Two stories about hockey?

Yes. Hockey. In Wisconsin. Potential Hockey teams to be truthful.

#1. That Professional Hockey Hotbed of Madison.

Twin Lakes Hockey Partners, LLC, is proud to announce the return of professional hockey to Madison for the 2009-10 season.

We are currently in negotiations with Madison-area venues and several professional hockey leagues, but there is no doubt, PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY IS RETURNING TO MADISON.

While the details are being ironed out, we are asking the public to get involved and choose the name for the team. Using the poll on this page, please let us know what you want the name of the new hockey team in Madison to be.

That is from the official website of this new hockey "team". Why bring this up?

One of the choices is Ice Muskies, which is either a blatant rip-off of or an homage to one of the former Midwest League teams based in Madison.

Oh, and then there is this.

Madison has not fielded a pro hockey team since 2000, when the Kodiaks of the United Hockey League headed to Kalamazoo, Mich., after one season at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum.

That concluded a five-year run in Madison by the UHL, with the Madison Monsters preceding the Kodiaks.

When the Monsters left town for Knoxville, Tenn., owner Andrew Wilhelm claimed to have lost $1.5 million during his four-year run.

After the Kodiaks departed, the man who was instrumental in bringing the team to the city said it was a mistake. "This is probably the worst minor league market I've seen in my life," Leo Hunstiger told The Capital Times in 2000.

Tjapkes said the new Madison team's prospective owner has done his research on the experiences of those franchises and will not repeat their mistakes.

Research! It solves everything and helps you to dream big in a market that hasn't supported professional hockey...ever.

Hockey story #2 comes from the backyard of the Beloit Snappers.

What’s in a name?

Janesville could learn the answer to that question in the next few weeks if the city council approves the $200,000 renovation plan for the Janesville Ice Skating Center. The upgrade, if approved at tonight’s meeting, would pave the way for the city to land an expansion franchise in the North American Hockey League.

An expansion franchise would need a nickname, of course.

“I think it’s important for the community to have ownership in the team,” said Bill McCoshen, head of the group seeking to bring junior hockey to the city. “I want it (selecting a nickname) to be a fun process.

“Janesville needs something to put its arms around.”

McCoshen hinted that he and his ownership group have a few ideas. He also said the team would most likely hold a communitywide contest to come up with a nickname.

The choices are at the story, but I had to share the Marvel Comics like logo for the generic sounding Janesville Jays.

I'm trying to decide if he is the newest member of The Mighty Avengers or if he is going to be fighting Daredevil for the next six issues.

Also, MWL President George Spelius gets a quote in this story:

Selecting a name and colors is an important first step for any franchise.

“You don’t want anything offensive to people or groups,” said George Spelius, president of the Midwest League. “Team owners have to go with what they think is right. You roll the dice on that sometimes.

“There are some real clever names out there. We’re fortunate in the Midwest League to have quite a few of the marks that are pretty good. They’ve all done quite well and have survived.”

The Snappers were mentioned earlier in the story as an example of a good nickname.

Because I've got nothing else today

I was looking for a opening to Monday Night Baseball on ABC, but there was a theme only version at youtube. But, here is a little tour into the past that will work for a last post of the day.

Travel back to the heady days of cheesy animation and cheesier music. The open to Game Two of the 1982 World Series on NBC.



A few things:

Really liked the busts of the hall of famers.

Tony Kobek? C'mon, Dick.

Coleco Vision AND Anco were the sponsors. Awesome.

45 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Testing...Testing

The TinCaps debuted their new video board on Friday. It must have worked.

The largest big-screen TV in Fort Wayne now resides at Parkview Field! On Friday, February 20th, the Fort Wayne TinCaps unveiled the Parkview Field video board for the first time, displaying a spinning TinCaps logo in near-HD quality. The video board is the second-largest in all of Minor League Baseball, measuring 26.25 feet high by 53.54 feet wide. It tips the scales at nearly 21 tons.

There is this as well:

Texas Star will also install two high-definition LED boards on the outfield wall that will each measure 5.25 feet high by 18.9 feet wide, located in the right- and left-field power alleys. More information on the final installation date will follow in the near future.

I'll be there in July...Hopefully.

The Dayton-Peoria rivalry continues

Many posts were written about the brawl between the Dayton Dragons and the Peoria Chiefs since it happened last summer.

I'm almost positive that the reporter who wrote the following did not have that brawl in mind:

Let's see. Build a downtown arena and move the Dayton Bombers there, or support the Austin Pike site and likely bring in an American Hockey League team?

There are pluses and minuses to both plans, but the ideal combination clearly would be a downtown arena AND an AHL franchise. That's really what should be explored.

With the AHL, hockey fans would know they are seeing future National Hockey League players, because that's where many of them come from. Seems logical that it would add to the experience.

Not to compare the Dragons and Bombers, but one of the reasons baseball flourishes here is that fans know they are watching the major-leaguers of tomorrow. More than 20 ex-Dragons are in camp with the Reds.

What's important is that this city should not settle for less than the likes of Peoria, Ill., for example, which has an AHL team and a downtown arena. Or Battle Creek, Mich., which already is one-up on Dayton, having managed to figure out how to attach an arena to a hotel.

The part that caught my eye is now in bold. I'm not sure -- and maybe it's just me, but, Peoria has this and Battle Creek has that is not a persuasive argumentative technique.

Guest blogger (2/22)

Hey. I'm Brick. Brick, the Bad Weather Hating Bactrian. Mehring had to duck out to get ready for Mass and he's also "geeked up" about dueling marathons of MacGyver and NCIS.

And if any of you have ever seen Mehring "geeked up" you know that nothing intelligent will be typed or spoken by him for another couple of days.

So, I'm just popping in here to point out that weather lately...to put not too fine a point on it...has sucked.

Snow and cold yesterday.

High of 21 with flurries today.

High of 22 tomorrow.

The 10-day forecast has one day with temperatures above 32 degrees.

This sucks.

And it had better turn around soon or -- by Roudha -- I'll do something drastic.

46 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Just putting it out there

From the official website of the Brewers

Rehab road slow for Capuano
One-time ace hopes to be back in Majors by mid-May

A bleary-eyed Chris Capuano slumps on a chair in the Brewers' Spring Training clubhouse after another long day of work. He deserves the rest.

Capuano, attempting a comeback from his second career Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, has been arriving at Maryvale Baseball Park each day at 6 a.m. MT for his rehab, which these days includes bullpen sessions and therapy at the team's Minor League complex. When the rest of team takes the field for stretching at 9:30, Capuano's workday is essentially already done.

A quick recap:

Capuano is aiming to be back to game shape by mid-May, a reasonable target considering he underwent left elbow surgery on May 15 at the Birmingham, Ala., offices of Dr. James Andrews. Capuano underwent his first such procedure on May 17, 2002, when he was property of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The future.

First things first. Capuano is up to about 35 pitches in his bullpen sessions and has been working in Minor League camp so he can continue to collaborate with Kenny Patterson, the team's well-respected physical therapist. He's hoping to throw live batting practice in about three weeks, then pitch an inning or two in a big league game near the end of the team's Cactus League schedule.

"That's the hope," he said. "I'm shooting to be built up, ready to start games by mid-May, so it's pretty much on schedule. It's tougher now, because everybody else is in here going full-speed, and I wish I was doing that, too. They're having to hold me back a little bit right now."

I'm just saying that the weather in Appleton may be warm by May......

And no. I don't know anything about a rehab with the Rattlers. Just putting it out there as a possibility.

Put up or....

Prospect Insider lays it on the line for a few former Timber Rattlers: Wladimir Balentien ('04), Jeff Clement ('05), Ryan Rowland-Smith ('02, '03), and Mark Lowe ('05).

Balentien has yet to arrive in Peoria due to visa issues, but when he does, he better have his hitting shoes on. In fact, he should sleep in them.

He's 25, out of options and his defense hasn't made much progress over the past year or so.

His pitch recognition is below average and he's yet to meet a breaking ball away that he didn't like. To earn his plate appearances, Wlad is going to have to show progress and a stronger, more dedicated work ethic, or he's not long for the organization.

But, he will get a chance. Then, there's Clement:

Clement's prowess with the tools of ignorance will likely be determined once and for all this season. Whether he catches four or five days a week or splits time equally with Kenji Johjima, the M's will have plenty of data to make a decision on Clement's abilities defensively.

The 25-year-old will have to show significant improvement in receiving - he must show softer, stronger hands and pitcher-friendly framing - as well as higher levels of consistencies when it comes to throwing and blocking.

RRS, you're next and you have a chance to be more than the #5 guy in the rotation.

The one must-have for RRS is a more effective pitch against left-handed batters, who hit .311/.390/.480 against him in 2008. A better, more consistent change would help, but creating a better angle would be of assistance as well. He does pitch from the first base side of the rubber, but there's 4-6 inches more to take there.

Hello, Lowe.

In 2007, Lowe had this to say about his transition to the bullpen, and why he went from being a mediocre starter to a good reliever.

"I just started attacking the lower half of the strike zone with everything. I wasn't nibbling, I was throwing my change less, so I was only worried about two pitches. My fastball has natural sink to it, so staying down in the zone works for me."

I'd say as long as Lowe follows that same mode of attack, he'll be fine. This is year three since the surgery, so if he's ever going to get it all back, this is the year.

There is more on each player at the link.

Very similar

This Baseball America post at their prospect blog notes the similarities between the careers of a couple of former Timber Rattlers: Asdrubal Cabrera ('05) and Luis Valbuena ('06). How similar?

Born
Cabrera: Nov. 13, 1985 in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela
Valbuena: Nov. 30, 1985 in Caja Seca, Venezuela

Signed
Cabrera: Aug. 26, 2002 (Mariners, by Emilio Carrasquel)
Valbuena: Aug. 29, 2002 (Mariners, by Emilio Carrasquel)

Professional Debut
Cabrera: 2003, Venezuelan Summer League
Valbuena: 2003, Venezuelan Summer League

Traded
Cabrera: 2006, to Cleveland
Valbuena: 2008, to Cleveland

Then, there is this:

Valbuena and Cabrera formed the Mariners’ middle infield combination in the VSL in 2003, with Cabrera handling shortstop and Valbuena slotting in at second base. The Mariners, as they did with many of their prospects under its previous front management, pushed Cabrera and Valbuena through the system quickly, with Cabrera climbing through the system like a ring-tailed lemur*.

Half way through the 2006 season, with a 20-year-old Cabrera struggling to a .236/.323/.360 line in 60 games with Triple-A Tacoma, the Mariners traded Cabrera to Cleveland for Eduardo Perez. In 2008, Valbuena found success repeating Double-A as a 22-year-old, hitting .304/.381/.483 in 70 games for West Tenn before a promotion to Triple-A, where he hit .302/.383/.373 in 58 games, and then to the majors for a brief stint before shipping off to the Indians in an offseason trade.

Head over there for what the scouts think.

*-An apparent Seinfeld reference.

Sinatra Saturday (2/21)

Apparently, last week's Sinatra Saturday was too maudlin (adjective, 1: drunk enough to be emotionally silly; 2: weakly and effusively sentimental) for some.

Consider this the antidote, Mom.


Or you might like this version:


When Bob sings a song, that song belongs to Bob.

I'm not going to break the mood by posting any pictures of the field from yesterday.

47 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Who wants to be a Timber Rattler?

A poster at BrewerFan.net has, um, posted roster projections for the Brewers and for all of their full season minor league affiliates in the forums.

A.) I don't want to copy and paste the whole Timber Rattler roster. Click the link and scroll down.

B.) I can't copy and paste the whole Timber Rattler roster. The format does not allow that. Well played, And That, well played.

The big news in that projection is that he has Brett Lawrie as the starting second baseman instead of at catcher.

This isn't just a wild guess. There is this.

The starting pitching rotation in this projection?

Cody Scarpetta
Cody Adams
Efrain Nieves
Lucas Luetge
Michael Bowman

Jake Odorizzi is not on this projected Timber Rattler Opening Day roster.

Click that link up top for the rest.

Who wants to be a LumberKing?

Dave Lezotte takes a run at a possible Clinton LumberKing roster at his new LumberBlog.

First up:

During our Hot Stove banquet in January, Mariners' special assistant John Boles didn't bring up a lot of names when it came to possible players, but did toss out two in specific, former Wisconsin Timber Rattlers outfielder Daniel Carroll and 20-year-old third-base prospect Mario Martinez.

Interesting.

Next:

Could Carroll be one of two former second-round picks roaming the Clinton outfield? Dennis Raben (second round in '08) had some nice power numbers from the left side of the plate last year in short-season Everett. He slugged five homers and drove in 14 RBI while hitting .275 (.560 slugging, .411 on-base) in 27 games. Bound to be a LumberKing? Hopefully.

What about pitching?

Could we see a third stint out of righty Nathan Adcock (2-5, 3.72 ERA in 2008), whose curveball was ranked the best in the system by BA? How about second seasons out of Donnie Hume (6-2, 2.44), Edward Paredes (7-11, 4.63) and Keith Renaud (1-5, 5.14), all who made at least 11 starts with Wisconsin last year?

I'll answer those in order with educated guesses: Maybe, No, Yes, No.

Or, it could be newcomers. Pulaski boasted solid arms like Nick Czyz (6-5, 4.08), Brooks Mohr (6-4, 3.27) and Fabian Williamson (4-3, 4.10) last season. In Everett, there weren't too many starters with ERA's under four, but Nolan Gallagher (1-1, 2.94), Bobby LaFromboise (2-2, 3.46) and Brett Lorin (1-0, 2.82) fared well in limited action. Lorin ended up making six starts with the Rattlers by season's end. Then there's high-rounders Ben Pribanic (1-2, 15.43 in AZL) and Steven Hensley (2-1, 5.22) who both struggled after being selected in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

I'll only point out that Williamson is unlikely to be a LumberKing this season...or any season in the near future.

The Red Sox acquired left-hander Fabian Williamson from the Mariners in exchange for right-hander David Aardsma on Tuesday[, January 20].

The rest of those are possible.

Remember that the first time the Rattlers face the LumberKings is at the start of a series in Clinton on April 16.

Follow through

Okay, it's Saturday. There's a few things to get to regarding potential rosters, but I wanted to actually follow through on something from earlier in the week.

If you click that link you will be taken to the post from earlier this week in which Rattler Radio provided links to a Ben's Biz Blog post about promotions that missed the cut in the Quad Cities River Bandits Name the Promotion Promotion.

One that caught my eye was a promotion involving a concession stand that would sell food items that are based on the opponent playing the River Bandits that night. Ben wrote this fateful sentence: I started to brainstorm some Midwest League possibilities, but they were embarrassingly unfunny. Please let me know if you come up with anything.

Then, I responded with: Check back on Saturday. I'm not doing anything. Besides, embarrassing and unfunny never stopped me before.

Before beginning the Embarrassment and Unfunny, a quick note. I've switched this around to a theoretical concession stand at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

Beloit Snappers: Turtle Soup

Burlington Bees: Honey Nut Cheerios. Or, just hunny in trees. We'll just need to watch out for silly old bears.

Cedar Rapids Kernels: Corn on the Cob. Geez, this is easy.

Clinton LumberKings: Something with a lot of fiber.

Dayton Dragons: Komodo Dragon.....What? You've never seen The Freshman? Besides. We have to eat them before they eat us. Careful on that second link. Nature is not pretty.

Fort Wayne TinCaps: Apple Pie. Apple Juice. Apples. Apple Jacks. Apple Fritters. Apples.

Great.Lakes.Loons: Roast duck.

Kane County Cougars: Cougar. Again, eat them before they eat us. I know, Disney teaches us that the cougar and the elk become friends and go off to have adventures. Teachers can be wrong.

Lansing Lugnuts: Didn't Klinger try to eat a Jeep in an episode of M*A*S*H? I'm going to go with actual lugnuts. Or maybe walnuts, peanuts, cashews, and various other nuts. I haven't made up my mind yet.

Peoria Chiefs: I've got nothing...tasteful. What do you do with a team with a dalmatian for a mascot? Oh!? No. Nothing tasteful.

Quad Cities River Bandits: Fritos. Nothing but Fritos.

South Bend Silver Hawks: Only a few things are more majestic than a hawk in flight. A hawk on a spit slow-roasting over a mesquite fire is one of them.

West Michigan Whitecaps: Bottle caps made of white chocolate...Or, Frappucinos.

And just for the heck of it:

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: Rattlesnake Steak.

Rattlesnakes are also a popular food in some southeastern and southwestern American cuisines and are sometimes sold in speciality meat shops. It has a flavor that has been described as similar to chicken or frog legs and a chewy texture similar to alligator.

Frog legs? Why would we serve those?

Field Photos (2/19)

These were taken at around 3:40pm on 2/19/20.



Trying to be positive on a Friday...
...
...
...
...
...
...
The Sun was out.

48 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Part III

The chat about the minor league system of the Brewers continues with the writers of Bernie's Crew and Between the Green Pillars chiming in on the catchers....Wonder who they might talk about in here?

Let's see....Salome....Lucroy....Ah, here he is!

Jim: Perhaps no one has been talked about more than Brett Lawrie and his desire to play catcher in the major leagues. No one has really seen him handle a pitching staff or try to block balls in the dirt, however, so he is almost a complete mystery. Part of me believes his bat will be so advanced that Milwaukee may give up on him catching and stick him at either third base or second in an attempt to get his bat in the big leagues. Brett is a wild card, but we will know more after the season.

Aaron: The team needs to stop talking about Lawrie as a backstop and send him right to second base. There is almost no depth in the Brewers’ minor league system and Lawrie's bat, if it goes the way it has been for Canada, puts him in the upper echelon at that position. Furthermore, he'll make it to the majors much, much faster.

Ryan: The Brewers are probably best served by taking a look at him behind the dish this spring, and possibly into the season, and then making up their minds if they want to stick with him back there. I'm not going to rule it out as a possibility that he could stay at catcher, but my guess is that he's a third basemen when it's all said and done. Second base could also be a landing spot, but the scouting stuff I've seen seems to suggest that he'll outgrow the position. Whatever they decide, they need to make a decision quickly and then commit to it 100%

Lawrie has been projected by just about everyone to be with the Timber Rattlers at some point in 2009.

See the voice

Dan Walsh of Sports Bubbler.com has a three-part interview with Cory Provus, the new radio announcer of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Good stuff in there,including this: Provus has a cousin by the name of Brad Sham. You know. Brad Sham!?!? The play-by-play announcer for the Dallas Cowboys?!?! Brad Sham!

Okay, maybe I was the only one that found that interesting. But, isn't that what blogging is all about?

Visa problems

When you are fighting for a starting job in the Major Leagues, this is not good.

Outfielder Wladimir Balentien remains in Curaco with visa problems. Given the number of players who want his job in left field – Ken Griffey Jr., Endy Chavez, Mike Morse, Mike Wilson and Greg Halman – each day lost could be precious. The team is out of options with Balentien and Morse, so if they don’t make the team, they’ll be put on waivers.

Balentien ('04) is out of options? He is trying to get to Spring Training from Curacao.

"Mr. Junior."

Ken Griffey is back with the Mariners. A few former Timber Rattler players can't wait for Junior to get to camp.

When Mariners first-base hopeful Bryan LaHair was a teenager, his buddies pooled some cash together for a birthday gift.

They bought him a painting of Ken Griffey Jr. he'd seen while wandering around Cape Cod. Though he'd grown up in Massachusetts, surrounded by die-hard Red Sox fans, LaHair idolized the sweet-swinging Griffey.

"I tried to emulate his swing in high school," said LaHair, a left-handed power hitter. "It wasn't like his. But I had his posters up on my wall."

The painting went up there, too. It's now in the bedroom of LaHair's brother, Jeff, who phoned Wednesday night after the Griffey deal was announced to reminisce about a childhood dream.

"It's really strange because I used to sit there dreaming of being a teammate of his when I was younger," LaHair said. "I mean, a lot of kids probably did that. But for me, it's actually going to happen. My brother called me and reminded me of that."

Mariners young and old reminisced about their favorite Griffey moments and pondered what they'd ask the slugger once he arrives in camp Saturday. The Mariners have planned a 12:30 p.m. PST news conference, then will see Griffey take the field Sunday with his new teammates.

Catcher Jeff Clement had a similar conversation with his brother by phone Wednesday, remembering how he'd pretend to be Griffey during backyard Wiffleball games in Iowa. Clement had been wondering how he'd address his boyhood idol.

"What do you call a guy like that? What do you refer to him as?" Clement asked. "And my brother made the joke 'Just call him Mr. Junior.' "

And it isn't just the hitters.

"All the younger guys are very excited to have him in the clubhouse," Mariners pitcher Ryan Feierabend said. "A lot of the guys looked up to him. The guys I'm talking about are guys who watched him in the home-run derbies, stuff like that. As far as the veterans, I'm sure they're just as excited as we are."

Feierabend ('04), LaHair ('04), and LaHair ('05) won't have to wait much longer.

10% of the game is 90% Mental

Or something like that. Which make sense when talking about the current Seattle Mariner pitcher who will be trying to take over the closer spot in the bullpen.

In this corner!

One of the biggest games going in Mariners spring training is taking place inside relief pitchers' heads.

More specifically, the pitchers are vying for a closer's role left vacant in December by the trade of J.J. Putz. Competition for the job should be fierce, and the winner will likely be whoever gets his mental game as sharp as the "stuff" he throws.

Miguel Batista — published author, Spanish-language blogger and full-time closer — believes he has the mindset to unseat odds-on favorite Mark Lowe. Some critics feel that Batista, who turned 38 on Thursday, bottomed out as a starting pitcher last year and that the only thing keeping him around as a reliever is a $9 million guaranteed salary.

But Batista insists there are two things wrong with that thinking — two broken bones in his back that he says derailed his 2008 season before he even got out of spring training.

And in this corner! From the 2005 Timber Rattlers!

For Lowe — as well as closer candidates Tyler Walker, David Aardsma and Roy Corcoran — the mental side of pitching has presented different challenges. Late in 2006 Lowe underwent career-threatening microfracture surgery. A doctor poked small holes in the bone in his elbow, drawing blood to stimulate tissue growth that could replace missing cartilage.

Such surgery takes months, even years, to recover from. Lowe spent most of 2007 learning how to uncork pitches without fearing his arm would explode. Last year, his first full season back in the majors, he began getting his fastball back up to the mid- to high-90s.

But Lowe now does more than simply throw his fastball and slider as hard as he can, something he did when breaking into the majors in 2006 before the surgery. Instead, he worked on developing a change-up to keep hitters off balance on days his slider deserted him.

"I think in the past it's been a case of knowing what my body could handle coming off the surgery," said Lowe, who the Mariners appeared to be leaning toward heading into camp. "Knowing I could handle a lot of work. Going through last year and throwing a lot, it's not even a question any more.

Lowe is focused on the mental side, too.

"Baseball's one of those games where you play 162 games and one bad outing's not going to kill you," he said. "Even two, three in a row, you can still redeem yourself down the road. It's nothing to get caught up in."

Not get caught up in? That may be the best advice...ever. Now try and follow it.

Taking advantage of nostalgia

The West Michigan Whitecaps have something planned....

Six Friday baseball games at Fifth Third Ballpark this season are designed to take Detroit Tigers fans down memory lane.

Through a promotion by the West Michigan Whitecaps called "Tiger Fridays," the Tigers' Class A minor league affiliate will bring in former Tigers players who will throw out the first pitch and sign autographs on the concourse during the game at no cost.

"We think this is a tremendous idea that will only solidify our relationship with the Tigers," Whitecaps vice president Jim Jarecki said. "There are Tiger fans all around, and bringing these guys in will only bring back the memories of Tigers past.

Memories. Pressed between the pages of my mind.

On five of the Fridays featuring George Kell, Rick Leach, Dave Bergman, John Wockenfuss and Matt Nokes, the Whitecaps will give away bobbleheads of the individuals to the first 1,000 fans.

The Aug. 28 game will be a tribute to the 1984 World Series championship team and will feature pitchers Willie Hernandez, Dan Petry and Milt Wilcox. The Whitecaps will hand out 1984 World Series championship hats to the first 1,000 fans.

Not to be outdone....Or actually to be outdone, but not to be left out...

The Great Lakes Loons, in partnership with MidMichigan Health, have announced a series of six Loons’ home games during the 2009 season paying tribute to the 25th anniversary of the Detroit Tigers’ 1984 World Championship.

As a part of the Loons’ celebration of the 1984 Tigers, three members of the team are schedule to appear at Dow Diamond and meet with Loons fans. Those players are pitchers Dan Petry (June 18), Milt Wilcox (July 29) and 1984 American League Cy Young award and MVP winner Willie Hernandez (August 29).

In addition, the Loons are offering a three-game bobblehead series featuring 1984 Tigers players Kirk Gibson (May 27), Jack Morris (July 16) and Chet Lemon (August 10).

Advantage Whitecaps.

Field Photos (2/18)

Taken yesterday around 4:00pm. Compare them with the photos from 2/17.

In the immortal words of Q*Bert....

@!#?@!

This will have to do for Thursday Motivation today.



Click on the pictures for a larger image.

49 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Part II

The conversation about the Milwaukee Brewer farm system the writers at Bernie's Crew and Between the Green Pillars are having continues with Part II.

TOPIC

I think we would all agree that while the upper levels of the system are painfully thin on potential "impact starters," there are many intriguing arms in the lower minors. Who are we going to be talking about at this time next year as 2009's breakout pitcher?

Let's see.......

Aaron: I think you have to jump on the Jake Odorizzi train. Jake wasn't all that impressive in the few innings he got last season, but he has solid mechanics and already has four pitches in his repertoire. Odorizzi will probably spend most of the year in Appleton and will undoubtedly gain some strength as he grows into his body. In the end, I think he finds himself in the top 10 of most Brewer Prospect boards.

Ryan: I feel like we buried the lead a little bit here, because Odorizzi is clearly one of the better pitching prospects in the Brewers’ organization. Both Jim and I ranked him as the second best pitcher in the system, behind Jeffress. As Aaron mentioned, Odorizzi has four legit pitches, which is outstanding for a guy fresh out of High School. If he stays healthy, Odorizzi is almost certainly a big league pitcher, and possibly as good as a #2. He is the guy whose every start next year will be noteworthy, and I hope one of my trips up to Appleton will coincide with a start of his.

Click the link for the whole thing.

What might have been

Remember the post about the whole choose the promotion, um, promotion the River Bandits are doing?

Ben Hill did a little research and asked Ben Chiswick of the Bandits if there were any non-finalists that were interesting. Oh, you bet.

My favorite:

One hungry fan suggested offering food specials at the concession stand based on that night's opponent. For example, some sort of honey drink when we play the Burlington Bees or Chinese food when the Dayton Dragons are in town.

Ben, the one from Ben's Biz Blog, copped out.

I started to brainstorm some Midwest League possibilities, but they were embarrassingly unfunny. Please let me know if you come up with anything.

Check back on Saturday. I'm not doing anything. Besides, embarrassing and unfunny never stopped me before.

And this is all well and good. But, the window in the visiting radio booth at Modern Woodmen Park still doesn't open.

Field Photos

No baseball on TV for today. I thought about posting the first few minutes from Eastbound & Down, but far too much salty language and too many BUTT-ocks. Click here if you really must see it. I can't remember where I read it, but someone wrote that they enjoyed it the first time they saw it. It was called John Rocker's career. Again content warning on that link. So, be careful when (and where) you click.

Now, I haven't looked outside yet today. I do not know the effects of the Level Five Killstorm that hit -- or was supposed to hit -- last night. But, here is what Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium looked like at approximately 3:15 in the afternoon on 2/17/09.


Click for a larger image. Another couple of images tomorrow...maybe.

50 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Farm Report

The writers of Bernie's Crew and Between the Green Pillars have this over at SportsBubbler.com.

Part 1: Brewers Offseason Farm Report

Jim Breen, the author of the list over at Bernie's Crew and BC contributor Aaron Kittell will join Pillars’ regulars Ryan Topp and Jay Montague in discussing who ended up where and why, general trends within the system and taking a look forward at where the system is headed.

Just head over for the conversation.

Hear the voice

Right Field Bleachers has an interview with Cory Provus, the new radio voice of the Brewers.

There is audio and a transcript. Here is the start:

Can you talk a little about the interview process? How did you decide you were interested in the job and how did the whole process play out?

Well, let me tell you I was interested from day one. There have been a couple of jobs that have been open the last couple of seasons, but this is the only one that I’ve applied for because of the situation for a variety of reasons. I think it’s an exciting time to be a part of this team coming off a playoff run. It’s a young, exciting team. It’s a great offense. That played a role. The fact that the Brewers call Miller Park home, which is a terrific ballpark, and the fans are tremendous both home and on the road, that was a factor. Working alongside a guy like Bob Uecker, you know, I’m a student of the game of baseball. I’ve always loved it and there’s so much about the game that I know that Bob can teach me. That was a big role as well. And then I would say to top it all of is that I’m a family guy. I’m a Midwestern guy. My family is all in the northern suburbs of Illinois and that’s where they’re at and the fact that they’re only going to be about 50 minutes away from Milwaukee really kind of made this a perfect situation for me.

The interview process was great. It started picking up steam probably in mid January and that led to some phone calls and some interviews both at the radio station and with the team. And last week, actually two weeks ago, I flew out to Arizona and I had dinner with Bob and we had a great time for three hours, just kind of talking shop for maybe five minutes and then it was just laughing and telling stories for the remaining two hours and 55 minutes. So, everything kind of just fit in perfectly for me and I’m just excited to get going.

First broadcast on WTMJ is next Wednesday.

Did you notice

the new sign outside the ballpark? The one you can see on Highway 41?


This is a bigger deal than you may think:

Last year, Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, helped the franchise replace its outdoor incandescent message board with a state-of-the-art LED (light-emitting diode) alternative. The sign is located at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium, on U.S. Highway 41 in Appleton, Wis.

Focus provided a $7,094 custom lighting grant to help fund the new LED message board, which uses only one-tenth the power of the old sign, saving 93,381 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually and $9,338 in energy savings on utility bills.

"We had a very positive experience working with Focus on Energy," said Rob Zerjav, president of the Timber Rattlers. "Focus walked us through the entire process - from showing our current energy usage to potential cost savings - even giving us suggestions on how to save energy in other areas of the ballpark."

That is from a press release at WisBusiness.com. For more on Focus on Energy, here is their website.

Picture from ECOS-Fox Valley

Miller Lite Tuesday (2/17)

The Camping Trip with THE CREATURE!



51 dies insquequo Oris Dies

The wait...

...it is almost over.

It looks like the legion of Milwaukee fans which has been itching to see their newest prospect, power-hitting catcher Brett Lawrie, stride to the plate in a Brewers uniform may have to wait just a little bit longer.

And the legion of Team Canada fans which has enjoyed watching the teenage phenom sport the maple leaf in international competition may get at least one more chance to do so before he officially embarks on what projects to be a great pro career.

Lawrie, who celebrated his 19th birthday last month, is on the provisional roster for Team Canada for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. And if recent history is any indication, he looks like a good bet to make the final cut.

The highest-drafted position player ever to come out of Canada, Lawrie was selected 16th overall last spring by Milwaukee out of high school in Langley, B.C.

Scouts drooled over the right-handed hitter's prodigious power, prominently displayed during an extended spring training exhibition doubleheader against the Seattle Mariners' Dominican League team in which he hit five homers. A pure hitter with outstanding bat speed and a good feel for hitting, the third baseman/catcher has the potential to be the whole package.

There's a joke in there about scouts and drool....but, I'm not gonna make it.

Who wants pizza?!

If you are at a Timber Rattler game this season and want a pizza, you'll be getting the best.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are excited to announce a new partnership that makes Palermo's Pizza the official pizza of Time Warner Cable Field.

Palermo's is also the presenting sponsor of Fan Fest on April 7. Details on that will follow.

Official

Cory Provus has been finally been announced as Jim Powell's replacement in the Milwaukee Brewer radio booth.

Bob Wolfley of the Journal-Sentinel SportsDay column charts some fan reaction.

If blog posts are representative, some Milwaukee Brewers fans are not willing to forgive new team broadcaster Cory Provus for at least two sins they think he has committed, which he really has not.

First, he grew up in Highland Park, Ill., and followed the Cubs. Horrors. Then he went on to work for the Cubs the last two seasons on WGN Radio broadcasts. Double horrors.

The fact is, had he not worked for the Cubs, Provus would not have been the broadcaster WTMJ Radio announced Monday as the replacement for Jim Powell, who left to join the Atlanta Braves.

Provus, 30, will work Brewers games on radio with Bob Uecker.

Fans being fans, they think Provus' heart and soul is owned by the rival Cubs. They ignore the notion that WTMJ and the Brewers hired a broadcast professional, not a fan.

The same complaint was heard when the voice of the Chicago Bears, Wayne Larrivee, was hired to become the voice of the Green Bay Packers. After a time, what really was a non-issue became a forgotten non-issue.

I haven't seen any blog posts, but Matt at Chuckie Hacks has been charting some of the comments at the JS Online blog.

Back to SportsDay and the process...

Steve Wexler, the Journal Broadcast Group executive vice president of television and radio operations, said in a release that the station "considered hundreds of candidates" for the job.

"Cory came out on top," Wexler said. "His enthusiasm for baseball, his strong work ethic and his play-by-play skills will make him an excellent addition to our staff."

Provus said he would have a presence on WTMJ Radio during the Brewers' offseason. He said he might be used on WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) on occasion as well. His exact role in both those areas has not been worked out.

Provus said on Feb. 2 that he had dinner with Uecker in Scottsdale, Ariz., and it went on for three hours.

"We maybe talked shop for 5 minutes, and the rest was me laughing at his stories," Provus said.

"It was as pleasant and as nice as I could have hoped for," Provus said. "I got to know Bob a little the last two years, but this was the first time I really had a chance to talk to him."

Provus said he did not view his dinner with Uecker as a kind of interview, at which he had to pass Uecker's inspection.

"I really didn't look at it that way," Provus said. "Maybe others did.

First game on WTMJ is on Wednesday, February 25.

Your French lesson for today...

Phillippe Aumont pense déjà au mois de septembre

Phillippe Aumont a recommencé à lancer il y a quelques jours au site d'entraînement des Mariners de Seattle en Arizona.

Le moins que l'on puisse dire, c'est que le grand lanceur droitier a connu une première année frustrante dans le baseball majeur.

Les Mariners en avaient fait leur premier choix du repêchage universel en 2007 - le 11e au total - et on avait tous hâte de voir comment il allait se débrouiller avec les Timber Rattlers du Wisconsin, la filiale A de l'équipe dans la Ligue midwest.

Malheureusement, un insistant malaise au coude est venu perturber sa campagne.

La douleur était sournoisement apparue entre deux de ses départs. Une blessure qui aura finalement totalement transformé sa saison.

Aumont a ainsi été privé de plusieurs départs avec les Timber Rattlers.

Il a aussi raté le match des étoiles de la ligue, les Jeux olympiques de Pékin et un camp de perfectionnement des meilleurs espoirs des Mariners.

Pourtant, quand il est parvenu à lancer, on peut dire qu'Aumont s'est bien tiré d'affaires.

Ses chiffres avec les Timber Rattlers ? Quatre victoires, quatre défaites et une moyenne de 2,75 points accordés en 55 manches et deux tiers.

Ajoutez à ça 50 retraits sur des prises et vous avez le portrait d'une excellente prestation pour le jeune homme de Gatineau.

«J'ai bien hâte de retourner dans le feu de l'action, a-t-il confié récemment. Je me sens bien. Je n'ai plus mal.

«C'était un petit malaise. Rien de majeur. Quelque chose de juste assez fatigant pour que je me pose des questions. Le problème, c'est que c'est parti et revenu tout le long de la saison.

«On m'a fait passer plusieurs tests qui se sont tous avérés négatifs.Je n'ai donc jamais pensé que c'était vraiment sérieux.

«Mais comme ça ne guérissait pas, avec le temps je suis devenu un peu inquiet.»

Aumont a décidé de mettre son bras au repos complet vers la fin de l'automne, ce qui semble avoir réglé le bobo.

On peut donc comprendre qu'il avait hâte de remettre son bras à l'essai.

Ce qu'il a fait depuis la fin janvier, en préparation pour le camp d'entraînement des Mariners, qui a débuté hier et auquel il a été invité.

«L'an passé, ma présence au camp du gros club m'avait permis de prendre de l'expérience», se souvient-il.

«J'avais bien aimé entre autres côtoyer Erik Bédard.

«Il m'avait donné quelques conseils, des petits trucs qui m'ont grandement aidé par la suite.»

On le croit sur parole. Des conseils venant d'un gars qui aspire au Cy Young, ça se prend toujours bien...

UN OEIL EN SEPTEMBRE

Mais même si le camp d'entraînement n'en est qu'à ses débuts et que nous ne sommes que le 15 février, l'imposant lanceur de six pieds sept pouces a déjà encerclé une toute autre date sur son calendrier: le premier septembre.

Ce jour-là, les formations du baseball majeur feront passer leurs effectifs de 25 à 40 joueurs en faisant graduer ceux qui se sont démarqués dans leurs filiales. Et Aumont en-tend bien être de ceux-là.

«C'est ça, le but que je me suis fixé cette année, dit-il. Je veux être rappelé par le grand club quand viendra le september call-up.»

L'artilleur ignore le parcours que les Mariners lui feront prendre d'ici là, mais il se dit prêt à travailler aussi fort qu'il le faudra pour parvenir à endosser le même uniforme que les Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre et compagnie.

Les Mariners ont souvent démontré du flair avec leurs choix de premier tour. Ken Griffey Jr (1987), Alex Rodriguez (1993) et Jason Varitek (1994) en sont de bons exemples.

Les Mariners disputeront leur premier match préparatoire à Peoria le 25 février en recevant les Padres de San Diego.

Some of the translation is below. Copy and paste the above article into FreeTranslation.com for the whole thing.

Phillippe Aumont already thinks about the month of September

Phillippe Aumont recommenced to launch some days ago to the site of training of the Marinate Seattle in Arizona.

The less than one can say, this is that the big righthanded promoter knew a first year frustrating in the major baseball.

The Marinate had done their first choice of the universal repêchage in 2007 - the 11st one altogether - and one had all haste to see how it was going to unravel himself with the Timber Rattlers of the Wisconsin, the affiliate HAS team in the League midwest.

Unfortunately, one insisting malaise to the elbow came to perturb his country.

The pain slyly had appeared between two of its departures. An injury that finally totally will have transformed his season.

Aumont was thus deprived of several departures with the Timber Rattlers.

It also spoiled the game of the stars of the league, the Olympic Games of Peking and a camp of improving of the better hopes of the Marinate.

So.....

Aumont decided to put his arm to the complete rest towards the fall end, which seems to have regulated booboo.

One can therefore to understand that it was anxious to put back his arm to the essay.

Which it did since the end of January one, in preparation for the camp of training of the Marinate, that began yesterday and to which one it was invited.

"The past year, my presence to the camp of the big club had allowed me to take experience", it remembers.

"I had well liked among others to mix with Erik Bédard.

"It had given me some counsels, small things that big helped me afterward."

One believes it on word. Counsels coming from a guy that inhales to the Cy Young, that takes itself always well...

inhales to the Cy Young....Can someone get me a human translation...for free?

But even if the training camp is only to its beginnings and that we are only February 15, the imposing promoter of six feet seven thumbs already encircled an all other dates on his calendar: the first September.

That day, the formations of the major baseball facts to pass their effective ones of 25 to 40 players while doing to advance those that distanced themselves in their affiliates. And Aumont in stretches well being of those.

"This is that, the goal that I set up myself this year, he says. I want to be recalled by the big club when will come the september call-up."

52 jours jusqu'à ce qu'Ouvre le Jour

JJ speaks

Larry Stone of the Seattle Times gets a few thoughts from JJ Putz ('00) on the differences between the Seattle Mariners last year and the New York Mets so far.

Loosening up a clubhouse is a role that J.J. Putz takes seriously — and he has the whipped-cream pies to prove it.

Putz, however, sees a markedly different attitude with the Mets than on the downtrodden Mariners team he left behind. Putz, in fact, painted a grim picture of a house divided last year in Seattle, contributing to the historic flameout that ensued.

Putz has had nearly two weeks to soak up the Mets' atmosphere, having showed up in Port St. Lucie in early February to work out at the team facility and get acclimated.

"It's different. Big time," he said Sunday. "It's almost like there's a more relaxed feeling. They just know they're going to win. Where in Seattle, a lot of times, it was expectations, and a lot of times we didn't really know how to deal with that. Here, it's a given. We will win. Not 'we're supposed to win this year,' but: We will win."

There is a bit about injuries, his own included. Then,

But Putz also made it clear that he felt there was more to their collapse than just injuries. The Angels, for instance, had far more players get hurt than the Mariners and still won 100 games.

A poorly constructed roster and a long list of underperforming players would seem to be two major culprits. That's just me. But add Putz to the chorus of those who point to a dysfunctional clubhouse as tearing apart the Seattle ballclub. John McLaren and Bill Bavasi, you might recall, both alluded to the exact same thing upon their firing last June.

I started by asking Putz if all that was overblown. He shook his head and said no, and noted that there was an undercurrent of internal tension all season.

"There were just some guys that just aren't really team guys," he said. "There's a lot of guys that are team guys in there. There was definitely some butting heads on certain things. What the hell can you do? Some guys are just stubborn."

He refused to name any names. But his inference was strong.

Read the article for that rest of that last part.

It's not Putz's problem any more, of course. He's delighted to be with a Mets team that is legitimately built to win. Oh, he was initially a little taken aback by fact that the Mets, barely 24 hours before his acquisition, had signed Francisco Rodriguez, the single-season saves leader, and to realize that he was no longer going to be a closer.

"If there was anything that pissed me off about the whole thing, it was the fact they did trade me somewhere knowing I wasn't going to close," he said. "That was the only thing that didn't sit well with me from their [the Mariners] standpoint."

But Putz quickly concluded that setting up for a contender was something he could live with.

"I'm just closing the game in the eighth," he said. "That's the way I'm looking at it. To have a chance to come to a contending team and win, it's not that big a deal.

There's more. Go read it.

He's ready

The Grand Rapids Press talks with West Michigan Whitecaps manager Joe DePastino.

A sure sign spring is right around the corner: major league pitchers and catchers reported to their respective spring training camp sites last week.

It will be another couple of weeks before West Michigan Whitecaps manager Joe DePastino, who guided the Detroit Tigers' Class A minor league team to the Midwest League playoffs last season in his first year on the job, reports to camp, though.

Entering his second season, DePastino will be more familiar with how the Tigers do things and he's excited about getting back to work.

"I can't wait," DePastino said from his home in Sarasota, Fla. last week. "The biggest thing for me last season was learning and knowing exactly how many pitchers each pitcher can throw that day and learning how to use the bullpen.

A profile on the Timber Rattler announcer...

...the TV announcer. From the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram:

Of all the TV stations in Wisconsin that have carried Bob Brainerd's voice and image during professional and prep sporting events, Eau Claire's WEAU was the first.

His broadcasting career spans about 25 years, including calling Milwaukee Brewers games for Fox Sports Wisconsin and minor league games throughout the state for Time Warner Cable.

But he credits his first job reporting on local sports in Eau Claire as a time when he learned that people demand coverage for local teams, just as they would for the majors.

"After a while I got to see the passion everyone had for it, and I figured it out," he said during a phone interview from his Delafield home.

Brainerd spent the first 8 1/2 years of his career working for WEAU, which has been the longest he stayed at one job.

A little employment history is followed by either a typo or a mistake.

Occasionally, Brainerd gets back to Eau Claire when the Express baseball team plays the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of Appleton or the Green Bay Bullfrogs.

I'm feeling generous based on the amount of mistakes I'm making around here lately...But, when did the Midwest League add Eau Claire?

A decision has been made

Ryan Rowland-Smith made about the only choice he could make.

Ryan Rowland-Smith chose his livelihood over his country.

As expected, the Seattle Mariners' promising left-hander decided Sunday to stay in spring training rather than play for his native Australia in the World Baseball Classic.

He said Australia's manager, Jon Deeble, was disappointed but understood that Rowland-Smith didn't want to risk a major league job by missing at least 10 days of camp beginning March 2. He told Deeble he definitely wants to play for Australia in the next WBC four years from now.

"I'm better served here," said the brawny 26-year-old, one of seven candidates for five spots in Seattle's rotation. "I didn't want to derail what I'd worked for all offseason.

"It was a tough, tough, tough decision, but this is what's more important."

Food for thought from RRS.

"If I want to do something, I should do it 100 percent. I want to be in this rotation. All or nothing."

Season Preview

MinorLeagueNotebook.com has a Midwest League preview. This consists of a Prospect to watch and Other prospects to watch...

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee Brewers)

Prospect to watch for in 2009
Brett Lawrie has a ton of power in his swing and that was something he showed off with a wooden bat last spring on a trip to the Dominican Republic where he had 114 extra base hits in 30 at bats against DSL teams. He is raw defensively at catcher, but has the tools to stick behind the plate with some work.

Other prospects to watch for in 2009
Jake Odorizzi (RHP) and Cutter Dykstra (OF).

Just out of curiosity....

Clinton Lumberkings (Seattle Mariners)

Prospect to watch for in 2009
Jharmidy DeJesus split time between the Arizona League Mariners and Everett where he hit .309/.376/.530. DeJesus signed a $1,000,000 out of the Dominican Republic and hasn’t looked back yet. Expect him to be an offensive force in the Clinton line up.

Other prospects to watch for in 2009
Mario Martinez (3B), Tyson Gillies (OF) and Brandon Maurer (RHP).

Keep in mind all rosters are not final for Low-A ball until the teams leave their Spring Training sites. And even then it may have some changes before Opening Day.

53 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Rattlers in the World Baseball Classic news

Here are a couple of stories involving ex-Rattlers and the WBC.

First up, Ryan Rowland-Smith ('02, '03) from USA Today.

Ichiro Suzuki is chilling out at home. Ryan Rowland-Smith is 8,000 miles from his home, sweating out a thankless choice between his country and his employer.
Just another difference between baseball's elite and those craving a job.

Suzuki is in Japan preparing to play again in the World Baseball Classic. Seattle's All-Star and franchise cornerstone doesn't have to report to spring training until after the tournament ends. Given Japan is one of the favorites, that may not be until March 25.

Rowland-Smith, a brawny 26-year-old pitcher hoping to start for Seattle this season, is in Arizona. Saturday he completed his first bullpen session of camp. He'd love to play for his native Australia in the WBC. He just doesn't think he can afford to.

RRS is one of seven pitchers competing for five spots in the rotation and leaving camp for 10 days would not help his get one of those five spots. But, there is the opportunity to pitch for his country.

"To be honest, I wish people would make the decision for me. I wish they would have said, 'No, you're staying here."'

That's what Tampa Bay apparently did to one of Rowland-Smith's countrymen. MLB.com reported that Grant Balfour won't be in the WBC because he said the Rays told him last month when he signed a new contract that they didn't want him playing in it.

When asked if he understood that by leaving the decision up to Rowland-Smith the team was putting the pitcher in a box, Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu cackled.

"I don't know what box you are talking about," Wakamatsu said.

Much more at the link.

This is not a problem for Felix Hernandez ('03).

A smile crossed the lips of Felix Hernandez as he labored for breath after a series of nauseating wind sprints.

Mention the World Baseball Classic to Hernandez, and the Mariners pitcher's mood brightens instantly. Hernandez's team has long kept him from pitching winter ball in front of his native Venezuelans, so the WBC is his one chance to shine for his homeland on an international scale.

And unlike the team's prior stances with Hernandez and winter ball, not wanting him to tax his arm, the Mariners are taking a hands-off approach this spring with the WBC. Despite the disruption to their spring-training camp, which opened here Saturday for pitchers and catchers, the Mariners are allowing anyone who wants to participate in the March tournament to do so.

"For me, I'll be very proud to play," Hernandez said. "The major leagues are the ultimate experience, but a tournament like this is unique. You don't get to do this very often."

The Mariners have 16 players from their organization selected to WBC provisional rosters, and 10 of the players hail from Seattle's 40-man roster — the third-highest total in baseball.

This spring training promises to be one of the more challenging and unusual in their history. But Howard Lincoln, the team's chief executive officer, insisted the Mariners won't stand in anyone's way if they want to play.

Because it's important:

Major League Baseball used a plethora of new ballparks, subsidized largely with public money, to boost sagging revenue streams in the 1990s. This past decade has seen the growth of online media ventures add to MLB's coffers at a time when the novelty of retro-style ballparks was fading.

And as it looks to the decade ahead MLB hopes new ventures in other countries — encompassing everything from merchandise sales to television rights — will be the next oil well from which to tap profits. Lincoln is cautious of speculating about just how far the WBC could go toward opening new marketplaces for the sport.

"Ultimately, the more fans that you have interested in the sport, the better for the health of the sport," Lincoln said. "Certainly, financially that's the case. I don't think anybody's expecting that this is a panacea or anything. We're in the middle of a very severe recession and every business is hurting, including baseball. So everything helps."

There is some news about another ex-Rattler in the story:

Canadian pitcher Phillippe Aumont, a No. 1 draft pick from 2007, pull himself out of the WBC to focus on his season.

"We make a commitment and we keep it."

That's from Frank Ward, on of the the new owners of the Nashville Sounds. Here is the story.

With 53 days left until opening day for Greer Stadium, construction crews are refurbishing and replacing seats, painting and working on accessibility issues, all part of a $1.5 million renovation to get the ballpark ready.

"We make a commitment and we keep it," said Frank Ward, one of the owners of the Nashville Sounds, the Milwaukee Brewers' triple-A minor league team.

The new owners — New York-based MFP Baseball — agreed to invest in improvements this year. Those include fixing bathrooms and others areas to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The building permit for work at the Chestnut Street stadium was issued earlier this month. On Friday, work crews stopped for Belmont University's practice. Roy Turner sat in the stands watching his son play in an intrasquad game under overcast skies. The paint on the facade is chipping, the ballpark signs are worn, and the 30-year-old stadium looks older than it is.

"It's definitely in need of repair," Turner said. "It's good that they are doing this. It's such a nice place to watch a ballgame."

A few more scenes for Baseball on TV

Apparently, Will Ferrell is going to be part of an HBO series called Eastbound & Down. It's apparently about a former baseball star named Kenny Powers who is know a gym teacher or substitute gym teacher or Will Ferrell doing a Ric Flair as a car dealer impression...Here is a quick behind the scenes:



Let's see...random yelling....sports...awkward question from child...even more awkwarder answer to child...yep. It's a Will Ferrell production.

Tonight on HBO. Wednesday on Baseball on TV...Maybe.

Sinatra Saturday (2/14)

Forgot it last week so a two-fer this week...





54 dies insquequo Oris Dies

Prospects, prospects, prospect (UPDATE)

MLB.com has Prospects to watch for both the American League and the National League.

Apparently, there are only three players in the Milwaukee system on their list, one of whom just got into the system. None of whom are likely to be in a Timber Rattler uniform anytime soon.

Mat Gamel: He dropped off during the second half of 2008 but still posted solid Minor League offensive numbers: a .329 average, 19 home runs and 96 RBIs in 127 games at Double-A Huntsville. He shared the organization's Minor League Player of the Year Award with Alcides Escobar. Gamel still needs to improve defensively, and he didn't win any fans in the front office when he was slow to reveal an elbow injury last September.

Alcides Escobar: The slick-fielding, free-swinging shortstop has passed Gamel on many prospect lists. He only turned 22 in December and is coming off a season in which he hit .328 with eight homers, 76 RBIs and 34 stolen bases in 131 games at Huntsville. An injury to Hardy might mean an instant promotion for Escobar.

Chase Wright: Acquired in an early February trade with the Yankees, Wright provides some depth at Triple-A Nashville. Wright spent all of 2008 in the Minors, going 10-3 with a 2.72 ERA for three of New York's affiliates. His season included two early-season appearances at rookie-level Tampa after he developed a tired arm, but he called that a minor setback and said that it didn't affect the rest of his season.

Just looking at the Seattle prospects for ex-Rattlers:

Mike Wilson: The power-hitting Wilson belted 27 home runs for Double-A West Tennessee last season, but he also struck out 117 times in 406 at-bats. The former second-round Draft choice (in 2001) ranked third in the Southern League with a .549 slugging percentage and was named to the All-Star and post-season All-Star teams.

Matt Tuiasosopo: The former three-sport star in high school made his MLB debut last September and held his own for the most part, rarely looking overmatched. His first career hit, off Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte, came in his first career start. How well he plays at Triple-A Tacoma this season could determine how hard the organization tries to re-sign third baseman Adrian Beltre.

Greg Halman: The organization named Halman its Minor League Player of the Year in 2008 after he hit 29 home runs and drove in 83 runs for Class A High Desert and West Tennessee. The 21-year-old outfielder from The Netherlands figures to start the '09 season at either West Tennessee or Triple-A Tacoma.

Adam Moore: Rated by Baseball America as the Mariners' sixth-best prospect, Moore will get plenty of catching duty during Spring Training. He could be the best overall catcher in the organization, combining good defense with a productive bat. His likely destination coming out of camp is Triple-A Tacoma.

Yep. All four are ex-Rattlers.

Anyone else with an Appleton tie-in? Baltimore? Ah, of course:

Chris Tillman: The 20-year-old righty, who came over in the Erik Bedard trade, had an excellent first season in Baltimore's organization. The hard-throwing Tillman thrived at Bowie despite being one of the youngest players in the league, and if he continues his success, he'll likely be in line for his big league debut sometime after the All-Star break.

Good to see them drop that trade thing in there. Not too many people know about that.

Cleveland? Yep.

IF Luis Valbuena: Acquired from the Mariners, Valbuena will likely begin the season at second base at Triple-A Columbus, though he could be with the big league club by season's end. As a left-handed hitter, he's a nice complement to the Indians' infield.

At second, though, Valbuena is stuck behind Cleveland's current second baseman, former Timber Rattler Asdrubal Cabrera..

EDIT: As Jay pointed out in the comments, Asdrubal Cabrera is the second baseman for the Indians...Not Oswaldo Navarro as I originally posted. Navarro is still with the Mariners.

There was a second phase?

The Quad Cities River Bandits have apparently reached phase two of their Name the Promotion thing-a-ma-bob. That link will take you to a place you can vote on the following choices:

Bandit wedding - One lucky couple that will have the wedding of a lifetime - on the Modern Woodmen Park diamond right before a River Bandits game!

Beverage Batter - If the River Bandits player selected pre-game delivers a base hit during the contest, everybody in attendance benefits from beverage discounts for the remainder of the inning!

Elvis Night - A full-blown promotional night dedicated to The King himself!

Rascal Kids Hat Giveaway - What more exciting of a giveaway item can we plan then one with a kids hat featuring our lovable mascot, Rascal?

Van Down By the River - A few lucky fans each night would have the opportunity to take in a ballgame from a River Bandits van parked on the right field berm!

Before getting to the part of part of the post where I have a little fun with the promotions, how about a little game based on the choices above...You know the one...

The answer is Rascal Kids Hat Giveaway. It is the only choice to end with a '?' instead of a '!'

The choice that was most popular in the office yesterday was the Down by the River. But, I didn't know that we had so many CSNY fans. Plus, it's not one of their most well-known songs. Plus, I don't see how you can build a promotion around this song:


I guess you could give a dollar off to anyone with a Neil Young haircut or a David Crosby leather jacket with all the fringes or a sarape like what either Graham Nash or Stephen Stills is wearing....what? Oh, Van Down by the River? What's that?

Okay.

What? Oh.

I think my choice would be:

But that's just me.

And this is all well and good, but the windows in the press box at Modern Woodmen Park still don't open.

Down in Dayton

Terry Reynolds was in Dayton with a purpose earlier this week.

Reds player development director Terry Reynolds made no promises on what kind of ballclub the Dayton Dragons would have this summer, but said with a new field staff, "we'll have a well-managed team."

Reynolds officially introduced new Dragons manager Todd Benzinger as well as pitching coach Rigo Beltran and hitting coach Tony Jaramillo to the media at Fifth Third Field on Thursday, Feb. 12.

While Reynolds said he intends to have a good team in Dayton, "if Edwin Encarnacion gets hurt and Adam Rosales goes to the big leagues (from Class AAA), the (Class) AA guy goes (up) and the (Class) A guy goes (up) and the Dayton guy goes (up).

"We don't sit down and say, 'On May 15, we're going to take guys from Dayton.' At the same time, this is our first step in A-ball. When something happens at a higher level, we're going to take guys from Dayton."

About Benzinger:

Benzinger made no promises either, except he expected to be a better manager than a broadcaster. He initially visited Fifth Third Field as a celebrity broadcaster, and when then Reds roving instructor Chris Sabo heard him, Benzinger said his former teammate quipped, 'Marty Brenneman doesn't have anything to worry about.'"

Benzinger also said he wasn't a great player, either, "But I spent three years in A-ball and I know what it's about," he said.

Hey! There's room for only one comedian in this league....So, I guess you're fine, Mr. Benzinger.

Win some tickets

Individual tickets for Timber Rattler games are not on sale yet, but you have a chance to win some over at Brew Crew Ball.

It is simple. Just go over to this post and comment on it. There are four sets of undated ticket vouchers and a co-branded (Rattler & Brewer) cap up for grabs.

Of course, judging which website is sending most of the traffic over here this week, most of you already know about this contest.

Consider this a friendly reminder.

55 dies insquequo Oris Dies