Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Home, sweet home: Combine a rainout, a three-day All-Star break and a three-city road trip, and what do you get? A very empty Eastwood Field. Prior to Tuesday, the Scrappers hadn’t played at home since Aug. 8. The 12-day stretch between home games was the longest in franchise history. “Our challenge was to re-create interest amongst the fans. Being on the road, we didn’t get the extensive coverage in newspapers, and fans never saw highlights on the nightly news,” said Scrappers general manager Dave Smith. “We’ve stirred up some great promotions. Plus, we’re now in the stretch drive of a pennant race, so hopefully the fans should respond.” Smith noted there was a silver lining to the Scrappers’ extensive road trip. As the team spent its final three days on the road, the Eastwood Field playing surface was deluged with more than 2 inches of rain.
On deck: Because of their Aug. 9 rainout, the Scrappers will hold a special Wednesday Night edition of Buck Night tonight when they play host to Auburn. General Admission tickets, hot dogs and 12-ounce drinks will be sold for $1. The Scrappers will also salute the Valley’s working women, as prizes and specials will be offered to female fans throughout the game. Tonight’s contest will also feature an appearance by Eric Estrada, the television icon who became famous with his role as “Ponch” in the 1970’s television show “CHIPS.”
Odds ’n Ends: The starting time for the Scrappers’ Sept. 7 game at State College has been changed. The two teams were scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m., however due to events surrounding the Penn State-Notre Dame football weekend, the game has been moved to 5:05 p.m. … Despite having not hit a home run since July 29, Todd Martin continues to lead the Scrappers with eight round-trippers. The rest of the team has a combined nine home runs. Martin’s last home run was also the last hit by the Scrappers. Auburn, meanwhile, has hit 45 home runs on the season. … The Scrappers are 24-1 when leading after eight innings, and 0-21 when they trail going into the ninth.
Steve Ruman