Jim Goulart

http://www.sweetfactory.com/images/uploads/4939-Round-Pop6oz.jpg Positive image rally time!

Let's wear the dark jerseys because of superstition and ignore the fact it's 98 degrees. I'm reaching for anything here, anything at all.

Look, the Arizona bullpen meltdown was hideous, but it all happened without a single out being recorded and it relegated us to about 10 minutes of extreme pain. This, meanwhile, is an extended period of massive discomfort in that we are all envisioning it ending as it is currently paced. I feel like I'm sitting in a chair in that dungeon in "Hostel" systematically losing digits and limbs.

With hope that this isn't the case, this really would be the worst loss of the year were it to come to that. This is a AAA squad in the true sense -- the only problem is, I could be describing either team, unfortunately, it seems.

More of an FYI to local Power fans -- Charleston, WV (August 2, 2008) - The West Virginia Power announced the resignation of General Manager Ryan Gates today. Ryan will pursue an opportunity to launch a new franchise in the Frontier League in Avon, Ohio. The resignation is effective immediately as Ryan will begin preparations to launch the new team and stadium for an opening in May 2009. "I've known Ryan since our days in Erie in 1998 and we were fortunate to bring him back to our organization for the 2004 season," said Executive Vice President Andy Milovich. "His understanding of our industry and ability to build meaningful relationships in the community were instrumental to the successful launch of the West Virginia Power and Appalachian Power Park. We will certainly miss his leadership and wish him well in the opportunity to become the face of the new franchise in Avon." Ryan joined the Charleston Alley Cats in April of 2004 as the team's Director of Business Development. After taking the reins from a sales and marketing perspective, he quickly assumed the General Manager's position when Milovich was promoted to the role of Executive Vice President and began to oversee the Power, Power Alley Grill, and Palisades Baseball's New York Penn League Franchise in Mahoning Valley in the fall of 2006. He led the team to a third consecutive attendance record in 2007 and established himself as one of the leading General Managers in the industry. The team will not make any other changes to the staff at this time and will divide Ryan's responsibilities between Milovich and Assistant General Manager Joe Payne. "Ryan and I have discussed this opportunity for several months and we have worked together to provide a smooth transition," said Milovich. "Joe has done a tremendous job for us and has an enormous opportunity. I will work closely with him over the next few months as we prepare him to take the next step and evaluate our staffing needs with regard to our 2009 preparations" said Milovich. *** General managers in independent ball have full say over forming their rosters, so in that regard, it's certainly a more "fun" position. Brewerfan wishes Ryan well.

Uecker's voice inflection on that inning-ending grounder to Rickie was hilarious and telling -- "this one should do it"...

If the Brewers continue to trail for more than three innings with Omar Infante hitting cleanup and Charlie Morton on the mound, then well, well, I'll make an analogy in my mind and keep it to myself. Darn if I'm not frustrated already...

Arizona League Standings

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 67 46 .593 - 40-19 27-27 W2 Memphis 63 50 .558 4.0 30-25 33-25 W3 Omaha 50 63 .442 17.0 23-31 27-32 L1 Nashville 44 69 .389 23.0 21-33 23-36 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 24 17 .585 - 14-6 10-11 L1 Tennessee 23 18 .561 1.0 11-10 12-8 W3 Huntsville 18 23 .439 6.0 8-13 10-10 L8 West Tenn 16 24 .400 7.5 6-13 10-11 L1 Chattanooga 15 26 .366 9.0 8-12 7-14 L6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 23 14 .622 - 13-6 10-8 W3 St. Lucie 20 16 .556 2.5 9-7 11-9 L1 Jupiter 20 18 .526 3.5 11-9 9-9 W1 Palm Beach 19 20 .487 5.0 12-7 7-13 W1 Brevard County 16 22 .421 7.5 8-11 8-11 L1 Vero Beach 14 26 .350 10.5 6-14 8-12 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 28 13 .683 - 14-4 14-9 L1 Lakewood 26 15 .634 2.0 14-8 12-7 W1 Delmarva 23 18 .561 5.0 10-12 13-6 W1 Hagerstown 19 22 .463 9.0 9-14 10-8 W1 Lake County 17 24 .415 11.0 10-13 7-11 W3 Lexington 16 24 .400 11.5 7-12 9-12 L1 Greensboro 15 26 .366 13.0 7-11 8-15 L3 Hickory 14 27 .341 14.0 3-14 11-13 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 5 0 1.000 - 5-0 0-0 W5 Great Falls 2 3 .400 3.0 1-2 1-1 W1 Helena 2 3 .400 3.0 0-1 2-2 L1 Missoula 1 4 .200 4.0 1-0 0-4 L4

Follow Saturday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, 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: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_02_nasaaa_srcaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_02_msbaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_02_pbcafa_breafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_02_delafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_02_bilrok_helrok_1 Arizona: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_02_athrok_brrrok_1

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated several hours prior to gametime. Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

Nashville's series in Sacramento this week is available for live and archived viewing to subscribers via MiLB.com.

Chris Cody's Manhattan College Blog: July 30, 2008 Jasper fans, Just wanted to touch base with everyone and fill you in on what has been happening. My team, The Manatees, just got back after a week long road trip from Tampa (Yankees), and Palm Beach (Cardinals). It was neat to go to Tampa and play on Legends Field (now named George M. Steinbrenner Field). I remember being fifteen years old in Florida on vacation with my dad and brother, going to as many spring training games as we could fit in. In Palm Beach, I got to meet up with Jasper teammate, Nick Derba. It was very weird seeing him in the batters box wearing bright red and white colors rather than the normal Jasper, kelly green. Then again, he probably said the same thing about me. Our teams actually play each other a few more times before the end of the season, so I will get to hang out with him again starting tomorrow when his Cardinals come to Brevard County. I'm getting ready to pitch tonight against the St. Lucie Mets. Hopefully, the weather holds up. July and August are usually the worst months for rainouts in the Florida State League. I will talk to you all soon. Don't be afraid to check out Milb.com or the Manatees' website to see how we're doing. (www.manateesbaseball.com) Take Care, Chris

Huntsville Manager Don Money Interview Transcript at BrewCrewBall (Part One)

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Manager Frank Kremblas

Helena Pre-Game Interview with 4th round LHP Josh Romanski, out initially with elbow soreness, but now out due to a groin injury Click on the KCAP archive of August 1st, then browse to the 15:00 minute mark

Voyagers win in 10, spoil Brewers' return Helena Independent Record Johnny Celis hit a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning and the Great Falls Voyagers spoiled a Helena Brewers homecoming Friday night, 7-6, at Kindrick Legion Field. The Brewers (2-3) hadn't been home since two games before the start of the second half of the season, but they couldn't gain enough of an advantage in front of their 1,218 fans in the stands. The Voyagers (2-3), meanwhile, tried to build a lead throughout the game, but found out quickly that the Brewers were ready to go tit-for-tat all the way into extra innings, thanks to two home runs by Chris Dennis. Great Falls built their lead in the first on a three-run homer by Mike Grace before scoring once more in the fourth, but the Brewers matched them evenly in the bottom of each inning. Dennis hit a three-run blast of his own in the bottom of the first then a solo to catch up three innings later. He would finish a double short of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI. Great Falls finally broke away in the top of the sixth when Jesus Avila reached on a fielding error by shortstop David Fonseca, allowing Zach Larson to make it 5-4 in the Voyagers' favor/ The run went unanswered in the bottom of the inning, but by the end of the seventh the Brewers held a 6-5 lead when Dennis tripled then came home on a sacrifice fly by Michael Vass. Two batters later Steven Braun would double in Mike Roberts. Great Falls answered the next inning when Tyler Kuhn tripled, then came home for the tying run when Avila once again reached on an error, this time by Braun at second base. Helena's only two errors cost them a run each while the Voyagers ended the game without one. Celis, who had one at-bat all game, came in as a pinch hitter for Larson in the 10th. He also picked the perfect time to hit his first home run all season, cranking it over the right field wall. Great Falls' Ronald Morales replaced Stephen Sauer on the mound and the Voyagers' picked up two quick outs before Erik Komatsu hit a single. Brock Kjeldgaard, however, couldn't bring him in, popping up for the final out on a pay-off pitch. Morales got the save while Sauer (3-1) picked up the win, striking out four and walking one over two innings. Helena's Adam Arnold (1-2) suffered the loss, closing out the final three innings with two runs on two hits with a walk and four strike outs. Helena will host the Billings Mustangs tonight at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

Thanks, colbyjack! An 0-5 night for the affiliates? Now we know who's really the key to any Brewer minor league success! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif Link while active, text follows: Losses pile up for Stars New Miss. pitcher helps seal eighth straight defeat By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times Right now, Steve Marek is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound afterthought. To Atlanta Braves fans, the 24-year-old relief pitcher is a throw-in on a Double-A roster. But the "other guy" who came from the Los Angeles Angels along with first baseman Casey Kotchman in this week's Mark Teixeira deal is impressive in his own right. On Friday night, he pitched a scoreless eighth inning to help Mississippi send the reeling Huntsville Stars to their eighth consecutive loss with a 2-1 win in front of 5,433 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. He also took another step toward playing for his dream team. "I grew up a Braves fans back in Texas," Marek said. "We had TBS, and every time they played the Astros, I went to the games and had my Braves jersey on. "My favorite player growing up was (Ryan) Klesko because I was a left-handed batter, and I'd try to imitate him when I went to bat." Marek - who was rated the No. 6 prospect in the Angels organization - sports a mid-90s fastball with a lot of movement. He also has a 12-to-6 curve and a change-up. After three years of starting in the Angels organization, he is Mississippi's setup man and projects in that role for Atlanta possibly as soon as next year. On Friday, he allowed a leadoff, opposite-field single to Chris Errecart, but after Michael Bell bunted him over, Marek got Freddy Parejo to ground out and Anderson De La Rosa to pop out to end the threat. Though major league first baseman Kotchman - who has three years of arbitration eligibility remaining until he's a free agent in 2011 - is the jewel of Atlanta's white-flag deadline trade, Marek may be a nice addition. "He's been impressive in both outings," Mississippi manager Phillip Wellman said. "We wanted to see what the guy is made of so we ran him out there in a one-run game - kind of a baptism by fire - and he handled it. He did it again tonight." The Stars (18-23) left 11 men on base, failing to take advantage of Braves starter Carlos Sencion's seven walks in six innings. Sencion's outing was as exciting as it was effective, even if it wasn't pretty. He allowed just three hits and one run while striking out five. A night of squandered opportunities for Huntsville got no more heartbreaking than in the fifth when Errecart hit a sharp grounder down the third-base line with runners on second and third and two outs. Van Pope made a nice backhand on and threw to first to save two runs. Three relievers - including Marek - finished off the Stars. "The biggest thing is we don't have anybody picking up the slack," Stars manager Don Money said. "We failed twice getting runners home from third with less than two out, and (Lorenzo) Cain failed on a sacrifice bunt in the ninth. "We've got to get the job done."

This kind of stuff is avilable via IMDB, in fact I copied these from there. Some of the more interesting items about -- Family Ties: Stars Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter share the same exact birthday: 21 June 1947. The producers originally wanted Matthew Broderick to play Alex P. Keaton, but the actor had to decline the role when his father became terminally ill. Ed O'Neill ("Married with Children") was considered for the role of Steven Keaton. Michael J. Fox added the P. in Alex P. Keaton as an ad-lib in his audition, the writers loved it and kept it. Fox almost didn't get the role of Alex - due to the fact that NBC exec Brandon Tartikoff didn't find it believable that Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross would have a son that was so short. The cast wanted to end the show with the entire Keaton family dying in a plane crash. They absolutely didn't want to do a reunion show in the future. Throughout the series' run, exterior establishment shots of the Keaton home were never used in any of the episodes, which is very unusual for a family sitcom. The vast majority of all scenes were played out in the kitchen. The first few seasons the Keatons lived in Cleveland. Then they lived in Columbus with no explanation ever given.

The St. Lucie-Brevard County rainout makeup dates have been chosen. The games will be made up as part of a doubleheader on both Saturday 8/16 and Sunday 8/17. The Saturday doubleheader begins at 5:00 PM, and the Sunday doubleheader begins at 1:00 PM (Eastern). Tyler L. Stover Director of Media Relations Brevard County Manatees

Lisa Winston of MiLB.com with an excellent article on Taylor Green -- extra kudos to amateur scout Bruce Seid...

Our esteemed draft guru colbyjack has kindly offered me an evening off, so you'll have a different perspective on any box score comments tonight. Enjoy your summer Friday, everyone.

Arizona League Standings

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 66 46 .589 - 39-19 27-27 W1 Memphis 62 50 .554 4.0 30-25 32-25 W2 Omaha 50 62 .446 16.0 23-30 27-32 W1 Nashville 44 68 .393 22.0 21-33 23-35 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 24 16 .600 - 14-6 10-10 W7 Tennessee 22 18 .550 2.0 10-10 12-8 W2 Huntsville 18 22 .450 6.0 8-12 10-10 L7 West Tenn 16 23 .410 7.5 6-13 10-10 W1 Chattanooga 15 25 .375 9.0 8-12 7-13 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 22 14 .611 - 12-6 10-8 W2 St. Lucie 19 15 .559 2.0 9-7 10-8 L1 Jupiter 19 17 .528 3.0 10-8 9-9 W1 Palm Beach 18 20 .474 5.0 12-7 6-13 L2 Brevard County 16 21 .432 6.5 8-10 8-11 W2 Vero Beach 14 25 .359 9.5 6-14 8-11 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 28 12 .700 - 14-4 14-8 W1 Lakewood 25 15 .625 3.0 13-8 12-7 L1 Delmarva 22 18 .550 6.0 9-12 13-6 L1 Hagerstown 18 22 .450 10.0 8-14 10-8 L3 Lexington 16 23 .410 11.5 7-12 9-11 W4 Lake County 16 24 .400 12.0 9-13 7-11 W2 Greensboro 15 25 .375 13.0 7-11 8-14 L2 Hickory 14 26 .350 14.0 3-14 11-12 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 4 0 1.000 - 4-0 0-0 W4 Helena 2 2 .500 2.0 0-0 2-2 W2 Great Falls 1 3 .250 3.0 1-2 0-1 L2 Missoula 1 3 .250 3.0 1-0 0-3 L3

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated several hours prior to gametime. Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):