Jim Goulart

In progress: Nashville 7, Tacoma (Mariners) 2, after three innings Tacoma having a sloppy, sloppy night -- Sounds taking advantage...

MILB.com has announced that the Gameday gamecast feature we're seeing in the minor league playoffs with Nashville will be available for all AFL games this fall. That and other updates: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp

Nashville Media Notes for Wednesday (PDF format): Noticed that Ben Hendrickson, and not Mike Meyers, is now listed as the starter should there be a need for a deciding Game Five... www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

By the way, Huntsville OF Ben Van Idersine went 14-for-35 (.400, no walks), scored eight runs and drove in five. Canada finished with a 4-4 record in fifth place, a game behind South Korea in Pool A. Cuba was atop the pool with an 8-0 mark, while The Netherlands was next at 7-1 and Panama was 6-2. Japan won Pool B with a 7-1 mark, while Puerto Rico and Nicaragua were tied for second with 6-2 marks. Team USA was fourth with a 5-2 mark.

Photos by ERIC PARSONS/THE (NASHVILLE) TENNESSEAN Nashville shortstop Steve Scarborough, top, bobbles the throw as Tacoma?s Abraham Nuñez steals second base in the fifth inning of the Sounds? victory Tuesday night. http://www.thenewstribune.com/images/unisys-images/20050914-images/SPT0914_RAINIERS_P1.JPG Nashville?s Tony Zuniga connects for his second home run of the game ? this one in the fifth inning. http://www.thenewstribune.com/images/unisys-images/20050914-images/SPT0914_RAINIERS_P2.JPG

Please patronize hvstarsfan, David Weiser, by visiting his web site, with text archived below: www.starsboxscore.com/ Don't want to go into a long story why I haven't updated this site since late July, but it's sitting in a new computer now and I want to thank Mr. Martin Goldberg for his help in getting it running again. You will notice some slight changes in the look. There are now buttons at the top of the page below the new title bar to take you to the standings as well as other goodies --- statistical information, rosters, other junk that I choose to put there...... The Standings link consists of, other than Southern League standings, but scores as well. I've recently updated this page to include the Southern League Playoffs and Championship Series. Some recent news to report........ the Southern League has announced co-winners for the Executive-of-the-Year award. Jimmy Bragan and Peter Bragan, Jr. won a slicer for leading the Jacksonville Suns (who begin their Championship Series with West Tennessee tonight) who led the league in attendance for the third consecutive year. Bragan, Jr. won this award in 1987 and 2003. Carolina Mudcat General Manager Joe Kremer also takes home the award. This is his fourth. The former Assistant General Manager of the Stars also won in 1992, 93, and 95...... The Huntsville Stars also won the Award of Excellence for an 18.5% increase in their home attendance over last year........ Tom Hart of the Tennessee Smokies won this year's award for best radio broadcaster. It's that time now to reflect and capsulize on the season -- the 21st for the Huntsville Stars at Joe Davis Stadium --- a difficult one in which to find anything positive...... The Stars finished with a 60-79 record -- the worst since 1988, when they ended 59-85....... But the final home attendance of 213,552 was the best since 2001, and it put the Stars all-time mark over five million......... The Stars hit a healthy .271 as a team --- best since 1998. But without the power to win some close games. They were 20-23 in one-run contests, worst in three years....... The team only hit 63 homers, 2nd fewest in history, and the club leader -- Nelson Cruz with 16 -- was promoted to Nashville on June 29......... The ERA of 4.26 was the highest since 1999, yet the Stars had their first 10-game winner in two years, Dana Eveland, and nearly had another in Dennis Sarfate, who missed his by just one inning in his last appearance of the season for the Stars....... Defensively, it was another disastrous year........ For the second year in a row, the Stars finished on the bottom in fielding pct. (.969), tying this year with the Smokies. In four of the last five years, the Stars have finished 8th, 9th, or 10th in fielding in the SL........ While the number of errors (162) was below the Stars' 21-year average, they and the Smokies, who had games against the Stars where they made seven and six errors in a game, led the league........ The Stars' 31 passed balls was three short of the club record and most since 1999. Jeff Winchester set a new club record with four passed balls in a game on August 5, but his season total of 14 was far from a club record. Neither he, nor John Vanden Berg looked like former Star Brian Moon when it came to throwing out runners, though. Vandy threw out 26% of those trying to steal, while Jeff threw out 33%. The league average was 32%. Moon threw out 53%, 44%, and 34% in his three full seasons from 2000-2002...... The Stars made only 106 double plays, fewest in four years, but far from the record low of 86 in 2001....... Brandon Gemoll, who led Southern League 1st basemen in fielding two years ago, led the league in errors this time with 16. ? The Stars lost 13 games when leading after six innings, 2nd most in the SL. ? They were 34-27 when they scored first, but 15-60 when they were last to score, worst in the league. ? In addition to going 20-23 in one-run games, they were 11-14 in two-run games, and 8-9 in three run games. ? In extra-inning games, they were 5-6 and in double-headers, they were 1-5. ? The Stars had winning record against three teams: Tennessee (12-9), Mobile (12-11), and Montgomery (5-1), but they were 29-42 against the South Division, going a combined 8-24 against Birmingham and Mississippi, the two teams they open against next year. MORE TO COME IN COMING DAYS... THE TOP TEN GAMES OF 2005.

The very sweet MILB.com gamecast feature (normally reserved for major league games only) will be available via the Sounds' home page: www.nashvillesounds.com/ Link to box score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Wednesday's Daily Menu: Both starts Central Time -- Nashville: LHP Tommy Phelps at home vs. Tacoma (Mariners), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 gametime -- game two in the best-of-five series; Sounds lead, 1-0 Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Helena: Idle until Thursday

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Final: Orem (Angels) 6, Helena 3 Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...405_01.txt Owlz fly by Brewers in opener By IR Staff The old cliche that defense wins championships played out in the first game of the Pioneer League championship series on Tuesday with the Orem Owlz taking a 6-3 win from the Helena Brewers. The Owlz - winners of the South Division second half crown with a 20-18 record - led the Pioneer League with a 4.16 ERA this season and that pitching depth paid off against the Brewers' stout offensive lineup in the opening game. Angel Salome homered to lead off the second inning for a 1-0 Helena lead, but that was the Brewers' only lead of the night. Orem answered in the bottom of the frame with a two-run home run by Flint Wipke off Helena starter David Welch. The Owlz added two more in the fourth for a 4-2 lead after Helena had tied it in the third. The Brewers cut their deficit to 4-3 in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Mat Gamel that drove in Kenny Holmberg, but Orem added two runs in the seventh to take the series lead. Helena came into the championship series with a league-best .309 team batting average, but managed just six hits off four Owlz pitchers in the loss. The Brewers got to Orem starter Robert Mosebach for two runs on five hits and a walk in five innings, but only got two hits off three Owlz pitchers over the final four innings. Orem relievers Richard Aldridge and Kevin Lynch combined to pitch the final 3.1 innings and gave up just one hit and walked one while striking out four. Holmberg was the only Brewer to have a multi-hit game while five Owlz had two hits in the game. Welch gave up six hits and four earned runs before being chased from the game after three innings. The two teams will meet Thursday in Helena at 7 p.m. (8:00 Central) with a third game scheduled for Friday at Kindrick Field if necessary. ***Link while active, text follows: www.heraldextra.com/modul...;sid=64262 From the Provo Daily Herald: The biggest problem with Hainley Statia's two-out walk and Dallas Morris' two-out single in the seventh inning for the Helena Brewers was that meant Orem Owlz first baseman Mark Trumbo would get an at-bat with men on base. Trumbo leads the team in home runs and doubles and on Tuesday night he made the Helena Brewers pay by doubling in a pair of runs to help Orem hold off Helena 6-3 and take a 1-0 lead in the opening game of the Pioneer League championship series in Orem. "In that situation, I was just looking for something over the plate," Trumbo said. "It wasn't a bad pitch. It was a fastball that was down, but caught part of the plate. I just went with it to right center and the rest is history." After Statia drew a walk off Helena pitcher Robbie Wooley, the Brewers made a pitching change. But Morris kept the rally going when he greeted Helena reliever Dane Renkert with a sharp single to left. Trumbo then delivered the biggest hit of the game when he doubled in the right-center gap to drive in both runs and give Orem a 6-3 lead. The Owlz continued the inning with walks to Flint Wipke and Brett Martinez, but Renkart fanned Billy Boyer on a 3-2 count to end the inning. The inning was over, and so was the game. Giving Orem closer Kevin Lynch a 3-run cushion is usually a death sentence. Lynch finished off the Brewers by pitching the final two innings of scoreless relief to his 10th save of the year. He struck out two and gave up just one hit to preserve the win. "They had their three best hitters coming up (in the eighth inning) so why not use him then. Why wait 'till the ninth," said Orem manager Tom Kotchman. "You never have enough breathing room with that club, not with their bats." Orem can now repeat as Pioneer League champions if the Owlz can beat Helena on either Thursday or Friday in Helena in the best-of-three series. "We haven't done anything yet," Kotchman added. "It's two out of three. We'll have to bring our long johns and our gloves because it's going to be cold." Orem broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of runs in the fourth inning. Trumbo led off the inning with a single. Wipke followed with a single and Martinez doubled in a run. Stantrel Smith drove in the second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. Helena, the North Division champs, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Angel Salome hit a solo home run. Orem answered in the second when Trumbo walked and Flint Wipke continued to swing a hot bat. He hit a two-run homer to right center. Helena answered with a run in the third when Brad Willcutt reached base on an infield single and took second on a ground ball from Michael Brantley. He advanced to third on a fly ball from Darren Ford and scored on a Ryan Crew single. Kenny Holmberg was the only Brewer player to have multiple hits. He had two of Helena's six hits. In addition to Trumbo's 2-for-3 night, Morris, Martinez and Brad Coon all had two hits for Orem to help make a winner out of Orem starter Robert Mosebach, who pitched five innings and gave up four hits and two runs for Orem. Helena Box Score: Angel Salome again at DH... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_orerok_1 Helena Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_orerok_1 Photo courtesy Deseret News - Helena Brewers' center fielder Darren Ford watches as Orem shortstop Hainley Statia turns a double play in the fifth inning of game one of the Pineer League Championship series on Tuesday. Helena lost to Orem 6-3. http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2005/09/14/sports_top/b01091405_01.jpg

AUDIO: Tony Zuniga's 1st Homer -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...209-13.mp3 Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Manager Frank Kremblas: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...9-13-2.mp3

Final: Nashville 8, Tacoma (Mariners) 6 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for action photo of Nelson Cruz, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1806 Sounds Blast Way To 8-6 Win In Finals OpenerNASHVILLE ? The Nashville Sounds blasted five home runs, including two each by outfielder Nelson Cruz and designated hitter Tony Zuniga as well as back-to-back-to-back shots in the fourth inning, as part of a 12-hit barrage en route to an 8-6 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers in the opener of the best-of-five Pacific Coast League Championship Series. The teams combined for eight longballs on the evening as the PCL finals got off to a booming start in Music City. Tacoma jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Abraham Nunez plated Shin-Soo Choo with a sacrifice fly and catcher Wiki Gonzalez followed with his second roundtripper of the postseason, a solo shot to left off Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson. Cruz put the Sounds on the board in the home half of the second when he crushed a Bobby Livingston offering off the guitar-shaped scoreboard in left center to cut the Rainiers lead to 2-1. The blast, Cruz?s second of the playoffs, was Nashville?s eighth ?guitar shot? of the season. Nashville grabbed a 4-2 lead in the fourth when Zuniga, Cruz, and catcher Mike Rivera slugged three consecutive homers off Livingston. Zuniga and Cruz?s shots came on back-to-back pitches from the southpaw before Rivera took him the other way for his first tater of the postseason. The Rainiers answered right back with some firepower of their own in the top of the fifth, tying the contest when Justin Leone took Hendrickson deep for a two-run shot to left-center, the infielder?s second homer of the postseason. Zuniga gave the Sounds the lead for good in the bottom of the frame when he left the yard for the second time on the evening, touching Livingston for a two-run shot to left that plated Vinny Rottino for a 6-4 lead. Tacoma center fielder T.J. Bohn greeted Sounds reliever Brett Evert, who opened the season with the Rainiers, by smashing the right-hander?s first pitch of the sixth inning out of the ballpark to make it a 6-5 contest. A two-out Nashville rally in the bottom of the frame netted a pair of runs courtesy of Steve Scarborough?s run-scoring double and a Trent Durrington RBI knock. Tacoma closed out the evening?s scoring with a two-out run of their own, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera?s single that brought home Hunter Brown. Hendrickson (1-0) picked up the victory after allowing four runs, three on homers, over his five innings of work. Livingston (0-1), who entered the contest having given up only nine home runs over 168 innings during the 2005 season, took the loss after serving up five longballs and surrendering six runs on eight hits over his five frames of work. Mike Adams, who allowed a pair of hits before retiring the potential go-ahead run in the person of Brown to end it, earned his first save of the playoffs by working a scoreless ninth. The teams meet again at Greer Stadium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening for the second game of the PCL Championship Series. Lefthander Tommy Phelps (0-1, 2.84) mans the bump for Nashville to face Tacoma righthander Jesse Foppert (1-0, 5.40). ***Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=44372 Cruz, Zuniga power Sounds to victory By Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com Tonight will be Nashville?s last game at Greer Stadium for 2005. The Sounds are heading out of Music City on a high note. Nashville treated 4,091 fans to an impressive offensive display, blasting five home runs and downing Tacoma 8-6 in Game 1 of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series. Nashville is now two wins away from the league crown. Nelson Cruz and Tony Zuniga each hit two home runs to lead the charge for Nashville. Five home runs in the game ties a season high for the team. ?Obviously I didn?t expect five home runs,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. ?[Cruz and Zuniga] can hit home runs, we know that.? Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson got off to a stumbling start, surrendering two runs in the first. Cruz cut the lead in half with a guitar-shot home run, which hit the scoreboard in left center. In the fourth inning, the middle of the Sounds batting order teed off on Tacoma starter Bobby Livingston. Zuniga, Cruz and Mike Rivera hit back-to-back-to-back homers. Zuniga and Cruz each hit towering blasts, which jumped out of the park. The homers gave the Sounds a 4-2 lead. It was a lead, however, which didn?t last long. The Rainiers got to Hendrickson again in the fifth, when Justin Leone hit a two-run homer, tying the game at four apiece. Like Cruz, Zuniga had Livingston?s number. He jettisoned a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning. Cruz said he?s faced Livingston throughout his minor league career. Livingston bested Cruz in Class A ball, but the Sounds right fielder won the battle Tuesday. ?That?s sweet,? Cruz said of the home runs. ?We tried to get close to the plate [in the batter?s box] to get a good swing.? Hendrickson didn?t have his best stuff. He scattered nine hits over five innings of work, allowing four runs but earned the win thanks to the offense. Tacoma?s offense was as good as Kremblas expected it to be, hammering 15 hits and three homers, which were extremely well-hit, just like the Sounds? long balls. ?All the home runs tonight were absolutely crushed,? Tacoma?s T.J. Bohn said. ?They put some good swings on the ball.? Mike Adams worked the ninth to earn the save for Nashville. Tommy Phelps takes the mound tonight for the Sounds. ***Link for additional game photos while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Power surge gives Sounds victory in Game 1 Five HRs help beat Tacoma in opener By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer A game that started out as a slugfest still boiled down to manufacturing runs. The Nashville Sounds were successful enough at both areas to defeat visiting Tacoma 8-6 in the opening game of the Pacific Coast League best-of-five championship series last night. Nashville hit five of the game's eight home runs and grabbed a 6-5 lead behind its power surge, but Steve Scarborough's RBI double and ensuing run in the sixth inning proved to be the difference in the contest. "You need every run you can get," said Sounds catcher Mike Rivera, who hit the third of consecutive solo homers in the fourth inning, following Tony Zuniga and Nelson Cruz. "They're an aggressive team, a good hitting team, and they showed that. When we scored, they scored, too. They didn't get their heads down. We've got to keep it coming." While enjoying the early 1-0 series lead, the Sounds are aware that Tacoma advanced into the championship series by winning three consecutive games at Sacramento after falling behind 2-0 in the divisional series. "Considering they were down 0-2 and won three straight on the road, this is especially big, since we've got to go to their place for three," said Zuniga, who had a fourth-inning homer and another in the fifth, a two-run shot that put Nashville ahead 6-4. Cruz matched Zuniga's two-homer night, putting Nashville on the scoreboard with a solo shot in the second inning after Tacoma went up 2-0 with Wiki Gonzalez's two-run homer in the first. The fourth-inning flurry gave the Sounds a 4-2 lead, but Tacoma tied the game again on Justin Leone's two-run shot off Nashville starter Ben Hendrickson. "Ben didn't have bad stuff," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "But he threw too many strikes. He got ahead, but the pitches he threw when he was ahead were a little too hittable. "They've got guys that can swing the bat. We just wanted to make sure we didn't walk people in front of the guys that can hit home runs. We only walked two, and only one of those scored." The Rainiers scored in the eighth and put the tying runs on base in the ninth before Mike Adams induced a game-ending ground ball from Hunter Brown. What they said: "That's one of those things that doesn't happen often, but it happened (last night) and we needed it." ? Zuniga, after the Sounds' third five-homer game of the season. Maurice Patton covers the Sounds for The Tennessean. He can be reached at mopatton@tennessean.com. Nashville Box Score: Michael Garciaparra, a Mariner disappointment prior to this year, spent the year at high-A, and got a AAA assignment for the playoffs -- pinch-runner here... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Nashville Media Notes for Tuesday (PDF format): Nashville hitting coach Gary Pettis made his major league debut 23 years ago today, the same day on which ex-Sound Rickie Weeks was born. www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

LHP David Welch goes for Helena tonight, mates (Aussie reference). RHP Will Inman starts in Helena Thursday, and if necessary, it's a good possibility that RHP Mathew Kretzschmar will throw Friday in a potential series-deciding finale.

Huntsville Press Release: STARS RISE IN ATTENDANCE RECOGNIZEDThe Southern League announced Tuesday that the Huntsville Stars have been named as the winner of the 2005 Award of Excellence. The Stars were given the award based on their 18.3 percent increase in attendance over last season. The Stars welcomed 213,552 fans through the gates at Joe Davis Stadium during the 2005 season that included the Five Millionth Fan at the park. The team?s front office staff is led by General Manager Tom Van Schaack, who is in his first season with the Stars. "To be recognized by your league peers is a tremendous honor for our organization. I thank the Stars staff and our game day staff for their hard work all year, and of course our fans who supported us all season long.?, said Van Schaack. The 2006 season will begin on Thursday, April 6th when the Stars will travel to Pearl, Mississippi to take on the Mississippi Braves. The 2006 home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11th against the Birmingham Barons. ***With virtually no support from an absentee owner, and a season in which the team competed for neither the first nor second half division titles, that's a nice honor for both the front office and the fans of Huntsville. Brewerfan congratulations to all! -- Mass Haas and Brewerfan Staff

A blog discussion about the Sounds' post-season attendance and the proposed new ballbark in Nashville: www.nashvillescene.com/bl...0575.shtml

PCL championship series preview Maurice Patton, the Tennessean TACOMA (80-64) VS. NASHVILLE (75-69) Best of five *if necessary. ? Tonight: at Nashville, 7 p.m. Sounds RHP Ben Hendrickson (6-12, 4.97 regular season; 0-0, 3.00 postseason) vs. Rainiers LHP Bobby Livingston (6-2, 4.70 regular season; 0-0, 4.50 postseason). ? Tomorrow: at Nashville, 7 p.m. Sounds LHP Tommy Phelps (1-0, 1.13 regular season; 0-1, 2.84 postseason) vs. Rainiers RHP Jesse Foppert (0-1, 2.57 regular season; 1-0, 5.40 postseason). ? Friday: at Tacoma, 9:05 p.m. Sounds RHP Gary Glover (6-4, 3.03 regular season; 2-0, 2.45 postseason) vs. Rainiers LHP Damian Moss (9-7, 3.73 regular season; 0-1, 7.50 postseason) ? Saturday: at Tacoma, 9:05 p.m. Sounds RHP Dennis Sarfate (0-1, 2.25 regular season; 1-0, 1.80 postseason) vs. Rainiers TBA.* ? Sunday: at Tacoma, 3:35 p.m. Sounds RHP Mike Meyers (7-4, 5.31 regular season; 0-0, 5.06) vs. Rainiers TBA.* Game 1 starters Projected. Not including pitchers. TACOMA Player Pos Avg HR RBI Shin-Soo Choo LF` .282 11 54 Justin Leone 3B .243 7 38 Abraham Nunez RF .274 17 86 Wiki Gonzalez C .313 5 28 Hunter Brown 2B .291 7 53 Aaron Rifkin 1B .258 14 54 R. Christianson DH .245 9 40 T.J. Bohn CF .321 1 7 A. Cabrera SS .217 0 3 SOUNDS Player Pos Avg HR RBI Trent Durrington 1B .300 5 31 Dave Krynzel CF .253 11 51 Vinny Rottino 3B .345 1 2 Tony Zuniga DH .323 7 43 Nelson Cruz RF .269 11 27 Julio Mosquera C .258 4 30 Ryan Knox LF .233 5 26 Chris Barnwell 2B .245 3 20 Steve Scarborough SS .255 11 58 Who's got the edge? ? Starting pitching: Nashville starters held Oklahoma to two runs or less in four of their five outings, compiling an earned run average of 3.38 ? more than a run better than the regular-season mark of 4.72. Tacoma was equally impressive against Sacramento, with a 3.41 ERA in the five games following a 4.36 regular season. Edge ? Sounds. ? Relief pitching: Besides one nightmarish inning in Game 2, Nashville's bullpen was stellar in the divisional series ? closing out with 4+ scoreless innings in the decisive game for an overall ERA of 3.12. Tacoma's relievers gave up 12 runs in 19 innings against Sacramento. Edge ? Sounds. ? Offense: Nashville hit 30 points better against Oklahoma than Tacoma did against Sacramento (.274 to .244), and the two teams nearly matched each in scoring (Nashville 21, Tacoma 24). The Rainiers played two extra-inning games, though, and won them both. Even. ? Defense: Tacoma has had a number of personnel changes, but the Rainiers committed just three errors in 48 innings of play against Sacramento. The Sounds have struggled with the gloves off and on all year, although they settled down in the divisional series and had four miscues in the five games. Even. ? Managing: Rainiers skipper Dan Rohn has won PCL Manager of the Year honors each of the last two seasons, after receiving the award in 2001 as well. Nashville's Frank Kremblas has four 75-win seasons under his belt in eight years, but is seeking his first postseason title. Edge ? Rainiers. ? Intangibles: Both Tacoma and Nashville claimed five-game victories in the first round under trying circumstances. Tacoma swept the final three games against two-time defending PCL champion Sacramento on the road ? the last two wins coming in extra innings. The Sounds faced elimination games twice and won them both, but did so at home. Even.

Here's hoping at least one of the Nashville newspapers sends their beat guy on the road to Tacoma for coverage of the latter games of this series... Link while active, text follows: www.tennessean.com/apps/p...328/SPORTS Successful Sounds produce both big leaguers and wins Conference champs send 12 players to Milwaukee By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer For Reid Nichols, the Nashville Sounds had finished a successful season on Labor Day. Playing past that point was icing on the proverbial cake. Nichols, the director of player development for the Milwaukee Brewers ? Nashville's parent club ? watched the Sounds send 12 players to the major leagues over the course of the season. Eight of those players are still on the Brewers' roster and helping that team toward its first .500 finish since going 92-70 and finishing second in the American League East in 1992. "It's been a good year all the way around," Nichols said as the Sounds gear up to begin the Pacific Coast League championship series tonight at Greer Stadium against Tacoma. Opening the season with seven of Milwaukee's top 10 prospects ? as judged by Baseball America, the publication that rated Milwaukee as having the third-best minor league system behind Anaheim and Los Angeles ? the Sounds were never more than three games out of first place in the PCL American North division. Nashville took the division lead for good on June 17 and built a 9½-game lead before slumping late and clinching the title on the next-to-last day of the regular season. While winning in the minor leagues is secondary to getting players ready to contribute at the major league level, the Sounds managed to do both. "I've always said if you're out of (the playoff race) in August, you lose a whole month of development," Nichols said. "Guys start planning for the winter ? hunting trips, vacations, etc. They're not thinking about baseball." Nashville could have been out of the race ? by putting the competition in its rearview mirror ? in August. But the Sounds lost 16 of 19 games in one stretch to add some late-season suspense. The slide was in no small part due to the loss of highly touted prospects Jose Capellan, Prince Fielder and Corey Hart to Milwaukee, following the earlier call-up of phenom Rickie Weeks. The Sounds also lost veterans Kane Davis and Rick Helling and pitching swingman Justin Lehr to the Brewers. "The supporting cast did an outstanding job, to the point that a lot of guys that weren't there at the beginning of the year, that we weren't really considering for major league jobs, have to be considered," Nichols said. Help came in the form of midseason additions Chris Barnwell, Warren Morris, Mike Rivera and Tony Zuniga, as well as late additions Vinny Rottino, Dennis Sarfate and Mitch Stetter. Another key arrival was Nelson Cruz, who hit 11 homers in 60 games after hitting 16 in 68 games in Double-A . "We knew some of those guys were going to go up eventually," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "But we had other guys come in, and they had to step up and do what they could. "It's really about getting the guys where they should be. I'm sure those guys (with the Brewers) would like to be here helping us, but they're not disappointed because they're in the big leagues." Maurice Patton covers the Sounds for The Tennessean. Reach him at mopatton@tennessean.com.

Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=44334 This Sounds team one of the best By Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com Minor league baseball teams are measured by more than just wins and losses. Division titles and champagne showers like the Sounds have enjoyed this week are nice, but the goal of every minor leaguer is to punch his ticket to the big leagues. Considering the Sounds are three wins away from the Pacific Coast League title, it doesn?t seem too early to start comparing this group with other great teams that have passed through Nashville. In addition to winning their division and their first playoff series, the Sounds have featured several players who have found their way onto the Milwaukee Brewers? roster. Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder and Corey Hart are the biggest-name prospects who passed through Nashville this season. Weeks and Fielder lived up to the hype that preceded them this spring. Now, Weeks is in the lineup almost every day and Brewers manager Ned Yost proclaimed in August that Fielder has nothing left to prove at the Triple-A level. Besides that talented trio, pitchers Justin Lehr, Jose Capellan, Rick Helling and Kane Davis are all contributors on the Brewers? staff. ?I knew those guys were going to go up and that?s because they were doing what they had to do down here,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. ?I?m happy those guys are up there doing a good job.? With all the talent that?s passed through this season coupled with the fact Kremblas has the team three wins away from the title, this year?s team deserves to be mentioned as one of the top Sounds teams ever. The Sounds won the Southern League title in 1979 and 1982 as the Double-A affiliate of Cincinnati and then the New York Yankees. Farrell Owens was a front office executive with the Sounds during those teams and has followed the team closely as a season ticket holder since then. ?As I look back on those two championship teams, we had some really good players,? Owens said. ?But I don?t ever remember us being robbed of so many good players. To me this team might have more tenacity. ?This is a scrappy team with a very good manager, hopefully they can bring the first Triple-A title to Nashville.?

Follow Tuesday's action as it happens: Keep in mind, the Nashville gamecast feature linked in the prior post is excellent for immediate updates... Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_orerok_1

Tuesday's Daily Menu: If anybody's "in-the-know" regarding the H-Crew's starting rotation for this series, please fill us in... Both starts Central Time -- Nashville: RHP Ben Hendrickson at home vs. Tacoma (Mariners), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 gametime -- game one in the best-of-five series Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Nashville Site Gamecast Feed: www.nashvillesounds.com/live/xlive.htm Helena: LHP David Welch at Orem (Angels), 8:05 gametime -- game one in the best-of-three series Audio link (opponent's, scroll to bottom of linked page): www.oremowlz.com/

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The Orem Owlz (Angels) will play host to Helena Tuesday night in the first game of the Pioneer League best-of-three finals. Wednesday will be a travel day, with Games Two and then Three (if necessary) in Helena Thursday and Friday evenings.

Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=44307 Sounds advance to PCL title series By Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com It?s a difficult task to predict just how the 2005 Nashville Sounds will be remembered. Will it be for their more than 20 late-inning comeback victories? Or maybe for the players with potential to be major league stars who passed through Music City, like Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder and Corey Hart? Perhaps the 2005 Nashville Sounds will be remembered as Pacific Coast League champions. Nashville is three wins away from a PCL title after downing visiting Oklahoma 7-3 Sunday in Game 5 of the American Conference Finals. Nashville will meet Tacoma in Game 1 of the PCL Championship Series Tuesday at Greer Stadium. ?With those guys gone, it means everybody else has to step up one through nine,? infielder Chris Barnwell said. ?Everybody in the bullpen has to step up. That?s why it means so much.? Ryan Knox began a two-out rally in the second inning with a base hit. Knox then scored on a double by Barnwell. Steve Scarborough followed with an RBI base hit of his own. Two-out rallies were the theme for the Sounds. Mike Rivera and Nelson Cruz each had RBI base hits with two outs in the third inning. After the Sounds jumped to the 4-0 lead, Oklahoma pulled starter Michael Tejera in favor of Matt Roney. Mike Meyers got the start for the Sounds and had a shutout going in the fourth inning. That?s when Oklahoma?s Chris Richard hit a ferocious homer, which found its way out of the stadium and onto Chestnut Street. The RedHawks played long ball again in the fifth inning, when catcher Keith McDonald hit a two-run shot to trim the lead to 4-3. Nashville padded its lead with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Trent Durrington had a sac fly RBI in the inning, which scored Knox. Sounds manager Frank Kremblas made full use of his bullpen with the team?s season on the line. He went to Gary Glover, who started Game 1 Wednesday, in the fifth. Glover didn?t allow a run in 2.1 innings of work for the Sounds. One downer for the Sounds was an elbow injury sustained by closer Jeff Bennett in the ninth. Bennett was spelled by Alec Zumwalt, who got the final out. ?The next best thing to being in the big leagues is playing for a championship here,? pitcher Ben Hendrickson said. ***Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=44308 Sounds credit Kremblas By Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com There were only 3,210 fans at Greer Stadium for Nashville?s Game 5 victory, but they made their presence felt. It was a raucous crowd of devoted fans who watched the Sounds move within three wins of a PCL title. The Greer faithful stayed on while the team had its second on-field champagne celebration in a week. ?When I played, there was never any crowds here, even on a Friday or Saturday,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. ?This year?s been outstanding. ?Our best fans probably are here. It?s good to have them out here, because it?s nice to hear them yell.? Sounds players directed credit to Kremblas for the team?s continued succes this season. ?For one thing, we have an outstanding manager who plays half-way-crazy ball,? infielder Chris Barnwell said. ?If you do your job, you know he?s going to keep pressure on the other team.? Ben Hendrickson will start Game 1 of the PCL Championship Series against Tacoma. Hendrickson predicted a championship for Nashville. ?I?m going to say we?ll win in four,? Hendrickson said. Sounds manager Frank Kremblas gets soaked with champagne by catcher Mike Rivera after Nashville's 7-3 win over Oklahoma put them in the PCL finals. Nashville City Paper Photo by Mike Strasinger. http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/uploaded/091205sounds.jpg

No Link Report Monday -- both playoff series begin Tuesday.