1998 USBA Sparkplugs: A Quest for Three!

HerbD · 07-09-2005, 07:03 AM

The Detroit Sparkplugs of the USBA are coming off their second championship in four seasons. Manger Bob Ueker, the only manager the franchise has ever known, is in a race with Richmonds Tony LaRussa to be the first USBA manager to 1200 wins and three USBA titles(LaRussa won two titles in the late '80s with New Orleans).

Sparkplugs History
The Sparkplugs actually started out as the Indiana Racers with the inception of the USBA in 1985. During the initial draft the Racers took a little thought of firstbaseman named Jeremy Ellis with the 94th overall pick, its final human pick before the league dispersed the remaining players. Ellis, a switch hitter, would soon become the face of the franchise.

For the first couple of seasons the Racers struggled on the field and off as they were hancuffed with some very bad OOTP created contracts. The team was losing money about as fast as it was losing games and it could not compete with the more successful Fort Wayne and Chicago franchises just a couple of hours drive away.

In 1987 the team management finally came up with a plan to turn the franchise around. The team shed contract at an alarming rate lowering the payroll from over $80 million in '86 to just under $60 million in '87 to $42 million in '87. The team also began to formalize a plan to relocate from Indianapolis to Detroit. In 1987 the team won 67 games and more importantly they made a $5 million profit. In 1988, the first in Detroit, the team won 78 games and made an astounding $30 million profit. Things were finally starting to turn around.

In 1989 the team won 76 games but finished second in the weak Yankee Division behind Fort Wayne(80-82) who I believe is the only team in the history of the USBA to make the playoffs with a losing record.

As the calendar turned on a new decade so was marked the turning point for the Sparkplugs franchise. The team won an amazing 98 games and won their first Yankee Division crown by 20 games over second place Fort Wayne. The Sparkplugs hadn't gained any national attention until they crushed the heavily favored Richmond Cannons(116 regular season victories) in four games in the Liberty League Division Series. Although the 'Plugs would eventually lose to Houston in an epic seven game battle for the Liberty League Crown, the 1990 season was indeed the franchise's first taste of success.

1991, '92, and '93 would bring three more Yankee division titles and more playoff disappointment. 1991 was another seven game loss in the LL LCS while '92 and '93 were both first round exits where the team managed only one playoff win in each season.

1994 was a special season. Detroit won a USBA best 107 games cruising to a fifth consecutive Yankee title. The Sparkplugs dispatch Yankee rival Chicago in three games to open the playoffs then defeated defending LL Champion Brimingham in seven games before allowing the defending USBA Champions Pilgrims just one series win on way to the franchise's first USBA Title.

1995 and 1996 brought two more division titles but the team failed to even make it to the USBA Championship series either season. For the three years from '94~'96 the team averaged 105 wins per season.

Then came 1997. Perhaps the strangest season the franchise has ever seen. Amazingly the Sparkplugs posted losing records to each division rival but due to the balanced schedule used by the USBA they still managed 91 victories, enough to win the Yankee by six games over Columbus in the only division in the USBA where every team had a winning record. With a month left in the season the team's best player and defending LL Silver Slugger winner, Bill Johnson, went down with a season ending knee injury. Many thought that would be the end of the Sparkplugs season. They survived a five game series with Birmingham that featured a classic 2-1 victory in the final game. Then a quick five game series over Houston and the Sparkplugs were off to Seattle to face favored Stingrays. The 'Plugs lost the first game in a 9-0 blowout before winning the next four to win their second USBA title in four years.

HerbD · 07-09-2005, 07:52 AM

SS Morris Briggs was known around the USBA as a malcontent with great talent. He came to the Sparkplugs at the '95 trade deadline after stalled contract negotiations with two other teams. Detroit immediately signed Briggs to a three year, $34.5 million extension and all has been good since. He won the 1997 Liberty League Silver Slugger award but only after teammate and 1996 winner Bill Johnson went down with a season ending injury in early September. He led the LL with 132 runs scored and 321 total bases and was just one homerun shy of his third career 30 HR/30 SB season. He continued his 1997 success with a .338 batting average in 15 postseason games.

RF Scott Costa was one of the best all around players in the USBA during the '94 & '95 seasons but a career threatening knee injury just five games into 1996 made him a question mark for 1997. Costa did manage to come back but struggled to find his stroke hitting just .246 for the year. When healthy he and Briggs make a potent top two in the batting order each having over 60 SB in 1997. The team hopes that Scott can come close to the player he was just two seasons ago.

2B Bill Johnson passed Jeremy Ellis as the teams most skilled player somewhere around 1993. Johson won the LL PLatinum Rookie award in 1991 and has been a steady producer since. He battled the great Roger Underhill for a few years for the LL Silver Slugger award losing every season until his monster year of 1996 where he hit 45 homers and led the Liberty League in RBI for the second consecutive season. He was well on his way to his third RBI title and second Silver Slugger award when his knee injury sidelined him for the season. He was on the Sparkplugs postseason roster in 1997 in hopes of getting jsut a pinch hit opportunity but Ueker declined to put his star at risk. Johnson is known aroung the USBA as an extra base hit machine totaling 87(50 doubles, 10 triples, 27 homers) in just 504 AB.

1B Donald Eidson is as steady as they come. 1997 was his fifth consecutive season of 30+ homers and 95 RBI. He finished last season in a three way tie for the LL RbI title with 108, two shy of his career high. Some feel he should hit better than his .282 career average but his .370 career OB% more than makes up for it. This four time all star is often overshadowed by his flashier teammates. You put him in the lineup and you know what you'll get every year.

CF Ron Buckwalter enters his third season with a LL Platinum Rookie trophy, a LL RBI title, and a USBA Championship on his resume and he just turned 23 in January. "The Shepard" slammed 19 more homers in '97 than he did in his rookie season ranking him third in the LL with 35. He was just two steals away from a 30/30 season and he played a flawless OF posting zero errors and nine OF assist in over 1300 innings of play. With another year of development under his belt Buckwalter may become best hitter in this Detroit lineup.

3B Bill Burke's arrival in Detroit has been highly anticipated for years. "The Brick" has been stuck in AAA South Bend behind Eidson and Ellis but the team could no longer ignore his abilities. Burke averaged 50 homers and 122 RBI while hitting .320 for the Shooters over the past two seasons. He is the odds on favorite to win the LL Platinum Rookie award this season as he platoons with Ellis at thirdbase.

LF Jeff Eilerman burst onto the Detroit scene in 1995 with a .340 batting average in 391 AB. His callup from AAA South Bend was ahead of schedule due to a rash of OF injuries at the time. Eilerman stuck with the team in '96 and although his BA dropped to .300 his HR total went from 5 to 20. Last year saw Eilermans numbers fall across the board to .276 with a miserable .304 OB%. "Big Sexy" is the only Sparkplug regular that should fear losing his job as Thomas McMurray awaits his shot in the lineup.

C Ray Garza has averaged 20 homers and 82 RBI over the last two seasons while collecting three of the last four LL Gold Glove Awards at his position. Last season he took another step in his development by drawing a team high 80 walks. This year Garza will bat mostly ninth in the order to alleviate any pressure for him to perform offensively. His stats are a bonus to a hitter friendly team, his defense keeps him in the lineup.

HerbD · 07-09-2005, 08:35 AM

Jeremy Ellis entered the USBA in 1985 as a 25 year old just looking for someone to give him a chance. He'll leave the USBA as a Detroit Legend and a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Ellis was draft in the fifth round of the USBA dispersal draft in January of 1985 by the Indiana Racers. The Racers were so short on talent that manager Bob Ueker had to bat Ellis leadoff to take advantage of his keen eye at the plate. He went on to lead the LL with 127 walks, his first of six such titles in his career, while also leading the league with 134 runs scored. He added 33 homers and 84 RBI. During the Racer's lean years Ellis was one of the few reasons for fans to come to the ballpark. He played every game like it was the seventh game of the USBA Championship. IN '86 and '87 he hit .294 while averaging 31 homers, 91 RBI, and 96 BB.

1988 saw the beginning of his power surge when he slugged a career high 44 homers but managed just 102 RBI on one of the worst teams in the USBA. He managed to score 132 runs himself while drawing 105 BB.

He continued to hit homers in 1989 compiling 29 while knocking in a career best 120 as the team climbed to second in the Yankee division for the first time ever.

Jeremy's homerun production dropped to 29 in 1990 but he saw a dramatic increase in doubles from 31 in '89 to 42. He still drew over 90 BB and knocked in over 90 runs while scoring 106 of his own.

With pressure from within the organization for Ellis to get his homeruns production back to where it was in previous seasons he struggled at the plate and suffered through his worst season of his prime years in 1991. His .258 batting average was 30 lower than any season he had ever put up before and while his homerun production increased to 35 his OB% dropped to a then career low .378.

At the age of 33 Ellis played in a career low 146 games during the 1992 season but he enjoyed his best year at the plate. He hit a career high .346 with 90 XBH including 39 homers and 48 doubles. He knocked in 119 runs while scoring 126 of his own and his team won their second consecutive Yankee title.

After a solid 1993 that saw him hit 32 homers and score 114 runs Ellis finally tasted postseason success in 1994. He finished the '94 season third in the LL batting race(.335) but he led the LL with a career high .452 OB%. The Sparkplugs won 107 games and were heavy favorited to win the USBA title. The 'Plugs won the '97 title in five games over the defending USBA champion Boston Pilgrims and Ellis was named the postseason MVP after hitting .397 in 15 games.

After the 1994 season Ellis' skills began to decline. He averaged just 25 homers and 77 RBI from '95~'97 and while he was still the unquestioned leader of the clubhouse he had become just another player on the field. He was and still is a fan favorite in Detroit to this day. When Detroit won it's second USBA championship in 1997 Ellis was the one pushed to the podium by his teammates to accept the Championship Trophy from USBA Commish Scott Fite.

Ellis enters the 1998 season with his name scattered throughout the USBA career leaderboards. He's first in games played and bases on balls. Second in runs scored and total bases. Third in homers, fourth in RBI and OB%. He's been an All-Star nine times, four times a starter. Named to the All League team five times and has two championships.

1998 brings in a new role for Jeremy Ellis. In his 14th and likely final season as a player in the USBA his job is to mentor super prospect Bill Burke on and off the field while Burke takes his job. We are all sure that this future Hall of Famer will take on this task the same way he has everyother task in his like, with class.

HerbD · 07-09-2005, 09:08 AM

SP Jarvis Turnbow is the ace of the Sparkplugs staff. He was named the MVP of the '97 postseason as he went 3-1 with a 1.85 ERA in five starts. After a disappointing rookie season that saw him go 12-8 with a 4.11 ERA he bounced back to win 16 games last year while leading the LL in strikeouts with 254. His ERA also improved to 2.35 good for third in the league. At the age of 26 Turnbow is poised to become the first 20 game winner in franchise history.

SP Javier Garcia suffered some bad luck last season finishing with just 10 wins after going a combined 32-11 the previous two seasons. The team failed to support Garcia in most of his games as his ERA was just 2.94. With a healthy lineup back for the 1997 season Garcia will battle Turnbow to be the first 20 game winner in the franchise's history.

SP Roger Fetters was aquired from Philadelphia on opening day for longtime Sparkplugs OF Willie Mangels. Fetters was immediately placed in the Detroit rotation and finished the season with 15 wins and the LL Platinum Rookie award. After a strong start he faded a bit down the streth last year but with another year in the Detroit conditioning program and another spring training under his belt the team hopes Fetters can sustain his success throughout the 1998 season.

SP Randall Zellmer entered the 1997 season with an 18-57 career record. The 34 year olds career seemed to be over when he was waived by the lowly Jacksonville Suns franchise. Detroit claimed Zellmer off waivers on April 14 and Ueker gave him a second chance immediatley inserting him into the rotation. Randall responded by winning 15 games while posting a career best 4.23 ERA. Can Zellmer put together two consecutive good seasons? Can he pitch well enough not to lose with the support of a potent Detroit offense?

SP Mo DeHaven had won in double digits for eight consecutive seasons leading up to 1997 and he had beenthe staff ace for many of those years. Sitting on 99 career wins there was no reason to believe that he wouldn't win at least 10 games again. What happened to Dehaven cannot be explained. He suffered through a horrible season that saw his confidence drop to an all time low while his ERA soared to an all time high(5.88). He won jsut one game giving him 100 for his career but he lost nine games and his spot in the roatation as he was banished to the bullpen. Mo saw action in only one postseason game, vs Birmingham, where he managed to give up three earned runs while recording no outs. When the team needed a fourth starter for the Championship Series against Seattle Ueker called on DeHaven instead of 15 game winner Zellmer. DeHaven responded to quiet all critics with five innings of one run baseball. He gained some confidence back that day...will it carry over to 1998?

CL Colin Boyer needs just 19 saves to reach the 400 mark. A total achieved only by Hall of Famer Mark Francois. Boyer needs 52 saves to tie Francois for the all time mark but with a career high of just 45 saves that record will likely have to wait for 1999. Boyer is one of the most steady closers in the game but he can have his off nights. He managed 36 saves in 1997 but posted his second worst ERA(4.31) of his career. Colin's save totals are amazing if you consider the amount of blowout games that are won by the Sparkplugs. Is it possible to post a 50 save season with the best offense in the USBA?

HerbD · 07-09-2005, 09:46 AM

The Champs are forced to open the season on the road with three games in Columbus. Opening day features 1997 LL Bronze Arm winner Tim Culp of the Knights. Culp schooled the Sparkplugs in '97 with a 3-1 record and 1.46 ERA in 34 plus innings.

Det 5__Col 3
Turnbow and Culp battle for six innings but the bullpens would decide the game in the end. Buckwalter and Ellis each homered off of Culp in the fourth but it was a Buckwalter RBI double in the eighth that broke a 3-3 tie and gave RP Edward Bergquist the win and Boyer his first save of 1998.
(1-0)

Det 2__Col 1
Garcia gave up just one unearned run in eight innings while Buckwalter knocked in his fourth run in two games. Garza blasted his first homer of the year off of the Knights hard luck loser Paul Leibowitz. Boyer gets his second save in two games. Johnson is 0-6 to start the new season.
(2-0)

Det 7__Col 5
Johnson connects for a first inning homer off of Carlton Yates as the Sparkplugs sweep the opening series from Columbus. Fetters gives up three runs in six innings and the bullpen comes through after MR Ralph Brinkman tried to give the game away. Boyer has three saves in three games. Burke records the first hit(a double) and RBI of his career.
(3-0)

Det 6__Ric 3
The home opener brings in a capacity crowd as the Sparkplugs welcome the Richmond Cannons and former Sparkplug Berkley Mark to town. Mark was 8-1 last year for Detroit when he was traded to Richmond for prospect Fred Cowley. Zellmer gave up a two run homer and an RBI single to C John Archie of the Cannons as the 'Plugs trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the fifth. Four extra base hits(3 doubles and a triple) led to four runs off of Mark and Detroit was in front 6-3. The bullpen held on again with Ian Mascorro spelled Boyer and came away with his second career save. Johnson, Briggs, Burke, and Eidson each had two hits for Detroit.
(4-0)

Det 8__Ric 4
The Champs got their rings in front of 52,224 and the bats came alive for Mo DeHaven as he matched his win total for 1997. Briggs, Johnson, and Eidson each homered in during a five run fifth inning and the bullpen once again finished off the Cannons for the win. Don't look now but Jeremy Ellis is hitting .600 in limited action for the 'Plugs.
(5-0)

Det 6__Ric 2
The Champs finished off a perfect week as Turnbow gave up just four hits and one earned run in seven innings for his first win. Buckwalter homered and drove in three to lead the Sparkplugs offense. Eidson and Briggs each had two hits each.
(6-0)

Team Leaders
Briggs .385 BA
Johnson .519 OB%
Johnson .750 SLG%
Johnson 1.269 OPS
Briggs 10 hits
Eidson 4 doubles
Costa 2 triples
Johnson/Buckwalter 2 homers
Buckwalter 9 RBI
Briggs 8 runs
Briggs 4 SB
Johnson 7 BB
SIX TIED 1 win
Garcia 0.00 ERA
Boyer 3 saves
Turnbow 13.0 IP
Turnbow 10 K
Ellis Watch: 6-10, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .600 BA

HerbD · 07-10-2005, 01:27 AM

Code:

Southwest 
 
Team           W  L   PCT  GB  
Los Angeles    5  1  .833   -  
San Diego      5  1  .833   -  
Phoenix        3  3  .500  2.0  
Las Vegas      1  5  .167  4.0 
 
Atlantic 
 
Team             W   L   PCT   GB  
Philadelphia     4   2  .667   - 
Boston           3   3  .500  1.0 
New York         2   4  .333  2.0  
Pittsburgh       2   4  .333  2.0  

Pacific 
 
Team             W   L   PCT   GB  
Denver           4   2  .667   - 
Hawaii           3   3  .500  1.0 
Alaska           2   4  .333  2.0 
Seattle          2   4  .333  2.0 
 
Liberty League Standings 
 
Frontier 
 
Team                 W  L   PCT   GB  
Houston              4  2  .667   - 
New Orleans          2  4  .333  2.0  
San Antonio          2  4  .333  2.0  
Wichita              2  4  .333  2.0 
 
Yankee 
 
Team               W  L     PCT  GB  
Detroit            6  0   1.000    - 
Columbus           3  3    .500  3.0 
Fort Wayne         3  3    .500  3.0 
Chicago            2  4    .333  4.0 
 
Dixie 
 
Team                W  L    PCT   GB  
Birmingham          4  2   .667    - 
Memphis             4  2   .667    -  
Jacksonville        2  4   .333  2.0 
Richmond            2  4   .333  2.0

HerbD · 07-12-2005, 07:44 PM

After a perfect 6-0 start the Sparkplugs posted a very disappointing week 2 losing five of six including a three game sweep at home to a long struggling Jacksonville franchise. We followed that up by losing two of three to San Antonio, another team that finished below .500 last year. This does not bode well for Detroit heading into Fort Wayne for a three game set with the pesky Wizards.

Jax 2___Det 1(10 IN)
Javier Garcia pitched 7.1 innings of one run ball and handed the game to the bullpen with a 2-1 lead. Roberto Mendoza tagged Closer Colin Boyer for a game tying homer in the ninth and newly acquired SS Arthur Washington hit a game winning dinger off of Tim Yuma in the top of the tenth. Donald Eidson bruised his heal rounding first on a sixth inning double and will miss a week of action. Detroit left 14 runners on base during the game.
(6-1)

Jax 5___Det 1
The Suns scored two runs in the first off of Roger Fetters and the game was never in doubt from there. Mendoza's second homer in two games against the 'Plugs chased Fetters in the seventh with the score 5-0. Marco Velazquez pitched five plus scoreless innings and the Jacksonville pen gave up just one Detroit run to seal the game. Fetters gets the loss and his ERA explodes to over five for the season.
(6-2)

Jax 5___Det 2
Detroit took a two run lead on Bill Burke's first career homer with Buckwalter on first after drawing a leadoff walk. Starter Randell Zellmer gave up solo homers in the fourth and seventh and left with the game tied 2-2. Once again the 'Plugs bullpen failed as Bergquist and Yuma combined to give up three homers in the last two innings to give the ballgame away. Detroit scored only 5 runs in the three games.
(6-3)

SA 7___Det 4
Three sinlgles, a walk, and a sac fly in the second inning put the Sparkplugs and Turnbow in an early 3-0 hole. An Eilerman single scored Burke who had doubled to lead off the bottom of the second to cut the San Antonio lead to 3-1. The teams traded runs in the third making it 4-2. McMurray homered off of Friedel to narrow the lead to 4-3 in the seventh. Yuma relieved Turnbow in the eighth and gave up three singles, a double, and a sac fly as the Gunslingers put the game away adding three more runs for a 7-3 lead. Burke added a meaningless homer in the bottom of the inning but Bud Schoop came in to save the game in the ninth. Detroit wasted 15 hits on the day including three each from Briggs, Costa, Burke, and Eilerman.
(6-4)

SA 8___Det 4
Ronald Numbers led off the game with a first pitch homer off of Mo DeHaven and it only got worse from there. In all the Gunslingers scored five first inning runs on three homers. DeHaven would settle down to give up just one more run in the next five innings but the deficit was just to much for Detroit to overcome finally losing the game 8-4. Only Burke had more than one hit for the Sparkplugs as he had two singles in the game. DeHaven fell to 1-1 and his ERA grew to 6.57. Ozzie Coleman took advantage of the San Antonio outburst to get the win.
(6-5)

Det 3___SA 1
Garcia, Brinkman, and Boyer combined to give up just four hits and one run as the Sparkplugs finally broke the five game losing streak. Buckwalter hit a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game and Ray Garza hit a two run single later in the inning to give Detroit the win. Garcia improved to 2-0 and he now leads the LL with a 0.77 ERA. Boyer picked up his fourth save of the season.
(7-5)

Team Leaders
Briggs .356 BA
Johnson/Costa .420 OB%
Costa .548 SLG%
Costa .968 OPS
Briggs 16 hits
Costa 6 doubles
Costa 2 triples
Buckwalter 3 homers
Buckwalter 10 RBI
Briggs 9 runs
Briggs 5 SB
Johnson 12 BB
Garcia 2 win
Garcia 0.77 ERA
Boyer 4 saves
Garcia 23.1 IP
Garcia 20 K
Ellis Watch: 9-30, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .300 BA
Burke Watch: 11-40, 4 DB, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .275 BA

07-09-2005, 07:03 AM	#1
HerbD All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 978	1998 USBA Sparkplugs: A Quest for Three! The Detroit Sparkplugs of the USBA are coming off their second championship in four seasons. Manger Bob Ueker, the only manager the franchise has ever known, is in a race with Richmonds Tony LaRussa to be the first USBA manager to 1200 wins and three USBA titles(LaRussa won two titles in the late '80s with New Orleans). Sparkplugs History The Sparkplugs actually started out as the Indiana Racers with the inception of the USBA in 1985. During the initial draft the Racers took a little thought of firstbaseman named Jeremy Ellis with the 94th overall pick, its final human pick before the league dispersed the remaining players. Ellis, a switch hitter, would soon become the face of the franchise. For the first couple of seasons the Racers struggled on the field and off as they were hancuffed with some very bad OOTP created contracts. The team was losing money about as fast as it was losing games and it could not compete with the more successful Fort Wayne and Chicago franchises just a couple of hours drive away. In 1987 the team management finally came up with a plan to turn the franchise around. The team shed contract at an alarming rate lowering the payroll from over $80 million in '86 to just under $60 million in '87 to $42 million in '87. The team also began to formalize a plan to relocate from Indianapolis to Detroit. In 1987 the team won 67 games and more importantly they made a $5 million profit. In 1988, the first in Detroit, the team won 78 games and made an astounding $30 million profit. Things were finally starting to turn around. In 1989 the team won 76 games but finished second in the weak Yankee Division behind Fort Wayne(80-82) who I believe is the only team in the history of the USBA to make the playoffs with a losing record. As the calendar turned on a new decade so was marked the turning point for the Sparkplugs franchise. The team won an amazing 98 games and won their first Yankee Division crown by 20 games over second place Fort Wayne. The Sparkplugs hadn't gained any national attention until they crushed the heavily favored Richmond Cannons(116 regular season victories) in four games in the Liberty League Division Series. Although the 'Plugs would eventually lose to Houston in an epic seven game battle for the Liberty League Crown, the 1990 season was indeed the franchise's first taste of success. 1991, '92, and '93 would bring three more Yankee division titles and more playoff disappointment. 1991 was another seven game loss in the LL LCS while '92 and '93 were both first round exits where the team managed only one playoff win in each season. 1994 was a special season. Detroit won a USBA best 107 games cruising to a fifth consecutive Yankee title. The Sparkplugs dispatch Yankee rival Chicago in three games to open the playoffs then defeated defending LL Champion Brimingham in seven games before allowing the defending USBA Champions Pilgrims just one series win on way to the franchise's first USBA Title. 1995 and 1996 brought two more division titles but the team failed to even make it to the USBA Championship series either season. For the three years from '94~'96 the team averaged 105 wins per season. Then came 1997. Perhaps the strangest season the franchise has ever seen. Amazingly the Sparkplugs posted losing records to each division rival but due to the balanced schedule used by the USBA they still managed 91 victories, enough to win the Yankee by six games over Columbus in the only division in the USBA where every team had a winning record. With a month left in the season the team's best player and defending LL Silver Slugger winner, Bill Johnson, went down with a season ending knee injury. Many thought that would be the end of the Sparkplugs season. They survived a five game series with Birmingham that featured a classic 2-1 victory in the final game. Then a quick five game series over Houston and the Sparkplugs were off to Seattle to face favored Stingrays. The 'Plugs lost the first game in a 9-0 blowout before winning the next four to win their second USBA title in four years. __________________

07-09-2005, 07:52 AM	#2
HerbD All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 978	Introducing the 1998 Detroit Sparkplugs: SS Morris Briggs was known around the USBA as a malcontent with great talent. He came to the Sparkplugs at the '95 trade deadline after stalled contract negotiations with two other teams. Detroit immediately signed Briggs to a three year, $34.5 million extension and all has been good since. He won the 1997 Liberty League Silver Slugger award but only after teammate and 1996 winner Bill Johnson went down with a season ending injury in early September. He led the LL with 132 runs scored and 321 total bases and was just one homerun shy of his third career 30 HR/30 SB season. He continued his 1997 success with a .338 batting average in 15 postseason games. RF Scott Costa was one of the best all around players in the USBA during the '94 & '95 seasons but a career threatening knee injury just five games into 1996 made him a question mark for 1997. Costa did manage to come back but struggled to find his stroke hitting just .246 for the year. When healthy he and Briggs make a potent top two in the batting order each having over 60 SB in 1997. The team hopes that Scott can come close to the player he was just two seasons ago. 2B Bill Johnson passed Jeremy Ellis as the teams most skilled player somewhere around 1993. Johson won the LL PLatinum Rookie award in 1991 and has been a steady producer since. He battled the great Roger Underhill for a few years for the LL Silver Slugger award losing every season until his monster year of 1996 where he hit 45 homers and led the Liberty League in RBI for the second consecutive season. He was well on his way to his third RBI title and second Silver Slugger award when his knee injury sidelined him for the season. He was on the Sparkplugs postseason roster in 1997 in hopes of getting jsut a pinch hit opportunity but Ueker declined to put his star at risk. Johnson is known aroung the USBA as an extra base hit machine totaling 87(50 doubles, 10 triples, 27 homers) in just 504 AB. 1B Donald Eidson is as steady as they come. 1997 was his fifth consecutive season of 30+ homers and 95 RBI. He finished last season in a three way tie for the LL RbI title with 108, two shy of his career high. Some feel he should hit better than his .282 career average but his .370 career OB% more than makes up for it. This four time all star is often overshadowed by his flashier teammates. You put him in the lineup and you know what you'll get every year. CF Ron Buckwalter enters his third season with a LL Platinum Rookie trophy, a LL RBI title, and a USBA Championship on his resume and he just turned 23 in January. "The Shepard" slammed 19 more homers in '97 than he did in his rookie season ranking him third in the LL with 35. He was just two steals away from a 30/30 season and he played a flawless OF posting zero errors and nine OF assist in over 1300 innings of play. With another year of development under his belt Buckwalter may become best hitter in this Detroit lineup. 3B Bill Burke's arrival in Detroit has been highly anticipated for years. "The Brick" has been stuck in AAA South Bend behind Eidson and Ellis but the team could no longer ignore his abilities. Burke averaged 50 homers and 122 RBI while hitting .320 for the Shooters over the past two seasons. He is the odds on favorite to win the LL Platinum Rookie award this season as he platoons with Ellis at thirdbase. LF Jeff Eilerman burst onto the Detroit scene in 1995 with a .340 batting average in 391 AB. His callup from AAA South Bend was ahead of schedule due to a rash of OF injuries at the time. Eilerman stuck with the team in '96 and although his BA dropped to .300 his HR total went from 5 to 20. Last year saw Eilermans numbers fall across the board to .276 with a miserable .304 OB%. "Big Sexy" is the only Sparkplug regular that should fear losing his job as Thomas McMurray awaits his shot in the lineup. C Ray Garza has averaged 20 homers and 82 RBI over the last two seasons while collecting three of the last four LL Gold Glove Awards at his position. Last season he took another step in his development by drawing a team high 80 walks. This year Garza will bat mostly ninth in the order to alleviate any pressure for him to perform offensively. His stats are a bonus to a hitter friendly team, his defense keeps him in the lineup. __________________

07-09-2005, 08:35 AM	#3
HerbD All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 978	The Legend: Jeremy Ellis Jeremy Ellis entered the USBA in 1985 as a 25 year old just looking for someone to give him a chance. He'll leave the USBA as a Detroit Legend and a first ballot Hall of Famer. Ellis was draft in the fifth round of the USBA dispersal draft in January of 1985 by the Indiana Racers. The Racers were so short on talent that manager Bob Ueker had to bat Ellis leadoff to take advantage of his keen eye at the plate. He went on to lead the LL with 127 walks, his first of six such titles in his career, while also leading the league with 134 runs scored. He added 33 homers and 84 RBI. During the Racer's lean years Ellis was one of the few reasons for fans to come to the ballpark. He played every game like it was the seventh game of the USBA Championship. IN '86 and '87 he hit .294 while averaging 31 homers, 91 RBI, and 96 BB. 1988 saw the beginning of his power surge when he slugged a career high 44 homers but managed just 102 RBI on one of the worst teams in the USBA. He managed to score 132 runs himself while drawing 105 BB. He continued to hit homers in 1989 compiling 29 while knocking in a career best 120 as the team climbed to second in the Yankee division for the first time ever. Jeremy's homerun production dropped to 29 in 1990 but he saw a dramatic increase in doubles from 31 in '89 to 42. He still drew over 90 BB and knocked in over 90 runs while scoring 106 of his own. With pressure from within the organization for Ellis to get his homeruns production back to where it was in previous seasons he struggled at the plate and suffered through his worst season of his prime years in 1991. His .258 batting average was 30 lower than any season he had ever put up before and while his homerun production increased to 35 his OB% dropped to a then career low .378. At the age of 33 Ellis played in a career low 146 games during the 1992 season but he enjoyed his best year at the plate. He hit a career high .346 with 90 XBH including 39 homers and 48 doubles. He knocked in 119 runs while scoring 126 of his own and his team won their second consecutive Yankee title. After a solid 1993 that saw him hit 32 homers and score 114 runs Ellis finally tasted postseason success in 1994. He finished the '94 season third in the LL batting race(.335) but he led the LL with a career high .452 OB%. The Sparkplugs won 107 games and were heavy favorited to win the USBA title. The 'Plugs won the '97 title in five games over the defending USBA champion Boston Pilgrims and Ellis was named the postseason MVP after hitting .397 in 15 games. After the 1994 season Ellis' skills began to decline. He averaged just 25 homers and 77 RBI from '95~'97 and while he was still the unquestioned leader of the clubhouse he had become just another player on the field. He was and still is a fan favorite in Detroit to this day. When Detroit won it's second USBA championship in 1997 Ellis was the one pushed to the podium by his teammates to accept the Championship Trophy from USBA Commish Scott Fite. Ellis enters the 1998 season with his name scattered throughout the USBA career leaderboards. He's first in games played and bases on balls. Second in runs scored and total bases. Third in homers, fourth in RBI and OB%. He's been an All-Star nine times, four times a starter. Named to the All League team five times and has two championships. 1998 brings in a new role for Jeremy Ellis. In his 14th and likely final season as a player in the USBA his job is to mentor super prospect Bill Burke on and off the field while Burke takes his job. We are all sure that this future Hall of Famer will take on this task the same way he has everyother task in his like, with class. __________________

07-09-2005, 09:08 AM	#4
HerbD All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 978	The Arms SP Jarvis Turnbow is the ace of the Sparkplugs staff. He was named the MVP of the '97 postseason as he went 3-1 with a 1.85 ERA in five starts. After a disappointing rookie season that saw him go 12-8 with a 4.11 ERA he bounced back to win 16 games last year while leading the LL in strikeouts with 254. His ERA also improved to 2.35 good for third in the league. At the age of 26 Turnbow is poised to become the first 20 game winner in franchise history. SP Javier Garcia suffered some bad luck last season finishing with just 10 wins after going a combined 32-11 the previous two seasons. The team failed to support Garcia in most of his games as his ERA was just 2.94. With a healthy lineup back for the 1997 season Garcia will battle Turnbow to be the first 20 game winner in the franchise's history. SP Roger Fetters was aquired from Philadelphia on opening day for longtime Sparkplugs OF Willie Mangels. Fetters was immediately placed in the Detroit rotation and finished the season with 15 wins and the LL Platinum Rookie award. After a strong start he faded a bit down the streth last year but with another year in the Detroit conditioning program and another spring training under his belt the team hopes Fetters can sustain his success throughout the 1998 season. SP Randall Zellmer entered the 1997 season with an 18-57 career record. The 34 year olds career seemed to be over when he was waived by the lowly Jacksonville Suns franchise. Detroit claimed Zellmer off waivers on April 14 and Ueker gave him a second chance immediatley inserting him into the rotation. Randall responded by winning 15 games while posting a career best 4.23 ERA. Can Zellmer put together two consecutive good seasons? Can he pitch well enough not to lose with the support of a potent Detroit offense? SP Mo DeHaven had won in double digits for eight consecutive seasons leading up to 1997 and he had beenthe staff ace for many of those years. Sitting on 99 career wins there was no reason to believe that he wouldn't win at least 10 games again. What happened to Dehaven cannot be explained. He suffered through a horrible season that saw his confidence drop to an all time low while his ERA soared to an all time high(5.88). He won jsut one game giving him 100 for his career but he lost nine games and his spot in the roatation as he was banished to the bullpen. Mo saw action in only one postseason game, vs Birmingham, where he managed to give up three earned runs while recording no outs. When the team needed a fourth starter for the Championship Series against Seattle Ueker called on DeHaven instead of 15 game winner Zellmer. DeHaven responded to quiet all critics with five innings of one run baseball. He gained some confidence back that day...will it carry over to 1998? CL Colin Boyer needs just 19 saves to reach the 400 mark. A total achieved only by Hall of Famer Mark Francois. Boyer needs 52 saves to tie Francois for the all time mark but with a career high of just 45 saves that record will likely have to wait for 1999. Boyer is one of the most steady closers in the game but he can have his off nights. He managed 36 saves in 1997 but posted his second worst ERA(4.31) of his career. Colin's save totals are amazing if you consider the amount of blowout games that are won by the Sparkplugs. Is it possible to post a 50 save season with the best offense in the USBA? __________________

07-09-2005, 09:46 AM	#5
HerbD All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 978	1998: Week One The Champs are forced to open the season on the road with three games in Columbus. Opening day features 1997 LL Bronze Arm winner Tim Culp of the Knights. Culp schooled the Sparkplugs in '97 with a 3-1 record and 1.46 ERA in 34 plus innings. Det 5__Col 3 Turnbow and Culp battle for six innings but the bullpens would decide the game in the end. Buckwalter and Ellis each homered off of Culp in the fourth but it was a Buckwalter RBI double in the eighth that broke a 3-3 tie and gave RP Edward Bergquist the win and Boyer his first save of 1998. (1-0) Det 2__Col 1 Garcia gave up just one unearned run in eight innings while Buckwalter knocked in his fourth run in two games. Garza blasted his first homer of the year off of the Knights hard luck loser Paul Leibowitz. Boyer gets his second save in two games. Johnson is 0-6 to start the new season. (2-0) Det 7__Col 5 Johnson connects for a first inning homer off of Carlton Yates as the Sparkplugs sweep the opening series from Columbus. Fetters gives up three runs in six innings and the bullpen comes through after MR Ralph Brinkman tried to give the game away. Boyer has three saves in three games. Burke records the first hit(a double) and RBI of his career. (3-0) Det 6__Ric 3 The home opener brings in a capacity crowd as the Sparkplugs welcome the Richmond Cannons and former Sparkplug Berkley Mark to town. Mark was 8-1 last year for Detroit when he was traded to Richmond for prospect Fred Cowley. Zellmer gave up a two run homer and an RBI single to C John Archie of the Cannons as the 'Plugs trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the fifth. Four extra base hits(3 doubles and a triple) led to four runs off of Mark and Detroit was in front 6-3. The bullpen held on again with Ian Mascorro spelled Boyer and came away with his second career save. Johnson, Briggs, Burke, and Eidson each had two hits for Detroit. (4-0) Det 8__Ric 4 The Champs got their rings in front of 52,224 and the bats came alive for Mo DeHaven as he matched his win total for 1997. Briggs, Johnson, and Eidson each homered in during a five run fifth inning and the bullpen once again finished off the Cannons for the win. Don't look now but Jeremy Ellis is hitting .600 in limited action for the 'Plugs. (5-0) Det 6__Ric 2 The Champs finished off a perfect week as Turnbow gave up just four hits and one earned run in seven innings for his first win. Buckwalter homered and drove in three to lead the Sparkplugs offense. Eidson and Briggs each had two hits each. (6-0) Team Leaders Briggs .385 BA Johnson .519 OB% Johnson .750 SLG% Johnson 1.269 OPS Briggs 10 hits Eidson 4 doubles Costa 2 triples Johnson/Buckwalter 2 homers Buckwalter 9 RBI Briggs 8 runs Briggs 4 SB Johnson 7 BB SIX TIED 1 win Garcia 0.00 ERA Boyer 3 saves Turnbow 13.0 IP Turnbow 10 K Ellis Watch: 6-10, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .600 BA __________________ Last edited by HerbD; 07-09-2005 at 10:47 AM.

07-12-2005, 07:44 PM	#7
HerbD All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Indiana Posts: 978	Week 2 After a perfect 6-0 start the Sparkplugs posted a very disappointing week 2 losing five of six including a three game sweep at home to a long struggling Jacksonville franchise. We followed that up by losing two of three to San Antonio, another team that finished below .500 last year. This does not bode well for Detroit heading into Fort Wayne for a three game set with the pesky Wizards. Jax 2___Det 1(10 IN) Javier Garcia pitched 7.1 innings of one run ball and handed the game to the bullpen with a 2-1 lead. Roberto Mendoza tagged Closer Colin Boyer for a game tying homer in the ninth and newly acquired SS Arthur Washington hit a game winning dinger off of Tim Yuma in the top of the tenth. Donald Eidson bruised his heal rounding first on a sixth inning double and will miss a week of action. Detroit left 14 runners on base during the game. (6-1) Jax 5___Det 1 The Suns scored two runs in the first off of Roger Fetters and the game was never in doubt from there. Mendoza's second homer in two games against the 'Plugs chased Fetters in the seventh with the score 5-0. Marco Velazquez pitched five plus scoreless innings and the Jacksonville pen gave up just one Detroit run to seal the game. Fetters gets the loss and his ERA explodes to over five for the season. (6-2) Jax 5___Det 2 Detroit took a two run lead on Bill Burke's first career homer with Buckwalter on first after drawing a leadoff walk. Starter Randell Zellmer gave up solo homers in the fourth and seventh and left with the game tied 2-2. Once again the 'Plugs bullpen failed as Bergquist and Yuma combined to give up three homers in the last two innings to give the ballgame away. Detroit scored only 5 runs in the three games. (6-3) SA 7___Det 4 Three sinlgles, a walk, and a sac fly in the second inning put the Sparkplugs and Turnbow in an early 3-0 hole. An Eilerman single scored Burke who had doubled to lead off the bottom of the second to cut the San Antonio lead to 3-1. The teams traded runs in the third making it 4-2. McMurray homered off of Friedel to narrow the lead to 4-3 in the seventh. Yuma relieved Turnbow in the eighth and gave up three singles, a double, and a sac fly as the Gunslingers put the game away adding three more runs for a 7-3 lead. Burke added a meaningless homer in the bottom of the inning but Bud Schoop came in to save the game in the ninth. Detroit wasted 15 hits on the day including three each from Briggs, Costa, Burke, and Eilerman. (6-4) SA 8___Det 4 Ronald Numbers led off the game with a first pitch homer off of Mo DeHaven and it only got worse from there. In all the Gunslingers scored five first inning runs on three homers. DeHaven would settle down to give up just one more run in the next five innings but the deficit was just to much for Detroit to overcome finally losing the game 8-4. Only Burke had more than one hit for the Sparkplugs as he had two singles in the game. DeHaven fell to 1-1 and his ERA grew to 6.57. Ozzie Coleman took advantage of the San Antonio outburst to get the win. (6-5) Det 3___SA 1 Garcia, Brinkman, and Boyer combined to give up just four hits and one run as the Sparkplugs finally broke the five game losing streak. Buckwalter hit a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game and Ray Garza hit a two run single later in the inning to give Detroit the win. Garcia improved to 2-0 and he now leads the LL with a 0.77 ERA. Boyer picked up his fourth save of the season. (7-5) Team Leaders Briggs .356 BA Johnson/Costa .420 OB% Costa .548 SLG% Costa .968 OPS Briggs 16 hits Costa 6 doubles Costa 2 triples Buckwalter 3 homers Buckwalter 10 RBI Briggs 9 runs Briggs 5 SB Johnson 12 BB Garcia 2 win Garcia 0.77 ERA Boyer 4 saves Garcia 23.1 IP Garcia 20 K Ellis Watch: 9-30, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .300 BA Burke Watch: 11-40, 4 DB, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .275 BA __________________ Last edited by HerbD; 07-12-2005 at 07:46 PM.