Jim Goulart

Manatees game at Jupiter cancelled and won't be made up (don't play again in the first half). On a related note, the Manatees make an environmental statement. The story has already been picked up by USA Today, so they will get their point across.

PDF document: Nashville Media Notes

MJLiverock, as Al pointed out, how much of his $600,000 signing bonus do you think Brent gave back to the Brewers when he quit?

DSL S.D. North (click column headers to sort) Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Cardinals 3 0 1.000 - 2-0 1-0 3-0 W3 DSL Athletics 1 2 .333 2.0 1-1 0-1 1-2 L1 DSL Brewers 1 2 .333 2.0 0-1 1-1 1-2 L2 DSL Mariners 1 2 .333 2.0 0-1 1-1 1-2 W1

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 31 22 .585 - 14-11 17-11 L1 Omaha 29 23 .558 1.5 15-15 14-8 L1 Memphis 29 24 .547 2.0 15-9 14-15 L1 Iowa 28 25 .528 3.0 12-13 16-12 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 32 21 .604 - 12-13 20-8 W3 West Tenn 30 23 .566 2.0 9-15 21-8 W6 Carolina 25 29 .463 7.5 11-14 14-15 W2 Huntsville 25 29 .463 7.5 11-18 14-11 L2 Chattanooga 22 32 .407 10.5 12-17 10-15 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dunedin 32 22 .593 - 12-14 20-8 W1 Lakeland 30 23 .566 1.5 14-10 16-13 L2 Clearwater 30 24 .556 2.0 15-13 15-11 L2 Tampa 28 25 .528 3.5 13-13 15-12 W1 Daytona 25 29 .463 7.0 10-17 15-12 W1 Brevard County 19 34 .358 12.5 11-18 8-16 L2

MID Western (click column headers to sort) Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak Cedar Rapids 35 19 .648 - 18-4 17-15 8-2 W1 Quad Cities 32 22 .593 3.0 18-7 14-15 7-3 W1 Clinton 31 23 .574 4.0 17-10 14-13 7-3 W1 Peoria 29 25 .537 6.0 17-8 12-17 4-6 L1 Beloit 26 28 .481 9.0 13-13 13-15 1-9 L4 Kane County 24 31 .436 11.5 14-12 10-19 4-6 W2 Wisconsin 20 34 .370 15.0 12-17 8-17 4-6 W1 Burlington 19 35 .352 16.0 9-16 10-19 4-6 L1

Follow Friday'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 Wisconsin DSL Brewers (Box score won't update until late evening / overnight)

By the way, the DSL kids will be facing the same three squads only (Cardinals, Athletics, Mariners) all season -- they are playing in the Santo Domingo "North" Division.

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Chuck Lofgren at home vs. Albuquerque (Dodgers), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Josh Butler at home vs. Mobile (Diamondbacks), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: RHP Michael Fiers at Jupiter (Marlins), 6:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link (Hammerheads' Feed) Wisconsin: LHP Del Howell at Lake County (Indians), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime; RHP Jake Odorizzi is scheduled to tandem Live Audio Link DSL Brewers: at home vs. the DSL Cardinals, 9:30 AM

Chris digs deeper (much deeper) into the batting-out-of-order situation.

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

After seven long years prior to this season, Adam Heether had earned the right to become a minor league free agent. The Brewers only retained his rights for 2010 after placing him on their 40-man roster on the very last possible day last fall. So I think an overlooked item here is that even though it was Heether's first outright off of a 40-man roster, it appears as though he would have had the right to not accept the Brewers' minor league assignment even if he had not been claimed. I'll have to ask our Baseball America friends to confirm that. I can't wait for him to eventually appear in a big league uniform for Oakland, will be so very happy for him. Oakland has only been able to get five home runs from the third base position, making a brief stint with the Sacramento River Cats a realistic route for the Ripon graduate (link).

Chad has your calls from Thursday's 7-4 Huntsville loss. Fine job as usual. Not from a play-by-play perspective, because it's not a valid comparison in that regard, but just from a voice perspective, I hear NBC's reporter Jim Gray -- nothing wrong with that, or maybe it's just me... 06/03/10 - HSV v MOB - Frey homer (0-1) - Byrne single (0-2) - Wald single (0-3) - Lawrie homer (1-3) - Wild pitch (1-4) - Hankerd single (1-5) - Green sac fly (2-5) - Casto homer (2-7) - Gindl double (3-7) - Green single (4-7)

Hey, let's have the manager throw the player under the bus...Link while active, text follows: TinCaps have lineup miscue in home loss LaMond Pope | The Journal Gazette FORT WAYNE – Wisconsin played Thursday’s game under protest. The TinCaps ended up being the team that wanted the redo. The Timber Rattlers scored four runs with two outs in the second inning on the way to a 6-4 victory in front of 4,842 fans at Parkview Field. The TinCaps (28-27) dropped two of three to Wisconsin (20-34), which entered the game tied for the worst record in the Midwest League. The game featured a 16-minute delay after Wisconsin manager Jeff Isom realized, three innings too late, that the TinCaps batted out of order the first time through the lineup. Griffin Benedict did not bat the first time through Fort Wayne’s lineup, although he was listed as sixth in the team’s batting order. Rymer Liriano – the No. 7 hitter – accidentally batted ahead of the No. 6 hitter Benedict in the second inning. Liriano grounded out to end the inning. “I post the lineup card every day out there (in the dugout). If you are smart enough, you need to go out there and look every day,” TinCaps manager Jose Flores said. “The lineup I put (in the clubhouse) sometimes changes come time for the actual lineup card that gets exchanged. “In that case, (Liriano) had taken what he saw in the original lineup posted before the game and just went out there when literally it was posted in the dugout that the switch had been made. He just went out there and hit.” When the next inning started, the TinCaps’ No. 8 hitter, Dean Anna, was the first batter up. Wisconsin noticed the change when Liriano came up the second time in the fifth inning, leading to the protest. “There was just a mix-up,” Benedict said. “We had two different lineups up, and right before we went up there was a little confusion as to who was hitting. “Unfortunately, I got skipped, but they tried to protest the game later on, but we were already back in order so it didn’t matter.” Wisconsin led 4-0 at that point thanks to its second inning rally. The Timber Rattlers followed a two-out walk with four consecutive hits. The TinCaps kept chipping away, scoring two in the fifth and another run in the sixth. But Wisconsin answered with a solo home run by Scooter Gennett in the seventh. The TinCaps scored a run in the eighth when Anna came home on a wild pitch, but Wisconsin came back with one run in the ninth.

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with Mat Gamel -- happy for Adam Heether, discusses the influence of various Brewer instructors

Rogers proves to be a shining Star By Benjamin Hill / MLB.com HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- "How the heck are ya?!" This is how a conversation with Huntsville Stars general manager Buck Rogers often begins, a question delivered in a jovial tone and at a staccato clip. And once this preliminary greeting is out of the way, don't be surprised if he launches into a rapid-fire monologue about the latest goings-on at Joe W. Davis Stadium -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. The seemingly indefatigable Rogers is one of Minor League Baseball's most outsized characters, a man driven by a desire to succeed and a seemingly endless supply of Diet Mountain Dew. Over the past 13 years, he's been responsible for some of the most irreverent and attention-getting promotions in the industry -- offering fans lifetime season tickets in exchange for team tattoos, setting the World Record for most consecutive first pitches prior to a ballgame, and holding a "Car Survivor" contest in which fans vied to win an automobile by living in it. This is a man who, when at a loss, will take a rare pause and earnestly inquire "WWVD"? What would Veeck do? When life gives you lemons Given that he boasts the same name as an iconic fictional space explorer, it is perhaps fitting that Rogers now works in a city that boasts a proud aerospace history (NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is located here). But Huntsville is one of the Southern League's toughest markets. While other Alabama franchises, such as Mobile and Birmingham, play in cities that are drenched in baseball history, Huntsville's citizenry does everything it can to make college football a year-round sport. And Joe W. Davis Stadium is a thoroughly nondescript facility -- while certainly adequate for the purpose, it possesses a no-frills, utilitarian nature and is thoroughly lacking in modern amenities and accoutrements. In a situation like this, creativity is a survival technique. And creativity is exactly what Rogers and his staff display on a nightly basis. I attended Thursday's game in Huntsville, which the visiting BayBears won, 7-4. But of more interest to me was the evening's promotion. The Stars partnered with local TV station Fox 54 in order to offer an unbeatable ticket deal -- those who flashed the pitching sign of "5-4" at the box office (five fingers and then four fingers) received a ticket for the absurdly low price of 54 cents. The station advertised the deal heavily over the past several days, and the result was a robust walk-up crowd. Inside the cramped ticket window, assistant general manager Babs Rogers led a team of four ducat-selling employees. Babs is Buck's wife, and she is possessed of an equally enthusiastic demeanor. Amidst the sounds of rolls of pennies being cracked upon (most fans did not have exact change), Babs directed fans to her corner window. "I can help someone!" she cried out. "Baby's in a corner, and it's lonely down here!" When fans informed Babs they wanted the 54-cent ticket deal, she would ask "What's the sign?" Most took that as a cue to flash the appropriate number of fingers, but some responded with a blank stare. (One woman said, "A pitching sign, right?" and proceeded to signal for a curveball). And some fans weren't aware of the ticket deal. Those who did not mention Fox 54 were summarily charged $8. While a fair price in most situations, in this case that amount sounded exorbitant. "Cha-ching!" exclaimed Babs after one $8 sale. "Some real money, just in time to send this team out on the road!" Also adding to the walk-up crowd was the fact that it was "Thirst-Aid Thursday," featuring $2 20-ounce draft beers. Not surprisingly, this special is especially popular among the area's college students (Buck says that Joe W. Davis Stadium on Thursdays is "the hottest singles scene in Huntsville, especially once we reach the fifth inning.") Those truly committed to this unbeatable special could be seen in the stadium wearing commemorative t-shirts, which featured a drawing of a beer keg and the slogan "I'd Tap That." In short, it was just another night at the Huntsville Stars game. For those keeping score at home, one could purchase a ticket and two beers and still have change left over from a $5. "Buck Rogers and the Stars couldn't be a better match, and no one else in this town is willing to do the crazy stuff that he does," said Fox 54 sales assistant J.J. Vincent, who was roaming the stadium to take pictures of fans holding a banner bearing the station's logo. "When people say to us 'The Huntsville Stars' we say 'Buck Rogers.' For us, the association really is that strong." Never stop adapting Buck, who says he is "50 going on 16," is a strong proponent of creativity amongst the entire staff. He believes that young employees with fresh ideas and boundless enthusiasm are crucial to the success of a franchise, and he has no qualms about doling out difficult tasks to interns so they may learn the ins and outs of the industry in a short amount of time. Yet Buck's own path to the Minor Leagues was hardly typical. His executive career did not begin until 1997 as an employee of the now-defunct Fayetteville, N.C.-based Cape Fear Crocs of the South Atlantic League. A proud member of the 82nd Airborne, Buck was living on a military base in Fayetteville and began attending Crocs games because of the $1 Military Monday ticket special. He became enamored with the logistics of game operations while watching these contests, to the point in which he began assisting the club's staff as opposed to watching the game. This led to a job. From Fayetteville, Buck moved on to the Daytona Cubs and the Brevard County Manatees (both Florida State League franchises). He is now in his third season in Huntsville, working tirelessly from his windowless, imminently cluttered office at Joe W. Davis Stadium. Along the way, Buck developed a 15-point promotional philosophy that he shares with his staff members. While many are straight to the point ("Is it fun?"; "Is it feasible?"; "What will happen if we don't seize the moment?"), others are more esoteric. Take the "8-Ball Syndrome", which Buck illustrates by drawing a numeral "8" on a sheet of paper. "Sometimes an idea's not going to work, and you're going to get stuck," he said, before turning the "8" on its side so that it resembled an infinity sign. "But if you can be unselfish with your ideas and pass them around and keep on tweaking them to infinity, then eventually you're going to get it right." And this is the underlying principle of Huntsville Stars baseball -- Rogers and his staff are endlessly tweaking a less-than-ideal situation as they work toward getting it right. "It's a wild life," said Rogers of working in Minor League Baseball. "Sometimes it feels like we're breaking all the rules, but as long as we're all having fun and putting butts in the seats then I don't really care." Buck Rogers specializes in irreverent and attention-getting promotions. (Benjamin Hill/MLB.com) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/06/04/PYtbMvFL.jpg

Hammerheads' Site: Jupiter Fires On All Cylinders In 8-0 Win Back when the team was mired in what would become a 15 game losing streak, the Jupiter coaching staff told players that when they all performed up to their abilities, they were the best team in the league. With big hits from throughout the order and a second consecutive shutout, the Hammerheads made good on that praise in an 8-0 win over Brevard County. For the second game in a row, the top four hitters in the Hammerheads lineup combined for seven hits, while the pitching staff limited the Manatees to just three. On this night, the top of the order knocked two hits apiece, including Jake Smolinski's two-run double to break the game open in the 1st inning and Kevin Mattison's first home run of the year, a two-run shot in the 2nd. But the biggest hit of the night was Seth Fortenberry's first of the year. The left fielder made a terrific catch in Wednesday night's game, but couldn't connect at the plate. Thursday, he smoked a bases-clearing triple to deep center, driving in the final three runs of the night. It was an especially big hit for a team that has had trouble recently with leaving men on base. An error allowed Jeremy Synan to reach in the first at-bat of the inning, followed by a walk to Smolinski and newly-named FSL All-Star Ben Lasater's single to load the bases with no outs. But a pop fly and a strikeout had the Hammerheads looking at the possibility of failing to take advantage of the opportunity, especially with Fortenberry stepping to the plate in just his second game since signing with the team. Of course, by that time, Jupiter had a 5-0 lead with starter Brad Hand having the game, well, in hand. In his best effort of the season, the lefty allowed just two singles in six innings. And while the team combined for their second consecutive shutout, Hand had a personal back-to-back of his own; as he did in his previous start, he struck out seven batters while allowing just one walk. Relievers Andy Loomis, Isaac Morales and Corey Madden made sure Hand's start held up, with Loomis and Madden each tossing perfect innings. The Hammerheads have now won four of their last five and will look to take the series from Brevard County tomorrow night at Roger Dean Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

After one game back in the lineup (after a couple missed), Kentrail Davis is back on the bench for the Manatees tonight. Erik Komatsu also gets a night off, at least to start, his first in some time (he has played in 50 of 52 games thus far). And yes, Shawn Zarraga gets the start behind the plate. Best I can tell, Nashville and Brevard are one below their respective roster limits, Huntsville and Wisconsin are at their max at the moment.

The Stars' staff has done a nice job in improving the first-page content of their media notes from even a couple of weeks ago -- good stuff. By the way, we did ask our Brevard County friends, but due to the dearth of media coverage in the Florida State League, they supply "stat sheets" for those who may saunter into the press box, but don't generate "media notes" per se.

Huntsville Press Release: LHP Dan Merklinger has been transferred to Single-A Brevard County from Huntsville. In his one start with Huntsville yesterday, Merklinger got the loss, throwing 4.1 innings, giving up four runs (zero earned) on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. Catcher Anderson de la Rosa has been promoted to Huntsville from Brevard County. De la Rosa was batting .197 (29-for-147) in 42 games for the Manatees. His walk-to-strikeout ratio is 12-36. Additionally, infielder #22 Chris Errecart has been given his release. Errecart was batting .226 (35-for-155) in 45 games with the Stars this season. He was the Opening Day first baseman for Huntsville and played 38 games in that position. He came in as a relief pitcher in two games this season (1.2 innings), giving up two hits while walking one and striking out one. These moves put the Stars active roster at 24, the Southern League limit. *** Chris Errecart, 25 years old, was the Brewers 5th round pick in 2006, out of UCal-Berkely (career stats with the Brewers' organization). He reached as high as # 16 on the Power 50 (P50 history). He dominated Helena as he was supposed to, but was never a force thereafter. We wish him well going forward.

Rattler Radio: June 3, 2010: Game Notes June 3, 2010: Tonight's Pitchers June 3, 2010: Tonight's lineup Sorry to see that Chris Dennis is not in tonight's starting lineup, after he left Wednesday's game when he was clipped in a first base collision while on defense.... *** Rattler Radio: When Junior was in Appleton Nice find, Chris, very cool...

The first page of the Nashville media notes summarizes today's many transactions, and shows us the rotation over the next several games, including Marco Estrada's return.

McCalvy The Brewers formally announced the signing of reliever Brian Bruney to a Minor League contract and assigned him to the Helena roster. That's a formality while Bruney goes to extended Spring Training camp to get back to pitching shape. He will report to Triple-A Nashville before long. And, as expected, right-hander Mark Rogers was transferred back to Double-A Huntsville after making one start for Nashville on Wednesday night. Rogers helped the Sounds bridge the gap to right-hander Marco Estrada's return to the Triple-A rotation. The Brewers also moved outfielder Chuckie Caufield from Nashville to Huntsville.

Outfielder Adam Stern cleared waivers and was outrighted to Nashville.

Discuss the Adam Heether waiver claim loss on the Major League Forum here, thanks.