Off-season Wrap-up

February 20, 2003 - International League (IL1) News Release

NEW ARRANGEMENT - SAME GREAT BALLPARK: The Buffalo Bisons, in conjunction with Erie County and the City of Buffalo have announced a new agreement regarding the team's lease at Dunn Tire Park. In January, 2003 Erie County took over the responsibilities of the operations of Dunn Tire Park from the City of Buffalo. Under the new agreement, the Bisons will take over the day-to-day maintenance and operations of the ballpark. Erie County has committed $5 million towards capital improvements for the ballpark. These projects will include infrastructure maintenance and aesthetic improvements, as well as fan amenities like improved lighting, new seating areas and a state of the art sound system. These projects will be phased into construction over the next five years. GIVEAWAY SCHEDULE GETS BOBBLE OF IMPROVEMENT: The Buffalo Bisons will host 15 giveaways this season, including 4 bobble head doll giveaways. The first in the bobble head series will be a Jeff Manto bobble head on Saturday, June 7th. The remaining dates in the bobble head series are Sunday, June 22nd, Sunday, July 20th and Sunday, August 17th. Fans can vote online at Bisons.com to select the player they would like to see featured on the remaining three bobble head doll giveaways. WHO'S ON FIRST...AND EVERYWHERE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER: The Bisons will have a new skipper in 2003, as Marty Brown will head up the Herd after spending the past 6 seasons as a manager in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization. He will be joined by returning coaches Carl Willis and Carlos Garcia. The hot stove has been burning this off-season as the Cleveland Indians have once again signed a number of players as minor league free agents for the 2003 season. Fans will be familiar with many of these players as they have played for the Bisons in the past few seasons. INF Bill Selby, C Tim Laker and OF Chris Magruder head up a list of players who have signed contracts for the 2003 season. Familiar faces could return to the mound in Buffalo as well as RHPs Jason Phillips, Jason Beverlin, Dave Elder and Jason Boyd have also signed on for the 2003 season. New to the Indians' organization this year will be INF Casey Blake, RHP Mike Thurman, C A.J. Hinch and C Dusty Wathan. The Indians have also signed RHP Paul Rigdon, RHP Rafael Betancourt, INF Ron Wright & OF Brant Brown to Triple-A contracts.

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS

IRON MAN TO BE IN CHARLOTTE ON OPENING DAY: The Knights are pleased to announce that future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. will be in Charlotte for the April 3rd opening day festivities, sponsored by Lending Tree. Ripken played for the Charlotte O's over the course of two seasons (1979-1980), and proceeded to hit .266 with 28 doubles, 6 triples, 28 home runs, 86 RBI, and 5 stolen bases in 161 games. In 1980, as a member of the Southern League Champion O's, Ripken was named the SL's All-Star third baseman and tied for the league lead in games played (144).

"I have some great memories of Charlotte from the 1980 season," Cal Ripken Jr. said. "On the field it was the season that really made me believe that I could play in the big leagues. I think I hit 25 home runs and made the All-Star Team. Off the field, I remember the fans being really passionate about baseball and caring a lot about the team. It felt special to play in Charlotte. This is a great honor for me and now that I am a minor league owner I look forward to seeing the operation in Charlotte and maybe stealing a few ideas."

Opening Day for the Knights will take place April 3rd versus the Richmond Braves, with first pitch slated for 2:15 p.m. Ripken will be in attendance for the opening ceremonies and will also throw out the first pitch, and fans at the game will receive a commemorative baseball honoring Ripken.

ENTIRE STAFF TO RETURN FOR 2003 SEASON: Leading the Knights on the field in 2003 will be the same group of coaches who managed the team in 2002. Nick Capra, 44, enters his second season in Charlotte as manager of the Knights and his eighth as a skipper in the Chicago White Sox organization. Last season he led the Knights to a 55-88 record and a fourth place finish in the International League's South Division. Over his seven years in the White Sox organization, Capra has accumulated a record of 372-392 (.487) and has led his teams to four post-season berths and two league championships. Curt Hasler, 37, returns for his second season as the Charlotte Knights' pitching coach and enters his 13th season in the White Sox organization. Hasler was promoted to the Knights in the middle of the 2002 season after former Charlotte pitching coach Kirk Champion was promoted as the White Sox minor league roving pitching instructor. Greg Walker, 43, will return for his second season as the Charlotte Knights' hitting coach and his second in the White Sox organization. Last season under Walker's tutelage, the Knights hit .256 with 131 home runs and saw Joe Crede, Joe Borchard, Willie Harris, and D'Angelo Jimenez get promoted to the major leagues. Scott Johnson, 42, returns for his fifth season as the trainer for the Charlotte Knights and enters his 15th season in the White Sox organization. Johnson was named the 2001 and 2002 International League Trainer of the Year and was also named the trainer for the Team USA Baseball World Cup team that competed in Chinese Taipei in 2001.

2002 SOUTHERN LEAGUE MVP SLATED TO JOIN THE KNIGHTS IN 2003: 2002 Southern League Most Valuable Player Aaron Miles is tentatively scheduled to play infield for the Charlotte Knights in 2003. Miles, 26, was recently rewarded for his MVP season by being invited to the Spring Training with the White Sox as a non-roster invitee. In 2002, Miles became only the second Birmingham Baron ever to win the TOPPS/Minor League Player of the Year in the Southern League award. He led the SL in hits (171) and doubles (39) and ranked second in average (.322) and tied for third in extra base hits (49). Miles likely will play both second base and third base for the Knights.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS

25 YEARS AND COUNTING: The Columbus Clippers are proud to announce that the 2003 season marks its 25th season as the Triple-A affiliate of the legendary New York Yankees. To help celebrate this historic occasion the Clippers will be giving away hats on Thursday, April 3rd and Friday, April 4th that feature both the Yankees' and Clippers' logos. Names such as Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Alfonso Soriano have donned the Clippers' pin stripes before wearing those of the Bronx Bombers.

BUCKY'S BACK: The 2003 season will mark Bucky Dent's second go around as field general of the Clippers. Dent managed 412 games in the capital city from 1987-1989. In 1987 Dent lead the Clippers to their fourth Governors' Cup. Dent then went on to manage the New York Yankees for parts of the 1989 and 1990 seasons. Last season Dent was the bench boss for the Omaha Royals of the Pacific Coast League.

YANKEES LEGENDS COMEBACK??: This season will mark the 3rd consecutive year that the Clippers will be giving away bobble-head dolls. This year's installment will feature Yankees stars of the past. The first bobble-head give away date is set for April 6th and will feature new Clippers' manager Bucky Dent. Fans can guarantee themselves these limited edition collectibles by ordering advanced reserve seat tickets. Tickets can be ordered by calling the Clippers at (614) 462-5250 or online at clippersbaseball.com
1. BUCKY DENT - Sunday, April 6 vs. Indianapolis - 2:05PM
2. CATFISH HUNTER - Sunday, May 4 vs. Scranton/WB - 12:05PM
3. YOGI BERRA - Sunday, May 18 vs. Rochester - 2:05PM
4. LOU GEHRIG - Sunday, June 1 vs. Buffalo - 2:05PM
5. ROGER MARIS - Sunday, June 22 vs. Norfolk - 5:05PM
6. REGGIE JACKSON - Sunday, July 6 vs. Ottawa - 5:05PM
7. MICKEY MANTLE - Sunday, July 20 VS. Pawtucket - 5:05PM
8. BABE RUTH - Sunday, August 10 vs. Toledo - 5:05PM
9. JOE DI MAGGIO - Sunday, August 24 vs. Toledo - 5:05PM

DURHAM BULLS

EVERS RETURNS TO DEFEND INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE TITLE: Bill Evers, the only manager in Bulls' Triple-A history, will be returning for the 2003 season to add to his club record of 398 wins. In his five years in Durham, Evers sports a 398-320 record. He has led the Bulls to four South Division titles and the 2002 Governors' Cup Championship. Also returning are pitching coach Joe Coleman and hitting coach Richie Hebner. Tom Tisdale is the new Bulls' trainer, replacing Paul Harker, who was promoted to head minor league trainer and medical rehabilitation coordinator for the Devil Rays. Previously, Tisdale was the trainer for Double-A Orlando.

BIRLING PROMOTED TO GENERAL MANAGER: Mike Birling, who spent the last four seasons as the Bulls' Assistant General Manager, was named General Manager on December 12, 2002. Mike replaces George Habel, who remains as the Bulls' Vice President. Birling, 30, is the youngest general manager at the Triple-A level. Jon Bishop, formerly the Bulls' Ticket Sales Manager, was promoted to Assistant General Manager.

DEVIL RAYS SIGN MANY MINOR LEAGUE FREE AGENTS: The Bulls' 2003 roster could be loaded with veteran Triple-A and Major League players. The pitchers with big league experience in Devil Rays' camp this spring are RHPs Lesli Brea, John Frasacatore, Lee Gardner, Wayne Gomes, Jeremi Gonzalez, Mike James, Kevin McGlinchy, Steve Parris, Carlos Reyes, Mel Rojas, Erik Sabel, Blake Stein, and Bob Wells, and LHPs Jim Parque and Matt Perisho. The catchers looking to backup Toby Hall in Tampa Bay are Jorge Fabregas, Charlie Greene, Sandy Martinez, Hector Ortiz, and Angel Pena. Other hitters in camp are IF/OF Justin Baughman, 2B Jay Canizaro, 1B Ryan Jackson and Lee Stevens, 3B Chris Truby, and OFs Brian Lesher, Chad Mottola, and Ryan Thompson.

USA BASEBALL TO FACE JAPAN, MEXICO AT THE DBAP: The Durham Bulls Athletic Park will host eight games for the United States National Team this summer. The team, which will be comprised of the nation's top collegiate players and coached by the University of South Carolina's Head Baseball Coach Ray Tanner, will face the Japanese National Team for three games on July 2, 3, and 7. The Mexican National Team will be the opponent for five games from July 17 through July 21.

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

TRIBE GETS NEW COACHING STAFF: The Indians' clubhouse will have a new look in 2003 as an entirely new coaching staff takes over. At the helm will be first-year manager Cecil Cooper. After a 17-year major league career, Cooper has worked in many facets of the game since retiring in 1987. He was a player agent, farm director and scout before he returned to the dugout as a bench coach with the Milwaukee Brewers last year.

Taking over as pitching coach is a former teammate of Cooper's, Mike Caldwell. Caldwell pitched for 14 seasons in the major leagues. He started coaching in the Brewers' organization in 1992, including one season as the Triple-A pitching coach with Louisville in 1998.

Baseball veteran Gaylen Pitts brings the most experience to the Tribe coaching staff and will be a valuable right-hand man to Cooper. Pitts has managed 16 seasons in the minor leagues including the last six at Triple-A recording over 1,000 wins.

Also new to the staff is trainer Jeff Paxson, a native of Bluffton, Ind.

VICTORY FIELD GETS NEW VIDEO BOARD: The Indianapolis Indians are installing a $1.1 million video board at Victory Field. The board will measure 18' x 32' and will be the largest high-resolution board in minor league baseball. Removal of the ballpark's old matrix board began Feb. 19. The new board is being produced by Daktronics, Inc., a company that has installed over 600 scoreboards worldwide. The board will be completed by the Tribe's home opener on April 9.

INDIANS HOLD TICKET PRICES , RE-SCALE SEATING BOWL: The Indians are maintaining prices for individual game tickets at $11 and $7 for the third straight season. The Indians have eliminated the $9 price level to make the ticket-buying process easier on fans. The Tribe is also offering group rates on box seats for the first time since 1997.

LOUISVILLE BATS

MAP PROGRAM: Cincinnati Reds' first-round draft picks RHP Chris Gruler (2002), RHP Dustin Moseley (2000) and LHP Ty Howington (1999) are among 55 players who are scheduled to participate in the Reds' minor league accelerated program. The reporting date for MAP pitchers and catchers was yesterday while participating MAP position players will arrive Saturday. The MAP workouts are scheduled for the afternoon, following the conclusion of the Major League camp workouts.

CARAVAN A SUCCESS: The Cincinnati Reds annual Winter Caravan rolled into Louisville on February 1 and was a huge success. Former Louisville Bats' players Brandon Larson and Austin Kearns headlined the event, while others in attendance included Hall of Fame Broadcaster Marty Brennaman, Reds' Manager Bob Boone, current Bats' Manager Dave Miley and Reds' pitching coach Don Gullett. Players and coaches signed autographs and posed for pictures with the approximate 1,500 fans in attendance.

LARSON NAMED MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Former Bats' IF Brandon Larson has been named winner of the 2002 Sheldon "Chief" Bender Award as the Cincinnati Reds' Minor League Player of the Year. Larson, 26, spent most of last season at Louisville, where he was an International League All-Star after hitting .340 with 25 HR and 69 RBI in only 80 games. He led all Reds' minor league batters in homers and RBI, ranked third in the IL in homers and won the home run hitting contest at the Triple-A All-Star Game. During the regular season, Larson produced three 2-homer games, a 6-RBI game on June 17 at Norfolk, a 5-RBI game on April 13 at Charlotte and four 4-RBI games. He became the first player in Louisville history to hit 3 grand slams in a season.

SLUGGER FIELD NAMED FIELD OF THE YEAR: Louisville Slugger Field was named the 2002 Baseball Field of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association in November. Louisville Slugger Field, which opened in April of 2000, is the home of the Louisville Bats, Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The stadium has hosted several other events in addition to baseball during its brief existence including the Kentucky Derby Festival's "Run for the Rose" as well as BlueSky's "Jamfest". The Sports Turf Managers Association, established in 1981, is the recognized leader in strengthening the sports turf industry. STMA members work to combine the science of growing turfgrasses and the art of maintaining both natural and synthetic athletic field materials to produce safe and aesthetically pleasing playing surfaces.

NORFOLK TIDES

WEB GEM: The Tides have just launched a brand new website that will bring Tides' fans much closer to their 2003 team and all of the happenings around Harbor Park! The new site also allows fans to sign up to receive a newsletter that will be sent out periodically throughout the season.

STAFF RETURNS: Bobby Floyd returns for his second stint as manager of the Tides, but he will have at least one new sidekick in pitching coach Randy Neimann. Niemann comes to the Tides from the Mets where he has been the bullpen coach. He swaps positions with Rick Waits who had been with the Tides for the past few seasons. Al LeBoeuf will also return to Norfolk for his third season as the Tides' hitting coach.

NEW SIGNEES: The Mets have signed a few players that may see some time here at Norfolk. Most notably big leaguers Jay Bell, Graeme Lloyd, and David Cone have signed minor league contracts with the Mets. Others that have spent some time in other cities in the IL and may see some time with the Tides include Walt McKeel, Dan Wheeler, Lyle Mouton, and Jeff Abbott.

BIG APPLE BOUND?: Tides' fans were looking forward to seeing Top Prospect Jose Reyes chasing down fly balls in Harbor Park for at least the beginning of the season. But it looks as though they may have to wait for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. Reyes could very well make the jump from Double-A to the Big Leagues with a good showing in Spring Training...stay tuned!

OTTAWA LYNX

TRAGEDY AT SPRING TRAINING: The Orioles' organization suffered a great tragedy on February 17th when starting pitcher Steve Bechler died of multiple organ failure due to heat stroke. Bechler was only 23 years old, and his wife Kiley is pregnant with their first child, due in April. Bechler was 6-11 with Triple-A Rochester last year and had been tabbed to be one the anchors of the rotation in Ottawa this season.

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES: The Lynx 2003 season will feature a roster of new players, after the Lynx became the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Lynx had spent their first 10 years in the IL as the affiliate of the Montreal Expos. The only former Lynx player who has a chance to return in 2003 is Darwin Cubillan, who signed with the Orioles in the off-season. Cubillan pitched in Ottawa for parts of the last two seasons, and his six saves were good for second on the Lynx staff last year.

FRONT OFFICE SHUFFLE: The Orioles undertook a major front office shake-up this off-season with the duo of Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan heading up the major league duties, while former Cincinnati Reds assistant general manager Darrell "Doc" Rodgers takes over as director of minor league operations.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT GARY: The Lynx named a whole new coaching staff for the 2003 season. Leading the crew will be field manager Gary Allenson, who had been the third base coach for the Milwaukee Brewers for the past three seasons. IL fans will remember Allenson as the manager of Louisville in 1998 and 1999, while IL historians will remember him as the slugging catcher who won the 1978 IL MVP with Pawtucket. Joining Allenson as pitching coach will be former Detroit Tigers pitching coach Steve McCatty, and former major league all-star and IL coach Dave Cash will serve as field coach. Homer Zulaica will serve as the Lynx trainer.

PAWTUCKET RED SOX

BUDDY'S BACK WITH SOME NEW FRIENDS: Buddy Bailey will return as PawSox manager for the 2003 season. Buddy will be joined by new pitching coach Mike Griffin, who had been the pitching coach for Boston's Double-A affiliate in Trenton the past four years, and new hitting coach U.L. Washington, the nine-year Major League shortstop (mainly with Kansas City) who had been the hitting coach for the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats (Minnesota) the last two seasons. In addition, Bill Coffey, Pawtucket's trainer last year, will return for his second season with the club in 2003.

Buddy Bailey will actually be beginning his second straight season as PawSox manager and his sixth overall. His first stint as Pawtucket skipper came from 1993-1996 before he returned for the 2002 season. Bailey, who owns an overall record of 1012-951 in his 15 years as a manager (.516 winning pct.), became just the eighth active minor league manager to post 1,000 wins in his managerial career when he earned victory #1,000 on August 1, 2002 in Syracuse.

Buddy spent this off-season as the manager of the Aragua Tigers of the Venezuelan Winter League where he had his club way ahead in 1st-place before turmoil among the Venezuelan population forced the season to be interrupted and then ultimately cancelled.

Mike Griffin will be the new PawSox pitching coach. Mike pitched for five teams in the Major Leagues including the Yankees (1979-81), the Cubs (1981), San Diego (1982), Baltimore (1987), and Cincinnati (1989). Griffin has spent the last four seasons as pitching coach for the Trenton Thunder, Boston's former Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League. From 1990-95 he was a pitching coach in the Cincinnati minor league system followed by three years (1996-98) as the Reds' minor league pitching coordinator.

U.L. Washington will be the new PawSox hitting coach after spending the last two seasons as the hitting coach for the New Britain Rock Cats (AA-Minnesota) of the Eastern League. U.L. is best remembered as a solid shortstop (with his trademark toothpick) on the fine Kansas City Royals' teams from 1977-1984. With the Royals he was a member of four clubs that won the Division Championship and one team that won the American League Pennant (1980). He also played for Montreal (1985) and Pittsburgh (1986-87) and overall in 11 years in the majors he batted .251 in 907 games.

A WHOLE NEW LOOK: The Pawtucket Red Sox, who are coming off consecutive 5th-place finishes in the IL North, will have almost an entirely new look when the 2003 season commences on April 3rd. Only about six or seven players are expected to return from last year's PawSox squad. Among those are pitchers Chris Elmore, Marty McLeary, and Andy Shibilo along with 1B Juan Diaz, INF James Lofton, SS Freddy Sanchez, and 2B Angel Santos. With that in mind, the Boston Red Sox have signed several minor league free agents to Pawtucket contracts for the 2003 season. The Red Sox have also claimed players off waivers and selected others during the Rule V Draft. Among the notables, many of whom could impact Pawtucket, are right-handed pitchers Bronson Arroyo, Paul Stewart, Steve Woodard, Brandon Lyon, Junior Herndon, Hansel Izquierdo, Jason Shiell, Justin Kaye, Tom Davey, Kris Foster, Matt White, and Hector Almonte, along with lefty pitchers Kevin Tolar and Javier Lopez, who have all agreed to deals for this season. In addition, catchers Chris Coste & Jeff Smith, 1B Julio Zuleta & Larry Sutton, SS Nelson Castro, 3B Earl Snyder & Donny Leon, and outfielders Andy Abad, Lou Collier, Cesar Crespo, & Jeremy Owens are also in the fold.

RICHMOND BRAVES

GONE-ZALEZ: Fredi Gonzalez, who guided the Richmond Braves to a 75-67 record a year ago, accepted the third base coaching job with the Atlanta Braves during the winter. Gonzalez, 39, last worked in the big leagues with the Marlins from 1999-2001 as the club's third base coach. Former Syracuse and Ottawa manager Pat Kelly will take over for Gonzalez in the Richmond dugout. Kelly, 47, brings 15 years of managerial experience to the Braves and most recently served as a special assignment scout with the Blue Jays. He will be the R-Braves' 5th manager in six years.

FAREWELL, MY LOVEY: Longtime Richmond trainer Jim Lovell will join Fredi Gonzalez in the Atlanta dugout this spring. Lovell and Jeff Porter will head the Atlanta training staff following the retirement of Dave Pursley. Richmond's trainer for 11 seasons, Lovell also served as the Richmond Braves' Director of Team Travel and as the head trainer for the Braves' minor league system. Jay Williams will take Lovell's spot in Richmond. Williams, who served as the trainer at Double-A Greenville from 1996-2002, won trainer of the year honors in the Southern League on three occasions and was named the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society's athletic trainer of the year in 1998.

ROCHESTER RED WINGS

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR: The Rochester Red Wings begin the 2003 with a new Major League affiliation. Rochester signed a two-year working agreement with the Minnesota Twins in September of 2002 breaking a 42-year affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles.

THE ROOF IS ON FIRE: The Red Wings named Phil Roof their new manager for the 2003 season. In seven seasons in Triple-A, Roof has a compiled a 543-459 (.542) managerial record, with his teams finishing first or second in five of those seven seasons as a manager. Roof spent six seasons (1995-2000) as the Twins' Triple-A manager in Salt lake before spending the last two as a hitting coach for the Twins Triple-A affiliate in Edmonton.

MORNEAU BREAKS RIGHT TOE IN ARIZONA WORKOUTS: The only significant injury the first day of camp belonged to first baseman Justin Morneau, who actually injured his toe Friday, the day before leaving Arizona for Fort Myers. Morneau, one of the Twins' brightest prospects, who hit .298 with 16 homers at Double-A New Britain last year, broke his right big toe when his foot caught on the carpet at home after a roommate pushed him. The toe is expected to take four to six weeks to heal, and Morneau is expected to be eased into light activity within a week. He was expected to open the season at Rochester.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RED BARONS

PHILLIES HAVE BUSY OFF-SEASON: This off-season the Philadelphia Phillies made major additions to their club with the acquisitions of players like Jim Thome, David Bell and Kevin Millwood. While these signings made the headlines and should make an immediate impact, they also have quietly signed a number of minor league free agents that may help at some point in the season. The good news for Red Barons fans is most of these players will make their home, at least initially, in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Some of the more familiar names include Jim Crowell, Ken Pumphrey, Jason Knupfer, Amaury Telemaco and J.P. Roberge – all members of last year's team.

To date eight other players from different organizations have signed Triple-A contracts with the Red Barons, including:

OF Kevin Sefcik......Spent 8 seasons in the Phillies system before signing with the Rockies in 2001......Member of the Red Barons from 1995-1997......Has a career .275 average in the Major Leagues in 425 games for Philadelphia and Colorado.......Batted .308 in 126 games at Altoona in 2002.

OF Jeff Inglin.....Spent his first 7 professional seasons in the Chicago White Sox system including the last four at Charlotte......Has clubbed 108 HR in his career and has twice had 100 RBI seasons.....Batted .276 with 6 HR/22 RBI in just 39 games for Charlotte in 2002 before signing to play in Korea.

OF McKay Christensen......8-year veteran ......Has Major League time with the White Sox, Dodgers and Mets.........Hit .284 with 5 HR, 30 RBI and 20 steals last year for Norfolk........Also appeared in four games for the Mets (1-3)......Has 151 career stolen bases.

C Jesse Levis......Lifelong resident of Philadelphia, PA.......Will be entering his 15th pro season......Has spent all or parts of nine seasons in the Major Leagues with Cleveland and Milwaukee and has a career .255 average in 319 games......Played all of 2002 at Louisville batting .283.....Has also played in the International League for Charlotte, Durham, Buffalo, Richmond and Indianapolis.

C Marcus Jensen.....13-year veteran with Major League time for San Francisco, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Boston and Texas......Batted .230 with 4 HR/25 RBI in 70 games at Indianapolis in 2002 and also played 16 games for Milwaukee....Member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Gold Medal team.

LHP Brent Billingsley.....Is coming over to the Phillies from the Montreal Expos system........Pitched the last three seasons at Ottawa ........Was 4-5 with a 4.07 ERA last season in 28 games (12 starts)......Spent part of the 1999 season pitching for the Florida Marlins.

RHP Mike Fyhrie.......12-year professional........Has appeared in 84 Major League games for the Mets, Angels, Cubs and Athletics .......Made 17 starts at Triple-A Sacramento in 2002 going 7-2 with a 2.33 ERA....Was 2-4 with a 4.44 ERA for the A's.

RHP Josh Hancock......Hard-throwing starter who was acquired in December for Jeremy Giambi......24-year-old will be entering his 6th pro season .......Started 2002 at Double-A Trenton before being promoted to Pawtucket where he was 4-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 8 starts......Made ML debut in September for Boston.

RADIO SHOW RETURNS FOR 2nd SEASON: For the second consecutive off-season Red Barons' fans have a chance to "warm their baseball hearts" with the return of the Red Barons Radio Show. The show, sponsored by Geisinger Sports Medicine Team, runs every Saturday morning from 11:05 a.m. – 12:00 noon on ESPN Radio 630/1240 a.m. and is hosted by Kent Westling and Rick Muntean. The show features notable guests, a call-in segment, trivia with prizes, e-mail questions and just plain-old hot stove baseball talk. In the fan interactive portion of the show, Westling, Muntean or the guests will answer questions submitted via e-mail. Fans wishing to e-mail their questions on any baseball/Red Barons related topic should do so by NOON every Friday afternoon. Questions and/or comments can be sent to barons@epix.net. Some of the guests already on this year have been Larry Bowa, Ed Wade, Jimmy Rollins and Brett Myers.

SYRACUSE SKYCHIEFS

MALAVE RETURNS: Omar Malave will return to the Syracuse bench for a fourth season in 2003, his third as the club's manager. Malave has guided the SkyChiefs to a 135-153 record over the previous two campaigns. Also returning to the staff are hitting coach Ken Landreaux and trainer Jon Woodworth.

FILER BACK IN SYRACUSE: Former Syracuse Chiefs pitcher Tom Filer takes over for Rick Langford as the team's pitching coach. Filer joins the Toronto organization after spending the previous nine seasons as a coach in the New York Yankees system. Filer pitched in Syracuse during the 1985 and 1987 seasons, going a combined 8-2 in 20 games. Langford remains in the Blue Jays organization as pitching coach for Dunedin of the Florida State League.

OTHER NEW FACES: The Blue Jays were active again this off-season, the second under GM JP Ricciardi. Toronto inked 11 minor league free agents, many of whom could begin the season in Syracuse. Pitcher Doug Linton will be given an opportunity to win a spot on Toronto's staff, but the veteran righty could end up at the front of the SkyChiefs' rotation. In an effort to strengthen the organization's overall pitching depth, the Blue Jays signed five other pitchers to minor league deals; RHP Robert Marquez, LHP Trever Miller, RHP Evan Thomas, LHP Josh Towers, and LHP Tim Young. The focus wasn't just on pitching, though, as OF Bruce Aven, INF/OF Howie Clark, INF Mike Moriarty, OF Rob Ryan, and INF Tony Zuniga also signed on with Toronto. These names should sound familiar to IL fans as each player except Zuniga spent at least part of the 2002 season in the league.

"CHIEF OF CHIEFS" HONORED: The SkyChiefs have changed the name of P&C Stadium's restaurant to honor Hank Sauer. Formerly known as the DiamondView Café, the restaurant will now be called The Hank Sauer Room. Sauer, the 1952 NL MVP, is the only player in Syracuse franchise history to have his number retired and is also the holder of numerous team records. The Hank Sauer Room will feature a buffet-style menu and is available for groups of 50-150 people to rent on a nightly basis.

TOLEDO MUD HENS

PARRISH NAMED AS NEW HEAD OF THE HENS: Larry Parrish has been named as the new Mud Hens' manager, replacing Bruce Fields who will be the hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers. Parrish will join Leon "Bull" Durham (Hitting Coach) and Jeff Jones (Pitching Coach) on the Mud Hens' Coaching Staff for the club's second season at Fifth Third Field.

Parrish, who spent the last three seasons as a Major League Scout with the Detroit Tigers, becomes the 71st manager in Toledo baseball history. As a manager, Parrish has a career record of 260-267 (.493). He managed the Tigers for 185 games during the 1998 and 1999 seasons, compiling a record of 82-104 (.441). As a player, Parrish was named to two All-Star teams and drilled 20 or more home runs in five of his 15 major league seasons. Parrish played most of his career as a third baseman, splitting time with the Expos and the Rangers. He finished his major league service with a .263 batting average in 1,891 games, hitting 256 home runs with 992 RBI.

IT'S A HOT TICKET: The Toledo Mud Hens have pre-sold over 270,000 tickets for the upcoming season at Fifth Third Field. This number is made up of season tickets, group sales, and individual game tickets. The Hens broke an all-time Toledo baseball attendance record in 2002 when 547,204 fans witnessed the Mud Hens make their first playoff appearance since 1984. To compare the ticket sales to last year at this time, the number has more than doubled. In February of 2002, the Hens had pre-sold 128,825 tickets for the inaugural season at Fifth Third Field. All tickets for the upcoming season are priced at $8.00, which is the same price as 2002.

HOT HENS IN WINTER LEAGUE: Pat Ahearne led a host of Hens' arms that are heating up the Winter League. Ahearne finished the short season at 4-1 with a sizzling 1.83 ERA in 44.1 innings of work. Southpaw Tim Kalita finished at a perfect 5-0 with a 4.62 ERA, while Adam Bernero pitched his way to 4-2 record and a 3.02 ERA. Left-handed reliever Jason Jimenez also pitched well, finishing with nine saves, a 2-1 record and a 2.25 ERA. Ahearne and Kalita are expected to form 40% of the starting rotation in Toledo. Jimenez and Bernero are battling at Spring Training to try and make the big club. Offensively, outfielder Cody Ross collected 18 RBI and blasted five home runs, four doubles, and a pair of triples in 97 at-bats. Ross is expected to start the season as Toledo's right fielder.

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International League Stories from February 20, 2003

• Tickets go on sale on-line Friday - Buffalo Bisons
• Off-season Wrap-up - IL1
• Ottawa Lynx Annual Job Fair To Be Held February 25th - Ottawa Lynx
• Bobble Heads Highlight 2003 Promo Schedule - Buffalo Bisons
• Indians Installing $1.1 Million Video Board at Victory Field - Indianapolis Indians

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