Nice story today in the Rocky Mountain News about former big-league catcher Ben Petrick. Now age 30 and a few years removed from his playing days, Petrick talks about his battle with Parkinson’s disease:
You cherish the moment when your meds are working and you can get dressed or shower within five, 10 minutes instead of a half-hour, 40 minutes.
Petrick first came to my attention thanks to John Sickels. In his 1998 Minor League Scouting Notebook, Sickels said of Petrick:
He is quite patient and very strong for his size, but his swing still needs some refinement. A running back in high …read more

Maybe I bit off more than I could chew in my attempt to liveblog the first round of the draft — I’m willing to concede that possibility. But you know what? I gave an honest effort and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
First off, props to ESPN2 for some fine draft coverage. After the obligatory montage intro, I feared the worst — “If we add more bling, then baseball will be even more fun” — but I came away impressed. The commentators kept up with the fast pace of the draft, and limited the amount of fluff.
For anyone …read more