Jim Goulart

Rattler Radio: August 24, 2010: Tonight's Lineup No Scooter Gennett -- if the team was currently at home, we may have learned more given the Post-Crescent's fine coverage; no indication of injury is good news for now... August 24, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher August 24, 2010: Game Notes Picture of an important run

Impressive work by the bullpen -- Mitch Stetter and Carlos Villanueva needed their outings for confidence if nothing else; catcher Martin Maldonado, doubled, singled twice and walked -- even though he just turned 24 years old, this is Maldonado's 7th year in pro ball, meaning that if he's not added to the 40-man roster or signs a renewed minor league deal for another season, Maldonado can take his stellar defense, improving offense, and his hair-cutting skills to the open market, where there would certainly be interest -- within the next week or so, we'll kick off our yearly threads indicating which Brewer farmhands are eligible for minor league free agency this fall, and which ones need to be protected to avoid Rule 5 selection; the Brewers can't complain about the production their veteran minor league position players have given them at the AAA level this season -- here's the Nashville roster link as a reminder, disappointments are few, and most of these guys will find employment pretty easily for 2011 in affiliated ball... Cubs manager Ryne Sandberg wasn't thrilled with the plate umpire as the Sounds scored their insurance run -- Nashville Top of the 9th Brendan Katin grounds out, third baseman Marquez Smith to first baseman Bryan LaHair. Joe Koshansky walks. Luis Cruz reaches on fielding error by third baseman Marquez Smith. Joe Koshansky to 2nd. Ray Olmedo walks. Joe Koshansky to 3rd. Luis Cruz to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Jeff Stevens replaces Brian Schlitter, batting 7th. Defensive Substitution: Jason Dubois replaces pitcher Brian Schlitter, batting 9th, playing left field. Martin Maldonado walks. Joe Koshansky scores. Luis Cruz to 3rd. Ray Olmedo to 2nd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Erick Almonte replaces David Johnson. Iowa Cubs Manager Ryne Sandberg ejected by HP umpire Mark Buchanan. Erick Almonte strikes out swinging. Norris Hopper grounds out to first baseman Bryan LaHair. By the way, nice call by Stu today, was able to listen to a majority of the game and really enjoyed it -- you can never question Stu's energy level, yet he always finds another gear at the proper moments -- good stuff!

It's listed as TBD and it's a non-audio game, but don't be surprised if LHP Josh Romanski, the Brewers' 4th round pick in 2008, makes the start for Tampa tonight against Brevard. (It'd be more fun if it happened Wednesday when Stephen C. Smith has the audio, but we'll see...) We've certainly covered Romanski's season in the Yankees' system within this forum in great detail -- hopefully most of you don't limit yourselves to the Link Report threads here and know what we're referring to http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Huntsville Media Notes

SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak * Tennessee 36 21 .632 - - 22-9 14-12 6-4 L1 Huntsville 29 28 .509 7.0 7 17-12 12-16 5-5 L2 West Tenn 27 30 .474 9.0 5 14-12 13-18 4-6 W3 Chattanooga 26 31 .456 10.0 4 12-17 14-14 5-5 L3 Carolina 24 32 .429 11.5 2 11-17 13-15 3-7 L2 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tampa 36 19 .655 - - 19-9 17-10 7-3 W3 Daytona 34 23 .596 3.0 11 19-9 15-14 3-7 W1 Brevard County 33 25 .569 4.5 10 17-12 16-13 5-5 L1 Lakeland 27 29 .482 9.5 4 14-11 13-18 5-5 L3 Clearwater 25 32 .439 12.0 2 15-14 10-18 5-5 L1 * Dunedin 24 33 .421 13.0 1 12-16 12-17 5-5 W1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 35 19 .648 - - 11-14 24-5 8-2 W3 * Cedar Rapids 31 24 .564 4.5 - 17-13 14-11 5-5 L1 Clinton 30 24 .556 5.0 16 16-12 14-12 6-4 W2 Beloit 28 25 .528 6.5 12 14-11 14-14 6-4 W1 Kane County 29 26 .527 6.5 13 16-12 13-14 2-8 L3 Peoria 25 27 .481 9.0 11 12-13 13-14 5-5 L2 Wisconsin 26 30 .464 10.0 10 15-13 11-17 5-5 W1 Burlington 18 35 .340 16.5 2 12-15 6-20 3-7 L1 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Helena 11 9 .550 - - 7-5 4-4 6-4 W1 * Great Falls 11 11 .500 1.0 17 5-3 6-8 4-6 W2 Missoula 10 12 .455 2.0 16 6-8 4-4 5-5 L1 Billings 9 11 .450 2.0 17 4-4 5-7 5-5 L1 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Brewers 31 19 .620 - - 10-11 12-8 6-4 L3 AZL Dodgers 28 22 .560 3.0 3 11-9 12-7 7-3 W3 AZL Reds 27 24 .529 4.5 1 11-8 11-9 6-4 W2 AZL Indians 20 31 .392 11.5 E 7-13 10-10 1-9 L3 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak # DSL Mariners 43 28 .606 - - 23-13 20-15 7-3 L1 DSL Cardinals 39 32 .549 4.0 E 24-11 15-21 5-5 L2 DSL Athletics 32 39 .451 11.0 E 17-19 15-20 6-4 W2 DSL Brewers 28 43 .394 15.0 E 17-18 11-25 3-7 W1

Follow Tuesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Tab or New Window". Choose "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Arizona Rookie (Maryvale)

The rest of the Menu -- Huntsville: RHP Michael Bowman at home vs. Montgomery (Rays), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: RHP Kyle Heckathorn at home vs. Tampa (Yankees), 6:05 PM gametime Sorry, no audio for this game... Wisconsin: RHP Jake Odorizzi at Cedar Rapids (Angels), 6:15 PM pre-game; 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link Helena: RHP Austin Ross at Casper (Rockies), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at home vs. the Dodgers' young-uns; 9:00 PM; never audio for games in this league DSL Brewers: Season complete

The rest of your Menu later on -- Nashville: RHP Josh Butler at Iowa (Cubs), 11:50 AM pre-game; 12:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link *** Box Score / Game Log / Gameday *** PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Iowa 74 55 .574 - - 37-30 37-25 6-4 L1 Omaha 72 58 .554 2.5 13 34-28 38-30 6-4 W1 Memphis 71 59 .546 3.5 12 40-25 31-34 6-4 L1 Nashville 67 62 .519 7.0 9 35-30 32-32 5-5 W1*** This game can also be watched online with an MiLB.TV subscription. *** PDF document: Nashville Media Notes

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Cubs Split Doubleheader By Nathan Moore, Daytona Cubs The Daytona Cubs (68-59, 34-24) split the doubleheader Monday night against the Brevard County Manatees (60-67, 33-25). The first game featured newcomer Nick Struck on the mound, but the D-Cubs dropped a 7-3 game followed by a come from behind 4-2 win in game two. The Cubs and Manatees resumed game two of their series at Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Monday evening at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Daytona sent Struck to the hill to pick up where Alberto Cabrera left off in the bottom of the first inning. Struck looked good through the first few innings, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth inning. Designated hitter Angel Salome drilled a double to the right-center field gap to lead off the frame. An infield single from Sergio Miranda put runners at the corners for Sean Halton. The Manatees' first baseman smashed a home run to center field to give Brevard County a 3-0 lead. Daytona got back into it with two runs in the top of the sixth inning off reliever Mark Willinsky. With the bases loaded Rebel Ridling grounded an infield single to shortstop Juan Sanchez to pick up an RBI, and then Sanchez made an errant throw to allow D.J. LeMahieu to score from second pulling Daytona within a 3-2 deficit. The Manatees got one of those runs back in the bottom of the sixth inning as Scott Krieger ripped a solo shot down the right field line off Struck. The D-Cubs, while trailing 4-2 in the top of the seventh inning, loaded the bases against Dan Meadows and LeMahieu ripped a solid RBI single to left field. Greg Rohan scored on the play, but Jose Valdez was forced out at third base. The D-Cubs went on to strand the bases loaded when Meadows was able to strike out Ridling. The back and forth battle continued when Erik Komatsu tripled off D-Cubs reliever Alex Maestri to start the bottom of the seventh inning. Two batters later Miranda brought in Komatsu on a sacrifice fly to left field. The Manatees extended the lead over Daytona 5-3. Alex Maestri couldn't find the strike zone in the bottom of the eighth inning and aided the Manatees to two more insurance runs to extend the largest lead of the evening 7-3. Mike Ramlow (4-2) picked up the win with Struck (0-1) taking the loss in his first Florida State League appearance. Game two was more of a pitcher's duel as neither team got on the board through the first three innings. Left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning with a towering solo home run over the scoreboard. It took six innings, but Ridling put the D-Cubs on the scoreboard with an RBI single scoring Junior Lake from third off Manatee starter Darren Byrd. Kyler Burke promptly singled to right to score Ryan Flaherty to give their D-Cubs their first lead of the series at 2-1. Jake Opitz was intentionally walked to get to Greg Rohan. Rohan responded with a two-run single driving in Ridling and Burke giving the D-Cubs the eventual 4-2 win. D-Cubs reliever James Leverton (4-0) picked up the win out of the bullpen with Byrd (1-4) taking the complete game loss. *** By BRENT WORONOFF, Daytona News-Journal Staff writer DAYTONA BEACH -- It was bad enough the Daytona Cubs had to play the first game of a doubleheader as visitors on their own field. But earlier Monday they found out they would not have Trey McNutt, their hottest pitcher, for the stretch drive as they try to reach the playoffs. It was a tough start for a long day that ended well for the Cubs. McNutt was promoted to Double-A Tennessee. His replacement, Nick Struck, who arrived earlier in the day from Peoria, didn't fare well in a 7-3 loss to the Brevard County Manatees in the opener at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. But the Cubs scored four runs in the sixth inning of the nightcap and held on for a 4-2 victory -- just their third win in their last 10 games. "It's always nice to win the second game of a doubleheader after you lose the first," Cubs manager Buddy Bailey said. The opener was actually the completion of a suspended game at Viera on Sunday. With the split, the Cubs (34-23) remained three games behind the first-place Tampa Yankees, who were rained out Monday, and 1 1/2 games over the third-place Manatees (33-25). Sunday's game at Brevard was suspended by rain with two outs in the bottom of the first and the score tied 0-0. Struck, who had been 8-8 with a 3.22 earned run average at Peoria, took the mound in place of Sunday's starter, Alberto Cabrera, and kept the Manatees off the scoreboard until the fourth, when he allowed Sean Halton's three-run homer to deep center. Struck also gave up a solo shot to Scott Krieger in the sixth. "I thought Struck did well for his first outing," Bailey said. "The wind was blowing out and he gave up a couple of home runs, but he had good command for the most part, especially for a 20-year-old. It says something when you can replace a 21-year-old with a 20-year-old on your staff. It's good for the organization." Brevard also replaced Sunday's starter, R.J. Seidel, switching to Mike Ramlow (4-2), who got the win, allowing just two hits and one walk in four innings. Daytona got two runs back in the top of the sixth after Ramlow left the game. Rebel Ridling's bases-loaded grounder scored two runs as shortstop Juan Sanchez's throw to second for a force out was wild. The Cubs loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh on hits by Jake Opitz, Jose Valdez and Evan Crawford but managed to score just one run. After Junior Lake struck out, D.J. LeMahieu drove home Opitz with a single to left, but Valdez got a late start from second thinking the ball would be caught, and was forced out at third. After Ryan Flaherty walked to load the bases again, Daniel Meadows struck out Ridling to end the threat. "We had a golden opportunity in the middle innings, but we didn't get the golden egg," Bailey said. In the seven-inning nightcap, Brevard's Darren Byrd and Daytona's Michael Perconte battled in a scoreless duel for four innings. Perconte flinched first, allowing the Manatees to score on Brock Kjeldgaard's home run over the scoreboard in left field. Daytona, meanwhile, left the bases loaded in the fourth, and Greg Rohan was thrown out in the fifth trying to stretch a single into a double. But Rohan found redemption with a two-run single in the sixth as the Cubs scored four runs in the frame on four hits, one walk and one hit batter. The seventh inning was more of an adventure than the Cubs would have wanted, however. Josh Prince led off with a single against reliever James Leverton, stole second and scored on Sergio Miranda's chopper up the middle, breaking Leverton's 8 2/3 inning scoreless streak. Leverton hit the next batter and a groundout moved up the runners, putting the tying run on second. But Jeff Beliveau came on to strike out Halton and end the game. OF NOTE: Like Struck, McNutt also pitched for his new team Monday. He came into the game with the best ERA in the minor leagues (1.97) and a 10-0 record at Peoria and Daytona, but he struggled against the West Tenn. Jaxx, allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 7-4 loss. (That didn't help Huntsville at all, by the way -- MH) D.J. LeMahieu misses the tag at second on Peter Fatse as the Cubs take on the Brevard Manatees at Jackie Robinson Ballpark Monday. Fatse went on to score when the bases were loaded and a batter was hit. News-Journal Photo by Sean McNeil http://www.news-journalonline.com/sports/images/2010/08/24/cubs824.jpg

Huntsville LHP Chris Cody Like Chase Wright in the most-recently linked interview, Cody isn't quite in the aged veteran category, 27 next January -- a new cut fastball has limited the longball...

Rattler Radio: August 23, 2010: Starting Lineup The Scooter watch continues, no Kentrail... August 23, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher Damon's going to have to forget about his numbers at year-end... August 23, 2010: Game Notes Double-digit blues...

PDF documents: Nashville Media Notes Read why Don Money is away... Huntsville Media Notes Read why Andre Lamontagne, tonight's starter, missed his last turn -- congrats, by the way!

bretsky07 wrote: I noticed Gamel was ejected from the last game he played in (Friday 8/20). Maybe he was suspended? *** And we have a winner in the house -- two-game league suspension, expect him back this evening. We don't know the extent of his specific actions, but hey, it's over with...

It's a "Player of the Week" bonanza! We'll probably see some press releases from the clubs later on, but the Florida State League has named LHP Daniel Merklinger its Pitcher of the Week, the Midwest League has announced CF D'Vontrey Richardson as it's Player of the Week, and the Pioneer League honors 1B Cody Hawn with Player of the Week honors as well. Congrats to all!

VIDEO REMINDERS: Here's why some of you diehards will want to spend $6.95 and subscribe to MiLB.TV for the next 30 days -- Yes, the current series for Nashville at Iowa is available (Monday and Tuesday), and then there is the series in Oklahoma City starting on the 30th. (This is another reason why OKC would be an intriguing AAA home for the Brewers, all their home games are available for viewing online.) But -- Beginning August 27th and running through the 30th, all four Helena Brewer games at Idaho Falls will be available for viewing, as the Chukars (a bird, by the way -- photo) are the only Pioneer League team to televise. You'd be able to watch the games live and/or archived. So for a very modest sum, many of you might choose to peak in on the Helena kids, and catch a glimpse of some of the more recent signings.

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Iowa 74 54 .578 - - 37-29 37-25 7-3 W4 Memphis 71 58 .550 3.5 13 40-25 31-33 7-3 W1 Omaha 71 58 .550 3.5 13 33-28 38-30 6-4 L1 Nashville 66 62 .516 8.0 9 35-30 31-32 4-6 L2 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak * Tennessee 36 20 .643 - - 22-9 14-11 6-4 W2 Huntsville 29 27 .518 7.0 8 17-11 12-16 5-5 L1 Chattanooga 26 29 .473 9.5 6 12-15 14-14 6-4 L1 West Tenn 26 30 .464 10.0 5 13-12 13-18 4-6 W2 Carolina 24 31 .436 11.5 3 11-16 13-15 3-7 L1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tampa 36 19 .655 - - 19-9 17-10 7-3 W3 Daytona 33 22 .600 3.0 12 18-9 15-13 4-6 L1 Brevard County 32 24 .571 4.5 11 16-12 16-12 5-5 W1 Lakeland 27 29 .482 9.5 6 14-11 13-18 5-5 L3 Clearwater 25 32 .439 12.0 3 15-14 10-18 5-5 L1 * Dunedin 24 33 .421 13.0 2 12-16 12-17 5-5 W1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 34 19 .642 - - 11-14 23-5 7-3 W2 * Cedar Rapids 31 23 .574 3.5 - 17-12 14-11 6-4 W2 Clinton 29 24 .547 5.0 16 15-12 14-12 6-4 W1 Kane County 29 25 .537 5.5 14 16-11 13-14 2-8 L2 Beloit 27 25 .519 6.5 12 14-11 13-14 6-4 L1 Peoria 25 26 .490 8.0 12 12-13 13-13 5-5 L1 Wisconsin 25 30 .455 10.0 10 15-13 10-17 5-5 L2 Burlington 18 34 .346 15.5 3 12-14 6-20 3-7 W1 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Helena 11 9 .550 - - 7-5 4-4 6-4 W1 * Great Falls 10 11 .476 1.5 17 5-3 5-8 3-7 W1 Missoula 10 11 .476 1.5 17 6-7 4-4 5-5 W1 Billings 9 11 .450 2.0 17 4-4 5-7 5-5 L1 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Brewers 31 19 .620 - - 10-11 12-8 6-4 L3 AZL Dodgers 28 22 .560 3.0 3 11-9 12-7 7-3 W3 AZL Reds 26 24 .520 5.0 1 10-8 11-9 6-4 W1 AZL Indians 20 30 .400 11.0 E 7-13 10-9 1-9 L2 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Mariners 43 28 .606 - - 23-13 20-15 7-3 L1 DSL Cardinals 39 32 .549 4.0 E 24-11 15-21 5-5 L2 DSL Athletics 32 39 .451 11.0 E 17-19 15-20 6-4 W2 DSL Brewers 28 43 .394 15.0 E 17-18 11-25 3-7 W1

Follow Monday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Tab or New Window". Choose "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Completion of Suspended Game Brevard County Regularly Scheduled Game Wisconsin

Monday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at Iowa (Cubs), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: TBD (perhaps RHP Michael Bowman) at home vs. Montgomery (Rays), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: First, it's the completion of Sunday's nine-inning game, with Brevard as the home team (RHP R.J. Seidel threw a 1-2-3 1st inning but will likely be unavailable today -- managers love one-inning postponements), then there will be a seven-inning nightcap at Daytona (Cubs), 4:05 PM gametime; expect to see RHP Darren Byrd in action in one of the games Live Audio Link (Cubs' Feed) Wisconsin: RHP Damon Krestalude at Cedar Rapids (Angels), 6:15 PM pre-game; 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link Helena: Idle Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): Idle DSL Brewers: Season complete

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Stars stymied by Barons By Aaron Morse, Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars (29-27, 62-64) managed only three hits on their way to a 5-1 defeat Sunday night against the Birmingham Barons (23-33, 47-79). Stars’ starter Wily Peralta was cruising along until the fourth where it all came undone. He walked the lead-off man and Christian Marrero followed with a single to right. A ground-out moved both runners up 90 feet and Salvador Sanchez singled home the first run of the game. After a hit by pitch loaded the bases, Dale Mollenhauer delivered the dagger with a triple to deep center field. A Tyler Kuhn sacrifice fly drove him home and all of a sudden it was 5-0 Barons. Peralta (1-2) ended up going four innings, giving up the five runs on five hits. He walked three and struck-out three as well. The Stars managed their lone run in the seventh inning, but they should have gotten more. Brett Lawrie led-off with a walk. Zelous Wheeler followed with a single to left. After Drew Anderson walked, the Barons took starter Johnnie Lowe out of the game. New pitcher Deunte Heath got Chris Nowak to strike-out. Taylor Green managed to get his team-leading 79th RBI with a ground-out (audio). But the Stars got nothing else as Andy Machado popped out to end the inning. Back-to-back walks started the eighth inning and Lee Haydel singled to load the bases with nobody out. But Lawrie struck-out and Wheeler popped out to leave it up to Anderson. Anderson struck-out as well and the Barons were out of the jam. The Stars went down harmlessly in the ninth as all three batters struck-out. With the defeat, Huntsville falls to 3.5 games out of the Wild Card race behind the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx with 14 games to play. Huntsville returns home Monday night to open a three game set against the Montgomery Biscuits. First pitch is at 7:00 PM. If you can’t make it to “The Joe” you can tune in on www.huntsvillestars.com.

Link while active, text follows: Brevard Manatees, disabled kids share 'awesome experience' Fifteen students throw out first pitches at baseball game in Viera Lee Nessel, Florida Today Brevard County Manatees players R.J. Seidel and Mike Ramlow sat in front of a group of kids and parents on Friday night, as players from this team often do. It's part of the Manatees' long-standing goodwill relationship with the community, embracing different groups and creating opportunities for fans to get close to the team. It also happened to be Bark in the Park night, where fans could bring their dogs to the berm area. But in a private room under the stadium, a different type of outreach was happening. Seidel, who is 6-foot-5, and Ramlow, 6-6, were giants in more than one way to this group. Seidel mentioned injuries and overcoming surgery. That's when one of the group's leaders, Paige Studer, asked the kids, "How many of us have had surgeries?" and several hands went up. The No Limits Academy in Melbourne is a not-for-profit school for physically disabled children, many with cerebral palsy, some with autism. Most in wheelchairs. They were there to meet professional baseball players and then throw out the first pitch before the game. Make that 15 consecutive first pitches, as each student was wheeled or walked in front of the catcher to have their moment. Back in the meeting room, Seidel was in the midst of offering some sage advice to curious kids and talked about needing a short-term memory because, "If you get down on yourself, you won't perform at a high level." And that's when Studer -- also a parent to 18-year-old Emma, who has autism -- pointed out the connection. "We can relate to that, and you can relate to (us)," she said to the players, then turned to face the group. "That's the beauty of baseball. . . . For a moment in time, we're all the same." The kids have varying degrees of disabilities, but they are taught that they can do anything. Throwing out a pitch at a professional baseball game -- raise hands in the audience if you've done it -- is just one of them. "I love it," Ramlow said about interacting with the group. "I remember when I was a kid looking up to people like this." Some kids cannot communicate. Some are outgoing and witty. Matthew Joslin, 13, was ready to give the Manatees a run for their money. "I bet $2,000 I can strike one of you guys out," he said, evoking laughter from the room. He later hammed it up for our video camera prior to his pitch: "I practiced for two days straight," he said, referring to work with his occupational and physical therapists at school. "It's an awesome experience for these kids because it's something that disabled kids would rarely get to do," said Scott Fee, who was there with his son, Michael. "They get so much out of it." Dyani Peterson, 11, who controls her wheelchair with her chin and does not have the use of her arms, entered the stadium with her baseball glove tucked onto her lap. "It's awesome. I like throwing out pitches to baseball players," she said seconds before crossing the baseline onto the field alongside her mom. Ariana Alban, technically, had the first pitch, leading off the alphabetical roster. But each of her 14 classmates also had their own first pitch, too. There were some strong lefties in the group, and some were assisted by their parents, such as Emma Studer, whose father John walked and talked her through the pitch. "My husband always dreamed of doing some things that maybe he didn't have a chance to do with Emma and (the Manatees) let him do that," Paige Studer said. Roberta Neves co-founded the academy to create an environment where kids such as Emma and Matthew and Dyani could learn and recognize potential. "This just shows them it's one more thing they can actually do," she said. "It was really interesting to see what they do there; they are very forward thinking with what they do with the kids there," Manatees general manager Kyle Smith said about having toured No Limits Academy. "There was one little boy, he just beamed about how much fun he'd had at the ballpark, a day he'll never forget, and for me it really opened my eyes to what kind of impact we can have on the kids in the area." And so, the kids and their entourage moved from the mound down the first-base line and back past the bullpen into a stadium back hallway. Fans and players watched, and paused, allowing the kids to soak in the experience. For a few moments, it was a level playing field. All photos by Christina Stuart, Florida Today Manatees player Peter Fatse returns the ball to No Limits Academy student Tori Fiske, 9, after she threw the first pitch to at the Manatees game at Space Coast Stadium in Viera Friday. http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=A9&Date=20100823&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=8230801&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=542&Maxh=352&q=60 No Limits Academy students Henry Tamayo, 14, left, and Amanda Markowski, 10, listen to Manatees pitchers Mike Ramblow, center left, and R.J. Seidel, before their game at Space Coast Stadium. http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=A9&Date=20100823&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=8230801&Ref=PH&Item=8&Maxw=542&Maxh=352&q=60 Manatees baseball pitchers Mike Ramblow, left, and R.J. Seidel speak to No Limits Academy students before their game at Space Coast Stadium. http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=A9&Date=20100823&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=8230801&Ref=PH&Item=9&Maxw=542&Maxh=352&q=60 Full photo gallery Video report as well

Link while active, text follows: Seven-run seventh lifts Brewers By MARK VINSON, Helena Independent Record This time, the Helena Brewers looked the part of a first-place team. Less than 24 hours after suffering a 16-2 defeat, Helena pounded out 17 hits and used a seven-run seventh inning to snap a 4-all tie and defeat the Idaho Falls Chukars 11-4 on Sunday in a Pioneer League game before 541 at Kindrick Legion Field. “Today was a huge win for us, after losing last night,” said Helena catcher Brent Dean, who had a season-high three hits. For all their inconsistency this summer, the Brewers have been remarkably resilient, going 6-2 in games after surrendering 10 runs or more in a loss the previous day. Helena (11-9 second half, 30-28 overall) managed to go 5-4 on its longest homestand of the season and departs today for a crucial seven-game road trip to Casper, Wyo., and Idaho Falls while holding a slim lead over Billings, Great Falls and Missoula in the Pioneer League North division. The Brewers have 11 road games and seven home games remaining in the regular season. Idaho Falls (5-17, 21-39), meanwhile, returns home to open a seven-game homestand. Helena’s big inning started innocently enough when Idaho Falls left fielder Reggie Taylor dropped Shea Vucinich’s sinking line drive, allowing the Helena shortstop to reach base. Cody Hawn’s third hit of the day and a walk to Greg Hopkins loaded the sacks for Mike Walker, whose .310 average with runners in scoring position is nearly 40 points higher than his overall mark (.272). Walker ripped a first-pitch slider from Jordan Roualdes (1-1) to the base of the rightfield fence to score three. “I was sitting slider and he left it a little up,” said Walker, who went 3 for 5 on the day and drove in four runs. Hits by Brandon Sizemore, Dean, John Dishon and Robbie Garvey followed, adding to the eventual outpouring by the home team. “At any time, this offense can put together a seven-run inning,” said Brewers manager Joe Ayrault. Sizemore (3 for 5), Dean (3 for 5), Dishon (2 for 4) and Hawn (2 for 4) each had multi-hit games, with Dean collecting his 12th home run of the season to give Helena a 3-1 lead in the third inning. Every Brewer in the lineup except Vucinich had a hit. Walker, who also had an RBI single in the first inning, entered the contest hitting .342 in his last 10 games to raise his season average by more than 30 points. “Baseball’s a streaky game and that’s how it goes,” he said. “I really haven’t changed much of anything.” Helena pitcher Matt Miller failed to get a decision for the third straight outing, but looked markedly better than he did last Tuesday. On Sunday, Miller took a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning before Idaho Falls loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Miller left after throwing 90 pitches and all of those runners eventually scored, knotting the contest at 4 after six innings. “He got behind in the count to a couple of guys and they got a couple of soft hits,” Dean explained. Ryan Bernal relieved Miller and immediately got a double play to limit the damage. Bernal (1-2) earned the win, allowing just one hit in two innings. DIAMOND NOTES: Attendance continues to be an issue for the Brewers. The team entered Sunday with the smallest average home attendance in the Pioneer League (945) and the crowd of 541 was the 10th time in 31 home games the team has drawn less than 800. … Rafael Nada collected his first Pioneer League hit, a single in the eighth inning. Nada was selected by Milwaukee in the 10th round of this year’s amateur draft, signed late and was called up from Arizona on Saturday. … Righthander Austin Ross is slated to start Tuesday’s game in Casper, with Tyler Thornburg and Tyler Cravy the starters for the remainder of the series.

Whether it's a lack of media coverage, especially on road games, or the fact that we can't listen to each call by the play-by-play guys, we're always going to be facing a void in information regarding players missing time. Hence the frustration with Mat Gamel or Scooter Gennett updates here. For all we know, either Stu or Chris have mentioned something on-air. Players have sometimes missed time for items such as bereavement leave without a formal placement on the inactive list. The minor league front offices have to be careful with what they release regarding player injuries, out of federal privacy concerns. Somehow they are often able to be forthright when a player is injured in an obvious way in game action. But the nagging injuries that preclude formal DL placements are often trickier for them, and they must respect the wishes of the big league club regarding this information as well. My personal view is that players on the 40-man roster, such as Gamel, should have their information made available to some extent. Gord Ash really needs to provide an update on RHP Alex Periard, for instance -- he's on the 40-man roster, has only one option left, and seemingly could never be ready for Milwaukee-only action in 2012, so his inclusion on the 40-man at this time is unnecessary, outside of the fact he could be claimed by another club. Of course, that organization would face the same need to expose him to waivers eventually as well.

Watch lowlights of LHP Efrain Nieves' start for the Rattlers here. You can also see D'Vontrey Richardson's difficulty with the sun -- it seems to me we've read about that on more than one occasion this season with D'Vo.