Stompers Conquer Adversity In 8-7 Comeback Win

Joel Carranza looks at his team-leading fifth homer of the season that helped spur on the Stompers come-from-behind win in Vallejo on Saturday night.

Danielle Putonen/Sonoma Stompers

Sam Miller, Special Assistant to the GM, Scouting

It’s clear early in this season that the Stompers can hit, and pitch, and field, and steal, and rip off the sort of hot streak that leaves the rest of the league five games back two weeks in. What wasn’t clear was whether they could do the one thing that every team, even every great team, must: Bounce back from adversity.

And now we know.

After two close, hard-fought losses to Pittsburg and Vallejo, the Stompers went into Saturday’s game looking to avoid their first losing streak of the season. They fell behind, then further behind, and before the twilight shadows had even reached the field Sonoma was down 7-2. Vallejo’s starting pitcher Nick Flory was painting corners in the middle innings, slowly expanding the strike zone and repeatedly enticing Stompers to take fastball hacks against off-speed finesse. Through six, he had allowed just the two early runs on a wind-aided home run by Mark Hurley, striking out five and walking just one. And that’s when Sonoma’s thunder struck.

With one out in the seventh, Sergio Miranda and Gered Mochizuki put together back-to-back doubles; Joel Carranza and Isaac Wenrich followed with back-to-back home runs, and in a five-minute spree the Stompers had cut the lead from five to one—and knocked the beguiling Flory out of the game.

By that point, the Stompers starter Mike Jackson, Jr. was also in the showers, having fought through five innings. While the converted reliever wasn’t as sharp as he had been in his first two starts, he also wasn’t as bad as his final line (seven runs, four earned, on 12 hits) appeared. Many of those hits were aided by a thick Vallejo infield surface, which restrained groundballs so tightly that quality pitches were turning into timid infield singles. (No such excuse exists for allowing P.J. Phillips’ long third-inning home run, however.)

Jackson gave way to lefty Paul Hvozdovic, who rebuffed the Admirals’ assault and kept the lead at five—then, after the Stompers’ seventh-inning rally narrowed the gap, to one.

Meanwhile, after Flory left, the Admirals turned to Josh Evans, a hard-throwing right-hander who had struck out 17 batters in 11 innings and allowed just one run on the year. The previous night, Vallejo’s power bullpen shut down the Stompers, but against Evans Sonoma rallied: Matt Hibbert doubled and Fehlandt Lentini did, too, tying the game. An error at first base put runners at the corners, and, with one out, Gered Mochizuki grounded to second base. That thick infield again claimed its toll, slowing the ball enough that Vallejo couldn’t turn an inning-ending double play. Mochizuki beat the relay to first while Lentini crossed the plate.

Hvozdovic returned to the mound and held the Admirals scoreless once more, striking out Glenn Walker with the tying run in scoring position. Hvozdovic stomped off the mound in triumph, having struck out four while allowing only one baserunner.

The only sour mark came when Kristian Gayday, in a race against Flory to first base, lunged for the base and landed with awkward force. He crumpled to the ground and writhed in pain for more than a minute. He was able to leave the field unassisted a couple minutes later, with a limp but some optimism that the injury will be no worse than day-to-day.

Saturday was not the first time Sonoma has trailed big this year, and it was not the first time they back, either. The Stompers trailed Pittsburg 9-2 in the season’s first series and won, 10-9. They trailed San Rafael 5-0 last weekend and won. And, on Saturday, they completed the tour of the league’s bullpens, rallying from five down against Vallejo. It’s as though they’re touring the region and spray painting their message: No Lead Is Safe.

In the most literal sense, the explanation for their ability to comeback is obvious: They have a deep lineup that puts sustained pressure on pitchers; they have power and speed, patience and aggression, and no matter what sort of pitcher they’re facing they have a solution in the lineup who matches up well. And they have an extremely powerful bullpen, one that confidently shuts down offenses for half-games at a time, a five-man unit that, after Saturday’s game, has thrown a cumulative 46 innings and allowed just seven runs—a 1.39 ERA.

But maybe the most important factor, and the most daunting one for the rest of the Pacific Association, is simply this: When they take a punch, they spring right back up. For league rivals looking for Sonoma’s weakness this year, cross one possibility off the list: This team knows how to bounce back from adversity.

Jose Canseco Is Coming To A Ballpark Near You And He's Looking For Redemption

Jose Canseco steps to the plate.

Spencer Silva/SB Nation

Originally Published (With Video & Audio): Athletics Nation - SB Nation

pencer Silva, Columnist

Jose Canseco is not boring; never was, never has been, never will be. With so much fuss being made of "playing the game the right way" and "respecting the unwritten rules" of baseball, it's easy to forget why we love watching sports: it's the only truly unpredictable form of entertainment. Mr. Canseco embodies that particular brand of entertainment, both on and off the field.

During his pro career, he was famous for mammoth shots well into the upper decks of major league ballparks, authoring Major League Baseball's first 40/40 season, and also authoring "Juiced," the book in which he outed himself as the so-called "godfather" of baseball's now infamous Steroid Era.

He's received equal attention for his off-the-field exploits, which range from run-ins with the law, insisting Madonna wanted "his genes" in the form of a love child, shooting off his own finger with a semi-automatic shotgun, firing rounds at sharks while deep sea fishing (with a different semi-automatic weapon), hosting pool parties debated in the halls of congress, auctioning off a fire-breathing, horned Bud Selig portrait on twitter, and painting his pet turtle -- aptly named "Juiced" -- to resemble Iron Man. The list could go on and on... and on.

Since leaving Major League Baseball, Canseco has made a second career out of playing for non-affiliated minor league baseball teams -- or, more colloquially, independent league teams. This past weekend -- as AN readers will know -- Canseco played for the Sonoma Stompers and has signed a three-day contract to play for the Pittsburg Diamonds next week (June 23-25). (Vivek wrote a nice piece about the Diamonds and Canseco, which you can read here.) The fans will be treated to the customary Jose Canseco experience: a handful of at-bats, batting practice, and, on Thursday, a home run derby.

I went to last Friday's game in Sonoma and had a chance to catch up with Canseco to find out what he's been up to, and how, despite being long in the tooth (in baseball years) and down a finger (it's still there, but he'll never have full use of it), he manages to compete with players half his age, as he puts it.

Jose Canseco is still massive. Even at 50 -- he'll tell you he's 51 -- some 250 pounds hang from his 6-foot-4-inch frame. Veins twist around his forearms like vines on a stone column, his biceps the size of watermelons, and his teeth are so white they look like they must glow in the dark. He's just finished a round of batting practice on this hot Friday afternoon, and he sits on the dugout bench to answer a few questions. He's in great shape, but, catching his breath, mentions "I haven't taken that kind of BP in awhile."

Up first: Jose, why are you here?

People have drinking addictions, smoking addictions, drug addictions. My addiction is baseball. It's real simple. I enjoy being here, and, for me, it's an excuse to get in shape, to stay in shape and compete with guys half my age... I mean, I wouldn't care if I strike out four times, or if I hit a home run. It's going to be the same for me -- it's gonna be a great time.

Canseco didn't strike out four times Friday. In fact, he didn't even strike out once. Before the game he joked about his eye sight and how he needed to 'get out in front' on fastballs. But, the truth is, his bat speed is still elite. I shot the footage below at 400 frames per second (FPS) and, despite his age, his swing was still quicker than many of the others I shot at a much slower 120 FPS.

The swing yielded a deep fly out to centerfield. The Stompers' home, Arnold Field, is some 425 ft. to dead center, and this ball fell just 15 feet shy of the ivy-covered wall -- the wind was blowing in, too. Despite the Oh-fer, a palpable excitement filled the grandstand every time he stepped into the box. Asked how fans normally react to him these days, he said:

“You know, it's funny, cause it just depends. If I hit a home run my first at bat, the crowd goes crazy. So I think the fans see me physically and think, ‘wow, he's 51, but looks great physically.’ I don't think they want to see an old guy out there striking out, or swinging weakly. They want to see a Jose Canseco of the actual past, they want to see an aggressive swing. Sure, the fans would love to see me crush one over those lights, and kinda relive the old Oakland A's days. I would love to do that for them.”

The next evening at Arnold Field, he treated fans to the throwback he aspired to. In his third at-bat, he scorched a first-pitch fastball up in the zone from former Padres farmhand Max Beatty -- a pitch clocked at 90 mph, no less -- an estimated 410 feet over the bleachers in left center field.

He's right. No one wants to see an aging slugger, even one as great as Canseco, embarrass himself against competition he's clearly incapable of playing against. Upon review, however, it appears he still has more talent in his quinquagenarian body than most of us could ever dream of. Sure, he doesn't run well, the reason he's DH-ing in most of these events, but something special happens when he wraps his hands around that bat. It's as if the rasped piece of wood breathes new life into his aging body. The blurred image of a middle-aged man in a baseball uniform suddenly sharpens into the likeness of a former MVP. It's magical.

What's more, is... he's having fun. For someone with a choleric reputation (and an impressive rap sheet), he doesn't mind a laugh at his own expense. In fact, he welcomed the Stompers' four-fingered foam-hand promotion, a nod to the mishap that led to him shooting off his own finger last year, cleaning a shotgun. He wants to set his brash image aside and contends that his exploits have been overblown by the media for some 30 years, that the real Jose Canseco is a... nerd?

People who really know me, that spend day to day with me, know who I really am, and I'm really... a... a nerd. I mean, I may not look it, but people who know me, know I'm extremely quiet and conservative. Um, I'm a very pensive individual and sure, I make mistakes like anyone else -- I mean I shot my damn finger off -- but I'm not what the media has portrayed me to be for the last 30 years. Not even remotely close. Anyone who really knows me will tell you that.

He's equal parts self deprecating and confident, a coexistence hilariously found throughout the interview.

When you talk to Canseco about hitting, it's immediately clear you've broached a comfortable subject. He speaks much about the "Art of Power Hitting." And, if power hitting is an art form, Canseco is one of its masters, a Rembrandt or a Caravaggio. Despite what one may think, he doesn't preach the word of fence-swinging, but rather, compression:

People think I try to hit home runs, but I don't. I try to compress the baseball as hard as I possibly can, and when you do that: it goes. I try to hit the ball extremely hard. I don't try to hit balls out of the ballpark.

He says he's patenting an "invention" of his right now, a device he calls the PX4040 (or the "Power Extended 40/40"). It's the size of an elbow guard, and he claims that it adds "11 mph" of bat speed to a swing with its use. It's hard to know what to take at face value with Canseco, a man endearingly prone to hyperbole (in Juiced, for instance, he claimed to have run a 3.9 40-yard dash, which would be the fastest time on record).

After his "playing days" are over, he hopes to enter the coaching ranks. There's still a long row to hoe before he regains the trust of Major League Baseball, but it's hard not to believe Canseco is a relatively untapped resource for hitting instruction. Asked if he'd be interested in rejoining the MLB as a coach, he said:

I would love to. I think it's definitely been closed off. I think eventually I might be able to, if someone gives me a chance to be a, you know, a third base coach or hitting instructor at the major league level. I can definitely help out the power hitters to approach the ball with the proper angle and technique and compress it more and get some backspin behind it, to make the ball go further. I definitely know how to do that. Even at my age of 51.

The conflation of the past, present and future is blurry with Canseco. On one hand, he travels around the country doing events, largely on the back of a celebrity gained, at least in part, from stoking controversy and losing friends -- though he's quite proud of blowing the lid off baseball's steroid epidemic, even taking some credit for "cleaning up" the game. On the other hand, Canseco wants to be accepted back into major league parks. Last year's 1989 World Series reunion was a big event for Canseco, and in the broadcast booth, he found himself choked up describing the love and appreciation he felt from A's fans and the organization.

I was kind of in shock that they contacted me and asked me to do it.  I saw a lot of my former teammates, and they accepted me quite well. We relived the 1989 world series, and the fact that we won. I didn't know what kind of reply I would get from the fans, but I got a positive reply from them, and it was great.

If Jose Canseco comes through your town this summer -- and he probably will -- pay a visit to your local ballpark. He's still worth the price of admission.

Sonoma Loses Back-To-Back Games For First Time in 2015

Jeff Conley threw six strong innings on Saturday evening, but Sonoma dropped their second straight game in a 3-1 loss to Vallejo on Friday night.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

Facing a second consecutive starter with effectively wild tendencies, the Sonoma Stompers offense was stifled yet again, as Vallejo Admirals ace David Dinelli allowed only one run in his seven innings of work to hand Sonoma it's second straight loss on Friday night, 3-1.

The Stompers offense was once again held to five hits, but they actually held the lead for a good portion of the game after an RBI infield single by Danny Baptista in the fourth. But Dinelli (3-1), while needing 120 pitches to get through his start, was able to keep Sonoma off balance thanks to his wildness.

It was similar to what Sonoma (11-3) saw in Pittsburg starter James Trebus on Thursday, as Dinelli couldn't pinpoint the fastball, but was able to throw his very good splitter to offset his fastball command issues, much like Trebus threw his slider. Sonoma had two good chances to get more than just the one run in both the fifth and seventh innings, but just couldn't get the hits strung together to get back on track.

Vallejo's two runs in the sixth proved to be the difference, as an error by Gered Mochizuki at short led to an RBI double by Vallejo's (8-8) Tony McClendon to tie the game. After getting moved to third, McClendon scored on Kale Sumner's sacrifice fly, and Vallejo added their third run thanks to the speed of Darian Sandford, who stole his 23rd base and raced home on a throwing error by Sonoma catcher Andrew Parker.

Baptista had two hits on the night to lead the Stompers offense, who even with their struggles are still batting .303 as a team this season. They still lead the league in all three triple slash categories along with hits and runs scored, but the offense might be starting to normalize after 12 games of incredible offensive production.

On the hill, it was a good night for Jeff Conley (0-1) who even in defeat had a quality start and kept Vallejo off balance. He only allowed seven baserunners (6 H/1 BB) in six innings and didn't allow an earned run while striking out four.

The Stompers will try and bounce back on Saturday evening in game two of their series with Vallejo. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. with the radio broadcast featuring Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Sam Miller beginning at 4:45 on StompersBaseball.com and the TuneIn app. Mike Jackson, Jr. is the scheduled starter for the Stompers.

Stompers Edged By Diamonds, 3-2

Isaac Wenrich had two hits for Sonoma on Thursday night, but the Stompers offense only managed five hits in a 3-2 loss to Pittsburg.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

Faced with a rare bout of adversity in 2015, the Sonoma Stompers did everything they could in trying to complete their fourth sweep of the young season. It just wasn't quite enough as a three-run fourth inning held up for the home team and the Sonoma Stompers dropped their second game of the 2015 season to the Pittsburg Diamonds, 3-2.

The game was hitless for both teams through the first three innings, as Sonoma starter Gregory Paulino (1-2) and Pittsburg starter James Trebus (2-0) balanced bouts of wildness with swing and miss offerings. Trebus was especially wild early, walking five total in the first three innings that included a hit batter.

That batter was Stompers player-manager Fehlandt Lentini, who took a pitch off the area just above his left elbow in the third. He stayed in the game at that point, but in the bottom half of the inning, he removed himself from the game for precautionary reasons. Mark Hurley was inserted in right field and Matt Hibbert moved over to center field.

While both pitchers were tough on the other team's lineup, they each had issues in one inning that allowed runs to come across. Paulino's issues came in the fourth when three runs came in on four Pittsburg (5-10) hits, giving the Diamonds a 3-0 lead. Sonoma (11-2) had trouble getting to Trebus until the sixth. A stolen base by Sergio Miranda and a passed ball led to an RBI groundout by Joel Carranaza, but Sonoma wasn't done.

Isaac Wenrich's two-out single brought Yuki Yasuda to the plate, and after a blooper that just stayed fair down the right field line, Yasuda was off and running on the first pitch to Danny Baptista. An errant throw trying to gun him down at second allowed Wenrich to score and cut the deficit to one run, but Baptista struck out to end the inning.

That ended up being Sonoma's best chance in the game to tie things up, as the Diamonds did just enough on the hill to keep the Stompers normally prolific offense off the board. The five hits in the game were the fewest so far in a single game this season for Sonoma, and they left nine runners on base.

Paulino was very good in defeat, as outside of that fourth inning, the Dominican-born right-hander didn't allow a hit at all, striking out four and walking three in six total innings. After his disastrous first start against Pittsburg on June 3, Paulino has allowed only 10 baserunners in his last 14 innings of work spanning three appearances, including two starts.

Wenrich had two hits on the evening to lead the Stompers offense and TJ Gavlik made two fantastic plays at the hot corner to rob Pittsburg of extra base hits.

While they did not get the sweep, Sonoma won their three-game series against Pittsburg and will continue their road trip on Friday night against the Vallejo Admirals, who sit in second place and are five games back of the Stompers. The two teams will play their next six games against each other with game one of Sonoma's three game road series beginning at 7:05 p.m. Southpaw Jeff Conley is the probable starter for the Stompers.

Make It 11-1: Stompers Take Down Diamonds, 14-9

Fehlandt Lentini had his best game as a Stomper Wednesday night as he went 4-for-5 with a walk in Sonoma's 14-9 victory.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

It wasn't a one-hitter, but at the same time, it was another win that fit the billing of the Sonoma Stompers during their improbable run to start the 2015 season.

Hit, hit again, hit some more.

Led by player-manager Fehlandt Lentini's four-hit night, all nine Stompers recorded at least one hit and the team tied a franchise record with 17 hits as they held off a couple of rallies by the Pittsburg Diamonds in a 14-9 victory at City Park in Pittsburg Wednesday evening.

Sonoma (11-1) has had the most potent offense in the Pacific Association over the first two-plus weeks, and even with Pittsburg's (4-10) offense up for the challenge against Stompers starter Eric Schwieger (2-0), the Diamonds were just no match for a lineup that came into Wednesday's game featuring seven starters with a .750 OPS or better.

Whether it was with contact, power or plate discipline, the Stompers got a little bit of everything up and down the order. Lentini's contact approach as the team's leadoff man led to his best game as a Stomper, as he reached base five times in seven plate appearances. Gered Mochizuki also added three hits.

For power, it was Joel Carranza's two-run homer in the third inning and an RBI triple from Mark Hurley that put the Diamonds on their heels. Isaac Wenrich's leadoff double in the fifth began the biggest inning of the game for Sonoma, as a five-run rally brought all nine batters to the plate and put Sonoma up for good. Sonoma sent all nine batters to the plate in the seventh, as well.

Yet it was the plate discipline that was most impressive on Wednesday night, as up and down the lineup, seven of the team's nine starters drew at least one walk, with Danny Baptista drawing two while also going three-for-four.

It's the type of attack that shows off just how well-balanced the team has been through 12 games, and while it's a small sample size and subject to both batted-ball luck and cluster luck, the way the entire lineup has performed points more towards a talented team that's "firing on all cylinders," as starter Matt Walker described before the game. "There's not a weak spot in our lineup right now."

For the fourth straight three-game series, the Stompers will be going for a sweep, as they'll send 22-year-old Gregory Paulino to the hill in search of win #12 on Thursday. Paulino was tremendous in his most recent start on June 12, allowing only four baserunners and one earned run in six innings while striking out four against San Rafael.

The first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. with the radio pre-game show beginning at 6:45 both right here on StompersBaseball.com and the TuneIn app.

Stompers first to 10 wins after team's first ever 1-hitter by Walker

Matt Walker threw the first ever complete game shutout in Stompers history Tuesday night. He had a no-hitter going into the ninth inning before it got broken up by Henry Mejia with two outs to go.

Danielle Putonen/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

"It was a slider. It was a good pitch, but he got it."

That's what Sonoma Stompers catcher Isaac Wenrich said after Sonoma's 5-0 win on Tuesday night, describing a pitch from starter Matt Walker that led to the only hit of the night for the Pittsburg Diamonds.

It came with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Stompers were inching closer to yet another piece of history; it's a history that seems to be changing on a daily basis. As it turned out, Walker would have to settle for the team's first ever complete game shutout, and a one-hitter instead of a no-no, besting the combined six-hit shutout thrown by Sonoma against San Rafael on June 5 of last year.

Nonetheless, it was still a special night for the right-hander from Canada. His family was in attendance, having traveled down to spend the week with him, and they couldn't have had better timing. In fact, the buzz at City Park in Pittsburg was palpable  even after the crowd was amped after the announcement of the Golden State Warriors clinching their first NBA title in 40 years, as they were anticipating some history being made by the red hot Stompers.

But Henry Mejia broke it up with a single on that 1-2 pitch mentioned by Wenrich. After the single, Walker got two fly outs to end the game and put an end to the best start by a pitcher in team history. He threw 119 pitches, with 71 going for strikes. He was a bit wild, as he walked three and hit two batters, but his sinker/slider combo and command of both his changeup and curveball was terrific, and he induced plenty of weak contact all night long.

Wenrich credited Stompers bench coach Takashi Miyoshi with a lot of the success from Tuesday night, talking about how a change in his pitch calling kept the Pittsburg (4-9) hitters off-balance the whole night. It worked sensationally, and in addition to the pitch calling, Wenrich threw out yet another runner trying to steal a base on him, as Tim Battle became the seventh runner he's gunned down already in 2015.

Offensively, the Stompers put together their usual stellar performance. They fell a hit shy of yet another double-digit effort, but got hits from nearly everyone in the order on Tuesday night. Matt Hibbert was the only player with multiple hits, but a pair of two-run homers from Joel Carranza (3rd of the season) and Fehlandt Lentini (2nd) were the big knocks for Sonoma. Lentini's homer came on a 3-0 pitch in the fifth, as well, as the player/manager gave himself the proverbial green light.

The Stompers now own a +41 run differential on the season thanks to their second shutout win in team history. They will return to Pittsburg on Wednesday night for game two of a three game series at City Park. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. The radio broadcast will begin at 6:45 on StompersBaseball.com and the TuneIn app.

In Stint With Sonoma Stompers, Jose Canseco Still Draws A Crowd

Jose Canseco, former big-league star, was the designated hitter for the Sonoma Stompers when they faced off against the San Rafael Pacifics at Arnold Field in Sonoma on June 12, 2015.

Crista Jeremiason/The Press Democrat

Originally Published: Sonoma Index-Tribune, Press Democrat

Phil Barber, Columnist, The Press Democrat

They gave out 250 souvenir foam hands at Arnold Field on Friday night, except the hands didn’t look quite right. The tips of the foam middle fingers were missing, a little good-natured poke at the man who had accidentally shot off part of his left middle finger at his home in Las Vegas last October, then claimed (as a prank, he said) that the finger had been reattached, had fallen off during a poker game and would soon be auctioned on eBay.

Welcome to Jose Canseco Weekend.

More than 1,000 fans came to watch Canseco and the Sonoma Stompers play the San Rafael Pacifics on Friday night, a far cry from the packed Major League Baseball stadiums Canseco used to grace, but a pretty good gate for an independent minor league team. Attendance was expected at least to match that tonight when Canseco, one of the most renowned sluggers of his generation and a tabloid stalwart ever since, is scheduled to take on all comers in a home run derby.

“The type of visibility that he gives us, even if it’s for a weekend, you can’t really put a dollar amount on it,” Stompers general manager Theo Fightmaster said of the promotion.

By this weekend, abetted by Canseco’s 500,000-plus Twitter followers, the Stompers’ foam-finger idea had popped up in Bloomberg News and the Toronto Sun. Comcast Bay Area came up to shoot a video on Canseco, and Stompers PR man Tim Livingston had a heavy log of radio interviews.

Fourteen years after his last major league game, Canseco remains an attraction. Fans haven’t forgotten the guy who was named American League rookie of the year in 1986 and AL most valuable player in 1988, who played in three consecutive World Series with the A’s, who hit 462 career home runs and was a five-time All-Star.

Canseco says he’s 51, but he’s actually 50 until July 2. Anyway, he doesn’t really look it. He has a deep tan and perfect white teeth, and he seems to be nearly as ripped as he was in the Bash Brothers era, a physique honed these days through softball, golf, swimming and the gym.

In the Stompers dugout Friday night, Canseco was one of the guys — older, bigger, but definitely one of the guys. He stood at the rail alongside players half his age and joined in the typical dugout banter. He complained about the umpiring, commented on the difficult sightlines created by the shadows creeping in from the third-base line and noted how slow the outfield grass was at Arnold Field.

When the opposing pitcher attempted a pickoff move to first base, Canseco yelled “baaaack” along with the other Stompers. In fact, a couple times he was the first to say it, picking up the pitcher’s move just a little earlier than the 23-year-olds.

At one point, one of the regular Stompers asked Canseco what he does to stay loose when he’s the designated hitter, as he was that night, and doesn’t spend any time in the field.

“Nothing,” Canseco said, shaking his head. “There’s nothing you can do. Just don’t sit down. You’re dead if you sit down.”

Canseco seems to have entered yet another career phase. During his early years with the A’s he was the playboy superstar, reckless and incandescent. Later, he bounced around the league and lost his air of intimidation. Then Canseco became the symbol of baseball’s dirty Steroid Era. And then he became something even darker, the guy who blew the whistle on other abusers, including former teammates.

Canseco dropped most of his performance-enhancement bombshells in two books, “Juiced” and “Vindicated.” He named names, and his disclosures made him a pariah in MLB circles, but he’s convinced they were for the best.

“I think the books cleaned up the game, period,” he said. “The game wouldn’t be the greatest game today if it wasn’t for the books. I think the game’s completely clean. If you look at the financial structure of it, it’s completely healthy. … I think it made even baseball say, wow, we’d better clean this game up now.”

The tell-all books have ushered in the most recent iteration of Jose Canseco: the human publicity stunt. He fought MMA bouts and boxed against Danny Bonaduce, aka Danny Partridge, for charity. He has used his Twitter platform to (a) promote “comet transport” as a key to human survival, (b) propose to Country-Western singer Shania Twain, who happens to be married and (c) express his willingness to succeed Sepp Blatter as president of FIFA. He recorded a video with the guys behind the website Slow Clap in which he wrote a poem of apology to Mark McGwire, one of the teammates he exposed, and tried to deliver it to McGwire, now a batting instructor, at Dodger Stadium.

Canseco clearly has developed the ability to not take himself too seriously. Take the Stompers promotion.

“That was the scariest part for me, was over the phone with him and his agent and telling them the idea about the foam finger,” Fightmaster said. “There was a pause long enough that I got worried, and then they both cracked up.”

Canseco not only assented to the idea, when he met with the Stompers brass on Friday afternoon he regaled them with a detailed recounting of that fateful October.

“He told us, like, step by step and pace by pace what happened,” Fightmaster said. “You know, ‘I was cleaning four guns at once, and I had all the magazines over to the right, and I’m on the fourth gun, and my girlfriend comes in and she distracts me, and I grab the wrong gun, I put the wrong clip in.’ ”

Pow.

Minor league baseball games have been another means of attention. Canseco says he played in 21 cities last summer, and Sonoma won’t be his only stop this time around. He really isn’t sure of the itinerary? “You have to ask my agent,” he said.

It’s a little confusing to see an athlete who once dated Madonna and had a candy bar named after him — the Canseco! 40/40 bar, to honor his 42 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 1988 — subjecting himself to a 95-degree afternoon in sleepy Sonoma.

“People have addictions. This is mine,” Canseco explained. “My addiction’s baseball.”

In person, Canseco doesn’t seem to be starved for attention. When a Stompers teammate hit a home run Friday night, Canseco joined the receiving line for a high five, but hung back in the shadows of the dugout rather than taking center stage. His eagerness to sign up for minor-league paydays, and his devotion to paid autograph sessions, leads to an obvious question then: Does this guy need the money?

“I won’t answer that question,” Canseco said. “I’ve already answered why I’m here. I just love the game.”

Fightmaster acknowledged that Canseco was paid for his appearances, and in fact made more than anyone else on the Stompers this weekend (and possibly for the entire year), but declined to disclose the fee.

“This is a big part of our marketing budget for this year,” Fightmaster offered.

Though from Canseco’s perspective, considering he made more than $45 million in salary and bonuses during his MLB career and that “Juiced” was on the New York Times bestseller list for eight weeks, it’s hard to imagine the Stompers’ paycheck as a princely sum. “I would be certain that’s not the case,” Fightmaster said. “In a vacuum, he’s well compensated for these events. But I don’t know how many of these he could do to really make a living off of it.”

Canseco’s show played to mixed reviews Friday night. He went 0 for 4, a fact that was not lost on Ryan DeJesus, the starting pitcher for the Pacifics.

“When you can have a former MVP go oh-fer against you, it’s a little confidence booster,” De Jesus said, though he was generally unhappy with his performance in a 6-2 loss.

But Canseco still has some pop in his bat, even at 50. Nobody threw a pitch past him Friday night, and he put on an impressive display of power during batting practice that afternoon.

“I’m gonna need to go buy baseballs on Monday,” Fightmaster said. “There’s literally 20 baseballs outside the stadium now. All the good ones, too, because the mushy ones wouldn’t carry as far.”

Canseco knows that after all these years, after all the revelations and the outrage over steroids, baseball fans still dig the long ball. He has doffed his cap in Lexington, Ky., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a couple-dozen other minor-league cities, and the expectations are always the same.

“If I hit a home run my first at-bat, crowd goes crazy,” Canseco said. “I think the fans see me and say, wow, he’s 51 but he looks great physically. I don’t think they want to see an old guy out there striking out or swinging weakly. They want to see a Jose Canseco of the actual past.”

Or at least that reasonable facsimile, the Jose Canseco of the actual present.

Jose Canseco Brings Thrills To Sonoma Stompers

Jose Canseco hangs in the dugout with Sonoma Stompers infielder Yuki Yasuda prior to the game against the San Rafael Pacfics at Arnold Field in Sonoma on June 12, 2015.

Crista Jeremiason/The Press Democrat

Originally Published: The Press Democrat

hil Barber, Columnist

More than 20 Sonoma Stompers players and coaches lined up along the first-base line before Friday night’s game against the San Rafael Pacifics, all of them in white uniforms with black numbers. Only one guy had his name sewn across the shoulders, though. The name read: CANSECO.

Jose Canseco, a former American League rookie of the year and most valuable player, among the most prolific sluggers of his era and one of Major League Baseball’s most controversial figures since his retirement in 2001, suited up for the hometown Stompers, the first of two nights making up Jose Canseco Weekend at Arnold Field.

More than 1,000 people showed up to take in the spectacle, the Stompers’ biggest crowd of the year in this young minor-league season. They cheered Canseco throughout the game.

The Stompers won 6-2 to run their record to 7-1, but the 51-year-old Canseco wasn’t a big contributor. Batting in the sixth slot as the designated hitter, he went 0 for 4 with two groundouts to third base and a pair of fly outs to center field — one of them tagged pretty well.

“I think when younger players face me … the last thing they want is a 51-year-old Jose Canseco hitting one over the fence on ’em,” he said. “I’m a softball player, that’s what I play a lot of now. I think the pitcher’s gonna have a big advantage over me. But … don’t let my swing hit that ball.”

Canseco proved his point during batting practice Friday, mashing several balls far beyond the left-field fence. He even struck the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall, well past the playing field, on a couple drives.

Canseco, who has played in other minor-league games over the past two summers, arrived in Sonoma on Thursday night and spent much of the day with the Stompers, signing souvenirs and meeting with team officials. The team paid him for his appearance, though general manager Theo Fightmaster declined to state the fee.

The Stompers had a 3-0 lead three batters into the game Friday on a three-run homer by Gered Mochizuki, and never relinquished the advantage. Starting pitcher Gregory Paulino, a native of the Dominican Republic, went got the victory.

But it was the chiseled, 6-foot-4 Canseco who drew most of the attention all night, whether he was taking mighty cuts in the batter’s box, dwarfing his teammates along the dugout rail or sticking around to sign autographs afterward.

“It’s really cool,” said Brian Miller of Santa Rosa after the game, standing in line to have Canseco sign a commemorative plaque celebrating the player’s famed 40/40 season — 42 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 1988. “Honestly, between him, Rickey Henderson, Mark McGwire, I mean, watching those guys growing up made me a fan for life.”

Canseco is scheduled to play for the Stompers again Saturday, and will challenge all comers in a home run derby.

Bring Out The Brooms Once More: Stompers Sweep Pacifics With 7-3 Win

Gered Mochizuki had a three-hit night and added a walk, bringing his triple-slash stats to .300/.375/.500. Seven of Sonoma's nine regulars are batting .300 or better so far in 2015.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

It may be a small sample size, but the Stompers are now 9-0 when playing a game that is a part of a three-game series and 0-1 when playing a game where other games in the series have been postponed.

Luckily for the Stompers, they have plenty of three-game series remaining, and if the last two weeks are any indication, the rest of the Pacific Association could be in trouble.

With their 7-3 victory on Sunday night over the defending champion San Rafael Pacifics, the Sonoma Stompers completed their third sweep of the season behind yet another sensational start by former closer Mike Jackson, Jr.

After a spirited first career start last week in Vallejo, Jackson (1-0) used every pitch in his arsenal to his advantage once again, and thanks to an early four run lead granted to him by his offense, the big right-hander was able to throw more strikes and keep the pressure on the San Rafael (3-7) lineup.

In his six innings, Jackson allowed only one run on five hits while walking three and striking out eight. The eight punchouts are the most strikeouts thrown by a Sonoma (9-1) pitcher in a single game this season.

The Stompers offense once again came up with a double-digit hit effort, as the 12 hits brought their season total to 119. They still lead the Pacific Association in both hits and runs scored, and they have a +36 run differential, by far the best in the Pacific Association. Pittsburgh is second, but with only a +12 differential.

The 12 hits on Sunday evening came from only five batters, as both Gered Mochizuki and Sergio Miranda had three-hit games. Danny Baptista, Mark Hurley and Matt Hibbert all had two hits in the 7-8-9 spots, with Baptista going yard in the sixth for his first homer as a Stomper.

The historic run for the Stompers continues, as they have won nine out of ten games for the first time ever, and their four game lead over the 6-6 Vallejo Admirals is the largest in team history.

The Stompers will begin a stretch of 12 road games over their next 15, and after an off day on Monday, the team will play all of their next six games on the road. The first game will be in Pittsburg on Tuesday, June 16, with the first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. The radio broadcast of the game will begin at 6:45 on StompersBaseball.com and via the TuneIn Radio app.

Canseco's Mammoth Blast Spurs Stompers 6-5 Comeback Win

Jose Canseco was 2-for-4 with a truly remarkable solo home run that cleared the trees in left to lead off the sixth. It was the first of three runs that inning that fueled Sonoma's comeback win.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

When the book is literally written about the 2015 Sonoma Stompers, Jose Canseco's contribution to a comeback win in the ninth game of the season might deserve some special attention. Maybe 50-year-old sluggers are the new market inefficiency.

In his second appearance with the Stompers, Canseco again drew an insane amount of attention his way, as another packed house at Arnold Field watched the former American League MVP deliver one of the longest home runs ever hit at the ballpark. His sixth inning moonshot spurred Sonoma's three-run effort to tie the ball game, and Joel Carranza's solo shot in the seventh pushed Sonoma ahead to victory, 6-5.

In just two days, Canseco's performance lit up Arnold Field in a way that hasn't been seen in the Stompers young history. The loyal fans that followed him when he was with the Oakland A's during the peak of his career were hopeful that after Friday's performance, Canseco would bounce back and show off the prodigious power that remains with him as he enters his 50's.

When the game got underway, Canseco found his swing and began to exhibit the power that made him one of the most feared sluggers of his time. In his second at-bat, he hit a line drive to deep left-center that slammed against the wall on the fly, his first official hit as a Stomper.

He led off the sixth against the hard-throwing Max Beatty, San Rafael's (3-6) starter that had been tough against the Stompers to that point. However, he tried to get a fastball by Canseco up around the letters on the first pitch, something you just can't do against Canseco, even as he's weeks shy of his 51st birthday. The towering blast to left-center field was estimated at 410 feet and became the highlight of the night for Canseco.

He went 2-for-4 on the evening and was hitting the ball as hard as he ever had. It was a sight to behold, and the crowd of nearly 1,000 fans at Arnold Field were energetic throughout the entire night, which included some explosive pre-game displays of power, as well.

The highly-anticipated home run derby became another showcase for Canseco. He hit four homers in the first round and ended up battling Sonoma's Isaac Wenrich in the finals. Wenrich ended up going on a tear and hit six homers to defeat Canseco, who managed only a single homer. He remained on the field after the competition to offer the fans an exhibition of power, and he came through with half-a-dozen homers that drew oohs and ahhs.

The ones he managed to hit in his exhibition were the towering drives you'd be used to if you've followed Canseco's Major League career; 400+ foot blasts that not only cleared the bleachers but went over the trees that adorn the fence line between Arnold Field and the Veteran's Memorial Building next door. His most spectacular blast hit the facing of the Veteran's Building, something that has been done only a handful of times at Arnold Field, in game or otherwise.

Sonoma (8-1) continued its roll through the Pacific Association with another double-digit hit night. The 11 hits gave them 107 on the season, four more than Pittsburg's 103 in second place. Their 70 runs are by far the most in the league, 12 more than Pittsburg. They have 10 hits or more in all but two games this season.

In Saturday's game, it was the 4-9 hitters that came up big. Wenrich, Canseco, Danny Baptista and Matt Hibbert all had two hits on the night, as the lower two-thirds of the order went a combined 10-for-22. The only other hit came from Fehlandt Lentini, who doubled home a run during the three-run sixth inning.

On the hill, Jeff Conley settled down after a rough first inning and got through 5 1/3 innings. He did need 102 pitches to do it, but only allowed one run after the first on a Jeremy Williams solo homer. Maikel Jova hit a three-run shot in that big inning and Jesse Chavez hit his league-leading sixth homer two batters later.

Much like he did last Friday against his old squad in Vallejo, Erik Gonsalves (2-0) came in and was a stalwart out of the pen, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless and keeping Sonoma in the game. By the time he became the pitcher of record, it was time to give way to Stompers closer Sean Conroy, who pitched a flawless ninth inning for his third save.

While Canseco won't be with the team tomorrow, the Stompers will be going for the sweep of the Pacifics with a first pitch at 5 p.m. at Arnold Field. Mike Jackson, Jr. is the probable starter for Sonoma.

Tickets are available by clicking the link below or by visiting the Stompers Fan Shop at 234 W. Napa St. in downtown Sonoma. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate beginning one hour before first pitch. They begin at $4 for bleacher seats and fans aged 65 and older will receive a $5 discount on tickets for the Stompers' Senior Sunday promotion. All soft drinks will also cost only $1 each.