Jim Goulart

Another interesting version of the Max St. Pierre story.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Memphis 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Nashville 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Omaha 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Chattanooga 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Huntsville 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Tennessee 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - West Tenn 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Daytona 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Jupiter 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Palm Beach 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - St. Lucie 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Vero Beach 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Greensboro 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Hagerstown 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Hickory 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Lake County 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Lakewood 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Lexington 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - West Virginia 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 -

Bump

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): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf We'll have to see if Huntsville continues to post theirs within the Stars' new website format.

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_04_03_nasaaa_nozaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_03_msbaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_03_breafa_dbcafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_03_wvaafx_hicafx_1

While it's a bummer that Brevard County does not have its own on-air audio deal after we were spoiled for a year, it does appear that there will still be more opportunities that in past years (other than 2007, of course) to hear the Manatees, albeit via the opponents' feed without the insights we seek on Manatee players. Daytona, tonight's opponent, has long had on-air radio. It looks as though Palm Beach, Vero Beach, and Jupiter have web-only broadcasts this season. That really is something Manatees' staff needs to look into. Costs should be minimal, especially considering there are likely dozens of aspiring college-age broadcasters in Brevard who would volunteer for the chance to gain that type of experience.

Thursday's Daily Menu: Milwaukee day game, so it's the kids all evening! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Zach Jackson at New Orleans (Mets), 6:40 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: TBD at home vs. Mississippi (Braves), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: RHP Mike McClendon at Daytona (Cubs), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 PM gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 West Virginia: RHP Roque Mercedes at Hickory (Pirates), 5:20 PM pre-game, 5:30 gametime Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

We're back! Welcome back to yet another season of Brewerfan.net Link Reports. For nearly eight years, we've been your all-encompassing daily source for Brewer Minor League news -- from schedule info, pitching matchups, audio links, interview archives, media notes, standings, transactions, box scores, game logs, recaps, local media reports, and a partridge in a pear tree. Why do we do this? Well, because we can, since after all, sleep is so overrated http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. We continue to hear from players, friends and family over the years, along with many within the Brewer organization and some in the Brewer media (thanks Jim Powell and Adam McCalvy) who make us a daily habit, so that's a nice reward for us. And the pay is top notch! Each day's Link Report with that day's schedule will normally kick off around lunch time. Some mornings, we'll have all the updates in from the night prior before you even wake up. Other days, it may be closer to late-morning for the updates -- we do have "real" lives, you know. And some of the newspaper sites don't update until mid-morning, anyway. We will remind you that the Link Report is not an "In-Game Thread" times four (or times six this summer). While your comments are welcome, we expect any non-staff comments to be insightful and to add to the general flow of the report. We won't play Link Report Police -- except for 2008 newcomers, we think everyone knows what the "Report" is all about, so we do welcome comments similar to what we've seen in past years. You all know the drill. (We are particularly interested to have first-hand accounts, or comments from those who heard the audio live.) Between Brad (pogokat), Patrick (colbyjack), and a rejuvenated Toby (And That), the staff is looking forward to making this year's Link Reports as convenient and informative as always -- perhaps imitated, but certainly never duplicated, because no one else is as insane to try. Enough of the intro, to all the kids on the farm this year -- best wishes, you know we'll be listening, watching, reading. One last thing -- Happy Birthday, Mom!

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Link while active, text follows: New skipper shows Manatees 'respect' Veteran minor-league manager makes early impression on youngsters BY JIM CAWLEY FLORIDA TODAY Yes, these are your Brevard County Manatees. Featuring a new manager, general manager and a roster of about 75 percent new players, the Manatees set out to defend their Florida State League East Division championship today when they travel to Daytona Beach for their regular-season opener against the Cubs. The home opener at Space Coast Stadium is Saturday at 7:00 PM (6:00 PM Central) against the Palm Beach Cardinals. Mike Guerrero takes over as manager, replacing 2007 FSL Manager of the Year John Tamargo. Guerrero has spent 22 years in the Brewers organization, including the past 14 as a manager. Last season, Guerrero led the West Virginia Power to the best regular-season record in the South Atlantic League, which is one level below the FSL. Like the Manatees, the Power were beaten in the finals. Managing in places like West Virginia -- and the Arizona Rookie League before that -- Guerrero already is familiar with most of his current players. So while the '08 version of the Manatees may take some getting used to for Brevard County fans, that's not the case for its 40-year-old manager. "That does help. But it's a new league for them," Guerrero said. "Baseball is baseball everywhere, but you need to make adjustments." And those adjustments start with the new manager. "I don't have a style -- I adjust every night," Guerrero said. "It depends on what I get from my players; it depends on how everything is going. I just try to get out of their way." First-year GM Kyle Smith, who took over in February after Buck Rogers accepted the same position at Double-A Huntsville, has been impressed with Guerrero in their short time together. "I think he's a great manager for a young team," Smith said. "He can adapt to younger people's ups and downs, and I think he's going to be a very good manager for us here, and in the future." Reliever Travis Wendte played for Guerrero in West Virginia last season before being called up to Brevard County on July 26. Wendte appeared in 11 games for the Manatees, going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA. "(Guerrero) values hard work. He makes sure that everyone does the little things right," Wendte said. "He's a great teacher, and he knows the game real well." Guerrero's teachings don't include a long list of rules. "You play the game right; you play the game professionally," Guerrero said. "You've got to respect the game. You don't embarrass your team, yourself or anybody because this is our way of living. "You take care of the game, the game will take care of you -- that's my only rule." Gone from the Manatees are players like Mat Gamel, Cole Gillespie, Chris Errecart, Mike Bell, Ben Stanczyk and David Welch -- all of whom were promoted to Huntsville. In their places are a host of new names -- with some exceptions. Fans from last season will remember pitchers Rafael Lluberes, Mike McClendon, Josh Wahpepah and Wendte, catcher Anderson De La Rosa, infielder Yohannis Perez and outfielders Lorenzo Cain, Charlie Fermaint and Darren Ford. Of the several newcomers, who are players to keep an eye on? Guerrero wasn't revealing his hand. "Yeah, there are 25 guys out there that you need to keep your eye on," he said. "All of my team -- even my batboy, to the clubhouse guy, is important to me. I have no preference. Everyone is the same; everyone is important." Cain is one guy who figures to lead the way. The 21-year-old, who batted .276 with 21 doubles and 24 stolen bases for the Manatees in 2007, said his goal is to hit over .300 and steal 30-40 bases this season. "I'm going to do my best to show leadership for the team; try to help us win more games and see how far we can go," Cain said. "I just want to try to have fun, not to be as tense as I was last year." Wahpepah is a two-time FSL All-Star who should stabilize the bullpen. A former starter and reliever, the 23-year-old righty believes he has found his niche as a reliever. In 41 appearances last season -- 39 in a relief role -- Wahpepah was 9-5 with a 3.26 ERA. "I think we'll have a good group," he said. "We've got a lot of young guys and a couple old guys here to mix in, so it should be pretty good chemistry. And that usually leads to a good team." The Manatees won the first half division championship last season, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2001. They defeated the St. Lucie Mets two games to one in the East Division finals before losing to the Clearwater Threshers 3-1 in the championship. http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&Date=20080403&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=804030321&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0 Photo by Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY

Link while active, text follows: New GM puts fun atop lineup Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times The standard signs of rules and regulations posted in baseball stadiums everywhere are taking on a bit of whimsy at Joe Davis Stadium this summer. Witness No. 7: "No Grumpy People Allowed." Had that been enforced the last several years at the home of the Huntsville Stars, not only would the press box have sat empty, but the already anemic attendance figures would have dropped to critical stage. Even with unprecedented on-the-field success, the stadium has been a mausoleum, the atmosphere as uninspiring as a two-hour lecture on Chaucer. A different atmosphere now envelopes the franchise. It comes courtesy of Buck Rogers, the Stars' indefatigable new general manager. Said director of promotions Matt Price of Rogers, "The toughest thing for us is to keep up with Buck. The hamster on that wheel goes 100 miles an hour." A benediction to many of his conversations is a quick "Rock on!" instead of goodbye. Joe Davis Stadium is about to rock. The previous regimes were content to let baseball sell itself. Promotions have been on the conservative side. Whether the trying some outrageous things to rekindle interest will work - whether it's even too late to work to salvage a long future for minor league baseball in this city - remains to be seen. Rogers refuses to be flummoxed by the aging stadium - the oldest in the Southern League - that doesn't have the fan-friendly aspects of more modern parks. "If you take your house and clean it up and make it fun-filled, it doesn't matter if you're throwing a party at the Taj Mahal or in a little one-room sack down a dirt road," he said. "People are going to remember the party, not the house." Rogers' reputation preceded him here. Fans have already asked about tattoos, knowing that while at Daytona he offered lifetime admission to fans who agreed to have a Cubs' logo tattoo. They have asked about taking a shot at the Guinness Book of World Records, with the most people taking part in a ceremonial first pitch. Rogers plans that for sometime in August. "The excitement I've seen among the fans ... I haven't seen here in a long time," said Price. Rogers' goal is simple: "I'm going to take care of the 90 percent of the crowd that is looking for an option to stretch the entertainment dollar that is shrinking daily, to have an option in town that is not going to bankrupt them, and let them have fun and to go away with a childhood memory." Rogers knows that despite all the rules and regulations there may be some grumpy people still. There are the purists to consider. Some people like their ice cream nice and simple, without chocolate syrup and sprinkles and whipped cream. Some people like their baseball without goofy contests and loud music and obnoxious mascots. "They're going to come here and they're going to get mad at me if I do some stupid promotion," Rogers said. "But they're going to find out there's a fan inside them that says, 'Hey, this is a good idea.' "Give me a chance," he said. "The baseball purists, ride it out with me. I guarantee you're going to have fun. You may not smile. You may not like it. But underneath, deep inside, there's a kid waiting to get out. You won't have a bad time. I'll guarantee it." Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com or visit his al.com blog at http://blog.al.com/mccarter

Link while active, text follows: Prime prospects Big men on campus, LaPorta and Gillespie, face Double-A "acid test" By BRAD SHEPARD For the Huntsville Times They've thrived on college baseball's biggest stage, parlayed amateur fame into major league prospect status and burst onto the professional scene. But when Huntsville newcomers Matt LaPorta and Cole Gillespie open the Stars' season tonight at Joe Davis Stadium against Mississippi, the microscope focuses. "I think Double-A is the real acid test," said Milwaukee Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik, who drafted both collegiate superstars. "Then, the clock really starts ticking on them. Double-A is the true proving ground." LaPorta, who'll bat cleanup, enters the seasons as the Brewers' top-rated prospect, according to Baseball America. Gillespie is rated No. 6 in the organization. They'll man the corner outfield positions. So far, the tandem has proven Zduriencik knows what he's doing. Of course, when his draft history includes Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun, few question his decisions. That wasn't the case last year when Zduriencik took power-hitting LaPorta with the seventh overall pick out of the University of Florida. Second-guessers wondered whether LaPorta was picked too early based on some projections as a second-rounder. And with 23-year-old Fielder in the majors, why did the Brewers need another first baseman? Plus, what about dealing with LaPorta's agent Scott Boras? Zduriencik had done his homework. The Brewers had LaPorta drive from Gainesville to Single-A Brevard several days before the draft for a private workout in the outfield, and scouts informed the Brewers that the position transition could go smoothly. "We liked him all along," Zduriencik said. "We thought about that big power bat on such a great kid, so we rolled the dice that he could play outfield. "We shook a lot of heads when we did it, but we felt comfortable with it." Milwaukee informed LaPorta he'd be picked at No. 7 if he would agree to sign at slot price - roughly $2 million. LaPorta had been though the process before, getting drafted twice previously - in the 14th round by the Cubs and again by the Red Sox after an oblique tear led to a miserable junior season. Both times, he decided to stay in Florida. "If I'd have signed with the Cubs, I tell people I don't think I would have made it," said LaPorta, who holds the distinction as the SEC's only two-time player of the year. "I don't think I was mentally tough enough to make the grind every day. "In college, I dealt with a lot of failure. You fail so much in this game, and if you learn how to deal with that, you're going to do well." The "failures" of LaPorta and Gillespie were far outnumbered by their successes. LaPorta led the Gators to the College World Series championship series in 2005 before losing to Texas. After signing last year, he skyrocketed through Single-A, ripping 10 home runs in 23 games. "It was good to be able to come into professional baseball after not playing a couple of months and get right back in the swing of things," LaPorta said. Though not as powerful as LaPorta, Gillespie's resume reads similarly. The 2006 Pac-10 player of the year was the catalyst for an Oregon State team that won that CWS. The All-American left fielder led the Beavers in most offensive categories. The Brewers took him in the third round of the '06 draft, and Gillespie tore up Helena by hitting .344 with eight homers in 51 games. In his first full season in Brevard last year, he hit .267 with 12 homers and 62 RBIs. "Cole, we see as an all-around player and a very mature player in all aspects of the game," said Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash. "He's a player we think very highly of." He and LaPorta are just faces in a crowd of potential stars in Huntsville. The Stars boast five of the Brewers' top 10 prospects, and along with LaPorta and 20-year-old Michael Brantley, Gillespie rounds out a formidable outfield. "We looked at the roster, and everybody can hit throughout the order," Gillespie said. "We're probably not going to be the quickest outfield around, but we're definitely going to make good decisions out there. Hopefully, this club's going to be built on some offense." Following the Brewers' recent series of stellar draft picks, it's LaPorta's and Gillespie's turn to see if they will be the next in a line. "To me, with their rankings, that's just somebody rating them, but I look at a guy and say, 'He can play,' or 'He can't play,'" Stars manager Don Money said. "Now, this is when it counts."

Link while active, text follows: Brewer's logjam leaves Sounds' veterans waiting their turn By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Call it a bottleneck. As the Nashville Sounds open Pacific Coast League play Thursday at New Orleans, five of the players on their 24-man active roster are headed into their third or fourth season with the Milwaukee Brewers' top minor league affiliate. With so many youngsters beginning to assume prominent roles with the Brewers, though - eight of the big league club's 25 active players are 26 or younger - talented players are starting to see a logjam in the organization. "I guess we were fortunate early on with the Brewers' situation when we first got drafted and how fast we were able to move up," said Nashville first baseman Brad Nelson, 25, who first joined the Sounds in 2005 as a fifth-year professional and has since hit 30 home runs and driven in 121 with the club. "Some of those guys are up in the majors now. "We have been here a few years." Nelson's "we" also includes Sounds catcher Vinny Rottino, relievers Steve Bray and Mitch Stetter - all 27-year-olds - and starter Zach Jackson. The 24-year-old left-handed Jackson will take the mound Thursday against New Orleans, marking his second straight Sounds' Opening Day start - a dubious achievement matched by Bill Dawley (1978-79) and Rodney Imes (1990-91). "It's bittersweet," Jackson admitted of his assignment. "It's nice to be the first guy up, but you don't want to be breaking any records for consecutive Opening Day starts at Triple-A." Of the five, Jackson, Rottino and Stetter have all spent some time in Milwaukee during their professional careers. Bray, meanwhile, is the only one who is not a member of the Brewers' 40-man roster. As a result, his minor league contract would have to be purchased by the team in order to call him up to the major leagues. Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas acknowledged the uniqneness of having five players set to spend their third seasons with the same Triple-A club. "Usually by the time you get up here, you're older - might be a free-agent type, might be leaving," he said. Each of them, though, has had some success during previous Nashville stints. Rottino has hit .303 with 20 homers and 97 RBI since arriving in 2005, while Stetter, as a left-handed specialist, has a 4.37 earned run average with four wins in 102 appearances. Jackson has compiled 15 victories during parts of the 2006 and '07 campaigns. Bray is 7-2, with a 1.54 earned run average in 63 appearances. Although they've all been solid at times at the Class AAA level, they've all got some work ahead of them to make that next step. "You can't control what's going on up there," Jackson said. "You've just got to take care of business down here. We're all still fairly young, not old by any means. We're the next ones up on the ladder. we've got to wait for our chance." The extra experience should be an advantage for the sounds and for the individual players, Kremblas said, particularly Nelson and Rottino. "As a pitcher, you're pretty much doing what you're going to have to do for anybody," he said. "As a position player, you can get the idea of what your manager wants, what his philosophy is, things like that. That'll be the biggest thing for our new guys that haven't played for me before - getting used to my style, how aggressive I am."

Do any of you MLB.TV guys make use of MLB Mosaic? It keeps saying it's temporarily unavailable -- I haven't got it to work yet this season. I like it because I can watch the TV feed while then running the standard MLB player for Bob & Jim's audio feed. EDIT: They've been having issues with it -- we'll see.

RHP Will Cunnane was signed by Newark of the independent Atlantic League. Winnipeg of the independent Northern League released RHP Patrick Lawler.

Hi Tim, when the last Power 50 of 2007 came out, Luis Pena was heading towards minor league free agency (as was Brad Nelson, for that matter). We knew that the October P50 would be the final one until April, so we made the "technical" decision to not include Pena and Nelson in the P50 at that time. Of course, within a couple of weeks, the Brewers added Pena and Nelson to the 40-man, making Pena's omission in particular a bit of a glaring omission. Pena's previous high on the P50 was # 17 in 2005. We'll be re-examining that part of our October rankings in the future to avoid a similar situation.

Link while active, text follows: Power pitcher overcomes injury Amaury Rivas will start on the mound Friday by Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter For many baseball pitchers trying to recover from a serious arm injury, the biggest obstacle to overcome isn't the injury itself. More often than not, the mental aspect of the recovery is the toughest part of getting back on the mound. Fortunately for West Virginia Power pitcher Amaury Rivas, his biggest obstacle appears to be patience. Rivas, a 22-year-old right-hander, tore his ulnar collateral ligament after just 8 2/3 innings of work in six appearances at rookie league Arizona last June. Now, just 10 months removed from the potentially career-threatening injury, Rivas appears primed and ready to go as the Power prepares for Thursday's season opener in Hickory, N.C. "He looks confident and not afraid to throw the ball," Power pitching coach John Curtis said. "Some guys get a little scared because they think something's going to snap in there again, but Amaury seems to have overcome that." Indeed he has. "I'm not scared," Rivas said via the translation of Power infielder David Fonseca. "I throw the ball hard every time. Some guys get scared because they don't want to really let it loose, but that doesn't get into my head. I let it loose every time. "My elbow is very, very good. It's strong." After UCL replacement surgery last summer, an operation in which a tendon from his left wrist was implanted in his right elbow, Rivas' biggest challenge was rebuilding the arm strength that was lost during the post-surgery recovery period. "The toughest part about it is that I had to work twice as hard to build up strength in the arm," said Rivas, who will start for the Power on Friday evening. "My elbow is good and strong now. I'm throwing around 94 (mph) now." Signed as a non-drafted free agent in February 2005, Rivas features a fastball, slider and changeup in his pitching repertoire. Entering his fourth professional season, the first three of which were spent in rookie league, Rivas sports a career record of 8-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 118 innings pitched. "He had a wonderful spring training where he threw hard with no ill effects with the elbow," Curtis said. "Right now, it looks like he's going to start game two in a tandem with Rob Bryson. "He's got a good arm. The biggest thing for Amaury is that he remained healthy this spring. He threw hard and often during spring training. But we'll be careful with him. He'll be pitching in a tandem, so that will help us look after him." Tandem or piggyback pitching pairs two starting pitchers together who rotate between starting and relieving roles every fifth day. Bryson is the 11th-ranked prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system, according to the 2008 Baseball America Prospect Handbook. Piggyback pitching helps prevent the overuse of young pitching arms by reducing the number of pitches thrown as the pitcher develops. "I don't care," Rivas said of sharing innings with Bryson. "I'm just going to pitch when they tell me to pitch and stay out there as long as I can." For now, Rivas' biggest challenge will be getting used to his first full season (140 games) of professional baseball. "The hard part about it now is that I've got to come back and play a full season," Rivas said. "Now I've got to play a long season. "It's a little tough, but I worked hard and my elbow feels a lot stronger now." For Curtis, the biggest challenge when dealing with Rivas isn't protecting his pitching arm, it's helping to corral the emotions that seem to overflow from time to time when the competitive Dominican Republic native toes the rubber. "I call him 'the baby bull' because he will go out there and take on the world for you," Curtis said. "He's a battler and a great competitor, but his biggest problem is that he gets really worked up and emotional when he's on the mound. "The only negative side to Amaury's pitching is that he gets carried away with his emotions and loses his sense of what needs to get done. He gets a little hung up on what he wants to do and forgets he can only do so much. "I haven't worked with him very long, so we'll have to see how he carries himself in the game. "I know that if he gets knocked around a little bit, he seems to get a little angry, so we'll have to watch for that and help calm him down." * * * With its 5-3 win, the Power survived a scare from the West Virginia University Tech Golden Bears in an exhibition game Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park. The Golden Bears had runners at the corners with no outs in the ninth inning when Jose Santiago grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that scored their final run. Gerardo Hernandez hit a solo home run for the Golden Bears. Jonathan Lucroy delivered a two-run home run for the Power. Kurt Crowell had an RBI triple, Lee Haydel had an RBI single (one of his three hits) and Scott Houin had an RBI sacrifice fly. The Power will open the season on the road at 6:30 PM Thursday (5:30 Central) with the first of a four-game series against the Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium. The Crawdads will start right-hander Duke Welker. The Power will counter with right-hander Roque Mercedes.

Florida Today: The Brevard County Manatees will kick off the Florida State League season Thursday at Daytona. After a two-game series against the Cubs, Brevard County returns home to play Palm Beach in Saturday's home opener (7:00 PM, 6:00 Central) at Space Coast Stadium. In Tuesday's six-inning exhibition game, the Manatees defeated Florida Tech 5-1. http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&Date=20080402&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=804020337&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0 Photo by Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY Brevard County Manatees' first baseman Stephen Chapman delivers a hit during Tuesday's exhibition game against Florida Tech at Space Coast Stadium.

Link while active, text follows: Sounds shake off their rust, beat Belmont in exhibition Triple-A team has five hits in warmup By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer For the Nashville Sounds, Tuesday night's exhibition game against Belmont was a chance to work out a few kinks before opening the season Thursday at Pacific Coast League rival New Orleans. For the Bruins, it was an opportunity to take the field at Greer Stadium with some professional players. Just a few hours removed from their arrivals in town from spring training camp in Phoenix, the Sounds picked up a 4-1, seven-inning victory. "We had some guys that drove," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said. "It was good for them to get out and move around. For all of them, it was good to see some pitches under the lights." The Sounds finished with just five hits against Belmont's Nick Whitaker and Logan Simmons, but four different players got into the act. "It's good to get some at-bats - especially against left-handed pitching," said Nashville leftfielder Hernan Iribarren, who had a pair of singles against the southpaw Whitaker while driving in a run and scoring one. "We're facing a left-hander (Adam Bostick) the first game in New Orleans." Laynce Nix, Ozzie Chavez and Abraham Nunez each added RBI base hits. On the mound, Nashville starter Lindsey Gulin overcame a first-inning line drive to his hand off the aluminum bat of Bruin centerfielder Carlo Testa and worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Chris Narveson, Ben Howard, Jason Shiell, Tim Dillard and Luis Pena followed with an inning each. "He got a pitch he could handle and he did what a hitter's supposed to do - drove it back up the middle," Gulin said of Testa's shot, which he deflected with his glove hand and retrieved to throw Testa out at first base. Belmont finished with six hits, as Derek Hamblen and Nate Woods each had a pair. Woods tripled off Narveson in the third inning and scored on Hamblen's single for the Bruins' only run. "What was encouraging for me was that we've struggled offensively the last couple of weeks," Belmont Coach Dave Jarvis said. "Also, I felt like our pitchers went out and did a good job executing rather than trying to over-pitch. "It's always a pleasure, playing these guys. They approach the game with such class. That's a reflection on Frank and his coaches."

Charleston Gazette: The Power players, of course, are looking to advance beyond Charleston and move up the baseball ladder but, in the meantime, have found Appalachian Power Park to be an enjoyable temporary home. Right fielder Caleb Gindl, who led the short-season Class A Pioneer League with a .372 average in 2007, earned a promotion to the Power during last year's playoffs and remembers the ballpark as a lively, upbeat place. "Based on the couple days I was here,'' said Gindl, "I told the guys they're going to love it. The people here are just nice, very, very nice.'' Catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who batted .342 in the Pioneer League last year, saw Appalachian Power Park for the first time this week but heard good reports during spring training. "One thing I heard a lot about in Arizona,'' said Lucroy, "was that we have a lot of good fans. It's real loud, that kind of stuff. I'm pretty excited about that. I like playing in front of a lot of people.'' POWER POINTS: Jim Lett, who managed the 1990 Charleston Wheelers to a league championship, is the Power's hitting coach. A Winfield, W.V. native, Lett has spent 14 seasons as a big-league coach. "I've been blessed,'' he said Tuesday. ... The Power will begin a four-game series in Hickory Thursday night and open an eight-game homestand at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) Monday against Augusta. ... Right-hander Roque Mercedes, who split time between Helena of the Pioneer League and Charleston last year, will pitch Thursday's game. Left-hander Mike Ramlow, who was 5-5 with a 6.11 ERA with the Power last season, is scheduled to pitch the home opener. ... In his spring-training conversations, Lucroy heard that Appalachian Power Park is a "launching pad,'' which is baseball vernacular for a ballpark that yields home runs in abundance. ... Infielder Eric Farris, a fourth-round draft choice who batted .326 at Helena last year, suffered a hamstring injury in spring training and has not yet joined the Power. He's expected to miss about a week. Power's projected lineup for Thursday's opener Player, position age Hometown How obtained Key 2007 stat Lee Haydel, cf 20 Birmingham, Ala. 19th round .276 average at Helena Brent Brewer, ss 20 Tyrone, Ga. 2nd round 42 steals with Power Caleb Gindl, rf 19 Pensacola, Fla. 5th round .420 OBP at Helena Jonathan Lucroy, c 21 Umatilla, Fla. 3rd round .342 average at Helena John Alonso, dh 22 Orlando, Fla. 12th round 59 RBIs with Power Steffan Wilson, 3b 21 State College, Pa. 28th round .612 slugging at Helena Zelous Wheeler, 2b 21 Childersburg, Ala. 19th round .300 average at Helena Curt Rindal, 1b 24 Mt. Vernon, Wash. 35th round .324 average at Helena Kurt Crowell, lf 23 Downey, Calif. 38th round .289 average at Helena Opening-night starting pitcher Roque Mercedes (RH) 21 La Romana, D.R. Free agent 3.75 ERA at Helena Photo Gallery (2) Link

Link while active, text follows: It feels like home for Curtis Power pitching coach takes up residence in Charleston By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff writer Sometimes when buying groceries or making a purchase around town, John Curtis pulls out a credit card and his California driver's license. The California license seems to catch people's attention. "People say, 'Oh, you're visiting?' and I say, 'No, I've moved here,' and the first thing they say is 'Why?' '' Curtis said Tuesday afternoon, standing in front of the home dugout at Appalachian Power Park. Curtis, who is beginning his fourth season as West Virginia Power pitching coach, is happy to relate the many reasons he and his wife decided to move from California to Charleston and, if all goes well, will remain here for years to come. In the off-season, they bought a condo at Imperial Towers in South Ruffner, where their patio overlooks the Kanawha River, and he sampled the area's fresh-water fishing spots, venturing out to Paint Creek, the Lower Gauley and Marmet Locks. The 60-year-old Curtis pitched for 15 seasons in the Majors and lived in Boston, St. Louis, San Francisco, San Diego and Anaheim and has worked as a minor-league and college pitching coach in California. More than anything else, he said, West Virginia's people have converted him to a full-time Charleston resident. "The first thing is the kindness and generosity of the people here,'' he said. "We'd lived in California for many years, and it was rare there that you really got to know your neighbors very well, and here perfect strangers are opening themselves up to us and helping out people who are new to this area. And the other thing is the fans here at the ballpark. There are gestures that were just wonderful.'' He was especially delighted that a fan once brought him a jar of homemade apple butter. When he first arrived here in 2005, Curtis immediately liked what he saw but didn't expect to change his year-round residence. "It was such a welcome change for us,'' he said. "My wife is a native Los Angelino, and when she came here I thought we'll see what it's like and then go back to California, but she just fell in love with it here.'' Being assigned to work as pitching coach in Charleston apparently came at the right time. "We had been looking for a place that we felt our souls would belong,'' he said. "And we started to fall in love with it here. I hope it's a relationship that I can continue. I've cherished the time I've had here.'' Photo link

Mini-video of the Power and new hitting coach Jim Lett available at the link you'll see on this page.

Shea fans will not be happy when Wiser gets home later this week...what a lollipop he offered -- Robert Andino first career home run for the Marlins.

West Virginia Press Release: POWER FIGHT OFF GOLDEN BEARS Charleston, WV (April 1, 2008) - WVU Tech kept themselves within striking distance of the West Virginia Power during Tuesday night's exhibition at Appalachian Power Park, but fell two runs short as the Power defeated the Golden Bears 5-3. WVU Tech took the early lead in the top of the third inning on an RBI single from Danny Flores. The Power answered quickly with a pair of runs in the home half of the third. Kurt Crowell tripled off the wall in right field to score Curt Rindal who doubled to begin the inning and Crowell scored the go ahead run on Lee Haydel's base hit. West Virginia added two more on a home run from Jonathan Lucroy in the bottom of the fifth. WVU Tech responded a half inning later on Gerardo Hernandez's solo home run in the sixth inning to make it a 4-2 game. The Power scored their final run in the seventh on Scott Houin's sacrifice fly that scored Haydel. WVU Tech had runners at the corners with nobody out in the ninth inning when Jose Santiago grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that plated their final run of the game before Pedro Lambertus struck out Kevin Whitley to end the contest. The Power used nine pitchers in the game, one for each inning, and the Golden Bears used five. Haydel paced the Power with three hits and Rindal chipped in with a pair of doubles. Danny Flores went 2-for-4 for WVU Tech with a double and an RBI single. The Power will open the season with a four game series against the Hickory Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium on Thursday night. Hickory will start right hander Duke Welker (0-0, 0.00) and the Power will counter with right hander Roque Mercedes (0-0, 0.00). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM (5:30 Central).

Nashville Site: Sounds Defeat Belmont In Exhibition Opener The Nashville Sounds defeated the Belmont Bruins by a 4-1 count in seven innings on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium in the teams' annual exhibition meeting. Hernan Iribarren went 2-for-4 to pace the Nashville offense, the club's lone multiple-hit effort, and Mel Stocker scored a pair of runs. Left-hander Lindsay Gulin, who will open the year as the Sounds' fifth starter, started the contest and worked two scoreless frames to earn the win, allowing three hits and striking out three batters. Veteran infielder Abraham Nunez put the Sounds on the board in the bottom of the second inning when he ripped a 3-2, two-out Nick Whitaker offering back up the middle to plate Stocker with the game's first run. Iribarren doubled the advantage to 2-0 one batter later with an RBI single off Whitaker's glove that plated Ozzie Chavez. Belmont left fielder Derek Hamblen put the Bruins on the board in the top of the third with a hard-hit RBI single back up the middle off Sounds lefty Chris Narveson that plated Nate Woods, who had opened the frame with a triple to right. Nashville made it a 3-1 contest in the fourth when Stocker drew a walk then scored all the way from first on Chavez's single on a heady hustle play on the basepaths. Laynce Nix upped the Sounds' lead to 4-1 later in the frame with a two-out, opposite-field RBI double to left. After Narveson allowed a run in his lone inning, Ben Howard, Jason Shiell, Tim Dillard, and Luis Pena all worked scoreless frames for Nashville to close out the contest, with Pena earning a save. The three-time defending PCL American Conference Northern Division champion Sounds travel to New Orleans tomorrow before opening the 2008 Pacific Coast League season on Thursday evening with a 7 p.m. game against the Zephyrs, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. Left-hander Zach Jackson (11-10, 4.46 in 29 outings for Nashville last season) will serve as the Sounds' Opening Day starter and face New Orleans left-hander Adam Bostick. Nashville returns to Greer Stadium on Friday, April 11, when the Sounds will host their 2008 home opener, a meeting with the division-rival Iowa Cubs. Box Score - Iribarren in LF, Nix in center