El cartel lo formarán su hermano Cayetano, José María Manzanares y Miguel Ángel Perera. Muchos echaremos de menos ver torear a Francisco.

Bueno, ya empieza el movimiento para la próxima feria y fiesta de Pedro Romero, ya conocemos el cartel, y Pepa ya ha empezado a elaborar los trajes que lucirán la Presidenta y Damas goyescas de 2009. Pero hasta el día que lo luzcan, eso es ALTO SECRETO!!!

 Hablar de la goyesca de Ronda, es pensar en Antonio Ordóñez, en mi memoria siempre lo recuerdo con el traje goyesco blanco y negro, como en el cartel de este año,obra del pintor sevillano Ricardo Cárdenas quien ha querido hacer un homenaje al maestro.

Avui dimarts arribam al programa 325 d’El crepuscle encén estels · IB3 Ràdio, 20:00 ·  No sé si heu seguit la polèmica sobre la Medalla d’Or de les Belles Arts concedida pel Consell de Ministres a un torero que, sorprenentment, s’ha centrat més en si és el matador adequat i no tant en si “la Fiesta” és una de les Belles Arts. Això sí que ho tenien clar els romans: no consideraven artistes els qui es jugaven la vida “al ruedo”, emperò premiaven als millors gladiadors amb palmes, corones adornades amb cintes i, en temps de l’Imperi, quatre doblerets. Així va ser fins que l’emperador Constantí, famós per l’Edicte de Milà que tolerava el cristianisme i per les seves nombroses prohibicions (que impedien segrestar nines, aplicar pena de mort als qui abusaven en la recaptació d’imposts, executar els reus amb la crucifixió –substituïda per la forca, molt més civilitzada–, obrir els comerços en diumenge…) va prohibir, a pesar que no li feren gaire cas, els combats entre gladiadors, i això va ser l’any … 325  

325, precisament, com Crepuscles comptam fins el dia d’avui.

Un ministro de Cultura que concede a un torero la Medalla de las Bellas Artes es un tipo que demuestra no saber lo que es la cultura, ni lo bello, ni el arte. Y por eso mismo debería dimitir. O alguien pedir su cabeza.

Pero la empanada mental de este país es tan espesa que los medios han puesto el foco en el desplante de José Tomás y Paco Camino, quienes han devuelto sus medallas “por vergüenza torera”.

Al parecer, los muy artísticos Tomás y Camino consideran a Rivera, y en esto les doy la razón, un torero mediocre e indigno de tal distinción.

Pero lo que me sorprende es que ellos no tengan la menor duda acerca de la trascendencia y profundidad de su arte. Y que ni siquiera se hayan planteado que eso mismo, devolver las medallas, es lo que seguramente pensaron otros galardonados cuando ellos recibieron las suyas.

En fin, el caso es que el gentío anda muy entretenido estos días tomando partido por uno o por los otros. Toreros todos.

Y a la cultura que le den.

Ayer tuvo lugar el comienzo de la semana de la moda en Milán con el desfile de Giorgio Armani y su colección para hombres, donde se pudieron ver caras conocidas como David Beckham, Francisco Rivera, Kelly Brook, Danny Cipriani y Ferzan Ozpetek. Todos ellos disfrutaron del desfile en primera línea junto a la sobrina del diseñador, Roberta Armani. La gran ausente de la noche fue la mujer y gran seguidora de las pasarelas internacionales Victoria Beckham, que recientemente salieron las fotos en ropa íntima de la colección de Armani para la próxima temporada Primavera-Verano.

Francisco Rivera también seguidor de la moda y amigo de la familia del diseñador sentado al lado de David Beckham y Roberta Armani, quien no estuvo fue el hermano de Francisco, Cayetano Rivera quien desfiló hace dos años para el diseñador y actualmente se está preparando para su vuelta a los ruedos.

Pepa lleva toda una vida junto a Ramón Flores, su marido. Ramón siempre ha estado vinculado al mundo de los toros y en concreto a la Plaza de toros de Ronda, encargándose junto al maestro Antonio Ordoñez de la organización de las corridas goyescas. Desde pequeños los unió una gran amistad que se mantuvo a lo largo de los años y hasta el final de la vida del maestro. Mientras Ramón organizaba las corridas, Pepa se encargaba de darle color con sus trajes para las Damas Goyescas. Esa amistad continúa viva en su hija y en sus nietos, muestra de ello es que Francisco Rivera sigue contando con Ramón cada feria de Septiembre en Ronda y Pepa es la que le ha hecho los trajes que su hija Cayetana ha lucido en Ronda, imágenes que han dado la vuelta al mundo gracias a la proyección y auge que tiene la Tradicional Corrida Goyesca.

Some call the night before Halloween “Devil’s Night,” and there probably couldn’t have been a more appropriate name for CXF’s inaugural “Thursday Night Fight Series” which took place on October 30^th at the El Monte Expo Center.  “Thursday Night Fight Series” is CXF’s new program of bringing various combat sports (boxing, Muay Thai / kickboxing, and mixed martial arts) to local fight fans on a monthly rotating basis, making CXF the only full-scale fight promotion in the state of California.  The debut event delivered no less than ten exciting mixed martial arts fights, drawing a packed house.

Match 1, 145 lbs. – Francisco Rivera vs. Chris Drumm (Team Wildman)

Drumm wins by TKO in the first round.

Match 2, 170 lbs. – R.J. Clifford vs. Dan Hernandez

R.J. Clifford uses ground-and-pound technique to win by TKO at 2:37 in the second round.

Match 3, 174 lbs. catch weight – Devin Howard (Combat Sports Wrestling) vs. Mano Taha (Team Diamond)

The first round saw Taha drop Howard early with a punch that almost ended the match, but Howard was able to hold on and survive.  In the second round, Howard controlled the action with clinch work and a takedown.  The third round delivered the most action, as Howard and Taha scrapped on the ground in a clash of dueling heel hooks.  Neither could get the submission, leading Howard to move into top control, directing the rest of the match with ground-and-pound combinations and an attempted rear naked choke.  Judges awarded the match to Devin Howard via unanimous decision.

Match 4, 145 lbs. – Angelo Catsoures (Subfighter MMA) vs. Ruben Vera (Chute Boxe)

These two submission experts came out trading blows, but eventually went to the ground when Vera scored a trip takedown.  However, Catsoures was able to transition and catch Vera with a triangle choke at 2:01 in the first round.

Match 5, 145 lbs. – Andrew Patlan vs. Brian Abram

Abram scored a takedown early in round one with a textbook hip toss, but Patlan was able to work his way to his feet.  In round two, Abram was in punching control, and again took Patlan down to the ground.  In round three, Patlan stuffed a takedown attempt, and then bulled Abram into a corner with a takedown attempt of his own.  The two nearly fell out of the ring before referee “Doc” Hamilton restarted the match.  Patlan and Abram continued to battle over a takedown and guillotine choke, respectively, to the end of the match.  Judges awarded the match to Brian Abrams by unanimous decision.

Match 6, 185 lbs. – Reggie Orr (Millennia Fight Team) vs. Fernando Bettega (Chute Boxe)

Round one saw Orr and Bettega jockey for position with a lot of clinch work.  At one point, Orr dropped Bettega with a right hook, but it was not enough to put the Brazilian away.  Bettega came out swinging in the second round.  Orr landed a solid body shot on Bettega, who shot in for a single leg takedown.  The third round saw more of the same, as Orr controlled the pace of the match and the center of the ring.  Bettega unsuccessfully shot for another takedown, but ended up on bottom with Orr in his guard until the clock ran out.  Judges scored the decision unanimously for Orr.

Match 7, 125 lbs. — Sofie Bagherdai (Millennia Fight Team) vs. Angela Hayes

In one of the more anticipated fights of the night, Angela Hayes came in from Colorado Springs, CO to challenge local fan favorite Sofie Bagherdai.  The two women used most of round one to feel each other out, with Bagherdai throwing a lot of high kicks that hit their mark, but didn’t seem to do much damage.  Hayes countered with a clinch and side headlock in the waning seconds of round one.  They continued trading kicks in round two, with Bagherdai opting to target low with kicks and follow up with two single leg attempts.  She continued her single leg campaign in round three, finally taking Hayes down and working ground-and-pound to the end of the match.  Judges awarded the match to Bagherdai via unanimous decision.

Match 8, 265+ lbs. – Tim Persey (No Limits) vs. Ross Clifton

This battle of superheavyweights was short-lived, as “Big Perm” Persey pushed “Grizzly” Clifton into the corner.  Clifton came out of the corner off-balance and caught a punch by Persey that put him to the mat.  Persey followed up with punches for a quick TKO win in 21 seconds of the first round.

Match 9, 155 lbs. – Toby Grear (True Warrior Fitness) vs. Anthony McDavitt (Gazza Academy)

In what many will point to as match of the night, Toby Grear and Anthony McDavitt fought a war which was clearly driven by personal drama as well as professional competition.  McDavitt attacked with several single leg takedown attempts, which Grear neutralized with overhooks and knees into the ropes.  McDavitt did drop Grear with an overhand right and got top position in Grear’s guard.  But from there, Grear pushed the action from the ground, landing elbows and almost escaping with au up-kick and roll-out.  After the first round ended, McDavitt shoved Grear away, fueling an already heated battle.   Round two saw McDavitt shoot in several times for takedowns, with Grear evading and countering with body kicks and low kicks.  In round three, Grear picked his shots selectively before dropping McDavitt with a hard straight left, then following up with a single kick to the midsection before the referee jumped in and stopped the fight.  Toby Grear wins by KO in the second round.

Match 10, 205 lbs. – Jaime Fletcher (Combat Sports Wrestling) vs. Nick Braker (West Coast Jiu-Jitsu)

In the main event, Braker and Fletcher fought another war of attrition, as each vied for control against the other in the clinch and in whizzer position that seemed to travel all over the ring.  At one point, Braker tripped to the mat, but Fletcher wasn’t able to capitalize on the potential takedown.  The clash for control continued in round two, as Braker and Fletcher continued in the clinch.  There was a lot of respect going on, as both were very cautious in throwing knees, and even more guarded in blocking them.  Braker finally forced the takedown.  As round two ends, Braker is going for a takedown and Fletcher is working for a guillotine choke.  In round three, Fletcher came out swinging, and at one point almost dropped Braker, who continued to fight for the single leg.  Braker spent tons of energy trying for the takedown, but doesn’t seem fatigued.  Fletcher worked  knees from the corner and eventually pulled Braker into his guard for a guillotine choke, ending the match by submission at 2:41 of the third round.

On November 13^th,  CXF returns to the El Monte Expo Center with more “Thursday Night Fight Series” action with a full card of boxing.  This event features the boxing return of former EliteXC Lightweight MMA champion Karl “K.J.” Noons (7-1, 5 KOs), who squares off against Ontario’s Alex Bogarin (8-6-3, 2 KOs).  Also in action will be the hometown heavyweight Javier “Monster” Mora (21-4-1, 17 KOs), stepping into battle with Jonathan “Too Sweet” Williams (7-5-1, 6 KOs).

Tickets for this event are available at www.californiaxtremefighting.com.  For more information, call 949-716-2557 or email Craig@mezsports.com.

UPDATE: Tuesday, November 4, 2008. A mistrial was declared today after a jury deadlocked in the case of a Border Patrol agent accused of murdering Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera without provocation. U.S Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Corbett faced charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide. Three eyewitnesses testified the 22-year-old was shot as he was kneeling to surrender for Corbett to arrest him and the three others. It was the second mistrial in the case.

TUCSON — US Border Patrol agent Nicholas Corbett is on trial for the murder of Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera, 22, from Morelia, Mexico. Eyewitnesses said the border agent shot the youth in cold blood, without provocation.

At a shrine in front of the courthouse, family members and supporters are gathered to remember the youth and speak of the impunity that US Border Agents are operating under, as they murder people of Mexico. On Wednesday, Roy Warden, who previously burned Mexican flags with the Minutemen at human rights marches here, gathered with others in front of the courthouse to harass and yell at the family and their supporters.

This is not the first time a person from Mexico has been murdered in cold blood by US Border Patrol agents at the US/Mexico border. This time, there were witnesses when Border Agent Corbett shot the youth in the chest at close range on Jan. 12, 2007, in the Sonoran Desert near Douglas, Arizona.

Family and supporters said there is a poisonous atmosphere of racism in the United States.
“We are talking about a poisoned atmosphere against immigrants,” Isabel Garcia, cochair of Derechos Humanos, said during an interview outside the federal courthouse. Garcia compared today’s racism toward migrants with the pre-Civil Rights era in the south.
Garcia said border agents are murdering and getting away with murder.
“We are living in really, really, dangerous times,” Garcia said. “This case is about accountability, this case is about impunity. That is the bottom line.”

Attorneys are presenting their final arguments today, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008. Corbett is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide. His first trial ended in a mistrial after another jury deadlocked.

Listen online to today’s interviews from the street, outside the courthouse, at the shrine for Francisco Javier:

http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

Photo: Shrine for Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera outside the federal courthouse in Tucson. Photo Brenda Norrell.

14 de octubre. 10.30 a.m. Pasillos de la primera planta del Ayuntamiento de Guadalajara.

Un grupo de periodistas sale de una  rueda de prensa sobre la controvertida devolución de la FIANZA por parte del Consistorio a la ex-empresa gestora del coso taurino de la capital. Mientras se encuentran comentando los datos que había aportado el GRUPO MUNICIPAL SOCIALISTA, aparece frente a sus ojos el torero y también empresario taurino, FRANCISCO RIVERA ORDÓÑEZ.

Como no podía ser menos, caras de sorpresa y cuchicheos entre los informadores al comprobar que el diestro se encontraba en la casa consistorial de Guadalajara. Esas miradas de asombro fueron similares a las que tuvieron decenas de aficionados alcarreños del mundo del toro cuando, hace escasamente un mes,  Rivera  SE NEGARA A TOREAR en Guadalajara, por supuestos problemas médicos, a pesar de estar confirmada su asistencia semanas antes. El diestro que tuvo que sustituirle de urgencia en cartel fue EL FANDI.

El alcalde de la ciudad, Antonio Román, (izda), Fran Rivera y el concejal de Asuntos Taurinos, Lorenzo Robisco, (dcha).

La visita inesperada de Fran trajo consigo un fuerte revuelo en las redacciones de la provincia. Según especulan algunos medios, el torero está interesado en la gestión de la actual plaza de toros (que va a ser demolida) y del nuevo coso cubierto (que se construirá, presumiblemente, en el mismo emplazamiento y que contará, entre otras cosas, con un aparcamiento subterráneo y una zona de locales comerciales).

No obstante, el concejal de Asuntos Taurinos, Lorenzo Robisco, desmintió, en tono sarcástico, las insinuaciones de los periodistas, alegando que Rivera había ido a la capital alcarreña a felicitarle por su cumpleaños. Sin embargo, Robisco sí que afirmó que ya hay varios empresarios que se han interesado por la gestión de esta plaza alcarreña.

De todas formas, en los últimos meses, el diestro se ha centrado mucho en la gestión de nuevos cosos taurinos. Recientemente se ha hecho cargo, junto a un socio, de la PLAZA DE LAS ROZAS.

 Más informaciones sobre esta noticia:

- Eldecano.es: Francisco Rivera Ordóñez quiere ser el empresario taurino de Guadalajara.

- Lacronica.net: Sorpresa por la presencia de Francisco Rivera Ordóñez en el Ayuntamiento de Guadalajara.

- Nuevaalcarria.com: Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, posible interesado en la gestión de la plaza de toros de Las Cruces.

- Latribuna.com: Empresarios del mundo del toro se interesan por la futura gestión de la plaza.

- Eldiaencastillalamancha.es: El PSOE da una vuelta de tuerca más al “culebrón” taurino.

Torero Francisco Rivera

Después de mucho especulación, el torero Francisco Rivera y Blanca Martínez de Irujo pusieron fin a su relación de casi 3 años. Aun que no ha dado la razón de su ruptura, los hemos visto bastante distantes durante los últimos meses. Blanca ya no acompañaba al diestro a sus corridas.

Ahora ya sabemos porque. Mujeres atentas uno de los toreros españoles mas guapos del planeta tierra esta soltero, agarrenlo!!!

Farándula Europea aquí en quevio.com

Extraido de http://mamarrachi.wordpress.com

Autor: Raúl Veleia, colaborador de El Mamarrachi y Laslucesdeagosto

Desde este Blog queremos denunciar la comisión de un asesinato múltiple a manos de un personaje conocido. Podríamos dar más detalles, pero el problema es que el hecho aún no ha sucedido.

Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, conocido torero, aclamado asesino, sádico torturador, hábil navajero, arrogante sicario, empresario del crimen con sus plazas de toros va a celebrar su corrida número 1000 de la manera más cruel que se puede esperar de un torero, que es asesinando a seis inocentes animales tras hacerles agonizar durante una sesión de tortura en la que les clavará banderillas y ridiculizara ante los ojos del espectador.

Si nadie es capaz de impedirlo, este hombre va a fomentar la lacra del maltrato animal, con la ayuda en estimable de la cadena nacional Telecinco que apuesta con este espectáculo en directo para llevarlo a más hogares y así vanagloriar a un asesino en serie, con más de 2000 muertes a sus espaldas.

De nada sirven las protestas de los grupos antitaurinos ante el crimen llamado fiesta nacional, que cada año dejan miles de muertes en animales. El problema de estas muertes es que no son en ningún momento indoloras para los animales, sino que son sometidos a vejaciones y atacados con objetos punzantes antes de darles la estocada final. Es sin duda alguna un espectáculo grotesco y sangriento no apto para todos los estómagos, y que sin embargo tiene adeptos en medio mundo.

Aquellos que tanto demonizan las películas sangrientas y violentas, luego se entusiasma con una corrida de toros demostrando así su hipocresía. Grupos políticos que están febrilmente en contra del aborto disfrutan viendo cómo se asesina sin piedad a un animal. Somos hipócritas, un país entero de hipócritas.

Lo que debería ser llamado fiesta nacional es cuando un toro coge al torero y le pega buenas cornadas, sin embargo el público se escandaliza y pide la muerte inminente del animal, cuando el pobre lo único que ha hecho ha sido defenderse de un brutal ataque, siendo consciente de que su muerte está próxima.

De nada sirve protestar, porque luchamos contra una marea de potenciales asesinos ansiosos de ver sangre y sufrimiento, que no tienen en cuenta que los toros son seres vivos como nosotros y que su muerte debería ser tan digna como la de otros animales que acuden al matadero, y no un espectáculo social.

Con este post me estoy enfrentando a millones de personas a las que me gustaría animar a que me dejen un comentario insultándome como ellos bien lo saben hacer, animados por la rabia y la furia, y seguramente con ansias de pegarme la estocada fatal, pues aquellos que se deleitan en un espectáculo de sufrimiento y tortura no piensan racionalmente, sino que se guían por impulsos salvajes del auténtico hombre de cromañon.

Con esto, nada va a cambiar, porque somos una minoría que se enfrenta a las hordas salvajes de los que aún adoran el maltrato. Personas que luego ponen en práctica lo aprendido con sus mujeres, personas que inculcan en sus hijos valores anti humanitarios.

El problema es que el toro no es una persona, sino un animal, y para ellos un animal no tiene ningún derecho, y les da igual que lo pisoteen sin piedad. Sin embargo, se escandalizan cuando una persona es asesinada, cuando al fin y al cabo lo que aplauden en el ruedo es lo mismo, un asesinato, pero a una diferente especie. Somos un país de sádicos con ansias de ver el sufrimiento ajeno para olvidarnos del nuestro propio, que no duda en pagar por ver cómo matan a un animal.

Desde este Blog queremos denunciar la comisión de un asesinato múltiple a manos de un personaje conocido. Podríamos dar más detalles, pero el problema es que el hecho aún no ha sucedido.

Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, conocido torero, aclamado asesino, sádico torturador, hábil navajero, arrogante sicario, empresario del crimen con sus plazas de toros va a celebrar su corrida número 1000 de la manera más cruel que se puede esperar de un torero, que es asesinando a seis inocentes animales tras hacerles agonizar durante una sesión de tortura en la que les clavará banderillas y ridiculizara ante los ojos del espectador.

Si nadie es capaz de impedirlo, este hombre va a fomentar la lacra del maltrato animal, con la ayuda en estimable de la cadena nacional Telecinco que apuesta con este espectáculo en directo para llevarlo a más hogares y así vanagloriar a un asesino en serie, con más de 2000 muertes a sus espaldas.

De nada sirven las protestas de los grupos antitaurinos ante el crimen llamado fiesta nacional, que cada año dejan miles de muertes en animales. El problema de estas muertes es que no son en ningún momento indoloras para los animales, sino que son sometidos a vejaciones y atacados con objetos punzantes antes de darles la estocada final. Es sin duda alguna un espectáculo grotesco y sangriento no apto para todos los estómagos, y que sin embargo tiene adeptos en medio mundo.

Aquellos que tanto demonizan las películas sangrientas y violentas, luego se entusiasma con una corrida de toros demostrando así su hipocresía. Grupos políticos que están febrilmente en contra del aborto disfrutan viendo cómo se asesina sin piedad a un animal. Somos hipócritas, un país entero de hipócritas.

Lo que debería ser llamado fiesta nacional es cuando un toro coge al torero y le pega buenas cornadas, sin embargo el público se escandaliza y pide la muerte inminente del animal, cuando el pobre lo único que ha hecho ha sido defenderse de un brutal ataque, siendo consciente de que su muerte está próxima.

De nada sirve protestar, porque luchamos contra una marea de potenciales asesinos ansiosos de ver sangre y sufrimiento, que no tienen en cuenta que los toros son seres vivos como nosotros y que su muerte debería ser tan digna como la de otros animales que acuden al matadero, y no un espectáculo social.

Con este post me estoy enfrentando a millones de personas a las que me gustaría animar a que me dejen un comentario insultándome como ellos bien lo saben hacer, animados por la rabia y la furia, y seguramente con ansias de pegarme la estocada fatal, pues aquellos que se deleitan en un espectáculo de sufrimiento y tortura no piensan racionalmente, sino que se guían por impulsos salvajes del auténtico hombre de cromañon.

Con esto, nada va a cambiar, porque somos una minoría que se enfrenta a las hordas salvajes de los que aún adoran el maltrato. Personas que luego ponen en práctica lo aprendido con sus mujeres, personas que inculcan en sus hijos valores anti humanitarios.

El problema es que el toro no es una persona, sino un animal, y para ellos un animal no tiene ningún derecho, y les da igual que lo pisoteen sin piedad. Sin embargo, se escandalizan cuando una persona es asesinada, cuando al fin y al cabo lo que aplauden en el ruedo es lo mismo, un asesinato, pero a una diferente especie. Somos un país de sádicos con ansias de ver el sufrimiento ajeno para olvidarnos del nuestro propio, que no duda en pagar por ver cómo matan a un animal.

CLINTON, IOWA–In a game that started Sunday and ended yesterday morning, in the wee a.m. hours, the Quad-Cities River Bandits (A) avoided a sweep by the Clinton LumberKings at Alliant Energy Field.

The Bandits scored in each of their first four innings in the 7-2 victory.

Who did well?

First baseman Carlos Pupo went 3-for-5 with a double.

Ross Oeder hit a home run.

Others who doubled were Peter Kozma, Francisco Rivera, Roberto Espinoza, and Oliver Marmol.

Starting pitcher Richard Castillo earned the win, now 4-1, working 5.2 innings, scattering five hits. Castillo gave up two long balls, walked two, and struck out six.

What next? The River Bandits will start a six-game homestand tomorrow at Modern Woodmen Park.

Ben Chiswick is the director of broadcasting and media relations for the Quad Cities River Bandits. He handles the play-by-play which you can catch for free at the River Bandits site. Some of you may have also read his post game recaps at milb.com, which provide some much needed color to the box scores, and I wish I could say all the affiliates provided the same. I asked Ben to if he’d be up for some Q and A regarding the River Bandits and some of their players seeing that he gets to watch them play everyday, and he graciously agreed. Here are his responses.

A lot of changes have transpired since this season and last with the new name, new stadium name and new ownership. How is the new ownership group working out so far?

A lot of changes is right. The new ownership group and the new management have been nothing short of amazing. I’ve been around this team for a few years now and the opportunity to be a part of reviving baseball in the Quad Cities has been great. From the new name to a new culture around the ballpark, the fans have really responded to all the changes and shown up in force. It’s hard to believe that attendance is up 64 percent, but being a part of making that happen and initiating all of the changes has been very fulfilling. The fans have really embraced all of the changes, and baseball in the Quad Cities is showing signs of returning to its glory days of the mid-90s.

How has the team coped with the flooding this summer?

All of the flooding has been crazy, definitely not the kind of thing you ever expect to have to deal with. But such is life on the Mississippi River. Really, we’re fortunate that the City of Davenport put in such great flood protection when they renovated Modern Woodmen Park in 2004. The two floods we’ve had this summer would have probably wiped out our whole season before the renovation, but because of all the great flood protection we only lost four openings.

There were a couple of games that we actually played in a ballpark completely surrounded by water. The city build a temporary bridge that extended from the entrance of the ballpark all the way to the edge of the flood waters. People were clicking pictures on their camera phones and we played in front of a packed house both nights. I’ll never forget the atmosphere and energy that were in the ballpark on those nights.

The well-traveled Steve Dillard replaced Keith Mitchell as manager this year. What does Dillard do well, and how does he differ from Mitchell?

They are both pretty aggressive managers, so it’s fun baseball to watch regardless. They both like sending baserunners home around third, etc. Personality-wise, Steve is a very even keel guy. He never gets too high or too low and is very good at going with the flow. You can certainly tell the guy has been around this game for a long time. Mitch was more of a rah-rah guy. He had a competitive side to him that really got the players up and ready to play. Both are very good managers and also very good people to work with. They have very different personalities but similar managerial styles.

The team now features two first round draft picks on the left side of the infield. What can you tell us about Pete Kozma, and what are your early impressions of Brett Wallace?

I can tell you that it is pretty fun to watch those two guys playing together. They are both pretty down-to-earth guys that you would have no idea are first-round picks if you ran into them in public somewhere.

Pete is an all-around talent. The scouting report coming in was that he doesn’t stand out at anything but does, but all five tools are a tic above average. That may be an understatement. He hits the ball to all fields with a line-drive stroke and controls the strike zone well. I think most impressive is his defense, though. His range is exceptional at shortstop, and the guy makes plays behind the bag at second that most shortstops have no chance of getting to in this league. He also has a strong arm, but he only shows it when he really needs to.

I’ve only seen Wallace for six games at this point, but he has seemed to hit the ground running. When he first got here I was really impressed by the way he handled himself with all of the media attention. He was very accommodating to every media request, handled himself with poise and confidence, and had well thought-out responses that were more than just your typical stock answers. He has also seemed to hit the ground running offensively and defensively. He has made a couple of nice snags at third base and his only errors have been throwing errors. So far, I have seen nothing to indicate the claims that some scouts made coming in that he wouldn’t be able to handle the hot corner.

How excited should we be about Richard Castillo? He’s only 18, and so far the results have been pretty good. What does he throw, and how is he achieving those results so far?

Very. You hit the nail on the head when you said he’s just 18. I’ve only see him make three starts, but from what I’ve seen his biggest asset is fastball command. He can put the ball where he wants to, which can get most guys by in this league. Perhaps the most encouraging thing is that he really hasn’t shown a good feel for his curveball, which I’m told can be his best pitch. What he’s done so far has been pretty much fastball-changeup, so if he can start throwing the curve for strikes he can really take off.

Speaking of lesser-known pitchers with results, what can you tell me about Mark Diapoules and Nick Additon?

By all accounts, Diapoules has a big-league sinker. He was able to throw it down in the zone effectively and nobody in this league could touch it. He had a couple of rough outings that pitching coach Ace Adams attributed to a problem getting off the rubber quickly, but they worked that out and he was back on track when the Cardinals promoted him.

For Additon, the name of the game is control. He doesn’t throw hard, but he can spot the fastball on both sides of the plate. Like Castillo, the more he improves that curveball the more effective of a pitcher he’ll be. The pitch can be very good at times and he seems to be throwing it more and more as the season progresses.

Tommy Pham is a tantalizing talent, but also a bit of an enigma. Being that you get to see him nearly everyday, I was interested in what your impressions were of him.

My impressions of Tommy are that he has got one of the most impressive set of tools of anybody I’ve seen here. Four of his five tools are well above average and probably pretty close to major league ready. He can flat out go get the ball in center and his throwing arm is both strong and accurate. His speed is the best on the team and his only caught stealing this year was really more of a pick-off play. And that’s not to mention the fact that he has tremendous power to all fields. The issue for Tommy has been making consistent contact and putting the barrel on the ball. He strikes out a lot and has a tendency to muscle up before he swings. The Cardinals have been working with him on getting better separation in his swing and staying loose. If he can start making consistent contact, there is no telling how quickly he can move.

What can you tell us about Francisco Rivera? I’ve seen him on a few occasions and came away very impressed; in fact I’ve dubbed him on the blog as my own favorite “personal cheeseball” for the 2008 season. Please tell me if my personal fascination with this player is justified.

Rivera is another really impressive player Erik, it’s not just you! It’s hard to believe watching him that he’s only a 19-year-old that made his pro debut earlier this season. He’s a gamer. He homered in his sixth pro at-bat and has been off to the races ever since. To me the most telling thing about Francisco is the way he raises his game with men in scoring position and two outs. He seems to have an instinctual knack for driving in runs.

Outside of the players we’ve discussed, who is the best River Bandit player that we don’t know about yet? Are there any other players that have attracted your attention?

I love the way Charlie Kingrey plays the game. He’s up in Palm Beach now, but the guy has a smooth left-handed swing and hits the ball to all fields. My favorite part about Charlie is that he never stops hustling, regardless of the game situation. Paul Vazquez has also stood out. He’s an older guy but he’s become a real leader on this team. The guy has been taking a beating behind the plate and in the batter’s box – he was hit by a pitch in the face in Clinton and was frustrated that they held him out of the lineup for the next two games – but has still managed to lead the team in batting average.

“Robble, robble!”

First of all I have to say it was surreal driving through the downtown area of Cedar Rapids to get to the game. There was all sorts of trash everywhere, and I’ll spare you from a description of the smell.The town just looked like a cross between a war zone and a dump. Anyway, about the players…

I was excited to see the statistical wonder that is Nick Additon pitch, until he started pumping in 81-84 MPH fastballs. I think the stadium gun was a tick or two slow, because CR’s pitcher Trevor Bell reportedly throws 91-92 and he was at 88-89. I was going to write this detailed report on how he looked, but I don’t think it’s worth my time. The bottom line is 85 MPH isn’t where you want to be topping out at, even if you are left handed. He has pretty decent command, but all too often was up in the zone. He has a big, slow 12-6 breaking ball at 68-73 and a changeup.  I’m not a scout, but it’s hard for me to envision him making the big leagues. Just mediocre stuff, in my view.

Blake King on the other hand looked alright, but the man has some funk. He has a weird delivery, very much over the top and with a lot of effort. He can pump in some gas, throwing 89-91 and hitting 92 on the slow gun, so I would guess he was really hitting 91-94. He does have a plus slider. I wasn’t blown away, but following Additon he looked pretty good.  

One player who did come as advertised is Tommy Pham. The man is a walking tool shed. I’ve said stuff about putting him on the mound before due his lackluster performance so far in the minors, but I take it all back now. He’s got wrinkles, of course-his swing is pretty long making it not hard to tell why he whiffs so often-but he’s a pretty impressive specimen. He shows plus range in center field, and we know about his arm. He smacked a double into the right field corner and stretched it into a triple faster than you can blink.  When he made contact, it had that “different sound” you here scouts talk about. His other two hits that he collected were liners that were just smoked. After seeing him in person, I’d have to say he may have as high of a ceiling as anyone in the system other than Colby. On the other side of the coin, his floor is pretty low because of his plate discipline issues. But if he starts to figure things out, watch out. 

Other bullet pointy-points:

• Pete Kozma stroked a liner down the first base line for his double. He looked pretty good at short, very sound and fluid defensively.  He also looked pretty rough on his strikeout. He took two ugly hacks at sliders out of the zone, looking totally fooled. I don’t think he is quite out of the woods when it comes to his May swoon yet.  For me, Kozma is like a nice Buick, whereas Pham is a Ferrari. If you had to choose between the two cars, your “fun side” would say “Ferrari! Ooh! Ferrari!”. But then the responsible side of you would eventually take over and start talking to you about gas mileage, insurance, and the odds of you killing yourself driving a car like that. OK, so that is a sucky metaphor. The idea is Kozma isn’t super exciting, but he’s by far the more safe and practical bet of being successful in the majors. 
• Fransisco Rivera is a guy I liked quite a bit. This isn’t a perfect comparison, because I’m not sure Rivera has as much pure power, but he reminds me of Padres supplemental pick Jaff Decker. On the down side, both are shorter, less athletic looking players who will be relegated to playing a corner somewhere. But on the positive: both are young and pure left-handed bats. Rivera is different in that he is short and very quick to the ball. He went the other way in smacking a double off the Kernels’ lefty reliever Chris Armstrong. I know he hasn’t shown the power yet with his .137 ISO, but I’ve been told it’s in batting practice in a spades. Right now, he’s more line drives. I think he may be my new personal cheeseball.