The Mississippi Braves , or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a minor league baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Class AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, and plays in the Southern League. The team is owned and operated by Liberty Media, which also owns the Atlanta Braves. Liberty purchased the Braves from Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting unit in 2007. [1]

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Team history

For 21 years, from 1984 to 2004, the Mississippi Braves were based in Greenville, South Carolina, and known as the Greenville Braves. Due to the condition of Greenville Municipal Stadium, and the failure to reach an agreement with the Greenville County council for a new ballpark, the team pursued relocation. Before the 2004 season, the Braves announced their intentions to relocate to Pearl, Mississippi, after the season's conclusion.

The Mississippi Braves first season began on April 18, 2005. The Braves opened their inaugural season in Trustmark Park with a loss against the Montgomery Biscuits.

Phillip Wellman

The Mississippi Braves received some notoriety on June 1, 2007, when the team manager, Phillip Wellman, went on a tirade against the umpires during that night's game against the Chattanooga Lookouts at AT&T Field. He protested a series of unpopular calls by covering home plate with dirt. Wellman then traced a significantly larger home plate around the actual home plate. He continued his tantrum by uprooting bases and throwing them, low-crawling across the infield like a soldier and hurling the rosin bag at an umpire as if it were a grenade. Wellman concluded his tirade by making a hand gesture that hinted at throwing the third-base umpire out of the game, then blowing a farewell kiss to the crowd while taking a bow. Wellman received a three-game suspension as a result. The episode was broadcast on many sports syndications across the United States and Canada. ^[2]

Championships

On September 13, 2008, the Mississippi Braves beat the Carolina Mudcats 3-2 in the 10th inning of the decisive Game 5 of the Southern League Championship Series. This was the Braves first championship since relocating to Mississippi and was the first Southern League title for Atlanta's Double-A franchise since 1997. ^[3]

Roster

Players				Coaching staff
Pitchers    Rudy Darrow 36 Jerome Gamble 38 Kevin Gunderson 43 Duente Heath 29 Thomas Hanson 12 Moises Hernandez 31 Sung Ki Jung 23 Kris Medlen 50 Kris Medlen 46 Jonny Venters † disabled list ‡ temporary inactive list updated 2009-03-31		Catchers 2 JC Boscan 10 Jose Camarena Infielders 25 Greg Creek 13 Javier Guzman  1 J. C. Holt (baseball) 9 Paul Bennett (baseball) 20 Kala Kaaihue 11 Robert Marchial    Antonio Perez  8 Van Pope Outfielders  6 Matt Young (baseball outfielder) 5 Jordan Schafer 19 Reid Gorecki 18 Quentin Davis  6 Matt Young		Manager    Phillip Wellman Coaches    Franklin Stubbs (hitting)    Derek Botelho (pitching)

Players promoted directly to Atlanta Braves

• Brian McCann
• Blaine Boyer
• Jorge Vasquez
• Jeff Francoeur
• Jay Powell
• Joey Devine
• Martín Prado
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia
• José Ascanio
• Clint Sammons

Alumni

• Blaine Boyer (2005)
• Román Colón (2005)
• Joey Devine (2005-2007)
• Yunel Escobar (2006)
• Jeff Francoeur (2005,2008)
• Chuck James (2005)
• Macay McBride (2005-2006)
• Brian McCann (2005)
• Martín Prado (2005-2006)
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2006-2007)
• Scott Thorman (2005)

References

1. Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc.
2. Major league Braves suspend Wellman three games
3. http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/SPORTS09/809140389 The Clarion-Ledg