Remembering the good times

One of the most respected managers in Missions history will return to Wolff Stadium Tuesday night when Dave Brundage arrives with his Sacramento River Cats for a three-game series between division leaders in the Pacific Coast League.
It promises to be an emotional few days for the 54-year-old Brundage, who managed the Missions from 2001-05 in the Texas League.
He is the only manager in more than 100 seasons of professional baseball in San Antonio to win multiple TL championships.
Brundage did it in back-to-back years, claiming titles in 2002 and 2003.
"It'll be special," he said of his impending return. "It'll be special in my heart because (working in San Antonio) left such a great impression on me."
Likewise, Brundage also left an impression on the fans, who watched him grow into a championship-caliber skipper.
At the time of his appointment, the Missions were an organization in transition.
The ball club had cut ties with the parent-club Los Angeles Dodgers after 24 seasons. They were starting over with the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners, in turn, asked Brundage to take the reins after spending three seasons as batting coach with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.
To come in under those circumstances and to lead the Missions to the playoffs in four of his five seasons still resonates with him today.
"The Mariners took a chance to come in there, and it was a great fit from both sides," Brundage said last week in a telephone interview. "I think the Mariners were extremely pleased to be able to land in San Antonio.
"I was tickled to death to be back in managing, in Double-A, and to be involved in something like that. I don't think they had won many championships, and to win back to back, there's something so special in that.
"It's something that doesn't happen very often in the game of baseball."
Missions president Burl Yarbrough, who led his team into Triple-A and the PCL this season, looked back fondly on Brundage's tenure.
"This is my 32^nd year here, and never have I had a manager that was here as long as Brundy was," Yarbrough said. "He was here for five years, which is really a long time in minor league baseball. So, it was a fun time.
"We had some really good teams and a great relationship with the Mariners while he was here. Again, I think the longevity of having him here for five years (helped develop) a unique relationship that we had."
According to records, the Missions' four trips to the TL playoffs during Brundage's tenure were the most for any manager in San Antonio since the league split the regular season into halves in 1977.
He finished with a 368-326 overall record in San Antonio for a .530 percentage, with the victories ranking third in franchise history dating back to 1888.
During his tenure, Brundage and the staff cranked out an eye-opening array of talent.
He tutored the likes of pitchers Félix Hernández and Rafael Soriano, plus Adam Jones, Shin-Soo Choo and Greg Dobbs, who all played multiple seasons in major league baseball.
Hernandez went on to win a Cy Young Award with the Mariners, while Hernandez, Jones, Soriano and Choo all made all-star teams.
Brundage's understated managerial style also raised some eyebrows.
In 2002, for instance, the Missions finished last in the TL West in the first half, rebounded and won the second and qualified for the playoffs.
They had a chance to rub it in a little bit in August when they clinched a postseason berth against the rival Round Rock Express.
But instead of engaging in an on-field celebration, the Missions instead kept it low key on orders from Brundage.
"We were going to act like, 'This is not a big deal,' " Brundage recalled. "We were making a statement, and the statement was, 'You know, we're not just here to get into the playoffs. We're here to win it.' "
His River Cats, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, have started to take on a championship aura lately, as well.
Two games over .500 through the end of June, Brundage's ball club has won 16 out of 25 in July.
At 58-49, the Cats hold a five-game lead on the Fresno Grizzlies in the PCL's Pacific Northern Division with a little more than a month to play.
Sacramento wreaks havoc with the top of its batting order, which includes Mike Gerber, Joey Rickard, Chris Shaw, Francisco Peña and Cristhian Adames, all of them with on-base/slugging percentages (OPS) above .900.
Rickard, an outfielder, has led the team lately with a 12-game hitting streak. He's batting .379 in 30 games in Sacramento since the Giants claimed him off waivers.
He was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles on June 21.
Adames is a more recent pickup, joining the team on July 12 after getting released by the Iowa Cubs on July 5.
"We're playing the best baseball we've played all year," Brundage said. "We continue to improve. We continue to get better. We're playing better defense. We're swinging the bats. And you know what? We've got a good bullpen, and we've got good starting pitching.
"So, things are coming together."
PCL standings
American Southern Division - San Antonio 67-40, Round Rock 62-44, New Orleans 55-50, Oklahoma City 49-57.
Pacific Northern Division - Sacramento 58-49, Fresno 53-54, Tacoma 49-58, Reno 48-59.
Homestand schedule
The Missions host the River Cats for three games through Thursday and then the Fresno Grizzlies for four more starting Friday. The Grizzlies are a Washington Nationals affiliate.
Sweet's vacation
Milwaukee Brewers field coordinator Charlie Greene will manage the Missions during the Sacramento series, and also for one game in the Fresno series, as Rick Sweet takes his mandated four-game vacation.
Greene is a former major league catcher who played parts of five seasons with four organizations, including the Brewers, through 2000.
Sweet said he's he'll be in Arizona with his family.  
On his to do list? Go to dinner and to the movies with his wife. Walk his dog. Swim in his pool. Also, he said, he plans to work out with his son, a high school ball player.
Sweet is scheduled to return to manage the Missions on Saturday.
The trade deadline
As Wednesday's trade deadline approaches, rosters at all levels of the minor leagues are subject to change.  
In a deal announced Monday afternoon, the Brewers acquired major league pitcher Jordan Lyles from the Pittsburgh Pirates. In return, the Pirates got pitcher Cody Ponce from the Brewers' Double-A franchise in Biloxi, Miss.
Another hot streak
The Missions have scored 39 runs on 52 hits during a four-game winning streak.
During the streak, Trent Grisham is 8 for 15 with four RBI. Hernán Pérez is 7 for 17. Cory Spangenberg 6 for 15 (in three games) with seven RBI. David Freitas, back from paternity leave, is 6 for 10 in his last two.