Daily Archives: February 6, 2012

Ben Henry Interview: Representin’ the Hickory Crawdads Bullpen

Monday February 6th 2012

MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: Featured today on MLB reports, we bring you our conversation with pitching prospect Ben Henry. Drafted by the Rangers in 2007, Ben is best known for being a member of the feared Hickory Crawdads Bullpen. Heck, this guy cannot walk down the street of Hickory, North Carolina without getting mobbed for an autograph or photograph. Can you blame the fans? The man known in those parts as the “Mayor of Hickory” certainly laid down a deep hurt on the South Atlantic League hitters last season. Ben finished with a 6-3 record, 2.38 ERA and 1.166 WHIP. Breaking out at the tender age of 22, Ben Henry put himself on the baseball map and the road to the show. Standing 6’4″, the right-handed Henry is a reliever/spot starter. Pitching in a pitching-rich organization like the Rangers, I could certainly see Ben working well with Ryan and Maddux in perfecting his craft.

When he is not breaking bats and getting hitters out, this mustache aficionado is a social media superstar. Teaming up with his good friend Michael Schlact, the duo are well-known Twitter powerhouses. They also enjoy getting fans addicted to the hit iPhone game “Temple Run” (thanks a lot for that guys!) One of the most approachable athletes that I have spoken to, Ben is soft-spoken and lets his pitching do the talking. A true lover of the game, Ben appreciates every day that he gets to go out onto the baseball field. With that being said, we proudly present today our exclusive interview with Rangers pitching prospect, Ben Henry:

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Posted on February 6, 2012 | Image

Ballparks Are Using Gimmicks to Attract Females and Children

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Monday February 6th, 2012

Douglas “Chuck” Booth (Baseball Writer)- At first you might say, what are baseball teams doing to our classic baseball parks? After a few minutes of thinking you will realize that your team is in business to make money just like every other multi-billion dollar industry. I am talking about ‘Gimmicks’ at the baseball yard of course. They are often there to attract more casual female fans and children into walking through the turnstiles. From a Ferris Wheel in Detroit, to increased kid/mom interactive coloring stations that are located in almost every park, these gimmicks give the casual fan something to spend their time doing at the ballpark. I consider myself a hard-core fan, so does this kind of thing bother me? Absolutely not… and I will tell you why.When I arrive at the ballpark, I am there to watch baseball only! I usually have traveled a long distance, spent a considerable amount of money, time and effort in order to watch these games from the stands. So what do I care if the stands are not full with people waiting for every pitch? To tell you honestly, I would rather the casual fans spend more time in the concourses occupying themselves, rather than disrupting anything in my realm of vision for the baseball game. Seeing kids throwing temper tantrums is normal in any public place, so if they are not in their seat while having a conniption fit- that is great.

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Posted on February 6, 2012 | Image

Robby Rowland Guest MLB Blog: Inside the Life of a Minor League Player

Feb 6

Posted by Jonathan Hacohen

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Monday February 6, 2012

Jonathan Hacohen: Featured today on MLB reports, we are proud to present Arizona Diamondbacks pitching prospect, Robby Rowland and his 2nd Guest MLB Blog. After a little bit of arm twisting, we were able to get Robby back on the Reports. Just kidding. Robby is a super guy and was very gracious in agreeing to return. For his latest Guest MLB Blog, Robby took in some suggestions from his followers on Twitter to come up with different topics to cover today. From all his entries, Robby chose to discuss life on the road, springtime and pre-game rituals. Exclusively on MLB reports, Robby Rowland is back with his latest blog entry:

Robby Rowland- Guest MLB Blog: Hello all! I am honored to say that I have been welcomed back onto the Reports. Once again, I would like to thank Jonathan for having me on here. It truly is an honor to be asked to share my experiences with the world. For those of you who have not met me in person, you should know that I just love to talk… I got kicked out of a lot of classrooms in my day because I love to chat. That’s why I am honored to be on here- because I am allowed to express my love of talking… but just on paper. I have some great topics to discuss with all of you today. The way I like to prepare my blog entries is by asking my twitter followers about subjects they would like to hear about. I like to first write them down on paper and later type in my blog. And once again I apologize if everything is just thrown down with no sense of proper writing. Boy would my english teacher in high school be upset if he/she read these…

So without further adieu, I would like to discuss several of the topics that you have all brought to my attention!

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