The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 48

The Town Talk, Alexandria-Pineville, La. E-2 Friday, May 16, 1997 Former T-L League All-Stars John O'Brien, Kevin Tahan lead list of Aces newcomers 1997 Alexandria Aces Schedule Home fJAway (DH) indicates doubleheader Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday when he batted .333, played all 100 games, had 131 hits, 26 doubles, 13 home runs and 95 RBIs. He sat out part of last season with an injury. Another newcomer is shortstop Roberto DeLeon, who played 19 games at the start of last season for San Francisco's Class AAA team in Phoenix, but was sent down to AA Shreveport and finished the last few games of the season at Class A San Jose. "He's an experienced veteran with Triple-A experience," Cliburn says of the 5-10, 188-pounder who lives in Missouri City, Texas.

"He's a rangy shortstop who gets balls players normally don't get to, and he has a little pop in his bat." Although DeLeon batted .194 at Phoenix and .236 at Shreveport, he had 11 homers and batted .266 in 1993 playing for Waterloo in the Class A Midwest League. Todd Youngblood, a regular starter in 1994 and '95 for Amarillo before getting just nine starts last season with the Dillas, is one of several newcomers on the pitching staff. "I thought Youngblood was the ace of the staff up there in Amarillo (in '95)," says Cliburn. "He's very aggressive, a bulldog type pitcher who goes after people." Youngblood was 11-5 with a 3.90 ERA in 1995, when he also had three complete games and two shutouts. Last year, he was 4-6 with a 5.18 ERA.

He finished 11 games as a reliever and posted two saves. He is expected to be the No. 2 starter in the rotation behind Tony Mack and ahead of Javier DeJesus, who played briefly with the Aces in 1995. The projected fourth starter 0 Please see NEW, Page 4 By Bob Tompkins Staff reporter John O'Brien, the Texas-Louisiana League's career home run leader, will be among several new players on the Alexandria Aces roster this season. O'Brien has 67 homers in three seasons with the Rio Grande Valley Whitewings.

"He brings power plus," says Aces manager Stan Cliburn, "plus his agility for a big man around the base." O'Brien is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound first baseman with "catlike quickness," says Cliburn. "He's kinda like Andres Galarraga, a big man who plays first base" for the Colorado Rockies. O'Brien, who was selected to the league's postseason all-star team in 1994, also played in the league's inaugural all-star game in '95 at Amarillo, and his home run won the game for manager Stan Cliburn's South team in an extra-inning affair. He was the designated hitter for the league's all-star team that beat the Aces 3-2 in last summer's midseason classic at Bringhurst Field. Kevin Tahan, a catcher who made the league's all-star team in '95, joins the Aces after three seasons at Amarillo.

"He brings outstanding leadership to the ballclub," Cliburn says of Tahan, "and takes control of a pitching staff. Pitchers love throwing to him. He's very smart behind the plate. He sets up pitchers well. He'll also put up offensive numbers." Tahan did just that in '95, 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MA Rio Grande Rio Grande Rio Grande I Valley Valley Valley 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Amarillo Amanita Amarillo Abilene Abilene Abilene Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R'wG Grande RIoGrande Abilene Abllene(DH) Abilene Tyler Vsitey Vsitey Vsitey 10 iT 12 13 14 Tyler Tyler Abilene Abilene Abilene Tyler 15 16 17 18 19 20 Tvtef Tvig, Rio Grande Rio Grande Rio Grande Lubbock LubbocWDH) 1 Valley Valley Valley 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Lubbock Lubbock Lubbock Lubbock Tyler Tyler Tyler Lubboc? 30 JUNE Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday JULY Lubbock Lubbck Amariii Amari" Amar" 6 7 8 9 10 iT 12 ALL STAR Abilene Abilene Abilene Amarillo GAME 13 14 15 16 17 iT 19 Amarillo Amarillo Tyler Tyler Tyler AbllenefDH) 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Abilene Abilene RIoGrande RIoGrande RIoGrande jyig, ly Valley Valley Valley 27 28 29 30 31 Tyler Amarillo Amarillo Amarillo Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday CF ubock() 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lubbock RIoGrande RioGrande RIoGrande Lubbock Lubbock Valley Valley Valley io" ii iT iT iT iT iT Lubbock Amarillo Amarillo Amarillo Tyler Tyler Tyler 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Amarillo Amarillo Amarillo RIoGrande RIoGrande RIoGrande Valley Valley Valley 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 PLAYOFF PLAYOFF PLAYOFF PLAYOFF PLAYOFF 1 12 I 13 4 I 5 I Let's Play Ball! 1997 The Year of the Aces 1 Much Success to the Alexandria Aces During The 1 997 Season All of us at Southern Chevrolet-Cadillac are looking forward to the 1 997 season.

We know this will be the Year of the Best of luck Aces for a successful season ,3 Jennifer Daviet stall artist All Aces Home Away Games Can Be Heard On We carry everything for your athletic needsll CHEVROLET CADILLAC 'MISColrMumlM OLDIES-1 04.3 FM (AcrM trmm CvUmmr) 5845 Coliseum Blvd. Alexandria 4454521 1-800-7374521 443-7327.