Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | 9:25 a.m.
The well-rested 51s pitching staff combined for a shutout in a 1-0 win against Edmonton Tuesday night at Cashman Field.
Scott Winchester got the win for the 51s. Trappers starter Scott Downs allowed only four hits in seven innings, but his first was his costliest -- a triple to Jason Romano in the first inning, setting up a sacrifice fly by Bubba Crosby in the next at-bat.
The 51s did not play Monday because of the severe weather in Nashville. The storms in Tennessee brought back frightful memories for 51s radio man Russ Langer, who was the unwitting participant in an even worse storm in 1998.
Broadcasting for the Albuquerque Dukes, Langer had just arrived in Nashville to work a four-game series against the Sounds. While riding from the airport with pitching coach Claude Osteen and manager Glenn Hoffman, the three decided to stop in at a Kentucky Fried Chicken to get some food.
"Unbeknownst to us," said Langer, "a tornado on the outskirts of town was bearing down toward us, and we didn't even realize it. We felt it getting windy, but it was so close we couldn't even see it."
Langer said that the tornado had come toward them, but instead veered and "headed downtown. Over 100 were injured, but nobody was killed in the twister. We got the fringe," he said.
Langer, the 2002 minor league broadcaster of the year, didn't need much prompting to find cover once he knew what was going on.
"A young guy at the window handed us our food, said 'Here it comes,' and shut the window, said Langer. The three then went inside the building, which at least was safer than the car.
"There were trees at least 20 feet high around 30 yards away getting knocked down, and a chain link fence was knocked over. There were concrete benches ... at a bus stop ... outside, and they got knocked over like Paul Bunyan flicked his wrist at them."
After the storm passed, the group drove through downtown Nashville.
"It looked like a war zone. There were shattered storefronts, cars eskewed, trees snapped, light poles knocked over, just litter and debris scattered everywhere."
Langer's experience earlier this week didn't quite measure up to the fear of five springs past. "(Monday's) tornadoes didn't come that close. The weather was bad, and there were a lot of tornadoes in the area."
During Monday's storm, most of the 51s players hung around in the clubhouse at Nashville's Herschel Greer Stadium. "Unless a tornado had dropped in the stadium, said outfielder Crosby, who grew up in Texas, "we were in a good spot."
Langer said experiences like Monday's make him appreciate Las Vegas. "It's hot sometimes, and windy sometimes, but we have real mild conditions."
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