Looking back on the trip to Michigan is not a lot of fun;

Getting outscored by that much would make an optimist stop looking for the sun.

Yet, after a week like that -- with one win out of six;

This Rattlers team is still in the mix.

Yes, Merklinger and Cain are both recently promoted;

But, Miller, Komatsu, and Seidel joined the team to give hope to the devoted.

A few games at home haven't been much help;

The Dragons have been making the home team yelp.

The season marches on and we roll towards the fall;

Hang in there, folks.  Here's this week in Timber Rattlers Baseball.

7/17 @Great Lakes 7, Wisconsin 5: The toughest part about this game was that the Rattlers took a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning against a really good Loooooons team.  The go-ahead runs were provided by BROCK!  (No, picture today)...Kjeldgaard's two run homer to left was his 15th of the season and things were looking very nice.  Wily Peralta was on the mound and pitching well since he had allowed just one run on three hits over the first five innings.  But, the sixth was a nightmare.  Five of the first six hitters for Great Lakes reached base and the five who reached scored.  One more run made it a six run inning and a 7-3 lead.  After a two-run top of the eigth made the score 7-5, the Rattlers had two on and one out in the ninth.  Then, an infield single had the bases loaded.  But, a strikeout -- the thirteenth of the game -- ended the potential rally.

7/18 @Lansing 5, Wisconsin 1: This may have been one of the most frustrating games of the year.  The score was 1-1 after a Brett Lawrie double knocked in a run with one out in the top of the fourth.  From that point on, the Rattlers would not get another hit with a runner (or runners) in scoring position.  Dan Merklinger, in what turned out to be his final start with the Timber Rattlers, allowed three hits over seven innings and struck out seven.  But, when he left the game, the Lugnuts jumped on the usually solid Nick Tyson.  They scored four runs in the eighth and the Rattlers only base runner in the ninth reached on an error.  At least he didn't get stranded in scoring position.  The last nine times in the game there was a runner in scoring position for the Rattlers, there were no hits.

7/19 Wisconsin 9. @Lansing 7: That wasn't a problem in a Sunday afternoon tilt.  Let's just skip ahead to the good part.  Lansing was up 7-5 in the top of the eighth inning, when they got BROCKED!

Kjeldgaard homered, his sixteenth of the season, to leadoff the inning.  Two walks and a single loaded the bases.  Michael Marseco drove in the tying run with a fielder's choice and with two outs, Pete Fatse drove in two runs with a triple.  Brandon Ritchie worked the final two innings for the save.

7/20 @Lansing 15, Wisconsin 1: It wasn't that bad.  Really.  It wasn't.  Until the eighth inning.  I mean offensively, it was.  Only four hits and nine strikeouts for the hitters through the first seven innings.  It was only 5-1...until there were two outs in the bottom of the seventh.  That's when the Lugnuts scored five times.  Then, in the bottom of the eighth -- with two outs again -- the Lugs scored five more times.  The game ended on strikeouts to give Rattlers hitters 13 in the game.  I would have laughed about some of the stuff after the game.  The team was going to stop at a fast food restaurant near the stadium on the way out of town.  But, the last two innings took so long that the first choice was closed.  Then, the second choice was closed.  We wound up stopping for 15 minutes at a Wal*Mart Supercenter.  That was a long bus ride home.

7/21 OFF DAY: This was much needed.

7/22 Dayton 9, @Wisconsin 4: But, maybe not.  More two outs runs for the opponents.  In the first innning this time.  Thegame was 3-3 in the top of the fourth when Josh Fellhauer hit a liner down the right field line.  The ball appeared foul to everyone in the ballpark except Fellhauer and the home plate umpire.  I said as much on the air.  Then, I heard about the video replay that showed it as a fair ball.  The umpire made the right call and the two-run homer gave the Dragons what proved to be the winning runs.  The part that made it tough was the indecisive call.  Just a very delayed and tentative point to fair territory.  Want an umpire quote?  I thought so:  "It isn't enough for an umpire merely to know what he's doing. He has to look as though he know what he's doing too." - National League Umpire Larry Goetz.  Same goes for broadcasters.  Trust me.  This game also marked the return of Erik Komatsu and Erik Miller to the active roster after long stints on the disabled list.  Wisconsin native RJ Seidel also joined the team off the DL.

7/23 Dayton 4, @Wisconsin 1:Big crowd!  Great weather!  TV Game!  Fans are ready!  Then, Dayton scored three runs in the first inning and that was pretty much the ballgame.  The Rattlers had eight hits but after the first inning, I think the only really good scoring chance was in the seventh inning with runners at second and third with one out.  Strikeout, strikeout, inning over and pretty much game over.  Even in the ninth inning when the first two runners reached base to bring the tying runs to the plate, it didn't feel like there would be a comeback.  Sometimes you just get that feeling that it's going to happen.  But, a strikeout and a game ending double play wrapped up the night and a 1-5 week.

PLAYOFF POSSIBILITIES as told by a 70's sit-com character

Geez, Edith.  I don't wanna hear no more talk about no more playoffs!  But, since youse asked...One game up for the top second half playoff spot and 1.5 games up for the wild card spot.  Still a long ways to goes.

ADDED:  That was kind of a downer column.  So to lighten things up a bit here is the funniest thing that happened on the road trip.  The bus ride from Great Lakes to Lansing is not that long.  So, we were looking for a shorter movie to pass the time.  I offered up Predator, because who isn't up for an Arnie Shoot-'em up?  I remember the first time I saw Predator.  It was awesome.  I think it still holds up after over 20 years.  But, there was a scene that brought howls of laughter from the entire bus...You know the one I'm talking about....

The Week Ahead in Bullet Points:

• FRI: 7/24 vs. Dayton @7:05pm.
  
• SAT 7/25 - MON 7/27 @ Peoria
• TUE 7/28 - THU 7/30 @ Fort Wayne

A music video from a million yeas ago when I was at WSUP:

So long, everybody.