Hemstitching: Baseballs, Perez, Archer, Hayhurst

Baseball Sewing Machine

In the weaver’s world the word hemstitching is used for two purposes: to tie up loose ends (literally, because an “end” is a thread in a warp) and for decoration.

• As it turns out, efforts to build a machine to stitch baseballs haven't been very successful.
• For a bit of fun, let’s recall the 2008 season when Fernando Perez was just about the most exciting player WDBB had ever seen. The hitting coach that year? Gary Gaetti. So 2013 in Houston could be interesting. Perez tweets that he has signed with an independent league team, Houston’s Sugarland Skeeters managed by former Durham Bull hitting coach Gaetti. As far as I can tell Perez was out of baseball all of 2012, so it will be interesting to see if he can get back to his game.
• Over at Rays Colored Glasses, Chris Archer spoke with Robbie Knopf about 2012 and getting ready for 2013.
• Remember Dirk Hayhurst? The writer/pitcher spent most of 2011 with the Durham Bulls. He’s obviously got a book in progress about that year. Here are some excerpts (here and here) about his early in 2011 encounters with Rays manager Joe Maddon.
• I find myself agreeing with RCG writer David Hill, Leslie Anderson seems to be a forgotten man in the Rays system. Too bad. Hill reports that Anderson doesn’t even have an invitation to the Rays Spring Training camp.