Stories about some Rattlers

Both of these stories are from Bob Brainerd at Fox Sports Wisconsin's website.

The first, about Hunter Morris, is from early July, but I just found it:

Waiting in the Wings

Hunter Morris found the Miller Park air refreshing and breathable. The roof panels were open, and sunny skies splashed down upon his chestnut hair while he was noticeably perched on the top seat of the home team dugout, watching Prince Fielder work at the position he hopes to anchor someday.

“It’s some big shoes to fill, definitely,” said first baseman Hunter Morris, the Brewers fourth round draft pick out of Auburn. “And hopefully everything works out best for him, for the organization and it all take its course as it may.”

The breathing exercise was a welcome exhale for a player who was anxious to sink his teeth into the opportunity for advancement through the Brewers food chain. His selection by Milwaukee came on a Tuesday, setting Hunter Morris in motion.

“I left my house on Sunday afternoon, drove almost all the way to Milwaukee, got my physical Monday morning, got into Appleton Monday night, and then 7:30 the next morning I’m on a four-hour bus ride to Clinton, Iowa,” recalls Morris. “So, it was a good couple of days before I got my feet settled.”

This one is on Rattlers pitcher Jake Odorizzi:

Future's Market

Butchering Jake Odorizzi’s name over the public address speakers has become commonplace anytime he takes to the bump. “A regular occurrence,” said Odorizzi, who no longer bothers to politely redirect and reel someone in with the proper pronunciation: Oh-duh-RIZZ-ee. “Some people pronounce letters that aren’t even in my last name. I just go along with it. It’s better to have your name announced wrong than not at all.”

Two summers ago, Jake was antsy for any major league team to call his name, phonetics aside, during the first round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. With the Illinois State Tournament set to open a day after the draft, the 18-year-old senior pitcher and shortstop didn’t have the option of relaxing at home. “We drove out to Joliet and sat in the hotel for about four hours watching the draft going on,” recalls Odorizzi. “The hotel didn’t have any air conditioning in the lobby. So we were sitting there sweating it out, literally.”

The Milwaukee Brewers ceased the drama, and the perspiration, by selecting the Highland, Illinois product right out of high school with a supplemental pick, the 32 overall.

“Once my name got called it was a relieving feeling and then I had to get ready and concentrate on the game for the next day,” said Odorizzi.

Head over to read both stories.