Jim Goulart

VIDEO: News Report on the move

Audio via Jeff Hem's blog -- "Tonight’s interview is with Sounds reliever Michael Blazek, who tossed three scoreless innings yesterday in the Sounds’ 1-0, 13-inning loss. Blazek discusses that outing, his season so far, coming over to the Brewers last September in the trade that sent former Sound John Axford to the Cardinals, the Cardinals’ development of so many quality hard-throwing pitchers and misconceptions about Las Vegas, Blazek’s hometown."

As a reminder, the Brewers and Manatees have yet to extend their Player Development Contract for another two (or possibly four) years beyond this current season. That decision will need to be made this fall, although a renewal could be announced earlier if agreed upon. One would think a renewal is likely, but better to simply say it's pending for now. Adam McCalvy quoted Gord Ash earlier this week - "Ash said that PDC talks with Nashville and Huntsville/Biloxi, plus Class A Advanced Brevard County and rookie-level Helena, will probably gain steam after the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline." *** Click on link while still active, text archived below: Brevard Manatees baseball team moving to Winter Park's Alfond Stadium By Mike Synan, My65Orlando.com reporter WINTER PARK, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) - The City of Winter Park, the Brevard County Manatees, and Rollins College have reached a tentative deal to bring the minor league baseball team to Winter Park, beginning with the 2016 season. Mike Miller of Rollins College is spearheading the effort. He says Alfond Stadium, where Rollins currently plays, will be rebuilt into a 2,500 seat minor league stadium which the college and team will share. "Enhancing our baseball stadium with the help of the community is only going to better our program and also better, you know having a professional baseball team will be a very exciting addition to our whole community." The project will cost $33 million. Rollins will pay a little more than half, counting the donated land and just over $4 million in cash. Winter Park would be on the hook for $6 million -- one million already socked away in their Community Redevelopment Agency, plus another $5 million that would come from the CRA. Winter Park City Manager Randy Knight says using the CRA will accomplish two important goals: economic development and improving parking, by adding a stadium garage. "The economic study that we had done showed that this would generate $6 million of annual spending in the Winter Park area, not all of Winter Park, but within this region, this new money to the area. So, it's a very good investment for economic purposes, and with the parking garage associated, it also provides much needed parking relief." Both the city and the college are excited about adding baseball. Knight says the fact that Orlando is the largest metro area in the nation without a team played a role in the city's decision to pursue a team. "The Brevard Manatees are established. They already have some following. They believe that by moving it to Winter Park, the attendance would go up, maybe a thousand fans a game," Knight said. The Manatees will be expected to contribute $2 million to the stadium reconstruction. The final $9 million will come from a federal tax credit called the "New Markets Tax Credit," a credit designed to help economic redevelopment in areas that need improvement. Miller says that, after more than 3 years of chasing the baseball dream in Winter Park, he is excited to try and finish this deal. "When you go to a baseball stadium on a summer night and you see a professional team and these guys are out there working hard, and you see families having a great time together and not spending thousands of dollars, it's a magical place. I believe Winter Park is a magical place. Putting those two things together will make a wonderful opportunity." There is still much more to be accomplished according to Knight. On Monday, city commissioners will ask the Orange County Commission to extend the life of the city's CRA five more years, to 2032, so that it can earn the $5 million the city plans to borrow to pay for the stadium renovation. "To put it in a baseball analogy, I think we are rounding first right now. We got a long way to go to get to home plate, a lot of ways to get thrown out between now and then, but at least we are out of the batters box." The plan is to have a full vote of the City Commission in August, then go through a planning and zoning phase with public input in the fall. Construction would be in 2015 with the team moving over for the 2016 season. The Brevard County Manatees are owned and operated by Central Florida Baseball Group, LLC. The team is a member of the Florida State League and a Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Class A-Advanced consists of 30 teams from around the country and is one level below Double-A and two levels below Triple-A (the highest class in Minor League Baseball). The Manatees currently play their home games at Space Coast Stadium in Viera. The Manatees did not respond in time for the publication of this story.

For those with an MLB (audio or video) subscription, Victor Roache was the pre-game guest of Joe Block Wednesday, listen at the 19:15 minute mark via the WTMJ link on this MLB page.

Via @BrewersPD: IF Nick Delmonico has been transferred to Brevard County. He will replace Jose Sermo, who has been placed on the DL retroactive to 5/7. *** OK Nick, let's see where we are, fresh start in the organization, 2014 begins... Also: Catcher roulette - Matt Pagnozzi has been activated from the DL w/Nashville. Robinzon Diaz has been placed on the DL retro to yesterday.

Huntsville Media Notes: ON DECK: The Stars will travel tomorrow to Chattanooga, TN to begin a five-game series with the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Lookouts are the Double-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stars manager Carlos Subero will make his return to Chattanooga where he managed the Lookouts from 2010-2012. Subero took the Lookouts to the Southern League playoffs in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Tomorrow, the Lookouts will be hosting their inaugural Negro League Baseball Night presented by Erlanger. This special event will pay homage to the rich baseball history of Chattanooga and feature former Negro Leaguers Carl Long and Clifford Layton. To honor the impact Negro League Baseball has had on the Scenic City, the Chattanooga Lookouts and their opponent, the Huntsville Stars, will don commemorative uniforms of the Homestead Grays (Lookouts) and the Newark Eagles (Stars). FROM LAST NIGHT: The Stars are now 8-6 at home, and they are still actually being outscored at home by their opponents 57-55…Last night, lefty Brent Suter earned his fifth victory of the season. Suter tied teammate Tyler Cravy for the most victories in the Southern League with five. Suter allowed his first HR in 42 IP… the Stars had 12 hits which matched a season high for most hits in a home game. They also had 12 on April 19th in a 10-7 loss to Mobile…The Stars scored a run in multiple innings, ending a string of six consecutive home games where they had done all their scoring in one inning. Last night they posted runs in the 3rd, 7th and 8th…. Stars OF Mitch Haniger, the 5th ranked prospect in the Brewers organization, led the Stars offense last night. He had his second three hit game of the season (other was 4/19 vs Mobile). After a slow month of April, where he batted just .193 his bat is starting to heat up. He has recorded a hit in 8 of his last 9 games. In his last 9, he is 13 for his last 35 with 3 RBI (.371 average). In the month of May alone in 7 games, he’s batting .407 with 2 RBI. Haniger is also one of the select few performing well at home, hitting .308…The Stars enter tonight having the third highest fielding percentage in all of minor league baseball at .984. Arkansas, Double-A, Texas League has the highest fielding percentage at .987, then New Orleans, Triple-A, PCL, at .986, then the Stars are tied with Syracuse, Triple-A International League.

Did we say TGIF above? Sure did, here's some memories for many of you:

Really looking forward to listening to this podcast later today -- BrewerNation Podcast Featuring Joe Hamrahi and Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus

Via Disciples of Uecker -- Brewers First Month Minor League Awards

Weather.com: Colorado Springs, CO Huntsville, AL Viera, FL (Melbourne) Grand Chute, WI (Appleton)

Sortable individual stat pages: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin

STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Southern Division AA - Southern League North Division High-A - Florida State League North Division A - Midwest League Western Division

Look for these just prior to the respective game times -- Nashville Media Notes - it's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Roster" banner on the Sounds' site. Brevard County Media Notes - again, it's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Multimedia" banner on the Manatees' site. Wisconsin Media Notes - Linked on the Rattler Radio blog

To see tweets as to when the Link Report has been technically "completed" with available links, as well as to know when the new day's Report has been posted, please follow @Mass_Haas on Twitter.

DVR ALERT: As we've been reminding you, tonight's (Friday's) Timber Rattlers game is available on local TV on MyNew32 TV, 6:00 pregame show. FYI -- After tonight, next televised game is this coming Mon. 5/12, same channel and time as this evening.

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times are Central Nashville: RHP Ariel Pena at Colorado Springs (Rockies), 7:15 PM pre-game, 7:35 gametime Free Live Audio Link Jeff Hem is the play-by-play voice of the Sounds; follow him on Twitter @jeffhempbp; we'll link to his blog updates at On the Air…and Off MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Nashville games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $49.99 season-long package ($12.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: RHP Jacob Barnes at home vs. Jackson (Mariners), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime Free Live Audio Link Steve Jarnicki is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars - welcome aboard! Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveJarnicki. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. MiLB.TV - It appears seven of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games (not the Stars). ********** Brevard County: RHP Jorge Lopez at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 5:05 PM pre-game, 5:35 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the proper link based on listed schedule Dave Walkovic returns as the play-by-play voice of the 'Tees; follow the Brevard broadcast booth staff on Twitter @BCManateesRadio. All home games and many road games are scheduled to be broadcast. When road games are only available via the opponents' audio feed (or not at all), we'll let you know that. No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Zach Quintana at home vs. Cedar Rapids (Twins), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime Free Live Audio Link - 1280 AM WNAM Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio. For the $49.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, Stars' road games from seven Southern League locales, and all Timber Rattlers home games and some road games. NOTE: Thirty-nine (!) of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (9) and WACY-TV My NEW32 (30) will split duties. We'll let you know when and who, and remember to refer to the Rattlers' full TV schedule so you can coordinate your DVR activity.

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Brevard County -- AUDIO: Brewers Minor League hitting coordinator Jeremy Reed talks with Justin Rocke on the Manatees Pregame Show about what he has seen in Brevard AUDIO, Game highlights: Behind a strong pitching performance from Jed Bradley, the 'Tees win, 7-0

VIDEO: Nashville's Brad Mills strikes out Kyle Parker in the Sounds' loss to Colorado Springs VIDEO: Parker later knocks in the game's lone run in the 13th inning off Jeremy Jeffress as the Sky Sox outlast Nashville, 1-0

On another bright note, at least no Brewers farmhands are slugging it out with each other and breaking jaws (at least as far as we know)...

Rattler Radio Blog - Postgame Entry Pre-game and postgame audio, photos, and video game highlights...yeah, you'll click, listen and watch!

Bradley grateful for Brewers' patience 2011 first-rounder allows two hits over 6 2/3 innings for Manatees By Ashley Marshall / MiLB.com Success has not come as quickly as 2011 Brewers first-rounder Jed Bradley would have liked. But instead of dwelling on it, the left-hander is relishing his chance to learn and grow without being hurried. Bradley allowed two hits over 6 2/3 innings Thursday in the Class A Advanced Brevard County Manatees' 7-0 win over the visiting Daytona Cubs. Bradley (4-1) struck out seven batters and walked two, lowering his ERA to 2.77. "I just wanted to be aggressive and attack guys," said Bradley, who throws a fastball, a curveball and a slider. "I have a great relationship with catcher Cameron Garfield and we had a good game plan. We wanted to put the ball in the zone a lot and keep it down. Any time you can do that on a consistent basis, you will be successful." Bradley surrendered a two-out infield single to Gioskar Amaya in the third inning when he jammed the second baseman with a fastball in on the hands that turned into a chopper up the middle. The only other hit was Dan Vogelbach's leadoff single to center field in the fifth, a mistake pitch Bradley said he left over the plate. The Georgia Tech product allowed seven runs against Daytona in his season debut April 5, but he has yielded just five combined runs over his past six starts, a spell of 34 2/3 innings. Excluding the loss in his first start, Bradley has a 1.30 ERA, which would rank fifth in the Florida State League. Selected by the Brewers 15th overall in the 2011 Draft, Bradley has never known life in pro ball outside of the Sunshine State. He made his Minor League debut in Daytona 25 months ago and hasn't pitched a competitive game outside of Florida since. Bradley was 5-10 with a 5.53 ERA in 20 starts in his rookie year and he went 4-4 with a 4.14 ERA in 16 starts in the Florida State League last season. "Things happen for a reason," the Alabama native said. "I've battled injuries throughout my career and I've learned the hard way. I'm thankful for where I am right now. I'm 23 years old and I'm in a good position. "I would love to get to Double-A and have a strong season and see what the Brewers want to do with me from there, but I don't like to look that far ahead. They just told me they want me to prove I can take the ball every fifth day and stay healthy. That's the big thing, to stay healthy and get guys out. That's what I've done so far and what I plan to do." Manatees reliever Greg Holle retired all four batters he faced and Stephen Peterson worked around a walk in the ninth to seal the shutout. Center fielder Tyrone Taylor doubled twice, plated one run and scored once and left fielder Victor Roache hit his sixth homer of the year. Daytona starter Ya-Lin Wang (0-5) allowed four runs on four hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two batters in the losing effort. Jed Bradley has a combined 13-15 record in the Florida State League. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/Tampa Yankees) http://www.milb.com/assets/images/3/3/0/74829330/cuts/bradley_sqeyhuu8_vpjbtyvy.jpg

Final: @Huntsville 7, Jackson 3 STARS CLAIM SERIES WITH WIN OVER JACKSON Huntsville, AL - The Huntsville Stars claimed their sixth series victory in their first seven series of the year with a 7-3 win Thursday night over the Jackson Generals, the Double-A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Brent Suter started for Huntsville, and the lefty improved to 5-1 after he threw five innings giving up two earned runs on four hits. The only runs he allowed were on a Patrick Brady two-run home run in the fifth. The Stars took a 4-0 lead in the third inning off the reigning Southern League pitcher of the week, Cam Hobson. Josh Prince reached on a throwing error by the shortstop Brady with one out. After D’Vontrey Richardson walked, Nick Ramirez gave the Stars a 1-0 lead on an RBI single. Shawn Zarraga, Mitch Haniger and Chadwin Stang also gave the Stars RBI singles in the third. With the Stars leading 4-2, they added two more runs in the seventh. Haniger doubled home Ramirez and Stang reached on a fielder’s choice RBI increasing the lead to 6-2. The Stars scored their final run in the eighth inning when Prince scored on a wild pitch. Haniger led the Stars with a 3-4 performance with 2 RBI. Prince went 2-3 and reached base four times. He also stole his 17th base of the season, which is tops in the Southern League. The Stars lead Jackson 3-1 in their series as it wraps up Friday night in Huntsville at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars will have RHP Jacob Barnes (0-0, 5.00) starting. Jackson will turn to LHP Tyler Olson (0-1, 13.50). The game can be heard starting at 6:15 PM CT with Steve Jarnicki on 92.9 FM, 1450 AM, and wtkiradio.com. Huntsville Box Score LHP Brent Suter walked four for the first time in seven starts, so he reached 85 pitches after five innings and was lifted - his 0.82 WHIP still shines. RHP's Tim Dillard and David Goforth (one run) tossed two frames apiece. Twelve base hits (11 singles, a Mitch Haniger double) plus seven walks makes Link Report readers happy, no? Catcher Adam Weisenburger reached base four times (three walks), like Josh Prince (two singles, two walks). Haniger and Shawn Zarraga each reached three times. Haniger's hitting .407 in seven May games. Zarraga's line in 68 AB's -- .456/.529/.515. That bubble hasn't burst yet. Both his singles today were described as line drives in the game log. Huntsville Game Log Four-run 3rd -- Huntsville Bottom of the 3rd Shea Vucinich lines out to right fielder Nathan Melendres. Josh Prince reaches on a throwing error by shortstop Patrick Brady. Josh Prince to 2nd. With D' Vontrey Richardson batting, Josh Prince steals (17) 3rd base. D' Vontrey Richardson walks. Nick Ramirez singles on a line drive to right fielder Nathan Melendres. Josh Prince scores. D' Vontrey Richardson to 2nd. Jason Rogers flies out to center fielder Jamal Austin. Shawn Zarraga singles on a line drive to right fielder Nathan Melendres. D' Vontrey Richardson scores. Nick Ramirez to 3rd. Mitch Haniger singles on a ground ball to left fielder Leon Landry. Nick Ramirez scores. Shawn Zarraga to 2nd. Adam Weisenburger walks. Shawn Zarraga to 3rd. Mitch Haniger to 2nd. Chadwin Stang singles on a ground ball to third baseman Ramon Morla. Shawn Zarraga scores. Mitch Haniger to 3rd. Adam Weisenburger to 2nd. Shea Vucinich flies out to right fielder Nathan Melendres.

Seeing LHP Caleb Thielbar continue to pitch well with the Twins had me thinking who is left from the 2010 Timber Rattlers staff from which Thielbar was cut after the season. The answer? Not much. Burgos, Heckathorn, and in a roundabout way, Jeffress (and the remnants of trading Odorizzi and the subsequent moves). Kudos to Caleb and Minnesota, taking advantage of the indy league route/scouting.

AUDIO via Jeff Hem's blog -- Today’s interview is with Sounds outfielder Sean Halton, who discusses his and the team’s start to the season; how he views Triple-A ball now compared to his first experience at the level in 2012; and his appearance as a 4-year-old in a Little Debbie snack cakes commercial and his dad’s acting roles in movies like “Angels in the Outfield” and “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” (Side note: check out the who’s who of actors in “Angels in the Outfield”) *** Wow!