Your 2005 Huntsville Stars, Latest: All-Time Stats Leaders

[Mass Haas]

Congratulations to the 2005 "Rocky" Award winner, Jeff Winchester, history and past winners viewed here:

 

www.geocities.com/starsbo.../rocky.htm

 

Congratulations to the 2005 "Eagle" Award winner, Dennis Sarfate, history and past winners viewed here:

 

www.geocities.com/starsbo.../eagle.htm

 

What a great job Johnny Phillips does with the Stars booster site. Great place to just browse and click away for hidden treasures.

 

Golfing with the Stars:

 

www.geocities.com/starsbo...golf01.htm

 

Tailgate Breakfast:

 

www.geocities.com/starsbo.../05tgb.htm

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

These Stars don't leave a twinkle in our eyes

Money expresses disappointment with season

Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com

Huntsville Times

 

It wasn't enough that Stars manager Don Money had to provide insight for this column. The other night, sitting in his office, I asked him to write the headline for it. Or at least the headline for the Huntsville Stars' 2005 season:

 

"Oh, boy,'' he hesitated.

 

Then, he said:

 

"Didn't Live Up To Expectations"

 

Not so catchy. But plenty accurate for the season, which ended with the whimper of a 13-5 loss Monday in Chattanooga.

 

"There are some guys who did very well," Money said, "but when we left spring training I thought we'd play much better baseball. We didn't live up to expectations.''

 

The Stars finished 60-79, their worst record since 1988.

 

If indeed the '88 Stars were the most miserable, it's evidence of the cyclical nature of minor league ball and player development.

 

The 1985-87 seasons provided a boatload of prospects to the Oakland A's - Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Walt Weiss, Terry Steinbach & Co. In much the same way, the previous two seasons in Huntsville were abundant in prospects like Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy.

 

This year, pitcher Dana Eveland went directly to the Brewers and some good players were boosted to Triple-A. The player development aspect worked, even if the W's and L's don't reflect much success.

 

A quick report card:

 

The Good: Brandon Gemoll batted .303 and Enrique Cruz .300. Tony Gwynn Jr. improved his average 22 points, but you have to figure he'll be back for a third season. Adam Heether got his feet wet in Double-A and third base looks solid for next season. David Bradley did yeoman's work for the pitching staff that was otherwise inconsistent.

 

The Bad: A power outage. The Stars hit only 63 homers, and 37 of those came from players who didn't finish the season in Huntsville. They were last among 10 teams in homers, ninth in slugging percentage, seventh in runs scored. Cruz, who led the team in homers and RBIs (14 and 60), committed an average of an error every four games at shortstop.

 

The Ugly: Did we mention 60-79?

 

It is worth noting this was the fourth losing season in seven years of affiliation with the Brewers after the divorce from Oakland.

 

And that the Midland RockHounds, Oakland's Double-A team wrapped up their sixth winning season out of seven.

 

Both the Stars and RockHounds, coincidentally, are owned by Miles Prentice, the New York attorney who is now trying to add the Cincinnati Reds to his ownership portfolio.

 

Memo to Mr. Prentice:

 

Those who own the Huntsville Stars - the loyal fans who have so much more emotional equity and time invested in this team than you'll ever have and the casual fans who find minor league baseball an occasional but appealing entertaining option - would like you to fit in a visit to Huntsville soon, to negotiate a new lease, champion much-needed improvements at the stadium and ensure baseball's future here.

 

So far, the same headline for the '05 team fits you and your ownership:

 

"Didn't Live Up To Expectations''

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Press Release:

 

STARS RISE IN ATTENDANCE RECOGNIZED

The Southern League announced Tuesday that the Huntsville Stars have been named as the winner of the 2005 Award of Excellence. The Stars were given the award based on their 18.3 percent increase in attendance over last season.

 

The Stars welcomed 213,552 fans through the gates at Joe Davis Stadium during the 2005 season that included the Five Millionth Fan at the park. The team?s front office staff is led by General Manager Tom Van Schaack, who is in his first season with the Stars.

 

"To be recognized by your league peers is a tremendous honor for our organization. I thank the Stars staff and our game day staff for their hard work all year, and of course our fans who supported us all season long.?, said Van Schaack.

 

The 2006 season will begin on Thursday, April 6th when the Stars will travel to Pearl, Mississippi to take on the Mississippi Braves. The 2006 home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11th against the Birmingham Barons.

 

***

With virtually no support from an absentee owner, and a season in which the team competed for neither the first nor second half division titles, that's a nice honor for both the front office and the fans of Huntsville.

 

Brewerfan congratulations to all! -- Mass Haas and Brewerfan Staff

[Mass Haas]

Please patronize hvstarsfan, David Weiser, by visiting his web site, with text archived below:

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

Don't want to go into a long story why I haven't updated this site since late July, but it's sitting in a new computer now and I want to thank Mr. Martin Goldberg for his help in getting it running again. You will notice some slight changes in the look. There are now buttons at the top of the page below the new title bar to take you to the standings as well as other goodies --- statistical information, rosters, other junk that I choose to put there...... The Standings link consists of, other than Southern League standings, but scores as well. I've recently updated this page to include the Southern League Playoffs and Championship Series.

 

Some recent news to report........ the Southern League has announced co-winners for the Executive-of-the-Year award. Jimmy Bragan and Peter Bragan, Jr. won a slicer for leading the Jacksonville Suns (who begin their Championship Series with West Tennessee tonight) who led the league in attendance for the third consecutive year. Bragan, Jr. won this award in 1987 and 2003. Carolina Mudcat General Manager Joe Kremer also takes home the award. This is his fourth. The former Assistant General Manager of the Stars also won in 1992, 93, and 95...... The Huntsville Stars also won the Award of Excellence for an 18.5% increase in their home attendance over last year........ Tom Hart of the Tennessee Smokies won this year's award for best radio broadcaster.

 

It's that time now to reflect and capsulize on the season -- the 21st for the Huntsville Stars at Joe Davis Stadium --- a difficult one in which to find anything positive...... The Stars finished with a 60-79 record -- the worst since 1988, when they ended 59-85....... But the final home attendance of 213,552 was the best since 2001, and it put the Stars all-time mark over five million.........

 

The Stars hit a healthy .271 as a team --- best since 1998. But without the power to win some close games. They were 20-23 in one-run contests, worst in three years....... The team only hit 63 homers, 2nd fewest in history, and the club leader -- Nelson Cruz with 16 -- was promoted to Nashville on June 29......... The ERA of 4.26 was the highest since 1999, yet the Stars had their first 10-game winner in two years, Dana Eveland, and nearly had another in Dennis Sarfate, who missed his by just one inning in his last appearance of the season for the Stars.......

 

Defensively, it was another disastrous year........ For the second year in a row, the Stars finished on the bottom in fielding pct. (.969), tying this year with the Smokies. In four of the last five years, the Stars have finished 8th, 9th, or 10th in fielding in the SL........ While the number of errors (162) was below the Stars' 21-year average, they and the Smokies, who had games against the Stars where they made seven and six errors in a game, led the league........ The Stars' 31 passed balls was three short of the club record and most since 1999. Jeff Winchester set a new club record with four passed balls in a game on August 5, but his season total of 14 was far from a club record. Neither he, nor John Vanden Berg looked like former Star Brian Moon when it came to throwing out runners, though. Vandy threw out 26% of those trying to steal, while Jeff threw out 33%. The league average was 32%. Moon threw out 53%, 44%, and 34% in his three full seasons from 2000-2002...... The Stars made only 106 double plays, fewest in four years, but far from the record low of 86 in 2001....... Brandon Gemoll, who led Southern League 1st basemen in fielding two years ago, led the league in errors this time with 16.

 

? The Stars lost 13 games when leading after six innings, 2nd most in the SL.

 

? They were 34-27 when they scored first, but 15-60 when they were last to score, worst in the league.

 

? In addition to going 20-23 in one-run games, they were 11-14 in two-run games, and 8-9 in three run games.

 

? In extra-inning games, they were 5-6 and in double-headers, they were 1-5.

 

? The Stars had winning record against three teams: Tennessee (12-9), Mobile (12-11), and Montgomery (5-1), but they were 29-42 against the South Division, going a combined 8-24 against Birmingham and Mississippi, the two teams they open against next year.

 

MORE TO COME IN COMING DAYS... THE TOP TEN GAMES OF 2005.

[Mass Haas]

By the way, Huntsville OF Ben Van Idersine went 14-for-35 (.400, no walks), scored eight runs and drove in five.

 

Canada finished with a 4-4 record in fifth place, a game behind South Korea in Pool A. Cuba was atop the pool with an 8-0 mark, while The Netherlands was next at 7-1 and Panama was 6-2.

 

Japan won Pool B with a 7-1 mark, while Puerto Rico and Nicaragua were tied for second with 6-2 marks. Team USA was fourth with a 5-2 mark.

[Mass Haas]

We'll count down, one game a day, Huntsville Stars' historian and super fan David Weiser's Top Ten Games of the Stars' season:

 

The Stars had the worst first half finish (29-40) since 1991, when they posted a 28-44 record, but thanks to the Smokies and Lookouts, they avoided the ignominy of falling into sole possession of last place at any point, although they shared the cellar a couple of times with them....... The Stars awoke in the second half after the most miserable May in the club's history (9-20). They won four of their first five and was 12-9 and in 1st place as late as July 15th when they went into their nose-dive, going 19-30 the rest of the way........

 

Along this winding road from 1st to almost worst were some memorable games nonetheless --- the double-header that attracted more than 11,000, the 19-inning, 2-1 loss to Mobile, Carlos Villanueva's five-innings of no-hit pitching, which he lost, Dennis Sarfate's 6 2/3 scoreless innings vs. Chattanooga, and their record 10-game home win streak that stretched into May. But these were the games I thought particularly memorable enough to list in a top ten.

 

Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 10)

April 30 at Joe Davis Stadium

Stars 13, Smokies 6

 

A record-setting game as the Stars won their 9th straight game at home, beating Tennessee, 13-6, helped by seven Tennessee errors --- a record tied --- one for most errors made by an opponent. After taking a 4-3 lead, the Smokies melted down completely in the bottom of the 3rd inning, making four errors leading to six unearned runs to give the Stars a 9-4 lead. The Stars scored all 13 of their runs without the benefit of a single extra-base hit.

 

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:

Not Manny Parra's finest day; perhaps they changed the ruling on an error that day -- box score now reads six...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

We'll also link to the Link Report for that day when possible, but it looks like this one was lost during the great EZ Board fiasco of 2005.

[Mass Haas]

Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 9)
May 23 at Five County Stadium
Stars 6, Mudcats 3

Following a 3-0 loss to Chattanooga before what was then the largest home crowd of the season, the Stars took to the road to face the Carolina Mudcats at Five County for the first time since their embarrassing season-opening series sweep, in which the Stars were outscored in four games, 11-1 and outhit, 27-14. Additionally, the Stars were carrying a five-game losing streak. But Enrique Cruz became a one-man show, belting two home runs and driving in all six runs to back Glenn Woolard's six-inning, three-hit performance. With an RBI double in the 2nd, a three-run HR in the 7th, and a two-run blast in the 9th, Enrique upped his average from .282 to .294, and became the first Huntsville Star since Brad Nelson on April 18 of 2004 to drive in six runs.

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:
Kennard Bibbs a HR shy of the cycle in this one...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_cmcaax_1

Link Report for that date includes David Weiser's full commentary from that night:

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...2995.topic

[Mass Haas]

Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 8)
April 21 at Joe Davis Stadium
Stars 6, Bay Bears 5

The Stars won their 6th straight to go to 7-7, in handing Mobile their record 10th straight loss. For much of the game, it looked as if they would snap it, too, scoring twice in the 3rd, once in the 4th, and once more in the 7th to take a 4-0 lead. Mobile starter Mike Bumstead was cruising with a shutout. He had allowed two hits in the 1st, then nothing for five straight innings....... Then the Mobile meltdown as Callix Crabbe, Nelson Cruz, and Tony Zuniga led off with walks. Jeff Winchester singled in two runs and with one out, Vinny Rottino, pinch-hitting for Alec Zumwalt, singled in two more. The last run would score on a bases-loaded walk to Crabbe. On top, 5-4, Mobile tied the game in the 9th when Mitch Stetter could not close the door, despite getting the first out. Four consecutive Bay Bears reached base and Ronnie Merrill's double tied the game before Jerome Gamble struck out Mike Richardson and Luis Cruz to end the 9th. But Enrique Cruz stirred the Stars with a leadoff double, then went to third on a wild pitch, and with one out, Crabbe, who walked three times, knocked in Cruz with a sacrifice fly to right on a 3-2 pitch for the winning run.

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Link Report for that date includes David Weiser's full commentary from that night:
Always fun and sometimes humorous to re-read the posts from early in the season, not necessarily just on the Huntsville game...

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...2883.topic

[Mass Haas]

Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 7)
August 23 at Joe Davis Stadium
Bay Bears 7, Stars 4

It's not often that a game is remembered more for the glovework witnessed than the suspense built on an at-bat or a key hit with runners on base, but this one was eye candy, and deserved to be mentioned. In spite of noteworthy defensive plays by Nelson Castro and Tony Gwynn, Jr. and two plays by the middle infield on the other side, it will be remembered more for the delayed triple play --- the second in Stars history...... With the Stars ahead, 2-1, Mobile had loaded the bases in the 4th on a single by Chris Duncan and a pair of walks to Corey Smith and George Kottaras. The count was 1-2 to Steve Baker when he hit a ball back to pitcher Ty Taubenheim in front of the mound. Instinctively, Taubenheim threw to the plate for the first out, then Jeff Winchester fired to Brandon Gemoll at first for what the crowd of 1,205 thought was the end of a convenient 1-2-3 double play, but Gemoll alertly saw that Corey Smith, in rounding the bag at third, was far enough off to be caught. Gemoll fired across the diamond to Castro, who tagged him out diving into the bag...... Adam Heether made his Stars debut in this game.

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:
TP: (Gemoll-Castro-Winchester-Gemoll); Ty Taubenheim continued to struggle a bit at AA...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Link Report for that date includes "huntsvillefan's" first-hand account:

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...3269.topic

[Mass Haas]

Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 6)
June 23 at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile
Stars 14, Bay Bears 3

Dennis Sarfate not only won his 7th game to go 7-3, he also homered and drove in four runs. That alone is credential enough for this list. But what set this game apart in this radio broadcast was the 12-run 5th inning, which was the biggest inning for the Stars since April 17, 1988, and the most scored in one inning by the Stars on the road. trailing 1-0 in the 5th inning, the Stars sent 17 batters to the plate. The tally: 11 hits, 3 walks, and an error. Sarfate knocked in the first run with a bases-loaded grounder that scored Enrique Cruz, who started the inning with a single. Nelson Cruz, the only hitter not to get a hit in that inning, hit into a double play with the bases loaded to make it 5-1, but it went on and on and on and on. Vinny Rottino knocked in the 12th run before Nellie struck out to end the inning. John Vanden Berg scored three times and Callix Crabbe had his finest game, going 3-for-5 and driving in four runs. Incredibly the next day, the Stars beat Mobile again by the same 14-3 score!

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_mobaax_1

Link Report for that date includes David Weiser's full commentary from that night:

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=40

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 5)
April 28 at Joe Davis Stadium
Stars 14, Smokies 13

Only 763 braved a chilly 55°, off-and-on rainy night at the Joe for this. I'll admit that I stayed home for this one, and it's doubtful that since I had to work the next morning, I wouldn't have stayed to see what would become a 3½ hour, 10-inning affair and one of the best games of the year.

After the Smokies scored three in the 1st, the Stars began taking control of the game, first against starter Sergio Lizarraga, then Doug Slaten, getting eight runs on 10 hits off them in five innings. Still, the Stars nursed only an 8-6 lead until the 7th when singles by Enrique Cruz and Kennard Bibbs gave them an 11-6 lead....... But leadoff hitter Marland Williams, who went 5-for-5 and hit for the cycle, hit a two-run HR in the 8th and added a triple to complete the cycle in a five-run 9th that put the Smokies in front, 13-11.......

For those who stayed, the chill was put aside when the Stars got hot. Enrique Cruz greeted new pitcher Mike Schultz with a single. John Vanden Berg followed with a pinch-hit double to score Cruz and it was 13-12. Bibbs then laid down a bunt. Catcher Phil Avlas picked up the ball and sailed it into the bullpen area down the right field line. In came Vandy to tie the game and Bibbs was sitting at third, the potential winning run. Tony Gwynn, Jr., a hot hitter all year when in the # 2 hole, was put on base to pitch to Vinny Rottino, on a 13-for-25 streak coming into the game. Against a drawn-in infield, Vinny flied to Williams in centerfield. He unleashed a one-hop throw to the plate that cut down a sliding Bibbs for the final out of the inning........ Seeming almost anti-climatic was Nelson Cruz's home run in the 10th on a 1-0 pitch from Schultz to win the game, and the Stars climbed from a 1-7 start to .500 for the first time, handing Tennessee their 11th straight loss on the road.

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:
A very un-Dana Eveland-like effort...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 4)
September 3 at Joe Davis Stadium
Stars 2, Lookouts 1

After dealing with high humidity for much of the summer season, this final home game was ideal in a number of ways --- the night air was as comfortable as you'd expect in a dream, former GM Bryan Dingo and former longtime announcer Steve Kornya, of all people, made a visit to the old guard of fans at the Joe, and promotional freebies on an unofficial Fan Appreciation night, welcomed the crowd of nearly 3,000 who saw one of the best games of the year -- a scoreless duel for seven innings, a well-pitched and well-played game.......

Facing Chattanooga's tough Phil Dumatrait and later, Bubba Nelson, the Stars managed only to get a single in the 1st and one in the 2nd, unable to get a runner past second base....... Meanwhile, middle reliever Keith Stamler, making his first start, while not as stingy, surprised the crowd by holding the Lookouts scoreless for six innings, taken off the hook in the 2nd inning with runners on first and third by a double play. Chattanooga broke the ice and took a 1-0 lead in the 8th, but Brandon Gemoll, leading off the 8th, singled up the middle, was sacrificed to second by Nelson Castro, and scored after John Vanden Berg lined a ball off Nelson's foot. The ball took a crazy carom and on the fly, ended up on the outfield grass behind the dirt between first and second. Taken by surprise at the freakish hop, no one was in position to field the ball until right fielder Junior Ruiz came in and fired the ball to home plate. But Gemoll, hustling all the way on the play, glided across the plate to score the tying run........

After Jerome Gamble retired the Lookouts in order in the 9th, Enrique Cruz followed a one-out walk to Adam Heether with a single into left-center and with Heether now in scoring position, Gemoll, the batting hero of the 8th, lined David Shafer's first pitch over the head of Ruiz deep to right for the game-winning double, a perfect capper to an otherwise disappointing year.

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Link Report for that date includes David Weiser's full commentary from that night:

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...3295.topic

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 3A)
July 6 at Joe Davis Stadium
Stars 6, Barons 5

](# 3B)
July 23 at Joe Davis Stadium
Stars 5, Barons 3 (10 innings)

The Stars beat the Barons only twice this season in 11 matches, the worst season, percentage-wise ever against Birmingham, but in both games, they came in the final inning. In a game that deserves to stand side-by-side in the # 3 position, the Stars, on July 23, beat the Barons, 5-3 when Tony Gwynn, Jr. hit a two-run triple to win it. After Callix Crabbe tied the game in the 9th on a single dumped over a drawn-in infield scoring Guilder Rodriguez, the Barons managed to load the bases in the bottom half off Jerome Gamble, who was just starting to turn his season around...... Brian Wolfe was brought in to face Chris Stewart with two out and got him to fly out to send the game into extra innings.......

The Stars performed a similar come-from-behinder on July 6th, chasing Daniel Haigwood from the game to score three times in the 8th to take a 4-3 lead on an off-on rain throughout this Saturday night. Mitch Stetter, however, could not protect it in the 9th, as Ryan Sweeney stepped up to deliver a two-out double off the right field wall to give the Barons a 5-4 lead. Josh Fields, the next hitter, lined the ball hard to left for a single, but Brad Nelson, who hit the game-winning two-out, two-run homer in the 9th for the Stars' 6-5 win, saved the game defensively by rifling the ball to John Vanden Berg, who held onto the ball after a collision with Sweeney. The Barons had two runners thrown out at the plate and two runners at third in this game.

Box Scores and Game Logs from MILB.com:

July 6th:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

July 23rd:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_biraax_1

[Mass Haas]

Of course, David probably realizes he's giving us his Top "11" games of 2005.

 

It's kind of like the Big Ten since Penn State arrived...

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 2)
July 15, 2005 at Joe Davis Stadium
Stars 5, Mudcats 4

On a cloudy, muggy Friday, the first day after the Major League All-Star break, the Stars (11-9) were tied for first with Carolina, their opponent this night, which is not the reason why Huntsvillians go to games, but over 5,600 did show up....... Fireworks, it seems, is a bigger thrill in this town then their own team.........

Glenn Woolard, going for his fifth win, was coming off a fine game, which he won against the Braves at Trustmark Park. And he once again looked good, holding Carolina to four hits in six innings....... But the Stars could not make up for opponent Yorman Bazardo's two-run home run in the 2nd, managing only to tie it up, and keep the game tied until the 8th inning........ Without an RBI for a month, John Vanden Berg's two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded put the Stars on top, 4-2, and it was now up to Jerome Gamble, who had just saved two of the Stars three wins against Mississippi........ But after striking out Carolina's first hitter in the top of the 9th, Gamble gave up singles to Frank Moore and Drew Niles, setting the table for Jeremy Hermida. Hermida doubled to center, scoring one and Jason Hill's grounder tied the game........

In the bottom of the 9th, Kennard Bibbs got the party started with a one-out single to right on an 0-2 pitch from Ross Wolf....... Vinny Rottino followed with his third hit of the night...... Then on a 3-2 pitch, Brad Nelson beat out a single to short to load the bases....... That brought up Brandon Gemoll, 1-for-5 on the season with the bases loaded..... With the infield drawn in, Brandon hit a chopper on a 1-1 pitch to the right side -- what some might call a Baltimore chop, because it had a high hop. First baseman Chris Bass had positioned himself on the grass and had to leap to bring the ball down. Bibbs, who finished with 23 steals this year, 2nd among the club's stolen base leaders, was off like a bullet when the ball was hit and it became a race between him and the ball, quickly fired by Bass to catcher Jason Hill. In a very close play at the plate, Bibbs slid under the tag for the 5-4 victory........ The Stars were in 1st place for the last time in the 2005 season. Carolina won the next two games and the Stars would lose 10 of their next 12 games.

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Link Report for that date:

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...3155.topic

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's Top Ten Games of 2005

(# 1)
July 7, 2005 at Joe Davis Stadium
Barons 19, Stars 15

When the Stars began to score seven runs in the 3rd inning to erase a 6-4 Birmingham lead, you knew this was not going to be your run-of-the-mill ballpark experience........ Despite a seven-run inning and an 11-6 lead after three long innings, the Stars, with Ryan Costello and a bullpen that could not calm Birmingham's hitters, could not match might for might. Only Brett Evert managed to retire Birmingham without being scored upon....... Eighty balls were put into play in this game, which lasted three hours and fifty-two minutes on this clear, 86° Thursday night, almost twice as many as you'd see in a normal 2½-hour game, and not since May 21, 1989, had an opponent scored 19 runs against the Stars.......

Brandon Gemoll's hit in the bottom of the 9th --- the 41st of the game, a single ---established a record for most combined hits in a Stars game......... The contest fell one run shy of the most runs scored in a game. (The record belongs to the game I ranked 2nd among the greatest games in Stars history.)......... It was also the 2nd-highest scoring game in Southern League history........... The Barons chopped away at the 11-6 lead with a run in the 4th and two more in the 5th on Chris Stewart's two-run homer.........

The Stars made it 13-9 after six on Vinny Rottino's RBI single off B.J. Lamura and Brad Nelson's sac fly, but the Barons nearly batted around in the 7th and sent 10 batters to the plate in the 8th to make it 19-14...... Casey Rogowski put on a show for the Barons, going 4-for-6 with 6 RBIs. His home run in the 1st with two out off Costello hit the top of the speaker in dead-center field, matching Jeff Francoeur's smash off Evert on June 6th, and in the 6th, he made maybe the greatest catch I saw all year --- a diving catch over the tarp in foul territory in right field, then falling, sandwiched between the tarp and the concrete barrier....... Chris Stewart had four hits, and even the number nine hitter for the Barons managed to come to the plate six times --- unheard of in a nine-inning game........ Stars' leadoff hitter Tony Gwynn, Jr. came up to the plate in each of the first four innings, seven times in all, a club record, walking twice..... Gemoll and Jeff Winchester each had four hits and Gemoll drove in five runs, equaling his feat of May 10, 2004.

Box Score and Game Log from MILB.com:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Link Report for that date:

p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...3130.topic

[Mass Haas]

David links to the Top 20 Stars' games of all time through 2004 at the bottom of this linked page to his site:

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

[Mass Haas]

From David Weiser at:

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

With the 2005 season in the books, the last lunch discussion with Bryan Neece, the Stars' Director of Media Relations, has been about the Stars' future........ It's as murky now as it ever has been with the city reluctant to pay much attention to the team's need for major renovation at Joe Davis Stadium to compete with the amenities newer ballparks have been offering, and with out-of-town ownership, rumors swirled all season that this would be the last year in Huntsville........ Despite the fact that (absentee owner) Miles Prentice has not signed a new lease agreement, the Stars, whose attendance increased 18% this year, will be back.......

 

But it's the final year of their PDC with Milwaukee, and Reid Nichols, the former Red Sox outfielder in charge of player development, is not happy, I was told, with the condition of the Stars facilities, located on the third base side of the concourse........ I was told Nichols would not hesitate in advising Milwaukee to pull out if they weren't improved......... I asked Bryan what was wrong with their clubhouses in his (Nichols') opinion, one thing led to another, and I wound up getting this first look inside the locker areas for both teams.

 

First, I got a look inside the visitors area, which is off the concourse under the stands on the first base side, where a lot of fans congregate after games waiting to get autographs........ I was immediately surprised how small it was. The shower area in the corner is about the size of a decently spacious walk-in closet, but the first thing you see as the light switch goes on, are the two rows of lockers against the near and far walls of a cramped room. I couldn't imagine how 22 players in such close quarters could feel comfortable. In the middle is either one long red bench to sit on or two shoved together, I can't remember which.........

 

Looking in front of me past this area is a room that serves as the manager's office. It was small to the point of being claustrophobic. I could touch the ceiling and I'm just a shade over 5'8". The lighting reminded me of one of those prison movies where someone is taken in to be interrogated. The coaching office is similar in size and mood........ Not much else to see, and I came away with the opinion that the professional ballplayers that have come through here and have had to use these facilities --- Randy Johnson, Michael Jordan, Frank Thomas, Andruw Jones to name a few --- deserved a whole lot better. They are fairly clean, but soulless, badly lit, cramped and uninviting. On to the Stars' side.

 

By comparison, the Stars' locker room was huge. As the door is opened, you turn right from a hallway divides the players area on the right from the bathroom and showers and the managers' and coaches' office to the left. The manager has his own shower and bathroom........ Apart from bad lighting again, I thought it was quite spacious. This is not to say that it was enough to make any major league organization happy, and Reid Nichols apparently is not, but I have nothing to compare it to. But to me, at this level, they were quite adequate. I could not find much fault.......

 

The players locker area is broader and mostly carpeted. More room to move, but messier with issues of Baseball America laying around, promotional items waiting to be signed on the floor, cups, and other things. Uniforms were hung in the lockers with name plates for everyone, as opposed to the vertically-shaped whiteboards on the visitors' side....... A large white board hung on the wall reminded players about their clubhouse dues and to return loan closet items, and finally, to all of them to have a good winter......... There was barely enough room for exercise equipment, however, and the trainer's table was small and looked to be in the way of foot traffic. If anyone can remember the locker room in "Major League", think three times as small and you get the idea of the room the Stars have. Now can you imagine what the visitors side must be like?

 

Continue to visit David's site at the link above every so often during the offseason, although we'll try to archive any of his updates here...

[Mass Haas]

From David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com/

 

All this off-season inactivity of course gives me much time to work on updating the club record book. Just finished is the new top 20s list........ No club or seasonal records were broken this year, but one came close and some career records could be broken next year........ Callix Crabbe became the first hitter since Angel Escobar in 1989 to record 20 sac hits in a season. Escobar holds the club record with 25. Crabbe finished the season with 20. On the all-time list, Crabbe is 4th........

 

None of the Stars' pitchers cracked the Top 20 for their seasonal efforts, but Dennis Sarfate, in particular, and Glenn Woolard entered the all-time list......... Sarfate, in his 2nd, and probably final season as a Huntsville Stars pitcher, finished 14th in wins with 16, and tied for 2nd with Stacy Hollins in losses (21). Sarfate also comes in 19th in ERA (3.96), 7th in starts (49), 14th in innings, 17th in hits allowed, 14th in runs and 16th in earned runs allowed, tied for 11th in home runs allowed, 7th in strikeouts and walks, tied for 3rd in hit batters, and tied for 16th in wild pitches.......Woolard broke onto the Top 20 charts in starts, strikeouts (14th), walks (20th), and hit batters.

 

Tony Gwynn is now one of five Huntsville Stars with 1,000+ at-bats in their history. With 1,043, he is 4th behind Jason Wood, Josh Klimek, and Scott Hemond. Scott Brosius, with 1,008, is the only other Stars with 1,000 or more at-bats........ Gwynn is also tied for 7th in games played, 7th in hits, 7th in runs scored, 20th in doubles, tied for 19th in triples with eleven others, tied for 10th in sac hits and sac flies, 9th in walks, 3rd in stolen bases, and 2nd in most times caught stealing. He finished two short of tying Kerwin Moore's career record of 33....... Gwynn is also tied for 15th in total bases....... Brandon Gemoll is now one of only six players with 400 or more total bases and ranks 5th on the all-time list with 412. Jason Wood is the all-time leader with 509........ Brad Nelson, who last year set the club strikeout record that had been held since 1985 by Rob Nelson, is tied for 5th with three others in that category, but Gemoll is 3rd on the list with 231, 45 behind the leader, Steve Howard (Stars '87-88).

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser has updated the "Stuff" page on his site with the very detailed Top 20 lists (both seasonal and all-time) for the Stars.

 

Keep in mind that the Stars were an Oakland affiliate until the Brewers joined them in 1999.

 

www.starsboxscore.com/stuff.htm