Nothing like minor league baseball

I went down to Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, DE, to watch the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Atlanta Braves Class A affiliate) take on the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Boston Red Sox Class A affiliate) in minor league baseball action Monday night. Why? Because Rider alumnus Carl Loadenthal is an outfielder on the Pelicans. He went 1-for-4 with a leadoff double in the top of the first inning and a walk in the ninth.

Since being promoted to Myrtle Beach a couple of weeks ago, Loadenthal is batting .289 with a home run, three doubles, a triple and two RBI.

Another Rider alumnus is pitching for the Braves' Triple-A affiliate in Richmond. However, righthander Kevin Barry is struggling with the R-Braves in 2005. Barry is 2-3 with a 4.69 ERA in 25 games, including two starts (he had been a closer or late-inning reliever his entire pro career until making those two starts this season, so I'm not sure what the Braves' plan for him is).