Jim Goulart

Follow Friday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_freaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_mobaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_grfrok_1 Arizona Rookie: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_mrnrok_1

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Jared Fernandez at Fresno (Giants), 8:45 PM pre-game, 9:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Corey Thurman at Mobile (Padres), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450radio.com/ Brevard County: LHP Sam Narron at home vs. Fort Myers (Twins), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.sportsjuice.com/broad...4cwYBjA%3d West Virginia: LHP Rafael Lluberes at home vs. Columbus (Dodgers), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: LHP Brandon Parillo at Great Falls (White Sox), 7:45 PM pre-game; 8:00 gametime Audio (click on "Listen Live"): www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php Arizona: TBD at the Mariners' complex to face the Seattle kids, 8:00 PM Central time, never any web audio for the Arizona League

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Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006080427/ Power hurler leaves better impression Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter West Virginia Power pitcher Shawn Ferguson's first home outing was brutal, but mercifully quick in a July 23 loss to the Lake County Captains. In that game, Ferguson, a 9th round pick out of Texas Christian in the 2006 amateur baseball draft, allowed five hits and eight earned runs in just 1/3 of an inning before being removed from the game. Ferguson followed that outing with a much better performance by tossing six innings of two-hit baseball, allowing just one run, while striking out seven. However, Ferguson didn't figure in the decision in a 3-2 loss at Savannah. But even with the marked improvement, Ferguson still wasn't happy with the first impression he made upon Power fans. With a little help from his friends, Ferguson was able to leave a much more pleasant impression on the 4,430 fans that watched as the Power shellacked Columbus 16-6 Thursday evening at Appalachian Power Park. Power batters erupted with nine hits and six runs in the first inning off of Catfish starter and loser Mario Alvarez (5-7), and followed that with a six hit, 10-run fourth inning to help Ferguson (1-1) settle in for his first professional win. "I had a rough outing the first time I threw here and I wanted to give the fans something to see that that wasn't the real me last time out," said Ferguson, who went five innings, allowing three hits and a pair of earned runs. "It's my first win in "A" ball and it feels pretty good, especially to get that first one. "It's pretty exciting. I'm starting to get more comfortable. I've been working with our pitching coach (John Curtis) on some mechanical stuff. "He's great and I'm starting to get comfortable with that. I still don't have a feel for my breaking ball, but as far as the fastball, I feel like I'm doing some good things with that." With a big first inning lead, Ferguson was able to relax, throw strikes and keep his fielders active and on their toes. "It's good to get started early and take advantage of what a pitcher is giving you," said Power designated hitter Angel Salome, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. "That makes the pitcher more comfortable and they can just throw the ball down the middle and let the other team hit the ball. "Then we can help him out by doing our job. That takes a lot of pressure off of a pitcher with a start like that." While Ferguson settled into his comfort zone, Alvarez was being battered by Power batters from top to bottom of the lineup. Darren Ford, Lorenzo Cain, Salome, Mat Gamel and Mike Bell started the bottom of the first with five consecutive hits that produced three runs. After a pair of groundouts plated another Power run, Nestor Corredor, Ryan Barba, Ford and Cain added four more consecutive hits that resulted in the final two runs of the inning. Barba made the final out of the inning when he was caught off of third base on Cain's second hit of the inning. The fourth inning was even more impressive, as the Power sent 14 men to the plate, highlighted by a double and triple by Gamel that plated five runs in the inning. Gamel finished 3-for-5, with a single, double, triple and seven RBI. "I haven't really been putting myself in a good position to hit," Gamel said. "I was pulling off of balls and swinging at a lot of balls. "I've worked up in the cage with Coach (Mike) Lum figuring some stuff out. It's paying off now, so hopefully I can keep swinging it." Cain finished with three hits, three runs and an RBI. The Power will play the third game of a four-game series against Columbus tonight at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Right-hander James McDonald (3-9, 4.28) will toe the rubber for Columbus, while Power will counter with lefty Rafael Lluberes (4-6, 3.70).

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2006080362 Gamel gets 7 RBIs in Power?s 16-6 romp By Jarrod Talbott For the Charleston Gazette Fans came to Appalachian Power Park Thursday for one-dollar drafts, but they received an unexpected fireworks show courtesy of the West Virginia Power offense. The Power scored six runs in the first inning and followed with a 10-run fourth for a 16-6 victory over the Catfish. The Power had four runs on the board before the first out was recorded. Darren Ford led off with a double down the third-base line and Lorenzo Cain reached first on a ground ball just out of the reach of Catfish shortstop Ivan DeJesus. Angel Salome doubled off the left-field wall, scoring Ford, and the Power would not look back. Salome, Mat Gamel, Tony Festa, Nestor Corredor and Ford all drove in runs in the inning as the Power sent 11 men to the plate in the first. The Catfish picked up a pair of runs in the second, highlighted by a Russ Mitchell solo home run. In the fourth, the Power sent 14 men to the plate, scoring 10 runs. Salome hit his second double of the game, scoring Ford. The inning was highlighted by a Gamel triple down the first-base line, scoring Ryan Barba, Cain and Salome. Gamel had three hits and seven RBIs. ?I?m just trying to settle down out there and start seeing the ball again,? said Gamel. ?I went through that long spell where I struggled a lot so I?m really just trying to slow everything down.? ?We opened [his stance] a little bit,? said Power hitting coach Mike Lum. ?He can pull the ball the right way and not have to use his shoulders to swing with.? Shawn Ferguson worked five innings to pick up his first win as a member of the Power. ?It was pretty good,? said Ferguson. ?I wanted to give the fans something to see. It?s my first win in A-ball and it feels pretty good.? Ferguson was happy to see the offense come to life in the first inning. ?It takes a lot of pressure off,? said Ferguson. Salome had three RBIs and a pair of hits and Cain had three hits and scored three runs. Catfish starter Mario Alvarez (5-7) was roughed up for nine runs, all earned, in only three innings. The Power improved to 58-50 while the Catfish dropped to 55-55. Game three of the four-game series is today at Appalachian Power Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

Helena Independent Record: Sox run past Brew Great Falls pitcher Tim Lawrence struck out eight Helena Brewers and didn?t allow a run over seven innings as the White Sox claimed a 4-1 Pioneer League victory Thursday. Helena mustered two hits against White Sox pitchers and scored their only run in the ninth inning. Williamson picked up the victory for Great Falls and moved his record to 3-2. That came when Stephen Chapman drove in Charlie Caufield on a sacrifice fly. Great Falls pushed across two runs in the first inning. That pair of scores came thanks to a two RBI single by Christian Marrero. The White Sox sealed the game in the eighth with two more runs. Lee Cruz and John Shelby each hit solo home runs off of Brewers reliever Travis Wendte. Helena starter Amaury Rivas pitched very well, striking out four over seven innings. He allowed just one earned run. Scotty Madsen was 3-for-4 at the plate for Great Falls. Shelby picked up two hits for Great Falls. Both teams will meet again today for the second game of a three-game set. First pitch is at 7:00 PM (8:00 Central) at Centene Stadium.

Thursday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with Hitting Coach Johnny Narron (Select date for August 3rd, skip to the 14:30 minute mark) -- www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Remember the in progress Link Report when the Arizona Brewers led 9-1 in their game? Final: Arizona Padres 10, Arizona Brewers 9 A-Crew remains winless in the second half; Craig Langille bails Jeremy Jeffress out of a bases-loaded two-out jam in the 3rd, but then runs into problems of his own later on; the Brewers converted former infielder Harold Mejia to a pitcher this year and have used him in late relief, which hasn't worked so well stat-wise thus far... Arizona Brewer Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_pdrrok_1

so what do we know of this Rivas kid? By this, DHonks means 20-year-old Amaury Rivas, who tossed seven outstanding innings for Helena last night. He showed that he could throw strikes in Maryvale, received the promotion to Helena, and has yet to have a bad outing there. Nice to see one of the unheralded Latin youngsters doing well. Rivas is in his second pro season -- last year in Maryvale, he again showed good control, but his pitches found more of the plate (hit ratio).

My apologies, Huntsville's series at Mobile begins tomorrow, not tonight. I've adjusted tonight's "menu".

Standings through Wednesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 59 53 .527 - 35-25 24-28 L1[/b] Iowa 57 54 .514 1.5 31-24 26-30 W2 Memphis 44 67 .396 14.5 26-33 18-34 L3 Omaha 44 68 .393 15.0 26-27 18-41 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 23 17 .575 - 13-7 10-10 W1 Chattanooga 22 18 .550 1.0 13-7 9-11 L2 West Tenn 21 19 .525 2.0 14-6 7-13 L1 [b]Huntsville 19 20 .487 3.5 12-12 7-8 W2[/b] Carolina 14 26 .350 9.0 8-7 6-19 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 22 16 .579 - 15-9 7-7 L4 St. Lucie 22 16 .579 - 13-9 9-7 W3 Palm Beach 19 21 .475 4.0 11-8 8-13 W4 [b]Brevard County 17 21 .447 5.0 8-6 9-15 W2[/b] Vero Beach 15 24 .385 7.5 9-12 6-12 L4 Jupiter 14 24 .368 8.0 8-12 6-12 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 26 13 .667 - 14-5 12-8 L1 Lake County 21 16 .568 4.0 12-9 9-7 W1 Hickory 20 19 .513 6.0 8-13 12-6 L1 Hagerstown 18 20 .474 7.5 10-15 8-5 W1 [b]West Virginia 18 20 .474 7.5 8-6 10-14 W1[/b] Greensboro 17 20 .459 8.0 8-10 9-10 L2 Lexington 14 25 .359 12.0 8-9 6-16 W1 Delmarva 13 24 .351 12.0 8-12 5-12 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Helena 3 1 .750 - 3-1 0-0 L1[/b] Missoula 3 1 .750 - 3-1 0-0 W3 Billings 2 2 .500 1.0 0-0 2-2 W1 Great Falls 0 4 .000 3.0 0-0 0-4 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Royals 5 1 .833 - 3-1 2-0 W2 AZL Padres 3 1 .750 1.0 2-0 1-1 L1 AZL Angels 4 2 .667 1.0 2-0 2-2 W2 AZL Athletics 4 2 .667 1.0 3-0 1-2 W4 AZL Giants 4 2 .667 1.0 2-1 2-1 W1 AZL Cubs 2 4 .333 3.0 1-1 1-3 L2 AZL Mariners 2 4 .333 3.0 2-2 0-2 L1 AZL Rangers 1 4 .200 3.5 1-1 0-3 L3 [b]AZL Brewers 0 5 .000 4.5 0-3 0-2 L5[/b]

Follow Thursday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_freaaa_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_grfrok_1 Arizona Rookie: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_pdrrok_1

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated an hour or two prior to gametime: Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Following Nashville's lead, Huntsville now makes its media notes available as well, nice: www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Ben Hendrickson at Fresno (Giants), 8:45 PM pre-game, 9:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: RHP Luis Pena at home vs. Fort Myers (Twins), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.sportsjuice.com/broad...4cwYBjA%3d West Virginia: RHP Shawn Ferguson at home vs. Columbus (Dodgers), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: TBD at Great Falls (White Sox), 7:45 PM pre-game; 8:00 gametime Audio (click on "Listen Live"): www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php Arizona: TBD at the San Diego complex to face the Padre kids, 8:00 PM Central time, never any web audio for the Arizona League

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Welcome aboard. This is from the Journal Sentinel July 17th: Rogers ailing: Class A Brevard County right-hander Mark Rogers, the Brewers' first-round draft pick in 2005, was placed on the seven-day DL with tightness in the front of his shoulder. Melvin said Rogers was expected to miss three starts. "It's a cautionary thing," Melvin said. "It doesn't appear to be serious." Selected out of high school in Maine, Rogers throws his fastball in the mid- to high 90-mph range and has a sharp-breaking curveball but has had command problems while adjusting his pitching mechanics. In 16 games with Brevard, he is 1-2 with a 5.07 ERA, 53 walks and 96 strikeouts in 71 innings. Rogers is in Maryvale doing his rehab, not with Brevard. Other than that, no new updates.

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006080321/ Inman has 'rough one' but earns eighth victory Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter The 2,165 fans that braved nearly unbearable humidity at Appalachian Power Park on Wednesday also were witness to a startling revelation on the playing field. West Virginia pitcher Will Inman is, in fact, a mortal human after all. In the midst of a sterling season in which the Dry Fork, Va., native had allowed only nine earned runs in 66 innings entering that evening, Inman was touched up for four earned runs in five innings against an aggressive Columbus Catfish lineup. But even with the very un-Inman like performance, the 6-foot, 200 pound right-hander still pitched well enough to pick up the decision in the Power's 8-4 win. West Virginia improved to 18-20 in the South Atlantic League's second half, while Columbus dropped to 18-21. "There's no words to describe it other than it was just a rough one tonight," said Inman, who improved to 8-1, while his ERA "ballooned" to 1.65. "The main thing is to get the win for the team, but tonight was just not a good night. "Tonight just shows you how mental this game is. Mentally, in my last couple of outings, I just haven't been there. There's nothing physically wrong, I just have to overcome it mentally. I'm walking guys and I'm losing control of my fastball, which is the main pitch in my repertoire." Despite Inman's displeasure with his last two outings, he has won his last four starts, including five scoreless innings of two-hit baseball in his previous start. Inman also was the recipient of a bit of bad luck during a two-run fourth inning, when what seemed to be a tailor-made, double-play ball off the bat of Travis Denker hopped over the head of Power second baseman Mike Bell and into right field. Both runners eventually scored when the next Catfish batter smacked a one-out double. "It was just a tough one tonight," Inman said. "The thing you've got to understand in this game is that it's impossible to be perfect. Nobody in this game is perfect. You have to be tough mentally, and it's just something you've got to bounce back from. "As a pitcher, you have to think a day ahead. You can't think about what's happened in the past. I'll just bounce right back, go at it and give them hell. There's nothing more I can do." Power pitching coach John Curtis also noticed some uneasiness in Inman's performance. "He looked uncomfortable out there tonight," Curtis said. "The body language wasn't good, but he was upset with himself and couldn't relax enough to regroup. "It was very uncharacteristic of him. He's fighting himself a little bit right now. He's got high expectations for himself, and when the ball doesn't go where he wants it to, he fights it a little. "He did a very uncharacteristic Inman job, but he went out and got some big outs when we needed them and picked up the win." Curtis also believes the rigors of a long season might be taking its toll on the Power youngsters, many of whom never have faced a season this long before. "It's a long season for these youngsters," Curtis said. "They're extending themselves now past where they might be comfortable. But Inman's had an exceptional year. He feels good, so there's plenty to work on and we'll get him straightened out." After falling behind 1-0 in the first, West Virginia answered in the bottom of the inning when catcher Angel Salome drilled his ninth homer over the center field fence. Salome's shot came off of losing pitcher Marlon Arias (7-6) and was Arias' league-leading 17th home run allowed. The Power led 4-1 after the third inning, following runs on an Arias error, an RBI groundout by Brad Willcutt and an RBI triple by Bell. Columbus answered to tie the game at 4 apiece in the fifth before the Power answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a two-run single by shortstop Ryan Barba. From there, the Power bulllpen duo of Kevin Roberts and Dane Renkert combined to toss four innings of three-hit ball. Power Points: The Power made a pair of roster moves prior to Wednesday's game. First baseman Ned Yost IV, the son of Brewers Manager Ned Yost III, was promoted to Class A Advanced Brevard County of the Florida State League. Yost hit .287 with six homers, six triples and 46 RBI in 93 games with the Power. Also, left-handed pitcher Julian Cordero was added to the Power roster. Cordero came to the Brewers as part of the pre-trade deadline deal with the Texas Rangers that sent outfielder Carlos Lee to the Rangers. Cordero was 2-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 27 appearances with the Clinton Lumberkings of the Midwest League. Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Bob Wojcieszak West Virginia Power pitcher Will Inman struggled Wednesday at Appalachian Power Park, but still managed to pick up a victory in an 8-4 win over Columbus. http://www.dailymail.com/images/Inman0803.jpg

From the Helena Site: Brewers Camo Jerseys To Be Auctioned Off The Helena Brewers are excited to announce that the US Marine, Ooh-Rah Tuesday camo jerseys will be put up for auction on EBay, starting Monday August 7th. Every player?s will be up for auction, and the starting bid will be $50. The auction will last for one month, and all proceeds will be donated to Toys-for-Tots. For more information please email info@HelenaBrewers.net. Last year, the H-Brewers did this with their Hawaiian flowered jerseys, with several of our readers winning bids. This year it'll be via Ebay, as noted, which should be fine. Good luck to all!

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars stay bright in ninth For second straight night, Huntsville wins late in game By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com Jeff Eure started things with a two-run homer. He ended things with a minor traffic violation that would never be prosecuted in court. And for the second consecutive night, the Huntsville Stars stole a 9-8 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts in the ninth inning, giving the Stars their eighth victory in 10 games. "It shows the kind of tenacity we have," Eure said. With Eure on second base, catcher J.C. Boscan singled sharply to right field off Lookouts reliever Eddy Valdez. Speeding toward third, Eure saw third base coach Sandy Guerrero waving him on. "So, I turned it up a notch," Eure said. In doing so, he dropped his head just enough, and missed when Guerrero held up both hands to stop him at third. Too late. "I was already committed," Eure said. "If there was going to be a play at the plate, there would be a play at the plate." And it would have registered on the Richter scale, with 6-foot-3, 190-pound Lookouts catcher Miguel Perez and the full-speed-ahead, barrel-chested Eure. Instead, Rick Asadoorian's throw was just up the first-base line and Eure stomped on the plate a microsecond before Perez could catch the ball, then wheel for the tag. The late-inning dramatics were necessitated by a Huntsville bullpen collapse that allowed seven runs in the final three innings. "We can't get anybody out in the ninth," manager Don Money groused. "We need somebody to step up and get people out." It made little more than a footnote of Manny Parra, the Stars' starting pitcher, who a year ago today was on the eve of shoulder surgery. On Wednesday night, he looked good as new, allowing only three hits and a run, striking out three in five innings. The surgery was, in medical terminology, "debridement of labral cyst and undersurface rotator cuff tear." It was repaired arthroscopically. That still left months of rehab, and an extended stay in spring training before his May 3 debut at Single-A Brevard County. The Lookouts nicked Parra early, Jeff Bannon cracking a leadoff double, eventually scoring on a grounder by Joey Votto, but he settled down magnificently after that. Eure drove a two-run homer off the scoreboard in the fourth, his team-leading 11th of the season. He has driven in at least one run in 11 of his last 17 starts. After an RBI double by Boscan, Travis Ezi jacked a three-run homer, chasing Chattanooga starter Camilo Vazquez and giving the Stars a cozy 6-1 lead. However, Chris Dickerson smashed a two-run homer off Matt Yeatman in the seventh to make it 6-3, but Ozzie Chavez stole home on a double steal and Steve Moss drove in Drew Anderson for an 8-3 lead. In the ninth, the Lookouts leapt on Joe Valentine for five runs to tie the game at 8-all. Dickerson and Anderson Machado had two-run doubles and Jeff Bannon tied the game with a single up the middle against a drawn-in infield. The Stars had scored the winning run Tuesday on a Chavez single in a similar situation, then proved to have enough heroics left over this time, a traffic violation or not. ***Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 I'm Drew ... so are you Drew Anderson plays for both Stars, Lookouts By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com The other night, Drew Anderson reached second and reached out to shake hands with ... Drew Anderson. In the media guide, next to Drew Anderson's photo, are the statistics for ... Drew Anderson. On Drew Anderson's baseball card, the signature belongs to ... Drew Anderson. The Huntsville Stars have an outfielder named Drew Anderson. The Chattanooga Lookouts have an infielder named Drew Anderson. Neither knew anybody else named Drew Anderson. Until the Stars' Drew singled Tuesday night, advanced to second and the Stars' Drew meandered over. "I've got to shake your hand," the Stars' Drew said. "I'm a big fan." "I haven't been up in 'Chatt' too long, and I found out I was coming here and he was here, I thought that would be pretty interesting," the Lookouts' Drew said. That was the same night that Drew Anderson hit a home run. And so did Drew Anderson. In spite of that, Drew Anderson wasn't in the starting lineup in Wednesday's series finale between Chattanooga and Huntsville. Neither was Drew Anderson. They both have the birth name of Drew - no abbreviation of Andrew - but the world of baseball is reasonably safe when it comes to the middle name. Chattanooga's is Drew Michael. Huntsville's is Drew Thomas. The Stars' Drew was under the impression they even shared the same middle name when he saw a Bowman baseball card that pictured the Lookouts' Drew. It was embossed with a signature reading "Drew Thomas Anderson." Turns out, the Stars' Drew couldn't read his own writing. Through a mistake by the company, the autograph belongs to him, not the Lookouts' Drew. "I knew it wasn't mine," said the Lookouts' Drew. The odd thing - if things can get more odd - fans send baseball cards of the Lookouts' Drew to the Stars' Drew, asking for an autograph. Typically, he'll honor the request. "I don't want people to think he's a bad guy by getting the cards and throwing them away," the Stars' Drew said. Besides, the real signature and the embossed one match, right? With player statistics easily available on the Internet, an honest mistake was made when the Stars' media guide was published. "They've even got his stats on my page," the Stars' Drew said. "They do?" laughed the Lookouts' Drew. "That's funny. He probably wishes he didn't have those stats in there." Though they have just met, the two Drews have known of each other for years. The Lookouts' Drew, born Feb. 2, 1983, is a native of Brownsburg, Ind., and played collegiately at Ohio State. The Stars' Drew, born June 9, 1981, is a native of Kearney, Neb., and played collegiately at Nebraska. During their college days, Drew started hearing about Drew. And vice versa. The Brewers drafted Drew in the 24th round in 2003. The Reds drafted Drew in the 13th round in 2004. Assuming, of course, they actually drafted the real Drew Anderson they wanted.

Final: Arizona Athletics 8, Arizona Brewers 4 Arizona Brewer Box Score and Game Log Link: Four Latin arms pitch, with the Power 50's 18-year-old lefty Luis Ramirez (# 50) again the best of the bunch; John Alonso slugging over .600 -- the dude seriously needs to escape the Maryvale heat; local Milwaukee kid Mike Goetz still isn't hitting (.212, not a single extra-base hit), but he's 19-for-22 on the basepaths... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Link while active, text follows: www.philly.com/mld/inquir...175568.htm Braddock's dream brewing The South Jersey product's trail to the majors has taken him to Montana By Bill Iezzi Inquirer Suburban Staff The rolling mountains of Montana are somewhat prettier than the Pinelands of South Jersey. And, for Zach Braddock, they also represent the first step in the minor-leaguer's baseball career. To get to the majors from Montana's Helena Brewers in the high-rookie Pioneer League, the former Gloucester Catholic High pitcher will need a lot more work and some good fortune. He still faces single-, double- and triple-A baseball before the final stop. But the 18-year-old is in no hurry. "My goal is to progress smoothly through the minor-league system," Braddock said recently. "I can't put a time limit on my dreams. I'll ride it out as long as I can. This is an opportunity of a lifetime." His big break came in June 2005, when Braddock signed with the Milwaukee Brewers after being selected in the 18th round of the amateur draft and became a "draft and follow," to be observed in junior college. Major-league baseball teams own the rights of junior-college players until a week before the next year's draft. Braddock, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound lefthander, pitched for Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fla., for the fall 2005 semester. He transferred to Burlington County Community College in the winter before going to the Brewers' extended spring training in Phoenix the last week in May. He played in the rookie league there for about a month before advancing to Helena. "Both [junior college teams] helped," Braddock said. "They gave me time to mature emotionally and to prepare my arm." If the southpaw sounds wise beyond his years, it comes from adversity. When Braddock was a junior and considered one of the area's best professional prospects, he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, once a career-ending blow to pitchers until Frank Jobe operated successfully on Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John in 1974. Bill Braddock, the pitcher's father, took him to surgeon Craig Morgan in New Wilmington, Del., who has an impressive list of clients, including Curt Schilling. Zach Braddock had followed Schilling's career when Schilling was with the Phillies, so Braddock welcomed being operated on by the same man who had saved a major-league ace's arm. "Being put in his shoes with the same doctor almost gave you a sense of the work ethic you'd need to get back," the Southampton, Burlington County, resident said. "Schilling symbolizes the dedication and hard work it takes to become a successful major-league pitcher." Burlington County baseball coach John Holt, a former Unionville High assistant, said he caught for Schilling at the high school during Schilling's rehabilitation in the late 1990s. He said Braddock reminded him of Schilling because he has "a very heavy fastball." Holt said Braddock's fastball was clocked at 92 m.p.h. over 40 innings with the Barons. He struck out 44 batters and yielded 32 hits, 19 runs and 17 walks. He had a 3.33 ERA and a 4-3 record in the Garden State Athletic Conference. The fastball is now 93 m.p.h., and Braddock has no complaints about his arm. He is working to improve his change-up and curve. Working as both a starter and out of the bullpen, Braddock's record with the Brewers, who compete in the Pioneer League North, was 1-2 with a 6.38 ERA before last night. He has given up 16 hits, 18 runs and 21 walks while striking out 16 over 24 innings. Helena manager Ed Sedar said Braddock needs to work on consistency and control of his fastball and curve but has no doubts about his potential. "He has the ability to be a big-league pitcher," Sedar said. Braddock knows what he has to do to improve his physical skills. He also knows that he has to develop more than his arm to play in the majors. "I love the mental aspect of the game," Braddock said, "capitalizing on the weakness of hitters. Knowledge is power. I control the game. The ball starts in my hands."

Standings through Tuesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 59 52 .532 - 35-25 24-27 W1[/b] Iowa 56 54 .509 2.5 30-24 26-30 W1 Memphis 44 66 .400 14.5 26-33 18-33 L2 Omaha 44 67 .396 15.0 26-26 18-41 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 22 17 .564 - 13-7 9-10 L1 Tennessee 22 17 .564 - 13-7 9-10 L2 West Tenn 21 18 .538 1.0 14-5 7-13 W2 [b]Huntsville 18 20 .474 3.5 11-12 7-8 W1[/b] Carolina 13 26 .333 9.0 8-7 5-19 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 22 15 .595 - 15-9 7-6 L3 St. Lucie 21 16 .568 1.0 12-9 9-7 W2 Palm Beach 18 21 .462 5.0 10-8 8-13 W3 [b]Brevard County 16 21 .432 6.0 7-6 9-15 W1[/b] Vero Beach 15 23 .395 7.5 9-12 6-11 L3 Jupiter 14 23 .378 8.0 8-12 6-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 26 12 .684 - 14-5 12-7 W4 Lake County 20 16 .556 5.0 12-9 8-7 L1 Hickory 20 18 .526 6.0 8-12 12-6 W1 Greensboro 17 19 .472 8.0 8-9 9-10 L1 Hagerstown 17 20 .459 8.5 10-15 7-5 L1 [b]West Virginia 17 20 .459 8.5 7-6 10-14 L1[/b] Delmarva 13 23 .361 12.0 8-12 5-11 L1 Lexington 13 25 .342 13.0 7-9 6-16 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Helena 3 1 .750 - 3-1 0-0 L1[/b] Missoula 3 1 .750 - 3-1 0-0 W3 Billings 2 2 .500 1.0 0-0 2-2 W1 Great Falls 0 4 .000 3.0 0-0 0-4 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Royals 4 1 .800 - 2-1 2-0 W1 AZL Padres 3 1 .750 0.5 2-0 1-1 L1 AZL Angels 3 2 .600 1.0 1-0 2-2 W1 AZL Athletics 3 2 .600 1.0 3-0 0-2 W3 AZL Giants 3 2 .600 1.0 1-1 2-1 L1 AZL Cubs 2 3 .400 2.0 1-1 1-2 L1 AZL Mariners 2 3 .400 2.0 2-2 0-1 W1 AZL Rangers 1 3 .250 2.5 1-1 0-2 L2 [b]AZL Brewers 0 4 .000 3.5 0-2 0-2 L4[/b]

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated an hour or two prior to gametime: Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Following Nashville's lead, Huntsville now makes its media notes available as well, nice: www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_freaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 Arizona Rookie: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Justin Lehr at Fresno (Giants), 8:45 PM pre-game, 9:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Manny Parra at home vs. Chattanooga (Reds), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450radio.com/ Brevard County: RHP Mike Jones at home vs. Jupiter (Marlins), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.jupiterhammerheads.com/ West Virginia: RHP Will Inman at home vs. Columbus (Dodgers), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: Idle Arizona: TBD at home in Maryvale to face the Oakland kids, 8:00 PM Central time, never any web audio for the Arizona League