Jim Goulart

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Just the fact that LHP Josh Romanski is already tossing seven pretty sweet innings without incident will mean regardless of future success, we should hang his release over the Brewers head for some time to come. We'll probably break out a Josh Romanski progress thread after his next start.

Windsor Star 7th round Canadian prep school RHP Joel Pierce sees action today, and will also represent Canada in the World Junior Baseball Championships in July, so we won't see him in Maryvale for some time -- hopefully he signs. Windsor's Joel Pierce will make his first start for the Tecumseh Thunder Midgets since being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the MLB draft last week. Pierce was a seventh-round pick (219th overall) and is also looking to attend Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina. Pierce will also represent Canada in the World Junior Baseball Championships in Thunder Bay next month.

Video news report and brief interview -- LSU 8th Round RHP Austin Ross still weighing his options; you've got to love banter with the newscaster who has no idea what the topic really involves...

A reminder as you plan your Monday at home or the office -- Huntsville game audio at 10:45 AM Central time -- a new Link Report will kick off shortly before game time.

Link while active, text follows: Jeffress knocks off rust with Rattlers By Mike Woods, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — The story had an all-too familiar ending at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Sunday, but at least there was an exciting new chapter to pique your interest. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers dropped an 8-7 decision to Dayton in Midwest League play, sending their record in one-run games on the season to 3-18. But amid the dreariness was a ray of sunshine, provided by former No. 1 pick Jeremy Jeffress, who made his first appearance and pitched one perfect inning. "Relief," Jeffress, who hadn't pitched in a game since June 22, 2009, said of his feelings once his one inning was over. "My heart stopped pounding. I just felt good. I'm so happy to be back out on the mound. All the people that helped me. God bless them. I'm glad just to be back and have another shot at it." Jeffress, coming off a 100-game suspension for violating the Minor League Drug Treatment and Prevention program a second time, threw 17 pitches. Six topped 90 mph and he topped out at 96 mph. He allowed no hits, no walks and struck out two. "I thought he did a good job," said Rattlers manager Jeff Isom. "He still needs to work on locating his fastball. He's still knocking some rust off, if you will. But he was running his fastball up there. His velocity is there. He still has a little bit more in the tank. The organization has seen him up to 100 mph but he's just trying to feel his way through." Jeffress came on in the eighth inning of a 7-7 game and gave his team a chance to pull it out. And there were no problems, physically. "It felt good coming out of my hand, my shoulder and my arm," he said. "No pain. I felt good out there." Isom said the plan is to take things slow with this prized arm. "He'll sit down a couple of days and then he'll be back in action," said Isom.

The Post-Crescent's Mike Woods: The question was easy for Timber Rattlers manager Jeff Isom. It's the answer that remains the difficult part. "I keep saying, are we just good enough to be a club that's one run short or are we playing well enough that we're right there. I don't know. I don't have that answer,'' said Isom after the Rattlers dropped an 8-7 decision to Dayton on Sunday at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium, dropping their record to 3-18 in one-run games this season. "But I like the way our guys go about their business on a daily basis. Everyday is a new day and they don't sit and dwell on what's happened in the past. They continue to go out and work their tails off every day. Without record the way it is (22-41), I continue to be optimistic as well as the players.''

Check out the link -- Insightful comments and as always, fine photography from Brad Krause -- recognize this guy? http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AvXObne-YHg/TBXBLtbhKqI/AAAAAAAAAoo/x4qKaD9SITE/s320/20100613_438_filtered.jpg

We know it's not just about wins and losses, but with an 0-3 mark Sunday and the Sounds now only four games over .500, the four full-season affiliates are now a combined 107-141, a .431 winning percentage. Someone else can do the homework, but you'd be hardpressed to think that's not 30th and dead last in all of MLB. Certainly if you were to throw in MLB records, the Brewers 26-37 mark drops the overall percentage to .428 (133 - 178). I'd bet my house that's 30th. When you consider the disappointing seasons of so many of the top prospects, the Salome saga, and the lack of true breakouts, you couldn't fault Mark Attanasio if he locked every member of his player development staff in a room and just bellowed, "What the hell is going on!?" What a putrid campaign so far.

Check these links for updates shortly before game times -- PDF documents: Nashville Media Notes Huntsville Media Notes *** Rattler Radio

DSL S.D. North (click column headers to sort) Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Athletics 8 5 .615 - 4-2 4-3 7-3 L1 DSL Cardinals 7 5 .583 0.5 5-1 2-4 5-5 W1 DSL Brewers 5 6 .455 2.0 3-2 2-4 4-6 L1 DSL Mariners 4 8 .333 3.5 3-4 1-4 4-6 W1

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Memphis 34 27 .557 - 17-10 17-17 W1 Nashville 33 28 .541 1.0 14-12 19-16 L2 Omaha 32 28 .533 1.5 18-19 14-9 W2 Iowa 31 30 .508 3.0 14-15 17-15 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 37 25 .597 - 16-17 21-8 L1 West Tenn 36 25 .590 0.5 13-16 23-9 W1 Huntsville 29 34 .460 8.5 11-19 18-15 L1 Chattanooga 28 33 .459 8.5 16-17 12-16 W2 Carolina 26 36 .419 11.0 12-16 14-20 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dunedin 37 24 .607 - 16-16 21-8 W2 Lakeland 33 27 .550 3.5 17-13 16-14 L2 Tampa 32 27 .542 4.0 16-15 16-12 W2 Clearwater 30 31 .492 7.0 15-14 15-17 L9 Daytona 29 32 .475 8.0 11-19 18-13 L1 Brevard County 23 36 .390 13.0 14-19 9-17 W1

MID Western (click column headers to sort) Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak Cedar Rapids 41 21 .661 - 23-4 18-17 7-3 W5 Quad Cities 37 25 .597 4.0 21-9 16-16 6-4 W3 Clinton 35 27 .565 6.0 20-12 15-15 5-5 L1 Peoria 34 28 .548 7.0 21-9 13-19 6-4 W2 Beloit 32 30 .516 9.0 17-14 15-16 6-4 W4 Kane County 29 34 .460 12.5 17-14 12-20 7-3 W1 Wisconsin 22 40 .355 19.0 13-21 9-19 3-7 L3 Burlington 20 42 .323 21.0 9-21 11-21 2-8 L5

Follow Sunday'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) Wisconsin

Sunday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at Omaha (Royals), 1:20 PM pre-game; 1:35 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Amaury Rivas at Carolina (Reds), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: Idle Wisconsin: RHP Nick Bucci at home vs. Dayton (Reds), 12:50 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime Live Audio Link DSL Brewers: Idle

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Look for a photo gallery link here -- first photo is for Matt Cline's friends and family

Specific to 2nd round pick Jimmy Nelson in Bama's 5-4 win over Clemson: Clemson got to Alabama starter Jimmy Nelson, plating three runs in the bottom of the third to pull within two runs at 5-3. Nelson (9-3) pitched 6 2?3 innings and gave up four runs on nine hits with a season-high five walks. He struck out four. Gaspard said the heat took its toll on the 6-foot-6, 240-pounder. Nelson said he tried to keep the ball down and let his defense work behind him. “I was tired, but I did my best to put that out of my mind,” Nelson said. “I tried just working through it and compete out there and let my defense pick me up.” After Clemson missed a potentially big inning in the fifth, pinch-hitter Chris Epps came through with a sharply hit ball down the left-field line that the speedy junior turned into a RBI-triple. Nelson pitched into the seventh inning, but was pulled after two walks loaded the bases with two outs. Gaspard brought in Jonathan Smart, who got out of the jam with a fly out to right field.

Omaha.com: Alex Gordon went 1 for 4 and scored the game’s only run after running through the stop sign of manager Mike Jirschele at third base on Scott Thorman’s sixth-inning single. Gordon rounded the bag too far, hesitated and then headed for home and would have been out, but catcher Martin Maldonado couldn’t come up with the throw of right fielder Brendan Katin. Gordon has a 32-game on-base streak, the longest by any PCL player this season, though Matt Carson of Sacramento put together a 33-game streak over parts of 2009 and 2010.

Nashville Hitting Coach Sandy Guerrero at the June 12th audio link Not sure if "Part 2" will be posted eventually...

Link while active, text follows: Mat Gamel's goal is to leave Sounds permanently Third baseman wants to be everyday big-leaguer By Bryan Mullen, THE TENNESSEAN Mat Gamel, the hard-hitting Sounds third baseman, looks at the world a little differently than most. "He's a person who asks a lot of questions, and some of the questions are awkward," Sounds Manager Don Money said. "He'll say, 'How's my swing?' Keep in mind he just hit a ball 500 feet. So he asks me how to hit it 550." Money shakes his head. Gamel, 24, is a potential star for an organization that has invested in him. He was Nashville's best player last season, when he also received a 61-game test with the Milwaukee Brewers and performed well. He is a hot prospect. One of his baseball cards is selling for $399.99 on eBay. Still … "People are going to think I'm crazy for saying this," Gamel said last week. "But it got to the point that I wanted to go back down to Triple-A (Nashville). I wanted to go back, get better and be an everyday guy in the big leagues." By his rationale, it made sense. "Ultimately, it's everyone's dream to play in the major leagues," Gamel said. "But I didn't want to sit the bench in the major leagues. That is my motivation, to make myself better so I can be an everyday player up there." Gamel was a fourth-round selection by the Brewers in the 2005 draft. A left-handed power hitter, he rose quickly through the system and got his first call up to Milwaukee in 2008. He played two games, had two at-bats, smacked a double and struck out. He broke out in 2009. The Brewers called him up again after the 6-foot, 200-pounder dominated in Nashville, and this time he stuck. Gamel played in 61 games, batted .242 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. Jerseys were sold. "You're thrown to the wolves a little bit," Gamel said. "In the minor leagues, they prepare you for every situational part of the game, but there's no preparation for the emotional part. It was tough getting over the shock of, 'I'm finally here.' It was tough for me." Money saw it before Gamel got called up. Money played 16 years in the majors, with Philadelphia and Milwaukee, and has managed dozens of minor leaguers who made the jump. "A lot of guys get there and say, 'I'm here, I'm a big leaguer,' but they don't know how to stay there," Money said. "I think he's spent enough time up there to know what he has to do to stay there." After last season, despite leading the Sounds with 18 errors, Gamel was on course to do just that. Then life happened — at the worst possible time. "It was a freak accident," he said. During spring training this year, Gamel fielded a ball from his third base position and threw to first. He felt a twinge. He didn't say anything to the trainers. "You can't make the team on the (disabled list) or in the training room," Gamel said. "So I tried to go out and keep playing." The next game … "It was a backhand play down the line," Gamel said. "I came up and threw, and at that point, I knew there was no way. … The trainers saw my reaction and said, 'No, you're done.' " He had torn the lateral muscle in his throwing arm. No surgery was needed, just rest and rehab. Gamel was off to a rehab assignment in Single-A, in Brevard County, Fla., with 50th-round draft picks. No more catered meals on team charter flights. He started slowly this season, in Single-A ball, then was at Double-A Huntsville last month. He played eight games there, hitting .393 with a home run, two doubles and five RBIs. Last Thursday he came up to Nashville, one step away from Milwaukee. In nine games with the Sounds through Saturday, he was hitting .242 with five doubles, one home run, five RBIs and four errors. Gamel doesn't know when he will be called up again, but when it comes, he said his approach would be different than the last time. "I learned it's the same game," Gamel said. "They're smart pitchers up there. They exploit your weakness and keep doing it until you prove you can hit it. But I got there for a reason. You don't need to get there and hit the panic button." Mat Gamel is currently with the Sounds while trying to get back to the majors. (JAE S. LEE / FILE / THE TENNESSEAN) http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20100613&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=6130358&Ref=AR&Profile=2215&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

Link while active, text follows: Rattlers Profile: Caleb Thielbar Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent Caleb Thielbar file - Age: 23. - Position: Relief pitcher. - Bats/throws: Right/left. - Height, weight: 6-0, 200. - Residence: Randolph, Minn. - Notes: Selected by Milwaukee in the 18th round of the 2009 June draft. ... Posted an Arizona League-best 1.59 ERA and tied for first in the league in wins with six. ... Attended South Dakota State University, where he finished as the school's all-time leader in starts (44), innings pitched (274.0) and ranked second in strikeouts (196). ... Graduated from Randolph (Minn.) High School, where he was also a standout in basketball. Favorites - Favorite major leaguer growing up: Johan Santana. - Current favorite major leaguer: "I like Tim Lincecum." - Favorite Brewers player: Yovani Gallardo. "I like the way he pitches." - Favorite sport other than baseball: Basketball. "I had a few offers to play college, but I pretty much told my coach I'm not going to do that, don't have anyone offer, because I wasn't going to go. I wanted to play baseball." - Favorite World Cup player: Lionel Messi. Who does he play for? "I have no idea. I just know he's awesome (He's a winger for Argentina)." - Favorite food: "I would have to go with a nice porterhouse steak." - Favorite thing about Appleton: "I just like the atmosphere around here. It's fun to actually play in front of fans, especially after last summer in the Arizona league. There's no one there." - Favorite way to relax: "Either fishing or golfing. In golf, I hit the ball a long ways, but everything else, nothing much." - Favorite video game: "Probably Mario Kart." - Favorite TV shows: "I like 'Entourage,' 'South Park' and 'SportsCenter.' " Q&A Q: How did you end up at South Dakota State? A: I had a few other offers but nothing Division I. It was the only Division I opportunity I had. They had the major I wanted there, too — wildlife and fisheries science. It's pretty limited to where you can go for that. Q: So what was life like in Brookings, S.D.? A: I liked it. The people out there are great. The weather, it's a little worse than Minnesota, actually. It's colder and a lot more windy. But you get used to it. Q: Are you a Vikings fan? A: Yeah, but you don't have to put that in, do you? Q: Do you think Brett Favre should come back? A: I think he should. He obviously has something left in the tank. But I don't know if he will. He got pretty beat up last year." Q: What was your reaction when he threw that interception that basically ended the NFC Championship Game? A: Well, they deserved that after they fumbled six times. Q: In college, you finished as your school's all-time leader in starts. How does it feel to be a relief pitcher now? A: I've done both. It really doesn't matter. In the bullpen, you get a chance to redeem yourself a little bit faster. Starting, you're on a set routine. If you don't do well, you can't do anything about it for five days. Q: Do you remember the last time you had an at-bat? A: I had an at-bat in college last year, in a blowout game. RBI single! Q: So what do you guys do in the bullpen to pass the time? A: We do our fair share of screwing around, but when we know someone's going to get up, we settle it down and start paying attention. Q: In five years you'll be … A: Either in the major leagues or on a lake somewhere.

craig, that was greeg making that prediction, not Haudricourt.

Link while active, text follows: Satin lifts South past North in 10 innings BY BRIAN McCALLUM, FLORIDA TODAY MELBOURNE — Rarely does redemption come so quickly, but it was that kind of night for Josh Satin. The St. Lucie Mets infielder made the error that allowed Brevard County's Matt Cline to make his own contribution in the Florida State League All-Star Game at Space Coast Stadium, but it was in a losing effort, a 5-4 South victory in 10 innings. Satin, trying to turn a double play to keep the game tied in the bottom of the seventh, couldn't get his throw from second to first base. Cline reached, driving in teammate Erik Komatsu with what was then the go-ahead RBI. "It was in the dirt," Cline said of the throw. "You can't assume a double play, so I just busted my butt trying to get down there." Another run came home on the error, giving the North team a 4-2 lead that didn't last. In fact, it didn't last long at all. In the top of the next inning, Satin came to the plate with one runner on and sent the pitch out of the park. He finished with three RBI on the night, offsetting his seventh-inning mistake enough to earn the Top Player award. Satin had a game-winning, run-scoring single to end the game in the 10th inning. The game was played before an announced crowd of 4,133. It was the first such experience for Cline, who played for the Manatees for two months in 2008. In his second stint in Brevard, he made his first professional all-star game. "It was a really good experience to be with all these different guys," Cline said. "It was fun, even though we didn't win. It was an all-star game, but I still wanted to win." Cline's own heroics came after he came to the plate following an intentional walk that loaded the bases with one out. He had a sacrifice fly. "I still had the same mindset," he said of what might have been perceived as a slight by the South team. "I didn't care what the guy before me did. I just wanted to get up there and get a hit." At the time, he broke the second tie in a game that was tied three times. Florida State League rules mandate a tie after 10 innings. Xavier Scruggs, the designated hitter for the South, homered to lead off the top of the fifth with a shot over the right-field wall to tie it at 2. In the bottom of the third, Fort Myers pitcher Billy Bullock gave up three hits to open the door for the North. Brett Jackson of Daytona drove in Tampa's Jack Rye. Gustavo Nunez of Lakeland scored to put the North ahead 2-1 on a failed double-play attempt. That broke the game's first tie.

Link Report Game Post FSL South All-Stars Top 5th Defensive Substitution: Kody Kaiser replaces center fielder Brett Jackson, batting 1st, playing center field. Pitcher Change: Michael Fiers replaces Brayan Villarreal. Xavier Scruggs homers (1) on a line drive to right field. Sean Ratliff singles on a line drive to center fielder Kody Kaiser. Richard Racobaldo strikes out swinging. Isaias Velasquez grounds into double play, shortstop Gustavo Nunez to first baseman Rawley Bishop. Sean Ratliff out at 2nd.