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Whatever the reason has been for the recent success of former Northgate Vikings pitching ace Will Smith on the mound, it seems to be working as a member of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Prior to his start Tuesday night against the Arkansas Travelers, Smith's record is 7-7 with a 4.20 earned run average in 18 starts and he leads the Double A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals in innings pitched with 100.2 and strikeouts with 61.
In his last six outings Smith has pitched 34 innings allowing 36 hits, 12 earned runs and nine walks while recording 25 strikeouts.
"[Kansas City Royals pitcher] Zach Miner was just here during his rehab from Tommy John surgery and I picked his brain and asked for some advice," he said. "He told me to let my defense work for me and pitch a little mad at the other team."
Last season was up and down for Smith as he owned a 3-6 record with a 4.77 earned run average in 66 innings allowing 86 hits and 21 walks while recording 36 strikeouts.
"The season started out rough for me since it was my first with the Royals and I was excited," he said. 'I hit a bad spot and I was getting hammered so I called [Northgate head baseball] Coach [Greg] Hamilton and things started to get better."Smith pitched 6 1/3 innings allowing five hits and two earned runs in a 10-4 win over the San Antonio Missions.
A week before that start, Smith had a better outing against the Missions as he went 6 2/3 innings allowing two hits and recording nine strikeouts.
The starts against the Missions have led this season to be an opposite of last year when he played for five teams, four time zones and two organizations.
"It was a tough year because I was moving around," Smith said of the season. "I would have to start over and try to figure out what was I supposed to do since each team had their own rules."
After he was drafted in the seventh round in 2008 by the Angels, Smith reported to their rookie team in Orem, Oregon where he had an 8-2 record and pitched the 2009 season in Cedar Rapids, Iowa of the Midwest League where he was 10-5 with an ERA of 3.76.
The 2010 season for Smith began the season with the Rancho Cucamonga (CA) Quakes of the Class A California League and included a stint in the AAA Pacific Coast League with the Salt Lake Bees.
As a member of the Bees, he flirted with a shutout against the Las Vegas 51s in June, but Smith began to struggle against more experienced players in the offensively minded PCL.
Smith eventually was sent to the Class AA Texas League Arkansas Travelers by the Angels and eventually was part of a trade the Angels made with the Royals that saw him pitch for their Class A club in Wilmington, Delaware.
His five team, two organization season ended in September with a 9-9 record, an ERA of 4.62 and 130 strikeouts in 163 innings.
"At first I was in shock and had no idea it could happen because the Angels like to develop their own pitchers," Smith said of the trade. "It has been a good thing because the Royals wanted me, I still see some of the guys when we face each other and the Angels treated me well."
After a solid spring training in which he got looks by the Royals and manager Ned Yost followed by a promising season for the Naturals, Smith is optimistic about the future despite having no control over it.
"As a player you can't play general manager," he explained. "I am paid to play baseball and can't handle whatever happens the rest of the season."
In Saturday's game at Sun Life Stadium against the Marlins, Emaus collected his first hit against major league pitching as he lined a shot off pitcher Ricky Nolasco in the top of the fifth inning.
The scorer ruled it a hit and Emaus was able to give his father Mark something to add to the trophy case as well as something for friends and relatives to cheer about.
While those of us who saw Brad play in high school and college were looking forward to the previous weekend, I was curious to find out how some of the hitters of the past fared in their first game or two.
After checking the Baseball Almanac and Retrosheet on the Internet, I found what I was looking for with mixed results.
Very few had momentum-setting days in their debuts, but it wasn't long before they hit paydirt and they were able to record that first safety before taking their steps toward immortality.
Joe DiMaggio had one of the more impressive debuts as a major league player on May 3, 1936 against the St. Louis Browns as the "Jolting" one went 3-for-6 at the plate, scored three runs and had an RBI.
The legend of George Herman "Babe" Ruth didn't have much of a beginning at the plate on July 11, 1914 as a member of the Boston Red Sox when he was primarily a pitcher before eventually moving to the outfield.
He didn't have a hit in the game, but he was the winning pitcher and he eventually got his first hit when he doubled on October 2 against Leonard Cole of the New York Yankees.
When Lou Gehrig played in his first game on June 15, 1923, it wasn't the beginning of the streak, but as a late-inning replacement for Wally Pipp. Gehrig finally got to bat after serving as a replacement in his first two games only to go hitless before getting his first hit on July 7 as a pinch hitter in St. Louis off Browns' pitcher Elam Vangilder.
Of course, we know the rest of the Gehrig story as Pipp had a headache and never donned the pinstripes again once the Iron Horse became entrenched.
Hank Aaron went 0-for-5 in his first game on April 13, 1954 in Cincinnati against the Reds, but that would change two days later in St. Louis against the Cardinals as the Milwaukee Braves came away with a 7-6 victory.
Aaron's first hit would be a single off Cardinals' pitcher Vic Raschi, but eight days later, Aaron hit the first of 755 career home runs in a game off Raschi when the two teams met in Milwaukee.
On the day that Jackie Robinson made history on April 15, 1947, he went hitless against Johnny Sain which wasn't unusual since lots of players had trouble with the former Boston Braves and New York Yankees hurler.
He still contributed to the game on the field as he reached on an error and scored the go-ahead run as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Braves.
Robinson managed the first of 1,518 career hits two days later when he had a bunt single off pitcher Mort Cooper in the Dodgers' 12-6 win over the Braves.
I'm not sure if this puts Emaus in good company or not in terms of getting that first big league hit, but hopefully in about 12 years or so he will have a lot of hits and will have carved himself a productive big league career.
However, despite rooting for Brad to do well, I still have to pull against the Mets since I have been a Braves' fan for such a long time.
Imagine, if you will, that you are the person who has to put together programming for the NFL Network once the season is over.
The Arena Football League games will take care of some of the time and perhaps contests between NFL cheerleading squads could fill in a bit here and there.
You could also have battles of the general managers, athletic trainers or head coaches, but, come to think of it, the cheerleaders would make better viewing for contests.
How about sporting events that active players may participate in such as going down to Florida or Arizona and taking cuts in the batting cage at baseball's spring training as well the old stand by of playing golf?
Personally, I wouldn't mind if the programming dudes broadcast charity bowling and basketball events involving active players since guys like Terrell Owens and Antonio Gates spent time on the hardwood during their college days.
Since we're still being forced to watch reality shows and several players have had their own shows in the past, how about if we watch more, but with different themes.
Since Maury Povich and several others beat the paternity test into the ground on a weekly basis there could be other themes like my quarterback likes this receive better than another or a theme in which linemen confront officials who call them for holding.
I could go on and on, but one can only continue with the ridiculous and the sublime for so long before getting a hammer and pounding oneself in the head.
There are two reasons I delve into the what to do about NFL Network programming and they deal with (1) the scouting combine held over the weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and (2) the impending lockout that could occur early Friday morning.
For those of you who had better ways of enjoying the pleasant weekend than watching the NFL Network, you missed a decent combine this year.
If you aren't aware of the combine, that's okay since most people aren't or really care very little, but it is considered the National Football League's version of a job interview.
The 32 clubs look to see if quarterbacks can actually throw the ball, if wide receivers can catch and if 300-pound lineman can run the 40-yard dash really, really fast.
They also run the Wonderlich Test which determines if players can recognize everyday objects and do simple math.
Anyway, this year's edition wasn't that bad as Cam Newton showed he can throw a football pretty far and make the seven-step drop that NFL quarterbacks have to make before getting sacked.
He also showed what he could do on the broad jump by leaping a distance of 10-feet, six-inches and could run the 100-yard dash in the time which was expected of him while A.J. Green also had a great combine by catching the ball and demonstrating a 35-inch vertical jump.
Most of the participants will be on an NFL club or the NFL Network this fall, but whether there will be games or not is another story.
At 11:59 on Thursday night, the collective bargaining agreement between the players and owners will expire and on Friday morning there could be a lockout.
In other words, there may not be a 2011 season or at least one that doesn't have a full slate of games.
Last week, the two sides met before the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in Washington with little or no results.
If there are no games, then maybe, if nothing else works out, the labor meetings can be broadcast on the network. It might be better than nothing at all.
FAIRBURN -- The Newnan Cougars had a lot to celebrate on the road Friday night as they snapped their three game losing streak with a 56-19 Region 2-AAAAA victory over the Langston Hughes Panthers.
First, Chris Robinson came off the bench to play significant minutes and rush for 98 yards on seven carries in his first real game action in three weeks.
However, it was quarterback Lendell Arnold that gave his team reasons to celebrate as he led the team with 104 yards on 14 carries while scoring six of the Cougars eight touchdowns.
"It was a good win for us tonight," said head coach Mike McDonald. "A lot of people got to play tonight and we are getting some people back from injuries like Chris who we wanted to get in the game a little bit."
The Cougars opened the scoring when they started from their 36 and went on a seven-play drive highlighted by a 20 yard run by Lemond Anderson and an 11-yard run by Chris Hudson culminated by a two-yard keeper by Arnold with 9:56 remaining.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, Anderson would leave the game later with an injury which led to Robinson making more than a token appearance.
The Panthers demonstrated the type of athletes on their roster on the ensuing drive as D.J. Payne provided the highlights with a 50-yard run and a 12-yard touchdown run that cut the margin to 7-6 with 7:52 after the extra point attempt was blocked.
Throughout the evening both teams had trouble with snaps from center and one by the Panthers cost them as Alberry Melson recovered one for the Cougars with 4:40 remaining in the first at the Panthers' 37.
Five plays later, Arnold scored on a 32-yard run with 2:35 remaining but an errant snap by the Cougars forced holder Cody Darracott to run toward the end zone but he was less than a yard short.
Another bad snap haunted the Panthers and lead to a Cougars score as the ball was snapped over the punter's head and recovered by the Cougars at the Hughes eight yard line.
On the first play, Arnold scored and with 45 seconds remaining Newnan led 19-6 as Darracott was forced to run again on a bad snap and miss scoring by less than a yard from the goal line.
In the second quarter, Panthers quarterback Blaize Schaffer lived up to his first name on the ensuing series as the senior found an open spot in the Cougars' defense and raced along the sideline for a 52-yard run to cut the margin to 19-12 after only 90 seconds had elapsed.
After holding the Cougars on the next series, Schaffer struck again as he hit Terry Pettis with a 53-yard pass and tied the game at 19-19 as he scored on a one-yard keeper and the Panthers converted the extra point with 6:56.
The Cougars didn't take long to reclaim the lead as Robinson rushed for 31 yards on three plays and Arnold would finish the 62-yard drive with a three-yard run that gave him his fourth score with 2:38 remaining in the half.
After holding the Panthers to three-and-out in the next series, the Cougars took over at the Hughes 46 and on second down, Robinson nearly had a score as he raced 45 yards to the one where Arnold completed the brief drive with a one-yard keeper that gave the Cougars a 33-19 lead with 27 seconds remaining in the half.
The third quarter was scoreless until Arnold did it again as he raced 41 yards to his left and hit the end zone for his sixth touchdown with 44 seconds remaining in the quarter.
With the victory well in hand, Arnold and the rest of the regulars were replaced in the fourth quarter by a number of substitutes including Marcus Tenney who scored on a six-yard run with 10:04 remaining in the game to end a series that began at the Panthers' 16 after a blocked punt.
On the ensuing series, the evening got worse for the Panthers as a fumbled pitch on a third down play led to a 22-yard loss and a snap over the punter's head into the end zone for a safety.
The Cougars added a touchdown after the safety when Otis Gates scored on a six-yard run in the final 30 seconds of the game.
After two failed attempts, The Heritage School finally came away with the biggest prize in GISA baseball on Saturday at home.
Returning to the state finals for the third-straight year, the Hawks swept the Tiftarea Panthers in 5-1 and 13-5 victories to claim the school's first Class AA State Baseball Championship trophy.
The Hawks, who were denied by the Panthers in last year's series, finished the season at 27-4 while the 2009 champions finished at 17-7.
In the first game, the Hawks threatened to take control early as Garrett Okun and Kyle Kimsey followed with single before Grant Alvarez was hit by a pitch for the 21st time this year to load the bases for winning pitcher Jack Duffey.
Duffey lined a shot down the first base line where Panthers first baseman Eric Lee made a great stop and beat Duffey to the bag as Okun crossed the plate with the only run of the frame.
The Panthers threatened to tie the game in the top of the second inning as the first two batters reached base on singles by Dustin McAlpin and Clay Tapp but Duffey retired two of the next three batters on strikeouts and ended the frame on a flyball.
Heritage added to their 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning as Okun and Kimsey reached on walks ahead of Alvarez who hit a 1-2 offering from losing pitcher Aaron Estes over the left field fence for his 13th round tripper of the year and the lead was 4-0.
Estes appeared to settle down after the home run as he retired the next two batters but began to tire as he allowed a line single by Rich, hit Seth Bonner and surrendered back-to-back walks to Joe Bonner and Dalton Trammell forced Rich home with the final Hawks run of the game.
The walk to Trammell was also the last action for Estes of the game as he was relieved by Case Pack who allowed two hits and a walk but received solid defense behind him in the three and two-third inning he worked.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Panthers threatened to rally as a hit batter, a walk and a single loaded the bases but Duffey responded by retiring the runners stranded.
However, they would finally get on the board in the top of the fifth inning after Duffey retired the first two batters of the frame as Pack reached on an infield error with courtesy runner Daniel Hardy coming home when pinch-hitter Clayton Dukes hit a double into right center field.
The Panthers had one final scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth inning as Zach Bryant reached on a one out walk and Justin Vickers reached on an infield error but Duffey got of the inning on a groundout and a flyball.
In the top of the seventh, Joe Bonner took over the frame with his glove as he threw out the first batter and after Duffey surrendered a single made the final outs of the game as he caught a line drive and made the throw to first to complete a double play.
Game two began with Okun leading off with a solo home run over the left field fence for the first run and singles by Kimsey, Alvarez and Duffey gave Heritage a 2-0 lead before a pair of throwing errors on a single by winning pitcher Evan Graybill added two more runs.
After two outs, Joe Bonner and Cody Yarbrough walked to load the bases and Okun completed the scoring in the six-run frame with a two-run double.
The Hawks added a run in the top of the second inning as Alvarez was hit by a pitch but the umpire ruled otherwise and the Heritage catcher drilled the ball over the left field fence for his 14 the home run of the season.
Heritage took a commanding lead in the top of the third inning as they scored four runs on a two-run ground rule double by Duffey and a two-run single by Graybill.
Hopes for a win under the mercy rule faded for the Hawks in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Panthers scored three runs to cut the margin to 11-3.
Graybill appeared to tire in the bottom of the sixth inning as he allowed a pair of runs and had two more runners on base before escaping further damage with a strikeout.
In the top of the seventh inning, the Hawks added to the margin as Okun, Kimsey and Alvarez were walked and Duffey followed with a two-run double to right.
Graybill opened the bottom of the frame by surrendering a single before getting three straight groundouts including contributing on the last one that deflected to Yarbrough at second who threw a strike to Duffey to win the title.
