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The 'Nashville Sounds' are a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the Country music recording industry of the city. The club joined the PCL during its amalgamation of the American Association in . The team plays at Herschel Greer Stadium; opened in , the park currently holds 10,139 fans.
The Sounds won the PCL Championship in , sweeping the Tacoma Rainiers in three games in the final series. Previous league titles won by the team are the Southern League title in , as the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, and again in , as the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.

Contents

Team history

The Reds era (1978-1979)

The Yankees era (1980-1984)

The Tigers era (1985-1986)

The Reds era, part II (1987-1992)

The White Sox era (1993-1997)

The Pirates era (1998-2004)

The Brewers era (2005-present)

Season-by-season record

Current roster

Retired numbers

Ballparks

Herschel Greer Stadium

First Tennessee Field

Uniforms

Current

Past

Radio and television

Mascot

See also

References

External links

Team history

The Reds era (1978-1979)

The city of Nashville was without a professional baseball team since the Double-A Nashville Vols ceased operations after their season. Fifteen-years later, in , the Nashville Sounds were added as an expansion franchise team in the Double-A Southern League.

Owner and general manager Larry Schmittou, head coach of the Vanderbilt University baseball team, was instrumental in bringing professional baseball back to Nashville. He brought in country music stars such as Larry Gatlin, Jerry Reed, and Conway Twitty as Sounds stockholders.
The club played their home games at a new facility, Herschel Greer Stadium, located south of downtown Nashville at the foot of St. Cloud Hill in Fort Negley Park. Fans responded well to the return of baseball to the city, evidenced by Nashville leading the Southern League in attendance in each of their seven seasons as a member of the league.
As the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, the Sounds finished ninth during their inaugural campaign in 1978, but easily led the league in attendance, drawing 380,000 fans (more than double the second-place attendance).
The following season, under manager George Scherger, the club led the nation in minor league attendance and captured the Southern League championship. The Sounds beat cross-state rival the Memphis Chicks for the Western Division title, then defeated the Columbus Astros for the league championship.

The Yankees era (1980-1984)

In , the Sounds switched affiliations, becoming a part of the New York Yankees organization. Managers Stump Merrill and Johnny Oates and players such as Steve Balboni, Don Mattingly, Buck Showalter, Otis Nixon, Willie McGee, Pat Tabler, Dan Pasqua, and Jamie Werly helped lead Nashville to first or second place finishes in their division from 1980 to 1984. The 1980 Sounds were ranked as the sixty-ninth greatest minor league baseball team of all-time by baseball historians in 2001.
The season brought an appearance in the Southern League championship game, where they lost to the Orlando Twins. In , Brian Dayett helped Nashville win its second Southern League championship with a dramatic 12th-inning home run. Two years later, Jim Deshaies pitched the club’s first no-hitter.
In , owner Larry Schmittou purchased the Evansville Triplets of the American Association and in moved the franchise to Nashville. Nashville’s existing Southern League franchise was moved to Huntsville.

The Tigers era (1985-1986)

The Sounds’ first Triple-A affiliation was with the Detroit Tigers from 1985 to . Although Nashville failed to win any titles during this two-year period, there were a few notable individual accomplishments. Scotti Madison and Bruce Fields won back-to-back American Association batting championships, and Bryan Kelly pitched the club’s second no-hitter.

The Reds era, part II (1987-1992)

In , the Sounds rejoined the Cincinnati farm system, this time as the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate. Over the first three seasons (1987 to ), Nashville fans had the opportunity to watch players who eventually made up two-thirds of Cincinnati’s 1990 World Series championship roster.
Greer Stadium was the site of a rare baseball occurrence in , when Nashville and the Indianapolis Indians exchanged no-hitters on back-to-back nights in early August. Jack Armstrong pitched a no-hitter one night after Indianapolis’ Randy Johnson registered a no-hitter against the Sounds.
The Sounds also experienced success in , winning an Eastern Division championship in a one-game playoff with the Buffalo Bisons after both clubs finished the regular season in a tie. The extra-inning affair was ended by Chris Jones’ two-run homer in the top of the 18th inning.
Nashville set their all-time attendance record when a total of 605,122 fans came out to Greer Stadium in 1990.

The White Sox era (1993-1997)

The Sounds switched affiliations again in , this time becoming the top farm club of the Chicago White Sox. In their first year with the Sox, the Sounds won an Eastern Division crown and continued its excellent attendance, drawing over 400,000 fans for the fifth consecutive year.
The 1993 season brought the addition of the signature, guitar-shaped scoreboard to Greer Stadium. That year, the Sounds made it to the American Association championship series before falling to the Iowa Cubs in extra innings in Game 7.
During the 1993 and seasons, the Sounds shared their ballpark with the Nashville Xpress, a Double-A team of the Southern League. The Xpress scheduled its home games during the Sounds’ roads trips. This marked the first time in 21 years that two minor league teams in the United States shared a city. ''Baseball America'' ranked the dual Nashville teams as number one on its list of the "top 10 happenings in minor league baseball."
During their five-year affiliation with the White Sox, the Sounds won a pair of Eastern Division crowns and appeared in the 1994 American Association championship where they lost to the Indianapolis Indians. The American Association, of which the Sounds were a member, ceased operations after the season.

The Pirates era (1998-2004)

In , the Sounds were absorbed by the Pacific Coast League. They also switched affiliations again, joining the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Along with a new big-league affiliate came a new logo, color scheme, and uniforms. The Sounds spent seven seasons as a Pirates affiliate, making one playoff appearance over that span.
Former Sounds All-Star infielder Marty Brown returned to the club as the team's 25th manager in , becoming the first former Nashville player to serve as the team's skipper. In , manager Trent Jewett led the Sounds to their first division title in ten years as well as a berth in the PCL Championship Series where they were was swept by the Sacramento River Cats.
The 2003 season saw right-hander John Wasdin pitch the first perfect game in Nashville Sounds history in his first start of the season on April 7 against the Albuquerque Isotopes. Outfielder Chad Hermansen hit 92 home runs in his five seasons as a Sound (1998 to ) to become the franchise’s all-time leader in that category.

The Brewers era (2005-present)

Following the season, the Sounds changed affiliates once again, welcoming the Milwaukee Brewers as their sixth different major-league franchise.
The Sounds' affiliation with the Brewers started well as the club captured the Pacific Coast League championship, Nashville's first professional title since the Sounds' previous league crown in 1982. Managed by Frank Kremblas and featuring top prospects such as Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, Nelson Cruz, and Corey Hart, the Sounds won the PCL American Conference Northern Division title on the second-to-last day of the season, before going on to win the league championship. The Sounds won another division title in , before losing to the Round Rock Express in the conference championship.
The Sounds featured top Brewers prospects Yovani Gallardo and Ryan Braun, both of whom were promoted to Milwaukee during the season. On June 25, Manny Parra pitched the club's second perfect game, only the third nine-inning perfect game in PCL history, against the Round Rock Express^[1]; he was promoted to the Brewers shortly thereafter. The team, led by PCL Manager of the Year, Frank Kremblas, captured the North Division title for the third straight year and finished the season in first place in the league. In the conference championship series, they were defeated by the New Orleans Zephyrs in four games.

Season-by-season record

:''Main article: Nashville Sounds season records

Current roster

Retired numbers

★ '00' - Skeeter Barnes, Infielder, 1979, 1988-1990

★ '18' - Don Mattingly, First base, 1981

★ '42' - Jackie Robinson, retired throughout professional baseball

Ballparks

Herschel Greer Stadium

Main articles: Herschel Greer Stadium

The Sounds' current, and only, ballpark is Herschel Greer Stadium. Upon completion in 1978, Greer was considered a modern, attractive minor league stadium, and continued to be for years. In recent years, following the construction of newer, relatively luxurious minor league stadiums, it has lost its modern reputation. It now falls below standards set for Triple-A stadiums by professional baseball, and has been the subject of many renovations and upgrades in order to meet current Triple-A standards.

First Tennessee Field

Main articles: First Tennessee Field

The Sounds had planned on leaving Greer Stadium for a new ballpark in 2009. After years of the Sounds lobbying for a new park and threatening to leave town (either for the suburbs or a new location altogether), the Nashville Metro Council approved a new stadium on February 7, 2006. It was to be called First Tennessee Field, and was planned for construction on the west bank of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville, just two miles north of the current stadium.
The Sounds and private developers Struever Brothers, Eccles, and Rouse were unable to finalize financing and design plans for the new stadium by the April 15, 2007 deadline set by the Nashville Metro Council. As a result, First Tennessee Field will not be built. Whether the team will try again on building a new stadium, stay at Greer (perhaps by renovating the stadium), or pursue a move to another city is not yet certain^[2]. The team has looked into the possibility of moving to a location near Nashville, such as Franklin^[3].

Uniforms

Current

The current uniforms of the Nashville Sounds are descendents of the new uniforms they adopted when they became affiliates of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1998.
Jerseys and pants for home games are made of white fabric, while those for away games are made of gray fabric. The jerseys are sleeveless with red piping, bordered by black, beside the buttons going up the chest and around the neck. The pants have the same piping going down the outsides. On home jerseys, the word "Sounds" is written across the chest in red script, surrounded by black. A Milwaukee Brewers logo is located on the front left shoulder. The player’s name is written on the back in black block characters; numbers are also displayed in large red characters surrounded by black. Black t-shirts are worn underneath the jerseys. Away jerseys are the same, but with "Nashville" across the chest in the same style.
Players wear a black cap with a red music note logo centered on the front.
They also have an alternate uniform that consists of the same components as the home uniform, but with a differnet jersey. This alternate jersey doubles as the Sounds' batting practice jersey, a red mesh pullover, with "Sounds" written in white script, surrounded by black and yellow. There is also a yellow music note logo on the left sleeve. Names and numbers are screen-printed in white block characters on the back.

Past

Prior to the Sounds’ current uniform designs, the team’s color scheme consisted of red, white, and blue. The uniforms experienced numerous changes between 1978 and 1997, but remained mostly similar. The following descriptions provide examples as to the general style of their uniforms.
For the 1989 season, the Sounds wore button-up jerseys with sleeves carrying bands of red, white, and blue at the openings; the pants had the same bands going down the outsides. The word "Sounds" was written across the chest in blue music note-like script, with a red border. Numbers were present on the front of jerseys, on the player’s left chest, below the team name, in blue block characters surrounded by red. The reverse of the jersey carried, in the same blue/red block text as used on the front, the player’s last name (lacking a border) and number. Away jerseys were the same, but with "Nashville" written across the chest in the same style. The team wore a blue cap with red brim, displaying a white "N" styled like a music note, bordered by red, centered on the front. This was official team cap from 1978 to 1995.
Previously, such as during the 1981 season, the Sounds wore pullover v-neck jerseys with sleeves carrying larger bands of red, white, and blue at the openings. Smaller bands also appeared around the neck. They carried a version of the guitar player logo on the right sleeve and had the word "Sounds" in red script, surrounded by blue, across the chest. The back carried only the player's number in red block characters with a blue border. The pants also carried tri-color bands at the waist and along the sides. An alternate version of this uniform consisted of a blue jersey with white and red bands at the neck and sleeve openings. Also, "Sounds" was written in white, and bordered in red.

Radio and television

During the opening season of 1978, Nashville Sounds games were broadcast on WMTS 96.3 FM by announcer and station owner, Monty Hale. He passed away following the inaugural season, after which Bob Jamison was hired for the 1979 season. Jamison would remain the voice of the Sounds through the 1990 season when he was hired as radio broadcaster for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
For the 1991 season, the Sounds hired former Huntsville Stars and Iowa Cubs broadcaster Steve Carroll. After the 1995 season, Carroll left to become the radio voice of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and, later, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Steve Selby served as the voice of the Sounds from 1996 to 1999. He was joined on-air by fellow commentator Mike Caps for the 1997 season. Chuck Valenches replaced Caps as the assistant broadcaster in 1998, and was promoted to the role of lead broadcaster at the beginning of the 2000 season. He is currently the lead voice of the Sounds on radio. Valenches is frequently joined on the air at home by Pete Weber, the voice of the Nashville Predators, and John Melton, a former catcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks system. As of 2007, Sounds games are broadcast on WNSR 560 AM.
As of the 2007 season, Sounds home games are not broadcast on television.

Mascot

The Nashville Sounds' mascot is an anthropomorphic cougar named Ozzie. His fur is yellow and he wears the same style of uniform as the players, but wears no hat. Prior to the 1997 season, the Sounds did not have a mascot. That April, AmeriSports Companies LLC, the current ownership group, took control of the team and decided that one was needed. Since the group also owned the Single-A Kane County Cougars minor league team, which had an extra mascot uniform, the surplus cougar outfit was sent to Nashville. After Ozzie’s first season, fans already identified with the cougar, so management decided not to change him^[4].

See also

★ Managers and ownership of the Nashville Sounds

★ Nashville Sounds league awards

References

★ "Nashville Sounds: Team History." ''Nashville Sounds.'' 9 June 2007. .

★ Valenches, Chuck. "The Sounds of Summer, a Look Back at the 'Voices' of the Sounds." ''2007 Nashville Sounds Souvenir Program.'' April 2007: 14-16.
1. "Manny Parra Tosses Perfect Game For Sounds." ''Nashville Sounds.'' 25 June 2007. 7 August 2007 .
2. Carter, Cindy. "Downtown Nashville Property Up For Bids Again." ''WSMV.com.'' 22 May 2007. 29 July 2007. .
3. Brewer, Clint. "Sounds, Franklin talk ballpark on." ''nashvillecitypaper.com'' 15 August 2007..
4. "Sounds GM hates aging ballpark but loves market." ''The Tennessean.'' 5 August 2007: 1-2E. .

External links

★ Official Nashville Sounds website

★ Nashville Sounds splits and situational statistics