Indy Baseball Chatter: TRIO OF FORMER INDEPENDENT STARS IN WORLD SERIES; 'RECORD' 32 NON-AFFILIATED PLAYERS ON MLB ROSTERS

Monday, October 21, 2013

TRIO OF FORMER INDEPENDENT STARS IN WORLD SERIES; 'RECORD' 32 NON-AFFILIATED PLAYERS ON MLB ROSTERS

It is pretty neat to have three former Independent players who will be active for the World Series. The Red Sox have them all in regular shortstop Stephen Drew (Camden, NJ, Atlantic League), better-than-ever lefty reliever Craig Breslow (New Jersey Jackals, now in the Can-Am League) and clutch-hitting outfielder Daniel Nava (Chico, CA, Golden League), the latter getting surprisingly little postseason action after his sterling regular season campaign. Jonny Gomes has been getting most of the leftfield starts, presumably because of his overall experience, even against righties.

32 ON 40-MAN ROSTERS MOST LIKELY A RECORD

Until the New York Mets outrighted reliever Greg Burke to Triple-A recently, no less than 32 players with experience in the Independent leagues were on major league 40-man rosters. That is believed to be an all-time high so take a bow, Indy leagues. Some more shuffling can be expected shortly after the World Series although newcomers needing to be protected from the Rule 5 draft in December could keep pace with those sent to minor league teams to open up roster slots.

Eleven of the 32, including Burke, had played their very first professional games in an Independent league. Eight of the 11 are pitchers with the exception of Drew, Nava and Minnesota Twins first baseman-outfielder-designated hitter Chris Colabello (Worcester, MA, Can-Am League).

ATLANTIC LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR ALREADY IN WINTER BASEBALL

Jake Fox, whose amazing production included three consecutive walk-off hits shortly before he was signed by Arizona, is among the Indy stars already playing winter league baseball. The first baseman-catcher-third baseman, who was selected as Atlantic League Player of the Year even though he missed the last month and a half of the season and the playoffs, is in Mexico now. Fox had 25 homers and 82 RBI for the Somerset (NJ) Patriots to earn the prestigious Atlantic League honor.

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Bob Wirz

Former chief spokesman for Major League Baseball Commissioners Bowie Kuhn and Peter Ueberroth. Six years as publicity director for the Kansas City Royals, and a background in newspaper, radio and television. Started Wirz & Associates, a sports PR and consulting firm, in 1985. Has written extensively on Independent Baseball since 2003.

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About 'My Nebraska'

It seems almost universally accepted that Nebraskans are friendly, hard-working people.

A native son, who eventually transitioned to the East Coast because it was the best avenue to follow his passion of continuing to work in major league baseball, has published a book to share a lifetime of memories of growing up in the Cornhusker state.

You may have guessed it when you saw the title: My Nebraska. Yes, Bob Wirz, now a youthful 85, is sharing his "rich memories of growing up in rural Nebraska" in the 1940s and 1950s in a delightful 136 pages in the book produced by Dorrance Publishing in Pittsburgh, PA.

Wirz, who got to live his passion of working at the highest levels of baseball and later developing his own sports public relations and marketing company, lovingly empties out his memories of everything from counting millions of tiny trees to playing grass-roots baseball where the age of teammates might run from the early teens to the 50s.

The colorful cover of My Nebraska, which features two paintings from Dunning, NE rancher/artist Laron McGinn that depict the beautiful landscape of rural Nebraska and the ranching lifestyle, sets the tone for the 5 x 8 book also filled with meaningful pictures.

It is "a wistful and endearing love letter to Nebraska filled with memories shared by generations raised in small towns throughout the Midwest", praises Shari Veil, who heads up the journalism and mass communications department at the University of Nebraska.

My Nebraska, a 5x8 paperback, is priced at $19.95 plus $4.00 for handling and shipping. Autographed copies may be ordered at www.WirzandAssociates.com