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Monday, August 04, 2003

By Steve Hecht, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Chris Peters left the road Thursday.

Peters, 31, who spent parts of five seasons with the Pirates (1996-2000, 17-23 record), decided to leave the Pennsylvania Road Warriors of the eight-team independent Atlantic League "to go home" and be with his family, according to Pennsylvania Manager Bert Pena.

Peters, a left-hander who graduated from Peters Township High School, started eight games for the Road Warriors and was 0-4 with a 6.44 ERA in 36 1/3 innings.

"His plan was to be here a couple of weeks and have someone pick him up," Pena said. "That didn't happen. He did a good job for us. I talked to him, tried to get him to stay another week or two because I thought he had a chance to be picked up."

While this has not been Peters' most enjoyable season in his 11-year pro career -- he played for two other independent teams before joining Pennsylvania -- it is perhaps his most unique.

Pennsylvania owns one of the worst overall records in professional baseball at 22-63 (.259 winning percentage). The Road Warriors have not played poorly at home, though.

That's because they don't have a home and play all road games. Calling the team Pennsylvania is a bit misleading, since the squad never sets foot in the state. Four of the Atlantic League's eight teams are located in New Jersey (Atlantic City, Camden, Somerset and Newark). There is one franchise each in New York (Long Island), New Hampshire (Nashua) and Connecticut (Bridgeport).

The Road Warriors are run by the Atlantic League office and are around so that the league can have an equal amount of teams -- four in each division. The plan is for Lancaster to field a franchise in 2004.

"It is a bit of an inconvenience living out of a suitcase, being on the road the whole time" said Camden General Manager John Brandt, whose club played host to Pennsylvania this past Tuesday through Thursday before the Road Warriors hopped on the bus for a six-hour road trip to Nashua (N.H.).

It was a trip Peters decided not to take.

For the record

Connellsville High School graduate Clint Weibl, a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals' Class AAA minor-league team, the Memphis Redbirds, helped make history Wednesday.

Weibl (3-3, 3.62 ERA) tossed seven innings and was the winning pitcher in a 4-2 win against Tucson.

It was the Redbirds' 13th home win in a row -- a franchise record. Memphis has three graduates of WPIAL schools on its roster -- Weibl, shortstop Jason Bowers (Laurel Highlands) and third baseman Scott Seabol (South Allegheny).

Traveling man

Peters Township graduate Brian Simmons, a center fielder, joined the Philadelphia Phillies' Class AAA minor-league team at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre three weeks ago -- his fourth club this season.

He was hitting .298 (17 for 57) before yesterday. Simmons, 29, was released in spring training by the San Francisco Giants. He then played for the independent Atlantic City Surf and the San Diego Padres' Class AAA minor-league team at Portland, Ore., before Portland released him in mid-June.

Simmons has spent parts of three seasons in the major leagues -- with the Chicago White Sox in 1998-99 and the Toronto Blue Jays in 2001.

Among the stat leaders

Through games Saturday, North Allegheny's Cory Sullivan, a center fielder with the Colorado Rockies' Class AA minor-league team at Tulsa (Okla.), was second in hits in the eight-team Texas League with 132 and 10th in batting at .297.

Central Catholic's Brant Colamarino, a first baseman with the Oakland A's Class A minor-league club, the Kane County (Ill.) Cougars, was tied for third in the 14-team Midwest League in home runs with 19.