MassBrew

Huntsville Site Game Summary: www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=321

Friday's Daily Menu : All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... HUNTSVILLE: RHP Jason Shelley at Birmingham (White Sox), 7:00 PM; best-of-five tied at one apiece Audio link: espn1450.com/ BELOIT: Awaiting word on the opponent (and site) of Saturday's playoff game -- talk about a nightmare for the ticket office -- gotta love that walk-up buyer! HELENA: RHP Judd Richardson at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:00 PM; final game of the regular season; Richardson left his last start in the first inning after a batted ball hit his arm -- he's fine.... Audio link (opponent's): www.1340kylt.com/Happenin...0A8052A72} Amaze your friends with Link Report trivia! Q. Name the only current Brewer farmhand in the organization who hails from Canada. A. He was the 2001 5th round pick, his name's in this post, and it's not Jason Shelley. So now you know! (Ontario, Canada, by the way....)

Huntsville Times Game Story: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...291420.xml

From Today's Daily Dish at BA: Three months ago Double-A Huntsville righthander Jason Shelley was pitching for the Rockford Rivercats in the independent Frontier League. He quickly emerged as a prospect with an 89-92 mph fastball and nasty splitter, and will try to give Double-A Huntsville a 2-1 series lead over Birmingham in the Southern League playoffs tonight. Shelley went 7-1, 0.85 for Rockford before attracting the attention of Brewers' scouts. A former college shortstop, he was 3-2, 2.63 with 53 strikeouts in 55 innings for Huntsville.

SportsTicker's "All-Teen" Team features a certain Beloit first baseman: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...r/?id=1411 And who's only the second Brewer ever (in nine years) on SportsTicker's "All-Prospect" team? www.minorleaguebaseball.c...r/?id=1418

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville Update: AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'The Stars definitely responded to the challenge........ After hitting just .165 in losing nine straight to Birmingham, the Stars needed this win to avoid trying to win three at Hoover Met......... Jeff Housman rose to the occasion, answering Enemencio Pacheco's two-hitter with a two-hit performance of his own on a beautifully breezy and dry evening at Joe Davis Stadium. Tonight's game was significantly tamer than the bench-clearing eruption that was the coda of last night's ballgame........ The crew chief for the four umps working this game, I think it was John Woods, warned both Wally Backman and Frank Kremblas that there would be serious consequences if anyone dared leave their dugout seat with the notion of challenging the opposition at the very least, to a vocabulary contest, let alone any physical contact........ That's perhaps why neither catcher from Game One was behind the plate tonight. Birmingham's chunky junkballer, Carlos Castillo, retired 14 of the last 15 Stars hitters to face him, Alejandro Machado reaching in the 7th on a dropped grounder....... But the Stars had already gotten what they needed for the night, scratching out three runs on six hits and a walk........When I say the Stars scratched for those runs, I mean it. Corey Hart got the 2nd inning going with by rapping Castillo's first pitch up the middle for a single....... Brandon Gemoll followed that with a single to left........ Before making the first pitch to Noochie Varner, Castillo tried to catch Hart off base, but his throw went instead to the first base side of the bag into center field, and both runners moved up....... . Noochie then drove in Hart from third on a softly stroked hit up the middle.........The Stars had an excellent chance to pile on some runs with Gemoll on 3rd and Varner on 1st, but Brad Nelson struck out on three pitches, the last two on changeups. Nelson never got the bat off his shoulder........ Kade Johnson worked the count to 2-2 before he swung out......... Chris Barnwell came up to keep the inning alive, and he fooled everyone on the first pitch by perfectly deadening a bunt that landed on the dirt in front of the plate on the 3rd base side....... Gemoll was off like a rabbit running the train, while catcher Steve Morales and Castillo fumbled to make the play on the ball. Castillo finally flipped the ball to Morales, but Gemoll had already crossed the plate, giving the Stars a 2-0 lead........ It was their first lead over Birmingham in six games, going back to August 3rd. After Dave Krynzel struck out to start the 3rd inning (Krinkles fanned three times tonight on 1-2 counts), J.J. Hardy lined a 1-2 pitch past Castillo and 2nd baseman Danny Sandoval for a hit. Hart drew the only walk the Barons allowed to put runners on 1st and 2nd......... Gemoll then continued the inning, blooping Castillo's first pitch to left. J.J. sped home for the Stars final run......... It was last hit the Stars would get in this game. They would have only two more baserunners after that --- Machado, as I already mentioned, and Gemoll in the 8th, who reached first when Jeff Bajenaru's third strike was tipped off the helmet of catcher Morales and to the backstop. After last night's spectacular defensive a la carte by the Stars, there was a couple tonight by the least possible suspect to come up with them........ Brad Nelson, in the 5th, ran into centerfield and in front of Dave Krynzel, who was also going after Steve Morales' dying quail, slid on his rump to make the catch for the first out of the inning....... In the 3rd inning, Nelson caught up to a fly ball hit by Danny Sandoval and made a nice looking scoop, then threw to J.J. who relayed it to first to catch leadoff hitter Tom Nicholson getting back, for a 7-4-3 DP. After that, Housman retired 10 of the next 11 Barons to face him, walking Gabe Alvarez on four pitches in the 4th. Housman's night was not without a little drama....... With two out in the 2nd, he walked Carlos Maldonado and then Morales lined a single over the glove of Hardy, but Guillermo Reyes tapped Housman's first pitch right to third baseman Barnwell, who stepped on the bag to force Maldonado....... The Stars bullpen was responsible for some anxious moments......... Jeff Hundley walked Reyes, the first batter to face him when he came on in relief in the 8th. After striking out pinch-hitter Chad Durham and Danny Sandoval, Juan Piniella singled over a mistimed leap by Barnwell....... Mike Adams was brought in to face left-hander Jeremy Reed, even though Adams is a righty. Reed hits lefties better than righties but not by much --- something like ..429 to .403....... No matter how you try to get any kind of advantage against Jeremy Reed, though, Reed still looks good. He hit .467 against Stars pitching this season, but Reed, who was 1-for-3 against Mike during the season, struck out swinging after fouling off a 1-2 pitch....... Jeremy Reed is now 0-for-7 in the playoffs, and that's scary as the Stars must win this at Hoover Met.......... Adams walked the first two batters in the 9th, Gabe Alvarez and Scott Bikowski, but Carlos Maldonado hit his first pitch right at J.J. Hardy, who turned a 6-5-4 double play. Steve Morales ended the game with a broken bat grounder to Machado. Like Pacheco the night before, Housman never threw more than 18 pitches in any one inning he worked. He threw 93 pitches, 62 for strikes (66.7%)........ This series will go to four games. Friday, Jason Shelley (3-2, 2.63) will go up against Tetsu Yofu, who was 3-2 with a 1.86 ERA against the Stars during the regular season....... Neal Cotts and Corwin Malone will go in games four and five, if necessary for Birmingham, but expect Pacheco to return on three days rest for Game 5......... The Stars will counter with Pedro Liriano (9-13, 3.65) and Greg Bruso (1-1, 3.60). Now that the season is over, I've been able to revise the all-time Top 20 leaderboard........ I counted 28 jumps in various batting and pitching categories....... This season, Derek Lee took over the #1 spot in HRs given up, hit batters, and games pitched. Luis Martinez came out of nowhere to become the Stars' #2 strikeout leader of all-time (235), and three pitchers, Matt Parker, Matt Childers, and Luis Martinez, entered the top 20 ERA leaderboard --- 6th, 13th, and tied for 19th respectively....... Corey Hart broke into the batting (.296) and slugging categories (.442) at a tie for 9th and a tie for 17th respectively and Dave Krynzel finishes 7th in stolen bases (56), but tied for 4th in most times caught stealing (26).

Indianapolis catcher Cody McKay has been dropped from the 40-man roster. Technically still Brewer property along with the other Indianapolis free agents-to-be until October 15th... I believe the roster total now stands at 39 -- perhaps the second player from the DeJean deal will be named soon...

Helena Independent Record Game Story: www.helenair.com/articles...503_03.txt Helena Box Score: GAME DATE: 9/04/03 HELENA 5 AT MISSOULA 1 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG G.Rodriguez 2B 5 0 1 0 .226 J.Kaplan CF 4 0 1 0 .272 A.Gomez SS 5 0 2 0 .225 C.Gonzalez RF 4 1 1 0 .256 T.Trofholz CF 3 2 2 0 .353 M.Montero CAT 3 0 1 0 .301 M.Melo PH 1 0 0 0 .259 O.Mercado CAT 1 0 0 0 .200 M.Melo RF 0 0 0 0 .259 A.Mottram 1B 4 0 2 1 .267 M.Ramirez DH 3 1 2 2 .324 J.Acosta LF 4 0 3 0 .255 V.Rottino 1B 2 1 0 0 .318 J.Brito DH 4 0 0 0 .242 V.Rottino 3B 1 0 0 0 .318 J.McStoots 3B 4 0 2 0 .222 R.Deevers CF 0 0 0 0 .324 J.Olivares SS 4 0 1 0 .220 R.Deevers RF 3 1 1 0 .324 E.Bonifacio 2B 3 0 0 0 .204 C.Lozada CAT 4 0 2 3 .200 T.Yamaguchi PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Barnes 3B 3 0 0 0 .244 M.Cuevas PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Whitney 1B 1 0 0 0 .273 D.Nippert PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Carter LF 2 0 0 0 .265 A.Cremidan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Anderson PH 1 0 0 0 .324 D.Anderson LF 1 0 1 0 .324 K.Durost PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Dillard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Eveland PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Slack PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 5 11 5 TOTALS 35 1 11 1 HELENA 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 0- 5 11 1 MISSOULA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 1 11 1 E--C.Lozada, M.Montero. DP--HELENA 2, MISSOULA 1. LOB--HELENA 6, MISSOULA 8. 2B--A.Gomez (7), M.Ramirez 2 (19), C.Lozada (1). 3B-- D.Anderson (3). SB--T.Trofholz (38). CS--A.Gomez. SF--M.Ramirez. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA K.Durost (W,3-5) 5.0 5 0 0 0 3 0 5.26 T.Dillard 2.0 3 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 D.Eveland 1.0 3 1 1 0 1 0 2.08 N.Slack 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2.19 MISSOULA T.Yamaguchi (L,6-7) 6.0 9 5 5 1 2 0 4.54 M.Cuevas 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8.07 D.Nippert 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4.96 A.Cremidan 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.46 WP--T.Dillard, D.Eveland. PB--C.Lozada. SO--R.Deevers, J.Barnes, J.Kaplan, A.Mottram, J.Brito 3, J.McStoots, J.Olivares 2, E.Bonifacio. BB--V.Rottino, R.Deevers, E.Bonifacio. T--2:21. A--1234

Game Summary from the Timber Rattlers' Site: FOX CITIES STADIUM -- The Beloit Snappers jumped out to the early lead with four runs in the first inning and held off a late Wisconsn Timber Rattler rally to defeat the Rattlers 11-6 Thursday night at Fox Cities Stadium. Beloit won the first round Midwest League Playoff series 2-0. Prince Fielder homered and drove in three runs for the Snappers. Tony Gwynn drove in two runs and scored three times. Khalid Ballouli was the winning pitcher. Kennard Bibbs drew a walk to start the game and was sacrificed to second by Callix Crabbe. Gwynn singled to left and Carlos Arroyo misplayed the ball allowing Bibbs to score. Fielder homered to left center to make the score 3-0. Rickie Weeks, the next batter in the inning, drew another walk. Travis Hinton singled to left-center and Arroyo tried to get Weeks at third. The throw glanced off Weeks' helmet and into the Rattler bullpen to allow Weeks to score the final run of the inning. The Rattlers rallied for a run in the bottom of the first. TJ Bohn drew a two-out walk. Jon Nelson singled to send Bohn to third. Arroyo singled in Bohn. Wisconsin would load the bases when Rene Rivera was hit by a pitch, but Ballouli got a strike out to end the frame. Ballouli worked five innings allowing six hits and striking out six for the win. Beloit chased Wisconsin starter TA Fulmer in the top of the fourth after an RBI single by Gwynn. Miguel Martinez came out of the bullpen and got Fielder to ground into an inning ending double play. Gary Harris drove in Wisconsin's second run with a single in the bottom of the fourth. Weeks put the Snappers back up by four runs with an RBI double in the top of the seventh. Beloit scored five times in the ninth against three different relievers. Wisconsin put four runs up in the bottom of the ninth inning against Tim Bausher. Harris doubled in a run and Nelson hit a three run homer. Jon Huizinga came on to get the final out and end the Rattler season. Beloit Box Score: Nice job by Arizona League call-up RHP Forrest Martin following up Khalid Ballouli while the game was still relatively tight... GAME DATE: 9/04/03 BELOIT 11 AT WISCONSIN 6 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG WISCONSIN AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs LF 2 2 0 0 .333 G.Harris CF 5 1 2 2 .375 C.Crabbe DH 3 1 2 0 .571 M.Garciaparr SS 5 1 2 0 .222 T.Gwynn CF 4 3 3 2 .625 T.Bohn RF 4 1 1 0 .286 P.Fielder 1B 5 1 2 3 .375 J.Nelson DH 5 1 2 3 .250 R.Weeks 2B 3 2 1 1 .167 C.Arroyo LF 5 0 2 1 .444 T.Hinton RF 4 0 2 0 .500 R.Rivera CAT 2 0 0 0 .000 M.Mendez RF 0 0 0 1 .000 B.Metheny 1B 4 1 1 0 .250 J.Eure 3B 5 1 1 1 .200 M.Hagen 3B 5 0 1 0 .125 P.Esparragoz CAT 5 0 1 1 .200 C.Harrington 2B 3 1 1 0 .333 C.Terni SS 5 1 1 0 .500 T.Fulmer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Ballouli PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Martinez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Martin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Viane PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Bausher PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Delgado PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Huizinga PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Heaston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 36 11 13 9 TOTALS 38 6 12 6 BELOIT 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 5-11 13 0 WISCONSIN 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4- 6 12 4 E--M.Garciaparr, C.Arroyo 2, M.Martinez. DP--BELOIT 1, WISCONSIN 1. LOB--BELOIT 7, WISCONSIN 11. 2B--R.Weeks (1), G.Harris (1). 3B-- C.Crabbe (1), J.Eure (1). HR--P.Fielder (1), J.Nelson (1). CS-- R.Weeks. SF--M.Mendez. SH--K.Bibbs, C.Crabbe. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT K.Ballouli (W,1-0) 5.0 6 2 2 3 6 0 3.60 F.Martin 3.0 2 0 0 1 3 0 0.00 T.Bausher 0.2 4 4 4 2 1 1 54.00 J.Huizinga 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 WISCONSIN T.Fulmer (L,0-1) 3.1 7 5 4 3 5 1 10.80 M.Martinez 4.2 1 1 1 2 6 0 1.93 D.Viane 0.0 1 2 2 1 0 0 UDF O.Delgado 0.2 4 3 3 0 0 0 40.50 B.Heaston 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 WP--T.Bausher. BALKS--M.Martinez. PB--P.Esparragoz. SO--K.Bibbs 2, T.Gwynn, P.Fielder, T.Hinton 2, J.Eure 3, P.Esparragoz, C.Terni, G.Harris, M.Garciaparr 2, J.Nelson, C.Arroyo 2, R.Rivera, B.Metheny 2, M.Hagen. BB--K.Bibbs 2, C.Crabbe, T.Gwynn, R.Weeks 2, T.Bohn, R.Rivera 3, B.Metheny, C.Harrington. T--3:14. A--2137

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Jeff Housman in the accompanying photo... www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=319

Huntsville Times: Actually a game one recap of the extra-curricular activities, but paints a picture nonetheless of the atmosphere for game two, won by the Stars... www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...171410.xml

Helena 5, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 1 One game left in the regular season before the playoff fun begins for the Helena bunch -- details in the AM...

Based on Thursday's results and with a little help from the Snappers site, here's the scoop on future action: Kane County (A's) and Clinton (Rangers) are tied at one game apiece with the deciding game Friday night. If the Snappers face the Kane County Cougars, the series will open at Beloit on Saturday, September 6 at 6:00 p.m. and game two and three would be played at Kane County on Sunday and Monday. If the Snappers advance to face the Clinton LumberKings, the series will open at Clinton on Saturday with games two scheduled for Beloit on Sunday, September 7 at 4:00 p.m. and, if necessary, game three would be played at Beloit on Monday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m. Should the Snappers reach the Championship Series, the series would start with the first two games at the Eastern Division opponent -- either Lansing (Cubs) or Battle Creek (Yankees) -- with games three through five scheduled at Beloit. Because the finals are a best of five series, the only guaranteed home date would be Thursday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets will go on sale for each event only after the game is certain to happen. For more information, please call 1-888-SNAP-2-IT.

Beloit 11, Wisconsin (Mariners) 6 Snappers win series, 2-0 -- on to the league semifinals... Beloit Line Score: MID FINAL R H E - - - BELOIT 11 13 0 WISCONSIN 6 12 4

W-L RECORD: 1-3 ERA: 8.07 GAMES: 16 GAMES STARTED: 5 SAVES: 0 INNINGS PITCHED: 32.1 HITS: 55 RUNS: 38 EARNED RUNS: 29 HOME RUNS ALLOWED: 5 HIT BATTERS: 2 WALKS: 12 STRIKEOUTS: 23 ROLE IN COLLEGE: Relief Pitcher ROUND DRAFTED: 33rd That was LHP Jeff Housman's world, 2002. Fast forward one year to tonight -- two-hit shutout ball for seven innings in a must-win playoff battle three levels higher at the exact age of 22 years, one month. Something like this might happen only once to a player within a specific organization every five or ten years, but it just proves that you can't nor shouldn't dismiss any kid at the lowest levels of the system until his ride ends. I'm not sure what the future holds for Jeff, but darn if he'll ever forget his 2003 season.

Huntsville 3, Birmingham (White Sox) 0 Best-of-five tied at one game apiece... HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (Ticker) -- Jeff Housman combined with two relievers on a three-hit shutout as the Huntsville Stars blanked the Birmingham Barons, 3-0, and evened the best-of-five, Southern League Western Division Playoffs at one game apiece. Housman (1-0), who started the season in the Class A Midwest League, allowed two singles, issued three walks and struck out five batters over seven scoreless frames to earn the win. Jeff Hundley fanned a pair in 2/3 of an inning and Mike Adams followed with a scoreless 1 1/3 innings to earn his first save of the postseason. Noochie Varner and Chris Barnwell each produced an RBI single in the second inning, and Brandon Gemoll delivered his second base hit of the game to plate another run in the third for Huntsville, which edged Birmingham in the 2001 playoffs, three games to two. Carlos Castillo (0-1) surrendered three runs -- two earned -- and six hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out eight in the losing effort for the Barons, who lost for the first time in their last six meetings with the Stars. Huntsville Box Score: GAME DATE: 9/04/03 BIRMINGHAM 0 AT HUNTSVILLE 3 YTD YTD BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG D.Sandoval 2B 4 0 0 0 .143 A.Machado 2B 4 0 0 0 .000 J.Piniella LF 4 0 1 0 .375 D.Krynzel CF 4 0 0 0 .000 J.Reed CF 4 0 0 0 .000 J.Hardy SS 4 1 1 0 .143 G.Alvarez 1B 2 0 0 0 .000 C.Hart DH 3 1 1 0 .400 S.Bikowski RF 2 0 0 0 .200 B.Gemoll 1B 4 1 2 1 .286 C.Maldonado DH 3 0 0 0 .000 N.Varner RF 4 0 1 1 .143 S.Morales CAT 4 0 1 0 .250 B.Nelson LF 3 0 0 0 .167 G.Reyes SS 2 0 0 0 .167 K.Johnson CAT 3 0 0 0 .000 T.Nicholson 3B 2 0 1 0 .200 C.Barnwell 3B 3 0 1 1 .333 C.Durham PH 1 0 0 0 .000 J.Housman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Shaffer 3B 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hundley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Castillo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Bajenaru PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 28 0 3 0 TOTALS 32 3 6 3 BIRMINGHAM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 3 2 HUNTSVILLE 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 X- 3 6 0 E--D.Sandoval, C.Castillo. DP--BIRMINGHAM 0, HUNTSVILLE 2. LOB-- BIRMINGHAM 7, HUNTSVILLE 6. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BIRMINGHAM C.Castillo (L,0-1) 7.0 6 3 2 1 8 0 2.57 J.Bajenaru 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 HUNTSVILLE J.Housman (W,1-0) 7.0 2 0 0 3 5 0 0.00 J.Hundley 0.2 1 0 0 1 2 0 0.00 M.Adams (S,1) 1.1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0.00 WP--J.Housman. PB--S.Morales. SO--D.Sandoval 2, J.Piniella, J.Reed, C.Maldonado, G.Reyes, T.Nicholson, C.Durham, D.Krynzel 3, J.Hardy, C.Hart, B.Gemoll, N.Varner, B.Nelson 2, K.Johnson 2. BB--G.Alvarez 2, S.Bikowski 2, C.Maldonado, G.Reyes, C.Hart. T--2:17. A--1119

Thursday's Daily Menu : All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... HUNTSVILLE: LHP Jeff Housman at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:05 PM; Barons lead the best-of-five, 1-0 Audio link: espn1450.com/ BELOIT: RHP Khalid Ballouli in Apple-ton at Wisconsin (Mariners), 6:35 PM; Snappers will win the best-of-three with a victory tonight Audio link (opponent's): www.sportsjuice.com/provi...wtrattlers HELENA: RHP Kenny Durost at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:00 PM; two games left in the regular season Audio link (opponent's): www.1340kylt.com/Happenin...0A8052A72}

Newest Arizona Brewer with a 2004 contract: Catcher Franklin Tua, 6'2", 171, born 11/06/84 Tua will be 19 when camp opens in 2004; we'll learn more about him then...

Beloit Daily News Game Story: So who saw Bud there last night? www.beloitdailynews.com/903/snap4.htm

In what is basically a formality (a paper move), the Brewers have activated six players from the minor league disabled lists of the teams that have completed their seasons. All organizations go through this procedure. These guys are all in various stages of rehab from their respective injuries. INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Mike Buddie RHP David Pember HIGH DESERT: OF Jason Belcher OF Dan Boyd ARIZONA: RHP Ruben Castillo OF Orlando Viera

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville Update: BAD BLOODA busload of Birmingham fans bolstered a shameful home crowd of just a little more than a thousand tonight for the 4th playoff meeting in history between these two clubs...... The game was interrupted by a steady rain that started in the bottom of the 4th inning, but it didn't ruin their night, as Wallyball, and not the rain, was responsible for a ruined beginning for Stars fans. There's probably no better rivalry in this league and there has never been any love here at all......... In the first playoff meeting in 1987, Birmingham whipped the Stars, embarrassing them by scores of 15-2 and 17-7 in the process of a sweep....... Two years later, the Barons did it again with pitching, holding the Stars to a .145 average in a series that somehow lasted four games........ The Stars had to wait until 2001 for the next confrontation. Dominated by the Barons during the regular season, 12 games to 5, they took the Barons in four games to win the Division title, beating them in the deciding game on their turf. The names may change, but the feeling always stays the same....... Earlier in the season, BIrmingham manager Wally Backman accused some of the Stars' support personnel of stealing signs, a ridiculous accusation since I know one of the persons Backman fingered........ Then there were accusations by the Barons that the Stars were joking off the final four-game sweep of the regular season, like some kind of psychological game (Casey at the Bat comes to mind), to get them cocky and over-confident........ Tonight, the war got closer to the edge. The combination of Pacheco and Piniella were too much for a team that hasn't been able to beat Birmingham since July 31......... If Juan Piniella's bases-loaded triple to give the Barons a 5-0 lead in the 5th inning wasn't enough to dash any hope the Stars had, then his 2-run HR to left off Brian Adams in the 7th added insult........ After all, Enemencio Pacheco, undefeated in his last 15 starts, was pitching his best game of the year, and needed only the support of a ground attack in the 1st inning, as he shackled the Stars to just two hits, pitching five innings of no-hit ball until Brad Nelson singled through the right side of the infield in the 6th. After getting behind leadoff hitter Danny Sandoval, 3-and-0, Ben Hendrickson started the game by issuing a walk on five pitches......... Wallyball was open for business......... Piniella pushed a bunt hard up the first base line. Brandon Gemoll fielded it quickly, but instead of feeding the ball to Alejandro Machado covering first, Piniella eluded Gemoll's tag as he sped up the baseline....... Jeremy Reed, a .400 hitter, surprised everyone by laying down a bunt to the 3rd base side of the mound, moving the runners into scoring position. Gabe Alvarez then drove in Sandoval with a ground ball to the right side. The Stars had a runner on base just three times in this game, but left no one on base......... Nelson, who had the 6th inning single, was thrown out trying to steal second....... In the 5th, Corey Hart led off with a walk, but was erased on an inning-ending double play by Noochie Varner....... Then in the 8th, Corey blooped a single into right field, but Gemoll lined a 3-2 pitch right back to Pacheco, who turned a 1-4-3 double play......... Pacheco was not particulary fast. He topped out on the gun at 91 mph, but his fastball had lots of movement and his slider was deadly. He recorded 11 ground outs to just five fly outs to the outfield......... Scorer Larry Smith said he had seen no pitcher dominate the Stars like this since Frank Castillo (Charlotte) no-hit the Stars back in 1990.......... Oddly enough, it will be another Castillo --- Carmen --- who will go for Birmingham tomorrow against Jeff Housman. The crowd saw fireworks on the field before they saw them in the sky........... Mike Kremblas had struck out on a Pacheco slider to end the game, when without warning, Kremblas erupted in anger at catcher Carlos Maldonado....... It may have been a couple of words heard by Kremblas, or Maldonado could have held up the ball in Kremblas's face. Whatever it was, Kremblas was enraged and charged Maldonado......... Both benches emptied quickly........ With league president Don Mincher watching from the press box, caps started flying all over the infield as both camps started converging on each other like the Jets and the Sharks in West Side Story, massing toward the middle of the infield........ Manager Frank, quick to defend his younger brother, came out after somebody, I couldn't tell who exactly, but he was restrained by the umps, while hitting coach Sandy Guerrero was trying to get between Mike and Maldonado........ Maldonado, meanwhile, was being pulled away by the umps........ Amazingly, no punches were thrown, and the posturing, which it what it really amounted to, lasted no more than a couple of minutes. After all that has gone on this season between these two clubs, you can just smell the gunpowder. Dave Krynzel, the human highlight reel, and damn if he isn't the best centerfielder I've ever seen here, did it again........ Not once, but twice, he crashed into the wall in left-center field while making almost identical leaping catches........ The finest of the two came off Chad Durham to lead off the 3rd inning. He hit the wall more solidly the first time and I thought he may have really injured himself on that play....... The second time against Gabe Alvarez, ended the 5th inning. This time, he pulled up a little bit while still hitting the wall and making the catch........ Krynzel could be a major league outfielder today, if it were not for his flaws at the plate and the lessons that still need to be learned running the bases, especially in reading the pitcher while on first........ J.J. Hardy's throwing error with one out opened the gates for Birmingham's four-run rally in the 5th........ Playing the shift against Tom Nicholson, Hardy fielded his grounder while moving onto the right side of the diamond. An awkward play, but Hardy's throw to first sailed over the head of Gemoll......... Nicholson would score on a single by Danny Sandoval before Juan Piniella hit his bases-clearing triple......... There were two very nice plays in the 4th inning. Machado reacted to a bad hop that nearly scaled over his head, leaping to bring down the ball and throwing out Jeremy Reed....... Hendrickson ended that inning by coming off the mound to field a tough dribbler by Scott Bikowski on the short hop, then spinning to throw to first in time. Derek Lee, his season over, was in the stands tonight......... He had asked Milwaukee management if he could return to Huntsville for the playoffs, but to climb down a notch to Double A required special permission, and the Brewers weren't going to grant it.......Funny, but Neal Cotts, who had pitched at least a couple of games for the White Sox recently, will pitch Game 4, if necessary, because the Sox optioned him to Birmingham. That's sneaky......... While the Stars were losing tonight to Birmingham, Luis Martinez was making his major league debut tonight at Miller Park as the Brewers' starter against Cincinnati. Luis faced 21 hitters in 4 innings, and gave up 6 hits, 5 walks, a wild pitch and a balk, but gave up only three runs, all earned. He threw 84 pitches, 43 for strikes (51.1%)....... Though he left trailing Cincinnati, 3-2, the Brewers came back and won 9-6........ Alejandro Machado gave up his uniform #43, which was D. Lee's, for #17, perhaps to change his luck. He was 3-for-30 in his last 9 games of the season. The rest of the matchups will look like this: Carlos Castillo (3-1, 3.96) will go against Jeff Housman (3-2, 3.30), Thursday. Tetsu Yofu (9-8, 3.50) will go against Jason Shelley (3-1, 2.39) at Hoover Met on Friday.......... If necessary, Neal Cotts and Corwin Malone will go in games four and five for Birmingham, but expect Pacheco to return on three days rest for Game 5......... The Stars will counter with Pedro Liriano (9-13, 3.65) and Greg Bruso (1-1, 3.60).

Huntsville Site Game Summary: www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=317

Nice Helena Independent Profile Article and Photo on Nick Slack and Dana Eveland: www.helenair.com/articles...403_01.txt

Helena 7, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 2 Rollin', rollin', rollin'.... Helena Independent Record Game Story: www.helenair.com/articles...403_02.txt Helena Site with additional details: Helena continued to dominate the Pioneer League beating the Missoula Osprey 7-2 on Wendsday night in Missoula, in a game that featured a twenty minute delay in the ninth because the lights went out. Helena banged out 15 hits with everyone in the lineup except Manny Ramirez gettting a hit. Missoula's only offensive success came when manger Eddie Sedar got creative, swapping first baseman Ramirez and catcher Vinny Rottino. It was Ramirez's first apperance behind the plate this season. Robby Deevers went three-for-four with a triple and stolen base for Helena. Andri Gomez chipped in with three hits including a double and RBI. Nic Carter, Justin Barnes, and Rottino all had mutli-hit games for the Brewers. Helena Box Score: GAME DATE: 9/03/03 HELENA 7 AT MISSOULA 2 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG M.Melo RF 5 0 1 1 .261 J.Kaplan CF 5 0 1 0 .272 A.Gomez 2B 6 0 3 1 .219 C.Gonzalez RF 5 0 0 0 .257 M.Ramirez CAT 1 0 0 0 .319 A.Murillo 3B 4 1 1 1 .304 M.Ramirez 1B 2 2 0 0 .319 J.Olivares SS 0 0 0 0 .220 V.Rottino CAT 4 1 2 0 .322 M.Montero DH 3 0 1 0 .301 V.Rottino 1B 1 0 0 0 .322 C.Melendez PH 1 0 0 0 .231 R.Deevers CF 4 1 3 1 .324 A.Mottram CAT 4 0 2 0 .264 C.Lozada DH 4 1 1 1 .125 J.Acosta LF 4 0 0 0 .245 J.Barnes 3B 4 1 2 2 .247 J.Brito 1B 4 1 2 0 .253 N.Carter LF 5 0 2 0 .277 J.McStoots 3B 1 0 0 0 .216 A.Septimo SS 3 1 1 1 .218 J.McStoots SS 3 0 0 0 .216 B.Montalbo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Bonifacio 2B 3 0 3 1 .209 D.Grybash PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Rosen PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Hendrix PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Vaillancou PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Guerrero PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Cremidan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Allender PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 39 7 15 7 TOTALS 37 2 10 2 HELENA 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 1 2- 7 15 0 MISSOULA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1- 2 10 2 E--J.Brito, E.Bonifacio. DP--HELENA 0, MISSOULA 1. LOB--HELENA 13, MISSOULA 9. 2B--A.Gomez (6). 3B--R.Deevers (3). HR--A.Murillo (5). SB--N.Carter (4). CS--A.Gomez, R.Deevers. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA B.Montalbo (W,2-1) 5.0 4 0 0 1 3 0 3.18 D.Grybash 2.0 3 0 0 0 2 0 2.82 P.Hendrix 2.0 3 2 2 0 1 1 6.38 MISSOULA M.Rosen (L,5-5) 5.0 6 3 3 5 4 0 5.81 T.Vaillancou 2.0 3 1 1 1 0 0 6.58 H.Guerrero 1.0 3 1 1 0 0 0 5.70 A.Cremidan 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.52 J.Allender 1.0 3 2 2 2 0 0 11.12 WP--B.Montalbo 2, P.Hendrix, M.Rosen, T.Vaillancou. PB--M.Ramirez 2. SO--M.Melo, M.Ramirez 2, A.Septimo, C.Gonzalez 4, M.Montero, J.Acosta. BB--M.Melo, M.Ramirez 2, R.Deevers, C.Lozada, J.Barnes, A.Septimo 2, E.Bonifacio. T--3:02. A--1411

Beloit Box Score: Give it up for unlikely hero Chas Terni -- good for him... GAME DATE: 9/03/03 WISCONSIN 2 AT BELOIT 5 YTD YTD WISCONSIN AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG G.Harris CF 3 1 1 0 .333 K.Bibbs LF 4 1 2 2 .500 M.Garciaparr SS 4 0 0 0 .000 C.Crabbe DH 4 1 2 0 .500 T.Bohn RF 3 0 1 0 .333 T.Gwynn CF 4 0 2 2 .500 J.Nelson DH 3 0 0 1 .000 P.Fielder 1B 3 0 1 0 .333 C.Arroyo LF 4 0 2 0 .500 R.Weeks 2B 3 0 0 0 .000 R.Rivera CAT 3 0 0 0 .000 J.Vanden Ber CAT 4 0 1 0 .250 B.Metheny 1B 4 0 1 0 .250 A.Heether 3B 4 1 1 0 .250 M.Hagen 3B 3 0 0 0 .000 M.Mendez RF 4 0 0 0 .000 C.Harrington 2B 3 1 1 0 .333 C.Terni SS 3 2 3 1 1.000 B.Livingston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Sarfate PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Dowdy PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Ovalles PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Alliston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 2 6 1 TOTALS 33 5 12 5 WISCONSIN 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0- 2 6 0 BELOIT 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 X- 5 12 1 E--R.Weeks. DP--WISCONSIN 2, BELOIT 0. LOB--WISCONSIN 7, BELOIT 6. 2B--C.Terni 2 (2). 3B--C.Terni (1). SB--K.Bibbs (1), C.Crabbe (1). CS--C.Arroyo, M.Hagen. SF--J.Nelson. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WISCONSIN B.Livingston (L,0-1) 6.2 10 5 5 2 4 0 6.75 J.Dowdy 0.2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 J.Ovalles 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 BELOIT D.Sarfate (W,1-0) 6.0 4 1 1 2 5 0 1.50 B.Hall 2.0 2 1 1 2 2 0 4.50 J.Alliston (S,1) 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 WP--B.Hall. PB--R.Rivera. SO--M.Garciaparr, J.Nelson 3, R.Rivera 2, M.Hagen, C.Harrington, P.Fielder, J.Vanden Ber 2, A.Heether, M.Mendez 2. BB--G.Harris, T.Bohn, R.Rivera, M.Hagen, C.Harrington, P.Fielder, R.Weeks. T--2:50. A--877