Heels On The Field: A Baseball Blog

Women In Baseball: Conduct And Solidarity Matters

"I am walking a road paved by many who gave up their souls, their psyches to get us where we are at today." Joanne Gerstner, President of the Association of Women in Sports Media

Most battles for something meaningful play out over years, decades, even centuries. There are small victories along the way and, hopefully, big ones as well. But the battle continues in one way or another.

Equality for women in sports media is a continuing battle. There are many small and big victories. But the battle is still on.

Baseball, with it's relentless schedule and luxurious pace, is a place where sanity goes to die. You cannot be a fan of excellent sleep. You must really be tough in a rat race that can be so nasty at times it will make your rat skin crawl. You probably should not hate long silent hours of nothingness in a sports contest. For women there's many other things to mind. You can't embarrass easily. You have to know when to stand up for yourself and how to do it in as dignified a way as possible. You don't socially engage with players and if you do, keep it cool. In the Twitter age, that goes for male and female reporters, but female reporters have to deal with a different kind of perception.

There are plenty of women in baseball these days that are shifting that perception in a positive way. There is a healthy number of female executives in minor league baseball, which includes MILB Assistant Vice President Tina Gust. That kind of female presence is not only important in the landscape of baseball, it is a statement that women are continuing to break through male dominated industries. Sports is the big one. It is the male sanctuary where they proudly share a common language. It's the equivalent of a boys tree house marked with a paper sign stating 'No Girls Allowed.'

But perception and acceptance are still prickly issues. The truth is, nothing ever completely changes. Prejudicial thinking always hangs around. That is why some principle things matter so much. Let the rain fall, but when it does let's make sure we're covered.

Social media, Twitter as mentioned, and all it's counterparts creates one kind of problem. Socializing with players like they're friends is tricky. For starters, they're not. But walking the line and keeping it from veering into overly friendly territory makes a difference. Female reporters talking to players in a way that can read as flirtatious and chummy is not a step in the right direction. If the president of your company was on Twitter would you say, 'Hey, Mr. so and so look forward to seeing you at the convention!' While players are not our bosses, they are also not our equals. They are not our colleagues.  It's a strange distinction.

Social media has taken away some of our professionall barriers, but it doesn't have to rob it completely as long as we care about our conduct. There's also the factor of fans becoming writers. Once they cross the threshold and have professional contact with players, they might forget that they are no longer just fans. For women, like it or not, we have to watch ourselves a bit more carefully. 

In that danger zone what we also need is to stick together like the team on the field we're covering. We need to reach out and mentor the new girls coming in and fiercely respect and support those who came before us. There are red flags when I've dealt with newer female writers. I listen to what they say. And at times, I've been put off by some behavior. But instead of backbiting and judging, offer advice. It's something I've done and whether it's fallen on deaf ears or not doesn't matter. Do it because you remember what it was like to start out and not know exactly how to handle it all.

As we continue to open up doors, or break them if need be, there's much fun to be had. We have our small and big victories and the thrill of achieving more. We've already come so far, so it's exciting to think what we'll do next. And if you need any reminder on the beaten path, hold those words of Joanne Gerstner close. They should tell you all you need to know.

*This was part of the week-long celebration of the 1978 ruling that allowed women equal access in baseball. Check out BaseballDigest.com for more this week. Please feel free to share your thoughts. And thank you to Melissa Ludtke. The woman who was the catalyst for that change in 1978. To my female colleagues, remember how fortunate we are for that fight fought for us and won 33 years ago. BIG VICTORY...

 

How Twitter Changed Minor League Baseball

In the dusty bus leagues there's games with countless empty seats, kids paying more attention to the between-inning entertainment, and players whose names no one is sure of. And they will never know a lot of them.

The social media powerhouse that is Twitter has dramatically changed that.

Mid-level and low-level prospects might have struggled in years past to get noticed, lucky enough to get attention if they were part of a major league trade. In that case, their name suddenly had meaning by relationship to a far more important player. But while top prospects have become richer and more famous before they've played a lick of big league baseball, those less valuable guys have upped their status as well. Perhaps they didn't get the same bonus as the top guy in their organization, but his name, through Twitter, is often just as recognizable. Fans are now invested in the kid playing for the Class-A team and when he might be promoted. Prospects are already famous due in large part to Twitter.

The exclusive arena of fame has had it's gates blown open. Celebrities and sports figures have embraced a more open access to their lives, thoughts, and careers. The sense that we are us and they are them is no longer the same. There's tremendous value in that, but also a downside. The access gives fans the illusion that they're talking to friends. It's given writers, particularly start-ups, a relaxed attitude toward the players they cover. Twitter blurs the lines of the profession.

But for minor league players and teams, there's a broader base to reach and that's good for baseball.

Minor League Baseball saw an increase in attendance a few years back, but while it hasn't suffered as much as feared, it's still taken a hit. For all the promotional tie-ins and fireworks nights, people aren't always that interested in seeing a team they aren't emotionally invested in. If a team is near that is affiliated with their favorite major league team, it's surely more attractive. But that's not always the case. Minor league teams are often located in areas nowhere near the big club.

Enter Twitter.

The connection that Twitter gives fans to players they can't always watch (MILB.TV has certainly helped in that department) is of huge value to minor league affiliates and their parent clubs. This isn't a business piece, no predictions on a numbers increase, but it's possible it will have a far reach. Fans talking casually with a prospect are going to tune in for his major league debut. How much could a minor league team's popularity increase if fans know all the guys on the roster and are socializing with them?

Minor league teams benefit. By getting a following on Twitter, they increase fan connection and possibly their attendance. It's a wonder major league teams aren't embracing social media more. With baseball fans pouring out their passions for baseball on Twitter, they want to know everything all the time. And they want to feel appreciated enough to attend a game that's gonna cost them. The minor leagues give the baseball fan a chance to be part of their team without shelling out too much cash. Twitter gives them a closer relationship with that team and the players whose names they know as well as the big guys.

Young players must be cautious. There's a risk in that wall coming down. But major league teams are paying attention to that. Warnings have been handed out and there has been stories of players needing to be told to hold back a bit. Teams must protect their players. Journalists must not forget they aren't fans and be careful about their level of interaction.

But the bus leagues, still dusty, are looking a lot brighter with the emergence of a social tool that gives them a chance to shine.

Dellin Betances, Now You're (Back) In New York

When Dellin Betances didn't live up to his own expectations when pitching for the Trenton Thunder in 2011, he never shied away from admitting failure. He also never got down on himself. He stayed on an even-keel, focusing his energy wisely.

"I just need to do better," he said after one particularly rough outing. He was matter of fact, in that softspoken, thick Brooklyn accent.

At 23 Betances is on the verge of the start of his major league career. He will catch a glimpse this week when he joins the Yankees. And although he will likely not pitch against the Angels, he will be around the big league guys he has admired from afar. And that's literal. The very guys he will dress with and spend time talking to, are some of the same players he hoped to play alongside when he was in the bleachers as a boy at Yankee Stadium

The atmosphere is an experience in itself. Whether he pitches or not, almost doesn't matter at this point. Betances needs to soak up the scenery. Talk to the men that have put their time in. It's a transition that he'll soon make, but it's not one that needs rushing. He's proven he can pitch, he's proven he can fail and learn from it. He's already half way there.

He began 2011 with Trenton, finishing with a 3.42 ERA in 105 innings pitched. He was promoted to Triple-A Scranton where he went 0-3, tacking on 21 more innings of work to finish the regular season. It did not prove to be as successful a season as he and the Yankees hoped, but there flashes of brilliance. His fastball was tremendous at times, but location was a problem. When you throw that hard, there's bound to be some bumps. But more importantly he showed an ability to keep his composure when he did struggle. He quietly listened to Thunder pitching coach Tommy Phelps between innings, never showing distress.

"Tommy has been very helpful to me in reaching my goal of getting to the big leagues. He understands me. He's always been easy to talk to. And it helps to have someone around that has been in the big leagues and been with a championship team."

Betances is part of a group of Yankees prospects that are some of the most exciting, anticipated, and top quality in recent history. While the Yankees are often reduced in the minds of baseball fans to a money machine that can control baseball, their development of players has been snobbishly dismissed. Yes, they can afford to hold onto top guys when they become free agents. And, yes, they can use valubale talent to get top players in the game via trade. But they have also developed tremendous talent over the years. Along with Manny Banuelos, Betances stands as one of the top young pitching talents on the horizon.

Betances humility and willingness to learn have served him well. Whatever he needs to learn, he will have no problem soaking up the wisdom of the veterans around him. And, boy, is he about to be surrounded.

Reading Phillies On The Brink, Take On New Hampshire In ELDS Game Four

Reading, PA - Bats were quiet Saturday as Reading's Austin Hyatt and New Hampshire's Drew Hutichison worked magic through four innings of scoreless baseball. There were no hits allowed until then when Carlos Rivera lined one to center. After that the offense was quieted again until the fifth when Mike McDade and Kevin Howard each got on. Danny Perales, of the .176 average with RISP for the regular season, knocked in the only run the Fisher Cats would need to win it 1-0 and make the series 2-1 in their favor.

Hyatt had been a force for Reading all season going 11-5 for the Phillies Double-A club, but despite pitching beautifully the offense was never able to get something going off of Hutchison.  Neither club was an obvious playoffs team. But both scrapped their way to the top of their respective divisions with timely hitting and quality pitching in the final few weeks of the season.

When asked if the Phillies spirits were down after such a tough loss, manager Mark Parent laughed gently and said, "Oh, no. Not those guys. And in a few minutes, I'll go in there and remind them we gotta get them tomorrow." Reading handed out an award to one of their most resilient and popular players earlier that night, when Matt Rizzotti received the Big Stick Award. The get-em-tomorrow Phillies have been lead by Rizzotti's offensive success this season, hitting a career high 24 home runs (3rd overall in the EL) and collected 84 RBI, finishing 2nd overall in the EL.

Fisher Cats manager Sal Fasano knew that his team was capable, but he was also realistic. Pitching in particular had been an area of difficulty. There was added excitement with Colby Rasmus making a rehab appearance. Rasmus was the DH and will likely play 4-5 innings in Saturday's contest.

On Saturday night Hutchison was mixing his pitches with a sharp curve and threw his fastball for strikes, working efficiently and quickly through six innings of two-hit baseball. He shut down Reading's strong offense, striking out six.

"He really rose to the occasion," said Fisher Cats manager Sal Fasano. "He got out there and dealt with some questionable calls that we thought were balls. But he overcame that. And he pitched his heart out. We knew what kind of competitor he was, but the playoffs are always a tell-tale sign. Drew stepped up. You couldn't ask for anything more from a twenty-one year old."

"I had a lot of ground ball outs. I had a really good slider and changeup. And Travis [d'Arnaud] did a really good job behind the plate. I got contact and put them away when I got ahead," said Hutchison. "Travis and I were on the same page all night. And I know the offense is going to break through at some point."

Sunday the Fisher Cats enter Game Four with momentum and the odds in their favor. The Reading Phillies must prove that, once again, they can come back from adversity.

For all my Eastern League playoffs coverage, as well as coverage of the minor leagues please check Baseball Diget.

Trenton Thunder's Austin Krum Focusing On The Power Of Positive Thinking

Trenton, New Jersey - There are always mysteries in the game of baseball and a player's struggles is one that can go unsolved all season. Austin Krum has dealt with one of the more complicated puzzles in baseball, the mental side. You can't exactly solve that in the batting cage.

"If I can take one thing away from this year, the thing I feel I did the best was that I stayed even keel in terms of my attitude and the way I reacted to adversity," said Krum before the Trenton Thunder's final regular season home game. "I think I got a lot better at taking one day at a time and once that day was over iwth I moved onto the next day. You have to be able to do that to be a successful baseball player."

In his second season with the Double-A Trenton Thunder, the Yankees prospect didn't approve many of his numbers, but there was also not a drop-off in any areas. Total bases increased (153) as did stolen bases (29). He played 65 games for Trenton (as of this writing) and 64 for Triple-A Scranton. It was there that he felt something shift in his game. His mind was in the right place and he felt the effect at the plate.

"I think a week or two before I got called back here from Scranton, I was in a good groove. I had finally learned how to channel all the emotion and frustration and excitement into a positive thing on the field."

The Yankees ninth rounder in the 2007 MLB Draft began his professional career with the Staten Island Yankees and in 2008 with the Charleston River Dogs he really turned it on. He finished the season with 125 hits, 67 RBI, and 55 walks. He split time between Tampa and Trenton in 2009, then spent all of 2010 with the Thunder. Having spent his entire professional career in the Yankees organization, there's a security in knowing and working with the same people. And Krum is clear on what to expect.

"I absolutely know [what the Yankees want from me]. They want the very best from everyone in that clubhouse. So it's up to us to prove ourselves. You do that through your numbers, but you also do that through hard work and showing them the player that they picked. They picked all of us for a reason. You have to prove it to them. If you do, then they reward you and if you don't, then things can get off track and you might lose sight of what you think they want from you."

This season has been a roller coaster for the twenty-five-year-old centerfielder. There was little boredom, not just in what he went through personally, but for the Thunder. It seemed the Double-A Yankees had a sure thing heading toward the playoffs. But the wheels fell off in the final stretch of the season. They went 4-19 in August and have the Eastern League's third worst team batting average (.250) and their team ERA (3.95) is sixth.

The 2010 Thunder club was a closeknit one. They seemed a tighter unit. 2011 brought many new, very young faces and a lot of ups and downs that affected the balance.

"Last year's team was completely different, in terms of personality and personnel. But everybody in that locker room got along great. We know each other. It's always helpful when you are close. We built good relationships."

Sometimes it just doesn't work. There was a lot of simple things that weren't in place - the offense struggled with situational hitting, the pitching wasn't quite what they'd hoped - but Krum, like any smart baseball player, stays focused on what he's responsible for. He worked on keeping it simple no matter what the team was doing as a whole.

"If there's one thing I need to work on it's staying as consistent as I possibly can inside that approach, whether I'm 4-4 or 0-4. I think there times throughout the year where I let my slump or the wy that I was feeling effect the next step. So what I improved the most on is also what I still need to improve on."

Looking forward, there's many questions. He's not a free agent until the following season, but where do the Yankees believe he belongs in 2012?

He's not against starting the season in Trenton, but, of course, he wants to do what they all do.

"You always want to move up. In life or baseball or whatever your profession is. You always want to take the next step. It would be a bit of a letdown, but at the same time, no matter where I'm at I still want to be able to play the game. I play a game for my job. Hopefully it's the next step up, that's my goal and everybody's goal. It'd be a sting. But if you focus on it being a negative thing, it's going to effect how you play."

He's not worried about the way his body runs. Krum feels secure in that respect. But it's back to the psyche. Handling the grind upstairs is the key.

"The physical part for me is fine. Once the lights turn on and the game gets going, my body and the physical aspect is going to take care of itself. But you have to be able to bounce back and handle the big swings that come along with this game."

Notes and Quotes:

"My biggest focus is my speed. I always want to be faster. Even if I was the fastest guy on the planet I would still want to be faster. That's also probably the toughest thing to maintain bedause it takes the most work. And it's the least fun, I can tell you that. It's no fun having to just run. The speed is my biggest focus."

(when I told him I jogged and asked if it was the same, he laughed.)

Krum has had Thunder manager Tony Franklin as his manager for parts of three seasons. Here's what he had to say about him:

"He's been around the game so long. He's got so much knowledge. The nicest thing about him is that he wants to win. Winning is what's most important. But it really drives him and keeps him motivated everyday and try to make us better baseball players so we can win."

Favorite 2011 Memory:

"For me personally, it was probably the walk-off i had here. When I was up against Binghamton [Mets] at the beginning of the year. That was pretty cool. That was a ball that was a questionable home run. Nobody still knows to this day what it hit."

Also read my stories for Baseball Digest on Austin Krum earlier in the season.

http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/08/15/eastern-league-report-trenton-thunders-austin-krum/

http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/05/23/trenton-thunders-austin-krums-hitting-path/

*photos published for larger screen viewing

 

 

 

 

 

Trenton Thunder's Tony Franklin Pre-Game Chat

"We're so accustomed to playing better and being at the top of the standings. I expected to be better this time of the year. It's part of baseball. Sometimes seasons go like this. We just haven't been able to overcome them. Having said all that, we still have an opportunity. That keeps us and them with some hope."

"Until we're mathematically eliminated we're not out of it. That's how I feel about it and I don't think I'll ever change."

When asked if there were a lot of young inexperienced players on this year's team: "I think you hit the nail on the head. They're young in experience. Because they've had an opporunity to do this, we expect them to play better next year. You have nothing to compare it to until you do it."

On Austin Romine being promoted to Triple-A Scranton: "No. Not yet. Not yet. Are you going to be here at the end? See me after the game..."