RailCats Catcher Jose Yepez

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- RailCats Catcher Jose Yepez slides into home scoring a run as Saints Catcher Jeremy Frost drops the ball at Midway Stadium on July 28, 2005.

RailCats Outfielder Scott Samuels

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- RailCats outfielder Scott Samuels gives it 110% during a game against the Saint Paul Saints at Midway Stadium on July 28, 2005.

Most Outstanding Player 2005

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The Most Outstanding Player award for the 2005 All Star Game went to Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks outfielder Richard Austin. (Photo from FM RedHawks game against the Saints at Midway Stadium on June 15, 2005)

2005 All Star Game Crowd Pleaser

"They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays." -Ted Williams

The Northern League All Star Game went off beautifully tonight in the host city of Gary, Indiana at the Gary SouthShore RailCats home ballpark the U.S. Steel Yard. An energized crowd of more than 6,800 turned out for the event.

Known as a pitchers park, the U.S. Steel Yard still produced a crowd-pleasing show with 15 home runs hit during the derby. While many of the Northern Leagues finest were in the All Star Game there was no shortage of deserving talent watching from the stands in support of their teammates.

The night ended with the Northern Division All Stars winning the contest 5 to 1 over the Southern Division. Tonight everyone who participated can go home a winner because they did an incredible job showcasing their talents and the caliber of talent the Northern League produces.

The Most Outstanding Player award for the 2005 All Star Game went to Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks Outfielder Richard Austin. For the All Star Game he produced 1 single, 1 double and 1 home run.

Saint Paul Saints RHP Matt Hammons

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints RHP Matt Hammons pitches against Sioux Falls at Midway Stadium on July 17, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints Meyer And Hall

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints Meyer and Hall work together for an out against Sioux Falls at Midway Stadium on July 17, 2005.

Sioux Falls Pitches Against Saint Paul

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Sioux Falls pitches against the Saint Paul Saints at Midway Stadium on July 17, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints Chad Ehrnsberger

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints Chad Ehrnsberger slides into first base during an attempted pick off by the Canaries at Midway Stadium on July 16, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints Justin Hall Warms Up

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints Justin Hall airborne during the pre-game warm up at Midway Stadium on July 16, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints RHP Adam Larson

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints RHP Adam Larson throws against the
Lincoln SaltDogs at Midway Stadium on July 10, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints Nick Gretz Gets A Hit Off Lincoln

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Saint Paul Saints Nick Gretz gets a hit off a Lincoln SaltDogs pitcher at Midway Stadium on July 10, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints RHP Rich Cartier

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints RHP Rich Cartier pitches against the Lincoln SaltDogs at Midway Stadium on July 10, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints Mascot Mudonna Celebrates

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Saint Paul Saints mascot Mudonna celebrates with Saints Infielder Billy Munoz moments after the Saints win the Northern League Southern Division first half at Midway Stadium on July 9, 2005.

Mudonna Celebrates Saints Win

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Saint Paul Saints mascot Mudonna joins in the celebration as the Saints win Northern League first half at Midway Stadium on July 9, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints Win

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Saint Paul Saints win the Northern League Southern Division first half at Midway Stadium on July 9, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints Win

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Saint Paul Saints rush to celebrate with closer RHP Matt Hammons on the mound when they win the Northern League Southern Division first half at Midway Stadium on July 9, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints T. Brown

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Saint Paul Saints T. Brown slides into third against the Lincoln SaltDogs at Midway Stadium on July 9, 2005.

Lincoln SaltDogs LHP

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Lincoln SaltDogs LHP throws against the Saint Paul Saints at Midway Stadium on July 9, 2005.

Saint Paul Saint Chad Ehrnsberger

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Saint Paul Saint Chad Ehrnsberger slides into second against the Lincoln Salt Dogs at Midway Stadium on July 9, 2005

Saint Paul Saints RHP David Shepard

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SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Saint Paul Saints RHP David Shepard pitches against the Lincoln Salt Dogs in the race to victory for the first half Southern Division Championship on July 9, 2005.

Saints Clinch South Division

"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry, you know anything that travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?" -Bull Durham, 1988

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Tonight the Saint Paul Saints won the South Division of the Northern League in a 13 to 9 victory over the Lincoln Salt Dogs. It was another incredible victory for the Saints with Manager George Tsamis. Lincoln gained an early lead but the Saints batters woke up and came back with a vengeance in the 6th inning to take the lead. In all Saints batters Josh Renick, Billy Munoz, Mike Forbes and Jeremy Frost hit 4 home runs to contribute to the Saints chances of beating Lincoln and clinching this division title. It will be interesting to watch how the Saints do in the second half of the season. They've clinched the division 1st half, will they be able to win another Northern League Championship or is there a sleeping giant waiting to open up the second half? Only time and a whole lot more baseball will tell.

Saint Paul Saints Nick Gretz

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints Nick Gretz at Midway Stadium on July 8, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints RHP Darren Truty

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints RHP Darren Truty pitches against the Salt Dogs at Midway Stadium on July 8, 2005.

Saint Paul Saints RHP Hank Woodman

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SAINT PAUL, Minn.- Saint Paul Saints RHP Hank Woodman pitches against the Salt Dogs at Midway Stadium on July 8, 2005

RailCats RHP Travis Kerber

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FARGO, N.D.- RailCats RHP Travis Kerber pitches relief for LHP Jamie Bennett against the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks on July 5, 2005.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

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FARGO, N.D.- Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks watch the game against the Gary SouthShore RailCats from the dug out on July 5, 2005.

RailCats Outfielder Anthony Iapoce

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FARGO, N.D.- RailCats Outfielder Anthony Iapoce takes off like a shot after a hit against the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks on July 5, 2005.

RailCats SS Jay Pecci Warms Up In Fargo

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FARGO, N.D.- RailCats SS Jay Pecci warms up at Newman Outdoor Field before the RailCats take on the RedHawks on July 5, 2005.

Lighthouse West Of Shoreline Village

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LONG BEACH, Calif.- Lighthouse West of Shoreline Village on June 29, 2005.

You Know A Dream Is Like A River...

Garth Brooks sang an incredible song called, "The River"
these are a few of the lyrics I find poignant:

You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows
And a dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores.

I had the opportunity recently to spend time visiting with someone I have tremendous respect for. A few years ago, I had lost sight of my goals. This extremely talented individual, along with a few other very important people I am blessed to have in my life had an enormous impact on the choices I've made since I met him during the 2003 Northern League season. When I spoke with him about the direction my life has taken he advised me to keep doing what I love and even when things are going great to remain grounded, go with the tide and just enjoy what you are doing with out expectations. If you get too wrapped up anticipating what might happen you will set yourself up for a huge disappointment when it does not. He continues to inspire me because he has the courage to keep following his dreams.

Even though we feel some amount of control over the path our lives take, we are the dreamers and life is what happens to us along the way. Some days it is clear sailing and other days we have to be prepared for stormy weather.

Important things I think we need to remember about life:

1. How blessed we are by the people who are in
our lives to support us along our journey.

2. A life preserver (good friends) comes in handy even on a day
with clear sailing, rough waters could be around the bend.

3. Dream big, but remember to keep your feet planted firmly
on the ground. (If your head gets in the clouds, you might crash
and burn when reality gets a hold of you.)

4. No matter where the journey takes you, enjoy the ride
because you cannot change the scenery.

5. Remember to live your life to the fullest every day.

Thank you to all the people who have been in my life for a moment along the shoreline and for those who've weathered the storm while enjoying the scenery with me along the way! No matter what happens in my life I will always remember how you stood by to keep me grounded when I finally found my wings to fly.

Familiar Northern League Faces Now Golden

"It's deja vu all over again" -Yogi Berra

I went to Santa Monica, California this past week on business and had the opportunity to stay in Long Beach, CA to attend a few baseball games with the newest independent league, the Golden Baseball League. The Golden Baseball League consists of 8 teams split in two divisions between California and Arizona. One team consists of all Japanese baseball players from Japan.

I attended games at Blair Field in Long Beach and enjoyed watching the Armada play against the Fullerton Flyers and the Surprise Fighting Falcons. A few familiar ex Northern Leaguers have been participating in the Golden Baseball League this year including ex RailCat RHP Sazi Guthrie who has pitched relief for the Long Beach Armada this season. Ex RailCat SS Gary Templeton II is currently playing SS for the Fullerton Flyers out of Fullerton, CA. Gary Templeton Sr. is the current Field Manager for the Fullerton Flyers and ex RailCat Outfielder Billy Brown now plays for the Surprise Fighting Falcons. This league is in its inaugural season with room for growth, if you'd like to learn more about this new league and any other Northern League player who may have been traded to the league this season information can be found at: http://www.goldenbaseball.com/

Surprise Outfielder Billy Brown

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LONG BEACH, Calif.- Former RailCats outfielder now Surprise outfielder Billy Brown slides into second for an out on a double play by the Long Beach Armada at Blair Field on June 30, 2005.

Fullerton Flyers SS Gary Templeton II

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LONG BEACH, Calif.- Gary Templeton II, former RailCats infielder now SS for the Fullerton Flyers is out at second at Blair Field against the Long Beach Armada on June 29, 2005.

Fullerton Manager Gary Templeton Sr.

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LONG BEACH, Calif.- Field Manager for the Fullerton Flyers, Gary Templeton Sr., manages third base at Blair Field against the Long Beach Armada on June 29, 2005.

Long Beach Armada RHP Sazi Guthrie

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LONG BEACH, Calif.- RHP Sazi Guthrie, former Northern League RailCats starter, now Long Beach Armada relief pitcher finishes a pre-game bp warm up before the Armada take on the Fullerton Flyers at Blair Field on June 28, 2005.