Writing about what he does while the Eastern League is on its All-Star break didn’t seem to draw much interest. But after mentioning that he doesn’t own a television, Garrett Broshuis’ blog created a stir.

Broshuis

"It’s surprising, sometimes, what articles and what topics get the most attention," the former Missouri Tigers ace said. "Some things that you think will get attention end up being not as popular as other things that you wouldn’t think would be.

"With the All-Star break on everyone’s mind, you’d think it would get more interest. It seemed like it wasn’t that popular. Then I write something about not having a TV at my house, and everybody’s clicking on it and responding to it."

After being drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, Broshuis discussed life in the minors with a reporter from The Sporting News. He e-mailed the baseball editor and suggested he could write about the ordinary life of a player. After approving a handful of writing samples, sportingnews.com gave Broshuis, now with the Double-A Connecticut Defenders, a Web page and the freedom to talk about what he wants.

Photo courtesy of Connecticut Defenders

Connecticut Defenders pitcher Garrett Broshuis works a recent game at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn. Broshuis, a former MU pitcher who was drafted by the Giants in 2004, writes an online blog for The Sporting News Web site.

With a perfect blend of wit and wisdom, Broshuis’ columns run the gamut from accepting late-night phone calls from his family to finding the right partner to play catch with to his most recent post pondering Barry Bonds’ approach of the career home run record.

Known as a control pitcher, Broshuis wrote about a spring-training game in which he struck out five in two innings as a pleasant surprise because for him strikeouts "are as accidental as Bob Dole’s jokes."

He accepts suggestions and questions from editors, teammates and readers, but a lot of his writing comes from daily situations.

"Just talking with the average baseball fan, they have an interest in what we go through," Broshuis said, "but they don’t really have an idea of the ordinary life in the minor leagues, especially from someone that isn’t necessarily a high prospect but is just more of an ordinary player trying to make his way to the major leagues."

Broshuis’ path has been muddied a bit of late. The right-hander carries a respectable 3.88 ERA but is 2-12 on the season for the Defenders (44-60).

Losses have come in a variety of ways. Sometimes, Broshuis, who was a first-team All-Big 12 pitcher and third-team All-American in 2004, puts his team in a hole with a poor inning.

In his loss Thursday night against Portland, Broshuis took a shutout into the fifth inning before two errors allowed a pair of unearned runs to score. Broshuis was chased in the sixth.

Either way, the Defenders aren’t giving Broshuis much run support. In the 12-team Eastern League, Connecticut’s offense ranks 11th in average and last in runs scored.

"It’s been a frustrating year in that regard," Broshuis said. "For the most part, I’ve thrown the ball pretty well. I’ve been pretty consistent with my outings. I just let in a couple runs at a time, but for whatever reason, just not having much luck."

After finishing 2006 with a 7-10 record, Broshuis worked with Giants minor-league pitching coordinator Bert Bradley over the off-season. Bradley helped the right-hander refine his mechanics so that he is more consistent in his delivery and location.

"I came into spring training, and I felt great the way I was throwing the ball," he said. "I think I’ve continued that pretty well and I am pretty consistent in the way I am throwing the ball."

And knowing he can repeat that is a source of comfort.

He’s happy with his numbers other than wins and losses, and though he admits that frustration will creep into his mind, he knows he won’t be judged on that stat alone.

"That’s what I have to keep reminding myself: Yeah, I have been throwing the ball pretty well, and even though it hasn’t translated into wins, I have been keeping my team in ball games," he said.

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