Jim Goulart

LHP Craig Breslow, non-tendered by the Padres earlier, has signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. www.boston.com/sports/bas...eslow.html Boston's certainly not prone to going with young relievers, but they have no LOOGY to speak of and Breslow could find himself filling that bill at some point this season. Nice for the Connecticut native, and gives me a Brewer-related reason to enjoy Pawtucket games again, something which has been missing since the AAA move to the Pacific Coast League by the crew.

Nashville site: OF Carlos Valderrama - The 28-year-old speedy outfielder has been hampered by injuries throughout his career, having played in more than 100 games just three times in 11 pro seasons. He logged a career-best 130 games with Norwich (AA-Giants) in 2005 (.294, 33 2B, 58 RBI, 29 SB) and has recorded impressive numbers when healthy, posting a career .292 average in 797 games with 230 stolen bases in 291 attempts (79.0%). The Venezuelan was signed by the San Francisco Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1995 and played his first 11 seasons within the organization before inking with the Brewers for 2006. Valderrama has spent the bulk of the last three years at the Double-A level but gained his lone career Triple-A and Major League experience in 2003. Carlos Valderrama Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rama.shtml The signings of outfield vets like Valderrama and Colin Porter speak to the lack of depth and productivity in Huntsville's outfield in 2005. By the way, this Carlos is the baseball player: http://www.mlb.com/sf/photo/2001_news/ph_news_valderramac2_288_120101.jpg and not the wild-haired soccer legend: http://www.planetworldcup.com/LEGENDS/valderrama.jpg

No fewer than five individuals with Brewer ties mentioned here: St. Paul Saints (independent American Association) Press Release: Link while active, text follows: www.saintsbaseball.com/news/?id=3439 January 25, 2006 - Jeremy Frost?s best professional season drew the attention of more than just his manager. The 26-year old catcher has signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays organization for the 2006 season. He is expected to contend for the starting job at New Hampshire in the AA Eastern League. Frost (pictured) is the 81st player in team history (and 21st since George Tsamis became manager in 2003) to sign with a major league organization, the most of any independent pro team. ?Jeremy has power, a good arm and runs better than most catchers I have ever seen,? Tsamis said. ?This is a good situation for him to show what he can do.? He is the third member of the 2005 team (and the second in a week) to sign with a major league organization. Last week, LHP Matt Hammons (another former Brewer farmhand) signed with the Colorado Rockies? organization. P Brian Steffek had his contract sold to Kansas City during the season last year. Frost had the best season of his pro career in 2005 in St. Paul, setting career highs for batting average (.278), home runs (17), RBIs (49) and stolen bases (19). He started the season in the outfield and serving as a second catcher. When (yet another former Brewer farmhand) Tim Marks was traded to Schaumburg in early June, he went behind the plate as the number one guy and blossomed in the role. His 41 assists ranked second in the Northern League for his position. He has a .271 batting average for his four-year pro career. The Floridian was a 10th round pick of Milwaukee in the 2002 draft. He spent three years in their system, advancing as to High Desert in the Class A California League before joining the Saints last year. Ironically, he twice played for former Saints? manager Tim Blackwell during his stay in Milwaukee?s farm system. ?Jeremy?s offense has never been an issue,? Tsamis said. ?He knew he needed to get better defensively if he wanted to move up. I thought he did so here last year.? Of the previous 80 players to have their contracts sold to major league organizations, 15 eventually made it to the major leagues. With spring training a month away, the franchise has three alums on big league rosters. 1B Kevin Millar, who played in the franchise?s first season (1993), recently signed with Baltimore. OF J.D. Drew (1997-98) has recovered from an injury and will open the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Former Brewer prospect) C Eliezer Alfonzo, who was on Tsamis? first team here in 2003, is on the Giants? 40-man roster. Frost hopes to follow the path of the only other ex-Saint who signed with the Blue Jays. 3B Luis Lopez, who played here in 1995, worked his way through the system, making it to the majors with Toronto in 2001. Lopez also saw time with Montreal in 2004 and is currently playing winter baseball in Puerto Rico. http://saintsbaseball.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/NewsManager/1581.jpeg.300.jpeg

Catcher J.R. House, whose tryout with Milwaukee was mentioned earlier in this thread, has officially signed with the Astros: Charleston Daily Mail: It's official -- J.R. House is a baseball player again. The former Nitro High School record-setting quarterback has signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros, one of a handful of Major League teams House worked out for the past couple of weeks. House said he will report to the Astros' big league camp in Kissimmee, Fla., on Feb. 16. The catcher expects to start the season at either Class AAA Round Rock (Texas) or AA Corpus Christi (Texas). "It just depends on how I play," House said. "How rusty I am." Specifics of his contract were not revealed. House, who spent this past fall playing backup quarterback at West Virginia University, hasn't played baseball since the 2004 season, when he batted .288 with 15 homers and 49 RBI in 92 games for Class AAA Nashville, a Pittsburgh farm team. The Pirates released the 26-year-old House, their fifth-round pick in the 1999 draft, prior to the start of the 2005 season. He was coming off shoulder surgery, one of four operations House has undergone since his pro baseball career began. House said his shoulder and arm feel good. House earned late-season call-ups to the Pirates twice -- in 2003 and 2004. He has appeared in six Major League games, with two hits in 10 at-bats.

More on Thurman -- Florence (Ky.) Freedom Press Release: Florence's Starting Pitcher Corey Thurman was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. He is being assigned to the Brewer's AA affiliate in Huntsville, Alabama. Thurman went 2-3 with a 4.38 ERA. He started out rough when getting signed in August fresh off of shoulder surgery, but he settled down dominating his last 3 starts. Thurman also struck out 38 batters in 37 innings of work. Corey is a former Major League player, the first former MLB player to play in the Frontier League. Thurman pitched for Toronto, until injuring his shoulder. Thurman is the 4th player in Freedom history to be signed by a Major League team. (Kevin Rival, Steve Pickerall, James Morrison are the other 3, all occuring in 2004) Good luck to Corey. RHP Kevin Rival, released early last season, was a Brewer signing. http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/profiles/players/6898.jpg

Well, technically Brewerfan.net hasn't been around five years. Any retrospective on Brewerfan history has to include the woebegone tale of the expansion Brewerfan.com franchise, one unfortunate lapse by the Brewerfan accounting staff http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif , and the subsequent aimless wandering of the web for the countless who didn't immediately make the new .net connection. I always found it ironic that Brewerfan.com's tag line was "It's on the computer". Well, it was for a while, anyway http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif . Not sure if that makes my initial Brewerfan.com T-shirt worth more or less today...

Notice for AA, we don't get the location; we'll see if we can confirm, but notice they play the same organizations as AAA Nashville. If I'm not mistaken, it's the opposite location for AA... Huntsville Press Release: Stars Announce Spring Training Schedule Huntsville, AL- The Huntsville Stars have announced their 2006 Spring Training Schedule. The Milwaukee Brewers, Huntsville's Major League affiliate, hosts spring training at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix, Arizona. Brewers minor leaguers report to camp during the first week of March. The complete spring training schedule is as follows: March 16 Stars vs. Arkansas Travelers (Angels) March 17 Stars vs. Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers) March 18 Stars vs. Connecticut Defenders (Giants) March 19 Stars vs. San Antonio Missions (Mariners) March 20 Stars vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) March 21 Stars vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) March 22 Stars vs. Mobile Bay Bears (Padres) March 23 Intrasquad game March 24 Stars vs. Wichita Wranglers (Royals) March 25 Stars vs. Connecticut Defenders (Giants) March 26 Stars vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) March 27 Stars vs. San Antonio Missions (Mariners) March 28 Stars vs. Midland RockHounds (Athletics) March 29 Stars vs. Arkansas Travelers (Angels) March 30 Intrasquad game March 31 Stars vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) April 1 Stars vs. Connecticut Defenders (Giants) April 2 Intrasquad game The Stars first game at Joe Davis Stadium will be April 4th against the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers at 6:05pm. The regular season begins April 6th at Mississippi. The home opener for the Stars will be April 11th against the Birmingham Barons. Season tickets and group packages are available by calling the Stars ticket office at 882-2562.

Notice for AA, we don't get the location; we'll see if we can confirm, but notice they play the same organizations as AAA Nashville. If I'm not mistaken, it's the opposite location for AA... Huntsville Press Release: Stars Announce Spring Training Schedule Huntsville, AL- The Huntsville Stars have announced their 2006 Spring Training Schedule. The Milwaukee Brewers, Huntsville's Major League affiliate, hosts spring training at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix, Arizona. Brewers minor leaguers report to camp during the first week of March. The complete spring training schedule is as follows: March 16 Stars vs. Arkansas Travelers (Angels) March 17 Stars vs. Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers) March 18 Stars vs. Connecticut Defenders (Giants) March 19 Stars vs. San Antonio Missions (Mariners) March 20 Stars vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) March 21 Stars vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) March 22 Stars vs. Mobile Bay Bears (Padres) March 23 Intrasquad game March 24 Stars vs. Wichita Wranglers (Royals) March 25 Stars vs. Connecticut Defenders (Giants) March 26 Stars vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) March 27 Stars vs. San Antonio Missions (Mariners) March 28 Stars vs. Midland RockHounds (Athletics) March 29 Stars vs. Arkansas Travelers (Angels) March 30 Intrasquad game March 31 Stars vs. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) April 1 Stars vs. Connecticut Defenders (Giants) April 2 Intrasquad game The Stars first game at Joe Davis Stadium will be April 4th against the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers at 6:05pm. The regular season begins April 6th at Mississippi. The home opener for the Stars will be April 11th against the Birmingham Barons. Season tickets and group packages are available by calling the Stars ticket office at 882-2562.

The Sounds' spring training schedule is available, for those planning visits to Arizona: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1845

The Sounds' spring training schedule is available, for those planning visits to Arizona: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1845

BASEBALL OPERATIONS Assistant General Manager Gord Ash [b]Senior Special Assistant to the General Manager Larry Haney[/b] Director - Team Travel Dan Larrea [b]Special Assistant to the G.M./Director of Player Development/Training Center Reid Nichols[/b] Assistant Director - Player Development/Training Center Tony Diggs Business Manager/Player Development & Minor League Ops Scott Martens Player Development Assistant Mark Mueller [b]Special Assistant to the G.M./Director of Pro Scouting Dick Groch[/b] [b]Special Assistant to the G.M./Director of Amateur Scouting Jack Zduriencik[/b] Director - Employee Assistance Program Tim Hewes Director - Administration/Player Development & Scouting Tom Flanagan Assistant Director - Amateur Scouting Tony Blengino Administrative Assistant - Scouting Amanda Klecker Coaching Assistant/Digital Media Coordinator Joe Crawford Coordinator of Advance Scouting & Baseball Research Karl Mueller Baseball Analyst/Research Dave Lawson Baseball Research Assistant Michael Schwartz Baseball Operations Assistant Zack MinasianHaney's title does seem odd when you realize you never hear about his contributions. A search of Journal-Sentinel archives refers to Haney as an "organization scout" as recently as August 2005. He was also the guy credited with pursuing the Russell Branyan for short cash acquisition. I always thought he was involved more in the pro side of scouting, but not above Dick Groch.

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com on Frank Kremblas: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp

Bobby Randall, hitting coach at Helena in 2005 and AAA Indianapolis in 2004, won't be back -- he'll be managing the Lincoln (Neb.) Saltdogs of the independent American Association: www.saltdogs.com/ While we do know the staffs for AAA and AA, the rest of the organization is up for grabs, what with waiting to hear about potential returnees and several vacant spots at the lowest levels. We see this every year, though. Nearly every organization in baseball releases their organizational coaching hierarchy top-to-bottom before the Brewers get around to doing so; most clubs have already announced their staffs as of today.

Playing the 2006 version of Ryan Knox in the Nashville outfield: OF Colin Porter - The 30-year-old journeyman joins his fifth organization in nine seasons with the Brewers in 2006 after splitting last season between the Yankees & Diamondbacks farm systems. In 97 combined games in 2005, the Univ. of Arizona product batted just .181 (57-for-315) with three home runs and 20 RBIs. Porter has spent the majority of the last five seasons at the Triple-A level, adding MLB stints with Houston in 2003 & St. Louis in 2004. The left-handed Porter ranked 6th in the PCL with a .320 average for New Orleans in 2003 and carries a .268 career mark in 878 minor league contests. OF Colin Porter Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rter.shtml Also, and a tad more interesting: RHP Corey Thurman - Thurman, 27, missed the majority of the 2005 campaign following shoulder surgery, making six August starts for the Florence (Ky.) Freedom of the independent Frontier League (2-3, 4.38). The right-hander, who has been limited to just 16 appearances over the last two years due to the shoulder problems, spent the entire 2002 season as well as a portion of 2003 with the Toronto Blue Jays. A Royals draft pick in 1996, Thurman enters his 11th pro season with his fifth different organization. He carries a 57-55 record and 4.02 ERA in 164 career minor league games (158 starts). RHP Corey Thurman Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rman.shtml Thanks again to the kickin' Nashville Sounds site for the updates!

The Cubs made a late switch even after Pat Listach was announced as the manager of Daytona Beach in the Florida State League. Listach will still face Brewer farmhands, but at AA with West Tenn, instead.

Final vote is February 7th, the toughest hurdle was cleared Tuesday by 21-12 vote: Link while active, text follows -- www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=47228 Sounds ballpark passes Metro hurdle By Bill Harless, bharless@nashvillecitypaper.com The Nashville Sounds? proposal to build a $43 million minor league baseball stadium on the banks of the Cumberland River downtown is now a step closer to reality. The plan passed Tuesday evening in the Metro Council 21-12 on the second of three required votes for approval, though not without contention. Council members voting against the proposal said the Sounds and Mayor Bill Purcell?s administration snubbed the Council by not including the body in the negotiations resulting in the final Sounds-Metro deal that is up for the vote. They were equally frustrated that they couldn?t amend the agreement Tuesday night without having to send it back to the ballpark?s developers, Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, the banking coalition funding half the stadium, and back to Metro for re-approval ? essentially starting the process over again. ?If we vote yes, we can ask, we can beg, we can plead [for changes], but [that?s] not going to change it,? said Councilman Randy Foster, who voted against the proposal. Both Councilman Charlie Tygard and Councilman Sam Coleman proposed amendments to the deal. Tygard?s would have had the developer of the residential and retail buildings around the stadium pay for the greenway connecting Riverfront Park to Rolling Mill Hill and also would allow Metro to reap concession profits when Metro-sponsored nonprofits use the stadium. He said Sounds General Manager Glenn Yaeger indicated there may be a way to make such changes, but he voted against the proposal Tuesday, saying changes needed to be made before any passage. Ballpark proponents, whose number includes most business groups in town, have said the project is stellar in that it places no financial liability on Metro other than an annual $500,000 maintenance fee to be paid for the duration of the 30-year lease and that, at almost no cost, Metro will own a new ballpark. Speaking to a Council committee before the meeting Tuesday night, Metro Finance Director David Manning ? refuting outspoken opponent Councilman-at-Large David Briley on the financial merits of the deal ? said if the Sounds stay at their current home stadium, Metro will soon have to pay at least $3-$5 million to make necessary Americans with Disability Act improvements to the facility. Proponents, including the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, have said the ballpark and mixed-use development will draw new visitors downtown, aiding Metro?s aim of revitalizing and repopulating downtown and the Cumberland riverfront. Opponents in the Council have been bothered by various financial aspects of the deal. Their concerns include that Metro wouldn?t make the profit it could by selling all the property, that Metro would have to share 50 percent of the revenues it makes whenever the city holds an event at the stadium, and that the Sounds could sell the team (though they would still have to ensure a AAA team plays there). Opponents have also questioned whether the Sounds will be able to make the profits needed to repay the stadium loans and say the land might be put to better use. Under the plan, the Sounds would build the stadium at a cost of $43 million, of which $23 million would be provided in loans from a coalition of 12 banks, $17 million through a tax increment financing loan ? which the Sounds would pay off in the form of future property tax payments that Metro would forgo ? and Metro would donate roughly $3 million that it would make from selling a section of the 12-acre tract to Baltimore developer Struever Bros. As part of the project, Struever, which has overseen the redevelopment of Fenway Park in Boston as well as much of Baltimore?s waterfront, would build a mixed-use retail and residential development around the stadium and along First Avenue. Struever ? which is also co-developing a mixed-use office-residential-retail project a little to the south on nearby Rolling Mill Hill ? has said if the stadium project is approved, it would like to create a building connecting the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge straight into the ballpark. Meanwhile, this Friday, the board of the Metro Sports Authority may vote on a proposal that would designate roughly 2,000 parking spaces at the Coliseum across the river from the proposed park for Sounds visitors to use on game days for $2 if no Coliseum event would need the spaces. http://www.newschannel5.com/content/images/content/news4/060117sounds1.jpg

Hometown article update on RHP David Bradley, plucked by Oakland in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft: Link while active, text follows -- newsandsentinel.com/sport...011606.asp Bradley would like to pitch for Oakland A's By RON JOHNSTON Parkersburg (WV) News and Sentinel VIENNA - Dave Bradley's baseball dream is alive and well. The Parkersburg native - who starred for Parkersburg High, American Legion Post 15, and Marietta College - will be in his seventh year of pro ball this upcoming season. His ultimate goal, of course, is to one day pitch in the major leagues. While he's not there yet, he's getting closer. "I'll be flying out to Phoenix, Arizona, and reporting to the Oakland A's minor league complex March 8," said the 28-year-old Bradley, who was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round in 1999. "From there, I'll end up pitching in either Double-A (Midland Rockhounds) or Triple-A (Sacramento River Cats). My goal, of course, will be Triple-A." If the right-handed-throwing Bradley does happen to hurl and perform well at the Triple-A level this summer, a future promotion to the parent club (Oakland) is not that farfetched. He knows, though, that he'll have to earn it - but he wouldn't want to make it to "the show" any other way. Interestingly, after last season, Bradley figured that he might get a shot to pitch Triple-A ball in 2006 for the Nashville (Tenn.) Sounds in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. After all, he'd had a solid summer (6-5 with a 3.35 ERA) with the Huntsville (Ala.) Stars, a Brewers' Double-A affiliate. But a "funny" thing happened in the offseason, courtesy of the Rule 5 draft. And, as a result, Bradley - quicker than you can say "Nick Swisher" - is now a minor league pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization. "It really took me by surprise," Bradley said. "I mean, I didn't expect it. But Milwaukee didn't protect me." Briefly, under Rule 5, minor leaguers get the right to become free agents after six seasons. Those left unprotected (and not on a major league team 40-man roster) are available to other teams as Rule 5 picks. The idea behind the rule is to prevent major league teams from stockpiling talent in its minor league system. Long ago, the late, great Roberto Clemente - who had been playing in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization - was acquired in this manner (Rule 5 draft) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Anytime you're selected that way, it's very flattering," Bradley said. "It shows, I guess, that they (Oakland) really want you." During this offseason, Bradley has been throwing and working out at the Marietta College gym. His pitching repertoire includes a fastball, slider and change. "I feel very good physically, and have had good velocity on my fastball," Bradley said. "But I'm not a power pitcher that can throw 95 mph all the time." Bradley's also a very versatile pitcher, having been both a starter and reliever during his pro career. "Last season at Huntsville, I was a middle reliever for the first half of the season," he said. "Then they put me in the rotation. I had a good year." Both on the professional and personal levels. Since the end of the 2005 campaign, Bradley's been helping his wife, Julia, take care of their two children, infant daughter Isabelle and new-born son Roman. And, that's pretty much a fulltime job in itself. "Playing pro baseball can be a tough life for a married guy," Bradley said. "But hopefully someday, it'll all be worth it."

Outfielder Pete Zoccolillo is scheduled to play for Italy in the World Baseball Classic: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...osters.jsp

Trent Durrington has inked a minor league deal with the Red Sox. Boston has announced the speedy Durro will fill both their SS and CF gaps simultaneously.

Simply re-read the post on Saenz a few posts up -- there's your answer...

Chicago Cubs signed LHP Brian Adams (nice for Brian, who did not pitch professionally in 2005) Come to find out Adams was toiling in the Northern League in 2005, as this press release indicates: www.northernleague.com/news/?id=3148

Exceedingly good news for fans of RHP Chris Saenz, back in the fold according to the Nashville site -- just made my day with this one: Saenz, 24, sat out the 2005 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on his right elbow in September 2004. The 2001 Brewers draft pick spent the majority of the 2004 campaign with Double-A Huntsville (5-5, 4.15 in 14 GS) but also made his Major League debut on April 24 of that year, allowing just two hits over six innings to earn a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in his lone career ML outing. In four minor league seasons, Saenz has posted a 20-20 record and 4.37 ERA in 99 games (44 starts). RHP Chris Saenz' Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...aenz.shtml On another note, the Brewers have signed another minor league free agent southpaw. Can't wait for the competition among them all to see if a true specialist nugget emerges -- you can't lump former Blue Jay stud prospect Zach Jackson in with the others, relief prospects all, but of course he's also a lefty. So joining Jason Kershner, Shane Nance, Justin Thompson, and Wil Rodriguez is: LHP Clayton Andrews - The 27-year-old southpaw spent the majority of the 2005 season with Salt Lake (AAA-Angels), logging an 8-8 record and 6.31 ERA (86 ER / 122.2 IP) in 28 PCL games (20 starts). Initially selected by Toronto in the third round of the 1996 draft, Andrews joins his fourth organization with the Brewers, following stops in the Blue Jays, Reds, and Angels chains. The 10-year veteran appeared in eight games for Toronto in 2000 (1-2, 10.02). Andrews has been a starting pitcher throughout his career, actually... LHP Clayton Andrews Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rews.shtml Gord Ash traded a 22-year old Andrews in 2001, as detailed in this article, which also includes a reference to another future Brewer involved in that trade: www.cincypost.com/2001/ma...31401.html

Technically, not an off-season move, but perhaps we'll know more soon. Former Pittsburgh catching prospect J.R. House will work out for the for the Brewers on Saturday the 14th in Orlando, Fla. Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...format=prn Astros offer House minor league contract Tom Aluise Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter J.R. House is off to an encouraging start in his quest to return to professional baseball. The former Pittsburgh Pirate catcher, who spent this fall as a backup quarterback at West Virginia University, was offered a minor league contract by the Houston Astros after a recent tryout in Ormond Beach, Fla. The former record-setting Nitro High School signalcaller still is in negotiations with the Astros and has two more tryouts scheduled this week. He will work out for the New York Mets on Thursday in Ormond Beach and for the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday in Orlando, Fla. "Everybody right now is really optimistic," the 26-year-old House said. "But I'm not going to say I have a job until I have a job." House, who decided to give college football a whirl after being released by the Pirates last March, said his troublesome right shoulder feels strong. He had season-ending surgery on Feb. 22 to repair a 70-percent tear of the rotator cuff in the shoulder. The operation, one in a long line of physical setbacks in House's pro baseball career, apparently prompted the Pirates to give up on a player they once considered among their top minor league prospects. During his tryout with the Astros, House took batting practice, fielded grounders and threw to second and third base from behind the plate. Houston's scouts obviously didn't have a problem with House's arm strength. "The main thing they want to see is if my arm is healthy," House said. "They know I can play. "I think it takes a little bit of time to get back into the groove. But I feel good with the way everything is going. I've had one tryout and did well. I'm looking forward to the next couple coming up." House has been lifting weights, running and throwing at his home in Ormond Beach since leaving WVU's football program prior to the Mountaineers' 38-35 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia. "I've had to get a little more flexible," House said. "I bulked up during football. I've been taking yoga classes and stretching a lot." House played seven seasons in the Pirates' organization. In addition to his shoulder problems, he battled rib and abdominal injuries, elbow problems, a knee sprain and mononucleosis. House had four operations in four years, including reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. House earned late-season call-ups to the Pirates twice -- in 2003 and 2004, after he hit .288 with 15 homers and 49 RBI in 92 games at Class AAA Nashville. House has appeared in six Major League games. He has two hits in 10 career at-bats. HOUSE WATCHED his former teammates beat Georgia earlier this month from a seat in the end zone. He cheered right along with the Mountaineer fans in his section. "That was a great night, no doubt," House said. "It was an unbelievable game." House said he actually predicted during a radio interview that WVU would win by three. He didn't foresee a 28-0 lead. "I told the team when I left that I was going to miss the celebration in the locker room after they put a thumping on Georgia," House said. "It was just awesome to see that come true." As WVU's third-string QB, House spent much of the season helping to signal in plays from the sidelines. During the Sugar Bowl, he essentially knew every play the Mountaineers were going to run before the snap. Except for one. "I had no idea on the fake punt," he said.

Updated list of players to be added: RHP Noel D'Leon Stats needed: RHP Tomo Ohka RHP Gerrit Simpson

Rotoworld: Yankees signed RHP Matt Childers to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Childers, 27, spent part of May in the majors with the Braves last season and had a 3.93 ERA in 73 1/3 IP for Triple-A Richmond. He'll head to Columbus.