Catfish 3B Greg Sexton named SAL Player of the Week

Greg Sexton -- photo: Columbus Catfish

Columbus Catfish 3B Greg Sexton was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week today.

Sexton, who leads Catfish batters with a batting average of .298, is the first Catfish player to take SAL Player of the Week honors this season.

Sexton was recognized for his play during the week July 28 - August 3:

Gregory Sexton, Columbus

.360 (9-25), 4 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0 SB, .800 SLG

Since a tough April, Sexton has been as consistent a hitter as anyone for Columbus, hitting at last .280 in every month since. At a corner position, power is an expectation, and while Sexton hit his 30th double of the season this week, he entered the week with just two home runs. The hope that balls would begin clearing the fence instead of bouncing off it became true this week, as Sexton hit three home runs in his last five games. He'd hit just six home runs in his 152 professional games prior. It's a big change for the 2007 10th-round pick, whose four-RBI performance on Sunday were a career high. While Sexton is hitting .339 against southpaws this season, he's yet to hit a home run off a left-handed pitcher in his career. With the power on the up-swing, expect that to be shattered soon.

Two Catfish pitchers, Jason Ragan and Jeremy Hall, previous earned SAL honors as pitchers of the week.

Skip Caray

To many baseball fans -- particularly fans of the Chicago Cubs or long-time fans of the St. Louis Cardinals -- the name "Caray" in the announcer's booth meant Harry Caray.

Not to me.

Being a long-time Atlanta Braves fan, "Caray" has meant Skip Caray, who began announcing for the Braves in 1976.

For a Braves fan, I was disappointed when Milo Hamilton was fired after the 1975 season. I enjoyed listening to the team of Hamilton and Ernie Johnson. They were Braves baseball in my mind.

But, when the 1976 season came, I was working Braves games at the radio station in my home town. And this new broadcast team of Pete Van Wieren and Skip Caray joining Ernie Johnson behind the microphone was good. Very good.

Suddenly, I didn't miss Milo Hamilton so much.

Ernie was ... well, Ernie. He had been a Braves player in Boston and Milwaukee, joining their broadcast team in 1962, moving with the team to Atlanta in 1966. He was the Braves. And his acceptance of Pete and Skip helped.

But really, it was Pete's knowledge of the game and Skip's sense of humor that endeared them to me ... and to Braves fans.

After Ernie left, Pete and Skip were still there. Other announcers came and went. Joe Simpson and Don Sutton were my favorites of the others. Chip Caray and Mark Lemke have taken some getting used to, but they're alright.

But, through it all, Pete and Skip have been there.

And now Skip is gone.

Skip Caray died today.

It looks like he lay down to take a nap and never woke up.

That's seem like a good way to go.

With death, like with announcing baseball games, Skip Caray did it right.

I'm gonna miss him.

Big inning leads to Catfish win

Saturday night, a 6-run 4th inning helped propel the Columbus Catfish to a win.

Sunday afternoon, a 7-run 4th made the difference.

The Catfish won their 3rd straight game, a 9-2 decision over the Asheville Tourists.

Catfish open road trip with 12-7 win

The Columbus Catfish' final trip ... ever ... to Asheville began on a high note Saturday night.

Next season, there will be no Columbus Catfish. The team is moving to Bowling Green, Kentucky, following the conclusion of this season.

The trip got off to a big start, with the Catfish taking a 12-7 decision over the Asheville Tourists.

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Baseball makes me wet

Stephen Vogt crosses home plate after hitting go-ahead grand slam in 2nd inning vs Augusta.

I like baseball.

A lot.

It excites me.

No, not that way.

But baseball sometimes does make me wet.

Like tonight.

The Columbus Catfish fell behind the Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) 5-0 on two towering home runs in the 2nd inning.

But this Catfish team don't quit.

They came back with 6 runs in the bottom of the 2nd, capped off by LF Stephen Vogt's grand slam home run off the billboards behind the left field wall that game the Catfish a 6-5 lead.

When the skies quit raining baseball, the raindrops started.

And the lightning.

With one out in the bottom of the 3rd, the umpires had to stop the game. And I got wet. The Wife got wet too.

Baseball does that to us. When it rains, that is.

The game is officially "postponed." That usually means the game will be concluded if it makes a difference in the standings. That would likely only be the case if the Catfish and another team (other than Augusta, who won the 1st half) are within 1/2 game of each other for the 2nd half division title.

The Catfish take the road Saturday for 8 games.

Catfish win 11-inning thriller

Greg Sexton -- photo: Columbus Catfish

A 1-1 pitchers' duel went to extra innings Thursday night.

Things looked bad for the Columbus Catfish when the Augusta GreenJackets (Giants) scored 4 runs in the 11th. But a 5-run bottom of the inning, capped by 3B Greg Sexton's 3-run homer, gave the Catfish a 6-5 win.