Your 2011 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers -- Latest: More from Instructional League

[Mass Haas]

Missed this last week --

Field Pass Has Greg Hopkins on his offensive outburst at Miller Park.

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Timber Rattlers Profile: No. 14 Brian Garman, pitcher

compiled by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent

 

Quick hits

 

- Age: 22.

- Position: Relief pitcher.

- Height, weight: 5-11, 203.

- Bats/throws: Left/left.

- Resides: Wapakoneta, Ohio.

- Notes: Selected by the Brewers in the 17th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. … Named an honorable-mention Pioneer League all-star last season. … Held opponents to a .189 batting average. … Attended the University of Cincinnati.

 

Favorites

 

- MLB team growing up: "The Reds. They're closest to home and it's pretty much the team my dad said I had to like. But we weren't that diehard. We watched the Reds because those were the games that were on."

 

- MLB player growing up: "Probably Ken Griffey Jr., even when he was in Seattle. That guy was just incredible. Even talking to some of our rovers and the guys who played against him, he just baffled people. When he was in Seattle, he was a freak. When he came back to Cincinnati, and when I moved to Cincinnati to go to college, I heard so many stories about him as a 14-15-year-old kid — just doing things that grown men weren't doing. He's a legend in Cincinnati. And I liked him that much more when I got to Cincinnati and learned more about him."

 

- Sport other than baseball: "Bowling. I'm a good bowler. I play some golf, I'm not very good at it but I enjoy the hell out of it. But bowling has to be it. If baseball ended tomorrow, I could make a living bowling. When I stopped when I was 18, I was carrying a 217 average. That was in a high school league so that was in a bunch of different bowling alleys. So it's not like it was just stacked where I knew the shot we were laying out in the house that I'm from. We won a state title when I was a junior. I set all four individual records in our league when I was there. I've got four unofficial 300s. My high official game is a 290. My high series is a 783. That was all done as a kid in high school. So I feel if I would really devote myself I could really go make some money doing it."

 

- Thing about Wapakoneta: "It's small. I'm not a big-city guy. I learned that when I went to school. Cincinnati is not a humongous city but it's big enough. And I have no desire ever to move back to a city. I like the small town. I plan on moving back to Wapakoneta at some point, and I would never live in town because I think Wapak is growing. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of that. I want to be out in the country, have some peace and quiet. Have some land and have some room to roam."

 

- TV show: "Probably 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air.' Will Smith is the guy."

 

- Musical artist: "Growing up, it was Garth Brooks. I'm still a huge Garth Brooks fan, but now he's done. Probably Brantley Gilbert or Eric Church. Big country guy."

 

- Thing you own: "Probably my bike. I just bought a Trek road bike and I've been riding up here. I've been restricted in my running because I have a broken bone in my foot so I now I ride my bike and I love it."

 

- Thing about Appleton: "If I'm going to say a favorite thing, I'm going to have to say my host parents (Dean and Val Vosters). But my experience as a whole has been outstanding. It's been good as far as the fans go, the stadium, the organization. The town is awesome. There's a lot to do, a lot of places to go. Good restaurants. It's clean. It's nice. This is a great place to be. I enjoy it."

 

- Ballpark: "Miller Park."

 

- Thing to eat at a baseball game: "Bratwurst."

 

- NFL team: "Bengals, unfortunately."

 

Q&A

 

Q: How'd you end up at Cincinnati?

A: "I went to a baseball camp when I was 14 or 15. It was actually a Nike baseball camp and the University of Cincinnati was hosting it and the University of Cincinnati baseball staff was running it. I showed up — it was five days — and at the end of it, the head baseball coach at Cincinnati asked me, 'Are you grades any good?' And I said, 'They're not too bad.' He said, 'Do you plan on playing Division I baseball?' I said, 'I'm hoping to.' He said, 'All right, we'll be in contact.'

 

My junior year, I started getting letters. I got letters from every school in Ohio except for Ohio State, which was fine because I had no desire to go there. And a lot of schools from out of state (South Carolina, Georgia). At the end of the day, Cincinnati gave me a pretty good scholarship and we had a $12 million stadium to play in. It wasn't going to be beat."

 

Q: You were moved to the bullpen there. Was that the best move of your career?

 

A: "Absolutely. I wasn't a very good starter there. I started and I was very streaky. I had good days; I had bad days. But it was rough being a starter. I was injured going into my senior year, so after my rehab, I came back to campus and was talking with my pitching coach and he said, 'Hey, man, we're just going to put you in the bullpen and see how that goes.' I wasn't very happy about it and I let him know right there. I told him I'm going to want the ball on Friday nights to start the season and he said, 'It's not going to happen.' I said, 'We'll see how it goes.' I was questioning him. I ended up being a starter for five games my senior year because of injuries.

 

But the bullpen fit my mentality. It fit me as a person. It's a little easier on my body because I'm not throwing 100 pitches in a day. That definitely helped me out. I love the bullpen. It fits my mindset."

 

Q: What's the No. 1 quality a reliever can have?

 

A: "A short memory. We talk about guys who are able to go out in tight situations or quote, unquote pressure situations. I don't necessarily believe in pressure, because I think pressure is made up in our own head. I feel like I'm a decent example of it because I struggled so bad at the beginning of this year. I didn't let it wear on me too bad, I just kept grinding. And as a reliever, you have a bad outing, you can cost your team a game. And one batter can change the outcome of the game, and if you don't execute one pitch, it could change the outcome of the entire game. So if you let that wear on you for too long, this game will get the best of you."

 

Q: What do you plan to do with your criminal justice major?

 

A: "Nothing. I had hopes of using it until I got drafted. Even leading into school my junior, senior year of college, I always knew baseball was going to be a possibility. But now that I'm here, I hope I don't have to use it. At some point in my life, I'd like to go back to law school, but when, I have no idea. But I hope to be in baseball for the rest of my life, be it playing or coaching. But I did make some connections in Cincinnati with the Secret Service and the ATF, some local guys based out of Cincinnati. I did an internship with the police department down there, did a little bit of networking. It was pretty cool. It opened some doors and let me see the other side of things. But, hopefully, I don't have to use it."

 

Q: What was it like to get drafted?

 

A: "For me, I had the confidence in myself and I had the expectation of getting drafted. So it wasn't as big of a deal on draft day as it was showing up at Helena and showing up at spring training, the experiences I had in pro ball. Draft day was kind of frustrating. I actually left, I was so frustrated by watching. I had so many friends drafted, which was awesome. And there were so many guys going that I recognized their names. I thought, 'Man, when is my name going to get called?' I went for a run to blow off some steam and, when I came back, my mom told me that the Brewers had called. But I felt draft day was more for my family and friends more than it was for me. I don't get too worked up about stuff like that."

 

Q: Most prized sports possession?

 

A: "Probably that ring from Helena last year. That was awesome, to participate in every big game at the end of the season like that last year. We had five playoff games and I pitched in four of them. The four of them we won, I pitched in. I had an absolute blast. Those experiences with that group of guys and to be able to walk out of there with a big ring like that, it was incredible. So I would definitely say it was that ring."

 

Q: Most famous person you've met?

 

A: "Probably Tom Browning. He's a coach with the Reds right now. I'd say he's famous mostly back home, throwing that perfect game in 1988. He's Mr. Perfect back home. I mention his name back home and everybody knows who he is. I don't know if that's the case across the country. I actually got to work a baseball camp with Tom in the offseason and then I saw him again in spring training and we sat down and had a couple conversations. He's a good guy."

 

Q: Any significance to No. 14?

 

A: "No. It was No. 1 for the first half of the year. But for whatever reason the Brewers' minor league system wouldn't let a pitcher have a single-digit number. So I had to change it. Fourteen was the next best."

 

Q: How'd you spend your first check?

 

A: "Bought a computer. Bought a MacBook Pro. My very, very small signing bonus and my check, I set that aside and I waited until I got to instructional league last year and then I bought the computer."

 

Q: Favorite sports moment you've watched or been a part of?

 

A: "Watching the Red Sox coming back from down 3-0 (against the Yankees in the ALCS) in 2004. The reason being Kevin Youkilis was a Red Sox and he was a Cincinnati Bearcat. He's from Cincinnati. He was an eighth-round senior sign at Cincinnati. Not very highly touted out of high school. And I heard a lot of stories about Kevin Youkilis when he was a Bearcat. Our head coach sort of preached to us about him because that was a guy who didn't get many offers to go play college baseball and now he's an all-star, two-time World Series champion, a guy that a lot of people wrote off.

 

"I've heard about the way the guy plays the game, the way he goes about life. There's nothing flashy about it, he just wants to be there and grind it out. He's pesky. Guys don't like to face him. He's hard to get out and he plays with such aggression and persistence every day. You've got to admire a guy like that. And for him to be in a Bearcat uniform seven years before I was, it was just something I can relate to. I felt like that's a guy I should model as far as desire and work ethic to get to the top. I've heard stories about him that I can't let you print in the paper, but he's a fighter. He's all about it. I just like the way he grinds it out."

 

The Tool Box

 

Rattlers pitching coach Chris Hook breaks down Brian Garman:

 

"He's a middle reliever. We use him a lot in lefty-on-lefty situations, trying to get left-handed hitters out. His fastball is in the mid-to-upper 80s. He has a good sinker. He leads us in ground-ball outs. He does a good job with that. He has a curveball, slider, change-up, along with a fastball and can throw all four on any count.

 

"He was a closer last year at Helena and had some success there. He had some hiccups early with us and since then he's been making his way back to where he was last year. When you don't have success right away, you tend to step back a little — sort of like a boxer. I think he's come back. He's had a few jabs in there and has made a comeback.

 

"His best attribute and tool is his tenacity. He has to have tenacity. He has to be a bulldog. When he loses that, he loses part of himself. That's what we're looking for out of him — the bulldog mentality."

 

Timber Rattlers reliever Brian Garman was drafted by the Brewers in the 17th round of the 2010 draft. / Post-Crescent photo by Wm. Glasheen

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[Mass Haas]

From Time Warner Sports 32:

Nick Shaw shows you why he is among the Midwest League leaders in walks, on Field Pass.

[Mass Haas]

Polish Rifle

by Bob Brainerd, Sports32.com

Blessed with an unforgettable first and last name, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Pitcher Stosh Wawrzasek lives with the lifelong hack job of his scrambled lettering moniker.

“The worst it’s been butchered here is when we went to Bowling Green, he (public address announcer) pronounced my first name as ‘Steve’ and the last name was ‘War-zick,’” recalled Wawrzasek. “That’s probably the worst it’s ever been. I don’t know how you mess up Stosh with Steve, but he did.”

Throw away the second W. Replace the S with a Z and it trips right off the tongue.

“W-A-R-Z-A-Z-I-K would be the easiest way to spell it to pronounce it,” said Wawrzasek. “It happened every year in school with new teachers, but you get used to it.”

Which brings us to that unique first name. Get ready for a new twist on the Abbott and Costello Who’s On First? routine.

“Stosh is Polish, and if you translate, it’s Stanley,” explained Wawrzasek. “On my birth certificate, it’s Stosh. My father is a Stanley, but he goes by Stosh, because that’s what his mother called him growing up…that was her first language. My Mom calls him Stosh. Everybody calls him Stosh, and if they answer the phone and hear ‘Is Stosh there? Uh, which one?’

“But it’s not Junior and Senior…he’s Stanley, I’m Stosh.”

Wawrzasek inherited more than just the funky family namesake. The Stosh way to play is to have fun, soak up the moment and relish the good times on the diamond.

“My parents always told me if you’re not having fun it’s time to take a break, and I’ve never gotten to that point in my baseball career because I love the game,” said Wawrzasek. “I enjoy playing and I don’t think that will ever stop. I’ve just got to keep that mentality and it will rub off on other people as well.”

What this 6-0, 249 pound right-hander never intends to do is rub teammates the wrong way. The former 16^th round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 is cognizant of when it’s time for monkey business or strictly business.

 

“In certain situations you don’t want to go and interfere with something,” said Wawrzasek. “Let’s say he’s having family problems or personal issues, you don’t want to interfere with something like. But if he’s just getting down from the game, if you have a bad outing as a pitcher, or go 0 for 4 as a hitter, it happens. Just come back the next day positive.”

The life of the clubhouse began his baseball life growing up in Canada. Unlike many Canucks who have a hockey stick placed in their crib at birth, Wawrzasek took baby steps in a different direction.

“I was born with a baseball glove on my hand,” said Wawrzasek. “Surprising enough, I’ve never been on skates, never been on the ice. I’ve wanted to, but I never have. It was basically I wanted to play baseball so that’s what I did.”

For young Stosh and the Wawrzasek family, chasing your dream by chasing a puck just didn’t fit into the daily agenda in Langley, British Columbia.

“When you’re younger, you always have those early hockey practices at like 4, 5 in the morning and my parents would be driving to work at that time and didn’t want to rely on another family to pick me up every single time or drop me off at practice then take me to school,” said Wawrzasek. “So I kind of just pushed hockey off to the side and stuck with other sports. I played everything else…football, rugby, basketball, soccer; lacrosse for a little bit, but baseball was my main sport.”

Wawrzasek soldiered forward with his singled out passion. But pitching was not the focus early on, choosing instead a smorgasbord testing ground.

“When I was younger, I would pretty much do whatever; play some first base, pitcher, any position,” said Wawrzasek. “I would play any position because it doesn’t really matter, I just want to play. I hit a lot when I was younger, but as I grew up, when I was around 16, my coach told me ‘you have a thing for pitching, you can go places with pitching but you need to make a decision…either play a position or go pitch.’ I was like, yeah, I want to pitch because I can see a future in it, and so could he.”

After graduating from Walnut Grove Secondary School in Canada, Wawrzasek culled his craft with the hometown Langley Blaze of the British Columbia Premier Baseball League. More than just his consonant crammed last name drew the attention of baseball higher-ups.

“At that age, I was a dominating pitcher and dominated my league, and it kind of came easy,” said Wawrzasek. “You had your select few players that were good, you had your average players which were easier to get out because they were not used to facing hard throwers, so I dominated that league. And as I grew up, I started hitting less and pitching more…I kind of forgot how to hit a ball, you might say.”

One of those select players was former Brewers 2008 first round draft pick Brett Lawrie. A star in the making during his Canadian youth, Lawrie, now in the Toronto system as compensation for Brewers Pitcher Shawn Marcum, went face to face and stood side by side in the elite league with Wawrzasek.

 

“I faced him when I was 14 and grew up playing against him when I was 11 years old,” recalled Wawrzasek. “When I was 12 years old, he ended up going up a level because he had that early birthday and I had the late one. When we were 15, we ended up on the same team on the senior level and I was on the junior level. The following year is when I played with him for two years before I got drafted by the Brewers.”

Wawrzasek was committed to play at Florida International on scholarship, but decided his seasoning in British Columbia was enough of a testing ground to prepare his arm for the next level. Thus began the professional journey of a pitcher who didn’t have a defined role at the outset.

“The whole decision is with the Brewers,” said Wawrzasek. “I don’t have a say in it, and in the end it’s up to them to say what they see what is best for me. When I first got drafted, I went down to Arizona and I was a starter, then the following year I was in the bullpen the whole time. Last year, I was in Helena and was a starter there and then they switched me back to relief here.”

Here, is Appleton, where Stosh has set up shop as a late inning setup man with the Class A Timber Rattlers. The ping-ponging between starting pitcher and bullpen guy can rattle the brain as well as the arm.

“It can, but you just have to get used to it and deal with it,” said Wawrzasek. “The biggest adjustment for me going from starter to reliever is as a starter you have your set day and five days to prepare for that one outing. As a relief pitcher, you’ve got to be prepared every day. So if I throw an inning today, I’ve got to keep my arm ready and be able to go tomorrow.”

Mental preparation has kept Wawrzasek focused on the task at hand. Stosh admits that turning his brain off is the best way to keep his arm locked and loaded.

“It can cause problems too much if you start thinking too much,” said Wawrzasek. “Obviously you have to go over certain situations but if you think about it too much it can just turn to chaos.

“It’s natural now. As soon as I’m on the mound, I see the sign, and if I don’t want to throw the pitch I’ll shake but I rarely do that. It’s kind of a thing where I’m locked in on getting a ground ball. And the only thing I do try to think about is trying to pound the bottom of the zone to get ground balls. You’re going to stay in the game longer.”

Wawrzasek has even toyed around with throwing a knuckleball, but his assignment is to perfect his arsenal of legit pitches first and foremost. When Timber Rattlers Manager Matt Erickson calls his number from the bullpen, Stosh sets a personal goal that will best suit the team effort.

“Three pitches or less to each batter,” said Wawrzasek. “I want to really attack the strike zone because I don’t want to be on a mound throwing a bunch of pitches in an inning, I want to be out of there as fast as possible. That was the biggest thing (Timber Rattlers Pitching Coach) Chris Hook told me…pound the zone, three pitches or less.”

It’s all still work in progress for Wawrzasek, who wants to be stingy on the bump, but also strives to have better fastball command.

“That’s a big thing going to the next level, and if you can command your fastball, get in and out, side to side, you’ll be fine,” said Wawrzasek. “Because if you can hit the outside on the right-handed batters, you’re going to be fine.”

Hockey’s loss is baseball’s gain, because Stosh Wawrzasek plays with passion and childhood delight. It’s no wonder that his baseball dream has been a rerun that first aired back in the early 90’s.

“I’ve had that dream since I was four-years-old,” said Wawrzasek. “I got into Tee Ball when I was four and I had a blast. My dad was coaching and I had so much fun playing I never wanted to stop. I watched guys playing on TV and it made me go ‘I want to do that.’

“All my life I’ve wanted to play in the Major Leagues and have my parents be there at the game or at home watching on TV. It’s unbelievable and the best dream I’ve ever had in my life. And I have it continuously…not just when I was four-years-old but I have it all the time.”

 

Photos by Brad Krause

 

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[Mass Haas]

Bob Brainerd has done multiple Rattler profiles this season -- we've posted some, but not all.

 

We're going to catch up with one every day or two over the next week, so as not to overwhelm.

 

We'll list the original posting date with each so it'll put any recent events in perspective.

[Mass Haas]

**UPDATE: Chris Dennis was transferred from Wisconsin back to Brevard County on July 7th** , the day this feature was first released

Canadian Import

by Bob Brainerd, sports32.com (Time Warner Cable)

 

On his climb up the Milwaukee Brewers farm system ladder, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers infielder Chris Dennis was showing proper scaling technique…taking one rung at a time, never rushing, eyes forward.

 

But then, a stumble, and a demotion.

 

“There’s definitely some disappointment, I’m not going to lie and say there isn’t,” said Dennis, who began the 2011 season at Class A Brevard County. “It was hard, but I talked to my family and they played a big part in it because they said you can take this one of two ways, either pout and be out of baseball by not performing or you can suck it up and go there with a good attitude, look at it as a fresh start and do whatever you have to do to just play baseball.”

 

A 2007 13th round draft pick out of St. Thomas of Villanova High School in Ontario, Canada, Dennis was mapping out his future making forward progress each year in baseball. He went from rookie ball in Arizona for starters, advanced to the rookie league at Helena in 2008, and then made the jump to Class A ball in Wisconsin in 2009. After two seasons with the Rattlers, Dennis was up for another promotion, but hit a jarring snag with the Manatees that saw his 2011 campaign unravel in a hurry.

 

“I was dealing with some injuries when I got there, then got back into the lineup and just really struggled,” said Dennis. “I didn’t really have that much of an opportunity, only 29 at bats. People will go through 0 for 30 droughts then come back and hit over .300, so I can’t say what would have happened if I would have stayed up there.”

 

But the trip back to familiar surroundings proved to be the perfect tonic. Dennis thrived at the plate, and even opened the eyes of his former hitting coach in Appleton.

 

“Things didn’t work out so well for him to start the season, but he came here and I think benefitted from our clubhouse,” said first year Timber Rattlers Manager Matt Erickson. “He came right in, showed up at Quad Cities and I remember his first at bat he hit a home run, but what was even more impressive was he then dumped one into left field, kind of a bleeder, and he busted out of the box and beat the throw for a hustle double. That was good to see. He wasn’t pouting coming down from Brevard County, he had something to prove, had good numbers in this league last year, and he’s been a good stabilizer in the middle of our lineup.”

 

“The way I look at it is it’s my fault, I didn’t do my job when I was up there, and maybe it was a new start that I needed and thankfully the Brewers had confidence in me to stick with me and let me perform down here,” added Dennis. “Once I stepped into this clubhouse there’s group of great guys who accepted me right away and made things a lot easier.

 

“I’ve never looked back since then. Things are going to go bad, things are going to go good, but hopefully I can just stay on an even keel and do the best I can.”

 

His invigoration in Appleton helped erase his .103 batting average in just nine games played in Florida. Dennis posted first half numbers good enough to earn him a spot in the Midwest League All Star Game, where he poked an opposite field home run for the winning Western Division squad.

 

“It definitely felt good, the guy was throwing kind of hard, 94, 95 and I caught it with a good swing and kind of knew it was gone right away,” recalled Dennis. “The All Star break was fun. You get to know other guys on the team that you normally wouldn’t have a chance to and take in all the festivities. It’s a weekend to remember and no one can take that away from you and not everybody gets to experience it.”

 

You can trace the baseball roots of Chris Dennis back to his childhood growing up in Windsor, Ontario. The stereotypical hockey culture never really stuck with the son of Tim and Denice Dennis, and if anything, football was another option, having two uncles who played in the Canadian Football League.

 

“I had the choice to go play on a football scholarship in the states, played a little hockey, but my dad asked me’ what do you want to do?’” said Dennis. “From a young age, it was baseball, so that’s what I stuck with. It was a baseball house. My mom was a diehard Tigers fan and my dad rooted for the Yankees being a big tradition guy who played the game right. I was taught to play baseball at a young age and loved it.”

 

His power stroke began to blossom at Helena in 2008, when then 19-year-old Chris socked 12 home runs in Pioneer League play. How that power came to be, is another story.

 

“When I was little and growing up, I never played Tee Ball or anything, but my mom brought me in the backyard and was throwing balls,” said Dennis. “We had this power line, and I always tried to hit the ball over the power line. My dad, who played baseball, he was a pitcher and went to school in California, said he’s going to be a hitter because he’s got power. Ever since I started playing I was hitting the ball further than the other guys. Obviously as you get older, they catch up to you, but since a young age, I was always trying to hit home runs.”

 

Dennis is second on the Rattlers roster with eight round trippers this season, but his role back in Wisconsin has morphed into more than just providing some pop at the plate.

 

“Coming back and knowing that I am an older guy I think it’s one of my jobs to conduct myself in a way where guys are going to look up to me and try to see that I play the game the right way,” said Dennis. “Whether it’s striking out and showing no attitude after, making an error on the field, or even if things are going good, I feel like I have to lead the way there a little bit.

 

“Sometimes I don’t always to the best job of it, but for the most part I’m trying to set an example for them and play the game the right way.”

 

Properly dusted off and ready to resume his climb, Chris Dennis has discovered you will fall, but you can get up.

 

“When we had the All Star break, you miss it,” said Dennis. “It’s only been four days but you feel like you want to get back to the field. Everyone waits for the offseason and then once you’re in the offseason you’re saying I can’t wait to get back to baseball. If you don’t have that, you know you’re in the wrong thing.

 

“It’s a grind day in and day out, but you need to have that motivation. I think everybody playing minor league baseball has to have that motivation because it’s not an easy thing to do, and I think that’s what keeps me in it and keeps me going.”

 

PHOTOS BY BRAD KRAUSE

 

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[Mass Haas]

First posted back on June 8th --

 

Miller Time

by Bob Brainerd, sports32.com (Time Warner Cable)

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For all the tales and feel-good stories about a kid born with a baseball in his crib who goes on to become a Major Leaguer, consider the unexpected journey of Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Matt Miller, who sort of casually stumbled into the conversation.

“I was a late bloomer in high school, I grew late,” said the 6-6 Miller, a fifth round draft pick of the Brewers in 2010. “I had two older brothers so I was a little overshadowed coming through high school. I played basketball and baseball; decent at both, but my junior year is when I really started to get good at baseball. But for some reason, nobody gave me an honest look.”

Perhaps it was Miller’s lanky frame that scared off the scouts. His brothers teased him and tabbed him the nickname Gumby. He was a competitive, talented pitcher at Zionsville (IN) Community High School, but something was missing to catch the eye of a college coach.

“My senior year, I was working with an ex-pitching coach of the Cardinals, Mike Snyder, and he was convinced I was going to get a shot somewhere,” said Miller. “Me and my Dad sent out videos of my senior year games just for fun, and got a couple replies back very late.”

Michigan, Wake Forest and Kansas State all showed interest, but Miller admits it was a tough time to scramble and gauge a budding pitcher so late in the season. So the athlete was fully prepared to focus on academics and put the game on the backburner.

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“I was all set and ready to go to school just to be a student at Purdue and maybe walk on, but it was just kind of weird,” said Miller.

Weird because out of nowhere, Miller received a scholarship offer from Michigan. The Wolverines saw something in Miller’s makeup that other Big Ten schools did not.

“Indiana’s head coach said I couldn’t play D-1 baseball, and I always got a kick out of that every time we played against (Hoosiers Head Coach) Tracy Smith,” laughed Miller.

On board with the Wolverines, Miller had the normal adjustments settling into the college scene. He posted a 3.70 ERA his sophomore season pitching in relief 22 of the 23 times he took the bump. He then ventured into the Northwoods League the summer of 2009 to fine tune his game with the Alexandria Beetles.

“I had a great summer coming out after my sophomore year playing in Minnesota,” said Miller, who was named the Northwoods League fifth best prospect according to Baseball America. “That was one of the times that I look back and think baseball was fun.”

But Miller wasn’t able to parlay his summer success back in Ann Arbor. His junior campaign was a struggle, watching his ERA balloon to 5.06 as he flip-flopped between starting assignments and the bullpen. Doubt creeped in as Miller could appear lights out one outing, then need a GPS to find the strike zone the next. And it didn’t help matters that there was an internal battle waging with his head coach.

“College kind of wears you down a little; I’m not going to lie,” said Miller. “When your head coach has a lot of pressure to win he can sometimes find a scapegoat. My head coach and I didn’t see eye to eye on some things and naturally everybody saw that I was in the doghouse for awhile. Not that I said anything wrong, it’s just that when you have two brain cells, sometimes it’s not the best thing in the world.”

Miller was determined to turn himself into a factor rather than a question mark as the Wolverines fought to make a Big Ten championship run. It was in a historic 15-14 come-from-behind win over Northwestern where Miller turned the corner, tossing 5.2 innings of shutout baseball, striking out seven Wildcats and allowing just two hits while his teammates rallied from an improbable 14-0 deficit.

“When you get excited because you know every day you can put the ball where you want it, plus a second or third pitch along with it, it’s a different kind of mentality,” said Miller. “It feels easy.”

Finally dialed in on a consistent basis, Miller time had arrived. He felt comfortable in his own pitching skin, but thoughts of playing beyond his days at Michigan were still to be determined.

“That was an interesting experience, my junior year before the draft and that whole process,” said Miller. “If anything, the step from high school to college is a difficult step, but I think it’s necessary for kids to play and mature if you want to play pro ball.”

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There was a growing up process that went hand in hand with the mechanical tweaks. Miller saw the two working in harmony when he was shuttled to Helena in 2010 for a rookie league season that included a spot on the Pioneer League All-Star roster, posting a league-best seven wins and the seventh best ERA (4.06).

“Mentally, I think college guys have a little more wherewithal being though college and the process and having a little more tutelage,” said Miller. “But when you come to pro ball, the first year is really teaching you to become a professional. Dealing with your teammates, the media and situations like that. So for me, there wasn’t a whole lot of shifting gears.”

Miller capped off his inaugural campaign as a professional with a win over Ogden in the Pioneer League Championship game last September. Hopes remain high, but so do the expectations the Brewers now demand of Miller at the Class A level.

“I think physically some of the stuff they wanted me to do they still have me doing, we’re all out here developing and that’s part of the experience,” said Miller. “It’s coming in every day, doing your work and work on being efficient and just work on giving it everything you’ve got.

“We’re not trying to win a World Series down here in Appleton, but we are trying to get better and win some ballgames.”

The latest challenge for Miller will be how the right-hander responds once he comes off the disabled list. Prior to taking a seat on the sidelines, Miller’s numbers were 2-3 in eight starts with a 4.50 ERA. He does have two complete games, but also sports a sore spot stat, walking one more (23) than he’s struck out (22).

 

(For reference, hereis Miller's current stat page -- MH).

 

“Right now I’m still working on delivery and mechanics to allow me to be the best pitcher I can be, starting with my fastball and going from there,” said Miller. “Already, I’ve accomplished a lot with the changeup and developing a solid secondary pitch where I can feel comfortable pitching it. I feel like I’ve made progress, and now I want to pick out the good things and move forward.

“When I look back on the 2011 season I want to feel like I went out every day and got the work done that I needed to do. Obviously you’re going to have little adjustments as the season goes along, you’re not going to feel the best every day, but if you give 100% or whatever you have that day you can feel good walking away from it knowing that you gave an honest effort. I want to see in my video reviews and the reviews I get from my coaching staff that it’s all positive. I want them to say he came out every day, he’s a hard worker, he got his work done, he came out and threw strikes and got ground balls, and that’s the key…getting people out.”

Living up to his own expectations is quite enough motivation for Miller, who prefers to lay low despite his lofty draft selection in the fifth round a year ago.

“There’s always a little pressure but what’s nice, being in my position as well as (since-promoted) Austin (Ross) and others is that we have pitchers drafted in front of us, so the pressure kind of trickles down the line, it gets weakened, and you kind of spread it around,” chuckled Miller. “There’s always a lot of pressure on that first guy, poor Dylan Covey, he would have a lot of pressure on him right now!

“I’m just out here trying to give it my best. If I can show them that I’m a hard worker, that I’m honestly trying to make the adjustments that they want me to do, because the ultimate goal for everybody on this team is to make it to Milwaukee and part of that is accomplishing the goals and tasks they put in front of you.”

Miller admits “I’m probably just riding the train right now,” on a journey he hopes will be ticketed for a familiar stop on his baseball career itinerary.

“A few of us were fortunate enough to play in the Futures Game in Milwaukee, and those two days where we lived like a pro, that was enough inspiration to say hey, this is the life,” said Miller. “We walked away from that, coming back down to A-ball after living like a pro; it’s like going from Mercedes Benz to a Ford Taurus. That was a dream in itself, just experiencing that and having something to always reach toward. But you have to take this step by step, and the next step after this is Brevard County.

“I’m focusing on the here and now just trying to get better here in Appleton.”

[Mass Haas]

Timber Rattlers Profile: No. 23 Matt Miller, pitcher

compiled by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent

 

Quick hits

 

- Age: 22.

- Position: Starting pitcher.

- Height, weight: 6-6, 220.

- Bats/throws: Right/right.

- Resides: Zionsville, Ind.

- Notes: Selected by the Brewers in the fifth round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. … Named a Pioneer League all-star last season. … Ranked among league leaders in wins (tied for first, seven) and ERA (seventh, 4.06). … Held opponents to a .244 batting average, which was tied for the lowest opponent batting average in the league among starters. … Was the winning pitcher in the Pioneer League championship game.

Favorites

 

- MLB team growing up: "Cleveland. Both my parents are from the Cleveland area and I grew up watching the team with Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome and David Justice."

 

- MLB player growing up: "Hands down, David Justice. I just liked watching him play. He was an exciting player back in his prime."

 

- Thing about Zionsville: "Probably Lions Park. They have a bunch of baseball fields there and I grew up there playing baseball with all my friends."

 

- TV show: "House."

 

- Thing you own: "My computer or iPod, one of the two. On those long bus trips, I need something to keep me entertained."

 

- Thing about Appleton: "I like the town. It has a good downtown area. I like College Avenue, the restaurants. It has a fairly nice feel to it. It's an intimate town. I've eaten at Lombardi's a couple of times, Fratellos. I really like going down there, plus we have a great fan base."

 

- Thing to eat at a baseball game: "A hot dog, with ketchup, mustard, relish — the whole bit."

 

- NFL team: "Indianapolis Colts. A big Peyton (Manning) fan. The last few years have really been good. I went through the whole Jim Mora phase. That was a long, tough ride."

 

Q&A

 

Q: How'd you end up at Michigan?

A: "I was a late bloomer in high school. I didn't have a lot of interest or offers at the end of my senior year. My dad and my pitching coach sent out some videos and, at the end of the season, I got calls from Wake Forest, Kansas State and Pennsylvania. Michigan came down to see me, pretty much because (Indiana) was hosting the Big Ten Tournament. I went up to visit, fell in love with Ann Arbor and everything fell in line."

 

Q: What is the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry like in baseball?

 

A: "I don't think any different than Ohio State-Michigan in any other sport. It gets competitive. If there is one series, when you look down the schedule, you always want to take two out of three, that's the one. That's the one you live for every season."

 

Q: What it's like to attend a game at the Big House?

 

A: "It's loud — 113,000 people. Nobody sits down. You'd better strap it in because the student section is going to be in your face all four hours. Unfortunately, I was there when the football program was at its lowest in years. But I did attend The Big Chill, when the Michigan hockey team took on Michigan State there. That was really exciting."

 

Q: Ever get tired of hearing "Hail to the Victors?"

 

A: "No, never."

 

Q: What was your major?

A: "Economics and accounting. At some point I'd like to get my MBA or master's in accounting and do the financial world."

 

Q: Favorite memory at Michigan?

 

A: "Beating Northwestern on Senior Day. We were down 14-0 and came back to win 15-14 in 10 innings. We made ESPN the next day. It was a pretty big story. We went absolutely nuts after we hit a walk-off in the 10th."

 

Q: What was your experience playing high school basketball in Indiana?

 

A: "That was a whole different experience. I grew up watching 'Hoosiers.' We went against Greg Oden and Mike Conley their junior year; got beat up a little in that game. ... But I loved coming out on Friday night, the band playing. We weren't great but we were competitive every game. Our student section was fantastic. We packed the gym on weekends and went at it."

 

Q: So what was it like going against Oden?

 

A: "If the ball was within 10 feet of the basket, it was going down with a dunk. I did all I could to get in his way."

 

Q: Was it hard to believe you two were almost the same age?

 

A: "When you're 16 years old and going up against a guy who looks like he's 30 when he's warming up and you know you have to guard him … I was just lucky not to have to take the tip that night. I know there's a picture of that and I'm just standing there laughing in the background."

 

Q: How did you get the nickname Gumby?

 

A: "That was something my brothers gave me. They gave me a hard time about being long and loose. My body didn't fill out until my senior year. It's always tough when you have two older brothers."

 

Q: What was it like to get drafted?

 

A: "That was exciting, the whole week leading up to it. We lost in the Big Ten tourney, went back to Ann Arbor and, within 24 hours, I was packed and headed down to Tampa for a workout with the Yankees. Then I came up to Milwaukee to do their pre-draft camp. I had an idea where I was going to get taken. My agent, right before the fifth round started, called and said, 'Get ready, kid.' When Milwaukee came up, we just held our breath."

 

Q: How frustrating was your oblique injury earlier this season?

 

A: "It was tough. It wore on me mentally. I came back to the field just a few days later and worked every day. The timing, with the All-Star Game and not wanting to push me, I basically lost a month and a half. But it was a freak injury. There was nothing I could do about it or prevent it. And I think, in the end, it helped me. I started working more on my core and was able to work on my mechanics and delivery right around that time."

 

Q: Do you feel better about those things now?

 

A: "Yeah, a lot better. Since I've come back, I have a whole lot of confidence. We've simplified things and kept the game simple. I'm just working on one thing at a time and trying to put it all together. Everything that we've been working on all year we're trying to put together into a semi-finished product."

 

Q: How'd you spend your first check?

 

A: "I put it in the bank and haven't touched it."

 

Q: What's your most prized sports possession?

 

A: "I came out to close a game in the Northwoods League. I threw three innings, we came back from down three, and I struck out seven in three innings. That ball has been passed around the family."

 

Q: What would be worse, losing your glove or your phone?

 

A: "My phone, hands down. I don't have a special attachment to my glove, like some of these other guys. Gloves are replaceable. There's a lot on phones these days."

 

The Tool Box

 

Timber Rattlers pitching coach Chris Hook breaks down Matt Miller:

 

"Matt, obviously, has a good frame, a long, lean guy with all those levers. Good arm action. Good hand speed. What he's learning to do is getting all those long levers to work together for a fluid delivery. The last month, he's done a good job of that. I think what they find out is it's not as hard as they think it is. Keep the game simple, then you can attack the game. If you have too many thoughts involved, you get tentative, and Matt goes in and out of that.

 

"The tools are there for him. He's got all the tools to pitch in the big leagues. It's a matter of trusting it, understanding it and attacking it. His breaking ball the last two, three weeks has really opened my eyes. Early in the season, he was not close to the strike zone with it. Now, he's in the strike zone with it with sharp, tight pitches. He's showing flashes. He's showing some solid, average major league pitches. You get excited as a pitching coach when you know a guy has all those tools to pitch in the big leagues. He's a big guy, looks the part, but you need to see flashes and for me, that's been the positive. Then you tell them, if they can do it once, they can do it twice and over and over. We've seen that the last three weeks."

[Mass Haas]

First posted back on July 1st --

Mike Check

by Bob Brainerd, sports32.com (Time Warner Cable)

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRAD KRAUSE

A baseball player can possess all the tools, but if the brain is not in concert with the ability, there is an abyss lurking that can drain a player’s soul.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers infielder Mike Walker has been to the abyss, and back.

“I was in a situation last summer where I wasn’t doing really well; things started building up in my life,” said Walker, a 14^th round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers last season out of the University of Pacific. “It was a rough time. Rookie ball kind of sucked for me, to be honest.”

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The world unraveled quickly for the 6-4 standout with the sweet swing from Marysville, California. A three-sport athlete in high school who also played football and basketball, Walker earned Second Team All-Big West honors in his 2009 junior season with the Tigers. Walker seemed like a seasoned pro when he actually began his pro career with the Brewers rookie league team in Helena.

“Baseball will play tricks on your mind,” Walker explained. “From July into August I was hitting about a buck eighty (.180) so that’s bad enough, because you’re playing every day, and every day you show up to the yard and think my swing doesn’t feel good, I have zero confidence. The guy on the mound might have average stuff but I’m just not where I need to be right now. It’s caused by being away from my family, being away from my girlfriend in a long distance relationship.”

Rather than crash and burn, Walker took a walk away from the diamond life. It was an opportunity to rediscover his swing as well as his passion for the game.

“I took some time away from the game during the offseason, a solid two and a half to three months off before I even thought about baseball again,” said Walker. “It gave me some time to put everything in perspective and say I actually do love this game.

“I want to maximize my potential and see what I can get out of it and see how far I can go.”

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Before his personal swoon in Montana a season ago, Walker made his mark by ranking among the Pioneer League leaders in games played (1^st, 74) and walks (1^st, 60). He also showed flashes of power that have carried over into Midwest League play with the Timber Rattlers, socking 11 home runs during the first half of the season.

“I started showing signs of power my junior year of college and it kept developing,” said Walker. “To be honest, home runs are just doubles that go over the fence. They’re just a mistake. The approach that I take is that I try to hit everything to left centerfield or centerfield, and the balls that are going out are just balls you take the same swing on that you just get a little bit out front of. It’s not like I ever go up there trying to hit a home run, but every now and then you run into one.”

Walker’s nonchalant approach seems to be paying dividends. He is trying to not try, and in the process, getting back into the swing of things at the plate.

“When I start trying the front shoulder starts flying out and your bat path gets a little weird, your swing might get a little loopy,” said Walker. “I tell myself to go up there and swing hard but sometimes the harder I swing I sometimes end up losing bat speed. Instead of just trying to be short and quick and just go right through the ball.

“It’s amazing sometimes how much power you can have when you’re not even trying to do it, just trying to stay short and put a good swing on the ball. The ball just jumps!”

But if the ball isn’t jumping off the bat, it may be breezing by it. Walker was second in the Pioneer League last season with 78 strikeouts in 74 games…numbers that need some weight loss.

“He’s a big guy, and we talked to him the other day about trying to cut down on his strikeouts a little bit because when he puts the ball in play he rarely makes an out,” said Timber Rattlers Manager Matt Erickson. “We’ll try to cut down his swing a little bit with two strikes, but we want him to stay aggressive, try to get ahead in the count. That’s what he really does well for a big man; he’s got plate discipline, strike zone discipline like a little guy. He’s got some juice, some gap to gap power. So when you swing at strikes good things are going to happen for him.”

Walker is willing and able to buy into some fine tuning in his bid to be more selective at the plate.

“I’m looking for one pitch for the most part until I get to two strikes, so if they want me to cut down my strikeouts I’m going to have to be a little less selective and maybe start hitting some pitches early in the count that I can drive somewhere,” said Walker. There’s always stuff to work on. Striking out is part of that, and what goes into that, that’s a good question. I think it's pitch selection a lot of times; maybe I get a little too selective instead of just trusting my pitch. If I’m looking for a fastball in and I see fastballs on the outer half of the plate, sometimes I’ll just let those go for strike one or two. You can probably swing at those pitches and hit them hard somewhere.

“It’s not rocket science, its baseball…a game of trial and error and you’re not going to have great days all the time.”

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Walker had enough eye-opening days with Class A Wisconsin in the first half of the season to earn a roster spot on the Midwest League All Star squad. Walker had a hit, a walk, stole a base and scored a pair of runs for the winning Western Division team.

“Beginning of the season you set your goals and you say I’d like to be an All Star, but at the same time four days off would have been nice to be able to rest the body,” said Walker. “But it was an experience that you can’t pass up and I had a blast while I was there and really excited to participate. It was an honor, and if they said you can go to the All Star Game or take four days off. I definitely would go.”

All part of the baseball resume building and on the job training for Walker, who sampled his future in professional baseball while he was playing for a former major leaguer at Pacific, Head Coach Ed Sprague.

“He played 13 years in the big league for the Blue Jays, and he got me accustomed to what the pro lifestyle was like,” said Walker. “He was kind of the same way as me, kind of hardnosed at times, but he definitely got me prepared for the day in day out grind of what pro ball will be like. For that I’ll always be thankful because if I didn’t have a guy like that it would have been a tougher adjustment for me to step in to pro ball.”

Walker admits Sprague, whose father Ed pitched for the Brewers from 1973-1976, was not afraid to “get on me if he didn’t think I was playing up to my standard or to his standard that he had for me.” Player and coach butted heads, but now there is nothing but feel-good vibes flowing Walker’s way, who even joked that his jersey number at Wisconsin, 33, is not to match his former coach’s number in Toronto, but rather, was the fifth choice on his request list when he got to Appleton. Perhaps that tough love in college helped Walker dig out from his baseball baptism last year.

“Rookie ball is kind of like a crash course in minor league baseball, because you kind of figure out what it’s going to be like, real quick,” said Walker. “I went back home in the offseason and I was like, man, I’d really like to be back out there playing baseball if I could.

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and as soon as I took that time off, I wanted to be back out there because I missed it a lot.”

One thing that isn’t missing now is the 23-year-old’s enthusiasm. Sometimes, even a tad too much, like the time Walker hit a walk-off home run on April 17^th against Peoria.

“I flipped the bat and got a little bit carried away with that, but I never hit a walk-off before, and it was obvious I got caught up in the moment a little bit,” laughed Walker. “Hindsight is 20-20. At the time I was just having fun, not really thinking about what I was doing. We’ve actually faced them again and they didn’t hit me…yet.”

His second “mistake” was leaving his helmet on when he crossed home plate, but the celebratory beating he took from his teammates should be an easy reminder to flip it to the sky the next time he connects to end a ballgame. The fun is back in the game for Mike Walker, and that alone is worth celebrating.

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“I’ve been having a blast this year for the most part,” said Walker. “I couldn’t tell you what my stats are because my main goal is just to have as much fun as possible. You can go out there and start counting hits and your average and turn into a stat guy. For me at least, it’s more fun just to get caught up in the game. I like playing more for a winner, a team that wins day in and day out than have good personal numbers on a losing team. Now, I just try to get into the flow of the game and do what I can to have fun.

The nightmare is over. Now Mike Walker only has room in his brain to dream about playing in the major leagues.

“That is everybody’s goal,” said Walker. “You’re not here unless you want to excel and do well. It might be a long shot, but the dream is still alive.”

[Mass Haas]

First posted back on June 2nd --

Happy Holle Daysby Bob Brainerd, sports32.com (Time Warner Cable)http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Holle-2-300x200.jpg

Baseball closers are a unique breed. They possess no fear tools to shutdown an opponent and preserve a victory, in tandem with the demeanor to flush away any lingering stench of a blown save opportunity. A closer also seems to have the desire to ugly-up to make their appearance on the mound frightening and intimidating.

Clean-shaven Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Greg Holle isn’t quite there just yet.

“I’ve always shaved my head,” said Holle, a 2010 11^th round draft pick of the Brewers. “But with my size, I hope it’s intimidating. You can do all that stuff, but not if you can’t bring it. A lot of guys who are doing that are proven with their stuff and it all goes hand in hand.”

At 6-8, Holle is a towering enough drink of water to strike fear into an unsuspecting batter, but the 22-year-old right-hander will dispense with the trickery and facial accessories until he’s proven his worth on the mound.

“Honestly, I love it,” said Holle, who went the first two months of the Midwest League season a perfect 11 for 11 in save opportunities. “It can’t be any more cut and dry. Throw the ball in the ninth inning, get three outs before they get anything and you come out on top. I’ve done it all before. I’ve closed before, I’ve started. But I really like it.

“I have to get people out…that’s all that matters. If you can’t get adrenaline and get fired up to come in and finish off a game you’re probably not in the right profession.”

Holle kick started his profession working out of the bullpen for the Brewers entry in the Arizona Fall League last season. In eight games, Holle fashioned a 3-1 mark with a stingy 0.79 ERA. But none of those outings put Holle in the ninth inning limelight, where he has been lights out since coming to Appleton.

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“This is my first full season and you’ve got to have such a short term memory,” said Holle. “Stuff will hit the fan one night, the next night, no one cares.”

While the Brewers don’t necessarily groom a minor league pitcher like Holle to become strictly a closer, this is the role thrust upon him to test his makeup and moxy. There is constant on the job training for Holle to soak up and absorb.

“It’s almost like flipping a switch,” said Holle, who claims he’s more routine oriented than superstitious. “Sixth, seventh inning starts rolling in and you start moving, get stretched, and obviously watching the score to get a better feel for the game, watching hitters as you go. Sure as heck, once he tells you to toss and says you’ve got the ninth, I don’t care if it’s my mom in the batter’s box, I’m coming after you. I think you have to have that mentality. You’ve got guys behind you that did all the other stuff in the game, you’ve got to come in and finish it.”

When April and May were history, Holle’s 11 saves were second in the Midwest League, but his 4.79 ERA needs some work and shrinkage. As far as the closer mentality, Holle seems to have the proper frame of mind.

“For me it’s just, game’s over,” Holle said. “Go out, pound the zone, don’t put guys on that don’t earn it and let the rest take care of itself.”

Holle continues to hone his craft as well as his God-given abilities thanks in part to an acute awareness of his baseball environment. His high school resume at Christian Brothers Academy (NY) High School includes being tabbed the 2007 Player of the Year in the state of New York. But when the Yankees drafted Holle that same year in the 35^th round, the pitcher tossed a changeup, didn’t feel ready, and didn’t sign.

“Honestly, I was pretty good growing up,” admitted Holle. “I was 16 playing Connie Mack baseball with 18 year olds and I was having success there. By the time my senior year rolled around, I got drafted by the Yankees. I had an idea I could do something…I threw hard, but you’ve got to have other stuff with it.”

Rather than sign on the bottom line, Holle went to establish “other stuff” pitching for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University. Games to pitch and opportunities to tweak his repertoire became plentiful.

“The biggest wakeup call is going to high school in New York for my senior year we played 18 games or so, two games a week,” said Holle. “Then I get there (TCU) and my first year, we had success, and then we kept getting better as I went on, going to the World Series my junior year, and I never played that much before. Summer ball you play a lot, but this was, from start to finish playing year round, just a work load. I was finally on my own, so I had to hit the floor running.”

What Holle gleaned from his days in Fort Worth, besides the hint of a Texas drawl, could be seen when he stepped on a scale as well as when he stepped off the mound.

“I think the biggest thing is I showed up at TCU 188 (pounds) as a freshman, this tall, and I was like 245 when I left,” said Holle. “I was lucky that my pitching coach (Randy Mazey) at TCU was pretty good, and on the field stuff is the most important, but it’s all the off the field stuff, the preparation without a ball in your hands, taking care of yourself. You have to be durable to be able to throw all the time.”

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But the déjà vu moment in Holle’s career came when the Brewers selected Greg in the 11^th round, two slots higher than the round Milwaukee chose his father, Gary, back in 1976.

“I think one time I remember seeing something from the Double-A or Triple-A All Star Game at Fenway Park and that was pretty cool,” said Greg, who was born in 1988, some seven years after Gary’s baseball career concluded. “I never had much of a chance to see him play.”

Gary never donned a Milwaukee uniform, spending three years in the Brewers system without a call up. The first baseman was packaged and traded to Texas in 1979, where he got his one and only Major League taste with the Rangers for a five-game stint, recording one base hit, a double, in six at-bats. The remainder of his playing days unfolded in various Triple-A stops, leaving very little viewing pleasure for his future family.

“It’s sort of one of those things where I sort of wish I did get to see him, but at the same time, between my brother (Gary Jr.) and I, he was there for everything,” said Greg.

Gary spread the love, and the athletic genes to both of his sons. Once a standout two-sport athlete back in the day at Siena College, Gary Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps on the basketball court at Siena, while Greg ventured off to mirror his dad’s diamond life.

“A lot of the hands on stuff,” said Holle when asked to describe lessons learned from his father, who also provided inspirational mottos for Greg to follow. “The way you carry yourself, act like you’ve done it before…Don’t leave anything out there and work harder than everyone else…Stay humble and go win.”

And while Holle hopes to have longer staying power in the big leagues than his dad, Greg is quick to point out that his mother Paula had a huge helping hand in the process.

“Growing up my mom was a nurse and my parents ended up getting divorced,” explained Holle. “It was never anything bad, I was around them both, but seeing how my mom did stuff working two jobs sometimes, you don’t realize that stuff until now.

“Looking back, I’ve done something right so far, but it’s got to come from somewhere, and I took bits and pieces from both of them.”

Just like that ninth inning vibe, Greg Holle grasps the crucial urgency of this moment in his life. He spends down time laying low, spends road trips and bus rides reading and contemplating his future. A future he refuses to compromise by steering off the path he walks in the present.

“For me at least, and I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but just keep your head on straight, stay focused and get the job done,” said Holle. “You’ve got the whole offseason to do whatever. You work your butt off your whole life to get this opportunity, so don’t blow it.”

[CheezWizHed]

At 6-8, Holle is a towering enough drink of water

 

Sounds like Bob was channeling "Flo" from the TV show "Alice".

[mrpackersfan1]

I'm gonna be at the Rattlers @ Kane County game tomorrow with seats right behind the Rattlers dugout. Gonna get some autographs. Last year, some notable autographs I got were Hunter Morris and Scooter Gennett. Now that Arnett got promoted, I'm hoping to get his autograph. Also, I talked to Jason Rogers, Jimmy Nelson and Franklin Romero on twitter.

[Mass Haas]

Garman's pitching repetoireby Jim Oskola, PostCrescent.com

 

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Brian Garman has had his ups and downs during the 2011 season.

 

He entered Friday night's game against Clinton with a 3.83 ERA, allowing 19 earned runs over 44 2/3 innings.

 

Friday's 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief against the LumberKings in what turned into a 6-1 loss at Fox Cities Stadium was definitely an up.

 

What made him particularly effective against several of Clinton's right-handed batters was his ability to hit the outside corner of the plate and then when the LumberKing batters were looking for that outside pitch, he busted them inside, leaving the LumberKing batters unable to get the bat around on the ball.

 

"That's my slider to a rightie," Garman said. "I've had a lot of success with it. It's a fairly new pitch to me. The first time I ever did that was last year. This is only really the second full season where I've been able to be consistent with a back-foot slider to a right-handed hitter. I've just had a lot of success with it. I think part of that is being able to keep my hand speed the same as my fastball and make it look like a fastball in my hand. I think a lot of guys bite on that looking like a fastball right away and it's out of the zone by the time it gets to them."

 

When did Garman get confident enough to first throw the pitch in a game?

 

"Everybody else is more confident than I am," Garman said with a chuckle. "It probably took me three years to learn to throw a slider. I started trying to throw a slider at the end of my freshman year in college. At that point in time, I strictly had fastball/curveball and somebody said, 'Hey, you should try throwing a slider with your arm slot and everything you have mechanically.'"

 

With that idea planted in his head, Garman started working on the pitch.

 

"I talked with guys getting different perspectives and different tips," Garman said. "It took me forever. It felt like I was never going to get it. Then my senior year in college it just showed up and it was my best pitch."

[battlekow]

Arnett promoted

Todd Rosiak/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

After a fit of starts and stops that saw him demoted from low Class A Wisconsin all the way to rookie ball in Arizona last June, 2009 first-round pick Eric Arnett is back with the Timber Rattlers.

"He went to Helena with a purpose, he fulfilled that purpose, and it's time to move up," said assistant general manager Gord Ash. "He's throwing the ball much better this year."

Arnett was drafted 26th overall by the Brewers out of Indiana, in part because of his power arm and the expectation he'd be able to advance through the system somewhat quickly.

Instead, he struggled badly in an initial stint with Wisconsin, going 1-9 with a 6.70 ERA in 20 games (16 starts), finished the season in Arizona and then took the winter off to rest his arm and work on strength and conditioning.

He suffered a setback in spring training with rotator cuff tendinitis, but bounced back enough to go 4-2 with a 5.19 ERA in nine starts with rookie-level Helena, prompting his promotion.

"We don't put a lot of emphasis on the statistical numbers," Ash said. "The reports were all positive. He had one bad game and that was it.

"A little more aggressive, a little more determined, so he deserves that next opportunity."

Ash said Arnett has been throwing in the low 90s.

[mrpackersfan1]

At the Rattlers game I got 13 autographs from- Dan Britt, Jameson Dunn, Greg Holle, Alan Williams, Joseph Paciorek, Gregory Hopkins, Nick Ramirez, Michael Walker, TJ Mittelstaedt, Franklin Romero, Chad Stang, and Mike Brownstein. Also, After a rundown to end an inning, Mike Brownstein tossed me the baseball. Pretty good game.

[Mass Haas]

Timber Rattlers Profile: No. 38 Jason Rogers, outfielder

compiled by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent

Quick hits

 

- Age: 23.

- Position: Outfield/First base.

- Height, weight: 6-2, 250.

- Bats/throws: Right/right.

- Resides: Riverdale, Ga.

- Notes: Selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 32nd round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. … Attended Columbus State University and was named a 2010 first-team all-American by the Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association. … Tied the Columbus State and Peach Belt Conference marks for home runs in a single season (26) in 2010. … Graduated from Banneker High School (Ga.).

 

Favorites

 

- MLB team growing up: "New York Yankees. I liked the players they had: Derek Jeter, A-Rod. Back in the '90s, too, when they had Bernie Williams and Scott Brosius. I just loved the way they played."

 

- MLB player growing up: "A-Rod."

 

- Thing about hometown: "Probably the restaurants that they had downtown. A great atmosphere."

 

- TV show: "ESPN SportsCenter."

 

- Thing you own: "My 'Live Strong' bracelet."

 

- Thing to eat at a baseball game: "Hot dogs. With ketchup and mustard."

 

- NFL team: "Atlanta Falcons. My favorite player growing up was Jamal Anderson."

 

Q&A

 

Q: What was your first reaction after being selected by the Brewers?

 

A: "At the time, I was in New Hampshire doing summer ball. I was at a retirement home eating dinner with the senior citizens. My girlfriend at the time, she told me I had been drafted by the Brewers and I was excited. I was with my teammates and I told them. Called my parents, too, right after. It was an exciting time."

 

Q: Were any other teams interested in you before the draft?

 

A: "Yeah, the Reds and the A's. They followed me a little bit, especially the Reds. So I thought it was going to be them. But I got a call the morning of the draft and the Brewers told me that they were probably going to draft me."

 

Q: Did you have any knowledge of the team or Wisconsin?

 

A: "I knew a little bit about the Brewers. I followed them a little bit. I didn't know anything about Wisconsin. I have family in Milwaukee but I never really knew about it."

 

Q: What was your experience like in the Arizona Rookie League last season in Phoenix?

 

A: "Whew! It took me awhile to get used to the weather down there. It's hot and my body was tightening up. Arizona is a nice place to be. We had a good season and won the championship and it was a great learning experience for me."

 

Q: What was the biggest difference in making the jump from college ball to the minors?

 

A: "Just trying to be more consistent. The way they pitch you isn't going to be all fastballs. They're going to switch things up. The guys are throwing hard. The Dominicans were really throwing hard and stuff. That's the level of play, though. Everybody's stronger, faster and bigger."

 

Q: What do you remember most about Banneker High School?

 

A: "I only played there a year and a half. I was a transfer. But I knew some of the people there because I had played with some of them during recreational ball. We had a good team. A lot of athletes, but we just couldn't come together as a team."

 

Q: Banneker High School is in College Park (Ga.), which has produced a number of athletes, including Cam Newton (NFL, Panthers), Josh Smith (NBA, Hawks) and Morgan Burnett (NFL, Packers). Did you play against any of them?

 

A: "Amazing athletes. I played against Cam for a year in football. And my dad coached him in recreational ball. He's a great athlete. Carlos Thomas, too. He was in the NFL with the 49ers and has a brother (Levon) that's played in the NFL, too."

 

Q: You set a Columbus State and Peachbelt Conference record with 26 home runs in 2010. Do you view yourself as a slugger?

 

A: "I'm really more of a line-drive hitter, a gap hitter. The 26 home runs, I just got good pitches to hit. I felt good that year. I was in better shape then. I'm trying to get back there."

 

Q: Was Columbus State the only school interested in you out of high school?

 

A: "There was another school — North Alabama. They were interested, too. But I always liked Columbus State. The atmosphere, the coaches and the teams. They always had good teams. It was a fun place to be."

 

Q: What do you think about Appleton?

 

A: "They love their sports here. Football, basketball, baseball, it doesn't matter. It's a great place to be. Not too big and not too small."

 

Q: What do you think of all the Packers stuff?

 

A: "Yeah, I dropped my wife off today at the airport and there was a lot of cheese stuff around. Cheese curds … actually my mom and dad visited (Lambeau Field). They got some cheeseheads and stuff."

 

Q: In what areas would you like to improve?

 

A: "Health, because the last couple of years, I've been injured a little bit. Hitting-wise, not trying to get pull happy. Trying to hit the ball the other way."

 

Q: What was the rehabbing like with your injured left hand?

 

A: "It was three weeks of rehab. I picked up a bat the fourth week. I was mainly doing tee work and soft toss."

 

Q: What do you do to relax?

 

A: "I mainly watch a lot of movies and listen to music. I listen to music a lot on my laptop. A little hip hop and R&B."

 

Q: What are your expectations for yourself in the near future? Do you have a timetable to get to the majors?

 

A: "To get better every day. Whatever I'm doing — defense, hitting. Get stronger and definitely stay in shape. Two or three more years maybe … hopefully, that's a good timetable for me."

 

The Toolbox

 

Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson breaks down Jason Rogers:

 

"He kind of came here in a unique situation. He was a first-base project in our organization last year. He played there for the rookie ball team. When we broke for camp, we had a couple of first basemen in (Mike) Walker and Cody Hawn. They saw some versatility with (Rogers) of possibly playing the outfield, a left-field corner spot. He swings the bat. He stays inside the ball. He's got some gap-to-gap power. He's had five or six home runs since his injury and a few of those have been to right field.

 

"He's getting comfortable in the outfield and throwing to the right bases and becoming a little better base runner. He's made some strides at being more aggressive. He stole some bases early. He's a big man and moves very well for a big guy. If we can get some pre-pitch anticipation from him, I think he can be more of a weapon on the bases."

 

Jason Rogers of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers is hitting .265 through Friday's game. Ron Page/The Post-Crescent

 

http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20110807&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=108070583&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0

[Mass Haas]

First posted back on May 26th --

 

Keen Interestby Bob Brainerd, sports32.com (Time Warner Cable)http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Holle-2.jpg

http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Keen-pic-1-199x300.jpg

 

In Reggie Keen’s theatre of baseball, the show must go on regardless if he’s on the field or behind the scenes.

“I want to entertain people when I’m out there in the field,” said Keen, an outfielder with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. “It’s fun to make awesome catches in the field and track balls down. You hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the fans when you get to a ball that they don’t expect you to get to.”

Keen has provided the unexpected in Appleton, patrolling centerfield with a purpose. With a frame under six feet but built for speed, Keen covers plenty of prime real estate in Class A outfields in pursuit to either rob a hitter of a base hit, or throw one out on the base paths. Keen recorded nine of Wisconsin’s 18 outfield assists in the first two months of the season, tops in the Midwest League.

“I take a lot of pride in my defense, but stealing bases is also fun,” said Keen, the Timber Rattlers team leader in that statistic as well with 19 swipes in the first 45 games (NOTE: now 35 of 48 in 92 games). “Most of the time, when I take off, I feel like I got a bad jump. So I have to tell myself ‘you need to get there, you need to go!’ Just before I get there I’m sliding hard and just hoping that catcher made a bad throw or something so I beat the throw. Most of the time it works.”

http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Kenn-pic-4-300x199.jpg

Keen possesses a keen eye on the base path, but also tries to glean an advantage when he observes from the sidelines.

“When I’m in the dugout, I just take note when someone else is on first, and then you’ve just got to have that spark plug mentality, whenever you get that instinct to go, you just go,” said Keen. “Never second guess yourself. I asked a buddy who plays Triple-A to give me a tip on stealing bases because I want to steal a bunch of bags this year. He said ‘just go…the catcher has to make the perfect throw to get you out.’ A stolen bag can spark a game, so I’m always looking to run.”

Born to run? Reggie certainly was. But he quickly found out being quick was not speed entitlement for a lifetime.

“When I was nine, 10 years old, I used to be the fastest kid on the field,” said Keen. “And then I started sitting around and being lazy, eating a lot and I gained some weight. And my speed went downhill. I was slow; had parents of my teammates in high school saying I ran like I had a piano on my back. Once I got to college my freshman and sophomore year I had buddies tell me ‘man, you are slow, and with your size you have to be faster.’”

Keen had a one-man press conference with himself during his time at Radford University, realizing without a power stroke to hit home runs, his ticket to remain on the diamond would be to regain his jets.

“So I went to the gym and did leg workouts, and in my spare time I would go to the football stadium and run bleachers,” Keen recalled. “I just started running, doing a lot of sprint work. I always tell myself speed kills in this game for defense and stolen bases.”

The sleeker, more aerodynamic Keen finished as a Second Team All-Big South selection after hitting .353 with 31 stolen bases during his senior season with the Highlanders. His speed was never to be questioned again, but whether or not he would be drafted became a nerve-wracking puzzle.

“In the beginning it was a frustrating process going through the days of the draft not seeing my name come up on the computer, not getting any phone calls,” said Keen. “When the last couple picks wound down I packed up, went home and talked to my parents about it. They told me to keep my head up, told me you know you’re a good ballplayer and there’s somebody out there that’s going to want you on their team.

“Keep the faith, keep praying, and don’t let it bring you down.”

Keen’s college coach phoned his former player and reiterated the case made by his parents. He also reminded his prized pupil that free agency was still a possibility. Luckily, there was a fallback plan in place. Keen was busy behind a desk in his Virginia hometown working as a marketing and sales intern for the Rookie League Danville Braves.

“The only reason I didn’t get as frustrated as I probably should have was that I was already working,” said Keen. “My boss told me ‘hey, go ahead and watch the computer all day, take the day off.’ While I’m sitting there watching the computer, not seeing my name, not getting any phone calls, I just started doing work to keep my mind off of it.”

http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Keen-Blooper-3-191x300.jpg

Keen went about his business at Danville, an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, pitching in to help set-up for nightly game promotions, place phone calls to local businesses and even sell tickets. One of the more unique chores found Reggie donning the team mascot costume for a local preschool appearance as Blooper. When his stint in a colorful bird outfit wrapped up, Keen discovered his cell phone was jammed with missed calls from the Brewers.

“It’s just a lot of hoping and praying and luckily I got the call,” said Keen. “From then on, I told myself I was going to make the best of it. I’m putting in all the hard work because I’m very fortunate and blessed to be here.”

Swapping the hot and sweaty Blooper costume for a uniform with the Rookie League Helena Brewers was a slam dunk. Despite playing among side Milwaukee’s upper tier draft picks, the non-drafted free agent flourished in the Pioneer League, hitting .348 in 17 games. Keen was swiping bases, scoring runs and having a blast, until an errant pitch plunked Keen on the left wrist to end his inaugural professional season.

“After I broke my hand, I told myself this is a long sport and things can happen,” said Keen. “So when I came back from my injury I worked hard, made this ballclub (Wisconsin) and I’m just trying to make the best of it.”

Speed means little if you can’t get on base, so there is keen awareness on Reggie’s part to perfect his approach at the plate.

“When I was coming up through college I was always a fastball hitter, hitting early in the lineup, getting a good share of base hits,” said Keen. “I saw a number of curveballs and taught myself to sit back and hit the curve. Now I’m seeing guys mixing up pitches and I’m trying to teach myself to wait on the ball; be more patient. I can hit the fastball, but I need to learn how to wait back and hit that changeup, and stay off the sliders in the dirt. I work on that every day now, taking reps in the batting cage, standing in and tracking pitches.

http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Keen-pic-3-stars1-199x300.jpg

“They (Brewers) told guys like me and others guys of my stature we need you on base, find a way to get there. If you have to drag bunt, if you have to get hit by a pitch, if you have to walk or get a base hit, just find a way to make something happen and score runs.”

If Keen can pull it all together, he hopes the taste of Major League Baseball he experienced becomes a long lasting feast. Keen was one of a select few chosen to showcase his talents at Miller Park in the Brewers Rising Stars game back on April 2.

“My baseball dream is to make it to the big leagues for any team and have that experience,” said Keen. “Playing in the Rising Stars game, being in that stadium, being in that clubhouse, walking out there on that field just made me want to get there even more.

“I feel like I have the ability to do it, I just have to keep working hard.”

Keen admits that he sometimes sneaks a peek at the promotions going on between innings at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton. Whenever his on the field baseball run is complete, Keen plans to stick around the game to help pump it up. Regardless of his job description, Reggie Keen punches the time clock the only way he knows…with an infectious smile.

“I’m having fun,” said Keen with a smile. “Not many people get this opportunity and a lot of people are here noticing you day in and day out. I’m a friendly guy. I like to interact with all the guys on the team. I try not to let it get to me, because once you get down…snowball effect. I try to stay in good spirits every day.”

 

Photos by Brad Krause -- minus the mascot one http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[greeg35]

all of the "keen" puns were painful

[Mass Haas]

First posted back on July 14th --Junior Achievement
by Bob Brainerd, sports32.com (Time Warner Cable)http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Holle-2.jpg
Photos by Brad Krause

Baseball is a team sport dictated by individual play. In many ways, the game is a family affair made up of soloists who function in harmony at times; isolated to flourish and thrive as individuals most of it.

Such is life, and baseball, for Timber Rattlers outfielder Franklin Romero Jr. who prefers to see the Junior tagged onto his moniker.

http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Romero-on-deck1-199x300.jpg

“I use it a lot because to me, I’m proud,” said Romero, a former 2009 draft pick of Milwaukee in the 20^th round. “My dad has taught me a lot about not just baseball, but life. I am who I am because of him.”

Unlike a Ken Griffey Jr. who had a famous baseball father preceding him on the diamond, Franklin Sr. didn’t play baseball, at least not at the same level his son now excels in.

“He’s in the music business, but he knows baseball,” said Romero Jr. “He’s a diehard baseball fan and he loves it. When he was small, he used to play baseball but never at the professional level. But he knows so much about baseball that you’ll think where did he play? You’d be surprised with the things he comes up with.

“He reads a lot…hits the books. There are things he knows about baseball that I didn’t even know.”

Romero Jr. not only followed his father’s advice and tutelage, but he also followed him around the country and beyond, born in New York, moving to New Jersey then Florida, then to the Dominican Republic.

“It was hard in a way but everywhere I went I just found a place to play,” said Romero. “Teams asked me to play with them and thank God for the ability that I have, because I learned so much at all the different places I played. You get to know different ways baseball is played and it really taught me a lot.”

There was even a stop in California, where Romero attended Cerro Coso Community College and earned First Team All-Foothill Conference honors as a sophomore in 2009 hitting .417. Romero never got his feet planted in one place for an extended period of time, but he did stick around each location long enough to absorb some critical knowledge.

“I would just pick something up and then keep on going,” said Romero. “In the Dominican, if you were 10-years-old and good enough, you could play with 15, 16-year olds.”

http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Romero-swings-300x199.jpg

The hop scotching didn’t stop once the Brewers tabbed Romero two years ago with the 616^th pick overall. His collegiate sophomore season in California extended into Arizona with Milwaukee’s rookie league team. He even played in five games with Helena, the Brewers' rookie league team in Montana. Last season, Romero made the rounds, first in Appleton with the Timber Rattlers, back to Helena, and a six-game stay with Class A Brevard County.

“I’m just trying to learn as much as I can and find out what kind of player I am,” said Romero. “Moving around, that’s kind of hard for a player to just focus in one place and think, oh man, they’re going to move me somewhere else. But you learn from all these things and that’s one of the things about this game is you learn so much.

“I’ve learned so much these last few years in professional baseball and I’m a much better player. Seeing the different types of players out there from different teams and different leagues, I can see the difference.”

The difference maker for Romero might just be his wheels, a speedy outfielder who is still trying to figure out how to best utilize one of the baseball tools he was blessed with.

“Last year I didn’t use that speed I have, but then I realized, wow, speed kills,” said Romero. “You hit the ball down and beat it out, and then if a pitcher forgets about you for just one minute, you can be on the next base. And not just on the bases, on the defensive side speed helps me to cover so much ground. Speed is an amazing thing.”

http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Romero-sliding-300x199.jpg

And class is always in session for Romero, even if his name isn’t on Matt Erickson’s lineup card.

“Even on the bench, there are sometimes where I’ll just sit and look at the pitcher and just see what he does out there, and then when there are people on the bases, I pick up what he does to pick people off,” said Romero. “You can learn just as much sitting on the bench as you would being in the game.

“This game is about learning, and you can learn a lot just watching the game.”

Down time off the diamond includes keeping up with family, friends and fans on Facebook and Twitter. Besides the day to day nuggets, Romero will often dispense inspirational words to his followers, another trickle down byproduct of Senior.

“My dad is the kind of person to give good advice, and I started reading a lot, and so many things I read it just sticks in your head,” said Romero. “There are things sometimes I just say to myself and they motivate you. That’s what life is about, and not just in baseball. Words can just change your whole mindset and change who you are, not just on the field but off the field.”

They are words that flow from the heart. Back in 2003, Romero was sent into sudden shock when he received the news that his four-year-old brother, Farrell, fell into a lake and drowned when a small bridge he was crossing in the Dominican Republic collapsed beneath him. Miles away, his big brother never had a chance to reach out and save his sibling.

“I was actually in Florida and he was in the Dominican and I got a call,” recalls Romero. “It was one of the main reasons I moved to the Dominican to be closer to my family.

“It happened in seconds. It was bad.”

His younger brother was gone, and so was Romero’s inner drive to continue playing baseball. Digging out from the sadness and sorrow of losing a loved one seemed like an impossible task.

“It’s hard because family members also went through the hard times,” said Romero. “It hit me a little bit harder because I was so close to him and he was so close to me. I just saw myself doing nothing, feeling worthless.

“That was my little brother and he looked up to me a lot. That’s something I really miss, somebody looking up to me. And after that happened, I didn’t even want to play baseball anymore.”

Death is often coupled with rebirth, and the only remedy Romero could muster to excavate himself out from his darkest doldrums to rediscover his purpose on the field.

“Your life changes, and one day I was doing nothing, but he would have wanted me to be better because he looked up to me,” explained Romero. “The reason he looked up to me was because I was a baseball player, because I was his big brother, because he wanted to be so much just like me and that’s what motivates me now.”

“Every day I come out here and he’s my motivation…every single day.”

Franklin craves constant reminders of Farrell, displaying his late brother’s picture on his cell phone, saying a silent prayer during the National Anthem that signals the start of a new ballgame not to mention his rebirth and purpose on the field.

“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would be playing baseball,” said Romero. “Maybe I would, but not with as much motivation as I have now.”

http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Romero-tounge-199x300.jpg

Motivation from the past that Franklin Martin Romero Jr. hopes will someday provide inspiration for kids like his brother, who never got a fair shot to live life or realize their dreams.

“The dream is to play professional baseball in the big leagues and that’s been my dream since I was a kid watching games on TV,” said Romero. “I want to be there…I want to be that person you see on TV and have kids look up to you. And I want to be able to help those kids, especially in the Dominican, because there isn’t much hope for those kids who can’t afford a glove or have money to be in the leagues.

“It’s my dream to play in the major leagues not just for me, but so that I can help others see me as a role model; see me as somebody who they can look up to and have motivation to have their own dreams.”

[Mass Haas]

Wow, what you don't know about a person. Powerful backstory there, and I'm sure other players must have their own personal inspirations. Much respect, Franklin.

[Mass Haas]

[Mass Haas]

Lintz adjusts to life in bullpen after beginning career as starter

by Ricardo Arguello, Post-Crescent staff writer

GRAND CHUTE — Seth Lintz believes he has found his groove as a reliever out of the bullpen.

And as far as he's concerned, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher doesn't plan on losing it any time soon.

Lintz, a second-round pick for the Brewers in 2008 out of Marshall County High School in Lewisburg, Tenn, has been solid in six relief appearances for the Timber Rattlers this season.

He began this season in Helena (Mont.) before moving up to Wisconsin this season. Lintz hasn't allowed a run in six relief appearances, and has struck out eight batters in 8 1/3 innings, while allowing just three hits.

That included two scoreless innings on Thursday in a 6-3 loss to Beloit.

"Right now, getting up here, I've been in every role possible out of the pen," Lintz said. "I've gone from throwing every day to throwing four days in a row to not throwing every day. My last outing was on four days rest. I'm just trying to not change up my routine too much, trying to get all my work in practice prior to the game and not missing a beat so I'm ready when I'm called on.

"I feel like I have (improved), even from the beginning of this year. I've finally found a groove and don't plan on losing it."

Lintz's pro career has had mixed results. He struggled as a starter, failing in his first two seasons to win a game while playing in the Arizona League.

He was later sent to Helena in the Pioneer League for 2010, where he began primarily pitching out of the bullpen.

Lintz was up front about his struggles and said that he feels there was a maturation process as he transitioned from high school to the pros.

"Honestly, my numbers will show it. I struggled and there were multiple reasons why," Lintz said. "I would say that adjusting overall to — more than anything — living on your own. Being away from family for seven months at a time, having to be my own coach ... it takes a while to adjust being 18 years old. But gradually I think I've made big strides from year to year. If you look at last year compared to this year, there's big time improvement. I think I'm fine and on my way up."

The move from starter to reliever also changes a pitcher's mindset, according to Wisconsin pitching coach Chris Hook.

"I've done both in my career," Hook said. "What happens is the instant response going from starter to reliever is a more aggressive approach. As a starter, you're pacing yourself to go six or seven innings. What ends up happening is you're not as aggressive. A switch over to reliever and your mindset is, 'Hey, I may only be out here for an inning.' So I think it instantly makes you a little more aggressive.

"We've seen six outings out of (Lintz). They have been short outings, but he has been aggressive throwing a lot more first-pitch strikes and attacking hitters. He's done a good job for us."

Hook says that Lintz has shown him two quality pitches: an average major league fastball that Lintz throws for strikes and a curveball that has fooled hitters thus far.

"You see it as a right-handed hitter," Hook said about Lintz's curveball. "It's a big sharp biter and I think sometimes he gets some jelly legs out of it. The guys are like 'Woah, what is that?' I'm looking for him to keep coming in and pounding the strike zone."

[Mass Haas]

Timber Rattlers Profile: No. 9 Chad Stang, outfielder

compiled by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent

 

Quick hits

 

- Age: 22.

- Position: Outfielder.

- Height/weight: 6-2, 190.

- Bats/throws: Right/ right.

- Resides: Surrey, British Columbia

- Notes: Selected by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft ... Played at Midland Junior College in Midland, Texas ... Missed the entire 2010 season with a right shoulder labrum tear ... Had committed to play at Louisiana State University before signing with the Brewers ... Hitting .278 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 46 games with the Timber Rattlers.

 

Favorites

 

- MLB team growing up: "Obviously, being from Canada we only have one Canadian team so the Toronto Blue Jays was the team I looked toward. But seeing games live, I probably saw the Seattle Mariners the most. How could you not like them when I was younger with guys like Jay Buhner and Griffey and Edgar Martinez and all those guys? It was just fun to watch."

 

- MLB player growing up: "People ask why I pick this person but it's got to be Eric Byrnes, just because the way he plays in the outfield. He's kind of balls to the wall all the time. Just go, go, go. No fear kind of thing. That's the kind of mentality I want to start working into my game in the outfield."

 

- Sport other than baseball: "Hockey, hands down. I played all my life and it got to the point where I was about 16 where I had to decide which way I was going to go and at the time I was getting more opportunities in baseball and that's just the way I went."

 

- Thing about Surrey: "I think it's just the scenery. Mother Nature is just so gorgeous over there. I miss it a lot when I go away."

 

- Food: "My mom makes cheese tortellini with homemade cheese sauce and Caesar salad."

 

- TV show: "I'm kind of a big Discovery Channel guy. When 'Myth Busters' was out that was probably my favorite show. I'd always watch it."

 

- Musical artist: "Got to go with country for sure. Dierks Bentley. I just changed to one of his songs (his walk-up song) for baseball. Where I live, you were open to all sorts of music but country just kind of stuck with me."

 

- Thing you own: "Last year I purchased a 1957 Volkswagen Beetle. It's kind of like my little girlfriend, I'd guess you'd say. My brother got me into them when I was younger. He owned one. He got rid of his and we were always looking for that year. It's the one with the oval window. I just fell in love with Beetles and it's kind of like my hobby now."

 

- NFL or CFL: "Pretty much I live in the States now and I follow the NFL a lot more. I did fantasy last year and won both my leagues, so I guess I did pretty good for myself."

 

Q&A

 

Q: How'd your parents come up with the name Chadwin?

A:"A friend of my parents actually made it for me. They had an idea of what they wanted and they kind of put it into her hands. All my siblings' names start with 'C' so they decided to keep that going. She's involved with the power of lettering and numbering and stuff like that. She tried to give me the most powerful letters and she came up with Chadwin. I never, ever heard that name with anyone else and it's something unique and I like hearing. It's just kind of nice to have something different."

 

Q: How'd you end up at Midland?

 

A: "I was looking to go to school somewhere. I was noticed by some schools at the Arizona Fall Classic. My area put an all-star team together to go down there and be seen by teams. Midland really didn't talk to me at all until it was closer to going to school. They actually recruited my friend at shortstop and they asked if there were any outfielders in the area that they should consider and my name came up. The next thing I knew they gave me a call, came and saw me play and the rest is history. It was probably one of the best things that happened for me."

 

Q: You had a good first year at Midland, ended up getting drafted by the Brewers, and were also offered a scholarship to attend LSU. How hard of a decision was that?

 

A: "How it came about, all the interest I was getting in junior college, I knew the draft was definitely going to be a possibility. I didn't know where or when. I went to LSU and it was just awesome. What can you not say about going to LSU? When the draft came along that day and they called me, it was really hard. It was just me and my dad at home and they called, they talked to my dad. It was the first time, being around him, he didn't know what to do. So I guess my heart started to take over and the main question I asked myself was 'Do you want to play pro ball, or not?' It was a great opportunity and it's what my heart told me to do. And that's what I want to do, play pro ball."

 

Q: How did you tear your labrum and how difficult was your recovery?

 

A: "What it was is I got drafted in '09, played my first season in Helena, and it came to the offseason and they started switch hitting me. I started to come around and was doing really well and I came into spring training and it continued to come along very well, I felt really good, things were looking up. I knew I was going to go back to Helena to get a few at-bats, get used to hitting left-handed. In the last game of spring training I tore my meniscus hitting in a game. That started the whole thing. So I was out for six weeks. I went back to Helena and in my fifth rehab start with my meniscus surgery I was up again, left-handed, I swung through the ball, let go of the bat and my right shoulder, my throwing shoulder, swung back with the bat and it tore my labrum. Pretty much then my season was over. It was pretty tough on me, just because of how well I was going and how impressed the staff was around the Brewers. But it was probably the best thing that happened in a weird sense because I got to my brother's wedding. It was the first wedding in my family. That was kind of a positive in a big negative for me."

 

Q: So how are things now?

 

A: "I came back stronger. My arm is way better than it was before I got the surgery. I'm just really thankful I'm healthy now and my arm's healthy."

 

Q: And are you still switch-hitting?

 

A: "No. I kind of decided when I got back from the surgery I wasn't going to do it. It was just before spring training started. It was a tough decision but I thought to myself that I'd rather be able to throw than hit left-handed.''

 

Q: You're noted for your speed. When did you first realize you were fast and how did you figure out to use it to your advantage?

 

A: "When I was young I was always fast. My dad made a name for himself when he was playing ball, too. He had some speed. I think I got the good genes in that. My brother is not too fast, but I am. For me, that's the biggest thing. I have speed, but how to use it? I can say right now I'm still learning how to do that. It's a work in progress."

 

Q: You're a pretty good artist and a pretty good cook. Which do you do better?

 

A: "I'd say they're pretty darn close to being the same."

 

Q: Tell me about the tattoos.

 

A: "I do a couple of tattoos here and there for some guys. They give me ideas what they want and I use that to draw it; try different things. I've made a few, including one for myself but I haven't got it on me yet. It's for my dad, to honor him."

 

Q: What's your favorite dish?

 

A: "Since I was younger my grandpa taught me how to do steaks and meat. I grew up and we were pretty much vegetarians until we were 12. And so I really don't know what meat was or different meats were until my grandpa introduced me to steak. I fell in love with it and so I always came to him to learn how to cook steak and meat and now I kind of have a knack for it now."

 

Q: So how'd you spend your first check?

 

A: "The first thing I did was get an American phone. For my parents and family, it's quite expensive to do it other ways. It still is. It's so hard being from Canada, you pay more for the phone. So it was definitely a phone so I could stay in contact with my family."

 

Q: What's your most prized sports possession?

 

A: "Recently, my grandpa gave me his old, left-handed Spaulding glove he used when he was younger. It's just something that is unique and don't see every day. It's something I really enjoy.''

 

Q: Most famous person you've met?

 

A: "I've seen some. I've seen Michael Jackson before at the airport. I did meet Jason Bay when I was in high school. He was in town playing the Blue Jays. They had a big workout with prospects and stuff. So we got an individual talk from him. Kind of cool to meet a fellow Canadian and show us that there are good Canadian players out there. That's what we want to work toward."

 

Q: Favorite sports moment you've been a part of?

 

A: "For me, I've been to two Little League World Series. It was the junior league World Series and the senior league World Series. That was just a lot of fun. It was a good group of guys, though one team had a girl on it and that was the big deal. So we got a couple of Canadian championships with that. It was just fun.''

 

Q: How inspiring is it for you to see a fellow Canadian like Brett Lawrie not only make it to the majors, but get off to a fast start?

 

A: "Playing against him most of my life. Just know that it's possible if you work hard. You just want to do it. The opportunity is there for you and when you get that chance you just have to take it, run with it and hope for the best."

 

The Tool Box

 

Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson breaks down Chad Stang:

"Since he's been here, he's steadily gotten better and better. A valuable guy to have in the outfield. He's played all three outfield spots. I think he's got good speed. He started at the bottom of our lineup and has worked his way into the four hole. We've had some injuries. With (Chris) Dennis gone, (Cody) Hawn out and (Mike) Walker out, we've lost some production in the middle and we needed a spark. I just threw him there three days ago and it's worked out for a couple of games. But he's deserved it. He's capable of driving the ball gap to gap. (Wednesday) he hit a home run. He's got some tools. He's got a chance. But he has to play a lot of games because baseball knowledge, as far as the professional game and being advanced and being in the right place; little things like when he's playing center field making sure he's positioning other outfielders. Paying attention to hitters' tendencies. He's a little bit behind the other outfielders as far as picking that stuff up. But the ability is there. He's got a nice arm, can run, got some sock in his bat. It'll be interesting. I expect some big-time improvement out of him the next couple of years. I think he could surprise some people."

 

Photo by Ann Mollica / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20110814&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=108140545&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0

[Mass Haas]

Timber Rattlers' Arnett, former Brewers' top pick, keeps the faith

by Mike Woods, Post-Crescent staff writer

 

GRAND CHUTE — Eric Arnett has been beaten (a lot), battered (by almost anyone carrying a bat) and bruised (see: ego).

But for all the struggles and disappointment the former No. 1 pick of theMilwaukee Brewers has endured, and for all those who have already given up on him, you've got to give him this: he's not given up on himself. Not by a long shot.

"It's definitely humbling when you go back to rookie ball in your third season, back to actually where you started your first start," Arnett, the 26th player taken in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, said Sunday prior to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' 12-3 victory over Quad Cities on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

"At first when I went out to Montana, I thought it was going to be miserable. Back in rookie ball. But I actually enjoyed it out there. I enjoyed the time I spent over there. I was never down on myself the entire time I was there and just took every opportunity to pitch and show them I'm getting better and moving on up."

After missing the start of the season with rotator cuff tendinitis, Arnett went 4-2 in Helena with a 5.19 ERA. While the alarming news is he gave up 64 hits in 52 innings, the positive news is he struck out 49 and walked just nine.

Now he's back in Appleton where, after 12 days off, he debuted Saturday by going six innings, allowing four hits, three runs, three walks and had seven strikeouts in a 6-0 loss to Quad Cities.

"I think we're looking at him going back to square one, as far as the process, continue what he's been doing in Helena," said Rattlers pitching coach Chris Hook. "He's been throwing the ball pretty well down there. Obviously he didn't catch all the breaks as far as defense and those types of things like that down there.

"As far as I can see in the reports, he's been staying down in the strike zone with his fastball. They only had four hits off him (Saturday) and it happened early. He's getting his feet wet again. He didn't throw too many fastballs above the knees; when he missed he missed down. Threw his breaking ball for strikes and threw 10 percent changeups. He did everything we wanted him to do. Unfortunately, we didn't score any runs for him. Every time you put up a zero, or get shutout, it never looks good. But he did everything he was supposed to do last night after the second inning."

Velocity has been a concern. After being clocked as high as 97 mph at Indiana University, his velocity spiraled downward during his struggles in Appleton in 2010, when he went 1-9 with a 6.70 ERA in 20 games, including 16 starts.

Hook said his velocity was between 88 mph and 93 mph on Saturday.

"Maybe it was my first full season throwing from January until September. I don't know if that had anything to do with it," said Arnett. "But I found a better workout routine this year. More power, and that's helped a lot.

"For the most part, I'm usually in the mid-90s. I feel a little better, now in the lower 90s and I'm thinking that will pick back up in time."

This is not the journey anyone envisioned for Arnett. It has been humbling …

"Definitely," he said. "You come from college where you barely lose a game and now you're losing a bunch of games and you're not pitching like you think you should be. It definitely humbles you and makes you work harder."

It has been disappointing …

"Definitely, last year it was below everyone's expectations. Not only for myself, but I'm sure the organization had expectations and I don't think I fulfilled those very well."

It has been educating …

"I think that's one thing I learned, is how to do failure," he said. "Kind of just, not ignore the past, but keep it in the back of your mind and learn from it. But don't overthink what you did last time.

"I mean, last year definitely made you think about things but I never lost that fire I had in me, and my goals never changed in where I see myself down the road."

In a career filled with mostly negatives, Saturday, according to Hook, was a positive.

"What a good kid he is. He went through a lot last year obviously. We're all feeling for him," said Hook. "But (Saturday) I thought was a good sign. He had a little struggle in the beginning but he fought like hell and he worked his way out of it. That showed me something after going through all the struggles last year.

"Maybe one day he'll look back and smile and say, "Man, I really struggled but I fought my way through it.' So that's what I'm hoping and (Saturday) I thought was a good example of a guy that had learned a lot."

[Mass Haas]

Rogers has hand in recent success of Timber Rattlers

by Tim Froberg , Post-Crescent staff writer

 

GRAND CHUTE — The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' season in winding down, but Jason Rogers feels like he's just getting rolling.

Rogers missed the first two months of the season while recovering from a hand injury and is finally starting to feel like the same hitter who set Columbus State University and Peachtree Conference single-season records for home runs (26) in 2010.

Rogers, a right-handed hitting first baseman and outfielder, has collected five hits in his last eight plate appearances, and drilled two more Monday afternoon in Wisconsin's 7-5 victory over Quad Cities.

"I feel like I'm getting comfortable — finally," said Rogers, who is hitting .277 with five homers and 26 RBI in 184 at-bats. "It's taken a long time for that injury to heal. It wasn't until the end of July that I really felt like I was starting to swing the bat well."

Rogers needed surgery to repair a stress fracture in the hamate bone on his left hand. His problems originally started when he developed carpel tunnel syndrome in the hand area from extensive computer use.

"Too much time on the computer," said Rogers, a Riverdale, Ga., resident who was the Milwaukee Brewers' 32nd-round selection in the 2010 major league draft. "I guess I was bored. Then the (hamate) bone popped out and I needed surgery."

The powerful 6-foot-2, 267-pound Rogers is a line-drive hitter with plenty of sock in his bat. Mike Walker (.460) and T.J. Mittelstaedt (.441) are the only Timber Rattler regulars with higher slugging percentages than Rogers' .431 mark.

"He's definitely put together some good at-bats in RBI situations the last couple days and I expect him to put together some good at-bats down the stretch,'" said Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson. "I haven't noticed anything different in him physically, but if he feels he's over that hand injury psychologically, that's great."