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Tweet, tweet; Bandits keep busy on Twitter
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By Daniel Makarewicz, danmak@qconline.com
By Daniel Makarewicz, danmak@qconline.com
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Before the question can be completed, Tyrell Jenkins has an answer. "Rasmus," the Quad Cities River Bandits pitcher said. "Casey Rasmus." When it comes to the Bandit with the most active Twitter account, Rasmus tops the list. Evidently, it's not even close. "I take pride in my tweet game," @CaseYRasmuS said. "Pretty proud to be the 'king tweeter' on the team." Rasmus is not alone when it comes to tweeting. In a league where bus trips and down time dominate the season, the Bandits players have turned to Twitter as an avenue to entertain, gossip and laugh. More importantly, it's a tool to correspond with family, friends and fans during their five-month stay in the Quad-Cities. "Very addicting," said @TyrellJenkins14, one of 14 players on the active roster with a Twitter handle. "It keeps you busy. We may have 'Twitter Wars' or post pictures. We'll have our inside jokes. We interact with each other. It's a good thing to have." Launched six years ago last month, Twitter is more popular than ever. Many professional athletes use it on a daily basis, with most of the Bandits signing up within the last two years. Jenkins joined before this season and leads the team with 2,533 followers. On the other hand, Rasmus has a team-leading 11,946 tweets. Some Twitter handles -- pitcher Sam Gaviglio's (@samgaviglio) college account for example -- have three tweets. "A lot of guys look at it because it really does pass time," Rasmus said. "I'm on it a lot because there's a lot of interesting stuff you can find out on it." Twitter, though, is not for everyone. Just ask Luis Aguayo. "I've got enough things on my plate," the first-year Bandits manager said. "I don't like Twitter or Facebook. We're giving too much of our privacy. People may not think like that, but I do. Too much bad things out there. I'm staying away from those." Aguayo says he does not forbid Twitter in the clubhouse, but he tells the players "whatever happens here, stays here." Other than that, Aguayo urges the players to use caution and tweet with a level of professionalism. "They know to be careful," Aguayo said. "They're kids, so we've got to keep telling them to be careful. It's all education." Being professional does not mean they cannot have fun. Follow the Bandits' activity for one day and there is entertainment. Some tweet music lyrics, others tweet pictures. Rasmus even used Twitter as a taxi service in June, with former Alleman pitcher Matt Schissel accepting a request to drive the catcher to Modern Woodmen Park. "It helped me out," Rasmus said. "It was hot that day." Other days, it's the so-called "Twitter Wars" between the team to see who could tweet the most during the day. Rasmus defeated former reliever Danny Miranda (@DannyMiranda40) by 84 tweets. In recent days, many players tweeted their pictures with former "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" co-star Alfonso Ribeiro during his visit on Thursday night. All season, everyone interacts with fans and people back home. "It's good to hear from them and hear the positives they have to say," Jenkins said. "I don't think I've ever gotten anything negative said to me. As far as hearing from the fans and talking to players, it's a really good way to communicate." Ever had trouble with the 140-character maximum? "I've only had that problem once," Jenkins said. "Usually, I keep it down to just so many. I don't tweet songs or paragraphs, so it's not that hard. I keep it short and sweet." No one on the team can compare to Rasmus' ability, but that does not stop them from using Twitter every single day. It's now part of the game. "As we call it, it's very 'clutch' at the moment," Jenkins said. "I'm excited to have it." River Bandits extra bases - Bandits this week: vs. Burlington (today); at Cedar Rapids (Wednesday-Friday); vs. Beloit (Saturday-Sunday) - Bandits news and notes: The Bandits play 10 more road games this season, with seven being commuter trips. The lone overnight stretch is the season-ending three-games series at Beloit. ... QC manager Luis Aguayo said the team received some "good news" in regards to slugger Colin Walsh. Out the last six weeks with an injured forearm, Aguayo said Walsh is slated to return from the disabled list in the coming days. "We've got to get him back in shape, but it'll be good to see him again, and it'll be good for our lineup." ... The Bandits continue their season-long trend of inconsistency. After winning the final three of a four-game series at Burlington, they returned home and were swept by Beloit. ... "I'm concerned in that we did not play good, we did not execute, and our pitching was not as good as in the last series (at Burlington)," Aguayo said. "Beloit is a club that if you want to have a chance against them, you've got to play good baseball. They don't beat themselves, and we did by not executing." QC needed a late eight-run rally to snap the three-game losing streak on Saturday. ... According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, shortstop Matt Williams' 19 stolen bases rank second in the Cardinals' minor-league system. - QC alumni: The St. Louis Cardinals promoted infielder Ryan Jackson from Triple-A Memphis on Friday to fill the roster spot vacated by Tyler Greene being traded to Houston. Jackson appeared in 84 games with the Bandits in 2010, batting .272 with 13 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 27 RBIs. - FYI: In 12 appearances with the rookie-level Arizona League Athletics, pitcher Dakota Bacus is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 21 innings. Bacus, a 2009 Moline graduate and ninth-round pick in June's MLB draft, has four saves with 22 strikeouts and two walks. - Around the Midwest League: Peoria Chiefs pitcher Starling Peralta struck out 14 batters in a 5-3 win over the Clinton LumberKings on Wednesday. Peralta retired the first 17 batters in order before surrendering a two-out, sixth-inning solo home run to Anthony Phillips. ... Midland, Mich., featured two 12-inning contests late Saturday night. Besides Moline Post 246's 5-4 win over Pickerington (Ohio) Post 283 in the American Legion Great Lakes Regional, the Lansing Lugnuts needed extra frames to snag a 4-3 win over the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond. Great Lakes pitchers struck out 16 batters in the game. 
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Today is Tuesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2013. There are 224 days left in the year.
1863 -- 150 years ago: On Monday the 11th inst. on Center Ridge in Mercer County,some citizens got out their cannon to celebrate the taking of Richmond. The gun wasoverloaded and burst. No one was injured, but one 30-pound piece went though thesecond story of a house.
1888 -- 125 years ago: The old folks concert at the Harper Theater last night to benefit St.Luke's Cottage Hospital, attracted a large audience.
1913 -- 100 years ago: Unless depredation by vandals in Rock Island parks is halted,special policemen will be assigned to night duty to protect the flowers and other property.
1938 -- 75 years ago: Station WHBF has received a special citation from Washington forits participation in Air Mail Week, which was observed this week throughout the nation.
1963 -- 50 years ago: A 10-year high in employment in the Quad-City area was reachedat the end of the last quarter, according to an industrial employment barometer releasedtoday.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Pee Wee teams will be able to play baseball and softball as usualon Diamond Three at Dorrance Park this summer, but after that, the ball field is doomed.County crews have put the diamond back in shape after heavy trucks marred the playingfield earlier this spring. Illinois Department of Transportation crews drove onto it to makeborings for the relocation of the junction of Illinois 84 and the Port Byron-Hillsdale road.
(More History)