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July 1, 2010, Wingate Gazette
Billy Hillfinder
In my first story in my new job with the Wingate Gazette I took some time to sit down with Jeff Palin, General Manager of the Wingate Gladiators, to talk about June, Nathan Cooper's injury and the pennant race:
BH: Hello Mr. Palin. The team looks to be doing quite well so far this season.
JP: Billy, nice to see you again. What happened to Mary Jane
BH: ah, well, they asked me to do the story this month as it appears Mary Jane is having trouble focusing on her job and may take some time off.
JP: Hmmm, hope everything is OK with Mary Jane. So, what's on your list of questions?
BH: What can you tell us about Nathan Cooper's injury?
JP: ugh...well, it looks like Coop is done for the season as he tore up his shoulder pretty bad. He was really doing a great job in RF and his bat was pretty hot. We will miss him, but he should be ready to go come spring training next season.
BH: So, how do you plan to replace him?
JP: We haven't decided yet...we may take the next series to decide. Michaud will probably fill in the next couple of games. He is superb defensively and has been hitting well lately. We will call up either Jake Woods or Carlos Trujillo once we make the decision.
BH: How do you think the team performed in June?
JP: The offense was great! Sun Min is a monster with a bat in his hand. He really adds a lot to our offense. The pitching fell off a little bit but it is still much improved over last season. Murray Clay keeps pitching better and Himmi Nsoah is turning in quality starts almost every outing. We are still waiting on an eruption from Se-tol Pak; he has hit better lately but his power numbers are still way down.
BH: I see you promoted Yataro Kouki to AA; do you think he was ready to be moved up so soon?
JP: I think it certainly is a somewhat aggressive approach that we have taken with him but he is a seasoned pitcher, coming from college, and I think he will handle the transition well as the season progresses.
BH: Do you plan to manage his innings as the season goes on; he already has over 100 IP so far?
JP: Again, that's something else we have to look at. We are using a 6-man rotation at AA right now so that should slow him down a bit. As he nears 150-165 IP we will have to decide whether to shut him down or move him to the bullpen I imagine.
BH: Donald Black seems to be developing slowly. What are your thoughts on his progress?
JP: Believe it or not, he has really been making better contact lately. He's really hitting the ball hard right now. His walk rate is good, we just need him to cut down on those strikeouts and not worry about the lack of HR's. The power will come, I have no doubts about that.
BH: What do you think your chances are to win the division?
JP: Well...Long Island is going to be really tough to catch. They are playing really well right now and have an 8.5 game lead on us as we speak. We have a series against them right before the All-Star break, so I hope we get something done during that series to prove that we can get back in the race. As far as the playoffs go, I think we have an excellent chance at one of the 2 Wild Card spots. Hopefully we can stay healthy the rest of the way.
BH: Hey, one last question: I pulled my trailor up here from Crawfordsville but I'm having a hard time finding a spot to settle down. I wouldn't mind being a little off the beaten path as my neighbors sometimes don't appreciate my yard ornamentation if you know what I mean.
JP: I don't know that I would be much help. There used to be a trailor park out on 55 there in Elmdale or maybe you could cozy up to Coal Creek out in the country there.
BH: Thanks for the suggestions. Somewhere along Coal Creek may be just the thing for me. Lot of fish in there?
JP: There used to be but it's been 25 years since I have fished it Mr. Hillfinder. I gotta get back to work. Take care.
BH: Good luck in July Mr. Palin. We'll check on you again in the next month or so.
You know that Jeff Palin is a fine feller if you ask me. Seems if Wingate can find an answer for the loss of Coop then they will be tough on their opponents all year long.
Billy Hillfinder
In my first story in my new job with the Wingate Gazette I took some time to sit down with Jeff Palin, General Manager of the Wingate Gladiators, to talk about June, Nathan Cooper's injury and the pennant race:
BH: Hello Mr. Palin. The team looks to be doing quite well so far this season.
JP: Billy, nice to see you again. What happened to Mary Jane
BH: ah, well, they asked me to do the story this month as it appears Mary Jane is having trouble focusing on her job and may take some time off.
JP: Hmmm, hope everything is OK with Mary Jane. So, what's on your list of questions?
BH: What can you tell us about Nathan Cooper's injury?
JP: ugh...well, it looks like Coop is done for the season as he tore up his shoulder pretty bad. He was really doing a great job in RF and his bat was pretty hot. We will miss him, but he should be ready to go come spring training next season.
BH: So, how do you plan to replace him?
JP: We haven't decided yet...we may take the next series to decide. Michaud will probably fill in the next couple of games. He is superb defensively and has been hitting well lately. We will call up either Jake Woods or Carlos Trujillo once we make the decision.
BH: How do you think the team performed in June?
JP: The offense was great! Sun Min is a monster with a bat in his hand. He really adds a lot to our offense. The pitching fell off a little bit but it is still much improved over last season. Murray Clay keeps pitching better and Himmi Nsoah is turning in quality starts almost every outing. We are still waiting on an eruption from Se-tol Pak; he has hit better lately but his power numbers are still way down.
BH: I see you promoted Yataro Kouki to AA; do you think he was ready to be moved up so soon?
JP: I think it certainly is a somewhat aggressive approach that we have taken with him but he is a seasoned pitcher, coming from college, and I think he will handle the transition well as the season progresses.
BH: Do you plan to manage his innings as the season goes on; he already has over 100 IP so far?
JP: Again, that's something else we have to look at. We are using a 6-man rotation at AA right now so that should slow him down a bit. As he nears 150-165 IP we will have to decide whether to shut him down or move him to the bullpen I imagine.
BH: Donald Black seems to be developing slowly. What are your thoughts on his progress?
JP: Believe it or not, he has really been making better contact lately. He's really hitting the ball hard right now. His walk rate is good, we just need him to cut down on those strikeouts and not worry about the lack of HR's. The power will come, I have no doubts about that.
BH: What do you think your chances are to win the division?
JP: Well...Long Island is going to be really tough to catch. They are playing really well right now and have an 8.5 game lead on us as we speak. We have a series against them right before the All-Star break, so I hope we get something done during that series to prove that we can get back in the race. As far as the playoffs go, I think we have an excellent chance at one of the 2 Wild Card spots. Hopefully we can stay healthy the rest of the way.
BH: Hey, one last question: I pulled my trailor up here from Crawfordsville but I'm having a hard time finding a spot to settle down. I wouldn't mind being a little off the beaten path as my neighbors sometimes don't appreciate my yard ornamentation if you know what I mean.
JP: I don't know that I would be much help. There used to be a trailor park out on 55 there in Elmdale or maybe you could cozy up to Coal Creek out in the country there.
BH: Thanks for the suggestions. Somewhere along Coal Creek may be just the thing for me. Lot of fish in there?
JP: There used to be but it's been 25 years since I have fished it Mr. Hillfinder. I gotta get back to work. Take care.
BH: Good luck in July Mr. Palin. We'll check on you again in the next month or so.
You know that Jeff Palin is a fine feller if you ask me. Seems if Wingate can find an answer for the loss of Coop then they will be tough on their opponents all year long.
