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Pretty funny and ironic listening to a very detailed and extensive Corey Hart interview while Wes Helms was striking out with runners in scoring position for the third consecutive AB tonight.... Except for the truly ridiculous LOB follies of the Brewers tonight, this is a heck of a game...

Corey Hart an in-game guest of Jim Powell here in the 5th... Catch the convenient recent pre-game interviews with Ben Hendrickson, Prince Fielder, and Hart here... www.brewersradionetwork.com/archive.asp

7-0, I've invested a couple of hours in this one. Good thing I taped Survivor http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif , it's time to bail out. Hopefully Matt Kinney is a solid # 5 pitcher for the Crew next year, but that's it. We can talk until we're blue in the face about Sexson, Jenkins, Pods, Fielder, etc. -- it won't mean a thing until there's a legitimate starting rotation in place.

Season begins September 30th. You'll find all the box scores and Brewer news within this thread. If possible, please include any future AFL discussion within this thread as well (easier for eventual archiving). Although the AFL has been around since 1992, general managers started to make better use of it and featured more top prospects in the late 90's. Sometimes it's fun to go back and look at some of the past teams -- Top Prospect Alert does a nice recap each year: 1999 - Robinson Cancel © didn't get to play a lot on his AFL team because of being behind Mitch Meluskey, but hit well when he played (.303, .455, .361). He doesn't hit a lot of homeruns, but has nice line drive power and a pretty swing. His minor league batting averages have generally been good, but he really excelled after being promoted to AAA in '99, hitting .368 for Louisville. With Nilsson not coming back to the Brewers, Cancel could get a good shot in spring training .......... I previously wrote about how much I liked Chad Green's (OF) hell-bent style of play, and I think he acquitted himself well in the AFL. After a real mediocre season in AA, threatening to drop Green out of prospect status, he came back in the fall to hit .291 with five homers and six stolen bases. He's got a lot of intangibles, too, kind of like Lenny Dykstra in his prime. But he's got to avoid injuries to even have an outside shot at ever making it .......... Bucky Jacobsen (OF/1B) is another Brewer coming off a poor minor league season, but he really turned it around offensively in Arizona (.329, .624, .400). He's slow and not much of an outfielder. Also, he's already 24, and his only AA experience was a disaster. It's hard to tell if he'll have any kind of chance at the majors ........... Josh Klimek (3B/1B) --- .239 at AA + .174 in the AFL = roster filler with not much chance to advance ........... Valerio de los Santos (RP), who had such promise after a strong '98 season, was injured for much of '99. I didn't have a chance to see him in the AFL, but his numbers weren't good (6.98 ERA, .333 OBA). He was probably here to just get in a few extra innings, so his AFL performance isn't indicative of his potential. Besides, I just love that name, and the way it rolls off the tongue .......... Brian Passini (SP/RP) was good at AA and terrible at AAA in '99. Every time I saw him in the AFL, he got lit up. But he finished with a 4.29 ERA, so he must have had at least a few good outings. Passini's a big, hard throwing lefty, so probably still worth watching. 1999 bonus (Astros): Keith Ginter (2B) is one of those "low tools, high production" kind of guys. Despite playing only part-time, he led his AFL team with 10 doubles, and posted strong offensive numbers (.306, .459, .433). He's only played a few games above class A, so he still might have a career 2000: Nick Neugebauer (SP) came into the 2000 season ranked as Milwaukee's number one prospect despite limited pro experience. I saw nothing in his AFL performance to indicate that he's not a future #1 or #2 starter in Milwaukee's rotation. His fastball touches into the high 90s, while his curve ball was better than advertised. His final AFL ERA of 5.14 was skewed by a bad performance on the last day of the season and his other numbers weren't exceptional, but that doesn't stop me from declaring Neugebauer as one of the top pitchers in the AFL this season. This is one time when you need to ignore the stats and go on impression. There were at least two games in which he "no hit" the opponents during his portion of the game, so he showed his ability to dominate a game when he's on. I'll look forward to seeing Neugebauer pitch for the Brewers in spring training next season ....... Local high school and college product Mark Ernster (INF) came to the AFL with unimpressive minor league numbers in his two pro seasons since leaving ASU, but hit well for Maryvale while playing mostly at shortstop. Especially impressive was his total of five triples (tying teammate Donzell McDonald for the league lead) on his way to a slugging percentage of .505 to go with a .343 OBP. Ernster has probably been targeted a a potential utility infielder, and a strong AA season in 2001 will keep him moving up the ladder ....... Scott Kirby (OF/1B) has had a roller coaster minor league career, and his AFL season was a microcosm of the same. He hit well in spells, finishing with passable numbers (.265/.362/.398). His walk total of 17 was good, but he struck out too much (28 Ks in 113 ABs). He may need to repeat AA and improve on his 2000 stats ....... Brian Moon © was a part-time catcher who showed occasional line drive power, but he's still pretty much a singles hitter who strikes out too much (17 Ks in 64 ABs). His final numbers were OK for a backup, but it's questionable whether he's a major league prospect ....... Jose Garcia (SP/RP) missed all of the 1999 season to injury, but made up for lost time in 2000 with a nice AA season and a respectable fall league showing (3.75 ERA, 23 Ks in 24 IPs). He needs to cut down on his walks, although he shows decent command. 2000 bonus (Astros): Keith Ginter (2B) returned to the AFL after a breakout season in AA. But that success didn't carry over to his second fall season, as he hit only .219/.337/.397. I still regard him as a potential utility man instead of a major league regular, but let's see how he does in AAA. 2001: Bill Hall (SS) attracted a lot of positive attention for his skills and athleticism. Despite playing only part of 2001 above class A, Hall was not overmatched in Arizona, hitting .291/.342/.478 with four homers. He made 10 errors in his 33 games at shortstop, but those totals usually go down as young shortstops gain more experience ... Jeff Deardorff (OF) showed a lot of power (five HRs in 66 ABs, .530 SLP), but his plate discipline was terrible (23-1 K/BB ratio). The right-handed hitter was one of the stars for Team USA in the World Cup tournament. He'll need to learn to lay off bad pitches as he advances past AA ball ... Matt Childers (P) had an impressive Fall, with a 3.19 ERA, .244 OBA, 1.13 WHIP and a very good 19-3 K/BB ratio ... Brian Mallette (P) worked as a closer for his Maryvale team with decent success. His ERA of 3.79 was good and he struck out 21 batters in 19 IPs ... Matt Parker (P) was making the jump from class A and had trouble with AFL batters (.365 OBA, 10.89 ERA) ... Paul Stewart (P) also got hit hard (.347), but was a little more successful than Parker at keeping runners from scoring (4.76 ERA). 2002: The team with one of the worst records in baseball in 2002 has at least a few bright prospects coming through their system. Milwaukee sent both of their potential future shortstops to the AFL, and it was clear who is the better prospect ... Bill Hall (SS) took a big step backwards after a strong 2001 season. He didn't play well in AAA nor did he do much in his second AFL year after coming to Arizona midway through the fall season, hitting .175 with only one extra base hit in 57 ABs . His ability to play shortstop at the major league level has also been questioned ... The younger J.J. Hardy (SS), who reached AA in July, showed much more potential than Hall. While hitting only .221 in 68 AFL ABs, Hardy smacked a couple of homeruns. He has nice bat control and a good swing. He's also a better defensive player and, at 20, is three years younger than Hall ... Corey Hart (3B/1B) was Milwaukee's best player in the AFL; he hit .275/.327/.443 with 10 doubles, three triples and three homers in 149 ABs. The lanky corner infielder also stole five bases. He's got a nice stroke and can go to all fields, but needs to cut down on the strikeouts (46 Ks in 149 ABs). It's uncertain whether Hart, who played most of 2002 in high Class A, can play third base at the major league level. With Richie Sexson entrenched at first base, perhaps a move to the outfield is in Hart's future ... Dave Krynzel (OF), one of Milwaukee's top-ranked prospects, played well in limited time, batting .361/.452/.500 in 36 ABs. The left-handed hitter brings a nice combo of gap power and speed to the game. There's no reason to think Krynzel won't be Milwaukee's starting center fielder by 2004, perhaps even sooner ... Mike Adams (P) jumped three levels for the Brewers in 2002, pitching well out of the bullpen for both A teams and Class AA Huntsville. He continued his solid work in the AFL, pitching 17 strong innings (2.65 ERA, .254 OBA, 21-8 K/BB ratio). At 24, Adams needs to keep moving quickly through the system. As a non-drafted player, he could be a sleeper ... Ryan Miller (P) came in late as a replacement for Matt Childers and pitched well, with only one shaky outing. The right-hander struck out 12 in 10.2 IPs. Control was an issue for Miller, as he walked nine batters. He will be 25 next spring ... David Pember (P) received a call-up to Milwaukee after a strong AA season, but something wasn't working for him in the AFL. In five starts, he recorded a 12.89 ERA and a .451 OBA. This is a very small sampling, so there's no need to panic yet. Corey Hart in the always-cool Seguaros' logo hat: http://www.topprospectalert.com/AZFall/images/chart2.jpg

More disabled list activations, a paper necessity when the season ends: Huntsville: RHP Ben Diggins RHP Mike Jones Beloit: LHP Manny Parra OF Steve Moss

If i was correct was today the date the brewers must pick the other player from Stl Already done: pub123.ezboard.com/fbrewe...=1&stop=20

The Cardinals are a mess, they basically need a sweep of this four-game set. Still not sure where my utter distaste for the Cards comes from, but they look ripe for the picking. Tomko had a complete game win last time out -- he'll get shelled tonight. Wes gets a well-deserved victory party tonight.

This will complete our thank you's, we believe! Awesome job by Mark McCarter and his co-workers covering the Stars for the Huntsville Times, surpassed only by the High Desert coverage, which included nearly all road games as well. Huntsville Times Game Story: Quotes, of course.. www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...136480.xml Mark McCarter's Season-Ending Column on the Stars: Love the "J.J. Hardy, the world's oldest 21-year-old" comment; there's a reason you've read McCarter in the Sporting News and other national publications -- he's damn good, and tosses some love to the "non-sexy" Milwaukee affiliation in this piece... www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...136480.xml

It'll be pretty quiet on the minor league transaction front for the next couple of weeks. Just cleaning up things here, the Brewers returned catcher Charlie Lozada (see above) to Helena's roster after the whole Mike Kremblas (will he be available for the playoff thing) played itself out.

Archiving David Weiser's season-ending report via cut-and-paste: THE LAST TOMORROWI'm sure it was a long ride back home for season-ticket holder and former Stars catcher Jimmy Jones and his family, Coach Funk, who drove down from Milwaukee, the few intrepid ones who drove over 550 miles to Five County Stadium, General Manager Bryan Dingo and Office Manager Earl Grilliot. I'm sure they were disappointed and I was, too....... But as far as I'm concerned this season was a total success....... I told Stars radio voice Robert Portnoy when I met him back in January that this team had the talent to go all the way. Anything less than a Division Title would be disappointing, given Dean Taylor's effort to produce a farm system that would turn the Brewers around in due time.......... Taylor was never given the chance to see his hard work through. It takes time to build a winning team, but I felt going back to 2K, that when Taylor's most acclaimed players ---players like Dave Krynzel, J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart, Ben Hendrickson, and Mike Jones were ready to come here, the Stars would have a Championship-caliber club........ 2003 was supposed to be the year, with seven of the top 12 players in the Milwaukee organization at our park, and it was. And even though the Stars didn't win the Championship, they came as close as they could. For me, the 2003 team will be no less a success than the 1986 team --- whose .289 average led the league and the virulent run-producing team of 1997........ The work of the first wave is done. They'll go on to Indianapolis next year, perhaps managed by Frank Kremblas, who is being interviewed in Milwaukee, and who will probably be rewarded for his success. Next year, or in 2005, the second wave will arrive at Joe Davis Stadium --- Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Anthony Gwynn, Manny Parra, Dennis Sarfate, Jason Belcher, Tom Wilhelmsen and others........ The Stars have never gone more than two seasons without a playoff appearance since 1985 --- its first season of existence. The legacy of former G.M. Dean Taylor, as well as scouting director Jack Zduriencik, and present Brewer G.M. Doug Melvin will continue next season --- the 20th season for the Huntsville Stars --- when they open at the Joe, April 8, against the Montgomery Biscuits. The Stars had first crack to take the offensive in this game....... In the top of the 5th inning, Brandon Gemoll hit a 2-2 pitch high over Matt Padgett's head in right field and high off the wall. He might have been able to leg out a double, but Padgett played the carom perfectly, so all he got was a loud single........ Two outs later, he was on third........ Kade Johnson was intentionally walked to put runners on the corners. That brought up Greg Bruso....... With such a deep bullpen in a do-or-die game, however, manager Frank Kremblas made the fateful (and dumb) decision to allow Bruso to hit for himself, instead of sending up a left-hander --- either Alejandro Machado or Daryl Clark --- to hit. Apparently his rationale was to save his bench if this game got close........ As a result, Bruso popped out to short to kill the threat. Instead of going with Chris Saenz, who has been effective during the playoffs, and ready, the Mudcats rally against Bruso....... With two out in the bottom of the fifth, Trevor Hutchinson singles through the right side, his 2nd hit of the game........ Jesus Medrano, who wound up hitting .333 in the series, singled up the middle on the first pitch he saw........ The bullpen remained quiet....... Chip Ambres walked on four pitches, then Padgett, with the bases loaded, and ahead 2-and-1 on the count, hit a ball off the 30-foot wall in right over Noochie Varner's head. It cleared the bases and the Mudcats had all they needed in this game to win their first Southern League Championship since 1995. The Stars died hard....... After two quick outs in the bottom of the 9th, the Mudcats almost came apart at the seams, failing to execute two simply plays in the infield....... Johnson hit a ball to Jesus Medrano that should have been the third out, but it went right through his legs into right field. A little too anxious, apparently. He didn't stay down long enough with the glove ...... Pinch-hitting for Mike Adams, Clark chops a ball to Medrano, who tosses to reliever Mike Flannery covering, but the ball gets away and dribbles into the dugout....... Kade crosses home plate, but the umpires refuse to award the run, even though he was already at third before the ball went into the dugout. Frank Kremblas goes over to talk to the crew chief, third base ump Cameron Keller and Keller confers with Scott Kennedy, the plate ump, but it does no good...... It came down to Chris Barnwell, one of only three Huntsville hitters to hit over .200 during the post-season. With a 1-2 count, Barney hit a line drive into left-center field. Chip Ambres chased it down and recorded the final out of the season for the Stars. Huntsville's pitching was outstanding during the post-season. The bullpen, especially. They logged a 1.60 ERA and none of the runs they gave up lost the Stars the game. Huntsville's rotation finished with a 3.36 ERA, decent enough, but not enough to compensate for their timely, but arid performance at the plate........ The Stars hit .178 in the post-season, .161 vs. Carolina....... They played ten straight games without getting more than nine hits in a game, longer than any stretch during the regular season...... Krynzel, who got off on an 0-for-15 start, recovered nicely and hit .292 in the last six games of the post-season. It's been work, but it's been a pleasure for me to keep this web site updated throughout the season........ Nearly 9,000 of you have visited since the season began to see how my team, and maybe yours did during the season, and I thank you all, for it wouldn't be much motivation for me to work hard into the night to work on this site without the appreciation of many you who have told ------ parents and relations of the players, former players, Jim Goulart and the gang at brewerfan.net, my friend Robert Portnoy and the staff of the Huntsville Stars, former voice of the Stars, Steve Kornya, my friends the Boosters, my friends at the stadium, SABR member Jim Sandoval, my cousin Steve and Stevie Jr. in New Jersey, and everyone else I couldn't mention. Thank you, again. I'll be back next year, but for now I'm going to get a break from this........ I'll continue to update this site during the off-season with stats and the latest news on the Huntsville Stars and the Southern League, so check back from time to time. You never know what you'll find here.......... Until then, I leave you with this last treat. My choice of the ten best games of the season. In reverse order. See ya later. 10) Jeff Housman's debut. Date: July 20 For the first time since August 5, 2001, two pitchers were brought out to make their Double-A debut with the Stars. Game one belonged to Housman, a lefty sinker-baller jumping up from Beloit. All Housman did was throw 62 pitches, recording 12 groundouts in mowing down Diamond Jaxx hitters. Although he did not record a single strikeout, he didn't have to. He went to a three-ball count only three times in this game to defeat Jackson, 10-0. 9) Jason Shelley's debut. Date: July 20 I thought Housman's debut was good, but in game two, right-hander Shelley, a former strikeout ace in the independent Frontier League, struck out 10 while walking no one in dominating the Diamond Jaxx for a double-shutout on the day. Shelley threw 87 pitches in recording a three-hit, 1-0 shutout, only the 2nd complete game of the season, joining Luis Martinez. 8) Luis Martinez' complete game over Mobile. Date: June 2 With a pennant push on, the Stars maintained a 3½ game lead over Birmingham, thanks to Luis Martinez, who was dazzling. Luis threw five no-hit innings, then carried a 3-hitter into the 9th against Mobile. An error led to three unearned runs in the final frame, but thanks to a lot of help at the plate, Luis was able to register the Stars' first complete 9-inning game since David Pember's on July 23, 2002. 7) Stars rally for 2-1 Series lead over Carolina. Date: Sept. 12 Another night, another comeback as the Stars came within one game of winning the league championship. Down 3-0, Carolina's ace pitcher Donnie Bridges was working on a no-hitter when the walls came crumbling down for him in the 6th inning. A hit batter was followed by doubles by Alejandro Machado, Dave Krynzel, and J.J. Hardy. All of a sudden, the game was tied, 3-3. Mike Kremblas, 1-for-12, opting to stay with the club rather than to attend a family wedding, ripped a pitch to center for the decisive 2-run single that won the game for the Stars. 6) Dave Krynzel's game-saving catch. Date: May 2 Now that might cause you to say which one, without knowing the date. Krynzel has drawn comparisons to Jim Edmonds, Johnny Damon, and Tim Salmon for their spectacular diving catches, but this caused Stars GM Bryan Dingo to exclaim that this one "was the best I've ever seen at Joe Davis Stadium." Krinkles preserved a 1-0 victory for Mike Jones, who allowed only three runners on two singles and a walk over seven innings, while fanning eight. Kryznel's sac bunt set up the only run of this game on Corey Hart's grounder, but it was the 9th inning that people remember. With Chris Haas on first and no one out, Steve Smitherman launched a searing drive to right-center. Krynzel, racing deep into the alley, leapt at the wall, reached over it, and robbed Smitherman of the potential game-winning HR. But that wasn't all. Krynzel threw a dart to first base to double-up Haas, who had already rounded second. Out of the many brilliant catches Krynzel made this year, this was the topper. 5) Mike Kremblas' 4-hit, 4-RBI day. Date: May 31 Mike Kremblas arrived in Huntsville, April 11, with the burden of replacing popular catcher Brian Moon and fending off charges of nepotism. For this moment, fans forgot all that. On a Saturday night at the Joe, with the Stars trailing Mobile, 4-1 in the bottom of the 7th, Kremblas stepped up to the plate with two out and the bases loaded. Hitting just .145 going into the game, Kremblas hit a fast ball by Alan Webb up the middle for a clutch single driving in two runs to bring the Stars within one. In the 9th, Kremblas came up again with two out and Chris Barnwell representing the tying run on second. Kremblas came up only after Jake Gautreau had booted a double-play grounder that would have ended the game. He seized the opportunity and hit a breaking ball from Mike Bumstead up the middle for another hit, scoring Barnwell and sending the game into extra innings. Finally in the 11th, Brad Baker walked Daryl Clark and Richard Paz to set the stage again for Kremblas. On a 1-1 pitch and the runners going, Kremblas smacked a sharp single to right, scoring Clark with the winning run, a 5-4 victory for the Stars. 4) Luis Martinez' first start of the season. Date: April 5 Even though the season had barely got underway, I knew this was going to be one for the book. It took 13 innings and had more twists than a Robert Ludlum novel, but the Stars prevailed over Jacksonville, 2-1. In the 6th with a runner on third and one out, Brennan King hit a sharp bouncer to Corey Hart. Nick Alvarez broke for the plate on contact, but Corey's throw was rifled on target to Joel Alvarado. Alvarado took a ferocious hit, but held onto the ball, preserving the scoreless tie. With the Stars up 1-0 in the 8th, King hit a smash to right-center with Derek Michaelis on first. Dave Krynzel sped into the alley and made a spectacular diving catch to rob King of an extra-base hit to possibly tie the game. Finally in the 13th, with runners on first and second, Corey Hart hit a double play ball to short. Dave Detienne's feed to 2nd baseman Victor Diaz was perfect, but the relay to first was way off line. Ryan Knox had broken for third on contact and he never hesitated going around the base. He slid home ahead of the throw for a 2-1 win. But lost in all this excitement was the plain fact that Luis, who had been very inconsistent during the 2002 season, did what no one at the Joe thought he could do --- he struck out 11 Jacksonville hitters in just 5 innings, falling two short of the club record, while pitching a somewhat messy no-hitter. (He also walked 4, hit two batters, and exited after 84 pitches). Five Stars pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts in that game. 3) The catch by Noochie in Game 4. Date: September 6. I struggled with the decision to put this one at the top of the heap, but in the end, decided not. No rivalry in the league can match the Stars and Barons. Here they were again in the playoffs for the 4th time in their history and they were trading shutouts when they weren't trading barbs and insinuations at each other. Facing one of the most outstanding pitchers in the league, and Birmingham always seems to get more than their share, Neal Cotts struck out 10 in 6 innings, and was trying to hammer nails in Huntsville's coffin, but the Stars would come to life in the 5th, scoring twice, the first run scoring on a moment of hesitation by 1st baseman Gabe Alvarez. Alvarez finally threw home, but too late to get Brandon Gemoll at the plate. Alejandro Machado's RBI single, his first of the playoffs, capped the inning. From there, it was up to the Stars defense. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and two out, Danny Sandoval sent a drive to the warning track in right field. Noochie Varner looked straight back over his head on the dead run and made a catch reminiscent of the one Willie Mays made in the 1954 World Series off the bat of Cleveland's Vic Wertz. About a dozen fans drove from Huntsville to Birmingham to witness it, and I wish I had been one of them. To stamp a proper coda on the game, J.J. Hardy made an incredible diving catch in the grass beyond the infield to end the game. 2) Kade Johnson's "walkoff" HR to win Game 2. Date: Sept. 10 Only three other times in history had a Stars hitter come up to the plate and win a playoff game in the 9th with a home run, but only one other time, had it been done at the Joe. That was in 1997. Strangely enough, there were a couple of similarites between Mike Neill's dramatic home run and Kade Johnson's. Both came in extra innings --- Neill's in the 10th and Kade's in the 12th --- and both were the leadoff hitters for the Stars in their respective innings. Kade Johnson came up to the plate a 1-for-16 hitter during the playoffs when he hit Jose Cueto's first pitch, a 1-0 offering, deep to left. If you were there that Wednesday night, you heard the crack and knew it was going to go. And like the Game 4 thriller at the Joe vs. Mobile in 1997, the Stars had to come from behind to win. The Stars were down 4-1 when their speed led to a couple of big 7th inning runs, J.J. Hardy knocking them in on a double inside the first base bag to cut Carolina's lead to 4-3. Still down by a run in the 9th, Dave Krynzel tied the game after reaching third on one of Carolina's six errors on a diving stop by Josh Willingham at first base. Brandon Gemoll had hit a bullet on the ground toward first, but the ball popped out of Willingham's glove and his only choice was to first. Carolina used seven pitchers in a vain effort and Huntsville, after losing Game One, avoided a two-game deficit --- certain death --- in the Championship Series. 1) The Stars win the West. Date: Sept. 7 Having fought back twice to tie the Western Division Series, the Stars closed the deal with pitching and defense, the two ingredients that got them there since April. It was tense, as you would expect a Game Five to be, from beginning to end. Wally Backman had brought back Enemencio Pacheco on three days rest. Pacheco, who had chained the Stars in Game One with a complete game 2-hitter, was matched against Greg Bruso, one of the last acquisitions the Stars made during the regular season, hence nearly no one in the league had seen him. Birmingham had though, and maybe that worked to Bruso's advantage, rather than the other way around since the Barons gave him an early exit on Bruso's debut on August 25. The Stars opened the 5th on a one-out single by Dave Krynzel, who had finally broken out of an 0-for-15 slump in the series. J.J. Hardy followed with a double down the right field line to score Krynzel with the game's first run. With two out, Brandon Gemoll brought Hardy home with a single to right. The Stars staved off a few threats. In the 4th, the Barons with two out, put runners on first and second, but got Carlos Maldonaldo to pop out. Then in the 7th, the Barons led off with a single by Gabe Alvarez and a double into the right field corner by Scott Bikowski, the only Barons hitter who had any success during the series against Huntsville. Bikowksi reached third on a ground ball by Hardy, but the potential tying run was stranded by Guillermo Reyes, who popped out harmlessly to Chris Barnwell. The Barons left a runner on third in the 8th inning and the final knock came in the 9th, when with one out and Juan Piniella on first, Maldonado hit a deep fly ball to right field, but Noochie Varner caught the ball in front of the track to position the Stars just one out away from a Western Division Crown.

Well, now we're just getting too mushy here with all the verbal bouquets, but let me say this: David Weiser was doing his Huntsville thing long before Brewerfan came around, but man, are we glad to have him. Whether breaking stories, confirming rumors, providing countless first-hand accounts, or pulling statistical analysis of milestones and oddities out of his hat in a "How did he know that?" matter, what an asset he is. I'm sure in turn he's thrilled that his readership can be increased many times over and his work archived thanks to Brewerfan. It appears that the Milwaukee / Huntsville relationship is strong, and it seems their player development contract will likely be renewed in 2005 for at least two more years, with the only possible point of contention being the condition of Joe Davis Stadium. We know we'll have David for at least one more year -- here's to hoping it's many more! Have a great offseason, David! We know you'll be reading, and you know how to reach us with any updates. Here's David's season-ending report. We'll cut and paste it here, but since it will be online for many weeks, we suggest you view David's site directly here as well: www.starsboxscore.com/

Huntsville Site Game Summary: We'll have the Huntsville Times coverage when it's available by mid-afternoon... www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=334

Kolb's second blown save, but his first as a closer. His other came in a 7th inning appearance shortly after his arrival.

Huntsville Game Story from SportsTicker: The one thing the Stars did all year was hit with men in scoring position (around .270, 30 points higher than their overall average, so it was ironic that today's final loss came down to stranding too many baserunners... ZEBULON, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Matt Padgett drove in all four runs to lead the Carolina Mudcats to a 4-1 victory over the Huntsville Stars in the decisive game of the Southern League Championship Series. Padgett, who led Carolina with 76 RBI during the regular season, snapped a scoreless tie with a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the fifth inning and added an RBI single in the seventh to account for the final margin. Jesus Medrano finished with three singles and a walk in four trips to the plate, scoring twice for the Mudcats, who rallied from a two games to one deficit to take home their first league title since 1995. Trevor Hutchinson (1-0) retired the first nine men he faced and finished with five innings pitched, allowing one run and just three hits to grab the win. Mike Flannery worked a scoreless ninth, recording the final out with two men on base, to earn his second save of the postseason. Corey Hart singled in the only run of the game for Huntsville, which left nine men on base, including three at third. Greg Bruso (1-1) surrendered three runs and six hits in five innings to suffer the loss. Huntsville Box Score: Pretty ugly post-season batting averages... GAME DATE: 9/14/03 HUNTSVILLE 1 AT CAROLINA 4 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG CAROLINA AB R H BI AVG C.Barnwell 2B 4 1 1 0 .259 J.Medrano 2B 3 2 3 0 .263 D.Krynzel CF 4 0 1 0 .179 C.Ambres CF 2 1 0 0 .231 J.Hardy SS 4 0 0 0 .256 M.Padgett RF 4 0 2 4 .267 C.Hart 3B 3 0 1 1 .171 J.Willingham 3B 4 0 0 0 .387 B.Gemoll 1B 4 0 1 0 .216 C.Aguila LF 4 0 0 0 .216 N.Varner RF 3 0 0 0 .200 C.Ashby 1B 4 0 1 0 .421 B.Nelson LF 4 0 0 0 .114 D.Niles SS 4 0 0 0 .125 K.Johnson CAT 3 0 0 0 .087 R.Jorgensen CAT 3 0 0 0 .261 G.Bruso PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 T.Hutchinson PIT 2 1 2 0 .333 C.Saenz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Fesh PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Machado PH 1 0 0 0 .176 P.Magness PH 1 0 0 0 .200 M.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Gracesqui PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Clark PH 1 0 0 0 .000 M.Flannery PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 1 4 1 TOTALS 31 4 8 4 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 1 4 0 CAROLINA 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 X- 4 8 2 E--J.Medrano, M.Flannery. DP--HUNTSVILLE 0, CAROLINA 0. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 9, CAROLINA 6. 2B--C.Ashby (2). 3B--M.Padgett (1). CS--J.Medrano. HBP--C.Barnwell. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE G.Bruso (L,1-1) 5.0 6 3 3 2 3 0 3.00 C.Saenz 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 M.Adams 2.0 2 1 1 1 1 0 0.96 CAROLINA T.Hutchinson (W,1-0) 5.0 3 1 1 1 1 0 2.87 S.Fesh 2.0 1 0 0 1 3 0 2.13 F.Gracesqui 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 M.Flannery (S,2) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.86 HB--T.Hutchinson. WP--S.Fesh. SO--J.Hardy, B.Gemoll 2, G.Bruso, A.Machado, M.Padgett, C.Ashby 2, D.Niles, R.Jorgensen. BB--C.Hart, N.Varner, K.Johnson, J.Medrano, C.Ambres 2. T--2:25. A--1108

Yes, it's way after the fact for Saturday's Game Four, but this Huntsville Times game story takes an interesting look at "Bat-gate": www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...177990.xml Huntsville Stars' Championship History: 1985, 1994 - A's, 2001 - Brewers... www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...177991.xml Don't forget to check out the latest Brewerfan cover story interview (with David Krynzel), courtesy of Michael Clifton (madbad)... www.brewerfan.net/fullArt...icleId=161

Sunday's Daily Menu : While Huntsville friends and family will be tuned in today, it's just a tough time for most of the general Brewerfan readership, most likely. Mainly, the NFL has arrived, and if you're like me, a family man, it's just impossible to say "Honey, let's not enjoy this beautiful early September Sunday outside so I can tie myself to Robert Portnoy's voice for three hours." So, since it's my post, let me just thank the Stars for a fine season regardless of today's outcome, while admitting that, I had better be reading about a Huntsville championship when I check out the board tonight http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif . Please, fans, feel free to update everyone here as the game progresses -- it's the last Link Report of the year -- make it a good one! HUNTSVILLE: RHP Greg Bruso at Carolina (Marlins), 1:00 PM Central Time - pre-game at 12:45 PM; best-of-five tied at two apiece Audio link: espn1450.com/

Carolina had scheduled left-hander David Marchbanks to go in Game Five, but it looks like they'll go with Trevor Hutchinson on short rest. Does that sound familiar?......... Hutchinson threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings in Game One, allowing just three hits, but short rest didn't work for Enemencio Pacheco as well as manager Wally Backman thought it would, so it seems likely that the Stars will see Marchbanks at some point....... Marchbanks made his Double-A debut on the last day of the season vs. Orlando......... Ungs threw 118 pitches for Carolina in authoring the only nine-inning complete game for the Mudcats this year.......... The Stars, again, will go with Greg Bruso (1-1, 3.60). Actually, the difference here, David, is that there was no off (travel) day in the Birmingham series, and there was here. So Trevor Hutchinson will be pitching on four days' rest. Which makes you wonder if Ben Hendrickson was considered for today's start. Perhaps if Greg Bruso hadn't pitched so well in a do-or-die game already, Ben would be on the mound. We're hearing that Ben will be the first man out of the pen if Bruso struggles early, and while that will be an adjustment for Hendrickson, it's not like he'd be asked to close or anything. Warm up and make your pitches. The Stars better not let this decision distract them from their task -- play defense and string together some offense, which they've basically done in all of one inning thus far this series.

Huntsville Box Score: GAME DATE: 9/13/03 HUNTSVILLE 1 AT CAROLINA 7 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG CAROLINA AB R H BI AVG A.Machado 2B 4 0 1 0 .182 J.Medrano 2B 4 2 2 0 .200 D.Krynzel CF 4 0 0 0 .171 C.Ambres CF 5 1 1 0 .250 J.Hardy SS 4 1 1 0 .286 M.Padgett RF 5 1 2 1 .231 C.Hart 3B 4 0 0 0 .156 J.Willingham 3B 4 0 3 0 .444 B.Gemoll 1B 3 0 1 1 .212 C.Aguila LF 5 2 1 2 .242 N.Varner RF 3 0 0 0 .219 C.Ashby 1B 4 0 2 1 .467 B.Nelson LF 3 0 0 0 .129 D.Niles SS 2 1 0 0 .167 K.Johnson CAT 3 0 0 0 .100 R.Jorgensen CAT 3 0 0 0 .300 P.Liriano PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 N.Ungs PIT 4 0 1 1 .286 D.Nolasco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Clark PH 1 0 0 0 .000 K.Ray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Barnwell PH 1 0 0 0 .261 M.Parker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 1 3 1 TOTALS 36 7 12 5 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0- 1 3 1 CAROLINA 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 X- 7 12 1 E--J.Hardy, J.Medrano. DP--HUNTSVILLE 1, CAROLINA 0. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 3, CAROLINA 10. 2B--J.Hardy (5), J.Medrano (1), J.Willingham (5), C.Ashby (1). HR--C.Aguila (1). SB--J.Medrano (2). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE P.Liriano (L,1-1) 4.1 6 4 2 2 2 1 1.93 D.Nolasco 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 K.Ray 2.0 4 3 3 3 1 0 6.23 M.Parker 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 CAROLINA N.Ungs (W,1-0) 9.0 3 1 1 0 5 0 1.13 WP--P.Liriano. PB--K.Johnson. SO--A.Machado, B.Nelson, K.Johnson 2, P.Liriano, J.Medrano, C.Ambres, C.Aguila, N.Ungs. BB--J.Medrano, J.Willingham, D.Niles 2, R.Jorgensen. T--2:33. A--1492

Huntsville Times Weekly Stars Notes Column: Chock-full, and I'll interject here and there... Kremblas to meet Brewers brass By MARK McCARTER Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com ZEBULON, N.C. - There are some obvious promotions ahead for the Huntsville Stars of 2003. Among the most deserving would seem to be manager Frank Kremblas, who has had consecutive winning seasons and now the Southern League championship series appearance. He'll fly to Milwaukee on Monday to meet with Reid Nichols, the Brewers' director of player development, with Milwaukee's plans for Kremblas to be discussed. Kremblas, the overwhelming choice as Southern League manager of the year, has had a significant impact on the Stars' rising prospects and a demonstrated a great knack for dealing with younger players. Ironically, this could work against him. The Brewers might want to let him continue with the nucleus of prospects destined for Triple-A next year - J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart, Dave Krynzel, among them - or they might want him to work some magic with the next wave of prospects, including incumbent left fielder Brad Nelson and youngsters Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder and Tony Gwynn Jr. On the other hand, surely other organizations noticed his work. His invitation to coach in the Futures Game and now his hiring as a manager in the prestigious Arizona Fall League brings even more exposure and might lead to offers from organizations willing and able to pay more than Milwaukee. Perhaps some of the decision will hinge on what Cecil Cooper, the former Milwaukee star, decides to do. He had expressed some interest a year ago in managing the Brewers and was then assigned the manager's job at Triple-A Indianapolis. With Ned Yost likely set for a long run in Milwaukee, even if Cooper is the heir apparent, that could be a long way off. NOTE: Cooper has just indicated he'd love to work with some of the Huntsville kids as Indy's manager in 2004; if I'm not mistaken, he's expressed interest in a major league hitting coach job in the past as well, but Butch Wynegar's done a fine job in Milwaukee this year. - MB In praise of Kremblas, pitching coach Stan Kyles said a few weeks ago, "With the young guns in here to keep them motivated and playing hard and getting them to understand it's a marathon and a sprint, he's done a good job there. His forte is obviously his communication skills. He's able to get things across whether you're a spring chicken or an old goat. He's definitely a bona fide major league manager in my book.'' Whether the Brewers appreciate that endorsement remains to be seen. Starbrites Hardy and Krynzel are on the list of candidates for the U.S. Olympic team for 2004. The team will train in Maryvale, Ariz., the Brewers' offseason home, and play a series of games against Arizona Fall League teams. Among those helping decide the Olympic roster is former Milwaukee GM Dean Taylor. The Olympic team is limited to players not on major league rosters, so if Hardy and Krynzel make the team it will prevent them from what would otherwise seem a natural signing to one of the Brewers' 40 major league contracts. ... NOTE: Due to his young age when drafted in 2001 (eighteen), I don't believe J.J. Hardy needs to be added to the 40-man to be protected from the Rule 5 draft this year, but that's not the case with David Krynzel, who is wrapping up his fourth year (time flies!) in the organization. If Mark McCarter is correct here about 40-man spots and the Olympics, I don't see how David could make the squad. J.J. would seem to be a lock. Again, I could be mistaken, but that's my take. - MB Catcher Mike Kremblas intimated after his heroics in Friday's win at Carolina that he may retire at season's end. ... Southern League MVP Hart has not driven in a run in the postseason. He was the league's regular season RBI champ. ... Stars pitcher Jason Shelley, who began the season in the independent Frontier League, is one of Baseball America's top candidates as Independent League Player of the Year. Around the league The final statistical champs: Chris Aguila, Carolina, .320; Bucky Jacobsen, Tennessee, 31 homers; Hart, Huntsville, 94 RBIs; Billy Hall, Carolina, 45 stolen bases; Hart, 149 hits; Hart, 40 doubles; Krynzel, Huntsville, 11 triples; Jacobsen, 84 runs; Enemencio Pacheco, Birmingham, and Corey Stewart, Mobile, 12 wins; Mike Lyons, Tennessee, 31 saves; Mike Nannini, West Tenn, 158 strikeouts; Joel Hanrahan, Jacksonville, 2.43 ERA. ... Patrick Kinas of Carolina was the broadcaster of the year while Jim Davis of The (Sevierville) Mountain Press and Auburn grad David Paschall of The Chattanooga Times-Free Press were named sports writers of the year. Brewings The Beloit Snappers won their first two rounds of the Midwest League's three-tier playoff system, but were beaten in three games in the finals by the Lansing Lugnuts. ... Weeks, the Brewers' No. 1 draft choice, was promoted to the majors from Beloit after the season. The second baseman will get some playing time, manager Ned Yost said. ... Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writer Drew Olson on Midwest League MVP Prince Fielder: "The jury is still out whether he'll be the next Willie McCovey or the next Franklin Stubbs.''

Carolina (Marlins) 7, Huntsville 1 Thanks for the updates, Kat. Where's my legion of Link Report "helpers" from the regular season, who would chime in with the overnight box score? Oh well, guaranteed we're looking at the final report on Sunday, maybe it's just as well... No report on the Stars' site yet, so David Wesier kicks things off... David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville Update: SUNDAY SHOWDOWN AHEADThey might have come home champions as I type this, but the wheels fell off the victory wagon tonight. So tomorrow, it will be up to Greg Bruso, who delivered a Game Five victory over Birmingham to get them this far. Unfortunately, Game Four went as it has so often this season for Pedro Liriano, who never missed a single start during the season, always seemed to pitch during the Stars' worst days in the field, and who too often tossed up the gopher ball........ On his days during the regular season when he gave up a home run, the Stars went 3-7........ As far as the suspicion that the Stars by chance don't play their best in the field when he is on the mound, that may have been so early in the season, but several pitchers including Mike Jones, Ben Diggins, Matt Childers, and Luis Martinez, in the end gave up a bigger percentage of unearned runs. Liriano got much better defense the last two months of the season........ That wasn't so tonight, as the Stars committed two errors in the first inning (even though they were charged officially with just one), but in the end, it really didn't matter. Nic Ungs ruled the day........ The Stars, who came in with an anemic average of .192 in the series against Carolina, couldn't get around on Ungs' deadly diet of fastballs. The highlights are really lowlights........ Lead-off hitter Jesus Medrano hit a can of corn to right-center, an easy out it appeared to Dave Krynzel, but Krynzel lost the ball in the lights. Noochie Varner came over to back him up, but not wanting to make the same mistake he did last night of trying to share a fly ball, he watched the ball drop. Medrano was given a charitable base hit........ That happened once before to Krynzel at Five County Stadium during the season. These misadventures in the outfield have been unusually frequent in this series.. Instead of nobody on base and one out, Chip Ambres arrived at the plate with a runner on second and nobody out....... Ambres lined a ball to J.J. Hardy, but J.J. let the ball get through his legs for an error, his fifth in 11 games, going back to the last two games of the regular season. That scored Medrano and Carolina led, 1-0........ Matt Padgett, next, hit a two-hopper off Liriano's glove. Had it not, Alejandro Machado might have turned it into an easy double play, but Machado had to make a difficult barehand play to get the batter, 1-4-3. Josh Willingham fouled out and that would have ended the inning, but instead, it set up Aguila's moment. With the count 2-2, Aguila hammered a slider deep to left field. All Brad Nelson could do was watch it go. Aguila pumped his fist in the air as he rounded second, a rather inflammatory gesture, but this isn't Birmingham....... For Aguila, the league's batting champion, it was only his second hit of the Championship Series. It's been a tough post-season for the league leaders. Aguila is 2-for-16 in the Championship Series. RBI leader and MVP Corey Hart has been a bust --- 5-for-32 in the post-season without a single run batted in. Billy Hall, the stolen base leader, is 2-for-14......... Only Bucky Jacobsen of the Tennessee Smokies seemed to escape the pattern. He hit .353, but of course, the Smokies didn't win the title and Jacobsen, the league's HR leader, didn't have a home run in the playoffs. Ungs had carried a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one baserunner who reached on an error, when the Stars finally put something together......... Hardy ripped a double down the 3rd base line, his fifth, extending a playoff record for the Stars. Hart moved him to third on a ground ball. With two out, Brandon Gemoll hit an RBI single to right-center field, his fifth RBI in the playoffs and remarkably, that leads the team in the post-season. The club record is 17 by Ramon Hernandez in 1997. Even though Hernandez had undisputably the best post-season for a Stars hitter in history, he ranks 8th in batting. The all-time list of top ten playoff hitters (all within the A's organization) is now up on the link to the standings....... www.starsboxscore.com/standing.html There was some controversy in that inning. Carolina manager Tracy Woodson came out to protest the bat Gemoll was using and the bat was impounded by the umps. At first, I thought this was George Brett and the pine-tar incident all over again as a couple of Gemoll's bats were brought out of the rack for comparison, but in the end, it seems the protest was over the bat's manufacturer. It seems there are 14 manufacturers that are approved by the league, and Woodson believed he had a bat that wasn't on the allowable list. Three of Gemoll's bats were removed from the game, but that was the worst that came of that. The run was still allowed........ How Woodson picked up on this in the middle of a game is beyond me. The Mudcats sealed the game with three runs off reliever Ken Ray in the 7th inning, the first runs off a Stars reliever since Game One of the Western Division Series vs. Birmingham. Going into tonight, the Stars bullpen had given up just two earned runs in 29 2/3 innings........ Chris Ashby (4-for-9 in the series), hooked a double inside the third base line to score Padgett and sending Aguila to third. A passed ball would give the Mudcats another run. Ungs singled in the final run and that's all she wrote. Carolina had scheduled left-hander David Marchbanks to go in Game Five, but it looks like they'll go with Trevor Hutchinson on short rest. Does that sound familiar?......... Hutchinson threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings in Game One, allowing just three hits, but short rest didn't work for Enemencio Pacheco as well as manager Wally Backman thought it would, so it seems likely that the Stars will see Marchbanks at some point....... Marchbanks made his Double-A debut on the last day of the season vs. Orlando......... Ungs threw 118 pitches for Carolina in authoring the only nine-inning complete game for the Mudcats this year.......... The Stars, again, will go with Greg Bruso (1-1, 3.60). Since it was too inopportune to present my Top Ten list for the best games of the year, I'll do so here tomorrow. You can bet some of them, perhaps half, will be playoff games. Assistant G.M. Cliff Pate has left the Huntsville Stars for basketball. More specifically, the Huntsville Flight. It will be quite a challenge...... The NBDL team will be in its third and final guaranteed year. With the Midwest League season over (Beloit lost the Championship Series to Lansing in a three-game sweep), the Milwaukee Brewers have called up 2nd baseman Rickie Weeks, their #1 draft pick this year........ Weeks could be the Stars' 2nd baseman next season, according to the opinion of a lot of observers.

Wow, in Friday night's victory, the Stars' first hit didn't come until the sixth inning, when they exploded for five runs; tonight they've now been no-hit through six. I have to hit the road and will check things out when I get home -- if anyone listening can keep our readers posted on the game, thanks....

Huntsville's only baserunner thus far reached on an error, I believe. Carolina 4, Stars 0, after five innings The kid for Billings in the Reds' system clinched the Pioneer League title with a no-hitter last night over a heavily favored Provo (Angels) team. Helena lost to the same pitcher in game one of the league semi-finals, a series they dropped two games to one.

Wow, on the Stars' pre-game, it was just noted that the average age of the Huntsville position players in the starting lineup this evening is only 21.5 years old. That's incredible, and a game away from a AA championship. Go Stars!

Whew!