For the first time in seven years, I got to go back to Oklahoma City, one of my favorite sports towns! I had gone there in the past when I was broadcasting hockey for the San Antonio Iguanas and the Tulsa Oilers in the Central Hockey League. At the time, it seemed like a city on the rise, especially after the Morrow Building Tragedy that took place on April 19, 1995 when countless lives were lost in the event.
The Sounds travelled there on the 4th of July and we split up in two groups. One group left very early in the morning and flew from Nashville to Chicago to make the connecting flight to Oklahoma City. The other connected in Dallas. I was among the smaller group that connected in Texas. We arrived in town, seeing the skies looking very unpromising. We have experienced so much rain since the floods that took place in Nashville in early May. It was the start of a nine-game road trip, including a five-game set (not to mention a doubleheader in the mix) with the Memphis Redbirds.
It was also my first broadcast at the beautiful AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in downtown Oklahoma City. Our hotel was within walking distance, but it was pouring like crazy during the afternoon. I was hoping that we did not have to play more than one twinbill on the road trip. A few Sounds players, Pitching Coach Rich Gale and myself decided to take a cab to the park, even though it was only a few blocks away. I walked around the ballpark and I was so impressed. A nice two-deck ballpark with the Coach’s Restaurant in the left field corner for those who want a sumptuous meal as well as a great view of the ballgame.
Even Oklahoma City looked great from outside the park with their Riverwalk as well as many great new restaurants and hotels (including ours, which I recall was not there during my last visit back in 2003). Anyway, going back to the ballpark, the view from the pressbox looked great. However, the booth did not provide a complete obstructionless view since the windows have four separate panes and you had to stick out neck out a bit to see the action. Otherwise, Bricktown Ballpark is a great place and it is also the sight of the Annual Bricktown Showdown, where the PCL Champions take on the champions of the other Triple-A league, the International League, which consisted of cities in the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast. A one-game playoff would determine the winner of the overall Triple-A Champions in the land.
A huge crowd assembled at Bricktown ballpark on Sunday for the game and the subsequent 4th of July Fireworks show. With the noise level being so loud, I felt like I was in a major league park. It was so nice to see a large assemblage of people at Bricktown and I was excited about being among the festivities. Unfortunately, the rain continued to pour down, but it eventually stopped. The tarp had been covered the whole time, though, but when they finally unveiled the infield, the infield dirt looked very damp. After the umpires as well as the two managers, Don Money of the Sounds and Bobby Jones of the Oklahoma City RedHawks examined the field, I saw that Money and Jones shook hands as well as with the umpires and the umps and the managers went their separate ways. I knew that it was not a good sign as the game was called on account of wet grounds. Needless to say, even though the rain had stopped, the crowd was disappointed that the game was postponed and their reaction was of frustration. However, cheers erupted when it was announced that the club would still have its fireworks show. Of course, the RedHawks did not want to disappoint their huge crowd. It was decided for the following night to have a single game and then a doubleheader on Tuesday night.
The Sounds won the opener of the series, 10-5, as they pounded out a season high 19 hits and Sounds’ First Baseman Joe Koshansky belted a pair of home runs, one to left field and the other to right center. However, the rains came down again on Tuesday night, so they had to postpone that twinbill. It was decided to still have a doubleheader on Wednesday night and the other game to be made up as part of a twi-night twinbill on August 31st, when the Sounds would make the second and last visit to Oklahoma City this season.
Well, the Sounds and RedHawks did what they did NOT want to do and that was play a doubleheader on getaway night since both teams would be having overnight bus rides afterwards. The Sounds would head to Memphis on I-40 while the RedHawks would travel south on I-35 to Round Rock, Texas, where they would play the Express.
The Sounds came back from a 5-1 deficit to take a 6-5 lead in the opener, but the RedHawks struck back and won the opener 11-6. Then the nightcap occurred. Nashville would take a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but Oklahoma City would rebound again while belting a pair of homers against Sounds starter, Chuck Lofgren in the third. It would be the 14th and 15th homers off Lofgren, who has given up more gopher balls on the Sounds than any other pitcher on the team. A solo shot by Craig Gentry would tie it (he would have five hits in the game) and All-Star Bound Chris Davis hit a two-run shot in the same inning. The Sounds tied the game up when Ben Johnson (who just got off the Disabled list) would belt a game-tying two run homer off reliever Willie Eyre (pronounced “Air”) in the sixth inning with two outs in the sixth. The Sounds had a chance to take the lead in the seventh when Brendan Katin had an infield hit with one out in the inning. After Joe Koshansky walked, Sounds First Baseman Erick Almonte singled to center field. Manager Don Money, who was coaching third, waved Katin home. However, Center Fielder Craig Gentry nailed Katin at the plate with a strong throw home for the second out of the inning. Koshansky and Almonte would take an extra base on the throw to the plate. Unfortunately, the rally was stymied when All-Star Bound Shortstop and new Father Luis Cruz took a called third strike to end the inning. Oklahoma City had made a bid to win it in the eighth when the game went into extra innings (doubleheaders are seven innings apiece) when former Sounds infielder and RedHawk Second Baseman Hernan Iribarren double to left field. The following batter, Shortstop Gregorio Petit, smashed a sinking liner towards the right field line, but at that particular moment, Brendan Katin got even with the RedHawks when he made a sprawling and diving catch to thwart that threat. The Sounds would take the lead in the ninth when Second Baseman Johnny Raburn looped a single to right to score Katin to give Nashville a 4-3 lead. However, Sounds reliever Mike McClendon (who was the pitcher of record on the winning side at the moment) got into a jam in the bottom of the inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Craig Gentry. After Esteban German lined out to second, the following batter, Mitch Moreland, singled to right center as Raburn made a diving attempt after the ball and couldn’t make a play and Gentry raced to third. Suddenly, the t ying run was 90 feet away from home plate when Manager Don Money summoned reliever Brandon Kintzler from the bullpen. I felt good about our chances, especially since we had a long bus ride after the game. Kintzler faced the ever so dangerous Chris Davis and he went after the first pitch and fouled out to the Sounds Third Baseman Mat Gamel. One more out to go! Left fielder Matt Brown came to the plate and immediately, Kintzler was ahead of him on an 0-2 count. ONE MORE STRIKE TO GO! Afterwards, Brown fouled off two straight pitches. While I was broadcasting, I kept saying to myself, “Brandon, don’t try to be so fine, keep throwing your best stuff!”. Unfortunately, the next pitch was in the dirt and it got away from Catcher Ben Johnson! OH NO! The tying run scored and Moreland went to second base. Wow, how could this happen? Brown would eventually bounce back to Kintzler and Brandon threw him out at first. Inning over, but unfortunately, not the game. I’m thinking, “this is going to be a long night”. It would stay tied at 4-4 until the bottom half of the 13th inning when Sounds lefty reliever Mitch Stetter was pitching in the second inning of work. After having an uneventful 12th inning, the wheels came off in the following inning. After Ryan Garko grounded out to lead off the bottom of the 13th, Hernan Iribarren would walk. He went to second when a wild pitch would advance him to second. Stetter got tough and got Petit on a called third strike and then up to the plate stepped the Sounds’ nemesis of the nightcap, Craig Gentry. Gentry already collected four hits in the game when he looped a single to center. Sounds Center Fielder Lorenzo Cain raced in vain to go after the ball. Cain doved for it, but the ball fell in front of him for a base hit and Iribarren would score the winning run. It was the second straight doubleheader that the Sounds were swept in. It would turn out to be a long and quiet ride to Memphis. This was not the prelude the Sounds needed, especially with a big series with the Redbirds coming up, starting tonight at AutoZone Park. Nashville trails Memphis by 1 1/2 games in the standings in the American North. The Sounds will need to start being more consistent and they know they need to do well in this series to not only hope to seize First Place away from the Redbirds, but to stay tight in the American North race. One strike away from gaining a split in the twinbill against Oklahoma City, but it was not meant to be.
Adversity can be a big testing factor for a professional sports team and we will see how the Sounds respond from a disappointing loss and not to mention a long bus ride from Oklahoma City to Memphis. Tonight’s opener against Memphis starts at 7:05PM with Sounds Left Hander Chase Wright getting the nod against Memphis Left Hander Evan MacLane. Broadcast will be on nashvillesounds.com so please tune in. Please feel free to write to me if you were among the faithful that stayed up and listened to the entire 13 inning affair and doubleheader. Always looking to hear from you. As always, thanks for tuning in. Hope you all had a nice 4th of July holiday!
- Posted on July 8, 2010 at 3:20 pm
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