Reminiscing at the Rosenblatt auction

Cathy and Vic Volkart watched the auction and took
in the sights and sounds for one last time at Rosenblatt.
(Photo: Lee Warren)

Everything felt out of sorts at Rosenblatt Stadium today – from the security fence, to the lack of activity inside the gates to the weather.

On a cloudy, dreary, unseasonably cool day in June, baseball fans didn’t hear the ping of aluminum bats as they’ve grown accustomed to at this time of year. Instead, they heard auctioneers encouraging them to take a piece of Rosenblatt home with them.

Auction Solutions, Inc., the entity in charge of the auction, provided a 35-page catalog filled with items fans could bid on.

11-year-old plays catch with Mike Moustakas

Rachel Lowry poses with her son, Austin

As any 11-year-old boy would be, Austin Lowry was excited to get the opportunity to throw out one of the ceremonial first pitches at the Omaha Storm Chasers game on Sunday afternoon.

It was his first trip to Werner Park and he came prepared. He brought his baseball glove and he wore his Storm Chasers t-shirt – which he got autographed by pitchers Blaine Hardy and Greg Holland as well as infielder Irving Falu.

That’s a pretty good day, but it got even better. While Austin was on the field, waiting to take the mound before the national anthem, he pretended to be throwing pitches. Omaha third baseman Mike Moustakas spotted him and invited him to play catch.

Royal Man visits Werner Park

Royal Man and Slugerrr have a little fun at
Kauffman Stadium (Photo: Andrew Johnson)

Kansas City Royal fans know heartache – especially those who are too young to remember the glory years. The team has finished over .500 just once (2003) in the past 16 seasons.

During that stretch, the Royals have had more than their share of high draft picks, leading to multiple youth movements – none of which have led to success. But Dayton Moore has been stockpiling talent through the draft and trades since becoming the general manager to the point that Baseball America has recognized the Royals as having the best farm system in the game.

Of course that doesn’t necessarily mean the talent will translate into winning seasons in Kansas City. And with the fanbase growing tired of new youth movements every few years, one particular fan, Troy Olsen, saw a chance to lighten the mood by transforming himself into Royal Man.

2,500 attend first games at Werner Park

An estimated crowd of 2,500 people got to see Werner Park in trial run mode last night when Papillion-La Vista and Papillion-La Vista South played the first game of a high school doubleheader followed by Papio South and Omaha Creighton Prep.

In addition to the Omaha Storm Chasers' staff testing video and sound operations, news crews and print journalists tested connections in the press box and fans got their first taste of baseball action in the new stadium.

The temperature was in the mid-50s, but with the wind, it felt colder than that.

Storm Chaser fans who love to shoot photos are going to like what they see once they settle into their seats for the first time. The field is close enough to catch facial expressions. Here are a few photos from the first game:

St. Joseph family takes in their first Royals game at Rosenblatt

The Parker Family

In seasons past, Jeff Parker and his wife Rebecca, didn’t have an real incentive to pile their three kids into their car and head up I-29 from St. Joseph, Missouri to Omaha to catch an Omaha Royals game. So they never did.

Over the past 15 years, the Royals organization hasn’t used Omaha as a proving ground for prospects, opting instead to use it as a graveyard where 30-something-year-old players’ careers come to die – a fact that Parker, who blogs about the Royals at Royally Speaking, is well aware of.

“I was just talking to my wife and she said, ‘How come we’ve never done this before?’” Parker said. “I said, ‘Well, coming to Omaha to watch guys who play in the minors their entire careers – it didn’t really interest me.’ Now it does and we’ll probably make this a yearly thing.”

Hardcore Royals fans have been interested in Mike Moustakas ever since he was selected in the first round of the 2007 draft. He tore up minor league pitching at Double-A NW Arkansas this season (.347 AVG, 21 HR, 76 RBI in 66 games) and that earned him a promotion to Omaha recently. But Moustakas isn’t the only exciting prospect Omaha has to offer. Jordan Parraz, David Lough, Jarrod Dyson, Lucas May, Federico Castaneda, Louis Coleman, Tim Collins and others are also giving fans of the organization something to cheer about.

Of course fans are hoping that the core group of players in Omaha and the lower levels of the organization will be reminiscent of the prospects that game up together through that same system in the mid-70s and early 80s that eventually lead to winning baseball in Kansas City.

Parker grew up watching Kansas City play during their glory days. He became a fan while watching Royals games with his father during the mid-70s. Early on, Parker was drawn to a shortstop named Freddie Patek.

“I was really small as a kid, so watching him – here he is playing at an All-Star level – I just related. When I played little league, I played shortstop and so I just kind of related to him.”

Last night, it was Parker’s turn to watch some baseball with his own kids – Ari, 14, Jeff, 11, and Zak, 8. And it was a good night to bring kids to the ballpark because it was Star Wars night in addition to being Fireworks Friday.

Unfortunately, the Royals ended up being blown out by the Portland Beavers, 13-6. But, blowouts happen.

Today, the Parkers plan to spend some time at the zoo before heading back to St. Joseph. Next season, they will have even more to look forward when they make their annual visit because they’ll have a chance to see the team play in the new ballpark in Sarpy County.

*****

A few notes about the game last night:

Relief pitcher Tim Collins, who the Royals recently acquired in a trade with Atlanta, was outstanding in his Rosenblatt Stadium debut, tossing two innings, giving up just one hit and no runs. He has a unique delivery style – one that Minda Haas aptly described as a “half-tornado delivery” and an explosive curve ball. You can view him in action in one of the videos below against Portland slugger Wily Mo Pena.

The game got so out of hand last night that Omaha manager Mike Jirschele brought in first basemen/designated hitter Scott Thorman to pitch the ninth inning. This was Thorman’s second appearance on the mound this season. He fared much better this time. Using his knuckeball, he struck out Portland shortstop Sean Kazmar and he got Pena to ground into a double play (see the video of that play as well).

Miss Nebraska 2006 throws out first pitch

Emily Poeschl, Miss Nebraska 2006

Last night was Ladies Night at Rosenblatt Stadium. The first 100 ladies who signed up for the postgame diamond dig were able to dig around in the infield with a spoon, looking for a pair of diamond stud earrings, in addition to other prizes.

The promotion was enough to draw Emily Poeschl, Miss Nebraska USA 2006, out to the ballpark in hopes of finding the grand prize.

“I want to win those $2,000 earrings that are down on the field tonight,” Poeschl said before the contest began. “We’ve got my sister and my mom, my aunt and I are all here. So we’ve got a four in one hundred chance of finding the diamond.”

She didn’t win the earrings, but she was one of ten women to find a box with a certificate for a “Remember Rosenblatt” commemorative plate.

Before that, Poeschl had the chance to throw out one of the ceremonial first pitches of the game between the Omaha Royals and Albuquerque Isotopes – a game that Omaha won 4-1 behind a strong pitching effort from starter Gaby Hernandez.

Poeschl was pumped up about the opportunity to throw one of the ceremonial first pitches – something she had not planned on when she came to the park, but was happy to do when one of the 100 women who won the opportunity declined it.

As a former intern for the Lincoln Saltdogs, Poeschl knows her way around the baseball diamond. She’s also a fan of the Omaha Royals.

“I’m a huge Omaha Royals fan,” Poeschl said. “Here’s an interesting fact for you – I actually went to grade school, and to middle school, high school, college with Alex Gordon. We’re friends from way back. But I’m a big Omaha Royals fan. I think it’s great for the community.

“I previously worked for the AHL team – the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights hockey team that was here in town. Things didn’t work out so well. So it’s great to see an actual professional sport that’s been able to stay here in Omaha for so long and have so much success. Hopefully that will continue on at the new stadium.”

Poeschl says being Miss Nebraska USA 2006 was the most amazing year of her life. She loved participating in community events, meeting a lot of people and working with kids. She recalled being part of the process of making one girl’s dream come true.

“Here in Omaha, I volunteered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and modeled in a few different charity fashions shows,” Poeschl said. “It’s one thing to model in a charity fashion show, but it’s another thing to actually meet the kids who this is impacting.

“One of the girls wanted to be a model, so she wanted to be in the show and she wanted to meet Tyra Banks. So, we were able to make that wish come true for her.”

Local actor reenacts Lou Gehrig's speech at Rosenblatt

Actor Kevin Ehrhart portrayed Lou Gehrig

After reenacting Lou Gehrig’s famous “luckiest man” speech at Rosenblatt Stadium last night for the ALS Association, actor Kevin Ehrhart – who was donating his time for the event – exited the field behind home plate and walked up the steps to the main concourse. Fans high-fived him as he went and one woman stopped him with tears in her eyes to thank him.

His work with kids at the Rose Theater was his motivating factor for donating his time to give the speech.

“I’ve been an actor with the Rose Theater for 22 years and I just worked with kids, you know, I’ve spent my entire career doing that,” Ehrhart said. “And just knowing what ALS does – I’m just happy to do a little part to help out the association.

The full text of Gehrig’s speech exists, but only four lines exist on video, so reenacting mannerisms of the speech can be a challenge.

“The only footage they have is just a little of the beginning and a little of the end, so I got a little bit of that from him,” Ehrhart said. “I just made up the rest. All the emotion is kind of clear right in the text of the speech.

“Because of the fans who adore Lou Gehrig, I wanted to do it justice and make sure I did it right. Hopefully, everyone feels good about it. But it’s fun to do. It’s exciting.”

You can watch Ehrhart’s reenactment of the entire speech here:

Inside the mascot custume

If you were out at Rosenblatt Stadium on Saturday or Sunday, then you probably saw Casey, the Omaha Royals mascot, doing his thing – helping people enjoy the moment by making them laugh.

What you probably don’t know is, the person underneath the fur was 19-year-old Northwest Missouri State University student Andrew Johnson.

Johnson made the drive up I-29 from Kansas City for the weekend with a couple of friends and he knew exactly what he needed to do after donning the Casey costume.

“You walk out there and you’re a source of entertainment,” Johnson said. “One of the neatest aspects for me when I put on a costume – my favorite is doing an appearance as KC Wolf because the [Kansas City] Chiefs have 50 plus years of tradition – and when I put that costume on, I’m the visual representation of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“So, when I walk out there as Casey, I’m representing a great organization here with the Omaha Royals. So, you’ve always got to be on your best behavior and do your best job and have fun. That’s one of my jobs – to keep people in their seats and make sure they’re still smiling.”

In addition to making appearances for the Chiefs, and filling in as Casey, he is a mascot assistant to Sluggerrr, the Kansas City Royals mascot, this summer – which means he helps Sluggerrr prepare for the game and he is the bug inside Sluggerrr’s ear during the game.

“I pick up the hot dogs [that Sluggerrr will be shooting and tossing into the crowd] and get all of his stuff ready for him,” Johnson said “Once we hit game time, I’m making sure he’s in the right spot at the right time. And he’s got a little USB that fits right in his ear,” Johnson said. “I’ve got a big headset and I’m picking up what my boss is telling me in my ear and relaying it to him.”

It wasn’t all that long ago that Johnson was watching Sluggerrr and KC Wolf from afar and dreaming about getting into the business one day. He grew up in the Kansas City area and seeing the mascots perform whet his appetite for the possibility of becoming a mascot one day.

“I watched those excellent characters in Kansas City and saw how much fun they were having,” Johnson said. “I started at my high school, developed that program over a three-year period, and learned that I absolutely loved it.

“During that time I worked with the major league soccer affiliate in Kansas City. There’s an independent baseball team in Kansas City called the T-Bones – I worked with them. And I worked with a bunch of random organizations around Kansas City.

“I either played mascot characters for the teams or if they brought in a random TV show character or something like that, I’d fill in.

“I’ve done a lot and I learned to love it. Over my time in high school, I performed with Sluggerrr and KC Wolf and during that time I got to know the guys, so whenever they needed someone, they would be able to call me.”

The calls came and Johnson is on the road to living his dream – although he probably never envisioned portraying a large blue lion who was surrounded by dogs.

That was the case on Saturday night at Rosenblatt Stadium when the Omaha Royals had a promotion called “Bark in the Park,” in which owners brought their dogs to the stadium and donated a dollar to the Nebraska Humane Society.

“Some of them get really scared, some of them like you, some of them don’t quite know [what to do] – they are kind of like babies,” Johnson said about the dogs. “You just don’t know how they are going to react.”

None of the dogs bit him, but the guy wearing the Herman the Nut costume wasn’t quite so fortunate. “The guy playing Herman said one of the dogs did bite the costume,” Johnson said. “Herman took the blow.”

Beyond all the fun and games, there can be a serious side to playing a mascot. Johnson tells the story about a fellow student at his high school who benefited from getting involved in the school mascot program.

“There was a boy who was in a lot of trouble,” Johnson said. “He was kind of one of those kids who everyone avoids. He had taken an extreme liking to me over the three years I was there. We held tryouts [for the mascot position] at the end of my senior year and he tried out with another boy. We chose the two of them thinking maybe this was what he needed to get out of trouble.

“Over this past year, he’s had fun with it, he’s enjoyed it, and it has kept him out of trouble. It’s been a good opportunity for him to step out of his boundaries and learn something new.”

Johnson’s ultimate goal after graduating from college is landing a full-time gig as a mascot for a professional team. There are a limited number of those positions available, but he’s put himself in a good position to make it happen.

“That’s definitely my dream – to either be in the NFL or Major League Baseball,” Johnson said. “I always tell people the NBA and NHL are a whole lot different, because number one, I can’t skate so that kind of throws that one out, and the NBA – I don’t know if you’ve seen that recent dunk by Bingo with the Milwaukee Bucks, but those guys do crazy stuff. They’re athletes.

“But that’s the goal. I just want to be a mascot.”

Father and son attend their first game together

This one had a little of everything – home runs, a Hall of Famer, enthusiastic fans, and a father and son taking in a game for the first time together. All in conditions in which Noah would have felt comfortable.

The Royals scored eleven runs in the first four innings against the Iowa Cubs – who are now managed by Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg – including a three-run home run by Kila Ka’aihue to right field. Ka’aihue also had an RBI double. Mike Aviles, David Lough, Jai Miller and Scott Thorman also drove in runs.

After the Cubs hit in the sixth inning, the umpires called for a rain delay as the heavens opened up. Thirty minutes later, the game was called, giving Omaha an 11-7 win.

The official attendance was 4,354. Adam and Max Silverman were two of those people.

Adam, 32, decided to bring Max, his two and half year old son, to his first Omaha Royals game on a whim.

Silverman lived in Kansas City until he was 10. That’s when his family moved to Omaha. And while his dad took him to a couple of games at Rosenblatt, he eventually lost interest in the organization as they struggled, but he says he got back into it a couple of years ago.

“The team wasn’t doing well, and I was a teenager and had other things to do and then it started coming time to have kids and I wanted to play ball again and I got back into it,” Silverman said. “And here we are.”

There was so much going on at the game that Max had a hard time concentrating. And you can’t really blame him.

“This one’s losing interest because Billy Butler is not here,” Silverman said about Max. “But we had hot dogs and pretzels and we got our Omaha Royals baseball.”

“I did got pretzels!” said Max as he eyed the concession stands again hoping for another one.

Even though Butler isn’t with Omaha, the Silvermans are following several other players.

“We’re liking the fact that Mike Aviles is here for a little bit longer,” Silverman said. “But Kila’s a favorite. I’m kind of glad that Lough is here this year. He’s starting to impress me a little bit.”