Written the week of August 10-16, 2026

This is the grind month. The time when players and fans get testy. It was this time of year I joked with a Hooks pitcher about the home run ball I held in my hand. He had given up the home run the previous day. What came out of his mouth left me with a scorched soul and a lesson learned. August isn’t fun for anyone when you’re losing.

In late summer 2004, I spoke to the Western Michigan Whitecaps bullpen during a game against the Quad City River Bandits. The Whitecaps were out of contention at the time, and I asked them two questions.

“Who here is most likely to make it to the major leagues?”

Every finger pointed at the same player, Danny Zell.

“Why?”

“Because he got the biggest signing bonus.”

Danny Zell pitched for the Houston Cougars, and the Detroit Tigers drafted him in the 5^th round in the 2003 draft. He ended his professional career in Double-A Erie, Pennsylvania.

The bullpen answer demonstrated a simple truth in baseball. The higher the investment in a player, the greater the patience in trying to see it pay off.

I asked a second question. “You’re well out of first place, so do you ever just want the season to be over?”

I expected one answer, “Yes, we’ve got our bags mentally packed already,” and received the opposite. None of them had that thought.

They came prepared to play every day, to be called to the mound at any moment. They put in the work to keep their jobs. Not to do so meant someone else would be promoted to their position and they would be out of the game.

In all my years, I’ve known only one player who decided to quit during the season. Many who wanted to continue playing received the notice no one wants to receive. “You’ve been released.”

In reading and listening to baseball stories, I’ve learned that no one enjoys that day—not the player, not the manager/message deliverer, not the fans. Nobody likes to see a dream die.

This week the Astros released Jeron Williams, who had been on the IL twice this season, and Jack Dashwood, the Hooks’ lefty out of the bullpen. On the former, his injury didn’t give him the opportunity to remain on the field. The few innings Jeron did play, he played well.

Concerning the latter, Jack had pitched very well during the series with Tulsa. His release surprised me because he was the only left-handed pitcher coming out of the bullpen. Trey Dombrowski is a left-hander as well, but he starts. Trey hadn’t been on the IL, but he needed some time to recover arm strength. He would return during the Hooks series in Wichita.

Ellen and I hit the road on Monday and traveled two days in order to arrive in Wichita for a rare but beautiful thing for me—seeing an entire series on the road and staying in the team hotel. At this writing, we’ve seen the guys at the ballpark. I’ll let you know how it works out after night one.

After night one, I’ve seen players at the hotel, scootering back from lunch, sitting out front in the nice courtyard area, and coming into and out of the coffee shop. My conversations have been brief.

Twice I’ve met Michael Coffin, the voice of the Hooks, in the breakfast area. Our first conversation recounted our Father’s Day meeting where we were both on the field to play catch. In discussing that moment, he suggested and I agreed that the Hooks should schedule another Sunday pre-game on-the-field time for tossing the ball around. On Sundays, games are earlier and teams usually aren’t on the field for batting or fielding practice. It’s a great promotion for families and would add numbers in the seats.

The second encounter was brief. I greeted him and left him with a question. “What is your favorite moment in covering the Hooks?” He’s worked with the Hooks since 2007, the third season of the ball club. I’ve been here since 2016, and I’d have a hard time answering that question. He has a night to sleep on it.

Tuesday’s game 1 was a typical Hooks’ roller coaster of emotions with a heart-in-your-throat ending. One last swing of the bat would determine the outcome.

First of all, it’s important to note Wichita is a long drive from Corpus Christi. Who in their right mind would travel so far to watch a minor league game? That’s why we were surprised to hear, “Good job,” and supportive clapping when the Hooks did well. In the middle of the game, we realized those praises and claps came from our guys in the dugout.

Trey Dombroski started the game for the Hooks. He hadn’t pitched at all during the last series against Tulsa, so this was his first outing in two weeks. He didn’t begin well but somehow survived a loaded-bases situation without giving up a 1st-inning run.

The Hooks went down 1-2-3 in their first at bat, something they’ve done much too often of late. An error in the 2^nd put Jason Schiavone on first base, and the Hooks’ batters did something surprising for the early innings. They bunted.

Tyler Whitaker bunted safely, then Alejandro Nunez hit a sacrifice bunt to move the base runners to second and third. Chase Call hit a deep sacrifice fly to center field, and Schiavone scored easily from third base. Max Holy, who has been on a tear lately, doubled, and Tyler scored to make the score 2-0 Hooks.

In the Wind Surge’s at bat in the 3^rd, with one out and one on, Brandon Winokur singled into left field. Khadim Diaw raced from second to home just in time to be tagged out on a perfect throw from left fielder Chase Call to catcher Walker Janek. It was a triple-wow play for the out.

The Hooks did nothing in the top of the 4^th, while the Wind Surge threatened but didn’t score in the bottom.

Our guy Will Bush broke a personal home run drought and blasted a ball over the home team bullpen in left centerfield. Corpus Christi 3-Wichita 0.

Trevor Austin flew out to right field for the third out. At the time I told Ellen, “Trevor will hit a home run tonight. I plan on being out there in the 7^th inning.” I was. He didn’t.

Over the entirety of the game, our pitchers would issue 8 walks and 3 hit by pitches. Surprisingly, none of those eleven free passes came back to bite us.

In the 6^th though, a fielding error put Andrew Cossetti on with no outs. Wind Surge right fielder Caden Kendle hammered a ball over the left field fence onto the berm. Corpus Christi 3, but now Wichita 2. At this point, I was grateful our guy Will Bush had broken the home run barrier in the 5^th.

In the bottom half of the 7^th, a leadoff double and a walk made things nervously interesting, but Railin Perez escaped with the score still Corpus Christi 3-Wichita 2. I was reminded how time flies when you’re behind and crawls when you’re ahead. We crawled through the final three innings.

Jose Guedez pitched in the bottom of the 8^th and issued two of the eight walks. Despite putting men on base, he also got men out. Corpus Christi remained up by a run.

Amilcar Chirinos entered the 9^th inning and promptly walked the first batter for the eighth walk issued by the Hooks’ pitchers. For some reason, Amilcar almost always walks the first batter. Against Tulsa last week, he did get the first batter out only to walk the next three and escape trouble by inducing a double play ball to end the game for a Hooks’ win.

Despite the consistency of the pattern, I still feel the squeeze of anxiety when considering the possibilities. A single might tie up the game. A home run will end it. Two fly balls ended up in outfielders’ gloves, so it came down to one more swing of the bat.

Garrett Spain loosened anxiety’s grip on my heart with a ground out to second baseman Alejandro Nunez. A quick throw to our guy Will Bush at first, and we could all go home.

The next day proved a stimulating and worrisome one for Ellen and me. A missing seat cushion became the focal point of an afternoon adventure and an evening search at Equity Bank Park.

Trevor Austin offered some great advice about where to go for lunch. We walked to the roundabout and went right. We saw several eateries and settled on Delano Barbecue Company. The small building looked rather unimpressive and, honestly, like it wasn’t even open. The open sign was on, though, so we went in. The crowd inside surprised me. The place was full and bustling. It was the epitome of a local dive.

After lunch, we headed to the ballpark in search of the lost seat cushion. Coach Bobby Bell was heading to the stadium as well, and we joined him for one of the most delightful conversations I’ve overheard this week. I listened as he and Ellen talked about players, batting approaches, and the general direction of minor league baseball these days.

Writing these articles and having Ellen involved as my editor has unleashed the knowledgeable baseball monster inside her soul. If she had gone to law school, she would have been a force to face in the courtroom. When she’s well informed—and when it comes to the Hooks, she is well informed—she can hold her own in a debate. In this case, she and Coach Bell weren’t arguing but having a great flow of baseball information. I loved that walk. Our time with Coach Bell ended way too soon.

Our search time for the missing cushion, on the other hand, did not pass so quickly. We covered a lot of territory and discovered loads of things about Equity Bank Park in our cushion hunt—the main offices, the baseball museum, and the main entrance to the ballpark—but the cushion’s location remained a mystery.

When we arrived at the ballpark that night, Ellen and I went to guest services. Perhaps the cushion had been left with them the previous night. Again, no luck, but Leslie promised to keep the search alive. An hour later she found us with the errant seat cushion in hand. Ellen is not one to hug strangers, but by this time Leslie was no stranger. Ellen had the biggest, most relieved smile on her face. Leslie and those who helped find what was missing went above and beyond in helping us.

As one who has been recently reading Jesus’s parables of lost things, including the parable of the prodigal son, I saw it lived out in front of me on Wednesday night. Jesus told three stories about the lost in Luke 15—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. All three end with a celebration when the lost is found. We celebrated!

Wednesday night’s game, for me, ended up being more about conversations with new friends while watching a ball game than about the game itself. Center fielder Garrett Spain hit his first of two homers in the 1^st inning, a 3-run bomb to right field, to put Wichita up 3-0. Brandon Winokur hit another 3-run blast in the 2^nd to increase the lead to 7-0. That took the wind out of the sails early.

A humorous moment happened when Tyler Whitaker batted. The stadium announcer said, “Tyler Whitaker is our Golden Cheeks Strikeout Player of the Game. If Tyler strikes out, the whole stadium will get— (I was still stuck on Golden Cheeks, so I missed what we’d get if he struck out. As it turned out, Tyler was one of the few Hooks’ players to not strike out, and Golden Cheeks was actually Golden Chick’s).

Trevor Austin did get his 14^th home run, just a night later than predicted. I got a head start to where the ball was headed, but Madison Johnson caught it on the first bounce. She is the Wind Surge Director of Marketing, something I’d learn later. She asked, “Who wants the ball?”

Another guy and I said at the same time, “I do!”

She gave it to the other guy and said to me, “It was the other team’s anyway.”

I said, “I’m rooting for the other team. I’m from Corpus Christi.”

The guy heard that, turned around, and said, “No way am I keeping this ball if you’re from Corpus Christi.”

He introduced himself as DC and handed me the ball. I was blown away and deeply appreciative.

Beyond the fences in the outfield are a number of tables and chairs for folks to sit, watch the game, and talk. It’s extremely conducive for good conversation, and the breeze Wednesday night made the 104° weather tolerable.

I settled into a conversation with Rex, Roger, and Dan. Roger and I had met on Tuesday night. We both have two remaining Texas League ballparks on our list to visit. For him, it’s Midland and Frisco. For me, it’s Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas.

We talked a lot about the San Antonio ballpark. He knew San Antonio was considering building a new stadium, and I confirmed the city was moving forward with the plan. Ellen’s and my trip to San Antonio for Hooks vs. Missions offered an opportunity to visit with the Missions’ team owners Reid Ryan and Bob Cohen. Bob confirmed the plan to move into the new stadium in 2029.

Roger talked about Equity Bank Park, a story I had heard several times from others as well. It was constructed and ready to open as a Triple-A venue in 2020. We all know what happened that year. The year delay also changed who was moving into the new stadium. The Minnesota Twins brought their Double-A team to town, and the Wichita Wind Surge opened its inaugural season in 2021. Our coaches said it was the best ballpark in the Texas League.

Later, John Huber joined us around the table. The guys teased him about missing a home run ball the day before. In reviewing the previous night’s game, I saw the clip of the home run hit and John’s left-field whiff. I can identify with that oh-so-darn-close feeling.

He handed me an autographed baseball card featuring him on the front and his stats on the back. He is the Deep Left Fielder, guy on the berm, for the Minnesota Twins. My favorite stat is Children Trampled: 0.

The Wind Surge staff and fans are proud of their stadium. You can hear it in the stories they tell and see it in their faces. The team, on the other hand, is another story. During our conversation around the table, when someone said, “We’re in last place,” another would correct him. “We’re one game above last place.”

With Hooks’ fans, we’re at the opposite end of the standings. We’re one game out of first place, but so is everyone else not named Amarillo.

Despite the different perspectives on our teams, so far, neither of us is happy with the results. Two games into the series, and we’re 1-1.

Final score after a dismal night on the field was Wichita 9-Corpus Christi 3.

For three days I woke up to an interesting photograph on our hotel room wall. It was of an iconic landmark in Wichita, the Keeper of the Plains. On Thursday morning, I looked out our window to see that the sculpture was a short walking distance from our hotel. I took advantage of cooler morning temps and went exploring.

Ellen and I later spent the afternoon working in the library across the street from our hotel. So many things were within walking distance of where we stayed that we had no reason to get into the car. With a long drive ahead of us on Sunday, we appreciated the hotel location.

In the evening, we walked to Equity Bank Park to watch the third of the six games between the Wind Surge and the Hooks. Jim and Joan Cologna joined us after driving in from Springfield, Missouri. They are the parents of the Hooks development coach, Jeremy Cologna. We met Jim when we visited Springfield during an away series in May. He has been a part of the texting brain trust ever since.

Thursday night, the Wind Surge played as the Turbo Tubs. At home on Wednesdays, the Hooks become the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits. Both the Tubs and the Biscuits don vibrant-colored uniforms. Next season the Turbo Tubs take permanent resident at Equity Bank Park, replacing Wind Surge as the team name.

For the Hooks, Brett Gillis started on the mound, but his day would end after two outs and one more batter. After the second out, manager Ricky Rivera and the trainer came out to the mound. They returned to the dugout, and Brett remained in the game.

In the hotel lobby later that night, I asked Brett what happened. He had strained a pec. He said, “They saw 86 on my fast ball in the dugout and came to check on me. Evidently the third guy in the lineup saw the same thing and liked it.”

Caden Kendle, the third guy in the lineup, hit a homer to left center after the mound visit.

The coaches returned to the mound, and Nic Swanson relieved Brett, got the last out of the 1st, and the first two of the 2^nd inning. He definitely wasn’t prepared to be in that early. The 2 hits, 5 walks, and 3 runs in an inning’s worth of pitching suggested as much. After 2 complete innings, Wichita 4-Corpus Christi 0.

Alex Santos II pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief of Nic. In the 4^th inning, Trevor Austin led off with a single and scored from second on a Walker Janek double. Jason Schiavone walked, and Walker and Jason executed a successful double steal before Max Holy flew out for the third out. Alex kept the Wind Surge scoreless in the 4^th, and the score was now 4-1 Wind Surge.

Jose Guedez pitched two scoreless innings in the 5^th and 6th innings. Amilcar pitched the 7^th and gave up a Garrett Spain home run. Hudson Leach finished the night in relief in the 8^th. The game would go 8-1/2 innings with a final score Wichita 5-Corpus Christi 1.

Back at the hotel, Ellen and I talked with Jim and Joan in the hotel lobby until late. One by one the players returned from the stadium, and we offered greetings to them as they passed through the lobby. Walker Janek and I spoke about Portland, Texas, where I’d spent my grade school years and where he’d grown up.

One of the coaches stopped for a visit, and we talked about a few of the players who had family within a shorter drive of Wichita. Were parents, friends, etc., in town to visit with their players?

He commented that not much of the season remained, so most were waiting until after September when the guys would be coming home. His words seemed as tired as the night felt after another tough loss.

Friday morning, I was up and returning from Mokas Coffee across the parking lot of our hotel when I noticed Trevor Austin in the courtyard area. I sat down and we talked for a while.

Sometimes seasons run together, and I forget when a particular player joined the team. In Trevor’s case, he arrived in May 2025. When I referenced the 20-14 Hooks’ win in Frisco that my brother and I attended, he said he wasn’t there. That meant he joined the team after early May.

Trevor, in his own words, had been having a lousy season in High-A Asheville. Injuries in Corpus Christi led to his promotion to Double-A. In those early weeks, the Hooks had only nine healthy players, not counting pitchers. He got more playing time and improved a lot. He admitted to being a poor third baseman during last season. It was not his natural position. That surprised me.

The day before Ellen and I had agreed that he was our best third baseman. Others are good, but we’ve watched a lot of games and feel he’s exceptional. He surprised me even more when he said he played left field at the University of Missouri. Knowing he loves the position, I won’t grouse anymore when he’s out there, but he does play third so well.

Trevor is an example of the kind of player you want on the team. He knows his limitations and admits his weaknesses, but he works to turn his weaknesses into strengths. Having seen his bullet throws from third to first, I never imagined his arm strength was limited during the 2025 season. But then again, I may have lamented the fact that our third baseman wasn’t so great last year, the same third baseman I consider stellar this year.

After our conversation, I headed up to our room. I ran into another player, Alonzo Tredwell, in the hallway. He came off the 60-Day IL this week, and I learned he’d been on it since spring training. He pitched well the last time I saw him, but I didn’t realize that was over a year ago. Having him back bolsters our pitching corps.

I asked, “When are you going to be on the mound again?”

He said, “Today.”

Alonzo did start and pitched well, but not well enough to win. He was tagged with the loss, Wichita 1-Corpus Christi 0.

Both the Hooks and the Wind Surge recorded 4 hits. Two outstanding outfield catches stole multi-base hits from our guy Will Bush and Alejandro Nunez. The difference in the game, that one measly run, came down to two walks and a single by the Wind Surge.

The Hooks, on the other hand, couldn’t manage even one walk when batting. Zero! Zilch! None! That’s a season low which will never be surpassed, and I hope it won’t ever be tied, like never, ever again.

The fun part of the game was seeing Wichita get on base then get erased by various means—Marek Houston caught stealing, Garrett Spain caught stealing, a double play, Jorel Ortega picked off at first by catcher Walker Janek. That last was most impressive.

In the first three innings, Wichita had base runners, then they didn’t. My favorite was the double play because Ellen said, “That’s out two,” when Graham Brown hit a grounder to our third baseman, Alejandro Nunez.

I said, “And three!” before Nunez’s throw reached second base. Marcus Brown to our guy Will Bush completed the double play at first.

For the second night in a row, we sat near an umpire’s mother. On Thursday night Linda Pritchett talked about her son, Brooks Pritchett, who called balls and strikes. On Friday first-base umpire Theo Arndt’s parents sat in front of us.

Chris Arndt, Theo’s mom, has an I-don’t-give-a-crap attitude when it comes to the nasty things people sometimes say from the stands. I’m guessing her son has the same disposition—an indifference needed to do the job well and not lose your sanity.

Arndt’s dad, Scott, answered a few questions Ellen and I asked. In a three-person rotation, the third-base umpire is known as the rabbit. When there’s no one on base, the rabbit will be at third but will move to second when there’s a runner on first.

The home plate umpire is the primary one to call a balk.

Umpires don’t get graded every game, but five or six times a season someone will review them.

Umpiring conditions have improved since unionizing, and the system of providing umpires for the major leagues changed from hiring from outside sources like the Wendlestedt Umpiring School to developing their umpires through the minor league system.

As noted earlier, umpires are promoted and released in a similar fashion as players. I suppose it’s no more fun to get the pink slip as an umpire than it is as a player. Umpires have dreams too, even if they are everyone’s nightmare. (My apologies to all the umpires and those who love them, but that was too tempting to not write.)

I met Randi Carter on Wednesday night and ran into her again on Thursday. She and her crew worked the concession stands those two nights. At Equity Bank Park non-profits are the ones who serve customers for a percentage of the sales. This setup isn’t done at Whataburger Field anymore, but it does happen at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, home of the San Antonio Missions. Jim Cologna said Route 66 Field (still Hammonds Field to him) has the same deal between non-profits and concessions.

I highlight Randi because she is an enthusiastic baseball fan. She mentioned how much she enjoys sitting on the first-base side of the stadium and watching throws to first base. I thought she had played first base and was surprised when I found out she didn’t. She just liked the perspective. My preference is the view from left field.

Randi’s recent text: I’ve always loved sports, and I think what pulled me to it was the community, if that makes sense. (Oh, it absolutely does!) The people I meet and my friends loving to watch with me and go to games. I pick stadiums and say, “Hey, let’s go here!” And they all load up and follow me on the adventure…

My uncle Robert taught us to play…My older brother would hit balls, and we would be outfield…I would take a tree out to make a pop fly catch. LOL!

My wife loved baseball early on in her life too. The We-Are-Family Pittsburgh Pirates became her favorite team back in 1979. She likes our guy Will Bush because he reminds her of Willie Stargell when he bats. If you’ve ever seen Willie Stargell twirl and pump his bat in the batter’s box, you have an idea of Will’s routine.

After Friday night’s disappointment, the texting brain trust sat in the lobby to commiserate over the 1-0 loss. The players again filed by, and we greeted them as they passed. One player entered with two suitcases in tow. He had pitched in the 4^th inning, his first outing in a Hooks uniform. Andrew Marrero flew out of Asheville, North Carolina, at 7:30 in the morning and arrived in Wichita in time to grab his luggage and head to the ballpark. At 10:00 that evening, he checked into the hotel.

I remember a similar moment at Whataburger Field when a newly arrived player walked through the tunnel and onto the field for the first time. He too arrived in town just in time to play second base.

Andrew’s promotion started the moment an injured Brett Gillis walked off the mound the night before. That’s the nature of Minor League Baseball. In fact, it’s the nature of professional baseball. You play one night in one uniform and the next in another in a different time zone, or maybe same place, different dugout.

Four games played out of six, and we find our Hooks in a similar position as the Wind Surge, one game out of last place. The Wind Surge have put distance between themselves and the bottom. The team is now four games out of last.

The South Division continues to bunch together with three games separating first place from last. For us fans, though, it seems like a canyon too deep to cross stands between our Hooks and the playoffs. The fire seems, at best, smoldering, if not out.