Bees finish last home game on high note

The last couple years, the Bees have given the home crowd dramatic, extra-inning wins on Fan Appreciation Night.

Last year, Mario Lisson’s 11th-inning single gave the Bees a walk-off win over Quad Cities in the final home game of 2006.

This year, Jesus Soto delivered the heroics to give the hometown fans another extra-innings win over the Swing to once again finish the home schule in style. Soto’s single in the 10th inning scored Michael Thompson to give the Bees a thrilling 1-0 win last night.

Everett Teaford, Josh Cribb, and Aaron Hartsock gave up just four hits in the Bees’ 12th shutout, tying Peoria for the most by a Midwest League club this season. For Teaford, it was a brilliant finish to an already stellar month. The lefty from Georgia gave up only two earned runs in 26.1 innings over six appearances in August, finishing the month with a miniscule 0.68 ERA. Hartsock got the win, pitching the final two innings.

The more than 1,200 fans in attendance were treated to an exciting victory that gave your Bees a 38-34 home record for 2007.

Who’s your pick?

While you’re here tonight, make sure you stop by the souvenir store to cast your vote for the Bees’ Player of the Year, sponsored by The Drake Restaurant & Bar.

You can choose from the four candidates, listed below with their season stats, or you can write in your selection.

Joe Dickerson
#30 Outfielder
.289 average, 115 games, 50 runs, 121 hits, 23 doubles, 3 home runs, 43 RBI, and 26 stolen bases.
Last week, a separated shoulder sidelined Joe for 2007. During the middle of the season, Joe wielded a hot bat, stringing together a 17-game hitting streak and setting a franchise mark by reaching base safely in 35 games.

Michael Thompson
#44 Third Baseman
.223 average, 101 games, 34 runs, 81 hits, 21 doubles, 19 home runs, 53 RBI
Along with since-departed pitcher Tyler Chambliss, Michael was one of the Bees’ two representatives at the 2007 Midwest League All-Star Game. The power hitter’s 19 homers are the most by a Bee since Darron Ingram belted 29 a decade ago.

Aaron Hartsock
#11 Right-Handed Pitcher
6-4, 2.65 ERA, 39 games, 6 saves, 71.1 innings, and 50 strikeouts
Aaron overcame a rough start to quietly become one of the pitching staff’s most reliable arms. He put together 20 straight scoreless innings, mostly in middle relief.

Chris Hayes
#18 Right-Handed Pitcher
4-4, 3.24 ERA, 41 games, 11 saves, 66.2 innings, and 48 strikeouts
In his second season in Burlington, Chris has posted a 1.74 ERA in the second half while climbing up the franchise’s career charts. The popular submariner is third all-time in career appearances (85) and tied for fourth in saves (18).

Tonight’s your last chance to vote. We’ll announce the winning player tomorrow on Fan Appreciation Night.

Bees settle for split, welcome QC for final two

With just two more home games to go, let’s hope the Bees can get back on the winning track.

After losing their second straight to Wisconsin, 6-4, last night, your Bees welcome the Swing of the Quad Cities for 7 o’clock games tonight and tomorrow night.

Tim Riley was here last night with Tour for the Cure, making what I believe was stop No. 179 of his whirlwind travels to professional parks this season. Thanks to all of you who bought raffle tickets for the team-autographed bat, helping raise more than $350 for cancer research.

It was great to have Tim here with us, and we wish him our very best as his journey comes to a close. You can follow his adventures at www.tourforthecure.com.

Here are a few shots of our more than 1,200 fans who came out to The Hive on the season’s final Dollar Monday.

Down to the last three home games

We’re halfway through the final home stand of the season. Over the weekend, your Bees took two of three from Wisconsin, topping the Timber Rattlers on Friday and Saturday before getting shut out, 7-0, on Sunday.

Seems hard to believe, but we’ve got just three more home games, starting with our final Dollar Monday of 2007. Tonight’s 7 o’clock game wraps up this four-game series with the T-Rats.

Here are some fan photos from yesterday afternoon.

Final home stand

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end — the start of our final home stand of the season, and my final home stand as part of the Bees’ organization.

After four enjoyable seasons with Bees baseball, it’s time for me to move on to a new role with Des Moines Menace soccer. While I am excited for this new opportunity, there are a lot of things I will miss about this place, where I’ve built some great relationships and collected so many diverse memories and experiences.

Here are some of the promotions coming up these final six home games, as we try to finish the season with a bang:

Friday, August 24 vs. Wisonsin 7 p.m.
FUNCITY NIGHT FEATURING FIREWORKS
Fireworks sponsored by FunCity, J&M Displays, Budweiser, the Hit Music Channel, Hot 97 Dot 3, and Your Hometown Station 103.1
The first 1,000 fans in the park each get a FREE RALLY TOWEL from U.S. Cellular. As fans head out Friday night, we will be handing out more FREE LOAVES OF BREAD from Sara Lee.
Fans can get their hair cut by Jarett Walker from West Burlington Barber & Style. All proceeds go to local charity. Minimum $5 donation per haircut.
And speaking of hair, all fans can visit the haircut station in the main concourse and sign up for the chance to win one of two 21-piece haircutting kits, sponsored by Wahl Home Products and Family Circle Magazine.

Saturday, August 25 vs. Wisconsin 6 p.m.
Long John Silver’s/A&W Friends and Family Night
After the game, everyone gets to run the bases, sponsored by Long John Silver’s/A&W and KCPS 1150 AM.

Sunday, August 26 vs. Wisconsin 2 p.m.
Louisa Communications Kids Day
All children 12 and under get in free (when accompanied by a paid adult) and get to run the bases after the game, sponsored by Louisa Communications and Today’s Light Favorites 93.5 KKMI.

Monday, August 27 vs. Wisconsin 7 p.m.
Dollar Monday sponsored by Miller Lite
This is fans’ last chance this season to get dollar deals on general-admission tickets, hot dogs, pizza slices, popcorn, and pop cans sponsored by Miller Lite and Mix 107.3.
Tour for the Cure visits Community Field
A man on a mission, Tim Riley will bring the Tour for the Cure to the Bees’ stadium on Monday, giving fans the chance to buy raffle tickets to win a team-autographed bat, supporting a great cause.
From www.tourforthecure.org:
The Tour for the Cure is the ultimate baseball road trip – a unique venture to raise funds for cancer research. In collaboration with the Jimmy Fund and the world-renowned Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Tour will visit 180 major & minor league baseball stadiums across the United States. It combines the great American pastime with this vital cause.

Tuesday, August 28 vs. Quad Cities 7 p.m.
The Hawk Eye Two-for-Tuesday
Pick up a copy of the newspaper and look for the coupon for two-for-one general-admission tickets.

Wednesday, August 29 vs. Quad Cities 7 p.m.
FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT
Fans can head to the Bees’ souvenir store to sign up for great prizes from the Bees and the team’s sponsors. To thank our fans for their support, we’ll be announcing lots of prize winners and shooting dozens of t-shirts into the stands.
Kids Eat Free Wednesday
All children 12 and under get a free hot dog and pop, sponsored by News Radio 1490 KBUR and 1360 The Ticket.

Your Bees finish the season with two games at Cedar Rapids and a three-game Labor Day Weekend series at Clinton.

Bees at CR next four nights

Tonight at 7, your Bees start a four-game series at Cedar Rapids. The Kernels (29-26) have won four straight, climbing above .500 and putting themselves just a game out of clinching a playoff spot.

After yesterday’s tough loss, the Bees are back at .500 (27-27), but only a game and a half behind Cedar Rapids.

As “Voice of the Bees” Randy Wehofer recovers from surgery, he will not be making the commute trips up to Cedar Rapids, so none of these games will be broadcast on the Bees Radio Network. You can, however, head to kernels.com and listen to our good friend John Rodgers, the Kernels’ popular broadcaster.

Your Bees will be back in town on Friday, when they kick off the final, six-game home stand of the season.

Bees lose no-hitter, game

Blake Wood pitched eight innings of no-hit ball Sunday afternoon, but did not get the chance to finish things off. Much to the chagrin of our fans and players, Wood was pulled after his eight spectacular innings, as he ran out of his pitch count.

The Bees’ right-hander out of Georgia Tech watched from the dugout as Quad Cities broke up the no-hitter in the ninth inning, then rallied to hand the Bees a 2-1 loss.

Your Bees scored their only run in the seventh inning, when Brady Everett led off with a double and came home on a base hit by Jeff Howell.

The last time a Bees pitcher hurled a no-hitter was June 30, 2004, when Chris Coughlin tossed a perfect game in a 3-0 win over Beloit.

Bees back home this weekend

With the season winding down, your Bees will be back at The Hive for two games against the Swing of the Quad Cities this weekend.

This is the second-to-last home stand for the Bees, who were blanked 9-0 by Beloit last night. The Bees and the Snappers play tonight at 6:30.

We have a few special promotions for Saturday night’s 6 o’clock game. In partnership with the American Cancer Society, we are hosting Survivors’ Night. All cancer survivors get in free and are invited to be part of a pre-game ceremony. We hope you can join us a little early for the ceremony.

Tomorrow, we are also giving away a diamond ring, sponsored by Rhodes Jewelry. All fans 18 and older will have the chance to win the ring, valued at $950! Listen for a trivia question over the P.A. system in the third inning of Saturday’s game, and sign up by submitting your answer in the souvenir store.

This is also Mediapolis and Wapello Community Weekend. Residents of these towns can show their I.D. at the ticket window to receive $3 G.A. tickets at Saturday’s game or Sunday’s 2 o’clock matinee.

Lights…Camera…Baseball!

In conjunction with Journeyman Pictures, the crew from New York City-based Single-A Films was here all day and into the night, shooting scenes for a yet untitled baseball movie.

It was a pleasure working with all of the crew members here today — a great group of people dedicated to producing a high-quality motion picture that will bring some national publicity to Bees baseball.

In this action scene, Bees infielder Kurt Mertins plays a Bees baserunner who is picked off at first by the movie’s lead character, a Latin American pitcher for the Swing of the Quad Cities.

Mertins and Bees teammates Matt Morizio (center) and Jeff Howell (right) hang out in the visitors’ dugout while waiting for their time in the spotlight. Notice how Howell is dressed as a member of the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

Also dressed as a Kernel, Bees slugger Michael Thompson takes a moment to talk with fans in between scenes.

Nearly 200 extras showed up to be fans in the stands. Thank you to all of you who came out in this muggy weather and patiently waited for your chances to be in the movie.

Our very own “Voice of the Bees,” Randy Wehofer, rehearses a scene as the Swing’s radio broadcaster, Jack Jeffries.

Revised shooting schedule for extras set for 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Burlington, Iowa (Wednesday, August 15, 2005) – Everyone is invited to Community Field this afternoon for the chance to be an extra in baseball-movie scenes shot at the Burlington Bees’ stadium.

Previously scheduled for a noon start, the shooting is now set for 4 o’clock this afternoon. Any one who wants to be a fan in the stands is encouraged to come out to the stadium as early as 3:30 this afternoon. Shooting will continue into the evening.

All extras in attendance are eligible for door prizes, including a 32-inch flat-screen television, a notebook computer, gift certificates to area restaurants, and cash prizes up to $100.

Journeyman Pictures, based in New York City, will produce this film. Journeyman Pictures producers Paul Mezey, Jamie Patricof and Jeremy Kipp Walker have produced many critically recognized films, including “Maria Full of Grace” which received a 2005 Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Recently they completed “Angel Rodriguez” (HBO Films) featuring Rachel Griffiths, and “Half Nelson” written by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, directed by Fleck and starring Ryan Gosling. Gosling received a 2007 Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for this highly acclaimed work.

Their yet untitled baseball film, to be shot through early September, is being co-written and co-directed by previous Journeyman collaborators Boden and Fleck.