Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Long night for Stars Mobile power proves too much for Huntsville By MATTHEW NASCONE For The Huntsville Times The game started off nicely for the Huntsville Stars against the Mobile BayBears. Callix Crabbe got a triple in the first inning and later scored on a single by Brandon Gemoll to put the Stars quickly up 1-0. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there as the BayBears proceeded to score the next eight runs en route to an 8-2 victory Wednesday night at Joe Davis Stadium. "We scored in the first and they answered back in the second," said Huntsville manager Don Money. "They just kept adding to the lead and we don't score a lot of runs, so we couldn't deal with being down so many runs. "We don't have a lot of power, so we can't sit back and wait for the three-run homer, like Earl Weaver did in Baltimore. It was the third loss in a row for the Stars. Mobile's scoring began with Joe Gerber's home run to tie the game at 1-1. Steve Baker made it 3-0 Bay Bears in the fourth inning with a line drive home run over the left field fence to score Jeff Duncan. Gerber added a single in the fourth inning, finishing the night 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Mobile added another run in the fifth, increasing its lead to 4-1. Peter Ramos walked to open the inning and Brian Whitaker laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Ramos to second base. Ramos scored on a single by Kennard Jones, who later scored on a single by Corey Smith. In the seventh, Luis Cruz hit another two-run homer for Mobile to make it 7-1. In the eighth, Ramos reached on an error by Adam Heether. Ramos scored on a single by Jones to make it 8-1. The Stars loaded the bases in the ninth inning, but could get only one run when Enrique Cruz scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Van Iderstine to make it 8-2. Crabbe went 2-for-4 and Cruz 2-for-3 to pace the Stars at the plate. Josh Habel (1-7) took the loss for the Stars, going 4 2/3 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits, Brian Whitaker (8-11) went eight innings, giving up one run on six hits for the BayBears.

Link while active, text follows: www.casperstartribune.net...1ecb6f.txt Marion mows down Rockies By CORY MATTESON Casper Star-Tribune staff writer Ask anyone at Mike Lansing Field about Helena starting pitcher Ryan Marion's three-hit, one-run performance that helped the Brewers beat Casper 6-3 on Wednesday night and adulation for the right-hander's night would likely flow. So Corey Wimberly, how 'bout that Marion? "A lot of the times, hitters get theirselves out," the Rockies infielder said. "Of course he pitched a great game, but I never really praise the pitcher." Regardless, Marion (4-1) settled in after escaping a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the bottom of the first with minimal damage -- a Cole Garner sac fly that scored Wimberly. In the process, he fanned two Rockies. Marion recorded seven strikeouts on the night, and at one point retired 11 straight batters before Dexter Fowler reached on an error in the sixth. His night also included a stretch in which he K'd five of six batters he faced. "We had a chance to open the game up again," said manager P.J. Carey, one night after the Rockies failed to capitalize on another opportunity with the bases loaded. "We weren't able to do it and gave him a chance to settle himself and get locked in. That happens." Helena took control early on, capitalizing on every opportunity presented in the first four innings. And when you compile eight hits in those first four innings, opportunities abound. The Brewers scored their six runs in various fashions, including an RBI triple, two sacrifice flies and even a botched rundown between third and home during which Kenny Holmberg scooted past Rockies catcher Ramon Rodriguez, who'd dropped the toss from Wimberly. But the news was not all bad on Casper's side. The Pioneer Baseball League announced that Carey has been named Manager of the Year for his effort to keep the Rockies (12-12, 32-30) in the playoff hunt. It's the fourth time he's won such an award since joining the Rockies organization.Carey mentioned that managers get awards such as the one because of the players and coaches around him. Mass Haas: And how did Helena Manager Ed Sedar not take this award? Helena Independent Record: Brewers trample Rockies Helena built an early lead and went on to beat Casper 6-3 in a Pioneer League contest Wednesday. Kenny Holmberg scored on Ned Yost's triple in the first inning for the first run of the night. The Brewers would score in each of the first four innings with Michael Bell having two RBI in the span. Bell has 34 RBI on the season. Ryan Marion improved his record to 4-1 after pitching six innings with seven strikeouts while Brandon Durden took the loss for the Rockies, who remain in the lead in the Southern Division standings. Will Inman also had a stellar night for the Brewers adding six strikeouts. Helena returns to Kindrick Legion Field tonight at 7:05 p.m. (8:05 Central). The Brewers will host Billings for a three game series before hosting Missoula for another three games before going back on the road to play Great Falls. Missoula is five games behind the Brewers in the Northern Division standings followed by Billings who are only six back after a five game winning streak.

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section.../200508251 Captains quiet Power bats in 1-0 win By Jay Srinivasan For the Charleston Gazette The West Virginia Power pitchers did a great job Wednesday night. The problem was, Lake County?s pitchers performed even better. Reid Santos allowed one hit over 6 2/3 innings to lead the Captains to a 1-0 victory in front of 2,948 paid fans at Appalachian Power Park. Power manager Ramon Aviles lamented that his batters didn?t make any adjustments against Santos. ?Santos pitched a good game. But we kept trying to pull the ball instead of going up the middle or the other way like we are supposed to,? said Aviles. ?We?ve been telling them all year. But for some reason, they are hard-headed and they keep trying to pull and play into the pitcher?s hand.? West Virginia raised hopes of a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Agustin Septimo led off, hitting closer Jesus Soto?s first pitch high and deep to center field. With the crowd gasping, Juan Valdes caught the ball a couple of yards from the fence. Next up, Will Lewis bounced to third baseman Matt Whitney. Whitney added to the excitement with an errant throw into the crowd, advancing Lewis to second. Undeterred, Soto struck out Brendan Katin and then forced out Grant Richardson for his second save. ?We got a couple of chances with men in scoring position, but we were not aggressive at the plate,? said Aviles. Lake County scored its only run in the top of the first. Wyatt Toregas singled to left off starter Mark Rogers, advanced to third on catcher Carlos Corporan?s throwing error and scored on a wild pitch. As it turned out, that was enough for Santos. He came out with all guns blazing, striking out the first six batters. West Virginia?s first hit off Santos came in the fifth when Katin singled to center. But he retired the next eight batters in order before getting replaced. In all, Santos (5-7) struck out 11 and walked one for the win. ?Santos did a pretty good job tonight,? said Captains manager Mike Sarbaugh. ?Starting with six straight strikeouts . . . I think he will take that every night.? For the Power, Rogers (1-9) took the loss after yielding one earned run, three hits and four walks, while striking out seven. ?We couldn?t generate anything offensively,? said Power pitching coach Jim Rooney. ?So you?ve got to tip your hat to their pitchers. Their left-hander [santos] did an outstanding job.? The Power has dropped eight of its last nine games and is 10 games behind first-place Delmarva. Aviles maintained that his players aren?t losing their intensity levels down the stretch. ?The intensity is there,? said Aviles. ?It?s just that the concentration is not.? West Virginia begins a four-game road series against the Lexington Legends tonight. The Power will throw right-hander Kevin Roberts (1-2, 6.30) against Legends righty Paul Estrada (4-7, 3.03). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 (6:05 Central).

West Virginia Press Release: Today, catcher Garry Savas was added to the roster to the take the place of switch-hitting catcher Richied Cormier who was released. Cormier, in a limited amount of playing time with the power, had no hits in only four at bats but did reach base on two walks.

Video Report: Nashville Sounds silence fireworks until investigation into Friday's mishap complete; fireworks mishap at Sounds game injures five www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=3750526

Final: Helena 6, Casper (Rockies) 3 Helena Box Score: RHP Ryan Marion deserves major props for his efforts tonight, but folks will focus on 2005 3rd round pick Will Inman's stat line, wow -- what was that discussion about high-round high school pitchers? Kenny Holmberg on base four times -- he's fun; Ned Yost reaches thrice -- I like that word... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_casrok_1 Helena Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_casrok_1

Have to admit, staying up for late-August Link Report duty is easier when you can watch and root against the Astros and Phillies on the west coast via mlb.com...

Final: Mobile (Padres) 8, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: BayBears Dig the Long BallJoe Gerber, Steve Baker and Luis Cruz all hit home runs in support of Brian Whitaker?s stellar effort on the mound in Mobile?s 8-2 win over Huntsville Wednesday night in the third of a four-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The BayBears won for a seventh time in their last nine games to improve to 27-32 in the second half, while the Stars fell to 23-35 in the second half and for a 13th time in their last 17 home games. Mobile has won five of the last six games in Huntsville and eight of the last nine overall meetings between the two teams to square the season series at 11 games apiece. Gerber?s two-out home run in the second inning tied the game at one and Baker?s two-out, two-run long ball to left field in the fourth put the visitors ahead to stay at 3-1. Stars? starter Josh Habel has given up nine home runs in his eight starts, including four in his last four outings. Peter Ramos led off the fifth inning with a single, moved to second base on a Whitaker sacrifice bunt and scored on a base hit by Kennard Jones, who has seven hits in the last two games. Jones stole second and remained there when Jeff Duncan walked with two outs before Corey Smith singled to center field to plate Jones to make it 5-1 and chase Habel from the game. The Huntsville southpaw was charged with five runs on seven hits and suffered his sixth consecutive loss to fall to 1-7 on the season. Cruz belted a two-run home run in the seventh inning off of Keith Stamler to push the Mobile lead to 7-1. The shortstop did not hit a home run in his first 32 games with the BayBears and has now hit three in four games since rejoining the team after a stint playing in Mexico. Whitaker gave up a first inning run and blanked the Stars over the next seven frames to earn his eighth win of the season and second against the home side. The right-hander allowed six hits, walked two and struck out three in his sixth start of the season against Huntsville. Brad Nelson was held hitless in four at-bats and lost a six-game hitting streak. The series concludes Thursday night with right-hander Dennis Sarfate starting for the Stars against BayBears? left-hander Sean Thompson. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: You have to admit, Enrique Cruz has had a heck of an offensive season... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Final: Round Rock (Astros) 7, Nashville 1 The Sounds couldn't blow this, could they? Nashville Site Game Summary: ROUND ROCK, Tex. ? A trip away from Greer Stadium couldn?t help the Nashville Sounds shake their slide on Wednesday evening as the club dropped its fourth straight game, losing 7-1 to the Round Rock Express at The Dell Diamond in the opener of a five-game series. Despite the loss, the Sounds (70-62) retain their four-game lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. Second-place Omaha lost to Oklahoma, reducing Nashville?s magic number to nine. Nashville has dropped 10 of its last 12 contests overall. Sounds starter Wes Obermueller helped his own cause in the top of the third inning when he led off with a triple against Brandon Duckworth then scored to give Nashville a 1-0 lead one batter later when Trent Durrington?s grounder was misplayed by third baseman Royce Huffman. AUDIO: Obermueller's Stand-Up Triple -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-24.mp3 Huffman made amends for his mistake in the fourth, doubling off Obermueller to open the frame then scoring the tying run when he trotted home on a Tommy Whiteman sacrifice fly later in the inning. Brooks Conrad vaulted the Express into the lead with a one-out, two-run homer off Obermueller in the bottom of the fifth. The longball, which scored Duckworth, was his 19th of the year. Round Rock tacked on a run against Nashville reliever Mitch Stetter to extend the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh. Former Sound Carlos Rivera, who went 4-for-5 on the evening, scored on a Todd Self RBI single. The Express put the game away with a three-run eighth against Brett Evert. Luke Scott and Rivera ripped run-scoring singles before Self closed out the evening?s scoring with a sacrifice fly. Duckworth (8-5) allowed only one unearned run and struck out seven Nashville batters over 6 2/3 innings to earn the win. Obermueller (3-1) drew his first Triple-A loss of the season after allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits while matching a season-high with seven strikeouts in his 5 2/3 frames. The teams continue the series with a 7:05 p.m. CT meeting on Thursday evening. Right-hander Gary Glover (6-2, 2.84) will man the bump for the Sounds. Round Rock will counter with southpaw Jimmy Anderson (1-0, 2.38), who pitched for Nashville from 1998-2000. Nashville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Players Chat With Shortstop Steve Scarborough: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-24.mp3

Final: Vero Beach (Dodgers) 8, Brevard County 5, 12 innings Manatees only seem to lose in excruciating fashion... Brevard County Site Game Summary: The Manatees were unable to hold an early 5-0 lead, losing to the Vero Beach Dodgers 8-5 in twelve innings. The Manatees started the scoring early, putting up four runs in the first inning. Travis Ezi led things off by singling and stealing second en route to scoring on Drew Anderson's RBI double. Anderson scored on Lou Palmisano's RBI single one batter later. After Jeff Eure's ground rule double put runners on second and third, Wandel Campana added two more runs for the Manatees with a two-run double. The Manatees added their final run in the fourth on Tony Festa's first home run of the year. The Manatees pitching got into trouble in the late innings, allowing five runs in the seventh and eighth to force extra innings. Manatees starter Steve Hammond (7IP, 2R, 0ER, 4H, 4K, 1BB) was impressive through seven innings, holding the Dodger offense in check. Relievers Ben Diggins and Landon Stockman were both touched up for three runs in the Manatees defeat. With the loss, the Manatees fall to 4.5 games behind the Palm Beach Cardinals for first place in the East Division. The Manatees return home Friday at 7:00 pm (6:00 Central) to play host to the Cardinals in a series with serious playoff implications for the Manatees. Brevard County Box Score: LHP Steve Hammond's meteoric summer continues... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1 Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

22-year-old catcher Garry Savas, out of Oklahoma City University (the 2005 NAIA National Champions) is now a member of the West Virginia Power. Here's his OKCU Player Profile Page: www.okcu.edu/athletics/ro...96&c=2 We'll work on determining the status of recently-signed catcher Richie Cormier, no longer listed on the Power roster. Cormier played for Embry-Riddle University, the team Savas' club defeated in the championship game. Savas' 2005 stats can be found here: www.okcu.edu/athletics/up...amcume.htm

Final: Lake County (Indians) 1, West Virginia 0 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Power blanked by the CaptainsCharleston, WV ? On Wednesday night, Lake County Captains left hander Reid Santos struck out eleven Power hitters at Appalachian Power Park, paving the way for a 1-0 Captains victory to split the two-game series. The Captains plated the only run of the contest in the top of the first inning. Wyatt Toregas reached on a one-out single and then made his way to third base on catcher Carlos Corporan?s two-base throwing error. Toregas scored later in the inning on a wild pitch. The Captains left the bases loaded twice in the game, and the game ended with the tying run on second base for the Power. Mark Rogers surrendered an unearned run through five and a third innings, and struck out seven batters but obtained the loss in the process. Reid Santos retired the first twelve Power hitters before allowing a single to Brendan Katin in the fifth inning. Santos (5-7) earned the victory, Jesus Soto (2) earned the save and Rogers (1-9) obtained the loss. The Power are 27-29 in the second half after the loss and the Captains move to 29-27 with the win. The Power will begin a four game series with the Lexington Legends at Applebee?s Park on Thursday night. The Power will throw RHP Kevin Roberts (1-2, 6.30) and the Legends will counter with RHP Paul Estrada (4-7, 3.03). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: New Brewer farmhand in the lineup, we'll have more on catcher Garry Savas shortly in the Transaction thread... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Nice job, Patrick, and with a link too - thanks to Jim Callis: I'm curious where Wade LeBlanc factored into your Cape Cod League prospect rankings. He has been tabbed as one of the top 2006 draft-eligible collegians since his impressive freshman year at Alabama, and as a lefthander, he has racked up strikeouts everywhere he has gone, including this summer on the Cape (42 in 41 innings). After starting the summer strong for the Wareham Gatemen, it seems as though he tapered off, finishing at 3-3, 3.05 in a league that decidedly favors pitchers. Is his status as a prospect falling a little, and if so, is it because of a lack of pure stuff? Patrick Ebert Milwaukee Can't take a question from Patrick without mentioning the fine work he does at www.brewerfan.net/ and www.perfectgame.org. Not surprisingly, he's very accurate with his description of LeBlanc. LeBlanc almost made the Top 30 I compiled, and he projects as a third- to fifth-round pick in next year's draft. The reason he wouldn't go higher is that his stuff is decent but not special, not even for a lefty. His changeup is his best pitch, but wasn't as good as usual in the second half of the Cape schedule, nor was his command. He also has an 86-89 mph fastball and a so-so curveball. He's a very good college pitcher but it's difficult to project him pitching in the front of a big league rotation at this point.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 70 61 .534 - 33-35 37-26 L3[/b] Omaha 66 65 .504 4.0 30-33 36-32 W1 Memphis 64 66 .492 5.5 33-31 31-35 W1 Iowa 59 68 .465 9.0 38-29 21-39 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 33 23 .589 - 19-11 14-12 W1 West Tenn 31 26 .544 2.5 17-11 14-15 L2 Tennessee 26 31 .456 7.5 13-14 13-17 W2 [b]Huntsville 23 34 .404 10.5 8-17 15-17 L2[/b] Chattanooga 22 35 .386 11.5 14-19 8-16 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 35 24 .593 - 17-14 18-10 L1 Vero Beach 34 24 .586 0.5 19-12 15-12 W1 [b]Brevard County 31 27 .534 3.5 13-15 18-12 L1[/b] St. Lucie 30 28 .517 4.5 13-14 17-14 L1 Daytona 28 29 .491 6.0 18-13 10-16 W1 Jupiter 23 34 .404 11.0 15-13 8-21 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 36 19 .655 - 20-6 16-13 W4 Lexington 31 25 .554 5.5 18-13 13-12 W3 Lake County 28 27 .509 8.0 14-13 14-14 L1 Hickory 28 28 .500 8.5 16-12 12-16 L3 [b]West Virginia 27 28 .491 9.0 15-13 12-15 W1[/b] Lakewood 26 30 .464 10.5 15-15 11-15 L4 Greensboro 25 32 .439 12.0 10-16 15-16 W1 Hagerstown 20 33 .377 15.0 11-15 9-18 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Helena 16 6 .727 - 7-3 9-3 W1[/b] Missoula 11 11 .500 5.0 7-5 4-6 L2 Billings 10 12 .455 6.0 5-5 5-7 W4 Great Falls 9 12 .429 6.5 5-6 4-6 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Athletics 16 7 .696 - 10-3 6-4 W2 AZL Mariners 14 8 .636 1.5 8-4 6-4 W1 AZL Giants 13 9 .591 2.5 4-6 9-3 W1 AZL Royals 11 10 .524 4.0 6-4 5-6 L2 AZL Rangers 12 11 .522 4.0 7-6 5-5 L1 [b]AZL Brewers 9 12 .429 6.0 3-8 6-4 L6[/b] AZL Angels 8 14 .364 7.5 2-4 6-10 W1 AZL Cubs 8 14 .364 7.5 4-8 4-6 L1 AZL Padres 8 14 .364 7.5 3-9 5-5 W1Stats and League Leaders, USA Today (or go to MILB.com): www.usatoday.com/sports/b.../index.htm

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens: Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_casrok_1 Arizona: Not updated live, but usually later during the overnight... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_mrnrok_1

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All starts Central Time except for Arizona Rookie; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Wes Obermueller at Round Rock (Astros), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Josh Habel at home vs. Mobile (Padres), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ If that link is down for bandwidth, use: specs.eyecentric.com/pres...opup.shtml Brevard County: TBD at home vs. Vero Beach (Dodgers), 6:00 PM; no audio for this series West Virginia: RHP Mark Rogers at home vs. Lake County (Indians), 6:05 PM -- will Mr. Rogers tone down the velocity a bit for the sake of better command? Stop the fascination with the jugs gun, Mark... Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: RHP Ryan Marion at Casper (Rockies), 8:05 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.casperrockies.com/ Arizona: TBD at the mini-Mariners, 7:00 PM local time; never any web audio for Arizona Rookie ball...

Nashville Media Notes for Wednesday (PDF format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

Baseball America Daily Dish: Rookie-level Helena third baseman/shortstop Michael Bell continued his late-summer tear with three hits in the Brewers' win Tuesday over Casper. Bell was drafted in the 15th round this year out of Grayson County (Texas) CC. After batting .320 in June to start the season, the 20-year-old cooled in July but has nine hits in his last 23 at-bats and is batting .382 in 17 games in August. Only one honorable mention on this week's Prospect Hot Sheet (who is it?): www.baseballamerica.com/t...t2005.html

Final: Arizona Padres 10, Arizona Brewers 3 Arizona Box Score: RHP Craig Langille has struck out only 18 in 45.2 IP -- pitching to contact is fine if you're getting outs; four Brewer errors -- some of these kids may be ready to head for home... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_pdrrok_1 Arizona Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_pdrrok_1

Remember Ben Sheets' rehab outing in Maryvale in May? www.jsonline.com/sports/b...328303.asp Sheets allowed four hits and four runs (two earned), with two walks and five strikeouts, and threw 53 of 75 pitches for strikes. "The catcher had a tough time catching him, so he had a couple of wild pitches on strikeouts," said assistant general manager Gord Ash, who received an on-site report from farm director Reid Nichols and minor league pitching coach Steve Cline as well as head trainer Roger Caplinger. Probably not fair, but I bet I'd have a fair shot of identifying who that catcher was...

Please notice that Brian has gone back to the old chat room for the remainder of the season. Once folks enter the chat room (link above the forums), it will once again show the number of active users currently in chat. There is a maximum of 25 at any one time. While it can be used anytime, it should prove very helpful in providing an alternative to posting every single thought in what is becoming a problem with ungangly game threads. Chat allows you to still make your off-the-cuff spontaneous game comments, and you can also click on user names to make specific discussions one-on-one if you wish. We're going to promote the chat room in the In-Game Threads daily, so get used to it. Hopefully the in-game threads will become a place where more insightful and detailed posts of analysis of in-game strategy, etc., can be made. Then the IGT will be a beneficial thread for those who may have missed the game and want to review it "as it happened", and less of a policing effort by the moderators. It's been a couple of years since the chat room was "jumping" for in-game commentary. It can be a blast, please no cuss words, and enjoy yourselves. Jump in tonight before it maxes out, and enjoy!

Link while active, text follows: www.casperstartribune.net...1f46ab.txt Rockies miss out on opportunity By CORY MATTESON Casper Star-Tribune staff writer Casper Rockies manager P.J. Carey wanted a veteran in to face Helena cleanup hitter Ned Yost, up to bat in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out. The plan called for reliever Jason Metzger to replace starter Alan Johnson (2-2), come in and force Yost to hit a grounder, maybe even a double-play ball. If the plan failed, reliever Ross Hipke, who'd been out sick with a bad sore throat for a few days, would come in and eat some innings. One batter later, Hipke got the call, so that's how that turned out. Yost fouled off seven of the final nine pitches he saw in an epic 13-pitch at-bat before eventually blooping the last of six 3-2 pitches into shallow right center for a two-run single. Helena went on to win, 7-1, at Mike Lansing Field. "It was a great at-bat," Carey said. "Jason did exactly what we asked him to. It was a battle. The battle was over. (Yost) won." Yost, along with some costly Rockies errors, helped the Brewers (16-6, 40-20) take the third game of the series that Casper (12-11, 32-29) leads 2-1. A key mistake helped pack the bags for Yost. The Brewers' Michael Bell doubled to lead off the seventh, and Clay Blevins followed with a chopper off the infield concre...er...grass that shot some 40 feet into the air and eventually into the glove of Eric Young Jr., who couldn't have made a play had Hobart the Platypus been waddling to first. With Bell at third, Scotty McKnight hit a sacrifice fly that landed him on second base, thanks to left fielder Cole Garner. Garner approached the shallow fly ball with intentions of throwing home, but when the ball hit his glove, it bounced out and onto the turf. Bell scored easily, and a 1-1 pitcher's dual became a blowout during thanks to Helena's four-run seventh. Contrast that with Casper's failed opportunity with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth. Following two leadoff singles, a sacrifice bunt and a four-pitch unintentional walk, designated hitter Kyle Blumenthal stepped in the box. Coming into Tuesday's game, Blumenthal was 6-for-9 with one grand slam and 14 RBI with the bags full so far this season. With Casper leading 1-0 at the time, Blumenthal said later that he only wanted to put the ball in the air, and notch a sacrifice fly or better. Instead, he only popped up a 3-2 pitch to second base for the second out of the inning. "It was a changeup," he said. "I was just a little out in front of it. That's all." Cleanup hitter Chris Cook, he of the three-run home run that led to Casper's 5-4 win over Helena on Monday, struck out on three consecutive pitches. He's batting .000 with the bases loaded this season. "We had the guys up we wanted," Carey said. "Couldn't get a scenario any better than that. Nice pitching (Tyler Morrison) to get through the middle of the order." The Rockies still ended the night on top of the South Division. Rain suspended Ogden's game against Great Falls Tuesday night, so Casper holds onto a half-game lead in the standings going into today's 7 p.m. series finale against the Brewers. Casper's Brandon Durden (1-2) faces Helena's Ryan Marion (3-1).

From Tuesday's Link Report: Before becoming "Manny" the Manatee, Brevard County's mascot was known by another first name. Hold off if you think you know -- answer in the AM... And it's my understanding his name was "Hugh". Think about it. Funny. New quiz tonight, perhaps... All tonight's game details that you're used to will be posted late Wednesday afternoon -- no day games today....

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