Hickory sticks

Sporting News, The, August 15, 1994 by Pat Jordan, Mark Newman

For Darrell Turbyfill, the Crawdads' No. 1 fan, that improvement brings with it mixed emotions. He is beginning to feel the same fleeting sensation that burned inside any of us who ever watched a Fred Lynn at Pawtucket, a Mark Fidrych at Evansville. Pitcher Tom Fordham, Turbyfill's favorite player, was leading the Sally League in strikeouts and then moved up the White Sox ladder. "You're kind of disappointed when they go up, but you don't want him to be held back," Turbyfill says. "He's got a job to do, and his dream is going up the ladder. Still, it's kind of hard to see a guy play for you, and you know he'll be gone soon."

Turbyfill says he looks forward to the day when that first Hickory player makes it to Comiskey Park, or to somewhere else in The Show. Who will it be? Six Crawdads (and Manager Fred Kendall) made the Sally League all-star team. One of them was Fordham. Another was Archie Vazquez, who was 6-3 with a 1.36 ERA and 20 saves through August 3. The other four have been the nucleus this season, which enjoyed a 37-32 first half. Here is a synopsis of the nucleus, with comments from Larry Monroe, the White Sox's vice president for scouting and minor league operations:

* Right fielder Magglio Ordonez. Possibly Hickory's best prospect, the Venezuelan has a strong arm and was hitting .310 with 6 homers, 44 RBIs and 11 steals, mostly batting fifth. "He's really matured as a player. We used to see certain shots of ability, but now he's become consistent."

* Catcher Scott Vollmer. Could this be Ron Karkovice's everyday replacement? The former Pepperdine standout was hitting .269 with 7 homers and 75 RBIs. "He's a mature catcher who can do all phases of the game. He's got some power, and he's kind of led the team."

* First baseman Harold Williams. The organization's player of the month in May, he was hitting .288 with 17 homers and 71 RBIs. "Harold is a power hitter who has been more consistent this year. He had a hot start, tapered off around late June and has been doing well again."

* Shortstop Jason Goligoski. The Sox's eighth pick in 1993 out of Western Montana College, he was batting .254 with 50 RBIs, 73 walks and a team-high 14 steals. "He's done just a solid job at short, and now we're playing him at third a little bit."

Attendance prize

North Carolina had 45 organized baseball teams in 1950, second in the nation only to Texas (47). But then came television and a steady decline at the minor league gate.

Well, they're back. The minors hit the 30-million mark in attendance last season, the most since 1950, and the average of 3,316 was the highest ever reported by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the minors' governing body. Of the top 10 draws in Class A last season, six--led by Hickory--were from North Carolina. Who's hot this year? According to Howe SportsData, these are the top five average home draws for each of the three minor league classifications through August 3:

A A A

           Affiliate             League     Avg. crowd

1. Buffalo (Pirates)         American Assn.   13,515
2. Salt Lake City (Twins)    Pacific Coast    10,042
3. Ottawa (Expos)            International      8,596
4. Louisville (Cardinals)    American Assn.     7,924
5. Norfolk (Mets)            International      7.708
     A A

1. Birmingham (White Sox)   Southern   6,676
2. San Antonio (Dodgers)    Texas      5,957
3. Tulsa (Rangers)          Texas      5,379
4. Portland (Marlins)       Eastern    5,293
5. Trenton (Tigers)         Eastern    4,948
     A

1. West Michigan (A's)         Midwest          6,671
2. Lake Elsinore (Angels)      California       5,916
3. Rancho Cucamonga (Padres)   California       5,763
4. Kane County (Marlins)       Midwest          5,755
5. Wilmington (Royals)         Carolina         5,022
11. Hickory (White Sox)        South Atlantic   3,611