Cats are in the Fort Worth house today; their manager has one to sell
The recent struggles in the housing market have affected numerous people and organizations across the country.
And on the eve of the Fort Worth Cats starting their 2008 season, that same housing market has become a small factor for the two-time defending American Association champions. First-year manager Chad Tredaway joined the Cats in October, and part of why he took the job was wanting to establish himself and his family in the Fort Worth community.
The transition has taken longer than planned — Tredaway said he’s still trying to sell his house in Mission in South Texas. He spent the past two seasons as director of baseball operations for the Coastal Bend Aviators and working in the family business.
“You want to buy a house, let me know,” he said. “If we could just get that done, then we’ll be good to go.”
Tredaway made regular trips to Fort Worth during the off-season, and opens camp today with around 26 players vying for 22 spots. Like Tredaway, many of this season’s Cats will also be new. Core players such as Terence Green, Marc Mirizzi and Jordan Foster retired.
“I think every year you have to have some kind of change,” Tredaway said. “There’s been some good moves, some changes and I think the caliber of player that we’ve brought in is what’s been here in the past.”
Returnees from last year are outfielders Chuck Carter and Brian Fryer, and pitchers Joel Kirsten and Lee Gwaltney. Carter moves from first base to take advantage of his athleticism (like Foster before him), while Gwaltney was with the San Diego Padres in spring training.
Former Cats returning are pitcher Dan Grybash, catcher Ken Lup and designated hitter John Allen.
“On paper before we even start, I think that we look pretty good,” Tredaway said. “We have a good mixture of speed and power. We have some good arms and I don’t think there’s any question that on paper right now we like what we’re looking at.”
Gwaltney’s return should solidify the rotation, putting him in with Kirsten, Grybash and Pedro Flores, who pitched with Coastal Bend the past two seasons.
After today’s practice, the Cats will host Moonlight Madness tonight at LaGrave Field, which is free to the public, beginning with a charity softball game at 7 p.m. between the Fort Worth police and fire departments. The Cats will follow with a home run derby, and a concert by Loda Dimes concludes the event.
Fort Worth opens exhibition play at 7:05 p.m. Thursday at the Parks at Texas Star in Euless against first-year team Grand Prairie. The Cats’ regular-season opener is May 8 against Sioux Falls, while Grand Prairie begins the year on the road May 8 at St. Paul.
Briefly
Through a Cat’s Eyes, an hourlong documentary on the Cats, drew a 1.6 rating, as more than 80,000 people watched Monday night. KERA will air a 90-minute version at 10 p.m. on May 5, with the documentary showing more interviews.
The Dallas Diamonds (Independent Women’s Football League) are 2-0 heading into tonight’s home game at Bedford’s Pennington Field against the Atlanta Explosion. Dallas beat the New Mexico Menace 91-0 on the road last week and had outscored its two opponents 149-0.
Featured Advertisers
| High School Sports | DFW Online Yellow Pages | Local Shopping |
| Find a Car | Apartments | Local Jobs |
| Dallas Cowboys Tickets |
