2C

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL/RGJ.COM

ALL-STAR GAME IMPACT

TRIPLE-A ALL-STAR GAME FAST FACTS

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The RGJ sports team has complete coverage of the Triple-A All-Star Game. Visit RGJ.com for complete coverage on your desktop, including photo galleries of fans and action on the field and complete recaps of the game. Have a tablet? Visit tablet.rgj.com for a tablet version of the photo galleries, video highlights and complete stories. Have a photo from All-Star week that you want to share? Download the RGJ Share smartphone app to submit the photo straight from your phone or visit RGJ.com/share on your desktop to submit photos. Were also on social media! Follow @RGJ_Aces and @RGJsports on Twitter for a behind-the-scenes look. Or Like RGJ media on Facebook for photos and discussion.

Hosting event huge plus for Reno area

By Chris Murray
cmurray@rgj.com

Players line up before the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday at Aces Ballpark. TOM R. SMEDES/SPECIAL TO THE RGJ

When Minor League Baseball President Pat OConner first heard about plans to potentially put a Triple-A baseball team in Reno, he thought it would be a disaster. Five years after the construction of a $50 million stadium in downtown Reno and one Triple-A title later, which the Aces won last season, and OConner is singing a different story about the city. Im a big fan of Reno, OConner said this week. I have not been shy about admitting I was somewhat skeptical when Reno hit the radar five or six years ago. Ive been in Reno every year since they opened the ballpark, and Im a big fan of Reno, a big believer of Reno and a big ambassador for Reno. The thing that changed OConners mind was actually visiting Reno, seeing the city, seeing the ballpark and seeing the fans. Local officials are hopeful this weeks All-Star festivities, capped Wednesday with the International Leagues 4-3 win over the Pacific Coast League, have a similar effect on visitors. While its hard to put an exact economic impact on hosting the All-Star Game and its auxiliary events, the national publicity can do nothing but help the citys image, which doesnt always get painted positively. Not only was the All-Star Game televised on the MLB Network, it also was the only nationally televised baseball game Wednesday with the major leagues tak-

Tony Sanchez of the Indianapolis Indians signs autographs before the start of the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday. ROSS BRINKERHOFF/RGJ

ing a day off. Theres a tremendous amount of goodwill, a tremendous amount of bragging rights, a tremendous amount of prestige to hold this event, OConner said. The game is a 3-hour commercial for this town. The Aces put on the five-day event without a hitch, from the FanFest, to the player gala at Harrahs ranch IL catcher Tony Sanchez joked on Twitter it was biggest mansion hes ever seen to the home run derby (which was a near sellout) and the All-Star Game (which was a sellout with 10,135 fans). Before Triple-A All-Star week, PCL President Branch Rickey III, a key figure in getting minor league baseball to Northern Nevada, said Reno was still a best-kept secret. Aces general manager Rick Parr said getting the All-Star

Game festivities will help shed that best-kept secret label. Executives from other teams flooded the city, many heading to Reno for the first time. A lot of these guys have never been here, so theyre thinking, Were going to go to Emerald Bay, and were going to check out Virginia City and Squaw Valley, Parr said. A lot of these guys spent like 10 days here before the All-Star Game because theyve never been here and they say, Gosh, I didnt know you had all this stuff out here. They think its the greatest thing since sliced bread. Parr said getting the All-Star Game has given Reno a chance to help rebrand itself. This used to be the old casino town, Parr said. Well, you know what? Weve grown out of that stigma. There is a lot more here than just casinos. Im not

saying the casinos are bad. But its an element and an amenity to our community ... it doesnt overtake our community. Having this game is a huge plus. Aces third baseman Matt Davidson, who won Mondays home run derby, had never been to Reno before joining the team this season. Hes been impressed with the area and said the players who made their first trip to town have been equally effusive in their praise. The guys have been talking and when you think of an AllStar Game, you think of it at a place like this in Reno, with a beautiful facility and with fans who will pack the game out, Davidson said. The clubhouses are great and the playing facility is beautiful. When you think of a minor league All-Star Game, you think of Reno. This is exactly how everything should look. OConner said he often uses Aces Ballpark as an example of how a new stadium can revitalize a downtown area. He said the fact Reno was picked for the All-Star Game shows a lot. There were 29 other places to go for this event and Triple-A baseball picked Reno, OConner said. Its an indication of how this community, this ball club and this ownership group are viewed by their peers. While this week is a chance to give Reno more national attention, Aces owner Stuart Katzoff said its also a chance to reward local baseball fans. Youve all stuck with us for five years, and this is your chance to celebrate, Katzoff told the fans before the game.

VIEW A PHOTO GALLERY OF ALL-STAR GAME TRIVIA AND MORE ON RGJ.COM.

TRIPLE-A ALL-STAR GAME
INTENRATIONAL LEAGUE 4, PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE 3 IL ab r h bi bb so Hamilton cf 4 1 1 0 0 1 Negrych 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 Tolleson 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 Colabello 1b 3 0 1 1 0 1 Lennerton 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 Belnome 3b 3 0 1 0 0 0 Asche 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 Gomez dh 3 0 0 0 0 0 Mejia ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 Walters ss 4 1 1 0 0 2 Pridie lf 3 1 0 0 1 2 Sanchez c 3 1 1 3 0 1 Santos c 1 0 0 0 0 0 Neal rf 0 0 0 0 2 0 Dorn rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 32 4 5 4 3 9 PCL ab r h bi bb so Buss lf-cf 4 1 1 0 0 0 Owings ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 Pill dh 4 0 1 1 0 1 Peterson 1b 2 0 1 1 0 0 Navarro ph-1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 Davidson 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 Wheeler 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 Choice cf 2 1 1 0 0 0 Kieschnick lf 2 0 1 0 0 1 Solarte 2b 2 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 33 3 7 3 2 4 avg. .250 .000 .000 .333 .000 .333 .000 .000 .000 .250 .000 .333 .000 .000 .000 .156 avg. .250 .250 .250 .500 .000 .000 .000 .500 .500 .500 .212

IL 130 000 000 4 5 0 PCL 200 100 000x 3 7 0 2B: Colabello. HR: Sanchez. SB: Hamilton, Neal. PB: Sanchez. DP: IL 1. GIDP: Buss. IL ip h r er bb so hr era Reynolds (W, 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 18.00 1-0) Martin 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 Johnson 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Albers 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 9.00 Bootcheck 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Carter 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 Yates 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Black .2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Guilmet (S, 1) .1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 PCL ip h r er bb so hr era Cosart (L, 0-1) 1.2 3 4 4 2 1 1 21.60 Dwyer 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 Stoffel 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 Moran 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Phillips 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Wacha 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Rusin 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 Wooten .1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 WP Bootcheck. Inherited runners-scored Dwyer 1-0. T 2:44. Att 10,135

Smoltz fondly recalls minor leagues

By Chris Murray
cmurray@rgj.com

THE FILE ON JOHN SMOLTZ

Future Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz has several fond memories of his days in the minor leagues. But theres one that stands out above all else. Smoltz was on a rehabilitation assignment while working his way back from Tommy John Surgery in 2001. He was sent to the now-defunct Greenville Braves, which was Atlantas Double-A team. I remember the specific moment of being interviewed by some reporters and the clubhouse kid said, Mr. Smoltz, would you like me to go get your car and pull it around the side, he recalled. I said, That would be awesome. Im doing the interview, and he comes in holding the front grill of my car. I stopped and said, Oh, my gosh! Tell me somebody didnt break into my car. He said, Im so sorry. I popped the clutch and went into a ditch and the grill popped out. He was pale as can be, so sad. I said, Dont worry about it. No big deal. I had a 1996 BMW, which I still have. I just remember that. It stands out. The kid said, Ill do whatever I can, and I told him, Its no problem. Smoltz, who was the keynote speaker at Wednesdays Triple-A All-Star Game luncheon

BORN: May 15, 1967 in Detroit HIGH SCHOOL: Waverly High (Lansing, Mich.) PRO CAREER: Played for Braves, Red Sox and Cardinals from 19882009 HIGHLIGHTS: Smoltz was an eighttime All-Star who won the 1996 Cy Young; he won 213 games and saved 154; his 3,084 strikeouts are the 16th-most in MLB history CURRENT GIG: Smoltz is an analyst for MLB Network and color commentator for TBS

John Smoltz, an eight-time major league baseball all-star, signs a ball for Gary Turner of Las Vegas on Wednesday. MARILYN NEWTON/RGJ

at Harrahs, didnt have all bad memories of his minor-league experiences. While Triple-A baseball holds its annual celebration with this weeks All-Star Game, Smoltz said minor league baseball is great for local communities that arent fortunate enough to have one of the 30 major league teams. Its really unbelievable for these cities, Smoltz said. Ive done a lot of rehab starts and the town just embraces it beyond belief. They typically cant get to the home major league city, and they just embrace these teams. You see certain markets just go crazy over their teams. When a major leaguer comes

back on rehab, its like Elvis has returned to Las Vegas. After being drafted in the 22nd round of the 1985 majorleague draft by the Detroit Tigers, Smoltz zoomed through the minor league system. He eventually made his debut with the Atlanta Braves in 1988 before becoming one of the most accomplished pitchers of the past two decades. Smoltz, the only pitcher in MLB history with at least 200 victories and 150 saves, ranks 16th all-time in career strikeouts with 3,084. The eight-time All-Star had plenty of great major league memories he won the 1995 World Series and 1996

Cy Young but still fondly recalls his time as a minor leaguer. I heard all the horror stories when I was drafted: Its going to be these 20-hour bus drives and all these bad things. But it wasnt, Smoltz said. The hardest part when I was playing was we didnt get much meal money, so it was McDonalds. But the minor leagues were always something that I dreamt about, and I created some great friendships on my way to the major leagues. In addition to giving the keynote address before a couple hundred fans at Harrahs Convention Room, Smoltz also spoke to and autographed balls

for a handful of VIPs in the hotel and casinos steakhouse. During that Q&A, Smoltz said converting from a starting pitcher to a closer after his Tommy John surgery was the hardest thing Ive ever had to do. He recalled his first save opportunity as a full-time closer in 2002, an outing when Smoltz allowed eight runs and got just two outs in a loss to the Mets. My very first game and my ERA was ruined for the season, joked Smoltz, who went on to save an NL record 55 games and post a 3.25 ERA that season. Later this week, Smoltz will play in the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe, the crown jewel of celebrity golf tournaments. Smoltz is friends with Tiger Woods, who has called him the best golfer outside the PGA Tour. Smoltz has appeared in four ACCs, placing in the top 10 in each. The 46-year-olds best finish was a tie for second in 2010. Hes focused on besting that this week. My expectation is that I better win, Smoltz said. Ive been up there as one of the favorites to win and its kind of like all those years I was picked to win the Cy Young. When I wasnt winning it, I felt like I was letting people down. But its the greatest tournament that we have as celebrities, and I cant wait.