The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania • 31

THE MORNING CALL BASEBALL SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2007 C7 Bay rolls i Yankees bring up Shelley Duncan mm v. a mmm m. m. (,. i.

a iver Yi TAMPA BAY'S DIONER NAVARRO watches his grand slam home run off the Yankees' Edwar Ramirez in the fifth inning leave Yankee Stadium. Bill Kostroun Associated Press From Call wire services The New York Yankees purchased the contract of utility player Shelley Duncan from Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre on Friday and optioned outfielder Kevin Thompson to the International League team. Duncan hit .295 with 25 homers and 79 RBIs in 91 games in Triple-A. He is the brother of Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan and the son of St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan.

The Yankees also moved first baseman Doug Mientk-iewicz from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL to make room for Duncan on the 40-man roster. Thompson was batting .190 with two RBIs in 13 games. Twins put Cuddyer on 15-day disabled list: Minnesota put outfielder Michael Cuddyer on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained right thumb. Cuddyer was hurt Wednesday night against Detroit when the right fielder made a hard slide into second base. He missed Thursday's game against the Tigers.

After the game, manager Ron Gardenhire said Cuddy-er's thumb was swollen, but not broken. Gardenhire said Cuddyer get an MRI of the thumb. The Twins called up Darnell McDonald from Triple-A Rochester to replace Cuddyer. In 22 games with the Red Wings, McDonald was batting .282 with two home runs. Cubs activate Dempster, put Ward on DL: Chicago put infielder Daryle Ward on the 15- day disabled list with a torn right calf muscle and activated closer Ryan Dempster.

In corresponding moves, the Cubs called up infielder Scott Moore from Triple-A Iowa and optioned right-hander Sean Gallagher to the same team. Ward, who has batted .333 in 47 games this season, got hurt Thursday while sliding to catch the popup in the second inning. He had an MRI after the game and said he hopes to be back in a couple of weeks. Dempster, who had been on the 15-day DL since June 26 with a left oblique strain, is 16- for-18 in saves this season with a 3.38 ERA. He had two scoreless rehab stints for Iowa.

Moore was batting .266 for Iowa with 16 homers and 61 RBIs. He played in 16 games with the Cubs last September and batted .263. By Jay Cohen Of The Associated Press NEW YORK Edwin Jackson won on the road for the first time since 2003 and B.J. Upton two homers to help the Tampa Bay Devil Rays rout the New York Yankees 14-4 on Friday night. Dioner Navarro hit his first career grand slam for the Devil Rays, who beat Mike Mussina for the first time in eight starts at Yankee Stadium.

Upton went 3-for-6 with three RBIs in his first career multihomer game. Jackson (2-9) allowed four singles and four walks over six shutout innings in his best start of the season. He struck out four to win for the first time since June 24. It was his first road win since winning at San Francisco on Sept. 27, 2003, while with the Dodgers.

His road winless streak of 14 starts and 26 games was the longest among current major league starters. New York won three' of at Tampa Bay in its first series after the All-Star break before taking three of four against Toronto at home. But the Yankees got off to a rough start in the opener of another four-game set against the Devil Rays, who won for just fourth time in their last 17 road games. With the Yankees trailing 10-1, manager Joe Torre pulled Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada after seven innings to get them some rest ahead of today's day-night doubleheader. Jeter finished with two hits, Andy Phillips homered and Robinson Cano singled in a run for New York.

Shelley Duncan, who was promoted from Triple-A Scran-tonWilkes Barre before the game, singled in Cano in the Yankees' three-run eighth for his first career hit and RBI. Mussina entered with a 7-0 record and a 1.07 ERA in seven career starts against the Devil Rays in the Bronx. Tampa Bay pushed across two runs in the third before pitching coach Ron Guidry came out to visit Mussina with Carl Crawford on first and one out. Upton hit Mussina's next pitch into the first row of the upper deck in left to make it 4-0. The Devil Rays sent 10 batters to the plate in a five- and failed to record an out.

He gave up three runs and one hit. Mike Myers entered after Ramirez struggled and got Upton to ground out to end the inning. Tampa Bay finished with 13 hits and each player in its starting lineup reached base. Upton led off the ninth with his 11th homer. Delmon Young walked and scored in the Devil Rays' three-run eighth but went 0-for-5, snapping an 11-game hitting streak.

run fifth, chasing Mussina. Edwar Ramirez replaced him and walked two to load the bases ahead of Navarro's second homer of the season, a drive into the seats in right that made it 9-0. Mussina (4-7) went A2h innings and was charged with six runs and seven hits. He struck out five, walked three and is 2-6 with four no-decisions in his last 12 starts, Ramirez walked four of the five batters he faced, threw only two strikes in 19 pitches MICK BILLMEYER Age: 43 HtWt: 6-2, 225 Resides: Hagerstown, Md. Playing career: Selected by the Orioles in the second round of the 1985 draft.

Played in the Orioles, Rangers and Angels organizations before being released by the Rockies in 1994. Favorite comedian: Jerry Seinfeld Best audience: Reliever Ryan Madson and former reliever Matt Smith (out injured for the season). Phillies history: Joined organization as a minor league catching coordinator in 2000, a position he had through the 2003 season. Quotable: "Hell no! If I had to throw to second, my arm would come out of its socket." on whether he misses getting behind the plate every day. tougher.

Some guys you prod them a long, tell them how good they are and lie to them." His followers Sanchez said Billmeyer has not only built a fan base at Citizens Bank Park just love him out there," Sanchez added), but he has followers on the road as well. In Florida last year, some fans donned Billmeyer jerseys. And Sanchez spotted them when the Phils were in Cleveland this year. "There are some weirdos out there," Billmeyer joked. But as popular as Billmeyer has become, thanks to his lik-: able personality, sometimes there are fans that irritate him.

One guy this season had something negative to say about every reliever. And after months of listening to him, Billmeyer told him he'd had enough. "He just hates when people boo and get on specific players," Madson said. "He knows we're trying our hardest and he gets frustrated with them." "He sticks up for us out there," Zagurski added. "That's a great trait." amanda.housenickSmcall.com 610-820-6187 work hard or hustle or give it your best.

They don't want you to be lackadaisical and I didn't grow up like that. My mother's a workaholic. She drinks while she works." Billmeyer compares his sense of humor to comedian Jerry Seinfeld's. Although players didn't venture to make a comparison to a comedian, they agreed that Billmeyer is a talented story teller. He specializes in turning a brief anecdote into a five-minute narrative that has his comrades in hysterics.

"He makes you feel like you're in the story because he gives you every aspect of it," said reliever Geoff Geary, who spent a lot of time the last two years with Billmeyer before being sent to Triple-A Ottawa last month. "Sometimes we're like, 'Gosh, you're so "Sometimes we don't really know where he's going and you think one way and he comes out of nowhere with something at the end of the story and you're amazed where the story ended up. It's like watching a movie. You think you know how it's going to end and then there's a twist at the end." "Then that twist leads to a sequel," added Ryan Howard, who couldn't help but jump into the conversation. "Just when you thought it was over, there's newness again." Mastering his craft Although making people laugh seems to be in Billmeyer's blood (he said his father is a funny guy), he has had to sharpen his approach.

And he's learned that joke-telling can be somewhat of an art. "If there's a joke that you have to drag out to get to the punch line, you can't just hurry through that joke," he said. "Then there are certain people to look out for. Like starting pitcher Brett Myers. I can't tell him a long joke.

He can't stay with me long enough. You have to know which joke to tell which person. That might be the most important part." Billmeyer knows when to set the jokes aside. He often catches pitchers during their off-day workouts, as he did with Adam Eaton on June 30, and he never turns moments like those into a laughing matter. He analyzes their pitch selections and offers advice.

"I don't mess with their mechanics, but I might say, 'Don't be afraid to use that sinker. That's a good pitch for you right Billmeyer said. "Or, 'Use your curveball over your slider against this He provides even more instruction when it comes to the catchers. One of his goals this season was to break in rookie Carlos Ruiz. He spent much of spring training helping him learn how to best deal with pitchers and how to be a leader behind the plate.

"A lot of time I say to Ruiz, 'Give me some energy back Billmeyer said. "The eight guys looking in at the catcher shouldn't see a dead-ass. No matter how the pitcher is doing, he has to stay with him and keep him moving. If the pitcher's tempo stays up, then he has a better shot than if he does too much thinking and walking around. You see guys walk around and that ain't good.

That gives hitters time to get their thoughts together. Jon Lieber is effective because he just keeps going. "Ruiz has really come a long way, confidence-wise. He knows which ones to push and which ones to back off of. He learns their personalities.

With Myers, you can go out and jump on him a little bit and he'll try to prove you wrong. He's BILLMEYER FROM PAGE CI "You could be having your "worst day or your best day and he treats us the same," said. "He's always in a good mood." Although the Phils relievers usually buckle down in the fifth or sixth inning, that day's game is rarely the topic of conversation for the first several innings. Instead, they're entertained by Billmeyer's ways. "I ask him if he walks around with a joke book in his' pocket," reliever Brian iSanchez said.

Reliever Ryan Madson can't remember a day when Billmeyer didn't get a laugh out of everyone in the 'pen. "He could tell jokes until next Tuesday nonstop," Mad-son said. Billmeyer is the king of slipping one-liners into conversations or telling short jokes at just the right time. I "My favorite one of his is when he says, 'I saw a dog chasing a cat today, but it was hot out they were both walking, Madson said. "That cracks me up." J.

Here's another vintage Billmeyer one-liner: While talking about how much he appreciates the Phillies' fans, he sneaked in a joke without cracking a smile and then quickly got back on track. "I like that they demand a work ethic," Billmeyer said. "It doesn't cost anything to Lynx powc way to win ove From Call wire services MINOR LEAGUES MIRON BOWMAN (left) and Jeremy -Young, both from Middle-burg, talk about the autographs they received prior to the Harrisburg Senators game at Commerce Bank Park. Kevin Mingora The Morning Call 'i I 7 WiiiUfi-iiiiroalrainfirT ft nnf- ing in an Eastern League game. The game had been suspended by wet grounds after two scoreless innings Thursday evening.

The Phillies (50-48) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Mike Cos-tanzo. The Aeros (57-41) came right back in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead and added a run in the seventh. Peeter Ramos led off the ninth with his seventh home run to bring the Phillies within a tun. Reid Santos (7-2) allowed a run in five innings to get the win. Charlie Weatherby (0-1) took the loss for the R-Phils.

Joey Hammond and Michael Spidale each had two hits for Reading. Play the GREAT game of Ice Hockey for a localized team Gary Burnham and Joe Thurston hit solo home runs as the Ottawa Lynx beat the visiting Rochester Red Wings, 6-3, on Friday. Burnham led off the second inning with his seventh homer and Thurston drilled a shot, his third, in the third. Jason Jaramillo sparked a four-run fifth inning with an RBI triple and Dusty Wathan and Randy Ruiz each drove in a run during the inning as the Lynx (38-57) won their second straight. Ottawa starter Bubba Nelson (3-6) allowed three runs two earned on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts over six innings.

Brian Sanch-es tossed two scoreless frames for his 11th save. Red Wings starter Dave Gassner (3-11) surrendered six runs five earned on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts over frames. Aeros 3, Phillies 2: At Akron, the Aeros scored twice in the sixth inning to defeat Read- MINORS FROM PAGE was built in 1987. So, instead of skyboxes and a giant-screen television, fans of the Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, get metal bleachers and a grainy light bright scoreboard. Which is unfortunate because the field rests on one of the most unique plots of land of any park anywhere.

In the middle of the Susquehanna River, which splits Har-risburg in two, rests City Island. Forever it was nothing more than a place for weeds to grow and for people to park their cars. Twenty-one years ago, when Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed helped land the city its first minor league baseball franchise since 1952, he envisioned a baseball stadium as the centerpiece of City Island's development. And it has been. Today on City Island, there are batting cages, a miniature golf course and a dock for a paddleboat that gives visitors a cruise on the Susquehanna.

And in the next few weeks, the Senators will welcome their five-millionth fan. 1 However, Commerce Bank Park, as it's now called, is about as intimate as an igloo. The seats immediately behind home plate are raised eight to ,10 feet above the field, which is low compared to the bleachers that rest on top of two dugouts tall enough to accommodate a pair of Shaquille O'Neals stacked one on top of the other. The Only field-level seats are well up the foul lines. And compared to their peers, the Senators do very little in the way of in-game would be the envy of the minor leagues.

But the Pennsylvania capital isn't, for no other reason than bad timing. COMING SUNDAY: The ScrantonWilkes-Barre Yankees. entirely, giving fans seated behind home plate a gorgeous view of downtown Harrisburg just on the other side of the Susquehanna. Unfortunately, flooding concerns will prevent that from happening, Vander Woude said. But if they could better yet, if they could go back to 1987, wait four years, and then build a park Harrisburg James.hartmcall.com 610-820-6133 entertainment, which explains why the crowd is predominately older.

This said, it's still a bargain compared to nearby Hershey-park. "It's an enjoyable night out," said Mike Potteiger, who brings his two kids to about five games a season. "It's just nice to have baseball in Harrisburg." The stadium is due for a major renovation, said Todd Vander Woude, the team's general manager since Day 1. According to Vander Woude, the plan is to redo the entire seating area, add an upper bowl with suites and redesign the front entry gate. Though funding for the renovation has not been secured, Vander Woude anticipates the project's completion by 2009.

In an ideal world, the stadium would be flipped around Sports Card Couectisiis Shgw PALMER PARK MALL Shiatsu Spa Sauna Body Shampoo July 20, 2007 10-9 July 21,2007 10-9 July 22, 2007 11-5 Open 7 Days a Week 10 a.m. til midnight A II SGC on site taking submissions Sat. Only 12-8 3752 Route 309 Orefield A Sponsored by Enterprises, Inc. Corner Rt. 248 Park Ave 7i wmmm 610-3987636 Call Todd or Lynn Solt 61 0-377-0496 Palmer Township, Easton, Pa.