Jim Goulart

Remember, the Brewers couldn't sign Astros slugging prospect Hunter Pence in 2002 after drafting him out of junior college (40th round). Two years later, he was a 2nd rounder for Houston.

The Voice of the Sounds, Chuck Valenches, with a detailed reflection on the Sounds' 2006 season: nashvillesounds.blogspot....-road.html

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Staff may return to Stars Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times The members of the Huntsville Stars' on-field staff know they have jobs next season. They just don't know where. Manager Don Money, pitching coach Rich Sauveur, coach Sandy Guerrero and trainer David Yeager were informed last week their contracts would be renewed by the parent club Milwaukee Brewers. However, it has yet to be determined where they will be assigned in the 2007 season. Some of that could hinge on any decisions involving ex-Stars manager Frank Kremblas. After taking a team to the playoffs in two of the last three years, the Brewers might choose to elevate him to the majors from Triple-A Nashville if a coaching position comes open, or he could be a hot commodity for another organization's Triple-A job, particularly one with deeper pockets. However, the Brewers may also feel that Money and his staff are better suited in helping develop and groom the younger talent at the Double-A level rather than working on a Triple-A team where players are often disgruntled ex-major leaguers more resistant to teaching. Money and Yeager (like Guerrero, an offseason resident in the Huntsville area) are leaving today to join the Brewers' staff for the remainder of the season; traditionally Milwaukee will bring some of its minor league personnel to assist in the last month of the season.

Wow, Gwynn looks so overmatched lately...

Battle of the Rivera's -- Saul walks Mike Saul Rivera -- former Brewer farmhand, acquired in trade, do you remember? Minor league fans think about it before clicking on the link... www.baseballamerica.com/t...geron.html

Thank you, everyone, for following the Brewer kids via the Link Reports for another season. We are humbled by the fact that on average, well over 1000 diehard Brewer fans choose to review the Report each and every day. As an aside, I'll note that in July, even if the wild card race was a sea of mediocrity, Brewerfan itself saw an average of 3945 unique visitors each day, an all-time monthly record. Down to 3136 in August, and all the way down to 2192 thus far in September. Visitor volume is all about the parent Brewers winning, there's no doubt about that. www.brewerfan.net/stats/ My thanks to Brad (pogokat) for his help this summer -- unlike each affiliate, the Link Report never takes a day off from late in spring training until the final game of the minor league post-season. Because of that, I will be wiser in the future about pulling in additional resources, and Brian and I will look into ways we can automate things a bit more. Thanks again, everyone, for reading. Like with the recent thread on Brewer minor league free agents, I have lots of thread ideas planned now that Link Report season is over. So keep on visiting until we officially Link again next April.

Nice Manny Parra photo here: www.accessmontgomery.com/...s=Itemnr=2

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars can't match Biscuits' batters Montgomery wins title as Huntsville offense disappears By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com MONTGOMERY - Before pinch-hitter Guilder Rodriguez could even complete his meaningless sprint to first base for the final Huntsville out of a most memorable and astounding summer of '06, the Montgomery Biscuits were already storming the field from their dugout. If it seemed a stampede, well, it was only appropriate. Because the Biscuits pretty well stampeded past the Stars 12-4 Friday night to win the Southern League pennant, three games to one. Thus ended a run that pitcher Corey Thurman called "improbable," going from last place in the first half to a 36-11 finish in the final 47 games. Indeed, the Stars were already beginning to cloak themselves in the consolation of the turnaround. "A great year," said manager Don Money, "after we bounced back from an ugly first half." But as the strains of "We Are The Champions" continued to waft through Huntsville's clubhouse doors, pitcher Travis Phelps said, "It's still a tough one to swallow." The three straight losses to the Biscuits, after Huntsville's 6-4 win in the opener, marked the longest losing streak for the Stars since a five-game skid July 14-19. That was two days before they began their sizzling run to end the year. The Stars haven't won the Southern League title on the field since 1994 (they were co-champs in '01 when the finals were canceled by the 9/11 attacks). The Biscuits had 24 extra base hits for the series, with 10 home runs. The Stars managed only 26 hits overall, batting .200 as a team. The heart of the Huntsville order was 7-for-44 with three RBIs. "You've got to give them credit," Money said. "They've got a good club over there. And we didn't hit. I think we had tight booties a little bit." Montgomery reliever Brian Henderson retired the Stars one-two-three in the ninth. After the Stars left two runners stranded in the first against Jason Cromer, it didn't take the Biscuits long to - please forgive - heat up against Huntsville's Manny Parra. Elliot Johnson beat out a bunt, took second on a Parra error, then scored on a Johnny Raburn single. Jeremy Owens led off the second with a homer, then Evan Longoria launched a three-run shot in the third. The Stars came back with two in the fourth. Brendan Katin doubled and scored on a Jeff Eure hit, then Steve Moss drove home Eure with a grounder. Jason Pridie tripled and Johnson homered in the fourth off reliever Phelps, then series MVP Michael Coleman (7-for-14, three homers, nine RBIs) jacked a three-run shot. After his hot-dogging Thursday led to his being plunked with a pitch, he stood at the plate long enough to watch the homer disappear over the left field wall. Then again, it was one to relish - and a championship to relish for Montgomery.

Final: Montgomery (Devil Rays) 12, Huntsville 4 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1014 Montgomery Dashes Stars' Hopes at League Title Jeremy Owens, Evan Longoria, Elliot Johnson and Michael Coleman all smashed home runs to power Montgomery to a 12-4 win over Huntsville and its first-ever Southern League championship Friday night at Riverwalk Stadium. The Biscuits, who were formed when Tampa Bay's affiliate relocated from Orlando after the 2003 season, bounced back from a game one loss to win three straight and deny the Stars their fourth league title. Johnson also became the first Biscuits? player to ever hit for the cycle, completing the rare feat with a run-scoring double in the seventh inning. Johnson led off the home first with a bunt base hit, moved to second base on an errant throw on the play by Stars? starter Manny Parra and scored on a one-out single by former Stars? utility man Johnny Raburn, who knocked in his third run of the series. Jeremy Owens, making his first start of the series in left field, belted Parra?s first pitch of the second inning for a home run to left field, his second in as many at-bats and the first allowed by the left-hander in 32 1/3 innings with the Stars, to push the Biscuits? lead to 2-0. Raburn legged out an infield single with one out in the third, advanced to second base when Justin Ruggiano walked and both runners scored when Longoria crushed a three-run home run just to the left of straightaway center field. It was his second long ball of the series and third of the post-season. The Stars chipped away at the lead scoring twice in the fourth inning on a run-producing single by Jeff Eure and a Steve Moss fielder?s choice grounder that plated Eure. The Stars ended a 16 1/3 inning scoreless drought and Montgomery starter Jason Cromer?s 19 inning scoreless stretch, dating back to his start against Jacksonville on August 24. The home side answered right back in the bottom of the inning against Travis Phelps when Jason Pridie tripled with one out and Johnson launched a two-run home run onto the grassy berm area beyond the wall in right field. Coleman crushed a three-run home run, his third in the series and third in as many games, to extend the Montgomery lead to 10-2 after five frames. Cromer was taken out after two walks and a Steve Moss single loaded the bases in the seventh inning. Tony Peguero came on and gave up a single to Ryan Braun that scored Ozzie Chavez to make it 10-3 before Brad Nelson?s double play grounder brought in Moss to cut the lead to 10-4. Again, Montgomery answered right back in the home half of the inning with an Owens sacrifice fly following a Coleman triple and Johnson?s record-setting double to chase in Pridie, who collected three hits in a game for a second time in the series. Montgomery swatted 11 home runs in the series, including three in games two and three. Peguero retired the side in order in the eighth inning and Henderson set down the Stars in turn in the ninth, ending the game by getting pinch-hitter Guilder Rodriguez to ground to Longoria at third base. Coleman was named the Most Valuable Player of the series. Huntsville Box Score and Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_monaax_1

Link (pdf): www.southernleague.com/pr...e%2011.pdf Milwaukee Brewers' first baseman Prince Fielder was named USA Today's 2004 Minor League Player of the Year after enjoying a standout season with the Huntsville Stars. Southern Bases recently caught up with the National League Rookie of the Year candidate. You enjoyed a great year in Huntsville in 2004, hitting .272 with 23 home runs and 78 RBI, and were named a Southern League All-Star. Can you describe how your achievements prepared you for the next level? I think it got me ready for what was ahead of me. I know in baseball that you can go up and down. I just took that season game-by-game. I didn't try to worry about how I would end up at the end of the season. I just tried to play hard every game. What adjustments did you have to make when you got to the Double-A level? I think the biggest adjustment was just knowing mentally that I was going to play every day. I tried to have a short memory, whether I'd had a good game or a bad game the day before. I just tried to come out every day and focus on performing at a high level that day. You participated in the MLB Futures game. What was that experience like? It was a lot of fun. Playing in the Futures game was great because I got to play on a Big League field and I was playing with the best players in the Minor Leagues. It was a great achievement just to be a part of that game. After the season, USA Today named you the Minor League Player of the Year. How did that feel? That was a great feeling. I'm very hard on myself and my performances. To get an award like that made it easier for me to realize that I had a pretty good season. But even though I won that award, I was still critical of myself and I was able to find some things that I could have done a lot better that season. But it did make me feel good. It was a great achievement. How has your whole Minor League experience helped you since you were called up last season? It has helped me a lot. One of my coaches told me that I can't be afraid to mess up. He told me that that was what the minor leagues is for: to learn from your mistakes and become a better player. I couldn't be afraid to fail offensively or defensively. I think that his wisdom really helped me once I got to the Major Leagues to just be able to go out there and play hard and not be afraid to fail. Your father, Cecil, was a Major Leaguer as well. Did it help you to grow up around a major league atmosphere? It helped me a lot. I was able to grow up around Major Leaguers and see how they prepared themselves to play every game. I saw what their life was like and how much fun they had. It gave me that extra fire to reach the Big Leagues myself because I was able to see how they lived. It made me work that much more to get here. How did the encouragement from the fans in Huntsville help you while you were on the field? It helped a lot. The fans were always very nice to me. They thought highly of me and showed their support of me every night. What is your favorite on-field memory from your career? I hit a home run on my first son, Jaden's, birthday. It was special to do that on the day that I was celebrating his birthday. What is your favorite off-field memory from your career? My favorite memories would have to be the births of both of my sons. Jaden was born while I was in Huntsville and my wife, Chanel, gave birth to my second son, Haven, just this past February. What did you do for fun in Huntsville? I hung out with my son a lot and just played with him. I like to hear Jaden and Haven laugh. I try to make them laugh and wrestle around with them. I try to do whatever makes them happy.

Montgomery Advertiser: Nelson wants cut: Huntsville's Brad Nelson will have an ironic perspective tonight. He'll watch Montgomery's Gabriel Martinez pick up $1,000 from the mayor and think that should have been him. Martinez is due $1,000 for hitting a passing train with a home run at Montgomery's last regular-season home game. The mayor promised a reward for the feat before this season. Martinez plans to put the money toward his offseason wedding and honeymoon. "I'm jealous," Nelson said, jokingly. Nelson was the first player to hit a train with a home run at Riverwalk Stadium. On April 18, 2004, Nelson clocked a Union Pacific engine in the Stars' 14-1 victory, but Mayor Bobby Bright refused to pay up. Bright had said he would only pay a Biscuit and wouldn't "incentivize" an opposing player. "I was pretty pumped about it, but I totally understand the reasoning," Nelson said. "If he could come up with any money, I'd definitely take it." Nelson said he thought Bright's reward was a good idea, one Huntsville can't adopt. There's no train within range of Joe Davis Stadium. "Getting $1,000 is huge for what we get in the minor leagues and I know it will really help Gaby," Nelson said. "I wish we had a train here to shoot for."

Photo from the almost brawl at this link -- I believe that's Yo to the right of catcher Lou Palmisano: www.montgomeryadvertiser....50353/1002

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Biscuits rise past Stars 7-0 Huntsville's hitting hot no longer in Montgomery loss By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com MONTGOMERY - It's all about timing. And, all things considered, not really a great time for the Huntsville Stars' bats to go colder than Ted Williams' head. Not a great time for their incredible hot streak to come to such a crashing halt that the air bags were deployed. Not a great time for the fatal combination of Yovani Gallardo struggling to find his command and the Montgomery Biscuits' offense to start percolating. And not a great time to tick off the home team. Tonight, then, becomes the time the Stars - they of the most incredible worst-to-first U-turn in franchise history - must U-turn their postseason fortunes or find themselves grabbing nothing but a whole handful of empty. With Montgomery slugging two homers out of the park and another that never left the building, the Biscuits rolled 7-0 here Thursday night in front of an announced crowd of 3,216. They have a 2-1 edge in the best-of-five series that continues tonight (7:05, ESPN-1450 AM). It's suddenly a not-so-friendly series, either. After Michael Coleman hot-dogged in a home run celebration, he was hit by a Gallardo pitch on his next at-bat, causing both benches to empty for a benign testosterone exhibition. The Stars managed only five hits - they're batting .204 for the series - and were struck out 10 times by starter Mitch Talbot. Good pitching or bad hitting? "It's a combination," said Stars manager Don Money. "Their guy (Talbot) looked pretty good. He had good stuff. And we never really got him in trouble." The Stars' hopes rest tonight on lefty Manny Parra (3-0, 2.87), who will face Jason Cromer (4-5 in the regular season). If the Stars are to win their fourth Southern League pennant, they must then win again Saturday behind a jigsaw puzzle pitching array, with starter Steve Hammond to be limited to only two or three innings. "(Tonight) is a one-game playoff," Money said. "I expect us to come out and play. But we have to do a better job when we have opportunities." It's a toss-up who was more angered by the Coleman incident - the victim or Money. "It was obvious. I knew it was coming," said Coleman. "Just don't throw at my damn head. I knew I was getting hit." Especially after Gallardo buzzed him twice inside before making contact. Money held a long, closed-door meeting after the game, upset by the way Gallardo handled it. "We just told them that's not the way you play the game," Money said. "A guy hits a homer, pimps or dances or does what he does, then throw it tight. But don't try it three times and you don't try it three times." Money said it was "part of learning the game at this level" for the 20-year-old Gallardo, who gave up five hits and three runs in six innings. Ryan Christianson homered in the third, then Jason Pridie and Elliot Johnson singled. Ex-Star Johnny Raburn bounced back to Gallardo. Rather than nail a dead-duck Pridie at the plate, he wheeled and threw to shortstop Ozzie Chavez for the force at second. But Chavez threw wildly to first, preventing the double play and allowing a run. Coleman's homer in the fourth made it 3-0, then the Biscuits piled it on in the eighth with an inside-the-park homer by Jeremy Owens on a ball that ricocheted off a quirky, padded concrete wall in right and all the way to the Stars' bullpen, almost 200 feet away. Which is only a fraction of how far away the Southern League pennant must now feel for Huntsville.

7-0 final. Ugh...

We believe this is the complete list of Brewer farmhands who will become minor league free agents this fall. Minor league contracts normally expire the 3rd week of October. Baseball America will have available the complete list around that time frame. Last year it was a subscriber-only list at BA, but other web outlets made it available, including MiLB.com. It is possible the Brewers have signed, or will sign, some of these players to 2007 contracts soon, or may have already. For instance, Mike Rivera, Jerome Gamble, Jeremy Lewis and C.J. Medlin all re-signed last September after the 2005 season had completed. Brett Evert and Alec Zumwalt signed in November and December, respectively, so you may see some names below back in 2007. If a player's first affiliated pro contract was with the Brewers, Milwaukee owns that player's rights for seven pro seasons. Last year Steve Scarborough and Ryan Knox earned their free agency the hard way via having played through all seven seasons. No player who is not on the 40-man roster falls under that category this year. Mostly, these are players who were released from or completed affiliated contracts with other organziations previously. The Brewers assume the accumulating yearly rights on a player acquired via trade, such as Gerrit Simpson, Travis Ezi or Julian Cordero. It all comes down to whether a player had been previously "released" from their first affiliated contract terms. Waiver claims such as Sam Narron, Chris Mabeus and Jesse Harper are still under Brewer control for accumulating years, even though they're no longer on the Brewer 40-man. This list does not include players currently on the 40-man roster. Different circumstances there, and normally, 40-man roster discussions can be found on the Major League Forum. Even though reliever Alec Zumwalt is heading to the Arizona Fall League, he would need to be added to the 40-man roster or signed to a new 2007 minor league deal in order to remain with the Brewers next year. Here we go, certainly chime in if you believe a name is included or omitted in error: Nashville Sounds: UT Brent Abernathy IF Andrew Beattie C J.C. Boscan IF Jermaine Clark RHP Jared Fernandez RHP Luther Hackman C Mark Johnson 1B Graham Koonce RHP Justin Lehr RHP Mike Meyers (re-signed to 2007 minor league deal) C Chad Moeller RP Allan Simpson IF Zach Sorensen RP Alec Zumwalt (re-signed to 2007 minor league deal) Huntsville Stars: OF Ron Acuna C Carlos Lee RHP Travis Phelps RHP Corey Thurman (re-signed to 2007 minor league deal) RHP Joe Valentine (re-signed to 2007 minor league deal) Brevard County Manatees: RHP Luis Pena (re-signed to 2007 minor league deal) RHP Brandon Harmsen IF Milko Jaramillo LHP Jeremy Lewis (re-signed to 2007 minor league deal) C C.J. Medlin (re-signed to 2007 minor league deal) DH Kyle Phillips West Virginia Power: LHP Kyle Pawelczyk Helena Brewers: IF David Parker

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Biscuits hit back, tie series Montgomery evens score in Southern League title series with 11-4 victory By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com Unfamiliar territory, this losing business. For the Stars to stumble into a loss is such a rarity these days, it's like the Snow Panic that is created once or twice a winter. You wonder if you're supposed to rush to the grocery for milk and bread. And especially a bowling-shoe-ugly loss like this one, Wednesday's 11-4 defeat at the hands of the Montgomery Biscuits in game two of the Southern League championship series. It was the Stars' first defeat since Sept. 2, a meaningless second game of a doubleheader after the second-half pennant had been clinched. Before that, they hadn't lost since Aug. 21, giving them a streak of 16 wins in 17 games. They hadn't lost by as many as seven runs since June 21. "We were due," shrugged manager Don Money. Now, the big question: Did this swing momentum to the Biscuits as the duel heads to Montgomery tonight for game three (7:05 CDT, ESPN-AM 1450) in the best-of-five series - or if it's merely one win. "To me, it's no advantage," Montgomery manager Charlie Montoya said. "We won today. Now we'll move on." The same attitude prevailed in the Huntsville clubhouse. "Now it's a best of three series," said Jeff Eure. Momentum to Montgomery? "I don't think so. I think we'll come out ready to play (tonight)," said Eure. "We're OK. We're fine," said coach Sandy Guerrero. "We've just got to forget about this and go get 'em (tonight)." Momentum to Montgomery? "We've got (Yovani) Gallardo. That's enough for me," said pitching coach Rich Sauveur, referring to the young righty whose 186 strikeouts were the most in the minors this season. He'll be facing Mitch Talbot, who struck out 14 Jacksonville batters last Friday when Montgomery clinched the SL South division title. The 11-4 score will belie that Wednesday night's game was a pitcher's duel for quite some time. Corey Thurman was no less than sensational through three innings, striking out seven of the first eight batters he faced. Andy Sonnanstine, the 15-game winner who had promised after the Biscuits' division-winning champagne celebration, "we're going to have another one in a few days," was backing up his talk with four innings of one-hit ball. But things collapsed in the fifth. Evan Longoria led off with a homer, then Thurman hit Michael Coleman. Patrick Breen singled and Ryan Christianson cranked a sac fly for a 2-0 lead. Jason Pridie's single and doubles by Elliot Johnson and Reid Brignac chased Thurman, then ex-Star Johnny Raburn doubled home the sixth run. Huntsville churned back with four runs off Sonnanstine as Eure opened with a homer, then Ozzie Chavez singled and scored on a Steve Moss double and error by Breen. Ryan Braun launched a two-run homer before Sonnanstine got out of more trouble. Michael Coleman bashed a two-run homer off reliever Gerrit Simpson in the seventh that, said Money, "took the steam out of the sails." Jason Pridie added a two-run homer in the eighth and Christianson an RBI double in the ninth. "That's a good hitting team," said Sauveur. "That's a very good hitting team. They hit the ball hard. "But you know what? We're still in the same situation we were in (after Tuesday). We have to win two games. We were going into (Wednesday) having to win two games. Now we have to win two down there." ***Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Hall of Famer's pregame visit takes Money back in time By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com A loud greeting. Glowing smiles. A hearty embrace. Good-natured pats on shiny scalps turned bare. And 37 years melted away right there in front of your eyes. You want coincidences? On Monday, Stars manager Don Money was talking about "baseball memory," about how old players can remember scenarios and pitches and big hits and important games. "But (wife) Sharon fusses at me that I can't remember anything else," he said. On Tuesday, an hour before the Stars' first pitch against the Montgomery Biscuits, a large man in an Hawaiian print shirt walked into Money's office. Ferguson Jenkins, the Hall of Fame pitcher, was in Huntsville, part of a BC Powder promotion. You want coincidences? On April 8, 1969, Don Money hit his first two major league home runs. In Chicago. Against Ferguson Jenkins. "I remember," Jenkins roared, settling into the chair across from Money's desk. "I don't know what the first one was. The second was probably a back-up slider," Jenkins said. "You're a rookie, it's about the fartherest thing on your mind, to hit a home run like that," Money said. You want coincidences? Don Money faced Ferguson Jenkins more than any other pitcher, 126 at-bats. He hit six homers off Jenkins, more than any other victim. Jenkins, in his 18 years in the show, faced Money more than any other batter. "Solo homer in the seventh that made it 5-2. Then I came up in the ninth and hit a three-run shot and made it 5-5," Money recalled. "Then I got a double off Phil Regan in the 11th to make it 6-5. But Willie Smith hit a two-run homer in the 11th to beat us." After that first meeting, "I didn't fare too well," said Money. "He started throwing me sliders." Strange thing how baseball players' recollections go. "Stuck back up there in the old coconut somewhere," Money said. To more recent memories, there wasn't much worth keeping up in the old coconut for the Stars. As if in tribute to Jenkins, there were four innings of magnificent pitching. Huntsville's Corey Thurman struck out seven of the first eight he faced and didn't allow a hit until the fourth. Andy Sonnanstine allowed only one hit through four for the Biscuits. Then, the fartherest thing from your mind: Two pitching-rich teams turned it into Home Run Derby. Evan Longoria to ignite a six-run Biscuits sixth. Jeff Eure and Ryan Braun in the Huntsville sixth. A Michael Coleman blast in the Montgomery seventh that was up long enough to track on radar. A Jason Pridie two-run shot in the eighth. So much offense, so soon. You figure Jenkins, the great pitcher here on behalf of a headache ailment, might have kindly shared some of the sponsor's product with his brethren. If it can't erase the bad memories from their coconuts, it could at least dull the pain up there.

Wow, those are sweet, pogo! I'll re-read them this evening, and I know it was tough to keep the Power review in particular at a reasonable length, but I do want to give out a shout to another possible team MVP (who did his work in the most understated of ways) in middle reliever Patrick Ryan. The dude was awesome in the most thankless of roles, and I know he got some due in a recent article we posted with quotes from pitching coach John Curtis.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Stars will take it Huntsville happy to get gifts from bumbling Biscuits By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com Hard-earned as this season has gone for the Huntsville Stars, a simple little gift can be much appreciated. That's what the Montgomery Biscuits provided Tuesday, with a package resembling what a old husband's Christmas-present-wrapping looks like: Uneven, ragged and bulky, like he was trying to wrap a live raccoon. The Stars' gift was a 6-4 victory over Montgomery Tuesday night in the first game of the Southern League championship series. The Biscuits went all crumbly, committing five errors - three of which led directly to runs - and allowing two bases-loaded walks. "Errors are part of the game, and we just tried to take advantage of them," said manager Don Money. The Stars stretched their hot streak to 16 wins in 17 games in front of an announced crowd of a paltry 1,049, impacted somewhat by the day-long showers. "It's huge," catcher Lou Palmisano said of the win. "The pressure's on them now. We just need to come out relaxed and do what we do." Montgomery had won 16 of 19 coming in. Said manager Charlie Montoyo, "We've been playing great baseball, but that was a really bad game." Game 2 in the best-of-five series is tonight at 6:05, with Montgomery starting 15-game winner Andy Sonnanstine against Corey Thurman. There will also be a Hall of Fame pitcher on hand. Ferguson Jenkins is making an appearance as part of a BC Powder promotion. A challenge for Huntsville tonight: Finding an appropriate hiding place for Thurman when the Stars are at-bat. An early drizzle sent him to the press box with the chart he was keeping Tuesday. After five hitless innings, he pronounced, "I've got to move around. "When I don't sit still, we score runs." Presto! The Stars scored almost immediately. And, through various other Huntsville uprisings, Thurman was either in a hallway or the restroom. The Stars defense has been unheralded, but they finished second and have made only two errors in four postseason games. Said Money, "It's the old saying, pitching and defense." It was clearly the determining factor last night. Montgomery took a 2-0 lead when Jason Pridie tripled and scored on an Elliott Johnson single in the third and Reid Brignac homered in the fifth off starter Tim Dillard (six innings, six hits, six strikeouts.) "I'd like to have put us in a better position to win," Dillard said, "but I wasn't worried. We've got a group of guys who can make it happen." Montgomery's 6-foot-9, 281-pound starter Jeff Niemann lost his no-hitter to a Callix Crabbe leadoff single in the sixth, then eventually yielded a pair of bases-loaded walks, to Brendan Katin and Palmisano - the first of a bounty of Biscuit gifts. A throwing error by Johnson in the seventh scored Steve Moss for a 3-2 Huntsville lead, but Justin Ruggiano singled and Evan Longoria doubled off Travis Phelps in the eighth, scoring on a Michael Coleman single for a 4-3 edge. But Huntsville had one more rally - and Montgomery more gifts. With the bases loaded and infield drawn in, Longoria booted a Moss chopper for the tying run to score and Brignac threw wildly to home on a Crabbe bouncer. A Ryan Braun sac fly made it 6-4. Enter ace closer Joe Valentine. The Stars could breathe a sigh of relief. And Thurman could come out of the restroom.

One more got in from yours truly: Q: Jim Goulart from brewerfan.net asks: Is there a better one-two organizational pitching combo than the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo and Will Inman in terms of 2006 results on the field, particularly when you consider they are 20 and 19 years old, respectively, each with birthdays next February? Does their inclusion alone guarantee the Brewers a top-five spot in the organizational rankings next spring? A: John Manuel: That's a good one. Again, I'll say don't ignore Mark Rogers when discussing their prospects. I believe in him. That said, Inman and Gallardo had monster years, and it would be nice if they could share some of their polish with Rogers. Inman in particular was impressive with his consistency, but he also is going to have to do it again. He's a bit unconventional, he's short, it's just going to be harder for him. The Brew Crew was a top 5 org last year, and I think it can be again, lots of young pitching in this year's draft, and a nice year by Ryan Braun, whom I consider a potentially elite hitter.

Kansas City third base super-prospect Alex Gordon was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year. Chat is taking place as of 2:00 PM Central at BA: www.baseballamerica.com/c...d=1#bottom BA's John Manuel: Frankly, four pitchers were in the hunt--Phillip Hughes, Homer Bailey, Yovani Gallardo and Matt Garza. For me, those were the four best seasons by minor league pitchers. They were pretty comparable to each other, while Gordon stood out more from most of the other batters. That was how I made my decision, and I think that argument rang true for other members of the staff. Q: Joshua from Springfield, NJ asks: Who would win Minor League Pitcher of the Year? A: John Manuel: I would pick Garza slightly over Hughes. Q: Matthew from Columbus asks: Where does Yovani Gallardo grade out respective to Hughes and Bailey? He dominated hitters all season, and showed both high k9 rates and above average control (1.000 whip) and his numbers were certainly comparable to the two more highly toutes prospects. A: John Manuel: Gallardo's year was ridiculous; I mean, I liked the guy coming in, I did our Brewers top 30 last year and like him a lot. But I was stunned at how good he was this year. I believe the difference, from the people I've talked to, is that (a) Hughes and Bailey have more velocity on their FBs and better pitcher's frames, and (b) they work off their fastball more often. Call me a sucker but I believe in Mark Rogers, and if the Brewers would let him long toss and do his tubing (come on, Jim Rooney!), I think Rogers can be the monster that he has shown glimpses of being.

From Sept. 12-15, the clubs that are looking for new partners will get a list of who's available. Then from Sept. 16-30, those teams can talk to each other and sign new deals. If any teams are still left standing at the end of the process, MLB and MiLB will pair them up, but this rarely happens.

An entertaining audio highlight recap of the 2006 Sounds: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...Season.mp3

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars knock out Lookouts, win series Huntsville, Montgomery to play for title By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com One final strikeout registered, another victim toe-tagged by the Huntsville Stars' pitching staff, and reliever Joe Valentine pumped his fist, embraced catcher Lou Palmisano - and the celebration had officially begun. "From where we were to what we've done, it's amazing," Valentine said. "From worst to first - and now we're division champs." The Stars are champs by virtue of their 7-2 victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 1,875, giving Huntsville a 3-0 sweep in the Southern League North playoffs. It was another milestone in this improbable season, the Stars winning their 15th game in 16 starts and earning their third division title in six years. Said second baseman Callix Crabbe, "We ain't done yet, man. We've made it this far, we might as well try to get something out of it." For the second straight season, both division series ended in 3-0 sweeps. Montgomery eliminated Jacksonville 2-0 on Evan Longoria's walk-off homer. The Biscuits are nearly as hot as the Stars, having won 16 of their last 19. The Southern League championship series will begin Tuesday at 6:05 at Joe Davis Stadium, with game two on Wednesday, also at 6:05. The best-of-five series then moves to Montgomery on Thursday. Huntsville, making its 11th playoff appearance, has three championships - 1985, 1994 and the co-championship in 2001. Three other times the Stars have reached the final round, most recently in 2003, when it lost in five games to Carolina. "Our ultimate goal is to win the championship. If we don't win the championship, it won't be a success," said third baseman Ryan Braun. After the Lookouts managed only eight total hits in the first two games at Chattanooga, they bruised Huntsville starter Manny Parra a bit - but he punched right back. He struck out eight and worked out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fourth by retiring the 3-4-5 men in the order . Looking around at the bases, Parra thought, "OK, I need to make better pitches." Pitching coach Rich Sauveur visited the mound and said, "You're throwing the ball fine. You just need to keep throwing and hitting your spots. This is the guy you need to get." "This" was Southern League MVP and batting champ Joey Votto. With Palmisano urging more off-speed pitches out of Parra, they retired Votto on a pop to third. Parra then struck out ex-Star Noochie Varner and Jeff Bannon. It seemed to take the last bit of air out of Chattanooga. A two-run bloop single by Brendan Katin, a little sliced wedge shot down the right field line, got the Stars rolling at 2-0 in the first. Brad Nelson followed with an RBI double and Ron Acuna a sacrifice fly. Parra struggled a tad in the third, giving up a two-run double to Votto that cut the lead to 4-2. Then came his amazing escape act in the fourth. Lookouts starter Tyler Pelland wasn't such a Houdini. He walked the bases loaded to open the Huntsville fourth, then Crabbe Super-balled a high bouncer over third baseman Bannon, driving in two runs. Katin then singled home another run.

Listening to the Stars: The game really swung the Stars' way when the Lookouts loaded the bases in the 4th with nobody out and didn't score (pop up, then 2 K's for Manny Parra). Huntsville scores three in the bottom of the inning to break open a 4-2 game. Still 7-2, now after five innings...

Final: Nashville 2, Round Rock (Astros) 0 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Justin Lehr photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2152 Sounds, Express To Decide Series On Sunday ROUND ROCK, Texas ? Justin Lehr and the Nashville Sounds accomplished the task at hand on Saturday afternoon at The Dell Diamond, staying alive in the PCL American Conference Finals by posting a 2-0 shutout victory over the host Round Rock Express to extend the series to a fifth and final game. The win, Nashville?s fifth shutout victory over the Express and 14th overall goose egg of the 2006 season, evened the best-of-five series at two games apiece. The teams will compete for a berth in the PCL Championship Series at 1:05 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon in Round Rock. Lehr (1-0) turned in an outstanding outing, carrying a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh inning before allowing a two-out Eric Munson single in the frame. The right-hander allowed just one single over seven scoreless frames before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth. He walked two and struck out three while throwing 89 pitches on the afternoon. Veteran team leader Brent Abernathy was a one-man offensive juggernaut for Nashville on the afternoon, recording three of the club?s five hits and driving in both Sounds runs in the contest. The two teams combined for only one hit through the first six innings of play as Lehr and Round Rock?s Philip Barzilla engaged in a pitcher?s duel. The Sounds made that one hit count, however. Abernathy gave Nashville a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when he belted a one-out solo homer to left off Barzilla. AUDIO: Brent Abernathy's Go-Ahead HR -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%209-9.mp3 Abernathy added an insurance run for the Sounds in the top of the ninth when he plated Andrew Beattie with a one-out double to left off Express reliever and former Brewer farmhand Roberto Giron. Nashville missed a chance to increase its lead to three later in the frame when Abernathy was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Mike Rodriguez on a bang-bang play while attempting to score on a J.C. Boscan single. Luther Hackman took over on the mound for Nashville in the bottom of the eighth. After giving up a leadoff single to Brian Gordon and advancing him to second with a wild pitch, the right-hander regrouped to strike out the side, fanning Jesse Garcia, pinch-hitter Alan Zinter, and Rodriguez in succession to escape the inning. The right-hander stayed on for the ninth and the Express loaded the bases with one out against him using a pair of single sandwiched around a walk before Hackman induced a game-ending double-play grounder to third off the bat of Royce Huffman. By preserving the shutout, Hackman earned his third save in three Sounds appearances, including two this series. Barzilla (0-1) was nearly as dominant as Lehr but took the hard-luck loss after allowing only one run on three hits while striking out a season-high 10 batters over eight frames of action. The southpaw threw 110 pitches in the contest. Sounds manager Frank Kremblas was ejected in the middle of the first inning for arguing a check-swing Graham Koonce strikeout call with home plate umpire A.J. Wendel, who failed to call a more obvious check-swing strike against the Express from his post at first base in Friday?s game. The team will meet one more time in a decisive Game Five of the best-of-five series on Sunday afternoon in a 1:05 p.m. CT matinee at The Dell Diamond. Right-hander Ben Hendrickson (9-8, 3.36 in regular season) will make the start for Nashville and oppose Round Rock right-hander Ezequiel Astacio (8-4, 4.86 in regular season). Nashville Box Score and Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1