NOTEBOOK Scrappers vs. Spikes

On the road again: For David Mann, traveling is simply a way of life. A realtor by vocation, Mann finds himself driving a limo for many functions as well as making sure the Mahoning Valley Scrappers make it to their destination on time. Of all his duties of his “second” job, Mann’s favorite is working close to and with the baseball team.“I have been a baseball fan since 1964,” said Mann. “As much as I like football and hockey, I love baseball.” Although Mann’s driving can be rather laborious at times, being around the players makes it a lot of fun for him. “To see the players when they are not on the field and to be around some of the coaching staff is a lot of fun for me,” he said. “I also get to see the game from a different perspective other than just being a fan. You get to see the emotional side of the game as well as some of the pranksters on the team. It is just a fun situation for me.” If there is a down side to his job, it is more than likely the long trips to places such as Vermont and Massachusetts. “One of them [the trips] just about went over the limit of the number of miles that I am allowed to travel per day,” noted Mann. “It is about 600 miles and took about 10 hours to make the trip to Lowell [Mass.], but I am used to driving because I have driven all of my life. I actually enjoy traveling and living out of a suitcase is not a problem for me. I have a few nights when I bring a couple of Red Bulls with me as well as make my normal pit stops.”

Moving on up: Four members of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers found themselves moving on up. After spending time with the Scrappers, Garrett Rieck, Eric Berger, Doug Pickens and Juan Valdes all earned promotions to the Lake County Captains, the long-season Class A affiliate of the Indians. After spending a short time with the Captains, Pickens took yet another step and is currently with the Akron Aeros. Rieck is 1-1 with a 4.61 ERA with the Captains. He has appeared in 10 games, giving up 14 hits. He has walked five while striking out 13. Berger has no record with an ERA of 3.86. He has made one start, working 21‚Ñ3 innings. He has allowed three hits and one earned run while walking nobody and striking out a pair. Pickens was hitting .235 with Lake County and has only appeared in one game with Akron. In that lone outing, he went 1-for-4. Valdes is hitting .286 (13-42) with the Captains. He has one double, one triple and a pair of home runs. He has driven in 14 runs. One of his hits was an inside-the-park home run.

Bill Albright