Jim Goulart

Bob Brainerd's excellent Timber Rattler feature articles commence for 2013 - first up, Mitch Haniger Mitch in Time

One dynamic I wonder about with the Manatees -- We tend to think they have Space Coast Stadium all to themselves after Nationals spring training. Similar to the Brewers in Maryvale, though, extended spring training for all the Nats' non full-season kids is taking place now, and when the Rookie Leagues start, the Gulf Coast League Nationals will play day games almost exclusively. Just wondering if the two organizations bump into each other during the course of the Manatees season, locker rooms, etc.

Weather.com: Nashville Huntsville Viera (Melbourne) Grand Chute (Appleton)

Look for Nashville and Wisconsin media notes at the links just prior to their game times. New this season: Brevard County has media notes; as of now, it's a unique link each day, but look for it just prior to game time each day within the "Stats and Scores" banner here.

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.

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

Follow Thursday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin New MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

Couple of broadcast notes for this evening -- In Huntsville, Alex Cohen's voice is on hiatus so he's recruited some faithful locals to help him out this evening. *** Reminder -- Thursday night's Timber Rattlers game will be televised on Time Warner Cable Sports 32, air time is 6:30 PM local time. "Timber Rattlers Field Pass" precedes the game broadcast starting at 6:00 PM.

Thursday's Daily Menu: All Home Cookin' Tonight! All times are Central Nashville: RHP Johnny Hellweg at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 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 $39.99 season-long package ($9.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: RHP Jimmy Nelson at home vs. Mississippi (Braves), 6:28 PM pre-game, 6:43 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page Alex Cohen is the play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. It appears four Southern League teams air their home games on MiLB.TV, and we'll let you know when those dates pop up on the schedule. ********** Brevard County: LHP Jed Bradley at home vs. Dunedin (Blue Jays), 5:05 PM pre-game, 5:35 PM gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Brevard County feed from the MiLB main audio page Manatees audio, hooray! Dave Walkovic is the first play-by-play voice of the 'Tees since 2007, he's joined by Andy Towne; 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, we'll let you know that. NOTE: Dave indicates that he hopes to include a pre-game interview prior to each game; it's a 30-minute pre-game! We'll fill you in if Brevard masters archiving a la Nashville and/or Helena. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Eric Semmelhack at home vs. West Michigan (Tigers), 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. MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; Wisconsin is one of four Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV. So for the $39.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, Stars' road games from four Southern League locales, and all Timber Rattlers home games and some road games. NOTE: 32 of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel has seventeen games scheduled and WACY-TV My NEW32 plans to show fifteen games. We'll let you know when, but won't be providing day-before DVR reminders, so regularly check for proper channel and time planning (scroll to the bottom of this link).

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Brief Huntsville video

Nashville video - Fiers fired up about a K

Newspaper account Photo Gallery

Rene Tosoni robbed by a true web gem in CF

Chris wrote: Settle down, everybody. He’ll be fine. Let’s see your reaction when you foul a ball off your knee in 30° weather. Post-Crescent photo of the Tyrone Taylor painful moment (first photo in gallery)

Stars Lose Game, Series to Barons By Alex Cohen / Huntsville Stars After winning the first two games of their series against the Birmingham Barons, the Huntsville Stars dropped their third straight game at Regions Field, losing the rubbermatch of a five-game series by a score of 8-3 on Wednesday afternoon. Making his first start of his professional career, Stars lefty Alan Williams got off to a shaky first inning. Following a leadoff single by shortstop Tyler Saladino and a one-out walk issued to right fielder Trayce Thompson, an RBI single by designated hitter Andy Wilkins put the Barons on the board early. Later in the inning, a two-run double by first baseman Dan Black plated both Wilkins and Thompson to make the score 3-0. After a solo homer by Stars designated hitter Mike Walker cut the Stars deficit to two in the top of the second inning, the Barons provided the equalizer off Williams in the bottom half of the frame. Following a one-out single by third baseman Cody Puckett, another single from second baseman Marcus Semien combined with a Stars error allowed Puckett to score to put Birmingham up 4-1. In the end, Williams pitched four innings in his first start, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out six to fall to 0-2 on the season. On offense, the Barons picked up two more runs in the fifth inning on a two-run blast by Wilkins off of Stars reliever Mark Williams. Birmingham also scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Stars lefty Brian Garman. From the pitching perspective for the Barons, starting pitcher Stephen McCray improved to 3-1 on the year after giving up just one run in six innings pitched. The Stars scored their two other runs of the ballgame in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Brock Kjeldgaard accompanied by one of their season-high five fielding errors for the Barons on the game. For the Stars, Kjeldgaard and T.J Mittelstaedt paced the offense with two hits apiece. The loss for the Stars was their third straight overall after winning six of their first seven road contests to start the season. With the Stars traveling back to Huntsville on Wednesday, they will welcome the Mississppi Braves into town to open up a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium on Thursday night. Huntsville will send RHP Jimmy Nelson (2-0, 1.25 ERA) to the bump to square off against M-Braves RHP Michael Lee (2-0, 4.61 ERA). First pitch is at 6:43 PM.

BUMP...

More from Birmingham on this, we'll see... *** By the way, good luck to Josh Stinson in his start for the Orioles this afternoon in Baltimore against the Blue Jays.

Weather.com: Birmingham

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.

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

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Huntsville

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: Idle ********** Huntsville: LHP Alan Williams at Birmingham (White Sox), 10:45 AM pre-game, 11:00 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page Alex Cohen is the play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. It appears four Southern League teams air their home games on MiLB.TV, and we'll let you know when those dates pop up on the schedule. ********** Brevard County: Idle ********** Wisconsin: Idle

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Link includes audio interviews with RHP Ryan Gibbard and Manager Matt Erickson Gibbard heats up to lead Timber Rattlers to victory by Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent Media GRAND CHUTE — One would suspect that chilly Wisconsin would be a nightmarish place for a Florida-born pitcher to work. That’s not the case with Ryan Gibbard. Pitching in America’s refrigerator seems to agree with the 23-year-old right-hander, who has kept opponents bats’ cold all spring and continued to do so Tuesday afternoon in the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers’ 9-1 win over Quad Cities. Gibbard shrugged off temperatures in the mid-30s to go six strong innings in his first start for the Timber Rattlers and pick up his first win in Wisconsin uniform. Gibbard, a 14th-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, limited the River Bandits to three hits and walked just one, with five strikeouts. Taylor Mangum finished up with three scoreless innings, allowing the Rattlers to avoid getting swept in the three-game series. Gibbard (1-0) is off to a terrific start with the Rattlers. The second-year pro has allowed just two earned runs and nine hits with 11 strikeouts and just three walks in his first 15 2/3 innings. Gibbard was born in Loxahatchee, Fla. and has spent most of his life in the sunshine state, attending college at Lynn University in Boca Raton. “I try and think of pitching in the cold as an advantage,” said Gibbard. “I know the hitters don’t want to be out there hitting in the cold. I just try and stay loose and treat it like any other game. But I’m pretty sure it favors pitchers like myself.” Gibbard isn’t overpowering but has been able to throw strikes consistently and mix his pitches. He throws two- and four-seam fastballs, along with a curve and a change-up. “He was really solid all through spring training and I like what I’m seeing from him,” said Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson. “He does a nice job attacking the bottom of the zone and doesn’t allow those dreaded walks. “He pitches. He’s not a guy who is going to get away with a lot of mistakes in the middle of the plate. We preach to our pitchers to attack early in the count and get ahead of hitters.” Of Gibbard’s 80 pitches, 50 were for strikes. “I was just trying to get ahead with my fastball because I really didn’t have my off-speed stuff working that well today,” said Gibbard. “I was able to compete with my fastball and that’s what usually gets you deep into games.” Gibbard’s only mistake came in the top of the sixth when designated hitter Chase Davidson slammed a towering home run to center. The ball bounced off the second wall behind the fence and traveled an estimated 420 feet. Prior to Tuesday’s initial start, Gibbard had pitched exclusively out of the bullpen. He was a starting pitcher at Lynn University, compiling a 7-2 record in 2012 with a 3.07 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 82 innings. Gibbard started 10 games last season in rookie league play at Helena, going 1-5 with a 5:27 ERA. “It’s a lot easier being a starter,” said Gibbard. “It’s so much easier getting into a routine and knowing what you need to do to compete.” Gibbard received plenty of support. Wisconsin didn’t have an error and drilled a season-high 15 hits. The Rattlers entered the game with a team batting average of just .223. “Feels good to hit like that when it’s a little chilly like this,” said Erickson. “A good way to stay warm is running around the bases. We had some two-out hits today that were huge. Six of our nine runs came with two outs.” The Rattlers broke the game open with a five-run sixth inning. Second baseman Chris McFarland doubled in a run to give Wisconsin a 2-1 lead, then outfielder Michael Reed smacked a two-out, two-run single up the middle. Jose Sermo followed with a two-run double to break open the game. Sermo and outfielder Mitch Haniger both went three-for-four to lead Wisconsin, while Reed, catcher Parker Berberet and shortstop Orlando Arcia added two hits apiece. Semro entered the game for outfielder Tyrone Taylor in the bottom of the third when Taylor fouled a pitch off his knee and had to leave the game. Sermo replaced Taylor at the plate and played the rest of the game in right field, even though he’s usually a third baseman. “When I saw Tyrone on the ground, I felt for him,” said Sermo. “I was a little surprised they put me in the outfield, but I’ve played there before and I’m glad they had the confidence to put me out there. Actually, when I’m playing outfield, it seems like I’m more relaxed as a hitter. I got some good pitches to hit and was able to put a few good swings on them.” Taylor, the Brewers’ second-round pick in the 2012 draft and Milwaukee’s 15th-best prospect according to Baseball America, was initially in considerable pain, but appears to have escaped serious injury. “We’ll see how the swelling is in a couple days, but I don’t think it’s going to be anything that will keep him out for an extended period,” said Erickson. “But he was smarting. He told me it was as much pain as he’s ever felt on the field. He said at first, he didn’t know if he was ever going to play baseball again, but he was giggling when he said it.” Jordan Scott had an RBI single in the 11th to put Quad Cities ahead and a three-run triple by Teoscar Hernandez put the game out of reach. Wisconsin's Orlando Arcia (left) can't make the tag as Quad Cities' Terrell Joyce steals second in Grand Chute on Tuesday. / Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20130423&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=304230368&Ref=AR&MaxW=600&Border=0