IL News & Notes

July 4, 2002 - International League (IL1) News Release

FUTURES GAME: Buffalo Bisons' pitching coach Carl Willis will represent the Bisons and the Cleveland Indians at this year's Futures Game in Milwaukee. Willis, who's in his second year with the Herd, is making his second straight appearance at the Futures Game. Last season he was the pitching coach for the USA Team. This year he will be on the bench for the World Team. Newly acquired Brandon Phillips will be the starting shortstop for the USA Team.

INDEPENDENCE EVE CELEBRATION: Last night the Bisons hosted their annual KeyBank Independence Eve Celebration featuring the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. As part of the celebration, fans were invited to recite the Pledge of Allegiance during the 7th inning stretch before singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Following the game, over 19,000 fans were treated to patriotic songs such as Liberty Fanfare, New York, New York, Look Sharp Yankee Doodle, and many others. One of the finer moments of the program was the Armed Forces Salute during which members of each of the Armed Forces were recognized for their hard work and dedication. The concert ended with the Overture of 1812, Stars & Stripes Forever and God Bless America accompanied by the biggest fireworks show of the season.

HOME RUN DERBY: On July 1st the Bisons hosted an exhibition game with the Cleveland Indians. Before the start of the game a home run derby took place. Six players competed including Eddie Perez, Ben Broussard, Jim Thome, Tim Laker, Jeremy Ware, and Earl Snyder. Bisons infielder Earl Snyder and catcher Tim Laker advanced to the second round. Snyder was the leader after the first round with six homers and Tim Laker went yard 5 times. Snyder won the contest by hitting 2 home runs in the championship round. Snyder currently leads the Bisons with 14 on the season. In 1996, the Bisons hosted a home run derby with the Indians and shortstop Omar Vizquel won the contest that year. The Indians beat the Bisons in the game 4-3 on a three-run home run by Lee Stevens.

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS

TALK ABOUT THROWING A CURVE: INF Eric Battersby (left) became the third (now former) Charlotte Knights' player to see time on the mound Monday night. In Birmingham's 13-3 loss to the Greenville Braves, Battersby threw one inning of relief allowing just one hit and striking out one. Battersby was originally drafted as a pitcher out of St. Mary's University in Texas, but only threw one-third of an inning for the Arizona White Sox in 1998. He joins SS Jason Dellearo and DH Brooks Kieschnick on the list of position players turned pitchers. Dellaero is now 2-1 with a 10.64 ERA (11 IP, 13 ER, 11 K) for the Barons, while batting .264 with five home runs and 19 RBI. For the Knights, Kieschnick has not earned a decision nor has he allowed a run in 10 innings of work. The former Texas longhorn and Cub's first-round draft pick has struck out 13 and is limiting opponents to a .152 average.

DID SOMEONE MOVE THE FENCES? In five games on the their last homestand, Knights' pitchers allowed just two home runs (a solo shot to Buffalo's Earl Snyder Thursday and two-run homer to Izzy Alcantara Sunday). It was a drastic change from their original series with Indianapolis. During the opening homestand with Indianapolis (and Louisville and Durham - eight games), the Knights served up 22 longballs, with 12 of those to the Indians and then allowed 19 more on their fourth homestand with Richmond and Syracuse (six games) from May 24th to 31st. At one time, Charlotte was on pace to allow more than 225 home runs on the season, but have slowed that pace to 191 and the Syracuse SkyChiefs are quickly closing in on the Knights' IL HR lead with 104 home runs allowed to Charlotte's 110.

ROAD WARRIOR: Charlotte closer RHP Edwin Almonte has allowed just one run in 13.1 innings pitched on the road this season which is good for a 0.68 ERA. Over that span of 11 games, he has notched seven saves. The 25-year-old New Yorker is the only player on the Charlotte squad to earn a save this season and has 14 for the year. Almonte will represent the Knights and the White Sox organization in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Oklahoma City as well as the Major League Baseball Futures Game at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

CHANGEUPS: The Knights' rotation has undergone significant changes since the start of the season. The lone member of the original five still taking the ball every fifth day is LHP Jim Parque. Of the rest of the original starters, RHP Mitch Wylie is on the D.L. with a shoulder injury, LHP Thomas Jacquez is on the D.L. with an elbow injury, RHP Delvis Lantigua is pitching in Double-A Birmingham, and RHP Geronimo Mendoza has been released. The current rotation includes Parque, RHP Jon Rauch, RHP Carlos Chantres, LHP Wade Parrish, and LHP Mike Porzio. In between, Winston-Salem RHP Kris McWhirter was promoted to make one start, and RHP Steve Schrenk and LHP Corey Lee moved from the bullpen to the rotation to make several starts apiece, but both are now back pitching effectively in the bullpen.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS

DOUBLE PARADE: The Clippers have now hit at least one double in each of the last 42 games dating back to May 23rd. During the streak Columbus has posted 26 multi-double games (2 2B-14 times, 3 2B-7 times, 4 2B- Twice, 5 2B-Twice). The string was in jeopardy on July 28th until Erick Almonte ripped the double in the 9th inning versus Syracuse.

NAVIGATING HIS WAY TO COLUMBUS: Infielder Andy Phillips was promoted to Columbus on July 2nd and provided the Clippers with an instant spark. The 25-year old Alabama native made his Triple-A debut by reaching base and scoring on each of his first 3 at-bats, including a 2-run homer off of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Geoff Geary. Phillips, who was the Yankees' 7th round selection in the 1999 draft, was hitting .305 (83-for-272) with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 19 home runs, 51 RBI, and 58 runs scored in 73 games with Double-A Norwich. Phillips was the 9th player to make the Norwich to Columbus trek this season, compared to only 5 during all of the 2001 season.

DURHAM BULLS

STREAKS AND STATS: All-Star OF Carl Crawford's 15-game hitting streak ended Tuesday vs. Charlotte. He went 19-61, (.311) for the longest Bulls' hitting streak this season. All-Star INF Andy Sheets has six homers, 23 RBI and 18 runs scored in his last 25 games. Durham relievers have allowed 8 earned runs in the last 14 games, covering 58 innings for a 1.33 ERA. All-Star closer Lee Gardner has saves in his last 4 opportunities and has pitched 8 straight scoreless innings. The Bulls lead the IL with 37 triples, 112 defensive double plays and 63 hit batters.

A RECORD TYING MONTH: The Bulls went 20-9 in June, tying the Triple-A franchise record for victories in a month. The ‘99 South Division Champion Bulls were also 20-9, while the best record for any month was 20-8 in August of 2000. That team won the South Division title also. Durham hit .285 in June, led by C Toby Hall, who batted .357 with 20 RBI in 20 games and was promoted to Tampa Bay. Among the current players, OF Emil Brown hit .337 with 19 RBI and INF Andy Sheets batted .324 with 6 homers, 24 RBI and 21 runs scored in 29 games. OF Andy Thompson led the team with 7 home runs. The staff ERA was 3.53, led by left handed reliever Cedrick Bowers, who did not allow an earned run in 12.1 innings. RHP Luis De Los Santos went 4-1, 2.42 in six starts, while closer Lee Gardner went 6 for 7 in save opportunities. Right-hander Travis Phelps saved five games before he went to Tampa Bay.

SO FAR SO GOOD: Right-handed reliever Rick Croushore seems to be ahead of schedule in his return from shoulder surgery. He's just past one year removed from the procedure and has improved almost every outing since joining the Bulls from extended spring training in mid-May. Croushore has reeled off three victories in his last six appearances, and has pitched at least two shutout innings in each of his last three outings. The starter could not continue after a rain delay June 27th vs. Indy and Croushore responded by allowing no runs on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Sunday in Norfolk, he took over in the 5th and retired nine of 10 batters with five whiffs and no walks while last night, he pitched the final two innings of the Bulls' victory, striking out three. Croushore went 3-0, 1.89 with a save in 11 June appearances. He has allowed one run in his last nine appearances, covering 17 innings.

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

BATTER OF THE WEEK / PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Izzy Alcantara has been named the League's Batter-of-the-Week for June 24-30. Alcantara hit safely in six of seven games compiling a .423 average. He drove in nine runs and scored eight times. He belted three home runs and stole three bases. The 29-year-old will be honored before tonight's game as the Tribe's Player of the Month for June. Alcantara led the team in 10 categories including batting (.306), runs (20), hits (34), homers (6), RBI (22), slugging (.550) and on-base percentage (.366).

HITTING STREAKS: Three Indians boast hitting streaks of at least eight games. Jim Rushford paces the Indians with a 10-game streak. Dionys Cesar has a nine-game streak while Jon Zuber has hit safely in eight games. The streaks are season longs for all three men. Izzy Alcantara has a seven-game hitting streak while Sal Fasano has hit safely in his last five games.

FOURTH OF JULY SELLOUT: Tonight's Fourth of July contest will sell out for the sixth straight season. The Tribe has been home every Fourth of July since moving into Victory Field late in the 1996 season. The 2000 crowd of 15,880 stands as the fifth-largest crowd in Victory Field history. Fans who couldn't get tickets for tonight's game can still enjoy their holiday weekend at Victory Field Friday. The first 4,000 fans will receive a Stars and Stripes baseball, and Indians players will sign autographs from 5:45-6:30.

LOUISVILLE BATS

MATEO STAYS HOT: OF Ruben Mateo has been on a tear since being optioned back to Louisville from Cincinnati on 5/23. Mateo currently has a 12-game hitting streak going over which he is hitting .375 (18-48) with four home runs and eight RBI. Mateo has also hit in 17 of his last 18 as well as in 33 of 41 games with Louisville.

LARSON THREATENING: Brandon Larson is making a run at the IL Triple Crown in hitting this year. Larson currently ranks 5th in the league in batting average (.337), 2nd in home runs (22) and T-5th in RBI (59). Seven players have won the Triple Crown in IL history. Jim Rice of Pawtucket in 1974 was the last. (.337-25-93)

FUZZY HONORED: Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller was honored before Wednesday's game. Zoeller, a Kentuckiana native, won the Senior PGA Championship three weeks ago. It was his first major victory on the Senior PGA as well as his first victory overall. Zoeller was treated to a 2:30 minute tribute on the video board and was also presented with a framed photo of him with the Senior PGA Championship trophy.

RING EM UP, SET EM DOWN: The Bats' pitching staff has combined to strike out 619 opposing hitters so far this season, which leads the league. The second closest team is Durham with 591.

NORFOLK TIDES

INJURY REPORT: Jorge Toca suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in Tuesday night's collision at home plate with Travis Wilson. He is resting comfortably in a nearby hospital and is expected to be ready for Spring Training 2003. Pitcher Adam Walker is currently completing his throwing program in St. Lucie. He is on the DL with a sprained ligament in his left elbow. Pitcher Tyler Yates who injured himself pitching at Harbor Park last month, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow and is recovering at home in Hawaii. Pitcher John Bale had surgery on his left wrist and is scheduled to begin rehab in about 5 weeks. And finally, McKay Christensen should be back this weekend after resting a sore hamstring.

ROSTER MOVES: Tyler Walker made his Major League debut Tuesday night in Philadelphia. He started the ninth inning as the Mets had a 12-4 lead. He walked his first batter, Bobby Abreu, on 5 pitches and then got Pat Burrell to pop up. Scott Rolen followed with a 2-run home run. He retired the next two batters to finish the game for the Mets. Carlos Hernandez has been traded to the Colorado Rockies and Satoru Komiyama was optioned from New York and has been activated and started Wednesday's game.

COMING BACK?: After losing 9 of 10 games and falling to 10 ½ games behind the first place Durham Bulls, the Tides have won 2 games in a row. The Tides had the opportunity to gain some ground but were swept by the Bulls Sunday and Monday. The Tides have a chance to gain some ground on the second place Richmond Braves as they complete a home and home series in Richmond through Friday. So far this season, the Tides are 4-0 against the Braves. As a team, the Tides are batting .363 against the R-Braves and the R-Braves are hitting just .169 against the Tides' pitchers.

BYE BYE DH: Tides' pitchers have been batting for the last 2 weeks. They had 2 days (Sunday and Monday) off but they are back in the box against Richmond. So far this season the Tides' pitchers are 9-76 (.118) with 3 runs scored, a double, 5 RBI, 8 SAC bunts, 4 BB, and 22 K. Justin Brunette leads the way with 3 hits in 7 at bats including a 2 for 2 performance with a double on the 24th of June.

STEALING AWAY NO MORE: After throwing out just 8 of 53 base-stealers the first two months of the season, Tides' catchers Jason Phillips and Joe Depastino threw out 7 of 15 runners attempting to steal during the month of June. At one point in the first two months, they allowed 22 straight stolen bases and had thrown out just 1 in 32 attempts.

OTTAWA LYNX

CHAVEZ STREAK CONTINUES: With a 2-for-4 performance last night at Pawtucket, OF Endy Chavez extended his franchise-record hitting streak to 21 games. Chavez, 24, surpassed the old franchise record of 18 (set by Chris Saunders in 1998) on July 1 ... Chavez has hit .363 (33-for-91) over those 21games, and currently ranks second in IL batting at .351, behind Buffalo's Chris Coste (.354). Chavez' streak is the longest in the IL this season, and the longest IL streak since 1999, when Columbus' Brian Raabe hit in 24 consecutive games and Durham's Steve Cox hit in 23 straight games. The streak is also the third longest in minor league baseball this season. Freddy Sanchez of Trenton (Double-A affiliate of Boston, Eastern League) holds the lead with a 27-game hit streak (May 15-June 24). Jason Frome of Asheville in the South Atlantic League (Class-A affiliate of Colorado) hit in 23-straight games from April 10-June 8. Two other minor-leaguers had 21 game hit streaks this season: former Lynx Brandon Phillips had a 21-game hitting streak with Double-A Harrisburg of the Eastern League from April 6-May 3. Rob Quinlan of Salt Lake City of the Pacific Coast League (Triple-A, Anaheim) hit in 21 straight from May 29-June 20.

LYNX TRACKS: Chavez is one of three Lynx in the top ten in IL batting. 1B Joe Vitiello (.331) is currently sixth and OF Luis Ortiz (.317) ranks 10th ... INF Lou Collier has been hot as of late. Collier is hitting .424 (14-for-33) in his last ten games, and is coming off back-to-back three-hit performances at Pawtucket ... Ottawa leads the IL in team hitting at .287, 11 points ahead of Buffalo. Six Lynx regulars are batting over .300, with Collier (.294) knocking on the door.

ON THE MOVE: The Expos recalled 2B Henry Mateo for the second time this season on Sunday. To make room for Mateo on the roster, Montreal optioned RHP Zach Day to Ottawa. In four games with the parent club, Day was 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA ... Lynx RHP Osvaldo Fernandez requested and was granted his release by the Montreal Expos on Monday. Fernandez was 3-2 with a 4.26 ERA in 18 games for Ottawa ... RHP Tim Drew joined the Lynx on Saturday, as the player to be named later in the deal that brought Bartolo Colon to Montreal. Drew's acquisition solidifies an Ottawa rotation that includes RHPs Britt Reames, Carl Pavano, Dicky Gonzalez, and Day.

WINNING WEEKEND: The Lynx will host two of their biggest promotions of the season this weekend. On Saturday, the team will celebrate the year 1969 with its annual Summer of Love promotion. The team will sport tie-dyed jerseys for the occasion. Sunday's game will feature entertainment from the Zooperstars!

PAWTUCKET RED SOX

HAPPY 60th McCOY: July 4th is famous across the U.S. as America's Birthday, but in good old Pawtucket, RI, the 4th of July is better known as McCoy Stadium's birthday. The PawSox are in Buffalo today (on July 4, 2002) but back home in Pawtucket it is McCoy's 60th Birthday.

The first-ever event at McCoy Stadium occurred on July 4, 1942 as more than 6,000 people attended a day-long celebration that was capped by the Pawtucket Slaters' 4-2 victory over the Lynn Frasers in a semi-pro baseball game. The story of how McCoy Stadium came to fruition was an eventful one unto itself.

Mayor Thomas McCoy of Pawtucket (hence the name McCoy Stadium) was looking for ways to boost the Pawtucket economy in the years immediately following the Depression and he had a vision of a grand sports complex. The centerpiece of that development would be a brand new baseball stadium. McCoy wanted the ballpark to be a 20,000-seat facility with all the amenities to match any stadium in the country - major leagues included. McCoy chose Hammond Pond, an old man-made reservoir, as the site for the project. The project, originally named Hammond Pond Stadium, would make use of open space (about 75 acres overall) and eliminate a swampland that Mayor McCoy viewed as a threat for disease.

Work on the project began in 1936, but from the beginning nothing went according to plan. The original concrete piers (used to support the stands) sunk into the swampland and were lost forever. It took two full years and one million man-hours just to drain and fill the pond. Critics panned the project and accused Mayor McCoy of wasting public funds and awarding construction contracts to cronies. The worst failing of the project became the soaring costs. When it was finally completed, McCoy Stadium cost a whopping $1,462,339.35. That made it more expensive than many other famous sports venues in the country, including (100,000-seat) Michigan Stadium, Notre Dame Stadium, and both Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. By some estimates, the new Hammond Pond Stadium in Pawtucket was the most expensive sports facility in the United States. Here is just a sampling of the many dignitaries who have visited McCoy Stadium during the past 60 years: Politics: Harry Truman, Michael Dukakis, RI Governor Almond, MA Governor Swift, National Governors' Association Music & Shows: Gene Autry, The Allman Brothers, Steppenwolf, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Gilman, Louis Armstrong, Ice Capades and Ice Follies, Barnham & Bailey Circus Actors & Entertainers: Lorne Greene, Matt Lauer, Johnny Weissmuller, Buster Crabbe, Stephen Speilberg, Danny Kaye, Harry Ellis Dickson, Arthur Fiedler, Nicholas Colasanto, Ted Turner, Tempestt Bledsoe, "The Range Rider & Dick West" Sports: Harlem Globetrotters, Hank Aaron, Steve Grogan, Drew Bledsoe, Bobby Orr, John Hannah, Lawyer Milloy, Vinny Pazienza, Sara DeCosta, Brad Faxon, Billy Andrade, Dana Quigley, Whitey Herzog, Pete Gillen, Carl Yastrzemski, Whitey Ford, Leo Durocher, Peter Gammons, Peter Laviolette, Deion Sanders, Yogi Berra, Ted Williams

RICHMOND BRAVES

DROP AND GIVE ME 50: By knocking off Louisville Monday 6-4, the 2002 R-Braves became the first Richmond club to win 50 games by the all-star break since the 1994 team.

WHEELER'S WAY: With his victory Sunday over Louisville, Dan Wheeler became the first R-Braves' pitcher since Matt Murray in May of 1995 to win six games in a single-month. Wheeler, who finished the month 6-0 with a 3.86 ERA, led the IL in victories during June.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Eddie Heussler, a Richmond FedEx driver who was severely burned in January when he attempted to rescue someone from a burning building, will throw out the first pitch and serve as master of ceremony for the Braves' game with Norfolk July 4. On Friday, July 5, former Baltimore and Texas manager Johnny Oates will throw out the first pitch and serve as master of ceremony at the Braves' game with Norfolk. There will be fireworks at The Diamond following each contest.

ROCHESTER RED WINGS

HOT WINGS: Infielder Eddy Garabito has a nine-game hitting streak batting .450 (18-for-40) with three doubles, one triple, and one home run and seven RBI. Garabito has reached base in 21 of his last 35 plate appearances, scoring 12 runs during that stretch. Catcher Mike Hubbard has a nine-game hitting streak batting .351 (13-for-37) with three doubles, one home run and seven RBI. Hubbard has been Mr. Clutch for the Wings this season hitting .364 (16-for-44) with men in scoring position.

GOOD WOOD FOR THE GOOD GUYS: The Red Wings are batting .348 (105-for-302) as a team in their last eight games. Rochester has scored 61 runs in those last eight games (7.6 runs per game) after scoring just 19 runs (3.2 runs per game) in their previous six games. Rochester has scored five or more runs seven days in a row, which is the first time they've accomplished that all season. Rochester has a 26-10 record when scoring five or more runs this season.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RED BARONS

PUNTO AND TELEMACO ACTIVATED: A pair of players have been activated from the Red Barons' disabled list but only one will remain at Triple-A. Nick Punto was activated after missing 13 days with a strained hamstring. He resumed his normal shortstop duties with the Red Barons and will be available to start for the IL in the Triple-A All-Star Game. The other player, Amaury Telemaco, was activated but assigned to Double-A Reading. Telemaco had been on the Red Barons' DL since May 12 with an injury to his right shoulder.

COUNTDOWN TO 1,000....1,943 GAMES TO GET OVER .500: The Red Barons have an excellent chance of winning their 1,000th game in team history just by playing .500 ball the remainder of the year. Their all-time record now stands at 973-972 meaning they need to go just 27-30 to reach the 1,000 mark. If they continue to play at their current .621 clip they would finish the year at 89-55 and finish 1008-994. When they reached one game over .500 all-time on July 1 with a win over the Columbus Clippers, it marked the 1st time they had ever been above .500. Ever since dropping the franchise opener April 6, 1989 at Rochester to Curt Schilling, the Red Barons had never been above .500. It took 14 years and 1,943 games to recover from that first loss.

ROA AND CHAPMAN WIN PHILLIES PLAYER OF THE MONTH HONORS: Reading third baseman Travis Chapman and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitcher Joe Roa have been named the Phillies' Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for June. Chapman secured the honor by batting .337 in 28 games for Reading. In 89 at-bats he collected 30 hits, including seven doubles and six home runs. In addition to a .618 slugging percentage, he also tallied 20 RBI and 19 runs scored. Roa cemented the honor by posting a perfect 5-0 record in five starts this past month. In 38 innings he posted a 0.71 ERA and struck out 27 while allowing 19 hits and just four runs (three earned). The 30-year-old right-hander was acquired by the Phillies on March 28, 2002 in a minor league trade with Pittsburgh for no compensation. He currently ranks 2nd in the International League in ERA and is tied for the professional lead in wins with Arizona right-hander Curt Schilling. He will represent the Red Barons at the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 10 at Oklahoma City.

SYRACUSE SKYCHIEFS

PATRIOTIC PLANS: The SkyChiefs return home tonight after a tough 8-game road trip through Columbus and Toledo. Syracuse will don patriotic Red, White and Blue Star and Stripes uniforms designed and produced by OT Sports in North Carolina. The team will also wear specially designed July 4th caps produced by New Era Cap Company. The cap will feature the SkyChiefs "S" logo in red, white and blue. In addition, the uniforms will be auctioned off during the game with the net proceeds from the auction going to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York. And, during the game, Old Navy Clothing Stores is sponsoring the "most patriotic" car contest – the vehicle that is decorated most patriotically will win a gift certificate to Old Navy.

I'M AN ALL STAR – NOT: Josh Phelps was named to start on the IL All Star as the team's DH, but now he's the Toronto Blue Jays' starting DH after being called up to the big leagues just prior to the SkyChiefs' July 1 game at Toledo. Phelps had three hits in the Blue Jays DH at Boston on Tuesday – the first three hits of his major league career. At Syracuse this season, Phelps was leading the IL with 24 home runs at the time of his call-up. After only 84 games, his total already was the 11th highest in franchise history. In addition to missing the IL All Star Game, Phelps will miss the ML Future's Game in Milwaukee. SkyChiefs' catcher Kevin Cash was named to replace Phelps at the Future's Game.

NEW ALL TIME WINS LEADER: The Syracuse franchise has a new all-time wins leader and he hasn't pitched in a game since 1949. Dixie Howell, who will be inducted into the Syracuse Baseball Wall of Fame August 2nd, was found to actually have 55 career wins as a pitcher for the Syracuse Chiefs from 1943, 1946-49. Original research indicated that Howell had 53 wins to his credit, which trailed Art Hartley (1949-54) by a single win. But, after careful investigations took place, it was discovered that Howell actually had two more wins than originally he was given credit for – he also had five more losses, too – leaving his all time record with Syracuse at 55-55. Hartley still holds the franchise record for losses (61), but is now 2nd with 54 all time wins. Sorry Art.

TOLEDO MUD HENS

MUD HENS GET NEW ALL-STAR: Toledo Mud Hens infielder Jarrod Patterson has been named to the International League All-Star Team by the league office. Patterson will be the lone representative for the Toledo Mud Hens as he replaces Oscar Henriquez who was called up to Detroit last week. The 28-year-old is currently hitting .297 (76-256) with nine home runs, 42 RBI, and three stolen bases. Patterson is leading the team with 76 hits, 20 multi-hit games, and 13 multi-RBI games. Patterson is also fifth in the International League with 24 doubles.

UP, UP, AND AWAY: The Pepsi Hot Air Balloon was launched from center field before the Mud Hens' home game against the Syracuse SkyChiefs Wednesday night. The ceremony was a special treat for the sell-out crowd at Fifth Third Field and took only a few short minutes to be high in the sky. INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION: The Mud Hens celebrated Independence Day early this year. With the Mud Hens battling in Columbus tonight, the Hens treated fans to a one-of-a-kind Independence Day Celebration at Fifth Third Field last evening. Mud Hens' players and coaches wore special Fourth of July jerseys that were purchased by fans via silent auction during the game. Each jersey was autographed by the person who wore it on the field and was given to the fan who purchased it - game-worn and unwashed.

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International League Stories from July 4, 2002

• Red Wings nip SkyChiefs - OSC Original by Ed Gonser
• Bulls Beat Knights 4-3 in 12 Innings - Charlotte Knights
• IL News & Notes - IL1
• Alcantara Named Indians Player of the Month - Indianapolis Indians
• Fourth of July Sold Out - Indianapolis Indians

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