The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT April 21, 2009

Back to their entertaining ways of field

After a bad couple of weeks in regard to the weather, local sports teams hit the field again with a fury last week as they try to make up for lost time before postseason play in May.

WITHIN THE past week, I've been to a couple of local games in the Coeur d'Alene area, both ironically featuring rivalry showdowns as Lake City faced Coeur d'Alene and Southern Idaho visiting Memorial Field to take on North Idaho.

The first (Lake City-Coeur d'Alene) was one of those games that every baseball/softball fan dreams about, a pitcher's duel with two teams battling back and forth for seven innings - OK, maybe it wasn't a dream for those that enjoy a ton of offense.

But the fact that two teams played that closely and it came down to only a couple hits in the first inning is a good indication that both these teams are going to be in the mix a while - especially since both pitchers in the game were freshmen.

Both starting pitchers (LC's Casey Stangel and Lindsie Scholwinski of Cd'A) are key members as their teams make a run toward the state 5A tournament in a couple weeks.

Don't be shocked if these teams see each other a few more times after the regular season ends.

MEANWHILE, DOWN by the lake, the North Idaho Cardinals entertained the Southern Idaho Golden Eagles last Friday in what turned out to be a couple entertaining games.

Both games came down to one swing of the bat as MeChel Hunt hit a three-run home run in a 5-2 win for CSI and Jessica Ross followed with a two-run home run in the second game to give NIC a 6-2 win.

I will admit, it was my first time watching an NIC softball game, but the setting couldn't have been better - spring day, 70 degrees and honestly, who doesn't want to see a game played in a historic setting like Memorial Field?

Whether it's the covered grandstands or the lake just a couple hundred yards away, you can't find a better place to watch a game.

The Cardinals wrap up their home schedule Friday and Saturday against Colorado Northwestern.

FURTHER AWAY from North Idaho, while listening to some fans comments during the Mariners' home opener, I just began to wonder just how much people really pay attention anymore.

During the offseason, Seattle acquired Milton Bradley from the Chicago Cubs for Carlos Silva. During the fifth inning, a group of fans sitting behind me began to wonder just how smart that move was, considering Bradley wasn't hitting and had found himself in the doghouse for an obscene gesture toward the Texas fans a few days earlier.

Bradley didn't get a hit that first home game, and had an error that cost the team a run in a 4-0 loss. The next night, Bradley showed why the M's front office took that risk, hitting a three-run home run in a 4-1 win over Oakland.

Regardless of who you're following, it should be an interesting spring.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, ext. 2020 or via e-mail at jelliott@cdapress.com.