SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Isom, Lett And Curtis To Lead Power In 2008

Published on December 11, 2007 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Charleston, WV (December 10, 2007) - For the first time since 2005, a new face will lead the Power on the field as Jeff Isom, who led the Helena Brewers to a first half championship in the Pioneer League in 2007 has been named the Power manager for the 2008 season.

Isom, 35, takes over for Mike Guerrero who had a very successful two year run with the Power, going 156-116 and managed the franchise to its first appearance in the South Atlantic League Championship since 1992. Last year was Isom's first year in the Brewers system. Under his guidance, the Helena Brewers went 48-28 and captured the first half title in the Pioneer League's Northern Division.

Prior to joining the Brewers in 2007, Isom spent six years managing in Independent ball. In 2006 he guided the Traverse City Beach Bums to a 57-39 record. Isom spent three years in the minors as a pitcher in the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations from 1993-95. He was selected by the Pirates in the 13th round of the 1993 draft out of Purdue. He had a record of 10-12 with a 3.45 ERA over his three year career in the minor leagues.

West Virginia resident, and manager of the 1990 South Atlantic League Champion Charleston Wheelers Jim Lett will serve as the Power hitting coach. Lett, 56, served as the bench coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates for the past two seasons (2006-07). Prior to his stint with Pittsburgh, Lett spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, serving as the team's bench coach in 2005 after four seasons as the bullpen coach (2001-04). He was also a part of the Toronto Blue Jays organization from 1997-2000 including three seasons as the bench coach. He spent the 2000 season as Toronto's Assistant Director of Player Development.

Lett has worked in professional baseball as a player, coach, manager and front office executive for the last 33 years, having spent 24 of those years within the Cincinnati Reds organization from 1973-1996. He began his career as a player with Bradenton in the Reds minor league system in '73 and batted .256 with six home runs and 110 RBI in three minor league seasons. Following his playing career, he began coaching with the Reds as a Minor League manager from 1977-1985. In two separate stints, he served as Cincinnati's Bench Coach (1986-89, 1996). He managed again in the minors in 1990, coached for the Nashville Sounds (1991-92) and was the organization's Minor League Field Coordinator (1993-95).

Lett graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1973 with a degree in Geography. He was selected to the All-Southeastern Conference baseball team in 1971 and also was a quarterback on the Wildcats football team. He and is wife, Diane, reside in Winfield, West Virginia. They have two children, daughter, Meridith and son, James Craig.

John Curtis will return for his fourth season as the pitching coach of the Power. Curtis has been the pitching coach for the club since the affiliation change and the move to the new ballpark in 2005.

John Curtis enjoyed a 15-year career in Major League Baseball. He pitched for a total of five different teams. His big league career began in 1970 with the Boston Red Sox, the team who drafted him in the first round of the 1968 Supplemental Draft. Curtis was with the Red Sox until 1973. He began a 3-year run with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974 and was primarily a starter with the Cards until he left for San Francisco in 1977. John was with the Giants until the 1980 season when he began his first of two stints with the San Diego Padres. After two years in San Diego, John left for his first go around with the California Angels in 1982. John played in California during the 1982 season and found his way back to San Diego that same year, only to return to California for the final two years of his career.

Curtis went 89-97, had a 3.96 ERA, recorded 14 shutouts, 42 complete games and pitched 1,641 innings in his career. He was out of baseball from 1984 until 2000 when he served as the pitching coach for Long Beach, CA in the Western Baseball League until 2002. This will be his sixth season with Milwaukee.

Jeremy Herniman will return as the head athletic trainer. Last year was Herniman's first with the Power, and his first in the Brewers' organization. Herniman was the athletic trainers for the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League in 2006.

The Power will open the 2008 season on the road at L.P. Frans Stadium against the Hickory Crawdads on Thursday, April 3rd and will host their home opener against the Augusta GreenJackets on Monday, April 7th.

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South Atlantic League Stories from December 11, 2007


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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