> Sports > Sports elsewhere in Columbiana County

Email: "Pirates open winter tour"
*To:		<--TO Email REQUIRED!
*From:		<--FROM Email REQUIRED!

CHAMPION, Pa. — A steady afternoon snowfall made it was a perfect day for skiing and snowboarding at Seven Springs Mountain Resort on Sunday. Yet, even on a snowy day, it was also a perfect day for baseball. Or, at least, it was a perfect day to get ready for baseball season.The Pittsburgh Pirates began their two-week winter promotional caravan with a stop at Seven Springs. That came on the heels of a four-day minicamp for pitchers and selected position players that ended Saturday at the Pirates’ spring training facility in Bradenton, Fla. “This is always an exciting time of the year because you really start to anticipate the beginning of another season,” Pirates manager John Russell said. “We had a great minicamp and now spring training is just around the corner and it won’t be long until we’re playing games for real. It’s great to get out with the fans and see them excited about the upcoming season. It makes you want to get started on spring training right now.” Spring training is still nearly a month away as pitchers and catchers report Feb. 14. However, a sizable crowd attended the caravan stop despite the snow and the fact the Pittsburgh Steelers were getting ready to play the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field on Sunday night. “It’s always great to see the fans come out and be so excited about the upcoming season,” Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit said. “We have great fans and they support us through thick and thin. That’s why it’s so much fun to be part of the caravan. Between this and minicamp, it makes me want to go right back to Bradenton and get started on the season.” One Pirates player who is particularly excited about being on the caravan is Ross Ohlendorf, one of four pitchers acquired from the New York Yankees last July 26 in a trade for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. Ohlendorf spent September with the Pirates but is still getting acclimated to a new organization. “Having the chance to take part in the caravan is going is going to be beneficial on so many levels,” Ohlendorf said. “I was really in the process of still getting to know a lot of my teammates last season after the trade and this will give me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with some of them. I also didn’t get a chance to really see much of western Pennsylvania or the Pittsburgh area last season and I’m looking forward to that.” Ohlendorf, who grew up in the heart of college football country in Austin, Texas, also had one other reason to be fired up about taking part in the caravan. One of the stops today will be in State College. “I’ve never been to State College but I’ve seen plenty of Penn State football games on television over the years,” Ohlendorf said with a smile. “So, I’m really curious to see what the town looks like.” Third baseman Andy LaRoche also joined the Pirates during the season last year as he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team trade that included Pittsburgh shipping Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox. “It’s tough when you come to a new team in the middle of the season and hardly know anyone,” LaRoche said. “I feel so much more comfortable now and something like this just adds to that. After spending a week getting to know some of my teammates better and getting to know the fans, too, I think that is going to only makes things more comfortable for me once we start spring training next month.” The other players who took part in an autograph session and a spinoff of the popular television show Deal or No Deal were left-handed starter Paul Maholm, left-handed reliever Sean Burnett and center fielder Nate McLouth. Also in attendance were Russell, third base coach Tony Beasley, CEO Bob Nutting, club president Frank Coonelly and broadcasters Greg Brown, Bob Walk, John Wehner and Tim Neverest. Burnett surveyed the scene at Seven Springs’ convention hall and smiled. “It’s great to see so many people who care about baseball, even in the middle of winter,” Burnett said. “It’s always fun to meet the fans and hear what they have to say. It’s a great time of year to talk a little baseball with them and start thinking about the upcoming season.”

 

Subscribe to Salem News

Share: