Mud Hens notebook: Canada delays Parrish entry

6/6/2004

Larry Parrish wasn t particularly pleased with his view of the first game of the Ottawa series played in the Canadian capital May 25.

That s because he spent the game driving to Ottawa, rather than watching the game at Lynx Stadium.

Parrish and pitcher Jimmy Haynes both were denied entry onto the plane for the Mud Hens flight to Ottawa - and, in effect, the country - because they did not have birth certificates.

Both Parrish and Haynes were born in rural parts of the United States where birth certificates weren t always issued. Instead the two have other documentation to prove their identities.

“The same paperwork that got me [into Canada] last year didn t work this year,” Parrish said. “They changed the rules to enter, and this year we needed a birth certificate.”

So Parrish was forced to work with officials at the border, then cover the nearly 10 hours by car.

The irony of the situation: Parrish never had trouble entering Canada during his major-league playing career, which included eight seasons with Montreal.

TOUGH BREAK: Warren Morris broke the middle finger of his left hand while swinging the bat in the final game of the Ottawa series May 28.

Morris suffered the break by rolling the bat onto his finger and jamming it while attempting to check his swing. He did not play in the first two games of the following series in Rochester, but then saw action in both games of the doubleheader Tuesday and the first game of the Pawtucket series Thursday. He played in three games after the break, going 4-for-9 with at least one hit in all three contests.

The injury likely will cause Morris to miss the next month. Infielder Rayner Bautista was promoted from Double-A Erie and Adrian Burnside was put on the disabled list.

Look for Morris to be put on the DL when pitcher James Baldwin is activated.

FROM GOOD TO GREAT: Franklyn German had pitched well in his first 17 appearances for the Hens this season, posting 11 saves and three victories as well as a 2.55 ERA in 172/3 innings.

But the 6-4, 260-pound right-hander continued to have problems controlling his fastball, a deficiency that has caused trouble whenever he has pitched in the big leagues. It also produced nine walks in those 172/3 innings.

So German and pitching coach Jeff Jones made a subtle change in German s delivery before hitting the road, lowering his hands when he reaches the set position.

“His timing is a lot better [after the change], and it keeps his body back better,” Jones said of German s change.

The results in his five outings since the change have been impressive: German has allowed just two hits in five innings, striking out seven and giving up just one earned run.