The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 48

E-2 Friday, May 16, 1997 The Town Talk, Alexandria-Pineville, La. A ALEXANDRIA 1997 Alexandria Aces Schedule Home Away (DH) indicates doubleheader Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 A Rio Valley Grande Rio Valley Grande Rio Valley Grande 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Amarillo Amarillo Amarillo Abilene Abilene Abilene Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rio Grande Rio Grande Rio Grande Abilene Abilene(DH) Abilene Tyler Valley Valley Valley 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Tyler Tyler Abilene Abilene Abilene Tyler 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Tyler Tyler Rio Grande Rio Grande Rio Grande Lubbock Valley Valley Valley 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Lubbock Lubbock Lubbock Lubbock Tyler Tyler Tyier 29 30 Lubbock Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 3 5 JULY Lubbock Lubbock Amarillo Amarillo Amarillo 6 8 9 10 11 12 ALL STAR Abilene Abilene Abilene Amarillo GAME 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Amarillo Amarillo Tyler Tyler Tyler Abilene(DH) 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Abilene Abilene Rio Grande Rio Grande Rio Grande Tyler Tyler Valley Valley Valley 27 28 29 30 31 Tyler Amarillo Amarillo Amarillo Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 A Lubbock 3 5 6 7 8 9 Lubbock Rio Grande Rio Grande Rio Grande Lubbock Lubbock Valley Valley Valley 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Lubbock Amarillo Amarillo Amarillo Tyler Tyler Tyler 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Amarillo Amarillo Amarillo Rio Grande Rio Grande Rio Grande Valley Valley Valley 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 PLAYOFF PLAYOFF PLAYOFF PLAYOFF PLAYOFF Jennifer Daviet staff artist All Aces Home Away Games Can Be Heard On KEZP OLDIES 104.3 FM Former T-L League All-Stars John O'Brien, Kevin Tahan lead list of Aces ne newcomers By Bob Tompkins Staff reporter John O'Brien, the TexasLouisiana 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 allstar team in 1994, also played in the league's inaugural allstar 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, Best of luck Aces for a successful season We carry everything for your athletic needsll 5615 Coliseum Blvd. (Across from Coliseum) 443-7327 Open 9 PM (Mon Fri) Open Saturday 4 PM 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 Please see NEW, Page 4 LET'S PLAY BALL! 1997 The Year of the Aces Much Success to the Alexandria Aces During The 1997 Season All of us at Southern Chevrolet-Cadillac are looking forward to the 1997. season. We know this will be the Year of the CADILLAC 5845 Coliseum Blvd. Alexandria 445-4521 1-800-737-4521.