JETHAWKS READY FOR FIRST FLIGHT : TEAM FIGHTS PREGAME JITTERS.Byline: Dave Desmond Daily News Staff Writer It may be difficult to hear the national anthem tonight at Lancaster Municipal Stadium over the thumping hearts of JetHawks and High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks are a minor league baseball team in Adelanto, California, USA. Their Major League parent club is the Seattle Mariners. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and had been a farm team of the Kansas City Royals since 2005 before the switch. players. ``I'll be nervous more than anything,'' first-year JetHawks center fielder Joe Mathis said before the opener of the 1997 California League The California League is a minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth season. ``I guess I just want to make a good first impression for the fans here.'' The 140-game Cal League season can be an endurance test endurance test n → prueba de resistencia endurance test n → test m d'endurance endurance test endurance n at times, but the JetHawks appear ready to dive in. ``Everybody's anxious to get the season rolling and get that first win,'' pitcher Aaron Scheffer said. As a major-league player, first-year manager Rick Burleson ``I remember one thing Carlton Fisk told me a long time ago,'' Burleson said. ``He said play down opening day. So many guys have bad opening days because they're too jacked up. ``Just play it down, be yourself and everything will fall into place.'' No doubt, it's a good philosophy. But tough to carry out. ``I know there will be an adrenaline rush and I'll be nervous early on,'' said pitcher Kevin Gryboski Kevin John Gryboski (born November 15, 1973 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, U.S.), is a Major League Baseball player with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League. Gryboski, a right-handed pitcher, was acquired by the Atlanta Braves in January 2002 and traded to Texas in July of 2005 for , who gets tonight's start. ``It's an honor for me to be the opening-day starter. There's something special about opening day.'' Pitching coach Jim Slaton One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). pitcher. ``I can name every one of my opening days,'' said Slaton, who had three season-opening assignments during his career. During one, Slaton allowed a single, home run, single and another home run to the first four Boston hitters he faced - not an auspicious beginning. ``There were 50,000 fans in Milwaukee who started to get a bit unruly,'' said Slaton, who recovered to pitch nine innings in a 5-4 victory. There might be a lesson in there somewhere: It's not necessarily how you start, it's how you finish. ``To me, opening day is a lot like working in a new glove,'' pitcher John Thompson said. ``It starts out a little tense, but the more you play with it, the more it breaks into your style.'' The JetHawks finished 71-69 last season, missing the playoffs. This year expectations are higher. ``We have a good club,'' returning catcher Dusty Wathan said. ``I won't be nervous as much as I will be excited. You've got a lot of guys who have worked real hard all off season for the opportunity to show how far they've come. We just want to get out there.'' JETHAWK LINEUP Mathis CF Dean 2B Tinoco DH Clifford 1B Buhner LF Villalobos 3B Brock RF Wathan C MolinaSS Gryboski P HIGH DESERT LINEUP Maddox CF GogligoskiSS Lee 1B Stoner ston·er n. 1. One that stones. 2. Slang a. One who is habitually intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. b. One who is a delinquent or failure. LF Cameron RF Durkac 3B Davis C Spivey 2B Panaro DH CAPTION(S): 6 Photos, Box Photo: (1) Opening Day starter Kevin Gryboski (2) MATHIS (3) DEAN (4) TINOCO (5) CLIFFORD (6) BURLESON Box: JETHAWK LINEUP (see text) |
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