July 13, 2011
June 4, 2014
Vol 13 No 28
Hometown Baseball Recipes
11
Raising Healthy Eaters
Around Town
6
Wing Ding to Benefit BCI
Rascals second basemen Hector Crespo attempts to leapfrog a hard-sliding Gateway Grizzlies runner during a May 25 game at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon. Photo courtesy Ricky-Rick Photography
River City Rascals continue a winning tradition By Jordan Shaheen The River City Rascals have jumped out to an early 6-4 record, winning two of the first three series of the 2014 campaign. To start out the season, River City traveled to Rockford to face the Aviators where the Rascals were able to claim two of three. The same line-score occurred when they traveled next to face the Normal Cornbelters. Recently however, Steve Brook’s Rascals came home for their first series at T.R. Hughes Ballpark where they lost two of three to their cross-town rivals, the Gateway Grizzlies. The season so far has included a two-win pitcher—former Miami Marlin Dane Stone—and an incredible young catcher Josh Ludy—who has hit three homeruns and batted in ten through the first ten games of the summer season. Not to mention, the Rascals also won a thrilling 14-inning affair at T.R. Hughes in game two of the Gateway series courtesy of a walk-off knock by returning Rascals Evan Crawford. Fifth-year head coach Steve Brook entered the season with an overall record of 220-161 at the helm in River City. Since Brook took over in 2010, the Rascals have won more games than any other West Division team in the Frontier League. Their 220 wins also ranks third overall in the league behind only Southern Illinois (227) and Traverse City (225). Since the Rascals won their first Frontier League Championship in team history in 2010, they have sported a dominant winning percentage of .577. Not only has excellence become a tradition in River City, but also manager Steve
Brook seems to generally breed a certain type of ballplayer who is always ready to play for his city and team on the field. “I’m extremely proud of what our ball club has been able to accomplish in recent years. With that being said, a Frontier League Championship is something that our players and staff are constantly striving for. Eleven of our players have signed with MLB affiliated teams since 2010. We’ve also had several guys play winter ball in Australia, Mexico, and even Japan. Winning is important, but helping our players advance their professional careers will always remain one of our top goals,” Brook replied when asked about the Rascals’ success since 2010. Taking a closer look at Steve Brook’s roster additions reveals an encouraging pattern of success. Among the 16 new players, three have had experience at the AA/ AAA level of affiliated baseball (Butler, Brown, and Cendejas). As far as pitching goes, the Rascals have added 670 strikeouts and 45 career wins at the professional level. The experience becomes intangible for Brooks and his squad. These new hurlers will be able to serve a dual purpose for Brook by both producing on the field and mentoring the younger players on the side. On the other hand, offensively, the River City coaching staff brought in 46 homeruns and 293 career RBI at the professional level. The statistics show an immense improvement with on-field personnel, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story as manager Steve Brook noted when asked about the effect of additional production from a statistical standpoint.
“Numbers are important in baseball as they can often make or break a player’s career. However, numbers don’t always tell the whole story. Our job is to play the game the right way and to find ways to win and promote our players to the next level. We will continue to work at this and hopefully reach our goals in 2014.” After the first 10 games of the 2014 Frontier League schedule, River City sits in third place in the Western Division behind only the Gateway Grizzlies and Windy City Thunderbolts—making them two games behind in the standings. The Rascals currently have the fourth best batting average (.249) and the fewest walks as a pitching staff in the West. Make sure to come out and support you hometown team at T.R. Hughes Ballpark throughout the summer season.
Business
7
Ribbon Cutting
School
8
Student Attendance Rewarded
X-Men: Days of Future Past Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Movie
9 FREE Online Subscription at mycnews.com