Week 16: Tied for First; Bull Durham Book Out

The Durham Bulls ended the All-Star week with a three-game sweep of the Norfolk Tides. That took them to a tie for first place. Notable was a very nice come-from-behind victory and the debut of phenom Taj Bradley. The stage is set for this week’s head-to-head with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the Philadelphia Phillies AAA franchise. 

Geek stuff: No big change in the basic stats for the week. 

Matchup

This is a big deal. These next six games are the only games the Bulls and the IronPigs will play this year, thanks to this rather bizarre schedule the International League has dictated. The IronPigs are on a 2-game win streak, the Bulls are on a 4-game streak. Someone will end up unhappy tonight.

The Bulls appear to have an edge in most categories except defense. The IronPigs look to be about the best in the League in that category.

Bull Durham

A book about my (our?) favorite movies is out. Ron Shelton’s book, The Church of Baseball, is getting solid reviews. And a nice story from my friend Josh Shaffer over at the N&O. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it appears to have a ton of nifty trivia. A must-read for me.