Get off your knees ump...

**Please note this post is by no means approved by the Twins or the Red Wings, this is an editorial which is based solely on opinion**

I'm typically a pretty well-tempered guy. For those of you who listened to the broadcast of game 1 of the Western Divisional Series between the Olean Oilers and the Geneva Twins had a dose of my ability to stay cool and also one particularly loud fan (I had to mute the broadcast to try and filter the profanity.) But, on my hour and a half drive home I couldn't justify how last nights game went. Mitch Powers, who pitched a complete game only giving up a handful of earned hits and only one earned run, was somehow in the losing column in spite of pitching a great game. His opponent, Austin Bizzle, had Twins hitters off balance all night. But his strikeouts weren't what won the game for the Oilers. In fact it was one call in the bottom of the 7th inning.

I'm not someone who likes to blame the officials for the outcome of a game, especially in baseball. But in the last two games in McDonough Park, I've witnessed horrendously officiated games. One was a disgrace to baseball, the other a blown call that changed the game, and possibly the entire series.

We'll start with last night. The scene: Bottom of the 7th, 1-1, 2 outs, Taylor Vile on second, Bob Barnett on first, JT Pittman at the plate. Pittman puts one through the hole on the right side, and Vile tries his luck for home. From a spectators perspective, Vile was safe. No doubt about it. The home plate umpire (whose name will remain unknown) takes a second to determine the call, and then punches out Vile. (You can listen to the call here. I left the fan for dramatic effect. I stop talking because I muted the broadcast, but I forgot to mute my recorder.) Vile knew he was safe, jumped up and he's almost immediately ejected, Coach Weeks sprints down the first baseline and has what I called a "conversation" on the broadcast, but can be more accurately described as a verbal assault by Weeks at the umpire. Somehow, Weeks remains in the game in spite of hurling insults at the umpire and throwing a bat to cap it off.

Then we head to the top of the 8th. Still a 1-1 ballgame, but the Twins are rattled. Who wouldn't be? In a low scoring game, every run counts and they were just robbed of one... and not by a great defensive play by Oilers right fielder Edwin Edwards III, but by what I currently deem the worst call in playoff baseball. (Definitely in the NYCBL, if you have other memorable horrible calls in other leagues, please tweet them to me, @Topher_L... maybe it will make me feel better.) Twins come out, and three errors later they're looking at a two run deficit heading into the bottom of the 8th.

So did they shoot themselves in the foot? No. The umpire shot them in the foot and then said, "go play baseball." Powers was visibly shaken on the mound in the 8th. Nerves running high, his defense seemed to want to take their anger out on their throws and overthrew Napleton at first twice. But I don't fault them for that. They deserved a win, and they should have come into the 8th with a 2-1 lead and feeling confident. Instead, the Twins are hitting the road in a metaphorical game 4, win or go home situation. Thanks, ump.

Maybe I wouldn't be nearly as upset if this same umpire hadn't been a part of one of the worst games I've witnessed in the NYCBL. Last game of the season, Red Wings just lost game 1 of the double header to Oneonta, officially eliminating themselves from playoff contention. In other words, game 2 didn't matter. Apparently the coaches decided to have this game be more for fun than anything else before the first pitch, and to me that's completely fine. Power to you if you want to play a second baseman as your starting pitcher. (He got shelled. 4-0 on two home runs over the right field fence in the first inning.) The 5'9" Vince Apicella played first base and was overthrown at least three times. That's totally fine. If you want to make those coaching decisions, you're more than welcome to do so... but then the umps wanted to have some fun too. In McDonough Park we have the Marks Pizzeria strikeout batter. Halfway through the game, if the second batter in whatever inning halfway is (in a shortened 7 inning game it's the 4th), strikes out, one lucky fan gets a free pizza. Home plate umpire hears the announcement heading into the 4th and asks who that batter will be. We shout back the guys jersey number and when he comes up, the first pitch which "misses" a foot off the plate is a called strike one.

Whatever. One bad strikeout doesn't matter in the scheme of things, congrats on the pizza by the way, lucky fan! But that wasn't the end of it. After most of the teams defensive players were pinch hit for by pitchers, we started seeing starting players come back in to the lineup, or shift into a different part of the lineup. Suddenly, an Outlaw who batted third last inning was up again batting seventh. There was a point where a line drive catch was no longer considered an out. From a broadcasters perspective, this was a nightmare. I'm sure if any listeners were still with me, they had no idea what was going on. I could sort-of commentate the action, but half the time I didn't know the players involved and it was just too difficult. The home plate umpire jokingly ejected a handful of players who laughed as they went back to the dugout, the Red Wings tried to play four outfielders in the 6th. I heard that we were asked for refunds for tickets, which we knew these fans deserved.

Now, I understand that these umpires are maybe my age or a little older. We're all still kids, and we want to have a good time sometimes, but there are lines that you just don't cross. If you want to have fun if your career, don't try to umpire baseball maybe.

Then, for last nights game. Home plate umpire who will still remain nameless, here's a link to Lenscrafters.

Topher Lane is on Twitter, @Topher_L. He has perfect vision and is a casual press-box umpire.

Twins and Red Wings trying to secure their spot in the playoffs

A month ago, everything was different. The Red Wings were sitting atop the Eastern division, seemingly on their way to another playoff berth. The Twins, on the other hand, were under .500, watching surging Hornell and Niagara teams top the charts. Now, everything has flip-flopped. 

The Twins have skyrocketed from the middle of the pack to second place in a strong Western division. Though, the Niagara Power are currently riding on an egregious 8-game skid which has moved them from a first place tie with the Hornell Dodgers, down to third place with a 2 game barrier between them and the Olean Oilers. That losing streak has helped push the Twins from third to second in the West. 

The Red Wings, on the other hand, have fallen from first to fourth place in the East. There's only a half-game difference between them and fifth placed Oneonta and for those who aren't familiar, the playoff system is the top 4 teams in each division. In other words, the Wings are in a tight situation. 

So what's been the cause for each? 

The Twins, it's pretty self-explanatory: they won 9 straight. It's hard to not climb the divisional ladder when you're not losing. If the season ended today, the Twins would happily find themselves in a series with the Niagara Power for the first round. Which, with the way each team has been playing, it would likely be a bloodbath. The Twins in their last 10 games have scored 56 runs. Compare that to Niagara's 34 runs in their last 10, and you can imagine the offensive clinic the Twins would put on. 

The Wings on the other hand have dropped 7 of their last 10. While their pitching has been phenomenal (see NYCBL Eastern Division pitching lineup), their bats have been quiet. Though, quiet is an overstatement. Silent is a better word. In the last 10 games, the team has accrued just 24 runs. Granted, their pitching has given up more than 5 runs twice in the last 10, which has kept them in games, but their bats haven't been able to back up the pitching corps most of the time. Vince Apicella pitched a stellar game against the Syracuse Salt Cats, and it was still a 0-0 game until the third hit for the Wings in the bottom of the ninth produced the first run of the game.

While the Red Wings were ruling the Eastern division in June, they were averaging 4.25 runs per game. In July, the Wings are averaging just under 3.5. That extra run per game has been what's been deciding games for the Wings, and unless they can find a spark for their bats, we may not see the Red Wings score a spot in the playoffs. 

Twins On Eight Game Winning Streak

Well the Geneva Twins have been incredible to start July, and it's leaving me scrambling to find how they have done it. So to make sense of it, we'll look at each aspect of the game for the Twins.

The teams pitching has been phenomenal, as starting pitchers Mitchell Powers (Southern New Hampshire University) and Luke Salerno (Castleton State College) have continued their success, and Christian Vukas (Wabash College) has found his form. Vukas and Powers pitched 8 innings their last times out against the Genesee Rapids, giving some much needed rest to the Twins bullpen during the series.

In addition to the starting pitching, Twins hitting has been incredible. Over this 8 game winning streak, Geneva's Western team has hit an unimaginable .332 average.

Leading the way for his team has been Bob Barnett (Widener University), the returning center fielder for the Twins. Putting together his own 8 game hitting streak, I asked if he thought that his hitting streak had a direct correlation to the team's winning streak. In a way, he agreed, but only in that him getting on base was giving RBI opportunities to his teammates who he knew would "hit [him] in."

One of those teammates has been the slugger Connor Simonetti (Kent State University). He has two homers in as many games against this Genesee team that is struggling to find the answer for the first baseman. At this point, the best answer might be to pitch around him as he has been punishing pitchers for going at him. Simonetti's first home run of the series was on Saturday night when he turned on a 3-0 fastball down the middle and launched it over the right field wall. Then, on Sunday night he took a first pitch and cracked it out of right center for number seven on the season. I was told tonight that Simonetti also parked two home runs in a game that was not finalized due to a delay against the Wellsville Nitros. So unofficially as of now he stands at nine long balls.

Random stats:

- The Twins are 20-2 when they score the first run this season.
- Connor Simonetti leads the league in home runs (7) and is tied for first in RBI's (26).
- Simonetti is nearing the NYCBL HR record of 14 in one season.
- 7 Twins are hitting in the top 30 in batting average.

Topher Lane is the voice of the Geneva Twins and Geneva Red Wings. He is on Twitter, @Topher_L, and you can tune into his broadcasts of every home game on teamline.cc

Red Wings Return From Break at Home

Well the Red Wings are returning home after a long four day break. So as they prepare for a series against the Eastern Division leaders, the Syracuse Salt Cats, I wanted to break down the Wing's possibility of success at home.

Geneva's eastern team sit 2.5 games back on the Syracuse Salt Cats in the Eastern Division. This puts them in third place, with a 16-13 record. Against the Salt Cats, though, the Wings are 3-2 and are one of the only two teams who have a winning record against the division leaders. At home, Geneva also boasts an 8-5 record, for a .615 winning percentage whereas Syracuse has an 8-9 record at home for a .471 winning percentage. In other words, this four game set between the two teams could see the Wings climb up the divisional ladder.

To delve further into stats, the Red Wings also have a winning record coming off of nights off. After a night off, excluding rain outs, the Wings are 2-1. After rain outs, they're 5-5. Now, the team is coming back after their longest scheduled break of the season. In addition to being rested, the past week has been relatively dry, which means the team has had opportunities to practice on their days off.

As we plunge into the second stage of the NYCBL season, the Red Wings have a lot to look forward to. Almost two thirds of their remaining games are at home (9 of their remaining 15), and they will have another 3 days rest for the All-Star break.

Stats are from NYCBL.com

Topher Lane is the voice of the Geneva Red Wings and Twins. You can tune into his broadcasts on teamline.cc. He is also on Twitter, @Topher_L. 

Twins Climb Into Third Place

Well the Geneva Twins have started their run. After a tough June, going 12-12, the Twins have started a sizzling July. Since the beginning of the month, the Twins have won 6 of their last 7 which has planted them solely in third place in the NYCBL's Western Division.

NYCBL.com

What has been different about Geneva's June squad than their July? Well to start, their bats have been explosive. Maybe it was the fourth of July fireworks that inspired the Twins hitters to make fireworks of their own, as the Twins have scored 36 runs in their last 7 games and are currently riding a 5 game winning streak. During that streak the Twins might as well have been making an instructional video on how to hit the ball. Against the Genesee Rapids the Twins had 14 hits on their way to a 9-3 victory over the then-third place team. Then, in game two of the double header between the Wellsville Nitros and the Twins at home in McDonough Park, the home team put up 6 runs in the first inning, batting around against Brian Baker, who only recorded one out in the inning before being pulled.

Connor Simonetti
NYCBL.com

Not only are the Twins just getting on base, but power is beginning to return for the lineup. Connor Simonetti (Kent State University) has hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the season to take sole control of the stat among league leaders. Luke Waldek, (Minnesota St Community and Tech College), Bob Barnett (Widener University), and JT Pittman (Le Moyne College) have launched four long balls together over the streak as well to go with Simonetti's two. Marty Napleton (St. Josephs College), has been lethal at the plate. Fighting with Niagara's Mason Irby for the best batting average in the NYCBL, Napleton has been incredible in the box for the Twins. Napleton went 3-4 against the Nitros in game one of the double header on July 6th, picking up two doubles in the shortened 7-inning game. His slash line now stands at a strong .352/.365/.451, one of the best in the NYCBL.

If the Twins can continue to see the ball the way they have been, there's no saying how long this winning streak could go. As always, check in regularly for updates about the Twins and their season throughout the summer.

Stats are from NYCBL.com

Topher Lane is on Twitter, @Topher_L, and you can tune in to his broadcasts of every Geneva Twins and Red Wings home game on teamline.cc

Geneva Red Wings

The Geneva Red Wings are just off a hot streak. After winning six straight to claim the top spot in the Eastern Division, the Cortland Crush gave the Wings a reality check. Cortland won two of the three games they played against the Red Wings, including a 7-1 victory over the Wings in Geneva. These losses made the Red Wings two for their last five and they slipped out of first in the Eastern Division. Now, atop the division are the Syracuse Salt Cats.

nycbl.com

As the Red Wings near the half season point, they have shown fantastic pitching, which helped them cruise to an early divisional lead. At the plate, though, the Wings have been struggling. In their past three games, the Wings have only been able to score 2 runs and they lost two of those games. The only game they won was on the shoulders of Vince Apicella who pitched a complete game two hitter. He did so with only one insurance run that the Wings picked up in the second inning. 

So let's look at the possible reasons the Wings have fallen into this slump. As of right now, only one Red Wings batter is hitting at above .300 and that's Harry Roberson. If we look at shortstops expanded stats, he's got a slash line of .310/.446/.328. While that is a fine statline, with a strong on-base percentage of .446, Roberson hardly gets past first base, as illustrated by his low slugging percentage. Yet, Roberson's slugging percentages is one of the highest on his team. Only one batter has a slugging percentage over .400, and that's Jackson Rhodes. To be fair, he has 2 home runs, so those count as an outlier for the outfielder. His own statline is skewed as well, as he is slashing .273/.333/.591. 

The issue isn't getting on base for the Wings, though. As a team, they are batting second best in the Eastern Division at .237, only Oneonta is hitting better at .250. In fact, they also are in second in RBI's with 67, only behind the Syracuse Junior Chiefs who have 69 RBI's. But clearly the issue isn't with their season stats, so let's look at this recent three game slump in which the Wings have dropped two out of three against Cortland. In that span, as a team, the Wings are hitting a measly .173. The only earned run that was scored by the Red Wings was a solo shot from Jackson Rhodes in the 1-7 loss against the Crush to open the series. 

Vince Apicella, nycbl.com

The issue is easily labelled as a slump that the team is in. Defensively, the Red Wings are solid, giving up only an error per game which is good for the middle of the pack in the Eastern Division. Their core issue recently is their hitting.

So the Wings bats need to fire up behind their pitchers. Apicella, who pitched a sensational game two against the Crush, didn't have much insurance behind him. In order for the Wings to return to winning form, they will need to get their hitting back into shape. They will have to do so against their upcoming opponent of the Oneonta Outlaws who are sitting just a game back on the Red Wings in third place. 

You can tune into the games here, where I broadcast every home game for the Red Wings and the Twins. 

Topher Lane is the play-by-play/color commentator for the Geneva Red Wings and Geneva Twins. He's on Twitter at @Topher_L and you can reach him at his email, crlane@syr.edu. 

Geneva Twins

As of right now, the Geneva Twins are sitting right in the middle of the pack in the Western Division. After struggling in the early season, the Twins are at an even .500 record of 12-12.

nycbl.com

In spite of their record, though, the Twins are still bringing All-Star worthy players to the plate each game. We'll start with Catcher/First Baseman Marty Napleton. Napleton has been a regular for the Twins throughout the first half of the season. Sitting at almost exactly the halfway point through the season, Napleton is leading the NYCBL in batting average. Sitting at .369, Napleton has been phenomenal for the Twins as a constant threat to get on base.

Then we turn to the slugger, Connor Simonetti. Simonetti, out of Kent State University, is among the lead leaders in home runs, and RBI's. Tied for first in HR's with Zephan Kash from Cortland with 3, Simonetti is poised to continue his recent hot hitting and work his way to the sole league leader. His third home run was a walkoff blast over the right field fence to defeat the Wellsville Nitros in game one of a double header last week. In addition to hitting the ball out of the park, Simonetti also excels in the RBI category. Right now, the first baseman stands in third place, with 15 RBI's, five below the league leader of Dan Crozier with the Genesee Rapids who has 20. Simonetti, however, is just getting into the groove of things. After sitting out the first few games of the season with a broken hand, the slugger has made his impact since rejoining the lineup. That walkoff home run is clearly indicative of that.

nycbl.com

Josh Handzik also stands in the league leaders for home runs with two. He and Simonetti were tied in second with two until Simonetti recorded his third just last week.

On the other side of the ball, the Twins' Mitchell Powers also climbed his way into second place among the league leaders in strikeouts. Powers collected 12 K's in his last appearance, a complete game win over the Wellsville Nitros. Those 12 strikeouts jumped him from 22, which was outside of the top 10, to 34. Those 34 would have put him at the top of the leaderboards had Geneva Red Wings pitcher, Vince Apicella, struck out 11 in his outing against the Cortland Crush that night. That win also pushed Powers to three on the season, which has him tied for second place among the league leaders. In addition to those stats, Powers now has a 1.80 ERA. Hopefully his numbers can only improve if he continues to have outings like he did the other night.

As we are set to begin the second half of this season, I will be sure to update this with narratives throughout the rest of the season to look out for with the Twins and the Red Wings. For now, these stats will be where we start.

Be sure to tune in to every game here where you can hear me, Topher "Hollywood" Lane, or my broadcast partner, Andrew Grella for every home game, both Twins and Red Wings.

Topher Lane is the play-by-play/color commentator for the Geneva Twins and Geneva Red Wings. He is on Twitter @Topher_L and you can email him at crlane@syr.edu