Jim Goulart

Welcome aboard and thanks for visiting. No wonder we didn't find anything on Michael Reid earlier -- he goes by Chase. Please disregard the ESPN post -- it listed all Brewer picks and was very incorrect. Please refer to the "Official" thread pinned to the top of this forum. Names in bold have signed. Scroll down and you'll also see articles on White.

Infielder Taylor Green's hometown paper in Canada with a submitted photo: http://web.bcnewsgroup.com/portals/uploads/courtenay/.DIR288/batter__070613.jpg

Hurricane warning: Walk-off base hit, Iribarren! Huntsville wins, 3-2 -- details soon! Nice call, Brett Pollock on the mike...

Final: Hickory (Pirates) 5, West Virginia 2 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Hickory, NC ? The Hickory Crawdads avoided a three game sweep and won their first game in seven tries against the Power with a 5-2 victory at L.P. Frans Stadium on Wednesday night. West Virginia took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Chuckie Caufield singled with two outs, putting runners at the corners for the Power. Later in the inning, Caufield stole second base, and Kris Watts?s throw to second went into center field allowing Brent Brewer to score. The 1-0 lead held until the Crawdads scored four times in the fourth inning. Albert Laboy hit a two-run single and Eddie Prasch hit a two-run homer to give Hickory the 4-1 edge. The Power scored one more run on Kenny Holmberg?s RBI double in the sixth inning, and the Crawdads answered with a solo home run from Alex Pressley in the seventh. The Power finished the road trip with a record of 5-2, giving them a first half road record of 25-8. Jeff Seus (1-2) allowed an unearned run over five innings to get the win, Olivo Astacio (8) got the save and Roque Mercedes (0-4) was tagged with the loss. The Power fell to 45-18 with the loss and the Crawdads improved to 26-37 with the win. Charlie Fermaint, Brewer and Caufield each had two hits for the Power. The Power will begin a five game series against the Lake County Captains at Appalachian Power Park on Thursday night. Right hander Jeremy Jeffress (2-0, 1.98) will make the start for the Power and Lake County will counter with right hander Jeanmar Gomez (5-5, 5.52). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: Roque Mercedes 0-4 on a 45-18 team, that's what you call against the grain; Mercedes with just one earned run allowed here, as the defense failed in the 4th; just-turned 24-year-old RHP Jared Sutton, the new indy league signee making his affiliated debut, has pitched five scoreless innings over four outings, only allowing four baserunners; Jeremy Jeffress finally pitches before the home folks Thursday, after three road starts to open his Power career... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Power had the bases loaded and the go-ahead man up with only one out in the 9th, but Andrew Lefave and then Chuckie Caufield uncharacteristically did not come through... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1

woogie, go with the pink again on Thursday, please.

Ueck on the 96 MPH strikeout pitch -- "he stayed right with the breaking stuff" -- must have blinked.

If Miller doesn't get picked off, then Hart's walk in the 7th would have been leadoff. They still would have blown it, just saying... They will need to fit me for a straitjacket if they lose this game.

Given last night's event in Detroit, might be a decent time to direct you to a thread I began at the broadcasting site "Callofthegame.com" a few weeks ago. Terry Byrom, one of the folks who chimed in, was once an Ogden Raptor (Brewer rookie league) broadcaster: www.callofthegame.com/bbs...topic=3654

Link while active, text follows: slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseba...2-sun.html Three London Majors taken in draft By MORRIS DALLA COSTA -- Sun Media (Canada) Roop Chanderdat was hoping that recruiting for the London Majors was done for this year. That was before last week's major league baseball draft. Three players from the Intercounty Baseball League team's roster were selected. Catcher Chris Dennis from Amherstburg went to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 13th round. He was followed by first baseman Mitch Delaney from LaSalle in the 21st round to the Chicago White Sox. Also going to the Brewers is right-handed pitcher Adam Arnold. The St. Thomas native went in the 41st round. Dennis and Arnold have already signed and are heading to their teams later this week. Chanderdat said he wasn't surprised they were drafted. "But we just weren't sure what round they were going to go in," he said. "What I really didn't expect was for them to sign that quickly though. It's great for them and great for our organization, but it would be nice to have some sort of continuity and rhythm with the team. Now with the draft over, we can get back to business." Despite having to go out and sign more players, Chanderdat is thrilled that his players were drafted. "For the Majors, it's big," he said. "We have Adam for two years now. Chris and Mitch will probably tell you this: Coming to play for the Majors was key in their getting drafted. We played them full time and set up some showcase camps for them. It was tremendous for them here from Day 1." Arnold, 21, is headed to the Arizona Rookie League in a week. "I got the opportunity to play and I wasn't going to say no," he said. Arnold played in junior college in Michigan but at the beginning of his year, transferred to Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia. "I very excited to learn about the game, pitching, just how to become a big leaguer," Arnold said. Like many young throwers, Arnold has a strong arm and good velocity. He has to learn the intricacies of pitching, how to develop his off-speed pitches and his mechanics. Losing a pitcher is difficult for Chanderdat. It's that aspect of the Majors game that needs help this year. The Majors are 6-9 and tied with Hamilton, 7 1/2 games back of leading Brantford. "Our pitching needs to pick it up," Chanderdat said. "Tom Van Kestern has been the only one who's really been effective. I think we'll come around." With Dennis signing and heading out, the Majors also lose one of their big bats. Dennis was among the league-leading hitters with a .394 average and five home runs. Dennis, 18, agreed to a contract during the game Sunday and signed after the game. He too is headed to the Arizona Rookie League. He was one-for-two when he was pulled. "I finished my at bat and when I got back to the dugout and Roop said, 'Chris, I've been told to pull you because now it's a liability factor," Dennis said. Dennis said coming to London to play had an impact on his draft position. "There's no doubt in my mind it helped," Dennis said. "I would have been drafted but coming to London it helped me out so much. I got drafted in a higher position because I was seen a lot more. The coaching really helped me improve as a player and teammates helped me get better. The atmosphere was extraordinary."

No, magic number involves any combination of Manatee wins and Cardinal losses.

MiLB.com: Cubs, Manatees washed out Wednesday night's Florida State League game between Daytona and Brevard County was postponed due to rain at Space Coast Stadium. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday, starting at 5:00 PM ET (4:00 Central). NOTE: Palm Beach lost the first game of their doubleheader, magic number is at one, I believe.

Link while active, text follows: www.adaeveningnews.com/lo...05709.html Caufield doin? it all Former Ada High and University of Oklahoma baseball star Chuckie Caufield is tearing up the Class A South Atlantic League. Caufield was named the league?s ?Offensive Player of the Week,? and named to the All-Star squad in recent weeks. NOTE: While not yet announced, it is hoped that Caufield is named as a replacement for the All-Star squad -- Mass. The four-sport star, who is batting cleanup for the Power, was a 39th-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006 and has played both right and center field during the 2007 season. Caufield has been clutch at the plate ? one of the league?s top hitters with runners in scoring position, hitting .396 with runners in scoring position and .469 with runners in scoring position and two outs. Caufield was named the Player of the Week for the period between May 29-June 3. During that stretch, he went 11-for-26 with seven runs scored, two home runs and 10 RBIs. He currently leads the league with 73 hits and his .330 batting average ranks seventh in the league. He?s also driven in a team-high 44 runs this year. The West Virginia Power went into Tuesday?s play with a whopping 10 1/2 game lead in the SAL?s Northern Division. ?Chuckie really loves playing in West Virginia,? said his Mom Annette. ?He loves the people there. They really support the team. There?s probably 5,000 or so in attendance at every game.? Charles and Annette Caufield, Chuckie?s parents, plan to travel to West Virginia to watch their son play on his birthday July 6. The South Atlantic All-Star game is June 19 at Rome, Ga. Audio of the the Power?s games are provided on the Web site at www.wvpower.com. Evolution of a star -- Chuckie Caufield?s route to the West Virginia Power, the Milwaukee Brewers? Minor League affiliate, began at Ada High Ada Evening News Photos by Richard R. Barron http://www.adaeveningnews.com/localsports/images_sizedimage_164105829/xl And then went through the University of Oklahoma... http://www.adaeveningnews.com/localsports/images_sizedimage_164105925/xl

Standings through action as of mid-afternoon Wednesday: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 38 26 .594 - 20-10 18-16 W2 Nashville 36 29 .554 2.5 21-10 15-19 L1 Omaha 32 33 .492 6.5 24-12 8-21 L2 Memphis 29 37 .439 10.0 18-16 11-21 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 34 29 .540 - 17-13 17-16 L1 Tennessee 33 30 .524 1.0 14-14 19-16 L3 West Tenn 29 36 .446 6.0 19-16 10-20 W1 Chattanooga 28 37 .431 7.0 17-18 11-19 L1 Carolina 24 41 .369 11.0 15-15 9-26 W3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 38 27 .585 - 21-10 17-17 W5 Palm Beach 33 31 .516 4.5 16-18 17-13 L3 Vero Beach 31 33 .484 6.5 21-12 10-21 W3 Daytona 30 34 .469 7.5 19-12 11-22 L3 St. Lucie 30 34 .469 7.5 17-17 13-17 W6 Jupiter 27 37 .422 10.5 12-18 15-19 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 45 17 .726 - 20-10 25-7 W2 Greensboro 36 29 .554 10.5 23-9 13-20 W5 Delmarva 33 30 .524 12.5 19-13 14-17 W3 Lakewood 30 31 .492 14.5 14-17 16-14 L1 Lake County 29 36 .446 17.5 17-18 12-18 L5 Lexington 28 37 .431 18.5 16-19 12-18 L2 Hagerstown 27 36 .429 18.5 15-14 12-22 W3 Hickory 25 37 .403 20.0 12-16 13-21 L2

These links will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally they are updated an hour or two prior to gametime, with Nashville's usually earlier: Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Huntsville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Link for Nashville video feed ($3.95): web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t235

Follow Wednesday'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". 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: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_mrbaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Zach Jackson at Memphis (Cardinals), 6:55 PM pre-game; 7:10 PM gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Sam Narron at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: LHP Steve Garrison at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: RHP Roque Mercedes at Hickory (Pirates), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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

This story out of Maryland includes an update on both a signed draft pick and one which is forgoing a pro career at this time to pitch for the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Because of that, I'll post it both here and in the Draft Discussion Forum. Link for Casey Baron photo while active, text follows: www.gazette.net/stories/0...2363.shtml Baseball: County is feeling a draft Four county products selected in last week?s Major League Draft by James Peters | Maryland Gazette.net Staff Writer With a fastball registering in the mid-90s and a pre-draft call from the Milwaukee Brewers, Damascus resident Connor Hoehn knew he would be drafted in the early rounds of last week?s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Hoehn, who played for St. John?s College High (D.C.) the last four years, was, in fact, told he would be taken in the fourth round during the draft?s first day last Thursday. He, however, slipped to the 21st round, selected by the Brewers as the 641st pick overall. Wait a minute. What happened? According to Hoehn?s mother, Dedee, three Major League teams -- the Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, expressed interest Thursday in selecting the flame-throwing pitcher. But because none of those teams were prepared to pay Hoehn more than the slotted money allotted for players taken in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, the family decided Connor would wait to begin his professional career and head south to the University of Alabama instead, where he has a scholarship waiting. ??Going in, I knew I was going to get drafted,? Hoehn said. ??The Brewers called and said they?d take me with their fourth pick in the fourth round. We were hoping they would go out of the slot money but they couldn?t so we weren?t going to sign. Each pick in the Major League draft is only allowed a certain amount of money.? Hoehn, who compiled a 5-1 record with a 2.32 earned-run average this past spring, signed with Alabama, who he chose over North Carolina, last November after a busy summer of showcases. He participated in the PG National Showcase at the University of Arkansas last June and was then invited to pitch in the 2nd Annual Cape Cod High School Classic in July, which was televised on MLB.com as well as ESPNU. In August, professional scouts selected him to go to their East Coast Professional showcase in North Carolina. ??Basically, what it comes down to, I value my education more than starting my professional career right now,? said Hoehn, who finished his high-school career with a 16-3 record. The Brewers did land one county player for certain in former Paint Branch High and University of Maryland hurler Casey Baron, who was taken in the 34th round (1,028th pick overall). He signed with Milwaukee Saturday and headed to Phoenix Monday for a five-day ??Brew Crew? mini-camp before heading to Helena, Mont., where he will play in the Pioneer League for the Rookie League Helena Brewers, said his father Tom Baron, a long-time professional scout. Helena opens the season June 19 on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate with its home opener set for June 22. Baron, a lefty thrower, completed his Maryland career with an 8-10 record and a 4.54 ERA in 57 appearances, 25 of which were starts. He compiled a 4-5 record with a 4.06 ERA in 16 games this past spring. Baron was Maryland?s Friday night starter, meaning he opened the team?s three-game league series each weekend. ??We got some indication from 3-4 clubs that something might happen Thursday but no guarantees,? Tom Baron said. ??Then it was Friday and it?s getting up to the 20th round and no phone calls. No nothing. So Casey takes his fiancé and they go out. He got the call while he was out. He said, ?Dad, I should have stayed home. I got the call while shopping at Target.? He?s excited. He?s jacked up.?

This story out of Maryland includes an update on both a signed draft pick and one which is forgoing a pro career at this time to pitch for the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Because of that, I'll post it both here and in the Draft Discussion Forum. Link for Casey Baron photo while active, text follows: www.gazette.net/stories/0...2363.shtml Baseball: County is feeling a draft Four county products selected in last week?s Major League Draft by James Peters | Maryland Gazette.net Staff Writer With a fastball registering in the mid-90s and a pre-draft call from the Milwaukee Brewers, Damascus resident Connor Hoehn knew he would be drafted in the early rounds of last week?s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Hoehn, who played for St. John?s College High (D.C.) the last four years, was, in fact, told he would be taken in the fourth round during the draft?s first day last Thursday. He, however, slipped to the 21st round, selected by the Brewers as the 641st pick overall. Wait a minute. What happened? According to Hoehn?s mother, Dedee, three Major League teams -- the Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, expressed interest Thursday in selecting the flame-throwing pitcher. But because none of those teams were prepared to pay Hoehn more than the slotted money allotted for players taken in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, the family decided Connor would wait to begin his professional career and head south to the University of Alabama instead, where he has a scholarship waiting. ??Going in, I knew I was going to get drafted,? Hoehn said. ??The Brewers called and said they?d take me with their fourth pick in the fourth round. We were hoping they would go out of the slot money but they couldn?t so we weren?t going to sign. Each pick in the Major League draft is only allowed a certain amount of money.? Hoehn, who compiled a 5-1 record with a 2.32 earned-run average this past spring, signed with Alabama, who he chose over North Carolina, last November after a busy summer of showcases. He participated in the PG National Showcase at the University of Arkansas last June and was then invited to pitch in the 2nd Annual Cape Cod High School Classic in July, which was televised on MLB.com as well as ESPNU. In August, professional scouts selected him to go to their East Coast Professional showcase in North Carolina. ??Basically, what it comes down to, I value my education more than starting my professional career right now,? said Hoehn, who finished his high-school career with a 16-3 record. The Brewers did land one county player for certain in former Paint Branch High and University of Maryland hurler Casey Baron, who was taken in the 34th round (1,028th pick overall). He signed with Milwaukee Saturday and headed to Phoenix Monday for a five-day ??Brew Crew? mini-camp before heading to Helena, Mont., where he will play in the Pioneer League for the Rookie League Helena Brewers, said his father Tom Baron, a long-time professional scout. Helena opens the season June 19 on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate with its home opener set for June 22. Baron, a lefty thrower, completed his Maryland career with an 8-10 record and a 4.54 ERA in 57 appearances, 25 of which were starts. He compiled a 4-5 record with a 4.06 ERA in 16 games this past spring. Baron was Maryland?s Friday night starter, meaning he opened the team?s three-game league series each weekend. ??We got some indication from 3-4 clubs that something might happen Thursday but no guarantees,? Tom Baron said. ??Then it was Friday and it?s getting up to the 20th round and no phone calls. No nothing. So Casey takes his fiancé and they go out. He got the call while he was out. He said, ?Dad, I should have stayed home. I got the call while shopping at Target.? He?s excited. He?s jacked up.?

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Mincher hopes he'll get to keep seeing Stars Ex-owner, current league president unsure of future John Pruett, Huntsville Times This is no secret for those who've been keeping up: The future of the Huntsville Stars is in serious doubt. Nobody directly connected with the franchise is saying it in so many words. Not publicly, anyway. Not yet. But the truth is, just two decades after emerging from nothingness and quickly evolving into the hottest new name in minor league baseball, the Stars organization - a fixture in the Double-A Southern League since 1985 - is fighting for its life. In medical terms, the patient's long-range condition is guarded at best, critical at worst. The situation is especially distressing to the Southern League president, Don Mincher, for reasons that go well beyond his current job. This isn't just business. It's also personal. A native Huntsvillian who played 13 seasons in the major leagues, Mincher was the Stars' first general manager and later the club's principal owner. Mincher and Larry Schmittou of Nashville and Huntsville's late mayor, Joe Davis, were mainly responsible for bringing pro baseball to town in the mid-1980s, and Mincher was primarily the man who turned the dream into such a shining success story throughout the rest of the '80s and on into the '90s. But interest in the Stars has waned in recent years. Attendance has tailed off to an average of about 1,400 per game, less than half the overall league average and about 4,000 fewer than Jacksonville, Fla., the league leader. Joe Davis Stadium is now the oldest and most outdated park in the league. The current owner of the club lives hundreds of miles away. There's a certain tone of melancholia when Mincher assesses the current state of the Stars. "The Southern League is stable and in good shape - with a couple of exceptions,'' he said in a wide-ranging interview this week. "The two exceptions are West Tenn and Huntsville. "There's a lot of talk about moving the West Tenn club, and a lot of talk about the stadium in Huntsville. Those are the only two real issues in the Southern League right now.'' Asked for a candid prediction on the future of the Stars, Mincher's answer was straight to the point. "In my opinion,'' he said, "the Stars are going to have to do one of two things. They're either going to have to move, or they're going to have to get a new stadium. "But I'm a citizen of Huntsville. Frankly, I don't know if I'd vote for a new stadium or not because of the tax implications and so forth.'' Miles Prentice's call The city invested considerable money last year in improvements to Joe Davis Stadium, including a renovated home clubhouse. But none of the key city officials seem inclined to support the construction of a new baseball stadium anytime soon, if ever, and that might exactly what it would take to keep the franchise in the long run. A new stadium, regardless of tax implications, would definitely enhance the area and ensure a significant revitalization of pro baseball in the Tennessee Valley. "It's something that pours blood into every area where we build a new stadium,'' Mincher said. "We've seen it in Chattanooga. We've seen it in Montgomery. We've seen it in Mississippi. "The improvements to Joe Davis Stadium have been very good, and the cooperation we're seeing of late between the city and the Stars is a great thing. "My only hope is, it's enough to keep us here.'' Ultimately, it'll be Miles Prentice's call. Prentice, the Stars' absentee owner, is a New York lawyer whose firm represents foreign and domestic banks, insurance companies and corporations. He owns a minor league baseball team and a minor league hockey team in Texas. He once tried to buy the Kansas City Royals for $75 million, give or take a few million. His pockets are deep. But he's also a practical man. "Miles has said he'll never move the ballclub, and I believe him,'' Mincher noted. "But that doesn't preclude him from maybe selling it one day. I don't think he will. I think he's dedicated to making it work in Huntsville. But I also know he's not going to lose money. The bottom line has got to improve. "You might see a sale, and the person who buys the club may consider moving it. That's a possibility.'' If that's what happens, nobody in town will take it harder than Don Mincher. "I'm looking for the word,'' he said. "I'd be very disappointed. I'd feel very bad. I remember how we fought so hard to get that Double-A club out of Nashville and get a new stadium, and how excited we all were in those early years of the Stars. If the Stars left town, it would break my heart. "Hopefully, it's not going to happen.'' Some have suggested that if the Stars go away, Huntsville could perhaps drop down to Single-A ball. Mincher hopes it never comes to that. "To me, Double-A baseball remains the most important level of baseball there is, except for the major leagues,'' he said. "If you can play in Double-A, you can play in the big leagues some day. "In Class A ball, you've got players who still don't know if they can play this game. But if you get to Double-A, you can flat play and you've got a chance to get from here to there. That's the reason I love Double-A baseball so much. "I wouldn't want to see us go Class A,'' Mincher said. "I wouldn't even want us to go Triple-A. I want us to stay Double-A, just like we are. "That's my dream, and hopefully it'll come true.''

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 For Stars' Moss, it's a rite of passage By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times At private Los Angeles-area high schools like Notre Dame, they don't just hand out awards like "Most Likely to be Famous" to any old slacker in assembly. They're reserved for young Hollywood stars and starlets, Billboard Top 100 singers and top-tier athletes. So, when Stars center fielder Steve Moss proudly pronounced himself as his alma mater's honoree a few years ago, pardon the chuckle when he relayed the rest of the story. His female co-recipient was a national sweetheart, last year's American Idol runner-up - Katharine McPhee. "She kind of beat me to it," Moss said of McPhee's fame. Moss admittedly isn't among his Sherman Oaks, Calif., high school's most famous alumni just yet, considering "Spiderman's" Kirsten Dunst and "The O.C.'s" Rachel Bilson were schoolmates. He is, however, arguably the best defensive outfielder in the Southern League, and he's trying to move his way up in a talented Milwaukee system. Moss is also an offensive threat for the first-place Stars entering tonight's homestand against Birmingham, but it's his defense that sets him apart. "I've played every position on the field, and center field just clicks with me," Moss said. "It doesn't require much thinking. I just let my body take over. Making plays is fun to me." Especially those that save games like the one he made June 3 in a 6-5 win at Chattanooga. With the Stars clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth, the Lookouts' Jay Garthwaite roped a gapper toward left-center field with the bases loaded and two outs. Moss got a good jump, crashed into the wall and made a miraculous, game-saving catch. When asked if he saw it, Garthwaite told the Chattanooga paper: "Did I see him jump on the wall like Spiderman and make a grab coming out of nowhere? I saw it. That guy is an athlete. I've seen him make half a dozen plays like that in the last seven games we've played." Stars right fielder Brendan Katin has seen it too many times to ever doubt his buddy. "He even catches my balls, which stinks," Katin said with a grin. "First series of the year, I was camped under one in dead right field, and he comes over and catches it. Calls me off." Sound flashy? Actually, Moss is anything but Hollywood on or off the field. When not playing ball, he reads classic literature. Sometimes he'll cook dinner with fiance Erin Spencer or play with their Chihuahua, Kismet. He grew up in the shadows of Tinseltown, and his mother, Margot Moss, is a daytime television executive for CBS, working as a liaison between the network and companies that produce such shows as "The Price is Right" and "The Young and the Restless." But Moss never got into the glitz and glamour. "He's just always loved sports," Margot Moss said. "I think in other parts of the country, if you have a cute kid, you just have a cute kid. But in California, everybody's like, 'Oh, you've got to put him in Hollywood.' "I grew up in a little town in New Jersey, so I tried to keep their heads on straight." Moss said he was too busy to ever truly understand his surroundings. On top of baseball and a variety of other sports, Moss said he was the 14-year-old national champion in the hurdles and high jump. When he wasn't on the diamond, he was hopping planes for national track meets. Still, from the time he was old enough to remember, his father, Rob, took him to Dodgers games. He worshipped L.A. catcher Mike Scioscia. Margot even convinced his dad to name him "Steve" because Steve Garvey, Steve Sax and Steve Yeager were all team members. Baseball always outshined the stars for this Star. Now, he hopes that he finds his fame a little east of Hollywood - in Milwaukee. "That's one thing I really admire about Mom and Dad," Moss said. "They never really pushed anything on us. They put my welfare at the forefront, and I wanted to play ball."

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars spotlight: Steve Hammond Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times Position: Pitcher Age: 25 Hometown: Martinez, Calif. Stats: 3-6 with a 6.42 ERA Years with Stars: Second Equipment: Rawlings glove and "I'm trying to get (a bat) from guys on other teams." Favorite player: Will Clark. "I know Sam (Narron) just answered the same thing in the paper. When I was seven years old I actually wrote Will Clark a letter and told him he was my favorite player and I was a left-handed first baseman like him and I planned on going to college and being a professional baseball player like him. He even wrote me back and I still have a copy of the letter." If you could trade places for a day with another athlete, who would it be: Tiger Woods If he wasn't a baseball player, he'd be: Trying to play golf Other athletic skills: "I used to race BMX bikes competitively. I was pretty good at that until baseball took over. I used to ride bikes all the time with a guy who won the X Games, Allen Cook. We used to ride all the time." Any big crashes? "Yeah, some good ones. I stuck my bottom lip into my top brace going on a jump one time." Best baseball movie ever: "Bull Durham" Worst baseball movie: "Major League III: Back To The Minors" What are you reading now: "The Last Season," by Phil Jackson Favorite vacation spot: Rio de Janiero, Brazil (never been there, though) Most annoying celebrity: Britney Spears Best subject in school: Math What do you drive: Chevy Trailblazer You're from the Bay Area. Your reaction to Barry Bonds: "I think he's no different from hundreds of other people that have been questioned about doing things, and he hasn't been proven guilty yet." First baseball memory: "Hitting a home run in T-ball with all my family there, taking pictures."

Dr. Wood, this post in our Draft Forum fills you in -- Paciorek is the son of former Milwaukee Brewer big leaguer Jim ('87), and nephew of long-time big-leaguer Tom. p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=14 And this post in our Minor League Transaction Thread: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=59

Article threads such as all the "Your 2007 _______" ones are archived in the Link Report Archive Forum. There we currently hold over four years' worth of updates, as only May 2003 is rolling off now. Anything beyond that time frame isn't being held into perpetuity, unless Yuku will have greater archiving capabilities or Brian builds "archive forums for archive forums".