Link Report for Sunday 6/18 -- Happy Father's Day!

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Sunday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Dana Eveland at home vs. Oklahoma (Rangers), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime; old friend Derek Lee tosses for the RedHawks...

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: Idle

 

Brevard County: Idle

 

West Virginia: LHP Rafael Lluberes at home vs. Hickory (Pirates), 3:55 PM pre-game, 4:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

[Mass Haas]

Follow Sunday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Activate the Nashville Gameday. For the other links, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. It's sweet!

 

Nashville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated an hour or two prior to gametime:

 

Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

[Mass Haas]

Standings through Saturday's action:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 39 31 .557 - 26-13 13-18 L1[/b] Iowa 31 37 .456 7.0 16-16 15-21 W3 Omaha 27 42 .391 11.5 16-19 11-23 W1 Memphis 25 43 .368 13.0 13-21 12-22 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 43 26 .623 - 24-11 19-15 L1 West Tenn 43 27 .614 0.5 18-17 25-10 W3 Tennessee 32 37 .464 11.0 19-15 13-22 W1 Carolina 32 38 .457 11.5 19-16 13-22 L1 [b]Huntsville 24 45 .348 19.0 10-24 14-21 L3[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 38 29 .567 - 20-14 18-15 L5 Palm Beach 37 30 .552 1.0 20-14 17-16 W8 [b]Brevard County 34 29 .540 2.0 18-15 16-14 L2[/b] Daytona 34 33 .507 4.0 20-12 14-21 W2 Jupiter 29 37 .439 8.5 13-19 16-18 L2 Vero Beach 25 40 .385 12.0 15-17 10-23 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 43 25 .632 - 24-12 19-13 W1 [b]West Virginia 39 29 .574 4.0 21-12 18-17 W2[/b] Delmarva 37 30 .552 5.5 19-17 18-13 L1 Lakewood 36 32 .529 7.0 19-14 17-18 L1 Greensboro 36 33 .522 7.5 22-12 14-21 L1 Hickory 32 36 .471 11.0 18-15 14-21 L2 Lake County 29 40 .420 14.5 14-22 15-18 W1 Hagerstown 27 42 .391 16.5 15-16 12-26 W1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1

 

Covering the bases

Huntsville Times

 

Who would have thought so many baseball players would be happy to see umpires?

 

Since Monday's return of the professional minor league umpires to the field after a season-long strike, it has been a virtual lovefest. At least in Huntsville.

 

Most Stars seem genuinely happy that the real men in blue have replaced the replacements. Though they appeared thankful for the job the fill-ins did, the Stars noticed a difference in game management.

 

"The game just seems to run a lot more smoothly," outfielder Drew Anderson said. "There is a lot more control, and they're a little more assertive and vocal. You haven't seen as much arguing as before with the replacement guys."

 

Staying in charge was certainly an issue before.

 

In a game against Jacksonville earlier this year, Birmingham manager Chris Cron pulled his Barons off the field after the benches cleared three times when players were hit by pitches. Cron said the replacement umpires had lost control.

 

Stars pitcher Corey Thurman took a one-hitter into the seventh inning of Tuesday night's game - the first Huntsville played with the professional umpires - and he said things were immediately improved, even with some of the umps being rusty.

 

If nothing else, Thurman said, the new old guys weren't as easily manipulated.

 

"I didn't get some pitches I could have maybe coerced the replacements into giving me," Thurman said. "They were consistent. As long as they're consistent, I have no problems."

 

While Southern League president Don Mincher commended the replacements and the job they did in dire straits, he said he is happiest about getting back to "normalcy."

 

"I think the replacements did very well," he said. "But we've now gotten back to umps that know how to handle a professional game. As soon as we can put the last two months behind us, the better it will be. There is a difference."

 

The players seem to agree - at least until the first hotly contested call.

 

Then, the honeymoon will be over, and things really will be normal.

 

Around the league

 

Manager Don Money's Stars are 0-10 against Jacksonville so far this season, but they aren't alone in their inefficiency. The Dodgers' Double-A affiliate has one of the best records in all of minor league baseball. "Don even said to us, if you're going to beat them, you've got to play a perfect game," Stars infielder Jeff Eure said. "They're solid one through nine."

 

Though West Tenn has stayed close to Chattanooga, a hot stretch put the Lookouts on the verge of clinching the first-half North division title going into Saturday's games.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Catcher Mark Johnson:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-18.wma

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site Update:

 

Sunday night's series finale between the Nashville Sounds and Oklahoma RedHawks, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., has been postponed due to inclement weather.

 

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in late July in Oklahoma City during the teams' final series of the season from July 21-24 at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. The date and time of the makeup game will be determined at a later date.

 

Tickets for tonight's game (June 18) may be exchanged for tickets of equal or lesser value, pending availability, to any remaining 2006 Sounds regular-season home game. Please visit the Greer Stadium box office to exchange your tickets.

 

The Sounds take the next two days off before heading to Round Rock, Texas on Wednesday for a five-game road series against the Round Rock Express (AAA-Astros). It will be the first of four series between the teams this season. The Express currently hold the second-best record in the PCL at 40-28. Round Rock won the 2005 season series by a 9-7 margin and won five of the eight contests played between the clubs at Dell Diamond.

 

Left-hander Dana Eveland (3-2, 1.93) will make the start for Nashville in Wednesday's 7:05 p.m. CT series opener and face Round Rock rehabbing right-hander Jared Gothreaux (3-4, 4.20).

[Mass Haas]

Final: Hickory (Pirates) 2, West Virginia 1

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

POWER LOSE FINAL GAME OF FIRST HALF

 

The West Virginia Power had a 1-0 lead through eight innings of Sunday afternoon?s game against the Hickory Crawdads, but the Crawdads scored the final two runs of the game in the ninth inning to comeback and beat the Power 2-1 at Appalachian Power Park.

 

The Power plated their only run of the game on Mike Bell?s RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. The 1-0 Power lead held until Jason Delaney ripped a two-run single in the top of the ninth inning to give the Crawdads the lead for good. In the bottom of the ninth the Power had the tying run at third and the potential winning run at first base when Angel Salome grounded out to third to end the game.

 

Rafael Lluberes started the game for the Power and tossed six scoreless innings of one-hit ball but did not factor into the decision. The 2-1 loss for the Power marked the third time in the series that the team that scored first lost.

 

Jean Garavito (5-5) earned the victory, Justin Vaclavik (5) earned the save and Joe Thatcher (0-3) obtained the loss. The Power are 39-30 after the loss and the Crawdads improved to 33-36 with win. Attendance for the game was 3,795.

 

The Power will begin the second half of the season on Thursday night against the Kannapolis Intimidators at Appalachian Power Park. The starting pitchers have not been announced. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

Lorenzo Cain thrown out at the plate to end the 5th; there were other opportunities throughout...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006061910/

 

Power could be team to beat in second half

Jacob Messer

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

Watch out, South Atlantic League baseball teams.

 

The West Virginia Power looks like the club to beat in the Northern Division in the second half, which begins Thursday following a three-day all-star break.

 

The first half ended Sunday, when West Virginia suffered a 2-1 setback versus visiting Hickory at Appalachian Power Park.

 

"Now," catcher Angel Salome said, "we know what to do. I think we will put it all together and do better (in the second half)."

 

Lexington (44-25) won the first-half championship in the division, finishing five games ahead of second-place West Virginia (39-30).

 

"I'm really pleased with the overall performance," said Manager Mike Guerrero, who expects his team to be a second-half contender. "The bottom line is, they are getting better and they are giving me everything they have."

 

The Power players realize they could have been celebrating a first-half championship Sunday if they hadn't lost 13 of their 24 games in April.

 

"We remember how we started (the first half)," infielder Ryan Crew said. "It was subpar."

 

The second half, however, offers a "clean slate" -- and the Power intends to take advantage of it.

 

West Virginia won 12 of its 18 games in June, including seven of its last 10.

 

"The guys have been doing such a great job putting it all together," said infielder Kenny Holmberg, a team leader who will return from the disabled list Thursday. "It should be a nice second half for all of us."

 

One advantage the Power has is a winning attitude its players developed together last season with the Helena (Mont.) Brewers of the rookie Pioneer League.

 

Helena lost seven of its last 10 games in 2005 but still finished with a 46-30 mark, which was the best record in its league (Pioneer) and division (North).

 

Of the 29 players on the Power's roster, 24 of them spent time in Helena last season.

 

"They expect to win," pitching coach John Curtis said.

 

"That's not something you can develop as a coach."

 

Holmberg credits Milwaukee, the Power's parent organization, for "drafting and signing kids who know how to win and understand the importance of winning."

 

"We come in here and put our personal stuff aside and go out and try to win games, which is an oddity in minor league baseball," said Holmberg, who spent much of his childhood in minor league clubhouses and whose father is a minor league manager with more than 1,000 victories. "We do a good job of playing as a team. I think it showed once we got going."

 

West Virginia led the 16-team league in hitting in the first half with a .279 team batting average, seven percentage points higher than Lexington.

 

"We also situational hit very well," hitting coach Mike Lum said, noting the club also led the league in team batting average with runners in scoring position (.286). "A lot of times we stayed on the plan. They didn't try to do too much. They stayed within themselves and got base hits."

 

Lum is one of the Power's four all-star selections. The others are Salome, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and third baseman Mat Gamel.

 

West Virginia was eighth in pitching in the first half with a 3.84 earned run average.

 

"They exceeded my expectations," Curtis said. "I expected some of them to struggle here... Nothing but good progress and some pretty terrific efforts in the first half."

 

No one provided more of those terrific efforts than starting pitcher Derek Miller, who posted a 7-1 record and 3.88 earned run average. Only two SAL pitchers won more games than Miller in the first half.

 

Starting pitcher Will Inman (3-1, 1.80) was downright dominant until a sore shoulder sidelined him for the final month of the first half. He will return after the all-star break.

 

The bullpen also had its share of stars.

 

The Power couldn't have asked for a better setup man than middle reliever Patrick Ryan (3-1, 1.97).

 

He was brilliant in June, allowing only 12 hits and three runs in 14 2/3 innings in six appearances.

 

Closers Joe Thatcher (0-3, 2.52) and Dane Renkert (5-2, 1.29) combined for 15 saves. Thatcher had 10, Renkert had five.

 

Defensively, the Power must limit its mistakes in the second half.

 

Only Kannapolis (.955 and 123) had a lower team fielding percentage and more errors than West Virginia (.955 and 115).

 

* * *

HAS ANYONE noticed the recent change of fortunes on the diamond in Charleston?

 

The Power had a winning record in the first half in the South Atlantic League.

 

Big deal, you say? Well, consider some numbers in the last decade of Charleston's low Class A baseball history.

 

The final Alley Cats' season (2004) in Toronto's system brought two winning halves, and Milwaukee's Power debut last summer finished with a winning second half after an ugly 25-45 opening.

 

So, that's four of the last five halves that produced better than .500 finishes.

 

In the 13 halves leading into 2004 (starting with the 1997 second half), Charleston had 12 losers.

 

The only winning half in that span was a 36-34 closing half in 2002.

 

So, perhaps more than a nice, new ballpark atmosphere is bringing out fans. The Power attendance to date is up 30 fans per game over last year's Appalachian Power Park debut first half.

[Mass Haas]

Sounds broadcaster Chuck Valenches with several blog updates recently -- on spinach, Fathers' Day, and yes, the Sounds.

 

Link for all, we'll post the Sounds-related text here as well:

 

nashvillesounds.blogspot.com/

 

Sunday, June 18, 2006

 

Yeah, We gotsa chance. We gotsa GOOD chance.

 

"When I was a small boy in Kansas, a friend of mine and I went fishing... I told him I wanted to be a real major league baseball player, a genuine professional like Honus Wagner. My friend said that he'd like to be President of the United States. Neither of us got our wish."

Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th U.S. President.

 

We've got a good chance. I can't think of any other way around it. I look at our roster and our lineup day after day and I see a team that does a lot of the little things right, like turning the double play or taking out the opposing second baseman on a double play and you think, "We've got a chance ." This team knows how to win. Of the 24 players on the Nashville Sounds roster, 16 of those players have been part of AAA championship teams in the last three years. If the Sounds were to show up at the airport with all of their championship hardware, you'd think Lil' John and his entourage had arrived with all the bling.

 

The latest and maybe the most obvious example that the Brewers do value winning at the minor league level was the signing of Graham Koonce, a first baseman of prodigious power who routinely does to baseballs what Tyson did to Michael Spinks. Koonce was a major cog in the back to back championships that Sacramento won in 2003 (beating the Sounds three straight) and 2004 and was even the PCL league MVP in 2003. You probably never saw his name in lights with the Oakland A's because they had another slugger named Jason Giambi playing first base and then Dan Johnson moved into the neighborhood. At the very least I still think Koonce could have been a 20 homer guy in Oakland.

 

Look around the Sounds clubhouse and you'll see players from last years championship such as Chris Barnwell and Mike Meyers who quietly go about their work and in the case of Meyers, come up with a big game when they most need it from the pen or, in the case of Barnwell, anchor a Sounds defense that make the impossible plays seem routine. It's odd that champion is originally a french word, since the French have never won a World Series and haven't really won anything since Charlemagne was the head coach. In fact, the French have won as many wars in the last 100 years as....I have.

 

Back to the Sounds. One thing that most clubhouses have are clubhouse leaders. These are the guys who lead by example in the way they prepare for a game, the way they conduct themselves on the field and off, and always make sure that the guys are playing the game the right way. Their the ones who organize Kangaroo Court, tell a young player to wash their shirt, etc. They are also the ones who will take a player aside who maybe didn't run out a ground ball as hard as they should have and remind them that there is most likely somebody in AA just as talented who WILL run out that grounder. The Sounds clubhouse is full of these type of leaders. Clark, Johnson, Abernathy and until he retired, Justin Thompson. I will admit, in the last two years I have yet to see a Sounds player dog it on a ground ball or pop up so being a clubhouse leader for this group may be a pretty cush job. When you have a group of guys who know what it takes to win, the little things get done with no questions asked.

 

The team is off for two days, Monday the 19th is the Nashville Sounds CMT annual Charity Golf Tournamentwith proceeds going to the Nashville Sounds Foundation which benefits youth baseball, education, and literacy in Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. I will not be playing as I am to golf, what fish are to bicycling. Instead I will be building a picnic table so that I will be able to write these blogs in the 99 degree outdoor comfort of my backyard. Tuesday I will most likely be heading to Home Depot to BUY a picnic table that has four legs instead of three and does not list at a a 45 degree angle.

 

Wednesday it's off to Round Rock, TX to play the Round Rock Express in a five game series. Round Rock is a great place to play and visit, though I have yet to have a chance to travel to 6th Street in nearby Austin, TX, the place where Stevie Ray Vaughn cut his teeth and became the "Texas Tornado" on guitar and somehow channeled the spirit of Jimi Hendrix until his untimely death in 1990. Unfortunately by the time the game is over, I get back to the hotel and make the 30 minute drive to Austin, I have about as much time to grab a beer and listen to some great live music as a NASCAR pitstop. Luckily there is a nice little steakhouse nearby that does not turn their nose up if I wear jeans and eat at the bar because thats where the TV with the ballgame is on.

 

In case you were wondering, the Brevard County Manatees are second in the Florida State League in hitting. Their hitting coach? Former Sound Corey D. Hart.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1

 

Stars looking for more offense in second half

John Ferry, Huntsville Times

 

The Huntsville Stars have gone 4-25 since playing .500 baseball at one point, but all that doesn't matter starting tonight in Mobile.

 

"On Monday we're 0-0," outfielder Drew Anderson said. "Anything can happen after that."

 

Anderson, a University of Nebraska product, belted a two-run double in the fourth inning against West Tenn on Saturday night.

 

When the inning ended the Stars held a 4-3 lead, but they lost a heartbreaker in the ninth when Scott Moore of West Tenn hit a three-run homer.

 

Manager Don Money is looking for more of an attack during the second half of the SouthernLeague schedule.

 

"I'm disappointed in our young players on the offensive side not making adjustments," Money said.

 

"We have a bunch hitting in the .220-.230 range. We feel they should be hitting better."

 

Money added that list includes players such as infielder Callix Crabbe, who is in his second season in Double-A baseball.

 

Average doesn't tell the whole story of a player, however.

 

Money noted infielder Ozzie Chavez is batting a consistent .250.

 

"You can't ask more," Money said. "He's holding his own."

 

The Stars return to Joe Davis Stadium on Saturday against Chattanooga.

[And That]

The minors only scored 1 run on Sunday... that has to be close to some sort of record for a June calendar day.