Curve left-hander Rudy Owens was dominant at the outset of the ballgame, as he no-hit the Squirrels into the fifth inning.  Ryan Lormand finally picked up the first Richmond hit when he flared a two-out double to right field.

Altoona broke through first against Romero in the sixth inning.  Owens led off and aided his own cause with a double to right-center field.  Chase d’Arnaud moved him to third with a single and he scored to give the Curve a 1-0 lead as Josh Harrison bounced into a double play.

Owens finally proved mortal in the sixth as Darren Ford legged out an infield-single.  A batter later, Thomas Neal cranked a two-run home run to left field as Richmond claimed a 2-1 advantage.  Neal became the first Flying Squirrel on the year with double-digit home runs as he notched his 10th.

Owens (8-6) departed to a hard-luck loss, his third straight, following the inning.  He worked six innings, allowed two runs on just three hits, walked one and struck out eight.

Richmond padded their lead with two runs off of reliever Ramon Aguero in the seventh as they capped their scoring for the evening.  Lormand got the Squirrels started with his second two-out double of the evening.  He swiped third base and scored when Aguero struck out Aaron Lowenstein on a wild-pitch.  Lowenstein was able to reach as the Squirrels went ahead, 3-1.  Brad Boyer followed and walked, and Darren Ford finished the scoring for the evening with a two-out single to center field to plate Lowenstein.

Romero (3-1) earned a well-deserved win, in command through seven sterling innings.  He allowed just a lone run on six hits.  He walked none and struck out six for his third victory overall on the season and second over Altoona.

Ronnie Ray was perfect in relief for Richmond, breezing through two perfect innings to finish the win and earn his second save of the season.

Game two of the series is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Friday night at The Diamond.  RHP Mike MacDonald (2-7, 4.67) will make the start for Richmond against LHP Tony Watson (3-0, 2.30) for Altoona.

– The information above was provided by Jon Laaser with the Richmond Squirrels.

The video shows the naked man being assaulted in front of many witnesses. The woman, Cari Werz, says she decided to shoot video of the incident the minute she saw three large men approach the naked man thinking it was going to get ugly.

However, at this point no charges have been filed. Click here to view the report.

The man pictured in this early-70s photo was a well known hippie mover-and-shaker in the Fan District in the late-60s/early-70s. After leaving the Fan he went on to a subculture life of real and imaginary adventures. In 2002 a book was published that detailed some of his best drug-smuggling stories, a high-wire lifestyle that led up to a prison term for him.

Now about 60-years-old, he blogs about his ongoing effort to turn the adventure book into a Hollywood feature motion picture. The photo is from his blog. Name him.

The Katey in this story (circa 1977)

Originally published by STYLE Weekly in October of 1999

With the turning of the leaves, The Fan District of Richmond, Va., will again be transformed into a living impressionistic cityscape. As they always do, the season’s wistful breezes will facilitate reflection.

All of which leads to the fact that yet another baseball season has come and gone. After 6,783 games, the last game ever has been played at Detroit’s fabled Tiger Stadium. The Giants and the Astros will be playing in new parks next season as well. The World Series, first played in 1903, will soon be upon us. Although baseball’s claim as the National Pastime may no longer hold up, the colorful lore generated by the magic of events at baseball parks probably outweighs that of all the other sports, put together.

I began going to the Richmond V’s (for Virginians) games at Parker Field with my grandfather when I was about seven. I eagerly drank in all I could of the atmosphere, especially the stories told about legendary players and discussions on the strategy of the game.

As I got older I began to go with my friends, most of whom played baseball. We usually took our baseball gloves with us to the game. We’d go early so we could watch the V’s warm up. As often as possible we talked with the players. If one of them remembered your name it was a source of pride.

When we cheered the heroics we witnessed, and rose for the seventh inning stretch, and stayed until the last out regardless of the score, it was tantamount to exercising religious rites.

A few seasons before they tore Parker Field down (it was dismantled in 1984 and in its place stands The Diamond), I experienced one last thrill at the old ballpark. This was when my daughter, Katey, was about seven or eight.

The home team by then — as it is now — was The Braves. Katey, her mother, and I were sitting in box seats as guests of neighbors who had gotten comps from a radio station. It was Katey’s first trip to Parker Field.

The spectacle itself was interesting to her for a while. As it was a night game, the bright lights were dazzling. The roar of the crowd was exhilarating. Being old enough to go along on such an outing, instead of staying at home with a baby sitter, was a boost to her morale. Nonetheless, by the middle of the game Katey (pictured above at about the age of this story) was getting tired of sitting still and bored with baseball.

During the sixth inning it fell to me to entertain, or at least restrain her, so the others could enjoy the game. I tried telling her more about the object of baseball, hoping that would help her pay some attention to the game.

That didn’t work for very long. She was soon climbing across seats again and this time she knocked a man’s beer into his lap. As the visiting team began their turn at bat, in the top of the seventh, I got an idea and asked Katey if she wanted to see some magic. Of course she did.

Then I got her to promise to be good if I showed her a big magic trick. She agreed to the terms without qualification. Making sure she alone could hear me, I pulled her in close and whispered my instructions.

The gist of it was that she and I, using our combined powers of concentration, were going to make everyone in the ballpark stand up at the same time. Katey was thrilled at the mere prospect of such a feat. I told her to face the ongoing game, close her eyes, and begin thinking about making the crowd stand up.

After the visiting team made their third out, I cupped my hand to her ear and reminded her to think, “stand up, stand up …”

As baseball fans know, when the home team comes to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning everyone stands up, ostensibly to stretch their legs. It’s a longtime tradition called “the seventh inning stretch.” There’s a mention of the practice in a report about a Cincinnati Red Stockings (baseball’s first professional team) game that took place in 1869.

Tradition aside — when Katey turned around, opened her big blue eyes and saw thousands of people standing up — it was pure magic in her book.

No one in the group gave me away when she told them what we had done. As I remember it, she stayed true to her word and was well-behaved the rest of the game.

It was a few years later that Katey confronted me, having learned how the trick worked. We still laugh about it.

Sports dilettantes today complain that baseball games are too slow and meandering. While I admit baseball has its lulls, nonetheless there are textures and layers of information present at baseball parks that are just too subtle and ephemeral for the lens of a TV camera to capture. To appreciate them you have to be there, and you have to bother to notice.

Sometimes there’s even a hint of magic in the air.

– 30 –

Words and photo by F.T. Rea

Joe Mahoney got the Baysox started with his 11th hit of the series in the second inning.  His single off of Squirrels’ right-hander Mike MacDonald came with one out.  A batter later, MacDonald hit Steve Lerud.  With two down, Jonathan Tucker sent a soft-single to right field to plate Mahoney with the game’s first run.

Bowie was back at it in the third as Greg Miclat and Ryan Adams supplied back-to-back singles to start the inning, putting runners at the corners with nobody out.  MacDonald struck out Tyler Henson, but Joel Guzman sent a broken-bat single to center field to score Miclat.  With two outs, Brandon Waring made it 3-0 for Bowie when he lined a single to left field.

The Squirrels finally broke through against Bowie right-hander Steve Johnson in the fifth inning.  Conor Gillaspie led off the inning with a double off the wall in right field and Brad Boyer followed with a single to score him.  Two batters later, Boyer scored when Clay Timpner lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.  Richmond eventually left the bases loaded, and left the inning trailing 3-2.

Bowie immediately got one of those runs back and chased MacDonald in the fifth.  Henson doubled down the right-field line to open the frame, and Guzman singled him to third with one out.  MacDonald departed in favor of righty Daniel Turpen.  Turpen bounced Mahoney to third base, but Adams scored when the Squirrels couldn’t complete a double play and Bowie led, 4-2.

MacDonald (2-7) surrendered four earned runs over 4 1/3 innings and lost in his first start since June 27th.  He conceded eight hits, walked none and struck out three.

Johnson (5-6) departed after six solid innings.  He allowed the two earned runs on five hits.  He walked three and struck out five as he won for the first time against Richmond in his fifth start against them.
Richmond attempted to rally from behind in the eighth, netting a run against reliever Raul Rivero.  Rivero walked Darren Ford to start the inning and Brandon Belt brought him in with a single to left field.  However, Pedro Beato entered to squelch the rally with Richmond behind, 4-3.  Beato went on to work a scoreless ninth inning, earning his 10th save of the season.

The Squirrels return to Richmond to open a three-game series against the Reading Phillies (Philadelphia Phillies) on Monday night at 7:05 p.m. at The Diamond.  RHP David Mixon (10-5, 3.31) will make the start for the Squirrels against RHP J.C. Ramirez (2-2, 4.80) for Reading.

–  The information above was provided by Jon Laaser with the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Sanders will be a special guest of the Richmond Flying Squirrels on Tuesday night at The Diamond when they host the Reading Phillies in a 7:05 p.m. contest. He will be on hand to throw out the first pitch as well as being available for autographs for his beloved fans.

“The city of Richmond and the VCU community are major reasons why I got this great opportunity in the NBA,” Sanders said. “This was just an opportunity that was presented to me and I couldn’t pass up a chance to thank so many of those fans that supported me during my time at VCU.”

Sanders became the second straight Ram to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft when the Milwaukee Bucks selected the Fort Pierce, Fla. native with the 15th pick. He excelled in the week long summer league and looks to be a major contributor to the Bucks this season.

For more tickets, call the Richmond Flying Squirrels ticket office at 804-359-3866.

– The information above was provided by Scott Day at VCU.

Bertie Selvey, a longtime board member who resigned in frustration early this year, said she never has been more worried that financial pressures may force the Byrd to close, threatening the ornate plaster that makes it an architectural wonder and removing a key anchor from Carytown. The 1,350-seat theater primarily shows second-run movies, but it also accommodates independent film festivals and other community events. Selvey said the Byrd desperately needs a benefactor or many more people in the community to realize what’s at stake.

“It’s not just fixing it up — it’s saving it,” she said.

Click here to read the entire article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Bowie right-hander Ryohei Tanaka looked like he was on his way to a quick first inning when Thomas Neal disrupted him with a two-out single. Brandon Belt followed and ripped double off the top of the wall in right-center field. The relay thrown to the plate beat an arriving Neal, but he bowled over catcher Caleb Joseph, knocking the ball loose for a 1-0 Richmond lead. Joseph was knocked from the ballgame. Tanaka then walked Conor Gillaspie, and Brad Boyer gave the Squirrels a 4-0 advantage when he crushed a three-run home run to right-center field.

The Baysox got on the board in the second when Joe Mahoney led off and launched a massive solo-home run down the right-field line against Squirrels’ right-hander Craig Westcott.

However, the floodgates opened as Richmond jumped on Tanaka again in the third. Tanaka hit Neal to start the inning and Belt followed with a single to left field. Gillaspie flew out, but Boyer lined an RBI single to left field to score Neal.  Sharlon Schoop then cracked a two-run double into the alley in left-center field. Tyler La Torrre kept the ball rolling with his own RBI double to the alley. Tanaka finally recorded the second out of the inning, but Darren Ford rifled a triple into left-center field to plate La Torre. Tanaka was lifted in favor of lefty Pedro Viola who was greeted by a Nick Noonan RBI single. When the dust cleared, the Squirrels had matched their franchise-record with six runs in the inning, and held a 10-1 lead.

Tanaka (4-11) was charged with 10 earned runs as he endured his 11th loss of the season over just 2 2/3 innings. He fell to 1-5 against Richmond on the season, surrendering eight hits, walking one and logging no strike outs.

Joel Guzman launched a solo-home run off Westcott in the third and then struck again with a two-run blast in the fifth.  Those two home runs gave Guzman the league-lead back with 22 on the season and pulled Bowie to within six runs, 10-4.

Westcott (2-1) ultimately worked through six innings for his second straight victory over the Baysox. He allowed four runs — two earned — on eight hits.  He walked just one and struck out three.

Boyer contributed another RBI single in the eighth inning. He hit drove in Belt, and allowed Boyer to match the franchise record with his 5th RBI of the night. It also marked a career-high for Boyer.

Neal added the exclamation point when he crushed a three-run home run to left-center field in the ninth inning to establish a new franchise record for runs in a single game. Neal’s blast also gave him 50 RBIs for the season, the first Squirrel to reach that plateau.

Game three of the series is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Saturday night at Prince George’s Stadium. RHP Michael Main (0-2, 7.84) will make the start for Richmond against RHP Eddie Gamboa (3-4, 3.21) for Bowie.

On Thursday evening, the man who was affectionately known as “T-Man” passed away at the age of 58. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

“Terry was an institution at VCU for three games. Nobody worked harder for this University than he did. He will be sorely missed.” VCU Athletic Director Norwood Teague said. “We send our sincerest thoughts and prayers to his family.”

His time with the Rams started back on Nov. 28th, 1980 when he urged VCU to a 44-40 victory over Lafayette in the Cavalier Invitational in Charlottesville. From there, he called 567 consecutive games until he attended a nephew’s bar mitzvah in 1999. In his 28 years, Sisisky missed just three games for the Black & Gold.

His tenure has spanned six coaches, eight NCAA tournament berths and four NIT appearances.

In addition to VCU basketball, he called the majority of Rams baseball games as well, calling numerous CAA and NCAA tournament games.

“This is a very tough loss for not only VCU, but the whole Richmond area,” Head VCU Baseball Coach Paul Keyes said. “Terry meant so much to so many people and continually sacrificed his time and energy for this athletic department. You won’t run into a better man than him.”

Sisisky stepped down from the mike after the 2007-08 campaign, but continued to pursue his undying passion for high school basketball and football games at his alma mater, Petersburg High School.

For his unbelievable dedication to the university, he was inducted into the VCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. He also received the Frank Soden Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, as well as being inducted into the Richmond Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

He will never be forgotten by VCU and their beloved fans.

– The information above was provided by Scott Day at VCU.

According to Marschak, Richmond had the first successful commercial streetcar system in the world. The Fan was the westernmost part of the city following the Civil War, and the system helped people get to work in other parts of the city, and offered easy access to open spaces like Monroe Park.

Click here to read about the Valentine’s alley tour in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.