Radical Baseball (OOTP2007) [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

Young Drachma

09-20-2007, 11:54 PM

July 7, 2000
Okay, so I've decided for sure that we're going to pull the trigger on these deals before the end of next week. I'd just like to "beat the rush" so to speak of teams doing deals and while standing pat might get us someone who is desperate to make a deal, I'd just rather know what I'm dealing with.

The most recent offer to the Mets goes like this:

SP Michael Love, SP Eric Williams and MR Diego Cruz to New York for RF Jacob Snow (.254/2 HR/6 RBI in 71 ABs this year), Ralph Oliver (10-5, 1.66 ERA in Double-A) and 29-year old starter Tony Cruz (8-6, 2.88 ERA with 87 K in 20 starts this year)

I like the balance on this deal, because it gives us a player that can help us now (Cruz), as well as adding that prospect component that I wanted in the first place.

7/7/2000
8:54PM
I made the Mets add one more prospect, a throwaway kid named Dorian Genovelis (POT: 41/30/88) who hails from Greece of all places.

Anyway...with that, I accepted the deal today. We save about $2.4 million with that trade. Not bad, I don't think.

7/12/2000
10:26PM
I talked to the Royals, who hadn't called me until earlier today, trying to see if they could get into the Longoria sweepstakes. They are 5 1/2 games out of the last Wild Card spot, I guess they think they can make a push.

The offer to me surpasses what Philadelphia was offering earlier today and no one else has called me tonight. So I agree to the deal and we say we'll announce it offically in the morning.

It would send Alfredo Longoria and catcher Domenic Guiney to Kansas City for four players:

33-year old reliever Trey Parker (5-0, 1 SV, 4.45 ERA in 34 appearances)

19-year old catcher Quentin Atkins (pot: 58/96/77/61/44)

22-year old pitcher Mark Johnston (pot: 53/55/52)

18-year old first baseman Brian Green (pot: 49/66/66/53/25)

The key in this particular deal is Atkins. He's a catcher, they're hard to come by.

7/13/2000
7:15AM
I get a call on my cell phone. I'm just sitting at the table, eating a bowl of oatmeal and the other line sounds like no one is there. Just as I get ready to hang up, I hear...

"D.C.?"

"Yeah?"

"You still want to deal Longoria?"

"Who is this?"

"Dan Childs, Philadelphia Blue Jays."

"Oh, hey. You know, I didn't expect you to.."

"I know, I know. I didn't get back to you, because I had to think about your offer a bit. I know you're probably getting hit up bad. And you probably want him off your hands so your guys can --"

"Yeah, man. I'm actually considering keeping him. I don't know. The owners are kinda waffling..."

"What? No. You can't do that. Look I, think I have a deal that we can make work. We haven't been to the playoffs since '82. I'm getting slammed in the press because someone leaked a story that we failed to get a deal done and that the current club is gonna blow it down the stretch. I can't have that happen man. This deal will bail me out big if the fans think we're trying. I mean, the Phillies down in the CL are gaining ground on us. Which is fucking retarded if you ask me, all of this major/minor league bullshit."

"Alright man. Let's cut to the chase. Whose on the table?"

"Ok, I've got it here."

::reads me the list::

"Wow, you really want to pull the trigger, eh?

"Look man. If we do this now, I can hit the media up for a press conference at 2pm this afternoon. We need this to work out. What do you say?"

"You've got a deal. You've got a deal, my friend."

"Sounds good."

7/12/2000
3:17PM

Needless to say, the guy in Kansas City wasn't happy with me. The last thing you want to do is back out on a handshake deal. But even he had to admit when I told him of what Philly was giving up, he said "well man, there's no way we're matching that."

And if he hadn't called me just before I'd gone to the office this morning, the deal never would've happened. But the sneak attack in this case worked out for us perfectly.

In the deal with Philadelphia that we actually did, we traded Alfredo Longoria, SS Christian Robertson, C Domenic Guiney and outfielder Leonardo Gomez to Philadelphia for:

P Cole Fullerton, 24-year old righthander. (2-2 with a 4.38 ERA in 8 appearances with Philadelphia, went 2-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 27 apperances with Jacksonville earlier this year)

SS George Anderson, 20-year old left-handed hitter. Hitting .291 this year with 1 HR and 30 RBI in 333 ABs.

P Carlos Macias (2-2, with 11 SV and 5.40 ERA in 30 appearances)

2B Michael Warren (pot: 79/89/79/68/72)

and two minor leaguers.

With this done and out of the way, I can focus my attention properly on the amateur draft which takes place on the 15th of July.

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 10:58 AM

2000 AMATEUR DRAFT SELECTIONS

1 (20): Derek Dowd, 17 year old centerfielder from Montreal. Has great defensive instincts, gap power potential and solid contact and eye/discipline potential. Should be solid on the basepaths, too.

2nd round: Carlos Clifton
17-year old pitcher from San Antonio. Projects as a top of the rotation starter with good potentials in stuff, movement and control.

3rd round: Vin Reilly, 17-year old shortstop from Australia. Tall, athletic player with good speed potential and power numbers. Should get to the majors on his defense.

4th round: Luis Beltre
17-year old left-handed pitcher from Puerto Rico. Doesn't have great control, but excellent stuff and movement. Could project as a middle reliever.

5th round: Felipe Vargas, 17-year old left fielder from New York. Power hitter and average defender.

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 11:39 AM

CHALLENGE SERIES STANDINGS
---
Chicago White Sox
36-79

San Diego Padres
42-72 5 GA

Jacksonville Braves
45-68 8 GA

Boston Yankees
45-68 8 GA

With just over six weeks left in the regular season, we sit at 45-68. We're obviously not in the divisional or wild card race, but we're also seemingly safe from the Challenge Series race, too.

We currently sit 8 games ahead of Chicago for the worst record in MLB. So long as we don't run into any long slumps in August, we should be safe heading into September.

BRAVES SOLD, WILL MOVE TO RICHMOND IN 2001
The Jacksonville Braves have not announced a move yet, but all indications point to the team heading north to Richmond, Virginia for the 2001 season. The team plays in aging the Jacksonville Baseball Grounds since moving to the city in 1990 after Memphis officials condemed Rogers Field, the antiquated park the team had been playing in city moving from Milwaukee in 1980.

Braves officials say that the seemingly "every decade moving thing, has to get old" for fans of the organization, but they are "committed" to putting a winner on the field and that they will explore "every avenue in which to do that."

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 11:47 AM

September 1, 2000
---
MLB TO BRAVES OWNERS: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball's owners met last week and issued a stern warning to the owners of the Jacksonville Braves. "We're tired of your antics."

Despite the fact that the team's current ownership have only had the team for the past four years, MLB has stated that it's tired of the perceived instability that the franchise has brought onto the league.

"Fans deserve to know where their team will play," said one owner who sought to remain anonymous.

"We've had enough of it and I don't doubt that my colleagues will stand for it much longer."

That led to rumors that MLB would banish the ballclub out of the majors for next season, either as a demotion to the Continental League or a solution never before employed by MLB in the modern era -- contraction.

"That would be a drastic step," said NBC baseball analyst Bob Costas. "But I can understand the reason they want to do it. Baseball's never had a team do something quite like this before. Four cities in less than thirty years? That's just unacceptable."

The Continental League is owned by major league baseball and so, it's not certain that MLB owners will allow the team to transfer to a new city and move to a different league, while promoting two teams from the Continental League seems not to be an option they want to employ.

"Consider that the Challenge Series itself a whole new concept for MLB. They don't want to muck it up or confuse people in the first year of it," said Costas.

No comments were available from the Braves organization or anyone from MLB, but with three weeks to go in the season, few expect this is the last we've heard of this situation.

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 11:52 AM

Standings as of September 4, 2000

In the race for the eighth and final playoff spot, there are
a bevy of teams jockeying for position. The Mets are 1.5 games out,
while the Firebirds are 3 GB. Kansas City, Philadelphia and Toronto are all
3 1/2 games out and Detroit has a sliver of hope at 5 games back.

Meanwhile, in the challenge series standings, the White Sox (54-91) are gaining ground while the New York Bombers (57-88) have free fallen to
close within 3 games of the Sox for baseball's worst record.
The Padres are 4 games ahead with the season ending on the 21st of September.

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Pittsburgh Pirates 96 50 .658 -
New York Mets 80 65 .552 15.5
Philadelphia Blue Jays 78 67 .538 17.5
Toronto Blue Sox 78 67 .538 17.5
Brooklyn Cyclones 68 76 .472 27.0
Cleveland Indians 68 78 .466 28.0
Boston Yankees 60 84 .417 35.0
New York Bombers 57 88 .393 38.5

Central Division W L PCT GB
Chicago Cubs 83 62 .572 -
St. Louis Cardinals 82 63 .566 1.0
Columbus Clippers 82 64 .562 1.5
Kansas City Royals 79 68 .537 5.0
Detroit Tigers 76 69 .524 7.0
Chicago Comets 70 74 .486 12.5
Minnesota Twins 58 87 .400 25.0
Chicago White Sox 54 91 .372 29.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Dodgers 95 50 .655 -
San Jose Captains 84 61 .579 11.0
Phoenix Firebirds 79 67 .541 16.5
Los Angeles Angels 70 75 .483 25.0
Colorado Rockies 68 76 .472 26.5
Seattle Mariners 65 79 .451 29.5
San Francisco Giants 63 83 .432 32.5
San Diego Padres 58 86 .403 36.5

Southern Division W L PCT GB
Texas Rangers 94 52 .644 -
Atlanta Athletics 90 54 .625 3.0
Houston Astros 73 73 .500 21.0
Florida Marlins 64 82 .438 30.0
San Antonio Aviators 63 82 .434 30.5
Washington Diplomats 63 82 .434 30.5
Cincinnati Reds 62 83 .428 31.5
Jacksonville Braves 61 83 .424 32.0

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 12:11 PM

2000 SHEA CUP CHAMPIONSHIP (BEST-OF-FIVE)

This year's Continental League championship carries a weight that no previous year ever has before. The winner of the Shea Cup will face off against the worst team in MLB to determine whether that team will be demoted or will remain in MLB another year. The Chicago White Sox (62-100) are the team that have that distinction, but they get rest while the two teams in the CL duke it out over five games.

The Philadelphia Phillies of the Eastern Division (77-59) will play the Salt Lake City Bees (76-60) in the 2000 edition of the Shea Cup. Neither team has ever won the title before.

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 12:30 PM

MLB CHALLENGE SERIES 2000
---
CHICAGO (62-100) v.
SALT LAKE CITY (SHEA CUP CHAMPS)
---
The first Challenge Series
in MLB history is here.

The setup is like this. The teams will play a doubleheader in Salt Lake City.

Then they get an off-day.

Then they play a double-header in Chicago if necessary.

If a Game 5 is needed, it'll take place the next day in Salt Lake City.

TALE OF THE TAPE:
--
The White Sox have a payroll of $38.3 million, good for 25th in MLB. The two highest paid players on the White Sox roster make more money than the entire Bees roster combined.

Standout players include 26-year old rightfielder Arthur Berry (.248/29 HR/80 RBI), second baseman Ricardo Beltran (.271/21/100) and 23-year old closer Fred Barker (6-5, 32 sv)

The Salt Lake City Bees have a payroll of $14.3 million, good for 10th in the Continental League, which has a $30 million salary cap.

The 2000 Shea Cup Champions are led by 20-game winner, 27-year old Jesus DeVargas (20-9, 3.86 ERA, 104 K), 26-year old closer Ronald Fuller (3-2, 33 SV, 3.60 ERA). On the offensive side, the team's captain is 36-year old outfielder Robert Harris who hit 29 HR and 111 RBI and batted .312 in his first year with the Bees and in the CL. Rookie first baseman Dan Warren, hit .320 with 18 HR and 97 RBI and was also a key part of the team's success this year.

GAME 1:
SALT LAKE CITY 4, CHICAGO 2

The Bees are just 2 games away from making it to MLB.

GAME 2: SALT LAKE CITY 8, CHICAGO 5

Home cooking was the story of the day, as the Bees won two straight to head to Chicago needing only a win to advance to the Majors next season.

GAME 3: CHICAGO 2, SALT LAKE CITY 1

The White Sox stave off elimination for at least one more game, winning 2-1 at home.

GAME 4: SALT LAKE CITY 11, CHICAGO 0

The Bees were clearly the better team and as a result, Salt Lake City wins the first ever MLB Challenge Series!

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 12:33 PM

Having never actually seen a CL team and an MLB face off against each other, I wasn't sure how likely it would be that one could win three games against an MLB team after having already played a post-season series prior to that, when the other team had at least a week off to rest.

But I guess my theory that the teams at the CL level are indeed major league is correct. As far as stats are concerned, I manually scheduled the Challenge Series games and scheduled them as "playoff" games. I know that might seem weird for the teams in the majors who had the worst record to get credit for playoff stats when they were in a relegation fight for their lives, but..I didn't consider the games "exhibitions" and they're not regular season, so, I thought scheduling them as post-season games was the only way to go.

Besides, I can't think of too many current major leaguers who would WANT those sort of stats. I mean, that's a lot of pressure to be put into, because anything can go wrong in a short series. The reason it's just a best-of-five and scheduled the way it is, is because I'd prefer it not to take away from the other playoff games that are really going on.

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 12:38 PM

2000 WORLD SERIES
---
The Philadelphia Blue Jays (91-71, 2nd place East) will face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (104-58, 1st place East) for the 2000 World Series crown.

The Blue Jays knocked off the LA Dodgers in 4 games and then swept the Chicago Cubs to advance to the Fall Classic, while the Pirates knocked off San Jose in four games, only to face a tough challenge in a pesky Atlanta A's squad, that took them the distance (7 games) before finally going down.

This is the Blue Jays first playoff appearance since 1981 and they've never won a World Series. The Pirates meanwhile clinched their fourth Eastern Division title in five years this season, but won their only World Series title in 1974.

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 12:52 PM

If nothing else, this format has yielded some of the most intriguing and interesting World Series matchups you could ever hope to see.
---
PAST WORLD SERIES MATCHUPS
(* team has since moved)
---
1969: BOSTON DEF. CHI. CUBS 4-2

1970: BALTIMORE ORIOLES* DEF. KANSAS CITY 4-3

1971: KANSAS CITY DEF. BOSTON 4-3

1972: MILWAUKEE BRAVES* DEF. KANSAS CITY 4-3

1973: MILWAUKEE* DEF. SAN FRANCISCO 4-1

1974: PITTSBURGH DEF. KANSAS CITY 4-2

1975: BOSTON DEF. SAN DIEGO 4-3

1976: BOSTON DEF. CHI. CUBS 4-3

1977: ST. LOUIS DEF. SAN DIEGO 4-2

1978: COLORADO DEF. CHI. WHITE SOX 4-1

1979: SAN DIEGO DEF. HOUSTON 4-2

1980: HOUSTON DEF. CHI. CUBS 4-3

1981: NEW YORK METS DEF. ST. LOUIS 4-3

1982: CHI. WHITE SOX DEF. HOUSTON 4-3

1983: SAN ANTONIO DEF. COLORADO 4-2

1984: CHI. CUBS DEF. PHOENIX 4-1

1985: SAN ANTONIO DEF. WASHINGTON 4-3

1986: SAN ANTONIO DEF. CHICAGO WHITE SOX 4-2

1987: WASHINGTON DEF. CHI. WHITE SOX 4-1

1988: ST. LOUIS DEF. NEW YORK METS 4-2

1989: SAN ANTONIO DEF. COLUMBUS 4-2

1990: CUBS DEF. WHITE SOX 4-3

1991: WHITE SOX DEF. SAN FRANCISCO 4-2

1992: SAN FRANCISCO DEF. SAN ANTONIO 4-1

1993: ST. LOUIS DEF. WASHINGTON 4-1

1994: WASHINGTON DEF. CLEVELAND 4-2

1995: SAN ANTONIO DEF. BOSTON 4-2

1996: TORONTO DEF. PHOENIX 4-0

1997: METS DEF. BROOKLYN 4-3

1998: METS DEF. PITTSBURGH 4-0

1999: SEATTLE DEF. PITTSBURGH 4-1

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 01:51 PM

MLB OWNERS MEET AT WORLD SERIES, HAMMER OUT NEXT SEASON'S SETUP

PHILADELPHIA -- MLB owners met and officially voted 27-5 to contract the Jacksonville Braves from MLB. The Braves owners received a settlement payment and all of the players on the team will become free agents as of the official filing date. The Braves will be folded officially and the owners of the old club will sell their interest to a new club, an expansion CL club called the Richmond Braves, that will begin play next season.

They welcome the Salt Lake City Bees to the MLB fold after their win in the MLB Challenge Series against the Chicago White Sox and formally seated the White Sox with the Continental League teams for 2001.

"We're not going to take this sitting lightly. We're going to work and we'll be back next year," said White Sox GM Gene Lamont. The White Sox, the 1982 and 1991 World Series champs, will have a challenging task getting back. First, they'll need to navigate the Continental League's salary structure, where there is a salary cap of $32.5 million for 2001. The league has strict revenue sharing requirements and ticket prices are mandated to be no higher than at a certain level.

Needless to say, this could kill a franchise if it stays down too long.

"We're not going to let it kill our proud franchise or its proud history," said owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who was one of the owners who opposed the Challenge Series plan in the first place. "We'll be back at the big table soon."

The Hartford Red Sox of the Continental League folded. But will return in the form of an expansion club based in Riverside, California, near Los Angeles, called the Riverside Red Sox. The team will be owned by internet mogul Mark Cuban, who said he grew up a huge baseball fan and "can't wait to get his hands on the new team and this exciting new city."

Baseball's old boy network weren't necessarily thrilled at the sight of the young mogul at first, but money talks more than anything and he was allowed to purchase the right to the new ballclub.

Other changes:

Southern Division renamed the National Division
Central Division renamed the American Division
Washington Nationals (MLB) formally became the Washington Diplomats
Orlando Manatees (CL) moved to St. Petersburg, Florida to play at Red Lobster Park. To become the Tampa Bay Rays.
Rolled back active rosters back to 25 and secondary roster size to 40-man. Ended the September call-up period.

Salt Lake City and Chicago swapped minor league affiliates (because the leagues are different), while Riverside will acquire Jacksonville's prospects.

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 05:51 PM

PHILADELPHIA BLUE JAYS UNVEIL NEW JERSEYS
Before 1969, the Philadelphia Blue Jays were originally the Philadelphia Colonials. Former owner R.J. Bohland, was responsible for the swap and since that time, the team has operated under that name. But after Bohland died two years ago and left the team to his grandson to run, he's mulled over returning to the old name.

"I grew up as a Colonials fan. And I always asked my granddad what his logic was in changing the name and he said, "oh well I thought we needed a change." I love him and wish he were here, but I think that I've talked to enough people over the past two years that I'm going to go with my gut and return to the old name."

With that, he dispatched an artist to come up with a revived look for the team and they unveiled a retro look/feel for the 2001 season.

http://ootpdevelopments.com/board/attachment.php?attachmentid=105124&stc=1&d=1190415067

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 10:07 PM

Here are the Box Scores from Games 1-6 of the World Series won by....well, I guess you'll need to look? I have Game Logs saved too, but given that I wasn't sure if anyone would bother with these, I won't upload those too unless someone tells me they want to see.

The first four games were split by the two teams, with each game being decided by 1 run. Then one team came back and Games 5 and 6 to capture the entire series.

GAME 1 (http://www.crayon.tv/box/WS_GM1.pdf)
GAME 2 (http://www.crayon.tv/box/WS_GM2.pdf)
GAME 3 (http://www.crayon.tv/box/WS_GM3.pdf)
GAME 4 (http://www.crayon.tv/box/WS_GM4.pdf)
GAME 5 (http://www.crayon.tv/box/WS_GM5.pdf)
GAME 6 (http://www.crayon.tv/box/WS_GM6.pdf)

Young Drachma

09-21-2007, 10:39 PM

SEEKING AN EDGE, BIG CITY TEAMS START THEIR OWN MINOR LEAGUE
November 23, 2000
NEW YORK -- The relegation of the Chicago White Sox was a warning shot to the large market teams throughout baseball, that the new system is here and that it's not going anywhere.

"If nothing else, they're not going to get rid of it before the White Sox can come back anyway," said baseball writer Tim Richards of the Palm Springs Post.

MLB owners in six cities (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago) decided they needed an "edge" and started an eight-team minor league to supplement the Double-A level teams that they already have.

But the new minor league will be based somewhere other than the US of A. That's right, it's going to be based in the Dominican Republic.

"It's brilliant for them to have the foresight to look to develop and sign young players right there in the Caribbean," said Paul McCoy, a columnist for Baseball America.

The total cost of the league is estimated at $5 million, but that will be split by the six teams participating.

The Comets, Mets, Bombers, Dodgers, Angels and Cyclones have all opted to participate. The Cubs opted against it, though they were invited.

The league will feature players from age 16 to age 19 and is likely to be mimicked by other teams in the future.

"I think this is the wave of the future for sure. No doubt about it," said McCoy.

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 12:01 AM

THE WORST TEAM TO EVER MAKE THE PLAYOFFS
Well, we're running an unorthodox schedule by some standards and so, I guess I wondered after my first season, what the worst teams that made the playoffs did, because I wanted to know if the single-league, eight team playoff alignment resulted on average to have "better" teams (e.g. better regular season record) winning the World Series more often than not.

So, I went back in history and took a look at the World Series champions record and to see what the worst team that make the playoff's record was.

And upon my research, I discovered that the 1975 Boston Yankees were the worst team to ever win a World Series.

Because I wasn't running the team then, I don't have a running box score account of HOW they managed to get into the playoffs.

But here's what it looked like:

Boston (87-76)
St. Louis (87-76)
Kansas City (86-78)

Boston and St. Louis got in, Kansas City didn't. I'm guessing there was some sort of three way tie in which all three teams were 86-76 and so, they both beat Kansas City and earned the #7 and #8 spot in the playoffs, with KC being the odd team out (imagine how happy the fans in St. Louis were to not just make the playoffs but the keep the Royals out!)

So, the Yankees were technically the #7 seed, since Chicago had the best record (107-55) and played the Cardinals and dispatched them in three straight games.

Meanwhile, Boston won their five game series against the Eastern division champion Philadelphia Blue Jays, before facing off against the Cubs and beating them in six games. Needless to say, they were on a mission. After that, they played San Diego, who won 92 games and won the Western Division and it took seven games, but they went through all of that and became the first sub-90 win team to win a World Series.

Since then, only one team has won the World Series after a regular season of less than 90 wins and that's the 1996 Toronto Blue Sox.

But...to get into the playoffs on a whim, only to advance and have to play the top three seeds in the playoffs and to beat them all, you probably deserve it.

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 12:21 AM

HONORING THE PAST
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of back-to-back World Series champion Boston Yankees teams of 1975 and 1976, I'm going to go through the register of former Yankees and induct some of them into a Yankee Hall of Fame, as well as retire their numbers.

I think it'll be a great opportunity to talk about where the ballclub has come from, because you can't know where you're going, if you don't know where you came from.

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 12:46 AM

WINTER MEETINGS
December 2, 2000

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/guinnesscuplogo.png

NEW ORLEANS -- MLB announced today a partnership with Guinness Brewing that would replace the Shea Cup with a new championship called the Guinness Cup Series.

"We're pretty excited about this new partnership," said Interim Commissioner Bud Selig, who will be stepping down from his post after these winter meetings to resume running his car dealership after doing his best not to wreck baseball despite a penchant for ruining everything in his sight.

"This new partnership will be just one of the many new exciting innovations coming to baseball in recent years."

"For the first time in baseball history, it will be possible for a team playing in cities across America to dream about being a major league city," said MLB owners in a statement.

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 01:20 AM

YANKEE HALL OF FAME
The first player inducted into the Yankee Hall of Fame is #35 Jerry Martin (http://www.crayon.tv/hof/#35.pdf)

http://www.crayon.tv/hof/jerrymartin_plaque.png

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 01:42 AM

Along with him, inducted on the same day was #4 Tex Ryan (http://www.crayon.tv/hof/#4.pdf).

http://www.crayon.tv/hof/texryan_plaque.png

Those are the only two inductees this season. I don't forsee anyone else getting their number retired in the near future, but my hope is we can create a successful legacy and have a bunch of guys from this era be able to replicate or surpass what the guys early in the team's history did.

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 02:20 AM

STRATEGY
It's always a challenge when your team is rebuilding, to figure out what's the best course of action to take in terms of approaching free agency.

We've got a bevy of kids that I'm extremely excited about coming up in the next 2-3 years and maybe sooner. But the bottom line is, this next season would be another one that we'll be woefully understaffed compared to our peers. The thing is, I don't want to leave the cupboard too threadbare or else, we'll be fighting it out for the right NOT to play in the Challenge Series.

I think the key component to any championship team is having solid veterans who get the job done on the field to complement your youth.

So rather than just run through another year and say, stay on the cheap and hope 'wait' for the kids to develop, I'm going to be a bit more active about trying to acquire talent that can help us perhaps slip into a playoff spot or at least, be part of a foundation that we'd like to have in place going into 2-3 years down the line.

Speaking of long-term guys, we decided to sign a few guys to long term deals.

M.A. Charbonneau hit .275 with 24 HR and 92 RBI in his first season in MLB after spending the first four years of his career in the Continental League with Portland.

At just 24-years old, he already resonates with fans and is someone that I think will have a long future with us.

We signed him a 4-year extension worth $47.7 million that will start after next season.

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 01:49 PM

2001 SEASON PREVIEW
----
I don't really know how to put a spin on the worst season in franchise history. I suppose we can take solace from the fact that we didn't spend much last year and that I dealt off a lot of our talent for players that I thought could help us down the line.

Our farm system is restocked and while we did anything but go crazy this off-season, we did retool the roster extensively.

We're 12th in MLB in payroll at $55 million. Pittsburgh leads the majors at $88 million and the LA Angels are 32nd at $25.8 million.

With any new team, the guy coming in needs a year to assess things and then bring in 'his' people and I think my team and I have done a good job of that for this season. I think we're very young and that could be disconcerting, especially if we get a rash of injuries.

But we're in a much better place this year than we were last year.

PITCHING
---
We've retooled the rotation extensively. The ace of the staff is 28-year old righthander Brennan Atkins. He spent the past five years in Chicago with the White Sox, but being in the last year of his contract, I knew there might be a chance we could cherry pick him given he's making over $6 million this year.

He went 9-15 last year with a 3.49 ERA in 34 starts. I think he's just what the doctor ordered for us at the top of the rotation.

Mike Lewis is a 29-year old righthander who spent the first five years of his career in Orlando (now Tampa) of the Continental League and was traded during the off-season in a three-team deal that included the Detroit Tigers.

He began his career in the bullpen, but last year was his first full season in the rotation and he went 14-9 with a 3.54 ERA in 28 starts.

I think there used to be some concern among GMs that Continental League players would have adjustment issues in the majors. But I've seen no real evidence of that so far and I don't think Lewis will have any problems adjusting either.

The guy I'm most excited about on our pitching staff is 21-year old starter Luis Manuel Morales. I dealt two top prospects for him, along with two other guys, but the main difference for me was he's already ready and those guys still needed a few years of seasoning.

He came up with Milwaukee of the Continental League and has gone 23-13 in his first two major league seasons. Young, top-flight pitching is something of a premium in this league and so I felt it was in our best interest to pick him up when it seemed clear he might be available.

Ralph Oliver and Jeremy Thompson round out the rotation and were both here last year in bit roles as youngster. Their workload will increase this season and it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.

The other notable addition to the bullpen side of the house is our new closer. We signed former Jacksonville closer Francisco Ortiz to a 2-year deal worth $15.7 million this off-season. In eight years with Jacksonville, he went 31-36 with 151 saves. The hope is, if we do end up in close games, we won't blow them with him on the backend.

New additions on the offensive side include 26-year old catcher Vic Ross who was dealt from Columbus after Herman Woods -- who came over in the deal from Tampa -- requested to be dealt from Boston before the season started.

Ross hit .262 last year with 28 HRs and 83 RBI.

We made it a priority to shore up our defense and the free agent signing of three-time Gold Glove winning second baseman Sergio Moran should help that cause. The 28-year old journeyman played one season in LA for the Dodgers and hit .247 with 12 HR and 74 RBI. He last won the Gold Glove in 1999.

The most critical signing made by the team -- in that, it was most crticized by fans -- was the acquisiton of Tom Keough. The third baseman spent five years as a starter in Jacksonville and hit .288 last year with 11 HR and 77 RBI. He's also swift on the basepaths, registering 44 steals last year and an OBP of .371. But the Yankees signed him to a 4-year $40.5 million deal, making him the highest paid player on their team on a team with only five guys making $5 million dollars or more this year.

"We're going to stand by our decision and I think the fans will be pleased with the progress we'll make this year," said GM D.C. Daly about the team going into the 2001 season.

With the team talking about possibly replacing Yankee Field by 2005 with a new ballpark on the Boston Harbor, success is going to be critical component of whatever the team does between now and then.

Whether D.C. will be around to see it though, is anyone's guess.

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 03:48 PM

REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
May 1, 2001
Eastern Division W L PCT GB
New York Mets 28 7 .800 -
Pittsburgh Pirates 26 8 .765 1.5
Toronto Blue Sox 22 14 .611 6.5
Brooklyn Cyclones 19 17 .528 9.5
Boston Yankees 18 17 .514 10.0
Philadelphia Colonials 15 20 .429 13.0
Cleveland Indians 14 21 .400 14.0
New York Bombers 12 24 .333 16.5

American Division W L PCT GB
Chicago Comets 22 13 .629 -
St. Louis Cardinals 22 13 .629 -
Chicago Cubs 20 16 .556 2.5
Detroit Tigers 19 16 .543 3.0
Kansas City Royals 19 18 .514 4.0
Columbus Clippers 18 18 .500 4.5
Minnesota Twins 14 22 .389 8.5
Colorado Rockies 13 23 .361 9.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
San Diego Padres 21 14 .600 -
San Francisco Giants 20 15 .571 1.0
Los Angeles Dodgers 19 16 .543 2.0
Seattle Mariners 19 17 .528 2.5
Los Angeles Angels 18 18 .500 3.5
Riverside Red Sox 15 19 .441 5.5
Salt Lake City Bees 11 24 .314 10.0
San Jose Captains 10 24 .294 10.5

National Division W L PCT GB
Atlanta Athletics 19 15 .559 -
Texas Rangers 20 16 .556 -
San Antonio Aviators 18 18 .500 2.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 17 18 .486 2.5
Washington Diplomats 16 18 .471 3.0
Florida Marlins 16 19 .457 3.5
Houston Astros 12 22 .353 7.0
Cincinnati Reds 12 24 .333 8.0

WILD CARD LEADERS
---
Pittsburgh
Chicago Comets
St. Louis
Toronto

Young Drachma

09-22-2007, 05:59 PM

A LOVE-FEST? EVALUATING A DEAL
May 22, 2001
When Yankees General Manager traded ace starting pitcher Michael Love along wtih reliever Diego Cruz and starter Eric Williams, no one is precisely sure if he knew what was doing giving up one of the most popular players on the team and won 20 games two years in three years and a Cy Young.

Well in a new year, taking a look at the guys from New York and see how they're doing for the first place Mets.

Michael Love (10-2, 1.02 ERA with 91 K)

Eric Williams (7-2, 3.01 ERA in 11 starts, 34 K 25 BB)

Diego Cruz (2-0, 0.00 ERA in 19 innings, 13 K 4 BB)

Meanwhile, the players that the Yankees recieved in the deal are plodding along in their own way.

Ralph Oliver (5-3, 3.48 ERA, 77 K)

Doran Genovelis (3-0, 1 SV in 9 games in Double-A)

Jacob Snow (.253, 5 RBI in 33 games this season.)

When asked about how well Love was doing in New York, D.C. Daly said that he expected him to do well.

"I don't wish him any ill will. Sure, he's a competitor now. But I'm more than happy with what we got out of that deal. Ralph [Oliver] has been clutch for us so far this year and [Jacob Snow] the Snowman is going to for sure be a factor for us down the line. I said when we made that deal that it was about our future. And I stand by that."

Only time will tell whether that turns out to be true or not.

Young Drachma

09-23-2007, 05:52 PM

July 14, 2001

MLB CHALLENGE SERIES TO BE NEUTRAL SITE
In an event being billed as "The Baseball Showcase presented by Holiday Inn" MLB officials today that the MLB Challenge Series between the last place team in MLB and the winner of the newly named Guinness Cup will be played a neutral site starting this season.

"We think this is an excellent opportunity to give fans more 'bang' for their buck," said one MLB spokesman close to the deal.

Bidding will commence and it's likely to be decided that the game will be played in a warm weather city.

"We want this to be a showcase event and we felt putting it on the road was the best way to do that."

The host city for the 2001 MLB Challenge Series will be announced late this month.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 12:05 AM

YANKEES GET LATE BUY-IN IN DDL TABLE
July 16, 2001

BOSTON -- After initially not choosing to participate in the "big market" minor league called the Dominican Development League, Yankees officials made an eleventh hour call to DDL officials to see if there was any way they could get a team in the league.

They were told "yes" as long as they could convince another team to participate.

D.C. Daly called up the Chicago Cubs Vice President for Player Development J.B. Chenault, an old college friend and told him of the dilemma.

"You know, we weren't too sure about that thing. But if you guys are gonna do it. Let...Let me make a call."

After the call, Chenault said the Cubs were in and the DDL now has 8 teams.

"We're pretty happy about it. As it turns out, we had some prospects that we wanted to see play everyday and so, the one team thing wasn't working out for us as well as we'd have liked," said D.C. about the team's interest in the new minor league.

He said it doesn't deter the team's interest in aggressively pursuing foreign markets, but it was a "step in the right direction."

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 12:23 AM

http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/DB/112001/031383.3.jpg
LORD'S CRICKET GROUND TO HOST MLB CHALLENGE SERIES
Baseball is coming back to England in grand fashion. The MLB Challenge Series will take place in England, as the famed cricket oval - Lord's (http://www.lords.org) - will be the host of the 2001 MLB Challenge Series between the winner of the Guinness Cup Series of the Continental League and the bottom finisher in the MLB standings.

Here are a few Q&A's about the MLB Challenge Series @ Lord's in 2001.

Q: Are you concerned that the MLB Challenge Series will be viewed as an inferior product?
"Actually, part of the reason that London actually lobbied for this event when we were considering making this event as part of our international outreach, is because English fans understand what promotion and relegation is all about. American fans are still trying to understand how their team can get demoted out of the majors. It's a huge barrier for the casual fan and yet, it's been a huge success for MLB to do this setup going into the 2nd year. We think going overseas is going to be a huge hit."

Q: Would MLB ever consider a neutral site World Series
No. It's not something that baseball could do. We believe that home-field advantage and being able to play in front of one's fans after a long season is critical. In this particular instance, we thought it wasn't as much of a factor. Some home fans are not as likely to come out to a game to watch their team possibly lose to a 'lesser' team and the fans from the city that's just won the Guinness Cup should be able to bask in the glory of that accomplishment. We thought subjecting them to the home defeat might be a bit unfair.

Plus, the setup of two doubleheaders for the challenge series with a decisive fifth game was a big complaint among the players on both sides after last year.

Q: Will the game be in London every year? Or will it rotate?
We liked the fact that in London, that we could schedule the games that would still allow everyone to watch and the games wouldn't have to be shown as really odd times. But that being said, games have been played in Japan before and people understand that it's just how it is. Getting TV time at 3 or 4 in the morning isn't exactly that difficult either, so it kinda helps us to some degree. So could we see the game being played somewhere else down the road? I'd say yes. But we're just focused on London in 2001 right now.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 12:54 AM

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
August 8, 2001

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
New York Mets 85 36 .702 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 74 47 .612 11.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 74 47 .612 11.0
Toronto Blue Sox 64 57 .529 21.0
Boston Yankees 61 60 .504 24.0
New York Bombers 55 67 .451 30.5
Philadelphia Colonials 54 66 .450 30.5
Cleveland Indians 40 80 .333 44.5

American Division W L PCT GB
Chicago Comets 67 54 .554 -
St. Louis Cardinals 65 56 .537 2.0
Kansas City Royals 62 58 .517 4.5
Chicago Cubs 60 60 .500 6.5
Columbus Clippers 60 61 .496 7.0
Detroit Tigers 59 61 .492 7.5
Minnesota Twins 55 65 .458 11.5
Colorado Rockies 48 73 .397 19.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Angels 71 50 .587 -
Los Angeles Dodgers 70 51 .579 1.0
San Francisco Giants 66 53 .555 4.0
Seattle Mariners 59 61 .492 11.5
San Diego Padres 60 63 .488 12.0
Riverside Red Sox 55 65 .458 15.5
Salt Lake City Bees 55 65 .458 15.5
San Jose Captains 48 72 .400 22.5

National Division W L PCT GB
Atlanta Athletics 73 46 .613 -
Texas Rangers 69 52 .570 5.0
Cincinnati Reds 61 61 .500 13.5
Arizona Diamondbacks 57 63 .475 16.5
San Antonio Aviators 53 66 .445 20.0
Houston Astros 51 68 .429 22.0
Florida Marlins 51 70 .421 23.0
Washington Diplomats 46 74 .383 27.5

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 12:57 AM

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
August 8, 2001

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Baltimore Orioles 57 35 .620 -
Tampa Bay Rays 51 41 .554 6.0
Durham Bulls 51 42 .548 6.5
Richmond Braves 49 43 .533 8.0
Philadelphia Phillies 40 52 .435 17.0
Milwaukee Brewers 35 58 .376 22.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Monterrey Matadors 57 35 .620 -
Chicago White Sox 47 46 .505 10.5
Portland Beavers 44 48 .478 13.0
Nevada Silverhawks 42 50 .457 15.0
Los Angeles Empires 42 51 .452 15.5
Boise Hawks 39 53 .424 18.0

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 12:59 AM

I did some research and rough calculations to attempt to create ballpark factors for a few cricket stadiums. The sheer size of the playing field in most makes it a pretty big challenge, but...at the same time, it's a lot of fun to be able to do it and I haven't tested it out yet for a game, but I intend to later this season in my current dynasty.

The premise is, it's not like America where you'd get to descrate the pitch by putting say 20,000 more bleachers on the actual field of play to accomodate the differences between the sheer largess of a cricket pitch and the relative narrowness of a baseball field.

Foul Ground size is extra large.

Kensington Oval (28,000)
(Barbados, West Indies)
Dimensions: (330/403/414/475/425/368/349)
Factors
LBA: .966
RBA: 1.017
2B: 1.039
3B: 1.293
LHR: .688
RHR: .710

Lord's (30,000)
(England)
Dimensions: (345/423/470/505/460/410/360)
A baseball exhibition was actually played at Lord's around World War II.

LBA: 1.028
RBA: 1.009
2B: 1.135
3B: 1.597
LHR: .580
RHR: .485

I'll be doing others later, but...it was a neat idea of something different to attempt to do.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 01:46 AM

With just over a month left in the season, I can reflect on the progress we've made in just a year. We have a foundation in place now that we didn't have last year.

Brennan Atkins (12-7, 2.87) and Ralph Oliver (11-6, 3.69 ERA) have been solid.

We signed Alvaro Vega, a hard-throwing pitcher from Puerto Rico last year and he's already paying dividends for us, going 4-4 with a 1.55 ERA and 90 K since coming up this year from the minors.

Our starters ERA is 8th in the majors at 3.76, but there real problem exists in our hitters. We're just in the middle of the pack offensively in most categories -- 19th in average (.260), 18th in homers (104) and 18th in stolen bases (96). We're striking out too much, which is probably owes to the fact that we've got a lot of young guys in the lineup.

I don't anticipate any major changes going into next year, with a month left in this season. We're 8 games out of the wild card, which is too much ground to make up for a team that hasn't gone out of its way to get 'hot' all year. But that being said, we're probably just a few set pieces away from being a playoff contender next season.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 01:47 AM

It looks like Cleveland is running away with the last place title in MLB with just 40 wins. They might get hot, in which case Washington, San Jose and Colorado would have to watch out, if they'd prefer not to be in the Challenge Series.

Salt Lake City has been pretty solid considering coming out from scratch this year to make sure that they won't be making a return trip to the Continental League after a year in the majors.

Meanwhile, Chicago is 10 games out in the CL West and it seems less and less likely that they'll even get a chance to avenge their demotion to the upstart circuit. There are rumors the team might sell its rights to a promoted team owner for the right price. So it would effectively be a 'franchise swap' where the team moving up would assume the Chicago White Sox name and market and the team staying in the CL would move elsewhere. A crazy idea, but it doesn't seem likely if the standings stay the same and Baltimore and Monterrey hold their leads. Monterrey is vying to become the first Mexican franchise to enter the MLB and Baltimore hasn't had a team since the original Orioles moved to San Jose in 1990. The irony that would ensue if the two teams met in the MLB Challenge Series would be downright hilarious and yet, interesting at the same time.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 02:01 AM

ROSS RETURNS, ENERGIZES YANKEES INTO PLAYOFF RACE
September 1, 2001

C Vic Ross got injured on June 10th and was out 7-8 weeks with a fractured jaw after being hit by a pitch. He was leading the team in home runs before he left and upon his return in early August, it was his leadership that led the team to an 18-8 record in August and now it seems that the faithful in Boston are using the 'p' word as in playoffs.

The team's only playoff appearance since 1976 when they last won the World Series came in 1995, when the team suffered a crushing defeat in the World Series against San Antonio in six games.

So it would be no small feat to return even to the playoffs.

As of September 1st, the team remains 3 games out of the final spot held by San Francisco with Texas just 2 back, St. Louis is just 3 1/2.

"We'll see how it goes. It's great for the confidence of a young team to be in the thick of a playoff race," said Yankees GM D.C. Daly. "But we're not counting our chickens. The boys are playing extremely well right now though and so, if they can manage to keep it up, I do like our chances against anybody."

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 01:18 PM

HERE'S OUR SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER 2001

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/yanks01sep.JPG

I looked at the schedule and there are no games scheduled in NYC for 9/11/01. As a result, I've decided to keep the schedule as it is, imagining a time and a better world than the one we live in..and that such a heinous act never would have occurred.

The American Division leading Comets come to town for three, followed by six home games against Columbus (6th place, American) and Philadelphia (7th place, East) before we play a decisive set of three games against 2nd place Brooklyn who already have 93 wins and the dominant Mets who with 99 wins are within striking distance of the all-time regular season wins record, set by the Atlanta A's in 1998 at 109. Of course, Mets fans will remind you that no matter who had the best record that year, it was the 92-win Mets who ended up winning the World Series in a sweep over Pittsburgh, while the 109-win A's were upset by the Giants in 4 games in the WS Quarter-finals.

"Winning the division is a big deal for us, but winning the World Series is an even bigger one," said Mets manager Eugene Allen.

Our regular season ends with a four game set against Pittsburgh, who are currently just ahead of us in 3rd in the east.

So, our schedule is pretty tough, because the only way we make the playoffs is knocking off teams that are ahead of us at every turn.

Doable? Sure it is. Likely? Well, you have to have hope I think.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 01:40 PM

9/4/2001 UPDATE
---
After taking 2 of 3 from Chicago over Labor Day Weekend, we still sit 3 1/2 games out of the Giants (81-64) who own the last playoff spot at the moment. St. Louis and Texas are just above us 3 games out.

If we can beat Brooklyn in that series and gain ground on Pittsburgh, it'll help us keep pace, but in theory...if the teams above us keep winning and we win, it won't do us a whole lot of good.

But one thing is certain: We don't want to lose.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 02:06 PM

9/12/01 UPDATE
---
We dropped 2 of 3 to Columbus, but then took 3 of 4 from Philadelphia.

We lost yesterday to Brooklyn 5-2, putting us four games out with 9 games to go. It's increasingly evident that we'll need some help if we want to get into the playoffs.

It's funny, I know in some leagues it's actually better NOT to make the playoffs and just figure that it's better to work on building your team for the next year and try again.

I'd much rather -- for the experience of it and more importantly, just the chance to see what we can do -- make the playoffs. But I can see the key weaknesses in our ballclub, especially at the bottom of the lineup. We need more power and we need it now.

The thing is, I can't say that I look at our club and see us as a definitive playoff team next year. I think we should have a good chance if things go right, but the sorts of changes we'll need to make will be slightly more decisive than I think I'll be willing to make this off-season, as we're not going to be taking on any significant increase in salary this year.

INDIANS HOLD ON TO BOTTOM SPOT, MATADORS ALREADY CLINCH
With less than two weeks in the season, the Cleveland Indians (55-98) are holding on to the last spot in the majors, making them the team to 'beat' en route to the MLB Challenge Series against the Guinness Cup winner of the Continental League.

This year's tourney will be played at Lord's, known as the birthplace of cricket in England.

In the Continental League, Monterrey has already clinched the CL West, assuring them the opportunity to face off against the Baltimore Orioles whose magic number is 2, with 12 games left in the CL regular season.

Not surprisingly those two cities are leading the league in overall attendance (Monterrey: 832,628, Baltimore: 818,000) and on the tail end are the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies, the latter proving that even with an underachieving major league team in town, there is no guarantee that fans will show up unless you win. Both teams might be moving at the end of the year.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 03:06 PM

If you're reading this and it's at all interested, let me know. I'm curious (especially on these boards where I don't write as many sustainable dynasties) what people are interested in knowing about the league, the team or whatever.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 03:14 PM

FINAL 2001 MLB STANDINGS
Wild Card qualifiers in Green, Challenge Series qualifier in red.

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
New York Mets 110 52 .679 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 108 54 .667 2.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 93 69 .574 17.0
Boston Yankees 86 76 .531 24.0
Toronto Blue Sox 83 79 .512 27.0
New York Bombers 73 89 .451 37.0
Philadelphia Colonials 71 91 .438 39.0
Cleveland Indians 56 106 .346 54.0

American Division W L PCT GB
St. Louis Cardinals 90 73 .552 -
Chicago Comets 89 74 .546 1.0
Kansas City Royals 88 74 .543 1.5
Detroit Tigers 82 80 .506 7.5
Columbus Clippers 78 84 .481 11.5
Chicago Cubs 76 86 .469 13.5
Minnesota Twins 71 91 .438 18.5
Colorado Rockies 64 98 .395 25.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Dodgers 93 69 .574 -
Los Angeles Angels 92 70 .568 1.0
San Francisco Giants 92 70 .568 1.0
Riverside Red Sox 81 81 .500 12.0
San Diego Padres 80 82 .494 13.0
Seattle Mariners 77 85 .475 16.0
Salt Lake City Bees 76 86 .469 17.0
San Jose Captains 69 93 .426 24.0

National Division W L PCT GB
Atlanta Athletics 96 66 .593 -
Texas Rangers 89 73 .549 7.0
Cincinnati Reds 82 80 .506 14.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 74 88 .457 22.0
Houston Astros 74 88 .457 22.0
Washington Diplomats 69 93 .426 27.0
San Antonio Aviators 67 95 .414 29.0
Florida Marlins 64 98 .395 32.0

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 03:15 PM

2001 FINAL STANDINGS, CONTINENTAL LEAGUE

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Baltimore Orioles 83 53 .610 -
Tampa Bay Rays 72 64 .529 11.0
Richmond Braves 69 67 .507 14.0
Durham Bulls 68 68 .500 15.0
Philadelphia Phillies 64 72 .471 19.0
Milwaukee Brewers 53 83 .390 30.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Monterrey Matadors 84 52 .618 -
Chicago White Sox 73 63 .537 11.0
Portland Beavers 68 68 .500 16.0
Los Angeles Empires 61 75 .449 23.0
Nevada Silverhawks 61 75 .449 23.0
Boise Hawks 60 76 .441 24.0

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 03:33 PM

PLAYOFF PREVIEW, MLB
Baltimore and Monterrey face off in the best-of-five game Guinness Cup Series in the Continental League. The winner will face Cleveland of MLB in another best-of-five game series, this time taking place in London, England for the right to play in MLB next year.

Meanwhile, in MLB the playoff matchups are:

San Francisco (92-70) v. New York (110-52)

Los Angeles Angels (92-70) V. Atlanta (96-66)

Pittsburgh (93-69) v. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-69)

Brooklyn (108-54) v. St. Louis (90-73)

If I had to put money on it, I'd bet that MLB is hoping for a rematch of the seven-game thriller between New York Mets and Brooklyn that took place in 1997.

Meanwhile, you can expect that there will be a variety of changes in the Continental League going into next year, with MLB considering shortening the CL regular season and possibly expanding the CL playoffs to encourage more teams to "go for it" later in the season. Low attendance numbers for some teams has discouraged MLB from those cities and you can expect some changes in venue for some teams.

Meanwhile, the rousing success of Monterrey and Baltimore in the CL has MLB desperate to get back into that market. The O's drew over 1 million fans. By comparison, the Indians drew just 1.5 million for the entire major league season, while Monterrey drew just under a million for the year in total.

Ed note: The game has done a great job with modeling the attendance figures for what amounts to a Triple-A league. Teams are still playing in ballparks that befit their size in some cases, while others are still in MLB parks (White Sox, Orioles) and yet, we don't have any CL teams drawing more than MLB team, which is accurate. That said, Baltimore's 1 million would be a Triple-A record. Sacramento and Memphis are the only two real life Triple-A teams that have hit 900k+ in recent years.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 03:51 PM

BALTIMORE WIN GUINNESS CUP SERIES IN FIVE GAMES
October 1, 2001
Everyone expected a hard-fought series and that's exactly what they got, as the Baltimore Orioles fought off the Monterrey Matadors in five games to win the 2001 Guinness Cup Series.

The Orioles now travel to England to face the Cleveland Indians in the MLB Challenge Series.

"We're pumped," said Orioles Manager Vince Lawson, who is in his first year with the club after managing the Colorado Rockies last year.

The teams say that they're aware the conditions at Lord's are far different than anything in MLB currently, but that doesn't seem to bother O's cleanup hitter and first baseman Gene Holder.

"It doesn't matter. We've got to put up or shutup. This is our chance to prove we belong and we've got to take it."

Meanwhile, the Indians have already discussed with fans of the team who live in Europe, the chance to show up and support the ballclub.

Rookie third baseman Ben Fidge, an Australian who was born in London said that he's sad to be going to his birthplace under such dismal circumstances, but is happy to be playing there.

"I have mates who still live there and so, I can't wait to show off what I do. We're in the majors and they're not. So they have to prove that they want it, because we're not going to give it up easy."

The setup for the games will be Baltimore will be the home team for the first two, with Cleveland being the home team for two others if necessary.

Plans originally called to avoid the double-header format of the series, but in the end, the schedule was set for double-headers on Friday and Saturday, with Game 5 if necessary on Sunday.

"We want to make sure the conditions are fair for the players, but more importantly, we wanted to be sure that fans would come and enjoy the game and we felt doubleheaders were a great way to do that" said an MLB spokesman.

Games 1 & 2 start Friday at 1:15pm local time

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 03:55 PM

MLB CHALLENGE SERIES: TEAMS SPLIT GAMES
October 5, 2001
A near capacity crowd of 29,795 saw the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians split the first two games of the MLB Challenge Series.

The first game, the Orioles won 2-1, but the Indians came back in the 2nd game, mashing 13 hits and winning 9-4 to tie the series. Games 3&4 are tomorrow.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 04:03 PM

CHALLENGE SERIES GOES TO A DECISIVE GAME FIVE

The Indians won Game 3 of the MLBCS 5-0 on stellar pitching by Norberto Avila, and needed just one more win to retain their spot in MLB. But the Orioles weren't to be thwarted and won 4-1 in Game 4, to force a decisive Game 5 tomorrow here at Lord's.

The scene has been nothing short of spectacular. Fans have been energized and playing at Lord's has been exciting for players too.

"It's like playing at Fenway, but so much cooler. I could do this all the time," said Kiernan Black, pitcher for the Orioles and winner of Game 4.

The fear that there wouldn't be enough offense has been unfounded too, as playing in cricket ovals has resulted in less home run action, but still has produced upwards of 5 hits per team per game.

"I think people are too home run obsessed," said Indians manager Gerald Thompson. "This is baseball the way it's meant to be played. I told the guys that they're closer to the roots of the game now on a field like this, than anything they'd ever seen in the U.S.

Since there are no dugouts at Lord's the teams used makeshift benches taken from a local soccer club. The players were also asked not to spit sunflower seeds on the hallowed grounds at Lord's. The players were glad to oblige.

Game 5 will end this year's Challenge Series, but the excitement of the event overseas means that MLB will probably again look at this as a more permanent fixture for the event. Sunday is an off-day for the MLB playoffs, giving the Challenge Series the entire stage for U.S. fans to tune in to what their game is doing abroad in a place where people understand the concept of bat to ball, but where it takes an entirely different form.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 04:28 PM

ORIOLES WIN 5-4, MOVE TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES

In an extra inning thriller, the two teams combined for 21 hits and 9 runs, as the Orioles scored 2 runs in the 10th, to win 5-4. The Indians scored a run in the top half of the 10th to break a 3-3 tie that sent the game to extra frames, but in the end, the Orioles wanted it more and as a result, Baltimore is once again a major league city.

"This is great for our fans, they've supported us all year," said Orioles starting pitcher Jermaine West.

MLB announced that this year and in future years, the winner of the MLB Challenge Series will recieve the "Commissioner's Pin", which is quite honestly just a 'pin' that is awarded to the winning manager, who has a meet 'n greet with the winning manager, either to welcome him and his team formally to MLB or simply to congratulate them on another season in the majors and to wish them "good luck" onto a new year.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 04:43 PM

WORLD SERIES 2001: SUBWAY SERIES II
Last year, we had a hard fought series that saw Pittsburgh knock off Philadelphia in six games to win their first World Series title since 1974.

This year, the Subway Series is back. A rematch of the 1997 instant classic where the Mets won a seven-game battle against the Cyclones and this time, the two teams are back with the Mets having already finished with the best regular season record in history and the Cyclones winning a non-slouchlike 108 games.

Young Drachma

09-24-2007, 10:28 PM

CL CHANGES
In addition to the relegation of the Cleveland Indians to the Continental League, a few other changes will be announced and approved at the MLB owners meeting at the end of the post-season.

*Approval of the move of the Philadelphia Phillies to Montreal, Quebec*Approval of the move of the Boise Hawks to Vancouver, British Columbia

*Approval of the move of the Milwaukee Brewers to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Warm weather cities or domes. Not an accident, either.

MLB SEASON END REPORT
In other news, the New York Mets defeated the Brooklyn Cyclones in seven games to win the 2001 World Series.

YANKEES SEASON RECAP
Winning seasons are enough to get fans at least excited about the product on the field, but not good enough to do much else. Despite having one of the highest values in all of baseball, the team has taken to an approach of chasing after players who fit into the team's plans, rather than trying to build via free agency.

To that end, fans say that they are excited and yet, frustrated about what the team has been doing.

"We're trying to build a winner here and it takes time," said GM D.C. Daly, who is heading into his third year with the club.

He points to a retooled farm system that's the class of baseball and the fact that the team is investing heavily in recruiting players overseas. And Daly says, there is more to come.

The team plans to open a new $15 million baseball facility in the United Kingdom on the heels of a success MLB Challenge Series in that country, as well as the expansion of efforts to develop the game throughout Europe. Daly says, that sticking to the UK is an advantage that other teams have yet to realize.

"There is a culture for the game there. People might know everything about it, but it's a far cry to other countries where they've never seen it and have no links to it at all. We're also looking at other suitable markets around the world and will continue to grow the game and our system to acquire talent wherever it is."

All of this planning, Daly says, costs money.

"Trust me, they're not letting us do it for free."

So initial reports that the team plans not to do much in free agency this off-season were "greatly exaggerated," and Daly says that the Yanks will be an "active player as our fans would expect, to do whatever we can to improve this ballclub. I've been the most critical guy of this team all year, saying what we need to get better," but Boston fans are growing weary as they see a team that has failed to replicate the success of the team's early years when from 196-1976, the team won 3 World Series titles and made seven playoff appearances. Since then, the team's lone playoff appearance in 1995 resulted in a loss in the World Series.

"1995 rings in my ears as if I was here and I wasn't. We want fans to think of the future ahead of us," said Daly.

Rumors that the team is considering replacing hallowed Yankee Field by 2007 is also causing some rumblings, but the team has been mum about its plans to date.

In any case, the question of whether there is a bright future ahead for the Yankees remains to be seen on the field, because as we all know...you can play on paper all you want, but the only way we'll know anything is to see the proof in the pudding.

Young Drachma

09-25-2007, 12:13 AM

I think the revelation about how truly young our ballclub is, has sent me scouring the free agency market for players who are veterans.

I'd like to make the playoffs next year and I believe we have the right combination of young talent to do it, but we need guys to come in and help fill spots where necessary.

Looking around, there aren't tons of guys that I'm even interested in. We've made offers for Reginald Baxter (9 HR/102 RBI/.302 last season with Detroit), a 24-year old first baseman and Diego Rojas (.253/19/112 with Angels), a 2nd baseman who I think could help us.

Given the two are the cream of the offensive crop in terms of guys who played in MLB last season, we're likely to get outbid for both of them, as we're not going to get in a bidding war over them.

VORP IS USEFUL
You know, I find that VORP is actually an extremely useful tool in evaluating players statistically. I never imagined it would be and it's nothing I ever used until this season, but, it's extremely handy as ratings tend to correlate, but more important, statistical performance tends to be there. And that's the handiest part of all.

TRADING PROSPECTS
I once heard Joe Morgan (ok, cringe if you hate him..) say on a telecast that he believed that teams had to win within the window that they have and that dealing prospects is part of that. That it'd be nice to watch a guy develop, but sometimes you don't have the luxury of being able to do that.

I look at my current situation and think the same thing. We need proven veterans to help us fill out a roster that won 80+ games with a bunch of kids and with key injuries to guys who are sparkplugs for us.

But I always have a hard time making big deals like that, not so much because I have a hard time dealing with prospects that develop for someone else five years down the line, as much as I always wonder "what if?" and try to hold out with such deals.

But honestly, we've got such a glut of guys right now that I can't even keep all of them if I wanted to, because they'll never play.

It doesn't mean that it's not hard for me to do sometimes.
November 30, 2001
Signed C Manny Lopez to a four-year deal worth $31.9 million. He hit .257 last year with 11 HR and 60 RBI for San Jose and while that amount of money might seem excessive for who should amount to a backup catcher, last season's situation where we essentially got hammered for half the season when our starting catcher went down, we decided that it wasn't worth taking a chance again with a guy who has already proven himself to be more than a little injury prone.

Young Drachma

09-25-2007, 12:54 AM

Lorenzo Negron (13-13, 3.60 ERA 193 K in 35 starts with Columbus last year), a 32-year old starting pitcher. We offered him a 4-year deal worth $43.4 million. New York Bombers countered our offer and it doesn't seem likely we'll match. The Bombers signed him to a 4-year deal worth $62.4 million.

Reginald Baxter is a simialr case. We offered him a 4-year deal worth $65.7 million, but a counter offer he received took us out of the mix. The Comets inked him to a 5-year deal worth just over $79 million.

It seems the New York Bombers are responding to the success of the Mets with their own attack to find top talent. They've already signed three top free agents this off-season. "They're really remaking themselves in an already extremely tough division. It'll be intriguing to see what happens to them," said one sportswriter from New York.

But taking a look at the Yankees roster heading into Christmas, the offensive side of the house returns two 30-home guys in catcherVic Ross, who was out for six weeks and outfielder M.A. Charbonneau. So if new acquisition Jae Butler can hold up his end of the bargain upon his return to MLB and first baseman AndreW Cooper is in similar form as last year, but with fewer strikeouts (.256/26 HR/91 RBI/134 strikeouts), the old boys from Boston will be in good shape.

But some Yankees fans are disappointed with the team's approach this off-season.

"It's almost January and our best deal was to get a washed up guy from AAAA and we overpaid for a backup catcher. Is that the best D.C. Daly can do?" was the refrain from a popular sports radio talk show this week.

Daly had no comment, except to say that "we're working hard and the off-season isn't over yet."

With the powers of the Eastern Division already present, it's going to be hard work for the Yankees to break in without making some tough choices regarding who to sign.

LOS ANGELES EMPIRES TO MOVE TO SACRAMENTO
[B]With a MLB team now playing in Riverside, the Los Angeles Empires opted against giving it another go in the LA Metro area and announced the team will be acquired by a Sacramento, CA based group who will relocate the Continental League team for the 2002 season.

Young Drachma

09-25-2007, 12:27 PM

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/keoughtrade.jpg

Young Drachma

09-25-2007, 12:28 PM

From today (12/21/01) on, I've turned off ratings and I'm just using stats, stars and "other ratings" as my evaluation tools. I've never tried it and I think it'll be a nice way to create a "fog of war" without making it completely unenjoyable. So we'll see how it goes.

rjolley

09-25-2007, 01:19 PM

I've just caught up. Very interesting read. I'll be following along...

Young Drachma

09-25-2007, 02:10 PM

Here's our roster as of the end of December, 2001:

POS # Name B T G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG OPS SB CS
C 32 Vic Ross R R 95 352 110 14 2 34 79 64 47 47 .313 .394 .653 1.047 0 0
LF 21 M. Charbonneau R R 151 594 168 23 4 31 102 99 81 86 .283 .370 .492 .861 7 2
LF 35 Jae Butler R R 130 492 143 28 2 26 102 84 87 77 .291 .399 .514 .914 3 2
1B 53 Andrew Cooper L L 158 620 159 31 4 26 91 81 70 134 .256 .331 .445 .777 3 0
RF 20 Miguel Martínez L L 154 639 172 48 8 13 86 92 11 77 .269 .298 .430 .729 1 2
3B 38 Mike Ryan L R 155 603 191 31 1 12 76 87 71 58 .317 .396 .431 .827 5 6
C 6 Manny López R R 139 491 126 36 2 11 60 59 55 67 .257 .341 .405 .746 0 3
2B 14 Mino Nishikawa L R 55 199 54 10 4 5 27 35 31 14 .271 .381 .437 .818 16 4
CF 33 Jacob Snow L L 85 275 71 13 4 5 26 38 29 39 .258 .329 .389 .718 13 7
RF 4 Toki Endo S R 135 452 117 28 6 3 54 42 41 84 .259 .330 .367 .697 0 4
SS 15 Michael Warren L R 89 235 55 13 0 2 25 30 40 40 .234 .345 .315 .660 7 3
SP 26 Brennan Atkins R R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
SP 25 Paul Harden R R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
SP 18 Jorge Montés R R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
SP 36 Luis Morales L L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
2B 5 Scott Noble S R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
SP 19 Ralph Oliver L L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
CL 7 Francisco Ortíz R R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
MR 44 Jorge Santollo R R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
MR 52 Jesús Saucedo R R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
MR 40 Curt Taylor L L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
SP 82 Jeremy Thompson R R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
SP 13 Álvaro Vega L L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0

Here are the pitching stats from last season:

POS # Name B T G GS W L SV IP HA HR R ER BB K ERA AVG CG SHO
SP 26 Brennan Atkins R R 33 33 16 9 0 228.0 223 19 101 89 59 164 3.51 .253 2 0
SP 19 Ralph Oliver L L 32 32 15 8 0 235.2 207 31 107 101 86 215 3.86 .238 2 1
SP 25 Paul Harden R R 30 30 13 10 0 207.2 216 10 103 81 67 144 3.51 .267 1 0
SP 36 Luis Morales L L 32 32 11 9 0 189.0 190 14 92 87 81 161 4.14 .262 0 0
CL 7 Francisco Ortíz R R 61 0 8 7 35 64.0 79 9 36 28 14 51 3.94 .310 0 0
SP 13 Álvaro Vega L L 19 19 8 6 0 144.2 105 10 37 32 28 152 1.99 .200 3 2
MR 52 Jesús Saucedo R R 52 1 7 4 2 96.0 106 10 59 50 47 51 4.69 .285 0 0
MR 44 Jorge Santollo R R 54 0 4 4 4 69.1 63 1 31 27 28 28 3.50 .242 0 0
SP 82 Jeremy Thompson R R 26 19 2 10 0 109.0 141 19 83 74 39 51 6.11 .313 0 0
MR 40 Curt Taylor L L 33 0 1 1 3 40.1 39 5 17 17 15 14 3.79 .257 0 0
LF 35 Jae Butler R R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
LF 21 M.A. CharbonneauR R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
1B 53 Andrew Cooper L L 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
RF 4 Toki Endo S R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
C 6 Manny López R R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
RF 20 Miguel Martínez L L 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
SP 18 Jorge Montés R R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
2B 14 Mino Nishikawa L R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
2B 5 Scott Noble S R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
C 32 Vic Ross R R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
3B 38 Mike Ryan L R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
CF 33 Jacob Snow L L 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
SS 15 Michael Warren L R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0

Young Drachma

09-25-2007, 02:15 PM

Here's the stats on Manuel Mateo, a rfghtfielder that we've made an offer on. He'd be our biggest free agent signing of the off-season and likely, the only offer we're intending to make.

We had to counteroffer after the Bombers made an offer and he's yet to get back to us, so we'll see....the salaries are roughly real world in the current universe and so, based on that, I wonder what you'd pay for a guy putting up these kinds of numbers.

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/mateo.jpg

Young Drachma

09-25-2007, 02:25 PM

Nevermind, we were outbid by a lot. Our last offer was for 6-year/$126 million. No way I would've touched this number.

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/mateodeal.jpg

PilotMan

09-25-2007, 03:23 PM

This is probably the main reason why OOTP2007 was my favorite of the series. It really reminds me of my experiment that I was running in the spring called "the world".

I like the previews to the big games, the newspaper style previews that show top players and pitchers for the series. I find myself gravitating to the Challenge Series much more than the World Series.

The idea of a relegation system for baseball is cool, and you didn't go overboard with it. Enough to talk about it, but not so much that it becomes the focal point of the season.

How are the clubs at the various levels doing financially? And how are you deciding how and when to move teams or to contract them altogether?

Keep it up.

Young Drachma

09-25-2007, 04:50 PM

FINANCIAL SYSTEM INFORMATION
As you might have noticed, the promised lower division that would be below the Continental League never materialized. I started to do it and I decided that 32 teams in the majors and 12 in the lower division were enough. I'd be far more inclined to contract from MLB than I would be to add more teams at either level right now.

IN MLB, I have teams making $125m per year in media money. In all of my 07 dynasties, I've modeled the financials in such a way to combined ALL the media money from national tv and radio, internet and other licensing to come up with a number that works for me. In addition, I've taken to give the big city teams a "deep pocketed owner" bonus which rewards them with more cash. It's totally arbitrary with the New York and Dodgers doing better than say, the Angels or the Chicago Comets and the Cubs -- though not owned by Tribune in this dynasty -- getting a bump too because of the power of their brand.

That all being said, the team budgets are pretty close to parity, which I like, without making it like the NFL where talent has little to do with it, but it's plausible that teams can be bad one year and be good in a few more if they play their cards right and it doesn't require overspending.

The Mets have the highest "budget" in MLB at $248 million and the newly promoted Orioles the lowest at $184 million.

In the Continental League, the salary cap was $32.5 million last year and it'll be $35 million this year. There is a cash maximum of $5 million that went to $10 million this year and that keeps things pretty even and mostly it prevents them from going out and signing some guy to ridiculous contracts. The highest paid players in the Continental League are guys who'd probably be 4th or 5th outfielders in MLB. It didn't start that way, but with teams like mine -- and PC teams -- wise enough to know that there is talent down there worth raiding and so, that league turns into a place where teams send not quite ripe prospects to get better.

Meanwhile, there remains a team or two that hold on to veterans that they got in earlier years in an attempt to make it up to the big show. Tampa's a team to watch this year and MLB certainly has the teams that it's sitting on pins and needless to watch, as there are markets that are desirable in that league that would be suitable in the majors, too.

As far as choices to move/contract, the team moves in the Continental League are driven by attendance and market size. You could see a scenario where say, a team in the Continental League with a brand that's got some cache (say, the Chicago White Sox) spend too much time in the CL, could 'sell' their brand and market rights to a team that's promoted.

So for instance, would MLB rather have a third team in Chicago again or one team in Richmond? I have no idea what that determination would be, but I can see that scenario coming down the pipe someday.

I would like to concoct a future where say, a team from Toledo or Rochester or Sarnia could make it from the 4th division to the Major Leagues on pure grit, determination and all of that crap. But....we're not there yet, I don't think. And I'm not 100% sure this dynasty will ever get there.

But it is something I'd like to see maybe.

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 01:10 AM

CONTRACTION COULD BE COMING
February 10, 2002
Major League Baseball officials have been rumbling about an idea that would change the game even more than it's already been changed. Some owners are privately grumbling about the idea that some teams are just taking and taking the revenue checks from the media money that MLB teams get, versus the ones that are actually competing for a championship.

Some owners are pushing for a plan that would demote up to six teams by 2005, based on their win percentage over a three year period starting this year.

That said, no agreement has been reached to make this happen.

"It'd be a radical move, but it would at the same time serve as a mechanism for improving play at the Continental League level," said one baseball observer.

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 12:43 PM

2002 SEASON PREVIEW
The off-season for the Boston Yankees hasn't been as dramatic this year as it's been in past seasons. We're basically bringing back a lot of the same cast of characters going into this year and the reason for it is simple. With such a young team, I need another year (at least) to see how some of these guys break out and how well they respond to being in the majors. As a result, I wanted to just give it a bit of time before going any further with it.

Here are the payroll breakdowns as of March 2002:

Rank Team Payroll
1 Pittsburgh Pirates $100,285,080
2 New York Bombers $84,016,750
3 Atlanta Athletics $74,039,300
4 Chicago Comets $69,974,240
5 Riverside Red Sox $68,158,000
6 Boston Yankees $68,129,450
7 San Diego Padres $65,055,000
8 Philadelphia Colonials $61,200,956
9 Toronto Blue Sox $60,871,110
10 Baltimore Orioles $56,574,925
11 Los Angeles Dodgers $56,435,800
12 Kansas City Royals $55,137,500
13 Detroit Tigers $54,358,200
14 Houston Astros $49,210,080
15 Brooklyn Cyclones $48,917,500
16 New York Mets $48,711,010
17 Texas Rangers $48,009,550
18 St. Louis Cardinals $44,396,100
19 Washington Diplomats $44,168,200
20 San Jose Captains $43,185,770
21 Cincinnati Reds $41,981,000
22 Salt Lake City Bees $41,480,900
23 Florida Marlins $40,860,520
24 Chicago Cubs $40,449,900
25 San Antonio Aviators $39,394,338
26 Minnesota Twins $38,800,000
27 Seattle Mariners $38,598,100
28 Columbus Clippers $36,795,800
29 Arizona Diamondbacks $36,603,000
30 Colorado Rockies $34,990,860
31 San Francisco Giants $26,932,300
32 Los Angeles Angels $19,833,760

Here are the highest paid players in MLB:

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Ricardo González Los Angeles $20,510,000
2 Manuel Mateo Baltimore $20,015,000
3 Carlos Rivera Philadelphia $16,865,000
4 Joaquín Márquez Atlanta $16,595,000
5 Roberto Flores New York $15,895,000
6 Boyd O'Manning Los Angeles $14,030,000
7 José Gonzáles Pittsburgh $13,620,000
8 Larry Morris New York $13,220,000
9 Juan Álvarez Texas $13,010,000
10 Zi-jing Gui New York $13,005,000
11 Pedro Medine Chicago $12,870,000
12 Felipe Ríos Florida $12,485,000
13 Garry Lewis Pittsburgh $12,350,000
14 Jed Stinson Riverside $12,255,000
15 Daniel Quiñonez San Diego $12,140,000
16 Jorge Quiñones Detroit $11,895,000
17 Rick McKee Pittsburgh $11,835,000
18 Frank Thomas Riverside $11,645,000
19 Lorenzo Negrón New York $11,520,000
20 Pedro Rodríguez Washington $11,490,000
21 Joe Thomas Pittsburgh $11,465,000
22 Danny Randall Houston $11,130,000
23 Teodoro Flores Atlanta $11,015,000
24 Mike Ryan Boston $11,010,000
25 António Gallegos Riverside $10,970,000

Here are the Continental League payroll figures:

Rank Team Payroll
1 Tampa Bay Rays $30,078,915
2 Nevada Silverhawks $26,141,265
3 Sacramento Snappers $24,092,735
4 Portland Beavers $23,255,150
5 Durham Bulls $20,274,675
6 Vancouver Whitecaps $18,680,125
7 Chicago White Sox $16,399,621
8 Monterrey Matadors $14,813,440
9 Montreal Expos $14,760,869
10 Cleveland Indians $12,390,375
11 Richmond Braves $12,055,000
12 New Orleans Zephyrs $10,058,020

Here are the highest paid players in the Continental League:

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Zach Mitchell Nevada $8,445,000
2 Brennan Atkins Chicago $8,360,000
3 Manuel Bernard Tampa Bay $7,740,000
4 Pedro Ramos Sacramento $7,320,000
5 Cory Rheaume Durham $6,770,000
6 Tomás Flores Tampa Bay $6,470,000
7 Jean Nguyen Nevada $5,867,500
8 Tom Gunter Durham $5,805,000
9 Edward Bishop Sacramento $5,740,800
10 Henry Kowalski New Orleans $5,490,000
11 Juan Guzmán Portland $5,310,000
12 Ricardo Beltrán Tampa Bay $5,010,000
13 Francisco Casteneda Montreal $4,615,000
14 Gary Hatch Monterrey $4,370,000
15 Juan López Portland $3,972,500
16 Dave Blevins Vancouver $3,948,750
17 Norberto Ávila Cleveland $3,910,000
18 Mario Palácios Portland $3,860,000
19 Eric Cozart Nevada $3,830,000
20 Jeffrey Napper Montreal $3,697,500
21 James Gibson Cleveland $3,495,000
22 Orlando Hernández Sacramento $2,887,500
23 Nelson Ruíz Sacramento $2,760,000
24 Domingo Garza Tampa Bay $2,695,000
25 Jimmy Everett Chicago $2,587,500

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 12:50 PM

I made two deals in March and both were a consideration of the fact that 1) they were overpaid and 2) I had guys who I felt would be more productive this year and so, it was a little difficult to do since I just acquired them both last year, but I dealt them in separate trades.

Brennan Atkins, you might remember came over in a deal from the Chicago White Sox last year before they got relegated. We sent him back there for a reliever and a prospect.

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/atkinstrade.jpg

Dealing Japanese upstart Toki Endo was a bit more challenging, as we had to eat about $5 million of his salary to get Salt Lake City to take him. Also going in this deal was Andrew Cooper, who is a fan favourite and a player I had high hopes for. But Dan Warren is the same age, hit more homers last year (35) and RBI (109) and has hit .300 in both of his full major league seasons, while Cooper has the potential to do that as a homerun hitter (26 HR/91 RBI last year) but only hit .256 last year and well, given the woeful status of our offense last year, I felt that the guy with the more demonstrated pop might be a better acquisition and so, I pulled the trigger.

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/endotrade.jpg

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 01:18 PM

BATTING
Mino Nishikawa starts the year as the full-timer at 2nd base this year after playing in 55 games last year and hitting .271, he had 16 steals in 20 attempts and is the leadoff man to begin the year.

Mike Ryan came over in the deal from the Chicago Comets for Tom Keough and will hopefully provide some pop in the lineup for the Yanks in the #2 hole. He hit 12 HR and 76 RBI last year on .317 average.

Newly acquired first baseman Dan Warren comes to town with high expectations after replacing the popular Andrew Cooper, but with 40 HR potential from his bat, the fans might warm up to him pretty quickly.

M.A. Charbonneau plays from the DH position, where he hopes to improve on 31 HR and 102 RBI last year.

Vic Ross will hope to have a healthier year than last year at the catcher spot. Despite the injury, he hit 34 HR and .313 average in just 352 at-bats.

Jae Butler comes over from the Continental League and is likely the biggest wild card on the ballclub, as many wonder how many of those 26 HR and 102 RBI he hit last year in the CL will translate to the majors. He's the guy we're watching most to see if he can keep his starting position all year.

Miguel Martinez bats eighth and mans right field. He hit .269 with 13 HR and 86 RBI last year for the Yanks.

Batting ninth is Michael Warren is a highly touted 20-year old who already has half a season in the majors under his belt. After hitting just .234 last year in 235 ABs, the Yanks area hoping a whole season at the post will give him the confidence to reach his full potential.

PITCHING
On the pitching side of the house, the Yankees again trot out a gang of youngsters by and large.

The lone veteran of the staff is 31-year old Paul Harden who came over from Durham at mid-season last year and went 6-5, with a 3.94 ERA in 15 starts with the Yanks.

While there is no definitive ace on the squad, the team is hoping that left-handed youngsters Alvaro Vega (8-6, 1.99), Ralph Oliver (15-8, 3.86) and Luis Manuel Morales (11-9, 4.14) can turn the league on its head as they've all had a year of major league experience under their belt. Rounding out the rotation is Jeremy Thompson who went 2-10 with a 6.11 ERA in 19 starts after entering the rotation last year, but the club is hoping he can turn it around this year.

Closer Francisco Ortiz is in the last year of his deal after going 8-7 with 35 saves last year.

The Yanks freed up enough salary in the deals to move Atkins and Endo that if they need to make a deal or two at the deadline, that we can make that happen. We still have ample prospects to do that, too.

Speaking of top prospects, I'll review who we have on the farm next.

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 01:51 PM

Baseball America's list of top Boston Yankees prospects was released. Here are some of the highlights:

SS Vin Reilly
The 18-year old Aussie shortstop was the third round pick of the Yankees in the 2000 draft. He projects as a great fielder with utility potential, who can hit for contact and power. He's the whole package and his teammates have nicknamed him "Vin Diesel." He's still got a few years before he could make an impact at the major league level, though. He's on the major league roster as of this season, but he doesn't fact to get lots of time to show his stuff and will likely go back and forth between minor league Long Beach Island and Boston.

C Chris Elliott
19-year catcher from Georgia was signed a minor league free agent. Has excellent catching skills and has the potential to be a solid hitter at the big league level. Still a few years away. Projected ML Debut: 2005

OF Antonio Medina
Signed as a 15-year old free agent out of Chile, Medina could be the first Chilean to make the majors dsomeday. He's got excellent speed on the basepaths, but still needs to learn how to hit a curveball. Has fantastic upside, though. ML Debut: 2007

Jordan Andrews
Second baseman from Indianapolis is a sure-handed fielder who was picked in the 7th round of the draft. Has the ability to be a solid hitter, but still needs a lot of seasoning before he'll be a factor at Yankee Field. ML Debut: 2006

SP Saku Kawano
Japanese starting pitcher acquired as a free agent. At 17, he's already looking like a complete package, with strong control and effective movement off the plate. This is his first season of ball in the U.S., so it'll be interesting to see how he adjusts. Could be transitioned to the bullpen at some point in his career. ML Debut: 2006

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 03:14 PM

JUNE 1, 2002 STANDINGS

Near mid-season, the relegation zone is full of teams that are playing for their major league lives. Meanwhile, the Yankees lead the Eastern Division and trying to stay atop the division to capture their first Eastern Division title since 1995.

MLB STANDINGS

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 43 22 .662 -
New York Bombers 40 25 .615 3.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 38 25 .603 4.0
New York Mets 38 26 .594 4.5
Brooklyn Cyclones 37 27 .578 5.5
Toronto Blue Sox 36 29 .554 7.0
Baltimore Orioles 32 32 .500 10.5
Philadelphia Colonials 22 42 .344 20.5

American Division W L PCT GB
Chicago Comets 42 22 .656 -
Detroit Tigers 37 28 .569 5.5
St. Louis Cardinals 37 28 .569 5.5
Colorado Rockies 35 31 .530 8.0
Kansas City Royals 33 32 .508 9.5
Chicago Cubs 32 33 .492 10.5
Columbus Clippers 27 38 .415 15.5
Minnesota Twins 21 44 .323 21.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Dodgers 38 26 .594 -
Los Angeles Angels 35 30 .538 3.5
Salt Lake City Bees 31 33 .484 7.0
Seattle Mariners 31 34 .477 7.5
Riverside Red Sox 27 36 .429 10.5
San Jose Captains 27 36 .429 10.5
San Diego Padres 26 38 .406 12.0
San Francisco Giants 24 40 .375 14.0

National Division W L PCT GB
Cincinnati Reds 44 22 .667 -
Texas Rangers 35 30 .538 8.5
Houston Astros 29 34 .460 13.5
Atlanta Athletics 29 35 .453 14.0
San Antonio Aviators 28 37 .431 15.5
Washington Diplomats 27 37 .422 16.0
Florida Marlins 26 38 .406 17.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 23 40 .365 19.5

Meanwhile, Tampa is leading the Continental League East, with Cleveland and Durham not too far behind. In the West, Nevada is looking to their first playoff appearance ever, with the entire division less than seven games behind.

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE
Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Tampa Bay Rays 23 14 .622 -
Cleveland Indians 20 17 .541 3.0
Durham Bulls 20 17 .541 3.0
Richmond Braves 20 17 .541 3.0
Montreal Expos 17 20 .459 6.0
New Orleans Zephyrs 10 27 .270 13.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Nevada Silverhawks 22 15 .595 -
Monterrey Matadors 21 16 .568 1.0
Vancouver Whitecaps 19 18 .514 3.0
Chicago White Sox 17 20 .459 5.0
Portland Beavers 17 20 .459 5.0
Sacramento Snappers 16 21 .432 6.0

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 04:21 PM

YANKS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR A NEW STADIUM
BOSTON -- Riding the wave of their current first place standing, the Boston Yankees unveiled plans today for a brand new ballpark in South Boston to replace aging Yankee Field at Fenway Park.

The grandstand of the new ballpark will be a modern interpretation of the old South End Grounds (http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/sthend.htm)

http://www.bpl.org/sportstemples/images/southend_lg.jpg

The new $676 million ballpark on the Boston Harbor will be completed by the 2006 season and will have dimensions that take some of the elements of Fenway (the new park will have a green monster) while incorporating newer features, as well.

The controversy over whether the team should move has been scuttled since the ownership of the Yankees will be footing the bill for the ballpark, with the exception of $120 million in tax abatements given to the team by the city for the land around the harbor, but that will be paid for in taxes by the new hotel and convention center developments that are expected to be built near the ballpark.

The as-of-yet named park will seat an estimated 51000 fans.

WHAT THE DIFFERENCE?
The 2002 Yankees are three seasons removed from the 2000 club that was the worst team in franchise history. What's the difference? Well, it starts with a few distinctions.

First, the team's 3.54 ERA is the best team ERA in baseball and the team is top 5 in most major pitching category, except for home runs allowed (10th in MLB)

On the offensive side, the team has become more electric than ever. The Yanks are 3rd in slugging percentage (.473), 2 in team home runs (98) and 3rd in runs scored (393).

Jeremy Thompson has emerged as the ace of the staff, going 9-2 so far this season with a 2.87, already exceeding his career win total (8) this season. Not to be outdone, Paul Harden and Ralph Oliver are 2nd on the team in wins with 8.

Offensively, Mike Ryan leads the team with a .343 batting average this season. While M.A. Charbonneau leads the team with 23 homers, 2nd most in MLB behind former Yankees slugger Andrew Cooper who is now in Salt Lake City. The guy he was traded for Dan Warren has 17 HR and a team leading 63 RBI this season, just three behind the major league lead.

So the bottom line is, so far it seems that the Yanks are firing on all cylinders and that's helping the team achieve success that it's not seen in recent years.

The question is, can they sustain it for an entire year?

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 05:18 PM

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/butlerdeal.jpg

This deal achieved two things for us. It gave us a veteran arm that we could keep around as insurance and it replaced an underperforming player with a guy who is not only a future Hall of Famer, but who is a gamer and a great influence in the clubhouse.

Spencer Jacobs is 36 years old and has spent his whole career in San Francisco. He's got 3,087 career hits, 576 career home runs and a career .313 hitter.

When the deal was announced, Jacobs said it was hard for to make the move, but "I knew in the end that this was better for the Giants, because it gave them some young guys that they could build with.

The three players they got in return, Scott Jacobs is likely to be the team's new shortstop and Jesus Saucedo will go from Boston's bullpen to the Giants rotation, as the team hopes to stave off a trip to the Challenge Series with less than half the season to go.

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 06:21 PM

This deal not only saved us some money (Serrano makes less than Ryan), but Baty was accustomed to starting and wasn't as effective for us in relief for the brief time he was here. Serrano is obviously a huge upgrade at third base offensively and since today was the deadline and he became available to us, I thought it made sense to try to bolster the club heading into the final stretch of the year. We'll see if it pays off...

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/ryantrade.jpg

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 07:17 PM

PLAYOFF DROUGHTS
--
I was curious what teams in MLB had never made the playoffs or had long World Series droughts.

Here are the results of that 'research'.

* Only three teams have never made the playoffs. Riverside, which joined the league in 2001, Salt Lake City, which was promoted in 2001 and Baltimore, which came from the CL last year.

*Of the founding clubs (1969), the fewest playoff appearance is five. Florida, Texas and the LA Dodgers have this distinction. None of the three have won a World Series.

* The Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs have the most playoff appearances at 18 each. The Cubs have 2 World Series titles, the Royals 1.

*San Antonio, which joined MLB in 1980 as an expansion team has 10 playoff appearances and 5 World Series titles, the most titles of any team. The New York Mets have 4 World Series titles, the most of any founding club.

PLAYOFF DROUGHTS
---
Houston (1991)
Minnesota (1993)
New York Bombers (1992)
San Antonio (1995)
San Diego (1991)
Washington (1994)
Boston (1995)

MAJOR LEAGUE STANDINGS
September 1, 2002

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 90 54 .625 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 89 54 .622 .5
New York Bombers 85 60 .586 5.5
New York Mets 85 60 .586 5.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 78 66 .542 12.0
Toronto Blue Sox 73 71 .507 17.0
Baltimore Orioles 69 74 .483 20.5
Philadelphia Colonials 50 94 .347 40.0

American Division W L PCT GB
Chicago Comets 99 45 .688 -
St. Louis Cardinals 81 63 .563 18.0
Chicago Cubs 75 69 .521 24.0
Detroit Tigers 75 69 .521 24.0
Kansas City Royals 73 70 .510 25.5
Columbus Clippers 72 73 .497 27.5
Colorado Rockies 70 76 .479 30.0
Minnesota Twins 47 97 .326 52.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Angels 88 56 .611 -
Los Angeles Dodgers 78 65 .545 9.5
San Diego Padres 68 77 .469 20.5
Seattle Mariners 67 78 .462 21.5
Salt Lake City Bees 63 81 .438 25.0
Riverside Red Sox 61 82 .427 26.5
San Francisco Giants 61 82 .427 26.5
San Jose Captains 61 83 .424 27.0

National Division W L PCT GB
Cincinnati Reds 83 62 .572 -
Texas Rangers 74 71 .510 9.0
San Antonio Aviators 71 72 .497 11.0
Houston Astros 70 73 .490 12.0
Florida Marlins 66 79 .455 17.0
Atlanta Athletics 65 79 .451 17.5
Washington Diplomats 60 84 .417 22.5
Arizona Diamondbacks 58 86 .403 24.5

CHALLENGE SERIES STANDINGS
September 1, 2002

W L PCT GB
Minnesota Twins 47 97 .326 -
Philadelphia Colonials 50 94 .347 3
Arizona Diamondbacks 58 86 .403 11

While not exactly a pennant race by traditional standards, the race for the Continental League playoffs
are heating up and it's the first time that entering September that we haven't seen one team completely
running away with both divisions. In the east, Richmond and Montreal are deadlocked, with Tampa not far behind.
In the West, defending West champs Monterrey are looking for a return trip to the Guinness Cup Series, with the White Sox
battling for a shot to regain their major league glory, sitting 4 games back with less than a month to go.

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE STANDINGS

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Montreal Expos 67 52 .563 -
Richmond Braves 67 52 .563 -
Tampa Bay Rays 63 56 .529 4.0
Durham Bulls 60 59 .504 7.0
Cleveland Indians 57 62 .479 10.0
New Orleans Zephyrs 53 66 .445 14.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Monterrey Matadors 64 55 .538 -
Chicago White Sox 60 59 .504 4.0
Nevada Silverhawks 58 61 .487 6.0
Portland Beavers 57 62 .479 7.0
Vancouver Whitecaps 56 63 .471 8.0
Sacramento Snappers 52 67 .437 12.0

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 07:28 PM

BERLIN, GERMANY TO HOST 2002 MLB CHALLENGE SERIES
The Berlin Olympiastadion will play host to the 2002 MLB Challenge Series. Last year's was held at historic Lord's Cricket Oval in London, before sellout
crowds each of the three days of the event. This year, the event travels to mainland Europe to a site that's actually played host to baseball before. In 1936 during the Berlin Olympics, the Olympiastadion played host to the largest attended baseball game in history - believed to be over 100,000 fans. While no one is expecting such record crowds for this year's event, the anticipation of baseball's return to Germany excites both Germans and Americans stationed abroad with the U.S. military.

"We're thrilled man. Even if it is a matchup between a team that's bad and another one, it's still baseball," said Capt. John Henry of the U.S. Army. MLB has already announced that it will give away nearly 10,000 tickets over the Series to soliders wanting to attend and their families.

"Some dads stationed there never get a chance to take their sons and daughters to a baseball game. We'd love to be able to do our best to make that experience happen," said MLB spokesman Jacob Mitters.

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 07:33 PM

MLB ATTENDANCE
(As of September 1, 2002)

Rank Team Attendance
1 Los Angeles Angels 3,353,355
2 Toronto Blue Sox 3,306,139
3 Los Angeles Dodgers 3,287,724
4 Chicago Comets 3,253,325
5 New York Bombers 3,226,288
6 Texas Rangers 3,147,702
7 St. Louis Cardinals 3,144,009
8 Baltimore Orioles 3,104,539
9 New York Mets 3,091,343
10 Colorado Rockies 3,084,837
11 Kansas City Royals 2,932,148
12 Chicago Cubs 2,856,159
13 Brooklyn Cyclones 2,812,951
14 Cincinnati Reds 2,807,129
15 Atlanta Athletics 2,784,426
16 Detroit Tigers 2,781,627
17 San Antonio Aviators 2,764,137
18 Boston Yankees 2,743,660
19 San Diego Padres 2,728,679
20 Seattle Mariners 2,712,322
21 San Jose Captains 2,580,152
22 Washington Diplomats 2,549,997
23 Pittsburgh Pirates 2,527,118
24 San Francisco Giants 2,492,030
25 Houston Astros 2,445,944
26 Columbus Clippers 2,334,738
27 Riverside Red Sox 2,254,313
28 Arizona Diamondbacks 2,231,706
29 Florida Marlins 2,044,730
30 Philadelphia Colonials 2,023,755
31 Salt Lake City Bees 1,947,550
32 Minnesota Twins 1,429,080

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE ATTENDANCE
(As of September 1, 2002)

Rank Team Attendance
1 Nevada Silverhawks 886,015
2 Vancouver Whitecaps 838,286
3 Tampa Bay Rays 776,588
4 Montreal Expos 732,439
5 Durham Bulls 725,041
6 Sacramento Snappers 673,617
7 Portland Beavers 667,100
8 Monterrey Matadors 651,515
9 Richmond Braves 643,411
10 Cleveland Indians 642,982
11 Chicago White Sox 582,633
12 New Orleans Zephyrs 349,183

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 10:00 PM

SEEMINGLY SAFE FROM RELEGATION, BEES SEEK TO MOVE
Salt Lake City is a great place to raise a family, says Bees owner R.J. Covenant, it is not however, a lucrative locale for a major league baseball team. Saddled with debts from the team's unlikely ascent from family friendly baseball club in the Continental League to Major League franchise, the Bees have defied the odds and look to be spending another season in the majors despite their 2nd losing season as a major league club. Covenant has placed the ballclub on the market, hoping to cash in on an investment that was just $15 million in 1996 when he became a majority partner in a fledging minor league team that at the time was in a league that MLB had no intention of "promoting" to major league status. Or at least, so he believed.

"I never saw this as a chance to get us into the big leagues. Our guys have just played so well and well, when that happens, history happens and that's why we have a major league team in Salt Lake." But fans of the ballclub have apparently grown weary of the novelty of a major league club or maybe it's just a losing one. In any case, the team plays in the smallest venue in the majors -- Franklin Covey Field -- has a capacity of 29,500 and that's only because the team put bleachers in last year when they moved to the majors, giving them an extra 10,000 seats, but it's not cozy and most players feel the park is woefully minor league. And Covenant has said he's reluctant to pour more money into the club -- despite turning profits of over $100 million last year (due to the windfall of media money he got when the team made the majors) because he doesn't know how long they'll be in the majors.

Several owners have stepped forward and all of them have expressed an interest to move the club elsewhere. Covenant has been hushed as to where these locales might be, but some observers say the team could announce a move as early as the end of the World Series.

"They've got a nice core in place, so it'd be an attractive team for a city without a whole lot of distractions that would support major league baseball. There aren't a ton of those places out there, especially in today's landscape, let alone one with a stadium already ready for a new team, but, crazier things have happened," said A.J. West, of the Denver Chronicle.

OTHER CL NEWS
Meanwhile, the Durham Bulls will be moving to Charlotte next season and will become the Charlotte Knights. Team officials felt the team would do better in a metropolitan area and that with a growing city to draw from, the owners say this is "a move that will ensure that the Carolinas will someday have a team of their own in the majors."

In a surprising move, the New Orleans Zephyrs announced they will leave New Orleans after just one season in the Crescent City. Attendance for the last place Zephyrs wasn't what the team had hoped for when it relocated from Milwaukee last year and the team says it will be relocating to Newark, New Jersey.

The city is just completing a brand new stadium on the Passaic River and the team believes that its proximity to mass transit and being a stone's throw from New York City will be a boon to the fledging franchise. It'll mark the first time the NYC metro area has supported more than three major league teams in the modern era.

MLB ANNOUNCES MAJOR REALIGNMENT IN THE CONTINENTAL LEAGUE

On the eve of the Guinness Cup Series, MLB has decided for the first time to expand its junior circuit by six teams next year. This massive expansion represents a huge shot in the arm for the Continental League, which since its first season in 1996 has provided "a major league experience to cities across America," according to the MLB web site.

No discussion on an alignment for the CL after this year's expansion has been discussed.

The new cities are Nashville, Hartford, Milwaukee, Omaha, Orlando and Albuquerque.

MLB implemented a new rule that can give the league the right to reject the winner of the Challenge Series if that city doesn't have a stadium that meets minimum guidelines set by MLB. This is to prevent a situation like in Salt Lake City when the team was promoted without an "adaquate" facility by MLB and MLBPA approval.

The parameters for how this would happen seem hazy at best, but the rule seems brought on by the worry of the players union that Monterrey might win the Challenge Series and that players would be forced to spend an entire MLB season there.

While there have been no incidents in the city deems Mexico's "safest" since the Matadors arrived in 1996, some are said to be "wary" about having to play there a full year.

No official comments have been made regarding these fear, however.

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 11:27 PM

September 16, 2002
---
In terms of pennant races worth monitoring, there are only a few left as the season draws to a close with just a week left.

In the Eastern Division, the Boston Yankees and Brooklyn Cyclones are duking it out for supremacy, with the Cyclones losing 2 of three against the Yanks in their four game set this weekend. There is one game left tonight and then the Yankees finish their year against the Toronto Blue Sox. If the Yanks are the #1 seed, they'll face off against the final seed in the playoff race.

That's a battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals who are deadlocked at 86-72 with four games to go. If the Yanks are the #5 seed, they'll play the Cincinnati Reds, who clinched the National Division and are 90-68, the worst record of the four division leaders.

Meanwhile in the Continental League, Monterrey has already clinched their 2nd straight West Division title, but in the east, there is a battle between the Richmond Braves and the Montreal Expos. The Braves are a game ahead of the Expos, with three games left in the regular season.

Young Drachma

09-26-2007, 11:43 PM

September 17, 2002
With a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Sox, the Boston Yankees clinched their first 100-win season since 1976 when the team won its last World Series.

With the Cyclones 3-1 defeat at the hands of the New York Bombers, the Yankees have a 1 game lead in the Eastern Division with two games to go. If they win today, they'll clinch a tie for the division title and even if they lose the day after, they'll still win the Division Championship because they've won the season series against Brooklyn 10-3.

"It's a nice turn of events," said Yankees GM D.C. Daly, who said he had a vision for the ballclub three years ago when he took over and they had the worst record in baseball. Now, they're preparing to head to their first post-season since 1995 as the #2 seed (Ed note: I misspoke earlier. Chicago is the #1 seed).

The Eastern Division will be home to three of the four wild card teams no matter what happens in the divisional race, as all three New York teams (Bombers, Mets, Cyclones) will advance out of the East, with the battle for the final spot being captured by St. Louis, who edged out the Dodgers by at least 1 game in the end.

---
FINAL 2002 STANDINGS

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 102 60 .630 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 101 61 .623 1.0
New York Mets 96 66 .593 6.0
New York Bombers 91 71 .562 11.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 84 78 .519 18.0
Toronto Blue Sox 81 81 .500 21.0
Baltimore Orioles 80 82 .494 22.0
Philadelphia Colonials 60 102 .370 42.0

American Division W L PCT GB
Chicago Comets 109 53 .673 -
St. Louis Cardinals 88 74 .543 21.0
Chicago Cubs 83 79 .512 26.0
Kansas City Royals 83 79 .512 26.0
Detroit Tigers 82 80 .506 27.0
Columbus Clippers 79 83 .488 30.0
Colorado Rockies 78 84 .481 31.0
Minnesota Twins 57 105 .352 52.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Angels 97 65 .599 -
Los Angeles Dodgers 86 76 .531 11.0
San Diego Padres 76 86 .469 21.0
Seattle Mariners 76 86 .469 21.0
San Jose Captains 73 89 .451 24.0
Salt Lake City Bees 72 90 .444 25.0
Riverside Red Sox 69 93 .426 28.0
San Francisco Giants 67 95 .414 30.0

National Division W L PCT GB
Cincinnati Reds 92 70 .568 -
Texas Rangers 85 77 .525 7.0
San Antonio Aviators 81 81 .500 11.0
Houston Astros 79 83 .488 13.0
Florida Marlins 76 86 .469 16.0
Atlanta Athletics 74 88 .457 18.0
Washington Diplomats 69 93 .426 23.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 66 96 .407 26.0

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Richmond Braves 78 58 .574 -
Montreal Expos 77 59 .566 1.0
Tampa Bay Rays 73 63 .537 5.0
Durham Bulls 65 71 .478 13.0
Cleveland Indians 62 74 .456 16.0
New Orleans Zephyrs 60 76 .441 18.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Monterrey Matadors 75 61 .551 -
Chicago White Sox 67 69 .493 8.0
Vancouver Whitecaps 67 69 .493 8.0
Nevada Silverhawks 65 71 .478 10.0
Portland Beavers 64 72 .471 11.0
Sacramento Snappers 63 73 .463 12.0

Young Drachma

09-27-2007, 12:10 AM

WORLD SERIES QUARTERFINALS (BEST-OF-FIVE)
---

(1) Chicago Comets v. St. Louis Cardinals

(2) Boston Yankees v. New York Bombers

(3) Los Angeles Angels v. New York Mets

(4) Cincinnati Reds v. Brooklyn Cyclones

Wow, well this is a far cry from the past few years when I would just sim through the playoffs since my team wasn't involved.

I think I built this team for the playoffs and now, we'll just have to see if the theory I've put together holds up.

We have quite possibly the meanest middle of the order you'd ever hope to see in Ricardo Serrano (37 HR/124 RBI/.340), Dan Warren(.310/47 HR/146 RBI) and Vic Ross (.260/48/113)

When you consider that only Ross was with us last year, it tells me my pursuit to upgrade the roster was a wise one, even if Andrew Cooper (who I dealt to Salt Lake for Warren) led the majors in home runs this year with 54. I submit that wasn't as much about his pure talent, as much as that bandbox they play in Salt Lake City. He hit 31 HRs at home and only 23 on the road and his batting average was about 45 points higher at home than on the road. We'll just say the trade worked out for both teams, we're going to the playoffs and they're not.

But back to the Yanks roster.

In terms of our pitching staff, we've got two 20-game winners in Alvaro Vega (20-9, 3.20) and Jeremy Thompson (21-5, 3.72), Ralph Oliver (19-7, 3.20) and Luis Manuel Morales (15-8, 4.08) weren't slouches either.

Coupled with Franciso Ortiz and his 42 saves this year, I think we're in good shape.

The real question will be whether the guys show up or not. In terms of playoff experience, we have just three pitchers with post-season experience and among them, only late season acquisition Jose Portillo as any real sizable experience. Portillo, 40, played on the bulk of those San Antonio Aviators squads in the 90s that dominated baseball. In 23 playoff starts, he's 9-10 with a 3.32 ERA. Having him on the roster during this time of year should be a boon from a maturity perspective for our young ballclub.

On the offensive side, Spencer Jacobs plays the same role that Portillo does on the defense. In 52 career playoff games, he's got 14 HRs, 49 RBI and is hitting .355. I hope he can be a shell of himself in this playoffs. Ricardo Serrano is another one that came over in the Aviators deal and has a career .373 average in 39 playoff games. Besides that, there are just a few other guys with some sparse at-bats at the postseason level.

So we're not completely devoid of experience, but...it'll be interesting to see how it goes this year.

The Bombers
New York comes to town with a roster the opposite of ours. Experience flows through this ballclub.

They're led by one of my favorite players in the game who doesn't play for me Bobby Stewart. He's a 25-year old lefty who plays right field. 2002 was home to his second straight 40 home run season (40 HR/133 RBI) and he hit .284 for the Bombers. They live and die by him.

First baseman Zi Gui is in his first year in New York after being dealt from the Dodgers in the off-season and he's a star. He hit 22 HR and 114 RBI this season.

One weakness that New York has, it strikes out a lot. Five guys in their lineup struck out 110+ times this year. That's a weakness we hope to exploit.

On the pitching side of the house, their rotation is anchored by free agent signee Lorenzeo Negron who came over from Columbus after signing a four-year deal worth $62 million over the off-season. He's paid off so far, going 21-10 this year with a 3.26 ERA.

He was the only guy they had who won more than 15 games. Dave Watson is a 21-year old hurler from Chicago who is paying dividens for the Bombers despite his youthfulness. He won 15 games this year (15-12, 5.43).

On paper, we should be fine against these guys. We have a lot more strength than they do and even our weaknesses are still stronger than anything they can throw at us.

But in a short series, truly anything can happen. So we want to jump on them early and often.

Young Drachma

09-27-2007, 12:13 PM

GUINNESS CUP SERIES
Monterrey is on a mission to become the first Mexican team in the major leagues. They knocked off Richmond 3 games to 1 to capture the 2002 Guinness Cup Series.

They'll now travel to Berlin to face the Minnesota Twins in the best-of-five MLB Challenge Series.

The Matadors are led by 39-year old shortstop Gary Hatchp/B] who channeled his youth this season en route to the team's 2nd straight Western Division title, he notched his first 40+ homer season since 1994 hitting 43 HRs and 117 RBI on .263 average, his highest batting average season since 1996.

The ace of their staff is 36-year old [b]Miguel Hidalgo, who signed with the Matadors in 1996 as a 29-year old rookie. He went 16-8 this year with a 3.92 ERA.

In addition to those veterans, the team's youth movement is led by left fielder John Brandon who at 23, belted 42 home runs and 109 RBI this year, winning the CL's Jack Curry Award as MVP of the Continental League.

The best player on the Twins is 23-year old center fielder Emilio Correa, who hit 32 HR and 101 RBI this year for the underachieving Twins, who are seeking to become the first MLB team to win the Challenge Series and retain their spot in MLB.

Challenge Series stats are no longer considered playoff stats, instead, they're counted as an exhibition.

The team's pitching staff is lean, the ace is 24-year old southpaw Eric Alexander, who in his second ML season went 12-15 with a 4.40 ERA, with 212 Ks

On paper, Monterrey is just significantly more experienced and history has shown that winning has a pretty big impact on a team's success when they reach this level.

But....that's why they play the games.

WORLD SERIES QUARTERFINALS RESULTS

Chicago Comets def. St. Louis 3 games to 0

BOSTON def. New York 3 games to 0
New York Mets def. Los Angeles Dodgers 3 games to 1

Brooklyn def. Cincinnati 3 games to 1

No big surprises in any of these series. The teams from the east, in a division where the 5th place team (Pittsburgh would've come in third in any other division) proved to be a proper proving ground for success as MLB's Final Four is set.

The Comets will take on the Yankees, trying to make it to their first ever World Series while the Yanks look to get back to the Series for the first time since 1995 and to win one for the first time since 1976.

Meanwhile, a rematch of last year's World Series will take place as the Mets and Cyclones get reacquainted again.

The Yankees are riding a nine game winning streak. The won their last six game in the regular season and knocked off the Bombers in three straight games (5-4, 5-2, 7-3) "We've got a hot hand right now. But we're not going to press our luck and get complacent. There is still a lot of baseball left to be played," said Right Fielder Jacob Snow.

Young Drachma

09-27-2007, 12:18 PM

MLB CHALLENGE SERIES
@ BERLIN, GERMANY

GM 1: Monterrey 5, Minnesota 4

GM 2: Monterrey 5, Minnesota

Get this. Not only were both games played by the same score. But both teams had 9 hits in both games. But in Game 2, the Matadors had to rally back from down 4-2 to score three runs in the bottom of the 9th. They're just a game away from the Commissioner's Pin and MLB status for 2003!

Young Drachma

09-27-2007, 12:20 PM

GM 3: Monterrey 4, Minnesota 1

The Matadors were too strong, ultimately. The Twins are headed to the Continental League in 2003, as Miguel Hidalgo pitches a 3-hitter and Mexico has its first major league team.

Young Drachma

09-27-2007, 03:22 PM

WORLD SERIES SEMIFINALS
GAME 1
New York 6, Brooklyn 4 (15 innings)

BOSTON 18, Chicago Comets 8
Luis Manuel Morales gave up 5 earned in 5 2/3 innings, but got the win as the Yankees offense was on fire. Ricardo Serrano went deep in the 6th for his 3rd homer of the postseason and Spencer Jacobs[/B[] hit two jacks, notching 5 RBI on the day as the Yanks went up 1-0 in the Series.

GAME 2
New York 2, Brooklyn 6 (Series tied at 1-1)

BOSTON 0, CHICAGO 4
Chicago Yukichi Iwamoto shut down the Yankee bats yielding just five hits over 7 1/3 innings as the Comets ended the Yanks 10-game win streak that dates back to the end of the regular season. Despite getting guys on base, the Yankees couldn't convert leaving 10 men on. The Series shifts to Boston for the next three games.

GAME 3
Brooklyn 3, New York 2 (10 innings) (Cyclones lead Series 2-1)

Chicago 4, BOSTON 10
(Yanks lead series 2-1)
Marc Charbonneau and Dan Warren both went deep for their 3rd homers of the post-season, as the Yankees bats woke up from the shutout in Game 2. Ralph Oliver gave up 9 hits and 3 earned in 6 1/3, but it didn't matter as the Yankees were determined to take a 2-1 series lead in their first World Series semifinal game at Yankee Field since 1995.

GAME 4
Brooklyn 5, New York 7 (Series tied at 2-2)

Chicago 3, BOSTON 7
Jeremy Thompson is known by his teammates as "The Silencer" for his quiet demeanor, yet his ability to pitch in the clutch. Trying to go up 3-1 in their World Series Semifinal series at home, the Yankees got out to a 3-0 lead, then responded to the Comets 2 runs in the fourth with 2 more in the bottom of the 4th. That was more than enough for Thompson, who pitch 7 2/3 giving up 8 hits and 3 earned. Ricardo Serrano went deep in the 7th, putting the game even further out of reach for the hapless Comets.

The Yanks have a chance to close out the series at home with a win tomorrow night.

GAME 5
Brooklyn 2, New York 0 (Brooklyn leads series 3 to 2)

[B]Chicago 2, Boston 6 (Yankees win Series 4-1)
Alvaro Vega struck out six in 7 2/3 innings and Jacob Snow had a 2 RBI double in the sixth that propelled the Boston Yankees to a 6-2 win at home against the Chicago Comets and more importantly, to their first World Series appearance in seven years.

"It's a heck of a feeling," said catcher Vic Ross, who is hitting .313 in these playoffs. The MVP of these playoffs so far are GM D.C. Daly, whose acquisitions of veterans Ricardo Serrano (.437/4 HR/10 RBI) and Spencer Jacobs (.325/4 hr/11 RBI) have proven to be pivotal moves as these playoffs solider on. And now the team sits on the doorstep of the pinnacle of a successful season - a World Series championship.

Young Drachma

09-27-2007, 03:48 PM

2002 WORLD SERIES
BOSTON V. BROOKLYN
The two best teams for most of the year in baseball are now about to face off for the ultimate prize. Boston finished a game ahead in the Eastern Division standings and as a result, will have home field advantage in this World Series.

"Anyone who tells you that it doesn't matter is kidding. Being at home is a huge advantage," said Yankees outfielder Spencer Jacobs who has experience as a member of the San Francisco Giants World Series title team of 1992 and came to Boston in a deadline deal

If you look at the tale of the tape, the Cyclones are the only team that Yanks have faced this postseason that can keep up with us pitching wise.

They were top 3 in most major categories as a team this year in most pitching categories AND boast a 1-2 punch in Oscar Ellis (20-8, 3.32) and Mitsuo Asai (21-7, 2.92) anchor the rotation.

Offensively, the team boasts a bonafide star in Mauro Diaz at catcher. He hit 37 HRs and 137 RBI this past year, hitting .316 at the same time. He also has rare speed for a catcher, he had 40 steals this year.

Actually, that's one thing this team does have that we don't. Amazing team speed. Pretty much every guy in this lineup is a threat to run and they led the majors with 406 stolen bases.

In terms of hot hands, though, it's hard to rival what the Yankees are doing right now. If they keep playing as they have, it'll be hard to stop them and Boston will be rocking like its the bicentennial.

We shall see.

Young Drachma

09-27-2007, 04:35 PM

2002 WORLD SERIES
GAME 1: BOSTON 6, BROOKLYN 5
Ralph Oliver gave up 10 hits and 5 earned in seven innings, striking out 4 and walking 2, but an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth by Dan Warren turned out to be the game winning run as the Yankees win Game 1 of the World Series.

GAME 2: BROOKLYN 9, BOSTON 1
Luis Manuel Morales and the entire Yankee staff were shellacked for 9 runs and 12 hits as the Cyclones tied the World Series at 1-1 today at Yankee Field. Cyclones hurler Jose Zaragoza gave up 1 run and just 3 hits in the win, in a game where three different Brooklyn players went deep. The series now shifts to Brooklyn.

GAME 3: BOSTON 17, BROOKLYN 2
Mino Nishikawa and Jacob Snow combined for 10 RBI as the Yankees piled it on in Brooklyn to take a 2-1 lead in the 2002 World Series.

Jeremy Thompson had another strong playoff outing, giving up 2 earned on 3 hits, despite walking 5 batters in 7 innings. Cyclones ace Oscar Ellis lasted only 3 2/3 innings, having given up 7 earned and six hits.

GAME 4: BOSTON 9, BROOKLYN 2
Alvaro Vega pitching a complete game in the Game Four Victory at Hess Field, as the Yankees sit on the doorstep of their first World Series title since 1976. Vega gave up just 2 earned and walked in the victory. Dan Warren came up clutch, notching 4 RBI in the game, capped by a 2-run homer in the top of the 5th off Cyclones pitcher Mitsuo Asai, who struck out five and gave up four over 6 innings.

"We wanted to make a statement and I think we did," said Yankees hitting coach Stan Brown. "These are the kinds of games you need to have at this time in the year. It's exciting for these guys and for all of us."

GAME 5: BOSTON 5, BROOKLYN 8
The Cyclones staved off elimination with a 8-5 victory to force the series back to Boston for Game 6 on Sunday.

Brooklyn hurler Anastasio Lopez pitched 8 innings giving up 4 earned and striking out six. Meanwhile, Luis Morales of the Yankees gave up 3 earned in six innings of work, walking 3 and striking out 3.

Mauro Diaz had 3 RBI in the win for the Cyclones, who proved they weren't quite ready to go home yet.

GAME 6: BROOKLYN 3, BOSTON 2
Ralph Oliver gave up 3 earned and six hits, while striking out 13 in eight innings pitched. But it wasn't enough as the Yankees couldn't give him the usual run support he's used to, forcing a decisive seventh game in the 2002 World Series.

"We're just not swinging the bats like we're capable of," said Spencer Jacobs, who has been playing hurt and left 5 men on base in Game 6.

"We just need to get it together, because we're running out of chances," said Oliver.

Game 7 is tomorrow night at Yankee Field.

Young Drachma

09-27-2007, 04:55 PM

You know, I could do a write up for Game 7 of the World Series.

But in all of my OOTP years, I've never experienced a World Series quite like this. Not only was it two ridiculously close teams that battled all year long in the regular season, but they meet again the playoffs only to stage what I could easily call one of the best World Series ever.

Game 7, 15 innings.

And there was a winner.

Read the box score (http://www.crayon.tv/Game_72002.pdf)& game log (http://www.crayon.tv/GameLog_72002.pdf).

I'll wait...

PilotMan

09-27-2007, 10:07 PM

Gotta say that a steal of home would have been a very dramatic way to end the series. Leaving Vega in the game that long was quite a gamble as well. Despite all those innings it was only a 4 hour game. Good stuff.

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 12:12 AM

Never occurred to me to steal home, but you're not kidding. :) I usually don't control what they do anyway, I let the computer manager control all of the strategy, the only thing I do is control substitutes. And only in some games, I don't actually play out many. But no way I wanted to let the computer screw up this one, after blowing a 3-1 series lead.

Vega was so f-ing clutch that it's not funny. I mean, I just knew that Thompson was starting to get tired and I didn't want to risk having him give up critical runs. I didn't play Games 4, 5 or 6. But with this one..I knew I had no margin for error, so when they scored in the fifth and then got runners on, I went to the bullpen to see what we had. When I saw Vega was rested, I had no second thoughts.

I did not, however, expect him to go in there and shut the place down. 10 strikeouts, 8 innings in a long game like that? I was just astounded. But that's one thing we had on them, I knew we had more arms I could throw at them that could get the job done. Vega obviously made it SO much easier for me, because I didn't have to hand the ball to some kid who goes in there and chokes.

Needless to say, putting Warren in during the 9th inning will go down as a stroke of brilliance when the Series is looked back on someday, because he wasn't tired as if he'd played the whole game and well... a three-run homer to end it in Game 7? In the bottom of the 15th?

Now admittedly with two on and no one out, you could almost figure that short of someone hitting into a double play, the game was basically ours to lose at that point.

But gotta love the dramatics.

I'm gonna let this one sit for a bit, before I get started again.

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 10:37 AM

CL CANCELLES EXPANSION
Citing the "integrity of the game," MLB officials have cancelled plans to expand the Continental League at this time. MLB decided against the move saying the idea was one that they "couldn't get widespread support for."

Some cite poor pre-ticket sales as the culprit of the failed effort.

MLB WELCOMES MONTERREY
Despite earlier reports that MLB would reject the champion of the Champions League if their stadium wasn't up to snuff, MLB today presented the Commissioner's Pin to the Monterrey Matadors manager Jose Patras. "It's an exciting, historic day for baseball, as it moves into Mexico for the first time in a full-time major league capacity. We look forward to the continued success of the Matadors," said the MLB Commissioner.

BEES FANS IRATE
Salt Lake City fans are wondering what will become of the Bees after the team says it cannot afford to play another major league season at Franklin Covey Field, as it is "woefully small" for their standards, according to the team.

"We're just trying to compete in a major league landscape and doing it in that manner is just too challenging."

No one knows what will happen as free agents prepare to file, but team officials say that they are exploring a "host" of options to determine what to do with the ballclub or more, where to play.

Salt Lake City voters have already rejected a bond issue on a new ballpark for the team that would cost $375 million and the legislature has come out against stadium subsidies for the team, despite the small, but vociferous fan base.

"We're just not in a position to dole out this kind of money for a team. We've offered them other options that we can help with - tax abatements, land and other things - but we just can't levy bonds that our kids will be paying for, for a stadium that'll be antiquated before it gets paid off," said Mitch Gartner (R-Logan) of the Utah Legislature.

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 12:46 PM

OTHER CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHANGES
Richmond Braves move to Milwaukee (Rationale: MLB doesn't want a team in Richmond if they get promoted, as it's too close to Baltimore and D.C. and a possible team in Charlotte)

New orleans Zephyrs move to New York, N.Y. (MLB didn't like the drop in attendance to the city despite the team's last place finish, they were worried and Zephyr Field was an aging facility when the team got there anyway. The team will move to Renassiance Field in Harlem, New York City.)

Montreal Expos move to Philadelphia, PA. (With the Philadelphia Colonials moving to a new ballpark 50 miles away in suburban Philadelphia, the team decided its one year of playing north of the border was enough and the team is headed back to Philadelphia to fill the vacancy at Aramark Field left by the Colonials.)

The Sacramento Snappers changed their name to the Sacramento River Cats.

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 01:02 PM

32,000 seat CVS Field in Providence, RI will be the new home of the Salt Lake City Bees in 2005. The stadium will be the crowning jewel of a major expansion of the Providence Place mall.

Some legislators have called the project a "veritable traffic nightmare," but urban planners have heralded the design of the new park which will house the new team.

The Bees are exploring playing their home games somewhere else in New England, rather than spending two more lame duck seasons in Salt Lake City, but no deal had yet been reached to make this happen.

"We're confident we can get it worked out," said one team spokesman.

Ed Note: You can decide the size of the new stadium. I have no idea what to do with it, but you can make suggestions (large foul ground/small foul ground, quirky outfield dimensions) and I'll take them into consideration when I do the dimensions the spreadsheet to get the park factors.

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 05:50 PM

BEES TO PLAY IN HARTFORD
The Providence Bees will play their first two seasons at a football stadium. UConn's Rentschler field outside Hartford will be the home to the team. This is in anticipation of their new stadium, CVS Field, to be build at Providence Place by 2005.

The stadium was not built for baseball, it's mainly home to the University of Connecticut football team, but when the Bees came calling, the city and university were more than happy to accomodate, as well as fill an entire slate of summer dates at the field for the next two years.

"We're extremely excited about being in New England," said a team official, who confirmed the team would be named the Providence Bees. Did he worry that fans in Hartford might not want to see a team that's not theirs?

"We see this team as a team for all of Southern New England. Basically there wasn't a team anywhere here between Boston and New York. Anyone who is from here or who has spent significant time here understands that this is a very distinct place from the urban landscapes of Boston or New York and so, we think this fits well and that fans will be receptive to the new ballclub," said a team official regarding the move away from Salt Lake City.

The team is likely trying to capitalize on the excess market capacity created beyond the New York metro area, into Hartford which is its own metro and TV market, as well as Providence, which gives them some penetration into the Boston market.

"If this could create a New York style rivalry in Boston with the Yankees, that might be an intriguing plot for baseball," said Boston Globe writer Dan Schultz.

Meanwhile, others are worried that the increased presence of baseball in the northeast is bad for the sport long term.

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 07:54 PM

OFF-SEASON 2002
---
We don't have major free agents who'll be coming up this year and so, this off-season's priority for me is again focused on improving the team starting with a veteran arm in the rotation who is maybe battle tested and who has some juice left.

I'll make some deals to trim some of the fat as always. But don't expect us to do anything really bold.

That said, the free agent crop this year is looking pretty bright and so, it'll be interesting to see how guys come out of that and where the numbers fall.

ARBITRATION NUMBERS
---
Felix Murillo got $1.05 million
Luis Manuel Morales got $1.49 million
Mino Nishikawa got $2.0 million

Dan Warren got $3.5 million, but is expected to sign a long-term deal at some point in the next few weeks, given his heroics in the World Series and the feeling among upper management (e.g. not me) that he's a guy they want here for a long time.

Jacob Snow got $3.7 million.

I have a funny feeling that ownership is going to get cheap. It worries me immensely, but it's just a feeling I have. I'll let you know when I have a clearer idea of what's going to happen.

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 08:03 PM

At $69 million in payroll (as of November 8, 2002), the Boston Yankees are currently third in the majors. Ownership has decided that just as it did last year before the regular season started, where the team slashed about $17 million in salary, that with the new ballpark coming in 2005, that the team ought to cut ties now with its last few veterans and go into rebuilding mode.

Here's the basic gist of the conversation I had with Team President Bud "H.G." Wells last week:

"Now, you knew this was coming [a drastic cutback] and this World Series just makes it easier for us to tell our fans that we're trying to preserve our money so we can keep the team healthy when that new stadium comes. Because right now, these kids are going to get to the majors, they're gonna get arbitration and before we know it, we're going to be paying over $100 million a year in payroll. We just can't afford that, D.C."

I tried to tell him that people were going to be more than just irate, they were going to be livid and that to do that to people now when the team has been so successful after going through a huge dead period was just a bad idea.

But I should've known better. Any group of guys that hire a kid who isn't 30 to run their baseball team clearly are looking to work things out on the cheap. I wasn't supposed to come here and win a World Series, so I think the first year of futility they expected, it's the last two years of rebounding and then getting to where we did this year that caught them off-guard. But we've got so many good guys from top to bottom here helping us evaluate talent and everything. They've been with this organization a long time, since the glory years.

They motivated me.

But this is just nuts.

But he went on.

"So, here's the deal. I talked to [the other owners] Mick, George and Davis and here's what they tell me. They want us down to about $40 million. That'd put us in the middle of the league. You've been bragging about this bumper crop of kids for a while. Now's the time to see if they can sink or swim."

"Are you serious?"

"Well, it worked for that first group we had [referring to the 2000 squad that was the worst in franchise history]?"

"Yeah, but that was part of a rebuilding process that we wanted to infuse with veterans to get things good. I thought we were ALL on the same page. I can't believe what I'm hearing."

"Now D.C., you know we're 100% behind you. And think about how nice it'll be when we move into that new stadium. You'll get a bigger office. The kids will be really ready to go then and who knows? Maybe it'll be time for another World Series?"

"Ugh. I think I feel sick."

Here's the PAYROLL for the next few years

Boston Yankees 11-08-2002
Team Salary
Name 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
M.A. Charbonneau $9.2m $14.2m $16.2m
Ricardo Serrano $8.8m $8.8m $8.8m
Spencer Jacobs $8.6m $8.6m
Manny López $7.5m $8.5m $9.5m
Vic Ross $6.6m $6.6m
Francisco Ortíz $4.4m $4.4m $6.4m $7.4m
Miguel Martínez $4.1m $4.3m $4.5m $4.8m
Jacob Snow $3.7m Arbitration Arbitration
Dan Warren $3.5m Arbitration Arbitration
José Portillo $2.8m
Orlando Casillas $2.4m $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Mino Nishikawa $2.0m Arbitration
Luis Manuel Morales $1.5m Arbitration Arbitration
Félix Murillo $1.1m
Florentino Aybar $885k $890k $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Derek Dowd $225k $225k $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
José Hernández $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Jack Miller $225k $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Ralph Oliver $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Alfie Penrice $225k $225k $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Vin Reilly $225k $225k $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Jeremy Thompson $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Álvaro Vega $225k $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration
Michael Warren $225k Arbitration Arbitration Arbitration

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 10:01 PM

NOVEMBER 14, 2002
--
Don't call it a fire sale.

BOSTON - Word on the street was that Boston's owners wanted to cut $20 million in payroll to start next season. Boy wonder GM D.C. Daly was told to make it happen and not to waste time with the move.

Daly was reported miffed at the insistence of his owners, but apparently, they got their way.

The team dealt star outfielder Mark Charbonneau and three other players and $3 million in cash to Toronto last night.

Charbonneau belted 44 HRs last year on a .329 average and now the native Canadian gets to play before Canadian fans night in and night out and he said he "couldn't be happier about it."

"I wasn't all that jazzed about having to leave here, but if I could go somewhere and play, Toronto would be the place for me. Well, unless MLB wants to put a team in Sarnia."

Along with Charbonneau, the team sent pitcher Jose Portillo, veteran outfielder Spencer Jacobs and prospect outfielder Tetsui Kodo to the Blue Sox.

In return, the Yankees will get 28-year old pitcher Rafeal Souza who went 11-15 last year with the Sox with a 4.89 ERA. Reliever Greg Sheffield, a 22-year old hard throwing hurler who went 7-4 with 1 save with 79 innings pitched last year. 3B Weldon Young is a 22-year old stolen base threat who hit .260 last year and Joe Jones is a 20-year old centerfielder with good contact ability and outstanding speed, as well.

All in all, Daly said that he's happy with the deal.

"You never want to deal guys like Marc [Charbonneau] and I'll never forget how Spencer Jacobs anchored this team. I really grew fond of them as players and as men. It'll be tough to see them on another team as I hoped that we could win more titles together. But there is a business side to all of this and so, we did the best we could to provide maximum value for our club and our fans and I have to say, that I'm happy about the players we're getting back."

The deal saved the Yankees $13 million in salary next season, but Daly flat out told reporters today that, "I know that there is more work to be done and we'll do our diligence and make it happen."

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 10:45 PM

BOSTON CONTINUES TO PURGE SALARIES, DEAL ROSS, PENRICE TO PROVIDENCE

HARTFORD - The Boston Yankees dealt starting catcher Vic Ross and prospect shortstop Alfie Penrice down the road to the newly relocated Providence Bees.

"I hope they don't think we'll be any easier on them when they're playing us," said GM D.C. Daly announcing the team's second trade in less than 48 hours.

In this deal, the team acquired three (1B Roger Schilder & 2B Terry Wilkie) and pitcher Victor Lopez

The deal saved the team over $6.6 million. Daly said the move was propelled by the team's depth at catcher.

"We're pretty happy with the guys we have in the minors, who seemed poised to take over the position and so, we'll give them a shot at it."

In a separate deal announced today, they sent backup catcher Manny Lopez to the Philadelphia Colonials for pitcher Jay Jackson. Jackson, 24, went 12-10 with a 3.82 ERA in 35 starts with the Colonials last year.

PilotMan

09-28-2007, 11:19 PM

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 11:25 PM

MORALES TO COLORADO FOR TWO OUTFIELDERS
November 20, 2002
BOSTON - The remaking of the World Series champs continues as the team dealt starter Luis Manuel Morales and outfielder Miguel Martinez to Colorado for outfielder prospects Paco Franco (.288/17 HR) and Jessie Hinton and a minor league prospect (2B Alexander Herbert)

Young Drachma

09-28-2007, 11:51 PM

SAN ANTONIO SENDS HARVEY, TWO OTHERS TO SAN ANTONIO IN A MASSIVE 8-PLAYER DEAL

In a deal that D.C. Daly should "give you a good idea of the type of ballclub we're going to be next year," the Boston Yankees sent five players, most notably 3B Ricardo Serrano, who was acquired from San Antonio during the trade deadline rookie outfielder Derek Dowd, recently acquired outfielder from Colorado Jesse Hinton and two minor leaguers (SP Ethan Deadman and SS Christian Johnson) were sent to San Antonio for veteran outfielder Mel Harvey, who should supply a bit of the offense the team lost with its earlier cost-cutting moves. Harvey, 36, hit 35 HRs last year and 132 RBI for the Aviators. 20-year old Rookie outfielder, Joe Smith was also dealt, he hit 15 HR and 75 RBI in 503 ABs during his rookie campaign. 3B prospect Mario Santos was also acquired in the deal.

"I think we're pretty much done," said D.C. Daly, who successful shaved more than $25 million from the team's roster. This deal actually resulted in a net gain of payroll of $4 million, because the team is taking on Harvey's $7.8 million salary this year, but he's in the last year of his deal, though he has a player option for 2004.

The Yankees also sent cash in this trade.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 12:16 AM

YANKEES UNVEIL DRAWINGS FOR NEW PARK

Despite the initial euphoria over the team's World Series victory -- the first since 1976 -- the dismantling of the team by jettisoning several favourite players have left the team's fans wondering what's next. But the team quieted all of that talk of the team's new stadium on the Boston Harbor.

"We're thrilled to present "Yankee Field @ Dunkin Donuts Park" said team ownership at the public event held this afternoon at Boston Common.

http://www.crayon.tv/newyankeefield.jpg

http://www.crayon.tv/hotels.jpg

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 12:29 AM

Well at least you are getting some pitching but owwww, the hammers that you are losing. I have always been a pitching fanatic, so I never seem to have teams with sluggers on them, but that power in the middle of your lineup is going to be hard to replace, no matter what the pitchers do.

Yeah, we're not going to be able to slug our way to victories next year, like we did this past season. I'm intrigued to see how it turns out. I was actually considering leaving at one point, because I just wasn't sure that I wanted to selloff my roster. But...after I took a look at what we had in the minors and just took a good measure of my team, I decided that maybe it was worth staying for another year at least, to see what they could do with a retooled lineup and using essentially a different strategy than anything we did last year.

I'll review the lineup that we're heading into next year with, so you all can see who we have, who is new (fewer guys than you'd think) and basically, what we're expecting from the new batch of guys coming up for next year.

It'll be interesting, that's for sure.

EagleFan

09-29-2007, 12:42 AM

Nice, I'll have to try to read through the rest of this tomorrow (if I can avoid work long enough :) ).

Are the steroid rumors about Jewell true? ;)

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 12:42 AM

2003 PAYROLL NUMBERS
TEAM PAYROLL NUMBERS

1 New York Bombers $92,856,650
2 Pittsburgh Pirates $90,324,810
3 Baltimore Orioles $67,420,670
4 Atlanta Athletics $63,788,790
5 Providence Bees $62,886,200
6 Detroit Tigers $60,465,000
7 Toronto Blue Sox $58,943,900
8 Riverside Red Sox $57,960,500
9 Texas Rangers $56,038,300
10 Philadelphia Colonials $55,373,496
11 New York Mets $55,170,288
12 Chicago Comets $51,251,890
13 San Francisco Giants $49,380,590
14 Brooklyn Cyclones $48,934,100
15 Kansas City Royals $46,564,200
16 Washington Diplomats $45,623,960
17 San Jose Captains $44,549,160
18 Chicago Cubs $43,058,600
19 St. Louis Cardinals $41,889,000
20 Los Angeles Dodgers $40,501,600
21 Florida Marlins $39,841,400
22 Columbus Clippers $36,654,800
23 Boston Yankees $35,058,050
24 Seattle Mariners $32,749,200
25 Colorado Rockies $32,402,360
26 San Diego Padres $31,358,050
27 Houston Astros $31,177,000
28 Arizona Diamondbacks $27,710,840
29 Monterrey Matadors $26,275,000
30 San Antonio Aviators $24,440,650
31 Los Angeles Angels $23,825,000
32 Cincinnati Reds $16,421,250

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Manuel Mateo Baltimore $25,650,000
2 Ricardo González Los Angeles $20,510,000
3 Roberto Flores New York $16,895,000
4 Carlos Rivera Philadelphia $16,865,000
5 Joaquín Márquez Atlanta $16,010,000
6 Danny Randall San Francisco $15,395,000
7 Boyd O'Manning Arizona $15,225,000
8 Lorenzo Negrón New York $14,075,000
9 Rick McKee Providence $14,000,000
10 José Gonzáles Pittsburgh $13,620,000
11 Robinson Martínez Texas $13,230,000
12 Larry Morris New York $13,220,000
13 Gary Hatch Monterrey $13,125,000
14 Jed Stinson Riverside $13,095,000
15 Juan Álvarez Texas $13,010,000
16 Zi Gui New York $13,005,000
17 Garry Lewis Pittsburgh $12,785,000
18 Frank Thomas Riverside $12,395,000
19 Augusto Garza Florida $11,900,000
20 Jorge Quiñones Detroit $11,895,000
21 António Gallegos Riverside $11,730,000
22 Pedro Rodríguez Washington $11,490,000
23 Mike Ryan Pittsburgh $11,010,000
24 Jae Butler San Francisco $10,980,000
25 Christian Barnes Baltimore $10,830,000

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 01:04 AM

HISTORICAL LEADERBOARDS

We haven't addressed this stuff lately.

Here are the career leaders in a host of category, as well as the single-season leaders:

CAREER HOME-RUN LIST (http://www.crayon.tv/HR_leaderboard_2003.pdf)

CAREER HITS LIST (http://www.crayon.tv/Hits_leaderboard_2003.pdf)

CAREER WINS (http://www.crayon.tv/Wins_leaderboard_2003.pdf)

CAREER BATTING AVERAGE (http://www.crayon.tv/average_career_2003.pdf)

CAREER ERA LEADERBOARD (http://www.crayon.tv/ERA_Career_Leaderboard.pdf)

CAREER STRIKEOUTS LEADERBOARD (http://www.crayon.tv/Strikeouts_Leaderboard_2003.pdf)

CAREER SAVES (http://www.crayon.tv/SV_leaderboard_2003.pdf)

SINGLE-SEASON_HRs (http://www.crayon.tv/Single_Season_HRs_2003.pdf)

SINGLE-SEASON WINS (http://www.crayon.tv/Wins_singleseason_2003.pdf)

SINGLE-SEASON AVERAGE (http://www.crayon.tv/Average_singleseason_2003.pdf)

LEADERBOARD MAIN PAGE (http://www.crayon.tv/leaderboard_page_2003.pdf)

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 10:49 AM

MARCH 1, 2003
---
Just as I was getting ready to show you all the rosters of the 2003 Boston Yankees, I decided to go out and see if I could get us a little bit more help heading into the year.

I've come to think of the Continental League as a place where bargains begin and end. It's like the flea market of baseball. You can find gems and whatever else you're looking for. But they're only open on the weekends.

Anyway, we dealt three prospects (SS Lawrence Flowers, SS Dave Banks, C Foppe Vroonland) and $3m in cash to the Milwaukee Braves of the CL for SS Quinn Wouters. Wouters, 24, hit 23 HR and 101 RBI last year for the Braves, has good fielding ability at short and can also play 2nd. I went after him for his bat, of course. It's a bit more of an upgrade from what we had before and it'll enable me to flip one or two more guys before the start of the season for -- you guessed it -- more pop.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 11:19 AM

http://www.crayon.tv/newyanksbanner.png

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 11:30 AM

REPORT: BROOKLYN OFFERED D.C. JOB AFTER WORLD SERIES
NEW YORK - The New York Post tabloid page today had an unusual story about baseball. According to reports, the Brooklyn Cyclones, who have suffered three losses in the World Series all in Game 7s, including the past two seasons, reported offered Boston Yankees G.M. D.C. Daly, a job that included the title of President of Baseball Operations and a pay raise, to come to their team and help them build a champion.

With the Yankees deciding to cut payroll in the wake of their World Series season, Daly was reported "hours" away from resigning and taking the job. But, in the end, opted against it and stayed in Boston.

No one in Boston or Brooklyn could be reached for comment to confirm or deny these reports.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 11:59 AM

BALTIMORE, BOSTON & NEVADA (CL) pull off three-team deal:

Orioles receive: SS Michael Warren, who was hero of the 2002 World Series hitting the game winning homer in Game 7. Warren, 21, is a Baltimore native and says he "would love to end his career at home." He hit .270 with 15 HR and 76 RBI last year, but recent acquisitions didn't factor him in as a starter. The Orioles also acquired SP Jeremy Thompson, reliever Felx Murillo and outfielder Jack Miller.

The Yankees receive: Minor league outfileder Andrew McMillan from Baltimore and pitcher Jose Rodriguez (15-5, 2.54 ERA in 29 starts last year) and reliever Miguel Chapa from Nevada.

The Nevada Silverhawks get: 2B Terry Wilkie, 3B Weldon Young and prospect pitcher Alfredo Aguirre from Boston and SP Tristan Lamberti (18-11, 3.67 ERA) from Baltimore.

WHY WOULD ANY PLAYER WANT TO PLAY IN THE CONTINENTAL LEAGUE?

As I just traded a guy (Tristan Lamberti) who had a great season in MLB to the CL, if it were real life I'm sure there would be all sorts of restrictions in deals down there. But the thing is, the guys still get paid their regular salaries. And if they're good, they should dominate down there, which puts them on the radar of GMs like me, who almost focus more on the players coming out of that league, because there are few teams and fewer stars, than I would with major league teams. Plus, they're generally easier to get.

That's all an advantage to the player and so, I have yet to see a star player in his prime settling for pennies on the dollar to sign with a CL team. It's almost always young guys who are on their way up or veterans trying to hang on.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 12:19 PM

NO DRAFT THIS YEAR
I'm trying to develop a feeder league system that will work with all of the up and downward mobility of teams in both leagues. I'd like the players to come directly from the feeder system into the majors. The draft to me isn't really a model that I like for a setup like this. So I've scratched it for now and hope to have a resolution by next season.

TWO DEALS WITH CL TEAMS AS THE MLB SEASON GETS READY TO KICK OFF
BOSTON -- You can't fault D.C. Daly for being creative. Daly sent outfielder Joe Jones and three prospects to the Philadelphia Phillies (CL) for outfielder Ismael Morales. Morales, 22, hit 32 HRs last year and 98 RBI. Jones, 21, was acquired in the Toronto Blue Sox deal that sent M.A. Charbonneau to Canada earlier in the off-season.

In a separate deal, the team acquired outfielder Emilio Correa from Minnesota for two prospects.

"We have to do the best with what we have and I think we've done that and more, this off-season." Daly said in his weekly press conference that he was "more excited about this season than any other."

"I just think that when you consider that we're about to get World Series rings in a few days, that the whirlwind of last year to now is pretty crazy to me. I mean, I remember when I took this job and enduring that first season of losing almost 100 games and worrying if we might end up getting relegated. So to be able to be where we are now, is a heck of a feeling. Even if there is uncertainty among you all or some of our fans, I can tell you that we've got a great group of guys [points to the field] and I can't wait to see them strut their stuff out there. They're gonna surprise some of you, I think. But we're not gonna roll over on this one. We're the defending champs and if other teams want the crown, they're gonna have to come get it."

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 12:45 PM

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS, MLB

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Manuel Mateo Baltimore $25,650,000
2 Ricardo González Los Angeles $20,510,000
3 Roberto Flores New York $16,895,000
4 Carlos Rivera Philadelphia $16,865,000
5 Joaquín Márquez Atlanta $16,010,000
6 Danny Randall San Francisco $15,395,000
7 Boyd O'Manning Arizona $15,225,000
8 Lorenzo Negrón New York $14,075,000
9 Rick McKee Providence $14,000,000
10 José Gonzáles Pittsburgh $13,620,000
11 Robinson MartínezTexas $13,230,000
12 Larry Morris New York $13,220,000
13 Gary Hatch Monterrey $13,125,000
14 Jed Stinson Riverside $13,095,000
15 Juan Álvarez Texas $13,010,000
16 Zi Gui New York $13,005,000
17 Garry Lewis Pittsburgh $12,785,000
18 Frank Thomas Riverside $12,395,000
19 Augusto Garza Florida $11,900,000
20 Jorge Quiñones Detroit $11,895,000
21 António GallegosRiverside $11,730,000
22 Pedro Rodríguez Washington $11,490,000
23 Mike Ryan Pittsburgh $11,010,000
24 Jae Butler San Francisco $10,980,000
25 Christian Barnes Baltimore $10,830,000

TEAM PAYROLL NUMBERS, 2003

Rank Team Payroll
1 New York Bombers $93,306,650
2 Pittsburgh Pirates $90,549,810
3 Baltimore Orioles $66,650,670
4 Atlanta Athletics $63,853,790
5 Providence Bees $62,906,200
6 Detroit Tigers $60,670,000
7 Toronto Blue Sox $58,943,900
8 Riverside Red Sox $58,185,500
9 Texas Rangers $56,053,300
10 Philadelphia Colonials $55,408,496
11 New York Mets $55,170,288
12 Chicago Comets $50,801,890
13 San Francisco Giants $49,380,590
14 Brooklyn Cyclones $48,934,100
15 Kansas City Royals $47,014,200
16 Washington Diplomats $45,878,960
17 San Jose Captains $44,564,160
18 Chicago Cubs $43,108,600
19 St. Louis Cardinals $41,934,000
20 Los Angeles Dodgers $40,726,600
21 Florida Marlins $39,861,400
22 Columbus Clippers $36,669,800
23 Boston Yankees $36,098,500
24 Seattle Mariners $32,984,200
25 Colorado Rockies $32,862,360
26 Houston Astros $31,607,000
27 San Diego Padres $27,858,050
28 Arizona Diamondbacks $27,710,840
29 Monterrey Matadors $26,895,000
30 San Antonio Aviators $24,675,650
31 Los Angeles Angels $23,825,000
32 Cincinnati Reds $16,421,250

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE PAYROLL

Rank Team Payroll
1 Tampa Bay Rays $27,932,105
2 Minnesota Twins $26,617,500
3 Vancouver Whitecaps $23,957,350
4 Charlotte Knights $23,333,575
5 Chicago White Sox $17,653,530
6 New York Rens $17,578,812
7 Portland Beavers $17,070,500
8 Sacramento River Cats $15,529,346
9 Nevada Silverhawks $15,136,672
10 Philadelphia Phillies $14,940,740
11 Milwaukee Braves $11,857,750
12 Cleveland Indians $10,473,375

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Gary Bryant Minnesota $9,740,000
2 Denver Hall Charlotte $9,245,000
3 Brennan Atkins Chicago $8,360,000
4 Manuel Bernard Tampa Bay $7,740,000
5 Dwayne Bannatyne Vancouver $6,980,000
6 Tomás Flores Tampa Bay $6,470,000
7 Orlando Hernández Sacramento $6,290,000
8 Henry Kowalski New York $5,795,000
9 Cory Rheaume Charlotte $5,770,000
10 Ricardo Beltrán Tampa Bay $5,010,000
11 Francisco CastenedaPhiladelphia $4,935,000
12 Mario Palácios Portland $4,850,000
13 Miguel Saucedo Minnesota $4,745,000
14 Robert Terry Minnesota $4,220,000
15 Dave Blevins Vancouver $4,136,750
16 César Soriano Cleveland $3,467,500
17 Paul Harden Minnesota $3,450,000
18 Félix Camacho Milwaukee $3,305,000
19 Ben Moore New York $3,250,000
20 Gilberto Garza New York $3,022,500
21 Jimmy Everett Chicago $2,875,000
22 Jeff Sinclair Portland $2,700,000
23 Tristan Lamberti Nevada $2,495,000
24 José Valenzuela Vancouver $2,207,500
25 Alfredo LongoriaPhiladelphia $2,077,500

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 02:01 PM

YANKEE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE, 2003

We inducted #39 Jose Rodriguez (http://www.crayon.tv/hof/#39.pdf) into the Yankee Hall of Fame, on Sunday April 13th in a home game against the Cincinnati Reds. He's the all-time Yankees leader in home-runs (327), batting average (.330), 2nd in RBI (994) and until last year was the team's single-season home-run leader. (45), which was broken by Vic Ross (48) and Dan Warren (47).

http://www.crayon.tv/hof/rodriguezplaque.png

NO REALIGNMENT IN 2003
The Providence Bees are still playing in the Western Division this year. MLB didn't realign the divisions and the league hasn't indicated whether they'll restructure the divisions for next year or if they'll wait for the team to move into their new stadium in Providence in 2005 before moving the divisions.

Some are crying foul, while others argue that the team gets an "unfair advantage" by playing the perceptually weaker Western Division, versus the Eastern division.

"The bottom line is, you have to win against who you play, period. I think with the way our system is setup, if you have a good year, you'll make the playoffs. I can't see anyone complaining too much about being "snubbed" or being left out of the playoffs," said one MLB official related to the scheduling issue.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 02:48 PM

APRIL 10, 2003
Ralph Oliver, who is 3-0 so far this year with a 3.76 ERA went down with a strained bicep tendon and will be out for three weeks.

We called up rookie Saku Kawano, a hard-throwing Japanese righthander who has been tearing up the minors to replace him on the staff.

STANDINGS OF APRIL 16, 2003

Well gang, the season is here. And boy, what it season it's started out to be. I have no way to substantiate this, but I can almost be certain, that this is the best start in franchise history for Yankees. It's a long year, we play in a tough division and anything can happen. But boy, what a way to start, no? And our friends from Monterrey aren't too strong out of the gate and might be the first promoted to face relegation the following year.

But like I said, it's early.

MAJOR LEAGUE STANDINGS
Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 23 2 .920 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 19 5 .792 3.5
New York Mets 16 8 .667 6.5
Baltimore Orioles 13 11 .542 9.5
New York Bombers 11 14 .440 12.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 9 14 .391 13.0
Toronto Blue Sox 10 15 .400 13.0
Philadelphia Colonials 9 15 .375 13.5

American Division W L PCT GB
Kansas City Royals 15 10 .600 -
Chicago Cubs 14 10 .583 .5
Detroit Tigers 14 10 .583 .5
Chicago Comets 13 10 .565 1.0
Columbus Clippers 14 11 .560 1.0
St. Louis Cardinals 12 11 .522 2.0
Colorado Rockies 11 13 .458 3.5
Monterrey Matadors 5 19 .208 9.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Providence Bees 15 8 .652 -
Los Angeles Angels 13 12 .520 3.0
San Jose Captains 12 11 .522 3.0
Seattle Mariners 12 13 .480 4.0
San Diego Padres 10 14 .417 5.5
Riverside Red Sox 9 15 .375 6.5
Los Angeles Dodgers 8 16 .333 7.5
San Francisco Giants 5 19 .208 10.5

National Division W L PCT GB
Texas Rangers 19 5 .792 -
Atlanta Athletics 14 8 .636 4.0
Cincinnati Reds 14 10 .583 5.0
Washington Diplomats 12 10 .545 6.0
Florida Marlins 10 14 .417 9.0
Houston Astros 8 15 .348 10.5
Arizona Diamondbacks 7 16 .304 11.5
San Antonio Aviators 6 18 .250 13.0

COMING UP BIG?
So who's coming up clutch for us early? Remember last year's middle of the order? Well this year, the firm of (Dan)Warren, (Melvin) Harvey and (Jacob) Snow want you to forget all about it. While they're not slouches on the home run side of the ball (Snow has 6 HRs already this season), they're the 1-2-3 leaders on the ballclub in RBI with 60 combined RBI just a month into the season. With pop like that, you're likely to hear their names a lot more this year.

On the pitching side, Jose Hernandez had a 1.98 ERA in 38 games last year, but after starting the year 4-0 in relief, the team decided to put him into the rotation to see what he's made of. He's currently 5-0 with a 0.83 ERA, though he walks entirely too many batters (18 walks in 21.2 innings), he's still the kind of guy that will keep the Yankees bullpen tops in the league.

Game 7 hero of last year's World Series Alvaro Vega is back in form with a 4-1 record and a 3.25 ERA in 5 starts this year.

It's a long year ahead of us, but if the start is any indication, the Yankees are showing no signs of slowing down.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 03:04 PM

DESPITE SUCCESS, YANKEES TWEAK, DEAL ELLIS AND CORREA FOR VETERANS
May 4, 2003
BOSTON - Despite a 34-7 record, the Boston Yankees felt the need to tweak more, sending reserve third baseman 21-year old Curt Ellis (.091) and recently acquired 24-year old outfielder Emilio Correa (.149 in 47 ABs) to the Chicago Cubs for shortshop Alfredo Rocha and 3BArt Frierson.

23-year old Frierson is hitting .227 with 1 HR in 119 ABs this season, while Rocha is hitting 6 HR on .222 batting as the starter for the Cubs.

"I think it's the case of guys who probably all could use a change of scenario. Hopefully it'll work out for both teams," said Cubs GM Tony Manley about the deal.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 03:48 PM

BEES FEVER HITS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND
The Providence Bees are spending their first two seasons in Hartford while CVS Field is built and the team is selling out games at a record pace. Less than two months into the season, the team already has over 700,000 fans and that's considering the 31,000 stadium they play in was built for football.

"We're extremely excited about the reception we've received," said Bees GM Hayden Wood.

The team is in its third major league after winning the 2000 Challenge Series that promoted them to the majors.

Wood attributed the team's success to the fact that the Northeast is the "home" of baseball.

"Here it's not just a novelty or something you do with the kids and the family as if there isn't anything else. It's a way of life and we've just really appreciated how receptive the fans have been to the team since we've arrived and we're hoping to do even more."

The team invested tens of millions in new players during the off-season and at $62.9 million have the sixth highest payroll in baseball this year.

"I think it's a clear case of the team trying to quickly establish itself in the market," said a baseball writer with the Hartford Courant.

"You have to consider that there are three teams in New York City and a team in Boston. Fans here weren't devoid of teams to watch on TV or to root for, especially since at any given time all of those teams are going to be good. But to add another team to the fray, gives a bit of civic pride to the locals -- not so much in Hartford, but Providence -- but since the team is here now, people can embrace the team a bit more. After all, it's not as if the Yankees or the Bombers have come to town to play their home games. So, this is a meaningful experience."

MLB SUSPENDS ASTROS KEN MANNING FOR 100 GAMES
HOUSTON - During his years with the Detroit Tigers during the 1990s, Ken Manning became known as one of the fiercest hitters in the game. From 1990 until 1999, Manning logged 10 straight seasons of 100+ RBI. He had 453 career home runs, 2725 career hits and is a career .291 hitter.

And now, he's got another distinction. The first major player to be suspended for testing positive under MLB's new drug testing policy.

Manning had no comment and through his agent released a statement.

"At no time, have I ever knowingly taken any illegal substances. I pride myself in being a gamer, in being a great baseball player and I just cannot believe these accusations. I will do my best to clear my name."

Manning has been a hell of his former self since coming to Houston in a trade back in 2001. He hit just .238 last year with 15 HR and 72 RBI and has just 1 HR this year with 12 RBI.

One major league player, who refused to be named for this article said that the accusations of steroid use are not surprising. "This stuff has been going on in the game forever now. It's just now they're finally starting to notice and ding guys for it. You think guys hit 160+ RBI without some help? C'mon man, you gotta think with your head."

Most observers say that Manning will never play in the league again.

"No way, he's toast."

STANDINGS REPORT
The East is still being run away with by the Boston Yankees, who don't seem to be slowing down playing .800 on the season and look to shatter any sembelnce of the single-season record for wins. The Tigers are heading up the American, while the upstart Bees are being slowed a bit by the veteran Angels. In the National, the Rangers seek to foil Cincinnati plans at a division championship repeat. In the relegation zone, San Franciso holds a half game lead on Monterrey for the worst record in baseball, with Pittsburgh -- which won the World Series in 2000 - not too far behind.

In the Continental League, the fact that more and more MLB-native teams are making their way down there, are giving the divisions races there a different compexion than ever before. The White Sox and Twins are battling it out in the West, while the Tampa Bay Rays and newly returned to Philly Phillies trying to make their way to the majors for the first time ever.

MAJOR LEAGUE STANDINGS
June 1, 2003

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 54 12 .818 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 44 21 .677 9.5
New York Mets 43 22 .662 10.5
Baltimore Orioles 36 29 .554 17.5
New York Bombers 32 34 .485 22.0
Toronto Blue Sox 29 37 .439 25.0
Philadelphia Colonials 28 37 .431 25.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 23 41 .359 30.0

American Division W L PCT GB
Detroit Tigers 39 27 .591 -
Chicago Comets 37 28 .569 1.5
Columbus Clippers 36 30 .545 3.0
Kansas City Royals 35 31 .530 4.0
St. Louis Cardinals 32 34 .485 7.0
Colorado Rockies 30 37 .448 9.5
Chicago Cubs 29 37 .439 10.0
Monterrey Matadors 20 46 .303 19.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Angels 40 26 .606 -
Providence Bees 38 26 .594 1.0
Seattle Mariners 33 33 .500 7.0
San Jose Captains 28 36 .438 11.0
San Diego Padres 28 37 .431 11.5
Riverside Red Sox 26 39 .400 13.5
Los Angeles Dodgers 25 40 .385 14.5
San Francisco Giants 20 45 .308 19.5

National Division W L PCT GB
Texas Rangers 43 23 .652 -
Cincinnati Reds 40 27 .597 3.5
Atlanta Athletics 38 27 .585 4.5
Florida Marlins 34 31 .523 8.5
San Antonio Aviators 32 34 .485 11.0
Washington Diplomats 29 36 .446 13.5
Houston Astros 24 40 .375 18.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 21 43 .328 21.0

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
JUNE 1, 2003

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Tampa Bay Rays 20 14 .588 -
Philadelphia Phillies 19 15 .559 1.0
New York Rens 16 18 .471 4.0
Cleveland Indians 16 19 .457 4.5
Charlotte Knights 15 19 .441 5.0
Milwaukee Braves 11 24 .314 9.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Chicago White Sox 20 14 .588 -
Minnesota Twins 20 15 .571 .5
Portland Beavers 19 15 .559 1.0
Nevada Silverhawks 19 16 .543 1.5
Vancouver Whitecaps 16 18 .471 4.0
Sacramento River Cats 15 19 .441 5.0

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 05:52 PM

TEAM STATS SO FAR
June 1, 2003

Inf POS # Name B T G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG OPS SB CS
1B 42 Dan Warren R R 66 260 67 10 1 13 53 36 18 72 .258 .306 .454 .760 0 0
RF 28 António Medina L R 63 243 63 2 2 12 27 45 25 45 .259 .344 .432 .776 38 8
SS 3 Quinn Wouters R R 66 227 70 12 0 16 45 45 48 52 .308 .431 .573 1.004 6 1
CF 33 Jacob Snow L L 64 226 79 15 4 15 44 50 27 10 .350 .418 .650 1.068 6 3
RF 56 Melvin Harvey R L 65 221 66 15 0 8 38 41 38 15 .299 .408 .475 .884 1 0
C 17 Chris Elliott R R 61 210 65 15 0 14 38 36 12 40 .310 .348 .581 .929 0 1
3B 24 Mario Santos L R 62 198 52 8 0 13 36 34 12 45 .263 .298 .500 .798 0 1
2B 14 Mino Nishikawa L R 60 186 39 13 3 3 25 32 25 13 .210 .317 .360 .677 8 2
SS 58 Alfredo Rocha R R 53 180 41 9 1 6 23 26 19 28 .228 .309 .389 .698 1 0
LF 11 Joey Smith R R 52 141 32 10 2 1 11 21 26 24 .227 .343 .348 .691 7 6
CF 6 Ismael Morales R R 54 137 32 7 0 9 30 22 14 29 .234 .314 .482 .796 3 0
3B 15 Art Frierson R R 50 130 30 6 0 1 10 9 11 27 .231 .296 .300 .596 1 2
RF 26 Paco Franco R R 22 47 13 4 1 2 7 9 4 5 .277 .333 .532 .865 0 0
C 23 Manny Romero R R 17 22 3 1 0 1 3 1 1 7 .136 .174 .318 .492 0 0

POS # Name B T G GS W L SV IP HA HR R ER BB K ERA AVG CG SHO
SP 31 Jorge Montés R R 12 12 8 1 0 81.1 62 8 25 25 29 81 2.77 .209 0 0
SP 44 José Rodríguez R R 12 12 7 2 0 75.2 67 9 23 22 23 96 2.62 .234 0 0
SP 21 Ralph Oliver L L 9 9 6 1 0 64.1 55 7 20 19 15 58 2.66 .226 2 1
SP 20 Saku Kawano R R 9 9 7 0 0 59.0 43 1 16 15 18 67 2.29 .199 0 0
SP 25 Jay Jackson R R 12 5 3 3 0 47.2 38 5 23 19 23 61 3.59 .213 0 0
MR 50 José Hernández R R 17 5 7 0 0 43.1 23 1 9 8 27 42 1.66 .158 0 0
MR 36 Rafael Souza L R 20 1 3 1 2 43.0 35 2 11 10 14 36 2.09 .222 0 0
MR 37 Lorenzo López R R 29 0 2 0 5 42.1 14 1 4 4 11 40 0.85 .102 0 0
MR 27 Orlando CasillasR R 22 0 1 1 4 27.2 21 0 6 5 7 25 1.63 .210 0 0
CL 7 Francisco Ortíz R R 27 0 1 2 21 24.1 23 0 9 9 13 23 3.33 .271 0 0

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 06:42 PM

SOX MACIAS SUSPENDED FOR DRUG VIOLATION
Another day, another suspension. This time, Chicago White Sox third baseman
Pepe Macias was suspended for a violation of the MLB controlled substance policy. Macias is 5th in the CL in hitting batting .353 and so, his absence will be a blow to the first-place White Sox, who are seeking to get back to the majors after being relegated at the end of the 2000 season.

"We're not okay with this kind of behavior," said GM Hector Hernandez. He did not say whether Macias would be retained, but indicated that "we cannot have players breaking these kinds of rules."

The nature of what Macias took that came up positive is up for some debate, but MLB officials have declined comment, only to say that the suspensions will continue if players violate the rules.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 06:45 PM

PEACOAT LABS RAIDED BY FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS
OMAHA - A small laboratory in Omaha, Nebraska is the home to an investigation of epic proportions. With two major league players recently suspended for drug violations, many are wondering whether or not the drugs were supplied by the PEACOAT lab partnership.

A clear balm and a blue pill which together are called "The Solution" have been cited as the new drug de jour for players, because it is undetectable by most drug tests, though if taken excessively, residue from the drug builds up and it triggers a positive result.

"We're not sure how it works," said Dr. Medico Vonjo, an independent chemist who is consulting the DEA during this investigation.

"We only know that it is a very powerful balm and that it was shipped to people around the world."

Apparently, the PEACOAT lab staff were meticiously in their notetaking and seven books of names, addresses and phone numbers were kept at the Omaha lab.

More information is forthcoming on this potential scandal.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 08:38 PM

Here are the finalist locations for the 2003 MLB Challenge Series:

Hiram Bithorn Stadium (San Juan, PR)

Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)

Rosenblatt Stadium (Omaha, NE)

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 09:16 PM

STANDINGS UPDATE ~ JULY 2, 2003
Before we even get to the division leaders, we notice that the San Francisco Giants (24-66) are 5 1/2 games behind Monterrey (31-60) for the worst record in baseball. Arizona and Houston (32-58) are right next door. So far, the Giants have the inside track to the Challenge Series. But there are still two months of a season to go.

As we scan the division races, we see the the National Division is led by the Texas Rangers (57-34) who hold a 1 1/2 game lead on the Atlantaa A's (55-35)

In the geographically challenged West, Providence (57-33) has a half game lead on the Los Angeles Angels (57-34).

In the American, Columbus (54-37) holds a 3 game lead on the Comets and Detroit (51-40).

In the East, Boston (74-17) is running away with it, anchored with a 37-7 record at home. Behind them are the Brooklyn Cyclones and New York (58-33) are 16 games out.

In the Continental League East, the Phillies (37-25) and Rays are tied for the division, with Charlotte and New York sitting 4 games out.

In the CL West, Minnesota is a half game up on the White Sox.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 09:51 PM

http://www.crayon.tv/attcs.png
AT&T signs on as title sponsor for Challenge Series
The MLB Challenge Series will be now known as the AT&T Challenge Series after AT&T signed on as the title sponsor of the matchup between MLB's qualifier and the champion of the Continental League's Guinness Cup Series.

Terms of the sponsorship deal were not announced, but it's reportedly a three-year deal.

Young Drachma

09-29-2007, 11:22 PM

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
August 1, 2003

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 92 26 .780 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 71 46 .607 20.5
New York Mets 70 48 .593 22.0
Baltimore Orioles 64 54 .542 28.0
Toronto Blue Sox 58 60 .492 34.0
New York Bombers 53 67 .442 40.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 52 66 .441 40.0
Philadelphia Colonials 49 68 .419 42.5

American Division W L PCT GB
Detroit Tigers 67 50 .573 -
Kansas City Royals 67 50 .573 -
Chicago Comets 67 51 .568 .5
Columbus Clippers 65 54 .546 3.0
St. Louis Cardinals 58 60 .492 9.5
Chicago Cubs 56 62 .475 11.5
Colorado Rockies 52 67 .437 16.0
Monterrey Matadors 39 79 .331 28.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Angels 74 44 .627 -
Providence Bees 73 44 .624 .5
Seattle Mariners 60 58 .508 14.0
San Diego Padres 56 64 .467 19.0
Los Angeles Dodgers 53 65 .449 21.0
San Jose Captains 50 68 .424 24.0
Riverside Red Sox 45 73 .381 29.0
San Francisco Giants 35 82 .299 38.5

National Division W L PCT GB
Texas Rangers 69 49 .585 -
Cincinnati Reds 69 50 .580 .5
Atlanta Athletics 67 50 .573 1.5
San Antonio Aviators 64 52 .552 4.0
Florida Marlins 59 59 .500 10.0
Washington Diplomats 47 70 .402 21.5
Houston Astros 44 72 .379 24.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 40 77 .342 28.5

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE
August 1, 2003

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Philadelphia Phillies 53 34 .609 -
Tampa Bay Rays 53 35 .602 .5
New York Rens 46 41 .529 7.0
Charlotte Knights 40 47 .460 13.0
Cleveland Indians 41 48 .461 13.0
Milwaukee Braves 29 59 .330 24.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Minnesota Twins 51 38 .573 -
Chicago White Sox 45 42 .517 5.0
Nevada Silverhawks 43 45 .489 7.5
Portland Beavers 42 45 .483 8.0
Sacramento River Cats 42 45 .483 8.0
Vancouver Whitecaps 41 47 .466 9.5

Young Drachma

09-30-2007, 01:41 AM

REFLECTING ON THE SEASON TO DATE
I can't really explain this year. I mean, I think it was around January or so, when I was seriously considering leaving this team and going to Providence to run the Bees -- with a blank check to get who I wanted as a free agent -- that I started to look at the minor leagues and thought to myself, "this might not be as bad as I thought."

I liken it a lot to the '93 Blue Jays who dumped a bunch of guys that played on the '92 team and as a fan, I thought that they'd be a shell of themselves the following year. But instead, Olerud, Molitor and Alomar finish 1-2-3 in the batting race that year and the Jays win their 2nd straight World Series. Now that's real life and this is just a game...but I think this season is almost one of those where I felt bad for having a good year. I mean, I'm all about realism and so, on paper, you look at the team that gives up the bulk of its offense from the previous year and replaces them with other players and think to yourself that it's just not going to be the same and yet, if I look at our roster, I knew it was possible. I knew that the prospects that we had would be a year older, that the kids who played over the past three years would be another year wiser and that a breakout was possible on all fronts.

And so, I can't say that I'm entirely surprised by this year especially when you consider that I really went out of my way to stockpile pitching when I first got this gig. I mean, that was something I worked hard at. And then we had no middle infielders and so, I went crazy to get those too. And obviously, I dealt some first-rate guys and so, I had to get stuff in return for them.

So to some degree, it's not even that it's a surprise as much as...I guess I'm impressed with the dominance. It's probably more like what the Braves did. I mean, for over a decade, they really did produce superior talent. And they kept doing it in a very tough division. Whereas a team like the A's are good and such, they're not dominant when playoff time comes and they would always fall short because of some inevitable flaw. The Braves always had the money to get another player if they needed it, but had someone who could step up to get them to that next spot at different times. Now obviously they only have 1 World Series to show for it, but...the reference still works for me, because it proves there is a real world model to aspire to and that it's not just AI going awry or somehow me fleecing the computer unfairly. Well, maybe it is..but I don't feel like it's that at all.

I think if the goal is truly to win and not just tinker around or something, then you ought to consistently challenge yourself. And I think, that after last year, having to purge salary and do whatever was a very, very risky thing to do have to do. And like I said, I was sooo close to leaving. To the point where I was mulling hard over where I would go and what scenario I wanted to pursue. The only thing that stopped me from taking over a CL team was that I was a World Series winning GM and that doing that wouldn't even be a step up, really. The Brooklyn job thing wasn't on my radar. I mean, I never even considered it. I only considered taking the Providence job, because I wanted to help them get good early on, so they could compete with Boston and create a NY style rivarly between the clubs.

The fact that they're good and playing a different division will probably add a little fuel to that flame, but more than a few folks have been vocal about how "unfair" it is that they're playing in a different division. I say that it doesn't make sense to scream. If they hadn't moved, they'd be in that division and the divisions are only setup generally for travel concerns and so, it's not as if it's that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. But Whatever.

Our magic number is 25. That means that barring anything insane, if we win the division we'll have achieved the best regular season in franchise history, surpassing the 108 wins of the 1969 World Series championship team.

None of it will matter if we don't repeat as Champions and given I made NO deals at the deadline, we're stuck pretty much with who we have. We have a nice core, though. It'll just be interesting to see how it all shapes out, as there are probably teams gunning for us at all angles. The other question one has when you're this far ahead is, "who do you rest and when do you start resting them? I mean....you don't want anyone to get a catastrophic injury at this point in the year. The stakes are too high.

Young Drachma

09-30-2007, 02:36 AM

HOW ARE THEY NOW?
As you know, I dealt a lot of guys last off-season, in part because I was told to and because we needed to cut payroll.

It was tough to do, but this Peter Gammons article (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=1947932) articulates to me that there is something that separates a great G.M. from someone who just runs a team with his eyes closed and using a dartboard. Us fans, we look at the teams and think "doh, of course this will happen" and then it doesn't and you're confused as to why.

It's about an idea that I read in a different article of his where he talked about John Schuerholz and about the idea that a GM who knows 'what' talent to trade, can be a genius. And so, maybe it inspired me to make the deals I did this year, I dunno. And a lot of these numbers aren't indicative of the quality of a lot of these guys, as a vast majority of the younger players are starting too soon and putting up numbers that reflect that.

I think the most notable thing you can take from this, is that we made very smart tactical decisions related to finding a way to leverage the players we had to deal to get offensive players that would keep putting runs on the board. I was woefully afraid of that as we got closer to the season and so, I kept tweaking and seeking out guys that would be able to produce at a high level.

I think the main difference is, the team this year pitches even better than last year's team and this year's team is more efficient offensively and as a result, more productive. It's an interesting thing to watch, though.

But anyway, here are the guys we dealt last off-season and how they're doing as of August 19, 2003.

OF M.A. Charbonneau (TOR)
.266/27 HR/93 RBI

SP Jose Portillo (TOR)
11-12, 4.59 ERA, 98 K in 27 starts

OF Spencer Jacobs (TOR)
.227/20 HR/71 RBI

OF Tetsui Kodo (TOR)
.269/13 HR/53 RBI

C Vic Ross (PRO)
.269/37 HR/91 RBI

SS Alfie Penrice (PRO)
.288/31 HR/73 RBI

C Manny Lopez (PHI)
.198/15 HR/49 RBI

SP Luis M. Morales (COL)
11-10, 4.18 ERA, 132 K

OF Miguel Martinez (COL)
.284/20 HR/68 RBI

Ricardo Serrano (SA)
.274/17 HR/ 73 RBI

Derek Dowd (SA)
.296/2 HR/48 RBI/31 SB

Jesse Hinton (SA)
.230/26 HR/89 RBI

Lawrence Flowers (MIL)
.292/4 HR/51 RBI in the minors

Dave Banks (MIL)
.219/1 HR/13 RBI in 155 ABs

Foppe Vroonland (MIL)
.229/7 HR/24 RBI

Michael Warren (BAL)
.281/17 HR/94 RBI

Jeremy Thompson (BAL)
6-12, 8.22 ERA, 43 K

Felix Murillo (BAL)
6-3, 6.47 ERA, 32 K

Jack Miller (BAL)
.277/3 HR/71 RBI

Terry Wilkie (NEV)
.301/10 HR/71 RBI in minors

Weldon Young (NEV)
.254/3 HR/35 RBI in 394 ABs

Alfredo Aguirre (NEV)
2-3, 5.09 ERA in 18 appearances

Tristan Lamberti (NEV)
7-9, 3.13 ERA, 157 K in 30 starts

Joe Jones (PHILS)
.294/6 HR/45 RBI in 428 ABs

Emilio Correa (CUBS)
.282/14 HR/52 RBI in 373 ABs

Curt Ellis (CUBS)
.233/5 HR/22 RBI in 240 ABs

Young Drachma

09-30-2007, 02:46 AM

BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL HISTORY: RANDOM FACTS
I thought it was the Mets two years ago that broke the Atlanta record of 109. But they're both wrong and it still stood. The 1969 Detroit Tigers went 114-48, but did not win the World Series that year. (As you know, it was the Boston Yankees. The Yanks knocked the Tigers out in the Semi-Finals after a seven-game series)

Well, the 2003 Yanks are about to break the single-season team win record this year after their torrid start that's lasted the entire year.

2002 and 2003 are the first time the Yankees have had back-to-back 100+ win seasons. The two previous times the team won 100+ games (1969, 1976) the team won the World Series both times.

The 1975 Boston Yankees (87-76) are the worst team record wise to win a World Series. If the 2003 team wins, it will be the best record team to ever win it all. The 2001 Mets with their 110 wins that year are currently the holders of that title.

OMAHA WILL HOST CHALLENGE SERIES
For the first time ever, the AT&T Challenge Series will be hosted on US soil. MLB announced today that Rosenblatt Stadium, home to the College World Series, will host the MLB Challenge Series in 2003. The best-of-five game event is now sponsored by AT&T and features the MLB team with the worst record and the champion of the CL's Guinness Cup Series.

Young Drachma

09-30-2007, 12:00 PM

Ok, so I'm going to post our Top 10 prospects from Baseball America. We're again the #1 farm system in baseball for the 3rd straight year.

That said, we were #3 before I got here, so the climb up wasn't as steep as it seems.

I mostly want to focus on who came here and from where, because it's evidenced by good scouting, but also by good trading that's gotten us to this point and it's impressive to me.

1. C Chris Elliott (Undrafted FA) .284/21 HR/74 RBI (MLB)

2. 3B Mario Santos (From San Antonio in the Derek Dowd trade)
.270/28 HR/86 RBI (MLB)

3. 1B Roger Schilder (From Providence in the Vic Ross trade)
.275/21 HR/ 77 RBI (Minors)

4. SP Cesar Pacheco (4th round pick, 2002 draft)
14-3, 1.14 ERA, 112 K (Minors)

5. SP Saku Kawano (Intl FA)
13-3, 2.35 ERA in 22 starts (MLB)

6. SP Jorge Montes (4th round pick, 2001 draft)
15-4, 3.29 ERA, 183 K (MLB)

7. LF Luis Zavala (Undrafted FA)
.325/31 HR/ 82 RBI (Minors)

8. RF Liam Broadhead (Undrafted FA)
.252/17 HR/90 RBI (Minors)

9. 3B Colm Howey ((Undrafted FA)
.238/11 HR/48 RBI (Minors)

10. SP Victor Lopez (From Providence in the Vic Ross deal)
14-6, 1.71 ERA, 213K (Minors)

The next conversation we'll have after this, is trying to make a decision about who to lock into long-term deals on this current squad. Basically, that discussion will determine if I plan to be the John Schuerholz of this team -- that is, ushering an era of Yankee dominance or whatever -- or if I plan to be Pat Gillick, traveling around the baseball universe, trying to make good teams great.

I'm not sure what to do this at this point, but if you have an idea, be sure to put it out there.

Young Drachma

09-30-2007, 03:05 PM

SEPT. 6, 2003 ~ YANKEES BREAK SINGLE-SEASON WINS RECORD

After a 9-5 victory over the New York Bombers at New York Life Park in The Bronx, the Boston Yankees were jubiliant and yet, reserved.

The team had just broken the single-season record for most wins in a regular season, set by the 1969 Detroit Tigers who won 114 games that year.

The 34-year record finally fell today, but the Yankees -- ever aware of history -- said that they were not done yet.

"That team didn't win it all. But we want to go ahead and finish the job we started," said pitcher Jay Jackson.

What the Yankees have been able to do on the heels of the breakup of their team is impressive. Ranked 18th in payroll this year at just over $40 million, only the Kansas City Royals at just over $41 million and 17th are likely playoff contenders at this payroll level.

While the team is excited about the rest of this season, GM D.C. Daly is already thinking about the future.

"We're going to have to think long and hard about locking up some of our key guys. What's happening now is awesome. I mean, I can't say to you that last November, I would've ever predicted this. But, now that we're here and it's happening..I'm really looking forward to what's ahead for us."

The team will move into Dunkin Donuts Park in 2005, which should help the team's attendance numbers. They're currently ranked 8th in attendance at just under 3 million, but should be able to get over the 3 million mark again for the third straight year this season.

Ever the student of history, Daly says that he wants to create legends among the current crop of players.

"I think that if things continue as they have, that we can have a team that endures. I'd love to look back on this team in a decade and focus on the legends on the roster."

But before they can be legends, they have to repeat as Champions.

If the Yankees win the Series this year, it'll be the organization's 5th World Series title, tying them with San Antonio for the most in baseball history.

The Aviators won titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1995.

The Yanks are currently tied with the Mets who have four (1981, 1997, 1998, 2001)

PLAYERS UNION CONSIDERING TAKING ACTION AGAINST MLB FOR FALSE CLAIMS

After the suspension of two MLB players for reported violations of the drug policy in MLB, it appears that MLB was wrong.

In a stunning statement, MLB reported came out today to report that its initial tests were flawed and that the players who were suspended for wrongdoing were falsely accused.

"With significant regret and apologies, we do not believe that our initial reports were accurate," said an MLB spokesman in a report today.

Players throughout the league have reported decided to 'take action' against the decisionmaking process of MLB. This is exacerbated by some players belief that salaries across baseball are too low.

The average salary in MLB this year is $1,476,409. In the Continental League, it's $610,898.

Meanwhile, MLB owners are reaping huge benefits while cutting costs for players.

Major market teams like the LA Angels have a payroll of just under $25 million and some players say "this is just wrong."

What sort of action might be taken in response is not known at present, but there seems to be a swirling cloud over the game -- first with the drug allegations, now with players brewing with discontent and of course, owners who are constantly frustrated with revenue sharing and other mechanisms that affect their ability to compete.

What might be brewing is a storm that few can stop the winds on.

MILESTONES HISTORY
I just figure that some of the league's milestones might be of interest to folks, so here are some of them:

NO-HITTERS

Date Player No-Hitters
08-09-1969 Gonzalo Magana 9 IP, 2 BB and 5 Strikeouts versus Los Angeles while playing for Philadelphia
08-23-1971 Davy Benoit 9 IP, 2 BB and 13 Strikeouts versus Florida while playing for Kansas City
09-13-1971 Rodrigo Bustamante 9 IP, 0 BB and 11 Strikeouts versus Atlanta while playing for San Francisco (PERFECT GAME)
04-14-1972 Pedro Álvarez 9 IP, 0 BB and 3 Strikeouts versus New York while playing for Jacksonville
06-15-1973 Francisco Caceres 9 IP, 3 BB and 5 Strikeouts versus San Diego while playing for San Jose
09-12-1975 Michael Kennedy 9 IP, 1 BB and 5 Strikeouts versus St. Louis while playing for Minnesota
04-14-1976 Andrés Benauente 9 IP, 4 BB and 2 Strikeouts versus San Francisco while playing for Boston
08-01-1976 Michael Crosby 9 IP, 3 BB and 4 Strikeouts versus Houston while playing for New York
04-20-1980 Katsumi Saikawa 9 IP, 2 BB and 6 Strikeouts versus Chicago while playing for Colorado
04-21-1980 Anthony Barr 9 IP, 4 BB and 11 Strikeouts versus Texas while playing for Atlanta
09-08-1980 Robinson Castaneda 9 IP, 0 BB and 7 Strikeouts versus San Antonio while playing for Pittsburgh
05-16-1981 Jud Pruitt 9 IP, 2 BB and 9 Strikeouts versus San Francisco while playing for Houston
07-01-1982 Francisco Hidalgo 9 IP, 1 BB and 7 Strikeouts versus Pittsburgh while playing for Atlanta
04-09-1984 Xavier Sánchez 9 IP, 2 BB and 1 Strikeouts versus New York while playing for Cleveland
06-05-1984 Harry Minford 9 IP, 2 BB and 6 Strikeouts versus Washington while playing for Chicago
06-25-1984 Brian Dickson 9 IP, 1 BB and 8 Strikeouts versus Minnesota while playing for Los Angeles
07-15-1985 David West 9 IP, 4 BB and 4 Strikeouts versus Texas while playing for Philadelphia
04-08-1986 Jack Simmons 9 IP, 1 BB and 4 Strikeouts versus Los Angeles while playing for Boston
06-17-1986 Dave Saunders 9 IP, 2 BB and 4 Strikeouts versus Pittsburgh while playing for San Jose
06-02-1987 Alfredo Rodríguez 9 IP, 0 BB and 6 Strikeouts versus San Jose while playing for San Diego (PERFECT GAME)
06-13-1987 Dale Rollins 9 IP, 0 BB and 9 Strikeouts versus New York while playing for Pittsburgh (PERFECT GAME)
06-14-1987 Blake Allen 9 IP, 3 BB and 6 Strikeouts versus Detroit while playing for San Diego
08-26-1987 Jesús Rea 9 IP, 1 BB and 7 Strikeouts versus Florida while playing for New York
08-27-1988 Ben Snider 9 IP, 0 BB and 4 Strikeouts versus Cleveland while playing for Chicago
04-11-1990 Charlie Anderson 9 IP, 1 BB and 6 Strikeouts versus Cincinnati while playing for Cleveland
05-05-1990 Ty Arrington 9 IP, 0 BB and 11 Strikeouts versus Boston while playing for Philadelphia
04-02-1991 Jon Johnson 9 IP, 1 BB and 8 Strikeouts versus Jacksonville while playing for Minnesota
05-07-1991 Kent West 9 IP, 1 BB and 9 Strikeouts versus Seattle while playing for Colorado
05-25-1991 J.J. MacIntosh 9 IP, 4 BB and 5 Strikeouts versus Arizona while playing for San Francisco
08-17-1992 Dave Drakes 9 IP, 1 BB and 4 Strikeouts versus Los Angeles while playing for Los Angeles
05-15-1995 Andrés Martínez 9 IP, 1 BB and 2 Strikeouts versus Seattle while playing for San Jose
06-01-1996 Charlie Cousins 9 IP, 0 BB and 7 Strikeouts versus Texas while playing for Washington (PERFECT GAME)
06-18-1996 Rick McKee 9 IP, 1 BB and 10 Strikeouts versus New York while playing for Toronto
06-22-1996 Artie Erickson 9 IP, 4 BB and 4 Strikeouts versus Jacksonville while playing for Cincinnati
04-17-1998 Juan Galván 9 IP, 1 BB and 9 Strikeouts versus Texas while playing for Toronto
06-09-1998 Tom Wilson 9 IP, 1 BB and 4 Strikeouts versus San Antonio while playing for Washington
07-12-1998 Wiley Cunningham 9 IP, 4 BB and 1 Strikeouts versus Chicago while playing for Columbus
06-22-2000 Wiley Cunningham 9 IP, 1 BB and 5 Strikeouts versus St. Louis while playing for Columbus
03-28-2001 Aaron Larkin 9 IP, 1 BB and 10 Strikeouts versus San Jose while playing for Seattle
09-17-2001 Tony Rodríguez 9 IP, 2 BB and 13 Strikeouts versus New York while playing for Philadelphia
07-14-2002 Howard Jackson 9 IP, 2 BB and 0 Strikeouts versus New York while playing for Providence
08-01-2002 Jay Jackson 9 IP, 1 BB and 9 Strikeouts versus Baltimore while playing for Philadelphia
09-17-2002 José Vega 9 IP, 0 BB and 9 Strikeouts versus Pittsburgh while playing for Baltimore
05-11-2003 Oscar Ellis 9 IP, 2 BB and 8 Strikeouts versus Boston while playing for Brooklyn
07-19-2003 Roy Brown 9 IP, 4 BB and 8 Strikeouts versus Chicago while playing for Brooklyn

50+ HOMER SEASONS

Date Player HR Seasons
1969 Benjamin Bowden 55 Home Runs, .363/.429/.715, 133 RBI and 155 Runs in 622 AB, 111.3 VORP
1970 Boyd Bullock 51 Home Runs, .269/.346/.557, 153 RBI and 113 Runs in 628 AB, 42.9 VORP
1970 Ricardo Andrés 51 Home Runs, .285/.399/.631, 133 RBI and 121 Runs in 547 AB, 63.5 VORP
1975 Jeff Thornton 57 Home Runs, .396/.481/.755, 163 RBI and 151 Runs in 609 AB, 165.9 VORP
1986 Mark Jewell 51 Home Runs, .376/.478/.723, 127 RBI and 142 Runs in 556 AB, 119.4 VORP
1991 Mark Jewell 51 Home Runs, .366/.491/.704, 153 RBI and 148 Runs in 565 AB, 124.1 VORP
1992 Phil Waller 55 Home Runs, .319/.369/.639, 137 RBI and 126 Runs in 642 AB, 87.5 VORP
1992 Ken Manning 55 Home Runs, .310/.391/.652, 146 RBI and 134 Runs in 626 AB, 83.6 VORP
1998 Joe Smith 55 Home Runs, .283/.329/.586, 140 RBI and 114 Runs in 607 AB, 35.6 VORP
2002 Andrew Cooper 54 Home Runs, .298/.392/.594, 132 RBI and 118 Runs in 630 AB, 59.2 VORP

150+ RBI SEASONS

Date Player RBI Seasons
1969 Rich Sorensen 185 RBI, .325/.385/.614, 45 Home Runs and 117 Runs in 622 AB, 74.7 VORP
1970 Boyd Bullock 153 RBI, .269/.346/.557, 51 Home Runs and 113 Runs in 628 AB, 42.9 VORP
1971 Elpidio Chinita 160 RBI, .273/.362/.539, 39 Home Runs and 99 Runs in 627 AB, 33.9 VORP
1972 José García 161 RBI, .278/.357/.531, 43 Home Runs and 113 Runs in 627 AB, 38.1 VORP
1973 José García 158 RBI, .259/.358/.518, 40 Home Runs and 115 Runs in 606 AB, 33.7 VORP
1973 Benjamin Bowden 153 RBI, .366/.425/.667, 46 Home Runs and 130 Runs in 606 AB, 105.1 VORP
1975 Jeff Thornton 163 RBI, .396/.481/.755, 57 Home Runs and 151 Runs in 609 AB, 165.9 VORP
1978 Anthony Bailey 157 RBI, .277/.323/.522, 38 Home Runs and 95 Runs in 646 AB, 17.8 VORP
1985 Randall Smith 151 RBI, .302/.406/.557, 40 Home Runs and 108 Runs in 560 AB, 65.7 VORP
1985 Edmond Long 154 RBI, .302/.348/.556, 33 Home Runs and 97 Runs in 592 AB, 51.3 VORP
1986 Sandy Walter 159 RBI, .309/.357/.554, 35 Home Runs and 109 Runs in 634 AB, 57.2 VORP
1988 Sandy Walter 153 RBI, .310/.364/.580, 41 Home Runs and 105 Runs in 635 AB, 62.1 VORP
1989 Juan García 156 RBI, .330/.388/.653, 49 Home Runs and 106 Runs in 539 AB, 78.6 VORP
1989 Sandy Walter 167 RBI, .303/.354/.565, 38 Home Runs and 112 Runs in 637 AB, 56.9 VORP
1990 Dylan Sims 162 RBI, .320/.370/.561, 33 Home Runs and 118 Runs in 631 AB, 65.1 VORP
1990 Edgar González 166 RBI, .289/.386/.588, 43 Home Runs and 118 Runs in 575 AB, 68.7 VORP
1991 Mark Jewell 153 RBI, .366/.491/.704, 51 Home Runs and 148 Runs in 565 AB, 124.1 VORP
1991 Juan López 157 RBI, .333/.449/.617, 41 Home Runs and 145 Runs in 595 AB, 93.9 VORP
1991 Jim Burns 158 RBI, .301/.352/.574, 44 Home Runs and 112 Runs in 624 AB, 55.7 VORP
1993 Jim Burns 162 RBI, .364/.420/.684, 45 Home Runs and 141 Runs in 613 AB, 111.2 VORP
1994 Ken Manning 161 RBI, .326/.398/.638, 49 Home Runs and 143 Runs in 635 AB, 94.5 VORP
1995 Ken Manning 163 RBI, .317/.387/.554, 34 Home Runs and 134 Runs in 641 AB, 64.4 VORP
1996 Ken Manning 153 RBI, .300/.380/.522, 29 Home Runs and 118 Runs in 644 AB, 57.6 VORP
1998 Juan Álvarez 152 RBI, .289/.358/.573, 42 Home Runs and 115 Runs in 602 AB, 64.0 VORP
2002 Des McCullough 154 RBI, .337/.425/.616, 48 Home Runs and 136 Runs in 641 AB, 106.1 VORP

15+ STRIKEOUT GAMES

Date Player Strikeouts
06-10-1970 Dan Yarbrough 7.0 IP, 0 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Pittsburgh while playing for Los Angeles
07-11-1974 Brian Dickson 7.1 IP, 2 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Philadelphia while playing for New York
06-17-1975 Jesús Gómez 8.0 IP, 0 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Chicago while playing for Detroit
08-21-1978 Douglas Cooper 10.0 IP, 0 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Florida while playing for San Francisco
04-11-1981 Esteban Rodríguez 9.0 IP, 1 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Florida while playing for St. Louis
07-22-1983 Charlie Cousins 8.0 IP, 0 BB and 16 Strikeouts versus St. Louis while playing for Washington
03-27-1985 Luis Rodríguez 9.0 IP, 1 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Los Angeles while playing for Los Angeles
05-09-1986 Anthony Barr 7.1 IP, 4 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Minnesota while playing for San Antonio
09-08-1986 Félix Sosa 7.2 IP, 2 BB and 16 Strikeouts versus New York while playing for Chicago
04-03-1987 Alfredo Romero 7.0 IP, 1 BB and 16 Strikeouts versus Columbus while playing for St. Louis
08-12-1989 Félix Sosa 7.2 IP, 0 BB and 16 Strikeouts versus Pittsburgh while playing for Chicago
08-18-1992 Luis Rodríguez 8.0 IP, 0 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Arizona while playing for Los Angeles
05-31-1994 John Shaffer 7.0 IP, 0 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Los Angeles while playing for Los Angeles
05-27-1996 John Shaffer 7.0 IP, 3 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Los Angeles while playing for Los Angeles
06-23-1996 Matt Warren 9.0 IP, 0 BB and 16 Strikeouts versus Jacksonville while playing for Cincinnati
07-11-2000 Jay Jackson 7.1 IP, 1 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Los Angeles while playing for Philadelphia
03-28-2001 Ben Cox 8.0 IP, 5 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Minnesota while playing for St. Louis
05-27-2001 Roy Brown 7.1 IP, 1 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus New York while playing for Brooklyn
07-30-2001 Ben Cox 9.0 IP, 0 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Colorado while playing for St. Louis
05-07-2002 Ben Cox 7.1 IP, 1 BB and 16 Strikeouts versus Minnesota while playing for St. Louis
06-15-2002 Brian Campbell 8.0 IP, 2 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Texas while playing for Toronto
07-07-2002 Michael Love 8.0 IP, 0 BB and 15 Strikeouts versus Philadelphia while playing for New York

TRIPLE CROWN SEASONS

Date Player Triple Crowns
1975 Jeff Thornton 57 Home Runs, .396/.481/.755, 163 RBI and 151 Runs in 609 AB, 165.9 VORP
1993 Jim Burns 45 Home Runs, .364/.420/.684, 162 RBI and 141 Runs in 613 AB, 111.2 VORP

HITTING STREAKS

Date Player Hitting Streaks
07-09-1969 António Ortíz 25 Games, while playing for Pittsburgh
09-09-1969 Benjamin Bowden 25 Games, while playing for St. Louis
07-20-1970 Markus Rosberg 25 Games, while playing for New York
07-30-1970 Mario Pacheco 25 Games, while playing for San Diego
09-14-1970 Benjamin Bowden 30 Games, while playing for St. Louis
06-06-1971 Jorge Villanueva 25 Games, while playing for Chicago
07-29-1973 Benjamin Bowden 32 Games, while playing for St. Louis
07-24-1974 Gilbert Taylor 28 Games, while playing for Colorado
07-21-1975 Jeff Thornton 29 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
05-04-1976 Jeff Thornton 25 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
03-31-1977 Robert Warner 28 Games, while playing for Kansas City
08-22-1977 Gabe Gershon 25 Games, while playing for Detroit
04-24-1978 Anthony Koch 27 Games, while playing for San Diego
08-07-1978 Bill Colbert 26 Games, while playing for Boston
08-13-1978 Jared Boyd 38 Games, while playing for Cincinnati
04-10-1979 José Ramos 25 Games, while playing for Kansas City
04-12-1980 Jack Curry 30 Games, while playing for Chicago
05-06-1980 Dave Crawford 26 Games, while playing for Cleveland
09-08-1980 Jeff Hunter 27 Games, while playing for Detroit
06-05-1981 Anthony Koch 26 Games, while playing for Chicago
05-30-1982 Andrew Williams 25 Games, while playing for Arizona
07-10-1982 Jack Curry 27 Games, while playing for Chicago
07-27-1982 Dani Montáñez 44 Games, while playing for San Jose
04-10-1983 Joe Hastings 28 Games, while playing for Arizona
07-12-1983 Ian Schultz 27 Games, while playing for Minnesota
08-04-1983 Jack Curry 27 Games, while playing for Chicago
08-15-1983 Maurice McLean 27 Games, while playing for Kansas City
03-23-1984 Alfonso Chévres 26 Games, while playing for New York
05-16-1984 John Connor 28 Games, while playing for Chicago
08-05-1984 Ricardo Vásquez 25 Games, while playing for Chicago
05-26-1985 Charles Christian 28 Games, while playing for Columbus
06-21-1986 Arata Miura 30 Games, while playing for Arizona
05-08-1987 Eric Shaw 29 Games, while playing for Cincinnati
05-18-1987 César Balbuena 39 Games, while playing for Chicago
05-29-1987 Jerry O'Slattery 25 Games, while playing for San Jose
04-15-1988 Ed Parsons 25 Games, while playing for Cincinnati
07-05-1988 Rick Bowman 39 Games, while playing for Minnesota
05-26-1989 Yi Huang 27 Games, while playing for Jacksonville
06-08-1989 Dani Montáñez 29 Games, while playing for San Jose
08-17-1989 Tom Gunter 33 Games, while playing for San Antonio
08-18-1989 Phil Waller 25 Games, while playing for New York
09-12-1989 Robert Terry 25 Games, while playing for Jacksonville
07-25-1990 Phil Waller 27 Games, while playing for New York
06-13-1991 Ricardo González 29 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
06-13-1992 Jim Rouse 31 Games, while playing for Seattle
07-10-1992 Oliver Brewer 25 Games, while playing for Florida
07-26-1992 Ken Schmitt 25 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
08-12-1992 Ray Harrison 26 Games, while playing for St. Louis
09-20-1992 Ken Manning 25 Games, while playing for Detroit
04-01-1994 Anthony Koch 26 Games, while playing for Chicago
04-02-1995 Domingo Garza 25 Games, while playing for New York
07-29-1995 Orlando García 28 Games, while playing for Chicago
08-03-1995 José Rodríguez 25 Games, while playing for Boston
08-05-1995 Esteban López 30 Games, while playing for Chicago
09-14-1995 Ryan Holland 26 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
07-18-1996 Jack Curry 30 Games, while playing for St. Louis
08-15-1996 Carlos Morales 32 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
08-05-1997 Steven Wilhelm 25 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
06-05-1999 Dale Davenport 26 Games, while playing for Jacksonville
08-06-1999 Alec Greer 25 Games, while playing for Toronto
08-07-1999 Gary Noftall 25 Games, while playing for Pittsburgh
09-04-1999 Robin Donovan 26 Games, while playing for Kansas City
08-03-2000 Ricardo González 33 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
08-12-2000 Jeff Nelson 25 Games, while playing for Kansas City
09-08-2000 Frederick Watkins 25 Games, while playing for Brooklyn
09-21-2000 Lorenzo Estral 26 Games, while playing for Los Angeles
05-11-2002 Ángelo Torres 25 Games, while playing for New York
06-19-2002 Tim Wagner 25 Games, while playing for Providence
07-26-2002 Dale Davenport 26 Games, while playing for Riverside
08-13-2002 Jesús González 25 Games, while playing for Philadelphia
03-23-2003 Jacob Snow 25 Games, while playing for Boston
07-08-2003 Earl O'Halloran 28 Games, while playing for Seattle

Young Drachma

09-30-2007, 11:59 PM

New independent Triple-A circuit to start in 2004.

A new Triple-A league called the "Republic League" will start in 2004 with 10 teams across the country.

The teams are:

EASTERN
--
Lakewood Blue Claws
Nashville Sounds
Ottawa Lynx
Rochester Red Wings
Toledo Mud Hens

WESTERN
---
Billings Mustangs
Boise Hawks
Cedar Rapids Kernals
Compton Brothers
Yakima Bears

The league has a $10 million salary cap and plays a 134-game schedule.
---------
FINAL STANDINGS
2003 MAJOR LEAGUE STANDINGS

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 122 40 .753 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 104 58 .642 18.0
New York Mets 91 71 .562 31.0
Baltimore Orioles 82 80 .506 40.0
Toronto Blue Sox 75 87 .463 47.0
New York Bombers 74 88 .457 48.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 72 90 .444 50.0
Philadelphia Colonials 68 94 .420 54.0

American Division W L PCT GB
Detroit Tigers 95 67 .586 -
Chicago Comets 93 69 .574 2.0
Kansas City Royals 89 73 .549 6.0
Chicago Cubs 78 84 .481 17.0
Columbus Clippers 76 86 .469 19.0
St. Louis Cardinals 75 87 .463 20.0
Colorado Rockies 68 94 .420 27.0
Monterrey Matadors 66 96 .407 29.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Providence Bees 107 55 .660 -
Los Angeles Angels 97 65 .599 10.0
Seattle Mariners 83 79 .512 24.0
San Diego Padres 77 85 .475 30.0
Los Angeles Dodgers 73 89 .451 34.0
San Jose Captains 67 95 .414 40.0
Riverside Red Sox 61 101 .377 46.0
San Francisco Giants 53 109 .327 54.0

National Division W L PCT GB
Texas Rangers 98 64 .605 -
Cincinnati Reds 95 67 .586 3.0
San Antonio Aviators 94 68 .580 4.0
Atlanta Athletics 85 77 .525 13.0
Florida Marlins 77 85 .475 21.0
Washington Diplomats 68 94 .420 30.0
Houston Astros 67 95 .414 31.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 62 100 .383 36.0

The San Francisco Giants finished at 53-109, making them the MLB candidate to the
AT&T Challenge Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.

WORLD SERIES QUARTERFINALS MATCHUPS
---

San Antonio v. Boston
Cincinnati v. Providence
Los Angeles Angels v. Texas
Brooklyn v. Detroit

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 12:19 AM

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE FINALS

FINAL STANDINGS, 2003
Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Philadelphia Phillies 84 52 .618 -
Tampa Bay Rays 80 56 .588 4.0
New York Rens 71 65 .522 13.0
Charlotte Knights 70 66 .515 14.0
Cleveland Indians 60 76 .441 24.0
Milwaukee Braves 43 93 .316 41.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Minnesota Twins 73 63 .537 -
Chicago White Sox 71 65 .522 2.0
Sacramento River Cats 70 66 .515 3.0
Portland Beavers 67 69 .493 6.0
Vancouver Whitecaps 64 72 .471 9.0
Nevada Silverhawks 63 73 .463 10.0

WORLD SERIES QUARTERFINALS RESULTS
---
Boston def. San Antonio 3-0
The defending champion Yankees are still guns ablazing as they sweep the Aviators in the first round.

Detroit def. Brooklyn 3-0
The 104-win Cyclones get swept by the 95-win American Division champion Tigers for our first post-season upset. Despite 12 playoff appearances in history, the Tigers have never won the World Series.

Angels def. Texas 3-1
The 97-win Angels knock off the National Division champion Rangers in four games.

Providence def. Cincinnati 3-2
The upstart Bees, who won a franchise record 107-wins in the regular season knock off the 95-win Reds to setup a semifinals matchup between the Boston Yankees.

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 08:57 AM

PROVIDENCE V. BOSTON PREVIEW

BOSTON - A year ago, the Bees were in Salt Lake City. The Yankees were on their way to winning their first World Series title since 1976.

Fast forward to 2003, the Bees are playing in Hartford while their new stadium in Providence, with a new owner whose opened the checkbook and a remade team that build on the progress of the team's last season.

The Bees have taken New England by storm and the funny part is, they've done it buoyed by trades that have put four former Yankees on the starting squad of the Bees.

Closer Paul Moneur (6-5, 43 SV, 3.12 ERA) was a Yankees prospect acquired in the Dan Warren trade two years ago. Along with him, came Andrew Cooper (.286/46 HR/118 RBI), whose established himself as one of the game's formidible sluggers. Former Yankees catcher Vic Ross came to Providence in a salary dump last off-season and has continued to blossom (.263/45 HR/105 RBI) and former Yankees farmhand Alfie Penrice has excelled in his rookie season hitting .277/38 HR/85 RBI.

GM D.C. Daly says that "it's just a testament to our scouting department that we could let some guys go who have talent and still be able to excel at a very high level."

The Yankees meanwhile are in the midst of the best season in baseball history after winning 122 regular season games and coasting through the Quarterfinals, sit on the doorstep again of a return trip to the World Series.

But is it different facing a new regional rival?

To that, Daly says, "I think it's great for baseball when you have pockets of energy and enthuisiam. But you need a willing partner. If we weren't very good or if they weren't, none of this would be particularly possible. So on some level, it's a signal of two franchises that have the ability and the talent to excel that makes a series like this possible. We've been here and they're new, so we'll see how long it lasts. But rivalries are good for the game, I think."

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 12:24 PM

TWINS WIN GUINNESS CUP SERIES, SETUP SHOWDOWN WITH GIANTS
October 1, 2003
PHILADELPHIA - Despite not having home field advantage in the 2003 Guinness Cup Series, the Minnesota Twins were determined to get a shot back at major league glory and with a 7-2 win on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies today, the ballclub is heading for a showdown in Omaha against the San Francisco Giants for the right to play in MLB in 2004.

"This is what we wanted to happen," said Twins ace Eric Alexander (21-7, 2.80 ERA) about the team's ascent to the Continental League title. They're the first relegated team to ever win the CL championship and so, to advance a year after being relegated would be "huge" said veteran second baseman Gary Bryant.

The team set the CL record for attendance with 1.5 million fans this season. "We want to win this for them. They supported us and so we need to get back where we belong," said Twins Executive VP David Hawley.

Meanwhile, the Giants are poised to become the first team to ever "hold serve" and not get relegated after winning the Challenge Series. "We're going to play our hardest. This means a ton to us," said outfielder Jae Butler, a CL alum who said that he "much prefers the lifestyle" of the MLB than the CL.

And it's not just about money, he said.

"It's just about prestige man. I mean, a lot of the games down there you play to empty crowds. It's getting better now, I think. I just prefer this. Just the chance to know you can win the World Series is huge."

Talentwise, the Twins are a lot better than the Giants. The Giants ace Phil Martin (1-19, 4.75 ERA) said he believes the team can make it out of this series with the Twins, at neutral site Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, the first time the AT&T Challenge Series has ever been held in the U.S.

"We believe in ourselves and we know what this team is capable of. We might surprise some people, but not ourselves."

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 12:36 PM

http://www.crayon.tv/attcs.png

GM 1: San Francisco 8, Minnesota 7

GM 2: Minnesota 4, San Francisco 3

The Giants are the home team for the next doubleheader, with the Twins serving as the home team if a decisive Game 5 is needed on Monday night.

GM 3: San Francisco 6, Minnesota 5 (11 innings)

GM 4: San Francisco 5, Minnesota 4

The Giants win the Pennant! Ok, so not really. But they become the first team to hold serve in the AT&T Challenge Series and as a result, the Giants will stay in MLB another year, while the Twins go back to defend their Guinness Cup Series title in the Continental League for 2004.

Ed Note: I had no idea this would happen. On paper, the Twins were a lot of better than the Giants. But with a Series like this, it could've gone either way and so...how exciting?

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 12:44 PM

WORLD SERIES SEMI-FINALS

October 6, 2003
The Los Angeles Angels won the battle of teams that have never won a title despite lots of playoff appearances in seven close games. The Angels won Game 7 3-2, to advance to the World Series. In 13 playoff appearances, the team has yet to win a World Series, while the Tigers have gone 12 without winning the ultimate prize.

Meanwhile, in the other Semifinals Series, the battle of New England has boiled over, as the defending champion Boston Yankees are heading to Yankee Field where they've not lost in the playoffs this year, to take on the upstart Providence Bees, who were down 2-0 in the series before winning three straight at their home away from home in Hartford.

The Bees meanwhile are 1-4 on the road this post-season.

The team says they're not panicking.

"We're pretty ready for this," said Ralph Oliver who'll be on the mound for the Yanks in the decisive Game 7.

"We knew this could happen. It's a talented team over there and of course, we know a lot of those guys and so that adds a whole layer to it."

When asked if he expected a pro-Yankees crowd at Yankee Field tonight, he said, "Oh, no doubt. I mean, I'm sure they'll be some yellow bandwagon jumpers there, but I expect to place to be rocking and in favor of whatever we're doing right."

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 03:39 PM

Down 5-4 in the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees were lifted by one swing when Mel Harvey blasted a 375ft shot to tie the game. Jacob Snow scored the game winning run on an Ismael Morales triple and with that, the Yankees closed out the 9th and with that, head to their 2nd straight World Series.

"It's huge, man. What a tough series," said Snow about the victory. "I can't say I was worried late in the game, because we've got so many guys who come up clutch on this team that's all just a matter of time before somebody gets that decisive hit. This team is special."

Fresh off their tight series with the Bees, the Yanks will now face off against the Los Angeles Angels for the World Series title.

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 05:00 PM

YANKEES HAVE BACKS AGAINST THE WALL, FORCE GAME 7 IN WORLD SERIES
October 15, 2003
BOSTON – Down 3 games to 2 in the 2003 World Series, the Yankees found themselves in a similar position, but with a completely different team. The Yanks of 2002 would’ve simply slugged their way to victory. But the ’03 version of the Tea Dumpers are far more focused on finesse than brawn.

“We’re a completely different ballclub in so many respects, despite a lot of the same cast of characters,” said hitting coach Max Brownlee.

No more was this evident than in Game 6 of the World Series where the Yankees grinded out a 1-0 victory in 12 innings.

Francisco Ortiz pitched 2 innings of no-hit ball in relief to notch the victory, but he was only part of the story for the Yankees. Jorge Montes got the start and gave up 5 hits, struck out 8 in 6 1/3 innings. Lorenzo Lopez gave up just one hit and struck out six in 3 2/3 innings of work and so, without that sort of stellar performance, the team would've had a hard time being certain they'd be playing tomorrow.

"Those guys were clutch, no doubt about it," said first baseman Dan Warren who went 2 for 5 in the game.

The victory was secured by catcher Chris Elliott who hit a solo shot in the bottom of the 12th off Angels pitcher Ramiro Castellanos, to send Yankee Field into an absolute frenzy.

While there is still one game left, the Yankees are riding high on confidence. They’ve been here before and they’re hoping to lean on that experience tomorrow night.

“We’re battle tested, man. And no matter how many games we won in the regular season, the minute the clock hit October, no one cared anymore. We’ve gotta make this thing count. We’ve got to finish the job,” said hurler Jay Jackson.

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 05:04 PM

Here's the obligatory "is anyone reading? is this still interesting?" post... I've taken to writing the dynasty in a separate file and so, I'll update this threads less often, to give people time to catch up.

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 05:21 PM

ANOTHER WORLD SERIES IN THE BOOKS...

The Angels, who have never won a World Series and the Yankees who were driving for their 5th title in franchise history dueled in the 7th game of the 2003 World Series.

In the end, there was a winner. A 4-3 victory for....(box score (http://www.crayon.tv/box/G7_2003.pdf)) | (game log (http://www.crayon.tv/box/G7_2003log.pdf))

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 10:20 PM

2003 FINAL STATISTICS ~ BOSTON YANKEES

BATTING
Name G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
Dan Warren 1B 160 635 120 204 32 1 49 142 385 52 142 2 1 .321 .373 .606 .979
Quinn Wouters SS 162 613 118 178 28 0 40 103 326 92 141 16 6 .290 .385 .532 .917
Jacob Snow CF 158 577 120 181 33 7 26 94 306 67 35 24 12 .314 .385 .530 .915
António Medina RF 143 568 95 145 9 3 25 64 235 55 103 81 20 .255 .329 .414 .742
Chris Elliott C 151 538 81 151 30 1 22 81 249 28 108 1 3 .281 .319 .463 .782
Melvin Harvey RF 158 526 96 156 33 1 23 86 260 81 44 1 1 .297 .394 .494 .889
Mario Santos 3B 146 471 74 129 22 0 31 91 244 29 92 0 1 .274 .312 .518 .830
Ismael Morales CF 126 342 53 87 13 1 16 62 150 51 68 10 8 .254 .367 .439 .805
Mino Nishikawa 2B 120 315 48 70 20 5 4 39 112 45 20 13 4 .222 .335 .356 .691
Joey Smith LF 97 219 39 60 17 3 7 29 104 38 31 8 6 .274 .378 .475 .853
Alfredo Rocha SS 61 168 25 39 7 0 7 29 67 19 21 0 0 .232 .307 .399 .706
Luis Zavala LF 37 134 18 31 5 0 6 19 54 12 33 4 2 .231 .295 .403 .698
Vin Reilly SS 45 129 18 32 5 2 4 23 53 18 15 3 1 .248 .338 .411 .749
Paco Franco RF 54 127 23 35 8 1 7 24 66 11 18 1 0 .276 .333 .520 .853
Art Frierson 3B 55 59 8 11 2 0 1 5 16 8 10 1 1 .186 .279 .271 .551
Emílio Correa LF 18 47 2 7 1 0 0 3 8 3 6 1 0 .149 .196 .170 .366
Liam Broadhead RF 18 46 10 12 6 0 2 8 24 6 5 4 4 .261 .346 .522 .868
Manny Romero C 29 45 4 10 3 0 2 11 19 2 13 0 0 .222 .255 .422 .678
Colm Howey 3B 15 16 4 5 2 0 1 4 10 2 2 0 0 .313 .400 .625 1.025
Curt Ellis 3B 17 11 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 .091 .167 .091 .258
PITCHING
Name W L SV ERA G GS IP HA R ER HR BB K WHIP OAVG BABIP
Lorenzo López MR 6 3 12 1.48 71 0 109.1 67 18 18 5 28 118 0.87 .174 .238
Orlando Casillas MR 1 1 7 1.54 39 0 52.2 32 10 9 2 9 52 0.78 .174 .231
José Hernández MR 8 1 0 2.00 30 7 67.2 45 19 15 4 40 67 1.26 .191 .248
Francisco Ortíz CL 3 4 43 2.52 56 0 53.2 40 15 15 0 24 53 1.19 .216 .303
Saku Kawano SP 14 4 0 2.80 24 24 138.0 115 47 43 2 53 135 1.22 .223 .299
José Rodríguez SP 17 3 0 2.86 27 27 170.0 150 57 54 14 53 193 1.19 .235 .316
César Pacheco SP 5 2 0 2.87 7 7 47.0 48 23 15 4 15 47 1.34 .251 .314
Ralph Oliver SP 16 5 0 2.93 26 26 196.2 170 66 64 24 41 175 1.07 .229 .268
Jorge Montés SP 15 4 0 3.26 29 29 188.0 164 77 68 22 68 190 1.23 .230 .283
Rafael Souza MR 12 2 5 3.35 51 1 102.0 100 44 38 16 29 94 1.26 .255 .298
Álvaro Vega SP 16 5 0 3.65 28 28 204.2 193 90 83 28 44 250 1.16 .244 .322
Jay Jackson SP 8 6 0 4.83 38 12 123.0 115 70 66 16 58 144 1.41 .242 .314
Roy Mead MR 0 0 0 5.79 2 1 4.2 6 4 3 0 3 4 1.93 .300 .375
Curt Taylor MR 0 0 0 7.72 2 0 2.1 0 2 2 0 2 3 0.86 .000 .000
Greg Sheffield MR 1 0 0 13.50 4 0 4.0 8 6 6 2 4 4 3.00 .444 .500

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 11:06 PM

AFTER 122 WINS AND NO TITLE, YANKEES GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
October 16, 2003
BOSTON – The devastation of the Yankee Field crowd after the 4-3 loss Thursday night in Game 7 of the World Series was something that was extremely hard for Yankees GM D.C. Daly to watch.

Not so much for himself or even his players, but for the fans of the team.

“You have to understand that we went from World Series champs to chumps when we had to sell off guys last year. So to have the year we had this year was crazy good for our fan base. It let them know, we really do know what we’re doing up here and that we’re gonna be good for a long, long time.”

Now that the World Series is over and the team is heading towards another off-season, Daly said that he has one priority – longevity.

“We’ve got to lock up the guys who we want to represent this organization for a long time. And that’s a tough decision to figure out who gets to do that and who you let move on.”

The team needs more offense, he said, because despite being one of the best hitting teams during the regular season, his patchwork attempt at making up for the loss of offense the team had in 2002 obviously cost the team in ’03 he said.

“We did a great job trying to recreate the impossible. Last year’s ballclub was awesome and it almost cost us in the Providence series.”

Best of all, Daly said, he was able to spend the year imparting on the ownership of the importance of maintaining the fan base. First, just after the excellent season and seeing the fans come out, but after the Providence series – it became apparent – that it could all go away.

“I think they realized after that series, where a quarter of our stadium were clad in yellow…they understood very quickly that if we falter that there are people to the south of us who are going to be very happy to fill up their stadium with our fans and probably some of our talent.”

With a bonafide rivalry in place and a new mission to reclaim the title the team has lost, Daly said that the team is not going to be shaken as they head into next year.

“There always have to be changes made. It’s the nature of the business. But we’re going to do our best not just to regroup, but to respond proactively to whatever comes next.”

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 11:06 PM

HARVEY VOIDS LAST YEAR OF DEAL
October 18, 2003
37-year old outfielder Melvin Harvey opted out of the last year of his deal today. He hit .297 with 23 HR and 86 RBI this past season. “We thank Mel for his contributions this season and wish him the best of luck,” said Yankees GM D.C. Daly about Harvey. He said he’s known for the past few weeks that Harvey was likely to leave the team after spending the bulk of his career in Washington D.C. and San Antonio.

BASEBALL WILL NAME ‘LEAGUE CHAMPIONS’ FOR REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS STARTING IN 2004
Taking a cue from hockey, Major League Baseball will begin to award a cash prize for the team that has the best record in the regular season. The MLB Champions League will be a parallel pennant awarded to the division champion with the best regular season record.

“We wanted to recognize the excellence of teams that win the regular season, because that is an accomplishment,” said MLB spokesman Todd Carroll.

Teams will not be able to retroactively claim the title.

MLB AVERTS DISASTER, A LABOR AGREEMENT IS REACHED
OCTOBER 19, 2003
Just when it seemed that baseball might be headed for a long off-season, the sport came together during the World Series to come up with an agreement to determine what changes the sport would make. The most notable change is that the league salaries will increase from the $1.4 million to more next season. Owners agreed to concessions that would give players more access to the massive revenues in the sport over the past decade.

The owners sought out a salary cap at the major league level, but such a proposal was declined by the players in this particular agreement which will last until 2007.

“We’re really happy to have this out of the way,” said MLBPA lead counsel Mark Schwartz.

YANKEES SIGN DAN WARREN TO 6-YEAR EXTENSION
OCTOBER 21, 2003
BOSTON – After two straight 40+ homer seasons, Yankee officials decided to make Dan Warren the first baseman of the foreseeable future in Beantown, inking the 25-year old Canadian to a 6-year deal worth over $83.2 million. Warren is the single-season leader for home-runs in Yankee history with 49 this past year, to go with 142 RBI and a .321 average.

“I’m really happy they go tit together. I didn’t know that it would happen so fast. But man, those are a lot of zeroes,” said the young slugger.

Said Yankee G.M. D.C. Daly, “He’s the kind of guy that we can really appreciate because he’s scrappy on the field and a hard worker off of it. We’re glad that he’s agreed to stay a Yankee for the foreseeable future.”

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 11:07 PM

REALIGNMENT HAPPENS FOR 2004
MLB 2004
---
In addition to realigning the divisions, the American and National division are back to their geographic names - Central and Southern - respectively.

In other news, the Philadelphia Colonials have changed their name to the Pennsylvania Colonials. The team moved to a new stadium 50 miles outside of Philadelphia last season and with the return of the Phillies to Philadelphia of the Continental League, the team decided to go with the change as a "branding decision."

EAST
---
Boston Yankees
Pennsylvania Colonials
New York Bombers
Providence Bees
New York Mets
Baltimore Orioles
Pittsburgh Pirates
Brooklyn Cyclones

CENTRAL
---
Detroit Tigers
Chicago Comets
Kansas City Royals
Chicago Cubs
Columbus Clippers
St. Louis Cardinals
Toronto Blue Sox
Monterrey Matadors

WEST
---
Los Angeles Angels
Seattle Mariners
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
San Jose Captains
Riverside Red Sox
San Francisco Giants

SOUTH
---
Texas Rangers
Cincinnati Reds
San Antonio Aviators
Atlanta Athletics
Florida Marlins
Washington Diplomats
Houston Astros
Arizona Diamondbacks

Young Drachma

10-01-2007, 11:12 PM

REPORT: DALY TO LEAVE BOSTON
OCTOBER 28, 2003
BOSTON At 28, boy wonder D.C. Daly was ready to step out on his own.

The Yankees general manager walked away from the team on Monday, stunning Boston and the baseball world just one year after helping the franchise win its first World Series championship since 1918.

"I gave my entire heart and soul to the organization," Daly said in a statement. "During the process leading up to today's decision, I came to the conclusion that I can no longer do so. In the end, my choice is the right one not only for me but for the Yankees."

Daly will continue working for a few days to assist in the transition and prepare for the offseason. The Boston Herald, which first reported the news on its Web site, said the start GM has told associates that he might leave baseball or at least take a year off.

The Dodgers, Bees and Riverside Red Sox have GM openings.

Still the youngest GM in baseball history and still the youngest to assemble a World Series champion, Daly was reportedly offered about $1.5 million a year for a three-year extension. That was quadruple his previous salary but still short of the $2.5 million the Yankees offered Atlanta's Dave Beane in 1998 before hiring Daly.

But even after the money was settled, the negotiations turned into a fierce and Freudian standoff between the boy GM and the mentor who nurtured him from an intern to a World Series champion. By leaving, Daly breaks a longtime link with Yankees president Arnold Fuchs, who hired him as a Yankees intern while a student at Washington University in St. Louis and later as a graduate student at Harvard.

The Herald said Daly went through "agonizing soul-searching" over office politics and his relationship with his boss. Published reports that contained inside information about their relationship, "slanted too much in Fuchs favor," helped convince Daly there had been a breach of trust, the Herald said.

Yankees pitcher Ralph Oliver told The Associated Press he was disappointed in the news but had seen indications that it might be coming.

"You don't get better losing a guy like D.C.," said Oliver.

"It's obviously going to be an incredibly unpopular decision with the players. But we'll show up in spring training and get ready for the season and try to win another World Series. It's not like we're going to have a sit-down," he said.

A devotee of unorthordox signings from foreign countries and one who values his scouts as well, Daly's tenure has been marked by bold adventures that often conflicted with baseball orthodoxy:

• He dealt star players in both years with the team.

• He rebuilt the team's farm system to one of the best in baseball.

• He was ordered to rebuild the team after the team's World Series title in 2002 and had the best record in baseball history (122-40) in 2003.

But the efforts paid off.

The Yankees had not been to the World Series since 1995. Seven years later, with a new manager at the helm and a new attitude it had been missing, the ballclub won its first World Series since 1976.

Boston reached the postseason for a second consecutive year this season before losing in the World Series to the Los Angeles Angels in 7 games.

bbgunn

10-02-2007, 12:54 AM

Good stuff. I'm still reading!

Breeze

10-02-2007, 05:58 AM

me too

PilotMan

10-02-2007, 08:29 AM

Yeah, you have some really good writing here. The series result had to leave a bittersweet taste in your mouth. It's hard to see domination like that not translate into the title that your eyes were on for the whole season. Being a Dodgers fan I have no idea what that feels like since we havn't been dominant since 1981 (forgive me Orel, I love ya, but that team wasn't dominant.)

I think that I would have done the same thing and walk away.

That was one hell of a pitching staff you had there, too bad that that was one horrid postseason by Rodriguez. Did you hem and haw about the starter decision, especially considering the depth of the rotation?

Still you did have plenty of power again, and some speed too. In the end though, either way, the stage was set for a change.

Young Drachma

10-02-2007, 09:42 AM

I had NO idea who to put in for Game 7. I mean it took me 2 or 3 hours to decide. And it was stupid managing for me, because if I'd looked at his ERA (I don't know how it escaped my eyes), no way I give him the ball in that game.

But maybe it was for the best. We probably had no business getting out of that Providence series. And history proves that teams that win as many games as we did, don't usually win it all and so, I kinda expected it.

All in all, I'm extremely proud of the team and what they managed to do. But I'm also excited about the future. It'll be a bit strange to some degree...especially once I decide what I want to do.

And no, I haven't figured it out yet.

Young Drachma

10-02-2007, 01:20 PM

The one Yankee whose number was retired before I got the job as GM with the team was manager Nick Jennings. He presided over the 3 World Series the team won from 1969 to 1975.

http://www.crayon.tv/hof/nickjennings_plaque.png

Young Drachma

10-03-2007, 02:11 PM

DALY VISITS COLORADO ROCKIES
DENVER – Feeling a lot like a “free agent”, former Yankees GM D.C. Daly visited the Colorado Rockies, after the team invited him to Coors Field to get an introduction to the team and their philosophy.

“We’re going to throw our hat in the ring. We might get all of that east coast exposure that he’s used to back in Boston, but we’re trying to build a winner out here.”

The Rockies last made the playoffs in 1998 and won their only World Series in 1978.

The team’s leader is outfielder Javier Rubio, who at 31 has spent his entire career in Denver. He hit 35 HRs last year with 104 RBI. The team also features a familiar face for D.C. in Luis Manuel Morales who spent two years in Boston before being dealt last off-season to the Rockies. He went 12-14 last year with a 4.36 ERA.

For his part, D.C. said he appreciated the invite to Denver and said he’d be in California later this week. “It’s a great ballpark out here and the team seems to be well supported.”

DODGERS ATTEMPT TO WOO DALY TO LA
LOS ANGELES – Dodgertown was the site for a visit from former Yankees GM D.C. Daly, who visited the Los Angeles Dodgers today. With the crosstown Angels winning the World Series this past year over D.C.’s Yankees, the Dodgers are trying to claw their way back into relevance in the city. The team has just five playoff appearances since 1969, but two of those were within the past five years.

The team doesn’t boast a ton of talent, its best player is probably 23-year old outfielder Stephen Woodward who had a breakout year in 2003 hitting 38 HR and 134 RBI on .278 hitting.

But the team beliefs that with D.C. at the helm , they can get better faster than ever.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to have him here. The Dodgers franchise is a proud name in sports and we believe that with a guy D.C. calling the shots, we can propel that brand back to prominence again.”

Daly, for his part, said he wasn’t sure what his plans were. That he’d take some time to “figure out what I want to do and just make sure that if I do something else, that it’s really what I want and that I’m not just rushing back out there. But I’m too competitive to sit still for too much longer.”

Young Drachma

10-03-2007, 02:18 PM

NOVEMBER 10, 2003

Here is the positional strength overview (http://www.crayon.tv/pos_strength_nov03.pdf)for all of MLB as of November 10, 2003

Young Drachma

10-03-2007, 03:19 PM

D.C. DALY MOVES SOUTH
Former Yankees GM plans to make a name in Providence
HARTFORD – The Boston Yankees-Providence Bees rivalry just got a bit more heat to it. The Providence Bees today announced a press conference to introduce D.C. Daly as their new Vice President of Baseball Operations and GM.

“Wow, we’ll it sure is different on this side of the fence,” said the smiling 28-year old GM after signing a 5-year deal worth an undisclosed amount, but estimated at well over $12 million total.

“We can’t tell you how happy we are to be able to welcome D.C. to the Bees family,” said Bees Team President and Hall of Famer Charlie Cousins.

The Bees joined the majors in 2001 after gaining promotion from the Continental League, after finishing out one more season in Salt Lake City, the team moved east and will move to a brand new ballpark in Providence, RI next year. The team will spend more season at Rentschler Field outside Hartford, CT. They already have a playoff appearance, before losing last year in 7 hard-fought games to the Boston Yankees.

“Wow. I’m just overwhelmed at how nice everyone here is,” said Daly in his first public statement since accepting the position with the Bees this morning.

“I have to say that this team’s commitment to excellence was astounding. This is baseball country here in the northeast and turning the Bees into the team of choice for Southern New England is something I’m extremely excited about the chance to contribute to that cause.”

Cousins said the team was planning to invest in its young players and would lock a few guys up to long-term deals before the off-season was out and that they would defer to Daly for what he thought was best in terms of the team’s immediate future.

“We’re gracious to our fans here in Hartford for hosting us and want them to be able to bask in the excitement of World Series baseball before we move an hour up the road.”

Setting the bar that high doesn’t bother Daly, who has been in two straight World Series, but whose Yankees felt short in Game 7 of the 2003 Series versus the Angels. Asked if he’s worried about any backlash from Boston fans, Daly said no.

“Part of the reason I took this job is because I didn’t have to sell my house. I love New England and I love baseball. This opportunity wasn’t as much about me, as it was about the opportunity to use my skills to contribute to a team on the rise. I’m thrilled to be part of the Bees team and I think we’re going to do some awesome stuff in the coming years.”

Young Drachma

10-03-2007, 03:56 PM

BEES MAKE FIRST DEAL OF THE D.C. ERA, GET FOUR FROM RENS
NEW YORK - That sure didn't take long. Within 48 hours of taking the job as GM of the Providence Bees, GM D.C. Daly has hit the airwaves and made his first major deal. The team acquired four players from the CL New York Rens including second baseman Jeff Mavor (.308/18 HR/58 RBI), reliever Jorge Melendez (4-2, 30 SV, 1.84 ERA), reliever Ben Moore (4-1, 3 SV 1.82 ERA) and prospect SP Reggie O'Neal for outfielder and New York native Phil Waller (.253/40 HR/ 118 RBI), SP Wes Lynch (12-6, 3.84 ERA, 85 K) relievers Jorge Reyes and Carlos Diaz, as well as two prospects and cash.

"We're really happy to make this one happen," said Daly who is said to have seen scout reports of O'neal and thinks he can help the ballclub shore up its staff long-term.

"Daly is nothing if he's not a player development guy. I think he's working hard to shore up their farm and get a pipeline here that can compete for a long time," said ESPN's Peter Gammons about the deal.

Young Drachma

10-03-2007, 10:41 PM

I created a new league called the Collegiate Baseball of America. It’s a feeder to MLB and the players from that league are eligible for the draft yearly, which comes back this year.

Here are the teams:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
BOSTON COLLEGE
MARYLAND
MICHIGAN STATE
PENN STATE
PITT
RUTGERS
SETON HALL
ST. JOHN’S

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
FERRUM
FLORIDA STATE
LOUISIANA STATE
MIAMI
MISSISSIPPI STATE
UNC
TENNESSEE
UVA

CENTRAL CONFERENCE
ILLINOIS
MICHIGAN
MONMOUTH (IL)
NEBRASKA
NOTRE DAME
OHIO STATE
OKLAHOMA
WICHITA STATE

WESTERN CONFERENCE
ARIZONA STATE
BYU
CAL STATE-FULLERTON
USC
STANFORD
TEXAS
UCLA
WASHINGTON

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 12:17 AM

TOP FARM SYSTEMS REPORT (MLB) - MARCH 2004

Minor League Systems
# Team Points Top 5 Prospects
1st Boston Yankees 195 C C. Elliott (2nd), P C. Pacheco (9th), 3B M. Santos (37th), RF J. Smith (39th), RF L. Broadhead (48th)
2nd San Francisco Giants 123 CF G. Owen (14th), C S. Yánez (18th), 2B S. Noble (44th), SS T. Murphy (45th), P C. Hanna (50th)
3rd New York Mets 105 C J. McDaniel (8th), RF R. Beck (28th), 1B J. Sawyer (30th), CF J. Solís (32nd), SS A. Rodríguez (100th)
4th San Antonio Aviators 103 C B. Stanley (3rd), RF J. Hinton (33rd), LF E. Glover (43rd), P P. Downing (47th), CF D. Dowd (88th)
5th Cincinnati Reds 83 CF M. Rivera (1st), SS R. Velasco (22nd), P B. Snyder (68th)
6th San Diego Padres 77 3B K. Paul (7th), SS J. Davis (11th), LF J. Graham (91st)
7th Los Angeles Angels 76 RF B. Black (16th), C D. James (24th), LF J. Martin (46th), LF C. Campbell (53rd)
8th Providence Bees 75 P M. Ortega (13th), P R. O'Neal (19th), P R. Cowan (55th), CF M. Ramírez (84th)
9th Toronto Blue Sox 70 CF D. Webb (23rd), 3B L. van Peters (26th), 1B H. Parker (34th), RF T. Kodo (80th)
10th Washington Diplomats 68 RF F. Hernández (4th), LF B. DeBurgh (60th), CF B. Richards (71st), P S. Richardson (72nd)
11th Riverside Red Sox 62 3B R. Martínez (12th), C J. Campos (52nd), CF C. Reese (63rd), 1B R. Martínez (66th)
12th Brooklyn Cyclones 61 C A. Gonzáles (15th), CF J. Bullinas (21st), 2B F. Watkins (96th), 2B A. Moore (97th)
13th Florida Marlins 58 P A. Davis (17th), SS J. Weston (41st), 3B A. Ramírez (42nd)
14th Houston Astros 56 CF K. Carpenter (10th), 3B J. King (40th)
15th Colorado Rockies 50 CF J. Parks (6th), SS D. Anderson (57th)
16th San Jose Captains 48 RF R. Franco (5th), LF J. Pacheco (89th)
17th Pennsylvania Colonials 42 P B. Kadow (27th), RF J. Sanders (67th), SS M. Eaton (76th), LF R. James (81st)
18th Los Angeles Dodgers 38 CF L. López (31st), 2B R. Escalante (56th), RF C. Womack (69th), C D. Pitts (98th)
19th Detroit Tigers 36 CF D. Evans (20th), LF J. González (79th), P Z. Burke (87th)
20th Chicago Comets 30 CF W. Bailey (36th), SS K. Narita (64th), C D. Allen (85th)
21st Columbus Clippers 29 RF P. Franco (29th), 3B C. Howey (86th), LF B. Gilmore (90th)
22nd Seattle Mariners 23 SS L. Childs (35th), P A. Larkin (92nd), P A. Salazar (95th)
23rd Baltimore Orioles 23 2B M. Warren (25th)
24th Monterrey Matadors 19 C B. MacLardy (59th), LF J. Brandon (62nd), 1B B. Brown (99th)
25th Kansas City Royals 18 1B J. Cruz (38th)
26th Chicago Cubs 15 P G. Dunbar (49th), SS J. Mendoza (94th)
27th New York Bombers 10 LF R. Rodríguez (58th)
28th Texas Rangers 6 LF A. Rodríguez (78th)
29th Arizona Diamondbacks 6 3B B. Marty (75th)
30th Atlanta Athletics 0
31st St. Louis Cardinals 0
32nd Pittsburgh Pirates 0

TOP FARM SYSTEMS (CL) - MARCH 2004

Minor League Systems
# Team Points Top 5 Prospects
1st Milwaukee Braves 213 RF M. Latham (3rd), SS T. Boyd (6th), SS A. Manozca (12th), C F. Vroonland (18th), P O. Abe (38th)
2nd New York Rens 169 LF N. Johnson (7th), SS L. Ybarra (9th), CF R. Andrews (37th), P W. Lynch (48th), 1B B. Gibson (55th)
3rd Cleveland Indians 163 RF P. Costello (1st), 3B R. Dorsey (2nd), 1B B. Ryan (26th), SS K. Yoshida (43rd), CF V. Elliott (45th)
4th Portland Beavers 157 SS R. Rogers (4th), RF R. Scott (8th), 2B G. O'Rurey (15th), LF R. Hughes (50th), 3B R. Alarcon (70th)
5th Minnesota Twins 153 C I. Martínez (16th), SS T. Wills (23rd), CF J. Gonzáles (28th), RF J. Ledezma (30th), 1B J. Jones (39th)
6th Charlotte Knights 152 CF K. Dooley (5th), RF S. Lewis (10th), C R. Morales (17th), P E. Garza (41st), RF M. Wood (54th)
7th Sacramento River Cats 124 CF R. Álvarez (21st), RF D. Rodríguez (29th), SS J. Andrews (31st), 2B G. Vega (34th), C D. Ferguson (35th)
8th Tampa Bay Rays 119 RF R. Sosa (13th), P J. Sweeney (22nd), 1B E. Hernández (46th), CF W. Goodman (47th), 3B S. Maldonado (56th)
9th Chicago White Sox 105 P J. O'Rourke (11th), RF A. García (19th), CF A. Sullivan (33rd), SS M. Hill (36th), 2B J. Davidson (92nd)
10th Nevada Silverhawks 102 3B D. Spits (14th), CF L. Smith (25th), C J. Rivera (32nd), 2B E. Roberts (53rd), LF R. Mercado (63rd)
11th Philadelphia Phillies 87 RF C. Janke (20th), 2B R. Martínez (52nd), SS A. Delgado (58th), CF J. Jones (61st), SS S. Hampton (64th)
12th Vancouver Whitecaps 61 1B R. Newitt (24th), 1B J. York (27th), RF T. Davenport (68th), 3B J. Cardenas (71st)

MLB PAYROLL NUMBERS ~ OPENING DAY 2004

Rank Team Payroll
1 New York Bombers $98,146,090
2 St. Louis Cardinals $78,494,800
3 Detroit Tigers $76,282,100
4 Baltimore Orioles $73,728,600
5 Pittsburgh Pirates $72,094,374
6 Atlanta Athletics $70,432,780
7 Chicago Comets $68,761,534
8 Pennsylvania Colonials $66,269,046
9 Los Angeles Dodgers $64,717,640
10 Boston Yankees $61,866,800
11 Brooklyn Cyclones $60,240,700
12 Columbus Clippers $58,301,080
13 New York Mets $56,475,750
14 Toronto Blue Sox $56,255,400
15 Providence Bees $53,068,475
16 Florida Marlins $50,854,010
17 San Jose Captains $50,701,390
18 Chicago Cubs $49,279,100
19 Kansas City Royals $48,547,850
20 San Francisco Giants $47,873,270
21 Seattle Mariners $45,447,950
22 Texas Rangers $42,497,450
23 Los Angeles Angels $40,830,500
24 Colorado Rockies $40,663,800
25 Riverside Red Sox $40,057,300
26 Monterrey Matadors $37,263,450
27 San Antonio Aviators $35,656,120
28 Washington Diplomats $33,246,210
29 Houston Astros $30,172,850
30 Cincinnati Reds $29,685,400
31 San Diego Padres $27,648,000
32 Arizona Diamondbacks $27,163,660

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS ~ MLB

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Carlos Rivera Pennsylvania $26,865,000
2 Manuel Mateo Baltimore $25,155,000
3 Juan Álvarez Los Angeles $22,920,000
4 Melvin Harvey Columbus $22,695,000
5 Brian Meadows St. Louis $22,245,000
6 Roberto Flores New York $19,895,000
7 Joaquín Márquez Atlanta $17,790,000
8 Lorenzo Negrón New York $17,635,000
9 Danny Randall San Francisco $17,115,000
10 Boyd O'Manning Arizona $16,920,000
11 Reginald Baxter Chicago $16,695,000
12 M.A. CharbonneauToronto $16,190,000
13 Gerard McClure Seattle $15,240,000
14 Jed Stinson Riverside $13,950,000
15 José Gonzáles Pittsburgh $13,620,000
16 Robinson MartínezTexas $13,230,000
17 Larry Morris New York $13,220,000
18 Garry Lewis Pittsburgh $13,205,000
19 Gary Hatch Monterrey $13,125,000
20 Zi Gui New York $13,005,000
21 Augusto Garza Florida $12,785,000
22 António GallegosRiverside $12,480,000
23 Des McCullough Chicago $12,205,000
24 Christian Johnson San Jose $12,100,000
25 Tom Spencer Detroit $12,075,000

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE PAYROLL NUMBERS ~ OPENING DAY 2005

Rank Team Payroll
1 Nevada Silverhawks $28,605,625
2 Minnesota Twins $25,085,800
3 Chicago White Sox $21,395,593
4 Vancouver Whitecaps $21,325,930
5 Tampa Bay Rays $19,819,317
6 New York Rens $19,430,467
7 Portland Beavers $17,758,609
8 Philadelphia Phillies $16,105,556
9 Cleveland Indians $12,947,484
10 Milwaukee Braves $10,651,700
11 Charlotte Knights $10,454,584
12 Sacramento River Cats $7,537,816

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE TOP SALARIES

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Rick McKee Nevada $14,000,000
2 Gary Bryant Minnesota$9,740,000
3 Phil Waller New York$8,490,000
4 Brennan Atkins Chicago $8,360,000
5 Dwayne Bannatyne Vancouver $6,980,000
6 Orlando Hernández Tampa Bay $6,290,000
7 Francisco CastenedaPhiladelphia $5,252,500
8 Pedro Rodríguez Nevada $5,062,500
9 Mario Palácios Portland $4,850,000
10 Miguel Saucedo Minnesota $4,745,000
11 César Soriano Cleveland $3,467,500
12 Paul Harden Minnesota $3,450,000
13 Leo Powell New York $3,420,000
14 Jimmy Everett Chicago $3,162,500
15 Gilberto Garza New York $3,022,500
16 Manuel Martínez Milwaukee $2,990,000
17 William Duncan Vancouver $2,970,000
18 José Valenzuela Vancouver $2,425,000
19 Mark Hill Chicago $2,398,000
20 Raúl López Chicago $2,250,000
21 Jude Smith Minnesota $2,132,500
22 Alfredo Longoria Philadelphia $2,077,500
23 Joe Eldridge Tampa Bay $2,054,500
24 Edgar Hernández Tampa Bay $2,014,100
25 Denver Hall Charlotte $1,947,500

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 01:08 AM

IT'S BEE SEASON: PROVIDENCE BEES 2004 SEASON PREVIEW

Ok gang. I have to admit, I had no idea this was coming. I contemplating taking this job last off-season, but I didn't think it was time and I'd pretty much reckoned to settle in to the Boston job. After all, that team is stacked and they're deep with players in the minors who'll someday contibute and that's not going to change anytime soon. Trust me.

My focus here in Providence..er Hartford is completely different. We've established a fan buzz, but to really get this team over the hump, we're going to need to sustain a winning attitude. After all, the Yankees hadn't been good much at all in the 1990s and so, fans are just coming around again there. The Bees are new and so, they can attract a whole new fan base and of course, their market is bigger because they can draw from Boston and southern New England in a way that the Yankees have been by virtue of being the only team in the region.

Anyway, let's take a look at the Bees roster heading into this year:

Here are the 25-man roster players, with their stats from last year:

BATTING

POS # Name B T G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG OPS SB CS
1B 8 Andrew Cooper L L 162 633 181 25 3 46 118 119 90 120 .286 .378 .553 .931 1 0
LF 28 Andy Carney R R 160 691 188 37 7 44 130 106 41 86 .272 .316 .537 .853 4 7
CF 37 Manolo Ramírez L L 159 616 174 20 6 42 125 104 55 134 .282 .341 .539 .880 33 16
SS 31 Alfie Penrice L R 160 607 168 25 3 38 85 101 34 135 .277 .329 .516 .844 8 2
RF 62 Allen Lee R L 136 508 141 25 0 32 93 88 86 52 .278 .381 .516 .897 0 0
C 7 Al Jacobs L R 161 665 182 33 3 25 75 94 69 118 .274 .345 .445 .790 1 0
CF 54 Trent Pagnal L L 159 603 156 26 3 25 76 74 45 111 .259 .312 .436 .748 14 11
3B 34 Peter Coleman R R 145 542 138 20 4 24 81 70 70 130 .255 .339 .439 .778 4 0
C 42 Lawrence Hill R R 113 461 129 24 3 24 79 76 42 16 .280 .339 .501 .840 1 0
2B 29 Jeff Mavor S R 115 442 136 19 4 18 58 75 63 64 .308 .394 .491 .885 29 2
LF 32 Cristián Flores R R 127 526 150 7 3 6 55 70 20 51 .285 .312 .344 .656 30 12
SS 56 Carlos VelázquezR R 112 333 77 14 4 2 33 34 55 38 .231 .338 .315 .653 7 2

PITCHING

POS # Name B T G GS W L SV IP HA HR R ER BB K ERA AVG CG SHO
SP 30 Isaías Villa L L 35 35 17 10 0 220.2 223 18 114 113 89 205 4.61 .258 0 0
MR 14 Joe Fulton L L 32 32 16 6 0 233.1 214 13 99 91 82 171 3.51 .245 2 2
SP 16 Ron Cowan R R 32 24 13 7 0 186.1 192 34 111 97 58 174 4.69 .261 2 1
SP 45 Spike Ironside R R 35 35 10 9 0 237.0 219 41 128 114 92 282 4.33 .244 1 0
CL 24 Paul Moneur S R 70 0 6 5 43 75.0 62 2 31 26 26 46 3.12 .220 0 0
MR 26 Jorge Meléndez S L 43 0 4 2 30 44.0 31 2 9 9 10 33 1.84 .211 0 0
MR 36 Bill Neely R R 31 0 4 5 0 43.0 38 2 15 12 6 18 2.51 .235 0 0
MR 13 José Aguilar R R 42 0 1 2 3 45.2 50 5 23 23 19 28 4.53 .287 0 0
SP 27 Dominic Black R R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0

Ok, so here's the story. There is A LOT of pop in this lineup. Yeah, they strike out a lot too. But we acquired Allen Lee from Nevada in the off-season and if he can adjust to playing
in MLB, he'll be a solid pickup. Manolo Ramirez (aka, Manny) is a bonafide star. We got him from Chicago this off-season for four players. But he's a really solid guy and he's
only 21.

On the pitching side, our biggest free agent acquisition this off-season was Spike Ironside, a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, he comes to Providence at 29. He signed a
4-year deal worth over $58 million. He went 10-9 last year with a 4.33 ERA. He's got 112 career wins and I think on a team that can give him run support, he'll be a star.
He won 20 games two years ago, so he's got it in 'em and won a World Series with the Pirates in 2000. The rookies in our rotation include Miguel Ortega, who is a native
of Connecticut and Dominic Black, another local product who will come out of the bullpen to start the year, but will also spot start.

I think on paper we've got a team that should at least be solid enough to compete on a relatively high level. Given that we're in the uber competitive east, we'll know early on if the team
is the real deal or not. Coming off a division title, I expect them to be successful, but we'll go slow enough that if I need to make adjustments, we can.

It'll be very interesting to see how it all comes together.

The most ironic part of all of this, is the fact that Boston has a higher payroll than I do in Providence and part of why I came here was because of the owner's willingness to spend.

But this is Year 1. Let us begin!

astrosfan64

10-04-2007, 02:49 PM

Dark Cloud - this is a great read.

I have a question for you. Does OOTP support promotion and relagation? I'm curious to how you can do all of these things?

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 08:23 PM

Dark Cloud - this is a great read.

I have a question for you. Does OOTP support promotion and relagation? I'm curious to how you can do all of these things?

Well if by "support" you mean it does it automatically? No. But it does allow you to do it with some tinkering. But it's pretty much a seamless transition and there aren't a host of problems. If you want me to walk you through the process, I can do that for you. You basically just edit the league structure and move teams from one league to the other.

Then you build the schedule during the pre-season and play like normal. The stats don't make a distinction between leagues unless you make one league "lower" in quality, meaning you can make one a Triple-A league or something and the player's stats will reflect that. That's the difference between say, lower division soccer and baseball, you'd have to make the actual distinction that the league is of lower quality or else, the stats will remain major league.

In my particular league, MLB and the CL are effectively major league. Eventually, I'll have a Triple-A league or maybe an Open classification league that's defined as "international" that'll be a step below MLB.

I'd like to eventually have it setup so you could see a team from say, a small town, make it to the majors. There would obviously need to be some tweaks in terms of the 'realism' of such a system to make it seem like "oh, this could happen." But...yeah.

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 08:24 PM

BOMBERS IN LAST? NEW YORK BRACES FOR THE WORST
NEW YORK - $98 million can buy you a lot of things. Most notably, it can help you acquire a
last place team. The New York Bombers have the highest payroll in baseball, but it's done nothing to help
that ballclub rise in the standings. The Bombers currently sit just a half game ahead Arizona in the
relegation standings.

No in baseball is really sure what to make of it.

The most notable thing is that the money doesn't equate to talent. It's the result of bad signings that the team can't get rid of now.

Case in point - Roberto Flores was signed after the 2001 season where he hit .270 with 17 HR and 69 RBI with Seattle. The Bombers signed him to a 6-year deal worth $120 million. No one is quite sure why.

Lorenzo Negron is a 34-year old hurler who came over from Columbus in 2002 on a four-year $62 million contract. He won 21 games, a career high in 2002, but went 10-13 last year and is 5-5 this year with a 4.63 ERA.

"I think they prove that you can't buy a title," said one baseball observer, who commented that the team will probably have to conduct a fire sale or pay significant amounts to get rid of players and attempt to pick up prospects to salvage the season.

"It's a lost year for them," said New York Times reporter Will Torre.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STANDINGS ~ JUNE 1, 2004

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Providence Bees 46 15 .754 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 42 18 .700 3.5
Boston Yankees 39 22 .639 7.0
New York Mets 28 32 .467 17.5
Baltimore Orioles 27 33 .450 18.5
Pennsylvania Colonials 26 34 .433 19.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 24 35 .407 21.0
New York Bombers 23 38 .377 23.0

Central Division W L PCT GB
Monterrey Matadors 38 24 .613 -
Detroit Tigers 35 26 .574 2.5
Columbus Clippers 30 32 .484 8.0
Chicago Cubs 29 32 .475 8.5
Chicago Comets 29 32 .475 8.5
Kansas City Royals 27 34 .443 10.5
St. Louis Cardinals 27 34 .443 10.5
Toronto Blue Sox 25 36 .410 12.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Dodgers 32 27 .542 -
Los Angeles Angels 33 28 .541 -
San Jose Captains 30 29 .508 2.0
Seattle Mariners 30 31 .492 3.0
San Diego Padres 29 31 .483 3.5
San Francisco Giants 29 31 .483 3.5
Colorado Rockies 28 32 .467 4.5
Riverside Red Sox 27 33 .450 5.5

Southern Division W L PCT GB
Cincinnati Reds 40 22 .645 -
Washington Diplomats 35 25 .583 4.0
Florida Marlins 30 30 .500 9.0
Texas Rangers 30 31 .492 9.5
Houston Astros 29 31 .483 10.0
Atlanta Athletics 24 36 .400 15.0
San Antonio Aviators 24 37 .393 15.5
Arizona Diamondbacks 23 37 .383 16.0

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 09:15 PM

JUNE 2004

UN BEE-LIEVEABLE!
So the fact that the Bees are in first probably isn't all that shocking. This team took the Yankees to the wire in the playoffs and dominated their division last year.

So here are how things are going so far.

We're the best hitting team in baseball pretty much hands down. We have five guys at or over 40 RBI already (Andrew Cooper, Manny Ramirez, Lawrence Hill, Alfie Penrice and Pete Coleman). I think the real flaw is in our pitching.

We've managed to get up to about the middle of the pack in terms of most categories, but we probably need one more solid arm.

To contrast, last year in Boston, I had a team full of young flamethrowers. Providence isn't remotely that deep and so, I had to patch together something, plus use what we already had to keep the team in play.

The weakest link in the rotation is 28-year old Isai Villa (4-4, 6.02) and I'll probably try to move him.

Save for that, I'm hoping we can hold onto the division and enter the playoffs hot. If so, watch out for us.

But as we all know, the season is quite long and there is a long, long way to go.

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 09:33 PM

BASEBALL'S REORGANIZATION

Starting in 2005, we're going to change baseball a bit.

MLB has officially decided to approve the Republic League's application for Tier II status. That means that the league will officially certified by MLB and be put under its umbrella

What does that mean?
It means that teams will for the first time be eligible to be relegated from the Continental League starting in 2006.

So what will change?

MLB is trying its best to make sure that teams are in all of the major media markets, as well as covering the markets that are just below that tier.

There will be some overlap, but eventually you could see teams in the Top 100 MSAs or more before long.

How will the new alignment look?
The Republic League will be merged into a larger structure. Another league will join it. The number of teams is unknown beyond the 10 that are in the RL right now. Salaries will go up. The average salary in the RL right now is $57,000 and I imagine that will likely at least double if not more.

Potential cities?
Orlando, Indianapolis, Norfolk, Austin, Jacksonville, Memphis, Louisville, Richmond, Oklahoma City, Buffalo, Birmingham, Salt Lake City, New Orleans, Omaha, Boise, to name a few.

Any other layers?
There will not be minors at this level.

What happens to the draft?
How'd you know about that? We're eliminating the draft permanently after the 2004 season. A new level of league will be established. It will be 4th division of American baseball. The teams will not be allowed to carry players over the age of 25.

There will be no playoffs in that league. The #1 team will enter a playoff with the worst team from the Republic League. The winner of that best-of-seven series will be given RL rights for the following season.

The lower league will primarily be a place where younger players 'get their start'.

Ok, so tell me this again. In less than 20 words.

It's simple:

MLB (Premier League of Baseball)

CL (1st Division)

RL (2nd Division)*no promotion to CL until 2006.

new league (3rd Division)*no promotion to RL until 2007.

Welcome to the future of American baseball.

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 09:40 PM

COLLEGE PLAYOFFS
Mississippi State def. Nebraska 4 gms to 2

UCLA def. Rutgers 4 games to 2

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS
UCLA beat Mississippi State 4 games to 2 to capture the 2004 College World Series title.

COLLEGE STANDINGS, FINAL 2004

Eastern Conference W L PCT GB
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 32 18 .640 -
St. John's Red Storm 28 22 .560 4.0
Seton Hall Pirates 26 24 .520 6.0
Penn State Nittany Lions25 25 .500 7.0
Maryland Terrapins 24 26 .480 8.0
Boston College Eagles 21 29 .420 11.0
Pittsburgh Panthers 21 29 .420 11.0
Michigan State Spartans 19 31 .380 13.0

Southern Conference W L PCT GB
Mississippi St. Bulldogs27 23 .540 -
Florida State Seminoles 25 25 .500 2.0
Miami Hurricanes 23 27 .460 4.0
Louisiana State Tigers 22 28 .440 5.0
North Carolina Tar Heels22 28 .440 5.0
Tennessee Volunteers 22 28 .440 5.0
Virginia Cavaliers 22 28 .440 5.0
Ferrum Panthers 18 32 .360 9.0

Central Conference W L PCT GB
Nebraska Cornhuskers 36 14 .720 -
Wichita State Shockers 33 17 .660 3.0
Ohio State Buckeyes 29 21 .580 7.0
Notre Dame Fighting Irish28 22 .560 8.0
Oklahoma Sooners 26 24 .520 10.0
Michigan Wolverines 25 25 .500 11.0
Monmouth Fighting Scots 25 25 .500 11.0
Illinois Fighting Illini14 36 .280 22.0

Western Conference W L PCT GB
UCLA Bruins 31 20 .608 -
Arizona State Sun Devils30 21 .588 1.0
Cal State-Fullerton Titans29 21 .580 1.5
Stanford Cardinal 26 24 .520 4.5
Washington Huskies 26 24 .520 4.5
Brigham Young Cougars 22 28 .440 8.5
USC Trojans 22 28 .440 8.5
Texas Longhorns 22 28 .440 8.5

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 10:02 PM

I am officially soliciting cities for the 3rd division. No city is too small. Ok, let's not be ridiculous. Give me a legitimate reason to put a team there.

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 10:14 PM

QUITE A DEAL: BEES MAKE PACT WITH BOMBERS & ROCKIES
June 17, 2004
PROVIDENCE -- The Providence Bees pulled the trigger on a three-team deal tonight that included a package of name players and prospects.

The deal allowed both Providence and New York to jettison overpaid players who weren't pulling their weight.

The Bombers sent underacheving outfielder Roberto Flores to the Bees along with catcher Rafael Medine(.209/1 HR/22 RBI), outfield prospect Ricky Rodriguez and 34-year starter Lorenzo Negron to Providence for 26-year old outfielder Andy Carney (.201/12 HR/ 39 RBI), 23-year old catcher Lawrence Hill (.277/ 14 HR/47 RBI), reliever Joe Fulton (2-1, 2 SV, 20 K)and outfielder Trent Pagnal (.290/3 HR/ 17 RBI in 100 ABs)

The Bees then sent Flores and starter Isai Villa to the Colorado Rockies for three prospects and reliever Kinnojo Sato (0-2, 4.19 ERA in 30 appearances)

"I think this will help us shore things up from a veteran perspective, it saves us some money and long-term, it gives us a few prospect shots in the arm. All very valuable things," said GM D.C. Daly about the move.

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 10:23 PM

You should see this:

JUNE 29, 2004

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 56 30 .651 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 56 30 .651 -
Providence Bees 56 30 .651 -
New York Mets 47 39 .547 9.0
Baltimore Orioles 40 46 .465 16.0
Pennsylvania Colonials 35 50 .412 20.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 35 51 .407 21.0
New York Bombers 33 54 .379 23.5

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 11:35 PM

RED SOX TO CHANGE NAME IN 2005

RIVERSIDE - If the Red Sox can hold on and stay in the majors for another season, the Riverside Red Sox announced today that the team will change its identity in 2005.

It's expected the team intends to try to tie itself to Los Angeles more closely, to capitalize on that region's marketing power.

DOWN THE STRETCH
Playoff time means fighting for spots and for titles. The Boston Yankees and Providence Bees are not just fighting for the Eastern Division title, but the winner of the east is presumed to be named the first-ever winner of the MLB Champions League, the regular season champion of baseball. The Colorado Rockies are meanwhile just fighting for a shot to get into the playoffs. The ballclub is just 1 1/2 games out. It seems that the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Bombers will duel in the waning days of the MLB season to determine who will participate in the AT&T Challenge Series.

It should be an interesting few weeks of the regular season!

STANDINGS
SEPTEMBER 1, 2004

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 96 45 .681 -
Providence Bees 94 47 .667 2.0
Brooklyn Cyclones 90 50 .643 5.5
New York Mets 78 63 .553 18.0
Baltimore Orioles 70 70 .500 25.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 61 80 .433 35.0
Pennsylvania Colonials 56 84 .400 39.5
New York Bombers 51 91 .359 45.5

Central Division W L PCT GB
Detroit Tigers 86 56 .606 -
Monterrey Matadors 75 65 .536 10.0
Chicago Cubs 71 70 .504 14.5
Chicago Comets 70 71 .496 15.5
Columbus Clippers 70 72 .493 16.0
St. Louis Cardinals 68 73 .482 17.5
Toronto Blue Sox 66 75 .468 19.5
Kansas City Royals 54 86 .386 31.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Dodgers 88 52 .629 -
Colorado Rockies 76 64 .543 12.0
Los Angeles Angels 71 70 .504 17.5
San Diego Padres 71 71 .500 18.0
Seattle Mariners 68 73 .482 20.5
San Francisco Giants 65 75 .464 23.0
San Jose Captains 57 84 .404 31.5
Riverside Red Sox 54 87 .383 34.5

Southern Division W L PCT GB
Cincinnati Reds 89 53 .627 -
Washington Diplomats 82 59 .582 6.5
Florida Marlins 72 70 .507 17.0
San Antonio Aviators 67 73 .479 21.0
Houston Astros 66 74 .471 22.0
Atlanta Athletics 62 79 .440 26.5
Texas Rangers 61 80 .433 27.5
Arizona Diamondbacks 49 92 .348 39.5

Young Drachma

10-04-2007, 11:48 PM

WHAT IF THERE IS A TIE IN THE CHALLENGE SERIES STANDINGS
Here's the answer to a natural trivia question that might be coming up really soon.
If there is a tie in the challenge series standings, the teams play a one-game playoff to determine who advances to the Challenge Series.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2004
THE BATTLE DOWN THE WIRE
While there are no division races and the Wild Card spots also seemed to be dealt out, there is a heated battle at the bottom of the baseball standings with 3 games left in the regular season.

CHALLENGE SERIES STANDINGS
New York (57-102)
Arizona (58-101)
Riverside (59-100)

It is plausible that all three teams could finish with the same record. The team with the best head-to-head record among the three would get the option of two home games against both teams or playing the winner of the two other teams on the road.

That said, all they have to do to stay out of this is to keep winning. The Arizona Diamondbacks actually made deals at the deadline to try to stave off relegation and have won 4 straight and 7 of their last 10, better than any of the three teams in the relegation zone.

The Bombers can help their cause by winning and saving themselves the embarassment of having to shed about $40 million more in payroll should they lose the Challenge Series. They've already dumped about $18 million in payroll via deals earlier this off-season.

"We're trying not to focus on anything but winning," said Bombers outfielder Trent Pagnal.

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 12:32 AM

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 110 52 .679 -
Brooklyn Cyclones 107 55 .660 3.0
Providence Bees 105 57 .648 5.0
New York Mets 89 73 .549 21.0
Baltimore Orioles 81 81 .500 29.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 72 90 .444 38.0
Pennsylvania Colonials 66 96 .407 44.0
New York Bombers 57 105 .352 53.0

Central Division W L PCT GB
Detroit Tigers 96 66 .593 -
Monterrey Matadors 82 80 .506 14.0
St. Louis Cardinals 81 81 .500 15.0
Chicago Cubs 79 83 .488 17.0
Chicago Comets 79 83 .488 17.0
Columbus Clippers 76 86 .469 20.0
Toronto Blue Sox 75 87 .463 21.0
Kansas City Royals 70 92 .432 26.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Los Angeles Dodgers 100 62 .617 -
Colorado Rockies 88 74 .543 12.0
Los Angeles Angels 82 80 .506 18.0
San Diego Padres 81 81 .500 19.0
Seattle Mariners 78 84 .481 22.0
San Francisco Giants 72 90 .444 28.0
San Jose Captains 69 93 .426 31.0
Riverside Red Sox 60 102 .370 40.0

Southern Division W L PCT GB
Cincinnati Reds 105 57 .648 -
Washington Diplomats 93 69 .574 12.0
Houston Astros 81 81 .500 24.0
Florida Marlins 76 86 .469 29.0
San Antonio Aviators 76 86 .469 29.0
Atlanta Athletics 74 88 .457 31.0
Texas Rangers 71 91 .438 34.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 61 101 .377 44.0

WORLD SERIES QUARTERFINALS MATCHUPS
NY METS V. BOSTON
WASHINGTON V. CINCINNATI
PROVIDENCE V. LA DODGERS
BROOKLYN V. DETROIT

BOMBERS FACE RELEGATION
In the strangest turn of events in New York baseball history, the New York Bombers will enter the AT&T Challenge Series facing the winner of the Portland Beavers/New York Rens Guinness Cup Series matchup.

The Bombers can take solace in the fact that the San Francisco Giants became the first MLB team to fight off relegation, dispatching the Minnesota Twins in last year's Challenge Series.

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE
FINAL STANDINGS 2004

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
New York Rens 76 60 .559 -
Milwaukee Braves 73 63 .537 3.0
Tampa Bay Rays 73 63 .537 3.0
Cleveland Indians 72 64 .529 4.0
Charlotte Knights 69 67 .507 7.0
Philadelphia Phillies 68 68 .500 8.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Portland Beavers 74 62 .544 -
Minnesota Twins 70 66 .515 4.0
Vancouver Whitecaps 65 71 .478 9.0
Nevada Silverhawks 61 75 .449 13.0
Chicago White Sox 59 77 .434 15.0
Sacramento River Cats 56 80 .412 18.0

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 12:54 AM

PROVIDENCE V. LA DODGERS PREVIEW
Well how about this one? I almost took the Dodgers job and assessed them to be a bit short and not really ready to do anything. Well, I look at it now and think..well..pretty much what I thought then.

They're thin. But then, that doesn't mean they won't beat us.

The Dodgers have the best relief corps in baseball. Closer Mike Sharpe had 39 saves and a 1.57 ERA this year, and their starting staff is a two-headed monster of John Shaffer (19-11, 3.22) and Francisco Marquez (17-12, 3.58 ERA)

CF Juan Alvarez is giving the #42 significance in Dodger country. He only hit .210 this year, but he had 40 HRs and 102 RBI. Weird? But it worked for him...

Stephen Woodward is on the other side of the outfield. He hit .301 with 34 HR and 123 RBI this past year and Chris Womack is the right fielder and hit .311 with 27 HR and 110 RBI.

I think they're a solid team all around and whereas we're running with a lot of youngsters and spare parts, they're far more "chemistry" based.

You know the names, but I'll tell you again. It all starts and ends with Andrew Cooper at first base. A career high 52 HRs this year and 133 RBI. He's a beast.

Manny Ramirez is in his first season in Providence, he's no longer "Manolo" but he's He-Man to us. 44HRs and 100 RBI and we're hoping a stellar playoff season.

Al Jacobs hit .272 with 30 HR and 102 RBI to round out the order.

You might think it's weird when I say our pitching is a weakness. But we give up a lot of runs and I'm not convinced that we're playoff tested. We'll rely on Miguel Ortega (19-7, 2.73) and Ron Cowan (17-13, 4.81)

I know if it comes down to it, Paul Monuer is one of the best in the business (5-3, 44 SV, 1.72 ERA) and he'll shut down the door.

It'll be a toss-up series, but if the boys in black can dig deep...they'll prevail.

FINAL PITCHING STATS ~ 2004 PROVIDENCE BEES

POS # Name B T G GS W L SV IP HA HR R ER BB K ERA AVG CG SHO
SP 16 Ron Cowan R R 32 32 17 13 0 230.0 233 53 132 123 71 235 4.81 .258 4 1
SP 9 Miguel Ortega R R 33 33 19 7 0 227.1 163 23 78 69 65 301 2.73 .199 2 1
SP 46 Spike Ironside R R 27 27 15 5 0 188.0 150 28 88 86 85 200 4.12 .215 1 0
SP 22 Lorenzo Negrón R R 36 27 10 13 1 170.0 190 20 105 94 58 137 4.98 .280 0 0
SP 11 Eric Alexander L L 26 23 10 7 0 162.2 157 15 78 68 62 155 3.76 .255 1 0
SP 21 Reggie O'Neal L L 31 18 12 5 0 143.0 121 11 67 61 54 129 3.84 .230 0 0
MR 15 Kinnojo Sato L L 59 0 3 3 4 81.1 68 13 35 33 37 61 3.65 .231 0 0
MR 26 Jorge Meléndez S L 64 0 4 1 5 78.0 63 11 32 31 24 62 3.58 .222 0 0
CL 24 Paul Moneur S R 63 0 5 3 44 68.0 52 3 15 13 17 74 1.72 .211 0 0
SP 28 Dominic Black R R 23 2 4 1 1 51.1 51 8 23 23 22 40 4.03 .264 0 0
MR 38 Bill Neely R R 28 0 3 0 2 38.0 36 4 10 10 8 14 2.37 .247 0 0

FINAL BATTING STATS ~ 2004 PROVIDENCE BEES

POS # Name B T G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG OPS SB CS
1B 8 Andrew Cooper L L 162 605 177 27 1 52 133 119 103 134 .293 .397 .598 .995 4 0
CF 37 Manny Ramírez L L 158 646 160 19 2 44 100 102 52 169 .248 .305 .488 .793 30 13
C 7 Al Jacobs L R 155 610 166 31 2 30 102 104 68 84 .272 .346 .477 .823 0 0
SS 32 Alfie Penrice L R 147 519 141 32 6 26 92 79 37 120 .272 .332 .507 .838 4 2
RF 10 Ismael Morales R R 142 493 138 23 4 25 79 88 60 96 .280 .376 .495 .871 11 8
3B 34 Peter Coleman R R 157 549 138 24 1 24 88 87 87 139 .251 .354 .430 .784 7 8
2B 29 Jeff Mavor S R 162 664 186 20 1 23 81 109 75 100 .280 .355 .417 .772 34 9
1B 54 Tim Lee R R 162 590 178 45 4 17 88 93 101 32 .302 .413 .478 .891 4 3
LF 12 Ben Brandon R R 79 281 72 15 2 9 36 37 18 49 .256 .308 .420 .728 10 0
CF 23 Juan Pacheco R L 79 255 43 5 1 5 27 25 20 42 .169 .246 .255 .500 13 3
SS 19 Brian Watkins R R 139 454 120 13 1 5 35 50 38 84 .264 .323 .330 .653 3 4
LF 18 Ricky Rodriguez R R 125 419 95 18 6 4 48 53 43 101 .227 .297 .327 .624 25 7
2B 17 Dylan Aldridge R R 19 47 15 2 0 3 11 7 4 3 .319 .365 .553 .919 0 2
C 13 Rafael Medine R R 78 260 52 13 0 2 25 19 19 47 .200 .262 .273 .535 0 1

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 01:11 AM

MLB CHALLENGE SERIES
The matchup is between the New York Rens (Harlem, Manhattan) and the New York Bombers (Bronx). Because the matchup is a subway series, MLB decided to play the Series in New York City, using the same double header format as usual.

The Rens are seeking to become the first major league team to play in Manhattan since the New York Giants played at the Polo Grounds, while the Bombers are seeking not to be relegated.

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 01:15 AM

http://www.crayon.tv/attcs.png
GAME 1: RENS 1 BOMBERS 0
GAME 2: RENS 9 BOMBERS 8
GAME 3: RENS 10 BOMBERS 7
NEW YORK BOMBERS ARE RELEGATED TO THE CONTINENTAL LEAGUE, RENS PROMOTED TO MLB, WIN COMMISSIONERS PIN & 2004 AT&T CHALLENGE SERIES

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 01:21 AM

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/quarterslogo.png
GAME 1 WSQF: PROVIDENCE 5, LA DODGERS 3

After a pitcher duel broke out for the first 8 1/2 innings, the Los Angeles Dodgers broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the 8th.

Undaunted, the Bees scored 5 in the 9th, spurred by a Pete Coleman grand slam.

The win puts the Bees up 1-0 in the Series.

GAME 2 WSQF: PROVIDENCE 10, LA DODGERS 8
It seems whatever the Dodgers do, the Bees wait until the 9th to prove their mettle.

Despite being down 8-1 after 7 innings, the Bees chopped at the lead, scoring 4 in the top half of the 8th. Needing 3 runs to tie in the 9th, the Bees brought out their bats. A solo shot by Alfie Penrice and a three-run homer by Manny Ramirez spurred a 5 run 9th that gave the Bees a 10-8 win and a 2-0 lead in the series.

GAME 3: LA DODGERS 6, BEES 0
No magic exlir could be found for Game 3 at home, as the Dodgers put up 6 runs and Mike Moore pitched 8 2/3 innings of 2-hit ball, to give the Dodgers their first win of the series.

GAME 4: PROVIDENCE 6, LA DODGERS 3
The Bees got eight strong innings of work from Lorenzo Negron, who struck out 5, to win advance to the semifinals series for the 2nd straight year.

OTHER WINNERS
---
Boston def. NY Mets 3 gms to 0
Cincinnati def. Washington 3 gms to 2
Brooklyn def. Detroit 3 gms to 0

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 01:45 AM

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/semislogo.png

GAME 1: PROVIDENCE 5, BROOKLYN 2
The Bees got strong pitching from Reggie O'Neal, who struck out 4 in 7 1/3 and Alfie Penrice went deep twice for his 3rd and 4th homers of the post-season to capture a 1-0 series lead on the road against the Brooklyn Cyclones.

[B]GAME 2: BROOKLYN 3, PROVIDENCE 1
Mitsuo Asai pitched eight innings of 5 hit ball, while the struggles of Spike Ironside of the Bees in the playoffs continue. He's got a 7.50 ERA in the playoffs, as the Bees go down and the series gets tied 1-1.

GAME 3: BROOKLYN 8, PROVIDENCE 3

The Cyclones lit up Miguel Ortega for 6 earned in 6 1/3 innings, while Anastastio Lopez gave up just 3 earned and four hits in 7 innings, to give the Cyclones a 2-1 series lead.

GAME 4: PROVIDENCE 5, BROOKLYN 4
If you had to summarize the Bees performances in the playoffs to date, it'd simply be "they just win."

Game 4 was no exception to that rule, as the Bees scored 5 runs in the bottom of the eighth after being down 4-0 to win Game 4 of the World Series Semi-Finals over the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Andrew Cooper had a double in the 8th with 2 out and bases loaded to break the game open.

GAME 5: PROVIDENCE 6 BROOKLYN 1
Lorenzo Negron pitched a complete game 4-hitter, as he was in complete control of the game and as a result, have the Bees on the doorstep of the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Al Jacobs hit his first homerun of the post-season and Alfie Penrice continues to be on fire, hitting his sixth homer of the post-season.

GAME 6: PROVIDENCE 7, BROOKLYN 3
It was a team effort, as the Bees used five pitchers to secure a narrow lead 5-3 lead heading into the 9th, but they tacked on 2 runs and made Paul Moneur's job easy to give the Bees a 4-2 series victory against the Brooklyn Cyclones.

The Bees got home runs from Manny Ramirez, his 3rd of the post-season and Andrew Cooper in the 9th.

Manager Manny Serna attributes the team's recent offensive surge in a new lineup.

"We decided to tweak things a bit and it's had a lot of success for us. I hope it works in the next round," he said.

The Bees will take on the winner of the Cincinnati Reds-Boston Yankees series, that has gone to a 7th game, despite the heavily favored Yankees having a 3-1 series lead after four games.

The Yankees-Bees matchup would be a rematch of last year's hotly contested Semifinals Series matchup that was won by Boston in seven games.

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 01:58 AM

REDS UPSET THE YANKEES 5-3 IN GAME 7 OF SEMIS
BOSTON - Well, so much for a matchup between the two New England ballclubs, a rematch of last year's semifinals game, that everyone called "the real world series."

Nope. The Cincinnati Reds, who were dismissed by most because they play in the "weaker" Southern Division, won 105 games this year and weren't slouches.

The Reds got out to an early 3-1 lead, before the Yanks tied it in the bottom of the 7th. The score stayed knotted up at 3-3 until the top of the 12th, when a rally yielded 2 runs, which was all reliever Legesse Gichinga needed to close out the game and to send the Reds to the World Series for the first time.

"It's why they play the games," said Reds GM Enrique Martinez. "People doubted this team all year. But they're a great group of guys."

The Reds finished the regular season Top 5 in most offensive and pitching categories.

"We're going to be a tough matchup for the next team."

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 02:04 AM

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/worldserieslogonew.png
GAME 1: CINCINNATI 4, PROVIDENCE 3
GAME 2: CINCINNATI 4, PROVIDENCE 3
GAME 3: CINCINNATI 6, PROVIDENCE 3
GAME 4: PROVIDENCE 8, CINCINNATI 7
GAME 5: CINCINNATI 7, PROVIDENCE 5

CINCINNATI REDS WIN 2004 WORLD SERIES

In the end, I knew we were overmatched. I didn't see this team on our radar and thought Boston would pull it out. But they're dangerous and they proved it. More importantly, we're just not very good. I mean, we have some playmakers, but the more I looked at this roster late in the year, the less happy I was with it. Maybe it's going from a complete team to one that you inherit after just one year.

Whatever it is, I'm proud that we got far and that we did as well as we did. But, there is a factor of me that looks up north and the mess that's up there and think to myself, "I could've done better than that."

It's like building a house, putting all of the stuff in it and then deciding to move after you just get comfortable. Or before you can truly appreciate how great a decorating job you did.

Well, that's how this year felt to me. Very bittersweet.

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 02:09 AM

DALY QUITS BEES JOB
After just one year on the job as GM of the Providence Bees, the 29-year old GM says he's had enough.

"I want to do something in baseball, but I want something that's closer to my roots. This is just...I dunno. I've had a great run and the World Series and the players -- all of it, I've enjoyed immensely. But I just need a break."

The announcement comes just days after the Bees were beaten in 5 games by the Cincinnati Reds in the '04 World Series.

The Reds also beat D.C. former team, the Boston Yankees and his resignation has fueled intense speculation that he'll be heading back to Beantown for next season.

Both the Yankees and D.C. have denied such reports, but reports have him returning in all sorts of capacities such as team President, Executive VP or some other roles which will give him the control he craved when he left the team abruptly last season.

"You can believe he'll be back in baseball sooner than later," said one executive who declined comment.

Daly had four years left on his deal in Providence at the time of his resignation.

rjolley

10-05-2007, 08:17 AM

I'll put in a vote for Gary, IN as a team in the new 3rd division. A suburb of Chicago (kinda how Newark is a suburb of new York city), it should have the market to support a team.

Team name suggestions: Steelheads (current USBL team), the Railcats (current Northern League team), and the Panthers (my high school team).

PilotMan

10-05-2007, 10:04 AM

I have to speak up for my midwestern bretheren with Fargo Bison, St. Paul Saints. Other cities that would be good are Ft. Worth Cattlemen, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Little Rock, Vero Beach, Dayton.

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 01:47 PM

For reference, here's a current map of all of the teams in MLB and the CL.

It's useful for me to "see" where the teams are geographically, so I understand where the concentration of teams truly are.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=39.909736,-104.677734&spn=31.472998,44.824219&z=4&om=1&msid=107011263023411354395.00043bc2b2c8d1a3397fb

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 06:28 PM

WHAT WE DID
Ok, so there were a lot of changes and frankly, I'm not sure how I kept up with it all.

But anyway.

Here's what happened.

- The Dominican Development League was folded.

- The minor league of the Continental League was also jettisoned.

- The Republic League in its original form was folded, as were all of its team, the league will be 'reborn' as a new league that'll announce shortly.

- The 3rd division will also be announced at that time.
----
MLB UNVEILS NEW SETUP
Baseball's growth around the world, said MLB's Commissioner and a desire to "enhance the competitive experience of baseball fans around the world," has facilitated a new baseball "pyramid" that will "revolutionize" the game.

While baseball was already the first American team sport to introduce promotion and relegation to the landscape, what will take place this season will surpass anything baseball's seen before.

In order to get the players association to agree to the new 'pyramid' structure of baseball, free agency was granted to EVERY player at every level.

The rationale? "Players should have the right of self-determination. And if we've got owners who can make decisions about where their teams will play and what that'll be all about, the players ought to get a one-chance shot to do the same thing," said MLBPA spokesman Matt Holliday.

So there are over 5,000 players in the pool.

"The teams are all back in it and cities that were once home to minor league clubs or to independent teams are dreaming of their one day when they too can be major league. It's a great story."

The Republic League has been officially closed and will be replaced by the National League (AAA). The American League (AA) will be the 4th division, leaving the final setup as:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (1st division/Premier League)
CONTINENTAL LEAGUE (2nd division)
NATIONAL LEAGUE (3rd division)
AMERICAN LEAGUE (4th division)

To streamline the process, MLB decided that promotion and relegation in the NL and AL will begin at the start of the 2007 season for both teams. The American League setup will be announced by December 1st.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Western Association Standings
DIVISION 1
Albuquerque Dukes
Boise Hawks
Colorado Springs Sky Sox
Omaha Conductors
Salt Lake Missions
Sioux Falls Canaries
Wichita Wranglers

DIVISION 2
Cedar Rapids Kernals
Fort Collins Chiefs
Gary Blue Collars
Indianapolis Browns
Saint Paul Snappers
Toledo Mud Hens
Windsor Red Sox

Southern Association Standings
DIVISION 1
Arkansas Travelers
Birmingham Barons
Nashville Sounds
New Orleans Zephyrs
Orlando Miracle
Tulsa Drillers

DIVISION 2
Buffalo Bisons
Montreal Expos
New Jersey Gothams
Norfolk Tides
Portland Sea Dogs
San Juan Senadores
Wilmington Blue Rocks

Young Drachma

10-05-2007, 06:32 PM

I wrestled and still have for a bit about the 'distinctions' of the leagues. I mean, what do you call them? Is MLB the Premier League or the 1st division? I know that England has it a certain way and our setup with the MLB and CL are basically similar to the EPL and Coca-Coca Championship. But it's an American spin on a decidedly unAmerican practice and so, I struggle with the semantics to some degree as I go through it.

I won't focus on the lower leagues in-depth much at all unless people specifically ask about a team or something, unless the story calls for it. Because if I do, it'll distract and get really confusing (if it's not already) and I'd hate to take away from the interesting parts of whatever story we're following to give you mundane details.

Young Drachma

10-06-2007, 01:33 AM

I've decided to hold off on adding the American League until the end of the 2005 season and it might even wait until the end of 2006, we'll see.

It'll put them at a disadvantage to be sure, but I'd kinda like to get this crazy off-season out of the way, because with everybody shifting all over the place, I think it would just be better to let the dust settle a bit, let things get a little less convoluted. The setup is new, it's different and we've got to get it moving before we go adding another team to the setup and so...that's just what I think about that.

So that being said, the next few years will be a fly-by as we discuss the relevant stuff that needs discussed and leave the rest out.

Mostly just where teams have regrouped and found themselves, what the salaries in each are and payroll numbers, etc.

The NL will have a best-of-seven game playoff to determine the winners of each Association, followed by a best-of-seven game NLCS. The winner of the NLCS will be promoted to the Continental League. There is no relegation playoff at that level. And I think we'll employ that method at the lower levels across the board.

There is a possibility for a future playoff between the last-place team and some sort of 2nd place finisher, but...we're not anywhere close to being there yet.

I'm gonna sim the off-season completely and come back with some numbers and stuff.

Young Drachma

10-06-2007, 12:04 PM

DESPITE THE CRAZINESS, ALL IS WELL
When we first approached the idea of making everyone a free agent, I worried that it wouldn’t work.

And it didn’t.

At first, anyway.

The game clearly isn’t equipped to handle when about 5000 players decide to magically become free agents at the same time. And despite 3 pro leagues with ample cash to sign them, players weren’t getting acquired.

I was worried the whole dynasty might be in jeopardy. But I used my head.

Basically, all you have to do is fill the rosters with fictional players. But not good ones. Instead, you change the creation modifiers to make the players newly created awful and after a day or two, the teams will release them all and sign the good players waiting out in free agency.

Why does this happen? I have no freakin’ idea. I’m just glad it worked or else I’d have to spin this year as the “year of the replacement player.”

Because things are working smoothly, promotion and relegation will happen as normal. I feared if things went wacky, that we’d have to wait a year to do it in all of the leagues. But, things will go as planned.

Also, in the National League we’ve gotten rid of the DH. So it’s the only league that doesn’t use it. I figured that’d add a nice old-school twist to things.

Young Drachma

10-06-2007, 12:14 PM

REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS ~ FINAL
Remember: NL - 3rd division CL - 2nd division MLB - Premier League

NATIONAL LEAGUE 2005 FINAL STANDINGS
Only division champs make the playoffs. NL will not be promoting/relegating in 2005.

Western Association Standings
W L PCT GB
Wichita Wranglers 86 68 .558 -
Albuquerque Dukes 82 72 .532 4.0
Sioux Falls Canaries 81 73 .526 5.0
Omaha Conductors 80 74 .519 6.0
Colorado Springs Sky Sox75 79 .487 11.0
Salt Lake Missions 70 84 .455 16.0
Boise Hawks 64 90 .416 22.0

W L PCT GB
Indianapolis Browns 87 68 .561 -
Fort Collins Chiefs 86 69 .555 1.0
Windsor Red Sox 78 76 .506 8.5
Toledo Mud Hens 76 78 .494 10.5
Cedar Rapids Kernals 73 81 .474 13.5
Gary Blue Collars 71 83 .461 15.5
Saint Paul Snappers 70 84 .455 16.5

Southern Association Standings
W L PCT GB
Birmingham Barons 85 69 .552 -
Orlando Miracle 81 73 .526 4.0
Arkansas Travelers 79 75 .513 6.0
Tulsa Drillers 76 78 .494 9.0
New Orleans Zephyrs 75 79 .487 10.0
Nashville Sounds 71 83 .461 14.0
Oklahoma Red Hawks 71 83 .461 14.0

W L PCT GB
Buffalo Bisons 87 67 .565 -
Portland Sea Dogs 86 68 .558 1.0
Norfolk Tides 79 75 .513 8.0
Wilmington Blue Rocks 79 75 .513 8.0
Montreal Expos 74 80 .481 13.0
San Juan Senadores 73 81 .474 14.0
New Jersey Gothams 62 92 .403 25.0

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE 2005 FINAL STANDINGS

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Milwaukee Braves 70 64 .522 -
Charlotte Knights 67 67 .500 3.0
Cleveland Indians 67 67 .500 3.0
New York Bombers 67 67 .500 3.0
Tampa Bay Rays 63 71 .470 7.0
Philadelphia Phillies 61 73 .455 9.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Chicago White Sox 82 52 .612 -
Sacramento River Cats 72 62 .537 10.0
Nevada Silverhawks 71 63 .530 11.0
Vancouver Whitecaps 68 66 .507 14.0
Portland Beavers 61 73 .455 21.0
Minnesota Twins 55 79 .410 27.0

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2005 FINAL STANDINGS

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 110 52 .679 -
Pennsylvania Colonials 100 62 .617 10.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 86 76 .531 24.0
Providence Bees 86 76 .531 24.0
New York Rens 82 80 .506 28.0
Brooklyn Cyclones 77 85 .475 33.0
Baltimore Orioles 67 95 .414 43.0
New York Mets 65 97 .401 45.0

Central Division W L PCT GB
Chicago Cubs 107 55 .660 -
Kansas City Royals 82 80 .506 25.0
Chicago Comets 81 81 .500 26.0
Toronto Blue Sox 81 81 .500 26.0
Columbus Clippers 79 83 .488 28.0
Detroit Tigers 79 83 .488 28.0
St. Louis Cardinals 77 85 .475 30.0
Monterrey Matadors 58 104 .358 49.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
San Diego Padres 89 73 .549 -
Los Angeles Empires 87 75 .537 2.0
Los Angeles Angels 85 77 .525 4.0
San Jose Captains 84 78 .519 5.0
San Francisco Giants 83 79 .512 6.0
Colorado Rockies 78 84 .481 11.0
Los Angeles Dodgers 70 92 .432 19.0
Seattle Mariners 69 93 .426 20.0

Southern Division W L PCT GB
Texas Rangers 99 63 .611 -
Atlanta Athletics 95 67 .586 4.0
Florida Marlins 95 67 .586 4.0
Cincinnati Reds 75 87 .463 24.0
San Antonio Aviators 68 94 .420 31.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 67 95 .414 32.0
Houston Astros 67 95 .414 32.0
Washington Diplomats 64 98 .395 35.0

Young Drachma

10-06-2007, 12:21 PM

NCAA 2005 FINAL STANDINGS
Eastern Conference W L PCT GB
Maryland Terrapins 29 21 .580 -
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 28 22 .560 1.0
St. John's Red Storm 28 22 .560 1.0
Michigan State Spartans 24 26 .480 5.0
Penn State Nittany Lions24 26 .480 5.0
Pittsburgh Panthers 24 26 .480 5.0
Seton Hall Pirates 22 28 .440 7.0
Boston College Eagles 18 32 .360 11.0

Southern Conference W L PCT GB
Mississippi State Bulldogs 29 22 .569 -
North Carolina Tar Heels 28 23 .549 1.0
Ferrum Panthers 27 23 .540 1.5
Florida State Seminoles 24 26 .480 4.5
Tennessee Volunteers 24 26 .480 4.5
Louisiana State Tigers 21 29 .420 7.5
Miami Hurricanes 20 30 .400 8.5
Virginia Cavaliers 19 31 .380 9.5

Central Conference W L PCT GB
Wichita State Shockers 33 17 .660 -
Ohio State Buckeyes 31 19 .620 2.0
Oklahoma Sooners 29 21 .580 4.0
Notre Dame Fighting Irish26 24 .520 7.0
Monmouth Fighting Scots 25 25 .500 8.0
Michigan Wolverines 23 27 .460 10.0
Nebraska Cornhuskers 23 27 .460 10.0
Illinois Fighting Illini21 29 .420 12.0

Western Conference W L PCT GB
UCLA Bruins 32 18 .640 -
Washington Huskies 30 20 .600 2.0
Southern California Trojans 28 22 .560 4.0
Stanford Cardinal 28 22 .560 4.0
Brigham Young Cougars 25 25 .500 7.0
Texas Longhorns 22 28 .440 10.0
Cal State-Fullerton Titans 19 31 .380 13.0
Arizona State Sun Devils 17 33 .340 15.0

NCAA PLAYOFFS
Wichita State def. Mississippi State 4 gms to 1
UCLA def. Maryland 4 gms to 2

2005 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Wichita State def. UCLA 4 gms to 1

Young Drachma

10-06-2007, 12:53 PM

2005 PLAYOFF MATCHUPS

NATIONAL LEAGUE
ASSOCIATION FINALS

Indianapolis def. Wichita 4 gms to 2
Buffalo def. Birmingham 4 gms to 2

2005 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Buffalo def. Indianapolis 4 gms to 3

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE GUINNESS CUP SERIES

Milwaukee def. Chicago 3 gms to 2

AT&T CHALLENGE SERIES presented by MLB
@ Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha
Monterrey def. Milwaukee 3 gms to 0

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
WS QUARTERFINALS

Boston def. LA Empires 3 gms to 2
Chicago def. Florida 3 gms to 2
Texas def. Atlanta 3 gms to 2
Pennsylvania def. San Diego 3 gms to 1

Young Drachma

10-06-2007, 01:15 PM

WORLD SERIES SEMIFINALS
Boston def. Cubs 4 gms to 2
Pennsylvania def. Texas 4 gms to 2

2005 WORLD SERIES
Pennyslvania def. Boston 4 gms to 1

Who knew that it'd just take a name change to get the Colonials their first World Series?

Young Drachma

10-06-2007, 03:12 PM

Here's the American League's inaugural setup for 2006.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SETUP (2006)
NORTHERN CONFERENCE
---
Worcester, MA
Hartford, CT
Appleton, WI
Rockford, IL
Grand Rapids, MI
Harrisburg, PA

Pacific CONFERENCE
-----
Santa Maria, CA
Spokane, WA
Bend, OR
Reno, NV
Grand Junction, CO
Fargo, ND

Ramzavail

10-07-2007, 07:01 AM

Fantastic read, I am following, however, I am shocked you are left the Bees considering you fawned over them the year previous, you take them over and go to the WS.

How do you decide when to contract/move a team?

Would you be willing to post your league/universe file? I'd love to see how the league works and how it looks within the game.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 02:21 PM

Thanks for the post.

You will soon find out why I left the Bees.

And originally my team move/contraction methodology was based solely on geography and of course, a team's lagging attendance. But I try to do it less and less, because it can be hard to follow the game if the teams are always moving around and so, I try to minimize it. That said, I'm always willing to take new team suggestion/city suggestions, because I always feel like there are more cities as we get further down the line that get neglected or make for a compelling story as we move forward.

It's easier now with lower leagues and stuff, because with promotion/relegation, the league is subject less to my whims and if I do get the desire to add random teams in Nowhere, USA, I can just create a lower league that may or may not enter MLB's promotion/relegation scheme.

Here's a link to the league file if you wanna download it/check it out. Just contains the .dat files. Unzip it to your saved games folder (it's already in a folder called MLB 2.0 and it should load okay. Lemme know whatcha think. I haven't named all of the teams in the American League in this version and you don't get any of my logos to the custom teams (not 'cuz I mind if you have 'em, I just didn't want to upload a 200MB file)

Link (http://www.bleedpurpleandblack.com/mlb2.0.lg.zip)

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 04:13 PM

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 05:39 PM

AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAMS NAMED
NORTHERN CONFERENCE
Appleton Foxes
Grand Rapids Griffins
Hartford Whalers
Rockford Foresters
Harrisburg Senators
Worcester Browns

PACIFIC CONFERENCE
Bend Brewers
Dakota Thundercats
Grand Junction Grays
Reno Miners
Santa Maria Winemakers
Spokane Natives

Ramzavail

10-07-2007, 06:06 PM

This is amazing, I updated the AL team names in the file that I downloaded - was there anything else you did? Doesn't sound it.

Also, I thought you played without view of the ratings, I thought I read that somewhere up there.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 06:23 PM

I used to. I turned them back on though. I hate scouts because it adds them to the payroll and there isn't a real steady flow of players coming in. I forget why I turned them back on. Oh, I just think having more information was better than less.

I just changed it from 1-20 to 1-100 when I stopped running the Bees.

Nope, didn't do anything else otherwise.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 06:28 PM

And for those at home wondering, I wrestled with making the lower leagues something lesser than major leagues. But in the end, I decided that the players talent levels across the board doesn't really change the fact that they're major leaguers and it wasn't worth the confusion in stats and stuff, to try to change the distinctions. It'll be evident to me, when it comes time to put a guy in the Hall or more importantly, when I'm signing guys what the difference between a 30 homer season in the AL is like versus MLB.

I wanted to mirror more the European style rather than trying to artifically diminish the importance of one league versus the other and so, they're all major leagues technically, it's just one is a lower tiered league (and the player creation modifiers reflect this) than the others.

Ramzavail

10-07-2007, 06:30 PM

I actually agree with that rationale, for what its worth.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 06:31 PM

Oh, there are a few name changes I made:

San Juan is now the Puerto Rico Leones. I did this so I could use the Puerto Rico WBC jersey for the team.

Indianapolis Browns are now the Indianapolis Nine.

Los Angeles Empires are now the California Empires. (I almost went with Los Angeles Empires of Riverside. Almost...)

Toronto Blue Sox are now the Toronto Blue Jays.

That's all my moves.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 06:33 PM

I actually agree with that rationale, for what its worth.

Well thanks. I really sure wasn't too sure what to do, but I do like the way things are now. I think the European setup was what convinced me in the end. I mean, we all know MLS isn't on par with the EPL or La Liga, but we don't need a "Double-A" moniker to indicate that.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 07:08 PM

D.C. TO PURCHASE AL'S WORCESTER FRANCHISE
WORCESTER, MA - After almost two years away from the game, it seems that D.C. Daly is ready to come back. But this time, the only person he's answering to is himself.

The 30-year old baseball exec who has already help build two New England clubs and took them to the World Series has a far more daunting task ahead of him as the new primary owner of the Worcester Browns of the new American League.

"I've always wanted to own my own team. I can't tell you how exciting it is that I get to do this, especially at my age. It's a childhood dream come true, but it won't be complete until we're someday playing on the biggest stage possible," said Daly about the acquisition.

He formed a partnership with several of his contacts from his days with the Boston Yankees and with those minority owners backing him, was able to put his own money up to buy the team. He reminds people that he went to college for economics, not baseball.

"Let's just say I know how to save a penny when I need to."

With just four months until the American League season begins, D.C. expects to dive right in.

"The best part of this, is that I get to combine my love for player development and talent, with being able to do something sustainable. I can't wait."

2006 CHANGES
Just so you know, the AL has effectively eliminated its cash maximum. Here's why. In theory, the AL teams could get rich and fat simply selling off their best players to leagues above them. The main difference as I see it between the National League and the American League for the purposes of this game, is that the NL is a competitive league with teams all gunning for the next level. Whereas, AL teams are split down the middle. Half are player development factories that have no intention of 'trying' to make it to the majors, with the others trying to develop young players with some veterans to get in while their window allows for it.

In 2006, the AL isn't eligible for promotion to the NL and so, it'll just be a 'test run' season to see what the new league is all about.

The salary cap is $15 million this year. In the NL it's $20 million and the winner of the NLCS will receive automatic promotion to the CL for 2007, with the worst CL team being demoted.

The salary cap in the CL this year is $50 million.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 07:25 PM

JANUARY 24, 2006
What I'm noticing so far and what I like, is that if I try to say, offer a deal to a guy from the majors who is worth a lot of money, he'll ask me to pay him what a superstar in my league would make. When the salary cap is only $15 million, you don't really have a ton of leeway to sign lots of guys like that, because well...eventually you'd be stuck.

What should happen is, the offers they get at the major league level should be so much more substantial that they'd never take such offers and that keeps star players out of the lower leagues and so, OOTP is working just as it should. I noticed it before, but never got an acute understanding of how the process was playing out until now.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 10:27 PM

FEBRUARY 2006 DIARY
So, I'm with Worcester now. Needless to say, it's a little strange starting over with a team that won't be trying to win a World Series AND knowing that we're not going to get promoted this year. But I prefer it this way, because at least it gives me a starting point where I can test out some theories in this league to see if they work or not and if not, then no harm and no foul and I have an entire off-season next year to try to fix them.

But the strategy we're employing now is risky. I'm spending money. Quite a bit of it to get to or near the cap, to acquire the best talent I can to basically dominate this league. I want to find out if major league has-beens are the type of guys that can clean this league up, along with youngsters that can augment them.

The risk to this strategy is very simple. If you're paying a bunch of washed up guys to play for you in a lesser league, it might bring out fans who have heard of them AND it might win you a pennant. What it won't do is help you long term OR give you kids to develop. Both of which are a problem.

So, it's got to be a give and take thing or else, forget it.

We'll see how it works and what sort of strategy we're going to go with here in Year 1. I'm sorta throwing darts recklessly at this point and I'm not sure where they'll land.

AMERICAN LEAGUE ADDS A FEEDER
I figured that it would be very difficult to call this league a developmental league and have no development happening and so, I added a high school developmental league to the AL that will feed directly into it.

There will be an AL draft starting in 2007 -- the only league that'll employ one -- for the sole purpose of getting talent onto teams and developed. Long-term, we'll see how it works. But I think it's a good way to get this league stocked with young talent.

DAY IS DONE..
FEBRUARY 14, 2006
So I've not introduced you to my team yet, but I find it interesting that you can deal guys who are serviceable major leaguers who sign with you for about what they'd sign for in the majors, only they'd never play and then flip them to major league teams for guys who'll never make it out of the affiliated minors.

In other words, playing this way is a extremely intriguing way to play because there are so many players out there and yet, you have to consider the salary cap and other issues that exist when building your team.

It's just funny how different the standards for talent are, when you're playing in a league like this, though.

It'll be interesting to see how the season plays out.

Speaking of, we play 136-game season. There are 100 games in your division and 36 interleague games.

PAYROLL NUMBERS
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2006 PAYROLLS

Rank Team Payroll
1 Houston Astros $118,523,650
2 Columbus Clippers $106,562,750
3 Monterrey Matadors $100,912,800
4 San Jose Captains $99,017,800
5 San Antonio Aviators $91,504,350
6 San Francisco Giants $90,187,700
7 Pittsburgh Pirates $84,451,350
8 Atlanta Athletics $79,935,450
9 Chicago Cubs $78,757,650
10 Boston Yankees $76,770,850
11 Providence Bees $73,587,700
12 Cincinnati Reds $73,070,300
13 Florida Marlins $71,502,500
14 Pennsylvania Colonials $70,515,600
15 Los Angeles Dodgers $70,465,350
16 New York Mets $68,321,800
17 Baltimore Orioles $63,104,850
18 Los Angeles Angels $61,253,450
19 Toronto Blue Jays $60,379,200
20 Colorado Rockies $54,433,800
21 Arizona Diamondbacks $49,483,600
22 St. Louis Cardinals $48,404,750
23 California Empires $47,747,700
24 Detroit Tigers $45,933,500
25 Texas Rangers $45,872,900
26 Washington Nationals $45,629,450
27 Brooklyn Cyclones $45,130,300
28 Chicago Comets $44,768,100
29 San Diego Padres $42,273,000
30 Seattle Mariners $31,551,850
31 Kansas City Royals $29,936,600
32 New York Rens $20,424,600

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS, MLB, 2006

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Lúcio Ortíz Baltimore $28,460,000
2 Thomas Carlson Houston $25,790,000
3 Jeff Brown Columbus $25,125,000
4 William Murphy Pennsylvania $24,935,000
5 Cliff Barraclough San Jose $21,425,000
6 César García Monterrey $20,930,000
7 Roy Chambers Cincinnati $19,595,000
8 Jonathan Howe Los Angeles $19,460,000
9 Cisco Ordóñez Los Angeles $19,260,000
10 Marcus Parker Chicago $18,380,000
11 Desi Walker New York $18,185,000
12 Bayani Resuena San Francisco $17,930,000
13 Tenshin Koizumi Toronto $17,370,000
14 John Hudson Columbus $17,190,000
15 Scott Murphy San Antonio $17,160,000
16 Sam Brown Pittsburgh $17,075,000
17 Bryan Eggert Atlanta $16,605,750
18 Dan Vincent Cincinnati $16,185,000
19 Jorge Morales San Francisco $15,871,200
20 Jaime Padilla Houston $15,687,000
21 Terry Reed Monterrey $15,480,000
22 António López Atlanta $15,277,500
23 Esteban Méndez Florida $15,213,300
24 Paco Curtis Pittsburgh $15,140,000
25 Manuel Velázquez Monterrey $14,773,500

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE, TEAM PAYROLLS, 2006

Rank Team Payroll
1 Chicago White Sox $33,917,725
2 Charlotte Knights $33,851,650
3 New York Bombers $33,213,950
4 Vancouver Whitecaps $29,345,975
5 Cleveland Indians $28,622,725
6 Milwaukee Braves $28,486,925
7 Sacramento River Cats $21,853,075
8 Philadelphia Phillies $21,540,775
9 Tampa Bay Rays $19,766,625
10 Portland Beavers $17,875,200
11 Minnesota Twins $17,384,200
12 Nevada Silverhawks $17,147,150

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS, CL, 2006

Rank Player Team Salary
1 José Reyes Cleveland $15,655,000
2 Pedro López Charlotte $14,987,500
3 Jeff Glass Vancouver $14,730,000
4 Mike Dillard Milwaukee $11,760,000
5 Bobby Stewart New York $11,497,500
6 Pete Buckley Philadelphia $11,235,000
7 Mike Bonner Charlotte $7,652,500
8 Shawn Carpenter Chicago $6,855,000
9 Manny Fernández Minnesota $6,397,500
10 Sixto Valero Portland $6,212,500
11 Chris Elliott New York $5,870,000
12 Jeffery Brown New York $5,355,000
13 Miguel Arce Milwaukee $5,272,500
14 António GonzálesTampa Bay $5,130,000
15 Christian JohnsonChicago $4,538,000
16 Francisco HernándezCharlotte $4,298,000
17 Héctor Arroyo Chicago $4,220,000
18 Scott RichardsonSacramento $4,134,000
19 Paul Black Chicago $3,677,500
20 Tony Rodríguez Tampa Bay $3,618,000
21 Gerardo Flores Sacramento $3,585,000
22 Jesús López Cleveland $3,517,500
23 Quinn Wouters Milwaukee $3,510,000
24 Alfie Penrice Minnesota $3,495,000
25 Al Jacobs Portland $3,385,000

NATIONAL LEAGUE, TEAM PAYROLLS, 2006

Rank Team Payroll
1 Buffalo Bisons $12,652,500
2 Wilmington Blue Rocks $11,892,500
3 Omaha Conductors $11,767,500
4 Cedar Rapids Kernals $11,057,350
5 Boise Hawks $10,642,500
6 Windsor Red Sox $10,205,000
7 New Orleans Zephyrs $9,717,500
8 Indianapolis Nine $9,517,500
9 Nashville Sounds $9,447,500
10 Wichita Wranglers $9,375,000
11 Sioux Falls Canaries $9,365,000
12 Arkansas Travelers $9,040,000
13 Birmingham Barons $8,947,500
14 Orlando Miracle $8,835,000
15 Portland Sea Dogs $8,672,500
16 Norfolk Tides $8,365,000
17 Gary Blue Collars $8,252,500
18 New Jersey Gothams $8,017,500
19 Saint Paul Snappers $8,000,000
20 Albuquerque Dukes $7,982,500
21 Montreal Expos $7,772,500
22 Tulsa Drillers $7,747,500
23 Puerto Rico Leones $7,415,000
24 Salt Lake Missions $7,185,550
25 Colorado Springs Sky Sox$6,767,650
26 Fort Collins Chiefs $6,712,500
27 Toledo Mud Hens $6,635,000
28 Oklahoma Red Hawks $6,025,000

NATIONAL LEAGUE HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS, 2006

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Ricky Larson Buffalo $4,877,500
2 Ken Grisham Windsor $3,075,000
3 Daniel Ward Nashville $2,805,000
4 Gerard Poole Boise $2,440,000
5 Marcos Carrillo Tulsa $2,425,000
6 Rudy Strong Windsor $2,182,500
7 Jack Miller Cedar Rapids $2,155,000
8 Stéphane LalondeWilmington $2,072,500
9 Augusto Garza Orlando $2,022,500
10 Carl French Buffalo $1,882,500
11 Brent Reedy Saint Paul $1,742,500
12 Octávio Rodríguez Arkansas $1,730,000
13 José Martínez Toledo $1,637,500
14 Esteban Barbosa Indianapolis $1,585,000
15 Héctor Fuentes Cedar Rapids $1,567,500
16 Juan González Omaha $1,507,500
17 Carl Lambright Wilmington $1,502,500
18 Ralph Rhodes New Orleans $1,500,000
19 Randy Francis Nashville $1,477,500
20 Jorge Vera Birmingham $1,460,000
21 Jesús Ramírez Omaha $1,440,000
22 Carl Moran New Jersey $1,425,000
23 Jesús Franco Portland $1,412,500
24 José Torres Arkansas $1,335,000
25 Ramón Velasco Puerto Rico $1,335,000

The American League numbers won't be released until early April, since our season starts..at the end of April.

Young Drachma

10-07-2007, 11:10 PM

AMERICAN LEAGUE PAYROLL, OPENING DAY 2006

Rank Team Payroll
1 Worcester Browns $14,673,325
2 Harrisburg Senators $14,611,250
3 Rockford Foresters $14,133,750
4 Grand Rapids Griffins $14,040,000
5 Appleton Foxes $13,533,750
6 Dakota Thundercats $13,500,000
7 Hartford Whalers $13,200,000
8 Grand Junction Grays $12,825,000
9 Reno Miners $11,943,750
10 Bend Brewers $11,745,000
11 Santa Maria Winemakers $10,485,000
12 Spokane Natives $9,881,250

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS, AMERICAN LEAGUE, 2006

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Marcos Huff Grand Rapids $3,187,500
2 Manny García Hartford $2,220,000
3 Eugene Fisher Bend $1,946,250
4 Harlan Rowland Appleton $1,860,000
5 Trevor Tanner Worcester $1,856,250
6 António López Harrisburg $1,578,750
7 Javier Rosales Appleton $1,473,750
8 Cristiano Massarelli Worcester $1,432,500
9 Michinaga Toyota Santa Maria $1,425,000
10 Nick Baty Worcester $1,402,500
11 Christopher Phelps Bend $1,395,000
12 Carlos Macías Santa Maria $1,372,500
13 Roy Primm Worcester $1,342,500
14 Kevin Covington Spokane $1,286,250
15 Tim England Appleton $1,286,250
16 Marcos Medina Dakota $1,260,000
17 Tony Dobson Rockford $1,248,750
18 Duncan Bowden Dakota $1,226,250
19 Dustin Willis Dakota $1,215,000
20 Jesús García Harrisburg $1,211,250
21 Carlos Valéncia Santa Maria $1,207,500
22 Jorge Ortíz Grand Rapids $1,192,500
23 Lawrence Trent Grand Rapids $1,185,000
24 Rob Welch Spokane $1,185,000
25 Raúl Mercado Harrisburg $1,177,500

Young Drachma

10-08-2007, 01:24 AM

Rather than introduce you to our roster and all that prematurely, especially since promotion/relegation isn't at stake, I'm going to sim to midseason and figure out what's work and what hasn't and not make any more moves. It'll be a lot more interesting than trying to speculate for you based on what we know about the players I've signed to deals.

But suffice to say that no one on the current roster played in MLB last year. Well that's not entirely true. I made a deal just now which is opening day to get a guy from Pittsburgh who played there last year. But given how bad they've been lately, that might not mean a whole lot.

But save for him, no one played in MLB last season, but there are guys with MLB experience on the roster..include a few names I've mentioned before or if not, at least they're familiar to me and soon, I'll introduce you.

The AL trade deadline is June 1st and so we'll sim well past that date -- I know, no deals for me -- and we'll just see how things are around July 1st.

Young Drachma

10-08-2007, 12:18 PM

AMERICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS
JULY 4, 2006

Northern Conference Standings
W L PCT GB
Harrisburg Senators 36 27 .571 -
Worcester Browns 35 28 .556 1.0
Grand Rapids Griffins 34 30 .531 2.5
Appleton Foxes 32 31 .508 4.0
Hartford Whalers 29 35 .453 7.5
Rockford Foresters 26 37 .413 10.0

Pacific Conference Standings
W L PCT GB
Santa Maria Winemakers 39 24 .619 -
Reno Miners 32 31 .508 7.0
Dakota Thundercats 32 32 .500 7.5
Bend Brewers 31 32 .492 8.0
Spokane Natives 29 34 .460 10.0
Grand Junction Grays 25 39 .391 14.5

So far, I've figured out in this league that the only thing that matters is performance. It's not like in the majors where you can sign guys on potential. Down here, it's all about how much success they've had or projecting guys who can or will be successful plain and simple. If you fail to do that, you'll simply blow the thing.

It's been a learning experience and we're not even halfway through it. I do think that the short trading window forces you to be effective about putting your team together early on and minimizing the mistakes you make during free agency.

I'm going to hit the free agency pool and see if I can't get a vet or two down the stretch and release other guys to stay under the cap. But we'll see, I haven't decided if it's worth breaking my neck to the pennant this year or not.

Young Drachma

10-08-2007, 08:33 PM

SPOKE TOO SOON ~ WE'RE DOING WHAT WE DO
I didn't make any moves at all. I just simmed the game to this point last night and here's where we are:

AMERICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS
8-1-2006

Northern Conference Standings
W L PCT GB
Worcester Browns 53 34 .609 -
Harrisburg Senators 48 38 .558 4.5
Appleton Foxes 41 45 .477 11.5
Rockford Foresters 41 45 .477 11.5
Grand Rapids Griffins 41 47 .466 12.5
Hartford Whalers 38 49 .437 15.0

Pacific Conference Standings
W L PCT GB
Santa Maria Winemakers 52 34 .605 -
Reno Miners 46 40 .535 6.0
Bend Brewers 43 43 .500 9.0
Spokane Natives 41 46 .471 11.5
Dakota Thundercats 41 47 .466 12.0
Grand Junction Grays 35 52 .402 17.5

Young Drachma

10-08-2007, 10:37 PM

DOWN THE STRETCH...
September 1, 2006
Here is a look at the other leagues and what's going on as the teams start to find their position:

In the majors, the Pennsylvania Colonials are leading the high-octane eastern division. Meanwhile, the New York Mets, Cinncinati Reds and Baltimore Orioles are within striking distance of relegation. But there are still 3 long weeks left in the regular season.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Standings

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Pennsylvania Colonials 100 43 .699 -
Boston Yankees 96 47 .671 4.0
New York Rens 74 70 .514 26.5
Providence Bees 73 70 .510 27.0
Brooklyn Cyclones 67 75 .472 32.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 60 83 .420 40.0
Baltimore Orioles 59 83 .415 40.5
New York Mets 56 86 .394 43.5

Central Division W L PCT GB
St. Louis Cardinals 87 56 .608 -
Chicago Cubs 77 65 .542 9.5
Kansas City Royals 73 70 .510 14.0
Monterrey Matadors 73 71 .507 14.5
Chicago Comets 70 74 .486 17.5
Detroit Tigers 68 75 .476 19.0
Columbus Clippers 63 79 .444 23.5
Toronto Blue Jays 63 80 .441 24.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
San Jose Captains 79 63 .556 -
Los Angeles Angels 72 70 .507 7.0
San Francisco Giants 72 72 .500 8.0
California Empires 69 74 .483 10.5
Colorado Rockies 69 74 .483 10.5
Seattle Mariners 65 78 .455 14.5
San Diego Padres 63 80 .441 16.5
Los Angeles Dodgers 60 82 .423 19.0

Southern Division W L PCT GB
Atlanta Athletics 85 59 .590 -
Texas Rangers 80 64 .556 5.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 76 66 .535 8.0
Florida Marlins 75 67 .528 9.0
Houston Astros 68 75 .476 16.5
San Antonio Aviators 68 75 .476 16.5
Washington Nationals 68 75 .476 16.5
Cincinnati Reds 58 85 .406 26.5

In the Continental League, the Minnesota Twins are the big story. A team that won the Continental League in 2003, the team is looking closer and closer like a relegation candidate in the CL. Unlike MLB and the CL, there is no 'play-in' to get to the CL. The winner of the NLCS will be automatically be promoted to the Continental League. It's a remarkable fall from grace for a team that was in the majors as recently as 2002.

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Charlotte Knights 62 53 .539 -
Philadelphia Phillies 60 54 .526 1.5
New York Bombers 60 55 .522 2.0
Milwaukee Braves 58 56 .509 3.5
Tampa Bay Rays 56 58 .491 5.5
Cleveland Indians 51 63 .447 10.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Sacramento River Cats 71 44 .617 -
Nevada Silverhawks 67 47 .588 3.5
Chicago White Sox 58 56 .509 12.5
Portland Beavers 58 56 .509 12.5
Vancouver Whitecaps 48 67 .417 23.0
Minnesota Twins 37 77 .325 33.5

2006 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Rutgers knocked off Ohio State 4 games to 1 to win the College World Series

NATIONAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
In the NL, it's for all the marbles. Win your division and you're in the playoffs. In the Southern Association, Arkansas and Tulsa are grinding it out and in the Western Association, there is a huge race in the midwest with Indianapolis leading, but Cedar Rapids, Gary, St. Paul and Windsor all nearby.

Western Association Standings
W L PCT GB
Omaha Conductors 86 55 .610 -
Sioux Falls Canaries 77 64 .546 9.0
Colorado Springs Sky Sox73 68 .518 13.0
Wichita Wranglers 73 68 .518 13.0
Albuquerque Dukes 69 72 .489 17.0
Boise Hawks 63 78 .447 23.0
Salt Lake Missions 61 80 .433 25.0

W L PCT GB
Indianapolis Nine 76 65 .539 -
Cedar Rapids Kernals 75 66 .532 1.0
Gary Blue Collars 73 68 .518 3.0
Saint Paul Snappers 72 69 .511 4.0
Windsor Red Sox 72 69 .511 4.0
Fort Collins Chiefs 60 81 .426 16.0
Toledo Mud Hens 57 84 .404 19.0

Southern Association Standings
W L PCT GB
Arkansas Travelers 82 59 .582 -
Tulsa Drillers 82 59 .582 -
Nashville Sounds 77 64 .546 5.0
Orlando Miracle 70 71 .496 12.0
New Orleans Zephyrs 66 75 .468 16.0
Birmingham Barons 58 83 .411 24.0
Oklahoma Red Hawks 46 95 .326 36.0

W L PCT GB
New Jersey Gothams 83 58 .589 -
Portland Sea Dogs 79 62 .560 4.0
Wilmington Blue Rocks 78 63 .553 5.0
Puerto Rico Leones 73 68 .518 10.0
Montreal Expos 71 70 .504 12.0
Norfolk Tides 67 74 .475 16.0
Buffalo Bisons 55 86 .390 28.0

AMERICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS
Playing for pride and no promotion in 2006, the American League race doesn't have the suspense that the other leagues have. It seems all but sewed up in both conferences, setting up what should be an interesting east v. west matchup in the first-ever American League Championship Series. But as we know, anything can happen.

American League Standings

Northern Conference Standings
W L PCT GB
Worcester Browns 70 43 .619 -
Harrisburg Senators 60 53 .531 10.0
Grand Rapids Griffins 57 57 .500 13.5
Appleton Foxes 56 57 .496 14.0
Rockford Foresters 54 59 .478 16.0
Hartford Whalers 46 68 .404 24.5

Pacific Conference Standings
W L PCT GB
Santa Maria Winemakers 66 47 .584 -
Bend Brewers 58 55 .513 8.0
Reno Miners 57 56 .504 9.0
Spokane Natives 56 57 .496 10.0
Dakota Thundercats 54 60 .474 12.5
Grand Junction Grays 46 68 .404 20.5

Young Drachma

10-08-2007, 11:06 PM

MLB FINAL STANDINGS, 2006

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Boston Yankees 111 51 .685 -
Pennsylvania Colonials 111 51 .685 -
New York Rens 84 78 .519 27.0
Providence Bees 83 79 .512 28.0
Brooklyn Cyclones 78 84 .481 33.0
Baltimore Orioles 70 92 .432 41.0
Pittsburgh Pirates 69 93 .426 42.0
New York Mets 65 97 .401 46.0

Central Division W L PCT GB
St. Louis Cardinals 92 70 .568 -
Chicago Cubs 87 75 .537 5.0
Kansas City Royals 81 81 .500 11.0
Monterrey Matadors 80 82 .494 12.0
Detroit Tigers 78 84 .481 14.0
Chicago Comets 77 85 .475 15.0
Columbus Clippers 74 88 .457 18.0
Toronto Blue Jays 72 90 .444 20.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
San Jose Captains 93 69 .574 -
Los Angeles Angels 84 78 .519 9.0
San Francisco Giants 81 81 .500 12.0
California Empires 78 84 .481 15.0
Colorado Rockies 76 86 .469 17.0
San Diego Padres 73 89 .451 20.0
Seattle Mariners 72 90 .444 21.0
Los Angeles Dodgers 68 94 .420 25.0

Southern Division W L PCT GB
Atlanta Athletics 97 65 .599 -
Texas Rangers 92 70 .568 5.0
Florida Marlins 86 76 .531 11.0
Arizona Diamondbacks 81 81 .500 16.0
Houston Astros 77 85 .475 20.0
Washington Nationals 77 85 .475 20.0
San Antonio Aviators 76 86 .469 21.0
Cincinnati Reds 69 93 .426 28.0

Mets are headed to the MLB Challenge Series

MLB PLAYOFF ALIGNMENT
Florida v. Pennsylvania
Chicago v. Atlanta
Texas v. San Jose
Boston v. St. Louis

Young Drachma

10-08-2007, 11:15 PM

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE FINAL STANDINGS, 2006

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Charlotte Knights 74 62 .544 -
Milwaukee Braves 72 64 .529 2.0
New York Bombers 72 64 .529 2.0
Philadelphia Phillies 70 66 .515 4.0
Tampa Bay Rays 64 72 .471 10.0
Cleveland Indians 60 76 .441 14.0

Western Division W L PCT GB
Sacramento River Cats 83 53 .610 -
Nevada Silverhawks 80 56 .588 3.0
Portland Beavers 70 66 .515 13.0
Chicago White Sox 69 67 .507 14.0
Vancouver Whitecaps 58 78 .426 25.0
Minnesota Twins 44 92 .324 39.0

The Minnesota Twins will be relegated to the National League in 2007.

Young Drachma

10-08-2007, 11:17 PM

NATIONAL LEAGUE FINAL STANDINGS, 2006

Western Association Standings
W L PCT GB
Omaha Conductors 91 63 .591 -
Sioux Falls Canaries 87 67 .565 4.0
Colorado Springs Sky Sox82 72 .532 9.0
Wichita Wranglers 80 74 .519 11.0
Albuquerque Dukes 76 78 .494 15.0
Salt Lake Missions 66 88 .429 25.0
Boise Hawks 65 89 .422 26.0

W L PCT GB
Cedar Rapids Kernals 86 68 .558 -
Indianapolis Nine 83 71 .539 3.0
Gary Blue Collars 80 74 .519 6.0
Saint Paul Snappers 79 75 .513 7.0
Windsor Red Sox 78 76 .506 8.0
Fort Collins Chiefs 63 91 .409 23.0
Toledo Mud Hens 62 92 .403 24.0

Southern Association Standings
W L PCT GB
Arkansas Travelers 92 62 .597 -
Tulsa Drillers 87 67 .565 5.0
Nashville Sounds 82 72 .532 10.0
Orlando Miracle 74 80 .481 18.0
New Orleans Zephyrs 73 81 .474 19.0
Birmingham Barons 64 90 .416 28.0
Oklahoma Red Hawks 54 100 .351 38.0

W L PCT GB
New Jersey Gothams 87 67 .565 -
Portland Sea Dogs 85 69 .552 2.0
Wilmington Blue Rocks 84 70 .545 3.0
Puerto Rico Leones 82 72 .532 5.0
Montreal Expos 79 75 .513 8.0
Norfolk Tides 74 80 .481 13.0
Buffalo Bisons 61 93 .396 26.0

NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

Cedar Rapids v. Omaha
Arkansas v. New Jersey

Young Drachma

10-08-2007, 11:48 PM

Before I recap the playoffs in the other leagues, you've waited patiently to find out WHO the Worcester Browns are.

Well, let me introduce them first, by showing you the season stats for 2006:

PITCHING STATS
POS # Name B T G GS W L SV IP HA HR R ER BB K ERA AVG CG SHO
SP 41 Cris Massarelli R R 27 27 15 7 0 210.1 188 12 76 71 50 167 3.04 .241 6 0
SP 9 William Payton S R 27 27 11 8 0 178.0 178 13 81 72 37 117 3.64 .256 1 0
SP 33 Lawrence Pearce R R 25 25 11 10 0 188.1 160 22 72 65 41 152 3.11 .229 7 2
MR 16 Nick Baty L R 43 12 9 6 4 137.1 154 19 81 77 43 87 5.05 .281 1 0
MR 34 Paul Neal R R 50 0 9 5 6 66.2 79 5 32 31 29 38 4.19 .299 0 0
SP 8 Floyd Wilkerson R L 40 15 8 6 2 140.0 128 14 65 57 27 92 3.66 .242 1 0
SP 5 George Talley R R 28 28 5 4 0 116.2 100 4 42 38 26 108 2.93 .227 0 0
CL 22 Warren Tucker R R 55 0 5 5 28 63.1 57 4 21 20 21 31 2.84 .243 0 0
MR 46 Germán Álvarez L L 46 0 4 1 0 54.2 57 4 36 33 39 61 5.43 .269 0 0
MR 23 Johnathan Mack R R 25 0 3 0 2 42.1 45 3 24 21 22 25 4.46 .268 0 0
SS 35 Robbie Anderson L R 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 .000 0 0
SP 28 Jeremiah Barnett L L 15 0 0 0 1 21.1 28 8 23 23 17 10 9.70 .326 0 0

BATTING STATS
POS # Name B T G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG OPS SB CS
SS 35 Robbie Anderson L R 148 570 151 18 9 23 79 90 51 90 .265 .330 .449 .779 12 1
2B 54 Robin Donovan R R 133 551 164 23 1 26 91 100 65 63 .298 .373 .485 .858 8 3
CF 42 Vern Morgan R L 132 521 135 26 2 41 120 93 70 112 .259 .347 .553 .900 2 0
3B 26 Iván Cruz R R 130 478 123 24 1 22 91 68 63 65 .257 .346 .450 .795 0 1
LF 36 Ken Jones R R 129 505 112 32 6 17 63 66 58 90 .222 .304 .410 .714 1 0
RF 56 Tommy Terry L L 127 504 145 33 7 12 59 91 74 71 .288 .378 .452 .831 10 3
C 32 Bradley Norton R R 115 403 105 25 3 2 41 51 26 48 .261 .311 .352 .663 0 0
RF 39 Trevor Tanner R R 112 345 88 17 5 15 49 53 32 39 .255 .323 .464 .787 9 5
1B 31 Emílio Herrera L L 110 303 90 14 1 10 41 44 43 60 .297 .399 .449 .848 0 0
2B 55 Norberto Gallegos R R 70 59 17 3 0 1 5 13 3 12 .288 .333 .390 .723 0 0
2B 47 Gus Lancaster R R 64 238 54 6 2 8 31 29 24 61 .227 .294 .370 .664 1 2
2B 18 Francisco Delgado R R 49 125 22 3 2 1 7 9 9 25 .176 .230 .256 .486 0 0
C 29 Roy Primm R R 41 89 19 3 1 2 12 10 5 12 .213 .263 .337 .600 0 0
CF 37 Billy Bryan R R 12 31 10 3 0 0 3 4 2 7 .323 .364 .419 .783 2 1

Ok, so now you're wondering, "Who the hell are these people?

Vern Morgan is a 28-year old centerfielder. He's in his second year, after spending last year hitting .242 with 27 HR and 81 RBI for Salt Lake of the National League. I signed him to a six-year deal during the off-season. The key to playing in this league and making the ascent to the majors, I decided at the beginning of the year, was that we needed to find a way to get your core guys in place early and have dudes who can produce all the way until you get to the majors or who can market themselves with their talents so you can move them for more players. In other words, 5 for 1 deals are great if you can move a guy to a major league contender or even a bad team, so you can get some prized prospects that will grow and develop along with you.

But in the AL right now? I'm focused mostly on trying to get the hell out of here, not developing players for the long haul at this point, because frankly..I can't really afford to have them hanging out down here for an entire season.

Ok, back to the rest of the team.

3B Ivan Cruz was a guy I acquired from the Chicago Comets in a deal that included three prospects that I shipped off to them for five guys, all of whom could have been or were key for us in certain spots. The players I shipped off are Grade-A prospects that could likely be starring for them by the time we (hope) to be in the majors. But you gotta do, what you gotta do. Cruz is 30 years old and hit 22 HR ad 91 RBI for us in his first year outside of MLB. I can't resign him, either. He'll want more money than I can pay him this off-season and so, I'll have to let him go.

And this friends, is another one of those challenges about playing in a lower league where there salary cap considerations.

2B Robin Donovan is a 32-year old infielder who spent his first year outside of the majors last year, with New Orleans, hitting .296 in 71 games for the Zephyrs of the NL.

Prior to that, he spent 11 1/2 years with the Kansas City Royals and actually, was a guy that I often considered dealing for at deadlines to get an extra bat, but we never pulled the trigger for him. Anyway, I inked him to a long-term deal and he hit .296 with 26 HRs and 91 RBI for us this year.

The hitters are guys who could be servicable at the next level in some situations, whereas our pitching staff is decidedly bush league. But very effective for us.

Our ace this year was 26-year old Cris Massarelli, who despite the name is from Venezuela. Anyway, he went 15-7 this year and was effective notching 18 quality starts.

You can read the stats and get an idea of who we have, but the bottom line is..no matter how we do in the ALCS -- and make no mistake, we want the title -- we'll have to go out and find ways to bolster the pitching staff and replace the guys who we'll not be able to afford next year, if we want to replicate the success of this season.

Free agents this off-season will include the following key players:

Robbie Anderson
Ivan Cruz
Tommy Terry

Gus Lancaster spent a good third of the season hurt and so, he'll be able to step in for a full year and that'll help ease the loss of losing Anderson who might not have played much anyway, but it'll be intriguing to see how it goes for us.

But enough of that talk.

Let's get to the ALCS
---
The Santa Maria Winemakers were the best pitching team in baseball this year and boast two 13-game winners in Robby Hill and Carlos Macias. Macias is 40-years old, but doesn't seem to want to quit. He went 13-11 this year with 70 Ks in 226 innings. On the flip side, Hill is a 24-year old hurler who went 13-6 with a 3.99 ERA and 135Ks this year.

The team's power is derived for a 24-year old rookie from Fort Drum, NY named Mack Knight. He hit 26 HRs and 93 RBI this year on .272 hitting.

We should match up well with them in this best-of-seven championship series, but it's the playoffs and anything can happen...

Young Drachma

10-09-2007, 12:05 AM

BROWNS WIN THE 2006 ALCS
By offering ridiculously low ticket prices (average ticket price was $1 in a league where they're normally about $4) and making the atmopshere fan friendly, while giving fans a winning product, former Yankees GM D.C. Daly is becoming a championship owner, in the same way that he was running other people's product.

"It's so different," he said of running his own ballclub. "Obviously, I have more help now. But there is so much more to consider."

The Browns won the 2006 American League Pennant (box score (http://ootpdevelopments.com/board/attachment.php?attachmentid=106941&stc=1&d=1191905944)) and have fans in Worcester dreaming of major league grandeur.

The upstart American League is the bottom rung of the major league baseball ladder. Its players don't make the tens of millions that stars in the upper majors make, the games don't get much TV coverage and talent level is generally deemed to be of a lower quality than the other leagues.

"We're playing great baseball down here. It's a wonderful chance for smaller cities in America to get Major League baseball in their backyards, so more people truly grow up with the national pastime. I think this system is brilliant and it forces your team to produce. If you don't do well, you go home," said Daly, who as an owner pays a fee each year into the pool.

The system is all possible because of significant spreading out of media money throughout the league. So New York might have four teams -- five if you count the NL team in New Jersey -- but all of the media money those teams generate gets put into the pool, along with other radio, internet and other fees that allow teams in places like Billings or Santa Maria to exist at all.

"Without the revenue sharing across the board, there is no way any of this would be possible. Can you imagine baseball where only the big market teams can compete and it's like, when small market teams compete and win titles, we'd throw parades because they bothered to show up to the party? Man, what a crappy baseball world that'd be to live in," said Daly.

After his team won the title, he said that he knew they'd have to "reload" going into next season, because "with everyone knowing that an AL pennant will get you promoted [to the National League], it's going to be cutthroat. Every game will feel like the playoffs."

PilotMan

10-09-2007, 07:16 AM

PilotMan

10-09-2007, 10:23 AM

dola,

oh! And Boooooo on showing ratings. ;)

Young Drachma

10-09-2007, 12:40 PM

2006 PLAYOFFS RECAP
AMERICAN LEAGUE
As you know, in the American League, the Worcester Browns captured the pennant over the Santa Maria Winemakers 4 games to 3.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Meanwhile, on the senior circuit, the stakes were high as the winner of the NLCS would be promoted to the Continental League -- on the doorstep of Major League glory -- if they move up.

New Jersey was knocked off by the Arkansas Travelers in five games, while Cedar Rapids dispatched Omaha in 5 games to setup an NLCS date between the unlikely pair.

In the end, the Arkansas Travelers beat out their big city competition to win the NLCS over upstart Cedar Rapids 4 games to 2 to earn promotion to the Continental League in 2007.

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE
The Charlotte Knights won the 2006 Guinness Cup Series over the Sacramento River Cats 4 games to 2 to earn best-of-five date with the New York Mets to determine who'll be playing in MLB next year at the Baseball Grounds in Jacksonville.

MLB CHALLENGE SERIES presented by AT&T
The New York Mets held serve in four games of the best-of-five MLB Challenge Series to retain their spot in MLB for another year, knocking off the CL Champion Charlotte Knights. It's the third time in four years that the Continental League champion has been denied entry to the big leagues after a loss in the Challenge Series.

GAME 1: New York 9, Charlotte 0
GAME 2: New York 12, Charlotte 7
GAME 3: Charlotte 2, New York 1 (15 innings)
GAME 4: New York 5, Charlotte 1

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
WORLD SERIES QUARTERFINALS
Pennsylvania def. Florida 3-2
Atlanta def. Chicago Cubs 3-1
Texas def. San Jose 3-0
Boston def. St. Louis 3-1

WORLD SERIES SEMIFINALS
Atlanta def. Pennsylvania 4-1
Texas def. Boston 4-2

2006 WORLD SERIES
Atlanta Athletics def. Texas Rangers 4 games to 1

It's the first World Series title in franchise history for the A's of Atlanta.

Young Drachma

10-09-2007, 12:43 PM

dola,

oh! And Boooooo on showing ratings. ;)

Yeah yeah..I don't wanna hear it. lol

Young Drachma

10-09-2007, 05:33 PM

AMERICAN LEAGUE TO ADD TWO TEAMS IN 2007
The road to the Majors just got a little tougher for American League teams. The league announced plans to expand by two teams in 2007 to a total of 14.

"We're going to capitalize on the success of year 1 with two new cities that will be able to dream of Major League status."

The two cities have not been named as of yet, but ought to be unveiled November 1st.

Ed Note: I have one city picked and the other..I'm waffling about. If you have any ideas of cities say, west of the Mississippi that we're not already in and could be a good AL destintation (remember: 4th divsion) let me know.

PilotMan

10-09-2007, 08:39 PM

Santa Fe, El Paso, Billings, Cheyenne, Rapid City, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton,

rjolley

10-10-2007, 08:11 AM

Midland/Odessa, TX

Young Drachma

10-10-2007, 10:06 AM

Someone asked a question on another board and I thought my answers might be helpful here:

1) How many levels of minors does your MLB have? Do the other majors have any minors? If not, how is your sim handling reserves?

2) When you promote and relegate, how are team finances handled? Obviously when a team is relegated to the CL, they (or you?) have to cut payroll. Does that happen automatically?

3) What is your Trade AI settings at?

1. MLB is the only league with minors. It's one level of minors there, 40 players max on the minor league roster. The other leagues do not have minors. The CL used to, but we got rid of that after I added the lower leagues permanently. Most teams don't have a glut of reserve players, because of the salary cap. So you don't see the problem that OOTP used to be famous for where teams gobble up all of the good players and hold onto them forever.

There are two feeder leagues. The NCAA feeds MLB (same number of teams at MLB) and the AL now has a HS feeder league and I might, though I'm not 100% certain, add a minor league for AL teams that's all prospects with the idea that the AL should be the league that houses prospects and I'd love to see a situation where upper division teams trying to deal for those guys left and right sending back vets or something.

2. When a team is promoted or relegated, I recalculate financials for all of the teams in those leagues, so it can change the team's budget from where it was in their old league, to the new one. Sometimes, I have to change their TV revenue to match the rest of the league. But that's it and yes, when teams get demoted to the CL they have to cut payroll and it's been happening automatically. From time to time -- and this was back when I was in MLB myself and not so much now -- I'll step in and hasten the process of the purging of players. But it hasn't been a problem for the past four or so years.

3. Generally at average/average. Sometimes, later in the season or in the off-season, I'll bump it to "very high" and depending on the flow of players in the league (e.g., if I see too many teams holding onto kids who are able to start or where it's veterans who are being held onto to) I'll change it to "favor prospects or favor veterans". It's all based on league movement and trends.

I think the bottom line in understand my "mindset" or whatever is, I'm far more interested in the 50,000 ft. view of the league and 'how it works" than I am about my own team.

It's why I probably change my team idea (I didn't start this ever intending to leave Boston, etc., and planned to stay in Providence before changing my mind...) and why I decided to try to "struggle" my way back to the majors.

I've tried to minimize the team moves and stuff, because I know that can be super hard to follow and keep up with and that's a departure for me from previous dynasties. I'm trying to keep things from get too convoluted and yet, I do want to get people an idea of what's happening in each league. So questions help, because it helps me know what details people are interested in, because while I'm detail oriented to a fault, I don't always know what things people seek out in these things.

Young Drachma

10-10-2007, 04:49 PM

I think heading into next season and beyond, I want to streamline things a bit and so, rather than focus on the leagues as a whole or the larger part of things, I'm going to focus more on the team I'm running at that time. It just seems like an easier way to go about things and allows for more focus. I'll obviously cover the stuff like who gets relegated and stuff and of course, if there are things you specifically want to know, PLEASE ask because it helps me know that folks are reading and want to know certain things.

But..I think that's the format I plan to take, because it might just be easier to navigate. And I plan to try to incorporate graphics better, too.

So we'll see.

Young Drachma

10-11-2007, 01:07 AM

The two newest American League teams are the:

Westchester (N.Y.) Apples
El Paso Incredibles

I'm pretty happy with how the Incredibles (LOS INCREÍBLES) wordmark came out:

http://crayon.tv/logos/team_logo_El_pASO.png

http://www.crayon.tv/logos/jersey_logo_Westchester_Roa.png

Young Drachma

10-11-2007, 01:37 PM

I posted all of my graphics online, so feel free to take what you like. Or at least look and admire my handiwork.

Link (http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC)

Ajaxab

10-11-2007, 02:53 PM

DC, I'm as fascinated by the mechanics of how you're getting OOTP to do these kinds of things and actually make it work as the actual relating of the dynasty itself. The creativity here is outstanding.

Btw, thanks for the graphics link. Those are great as well.

Young Drachma

10-11-2007, 10:35 PM

2006 OFF-SEASON PREVIEW
November 1, 2006

So, my plan is pretty simple. We don't have the luxury of wallowing down here for years or else, I'll have to change our entire gameplan. We're all about the fast track and so, I'm going to do my best to get out of this league this year trying to assemble a team that can win in the playoffs as well as the regular season, which in a league like this is pretty much the same thing.

The National League is a completely different animal, since it's almost as big as MLB and so, I dunno. I'm a little concerned and yet...I think we can make it work.

I'd love a player development avenue or some way to get cheap, young talent and so, don't be surprised if I make deals to get a lot more guys on the reserve roster, simply because I want more options to choose from later in the year, because at this level, that can be the biggest problem is that when you do get hit with injuries, that you don't have the ability to bring players in who can help you fill those holes and signing free agents can be spotty or just downright impossible in terms of solid quality.

So we'll see how it goes.

Young Drachma

10-11-2007, 11:55 PM

2007 SALARY CAP FIGURES
---
MLB: none
CL: $80 million
NL: $50 million
AL: $25 million

Young Drachma

10-12-2007, 11:44 AM

DECEMBER 10, 2006
The most interesting dynamic of running a team at this level is the fact that signing players can be a gamble. If you ink a guy to a long-term deal that won't be as useful at a higher level of ball, you might be saddled with having overpaid for a guy who won't be useful for more than a year.

The flip side? The fact that you almost have mortagage the future. You can't sign tons of prospects and hold onto them. Ok, you can. But you'll ensure you'll hang out in the AL doldrums forever. You can't even wait for them to develop, because I've rigged the rules at this level to make sure that minor league free agents can exercise their right to bolt after just a year depending on their service time.

So it's been weird looking at guys we KNOW we can't sign and then trying to make deals for the scraps of bigger teams, really and hoping that works for us.

I'm going to sim through the rest of the off-season to get to the pre-season and then prepare for the regular season. I'm still trying to dream up a format I can use, so we can get through these seasons, because frankly..none of the details at this level are all that interesting and all we want to know is whether the Browns can get up the ladder or if we'll be stuck down in the mud for many, many years.

Young Drachma

10-13-2007, 11:51 AM

INSERT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL INTO THE AL FEEDER
I have a high school league feeder going to the American League and 2007 will mark the first season of the AL Draft. To make things more interesting, I thought it might be cool to insert a few user high schools into the feeder.

So if you want yours in there, do tell me the name, the school colors and obviously the location and mascot/nickname.

I won't get them all this go-round necessarily, but...I'll eventually find ways to add more as we go on. I think it could fun to follow how kids from our high schools did or whatever.

Young Drachma

10-13-2007, 02:01 PM

SEASON PREVIEW, 2007 WORCESTER BROWNS
The defending American League champion Browns are going for something far more than just pride and a pennant this year -- we're gunning for promotion.
The Browns are doing their best impression of a free-wheeling juggernaut by boasting the highest payroll in the AL this year -- just under $800k under the salary cap -- but management says, "we're not concerned with perceptions. We just want to win baseball games."

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_13141.png

On the offensive side of the house, the Browns are hoping to get maximum production for reigning MVP Vern Morgan who led the AL with 41 HRs year and added 120 RBI to that total.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_6393.png
33-year old infielder Robin Donovan looks to build his first season in Worcester where he hit .298 with 26 HR and 91 RBI for the Browns.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_8427.png
Newcomers to the ballclub include former Providence infielder Alfie Penrice who spent the past two years with the Minnesota Twins, who were relegated to the NL this past season. Penrice is just 25-years old and the man that signed him to his first deal -- none other than D.C. Daly himself -- says that he thinks the young Englishman can turn it out this year.

"We were ecsatic when he agreed to come here. He didn't play much last year in Minnesota (.228 in 42 games played and I think his confidence is down. He's a solid defender, a great clubhouse guy and the fans in New England already know and love 'em. I can't wait to see him out there on opening day," said Daly about his new acquistion.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_11238.png
The pitching rotation only includes one face, 21-year old rookie Billy Henson.

The team acquired closer Franciso Ortiz from Minnesota, in the deal that sent Penrice and another player to Minnesota for four players include former Worcester closer Warren Tucker (who Minnesota turned converted back to a starter) and three other players this off-season.

In case you're wondering, it's not uncommon to find teams at the AL level that have guys who have MLB experience. Nine of the pitchers on the Browns roster are MLB alumns. Among those, three have started more than 60 games. While we have eight hitters who are MLB experienced, but among those only four of them have in excess of 300 MLB at-bats in their career.

Westchester has seven guys who are MLB experienced in their lineup, among them seven have at least 200 MLB ABs and four have over 1000. But I suppose that's what you have to do when you play in the shadows of NY's Finest teams.

Anyway...I'd like to think we're pretty well setup for the year, but if we sputter out of the gate, I'll make adjustments, because it's worth it to me.

Here goes.

AMERICAN LEAGUE TEAM PAYROLLS ~ OPENING DAY 2007

Rank Team Payroll
1 Worcester Browns $24,180,551
2 Hartford Whalers $16,500,000
3 Grand Rapids Griffins $14,437,500
4 Rockford Foresters $14,006,250
5 Dakota Thundercats $13,365,000
6 Grand Junction Grays $12,675,000
7 Spokane Natives $12,536,250
8 Reno Miners $11,921,250
9 Appleton Foxes $11,737,500
10 Bend Brewers $11,580,000
11 Santa Maria Winemakers $11,291,250
12 Harrisburg Senators $11,255,000
13 Westchester Apples $10,920,000
14 El Paso Incredibles $10,462,500

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS ~ AMERICAN LEAGUE 2007

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Marcos Huff Grand Rapids $3,187,500
2 Alfie Penrice Worcester $2,508,750
3 Ward Speck El Paso $2,497,500
4 Manny García Hartford $2,220,000
5 Francisco Ortíz Worcester $1,890,000
6 Manny Romero Worcester $1,713,750
7 Roger Imbeault Appleton $1,578,750
8 Brian Wilson Worcester $1,552,500
9 António MaldonadoHartford $1,537,500
10 Santiago BarreraWestchester $1,455,000
11 Cris Massarelli Worcester $1,432,500
12 Carl O'Halloran Rockford $1,425,000
13 Michi Toyota Santa Maria $1,425,000
14 Chandler Miles Worcester $1,413,750
15 Christopher Phelps Bend $1,395,000
16 Don Hartman Spokane $1,372,500
17 Carlos Macías Santa Maria $1,372,500
18 Marcos Medina Dakota $1,353,750
19 Ángel Villa Westchester $1,293,750
20 Kevin Covington Spokane $1,286,250
21 Tim England Appleton $1,286,250
22 Duncan Bowden Dakota $1,226,250
23 Dustin Willis Dakota $1,215,000
24 Jesús García Harrisburg $1,211,250
25 Carlos Valéncia Santa Maria $1,207,500

rjolley

10-13-2007, 03:00 PM

Gary Roosevelt Panthers
Gary, IN
Black & Gold

Young Drachma

10-13-2007, 05:11 PM

MLB TO SPONSOR AREA CODE GAMES
Major League Baseball created a new league for elite high school players starting in 2007 called Area Code Baseball. The six-team league will be comprised of teams of some of the best high school prospects in the nation.

"This will give MLB teams a chance to showcase some of the best young talent that America has to offer."

TEAMS
---
Royals
Cubs
Bees
Yankees
Cardinals
Cyclones

REEBOK HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE SET FOR 2007 SEASON
12 high schools across the nation are set for the 2007 installment of the Reebok High School Baseball League this year.

A whole new setup has been recruited for the league.

AMERICAN
---
Alameda HS (CA)
Theodore Roosevelt HS (Gary, IN)
Lebanon HS (MO)
Plainfield HS (NJ)
T.C. Williams HS (Alexandria, VA)
Westfield HS (NJ)

NATIONAL
---
Norway (IA)
Cheyenne South (wY)
Cousins Day School (WY)
Laramie HS (WY)
Tucker HS (GA)
Yellowstone Academy (wY)

Young Drachma

10-13-2007, 10:40 PM

JUNE 30, 2007
DODGERS REPORTED OFFER DALY JOB WITH CLUB
Despite his Browns being 5 games ahead in the AL Northern Conference race and looking to repeat as AL champs and earning a promotion to the 3rd division National League, some reports out of Boston are saying that Worcester Browns Team President and majority owner D.C. Daly has received an offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers to run their ballclub as Team President & General Manager.

The Dodgers are currently 35-51 and their .407 winning percentage puts them as the worst team in MLB and in position for the MLB Challenge Series at season's end.

Since it's just midseason, team ownership has panicked, firing the team's manager, GM and several other key players in the front office and are reportedly making an "aggressive" offer to Daly, who has long been coveted by Dodgers, who were recently taken over by a consortium that includes -- most strangely -- the California State Teacher's Retirement System.

"Who would expect teachers to own a baseball team. But they saw the value and thought it was a long-term value investment," said Mickey "Skip" Aronson, CEO of Golden State Sports Enterprises (GSSE), which among its holdings also owns the Los Angeles Kings NHL team and Golden State Warriors. The CSTRS owns 43% of GSSE.

It's not unprecedented as Canadian' Maple Leaf Sports Enteprises is a publicy owned company as well, owned 58% by the Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan.

No word has been given from Daly on whether he'd be willing to sell his ballclub to his partners -- or to a local owner -- to take the job in LA, but some reports have said that after a year and a half in the lower levels of baseball, that he's grown "tired" of the process and underestimated the grind of being an owner and G.M.

"I think he feels like it's almost like he's retired. He likes calling the shots and building a club. And he's obviously doing a great job, but I think anytime you have to watch your compatriots play at the big leagues while you toil in obscurity, it can be a little hard. After all, you have to understand that this guy won a World Series five years ago. So I can understand the adjustment of being down there," said Terry Hargrove, Assistant GM of the Boston Yankees, the club Daly helped build into a powerhouse and close friend.

Using a strategy of acquiring name players, wooing Bostonites and employing cheap ticket prices, Daly's Browns club are the toast of lowel-level major league baseball. They play at 24,000 seat Iron Hills Stadium in Worcester, and sellout every game in the ballpark.

"They've done an excellent job down there. They're the envy of a lot of clubs at a much higher level," said an MLB executive.

Their current attendance is nearly double that (692,361, Santa Maria is #2 at 386,728) of any team in the AL and 39th in all of the majors, on par with the top two teams in the 3rd division National League and would put them in the middle of the pack in terms of clubs at the 2nd division Continental League level.

So he's got quite a product to sell. The franchise fee for the club was a paltry $3 million, but the team's value is estimated at as much as $40 million if it were sold today.

The Dodgers are clearly trying to salvage their season and seem to want to move forward on a candidate rather than opting for interims for the rest of the season.

"We're going to try to move this as fast as we can, but we want the right candidate. We don't just want anybody," said Aronson, about the team's search.

Young Drachma

10-14-2007, 12:10 AM

REPORT: BROWNS TO BE SOLD TO LOCAL GROUP FOR $34 MILLION
JULY 1, 2007

WORCESTER - It looks like D.C. Daly is poised to head back to the major leagues. After a report came out today in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette -- breaking the story before the Boston Globe could -- that the local ballclub that leads the American League is poised to be sold to a local community group comprised of 10 local investors and about 1,000 shareholders who call themselves Worcester Community Baseball Group, LLC., for the sum of $34 million.

The reported sale price is obviously is a hometown discount -- one must guess -- of nearly $10 million off the premium of the team's value, which is reported to be between $40-47 million, according to a recent report by the Boston Herald.

The sale would still need to be approved by Major League Baseball's Associate Committee, the group that is comprised of the clubs that do not make up the top tier, but only the AL clubs get to vote to approve the deal and most have said, that "won't be a hurdle in the deal."

WHAT HAPPENS TO D.C. DALY?

Daly owned a controlling interest in the ballclub -- about 43% -- at the time of the proposed deal and was the one who engineered it according to advisors to the Team President.

He's still in his current role and a spokesman for Worcester Community Baseball have said that if D.C. wants to stay, he has a job for life.

"This guy is one of the best that's come along. He's still extremely young and we're all pretty convinced he can turn Worcester into a big league city. We're talking rivalry with the Yankees big."

But the rumors are swirling that the Dodgers have offered him a lucrative gig with their ballclub include the title of President of Baseball Operations.

Young Drachma

10-14-2007, 12:11 AM

NCAA FINAL STANDINGS ~ 2007

Eastern Conference W L PCT GB
Maryland Terrapins 37 13 .740 -
Penn State Nittany Lions30 20 .600 7.0
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 25 25 .500 12.0
Michigan State Spartans 24 26 .480 13.0
St. John's Red Storm 24 26 .480 13.0
Seton Hall Pirates 23 27 .460 14.0
Pittsburgh Panthers 22 28 .440 15.0
Boston College Eagles 21 29 .420 16.0

Southern Conference W L PCT GB
Ferrum Panthers 34 16 .680 -
Florida State Seminoles 28 24 .538 7.0
Miami Hurricanes 26 24 .520 8.0
Mississippi State Bulldogs 22 28 .440 12.0
Louisiana State Tigers 21 29 .420 13.0
Tennessee Volunteers 21 29 .420 13.0
Virginia Cavaliers 21 29 .420 13.0
North Carolina Tar Heels 18 32 .360 16.0

Central Conference W L PCT GB
Notre Dame Fighting Irish32 18 .640 -
Ohio State Buckeyes 32 18 .640 -
Oklahoma Sooners 29 22 .569 3.5
Wichita State Shockers 29 22 .569 3.5
Illinois Fighting Illini24 26 .480 8.0
Michigan Wolverines 24 26 .480 8.0
Monmouth Fighting Scots 23 27 .460 9.0
Nebraska Cornhuskers 18 32 .360 14.0

Western Conference W L PCT GB
Texas Longhorns 34 16 .680 -
Cal State-Fullerton Titans 26 24 .520 8.0
Washington Huskies 26 24 .520 8.0
Arizona State Sun Devils 25 25 .500 9.0
UCLA Bruins 25 25 .500 9.0
Stanford Cardinal 23 27 .460 11.0
Brigham Young Cougars 20 30 .400 14.0
Southern California Trojans 15 35 .300 19.0

NCAA PLAYOFFS (ALL BEST-OF-SEVEN)

REGIONALS
---
Maryland def. Wichita State 4-2
Texas def. Oklahoma 4-3
Penn State def. Ferrum 4-1
Ohio State def. Notre Dame 4-2

SUPER REGIONALS
---
Maryland def. Texas 4-1
Ohio State def. Penn State 4-2

2007 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
====
Ohio State def. Maryland 4-3

DALY DONATES $1 MILLION TO YELLOWSTONE UNIVERSITY BASEBALL PROGRAM
July 5, 2007
CODY, WYOMING -- Worcester Browns GM gave $1 million to the Yellowstone University baseball program, the largest single gift in the history of the school's athletic program. Of course, the school is only 7 years old, so that's not saying a whole lot.

The school was founded by his close childhood friend E. Steven Colms, who founded the university in 1998 as a "place for young, brilliant people to study among the most beautiful scenery in the world and to create a world class university in Wyoming," says the school's web site.

Colms, 36, understands what it's like to be young and successful having owned and sold several internet properties during the 1990s before deciding to finish his doctorate and decided to invest his money into starting a university.

He said he and Daly grew up together and that he was originally the friend of his older brother, but that he and Daly started talking about their common love for baseball and stayed in touch over the years despite the 5-year age difference between the two.

"He always said he'd do this, be successful in baseball."

Daly, who recently sold his stock in the Browns and remains on as Team President, said he was excited about the school's new program that will join the NCAA along with Creighton, UConn and Alabama in 2008.

"I just love this campus. It's a great place and love the work they're doing," he said appearing on the campus as the AL was off for its annual All-Star game for the past few days.

Daly did not answer questions related to his future in Worcester, saying only that he's happy where the ballclub and feels like they've put the team in a great position to go further, but "it's a long season and you never want to get too far ahead of yourself. We're poised on the prize of defending our pennant. That's all the team is focused on now, not anything else."

Young Drachma

10-14-2007, 02:59 AM

DALY RESIGNS AS BROWNS PRESIDENT, COULD JOIN DODGERS BY WEEK'S END
July 9, 2007
WORCESTER - In a move that had been anticipated for weeks, Browns Team President D.C. Daly resigned from his post atop the reigning AL champs after the sale of the club was approved in a special session conference call of the American League Board of Governors this weekend.

"I'm happy to have had the opportunity to set the gears in motion that will hopefully soon lead to Worcester being home to a big league ballclub," said Daly who leaves Worcester with a 132-53 record as GM of the ballclub and with the team leading the AL Northern Conference by 3 games. If the team wins the pennant this season, it will be promoted to the NL next season as the American League officially enters the promotion scheme this year.

While Daly didn't directly address the rumour that he'd be taking the Dodgers job, he did say that he would have more information regarding his future later this week.

"I won't deny that I've been contacted by several clubs related to opportunity related to my immediate future. But I won't have anything to say about what's next for me until I know myself," he said in a statement released by his agent.

MLB STANDINGS
Tuesday July 10, 2007

Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Pennsylvania Colonials 59 36 .621 -
Boston Yankees 55 41 .573 4.5
Providence Bees 51 45 .531 8.5
Brooklyn Cyclones 47 49 .490 12.5
Baltimore Orioles 46 50 .479 13.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 46 50 .479 13.5
New York Rens 44 52 .458 15.5
New York Mets 40 57 .412 20.0

Central Division W L PCT GB
Kansas City Royals 53 43 .552 -
Chicago Comets 52 45 .536 1.5
Detroit Tigers 49 47 .510 4.0
Chicago Cubs 48 49 .495 5.5
Toronto Blue Jays 48 49 .495 5.5
Columbus Clippers 47 49 .490 6.0
Monterrey Matadors 47 49 .490 6.0
St. Louis Cardinals 47 50 .485 6.5

Western Division W L PCT GB
Seattle Mariners 53 43 .552 -
San Jose Captains 51 45 .531 2.0
Los Angeles Angels 50 46 .521 3.0
San Diego Padres 48 49 .495 5.5
Colorado Rockies 45 51 .469 8.0
San Francisco Giants 43 52 .453 9.5
California Empires 40 56 .417 13.0
Los Angeles Dodgers 39 57 .406 14.0

Southern Division W L PCT GB
Arizona Diamondbacks 59 37 .615 -
Florida Marlins 55 40 .579 3.5
Atlanta Athletics 52 44 .542 7.0
Cincinnati Reds 51 45 .531 8.0
San Antonio Aviators 45 50 .474 13.5
Washington Nationals 44 52 .458 15.0
Houston Astros 41 54 .432 17.5
Texas Rangers 42 55 .433 17.5

BASEBALL AMERICA TOP FARM SYSTEMS

# Team Points Top 5 Prospects
1st Arizona Diamondbacks 139 P B. Valentine (14th), P R. Georgeson (24th), 1B W. Seiffert (32nd), CF B. Phillips (44th), LF C. Vela (47th)
2nd Boston Yankees 118 RF M. Watson (6th), SS J. Salgado (13th), C G. Flowers (22nd), CF B. Crawford (48th), P F. Vega (75th)
3rd Columbus Clippers 98 CF I. Rosado (3rd), LF L. Spoelstra (26th), C J. O'Herlihy (61st), CF C. Ruíz (68th), 1B J. Martínez (72nd)
4th Atlanta Athletics 97 P J. Lituma (16th), 3B F. Pérez (17th), SS B. Washington (19th), LF A. Mingo (45th)
5th Houston Astros 96 P B. Estes (25th), 2B P. Brock (31st), LF C. Singleton (36th), CF M. Espinoza (38th), P T. Fritz (53rd)
6th Brooklyn Cyclones 87 P D. Coleman (2nd), 2B D. Mitchell (37th), P G. Brown (56th), RF A. Maldonado (64th)
7th Chicago Comets 72 2B R. LeBlanc (7th), P J. Núñez (40th), CF L. Finley (51st), C J. González (86th)
8th Pennsylvania Colonials 69 LF M. Fletcher (18th), 1B J. Rodríguez (50th), RF R. Franco (52nd), 3B J. Marreno (58th), C J. Washington (69th)
9th New York Mets 65 C L. West (1st), P B. Jamieson (46th)
10th San Francisco Giants 64 P F. MacIntosh (27th), 1B J. Smith (29th), 3B D. Adams (43rd), CF C. López (93rd), 1B Y. Zhào (99th)
11th Monterrey Matadors 63 P J. Suárez (9th), P C. Brown (21st)
12th New York Rens 60 C M. Cumano (15th), P B. Chamberlain (34th), LF M. Adams (73rd), 1B S. Trevino (94th)
13th Pittsburgh Pirates 58 RF L. Hawk (12th), CF D. Franklin (23rd)
14th Kansas City Royals 58 C J. Ordóñez (35th), LF M. Patterson (39th), CF C. Kim (41st), 1B M. Molina (65th)
15th Detroit Tigers 45 SS N. Ortíz (5th)
16th San Jose Captains 45 SS G. Winters (4th)
17th Toronto Blue Jays 42 P C. Yi (11th), RF B. Thomas (89th), SS F. Caraballo (92nd), 1B M. Minor (98th)
18th St. Louis Cardinals 41 P T. Kato (8th), LF L. Cabrera (100th)
19th Providence Bees 39 P F. Stanton (10th)
20th Seattle Mariners 37 C M. Kellogg (20th), LF B. Hinton (54th)
21st Los Angeles Angels 30 LF B. Pace (30th), 1B H. Gibson (66th)
22nd California Empires 30 3B A. Lavington (55th), LF A. García (67th), P A. Phelps (79th), P A. Thomas (87th), C P. Molina (91st)
23rd San Diego Padres 28 RF C. Colón (59th), P B. Greer (63rd), C L. Douglas (74th), SS A. Escobar (85th)
24th San Antonio Aviators 25 SS B. Nelson (28th), RF A. Mesa (95th)
25th Colorado Rockies 24 LF C. Jiménez (33rd), SS C. Simon (90th), 2B L. Ruíz (96th)
26th Texas Rangers 21 SS E. Bello (42nd), 2B E. Washington (76th)
27th Cincinnati Reds 14 LF M. Ulderink (80th), P D. Porter (81st), 3B L. Ramos (88th)
28th Washington Nationals 12 3B S. Martínez (77th), 2B B. Hall (78th)
29th Baltimore Orioles 11 C L. Cantú (60th), P D. Barry (97th)
30th Los Angeles Dodgers 7 C M. González (70th)
31st Florida Marlins 5 P A. Torres (82nd)
32nd Chicago Cubs 5 3B A. Jeffries (83rd)

BASEBALL AMERICA TOP FARM SYSTEMS

# Team Points Top 5 Prospects
1st Arizona Diamondbacks 139 P B. Valentine (14th), P R. Georgeson (24th), 1B W. Seiffert (32nd), CF B. Phillips (44th), LF C. Vela (47th)
2nd Boston Yankees 118 RF M. Watson (6th), SS J. Salgado (13th), C G. Flowers (22nd), CF B. Crawford (48th), P F. Vega (75th)
3rd Columbus Clippers 98 CF I. Rosado (3rd), LF L. Spoelstra (26th), C J. O'Herlihy (61st), CF C. Ruíz (68th), 1B J. Martínez (72nd)
4th Atlanta Athletics 97 P J. Lituma (16th), 3B F. Pérez (17th), SS B. Washington (19th), LF A. Mingo (45th)
5th Houston Astros 96 P B. Estes (25th), 2B P. Brock (31st), LF C. Singleton (36th), CF M. Espinoza (38th), P T. Fritz (53rd)
6th Brooklyn Cyclones 87 P D. Coleman (2nd), 2B D. Mitchell (37th), P G. Brown (56th), RF A. Maldonado (64th)
7th Chicago Comets 72 2B R. LeBlanc (7th), P J. Núñez (40th), CF L. Finley (51st), C J. González (86th)
8th Pennsylvania Colonials 69 LF M. Fletcher (18th), 1B J. Rodríguez (50th), RF R. Franco (52nd), 3B J. Marreno (58th), C J. Washington (69th)
9th New York Mets 65 C L. West (1st), P B. Jamieson (46th)
10th San Francisco Giants 64 P F. MacIntosh (27th), 1B J. Smith (29th), 3B D. Adams (43rd), CF C. López (93rd), 1B Y. Zhào (99th)
11th Monterrey Matadors 63 P J. Suárez (9th), P C. Brown (21st)
12th New York Rens 60 C M. Cumano (15th), P B. Chamberlain (34th), LF M. Adams (73rd), 1B S. Trevino (94th)
13th Pittsburgh Pirates 58 RF L. Hawk (12th), CF D. Franklin (23rd)
14th Kansas City Royals 58 C J. Ordóñez (35th), LF M. Patterson (39th), CF C. Kim (41st), 1B M. Molina (65th)
15th Detroit Tigers 45 SS N. Ortíz (5th)
16th San Jose Captains 45 SS G. Winters (4th)
17th Toronto Blue Jays 42 P C. Yi (11th), RF B. Thomas (89th), SS F. Caraballo (92nd), 1B M. Minor (98th)
18th St. Louis Cardinals 41 P T. Kato (8th), LF L. Cabrera (100th)
19th Providence Bees 39 P F. Stanton (10th)
20th Seattle Mariners 37 C M. Kellogg (20th), LF B. Hinton (54th)
21st Los Angeles Angels 30 LF B. Pace (30th), 1B H. Gibson (66th)
22nd California Empires 30 3B A. Lavington (55th), LF A. García (67th), P A. Phelps (79th), P A. Thomas (87th), C P. Molina (91st)
23rd San Diego Padres 28 RF C. Colón (59th), P B. Greer (63rd), C L. Douglas (74th), SS A. Escobar (85th)
24th San Antonio Aviators 25 SS B. Nelson (28th), RF A. Mesa (95th)
25th Colorado Rockies 24 LF C. Jiménez (33rd), SS C. Simon (90th), 2B L. Ruíz (96th)
26th Texas Rangers 21 SS E. Bello (42nd), 2B E. Washington (76th)
27th Cincinnati Reds 14 LF M. Ulderink (80th), P D. Porter (81st), 3B L. Ramos (88th)
28th Washington Nationals 12 3B S. Martínez (77th), 2B B. Hall (78th)
29th Baltimore Orioles 11 C L. Cantú (60th), P D. Barry (97th)
30th Los Angeles Dodgers 7 C M. González (70th)
31st Florida Marlins 5 P A. Torres (82nd)
32nd Chicago Cubs 5 3B A. Jeffries (83rd)

TEAM PAYROLLS ~ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Rank Team Payroll
1 Kansas City Royals $118,691,705
2 Pennsylvania Colonials $115,448,831
3 San Francisco Giants $109,774,056
4 Columbus Clippers $106,198,368
5 Atlanta Athletics $105,481,926
6 Houston Astros $104,668,934
7 Boston Yankees $104,422,611
8 Florida Marlins $104,141,735
9 Chicago Cubs $103,429,581
10 Monterrey Matadors $102,259,122
11 Baltimore Orioles $100,956,747
12 Providence Bees $100,260,027
13 San Jose Captains $96,016,980
14 Toronto Blue Jays $95,784,150
15 Arizona Diamondbacks $95,199,368
16 Brooklyn Cyclones $92,621,778
17 Cincinnati Reds $90,477,921
18 Colorado Rockies $88,820,412
19 Detroit Tigers $88,082,625
20 Texas Rangers $86,002,919
21 Seattle Mariners $84,939,300
22 California Empires $82,170,756
23 San Diego Padres $81,869,870
24 New York Mets $79,330,725
25 New York Rens $78,013,983
26 San Antonio Aviators $75,386,700
27 Los Angeles Angels $74,134,812
28 Chicago Comets $73,198,446
29 Los Angeles Dodgers $71,081,561
30 St. Louis Cardinals $69,579,447
31 Washington Nationals $62,943,371
32 Pittsburgh Pirates $57,156,180

HIGHEST PAID PLAYERS ~ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Rank Player Team Salary
1 Randall Dorsey St. Louis $18,144,000
2 Mauro Díaz Brooklyn $17,932,500
3 Dave Murdock Toronto $17,899,875
4 Pedro Costello New York $17,852,625
5 Sixto Yánez Boston $17,821,125
6 Vernon Duncan Boston $17,577,000
7 Pete Moore Texas $17,495,550
8 Pete Buckley Arizona $17,235,450
9 John Brandon Monterrey $17,025,750
10 Matt Edwards Seattle $16,998,300
11 Mario Rivera Cincinnati $16,965,000
12 Al Jacobs Colorado $16,931,250
13 Bayani Resuena San Francisco $16,768,800
14 David Webb Seattle $16,702,875
15 Rubén Morales Houston $16,679,250
16 Andrew Cooper Seattle $16,340,400
17 John King Columbus $16,155,000
18 Bill Ewing California $16,143,750
19 Bryan Eggert Brooklyn $16,072,875
20 Chris Womack Detroit $16,035,000
21 Alex Alder California $15,982,500
22 Will Bailey Chicago $15,860,250
23 Dave Evans Atlanta $15,802,500
24 Bobby Stewart Los Angeles $15,674,850
25 Dennis Miller San Francisco $15,644,250

Young Drachma

10-14-2007, 04:49 AM

Sunday, July 15th, 2007: D.C. Daly is the New General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers
LOS ANGELES -- When Los Angeles used the "nuclear option" and made wholesale changes in the front office after new ownership took over the club, fans were left wondering in which direction their favorite club would head. The hiring of D.C. Daly gives them hope that the ship can be righted, as the team sits in last place in MLB and is trying to save the team's major league status.

"It's great to be back in the bigs again, but there will be no honeymoon. I'm already aware of that," said Daly. The former Yankees G.M. who rescued that club from the doldrums and put them back on the baseball map spent the last year and a half with the American League's Worcester Browns, a ballclub he was the primary owner of. After selling the club for a handsome profit last month, Daly says that he felt it was the "right time" to get back to business in the big leagues, rather than toiling in the lower leagues with the Browns, who wouldn't be eligible for MLB until the 2010 season and that's provided the team could win the AL in '07, NL in '08, CL in '09 as well as the MLB Challenge Series to earn a bid to MLB in '10.

Daly said that while the task was an "exciting" one, that he felt like his talents were better utilized at the big-league level.

"I have a new appreciation for what owners go through after that whole thing [in Worcester], because I never knew how much work it would be to be able to do what I do and run a ballclub from the top-down. But...when this opportunity arose, I felt like it was the right time for me to move forward, especially since we'd sold the team."

The Dodgers boast one of baseball's worst farm systems and will need to get better, faster if the club is to fight off a possible relegation date.

"I can assure you that we're too proud a ballclub here in Los Angeles to risk trying to lose our top division standing," said Daly, who said he is aware of the gains made by the Los Angeles Angels during this time and that he was hoping to put more pressure on the other relegation candidate from California, the Riverside, CA-based California Empires.

"Needless to say, if someone's going down...I'd rather it be them than us. But we'll have to prove that on the field."

With about two weeks to go before the trade deadline, Dodgers fans are wondering what sort of magic Daly will work to get the team off the ledge. Ownership paid him a handsome sum to sign with the Dodgers, but no one is certain that they're willing to take on more salary at the moment. "We're going to have to evaluate what we have, before we make any hasty moves. Hopefully, we can salvage the year making smart baseball moves. But make no mistake, this is a formidble challenge for anyone."

The AL trade deadline is June 1st, the CL and NL end trading on July 1st and so, the only league that has trading (until August 2nd) is MLB. This is done on purpose to prevent top-division teams from raiding talent at the last minute from teams at the lower levels preparing to dump talent.

Young Drachma

10-14-2007, 04:09 PM

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/jerseys_logo_Los_Angeles_Dodgers195.png

SAVING DODGERTOWN
The Dodgers -- under the direction of new GM D.C. Daly -- have launched a new ad campaign called "We Are LA" as a response to the increased popularity of the Angels in the city. With the Dodgers in the relegation zone, the team is looking to salvage its season, while also attracting fan interest, as the team resides 28th in attendance out of the 32 big league clubs.

"We're going to try to make things work and we don't have a lot of time to save this season. But I think we've got a lot of great guys here and I believe we can turn it around."

The team also started an area on the team's web site where they can ask the new G.M. questions. "We want to keep the lines of communication open. I'm genuinely interested in where people want to see the ballclub go and look forward to suggestions."

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_7009.png
The Dodgers star is Bobby Stewart, who came over during the off-season in a trade from the New York Bombers where he'd spent the first nine years of his career. The 29-year old right fielder said that he didn't expect that he'd be in a position to from a club that was relegated to a team that might be, but having experienced it once before, he says that he's not interested in having it happen again.

"Man, I'm not trying to do that again. We have to get out of this spot we're in," he said.

The Dodgers problems stem from a lack of production from its infielders. Together, they're hitting below the Mendoza Line. The team's pitching staff isn't much to write home about either and lacks depth.

Whether the team can make necessary adjustments to stave off relegation -- something that D.C. Daly has never experienced -- will make this the biggest challenge of the young veteran GM's career.

"It'll be interesting to see if he can pull this off," said one veteran baseball exec. "He's had it pretty easy, even in Boston they were willing to let him make deals left and right and spend when they had to. We'll see how he handles this."

NAMES TO KNOW
Here are a few of the guys on the Dodgers -- you can look at the stats below -- that you ought to know.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_10158.png
Mike Sharpe, Closer
In his fifth year as the Dodgers closer, notching 142 saves over that time.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_10769.png
Paul Moneur, Pitcher
If the name sounds familiar, it should. He was the closer in Providence during '03 and '04 and I had him in the Boston farm system when I was there.
He was dealt here after two years with the NY Bombers last off-season.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_10184.png
Cody Reese, Outfielder
Never got to see him play before now. He was an 8th round pick in the 2001 draft of the Boston Yankees. After getting released in '03, he won a Gold Glove
in Riverside (now California Empires) and inked a three-year free agent deal with the Dodgers in the off-season.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_1993.png
Orlando Hernandez, Pitcher
36-year old hurler came over from New York along with Cody Reese and Bobby Stewart in a blockbuster during the off-season. Only dependable starter in
the Dodgers rotation at present. Went 17-8 last year in New York with a 2.71 ERA and 258 K

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc113/Dynasty_DC/player_5555.png
Alex Todd, Outfielder
25-year old outfielder who is in his third year with the Dodgers. Had a breakout year last year hitting 39 HR and 110 RBI.

PITCHING STATS ~ JULY 15, 2007 ~ LOS ANGELES DODGERS

nf POS # Name B T G GS W L SV IP HA HR R ER BB K ERA AVG CG SHO
MR 29 Paul Moneur S R 43 0 3 2 0 52.1 38 6 22 19 18 28 3.27 .207 0 0
CL 39 Mike Sharpe R L 38 0 4 5 20 41.1 41 2 16 15 11 34 3.27 .259 0 0
MR 25 Felipe Pérez R R 36 0 2 1 3 55.0 43 4 21 19 29 34 3.11 .217 0 0
MR 28 David Grant R R 31 0 0 0 1 53.0 51 0 18 10 16 25 1.70 .259 0 0
MR 94 Will Lewis L R 30 0 1 3 0 45.2 44 3 20 17 15 21 3.35 .257 0 0
MR 87 José Hernández L L 29 0 0 0 0 36.2 26 2 15 14 24 22 3.44 .205 0 0
SP 44 Orlando HernándezR R 22 22 11 5 0 148.2 132 11 56 53 55 128 3.21 .240 2 1
SP 17 Vicente Salas L R 22 22 9 10 0 162.1 160 18 74 71 40 117 3.94 .247 4 1
SP 23 Brian Campbell R R 21 21 3 13 0 98.0 150 33 101 98 49 105 9.00 .354 0 0
SP 15 Ted Burns R R 20 20 4 12 0 109.0 122 7 78 73 69 81 6.03 .283 0 0
SP 14 Kelsey Brown R R 16 16 4 9 0 98.1 125 21 68 63 31 48 5.77 .306 0 0

BATTING STATS ~ JULY 15, 2007 ~ LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Inf POS # Name B T G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K AVG OBP SLG OPS SB CS
SS 45 Jeff Sawyer R R 96 385 88 25 4 10 36 49 30 74 .229 .293 .392 .685 29 11
LF 38 Bobby Stewart L L 97 385 115 15 4 27 74 62 27 38 .299 .344 .569 .913 6 1
CF 31 Cody Reese R R 96 372 94 16 0 2 25 51 53 23 .253 .349 .312 .661 3 9
RF 24 Alex Todd L L 97 364 100 15 1 20 59 47 40 68 .275 .351 .486 .837 8 8
1B 48 Alfonso López R R 86 336 95 24 1 8 35 37 28 65 .283 .345 .432 .777 1 0
2B 16 Shawn Carter R R 90 311 79 14 1 6 33 29 20 46 .254 .307 .363 .670 9 3
3B 40 Ikki Watanabe R R 96 310 64 13 2 6 30 36 27 53 .206 .280 .319 .599 0 1
C 9 Paul Peek S R 86 308 73 7 0 13 29 35 29 81 .237 .306 .386 .692 1 0
1B 32 Ángel Crus L L 57 224 44 10 0 12 36 23 14 51 .196 .242 .402 .644 0 0
2B 35 Brandon Burgess S R 66 180 31 6 1 6 16 12 12 54 .172 .235 .317 .551 0 1
3B 20 Matt Dupree R R 51 125 26 4 0 3 10 17 12 15 .208 .288 .312 .600 0 0
C 18 Manuel González R R 18 53 9 3 1 1 3 4 5 10 .170 .254 .321 .575 0 0
LF 13 Carlos Acosta R R 33 39 8 2 0 0 2 3 0 12 .205 .205 .256 .462 0 0
CF 22 Martín López L L 14 21 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 .238 .238 .238 .476 2 0

Young Drachma

10-14-2007, 04:17 PM

I am genuinely curious how some of the readers out there would approach a situation like this. Rebuilding in the era of relegation is very, very different than dealing with just losing for a few years and going through growing pains. Playing at the lower levels is a lot more competitive than you'd think and once you get down there and have to face salary caps and other restraints, it becomes very difficult to move up and so, it's not anywhere we want to be.

And playing the best-of-five challenge series is akin to a crapshoot, too.

So...how should I approach presenting this season to you? I considered doing a game-by-game account of the rest of this year, to break down my thought process and also to slow things down a bit and help you all get more invested in the guys we have and the team as a whole.

I'm looking for feedback.

PilotMan

10-14-2007, 10:11 PM

I think that the first order of business it avoiding relegation. It seems that you have at least 2 starters that *need* to be replaced. A third would be helpful. I would look for pitching first, but then I always look at pitching first. The bullpen is acceptable for now. The offense actually looks pretty good, but club is really lacking contact hitters (i.e #2 hitters) and guys who get on base (more #2 hitters). That would be the first things that I would look at anyway.

Young Drachma

10-15-2007, 12:28 AM

Ed Note: Trading is on hard

JULY 18, 2007
---
We traded pitchers Will Lewis, Kelsey Brown, Bruce Campbell and shortstop Jeff Sawyer to San Antonio today for:

37-year old SP Edward Braun (3-5, 4.19 ERA, 61 K in 10 starts this season)

25-year old RP Jorge Gonzales (4-4, 2 SV, 2.68 ERA, in 37 appearances)

28-year old SP Marcos Castenda (9-7, 4.40 ERA, 56 K in 18 starts this season)

23-year old RP Anthony Maloney (2-2, 3 SV 5.30 ERA in 33 appearances in the minors this year.)

Rationale: It was all about having more options. We have little to none at the moment. Campbell was horrible with us, but he'd never had a season this bad before (10-13, 4.99 ERA, 208 K last year in Toronto) and so, I felt the change of scenery might help and seeing that he had some value, keeping him at his current pace was not an option.

Sawyer is just 26 and is another guy that was struggling in his first year with us. He makes $5.2 million a year and so, getting rid of him and his salary -- even if he rebounds -- was worth it to me.

This isn't the last deal we'll make before the deadline, as I'm expecting to move either Sharpe or Moneur before the deadline, hoping to pick up prospects in return.

I'm also considering moving Moneur to the rotation. He's started two games in his career, I started him last week and he started a game two years ago in New York.

I don't have any illusions about building a contender or a winner this year or even next. I just want to get this team stabilized enough to a safe, midtable position where we can begin to plot our next moves.

Young Drachma

10-15-2007, 12:41 AM

BAD AT EVERYTHING..
JULY 23, 2007
I'm almost amused at how bad we are at everything critical and really trying to resist blowing the team up, selling off whatever value we have to try to get players to salvage the year. This team does everything porly. We're the worst hitting team in baseball and amongst the worst in team ERA as well. I mean, none of this is really that much a surprise and all, it's just....staggering.

We just got swept this past weekend by the Atlanta A's and now we're currently tied with California Empires for the worst record in baseball.

I've moved new acquisition Jorge Gonazales into the rotation, along with Paul Moneur, because I figured well..why not?

I haven't found a deal for Sharpe yet and I haven't really decided what to do with what we have, knowing that after August 2nd, there won't be a whole lot that we can do.

I'll be scouring the minor leagues to see if there are some "near-ready" or "ready" guys that teams are holding onto that can be had. I think that's our best hope right now, as it would be my strategy if this were a lower-division team trying to move up and so, maybe I need to focus more on that, than anything.

And in case you were wondering, if two teams are tied with the worst record, they play a one-game playoff, with the loser going to the Challenge Series.

Young Drachma

10-15-2007, 01:08 AM

YANKEES AND DODGERS MAKE DEAL: 12-PLAYERS CHANGE HANDS
JULY 23, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Dodgers G.M. D.C. Daly is desperate to keep him team in the major leagues. So much so that he dealt his team's lone all-star and ace pitcher Orlando Hernandez to Eastern Division leading Boston today as the centerpiece of a deal that would allow the Dodgers to cut payrol by close to $4 million, as well as picking up some prospects along the way.

In the deal, the Dodgers also sent free agent to be Alex Todd, who despite hitting .274 with 21 HRs so far this year, indicated that he would test free agency and so, the team decided to move him while had value.

One other starter, C Paul Peek, who is hitting .239 with 14 HR and 32 RBI as the starting catcher for most of the season and valued primarily for his defensive prowess, will give the Yankees another option at catcher.

Two other minor leaguers -- reliever Javier Orozco and outfielder Mat Gilmore - were also included in the deal.

In return, the Dodgers get starting pitcher Chuck Sherman who is 10-9 with a 4.63 ERA this year in 22 starts with 85 strikeouts and 52 walks. Another notable major league player the team acquired was outfielder Nick Johnson, who is hitting .254 with 13 HR and 47 RBI as the Yankees 4th outfielder. The Dodgers are likely to consider moving him to the infielder, possibly third base. Fifth outfielder Gabe Ramirez (.249/15 HR/37 RBI) and five minor leaguers sealed the deal for the Dodgers.

Fans in Los Angeles upon hearing the deal are livid with new GM D.C. Daly, saying that by dealing a player like Hernandez (11-7, 3.54 ERA, 8.0 K/9) that the team is resigned to its poor position and is giving up.

"We fully recognize that there is a risk in a deal like this and trust me, we weren't just happy beyond belief to give up a guy like Orlando and yet, I think that this trade will help us fill a ton of gaps that we're trying to address, because let's face it..for us right now, there is no tomorrow. We have to get through this season and then we can adjust or adapt as we need to. But right now, we're hearing the alarm and it doesn't make sense to hold onto guys -- especially 36-year old hurlers -- when they can be useful elsewhere, while helping us keep this team in the bigs."

LA talk radio is burning up over the deal saying that Daly should "go back to the minors" and that the engineer of the Yankees World Series championship in 2002 and who led the Bees to the World Series in 2004, is in over his head with a "team that probably needs someone who undrstands what a bad team is like and how to make them better."

What LA fans are ignoring is that it took him 3 years to get Boston to the post-season and that his first year, the team finished 66-96 and 7th in the eastern division.

Daly says that he's okay with criticism and that the team will hopefully respond to his moves. He has not ruled out another deal before the August 2nd trade deadline.

"I don't want to tip our hand too much, but I've been on the phone pretty much non-stop for at least a week. We've got some options and we're going to evaluate them and try to do the best thing we can for our ballclub."

The team is preparing for a four game homestand against the team that's sharing last place with them currently -- the California Empires -- and Daly says that this series will test the team's mettle.

"We'll see if they respond and how they respond. We've shaken things up a bit, but I think the team will decide for themselves what they want to happen next."

Young Drachma

10-15-2007, 10:51 AM

DEADLINE DEALS
We made two deadline deals after the one listed already:

JULY 27, 2007: We dealt Mike Sharpe, Angel Crus, Matt Dupree, Ikki Watanabe and Ted Burns to the Florida Marlins for prospect starter Armando Torres, who was ranked among the Top 100 prospects on Baseball America's list, he's a 24-year old southpaw.

We also got first baseman Joe Wilson (.263/3 HR/13 RBI), reliever Jason Woodward (0-1, 2 SV 1.46 ERA in 9 games), second baseman Victor Brown (.221/9 HR/38 RBI) and pitcher Matt Gregory (2-1, 2 SV 3.03 ERA)

On August 2nd, we made our final deal, trading with the San Francisco Giants for some veteran talent. We sent them outfielder Bobby Crawford, infielder Victor Brown, outfielder Gabe Ramirez, catcher Manuel Gonzalez, starter Edward Braun and Matt Gregory and cash for:

26-year old SS Scott Noble (.255/16 HR/51 RBI)
28-year old MR Joe Rainey (2-3, 1 SV 4.55 ERA)
32-year old LF Kelly Sizemore (.248/17 HR/ 61 RBI)
23-year old C Jose Valadez (.275/8 HR/25 RBI)

The deal with the Giants could be scrutinized heavily since we gave up so much talent -- at least on paper -- Sizemore and Crawford for sure. But, I felt like we need to augment our lineup with guys who'd fit. At this point in the game, I realized that we could get too attached to much of anybody -- other than Bobby Stewart -- because we're in the doldrums and if we didn't come out of this one alive, then we need to try to forge some sort of chemistry as fast as we could, plus I got rid of guys earlier that might be free agents and who made it clear they weren't going to resign.

Right now, the only free agents to be we have on our roster are pitchers Jorge Gonzales, Vincente Salas and David Grant and third baseman Alfonso Lopez.

I do realize that it's a bit insane to go imploding an entire rotation and selling off everything of value, but the real world and the relegation world are completely different and so, it's hard to parallel really.

----
SEPTEMBER 1, 2007
After making the two deadline deals, I simmed an entire month and planned to go through the last month of the season game-by-game so you could really see whether we make it out or not.

Here are the standings in the MLB RED ZONE brought to you by Old Spice Red Zone:

NEW YORK METS 59-85 --
CALIFORNIA EMPIRES 59-83 1
LOS ANGELES DODGERS 61-82 2.5
WASHINGTON NATIONALS 63-80 4.5

We went 14-13 in August, our first winning month of the season and even though you could hear the collective sting of "ouch" from fans and pundits when Bobby Crawford was named MLB Rookie of the Month for August (.389/4 HR/ 18 runs), I still feel confident the moves we made will prove right and keep us in the majors for another year without having to play the challenge series.

But that being said, being 2 1/2 games up isn't exactly a safety cushion by any stretch.

Our schedule the rest of the way out: (record as of Sept. 1st) (record against team)
Sept 1-3: @ Cincinnati (76-68) (0-0)
Sept 4-6: @ Houston (64-78) (0-0)
Sept 8-10: vs. San Jose (77-66) (2-8)
Sept 11-13: vs. Angels (74-68) (3-6)
Sept 14-16: @ California (59-83) (5-5)
Sept 17-20: vs. San Francisco (66-76) (2-7)

Young Drachma

10-15-2007, 03:41 PM

In your opinion, is that realistic? I know you've said "reality and the world of relegation are different" but it seems easy to convince the AI (and your owner/fans) to make these kind of trades.

I think at the point that one creates a structure that's comprised of four tiers of major league baseball, abolishes the draft, pools media revenue and essentially treats baseball as on par with European Soccer in terms of its perceived popularity in the world, that realism is an overrated concept.

But that said, yeah I do. I don't make swindle deals where I acquire stars from teams on the cheap. Plus, I tend to overcompensate by generally playing in "God" mode and helping computer teams at random times and I'm always steering top talent their way, on purpose, to make things more difficult.

Also, in terms of realism...real life deals are almost ALWAYS involving multiple players and in most of my deals, I send more minor leaguers and so it always inflates the deal. If I were to say (as they do in real life) "future considerations" or "players to be named later" it'd be the same form or function of what we're doing here.

And when cash is involved in my deals, it's almost always sent as a mechanism to cover the salary of someone I'm sending to that team, not as a pot sweetener, though it acts that way. The alternative, would be to just subtract the money from our payroll and add it to theirs, but to me that's not realistic as the actual transfer of money from team to team.

So to answer your question in earnest (and I appreciate the question, I like these sorts of questions...because it really makes me know people are following what I'm doing and are curious about stuff), I will say that I never know where the line of "realism" and "just plum ridiculous" get drawn. I mean, we're a team in a major market, fighting for our lives. You have a (presumably) well-liked GM who is known for his ability to get quick results, make alliances and make things happen.

Ownership gives him the keys to the farm and say, "production has to improve. Or else." So on some level, I think panicking and dealing off guys where it could very well blow up in his face isn't really unrealistic. Especially fan favourite type guys like Alex Todd that came up with the organization and then get dealt up in a fit of rage that the TFNG decides don't fit with the "chemistry" of the new ballclub and where they're headed.

So yeah, they're realistic to me. Unorthodox maybe and perhaps crazy, but not unprecedented as far as this whole thing is concerned.

Young Drachma

10-15-2007, 09:18 PM

THE PULSE OF THE FAN
So, I was wondering what fans were thinking about the team and decided to hit the internet.

Boy, was that a mistake.

Daly sucks! Who thought it was a good idea to bring this scrub from BOSTON to LA? This is the big city loser. He trades all of our good guys away and we're gonna have to play some sorry team, lose and get stuck in relegation playing in the minors like the Bombers or something.

This SUCKS!

With the spectre of positivity on our side, let's get to the last games of the regular season.

We start a three game set against the Cincinnati Reds on the road. We haven't played them all year.

I never know how to explain these games unless it's particular interest in the result and so, I'll just post the box scores unless something very interesting comes out of it.

In this particular case, I haven't done anything with the lineups at all, but might make some tweaks to particular games to see if someone can get hot to end the year.

Looking more closely, here are some of the notable guys who had hot months in August:

C Jose Valadez (.396/8 HR/ 16 RBI in 27 games)
SS Scott Noble (.342/3 HR/10 RBI in 27 games
OF Kelly Sizemore (.260/7 HR/17 RBI in 27 games)
SP Chuck Sherman (4-1, 17 K, 4.40 ERA)
SP Paul Moneur (2-0, 4.54 ERA 22 K)

The idea here is...find the hot hands and see where they can take us. Playing at Dodger Stadium itself is all about finding guys who can get on base and produce runs, not looking for dudes who can belt it out of the ballpark, because it's a lot harder to do there than it is somewhere else and so, that's how we'll approach this.

September 1, 2007
Los Angeles 8, Cincinnati 1
Box Score (http://www.crayon.tv/box/sept12007.pdf)

Young Drachma

10-16-2007, 01:43 PM

DODGERS DO ONE-DOLLAR GAME DAYS
The Los Angeles Dodgers, in an attempt to sellout the rest of the team's game as they fight off relegation have announced $1 game day, offering fans $1 tickets on a host of seats at the ballpark.

"We'll take a loss, sure. But this is bigger than money. It's about bleeding blue. We're hoping fans come out and support the team. We need them and bigger things are on the horizon," said GM D.C. Daly about the move.

Daly, who was brought on in mid-July has faced a ton of scrutiny from Dodgers fans who wanted someone closer to the organization to run the team after the team was acquired by new ownership prior to the All-Star break. Daly's design to break up a great deal of the ballclub after it sank to last place and after a run of back to back 90-loss seasons in 2005 and 2006 (70-92, 68-94), fans have become frustrated with the ballclub and its lack of success, though the team claimed division titles in 2000, 2001 and 2004, it's not resulted in any sort of success in the form of championships.

"People need to begin to understand that this is a process and that we're all very committed to getting this team into a place where it's very successful. But that takes time."

GAME RESULTS
Unless otherwise asked, I'm just going to go game-by-game and not post box scores. I save them and the logs to any game my teams play these days, but it gets tedious to upload them, paste them or whatever when I know that sort of thing only appeals to a small base of people. Feel free to inform me of otherwise, tho.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2007:
Cincinnati 8, Los Angeles 2
The Reds had a 5-run eighth inning to bust the game open and get past the Dodgers at home.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2007:
Dodgers sign two college players
22-year old Harlan Minor signed a deal today with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization after four years at the University of Virginia. The Laramie, Wyoming native hit .355 with 78 HR and 232 RBI in four years of college. And in 2007, was a NCAA All-Star selection.

The other player was 22-year old outfielder Danny Hurley,a four-year starter at the University of Washington, Hurley hit 39 career HRs and 137 RBI during his four years at UW. The Beaverton, Oregon product is a left-handed hitter and the Dodgers are hoping he'll develop into a multifaceted outfielder down the road.

"We're happy with our college pickups this year and want to continue to develop our farm system," said D.C. Daly about the signings.

What happens to prospects upon relegation?
Teams lose their minor league club and it's transferred to the team that takes their place, upon relegation. Which can suck if you have a lot of young kids invested on the farm that you can put on the major league roster before you get relegated.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2007
Dodgers 6, Cincinnati 4
Down 4-1 heading into the 9th inning, the Dodgers put their rally caps on and started to dig deep. A single by Cody Reese started the rally, when the Reds walked Scott Noble to get to Takashi Kichida, who'd been inserted into the game in the 9th and he was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Bobby Stewart, who was walked to score a run, to make the score 4-2. Rookie Harlan Minor struck out to make two outs and the Reds made a pitching change, but Taylor Briggs, the new pitcher gave up a triple to the Dodgers Nick Johnson that scored three and proved to be the cushion the Dodgers needed to pull out the late inning rally win.

"This are the games that seasons are made of," said Johnson about his game winning heroics.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2007: Los Angeles 13, Houston 0

SEPTEMBER 5, 2007: Houston 4, Los Angeles 3 (12 innings)

SEPTEMBER 6, 2007: Houston 5, Los Angeles 2

We head home now for 3 against San Jose and a four-game set against the cross-town rival Angels. We're 33-38 at home this year and only 31-47 on the road and so hopefully, we'll get some home cooking over the next few days.

Here are the Red Zone Relegation standings as of September 7, 2007
CALIFORNIA EMPIRES 61-87 --
SAN ANTONIO AVIATORS 63-85 2 (1-9 in their last 10 games)
NEW YORK METS 64-86 2
LOS ANGELES DODGERS 64-85 2.5
WASHINGTON NATIONALS 65-84 3.5

Young Drachma

10-16-2007, 02:18 PM

SEPTEMBER 8, 2007: DODGERS 1, SAN JOSE 0
CHUCK SHERMAN threw 8 innings of seven-hit ball, striking out 4 and walking 1, as the Dodgers only needed one run to combat Dalton Conway and the San Jose Captains attack.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2007 DODGERS 6, SAN JOSE 1
SEPTEMBER 10, 2007 DODGERS 4, SAN JOSE 3

$1 DAYS A HIT WITH DODGER FAITHFUL.
D.C. Daly wanted his team to come off the road and get to see what it's like to be inspired by a home crowd packed to see them. The team hadn't had a sellout since back in April, but through the ingenuity of giveaways and offering a bevy of $1 tickets, the team has packed the house for three-straight games in a sweep against the Western Division leading San Jose Captains, leaving them 4 games ahead of California in the relegation race and giving the team a lot more breathing room than seemed possible a few weeks ago.

"We've really responded well," said Manager Vince Harris, who took over at mid-season. "We're not out of the woods yet, but I think we do see town ahead..so we're gonna run like hell for it, before something comes and eats us in the forest."

The Dodgers are now 23-17 in one-run games this year, an astounding stat given how anemic the team's offense and as woeful as it's pitching has been. But the recent string of wins gives the ballclub hope, said G.M. D.C. Daly.

"We're really looking forward to an entire off-season to assess where the ballclub is and to set the gears in motion to being successful on a regular basis. Our fans deserve it and our new owners will demand it."

SEPTEMBER 11, 2007: DODGERS 5, ANGELS 2
SEPTEMBER 12, 2007: DODGERS 5, ANGELS 4
SEPTEMBER 13, 2007: DODGERS 4, ANGELS 3

Heading to Riverside for a three-game set against the last-place California Empires should prove the mettle of the Dodgers as they finish up the season. The Empires are 3 games in back of the Washington Nationals for last place in MLB and if the Empires lose this series, they're likely going to be heading to a MLB Challenge Series matchup against the winner of the Continental League's Guinness Cup Series, which is now a best-of-seven game series and kicks off next week between Milwaukee and either Nevada or an up-start Chicago White Sox ballclub who have gone 7-3 in their last ten games.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2007: DODGERS 10, CALIFORNIA 9
Only the Dodgers and Colorado Rockies (76-81) have won 8 of their last 10 games in the majors at present. Meanwhile, the Empires have sunk lower, losing seven straight and 8 of their last 10 games and sit 4 1/2 games ahead of the Mets for MLB's wooden spoon.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2007: DODGERS 4, CALIFORNIA 2

SEPTEMBER 16, 2007: EMPIRES 10, DODGERS 3
The Empire gets off the schnide and cool off the hot Dodgers, heading into the last four games of the regular season. The Dodgers face the Giants at home, always a tough battle.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2007: GIANTS 4, DODGERS 0
SEPTEMBER 18, 2007: GIANTS 4, DODGERS 3
SEPTEMBER 19, 2007: DODGERS 7, GIANTS 5
SEPTEMBER 20, 2007: DODGERS 5, GIANTS 2

The Dodgers end the regular season at 74-88, 13 games out of first place in the Western Division and more importantly, not in last place. The team actually had a 6 game improvement over last season's 68-94 campaign.

LEAGUE LEADERS

AVERAGE: Chris Womack, Detroit (.335)
OBP: Arvin Valerio, Giants (.442)
SLG: Mauro Diaz, Brookyln (.635)
Hits: Chris Womack, Detroit (209)
Doubles: Jason Martin, Angels (47)
Triples: Vern Danton, Pennsylvania (15)
HR: Andrew Cooper, Seattle (50)
RBI: Randall Dorsey, St. Louis (148)
Runs: Will Bailey, Comets (120)
SB: Marty Adams, NY Rens (72)
WALKS: Mario Rivers, Cincinnati (136)
STRIKEOUTS: Dan Warren, Boston (182)

ERA: Togai Kato, St. Louis (2.00)
Wins: Ron Cowan, Columbus (23)
Losses: Terry Reed, Monterrey (19)
Saves: Jesus Herrera, Atlanta (45)
Strikeouts: Jaime Padilla, Houston (311)