is a gamer - he’s made all the plays at 3rd base and swung well from the 3-hole. Hand and foot injuries have kept him out of more games than any of us would like. Parejo had a good showing at the all-star game, having hit the only home run. For him to put together an all-star year after jumping from the GCL last year is impressive, especially when you factor in that he was 17 when the season started.

Sedbrook has been our most consistent hitter to this point, and his swing and approach are a good match - he drives the ball the other way and plays to his strengths in the box. Cutler has settled in and is driving the ball with more authority, which is a good sign considering that he has one of the lowest swing-and-miss percentages within the entire organization. Castellanos just got here and came out swinging - the ball really jumps off his bat towards right-center field. Scruggs has some power and deserves a lot of credit for his diligence. He has probably made the biggest improvement of all the hitters here since day one.

I left this remark in the comments:

I’m surprised Jeff isn’t more concerned about Shane’s swing. To me, it’s a big, loopy, slow swing. He starts with his hands too far forward, and then has a little hitch just before he starts the bat forward. His mechanics rob any chance he has of hitting for power. He only does as well as he does because of exceptional plate discipline.

I wish you had asked about Beau Riportella. To me, he’s the best looking guy at the plate on the team. And he’s been showing consistent and improving results recently. He just needs to reverse his K and BB totals. If he does that, he could evolve into a legit three-hole prospect.

Meanwhile, Mollie Radzinski, who has supplied us with coverage of the team this season, has her own blog and posted about her experience this season as a Muckdogs intern.

First, there are the players. Fresh out of college, these guys have signing bonuses ranging from $940,000 to $1,000. Unlike many of the bigger-league stars, every one of them is willing to sign autographs for fans.

I won’t say there aren’t any egos on the team, but it is hard to have too much of an ego when one has to drive around town on a Huffy bike.

Look at the post Dave Wellenzohn just left on The Batavian.

Find me one other general manager in all of baseball who has gone onto a media and site directly encouraged fans to support the local team!

Listen, people, YOUR TEAM -- and the Batavia Muckdogs are your team -- are in the midst of an exciting and significant pennant race.

You need to attend these home games. You must attend these home games.

And let me ask you -- where is the Daily News in encouraging its readers to attend these final Muckdog games?

Let's be real: The Batavian isn't even five months old.  Our audience is still growing. The Daily News is more than 100 years old and its audience is established. The Daily News can do more to put people in Dwyer Stadium seats than we can, so WHERE is the Daily News support for the home town team? Come on, Tom Turnbull, show us you really love Batavia -- get this stadium sold out these final games of the season.

There is no reason these final games shouldn't be sold out every night -- especially the two games against Jamestown.

So, are you going to support YOUR team, or not?

WBEN's "Hardline with Hardwick" featured a debate between the three Democratic candidates for the 61st Senate District.

The full audio is available here.

It is, at times, a spirited discussion, with Joe Mesi and Michelle Ianello, especially mixing it up, while Dan Ward plays it more low key.

(via Albany's Insanity .)

While the "soap opera" (the phrase of the week, thanks to Jason Molino) of the Davis/Powers fight has provided many entertaining moments on The Batavian the past few weeks, Buffalo Pundit drags Alice Kryzan into the fray.

From the Buffalo News in 1998, Alice Kryzan spoke on the 20th anniversary of the Love Canal fiasco. (We just this year remembered its 30th anniversary):

Alice Kryzan, an attorney who represented Hooker and Occidental, said Hooker’s waste-disposal policies in 1978 “were entirely legal and well-ahead of the industry standards of the times.”

And, she said, scientific studies have yet to prove a link between chemical exposure of people living in the area and health effects.

 In the more Democrat-than-thou debate, where do you think these three fall?

The Muckdogs picked up a 4-3 Saturday night over Williamsport, and with Jamestown beating Auburn by an identical 4-3 score, Batavia retains its half gain lead in the Pinckney Division.

Xavier Scruggs went 2-5 and drove in two runs, while Edwin Gomez and Colt Sedbrook each gathered two hits.

The winning pitcher was LaCurtis Mayes (4-0) who tossed two innings of scoreless ball.

The starter, Joshua Hester, went five innings and surrendered four hits and one unearned run.

Hector Cardenas was tagged for two runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Muckdogs move to 38-23 (Standings).

Attendance was 1,070.

(Box score)

This morning, Buffalo Pundit embeds a YouTube video that attacks Jack Davis for being old and rich -- nothing said about his positions on policies.

The video is cute and well produced, but it's also offensive.

First, Jack Davis is a self-made man.  He represents the historical promise of America -- that anybody with a good idea, who works hard and makes good decisions can be successful. Attacking Jack Davis for being rich is like attacking America, because you're saying it's wrong to build successful businesses and to create jobs, and that people shouldn't have the basic economic freedom to benefit from the fruits of their labor.

Second, imagine a political video that attacked a candidate for being a woman, or black, or handicapped. Who -- especially among self-described progressives --  would find such prejudice anything but outrageously bigoted? So why is ageism suddenly OK? Is it bad to grow old, to acquire experience, to have a perspective that reaches back further than "Friends"?

The question needs to be asked: Are Democrats making a mistake to throw so much support behind Jon Powers while attacking Jack Davis so voraciously?

Voter registration for the 26th District, as of April 1, 2008, is 40 percent Republican. Despite the GOP stranglehold on the mostly rural counties, Davis picked up 48 percent of the vote in 2006, and his 44 percent in 2004 (when Bush garnered 55 percent of the district vote), was pretty darn respectable when compared to the 22 percent Ayesha F. Nariman tallied for the Democrats in 2002 (which shows you to what extent Democrats in the 26th are willing to vote Republican -- there still seem to be a lot of Reagan Democrats around).

In both of Davis' loses, he was running against an incumbent. This time, the seat is open.

Setting aside his wacky anti-immigration pronouncements, Davis has a message that appeals to rust-belt conservative voters -- protectionism on jobs, cut spending and taxes,  save social security and reduce the influence of special interests.

While Powers has an admirable position on job growth, he seems squishy on spending and taxes (his website addresses neither issue). He'll be vulnerable to the tried-and-true GOP "Liberal" attack.

At first glance, Republican Chris Lee looks like an urbane empty suit. He has career-politician-in-the-making written all of him. He seems to have no ties to nor affinity for a rural county like Genesee. If he wins in November, he's likely going to represent Western New York for the next five terms. 

So the question Democrats attacking Davis might want to ask themselves -- are they ready to accept that outcome?

Davis may not meet any body's picture of the ideal candidate, but at most, he's going to serve two terms, then the race is wide open again and anything can happen.

Just some food for thought.  Again, I'm non-partisan and have no affinity for any particular candidate.

The Batavia Muckdogs improved their record to 37--23 with a 10-1 win over Mahoning Valley Scrappers at Dwyer Stadium tonight.

The Muckdogs retained their half-game first-place lead over Jamestown, who beat State College tonight 2-1.

Thomas Eager improved his record to 4-3 by going five innings and giving up only two hits and one run, though he did walk four.

Eager carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, when a line shot from the first batter he faced bounced off his glove toward the third base line. The next batter singled to left and then Eager issued a walk.  A run scored on a double play, and then Eager walked the next two batters -- missing badly on several pitches -- to load the bases again. He retired the next batter he faced, however.

(Sorry, while I was there -- I wasn't keeping score, so I don't have the names of the Scapper batters involved in that one-run inning.)

In only his third game as a Muckdog, second baseman Alejandro Castellanos went 3-4 with a triple and two RBI.

Chris Swauger also had three hits, while Edwin Gomez and Cold Sedbrook each had two (Box Score).

Eight of the Muckdog's runs came in an explosive third inning, which proved to be a preview of the fireworks that would follow the game.

The post-game show was worth the $5 GA by itself.  It was a major league exhibition lasting for at least 20 minutes.

The announced paid attendance was 1,490. 

There should have been at least another 1,000 people there to see the first-place Muckdogs continue its quest for a division crown (not to mention the great fireworks show).

Dave Wellenzohn was energetic as always with between inning games and promotions. He certainly throws himself into supporting the team.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see my favorite Muckdog, sweet-swining Beau Riportella, who rode the bench for the night.

Saturday at 7:05 p.m. the Muckdogs take on Williamsport while Jamestown visits Auburn. Game time for Sunday is 1:05 p.m.

We have a new commercial on WBTA.

Once again, the spot was recorded by Nici Johnson, local resident and waitress at the Pok-A-Dot.

We're quite proud of it: MP3 File

UPDATE: Ooops. My fault.  Show is at 9:40, twenty minutes later than the original headline indicated.

I will be on WBTA in the morning to discuss blogging -- not The Batavian so much as blogging in general.

My goal is to encourage more bloggers in Genesee County.  I don't care if you blog for The Batavian or your own Word Press or Blogger site, just blog.  It helps extend the conversation.

That will be my theme.

I just stumbled across blog post by Linda Stephans that casts a more critical eye on Jon Powers than we usually get around here.

Compared to Kryzan and Davis, Jon Powers has an exceedingly thin resume.   He joined the army to get the education benefits and was sent to Iraq.  After he returned to civilian life, he became a part-time substitute teacher.

The one thing that he could really boast of in his campaign was a nonprofit organization he started called War Kids Relief, meant to help Iraqi youth.  Now, the Buffalo News reports that the War Kids Relief isn't all it's cracked up to be. Read their story HERE. Seems Powers puffed up things to grab the interest of the media and may have profited from the project more than he should have.

...

Oh, one more thing about Powers.  He's a flipflopper par excellence.  Example:  At the start of his campaign, he told Democrats for Life he was on their side about abortion.  Didn't believe in it, couldn't support it.  Then, when he talked with Planned Parenthood, he told them he was pro-choice all the way.

That ploy came back to bite him.  The head of Dems for Life in New York had contributed money to his campaign.  When she found out Powers was telling folks he was pro-choice she asked for her money back.

There's no link or other evidence to back up the allegation.

It should be noted, as to the charge that Powes resume is thin: He was a captain in the armed forces during a time of combat. That is a heck of a line or anybody's CV.

Batavia Muckdog closer Adam Reifer, who leads the league in saves with 18, picked up the win Tuesday night, and Muckdog Charles Cutler scored the winning run, as the National League erased a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth to cap a 4-3 walk-off victory.

In fact, NL manager Darin Everson said it was Reifer's performance that semi-inspired the comeback win.

"It was very dramatic," Everson said. "I was telling the other guys that having the energy of Reifer throwing in the ninth inning, our dugout was kind of bubbling with energy after watching him throw."

Muckdog Frederick Parejo broke the game's scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth when he he homered off of right-hander Robert Bell (Auburn).

Here's the game's box score.

The Muckdogs host Mahoning Valley tomorrow to open the closing weeks of the season in first place with a half-game lead over Jamestown.

Thursday and Friday's games start at 7:50 p.m. 

Williamsport is in town Saturday and Sunday. After that, there are only four more regular season home games (the team is 18-10 at Dwyer this year), including two against Jamestown, which should make for a dramatic close of the season.

Your team is fighting for the division pennant, Genesee County, go support them. General admission tickets are only $5. These kids have put on a great show all season; they deserve to see the stands packed with fans.

My wife and I will be there Friday night. Look for us in the third-base bleachers. I expect I'll be wearing my old school San Diego Padres cap.

In a lengthy post about the 26th District congressional race, Buffalo Pundit writes:

Over the weekend, I was at University Plaza across from UB South waiting for a pizza. There was a young African American guy in the plaza sporting a “Save Jobs” t-shirt with a clipboard and Davis lit. I asked him what he was collecting signatures for, and he handed me the clipboard. He explained to me that he was there on behalf of Jack Davis, who is running for “councilman” and that he wants to “save our jobs and stuff”, and the clipboard held petitions to add the “Save Jobs and Farms Party” to the ballot in November. Yes, he was being paid. So, if Jack can’t buy himself the Independence or Democratic line, he’ll buy himself a minor-party line and will undoubtedly be campaigning through and until November. Particularly amusing was the party emblem, resembling an early 20th century socialist cog symbol.

Um, "Save Jobs and Farms," from a guy who supposedly wants to prevent farmers from hiring the labor they need to bring in their crops?

This sounds like shallow populist posturing rather than a sound policy platform.

As for what BP describes as a "socialist cog symbol," I suspect Davis is tone deaf to the leftist motif, but I suspect he is quite well attuned to the power of propaganda.  Have you heard his ridiculous radio commercial (it plays on WBTA)? Besides making one wonder if Davis is trying to sell used recreational vehicles, the platitude-ridden ditty is a clear appeal to the cult-of-personality vote.

Again, we're not trying to be pro-Powers or anti-Davis here, but you know, when there's a big hole, and a Mac truck sitting there with the engine running, you gotta put the hammer down.

The Buffalo News this morning reports that New York teachers are increasing pressure on the state Legislature to oppose. Gov. Paterson's property tax cap.

The campaign to stop the cap is intense. NYSUT last week withheld endorsements from 38 state senators who voted for the Paterson tax cap. The Working Families Party mailed out 200,000 fliers in a bid to ensure the Democratic-run Assembly does not take up the cap this week. The party, along with the Alliance for Quality Education, has begun a one-week, $1.5 million TV ad campaign blasting the cap. It has also run radio ads.

High taxes -- and they are outrageously high in New York -- impede economic growth, cost people jobs, discourage businesses to relocate to New York, drive businesses out of New York, and ultimately decrease the amount of money local governments can generate in revenue.

Gov. Patterson's proposal is modest compared to the substantial cuts that should be made.

It's disappointing that the teachers union, at such a critical time, is putting self interest ahead of community interest.

Tonight I am reading, as I have been for the past three nights, Bill Kauffman's Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette.

I come to this passage, related to the rising of Wal-Mart in Batavia:

My voice is as mute as the others in that silent night, unholy night. I supposed I am of the old  school of Thoreau and Emerson in that I distrust political solutions and prefer individual revolutions of the soul. I sympathized with those townspeople who wished to keep Wal-Mart out. But instead of passing laws to compel behavior I would rather my neighbors choose to shop locally. They will only do so when Batavia becomes once more a city with its own flavor and fashions. Whether that day will come, I do not know.

For me, if The Batavian can accomplish one thing, it will be to give voice to the people who want Batavia to be Batavia again.

I'm no Pollyanna. I know we cannot put the Brylcreem back in the tube, or unwind the the movie or rebuild C.L. Carr's, but we can promote an ideal that a rural town like Batavia should be more than bathroom break on the Thruway.

We have our corporate sponsors, which means that if the heavens opened up and Wal-Mart or Kmart decided to bequeath to us some ungodly sum of money for advertising (not likely, ever), we couldn't say no, but we are here first and foremost to support the businesses that support Batavia (and the rest of Genesee County).

We only ask one thing -- that you do the same. Before your next trip to Wal-Mart or Target, find out what local shop can do you the same service and patronize that store first.

During Summer in the City, I had a chance to chat with Assemblyman Steve Hawley.  Of course the subject of the mall came up, and a friend/supporter/consitutent (I'm not sure which best applies) standing nearby chimed in and said he thought the mall should be turned into a college campus.

That idea, though I gather it's not a new one, has some merit.

The influx of students would be a boon for downtown restaurants and bars, and the foot traffic of people to those businesses would help other retail establishments. 

However, such a solution would do nothing to deal with the "eyesore of a mall" issue, and by not tearing down the building and creating new Main Street-facing structures, you're making it harder to profitably relocate current mall occupants who might wish to stay downtown.

Still, a two- or four-year campus (could the New York university system be enticed into an extension campus?) would generate a lot more people traffic in the city's core.

Setting aside for a minute the logistics and difficulties of making it happen, what do you think -- is a college campus a viable alternative to the current sputtering, life-sapping, soul-sucking mall?