baseball

Dave Wellenzohn has a championship ring and had a great experience while meeting "great people in Batavia".

But he was let go as general manager of the Batavia Muckdogs after this season by the Rochester Red Wings, who are owned by the Rochester Red Wings Management, LLC.

Things happen fast in minor league baseball, and Wellenzohn found his new job quickly after searching since the end of the season.

Just yesterday, Wellenzohn was hired by the Savannah Sand gnats as  Director of Tickets and Sales.

"I was the one left holding the short end of the stick (after the season)," Wellenzohn said. "I'm thrilled to be leaving Batavia. I'm happy to be going to Georgia because I've lived there before. I'm looking forward to setting up residence and hopefully being there for a while."

Wellenzohn being happy about leaving Batavia has nothing to do with the people or his experience during the season. In his interview he used the words "bitter sweet" very often. 

Batavia won its first New York-Pennsylvania League title in 45 years on September 14 and he was let go on the 15th. 

"I would not trade my experience in Batavia for anything, but I wouldn't do it again either," Wellenzohn said. "It was bitter sweet and I was the only one that lost. But it was nice. We won a championship and I met a lot of nice people."

Wellenzohn literally was ready to move back to his home town of Buffalo. He had the moving truck booked, found an apartment and had an appointment to have his satellite TV set up.

After having no luck finding a job, he was just going to head home.

But he was hired by the Sand gnats yesterday and is now looking for a place to live there, while canceling his plans to move to Buffalo.

"One of my former employees at Jamestown is there and is the public relations director for NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray, and she's helping me to find some housing. I need to find a place that allows dogs because I still have my trusty companion, my german shepard."

The Sand gnats are a full-season Class A team that is an affiliate of the New York Mets that plays in the South Atlantic League. The team has one of the oldest stadiums in the country, but there is talk of a new one being built in the near future.

He will be wearing his first championship ring when he starts his job on February 2.

"Baseball continues to move on and the calendar moves on," Wellenzohn said. "I'll be with a new team and a new affiliate, but I'll have my first championship ring on my finger. We won 50 games and that is neat. It's something I'll never forget."

Batavia High School has been one of the smallest schools in the Monroe County League for a long time.

It has hindered the chances some programs have had to win.

But those things are about to change as realignment has given Batavia a chance to remain part of a league, yet be competitive in sports it normally struggled to compete in.

"With our school and our size, Monroe County recognized that our school and Greece Odyssey were a little different," Batavia athletic director Mike Bromley said. "You have to give them credit for that because they give us a league affiliation and will allow us to be competitive."

The Blue Devils will be playing in Monroe County League Division III, but will be essentially playing a half-league schedule.

Geography is a big consideration for Monroe County as teams were realigned. Division I and II teams are matched up as much by travel distance as school size. Division III is mostly about size.

Batavia will play each team in Division III once in both boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball. That means the Blue Devils will get to play seven league games, which is also happening with Odyssey.

While Batavia will no longer be eligible for league championships, it will give teams chances to schedule non-league games with teams that they can compete with.

A prime example is the boys soccer team, which experimented with the schedule least year. Batavia went 7-10, going 7-1 outside of Monroe County and 0-8 in the league.

"We gave up the opportunity to win a league championship because we don't play everybody twice," Bromley said. "But to be able to go out and get schools that are closer to our size and be more competitive makes more sense than trying to win league titles."

Kids will still have  a chance to be recognized as all-county and there will be no changes for track & field or cross country. 

This sets up some potential great local rivalries, especially as Batavia drops down to Class B. Imagine home and home series' with Attica or Albion. Those could be great local rivalries for Batavia.

Once you get past not being able to compete for a league championship, there are still goals for Batavia teams. 

There will also be changes in the modified programs at Batavia, as the drop in numbers will no longer support a seventh and eighth grade team. The two grades will be combined for modified and will play a schedule based on geography.

Here is the new alignment for the Monroe County League:

Division I: Canandaigua, Irondequoit, Fairport, Penfield, Rush-Henrietta, Webster Schroeder, Webster Thomas.

Division II: Brockport, Churchville-Chili, Gates Chili, Greece Arcadia, Greece Athena, Greece Olympia, Hilton, Spencerport.

Division III: Batavia, Brighton, Greece Odyssey, East Irondequoit Eastridge, Honeoye Falls-Lima, Pittsford Mendon, Pittsford Sutherland, Victor.

Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle reports this morning that the Red Wings operations crew, Rochester Community Baseball, lost more than $250,000 on the Muckdogs in 2008 "in an effort to save professional baseball in Batavia." Because of that loss, not even a $150,000 profit pulled in by the Red Wings was enough to keep the company from losing nearly $95,000 for the year.

Naomi Silver, chief operating officer of RCB, spoke with Bob Matthews:

"Considering the poor economy, we're pretty happy with our overall financial statement. But Batavia was a tough nut. We won't stay in Batavia indefinitely if the operation continues to lose money."

Red Wings group outings and advertising set all-time record highs, according to Matthews. Not so rosy in Batavia.

"We expected to lose some money in Batavia due to startup costs at Dwyer Stadium, but attendance was disappointing," Silver said. "We're going to run the Muckdogs again next year, and this time we'll have a full offseason to sell tickets and advertising.

Attendance for the 2008 Muckdogs was 45,398, including the playoffs. That was up slightly over 2007. The Muckdogs won the NY-P league championship for the first time since 1963.

"Although the Batavia operation was unprofitable in 2008, we recognize that it was a transition year — and a losing year," RCB president Gary Larder said. "We are optimistic about an improved financial outcome in 2009."

Silver stressed that the company wants to keep the team in Batavia, "ideally" for 20 years, but she was careful to note that "we're taking our committment one year at a time."

Please check out the complete article by Bob Matthews.

We were wondering when the Muckdogs would make their appearance in the Holland Land Office Museum's countdown of the Twenty-Five Things that Made Genesee County Famous. Well, they've made it. They broke the top ten. They come in at No. 9.

So we all know why we here in Genesee County love the Muckdogs—and we loved them all the more after the brought home the league title this summer. But how do the 'Dawgs make Genesee County famous?

Here's Pat Weissend, director of the Holland Land Office Museum:

Although Batavia is one of the smallest cities in America to have a Minor League franchise, the team consistently ranks near the top of the merchandise sold list. More than 100 Little League and softball teams across the country use Muckdogs as their team name.

Not to mention the world champs:

Many major leaguers began their professional careers in Batavia including World Series champions and current members of the Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Kyle Kendrick, Ryan Madson and JA Happ. National media outlets visited Batavia in 1998 when Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams played left field for the team. Some of the early Batavia greats were Jack Tighe, Dick Fowler, Manny Sanguillen and Doc Ellis. Clarence (Cito) Gaston led Batavia and the league in homers and runs batted in while playing for the 1966 Trojans. Gaston won two World Series as the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1990s.

Congrats, Muckdogs!

OK, now that we're getting near the top of the list, it's time to start making some predictions. Surely, William Morgan will crack the top five. Bill Kauffman has got to be up there, too, as someone who has quite consciously made Genesee County famous with his book: Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette. A controversy over a transgender science teacher at a Batavia city school has to be at least number three.

What do you think? What's your number one?

Be sure to keep your browser tuned to the Holland Land Office Museum in the coming weeks. We could see our number one by the end of the year.

 The Batavia Muckdogs won the New York-Pennsylvania League title this past season with a sweep of Jamestown. It was Batavia's first championship since 1963.

Now the honors come rolling in.

Manager Mark DeJohn was named St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Manager of the Year by Scout.com for guiding the Muckdogs to the title.

"“To be very honest with you, I would put it right up there as probably one of my most rewarding years that I’ve spent in the game,” DeJohn told Scout.com.

It is DeJohn's second season in Batavia and the second year the Cardinals have been the parent organization of the Muckdogs.

Pitcher Scott Gorgen was named 2008 Minor League Rookie Starter of the Year after going 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA for the Muckdogs.

Adam Reifer was as good as they come in the closer role, making 23 saves for Batavia, including a 1 2/3 inning save in the championship win. He was named the 2008 Minor League Rookie Reliever of the Year in the Cardinal organization.

Four former Batavia Muckdogs just earned World Series rings.

The Philadelphia Phillies just beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 to win the World Series 4 games to 1, claiming the first team title in 28 years.

Philadelphia used to be the parent club of the Muckdogs before St. Louis took over two years ago and some players on the team got their professional baseball start in Batavia.

First baseman Ryan Howard hit six homers in Batavia, playing 48 games in 2001. Second baseman Chase Utley batted .307 while playing 40 games in 2000.

Starting pitcher J.A. Happ went 1-2 in 11 starts for Batavia in 2004 and reliever Ryan Madson had a 5-5 record in 15 starts in 1999.

 The Philadelphia Phillies are moving on to the World Series after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight, and several of the players on that roster started their professional baseball career in Batavia.

The Phillies were the parent club of the Batavia Muckdogs before the St. Louis Cardinals took control two seasons ago and they developed some quality players that are now going to have a shot to win a Major League Baseball title. 

Philadelphia beat the Dodgers 5-1 in the NLCS and are moving on to the "Fall Classic" for the first time since 1993.

First baseman Ryan Howard hit six home runs in 48 games for the Muckdogs in 2001, including a shot to right field that is often talked about as the longest in Dwyer Stadium history.

Second baseman Chase Utley had a .307 batting average while playing 40 games with Batavia in 2000.

Starting pitcher J.A. Happ started 11 games and went 1-2 for the Muckdogs in 2004 and reliever Ryan Madson went 5-5 in 15 starts for Batavia back in 1999.

 These former Batavia Muckdogs along with the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies will open up the World Series next Wednesday against either the Tampa Bay Rays or the Boston Red Sox.

Tampa Bay currently leads that series 3-1.

Attention all you Muckdogs fans and supporters! if you haven't heard, Muckdogs championship t-shirts are available for purchase! Check out the website, muckdogs.com (direct link here: http://muckdogs.com/index.asp?orgid=67&storyid=315&sid=FD4A130C-FED5-441D-8157-560D0254FB2F), for more info!

Hi i am Chris Freeman.  For the last four months I worked for the Batavia Muckdogs as an intern.  I was actually the PA announcer.  Eventhough, I was not being paid, I had such an awesome time at dwyer stadium.  I learned things like selling tickets, power washing and learning how to effectively speak into a microphone.  I felt like i was part of the Muckdog family although i was just an intern.

I would like to thank Travis Sick, Casey Freeman and Shirley Figueroa for always putting up with my work habits.  I learned alot from those guys.  Thank you for that.  I would also like to thank Big Dave for encouraging me to be an entertainer.  I will always remember this experience every time I go past Dwyer Stadium.  I had an amazing time there.  I dont care if the fans will ever remember me for when i announced in the year 2008, while wayne was on radio.  I just want the fans to remember one thing and that is " Thats another Turnbull K".

In their first playoff game, Batavia (0-1) lost to Lowell (1-0) in extra innings by a score of 4-3.  Hector Cardenas was brilliant in the start for the Muckdogs.  He went six innings with one hit, one run, four walks and ten strikeouts.  Zach Pitts (0-1) got the loss in his one inning of work with one hit, one run, three walks and one strikeout.  Spinner Robert McClain (1-0) picked up the win in his two and a third innings with three strikeouts.

Lowell got up early, scoring one in the first on two walks and two ground outs.  It remained a 1-0 game until Batavia scored three runs in the 6th.  Edwin Gomez double and Colt Sedbrook had a RBI single to start things off.  The bases then became loaded as Charlie Cutler reached on a force attempt and Jermaine Curtis was hit by a pitch.  Shane Peterson then walked to send Sedbrook home.  Chris Swauger then grounded out for the Muckdogs' third and final run.

The Spinners started their comeback in the 8th as they scored one on two doubles by Peter Hissey and Mitch Dening.  They tied things up and sent the game into extras in the bottom of the 9th on a solo homerun by Will Middlebrooks.  And finally, in the bottom of the 12th, Lowell plated one more to get the win.  Bases became loaded before Ryan Dent was served up a walk that plated the deciding run.

Batavia's Edwin Gomez went 3-for-5 in the game with a double and run scored.  The two teams play their second contest tonight at 7:05 in Batavia.  If Batavia wins, the rubber-match will again be at Dwyer Stadium on Wednesday.  Remember, home field advantage only counts when we have a stadium full of fans, so get out to the ballpark this week!

The Batavia Muckdogs (46-28) clinched a first place finish in the Pinckney Division of the New York-Penn League and ended their regular season last night as they took down State College (18-56) 4-1.

Miguel Tapia started on the mound and Scott Gorgen (5-2) got the win in his five innings of great pitching.  Gorgen let up only three hits and one walk while striking out five.  Adam Reifer (22) got the save in the 9th with no hits, runs or walks and one strikeout.  Gabriel Alvarado (0-1) finished his season suffering the loss, throwing one and one third innings with three hits, two runs, one walk and one strikeout.

The Muckdogs put two on the board in the 2nd, starting the inning with a single by Xavier Scruggs.  Jose Garcia then reached on a throwing error, putting two on for Edwin Gomez to drive home on a double.  The Spikes answered with one of their own in the bottom of the inning when Adenson Chourio and Ciro Rosero both singled.  Chourio moved to third on a force out before coming home on a wild pitch.

But that would be all the State College offense of the night, while Batavia scored one more run in each the 4th and the 8th.  In the 4th, Garcia singled, stole a base and came home on a wild pitch.  And in the 8th, the bottom of the inning started off with a Christian Rosa singled and Jermaine Curtis walked.  On a pickoff attempt, the Spikes had a throwing error that allowed Rosa to come around to score.

Rosa and Scruggs had the only multi-hit nights for the Muckdogs. Rosa went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Scruggs went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored.

*I'll have another post with final regular season stats and playoff info. later!

Batavia (45-28) won big over State College (18-55) by a score of 10-2, but Jamestown swept Williamsport in a doubleheader to take a share of the division lead.  However, Brooklyn lost, securing at least a wild card spot for the Muckdogs.

Adam Veres (1-1) got the start and win in six innings with five hits, one run, three walks and five strikeouts.  Ramon Aguero (1-10) suffered the loss, pitching two and a third innings with eight hits, six runs (five earned) and two strikeouts.

The Muckdogs scored all their runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings, beginning with three runs in the 2nd.  Christian Rosa singled and Chris Swauger followed with a two-run homerun.  Later in the inning, Jose Garcia singled and advanced to second on a throwing error.  Edwin Gomez then singled to bring Garcia home.

In the top of the 3rd, the Spikes scored on a walk, single and force out.  But Batavia answered right back with three more runs in the bottom of the inning.  The runs came on a Shane Peterson single, Rosa triple, Swauger single and Frederick Parejo single.

Their biggest inning came in the four-run 4th.  It all started when bases were loaded after Charlie Cutler was hit by a pitch, Peterson reached on an error and Rosa walked.  Swauger then came up with another RBI on a sacrifice fly.  Parejo followed with a RBI single.  The last two tallies came when Garcia reached on a throwing error that allowed two to come home.

Swauger ended the night 2-for-3 with a homerun, two runs scored and four RBI.  Rosa also went 2-for-3 with a triple, three runs scored and one RBI.  The two teams face each other again tonight in Batavia at 7:05.

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Tonight, Batavia can clinch a first place finish with a win over State College.  As stated earlier, the Muckdogs are a guaranteed playoff team after Brooklyn fell out of the wild-card race with a loss last night.  Here's where our Muckdog players stand in the NYPL:

• Adam Reifer: 2nd in saves (21); 1st in games (31).
• Colt Sedbrook: 7th in batting (.306 BA); 4th in hits (83).
• Jose Garcia: 2nd in stolen bases (25); 5th in runs scored (46).
• Shane Peterson: 2nd in on-base percentage (.402); T2nd in doubles (20).
• Collectively: 3rd in batting (.268 BA); 3rd in pitching (3.30 ERA).