AROUND THE LEAGUE Steroid Night draws questions from minor league 5-foot-10 and Ugh-ly ninth steaks shy of Lansing likely will remember the one at while pitchthat got away Friday night. The Lugnuts watched Dayton score 11 runs in the top of the ninth inning to erase a six-run deficit and rally for a 12-7 win at According to statistics compiled a annually by mwlguide.com, the Swing of the Quad-Cities is among the youngest teams in the Midwest League this year. The Swing had an average age of 21.5 years on opening day, 12th among the 14 teams in the league. Kane County and Peoria are the oldest teams in the league, averaging 22.6 years, while Battle Creek is the youngest at 21.2. Clinton ranks sixth this season with an average age of 22.0 years. The oldest and youngest players in the league both wear South Bend uniforms. Pitcher Aric Leclair, born April 12, 1978, is the Midwest League's most seasoned citizen, while outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, born Oct. 17, 1985, is the youngest. Fernando 11 stands weighs 210 pounds, a few the weight his father played ing for the Dodgers. The LumberKings also surveyed fans in attendance, and 85 percent responded that they wanted to see Major League Baseball add steroids to its banned substance list. Clinton flexed its offensive muscles that night, scoring a 16-2 win over Beloit. Fernando mania When Fort Wayne arrives at John O'Donnell Stadium later this week, there will be at least one familiar name on the field. Fernando Valenzuela Jr. plays first base for the Wizards. The second-year pro is off to a .278 start for Fort Wayne, a Padres affiliate, and while he shares the name of his father, that's about where the similarities end. Oldsmobile Park. The Dragons sent 15 batters to the plate and had 11 hits including three home runs in the inning. "There's really no explanation for something like that," Lugnuts manager Julio Garcia told the Lansing State Journal. Garcia opted not to say a word to his team which sat in a silent clubhouse following the game. Almost Kane County's Steve Bondurant came within two outs of a no-hitter Thursday. Bondurant struck out 14 batters before yielding a one-out single in the ninth to Seasoned veterans officials Education was LumberKings' primary goal By Steve Batterson QUAD-CITY TIMES The report is on its way. Minor league baseball officials asked for an explanation of the "Steroid Night" promotion that the Clinton LumberKings hosted last week, and general manager Ted Tornow said he will comply. "Our entire intent was to educate the public, nothing more or less," Tornow said. "It's a sub- stance that is being abused in America everywhere from the Olympics on down, and it is a particular problem in athletics." Baseball's well-publicized problems with steroids prompted Tornow to host the event last Thursday at a LumberKings game, where educational information was distributed i in specimen cups as fans entered Alliant Energy Field. "If we prevented one kid from taking steroids and raised awareness, the night was a success," Tornow said. "I think we accomplished what we wanted to do." Battle Creek's Erold Andrus at Elfstrom. Stadium in a 20-0 Cougars' victory. He walked just one batter, retiring the first 13 he faced before giving up a walk that was erased by a double play in the fifth inning. Kane County continued to rough up the Yankees on Friday, posting a 10-0 win. Cheap suds Retro nights have become popular events at minor league stadiums recently, but at Battle Creek they're taking things one step further. At every Monday home game, the Yankees are Retro Beer Night, selling $1 cans Blue Ribbon, Natural holding, Light, Old Style, Schlitz, Black Label and Hamms beers. Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.