Troops Inspired by Fellow Marine, Pitcher Cooper Brannan

Posted Mar 26th 2007 9:30AM by Larry Brown
Filed under: Padres, NL West, San Diego

A few weeks ago, I told you about Marine Cooper Brannan, who was trying to earn a spot as a pitcher in the Padres organization despite losing a finger in one of two tours of duty in Iraq. At last report, Brannan was planning to sign a deal as soon as he was discharged from the Marines in May. Not only has Brannan's story touched many both inside and outside of the baseball world, it has also inspired his fellow Marines. One of his buddies, Ribeye, had this message for Cooper in a comment:
coop a loop,hey man its ribeye im back over in iraq again,crazy i know,were proud of you.its the talk of the battalion.i guess when i get back im going to have to go get in with the rangers,so we can play each other,haha.remember driving back to base from your house and throwing in the parking lot at that gas station and that guy came up and asked who we played for, lol "nobody man were in the marine corps" haha good stuff, good luck man i'll hit ya up when i get back in June
Well, I do have an update on Cooper's status with the organization to report to you. The San Diego Union-Tribune says
It appears that pitcher Cooper Brannan, the Marine who served two tours in Iraq, will most likely remain in extended spring training along with 30-40 others who won't be assigned to teams to open the season. The camp runs through June 2.
Sounds like Cooper will have another few months to try and impress the organization. Hopefully this will give you guys more good things to talk about in the battalion,

Ribeye.

Hard thrower may be harder to keep

By Tom Krasovic
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

March 24, 2007

PEORIA, Ariz. – Reliever Andrew Brown is the Nuke LaLoosh of Padres camp.

Talented but unpredictable like the character in the movie “Bull Durham,” Brown has a 14.09 ERA in eight games this month, has allowed 25 baserunners in 7 2/3 innings, has chucked three wild pitches and, since Cactus League play began, has yet to get through a relief outing without allowing a baserunner.

So why are clubs such as Tampa Bay kicking the tires to see if the Padres will trade Brown?

Because his fastball was clocked at up to 99 mph earlier this month. It also doesn't hurt that Brown, acquired from the Indians in the November trade that brough Kevin Kouzmanoff, averaged more than a strikeout per inning in nearly 500 minor league innings.

The Padres like those ingredients, too, but more than most clubs, they place a premium on throwing strikes.

Can the Padres get the 6-foot-6 right-hander to sharpen his accuracy? Time may be growing short. The Padres could try to stash Brown in Triple-A, but that would mean exposing him to waivers. And the Padres may not have a spot for the 26-year-old in their bullpen because Brown has been outperformed by several strike-throwers who are vying for one of two jobs.

Yesterday, Brown survived a single, a walk and a wild pitch in the eighth inning. But in the ninth, he walked the leadoff man and gave up a one-out double that dealt the Padres an 8-7 loss to the Athletics at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Notes
Utility man Geoff Blum struggled defensively at first base earlier in camp but has come around in the past two weeks to make some nice plays, including one yesterday. Another utility man with a guaranteed contract, Russell Branyan, continues to have a difficult camp in the field and at the plate. An 0-for-4 dropped his batting average to .162.

After allowing one run in his previous five innings, relief candidate Kevin Cameron, the Rule V draft pick from Minnesota, gave up three runs in an inning against Oakland. The three hits he allowed were all ground balls, but he walked two.

Trevor Hoffman had his first scoreless outing in seven innings this month.

Single-A shortstop Matt Bush, the former No. 1 draft pick from Mission Bay High, had a strong defensive game behind David Wells and minor league teammates. Bush, 21, who appeared in only 22 games last year because of ankle and hamstring injuries, made 10 plays without any hiccups.

It appears that pitcher Cooper Brannan, the Marine who served two tours in Iraq, will most likely remain in extended spring training along with 30-40 others who won't be assigned to teams to open the season. The camp runs through June 2.

After missing most of last season because of a stretched elbow ligament, pitcher Cesar Carrillo is off to a good start, reaching 91 mph with his fastball yesterday.

Tom Krasovic: (619) 293-2207; tom.krasovic@uniontrib.com

Ellie