Link Report for Fri 9/16 - Sounds Win! PCL Champions!!

[Mass Haas]

Nashville's press continues to follow their "graduates":

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=44712

 

Milwaukee enamored with its Prince

By Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com

 

The buzz follows Prince Fielder everywhere he goes.

 

The 21-year-old was the talk of the town this summer in Nashville, where he torched Triple-A pitching to the tune of 27 homers in just 102 games.

 

Fielder finished his run in Music City on a preposterous tear in which he hit over .500 during a two-week stretch, leaving Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost to concede the young slugger had done all he could in the minors.

 

What makes Fielder such a popular athlete is more than his stat line. It?s his pedigree, being the son of former home run king Cecil Fielder. It?s his million-dollar smile that he?ll flash from the dugout after launching a homer. And it?s the way the ball cracks differently when it leaves his bat ? the sound that lets you know his swing is special. Now he?s the talk of the town in Milwaukee, too.

 

?People are actually getting excited about the Brewers,? said Mike Goede, 25, a resident of Milwaukee and a Miller Park vendor during baseball season. ?They?re excited because of Fielder. When Fielder is taking batting practice, people watch, the stadium goes silent.?

 

So far this season, Fielder has logged just 52 at-bats, but he?s made the most of them. His first homer was a game-winning, three-run shot against Minnesota. It sent the Miller Park crowd into a frenzy and fueled the hype machine that has been following Fielder since he was a No. 1 pick by Milwaukee three years ago.

 

?It?s a dream-come-true to be playing in the big leagues,? said Fielder, who grew up in big league club houses while his dad was playing for Toronto and Detroit. ?Hopefully I can do it for many years go come.?

 

The Brewers think enough of what Fielder can do that they?re considering shipping out their reliable starter at first base, Lyle Overbay. Yost told MLB.com Sunday it was a ?big decision? facing the team this offseason regarding who to start in 2006. Overbay is arbitration-eligible and, figuring to get a pay raise, is a good bet to be traded.

 

For his part, Fielder said he tries to ignore the hype and insists there?s no awkwardness between he and Overbay.

 

?Me and Lyle are cool,? Fielder said. ?Especially this month, he faced a couple [pitchers] I?ve faced in the minors, he asked me for tips. There?s nothing weird between us.?

 

And while Fielder?s goal is obviously to be an everyday starter in the big leagues, he said he missed not being a part of the Sounds? Pacific Coast League championship run and won't have regrets if circumstances see him back in Nashville next year.

 

?I don?t want to say I?m done with Triple-A because it?s out of my control,? Fielder said. ?Wherever I am, I?m just gonna do my best.

 

?I missed being around my [sounds] teammates for their run a little bit, because I?ve never won a championship before. I wish I could have been there, but being up here was pretty cool too.?