Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Our Heroes

By: Spenser Smith

Who are your baseball heroes? Some of the more "seasoned" folks who read this blog may have fond memories of seeing Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, Johnny Bench and other legends take the field in baseball's "Golden Age." Younger readers of this post have had the pleasure of watching players such as Mike Trout, Yasiel Puig and Felix Hernandez in the present day, often on high-definition television. And perhaps in between, there are some "Generation X" baseball fans out there who still own VHS copies of Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series Game 1 home run.

But this Saturday at historic Borleske Stadium, we will see heroes of a different caliber take to the turf. In the second annual Walla Walla Battle of the Badge, members of our local fire department will square off against a number of those from our law enforcement in a fun exhibition game that will focus on honoring the true heroes of our community.

This will be a charity game in which the law enforcement team will be playing to support the Impact! Life Transitions Program, while the firefighters will be backing Girls' Council. Community heroes, a ballgame, and plenty of fun for a good cause--what's not to like?

If you haven't already, stop by the Sweets Shoppe downtown to buy your tickets--we are nearly sold out!

Will local law enforcement be able to defend their title after their big win in the inaugural contest last summer? Find out Saturday at 7:05 PM!

Also, don't forget to buy tickets for Opening Day on Thursday, June 5 to see this year's Sweets squad take on a team of Sweets alumni--a variety of familiar faces who have called the Walla Walla Valley home at some point over the past four summers. We can't wait to see you out there!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Summer Is Here!

By: Spenser Smith
Voice of the Sweets

Hello Sweets fans!

Spenser Smith here, and I'll be your radio broadcaster for all road games this season. It's been a long wait, but the fifth season of your Walla Walla Sweets is just around the corner.

To share a little about myself, I was born and raised in Walla Walla. I played baseball for coach Kim Cox at DeSales High School just behind Borleske Stadium's left field fence, and was a part of the 2B-11 Washington State Championship team in the spring of 2008. I have followed the Sweets since the team's inception in 2010, and have spent the past two seasons as the play-by-play broadcaster for the baseball team at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. My broadcasting aspirations stem from years of watching Seattle Mariners games on TV and listening on the radio to the voices of Rick Rizzs and the late Dave Niehaus, who always made me feel as if I had the best seat in the house.

This season, we've got a talent-laden roster and a highly experienced coaching staff to lead your 2014 Sweets. From local heroes such as Walla Walla Community College's J.J. Robinson and Jarod Gonzales, to acquisitions from afar including North Dakota State's Jay Flaa and Southern Illinois' Parker Osborne, your 2014 Sweets are ready to come together as one tough competitor in the WCL East division.

For the fifth consecutive season, head coach J.C. Biagi is at the helm for the club. Two fellow Walla Walla CC assistant coaches, Rob Holtzinger and Cesar Lopez will join him in the dugout, along with WWCC softball coach Mark Michaud.

As the summer season approaches, I want to see this whole town decked out in red, white and blue to support this exciting ballclub. This community is built for baseball, and I'm anticipating a packed house at Borleske, day in and day out. And if you can't make it out to the ballpark, be sure to tune in to 1490 AM or 100.1 FM to catch the action on air!

It's my pleasure to bring the action to you fans from behind the mic, along with returning broadcaster Howard Hoffman, and I look forward to another exciting baseball-filled summer in the Walla Walla Valley.

If there is anything I can feature that will make this Sweets blog a more enjoyable read, please let me know at spenser@wallawallasweets.com.

Go Sweets!