Miracle Notebook: Team, fans try to help Charley victims

It might be the one promotion Fort Myers Miracle assistant general manager Andrew Seymour wishes he didn't have to do.

Seymour and the Miracle are asking fans who attend either of the team's Friday and Saturday night games against the Dunedin Blue Jays to bring donations of any kind — cash, canned food, etc. — to help victims of Hurricane Charley.

It will simply be the latest step in the organization's on-going efforts to help.

The day after the hurricane struck, the team donated 1,600 pounds of meat and 200 dozen rolls.

Twice last week, members of the Miracle staff took water and ice in a truck up to Port Charlotte before working two days at the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

It's not much, but it's as much as the team can do right now.

Besides, it's easy to get inspiration when there are members of the National Guard and the National Division of Forestry using your parking lot as a staging area for relief efforts.

Several guardsmen spent the last two weeks sleeping in the parking lot of the Lee County Sports Complex after spending the day helping the cleanup effort in Charlotte County.

"Those guys have been working day and night," Seymour said. "It's amazing what they've been doing."

Friday's food and money drive will coincide with "Broken Bat Night" at the stadium. The team will give away bats broken by players, including members of the Minnesota Twins, to anyone who wants one as long as supplies last.

Saturday night is also Latino Night, with Latin music and food featured.

No word on whether or not Seymour will take off his ever-present fishing cap and start doing a little salsa.

AUSSIE RULES: Miracle third baseman Brett Tamburrino and outfielder Trent Oeltjen helped Australia go 4-3 in preliminary round play at the Summer Olympics, good enough for fourth place and a berth in the semifinals today against Japan.

Oeltjen is 1-for-7 with four strikeouts in five games, working mostly as a pinch hitter. Tamburrino has appeared in all seven games and is 1-for-15 with a double; he has scored four runs, stolen a base and knocked in a run.

The Aussies were the only team to beat Japan in the preliminaries, handing the Japanese a 9-4 setback on Wednesday.

Tamburrino had his lone hit of the tournament in the game.

Cuba faces Canada in the other semifinal. The winners will meet in the gold medal game on Wednesday, while the losers will vie for the bronze.

It's still unclear whether Oeltjen and Tamburrino will rejoin the Miracle before the season ends on Sept. 5 against Lakeland.

Despite leaving the team three weeks ago to join the Australian National Team, Oeltjen currently leads the Miracle in steals with 25.

NOTES: Miracle first baseman Danny Matienzo has a chance to become the first player in team history to win a Florida State League batting title.

With less than two weeks to go in the regular season, Matienzo is batting .301 and another hot streak could push him past Port St. Lucie's Aaron Baldiris, who is currently hitting .304.

Outfielder Doug Deeds hit his 12th triple of the season last week, setting a new team record.

Pitcher John Thomas is out for the rest of the season after tearing ligaments in his right thumb.

Pat Neshek is 9-for-9 in save opportunities.

Pitcher Jose Marzan will go to Arizona this fall to coach in the Arizona Fall League.