Baseball Monthly for Fans of the New Orleans Zephyrs ISSUE # 124 New Orleans, Louisiana August, 2004 Two big run producers for the 2004 Zephyrs: Mike Coolbaugh (left) and Royce Huffman Photo: Eugene Witek Photos: Eugene Witek Down the Stretch with the Zephyrs Several Threats in Middle of Zs Lineup By Bill Catalanello S M T W T F S In a month that saw New Orleans’ coaches Jim Hickey and Gary 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 At At At Portland Portland Portland Fresno Fresno Fresno 7:05 7:05 6:05 Gaetti promoted to work with newly hired manager Phil Garner 8 9 10 DH 11 12 13 14 in Houston, the Zephyrs struggled to a record of 10-17 in July. Portland Tacoma Tacoma Tacoma OFF Oklahoma Oklahoma 5:05 7:05 6:05 7:05 7:05 6:05 Despite the club’s sub-.500 record, the middle of the Zs’ lineup has 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Oklahoma Oklahoma At Colo. At Colo. At Colo. At Colo. Iowa emerged as consistently productive and fun to watch. 5:05 7:05 Spgs. Spgs. Spgs. Spgs. 7:05 22 23 24 26 25 At At 27 At 28 At Iowa Iowa Iowa Nashville Nashville 5:05 7:05 7:05 Nashville Nashville 2004 Zephyrs’ Leading Run Producers 29 At 30 31 1 2 3 4 Nashville Albuq. Albuq. Albuq. Albuq. At Colo. At Colo. Through August 2 7:05 7:05 7:05 7:05 Spgs. Spgs. Player AVG. R HR RBI SLG. 5 6 AUG / SEPT AUG At Colo. At Colo. Chris Burke .324 70 13 41 .518 Spgs. Spgs. Jason Alfaro .324 42 12 55 .486 Royce Huffman .302 61 9 48 .446 Mike Coolbaugh .269 48 20 52 .563 This Month Phil Hiatt .232 59 25 61 .480 Source: Zephyrsbaseball.com Zephyrs News - pgs. 1-4-5 Second baseman Chris Burke, in his first season at the Triple-A level, has put up impressive numbers through July. Burke looks like Arthur O. Schott - pg. 3 a cinch to get a look from the Astros very soon. As August began, Burke led the club with 190 total bases, and he did much of that S. Derby Gisclair - pg. 5 as manager Chris Maloney’s lead-off hitter. 41 of his 119 hits were for extra bases. Burke’s 28 stolen bases led the Zephyrs by a wide Lee Collin - pg. 6 margin, and his infield play has been very steady–only eight errors as the everyday second baseman. When Burke joins Jason Alfaro at Pasadena Rose - pg. 7 shortstop, Mike Coolbaugh at third and Royce Huffman at first, the four of them form perhaps the hardest-hitting infield in the Pacific SEE YOU AT THE BALLPARK! Coast League. –continued on page 4 neworleansbaseball.com neworleansbaseball.com neworleansbaseball.com neworleansbaseball.com neworleansbaseball.com neworleansbaseball.com neworleansbaseball.com neworleansbaseball.com neworleansbaseball.com Photos courtesy New Orleans Zephyrs neworleansbaseball.com Carlos Hernandez Dazzles neworleansbaseball.com New Orleans Zephyrs southpaw starter Carlos Hernandez had A Great New Local Baseball Website quite a streak of dominant pitch- ing in July, and it carried right on NewOrleansBaseball.com is the slick new website for “all things baseball” in and into August. The 24-year old from around our city. The website is beautifully designed, easy to navigate, and full of Guacara, Venezuela, missed the informative and enjoyable stuff, if you love the game like we do. entire 2003 season recuperating from surgery on his left shoulder. The “Articles” page contains some charming little nuggets of baseball lore, yours Through August 3, Carlos was for the downloading. The “Links” page contains links to all local college baseball sporting a record of 8–4, with a programs, several high school baseball web pages, SABR and the Baseball Hall of 3.74 ERA, but the numbers don’t Fame. You can even download the Bleacher Creature, free and easy. really tell how sharp he’s been lately. continued on page 5 The “History” page presents a local baseball chronology from the earliest exhi- bitions played here in the nineteenth century to the modern day New Orleans Zephyrs. The “Photos” page displays an amazing array of local baseball players, managers, ballparks, and memorabilia. It’s the creation of S. Derby Gisclair, the author of the popular new pictorial history Baseball in New Orleans. Gisclair, 900 Monticello Avenue a SABR member, has also initiated an equally handsome local SABR chapter New Orleans, Louisiana 70121 website (linked on NewOrleansBaseball.com). He is currently working on a his- E-mail: [email protected] tory of the New Orleans Pelicans. –Bill Catalanello Bill Catalanello......Editor & Publisher CONTRIBUTORS Arthur Schott David Diket Jay Gauthreaux Jack Hebert Terry Cullen Gene Witek Speedy Printing S. Derby Gisclair Lee Collin Pasadena Rose 4432 Wabash Street in Metairie Bleacher Creature is a conversation among baseball fans. It has been • Full Color Printing • Forms & Stationery published monthly eleven times a year, • Dependable Service • Business Cards since 1993. It is independent of the • Pick-up & Delivery • Graphic Design New Orleans Zephyrs ballclub and is made possible by our wonderfully loyal Phone 885-3382 • Fax 885-3383 subscribers, supporters, contributors www.speedy-printing.com and friends. 2 A Schott From the Bleachers ARTHUR O. SCHOTT Johnny Powers Holds All-Time N.O. Single Season HR Mark Phil Hiatt of the Zephyrs, having hit 25 home runs The five home runs in the series were the only through July, has an excellent chance of breaking ones Powers hit in Memphis all season. the New Orleans Zephyrs’ season home run re- cord held by Daryle Ward, who hit 28 in 1999. He hit one home run for every 14.7 at-bats for the ‘56 season (39 homers in 574 times at bat). The all-time New Orleans single season home run record was established by New Orleans Pelicans Curiously, only 10 of his 39 home runs were hit slugger J.C. “Johnny” Powers, who hit 39 homers in his home ballpark, Pelican Stadium. He had six in 1956. multi-homer games, all of them on the road. Pow- ers played briefly in the majors with four different Powers’ season began as anything but a big home clubs, but produced only 6 major league homers run year. As the month of May ended, Powers had in 215 at-bats. hit only 9 homers. He hit 5 more in June. Then he began a home run famine between June 27 and Johnny Powers’ July 23– four weeks without a round-tripper. He hit well during the home run drought, however, Home Run Log – 1956 batting .302 in 23 games, with zero homers. Date HR Opponent HR# April 16 1 Mobile 1 As July, 1956 came to a close, Powers rediscovered April 19 1 Mobile 2 his home run stroke, hitting four in the last week April 25 2 at Nashville 4 of July. He then went on a tear, blasting 14 in the April 28 1 at Chattanooga 5 month of August, 12 of them in road games. May 3 1 Atlanta 6 May 9 1 at Atlanta 7 Powers entered the season’s final series in Mem- May 11 1 at Birmingham 8 phis with a total of 34 homers, but on September 3, May 20 (1st game) 1 Chattanooga 9 June 3 (2nd game) 1 at Nashville 10 he homered in both games of a doubleheader. The June 9 1 Atlanta 11 following day Powers had his only three-homer June 16 (1st game) 1 at Birmingham 12 game of the year, to bring his season total to 39. June 17 1 at Atlanta 13 June 26 1 Chattanooga 14 July 24 2 at Chattanooga 16 July 26 1 at Chattanooga 17 CATCH THE ZEPHYRS July 29 1 at Nashville 18 August 5 (1st game) 1 Atlanta 19 August 6 (1st game) 2 at Birmingham 21 GAMES August 6 (2nd game) 1 at Birmingham 22 August 8 1 at Birmingham 23 Home and Away August 11 1 at Atlanta 24 August 14 (2nd game) 1 Chattanooga 25 Broadcast LIVE August 21 (2nd game) 2 at Montgomery 27 August 22 (1st game) 1 at Montgomery 28 on August 23 (1st game) 2 at Montgomery 30 August 24 (2nd game) 1 at Mobile 31 August 25 (2nd game) 1 at Mobile 32 Sept. 1 1 Mobile 33 WTIX 690-AM Sept. 2 (1st game) 1 Mobile 34 Sept. 3 (1st game) 1 at Memphis 35 with Sept. 3 (2nd game) 1 at Memphis 36 Sept. 4 3 at Memphis 39 TIM GRUBBS & RON SWOBODA Compiled by Arthur Schott 3 Local Baseball Heroes Honored at Zephyr Field Photos: Bill Catalanello On July 17, 2004, the New Orleans Zephyrs saluted the New Orleans Pelicans and other former profes- sional ballplayers in the area. Upper left photo shows three local natives who played major league ball: (left to right) Mel Parnell, George Strickland and Lenny Yochim. After the on-fi eld pre-game ceremony, the autograph tables were busy during the ballgame as fans fl ocked to the former players for greetings and autographs. In the upper right photo, former Pelicans player Cobb Jarvis (center), who hit the last home run at old Pelican Stadium, signed for the fans. Zephyrs continued from page 1 Chris Burke and Jason Alfaro are Alfaro is an aggressive hitter. In 333 at-bats through two of the August 2, he had collected just 14 walks, but his 55 Zephyrs’ RBIs was second on the club. A solid defensive in- fi elder, Alfaro can play third base or shortstop.