Some random musings and facts regarding local players currently playing professional baseball:

--- Former Virginia High and East Tennessee State University star C.J. Lee joined the Rome (Ga.) Braves on Monday night, the Low-Class A Affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
Lee singled in his first Class A at-bat – an infield single off Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs starter Jairo Heredia. He finished his first game 1-for-2 with a run scored and a walk.
He went 0-for-4 on Tuesday night against Columbus.
Lee is probably relieved to get out of Florida and extended spring training. Extended spring training is one of the toughest assignments in pro baseball, with teams playing glorified scrimmages against extended spring tenants from other clubs. Nobody attends the games and they are played in the scorching heat.
It will also be interesting to see if Lee can build on his first memorable season as a pro. He hit .245 with three home runs and 25 RBIs last summer for the rookie-level Danville Braves.
Lee helped the team reach the Appalachian League championship series and got to play in several ballparks close to home, including Johnson City’s Cardinal Park and Bristol’s DeVault Stadium.

--- Kansas City Royals pitcher Jimmy Gobble made his 200th career major league appearance on Tuesday night.
The Bristol, Virginia native faced three batters in KC’s loss at Seattle. He walked Ichiro Suzuki, gave up a sacrifice fly and then struck out former teammate Raul Ibanez.
Gobble made his major league debut in 2003 and has made all 200 of his big league appearances in a Royals uniform.

--- Former John Battle and Virginia High standout Kevin Barker made his first official appearance of the 2008 season on Tuesday.
After beginning the season on the disabled list, Barker went 1-for-3 with a RBI for the Class AAA Louisville Bats in their 4-1 victory over the Norfolk Tides.
In his first at-bat, Barker singled on the second pitch he saw from Norfolk starter Jon Leicester. The hit plated Jolbert Cabrera.

--- I am currently doing some research on former area players who played in the big leagues. If you have any information, are related to or know who I could contact regarding the ex-locals in the pros, please feel free to e-mail me at . Among the players I was researching included Harry Perkowski (Dante), Lefty Thomas (Washington County), Nick Cullop (Chilhowie), Tracy Stallard (Coeburn), Gail Harris (Abingdon), Scotty Barr (Bristol, Tennessee), Bernie Cregger (Wytheville), Billy Baldwin (Tazewell) and/or the legendary Deacon Phillippe, I would greatly appreciate it. Phillippe was born in Rural Retreat and pitched in Game 1 of the inaugural World Series.