Royals alternate universe.

Dazooz · 11-02-2004, 04:22 PM

I have been playing a Kansas City Royals alternate universe that started in 1973 since OOTP4. While I have played out every game, I have never tried a dynasty thread or disected the seasons the way I have recently been inspired to do.

Some interesting things have happend in this alternate universe. The Royals have won 3 World Series (I am now just starting the 1986 season). Pete Rose fizzled out before he reached 2500 hits. After the 1973 season, no one has hit more than 45 HR in a season. And last season a young pitcher named Roger Clemens had a season ending injury. But these are just a few of the fun things that have happened in this history.

I am going to be reporting my thoughts and games as the Royals this season, hopefully in some pretty great detail, with tidbits about other teams and players that will hopefully form an image of the history of this league.

Hope someone enjoys, if not humor me.

Dazooz · 11-02-2004, 04:23 PM

Pitching Staff:

Rotation:

1. Britt Burns

1985: 21 game winner. 1.64 ERA. 188 K. Led in all three categories, the pitching triple crown. Unanimous Cy Young winner. When all of these things describe your ace, it is in the best interest of the team to keep him. However, while he was such a valuable run in our playoff run this year, he will demand a large arbitration sallary next year, upwards near a projected $8,500,000. It would not surprise me to see him go for a significant amount over this. This cuts into our payroll.

Plan: Will continue to keep him per arbitration rulings. If able to sign him long term at end of next year, will do so, but may be unlikely with amount he will no doubt demand.

Update: Britt was awarded $9,364,286 in arbitration. While this is significantly more than we expected, the caliber of player he is we will retain him at this time.

2. Mike Scott

1985: 11-16. 3.69 ERA. Plagued with low run support throughout his career. He is a solid pitcher though, averaging over 200 innings pitched the past 5 years. Career ERA of 3.57. Took a significant payroll cut signing an extension for 3 more years at $2,660,000.

Plan: While never an ace probably, he is a solid contributing factor every year. If we could ever provide him run support, could a 20 game winner.

3. Craig Lefferts

1985: A nice 27 year old south paw who has developed reasonably well. Pitched first No-Hitter this year. Only went 11-11 and tailed off at end of season, but ended with 3.05 ERA. Craig is not eligible for arbitration yet and is making league-minimum.

Plan: Will continue to depend on him in greater magnitude. Will hope to sign him long term as well in future years.

4. Bob Galasso

1985: Filled a nice role for us this year. At minmum salary went 4-4 with a 3.16 ERA. He is arbitration eligible however, and at 33 years, he will demand around $1,660,000. Due to his age, this does not hold great appeal to management. Especially when we will be looking for several new bullpen arms. However, we do like his experiece and having an older pitcher on mound may take some of the pressure off of the young arms we will invariable harbor in middle-relief.

Plan: We will allow Mr. Galasso's arbitration hearing to go through. Hopefully we will get him for slightly less than predicted.

Update: Bob was awarded $1,324,286 in arbitration. This is a nice bargain for a veteran.

5. Gene Nelson

1985: Spent part of year in AAA. Went 5-4 with 3.87 ERA. A nice young arm and someone at only 24 could devlop into a real horse. However, with this great arm, he will demand a high price and already will be asking for nearly $2,000,000 in arbitration next year. While we like his arm, with Lefferts and Burns already in rotation, will be difficult to find room for Nelson.

Plan: We will allow arbitration hearing to go through for Mr. Nelson, but will immediately put him on trade block and will hopefully net some young middle relief arms for him.

Update: Gene was awarded $2,014,286 in arbitration. We will proceed to put him on the trading block.

6. Bret Saberhagen

1985: What started out as a rookie break out season ended on July 10, 1985 with a torn tricep muscle. He showed signs of greatness by going 10-2 with a 3.88 ERA and completing 3 starts before being injured. He has come along very slowly from his injury though and we are not sure if he will ever recover what he had at beginning of this season. Did I leave him out there too long. Probably...but it was in an attempt to let his talent shine.

Plan: He has a starting job until he proves that he can no longer handle the load. He returns at league minimum rounding out our starting pitching rotation as following:

1. Britt Burns $8,660,000
2. Mike Scott $2,660,000
3. Craig Lefferts $300,000
4. Bob Galasso $1,600,000
5. Bret Saberhagen $300,000

Total: $13,520,000

Bullpen

Closer: Dyar Miller

1985: Miller has been a solid closer for the past 6 years. He is now 39 years old and remains on a $4,160,000 contract until the end of next year. He had 38 saves this year with a 2.31 ERA. He has a 10 year pro 1.76 ERA. He showed very little signs of diminishing this year and we are very pleased with the years he has provided at Kansas City.

Plan: He will close again for us this year, and for the forseeable future. We will evaluate him at the end of next year as his age is a concern.

1. Danny Darwin

1985: Danny had a very nice season for us, pitching in 65 games with a 2.66 ERA. He also won 10 games and picked up 3 saves. Danny would make a nice closer some day. We attempted to sign him again, but he did not appear interested in any offer under $3,000,000, and could demand quite a bit more in free agency. He has made it known that he will file for free agency this year, and while we are sorry to see him go, simply can't afford the contract he will demand next year.

Plan: Danny will file for free agency.

2. Dave Dravecky

1985: Dave also had a nice season pitching in 58 games with a 3.81 ERA. While a left hander, we believe that he will make a nice set up man. He has good control and velocity. We feel fortunate to have signed him this year to an extension through 1987 for $440,00 a year.

Plan: Dave will start in the main set up role next year getting us to Miller.

3. Mark Ross

1985: While Ross' statistics appear very good this year (6-1 with 3.44 ERA) he seemed to occasionally disappoint in crucial situations. Although pitching in 56 games, he gave up 28 walks and his control is definitely lacking. He is up for arbitration this year demanding $1,280,000. While this is not a ridiculous demand, it will likely not fit in our limited budget for such a limited role.

Plan: Mark will be released before arbitration hearings begin.

4. John Tudor

1985: John was disappointing at times, and being a 31 year old left hander it is apparent why he has not made it to the majors until this season. We like his control however and nice velocity, he just needs to work on his pitches some and he should be a decent long reliever type. He gave us nearly 70 innings this year with a 3.62 ERA. We signed him to a 2 year extension for $420,000 a year.

Plan: John will long relieve for us and should be a decent lefty lefty match up.

5. Salome Barojas

1985: He appears to be a very solid pitcher but never seemed to realize his potential this year. In 37 games he had a 4.01 ERA striking out 37 but walking 35. This is certainly not the kind of ratio we are looking for even in a mop-up position, especially because he is looking for an arbitration award for $1,140,000.

Plan: We will release Salome before arbitration hearings begin.

6. Tim Conroy

1985: Tim appeared in 8 games this season and ended with a 9.00 ERA. He is yet another left hander with some skill. He is 25 years old and if he doesn't break through soon, he probably never will.

Plan: Tim is making league minimum of $300,000. We will likely start him in AAA (depending on our relief situation after free agency) and monitor his progress. If he develops we may promote, but our staff already has plenty of southpaws and he will have to show real promise to break through. We will likely have him on the trading block through spring.

1. Dyar Miller (Closing) - $4,160,000
2. Dave Dravecky (Set up) - $440,000
3. John Tudor $420,000
4. Tim Conroy (possible) - $300,000
5.
6.

Dazooz · 11-02-2004, 04:24 PM

Position Players

Catcher

1. Alex Trevino

1985: Alex caught 145 games this season hitting .305 with 73 RBIs. A nice number 5 hitter, he contributed all season long and for a defensive position we couldn't be happier. Very solid defense with only 8 errors, 3 passed balls and he threw out 28 of 84 steal attempts for a 33% average. Alex remains on roster with a $1,650,000 contract.

Plan: Alex will catch this Corps again. And we will work him to the bone again. We have no doubt that he will respond with usual brilliance.

2. Mike Stenhouse

1985: Mike is a back up catcher. He is left handed. He fills this role very well. He had trouble with the bat this season, only going .171, but that is not why he is on the team. He isn't the greatest in the field, but he is left handed and left-handed catchers never die, they only change teams. He is making league minimum of $300,000.

Plan: Mike will back up Trevino.

First Base

1. John Mayberry

1985: After his MVP 1984 season, his 17 homers and 73 RBIs had to be disappointing, as well as his .241 average. He is now 36 years old, but will turn 37 in February. We will watch him carefully for his productivity. He has been the heart and soul of this team since 1973 though and he has earned a spot in the line up at number 4 until he proves otherwise. He remains on a contract for $7,300,000 until 1987.

Plan: We hope that John will retire a Royal. He plays a solid 1B and produces runs. After an off year, we will watch him, but he will remain in the clean up spot.

Second Base

1. Onix Concepcion

1985: In limited playing time this year, Onix hit .326 with 24 RBI. He struggled a little in the field, but showed flashes of brilliance. He is making league minimum of $300,000.

Plan: Ever since the debacle of losing Johnny Ray in a botched trade that was spoiled by a waiver claim, Onix remains the starting 2B. With a .326 average in 215 AB this year, we hope he will continue the trend and show us what he can do in a full season. He will hit 6th.

Third Base

1. George Brett

1985: A perenial All-Star, George again came through hitting .320 with 79 RBI and 193 hits. He is fast approaching 2000 hits going into his 10th year. George was resigned for $9,500,000 per year for the next 4 years. We think he is worth it and while remaining one of the top paid players in the league, he has yet to disappoint.

Plan: #3 again, hopefully a lifetime Royal.

Short Stop

1. Cal Ripken Jr.

1985: In a trade that saw Steve Busby leave the the Royals after nearly 13 years, a young prospect Ripken came over in the deal. Cal looked very good this year hitting .327 with 50 RBIs out the #2 spot. He plays a nice short stop. He is demanding a $3,060,000 arbitration award.

Plan: Cal is very good and we would like to keep him, but it will likely be hard to make payroll with his arbitration award. We may see what his award is and then put him on trade block as we have another nice prospect in Tom O'malley.

Update: Cal was awarded $3,057,143 in arbitration, about what we expected. We will put Cal on the trading block and work on Tom O'malley as our #1 SS.

2. Tom O'malley

1985: Tom played very well when he was able to crack the line-up, which was difficult for him playing a back up role all around. He is very versatile though, playing 2B, SS and 3B. He hit .336 in 321 AB and hits left handed. He is demanding a $2,440,000 award in arbitration this year.

Plan: Tom may very well be our future shortstop. Per above notes, we will likely see what his award is and put either him or Ripken on trade block when we determine who will help the team the most next year. We will be unable to keep both.

Update: Tom was awarded $1,954,286 in arbitration. This is a bargain and he is officially our starting SS this year.

Outfield

1. Vince Coleman

1985: What a nice outfielder! Plays good small ball, stole 56 bases his rookie year. Won the ROY award. Only hit .254 and this has to get better if he wants to remain leadoff, but overall a very impressive debut. To put it even more impressive, he is only 23 and was drafted this spring!

Plan: Vince will play for KC for the immediate future, he is making league minimum at $300,000 and will continue to lead off and play centerfield.

2. Garry Maddox

1985: Garry Maddox has been a solid contributer since we picked him up in 1982. He hit only .247 this year, but scored 48 runs and stole 31 bases while knocking in 48 RBIs in only 113 games. Garry is 35 years old, but we signed him to an extension for the next 4 years at $720,000 a year.

Plan: Garry will play Right field and will bat 2nd or 7th depending on platoon match ups.

3. Andy Van Slyke

1985: Andy is a nice young player who appears to have a lot of potential but has so far had a difficult time putting it all together. He has decent speed, power and hits well enough in BP, but only hit .232 this year in 379 AB. He did hit 8 HR and knocked in 56 RBIs though. He is a good looking prospect. Continues at league minimum next year at $300,000.

Plan: Andy will start in Left against rightys and possibly against leftys depending on how the team fleshes out. We hopt to sign Andy to a long term deal and watch him develop into the star we think he can be.
He will hit 7th or 8th.

4. Tony Armas

1985: Tony hit well for us this season, but he is a talented young outfielder who is eligible to file for free agency. We were unable to interest him in a meager extension so expect him to file.

Plan: Tony will file for free agency.

5. Howard Johnson

1985: Ho Jo appears to have good potential with good power. He appeared somewhat tentative though and only hit .238 with 6 HR this year. We expect him to spend some platoon time in the outfield as he can play each position. Howard is up for arbitration this year but is only demanding $310,000.

Plan: We'll let Johnson go through arbitration hearings and plan on using him as a platooner or 4th outfielder.

Update: Howard was awarded $350,000 in arbitration, still a bargain for a nice prospect.

6. Chili Davis

1985: Chili is another young prospect that we picked up off of waivers this season who has immense talent. If we are able to harness it, he could become a great outfielder some day. He will make league minimum next year.

Plan: We'll keep watching Chili and hope to see him develop into a solid outfielder.

Reserve type players are Billy Hatcher who is a nice prospect but not quite ready yet at 24. He is making $500,000. We also picked up Barry Evans who is a midde infielder who is very average that we signed for $350,000. Finally, a nice pitching prospect in Mark Davis who could end up pitching next year depending on how things go. He is making $300,000.

Our projected total prior to signing any additional relievers is $48,470,000. This is in line with our budget.

We will also need to sign a new scout and 3 new coaches this off season.

During free agency we will primarily focus on signing a couple of nice relievers right handed. And of course watch for any bargins that might come up. As well as attempting to trade a couple of the players we will not be able to afford once arbitration awards are announced.

During draft we will draft best players available.

UngratefulDead · 11-02-2004, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazooz

2. Mike Scott

That's my dad's name. Anyway, good dynasty.

Dazooz · 11-02-2004, 08:25 PM

1-26-86

We have made a 1 year offer of $300,500 to Pete Vuckovich for a right handed middle reliever.
Pete is a 32 year old starter who we believe will make a good middle reliever for a very good price. He has nice control and will settle a young bullpen.

We also picked up Lance McCullers off of waivers, a nice right handed prospect at 21 years old for $300,000 per year.

2-1-86

Seattle has made a nice trade offer for Gene Nelson. A 28 year old left-hander named Bill Scherrer. He won 13 games for Seattle last year and made $300,000. We would be taking on that salary and unless he played another 170 days this year, would still not be up for arbitration next year. We will think on this offer for the next few days and see if any others come in for Gene Nelson, but this is a good offer.

Pete Vukovich informed us that he likes our offer so far.

We also had a ridiculous offer for Cal Ripken Jr. for a mediocre SP and nameless MR. We indicated that we were not interested.

2-2-86

We have another trade offer for Gene Nelson, this time from California for John Poloni, another good looking left hander who won 11 games last year for the Angels. He has a contract over $2,000,000 though and this does not fit into our budget. They were offering another nameless MR and $100,000 in cash, but it is not enough to sweeten this deal and we indicated we were not interested.

Noteful signings:
Last years MVP Harold Baines was picked up by the Houston Colt 45s and we are not unhappy to see him move the NL.

2-3-86

Nothing to note this day, no new offers.

The trend so far this year in signings is over paying aging veterans.
The Cubs signed 37 year old Doc Medich to a $5,257,600 contract for 3 years.
The Reds signed 36 year old Rich Chiles to a $5,131,700 contract for 5 years.
The Reds also signed 35 year old J.R. Richard to a 3 year contract at $3,394,200.

2-4-86

Again, nothing new for Kansas City.

The Red Sox though signed 36 year old 16 game winner Don Carrithers though to a $9,652,600 contract for 4 years.

2-5-86

The Baltimore Orioles signed Bill Travers (33) to a 5 year contract for $20,020,100/year! This puts them over $100 million dollar payroll and by far the highest in the league.

Remember Mark Ross who we let go before arbitration? Division rival Minnesota Twins signed him to a 4 year deal at $4,529,100 per year.

2-6-86

The NL continues to make large offers to veterans, Jerry Manuel goes to the Cardinals for nearly $10,000,000, Lonnie Smith to the Pirates for $6,000,000, and Vance Law to the Dodgers for over $7,000,000. Baltimore continues to spend for Terry Leach at $2,334,500.

We have decided to accept Seattle's offer for Bill Scherrer. He will start the season in the AAA but will be our top starter there. We will watch him and Saberhagen closely to get a feel for who will be the better addition to the team.

2-7-86

Just to confirm that Danny Darwin was out of our price range this year, he signed for $11,723,900 per year for 7 years with the Cubs today. Good luck!

2-8-86

We were able to pick up another nice MR right hander Tom Waddell off of waivers. He is signed to a minor league contract but very likely may end up in the majors this season. He pitched in 61 games 2 years ago for the Yankees.

Our old MR Salome Barojas also joined up with the Twins this year for just over $2,000,000 per year. It appears they are attempting to set up a staff like ours that took us to the ALCS last year!

2-9-86

Nothing of real note on this day.

2-10-86

Picked up one more right hander Tom Brennan off of waivers. He is making just over $400,000 and should help solidify that bullpen. He is 33 years old and has servered as a starter and reliever.

2-11-86

Pete Vukovich signed for our offer and finishes out our bullpen.

We also put Mark Davis on irrevocable waivers to make room for Saberhagen. He is having control problems but would like to keep him around. We'll see what happens there.

Starting to wonder about trading Cal Ripken as the offers aren't exactly pouring in.

Also, Tony Armas signed a $3,500,000 contract with Washington for the next 5 years.

2-12-86

2-13-86 through 2-17-86

Nothing of note.

2-18-86

Picked up another reliever Ed Plank off of waivers, he is signed to a minor league contract and will start in AAA.

Pittsburg has shown interest in Cal Ripken Jr. for Ron Oester and cash.

2-25-86

Cal Ripken Jr. traded to Pittsburg for Ron Oester a SS defensive genius and $1,000,000 in cash.

Dazooz · 11-03-2004, 01:32 PM

The Draft

We had the 24th pick of 26 in this seasons draft.

An interesting mix of young players were drafted this year. Including:
Mark Mcqwire - Texas
Barry Bonds - Seattle
Will Clark - Philadelphia
Rafael Palmeiro - Atlanta
Greg Maddux - St. Louis
Bo Jackson - San Diego

Our first pick went to a RF Pete Incaviglia, then a P Bobby Witt, P David Cone, 3B Randy Asadoor, P Don Gordon, and P Hipolito Pena.

We'll evaluate these closer as the season progresses.

Dazooz · 11-03-2004, 01:32 PM

Pitching Staff:

Starting Rotation:
1. Britt Burns
2. Mike Scott
3. Craig Lefferts
4. Bob Galasso
5. Bill Scherrer

Relievers:
Dave Dravecky
Pete Vuckovich
John Tudor
Lance Mccullers
Tom Brennan

Closer:
Dyar Miller

Position Players:

Catchers:
1. Alex Trevino
2. Mike Stenhouse

Infielders:
1. George Brett - 3B
2. John Mayberry - 1B
3. Onix Concepcion - 2B
4. Tom O'malley - SS
5. Barry Evans - MI
6. Ron Oester - MI

Outfielders:
1. Vince Coleman - CF
2. Garry Maddox - RF
3. Andy Van Slyke - LF
4. Howard Johnson - OF
5. Chili Davis - OF
6. Billy Hatcher - OF

Bret Saberhagen remains on the DL.

Dazooz · 11-03-2004, 01:33 PM

Opening day series will be against the Oakland A's.

The A's finished last season in 2nd place in the AL West. They ended 11 GB us but were certainly in the running into September.

They have a $76,000,000 payroll (9th in the league).
Their only real off-season move of note was to sign George Hendrick as an additional Outfielder.

Oakland Roster Report:

Pitching Staff:

Rotation:
1. Doyle Alexander
2. Roger Moret
3. Bob Owchinko
4. Jeff Lahti
5. Shane Rawley

Relievers:
1. Dan Quisenberry
2. Warren Brusstar
3. Bert Roberge
4. Mike Mendoza
5. Dave Rucker

Closer:
Norm Angelini

Position Players:
Catchers:
Terry Humphrey

Infielders:
Cecil Cooper - 1B
Rob Wilfong - 2B
Ron Cey - 3B
Tony Phillips - SS
Joel Youngblood - IF
Gary Gaetti - IF
Ron Blomberg - IF
Greg Legg - IF

Outfielders:
Gary Roenicke - RF
Jim Rice - CF
R. J. Reynolds - LF
Bob Pate - OF
George Hendrick - OF

Game 1

Opening Day will pit Britt Burns verses Doyle Alexander. Alexander is a swarthy veteran with 164 career wins. He pitches righty. Has a good walk to k ratio. Lefties hit .280 against him last year while righties only hit .230. Went 11-10 with 3.14 ERA last year. He fields his position well.

Oakland has a tough line up against lefties with Roenicke, Rice and Hendrick all able to rake.

It is a cold day in Oakland, 47 degrees and wind is blowing in at 12 MPH.

1st inning
Top
After going 1-2 count, Vince Coleman strokes a single and quickly steals 2nd.
After a line out, George Brett strokes a single to RF and scores Coleman.
After John Mayberry singles, Alex Trevino steps up and grounds into a double-play to Alexander. We said he could field well!
1-0
Bottom
Burns makes quick work of the top of the A's order. They go 1-2-3 and Burns strikes out 1.
1-0

2nd Inning
Top
After praising Alexander's fielding ability, he promptly boots one hit by Onix Concepcion.
A fielder's choice and a CS later, there are 2 out when Garry Maddox steps up and hits one 407' to left field to go up 2-0. Burns pops out.
2-0
Bottom
The A's make a 2 out threat after 2 singles puts Gaetti and Youngblood on 1st and 3rd. But Tony Phillips is unable to pick them up and leaves 2 men on.
2-0

3rd Inning
Top
Alexander finally gets us 1-2-3 striking out 1.
2-0
Bottom
John Mayberry starts a nice double-play after Alexander of all people hits a single. And Burns then strikes his 3rd batter out.
2-0

4th Inning
Top
Alexander get us 1-2-3 again making a nice play on a ground ball by Mayberry.
2-0
Bottom
A hit by Jim Rice nets nothing as Burns takes care of the rest of the side.
2-0

5th Inning
Top
Van Slyke get a base hit and Burns moves him over, but Coleman is unable to cash in the run.
2-0
Bottom
Burns strikes out 2 more bringing his total to 5 Ks in 5 innings.
2-0

6th Inning
Top
Gary Gaetti makes a great stop at 3rd for the 3rd out of this inning and Alexander has really settled down after the first 2 innings getting another 1-2-3.
2-0
Bottom
Burns continues to cruise, striking out 2 more.
2-0

7th Inning
Top
Alexander is now cruising as well striking out 2 more.
2-0
Bottom
Jim Rice and George Hendrick hit back to back singles and Burns has his first real threat tonight. With Gaetti up, I decide to leave in Burns because Gaetti hit about .100 points better against righties last season. Burns proceeds to strike him out then Youngblood sacrifices the two runners over. With 2 outs and men on 2nd and 3rd Oakland brings in pinch hitting Ron Cey. With this threat, I have decided to bring in Dyar Miller to put out this fire. Double-switching Miller and Howard Johnson into leftfield. Ron Cey proceeds to pound one down the left field line that lands just foul. Whew. After going to full count, he pops out to short center field and the threat is over.
2-0

8th Inning
Top
Alexander is finally lifted after giving up a no out walk to Maddox. Quisenberry takes care of next three hitters.
2-0
Bottom
Miller is lifted after giving up a walk to pinch hitting R. J. Reynolds. Dravecky then gets the next out but gives up a single to Cecil Cooper to put runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Dravecky is taken out and Pete Vuckovich gets the call. He proceeds to give up a 3 run shot to Roenicke. He then finishes off the side.
2-3

9th Inning
Last chance to come back. Norm Angelini comes in to close the game for the A's and makes short work of the middle of our order, striking out 2.
2-3

We open the season with a heart-breaking 2-3 loss.
Game ball goes to Gary Roenicke for the A's with his 3 run HR in the bottom of the 8th to win.

blackrussian · 11-03-2004, 04:28 PM

doc medich! bill travers! craig lefferts! ah yes, the memories are starting to come back. this is cool, hope you can continue this. bill travers @ $20 mil? know you know this is fictional...

v'

Dazooz · 11-03-2004, 06:57 PM

Yeah, you have to understand I have been playing this league since 1973, players develop quite differently over a period of time when the computer controls them. But he's over paid anyway!

Dazooz · 11-03-2004, 07:01 PM

Game 2

In game 2, the A's will put 36 year old Roger Moret on the mound. Roger has pitched in the majors for the past 15 years. He has a career 172 - 168 Win Loss record with a 4.15 career ERA. His stats have tailed slightly in the last few years, but he did make the AL All Star team in 1984. He went 11-11 last year with a 3.80 ERA. He is a natural south-paw, right handed hitters hit about .030 points better last year than lefties.

Mike Scott is on the mound for KC. We hope for a solid outing. Mike has a slight tendancy to give up the long ball, 20 last season. He will hope to keep it in the part with the A's big hitters today.

Another cool night in Oakland, 47 degrees but the wind is blowing out to right at 17 MPH and there is rain in the forecast.

1st Inning
Top
A 1 out double by Onix Concepcion is wasted as neither George Brett nor John Mayberry is able to drive him in.
0-0
Bottom
Gary Roenicke hits a 2 out triple, but Concepcion makes a nice play at 2B on a dribbler by Jim Rice to end the threat in the bottom of the 1st.
0-0

2nd Inning
Top
Ron Oester draws a 1 out walk, but Gary Maddox hits into a double play to end the top of the 2nd.
0-0
Bottom
Cecil Cooper flys out to rightfield, but Maddox misplays it in the wind and Cooper ends up on first. Ron Cey steps up next and hits a long fly ball over the wall to take a 2-0 lead. After a 30 minute rain delay, Scott finishes off the rest of the side.
0-2

3rd Inning
Top
The Royals go quickly in the 3rd 1-2-3.
0-2
Bottom
After R.J. Reynolds flies out, Rob Wilfong singles and quickly steals 2nd. With 1 out, Roenicke steps up and hits one over the wall in right. Now labeled the Royal killer, he has 2 HR and a triple in 6 AB against us this season! Tom Brennan starts throwing in the Royals pen. Scott gives up 2 more hits in the bottom of the 3rd before netting the finaly out, but no further run damage is suffered.
0-4

4th Inning
Top
Concepcion leads off with a walk and Brett steps up and hits his first HR of the year to rightfield with help from that strong wind. Mayberry then hits a single but is doubled up on a great play at 1B by Cooper on a hit-and -run. This proves costly as Oester then steps up and hits a double to centerfield. Maddox lines out to Moret though and no further runs score.
2-4
Bottom
Joel Youngblood then hits a double but is thrown out a 3rd on an attempted sac by Moret. Reynolds then goes down, but Wilfong hits a single putting runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs and Roenicke up. Scott has thrown 72 pitches already, but we decide to leave him to pitch against Roenicke. (How many more times can he come through clutch?) Roenicke proceeds to hit a long fly ball to right, that Maddox just runs down on the track to end the threat.
2-4

5th Inning
Top
Billy Hatcher goes down, the Chili Davis pinch hits for Scott, but goes down. Vince Coleman then hits a single and steals 2nd. Concepcion drives him in with a single of his own. Brett leaves him stranded though.
3-4
Bottom
Tom Brennan relieves Scott. After getting first 2 hitters out, he strains a tricep muscle and has to be taken out. It appears to be a 4 week injury. John Tudor relieves Brennan. Tudor finishes out the inning as the A's go 1-2-3.
3-4

6th Inning
Top
Moret strikes out the side!
3-4
Bottom
Tudor walks Tony Phillips, then Youngblood sacs him to 2nd. George Hendrick pinch hits for Moret and Tudor walks him. With 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd Reynolds comes up with a single and Phillips scores. Hendrick and Reynolds advance on the throw. The infield plays in and gets Wilfong to ground out. But we leave Tudor in to pitch against Roenicke who proceeds to hit a 2 run triple. Royal Killer indeed! Rice grounds out but the damage was done again as 3 runs score.
3-7

7th Inning
Top
Mike Mendoza relieves Moret. Maddox hits a double to lead the inning off. Hatcher goes down, but Howard Johnson comes into hit for Tudor and proceeds to his his 1st HR of the season! Dan Quisnberry relieves Mendoza. Next two are retired, but 2 runs score to cut the lead.
5-7
Bottom
Dave Dravecky comes in for KC. He gets the next 3 hitters and we go the 8th.
5-7

8th Inning
Top
The middle of our order goes down 1-2-3.
5-7
Bottom
Dravecky retires the A's 1-2-3.
5-7

9th Inning
Top
Norm Angelini comes in to close the game. He proceeds to strike out the side.
5-7

The Royals lose 2 in a row. Another tough loss for the Royals, this Oakland line up is looking very tough.
Game ball goes again to Gary "Royal Killer" Roenicke with 2 triples, 1 homer and 4 RBIs.

Dazooz · 11-04-2004, 02:42 PM

Game 3

We attempt to salvage one game of the opening series.
We put Tom Brennan on the 15 day DL and call up Ed Plank to help in middle relief.

This game puts 2 southpaws against each other. Craig Lefferts goes against Bob Owchinko who not only has a great name but several good pitching qualities as well! Good control, good velocity and good stuff, while it hasn't translated into a great career to this point (he is 56-66 lifetime with an ERA over 4.00) he is a solid staffer and we hope to get to him today.

A beautiful 51 degree sunny day with the wind blowing out to right at 11MPH.

1st Inning
Top
Vince Coleman starts off with a base hit up the middle he quickly steals second on Joel Youngblood's poor arm. Onix Concepcion singles to center and Coleman scores without a throw. George Brett doubles to deep left and scores Concepcion. After 1 out, Alex Trevino gets his first hit of the season and knocks in Brett. After the 2nd out, Garry Maddox doubles down the left field line and Ron Oester scores (he reached on a FC). Billy Hatcher then grounds out, but we drop 4 on Owchinko in the top of the 1st. Owch!

4-0
Bottom
Rob Wilfong takes some wind out right away by singleing to left, but then Gary Gaetti hits into a double play. Gary Roenicke pops out after a 9 pitch at bat and we go to the top of the 2nd.
4-0

2nd Inning
Top
The Royals waste a 2 out double by Concepcion when Brett pops out.
4-0
Bottom
The A's go down 1-2-3 with the help of a diving stop by Oester at short to throw out Cecil Cooper
4-0

3rd Inning
Top
Trevino singles with 1 out, but Oester hits into an inning ending double play.
4-0
Bottom
Lefferts strikes out 1 and gets the A's 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 3rd. He has only thrown 35 pitches in 3 innings.

4th Inning
Top
Rookie Billy Hatcher gets his first hit of his major league carrer with 1 out. Lefferts sacrifices him to 2nd. But Coleman is unable to net the run when Owchinko strikes him out on 3 pitches!
4-0
Bottom
Gaetti hits a 1 out double to left center and after pitching around Roenicke, there are runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out and Jim Rice at the plate. Rice flails at a 3rd strike splitter and then George Hendrick smokes one back to Lefferts who just gets his glove up in time to catch it and end the threat.
4-0

5th Inning
Top
After 1 out, Brett steps up and hits one 439 feet to take the lead to 5-0. Next to batters are retired.
5-0
Bottom
A lead off walk puts Cooper at first when Youngblood steps up and hits one to the gap in left center. Hatcher flying high on his first major league hit runs it down and makes a diving catch, quickly jumps up and doubles off Cooper who was on his way to 3rd already! After a 2 out walk, Rob Blomberg comes in to hit for Owchinko, but strikes out looking.
5-0

6th Inning
Top
Mike Mendoza relieves Owchinko. Mendoza retires the side 1-2-3.
Bottom
Wilfong hits a lead off single. Then John Mayberry makes a diving stop on a ball hit by Gaetti and throws him out at 1st. Lefferts unitentionally intentionally walks Roenicke then Rice hits a groundball to Oester who gets 1 but is unable to turn the double play. With 2 outs, Hendrick steps up and hits a single that scores Wilfong. Cooper grounds out to end the inning.
5-1

7th Inning
Top
Andy Van Slyke pinch hits for Lefferts. He strikes out and the next 2 batters go down.
5-1
Bottom
Pete Vuckovich relieves Lefferts. He gets the next 3 hitters, including Ron Cey who pinch hits for Mendoza.
5-1

8th Inning
Dan Quisenberry relieves Mendoza. An error by Tony Phillips gets Brett on 1st and after Mayberry strikes out, Trevino hits a liner to right center and Brett ends up on 3rd. Tom O'Malley hits for Oester and hits a Sac Fly to score Brett. Maddox lines out.
6-1
Bottom
Vuckovich gives up a hit, but gets Gaetti to hit into a double play and then gets Roenicke to end the inning.
6-1

9th Inning
Top
Quisenberry gets the next 2 hitters (including pinch hitting Howard Johnson). Then Coleman singles and steals second taking third on a wild throw. Concepcion is unable to score him though.
6-1
Bottom
Lance McCullers comes into relieve Vuckovich. He proceeds to give up a solo shot to Jim Rice, then retires the next 3 hitters to get Kansas City into the win column for the first time this season.

Game ball goes to George Brett who goes 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBIs while scoring 3 himself.
Finally with a win, the Royals pack up for a travel day to Detroit.

11-02-2004, 04:22 PM	#1
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	Royals alternate universe. I have been playing a Kansas City Royals alternate universe that started in 1973 since OOTP4. While I have played out every game, I have never tried a dynasty thread or disected the seasons the way I have recently been inspired to do. Some interesting things have happend in this alternate universe. The Royals have won 3 World Series (I am now just starting the 1986 season). Pete Rose fizzled out before he reached 2500 hits. After the 1973 season, no one has hit more than 45 HR in a season. And last season a young pitcher named Roger Clemens had a season ending injury. But these are just a few of the fun things that have happened in this history. I am going to be reporting my thoughts and games as the Royals this season, hopefully in some pretty great detail, with tidbits about other teams and players that will hopefully form an image of the history of this league. Hope someone enjoys, if not humor me.

11-02-2004, 04:23 PM	#2
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	Pitching Staff: Rotation: 1. Britt Burns 1985: 21 game winner. 1.64 ERA. 188 K. Led in all three categories, the pitching triple crown. Unanimous Cy Young winner. When all of these things describe your ace, it is in the best interest of the team to keep him. However, while he was such a valuable run in our playoff run this year, he will demand a large arbitration sallary next year, upwards near a projected $8,500,000. It would not surprise me to see him go for a significant amount over this. This cuts into our payroll. Plan: Will continue to keep him per arbitration rulings. If able to sign him long term at end of next year, will do so, but may be unlikely with amount he will no doubt demand. Update: Britt was awarded $9,364,286 in arbitration. While this is significantly more than we expected, the caliber of player he is we will retain him at this time. 2. Mike Scott 1985: 11-16. 3.69 ERA. Plagued with low run support throughout his career. He is a solid pitcher though, averaging over 200 innings pitched the past 5 years. Career ERA of 3.57. Took a significant payroll cut signing an extension for 3 more years at $2,660,000. Plan: While never an ace probably, he is a solid contributing factor every year. If we could ever provide him run support, could a 20 game winner. 3. Craig Lefferts 1985: A nice 27 year old south paw who has developed reasonably well. Pitched first No-Hitter this year. Only went 11-11 and tailed off at end of season, but ended with 3.05 ERA. Craig is not eligible for arbitration yet and is making league-minimum. Plan: Will continue to depend on him in greater magnitude. Will hope to sign him long term as well in future years. 4. Bob Galasso 1985: Filled a nice role for us this year. At minmum salary went 4-4 with a 3.16 ERA. He is arbitration eligible however, and at 33 years, he will demand around $1,660,000. Due to his age, this does not hold great appeal to management. Especially when we will be looking for several new bullpen arms. However, we do like his experiece and having an older pitcher on mound may take some of the pressure off of the young arms we will invariable harbor in middle-relief. Plan: We will allow Mr. Galasso's arbitration hearing to go through. Hopefully we will get him for slightly less than predicted. Update: Bob was awarded $1,324,286 in arbitration. This is a nice bargain for a veteran. 5. Gene Nelson 1985: Spent part of year in AAA. Went 5-4 with 3.87 ERA. A nice young arm and someone at only 24 could devlop into a real horse. However, with this great arm, he will demand a high price and already will be asking for nearly $2,000,000 in arbitration next year. While we like his arm, with Lefferts and Burns already in rotation, will be difficult to find room for Nelson. Plan: We will allow arbitration hearing to go through for Mr. Nelson, but will immediately put him on trade block and will hopefully net some young middle relief arms for him. Update: Gene was awarded $2,014,286 in arbitration. We will proceed to put him on the trading block. 6. Bret Saberhagen 1985: What started out as a rookie break out season ended on July 10, 1985 with a torn tricep muscle. He showed signs of greatness by going 10-2 with a 3.88 ERA and completing 3 starts before being injured. He has come along very slowly from his injury though and we are not sure if he will ever recover what he had at beginning of this season. Did I leave him out there too long. Probably...but it was in an attempt to let his talent shine. Plan: He has a starting job until he proves that he can no longer handle the load. He returns at league minimum rounding out our starting pitching rotation as following: 1. Britt Burns $8,660,000 2. Mike Scott $2,660,000 3. Craig Lefferts $300,000 4. Bob Galasso $1,600,000 5. Bret Saberhagen $300,000 Total: $13,520,000 Bullpen Closer: Dyar Miller 1985: Miller has been a solid closer for the past 6 years. He is now 39 years old and remains on a $4,160,000 contract until the end of next year. He had 38 saves this year with a 2.31 ERA. He has a 10 year pro 1.76 ERA. He showed very little signs of diminishing this year and we are very pleased with the years he has provided at Kansas City. Plan: He will close again for us this year, and for the forseeable future. We will evaluate him at the end of next year as his age is a concern. 1. Danny Darwin 1985: Danny had a very nice season for us, pitching in 65 games with a 2.66 ERA. He also won 10 games and picked up 3 saves. Danny would make a nice closer some day. We attempted to sign him again, but he did not appear interested in any offer under $3,000,000, and could demand quite a bit more in free agency. He has made it known that he will file for free agency this year, and while we are sorry to see him go, simply can't afford the contract he will demand next year. Plan: Danny will file for free agency. 2. Dave Dravecky 1985: Dave also had a nice season pitching in 58 games with a 3.81 ERA. While a left hander, we believe that he will make a nice set up man. He has good control and velocity. We feel fortunate to have signed him this year to an extension through 1987 for $440,00 a year. Plan: Dave will start in the main set up role next year getting us to Miller. 3. Mark Ross 1985: While Ross' statistics appear very good this year (6-1 with 3.44 ERA) he seemed to occasionally disappoint in crucial situations. Although pitching in 56 games, he gave up 28 walks and his control is definitely lacking. He is up for arbitration this year demanding $1,280,000. While this is not a ridiculous demand, it will likely not fit in our limited budget for such a limited role. Plan: Mark will be released before arbitration hearings begin. 4. John Tudor 1985: John was disappointing at times, and being a 31 year old left hander it is apparent why he has not made it to the majors until this season. We like his control however and nice velocity, he just needs to work on his pitches some and he should be a decent long reliever type. He gave us nearly 70 innings this year with a 3.62 ERA. We signed him to a 2 year extension for $420,000 a year. Plan: John will long relieve for us and should be a decent lefty lefty match up. 5. Salome Barojas 1985: He appears to be a very solid pitcher but never seemed to realize his potential this year. In 37 games he had a 4.01 ERA striking out 37 but walking 35. This is certainly not the kind of ratio we are looking for even in a mop-up position, especially because he is looking for an arbitration award for $1,140,000. Plan: We will release Salome before arbitration hearings begin. 6. Tim Conroy 1985: Tim appeared in 8 games this season and ended with a 9.00 ERA. He is yet another left hander with some skill. He is 25 years old and if he doesn't break through soon, he probably never will. Plan: Tim is making league minimum of $300,000. We will likely start him in AAA (depending on our relief situation after free agency) and monitor his progress. If he develops we may promote, but our staff already has plenty of southpaws and he will have to show real promise to break through. We will likely have him on the trading block through spring. 1. Dyar Miller (Closing) - $4,160,000 2. Dave Dravecky (Set up) - $440,000 3. John Tudor $420,000 4. Tim Conroy (possible) - $300,000 5. 6. Last edited by Dazooz; 11-02-2004 at 08:19 PM.

11-02-2004, 04:24 PM	#3
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	Position Players Catcher 1. Alex Trevino 1985: Alex caught 145 games this season hitting .305 with 73 RBIs. A nice number 5 hitter, he contributed all season long and for a defensive position we couldn't be happier. Very solid defense with only 8 errors, 3 passed balls and he threw out 28 of 84 steal attempts for a 33% average. Alex remains on roster with a $1,650,000 contract. Plan: Alex will catch this Corps again. And we will work him to the bone again. We have no doubt that he will respond with usual brilliance. 2. Mike Stenhouse 1985: Mike is a back up catcher. He is left handed. He fills this role very well. He had trouble with the bat this season, only going .171, but that is not why he is on the team. He isn't the greatest in the field, but he is left handed and left-handed catchers never die, they only change teams. He is making league minimum of $300,000. Plan: Mike will back up Trevino. First Base 1. John Mayberry 1985: After his MVP 1984 season, his 17 homers and 73 RBIs had to be disappointing, as well as his .241 average. He is now 36 years old, but will turn 37 in February. We will watch him carefully for his productivity. He has been the heart and soul of this team since 1973 though and he has earned a spot in the line up at number 4 until he proves otherwise. He remains on a contract for $7,300,000 until 1987. Plan: We hope that John will retire a Royal. He plays a solid 1B and produces runs. After an off year, we will watch him, but he will remain in the clean up spot. Second Base 1. Onix Concepcion 1985: In limited playing time this year, Onix hit .326 with 24 RBI. He struggled a little in the field, but showed flashes of brilliance. He is making league minimum of $300,000. Plan: Ever since the debacle of losing Johnny Ray in a botched trade that was spoiled by a waiver claim, Onix remains the starting 2B. With a .326 average in 215 AB this year, we hope he will continue the trend and show us what he can do in a full season. He will hit 6th. Third Base 1. George Brett 1985: A perenial All-Star, George again came through hitting .320 with 79 RBI and 193 hits. He is fast approaching 2000 hits going into his 10th year. George was resigned for $9,500,000 per year for the next 4 years. We think he is worth it and while remaining one of the top paid players in the league, he has yet to disappoint. Plan: #3 again, hopefully a lifetime Royal. Short Stop 1. Cal Ripken Jr. 1985: In a trade that saw Steve Busby leave the the Royals after nearly 13 years, a young prospect Ripken came over in the deal. Cal looked very good this year hitting .327 with 50 RBIs out the #2 spot. He plays a nice short stop. He is demanding a $3,060,000 arbitration award. Plan: Cal is very good and we would like to keep him, but it will likely be hard to make payroll with his arbitration award. We may see what his award is and then put him on trade block as we have another nice prospect in Tom O'malley. Update: Cal was awarded $3,057,143 in arbitration, about what we expected. We will put Cal on the trading block and work on Tom O'malley as our #1 SS. 2. Tom O'malley 1985: Tom played very well when he was able to crack the line-up, which was difficult for him playing a back up role all around. He is very versatile though, playing 2B, SS and 3B. He hit .336 in 321 AB and hits left handed. He is demanding a $2,440,000 award in arbitration this year. Plan: Tom may very well be our future shortstop. Per above notes, we will likely see what his award is and put either him or Ripken on trade block when we determine who will help the team the most next year. We will be unable to keep both. Update: Tom was awarded $1,954,286 in arbitration. This is a bargain and he is officially our starting SS this year. Outfield 1. Vince Coleman 1985: What a nice outfielder! Plays good small ball, stole 56 bases his rookie year. Won the ROY award. Only hit .254 and this has to get better if he wants to remain leadoff, but overall a very impressive debut. To put it even more impressive, he is only 23 and was drafted this spring! Plan: Vince will play for KC for the immediate future, he is making league minimum at $300,000 and will continue to lead off and play centerfield. 2. Garry Maddox 1985: Garry Maddox has been a solid contributer since we picked him up in 1982. He hit only .247 this year, but scored 48 runs and stole 31 bases while knocking in 48 RBIs in only 113 games. Garry is 35 years old, but we signed him to an extension for the next 4 years at $720,000 a year. Plan: Garry will play Right field and will bat 2nd or 7th depending on platoon match ups. 3. Andy Van Slyke 1985: Andy is a nice young player who appears to have a lot of potential but has so far had a difficult time putting it all together. He has decent speed, power and hits well enough in BP, but only hit .232 this year in 379 AB. He did hit 8 HR and knocked in 56 RBIs though. He is a good looking prospect. Continues at league minimum next year at $300,000. Plan: Andy will start in Left against rightys and possibly against leftys depending on how the team fleshes out. We hopt to sign Andy to a long term deal and watch him develop into the star we think he can be. He will hit 7th or 8th. 4. Tony Armas 1985: Tony hit well for us this season, but he is a talented young outfielder who is eligible to file for free agency. We were unable to interest him in a meager extension so expect him to file. Plan: Tony will file for free agency. 5. Howard Johnson 1985: Ho Jo appears to have good potential with good power. He appeared somewhat tentative though and only hit .238 with 6 HR this year. We expect him to spend some platoon time in the outfield as he can play each position. Howard is up for arbitration this year but is only demanding $310,000. Plan: We'll let Johnson go through arbitration hearings and plan on using him as a platooner or 4th outfielder. Update: Howard was awarded $350,000 in arbitration, still a bargain for a nice prospect. 6. Chili Davis 1985: Chili is another young prospect that we picked up off of waivers this season who has immense talent. If we are able to harness it, he could become a great outfielder some day. He will make league minimum next year. Plan: We'll keep watching Chili and hope to see him develop into a solid outfielder. Reserve type players are Billy Hatcher who is a nice prospect but not quite ready yet at 24. He is making $500,000. We also picked up Barry Evans who is a midde infielder who is very average that we signed for $350,000. Finally, a nice pitching prospect in Mark Davis who could end up pitching next year depending on how things go. He is making $300,000. Our projected total prior to signing any additional relievers is $48,470,000. This is in line with our budget. We will also need to sign a new scout and 3 new coaches this off season. During free agency we will primarily focus on signing a couple of nice relievers right handed. And of course watch for any bargins that might come up. As well as attempting to trade a couple of the players we will not be able to afford once arbitration awards are announced. During draft we will draft best players available. Last edited by Dazooz; 11-02-2004 at 08:23 PM.

11-02-2004, 08:25 PM	#5
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	1-26-86 We have made a 1 year offer of $300,500 to Pete Vuckovich for a right handed middle reliever. Pete is a 32 year old starter who we believe will make a good middle reliever for a very good price. He has nice control and will settle a young bullpen. We also picked up Lance McCullers off of waivers, a nice right handed prospect at 21 years old for $300,000 per year. 2-1-86 Seattle has made a nice trade offer for Gene Nelson. A 28 year old left-hander named Bill Scherrer. He won 13 games for Seattle last year and made $300,000. We would be taking on that salary and unless he played another 170 days this year, would still not be up for arbitration next year. We will think on this offer for the next few days and see if any others come in for Gene Nelson, but this is a good offer. Pete Vukovich informed us that he likes our offer so far. We also had a ridiculous offer for Cal Ripken Jr. for a mediocre SP and nameless MR. We indicated that we were not interested. 2-2-86 We have another trade offer for Gene Nelson, this time from California for John Poloni, another good looking left hander who won 11 games last year for the Angels. He has a contract over $2,000,000 though and this does not fit into our budget. They were offering another nameless MR and $100,000 in cash, but it is not enough to sweeten this deal and we indicated we were not interested. Noteful signings: Last years MVP Harold Baines was picked up by the Houston Colt 45s and we are not unhappy to see him move the NL. 2-3-86 Nothing to note this day, no new offers. The trend so far this year in signings is over paying aging veterans. The Cubs signed 37 year old Doc Medich to a $5,257,600 contract for 3 years. The Reds signed 36 year old Rich Chiles to a $5,131,700 contract for 5 years. The Reds also signed 35 year old J.R. Richard to a 3 year contract at $3,394,200. 2-4-86 Again, nothing new for Kansas City. The Red Sox though signed 36 year old 16 game winner Don Carrithers though to a $9,652,600 contract for 4 years. 2-5-86 The Baltimore Orioles signed Bill Travers (33) to a 5 year contract for $20,020,100/year! This puts them over $100 million dollar payroll and by far the highest in the league. Remember Mark Ross who we let go before arbitration? Division rival Minnesota Twins signed him to a 4 year deal at $4,529,100 per year. 2-6-86 The NL continues to make large offers to veterans, Jerry Manuel goes to the Cardinals for nearly $10,000,000, Lonnie Smith to the Pirates for $6,000,000, and Vance Law to the Dodgers for over $7,000,000. Baltimore continues to spend for Terry Leach at $2,334,500. We have decided to accept Seattle's offer for Bill Scherrer. He will start the season in the AAA but will be our top starter there. We will watch him and Saberhagen closely to get a feel for who will be the better addition to the team. 2-7-86 Just to confirm that Danny Darwin was out of our price range this year, he signed for $11,723,900 per year for 7 years with the Cubs today. Good luck! 2-8-86 We were able to pick up another nice MR right hander Tom Waddell off of waivers. He is signed to a minor league contract but very likely may end up in the majors this season. He pitched in 61 games 2 years ago for the Yankees. Our old MR Salome Barojas also joined up with the Twins this year for just over $2,000,000 per year. It appears they are attempting to set up a staff like ours that took us to the ALCS last year! 2-9-86 Nothing of real note on this day. 2-10-86 Picked up one more right hander Tom Brennan off of waivers. He is making just over $400,000 and should help solidify that bullpen. He is 33 years old and has servered as a starter and reliever. 2-11-86 Pete Vukovich signed for our offer and finishes out our bullpen. We also put Mark Davis on irrevocable waivers to make room for Saberhagen. He is having control problems but would like to keep him around. We'll see what happens there. Starting to wonder about trading Cal Ripken as the offers aren't exactly pouring in. Also, Tony Armas signed a $3,500,000 contract with Washington for the next 5 years. 2-12-86 2-13-86 through 2-17-86 Nothing of note. 2-18-86 Picked up another reliever Ed Plank off of waivers, he is signed to a minor league contract and will start in AAA. Pittsburg has shown interest in Cal Ripken Jr. for Ron Oester and cash. 2-25-86 Cal Ripken Jr. traded to Pittsburg for Ron Oester a SS defensive genius and $1,000,000 in cash.

11-03-2004, 01:32 PM	#6
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	The Draft We had the 24th pick of 26 in this seasons draft. An interesting mix of young players were drafted this year. Including: Mark Mcqwire - Texas Barry Bonds - Seattle Will Clark - Philadelphia Rafael Palmeiro - Atlanta Greg Maddux - St. Louis Bo Jackson - San Diego Our first pick went to a RF Pete Incaviglia, then a P Bobby Witt, P David Cone, 3B Randy Asadoor, P Don Gordon, and P Hipolito Pena. We'll evaluate these closer as the season progresses.

11-03-2004, 01:33 PM	#8
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	Opening day series will be against the Oakland A's. The A's finished last season in 2nd place in the AL West. They ended 11 GB us but were certainly in the running into September. They have a $76,000,000 payroll (9th in the league). Their only real off-season move of note was to sign George Hendrick as an additional Outfielder. Oakland Roster Report: Pitching Staff: Rotation: 1. Doyle Alexander 2. Roger Moret 3. Bob Owchinko 4. Jeff Lahti 5. Shane Rawley Relievers: 1. Dan Quisenberry 2. Warren Brusstar 3. Bert Roberge 4. Mike Mendoza 5. Dave Rucker Closer: Norm Angelini Position Players: Catchers: Terry Humphrey Infielders: Cecil Cooper - 1B Rob Wilfong - 2B Ron Cey - 3B Tony Phillips - SS Joel Youngblood - IF Gary Gaetti - IF Ron Blomberg - IF Greg Legg - IF Outfielders: Gary Roenicke - RF Jim Rice - CF R. J. Reynolds - LF Bob Pate - OF George Hendrick - OF Game 1 Opening Day will pit Britt Burns verses Doyle Alexander. Alexander is a swarthy veteran with 164 career wins. He pitches righty. Has a good walk to k ratio. Lefties hit .280 against him last year while righties only hit .230. Went 11-10 with 3.14 ERA last year. He fields his position well. Oakland has a tough line up against lefties with Roenicke, Rice and Hendrick all able to rake. It is a cold day in Oakland, 47 degrees and wind is blowing in at 12 MPH. 1st inning Top After going 1-2 count, Vince Coleman strokes a single and quickly steals 2nd. After a line out, George Brett strokes a single to RF and scores Coleman. After John Mayberry singles, Alex Trevino steps up and grounds into a double-play to Alexander. We said he could field well! 1-0 Bottom Burns makes quick work of the top of the A's order. They go 1-2-3 and Burns strikes out 1. 1-0 2nd Inning Top After praising Alexander's fielding ability, he promptly boots one hit by Onix Concepcion. A fielder's choice and a CS later, there are 2 out when Garry Maddox steps up and hits one 407' to left field to go up 2-0. Burns pops out. 2-0 Bottom The A's make a 2 out threat after 2 singles puts Gaetti and Youngblood on 1st and 3rd. But Tony Phillips is unable to pick them up and leaves 2 men on. 2-0 3rd Inning Top Alexander finally gets us 1-2-3 striking out 1. 2-0 Bottom John Mayberry starts a nice double-play after Alexander of all people hits a single. And Burns then strikes his 3rd batter out. 2-0 4th Inning Top Alexander get us 1-2-3 again making a nice play on a ground ball by Mayberry. 2-0 Bottom A hit by Jim Rice nets nothing as Burns takes care of the rest of the side. 2-0 5th Inning Top Van Slyke get a base hit and Burns moves him over, but Coleman is unable to cash in the run. 2-0 Bottom Burns strikes out 2 more bringing his total to 5 Ks in 5 innings. 2-0 6th Inning Top Gary Gaetti makes a great stop at 3rd for the 3rd out of this inning and Alexander has really settled down after the first 2 innings getting another 1-2-3. 2-0 Bottom Burns continues to cruise, striking out 2 more. 2-0 7th Inning Top Alexander is now cruising as well striking out 2 more. 2-0 Bottom Jim Rice and George Hendrick hit back to back singles and Burns has his first real threat tonight. With Gaetti up, I decide to leave in Burns because Gaetti hit about .100 points better against righties last season. Burns proceeds to strike him out then Youngblood sacrifices the two runners over. With 2 outs and men on 2nd and 3rd Oakland brings in pinch hitting Ron Cey. With this threat, I have decided to bring in Dyar Miller to put out this fire. Double-switching Miller and Howard Johnson into leftfield. Ron Cey proceeds to pound one down the left field line that lands just foul. Whew. After going to full count, he pops out to short center field and the threat is over. 2-0 8th Inning Top Alexander is finally lifted after giving up a no out walk to Maddox. Quisenberry takes care of next three hitters. 2-0 Bottom Miller is lifted after giving up a walk to pinch hitting R. J. Reynolds. Dravecky then gets the next out but gives up a single to Cecil Cooper to put runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Dravecky is taken out and Pete Vuckovich gets the call. He proceeds to give up a 3 run shot to Roenicke. He then finishes off the side. 2-3 9th Inning Last chance to come back. Norm Angelini comes in to close the game for the A's and makes short work of the middle of our order, striking out 2. 2-3 We open the season with a heart-breaking 2-3 loss. Game ball goes to Gary Roenicke for the A's with his 3 run HR in the bottom of the 8th to win.

11-03-2004, 04:28 PM	#9
blackrussian All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 954	doc medich! bill travers! craig lefferts! ah yes, the memories are starting to come back. this is cool, hope you can continue this. bill travers @ $20 mil? know you know this is fictional... v'

11-03-2004, 06:57 PM	#10
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	Yeah, you have to understand I have been playing this league since 1973, players develop quite differently over a period of time when the computer controls them. But he's over paid anyway!

11-03-2004, 07:01 PM	#11
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	Game 2 In game 2, the A's will put 36 year old Roger Moret on the mound. Roger has pitched in the majors for the past 15 years. He has a career 172 - 168 Win Loss record with a 4.15 career ERA. His stats have tailed slightly in the last few years, but he did make the AL All Star team in 1984. He went 11-11 last year with a 3.80 ERA. He is a natural south-paw, right handed hitters hit about .030 points better last year than lefties. Mike Scott is on the mound for KC. We hope for a solid outing. Mike has a slight tendancy to give up the long ball, 20 last season. He will hope to keep it in the part with the A's big hitters today. Another cool night in Oakland, 47 degrees but the wind is blowing out to right at 17 MPH and there is rain in the forecast. 1st Inning Top A 1 out double by Onix Concepcion is wasted as neither George Brett nor John Mayberry is able to drive him in. 0-0 Bottom Gary Roenicke hits a 2 out triple, but Concepcion makes a nice play at 2B on a dribbler by Jim Rice to end the threat in the bottom of the 1st. 0-0 2nd Inning Top Ron Oester draws a 1 out walk, but Gary Maddox hits into a double play to end the top of the 2nd. 0-0 Bottom Cecil Cooper flys out to rightfield, but Maddox misplays it in the wind and Cooper ends up on first. Ron Cey steps up next and hits a long fly ball over the wall to take a 2-0 lead. After a 30 minute rain delay, Scott finishes off the rest of the side. 0-2 3rd Inning Top The Royals go quickly in the 3rd 1-2-3. 0-2 Bottom After R.J. Reynolds flies out, Rob Wilfong singles and quickly steals 2nd. With 1 out, Roenicke steps up and hits one over the wall in right. Now labeled the Royal killer, he has 2 HR and a triple in 6 AB against us this season! Tom Brennan starts throwing in the Royals pen. Scott gives up 2 more hits in the bottom of the 3rd before netting the finaly out, but no further run damage is suffered. 0-4 4th Inning Top Concepcion leads off with a walk and Brett steps up and hits his first HR of the year to rightfield with help from that strong wind. Mayberry then hits a single but is doubled up on a great play at 1B by Cooper on a hit-and -run. This proves costly as Oester then steps up and hits a double to centerfield. Maddox lines out to Moret though and no further runs score. 2-4 Bottom Joel Youngblood then hits a double but is thrown out a 3rd on an attempted sac by Moret. Reynolds then goes down, but Wilfong hits a single putting runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs and Roenicke up. Scott has thrown 72 pitches already, but we decide to leave him to pitch against Roenicke. (How many more times can he come through clutch?) Roenicke proceeds to hit a long fly ball to right, that Maddox just runs down on the track to end the threat. 2-4 5th Inning Top Billy Hatcher goes down, the Chili Davis pinch hits for Scott, but goes down. Vince Coleman then hits a single and steals 2nd. Concepcion drives him in with a single of his own. Brett leaves him stranded though. 3-4 Bottom Tom Brennan relieves Scott. After getting first 2 hitters out, he strains a tricep muscle and has to be taken out. It appears to be a 4 week injury. John Tudor relieves Brennan. Tudor finishes out the inning as the A's go 1-2-3. 3-4 6th Inning Top Moret strikes out the side! 3-4 Bottom Tudor walks Tony Phillips, then Youngblood sacs him to 2nd. George Hendrick pinch hits for Moret and Tudor walks him. With 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd Reynolds comes up with a single and Phillips scores. Hendrick and Reynolds advance on the throw. The infield plays in and gets Wilfong to ground out. But we leave Tudor in to pitch against Roenicke who proceeds to hit a 2 run triple. Royal Killer indeed! Rice grounds out but the damage was done again as 3 runs score. 3-7 7th Inning Top Mike Mendoza relieves Moret. Maddox hits a double to lead the inning off. Hatcher goes down, but Howard Johnson comes into hit for Tudor and proceeds to his his 1st HR of the season! Dan Quisnberry relieves Mendoza. Next two are retired, but 2 runs score to cut the lead. 5-7 Bottom Dave Dravecky comes in for KC. He gets the next 3 hitters and we go the 8th. 5-7 8th Inning Top The middle of our order goes down 1-2-3. 5-7 Bottom Dravecky retires the A's 1-2-3. 5-7 9th Inning Top Norm Angelini comes in to close the game. He proceeds to strike out the side. 5-7 The Royals lose 2 in a row. Another tough loss for the Royals, this Oakland line up is looking very tough. Game ball goes again to Gary "Royal Killer" Roenicke with 2 triples, 1 homer and 4 RBIs.

11-04-2004, 02:42 PM	#12
Dazooz Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 193	Game 3 We attempt to salvage one game of the opening series. We put Tom Brennan on the 15 day DL and call up Ed Plank to help in middle relief. This game puts 2 southpaws against each other. Craig Lefferts goes against Bob Owchinko who not only has a great name but several good pitching qualities as well! Good control, good velocity and good stuff, while it hasn't translated into a great career to this point (he is 56-66 lifetime with an ERA over 4.00) he is a solid staffer and we hope to get to him today. A beautiful 51 degree sunny day with the wind blowing out to right at 11MPH. 1st Inning Top Vince Coleman starts off with a base hit up the middle he quickly steals second on Joel Youngblood's poor arm. Onix Concepcion singles to center and Coleman scores without a throw. George Brett doubles to deep left and scores Concepcion. After 1 out, Alex Trevino gets his first hit of the season and knocks in Brett. After the 2nd out, Garry Maddox doubles down the left field line and Ron Oester scores (he reached on a FC). Billy Hatcher then grounds out, but we drop 4 on Owchinko in the top of the 1st. Owch! 4-0 Bottom Rob Wilfong takes some wind out right away by singleing to left, but then Gary Gaetti hits into a double play. Gary Roenicke pops out after a 9 pitch at bat and we go to the top of the 2nd. 4-0 2nd Inning Top The Royals waste a 2 out double by Concepcion when Brett pops out. 4-0 Bottom The A's go down 1-2-3 with the help of a diving stop by Oester at short to throw out Cecil Cooper 4-0 3rd Inning Top Trevino singles with 1 out, but Oester hits into an inning ending double play. 4-0 Bottom Lefferts strikes out 1 and gets the A's 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 3rd. He has only thrown 35 pitches in 3 innings. 4th Inning Top Rookie Billy Hatcher gets his first hit of his major league carrer with 1 out. Lefferts sacrifices him to 2nd. But Coleman is unable to net the run when Owchinko strikes him out on 3 pitches! 4-0 Bottom Gaetti hits a 1 out double to left center and after pitching around Roenicke, there are runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out and Jim Rice at the plate. Rice flails at a 3rd strike splitter and then George Hendrick smokes one back to Lefferts who just gets his glove up in time to catch it and end the threat. 4-0 5th Inning Top After 1 out, Brett steps up and hits one 439 feet to take the lead to 5-0. Next to batters are retired. 5-0 Bottom A lead off walk puts Cooper at first when Youngblood steps up and hits one to the gap in left center. Hatcher flying high on his first major league hit runs it down and makes a diving catch, quickly jumps up and doubles off Cooper who was on his way to 3rd already! After a 2 out walk, Rob Blomberg comes in to hit for Owchinko, but strikes out looking. 5-0 6th Inning Top Mike Mendoza relieves Owchinko. Mendoza retires the side 1-2-3. Bottom Wilfong hits a lead off single. Then John Mayberry makes a diving stop on a ball hit by Gaetti and throws him out at 1st. Lefferts unitentionally intentionally walks Roenicke then Rice hits a groundball to Oester who gets 1 but is unable to turn the double play. With 2 outs, Hendrick steps up and hits a single that scores Wilfong. Cooper grounds out to end the inning. 5-1 7th Inning Top Andy Van Slyke pinch hits for Lefferts. He strikes out and the next 2 batters go down. 5-1 Bottom Pete Vuckovich relieves Lefferts. He gets the next 3 hitters, including Ron Cey who pinch hits for Mendoza. 5-1 8th Inning Dan Quisenberry relieves Mendoza. An error by Tony Phillips gets Brett on 1st and after Mayberry strikes out, Trevino hits a liner to right center and Brett ends up on 3rd. Tom O'Malley hits for Oester and hits a Sac Fly to score Brett. Maddox lines out. 6-1 Bottom Vuckovich gives up a hit, but gets Gaetti to hit into a double play and then gets Roenicke to end the inning. 6-1 9th Inning Top Quisenberry gets the next 2 hitters (including pinch hitting Howard Johnson). Then Coleman singles and steals second taking third on a wild throw. Concepcion is unable to score him though. 6-1 Bottom Lance McCullers comes into relieve Vuckovich. He proceeds to give up a solo shot to Jim Rice, then retires the next 3 hitters to get Kansas City into the win column for the first time this season. Game ball goes to George Brett who goes 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBIs while scoring 3 himself. Finally with a win, the Royals pack up for a travel day to Detroit.