OCR Text |
Show rails A Legend. SECTION 2mhj$Hctnto THURSDAY, JULY 31. Darnell Dickson SPORTS EDITOR Jared Lloyd 2008 ddicksonheraldextra.com 344-255- 5 MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL The Front Row Wf--I WILD RIDE OF FALLSPORTS SITLLTOO wmxim nwnwHJiu.WJL.nji FARAWAY Stop fupwwiw; j,wmm WHAT n THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT TOM s "it for a second and look gw ww yxnaw ' - you. you feel it? The sports world is slowly shifting and the wild ride we all love is about to begin. The final day of July marks an KOTCHMAN ' I J at what some of those who know Orem Owlz manager Tom Kotchman have to say about him after he recently won his 1,500th game as a manager: A look '"i ending that I long for every season: The end of the most pointless month in the sports The final day of July marks an "It's been a great run. You've done a great job down there and won a lot of championships. We thank you for everything you've done and more importantly we thank you for bringing that young talent from the rookie league level up to us in Los Angeles and helping us to win championships." LA. Angeles of Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia calendar. I view the year like an ending that long for every season: The end of the most I endless ride on a spectacular roller coaster. June takes you through the final exciting turns of the ride before July is the dull, pointless month in "He teaches you how to carry yourself like a professional, like a man, on the field and off the field. I think that's where a lot of us learned out to be a man, under his wing. You can't say enough about what he's done for me and especially all the guys who have gone up the ladder. Words can't really describe what he's done for all of us." Salt Lake Bees catcher Bobby Wilson y herky-jerk- journey up to the top of the the sports big drop. calendar. August finishes the climb and leads right to the brink of the thrill of that gigantic plunge when the anticipation is See LLOYD, ' J' I B5 ' j BASKETBALL 3 III, i ' .. ....- - i . iJ w - 1 V - a, ii g Kotchmcm's 1,500 wins an achievement worthy of an unforgettable promotion night W Neil K. DAILY RAUCHAssociated Warner A HERALD Press Former Cougar Trent Plaisted will head to Italy on Aug. 24 to begin his first season with Italian team Angelico Biella. el Plaisted getting set for hoops in Italy Come celebrate look back look Take a at Tom Kotchman's coaching record in minor league baseball, incud-in- g the past eight seasons with the Orem Owlz and Provo Angels, B5 year-by-ye- it comes to When that attract fans ballpark, no one anything on minor league baseball. Where else are you going to see a "Silent Night" promotion where, in an effort to play the quietest game ever, fans wore duct tape over their mouths and held cards that read, "Yeah!" and "Boo!" Ushers were replaced by librarians and golf marshals held up "Quiet Please" signs. If you think that's weird, the Altoo-n- a Curve baseball team held an "Aw- - The Owlz host Idaho Falls at 7 p.m. and will be honoring manager Tom Kotchman for his 1,500th minor league win. They will be showing video clips from many of his former players and giving away "Tom Kotchman 1,500 wins" mini bats. "I don't know how he's been able to win so much, but he does. It's not just because he has older guys because he's won with younger guys, too. He just keeps winning. He's one of the main reasons why I'm still here." Salt Lake Bees pitcher Dave Austen "It's one thing to be able to understand the game of baseball and it's another to teach it. He's got both which is why he's where he's at. It's something that very few people ever get. They're (Owlz players) playing for a legend as far as I'm concerned. Not only is he the best manager in the minor leagues, he's the winningest manager in the minor leagues." Orem Owlz owner Jeff Katof sky "Of those 1,500 wins, the majority of those are over half seasons (rookie ball), so if he would have been there in full seasons what would that number be? As incredible as manager as he is, to me that's more significant because he's level, done it at the Somehow he works his magic and gets them to jell. To me it's an incredible feat he's accomhalf-seaso-n ful Night" promotion in an attempt to produce the worst atmosphere ever at a baseball game. The Curve played music from William Shatner and Milli Vanilli and had a pregame autograph session with One team hosted a Ted Williams Popsicle Night, after Williams' body was cryogenically frozen, and then See KOTCHMAN, B5 plished." Owlz pitching coach Zeke Zimmerman UTAH OUTDOORS Jason Franchuk DAILY - 1- S , top-lev- - V , I LAURA 1 !- HERALD Trent Plaisted will not be headed directly to the NBA. But where he's going could be an even better opportunity. The former BYU center, who forfeited his final year of college eligibility, has signed a one-yeItalian contract with a team, Angelico Biella (also known as Pallacanestro Biella.) The industrial town of Biella, whirh has about 40.000 residents. sits at the base of the Alps and has no soccer team. "So they're into their basketball," Plaisted told the Daily Herald on Wednesday while vacationing in Idaho. "I guess I don't know for sure, but the plan right now is that I will play a lot." Plaisted was drafted last month in the second round (No. 46 pick overall) by Oklahoma City before having his rights traded to Detroit. ar Farmington Bay a 'fowl' haven for migrating birds Beky Beaton DAILY HERALD top-lev- See PLAISTED, B6 While legions of Utah students are dreaming of or dreading the return to school in a few short weeks, millions of birds are making a return of their own, from nesting grounds far to the north to their winter havens. The Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake are major components of the state's portion of the Pacific Flyway, a network of wetlands in the interior and coastal regions of the West which provides critical rest and refueling stops for migrating shorebirds, waterfowl and songbirds. Fortunately for Utah residents past and present, the importance of these See BAY, i, & B4 American avocets take flight from the mud flats of Farmington Bay on July 29. |