[Westheim]

Furball Trivia Time

Which dubious achievement have the following players in common: Glenn Johnston, Ben O'Morrissey, Jorge Salazar, and Steve Walker?

All made the final out in one of our World Series losses. Walker in ’83, Johnston in ’89 (he made also the error that lost the final game in the first place), Salazar in ’91, and O-Mo last year.

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An offseason where you can’t do anything … sucks. Any trade that I would do should shave salary, but we don’t have a lot of pieces that are expendable. A trade should bring in a rightfielder, preferrably making the minimum, and then I still wouldn’t know whom to trade.

I am living in hell.

November 17 – 33-yr old, often injured LF Dale Wales (.316, 118 HR, 1,022 RBI) signs with the Condors after spending all of his 15-year career with the Gold Sox. Wales will make $2.07M over two years.
November 17 – Ex-MIL INF Bob Grant (.287, 40 HR, 400 RBI) inks a 5-yr, $5.27M contract with the Thunder.
November 17 – 3B/SS George Waller (.285, 41 HR, 376 RBI) is traded for the third time in 15 months, as the Condors send the 27-year old to the Stars for 31-yr old Carlos Guzmán (.295, 33 HR, 199 RBI). Since the start of the 1995 season, Waller has also worn the unis of Boston and Las Vegas.
November 22 – Ex-IND MR Tim Hess (50-48, 2.33 ERA, 93 SV) is picked up by the Wolves. The 33-year old will make $864k over two years.
November 23 – The Pacifics agree to terms with ex-POR SP Jason Turner (109-69, 3.35 ERA). The 31-year old signed a 5-yr, $4.77M contract. The Raccoons receive the Pacifics’ first round pick (13th overall) for the 1997 Amateur Draft and a supplemental round pick.
November 23 – Former Condor OF Paul Theobald (.334, 17 HR, 351 RBI), aged 27, joins the Rebels on a 6-yr, $6.24M deal.
November 24 – The Titans take on ex-TOP OF/1B Dave Reid (.277, 57 HR, 320 RBI) for 4-yr, $4.19M.
November 27 – The Rebels and Blue Sox strike a deal that sends 25-yr old INF Tom McAndrew (.269, 2 HR, 75 RBI) to Virginia and 32-yr old LF/RF Jose Madrid (.295, 69 HR, 514 RBI) to Tennessee. Madrid is reportedly not happy about the deal.
November 28 – One-time Raccoon MR Richard Cunningham, 37, finds a new home in Las Vegas, as the Aces sign the former Falcon with a 85-71 record, 2.82 ERA, 171 SV, and 1,211 strikeouts to a 2-yr, $782k deal.
November 29 – The Rebels keep shoveling out the money, as they sign ex-BOS INF Jack Burbidge (.257, 44 HR, 464 RBI) to a 4-yr, $3.71M deal.
November 29 – The Indians acquire 25-yr old SP Roberto Herrera (0-1, 5.95 ERA in 4 G) from the Capitals, sending over INF/LF Claudio Ayala (.279, 92 HR, 841 RBI), aged 32, and a prospect. Looks lopsided? It is.
November 29 – The Knights get themselves 33-yr old OF Jesus Arias (.246, 139 HR, 648 RBI) and a minor leaguer from the Blue Sox for 26-yr old fringe player 1B Martin Walden.
November 29 – The Blue Sox grab a way better first baseman, too, trading for the Gold Sox’ (and ex-Coon) 1B Esteban Baldivía (.276, 20 HR, 164 RBI) and a minor leaguer for 30-yr old OF Raúl Castillo (.270, 6 HR, 68 RBI).
November 29 – The Loggers grab MR/CL Steve Galloway (5-9, 5.01 ERA, 2 SV) from the Falcons for 1B Dane Thompson (.262, 5 HR, 100 RBI).
November 30 - The Falcons sign ex-NAS C Duane Smith (.263, 37 HR, 305 RBI) for 3-yr, $2.37M.

So, in a way, while we lost Jason Turner, we got the max return in terms of draft compensation with the #13 pick. Our own first round pick is #24 (last). The top 12 picks are protected. I am a bit mad though that he signed for about half of what he wanted from me. Unthankful brat. I will miss him regardless.

I looked at Galloway about a year ago. I was interested in him, but didn’t press a trade. He’s now on the Loggers, so I will bet all I have that he will close 50 games for them next year.

It is now November 30, and I will have to end here, because I have a trade worked out with the Miners that would axe another longtime Raccoon for a dubious gain:

We would trade 31-yr old C David Vinson (.249/.367/.394, 82 HR, 422 RBI) for the Miners’ 29-yr old RF Matt Smith (.264/.351/.433, 55 HR, 311 RBI) and the #36 prospect in the ABL, C Ethan Thomas, 20 years old.

The trade is almost salary neutral, but adds a rightfielder that is capable both at the plate and in the field. Thomas projects to be a future top notch hitter while also being very good at calling a game. Smith bats left-handed, making Joe Lacombe redundant. At the same time, if Buell doesn’t start here, there’s no reason to keep him here, so he could go to AAA, and we could still go with Lacombe.

But do I want to axe David Vinson for such a marginal gain? On the other hand, Vinson will be a free agent after 1997. Smith will also be a free agent.

Aah!! My brain hurts!