Was flipping though the TV channels tonight and to my pleasant surprise the Indians A team the Lake County Captains were being televised on a local cable channel. First time I got to see Chuck pitch and came away very impressed.

Apparently he is 5-0 with a 1.33 ERA over his last five starts. Tonight he was basically dominating with his fastball and not really trying to trick anybody at all. He was basically getting the ball and firing and he was striking many out. He reminds a little of Zach Duke in that there is no fooling around on the mound what-so-ever. This can only help your defense behind you. He was basically just locating his fast ball and appears to be an over-match for the hitters he was facing tonight. The Indians GM Mark Shapiro was in attendance tonight thus, I am sure the juices were flowing nicely for him. Won't be surprised to see him promoted soon nor will I be surprised to see him in the big leagues.

It's great...but not surprizing...to see Chuck doing well. My son had the good fortune of having him as a teammate on Area Code's 2002 team in Japan. He's as terrific a young man as he is a player.

ClevelandDad - Thanks so much for the first-hand account. It is great to hear that Chuck is doing so well. He is TRULY one of the most competitive and nicest young men I have come across over the past 2-3 years. A very nice and supportive family as well. He is one guy that I am really rooting for.

My son also played with Chuck on the USA team in 2003 and later on some travel stuff. Chuck is a great teammate and a loyal friend. They still communicate often and support each other at long distance.

Would like to hear more if you see him again.

You are welcome justbb - it was my pleasure You and infielddad gave me the heads-up on him and I kept my eye out for him ever since. It was neat to see him play on TV and I still intend on watching him perform live.

It seems to me that this forum can be both general and specific. It seems there are players out there who people follow because they have a past relationship with them. As such, when people are aware of interest in a particular player, I don't see why it isn't entirely appropriate to report on their progress.

I am hoping if one particular player from Ohio is ever playing out in California, I can count on you guys to keep me apprised as well

You got it ClevelandDad!

Ditto for the update on Chuck. I first saw him pitch when he was a high school freshman and you could see future success even then.
In terms of following a player for you, I want to emphasize I have a fair number of restrictions. I only watch baseball Sunday through Saturday and refuse to travel (too far) East of the Mississippi, although I plan to spend the last 5 days of the MWL season firmly implanted in Oldsmobile Park in Lansing. Provided the request is within that framework, I will do my best.

infdad,

LOL!

And I used to think my baseball activities were restricted - jeesh.