Jim Goulart

BRANTLEY AND BOUCHIE HOMER IN POWER WIN WVU Tech was able to hang with the West Virginia Power through three and a half innings of Tuesday?s exhibition at Appalachian Power Park, but the Power offense caught fire as Andy Bouchie and Michael Brantley both hit home runs in a 12-1 Power victory. WVU Tech took the early lead, scoring their only run of the contest in the third inning on Nate Hines?s RBI groundout. The Power answered with a three-run third inning. Taylor Green tied the game with a sacrifice fly, Brent Brewer provided the Power with the lead on an RBI double and later scored on Kenny Holmberg?s run scoring single. The Power pulled away in the sixth inning with a four-run frame. Andrew Lefave drove in the first run on a single and Brantley knocked in the next three with a home run. The Power came up with another four-run frame to provide a large cushion in the seventh. Martin Maldonado walked with the bases loaded, Brantley smacked a two-run single and John Alonso singled in a run. The Power scored their final run in the ninth inning on Bouchie?s solo home run. The Power used nine pitchers in the game, one for each inning, and the Golden Bears used eight. The Power will open the season with a three game series against the Lake County Captains at Appalachian Power Park on Thursday night. Lake County will start right hander Carlton Smith (0-0, 0.00) and the Power will counter with left hander Brae Wright (0-0, 0.00). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/story/S...+for+long/ Ryan back with Power, but probably not for long Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Last year, some last-minute moves landed Patrick Ryan in Charleston. This year, they kept him here. Many people expected Ryan to start the season with the Brevard County (Fla.) Manatees, the Milwaukee Brewers' high Class A affiliate. Instead, he will begin it with the West Virginia Power, the Brewers' low Class A affiliate. "He should be pitching in Brevard, but the pitching is stacked up," West Virginia Power pitching coach John Curtis said of Ryan, a 6-foot-1, 198-pound middle reliever. "So, he's going to be toiling in Charleston. Our job is to get him out there as soon as we can. "He proved (he is good enough for that level) last year, and he had a good spring. But there were some moves that were late in developing, and he was the odd man out. It will just be a matter of time before he gets called up." Ryan will be available for action at 7:05 tonight (6:05 Central) when the Power faces WVU Tech in an exhibition game at Appalachian Power Park. West Virginia will open its South Atlantic League season at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) Thursday when it hosts Lake County at Appalachian Power Park. Ryan finished the 2005 season with a 0-0 record and 3.15 ERA in 17 appearances with the Helena (Mont.) Brewers, Milwaukee's high rookie-league affiliate. He yielded nine runs (seven earned) and 19 hits in 20 innings with 20 strikeouts compared to six walks. Although his numbers were solid, Ryan was expected to spend another season in Helena last year. Instead, he received a last-minute promotion to Charleston when Power Manager Mike Guerrero decided he wanted another pitcher. The decision worked out well for the Power and Ryan, who is from Brooksville, Fla. Ryan finished the 2006 season with a 5-2 record and 1.88 earned run average in 45 appearances with the Power. He allowed 26 runs (19 earned) and 77 hits in 91 2/3 innings with 73 strikeouts and 27 walks. He also recorded two saves. "He had a tremendous year," said Curtis, who is in his third season with the Power. "He was probably the most valuable pitcher on my staff last year. He was the guy who brought the game from the fifth and sixth to the seventh and eighth. He was the critical guy." Although he admits he is disappointed, Ryan said he isn't worried about his assignment because he can't control it. All he can do, he said, is try to be the best pitcher possible every time he takes the mound. "I wanted to move up from a career perspective," said Ryan, a right-hander who has four pitches (an 84- to 88-mph, four-seam fastball that moves like a cutter; a 12-to-6 curveball; a changeup and a palmball). "But that's out of my hands. "You never know what's going to happen. Baseball is full of a bunch of unanswered questions. If you try to figure them out, you're going to go crazy; you're going to drive yourself up the wall. If you try to calculate every step, you're never going to make it because you're going to have bumps in the road; you just have to go with the flow." It helps that Ryan enjoyed his experiences at Charleston and Appalachian Power Park last year. "I'm taking it as a positive," said Ryan, who married his college sweetheart during the offseason. "It's a great city with a great ballpark and good fans. I love Charleston. I have been telling all of the younger guys about it (during spring training)." Besides, pitching in Charleston is better than working at Aeropostale, right? "Definitely," said Ryan, who worked at that clothing store between the 2005 and 2006 seasons. "That's the main thing -- I still have a uniform to put on everyday. That's all I can ask for -- a place to play. "I have always valued baseball a lot because I have never been highly touted and I have never been the star. I have always had to work for everything I got. Just getting drafted was a real surprise for me. So, I never take things for granted." The Brewers selected Ryan, 23, in the 19th round of the 2005 draft. Ryan was 19-5 with a 2.39 ERA in two seasons at Embry-Riddle, where he earned All-America second-team honors and All-Florida Sun Conference first-team honors. Ryan and Power second baseman Kenny Holmberg led the Eagles to the NAIA World Series.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 UAH seeing Stars again Chargers relish meeting Huntsville on eve of season By PAUL GATTIS Huntsville Times Sports Staff, paul.gattis@htimes.com The UAH baseball team today steps into the big time. And yeah, it's pretty cool. The Chargers will play the Huntsville Stars in an exhibition game tonight at 6:05 at Joe Davis Stadium. It's the Stars' final exhibition game before opening the season Thursday against the Mississippi Braves. It doesn't count for the Chargers, but it's a highlight in midseason. "It's something most of us won't ever have a chance to do again, to play against guys at that level," UAH senior Adam Keenum said. "It's exciting to go out and play against future big leaguers." It's the second straight season UAH and the Stars have gotten together for a preseason game after the Stars arrived in town from spring training in Arizona. And while the Chargers chase a championship in the early stages of the Gulf South Conference season, this is one event the players embrace. "Once they hear about it, they get excited," UAH coach Lowell Mooneyham said. "They look forward to it. I'm not sure all the players for the Stars are excited about it, but we appreciate them doing it for us." The Chargers are 17-19 overall and 1-5 in the GSC. They haven't played since March 26. Along with the fun aspect of the game, the Chargers may also be better for having played the Stars. "I approach it with our guys as an opportunity against future major league players, major league prospects, to go out there and have fun," Mooneyham said. "They'll probably be working on their location, so we'll probably see a lot of fastballs. "The caliber of play, the speed of the game, is a notch above." With the game making it such a special night for the Chargers, Mooneyham said he wants as many Chargers as possible to be a part of it. "I want to try to get as many guys in and get that experience," he said. "It's more of a fun thing for us. "It's a way for the Stars to get their feet wet and see live arms and play under the lights." It's inevitable that some Chargers will keep tabs on the Stars in the future - especially if there is a brag moment or two at stake. Or, more importantly, an opportunity to wield a good-natured needle at a teammate. "I went to a few games and watched them," Keenum said. "It was fun to sit there and say, 'I hit against that guy there' and joke with some of the pitchers that had home runs hit off them." (Times columnist Mark McCarter contributed to this report) No audio for this game...

How about recover lost velocity...

Thanks for asking. We're going to let the boys get a couple of weeks of action under their belts, so look for the next P50 in late April, the latest May 1st. We will be updating the P50 every four weeks during the season, and we are going to try and set a specific schedule and stick to it, so that folks will know to look for it on a specific day. It will be a collaborative production between Brad (pogokat), Patrick (colbyjack) and myself. By the way, Brandon Parillo, the LHP at # 48 who was released this spring, just hasn't been able to maintain velocity since late last season. Despite his best efforts during shoulder strengthening workouts this off-season, it wasn't happening, apparently.

Here's the link you'll use if you want to check out the Manatee and/or Power exhibition game broadcasts tonight. These games should archive as well. 6:00 PM Central Start Times -- give it a listen for an hour before the Brewer game... www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Three exhibition games are to be played Tuesday evening (the Sounds play Wednesday evening), and we realize that with the exception of friends and family, most attention will be on the Brewers games these evenings. Even so, at least two of the games (Manatees and Power) will be available via webcast. Both clubs are making use of MLBAM audio via MiLB.com, which is nice, because that allows for archiving. The audio links aren't available yet at MiLB.com, but here are the press releases -- as of now, the Brevard and W.V. exhibition games are the two we know will have audio available. Brevard County: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 The Brevard County Manatees will host the Florida Tech Panthers in an exhibition game before the 2007 season begins. The game, scheduled for Tuesday, April 3th, at 7:00 Pm (6:00 PM Central) at Space Coast Stadium, will be free to the public. The Panthers are members of the Sunshine State Conference. Florida Tech, located in Melbourne, FL, is headed up by Coach Paul Knight, in his 5th season with the Panthers. "This is a great opportunity to expose some of the best baseball Brevard County has to offer. The Brevard County Manatees and the Florida Tech Panthers offer many residents in Brevard County an outstanding opportunity to watch great baseball. We're looking forward to playing at Space Coast Stadium, one of the best facilities in the state, and giving the Manatees a great game before they open up their season," said Knight. The game will have full radio coverage featured on www.manateesbaseball.com. Just log on and listen as the all new Manatees Radio Network team does a "dry run" exhibition of its own to get ready for the upcoming season. Manatees play by play annoucer Scott Pinner said "I want fans to know that this is just a practice run, so don't be too critical. We have a lot of bugs to work out before the start of the regular season as well." Immediately following the game the Manatees will have a meet the team/autograph session. "We're pleased to be able to host this game with Florida Tech. Not only will it give our 2007 squad a chance to practice under the lights on our home field, but the Panthers are truly first class competition. We're thankful that Coach Knight and his team have partnered with us. Our parent club, the Milwaukee Brewers, have always been strong supporters of community events throughout the organization and this event again shows their commitment to the Space Coast region," Buck Rogers, Manatees GM added. The 2007 Florida State League season will begin with the Manatees home opener at Space Coast Stadium scheduled for Thursday, April 5th, at 7:00 PM (6:00 PM Central) against the Daytona Cubs. West Virginia: The West Virginia Power, Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers will play an exhibition game against WVU Tech on Tuesday, April 3 at Appalachian Power Park, two days before Opening Night. Game time will be 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). The Power and WVU Tech will play a full nine-inning game with minor league baseball rules. Tickets to the event are $3 dollars and all tickets are general admission. The Power open the 2007 season at Appalachian Power Park against the Lake County Captains on Thursday, April 5 at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Huntsville: www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1062 The Huntsville Stars and University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers will square off Tuesday night at Joe Davis Stadium beginning at 6:05 PM. As was the case last year, the two teams will play a 7-inning game. Gates will open at 5 PM. Seating will be all general admission with tickets just $5.00 each with a portion of the gate receipts going to benefit the Chargers baseball program. A post-game fireworks show will follow the game, presented by Premiere Pyrotechnics located in Madison. The Stars begin defense of their Southern League Northern Division crown at The Joe on Thursday, April 5 against the Mississippi Braves. Nashville (Wednesday): The Sounds will play a nine-inning exhibition game against the Belmont Bruins as a tuneup to their 2007 season. Admission is free for all fans. Game time is 6:00 PM Central.

Saturday's Games vs. the Padres' organization: Nashville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2239 PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Nashville Sounds wrapped up their 2007 spring training slate on a high note on Saturday afternoon, recording a 4-3 victory over the Portland Beavers (AAA-Padres) at Peoria Sports Complex. Left-hander Zach Jackson started and tossed four scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, in picking up the win. Right-hander Chris Oxspring followed with four innings of his own and allowed one run on three hits. Dennis Sarfate worked the final inning and was touched for two runs on two hits. Catcher Mike Rivera paced the offense with a 2-for-4 afternoon that included a pair of doubles and an RBI. Nashville finished its spring schedule with a 3-8-2 record. Sounds player report to Music Citty early this week and will take the field at Greer Stadium on Wednesday evening for a 6 p.m. exhibition contest against the Belmont Bruins. Admission is free to all fans. The Sounds open their 2007 regular season with a 7 p.m. home contest on Thursday against the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA-Mets) at Greer Stadium. R H E Nashville 4 9 Portland 3 6 NASHVILLE AB R H BI Bell 3 1 0 0 Dillon 4 0 0 0 Rivera 4 1 2 1 Abad 4 1 1 1 Snijders 4 1 1 0 Wycklendt 4 0 2 1 Goetz 4 0 3 1 McKnight 4 0 0 0 Newton 3 0 0 0 2B: Rivera 2 IP H R ER BB SO TP Jackson 4 1 0 0 2 4 66 Oxspring 4 3 1 1 2 3 73 Sarfate 1 2 2 2 2 1 25Huntsville loses, 11-5 R H E Huntsville 5 9 San Antonio 11 13 HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI Stocker 4 2 2 0 Rodriguez 4 1 1 1 Iribarren 4 0 0 0 Carlin 4 1 2 1 St Pierre 4 0 1 1 Perez 4 0 1 0 Chapman 4 0 0 1 Clem 3 0 1 0 Metcalf 3 1 1 0 3B: Rodriguez IP H R ER BB SO TP Hammond 4 7 5 5 2 4 75 DiFelice 2 1 0 0 0 4 26 Hall 1 1 0 0 0 3 21 Salas 1 4 6 6 2 0 34Brevard wins, 6-3 R H E Lake Elsinore 3 7 1 Brevard County 6 8 0 BREVARD CO AB R H BI Fermaint 4 0 0 0 Escobar 4 0 0 0 Gillespie 4 0 1 1 Salome 4 1 2 0 Errecart 2 0 0 0 Cequea 2 0 0 0 Parejo 3 0 0 1 McAngus 4 1 0 0 Hopf 2 2 2 0 Corredor 1 0 0 0 Hereaud 2 1 1 0 Corporan 3 0 2 2 2B: Salome, Hopf, Corporan 3B: Gillespie IP H R ER BB SO TP Miller 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 17 Lluberes 3 3 1 1 4 0 61 Lewis 1 0 0 0 0 2 14 Perkins 1 1 1 1 2 1 35 Johnson 3 2 1 1 0 4 47 West Virginia wins, 5-3 R H E Fort Wayne 3 10 0 West Virginia 5 11 3 WEST VIRGINIA AB R H BI Mojica 4 0 0 0 Holmberg 3 2 1 0 Brantley 3 1 3 0 Maldonado 4 0 0 1 Neyens 4 0 2 3 Lefave 2 0 0 0 Alonso 2 0 0 0 De La Rosa 4 1 2 0 Felix 3 0 1 0 Iacono 4 0 1 1 Whiteside 1 0 0 0 Trejo 1 1 1 0 3B: Neyens IP H R ER BB SO TP Braddock 4 5 2 1 0 3 65 Wendte 2 0 0 0 1 3 40 Romero 2 2 0 0 1 1 36 Shanks 1 3 1 1 0 1 15

Thankfully the MLB.TV feed is Brewers, not Dodgers-based.

For those of you who use MLB.tv, when does the feed usually become available? Unfortunately, no pre- or post-game, so usually five minutes before game time, 1:00 PM for you today.

If you go to the Brewerfan Player Index and click on the Helena and Arizona filters, you'll see the names of players who were candidates for West Virginia, but remain in extended spring training. Unless told otherwise (and we'll know within the next few days), all these players are still with the organization. Some may be nursing injuries. The only player that is really in question is catcher C.J. Medlin, who really wouldn't be a candidate for play at such a lower level. Otherwise, all the players in the Index are pretty much "accounted for". Brewerfan Player Index

Here's the Huntsville site's introduction (first link) and roster list (second link): www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1095 www.huntsvillestars.com/c...roster.asp And here's Your Brewerfan Huntsville Stars Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewTea...o?teamId=3 LHP Jeff Housman, RHP Bo Hall (congrats on reaching AA after three full years at high-A), and first baseman Michael Carlin begin the season on the disabled list.

Right now, until we see or hear media reports from Melbourne, the Player Index reflects seven starting pitchers, for instance. That will all shake out as reports come in and we learn more.

In order to best view the roster specifics, until MiLB.com posts it officially on their roster page, is to visit the Brewerfan Player Index at the link below and then filter it to the Manatees roster. You'll note that we've included an injured Mark Rogers at this level as well. www.brewerfan.net/PlayerIndex.do Of course, you get a nice summary as well when you simply click on the Brevard County sidebar button off of our home page: www.brewerfan.net/PlayerIndex.do

Link, to the 'Tees MiLB.com site, text follows: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Manatees Roster for 2007 is full of top prospects! Scott Pinner Although not set to arrive until Tuesday April 3rd, the Brevard County Manatees have announced the 2007 roster for opening day. "The roster has been received from Milwaukee and we are excited to get under way" said Manatees GM Buck Rogers. "The fans will see some new names and a few they recognize from last year." The Manatees had several players from the 2006 season that have moved on to both Huntsville (AA) and a few that will start at Nashville (AAA). The season is just days away and the roster is announced as follows: PITCHERS: Will Inman Steve Garrison {L} Rafael Llubares {L] Vince Perkins Luis Pena Josh Wahpepah Jesse Harper Derek Miller {L} Ben Stancyzk David Johnson David Welch {L] Kevin Roberts Jeremy Lewis {L} POSITION PLAYERS: Cole Gillespie Charlie Fermaint Nestor Corredor Carlos Corporan Ned Yost Freddy Parejo Lorenzo Cain Ryan Barba Ryan Crew J.R. Hopf Mat Gamel Alcides Escobar Chris Errecart Infielder Mike Bell and catcher Angel Salome will begin the season on the Manatee disabled list and will rehab in Maryvale. Players will arrive on Monday evening and the Manatees will play an exhibition game on Tuesday against F.I.T. at 7:00 Pm (6:00 Central). This game is free and open to the public. If you can't make it out to the ballpark the game can be heard worldwide at www.manateesbaseball.com. On Wednesday there will be a player meet and greet Bar B Q at Beef O'Bradys in Viera. The cost is $10 per person and tickets can be purchased in advance at the stadium. The Manatees open the regular season at home on Thursday April 5th against Florida State League rival the Daytona Cubs. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). The game can be heard on the Manatees Radio Network via AM 1060 WIXC and on the world wide web at: www.manateesbaseball.com.

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/story/S...assistant/ New Power hitting coach making the transition from player to assistant Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter This season promises to be a memorable one for Corey Hart. The West Virginia Power hitting coach and his wife had their first child in the fall and he plans to take his son to work with him as much as possible during the spring and summer. "This is my first season as a dad," said Hart, who will make his debut with the Class A club at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) Thursday when the Power opens South Atlantic League play at home against the Lake County Captains. "My wife and I are really looking forward to bringing him out to the ballpark and getting him around the game." Appalachian Power Park could provide the backdrop for a couple of Kodak moments for the Harts -- 31-year-old Corey, 34-year-old Stacy and 5-month-old Camden -- this year. "He will probably take some of his first steps at the ballpark," Hart said. "That's exciting." Hart replaced Mike Lum, whom the Milwaukee Brewers promoted to roving hitting instructor after he helped the Power (74-62 in 2006) to a league-leading and franchise-record .277 team batting average last year. West Virginia also scored 5.1 runs per game. That is a tough act to follow. Or is it? "I don't look at it as pressure," Hart said. "If I could go out there and perform for the guys, it would be a different story. I would feel a little pressure. But all I can do is encourage them and teach them and lead them. How they perform is totally up to them." This is Hart's second stop in Charleston. His first was as a player in 1999 with the Alley Cats. He had a .190 batting average with 13 stolen bases, 39 RBI and 43 runs in 92 games that season. "I had a good time playing there," said Hart, a 6-foot, 190-pound, switch-hitting, utility infielder who previously played 58 games with the Class A Spokane (Wash.) Indians in 1998. "I enjoyed it. "It was my first full season. I learned how things worked in minor league baseball. I learned how to deal with the grind, playing 140-some games in 150-some days. It was a good experience." Hart spent 11 seasons in the minors before the Brewers released him during spring training in 2006, the same year they offered him a job as the hitting coach for the high Class A Brevard County (Fla.) Manatees. Making the transition from player to coach wasn't easy, but he enjoys his current role even though he misses his former one. "I miss it everyday," Hart said. "But I'm able to stay in the game. I get to live vicariously through my guys. I feel their joy and I feel their pain. I still get to go through the grind and I still get paid to do it. "It's still the same game," he added. "I love it. I love coaching it and I love playing it." Hart helped the Manatees (64-65 in 2006) post a .262 team batting average against Florida State League pitching last year. Brevard County also scored 4.3 runs per game. "I like to teach the guys how to play the game," Hart said. "(My strengths are) helping them develop a swing and an approach at the plate. I teach them how to think up there, too." * * *In case you are wondering, yes, Hart's son is named after Camden Yards, the home of the Baltimore Orioles. Neither Hart nor his wife is -- or ever was -- a fan of Maryland's Major League Baseball team. "We both wanted a name that started with the letter ?C' and we both wanted it to be baseball related," Hart said. "That was the best one that we could come up with that we both liked." The Oklahoma-born Hart and his Wisconsin-born wife grew up cheering for the Chicago Cubs. She also likes the Boston Red Sox. "I wouldn't let my wife name him Wrigley or Fenway," Hart said, apparently only half joking. * * *Speaking of jokes, Hart often is the punch line to them because of his name, which he shares with the 1980's pop music sensation responsible for the hits "Sunglasses at Night" and "Never Surrender." "I get that all of the time," Hart said, the disgust discernible in his voice. Incidentally, he also shares his name with the Brewers outfielder. That created an interesting scenario when they were teammates with the Class AAA Nashville Sounds two years ago. "In my first at-bat with the organization, I pinch hit for him," said Hart, who started using his middle initial (D) to distinguish himself from his more famous and more successful teammate. "I had to tell the umpire, ?Corey Hart for Corey Hart.' It was funny."

Does anybody have a suggested streaming sports radio station that may have some decent Brewer talk prior to the official radio pre-game show? The wife's working, the daughter's at school, and I need Brewer talk in the background while I blow through my TurboTax before game time

Brewerfan has enjoyed since its inception the near-daily in-season reports, first-hand for most home games, of Huntsville's David Weiser. David will also listen in to most road games via Voice of the Stars Brett Pollock, and will thus provide reports on those games as well. Again this season, we will link to David's site here, and invite you to visit. Because David's site doesn't archive his reports, we also copy the text here, which allows David's reports to be "saved", a benefit for him, while we get to enjoy all his insights -- whether they be eyewitness reports of game action, detailed statistical analysis, or anecdotal stories -- a benefit for all of us. Thanks again, David! www.starsboxscore.com/ Just four days to Opening Day and counting, and here is the latest....... The weather for Thursday's opener looks to be the coolest temperature-wise since 2002 when first pitch was thrown on a 50° night. those record 80° temperatures of a week ago won't be back for awhile....... Instead, falling temperatures that will start out in the upper 50's are forecast along with partly cloudy skies for the 7:00 PM start against the Mississippi Braves......... The weekend gets worse, with nighttime temps expected to go near 50°.... Brrrrr! Not my kind of weather for baseball. Take your jacket and pray it doesn't go into extra innings. Former Huntsville Stars (A's organization) 2nd baseman David Newhan picked up his first hit as a New York Met in the 9th inning of Sunday night's major league opener........ Newhan hit .316 for the Stars in 1997 after a June 27 promotion......... Jorge de la Rosa was named the Royals' #4 starter. De la Rosa came to the Stars on a rehab assignment last year that turned out to be the longest re-hab ever spent by a Stars pitcher -- six starts!...... Didn't do badly either -- 3-1 with a 2.40 ERA, 23 Ks in 30 innings and only three walks. The boys are expected to arrive in Huntsville shortly after 2:00 PM on Monday. They'll head to the stadium to be issued uniforms, then the Boosters will be there to provide sandwiches, chips, and drinks in the clubhouse for them. Still up in the air was the decision by GM Tom Van Schaack to allow some of the boosters in the clubhouse, which is nearly complete after off-season expansion. It's probably twice the size it once was.......... Scott Martens, the Brewers' business manager for Minor League operations came to see it and remarked that the new clubhouse rivals many major league ones. The first general membership meeting is scheduled for April 20th during the Stars' 2nd homestand. The Welcome Banquet will be a little late this year -- May 6 -- because the Stars only have two five-game homestands in April --- the first against Mississippi, with a Sunday game that falls on Easter, and then one in the middle of the week against Jacksonville. The Boosters have already received three calls from players who are looking for host families. The Huntsville Stars are holding their media day Tuesday at Joe Davis Stadium at 2:00. The players and coaching staff will be available for interviews and photos, and then one hour before beginning their pre-game routine prior to their game against the University of Alabama-Huntsville squad. In the Stars' final warm-up game of the season, Manny Parra hurled five innings of one-hit ball to beat the Seattle-affiliated Diamond Jaxx, 8-1....... Grant Balfour, Jeff Housman, and Robert Hinton followed in relief to hold West Tenn to just three hits and a run the rest of the way..... Mike Carlin scored twice and drove in two runs... The Stars finish the tune-up 7-5-1. Just prior to the close of camp, Gerrit Simpson was released........ Gerrit had been a pretty valuable member of the Stars' pitching staff the last two seasons....... Simpson, 27, was an emergency pick-up from the Brewers in the August of 2005. He went on to pitch 13 games in relief and log a 2.29 ERA and post five saves. The next season, he led the bullpen with 51 appearances, and had a 2.61 ERA. So, in 95 2/3 innings as a Star, he was 4-3, finished 33 of his 64 games, and had an ERA of 2.54, and held Southern League hitters to a .227 average....... Not bad at all, and certainly worthy of keeping. The final composition of this 2007 team was known sometime Sunday after the Brewers played their last exhibition game, Saturday, against the Texas Rangers. They brought some minor leaguers to Arlington, including Joe Thatcher, who is expected to be our closer this year......... Also joining the Stars is Australian right-hander Balfour, who signed a minor league contract after being released by the Reds. Balfour pitched for the Twins in 2001, 02, and 2004, when he appeared in 36 games in relief, going 4-1 with a 4.35 ERA. Balfour is 36-25, 3.48 in eight minor league seasons, most of them in the Minnesota's farm system........ Also joining the Stars this season is pitcher Marino Salas, who was outrighted to Huntsville last Monday. Salas made it to Double-A for the first time in his career last season, saving 19 games for Bowie (Eastern), the Orioles' AA farm team. He was 2-6 with a 2.92 ERA. In six seasons, he is 13-19 with a 3.91 ERA and 54 saves. For those of you deep into stats, his career WHIP is 1.38 and was a career-best 1.11 last season...... His first appearance for Huntsville will be the 200th in his career. According to MLB's web site, and mind you this is not a final roster, the Stars' pitching rotation includes Mike Jones, Parra, Steve Hammond, and Thurman with a bullpen of Hinton, Luis Villareal, Thatcher, Bo Hall, Salas, and Balfour........ Joe Valentine, who played so important a role in last year's miraculous August drive to the playoffs, has signed to play in Japan. Matt Yeatman was released, and Travis Phelps has signed a minor league contract with the Astros...... Behind the plate, Lou Palmisano returns. His offensive game needs to balance out his defensive one. His average has declined in each of his four seasons. Joining him will either be Carlos Corporan, who came up to the Stars for the final series of the regular season against Birmingham, or Max St. Pierre, acquired from Kansas City in last week's trade for Ben Hendrickson........ Across the infield, 1st base is anybody's guess. Eure could play there, but he's more of a utilityman. Steve Sollmann, brother of former Star Scott worked a lot there this spring, so he would be more likely, if he sticks......... In the middle, there's no question, though. Hernan Iribarren will be our 2nd baseman and his double play partner will be Yohannis Perez and sometimes Guilder Rodriguez....... Iribarren is a lefty spray-hitter with some power who needs to get on base more. He would make a fine # 2 hitter, but I have no idea where Don will put him in the order........ Perez is a Cuban defector, who I believe hasn't played in a couple of years, but he has good defensive cred....... A hopefully improved offensively Adam Heether will replace Ryan Braun at 3rd base. Braun set a club record for having the worst fielding average in one season for a player w/50 or more games played (.869). Heether hit .214 in 70 games last year before being sent down to Brevard County on June 22. Heether committed only nine errors in 67 games for the Stars, compared to Braun's 16 in 57 games........ In the outfield, Steve Moss will be back in center, flanked on his right by Brendan Katin, who had an outstanding spring, hitting .395 with nine RBIs and one of three free agents in left -- Carlin, Ron Davenport, or Mel Stocker........ Stocker hit .279 in camp with eight RBIs. He's is a speedy former KC farmhand who hit .303 for the independent Long Island Ducks (Atlantic) last year, and stole 56 bases. For Class A-Wilmington (Carolina) in 2004, he stole 44 bases and was caught just 15 times --- but --- he hit just .212........ Davenport, whose first name is Ulysses (I'd want to be called Ron, too), is a former Blue Jay farmhand going into his 8th season. He consistently hit in the .270's for three straight seasons in Class A and Class AA-New Hampshire (Eastern), then dived to .181 in 41 games before being sent down to Class A - Dunedin (Florida State). He hit 40 doubles for Dunedin in 2004. He spent most of spring with Nashville, then went 3-for-17 for the Stars in their camp...... Carlin is in his 5th pro season. He comes out of the Pirates' organization. Was an undrafted signee. Never had a look at Double-A before......... Struggled at the plate with the Stars this spring, hitting just .195........ He played most of last season for Lynchburg. (Carolina) where in 116 games, he hit .274 (10th in the league) with 13 HRs and 74 RBIs. He has some power, and like Davenport, can play some 1st base, too....... When I get the official roster, Monday or Tuesday, I'll post it up on my site where the standings usually are. Vinny Rottino was the final player cut from the Milwaukee Brewers' camp. He's been assigned to Nashville, and no doubt, he'll be in the majors sometime this season. He hit .250 in 25 Cactus League games this spring. He made the cut over Tony Gwynn, Jr....... Rottino played in nine games for the Brewers last year, hitting .214. Gwynn hit .260 in 32 games....... Nine former Stars are on the Brewers' Opening Day roster: Ben Sheets, Carlos Villanueva, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks, Geoff Jenkins, Bill Hall, Corey Hart, and Gwynn, Jr. The Stars released pitchers David Bradley, Benito Baez, and Yeatman, 1st baseman Mike Huggins, and outfielders Travis Ezi and Kennard Bibbs....... Also released by the organization was outfielder Nate Yoho, who spent some at-bats in the Stars' spring camp recently, pitcher John Novinsky, who pitched for the Stars in 2004, went up to Indianapolis, then never came back to pro ball after a shoulder injury, pitcher Mike Meyers, and farmhands Grant Richardson, a 14th round pick in 2004, and Brandon Parillo, an 8th round pick....... Another Class A farmhand, left-handed utilityman Tony Festa, called it quits........ The Rockies released former Huntsville pitchers Tim Bausher and Matt Ford........ The Phillies released former Stars catcher Jeff Winchester......... The Nationals released pitcher Luis Martinez, but outfielder Cristian Guerrero signed for a 3rd year in the Washington Nationals' organization. Figure that one out......... A couple of former Stars are staying in the independent ranks: Jason Belcher, who hit .289 for the 2004 Stars before being traded to the Montreal Expos on June 7, and Matt Hammons, who was released from the Stars in May 2003......... Hammons will be pitching for the New Jersey Jackals and Belcher will be playing for Fargo-Moorhead........ Also Jason Shelley, who set several Northern League records for the Gary SouthShore RailCats before the Brewers signed him and deposited him in Huntsville, will be coming back to Gary in 2007....... Shelley's debut with the Stars was an auspicious one on July 20, 2003, hurling a 7-inning three-hit shutout and striking out 10 to come away with a 1-0 win over the Diamond Jaxx in the 2nd game of a double-header, the same day Jeff Housman made his debut with a 10-0 shutout. Brett Evert has signed with the independent Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League. Evert, last year, had a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings for the Stars, but was 0-4. He was released on July 15 and wound up with the Portland (Eastern) Sea Dogs, the Red Sox' AA farm team.......... Left-hander Andy Pratt, who was released at the end of last May after going 1-2 with a 5.64 ERA in 16 appearances, has retired....... He'll be joining the Texas Rangers' organization as a scout....... The Padres have released pitcher Mike Adams.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Star power is in pitching Offensive punch may be in shorter supply this season By PAUL GATTIS Huntsville Times Sports Staff, paul.gattis@htimes.com Spring training is finally over and now, for the Huntsville Stars, it's almost time to start playing games that matter. The Stars broke camp in Maryvale, Ariz., over the weekend and are scheduled to arrive in town today with the season opener Thursday against the Mississippi Braves. "I think everybody's ready," manager Don Money said over the weekend from Arizona. "I think the players are ready to go. Some of the players have been here six weeks." The roster will include a mix of some familiar names and new faces this season at Joe Davis Stadium. Players who have spent extensive time with the Stars back for another season include center fielder Steve Moss, catcher Lou Palmisano, infielders Hernan Iribarren, Adam Heether, Guilder Rodriguez, Jeff Eure and pitchers Steve Hammond, Mike Jones, Manny Parra and Corey Thurman. And Money will be back for his third season along with hitting coach Sandy Guerrero and pitching coach Rich Sauveur. The Stars, according to Money, won't hit a lot of home runs and aren't blessed with speed on the bases. That means that a pitching staff - featuring four lefties in the five-man rotation - may have to carry a heavy burden for the defending Southern League North Division champs. The top run producer will likely be right fielder Brendan Katin, who hit four home runs in 15 games with the Stars late last season. He also hit 13 at Single-A Brevard County before joining the Stars. "We're still looking," Money said when asked about the offense. "I don't think we're going to have a lot of power." Adam Pettyjohn will be the opening night starter but Money said the rest of the rotation was unsettled. Hammond, Parra, Jones and Sam Narron will round out the rotation. The bullpen is also a work in progress. Relievers will be Thurman, Jeff Housman, Luis Villarreal, Mark Difelice, Marino Salas, Bo Hall and Robert Hinton. Jones will be the only righty in the starting rotation. "Well, if it works, it's a good thing," Money said. "If it doesn't work, it's a bad thing. Hopefully, it will be OK."

Sounds GM Glenn Yaeger said on the radio this past Friday that the Sounds are not close to partnering up with Struever Bros. and that the effort to build a minor league park on the riverfront property is futile. Even the Pacific Coast League is now set against this: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=55444 Look for the official nail in the coffin at Tuesday's City Council vote. Brewers stuck for 2007 and 2008, but they should be able to get out of their four-year PDC (Player Development Contract) with Nashville if they wish after just those two years.

When did we sign Jose Macias? March 22nd in the Transaction Thread.... p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...p;stop=101

Play ball! How nice of the big league boys to acquiesce the stage and allow the kids to shine tonight! And all in their home parks! We welcome back announcers Chuck Valenches in Nashville, Brett Pollock in Huntsville, and Andy "Bull" Barch in West Virgina, and we say hello to our new friend Scott Pinner of the Manatees. Honestly, you can't go wrong regardless of which game you choose to listen to this evening. We also thank the affiliate staff members who work behind the scenes in media relations for the game notes and summaries, along with all the local press. Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Zach Jackson at home vs. New Orleans (Mets), 6:40 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Adam Pettyjohn at home vs. Mississippi (Braves), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link (top-right of linked page): www.730ump.com/ Brevard County: LHP Derek Miller at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 6:00 PM Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: LHP Brae Wright at home vs. Lake County (Indians), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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

We don't anticipate doing four formal depth charts, although feel free to pursue if you wish, thanks. The Brewerfan Player Index, while not a depth chart, can be sorted via any number of filters available to you. And of course, once the season begins, the stats will reflect games started, etc.

Huntsville Site: The Stars beat West Tenn 8-1 Friday afternoon in Arizona. Manny Parra hurled five innings of one-hit ball against the Diamond Jaxx. Grant Balfour, Jeff Housman and Robert Hinton followed Parra, combining to give up just three hits and one run the rest of the way. Michael Carlin scored twice and drove in another two runs for the Stars at the plate. Yohannis Perez had two hits and also drove in two runs. The Stars head to Huntsville Monday afternoon and will face the UAH Chargers in an exhibition game Tuesday, April 3 at Joe Davis Stadium, beginning at 6:05 PM. The Stars open the 2007 Southern League season against the Mississippi Braves Thursday, April 5 at The Joe - first pitch is 7:05 PM.