By Mark Derewicz

July 18

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

• Former major leaguer Pat Kelly joined Tim Raines for a four-game stint with the Somerset Patriots in the hope of making the Olympic team, which will be selected in August. Raines, 40, hit .295-168-964 with 807 steals in 2,353 games for the Yankees, White Sox and Expos. Kelly, 32, spent parts of seven seasons with the Yankees and two more with the Blue Jays and Cardinals. He hit .249-36-217 in 681 major league games.

• Atlantic City catcher Hector Villanueva is tied with Aberdeen's Gil Martinez with a .335 batting average. His 24 homers rank second behind Ozzie Canseco's 27, but Canseco left the Newark Bears to attend to family issues in Florida. Villanueva's 54 RBIs is also among the league leaders and his .669 slugging percentage is six points behind Canseco. Villanueva played three seasons with the Cubs and one with the Cardinals in the early 1990's.

• Bridgeport's Joe Crawford threw a three-hit shutout over Aberdeen July 14. He fanned four and walked one in a seven-inning 12-0 win to up his record to 8-1, 3.79. Dee Jenkins went 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs. Jenkins is hitting .295-4-22 in 132 at-bats.

• Bridgeport shut down Aberdeen again 10-1 with a fine performance from the Bluefish bullpen. Starter Al Sontag (5-7, 2.73) allowed one earned run on six hits over six innings before giving way to Al Sadler, one of Bridgeport's pleasant surprises this season. Sadler, who went 34-35, 4.24 in seven seasons as a middle reliever for three organizations, is 3-2, 1.45 with 31 strikeouts, six walks and 24 hits allowed in 31 innings this year. Sadler, 28, struck out three, walked one and allowed one hit in 1 1/3 innings before Dave Swanson pitched the rest of the eight. Mike Guilfoyle walked one and struck out two in the ninth. The Bluefish offense poured it on in the sixth inning with the game knotted at 1-1. They scored three in the sixth to give Sontag an opportunity to pick up the win. Two more runs in the seventh and four more in the eight turned the game into a blowout. Mel Wearing (.252-8-33) went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

• Atlantic City outfielder Keith Gordon went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs in a 9-2 win over Long Island. Gordon is hitting .331-13-45 in 275 at-bats. Starter Bubba Hardwick improved to 8-4, 2.58 with a four-strikeout, seven-hit performance over 8 2/3 innings. Gordon is third in the league in hitting and Hardwick is second in ERA.

FRONTIER LEAGUE

It happened again in the Frontier League. With all the great stories coming out of the league this season, the second half started with a bang when Johnstown's Matt Sheets tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against the Canton Crocodiles during the second game of a doubleheader. Sheets, 22, fanned 11 and walked one in the 6-0 victory.

Sheets, signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Twins in 1996, is 5-3, 1.67 with 43 strikeouts, 11 walks and 33 hits allowed in 54 innings. Sheets is third in the league in ERA, tied for first with Springfield's Tony Harden with four complete games and alone in first with two shutouts. Sheets signed with the Twins out of Jenison (Mich.) High School in August of 1996. He went 2-2, 2.38 in the Gulf Coast League in 1997 but struggled at Rookie-level Elizabethton the next two seasons.

It was the second no-no in the Frontier League this season, third in the league's eight-year history.

• The Cook County Cheetahs (Frontier) fired their manager, former big leaguer Ron LeFlore. Hitting instructor Carlos May will serve as interim manager while general manager Gerry Clarke searches for LeFlore's replacement. LeFlore went 32-28 after taking over late in 1999 for Chico Walker. LeFlore told Chicago's Daily Southtown, "I was told that I was fired for insubordination, but nobody ever approached me about anything. Why wasn't I suspended? I wish our problems could have been resolved some other way."

• Chillicothe shortstop Mike Cervenak, 23, was signed by the Yankees after leading the league in hits (61), home runs (12), RBIs (43), slugging percentage (.620) and extra-base hits (21). His .357 batting average was sixth in the league.

• River City's Mike Robertson extended his hitting streak to 19 games with his third homer in as many games, (4-for-8, 7 RBIs), as the Rascals beat Richmond, 6-2. Robertson, who has knocked in 22 runs during his hitting streak, blasted a three-run homer in the fifth inning. The next day, the 24-year old outfielder singled to extend the streak to 20 games. The Rascals won the game 5-0 with the help of righthander Ryan Bauer, who fanned five, walked one and gave up three hits over eight innings for the win. He improved to 7-1, 2.45 with 50 strikeouts, 16 walks and 56 hits allowed in 66 innings. He was eighth in the league in ERA. Robertson, fifth in the league in hitting, is batting .359-5-30 with 20 strikeouts and 17 walks in 145 at-bats.

• Richmond second baseman Key Voshell was signed by the Cardinals after hitting .302-1-29 in 162 at-bats. Voshell, who was leading the Roosters in hits (49), runs (26) and doubles (10) and RBIs (29), had committed six errors in 39 games this season.

• Chillicothe's Josh White is 5-0, 1.38 while the opposition is hitting .171 against him. He leads the league in ERA and strikeouts (73). The 23-year-old righthander went 4-2, 6.14 with 64 strikeouts and 68 hits allowed in 63 innings for the Paints last year, his first pro season. Two fellow Paints' pitchers rank with White in the top five in ERA. Sean Boesch is second at 4-2, 1.62 in 50 innings, and Rick Blanc is tied or fifth with Canton's Brian Zima with an ERA of 2.25. Blanc is 3-0 and Zima is 2-3.

• Dubois County's Jamal Gaines is 5-1, 2.31 with 53 strikeouts and 53 hits allowed in 58 innings. The 24-year-old righthander is in his first season of pro ball.

NORTHERN LEAGUE

• Waterbury lefthander Mike Bertotti tossed a three-hit, 1-0 complete game loss in the first game of a doubleheader against New Jersey. Bertotti, who spent parts of three seasons with the White Sox, allowed a run, five walks and struck out 11 in the seven-inning contest. Kevin Pincavitch got the win, allowing two hits and striking out eight in 5 2/3 innings.

• Adirondack's Chad Ward threw a three-hit complete-game shutout against Elmira. The 28-year-old lefthander didn't walk a batter and fanned two. Ward is 7-3, 3.19 with 61 strikeouts, 17 walks and 64 hits allowed in 73 innings.

• Ward's former teammate Joey Eischen went 7-1, 1.80 with 57 strikeouts and 55 hits allowed in 65 innings before getting picked up by the Expos. The 30-year-old lefthander was assigned to Triple-A Ottawa, where he tossed seven innings of four-hit ball in his first start. He struck out four and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits in a no-decision. He spent parts of the 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons in Ottawa before getting a shot in Montreal. He made his major league debut with the Expos in 1994, but gave up four earned runs on four hits in one inning before getting sent back down. He played in the big leagues with three other teams before signing with the Diamondbacks. He went 1-3, 9.07 in 42 innings before getting released and joining Adirondack for the rest of the 1999 season. He went 4-2, 3.75 in 48 innings for the Lumberjacks.

• Albany-Colonie starter Jerry Hasler pitched five scoreless innings and third baseman Scott McKee went 4-for-4 in a 10-0 win over Quebec. The Diamond Dogs also took the first game of the doubleheader 8-1.

• Albany-Colonie outfielder Adam Neubart, the was picked up by the Royals and assigned to Class A Charleston. Neubart, 22, had batted .242-2-16 before getting signed but his speed and defensive abilities impressed scouts. He had eight stolen bases in 10 attempts. Neubart was the Diamondbacks' 43rd-round pick in 1998. He batted .291-12-72 with 19 stolen bases in two seasons but struggled at Double-A El Paso, hitting .209-1-4 in 43 at-bats before they released him last year.

• Former Fargo-Moorhead all-star catcher Chris Coste was hitting .342-4-8 in 76 at-bats at Triple-A Buffalo despite having only five extra base hits. Coste, 27, had hit .352-1-12 in 105 at Double-A Akron. He batted .318-44-234 in five independent league seasons, four with Fargo-Moorhead, before the Indians signed him.

• Former major leaguer Wes Chamberlain earned his second Northern League Batter of the Week award in a month for hitting .462-2-10 with two doubles and eight runs during the week. Chamberlain, who is batting .341-7-38 in 182 at-bats, jacked a game-tying home run and a game-winning dinger in Winnipeg's 10-9 extra-inning win over Madison. He is second in the league in hitting.

• Fargo-Moorhead lefthander Jason Pearson earned Pitcher of the Week honors after shutting down Madison 2-0 with eight innings of one-hit ball. His 2.80 ERA is third in the league, and he has allowed 45 hits while striking out 43 batters in 57 innings. Pearson, 24, upped his record to 6-1 with a six-hit, eight-strikeout performance against Madison a week later. He beat the Black Wolf 10-5 after reliever Brad Anderson allowed four earned runs on four hits in two innings. Anderson is 1-1, 3.04 in 27 innings.

• Jeff Bittiger, Fargo-Moorhead's pitching coach, is still doing it on the field in a limited capacity. The 38-year-old righthander is 3-2, 2.10 with 24 strikeouts, seven walks and 30 hits allowed in 30 innings.

TEXAS LOUISIANA LEAGUE

• The Ozark Mountain Ducks defeated the TLL all stars 3-2 at the Ducks' home field, PriceCutter Park. Jeff Motes, Rick Van Asselberg and Jason Thompson (the Ducks' sixth, seventh and eighth hitters in the lineup) each had RBI hits off all-star starter Al Kermode. Motes, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI, was named the most valuable player. The game almost never happened due to an unexpected storm that dropped eight inches of rain the night before. The storm wasn't forecast so the tarp was left off the field. Groundskeeper Brock Phipps and his crew used 200 bags of surface material to soak up water on the infield and warning track. The Ducks enlisted a troop of the Missouri Army National Guard to help with the cleanup.

• Kermode made history with an 8-2 victory over Alexanadria, his 60th career win in the Texas-Louisiana League. He tied Amarillo manager Darren Brown for the most wins in league history. His career record is 60-27 in five seasons. This season, Kermode is 10-3, 3.35 with 111 hits allowed in 110 innings and a 73-11 strikeout to walk ratio. He leads the league in wins.

• Amarillo took three out of four at Alexandria, including a 16-0 drubbing July 16. The Dillas scored six in the first inning en route to a 19-hit game. Vince Moore went 4-for-6 with three runs and four RBIs. Jason Patrick threw a five-hit complete-game shutout to up his record to 9-3, 4.14.

• Amarillo's Mike Hardge, 28, was picked up by the Yankees and assigned to Double-A Norwich, where he was hitting .294-0-0 with a double and a triple in 17 at-bats. He had hit .331-9-51 in 251 at-bats with the Dillas. Hardge reached Triple-A Pawtucket (Red Sox) in 1995 before getting released. Hardge, a second baseman, made two Texas-Louisiana League all-star teams with the Lubbock Crickets in 1996 and 1997 before the Cardinals picked him up in 1998 as an outfielder. He hit .293-8-66 in 355 at-bats for Double-A Arkansas in 1998 but slumped to .227-5-11 in 141 at-bats last year before getting released.

• Former major league pitcher Barry Manuel is 1-2, 2.70 with 31 hits allowed in 37 innings. He has a 47-13 strikeout to walk ratio and was one of the best relievers on a Lafayette's struggling staff.

• First baseman Antone Williamson, the fourth overall pick by the Brewers in the 1994 draft, was hitting .241-1-10 in 79 at-bats for Greenville. Williamson, 26, batted .276-28-225 in six minor league seasons. He hit .204-0-6 in 54 major league at-bats in 1997.

WESTERN LEAGUE

League officials approved the addition of an expansion team in Long Beach, Calif., For 2001. The ownership group led by Chris Anderson and attorney Ross Arbiter, received approval from the City of Long Beach for a use permit to play the 2001 season at Blair Field.

The owners approved the group's purchase of the franchise that once played in Bend, Ore.

Long Beach was home to a Western League franchise in 1995 and 1996.

The League is also considering putting a team in Albuquerque, the current Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers. That team will move to Portland, Ore., while the Colorodo Rockies short season Northwest League team in Portland will move to Pasco, Wash. Of course, the Western League team in Tri-City could be in the midst of it's last year in the Pasco area. The franchise could move to Albuquerque, which would allow the relationship between the Pacific Coast League and the Western League to come full circle. Nothing has been made official but there have been reports that former Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager was to be named the new manager at Long Beach.

• The Feather River Mudcats won't be called the Mudcats for much longer. The Carolina Mudcats, the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies playing on the other side of the continent, filed a lawsuit against Western League franchise, which Feather River officials decided not to fight. They will pay Carolina $5,000 in damages every year for 10 years and will change their name after this season.

• Solano's Eddie Christian is tied with Zion's Robert Muro for the top spot on the hitting charts. Both are hitting .390 and each are tied for fourth with nine home runs. Christian, who has 41 fewer at-bats, has 33 RBIs while Muro's 49 RBIs ties him with Yuma's Domingo Mitchell for second. Chico's Ray Brown leads the league with 54 RBIs. Muro is also tied for first with a .471 on-base percentage. Christian is fifth at .461 but his .651 slugging percentage is tops in the league. Muro is right behind him at .626.

• Feather River's Jason Olsen ranked first in ERA at 5-3, 2.54 and leads the league with 78 strikeouts. He has 22 walks and 66 hits allowed in 71 innings. The 25-year-old righthander went 32-37, 4.40 in four seasons in the White Sox system. Last season, he went 2-4, 7.11 at Triple-A Charlotte and 1-3, 3.82 at Double-A Birmingham.

• Zion's Brian Mazone is 4-1, 3.53, eighth in the league in ERA. The 23-year-old lefthander, who'll be 24 July 26, has allowed 78 hits in 66 innings while striking out 38 and walking 21. Playing for a first place team has helped the former Braves farmhand. Last year, he went 5-5, 5.60 with 141 hits allowed in 101 innings. In 1998, the Braves signed Mazone as a non-drafted free agent out of the University of San Diego. He went 1-6, 5.53 at short-season Eugene before getting released. He was picked up by the Red Sox but was released before pitching an inning.

• Solano's Darold Brown. The 26-year-old lefthander 4-2, 3.42 with 46 strikeouts and 48 hits allowed in 55 innings. But he has walked 33 batters.

• None of the lefthanders in the league are performing as well as Scott Baker was before he left to play in Mexico. He is still ranked second in ERA at 3-0, 2.64. Last week, he joined the Oaxaca Warriors, where he didn't fair too well in his first start. He allowed six earned runs on six hits over six innings while absorbing the loss in his only game thus far.

• Tri-City righthander John Thompson leads the league with 10 saves. He is 1-1, 3.50 with 17 strikeouts, 16 walks and 13 hits allowed in 18 innings.