Although I live in California, I had the rare chance to be in Durham this weekend, thanks to a side trip from visiting my brother who lives in Greenville, NC.  Today the Bulls beat Scranton 2-0, in a multi-pitcher 2-hit shutout.  On its face, that sounds great.  But it wasn't all rosy...still, positive overall.

Admittedly just an outsider's snapshot, but here's what I saw.

First the positives:

1.  The Experience.  Durham has an outstanding park, and watching a game here is a real treat.  I'd never been there before, and it reminds me a lot of a smaller Camden Yards, with a brickyard feel adjacent to old industry, in this case, the tobacco industry.  The Lucky Strike smokestack loomed over the field, with an artificial water feature below.  (I loved the irony of the No Smoking signs near the restaurants, just under the big smokestack.)  The park itself is really among the better game experiences I've had; in California, only Raley Field in Sacramento is comparable at the minor league level.  If you haven't been to Durham, you've got to go.

2.  Team Patience at the Plate.  The Bulls worked several 3-ball counts, and drew quite a few walks.  Signs of decent coaching.

3.  John Rodriguez.  The Bulls only managed 6 hits, but the most impressive of these was by Rodriguez.  He showed particular poise on an 0-2 count, poking a tough slider of the plate the other way into left--most impressive moment of the game.  Even when he stuck out looking later on a close pitch, he looked like he had his head in the game doing it.  Sounds odd, but he gave that impression.  He looks like he has a plan at the plate.

4.  Gimenez' Defense.  Solid behind the plate, seemed to call a good game, arm accurate and strong--threw out 2 base runners.

5.  Pitching Toughness.  Several Bulls pitchers had to work out of jams, and showed
 poise under pressure.

6.  Wool-E-Bull.  Gotta love the bull.

Now the downsides:

1.  Joel Guzman. Guzman looked lost out there, both offensively and defensively  In the field, he fumbled but recovered on a couple routine grounders.  He also had a judgment lapse--opting to tag a runner coming into third when it was an easy force out.  At the plate, he tended to flail an/or guess wrong--like he doesn't have a clear plan what to do.  Just the opposite of Rodriguez.

2.  Jon Weber.  He's overmatched by a half decent fastball, and can't adjust to offspeed stuff.

3.  Kevin Lynn.  No control, walked several, and many 3-ball counts ended his game early.  The upside--he only gave up one hit.

4.  Grant Balfour.  Pitched well-enough, but made a pretty bone-head balk that my 5-year-old nephew in the stands was able to call.  Made up for it with a strong save.

Overall, the team seemed to show good patience at the plate, was aggressive on the basepaths (2 steals, 2 bang-bang plays at the plate), and showed poise under pressure in the field.  I don't think Guzman has a future.  I'm impressed with Rodriguez's approach to the game.  And, without a doubt, this is one of your better ballpark experiences, whether Major or Minor League...