Orcin's Story

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

Sal is not exactly a bulldog; he can let this go. But it is more like a flea on Sal's ear. He would like Mr. Orcin's opinion. Does Mr. Orcin think Jaramillo or Oliveras would be a better leadoff hitter in this lineup?

Jaramillo did bat leadoff for a while last year when Simon was hurt, and did a pretty good job. Olivares could do it also, I think. I didn't put Olivares there because his power was more useful farther down the order.

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

Sal thinks Brown should hit #3 not #5. Can Sal outrun Mr. Brown? Sal does not remember how fast Brown is. Now, now, of course, no one can outrun Sal to the hot dog line. Sal means under a normal circumstance. Sal brings this up because the #5 spot is often the spot for the double play. Sal suggests a little faster runner there--Jaramillo or Oliveras perhaps? the one who doesn't bat #2.

That's a good idea. I will try flipping Brown and Olivares at some point. I see the #5 spot as a power/RBI priority and the #3 spot is targeted for OBP/RBI. So I put Brown where I wanted him first and then put Olivares (who is definitely faster and grounds into fewer DP's) in the other one. I think the other way would be good, maybe better.

Now whether you can outrun Brown... is that before your hamstring blows or after?

[Sal, The Barber]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Now whether you can outrun Brown... is that before your hamstring blows or after?

Oh, Mr. Orcin, you don't know how you offend Sal. Hamstrings? Pshaw. Sal has the outstanding legs; all his wives will say so. Even the ones who hate him. Sal's problem now is that he will finish far ahead of his belly, which he will be carrying in his arms behind him, well behind him.

Sal is pretty fast. You do not give him the credit. Let Sal get angry and chase you with the straight razor. You will not believe how fast this Sal can move.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

Let Sal get angry and chase you with the straight razor. You will not believe how fast this Sal can move.

Actually, I would believe it because I have seen you at buffet night down at the Big Boy.

But, just to smooth things over, I am sending Jennifer down there with tickets to the home opener against the Denver Miners. Also, she is bringing a baseball autographed by former Youngstown State star Nathaniel Jones.

[Orcin]

April 18, 2005

Subject: Week 2 Notes

Record: 8-4, .667, - GB
Position: 1st place (tied with St. Louis)
Runs Scored: 50 – 11th in Federal
Runs Allowed: 41 – 3th in Federal
Defense: .706 – 7th in Federal
Power Ranking: 121.0 (9th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 90/100

• 4-2 last week, 2-1 vs. Denver, 2-1 vs. Cincinnati
• O’Daniel will close games this week. I don’t intend to define bullpen roles just yet. I want to see who performs best in a particular usage pattern.
• SS Howard Archuleta reported and was placed on the active roster, replacing SS Guillermo Romano who was optioned to AAA.
• 04/12: LOU 6, DEN 3 – Bland 4-4, HR, 3 RBI; Luna hit 102 mph on the gun in the eighth inning; O’Daniel SV(1)
• 04/13: DEN 8, LOU 5 – Chip Davidson gets bombed for the second straight time
• 04/14: LOU 5, DEN 1 – Wilson 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 10 K
• 04/15: LOU 3, CIN 1 – Alexander 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K; O’Daniel SV(2)
• 04/16: LOU 5, CIN 4 (10) – Jackson pinch-hit double in 10th, stole 3rd, scored winning run on a ground out
• 04/17: CIN 4, LOU 3 – Olivares 2-4, DBL, HR(5), RBI(12)
• Houston SP Julio Flores threw a shutout vs. L.A. to run his record to 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA. Flores is the player that we traded in 2003 to acquire Lucas Sanders.
• Detroit’s young star SP Justin Bell will miss four months with a ruptured finger tendon. There’s a lot of that going around lately.
• Houston and Detroit traded highly-paid 32-year-old left fielders, with Vincente Juarez going to Detroit and Chris Pruitt headed to Houston.
• Next week: 3 vs. San Diego, 3 at Chicago


I continue to work with Atlanta GM Bob Barrett on a possible trade for Brian Wilson. Atlanta’s best prospect is a young starting pitcher, Donnie Rivers. Candelaria projects Rivers to be a future #3 or #4 guy. Atlanta will not move him for Wilson alone (yet), plus they don’t have any budget room. Their pitching is holding up so far, but it’s early. I will stay in contact with them.

New York put reliever Brad “Doodle” Murphy on waivers. I almost claimed him just so I could have Noodle and Doodle on my roster. I wonder what Sal would think about that.

[Orcin]

April 25, 2005

Subject: Week 3 Notes

Record: 11-7, .611, 1.5 GB
Position: 2nd place (behind St. Louis)
Runs Scored: 83 – t8th in Federal
Runs Allowed: 67 – 3rd in Federal
Defense: .695 – 9th in Federal
Power Ranking: 114.0, 7th in CBA
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 90/100

• 3-3 last week, 1-2 vs. San Diego, 2-1 at Chicago
• 04/19: SD 7, LOU 6 (10) – Davidson 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 K (15.09 ERA)
• 04/20: SD 5, LOU 3 – Morgan 2-3, HR(5), 3 RBI(11); Wilson 3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H (1-2, 4.86 ERA)
• 04/21: LOU 6, SD 2 – Alexander 8 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K (3-0, 1.57 ERA)
• 04/22: CHI 6, LOU 3 – Westaway was a victim of two errors, one was his own
• 04/23: LOU 6, CHI 3 – John 3-4, 4 RBI; Luna was injured, diagnosis pending
• Juan Aponte was activated from the disabled list, Ray Holliday optioned to AAA
• 04/24: LOU 9, CHI 3 – Martinez 4-5, Davidson 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 K
• O’Daniel is still closing. King is performing well in the setup role but I don’t think he likes it.
• Silas Campbell is still available. He has reduced his demand to a minor-league contract.
• This week: 3 at St. Louis, 4 vs. Seattle


Simon (.181) and Brown (.200) are not hitting yet, and our offense is inconsistent. John was moved to the leadoff spot temporarily and Simon was dropped to eighth. I don’t think lineup juggling is a long-term solution, but we have to shake up the offense.

Davidson had a good start on Sunday, so maybe that problem is behind us. Now we await the diagnosis on Luna. Castro has not pitched well so far in 3 AAA starts, and I hope I don’t have to call him up.

[Sal, The Barber]

Sal is sure that Nathaniel Jones is a star in the making. Put him up on the big club. (Then Sal can perhaps get some cash from this baseball).

Noodle, Doodle, and Chip, oh my.

Sal likes O'Daniel in the bullpen better than the "Not Country Boy." If Not Country Boy continues to sulk, you let Sal know. Sal can fix that in many ways.

Sal is not against trading starting pitchers, but you may need to collect a surplus of them this season. One for one is maybe not going to be enough. Sal doesn't think there is the depth there this season.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

Sal is sure that Nathaniel Jones is a star in the making. Put him up on the big club. (Then Sal can perhaps get some cash from this baseball).

He hasn't pitched much yet, but he's there. He and Brooks are at the back of the bullpen for now. Byrne is using the more experienced guys in high leverage situations.

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

Sal is not against trading starting pitchers, but you may need to collect a surplus of them this season. One for one is maybe not going to be enough. Sal doesn't think there is the depth there this season.

Well, we are going to find out about that depth real soon. See next post.

[Orcin]

May 2, 2005

Subject: Week 4 Notes

Record: 13-12, .520, 5 GB (13-11 in April)
Position: t2nd place (behind St. Louis)
Runs Scored: 104 – 10th in Federal
Runs Allowed: 106 – 6th in Federal
Defense: .693 – 9th in Federal
Power Ranking: 88.6 (16th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 92/100 (+2), everyone loves a train wreck

• 2-5 last week, 1-2 at St. Louis, 1-3 vs. Seattle
• 04/25: STL 2, LOU 1 – lots of wasted scoring opportunities in this one (9 LOB)
• Luna was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation and will be sidelined for three months. He was placed on the 60-day D/L and Pedro Castro was promoted.
• 04/26: LOU 5, STL 4 – Morgan 1-4, HR(6), 3 RBI(14); SP Stephen Price pitched all 10 innings (139 pitches) for the Hawks
• 04/27: STL 9, LOU 1 – Castro 7 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 1 K; see comments below
• SP Phil Thompson was signed to a minor-league contract and assigned to AAA. He was 7-23 for Milwaukee last year with serious control issues, but Sal says I need depth.
• 04/28: LOU 4, SEA 0 – Westaway 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K – left the game in the sixth with an injury suffered while running the bases, diagnosis pending
• Charlotte signed SP Todd Fletcher to a three-year contract extension at $16M/year.
• Westaway was diagnosed with patellar tendinitis and will be out 1-2 weeks. His spot in the rotation can be skipped at least once, so we won’t put him on the D/L.
• 04/29: SEA 6, HOU 5 (10) – O’Daniel blew the save and lost it in the tenth
• Brian Wilson wants a contract extension. He is asking for 9 years, $180 million!
• 04/30: SEA 14, LOU 3 – Davidson 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 4 K (1-2, 11.22 ERA)
• Todd Fletcher (5-0, 3.07) was named Federal League Pitcher of the Month.
• Louisville Player of the Month was Duncan Bland (.324, 3 HR, 8 RBI, and 4 SB). Pitcher of the Month was Ray Alexander (3-0, 2.77 ERA).
• 05/01: SEA 4, LOU 2 – Alexander pitched well enough to win (7 IP, 3 ER)
• Rodney Wright was Federal Player of the Week. He is hitting .344 with 20 RBI.
• This week: 3 vs. Houston, 3 at Seattle


Pedro Castro was sailing through five innings of work in a 1-1 game. He got into trouble in the sixth and Byrne left him out there to get pounded for a six-run inning. There’s no excuse for that, and I told Byrne so after the game. Byrne explained that his bullpen was tired. He wanted to see if the rookie could get out of a jam, but he was tagged for a grand slam instead. He sent Castro out for a 1-2-3 seventh just to get his confidence back. Byrne told Castro after the game that he gave something important to his team today with those two extra innings. There are two sides to every story, I guess.

[Stromson]

(This is an OOC comment) - Are you actually able to interact with the manager in-game like that? I've not actually taken the dive into managing a team myself, so I'm kind of curious.

[Westheim]

Wow. Week 4 sounds much like one of those Raccoons weeks I experience. Week after week.

Long injuries to starting pitchers are about the most evil thing that can happen... in addition to the second column not doing too well.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Stromson

(This is an OOC comment) - Are you actually able to interact with the manager in-game like that? I've not actually taken the dive into managing a team myself, so I'm kind of curious.

This is a fictional account of the Louisville Colonels and I exercise my imagination at times to describe what might be happening behind the scenes. There were no actual witnesses to the conversation other than the two men in question, so who's to say if it really happened?

(To answer your question... no.)

[Orcin]

May 5, 2005

Subject: Lynch Mob Forms to the Right

The pitchforks are out! The local talk shows and newspaper columns are hammering me hard.

Charlotte has the best record in baseball at 25-4, having won 11 in a row. Todd Fletcher is 5-0, Johnny Savard is 4-0, and Hector De La Hoya leads the league in saves with 11. As you know, Antonio Luna is on the 60-day disabled list until after the All-Star break.

Gordon Cooper hasn’t said much, but Henry is not smiling as much as usual. Fletcher was one of his favorites. And Silas Campbell is still unemployed, adding insult to Luna’s injury. Who is the genius that put this mess together again?

We won the World Series just a few months ago. You would think that would buy a guy some time. But you are only as good as today’s record in this business.

Hey, fan interest is up. And the guys at the barber shop are still on board… right?

[Orcin]

May 9, 2005

Subject: Week 5 Notes

Record: 15-16, .484, 5.5 GB
Position: 3rd place (behind St. Louis and Milwaukee)
Runs Scored: 123 – 13th in Federal
Runs Allowed: 129 –6th in Federal
Defense: .695 – 9th in Federal
Power Ranking: 79.1, 20th in CBA
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 93/100 (+1), anger is apparently interest

• 2-4 last week, 2-1 vs. Houston, 0-3 at Seattle
• George King is unhappy. He wants to be the closer. He will get another chance to win the job this week.
• St. Louis SP Octavio Lopez tore his labrum and will miss two months. He is hurt a lot. The Hawks blew this contract because they did not heed the “fragile” warning.
• 05/03: LOU 6, HOU 4 – Simon 3-4, two-run HR in eighth provides margin of victory
• Castro goes six innings in his second start, allowing two earned runs, no decision
• 05/04: LOU 5, HOU 1 – Wilson 8 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 6 K, also 2-3 with a double
• We have stopped talking trade for Wilson until Luna returns from the disabled list.
• 05/05: HOU, 4, LOU 3 – Davidson 7 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 6 K (1-3, 9.73 ERA)
• Seattle Falcons CF Chris Schuh is out for the season with a torn labrum, apparently a very common injury.
• 05/06: SEA 5, LOU 2 – Alexander pitched well enough to win w/ 7 IP, 2 ER
• Lorenzo Olivares will be day-to-day for a week with a sore arm. He will be available to pinch-hit but will not play in the outfield.
• 05/07: SEA 2, LOU 1 – Castro 8 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K, hard-luck loss
• Hugh McGlone sprained his elbow and will be out for five weeks. Pedro Dominguez was called up from AAA and will be in the lineup tomorrow.
• 05/08: SEA 7, LOU 2 – Wilson 2.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K; Dominguez was 1-4 with a solo HR in his major league debut
• Baltimore SP Jorge Figueroa struck out 15 to run his record to 4-1 with a 2.42 ERA. He is 35 years old and still going strong.
• This week: 3 at Sacramento, 3 vs. Houston


The offense continues to slide, averaging three runs per game this week. Moving guys around in the batting order has not made a difference. We won’t improve until our big guns begin to produce. Morgan, Brown, Olivares, and Jaramillo are well below expected levels. John has done a good job filling in for Gonzalez. Simon has shown signs of life. Martinez and Bland have been our only consistent hitters.

Dominguez will get a chance to show what he can do with Olivares out of the lineup for a week. He may replace one of the regulars on a more frequent basis if he gets off to a good start.

[beachbomer]

Hope you dont have to go thru the same type season I had with my dynasty. I think you will be fine once you start hitting.

It is ironic however that Fletcher, Savard and De Le Hoya are off to such good starts.

[Orcin]

May 16, 2005

Subject: Week 6 Notes

Record: 19-18, .514, 2.5 GB
Position: 4th place (behind St. Louis, Milwaukee, and now Indianapolis)
Runs Scored: 156 – 11th in Federal
Runs Allowed: 157 – 7th in Federal
Defense: .697 – 9th in Federal
Power Ranking: 89.4 (15th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Delighted; Fan Interest: 93/100

• 4-2 last week: 3-0 at Sacramento, 1-2 vs. Houston
• 05/09: LOU 6, SAC 0 – shutout by Davidson 9 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 10 K
• Chip Davidson finally appears to be on track. He has a .372 BABIP even after the 3-hit shutout, so bad luck may have been a factor in his slow start.
• Boston ace Roberto Campos will miss 3 weeks due to a sky-diving injury.
• 05/10: LOU 8, SAC 2 – Martinez 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, 18-game hitting streak
• We swapped right-handed relievers with Boston, sending Jesus Barajas (age 30, 3 stars) to the Bombers for Leonard Sherman (age 24, 4 stars).
• 05/11: LOU 5, SAC 1 – Martinez 3-5, HR, 4 RBI
• 05/13: HOU 17, LOU 1 – It was Friday the 13th, and we gave up an 11-run inning. Some ERAs took a big jump, and so did my blood pressure.
• 05/14: LOU 10, HOU 1 – Westaway 9 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K; Daniels 4-4
• LF Juan Moran was promoted to AAA after destroying AA pitching (1.123 OPS). He was a 2004 2nd round pick out of UC-San Diego and has developed rapidly.
• 05/15: HOU 7, LOU 3 – Wilson 5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 6 K (2-5, 4.94 ERA)
• Brian Wilson has dropped off considerably from last year’s numbers. There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with him, so the explanation eludes me.
• Lucio Martinez had his hitting streak snapped at 21 games on Sunday.
• Henry’s mood declined this week (from Ecstatic to Delighted). He apparently doesn’t like being in fourth place.
• This week: 3 vs. Milwaukee, 3 at San Diego


Black Friday prompted a meeting with Byrne. There’s not much that either of us can do differently at this point. We won’t win a championship with our bench or our AAA team. I am convinced that this team is better than its record. We are notorious slow starters. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

[Stromson]

Look at the bright side, any fears that fan-favorite Lucio Martinez may be on the decline seemed to have been sent to bed. If there is anyone on the team that embodies that Colonel's spirit, it's him. (I don't have a man crush on him at all... ).

I seem to recall some slowish starts in the past, and I think it's way too early to make any emergency purchases (we can reassess that comment as we near the all-star break). How is the bullpen holding up these year? With pitchers like Wilson struggling (make sure he isn't having beer and fried chicken parties on his off nights, that could be his problem), the relievers are getting more innings than they were this time last year, and I'm curious as to their quality.

[Westheim]

Mr. Orcin is a bit prone to panic trades. So I see him throwing up dirt on his roster pretty soon.

And who says to stay off the fried chicken? Hello? The right amount of fried chicken (let's say one full bucket at KFC) gets me going very quickly. To the restrooms of course.

[Sal, The Barber]

If Sal can speak for the boys at the shop ... we're behind you. Especially because we know you have contract clauses that prevent your boys from doing things like sky diving! Perhaps the Boston GM's nickname is "Noodle" or "Dumbo" or "Dopey"? Sal cannot believe this. Sal can do a better job than that one.

And chicken? Sal can fire up the grill behind the shop. Sal likes his with hot sauce and cayenne pepper. A few beers to cool the heat. A little slaw. A grilled roll. Some fruit, watermelon and cherries. Maybe a peach on some ice cream for dessert.

We'll show our support for you, Mr. Orcin, with a good ol' fashioned barbecue!

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Mr. Orcin is a bit prone to panic trades. So I see him throwing up dirt on his roster pretty soon.

Nope. I learned my lesson. No more bullpen upgrades or... Oh, wait, hang on, phone's ringing, gotta go...

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Stromson

How is the bullpen holding up these year?

Overall, pretty good. I'll be posting the 40-game stats next, and you can see the complete picture. A couple of them were hosed by that 17-run affair, but overall I am pretty happy considering how cheap they are.