Jim Goulart

I just noticed that he's not part of Brewerfan.net's player index page, so I'm not sure if that is an oversight or if something happened to him that I'm not aware of. There were a few Latin signings this spring that did not make it into the Brewer media guide. I've been waiting for MiLB.com to add them, so I can get their vitals for the Index page. I'll provide a list of these players later today.

The text of an interview with 9th round RHP Michael Bowman out of VMI -- great job by several of the Brewer-related sites and blogs out there recently, this one again by our visitor "battlekow", over at Jeff Sackmann's BrewCrewBall site. We have no problem giving due credit and kudos elsewhere whenever we see good work happening, goodness knows we know a lot of effort goes into something like that interview.

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Reliever Derrick Turnbow

Tonight's Brevard County at Lakeland game has been rained out, and will not be made up. It's on to the All-Star Weekend at Space Coast Stadium. Best wishes to the Manatees staff for a great event. The first half schedule for the Manatees does not end until Wednesday, June 18th. One series after the All-Star Break, and then on to the second half with a clean-slate schedule.

JohnStumpyPepys wrote: Narveson has been working out of the bullpen recently... Nashville Media Notes with Ben Howard starting tonight -- Date Opponent Time (CT) Probable Pitching Matchup Friday, June 13 at Iowa 7:05 PM RHP Richie Gardner (5-2, 3.98) vs LHP J.R. Mathes (3-3, 2.76) Saturday, June 14 at Iowa 7:05 PM LHP Sam Narron (3-1, 4.05) vs LHP Sean Marshall (0-1, 4.34) Sunday, June 15 at Iowa 1:05 PM LHP Lindsay Gulin (2-4, 3.12) vs RHP Randy Wells (6-1, 2.01) at Iowa Game 2 LHP Chris Narveson (2-7, 4.92) vs TBA

For now, the Nashville rotation is set (Ben Howard, Richie Gardner, Sam Narron, Lindsay Gulin, and Chris Narveson). That's not exactly imposing, but it is a set five. The Sounds have a doubleheader Sunday with no day off until the 25th, so they will need someone to spot start Monday.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 37 28 .569 - 19-11 18-17 L1 Memphis 33 34 .493 5.0 14-17 19-17 W1 Omaha 31 33 .484 5.5 15-19 16-14 W2 Nashville 27 38 .415 10.0 15-16 12-22 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 40 26 .606 - 22-13 18-13 W2 West Tenn 39 27 .591 1.0 22-9 17-18 W1 Carolina 35 31 .530 5.0 17-14 18-17 L3 Chattanooga 35 31 .530 5.0 20-15 15-16 L1 Tennessee 26 40 .394 14.0 13-22 13-18 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 41 25 .621 - 26-10 15-15 L1 Brevard County 34 32 .515 7.0 21-14 13-18 L1 Daytona 32 34 .485 9.0 15-17 17-17 W1 Jupiter 32 34 .485 9.0 18-12 14-22 L1 Vero Beach 32 34 .485 9.0 20-12 12-22 L3 St. Lucie 18 48 .273 23.0 9-25 9-23 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 39 27 .591 - 17-17 22-10 L1 Greensboro 37 29 .561 2.0 17-18 20-11 W4 Delmarva 36 29 .554 2.5 20-11 16-18 W1 Lakewood 36 30 .545 3.0 19-15 17-15 W1 Hagerstown 32 33 .492 6.5 16-20 16-13 L1 West Virginia 29 36 .446 9.5 10-19 19-17 W2 Hickory 28 38 .424 11.0 12-19 16-19 L7 Lexington 20 45 .308 18.5 10-24 10-21 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):

Steady as she goes for Mr. Garrison

Follow Thursday'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 "Log" or "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_06_12_nasaaa_orhaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_12_hunaax_jaxaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_12_breafa_lakafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_12_gboafx_wvaafx_1

Nashville's game at Oklahoma is also available for subscription viewing at MiLB.TV.

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Ben Howard at Oklahoma (Rangers), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Derek Miller at Jacksonville (Dodgers), 5:50 PM pre-game; 6:05 gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: RHP Alex Periard at Lakeland (Tigers), 6:00 PM gametime; last game before the All-Star Break... Sorry, no audio for this series... West Virginia: LHP Chris Cody at home vs. Greensboro (Marlins), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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

MLB.com's Adam McCalvy: Outfielder Lorenzo Cain's stay at Triple-A Nashville will be a short one, according to assistant Brewers general manager Gord Ash. Cain, rated Milwaukee's ninth-best prospect entering the season, was promoted from Class A Brevard County to Nashville this week when Mel Stocker left the team for the birth of a child. Stocker was given four days off, and when he returns, Cain will be sent back down.

I'm guessing after reading this, we'll all be pulling even more for UNC senior closer and future Brewer, 13th rounder Rob Wooten, in the College World Series in Omaha. By the way, we've emailed the author, Adam Lucas, to let him know we appreciated him putting together the story. Link while active, text follows: Pitching Through The Pain One of Rob Wooten's biggest fans won't see him pitch in Omaha By Adam Lucas, Publisher -- Tar Heel Monthly When Rob Wooten went to one knee, opened the box, and asked Katie Thomas to marry him, she didn't say yes. The Tar Heel relief pitcher had been planning for this day for two weeks. He'd kept the ring out of sight of everyone, secure in his room. He'd lit candles, he'd arranged roses. But on the chosen day--December 15, 2007--Katie didn't see the flowers. She just saw the glittering ring in her boyfriend's hand, and she knew exactly what it was. Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat, and all she could say was, "Is that my mom's ring?" The ring did indeed belong to Markie Thomas, Katie's mother. It was a gift the previous Christmas, and it was gorgeous. And now, if she could ever stop crying, if she could ever stop thinking about the past 38 days--"I had gone from one day having the perfect life to the next day having the worst day of my life, and I had to know that things weren't ever going to be OK again," Katie says now--it was going to be Katie's ring. She knew she wanted to say yes. And she would, eventually. As soon as she stopped thinking about the heartbreaking--and heartwarming--events that had landed that ring in the hands of the man who was seconds from becoming her fiancé. If you're a Tar Heel fan, this has happened to you before. An arch-rival is playing in a televised game -- any sport. Said arch-rival, say Duke, loses. Instantly your phone rings, and it's a Carolina buddy wanting to revel in the glory of the loss. Rob Wooten had that buddy -- his girlfriend's mom. That's the kind of fan Markie Thomas was. Wooten and Katie Thomas, a Sanford native, had started dating in 2005. Sometimes years run together and get jumbled. Not for Wooten, who was a loyal Carolina fan long before he ever became a Diamond Heel when he enrolled in the fall of 2004. He knows exactly what year he started dating Katie. "The same year we won the national championship," he says, and he's talking about Roy Williams's 2005 basketball Tar Heels. Katie wasn't quite as committed to the Tar Heels, but her mother--a 1973 graduate--was fanatical. "They would call each other during games," Katie says. "At the end of last season Rob and I were watching a game together. Duke was playing Clemson. Duke made a shot to win it but there was something funny with the clock and Rob's phone rang right away. I heard my mom say, `I can't believe that happened.' And Rob said, `They cheated.' That's the kind of fans they both were." It's hard not to appreciate that kind of fandom. At some point, we've all made that call. You're not watching the game with someone, but you know they're watching it, too. No need to ask if they saw it. You know them, and you know they were as exasperated as you were. In 2006, Katie had taken virtually every dollar of her babysitting money to buy a plane ticket to Omaha to watch the 2006 College World Series. Her father was skeptical. Her mother was excited: "I'd do it," she said to her daughter. When the Tar Heels made a return trip in 2007, Markie Thomas joined her daughter in Omaha. She wanted to see Katie's boyfriend pitch at Rosenblatt Stadium, yes. But she also went because she loved the Tar Heels and that's just what fans do. On Nov. 7, 2007, Wooten was sitting in class when he received a text from pitching coach Scott Forbes, a Sanford native: "Call me right now." Wooten's first thought: "What did I do?" He stepped into the hall to call Forbes and heard his coach say, "You need to come by here." At the same time they were talking, Wooten missed a call from Katie's sister and a call from Katie's best friend. Three calls in the span of five minutes. That's when he knew something was wrong. What Forbes knew, and what was making its way quickly through the close-knit town of Sanford, was that Markie Thomas had been on her way to work that morning at the same dentist's office where she had worked for 34 years. Somehow, her car left the road and slammed into a tree. She died instantly at the age of 54. In the ensuing days, Sanford-area florists would run out of flowers and 1,500 people would turn out at her funeral. When he finished his conversation with Forbes, Wooten prepared to go see his coach. "I got my stuff and left class," he says. "My sister called and she was crying. She told me what had happened. Life stopped right then. Katie didn't know, because she was at work. I called her best friend back in about 10 minutes, and I could hear Katie screaming and crying in the background. That was by far the worst moment of my life. I could hear her, but I couldn't imagine what she was feeling. It was awful." Wooten left Chapel Hill immediately and drove straight to Sanford. He wouldn't leave for nearly two weeks. "What Rob did for me that meant so much was that he never tried to tell me things were going to be OK," Katie says. "People say a lot of stupid things when something like that happens, and soon you get tired of hearing it's going to be OK, because you know it's not going to be OK. Rob understood that." Shortly after the funeral, Katie's father approached Wooten. He asked the question that has shaken the hearts of even the most stout of males over the generations. "Do you and Katie have any plans for the future?" Right then, every possible answer rattles through your mind. Is he saying he wants there to be plans? Or maybe he doesn't want there to be plans? Maybe right now he needs his girl and doesn't want me to take her away. The couple knew they wanted to be together. But Wooten knew he wanted a steady job, wanted a way to provide for his wife. He was just a college senior with a fairly uncertain professional future that could involve living anywhere in America and would likely include a significant amount of bus rides. As it turned out, Katie's father wasn't trying to be intimidating--he was trying to be helpful. He wanted Rob to have the ring Markie had been given the previous Christmas, the one that was an upgrade on her original engagement ring. "I had been thinking a lot about it," Wooten says. "Right then, that ring started burning a hole in my pocket." With the help of Tim Federowicz and Federowicz's girlfriend, he began planning the proposal. Katie never suspected anything. For 38 days after her mother's death, she grieved. On Dec. 15, the clouds finally lifted. It wasn't that Katie stopped feeling sad. It was that she remembered it was OK to be happy. It was one month, one week, and one day after Markie's death. "All I knew was that we were going out to dinner that night," she says. "I tried to convince him we didn't need to go to Chapel Hill, that we should go somewhere close to home because for that entire month, I never wanted to leave home. But I remember thinking that day when I was getting ready for dinner that I wanted to tell Rob thank you for everything he had done. I didn't want to thank him for anything more than being there for me, because he didn't have to do that." When he proposed, with that ring, there were tears--and eventually there was a "yes." Slowly, life moved on. Two months later, he was standing on the third-base foul line in Boca Raton, Florida, listening to the national anthem before Carolina's season opener against Florida Atlantic. He closed his eyes, said a brief prayer, and suddenly felt a strong presence he hadn't expected. "I felt Katie's mom there so strongly," he says. "And when the anthem was over, I went straight into the dugout, grabbed the Sharpie that Coach Fox uses to make out the lineup, and wrote her initials on my hat." That's where they've stayed for the remainder of the 2008 season. The Tar Heels have a host of different uniforms, and on every one of them, you'll find the initials "MT" just above the brim of Wooten's cap. Katie wasn't in Boca, so she didn't see his uniform alteration. It wasn't until the Tar Heels played a home game that she wandered down to the fence after the game to exchange their usual postgame greetings and saw her mother's initials staring back at her. "That's just like Rob," Katie says. "He didn't do it to impress anybody. He didn't tell anybody he did it. He did it because he wanted to and because she loved him like he was her own son." Katie picks dresses and samples cake without the mother of the bride. She goes to work every day in the same dentist's office where her mom worked for over three decades. Occasionally, a patient will wrap her in a hug without saying anything, and she knows what they are thinking. The wedding date has been set for October 25, 2008, which as Rob can tell you without hesitation, "is the day we play Boston College at home." Like Markie Thomas, he's the type of fan who has the football schedule committed to memory four months before the first kickoff. She's also the type who might have tried to squeeze in both a football game and a wedding on the same day. The thought makes Wooten smile. "You know what?" he says. "She just might." Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.

Link while active, text follows: Power's Haydel makes most of his speed by Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Of the five tools in which baseball players are graded, speed is by far the most precious commodity. With hard work a player can drastically improve his defensive skills, his batting average, his batting power and his throwing arm, but speed is the one skill that can't be taught. That's what makes it such a coveted asset, and that's what makes West Virginia Power center fielder Lee Haydel a top prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system. Blessed with an abundance of speed, Haydel has quickly risen from a 19th-round draft pick in the 2006 Major League draft, to the second-highest rated center fielder in the Brewers' organization. "There's no question that speed is his biggest tool," said Power Manager Jeff Isom. "He's trying to learn the game a little bit and trying to learn to use his speed to his advantage. Everything he's doing right now offensively is geared toward his speed." Haydel, who's been timed in the 60-yard dash in a blazing 6.35 seconds, realizes that his speed may one day help punch his ticket to the Major Leagues, but only if he solidifies the other nuances of the game that make his speed an even greater asset. "I need to be more disciplined at the plate," said Haydel, who went 3-for-4, including a triple and two runs scored in the Power's 7-0 win over Kannapolis on Wednesday evening. "I need to let the ball come to me, pick out the pitches that I need to hit, and try to draw more walks. "They (the Brewers) want me to hit the ball on the ground. I can't hit the ball in the air, especially since I'm still developing my power. A ball hit in the air is no good. With speed, I have a chance to beat out a ball on the ground, or maybe the fielder will bobble the ball knowing it's going to be a close play." Isom, who managed Haydel in Helena last season, can see a marked improvement in the speedster's play this season, but also sees plenty of room for improvement. "He just has to learn to take advantage of his strength, which is speed," said Isom. "He needs to hit the ball on the ground, run balls out and he'll get base hits out of it. He needs to do things like show bunt, try to get the third baseman in, and then slap line drives past him. If he learns to do little things like that, he can be a heck of a ball player. "The one thing you can't teach is speed. You can try to improve your speed, but if you're not fast, you're not ever going to be fast. "He's got something special and that sets him apart from other players. If we can teach him the little details involved with playing baseball, like base running, like getting better jumps in the outfield, and being more selective at the plate, he can be a special player." Haydel, who was named to the South Atlantic League's Northern Division All-Star team last week, saw his batting average climb from .273 to .281 with his three-hit evening.

Hi Lexi, we did link to that earlier in our '2008 Huntsville Stars" thread, but it's certainly worth noting again. Front page, not just of the sports section, but the paper, nice. Hopefully the entire extended Gamel family will enjoy a playoff-clinching series this week.

Link while active, text follows: Anundsen, Dickert combine for shutout against Kannapolis By Tommy R. Atkinson Charleston Gazette Staff writer It's starting to come together for West Virginia Power pitcher Evan Anundsen and his teammates. Anundsen and reliever Reed Dickert combined for a seven-hit shutout and the Power bats were again electric in a 7-0 victory over the Kannapolis (N.C.) Intimidators Wednesday night. A paid crowd of 2,427 saw the Power win its second straight home game in the South Atlantic League matchup at Appalachian Power Park. Anundsen (5-4) scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out a season-high eight in 6 1/3 innings. He was helped by three double plays, which erased a walk in the second inning and leadoff singles in the fourth and sixth. Dickert, who also induced a double play, didn't allow a run or hit in 2 2/3 innings. "It's nice,'' said Anundsen, a fourth-round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006. "We've been struggling at home a little bit. Everybody contributed. All the pitches were there and I was throwing them all for strikes. I've got to give credit to my infield. You can't ask for a better defense than that.'' "The beauty of this one [was] he came back against a team that he faced his last time out and mystified them again,'' said Power pitching coach John Curtis of Anundsen. "He mixed up his pitches and varied his speeds [and that] great combination carried us into the seventh. A beautiful, beautiful job.'' Anundsen's outing Wednesday was just the continuation of progress that he's been making while working between starts with Curtis. Anundsen's last start was also against the Intimidators (28-38) and he allowed two runs on four hits in five innings with six punchouts. "It kind of came together the last time we faced Kannapolis,'' said Anundsen, a 6-foot-3 right-hander from Columbine, Colo. "I'm able to throw a change-up that I haven't been able to throw in a while. It's mainly just getting ahead in counts and staying ahead in counts [and] being able to throw all three of my pitches over the plate for strikes at any time in any situation.'' Curtis said Anundsen is becoming the anchor to the rotation that the organization envisioned coming out of spring training. "His change-up has improved considerably in the last month or so,'' said Curtis, a 15-year Major League pitcher. "He's got terrific movement on his fastball. When he's hitting his spots he's not giving guys a straight look at his fastball. "They come in diving and darting and all that stuff. You start with that and mix in a curveball that he changes speeds on and a change-up that's become very effective it's a pretty tough mix. His game will get better.'' The Power (29-36) grabbed the lead in the third and never looked back. Eric Farris hit a grounder to first and beat out the relay on the attempted double play, allowing Eric Fryer to score from third for a 1-0 advantage. Caleb Gindl sent the first pitch her saw over the right-center field fence for a two-run home run in the fourth and a 3-0 edge. Farris drove in another run in the fifth and Eric Haydel, who singled, scored on an error for a 5-0 lead. Farris, who went 1-for-3, knocked in his third run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh as the Power went ahead 6-0 and Fryer's RBI double in the eighth completed the scoring. The Power, which earned just its third home win since May 10, improved to 10-19 at the APP. West Virginia entered Wednesday with the worst home record in the 16-team league. "It's two wins in a row now,'' Anundsen said. "I think we're turning a corner. Now I think we're going to start playing some real ball.'' POWER POINTS: Power infielder Zelous Wheeler extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the fourth. ... West Virginia catcher Jonathan Lucroy also singled in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to nine games. ... The Power will begin a four-game series against the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers at 7:05 tonight (6:05 Central). West Virginia will send left-hander Chris Cody (2-0, 1.08 ERA), who was named last week's Sally League pitcher of the week, to the mound while Greensboro (37-29) will counter with righty Brett Durand (6-3, 4.57). Caleb Gindl (right) gets a hand from Power manager Jeff Isom after smacking a two-run home run. Charleston Gazette Photo by Chip Ellis http://www.wvgazette.com/images/thumbs275/PowerK3_G0806113ch23o.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Stars pitchers steal thunder By Jeff Elliott, The Florida Times-Union Hitting is a big reason why Huntsville is on top of the Southern League's North Division. But a dominant pitching performance by Stars left-hander Steve Hammond stole the show in Wednesday's 5-0 victory over the Jacksonville Suns at the Baseball Grounds. Hammond turned in his 11th consecutive outing of at least six innings as he held the Suns scoreless on just two hits over 6 2/3 innings. Hammond's share of the shutout was preserved by Stars relievers Juan Sandoval and Omar Aguilar, who finished the victory with 2 1/3 hitless innings in relief. While former Bishop Kenny standout Mat Gamel and ex-Florida All-American Matt LaPorta drew the most attention from family members and friends among a slim turnout of 1,910, Hammond drew the most raves. He allowed a first-inning double to Jamie Hoffmann and a third-inning single to Ivan DeJesus Jr., but little else. "I had good fastball command and I had a pretty good working changeup," said Hammond, a 26-year-old lefty who's in his second season at the Double-A level. "I got a lot of early-count outs tonight and that helped." It was the second strong outing for Hammond against the Suns this season. He went six innings on April 24 and allowed just five hits and one run, but didn't gain the win in the Stars' eventual 11-3 win. "It's nice because when we come out and score first; that's always a good thing for a pitcher," he said. "That enables you to relax a little bit. It's something we've been pretty consistent at all year." The win kept the Stars, hitting .303 as a team, one game ahead of West Tenn with four games remaining in the North Division's first-half pennant chase. Birmingham, which has already clinched the South Division first-half title, ended third-place Carolina's slim hopes of catching Huntsville with a 7-2 win over the Mudcats.

Video News Report from West Virginia on Jonathan Lucroy Click on this link, then click "Watch Story Video"

Link while active, text follows: The makings of a Star By GENE FRENETTE The Florida (Jacksonville) Times-Union Mat Gamel's first appearance Wednesday night as a professional ballplayer in his hometown of Jacksonville comes at a time when everything is close to perfect in his baseball world. The Huntsville Stars third baseman and Bishop Kenny High graduate is a rising star in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system. Gamel, after putting together a 33-game hitting streak last year in the pitcher-friendly Class A Florida State League, is now tearing up the Southern League with a top-two standing in every Triple Crown category. He's on the fast track to becoming Jacksonville's next big-leaguer, an amazing feat considering that Gamel almost gave up baseball four years ago. You'd never know looking at Gamel's current statistics with Huntsville (.376 batting average, 14 home runs, 60 RBI) that he almost resigned himself to never picking up a bat after a nightmarish 2004 season at Daytona Beach Community College. Gamel, who went 1-for-3 in Huntsville's 5-0 win over the Jacksonville Suns on Wednesday, was unexpectedly released from the DBCC program midway through 2004 by coach Tim Touma, leaving a dismayed bench-warmer to wonder if he had a future in the sport. Gamel says his mother, Ceri, called his high school coach, Tommy Edwards, to ask about the rule about when Mat could start talking to other schools about a transfer. The Gamel family claims it was an innocent inquiry to prepare him for a possible change. But when Touma found out that Gamel was thinking about leaving, the coach immediately dismissed him from the team. "I was ready to quit baseball after that. I'm glad I didn't," Gamel said while seated in his parents' Neptune Beach home Tuesday night. "I could tell going through that season they probably weren't going to renew my scholarship. It definitely made me a stronger person, to overcome the worst baseball year of my life." Touma verified Gamel's account of his dismissal in a Wednesday phone interview, but he says despite the tough circumstances over Gamel's departure, Touma admires his ex-player for orchestrating one of baseball's stunning turnarounds. "I have no ill will toward [Gamel]," Touma said. "While I'm not happy with the way things ended here, Mat has taken advantage of every opportunity given him since he left. It's a great story." Here's the remarkable part: In just 14 months, Gamel went from having minimal playing time and being kicked off his junior college team to being handed a $200,000 signing bonus as the Brewers' fourth-round draft pick. "The [baseball] draft wasn't even a thought in our minds at that point [after Gamel's dismissal from DBCC]," Ceri said. But one thing Gamel knew about his game is he could always hit. It was just a matter of finding the right situation, which turned out to be a one-year stop at Chipola Junior College. The same third baseman who was stuck behind DBCC's Marquez Smith, a future Clemson star now in Class A ball with the Peoria Chiefs (Cubs), became the state's Junior College Player of the Year in 2005. Gamel's redemption included hitting a home run against his former team to help Chipola reach the state championship game. "I'm not a power hitter, but I've got power if pitchers don't make a good pitch," Gamel said. "In Double-A, I'm seeing a lot more pitches around the strike zone and it's easier for me to hit." At every minor-league stop, the 6-foot, 205-pound Gamel has continued to put up impressive offensive statistics, so much so that left-handed slugger and teammate Matt LaPorta, an ex-University of Florida standout, are considered two of the best prospects in the Brewers' organization. They're part of a Stars lineup that features the top four hitters in the Southern League and the leading home run hitter in LaPorta (18). "The man [Gamel] can hit. He can hit left-handers as good as righties because he stays on the ball. He's got a great approach," Stars manager Don Money said. "The one spot the Brewers have is the third-base spot. If he keeps hitting like that, he's next in line." What Gamel hasn't had until this season is much confidence in his fielding, which had been a weakness because of a propensity to make errant throws to first base. Last year, Gamel made 53 errors at Class A Brevard County, but has cut that total to 12 near the midway point this season. Gamel credits Money, a former Brewers third baseman, with helping him to improve his defensive mechanics. "It got to the point warming up [on the field before an inning] where I couldn't throw a ball to first base," Gamel said. "It got crazy. I'd get the yips. My fielding is night-and-day better from what it was." It's hard to look at Gamel's game now and see a lot of flaws. The kid whose baseball career appeared to be going nowhere at age 18 just might be the Milwaukee Brewers' third baseman of the future. Mat Gamel still carries a chip on his shoulder from being cut from his first junior college team. In retrospect, the worst year of his baseball life might be the best thing that ever happened to him. Photo by JON M. FLETCHER/The Times-Union Huntsville's Mat Gamel, a former Bishop Kenny standout, has a chance to win the Southern League triple crown. http://www.jacksonville.com/images/mdControlled/cms/2008/06/12/289392567.jpg

Final: Huntsville 5, Jacksonville (Dodgers) 0 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Stars Stay on Top in Division Hammond Helps Stars Subdue Suns By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Steve Hammond tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings and combined on a two-hit shutout with two relievers, as Huntsville blanked Jacksonville 5-0 Wednesday night in the opener of a five-game set at the Baseball Grounds. The Stars improved to 40-26 on the season and maintained their one-game lead over West Tenn in the North Division with four left to play in the first half. Huntsville has won all six games between the teams this season and won for just a second time in 11 tries in Jacksonville since the start of their lone visit during the 2006 season. Suns' starter B.J. LaMura retired the first nine hitters he faced before Michael Brantley and Alcides Escobar opened the fourth with singles. Mat Gamel then followed with a base hit to score Brantley to make it 1-0 Huntsville and advance Escobar to third base. Gamel became the first player in minor league baseball this season to reach 100 hits and he also reached that plateau faster than any other player in Stars' history. Angel Salome delivered a scoring fly ball to plate Escobar to make it 2-0. Escobar reached with one out in the sixth on a throwing error by fellow shortstop Ivan DeJesus, Jr., stole second base and remained there when Gamel walked. Salome advanced the runners a base with a ground ball out before Matt LaPorta doubled to deep left-center field to chase home both runners to make it 4-0. Cole Gillespie then singled into right field to drive in LaPorta to knock in his first run in eight days and complete the three-run rally. LaMura was tagged with the loss after yielding five runs, two earned, on six hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked two in his third start of the season. Hammond gave up a one-out single to DeJesus, Jr. in the third and then walked James Tomlin before striking out Jamie Hoffman and getting Mark Bellhorn to line out to third on a diving catch by Gamel. The southpaw did not allow another hit and did not permit another runner to reach second base before being removed after issuing a walk to Gabriel Gutierrez with two outs in the seventh. Juan Sandoval took over and struck out Matthew Berezay to end the inning and retired the side in order in the eighth. Hammond improved to 7-3 after allowing two hits, walking four and fanning three. He has yielded only one unearned run over 13 1/3 frames in his last two starts. Omar Aguilar opened the ninth on the hill and retired Bellhorn before issuing a walk to Russell Mitchell. The young right-hander got Shane Justis to bounce into a force out at second base before walking Adam Godwin and Gutierrez on eight pitches to load the bases. Aguilar then struck out Berezay to end the game and complete the Stars' fifth shutout of the season. The series continues Thursday night with left-hander Derek Miller taking the hill against Suns' southpaw Cody White, making his second double-A start. Coverage of the game begins at 5:50 pm central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com. Huntsville Box Score Steve Hammond walked four but was otherwise outstanding; not many shutouts occur when you walk seven, as Hammond and Aguilar combined to do... Huntsville Game Log

Final: Lakeland (Tigers) 7, Brevard County 4 Brevard County Box Score Jeremy Jeffress with a start uncannily remiscent of his start on May 26th, when things just snowballed after a dominant effort -- actually, dominant doesn't do Jeffress' first four innings justice, please be sure to review the game log below; Rafael Lluberes did Jeremy no favors, allowing a bases-loaded triple to the first man he faced; Jeffress hit two batters -- that'll leave a mark; Taylor Green is getting more than a little break in the field with these DH stints lately (four games in a row), somthing must be keeping him from playing defense -- the last time he did, he was pinch-run for in the 9th inning after reaching on a single; Brevard County Game Log The Manatees had the tying run at the plate with none out in the 9th -- not to be...

Final: West Virginia 7, Kannapolis (White Sox) 0 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER RECORD FIRST SHUTOUT OF THE SEASON The West Virginia Power were the only team in the South Atlantic League without a shutout heading into Wednesday's game against the Kannapolis Intimidators at Appalachian Power Park, where they received great pitching performances from Evan Anundsen and Reed Dickert who combined to toss a seven-hit shutout as the Power defeated the Intimidators 7-0. Eric Farris reached on a fielder's choice in the third inning which scored Eric Fryer to give the Power a 1-0 lead. Caleb Gindl hit a two-run homer off Miguel Socolovich one inning later, his sixth of the season, to give the Power a 3-0 edge. Farris singled in Fryer in the fifth inning and Matt Cline reached on Socolovich's error later in the inning which allowed Lee Haydel to score. Haydel began the seventh inning with a triple and scored on Farris's sacrifice fly, giving him three RBI on the night. The Power added another run in the eighth inning when Fryer drove in Gindl on a double. Anundsen (5-4) induced three double plays while tossing six and a third scoreless innings of seven-hit ball and struck out a season high eight batters to get the victory. In his last two starts he's allowed two runs on 11 hits over 11 and a third with 14 strikeouts. Reed Dickert did not allow a run or a hit over the final two and two-thirds. Socolovich (0-3) gave up five runs on six hits over five innings and was tagged with the loss. The Power improved to 29-36 with the win and the Intimidators fell to 28-38 with the loss. Six Power players hit safely. Haydel paced the Power with three hits and Gindl chipped in with two. Lucroy extended his hitting streak to nine games with a base hit in the fourth inning and Zelous Wheeler singled in the fourth as well to bring his hitting streak to 11 games. The Power will begin a four game series with the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Appalachian Power Park on Thursday night. Left hander Chris Cody (2-0, 1.08) will get the start for the Power and the Grasshoppers will counter with right hander Brett Durand (6-3, 4.57). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score What a fine start for Evan Anundsen, as noted above -- the groundout ratio for the just-turned 20-year-old grows to 2.54 with a few more K's sprinkled in as of late; Reed Dickert, 24 years old later this month, is one who needs to find his way back to Brevard -- he stranded two of Anundsen's runners when he entered; Caleb Gindl has his OBP up to .354; Lee Haydel hitting .343 over his last eight games; we didn't help David Fonseca's cause with our earlier comment -- he was 0-for-4 with four K's... West Virginia Game Log

MiLB.com: Gamel to stay at Double-A Huntsville By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com HOUSTON -- The Brewers are content to let third-base prospect Mat Gamel rake in the Double-A Southern League. Gamel was named the league's Topps Player of the Month in a vote by Southern League managers after he batted .387 in May with 28 RBIs. Hitting at the heart of one of Minor League Baseball's best offensive teams, Gamel entered Wednesday batting a league-best .376 with 14 home runs and 59 RBIs. Triple-A Nashville lost its third baseman late last month when the Brewers promoted Russell Branyan to the Major Leagues. Nonetheless, Gamel is staying put. "We discussed that at the Draft [last week], and the feeling is that we should let him stay at Double-A," Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said. "Double-A, especially the Southern League, is a very solid pitching league, and we're probably going to leave him there and let him have an outstanding year there -- let him dominate." The Brewers have taken this tack before. Corey Hart, Milwaukee's current right fielder, spent all of 2003 at Huntsville, leading the league with 149 hits, 40 doubles and 94 RBIs, and winning Southern League MVP honors. "The Southern League is a very good development league," Ash said. "In our opinion, there's not a whole lot to gain by moving [Gamel] to Triple-A at this point." Leaving him at Huntsville extends Gamel's defensive work with Stars manager Don Money, a former Brewers third baseman and a four-time Major League All-Star. Money set a Major League record in 1977 with 261 straight errorless chances at third base, and he still holds a Major League mark with 88 consecutive errorless games at that position, a record he set in the 1973-74 seasons. Gamel, 22, remains a defensive work in progress. He was charged with 15 errors in his first 64 games this season, an improvement from 2007 at Class A Brevard County, where he committed 53 errors in 128 games. Most of those mistakes were throwing errors. "That's a big factor," Ash said of the Gamel-Money partnership. "He's shown improvement there, and Garth Iorg, our roving infield instructor, has seen him there and told me there is no doubt in his mind that [Gamel] will play third base in the big leagues. "That was one of the goals we laid out in the beginning of the year -- that by the end of the season, we had to firm in our minds whether he could or couldn't. It's certainly leaning to the view that he can play third base and he can play it well." The Brewers selected Gamel, a left-handed hitter, in the fourth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. He went three rounds after the Brewers used the fifth overall pick on Ryan Braun, another third baseman with an advanced bat and raw glove. Gamels' Huntsville club entered play Wednesday with a one-game lead in the Southern League North Division with five games remaining in the first half. The Stars batted .306 in May to become the Southern League's first team to collectively hit over .300 for a full calendar month since June 2005. Gamel and 2007 first-round Draft pick Matt LaPorta have gotten most of the attention. LaPorta was tops in the Southern League with 18 home runs through Tuesday, followed by Gamel's 14. Gamel leads the league in RBIs, with LaPorta five behind at 54. Huntsville players owned the league's top four batting averages, with Gamel leading the way and followed by catcher Angel Salome (.372), center fielder Michael Brantley (.337) and shortstop Alcides Escobar (.333). The team also owned four of the top six spots in terms of OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), with Gamel (1.097) again leading the league, followed by LaPorta (third, 1.028), Salome (fourth, 1.000) and first baseman Chris Errecart (sixth, .888). "There's some guys that are having very good years that aren't getting any notoriety whatsoever because they pale in comparison to some of their teammates," Ash said, who named second baseman Michael Bell and Brantley as examples. With Gamel staying put and Branyan in the big leagues, the Triple-A Nashville Sounds will continue to play musical third basemen. Adam Heether, Brad Nelson, Eric Munson and Chris Woodward all have seen action there this season. Mat Gamel leads the Southern League in batting, RBIs, slugging and runs scored. (Tony Farlow/MLB.com) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2008/06/03/6pnKHfg9.jpg