Jim Goulart

Wednesday's Daily Menu: If you're able, there's a veritable feast of options for brunch today... All times Central; pitchers subject to change: Nashville: RHP Rick Helling at Oklahoma (Rangers), 10:15 AM pre-game, 10:35 pregame Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Manny Parra at home vs. Mobile (Padres), 9:50 AM pre-game, 10:05 AM 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. St. Lucie (Mets), 6:00 PM -- no web audio for this one... West Virginia: RHP Yo Gallardo at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 9:35 AM Audio link (opponent's): www.wlxg.com/WLXG.asx

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So what's the knock on William Lewis? He hit the ball well, in part time action, last year. He got sent back to low A this year. He's still hitting the ball well, but still in part time action. I'm certainly not advocating less time for the Hurricane, but are the Brewers lower minors options at short too good to allow Lewis a full-time shot? Can he not play there? Lewis has given no indication that he's capable of playing shortstop, and likely hasn't seen a single inning there. He's better off getting time in the outfield for now...

Final: Lexington (Astros) 10, West Virginia 5 West Virginia Site Game Summary: The West Virginia Power sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and scored four runs on the Lexington Legends, but it was not enough to beat their archrival, as the Legends went on to win 10-5. Alcides Escobar scored the first run on an errant throw from Evan Englebrook. Jake Serfass drew a bases loaded walk a few batters later to give the Power a 2-0 lead. Grant Richardson grounded into a 4-6-3 double play but a run scored in the process to increase the Power lead to 3-0. Josh Murray knocked in the final run of the inning on an RBI single to give the Power a 4-0 advantage. The Legends scored five times in the fourth inning to take the lead. Hunter Pence hit a two run homer to begin the rally in the fourth inning. Chris Clark brought the Legends within a run with an RBI double making it a 4-3 game. Jonny Ash?s sacrifice fly tied the game at 4-4 and Edgar Babilonia gave Lexington a 5-4 lead on an RBI single. The Legends broke the game open in the fifth inning, scoring five more times. Chris Clark drew a bases loaded walk to begin the scoring, and Jonny Ash hit a grand slam to make it 10-4 Lexington. The Power scored the final run of the game on Will Lewis?s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning to make it 10-5. Raymar Diaz (1-1) earned the victory for the Legends and Greg Kloosterman (0-3) obtained the loss for West Virginia. With the victory the Legends improve to 6-6 on the season and the Power drop to 2-10 with the loss. The Power will host their first of three Grand Slam School Days on Wednesday Morning at Appalachian Power Park against the Legends. Righthander Yovani Gallardo (0-1, 2.00) will throw for the Power and the Legends will counter with lefthander Troy Patton (0-0, 1.13). The first pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM (9:35 AM Central). Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2005041933 Lexington homers sink Power 10-5 By Jim Workman For The Charleston Gazette West Virginia may be nicknamed the Power, but it was the Lexington Legends who displayed it Tuesday night. Hunter Pence hit a two-run home run and teammate Jonny Ash banged a grand slam to lift the Legends to a 10-5 victory in a South Atlantic League contest at Appalachian Power Park. Power manager Ramon Aviles said the problem wasn?t necessarily the homers his team gave up. It was what happened prior to them. ?When you walk people, there?s no defense for that,? he said. ?You saw the difference in the first three innings when they put the ball in play. We turned double plays and pitched out of jams. When you start putting people on base, you?re asking for trouble.?? Five of the baserunners who scored for Lexington reached on walks. One more was hit by a pitch. ?Those were gifts,? Aviles added. ?We have to pitch better than that.? Power starter Greg Kloosterman (0-3) was the pitcher of record when the damage was done. Reliever Raymar Diaz was credited with the win for Lexington, a Houston Astros affiliate. The Power (2-10) scored four runs in the bottom of the first to claim an early lead. Agustin Septimo led off with a double and Alcides Escobar reached on an error, advancing Septimo to third. Lexington pitcher Evan Engelbrook attempted to pick off Escobar, but overthrew the first baseman, allowing Septimo to score. Hernan Iribarren singled and Carlos Corporan drew a walk to load the bases. Jake Serfass drew another walk to up the Power lead to 2-0. Grant Richardson hit into a 4-6-3 double play, but the play allowed another run to cross. Josh Murray then singled in Corporan for a 4-0 reading. Lexington (6-6) bested that offensive output with a five-run fourth. Pence smacked a two-run homer over the right-field fence to cut the lead to 4-2. Chris Clark hit a RBI double, Jonny Ash sacrificed in a run to tie it and Edgar Babilonia added an RBI single to give the Legends a 5-4 lead. ?We had the momentum but then we gave it back to them,? Aviles said. ?That?s when we lost the game.? The Legends added to their lead in the fifth. Power reliever Brian Montalbo inherited a bases-loaded situation and promptly walked Chris Clark to increase the Lexington advantage to 6-4. Ash then swatted a grand slam home run that sailed over and just inside the right-field foul pole. The crowd of 3,259 took great exception to the decision made by the home plate umpire on the close call and let him know it. For the remainder of the contest, every foul ball drew cries of ?Home run! Home run!? from the Power fans. Aviles did not protest the call. ?From where I was, [Power hitting coach] Tony [Diggs] and I thought it was fair,? Aviles said. ?We lost the ball behind the [foul pole] screen. If it was foul, we would have seen it all the way. That?s why we didn?t argue the play.? West Virginia got a run back in the sixth when William Lewis brought in Murray with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 10-5. Lexington continued its mastery of the Power. The Legends swept West Virginia last week in a three-game series at Applebee?s Park. The Power continues its current three-game series with Lexington with a 10:35 a.m. (9:35 Central) contest today, part of its ?Grand Slam School Day? promotion. West Virginia Box Score: Let's get Simon Beresford in the rotation mix already... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Final: St. Lucie (Mets) 4, Brevard County 1 Brevard County Box Score: ST. LUCIE 4 AT BREVARD COUNTY 1 YTD YTD ST. LUCIE AB R H BI AVG BREVARD COUNTY AB R H BI AVG C.Ragsdale SS 4 1 2 2 .292 O.Chavez SS 3 0 1 0 .256 J.Slack LF 5 1 1 0 .261 L.Palmisano DH 4 0 1 0 .250 L.Milledge CF 4 0 0 1 .214 D.Anderson LF 4 0 0 0 .278 B.Harper 1B 2 0 1 1 .304 A.Heether 3B 4 1 1 0 .294 A.Wilson DH 3 0 1 0 .241 J.Eure 1B 3 0 0 0 .263 S.Bowman 3B 4 0 0 0 .119 S.Moss CF 2 0 0 0 .216 J.Hill RF 3 1 1 0 .146 T.Ezi CF 2 0 1 0 .188 B.Whealy 2B 4 0 1 0 .286 W.Campana 2B 4 0 2 1 .444 Y.Garcia CAT 1 1 0 0 .115 C.Medlin CAT 3 0 0 0 .111 G.Ramirez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Deevers RF 3 0 0 0 .083 B.King PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Pena PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Lopez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Camacho PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Diggins PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 4 7 4 TOTALS 32 1 6 1 ST. LUCIE 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1- 4 7 1 BREVARD COUNTY 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 1 6 0 E--C.Ragsdale. DP--ST. LUCIE 1, BREVARD COUNTY 3. LOB--ST. LUCIE 7, BREVARD COUNTY 7. 2B--W.Campana (1). 3B--T.Ezi (2). SB--Y.Garcia (1). CS--D.Anderson. HBP--C.Medlin. SF--C.Ragsdale. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA ST. LUCIE G.Ramirez (W,1-1) 6.0 2 1 1 1 5 0 4.02 B.King 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 R.Lopez 0.1 2 0 0 0 1 0 6.00 E.Camacho (S,1) 1.2 1 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 BREVARD COUNTY L.Pena (L,0-2) 7.0 6 3 3 4 9 0 4.34 B.Hall 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5.40 B.Diggins 1.0 1 1 1 2 0 0 3.86 HB--R.Lopez. WP--L.Pena. SO--C.Ragsdale, J.Slack 2, L.Milledge, S.Bowman 2, J.Hill 2, B.Whealy, D.Anderson, J.Eure 3, T.Ezi, C.Medlin 2, R.Deevers 2. BB--B.Harper 2, A.Wilson, J.Hill, Y.Garcia 3, O.Chavez, J.Eure. T--2:26. A--847Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

Final: Nashville 10, Oklahoma (Rangers) 8 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link includes Jeff Housman photo, text follows... www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1514 Kevin Orie ripped a pair of doubles and Trent Durrington recorded a team-high three RBIs to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 10-8 victory over the Oklahoma RedHawks on Tuesday evening in the opener of a four-game series at SBC Bricktown Ballpark. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Sounds (7-6), who retain a share of the American Conference Northern Division lead along with Omaha. Orie extended his season-opening hitting streak to a current team-best eight games with his 2-for-4, three-run effort. Durrington followed suit, running his hit streak to seven games with a 2-for-2 night that also included a pair of walks and two stolen bases. Pat Borders (2-for-4) and Ryan Knox (2-for-3) also added multiple-hit efforts for the victorious Sounds, who stranded a season-high 12 men on base including leaving the bases loaded twice. The Nashville defense played its part in the win, as the Sounds turned two double plays and added an outfield assist when Knox threw out RedHawks leadoff man Andres Torres at third as he attempted to extend a double to a triple to lead off the bottom of the first. Orie got things started for the Sounds, plating Corey Hart with the game?s first run on a double to center in the top of the second. Nashville proceeded to load the bases against Oklahoma starter Ricardo Rodriguez with none out; however, the right-hander worked out of the jam virtually unscathed, allowing only one additional run on a Steve Scarborough double-play grounder to make it a 2-0 lead. Nashville tagged on three more runs in the fourth to up the lead to 5-0. Orie again got things started with a double then a pair of RedHawks errors opened the door for runs to score on a Pat Borders groundout, a Scarborough sacrifice fly, and a throwing error by third baseman Cody Ransom. Oklahoma second baseman Ian Kinsler put the home team on the board in the bottom of the frame with a two-out, two-run shot off Sounds starter Jeff Housman, the infielder?s second roundtripper of the season. The teams traded nine runs over the next two innings, resulting in a 10-7 Nashville lead. Durrington delivered the key hits for the Sounds over this stretch, including a bases-loaded, two-run single in the fifth and an RBI double in the sixth. Marshall McDougall touched Sounds reliever Jeff Bennett for a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to bring the score to its final 10-8. The tater signified McDougall?s first longball of the season as well as the first run allowed by Bennett in seven innings on the season. Housman (1-0) earned his first victory of the season -- as well as the first win of 2005 by a Sounds starter -- after allowing five runs over five innings of work. Rodriguez (1-2) took the loss for Oklahoma, surrendering eight runs in only four frames of action. Bennett tossed the final two innings, fanning three batters, to close out the victory and earn his third save of the year for Nashville. The teams meet again in a 10:35 a.m. matinee on Tuesday morning in the second game of the four-game series. Right-hander Rick Helling (0-0, 3.18), a former Oklahoma City 89er and Oklahoma RedHawk, takes the hill for Nashville to face right-hander Shane Bazzell, who makes his first start for Oklahoma since being promoted from Double-A Frisco. Nashville Box Score: Pretty apparent the veterans are carrying this team... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_orhaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_orhaaa_1 Audio -- Ryan Knox' Throw: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-19.mp3

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...270350.xml Brewers' Gamble paying off Milwaukee pickup of injury-prone pitcher saves Stars By MARK McCARTER Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com Ah, medical science. An elbow goes bad? So what? Pop in a new ligament or tendon or something. The last time doctors patched together a person the way they did Jerome Gamble's right elbow, it was Lee Majors. Remember? "The Six Million Dollar Man?'' He looks absolutely bionic. Or, for a nearby adjective, "electric,'' said teammate Chris Barnwell. More innings like Gamble had in the ninth inning Tuesday afternoon, striking out three to preserve the Stars' 2-0 win over Mobile, he'll supplant a neighbor who he said "is literally in my back yard'' - a guy named Terrell Owens - as the most dynamic pro athlete from Alexander City. "Down 2-0 in the ninth, he's the last guy you'd want to see,'' said Barnwell, whose second-inning homer provided the day's only runs. Nice. Two Alabama teams, saved by a pitcher from Alabama. Who, he confessed, "didn't even know these teams were here until I got into pro ball.'' The BayBears managed only one single off Gamble, who ended the game with a 95 mph fastball that Greg Sain, the reigning Southern League home run king, merely watched - or listened to - sail past. It was the Stars' fourth consecutive win, while Mobile has now lost eight in a row. The two meet again today at 10 a.m., with bus-loads of elementary school students being brought in for the "Three R's With The Stars'' promotion. Gamble collected the save after a tidy two innings of one-hit setup relief by Josh Habel. Dennis Sarfate was the starter, allowing only two hits and striking out eight in six innings. It was more evolution of Sarfate as a pitcher - "growing up, I guess,'' he said - from relying simply on firing a mid-90s fastball. "He's been working on a lot of stuff, and he's followed through with it,'' pitching coach Rich Sauveur said. The pitching staff benefited from some sensational defense, including a pair of diving stops by second baseman Callix Crabbe, reminiscent of an early Roberto Alomar, and a long gallop by left fielder Kennard Bibbs to steal an extra base hit. "Defense and pitching usually win ball games,'' said manager Don Money. "We don't have a lot of power. We've got to scrap. We're not going to sit and wait for a three-run homer.'' Not to sniff at the two-run homer by Barnwell, "one of the least-expected people'' to homer, Money said. Barnwell was the Stars' every-day third baseman last season, but has been evicted by the 30-year-old Tony Zuniga. Turned out to be a nice hunch for Money to give Zuniga a rest on this day game after a 12-inning marathon Monday. "It's my role,'' Barnwell said, "and I've got to learn to do it. This is the best way for me to get to the big leagues, as a utility player.'' The best way for Gamble to get there is to remain healthy. Since he was drafted out of high school by the Red Sox, that's been his stumbling block. Otherwise, "he's got two pitches that are above-average major league (level),'' said Sauveur of Gamble's fastball and curve. "He's got filthy stuff,'' hitting coach Sandy Guerrero said. "His fastball explodes.'' Gamble underwent Tommy John surgery in 2001, sidelining him for 15 months. He admitted he fretted his career might be over, but his mother Doris "kept pushing me, telling me everything would be all right.'' He had more surgery last fall, simply to clean out some scar tissue and bone chips. The troublesome elbow was enough to convince Boston to move him off its 40-man major league roster, making him available for the off-season draft of six-year minor league players. The Brewers scooped him up. Perhaps they shared the same philosophy that Gamble has about that adopted. "Maybe,'' he said, "I've gotten all my injuries out of the way early.''

In progress: Nashville 5, Oklahoma (Rangers) 0, bottom of the 4th in Okie Night off for David Krynzel; I never tire of the story of the Jeff Housman journey, that of a non-descript 33rd round pick who had a crappy rookie ball season in '02...

Nashville Pre-Game Audio (Sunday) with relief pitcher Julio Santana, probably a Brewer before too long: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-18.mp3

Link while active, text follows (from April 7th): www.journaltimes.com/arti...472985.txt A Star is born By Susan Shemanske, Racine Journal-Times MILWAUKEE - How badly does Vinny Rottino want to be a Milwaukee Brewer? So badly that there almost isn't anything he wouldn't do for a shot at the majors. Well, maybe Rottino would draw the line at cleaning up the stadium after games. But when it comes to doing whatever he can on the field during games to help his chances, Rottino won't stop at anything. Which is why the Racine native and 1998 St. Catherine's High School graduate is fully prepared to give it his best shot at becoming the Class AA Huntsville (Ala.) Stars' starting catcher. Rottino, who turns 25 today, was promoted to Huntsville after a standout season at Class A Beloit last year. The Stars open their 2005 season today at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C., against the Carolina Mudcats. The way Rottino sees it, catching pitchers is his best shot at catching a ride to the major leagues. "The (Brewers') organization is kind of thin in catchers,'' Rottino said last Friday at Miller Park, where he doubled and scored the winning run in the Brewers' 7-6 victory over the White Sox in an exhibition game. "I know they're looking for catchers. If I could catch every day (for Huntsville), that would be awesome and I think that'd be a pretty quick ticket (to advance through the minors). "So, I'd like to have that under my belt, to be able to play everywhere." Rottino isn't exaggerating when he says everywhere. A shortstop in college at UW-La Crosse, Rottino was a utility player extraordinaire for Beloit last season, playing first base, third base, right field, left field, designated hitter and catcher for the Snappers. As a matter of fact, Rottino played all nine positions - even pitching one inning - in a game for the Snappers last Sept. 5. Rottino also made his mark at the plate. He broke Prince Fielder's team record for RBIs with 124 and hit .304 with 17 home runs. He had a .353 on-base percentage and a .482 slugging percentage. As a result, Rottino was honored with the Robin Yount Minor League Performance Award as the Brewers' minor league position player of the year. "Obviously, Vinny's become an excellent offensive players,'' said Gord Ash, the Brewers' assistant general manager. "He has the potential to play at the major-league level." The problem, Ash says, is numbers. Not batting average or run production, but the fact that the Brewers, and most organizations, are well-stocked in infielders and outfielders who can put up impressive numbers offensively - top prospects like Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, Dave Krynzel and Brad Nelson. What the Brewers and most other organizations are lacking is catching prospects. "There are very few catchers in the amateur draft,'' Ash said. "There just aren't a lot of catchers in the minor leagues period. Kids just don't want to do it anymore. It's too much work. It's too hard of a position to learn and there's a lot of responsibility that goes along with it. There's a lot of subtleties involved. You're not just catching the pitches. You also have to learn how to call the game, what pitches to call in what situation and learning how to handle all the pitchers. It's hard work." That doesn't scare Rottino. He's used to facing long odds. Despite earning NCAA Division III All-American honors at UW-La Crosse, Rottino wasn't drafted out of college. Instead, he practically had to beg the Brewers to give him a shot in their minor league organization. So far, he has impressed the Brewers with his attitude, work ethic, enthusiasm and offensive development. "He's met every challenge along the way,'' Ash says. But Rottino still needs that little something extra to give him that edge, to make him a bonafide major league prospect. In Ash's mind, Rottino's best shot is by mastering the catching position. Rottino got a crash course last fall when he participated in the Brewers' Fall Instructional League in Arizona. By his own admission, Rottino was "brutal." But he worked with catching coordinator Charlie Greene, took what he learned back home to Racine for the winter and worked out religiously at the Haben-Jensen hitting center. "I worked on it a ton in the offseason,'' said Rottino, who also hired a personal trainer to work with him over the winter. "They have a machine (at Haben-Jensen) and basically, I just worked on that all day, catching and blocking and working on drills." Rottino continued his catching instruction this spring at the Brewers' spring training camp in Phoenix. "He's got a good throwing arm and he's agile,'' Ash said of Rottino. "The appropriate time for him to work on his catching is now, at this level. "This is a golden opportunity for him. At the very best, it gives him an opportunity to work his way up (through the minor leagues). At the very worst, it makes him more versatile. The ability to go behind the plate. A lot of clubs love to have that utility player who can be a third catcher. "This level (Class AA) will be a good test for him. If you are a bonafide prospect, you'll do well in that league (the Southern League). It'll be a good experience for him." Ash points to veteran catcher Pat Borders as an example. Ash worked in the front office for the Toronto Blue Jays when Borders came up through the Blue Jays' organization. Borders had the offensive tools, but, like Rottino, faced stiff competition as an infielder. So, the Blue Jays turned him into a catcher and he went on to play 16 seasons in the major leagues. "It's going to be up to Vinny to learn the position,'' Ash said. "It's a tough position to learn, but he's one of those guys who relishes a challenge." And that's how Rottino is looking at it. "I love catching,'' Rottino said. "I just need the experience. I really think I could do it. There's a lot to learn. There's a lot that goes into (playing the position). It's not just the skills of catching and blocking and throwing. There's learning your pitchers as far as calling a game and learning what pitches to throw on what counts. "But, I think this is my best shot (at having a chance in the majors). That, and being a utility guy. Every team needs a utility guy, but there aren't a lot of them who can catch, too. "I feel like if I can learn the position, get some experience back there, I can be a backup or a No. 1 guy, and, along with playing those other positions, I think that's my best shot."

Sports Editor defends his local kid... Link while active, text follows: www.tahoedailytribune.com...5562443863 What do the Brewers know? Steve Yingling, syingling@tahoedailytribune.com Baseball setbacks and obstacles are nothing new to Greg Bruso. The former South Tahoe High pitcher grew up in a community where pitchers' mounds are covered by snow well into April. Because of the annual challenges of developing as a ballplayer in the mountains, Bruso played for a high school program that struggled year after year to finish out of the basement in the Northern 4A League. That Bruso even made it out of the Sierra to play for the UC Davis baseball team was probably more of an incredible feat than the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series last fall. You don't have to live at Lake Tahoe for long to realize that if you want to play baseball beyond high school, then you better be willing to drive off the hill to a baseball environment. But Bruso never wavered from his baseball dreams and became more determined to become the exception rather than the rule, even though his season was shorter than most of the players around the country. Going into his senior year at UC Davis, injuries and some bad breaks kept Bruso from reaching his potential. Eventually hard work and determination won out as Bruso became an All-American in 2002. As a result, the San Francisco Giants didn't hesitate to select Bruso in the 16th round of the 2002 baseball draft. In his first two seasons in the minors Bruso looked like he was in a hurry to make it to the big leagues. He led the Northwest League in ERA (1.99) in 2002 and was selected to the 2003 California League All-Star Game. Then came an unexpected promotion to Double-A Norwich and everything seemed in order for Bruso to make it to the Show. He kept his ERA under 4.00 at Norwich and the master of control continued to strike out batters five times more often than he walked them. But then the Milwaukee Brewers stepped in and decided that Bruso was just what they needed to turn around their cheesy history as one of the worst teams in baseball. They gave up Eric Young, a veteran major league second baseman, in a straight swap for Bruso late in the 2003 regular season. Several weeks ago, the Brewers inexplicably cut their ties with Bruso. A Brewers' personnel director said that Bruso was released because they didn't think the right-hander was capable of helping the big-league team. "Greg works hard and coming back from injury he showed it all," said Scott Martens, the Brewers' assistant director of player development. "He did what he needed to do to get back pitching, which is something you want to see in all of your players. "Ultimately, it boils down to performance and that's where we are at." Do they realize that Bruso has a career minor league ERA of 3.35? Pitchers who surrender three runs on average usually make their team win. If the Brewers are giving up more pitchers like Bruso, I'd be checking the waiver wires daily if I were in charge of any of the other 29 major league clubs. They could have at least waited to see Bruso pitch an entire season when he was healthy. Last year, Bruso missed the first two months of the season while mending a sore shoulder. He's healthy this spring, but the Brewers don't have the patience or an extra roster spot for a proven 24-year-old? How can that be? Although he was never given a reason, Bruso speculated that the velocity of his fastball - mid to upper 80s - may have turned off the Brewers. But they knew what they were getting when they made the swap with the Giants. Instinct tells me that the Brewers don't know the whole story behind the young man who made them cough up a major league player. Former UC Davis manager Phil Swimley used to say that no one worked harder than Bruso and he wished more players were like him. The same was said when Bruso played for Single-A Salem-Keizer in Oregon. "I just hate to see him go," said Swimley, who was in his 36th year at Davis when Bruso was a senior. "He's the leader of the pitching staff in whatever they do. He's the guy in conditioning who always works the hardest. When they go run, he's always first. He just sets a great example for everybody else." Aggies pitching coach Matt Vaughn even went further with his assessment of Bruso in 2002. "I've been here 15 years as a player and a coach and no one works harder than he does. It's not only that he's the hardest worker, but he's the hardest worker by a whole bunch," Vaughn said. One bad decision by a major league club shouldn't deter Bruso from realizing his major league dream. He's gone through too much to get this far and no area athlete before him has handled adversity any better. Maybe something good will come out of the Brewers' mistake. They have probably made Bruso more determined than ever to prove them wrong.

In progress: Lexington (Astros) 10, West Virginia 4, top of the 5th in the new ballpark Yeah, there's still time, but I'm getting too old for this stuff -- gotta get a new hobby...

Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes (PDF format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf In West Virginia, the Lexington play-by-play man is voicing his displeasure wuith the taunts of "Toast-Man" -- can't say I blame him, the lack of sportsmanship is pretty sad given the family-fun atmosphere, not to mention stealing the spotlight from the kids on the field, where it belongs. Then again -- the announcer also called the five Power mascots "lethargic" -- now that's just not right! (I guess the costumes are best described as "bulky" http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif )

In progress: St. Lucie 2, Brevard County 0, bottom of the second at Space Coast Stadium RHP Luis Pena is your TBD tonight; Lou Palmisano DH'ing, Jeff Eure starts for Josh Brady at first base...

In progress: West Virginia 4, Lexington (Astros) 0, after one inning Only a Grant Richardson bases-loaded GIDP slowed down the Power in the first -- some help from the Legend defense; by the way, the webcam is not a plus for game viewing...

Final: Huntsville 2, Mobile (Padres) 0 Link with Sarfate headshot photo, then text follows: www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=567 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Dennis Sarfate, Josh Habel and Jerome Gamble combined on a four-hit shutout to lead the Stars to a 2-0 blanking of the BayBears in the second game of a four-game series at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville. The Stars won their fourth consecutive game to improve to 5-7 on the 20th anniversary of the opening of the stadium. Moblie dropped its eighth straight game to fall to 4-8 and has mustered just one run in the first two games of the series. Jeff Winchester, the hero of Monday?s 11-inning win with a pinch-hit single to knock in the decisive run, started behind the plate in Tuesday's afternoon affair and singled with one out in the second inning. Chris Barnwell followed by hitting a two-run home run to left field to produce the game?s only runs. It was Barnwell?s first long ball of the year, the team?s third and the first hit by someone other than Nelson Cruz. Sarfate struck out two hitters in each of the first three innings and at that point, had fanned at least two hitters in seven of the last nine innings he had worked going back to the start of his six inning performance on April 13 at Jacksonville. The right-hander allowed two singles and did not give up a hit over his final four frames. Sarfate walked Luis Cruz and Mike Richardson with two outs in the fifth but worked out of trouble by retiring mound counterpart Mike Thompson on a ground ball. Cruz was the only BayBears runner to reach second base. Sarfate earned his first win of the year to square his record at 1-1 and was followed by Josh Habel, who tossed two scoreless frames in relief to extend his shutout string to five innings over his last three outings. Jerome Gamble yielded a two-out single and struck out the side in the ninth to nail down his first save of the season. The three pitchers combined to fan 13 hitters to match a staff season high set by Sarfate, Gamble and Mitch Stetter on April 13 at Jacksonville. Thompson lasted seven innings in his longest outing of the year and suffered the loss to fall to 1-1. He allowed six hits, struck out five and walked one. The series against Mobile continues Wednesday morning with leftt-hander Manny Parra getting the starting assignment for the Stars against BayBears right-hander Travis Chick. Coverage of the game gets underway at 9:50 a.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Former Brewer farmhand LHP Craig Breslow made his AA debut earlier this season with Mobile -- he picked off Tony Gwynn in this one after hitting him with a pitch... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: The battle of the outfielders named "Kennard"... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Daily Mail: Lexington's Hunter Pence is seventh in the South Atlantic League with a .370 batting average. Pence was the Houston Astros' top pick in the 2004 draft, which came as selection No. 64 because the team did not have a first-round pick. A draft-and-follow that got away, Pence was drafted in the 40th round in 2002 by the Brewers while he was attending Texarkana Junior College, but he continued with plans to attend the University of Texas-Arlington -- Mass Haas

Link while active, text follows: dailymail.com/news/Matt+L...t-20050419 These guys will be better than expected Matt Lockhart Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter Throw in the towel. Call them a wash. Vow to never watch the West Virginia Power again, while clutching your Alley Cat and Wheeler pennants. Just don't miss the big picture here. Minor League Baseball is about development. A major part of that is perfecting the things at which players aren't necessarily first-rate -- throwing a third or fourth pitch, or taking a slider the opposite way -- even if it means short-term success doesn't translate into boxscore joys. You read it here. More players from the first Power club will have careers in the Major League than will members of the 2004 Alley Cats' team that won a first-half division title in the South Atlantic League. Much of the Alley Cats' success came because of more experienced older players who will be career minor leaguers. These Power players have more upside, even if it's an uphill climb to reach potential. Sure, to the average agate-page reader, this 2-9 start is comparable to Mike Tyson's recent boxing performance. Just take Reid Nichols' word for the big league dreams. He's the Milwaukee minor league chief, a former Major Leaguer, and witness to the opening series at Appalachian Power Park. "They have a lot of good players here," said Nichols, who is the Brewers' director of player development. "They have a lot of players here who will play in the big leagues. They're just young." Heck, first-round pick Mark Rogers was probably at his high school prom this time last year. Now, the 19-year-old is throwing 94 mile per hour fastballs at college-aged Major League prospects. Alcides Escobar, an 18-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, is another one of the players Nichols considers when talking about the Majors. "He could be the best player on the field in five years," Nichols said of the youngster who is batting .244 and has a team-high three errors. That's saying something, too, since second baseman Hernan Iribarren is listed as Milwaukee's No. 9 prospect by Baseball America, an honor earned after the 20-year-old batted .422 between Rookie League and Class A last season. Milwaukee thought enough of Charleston to send its top four draft picks from 2004 -- all pitchers -- to the Power. That doesn't include Escobar and Iribarren, who were free agent signees from Venezuela. Perhaps that's a big reason why Nichols said the Brewers could make changes if things get too bad in the standings. Two players, Adam Mannon and Jason Tuttle, have already been bumped from the roster. "As much as the people here don't like to see this team struggle, we don't like to see it either," said Nichols. "If it gets to the point where it is getting to be detrimental to the team, then you make changes." If it comes to that, Nichols will be careful about it. "There are some guys you know are going to play in the big leagues and you have to stay with them and let them make adjustments," said Nichols. "Some guys who aren't going to play in the big leagues -- if we can do better, we'll do better. "One thing we don't want to do is panic, though. It's a slow start." There's no need to panic. This isn't that bad of a team. Many of these kids might just be temporarily over their heads, which should shortly become a non-factor as the 140-game season plays out. Two summers ago as a 20-year-old intern, my gig was covering Major League Baseball in Detroit. Like many of the Tigers, I might have been over my head during that dreadful 119-loss season. That was bad. This isn't. It got so woeful that Manager Alan Trammell shut down pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, because he was afraid the 20-year-old was one start shy of losing 20 games. Truth is, he was. The main lesson, though, was experience. Bonderman learned how to handle batters. He learned how to handle the media. He learned how to pitch, instead of just raring back to throw. And he denied Roger Clemens his 300th win. Now, two years later, he's the ace of a Major League staff. So, call them a wash, throw in your toast and vow to never watch these last-place dwellers. Just remember, there are future Major Leaguers at this new ballpark. Great job, Matt -- 22 years old, you're on your way to a promising big league career as well -- MassHaas

Charleston Daily Mail: Power makes first roster moves of season It was only a matter of time before changes were made to the West Virginia Power. A 2-9 start left little choice. Outfielders Adam Mannon and Jason Tuttle are now gone. Mannon, who was batting .154, will go to extended spring training until June 21 when the Rookie League Helena Brewers open the season. Tuttle, who was acquired earlier this year in a trade, was released after going hitless in his 24 at-bats with the Power. Former West Virginia University outfielder Jake Serfass and Dominican Republic born infielder Agustin Septimo will join West Virginia, the Class A affiliate of the Brewers. Serfass was in Helena last season, before moving to Class A High Desert late in the year. He struggled at the plate for both teams, batting a combined .177. Serfass, who was signed as an undrafted free agent, hit .302 with six home runs his senior year at WVU. Septimo played 37 games in Helena last year -- batting .317 -- before moving to Class A Beloit for six games. Not only did Tuttle go 0-for-24, he failed to draw a single walk; Serfass should provide for a decent feature story or two for the local press; Mannon's still only 21, but that has to be disappointing for him -- Mass Haas...

Use these links to follow the in-game box scores and game logs today -- Huntsville's live at noon... Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_orhaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Tuesday's Daily Menu: At this point, the Stars will likely give you a better lunch experience than the Brewers... All times Central; pitchers subject to change: Nashville: LHP Jeff Housman at Oklahoma (Rangers), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Dennis Sarfate at home vs. Mobile (Padres), 11:50 AM pre-game, 12:05 PM 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. St. Lucie (Mets), 6:00 PM -- no web audio for this one... West Virginia: LHP Greg Kloosterman at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 6:05 PM -- the Brewers only seem to be piggy-backing a few of their younger pitchers, "Kloos" is getting the starting nod each time, as has Forrest Martin... Audio link (opponent's): www.wlxg.com/WLXG.asx Try viewing what you can from the stadium webcam -- thanks to Ian Beresford for the reminder... 63.126.209.45/

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Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2005041837 There?s a Power fan 10,000 miles away Dave Weekley, Charleston Gazette At 6-foot-6, right-hander Simon Beresford is the tallest member of the West Virginia Power, and he?s also traveled the farthest to follow his dream of making it to the major leagues. Beresford?s home in the Melbourne, Australia, suburb of Glen Waverly is nearly 10 thousand miles (9,921 miles as the crow flies, mate) from the Power?s new digs in the East End. Despite Beresford being on the other side of the globe, the internet is making the city of Charleston seem like it?s just around the block. When Beresford worked a perfect ninth inning of relief Friday night against Hagerstown, his Dad, Ian, was listening and watching his son?s handiwork on the mound via computer. From his home on the southeastern tip of Australia, Ian Beresford was monitoring the Hagerstown Suns? streaming audio broadcast from Charleston and catching a glimpse of his son on the mound via the live netcam available 24/7 at WVPower.com. ?I had gone out to putter in the garden as I hadn?t been expecting him to pitch and returned just in time to hear the commentator call his name to take over from his mate Brian Montalbo. Very exciting!? wrote Ian Beresford via e-mail from Australia. Power officials hope to begin streaming their games sometime this season, but you can bet that at least one resident of Glen Waverly, Australia, will be tuned to the Lexington?s on-line broadcast tonight as the Power opens a three-game series with the Legends.

Brevard County Site Game Summary: ST LUCIE BLOOMS, MANATEES WHITHER IN LOSS Bullpen roughed up in 10-7 defeat to Mets VIERA, FL -- The Manatees gave the pitching staff a 7-3 cushion before the bullpen was unable to hold the lead in the ninth as the home team goes down 10-7 Monday night at Space Coast Stadium. The Mets jumped on top of starter Carlos Villanueva early in the first as Brett Harper hit his seventh home run and third against the Manatees as St Lucie was first out of the gate, leading 2-0. But the 'Tees would comeback right away in the bottom of the frame. Ozzie Chavez and Lou Palmisano would both lead the hit parade with singles before Drew Anderson would bring them home with a three-run shot to right center field. It was Anderson's first round-tripper of the season. The scoring didn?t stop there for Brevard. Adam Heether followed Anderson's shot with a single to short. With Heether at first, Jeff Eure would double to left center to put runners at second and third with still nobody out. Center fielder Steve Moss would get the Manatees sixth consecutive hit to start the inning with a single to right that would score Heether. Josh Brady would hit into a fielder's choice and Steve Sollmann would ground into a double play to end the inning with the Manatees up 4-2. Brevard would get on the board again in the sixth. Leading 4-3, Heether would lead off the inning with a double to center off the batter's eye and Eure would single down the left side to put both men in scoring position. Moss would hit his second RBI single of the game, scoring Heether once again. After a lineout by Brady, Sollmann would hit a double down the right field line allowing Eure to score and put BC up 6-3. Moss would also add a double to center in the eighth inning that would lead to a run after he stole third and was brought home by a balk. The lead looked like it would hold up as the Manatees took the field for the top of the ninth. Dan Grybash would become the fourth pitcher in the game and he struggled right off the bat. The Mets started out the ninth with a single, a double and a single before the first out was made. He gave up one more double before being relieved by Nick Slack, the Manatees closer. Slack continued down the path Grybash had paved as he allowed a two-run double to the first batter he faced. Those would be the game-tying runs as the Mets would battle back from a 7-3 deficit to put up seven runs in the ninth inning leading them to the 10-7 win. The loss drops the Manatees to 4-6 while the Mets improve to 6-5. The Mets and the Manatees continue their three-game set Tuesday night at Space Coast Stadium with another 7:00 PM (6:00 Central) contest.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...208640.xml Backup catcher swats winner for Stars in 11th By JOHN FERRY Times Sports Staff jferry@htimes.com Jeff Winchester had no idea he would be a hero for the Huntsville Stars on Monday night at Joe Davis Stadium. No idea whatsoever. The Metairie, La., native was serving as bullpen catcher for his team in the series opener against the Mobile BayBears. The game went into extra innings, and the rosters became depleted. In the 11th inning, Winchester was needed at the plate. To bat. He came through. Nelson Cruz had singled, stolen second, and taken third on an infield out. Vinny Rottino was intentionally walked. With one out, Mobile pulled its outfield into little league depth. A fly ball of any distance would win it for the Stars. "It was a great situation to be in," said Winchester, who had been in the Colorado Rockies organization since 1998 before going with the Milwaukee Brewers system this season. "I just wanted to get something to the outfield." On a fast ball, Winchester used an easy swing and drove it beyond the outfielders, into right center. Cruz scored the winning run as Huntsville took a 2-1 victory. The win was the third straight for the Stars (4-7) while Mobile fell to 4-7 with its seventh straight loss. The Stars had scored a total of 17 runs on Saturday and Sunday in beating Carolina. Against Mobile on Monday, Huntsville still had offense, collecting 13 hits but struggled to get runs across. Winchester sees many bright days ahead. "This team has great potential," he said. "Our record is not the greatest but we've been in a lot of the games we have lost." Winchester added he believes the pitching staff is incredible, the Stars have veteran hitters, and he thinks the coaching staff headed by manager Don Money is good. The Stars broke on top briefly in the third. It began when Callix Crabbe's grounder was almost turned into a sensational fielding play by Mobile second-baseman Ronnie Merrill, but when the ball rolled behind him Crabbe legged it out for a double. With two out, Nelson Cruz singled past a diving Merrill and Crabbe came across for a 1-0 Stars lead. Mobile tied it two outs into the fourth inning when Corey Smith sent a homer over left-center. Huntsville had scoring opportunities in the second, seventh and eighth innings. In the second, Nelson Cruz and Ben Van Iderstine singled and Enrique Cruz walked. In the seventh, Van Iderstine and Enrique Cruz singled. In the eighth, Crabbe singled but was thrown out trying to steal second. Brandon Gemoll singled, Nelson Cruz doubled, and Gemoll was thrown out trying to come all the way around. Matt DeWitt, the fourth Huntsville pitcher, went two innings to get the win. R.D. Speihs went the final third of an inning and got the loss. Nelson Cruz went 4-for-5 to lead the Huntsville attack. Van Iderstine and Crabbe added two hits each. Huntsville and Mobile will play daytime games today and Wednesday. For today's contest, which begins at 12:05, Dennis Sarfate (0-1) will pitch for the Stars against Mike Thompson (1-0).