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The Associated Press reported that Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria is out of the American League starting lineup for the All-Star game because of an infected right ring finger and is being replace by Chone Figgins, who played for the Salem Avalanche when he was a member of the Colorado Rockies organization.
Longoria is being replaced in the starting lineup for tonight's game by Texas third baseman Michael Young, who will bat seventh.
Young is a six-time All-Star who will be making his first start. He is batting .308 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs this season.
Figgins, of the Los Angeles Angels, is a first-time All-Star, is hitting .310 with one homer, 28 RBIs and an AL-leading 68 runs.

Koby Clemens and Mark Ori will not have to stand trial for charges of disorderly conduct in Salem after all.

The two former Salem Avalanche players had the charges dropped after performing a day-long series of talks to area kids about drugs, alcohol and peer pressure, according to a news release from Salem Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Bowers.

Clemens and Ori were arrested and a third member of the Avalanche minor league baseball team, Jimmy Goethals, was later charged with misdemeanor assault, after an altercation at the popular Mack and Bob’s Restaurant in Salem at 2 a.m. on Aug. 31.

All three were scheduled to face trial on Dec. 2. Goethals’ case remains on the docket.

Salem communications director Mike Stevens said that the punishment for disorderly conduct is often community service and Clemens and Ori made the trip to Salem on their own.

Clemens, son of seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens, and Ori spoke at Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast at Salem High School, three classes of ninth and 10th graders at Glenvar High School, Gus Mitchell School at HopeTree Family Services and the Winter Sports Pledge Meeting at Salem High School on Thursday, according to the news release.

Friday morning, Bowers “nolle prossed and discontinued the prosecution” of the charges against Clemens and Ori in front of District Court Judge Jacqueline Talevi.

“The Salem Commonwealth’s Attorney believes the advice and insight provided by Ori and Clemens to the high school students of Salem and Glenvar is a valuable return of service to the community where their actions took place,” the news release said.

Goethals’ case could not be treated in the same way, because of the nature of the charge and because he was not as he was not arrested at the scene but charged later after a citizen, Jordan Parkinson, according to court records, swore out a complaint.

-- katrina waugh

Brian Bogusevic, Tommy Manzella and Drew Sutton were all added to the Houston Astros' 40-man roster, the Astros announced Wednesday.

Bogusevic had two stints for the Salem Avalanche, first as a pitcher, then last season when the Astros decided to try him as an outfielder.

Manzella played shortstop and Sutton second base for Salem.

All three starred in double-A Corpus Christi last season, though Manzella moved up to triple-A round Rock. Sutton was named the Hooks MVP.

Sutton and Bogusevic are currently tearing up the Arizona Fall league, hitting .327 and .329 respectively for the Scottsdale Scorpions.

-- katrina waugh

Knocked out of Salem by Boston, the Houston Astros announced that they've moved their high-A team to the Red Sox's old digs in Lancaster in the California League.

The Astros have signed a two-year with the JetHawks.

--katrina waugh

The Houston Astros named Mark Ori the MVP of the 2008 Salem Avalanche season, despite his arrest on a disorderly conduct chage on the final weekend of the season. Ori goes to court on that charge on Dec. 2.

Ori ranked third in the Carolina League in hitting (.304) and RBIs (89) and made the postseason all-star team as utility infielder. Ori also had 36 doubles and 11 homers for the Avalanche. His 89 RBIs were the best in the Astros' minor league system.

2008 marked the sixth and final season for the Astros as the Avalanche's major-league affiliate. Fenway Sports Group, sister company of the Boston Red Sox, bought the team this summer and is expected to install the Red Sox's high-A affiliate beginning next season.

Former Avalanche players Mark Saccomanno and Drew Sutton also were honored by the Astros. Saccamanno was named the MVP for triple-A Round Rock, hitting .297 with 33 doubles, 27 homers and 84 RBIs, and was called up to Houston.

Sutton was named MVP for double-A Corpus Christi, hitting .317 with 36 doubles, four triples, 20 homers, 69 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

-- katrina waugh

Mark Ori and Jordan Parraz made the Carolina League's postseason All-Star Team, the league announced today. They were the only representatives on the team from the Salem Avalanche, which is 55-79 with six games left.

Ori made it as the utility infielder; Parraz as utility outfielder.

Ori, Salem's first baseman, ranks third in the league in hitting (.309) and RBIs (88).

Parraz, in addition to ranking 11th in the league with a .289 batting average and fourth with a .399 on-base percentage, led minor-league baseball this summer with his 38-game on-base streak that stretched from June 6 to Aug. 8. He also had two other 24-game on-base streaks.

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Salem's game against the Blue Rocks at 6 p.m. can be found live at milb.com.

WFIR (960 am) will play it on tape delay after the Redskins preseason game against the N.Y. Jets.

-- katrina waugh

Houston released Salem reliever Josh Appell and brought up closer Jay Pacella from Lexington on Monday.

Pacella, a 6-foot-6, 212-pound right-hander from Powell, Ohio, went 1-4 with a 3.02 ERA and 12 saves in the South Atlantic League. He struck out 73 and walked 21 in 59 2/3 innings.

Appell, a 25-year-old lefty, went 1-2 with a 5.96 in 44 appearances for the Avalanche this season.

Appell is the fifth player the Houston Astros have released outright from the Avalanche roster this season.

-- katrina waugh

Pitcher Sean Walker is scheduled to rejoin the Salem Avalanche Wednesday.
Walker was a starter for the Avalanche last season, but sat out much of the year with a broken ankle.

He has gone 1-6 with a 7.24 ERA in double-A with the Corpus Christi Hooks in the Texas League this season.

The Astros released 24-year-old reliever Joel Santo, who went 0-3 with a 5.70 ERA in 47.1 innings for Salem this season.

-- katrina waugh

Jim Pankovits is my witness. Salem Avalanche hitting coach Keith Bodie said he will not shave his head for three consecutive wins, but he will shave it for FIVE.

That's right, you read it here first: All the Avalanche needs is a five-game hitting streak and Bodie is going cue-ball bald.

Bodie didn't seem too worried. The Avalanche is 12-21 in the second half and 41-62 overall. It's longest winning streak of the season is three and that has happened exactly once.

Still, baseball is a funny game and Pankovits, Salem's manager, was already making plans to claim Bodie's hair dryer late Saturday after Salem's second straight win over the Lynchburg Hillcats.

-- katrina waugh