Tuesday links

Long baseball journey prepped Fasano: The story of Sal.

Yeah, the M's could use this guy in left field ... Choo regret.

Unlikely Butte reunion at Seattle's Safeco Field Two Montana natives in MLB?

Loons pitcher Brett Wallach has baseball in his blood Brothers in baseball.

Mariners Sign Utility Player Ramon Vazquez: Vazquez was a Timber Rattlers in 1996. Back home to the Seattle system.

Rottino returns, but not as Star: Former Brewers system folk hero Vinny Rottino is playing against the Brewers now.

Both Ends Of The Spectrum. No not the old home of the Sixers and Flyers. A blog post by Gene Mueller about recent trip to Pohlman Field.

Brian Fuentes to return to closer's role with Angels: Fuentes was a Rattler in 1997.

Transactions: I'll just dig out the most Rattler-centric news. Ex-Rattlers in Bold:

Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Pat Bresnehan, RHP Nolan Gallagher, RHP Brent Johnson, RHP Stephen Kahn, RHP Ricky Orta, RHP Kyle Parker, RHP Luis Pena, RHP Yusmeiro Petit, RHP Alfredo Venegas, RHP Tom Wilhelmsen, LHP Donnie Hume, LHP Cesar Jimenez, LHP Derrick Saito, C Ralph Henriquez, 3B Ronnie Prettyman, OF Matt Cerione, OF Jamie McOwen, OF Ryan Royster

Orta had Tommy John surgery this spring, which is a tough break for a relief prospect coming off a breakthrough campaign that landed him on the 40-man roster.

Hume also enjoyed a fine ’09 season, taming the High Desert winds enough to go 17-5, 4.81 in 27 starts for the high Class A affiliate, but he's strengthening his shoulder in extended spring training.

Saturday Links

New Whitecaps play-by-play announcer Ben Chiswick adapts quickly to his new home

Opening Day: Chiefs vs. Burlington, 1 p.m., O'Brien Field

Cubs' Ted Lilly to Rehab with Chiefs on Monday
Tickets are Half-Price for First MLB Rehab of 2010 Season

Rainiers: Saunders scores from first on a single to lift Tacoma over Salt Lake in 10th

Three links for a Thursday

The Great Dayton Brawl story comes to an end.

A judge has waived a 30-day jail sentence for a minor league pitcher convicted of throwing a baseball into the stands that injured a fan during an on-field brawl at Fifth Third Field in Dayton two years ago.

Julio Castillo was released from probation Wednesday on the condition that he leave the United States and not return for a minimum of three years.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Connie Price also ordered Castillo, who is from the Dominican Republic, to pay court costs.

That ends the criminal side of the story. I haven't seen anything about the civil pursuits that have been going on as part of the story.

Stadium news from a Brewers affiliate:

Stars opt to extend lease with Huntsville for five years

Despite dwindling attendance and playing in the oldest stadium in the Southern League, the ownership of the Huntsville Stars has exercised the option to extend its lease with the city of Huntsville for five years, through the 2015 season

Miles Prentice, the team's majority owner, made the announcement prior to the Stars' home season opener Wednesday night.

Prentice said that in reassuring the city he would not move the club he hoped for "a recognition that baseball is important (to Huntsville) and they want to keep it."

Ex-Star Jimmy Jones wants team to stay

Jones was a Huntsville Stars catcher in 1987 and 1988 before his career was ended by a near-crippling ankle injury.

Lured by love and geography, he stayed in town.

Now, Jimmy Jones wants to keep the Stars in town.

"I want 'em to stay," Jones says. "Me and other people have a real passion for the game. Some of the citizens of Huntsville and Madison and other towns close by don't realize what they're missing."

Some Links: 4/9/10

Some Rattlers related Links:

Timber Rattlers' Young Guns: WBAY's story on the pitching. (Video at the Link)

Timber Rattlers home opener postponed: FOX 11's story about yesterday. (Video at Link)

WFRV did a nice story, but they really need to find a better way of sharing video. Follow this link and scroll through the videos on the right side until you see the snow covered field.

NBC26 was here, too. But, I can't find their story.

Winter Wonderland in Wisconsin: Jonathan Mayo liked our video.

So did Ben Hill. So did Cam McCasland. So did a whole lot of other people.


Some links from around the league:

A life in baseball winding down for Kernels GM Jack Roeder: About Cedar Rapids Kernels GM Jack Roeder and what will be his last season.

Devlin gets the call for Burlington: About Nick Devlin, Burlington's new radio announcer, and his first season.

Horner brings consistency to Mavs: Jim Horner, the Rattlers manager in '06 & '07, is back in High Desert for 2010!

Saunders back at Cheney for a reason: Michael Saunders ('06) starts this season with Tacoma.

Highly rated Hicks will start in Beloit: Aaron Hicks, a big-time Twins prospect, is back in Beloit.

A boatload of links

Sorry for running mostly silent the last few days. #1.) I've been busy at the ballpark. #2.) There just isn't a whole heck of a lot out there.

This should change once the pitchers and catchers report this week.

To make up for the lack of posts, here is one post with lots of volume. Or, at least links to a lot of the stories that I have been working on this week.

The big story is: Single game tickets on sale March 6 @ 10am. The 3rd Annual Rummage Sale is that day, too.

Also making news would be the two new official Timber Rattlers Fan Clubs.

The Silver Foxes is for 55 and over.

Timber Rattlers Kids Crew is for 12 and under.

There have been some changes since the last time we did the Kids club, so click on each club for more information and entry forms.

By the way, congratulations to a young Rattler fan from Stevens Point. He is the first member of the Kids Crew. And I am guessing that he is the son of a long-time Rattler Radio reader from Stevens Point. But, that is just a guess...Right, Erik?

In a semi-non-related Timber Rattlers link, Chris Bosio was the guest of Brett Christopherson, the erstwhile Timber Rattlers Beat Writer at the Post Crescent.

Bos has some great stories. On involves his first bullpen at major league camp with a strangely attired Ted Simmons doing the catching...and smoking...

Plus, an unnamed blogger won a wing party at The Clubhouse just for knowing Bosio's uniform number.

It was easy to remember. Short story, I interned at LAZER 103 (Now, THE HOG) in Milwaukee during the summer of 1988. Bos was a frequent guest of Bob and Brian. I started work at 10am, just when Bob and Brian would be wrapping up their morning show. If there was a late-model luxury car in the lot with the vanity plates 'BOS 29' it was pretty clear that Chris Bosio was in the house.

Back to the Sports for Lunch today. Bosio has some interesting comments how he handled Manny Parra's trip down to Nashville last year. Bosio was the pitching coach of the Sounds when that happened during 2010.

Head over here.

Then, click on 'Menu' in the lower right hand corner. Click 'Browse On-Demand Library'. Then, select 'Live Show Tue Feb 16 2010'. It's a little over an hour.

Two of my early in the week pieces for the website are available.

Today's The Interrogation Room is a talk with Bill Smith, the current GM of the Minnesota Twins. At one point, early in his career, he was the GM of the Appleton Foxes.

Mehring Monday takes a look at past Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics with the main focus being memorable ways the Olympic Flame was lit.

To give away the ending, this was my favorite.