Orcin's Story

[Orcin]

CBA STANDINGS - FINAL
Tuesday, October 4, 2005



This was the second-best season in team history (behind last year).
For the record, we have gone over 100 wins in four of the five seasons that I have been the GM.
It (>99 wins) never happened for this franchise in the twenty years before I took the job. Just sayin’.

[Orcin]

LEAGUE LEADERS
Tuesday, October 4, 2005



Robert Westaway should be a candidate for some shiny post-season hardware.

[Orcin]

LOUISVILLE COLONELS
Tuesday, October 4, 2005





Pedro Dominguez and Mariano Gonzalez were chosen for the playoff roster, replacing the injured Dennis Morgan and Hugh McGlone. Dominguez (a left-handed batter) will start in left field against Seattle, because the Falcons have all right-handed starters. We’ll see what happens if and when we face a lefty later. I may try to get Archuleta (a right-handed batter) into the lineup somehow. Simon can play the outfield as well as any left fielder on my roster, so I could play Archuleta at shortstop.




Here’s a last look at the minor leagues. Lexington swept Kansas City to advance to the AAA Championship Series against the Newark Doves (New York affiliate).

[SandMan]

It has been a few seasons since he was mentioned but can you post Jorge Figueroa's career stats?

[Stromson]

Ouch, a 94-win team (St. Louis) is relegated to watching on the couch while an 88-win team (Atlanta) gets to keep dancing. The Federal League was brutal this year!

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by SandMan

It has been a few seasons since he was mentioned but can you post Jorge Figueroa's career stats?

Sure! I never get tired of looking at this card. By the way, he is 35 years old and a free agent at the end of this season.






I didn't forget Jon Schultz either. Coming up next.

[Orcin]

By request, here is another…

CBA PLAYER PROFILE

Today’s Feature: 1B Jon Schultz, Charlotte Knights

Jon Schultz was selected as a high-school player in the supplemental round of the 1994 first-year player draft by the Cincinnati Bobcats. Schultz did not sign with Cincinnati and instead chose to attend Widener University on a baseball scholarship. The Charlotte Knights selected Schultz in the 1995 supplemental round (#64 overall) and convinced him to sign for a $525,000 bonus. In April 1996, Schultz was named the #65 prospect in the CBA by BNN. By April 1998, Schultz was considered the #4 prospect. He hit .321 in AAA before a brief call-up to the majors. In 1999, he was in the majors to stay but really began to hit his stride in 2000. Career highlights include:

• Patriot League Outstanding Player Award 3 times (2001, 2003, 2004)
• Selected to the All-Star team 5 times (not selected in 2002 due to injury)
• League leader in home runs 3 times (2001, 2003, 2004)
• One of ten CBA players to hit 60 or more home runs in a season
• Lifetime batting average of .2995 ranks #23
• Career WAR of 52 is already #28 on the all-time list (at age 30)
• Excellent defensive first baseman and very adequate as a left fielder

Schultz is assembling a Hall of Fame resume. He probably needs another 2-3 seasons like 2005 to get there. He is a pretty good bet to do it.

I present the player card of Jon Schultz. Please excuse the “photoshopping”. I edited the screenshot to make it less wide on the screen.

[Orcin]

2005 Federal League Divisional Playoff Series
Seattle Falcons (99-63) vs. Louisville Colonels (105-57)

The Falcons led the league in runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage, and home runs. Their offense is led by 2B Manuel Fernandez (.276, 39, 116) and RF Anthony Gettingby (.335, 36, 92), but Seattle has an entire lineup of quality hitters including veteran nemesis Tom Henry. This will be a real test for our pitching staff. We were 3-7 against Seattle this season, an indication of the challenge ahead.

GAME 1 @ Louisville: Jim Hughes (16-14) vs. Robert Westaway (21-4)

Westaway was staked to a 3-0 lead in the first inning via a two-out triple by Brown, RBI single by Bland, and a two-run homer by Olivares. Seattle rallied to make the score 3-2 in the third, but Westaway struck out 1B Lorne Evans with two on to end the threat. Olivares tripled in Brown with two out in the bottom of the third for a 4-2 lead.

Westaway struck out Fernandez with two on in the fifth to end another big threat and keep the score at 4-2. The Colonels picked up another insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when John singled, stole second, and scored on a single by Bland. Seattle got that run back in the top of the sixth on a single, walk, wild pitch, and ground out. When Pedro Hernandez singled to start the Seattle seventh, Byrne decided that 104 pitches was enough for Westaway, He summoned “Fat Cat” Brooks to protect the 5-3 lead.

Brooks got a double play and a strikeout to end the seventh, but then walked the first two batters in the eighth. Garza came on to get one out on a sacrifice bunt, and Seattle pinch-hit with the left-handed Gettingby (who did not start against the lefty Westaway). Byrne walked him to load the bases with one out. The chess match continued as lefty Nathaniel Jones was brought in to face Seattle’s left-handed catcher, Floyd. Jones struck out Floyd, but lefty pinch-hitter Justin Holden (another typical starter) singled up the middle and the game was tied.

O’Daniel got the final out of the eighth, but then got into a bases-loaded jam with two out in the top of the ninth. Lefty Jesus Trejo came in to face Anthony Gettingby, who had stayed in the game. Gettingby slammed a pitch to the warning track in right where it was caught by Olivares to end the inning. Jaramillo doubled with one out in the bottom of the ninth to put the winning run in scoring position. Jeffrey Jackson pinch-hit for Trejo, and sent the sellout crowd home happy with a solid walk-off single to left-center.

FINAL: Louisville 6, Seattle 5
Louisville leads the series 1-0.

Other games:
San Francisco 3, Dallas 2 (San Francisco leads 1-0)
New York 9, Atlanta 1 (New York leads 1-0)
Charlotte 5, Philadelphia 2 (Charlotte leads 1-0)

[Orcin]

2005 Federal League Divisional Playoff Series
Seattle Falcons (99-63) vs. Louisville Colonels (105-57)

GAME 2 @ Louisville: Luis Gonzalez (9-5) vs. Ray Alexander (18-8)

Alexander has won 35 games for us over the past two seasons, and he deserves this high-profile start.

Louisville got on the board in the first inning. Simon singled, stole second, and scored on a single by Brown. The Colonels scored another run in the second on consecutive singles by Dominguez, Alexander, and Simon. Brown tripled to open the third, but we threatened to strand him until Martinez came up with the big two-out hit to make it 3-0.

Alexander walked the eighth hitter and gave up a warning track fly ball to pinch-hitter Stokes to end the seventh. Byrne decided 109 pitches were enough and Alexander left with a 3-0 lead and the following stat line: 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 7 K. He had such great stuff that he could barely control it. Jones, Brooks, and Trejo combined for a scoreless eighth inning. George King pitched a perfect ninth inning for the save.

Simon and Brown each had three hits and an RBI. Ray Alexander was 2-3 at the plate but that’s not why he was the “Player of the Game”.

FINAL: Louisville 3, Seattle 0
Louisville leads the series 2-0.

Other games:
Dallas 7, San Francisco 6 (series tied at 1)
Atlanta 5, New York 0 (series tied at 1)
Charlotte 4, Philadelphia 2 (Charlotte leads 2-0)

[Orcin]

2005 Federal League Divisional Playoff Series
Seattle Falcons (99-63) vs. Louisville Colonels (105-57)

GAME 3 @ Seattle: Brian Wilson (14-12) vs. Ray Strickland (13-8)

Pedro Pacheco put Seattle on the board first with a solo homer in the second. Bland tied it with a leadoff home run in the fourth. Seattle reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Fernandez doubled and Pacheco singled him home to make it 2-1.

Bland must have decided that he was not going to lose this personal RBI contest with Pacheco. Strickland walked John and Brown with two out in the fifth, and Bland made him pay with a three-run blast to center field. Strickland had only allowed two hits but they were both home runs by Bland to give the Colonels a 4-2 advantage.

Simon and John drove home two more runs with two-out singles in the sixth, ending Strickland’s day and giving Wilson a 6-2 lead. A solo home run by Tom Henry in the ninth convinced Byrne to give Wilson the rest of the day off. He threw 118 pitches and left with the following stat line: 8.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K. O’Daniel struck out the final two batters to nail down the sweep.

FINAL: Louisville 7, Seattle 3
Louisville wins the series 3-0.

Other games:
Dallas 5, San Francisco 3 (Dallas leads 2-1)
New York 15, Atlanta 7 (New York leads 2-1)
Charlotte 8, Philadelphia 4 (Charlotte wins the series 3-0)

[Orcin]

Monday, October 10, 2005

Subject: Personnel Moves

I withdrew my four-month-old offer to Barry Werrett to manage the Evansville Class-A team. He did not appear to be surprised or upset. It will be interesting to see where he ends up. One thing is certain… he will never work for the Louisville Colonels as long as I am here.

Rookie manager Oliver Amador (age 35) agreed to a three-year contract at $500,000 per year to manage the club. Amador has been coaching in high school since he gave pro ball a brief shot as a relief pitcher in the early 90’s. He has a reputation for being an outstanding motivator and teacher, especially in the areas of pitching and fielding.

He is not a great hitting instructor, but we might be able to get him some help there.


Subject: AAA Playoffs

Lexington defeated Newark 4 games to 2 to win their second consecutive AAA championship. Congratulations to the Legends players, coaching staff, and manager Chris Ray!

[Orcin]

October 11, 2005

Subject: CBA Playoffs

Federal League:
Game 4 – San Francisco 13, Dallas 2
Game 5 – Dallas 7, San Francisco 2

Patriot League:
Game 4 – Atlanta 5, New York 4
Game 5 – Atlanta 4, New York 0

The Championship series in each league will set up this way…

Federal League: Dallas at Louisville
Patriot League: Atlanta at Charlotte

We will not make any changes to our roster for the next series. It seems strange to be playing someone other than San Diego or Seattle.

[Orcin]

2005 Federal League Championship Series
Dallas Rattlers (90-72) vs. Louisville Colonels (105-57)

Dallas reached this point on the back of their #1-ranked starting rotation. Their bullpen is good enough and they don’t have to use it much. On the other hand, their offense is not so hot. They finished next-to-last in runs scored. They have a couple of players that can rise up and bite you, however. Brock Richardson had a pretty good year in 2005, hitting .302 with 18 HR and 60 RBI despite missing two months with an ankle injury. Our old friend and former player, Eddie Payne, really carried the team while Richardson was out, hitting .306 with 15 HR AND 64 RBI. We had a record of 6-4 vs. Dallas this season.

GAME 1 @ Louisville: Dan Todd (13-1) vs. Robert Westaway (21-4)

It was a marquee pitching matchup for game 1. Todd had not pitched in a game since July 16, when he hurt his shoulder and was sidelined with inflammation. Louisville took advantage of a little rust to score a run in the first inning on consecutive singles by John, Brown, and Bland. John kept the pressure on with a two-out RBI single in the second.

Dallas C Ernest Snyder doubled home a run in the fourth to make the score 2-1. Westaway struck out the side in the fifth, but Dallas loaded the bases in the sixth before a ground out ended the inning. Westaway was over 100 pitches and running out of gas. When Dallas 2B Salvador Martinez led off the seventh with a double, Byrne called for Jones. Todd bunted Martinez to third with one out, and Jones faced Eddie Payne. The first pitch hit Payne in the ribs. Jones obviously concluded that one pitch was more efficient than the intentional walk to set up the double play. Jones got the ground ball but the Colonels could only get the force at second as Martinez scored to tie the game.

Jeffrey Jackson started the bottom of the seventh with a pinch-hit single and promptly stole second. Jackson advanced to third on a ground out. Byrne tried a squeeze play with a fast runner and good bunter (John), but Jackson was thrown out at the plate. Both bullpens came on strong from there to send the game into extra innings.

The game moved to the 13th inning and Byrne only had reserve catcher Troy Daniels left on the bench. He decided to turn the game over to Chip Davidson, win or lose. Two innings later, Lorenzo Olivares ended the game with a walk-off home run to dead center field. Seven Louisville relievers combined for eight scoreless innings in the game, so I think the bullpen was the collective Player of the Game.

FINAL: Louisville 3, Dallas 2 (14)
Louisville leads the series 1-0.

Other games:
Charlotte 9, Atlanta 2 (Charlotte leads 1-0)
WP: Fletcher 7.2 IP, 1 ER; 7 H, 2 BB, 4 K

[Orcin]

2005 Federal League Championship Series
Dallas Rattlers (90-72) vs. Louisville Colonels (105-57)

GAME 2 @ Louisville: Carlos De La Cruz (17-10) vs. Ray Alexander (18-8)

De La Cruz is a tough cookie. He led the Federal League with a 2.37 ERA. Thus, it was pretty shocking to even the home fans when Simon jacked the first pitch he saw into the left field bleachers for a 1-0 lead. It didn’t last long. Dallas jumped all over Alexander for five runs in the third inning. Byrne was not inclined to go to his bullpen that early, having used it for eight innings the day before.

Jackson pinch-hit for Alexander in the fourth, and his single drove in the second run for Louisville. Simon followed with a two-run double. John singled Simon home and we had a new ballgame at 5-5. Pedro Dominguez sent De La Cruz to the showers in the fifth with a two-run homer, giving the Colonels a 7-5 lead. Simon walked with two out, stole second base, and scored on yet another big hit by Tom John to make it 8-5.

Jesus Trejo pitched three scoreless innings to get the game to the late-inning bullpen specialists. Jones and Brooks combined to take care of the eighth as they did so many times during the season. King picked up the save and the Colonels had a 2-0 lead in the series. Pierre-Louis Simon was the Player of the Game, going 2-3 with a home run, two walks, a stolen base, three runs scored, and 3 runs batted in.

FINAL: Louisville 8, Dallas 5
Louisville leads the series 2-0.

Other games:
Atlanta 4, Charlotte 3 (series tied at 1)

Our bullpen really needed the day off between games two and three. I am hopeful that Wilson will give us a good start tomorrow.

Transactions: Pedro Castro was eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list. I needed to clear a spot for him on the secondary roster, so SP Phil Thompson was released from his contract a few days early. The 31-year-old right-hander was due to become a free agent as soon as the season ended. He did a great job for us at AAA this year, and I made a few calls on his behalf to hopefully get him a major league job next year.

[Orcin]

2005 Federal League Championship Series
Dallas Rattlers (90-72) vs. Louisville Colonels (105-57)

GAME 3 @ Dallas: Brian Wilson (14-12) vs. Ronald Austin (13-5)

The Colonels got on the board first in the top of the third. Simon singled, stole second, advanced to third on a balk, and scored on a sacrifice fly by John. Dallas 3B Shawn Davis blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to put Dallas on top 2-1.

In the fifth, Brian Wilson doubled home Dominguez and scored on a single by Simon to put the Colonels back in the lead by a 3-2 score. With two out and Simon on second, Brown drove a ball into the gap in right-center. Payne and Richardson were slow to get over to the ball and Brown hustled all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park home run! Louisville led 5-2 after five innings.

Louisville added an insurance run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk, but Dallas made it tight again with another two-run homer from Shawn Davis. He certainly had the book on Wilson – good thing he didn’t share it with his teammates. Wilson left for a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth having allowed only three hits – all of them by Player of the Game Shawn Davis. King came in to close out the game and the Colonels need only one win to make their second straight World Series appearance.

FINAL: Louisville 6, Dallas 4
Louisville leads the series 3-0.

Other games:
Atlanta 7, Charlotte 5 (Atlanta leads 2-1)

[Orcin]

2005 Federal League Championship Series
Dallas Rattlers (90-72) vs. Louisville Colonels (105-57)

GAME 4 @ Dallas: Antonio Luna (10-4) vs. Dan Todd (13-1)

The Colonels jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on only one hit. The fiasco for Dallas included an error and a wild pitch. Pedro Dominguez doubled home Jaramillo with a third run in the second inning. Dallas came back in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer by SS Rodney Wright (yes, THAT Rodney Wright).

The score remained 3-2 until the sixth when the Colonels put together a rally. Jaramillo walked, advanced to second on a ground out, and scored on a single by Dominguez. Luna bunted Dominguez to second, and Simon singled him home. The hit-and-run was on with John at the plate and his line drive double to the gap scored Simon all the way from first. That was all for Todd, but not for the Colonels as Brown singled John home to make it a 7-2 game.

As it turned out, Luna didn’t need that final rally. He went all the way, hitting 100 on the gun as he struck out Richardson to end the game. Luna was the Player of the Game with the following stat line: 9 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K, 123 pitches.

Oh yeah, and the Colonels are going back to the World Series on a nine-game winning streak!

FINAL: Louisville 7, Dallas 2
Louisville wins the series 4-0.

Other games:
Atlanta 2, Charlotte 1 (Atlanta leads 3-1)

[beachbomer]

Thanks for the update on Schultz!

[Orcin]

October 18, 2005

Subject: Patriot League Championship

SP Jim Poole (yes, THAT Jim Poole) went seven innings and allowed only two runs as Atlanta captured the Patriot League championship by defeating Charlotte 5-4. Losing pitcher Todd Fletcher went all the way for the Knights, giving up eight hits and two home runs. Charlotte rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth, but it wasn’t quite enough.

FINAL: Atlanta 5, Charlotte 4
Atlanta wins the series 4-1

Atlanta will be making their second World Series appearance in franchise history. They swept the Los Angeles Vipers to win the 1989 CBA championship.


**********

October 19, 2005

Subject: Playoff Roster

Hugh McGlone is healthy again and I will add him to the roster for the World Series in place of Juan Aponte. McGlone will give me another veteran left-handed pinch-hitter and might be needed to play the outfield in a double-switch. Dominguez will continue to start in place of Morgan, who is not yet ready to return.

So, we start the World Series and I admit that I fully expected to be facing Charlotte. It just seemed to be destiny because they had the best record, played well late, and my season was connected to theirs via the big pre-season trade. Karma demanded that Louisville would have to beat Fletcher in the World Series to win a title. It didn’t happen.

Interestingly enough, I almost made a big deal with Atlanta to send Wilson there. I had a deal in the grinder at least twice, but it did not come to fruition. The primary reason was that Atlanta would not give up CF Angel Quintero. The prospects and other players that they would trade were not worth giving up Wilson for this season. I would have done it to get Quintero, a leadoff hitter deluxe. Funny how these things turn out.

By the way, the OOTP13 pre-season prediction for the World Series matchup was Atlanta vs. Louisville. Nice job!

[Sal, The Barber]

Sal has been quiet, but he needs to say 2 things.

1. N. Jones knows how to send a message to start a playoff series. Go for the ribs with the fastball. No playing around. Sal wishes he could say that he taught Jones everything he knows.

2. Tom John is the best average, no-flash, unknown, mediocre, unsung, forgotten, bland, etc. player there is. Even his name persuades you not to pay attention to him. But Sal has caught himself watching now.

By the way, Sal is seriously considering going into the sports agent business. If he could just get the two boys above as his first clients. That and that law degree--Sal and school just don't mix.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

Tom John is the best average, no-flash, unknown, mediocre, unsung, forgotten, bland, etc. player there is. Even his name persuades you not to pay attention to him. But Sal has caught himself watching now.

I had a lot of middle infielders in the organization 3-4 years ago. I would never have guessed that he would be the one to make the starting lineup in the 2005 World Series. It shows what you are saying that even his own team almost failed to notice him.