How PCL realignment affects the Isotopes/Dodgers

--by @Josh_Suchon

The move of the Tucson Padres to the city of El Paso prompted the Pacific Coast League to realign its four divisions for the 2014 season. The divisions will now look like this:

Pacific Northern: Fresno, Reno, Sacramento, Tacoma.

Pacific Southern: Albuquerque, El Paso, Las Vegas, Salt Lake.

American Northern: Colorado Springs, Iowa, Oklahoma City, Omaha.

American Southern: Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Round Rock.

The biggest impact involves the Albuquerque Isotopes and Colorado Springs switching sides of the league. The Topes moved from the "American" side to the "Pacific" side of the 16-team league. 

For those not familiar with the league's format, teams play the seven teams in its conference 16 times (eight home, eight away). The eight teams on the other side of the league are played just four times (going to their city every other year).

Here's a breakdown of how the change impacts the Isotopes.

* Overall easier travel with a geographic rival in El Paso

Travel in the PCL can be brutal. It's definitely the most difficult league for traveling. Teams don't fly charter. They fly commercial, almost always the first flight in the morning, and it's rare to get a direct flight because the cities have small airports.

It's roughly 265 miles, or a three hour and 45-minute bus ride, from Isotopes Park to the new ballpark in El Paso. This affords the Topes an opportunity for a bus trip to an opponent's ballpark.  Previously, the Topes would fly to all cities to begin a road trip. (Once on a trip, there were a few bus trips between cities, such as Iowa and Omaha, or Memphis and Nashville.)

While the full schedule hasn't been released, it's likely that opponents will usually take an eight-game road trip to Albuquerque and El Paso. The ability to bus between cities is dramatically cheaper, easier and greatly preferred by players/staff. This will help out everyone. 

For the Topes, there will be a few more direct flights -- such as Vegas. Even for the connecting flights, the total distance will be shorter and more manageable. 

* More games against the Dodgers' primary rivals

The Topes will now play 16 games against the Giants (Fresno), Diamondbacks (Reno), Padres (El Paso) and Angels (Salt Lake) affiliates. Previously, they only played those teams four times. 

The large number of blue-wearing fans on the Topes' recent California road trip to Sacramento and Fresno are an illustration this is great for attendance -- and much easier for Socal-based fans to see the Dodgers' top affiliate on the road.

Albuquerque is primarily a Dodgers town. But there's also a fair number of Diamondbacks fans as well. The Topes should draw more fans eager to see a Dodgers-Giants or Dodgers-D'backs matchup.

* Dodgers get more convenience for call-ups, rehab assignments and scouting 

When a player gets called up to Los Angeles, or elsewhere in the NL West, it will be easier physically getting the player to that city. There will always be times when the major league team and the Triple-A affiliate are 2-3 time zones apart. But there's a far greater likelihood now that a player will be closer to wherever the Dodgers happen to be playing. 

The Dodgers send most of their rehabbing players, especially pitchers, to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga because it's a 90-minute drive (if there's no traffic). That will probably continue to be the trend. But the team actually prefers the better competition at Triple-A. The Dodgers are more likely to send a rehabbing player to Reno or Las Vegas, rather than Round Rock or New Orleans, if the Topes are on a road trip. 

If the Giants call up a pitcher from Fresno to make a spot start against the Dodgers, the Isotopes previously wouldn't be able to give much of a scouting report because the teams only played each other four times. Now, all the NL West teams (except Colorado) will have their Triple-A teams playing each other way more often and minor league scouting reports can be more helpful.

* It returns Albuquerque to its PCL roots.

From 1969 to 1997, three Triple-A leagues existed and the Albuquerque Dukes were long-time members of the Pacific Coast League (from 1972-2000). When the American Association folded in 1998, the eight teams from the league were distributed into the PCL and International Leagues. 

When baseball returned to Albuquerque in 2003, after a two-year hiatus, the newly-named Isotopes were placed with almost entirely old American Association teams (such as Omaha, Iowa, Oklahoma City and Nashville.)

While there's no longer than many teams truly near the Pacific Ocean, the Topes will now go back to playing more games against teams with roots in the PCL -- and in the Pacific Time Zone.  This also means the majority of the team's road games will start at 8:05 Mountain Time, instead of 6:05 pm. 

* Less glamorous cities, but two trips to Vegas

Just mention two trips to Las Vegas, and Dodgers prospects will immediately like the move. No further discussion needed. 

In truth, when you compare the cities, those on the "American" side are more glamorous. You've got New Orleans and Nashville, although the glamour is mitigated by hotels near the airport that are a long distance from the "fun" places in town -- and the ballparks aren't impressive, either. 

Des Moines and Oklahoma City are underrate towns, which players enjoy because they have good hotels that are a short walk from the ballpark, and lots of eating options nearby. The atmosphere is great at those ballparks. Memphis has a fabulous ballpark and tons to do nearby, all walkable. Those will be greatly missed.

Round Rock is a great ballpark that is usually filled, but located in the middle of nowhere. The Omaha team is actually located in Papillion, 22 miles west, and there's nothing in that city. Those won't be missed. 

* The ERA for pitchers will likely increase

The two biggest pitchers parks in the PCL, by far, are New Orleans and Memphis. Ballparks that are considered "fair" for hitters and pitchers are Iowa, Omaha, Nashville, Round Rock and Oklahoma City -- although in April, cold conditions favor the pitchers in Iowa and Omaha. All seven of those cities are where the Topes used to travel most often. None are known for extreme offense.

In exchange, the team will now play eight road games in notorious hitter-friendly ballparks in Las Vegas, Reno and Salt Lake. The conditions are considered "fair" in Sacramento, Fresno and Tacoma. It remains to be seen how El Paso will play, but considering the altitude, it will probably favor the hitters.

Even with the addition of a humidor in Albuquerque in 2013, the home-road splits were pretty dramatic. Pitchers weary of the high altitude in New Mexico could catch a breather on the road, and see a drop in their ERA. There won't be as many chances for a break anymore. 

Below is an excellent graphic that Baseball America posted in its analysis today.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Northern Division	Organization	R/G	Elevation (ft)	2013 Division
Colorado Springs	Rockies	13.45*	6,010	Pacific North
Iowa	Cubs	9.33	955	Same
Oklahoma City	Astros	9.78	1,201	American South
Omaha	Royals	10.03	1,090	Same
Southern Division	Organization	R/G	Elevation (ft)	2013 Division
Memphis	Cardinals	8.91	337	American North
Nashville	Brewers	9.02	597	American North
New Orleans	Marlins	8.35	-6.5	Same
Round Rock	Rangers	10.21	735	Same
PACIFIC CONFERENCE
Northern Division	Organization	R/G	Elevation (ft)	2013 Division
Fresno	Giants	9.89	308	Pacific South
Reno	Diamondbacks	13.32	4,505	Same
Sacramento	Athletics	9.05	30	Pacific South
Tacoma	Mariners	9.34	243	Same
Southern Division	Organization	R/G	Elevation (ft)	2013 Division
Albuquerque	Dodgers	14.17**	5,312	American South
El Paso	Padres	—	3,740	Same (as Tucson)
Las Vegas	Mets	12.81	2,001	Same
Salt Lake	Angels	11.77	4,226	Pacific North
* Rate has dropped to 11.77 through 132 games since introducing humidor in 2012
** Rate has dropped to 11.19 through 63 games since introducing humidor in 2013

My all-time favorite baseball starting lineup

-- by @Josh_Suchon

The blog "Baseball Trash Talkin" asked me to join them on their Podcast to talk about how I ended up in Albuquerque, Yasiel Puig, Dee Gordon and my book (duh). 

They posed a fascinating question at the end: who is your all-time favorite lineup at each position? It's not meant to be the best player at each position. It's personal. Your favorite player at each position. It's a great question. It made me think quite a bit, and I love lists, so here goes my dream lineup:

Catcher -- Benito Santiago

My relationship with Benny started when I was 15 years old and the batboy for a spring training game. Benito hit two home runs that day and I high-fived him at home plate after each one. Then I covered him as a newspaper writer. It was actually embarrassing the way he always called me "my favorite reporter" and once refused speaking to others, so I could have the scoop.

The greatest prank of my life involved a story that exaggerated just how close we were. That's a story that should be told over drinks, lots of drinks, but I shared it earlier. 

First base -- Lorenzo Bundy

He's my manager with the Isotopes. In three months, he's quickly rocketed up my list of all-time favorite baseball people. Great baseball mind. Greater dude. Puts up with me daily. Life of the party. He's a welcomer, not an excluder. Every manager could learn from him about how to treat people.

Second base -- Mark Ellis

If I ever have a daughter, I'd want her to marry a guy like Mark Ellis. The ultimate pro's pro. Fundamentally sound as they come. The classiest ballplayer I've ever met.

Shortstop -- Shawon Dunston

The gold standard. Still my all-time favorite athlete I ever covered. I've had conversations with him that I've never had with any other athlete, let alone other humans. I'll never forget the massive bear hug he gave me in the Cubs clubhouse one day. Other players looked at us like we were nuts. Dunston didn't miss a beat, telling his teammates, "it's not every day you see a player hug a reporter like that, huh?"

Plus, my all-time favorite photo is when his son jumped into his arms after a home run. The back story that Dunston once told me: hewasn't playing much at the time. His son asked why. It wasn't an easy conversation. Shawon's son wouldn't start him when he played video game baseball because he wasn't a starter anymore. Then after the home run, when Junior jumped into Senior's arms at home plate, he whispered, "you're still good Daddy." 

Third base -- Steve Lyons

The greatest wingman I've ever met -- bar none. Nobody comes close. He taught me to dress bolder, more confidently, wearing brighter colors to stand out. Whenever I asked if I could pull off a certain look, he'd always say, "it's all in your self confidence. If you believe it, you can pull off anything." I owe lots and lots of colorful unique socks in my wardrobe to him, plus some obnoxiously bright shirts. 

Not to mention, he went out of his way to make me feel welcome when I started working pre/post for the Dodgers. I've had more fun working with him on the air than any other ex-athlete. To top if off, I got his autograph as a kid. 

Left field -- Rickey Henderson

My favorite player as a kid. In 1982, my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told them I wanted Rickey Henderson to break the single-season stolen base record on my birthday. Lo and behold, he did it.

Then I became a reporter, and when I told him that I was from The Oakland Tribune, he just gave me a knowing glance one day. Respect.

Center field -- Dexter Fowler

He played for the Modesto Nuts when I did play-by-play for them in 2007. I used to go shag balls during batting practice for fun. I'd stand out there in the outfield near Fowler and watched in awe at the jumps he got, the way he tracked down flyballs. Whenever I made a catch, he's flash a smile my way and put his hands together for me.

Right field -- Tony Gwynn

Signed a ton of autographs for me as a kid. Gave me the best interview ever as a clueless college newspaper reporter. Represented my college better than anybody ever -- as a basketball player, baseball player, proud alum, and now the head baseball coach.

These days, his son plays for the Isotopes and I get to say "T-Gwynn" every night on the radio. Life is pretty effin' amazing sometimes.

Designated hitter -- Dusty Baker

Dubbed me "Junior" my first day on the Giants beat in 2000. Gave me the best advice ever when I freaked out about turning 30 years old, advice that changed my outlook on life.

Accidentally ran into him outside a bar after the Giants won the 2002 NLCS, he insisted that I come inside with him and have a drink. When the crowd chanted his name, Dusty whispered into my ear, "yeah, now they love me" and giggled. He wasn't bitter. Again, he just understands human nature better than most. 

Starting pitcher -- Dave Stewart 

Always signed autographs for me as a kid. Dominated the American League for four years. Absolutely owned Roger Clemens' ass. When the earthquake struck in '89, Stew brought coffee and donuts to the scene of the worst destruction, and gave moral support to the workers looking for bodies still alive.

Always gave me interviews and treated me well, as a baseball executive and now agent. 

Relief pitcher -- Dennis Eckersley

Whenever a relief pitcher blows off the media after a blown save and I think it's ridiculous, I can always tell the story of how Dennis Eckersley answered every question -- even the same question, over and over, for 45 minutes -- after Kirk Gibson hit that home run off him. That set the gold standard for being accountable. For Eck, it was like group therapy. How he responded, getting even better and better after what could have been a crippling career-ending home run, can't be understated. Oh yeah, and he signed a ton of autographs for me a kid.

That's my list.

What's yours?

Upcoming "Miracle Men" signings

Monday, July 15 -- Barney's Beanery in Santa Monica

13513rd Street Promenade

Santa Monica, CA 90401
5-8 pm
www.barneysbeanery.com/#!santa-monica/c2ia

Come watch Major League Baseball's annual Home Run Derby, grab a bite to eat and a cold beverage, and get an autographed copy of "Miracle Men."

This will be an informal gathering of friends, work colleagues, Dodgers fans, and other baseball enthusiasts. You need not purchase a book to attend the event. Enjoy the Home Run derby with some food and drinks and good people. Or stop by briefly to get a book signed, and enjoy shopping along the Santa Monica Promenade. 

Tim Leary, a starting pitcher on the 1988 Dodgers, is expected to attend the event as well.

Tuesday, July 16 -- Brent's Deli in Northridge

19655 Partenia Street
Northridge, CA 91324
11 am - 1 pm
www.brentsdeli.com

The famous deli in the San Fernando Valley is owned by long-time Dodgers fans and has always been a meeting place for Dodgers enthusiasts as well.

Author Josh Suchon will visit Brent's Deli for an afternoon signing. Grab a sandwich, utilize the free Wi-fi, stay for dessert, and get your copy of "Miracle Men" signed.

Wednesday, July 17 -- Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach

Bella Terra
7881 Edinger Ave, #110
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
7-8 pm
http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/79933

Dodgers fans in the Southland are not left out either. On the day after the All-Star Game, author Josh Suchon will do a question-and-answer session, followed by a signing at the Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach.

Q&A With "Miracle Men" Author, Josh Suchon

By Matt Hurst

@ThrowbackAttack

It's rare that partners interview each other since they work closely together and have a good idea about what the answers are going to be.

After all, Crockett didn't interview Tubbs, Woodward didn't interview Bernstein, Batman didn't interview Robin, Mike doesn't interview Mike.

Abbott and Costello did get into a Q&A, back-and-forth, but that was only so they could truly find out who was on first.

However, as a Dodgers fan growing up and falling in love with baseball because of this miracle 1988 Dodgers team, I wanted to know more. I had helped Josh edit his book, Miracle Men, and was thrilled to be able to read his writing before nearly anyone else had.

We had talked a lot about the book — from when he first thought of the subject, to his pitch to the publishers, throughout his interviews and during the editing process — but I felt that there needed to be more known about the craft of tackling a subject 25 years in the making.

Why now? Why this team? Why you, a Bay Area native?

Find out ... then go buy Miracle Men.

Question: What first drew you to write about subject?

Answer: During the 2009 playoffs, I read Joe Posnanski’s excellent book on the 1975 Cincinnati Reds called, “The Machine.” Most of my reading came while flying back and forth to St. Louis, and then Philadelphia, on the Dodgers' charter. The book taught me so many things about the 1975 Reds that I never knew. I’d been thinking about writing another book for quite a few years, but hadn’t found the right topic. Reading that book inspired me to find another team that won a World Series and try to do the same justice that Posnanski did to the ’75 Reds.

Since I was on the Dodgers flight, and I was the co-host of Dodger Talk at the time, I naturally thought of a Dodgers championship. I originally thought of 1981. I thought the strike and finally beating the Yankees would make it compelling. I remember mentioning the idea to Josh Rawitch, who was the Vice President of Public Relations for the Dodgers at the time, as we ate lunch at Gobi on Sunset Drive one day. Rawitch told me that, incredibly, there wasn’t a definitive book on the 1988 team yet.

I knew that doing a book on the 1988 Dodgers would be interesting, and also excruciating for me, because I was such a massive A’s fan at the time. But I decided that my perspective would make it unique.

Q: This was one of LA's most beloved teams - in any sport - so were you surprised that nobody else had dug into this topic or this team?

A: Absolutely. That was why I initially thought of the 1981 season. I just figured there were a half-dozen books on that 1988 team already. My original plan was to spend the 2010 season researching and writing the book, then get it published in 2011. Well, I didn’t get around to doing anything that first year. I was too busy with my real job. Plus, I’d poked around a little with some agents/publicists and there wasn’t much interest. I didn’t want to write the book on spec and hope that somebody would publish it, or deal with self-publishing, so I actually gave up on the project for two years and pursued a few other ideas.

Q: You had a very personal side to this story, highlighted in Sports Illustrated and detailed in the book, so was the 1988 Dodgers a team you hated because of how invested you were in the A's as a kid?
A: Hate is a strong word. I hated what that Dodgers team did to my beloved Oakland A’s. I hated that I lost a lot of bets to kids at my high school. I hated that those incredible A’s teams went to three World Series, only won once, and that is overshadowed by the earthquake.

Even then, as a high school journalist, I could appreciate what an incredible story the 1988 Dodgers were. I didn’t care much for Orel Hershiser. OK, I probably hated him, if I’m being honest. Still, I recognized that Hershiser just got on this incredible roll, Gibson hit that miraculous home run, they got just enough breaks, the A’s fell apart, and a bunch of castoffs and journeymen made big plays.

I thought writing the book would be cathartic to the 15-year-old Josh. Writing the World Series chapter, and especially when I watched all those five games again, wasn’t very cathartic. The 15-year-old Josh might have yelled at the TV once or twice. But really, I’m over it. Honest.

Q: Working around the Dodgers for four seasons, how often was this team mentioned? Did all those halcyon memories from Angelenos and people within the organization draw your attention to writing this book?

A: Not really. Most of the time that 1988 is brought up, at least in my experience and doing PostGame Dodger Talk, it’s by fans and media reminding everybody the Dodgers haven’t won a World Series since 1988. The big story during the 2008 playoffs was that the Dodgers hadn’t won a playoff series since 1988. That’s when 1988 would be mentioned.

You can’t go a day or two at Dodger Stadium without seeing Gibson’s home run. There’s photos all over the ballpark and you see Gibson limping to first base when you walk out of the tunnel onto the field. Still, I didn’t sense a ton of people reminiscing about the team. It was more the frustration at how not being able to win anything since the Miracle Men of 1988.

I do think, however, that the longer the Dodgers go without winning a world championship, the more 1988 is looked whimsically.

Q: Looking back, how much can you appreciate this team and what they did considering how poor some of their stats were - offensively speaking - and who they had to beat to win (the 100-win Mets and the 104-win A's)?

A: One of the first things I did was just pull up the baseball-reference page to look at the roster and the stats of that team. You can’t help think, “how the heck did they win?” The only numbers that stand out are Hershiser’s. Even the stats for Kirk Gibson, who won the MVP award, don’t ‘wow’ you.

Now, in fairness to the Dodgers offense that year, scoring was way down across the sport that year. The year before, in 1987, home runs were dramatically up and that was when people first start wondering about a juiced baseball. Then in 1988, for whatever reason, scoring was way down – not just down from 1987, but also below most of the rest of that decade.

Anyway, I realized at that point this book wouldn’t have a lot of stats. It made me realize that a big part of my job in writing this book was telling people what I initially asked myself, “how the heck did they win?”

Q: What were some of the challenges in writing this book?
A: Tracking people down is always a challenge. This wasn’t too difficult because there’s an incredible number of people from that team who still work in baseball. Figuring out the best time and location for interviews is always a challenge. You want to get them in a setting where they can be reflective, not distracted by the day-to-day issues of their lives, and not just give generic responses.

I guess one of the biggest challenges is that people forget things, so triggering memories of the key principles isn’t easy. It had been 24 years when I was interviewing people. Games blur into games, and seasons blur into seasons for a lot of people in baseball. There were numerous times that I would ask a player about a specific game or play, and they would tell me, “I just don’t remember that.”

It became clear that Hershiser’s pitching and Gibson’s home run were such incredible moments, it made people forget a lot of the other key details from that season. So that was a challenge, but it also represented a great opportunity in explaining, once again, “how the heck did they win?”

Q: What were some of the reactions from the players/coaches/organization when you told them you were writing this book and started bringing up these memories for them?

A: A lot of excitement. Almost everybody said they looked forward to reading the book and wanted me to send them a copy. Vin Scully told me that after I talked with him, that he looked forward to reading about things he’d forgotten, and that gave me goose bumps. It made me realize that I was onto something really good here. It also increased the pressure that I better deliver a quality product. If all these people from that 1988 team are excited to read the book, I better not let them down.

Q: Everyone knows about the Gibson home run and Hershiser's dominance, but what more can readers learn about this team?
A: I was fascinated by how the team was constructed by then-general manager Fred Claire, plus the challenges he faced, the scrutiny that he was under, and how his peers viewed him skeptically because he didn’t have a scouting background. Fred was incredibly helpful and candid. His stories were priceless on how the team was assembled. He was one of the first interviews I did, and the rest of the research was so much easier because of it. The book he wrote about his career was very helpful too.

Steve Sax’s energy was the stuff of legends, and it was evident talking to him on the phone. I think he’s an underrated part of that team and I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves for overcoming the throwing yips.

Plus, that team essentially won because its pitching was so dominant, but the pitching staff was barely held together all year. The great Fernando Valenzuela had the worst year of his career and missed the playoffs with an injury. Tim Leary and Tim Belcher came from nowhere to dominate. All the drama with Jay Howell leaving the A’s (where I was among the A’s fans who booed him the year before), the pine tar incident against the Mets, giving up the home run to Mark McGwire in Game 3, then his mindboggling seven-out save in Game 4.  In retrospect, I wish I’d have given Jay Howell’s story more detail. His whole playoff experience that year was fascinating to document.

And even with Hershiser, I still don’t think his scoreless inning streak is appreciated the way it should. The main thing I took from Posnanski’s book on the 1975 Reds was an appreciation for Pete Rose and just how much he hated losing. I wanted to give the same level of appreciation to Hershiser. That’s why every other chapter is dedicated to the six shutouts. You have to remember, the streak occurred in September 1988 and was overshadowed all month. The Seoul Olympics were going on. Football season started, so you had the Raiders and Rams playing on Sunday’s in LA, plus USC and UCLA were Top-10 ranked teams playing on Saturday’s. Four of the six shutouts by Hershiser were road games, including the last two. Nobody thought he could do it. Mathematically, it was practically impossible to do it. It didn’t even become a huge massive story until the fifth shutout was done, and a lot of that centered on the controversy over the umpire’s calls. His performance in September was record breaking, then his performance in October was just chilling. I hope this book makes people view Hershiser in a different light.

Q: Who were some of the best guys to talk to when it came down to getting information and stories?
A: Again, it starts with Fred Claire. The book wouldn’t be very good without his help, especially the offseason chapter, the spring training chapter, and giving context to the trade of Pedro Guerrero for John Tudor. I really enjoyed the Tim Belcher interview. He was really candid about how he went from a prospect to suspect with the A’s because he couldn’t throw strikes, then just suddenly became a strike-throwing machine with the Dodgers. John Shelby told me stories I hadn’t read anywhere else. Tim Leary was really helpful too – great stories, and he graciously gave me his copy of the famed scouting report against the A’s.

And naturally, Vin Scully found a way to give me a couple nuggets at I hadn’t seen written anywhere previously.

Q: You've written a book about Barry Bonds and now about the Dodgers - are you trying to make yourself loved by both fan bases? Seriously, though, how much does that help show your range as an author?
A: I guess I’m trying to make sure everybody hates me. I grew up in the Bay Area and was surrounded by the whole “Beat LA” thing on a daily basis. I never hated the LA teams. I always would have rather seen LA teams win titles than East Coast teams.  Then once you go to college and become a journalist, colors and rivalries don’t matter. It’s all about the story. It’s also all about timing and access, and writing what you know.

I knew Barry Bonds because I covered the Giants for The Oakland Tribune in 2001 when he hit 73 home runs, so a book about the season seemed natural. I knew about the 1988 Dodgers because they broke my heart as a kid, and that was the first year I became an obsessive nerd about baseball. I went to 53 regular season A’s games. I’d usually arrive 4-5 hours before first pitch, get autographs, chase home run balls in batting practice, watch the game, stick around for post-game autographs, go home to watch SportsCenter, then do it again the next day. (As I’m sure you can guess, I wasn’t too popular with the ladies in high school.) I knew 1988 really well and it was fun bringing that year back to life.

Q: What's next for you, as an author?
A: First, a mental break. Hopefully, a few more projects eventually. I’ve got some ideas now. But since I just moved to Albuquerque to become the play-by-play announcer for the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate, I’m just trying to focus on my real job.

I really lucked out with Triumph Books. They were excited to work with me on this book, and I definitely enjoyed working with everybody. They came to me with another project a couple months ago. Unfortunately, I had to say no, because I didn’t have the time to do that book properly, at least not right now, from Albuquerque. Maybe in the future I can do that story. But I’ve got a few other ideas. Hopefully, Triumph Books will like those ideas as much as they liked Miracle Men, and I can work with them again soon.

For more information, and to purchase, Miracle Men, follow this link

FAQ about life in Albuquerque so far

--by @Josh_Suchon

Are you settled? Getting closer. Movers finally arrived yesterday morning. I did some furious unpacking last night, but there are still boxes everywhere. Nothing is on the walls. The cable/internet will get hooked up today. Last night was the first time in 10 days that I slept in my own bed.

This is the view from my office/broadcasting booth.

What do you think of Albuquerque so far? I haven’t seen much, except the ballpark, my formerly empty apartment, my cousin’s house, my aunt’s house, a couple sports bar, and a nearby café that provides free wireless. It’s not in LA, but what is? It seems like a good place and the people have made me feel right at home. Whenever I wear an Isotopes polo shirt, which is almost every day, I get a lot of "Go Topes" reactions. Oh yeah, the food options seem to be pretty spectacular.

When does the season start? This Thursday.

Can I listen online? Yes. The audio of every game is free online at http://www.milb.com/index.jsp. You can also pay to watch streaming video of every game. It’s $9.99/month or $39.99/year at MiLB.tv, although you will always hear the home radio feed. You can still hear the audio of me (for free) on road games, but you can only watch-and-hear me for home games.

How do the Isotopes look? We should have a good team. It’s a good mix of players with major-league experience and young kids in Triple-A for the first time. A humidor was added to the ballpark, which should cut down on some of the offense. More importantly, the Dodgers are now sending their best pitching prospects here, instead of avoiding this level and having them jump from Double-A to the majors. The big talk of spring training, outfielder Yasiel Puig from Cuba, is starting the season at Double-A, but we’re optimistic that we’ll get him here in Albuquerque soon. I have a bet with the Sports Editor of the Albuquerque Journal that we'll see Puig for at least seven days.

Inside the Humidor at Isotopes Park.

Uhh, what does a humidor have to do with baseball? It’s over 6,000 feet here and that elevation makes baseballs travel further. It’s also really dry here. When baseballs sit around in boxes for weeks and months in this dry climate, they get harder. Then when they are used in games, those baseballs fly even further. It’s like the baseballs become golf balls. Especially in the summer, baseball games turn into pinball games there’s so much scoring. This makes it very difficult for the Dodgers to evaluate players. Are the hitters really that good or are the pitchers that terrible? The major league Rockies were the first team to use a humidor, circa 2003. There’s a large enough sample size to definitively say that keeping the baseballs in a controlled environment gives the pitchers a better chance to succeed. The Rockies’ affiliate at Colorado Springs added a humidor last year. The Isotopes are using one this year for the first time.

What’s the story with the Isotopes nickname again? For the longest time, the team’s nickname was the Dukes because this city is known as the Duke City. That franchise left Albuquerque and was moved to Portland after the 2000 season. My former Dodger Talk co-host Ken Levine wrote a Simpson’s episode called “Dancin’ Homer” that first aired on Nov. 8, 1990. A nickname was needed for the fictional Springfield team. Ken chose Isotopes because: a) it was fitting for a town with a nuclear power plant; and b) it was a ridiculous name. (You can download the script here.)

Statue of Homer inside Topes Field.

In 2001, “Hungry, Hungry, Homer” was a Simpson’s episode in which Homer staged a hunger strike when he learned the Springfield Isotopes owner was scheming to move the team to Albuquerque. (This is also the episode that popularized the expression “meh.”) After the 2002 season, the Triple-A team in Calgary moved to Albuquerque. The fans voted on what should be the team’s nickname. Overwhelmingly, the fans chose Isotopes. As a result of this nickname, and a spectacular logo, the Isotopes are routinely in the Top 10 in merchandise sales in the minors. Inside the ballpark are statues of Homer, Bart and other Simpson’s characters. We’ll gladly accept your money if you want to visit the online team store and buysome cool Isotopes schwag.

If you’re a fan of Breaking Bad, the main character sometimes wears an Isotopes hat. He’s a big baseball fan and the show is filmed in Albuquerque. This summer, we’re hoping that Ken comes to town and throws out the first pitch. He better throw a strike, or else we’re booing the hell out of him.

What’s the relationship between the Dodgers and the Isotopes? The Dodgers provide the players, coaching staff and medical staff. The Dodgers pay a (high) percentage of the travel cost, plus the cost of balls and other baseball-related expenses. The Isotopes run the business side – the stadium, merchandise, clubhouses, tickets, advertising and promotions. I’m an employee of the Isotopes, not the Dodgers. When baseball returned to Albuquerque in 2001, they were a Florida Marlins affiliate. They’ve been a Dodgers affiliate since 2009 and are signed through the 2014 season.

The closest major-league team to Albuquerque is the Colorado Rockies, a 450-mile drive. There’s some Rockies fans here, there’s always Yankees and Red Sox fans in every city, and the couple sitting next to me as I type this from a nearby café are clearly Giants fans. But overwhelmingly, this is Dodgers country.

You fly everywhere? Almost everywhere. We fly commercial. That means a lot of 4 am wakeup calls to catch 6 am flights. I think there’s only one direct flight all year, so it’s a lot of layovers in Denver, Dallas and Houston. We’ll bus between Nashville and Memphis, Des Moines and Omaha, and a few other places. Yes, I get to keep the frequent flier miles.

When is your book on the 1988 Dodgers coming out? Wish I could give you an exact date. I thought it would be in stores by now. It could be any day. I received my author copies almost two weeks ago. I keep saying a couple more weeks. You can pre-order a copy now from the publisher’s website. If you want an autographed copy, send me a direct message and I can sell you one of mine. It’s $24.95 plus whatever the cost of shipping would be. You can mail me a check or PayPal me.

When are you coming back to LA? I’ll be doing book signings and other promotional appearances during the All-Star break, July 15-16-17. Also back in September for a friend’s wedding.

What’s the closest city to Los Angeles that you’ll play? Las Vegas on May 11-14, or Fresno from Aug. 3-6.

What’s the closest city to San Francisco that you’ll play? Sacramento on July 30-Aug. 2.

When’s the next time you’re coming back to the Bay Area? Maybe in October for another A’s-Dodgers World Series? Honestly, no clue. No plans anytime in 2013.

What are you doing when the season ends? I’m staying in Albuquerque. I’m a year-around employee. I’ll be doing sales for the team in the offseason.

Are you going to write another book? Of course. Need to get settled and focus on my new job first. Then I’ll pitch my idea to the publisher.

Did you really run Steve Alford out of town in less than three days? Absolutely. This town wasn’t big enough for both of us. He had no chance. Aztecs4life, baby.