NOTEBOOK Scrappers vs. ValleyCats

No more waiting: Inclement weather delayed the finish of Tri-City's semifinal series with Brooklyn, pushing back the New York-Penn League championship series and forcing Mahoning Valley to wait. The ValleyCats won the decisive third game on Friday night. The Scrappers, meanwhile, had been sitting since completing a sweep of Auburn in their semifinal series Tuesday night. "The first couple of days weren't bad. We needed a couple of days to relax and unwind," Scrappers second baseman Brett Parker said. "Then you get to the third and fourth day and you start getting a little frustrated. We got refocused last night, came out and played a tough game." Scrappers manager Mike Sarbaugh added, "I'm not going to lie to you, it wasn't a whole lot of fun. The guys kept a good frame of mind. I told them there was nothing we could do about it. We just had to be professional about it." Sarbaugh said he could see the Scrappers' lengthy wait take its toll early in Sunday's game. "The first three or four innings, I saw rust from our hitters. Taking batting practice for three days and then to come in here, with the game speeding up, it took us a little bit to get going."
Big-league treatment: Instead of making the seven-hour drive to Mahoning Valley, the ValleyCats, from Troy, N.Y., chartered a plane to Cleveland. "We didn't want to drive 14 hours in a bus. That's just ridiculous," Tri-City manager Gregg Langbehn said. "Through the generosity of our owner, they chartered a flight for us. It just made the travel day that much easier." Sarbaugh is perfectly content to make the drive. "I'd rather stick with the program we've had all year long," he said. "We're used to being on the bus."
Up next: In Game 2 of the championship series tonight, Scrappers right-hander Justin Hoyman (0-0, 2.08) takes the mound against Tri-City right-hander Andrew Alvarado (4-3, 3.58). "He's been throwing the ball well, so hopefully he'll give us another good outing," Sarbaugh said of Hoyman, the Cleveland Indians' second-round draft pick. If Game 3 is necessary Tuesday, left-hander Tony Sipp (2-1, 3.74) will start for the Scrappers against Tri-City right-hander Ronnie Martinez (11-2, 1.96).
Brian Richesson