Jim Goulart

Timber Rattler DVR Alert -- MON. 4/10 vs. Burlington, 7:00 PM Spectrum Sports are available on channel 32 and in HD on channel 1332 in Eastern Wisconsin

Look for these just prior to the respective game times -- Colorado Springs Media Notes - Linked on the Sky Sox official blog Biloxi Media Notes - Linked on the Shuck Dynasty blog Carolina Media Notes - We'll have the host link posted shortly Wisconsin Media Notes - Linked on the Rattler Radio blog *** STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Northern Division AA - Southern League South Division High-A - Carolina League Southern Division A - Midwest League Western Division *** Sortable individual stat pages: Colorado Springs Biloxi Carolina Wisconsin *** Weather.com: Colorado Springs, CO Montgomery, AL Frederick, MD Davenport, IA

Follow Thursday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Colorado Springs Biloxi Carolina Wisconsin MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

Thursday's Daily Menu: Play ball, and welcome, Carolina! All times are Central Colorado Springs: LHP Josh Hader at home vs. Omaha (Royals), 7:10 PM pre-game, 7:40 gametime Free Live Audio Link Dan Karcher, the longtime play-by-play voice of the Sky Sox is on Twitter @SkySoxKarch; joining him again this season is Dan Acheson (@Dan_Acheson) MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Colorado Springs games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $49.99 season-long package ($12.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. The video of each game is archived online, which is a nice feature. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. NOTE: Notice that on MiLB.TV's page, you can click on "Filter", then "Milwaukee Brewers", and you'll see just the Crew's organizational TV lineup. ********** Biloxi: RHP Aaron Wilkerson at Montgomery (Rays), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Chris Harris is the play-by-play voice of the Shuckers. Follow Chris on Twitter @CHarris731. We'll be linking to his fantastic "Shuck Dynasty" blog. Erik Bremer (@Erik_Bremer) joins Chris often. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be radio broadcast. MiLB.TV - Eight of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games, and Biloxi is among them. Only games in Chattanooga and Mobile won't be available. ********** Carolina: RHP Corbin Burnes at Frederick (Orioles), 5:45 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Free Live Audio Link We look forward to Mudcats audio with Greg Young (@gregyoungjr), especially after going without gameday audio for much of the Brewers' stay in Brevard County. MiLB.TV - Yes, Carolina home games will be on MiLB.TV, sweet. It appears three other Carolina League teams (Salem, Myrtle Beach, and Winston-Salem) broadcast as well. No TV for this opening series in Frederick . ********** Wisconsin: RHP Zack Brown at Quad Cities (Astros), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime Free Live Audio Link Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio. MiLB.TV - Eight of the 16 Midwest League teams telecast their home games, and Wisconsin, once again, is among them. We'll let you know when a road TV feed is available. YES: Quad Cities does provide video coverage (River Bandits' audio). In 2017, fifteen games will be broadcast on Spectrum Sports in Wisconsin, available on channel 32 and in HD on channel 1332. We'll keep you posted with our "DVR Alerts" days in advance.

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Via Matt Eddy at Baseball America -- Colin Walsh, released by the Braves but quickly snapped up by Arizona on a minor league deal RHP Ryan Webb, snapped up quickly by San Francisco on a minor league deal after his Brewer release Players released, varying degrees of connectivity to the system over the years -- RHP Blaine Boyer (ATL), LHP Michael Kirkman (ATL), C Shawn Zarraga (CIN), LHP Caleb Thielbar (MIA), OF Josh Romanski (MIN)

Via Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects - Sweet player photos from Tuesday's FanFest scrimmage

AUDIO via WSSP 105.7 FM's Pre-Game Show Tue. 4/4: Listen to quotes from Craig Counsell's pre-game session with the media at the 04:30 minute mark, the "roundtable" with Bill Michaels and Kevin Holden is at 09:15, and quotes at the 20:30 mark from LHP Brent Suter and RHP Junior Guerra *** AUDIO via WTMJ's Matt Pauley Tue. 4/4: Game highlights and lowlights via the radio broadcast of the Rockies' 6-5 win

VIDEO via Fox 11 Sports: Timber Rattlers return to Fox Cities Stadium

Top prospect Lewis Brinson headlines a young, touted Sky Sox roster Brent Briggeman, Colorado Springs Gazette Lewis Brinson hasn't played in the major leagues just yet, but that didn't stop the Sky Sox center fielder from discussing goals that shot well past a call-up from Milwaukee. He'd like to one day be a 20/20 (home runs and stolen bases) guy. Or maybe 30/30. Heck, why stop there? "If your goal is not to get to the Hall of Fame, then why are you playing baseball?" said Brinson, the Brewers' top-rated prospect on Tuesday at a welcome luncheon at Security Service Field. "That's the way I look at it. You play the game to win the World Series and celebrate on the field with your brothers for eight months. "The other reason you play is to get in the Hall of Fame. That's the ultimate goal." The Triple-A season doesn't start until Thursday, but Brinson's bright-eyed optimism reflects the state of the Sky Sox as they enter a season with a young roster topped with several high-end prospects. The Brewers have rebuilt their minor league system in short order, trading valuable commodities in Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy over the past two years to help build a system ranked No. 8 by Baseball America in overall talent. And much of that talent is now in Colorado Springs. Brinson and left-handed pitcher Josh Hader are widely considered top-35 prospects. Right behind them within Milwaukee's system is right-hander Brandon Woodruff, the Brewers' minor league pitcher of the year last season. Outfielders Brett Phillips and Ryan Cordell could also be looking at big-league futures. "It's going to be a fun year," manager Rick Sweet said. If a brief cameo at the end of last season was any indication, watching Brinson might bring the most fun. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound 22-year-old batted .382 in 23 games for the Sky Sox after arriving from Texas in a trade for Lucroy. He is considered a five-tool prospect, which includes hitting, hitting for power, speed, defense and throwing arm. A native of Coral Springs, Fla., Brinson had the athleticism to play other sports but decided to focus on year-round baseball in middle school. "I just loved it," he said. "I fell in love with the sport and a very young age, and when you fall in love with it you just stick to it. I didn't want anything to keep me from playing baseball, so with basketball, football or anything else, I was like, 'I don't want to get hurt.' Baseball was always No. 1." This figures to be a unique season for the Sky Sox. This is not a roster with experienced MLB players looking for a return, like Will Middlebrooks, Michael McHenry and Eric Young Jr. last year. Instead, the veterans on the team are largely players who have logged only a partial season or two of big-league experience, while the core of the team will be made up of prospects like Brinson and Hader who hunger for that first taste. "We're going to have a lot of fun on and off the field," Brinson said. "We're going to make a lot of people smile in the stands. It's very exciting." *** Manager Rick Sweet on Tyler Cravy -- Tyler Cravy wasn't with the Sky Sox on Tuesday, two days after a messy demotion from Milwaukee. But his manager expects him Wednesday and believes the situation is resolved. "Look, your initial response is always negative," Colorado Springs manager Rick Sweet said. "He just expressed it outwardly. "That's how baseball is. Every year this happens. I thought the organization handled it very well. Cravy will be fine." Cravy appeared in 11 games for the Brewers in spring training, posting a 2.03 ERA and 0.60 WHIP. Sweet, who will manage Cravy for the second straight year in Triple-A, said the situation will not linger and such outpouring of emotion is to be expected in a competitive environment. "You get 25 high-energy athletes that all want to be successful, all think they're the best," Sweet said. "It's our job, my job to say, 'Yeah, yeah, you're right; now let's move forward. You want to be the first guy to get called up? You need to do this . ."

AUDIO via WSCO's "Big One with Marcus Phaff" Tue. 4/3: "Kyle Lobner (@BrewFrostyMug) talks Timber Rattlers" (go to the 13:40 minute mark)

VIDEO via FOX21 Colorado Springs: Brief interview clip (Lewis Brinson, Ryan Cordell, Nate Orf)

VIDEO via FOX21 Colorado Springs: Brief interview clip (Lewis Brinson, Ryan Cordell, Nate Orf) *** VIDEO via WXXV in Biloxi: Exhibition game highlights *** VIDEO via Fox 11 Sports: Timber Rattlers return to Fox Cities Stadium

Gotta love the headline on the Post-Crescent season preview (several quotes included, by the way). Brown to start Timber Rattlers’ season opener Thursday *** Photo Gallery from Tuesday's Fan Fest and scrimmage, via the Post-Crescent

Nottingham, Roache lead Shuckers to 6-0 win over the William Carey Crusaders 1,504 attend benefit exhibition to raise funds for tornado relief *** VIDEO: Nottingham goes deep "I'm just trying to get a good pitch to hit and hit something hard," Nottingham said. "I got a good pitch and put a good swing on it." Nottingham appears in good shape headed into Thursday's season opener at Montgomery. "I had my ups and downs (during the spring)," he said. "I had a little shoulder problem. I've been battling that a little bit. Once I got healthy everything felt good." *** Biloxi Sun-Herald: Photo gallery accompanies game story *** VIDEO via WXXV in Biloxi: Game highlights

AUDIO via WTMJ Tue. AM 4/4: Craig Counsell *** AUDIO via WSSP 105.7 FM Tue. 4/4 (Taped Mon. 4/3): Zach Davies *** AUDIO via the Bill Michaels Show Tue. 4/4: Adam McCalvy *** AUDIO via the Bill Michaels Show Tue. 4/4: Ed Sedar *** AUDIO via Dante De Caria's "Around The Diamond" Podcast: Tim Dillard (interview begins at the 07:15 minute mark) *** AUDIO via WSCO's "Big One with Marques Pfaff" Tue. 4/3: "Kyle Lobner (@BrewFrostyMug) rehashes Brewers Opening Day and talks Timber Rattlers" (go to the 13:40 minute mark) *** AUDIO via the Mike Heller Show Tue. 4/4: Tom Haudricourt (go to the 02:21:15 hour/minute mark)

Shuckers exhibition game vs. William Carey University is live this evening (AUDIO).

FYI - Converted catcher, now RHP, Parker Berberet was formally placed on the Helena paper roster. Not sure if he'll be with the Biloxi squad in person or in extended spring training in Maryvale. Note that catcher Natanael Mejia is listed as being on the "Temp Inactive" roster with Biloxi. Status of RHP's Junior Rincon and Josh Uhen unknown...

No LHP Andy Oliver, either injured or released, it seems.

Here is the "April 4th" Sky Sox roster. The press release linked above did not contain all the names, but the Sky Sox were kind enough to pass them along to us. Note that for each affiliate, we may not see the MiLB.com roster pages swap completely until Thursday. As noted in our other team threads, it seems each affiliate is going to have to come up with taxi squads / DL stints, etc., to get down to 25-man limits. The Sky Sox will need to find an off-roster home for one player. Thus this is called the "April 4th" roster and is subject to one or multiple changes. PITCHERS (13): Barbosa, Blazek, Burgos, Cravy, Dillard, Espino, Goforth, Hader, Kohlscheen, Magnifico, Scahill, Wang, Woodruff CATCHERS (2): Tyler Heineman, Adam Weisenburger INFIELDERS (7): Garrett Cooper, Ivan De Jesus, Jr., Nick Noonan, Gabriel Noriega, Nate Orf, Yadiel Rivera, Eric Sogard OUTFIELDERS (4): Lewis Brinson, Ryan Cordell, Brett Phillips, Kyle Wren Sure would appear that Brent Suter may be on his way to Milwaukee, filling the LH and long-relief role that Tommy Milone had (if Milone is sliding into Junior Guerra's starting spot).

Actually, this is not the "official" official roster release, because the Sky Sox did not send out a roster .pdf or update their MiLB roster page yet. So while it mentions several holdovers, it doesn't list any of the newcomers to the organization (Andrew Barbosa, Paolo Espino, Andy Oliver, Forrest Snow, Ivan De Jesus, Jr., Nick Noonan, Eric Sogard, and other likely members). *** Sky Sox Announce Preliminary Opening Day Roster The 30th season of Sky Sox baseball kicks off Thursday as they begin their third season as the top affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Springs Sky Sox are excited to announce the team's preliminary Opening Day roster for the 2017 Pacific Coast League season. The season gets underway on Thursday, April 6th at Security Service Field against the Omaha Storm Chasers with first pitch slated for 6:40 PM MDT. The preliminary 26-man roster contains 13 pitchers, two catchers, seven infielders and four outfielders. The roster will be cut down to 25 prior to Thursday's season opener. The Sky Sox roster features three of Milwaukee's top-10 prospects, according to Baseball America, including the top two overall prospects in outfielder Lewis Brinson (1) and pitcher Josh Hader (2). Pitcher Brandon Woodruff joins Brinson and Hader as Milwaukee's top-prospects on the Sky Sox roster. Brinson (1), Hader (3) and Woodruff (8) are joined by outfielders Brett Phillips (10) and Ryan Cordell (16) as 2017 Sky Sox rated in the top-20 on MLB Pipeline's list of top Brewers prospects. 2017 Sky Sox Roster The roster includes eight members of Milwaukee's current 40-man roster. That list includes Brinson, Phillips, Cordell and Hader as well as infielder Yadiel Rivera and pitchers Michael Blazek, Tyler Cravy and Damien Magnifico. The team will have a familiar look for Sky Sox fans as 15 players on the roster spent time in Colorado Springs last season. That list includes Brinson, Rivera, Hader, Cravy, Blazek and Magnifico as well as pitchers Hiram Burgos, Tim Dillard, David Goforth, Rob Scahill, Wei-Chung Wang, catcher Adam Weisenburger, infielders Garrett Cooper and Nate Orf and outfielder Kyle Wren. As the season rapidly approaches, fans are reminded that they can listen to every 2017 Sky Sox game on XTRA Sports AM 1300. The 30th season of Sky Sox Baseball begins April 6, 2017. For information about the Sky Sox and the 2017 season at Security Service Field, please call (719) 597-1449 or email info@skysox.com. Get the latest Sky Sox news online at www.skysox.com, like us on Facebook or follow the team on Twitter at @skysox.

San Diego Union-Tribune: Miguel Diaz a bright spot in opening-day drubbing

AUDIO via WSSP 105.7 FM Mon. AM 4/3: Adam McCalvy *** AUDIO via WSSP 105.7 FM Mon. AM 4/3: Tim Allen *** AUDIO via WSSP 105.7 FM Mon. AM 4/3: Ed Sedar *** AUDIO via the Bill Michaels Show Mon. 4/3: Eric Goodman, Afternoon Drive Co-Host on Mile High Sports Radio in Denver, looks at the expectations for this Colorado Rockies team.

AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Mark Attanasio and Bob Uecker *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: David Stearns *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Jeff Levering *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: More with Jerry Augustine *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Craig Counsell *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Jett Bandy

AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Manny Pina *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Zach Davies *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Travis Shaw (go the 04:05 minute mark) *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Ed Sedar *** AUDIO via the Bill Michaels Show Mon. 4/3: "Kevin Holden of CBS 58 and Andrew Wagner of the Sports Xchange weigh in on the Brewers' expectations for this season. The guys discuss lineups, the Brewers' strong farm system, and is Junior Guerra for real?" *** AUDIO via WTMJ Mon. 4/3: Keon Broxton *** AUDIO via the Bill Michaels Show Mon. 4/3: "Joe and Ebo from 106.7 FM/1670 AM The Zone in Madison weigh in with their Brewers' predictions for this season. What do they make of Tyler Cravy's '9 to 5' comments?"