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It was a beautiful Saturday evening. 80° and calm. The count stood 3-2 on Justin Bowles, promoted from Class A four days earlier. Two outs. Two on. Bottom of the 9th. Mobile was leading the Western Division Series, 2-1, and the game, 5-2. One strike away from going to the Southern League Championship Series. Huntsville's starting pitcher Chris Nelson and reliever Todd Weinberg were packed. It was all over. Mobile beat writer Glen Guilbeau had his entire story written, except for the quotes. Radio voice for the Stars Steve Kornya had not bothered to put a new tape in the recorder, so there exists no call on tape of what was to happen next. It only exists on his colleague's, Tom Nichols, who was silent while Steve's hysterics were heard through the walls.

The irony is Justin wasn't even supposed to BE in Huntsville for the playoffs.

Stars manager Mike Quade and A's farm director Keith Lieppman were under the impression that any roster additions from Class A had to be in or on Huntsville's roster before the end of the season. With Bowles' Modesto team involved in a one-game playoff on Tuesday (which they lost), it was assumed that he couldn't be added to the roster, and that the Stars would have to go into the playoffs two men down. Kornya, however, did a little digging. He found out that any added players need only be on the roster BEFORE THE START OF GAME ONE to be eligible. He checks with the Southern League Office, tells Quade. Quade tells Lieppman and Lieppman tells Bowles to pack for Mobile. He would be arriving Thursday. He drives to Houston, near his Lake Jackson, Texas home, heading for the airport to take him to Mobile --- and gets caught at a railroad crossing for a VERY long train. The delay costs him and he misses his flight. When he gets to Mobile, it's slightly after 10 pm. Steve Connelly is getting five outs on four ground balls to preserve a game 3 win for Huntsville.

To set the stage, the Stars were, again, down 5-2 in the bottom of the 9th. Mike Coolbaugh led off and drew a walk. Demond Smith stepped up and struck out for the 4th time on the day. Ramon Hernandez then fouled out to the first base side. One more out and Mobile, in their first season in the Southern League, would be going to the Championship Series.

Not so fast.

Rob DeBoer lines a single to left, keeping the inning alive. Now Roberto Ramirez comes to the plate to hit for the weak-hitting Jose Castro. Castro's 9th inning error in Game 2 had been responsible the Stars blowing a 6-4 lead, and ultimately, the game in the 11th inning. Mobile manager Mike Ramsey decides the time is right to bring in his closer, Todd Erdos.

Erdos saved 27 games during the season, tying him for the lead in that department in the San Diego organization.

Now Quade brings in Bowles and the home crowd is gasping for air on every pitch thrown by the best Mobile has to offer. Erdos' 2-2 slider is below Bowles' knee. The call is a ball, but there are those who swear home plate ump Daryn Frederickson blew that call. He fouls off a 3-2 pitch.

"If he gets hold of one, he'll never forget it the rest of his life," Stars' G.M. Don Mincher said.

On the next pitch from Erdos, Bowles gets a fastball on the inside part of the plate, "just where a lefty likes it," Bowles later says. "Just a little higher than a pitch I had laid off." He swings hard.

There was never any doubt. The ball sailed high and far over the right-field fence to tie the game. It wasn't won, but you couldn't convince anyone of that. The Stars were left for dead and Justin Bowles had  snatched them from the drowning pool. The crowd went nuts, maybe stirred up by my prancing and shouting up and down the outer concourse like a fool.

Steve Connelly, who got three grounders in the 9th, comes on in the 10th. Mobile puts leadoff hitter Chris Prieto in scoring position, thanks to his single and Greg LaRocca's sacrifice. With two out, future Huntsville Star Gabe Alvarez walks, setting up a force, and then Connelly strikes out Juan Melo to end the threat.

Brad Kaufman threw just one pitch to Southern League batting champ Mike Neill in the bottom of the 10th. Neill, who ended the game 4-for-4, connected for the rather anti-climactic home run over the fence in left-center to send the series to Game Five.

Anyone who was there that Saturday, September 6th, will never forget it.

The next day, the Stars were outhit by Mobile, 16-7, but the game was quickly decided in the 1st inning when the Stars scored seven runs, capped by Ramon Hernandez's grand-slam HR, the 2nd of 7 home runs he would have in the post-season. The Stars would win, 9-4 and go to the Championship Series, where Mother Nature played a role in deciding a five-game victory for the Greenville Braves.

Mike Neill's dream came true when he made it to the majors with the Oakland A's in 1998, hitting .267 in 15 at-bats. He came back to Huntsville on a rehab assignment later that season, hitting .257 in 12 games. He later joined the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox organizations as a free agent, closing his career with Class AAA - Pawtucket (IL) in 2001, hitting .245 in 67 games.

Todd Erdos never had anothe season like the one he had with Mobile, but Erdos would make it to the majors, too, throwing 11 games in relief for the San Diego Padres later that year. The Arizona Diamondbacks picked him up in the 1997 expansion draft, but came back to the Padres in 2000 for 22 more games, after he was waived by the New York Yankees, who he had a 3-year run with. Along the way, he's been through the Red Sox and Cardinals' systems and was 2-2 with 11 saves for the Twins' top farm club at Rochester last year.

Brad Kaufman's trail ends following the 2000 season. He was never picked up as a free agent after splitting the season in the Astros' organization with New Orleans and Round Rock, going 1-9 in 45 relief appearances with a 5.45 ERA. Triple-A was as far as he got.

And Justin Bowles. Justin made the transition in the A's chain from Huntsville to Midland in 1999, playing full seasons there in 1999 and 2000. He hit .286 and .271, with 20 and 16 home runs respectively in those small, hitter-friendly Texas League parks. Mysteriously, that is where his pro career ends. The hero of the 1997 season never got past Double-A.

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