- Doug Glanville went down with a broken femur for 6 months in a game with Edmonton today. He will be replaced by Marvin Benard.
- Sterling Hitchcock continued his dominating, though oft-overlooked, performance this season with a 2-1 victory over Anchorage today. Hitchcock (6-5) pitched 8 strong innings, allowing only 1 earned run on 6 hits. He has lowered his ERA to 2.21 and is second in the league in innings pitched with 102.
- Ken Hill returned to form in the game against the seemingly unbeatable Edmonton Oil Kings...er...Sled Dogs today. He pitched 7 innings, allowing just 1 earned run on 4 hits while fanning 7. His ERA still stands well over 5 on the yr, however.
- Reliever Jeff McCurry has been, dare I say, "En Fuego!" of late. McCurry appeared in the first game today against Anchorage and got the save, his first of the year, pitching a perfect 9th inning. Jeff struck out ALL THREE batters he faced. Jeff then also appeared in the 17-inning affair against Edmonton. He pitched 4 shutout innings, surrendering only 2 hits while striking out 2. His ERA still stands well over 7 on the season, however.
- The Vampires were extremely pleased with their performance in the recent Ammy Draft. New Orleans picked up SS Alex Gonzalez, 3B Greg Virtue and RHP Matt Clement. Said owner Jeremy Chrabascz, "Clement already looks to be one of the highest rated pitchers on our roster but we're not going to rush him. He'll be the ace of our minor league club. Gonzalez was a no-brainer. Any guy with 72/88 defense as a rookie deserves a start. Quality middle infield help is a rare find, indeed. And we all thought picking up Virtue in the 3rd Round, of all places, was a real coup. You don't pick up many 60+ CH guys in the late rounds. He'll be an excellent backup for Michael (Barrett) someday."
- Derek Lee and Michael Barrett finally reported for duty for New Orleans, although they took separate flights out of Duluth. Michael will report directly to the Vampires and start at 3B while Derek has been assigned to the minors and will start at first, continuing to be the highest-rated minor league first baseman in the league.
- The Vampires announced the name, location and roster of their new minor league affiliate yesterday. The club will be known as the Lakeland (FL) Sea Bass and will play at SPAM Park. Headlining the lineups will be hot youngsters Derek Lee, and Matt Clement while veterans Luis Sojo and Doug Drabek are expected to provide much-needed guidance. In fact, Sojo and Drabek will be serving as co-Player/Managers. This is not unusual for this organization, however, as Bip Roberts remains Player/Manager of the Vampires despite still being on the DL.
