Jim Goulart

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Donovan Hand at home vs. Albuquerque (Dodgers), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Jeff Hem is the new 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). We imagine the audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: RHP Josh Stinson at Mobile (Diamondbacks), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page Alex Cohen is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. It's fantastic that Huntsville is returning to what will be a traditional broadcast format this year. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. MiLB.TV subsciption note: Huntsville road games in four locales (Mississippi, Tennessee, Jacksonville and Pensacola) will be broadcast. ********** Brevard County: RHP Taylor Jungmann at Bradenton (Pirates), 5:30 PM gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Bradenton feed from the MiLB main audio page Once again this season, Brevard does not have its own audio coverage. It appears two teams in the Manatees North Division (within which the majority of games are played) have audio, and all six teams in the South Division have audio (at least for their home games), so there will be opportunities to listen to approx. 70% or Brevard's games this season, just all from the opponent's perspective. There are no Florida State League games on MiLB.TV this year. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Chad Thompson at Lake County (Indians), 9:40 AM pre-game, 10:00 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 only two (Great Lakes) Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV; Chris' call provides the audio. So for the $39.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, all Timber Rattlers home games, and Stars' road games from four Southern League locales, plus one July Helena series (11th-13th). ********** Helena: RHP Leonard Lorenzo at Idaho Falls (Royals), 8:00 PM pre-game, 8:15 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page We're lucky to have Steve Wendt back on board for another H-Crew season. ********** Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at home vs. Jack Z.'s mini-Mariners; 9:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league ********** DSL Brewers: at home vs. the DSL Braves, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest

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Sounds coach pitches exercise Pitching coach trains in MMA to keep fit by Matt Gray, The Tennessean Very few minor-league baseball pitching coaches can boast a physique that rivals those of the players he interacts with everyday. Fred Dabney, first-year pitching coach for the Nashville Sounds, can make that claim. Dabney has been training in mixed martial arts for more than 10 years and competes in tournaments during the offseason. “I’ve always played around with (the contact sport of) Muay Thai and stuff like that,” Dabney said. “Then one day, a buddy of mine who works in the sheriff’s department was like, ‘Hey man you work out a lot. We could use a guy like you in our gym, we grapple all the time.’ ” Dabney said he was reluctant to join, but once his friend told him it was a great workout, he gave in. Dabney’s first class he attended was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class at Wolfpack BJJ in Sarasota, Fla. “I got on the mat and started playing around with my buddy, wrestling him and stuff like that,” Dabney said. “He’s about 170 pounds and within a minute-and-a-half, I was pretty miserable down there.” Dabney continued training at Wolfpack and in 2009, he won the Masters Gi Cruiserweight division at the Copa America Grappling Championships in Bradenton, Fl. Sounds pitcher Mark Rogers said MMA is often a conversation topic between Dabney and his players. “He doesn’t hide it,” Rogers said. “He comes in every day to the locker room and shows us a move of the day. Let’s just say I would never step into the ring with him.” While some players, such as Rogers, are hesitant to go against the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Dabney, others are more confident. “Guys who train in anything are typically better that guys who don’t,” said Sounds pitcher Seth McClung. “But even though he is trained in MMA, I’m trained in crazy so I might have a shot.” Dabney has spent the last nine years as a pitching coach in the Brewers’ organization and says that he’s come up with a lot of the guys on his staff now. “I have a pretty good relationship with (the players) for the most part,” Dabney said. “I’m easy-going and they know that I’m here for them. Anything that they need or want, they don’t have to come find me, I’m always here.” After a three-day All-Star break, Dabney and the Sounds return to the field Thursday night, hosting Albuquerque at 7:05 p.m. Sounds pitching coach Fred Dabney trains in mixed martial arts in the offseason. / Photo by Tom Stanford, The Tennessean http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20120712&Category=SPORTS04&ArtNo=307120034&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0&Sounds-coach-pitches-exercise

Helena Independent Record road game summary: Tyrone Taylor came up clutch by driving a go-ahead RBI single to right field with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and the Helena Brewers rallied for an 8-7 Pioneer League road victory over the Idaho Falls Chukars on Wednesday night. Taylor’s single scored Raul Mondesi Jr., who had opened the inning with a single to center field and advanced into scoring position by stealing second base. The Brewers scored one run in each of the tops of the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to rally from a 7-5 deficit. The win was the third in the last four games for the last-place Brewers, who remain five games behind the three-way tie between Billings, Great Falls and Missoula for the Pioneer’s North Division lead. Taylor finished 2 for 5 on the night with a double and a pair of RBIs. Michael Reed also went 2 for 5 with a pair of RBIs for the Brewers. Relief pitcher Ryan Gibbard entered in the sixth and tossed three innings of three-hit, one-run, two-strikeout ball to get his first win of the season for Helena. Idaho Falls’ Cory Hall fell to 0-1 on the year and surrendered his first blown save after allowing four hits, a walk and a pair of earned runs over the final two innings. Jerico Blanco went 3 for 4 with a triple, two runs scored and a pair of runs batted in to lead the Chuckars’ offense. Sam Bates went 1 for 4 and added his own pair of RBIs in the loss. The teams will meet again tonight and Friday at Idaho Falls’ Melaleuca Field to close out the three-game series.

REMINDER FROM EARLIER THIS MONTH, BUT DIDN'T TAKE PLACE AFTER ALL -- *** Not sure what happened with the McCord signing, but it must have fallen through. Won't be a Brewer.

And as per Manatee RHP Seth Harvey's tweet, 23-year-old former University of Florida RHP Tommy Toledo (11th round, 2011) will be moving up to Brevard from Wisconsin.

No DL, Roenicke started for the Rattlers Wednesday...

2010 17th round LHP Brian Garman out of the University of Cincinnati, who has had one of the quieter really sweet, not only seasons, but careers thus far, is on his way to Huntsville from Brevard County, according to teammate Greg Holle's tweet.

We wish Brad and his co-writers well with the new venture.

Been waiting for this video for a few days now ever since we read about it Saturday night. Thanks to a tweet from his teammate Will West, here's LHP Brent Suter (31st round out of Harvard) with a ridiculous bunt throw-out. This even tops Shaun Marcum's from last year! (OK, Marcum is a RHP, so his momentum was taking him away from the ball. But compare where they are on the field when they pick up the ball. Suter is almost in foul territory! Amazing...)

Wisconsin Media Notes

Bob Brainerd's latest sports32.com profile is on OF Mitch Haniger. As usual with Bob's Rattlers features, worth your click and time.

Sounds' lone All-Star hopes long climb to Major Leagues nearly complete By Jerome Boettcher, Nashville City Paper A Canadian who never played organized hockey, Jim Henderson is an anomaly. His friends laced up the skates and scurried off to the local frozen lake but not Henderson. The son of working class parents, he became enthralled with the national pastime of his neighbors to the south. “Hockey is pretty expensive,” Henderson said. “We didn’t grow up too wealthy. So I kind of just stuck to the baseball glove and bat.” Apparently he made the right choice. In the middle of his 10th professional season and his second stint with the Nashville Sounds, the tall right-handed closer is enjoying his best season to date. He ended the first half in dominant fashion on Sunday with his team-leading 11th save. Now comes his second professional all-star game. Henderson, who played at Tennessee Wesleyan in Athens, will be the Sounds' lone representative when the Pacific Coast League takes on the International League in the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday in Buffalo, N.Y. “It means a lot,” the 29-year-old from Calgary said. “I got off to such a bad start last year so I put a lot of focus on getting off to a good start this year. Any all-star team is a special moment. It’s nice to put on my résumé for sure.” His fourth stop at the Triple-A level — he played with the Iowa Cubs in 2007-08 — Henderson adjusted his approach this past offseason in an attempt to reach that next and final step. In 2011, the 6-foot-5, 190-pounder started with the Sounds before a demotion to Double-A Huntsville. In 20 games with the Sounds he posted a 5.93 ERA and gave up 24 hits and 23 walks in just 30 1/3 innings pitched. Frustrated with the results he decided to scrap his windup and work out of the stretch. “I had some control issues,” Henderson said. “I just wanted to focus on the one delivery to home plate. I tried to raise my arm slot a little bit. I think both have helped out tremendously in my command and making pitches when I need to.” The modification has done the trick so far. In 29 games, Henderson has a 1.70 ERA with 47 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 42 1/3 innings pitched. His stability at the back end of the bullpen has helped the Sounds (40-51) shake off a rocky start and climb into sole possession of second place of the American Northern Division — still 16 games behind the Omaha Stormchasers. “He has done a magnificent job coming out of the bullpen,” Sounds manager Mike Guerrero said. “His command has improved and he is being aggressive in the strike zone going after hitters. Hopefully he gets an opportunity down the line.” A big-league call-up would cap off a career that began in 2003 when he was drafted in the 26th round by the Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals). Having played in the outfield most of his life, Henderson realized his best shot professionally was on the mound. So he became a full-time pitcher during his junior season at Tennessee Wesleyan and in 2003 he was named the Appalachian Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year. “When you have a tall lanky guy who can throw in the 90s it is hard for scouts to say, ‘Oh, that guy is going to be a position player,’ ” Henderson said. “When I first started off playing professional baseball I was disappointed some times just sitting and watching. I’d be out there during batting practice running around like a position player. Now I’ve kind of grown out of it and tried to hone my skills on the mound and concentrate on that.” Professional baseball, however, provided a rude awakening. Originally slotted as a starting pitcher, Henderson mulled through three straight losing seasons with the Expos/Nationals orgnization. In December of 2006, he was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the 2006 Minor League Phase of the Rule 5 draft, which allows clubs to draft minor leaguers with at least four years under their belt who are not on the 40-man roster. He spent two seasons bouncing back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A as a shoulder injury ended his 2008 season just eight games in. That offseason the Cubs released him and he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers two weeks later. The effects of the injury quickly wore off in 2009. He worked his way up the ladder, starting at Low-A Wisconsin and finishing in Huntsville. Along the way, he picked up 21 saves, the Canadian Baseball Network dubbed him the Canadian Minor League Pitcher of the Year and he played in the Midwest League All-Star Game. Three summers later, he hopes his second mid-season honor leads to a bigger stage. “I feel close this year,” Henderson said. “I feel this is the closest I’ve ever been. It is tough to break through. No matter how good of a season you’re having it is tough to break through as an older guy. You don’t see too many 29-year-old rookies up there. Hopefully I can have a feel good story at the end of the season and get up there at some point. “I’m just looking for that opportunity. Right now I just want that day in the big leagues just to experience it. That’s what I’m playing for.”

Tyler Thornburg called up, and Tim Dillard outrighted off 40-man roster Wow, shaking things up for this nine-game run...Thornburg a power bullpen arm for now?

These are the only three games coming up in the Pioneer League season where you can watch the Helena team online via MiLB.TV. I know we have current subscribers here, so a nice boon for you on this MLB off-night. If you're a friend or family member of a Helena player, it's probably worth the $9.99 it will cost you to purchase a one-month subscription.

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 Rookie Advanced - Pioneer League North Division Rookie - Arizona Summer League DSL - Dominican Summer League San Pedro de Macoris Division *** NOTE: AAA Nashville does not play a split schedule. The other leagues, including the rookie leagues, do. When you click on a standings link for Huntsville, Brevard County or Wisconsin, you'll then be able to choose 1st half and/or overall standings in addition to the current 2nd half standings.

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin Helena DSL Brewers

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: Idle until Thursday for the AAA All-Star Break; RH reliever Jim Henderson is representing the Sounds in the AAA All-Star Game (Pacific Coast League vs. International League) in Buffalo, NY (Mets); game time is 6:00 PM on MLB Network TV, you can also listen to the game locally in Nashville or online via the Sounds flagship station 102.5 The Game. ********** Huntsville: RHP Brian Baker at Mobile (Diamondbacks), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page Alex Cohen is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. It's fantastic that Huntsville is returning to what will be a traditional broadcast format this year. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. MiLB.TV subsciption note: Huntsville road games in four locales (Mississippi, Tennessee, Jacksonville and Pensacola) will be broadcast. ********** Brevard County: RHP Drew Gagnon at Bradenton (Pirates), 5:30 PM gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Bradenton feed from the MiLB main audio page Once again this season, Brevard does not have its own audio coverage. It appears two teams in the Manatees North Division (within which the majority of games are played) have audio, and all six teams in the South Division have audio (at least for their home games), so there will be opportunities to listen to approx. 70% or Brevard's games this season, just all from the opponent's perspective. There are no Florida State League games on MiLB.TV this year. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Mark Williams at Lake County (Indians), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 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 only two (Great Lakes) Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV; Chris' call provides the audio. So for the $39.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, all Timber Rattlers home games, and 24 Stars' road games (one Helena series this summer, too). ********** Helena: RHP Eric Semmelhack at Idaho Falls (Royals), 8:00 PM pre-game, 8:15 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page We're lucky to have Steve Wendt back on board for another H-Crew season. ********** Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): Idle ********** DSL Brewers: at the DSL Tigers, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest

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Pitch/stuff self-analysis by Jimmy Nelson via MiLB.com

It's basically the new shiny bauble, making his big league debut thing. Always brings an additional edge to it -- I'm just hoping for better than Chris Barnwell production.

It's nothing personal, because once in a very rare instance will you find something worthwhile, but so much of Bleacher Report contributor stuff is sub-par, that we stopped linking to examples long ago. And due to the nature of the site, there is a lot to sift through. Sorry to offend Bleacher Report contributors, but it needs to be noted.

VIDEO: Now the Eastern League got their Home Run Derby right! You can read more about it here.

As you read this, local Wisconsinites can review their own opportunities to try out for the Brewers -- tryout camp information *** Brewers beating the bushes in Chatham By Mark Malone, Chatham Daily News While baseball's brightest stars gathered Tuesday in Kansas City, Jay Lapp was busy in Chatham, Ontario looking for a diamond shining in the rough. The Milwaukee Brewers' Canadian scouting supervisor was holding the team's annual open tryout for more than 60 players at Fergie Jenkins Field at Rotary Park. “I deliberately go off the beaten path when I have these camps (to) find players I wouldn't normally see,” Lapp said. “We've got some repeat players. You can see the progress over a couple years, which is really encouraging.” Most were from southwestern Ontario, but a few came from Michigan and Toronto. One player in his early 20s even flew in from West Virginia. “Some of that's the Axford fallout,” Lapp said about the West Virginian. “It seemed after I signed John, every 23-year-old had me on speed dial.” John Axford was signed by Lapp after enduring Tommy John surgery, losing his college scholarship and bouncing around the minors. He was working as a cell phone salesman and nearing his 25th birthday. The Port Dover native is now the Brewers' closer and led the National League in saves last season. “It was like one of those things out of the movies,” Lapp said. “It shouldn't happen. ... I still have a hard time believing it happened.” Lapp was invited to watch Axford pitch during an indoor workout in March 2008 in Mississauga. Other teams were also asked to come, but only Lapp showed up to see Axford throw 93 m.p.h. with great control. “He called and said, 'Can you see me throw?'” said Lapp, who lives in London. “I said, 'We're starting spring training in five days. We're not signing guys, we're releasing guys.' “But I was not doing anything at the time, so I went down. It was a fluke.” The tryout Tuesday was open to players up to 23 years old. “There were some really good, young players,” Lapp said. “There was a really good mix of older and young players. Overall, it was probably the best talent we've had here.” Austin Oulds, 14, of Chatham attended for the first time. He came with four teammates from the Bantam Diamonds. He fielded balls at third base and took some swings. “It's another opportunity,” he said. “It's in Chatham – you might as well go.” Bantam Diamonds pitcher Luke Van Rycheghem, 14, of Kent Bridge was back after being the youngest player at last year's tryout. “I was really nervous (being) a young guy,” he said. “This year I felt more comfortable because there were some guys from my team going.” Van Rycheghem hit 78 m.p.h. on the radar gun after throwing 74 a year ago. He also has better command of his offspeed pitches after being a little wild at last year's tryout. “I've improved my pitching a lot since last year,” he said. “My mechanics have gotten better, definitely. And I've been working out, so I've added some miles per hour to my fastball.” Austin Oulds of Chatham takes a swing at the Milwaukee Brewers tryout Tuesday at Fergie Jenkins Field at Rotary Park. (Photo by Diana Martin/The Daily News) http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297284592501_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x&stmp=1341991637414