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A Father's Day Gift of Baseball Fathers Day weekend and I was treated to a Friday night Coastal Plains League game by the young ladies in my life. We watched the Petersburg Generals play the Peninsula Pilots at the Petersburg Sports Complex in Petersburg Virginia. The Coastal Plains League is a summer developmental league for college players. The 14-team circuit extends from Florence, South Carolina to its northern most team in Petersburg. The league was originally formed in 1937 and operated until1952 with time off for WWII. The original CPL was a Class D minor league operation. According to the league's official website, the current CPL was revived in 1990 by a gentleman named Peter Bock whose son spent his college summers playing in the Shenandoah Valley League. Mr. Bock desired an opportunity to see a summer league a bit closer to his home, and the CPL was reborn. The league uses wooden bats and plays in minor league stadiums, some of which saw the likes of Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken, Jr.. Alumni of the league include David Aardsma, Ty Wigginton and Kevin Youkilis. The Orioles contingent on the alumni list includes Eric Grim, who is playing for Delmarva, Rodney Ormond, currently pitching out of the bullpen for the Orioles AAA team in Ottawa, and super utility man Joey Hammond, whose accustomed position is in the field but was pressed into service to pitch last week when the Bowie Baysox ran out of pitchers. His line was one inning pitched, he struck out one, walked none, gave up one hit and shut the other team down. Currently, his ERA is 0.00. A five dollar ticket bought a reserved seat behind home plate. The chairbacked seat was easily the most comfortable one I have sat in this season. The Richmond Braves AAA team, located 30 miles north, features the most uncomfortable seating from which I have ever watched a game. This includes 50 cent wooden benches in the outfield bleachers at old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Braves would be well-served to travel south on 95 to check out the seats in Petersburg. For seven dollars, one can sit in a large plastic lawn chair on the last row of seats behind home plate under the covered pavilion. The stadium has the capacity to seat 2,000 fans; amenities include a beer garden along the right field line. This is a feature it shares with Hagerstown Municipal Stadium. However, unlike their brethren in Hagerstown, the Petersburg fans are content to sit in the stands and watch the game rather than sit in the beer garden drinking beer all night. When I got to the stadium, I noticed that several of the Petersburg players were lining the field and performing the other chores a grounds crew would. Nothing like putting one's all into the game. Afterwards, the fans were treated to a fireworks show. All told, not bad for a five dollar ticket. The Generals prevailed 3-2 this night. Petersburg was led by starting pitcher BJ Hagen, a native of Richmond who is attending University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Hagen kept the Pilots in check for six innings before tiring. He features a fastball, cutter, slider and curve. There were no radar guns in evidence, but I estimate Hagen throws his fastball in the upper 80s. His curveball has a nice right-left break which could probably use some more tilt. He used a slider and cutter to eat up the left handed batters. Hagen struck out seven Pilots, walked one and spread nine hits out. He was charged with one earned run. He pitched out of several jams, most notably in the second inning when Matt Matulia tripled to start the inning. Hagen struck out the next three batters to shut the door on Peninsula. The Petersburg offense was led by University of New Orleans catcher, Paul Smyth who went 2-4, and Erskine College shortstop Robbie Knapp, who drove in two of the three runs scored. The most enjoyable facet of the game was sitting in the stands with my daughters. I am proud to say Blair Ross Kazlo was formally accepted into Nursing School today. Brynne Walker Kazlo is the Managing Editor of her high school newspaper and wants to become a journalist. --- John
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