Notes: Management error

Wrong group was benched Monday
By Beth Sass / hereforthesass.blogspot.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- Beth and Dawn, owners of Here for the Sass, noted they made a mistake.

"We benched half of the team on Monday, and the guys we had playing couldn't get a hit to save their lives. The pitching was dreadful. So, today, we reversed the benchings, and it went much better," Beth said.

Tuesday, Sass hitters went 10-for-23, took three walks, scored ten runs on four home runs (for eight RBIs), including a grand slam by third baseman E. Encarnacion while outfielder A. Dunn hit two home runs. Sass pitching had a total of 8.2 innings with three runs scored, and eight strike-outs. Pitcher K. Benson got the win in the 8-4 victory over the Waukesha Nosaurs.

"It felt good to add a 'W' to the team stats. I've felt that we really haven't lived up to the expectations and faith Beth and Dawn put in us, so I'm glad it made them happy. Of course, this sucks that it had to happen on the day the Twin won their home opener in dramatic fashion. I'm kinda surprised they remembered we existed after that game!" Benson told reporters.

First ever sell-out! Sass management reported they had their first ever sell-out on Tuesday night.

"We'd never sold out before," Dawn said, "So it was pretty awesome to see the crowds come out and support us like this. The team was totally pumped for this game."

The Sass have had trouble gaining the attention they so richly deserve in the area. Fans care about the team, but they usually prefer to listen on the radio or watch television, despite the state-of-the-art facility of Sass Field. Promotions tend to draw larger crowds, but the Sass team found the perfect way to fill all the seats in the stadium Tuesday night.

"We removed half of the seats, thus allowing a smaller crowd to be a sell-out," Beth said, simply.

Johnson throws a tantrum, Part VII: Sass pitcher R. Johnson threw a tantrum Tuesday night. Sass first baseman D. Mientkiewicz had just put up a poster of Beethoven in his locker, and when Johnson suggested a poster of Mozart, as well, Mientkiewicz refused.

"I like Bach, Beethoven, Strauss--all of those guys. But for some reason, Mozart has never done anything for me," Mientkiewicz said, "Sure, I could even go for Chopin--he's got some excellent stuff out there, but I certainly can't imagine putting up a poster of a composer I'm not particularly fond of."

Johnson apparently took offense at this, as the only classical music he knows is a Mozart piece he played for a piano recital in second grade.

Batting artist: Sass second baseman P. Polanco has often been described as playing a very artistic game. It's not well known outside the clubhouse that Polanco is even more of an artist off the field.

"You should see his paintings! Some of them are just reproductions of Van Gogh or Monet, but some of them are more original works of art. They're absolutely amazing, but he positively refuses to share them. I know of at least two art shows he's been invited to," Sass outfielder J. Encarnacion said.

Polanco is a bit modest about his painting ability, "Well, I dabble around with oils and watercolors. I'm really spending a lot of studying Pablo Picasso--I think his works are positively amazing."

While he refuses to show his work off in art shows, he often gives original artworks to friends as gifts.

"Polanco gave me an absolute beautiful painting that goes perfectly with my living room--with my red couch, it's hard to find a good piece of art that looks classy without looking pretentious, but he created one," Dawn said.

Possible Cheating: There has been rumors of possible cheating by the Waukesha Nosaurs.

"It's been reported that their owner drafted better players than us. That's a bit of an unfair advantage," Dawn said.