Adam's latest: Bull City Summer, Indy Week

Columbus Clippers shut out Durham Bulls, take first game of Governors' Cup playoff series

Adam Sobsey — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—Last night's game was set up as a pitchers' duel: Durham's Matt Moore versus Columbus' Zach McAllister. It came close to its billing.…

Governors' Cup Playoff Series Preview: Durham Bulls vs. Columbus Clippers

Adam Sobsey — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 23:25:11 -0400

For the fifth straight year, and Charlie Montoyo's fifth as manager, the Durham Bulls have qualified for the International League playoffs.

Before we go any further, it's worth taking a moment to appreciate what a rare and remarkable accomplishment that is—especially in the chancy environment of Class AAA baseball.…

Charlotte Knights blank Durham Bulls: From garbage to cotton candy

Adam Sobsey — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 06:00:00 -0400

KNIGHTS STADIUM/ FORT MILL, S.C.—On the ride home from Charlotte, not too far from Durham out on Interstate 85, they were doing late-night road work. The northbound route narrowed to one lane, traffic slowed to about the speed of an R. J. Swindle curve ball, and for a few miles we were riding behind a garbage truck.…

Charlotte Knights wallop Durham Bulls: The Uh-Huh Guy, or Offal

Adam Sobsey — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:45:37 -0400

KNIGHTS STADIUM/ FORT MILL, S.C.—From guts and more guts to tripe. The Bulls played a couple of anxious, playoff-tense, one-run games against heel-nipping Gwinnett on Monday and Tuesday.…

Durham Bulls edge Gwinnett Braves: Guts, Pt. 2

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—Yesterday I was wondering whether the Durham Bulls had guts. Let me direct you to the top of the ninth inning of the Bulls' exciting 4-3 win over the Gwinnett Braves last night, a huge step toward getting Durham into the post-season.…

Gwinnett Braves beat Durham Bulls: Guts

Adam Sobsey — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—Lost in the general happiness of the Durham Bulls' Sunday doubleheader sweep of the Charlotte Knights was this nagging problem: The Bulls haven't been scoring runs. They came into last night's game against Gwinnett having scored 51 of them over their last 13 games, an average of less than four per game, which is a lower rate than Rochester's league-worst 4.01.…

Durham Bulls sweep Charlotte Knights in doubleheader: Upright

Adam Sobsey — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—The Durham Bulls pulled off a doubleheader sweep of the Charlotte Knights yesterday, beating them 4-3 and then again, 3-0. The two victories gave them a five-game series win over Charlotte, three games to two; more importantly, the Bulls won three straight games in less than 24 hours, nearly setting the Bulls upright after an ugly four-game slump that had slowed their march toward the playoffs to a crawl.…

Chris Archer, Durham Bulls hold off Charlotte Knights, snap losing streak: Irenic

Adam Sobsey — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—Last night, the Durham Bulls edged the Charlotte Knights, 3-2, to end a worrisome four-game losing streak. Raleigh-born Chris Archer, making his Class AAA debut, threw six solid innings of three-hit baseball to earn the win.…

Charlotte Knights pound Durham Bulls again: Hard Times

Adam Sobsey — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—During his post-game interview last night, after Charlotte clobbered the Bulls again, 10-4, Knights manager Joe McEwing said: "One thing I won't ever forget is how hard this game is."

He said that last time I interviewed him, too, way back on April 20, in virtually the exact same words: "One thing I'll never forget is how hard this game is."

I ran with that in April, and even though it's clearly a line McEwing feeds the media, I'm running with it again four months later. That's partly because I got home from the ballgame, gathered round the old Twitter, and was confronted with this tweet from the great Neko Case:

Music is too hard.…
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Charlotte Knights drub Durham Bulls: Dog Days

Adam Sobsey — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—Convenient of the Bulls to schedule their annual Bark in the Park bring-your-dog promotion to coincide with the team's current slobbering and panting and begging ways. The Bulls made a dog's breakfast of a manageable 4-3, deficit last night, helping the Charlotte Knights send 12 batters to the plate in the seventh inning and score eight runs en route to a 12-7 whipping of the locals.…

Raleigh-born Chris Archer is the newest Durham Bulls pitcher

Adam Sobsey — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:47:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—Chris Archer has come home. The Tampa Bay Rays just promoted the Raleigh-born pitcher to the Class AAA Durham Bulls from the Class AA Montgomery Biscuits.…

Norfolk Tides rally again, top Durham Bulls again: The Breaks

Adam Sobsey — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—The Durham Bulls got a lot of breaks last night and lost anyway to Norfolk, 4-3. The Tides made an especially bad S.B.G. that cost them a run; misplayed what should probably have been out into a double; botched a sacrifice (for the second straight night); scored a run for Durham with a throwing error; and hit a batter to turn the inkling of a Bulls threat into a full-blown rally.…

Norfolk Tides rally, beat Durham Bulls in 13 innings: Tremors

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 06:00:00 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM—Did you feel the earthquake? At a little before 2:00 p.m. yesterday, everything began to shake, or more precisely to roll.…

Time and Tides: Notes from a Durham Bulls Road Trip to Norfolk

Adam Sobsey — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:24:38 -0400

A little interlude here (well, really a long one) while the Durham Bulls enjoy what Brandon Guyer called "this glorious off day"—the Bulls' last of the regular season—in a Tweet early this afternoon. After they split two games this past weekend up in Norfolk (see reports here and here), they find themselves six games ahead of second-place Gwinnett in the International League South Division with 15 to play.…