Who watches The Watchmen? (Or: Meet the Press, Northern Battery Edition)

Sometimes while the crew is out snapping photos at Shaw Park, we end up on camera as well. Now that you know what I look like, come on over and say hello if you're down catching/playing a ballgame! (Special thanks to Riley Alen Photography, who snapped both of these shots!) Pictured here: 1) on field during +40 C humidity; 2) Rocking the hazmat suit for Zombie Night.

Tenbrink, Sergey are American Association's Player and Pitcher of the Week

A .560 avg. at the plate earns Kansas City T-Bones Nate Tenbrink American Association Pointstreak Player of the Week honours, Aug. 24-30. Laredo Lemurs RHP Matt Sergey is this week’s Pointstreak Pitcher of the Week. Sergey tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout against the Grand Prairie Airhogs on Tuesday. Alas, Sergey and the Lemurs did not play in Winnipeg this season, so the ubiquitous Lemurs logo will have to suffice!

Boyer's base hit the difference in 3-2 win.

Brad Boyer's base hit in the bottom of the ninth sealed the deal for Winnipeg, as the Goldeyes earned a 3-2 victory over Fargo-Moorhead at Shaw Park. All photos taken by Dan LeMoal, Aug. 30. Pictured here: Boyer's game winning hit; post-game shirting of the game hero; Matt Jackson is all smiles as he makes the play from the mound; Zach Penprase makes the play at second; Tyler Alexander pitches head on; Casio Grider slides in for Winnipeg's first run of the day; Joe Dunigan connects low on the bat.

Zombie Nightmare

It was a Zombie Nightmare as the Fargo-Moorhead DeadHawks downed the Ghoul-Eyes 11-4, Aug. 29 at Shaw Park. Led by seven innings of shutdown pitching courtesy of Ty Kelley, and batting from Zach Penprase and Drew Muren, the RedHawks were in control all night. Photos taken by Dan LeMoal at Shaw Park, Winnipeg, Aug. 29. Pictured here: Drew Muren at the plate; Ty Kelley winds up; Luke Bailey gets to second; Brad Boyer runs in one of four ninth inning runs by the Goldeyes; a plethora of undead; RedHawks celebrate; rookie Alex Kreis on the mound.

Shawn Blackwell, Sioux Falls Canaries

Another look at the American Association's Pitcher of the Week.

Fish bats fall flat; RedHawks take Game 1

The Goldeyes bats were quiet as Fargo-Moorhead took game 1 in Winnipeg with a 3-1 victory. Pictured here: Winnipeg's Nick Hernandez on the mound; RedHawks' Brandon Mann pitching; Luke Bailey bats in the second run of the game; Joe Dunigan rounds the bases after his home-run shot; Casio Grider makes the play from second; Tillman Pugh connects; Brad Boyer and Ryan Pineda meet at second.

Players of the Week, Aug. 17-23

Sioux Falls RHP Shawn Blackwell is the American Association's Pitcher of the Week, after a stretch that included a complete game shutout of the St. Paul Saints. Meanwhile, Winnipeg's Reggie Abercrombie has been named Player of the Week. Sir Reginald was 15-for-31 (.484) this week with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs during the Goldeyes tour of the Can-Am League.

A quick word about scores, schedules and blogging

One of the less rational endeavours I've undertaken during this summer of baseball is to post the American Association final scores and schedules daily. It's a bit of work but I can't complain too much, as we usually only have nine games or so tops, and that's only if there's a few double-headers. However, I've decided from here on out to only post the scores and schedules to The Northern Battery's Twitter page. The daily results seem to have found the most appreciative audience on Twitter, while they seem to dilute the photo content on the blog. The daily numbers for this blog demonstrate that people want photos and stories here, not the scoreboards. I've nixed the scoreboard and schedules from the Facebook page as well. Still figuring my way through all of these social media channels; I'm sold on the blog, and Twitter has been a fantastic way to reach new audiences and connect with the players, teams and fans. Facebook I'm still not as sure about. The audience there is far more localized, mostly Goldeyes fans looking for shots of the most recent games. Perhaps I'll change the Facebook focus in that regard. And I'm still not sure where or if Instagram fits in with all of this! It's been an interesting exercise to watch The Northern Battery grow, one click at a time; to each and every one of you, thanks for your interest in the blog and independent baseball! This is only the beginning. Cheers, Dan

Ty Kelley, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

American Association schedule for Aug. 20, 2015

Final American Association scores for Aug. 19, 2015

Busy night in the Amer. Assoc., with three rain-delay doubleheaders happening. Amarillo pulls off a two win night in Kansas City.

American Association schedule for Aug. 19, 2015

Rain delays from yesterday create a few doubleheaders today...

Final American Association scores for Aug 18, 2015: rain, rain, go away!

Players of the Week, Aug. 10-16, 2015

It's a RedHawk sweep this week, as Drew Muren takes the American Association's Pointstreak Player of the Week honours, while Mike Nesseth receives Pointstreak's Pitcher of the Week honours.

American Association schedule for Aug. 18, 2015

American Association scores, Aug. 17, 2015

RailCats make blockbuster trade; Pulfer, Martinez and Bernal off to Lemurs

When it comes to independent baseball, change is never far away; but the Gary-Southshore Railcats made a major roster overhaul last night following a rain-soaked, five-inning victory in Sioux Falls. Infielders J.D. Pulfer, Roger Bernal and outfielder Drew Martinez were dealt to the Laredo Lemurs for first-baseman Dustin Geiger, infielder Jarred Mederos and pitcher Alex Gunn. RailCats fans are in shock, as were the new Lemurs, who were left behind in Sioux Falls to catch up with their new team. Dan Vaughan, the voice of the RailCats, has a great inside look at one of the strangest days in team history. In the meantime, here's a few shots of Pulfer (22), Martinez (5) and Bernal (30) during 'Cats' last few visits in Winnipeg; also pictured is Tillman Pugh (21), who was sent to The Fish earlier this season and has made quite an impact in Winnipeg.