A quick note from the ballpark

Tonight's game between the Charlotte Knights and Norfolk Tides looks like too many of the Knights games have looked so far in this young season.

Charlotte trails 9-0 in the sixth. The Knights' pitching staff has -- obviously -- been hit hard, and Charlotte batters have had their problems, too. Just two hits and one serious scoring threat so far.

It has been fun to watch former Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters play for Norfolk in the two games of the series that I've seen. He hit a monster home run to left in the first inning and doubled in the third, but has struck out his last two times up.

The Knights have made a couple of roster moves in the two days that I've been away from the ballpark. Outfielder Jerry Owens, the former UCLA wide receiver who has been up and down between Charlotte and the Chicago White Sox for the last four seasons, is back up again.

Taking his spot on the roster is a familiar name to White Sox fans, outfielder Scott Podsednik, who played in Chicago for three seasons before being released at the end of 2007. Podsednik, 33, played for Colorado last season, but was released by the Rockies near the end of spring training.

He's in uniform here for the first time tonight, and I'm anticipating my story in tomorrow's paper will be about him -- whatever he does -- if the game doesn't improve.

A totally random footnote: Podsednik is from West, Texas. No, the punctuation is correct. The town of West is a little outpost on Interstate 35 between Waco and Dallas. Like many places in central Texas, it was settled by folks from Eastern Europe. West's heritage is Czech, and there's a convenience store/gas station/truck stop just off the interstate called the Czech Stop which sells delicious Czech pastries called kolaches.