Mehring Monday: Seven Things

Still settling into the offseason here at the new temporary offices - 2350 N. Casaloma Drive; Suite #102 - and I don't have any single topic to write about this week, but there are a lot of little bits of information that are Timber Rattlers-centric.  So, here are a lucky seven.

1.) Tom Henry is a pretty good sport.  The Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana fulfilled his part of the wager with Dave Schowalter, the Chairman of the town of Grand Chute, by wearing a Timber Rattlers jersey for a day.  Henry and Schowalter had a friendly bet riding on the result of the Midwest League Championship Series.  The picture up top show Mayor Henry wearing the Rattlers jersey.

2.) Another order of 2012 Midwest League Championship T-Shirts have arrived at the team store.  They are available in gray and red.  I was told that the actual color is cardinal, but I am not going to call it that because of THAT team.  You can order the T-Shirts online or right here at the new offices.

3.) People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball.  I'll tell you what I do.  With apologies to Rogers Hornsby, I do not stare out the window and and wait for spring.  One of my responsibilities is to go out and speak to civic clubs and organizations as part of the Timber Rattlers Speakers Bureau.  There are already three dates booked for the offseason.  If your group would like to schedule me to come out and talk with you about Timber Rattlers baseball, email me at [email protected] and I'll be there.  You can have the talk with or without powerpoint.

4.) Fang's Reading Club is up and running for the offseason.  If you are interested in joining, contact Dayna at (920) 733-4152.  Here is the page for Fang's Reading Club at the team website.  There is a sample timeline, details for reading coordinators, and how you can get Fang T. Rattler to visit your school as part of the program.  It was a huge season for the Reading Club last year.  Looking for a bigger year this time.

5.) Baseball America has already listed their Top 20 Prospects of 2012 for the Arizona League and the Pioneer League.  Clint Coulter of the Maryvale Brewers in the Arizona League is the only Milwaukee farmhand to make a Top 20 list.  Last Friday, I noted a few Helena Brewers who were up for consideration for the Pioneer League list over at Rattler Radio.  The Top 20 for the Midwest League is going live on Tuesday morning.  Keep in mind that the MWL is a 16 team league and there were only four Rattlers - Drew Gagnon, Yadiel Rivera, Nick Ramirez, and David Goforth - who were in BA's list of Top 30 Brewers prospects before the start of the season.  They  champs may have only one or two on their Midwest League list tomorrow.

6.) Congratulations to Adam Jones and Chris Tillman!  The pair of former Timber Rattlers have helped the Baltimore Orioles reach the postseason for the first time since 1997.  Baltimore - a Fox Cities Foxes affiliate from 1960-1965 - is tied with the Yankees for the lead in the AL East division. There are three games remaining.  Jones, who was named the MVP of the Orioles for the second consecutive year,  has played in all of Baltimore's 159 games so far this season.  He hit 32 homers, drove in 81 runs, and scored 103 while putting together a slash line of .288/.337/.509.  Tillman put everything together for the Orioles after getting called up a couple of months ago.  Tillman went 9-2 with a 2.78ERA in 14 starts.  He pitched eight innings and allowed one hit against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 28 in maybe his best performance at the major league level.  I'll have a look at all of the former Rattlers in the playoffs on the blog later this week.

7.) The Timber Rattlers are up for a 2012 Golden Bobblehead at the Minor League Baseball Promo Seminar in Reno this week.  First of all...RENO!?...and I'm not going?!...probably for the best I guess.  Second, the Rattlers are competing with five other teams for Best Theme Night.  The nominees are:

Frederick Keys: Six Months to the End of the World
Kane County Cougars: Princess/Daddy-Daughter Date Night
Missoula Osprey: Float to the Ballpark
Northwest Arkansas Naturals: What Might Have Been Night
Bowie Baysox: Pi(e) Night (April Promo of the Month^¥)
West Virginia Power: Redneck Night (May Promo of the Month)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: Salute to Cows (June Promo of the Month)

The only only one I am concerned about is the Six Months to the End of the World Frederick Keys.  Not because it might beat Salute to Cows. I'm concerned because if that is true, we have less than three months left before the end of the world!