Ashmore's Mailbag: Ask Ashmore
by Mike Ashmore
June 8, 2006 - Hunterdon County Democrat

With the Atlantic League season about a third of the way over, I thought now would be as good a time as any to answer some of the questions that have been piling up in my mailbag.

Whatever happened to outfielder Juan LeBron, who played for the Patriots and Road Warriors two years ago? I know he was a top prospect for the Kansas City Royals for a while but never seemed to get a chance while with Somerset. - Dave Polakiewicz, Middlesex Borough

Dave, while Juan was never as big of a prospect as that other LeBron, he did seem destined to reach the big leagues for quite a while. However, the 19th overall pick in the 1995 draft never did get there, and after hitting just .227 in 23 games for Somerset in 2004, he signed a contract to play for the Yuma Scorpions of the independent Golden Baseball League. After an All-Star season in 2005 that saw him finish fifth in MVP voting, LeBron re-signed with the team this April.

Why is the attendance so low in Newark? They have a pretty nice stadium, but nobody ever goes. It's a shame. - Larry B., Kearny, NJ

When I went to Newark to cover a game last year, I was almost surprised by how nice their stadium was. Back when the Bears had big names the Canseco Brothers, they had some pretty big crowds. But now that the novelty has worn off and guys like Rickey Henderson have moved on, the Bears are faced with the reality that they have a nice stadium in an area with a bad reputation. In Somerset, people feel safe coming to night games, and there's a lot to do in the area. Whether it be justified or not, people don't necessarily feel the same about Newark and several other cities in the league, so I think that has a lot to do with the Bears attendance woes.

We have heard about the $3,000 per month limit for a players salary in the AL. Do you know how managers and pitching coaches are compensated in the AL? That would be interesting to know, for sure. - Jeff Leonard, Sewell, NJ

Jeff, this was something I was curious about myself, so I did as much digging as I could. I did find out that one of the league's managers is making about $40,000 - with his coaches not surprisingly making less. That number is probably right around the median for manager salaries, probably a little less, but I've heard as much as six figures a year for one of the league's skippers, so it's hard to say.

Patriots Notes: NASCAR driver Brian Vickers and Pat DiNizio, lead singer of The Smithereens, will be appearing at Commerce Bank Ballpark tonight. Vickers will be throwing out the first pitch and signing autographs for fans. His #25 GMAC Chevrolet will also be at the stadium. DiNizio will perform a special rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" that will be filmed by ESPN for his documentary on trying to become a minor league baseball player...Congratulations to former Patriots pitcher Joe Winkelsas, who got back to the big leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers after seven years away from the show. Winkelsas appeared in seven games for Somerset in 2004, posting no record and an ERA of 7.46 before being released.

Around the Atlantic League: After a month of speculation, the Long Island Ducks finally agreed to terms with two-time American League MVP Juan Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a 17 year big league vet and three time All-Star, will join his Ducks teammates in Somerset from June 30th-July 2nd...Todd Leathers of the Surf won AL Player of the Month honors, while Bridgeport's T.J. Mathews took home AL Pitcher of the Month.

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