"The Shark" Is Heading To The Smokies

Congratulations Tennessee Smokies, you just picked up Jeff "The Shark" Samardzija after his promotion to Double-A ball following his compilation of a 3-8 record with a 4.95 ERA.

Eventhough his opponents have been hitting .331 against him, everyone, even Daytona Cubs manager Judy Davis, sort of expected Samardzija to make the move to the next level sometime this season.

"I think they pretty much felt like next year he was going to be (at Double A) anyway so why not give him five or six starts there and let him get all the media stuff out of the way," Davis said in a cell phone interview late Wednesday night. "If he can go up there and have three or four good starts, that will be more important than what he did here."

I'm sure that his $10 million/5 year deal with the Cubs is also a strong factor in keeping him moving up the ranks.

Hopefully he has more success in Kodak than he had in Daytona Beach.

Tragedy Strikes Minor League Baseball Game

I don't watch too much baseball, but anytime I see a shot into the dugout I'm always amazed when there aren't injuries. Unfortunately, a minor league manager wasn't so lucky over the weekend.

"Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh died after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a game.

The Texas League game was suspended in the ninth inning Sunday after the 35-year-old former major leaguer was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Tino Sanchez of the Arkansas Travelers. Coolbaugh was taken to Baptist Medical Center-North Little Rock, where he was pronounced dead."

It's sad to hear about something like this happening, though I am surprised that it doesn't occur more often. My condolences go out to Coolbaugh's family and teammates.

The "Hogan" Is Good, But The Human Bowling Ball Gets Them Everytime

This past Monday, rain delayed a game between the Alexandria Beetles and the Rochester Honkers(birds not boobs, unfortunately), and the players decided to entertain the crowd while they were waiting.

Video: From The "Hogan" To The Human Bowling Ball

The "Hogan" at the beginning of the clip is a surefire way to hype up the crowd, but the human bowling ball towards the end gets them everytime. I still can't believe that he was able to make that one pin hop across the others for the strike. That's some Roy Munson style bowling right there.