The Last Great Dynasty

[MattStewNYY]

It's March 2005. Well aware of the negative publicity drawn forth by the pending steroid scandal, and the general decrease in interest due to the Red Sox finally breaking through, Major League Baseball officials make a shocking, last second announcement to hold an expansion draft, sparking the creation of two new expansion franchises.

The first franchise was ushered into the friendly confines of Triple A Charlotte, and bought by the Ellis family -- a family of entrepreneuring real estate contractors who have made a fortune up and down the southeast coast building celebrity homes.

The team would be named the Charlotte Wolverines.

The second expansion franchise, and 32nd MLB team, would be placed in the cold confines of Buffalo, New York, where the Stewart family, Northeastern antique moguls who originally stumbled across their fortune through the state Powerball lottery, would purchase the team and give it to their eldest son, Matthew Stewart, as his 18th birthday present.

With Tampa Bay and Arizona both on the verge of financial extinction, Bud Sehligs goal in creating the two new organizations was to prove that not only was there not too many teams in Major League Baseball -- but that the league could actually support two more.

The Bisons and Wolverines would both be Central teams -- the Bisons in the AL Central and the Wolverines in the NL Central. To stave off odd alignment, Sehlig opted for slight realignment, moving the Kansas City Royals to the AL West, and the Houston Astros to the NL West.

Aligned with a 75 Million Dollar budget, the Charlotte Wolverines quietly composed a team through the expansion draft that was a respectable, but expected young and inexpensive expansion franchise.

But the Buffalo Bisons -- a name adopted from the previous Triple A franchise in the city, and their brash young owner Matt Stewart had a different philosophy: a veteran roster equals quicker success. This theory could be equally as disastrous considering Buffalo's considerably smaller market and bankroll -- only 50 Million Dollars.

The philosophies of the two teams were vastly different -- the Wolverines attacked the market for its most valuable and innovative resources; throwing millions of dollars at the Moneyball generation of front office executives.

Meanwhile, the Bisons believed, and gloated openly about the traditional methods to running a baseball team -- speed, defense, reliable pitching. And to that extent, Stewart made a bold young prediction: Within 3 years; by 2007, the Buffalo Bisons would be a playoff team.

Dynasty Rules

Starting Year: 2005
Version: Out of the Park 6, using MVP Baseball 2005 presently for images.
Goal: Make the playoffs by the end of 2007.
Human Controlled Team: Buffalo Bisons
What We'll Keep Up On: Specifically the Bisons, but we'll also keep closer track of the Charlotte Wolverines, and track of the league.

[YankeeFanatic04]

Interesting...This should be fun...

[metsgeek]

Excellent start so far. A simple, old fashioned team dynasty. None of this philosophical masturbatory pondering found in other threads

[MattStewNYY]

Originally Posted by YankeeFanatic04

Interesting...This should be fun...

I hope so!

Otherwise, why would anyone write these things.

[MattStewNYY]

Originally Posted by metsgeek

Excellent start so far. A simple, old fashioned team dynasty. None of this philosophical masturbatory pondering found in other threads

The oddity of it is that 'old fashioned' has become so rare that its almost refreshing at times. Plus, 99.9% of people here are sabermetricians, which I tend to lean on the side of, and hell, there has to be a villian, 'traditional' dynasty, too, right? :-P

[goroyals]

Originally Posted by metsgeek

Excellent start so far. A simple, old fashioned team dynasty. None of this philosophical masturbatory pondering found in other threads

Ditto. Looking foward to more.

[MattStewNYY]

Expansion Draft

The Rules: Both the Charlotte Wolverines and Buffalo Bisons would pick their 25 man roster from a select choice of MLBPA free agents and team members. The teams minor leagues would be filled with walk-on's, or, anyone who cared to tryout for the team and made the cut. Each Major League team was given the opportunity to protect 20 players. Charlotte, winning the coin toss, would select first, with the picks alternating each round. This if the Bisons draft.


Round 1: SP Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox, Age: 39, 128-111, 4.29 ERA
They say that the last thing a pitcher loses is his arm strength, and the doubly great thing about Tim Wakefield is that he's a knuckleballer, and so it will probably take twice as long. An apt one-pitch wonder, Wakefield features a bushleague fastball and curve, but a knuckleball that can put an entire team in a slump. Wakefield will be the leading man in the rotation for the Bisons, which leads many to shriek and yelp, and me aswell, but the pickings are slim, as you will come to see.

Round 2: SP Josh Fogg, Pittsburgh Pirates, Age: 29, 33-31, 4.64 ERA
10 years Wakefield's junior, Josh Fogg has pitched three complete seasons in the big leagues and has not yet had a sub 4.30 ERA. Fogg boasts a lot of HR's allowed per year, and very narrow margin between his strikeouts and walks, but has yet to have a losing record in his young career.


Round 3: CF Luis Matos, Baltimore Orioles, Age: 27, .253 AVG, .307 OBP, 24 HR, 48 SB
A young Baltimorian slugger, Matos has been featured in all of the last 5 seasons as a young Oriole 'prospect', but has only once made it past 100 games in a year. Matos features mild speed, mild power and mild defensive range, and altogether has the makings of a blossoming and perfectly average centerfielder.

Round 4: 3B Andy Phillips, New York Yankees, Age: 28, .250 AVG, .250 OBP, 1 HR, 0 SB
A posterchild of the young sabermetricians club, Andy Phillips is one of the lucky few of the many tortured Yankee farmhands that has somehow made it through to see some (if minimal) big league action. Phillips has marginal skills at 2nd, 3rd, and 1st defensively, but features a thunderous bat from time to time.


Round 5: 2B Willie Harris, Chicago White Sox, Age: 27, .240 AVG, .305 OBP, 4 HR, 44 SB
Big lips! I mean, what? With only a few years in the bigs, Willie Harris has made his mark as the dazzling speedster and glove for the White Sox, never displaying too much pop of general regard for skill. Harris has a two-fold job, get move runners over, and when you get on base, get as far as possible without anyone else doing any work.

Round 6: SP Ramon Ortiz, Cincinnati Reds, Age: 32, 59-49, 4.60 ERA
A flamethrower, Ramon Ortiz was accredited some positive pub. a few years ago when caught up in what was a decent Atlanta Braves team -- but a team that churned out pitchers like they carrots at the Campbell Soup company. Ortiz has a hard to hit, rising fastball, a live, long arm, and passion that is what we want in Buffalo. If he ever learned the finer points of pitching, well, look out.

Round 7: SS Craig Counsell, Arizona Diamondbacks, Age: 34, .262 AVG, .345 OBP, 18 HR, 49 SB
Mr. Everywhere! Craig Counsell, most known for his rather..girly.. batting stance, has been a staple of National League teams throughout his career as a 3-tool utility man who can play just about anywhere on the field. With Buffalo, he comes over to the American League for the first time in his career, and starts at short.

Round 8: RP Bret Prinz, Anaheim Angels, Age: 28, 5-3, 4.83 ERA, 9 Saves

Another ex-Yankee and Diamondback, Bret Prinz is the first relief pitcher taken in this expansion draft for a few reasons: First, his initial season in the bigs showed that he can handle the pressure of being a closer so far, but moreover, he has a live arm that can give us 2 or 3 innings in a night, and that is something that I think we're going to routinely need.

Round 9: SP Bruce Chen, Baltimore Orioles, Age: 28, 22-20, 4.44 ERA
A southpaw from the South Pacific, Bruce Chen is the staple lefty of our rotation. Adapting the new changeup to his repetoir this past seasons, Chen has a chance in 2005 to blossom into an at-least-average starting pitcher, which in the 3rd or 4th spot in our rotation, is just fine.

Round 10: RF Jerry Hairston Jr., Chicago Cubs, Age: 29, .261 AVG, .334 OBP, 26 HR, 94 SB
Pegged as the 'last great prospect' of the Baltimore Orioles, and mostly because of his father, Jerry Hairston Jr. struggled constantly through struggles and injuries at the 2nd base position for the club before learning the outfield in 2004 and being signed on by the Cubs to tryout for the RF job this off-season. But before he could field a skipper down the line in Wrigley, the Bisons picked him up to be the poster-child for yet another possibly ailing franchise.

Round 11: C Todd Pratt, Philadelphia Phillies, Age: 38, .255 AVG, .352 OBP, 38 HR, 5 SB
More than likely most known for his walk-off blast against as a Met in the playoffs, Todd Pratt has been the consumate career 'getaway day' guy -- the career-long backup catcher. At 38 years old, with the Bisons, he will be given the opportunity to be the starting catcher for the first time in his career. Will he stand up to the pressure?

Round 12: RP Wade Obermueller, Milwaukee Brewers, Age: 28, 8-15, 5.79 ERA
A versatile young lad, Obermueller can both start and relieve, and while his stats are a bit unimpressive, a fresh start with Buffalo and in the American League should surely give him an initial boost. His length in the bullpen is an asset, and he will be the man we look to for the emergency start, and carry us through the dog days of our first trying summer.

Round 13: SP Chris Capuano, Milwaukee Brewers, Age: 26, 8-12, 4.90 ERA
A high-potential young pitcher, Chris Capuano will round out the Bisons rotation as the youngest member of the 5-man squad. With his third different team in 3 different years, Capuano is more than likely the victim of a slightly shattered ego: "No one loves me ", but alas, if he can improve even slightly, the Bisons woudl like to keep him around as a young (and cheap ) staple of our organization.

Round 14: SS Rey Ordonez, Free Agent, Age: 33, .246 AVG, .289 OBP, 12 HR, 28 SB
Another passenger on the 'can't f'n hit' train, Rey-Rey Ordonez will be the gold glove (and let's hope literally?) coming off the bench for me this year. A defensive specialist, I plan to teach him to play everywhere -- to deliver his patented 'stop, scoop and spin' everywhere. Even at pitcher. Maybe. I hope not.

Round 15: 1B J.T. Snow, San Fransisco Giants, Age: 37, .267 AVG, .358 OBP, 185 HR, 19 SB
Let's call him one of our 'sluggers'. Snow, whose spent all but one of his recorded pro seasons in sunny California, travels farm away from his native state of California the brisk winds and harsh realitys of downtown Buffalo, New York to roudn out his career. Perhaps depressed that his beloved Giants did not protect him within the draft, we will have to see how Snow adapts to this new world of baseball.

Round 16: LF Raul Mondesi, Atlanta Braves, Age: 34, .275 AVG, .332 OBP, 267 HR, 229 SB
For a decade, Mondesi has been one of the games biggest pricks, but teams, oodles of them still continue to give the guy chances. Despite a terrible OBP, despite a growing habit to crap out at the worst possible times, Raul Mondesi is still a big leaguer -- why? A live arm and pop in his bat, that's why. Raul Mondesi is a perfect example of wasted raw talent -- the kind of guy that tries to hit the 5 run HR everytime out, and if he had focused on the opposite field double more in his career, he could have been something special. At 34, there is still time for Mondesi to recapture some of that glory in Buffalo.

Round 17: RP Dennys Reyes, San Diego Padres, Age: 28, 19-29, 4.76 ERA
I just. I just want to call him Pillsbury. Dennys Reyes would be the perfect church-league softball, one inning speciliast if you didn't have to root for someone whose name rhymed with "Denise" while playing. Reyes is fat, and well, that's really his only gimmick, but he has a live arm and is a fan favorite, and will serve as this teams main middle reliever.

Round 18: 3B Joe Crede, Chicago White Sox, Age: 27, .256 AVG, .304 OBP, 52 HR, 3 SB
Joe Crede and Phillips will split time at 3rd, but whoever isn't playing at 3rd will be spending their time as the teams first ever Designated Hitter! Crede wil start the season in that slow, because of his 'awesome' power numbers -- 20 HR, or something. With his own fan club, and about 3 times as many career strikeouts as walks, Crede is a perfect Buffalo fit: something under the radar that seems alright at first, but come September is cold, and blustering, and leaves you naked and running towards the state line.

Round 19: Miguel Cairo, New York Mets, Age: 31, .273 AVG, .322 OBP, 25 HR, 87 SB
Playing the Cairo line -- de nile isn't just a river in Egypt -- it's also what Miguel Cairo uses when confronted with the brunt fact that he's not a big league starter, at least in terms of caliber. But alas, fresh off a full season as a starter with the New York Yankees, the Bisons dart in to take him off the Queens Mets roster and deposits him directly on the bench. Cairo has some of those lovely 'intangibles' that many of us care to ignore.. he knows the tricks of the trade, and does some funky stuff to get the job done. Bottom line, Miguel Cairo is the perfect example of someone who very often gets the best of his ability. You can't ask for much more.

Round 20: RP Terry Mulholland, Minnesota Twins, Age: 41, 124-140, 4.41 ERA
Alright let's be fair. Terry Mulholland has been in the big leagues since before I was born. Literally -- this isn't a stretcher joke. 1986 was the year that first saw Terrence Johnathon Mulholland in the big leagues, and 1987 was the year that saw my first breath. Throughout the years, it seems like Mulholland has been in big spots for everyone, and everywhere -- and it seems like for a while there anytime I turned to a baseball game between two teams I had nothing devoted towards, Terry Mulholland was on the mound. So now will be on the mound for something I am devoted towards. Odd.

Round 21: OF, Bubba Crosby, New York Yankees, Age: 28, .138 AVG, 2 HR, 2 SB
A little bid of speed, a little bit of pop, for all intents and purposes, Bubba Crosby should probably be a career minor leaguer, but the opening week of the 2004 season with the Yankees, and a game-winning shot later, and that's all changed. I don't really think Crosby is much more than little-to-no-talent rapped up in hype, but we'll give him a spot on the bench. Sure. [/b]

Round 22: RP Chris Reitsma, Atlanta Braves, Age: 27, 28-36, 4.44 ERA
Well, the good news is that at least Chris Reitsma is not a sure-fire product o Leo Mazzone, as his best year came with the Cincinnati Reds. Chris Reitsma is your standard, middle of the pen, run of the mill reliever, and that's what he's going to be for us. Nothing too flash, not a role that's yet too important. Just something simple.

Round 23: C, Josh Bard, Cleveland Indians, Age: 27, .248 AVG, .294 OBP, 12 HR, 0 SB
At 27 years old, Josh Bard does not have too much time left for grooming: especially being a catcher. As you can see, to add onto that, his .248 AVG through 3 sliced seasons of big league ball is rather horrendous, and while he is the acting backup Catcher, that could change easily if he wants to stay with the club. [/b]

Round 24: RP Graeme Lloyd, Free Agent, Age: 37, 30-36, 4.04 ERA
An Aussie! At 37 years old, Graeme Lloyd will go back to his most successful roll: LOOGY. His best season was with the 98 Yankees, and we hope being back in the LOOGY position he will repeat that years performance, but as the second salt-and-pepper bearded, old, left handed guy on the roster, he could have some competition.[/b]

Round 25: OF Rondell White, Detroit Tigers, Age: 33, .287 AVG, .342 OBP, 175 HR, 92 SB
And last but not least, Rondell White, a relatively expensive last round acquisition to the club. White will start the year riding the pine, but with his consistent offensive trends, and how utterly terrible our offense presently looks, he may jump into the DH or RF position before the season is even out of its infancy.

[MattStewNYY]

And Now... The Charlotte Wolverines expansion Draft

Thanks to GCCWolverine, the Charlotte Wolverine expansion club was hand-drafted by a real, live person! GCCWolverine wrote the below description of his draft, and while he won't be doing any of the actual managing of his team (the computer will), he'll be checking in from time to time to right the ship.

1B Jay Gibbons, Baltimore - 27 years old, the lefty is a masher who has the ability to hit 30+ homers from the #5 spot in the lineup. Has put up some solid power numbers over the past few years, and his average is slowly improving as he enters his fifth season in the league.

SP Shawn Chacon, Colorado - 27 years old righty with a bit of a control problem, but above-average stuff and movement. He'll start as our #3 starter, and hopefully leave the spectre of Coors Field and the thin air of Colorado behind as he gets a second chance in a much better atmosphere for pitchers. 

SP Cliff Lee, Cleveland - 26 years old, and the only lefty in our rotation, he could develop into a borderline all-star, with four pitches and decent ratings at the moment. He'll start off as our #2 starter, but could possibly (as we really hope) have a Mark Mulder/Barry Zito-type breakout season. Speaking of exploding Athletics...

LF Eric Byrnes, Oakland - probably our most highly-rated selection, at 2.5 stars. He had a fantastic season last year for Oakland, hitting .290 with an OPS of .850. He's going to step right into the #3 spot and (hopefully) dominate for the next few years.

SP Cory Lidle, Philadelphia - 32 years old, he fills the "Tewksbury" role on our staff - picks away at the corners with various offspeed and breaking balls, rarely walks anybody, and gets hitters out quickly for more innings.

RF Jacque Jones, Minnesota - The most expensive selection, but he's a former all-star! He hit .342 with 80 RBI's last season, so it's only logical that he steps in as our cleanup hitter. He doesn't walk enough, but it's a small blemish on an excellent record. See - I'm not a complete copy of Billy Beane...

SP Ismael Valdez, Florida - 31 years old, with similar numbers to those of Lidle. The best pitchers available at this point were of a similar mold - veterans who give up a few too many hits, but don't shoot themselves in the foot with walks, as opposed to the young guys who can make better pitches, but not where they want to be. *ahem* Moving on...

3B Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburgh - the 27 year old infielder is making a bit of a change, as he switches from his usual position of second base to the hot corner. Buried in the Boston farm system for a few years, he came to Pittsburgh at the wrong time, with the emergence of Jack Wilson. He's getting his shot here, mostly for his defense, his slap hitting, and his above-average speed. He'll be our #8 hitter.

2B Neifi Perez, Chicago NL - another swtich, as the lifetime shortstop switches to second base. He'll get another shot to play everyday, as the #7 hitting second baseman against righties and the leadoff shortstop against lefties. Not your traditional leadoff hitter, as he can't lay off a pitch to save his life, but he won't strike out too much, either.

CF Roger Cedeno, St. Louis - he might be getting old, and he might be losing a step, but he's still a fine defensive outfielder with a solid stroke...and he's also still the fastest guy on our team, so he'll get the nod against right-handers as our leadoff threat.

SS Ramon Vazquez, Boston - another former Boston infielder to go along with Sanchez. 28 years old, and very similar in style to the aforementioned third baseman (minus the above average speed). He gets the nod against righties, hitting out of the #2 spot, but Perez will step in at shortstop against lefties, when...well, you'll see.

SP Jason Johnson, Detroit - 31 year old right-hander, and our most expensive pitching acquisition, he will fill out our staff as an innings-eater with decent ratings across the board.

C Mike Redmond, Minnesota - 33 year old slap hitter who surprised people with his performance last year, hitting .292 with the Twins. Solid arm, not so solid eye, but he'll fit in well as the 6 spot in the lineup.

RP John Halama, Boston - FINALLY! The bullpen gets attention, and we start with somebody who can start if necessary. A lefty control guy, he'll be the main help for getting through the 6th and 7th innings (and the 4th and 5th, if necessary)

RP Todd Wellenmeyer, Chicago NL - This is a semi-risk projection pick. The 26 year old former Cub has tremendous movement on his sinking fastball and curveball, but has not yet learned to control them. We're gonna take a risk and give him the closer's job, and see how he does. Hopefully, he'll be in the mold of another former Cub, Mitch Williams (the regular season, not the postseason meltdown part)

1B Tony Clark, Arizona - complete nostalgia time - saw him play when he was a single-A player in Niagara Falls, and saw him come back from a bad injury to hit the game-winning home run in the game that clinched us the division. Other than that, um...he has good power...that's about it.

RP Jorge Sosa, Atlanta - Similar setup to Wellenmeyer, except more in the mold of Williams himself, with the three digit fastball. He'll be our #2 setup man, and secondary closer if Wellenmeyer can't come through.

OF Peter Bergeron, Free Agent - young, relatively fast, flexible, and could develop into something good - hmm...an expansion team with trade bait? Could be...

2B Alex Cora, Cleveland - 29 years old, can play both middle infield positions, and a solid hitter as a starter season. He'll hit #2 against lefthanders, and come off the bench against righties - he still has a chance to develop some more.

RP Ryan Vogelsong, Pittsburgh - 27 years old, poor numbers as a starter, demoted to the bullpen. Solid ratings, might still salvage a decent career. Pretty paint-by-numbers, actually. Next!

RP Gabe White, Free Agent - the veteran lefty is going to be the anchor out of our bullpen as our main setup guy. We're putting a lot of trust in him to get us through the late innings on the odd chances we have a lead.

C Bobby Estalella, Free Agent - 30 years old, only costs us the minimum. Below average power and contact, but can leg out a double every once in a while.

RP Casey Fossum, Tampa Bay - Rounding out the pitching staff in long relief is another lefty who can step in and start if necessary. 27 years old, and a bit wild at times, but he'll be a decent long reliever.

OF Timo Perez, Chicago AL - 29 years old, and a knack for avoiding strikeouts. He can play all three outfield positions, and can also hit lefties with a fair amount of success, so he'll form a center field platoon with Roger Cedeno, hitting in the #7 spot against southpaws.

3B Lou Collier, Free Agent - his main value is that he can play 5 positions, which gives us a lot of flexibility. Plus, he isn't that bad of a hitter, to boot.

Starting Pitchers:
Lidle
Lee
Valdez
Chacon
Johnson

Relievers:
Closer: Wellenmeyer
Setup: White, Sosa
Middle: Halama, Fossum, Vogelsong
Mopup: Vogelsong

Lineup against righties:
Cedeno CF
Vazquez SS
Byrnes LF
Jones RF
Gibbons 1B
Redmond C
N. Perez 2B
Sanchez 3B

Lineup against lefties:
N. Perez SS
Cora 2B
Byrnes LF
Jones RF
Gibbons 1B
Redmond C
T. Perez CF
Sanchez 3B

That's about it - we have one simple goal - win more than the old fogies that the mama's boy rich kid assembled.

The Raw Data

Below is the Buffalo Bison's raw data for the outset of our 2005 Campaign:

Team Market (Decided by Hand): Tiny
Fan Loyalty (Decided by Hand): Very Good
Ticket Price (Decided by Hand): $7
Fan Interest (Decided by Hand): 68
Local TV (Split Difference of Sabres/Bills Deals): $10,000,000
National TV Deal: $10,000,000
Cash: $30,000,000
Total Cash: $50,000,000

Coaching Staff:
Hitting Coach: Gary Matthews
Pitching Coach: Max Kisner
Scouting Director: Gerry Hunsicker
AAA Manager: Terry Kennedy
AA Manager: Dino Ebel
A Manager: Keith Semmes
Owner/Manager/General Manager: The almighty Matt Stewart



Payroll: $28,310,600

Lineup vs. All
1. Willie Harris, 2B
2. Craig Counsell, SS
3. J.T. Snow, 1B
4. Raul Mondesi, LF
5. Joe Crede, DH
6. Andy Phillips, 3B
7. Luis Matos, CF
8. Jerry Hairston Jr., RF
9. Todd Pratt, C

Bench
IF - Rey Ordonez
IF - Miguel Cairo
OF - Bubba Crosby
OF - Rondell White
C - Josh Bard

Starting Rotation
1. Tim Wakefield
2. Josh Fogg
3. Ramon Ortiz
4. Bruce Chen
5. Chris Capuano

Bullpen
LR - Wade Obermueller
MR - Chris Reitsma
MR - Graeme Lloyd
SU - Terry Mulholland
SU - Dennys Reyes
CL - Bret Prinz

[MattStewNYY]

Originally Posted by goroyals

Ditto. Looking foward to more.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy the expansion summary.

[YankeeFanatic04]

Woohoo lets get this thing on the road

[MattStewNYY]

Originally Posted by YankeeFanatic04

Woohoo lets get this thing on the road

On the road it shall! Impressive banners by the way. Good outting by Unit today.

[UngratefulDead]

Looking great, definitely reading.

[GCCWolverine]

I think that Charlotte looks a lot better than the Bisons, in my completely unbiased and professional opinion.

[And1pg2]

I actually agree, how did you decide which teams got rid of which players?

[MattStewNYY]

Originally Posted by And1pg2

I actually agree, how did you decide which teams got rid of which players?

Well, that will pose the greater challenge for me in that I want to feel like I truly did accomplish something by being successful with this team of misfits and washouts.

We took the top 20 star rated players from each team and protected them, breaking any ties by protecting the younger of all tied players. Maximum of 3 players per team could be drafted.

Fairly simply, and fairly fast.

[UngratefulDead]

Originally Posted by MattStewNYY

Well, that will pose the greater challenge for me in that I want to feel like I truly did accomplish something by being successful with this team of misfits and washouts.

We took the top 20 star rated players from each team and protected them, breaking any ties by protecting the younger of all tied players. Maximum of 3 players per team could be drafted.

Fairly simply, and fairly fast.

That's a good idea. Last time I did that, I had some ridiculously complicated medley of a fantasy draft and an amatuer draft.

[MattStewNYY]

Opening Day

Ah, the smell of summertime -- fresh grass, hotdogs, a half pint and the pigeons scavanging for the 12 inch bun from the 6 inch weiner, and let's pause and gather ourselves for a moment as we reflect the phrase "6 inch weiner", and then lift our heads from the gutter.

But this is a Buffalo spring, and on a romanticly brisk 50 degree night on April the 4th, baseball, in Buffalo, was in town, but it extended essentially beyond that -- because this was not any normal type of baseball, it was Big League Baseball, the very best of its kind; its landscape drawn about scantily of David Sunflower Seeds and day old chew.

And for the inaugural game, the hometown team, the Buffalo Bisons, eager within its own infancy, hosted the withered old drab of Chicago, and invited those often light hearted fans of the Pale Hose over for a game of whiffle ball: Some rib on the grill, 3-man a team, first team to 10.

Although our favorite young franchise is young in name.. days old, in fact, it is more over dressed in the bewildered veterans of yesteryear.. Wakefield...Pratt...Snow, and in fact.. let's back up a moment, Wakefield our starter for the evening. A 39-year-old fresh off the kick of a championship; and one wonders why he would care to play another year at such an age, which his final goal already complete, but neither prod nor pry can alleviate the pressure of any answer but the repetative line he aptly throws, dancing about as if a knuckler -- unsure of where it may go: "Unfinished business,".

And what could this unfinished business be? A championship on his own terms, as a leader, a star, or an unfulfilled vendetta, for a Red Sox team that so easily let him go. With the weather god of baseball working perhaps in the old man's favor on this opening day; the temperature low, a strong humidity in the air that would aid the famous knuckler in dipping and diving at peak perfection, and perhaps, for show, dancing amidst the misty haze of 60 feet 6 inches of instantaneous perfection.

Alas, a double and 2 out single through the first, and our very first draft pick and hero, Wakefield, looked at the brightened lights of the nighttime opener's scoreboard yards away to see the score 1-0, White Sox flavor. Escaping then, Wakefiel would receive no help in the first, as Harris, Counsell and J.T. Snow all would silently retire.

Decades later, or so it seemed, Wakefield saw himself staring a former teammate in the face, Carl Everett's, whose Griffeyesque swing and Bondsesque demeanor could combine, from time to time, to mold the perfect blend of a hitter, and if only Everett's skill had matched the two-faced extremism of his personality, he'd have a plaque in Eastern NY, but that is another story for another time. With the bases loaded, and Everett the 2-out obstacle, Wakefield escaped with a full count knuckler that danced just wide of the zone right, and Everett's manly hack could only muster an opposite field fly out.

Our Bisons would respond on a more positive note in the bottom of 2, with Joe Crede, who had carted his crew fresh in from the Sox themselves, blasting off against Orlando Hernandez, a new White Sox, who suspiciously enough received an opening day nod, in 2-run fashion, and suddenly the Bison have claimed their first ever lead: Bisons 2, White Sox 1. A double by Andy Phillips later, and Jerry Hairston (with a side of Jr.), strokes him in, and as we head to the third frame, it's 3-1.

The drama, in short at least, would subside until the top of the fourth, when a brief case of dejuva struck the stadium, as Everett stood between Wakefield and 3 consecutive innings scoreless, with the bases loaded and 2 away. This time with much more confidence, Wakefield would attack and retire the Jurassic slugger in 4 pitches, on a 1-2 knuckle, low -- away.

A frame ahead, and Tadahito Iguchi, a Japanese import, like a fine German beer, stood entrenched, and in his pseudo Asian motion; the kind that combined the striking power of Matsui and the fluidity of Ichiro together, took thunderous swing that would result in a solo shot too deep left center, and the game is 3-2. Though still our flavor now, Wakefield is at 85 pitches, and counting, and my bullpen is not something I'd like to see.

In the bottom half of this inning, #5, Willie Harris would reach, and run wild, in a literal way. Stealing second and bunted to third, J.T. Snow would knock a dribbler up the middle -- the likes of which no one could reach, and Harris scampered home and reclaimed the 2 run lead. Attempting to squeeze another inning from our old arm, we can only muster 2/3rds from him, before Wakefield again runs into the Everett, and this time, arm tired, concept old, Everett is the better man, slicing a double into the gap, and the score is 4-3. With two outs still, we call on Chris Reitsma -- a chance to prove his worth, and so he does with one pitch, a fly out, to end the 6th.

With our offense now all but dead, Reitsma returns for the 7th, and gets only an out through when a runner reaches, and Gload comes to bat from the bench. A lefty, and another behind, we call upon our resident LOOGY, Graeme Lloyd, to save the day, and he does his job, quickly in fact -- let me reiterate: 3 pitches. An 0-2 count to Gload, and bam! A double play.

To the 8th we go and in comes Dennys Reyes: El Guapo version 2. Auditioning for the role of lead set-up man, he'll find the winds of irony blow his way this night, but perhaps not in a way the rest of us admire. Guapo's got violent stuff, alright, and he retires the side 1-2-3.

With Closer Prinz warming still in the 9th, Reyes returns and retires Everett on a fastball high and in, and oh my god, its time for the closer Prinz. But tonight, on this opening night, there's so little room for error, as the margin is 4-3. Prinz is in, and promptly out-walk - walk - walk... what? That's right, 3 walks, and still an out left to record before this god damned song is sung. Another pitch to Pierzynski, and its a slicer down the line.....ffffffffair.....ffffuuuuc--- you know what. All three runs score, and Prinz is left standing on the mound in shambles, and promptly out of the closer position. He closes the inning alright -- so good job, but far too little and late.

To end the game, Harris reaches, but is caught stealing, as I'm zealous, and pinch hitter Rondell White whiffs. And so at the final score 6-4, White Sox, I have learned the first lesson, that 9 saves in 2001 mean nothing, and that Dennys Reyes is the true closer of this club...

White Sox: 6
Bisons: 4

(0-1)

Chicago (A) AB R H RBI BB K AVG HR RBI 
S. Podsednik LF 2 0 0 0 2 0 .000 0 0 
P. Ozuna SS 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 
C. Everett DH 4 1 1 1 1 2 .250 0 1 
A. Rowand CF 5 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 
P. Konerko 1B 4 0 1 1 1 0 .250 0 1 
B. Anderson PR 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 
T. Houston 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 
T. Iguchi 2B 4 2 2 1 1 1 .500 1 1 
J. Uribe SS 3 0 1 0 0 1 .333 0 0 
R. Gload LF 1 1 0 0 1 0 .000 0 0 
A. Pierzynski C  4 0 2 3 1 1 .500 0 3 
J. Dye RF 5 0 1 0 0 1 .200 0 0 
J. Burke 3B 3 1 2 0 1 0 .667 0 0 
Totals 36 6 10 6 8 6       
 
BATTING
Doubles: P. Konerko (1, 1st inning off Wakefield, 1 on, 2 out.) A. Pierzynski (1, 9th inning off Prinz, 3 on, 2 out.) J. Dye (1, 2nd inning off Wakefield, 0 on, 2 out.) 
Homeruns: T. Iguchi (1, 5th inning off Wakefield, 0 on, 2 out.) 
Runs Batted In: C. Everett (1), P. Konerko (1), T. Iguchi (1), A. Pierzynski 3 (3) 
Stolen Bases: C. Everett (1) 

FIELDING
Errors: T. Iguchi (1) 
 
 
  
Buffalo AB R H RBI BB K AVG HR RBI 
W. Harris 2B 4 1 2 0 1 2 .500 0 0 
C. Counsell SS 2 0 1 0 0 0 .500 0 0 
R. White PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000 0 0 
J. Snow 1B 4 0 2 1 1 0 .500 0 1 
R. Mondesi LF 4 1 1 0 0 1 .250 0 0 
J. Crede DH 3 1 1 2 1 1 .333 1 2 
A. Phillips 3B 3 1 1 0 1 0 .333 0 0 
L. Matos CF 4 0 1 0 0 1 .250 0 0 
J. Hairston RF 4 0 1 1 0 1 .250 0 1 
T. Pratt C  4 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 
Totals 33 4 10 4 4 7       
 
BATTING
Doubles: A. Phillips (1, 2nd inning off Hernandez, 0 on, 0 out.) 
Homeruns: J. Crede (1, 2nd inning off Hernandez, 1 on, 0 out.) 
Runs Batted In: J. Snow (1), J. Crede 2 (2), J. Hairston (1) 
Stolen Bases: W. Harris (1) 
Caught Stealing: W. Harris (1) 
Sacrifice Hits: C. Counsell 2 (2) 
 
 
  
Chicago (A) IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA RECORD 
O. Hernandez  6 9 4 4 1 6 1 101 65 6.00   
D. Marte W 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 28 9 0.00 1-0 
S. Takatsu S 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 12 7 0.00 1 SV 
 
PITCHING
Intentional BB: D. Marte 
Batters Faced: O. Hernandez 28, D. Marte 8, S. Takatsu 3 
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: O. Hernandez 9-2, D. Marte 3-0, S. Takatsu 1-0 
Game Score: O. Hernandez 43 
 
 
  
Buffalo IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA RECORD 
T. Wakefield  5.2 7 3 3 5 5 1 106 60 4.77   
C. Reitsma  0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 4 0.00   
G. Lloyd  0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0.00   
D. Reyes  1.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 13 8 0.00   
B. Prinz L 0.2 1 3 3 3 0 0 21 7 40.54 0-1 
 
PITCHING
Batters Faced: T. Wakefield 29, C. Reitsma 3, G. Lloyd 1, D. Reyes 5, B. Prinz 6 
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: T. Wakefield 7-5, C. Reitsma 1-1, G. Lloyd 1-0, D. Reyes 0-3, B. Prinz 1-1 
Game Score: T. Wakefield 43 
 
 
  
GAME INFO
Time: 3:45
Attendance: 49455 (55600) at Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Weather: Partly cloudy (69 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 19 mph
PLAYER OF THE GAME: A.J. Pierzynski
Game Notes:
Tadahito Iguchi hit the longest homer of his career, it went 353 feet. Orlando Hernandez sets a career high for K's in a game!

So...if anyone knows how to make this code look better with little effort, let me know.

[MattStewNYY]

Originally Posted by UngratefulDead

That's a good idea. Last time I did that, I had some ridiculously complicated medley of a fantasy draft and an amatuer draft.

Ooh. 2000 Devil Rays?

[UngratefulDead]

Originally Posted by MattStewNYY

Ooh. 2000 Devil Rays?

Nah, added my own teams, evened out the AL and NL.

[MattStewNYY]

Originally Posted by UngratefulDead

Nah, added my own teams, evened out the AL and NL.

Gah, one misses my striking humor!