here and there

Congratulations to Bill Walberg, the radio voice of the Jackson Mets and Generals for 23 seasons, on being elected to the Texas League Hall of Fame. Walberg, who was really good at calling a game, also was a font of information on players and stats, as any sportswriter who ever covered a game at Smith-Wills Stadium could tell you. … Silento Sayles, the stolen base champ from Port Gibson High, was named a second-team prep All-American by Baseball America. Sayles batted .541 (no typo) and stole a record 103 bases in 2013. Sayles, drafted by Cleveland and now playing in the Arizona League, has one hit and no steals in two pro games. … Next month’s All-Star Futures Game will feature Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton and former Mississippi Braves first baseman Joey Terdoslavich on the U.S. team (managed by former Jackson Mets star Mookie Wilson) and current M-Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt with the World team. … Stone County product D.J. Davis, the first Mississippian picked in the 2012 draft (by Toronto), is batting .259 in six games at Bluefield in the short-season Appalachian League. … Former Petal High star Anthony Alford, drafted in the third round by the Blue Jays last year, is playing in the rookie Gulf Coast League (.222 in five games). The ex-Southern Miss quarterback spent the spring playing safety for Ole Miss and is expected to return in the fall. … Picayune’s T.J. House was sent down today by Cleveland after making two scoreless appearances in his first major league duty. … Former Ole Miss standout Matt Tolbert, injured most of the season, played for the Gulf Coast League Phillies today and hit a triple. Tolbert, 31, a onetime major leaguer, signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia in the off-season.