news-record.com

GREENSBORO -- The Greensboro Grasshoppers haven't become a successful minor league organization by resting on a park bench, but perhaps that's about to change.

The franchise will unveil the newest element at NewBridge Bank Park today -- a bench featuring life-size replicas of two other ballpark attractions, Miss Babe Ruth and Guilford the Grasshopper. Known as a super mascot, the bench will join the oversized baseballs and the memorial to 9/11 flight attendant Sandy Bradshaw in the promenade area.

The manufacturer, Fun Enterprises of Beachwood, Ohio, has done similar work for the Boston Red Sox.

The area figures to be a popular photo destination for families, who have taken a liking to the canine and costumed mascots in their real-life forms. Babe is a black Labrador retriever who belongs to Donald Moore, the team's chief operating officer. The new Guilford is the brainchild of Dave Raymond, the entrepreneur who performed as the Phillie Phanatic for 15 years.

The team also will use the park bench announcement to promote ticket sales for Tuesday's South Atlantic League All-Star game. Seats remain at $9 and $8 and are available at the box office at the corner of Bellemeade and North Edgeworth streets or online at www.gsohoppers.com.

Also this week, the team announced that Tuesday's All-Star luncheon at the Greensboro Coliseum has sold out. The event will feature the players in Tuesday night's game, as well as a South Atlantic League Hall of Fame class headed by former St. Louis Cardinal Vince Coleman. Playing for the Macon Redbirds in 1983, Coleman stole a professional-record 145 bases in 113 games.

As for the current Greensboro team, it's making a late charge at the Lake County Captains for the first-half title in the Northern Division. Greensboro (38-29) has cut the Captains' lead to two games, and the Hoppers have three games left before the All-Star break after their 3-1 victory Thursday night at West Virginia.

Lake County (40-27) also won Thursday, beating the Hagerstown Suns 3-2 in the first of a four-game home series this weekend.

Delmarva (37-28) also trails the Captains by two games. The Shorebirds defeated Lakewood 6-0 on Thursday.

The team with the best winning percentage through Sunday -- even if it hasn't played the same number of games as its competitors -- will be the first-half champion and a playoff participant in September.

If the Hoppers and Captains wind up tied for first after Sunday, the champion won't be determined for another 44 days. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, and the teams are tied at 4-4.

League rules stipulate that the determinant in such matters is the teams' next scheduled game. That's July 29 at Eastlake, Ohio.

On the morning of June 1, the Hoppers awoke to a third-place standing and trailed the Captains by 51/2 games. By winning 10 of 11, they have put some heat on the guys from suburban Cleveland.