Stark Truth: 3 Things

Kitsap Sports Banquet
I thought Saturday’s banquet honoring area athletes and coaches at the Kitsap Sun Pavilion was a huge success. Area athletic directors came up with a stellar list of candidates and Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman was certainly in his element as the master of ceremonies.
Bozeman, who grew up as a foster child, talked about how coaches had been such a positive influence on his life and he delivered an inspirational talk about leadership. You don’t have to agree with everything he’s done, but you have to admit that the man has vision, is passionate about what he believes in and he’s getting things done.
He broke down his leadership talk into eight parts. No. 1 was the most important: Hang around smart people. Seek ’em out. Listen to them. Really listen to them. Good advice.

Kitsap BlueJackets
The fourth-year collegiate baseball team is on a roll. After stumbling out of the blocks 0-6, they’ve won eight of their last nine games as they head into a six-game homestand against Moses Lake and Kelowna, B.C.
After three years of being primarily a pitching-dominated team, the BlueJackets are doing it with their bats right now. Kitsap’s hitting .284. They’re averaging over seven runs a game, scoring 10 or more in four of their past six games. Opponents, incidentally, are hitting .297 against Kitsap pitching so the possibility of a high-scoring game is pretty good when you head out to the ball yard.
And if offense doesn’t turn you on, there’s always the Burrito Batter. The BlueJackets designate an opposing player the Burrito Batter at every home game. If that batter strikes out, all fans get a free burrito at Taco Bell by showing their ticket.

Willie’s Streak
Did you know Seattle’s Willie Bloomquist has gone 78 games without getting an extra base hit? The unofficial record, according to baseball sleuths, is 100 games, set by Greg Gross 1988-99 while with the Phillies and Astros. The record for at-bats without getting an extra base hit in a season is 124 by Dwain Anderson in 1973 with the Cardinals and Padres. Willie’s had 84 at bats this season with 21 singles for a .250 average.
He doesn’t have a lot of power, but it doesn’t mean the South Kitsap grad isn’t a valuable player. Jeremy Reed only has four extra base hits in 79 at bats, but he’s hitting .304. I’d argue that the energy of those two guys had as much to do with the M’s winning six of nine games on their recent road trip as any position player on the team, with the possible exception of Adrian Beltre.