Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006061224/ Options abound for Power's Renkert Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter If he doesn't make it to the Major Leagues, chances are West Virginia Power relief pitcher Dane Renkert simply will succeed in another endeavor. He certainly has enough irons in the fire. Renkert writes a weekly column for the newspaper in his hometown of Bellingham, Wash. He also co-owns a granite company there. "I want to have something to fall back on," said Renkert. Renkert graduated from Washington State University, where he majored in communications with an emphasis on journalism. Editors at The Bellingham Herald, a daily newspaper that has covered him throughout his baseball career, asked Renkert if he wanted to write a weekly column during the season. Renkert, an outgoing young man who said he has "lots of stuff to talk about," loved the idea. "I get to write about the life of a minor leaguer," Renkert said. "It's a way to vent and a way to share." His column is published each Sunday and can be found online at www.bellinghamherald.com. "I usually try to wait as long as possible (before I write it) because something might come up I want to write about," Renkert said. "I jot down some notes Thursday and Friday, then I hand write it Saturday. It's basically written in my head before I put it on paper." Renkert said his life after baseball will include writing, preferably for a newspaper. He undoubtedly would be a knowledgeable reporter on a baseball beat. "I will definitely stick with it," Renkert said. Ditto for his granite company, which makes customized products for commercial and residential projects. Among their items are backsplashes, countertops, fireplaces, tabletops and vanities. Check out www.cornerstone1001.com to learn more. Renkert co-owns the business with two of his former college teammates, Jeremy Farrar and Brandon Hundt. They are older than Renkert and worked for another granite company after they graduated. "They learned the ins and outs of the business," Renkert said. "We decided to go into business for ourselves. I have a lot of connections in Bellingham. They moved to my hometown, and we got ourselves a business license." Coincidentally, Hundt could have played for the Power if his career hadn't ended because of an injury. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers' rookie-league team in Helena, Mont., in 2004. Renkert works for Cornerstone during the six-month offseason. "That is a lot of down time, and we don't make a lot of money in the minor leagues," Renkert said. "I don't do a lot of the heavy labor like they do. I handle sales and customer service. It's an easy product to sell because they are so good at what they do." The 24-year-old Renkert won't have to worry about writing stories or selling stone if he continues to pitch like he has this season. Renkert, a 6-foot, 210-pound right-hander whom the Brewers drafted in the 29th round last June, owns a 5-2 record with four saves and a 1.56 earned run average. He has recorded 28 strikeouts compared to 10 walks in 34 2/3 innings, and he has surrendered 23 hits (one homer) and 11 runs (six earned) in that time. "It's an individual accomplishment that goes with team success," Renkert said of his impressive performance this season. "I couldn't do it without the rest of the team behind me." Renkert attributes his success with the Power this season to his stint with the team last season, when as a rookie he compiled a 2-0 record with a 0.00 earned run average in 14 1/3 innings after he posted a 2-1 record with a 2.75 earned run average in 26 2/3 innings at Helena. "I took advantage of the opportunity I was given," Renkert said. "It was a good introduction of what I would face this season." ***Link while active, text follows: Editor's note: West Virginia Power pitcher Dane Renkert writes a weekly column for his hometown newspaper, The Bellingham (Wash.) Herald. This is his favorite, from April 23. Time away from loved ones can take its toll on players, coaches It's so easy to lose yourself in this game that sometimes it's important to take a step back and separate yourself from the game and get back into your life. It's a difficult task to put so much energy into a job, and still have the wherewithal to control your life outside of it. Each year players, coaches and staff members leave the other half of their life behind -- wives, girlfriends, children and families -- with the knowledge that for each spring and summer contact will be limited to drawn out repetitive phone calls and an occasional visit. Sitting on the bus before and after games, you hear voice tones change and the questions of "How was school today?" or "Did you have a good day at work today?" It's an eye-popping wakeup call that draws you away from the schoolyard game that we play day in and day out. A prime example of this happened this week with one of my favorite teammates, Wilfredo Laureano, a native of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. Laureano is not only a professional athlete, but also the father of a 2-year-old daughter. A few days ago, he was unusually quiet and not up to his usual antics as we prepared for that day's game, so I approached him. I offered him a portion of my fruit snacks and asked what was up. A slight pause proceeded, then his eyes welled up as he responded in a quiet voice, "I miss my family; I miss my baby." It was a humbling and unexpected answer, and one that I can't fully relate to. I have only my family and friends, and I can only imagine what it would be like adding a significant other and a child on top of that. Although we all wear the same uniform and share the same locker room, we all have different backgrounds and differ on how we got to where we are now. On this team, in particular, the age differential is something that sticks out with players ranging from 18 to 25. With that many different backgrounds, there are so many stories to tell. One of those is Kenny Holmberg, who is the true definition of a "dirt bag" on the field and a player whose leadership skills tower over his short stature. Drafted as a senior out of NAIA powerhouse Embry Riddle in the 22nd round of last year's Major League draft, the second baseman is taking advantage of the opportunity he has been given. His keys to success are having the ability to never be satisfied and each day working as hard as he can to improve on different aspects of what makes him a good player. He also emphasizes the importance of being a good teammate, no matter what his personal output was on that specific day. If we're down two runs late in the game and you hear a pair of spikes skipping through the dugout and a voice echoing encouragement, there is only one person it can be: The one we call "Pauly Shore."

Final: Hickory (Pirates) 8, West Virginia 5 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Crawdads avoid Power sweep The West Virginia Power scored five runs in the second inning of Sunday evening?s game against the Hickory Crawdads and appeared to be well on their way to a three game sweep of the Hickory Crawdads. Hickory scored eight unanswered runs and came back to avoid the sweep, beating the Power 8-5. Mike Bell brought in the first two runs for the Power in the five-run second inning on a single. Scotty McKnight made it a 4-0 Power lead with a two-run double and McKnight scored later in the inning when Brent Lillibridge committed an error on a groundball hit by Lorenzo Cain. The Crawdads started their comeback in the bottom of the second inning on back to back solo home runs from Mike Carlin and Brad Corley. Tony Mansolino scored the final run in the three-run second inning on a wild pitch. Hickory plated five runs in the third inning to pull away. Eddie Prasch drove in the first run on a triple and he scored during the next at-bat on Andrew McCutchen?s base hit. McCutchen scored the go-ahead run later in the inning on Mansolino?s single and Jason Delaney drove in the final two runs on a double. Jean Garavito (3-5) earned the victory and Justin Vaclavik (3) earned the save. Kevin Roberts (3-7) allowed seven runs on seven hits over two innings to take the loss. Robbie Wooley went three innings allowing one run on five hits. Ryan Marion pitched two and one-third innings of three-hit relief for WV. Steve Palazzolo got the final two outs with a double-play grounder for the Power. The Power are 34-28 after the loss and the Crawdads moved to 29-32 with the win. The Power will begin a four game series against the Hagerstown Suns on Monday night. The first two games will be played at Appalachian Power Park. On Monday Hagerstown will start right hander Nelson Portillo (0-0, 0.00) and the Power will counter with left hander Steve Garrison (1-1, 4.11). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: Kevin Roberts not pitching like 22-year-old 5th round picks should in the Sally League... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1

Final: Brevard County 5, Vero Beach (Dodgers) 2 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Manatees shut down Dodgers Manny Parra, Sam Narron and Luis Pena combined to four-hit visiting Vero Beach as Brevard County posted a 5-2 victory on Sunday. Parra (1-1) struck out five and did not allow a walk over five innings of one-hit ball. A passed ball by Kyle Phillips allowed an unearned run to score in the third, but Parra lowered his ERA to 2.90 in eight starts for the Manatees (34-27). Narron gave up one hit over three innings, striking out two without walking a batter, but a wild pitch in the eighth allowed David Nicholson to score. Pena earned his first save by inducing Cole Bruce to ground into a double play with two runners on in the ninth. Phillips notched three RBIs for the Manatees, lifting a sacrifice fly in the third and delivering a two-run single in the fifth. Brendan Katin roped an RBI single in the first and Freddy Parejo hit into a run-scoring fielder's choice in the sixth. Alcides Escobar went 3-for-4 with a run scored for Brevard County. Kyle Wilson (1-3) allowed two runs -- one earned -- on four hits over four innings for the Dodgers (23-40). He fanned five and walked one. Reliever Brent Leach gave up three runs on four hits over 1 1/3 innings. The loss extended Vero Beach's skid to five games. -- Max Lance/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Gross still pinches himself over trade By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com MILWAUKEE - Gabe Gross "can't thank everybody enough" for the latest break in his career. Think he's thankful? You'd be hard-pressed to find a team more appreciative than the Brewers are for Gross, the former two-sport star at Auburn. Gross was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in a trade that send first baseman Lyle Overbay to the Jays last December, essentially freeing up the first base spot for Prince Fielder. It left Gross thankful "for bringing me here, giving me a chance to have a permanent role on this team and giving me a chance to succeed." That role is as a fourth outfielder and pinch-hitter, and he's played in 56 of the first 66 games. Where the Brewers had instant appreciation for him was on April 4, the second day of the season. Gross hit a two-run pinch-hit homer in his first at-bat as a Brewer, only the fifth player in franchise history to accomplish that. "You're in a new situation and you're just trying to make sure you help the ballclub out and being a part of a team and meshing," Gross said. "There's not much of a better way to get things started than coming out of the gate, swinging the bat well.'' Spiezio sick: Scott Spiezio, who played for the Stars in 1995, has been battling a viral illness and Friday was his first start since May 27. He still isn't fully recovered and spent much of his pregame time sleeping in a room adjacent to the St. Louis clubhouse. He lost 10 pounds during the illness, telling St. Louis reporters, "I never really lost my appetite. I could be starving, but I couldn't eat or drink because it hurt too much to swallow." He had a two-out double (off another former Star, Joe Winkelsas) to lead the Cardinals to a win in the series opener but was limited to pinch-hit duties Saturday and Sunday. World Cup kick? From the Arcane Trivia Dept., Cardinals fans should root for Italy to win the World Cup. In both years St. Louis won the World Series when the World Cup was also played (1934 and 1982), Italy won the Cup. Brewings: Rickie Weeks was a bull's eye in Huntsville, setting the team record for most times hit by pitch. He's leading the majors in that category now, with 13. ... Both Corey Hart and Bill Hall, another former Huntsville player, own the distinction of hitting a home run for their first major league hit. ... The Brewers lead the majors in errors. ... Milwaukee has used 24 different pitchers this year, most in the majors and one shy of the franchise record.

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com/ ANOTHER DUBIOUS ACHIEVEMENTWell, in a season, or a half-season of dubious achievements, the Stars have found room for more....... With this 7-0 loss to the Suns, the 8th shutout defeat of the season (halfway to the record), the Stars finish the year 0-10 to Jacksonville....... In their history, the Stars have never been beaten so badly, so cleanly by one team in a season series, but in so doing, they established a new record........ The closest they've come to being swept by one team was to the lowly Port City Roosters (anyone remember them?), a team that went 62-80 in 1996. In beating Port City in their last meeting of that season on August 23, 10-3, they finished 1-7......... They finished 1-7 against another team, the Greenville Braves in 2000, but won the first game of a final four-game series, 6-3, before losing the rest. In defense of the Stars, who seem to have forgotten defense lately, this was a difficult team to beat....... Jacksonville is the class of the league this year. Almost in a class of their own with a team batting average of .273 -- 10 points above the nearest team, as luck would have it, the Stars' next opponent, the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, and the 2nd best ERA (3.02). Guess who would have the best ERA in the league? I'm going to let you figure it out....... Jacksonville has now won 12 straight and a criminal 20 out of their last 21 and drawing at The Baseball Grounds like they were a Triple-A team. (In fact, they once were. It's where Tom Seaver once pitched.)...... The Suns are now 45-20. They had a 48-win 1st half season in 1998 when they had Gabe Kapler, Robert Fick, and 16-game winner Dave Borkowski, and 46 in 1990 with Terrel Hansen (23 HRs, 83 RBIs), catcher Greg Colbrunn, and Brian Barnes (13-7, 2.77). The Stars are 23-40 in this half with six games to go....... Even the worst they can get is not as bad as their all-time worst for a half-season (22-50 in the 2nd half of the 1988 season). It can still get worst than their all-time worst for a 1st-half of a season (28-44 in 1991), but neither season can rival this one for an on-going mire....... They Stars are 8-29 since May 3......... That's a .216 percentage........ The 1988 team was 2-18 at their very worst at one point (July 9-29), but then they won 6 of their next 8 before losing 12 of their next 15, and finally, 32 of 43 games -- a .256 pct. They're on a long bus ride home as I type this, then take a Monday off, and perhaps the Brewers will give us someone to replace Carlos Villanueva, who was called up to Milwaukee Saturday...... Tuesday, they begin a six-game series to end the first half, with a double-header scheduled for Thursday, the first game to continue a game that was rained out in the 2nd inning, June 1........ The Stars were leading the Diamond Jaxx, 1-0 after two innings when the game was left up in the air. Jeff Housman, tonight's starter, had driven in the single run of that game....... Tuesday, Corey Thurman (2-5, 2.22) will get the nod against J.R. Mathes (5-4, 3.75), WT's leading winner.......Mathes has faced the Stars twice this season (2.31 ERA in 11 2/3 IP), but not beaten them, but his season-high of eight Ks came in his last start against them, May 28. The Suns would have all they need in the 4th inning....... After retiring seven straight batters at the start of the game, Housman served up a hanging slider to Adam Greenberg for a leadoff double to right-centerfield. Andy LaRoche, who went 7-for-14 in this series, then laced a follow-up line drive double to the warning track in left to score Greenberg. How bad is this losing streak? It may be a bit macabre, but I must satisfy my curiosity and compare this 7-game losing streak with the more recent record 13-gamer....... There's a convenient little table in the center of the site link below:: www.starsboxscore.com/ While losing 29 of their last 37 games since May 3, the Stars lost 11 initial leads. In all but one case, the Stars were holding their opponent scoreless...... The largest lead, of course, was that 7-0 lead the Stars lost on Thursday. Seven of the 11 aforementioned leads were 1-0 or 2-0, a couple held as late as the 6th or 7th inning....... Travis Phelps was responsible for losing four of those leads, Russ Rohlicek, three. The remainer were scattered among Garrit Simpson, Matt Yeatman, Stephen Bray, Villanueva, Tim Dillard, and Khalid Ballouli. Many people, I among them, can justifiably blame growing defensive lapses for some of these losses recently, but the Stars set another record for fewest errors in a season after 50 games with 38....... They made another 12 errors in their next 10 games (the most in any 10-game interval this season), but I stopped counting for record-keeping purposes after 50 games, except, of course, for the end of the season total.

Final: Jacksonville (Dodgers) 7, Huntsville 0 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=875 Lundberg and LaRoche Lead Suns to Victory Spike Lundberg tossed seven scoreless innings and Andy LaRoche homered and drove in four runs in Jacksonville?s 7-0 win over Huntsville Sunday afternoon in the final game of a five-game set at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Suns swept the series and took all ten games against the Stars this season to improve to 45-20, while the Stars lost their seventh straight to fall to 23-40 overall and 14-21 away from home. The Suns have won 12 in a row, 20 out of 21, 24 of their last 29 and finished off their third series sweep in the last four series they have played. Adam Greenberg led off the fourth inning with a double, his first hit with the Suns, and then scored the first run of the game when LaRoche followed with a double. Chin-Lung Hun and Greenberg walked to open the sixth inning before LaRoche singled to left to chase home Hu to push the home team?s lead to 2-0. Stars? starter Jeff Housman walked Wilkin Ruan with one out in the seventh and was taken out of the game and replaced by Khalid Ballouli, who suffered the loss in relief on Thursday night in the second game of the set. Ruan stole second base and moved to third on a base hit by Jimmy Rohan, who went 6-for-17 against the Stars this season. A.J. Zapp delivered a pinch-hit single to plate Ruan to make it 3-0 and move Rohan to third base before Ron Acuna?s throw from right field got past Adam Heether, allowing Rohan to score and Zapp to get to second base. Greenberg singled to score Zapp and LaRoche followed with his ninth home run of the season, and second in as many days, to cap off the five-run frame. Lundberg kept the Stars hitless through 5 1/3 innings before a bunt base hit by Steve Moss, who finished with two hits and six multi-hit games on the road trip. Travis Ezi in the third and Moss in the sixth were the only Huntsville runners to reach second base. Lundberg allowed three singles and blanked the Stars over 14 innings on six singles in his two starts against them. Kozlowski retired six of the seven hitters he faced and worked three scoreless innings in the series. The Stars return home Tuesday to open a six-game series with West Tenn. Right-hander Corey Thurman will get the starting assignment for the Stars against Diamond Jaxx?s southpaw J.R. Mathes. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM locally and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_jaxaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_jaxaax_1

Final: Nashville 7, New Orleans (Nationals) 5 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Dennis Sarfate photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1998 Sounds Avoid Sweep With 7-5 Win Over Zephyrs METAIRIE, La. ? Dennis Sarfate earned his third consecutive victory as the Nashville Sounds snapped their five-game losing streak with a 7-5 win over the New Orleans Zephyrs on Sunday evening at Zephyr Field. Nashville (34-29), which avoided suffering its first series sweep of the season, snapped the Zephyrs? seven-game winning streak with the win. Sarfate (5-2) earned his team-leading fifth victory by holding the Zephyrs to only a pair of singles over six scoreless innings while striking out a season-best eight batters. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.85 on the year with the dominant outing, which resulted in his third consecutive winning start. Mike Meyers and Jason Kershner, who struck out the side in the eighth, each tossed a scoreless frame of relief behind Sarfate before New Orleans broke up the shutout bid and made a game of it with five runs against Chris Demaria in the bottom of the ninth. Nashville jumped out to a first-inning lead for the second night in a row, plating three runs in the initial frame despite obtaining only one hit against Zephyrs starter Anastacio Martinez. With one out, Kennard Bibbs doubled before walks drawn by Brent Abernathy and Nelson Cruz loaded the bases. Graham Koonce followed with a grounder to first baseman Larry Broadway, whose throwing error allowed Bibbs to score the game?s first run. Vinny Rottino (2-for-3) then drew a four-pitch walk to plate Abernathy for a 2-0 Nashville lead and Cruz scampered home on a Jermaine Clark groundout for the third run. The Sounds doubled the lead to 6-0 in the fifth, scoring the first two runs without the aid of a hit. Tony Gwynn and Bibbs opened the inning by drawing consecutive walks from Martinez, moves to second and third on a passed ball charged to Z?s catcher Brandon Harper. Martinez uncorked a pair of wild pitches during Nelson Cruz?s at-bat to allow each runner to score. After Bibbs? first-inning double, the Sounds did not record another hit until Cruz singled in the fifth to chase Martinez. Following a Cruz steal of second, Rottino ripped a two-out RBI single to right off reliever David Gil to increase the visitors? lead to 6-0. AUDIO: Vinny Rottino RBI Single -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-11.wma Nashville closed out its scoring with a run in the top of the ninth inning courtesy of Cruz RBI single that brought in Bibbs, who scored three runs on the evening. Cruz finished with a 2-for-4 evening to up his season-best hitting streak to 10 games (14-for-35, .400), Nashville?s seventh double-digit streak of the season. The Zephyrs avoided a shutout with five runs in the bottom of the ninth. Tyrell Godwin opened the frame by reaching on a Demaria throwing error and moved to second on a Kenny Kelly walk. Pinch-hitter Alberto Castillo, Anthony Medrano, Bernie Castro, and Henry Mateo followed with four straight one-out singles off Demaria to net four runs and chase the right-hander from the game with the score 7-4. Alec Zumwalt entered the contest with the potential tying run at the plate. The Zephyrs scored their fifth run of the frame on a double steal attempt combined with a throwing error by Rottino, the Sounds? catcher. Zumwalt struck out the final two batters to secure the Nashville victory and notch his third save of the year. Martinez (2-3) took the loss after surrendering six runs (four earned) on two hits and seven walks over 4 1/3 frames. The Sounds return to Greer Stadium on Monday to begin an eight-game homestand with the 7 p.m. opener of a four-game series against the division-rival Omaha Royals. It will be the teams? third series of the season; they have split their initial eight meetings but the Sounds won three of four at Greer in April. Right-hander Justin Lehr (0-2, 5.00) will man the bump for Nashville in Monday?s series opener to face an undetermined Royals hurler. Nashville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1 Nashville Game [/b] www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Manager Frank Kremblas: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-11.wma

Standings through Saturday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 33 29 .532 - 21-11 12-18 L5 Iowa 27 34 .443 5.5 14-15 13-19 W2 Omaha 25 37 .403 8.0 16-18 9-19 L3 Memphis 22 39 .361 10.5 11-17 11-22 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 39 24 .619 - 24-11 15-13 W1 West Tenn 37 26 .587 2.0 17-17 20-9 W1 Tennessee 31 33 .484 8.5 18-12 13-21 W1 Carolina 30 34 .469 9.5 19-15 11-19 W2 [b]Huntsville 23 39 .371 15.5 9-19 14-20 L6[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 38 24 .613 - 20-14 18-10 W9 [b]Brevard County 33 27 .550 4.0 17-13 16-14 L1[/b] Palm Beach 32 30 .516 6.0 17-14 15-16 W3 Daytona 30 32 .484 8.0 18-11 12-21 L5 Jupiter 28 33 .459 9.5 13-17 15-16 W1 Vero Beach 23 39 .371 15.0 13-17 10-22 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 38 23 .623 - 23-12 15-11 W2 Delmarva 35 25 .583 2.5 18-13 17-12 L1 [b]West Virginia 34 27 .557 4.0 17-12 17-15 W2[/b] Greensboro 32 30 .516 6.5 21-11 11-19 L6 Lakewood 31 30 .508 7.0 18-13 13-17 L1 Hickory 28 32 .467 9.5 14-13 14-19 L2 Lake County 27 35 .435 11.5 13-18 14-17 W1 Hagerstown 24 38 .387 14.5 13-14 11-24 W1

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 Sunday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Activate the Nashville Gameday. For the other links, 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. It's sweet! Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_jaxaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Dennis Sarfate at New Orleans (Nationals), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Jeff Housman at Jacksonville (Dodgers), 1:50 PM pre-game, 2:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ Brevard County: LHP Manny Parra at home vs. Vero Beach (Dodgers), 3:00 PM Audio link (opponent's) -- game will also archive at this link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: RHP Kevin Roberts at Hickory (Pirates), 4:50 PM pre-game, 5:00 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

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

Final: West Virginia 5, Hickory (Pirates) 3 Closer Dane Renkert with the performance of the night... West Virginia Site Game Summary: Salome knocks in three in Power win Angel Salome drove in three of West Virginia?s five runs against the Hickory Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium on Saturday night to give him 50 on the year, and the Power went on to win 5-3. The Crawdads drew first blood in the first inning on Brad Corley?s RBI single. The Power tied the game in the top of the third on Salome?s RBI double. The Crawdads regained the lead in the bottom of the third on a run-scoring double from Mike Carlin. In the fifth inning the Power scored twice to take the lead and never looked back. Lorenzo Cain doubled down the right field line to bring in Scotty McKnight and Salome knocked in the second run on a sacrifice fly. McKnight hit a clutch two-out RBI single in the sixth inning to put the Power up 4-2 and Salome drove in the final run of the game for West Virginia on another sacrifice fly in the seventh. The Crawdads threatened to tie the game in the eighth inning. The first three batters hit safely and Corley drove in Andrew McCutchen on an RBI single to knock Patrick Ryan out of the game and ended his scoreless innings streak at fifteen and two thirds. Dane Renkert came in with runners at the corners and nobody out and retired the next three batters without allowing a run to score. Renkert then shut the Crawdads out in the ninth inning to get the save. Matt Kretzschmar (1-2) allowed two runs on five hits through five and two thirds to earn the victory, Renkert (4) pitched two scoreless innings and earned the save and Kyle Pearson (3-2) obtained the loss. The Power are 34-27 after the win and the Crawdads fell to 28-32 with the loss. The Power will finish the three game series against the Crawdads on Sunday night. Hickory will start right hander Luis Valdez (3-1, 3.18) and the Power will counter with right hander Kevin Roberts (3-6, 4.70). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM (5:00 Central). West Virginia Box Score: Darren Ford on base three times, now 30-for-37 in stolen base attempts; 95 degrees in North Carolina Saturday night... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: K, K, ground out in the 8th -- wow, Mr. Renkert... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hicafx_1

What's this? Two days running of media coverage from Viera / Melbourne? Wow... Link while active, text follows: www.floridatoday.com/apps...10350/1002 For Wahpepah, it's team first Manatees struggle, but still in hunt in Eastern Division BY JIM CAWLEY FLORIDA TODAY VIERA -- - Ask Brevard County Manatees pitcher Josh Wahpepah how it feels to be an All-Star, and he'll tell you "it feels good." Ask him how it feels to help his team make a run at first place in the division, and he'll tell you it feels even better. "I'm a big team guy," Wahpepah said. "I want to do my job as best I can to help us win. And if we all pull together and try to win, then we're gonna win because we've got a good ballclub." Wahpepah was the starter in Saturday's game against Jupiter, giving up three earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. He took the loss as the Manatees were beaten by the Hammerheads, 11-3. The No. 4 starter in the Brevard County rotation, Wahpepah has impressed in his first Florida State League season. The 6-foot-4 righty joined six of his teammates recently in being named to the All-Star Game on June 17 in Lakeland. But Wahpepah (3-3, 3.97 ERA) is more concerned with the team numbers than his own. The Manatees (33-27) trail first-place St. Lucie by four games in the Eastern Division standings. "We really want to win the first half because then you know you're going to the playoffs," Wahpepah said. "Then second half you can focus in . . . knowing you get the chance to go to the playoffs is pretty exciting." But Wahpepah doesn't like getting too excited. "I'm a pretty laid-back person; I try to stay as grounded as possible," he said. A groundball pitcher, Wahpepah's best pitches are a sinking fastball and changeup. His formula for success is pretty simple: "I just try to keep the hitters off balance, work ahead and throw strikes," he said. "I try to keep the ball down in the zone and see what happens." Wahpepah played high school baseball in Oklahoma before pitching for Cowley Community College in Kansas for two years. He then played a short season in the Pioneer League and moved up to the South Atlantic League last season, where he played for the West Virginia Power and current Manatees manager Ramon Aviles. "Ramon is fantastic," Wahpepah said. "He's the same guy every day -- you're not going to get anything different with Ramon; everything is cut and dry." For Wahpepah, one of those "cut and dry" lessons has been trying not to hold anything back. "I've learned the importance of working ahead and throwing all of your pitches with conviction," he said. "You give everything you've got -- you can't baby stuff to the plate."

From Florida Today: Another star for Brevard County Brevard County Manatees outfielder Charlie Fermaint was added to the Florida State League All-Star Game, which will be played on Saturday, June 17 in Lakeland. The addition of Fermaint gives the Manatees seven players named to the Eastern Division team -- more than any FSL team. Fermaint is batting .298 this season and is fifth in the league in stolen bases with 19. Other Manatees named to the team are: Yovani Gallardo, P; Josh Wahpepah, P; Ryan Braun, 3B; Hernan Iribarren, 2B; Steve Sollmann, IF; and Brendan Katin, OF.

Final: Jupiter (Marlins) 11, Brevard County 3 First, from Scott Brown of Florida Today -- several players had comments about this fan in one of our Link Reports last season: A true fan. The retirees who fill most of the game-day jobs at Space Coast Stadium and the season-ticket holders who rarely miss a Brevard County Manatees game have become a family to some degree through the years. So, with a heavy heart, Carol Simonides spread the news Thursday evening at the Viera ballpark that Millie Zeller had passed away following a long and courageous fight against cancer. Zeller, who faithfully attended Manatees home games for years, was more than just a fan. The Rockledge resident gave the players unconditional support and acted like a mother toward them in another way -- giving them cookies and other baked goods. When Zeller attended what would be her final Manatees game last year, she took the players a big plastic bag filled with candy and gum. And get this: She actually apologized for not having the energy to make them something. "She was just a wonderful, wonderful woman," said Simonides, a longtime employee at Space Coast Stadium. "She loved her baseball." Brevard County Site Game Summary: Hammerheads pound Manatees Brad Davis and Jared Gaston both drove in two runs as visiting Jupiter downed Brevard County, 11-3, on Saturday. Davis, who went 3-for-5 and scored twice, hit a run-scoring single in the third and smacked an RBI double in the fifth to give the Hammerheads (28-33) a 4-0 lead. Gaston singled home Davis in the fifth and delivered another RBI single in a six-run seventh. Jai Miller and Brad McCann each had three of Jupiter's 17 hits, while Colin Roberson singled twice and knocked in a run. Jupiter reliever Daniel Barone (1-1) gave up three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking three, to get the win. Starter Timothy Wood walked one and fanned two over three hitless frames in his first outing of the season. Manatees starter Josh Wahpepah (3-3) yielded three runs on five hits and four walks in 2 2/3 frames. Hernan Irabarren belted an RBI triple in the fifth for Brevard County (33-27), while Alcides Escobar and Kyle Phillips each had two hits. -- Christopher Heine/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: Catcher Kyle Phillips reaches in each of his four plate appearances -- he's made a nice early-on impression, hitting cleanup tonight, and at a young 22, we questioned the Twins' release of him earlier this spring; Josh Wahpepah's funk is troubling as it extends, and Ben Stanczyk would love to roll back May and June, yikes... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

The Huntsville Times series continues from Milwaukee: Link while active, text follows -- www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Prince reigns in potential After rough start, Fielder finds his form at plateas Brewers starter Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com Huntsville Times MILWAUKEE - There they are, hanging together. They're on a rack in a downtown Milwaukee mall, one of those stores that will gladly sell you replica apparel with triple-digit price tags. A Rickie Weeks jersey and a Prince Fielder jersey, right up there with Albert Pujols, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter and Stan Musial jerseys. There they are, hanging together. They're in the Milwaukee Brewers' plush clubhouse, lockers side-by-side, squeezed together in a long row alongside the left wall. They've only been hanging together a dozen years or so now, back when they were teammates on a youth baseball powerhouse in Central Florida, then reunited in 2004 with the Huntsville Stars. So close they've become Princeandrickie. Or Rickieandprince. That close. "I don't think either of us could imagine (as kids) playing in the big leagues," says Fielder, "and on top of that playing together. It's pretty cool.'' "One good thing about it," Weeks says, "when you've got friends in the game, you talk to them when you're down." There was, then, plenty to talk about as the 2006 season began, with Fielder named the Brewers starting first baseman after only 39 previous big league games. Stumbling start In his first nine at-bats this year, Fielder struck out seven times, including all four times in the opener. He left 10 runners on base. He wound up 0-for-11. If this were a Broadway debut, it would be the equivalent of an actor forgetting his lines, then tripping off the stage into the orchestra pit. "I didn't really panic, but it was like, 'Geez, am I ever going to get on base again?' " Fielder told reporters. In the third game, Fielder fought off an 0-2 pitch that shattered his bat. The ball plunked into left like a badly sliced 9-iron. But it drove in the game-winning run. From little hits, great things have blossomed. Fielder's average is hovering around .300. He has nine homers, the most recent a 471-foot blast at Pittsburgh, the third-longest home run in the six-year history of PNC Park. He was the National League's Rookie of the Month for April. "People recognize it was the right thing to do (to install Fielder as a starter) this year," says Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. "There was a certain amount of risk in some people's eyes, but he's up here playing well. He started off his first two games and struck out quite a bit, but he's put that behind him and was one of the hottest players in the league the first month. We don't have many concerns about Prince. He's just going to get better." When it's suggested he's making it look easy, Fielder laughs and says, "Yeah." With a pause, he adds, "Nice hotels, the flights aren't at four in the morning anymore. That's the only thing easier." Milwaukee manager Ned Yost stresses that Prince's process is "an adjustment, readjustment, adjustment, readjustment period. He's come in new. As pitchers adjust to him, he has to adjust to them. It's all a part of it." But as longtime teammate Corey Hart puts it, "he's gotten better as the pitching has gotten better." Growing pains Fielder, just now 22, has had to mature quickly on the field, and off. He has gone through a painful, public maturation process involving his father, Cecil, from whom he is estranged. (There isn't even a mention of him in the Brewers media guide, though he was once an American League home run champ.) The elder Fielder squandered a $47 million fortune through gambling debts and bad investments, leading to a messy divorce and causing the family to lose a 19,500-square-foot, 50-room mansion in Melbourne, Fla. Prince was once greeted by a process server after a minor league game as authorities tried to track down his father. Cecil also allegedly took a chunk of his son's bonus money. All that, Prince says, is finally behind him. It has been three years since he has spoken to his father. Prince is a father himself now, with sons Jaden and Haven. "Two kids and a wife, you've got to grow up a little bit,'' he says. In his baseball life, he'll be content to grow up - and grow old - hanging together with Weeks. Ten years from now, where does he see himself? "I don't know," Fielder says. "Hopefully, right here with Rickie." Then, looking around the locker room, where veterans are sandwiched by empty lockers, Fielder adds, "Hopefully by that point, in 10 years, we can be like (Geoff) Jenkins and Carlos (Lee), and have bigger space. That'd be good to play your whole career with somebody, especially somebody who's your good friend."

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com/ WORST TEAM EVER?The Suns and the Stars provide, ironically, indication of their present situations....... To simply capsulize -- the Suns are hot, the Stars are not....... Jacksonville has now won 11 straight, 19 of 20, and 24 of their last 29. At 44-20, they own the 2nd best record in minor league baseball. (Class AAA-Charlotte is 43-18 in the Int'l. League.)....... The Stars, conversely, are going through hell. With a team of inexperienced A-ball players, for the most part, from last year, and no top-ranking prospects the caliber of Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, or Tony Gwynn (Baseball America ranks Brad Nelson 14th, Tim Dillard 16th, and Lou Palmisano 20th), the Stars have lost six straight and 28 of 36 since May 3rd. Their 23-39 record is not quite as bad as their all-time worst (22-50 in the 2nd half of the 1988 season with the A's organization). It rivals last year's 1st half finish of 29-40....... But what they really beat is this current 8-28 slump that started May 3rd. There has been nothing like it in club history......... Going back to their 1988 season, they were at the very worst 2-18 at one point (from July 9-29) before they won 6 of 8........ Then they lost 12 of their next 15 --- 32 of 43 games, a .256 pct....... 8-28 comes out at .222. The Stars finish up their series, and their year with Jacksonville, tomorrow at 2:05 with Jeff Housman (1-2, 2.77) facing Spike Lundberg, and must win to avoid the dubious distinction of failing to beat an opponent at least once in a season series for the first time in their history. The closest they've come is going 1-7 against the lowly Port City Roosters (anyone remember them?), a team that went 62-80 in 1996 and 1-7 against another losing team, the Greenville Braves in 2000........ The Stars managed to avoid the ignominy of an 0-8 record in 1996 by beating the Roosters, 10-3, while I was on vacation, August 23. In 2000, the Stars won the opener of a four-game series against the Braves, 6-3, then lost all the rest. Saturday night, Matt Smith took the mound in the place of Carlos Villanueva, who was called up to Milwaukee for the 2nd time this season. No replacement on the roster was immediately named........ Smith, who went 4 2/3 innings in his only other start, his Stars debut coming on May 16 in a loss to the Smokies, was shelled in the 2nd, after retiring the Suns on six pitches in the opening inning...... A leadoff single by Andy LaRoche was followed by a single by Justin Ruggiano and a pair of walks, then two more singles before Tony Abreu hit into a double play........ The Suns had an early 3-0 lead, which was all they would need, but they made the most of their seven hits as you can see tonight. The Stars were able to reach 3rd only once...... Steve Moss (.385 in June) lined a single to left to lead off the 6th, went to 2nd when Callix Crabbe walked, and advanced on Drew Anderson's ground ball fielder's choice. But Brad Nelson hit into a double play to end the inning for the 2nd time in this series.

Final: Jacksonville (Dodgers) 6, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=874 Hanrahan and Ruggiano Lead Suns Past Stars Joel Hanrahan tossed seven scoreless innings and chipped in with a run-scoring single in Jacksonville?s 6-2 win over Huntsville Saturday night in the fourth game of a five-game set at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Suns have taken the first four games of the series and all nine games against the Stars this season to improve to 43-20, while the Stars lost their sixth straight to fall to 23-39 overall and 14-20 away from home. The Suns have won 11 in a row, 19 out of 20 and 24 of their last 29 games. Stars? starter Matt Smith, taking the place of Carlos Villanueva who had been summoned to the big leagues after Friday night?s game, retired the side in order on six pitches in the first inning but ran into trouble in the second. Andy LaRoche and Justin Ruggiano singled and Brad Cresse walked to load the bases before Adam Greenberg drew a four-pitch walk to force in LaRoche with the first run of the game. Hanrahan followed with a single to center to score Ruggiano and Chin-Lung Hu singled off the glove of second baseman Callix Crabbe to plate Cresse with the third run of the frame. Smith gave up a run in the third on a Ruggiano sacrifice fly and departed after three innings, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks. He suffered the loss to fall to 0-3 and has yielded multiple runs in six of his eight outings since joining the team. Steve Bray tossed four innings in relief and allowed a Ruggiano long ball in the sixth to make it 5-0 Jacksonville. The right-hander went four frames for a third time this year and second against the Suns. Steve Moss collected two of the three singles off of Hanrahan and was the only runner to reach third base against the right-hander, who matched his longest outing of the year, set against the Stars on May 25. Hanrahan fanned five and walked three and has held the Stars to a lone run on five hits over 14 innings. He won his fourth straight start to improve to 7-3 and move into a four-way tie for the league lead in wins. Adam Thomas took over in the eighth and gave up sacrifice flies to Callix Crabbe and Ron Acuna before being replaced by Casey Hoorelbeke with runners at the corners and two outs. The right-hander retired Lou Palmisano on a ground ball to end the threat and set down the side in order in the ninth to record his sixth save and third against the Stars. The series wraps Sunday afternoon with Stars? southpaw Jeff Housman getting the starting assignment against Suns? right-hander Spike Lundberg. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 p.m. central time and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM locally and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_jaxaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_jaxaax_1

Final: New Orleans (Nationals) 7, Nashville 6 Nashville Ste Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1997 Sounds' Skid Hits Five With Last At-Bat Loss METAIRIE, La. -- Kenny Kelly's ninth-inning single capped a five-run comeback as the New Orleans Zephyrs defeated the Nashville Sounds, 7-6, on Saturday evening at Zephyr Field. The Zephyrs extended their winning streak to seven games, while Nashville (33-29) has lost a season-high five in a row. The Sounds have lost all three games of the series by one run and fell to just 2-13 on the year in one-run decisions on the road. New Orleans hit four straight singles in the bottom of the ninth against Nashville reliever Mitch Stetter -- only two of which left the infield -- to drive home Ryan Church with the winning run. Travis Hughes (1-3), one of three relievers who shut down the Sounds over the final five innings, earned the win by striking out the side in the ninth. New Orleans began its comeback after starter Pedro Astacio allowed five runs on six hits in the first inning as the Sounds batted around. Tony Gwynn scored Nashville's first run from second when Brent Abernathy singled to center, moving Dave Krynzel to second. Nelson Cruz followed with a single to load the bases for Mike Rivera, who hit a two-run double to left. Cruz was thrown out at home on a Jermaine Clark fielder's choice, then Mark Johnson singled to right to score Rivera and Clark on third. Clark made it 5-0 on Chris Barnwell's single to left, and Gwynn popped to short to end the inning. Kelly hit an RBI single and Brandon Larson roped a three-run double in the fourth inning to draw the Zephyrs (35-27) within a run. After Nelson Cruz hit a solo homer in the fifth to make it 6-4, Henry Mateo got the run back with a single in the sixth. The Zephyrs tied the game in the eighth when Alberto Castillo singled, moved to second on a walk and came around on a pair of passed balls by catcher Mark Johnson. Stetter (2-4) took the loss after he failed to record an out in the ninth. Rick Helling took a no-decision in his first rehab start for Nashville after allowing four runs on six hits in five innings. The right-hander, who is currently on the Milwaukee Brewers' 60-day D.L. due to an elbow sprain, threw 74 pitches in the outing, 47 for strikes. Chris Barnwell went 1-for-4 to up his hitting streak to 11 games while Cruz finished with a pair of hits to extend his season-best streak to nine contests. Sounds second baseman Brent Abernathy was ejected after arguing a called third strike in the fifth inning. Sounds manager Frank Kremblas was ejected on Friday after arguing balls and strikes. The Sounds look to avoid a sweep when the clubs wrap up the series with a 6 p.m. finale on Sunday evening. Right-hander Dennis Sarfate takes the hill for Nashville. Nashville Box Score: Justin Lehr singles as a pinch-hitter in the 6th; Mike Rivera gives Graham Koonce a night off at first base... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: So frustrating from a fan perspective to see a team load up on runs early (like the Brewers Friday night), and then get shut down the rest of the way... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Starting Pitcher Ben Hendrickson: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-10.wma

With Rick Helling scheduled for 80-85 pitches tonight, the Sounds have scrapped plans for using Dennis Sarfate in piggy-back mode. Sarfate starts Sunday, followed by Justin Lehr, Dana Eveland, and Ben Hendrickson the next few days.

The Huntsville Times Mark McCarter is in Milwaukee this weekend to check in with Huntsville alumni -- we'll post his updates here -- Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 There's a kid in this Hall; luckily he finds it Ex-Star plays for the fun of it, hits HR in Brewers' win Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com Huntsville Times MILWAUKEE - Sometimes, it gets too big. It gets too serious. Too grown-up. Sometimes, you need to do what Bill Hall did. "I went out there and tried to play like a kid,'' he said. And, for all the trappings and money and hot air, isn't that what baseball really is at its core? It's a kids' game. For the generations raised on sandlot ball, it's skinned knees and grass stains and getting dirty and chattering Heybatterheybatterheybatterheybatter...swing! and games abruptly ending with mom calling at dark-thirty, "William Hall, you better come in this house this minute." Or, on this day, abruptly ending when Bill Hall plopped a 10th-inning home run over the fence in right field to give Milwaukee a 4-3 comeback win over San Diego Thursday afternoon at Miller Park. It was punctuated by Hall jogging around to home plate, where his joyous teammates hugged and jumped and jostled and chest-bumped and slapped palms in a crazed choreography, like a Little League World Series win. Acting just like kids, they were. "Any time you win a ballgame with a walk off (homer) ... it's always fun," said Hall, standing at his locker in undershirt, shorts and matching hyphens of glare-guard painted under his eyes. "It's fun," said Hall, "when we get out there and try to beat up on each other. We look forward to it.'' If not for Hall's glove, his bat wouldn't have made a difference. Hall, who played 41 games for the Southern League co-champion Huntsville Stars in 2001, seemed pigeon-holed as a utility man for the Brewers. But shortstop J.J. Hardy went on the disabled list on May 17. Hall took over at shortstop. He was merely an Ozzie Smith clone on Thursday. In the sixth, he made a sliding, over-the-shoulder catch of a Josh Barfield pop. In the eighth, he went deep in the hole and threw out Vinny Castilla, who, yes, runs like a man who is or should be connected to an iron lung, from the outfield grass. In the 10th, after Padres' shortstop Khalil Greene booted the most routine of grounders to let the game go extra innings, Hall ended the inning with a 6-3 double play, soaring over a sliding runner and making a perfect throw. "You won't see many double plays nicer than that,'' said manager Ned Yost. For the second time in a month, it was Hall Homer Heroics. On Mother's Day, with mom Vergie in the stands, up from Nettleton, Miss., Billy beat the Mets with a 10-inning home run. Last Sunday, she might not have been so proud. Hall was called out on strikes. He petulantly dropped his bat at the plate. He was thrown out of the game. So was Yost, who had galloped to his support. Afterward, Yost did the baseball equivalent of sending Hall to his room without supper and without TV privileges. He benched him for two games. If nothing else, it helped clear Hall's head, two days "not to have to think about baseball," to relax a bit. "A lot of frustration built up on this team. We couldn't catch a break," Hall said, referring to an eight-game losing streak and his own personal slump (nine for his last 49 before Thursday's 2-for-4 game.) "We're out there battling and things weren't going our way. We tend to lose it a little bit. I regret it." Funny how it happens. Funny how close, and how far apart, they can be. Acting immature and acting like a kid. One a negative, the other a positive. One sending you off with an umpire's gesture, the other carrying you off in your teammates' embrace. ***Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Like retractable roof, glove is half open Hits - and errors - follow Weeks from Stars to majors Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com Huntsville Times MILWAUKEE - Four hours from the first pitch, the retractable roof of Miller Park yawns halfway open. It's a brisk, breezy day, somewhere between, say, winter's frozen tundra and the Fourth of July. The stadium is nearly empty. No one is on the field except for three men. One is hitting ground balls. Another is catching throws. The middle man, fielding the grounders and throwing to first base, working up a sweat, is Rickie Weeks. There is the crack of the bat. There is Weeks, skittering like a crab to the right or left, gobbling up a ground ball. Then, upright again, to make the throw. Again and again and again and again ... It's all a part of a process. The Milwaukee Brewers are trying to make things come naturally for a Natural. Few players ever wore a Huntsville Stars uniform who had more upside, more "Can't Miss" attached to them than Rickie Darnell Weeks Jr. He belongs in on an historic list, up there with Canseco, Tejada, Chavez and Hudson. Weeks came to the Stars in 2004 as a No. 1 draft pick out of Southern University. Unanimous college player of the year, the sweet revenge against the big college teams who spurned him. Owner of the NCAA career batting average record, a has-to-be-a-typo .473. Fantasy-league types were already starting to call friends in Huntsville. "Should we draft Weeks now?'' Trouble is, when the big roof closes, the lights come on and the stands fill up, it's not a fantasy world. What you did for the Southern Jaguars and the Huntsville Stars isn't worth a dime. Weeks is 23. He has played only 160 major league games. Sometimes, that becomes very obvious. "It's going all right, but you've got your ups and downs,'' Weeks says, sitting at his locker in the Brewers' clubhouse, where he has just been teasing around with the sons of teammate Corey Koskie, acting like everybody's favorite crazy uncle. "It's my first full season and I'm still trying to learn.'' The ups: His offense. Going into the weekend series with St. Louis, which he started nicely with an RBI double in the Brewers' Friday night loss, he was batting .296 and was seventh in the league in stolen bases. "What I've always seen from him," says teammate and childhood chum Prince Fielder. The downs: The second baseman had made 20 errors in 56 games. "It's like a golfer with the yips," says one Brewers observer. Hence the early-afternoon work. Fielding has not been as natural for Weeks as his hitting. Somewhere atop the to-do list of former Stars manager Frank Kremblas, who also worked with Weeks in Nashville, was to improve his defense, especially the footwork. It's been a slow process. Some believe Weeks' future may ultimately be as an outfielder. "Obviously, people are looking at the defensive side of things," says Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin. "He needs to improve. But Rickie is extremely hard-working.'' That brings to mind something Weeks said more than two years ago, the young Natural on the brink of his season in Huntsville, a veteran then of only 28 professional games. "Somebody doubts you, somebody doesn't think you can do something, they don't have faith in you, it makes you work harder,'' Weeks said that spring. And so it continues. Outside, Milwaukee fans doubt his defense. Inside, under a roof half-open, the work goes on.

Standings through Friday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 33 28 .541 - 21-11 12-17 L4[/b] Iowa 26 33 .441 6.0 13-14 13-19 W1 Omaha 25 36 .410 8.0 16-17 9-19 L2 Memphis 21 39 .350 11.5 11-17 10-22 L6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 38 24 .613 - 24-11 14-13 L1 West Tenn 36 26 .581 2.0 16-17 20-9 L1 Tennessee 30 33 .476 8.5 18-12 12-21 L1 Carolina 29 34 .460 9.5 18-15 11-19 W1 [b]Huntsville 23 38 .377 14.5 9-19 14-19 L5[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 37 24 .607 - 19-14 18-10 W8 [b]Brevard County 33 26 .559 3.0 17-12 16-14 W1[/b] Palm Beach 31 30 .508 6.0 16-14 15-16 W2 Daytona 30 31 .492 7.0 18-11 12-20 L4 Jupiter 27 33 .450 9.5 13-17 14-16 L1 Vero Beach 23 38 .377 14.0 13-17 10-21 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 37 23 .617 - 22-12 15-11 W1 Delmarva 35 24 .593 1.5 18-12 17-12 W1 [b]West Virginia 33 27 .550 4.0 17-12 16-15 W1[/b] Greensboro 32 29 .525 5.5 21-11 11-18 L5 Lakewood 31 29 .517 6.0 18-13 13-16 W2 Hickory 28 31 .475 8.5 14-12 14-19 L1 Lake County 26 35 .426 11.5 12-18 14-17 L1 Hagerstown 23 38 .377 14.5 13-14 10-24 L1