Jim Goulart

Final: West Virginia 8, Hagerstown (Nationals) 6 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER SURGE EARLY ON SUNS The West Virginia Power took a 7-0 lead over the Hagerstown Suns after three and a half innings of Wednesday?s game at Municipal Stadium, and though the Suns came back to make the game interesting, they could not overcome the early deficit as the Power went on to win 8-6. Andy Bouchie?s two-out RBI single in the first inning put the Power on top. West Virginia did most of their damage in the second inning where they scored four runs. Darren Ford drove in the first run on a single. Steve Chapman scored on Marcos Cabral?s throwing error and Chuckie Caufield tripled in the last two runs of the inning. In the third, Ford ripped his second RBI single of the game and Bouchie put the Power ahead 7-0 on a solo home run in the fourth inning. Power lefty Brae Wright held the Suns hitless through three and a third, but the Suns broke out in the fourth inning, scoring three runs on five hits. Stephen King knocked in the first two runs on a single, and he scored later in the inning on Marcos Cabral?s base hit. Chris Marrero?s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning plated Alexis Nunez to bring the Suns within three, until Kenny Holmberg hit a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning. Hagerstown scored in the bottom of the sixth inning on Francisco Guzman?s RBI double. The Suns scored one final time in the ninth inning on Chris Marrero?s groundout but it was too little too late. Wright (2-2) allowed four runs on six hits to earn the victory, E.J. Shanks (3) got the save and Cor Van Allen (0-2) took the loss. Every Power player in the starting lineup hit safely. Kenny Holmberg led the Power with three hits. Chuckie Caufield, Andy Bouchie and Darren Ford all drove in two runs for the Power. The Power improved to 22-8 with the win and the Suns fell to 12-20 with the loss. The Power will continue the four game series against the Hagerstown Suns at Municipal Stadium on Thursday night. The Power will start right hander J.T. King (3-0, 0.90) and the Suns will counter with Marco Estrada (1-2, 4.70). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM (5:35 Central). West Virginia Box Score: Not a weak link in that lineup statistically; team stats of .288 / .354 / .427 (.781 OPS) -- .288 average! And that was heading into today (15 hits today)... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hagafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hagafx_1 The game log notes that Andy Bouchie's arm was injured on that backswing mentioned earlier: West Virginia Power catcher Andy Bouchie left the game due to an injured arm.

Watching on MLB.TV That last play by Rickie was insane. Wait until you see the highlights later, wow...

In progress: West Virginia 7, Hagerstown (Nationals) 4, bottom of the 5th in Hagerstown Listened to this game as a Brewer warmup today; Power offense active as seemingly always, and with an assist or two from the Suns' defense; Brae Wright cruised through three hitless innings before struggling in the 4th; catcher Andy Bouchie left after a scary injury -- he collapsed behind the plate, apparently from taking a shot from the backswing of a Suns' batter, although play-by-play man Andy Barch didn't quite see exactly what occurred; Bouchie had hit his first home run the prior inning...

Yes, I had noticed he was just released, 7th year in the Oriole system. He just signed with the St. Joe (Missouri) Blacksnakes of the independent American Association.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars' owner: Attendance a concern Despite small crowds, Prentice says he has no plans to move team By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com Only 918 fans were at Joe Davis Stadium on Tuesday night for the Huntsville Stars-Mobile BayBears game. Sprinkled among them were four members of the team's ownership group, including principal owner Miles Prentice. The meager numbers - nine of the 17 home dates have had triple-digit attendance figures - are "absolutely" a concern for Prentice, who bought the club in the fall of 2001 from a group of local owners. "I'd like to see more people at the stadium," Prentice said. "We have a good product. It's a great family outing, and I think it's a diamond in the rough. It's very important for a community to have a professional franchise like this, one that's affiliated with Major League Baseball." However, despite struggles at the gate and an aging ballpark (Joe Davis Stadium was opened in 1985), Prentice said he has no plans to sell or move the franchise. "I'm not looking for either buyers or movers, as the case may be," he said. Prentice was asked if he had hopes for a new stadium in Huntsville. "I can dream," he said. "We got one in Midland (Prentice owns the Midland RockHounds, Oakland's Double-A team in the Texas League). It took a while. And I believe the community has embraced it. That was a partnership (in construction) between public and private." Prentice, an attorney based in New York, only infrequently visits Huntsville. This was his second game of the season, and was prompted by an emergency situation with the club. Tom Van Schaack, the team's 43-year-old general manager, has taken a leave and returned to his home in upstate New York, where he's scheduled to undergo heart bypass surgery this week. Monty Hoppel, the general manager of the Midland club, was here, and spent much of Tuesday meeting with the Stars staff. Prentice was joined by co-owners Jerry Gold, Hank Amon and Steve Long; the latter is a new partner, replacing Joe Coughlin. "We have enough people (in the front office) in terms of numbers," Prentice said. "We're looking at people picking up a lot of responsibilities. We have some interns coming in to do some of the legwork. We've had my general manager from Midland looking at things, and we're going to see if we can get a guy or two to come in on an interim basis." Prentice beamed when talking about the Stars' new clubhouse and noted that more improvements are forthcoming, depending upon "priorities" and the Brewers' "punch-list." Among possibilities: an improved visitors' clubhouse, a walk-in concession stand and improved skyboxes. In a wide-ranging interview with The Times, Prentice touched on other subjects: More on attendance: "That's something we need to work on. Tom and I and other members of the staff have worked on a format to get more groups in. That's where we feel we have to go. "The season ticket base is going to be within a few numbers of what it is every year. We want utilization. We want to improve group sales and emphasize to corporations to have their picnics out here, have your parties out here." On private funds from the owners being used for stadium construction: "It would depend on what we decided needed to be done and how it needed to be done and what the cost was. We don't rule out a combination of choices. Certainly if there were a new facility, if we were to go that far, there would be some contribution from private." Is the team on the market? "No. In this case I have eight other owners, so I can't make that decision myself." On an opportunity for local partners: "That's hard to say. I wouldn't rule anything out. But at this point we have our ownership group. If someone wanted to see, I would consider a local owner. Right now, everybody is pretty comfortable."

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars' lapse in 10th helps BayBears win By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com In the heat of the afternoon sun, the Huntsville Stars took early work Wednesday, a refresher course in fundamentals. One of the areas of concentration: covering the bases on steal attempts. In the 10th inning, there was a lack of concentration. Ironically, on a steal attempt. The Stars' middle infielders, shortstop Yohannis Perez and second baseman Hernan Iribarren, neglected to cover second on a steal attempt by Mobile's Emilio Bonifacio. Catcher Lou Palmisano's throw was on the bag. Neither infielder was closer than 10 feet. Bonifacio ended up on third, the BayBears loaded the bases on a pair of walks (one intentional) and Carlos Gonzalez drilled a two-out, two-run single off relief ace Marino Salas to give Mobile a 5-3 victory over Huntsville. "It's a shame," said manager Don Money, who noted "we shouldn't have even been in the 10th. There's no excuse." Mobile had pieced together a three-run third inning after right fielder Brendan Katin lost a Javier Brito fly in the twilight, scoring Chris Rahl, who had tripled with two out. Then Mark Reynolds doubled home Brito and scored on a single. Iribarren had an RBI double in the first and Laynce Nix an RBI double in the third, then Palmisano tied the game with a seventh-inning homer. Stars starter Manny Parra had his tough moments in the third, but was otherwise solid, scattering eight hits over six innings. Mark DiFelince pitched two effective relief innings, but Bo Hall fell into trouble with a pair of walks in the 10th. "The pitching did well enough to win," said Money, who held a five-minute postgame meeting.

Standings through Tuesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 18 14 .563 - 10-5 8-9 L1 Iowa 17 15 .531 1.0 9-4 8-11 W5 Memphis 16 17 .485 2.5 13-7 3-10 L3 Omaha 15 17 .469 3.0 12-5 3-12 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 15 15 .500 - 5-8 10-7 L2 West Tenn 15 17 .469 1.0 8-7 7-10 L1 Huntsville 14 16 .467 1.0 7-10 7-6 L2 Chattanooga 14 18 .438 2.0 8-9 6-9 W1 Carolina 13 19 .406 3.0 7-8 6-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 17 14 .548 - 9-5 8-9 W2 Palm Beach 17 14 .548 - 8-9 9-5 W1 Brevard County 17 15 .531 0.5 8-6 9-9 W1 Vero Beach 15 16 .484 2.0 11-7 4-9 W2 Jupiter 15 17 .469 2.5 5-9 10-8 W2 St. Lucie 14 18 .438 3.5 7-11 7-7 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 21 8 .724 - 13-5 8-3 L1 Greensboro 19 12 .613 3.0 12-4 7-8 W2 Lakewood 15 13 .536 5.5 6-8 9-5 L1 Lake County 15 15 .500 6.5 9-7 6-8 W1 Hickory 13 16 .448 8.0 6-4 7-12 W1 Lexington 14 18 .438 8.5 7-9 7-9 L3 Hagerstown 12 19 .387 10.0 7-8 5-11 W2 Delmarva 11 19 .367 10.5 6-9 5-10 L2

Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for R.A. Dickey photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2305 Sounds Lose To Sky Sox On 9th-Inning Wild Pitch COLORADO SPRINGS ? Cory Sullivan scored on a bases-loaded Dennis Sarfate wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday evening to give the Colorado Springs Sky Sox a 6-5 victory over the Nashville Sounds in the opener of a four-game series at Security Service Field. Nashville (18-14) has dropped seven of its last nine road contests. The defeat was the Sounds? fifth last at-bat loss of the year. Sarfate (1-3) took a loss for his third consecutive appearance. With runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth, Colorado Springs first baseman Joe Koshansky worked out of an 0-2 hole to draw a walk from the right-hander. Sarfate?s third offering to Alvin Colina skipped to the backstop, allowing Sullivan to race home with the game-winning run. The last at-bat score gave Colorado Springs two straight wins for only the second time this season and made a winner of Ryan Speier (1-1), who worked a scoreless top of the ninth for the Sky Sox. Nashville right fielder Callix Crabbe stifled an early Colorado Springs scoring attempt when he threw out Sky Sox catcher Edwin Bellorin at the plate to end the second inning. The Sounds grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning against Sky Sox starter Marc Kaiser. The right-hander opened the frame by issuing four consecutive walks, the last of which to Crabbe forced home Ozzie Chavez (2-for-3) with the game?s first run. Nashville added two more runs on sacrifice flies from Charles Thomas and Andy Abad. Colorado Springs jumped on the board in the fourth when Koshansky scored on a Seth Smith sacrifice fly, making it a 3-1 contest. The Sky Sox grabbed a 5-3 lead in the sixth with a four-run rally against Sounds starter R.A. Dickey. Koshansky got things started with an RBI single before Bellorin (3-for-3) belted a go-ahead two-run homer to left, his third of the year. Smith followed with a double and later scored on a Dickey wild pitch. Nashville quickly tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the next inning against Colorado Springs reliever Josh Newman. Chavez led off with a single and scored when Chris Barnwell followed with an RBI triple to center. Pinch-hitter Brad Nelson evened the contest with a run-scoring single to center to plate Barnwell. AUDIO: Chris Barnwell RBI Triple -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-8.mp3 Neither team scored again until the bottom of the ninth. Dickey took a no-decision after allowing five runs on nine hits over his 5 2/3 frames of work for the Sounds. The teams continue the series with an 11:35 a.m. CT morning matchup on Wednesday, the first of two consecutive pre-noon starts in the series. Nashville right-hander Tim Dillard (0-2, 3.41) takes the hill in search of his first career Triple-A win. The Sky Sox will counter with right-hander Bobby Keppel (0-1, 6.43).

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Starting Pitcher Zach Jackson: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-8.mp3

Final: Colorado Springs (Rockies) 6, Nashville 5 Pains me to say that we're still seeing this too often from Dennis Sarfate, now in his 4th year on the 40-man roster -- Colorado Springs Bottom 9th - Pitcher Change: Dennis Sarfate replaces Steve Bray, batting 9th. - Cory Sullivan walks. - Clint Barmes out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Dennis Sarfate to first baseman Andy Abad. Cory Sullivan to 2nd. - Dennis Sarfate intentionally walks Ian Stewart. - Sean Barker strikes out swinging. - Joe Koshansky walks. Cory Sullivan to 3rd. Ian Stewart to 2nd. - Coaching visit to mound. - With Alvin Colina batting, wild pitch by Dennis Sarfate, Cory Sullivan scores. Nashville Box Score: Steve Bray with an uncharacteristic nine walks in 12.1 IP, but he's still fine otherwise... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_cspaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: One-out Ozzie Chavez triple wasted in the 4th... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_cspaaa_1

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 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_cspaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hagafx_1

Wednesday's Daily Menu: It's a shame the daytime plate is so full with the big league Brewers in their own matinee, although the West Virginia game is an extra-early appetizer... All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Tim Dillard at Colorado Springs (Rockies), 11:20 AM pre-game; 11:35 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Adam Pettyjohn at home vs. Mobile (Diamondbacks), 11:50 AM pre-game; 12:05 PM gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: RHP Will Inman at home vs. Fort Myers (Twins), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: LHP Brae Wright at Hagerstown (Nationals), 9:25 AM pre-game, 9:35 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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Brevard County Game Notes from MiLB.com: Manatees thump Threshers Ryan Crew, Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain combined for nine of visiting Brevard County's 17 hits as the Manatees cruised to a 14-4 rout of Clearwater on Tuesday. Crew went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored to help Brevard County (17-15) avoid a four-game sweep. Cain went 3-for-6 with two RBIs and Escobar also had three hits and drove in a run for the Manatees. Michael Bell delivered a three-run double in the eighth and added an RBI single in the ninth as Brevard County put up nine runs over the final two frames. Nestor Corredor had an RBI single in the first and a two-run double in the eighth. Dave Johnson (2-0) picked up the win after striking out four in 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Jeremy Slayden went 3-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games for the Threshers (21-11). Clearwater starter Josh Outman (2-3) surrendered five runs on eight hits and four walks with four strikeouts in 4 1/3 frames. -- Alan Friedman/MLB.com

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1149 Gonzalez Delivers For Second Straight Night Carlos Gonzalez?s two-out, two-run single in the tenth inning lifted Mobile to a 5-3 win over Huntsville Tuesday night in the second of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The BayBears improved to 15-17 on the season and to 9-8 on the road, while the Stars slipped to 14-16 but remain a game behind Tennessee in the North Division after the Smokies were blasted 12-1 at Montgomery. Emilio Bonifacio opened the tenth with a walk off Bo Hall and attempted to steal second base. Stars? catcher Lou Palmisano made a strong throw but nobody was covering the bag and the ball went into center field, allowing Bonifacio to advance to third base. Chris Rahl walked and advanced to second base on defensive indifference on a steal attempt before Javier Brito struck out for the first out of the inning and Hall was replaced by closer Marino Salas, who saved all three wins in the last series with the Lookouts. The Stars intentionally walked Mark Reynolds to load the bases and Salas followed with a strikeout of Jon Zeringue for the second out. Gonzalez, who singled home the tying and go-ahead runs Monday night, ripped the first Salas offering into right field for a base hit to plate Bonifacio and Rahl and end the bullpen?s streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings. Matt Elliott retired the Stars in order in the tenth to preserve the win and earn his second save, while Abe Woody went two scoreless frames to earn his second win of the season. Mobile starter Esmerling Vasquez lasted seven innings for a third time in seven starts and was charged with three runs on five hits and matched a season-high with six strikeouts. The Stars took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Hernan Iribarren doubled home Steve Sollmann, who opened the frame with a single. Iribarren moved to third on a Laynce Nix ground out but remained there when Palmisano grounded out and Brendan Katin struck out. Mobile took a 3-1 lead in the third when Brito, Reynolds and Cesar Nicolas strung together consecutive two-out run-scoring hits against Stars? starter Manny Parra, who went six innings and allowed three runs on eight hits. Nix?s run-scoring double chased home Iribarren in the third to trim the lead to 3-2 and Palmisano tied the game in the seventh with a leadoff home run, his third of the year and first at home. Palmisano was the only Huntsville base runner to reach and pass second base after the third inning. The series continues Wednesday afternoon with southpaw Adam Pettyjohn taking the hill against BayBears? right-hander Jonathan Castellanos. Coverage of the game begins at 11:50 AM Central Time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

In progress: Nashville 5, Colorado Springs (Rockies) 5, Sounds batting in the top of the 7th Wild one in Colorado, as R.A. Dickey's knuckleball goes awry in the 6th...

Final: Mobile (Diamondbacks) 5, Huntsville 3, ten innings Details from the Stars' site soon... Huntsville Box Score: Lou Palmisano home run # 3 in a two-hit night; Hernan Iribarren on base three times and draws the Stars' only base on balls; Laynce Nix 1-for-3 with an RBI double; Brendan Katin and Yohannis Perez each strike out three times as part of 0-for-4's... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Bo Hall's two walks in the 9th oh-so-costly... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

In progress: Mobile (Diamondbacks) 3, Huntsville 3, top of the 10th in Huntsville With the victorious Brew Crew wrapped up for the night, flip over to Brett Pollock's Stars audio in extra innings...

Final: Brevard County 14, Clearwater (Phillies) 4 Manatees took out some frustration with this win, scoring nine runs in the final two innings... Brevard County Box Score: Ryan Crew 3-for-4 with a walk; Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Cole Gillespie, Chris Errecart, and Mat Gamel each reach base three times; Escobar now with 41 hits, 40 of them singles (.323); Alcides now a so-so 10-for-15 in SB attempts as well; LHP Rafael Lluberes "survived" 4 2/3 innings allowing lots of baserunners but only two runs, one earned; Dave Johnson and Kevin Roberts with nice work out of the pen, Luis Pena allows a couple of garbage runs... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Brevard County Game Log: We'll try to link to the audio of Mike Bell's eighth-inning three-run double later on, along with any postgame interview comments... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_clrafa_1

West Virginia Site Game Summary: SUNS SCORE EARLY AND OFTEN TO BEAT POWER The Hagerstown Suns scored runs in the first three innings of Tuesday night?s game against the West Virginia Power and though the Suns were out-hit 10-8, they still took game one of the series 5-2. Chris Marrero?s sacrifice fly scored Alexis Nunez in the top of the first inning to give the Suns an early edge. Leonard Davis hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning and Justin Maxwell did the same in the third to give the Suns a 3-0 lead after three innings. The Suns took a 4-0 advantage after Brett McMillan?s two-out RBI double in the fifth. West Virginia scored both of their runs in the seventh. Chuckie Caufield smacked an RBI double and scored later in the inning after John Alonso grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. The Suns scored an insurance run in the eighth inning on Davis?s RBI single. In the ninth inning the Power came up with three hits, but could not plate a run. Suns lefty Justin Jones (1-0) held the Power scoreless through six innings and allowed just three hits to earn the victory, Eddy Baeza (3) pitched a scoreless ninth to get the save and Roque Mercedes (0-2) took the loss. The loss marked the second time this season that the Power lost despite out-hitting their opponent. Caufield, Andy Bouchie and Kenny Holmberg all had two hits for the Power. The Power fell to 21-8 with the loss and the Suns improved to 12-19 with the win. The Power will continue the four game series against the Hagerstown at Municipal Stadium on Wednesday morning. The Power will start left hander Brae Wright (1-2, 5.76) and the Suns will counter with Cory Van Allen (0-1, 3.05). The first pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM (9:35 Central).

Final: Hagerstown (Nationals) 5, West Virginia 2 West Virginia Box Score: Power outhit the Suns, 10-8, but the game log reveals a frustrating game overall -- three double plays, a pickoff, a man thrown out at home in the 9th; another uneven performance for RHP Roque Mercedes... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hagafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hagafx_1

Infielder Fredy de la Cruz, the 21-year-old who was a surprise release off Helena's roster this winter, has signed with the Brockton (MA) Rox of the independent Can-Am League. de la Cruz had just broken through to appear on the Power 50 at the time of his release. LHP Kyle Pawelczyk, also released this spring, signed with Pensacola (FL) of the independent American Association.

Link while active, text follows: www.bellinghamherald.com/...71776.html Dreams of playing in major leagues take U-turn DANE RENKERT Since my last column in mid- April a lot has happened. Personal horizons have risen and fallen, and doors have been slammed shut and now cracked back open. But before I catch you up with my independent baseball career in Fargo, N.D., I thought I would let you know how my Major League Baseball career, for the time being, came to an end. When the usual 6:30 a.m. alarm clock went off that March morning and I sat up for the first time that day, there was never a thought of being on a plane 10 hours later. But there I was, in seat 26C on my way home to Bellingham ? not by choice. Instead the expression of getting your ?uniform torn off your back,? came true as I was released by the Milwaukee Brewers. A short meeting with management and I was taking the dreadful walk that I had written about. Suddenly something that has been my life was over, and my dreams of playing in the major leagues were squashed and left on the fields behind me. With that, I left a painful chunk of my heart behind ? the part that lived for this game and the competiveness and comaradarie of America?s pastime. At the time, I remember thinking that if this was the end of my career, I could take nothing but fond memories with lifelong friendships and storybook experiences with me. This game has provided me with a college degree and life experiences that extend far past the lines of a baseball field. I was preparing for what I thought could be my first summer without baseball since I could walk. Through it all, I knew that I would miss the game, but I knew that I would miss my teammates even more ? going to battle with them night in and night out. Personally not achieving my ultimate goal will be a lifetime of wondering what could have been. The visions of my family and friends at my first big league game have, for the time being, come to a close and put to rest. But I left the game with no regrets of not working hard enough, and I realize that I just fell into the enormous category of those that played but never made it. Although I personally always thought I could make it, it simply becomes a numbers game, and with so many great athletes the odds are stacked against anyone who ventures into the field of professional athletics. My career now goes from active to an interesting dinner conversation of my two years of living a child?s dream. I will always be able to say that I was drafted to play a game that to me was nothing but second nature. When I see my old teammates at my wedding or theirs, there will be no tears shed, just laughs at the time I had being a professional baseball player. Dane Renkert is a pitcher for the Fargo-Moorehead Redhawks of the independent Northern League. Before being a Redhawk, he played for Sehome High School, the Bellingham Bells and Washington State University and was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers? minor league system.

Standings through Monday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 18 13 .581 - 10-5 8-8 W2 Iowa 16 15 .516 2.0 8-4 8-11 W4 Memphis 16 16 .500 2.5 13-7 3-9 L2 Omaha 14 17 .452 4.0 11-5 3-12 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 15 14 .517 - 5-8 10-6 L1 West Tenn 15 16 .484 1.0 8-7 7-9 W3 Huntsville 14 15 .483 1.0 7-9 7-6 L1 Carolina 13 18 .419 3.0 7-8 6-10 W1 Chattanooga 13 18 .419 3.0 7-9 6-9 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 17 14 .548 - 9-5 8-9 W2 Palm Beach 16 14 .533 0.5 7-9 9-5 L4 Brevard County 16 15 .516 1.0 8-6 8-9 L3 Vero Beach 14 16 .467 2.5 10-7 4-9 W1 Jupiter 14 17 .452 3.0 5-9 9-8 W1 St. Lucie 14 17 .452 3.0 7-10 7-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 21 7 .750 - 13-5 8-2 W2 Greensboro 18 12 .600 4.0 12-4 6-8 W1 Lakewood 15 12 .556 5.5 6-7 9-5 W4 Lake County 14 15 .483 7.5 9-7 5-8 L4 Lexington 14 17 .452 8.5 7-8 7-9 L2 Hickory 12 16 .429 9.0 5-4 7-12 L1 Delmarva 11 18 .379 10.5 6-9 5-9 L1 Hagerstown 11 19 .367 11.0 6-8 5-11 W1