MassBrew

David's boxscore is one of the only online right now for this game: www.starsboxscore.com/

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Update: Had this been a playoff game, I would really have had a bad feeling about what happened in the 9th inning. Roberto Giron had gotten two quick outs for the Stars in the top of the 9th. One out away from a 5-3 victory in the Stars season opener, Juan Salas hit a 1-1 grounder to Chris Barnwell, who moved over to the hole on his left, fielded the ball easily, and had plenty of time to throw to Prince Fielder for the final out. But Barnwell aimed his submarine throw wide of Fielder's outstretched glove and Salas took the turn and made second. Mistakes like these oftimes fuels opponents to rally to victory after defeat looks so certain. It's happened so many times before. I've seen it and so have you. The next Montgomery batter, Amado German (impressive in left field tonight), rapped a single into right field to score Salas, and now the Biscuits were down only by a run. The tying run was on first and Brian Martin was the batter. Martin earned his promotion to Double-A by hitting personal highs in average, doubles, HRs, RBIs, slugging, and stolen bases last year at Class A - Bakersfield (Cal.). Had this been a playoff game, the gods would probably have seen to it that the Biscuits would rally to a win in the first Southern League game in their history. But that didn't happen. Martin chopped a chest high grounder to Barnwell, who cautiously it seemed, fielded the ball and moved in on the infield grass toward first before making his throw to Fielder. In plenty of time. The Huntsville Stars won their first Opening Day game in three years, 5-4, spoiling the night for quite a few Biscuit fans who made the trip up from Montgomery for their historic night. Aw shucks. Barny's near-fatal error enabled him to become one of the heroes of this game. He provided what turned out to be the all-important insurance run in the 6th, when after being hit in the back by T.P. Waligora's pitch, Barnwell took off on a 1-2 pitch to Jason Belcher, who squeezed a ground-single through the open hole at second base........ When the throw came into second, Barnwell never hesitated around third, beating the relay home for a 5-3 Stars advantage........ Frankieball is back!! Chris never hesitated on what was exceptionally daring baserunning. Shades of Enos Slaughter! Though the quick nighttime cool-off made me wish I had a light jacket, and some had enough foresight, the weather was beautiful for the Stars' 20th opener. It was 77° when the gates opened to the fans, a few clouds dotting the sky. The crowd looked larger than the 2,517 that was announced. Maybe they're counting real people this year. And as expected, they trickled in. Much of the concentration was on the third base side of the lower concourse, where the loyalists and regulars camp out. More noise was made though from the dozens of Montgomery fans on the first base side, proud of their new caps, facsimile uniforms, and T-shirts displaying the name "Biscuits". They brought yellow banners, yellow hankies, yellow anything to match the Parkay yellow lettering of the Montgomery uniforms, set against their navy blue uniforms. TV crews were all over the place, of course, even a crew from WSFA in Montgomery. After introductions of both teams, the game started nearly 10 minutes late. With his family listening in on the internet on his 23rd birthday, Matt Ford quietly held the Doughboys hitless in his five innings of work. After setting the first nine in order, getting three strikeouts in the first two innings, he walked Joey Gathright to lead off the 4th. Before making the first pitch to Tampa's top prospect, B.J. Upton, Gathright took off. Ford threw to first and it looked like Gathright was a dead duck. Fielder threw to Enrique Cruz covering second base, but Cruz dropped his throw. Upton, after fouling off a pitch, sacrificed him to third, and Gathright scored the Biscuits' first run on a grounder by Jose Velazquez........ I wasn't impressed at all by Cruz tonight, but it's early........ Ford threw 73 pitches tonight, 50 for strikes. History repeated itself with Paul Stewart on the mound for the Stars in the 6th inning --- his first appearance since the last game of the 2002 season. An low throw by Kade Johnson allowed Gathright, who reached on a fielder's choice, to steal second. Gathright was driven in again by Velazquez on a broken bat single to left. Stew threw 24 pitches in an unsteady, almost fateful inning of work. Velazquez reached 2nd on a wild pitch by Stewart, then tried to score on a single to left by Juan Salas, but Ryan Knox's strong throw to Kade Johnson was on the money as Kade made the tag on the sliding runner........ John Novinsky, making his debut for the Huntsville Stars, retired six straight to set up Roberto Giron's first save since September 1, 2002. Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, and Tony Gwynn Jr. will have their night to shine, but tonight, it was the old guard from last year that gets the laurels....... Ryan Knox opened the scoring in the 3rd by getting every piece of a 3-and-1 pitch from Jamie Shields and driving it high over the left field wall for a 3-run homer........ In the 5th, Kade Johnson, whose 12th inning home run beat Carolina in Game 2 of the Southern League Championship, picked up where he left off with a home run to left-center that fell under the scoreboard, to give the Stars a 4-1 lead........ And of course, Chris Barnwell, as I said, gave the Stars their final and as it turned out, most important run on Jason Belcher's single to right Tony Gwynn, Jr. nearly had a double to the track in left to lead off the Stars' 1st inning, but Amado German, who chased after his hard-hit liner too soon, wound up leaning over his head to make the blind catch......... German stole another extra-base hit in the 4th when he raced to the track to steal a double on Barnwell's drive into "the black hole" in left-center......... Rickie Weeks had the season's first hit for the Stars --- a generous scoring decision --- when he hit a worm-killer to 3rd baseman Salas. The ball hit either off his glove or something in the dirt, probably the former, and bounded high over his head and off to his left. Salas was facing the wrong direction when the ball landed behind him on the dirt between second and third....... Both Weeks and Fielder saw diets of breaking balls and off-speed pitches. The off-speed stuff was very effective in getting Fielder, who struck out three times in his four at-bats tonight........ Weeks had his first, what I call legitimate hit, in the 8th on a leadoff double that literally hugged the chalkline near the first base bag, and turned into foul territory. He went to third on Brandon Gemoll's grounder to first, but was stranded there........ Both Gwynn and Weeks read the pitcher well as they turned on the burners on stolen base attempts tonight, although only Gwynn, wearing Dave Krynzel's old #11, was successful. Huntsville sends lefty Jeff Housman (0-0, 0.00) against Montgomery right-hander Scott Autrey (0-0, 0.00). Game time is 7:05 p.m. for a Pepsi Fireworks Friday at Joe Davis Stadium. Brad Nelson, out with a sore knee that he injured sliding during the last days of spring, is available to pinch-hit, but won't be called upon to start until Monday........ Johnny Raburn became the 500th Huntsville Star to appear in a game when he took Jason Belcher's place in right field in the 8th inning....... Tonight's crowd reversed a three-year decline in attendance on Opening Day, but only by nine people from last year...... The Stars are now 12-8 in season openers and 5-3 when they opened the season at home. It's only the 3rd one-run game in an opener in their history and the first one-run victory since 1996......... Corey Hart drove in a run in his debut for the Indianapolis Indians, who won on Chris Magruder's 7th inning solo HR. Dave Krynzel wore the golden sombrero, striking out four times. J.J. Hardy went 0-for-4 in his Triple-A debut and Matt Childers picked up the save. The erection date for Joe Davis's new scoreboard has been pushed back to May 1, the start of a home series with the Diamond Jaxx.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: April 8, 2004 ? On a historic night in the Rocket City, the Stars ushered in their 20th anniversary season with a win over a brand new team, the Montgomery Biscuits. The combo of Matt Ford?s pitching and long balls from Ryan Knox and Kade Johnson sparked Huntsville to a 5-4 win over Montgomery on Thursday night at Joe Davis Stadium. With his family listening on the internet in Florida, Ford celebrated his 23rd birthday with no-hit ball. Ford fanned four and walked two while allowing only an unearned run. Ford retired nine straight batters before a leadoff walk in the fourth and threw 50 strikes among 73 pitches over five frames. Knox snapped a scoreless tie in the third, launching a 3-1 offering from Jamie Shields into the teeth of a stiff wind blowing off the leftfield wall. Knox's three-run homer was just the third hit of the night off Shields. After the Biscuits scored the first run in team history - an unearned tally in the fourth, the result of Enrique Cruz's drop at second base on Joey Guthright's attempted steal - Huntsville recouped the run on Johnson's monster, fourth-inning solo shot. Johnson sent Shield's 2-2 pitch deep to left-center for a 4-1 Stars lead. In the sixth, the Biscuits cashed in a single and a walk with a pair of run-scoring singles, one each by Jose Velasquez and Juan Salas. The Biscuits took advantage of another Stars miscue - Johnson's errant throw to second on a Guthright stolen base - and Paul Stewart's untimely wild pitch. With its lead trimmed to 4-3, Huntsville scored a crucial insurance run in the home sixth, when T.P. Waligora plunked Chris Barnwell with two outs. Barnwell took off on a 1-2 pitch to Jason Belcher, who squeezed a ground-single through the open hole at second base. When the throw came into second, Barnwell never hesitated around third, beating the relay home for a 5-3 Stars advantage. Despite a two-out error by Barnwell that led to an unearned run, Roberto Giron picked up his first Huntsville save since 2002, recording the final three outs to secure a 5-4 win. Giron worked only the ninth and allowed one hit. Shields took the loss, surrendering four runs on four hits and three walks while fanning three in 4 2/3 innings. Huntsville sends lefty Jeff Housman (0-0, 0.00) against Montgomery right-hander Scott Autrey (0-0, 0.00). Game time is 7:05 p.m. for a Pepsi Fireworks Friday at Joe Davis Stadium.

NORFOLK, Va. -- Bolstered by Chris Magruder's solo home run in the eighth inning, the Indianapolis Indians rallied Thursday night for their seventh consecutive victory on an opening day, edging the Norfolk Tides 2-1. Tribe pitchers Victor Santos, Matt Wise, Chris Michalak and Jason Childers combined to strike out 10 hitters. The group allowed just five hits, including a solo home run by right fielder Victor Diaz off starter Santos in the fourth inning. The Tribe's victory spoiled the performance of Logansport, Ind., native Aaron Heilman, the starting pitcher for the Tides. Heilman gave up a run and three hits and struck out nine in 52/3 innings. Indianapolis tied the score in the sixth inning. With two outs, Chris Coste walked, reached second on Jeff Liefer's single to center, then scored on Corey Hart's flare to right field. The Tribe scored the winning run in the eighth when Magruder homered to left field. "In a tight ballgame, I'm looking to get on base," Magruder said. "On the first pitch, I was looking to drag a bunt and missed. I realized I made a mistake and came back and hit the next one out." Indianapolis manager Cecil Cooper in the ninth inning inserted closer Childers, who shut down the Tides in order for the save. Wise, who relieved Santos in the fifth inning, picked up the win. Wise worked 3 2/3 innings and did not surrender a hit while striking out four.

Milwaukee 3 1 .750 Pittsburgh 2 1 .667 Cincinnati 2 1 .667 Houston 1 2 .333 Chicago 1 2 .333 St. Louis 1 3 .250Yeah, just like everyone said, it's a two-tiered NL Central this year http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Looks like folks across the country are going to miss SportsTicker, no longer providing box score and other updates. Just about every team's site is making use of the new "sportsnetwork.com", but first night results are shoddy. Midnight a "witching" hour here, so catch you in the AM. A Maverick win would make it a perfect day for the organization, but it's 6-3 Lancaster after 5.5 innings. Newcomer RHP Glenn Woolard (Franklin/Estrella trade) came on for Khalid Ballouli, who only lasted two innings. Woolard's gone three thus far, allowing two runs (one on a HR). Maverick players battled the sunset early on, and a typical Lancaster wind (remember, they play in 'the Hangar') and have really struggled on fly balls. High Desert batters have walked seven times through six innings (a good thing), but are also striking out and stranding runners.

Any volunteers to visit Huntsville's audio this evening? Hee-hee -- I hinted we didn't need many in-game updates, but hey, the Crew is 3-1 and we're on Opening Night caffeine in Link Report land: A wild 7th inning in Huntsville: SOU 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - MONTGOMERY 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5

I will note that despite the positioning within the thread, Indy's game finished first, colbyjack http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif You know you're listening to the opponent's feed when the Mavs' catcher is John Vanden Burger. Typical California League action going on, with the Jethawks batting around and scoring four in the 2nd inning against Mavs' starter Khalid Ballouli (two HR's allowed). It's 4-2 after two, with High Desert using its speed and some small-ball mentality to grab a 2-0 lead in the top of the 2nd.

First final of the minor league season -- Opening Day magic continues for the Tribe. Indianapolis 2, Norfolk (Mets) 1 INTL FINAL R H E - - - INDIANAPOLIS 2 5 0 NORFOLK 1 5 3Details later on...

Interesting observation from Lancaster: Not a single member of Baseball America's Top 30 Brewer Prospects is on the High Desert roster. Wow. I hope these Mavs go out, kick some butt, and make some names for themselves.

Looks like folks are working out Opening Day bugs. The Indy audio link isn't working at all (nothing happens), and the Mavericks site is down completely. I'm listening to the Lancaster feed of the High Desert game, it's scoreless early.

Indy Game Notes: OPENING DAY STREAK: The Indians head to Norfolk to battle the Norfolk Tides for the first two games of the season. Second-year manager Cecil Cooper returns with three players from last year's 64-78 club--pitchers Jason and Matt Childers and infielder Steve Scarborough. The Tribe finished 46-44 down the strech during Cooper's inaugural season. Last season, Indianapolis posted a 6-2 record against the Tides, including a 4-0 mark at Harbor Park. Last season, the Tribe earned an 8-2 victory at Columbus on Opening Day. Indianapolis has won each of its six Opening Day starts since joining the International League in 1998. KYLES-RANDALL JOIN COOPER: Veteran coaches Stan Kyles and Bobby Randall join Cecil Cooper in their first year with the Tribe. Kyles begins his fourth year in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He led Double-A Huntsville's pitching staff to a leagueleading 3.17 ERA last year. Randall spent 15 years as the head coach at Iowa State and Kansas, compiling a 475-495-1 record. STARS COME OUT TO PLAY: Seven players from the 2003 Double-A Huntsville Stars club join the Indians, including Southern League Most Valuable Player Corey Hart, Southern League All-Star J.J. Hardy and Baseball America Double-A All-Star Dave Krynzel. Pitchers Mike Adams, Ben Hendrickson, Pedro Liriano and Matt Parker round out the group. ON THE MOUND: Righthander Victor Santos will get the nod on Opening Day for the Tribe. Santos appeared in 10 games during spring training with the Milwaukee Brewers. He posted a 1-0 record and 0.75 ERA in 10 games. Santos threw 12 innings and struck out 12 hitters. He split last season between Triple-A Oklahoma and Texas. In 20 appearances with Oklahoma, Santos went 5-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 16 starts, along with one save. He appeared in eight games with the Rangers and finished 0-2 with a 7.01 ERA. POWER UP: Four of the team's performers have hit at least 22 home runs in a season. First baseman Jeff Liefer blasted 32 home runs at Triple-A Charlotte in 2000; outfielder Jon Nunnally, who played for Indianapolis in 1998, clubbed 25 home runs last year for Triple-A Memphis; infielder Scott Sheldon hit 28 home runs for Triple-A Oklahoma in 1999; and outfielder Corey Hart knocked out 22 for Single-A High Desert in 2002. RUNNING WITH THE TRIBE: Three of the club's four outfielders have stolen at least 25 bases in a season. Krynzel swiped 43 last year; Hart stole 25 bases last season; and Nunnally stole 26 bases for Triple-A Pawtucket in 1999. Infielder Luis Figueroa stole 22 in his rookie campaign with Single-A Augusta. HOT AT THE PLATE: Infielder Matt Erickson and outfielder Chris Magruder had productive plate appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training. In 20 contests, Erickson hit .324, while Magruder hit .302 with two home runs and six RBI. Last season at Triple-A Albuquerque, Erickson finished with a .342 batting average. At Triple-A Buffalo, Magruder appeared in 41 games and posted a .328 average before a late season promotion to Cleveland. THE IRISH CONNECTION: Tribe relief pitcher Chris Michalak and Norfolk Tides starter Aaron Heilman both played at the University of Notre Dame. Michalak pitched for Pat Murphy, now head coach at Arizona State University. Heilman, a native of Logansport, Ind., threw for current Irish head coach Paul Manieri. Irish pitching coach Brian O'Connor, who mentored Heilman, is now the head baseball coach at the University of Virginia. BROTHERLY LOVE: RHPs Jason and Matt Childers are the first set of brothers to wear Indians uniforms at the same time since Aaron and Bret Boone suited up for the Tribe on June 19, 1997. Jason had the honor of saving Matt's first Triple-A win on August 7, 2003 at Toledo. According to Elias Sports Bureau, that feat has not happened in Major League Baseball since saves became an official statistic in 1969. The Childers brothers have previously been teammates in 1997 (Helena), 1998 (Beloit), 2000 (Mudville) and 2001 (Huntsville). VETERAN KELLMAN WELCOMES LAUER: Howard Kellman will begin his 29th season as the voice of the Indians and will be joined by newcomer Scott Lauer. Lauer enters his seventh season of announcing minor league baseball. Indians radio broadcasts can be heard on News Talk 1430 WXNT Radio or online at www.IndyIndians.com.

The Beloit Daily News' special section on the Snappers was not included in their online edition Thursday. We've contacted Sports Editor Jim Franz, who does a great job with the Snappers' coverage each year, and perhaps we'll find other means to get the preview articles to you. But for madbad and roco, if you're heading out to Pohlman Field tonight, you may want to pick up a copy at the newsstand, in case there are interesting tidbits we might not see otherwise. Thanks.

What a bunch of wimpy chat room participants. Dissolved pretty quickly from 22 chatters to zero in the eighth -- great job with the rally caps, guys http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif

Evening action all around -- with the Brewers playing a matinee, we'll expect folks to sample from Thursday's four-course Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Victor Santos at Norfolk (Mets), 6:15 PM Audio link: www.newstalk1430.com/ HUNTSVILE: LHP Matt Ford at home vs. Montgomery (Devil Rays), 7:05 PM Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ HIGH DESERT: RHP Khalid Ballouli at Lancaster (Diamondbacks), 9:30 PM Audio link: www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm BELOIT: LHP Dana Eveland at home vs. Quad City (Twins), 6:30 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.swingbaseball.com/live/

Lend, you're killing me on these post "subject" changes http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif By the way, this is the first Brewer / Expo trade since the Crew acquired OF Alex Diaz for infielder George Canale on October 16, 1991. Only Toronto (Aug '91), Pittsburgh (Mar '89), and Seattle (March '82) had longer trading droughts with the Crew than Montreal's recently-renewed relationship.

This article appeared in the Arizona Republic in mid-March. It's about free agents who show up in Arizona looking for an opportunity. The article mentions that RHP Mark Messina signed with Bangor of the independent Northeast League, but apparently it was the Brewers who offered the contract. In the same article, it mentions recently signed catcher Tim Marks, who has been assigned to Beloit to back up Cap'n Lou Palmisano. www.azcentral.com/arizona...ntsZ6.html Scouts said they were impressed by the strong throwing arm of catcher Tim Marks, 22. They said he's good enough to play Class A ball, still the low minors, for a big league affiliated team. Marks said he has a contract with the independent Richmond Roosters in Indiana but came to the camp looking for a minor league contract with a big league organization. "You have to think that in order to continue to play the game," he said. "You don't want to give up on your dream." Messina pitched at Binghamton University, and his senior year numbers were less than inspiring, to say the least: www.sports-wired.com/play...p?ID=41971 It'll be up to squarepusher to determine if Messina earned a Brewerfan Player Index Page for his two and a half weeks of camp work...http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif

Thanks brewcru1. You had actually informed us about High Desert RHP Dan Hall earlier, and we commented previously in this thread. The rest of this latest batch of names is truly for the fan of the most hidden and obscure -- RHP Ricardo Gomez was once Pirate and then Yankee property. Dick Groch (Special Asst. to the GM/Scouting) had apparently remembered him from that Yankee connection and recommended him this offseason -- Gomez has apparently been in Japan for the past two seasons. OF Orlando Viera (21st round, 2001) out of Puerto Rico, is still only 20 years old, but missed all of 2003 with an injury. He got in all of 90 AB's in the two prior summers with the Arizona Brewers. RHP Greg Modica was signed from the independent ranks in the offseason. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the San Diego Padres following his collegiate career and pitched two seasons for Eugene in the Northwest League before making the Frontier League's All-Star Team in 2003, finishing the season 6-7 with a 4.07 ERA in 110.2 innings with 101 strikeouts. 1B Barrett Whitney's a bit of a surprise here. He'll be 24 tomorrow (4/6), but did contribute to the solid Helena offense last year. If I'm not mistaken, Toby projected him to High Desert, but apparently there are other alternatives set to be put in place.

My Magic 8 ball says that these players are no longer with the organization: Chad Petty Calvin Carpenter Justin Gordon Scott Wiggins Phil Hendrix Thanks for the info on the five pitchers. How's that value for Alex Sanchez looking now (LHP Chad Petty, OF Noochie Varner)? And no, I wasn't a Sanchez fan, but Petty's performance in High Desert was just unspeakably unacceptable. The pro scouting staff really misfired on this one. If Petty had shown anything at all this spring, you'd figure he'd still be with the organization: Petty's Player Index Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=542 Power 50 History: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...ayerId=542 Still just 21 years old, 2001 sixth round pick RHP Calvin Carpenter's another surprise cut, as the Power 50 takes another hit. This isn't 1997, and there's little time for patience in the new farm system landscape, with the abundance of arms. Carpenter's Player Index Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=145 Power 50 History: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...ayerId=145 LHP Justin Gordon was Brewerfan's initial player interview (still available off the home page). 32nd round selection pitchers who saw limited mound time in amateur ball don't normally see five years of an affiliated minor league career. Good luck to my Massachusetts neighbor should he choose to pursue another baseball path. Gordon's Player Index Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...layerId=13 Power 50 History: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...layerId=13 RHP Phil Hendrix was the Brewers' 35th round selection last spring out of VMI. There should be a rule against being cut after just one pro season, but for now, 24 innings constitutes Hendrix' Brewer career. Hendrix' Player Index Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=568 28-year-old LHP Scott Wiggins was a free agent signee last November. He'll probably be always known as the player that the Blue Jays acquired in the cash-heavy Raul Mondesi trade. Wiggins' Player Index Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=625

Two Stars veterans return By MARK McCARTER Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com As the Huntsville Stars roster grows closer to being set, two more veterans of the 2003 Southern League West team have been returned. Ryan Knox, a 25-year-old outfielder who has spent part of the last three seasons with the Stars, has been sent down from Triple-A Indianapolis. Ditto Brandon Gemoll, the Stars' first baseman last season and author of perhaps more clutch hits - his 65 RBIs was second on the team - than anybody on the club. Knox will join the outfield quartet of holdover Brad Nelson, Tony Gwynn and Jason Belcher, who batted .320 at High Desert and has been sent down from Indianapolis. Outfielders Chris Morris, Pete Rasmusen and Kennard Bibbs, who have been on the Stars' roster most of the spring, have been sent to Class A. Gemoll will back up Prince Fielder at first base and can be the designated hitter. The DH is used against American League affiliates, and the addition of Montgomery, a Devil Rays farm club, in the SL West provides more opportunities for the DH than before. The infield is set now with Gemoll, Fielder, Rickie Weeks at second, Enrique Cruz at short, Chris Barnwell at third and Johnny Raburn in a utility role. The search is still on for a back-up catcher. The pitching staff is taking shape. Mike Jones, Jeff Housman, David Nolasco, Ryan Miller, Brian Adams and Chris Saenz are back from last year. They'll be joined by Tim Bausher, Dennis Sarfate, John Novinsky and Reggie Rivard, with a couple of other spots yet to be filled. The Brewers are stepping things up a little more quickly with Nick Neugebauer's return. He's been assigned to High Desert, a convenient locale to his home in Riverside, Calif. ... Jason Shelley, who pitched in nine games for Huntsville last season, will remain at extended spring training before joining the club later. ... Reid Nichols, the Brewers' director of minor league development, will be in Huntsville for next Thursday's season opener against Montgomery. Technically, the official moves involved here were all transfers -- MassBrew Knox, Gemoll and Novinsky from AAA to AA Gwynn from A to AA Morris from AA to A+ Neugebauer from MLB to A+

Always fun to look back at Toby's Power 50 history, in this case relating to just-released OF Francisco Plasencia. www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...ayerId=139 That's not picking on Toby; he saw something during ealier Maryvale visits that he latched on to; just didn't work out, apparently... In fact, among the releases thus far, Plasencia joins Judd Richardson, Dan Hall, Ralph Santana, Nic Carter, Manuel Melo, and Brian Foster as Power 50 alumni (click on any name for their P50 history): www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...kerList.do And one more -- even in a roundtable discussion among the most diehard fans of obscure Brewer farmhands, you'd be likely to win a bar bet that RHP Chris Gittings was also a Power 50 alum (albeit a cameo appearance).

Jones to start year with Stars By MARK McCARTER Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com MARYVALE, Ariz. - So cautious are the Milwaukee Brewers now about their top prospects, the Stars' finest pitcher of 2003 is returning for an encore. Mike Jones, considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, worked in 17 games in Huntsville last season before a tender elbow convinced Milwaukee to shut him down. After much deliberation among Milwaukee officials, Jones will be returning to Huntsville to begin the season, an anchor for an otherwise relatively inexperienced pitching staff. "I'm fine with it,'' Jones said of the decision. "It doesn't mean he's going to be there the whole season,'' said farm director Reid Nichols. Jones, who turns 21 on April 23, was 7-2 with a 2.40 ERA for the Stars and was named to the midseason Southern League All-Star team. A first-round draft pick in 2001, Jones became a medical quandary for the Brewers' doctors. There was much debate whether Jones might require surgery, but a prescription of rest and rehab in the offseason seems to have done the trick for what was eventually diagnosed as a strained elbow ligament instead of a tear. Jones said Wednesday he had no pain in the arm any time this spring. Starbrites: Tim Bausher, a reliever who was in Beloit last season, was moved to the Stars' roster from Indianapolis Wednesday. He will be another candidate for the closer's role. He was outstanding in the Arizona Fall League, with a 2-0 record and 1.98 ERA in 10 appearances. ... Johnny Raburn had three hits and three RBIs in the Stars' 7-5 win over Mobile, San Diego's Double-A affiliate, on Wednesday. ... The minor league staff held a long meeting Wednesday morning and planned to meet again today to finalize all the rosters. ... Manager Frank Kremblas is pleased with the idea of next Tuesday's preseason game with Birmingham at 3 p.m. "It'll let our pitchers throw against somebody else instead of just working in the bullpen,'' he said.

The Brewers confirm that Pete Rasmusen is in camp...

We have a note in to the Brewers hoping to confirm, but it looks like there's a new outfielder in camp (perhaps with a destination of High Desert?). Here's the blurb from the Huntsville Times' coverage of Tuesday's AA preseason game: Pete Rasmusen is a long shot to make the Stars' outfield, despite an RBI single yesterday. But he's an interesting story. He wasn't drafted out of Stetson University (despite a two-run homer to upset Georgia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last spring) so he spent his second consecutive summer playing for the Greek national team in Europe. His mom Marina is a native of Greece, which qualified Pete for selection to the squad. Haven't found much more on Rasmusen; he's listed as 5'9", 191, from McHenry, Illinois.

Obviously, these are just observations from afar: OF/RHP Nic Carter a puzzling pick at the time (4th round, 2002), a rare Zduriencik misfire: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=321 RHP Judd Richardson (2001 fifth round pick out of Canada) -- by the time he overcame injuries, he was old for the leagues where he did see limited action: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=118 2B/OF Ralph Santana (42nd round pick, 2001) -- .290 career hitter in 1067 AB's, few strikeouts, nice SB totals and percentages; too few walks and a seemingly below-average glove, but at age 22, still a surprise. Played the organizational soldier role well at High Desert last year when asked to move to the outfield: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=120 RHP Dan Hall (15th round, 2000) -- simply put, did not take advantage of a golden opportunity when cemented in to the High Desert rotation for 2003: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...layerId=14 RHP Justin Backsmeyer -- former Ranger prospect and an independent league signee last season, Backsmeyer showed promise very early on in High Desert before succumbing to the Cal League -- secondary numbers were better than his 1-9 record: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=526 RHP Jon Huizinga -- Huizinga signed his first affiliated contract last June; allowed several unearned runs to score in his 41.2 IP at Beloit, perhaps masking his overall level of effectiveness: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=552