Jim Goulart

Zach Jach with the save! Bob and Jim this weekend, then a TV game Monday, next webcast-only is Wednesday...

Just an aside from Rotoworld -- as good a thread as any to include it: Marlins sent first baseman Jason Stokes outright to Triple-A Albuquerque. Stokes may still have 30-homer power, but because of his chronic wrist problems, no one has seen it lately. He was 1-for-11 with seven strikeouts this spring. Lots of folks will remember, and to think back to the end of the 2002 season and their monster Midwest League seasons, it's shocking that both Brad Nelson and Stokes are now afterthoughts, off 40-man rosters. Wrist and hamate problems are career killers, or at least severe derailers.

It's back now, Turnbow with a walk, then a Chone Figgins triple, but the runner going home missed third, and the Brewers win the appeal. Then Ryan Crew makes a nice play in the infield to cut down Figgins at home. Quite a few youngsters from minor league camp in there --Crew (perfect Brewer name), Freddy Parejo - lots of uniform numbers in the 90's...

Looks like the audio has dropped here in the 8th...

A Ned Yost, Jr. sighting...warning track fly ball

Gameday so you can catch up -- entertaining listen since I joined a little while back: mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/y...;brand=mlb

From GM Buck Rogers: Kirk Aigus, from WMEL has been named to the Manatees Broadcast team and he will host a one hour Manatees game of the week preview show on WMEL on Saturdays. It will air for one hour prior to the Manatees game of the week on WMEL. This show will be a live call in type show and then "Voice of the Manatees" Scott Pinner will join Kirk on the air each week for the Manatees 15 minute pre game show, then Scott will take over the Manatees broadcast from there. This will be a weekly feature on WMEL in addition to the Manatees game of the week and will be just another piece of the Manatees radio network puzzle. Thanks to WMEL's Vern and John Harper for supporting the Manatees with this special feature in 2007! Also, we will be at Beef O'Brady's after each Manatees Sunday home game for the post-game party and radio wrap up show, another WMEL radio feature on the Manatees Radio Network. Don't forget to join us each and every off day all season long at the Hooters Merritt Island for the Manatees Hooters Hot Line Show. The show will feature special guests, Manatees players and coaches as well as an interactive call-in segment to answer your questions. Scott and Kirk will host the show which will be featured on both local radio and webcast thru our web site (www.manateesbaseball.com). The purpose of this show is to increase fan interaction and team awareness throughout the entire Space Coast community and pick up fans from around the globe. We will include contests and prizes for the fans in attendance as well as the fans listening at home. Thanks to Hooters Merritt Island and Miller Lite, the official sponsors of this live baseball show. Here is the season-long schedule of fun of post-game activities at Hooters Merritt Island: a.. Sunday April 22nd 2007 7:00 pm b.. Sunday May 13th 2007 7:00 pm c.. Sunday June 17th 2007 7:00 pm (this is also the FSL All Star game follow up show) d.. Tuesday July 10th 2007 7:00 pm (the Manatees and Hooters will host Major League Baseball All Star Game, complete with Big Screen TVs, Miller Lite beer specials, food specials, wings and the always famous Hooters Girls...delightfully tacky, yet unrefined. Yeah, you get the picture. e.. Monday August 13th 2007 7:00 pm f.. Monday Sept 3rd 2007 7:00 pm (our end of season show if the Manatees are not involved in the playoffs...we think we'll be in the playoffs and will continue this party) Manatees fans are encouraged to join us after Sunday home games at Hooters Merritt Island for all the fun. if you can't make it you can tune in and call in to participate, except you won't have the wings, the girls or as much fun. In fact, you'll won't have much fun at all if you're not there. Better just make the plans to attend so your life isn't just one big void.

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/igt/suppan.jpg From Tom Haudricourt of the JS: The Brewers are playing the Los Angeles Angels today in an exhibition game at Maryvale Baseball Park. Here is their starting lineup: 2B Rickie Weeks SS J.J. Hardy 1B Prince Fielder CF Billy Hall C Johnny Estrada LF Geoff Jenkins RF Corey Hart 3B Ryan Braun RHP Jeff Suppan Brewers fans might want to commit that lineup to memory. With the possible exception of Braun and Suppan, it has a good chance to be the opening day lineup. Right-hander Ben Sheets is expected to start the opener April 2 vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gameday Free Webcast

Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel: Phoenix- Less than pleased with the overall showing in exhibition play of the candidates for bullpen jobs, the Brewers added minor-league lefty Joe Thatcher to their camp today. Thatcher, 25, pitched in the Brewers' system last year at three levels -- low Class A West Virginia, high Class A Brevard County and Class AA Huntsville. In 46 relief outings combined at those stops, he went 5-4 with a 1.37 ERA and 12 saves. In 65 2/3 innings, Thatcher issued only 17 walks while striking out 80 hitters. "We're bringing him over here to get a look at him," said manager Ned Yost. "We've heard a lot of good things about him. His numbers sure are good." ***Very exciting. Regular readers of this forum know quite a bit about Thatcher: www.kokomotribune.com/sit...34521.html Fantastic thinking-forward move by the Brewers -- potential second lefty in the pen, given the weak performances of all the 12th man candidates (final reliever -- not counting Carlos Villanueva) thus far.

Rotoworld: Padres released RHP Mike Adams. Adams, a former Milwaukee reliever, had been on the Padres' 40-man roster since being acquired from the Indians for Brian Sikorski last July. He should clear waivers, and once he does, he might be re-signed to a minor league deal.

OK, thanks, we're just all resigned to the fact Mark won't officially be on a mound during the 2007 season. If he's throwing full-out in fall instructionals, that would be wonderful! Glad he's doing well. Patience.

Today's Gameday, with three weak Craig Counsell AB's, then pinch-hit for by Ryan Braun, who promptly triples, then doubles -- I'd say when the prosecutor rests his case, he'll remind the jury about that piece of evidence. Something about that being a microcosm...

You can vote for current Brewers Corey Hart and Callix Crabbe, former farmhand Noochie Varner, former Brewer draft picks (not signed) Ray Liotta and Deik Scram, among those in MiLB.com's Name Game Bracket Buster, first round: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...adness.jsp Some fantastic names among the 64 -- Brooks Dunn and Will Startup among my favorites. They missed out on a Will Inman vs. Josh Outman battle, though.

Things have been soooo quiet I can't believe Mark's rehab is untouchable. Not sure I understand your comment -- can you please elaborate?

Hi Josh. Questions: Who was your first Brewer client, and what sold him on your agency? Did that client then have any influence on obtaining future Brewer clients via good word-of-mouth? This is obviously a competitive business. What is your standard operation for making first contact with a potential client, and what is your ratio of contacts vs. commitments? I imagine even 1-in-100 might be considered a success. The testimonials are impressive: doublediamondsportsmanage...nials.html Can you provide a laundry list of what services you provide for your clients? Not in super detail, but an overall list of priorities. Is there any type of endorsement or affiliation that you may have wished to pursue for a client but the parent organization frowned on? Thanks. This is a nice opportunity for us to learn -- we've never had an agent willing to share with our readers in the past, particularly one with some impressive Brewer clients.

Travis Hake playing for his hometown independent league team -- link includes background and this: Drafted by the Brewers in 2000, Hake spent parts of two seasons in Milwaukee's farm system. After a disagreement about playing time, he walked away from affiliated baseball in 2001. www.ydr.com/revolution/ci_5432240 He took three years off before joining the independent ranks in 2005. He's 30 years old now...

The New York Collegiate Baseball League, founded in 1978, is a summer wood bat league sanctioned by the NCAA and partially funded by Major League Baseball. The league gives college players who have not yet signed a professional contract the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level of play, gain experience with wood bats, and be evaluated by scouts. The NYCBL is located in scenic Upstate New York. Teams play a 44 game regular season schedule with games beginning in June and ending in the last week in July. All games are 9 innings, with most doubleheaders scheduled on the weekends. The All-Star game is played in early July, and the League Championship Series concludes in the first week of August. Much like the New England Collegiate Baseball League -- I've been to Newport (Rhode Island) Gulls games -- these leagues are doing their best to ciphon off talent from the more prestigious Cape Cod League, which luckily is nearby for me as well. There are certainly other leagues in the mix as well...

It's absolutely fantastic when the affiliate websites pursue original content of their own. "Voice of the Stars" Brett Pollock does a great job detailing his interview with Khalid Ballouli here -- support the Stars' by visiting their site, we'll provide the link: www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1075

Ugh -- I mention "civility", and the dreaded "ignorance" word shows up moments later. We really need to find a synonym that suits the purpose.

I'm just going to chime in and say I've thoroughly enjoyed the discourse on this thread since its inception. Best thread in both terms of content and civility in months, if not years, in my eye, anyway. I doubt it has received the audience it deserves here on the Draft Forum, perhaps we should link to it on the Major League Forum as well. Good stuff, guys....

owlsports.cstv.com/sports...07aaa.html Temple pitching coach to manage prestigious summer league team PHILADELPHIA - Justin Gordon, the pitching coach at Temple University, has been named manager of the Little Falls Miners in the New York Collegiate Baseball League, one of the top summer baseball leagues in the country. Gordon, who played six seasons of professional baseball, is in his first season at Temple and spent two seasons as the pitching coach at Western Illinois, helping lead the Leathernecks to the Mid-Continent Conference championship game and a school-record 32 wins in 2006. "I am honored to be offered the managerial position for the Little Falls Miners," Gordon said. "The Little Falls area is a great community with a passion for summer league baseball." Gordon was the pitching coach for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League last summer. He coached Temple junior Arshwin Asjes at Harwich and mentored staff ace Dan Merklinger (Seton Hall) to all-Cape Cod League honors. "I would like to thank the players, coaches, and front office of the Harwich Mariners for everything they have done for me and for supporting my decision to manage the Little Falls Miners this summer," Gordon said. "Justin is an outstanding baseball person with a relentless passion to develop his coaching skills," Temple head coach Rob Valli said. "We are excited to have him represent Temple Baseball in such a positive way." The Western Illinois staff tied for the league lead in saves (10) and finished second in the league in team ERA (5.27), strikeouts (360) and opponents' batting average (.287) last spring. Gordon guided junior pitcher Quinn Leath to first team All-Mid-Con honors after leading the league in ERA (2.06) and opponents batting average (.224). He went 8-2 and fanned 54 batters in 78.2 innings. "Justin came to us very highly recommended," Little Falls general manager Hoffman Wolff said. "We've already been impressed by his knowledge of and enthusiasm for the game, and he should be a great fit for us here in Little Falls." Gordon, 27, was drafted in the 32nd round of the 1999 Major League Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers after spending one year at Massasoit (Mass.) CC. He spent five seasons in the Brewers organization, advancing as high Class A-Advanced with the High Desert Mavericks, recording five saves and striking out 72 batters in 83.1 innings in 2003. He went 5-5 with a 4.26 ERA in 2000 for the Ogden Raptors and was named a Pioneer League All-Star. Gordon finished his career with the North Shore Spirit in the independent Northeast League, going 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA, including a 2-0 record with a 0.71 ERA during the playoffs. At Massasoit CC, Gordon hit .393 with nine home runs as a first baseman, earning First Team All-New England honors, and was drafted despite pitching only nine innings. In addition to his playing experience, the Taunton, Mass. native spent three years running an All-Star Baseball Camp for Little League players in his hometown. Justin, oldtimers here will remember, was the very first Brewerfan player interview back in 2001: www.brewerfan.net/ViewArt...ticleId=51 http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/tem/sports/m-basebl/auto_action/984021.jpeg

Ichiro Suzuki grounds into double play, pitcher Ben Sheets to shortstop J.J. Hardy to first baseman Tony Graffanino. Rey Ordonez out at 2nd. You won't see that too often.

Sorry to our fearless leader, Brian, also Khalid's biggest fan, this photo montage is for you: images.google.com/images?...amp;tab=wi Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars' Ballouli decides to retire Pitcher spent most of last two seasons on injury list By MARK McCARTER Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com Khalid Ballouli, an oft-injured member of the Huntsville Stars pitching staff the past two seasons, has retired, according to manager Don Money. That's what suffices as "big news" for the Stars after two days of spring training in Maryvale, Ariz. After reporting Friday and undergoing physicals on Saturday, the players are in the midst of fundamental drills this week. They were also immediately involved in "live" batting practice - pitchers throwing from the mound rather than coaches doing the work - a baseball parallel to diving into a cold pool, rather than wading in. Huntsville will play the Giants' Double-A club on Saturday in the first of 13 spring games. However, the Stars club that takes the field then will be a far cry from the club that opens the 2007 season at home on April 5. Money is currently working with young players destined for the Single-A teams, while more experienced players - and most of the potential '07 Stars - are on the Triple-A Nashville roster or even still in the big-league camp. Because the Brewers have several question marks on their roster, they are giving a long look to top young prospects, like third baseman Ryan Braun and several pitchers. Milwaukee will likely wait deep into camp before making some decisions that begin the domino effect, shipping players from the majors to Triple-A, then in turn players being dropped from Nashville to Huntsville. It could be, Money said, the latest it has been in many years that he learns his team's final roster. Career stats for the soon-to-be 27-year-old, drafted in the 6th round in 2002: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=341 Good luck, Khalid.

LHP Andy Pratt has retired and become a scout for the Texas Rangers; he signed a pitcher out of the independent South Coast League for Texas this week.

Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel with some new insights on Perez: www.jsonline.com/story/in...?id=575884