St. Louis Cardinals 2003+ Baseball

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals Dynasty Report</b>

Welcome to another one of my attempts at a dynasty report. This time, we will be using OOTP5 as a simulator. I recently purchased the game and after spending a few hours with it I have grown interest in the game and decided to try to put together a dynasty following the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, one of baseball most storied franchises. Hopefully the game will hold my attention long enough for a good read. I have a good feeling, so let’s get started.

As mentioned, the Cardinals have had one of the most successful franchises in all of modern baseball. The Cardinals have won nine world championships and have captured fifteen pennants and appeared in the playoffs nineteen times. They had hall of famers such as Dizzy Dean, Stan Musial, Ozzie Smith, and Roger Hornsby. All these players are magical names in America’s Past Time, baseball.

They have also had a good run of luck lately. In the early 90`s, under the direction of Joe Torre, the team struggled. They played in Busch Stadium, which was gaining age and had a horrendous artificial turf down.

But in 1996, the team took a turn for the better. The team was sold from the Busch family to a new group of investors. Tony La Russa, one of the game’s best manager was hired to take over the reigns. He brought in players such as Dennis Eckersley, Donovan Osborne, and Andy Benes. Ray Lankford also emerged as a star and the team went to the playoffs.

Things improved even more as the Cardinals picked up the game’s premier power hitter in Mark McGwire for three prospects. They also saw average players turn in great seasons. An example would be Kent Bottenfield and Edgar Renteria. But changes continued to be rampant around the Cardinals. They had young stars emerged like J.D. Drew, Albert Pujos, Rick Ainkel and Matt Morris.

Now, the 2003 season campaign kicks off and that is where we will begin this dynasty report. Most of the young nucleus is in tact with a good mix of veterans. Hopes are high for the team this year, if they can improve in weakness of their team. However, a transition may be approaching as the young players are becoming free agents for the first time in their career and ownership claims they don’t have money for them.

<b>Up Next:</b> Meet the Players

[MizzouRah]

Looking foward to this one!



Todd

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals - Catchers</b>

<b>Mike Matheny, 32 years old, $2,187,500, signed through 2004</b>

Mike is a real asset to our team. He is only an average hitter, and OOTP5 rates him correctly as a real inconsistent hitter. But Mike’s real value is his defense ability and the rate he can throw runners out at. We will not have to many people trying to run with him behind the plate. He is a veteran and will work well with our younger pitchers.

<b>Eli Marrero, 29 years old, $595,000, signed through 2004</b>

Eli is trick of trades. He is a very versatile player, as he can play all three spots in the outfield, as well as a catch his fair share of games. He brings a good bat to the table that is capable of driving in runs. To start the season, he will be a starting outfielder but will definitely see his fair share of time behind the plate. He is a good defensive catcher and has a good arm.

<b>Joe Girardi, 38 years old, $507,500, signed through 2003</b>

Joe is a another veteran who will start the season on the disabled list. Our current manager seems to like catchers who are excellent at blocking up and who have decent arms. Thus he wanted to give Joe a shot. He really cant be expected to hit very much and his role will really just be a back up with the big league team.

<b>Mark Gurrola, 27 years old, $300,000, signed through 2003</b>

Mark is a guy who will spend most of the season with the AAA club in Memphis. However, he will start with the big league club due to the injury to Girardi. He is a little below average contact hitter. Other than that he doesn’t bring much to the plate. He has an average arm is an average defensive catcher.

<b>Kevin S. Brown, 29 years old, $300,000, signed through 2003</b>

Mr. Brown is a good power hitter, but unfortunately he really doesn’t the ball ever to get it out of the park. He will spend the season in AAA unless we need an emergency call-up. He is another guy who is average in both arm and defense.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals - First Baseman</b>

<b>Tino Martinez, 35 years old, $3,605,000, signed trough 2004</b>

Tino is just really average. At the first base position, you look for someone with a lot of pop, even in the National League. Tino has some, but not as much as I would like. He should hit somewhere around .250 which is decent production. He is getting on up there and age and really do not think he is pulling his salary. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone to take his place. We have a couple of young guys, but they are far from being ready (more on this in the prospects section.)

<b>John Gail, 25 years old, minor league contract</b>

John will start at our AAA club. I think he is fairly interesting prospect. He could play first base for us at the big league club in a pinch, if there was an injury to Tino. We will be following his progress closely at Memphis, as he could develop into somewhat of a sleeper.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals - Second Baseman</b>

<b>Fernando Vina, 33 years old, $3,150,000 signed through 2003</b>

Fernando is a good second baseman. He can hit, but not what really want at the top of order. He is ideally a guy that you drop to around the 7th or 8th slot. He has the ability to drive in runs which is a positive. He is a great defensive second baseman. This year is critical for Fernando because he is a free agent. If he has a good year then he will get a pay raise and get to play for a couple of more years. If he doesn’t, then he is at that age where he could be with someone’s AAA club next season.

<b>Miguel Cairo, 28 years old, $350,000, signed through 2003</b>

Cairo is a guy who is valuable because he can play most of the infield positions and can step out and catch a ball in the outfield well. He has a weak arm. He is a good hitter with a good eye. He is a great defensive second baseman. He will start off in a rotation system keeping our starters fresh.

<b>Kurt Abbot, 31 years old, minor league contract</b>

Kurt will be fielding balls at AAA Memphis this year. I really don’t think he can help our club out at all, not even in September. He is an awful fielder. He has no power to anywhere in the field. He can hit on occasion, but not enough to warrant time in the big leagues. He is an average base runner.

<b>Shaun Boyd, 21 years old, minor league contract</b>

Shaun is one of the gems of our organization as terms of prospects go. However, the 21 year old could be ready for the show now. He will start the season in AAA Memphis. He has amazing speed. He is not a great hitter yet, but is showing signs of developing into one. The only thing I do not like about him is he is not a good defensive player. But Shaun could be our starting second baseman by this time next year.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals - Shortstops</b>

<b>Edgar Renteria, 27 years old, $3,500,000, signed through 2003</b>

Considered by many to be the best the shortstop the National League has to offer, Edgar is obviously a valuable member of our team. He can be used as a great leadoff hitter and he has speed to boot. He is only an average defensive player. I think he is best used as #2 or #3 hitter because he has good pop as well. He is a free agent and we will try our best to resign him.

<b>Wilson Delgado, 30 years old, $300,000 signed through 2003</b>

Wilson is a veteran who really contributes nothing to our team. I will probably look to option him down and pick up a good defensive shortstop as a defensive replacement from somewhere. He is not a good hitter and cant hit the ball over the fence if it was little league.

[GoldenEagle]

<B>St Louis Cardinals - Third Baseman</b>

<b>Scott Rolen, 28 years old, $6,020,000, signed through 2010</b>

Scott is one of the game’s premier third baseman, however, he seems a bit underrated in OOTP. He is good hitter and has the ability to go yard often. He is best suited as a number 5 hitter. He is a brilliant third baseman defensively. He is very much the game’s best in that category. Scott is a getting a huge salary and is signed for the long term. Miguel Cairo will serve as the immediate back up.

<b>Joe Matcher, 20 years old, minor league contract</b>

Joe has some talent and I think he could be a suitable back-up to Rolen one day down the road. The problem is, he really can not hit the ball. He will draw a few walks. He is only an average defensive player. None of the less, he is someone to keep an eye on at AAA.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals - Outfielders</b>

<b>Orlando Palmeiro, 37 years old, $490,000, signed through 2003</b>

Orlando is a guy who can play all three outfield positions and we pretty much count on him doing that for us. He is a good outfielder at all three positions. He has a decent arm. He is an all around average hitter but has no serious pop in his bat. But Orlando’s value to us is his ability to play all three of the outfield spots and get a pinch hit if necessary.


<b>Albert Pujos, 23 years old, $420,000, signed through 2003</b>

Albert is an outstanding ball player. His primary position is left field, but he could step into the hot corner if Rolen were to get injured long term (knock on wood). He also may be the long term solution at first base and I have feeling that is where he will wind up down the road. He is simply put a great hitter. He will go yard often and get on base as well. An ideal number three hitter. The problem is Albert’s contract expires this season and is due for a huge raise. Hopefully we will find the money to give it to him.

<b>Jim Edmonds, 32 years old, $6,860,000, signed through 2006</b>

Jim is our highest paid player and certainly has the skills to back that up. Jim is a great defensive player and a great arm. But he is a very valuable hitter as well. He can go yard and drive in an insane amount of hits. He signed for the long term and will be a very valuable member of our team.

<b>Kerry Robinson, 29 years old, $390,000, signed through 2003</b>

Kerry is another interesting character on our team. He is a good hitter and is a very fast base runner. He can play all three outfield positions, which again, is invaluable. I think Kerry could start on some of the weaker teams around the league. However, he will probably split his time this season between the big league club and AAA ball.

<b>J.D. Drew, 27 years old, $2,170,000 signed through 2004</b>

J.D. is a good ball player but seems to be very underrated in OOTP. Since this OOTP we have to talk about his skills in this game. He is only an average hitter and can reach the fences certainly. We consider him to be a great defensive player and you simply do not run on him. We are going to have to see what kind of numbers he puts up before talking contract. Eli Marrero will also see some time in right field.

<b>Eduardo Perez, 33 years old, $350,000 signed through 2003</b>

Eduardo is with the big league club for one and one reason only: pinch hitting. While he can play four different positions and has a gun in the outfield, he absolutely can just smash. He is not a great contact hitter, but if he hits, its going a long way. He will be the number 1 pinch hitter in situations where we have runners on.

<b>Todd Dunwoody, 27 years old, $300,000 signed through 2003</b>

Todd was probably a player we picked up just to fill a spot in the outfield of our AAA club. He is a good defensive outfielder and has a good arm. He is not a really good hitter but can step-in in a pinch. I think Todd will probably get a September call-up

<b>Dee Hayes, 25 years old, minor league contract</b>

Dee is probably our best outfielder prospect. He can play left field and right field with the same ability. He is a good hitter but not great. He will start in AAA. My scout tells me that Dee might be ready for the bigs. We will just wait and see.

<b>So Taguchi, 33 years old, minor league contact</b>

So was brought over from Japan last season in hopes of competing for a starting job somewhere in the outfield. However, it just has not worked out for him. So is a good defensive outfielder which is always a plus. But he is simply not a great hitter and will never be. He will probably stay in the minors.

<b>Alex Ochoa, 30 years old, $300,000, signed through 2003</b>

Alex will start out with our AAA club in Memphis but will see a call up real soon I have feeling. He can play all three outfield positions. He has a great arm and is really an all around average hitter. Not a bad player at all.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals - Starting Pitchers</b>

<b>Matt Morris, 28 years old, $6,300,000 signed through 2004</b>

OOTP followed tradition and extremely cut Matt short on his ratings. Oh well, I guess tradition is tradition. Positives about Matt is that he has very good control and he can go deep into a game allowing our bullpen to stay fresh. He also doesn’t give up much home runs. Overall a decent pitcher but should be rated a lot higher.

<b>Jason Simontacchi, 29 years old, $300,000 signed through 2003</b>

Jason is a decent starting pitcher, but probably should be #5 in the rotation and not #3 like we have him now. He gives up a lot of hits and they can go out of the park. But he avoids walks which is a good. Our defense will rob opponents of some hits and he may able to do well this year.

<b>Woody Williams, 36 years old, $5,215,000 signed through 2004</b>

Williams is a quality starters. We got him a couple of years ago for Ray Lankford, one of the best trades in recent Cardinal memory. He only has average stamina but should provide quality innings. He will avoid giving up the long ball. I expect a good year from Woody.

<b>Garret Stephenson, 31 years old, $500,000 signed through 2003</b>

Stephenson has had some quality productive years as of late and we are hoping he will continue that trend. Garret has poor stamina and this might ultimately move him to the bullpen down the road. If he can pitch well and get hitters out, he will find a spot somewhere with the big league club. If not he will be optioned to AAA.

<b>Brett Tomoko, 30 years old, $770,000, signed through 2003</b>

Brett is not a good pitcher, but can eat up some innings. He will get some players out and we are hoping he can pitch effectively enough to remain with the big league club. He really will not get very many strike outs and seems to give up a ton of runs. It could be worse though. He will not give up many walks.

<b>Jimmy Journell, 25 years old, minor league contract</b>

Jimmy is the pride of our minor league organization. Although he is not ready for the show, he could be with another year of AAA under his belt. That being said, he may get a few starts this year. He has great endurance. He is rated the 58th overall prospect in all of baseball.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals - Bullpen</b>

<b>Mike Crudale, 26 years old, $300,000 signed through 2003</b>

Mike is rated as a good reliever who will be watching this season. Mike is in the final year of his contract and if he performs well he should be in for a substantial raise instead of just making the big league minimum. He can get hitters out and avoids giving up the long ball well, critical for the last innings of a ball game. He can also start, but I don’t see him in that role right now.

<b>Jeff Fassero, 40 years old, $1,400,000 signed through 2003</b>

We are paying Jeff a lot of money and I really do not know why. He is an average reliever who can get some people out. He does not walk many. I thought about using him as a starter, but OOTP rates him as being too old to start anymore.

<b>Dustin Hermanson, 30 years old, $630,000, signed through 2003</b>

Dustin is an average pitcher and he seems to give up a lot of runs. He is really not someone I want on the mound late in the game. Dustin is probably waiting in the wings for a starting rotation spot. He needs more endurance to be effective though. We will use him back and forth between the bullpen and starting rotation.

<b>Lance Painter, 35 years old, $300,000, signed through 2003</b>

Lance is another guy who is right around mediocre in the bullpen. He will get some outs. If he pitches well he will stay with club, if he doesn’t then well he will not. He could also long in sometime as a starter but that is unlikely.

<b>Russ Springer, 34 years old, $300,000, signed through 2003</b>

Russ is one of our better relivers and could be used more in a set-up role than midde relief. He works with a fastall and slider and is better against righties. I think he will through the ball really well for us this year. The problem is he has a tendancy to give up hits then work himself out.

<b>Steve Kline, 30 years, $2,870,000, signed through 2004</b>

Steve will start out the year as our closer, but once Jason Isringhausen heals he will be moved back to the bullpen. Steve is one of the game’s best relievers and to qutoe OOTP, “every team needs someone like him.” He will get outs for us and be a good closer.

<b>Gene Stechschutle, 29 years old, $350,000, signed through 2003</b>

Gene is by far our best right handed reliever . He is very good at getting outs and will be a fixture for our bullpen as long as he wants to remain a Cardinal. Sounds good, right? Well, he is injured for 15 weeks. We should get him back around the All-Star break.

<b>Jason Isringhausen, 30 years old, $4,750,000, signed through 2005</b>

Jason is one of the game’s best closers when heatly. He can thorugh stirkes and will easily record 50+ saves on a good team. He knows how to pitch around the plate and has a nasty fastball. He does not field his position well. He is injured for 5 weeks to start the 2003 campaign.

<b>Up Next:</b> A glance at our farm system.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>St. Louis Cardinals - Farm System</b>

Our farm system is currently rated 16th out of 30 teams. For those of us out there who are not math majors (myself), that means we about right at average. I am looking to improve this by getting a great scout and by drafting smart. The draft will occur on June 1st. Walt Jockety is our current scout and he is rated at good in both categories.

The way to draft smart is to know the strengths and weaknesses of your farm system. If I have a lot of third basemen, obviously I don’t need to waste my first round pick one of them. So, with that mind, I will outline my minor league players below.

Starting Pitching - At first glance, this is probably the strength of the Cardinals farm system. As fore-mentioned, Jimmy Journell is excepted to be a great pitcher some day. We also have Brian Williams at AAA who I will look to get a role with the big league club one day. At AA Justin Pope and Dan Harren are both expected to be solid starters one day, although both are at least a couple years off. Julio Villalo could be a sleeper. At A the talent continues to pour in as Wilson Ciprain, Chris Naverson, and David Wilson are all three and half star prospects. Overall, I think we are loaded in this area and we look to make moves to bolster our big league club, we can afford to move some of them.

Bullpen - Unfortunately we are not as lucky in this area. I really do not see anyone who is capable of closing games in the future. At AA, there is a guy to keep your eye on in Tyler Johnson. He is a lefty who may develop into a quality reliever. At A we have our best prospect in Roberto Bastia and we will see how he develops. I am also going to keep my eye on Ben Julianel, who can start as well. It is not as bad as I thought but the prospects will need some years to mature.

Catcher - The only guy really worth mentioning here is Yadier Molina. Molina is currently at A. He may or may not become an average catcher. This will be an area we will address.

First Base - We have two prospects at A ball who I just love. I think they could very well be starting for us one day. Chris Duncan has all the tools to develop into a power hitting first baseman. He is not good defensively though, but that fits the typical first baseman. John Santos is also rated very high. I am thinking about moving him to another position.

Second Base - Shaun Boyd, at AAA, is probably the future here. He is rated as one the top second basemen throughout the minors. He is not ready for the show yet, but he will be soon. Mike McCoy at A could be a sleeper.

Shortstop - John Nelson is at A ball and is rated as the number 37th overall prospect in baseball. He is 24 and at A ball, so he may be a slow developer. He can also play third base. No other prospects worth mentioning.

Third Baseman - No prospects worth mentioning.

Outfield - Dee Hayes at AAA is rated as a three star prospect. He may come in and fill a void and he will get the chance to start somewhere someday. Jose Iglesis is another guy to keep a watch on. He is at AA. Rick Asadoorian is at A and is a Top 100 prospect. He has a very bright future as a centerfielder. We will look to get some depth in the outfield.

<b>Up Next:</b> Front Office Overview

[GoldenEagle]

<B>St. Louis Cardinals - Front Office Overview</b>

Team Market: Below Average
Fan Loyalty: Very Good
Payroll: $59,115,800 (9th)
TV Deal: $30,000,000

We will have to reach a pretty high attendance figure to break even. Well, not as high I think.

<b>Up Next:</b> The Season Begins

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 1</b>

The Cardinals opened the season by sweeping the Brewers in three games. It was a positive way to star off the season, obviously. I was impressed with the starting pitching, especially Matt Morris. We then proceeded to take two of three against Houston, who will probably be our arch rivals in the division for years to come.

Eli Marrero had an impressive week batting .333 with 3 home runs and driving in five. If he continues to hit like this, we will have to find a spot for him somewhere.

Line of the week went to Garret Stephenson, who pitched 8.1 innings against Houston with 5 strikeouts and giving up just one run. He earned the win.

<b>Stat Leaders</b>

Batting Avg. - Marrero .333
Homeruns - Marrero 3
RBI’s - Rolen 6
Runs Scored - 6
Stolen Bases - Pujos 1
ERA - Stephenson 1.08
Strikeouts - Morris 18

Pitching has been the name of the game as we have the best ERA in the league. Our offense has not been producing but that will change.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Teams off to a hot start:
St. Louis 5-1
Cleveland 5-1
Boston 5-2

Jim Thome won the NL Player of the week, batting .526 with 2 HR and 6 RBIs

Manny Ramirez won the AL player of the week, hitting. .481

[GoldenEagle]

Before I go any further, I wanted to examine some long term and short term goals for the Cardinal franchise. We should turn a profit this season but we several free agents and money will become an issue.\

Short Term Goals:
-Solidifying the rotation. They boys are throwing the ball well so far, but this may or may not change. We will be in the market for one or two starters depending on how the staff continues to throw.
-Getting the team to hit. I know it is early in the season and this might not be a real concern. But I don’t think pitching will carry us the entire season and we can not afford for our hitting to slack off.
-Drafting well in the June 1st amateur draft. This will be the first draft under my leadership and is imperative to fill out some of the needs in our system. I have no idea what the talent is like, but drafting well is key.
-Acquiring a couple of defensive role players. These guys need to come off the bench in late situations. Our bullpen has a tendency to give up hits and good defense will cut down on this.

Long Term Goals:
-Signing Albert Pujos to a long term deal. Right now, he is requesting two years at $11 million each year. We have no problem giving him money but it has to be for the long term.
-Continued development of our minor league system. Again, production from our system can not drop off. You can never have too many prospects. In five years from now, I want to have a top 5 farm system.
-Finding starting pitching for the future. Woody Williams is getting old and Matt Morris is a free agent after next year and I have a feeling he is going to want more than we can offer. We have some studs in the system but will they be ready in time?

[GoldenEagle]

Week 2

We started out the week by traveling west and play the Colorado Rockies. We took the first game from the Rockies 11-7. Woody Williams was credited with the win. However, not all was well as we dropped our next to at Colorado. Both could be considered offensive slugfests.

Next up we traveled to Houston for a weekend series with the Astros. We dropped the first two but managed to rescue ourselves from being swept by rallying off Billy Wagner. The win improved us to 7-5.

Here is a glance at our current pitchers and what they have done so far:

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Matt Morris 35 SP 8/9/1974 Right Right 3.86 1 1 0 1.24
Woody Williams 19 SP 8/19/1966 Right Right 5.49 2 0 0 1.27
Brett Tomko 80 SP 4/7/1973 Right Right 7.84 0 0 0 1.55
Jason Simontacchi 46 SP 11/13/1973 Right Right 7.30 0 2 0 1.62
Garrett Stephenson 55 SP 1/2/1972 Right Right 3.97 1 1 0 1.15
RELIEVERS
Mike Crudale 54 MR 1/3/1977 Right Right 1.69 2 0 0 5
Lance Painter 94 MR 7/21/1967 Left Left 12.00 0 0 0 7
Dustin Hermanson 52 MR 12/21/1972 Right Right 2.70 0 0 0 5
Steve Kline 49 CL 8/22/1972 Both Left 1.13 0 1 3 4
Jeff Fassero 13 MR 1/5/1963 Left Left 5.79 0 0 1 4
Russ Springer 48 MR 11/4/1968 Right Right 5.14 1 0 0 3



As you can see, the numbers are high. I think they are inflated do to the trip to Coors Field this early in the season. You can probably say the same for out batter, which are as follow:

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Mike Matheny 22 C 9/22/1970 Right Right .250 0 1 0 .557
Mark Gurrola 86 C 9/24/1975 Right Right .500 0 0 0 1.667
INFIELDER
Tino Martinez 21 1B 12/7/1967 Left Right .263 3 9 0 .852
Fernando Vina 4 2B 4/16/1969 Left Right .310 0 10 0 .730
Scott Rolen 27 3B 4/4/1975 Right Right .261 3 11 0 .917
Edgar Renteria 3 SS 8/7/1975 Right Right .265 0 4 0 .641
Miguel Cairo 41 2B 5/4/1974 Right Right .125 0 0 0 .347
Wilson Delgado 47 SS 7/15/1972 Both Right .000 0 0 0 .000
OUTFIELDER
Albert Pujols 5 LF 1/16/1980 Right Right .444 5 12 1 1.408
Jim Edmonds 15 CF 6/27/1970 Left Left .326 0 3 0 .947
Orlando Palmeiro 10 LF 1/19/1969 Left Right .333 0 2 1 1.010
Kerry Robinson 0 CF 10/3/1973 Left Left .500 0 0 1 1.167
Eduardo Perez 33 RF 9/11/1969 Right Right .143 0 0 0 .286
Eli Marrero 26 RF 11/17/1973 Right Right .333 5 14 0 1.023



Some players are hitting the ball well. Tino has been a surprise
thus far this season. I will try to update the stats every two weeks.

Around MLB

On April 3rd, Sammy Sosa hit is 500th career homerun. Congratulations to Sammy.

Jamie Moyer of the Seattle Mariners through a one hit shut out over the White Sox on April 8th.

Boston’s Todd Walker gathered AL Player of the Week honors. He hit .545 with 3 Hrs and 9 RBIs.

The Cardinals own Albert Pujos won the NL honors. He hit .583 with 4 Hrs and 9 RBIs.

[MizzouRah]

How is this going? I hope you're not done.


Todd

[GoldenEagle]

No, I am just till trying to feel my way around OOTP before contiuning. I do not want to make a huge mistake and you all laugh at me. :D

[MizzouRah]

:)

[Swaggs]

In case you did not know, you can check the available talent in the upcoming draft under the "News" section. You can also find out your team's overall farm system rating and which of your minor leaguers are in the league's top 100 prospects.

[GoldenEagle]

Week 3

We opened a NL Central series on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers. We lost the first game 4-3. Tomoko pitched better, but is still not up to par. We lost the second game 4-1. We managed to win the final game 10-4. Matt Morris got the win.

For the next series, we hosted the Diamondbacks. The first game we had arguably our best pitcher in Woody Williams. We lost the game 3-2 on an unearned run. The second game of the series we won 6-0, as Tomoko threw a complete game shut out. The third game saw us take a 12-10 victory in an offensive shoot out. Pujos hit his 6th home run

That brings our record to 10-8, currently 2.5 games back of the Chicago Cubs

Transactions

The team place AAA Les Walrond on the DL. Prospect Rhett Parrot was called up from AA Tennessee to take his place.

Around MLB

Al player of the week was Ellis Burks. The NL player of the week was Moises Alou. Burks hit 3 homeruns in one game.

Florida acquired P Ben Weber and a prospect from Anaheim in exchange for C Ramon Castro.

The Brewers picked up SS Alex Gonzalez from Chicago in exchange for two prospects.

Swaggs - thanks for the tip.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 4</b>

We started out the week by having a day off. We then traveled to Atlanta and opened up a 3 game series. In the first game, we came up on the losing end 8-3. Matt Morris did not throw the ball well, lasting 4 innings and giving up 5 runs. We lost the second game of the series 4-1. We gave 2 unearned runs in addition to giving up 2 others in the first game. This is starting to become a concern. We took the final game of the series 8-7, despite starter Brett Tomoko getting hammered for 5 runs in the bottom of the first.

Next we swung down to Florida for a three game series there. The first game we won 5-4. Our bullpen is starting to get fatigued and I hope new injuries come out of it. The second game we won 5-1. Starter Simontachi threw 7 strong innings. The third game we won 8-3, again getting 7 innings from starter Morris. SS Renterina hit two home runs, bringing his season total to 4.

This brings our season total to 14 wins and 10 losses.

<b>Transactions</b>

We activated C Steve Torrebella and assigned him to AA Tennessee.

We activated C Joe Girardi and place him on the active roster. C Gurrola was sent to AAA.

We signed free agent pitcher Julio Santana and assigned him to A Palm Beach.

<b>Around MLB</b>

The AL player of the week was Rafael Palmeiro. The NL player of the week was Sammy Sosa.

Curt Schilling threw a perfect game in his latest outing against the Expos.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 5</b>

We opened up the week with a series against the New York Mets. We won the game 8-3. Williams pitched well enough to win, but not great. The second game we won 12-5. Edmonds hit two home runs and drove in 6 RBIs. Tomoko again struggled, throwing six innings and giving up 4 runs. The third game we got beat 15-0. Not much to say about that.

Continuing with NL East opponents, the Expos came to town. We won Game 1 by a score of 1-0. Morris threw a gem, giving up only 3 hits in the complete game. We won Game 2 by scoring six runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 7-6. Eduardo Perez had a game winning triple. We lost game 3 in extra innings 10-7. Jeff Farraseo took the loss, after Steve Kline blew the save.

We are now 18-12, still 2.5 games back of the Cubs

Here is our updated stats:

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Mike Matheny 22 C 9/22/1970 Right Right .164 0 2 0 .395
Joe Girardi 10 C 10/14/1964 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
INFIELDER
Tino Martinez 21 1B 12/7/1967 Left Right .283 5 22 0 .852
Fernando Vina 4 2B 4/16/1969 Left Right .328 0 18 2 .774
Scott Rolen 27 3B 4/4/1975 Right Right .241 3 24 0 .788
Edgar Renteria 3 SS 8/7/1975 Right Right .301 2 20 5 .805
Miguel Cairo 41 2B 5/4/1974 Right Right .167 0 4 0 .405
Wilson Delgado 47 SS 7/15/1972 Both Right .200 0 0 0 .800
OUTFIELDER
Albert Pujols 5 LF 1/16/1980 Right Right .389 7 24 1 1.154
Jim Edmonds 15 CF 6/27/1970 Left Left .290 6 19 0 .981
Orlando Palmeiro 10 LF 1/19/1969 Left Right .300 0 5 1 .764
Kerry Robinson 0 CF 10/3/1973 Left Left .375 0 1 4 .787
Eduardo Perez 33 RF 9/11/1969 Right Right .200 0 2 0 .579
Eli Marrero 26 RF 11/17/1973 Right Right .264 6 20 2 .773

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Matt Morris 35 SP 8/9/1974 Right Right 3.26 4 2 0 1.06
Woody Williams 19 SP 8/19/1966 Right Right 4.20 3 2 0 1.27
Brett Tomko 80 SP 4/7/1973 Right Right 5.67 1 0 0 1.35
Jason Simontacchi 46 SP 11/13/1973 Right Right 5.67 1 2 0 1.52
Garrett Stephenson 55 SP 1/2/1972 Right Right 6.75 1 3 0 1.68
RELIEVERS
Mike Crudale 54 MR 1/3/1977 Right Right 1.69 5 0 0 10
Lance Painter 94 MR 7/21/1967 Left Left 7.16 0 1 0 16
Dustin Hermanson 52 MR 12/21/1972 Right Right 7.58 0 0 0 19
Steve Kline 49 CL 8/22/1972 Both Left 3.00 0 1 5 8
Jeff Fassero 13 MR 1/5/1963 Left Left 2.92 1 1 1 8
Russ Springer 48 MR 11/4/1968 Right Right 2.75 2 0 1 11

We tried to work a deal for Denny Neagle, but Colorado wanted too much.

<b>Around MLB</b>

The hitters of the month went to Manny Ramirez in the AL and Sammy Sosa in the NL. Pedro Martinez completed the sweep for Boston, receiving AL pitcher of the month. Randy Johnson won the NL award.

Edgar Martinez and Jeff Bagwell each had their 2,000th career hit.

Al player of the week went to Alex Rodriguez. NL player of the week went to Barry Bonds.

A trade between Seattle and Boston sent 1B Greg Colbrunn to Boston and a porspect outfielder in exchange for Kevin Millar.

Anaheim also sent 1B Scott Spezio to the Giants in exchange for three prospects.

If anyone wants to know who any of the prospects are, please let me know.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 6</b>

We opened up Week 6 with a series at divisional rival Cincinnati. Tomko was credited with the win, after throwing 7 innings and giving up 2 runs. We dropped game 2 of the series, 3-2. Steve Kline took the loss. Cincy won the third game 5-3. Matt Morris did not pitch well at all. We lost the 4th game of the series byt the score of 6-5. Hermanson took the loss from the bullpen.

We then played a critical series against the Chicago Cubs. We took game 1 by a score of 5-3. Williams earned the victory. In game two, we wasted a great starting out by Brett Tomko and lost 1-0. Kline took the loss in the bottom of the ninth. In game three, Kline blew another save after a great start by Stephenson. The final score was 4-3.

<b>Transactions</b>

P Jason Isranhaugsen and OF JD Drew were activated from the DL. P Hermanson and OF Perez were both sent to AAA Memphis. P Dan Harren, one of our better prospects was called up to AAA Memphis.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Rafel Palmeiro hit his 500th home run.

Sammy Sosa hit his 2,000th career hit. He has a shot at 3,000 for his career, although I would be surprised if he gets it.

Alex Rodriguez won his second straight AL player of the week. The NL award went to youngster Adam Dunn.

Montreal sent OF Will Cordero to San Diego in exchange for three prospects.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 7</b>

Like Week 6, we also started this week off with a series with the Reds. We took game 1,8 -5. Edmonds had two home runs to give him 10 for the year. Kline picked up his 6th save of the year. We won game 2 by a score of 11-0. Williams won the game with Pujos providing the offensive fireworks. Game three we brought out the brooms and got the sweep with a 4-1 victory. Tomko threw seven strong innings. Isringhausen pitched for the first time this year and picked up the save.

Next up we met the first place Cubs. We lost the first game 3-2. Stephenson threw ok, but only went for 4 and 2/3 innings. The second game we lost 6-5. Lance Painter took the loss in extra innings. We avoided the sweep by winning the final game 2-1 off of a gem by Morris. Isringhausen got his second save.

With JD Drew activated, he will start in right field. Marrero will make the move to behind the plate, as Matheny is not hitting the ball at all this year.

<b>Transactions</b>

P Julio Santana made the jump all the way from A Palm Beach to AAA Memphis.

We picked up RHP Mike Timlin after he was released for $359,000 at a one year deal. In 13 games this season, Timlin has a 1.89 ERA. LHP Painter was optioned to AAA Memphis.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Atlanta’s Chipper Jones was injured for eight weeks. Kris Benson of the Pirates and Vladmir Gurrero of the Expos also were injured and will miss 5-6 weeks.

Larry Walker and Mike Sweeny each hit for the cycle, respectively.

Toronto’s Erik Hinskie and Colorado’s Todd Helton won the players of the week.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 8</b>

Week 8 started out with a final game against the Cubs. We won 8-1. Williams threw the ball very well. Martinez slapped a home run off former Cardinal Dave Veras.

Next up we traveled to Houston for a series against the Astros. We lost the first game, 4-2. Tomko started and pitched decent. He seems to be very inconsistent. We lost game 2 4-0. Stephenson took the loss to drop to 1-5. We avoided getting swept by winning game 3, 7-3. Simontacchi threw the bal well and Edmonds smacked two home runs to bring his season total to 14.

We next began a series at Pittsburgh, another NL Central foe. Game one was won in extra innings 3-2. Morris worked 6 innings nicely. In game two the breaks went their way and we wasted a great start by Williams to lose 3-2. We won game 3 by a score of 5-3. Tomko worked 8 innings to improve his record to 4-1.

<b>Transactions</b>

We moved P Les Warlond to AA. He is not really a prospect and may be released after the upcoming draft. He is just a minor league ‘filler’.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Ellis Burks and Sammy Sosa were awarded with their second player of the week awards.

A couple of veteran third basemen were released in Matt Williams and Todd Zeile.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>MLB Amateur Draft</b>

Yep, that is right. It is time for the annual June 1st MLB Draft. Baltimore owns the first pick. The Cardinals will pick 25th in the 10 round draft. After the draft, we will clean up our minor league system. With the first pick of the draft, Baltimore selected SS Patrick Woodby. Anyway, on to the Cardinals picks.

<b>First Round</b> - RF Matt Murton. Matt is rated a 5 star prospect. He can play left field and right field equally. He has a great arm. He hits for average very well and can go yard as well. Matt is twenty years old.

<b>Second Round</b> - LHP Kai Hideo. I debated taking this guy in the first round and was really surprised to see him still on the board. Hideo will be our future closer, and is another 5 star prospect. He is 19 years of age.

<b>Third Round</b> - RHP David Anderson. In another attempt to improve our bullpen for the future, we selected RHP David Anderson, rated a four star prospect. He should be a good reliever one and is rated at brilliant at giving up hits. He is 22 years of age.

<b>Fourth Round</b> - RF Thomas Drew. Drew is a three star prospect and is rated as a really good hitter. He is primary position is right field, but can play center field in a pinch. Thomas is 18 years of age.

<b>Fifth Round</b> - RF Justin Reimers. This could be the steal of the draft. Justin is an all around balanced player and hit’s the ball really well. He can play all three outfield positions. He has a gun in the outfield and I think he will be very valuable to our organization one day.

<b>Sixth Round</b> - RHP Gaby Riojas. Gaby is a right handed pitcher who will be called on out of the bullpen. He has good stamina and should be a very good middle reliever in the future. Gaby is 21 years old.

<b>Seventh Round</b> - RHP Timothy Kinnear. Timothy is a guy who will add more depth to the already deep starting pitchers we have in our minors. He is a 4 star prospect and I think was a good pick up. He is 22 years old.

<b>Eighth Round</b> - 2B Andre Garza. Andre fills a need at second base and gives us some insurance incase Shaun Boyd does not make it. He is a decent prospect and should have a shot at the bigs some day. Andre is 23 years old.

<b>Ninth Round</b> - RHP Aaron Nathan. There is no way a prospect like Nathan should be on the board this late. I can not believe I missed him. Nathan is 20 years old and a four and half star prospect.

<b>Tenth Round</b> - RHP Douglas Garfinkel. Not only does Garfinkel have a cool name, he can also get hitters out. He will be used as a reliever and is currently 18 years of age.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 9</b>

Week Nine started off with a series against the Houston Astros. Stephenson pitched effectively to get the win, 10-3. Tino Martinez continues to swing the bat well. We took game 2 by the score of 10-1. Simontachi was credited with the win, throwing very well. JD Drew hit his first home run of the year. Houston won game 3 5-4, after an Isringhausen blown save.

Pittsburgh came to town for our next series. They won game 1 by the score of 5-1. Williams was the loser. We won game 2 by the score of 14-7. Tomko started great but struggled toward the end of the game. Rolen hit two homeruns. We took game 3 by the score of 8-5. Stephenson threw 5 innings and got the win.

Here is a glance at the standings:


AL Standings


Eastern Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
New York (A) 39 18 .684 - 39-18 0 22-7 17-11 4-1 11-7 95 W3 8-2
Boston 27 29 .482 11.5 32-24 -5 13-15 14-14 2-6 4-8 - L2 4-6
Baltimore 24 32 .429 14.5 20-36 4 11-17 13-15 4-1 9-6 - W3 4-6
Toronto 23 35 .397 16.5 24-34 -1 14-14 9-21 1-2 6-12 - W2 4-6
Tampa Bay 20 36 .357 18.5 21-35 -1 10-18 10-18 2-1 7-12 - L11 0-10


Central Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Minnesota 34 22 .607 - 31-25 3 21-8 13-14 2-4 6-6 99 W6 8-2
Cleveland 27 30 .474 7.5 25-32 2 12-17 15-13 1-3 8-5 - L1 6-4
Kansas City 27 30 .474 7.5 25-32 2 12-16 15-14 4-1 10-8 - L1 3-7
Chicago (A) 23 33 .411 11.0 24-32 -1 12-16 11-17 0-5 7-8 - W1 5-5
Detroit 18 37 .327 15.5 20-35 -2 10-17 8-20 2-2 7-8 - L4 3-7


Western Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Texas 35 20 .636 - 36-19 -1 20-8 15-12 1-2 9-9 106 L3 6-4
Seattle 33 22 .600 2.0 31-24 2 18-10 15-12 3-0 10-5 - L4 4-6
Anaheim 31 24 .564 4.0 30-25 1 16-11 15-13 3-0 8-7 - W10 10-0
Oakland 31 24 .564 4.0 29-26 2 16-11 15-13 2-3 6-7 - W1 5-5


NL Standings


Eastern Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Philadelphia 34 22 .607 - 33-23 1 16-12 18-10 4-3 9-8 105 L1 6-4
Montreal 33 24 .579 1.5 35-22 -2 17-11 16-13 3-2 9-8 - W1 6-4
Atlanta 29 27 .518 5.0 29-27 0 17-11 12-16 2-2 7-9 - W2 8-2
New York (N) 25 31 .446 9.0 25-31 0 13-14 12-17 2-4 11-12 - L2 2-8
Florida 24 34 .414 11.0 26-32 -2 9-19 15-15 3-5 6-9 - L2 5-5


Central Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Chicago (N) 39 18 .684 - 36-21 3 20-8 19-10 4-0 15-5 100 W1 7-3
St. Louis 32 24 .571 6.5 34-22 -2 20-8 12-16 3-4 9-11 - W2 7-3
Houston 27 30 .474 12.0 26-31 1 16-12 11-18 2-2 8-8 - L1 3-7
Milwaukee 25 31 .446 13.5 25-31 0 14-15 11-16 4-4 10-10 - L1 6-4
Cincinnati 24 32 .429 14.5 20-36 4 12-16 12-16 1-1 10-4 - W2 3-7
Pittsburgh 20 36 .357 18.5 23-33 -3 10-18 10-18 3-3 8-12 - L2 3-7


Western Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
San Francisco 33 23 .589 - 31-25 2 18-10 15-13 2-4 7-8 103 W6 7-3
Los Angeles 30 27 .526 3.5 30-27 0 15-13 15-14 3-3 11-11 - W1 4-6
Arizona 28 28 .500 5.0 28-28 0 17-13 11-15 3-5 11-10 - W1 5-5
Colorado 26 31 .456 7.5 26-31 0 12-17 14-14 5-0 6-8 - L3 4-6
San Diego 23 34 .404 10.5 27-30 -4 14-15 9-19 0-2 4-8 - L1 4-6


Here is my updated player stats:

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS Mike Matheny 22 C 9/22/1970 Right Right .178 1 9 0 .464
Joe Girardi 10 C 10/14/1964 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
INFIELDER
Tino Martinez 21 1B 12/7/1967 Left Right .305 10 44 0 .872
Fernando Vina 4 2B 4/16/1969 Left Right .301 0 26 5 .709
Scott Rolen 27 3B 4/4/1975 Right Right .248 7 45 3 .776
Edgar Renteria 3 SS 8/7/1975 Right Right .278 6 31 8 .787
Miguel Cairo 41 2B 5/4/1974 Right Right .167 0 5 0 .399
Wilson Delgado 47 SS 7/15/1972 Both Right .192 0 0 0 .462
OUTFIELDER
Albert Pujols 5 LF 1/16/1980 Right Right .343 12 38 1 1.031
Jim Edmonds 15 CF 6/27/1970 Left Left .321 16 41 0 1.075
Orlando Palmeiro 10 LF 1/19/1969 Left Right .262 0 7 1 .659
Kerry Robinson 0 CF 10/3/1973 Left Left .268 0 3 4 .611
J.D. Drew 7 RF 11/20/1975 Left Right .388 1 8 1 1.013
Eli Marrero 26 RF 11/17/1973 Right Right .258 9 29 4 .743

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Matt Morris 35 SP 8/9/1974 Right Right 3.43 5 3 0 0.99
Woody Williams 19 SP 8/19/1966 Right Right 3.40 6 3 0 1.12
Brett Tomko 80 SP 4/7/1973 Right Right 4.44 5 1 0 1.14
Jason Simontacchi 46 SP 11/13/1973 Right Right 3.88 3 2 0 1.38
Garrett Stephenson 55 SP 1/2/1972 Right Right 4.69 3 5 0 1.29
RELIEVERS
Mike Crudale 54 MR 1/3/1977 Right Right 1.07 5 0 0 17
Mike Timlin 51 MR 3/10/1966 Right Right 2.73 0 3 1 13
Jason Isringhausen 44 CL 9/7/1972 Right Right 3.86 1 1 4 5
Steve Kline 49 MR 8/22/1972 Both Left 4.29 1 3 6 14
Jeff Fassero 13 MR 1/5/1963 Left Left 3.32 1 1 2 12
Russ Springer 48 MR 11/4/1968 Right Right 2.45 2 0 1 16

<b>Transactions</b>

We assigned all draft players to A Palm Beach. We also released some minor leaguers.

Rick Ainkel was promoted from AA Tennessee to AAA Memphis.

P Wilson Cipari was promoted from A Palm Beach to AA Tennessee.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Troy Glaus was the winner of the AL player of the week. The Cardinals own Scot Rolen, who hit .375 with 3HR and 15 RBIs, was the NL player of the week.

The Phillies Jimmy Rollins hit for the cycle.

AL hitter of the month for May went to the Yankees Alfonso Soriano. The NL award went to Barry Bonds.

Glendon Roush was named the NL pitcher of the month. Rick Reed of the Twins won the AL award.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 10</b>

Week 10 brought the onset of interleague play for the first time this season. We opened up with a home series against the Toronto Blue Jays. We dropped game 1, 3-1. Morris threw a complete game but was the tough luck loser. We managed to win the second game 8-6. Williams started and pitched decent. Pujos hit his 13th homerun of the season. Game 3 was won easily, 11-1. Tomko improved his record to 6-1. Rolen and Marrero each hit homeruns.

Next up, Baltimore came to town. We lost the first game by a score of 3-1. Stephenson started and pitched well. The second game we won, 7-3. Simontacchi pitched brilliant, throwing a complete game. Marrero drove in 6 runs. Game three was a pitcher’s duel which we won 2-1. Morris threw the ball extremely well.

<b>Transactions</b>

LHP Hideo was promoted to AA Tennessee after dominating at A ball.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Alfonso Soriano and Mo Vaughn were the winners of the players of the week.

In a trade the Pirates picked up 2B prospect Bobby Hall from the Cubs for 3B Aramis Ramirez and a couple of decent prospects.

Minnesota picked Dimitri Young from Detroit for a couple of prospects.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 11</b>

Interleague play continued as we traveled to historic Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox. We dropped the first game of the series, 6-5. Williams started the game but did not throw the ball well. We managed to take game 2 with a 6-3 win. Tomko improved to 7-1 with a good outing. Game three was lost 7 to 1. Stephenson took the loss.

Next we started a series with the Yankees. In Game 1, Morris threw the ball so well but got the loss by a score of 1-0. The second game we won 15-1. Simontacchi got the start and threw the ball very well. He will move to the number 4 spot after this game. Edmonds hit his 17th homerun of the season. We lost game 3, 2-1, in another pitchers duel. Williams started but, again, got credited with the loss.

<b>Transactions</b>

We made a trade with the struggling Pirates. We picked up OF Matt Stairs in exchange for OF Alex Ocha. Stairs, like his former team, struggled hit only .167. But we hope a change of scenery help him out and it adds a left handed hitter to our bench. Ocha spent the whole season in AAA.

<b>Around MLB</b>

John Olrued hit his 2,000th career hit.

The Astros suffered a set back when starter Roy Oswalt was injured for six weeks.

Manny Ramirez won the AL player of the week. The NL honor went to Cliff Floyd.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 12</b>

We returned to play in the National League with a series against the Milwaukee Brewers. We took game 1 11-6. Tomko started but was chased after 5 innings. Game 2 was little less fireworks as we won by the score of 2-0. Stephenson, who just recently was moved to the 5th starter, got the call and threw well. Morris got the call in game 3 and we won by the score of 5-4. Morris pitched 5 innings and the bullpen held on for the win. We brought out the broom sticks for the 4 game sweep in game 4, winning 5-1. Simontacchi again threw the ball very well. I have been real impressed with him so far.

We then played a series against cross state foe Kansas City. We lost game 1, 8-3. Williams did not throw the ball well and has been struggling as of late. Game 2 saw us lose again by a score of 2-1. Tomko threw well but got the loss. We avoided the sweep in game 3 by a score of 7-6. Stephenson started, but Farraseo got the win out of the bullpen.

<b>Transactions</b>

OF prospect Rick Asadoorin was promoted to AA Tennessee.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Omar Vizquel and Ruben Sirrea had their 2,000th career hits.

Raul Ibanez won the AL player of the week. The NL winner was Todd Helton.

Florida sent CF Juan Enacarnacion to the White Sox for P Jon Garland.

And in a blockbuster, the Cubs sent P Kerry Wood and a couple of decent prospects to Toronto for 1B Josh Phelps. I can not figure this one out. Why would the Cubs, in first place, send their pitching ace to Toronto for a mediocre first baseman? I don’t get it.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 13</b>

The week started off with a series against the Reds. We took game 1 by the score of 10 to 1. Morris threw 8 strong innings. He also hit his first homerun of the season. He is actually hitting .219. The second game we lost 5-3. Williams got the start and gave us 7 innings only allowing one earned run. Isringhausen blew a save giving up 4 hits 4 runs, however, only one was earned. Vina made a critical error at second base. We took game 3 by the score of 8-7. Tomko gave us 7 innings giving up 4 runs. Pujos slammed his 16th homerun of the year and had 5 hits.

Interleague play resumed, this time we traveled to Kansas City. We won game 1, 10-1. Simontacchi threw a complete game. His ERA now is a sparkling 2.85. We lost game 2 by a score of 12-9. Stephenson lasted only 2/3 of an inning and we wasted a 5 run first inning. We managed to win game 3 by the score of 5-1. Morris pitched well.

<b>Around MLB</b>

The Yankees Jason Giambi received AL player of the week. The NL award went to Vladmir Gurrero.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 14</b>

The week started off with a trade offer from Tampa Bay. Tampa wanted to send us 1B Travis Lee and a 2 and ½ star prospect for Eli Marrero. No thanks. We flirted with the idea of picking up Kurt Ainsworth and/or Rob Nen from the Giants, since they were placed on the trading block. I don’t think we have what it takes to get a deal done though.

The week starts off as we host the San Francisco Giants. Mike Crudale got the win in the first game, improving his record to 6-0 out of the bullpen. The final score was 2-1. We took game 2 by a score of 7-6.. Crudale again got the win. Tomko started and did not have one of his better outings. Game 3 saw us 7-0. Simontacchi continued to throw like a legend, 6 innings of near perfect ball. In game 4 we completed the sweep by winning 4-1. Stephenson started and threw pretty well.

Next up we began a key series with the first place Cubs. We lost game 1 by the score of 6 to 4. Morris started by didn’t pitch well. We rallied to take game 2 5-4 by scoring 3 runs in the top of the ninth. Williams started and is throwing better. We lost game 3 by the score of 6-3. Tomko got the loss.

<b>Around MLB</b>

The Cardinals own Jason Simontacchi was the winner of the NL pitcher of the month. Jason was 4-0 with 1.16 ERA in 32.2 innings pitched. David Wells got the AL award.

The hitters of the month went to Todd Helton and Manny Ramirez.

The players of the week were Arizona’s Junior Spivey and Kansas City’s Carlos Beltran.

The Reds acquired 1B Shawn Wooten from the Angels in exchange for a 1st baseman prospect.

The Brewers got 2B Pokey Resse from the Pirates for P Mike Dejean and a really good 1st base prospect as well as another prospect.

The Dodgers picked up veteran pitcher Pete Walker from the Blue Jays in exchange for three really good prospects. The Dodgers got ripped in this deal.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 15</b>

Week 15 starts off with a west coast trip and will take us all the way up to all star break. Our first opponent is the Giants. Game 1 saw Simontachhi take to the mound and again, throw the ball great picking up the win by the score of 5-2. Game 2 we were not as lucky as we lost 3-2. Stephenson took the loss and I think we are going to option him down to AAA. We only played a 2 game series.

Next up we took on the Dodgers in LA. Morris got the call and we won 13-7. We hit six doubles in the game. We lost game 2 by a score of 3-1. Williams was the tough luck loser. He is 7-6 with a 3.44 ERA. We don’t seem to hit when he pitches. This was another 2 game series.

Next up we hit San Diego for a series with the Padres. Game 1 we lost by the score of 3-2. Tomko pitched well but received the loss. We won game 2 by the score of 10-0. Simontacchi pitched great again, throwing 8 scoreless innings giving up only 4 hits. We lost game 3 7-5. Stephenson again got roped in the loss.

At the All-Star Break, here are the standings:

AL Standings


Eastern Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
New York (A) 64 31 .674 - 62-33 2 31-14 33-17 7-2 16-10 55 L2 5-5
Boston 51 44 .537 13.0 56-39 -5 23-18 28-26 3-8 9-14 - L1 6-4
Toronto 45 50 .474 19.0 44-51 1 24-23 21-27 6-3 12-16 - W2 6-4
Baltimore 40 53 .430 23.0 35-58 5 20-26 20-27 5-2 13-10 - L2 5-5
Tampa Bay 32 61 .344 31.0 36-57 -4 12-35 20-26 2-3 10-16 - W4 4-6


Central Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Minnesota 52 41 .559 - 51-42 1 28-17 24-24 5-7 8-16 66 W1 5-5
Chicago (A) 49 45 .521 3.5 48-46 1 24-20 25-25 4-5 16-12 - L1 8-2
Kansas City 40 54 .426 12.5 40-54 0 20-27 20-27 6-3 16-17 - W1 3-7
Cleveland 40 55 .421 13.0 38-57 2 18-30 22-25 2-7 13-14 - W1 2-8
Detroit 33 60 .355 19.0 33-60 0 16-32 17-28 4-4 12-11 - W1 5-5


Western Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Oakland 56 37 .602 - 53-40 3 32-20 24-17 3-3 10-13 68 W2 7-3
Anaheim 54 39 .581 2.0 49-44 5 30-19 24-20 4-2 18-11 - L1 6-4
Texas 52 41 .559 4.0 57-36 -5 29-21 23-20 2-5 15-17 - L1 5-5
Seattle 49 44 .527 7.0 48-45 1 25-22 24-22 4-2 15-11 - L3 3-7



NL Standings


Eastern Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Montreal 52 42 .553 - 54-40 -2 27-19 25-23 5-4 16-13 69 W2 6-4
Philadelphia 52 42 .553 - 51-43 1 24-23 28-19 7-4 16-16 69 W3 5-5
Atlanta 45 49 .479 7.0 47-47 -2 24-20 21-29 2-7 12-16 - L6 2-8
Florida 44 51 .463 8.5 45-50 -1 17-27 27-24 5-8 9-15 - L2 5-5
New York (N) 40 54 .426 12.0 42-52 -2 23-26 17-28 6-4 17-18 - L3 3-7


Central Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Chicago (N) 60 36 .625 - 56-40 4 32-18 28-18 6-1 22-10 63 W4 7-3
St. Louis 55 40 .579 4.5 60-35 -5 33-16 22-24 6-4 16-17 - L1 4-6
Houston 49 45 .521 10.0 47-47 2 29-21 20-24 3-2 15-10 - W1 7-3
Cincinnati 46 48 .489 13.0 40-54 6 23-21 23-27 1-2 19-10 - W3 7-3
Milwaukee 39 55 .415 20.0 40-54 -1 22-30 17-25 6-7 17-21 - L3 3-7
Pittsburgh 36 57 .387 22.5 38-55 -2 16-30 20-27 3-4 10-15 - L1 4-6


Western Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Los Angeles 55 39 .585 - 51-43 4 29-17 26-22 6-4 20-15 67 L2 6-4
Colorado 56 41 .577 .5 55-42 1 29-22 27-19 8-1 15-9 - W2 7-3
Arizona 48 47 .505 7.5 49-46 -1 28-21 20-26 3-7 17-18 - L1 4-6
San Francisco 42 53 .442 13.5 45-50 -3 22-21 20-32 2-6 12-20 - W1 3-7
San Diego 37 59 .385 19.0 41-55 -4 19-28 18-31 1-6 11-16 - W1 6-4



Here is our player stats at the break:

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Mike Matheny 22 C 9/22/1970 Right Right .194 1 14 0 .491
Joe Girardi 10 C 10/14/1964 Right Right .050 0 0 0 .195
INFIELDER
Tino Martinez 21 1B 12/7/1967 Left Right .282 13 57 0 .808
Fernando Vina 4 2B 4/16/1969 Left Right .290 1 39 10 .689
Scott Rolen 27 3B 4/4/1975 Right Right .249 15 74 3 .811
Edgar Renteria 3 SS 8/7/1975 Right Right .252 6 54 13 .729
Miguel Cairo 41 2B 5/4/1974 Right Right .205 0 16 0 .513
Wilson Delgado 47 SS 7/15/1972 Both Right .271 0 2 0 .619
OUTFIELDER
Albert Pujols 5 LF 1/16/1980 Right Right .370 16 70 1 1.064
Jim Edmonds 15 CF 6/27/1970 Left Left .320 22 58 0 1.061
Orlando Palmeiro 10 LF 1/19/1969 Left Right .286 0 13 3 .707
Matt Stairs 12 RF 2/27/1968 Left Right .193 3 15 1 .612
J.D. Drew 7 RF 11/20/1975 Left Right .296 5 23 3 .849
Eli Marrero 26 RF 11/17/1973 Right Right .277 14 52 6 .787


Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Matt Morris 35 SP 8/9/1974 Right Right 3.21 9 6 0 1.11
Woody Williams 19 SP 8/19/1966 Right Right 3.44 7 6 0 1.12
Brett Tomko 80 SP 4/7/1973 Right Right 4.40 7 3 0 1.14
Jason Simontacchi 46 SP 11/13/1973 Right Right 2.41 10 2 0 1.16
Garrett Stephenson 55 SP 1/2/1972 Right Right 4.78 5 8 0 1.30
RELIEVERS
Mike Crudale 54 MR 1/3/1977 Right Right 1.66 7 0 0 31
Mike Timlin 51 MR 3/10/1966 Right Right 3.74 0 4 1 28
Jason Isringhausen 44 CL 9/7/1972 Right Right 1.96 3 3 12 13
Steve Kline 49 MR 8/22/1972 Both Left 3.29 1 3 6 15
Jeff Fassero 13 MR 1/5/1963 Left Left 4.35 3 1 2 23
Russ Springer 48 MR 11/4/1968 Right Right 3.21 3 2 1 26


Here are the St. Louis Cardinals All-stars:

Albert Pujos (3B Starter)
Jim Edmonds (CF Starter)
Scott Rolen (Reserve)
Jason Simontacchi (Pitcher)
Mike Crudale (Pitcher)

The AL won 6-2. All of the Cardinals entered the game.

<b>Transactions</b>

We did option Garret Stephenson to AAA. Rick Ainkel was called up to the majors after going 5-1 with 1.47 ERA in Memphis.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Barry Zito won AL player of the week. The NL award went to Todd Hollandsworth.

Tampa Bay picked up P Shawn Chacon and C John Schneider from Colorado for P Joe Kennedy.

Minnesota got veteran SS Rich Aurilla from the Giants for a couple of really good prospects.

Atlanta traded P Mike Hampton and a prospect to Tampa Bay for a VERY good catching prospect.

Texas dealt a couple of prospects to get 2B Brandon Phillips from Cleveland, a prospect in his own.

[MrBug708]

Sounds like another Mike Trombley deal or Terry Mullholland

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 16</b>

Week 16 is abbreviated due to the all star game. We stayed out west for a series with the Dodgers. We took game 1 by the score of 4-0 with a Matt Morris 2 hitter complete game gem. We took game 2 by the score of 4-1. Williams threw the ball well and Rolen hit his 16th homerun. Game 3 was a different story as we lost 2-0. Tomko threw the ball well but still got the tough luck loss. Game 4 was won by the good guys (us), 2-0. Simontacchi threw 6 innings of shutout baseball and the bullpen did their part.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Pedro Martinez threw a no hitter against Toronto.

Magglio Ordonez hit for the cycle, but then got injured for 5 weeks.

Roger Clemens won his 300th game.

Bobby Higginson won the AL player of the week. The NL award went to Mark Kostay.

Florida dealt Brad Penny to the Reds for OF Ruben Mateo.

The Giants traded pitcher Kurt Ainsworth for P Eric Milton and a prospect.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 17</b>

The week started off with our continued swing out west. We traveled to take on the Padres. Rick Ainkel made his famed return to the major leagues. Ainkel threw 5 innings giving up 2 run in his return. He got the win, as the Cards won 5-2. We took the second game by the score of 3-1. Morris threw 7 strong innings to pick up the win. Game 3 was also won. The score was 8-2. Williams threw the ball well and Edmonds hit his 23rd home run.

We returned home next for a four game series with the Pirates. We struggled in game 1, losing 9-3. Tomko pitched well but Isringhausen blew the save chance giving up five earned runs in the bottom of the 9th. We won game 2 by the score of 11-7. Simontacchi struggled for the first time in ages, giving up 5 runs in 4 innings. Rolen hit two homeruns. We dropped game 3 by the score of 5-2. Morris did not pitch well.

Contract negations broke down with Albert Pujos and has decided to test the market. I don’t think he will find the $25 million over 2 years that he is looking for.

<b>Transactions</b>

Relief pitchers Robert Bastia and Aaron Nathan were promoted to AA. Scott Layfield was demoted to A ball.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Eric Chavez was the AL player of the week. Jason Lane of the Astros won the NL award.

Roger Clemens was released from the Yankees after refusing assignment. Roger was 7-4 with a 5.52 ERA.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 18</b>

Week 18 bring along the trade deadline and everything that comes with it. Rumors are circulating that the Cardinals are trying to pick up a starting pitcher and possibly Rob Nen. The rumor could be that Vina is going to be moved. We will see. First we have to finish off a series with the Pirates. We got the win 5-4. Williams threw the ball decent.

We next traveled north of the border for a series against Montreal. We took game 1, 4-0. Rick Ainkel threw very well, 8 innings, giving up 4 hits. We lost game 2 by the score of 11-2. Tomko struggled badly on the mound. Montreal took the series by winning game 3 by a score of 5-3. Simontacchi had his second straight rough outing and you begin to wonder if the numbers he put up are over with.

Next up we traveled to face the struggling Mets. We won the game 3-0. Morris got the call and pitched very well. Game 2 was also won 6-2. Williams started this one and pitched well. Pujos slapped his 23rd homerun of the season. We took game 3 6-1. Ainkel improved to 3-0 and his ERA is 1.50.

<b>Transactions</b>

We did make one deal at the deadline. We traded for 4 and half star prospect LF Jason Hart. Hart is ready for the big leagues now. We sent C Yaider Molina, 3B Joe Mather, and SS Kyle Boyer for him.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Nomar Garcipara and Brian Giles were named the hitters of the month.

Pedro Martinez and Brett Myers were awarded the pitchers of the month.

Larry Walker hit his 2,000th hit.

Carlos Pena and Austin Kearns won the players of the week.



Trade between Colorado and New York (N) :
New York (N) gets :
C Ralph Uselton
LF Trey George
2B Jayson Nix
Colorado gets :
P Dave Weathers

Trade between Philadelphia and Milwaukee :
Milwaukee gets :
3B Tyler Houston
Philadelphia gets :
C Justin Brashear
LF Mario Mendez
Trade between Baltimore and San Francisco :
San Francisco gets :
P Sidney Ponson
Baltimore gets :
P Robb Nen
Trade between Atlanta and Cleveland :
Cleveland gets :

2B Mark Derosa
Atlanta gets :
P Jason Phillips
Trade between Minnesota and Boston :
Boston gets :
C Rob Bowen
RF Trent Oeltjen
3B Terry Tiffee
Minnesota gets :
P Derek Lowe
Trade between Seattle and Texas :
Texas gets :
CF Randy Winn
Seattle gets :
3B Mark Teixeira
CF Masjid Khairy
RF Julin Charles
Trade between Atlanta and Milwaukee :
Milwaukee gets :
RF Darren Bragg
Atlanta gets :
C Tony Richie
1B Albert Anderson
Trade between Philadelphia and Baltimore :
Baltimore gets :
1B Ryan Howard
3B Kiki Fisher
Philadelphia gets :
P Kerry Ligtenberg
Trade between Boston and Colorado :
Colorado gets :
LF Jeremy Giambi
Boston gets :
1B Alberto Tatro
P Ryan Speier
Trade between Anaheim and Milwaukee :
Milwaukee gets :
2B Chone Figgins
Anaheim gets :
CF Steve Moss
C Florian Villanueva
Trade between Minnesota and Cincinnati :
Cincinnati gets :
SS Cristian Guzman
Minnesota gets :
2B Peter Stonard
SS Hector Tiburcio
LF Eyoxy Esparragoza
Cincinnati: Released SS Barry Larkin, he refused assignment to minors.
Trade between Detroit and Atlanta :
Atlanta gets :
3B Dean Palmer
Detroit gets :
P Paul Byrd
RF Shane Costa
CF Miguel Mota
Trade between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh :
Pittsburgh gets :
P Danny Graves
C Raul Dediego
Cincinnati gets :
1B Carlos Rivera
Trade between Pittsburgh and San Francisco :
San Francisco gets :
SS Jack Wilson
C Raul Dediego
Pittsburgh gets :
1B Damon Minor
Trade between Philadelphia and Colorado :
Colorado gets :
3B Placido Polanco
Philadelphia gets :
P Manuel Corpas
1B Ryan Shealy
P George Restrepo
Trade between Texas and St. Louis :
St. Louis gets :
LF Jason Hart
Texas gets :
C Yadier Molina
3B Joe Mather
SS Kyle Boyer

Trade between Tampa Bay and Cleveland :
Cleveland gets :
P Shawn Chacon
2B B.J. Upton
Tampa Bay gets :
RF Karim Garcia
Trade between Seattle and Philadelphia :
Philadelphia gets :
2B Ron Wright
Seattle gets :
3B Juan Richardson
SS Esteban De Los Santos
1B Bryan Hansen
Trade between New York (N) and Baltimore :
Baltimore gets :
C Jason Phillips
New York (N) gets :
1B Doug Gredvig
Trade between Seattle and Kansas City :
Kansas City gets :
3B Mark McLemore
Seattle gets :
2B Federico Silva
SS Andres Blanco
CF Alan Moye

Contract Extensions

Baltimore : Jerry Hairston has been signed to a contract extension, $1,928,500 per year, for 3 years.
Baltimore : Randall Simon has been signed to a contract extension, $1,434,500 per year, for 3 years.
Baltimore : Tony Batista has been signed to a contract extension, $1,111,500 per year, for 3 years.
Baltimore : Deivi Cruz has been signed to a contract extension, $631,800 per year, for 3 years.
Boston : David Ortiz has been signed to a contract extension, $992,800 per year, for 3 years.
Boston : Lou Collier has been signed to a contract extension, $641,300 per year, for 3 years.
Boston : Chad Fox has been signed to a contract extension, $959,500 per year, for 3 years.
Boston : John Burkett has been signed to a contract extension, $670,300 per year, for 1 years.
New York (A) : Andy Pettitte has been signed to a contract extension, $5,950,000 per year, for 4 years.
New York (A) : Antonio Osuna has been signed to a contract extension, $1,781,300 per year, for 3 years.
New York (A) : Al Reyes has been signed to a contract extension, $1,496,300 per year, for 3 years.
New York (A) : Willie Banks has been signed to a contract extension, $897,800 per year, for 4 years.
Tampa Bay : Ben Grieve has been signed to a contract extension, $950,000 per year, for 3 years.
Tampa Bay : Marlon Anderson has been signed to a contract extension, $703,000 per year, for 3 years.
Toronto : Frank Catalanotto has been signed to a contract extension, $2,018,800 per year, for 3 years.
Toronto : Kelvim Escobar has been signed to a contract extension, $2,612,500 per year, for 3 years.
Toronto : Bruce Aven has been signed to a contract extension, $418,000 per year, for 1 years.
Toronto : Cliff Politte has been signed to a contract extension, $1,387,000 per year, for 3 years.
Toronto : Greg Myers has been signed to a contract extension, $417,600 per year, for 1 years.
Chicago (A) : Bartolo Colon has been signed to a contract extension, $5,700,000 per year, for 4 years.
Chicago (A) : Tom Gordon has been signed to a contract extension, $3,420,000 per year, for 3 years.
Chicago (A) : Jose Valentin has been signed to a contract extension, $1,026,000 per year, for 3 years.
Chicago (A) : Sandy Alomar jr. has been signed to a contract extension, $335,200 per year, for 2 years.
Cleveland : Dave Burba has been signed to a contract extension, $464,500 per year, for 1 years.
Detroit : Paul Byrd has been signed to a contract extension, $1,083,000 per year, for 3 years.
Detroit : Shane Halter has been signed to a contract extension, $541,500 per year, for 3 years.
Detroit : A.j. Hinch has been signed to a contract extension, $300,000 per year, for 1 years.
Detroit : Jose Paniagua has been signed to a contract extension, $593,800 per year, for 3 years.
Kansas City : Carlos Febles has been signed to a contract extension, $817,000 per year, for 3 years.
Kansas City : Raul Ibanez has been signed to a contract extension, $1,173,300 per year, for 3 years.
Kansas City : Michael Tucker has been signed to a contract extension, $855,000 per year, for 3 years.
Kansas City : Mendy Lopez has been signed to a contract extension, $418,000 per year, for 2 years.
Kansas City : Jason Grimsley has been signed to a contract extension, $2,884,200 per year, for 3 years.
Kansas City : Mark McLemore has been signed to a contract extension, $682,300 per year, for 1 years.
Kansas City : Brent Mayne has been signed to a contract extension, $518,700 per year, for 3 years.
Minnesota : Eddie Guardado has been signed to a contract extension, $5,700,000 per year, for 4 years.
Minnesota : Doug Mientkiewicz has been signed to a contract extension, $646,000 per year, for 3 years.
Minnesota : Chris Gomez has been signed to a contract extension, $646,000 per year, for 3 years.
Minnesota : Rick Reed has been signed to a contract extension, $483,800 per year, for 2 years.
Minnesota : Tom Prince has been signed to a contract extension, $300,000 per year, for 1 years.
Anaheim : Brad Fullmer has been signed to a contract extension, $5,187,000 per year, for 3 years.
Anaheim : Benji Gil has been signed to a contract extension, $494,000 per year, for 2 years.
Oakland : David McCarty has been signed to a contract extension, $2,261,000 per year, for 3 years.
Oakland : Scott Hatteberg has been signed to a contract extension, $665,000 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle : Mike Cameron has been signed to a contract extension, $5,472,000 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle : Ben Davis has been signed to a contract extension, $1,928,500 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle : Arthur Rhodes has been signed to a contract extension, $2,490,900 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle : Carlos Guillen has been signed to a contract extension, $731,500 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle : Jeff Nelson has been signed to a contract extension, $1,404,500 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle : Edgar Martinez has been signed to a contract extension, $379,100 per year, for 2 years.
Seattle : Shigetoshi Hasegawa has been signed to a contract extension, $950,000 per year, for 3 years.
Texas : Ismael Valdes has been signed to a contract extension, $3,990,000 per year, for 3 years.
Texas : John Thomson has been signed to a contract extension, $3,002,000 per year, for 3 years.
Texas : Tomas Perez has been signed to a contract extension, $940,500 per year, for 3 years.
Texas : Ugueth Urbina has been signed to a contract extension, $3,150,000 per year, for 3 years.
Texas : Ron Mahay has been signed to a contract extension, $1,781,300 per year, for 3 years.
Texas : Todd Greene has been signed to a contract extension, $483,800 per year, for 2 years.
Atlanta : Greg Maddux has been signed to a contract extension, $5,781,500 per year, for 1 years.
Atlanta : Dean Palmer has been signed to a contract extension, $758,100 per year, for 4 years.
Florida : Todd Hollandsworth has been signed to a contract extension, $3,386,800 per year, for 3 years.
Florida : Mike Redmond has been signed to a contract extension, $2,612,500 per year, for 3 years.
Florida : Alex Gonzalez has been signed to a contract extension, $731,500 per year, for 3 years.
Florida : Andy Fox has been signed to a contract extension, $648,400 per year, for 3 years.
Montreal : Olmedo Saenz has been signed to a contract extension, $2,394,000 per year, for 3 years.
Montreal : Michael Barrett has been signed to a contract extension, $722,000 per year, for 3 years.
Montreal : Joey Eischen has been signed to a contract extension, $2,195,000 per year, for 3 years.
New York (N) : Armando Benitez has been signed to a contract extension, $5,937,500 per year, for 3 years.
New York (N) : Roberto Alomar has been signed to a contract extension, $5,928,000 per year, for 4 years.
New York (N) : Joe McEwing has been signed to a contract extension, $300,000 per year, for 1 years.
Philadelphia : Kevin Millwood has been signed to a contract extension, $5,415,000 per year, for 3 years.
Philadelphia : Ricky Ledee has been signed to a contract extension, $731,500 per year, for 3 years.
Philadelphia : Kerry Ligtenberg has been signed to a contract extension, $1,111,500 per year, for 3 years.
Philadelphia : Turk Wendell has been signed to a contract extension, $698,300 per year, for 4 years.
Philadelphia : Terry Adams has been signed to a contract extension, $712,500 per year, for 3 years.
Philadelphia : Jose Mesa has been signed to a contract extension, $933,700 per year, for 1 years.
Chicago (N) : Mark Bellhorn has been signed to a contract extension, $2,850,000 per year, for 3 years.
Chicago (N) : Ramon Martinez has been signed to a contract extension, $2,270,500 per year, for 3 years.
Chicago (N) : Mark Grudzielanek has been signed to a contract extension, $631,800 per year, for 3 years.
Chicago (N) : Dave Veres has been signed to a contract extension, $907,700 per year, for 4 years.
Chicago (N) : Rod Beck has been signed to a contract extension, $950,000 per year, for 3 years.
Cincinnati : Gabe White has been signed to a contract extension, $1,881,250 per year, for 3 years.
Cincinnati : Carlos Almanzar has been signed to a contract extension, $646,000 per year, for 3 years.
Cincinnati : Kelly Stinnett has been signed to a contract extension, $313,500 per year, for 1 years.
Houston : Brian Hunter has been signed to a contract extension, $2,527,000 per year, for 4 years.
Houston : Brad Ausmus has been signed to a contract extension, $641,300 per year, for 3 years.
Houston : Bruce Chen has been signed to a contract extension, $1,111,500 per year, for 3 years.
Milwaukee : Glendon Rusch has been signed to a contract extension, $1,543,800 per year, for 3 years.
Milwaukee : Darren Bragg has been signed to a contract extension, $676,900 per year, for 4 years.
Milwaukee : Valerio De los santos has been signed to a contract extension, $1,415,500 per year, for 3 years.
Milwaukee : Pokey Reese has been signed to a contract extension, $586,600 per year, for 3 years.
Milwaukee : Jeffrey Hammonds has been signed to a contract extension, $513,000 per year, for 4 years.
Milwaukee : Royce Clayton has been signed to a contract extension, $570,000 per year, for 3 years.
Pittsburgh : Alex Ochoa has been signed to a contract extension, $3,230,000 per year, for 3 years.
Pittsburgh : Mike Williams has been signed to a contract extension, $3,135,000 per year, for 3 years.
Pittsburgh : Abraham O. Nunez has been signed to a contract extension, $446,500 per year, for 1 years.
Pittsburgh : Kenny Lofton has been signed to a contract extension, $478,800 per year, for 1 years.
Arizona : Mike Myers has been signed to a contract extension, $1,781,300 per year, for 3 years.
Colorado : Jeremy Giambi has been signed to a contract extension, $2,907,000 per year, for 3 years.
Colorado : Justin Speier has been signed to a contract extension, $5,348,500 per year, for 3 years.
Colorado : Jose Hernandez has been signed to a contract extension, $4,218,000 per year, for 3 years.
Colorado : Nelson Cruz has been signed to a contract extension, $845,500 per year, for 3 years.
Colorado : Todd Jones has been signed to a contract extension, $1,482,000 per year, for 3 years.
Los Angeles : Brian Jordan has been signed to a contract extension, $2,872,800 per year, for 4 years.
Los Angeles : Hideo Nomo has been signed to a contract extension, $2,493,800 per year, for 3 years.
Los Angeles : Jolbert Cabrera has been signed to a contract extension, $693,500 per year, for 3 years.
Los Angeles : Pete Walker has been signed to a contract extension, $2,565,000 per year, for 3 years.
Los Angeles : Wilson Alvarez has been signed to a contract extension, $3,135,000 per year, for 3 years.
Los Angeles : Donne Wall has been signed to a contract extension, $305,900 per year, for 1 years.
San Diego : Gary Bennett has been signed to a contract extension, $496,400 per year, for 2 years.
San Diego : Lou Merloni has been signed to a contract extension, $361,000 per year, for 2 years.
San Francisco : Jose Cruz Jr. has been signed to a contract extension, $2,356,000 per year, for 3 years.
San Francisco : Scott Eyre has been signed to a contract extension, $2,612,500 per year, for 3 years.
San Francisco : Benito Santiago has been signed to a contract extension, $454,900 per year, for 2 years.
San Francisco : Tim Worrell has been signed to a contract extension, $598,500 per year, for 3 years.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 19</b>

Week 19 begins with a series where we host Florida. We lost the first game by the score of 3-0. Tomko threw well but we never seem to give him any offense when he pitches. We took game 2 by the score of 2-1. Morris threw shut out baseball through 7 and has really emerged as a go to pitcher. He was one of the reasons we didn’t go out and get someone at the deadline. We won game 3 by that same exact score. Williams started and worked well.

Next up the Braves came to town. We lost game 1 by the score of 7-6. Simontacchi again did not pitch well but neither did our bullpen, as evident in the 7 runs we gave up. We lost game 2 by the score of 3-2. Ainkel took his first loss. He threw 6 innings, giving up 3 runs. We got swept for the first time in what seems like ages in game 3 by the score of 6-4. Tomko started and threw ok.

<b>Transactions</b>

Chris Carpenter and Gene Stecushclife were activated from the DL and assigned to rehab in Single A ball. Unfortunately, injuries took a toll of both of their careers.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Alex Rodriguez and Lance Berkman were the winners of the players of the week.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 20</b>

Week 20 started off with a series against the Pirates. Morris got the call in game 1 and we won 5-3. Morris now has a record of 13-7. Rolen hit his 21st home run of they year. Game three we were not so lucky losing 1-0. Kris Benson turned in a magical performance against us. Williams was great for us as well. We took game three by the score of 6-4. Simontacchi threw well enough to win, lasting 7 inning giving up 3 runs. We took game 4 by a score of 11-6. We scored 6 runs in the top of the ninth. Ainkel started and turned in a decent performance.

We next traveled to Philly to face the Phillies. Game 1 was lost when our bullpen gave up two runs in the bottom of the 11th. The final score was 7-5. Tomko started but didn’t throw well. We won game 2 by the score of 4-0. Morris was again brilliant. We took game three by the score of 7-4. Williams started and pitched very well.

We are pondering whether or not to sign Fernando Vina to a contract extension. Vina is hitting .286 with 1 HR and 43 RBIs at the top of the order. He is looking for 6.3 mil over 3 years. Opinions?

I think Albert Pujos must go through arbitration before becoming a free agent. Good deal.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Jeff Bagwell and Tim Salmon won the player of the week awards.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 21</b>

We started the week off by hosting Pittsburgh. In game one we lost 6-0. Simontacchi pitched decent. Mike Timlin blew this one for us. He pitched horrid out of the bullpen. Actually our offense wasn't much help either. We took game 2 by the score of 4-3. Tomko threw 8 strong innings giving up just 2 hits. We also won game three, by the score of 4-1. Morris was again great, throwing the ball very well.

We next hosted Philadelphia. We won game 1, 4-3. Williams did not pitch great, but pitched well enough to give us a chance to win. We rallied and took game 2 by the score of 8-7. Drew and Renterina hit their 7th homeruns of the year. Ainkel started but didn't throw the ball very well. We won game 3 to complete the sweep by the score of 4-3. Simontacchi started and threw pretty well. In his debut, Jason Hart hit a home run.

<b>Transactions</b>

Albert Pujos was injured for 1-2 weeks. Instead of putting him on the DL, we sent down Orlando Palmerio and called up Jason Hart.

<b>Around MLB</b>

In shocking news, Pedro Martinez had his career ended with an arm injury!

Gary Sheffield hit for the cycle.

The Angels Rob Quillian won the AL player of the week. The NL award went to Vladmir Gurrero.

I will updating standings and stats after the next week sim as well as announce September call ups.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 22</b>

We started out the week by hosting the Cubs. We lost 4-2. Morris pitched ok, but still got the loss. Game two was a pitchers duel and a half. Williams threw the ball very well for us and we got the 1-0 win. We lost game 3 by the score of 9-3. Tomko, being his streaky self, did not locate the ball well.

Next up we traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Reds. We won game 1 by the score of 8-4. Simontacchi started and pitched well. We won game three by the score of 4-3. The bullpen saved the win for Ainkel and he improves to 4-1. We lost game 3 by the score of 3-1. Morris was the tough luck loser.

The updated standings:

AL Standings


Eastern Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
New York (A) 92 45 .672 - 89-48 3 50-19 42-26 10-3 24-15 7 L3 5-5
Boston 73 64 .533 19.0 78-59 -5 38-32 35-32 3-10 16-18 - W3 5-5
Toronto 65 72 .474 27.0 64-73 1 32-33 33-39 8-4 17-22 - W1 3-7
Baltimore 53 83 .390 38.5 48-88 5 25-40 28-43 7-3 19-16 - W1 3-7
Tampa Bay 50 86 .368 41.5 57-79 -7 19-47 31-39 4-7 14-27 - L2 2-8


Central Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Minnesota 79 57 .581 - 80-56 -1 43-24 36-33 5-8 14-23 11 L3 6-4
Chicago (A) 64 73 .467 15.5 61-76 3 32-34 32-39 8-9 24-25 - W2 6-4
Cleveland 63 74 .460 16.5 58-79 5 34-37 29-37 3-9 22-21 - L1 8-2
Kansas City 59 78 .431 20.5 58-79 1 31-40 28-38 9-4 21-22 - L2 3-7
Detroit 47 89 .346 32.0 48-88 -1 22-45 25-44 5-5 17-24 - L2 2-8


Western Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Oakland 85 52 .620 - 81-56 4 45-26 40-26 4-5 21-19 22 W2 8-2
Anaheim 81 56 .591 4.0 74-63 7 41-28 40-28 5-5 28-17 - W2 6-4
Texas 74 63 .540 11.0 80-57 -6 41-27 33-36 5-5 25-23 - W4 5-5
Seattle 73 64 .533 12.0 73-64 0 40-32 33-32 6-4 23-18 - L1 8-2

NL Standings

Eastern Division

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Montreal 78 60 .565 - 77-61 1 40-29 38-31 5-8 23-17 18 L5 5-5
Philadelphia 70 67 .511 7.5 72-65 -2 31-35 39-32 11-6 20-24 - W2 4-6
Atlanta 67 70 .489 10.5 70-67 -3 37-31 30-39 5-7 21-28 - L5 2-8
Florida 63 73 .463 14.0 64-72 -1 30-38 33-35 7-9 13-22 - W4 6-4
New York (N) 55 81 .404 22.0 60-76 -5 30-38 25-43 9-7 22-28 - L2 6-4

Central Division

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
St. Louis 82 55 .599 - 85-52 -3 43-25 39-30 9-6 25-20 24 L1 7-3
Houston 79 57 .581 2.5 75-61 4 48-23 31-34 9-5 22-14 - L1 9-1
Chicago (N) 75 62 .547 7.0 71-66 4 40-28 35-34 7-5 25-17 - L1 5-5
Cincinnati 64 72 .471 17.5 58-78 6 36-35 28-37 4-5 24-17 - W1 2-8
Milwaukee 58 78 .426 23.5 61-75 -3 27-39 31-39 7-9 22-30 - W1 6-4
Pittsburgh 57 79 .419 24.5 59-77 -2 30-41 27-38 3-6 20-20 - W3 6-4

Western Division

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Colorado 85 54 .612 - 81-58 4 43-26 42-28 10-2 24-15 15 W1 7-3
Arizona 74 63 .540 10.0 75-62 -1 42-28 32-35 7-9 26-22 - W1 7-3
Los Angeles 69 67 .507 14.5 65-71 4 36-33 33-34 8-6 24-19 - L1 2-8
San Francisco 62 75 .453 22.0 62-75 0 34-32 28-43 5-9 18-25 - L1 4-6
San Diego 55 82 .401 29.0 60-77 -5 25-41 30-41 4-12 17-23 - W1 2-8



Updated player stats

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Mike Matheny 22 C 9/22/1970 Right Right .215 1 20 0 .529
Joe Girardi 10 C 10/14/1964 Right Right .042 0 0 0 .163
Kevin S. Brown 27 C 4/21/1973 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
INFIELDER
Tino Martinez 21 1B 12/7/1967 Left Right .258 14 66 0 .727
Fernando Vina 4 2B 4/16/1969 Left Right .285 1 46 18 .689
Scott Rolen 27 3B 4/4/1975 Right Right .243 24 98 4 .798
Edgar Renteria 3 SS 8/7/1975 Right Right .244 7 63 14 .689
Albert Pujols 5 3B 1/16/1980 Right Right .368 25 105 1 1.070
Miguel Cairo 41 2B 5/4/1974 Right Right .196 0 20 0 .492
John Gall 84 1B 4/2/1978 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
Shaun Boyd 87 2B 8/15/1981 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
Wilson Delgado 47 SS 7/15/1972 Both Right .246 0 3 0 .587
OUTFIELDER
Jim Edmonds 15 CF 6/27/1970 Left Left .309 30 86 1 1.009
Jason Hart 16 LF 9/5/1977 Right Right .217 2 8 0 .818
Orlando Palmeiro 10 LF 1/19/1969 Left Right .234 0 14 4 .588
Matt Stairs 12 RF 2/27/1968 Left Right .190 4 19 1 .598
J.D. Drew 7 RF 11/20/1975 Left Right .288 8 37 9 .810
Eli Marrero 26 RF 11/17/1973 Right Right .268 20 66 6 .764
Todd Dunwoody 40 LF 4/11/1975 Left Left .000 0 0 0 .000
Kerry Robinson 0 CF 10/3/1973 Left Left .286 0 3 4 .643
Dee Haynes 14 LF 2/2/1978 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Matt Morris 35 SP 8/9/1974 Right Right 2.73 15 9 0 1.07
Woody Williams 19 SP 8/19/1966 Right Right 3.01 13 7 0 1.03
Brett Tomko 80 SP 4/7/1973 Right Right 4.59 7 7 0 1.13
Jason Simontacchi 46 SP 11/13/1973 Right Right 3.16 12 4 0 1.23
Rick Ankiel 37 SP 7/19/1980 Left Left 3.89 4 1 0 1.56
Jimmy Journell 73 SP 12/29/1977 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Garrett Stephenson 55 SP 1/2/1972 Right Right 4.78 5 8 0 1.30
RELIEVERS
Mike Crudale 54 MR 1/3/1977 Right Right 1.65 8 1 0 42
Mike Timlin 51 MR 3/10/1966 Right Right 3.31 1 4 1 42
Jason Isringhausen 44 CL 9/7/1972 Right Right 2.44 8 4 24 24
Steve Kline 49 MR 8/22/1972 Both Left 3.14 2 4 7 26
Jeff Fassero 13 MR 1/5/1963 Left Left 4.28 3 1 2 30
Russ Springer 48 MR 11/4/1968 Right Right 2.77 4 3 1 36
Dustin Hermanson 52 MR 12/21/1972 Right Right 7.23 0 2 0 23
John Novinsky 17 MR 4/25/1979 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Nerio Rodriguez 64 MR 3/4/1971 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Lance Painter 94 MR 7/21/1967 Left Left 5.40 0 2 0 21
Julio Santana 48 MR 1/20/1973 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Ivan Cosenza 98 CL 4/16/1977 Left Right 0.00 0 0 0


<b>Transactions</b>

We called up the following players:

SP Journell
SP/RP Stephenson
MR Hermanson
MR Novinsky
MR N. Rodriguez
MR Painter
MR Santana
CL Cosenza
C K. Brown
1B Gail
2B Boyd
OF Hayes
OF Dunwoody
OF Robinson

Jimmy Journell will be a spot starter 20% of the time. I am doing this to rest arms for the playoffs and to see if Journell is ready for this level.

<b>Around MLB</b>

The AL award for hitter of the month went to Alex Rodriguez. The NL award went to Todd Helton.

The AL pitcher of the month went to Brake Radke. Josh Beckett was the NL recipient.

Todd Helton and Erik Henskie were the players of the week.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 23</b>

The Cubs come to town in the first series in September. The Cubs have gotten the best of us this year. Hopefully that trend will not continue, as the Astros are hot on our trail. We lost game 1 by the score of 6-5. Williams started and pitched ok. Timlin took the loss and is danger of losing his spot on the playoff roster. We lost game two by the score of 12-4. Timlin again got roped, giving up 6 runs in 1.2 innings. Tomko started and also didn’t do well. We avoided being swept by winning the last game 5-2. Simontacchi started and threw the ball well. We need him to re-find his first half form. We also took game 4 by the score of 6-1. Ainkel threw 5 strong innings and the bullpen held.

Next up we hosted Cincinnati. We won game won in an offensive slugfest, 15-11. Morris started and did not throw well at all. This is not good this late in the season. Cincy took the second game by the score of 10-2. Williams started and was throwing well but the game went into rain delay. We lost game 3, 7-1. Tomko only pitched .1 of an inning. Our bullpen has taking a beating the last two days.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Dimitri Young won the AL player of the week. NL player of the week went to Ryan Klesko.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 24</b>

Week 24 brought Colorado to town. They took game 1, 13-4. Simontacchi again only pitched 0.1 innings. They had a complete game from Joe Kennedy. We took game 2 by the score of 15-4. Morris got the win to improve to 16-9, tied overall for number of wins. We lost game three by the score of 5-3. Williams started and pitched decent.

Next up we traveled to Minute Made Park for a game against the Astros. We won game 1 by the score of 7-5. Tomko go the win but didn’t pitch well at all.. Jimmy Journell made his major league debate in game 2. Unfortunately we lost 3-2. Journell looked sharp, throwing a complete game though. We lost game three by the score of 7-3. Simontacchi started but didn’t throw well. So long for his form.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Luis Gonzalez took the NL player of the week award. The AL award went to Jaque Jones.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 25</b>

We started out with a series at Milwaukee. We won game 1 by the score of 8-2. Morris threw 8.2 strong innings to get the win. Hopefully he is finding his stuff. We will need it in the playoffs. We won game 2 by the score of 7-3. Williams started and pitched decent. We won game three, 3-2. Tomko actually threw the ball well. In game four we were denied the sweep by losing, 7-4. Jounell started and while giving us 7 innings, he also gave up 4 runs.

Next up the Astros came to town for another critical series. We won game 1, 6-5. Ainkel started and gave up 5 runs, but only one of those was earned. Timlin got injured and will be day to day for 3-4 weeks. We won game 2, 8-4. Pujos was the player of the game, smacking a homerun. Morris started and pitched ok. We couldn’t get the sweep as we lost game three by the score of 3-1. Williams started and threw ok.

<b>Around MLB</b>

Todd Helton and Nomar Garcipara were the winners of the players of the week.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Week 26</b>

The final week of the regular season. We traveled to Milwaukee to play the Brewers. We won game 1 8-1. Tomko started and pitched very well. I just don’t get this guy. Pujos hit his 29th home run of the year. Jimmy Journell picked up his first ever career victory in game 2 with a 12-3 victory. The victory clinched us the NL Central!!

Next up we traveled to Arizona for a series ending the season with the Diamondbacks. We won game 1 by the score of 8-7. Morris started the game but did not pitch well. We took game 2 by the score of 8-0. Williams threw a complete game 5 hitter. In the final game of the year we lost 8-7 in extra innings. Tomko started and threw ok.

Here is the final standings:

AL Standings


Eastern Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
New York (A) 108 54 .667 - 104-58 4 58-23 50-31 11-4 26-18 * W2 7-3
Boston 89 73 .549 19.0 96-66 -7 45-36 44-37 3-10 20-22 - W1 6-4
Toronto 80 82 .494 28.0 77-85 3 43-38 37-44 9-5 24-26 - W2 6-4
Baltimore 63 99 .389 45.0 57-105 6 32-49 31-50 8-3 21-18 - L2 4-6
Tampa Bay 58 104 .358 50.0 68-94 -10 23-58 35-46 4-7 19-33 - L1 3-7


Central Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Minnesota 97 65 .599 - 97-65 0 52-29 45-36 9-8 19-25 * W5 7-3
Chicago (A) 75 87 .463 22.0 73-89 2 37-44 38-43 9-12 26-31 - W4 6-4
Cleveland 73 89 .451 24.0 70-92 3 39-42 34-47 3-10 25-23 - L2 6-4
Kansas City 65 97 .401 32.0 64-98 1 34-47 31-50 9-6 21-24 - L4 3-7
Detroit 61 101 .377 36.0 62-100 -1 31-50 30-51 7-7 20-27 - L5 4-6


Western Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Oakland 98 64 .605 - 93-69 5 49-32 49-32 4-5 23-23 * W4 6-4
Anaheim 94 68 .580 4.0 88-74 6 49-32 45-36 5-6 31-19 - L2 6-4
Texas 88 74 .543 10.0 93-69 -5 50-31 38-43 6-6 28-26 - W2 6-4
Seattle 86 76 .531 12.0 84-78 2 46-35 40-41 8-5 27-20 - L3 2-8



NL Standings


Eastern Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Montreal 88 74 .543 - 86-76 2 45-36 43-38 7-9 26-19 * W1 4-6
Atlanta 83 79 .512 5.0 84-78 -1 46-35 37-44 6-7 24-30 - W4 7-3
Florida 78 84 .481 10.0 81-81 -3 38-43 40-41 8-12 17-26 - L1 5-5
Philadelphia 78 84 .481 10.0 80-82 -2 34-47 44-37 12-8 22-26 - L3 2-8
New York (N) 69 93 .426 19.0 74-88 -5 38-43 31-50 9-7 24-29 - W1 6-4


Central Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
St. Louis 96 66 .593 - 99-63 -3 50-31 46-35 10-7 28-23 * L1 7-3
Chicago (N) 92 70 .568 4.0 88-74 4 48-33 44-37 10-7 29-19 - W1 8-2
Houston 91 71 .562 5.0 90-72 1 54-27 37-44 12-7 26-18 - W3 5-5
Cincinnati 74 88 .457 22.0 70-92 4 39-42 35-46 4-7 24-24 - L1 4-6
Pittsburgh 68 94 .420 28.0 72-90 -4 34-47 34-47 5-7 25-25 - L1 3-7
Milwaukee 67 95 .414 29.0 65-97 2 33-48 34-47 9-12 28-34 - L3 2-8


Western Division


Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Colorado 100 62 .617 - 93-69 7 50-31 50-31 11-3 30-16 * W2 7-3
Arizona 88 74 .543 12.0 90-72 -2 49-32 39-42 9-10 34-28 - W1 6-4
Los Angeles 79 83 .488 21.0 78-84 1 41-40 38-43 9-7 27-28 - L4 5-5
San Francisco 74 88 .457 26.0 73-89 1 43-38 31-50 8-11 24-34 - W5 6-4
San Diego 70 92 .432 30.0 72-90 -2 35-46 35-46 5-14 24-28 - L2 3-7



Here is my final player stats
Active Roster


Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Mike Matheny 22 C 9/22/1970 Right Right .223 2 25 0 .561
Joe Girardi 10 C 10/14/1964 Right Right .042 0 0 0 .163
Kevin S. Brown 27 C 4/21/1973 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
INFIELDER
Tino Martinez 21 1B 12/7/1967 Left Right .250 19 85 0 .727
Fernando Vina 4 2B 4/16/1969 Left Right .293 1 56 25 .703
Scott Rolen 27 3B 4/4/1975 Right Right .249 30 119 4 .814
Edgar Renteria 3 SS 8/7/1975 Right Right .257 7 76 20 .710
Albert Pujols 5 3B 1/16/1980 Right Right .367 30 128 1 1.067
Miguel Cairo 41 2B 5/4/1974 Right Right .201 2 26 0 .522
John Gall 84 1B 4/2/1978 Right Right .286 0 0 0 .804
Shaun Boyd 87 2B 8/15/1981 Right Right .111 0 1 2 .460
Wilson Delgado 47 SS 7/15/1972 Both Right .246 0 3 0 .587
OUTFIELDER
Jim Edmonds 15 CF 6/27/1970 Left Left .314 32 95 2 1.003
Jason Hart 16 LF 9/5/1977 Right Right .222 4 15 1 .838
Orlando Palmeiro 10 LF 1/19/1969 Left Right .238 0 17 5 .592
Matt Stairs 12 RF 2/27/1968 Left Right .202 5 25 1 .623
J.D. Drew 7 RF 11/20/1975 Left Right .275 11 47 12 .798
Eli Marrero 26 RF 11/17/1973 Right Right .257 21 77 8 .735
Todd Dunwoody 40 LF 4/11/1975 Left Left .000 0 0 0 .000
Kerry Robinson 0 CF 10/3/1973 Left Left .304 0 6 5 .722
Dee Haynes 14 LF 2/2/1978 Right Right .250 0 0 0 .750



Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Matt Morris 35 SP 8/9/1974 Right Right 3.13 18 9 0 1.16
Woody Williams 19 SP 8/19/1966 Right Right 3.00 14 8 0 1.02
Brett Tomko 80 SP 4/7/1973 Right Right 4.69 9 9 0 1.15
Jason Simontacchi 46 SP 11/13/1973 Right Right 3.66 13 6 0 1.28
Rick Ankiel 37 SP 7/19/1980 Left Left 3.58 5 1 0 1.59
Jimmy Journell 73 SP 12/29/1977 Right Right 3.70 1 1 0 1.11
Garrett Stephenson 55 SP 1/2/1972 Right Right 4.65 7 8 0 1.29
RELIEVERS
Mike Crudale 54 MR 1/3/1977 Right Right 1.83 8 2 0 47
Mike Timlin 51 MR 3/10/1966 Right Right 3.67 2 5 1 51
Jason Isringhausen 44 CL 9/7/1972 Right Right 2.72 9 5 28 27
Steve Kline 49 MR 8/22/1972 Both Left 2.82 2 4 7 31
Jeff Fassero 13 MR 1/5/1963 Left Left 4.10 4 1 3 34
Russ Springer 48 MR 11/4/1968 Right Right 3.51 4 4 1 49
Dustin Hermanson 52 MR 12/21/1972 Right Right 7.23 0 2 0 23
John Novinsky 17 MR 4/25/1979 Right Right 18.00 0 0 0 2
Nerio Rodriguez 64 MR 3/4/1971 Right Right 7.94 0 0 0 4
Lance Painter 94 MR 7/21/1967 Left Left 5.40 0 2 0 21
Julio Santana 48 MR 1/20/1973 Right Right 11.25 0 1 0 3
Ivan Cosenza 98 CL 4/16/1977 Left Right 0.00 0 0 0 2

<b>Around MLB</b>

Robert Fick and Torri Hunter won the players of the week.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>2003 Playoffs</b>

Here is the first round match-ups:

Anaheim Angels @ NY Yankees
Minnesota @ Oakland
Montreal @ Colorado
Chicago @ St. Louis

Here is the playoff roster:

Pitchers
Rick Ainkel
Jimmy Journell
Matt Morris
Garret Stephenson
Brett Tomko
Woody Williams
Mike Crudale
Jeff Farreaso
Steve Kline
Russ Springer
Ivan Cosenza
Jason Isringhausen

Catchers
Mike Matheny
Eli Marrero

Infielders
Tino Martinez
Fernando Vina
Scott Rolen
Edgar Renteria
Miguel Cario

Outfielders
Albert Pujos
Jason Hart
Orlando Palmerio
JD Drew
Jim Edmonds
Matt Stairs

[GoldenEagle]

<b>2003 Playoffs</b>

Vs. Chicago Cubs

We won game 1 in a pitchers duel. Morris got the call for us and we won 1-0. Our run was unearned. Morris scattered some hits but worked himself out of jams nicely.

We took game 2 to take a 2-0 lead. Williams got the call and threw well. The final score was 4-2. Rolen and Marrero hit homeruns.

We clinched and swept the series in game 3 by winning 8-2. Jimmy Journell pitched very well. The offense was provided by Edmonds, Rolen, and Martinez. Journell pitched a complete game.

Other first round results:
Oakland swept Minnesota, 3-0.
Colorado swept Montreal, 3-0.
Anaheim beat the Yankees, 3-1.

Vs. Colorado

We lost game 1 at Coors Field by the score of 6-5. Isringhausen took the loss in extra innings. Morris started and pitched decent. I am not sure why he was pulled,

We lost game 2, 12-11 again in extra innings. Drew hit two homeruns. Cosenza was charged with the loss. Williams started and threw ok.

We lost game three and are now on the verge of elimination. Journell got the call and pitched well we just didn’t hit and Jennings from Colorado shut us down.

We lost game 4, 6-5. Tomko started and well sucked. I should have started Ainkel.

Oh well.

ALCS:
Anaheim beat Oakland, 4-3.

World Series:
Colorado beat Anaheim, 4-3.

[GoldenEagle]

2003 Season Awards:

AL
MVP: Alex Rodriguez, Texas
Cy Young: Jarrod Washburn, Anaheim
ROY: Jose Contrreas, NYY

NL
MVP: Todd Helton, Colorado
Cy Young: Josh Beckett, Florida
ROY: J.D. Closser, Colorado

We singed Fernando Vina to a three year, six million dollar contract extension.

[GoldenEagle]

<b>Coach singings</b>

Brian Cashman is our new scouting director.

Jeff Pentland is our new hitting coach.

Mark Wiley is our new pitching coach.

[MrBug708]

Bump! I wanna see FA and the draft