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KC T-Bones prime to maintain sizzling ways in 2009

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Sports
Written by Mark Dewar   
Wednesday, 27 May 2009 00:00
EgglestonAharonThe kid in the candy store, a lottery jackpot winner along the job front ...
Choose your analogy, but this much is certain: Count Overland Park's Stan Duitsman (pronounced DOOTS-man), the Kansas City T-Bones baseball club's new media relations manager in 2009, as feeling more than a little blessed these days.
After all, who among us with a childlike passion for the national pastime and any and all excitement that surrounds it would not connect with the creative energy so pervasive in the Kansas City T-Bones front office, where the hunt is always on for the next memorable and wacky promotion?
As far as the mindset common to those who go to work inside the gates of CommunityAmerica Ballpark at the Legends in Kansas City, Kan., look no further than the team's mantra: "Fun. Well-Done."
Or as Duitsman put it on the afternoon of the reigning Northern League champions' first official workout of the new 2009 season, "Every day I show up and work at a ballpark." Then he stopped, almost as if nothing more needed to be said.
Such passion is reminiscent of that of the George Costanza character, played by Jason Alexander, on the old "Seinfeld" television series. On the show, Constanza secures his dream job, going to work in the front office of the New York Yankees, even answering to famed Bronx Bombers owner George Steinbrenner.
In the case of Duitsman on this day, "I got to go down and mingle with some of the new players," he said. "That's the biggest thing for me, being tied in with baseball. Baseball is what I want to do."
While Duitsman is quick to note T-Bones Director of Promotions Colin Aldrich derserves the biggest end of the credit for the wild promotions for which the T-Bones, an independent baseball team not affiliated with Major League Baseball, have gained wide notice, Duitsman admits to looking forward to weekly staff meetings where promotional ideas are bandied about and first gain steam.
"Colin will throw out some ideas and we'll brainstorm," Duitsman said, "and it's kind of a team effort to finalize the (promotional) schedule."
Examples? Where to begin. Plenty in the way of promotional fan favorites make their return along with this year's team, which had gotten off to a 3-2 start through games of May 21.
A quick sampling of the many: This evening's 7:05 p.m. game the Joliet (Ill.) JackHammers marks "Animal Awareness Night," an evening when fans can adopt pets outside the CommunityAmerica gates or "rescue your future family member," as the T-Bones put it.
Moreover, fans who arrive toting a picture of themselves mugging for a camera with their own pet receive two-for-one bleacher reserved tickets.
Fan favorite "Redneck Weekend" is back Friday through Sunday, July 17 through 19, when the T-Bones again entertain Joliet.
That Friday's 7:05 p.m. game harkens the return of "Mullet Night." The Saturday evening contest features the "Fourth Annual Redneck Olympics," and ... well, you get the idea.
Once again, big-league fans can get their dose of Kansas City baseball history with the "Second Annual Kansas City A's Reunion Night," at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, amidst the T-Bones' five-game series with the Gary-Southshore (Ind.) RailCats.
T-Bones manager's Andy McCauley's team picked the perfect time to jell last season. Despite a 46-50 finish in 2008 amid single-division play in the Northern League and a full season as opposed to the split seasons of campaigns past, KC surprised the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks with a three-game playoff sweep, then secured the Northern League championship with a three-games-to-one victory over the Gary Southshore Railcats.
A loaded lineup has returned for KC in 2009 in the traditionally bats-heavy Northern League.
Topping the list of big boppers is ex-Royals performer Ken Harvey (.302 batting average last season and 45 runs batted in spread over just 55 games a year ago). Harvey will split time between first base and the designated spot along with durable Jim Fasano (.292 in 94 games last season, while leading the team with 20 home runs and 84 RBI).
Setting the table will be leadoff man and centerfielder Aharon Eggleston, who swiped a team-record 36 bases a year ago while hitting a blistering .332 and playing in all 96 team contests.
Veteran outfielder Brad Correll begins his third stint in a T-Bones uniform. Correll was on pace to set Northern League single-season home run and RBI records last season before being picked up by the Kansas City Royals organization.
First baseman-outfielder John Urick, the grandson of ex-Royals manager Whitey Herzog, makes his debut with the team this season.
With transition a staple of Northern League pitching rotations, southpaw Luis Villarreal began the season atop the T-Bones list of starting hurlers.
Fans may recall that, while pitching with the Joliet Jackhammers in 2006, Villarreal no-hit the T-Bones. Now comes his turn to try to find similar magic from inside a T-Bones uniform.
Veteran right-handed closer David Trahan is back to lead the team's bullpen fresh off setting a new T-Bones standard for saves in a season (20) in 2008.
Early this season Villareal, along with fellow southpaw starter Ryan Knippschild and right-handed reliever Cody McAllister, have proven particularly effective on the mound, while at the plate, Eggleston had hit a scorching .524 and Harvey .400.
Fasano, along with outfielder Ryan Fox and catcher Craig Hurba, each had socked a pair of home runs, while Fox was tied for the Northern League lead in runs batted in with six.
For the first time this season, fans can view T-Bones games live through The Sun's Web site at www.sunpublications.com/T-BonesBaseball.html.

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