ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 4, 1996 TAG: 9608050126
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: BASEBALL
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR.
Several players with local ties are plying their trade in independent leagues, including former Radford University pitcher Jim Abbott and former William Byrd High School and Virginia Tech slugger Josh Herman, who are teammates with the Ohio Valley Redcoats of the Frontier League.
Abbott thought he was through with baseball after finishing a stellar career at Radford in 1995, but he got a call from the Parkersburg, W.Va.-based Redcoats in February and made the team at a training camp in May. He was 4-1 for Ohio Valley after firing a three-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts against the Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints on Thursday.
A long-standing staple of the minor leagues, independent leagues began gaining popularity in the 1980s and '90s as locales began clamoring for professional baseball. The teams in independent leagues are a disparate sort, with rosters including names of guys who never were drafted by major-league clubs, players who were released from other leagues and even a familiar former big-leaguer or two.
The Northern League has received the most publicity of the eight ``major'' independent leagues. Founded in 1993 by former Durham (N.C.) Bulls owner and Baseball America publisher Miles Wolff, the league has made a name for itself with the kind of showmanship and promotional acumen that harkens back to legendary big-league owner Bill Veeck. Coincidentally or not, Bill's son, Mike, owns the St.Paul (Minn.) Saints, the league's flagship team. The Saints are co-owned by comedian Bill Murray and recently featured Darryl Strwaberry and Jack Morris on their roster.
For Abbott, independent baseball is a chance to get paid for playing ball ($600 a month) in addition to riding buses for 10 hours from Parkersburg to Kalamazoo, Mich., home of the Frontier League's Kodiaks.
``As much [of the league] as I've seen, it's just like [Class] A ball,'' Abbott said. ``There are guys on the team who have played Double-A and A ball and they say [the Frontier League] is basically the same thing. There's a lot of traveling at night. There are a lot of days when I don't get home until 8 a.m., then have to be on the field that afternoon. I'm always on the field, it seems like.''
Former Salem Buccaneers slugger and Castlewood High School alumnus Mitch House went into the weekend batting .288 with 11 homers for Chillicothe, and former Virginia Tech infielder Casey Waller was playing second base and batting .296 for the Thunder Bay (Ontario) Whiskey Jacks of the Northern League.
SNOWBALLS: Salem Avalanche outfielder John Giudice was promoted to Class AA New Haven (Conn.) during the past week, leaving Nate Holdren as the team leader in home runs with 12 and Holdren and Blake Barthol as co-leaders in RBI with 51. Holdren also leads the team with 30 extra-base hits. Giudice led in each of those categories. ... Giudice was the sixth Avalanche player to be called up to New Haven this year, joining third baseman Steve Bernhardt, catcher Mike Higgins and pitchers Doug Million, Mike Kusiewicz and Brent Crowther.
AROUND THE CAROLINA LEAGUE: Lynchburg right-hander Todd Blyleven, son of former major-leaguer Bert Blyleven, gave up no runs in eight consecutive appearances from June 29-July 28 (16 innings pitched, six hits, four walks, seven strikeouts). ... Kinston's Sean Casey, the league's leading hitter with a .331 average, was placed on the disabled list with an ankle injury. ... Durham left-hander Derrin Ebert won six consecutive starts in July, giving him 11 victories for the season.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 linesby CNB