Huntsville Stars

MiLB infobox
name = Huntsville Stars
founded = 1985
city = Huntsville, Alabama
misc =

uniform
class level = Double-A (1985–present)
past class level=
current league = Southern League (1985–present)
conference =
division = North Division
past league =
majorleague = Milwaukee Brewers (1999–present)
pastmajorleague = Oakland A's (1985–1998)
nickname = Huntsville Stars (1985–present)
pastnames =
ballpark = Joe W. Davis Stadium (1985–present)
pastparks =
leaguechamps = 1985, 1994, 2001
divisionchamps = 1985, 1986, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007
misc6 =
owner = Miles Prentice / Huntsville Stars, LLC
manager = Don Money
gm = Buck RogersThe Huntsville Stars are a minor league baseball team of the Southern League and are the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in in Huntsville, Alabama and are named for the space industry (NASA conducts operations at the nearby Marshall Space Flight Center, a major area employer). The team plays their home games at Joe W. Davis Stadium, named after the former mayor of Huntsville; built in by|1985, the park seats 10,200 fans and is sometimes referred to as "The Joe." Their radio broadcaster is Brett Pollock.

Team history

Athletics era (1985–1998)

The Stars came to Huntsville by way of Evansville, Indiana and Nashville, Tennessee. In June by|1984, Larry Schmittou purchased the Triple-A Evansville Triplets and, after the season, moved them to Nashville where they became the Nashville Sounds. His previous Double-A Southern League franchise was relocated to Huntsville. The City of Huntsville, led by Mayor Joe W. Davis, built a brand new 10,000 seat multipurpose stadium which lured the franchise to town. The Triplets' history was retired, the Sounds inherited the Double-A franchise's history, and the Stars began their own history.

The Stars began play in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics in by|1985 with Don Mincher as the team's General Manager. Mincher, a Huntsville native and 12-year veteran of the Major Leagues, guided the franchise through its infancy as they won the Southern League Championship in their first season. The Stars won the league championship by defeating the Charlotte Knights three games to two. Future superstar José Canseco was the MVP of the league that year.

Terry Steinbach won the MVP award in by|1986 solidifying the base of the A's Championship teams of the late 1980s. That same season the Stars met again with Charlotte in the championship series, this time losing the series two games to three.

In by|1994, Mincher and a group of local investors purchased the team from Schmittou to keep baseball in Huntsville. The Stars once again won the Southern League title that season. Led by Ernie Young, the Stars swept the Chattanooga Lookouts to win the Western Division, then defeated the Carolina Mudcats three games to one to take the title. In by|1997, the Stars made another appearance in the league championship series losing to the Greenville Braves three games to two.

Brewers era (1999–present)

Following the by|1998 season, the Stars and A's parted ways and the Milwaukee Brewers came to town as the new Stars affiliate. Long regarded as having one of the best Minor League systems around, the Brewers struggled through management changes but still managed to give the Stars their third Southern League title in by|2001. With the help of all-time Stars home run leader Josh Klimek, the Stars made the playoffs and went on to defeat their rivals, the Birmingham Barons, in the fifth game of the series for the Western Division crown. The Stars would face the Jacksonville Suns, who dominated the Eastern Division winning both halves and the first round, but due to the September 11 attacks, the championship series was cancelled and the Stars and Suns were declared co-champions.

In by|2000, Mincher became the Interim President of the Southern League when League President Arnold Fielkow left for the NFL. At the conclusion of the 2000 season, Mincher and his group put the Stars up for sale once again. He resigned from his position as President of the Stars and the Southern League removed the "interim" tag to make him league president for 2001. Pulling double duty until the team was sold, Mincher desired to keep the Stars in Huntsville. The group waded through countless offers to buy the Stars looking to find the right investors who would commit to keeping the team in the Tennessee Valley. Early in 2001, Mincher found his man in New York attorney Miles Prentice who also owns the Double-A Texas League Midland RockHounds, serves as a Director for the Texas League, and is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Minor League Baseball. Prentice promised to keep the team in Huntsville despite several offers for new stadiums in various locales.

In by|2003, the Stars played against the Carolina Mudcats in the Southern League championship series where they lost three games to two. They made another championship attempt in by|2006, losing three games to two against the Montgomery Biscuits. In by|2007, Stars manager Don Money was named the Southern League's Manager of the Year as voted upon by the league's field managers, radio broadcasters, and print media. Also in 2007, the team captured its division title (beating the Tennessee Smokies three games to two) and went on to the SL championship series where they lost to Montgomery, three games to two.

To start the 2008 season, the Stars set a new team record for best start, by sweeping their first series with the Mississippi Braves 5 games to nothing to start the season 5-0.Fact|date=April 2008 On April 26, 2008, the Stars turned their second triple play in franchise history, the last coming in 2002.

eason-by-season record

Current roster

Retired numbers

*5 - Don Mincher, General Manager (1985–2001) and owner (1994–2001), (Retired June 6 2008) [ [http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080606&content_id=412217&vkey=news_t559&fext=.jsp&sid=t559 "Stars Retire #5 in Honor of Mincher."] "Huntsville Stars". 6 June 2008. 11 June 2008.]

Notable former players

*Ryan Braun
*Greg Cadaret
*José Canseco
*Eric Chavez
*Prince Fielder
*Yovani Gallardo
*Jason Giambi
*Tony Gwynn, Jr.
*Bill Hall
*Corey Hart
*Ramon Hernandez
*Tim Hudson
*Stan Javier
*Mark McGwire
*Brad Nelson
*Ben Sheets
*Terry Steinbach
*Miguel Tejada
*Todd Van Poppel
*Carlos Villanueva
*Rickie Weeks
*Walt Weiss

Past logos

ee also

*2008 Huntsville Stars season

References

* [http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/about/page.jsp?ymd=20070221&content_id=180329&vkey=about_l111&fext=.jsp&sid=l111 "Southern League Champions."] Southern League. 3 August 2007. Retrieved on 3 August 2007.

External links

* [http://www.huntsvillestars.com/ Official Huntsville Stars website]
* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/teams/team_10247.shtml Huntsville Stars statistics at The Baseball Cube]