Bride’s Diamond Too Large To Fit On A Ring

Talk about a well-groomed field. Boise customer representatives Tim Helgerson and Brenda Sundquist interrupted a Hawks game last Tuesday for a little ceremony.

With Rev. Howard Jones officiating - and attired in umpires’ garb - Helgerson and Sundquist exchanged wedding vows at home plate in the middle of the fourth inning.

The bride arrived during the middle of the third inning in a horse-drawn carriage. A white limousine whisked away the couple after the “I dos,” turning attention back to the mundane baseball game.

No word on whether the wedding night was a big hit.

Chewing out tobacco

Spokane Indians General Manager Andy Billig will represent Tobacco-Free Spokane during a National Spit Tobacco Education Program Wednesday in Seattle.

NSTEP works to warn youth of the dangers of smokeless tobacco. The Indians’ home, Seafirst Stadium, is a smoke-free venue.

Former major leaguer and sports broadcaster Joe Garagiola will lead an in-stadium promotion that night when the Kansas City Royals visit the Seattle Mariners at the Kingdome.

Spokane 12-year-olds Jake Millgard and Krista Yep will be honored on the field for anti-spit tobacco posters they designed.

Don’t hurt me, Mr. Johnson

Seattle ace Randy Johnson’s rehab assignment in Everett Aug. 3 produced five strikeouts against the six Yakima batters he faced.

“I was just hoping to make contact,” said Matt Meyer, the lone Bears player to put the ball into play, with a second-inning, broken-bat grounder to second. “The guy was unbelievable. That’s the only time I’ve broken a bat and felt good about it.”

“My plan was to go up there swinging and hope he hit my bat,” said Scott Morrison, whose bat wasn’t hit.

Chipped Emeralds

Eugene has made a move on Boise in the South Division, closing within one game after routing the Hawks 12-0 last Thursday.

All is not well, however, in the Emeralds city. Infielder Angel Espada reinjured his hamstring and was sent home to Puerto Rico. Left-handed pitcher Jimmy Osting ruined his elbow and is finished.

Most telling is an earlier injury to Pooh Hines, who was hitting .352 when he tore ligaments in his thumb while sliding into second base July 12. Hines won’t return.

Through it all, the Emeralds have demolished North Division teams and anyone visiting Eugene. The Emeralds are 15-5 vs. the North and 21-5 at home.

Check out that foot, ump

Eugene catcher Dax Norris homered to lead off the fourth during an Aug. 6 game against Southern Oregon.

At least he thought he’d homered. Plate umpire Charlie Brown (no comment) ruled that Norris had his back foot out of the batter’s box.

Robbed of the homer, Norris apparently worked on his footwork. He tied the game in the ninth with a two-out double, then homered in the bottom of the 11th for the win.

Moving up the charts

Boise’s Tom Kotchman recently became the second-winningest manager in league history.

Kotchman (310-193) passed William Berrier (303-327), who managed three teams from 1969-76. Topping the list is Cliff Ditto, who won 366 in eight seasons with Tri-City and Walla Walla (1971-78).

Kotchman, in his seventh year, reached 300 faster than anyone in league history.

Around the league

Yakima’s Jay O’Shaughnessy, pitching against Everett Aug. 2, twice struck out Ricky Jordan, who was on a rehab assignment from Seattle. … Everett right-hander Roger Blanco has seven losses, putting him within reach of the short-season league-record 12 suffered by Steve Jentsch for Tri-Cities in 1974.

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