Jim Goulart

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Nashville Press Release, much of which is being discussed on the Major League Forum: Link for Vinny Rottino photo, text follows: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2137 Rottino, Sarfate Called Up By Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers called up two members of the Sounds to the big leagues this morning as Major League rosters were allowed to expand up to 40. Reliever Dennis Sarfate was recalled and utilityman Vinny Rottino had his contract purchased by the Brewers. To create a spot on the 40-man roster, Milwaukee placed former Sound Rickie Weeks on the 60-day D.L. He recently underwent season-ending wrist surgery. Both players will make their Major League debuts upon their first appearance for the Brew Crew. Rottino, 26, is currently tied for 8th in the Pacific Coast League with his .314 average (125-for-398). He had 25 doubles, seven home runs, and 42 RBIs while stealing 12 bases for Nashville. The utilityman appeared at 85 games at third base, 18 behind the plate, 17 in the outfield, and two at first base. In his time spent at catcher, he threw out seven of 23 runners attempting to steal (30.4%) and Sounds pitchers posted a 4.88 ERA (70 ER / 129.0 IP). Rottino batted .391 (63-for-161) over his final 45 contests for the Sounds, including a team-best .420 in August (34-for-81) for the Sounds (4th among Pacific Coast League hitters). His final Sounds game, on Wednesday in Albuquerque, resulted in a season-high four hits during a 4-for-5 effort in Nashville's 11-inning win. Sarfate, 25, split the campaign between the Nashville rotation and bullpen and logged a 10-7 record and 3.67 ERA (51ER / 125.0 IP) in 34 games (21 starts), adding 117 strikeouts. The right-hander ranks 10th among PCL hurlers with his 3.67 ERA and his 78 walks were the most issued by any league pitcher. His 10 victories led the Sounds staff and he became the first Nashville hurler with double-digit wins since 2004 by recording a W in his final appearance on Wednesday at Albuquerque. Since a move to the bullpen in late July, Sarfate posted a 2.89 ERA (6 ER / 18.2 IP) with 24 strikeouts in his 13 relief appearances. He opened the season with 7-6 record and 3.81 ERA (45 ER / 106.1 IP) in 21 starts for Nashville. To replace Rottino and Sarfate on the roster, reliever Luther Hackman and catcher J.C. Boscan have joined Nashville from Double-A Huntsville. Hackman, who previously appeared for the Sounds in 2004 while the club was the Pittsburgh Pirates' Class AAA affiliate, was impressive in his short time with the Stars. He went 3-0 with an 0.66 ERA (1 ER / 13.2 IP) in eight relief outings after signing with the Brewers on August 11th out of the independent Atlantic League. The 31-year-old did not walk a batter and struck out 15 in his Huntsville stint. The right-hander opened the 2006 campaign with the Bridgeport Bluefish, where he posted an 8-0 record, eight saves, and a 2.81 ERA (23 ER / 73.2 IP) in 28 games (seven starts) and was named to the Atlantic League's mid-season All-Star team. Boscan, 26, has spent the entire 2006 season with Huntsville and posted a .194 average (24-for-124) with no home runs and 14 RBIs in 43 games. He threw out 17 of 50 runners attempting to steal against him (34.0%).

In order to provide a backup catcher to C.J. Medlin in Brevard County (Kyle Phillips hasn't caught in quite some time), the Brewers dipped into their surplus Helena catching mix and moved 23-year-old J.R. Hopf to the Manatees for the team's final weekend of acton.

Huntsville Press Release: Link, then text: www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=993 Stars' Late Season Roster Changes The Milwaukee Brewers have promoted catcher J.C. Boscan and pitcher Luther Hackman from Huntsville to triple-A Nashville and promoted catcher Carlos Corporan and pitcher Mike Jones from high class-A Brevard County to Huntsville. Jones and Corporan are expected to be in uniform for the Stars? game Friday night against the Barons. Boscan had been with the Stars all season as the backup catcher and leaves after batting .194 with no home runs and 14 runs batted in 124 at-bats. He appeared in 43 games, including 36 as a starter. Hackman allowed only one earned run over 13 2/3 innings covering eight appearances in relief since joining the team on August 11. The former major leaguer struck out 15, did not walk a batter and earned wins in three of his first five outings. Corporan was batting .270 with three home runs and 38 runs driven in over 86 games, including 53 behind the plate. Jones, the Brewers? first round draft choice in 2001, made 13 starts and six appearances in relief, going 0-2 with a 2.80 earned run average. He struck out 30, walked 27 and allowed 45 hits over 54 2/3 innings of work. Jones started 23 games for the Stars in 2003 and 2004, going a combined 8-6 with a 2.74 ERA in 121 1/3 innings.

The now-closed July / August transaction thread link: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=80 The June transaction thread link: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=40 Also a link to the now-closed dizzying May transaction thread that saw the organization make at least 80 individual moves, all tracked here at Brewerfan for you. p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=40

Thanks for the heads up, AzBrew. Closing this thread and copying the info into a new transaction thread, closing out the July / August thread.

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section.../200609012 Power home finale a wash By Jim Workman For The Charleston Gazette The West Virginia Power had hopes of closing out a successful season at Appalachian Power Park in grand style on Thursday night. But the 2006 home finale, scheduled against Greensboro, was washed out due to rain, sending the last crowd of baseball fans home to think about 2007. ?You cannot go against God?s will,? said Power manager Mike Guerrero in the clubhouse upon the announcement of the cancellation. ?He must have not wanted us to play. The water is needed. We?ll take it and be grateful.? Power officials were grateful for a franchise-record attendance of 239,721, and a strong finish to the season. August was hot for the Power, winners of 17 games during the month ? the season?s best month of production. May and June saw 16 wins for the club. The Power is 73-60 overall and 34-30 in the second half ? good enough for second place in the South Atlantic League Northern Division but 9 1/2 games behind first-place Lakewood. ?We had a great group of players that really developed throughout the season,? said Guerrero. ?Our guys have come a long way and progressed. I tip my hat to the players and the coaching staff for their work.? Guerrero?s impression of Charleston in his first season here was a solid one. ?I really like the city of Charleston and the people,? he said. ?It?s really a nice place once you get to know the area. It?s a lot better than most people realize. I made a lot of good friendships here.? The Power will travel to Hickory for a four-game series beginning tonight that will close out the season.

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section.../200609012 Power home finale a wash By Jim Workman For The Charleston Gazette The West Virginia Power had hopes of closing out a successful season at Appalachian Power Park in grand style on Thursday night. But the 2006 home finale, scheduled against Greensboro, was washed out due to rain, sending the last crowd of baseball fans home to think about 2007. ?You cannot go against God?s will,? said Power manager Mike Guerrero in the clubhouse upon the announcement of the cancellation. ?He must have not wanted us to play. The water is needed. We?ll take it and be grateful.? Power officials were grateful for a franchise-record attendance of 239,721, and a strong finish to the season. August was hot for the Power, winners of 17 games during the month ? the season?s best month of production. May and June saw 16 wins for the club. The Power is 73-60 overall and 34-30 in the second half ? good enough for second place in the South Atlantic League Northern Division but 9 1/2 games behind first-place Lakewood. ?We had a great group of players that really developed throughout the season,? said Guerrero. ?Our guys have come a long way and progressed. I tip my hat to the players and the coaching staff for their work.? Guerrero?s impression of Charleston in his first season here was a solid one. ?I really like the city of Charleston and the people,? he said. ?It?s really a nice place once you get to know the area. It?s a lot better than most people realize. I made a lot of good friendships here.? The Power will travel to Hickory for a four-game series beginning tonight that will close out the season.

Stars one step closer From staff reports Huntsville Times HOOVER - The magic number is down to one. The Huntsville Stars, 1-0 winners over Birmingham Thursday night, need only to win in tonight's 7:05 game at the Hoover Met to clinch the Southern League North second-half championship. That would keep alive a string for Huntsville. The Stars have never gone more than two consecutive seasons without reaching the playoffs. The Stars could also clinch if first-half champ Chattanooga loses at West Tenn. The Lookouts won 3-1 there Thursday. Tennessee, which had led the division as recently as Aug. 22, was eliminated last night when it lost to Mobile, the 10th loss in 13 games for the Smokies. If the Stars reach the playoffs, they'll begin next Thursday in Chattanooga. The Stars (39-25 with five games remaining) extended their win streak to eight games. They finished August with a 22-5 record, the most successful month in the club's 22-year history. Huntsville had a collective pitching masterpiece from starter Manny Parra (six innings, three hits, seven strikeouts), Luther Hackman (2 innings, one hit, one K) and ex-Baron Joe Valentine. Equally brilliant was Birmingham starter Adam Russell, who allowed only five hits over 7 2/3 innings. The Stars' run came in the sixth when Ozzie Chavez singled to left and stole second. He took third on a Steve Moss grounder and scored an a Callix Crabbe sacrifice fly to center.

Stars one step closer From staff reports Huntsville Times HOOVER - The magic number is down to one. The Huntsville Stars, 1-0 winners over Birmingham Thursday night, need only to win in tonight's 7:05 game at the Hoover Met to clinch the Southern League North second-half championship. That would keep alive a string for Huntsville. The Stars have never gone more than two consecutive seasons without reaching the playoffs. The Stars could also clinch if first-half champ Chattanooga loses at West Tenn. The Lookouts won 3-1 there Thursday. Tennessee, which had led the division as recently as Aug. 22, was eliminated last night when it lost to Mobile, the 10th loss in 13 games for the Smokies. If the Stars reach the playoffs, they'll begin next Thursday in Chattanooga. The Stars (39-25 with five games remaining) extended their win streak to eight games. They finished August with a 22-5 record, the most successful month in the club's 22-year history. Huntsville had a collective pitching masterpiece from starter Manny Parra (six innings, three hits, seven strikeouts), Luther Hackman (2 innings, one hit, one K) and ex-Baron Joe Valentine. Equally brilliant was Birmingham starter Adam Russell, who allowed only five hits over 7 2/3 innings. The Stars' run came in the sixth when Ozzie Chavez singled to left and stole second. He took third on a Steve Moss grounder and scored an a Callix Crabbe sacrifice fly to center.

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Reliever Dennis Sarfate: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-31.mp3 AUDIO: Graham Koonce's Two-Run HR -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-31.mp3

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Reliever Dennis Sarfate: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-31.mp3 AUDIO: Graham Koonce's Two-Run HR -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-31.mp3

Sounds lose, 9-8, but Iowa loses also, so the Sounds magic number is at 1, and they can now clinch at home. For those of you that saw I posted a Nashville 10-8 division-clinching victory here a short time ago (and even a home page story, since deleted) -- the Sounds' site, which had posted the live box score all night, reverted back to Wednesday's game for a while upon completion of tonight's contest. I was bamboozled -- sorry http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif .

Sounds lose, 9-8, but Iowa loses also, so the Sounds magic number is at 1, and they can now clinch at home. For those of you that saw I posted a Nashville 10-8 division-clinching victory here a short time ago (and even a home page story, since deleted) -- the Sounds' site, which had posted the live box score all night, reverted back to Wednesday's game for a while upon completion of tonight's contest. I was bamboozled -- sorry http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif .

Three-part interview with Reid Nichols during the Brewer pre-games this week: As you'd expect, educated questions from Jim Powell -- listen in and comment in this thread. I guess for me Reid's comments on Charlie Fermaint were the most insightful, and yes, they're positive (overcoming a rough background, five tools...) Part One (AAA team, AA position players): media.620wtmj.com/Desktop...ewsid=2789 Part Two (AA pitchers, high-A team): media.620wtmj.com/Desktop...ewsid=2831 We'll link to Part Three after it airs Friday night.

No Chapman or Gillespie... Link while active, text follows: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp The Billings Mustangs placed a league-best three players on the Pioneer League's 2006 postseason All-Star Team, including Most Valuable Player Chris Valaika. Valaika, a shorstop who is batting .340 with eight homers and 60 RBIs, had a 32-game hit streak stopped last Sunday. It was the longest streak in the history of the Pioneer League. The Valencia, Calif., native joins his double-play partner, Justin Turner, and Mustangs pitcher Jordan Smith on the All-Star Team. Casper placed two players on the team, including Pitcher of the Year Brandon Hynick. Hynick went 4-3 this season in 12 starts with a 2.39 ERA in 64 innings pitched. The 6-foot-2 right-hander from Ohio allowed 55 hits and 17 earned runs with 70 strikeouts and eight walks. Designated hitter Hector Gomez is also on the squad from Casper. He had a .327 batting average in 50 games with 66 hits and 35 RBIs. Also nominated for Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year were: Chris Errecart of Helena and Chris Carter of Great Falls, along with Sean O'Sullivan of Orem and Billings' Smith, respectively. Other players named to the All-Star Team were catcher Andy Bouchie (Helena); first baseman Chris Carter (Great Falls); third baseman Josh Bell (Ogden); outfielders Gerrardo Parra (Missoula); Chris Pettit (Orem) and Errecart; and pitchers Osbek Castillo (Missoula), Rowdy Hardy (Idaho Falls), Hynick, Smith and O'Sullivan. Rick Burleson of Billings was chosen as Manager for the All-Star squad. His Mustangs won the first-half North title and are ahead of Missoula and Helena for the second-half title as well. Orem's Tom Kotchman, whose Owlz also won the first-half South title and are currently tied for first, was also named to the squad.

Link while active, text follows: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Manatees Earn Post-Season All-Star Honors Jenny Rennie, Manatees' Director of Media and Group Sales The Florida State League All-Star Team for 2006 was announced on Monday by League President Chuck Murphy. The Brevard County Manatees are proud to announce that Brendan Katin, who was recently promoted to Huntsville, and current Manatee, Hernan Iribarren, were selected to the team. All-Stars were chosen by Field Managers, Official Scorers and Club Sports Writers representing the twelve teams in the League. Iribarren represents the second base position and Katin the Designated Hitter spot. Brendan Katin, who was promoted to AA-Huntsville on August 18th, hit .289 with 13 HR and 75 RBI while in Brevard County. The former University of Miami Hurricane's 24 doubles was good for third in the Florida State League leader board. Brendan, a 23rd round draft pick in 2005, holds a career batting average of .308. Hernan Iribarren, who joined Katin on the mid-season 2006 Florida State League All-Star Team, represents second base for the post-season squad. A member of the Brewers 40-man roster, Iribarren is third in the league with a .324 batting average with 12 doubles and a team-leading 50 RBI. The native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela was named to the South Atlantic League Mid Season All-Star Team in 2005. The Brevard County Manatees are at home for the final three games of the season on Saturday, September 2nd (doubleheader) and Sunday, September 3rd. Hernan "Hurricane" Iribarren (#2): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2006/08/31/Y3KUKQvS.jpg

Final: Huntsville 1, Birmingham (White Sox) 0 By the way, no Stars made the Southern League post-season All-Star team... Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=992 Division Title Within Reach Manny Parra and two relievers combined on a five-hit shutout, as Huntsville clinched at least a tie for the second half North Division title with a 1-0 win over Birmingham Thursday night at the Hoover Met. The Stars won their eighth straight game to improve to 39-25 in the second half and finished the month of August with a franchise-record 22 wins. The Stars can clinch the division title with one more win or one more Chattanooga loss over the next four days. Ozzie Chavez led off the sixth inning with a single off the glove of a leaping second baseman Chris Getz, moved to third base on a ground ball out by Steve Moss and scored on a fly ball to center field off the bat of Callix Crabbe, who finished August with 39 hits in 108 at-bats. Barons? starter Adam Russell gave up five hits, walked one and fanned three but suffered the loss to drop to 3-3. Parra walked the first two batters he faced but recovered to strike out Pedro Lopez and induce Mark Quinn to bounce into an inning-ending double play. Parra gave up a leadoff single to Lopez in the fourth and walked Quinn before striking out Corey Smith and Gustavo Molina and getting Micah Schnurstein to tap back to the mound to end the threat. The Stars? southpaw allowed three singles, walked three and struck out a season-high seven over six innings in his longest outing of the year. Luther Hackman retired the side in order in the seventh inning and stranded Donny Lucy at third base with one out in the eighth inning by striking out Getz and getting Michael Myers to line out to right field. Lucy had started the inning with a double to right field and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Chris Amador. Joe Valentine, who set a league record with 36 saves pitching for the Barons in 2002, took over in the ninth and allowed a leadoff single to Lopez. The veteran right-hander then got Quinn to line out to center field for the first out before Lopez was thrown out trying to steal for out number two. Valentine struck out Smith to end the game and earn his 11th save with the Stars. He has tossed nine consecutive scoreless innings and converted each of his last eight save chances. The series continues Friday night with Huntsville right-hander Corey Thurman taking the hill against Birmingham left-hander Wes Whisler. Covergae of the game begins at 6:50 pm central time and can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Site Box Score and Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_biraax_1 Manny Parra photo from the Stars' site: http://www.huntsvillestars.com/images/news/Parra,%20Manny%2023t.JPG

Final: Huntsville 1, Birmingham (White Sox) 0 By the way, no Stars made the Southern League post-season All-Star team... Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=992 Division Title Within Reach Manny Parra and two relievers combined on a five-hit shutout, as Huntsville clinched at least a tie for the second half North Division title with a 1-0 win over Birmingham Thursday night at the Hoover Met. The Stars won their eighth straight game to improve to 39-25 in the second half and finished the month of August with a franchise-record 22 wins. The Stars can clinch the division title with one more win or one more Chattanooga loss over the next four days. Ozzie Chavez led off the sixth inning with a single off the glove of a leaping second baseman Chris Getz, moved to third base on a ground ball out by Steve Moss and scored on a fly ball to center field off the bat of Callix Crabbe, who finished August with 39 hits in 108 at-bats. Barons? starter Adam Russell gave up five hits, walked one and fanned three but suffered the loss to drop to 3-3. Parra walked the first two batters he faced but recovered to strike out Pedro Lopez and induce Mark Quinn to bounce into an inning-ending double play. Parra gave up a leadoff single to Lopez in the fourth and walked Quinn before striking out Corey Smith and Gustavo Molina and getting Micah Schnurstein to tap back to the mound to end the threat. The Stars? southpaw allowed three singles, walked three and struck out a season-high seven over six innings in his longest outing of the year. Luther Hackman retired the side in order in the seventh inning and stranded Donny Lucy at third base with one out in the eighth inning by striking out Getz and getting Michael Myers to line out to right field. Lucy had started the inning with a double to right field and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Chris Amador. Joe Valentine, who set a league record with 36 saves pitching for the Barons in 2002, took over in the ninth and allowed a leadoff single to Lopez. The veteran right-hander then got Quinn to line out to center field for the first out before Lopez was thrown out trying to steal for out number two. Valentine struck out Smith to end the game and earn his 11th save with the Stars. He has tossed nine consecutive scoreless innings and converted each of his last eight save chances. The series continues Friday night with Huntsville right-hander Corey Thurman taking the hill against Birmingham left-hander Wes Whisler. Covergae of the game begins at 6:50 pm central time and can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Site Box Score and Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_biraax_1 Manny Parra photo from the Stars' site: http://www.huntsvillestars.com/images/news/Parra,%20Manny%2023t.JPG

Brevard County Site Game Summary: Manatees manage Cubs Four pitchers combined on a four-hitter and Carlos Corporan drove in two runs as Brevard County blanked host Daytona, 2-0, on Thursday. Starter Mike Jones allowed two hits and two walks while striking out one over two innings. After Brandon Harmsen fanned three in two perfect frames, Luis Pena (4-6) yielded two hits and struck out two over four innings for the win. Josh Alliston retired the side in the ninth to earn his ninth save. Corporan smacked an RBI double in the seventh and a run-scoring single in the ninth for the Manatees (27-33). Hernan Iribarren went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Nathan Price collected two hits for the Cubs (35-29), who fell one game behind first-place Palm Beach in the Florida State League's East Division. Daytona leads third-place St. Lucie by a half-game. Cubs starter Ryan Bicondoa (1-3) took the hard-luck loss after giving up two runs -- one earned -- on six hits over 8 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one. -- Max Lance/MLB.com

Brevard County Site Game Summary: Manatees manage Cubs Four pitchers combined on a four-hitter and Carlos Corporan drove in two runs as Brevard County blanked host Daytona, 2-0, on Thursday. Starter Mike Jones allowed two hits and two walks while striking out one over two innings. After Brandon Harmsen fanned three in two perfect frames, Luis Pena (4-6) yielded two hits and struck out two over four innings for the win. Josh Alliston retired the side in the ninth to earn his ninth save. Corporan smacked an RBI double in the seventh and a run-scoring single in the ninth for the Manatees (27-33). Hernan Iribarren went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Nathan Price collected two hits for the Cubs (35-29), who fell one game behind first-place Palm Beach in the Florida State League's East Division. Daytona leads third-place St. Lucie by a half-game. Cubs starter Ryan Bicondoa (1-3) took the hard-luck loss after giving up two runs -- one earned -- on six hits over 8 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one. -- Max Lance/MLB.com

Stumbled onto this July 17th Q&A while visiting the Oregon State site this evening: Link while active, text follows: www.osubeavers.com/ViewAr...LID=507660 Philosopher at The Plate By Nancy Haught, The Oregonian Bill Rowe will describe the good life when he writes his philosophy thesis. Right now, he's busy living it. Rowe, first baseman for Oregon State University, was key to the team's College World Series victory last month in Omaha, Neb. His three-run homer in Game 2 of the championship series helped force a decisive third game against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Weeks later, the 22-year-old philosophy major is still playing baseball -- and thinking about the difference that studying ethics has made in his life. It began, Rowe says, with a philosophy and literature class that he took at Ashland High School. His teacher, Joel Cicerrella, introduced Rowe and his classmates to some of philosophy's All Stars: Plato, Aristotle, Kant and Spinoza. "My goal was to help students understand complex thought," Cicerrella says. "I used to tell them not to seek certainty but to seek understanding." Cicerrella remembers Rowe vividly -- including the exact spot where he sat in the classroom -- and the enthusiasm that he brought to philosophy. "If you've seen him play baseball," Cicerrella says, "that's the way he engages academics." The Oregonian recently talked with Rowe about his unorthodox major, baseball's steroid scandal -- and the difficulty of cultivating feminist thought in the dugout. So, what are you up to now? I'm playing in the minor leagues, single A, for the Milwaukie Brewers, out of Helena, Mont. I've only been here for a week, we got back from the College World Series so late. But we played four games at home starting the night I got here. Now we're on our first road trip. We only get one day off a month, but it's fun so far. Why did you decide to major in philosophy? I was at the University of California at Santa Barbara for three years, undeclared through my sophomore year. Communications had some things I liked, but ethics got me first. Looking at how people act and think, about the different ways there are to live your life. What is the good life? I like thinking about that. Then I took a feminist philosophy class -- that was the best class I have ever taken in my life. Every class, I learn something that I've never thought of so far. What is so appealing about studying philosophy? I can think of three things that interested me from the very first. One is hedonism, living the good life based on pleasure alone. When I was at UC Santa Barbara, I could see that a lot in the kids in my classes. That's part of the reason that I transferred, when I saw what some people's goals were and contrasted them with my own. Two other theories that were interesting to me are based on an action and a reaction. If your intentions are good, and the reaction is negative, is it still a moral thing that you did? Or, if the reaction is good, and your intentions are not, is that moral? That got me thinking. For me, personally, the good life would be the first one: If your intentions are moral, regardless of the outcome, it's a moral act. Using that idea to find a medium between the two, to find a way to live your life to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number. What did you get out of that feminist philosophy class? Well, when you're hanging around baseball players, you get caught up in a different kind of lifestyle. You never think about how abusive you can be to women, even if it's not a physical action: in the way you talk, in the way you allow others to talk about women. I never thought that was a bad thing, because you don't see the women you are hurting. But listening to different accounts, to people describing situations, I realized it's not an opinion. It's a truth that I hadn't learned yet. And are you a feminist now? My professor said you can't call yourself a feminist until you're surrounded by men and you correct them. I was that guy, the one on the baseball team, and I was correcting them. By the end of the year, no one was using the B-word -- at least around me. They knew I'd bother them about it if they did. That was progress. They'd say, "Come on, Bill," and roll their eyes at me, but they just stopped using it. Will you go back to school one of these days? I've been playing baseball every single season of the year for the past 10 years of my life. I'll probably take the fall off, but I am anxious to go back to school. I'm not sure how philosophy will help me in my career, but it has already helped me in my life. How do you see your studies in philosophy intersect with baseball? A recent example is the steroid scandal. I use some of the same logical ideas as I listen to people talk about it: whether it is justifiable if everyone else is doing it and they aren't getting caught. That can put you in a tough spot. But there are thousands of players who have not done it, and they may never get the chance to play in the majors because they've played baseball the right way. How does it feel to be the exception to the stereotype, that athletes choose the path of least academic resistance? When I tell people that I'm a philosophy major, it gets really weird. "How is that working for you?" they ask. But I'm applying these theories to my life. Do you find yourself recommending philosophy classes? Well, the first class you usually have to take is a logic course, where you are breaking down arguments from what's almost a mathematical point of view. It's almost calculus with words. That turns off a lot of people. Has it made you better when you're in an argument? Maybe with adults, but not with kids. With them, logic doesn't seem to matter. Things get personal or a completely different topic comes into the argument. I try not to argue with kids my own age. They tend to think I'm always right. But I do listen to someone's arguments and, if I think they're right, I'll admit it. Some philosophers see baseball as the perfect playing field for philosophy. Do you? Not while I'm playing. If you're thinking too much, you're not playing too well. Baseball has to be second nature to you, you can't analyze it too much. You have to go out, relax and let your body take over. You have to be completely in the moment? Yes. That's why baseball is so fun. When you're playing it, you don't think about anything else. I don't think about anything else. http://origin.xosn.com/pics6/200/AJ/AJJQJTANVXHKYCL.20060309025838.jpg

Khalid Ballouli won't be pitching anymore this year. He's been shutdown with back and shoulder problems... Baseball America reports that Ballouli has been placed on the suspended list by the Brewers. No details, and why speculate, especially given Khalid's injury, but we post it because one of you diligent readers would have stumbled on the transaction note eventually.

Khalid Ballouli won't be pitching anymore this year. He's been shutdown with back and shoulder problems... Baseball America reports that Ballouli has been placed on the suspended list by the Brewers. No details, and why speculate, especially given Khalid's injury, but we post it because one of you diligent readers would have stumbled on the transaction note eventually.