Florida Marlins/Indy Clowns '92-'17: The Canseco Memorial League (Mogul 07)

[Honolulu Blue]

BACKGROUND:

I've decided to write a dynasty about my attempts to GM the expansion Florida Marlins through their first 25 years of (fictional) existence. I covered the '98 expansion draft in this post. This won't be a traditional dynasty where I give you scores and stats, or focus on one particular person. This dynasty will have posts on many different players (almost all on my team) and many different situations. Most will only be one post long, and some just one paragraph long, but I think they're all interesting, and I hope that they will be of interest to you. Currently I plan to have reports on:

* The overall expansion + amateur drafts of '92 that made up my initial 41-man roster. Some of these guys will have stories of their own.
* All the deals I made. As the bald guy on NBC would ask, did I make good deals? Without spoiling things, some were good, and some... not so good.
* All the players I drafted. These guys make up the backbone of my team, either because I kept them, or because I traded them for talent that I needed. We'll see how they've been coming along.
* Honolulu Blue Field - the house that my fans built for me. But is it a blessing or a curse?
* The HOF shortstop I stole, and the one I gave away.
* The guy who hits like a pumped-up Barry when he's healthy - but can't stay healthy.
* My first All-Star pitcher and the three words I didn't want to hear about him.

Don't worry, there's many more where that came from. Indeed, since I've only gotten through 2004, many of these stories have yet to be finished. But a few have, and I'll post them when I get time.

[Honolulu Blue]

BACKSTORY AND NUTS & BOLTS

What if, in 1992, major league baseball, instead of fighting the steroid problem or pretending it didn't exist, embraced Jose Canseco's legacy and made them completely and totally legal? That was the premise of this dynasty. Expansion teams are always fun, and I figured the Marlins would be the bigger challenge.

The game is being played in Baseball Mogul 2007. I moved up home runs to 150 and doubles to 120 from their default values of 100. Most other values started at their defaults. I started out at the Mogul difficulty level (the highest), then moved back to Manager level after five years of frustration (oops, am I getting ahead of myself? Sorry.) I quick simmed the first year ('92) with the hit ratings at default levels, then took over the Marlins after the drafts.

[Poli]

Scott Pose better be a Marlin for life.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

Scott Pose better be a Marlin for life.

Fictional players only. Mr. Pose will not be a player in this drama. Sorry.

[Honolulu Blue]

Chris Brown



Let's start with an easy one. There was a Chris Brown who played third base in real life for the Padres, Giants, and Tigers, in the 1980s. This is not that Chris Brown.

This guy started as a Milwaukee farmhand and by 1992, was their regular third baseman. He hit .234 in 131 games with 14 homers and 63 RBI. Not great, but he was one of the most proven players we drafted. He was taken in the 31st round of the expansion draft. He was 26 then.

With a proven starting job and some extra 'roids in his system, Brown went crazy. He smashed 28 homers and plated 103 runners in raising his average to .271. I was quite pleased with his performance, but wasn't sure how much he was worth. The arbitrator gave him $4.8 million, which was our offer.

Crazy as '93 was, '94 was even crazier. He made the All-Star team and walloped 42 taters, driving home 142 in the process. His OPS was a snazzy .998. At that time, I loved Chris Brown and wanted him to stay around forever.

Alas, it was not meant to be. It started with the arbitrator rejecting our generous offer and going with Brown's agent's offer of $11 million. He needed to give us superstar performance every year at that price. He got off to a relatively slow start in '95, and the team was under pressure to save money, so I traded him to the Yankees for some sorry reliever named Carlos Alvarracin, who had a career ERA of over 8.00 in 72 games for us over two years. I was happy to donate this stiff to Boston. Ahem. I digress.

Brown and his $11 million salary was optioned to AA. I kid you not. He did move up to AAA late in the season, but he never played for the Yankees. He was awarded $2.5 million for '96 and split the year between AA and AAA again. It must be nice to spend so much on players just to have them. He went to arbitration again and was awarded $720,000. The Yankees released him just after opening day. The White Sox picked him up a week later but released him in June. He played some ball in the independent leagues to stay in shape. The Red Sox picked him up later in June. He played 42 games that season for the Red Sox and was OK (.265-7-27) and hit .500 in the playoffs, but that was about the end of the Chris Brown highlight reel.

Brown played at AAA most of '98 and '99, getting cups of coffee with the big club both years. In 2000, he only played one game with the big club, and I can't find any record of him playing anywhere else. He hung up his spikes for good in July of '00 at the age of 33.

I remember Brown as a decent fielder, but one of the slowest players in the league. But for at least a couple of seasons in there, he could hit. I regret trading him and not showing the world what else he could do.

[Honolulu Blue]

With three games left to go, we were one game behind the San Francisco Giants. They had one game left to play against the LA Dodgers - a tough team that had won the NL West. We needed to win two of the three to have any shot at the playoffs. If the best case scenario were to happen - a sweep by us, and a loss by them - we would overtake them and get the wild card outright. We drew Philadelphia on the road - a very good team that was well over .500 for the season.

The first game was October 3 with a near sellout crowd against us. We sent out Sukemasa Senazaki, our best pitcher that year with a 11-9 record and 4.31 ERA (the league ERA was 5.51). The Phillies opposed us with Sam Smalridge (12-5, 3.56).

The game was scoreless through the fourth when slugging LF Eduardo Marin singled. After a popout, C Matthew Connor walked, followed by singles by RF Gil Schiff and 2B Evan McInturff. Two to nothing, good guys. It stayed that way until the 6th, when Alberto "Piano Legs" Arguenal smoked a home run to left. Senzaki pitched seven shutout innings, scattering six hits and three walks. Mike Washington (5-7, 7.69, 1 save) pitched a perfect 8th, and set it up for our closer Neal Nelson. He was decent in that role, earning 28 saves and 7 wins to go along with a 4.36 ERA.

Phillie Adrian Wilson led off with a walk. Brandon Bayfield lifted a lazy fly ball to right. Oh no, Gil dropped the ball!! Runners on second and third, no one out. Brandon Reeves hit a fly to medium depth left. Marin grabbed it, then fired home. Wilson tagged, Connor blocked the plate, the ball and the runner seemed to get there at the same time... but he was called out at the plate. Pinch hitter Todd McCall doubled, scoring Bayfield. After three straight walks, Nelson (yes, he was still out there) got the last hitter to pop out to first. Jeff "Static" Kling grabbed it, and we won the first game.

Later that day, the Giants lost to the Dodgers, so our window was open to take the wild card outright.

October 4 brought another game. We sent out the unremarkable Seth Shrum (no record, 9.00 ERA in 17 innings; this was his second start of the season). The Phillies countered with Dan MacDonald (9-9, 6.30). This was a typical slugfest in the Canseco League as neither starter lasted past the fourth inning. Let's pick up the action with the Phillies up 10-6 in the 9th.

Dan Neilsen, random middle reliever, was on the mound as the Phillies' fifth pitcher. He got the first two outs, then "Static" Kling walked. SS Ian "Pleased" Dimitya doubled him home. Marin was walked, not intentionally. With the tying run at the plate, they brought in their closer, Bob Lenhan (4-6, 5.63, 30 saves). Ol' Piano Legs smashed a double down the line, scoring Dimitya and Marin. Connor and Schiff followed with doubles of their own, driving in runs along the way. McInturff grounded out, but the damage was done. 11-10 good guys. Nelson was brought in and asked not to blow it, like he almost did the previous day. Well, he gave up two hits, and the tying run was on third, but he got the job done. Whew. That was a little too close for comfort.

That victory clinched postseason play for us - either a playoff with San Fran, or the wild card outright. The next game would decide it all.

Game #162 was on October 5 and pitted our Cam Hughes (13-9, 5.04) against Howie Englert (8-10, 7.77). The Phillies were up 4-1 going to the 8th. Englert was still out there. CF Krey Pacino singled to lead off, and with one out Dimitya walked. This brought up the always dangerous Marin. He already had 62 home runs on the season - among the top 10 in the league. He got all of a breaking ball and lofted it deep to center. The fielder went back, back, back, but it was GONE! And the Marlins were on top. But not for long. The Phillies scratched out a run against September callup Umberto Palacios (3 games, no record, 10.38 ERA in 4 1/3 innings) with a walk, a forceout, a sacrifice, and a single.

That's all they got as we headed to the top of the 9th. Peter Bradley was the third Phillie pitcher. McInturff singled. Shockingly, our manager let Palacios hit. He laid down a nice sac bunt, but stuff like this is what turns your hair gray. Anyway, September callup Leon Bustos pinch ran for McInturff. With two outs, Dimitya singled him home. That brought out Nelson again. He only gave up one single - not enough. The Marlins won the game, and were playoff bound! There was much celebration in Philly (by us), then back in Florida.

We learned our opponents would be the Los Angeles Dodgers. They won 109 games that year and were considered the heavy favorites. Could we keep our momentum going? That's a story for another time.

[Honolulu Blue]

Sorry about the delays. Two reasons for it:

1) It takes longer to set these things up than I expected, and
2) It's more fun to run the league than it is to write about it.

I do expect to tell all these stories eventually. Be patient. Thanks.

Anyway, BB was our third pick in the expansion draft. A basic fastball/curve picther of some promise, I stuck him right in the rotation - with awful results, as you can see. But at the time we didn't have much better, so he stuck around. He improved before his second year when he learned a changeup. The record wasn't much (4-10), but his 3.88 ERA was well below the league average, and would have been in the top 10 if he had pitched enough innings. After that, his record improved and he pitched consistently well. '97 was probably his best season, when he made the All-Star team, but he went 16-7 the next year for his best record. He was a key part of our '99 team and bidding for his best season ever when he felt shoulder pain on the night of June 29. The diagnosis was a torn rotator cuff - the three most dreaded words of pitchers and those who love them. He was out for 13 long months, including rehab.

During rehab he looked awfully hittable, and an executive decision was made to trade him after he was healthy to Baltimore along with a backup catcher for my bonus check (OK, $2 million). He spent the rest of 2000 at AA trying to work some kinks out. He learned a slider in '01, but it didn't help much as the Orioles sent him back to AA. The finally released him in July of that year. After a couple of weeks playing indie ball, the Braves took a flyer on him. Nobody knew that his last start in September of that year would be his last appearance in the majors. He stayed in the Braves' farm system all year inn 2002, spent most of '03 in indie ball, but was picked up by the Dogers in September of '03. They released him after the season, and he went back to indie ball to start '04. There were no takers, and he decided to retire with some dignity intact at the age of 33.

I often wonder how good he could have been had he not blown out his rotator cuff. He was coming along nicely and would have helped with our seemingly perpetual pitching shortages. And I bet he would have loved Honolulu Blue Field. But that is a story for another time...

[Honolulu Blue]

After the '99 season, we found ourselves with enough cash that we could help finance a new ballpark in Miami for our Marlins to play in. The total cost was about $160 million, and we paid about $40 mil in cash. I just pushed a button and presto! It was done. More intriguing than the process was the engineering that went into it. I wanted a pitchers' park to counteract all those cheap homers those 'roid raged players were always hitting. I also did what I could to cut down on the batting averages. I got what I wanted, more or less. Here were the park factors for Pro Player (100=average):

Homers - 93
Batting average - 99
Doubles - 101
Triples - 107
Strikeouts - 100
Double plays - 100
Errors - 90

The factors for Honolulu Blue Field (I never said I was modest):

Homers - 70
Batting average - 92
Doubles - 127
Triples - 155
Strikeouts - 114
Double plays - 105
Errors - 80

Some examples of what happened when we went into the new park:

* Ian "Pleased" Dimitya went from .347 to .312, though he was one of the few to hit more homers in the new park (23 to 27).
* Jeff "Static" King went from .347 with 28 homers to .313 with 16.
* Krey Pacino went from .348 and 24 round trippers to .319 and 15.

The team only hit 174 home runs in 2000, compared with 278 in '99. The team ERA only wend down from 5.42 to 5.07 as the team, who won 95 games in '99, finished a disappointing 4th in the NL East (tied with Montreal for last, actually) with 75 wins. Financially it was a great moneymaker, as our revenues immediately jumped to around $90 million per season from $75 million. But we never did well there; our best record was 83-79. For that and other reasons, we jumped ship and moved to Indianapolis after the '06 season.

[Honolulu Blue]

Piano Legs was one of the Marlins' first star sluggers. I picked him off of Cleveland's roster in the 24th round of the expansion draft. He started hitting for power more or less immediately, but it took him a couple of years to (a) learn the strike zone, and (b) hit for average. He went to arbitration early because he was such a quality player - I paid him $2.8 million for the '94 season and $4.8 million for the '95 season. I signed him to extensions during the '95 and '97 seasons for around $5.5 million each.

He started as an unexceptional 1st baseman who could play third in a pinch. In the minors (which he didn't play for very long - two seesons in rookie ball and one at the A level) he played mostly first. My scouts told me he was a "75" at first (marginal major league quality) and a "73" at third. So began what I call "the experiement". In May of 1995 we switched Arguenal permanently over to third base. He never played another game at first, though maybe he should have. After the switch, he was rated "64" at third (somewhere between Keith Moreland and Dave Kingman, if you remember those guys) and "62" at first. Ouch. Serves me right for trying to force a bat into the lineup. He improved over the years from terrible to merely very bad, as you can see from his stats. He had limited range (including those piano legs), a weak arm, and was prone to making errors.

But despite his misadventures at third base, he continued to hit. His best season for us was our wild card year, 1999, when he hit 57 homers and drove home 159 runners. He made the All-Star team for his first and only time. The next season I traded him as part salary dump, part needs of the team, part taking a long look at a 3B prospect, and part sick of looking at those awful stats at third. He went to Anaheim for a random farm hand and a decent middle releiver (Jason Wright). He played well for the Angels (though not in the playoffs; he didn't play well for us there either the year before), but they lost in their bidding for him to Tampa Bay. The funny thing is several times the GM of the Devil Rays suggested I take him back. I tried not to laugh. She must have shopped him all over the league. Tampa finally traded him before the deadline. He hit quite will in the thin air of Phoenix, but they let him go after the end of 2004. The Astros signed him for $13.3 million for three years. He never made it through the contract as he split time between AAA and Houston in '05, and spent all of '06 on the DL before being released at the end of that season, then retiring at 36. He could still hit, but I guess he wanted to coach some of the youngsters down in his native Dominican Republic.

He and Eduardo Marin formed the Latino "Bash Brothers" on the Marlins throughout the '90s. I enjoyed having them on my team.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I like the format of this dynasty. Keep it up.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I like the format of this dynasty. Keep it up.

Thank you for your kind words.

After defeating the Phillies (see above), we secured our first playoff berth with a wild card. We spent a couple of days resting up and partying down. Oh - and the commissioner delivered to us an actual wild card to be used to get into the playoffs. Who knew?

Anyway, on October 8 we were in Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. They won 109 games in winning the NL East. They scored the same number of rumber of runs we did (1070), but gave up over a run per game fewer (757 to 929). The online sin bins quickly installed them as the 4-1 favorites to win the series. As a gambling fool, I won't say how much I had riding on this series, but let's just say I was rooting harder than usual.

We sent out Sukemasa Senzaki (12-9, 4.31), who was our ace and ready to go. The Dodgers countered with Juan Vasquez (16-7, 4.01). Dodger Stadium was a sellout and it was a nice night. RF Ray Woodhouse smacked a solo shot in the first to put LA up early. But we countered with three in the third. 2B Evan McInturff singled to lead off the inning, which Senzaki walked. Krey Pacino followed with an RBI single. 1B "Static" Kling grounded to short and he (Douglas Greenfield) made a good play to get the runner at third. "Pleased" Dimitya hit a slow roller to third that he had no choice but to get the easy out at first. LF Eduardo Marin hit his usual rocket up the middle, a single, to drive home two.

LA got all those runs back in the bottom of the third on a walk (to the pitcher, no less ), a triple, a wild pitch, two singles, and a groundout. They scored another in the fifth, chasing Senzaki. We scored for the last time in the sixth on three singles. They scored three more against back-of-the-staff reliever Mike Washington (5-7, 7.69, 1 save in 47 games). Mr. Washington would have better days, and I'll tell you about those later. But this one was a waste as we lost 8-4. Vasquez wasn't great, but he got the win. Senzaki was the loser.

Game two was the next day, still in LA. Another sellout, but the night was chillier, with a slight crossfield breeze (right to left). Zack Duncan got the start. He was the official staff swingman with mostly unimpressive stats that season (11-7, 5.47, 1 save in 51 games and 23 starts). The Dodgers countered with a real starter, Jason Langpap. He missed half the season due to a back injury, but what he did in his 15 starts was impressive (6-3, 4.27).

The Dodgers scored early and often, and we only scored in the third, when we were already down three, and in the ninth, when the game was all but over. Duncan wasn't very good, and they rudely greeted our two relievers too. The final margin was 10-3.

The only good news about being down two games is that we were heading home for one or two games. Also, we had a travel day to find someone who could shut down the Dodgers.

Game three at Pro Player. This game was NOT a sellout because of some fool's decision to soak the fans for all they were worth by jacking up the ticket prices sky high. Quit pointing! It was a muggy night in Florida and a slight breeze was blowing in. Cam Hughes was chosen to start the game (13-9, 5.04). They chose Adam "Bedtime" Hory (16-3, 3.21). I won't say who sang the national anthem, but she was amply plump, and that said a lot about our fate.

The Dodgers scored the first two. They got one in the fourth on a solo homer by 3B Elliott Granier, and another in the seventh on back-to-back doubles. Hory was having a dream day until the bottom of the seventh, shutting us down with hardly a scare. But he couldn't keep a good team down forever. Kling led off with a double. Dimitya followed with a sharply hit single to right - Kling couldn't score (he was never very fast). Marin hit a sizzler down the third base line, scoring Kling. The left fielder (Tony Kennerly) hustled to the ball and held Dimitya to second (he wasn't real swift either). After ol' Piano Legs flied out, and our catcher Mathew Connor popped out to short, RF Gil Schiff singled to the left field gap, which scored Dimitya. Marin took third. McInturff hit a sharply hit grounder to third that should have ended the inning. But wait! He bobbled it! Everyone was safe and Marin scampered home. Another flyout ended the inning, but we were up for the first time in the series.

The Marlins scored two more on a walk and two doubles in the eighth. A series of relievers shut down the Dodgers, and we won 5-2. Eddie Vuelvas, who got one out in the 7th, lucked into the win. He didn't pitch at all for us during the season, having spent all of it at AAA until September, and not getting into any games down the stretch. This was the highlight of his career, as his career record was 6-11 with a 6.97 ERA. He did have one save.

Before game four, I made sure to get someone skinny to sing the anthem for us. She was a winner of one of those talent reality shows - or was she first runner up? It doesn't matter. What mattered was the game. Senzaki wasn't quite ready, so I had to go with the last guy I wanted to start a key game - Tom Beardsley (10 starts, 2-4, 6.99). El Lay sent out Bryan Wimbush (6-0, 3.38 in 8 starts). He'd been hurt most of the season, but goodness, where do they come up with all these guys?

Again, the Dodgers scored first. 2B and leadoff hitter Alan Stennett hit a tough roller to the mound that Beardsley had to eat. Stennett then stole second and scored on Granier's single. We evened the score in the fifth. Schiff started with a walk. After a flyout by McInturff, pinch hitter Matt Whyte walked. CF Krey Pacino flied out. Mr. Kling hit a single to right, and Schiff beat the throw. It stayed tied to the bottom of the ninth. They finally pinch hit for Wimbush, and was I ever glad to see the back of him. In his place trotted setup guy Adam Ledger (10-4, 3.06, 1 save in 68 games). He got Marin to ground out, but ol' Piano Legs walked. Leon Bustos pinch ran and promptly stole second. Connor singled between first and second. Bustos couldn't score. With Schiff up, Ledger threw a wild pitch and Bustos scored. Game over, 2-1 winners. Guess who got the win? Vuelvas, again. He pitched the last out of the ninth. Two outs, two wns. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

After the game, slugger Marin came up lame. The doctors said it wasn't career-threatening or anything, but he was advised not to play baseball for a week. It might as well have been a year as far as our playoff hopes went.

With slightly dimmed hopes, we headed back to LA after a travel day. Senzaki against Vasquez again. The Marlins scored first. In the third, Senzaki blooped one to left that no one could catch. Bustos, playing left field today, hit a hard smash down the right field line. Senzaki was able to score. In the fourth, Pacino, Arguenal, and Kling singled, scoring one. Schiff hit a double, scoring another.

Now that Senzaki had a three run lead, I'm sure he was told to throw strikes. But in the bottom of the fourth, did he throw one or two too many? CF Neil Dangerfield led off with a single. 1B and cleanup hitter Jake Wilson followed up with a home run deep to right and into the night. And just like that the lead was down to one. Woodhouse tied it up with a homer of his own in the sixth.

But the Marlins were not done. In the 7th, Dimitya hit a two out single. The fielders were a little slow to make the throw and he took advantage of it by taking the extra base. This was key because Pacino singled, and Dimitya was able to score. 4-3, good guys. Could it stand up?

Let's pick it up in the bottom of the ninth. Our ace Neal Nelson was on the mound. He was a little shaky against Philadelphia in the runup to the playoffs, but he'd been effective all season, and besides, this is what we pay him the big bucks for.

Kennerly led off with a double. SS Mike Cooper followed with a single up the middle - Kennerly held at third. For some reason, they led the pitcher (Enrico Rosas - 10-3, 4.94, 2 saves) bat. And for some reason, he laid down a suicide squeeze. Nobody was expecting any of this, and it was all Nelson could do to get the out at first. Tie score, runner on second, one out. Stennett earned a base hit to right. Again, the runner had to hold at third. Granier hit a bouncer to first, he threw home, Connor guarded home plate as if it were Fort Knox... he's OUT! But with two runners still on, the inning was hardly over. Dangerfield walked. Wilson hit a slow roller to third. With an ordinary third baseman, perhaps, it might have been an easier play. But we had no ordinary third baseman - we had Piano Legs! Fantastic hitter, but after five years at third, not much better than when we converted him. He followed the ball, obviously rooting for it to go foul, because with his arm, he didn't have a prayer of throwing him out if it didn't. The ball hit the bag as Wilson hit the bag and Stennett crossed home. Game over, and I was out of quarters.

We got a lot of pats on the back saying what a great job we did and how we'd be back soon. But it took us several years to get back to the playoffs, and I'm sure I'll get to that story eventually.

[Honolulu Blue]

Ace was plucked from the Baltimore organization in the 17th round of the expansion draft. He was already an established reliever, and coming off a 42 save season with the Orioles. We were glad to have him, even though he was making $1.6 million - a king's ransom at that time. His specialty was a big fastball - both his power and fastball ratings were near 100 for most of his peak years, as was the claimed readings on the radar gun, with one or two other pitches for show. He struck out a ton but his control was erratic.

In '93 he pitched a lot and pitched well. He only got 12 saves mostly because the team around him was terrible. In '94 he started off poorly and was moved to less demanding jobs in the pen. I traded him along with OF Wayne Bray for SP Seth Shrum, 1B Scott Coleman, and SS Ian "Pleased" Dimitya. This turned out to be a great deal for both teams. Bray played only six more major league games, but was down on the farm for several years waitin' and hopin' for another break. Shrum was an inning eater, our #6 or #7 starter most year that got some starts because someone would always get hurt or stink up the joint. His career record was 47-68, 6.62. Coleman became a superstar... for Los Angeles, several years later. Dimitya you've heard some about already, and there's more to come. That leaves Bilgrey, and you're looking at his stats.

After the trade back to Baltimore, he went back to being their closer and saved 10 games down the stretch. After three more years as the main main, he was left unprotected in the expansion draft (again), and was drafted (again), this time by Arizona in the 16th round. He performed as their ace for four years before he was let go after the 2001 season. He was getting old, so we only signed him for 2 years at $2.2 million per. By this point he was showing some signs of slowing down, but he was our ace anyway for the '02 and '03 seasons. We signed him to a one-year extension for $2.7 million per. In 2004, he was our lefty setup guy and did OK in that role, so we signed him again for two years at $2.4 mil per. He had his best year statistically for us in 2005, though he only got one save because of how he was used. Early in 2006 he was diagnosed with severe elbow tendonitis and would have been out until July. But after a month of frustration, he told us in the front office that he wanted to retire. So we let him.

Bilgrey is the kind of guy that I would almost always ignore in dynasties. He never made the All-Star team, never had a big season for me, wasn't great in the playoffs, and is a real longshot to make the Hall of Fame. But he was a very useful pitcher for a long time, and for that I salute him.

[Honolulu Blue]

One of the keys to being a successful GM is making good deals - trades that either help bring in talent or cash, or trades that align our talent to help maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. How did I do with my first few trades? Let's see...

July 22, 1993:

THE DEAL: We traded RP Steve Song (25) to Detroit for SP Ephraim Rencurel (26).

THE BACKSTORY: Song was picked up in the 6th round of the expansion draft from the Yankees. He was 1-1, 6.84 in 18 games in '92. Good fastball, but control was always a problem. Rencurel pitched in A-ball in '92.

BEFORE: At the time of the trade, Song had pitched 52 games for us (4-3, 7.04). Rencurel was pitching garbage relief for the Tigers (1-0, 4.13 in 28 games).

AFTER: Rencurel pitched 2 1/2 seasons for us. We let him go after the '95 season. He pitched decently well for us, though the record wasn't much (10-24, 5.70 in 64 starts). He actually pitched a no-hitter for us in '95. After he left us, he pitched for Baltimore and Arizona through 2004 before retiring. His career record was 69-75, 5.27 in 282 games (229 starts).

Miraculously, Song stayed with Detroit through 2004. He was never very good (his best season was probably in 2001 when he had a 3.94 ERA in 44 games), struggling with his control throughout his career. But he was cheap relief help, and that's never bad. His career record was 32-28, 5.52 in 455 games (just one start, when he was with us).

HOWIE SEZ: "You made... (pause, cue dramatic music)... a good deal".

July 5, 1994:

THE DEAL: We traded RP Garrett Hall (28) to the NY Mets for RP James Evans (20), RP Neal Nelson (28), and SP Teddy Cornier (21).

THE BACKSTORY: We picked up Hall in the 10th round of the expansion draft. He was OK for us in short relief (8-7, 5 saves, 6.10 ERA in 129 games). Evans was the Mets' 2nd round pick in 1993. Cornier was a AA farmhand at the time. Nelson was at AAA and not pitching well there (3-3, 5.07 in 29 games). I hated to give up Hall, but getting two pitching prospects and an extra arm for a middle reliever was too good to resist.

BEFORE: Hall was our short reliever. The other three guys were in the minors.

AFTER: Nelson was the first to make an impact. He pitched 51 games for us in half a season, going 2-2, 5.62 with 4 saves. After a horrible year in '95, his ERA steadily dropped and in '98 he was made the closer. I've written about his exploits down the stretch and in the playoffs in '99. He lost the closer job early in 2000, but made the All-Star team that year anyway (I shrug my shoulders). His contract expired at the end of the year and he was picked up by Seattle. He only pitched one game for the Mariners before retiring. His career record was 47-39, 5.67 with 81 saves in 488 games.

Cornier was immediately handed a starting spot and promptly lost it - but not before posting a hefty 11.22 ERA in 8 starts (43 innings). He got better. His best record was in '99 when he was 12-5, 4.95 in 27 starts. He broke his wrist in late September of that year, and was unavailable for the stretch run or playoffs. After a decently successful 2002 season, our scouts noticed something disquieting - his pitched had lost bite and were suddenly easy to hit and hit hard. Heeding their advice, we traded him to Arizona. He stayed there for three years, where he compiled a nifty 11-27 record with an ERA around 8.00. His contract expired and Boston took a flier on him. He pitched well in the minors for them, but never again got The Call and retired. His career record was 83-104, 5.76, but he was just under .500 with us - not half bad for the types of teams we had.

Evans didn't make it to the big leagues until 1996 when he had an OK season (7-4, 5.02, 1 save in 68 games). His next season was less impressive (9-10, 6.28, 2 saves in 74 games) and the decision was made to leave him unprotected in the expansion draft. The Devil Rays took him in the 17th round. They stuck him back in the minors and he didn't emerge again until 2003, just before he was traded to Pittsburgh. He's pitched well for Pittsburgh since, though his 2009 season might indicate some slowing down. His career record so far is 41-40, 4.87 with 12 saves in 546 games.

Hall was all right for the Mets. He got some playoff work in '94-'96, and got Series rings in '95 and '96. After '96 they seemed to lose faith in him and he was exiled to the minors. Seattle picked him up late in '99, but they quickly discarded him and he retired. His career record was 37-21, 4.97, 15 saves in 330 games.

HOWIE SEZ: "You made... a great deal."

July 23, 1994:

THE DEAL: We traded OF Wayne Bray (28) and CL Cory "Ace" Bilgrey (28) for SP Seth Shrum (20), 1B Scott Coleman (21), and Ian "Pleased" Dimitya (20).

THE BACKSTORY: I've briefly described this deal in the post about Bilgrey above. This looks like your classic salary dump for prospects. Bray was taken in the 6th round of the expansion draft. The other guys were barely shaving when the expansion draft occurred.

BEFORE: Bray was our 4th or 5th outfielder, hitting .233-5-17 in 73 games (146 AB). Bilgrey had lost the closer job due to ineffectiveness - a real feat on this motley team. Shrum and Coleman were in A-ball, some distance away from the majors. Dimitya was hitting well in AAA after hitting .422 at AA the year before.

AFTER: Dimitya had a cup of coffee with the big club at the end of '94, going 4-for-16 with two walks. We gave him the second base job out of spring training in '95, and he promptly hit .348/.425/.457 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 37 doubles and 9 homers in 140 games. This was far from his best year. He actually split between second and short in '95 and played mostly second in '96 before moving to shortstop in '97. He routinely hit over .300 with a career high of .366, his OBP was usually over .400 (best - .447), and his SLG was usually over .500 (best - .571). I finally traded him in 2007 when his bat slowed and his range became unacceptable. As of the end of 2009, he's a free agent, and such a liability defensively that I don't think he'll get picked up unless I do it for fun. He had over 2500 hits for us and if he doesn't make the Hall, I'm going into the program and changing the code myself.

Coleman got his September callup in '95 and made the most of it, hitting .407 in 27 tries. He spent '96 and '97 on the bench as pinch hitter and backup for "Static" Kling. He did all right, but nothing that said "superstar". He ran out of cheap years and I let him go. Houston picked him up for 3 years at $3 million per. He was a pinch hitter/backup 1B there also, though he hit better for them than he ever did for me. Finally they put him in the starting lineup and he exploded for a .350-33-124 year. His contract ended after the season and LA signed him to the big bucks he wanted - 5 years, $78.5 million (total). He was worth the money. After hitting .299 with 31 dingers in 2001 in just 128 games, he took another leap forward to 57 homers the next two seasons. He never hit more than 40 again, but that's likely because LA started slowly reducing his at bats. He led the Dodgers to the playoffs in 7 of his 8 years there (so far) and was elected to the All-Star team in '03 and '05. So far his career stats are .328/.434/.627 and 356 homers in 1665 games (4753 ABs). He's 36, so the end should be near. The Hall is interested, but he needed to have gotten started about 5 years earlier to be a lock.

Shrum made it to the big leagues to stay, more or less, in '96. His best year was probably '97, when he actually survived 180 innings and went 7-11 with a near league average 5.64 ERA. I let his contract expire at the end of the 2002 season. He played for Montreal/Washington in '03 through '05, alternating between the majors and AAA, then retired the following year. There's some more detail in the Bilgrey post, above.

Bray was sent to AA for the rest of '94, moved to AAA in '95 and '96, and kept signing small deals with Baltimore and filling out their system through '99, when he was released and Bray boldly announced he had "retired". Nobody wanted him anyway. Career: .241/.342/.384 with 12 homers in 193 games (456 AB). He wasn't terrible... on second thought, maybe he was.

I can't think of anything else to say about Ace.

Giving away a quality closer and not giving proper respect to a power-hitting 1B are bad, but I think everyone has to agree when..

HOWIE SEZ: "You made... a great deal."

[Honolulu Blue]

Senzaki was our first starter worthy of the title. He was taken in the second round of the expansion draft from Boston, where he was terrible (this, of course, is why they left him unprotected). But apparently our scouts and manager saw something in him that made him useful. He was only 4-13 in '93, our first official year of existence, but considering our leading winner had 5, that was quite a feat. The ERA wasn't bad either. In '94, he posted his career-best ERA (4.07) in 177 workmanlike innings. Not his fault he only went 7-14. His best year? Pick one from betwen '97, '99, and 2001. His ERAs were about the same each year, he cracked double digits in wins each year, and he pitched about the same amount of innings each year. He was our best healthy starter in 1999, our playoff year, and he got the two starts I told you about in the post above.

By 2004 his movement rating had moved to dangerous levels, and we donated him to Seattle in July of that year. They kept him at AAA until September, then called him up in time for a couple of relief appearances. The Mariners let him go, and Boston signed him in May of 2005, after some time in the independent Northeast League. He had two starts for the Sox, hurt his back, and decided to retire.

In the second screen shot, you can check out the reason why his career high in starts was 32. He kept getting hurt each season for 2-4 weeks at a time, occasionally longer. He made a consistent $5 million or so from '94 until '04. For the fun of it, I also included his batting record. Hitting was never his strong suit.

He never made the All-Star team, nor really deserved to. But he was a good player for us for a long time, and I wanted to remember him while my memories are still fresh.

[Honolulu Blue]

Ian was the team's first star that didn't come from our expansion draft. He came in the '94 trade, described above that sent "Ace" Bilgrey to the Orioles. At the time, Dimitya was just a propsect, albeit one who had hit well at AA the previous year and AAA in the current year. He looked good, but we had no idea how good. He was brought up for a cup of coffee in September of '94, splitting time between second and short. He showed a good eye and a sound bat, and most of us on the staff were intrigued.

In '95, we stuck him on the opening day roster. Our scouts said he had a good eye and hit the ball on the nose, though not with much power or speed. His best point in the field was that he didn't make many mistakes (errors). His range and arm were just OK at short or second, though he could play either position at a major league level - along with pretty much any position other than catcher. Again, he split time at second (72 games) and short (68 games). It didn't affect his hitting, as you can see. He played mostly second in '96, but in '97 he was switched to SS for good, except for a few other games here and there.

Between '95 and 2005, he was monotonously good as a hitter. He hit .311 or better every year. He hit 35 or more doubles every year. He was in double digits in homers every year but '95. His OBP was .389 or better every year. His slugging percentage was .457 or better every year. He scored 100 or more runs eight times in that span, and 98 once. He drove in 100 or more four times (he often hit #3 for me). He had more walks than strikeouts every year.

In 2001, he finally started to get the recognition he deserved. He was voted to the All-Star team that year and won the Gold Glove. He also won GGs in '02 and '04. He was also voted in in '02, and was selected in '03 and '04.

By 2006 it was clear he was slowing down. His fielding ratings were going down across the board, and he wasn't hitting with as much authority. That year he hit a disappointingly empty .310, and when he continued to disappoint, he was traded - along with a couple of spare parts - to the White Sox, for SS James Dancey, who was to be Ian's replacement on the field, if not in the hearts of the fans. He continued to hit OK for them in a utility role. He started all five games during the playoffs for the Sox as a DH and didn't embarrass himself. He was the regular DH for them in 2008, making only cameo appearances in the field. He hit fine for a slick-fielding shortstop (those days were long gone for him), but didn't hit like a DH, so they didn't renew his contract. He played in the independent leagues throughout 2009, waiting for a call that never came. I was about ready to call him, but he retired before I could pull the trigger.

Ian was a high quality player that filled a key role magnificently. If I had a few more like him, I would have won the pennant every year.

[Honolulu Blue]

I'll give you the text of the two letters we sent to fans in both cities after our move:

November 6, 2006

Dear Season Ticket Holder:

It is with deepest regret that we have moved the Florida Marlins out of Miami. This is a decision that was given the utmost consideration, and caused us as much grief and anguish as it is causing you. We feel our best opportunities lie elsewhere at the present time.

Be assured that it was not the fans that caused us to make this decision. You and tens of thousands of your fellow fans were delightful as you yelled, screamed, and rooted your team on to victory all of these years. We loved you all for your passion and vigor. We recommended to the commissioner that such devoted fans should be rewarded with another major league team sometime in the future.

We would love for you to follow us to and root for us in Indianapolis, but we do not expect that. Therefore, we have refunded the cost of your tickets. If you would like to purchase season tickets in our new city, please send $XXX to:

Indianapolis Clowns Tickets
PO Box XXXXXX
Indianapolis, IN XXXXX-XXXX

Thank you for your devotion through the years, and I wish you well in the future.

Sincerely,
/s/
Honolulu Blue
General Manager

-----------------------

November 7, 2006

Dear Potential Season Ticket Holder:

Thank you for your inquiry into season tickets for the hottest new team in baseball, the Indianapolis Clowns.
Enclosed is a price list for our various seats at New Victory Field, along with a projected seating diagram. Yes, I know it looks like we have a lot of work to do - we do - but we and the contractors are committed to having the field ready by April 1. It will be state-of-the-art with virtual reality seats and SparkleTurf (R). I know you will enjoy the time you spend there.

We plan to give the baseball fans in the Indianapolis area two things. First, we will bring you a highly competitive team. Our record over the past few years has been deceptive because we played in a division with a large number of teams with unlimited budgets. We are committed to fielding good teams on a reasonable budget, while charging the fans as little as possible. I think you can see that reflected in our ticket prices. And second, we want everyone to have fun. As the last Negro League team, the Indianapolis Clowns had fun as they played all kinds of teams from all over the country. We hope to bring the same spirit to this team.

With established superstars like Eduardo Marin, Ian Dimitya, and Alberto Raldan; and with up-and-coming prospects like Alex Esquilino, Jay White, and Damian Gutierrez, it's sure to be a great time at the ballpark for you, your friends, your family, or whomever else you decide to bring along.

What are you waiting for? Quit clowning around, send us money, and start clowing around with us in April!

Sincerely,
/s/
Honolulu Blue
General Clown

[SFL Cat]

Clowns indeed.

[Honolulu Blue]

Originally Posted by SFL Cat

Clowns indeed.

You must've gotten my letter. Sorry about that.

For the record, I really liked the skimpily clad ladies and the wintertime weather in Miami.

[Honolulu Blue]

The first season in Indianapolis was kind of a rebuilding season as we realigned ourselves to make a push for the NL Central pennant, but we still finished with 86 wins and third place. The next season we got our long-awaited pennant as most everything went our way and we ended up with 102 wins. Chief among the contributors were 1B Alex Esquilino (.327, 47 HR, 155 RBI), CF Bud Howard (.330, 50 doubles, 14 triples, 35 HR, 155 runs, 20-for-22 stolen bases), LF Jay White (.342, 49 2B, 13 3B, 24 HR, 156 runs, 46-for-51 stolen bases), and of course, our aging slugger Eduardo Marin (.285, 50 HR, 171 RBI) in right. Damian Gutierrez (16-7, 2.97 in only 28 starts) was our ace whenever he was healthy. He was given the Clemens Award at the end of the year, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Alberto Raldan (15-7, 4.36) and Mike Washington (45 saves, 4.88) provided valuable support.

This was a rare year that the Mets didn't win the NL East. They instead won the wild card with a 96-66 record. Atlanta had the NL's best record with 105 wins. I'd rather have faced them than the Mets, who spent decades slapping us around when we were in the same division. The record was probably more even this season, but they were still dangerous.

Esquilino was out during the playoffs, and replaced by PH/prospect Ian Trodden (.355, 6, 30 in 93 ABs). The first two games would be held in Indianapolis.

Gutierrez started Game 1 against Met ace Jason Bentall (17-7, 4.16). C Steve Irwin started the scoring for the Clowns with a home run in the second. We scored two more in the 6th on back-to-back shots by Irwin and Trodden. The Mets never could score as Gutierrez and Washington combined on a 3 hit shutout.

After that fine start, we sent out Raldan against Kageharu Umekawa (11-8, 5.12). Again, we scored in the second on a walk and two singles. Then there were zeroes until the top of the 9th when pinch hitter Tony Retter hit a home run. The tenth innning brought some drama. With one out, 3B Doug Tinney singled, followed by White's double. Tinney couldn't score, so the Mets brought the infield in. Howard hit a routine grounder to third. Tinney thought he could score, but the ball beat him there and the tag was applied. Howard then stole second. The hitter was Marin, healthy for once. He didn't disappoint our new Indianapolis fans and he lined a single up the middle to give us the win.

We headed to New York needing just one win to move on. It was Nick Ollershaw's turn (11-6, 4.55) against Preston Dupre (6-5, 4.27). The Mets scored one in the first, but we countered with three in the third. That's all we'd get as the Mets scored two in the 4th and single runs in the 6th and 8th to take the 5-3 victory.

Game four featured Terry Barker (9-3, 5.20) against Will Beardsley (10-7, 5.18). The game was a blowout that wasn't worth talking about. The Mets got us for 14 runs and 18 hits, while we could do no more than scratch out three hits without a run.

After blowing a 2-0 lead, hopes were still high as we headed back to Indianapolis. We had our ace going, at home. Bentall was ready to oppose us.

It didn't start well for either starter. Gutierrez gave up two singles and a homer in the first. We got two back on three walks, a hit batter, and an infield hit. Nerves by Bentall? Or was it our indimidating fans? He settled down a little, but not before giving up a triple to Irwin and throwing a wild pitch to tie the game. The Mets got one in the fifth on a solo shot. But the Clowns came back with one in the 8th. Bentall was gone by this point, replaced with Damon Towle (6-6, 4 saves, 3.74). 2B Joaquin Raspaldo hit a single to right and turned on the jets. He made it to second easily. After two strikeouts, White stroked a single to drive home Raspaldo.

James Traxler (9-1, 2 SV, 4.56) was in the game for the Clowns. He got one out, then Tim Mawle hit a shot that made everyone shut up. No further damage, but we were down one going into the bottom of the 9th. They brought out their ace Remy McCutchan (3-4, 22 SV, 4.12). Irwin led off with a hit, but McCutchan got two flyouts and a popout to give them their third straight win and eliminate us.

It was terrible being so close, but not being able to finish the job. I wanted revenge so badly I could taste it. But would I get it? That's a story for another time.

[Honolulu Blue]

It's time to evaluate another set of deals, this time from 1995, our third season.

March 1, 1995:

THE DEAL: We traded 1B Paul Flaherty (20) to Pittsburgh for LF Tim Destclair (25)

BACKSTORY: Flaherty was picked in the 24th round of the expansion draft. He was a second-rate, second-string prospect who had a couple of cups of coffee with the big club in '93 and '94, going 11-for-40. Destclair showed a good power stroke while riding the Pirate pine. He hit .334 with 8 homers in 78 games in '94 (114 ABs).

BEFORE: Both were scheduled for more of the same - Flaherty to the minors and Destclair to the bench.

AFTER: Destclair was immediately named the starting left fielder for the Marlins. He rewarded our faith by hitting .292/.358/.592, driving in 110 along the way. It was more of the same in '96 - .252/.329/.498. He made the All-Star team both years. After the '96 season, he wanted more than we felt we could afford to pay him. He waited a long time before signing with Cleveland in May of '97. They sent him to the minors, where he predictably overmatched the league. He homered 5 times in 40 ABs when he finally got out of AAA. After that they rewarded him with a nice, fat 4-year, $12 million contract. And promptly sent him to AAA again. He played 16, 18, and 9 games for the Indians before getting cut in May 2000. Texas picked him up, and he played exactly one game for them before getting cut again in August. Colorado finally noticed him on the available list and picked him up fer their stretch drive. His 3 hits in 27 ABs didn't exactly help them, but he stuck around with them through 2005. By far his best year in the Mile High City was 2002 when he bashed 8 homers in 124 ABs (55 games). The Rockies cut him at the end of '05, and no other club picked him up. He's another guy who "retired". His career stats were .263/.330/.500. He hit 115 homers in 1869 ABs.

Flaherty spent all of '95, and most of '96 and '97 in the Pirate minor league system, hitting for a good aveage at every stop. He also hit .326 and .356 in limited appearances in the last two years. He was drafted in the 34th round of the '97 expansion draft by the Devil Rays. Apparently they had better options, because they kept him in the minors until 2001, when they gave him the heave ho at the end of the season. Seattle signed him in November, and after some time in the minors, he hit .284 in 55 games. He only played in 17 games for the M's in 2003, but 2004 was his big year. He was hitting .340/.391/.535 in 101 games in his first extended stint as the starter when he broke his collar bone and hip in quick succession. This ended Seattle's interest in him as he was not retained at the end of the season. Arizona took a look-see for the '05 season, hit .307 as a pinch hitter/spare 1B in 42 games, but was not offered a contract. The Dodgers took him on and gave him 6 at bats in two sesaons for the big club. He retired at the end of the 2007 season. His career stats were .317/.390/.492 in 354 games.

HOWIE SEZ: You made... a good deal.

May 15, 1995:

THE DEAL: We traded 3B Chris Brown (28) to the NY Yankeesfor RP Carlos Alvarracin (23).

BACKSTORY: I described Brown in an earlier thread. He was our best player in the first two years, and probably would have been in the third also had he stuck around. Alvarracin had a live arm and a vague notion of the strike zone. He was a lefty that was moving steadily through the Yankee system.

BEFORE: Brown has hitting .270/.358/.525 through 41 games - not enough for someone making $11 million. Alvarracin had split between AA and AAA, pitching well in both places.

AFTER: The sad story of Brown's career after this trade was highlighted above. The quick summary is he didn't do anything much for anyone else and faded quickly from the league.

Alvarracin was immediately handed a key relief job and tried hard to blow it. He had a 8.82 ERA in 42 games in '95 and a 8.23 ERA in '96 (32 games) before I decided I'd seen enough and traded him to the Red Sox. A funny thing is that he ended up as Brown's teammate in Boston. He pitched a lot better for them than he had for me. He was given the closer's job in '97 and didn't surrender it until an injury forced him to the sidelines in 2004. They gave him the heave ho at the end of the '04 season. Houston picked him up and stuck him in the minors for most of '05, but he pitched well in 9 games for the big club. Not good enough, I guess, as he was dropped at the beginning of '06. The White Sox picked him up, he immediately got hurt, and decided to call it a career. His stats over 11 seasons: 30-43, 217 saves, 5.54 ERA in 499 games.

This was a trade I'll remember forever because it screwed everyone involved.

HOWIE SEZ: You made... not such a good deal.

June 29, 1995:

THE DEAL: We traded SS Marc Hillegas (21) and RP Lew Brown (24) for CL Zachary Tofield (23).

BACKSTORY: Hillegas was drafted in the 31st round of the expansion draft. He had was young and had good ratings, but disappointed at the plate. He hit .167 in 24 ABs in '93 and .216 in 231 ABs in '94. Brown taken in the 14th round of the same expansion draft. He was a middle/long reliever - too wild for key jobs. He'd pitched better than some and worse than some in '93 and '94. Tofield was a Met farmhand with one of the best fastballs around - but could he control it?

BEFORE: Hillegas continued to disappoint - .173/.247/.235 in 51 games off the bench. Brown was 1-4 with a 10.50 ERA in 31 games. Tofield had a 4.85 ERA in 29 games for the Mets.

AFTER: You'd think getting a decent pitcher for a couple of busts would automatically be a good trade. Think again.

Tofield had 4 wins and 4 saves for us in the rest of the '95 season (2.98 ERA). He was given the glory job in '96 and gave us 34 saves (3.95 ERA). After a bad year in '97 (2-8, 29 saves, 5.73), we left him unprotected, and Tampa Bay took him with the first pick. He continued as their ace through 2005. '06 was a rough year as he went from Tampa to Arizona to the Dodgers without being effective for anyone. He retired after the '07 season. His career totals: 27-60, 4.48 ERA, 350 saves in 681 games.

Brown spent the rest of his career in the minors. Perhaps he was one torn rotator cuff away from getting another shot, but he never did. The Mets had him through April 2000, the Tigers through 2005. He retired during the '05 season. Career: 11-13, 6.73, 3 saves in 153 games.

Hillegas was given the starting shortstop job for the Mets and promptly hit .283/.347/.519 in 74 games. They sent him down to AAA to work on his media skills in '96. He came up and only hit .185 in 27 ABs. But the next season he was made the SS for good. His best season was in '99 when he bashed 52 homers, scored 150 runs, and drove home 144, and had a .333 average on top of that. But he had a lot of seasons that were almost as good - both for the Mets (through 2006) and Arizona (through 2009). He has a load of World Series rings - enough to cover most of his fingers. The 'Backs didn't re-sign him after the '09 season, and he retired. His career (it pains me to put these numbers up): .292/.361/.548 with 430 homers in 6974 ABs (1960 games). There's a movement for him to go into the Hall, but not enough support yet. He and Dimitya would have made such a sweet double play combo had I been more patient.

HOWIE SEZ: You made... (walks away, shaking his head, not saying anything - audience groans)

November 16, 1995:

THE DEAL: We traded 3B Lee Baker (24) and SP Tim Leddo (21) for $5 million

BACKSTORY: Baker was a 4th round pick in 1994. Leddo was our 2nd round pick in the expansion draft.

BEFORE: We had run out of cash and needed some. These were the two prospects we could spare. Brown hit .220/.289/.286 as a spare part in 81 games. Leddo was still getting the kinks out in A-ball.

AFTER: Baker stuck with the Baltimore organzation through 2003, when he retired. He hit well enough in the minors, but the Orioles didn't do much with him in the majors, only giving him 33 total at bats. Career: .249/.317/.318 in 94 games.

Leddo finally emerged in the '97 season as a starter. He was very wild, but tough enough to hit to get by with it. He made the All-Star team in 2004, his best season (17-6, 4.08 in 31 starts). Career: 77-71, 5.92 in 218 games (214 starts).

HOWIE SEZ: You made... an OK deal.

[Honolulu Blue]

Jeff was the guy that drove Ol' Piano Legs to third. He couldn't play anything but first, where he was competent most years. He could always hit, everywhere he went. He was taken in the 21st round of the expansion draft. He spent all of '93 at AA (except for a cup of coffee) and split '94 between AA, AAA, and the majors. He showed obvious potential, so we put him on the bench to start the '95 season to pinch hit and back up Arguenal. But he hit too well to be ignored, and so came "The Experiment". Kling hit .304 in his rookie season and picked up a few votes for Rookie of the Year. But the best was yet to come.

Between '96 and '99, Jeff hit .339 or better, slugged .533 or better, had an OBP of .412 or better, hit 20 or more homers, scored over 100 runs, and drove in 80+ each year. Steroids or not, that's very good production from anyone. He made the All-Star team in '97 and also won his only Gold Glove that year. The move to Honolulu Blue Field in 2000 measurably hurt his stats, as it took critical points off his average, and several fly balls a year that would have gone out went to die in the deep power alleys. But he was still productive, and we hung on to him through the 2002 season. After that season, we traded him to Philadelphia. 2003 was statistically his best year, at least in the quality categories, but I think Jeff and I would agree that his '99 season was better, since he had twice as many at bats. He became a full-time regular for the Phillies again in 2004, and hit decently, but not great. His contract expired and they let him go. The Dodgers signed him in '05. He played regularly for them through '06, then was sent to the minors for most of '07 and '08. They gave him the heave ho just before the beginning of the '09 season. He then played some indie ball and Arizona gave him some money for a quick look-see. They didn't see anything left, so they dumped him too. He retired soon after that.

Jeff reminded me of those guys like Will Clark and Mark Grace who hit the ball hard most every time up with occasional power, a high average, and some walks. Not near a Hall of Famer by the standards of this league, he was a quality player for over a decade, and as such deserves his writeup here.

[Honolulu Blue]

After their stinging loss to the Mets in 2008, the Clowns had another good year in '09, winning 111 games, and leading the league in most runs scored and fewest runs allowed. Five players scored 100, and five drove in 100. Three hit over 30 homers. Six regulars hit over .300. SP Alberto Raldan went 17-6, 3.50 and made the All-Star team. He was our third best starter. Damian Gutierrez was 11-6, 3.02 in only 24 starts. The season's ace was Nick Ollershaw, who was 16-5, 3.09. Again, I should remind you that the league average ERA was around 5.50, so you can see that we had a killer rotation - at least when they were all healthy. Raldan was out for the playoffs, and Gutierrez would be out for another 10 days - useless for this series.

Game one matched up Ollershaw against Atlanta ace Rob Evershed (19-10, 4.21) at New Victory Field. It was a rocky beginning as the Braves scored two off the bad. Ollershaw plunked 3B Charlie Vodden, then allowed a two-out shot by CF/cleanup hitter Travis Haven. But we scored three in the bottom half. LF Jay White singled with one out and stole second. With two outs, 1B Alex Esquilino walked, and C Steve Irwin followed with a deep blast of his own. The Clowns were ahead to stay as they scored double runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 7th innings. The Braves could only manage single runs in the 6th and 8th, making the final score 9-4.

Game two faced off Terry Barker (8-1, 1.92 in 11 starts; hurt most of the season but healthy now). Atlanta countered with Garrett Nowell (16-5, 3.70). The Braves scored one in the third on a walk and double, and two in the fifth on a double, an error, a groundout, and a single.. That made it 3-0 as we entered the bottom of the 6th. SS James Dancey singled, and Barker followed with a sacrifice (I probably would've pinch hit here, but never mind). With two outs, White singled home Dancey. In our half of the 7th, Esquilino singled and RF Mark Elgaly (regular slugger Eduardo Marin was out for the playoffs) hit a homer. Tie game. It stayed that way through several relievers until the 12th. Atlanta scored two on a walk, a sacrifice, and another homer. In the bottom of the 12th, the Braves' fifth reliever, Gordon Truesdale (7-7, 2 saves, 7.36) got the first two outs. Then 3B Doug Tinney singled. White walked, and CF Bud Howard hit a deep fly to left. Might be... it's GONE!!!!!!!! Game over. The good guys were up 2-0.

The series moved to Atlanta. Brian Hume (11-4, 4.97) went for the sweep against former Marlin Jason Cormier (7-10, 7.42). This was a high scoring game that we came out on the short end of, losing 8-5. Hume was raked for 7 runs and gone by the fifth inning.

We tried again, sending out Matt Thompson (9-4, 5.16) against Neil O'Bannon (12-5, 4.26). The Clowns scored eight runs in the first four innings and pretty much cruised the rest of the way, doubling up the Braves. Irwin was named the NLDS MVP.

There was much celebration as we won a playoff series for the first time in our history. But I broke into a cold sweat when I found our our opponents in the NLCS - the Mets. Could we get our revenge on them for years of mistreatment. I'll tell you... sometime soon.