Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: www.floridatoday.com/apps...002/SPORTS Manatees GM has his head in the game BY JIM CAWLEY FLORIDA TODAY The Brevard County Manatees' playoff run could turn into a hair-raising experience for Buck Rogers. The team's general manager last week agreed to let a "lucky" fan shave his head at Space Coast Stadium's home plate if the 'Tees don't qualify for the postseason. Odds are, Rogers will get to keep his hair -- the Manatees own a 41/2 game lead over second-place Palm Beach, thanks to a three-game sweep of the Cardinals since Rogers' made the bet. The magic number stands at two -- meaning Brevard County can clinch the division as early as today. But there are still five games remaining for the Manatees (at home vs. Daytona today and Thursday; at home vs. Vero Beach June 18-20). And as Rogers points out, there's no telling what can happen. "You can never quit," Rogers said. "You can never lower your guard in this league." The last time the Manatees made the playoffs was 2001. The last time Rogers -- formerly the Daytona Cubs GM -- was involved in the playoffs was 1999. "I told our staff, 'You'd better enjoy this,' " Rogers said. This is a rarity, especially in the FSL -- it's so cutthroat." Fans should get out and enjoy it too. The Manatees (38-27), who own the second-best record in the league, are playing solid baseball. Strong pitching and timely hitting allowed them to win 10 of 11 games and 16 of 19 last month. They are sending three players to Saturday's FSL All-Star Game at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, including starting pitcher Will Inman. Shortstop Alcides Escobar and outfielder Cole Gillespie also will make the one-hour trip north. Inman leads the FSL in strikeouts (98) and is second in the league in ERA (1.72). Escobar is tied for second in the league in batting at .322 and leads the league in hits with 86. Gillespie has a team-high six home runs and 36 walks. Mat Gamel is fresh off FSL Player of the Week honors in which he batted .563 during that span. The third baseman has raised his average to .300. First baseman Chris Errecart and outfielder Lorenzo Cain also are hovering around the .300 mark. Since joining the Manatees on May 1, catcher Angel Salome has batted .309. Brevard County's pitching staff features eight players who have thrown an least 25 innings with an ERA less than 3.50. "I think it's like every 10 years you might get a team like this," Rogers said. "I think the stars and the planets have to line up for you." Apparently, they've been lined up throughout the organization. From Milwaukee right on down through the Class A South Atlantic League, Brewers teams are thriving. The Brewers hold a five-game lead over the Cubs atop the NL Central. The Nashville Sounds (AAA) are 2 1/2 games out of first, the Huntsville Stars (AA) lead their division by a game and the West Virginia Power -- the level right below Brevard County -- are blowing away the competition with a 10-game lead. "The Brewers are talent-loaded with their youth," Rogers said. "They're stacked." Right now, the playoff odds are stacked in favor of the Manatees, who also own the tiebreaker. "But I'm not taking that," Rogers said. "I want to win this thing outright."

Link while active (includes photo), text follows: www.pensacolanewsjournal....30350/1002 Former Patriot Gindl signs with Brewers Chuck Corder ccorder@pnj.com (Pensacola, FL News Journal) There are no manners in baseball. Just ask Caleb Gindl. The former Pace High star and Milwaukee Brewers newbie learned a quick and valuable lesson when he showed up for rookie ball Monday: Call no one "sir" or "coach." A slip of the tongue costs him big bucks. A whole dollar, in fact. Ah, such is the constant harassment process a rookie ballplayer, such as Gindl, must quickly adjust to. Gindl signed a contract -- a package of more than $200,000 -- with the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday and reported to the team's rookie club Monday in Phoenix. "It's hard not to say 'sir,' especially for a kid like me from down south," Gindl said from his cell phone in a Phoenix hotel. "But, like (teammates told him), 'You're no longer a kid; you're a man. It's time for you to step up.' " He stepped up for the first time Tuesday. Gindl practiced less than a week after the organization drafted him in the fifth round with the 161st overall pick of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Four players with Pensacola Junior College ties, including a pair of Pirates signees, also have joined their respective teams. Drew Cumberland, Gindl's former teammate at Pace, is expected to begin contract negotiations with the San Diego Padres today. "It went great," Gindl said, assessing his first day. "It's kinda hard to think that I'm getting paid to do this because it's such a fun job to have right now." Not that Gindl necessarily was thinking that when he awoke at 4 a.m. to catch the rookies' bus to the Brewers' facility. Still, once he rubbed the sleep away, Gindl fit right in. The toughest adjustment was figuring out how to rein in his excitement. "(Coaches) don't want you to go full speed," he said. "Everything was 50 percent. They just don't want you to get hurt. Everything's nice and easy and laid back." So far. Business promises to pick up come Thursday when Gindl finds out if he'll stay in Phoenix or be moved to Helena, Mont., home to the Brewers' advanced rookie league. Gindl feels confident the latter is where he'll land. That made it easier to sign and bypass a baseball scholarship that awaited him at Troy. "Sometimes, it only comes around once," Gindl said. "A lotta times you don't get drafted as high the second time around. "I figured I had to take my shot."

Link while active, text follows: www.dailyhome.com/sports/...2v1122.htm Headed West Will Heath, dailyhome.com (Alabama) In less than a week, Childersburg?s Zealous Wheeler has gone from being surprised by the Major League Baseball draft to making flight arrangements. The 5-10, 220-pound alumnus of Wallace State in Hanceville ? drafted on Friday by Milwaukee with the 581st pick ? made official his plans on Tuesday. Wheeler will leave the Birmingham International Airport today for Arizona, and by Saturday will be preparing to start play for the Helena Brewers, a rookie-ball franchise in the Milwaukee organization. ?I feel pretty good,? he said Tuesday. ?It?s something I?ve been wanting to do, and I finally made it.? That means Wheeler will forego the remainder of his collegiate career; he?d signed a scholarship with UAB earlier this spring. The chance at the pros, it turned out, was an offer he couldn?t refuse. ?Just talked to my parents, just had to make the decision, go to UAB or go to the league,? he said. ?My parents, (Childersburg head) Coach (Chad) Slaten, they just wanted what was best for me, whatever I think. ?I?m going to the league.? Wheeler admits he?s never been quite so far away from home in his life. ?Summer ball, travel, I?ve been away,? he said. ?I?ve been to Colorado for my JUCO team (during last year?s NJCAA World Series), but that?s about it. ?I?m gonna miss it.? The shower of good news follows hard upon the heels of a banner season from Wheeler, whose Wallace State squad finished the ?07 season with a final record of 40-10. Playing 50 games at third base, Wheeler finished with a batting average of .412, and a slugging percentage of .701. He had 73 hits, 10 home runs and 19 doubles. For the season, he drove in 51 runs and scored 59. Zealous also had the chance to watch his little brother, Bryan, put up some great numbers as well as a junior at Childersburg High. Bryan Wheeler finished as MVP of the state finals during Childersburg?s 4A state title run, and was dubbed 4A Player of the Year. Childersburg head coach Chad Slaten talked about the success of the Wheeler brothers in an earlier interview. ?It?s always good to see a guy you?ve coached go on to do bigger and better things,? he said. ?Every kid in Childersburg, their dream is to play pro baseball. Zealous has that chance and I know that?s been a lifelong dream of his. ?I really believe he?s got a chance to make it to the big leagues, just because he?s a great hitter, and he has a great work ethic and he?s such a great person. ?It all comes back to his mama and daddy. They?ve done a great job of raising two wonderful boys. There?s so many kids that year in and year out with great ability, but they don?t have the work ethic, and he?s got it. They both do.? Wheeler is one of 46 players selected by Milwaukee in last week?s draft, and as of today, 26 of those selections have already been signed. According to an official release from the organization, 13 of the signees were assigned to Helena, while another 13 were assigned to Arizona. Helena is scheduled to begin play on Tuesday, June 19 on the road against Missoula.

Final: West Virginia 24, Hickory (Pirates) 13 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Hickory, NC - The West Virginia Power and Hickory Crawdads tied the South Atlantic League record for the most combined runs scored in a game on Tuesday night in Hickory, as West Virginia scored 24 runs on 25 hits, six of which were home runs in a 24-13 slugfest. West Virginia scored ten runs on eight hits and sent 13 batters to the plate in the top of the first inning. The inning was highlighted by a pair of three-run bombs. Taylor Green hit the first one, it was his ninth of the year and Andrew Lefave hit the other, giving him four RBI in the inning. John Alonso doubled in two runs and Charlie Fermaint scored on Brent Brewer's double. West Virginia's offense wasn't done. In the second they took a 17-0 lead, sending 13 batters to the plate again, scoring seven runs on five hits. Alonso hit the third three-run homer of the game, his first of the season. Kenny Holmberg and Fermaint both hit RBI singles. Chuckie Caufield drew a bases loaded walk and Alonso was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded later in the inning. The Power scored their final seven runs on home runs. Andy Bouchie's first of two home runs was a grand slam in the sixth inning, his second grand slam of the season. Charlie Fermaint hit a solo bomb in the seventh inning and Bouchie's second homer was a two-run shot in the eighth . The Crawdads scored 13 runs on 19 hits in a losing effort. The Power and Crawdads tied the league record for most combined runs in a game set back in 1996 when Macon defeated Charleston 22-15. Mike Ramlow (3-2) allowed eight runs on eleven hits over five innings to get the win, and Dionis Rodriguez (0-1) was tagged with the loss. The Power improved to 45-17 with the win and the Crawdads fell to 25-37 with the loss. The 24 runs and 25 hits were both single game season highs. Charlie Fermaint paced the Power with six hits while eight of nine Power players had multi-hit games. John Alonso and Andy Bouchie both drove in six runs for the Power. All nine in the starting lineup on both teams hit safely. The Power will finish the three game series against Hickory at L.P. Frans Stadium on Wednesday night. Right hander Roque Mercedes (0-3, 8.05) will make the start for the Power and Hickory will counter with right hander Jeff Sues (0-2, 15.75). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central). ***Link to MiLB.com:Notice that this article contains audio links to Bull Barch's "Jack-Jackety-Jack!" home run calls for Andrew Lefave and Taylor Green in the ten-run first inning -- web.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp Power punt Crawdads, 24-13 By Denis Gorman / Special to MLB.com West Virginia went to Hickory to play baseball Tuesday and a football game broke out. Not exactly, but John Alonso and Andy Bouchie each plated six RBIs as the Power trounced the Crawdads, 24-13. "It wasn't that [the score] was surreal, it was that it took so long," Alonso said of West Virginia's output. "That's what our team does, drive the ball the other way. "We had a pretty good idea (what pitches Hickory pitchers were going to throw)," he added. "We've been working on driving the ball the other way. We had a good idea going to the plate." Alonso doubled home two runs in the Power's 10-run first inning. He scored three times and hit his first homer of the season -- a three-run shot over the right-field wall in the team's seven-run second. He was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second and doubled in the eighth. Alonso had waited a long time for such production as he collected a career high in RBIs. "I had a pretty good night. It was bound to happen eventually," he said. Bouchie homered twice, smacking a grand slam with two out in the sixth and a two-run shot in the eighth. The catcher, who has eight home runs, crossed the plate four times on a 3-for-5 night. Every West Virginia player had at least one hit and scored at least once. Charlie Fermaint had five hits, including two doubles and a home run, and scored four times, Andrew Lefave plated four runs and Brent Brewer had four hits and scored three times. Power starter Mike Ramlow (3-2) pitched five innings for the win. He allowed eight runs -- seven earned - on 11 hits and four walks, striking out two. The Crawdads (25-37) also had a big night at the plate, with everyone in the lineup picking up at least one hit and a run scored. Francis Poni, Kent Sakamoto, Jim Negrych and Wanell Macia each drove in two runs for the Crawdads. Starter Dionis Rodriguez (0-1) took the loss, allowing 10 earned runs on eight hits while walking two in one inning. West Virginia Box Score: It was pad the numbers night for the nine starters -- you can just hear the bench guys screaming to get out there -- none did... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Do you dare -- seriously, do you dare?! www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1 John Alonso plated a career-high six RBIs on West Virginia's behalf in the slugfest. (John M. Setzler Jr./MLB.com) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2007/06/12/DBs8oqXr.jpg

Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 2, Nashville 1 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Yovani Gallardo photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2381 Gallardo, Sounds Lose Pitchers' Duel In Memphis MEMPHIS, Tenn. ? It was a pitchers? duel as advertised on Tuesday evening at AutoZone Park and the Nashville Sounds came up on the short end of a 2-1 loss to the division-rival Memphis Redbirds. Memphis starter Anthony Reyes (1-1), who has posted a 1.64 ERA in three PCL starts after being sent down from St. Louis, emerged victorious after holding the Sounds to one run on four hits over eight innings of work. The right-hander walked one batter and struck out six. Yovani Gallardo (8-3) drew a loss for his second straight outing for Nashville despite working his team-leading ninth quality start of the year. The 21-year-old prospect matched his career high with 12 strikeouts, including four K?s in his sixth and final inning, while allowing two runs on four hits over six frames. He threw 95 pitches, 63 for strikes. AUDIO: Gallardo Fans Four In An Inning -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-12.mp3 With his 12 punchouts, Gallardo increased his minor-league lead in that category to 110 through 77 2/3 innings this season. Catcher Mike Rivera gave the Sounds a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when he drove a 3-2 Reyes pitch over the right field wall for an opposite-field, two-run homer, his team-leading 11th longball of the season. Memphis tied the contest with a two-out run in the bottom of the frame against Gallardo. Tagg Bozied was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and moved to second on a Rico Washington two-out walk before Matt Pagnozzi dropped a bloop RBI single into shallow center to knot the score at 1-1. Redbirds leftfielder Nick Stavinoha broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth when he slugged a two-out solo homer to left-center off Gallardo, his ninth roundtripper of the year. The blast brought the score to its final 2-1 as neither club scored over the final 4 ½ innings. Brian Falkenborg struck out the side in the top of the ninth to notch his team-leading 13th save for the Redbirds. The teams continue the series with a 7:10 p.m. meeting on Wednesday night. Left-hander Zach Jackson (7-3, 4.64) will start for the Sounds and face Memphis right-hander Blake Hawksworth (3-8, 3.61). ***Link while active, text follows: www.commercialappeal.com/...73,00.html Sounds pitcher the real deal But Redbirds pull out victory against Gallardo By Jim Masilak, Memphis Commercial Appeal Yovani Gallardo doesn't remember anything terribly special about the day he left his home in Michoacan, Mexico, for a new life in the United States. Gallardo was 4 when he and his mother, Eulalia, crossed the border into Texas and joined his father, Jorge, in the Fort Worth area. "Better living," is the simple reason Yovani gives for the family's emigration. "That's pretty much it." It could soon be better than they ever dared to imagine. Regarded as the top prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system, and one of the most promising young talents in the minor leagues, Gallardo's meteoric rise with the Nashville Sounds has been arguably the biggest Pacific Coast League story this season not named Rick Ankiel. The Brewers' minor league pitcher of the year last year, when he led the minors with 188 strikeouts, Gallardo "is on a fast track" to the big leagues, Memphis manager Chris Maloney enthused. Entering Tuesday night's game against the Redbirds at AutoZone Park, Gallardo led the PCL in wins (eight) and strikeouts (98) and was second in earned-run average (2.89). The 21-year-old righthander had fanned 24 more batters than any other PCL pitcher, and he was tied for second in all of professional baseball in that category behind Baltimore Orioles lefthander Erik Bedard (103). Gallardo came up second best to Redbirds ace Anthony Reyes in Memphis' 2-1 victory Tuesday night. But his 12-strikeout performance in defeat -- four of which came in his sixth and final inning of work -- underlined why so many are so high on his future. "He's the best pitcher we've seen in this league, that we've faced," Maloney said. On Tuesday, however, Reyes was a little bit better. In winning his first game of the season at any level, Reyes (1-1) struck out six, walked one and allowed just one run in eight innings. It was his third straight sharp outing since being demoted from St. Louis last month. "That was outstanding," Maloney said. "That was a big win for him. He went out there in the seventh and eighth and had a one-run lead and got six straight guys. That shows you what kind of a horse he is." Reyes, who has not spoken to the media since being sent down, once again declined comment following Tuesday's highly anticipated matchup with Gallardo. A second-round choice by Milwaukee in the 2004 draft, Gallardo came into Tuesday's showdown with Reyes on the back of his worst performance of the season. In Omaha on Thursday, Gallardo was roughed up for seven runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked six batters and gave up two home runs to end a streak of 10 starts without a loss. "I'm having a pretty good start to the season and I'm looking forward to keeping it up," he said. "My last start (against Omaha) wasn't too good, but I've forgot that already." Gallardo isn't especially overpowering, but he rarely strays far from the plate. Armed with four pitches -- fastball, curve, slider and changeup -- that he's comfortable using in any situation, the 6-1, 209-pound Gallardo's impressive strikeout figures are more a result of his command and sharp movement than velocity: His fastball touches the mid-90s but he works between 89-94 mph. "When you hear about him, you picture a 98- or 99-mph (flamethrower), but it's not that," Nashville manager Frank Kremblas said. "His command is above average, and that's huge. He can throw more than one pitch for a strike." As he continues to cut a swath through the PCL, it appears to be only a matter of time before Gallardo ends up in Milwaukee. Gallardo can hardly wait for the call. "Obviously I'm really excited. I can't wait until I go to the big-league club but I don't control that," he said. "Hopefully that opportunity will come. It will be exciting when it does." Nashville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_mrbaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: 1st and 3rd, nobody out for the Sounds in the 4th -- no runs; somebody will have to explain what happened in the bottom of the 6th -- did Jose Macias stray off 2nd base after a walk to Joe Dillon, incorrectly thinking he was being forced to third? www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_mrbaaa_1

Haven't seen this reported elsewhere yet: Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Infielder Joe Dillon: The Brewers have taken one of their two available 40-man roster spots and assigned it to the super utility man Dillon; he was then optioned to Nashville. www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-12.mp3 The 31-year-old Dillon is having a fine season (.899 OPS): Joe Dillon 2007 Statistics Career numbers include his 2005 stint in Florida (four defensive positions): Joe Dillon Career Statistics Unless Dillon had a clause in his contract that would allow him to be a free agent by a certain date this season if not on the 40-man roster, not sure why the Brewers needed to make this move now.

Final: Brevard County 2, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 1 MiLB.com: Miller contains Cardinals Derek Miller tossed seven solid innings and Mat Gamel homered as visiting Brevard County edged Palm Beach, 2-1, on Tuesday. Miller (3-4) allowed one run on four hits while striking out four and walking one in 6 2/3 innings. Patrick Ryan recorded four outs and E.J. Shanks worked around a hit in the ninth inning for his second save for the Manatees (38-27). Gamel hit his first homer of the year, a solo shot in the second, to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. He is batting .510 during that span. In the sixth, Alcides Escobar singled and scored on Lorenzo Cain's RBI double. Cain and Escobar each had two hits for Brevard County, which has won five straight. Cardinals starter Fernando Salas (2-1) gave up two runs on four hits without walking a batter, fanning four in six innings. Dan Nelson singled in sixth to drive in the lone run for Palm Beach (33-31). -- Steve Conley/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: Alcides Escobar is 2nd in the league in batting average, first in base hits, 4th in steals; heading into the game, Mat Gamel was tied for 5th in doubles... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Brevard County Game Log: Sweep on the road -- incredibly impressive; great job by Miller and Ryan with a runner in scoring position in the 7th... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_pbcafa_1

ESPN screwed that up and listed all the players the Brewers drafted in that item. They are totally incorrect, disregard it.

ESPN screwed that up and listed all the players the Brewers drafted in that item. They are totally incorrect, disregard it.

The incomparable Buck Rogers in his letter to Manatees fans: There are 70 games in the half. The Manatees have currently played 64; the Cardinals 63. That means the Cardinals, if they run the table, can hit a max of 40 wins. Therefore, to clinch a playoff berth, the Manatees will have to hit 41 wins which makes our magic number four. Now there is an interesting side note here. Currently the Cardinals and Manatees are tied at four wins apiece in their season series. If the teams end up tied at the end of the season and have played the same number of games, then the team that leads the series (which is currently tied and will be settled tonight) would earn the first half championship and the playoff berth. The final game of that series is tonight at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. Now how important is tonight's game? If the Cardinals win tonight they would be 2.5 games back with six games to go and own that head-to-head tie-breaker against us, forcing us to win the thing outright. The Manatees would have five games remaining, all home games (two against Daytona on Wednesday and Thursday and three against the Vero Beach Dodgers next week Monday thru Wednesday). Note: The series after the All-Star Break counts in the first-half standings in the FSL - Mass The Manatees have guaranteed at least a tie against the Daytona Cubs and Vero Beach Dodgers as the best either of those two teams can do is 37 wins, something we already have achieved. But then again it would go to a tie-breaker format and really complicate things. The St Lucie Mets and Jupiter Hammerheads have already been mathematically eliminated from the first half playoff championship race. So what's it going to take to get you to make that 1 hour, 38 minute drive to Jupiter's Roger Dean Stadium tonight with our staff? A Manatees win would literally give the team a 4.5 game lead with five games to go for the Manatees, six to go for the Cardinals, and put us on the doorstep of the playoffs. A loss tonight could just let the Cardinals back into the picture and then anything can happen as they face the last-place Jupiter Hammerheads for three games in the next two days. It doesn't matter if Palm Beach is the home or road team, the games are played on their home field where both Jupiter and Palm Beach will be home, and if you're thinking like I'm thinking, you can see Palm Beach easily taking three games from them. Then, if disaster struck and the Cubs came in here and knocked off the Manatees two straight the Manatees would be 37-30, the Cardinals would be 37-30 (with that all important tie-breaking edge) with three games to go. How good would you feel about the situation? That is a scenario we don't even want to think about, but this is Minor League baseball where everything is possible. The Manatees would host a three game series here against the Vero Beach Dodgers, the Cardinals would travel to Daytona Beach for a three-game series, including the final game before the All-Star Break at Stetson (DeLand, FL) as the Cubs staff readies their field for the All-Star Game this weekend. A loss tonight to the Cardinals and the Manatees will have a 2.5 game lead and things will get really interesting for the next week. I don't want to go into the All-Star Break this Friday knowing we still have some teams hanging out like a hair in a grilled cheese sandwich. There is also one other thing that can shred everything that I've just typed: rainouts. With the weather we've had recently it's inevitable that some of the teams are going to get rained out and the likelihood exists that one or two games may get scratched off the schedule since the first half ends next week and first half games don't get carried over to the second half of the season. So, from a fan's point of view this is exciting. It's October baseball in the summer and you won't get it anywhere else this week but here (and Sarasota, leading the Western Division in another tight race). You can see that we've examined every possible scenario. And don't think that this is just a staff thing; last night I took phone calls from Team President Charlie Baumann and Team Chairman Dr Tom Winters all night long, some in the stadium, some on the road trip home about what's gotta happen for the good guys to move on to the final four. I haven't worked for a baseball team that has made it to the playoffs since 1999 in the South Atlantic League, and that was a Montreal Expos team that lost the final game of the final series, 1-0, to the Augusta Greenjackets (Boston Red Sox affiliate) that started MLB Reliever Tom 'Flash' Gordon for the second time in that three game series. They called it a rehab assignment, we called it cheating, but that's another story. All three games decided by one run, 3-2, 5-4 and 1-0, all the while stopping play for Hurricane Floyd and the aftermath of that disaster in the Carolinas. Coincidentally, our Manager that season was Frank Kremblas, now the Manager of the Milwaukee Brewers AAA team in Nashville. The Manatees haven't been to the playoffs since 2001 and then had to share a League Championship when the series was cancelled due to the terrorist activities on September 11th. That tie is like taking your sister to the HS Prom and many of you are itching for a return to the show. You're not going to get a better team in Brevard County than what the Brewers have stacked us with right now. You can wait another decade and you won't get another team like this. The Brewers have done their part by sending us these guys. The players are doing their part by rockin' on the road. Now we have to do our part and head south and let 'em know that 'we got their backs!' This is your team, Manatees fans, and having an extra fan in the stands can make the difference tonight. If you would like to attend tonight's game, please shoot us an email and let us know if you want to join our caravan or carpool with us. If (when) the 'Tees clinch the title it'll be right here at home at Miller Lite Park. That's simple mathematics. That means fans can celebrate right here and don't have to worry about driving anywhere. But tonight's game is crucial to the overall scope of things and we need your help. This is a critical game...come cheer, make noise, rock the world and be a part of something special! Remember, we're rolling down the highway at 4:00 PM, 1600 for you military guys, 8:34 AM for those with the John Belushi watches from Animal House. OK, 'tees fans, once again, you know how important this game is tonight. It's out there and it's ours to take, but we've had a very determined Palm Beach team scrap until the final out the past two games. We need you. The guys on the field need you. These guys are so close to making it over the hump. Come on out to the stadium and join our caravan. If you need a ride, just toss a few bucks towards somebody's gas fund and help cover the college educations of those Oil Companies stockholders' kids. Game on, Manatees fans, and you're a critical part of this team's future. Rock On! NOTE: Heck, I may have to fly down tonight from Massachusetts -- that's pretty inspirational stuff right there - Mass

Standings through Monday's action: Manatees Magic Number is reduced to two tonight with a victory... Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 37 26 .587 - 19-10 18-16 W1 Nashville 36 28 .563 1.5 21-10 15-18 W1 Omaha 32 32 .500 5.5 24-12 8-20 L1 Memphis 28 37 .431 10.0 17-16 11-21 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 37 27 .578 - 21-10 16-17 W4 Palm Beach 33 30 .524 3.5 16-17 17-13 L2 Daytona 30 33 .476 6.5 19-12 11-21 L2 Vero Beach 30 33 .476 6.5 20-12 10-21 W2 St. Lucie 29 34 .460 7.5 16-17 13-17 W5 Jupiter 27 36 .429 9.5 12-18 15-18 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 44 17 .721 - 20-10 24-7 W1 Greensboro 35 29 .547 10.5 22-9 13-20 W4 Delmarva 31 30 .508 13.0 19-13 12-17 W1 Lakewood 30 31 .492 14.0 14-17 16-14 L1 Lake County 29 34 .460 16.0 17-16 12-18 L3 Lexington 28 36 .438 17.5 16-19 12-17 L1 Hagerstown 27 36 .429 18.0 15-14 12-22 W3 Hickory 25 36 .410 19.0 12-15 13-21 L1

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

Follow Tuesday'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 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_pbcafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1

Link for Nashville video feed ($3.95): web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t235 What you're buying for that fee is full MiLB.TV use for a "day", so if Yovani is something special tonight, and you want to purchase a day so you can watch any archive, go for it on Wednesday AM.

Tuesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Yovani Gallardo at Memphis (Cardinals), 6:55 PM pre-game; 7:10 PM gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: LHP Derek Miller at Palm Beach (Cardinals), 5:25 PM pre-game, 5:35 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: LHP Mike Ramlow 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

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Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/story/S...re-a-joke/ SAL All-Star results are a joke Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter Someone needs to let South Atlantic League executives, managers, coaches, fans and media members know that Budweiser commercials aren't serious -- particularly the popular one in which face-slapping is promoted as the latest-and-greatest gesture among friends. The aforementioned SAL parties must have thought they were paying the West Virginia Power the ultimate compliment last week when they delivered a collective slap in the face. How else can you explain that the Power -- the league's best team, with a 44-17 record and .721 winning percentage through Monday -- has only four selections on the SAL All-Star Team, as voted on by those participants? Four teams -- Asheville (seven), Augusta (five), Lake County (five) and Lakewood (five) -- have more selections than West Virginia. Four more clubs -- the other Charleston, Columbus, Delmarva and Greensboro -- have the same number as the Northern Division frontrunner. I don't agree with it, but I have no problem with Asheville (39-23) and Augusta (45-18) having that many selections. One, both of those teams are outstanding but not better than West Virginia. The Tourists and GreenJackets are 1-3 and 2-2 against the Power this season. Two, and more importantly, both of those teams are in the Southern Division, where they are the cream of the crop. But Lakewood (30-31) and Lake County (29-34)? That is flat-out ridiculous. Both of those teams are mediocre-at-best clubs with below-average records, not to mention the Northern Division's fourth- and fifth-place squads. West Virginia, which leads the low Class A SAL with a .302 batting average, deserved a league-high (and franchise-record) eight selections. Voters were right to select center fielder Darren Ford, starting pitcher Mike McClendon and relief pitcher E.J. Shanks, all of whom were no-doubt-about-it picks. None of them will get to play in the game, however, because the Brewers promoted all of them to high Class A Brevard County (Fla.) on Friday. Catcher Andy Bouchie was a surprising selection to some because of his good-but-not-great statistics (.275 batting average, three homers, 10 doubles, 19 runs and 20 RBI). His totals, by the way, aren't helped by the fact that he platoons with Martin Maldonado, who has played almost as many games (34 compared to 33) as he has. What people fail to realize about Bouchie is how well he has played behind the plate. There is a reason Baseball America called him the "best defensive player" in the Brewers' farm system in its 2007 Prospect Handbook. It is a dead-on assessment (a couple of his pickoff throws at third base have left me shaking my head in amazement). What I can't understand is how starting pitcher Zach Braddock, outfielder/first baseman Michael Brantley, outfielder Chuckie Caufield and third baseman Taylor Green were left off the team. Consider: - Braddock owns a 3-1 record and 1.21 earned run average with 66 strikeouts compared to 14 walks in 44 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .166 against him. He doesn't have enough innings pitched because of his recent stint on the disabled list with tendonitis. Otherwise, his strikeouts per nine innings rate (13.31) would lead minor league baseball. - Brantley is tied with Ford for fourth in the league in batting average (.335), but the Brewers promoted him to Class AA Huntsville on Friday. He had 15 doubles, 32 RBI and 41 runs. He was one of the league's most patient hitters, as evidenced by his 31 walks compared to 22 strikeouts. - Caufield ranks first in the league in hits (83) and third in RBI (52). He is tied with Brantley and Ford for fourth in batting average (.340). He is tied for fifth in runs (47). He also is the only Power player to appear in all 61 games this year. - Green ranks second in the league in slugging percentage (.601) and second in batting average (.346). He also has eight homers, 13 doubles, 29 runs and 34 RBI from his No. 9 spot in the Power lineup. Yet none of those guys earned a spot on the team? It seems some SAL voters left their objectivity at the door. That is a shame. With that in mind, here is an idea for next year: Let's save the homers for the all-star game, not the all-star ballots.

All four affiliates were on the road Monday, so media reports with news on them are spotty. This is worth noting from Hickory -- not only did LHP Brae Wright limit baserunners Monday, but: Some of his most important throws were to first base, where he picked off three Hickory runners. "He was slow to the plate," Hickory manager Gary Green said. "We were going to try to get something going (on the bases)." From the box score: Pickoffs: Wright 3 (Presley at 1st base, Negrych at 1st base, Laboy at 1st base).

For players yet to sign, any article that is added to the Official Draft Pick Thread is also placed in the Discussion Thread for that round. For players that do sign, they are then Brewers and not draft picks, and those articles appear in the Minor League Forum in the Transaction thread. Right now, when you see that the Official Thread is listed as "updated", it's only because we are placing in bold the signed picks, or adding the big red "Signed" on to their post. Basically, the only reason to check the Official Thread for new updates is to check the bold in the very first post. If you've been keeping up with the Discussion and Transaction threads, then you haven't missed a thing.

Link to Hernan Iribarren photo from Jackson, TN Monday night: www.jacksonsun.com/apps/p...006/SPORTS

Link while active, text follows: www.bellinghamherald.com/...02491.html Paciorek signs pro contract Bellingham (WA) Herald Blaine?s Joey Paciorek is officially a professional baseball player. After being drafted in the 15th round of last week?s entry draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, Paciorek signed his first contract with the club on Monday afternoon. ?He is ecstatic,? said Brandon Newell, the Brewers? Northwest scouting supervisor who signed Paciorek. ?His dad was there, and they were both really excited that Joey is going to play professional ball.? Newell could not disclose terms of the contract, but said the contract is ?basically more than fair market value for (the 15th) round.? Paciorek will leave for the Brewers training facility in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday, where he will participate in camp for a few days before the Arizona Rookie League begins play on June 23, Newell said. ?Hopefully he?ll do well down there and maybe even end the season up in Helena (of the rookie-level Pioneer League),? Newell said. Newell said he believes the biggest adjustment Paciorek, who will start his career at third base, will have to make is the speed of the professional game. ?He hasn?t seen a tremendous amount of quality pitchers up here,? Newell said. ?The speed of the game is going to pick up, and it?s going to take him a little bit of time to adjust. If he?s used to seeing 80 mph, and all of a sudden everybody is throwing 85, it?s a big deal. If he?s used to seeing 88, and then they?re throwing 90, it?s not that big of deal. It?s all relative. In a few weeks, I?m sure everything will start looking like its 80 mph again.?

Link while active, text follows: www.thecrimson.com/articl...ref=519262 Wilson Foregoes Senior Season, Signs With Brewers Third baseman was Milwaukee's 28th-round pick By JONATHAN LEHMAN Harvard Crimson Staff Writer Harvard third baseman Steffan Wilson has signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, who selected him with the 851st overall pick in the 28th round of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Friday. The decision effectively ends Wilson?s collegiate career and paves the way for the hard-hitting right-hander to join the Helena Brewers of the rookie-level Pioneer League this summer. A rising senior, Wilson had the option to sign with the club or return to the Crimson next spring, but the opportunity to join the professional ranks was too good for the State College, Pa., native to pass up. ?After looking at the package and the different things that I had on my plate, I decided that going was the best thing,? Wilson said. ?This is something that I?ve been dreaming about for a long time?all little kids do. It was just tough to pass up once I got offered.? Wilson, in his first year of draft eligibility, is coming off what he called a ?relatively poor? junior season in which he hit .331 but managed only three home runs and a mere 17 RBI. Opposing pitchers were careful with him as the squad?s lone bona fide slugger and he earned a team-leading 20 walks. His 12 extra-base hits and .484 slugging percentage were career lows. That may have led to Wilson, who admitted getting nervous as the draft wore on, lingering on the board longer than expected. ?Obviously, everybody hopes to go higher,? Wilson said. ?But they took me in the 28th, and maybe I deserved to go there. I think it?s going to work out just fine, so I?m not too worried about where I got picked, but I was just starting to worry that I wasn?t going to go at all.? Wilson was in the midst of practice with his Cape Cod Baseball League team when he received the news. It was on Cape Cod where Wilson vaulted onto scouts? radars with a standout 2006 summer in the wood-bat league, regarded as one of the nation?s premier proving grounds for collegiate talent. Wilson continues in a line of recent Harvard non-seniors confronted with the option of departing school early to test their fortunes in the bushes. John Wolff and Frank Herrmann, a late-round pick and a free-agent pickup, respectively, both left Cambridge after their junior campaigns in 2005. Zak Farkes elected to return to campus in 2004 to improve his standing after being taken by his hometown Boston Red Sox in the 39th round following a 14-homer sophomore season. But Farkes was not picked again the next summer and inked a free-agent deal with the Red Sox, foregoing his senior year. ?To be honest, I didn?t really think about what they had done and what they had decided, because for everybody it?s an individual choice,? Wilson said. ?I knew that completing school was possible, even though it?s going to be a semester late, and I liked that they had tested the waters on that because there?s no way I would walk away from finishing up my degree.? Wilson said he plans to attend classes during the fall semester before heading to Spring Training and hopes to return to Cambridge to finish his requirements the following fall. Throughout the decision-making process, Wilson sought the counsel of his family and former coaches, including Crimson skipper Joe Walsh. ?He was supportive,? Wilson said of Walsh. ?He began the conversation saying, ?Regardless what you decide, I?m going to support your decision,? which is great. He wanted to make sure that I didn?t rush into anything and that I thought it through?I think he would?ve preferred me to come back, but I think he understands.? Wilson also benefited from the advice of his older brother Jon, a right-handed pitcher who was a 27th-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2005. ?He played a few seasons, and now he?s older and wiser and has been around the scene that I?m starting to get into,? Wilson said. ?He?s going to be, I?m sure, a great help to me and it?s been great having him around and helping me make some of the decisions.? Although he was rated the top professional prospect in the Ivy League in the preseason by Baseball America, Wilson was ultimately the fourth Ivy player snatched up in this weekend?s draft. He trailed Brown catcher Devin Thomas (seventh round), Yale first baseman Marc Sawyer (15th round), and Princeton catcher Sal Iacono (26th round).

Link while active, text follows: www.orlandosentinel.com/s...s-baseball Umatilla's Lucroy signs pro contract The 3rd-round draft picks gets a $340,000 signing bonus Joe Williams Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer Umatilla's Jonathan Lucroy spent Monday in Milwaukee, touring Miller Park, the stadium where he hopes to one day play as a major-leaguer. Two days earlier, on Saturday night, Lucroy said he signed a professional baseball contract including a $340,000 bonus with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team that drafted him in the third round with the 101st overall pick during Thursday's first day of Major League Baseball's amateur draft. "They [the negotiations] were very easy," Lucroy said. "I told them that I would sign for slot money and that is what I did." Lucroy said he decided to sign after meeting with Brewers scout Brian Sankey, who had followed him during his collegiate career. Lucroy, 20, said it was time for him to get on with the next phase of his baseball career. After starring at Umatilla High School and at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where he just finished his junior season, he said he was ready to begin his career as a pro. Late Monday, Lucroy was flying from Milwaukee to Phoenix, Ariz., for a week's worth of orientation and practice at the Brewers' spring training facility before heading to Helena, Mont., to play for the Brewers rookie team in the Pioneer League. "I am very happy," he said. "College baseball was very good to me. Now it is time for me to move on and pursue professional baseball. The coaches [at Louisiana-Lafayette] are very happy for me." Lucroy finished his junior season as one of the Ragin' Cajuns top players. His 18 home runs this season is the second-best season in school history. He leaves the school as its all-time RBIs leader with 184. He also was the team's leading hitter with a .360 batting average and had 19 doubles and 68 RBIs this season.

Final: West Virginia 2, Hickory (Pirates) 1 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Hickory, NC - Power lefty Brae Wright tossed eight fantastic innings at L.P. Frans Stadium on Monday night, allowing just a run on four hits as the West Virginia Power went on to beat the Crawdads 2-1 in the first game of the series. West Virginia scored their only two runs with two outs in the top of the second inning. Kenny Holmberg singled with two out and scored on John Alonso's double off the right-field wall. Alonso scored later in the inning on Taylor Green's opposite field single. Hickory scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Bobby Kingsbury began the inning with a double, which was Hickory's only extra-base hit of the game and scored on Jim Negrych's RBI single. Wright (5-3) struck out four and issued no free passes to get the win, Omar Aguilar (5) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to get the save and Mike Crotta (2-5) was tagged with the loss. Wright has allowed just two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts through 14 innings over his last two outings. The Power improved to 44-17 with the win and the Crawdads fell to 25-36 with the loss. Green paced the Power with three hits while Alonso and Andrew Lefave chipped in with two. Over the last three games, the Power pitching staff has allowed just three runs on 16 hits. The Power will continue the three game series against Hickory Tuesday night. Lefty Mike Ramlow (2-2, 7.33) will make the start for the Power and Hickory will counter with right hander Dionis Rodriguez (0-0, 3.60). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central). West Virginia Box Score: It'd be huge if Brae Wright, having gone back to what had worked for him in the past, continued his turnaround... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Charlie Fermaint in the leadoff spot in his return to low-A... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1

Final: Brevard County 12, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 9 MiLB.com: Salome lifts Manatees Angel Salome went 3-for-5 with two RBIs as visiting Brevard County won its fourth straight with a 12-9 victory over Palm Beach on Monday. Salome's RBI base hit sparked a seven-run first inning. He added a run-scoring double in the fourth to give the Manatees (37-27) a 9-0 lead. Mat Gamel, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games, and Darren Ford each delivered two-run triples in the first for Brevard County. Lorenzo Cain had three hits and three runs scored, while Cole Gillespie and Freddy Parejo chipped in two hits and two RBIs apiece. Starter David Welch (2-2) won for the first time since April 28 after allowing four runs -- three earned -- on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts in six frames. The 24-year-old southpaw retired 14 of 15 batters after a leadoff single in the first but stalled during a four-run sixth. Josh Wahpepah gave up two hits over two innings for his second save. Cardinals starter Trey Hearne (3-6) retired only two batters and was charged with seven runs on six hits. Donnie Smith surrendered four runs on six hits and two walks over 3 1/3 frames and Scott Vander Weg yielded a run on four hits in four innings. Brandon Yarbrough led off the sixth with his second homer of the season before Allen Craig crushed a two-run shot four batters later for Palm Beach (33-30). Ian Church's grand slam highlighted a five-run eighth. -- Marc Jimenez/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: Vince Perkins, a short reliever, has given up earned runs in seven of his last ten appearances, struggling lately... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Brevard County Game Log: A lot to soak in here, some good, some not so much -- somehow this one finished under three hours in length... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_pbcafa_1