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Aging veterans manning the catching
duties for Tides Plenty of catching depth for the Mets at their AAA team, the Norfolk Tides. I went to the Diamond today to see if the R-Braves could snap their 10-game losing streak and to search out a comfortable seat there. The Norfolk Tides came to town with a veteran team that boasted at least nine players with major league experience. Their catching corps consists of Mike DiFelice, Fernando Lunar and the ageless veteran, Benito Santiago. DiFelice has been kicking around professional baseball since 1991, when the Cardinals made him their 11th pick of the draft. A career .239 hitter, DiFelice has made stops in St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Kansas City, Detroit, Chicago (NL) and Miami, where he battled unsuccessfully for the back up job this spring. After losing out, he asked for and was given his release, whereupon, he signed a minor league deal with the Mets and did see some major league action this year before being designated for assignment and returning to the Tides. He started the game today and was struck on the head in the second inning by a James Jurries backswing. Tough guy that he is, DiFelice stuck it out. All told, DiFelice has been left unprotected in the expansion draft by St. Louis, traded for players to be named later and DFA’ed plenty of times for any one player, yet he continues on. Fernando Lunar was originally signed by the Braves and was part of the Orioles infamous purge of 2000. He came to Baltimore with Luis Rivera and Trenidad Hubbard for B.J. Surhoff and Gabe Molina. Rivera is out of baseball; he was damaged goods when he went to Baltimore and after shoulder surgery, managed to re-injure his shoulder by neglecting his rehab. The last I saw Hubbard was two years ago in the Cubs spring camp. When I told him I remembered the pinch hit triple he hit in Baltimore, he was pleased. He had no idea why he did not play more there. Surhoff was just activated from the DL by the Orioles and is still playing regularly for them. Molina is out of baseball as well. Lunar was billed as a very good catch and throw guy who carried very little offensive punch. The Braves signed him as a pitcher and converted him to catcher, due in large part to the strength of his throwing arm. In parts of three seasons with Atlanta and Baltimore, he has managed to compile a .224 batting average. I remember watching one game a few years back when Rochester played the Braves, Josh Towers was on the mound for the Red Wings, and I swear, Lunar was throwing the ball back harder than Towers was throwing it in. The grand old man of the group is Benito Santiago, who began playing professionally in 1882, signing as a free agent with San Diego. He has made stops at ten major league teams, most recently, Pittsburgh. After being released by the Pirates, he signed a minor league deal with the Mets in early June and has been in AAA since. I watched him before the game in the dugout, slapping hands and talking it up with the younger guys. It has to be a real sensation to be 22 years old and sitting in the same clubhouse with a guy who has been through 19 major league seasons! If Ramon Castro and Mike Piazza need relief, the Mets have plenty of veterans to choose from on their AAA roster. Jose Santiago (late of the Royals, Phillies and Indians) started the game for Norfolk and went seven innings, giving up six hits, walking one batter and striking out six. He shut out the Braves during his stint until he was relieved by Tim Lavigne, a University of Virginia man who gave up two earned runs in the eighth inning. The Tides closed the game with Juan Padilla, ex-Twin, Yankee, Red and Met, who gave up the other two Richmond runs. Santiago sported a 90 mph fastball which he mixed with his 78 mph curve and slider. He changed speeds well and kept the R-Braves off balance with his location and repertoire. Richmond was led offensively by Scott Pratt, Tony Pena, Jr. (although he fanned in the second inning with two runners in scoring position) and James Jurries. The Braves almost caught the Tides after spotting them a five run lead. The rally ran out of gas in the ninth with the Braves still one run down. Unfortunately for the Braves, it was their 11th loss in a row, a new club record in futility. Kevin Barry went four inning for the home team, taking the loss. A side note --- Jason Bourgeois is on the Braves roster. Currently, he is Richmond's starting second baseman and is hitting a anemic .227. I saw Bourgeois this spring in the Rangers camp. He is a smooth fielder who was claimed off the waiver wire by the Braves at the end of spring training. I suppose there is some promise there. He plays a speed game, laying down bunts and stealing bases. Last year, he batted .236 with 30 stolen bases at AA Frisco --- good for fifth place in the Texas League. He also had seven triples and played in 138 games. All told, he sports a minor league career average of .271 with 102 stolen bases over four seasons. Right now, he is getting a chance to play every day with the Braves and is trying to make the most of his opportunity. While the Braves were going down for their 11th straight loss, I managed to find a comfortable seat at the Diamond. It is behind the visitors dugout and right in front of a skybox! It may be the only seat in the place worth sitting in! --- John
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