Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 5, 1995 TAG: 9505050069
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Brent Belvin, the official scorekeeper for the Durham Bulls, will sit down in the sparkling new press box at New Durham Athletic Park and transcribe the events of a game on a computer keyboard.
Thus the Bulls will be the last member of the eight-team circuit to use the The Automated Scorebook. The Salem Avalanche began using it April 30.
``I guess getting the pencil and paper out of the press box is an important symbolic event, although I'm not sure how to articulate that,'' said John Hopkins, Carolina League president.
John Foley, a computer whiz at Howe Sportsdata International, which keeps up with minor-league statistics, showed no hesitation in putting the new age of Carolina League scorekeeping in perspective.
``It is momentous,'' he said.
The Carolina League made the new scorekeeping system mandatory at December's winter meetings. The circuit joins the short-season Northwest League and the independent Northern League as the only professional leagues that require score to be kept in such a fashion.
``I'd say that only 25 or 30 percent of the teams in the minors have the system now,'' Foley said. ``In the Florida State League, for example, only four of 14 teams have it.''
Foley said he suspected all Class AAA and AA teams would have computer scorekeeping in the next couple of years, and that eventually all the teams in the minors would have it.
That probably won't happen until other leagues take the same action the Carolina did and make the system mandatory, he said.
Howe introduced the new method of scorekeeping two years ago. Kinston adopted the system first in the Carolina League and Frederick was next, Hopkins said.
In using the system, the scorekeeper keys in play by play, and at the end of the game, the computer balances the numbers automatically and compiles a newspaper-style box score. The game results also can be transmitted automatically to the Howe office in Boston, making the old method of faxing scorebook pages obsolete.
Another feature is the ability of the computer to produce an inning-by-inning commentary of events.
``It's the first time in 20 years that I've had to keep score differently,'' said Salem's Brian Hoffman, the dean of the league's scorekeepers. ``I like it. It's sort of fun.''
The reaction is typical, Foley said.
``I haven't talked to a scorekeeper yet who doesn't like it, not even the ones who had never used a computer before,'' he said. ``As far as I know, no team has gone back to the old way after using this system.''
COMINGS AND GOINGS: Salem Avalanche left-hander Doug Million (0-1, 3.12 earned run average) has gone on the disabled list with a sore throwing shoulder. His place in the rotation will be taken by reliever Mike Saipe (1-3, 4.74). ... Infielder Pedro Carranza and designated hitter Jason Smith have been sent down to Asheville of the South Atlantic League.
by CNB