Orcin's Story

[Orcin]

2002 Federal League Championship Series
GAME 7 @ Louisville: Bryan Hancock vs. Robert Westaway
Westaway was pulled early after giving up a 2-1 lead on a three-run homer. Simon finished a two-out rally with a three-run inside-the-park homer to recapture the lead. Setup man Mario Chavez could not hold a two-run lead in the eighth. The game went to extra innings and we finally ran out of pitchers. Jeff Moreno came on in the twelfth and gave up three runs to end the season on a sour note.





Denver wins the series 4-3.

Other games:
Baltimore 5, Atlanta 0 (Baltimore wins series 4-3)

CBA World Series: Denver Miners at Baltimore Robins
Baltimore would appear to be a heavy favorite, particularly considering that their pitching staff can dominate a short series. The Miners have already eliminated the two top seeds in the Federal League, so they are capable of an upset.

[Orcin]

The morning after…

It is tough to lose a seventh game at home, especially if it keeps you from going to only your second World Series in franchise history. However, I intend to keep this loss in perspective. There are some positives to take from this season.

• I exceeded the goal set by the owner, and reached the CEO’s “stretch goal” of advancing to the LCS.
• The extra playoff home games got us close to a financial breakeven (I estimate a $2 million loss based on preliminary data).
• The overall talent level of the franchise continues to improve.
• We are positioned well, both competitively and financially, for next season.

I regret taking such an aggressive “win now” approach during last off-season, and I will correct that this time. I don’t plan to pursue “overpaid veterans” to augment the roster. Instead, I want to give the younger talent within the organization a chance.to impress, like Dennis Morgan and Russell Bennett did this year in limited playing time.

I also want to show a profit, and I fell short of that goal because I overspent on veteran players that did not really help us. Moreno and Atkins were very good and we might not have made the LCS without them, so it wasn’t all bad. However, Clayton, Wall, and Hernandez were not contributors and took playing time away from prospects.

Don Greene, age 31, was paid $2 million and won the Outstanding Player Award at Lexington. Do I really want to spend money winning AAA championships and trophies? In my defense, I did not have any AAA, or even AA, first base prospects. However, I could have played any prospect there to get them some valuable plate experience, and that move alone would have gotten the franchise to a financial breakeven.

The big question marks and opportunities for improvement going into the off-season:
• Rodney Wright played exceptionally well in the playoffs, but he is pretty expensive and stands in the way of some impressive young talent.
• Hugh McGlone had an off-year, although he finished strong. I don’t have a center field prospect anywhere close to ready. Harry Hall is a fifth outfielder at best.
• Dennis Morgan is better than Silas Campbell, but how do we handle that situation gracefully and without upsetting the fans and team chemistry?
• A fifth starter must be selected from a handful of prospects, and I must resist the urge to bring in a free agent veteran to block these candidates.
• The bullpen fell apart late in the season. The returning members must be evaluated and organized into the roles that best suit their abilities. The veteran members that will be leaving must be replaced.

I will be protecting more young players on the 40-man roster this year, but I won’t put a player on that doesn’t have a realistic chance of playing in the majors in 2003. A primary goal for this season will be to upgrade the competitive level of the minor league system.

[Orcin]

To answer the obvious question of the day: I did pre-order OOTP13 and I have been playing around with it using a new historical league.

I plan to import this league into OOTP13 on Monday, after the first patch and after I reach the off-season. I plan to finish up this season today. I am anxious to see a couple of things in OOTP13, namely the creation of pitchers in the amateur draft pool and the changes in AI trading. I am fearful of the financials because they seem to be working well in this league so far.

[Orcin]

2002 CBA World Series Recap

Game 1: Denver clobbers Baltimore 10-5. Both teams used their fourth starters to open after a seven-game series.

Game 2: Denver wins 1-0. Denver’s third starter, Middleton, was outstanding with seven shutout innings. Figueroa gave up a cheap run and that was one too many.

Denver is going back home with a two-game lead AND their two best pitchers available.

Game 3: Denver wins 6-3. Jesus De La Cruz left with a 6-1 lead after eight innings and the bullpen managed to hold on. Denver bats are feasting on Baltimore pitching.

Game 4: Denver wins 10-2 behind Hancock. It’s a sweep! What a stunning upset.

The Denver Miners win the series 4-0. This is CBA championship #1 for Denver. The Miners have a losing record over their 22-year history, and have only made the playoffs four times. They barely got in this year as the division champion with an 83-79 record.

Denver scored an average of eight runs per game when they weren’t facing a pitcher named Figueroa. Those other Baltimore pitchers are pretty good. The league will be buzzing about this one for a long time.

**********

Game Score: 99

My score this year was slightly below last year’s perfect 100, but still pretty amazing. I failed to show a profit so I conclude that these astronomical scores have everything to do with the low expectations of my owner. But hey, the game says I am a genius, and who am I to argue with Markus?

[MizzouRah]

Take some time off, enjoy some golf and clear your head of baseball for a couple of days.. there is always next season!

[Sal, The Barber]

Sal hates the words "come back." Sal's wife goes away, he is happy. Then ... she comes back. What for? Sal is done with this one. And here she is again. Showering Sal with gifts. Sal doesn't want her back. No come back. Go away.

Mr. Orcin, you almost changed Sal's mind about the come back. Your boys could no longer swing de bats, and they was down. But not out. Dey come back. Sal thinks this come back is not sucha bad thing. Louie-ville is back. Sal has another mint julep. It was one of those come backing wives taught Sal to drink the julep. Sal has the pewter glass and everything.

Perhaps Sal had too many. He gets confused sometimes these days. He's thinking come back is not so bad. Then, all the sudden the turning of the tables. It is Denver just like one of Sal's old wifes. They come back when no one wants them. Sal's heart it's broken. Sal has another mint julep. Sal has some left, Mr. Orcin, if you want to come down to de shop. Sal thinks he many have lost Thursday somewhere. He can remember Wednesday and Friday, but where did Thursday go? Bah, Sal doesn't want it to come back.

[Orcin]

Note: This dynasty is now running under OOTP13 (v13.1.4).

[Orcin]

October 25, 2002 - The Off-Season Begins

Key dates:
November 4-8 – Award announcements
November 15 – Salary arbitration hearings
November 18 – Eligible players file for free agency
December 1 – “Rule 5” Draft
December 8-12 – Winter Meetings

Henry and Gordon Cooper informed me that the budget for 2003 will be $139.9 million, a $2 million reduction from last season. Apparently, my bosses were not pleased with the $2 million loss last season and decided to take it out of my budget. In addition, I was left with nearly $2 million less in cash. I didn’t say a word about this because it was my own fault. I should have made a profit, and I will do so this season.

The first day of the off-season can be overwhelming. I find it helpful to make a task list.
• Fill open personnel positions
• Make decision to exercise or decline team options
• Offer arbitration (or not) to potential Type-A/B free agents
• Submit arbitration offers to eligible players or decide not to tender them
• Make offers to potential free agents (or not), including minor league free agents

I plan to tackle all of these tasks right away, but first I want to update you on some of the news from around the league. Several teams made management changes today.

The Indianapolis Indians (65-97) fired their GM, Mike Roy, after only one season. They hired him from the Providence Grays, where he led them to a 54-108 record in his one season there. We’ll see where Roy ends up this year.

Houston (77-85) fired their manager, Hal Buckner, after four straight playoff appearances including a world championship. What have you done for me lately?

Phoenix (74-88) and Washington (64-98) fired veteran GM’s and look to go in a new direction (up, we presume). The Phoenix GM had only been there one year after having been fired by Denver. Yes, he built that Denver.

The Los Angeles Vipers (81-81) fired their GM and field manager. They had a huge payroll and didn’t get much for the investment.

And finally, Boston (82-80) owner Vic Cooper fired his own son-in-law! Buck Welch was named GM just one year ago. He had no qualifications, except the obvious one. Welch made a big mistake when some of his Las Vegas activities didn’t stay in Vegas, if you know what I mean. Divorce papers were served along with the pink slip. Let’s hope that dad and daughter shop separately for their replacements.

Next, I will tackle the task list, one item at a time.

[Nunyer]

Great season, even if you did come up a bit short at the end!

Keep us in the loop with further impressions of OOTP13. I had promised myself that I would not be buying another version until 14, as I rarely buy annually released sports games every year... but I just make an exception for OOTP13 based on the buzz so far. I just transferred the $40 from my slush fund to my Paypal account, so I'll probably pick it up next week.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Nunyer

Great season, even if you did come up a bit short at the end!

I am hoping that the third time (season) is the charm.

[Orcin]

Task: Fill open personnel positions

I already had the vacant hitting coach position at AA after the demotion of Matt Reed to Owensboro (rookie). The pitching coach at Owensboro retired even though he still had a contract (health issues), so I now have two open positions. I re-assigned the Dayton pitching coach to Owensboro, so I could interview for both AA positions. I prefer to go after better candidates with more attractive jobs and worry about the lower levels later.

I made an offer to a hitting coach that would fit nicely with regard to age, salary, and qualifications. However, there are just no attractive pitching coach candidates available. I will play a high stakes game of chicken, waiting to see if additional candidates come onto the market (they often do). If not, I may be forced to hire a sub-par coach for one season. Worse things have happened.


Task: Make decision to exercise or decline team options

This one was really easy. The only player with an option year is starting pitcher Ricardo Martinez (13-7, 4.32). He gives up a lot of homers (27 in 191 innings) for a pitcher with a 57% groundball ratio, but he also gets a lot of strikeouts (221) and improved his walks (68) this year. His 2003 option at $3.5 million is a real bargain, and I would be foolish not to exercise it. He might not be able to hold off the challenge of Chip Davidson, but I expect to at least start the year with Martinez as the fourth starter. He could be a good trade chip in July.


Task: Offer arbitration (or not) to potential Type-A/B free agents

Remember this gambit? It cost me $10 million last year when I offered arbitration to Dan Clayton. Will I make the same mistake again? It’s tempting. This year, there are two potential free agents that are Type-B players: SP Jeff Moreno and MR Josh Atkins. I would really like to have the sandwich picks. However, both of these pitchers are over 35 and paid very well for their current level of performance. It is too risky that they will accept arbitration and blow my budget out of the water. So, I decline to spin the wheel this time around. Thanks for playing.

Now, the tasks get a little harder and deserve their own posts.

[Orcin]

Task: Submit arbitration offers to eligible players or decide not to tender them

There are five players eligible for arbitration. I will start with the easy ones.

Reliever Chris Patterson and CF Harry Hall are each estimated at $708,750. I submitted $725,000 for each player to be sure of a win. They are both good values at that price.

Reliever Kelly Dean is estimated at $1.1 million. He has been jerked around between AAA and the majors, and it is therefore hard to evaluate his performance. He is highly rated (3-stars) by Fernando Candelaria and OSA concurs. He made $1 million this season and it is hard to see the arbitrator awarding less than the estimate. I lost some close ones last year, and I don’t want to risk this again. I tendered him at $1.2 million.

Reliever David O’Daniel was paid $2.35 million this year. He is estimated at $2.6 million. He did not have a great year, but he wasn’t terrible either. He appeared in 66 games and turned in a 4.14 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP. He did strike out 83 batters in 78 innings. Fernando says he is a 4.5-star reliever. OSA rates him a tad higher on movement. He is 26 years old and I don’t have many quality relievers under age 30. He is a candidate for a longer-term contract if the price is right so I opened negotiations with him. I offered three years at $8.2M; he wants three years at $13M. I will take my chances with a $2.7 million arbitration offer (I don’t want to lose this one) and see how he does this season.

And that brings us to the main event: 26-year-old left-handed SP Robert Westaway (11-12, 2.75 ERA, 1.14 WHIP)

Westaway’s estimate is $9.35 million, which is not bad for one of the top ten pitchers (#6 according to BNN) in the CBA. All of the pitchers above him and some below him make $15M to $21M per year. I won’t mind getting him for one year at the arbitration estimate, but I really want to sign him long-term at the low end of the scale ($15M/year).

I opened negotiations with Westaway and he wants four years at $71 million. That is a reasonable starting point, slightly higher than the four-year, $67 million deal signed by comparable pitcher Roberto Campos in free agency last season. I offered five years at $71 million. To my surprise, Westaway said that offer suits his needs and he went away to think about it. Woohoo! Now all I need to do is figure out how to afford the contract.

Did I leave money on the table? I offered six years at $75 million ($12.5M/year) back in August, and he turned that down. Presumably, he didn’t get cheaper – his arbitration estimate rose by 20% since then. My pending offer of $14.2M per year is 15% less than the $16.75M that Campos got. We’ll never know if he would have taken less, but I think the contract is reasonable compared to his peers. I don’t like to start negotiations by low-balling the player and making him mad. It usually doesn’t go well for me after that. I prefer to make my best fair offer first to a guy that I really want to sign (like Westaway).

[Orcin]

Task: Make offers to potential free agents (or not), including minor leaguers

There are 18 possible free agents. Moreno, Atkins, and Murat have already been told that they will not be offered contracts. Two young starting pitchers, Johnny Savard and Warren Corbishley, will definitely be offered contracts and added to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft (see Kent Jones). Paul Collins is a left-handed relief specialist that will also be offered a minor league contract and protected from Rule 5.

That leaves twelve decisions. Ten of those players were offered minor league contracts, but they will be exposed to the Rule-5 draft. Two 29-year-old minor league pitchers were released to make room for younger prospects.


Louisville Colonels: projected 40-man roster for 2003

Starting Pitchers (8): Fletcher, Westaway, Sims, R.Martinez, Alexander, Flores (AAA), Savard (AAA), Corbishley (AAA)
Relief Pitchers (9): MacIntosh, Melendez, Chavez, McConnell, O’Daniel, Patterson, Dean, Reed (AAA), Collins (AAA)
Catchers (3): J.Martinez, Bland, Daniels (AAA)
First Base (2): Brown, Greene (AAA)
Infielders (8): Wright, Simon, L.Martinez, Bennett, Aponte, Gonzalez (AAA), Key (AAA), [open spot]
Outfielders (7): Campbell, McGlone, Banks, Morgan, Hall, Nelson (AAA), [open spot]

I need to add an infielder and an outfielder to the 40-man roster for depth, but there are no qualified candidates with options in the organization. I may be forced to trade for prospects, especially in the outfield where our organizational depth is pitiful, but I will also be alert for waiver claims.

The projection above still leaves three open spots but I don’t mind having fewer than forty players. Three empty roster spots will save $1.4 million in “projected budget room”.

By the way, all of the players on the projected 40-man roster that are designated for AAA have at least one remaining option. So there won’t be any fire sale at the winter meetings this year. If I trade for prospects, I will be doing so with a major league player. Russell Bennett, Mariano Gonzalez, and Juan Aponte could all compete for the second base job in the spring if Rodney Wright is that player to be traded later.

[blazertaz13]

I just wanted to chime in and give you my sympathies regarding the early exit from the post season (okay not early, but not as long as we had hoped for).

You may not see me in the stands watching as frequently as in the past (I still have my season tickets), but I was just hired by on organization in the newly created Western Baseball Association. Obviously they don't have a lot of clout in the states as the Sacramento club found me sitting here watching the Colonels (by the way with no baseball management experience) and offered me a job. I guess it says something about Louisville organization that others see their fans as smart enough to run their clubs (or they are just willing to take a low salary/a few cases of beer for the job).

I will be on the phone of some advice as I run into issues or problems.

Thanks again. :-)

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by blazertaz13

You may not see me in the stands watching as frequently as in the past (I still have my season tickets), but I was just hired by on organization in the newly created Western Baseball Association.

That's fine, but just don't stop going to Sal's. I don't want to have to explain that. The man has a straight razor, you know. There have been rumors about voodoo dolls too, but I don't know anything about that. (Although there have been some suspicious injuries to opposing starting pitchers...)

Good luck in your new venture!

[cmdrsam]

Glad you went alittle furthar than you have in the past in the playoffs. Sorry you got bounced in the next round. I think your right there however perhaps a bit of bad luck.

On a side note, might be joining the dynasty world here. Have a fictitious 70's mod been playing playing off and on with an older ootp X. Started fresh and imported up to 13 now and have been working on writing it up. Might be stealing your format. Hope you dont mind. Looking forward to more posts.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by cmdrsam

On a side note, might be joining the dynasty world here. Have a fictitious 70's mod been playing playing off and on with an older ootp X. Started fresh and imported up to 13 now and have been working on writing it up. Might be stealing your format. Hope you dont mind.

I don't mind at all. You can't have Jennifer though. Sal won't stand for that.

[jacksparrow]

Whats happening in here?

[Orcin]

CBA 2002 Hall of Fame Class

Three players were inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

LF Kelvin Meredith (1981-1997)
Meredith was one of the original stars in the fledgling league. He ranks third all-time with a .316 batting average, and his .372 average in 1986 is #2 on the single-season list. He finished with 2201 career hits. He played for several teams, including two years during his prime with the Louisville Colonels. He had a reputation for chasing money, jumping teams as a free agent four times during his peak years.

1B Alden Hill (1981-1995)
Another early CBA star, Hill was a slick-fielding first baseman that hit for a high average and drew a lot of walks. Hill finished with 2247 hits during his playing career, starring for the Providence Grays and Philadelphia Firebirds. He ended with a .307 career batting average (#11 all-time).

SP Maurice Mitchell (1981-1997)
Mitchell was a true workhorse. He holds the record for innings pitched with exactly 4,000 in 564 career starts. His lifetime record is 250-202 with a 3.66 career ERA. He spent most of his career with the Atlanta Flames and had a few good seasons near the end with the Charleston Generals. Mitchell was Pitcher of the Year in 1989, when he was 20-8 with a 2.96 ERA. His 250 career wins rank fifth on the all-time list.

Editor’s note: I personally feel that all of these players are borderline Hall of Famers. I don’t mind some early guys sneaking in, but I have increased the requirements a little going forward. I now require 2500 hits to get in with a .300 average, and a 3.50 ERA to get in with 250 wins.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by jacksparrow

Whats happening in here?

JackSparrow: Put it away, son. It's not worth you getting beat again.
WillTurner: You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd kill you.
JackSparrow: That's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?