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SL1 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Suns to broadcast on 930 The Fox

March 8, 2004 - Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release


The Suns have signed a two-year working agreement with WFXJ-AM 930 to carry its radio broadcasts. This season will mark the fourth consecutive year that 930 The Fox has been the Suns' flagship station.

"We looked at our options and it came down to signal strength, where 930 is clearly superior," Suns general manager Peter Bragan, Jr. said. "Jacksonville sports radio is a growing market and we're excited to see the landscape booming, but The Fox is still the leader."

The deal, which includes an option for the 2005 season, calls for 125 Suns games to be carried live and 15 to be broadcast on tape delay, specifically weekday afternoon games and any conflicts with University of Florida events. Also, the Suns will come on the air sooner, featuring a 15-minute pre-game as well as the weekly "Suns Sunday" program, which will air 30 minutes prior to first pitch each Sunday.

Joe Block will return for his second season of play-by-play alongside his partner, Mike Dempsey, who also hosts the top-rated afternoon sports talk program "The Show" on 930 The Fox. Dempsey returns for his fourth season working Suns broadcasts.

Casey Challenge kicks off for 2004

The annual "Casey Challenge" event has already begun. Suns vice president and general manager Peter Bragan, Jr., will visit more than two dozen First Coast schools through the end of April, reciting the popular baseball poem "Casey at the Bat" as part of the Suns' ongoing "Catch Reading Fever" program.

Peter Bragan, Jr., has offered the Casey Challenge to area schoolchildren for 15 years.

Bragan, Jr., begins his presentation with a stern lecture on the importance of reading. A Suns staff member follows with a short story which uses challenging vocabulary. Bragan, Jr., quizzes the students on their comprehension and awards prizes. Then he recites "Casey at the Bat" and proposes his annual challenge: If a child can memorize the entire poem, Bragan, Jr., will reward them with a Suns replica jersey or a genuine Louisville Slugger bat. The children are encouraged to study and learn the classic poem to expose them to the joys of reading. Southpaw often accompanies Bragan, Jr., at the schools.

"This is the one program I'm most proud of," Bragan, Jr., said. "I do it to honor Miss Sparks, my third-grade teacher. On the playground, she'd grab me by the ear and insist I read my books. She inspired me to become a voracious reader."

The premise of the Catch Reading Fever campaign is to encourage the importance of reading and to strengthen reading comprehension to fifth-graders. The Suns' signature community program reaches approximately 2,500 students a year and has affected more than 40,000 Jacksonville area elementary school children since its inception.

The Casey Challenge began in 1989 when Bragan read at Brown Elementary School. The program began at the insistence of Carolyn Kantor, then the Duval County director of media specialists. Kantor, now the principal at Timucuana Elementary, helped start a tradition. Now, some of the first schoolchildren who memorized the poem years ago have children of their own who could face the Casey Challenge soon.

"The first time I went to Brown, I was scared to death," Bragan, Jr. said. "But 15 years later, the Casey Challenge has become one of the highlights of my year."

Catch Reading Fever also extends to Reading Day. The Suns motivate kids to read by offering a free ticket to the game, designated for Monday, May 31. If children read 10 books before then, their bookmark serves as an admissible ticket.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

Date Day Time School

March 11 Thursday 9:00 Oak Hill

10:00 Stockton

11:00 West Riverside

March 23 Tuesday 9:00 Dinsmore

10:00 St Clair Evans

March 30 Tuesday 9:00 San Jose

10:00 Hendricks Avenue

March 31 Wednesday 9:00 Hyde Park

10:00 Ruth Upson

11:00 Sadie Tillis

April 13 Tuesday 9:00 Oceanway Elem

10:00 Biscayne Elem

11:30 Crown Point

April 15 Thursday 9:00 Timucuan

10:30 Don Brewer Elem

April 20 Tuesday 9:00 Seabreeze Elem

10:00 Chets Creek Elem

11:00 Jax Beach

Notebook: Jackson may start in LA

Suns' 2003 righty could be Dodgers' 5th starter

Edwin Jackson, at age 19, was scratched from his final '03 Suns start and missed leading the Southern League in strikeouts by one. Instead of ending the year on a somewhat sour note, luck made him the most heralded rookie in Spring Training.

Edwin Jackson signs an autograph for a fan at Dodgers spring training in Vero Beach.

Jackson has been assigned the fifth-starter spot by the Dodgers and is the odds-on favorite for National League Rookie of the Year. All that after Jackson won his big league debut, beating Randy Johnson in Arizona on Sept. 9. He pitched well in his September call-up and now remains poised despite hordes of praise. Jackson passed his first spring test with two scoreless innings in Tuesday's intrasquad game. But the man Jackson could bump from the rotation, 12-year veteran Wilson Alvarez, was even a little more impressive with two perfect innings. Jackson didn't match Alvarez's command, but he was effective enough for his first outing. "I didn't walk anybody," said Jackson. "I got behind, but I came back with strikes. It wasn't like I wouldn't get back in the count. I had the focus to regain it."

THE TRADE THAT NEVER WAS: The Yankees thought of trading Alfonso Soriano before the Rangers came knocking. New York offered their young superstar second baseman to the offensively-challenged Dodgers in exchange for Jackson and left-handed ace-in-waiting Greg Miller. The Dodgers politely declined.

SPRING ROUNDUP: Much of the Dodgers bench will be rebuilt and that elimination tournament begins in earnest with the exhibition games. Among the players Dodgers manager Jim Tracy has mentioned lately that are in the running for those spots are outfielders Bubba Trammell, Shane Victorino, Jason Romano and Wilkin Ruan, catcher Koyie Hill (if the Dodgers carry three) and infielders Joe Thurston and Olmedo Saenz. ...Tracy also praised Andrew Brown, whose one scoreless inning Tuesday matched his workload for all of 2003, which was derailed by Tommy John elbow reconstruction. "He was hitting 95-96 mph," Tracy said. "We're very hopeful of getting a full season from him and seeing what we have there." ...James Loney homered and had three RBIs in the Dodgers' spring opener versus the New York Mets on Wednesday. Loney, the 2002 first-round pick, has gained seven pounds in muscle he hopes will allow him to improve last year's home run total of seven. "I just worked out hard," he said. "I think the broken wrist (suffered at the end of the 2002 season) bothered me more than I thought. I think it was still weak last year without knowing it." ...Lingering tendinitis in the shoulder of top prospect Greg Miller has sidelined the left-hander again. His 2003 season was cut short by tenderness, it flared up again during winter workouts and sidelined him again at the start of Spring Training. He resumed throwing this week, but the discomfort returned. He said an MRI revealed nothing serious. "They shut me down again with the same thing," Miller said. "This is just a long process. I think I tried to go too fast, too early, with too much velocity. Hopefully I can get back out there in a couple more days."

Suns Tickets The Suns will open the 2004 season on Thursday, April 8 vs. Tennessee at the Baseball Grounds. To beat the rush and to reserve a top-notch seat, order your season ticket plan today by phoning (904) 358-2846. Individual game tickets go on sale Monday, March 15.

Fun Summer Jobs

The Jacksonville Suns are hiring part-time, seasonal employees for the upcoming 2004 baseball season! If you or someone you know would like to apply, have them apply in person at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, 301 A. Philip Randolph Blvd., Downtown, Monday through Friday, 4-6 p.m., or Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Interviews will only take place during these times. The Suns are seeking help in the following areas: tickets, concessions, wait staff, ushers, Sunbeams, cooks and field crew. Young or old, male or female, it doesn't matter! The more smiling faces, the better!

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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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