Jim Goulart

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". 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. Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County Game One: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 Brevard County Game Two: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_2 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_ogdrok_1

The rest of Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: Idle; All-Star Game tonight; see the "2006 Sounds" thread for details Huntsville: LHP Steve Hammond at home vs. Mississippi (Braves), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450radio.com/ Brevard County: LHP Manny Parra and TBD at home in a doubleheader vs. St. Lucie (Mets); sorry, no audio for this series Helena: RHP Chris Jean at Ogden (Dodgers), 7:45 PM pre-game; 8:00 gametime Audio (click on "Listen Live"): www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php Arizona: Idle (licking their wounds from recent efforts)

6:05 Central Time on ESPN2: MiLB.com's AAA All-Star Game Page: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp Live Gameday, box score and game log links available via this link later on: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...mp;lid=112 The game is available free via MiLB.TV: www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../video.jsp Live and archived audio of the game: If archived, be sure to select July 12th as your date... www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Full Link Report will be out later today, just wanted to give folks a heads-up that the Power game is underway: West Virginia: LHP Derek Miller at Lakewood (Phillies), 9:55 AM pre-game, 10:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lwdafx_1

Helena Independent Record Game Notes: www.helenair.com/articles...206_01.txt Fredy De La Cruz cracked a three-run home run in the sixth inning as the Helena Brewers claimed a 9-5 Pioneer League win over Ogden Tuesday. The shot was De La Cruz? third of the year. Stephen Chapman hit another in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach. Chapman had an oustanding day at the plate as he also hit two doubles and scored three runs. Brandon Parillo struck out six in five innings of work and he picked up his first win of the season. Jose Romero pitched two innings of scoreless relief for Helena. He fanned two in his stint on the mound and has yet to give up an earned run this season. The Brewers also scored three runs in the fourth inning. Cole Gillespie, J.R. Hopf and De La Cruz each had RBI?s in that inning. The win kept Helena ahead of Missoula for third place in the Pioneer League?s North Division. The Brewers are 5 1/2 games behind Billings. Helena and Ogden will meet again tonight for the final game in a three-game series. They will then continue their Utah road swing with four games in Orem.

Tuesday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with RHP Mike McClendon (10th round, 2006) (Select date for July 11th, skip to the 15:00 minute mark): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=50923 Sounds still riding momentum By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent Since becoming the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers prior to last season, the Nashville Sounds have worked to earn the respect of the rest of the Pacific Coast League. Last year, the Sounds hovered around first place throughout the season before eventually winning the PCL American Northern Division. The team then went on to win the PCL Championship, giving Nashville its first Triple-A crown. And the Sounds have followed up last year?s banner year by holding down first place throughout the first half of this season. The Sounds will celebrate their successful first half at tonight?s Triple-A All-Star Game in Toledo, Ohio, where Nashville will be well represented. The Sounds have three players and one assistant coach taking part in tonight?s festivities. Last year only one Sound, Trent Durrington, was selected to the team. Tonight, outfielders Tony Gwynn and Nelson Cruz, pitcher Ben Hendrickson and pitching coach Stan Kyles will represent the Sounds. ?It probably does say something about us and the success we?ve had,? manager Frank Kremblas said. ?All those guys deserved it.? Not included in the game will be catcher Mike Rivera, who was promoted to Milwaukee last week. Shortstop Chris Barnwell was having a stellar season before he was promoted earlier in June and likely would have gotten all-star consideration as well. ?Barny would have gotten some consideration but it would have been tough because there are so many shortstops,? Kremblas said. ?I?d rather have guys get called up than [be elected to the All-Star team].? Since the beginning of the 2005 season, Kremblas and his staff have seen two Nashville stars become everyday starters with the Brewers in first baseman Prince Fielder and second baseman Rickie Weeks. Additionally, reliever Jose Capellan has been entrenched in the Brewers bullpen and outfielder Corey Hart has been in Milwaukee since late last season. ?I?m always happy when guys get promoted. That?s what we?re here to do,? Kremblas said. ?It says we?re doing something right.? ***Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS All-Stars an honor for Sounds Hendrickson joined by Cruz, Gwynn By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff WriterT TOLEDO, Ohio ? For the second time in three years, Ben Hendrickson is in uniform for the Triple-A All-Star Game. And while it's not the ultimate goal for the Nashville Sounds starting pitcher, it's hardly an insult. "It's great being in the game; it's all the best players in your league," said the 25-year-old, who is one of four Nashville players selected to the Pacific Coast League team for tonight's contest, along with catcher Mike Rivera and outfielders Nelson Cruz and Tony Gwynn. However, Rivera's contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers last week and he will not participate. "It's a great honor to be in that group of guys," Hendrickson said. Hendrickson started for the International League in the 2004 event, part of a campaign in which he went 11-3 with a 2.02 earned run average for Indianapolis and was named the IL's Most Valuable Player as well as the Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year. After going 1-8 for the Brewers that same year, though, the Minnesota native struggled to a 6-12, 4.97 ERA finish with the Sounds in 2005. "I'd rather be in an all-star game than have another deal like last year," he said. "It didn't go as planned. My numbers weren't very good. I struggled with my command. But now I'm back to where I was in '04 and even better. I've just got to keep it going." All things considered, though, Hendrickson would swap a Triple-A All-Star Game appearance for a major league roster spot. The right-hander, who made four appearances (three starts) with the Brewers in May and posted a 12.00 ERA, was passed over last week for a callup in favor of fellow Sounds starter Dana Eveland. The two had fairly comparable statistics ? Hendrickson has a 1.84 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 83-1/3 innings and is 7-3, while Eveland had a 1.78 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 65-2/3 innings with a 3-3 record at the time of his departure. "It's always your goal to get up and stay up," Hendrickson said. "But it's great for Dana; he deserves it. I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing. Hopefully, I'll get my chance again, too." According to Sounds pitching coach Stan Kyles, it's not just physical performance that Hendrickson needs to concentrate on when he makes that return to the majors. "With Ben, he still has to understand that it takes a total commitment," Kyles said. "He does it all on instinct. For a young pitcher, I've never seen a guy with as good pitching instincts as he has. But he's got to understand the other things it takes for him to get to that level and continue the success he has had here. A lot of it is preparation and strength and the will and desire to not be denied. "When he reaches that, and I believe he will, he's going to be a hell of a big league pitcher. I'm still waiting on him to step up to the plate and say, 'I'm going to take full responsibility for my career, from this point on.' " Toward that end, Hendrickson knows what he didn't do previously at the major league level and is ready to take steps to address those shortcomings. "It's a mindset," he said. "It's like I didn't pitch the same. It's like I'm afraid to shake off the catchers up there. Down here, I shake all the time. If I go up (to the Brewers) and throw to Mike (Rivera), I'll shake and he'll go right to the pitch I want to throw. It's like a comfort thing. I don't work with those (major league catchers) very often. I think I threw to Damian Miller once and to Chad Moeller maybe three times. I've thrown to Mike plenty of times." For now, though, he's going to focus on doing what he needs to do where he is ? and tonight, that's at Fifth Third Field. "I just have to go out and have fun," he said. "I've got family coming in from Minnesota, and it'll be great to see them. It's just going to be a fun time."

Final: Helena 9, Ogden (Dodgers) 5 Helena Box Score and Game Log Link: Lefty Brandon Parillo opened the game with four hitless inings; two doubles and a HR for Stephen Chapman -- he'll be a league MVP candidate if the H-Crew can make a run; Fredy de la Cruz drives in four, including a three-run HR; lefty Jose Romero still dealin'... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_ogdrok_1

Final: Lakewood (Phillies) 7, West Virginia 2 Don't blame Will... West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER SURRENDER SEVEN UNANSWERED IN LOSS TO LAKEWOOD The West Virginia Power took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning of Tuesday night?s game at First Energy Park against the Lakewood BlueClaws, but Lakewood scored the final seven runs of the game and beat the Power 7-2. The Power took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. Mike Bell ripped a one out triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ned Yost. Yost scored the final run for the Power on Nestor Corredor?s RBI double in the fourth inning. Lakewood scored three times to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh and never looked back. Greg Golson cut the lead in half with a sacrifice fly that scored Welinson Baez. John Urick tied the game with a two-out RBI double and Michael Spidale scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. The BlueClaws pulled away and scored four runs in the eighth inning. Baez laid down a sacrifice bunt which caused an errant throw by Kyle Pawelczyk and allowed Jeremy Slayden to score. Fidel Hernandez followed with an RBI single and Avelino Asprilla knocked in the final two runs on a base hit. Despite the loss, Will Inman was spectacular for the Power. Inman tossed five scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and had six strikeouts on the night. Justin Blaine (2-0) earned the victory and Kevin Roberts (4-9) obtained the loss. The Power are 47-40 overall and 8-10 in the second half after the loss while the BlueClaws improved to 51-37 overall and 14-5 in the second half after the win. The Power will continue the four game series against the BlueClaws Wednesday morning. Left hander Matt Maloney (9-5, 1.61) will make the start for Lakewood and the Power will counter with left hander Derek Miller (8-1, 3.65). The first pitch is scheduled for 11:05 AM (10:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score and Game Log Link: Darren Ford down to .264; Kenny Holmberg just not the same since his ankle injury; Angel Salome with 36 extra-base hits now; Mat Gamel with two throwing errors at third base; RHP Kevin Roberts' (5th round, 2005) poor season continues... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lwdafx_1

Final: Arizona Athletics 18, Arizona Brewers 6 Another ugly day for Brewer fielders and pitchers; Latin efforts have focused on pitching -- the starting nine position players in today's game were all U.S. products, can't remember that being the case ever; only 12 fans subjected to this one... Arizona Brewer Box Score and Game Log Link: Brewers surrendered 15 straight runs after grabbing a 3-0 lead; RHP Alexandre Periard had literally just turned 17 when drafted in 2004 from Canada; fellow Canadian RHP Mark James (14th round, 2005) won't be 19 until later this month -- still, we're waiting for signs of success from any of the Great White North arms, including Craig Langille, who esacped today's carnage while idle; Brewer pitchers walk ten while only striking out one batter -- a "bizarro" ratio; Brett Whiteside goes the distance behind the plate in the 102 degree "dry heat" -- tell me that isn't a workout with those mound performances; RHP Amaury Rivas had fared so well his last time out -- not today; there must be guys that would give anything for a crack at Helena about now; God bless you if you scrutinize this game log... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_athrok_1

Link while active, text follows: www.zwire.com/site/news.c...&rfi=9 Power-pitching Garrison back in Jersey Hun graduate to take mound vs. Lakewood on Thursday By: Justin Feil, Princeton Packet Assistant Sports Editor One year out of The Hun School, Steve Garrison will make his first appearance in New Jersey as a professional baseball player. Garrison is scheduled to start on the mound for the West Virginia Power, the Milwaukee Brewers' Single-A affiliate, when they play at the Lakewood BlueClaws Thursday. It's an early highlight in his brief professional career. "I'm going back to Jersey," said Garrison, who is 3-3 with a 2.83 earned run average. "I'm excited to go back. I'm going to see all my buddies. It's nice to see my family and friends. I'm real excited about that. The first team I pitched against was the team from Lakewood." Garrison wasn't alone when he made his first start in Single-A, and he will certainly have a big following in the stands Thursday. He expects many friends from Hun, and from his hometown of Ewing. "They've been great," Garrison said. "They came down to my first start in West Virginia. They drove down early in the morning to watch my first outing. I have the best friends. They had cheers for me. They were so loud. It was really, really great that they came. I have the best friends and they're behind me. It helps to know I have true friends I can count on when need them." Garrison made many of his closest friendships in his four years at Hun, when he was developing into one of the state's top pitchers. Both his friendships and his experiences in baseball helped when he reached the pro level. "Hun was the best thing I could have done," he said. "All the people I met, and all the true friends I met. It was great. "It was a big jump for baseball. I think the competition, the practices we went through and work ethic that Coach (Bill) McQuade and Coach (Dan) O'Dea and the others helped me learn, it's helped me throughout my career. I know nothing comes easy. If you work hard, you might be able to do it." Garrison is excited to have the opportunity to show what he can do at the Single-A level after enduring a year of Rookie League ball in Arizona. Rookie ball was his reward for being selected by the Brewers in the 10th round of last year's amateur draft. "It was pretty tough," Garrison said. "You had to wake up and be on the bus at 5:30 and get to the park at 6. You played a game every day in the morning, then you have the night off. But it's too hot to do anything or you're too tired of the sun by then. The second half of the summer, it was a good change because it got so hot that they moved games to night games. But we had practice at noon in the blazing heat. "I met a lot of good people there. The coaches helped me a lot. The biggest lesson I got was the pitching coach helped me learn about the transition between high school hitters and pro hitters. There's a big difference between the tendencies a high school hitter has and a pro. A high school hitter, you can blow an 88 to 90 mile per hour fastball by them. The pro guys, they see them all the time. They love them. You have to think ahead." Garrison's adjustment to the pro pitching was quick. He put up solid numbers. He went 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA in 34 innings with 28 strikeouts and just five walks. It was the adjustment to the professional lifestyle in the rookie league that was more difficult. "It was pretty tough," he said. "I had to keep telling myself it's baseball and it's fun. We'd only get 15 to 30 people in the stands at games. It was mostly family. It was tough." Garrison went to the instructional league in the fall for some additional work. The Brewers fine-tuned his mechanics, including changing what side of the pitching rubber from which he threw. In October, he returned to his Ewing home and worked at Diamond Player Development in Hamilton until February when he reported for mini camp and then spring training. He wasn't thrilled when he began his second summer with the Brewers back in Arizona in extended spring training. "I got down in the dumps," Garrison said. "I was frustrated with myself. But I said, I'm young. I had to forget about it. I'm with the guys my age. I wasn't behind. I still have lots of my friends there. I tried to go have fun and play. "It was a lot more fun than last year. I knew everybody. I knew how to eat and stay in shape. Last year, I would order Chinese food from the Golden Egg Roll every night. I got lazy and out of shape. This year, I wanted to get into shape. I wanted to get out of Arizona." An injury in the Power's starting rotation opened a spot up, and Garrison can still recall that late-May call he got from his pitching coach who gave him little more than 12 hours to get ready for a 6 a.m. flight to West Virginia to join the Power. "It was a little shock," Garrison said. "I didn't know it was possible I could do that. I was very happy. I was very lucky. To get to West Virginia and everything, it's baseball again. It's a lot more fun. All my friends are here. It's a little pain on long bus rides, but it's not that bad. I'm having a lot of fun. I'm enjoying it again. "It definitely wears on you," he added of Arizona. "Even this wears on you. It's so much better than Arizona. It's so nice to be able to know I'm where I wanted to be. This is where my goal was for spring training. It helps that all the hard work pays off. It's nice to see I can compete. My confidence is starting to go up. I'm really happy I'm on the East Coast again." Garrison has pitched well since joining the Brewers' Single-A team. In his last start, Garrison was the tough-luck loser of a pitchers' duel. In six innings of work, he allowed just two bunt singles that were followed by an error in a 1-0 loss to Lexington (Ky.) Saturday. He struck out eight. "It's definitely tough," Garrison said. "It's fun competing. It's fun watching yourself grow and watching yourself get more mature. It's fun growing up in this kind of business. In Arizona, you're facing Dominican guys from high school who are free swingers trying to hit it as far as they can. Now, you're facing top rounders from college and high-prospect high schoolers. "It's tougher, but it's more fun. You get to step up to the challenge. It's fun to compete with them. You try to give them the opposite of what they expect. You try to make them make the mistake. You try to get them to be off balance. It gets you to raise your level to the competition. I love to compete. It's pitching. I love it." His call-up has helped affirm that he made the right decision out of high school. Garrison, who would have played for College World Series finalist North Carolina at Chapel Hill, never regretted his choice even in the hottest days of Arizona. "When I saw Chapel Hill in College World Series, I thought that would be fun to be in," he said. "But I'm so happy to be where I am now. I feel so privileged. I'm living a dream. Playing professional baseball is what I wanted to do. I never wanted to do anything else. I'm very happy."

Where does Ryan Braun land on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet this week? www.baseballamerica.com/t...61902.html

New undrafted free agent outfielder at Arizona Rookie -- 22-year-old Andrew Lefave, who played through 2005 at Missouri Valley College, in the lineup today, along with SS Ryan Barba, mentioned earlier in this thread. http://www.marshallnews.com/photos/10/37/06/1037066-L.jpg

New undrafted free agent outfielder at Arizona Rookie -- 22-year-old Andrew Lefave, who played through 2005 at Missouri Valley College, in the lineup today, along with SS Ryan Barba, mentioned earlier in this thread. http://www.marshallnews.com/photos/10/37/06/1037066-L.jpg

Standings through Monday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 47 42 .528 - 28-19 19-23 L1[/b] Iowa 44 45 .494 3.0 25-20 19-25 W4 Memphis 38 51 .427 9.0 20-27 18-24 W1 Omaha 34 56 .378 13.5 19-20 15-36 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 12 8 .600 - 7-3 5-5 L1 West Tenn 12 8 .600 - 7-3 5-5 W3 Chattanooga 11 9 .550 1.0 6-4 5-5 L3 Carolina 8 12 .400 4.0 5-5 3-7 L3 [b]Huntsville 8 12 .400 4.0 3-7 5-5 W1[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 12 4 .750 - 8-4 4-0 W1 St. Lucie 10 6 .625 2.0 5-4 5-2 L4 Palm Beach 8 9 .471 4.5 5-3 3-6 W2 Jupiter 8 10 .444 5.0 4-6 4-4 W3 [b]Brevard County 6 10 .375 6.0 2-3 4-7 L2[/b] Vero Beach 6 11 .353 6.5 1-5 5-6 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 13 5 .722 - 6-1 7-4 W3 Lake County 10 8 .556 3.0 4-3 6-5 W3 Greensboro 9 9 .500 4.0 5-5 4-4 L1 [b]West Virginia 8 9 .471 4.5 4-3 4-6 W1[/b] Hagerstown 7 10 .412 5.5 5-8 2-2 L3 Lexington 7 11 .389 6.0 6-4 1-7 L1 Hickory 6 12 .333 7.0 4-8 2-4 W1 Delmarva 5 12 .294 7.5 3-5 2-7 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 13 6 .684 - 7-2 6-4 W2 Great Falls 10 10 .500 3.5 3-6 7-4 L2 [b]Helena 8 12 .400 5.5 4-7 4-5 L2[/b] Missoula 7 12 .368 6.0 4-6 3-6 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Giants 11 4 .733 - 4-3 7-1 W3 AZL Padres 10 5 .667 1.0 4-3 6-2 W5 AZL Royals 10 5 .667 1.0 4-3 6-2 L1 AZL Mariners 9 7 .563 2.5 5-3 4-4 L2 AZL Angels 7 8 .467 4.0 5-6 2-2 W1 [b]AZL Brewers 6 9 .400 5.0 2-6 4-3 L2[/b] AZL Rangers 6 9 .400 5.0 3-4 3-5 L1 AZL Athletics 5 10 .333 6.0 2-4 3-6 L2 AZL Cubs 4 11 .267 7.0 1-6 3-5 W1

Follow Tuesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". 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. West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lwdafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_ogdrok_1 Arizona: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_athrok_1

Tuesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: Idle; All-Star Game Wednesday night Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: Idle West Virginia: RHP Will Inman at Lakewood (Phillies), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime; rehabbing LHP Randy Wolf starts for the BlueClaws... Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: LHP Brandon Parillo at Ogden (Dodgers), 7:45 PM pre-game; 8:00 gametime Audio (click on "Listen Live"): www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php Arizona: RHP Shane Hill at the mini-Athletics, 12:30 PM Central time, 10:30 AM local, never any web audio for the Arizona League

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

Nashville Site: Link for Nelson Cruz photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2049 Nelson Cruz Finishes 3rd In Home Run Derby TOLEDO, Ohio -- Fifth Third Field was on center stage Monday night, playing host to the Triple-A home run derby, and many of minor league baseballs top sluggers. Electrifying the Fifth Third Field crowd with home run after home run off and even over the leftfield scoreboard, Cleveland Indian top prospect Andy Marte was crowned the 2006 ProMedica Health System Triple-A Home Run Derby Champion. Marte belted 10 long balls in the first of three rounds, propelling the 22 year old into the second round along with Toledo?s own Ryan Ludwick (6), Nelson Cruz (4) of the Nashville Sounds, and Luke Scott (3) of the Round Rock Express, Scott defeated former Hen and current Durham Bull Kevin Witt (3) in a sudden death shootout to advance. Ludwick put fans on their feet in his second round home run showcase, bombing seven home runs, including several over Monroe St. The seven dingers put Ludwick into the finals along with Marte. The Bisons slugger was able to blast another 13 home runs, electrifying the Toledo crowd once again. Cruz and Scott failed to advance, with Cruz nailing four homers, and Scott hitting three of his own. Home runs were hard to come by in the final round for Ludwick, even after a fast start. Ludwick blistered five homers putting the pressure on the young Marte. The slugger responded in a big way bombing six home runs, with four outs remaining.

Huntsville Times: North All-Stars show Moore power MONTGOMERY - Were it not for Chattanooga's Joey Votto, who is making a run at the Southern League's Triple Crown, West Tenn's Scott Moore might be getting notice as the premier power hitter in the league. On Monday night at the Southern League All-Star Game, Moore was the brightest of the stars, hitting two homers and driving in four runs to propel the North (including Huntsville's stars) to a 9-4 victory over the South. Moore, 22, is a former No. 1 draft pick who was acquired from Detroit by the Cubs in 2004 and has been paying dividends for the Diamond Jaxx. He is second in the league in homers (14) and fourth in RBIs (50). Three Huntsville Stars were participants, and pitcher Corey Thurman was impressive. The veteran Thurman threw two hitless innings, the second and third, in relief of starter Juan Mateo. He struck out three, including Mobile catcher George Kottaras - who had blasted a two-run homer Sunday in the Futures Game in Pittsburgh. Tim Dillard was the fourth North pitcher employed and allowed only one hit while pitching the fifth inning. Catcher Lou Palmisano was 0-for-2 after subbing for starter Miguel Montero, who was 3-for-3. Palmisano hit into a double play in the sixth and struck out in the ninth. Former Star Noochie Varner, batting .296 with 52 RBIs for Chattanooga this season, had a two-run homer for the North. Birmingham designated hitter Corey Smith was the South's offensive star, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Jacksonville third baseman Tony Abreu had a two-run homer. Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_sosaax_1

Monday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with Manager Ed Sedar (Select date for July 10th, skip to the 16:45 minute mark): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Final: Ogden (Dodgers) 4, Helena 1 Helena Independent Record: Rodriquez, Raptors eat up Brewers The Helena Brewers began play with Southern Division teams Monday and ended the night with a 4-1 loss to the Ogden Raptors. Ogden pitcher Jesus Rodriquez (2-0) pitched three scoreless innings for the win. Ogden jumped out to a second inning lead with two runs and went on to score a run in both the fifth and the eighth to seal the win. The Brewers? lone run came in the top of third inning, when David Parker scored off a fielding error by second baseman Michael Rivera. Helena only had five hits during the contest while the Raptors had 10. J.R. Hopf was 2-for-3 with a double to lead the Brewers. Shawn Ferguson (0-2) took the loss after 4.1 innings. Ferguson had four strikeouts on the night, allowed seven hits, three runs and a walk. Each team ended the night with one error. The Brewers will play the second game of a three-game series with Ogden today. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 PM (8:00 PM Central). Helena will then travel to Orem for a four-game set begining Thursday before returning to Kindrick Legion Field to host both Ogden and Orem next week. Helena Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_ogdrok_1

Final: Palm Beach (Cardinals) 4, Brevard County 1 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Rasmus, Cardinals cage Manatees Colby Rasmus' two-run single in the third inning lifted Palm Beach past visiting Brevard County, 4-1, on Monday. The Cardinals were trailing, 1-0, entering the third, but were able to rally for three runs. Matt Dryer got things started with an RBI single to left field. Rasmus followed with his only hit, a line drive single to right. Matt Pagnozzi hit his second homer in the seventh to extend the lead for the Cardinals (8-9), who managed just five hits. Zach Zuercher (3-2) tossed three scoreless innings of relief for the win. The 22-year-old left-hander allowed two hits, struck out one and walked a batter. Brevard County starter Josh Wahpepah (4-4) allowed three runs on two hits, walked four and struck out three. Adam Heether had two hits and an RBI and Kyle Phillips added two hits to lead the Manatees (6-10). -- Chip Haunss/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score and Game Log Link: Very short night for Josh Wahpepah; double steal fails in the 3rd... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_pbcafa_1

Link while active, text follows: news.bellinghamherald.com...004/SPORTS Hospital visit leaves Power player with perspective, gratitude Athletes are privleged in many ways, whether it is playing a game for a paycheck, or just doing something you love. Each day means playing with and being with a group of guys that shares the same passion for playing between the white lines. But as important as the on-field actions are and their effect on the fans and supporters alike, athletes also have the advantage of interacting with local communities. We do things such as visiting local elementary schools, visiting with students and reading their favorite stories to them. This week, one of my bullpen mates, Patrick Ryan, took this idea of interacting with the local community to the next level. He took time out to visit the Women's and Children's Hospital in Charleston, W.V., and visited with extremely ill children ranging in age from 3 to 16 years. During Patrick's visit he interacted with the young children and couldn't say enough about how big and bright their smiles were. He got to learn a little about each patient and share some of his own stories with the wide-eyed youngsters. He answered several different versions of the question of what it's like to be a pro ball player and autographed some baseballs before leaving the hospital. He cracked a half-smile while recalling his experience with the children, but even that was short-lived as he realized some of those bright, young and vibrant children had terminal illnesses. When speaking to Patrick about his experience, two words that continued to pop up were "positive" and "perspective." Speaking of the time spent with the children and the outcome was the "positive" and using the experience to put his own minor problems and issues into "perspective." He said he feels blessed to be in the position of an athlete for the young children and stand as a possible idol, but feels that he probably got more from the children then he ever would have imagined. Patrick said he realizes each day he has the opportunity to do something he loves and gets to choose his lifestyle; this trip to the hospital made it very apparent that not everyone has that choice. Sixteen games into the second half, we are sitting at .500 and four games back, looking for some of the consistency and late-inning heroics we had at the end of the first half. With only eight games at home for the entire month of July, we are trying to keep our heads somewhere near the top and make a push in the dog days of August for a playoff spot. We're off to Lexington, Ky., and Lookwood, N.J., for the next week, so wish us luck and enjoy the sunshine and cool breezes of the Northwest.

I strongly suggest you check out Steve Wendt's Helena broadcast at 7:50 Central tonight -- All-Star Game Home Run contest? Snoozers! Listen to the H-Crew while doing your internet browsing this evening...