This is Oakland A's baseball

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, July 9th, 1995

The All-Star Game is rapidly approaching, and for the first time in recent memory, I think we'll stand pat before the trading deadline. We've weathered the storm of injuries and still managed to pull off the best record in baseball at 57-31. There's talk of an '88 World Series rematch with the LA Dodgers (56-31), which I'm sure we all would love to see. But let's not put the cart before the horse here.

Mark McGwire has carried the offense for us, hitting .263 with 33 HR and 100 RBI through 87 games. Apparently, owning the single season homerun record just isn't enough for Big Mac... now he's going after Hack Wilson's RBI record of 191, set in 1930. Of course, Mark isn't the only one hitting well for us... Barry Bonds' batting average is down a bit (.282), but he's still got 24 homers and 67 RBI... which could both be career highs for him when all is said and done this year. Robbie Alomar is batting .332 this season, just four points behind Seattle catcher Brent Mayne for the AL lead.

As good as our hitting has been, our pitching has been better. Even with Pat Hentgen lost for the season, our starting rotation has a league-best 3.33 ERA so far. Our ace, David Cone (9-5, 3.65 ERA), has actually been our third-best starter this season behind Curt Schilling (12-3, 2.73) and Al Leiter (7-2, 2.43). Even our #4 starter, Kevin Rogers, is having a great year at 9-5 with a 3.82 ERA. Hentgen's loss has hurt us, but Chan Ho Park has been decent for us as the fifth starter, making 10 starts while recording 3 wins and posting a 5.09 ERA. He's young and will improve... plus, we have our ace in the hole, Kevin Brown, due to come back from an elbow injury in about 6 weeks. Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan are going to have fun figuring out where to put Brownie in the rotation when he finally comes back.

Speaking of Tony, he'll be managing the AL All-Star team this year. The All-Star teams were announced today, and we have four A's on the squad this year: Schilling, McGwire, Bonds, and Alomar. I'm a little surprised Leiter didn't make it... he was better qualified than Charles Nagy (7-6, 2.53 ERA), but those are the breaks.

We still have two more games to go before the All-Star break, starting today against the Blue Jays. Hoping we can finish out strong... after losing two of our last three to Toronto and Milwaukee.

[Hendu Style]

Monday, July 31st, 1995

Schmidt Stumps for Rose in HOF Speech

By Ben Walker
AP Baseball Writer

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Mike Schmidt turned his Hall of Fame podium into a pulpit to promote Pete Rose, telling the biggest induction crowd ever Sunday it was time to make a place for baseball's career hits leader in Cooperstown.

Wearing a No. 14 lapel pin to honor his former teammate, Schmidt twice mentioned him during a 20-minute speech, saying Rose was his grandmother's favorite player.

"I join her and millions of baseball fans in hoping someday soon, someday very soon, Pete Rose will be standing right here," Schmidt said.

Schmidt's references to Rose drew large ovations from the crowd, esimated at 25,000 and mostly from Philadelphia. Several times during the two-hour ceremonies, there were sporadic chants of "We want Pete! We want Pete!"

Schmidt, whose 548 home runs for Philadelphia rank seventh in major league history, was elected last January on the first ballot by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Rose actually was in Cooperstown on Friday and Saturday, signing autographs a few blocks from baseball's shrine, but left town about 24 hours before the ceremonies, which were held in a grassy field about a mile away.

As much as Rose admired Schmidt and helped spur him in becoming arguably the game's greatest all-around third baseman in history, he said he wanted to clear out of Cooperstown to avoid distracting from his friend's big day.

"If I was there, some people would take it the wrong way," Rose said recently. "And I don't want to give those people that opportunity."

Hall of Fame vice president Bill Guilfoile said Rose had been mentioned in past induction speeches, although never as prominently and strongly as by Schmidt. The Hal museum features about 10 exhibits involving Rose.

"Pete's been terrific to the Hall of Fame," Guilfoile said. "There never has been a player who's been more cooperative than Pete."

And there's no one more deserving to have his plaque hanging in the Hall, Schmidt said.

"I wanted to tell people how I felt about it," Schmidt said at a post-ceremony news conference. "I'll promote it. I'm a guy who's a Pete Rose ambassador."

[Hendu Style]

Monday, July 31st, 1995

The only move we're making at the trading deadline is calling up Ariel Prieto from Triple A Sacramento to take Chan Ho Park's 5th spot in the rotation. I'm fairly confident Kevin Brown will be coming off the DL soon, so this is a short-term solution, but it will give us a glimpse of what Prieto is capable of.

CHP, frankly, just needs time to grow as a major league starter. He has yet to make it out of the seventh inning in ten starts, going 6+ innings three times, but getting shelled for 15 hits in his last two starts. We're going to put him back in the bullpen to get his confidence back up.

There has been a slew of trades in the last couple of weeks (none of which have involved us). The biggest trade was Philadelphia sending 3B Dave Hollins (.242, 7 HR, 36 RBI) to Boston for Pete Harnisch (6-10, 139.2 IP, 87 K, 4.19 ERA). Speaking of the Phillies, Harnisch joins a surprising rotation that is led by Kevin Ritz (7-6, 2.68 ERA in 22 starts) and our former minor league prospect, Steve Karsay. Steve has turned into a real keeper there, going 9-6 with a 2.65 ERA in 22 starts. Pair him up with Jay Buhner (.237, 15 HR, 48 RBI), and I have a little egg on my face for trading those two for Curt Schilling. Now don't get me wrong... Curt has been great for us, but his numbers and Karsay's are almost a wash. Also, don't forget, Curt has a player option for next year, so he could conceivably walk at the end of this season to become a free agent. We'd love to have him back for next season and beyond, but the ball is in his court right now.

Well, gotta get back to work... going to man the phone just in case I get an 11th hour trade offer before the midnight deadline. I was very tempted by an offer from the Angels for Mark McGwire, getting CF Jim Edmonds in return... but I can't possibly trade Big Mac as he's going after the RBI record and his own HR record in the same season. Wonder if that one will come back to bite me in the ass...

W-L: 63-38 (7.5 ahead of SEA in AL West)
Mark McGwire Watch: .266, 41 HR, 121 RBI
Homerun Pace: 63 (1 short of tying own record set in 1993)
RBI Pace: 185 (6 short of tying Hack Wilson's record set in 1930)

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday, August 15th, 1995

Great to see Kevin Brown back on the hill for us today. It's like he never left.

Pitching for the first time since October of last year, Brownie tossed 6 1/3 innings for us, giving up just one earned run on 7 hits, walking four and striking out 3. He didn't have his "A" stuff today against the Royals, but he battled hard and gave us a quality start. It took us 15 innings, but we did pull out the 5-3 win in Kansas City.

Another bright spot for us was Ariel Prieto. He made his major league debut for us, pitching out of the bullpen and striking out 3 in one inning of work, while walking one batter. We had planned on giving him a couple of starts in the last month, but in the end, Tony decided not to throw him into the fire and eased him in. I'd say Ariel was making up for lost time today with those 3 k's.

On the offensive side, Mark McGwire has cooled off his record pace but is still putting together one heck of a season. He went 0-for-4 today, walking twice and stranding six baserunners. He has 5 RBI in his last 12 games... and just 7 RBI halfway through the month of August. When you consider he drove in a total of 97 runs in the previous three months (32 in May, 33 in June, 32 in July), his numbers have really dropped off. Luckily, as a team we're doing just fine. Our lead on the Mariners is almost in double figures and we're well on our way to a second straight AL West crown.

In the National League, the Dodgers are still playing out of their mind, going 81-39 with a MLB-best .675 winning percentage. As good as our pitching rotation is in the AL, the Dodgers are the envy of the NL, with Pedro Martinez (12-5, 2.68 ERA), big brother Ramon (14-6, 2.93), Japanese pitching sensation Hideo Nomo (12-3, 3.08), Ismael Valdez (14-6, 3.14) and '92 Cy Young winner Jose Rijo (8-5, 3.61). Oh, and our former reliever, Eric Plunk, has been lights out in the 'pen for LA, posting a 0.84 ERA in 57.2 innings.

The biggest surprise of the 1995 season has to be Mark Clark and the St. Louis Cardinals (72-49, 2.0 games ahead of CIN). Before this season, Clark had never won more than 14 games or posted an ERA lower than 3.89. This year? 17-4 with a 1.43 (!!!) ERA. It's one of those seasons that has everyone scratching their heads.

W-L: 77-43 (1st, 9.5 ahead of SEA)
Mark McGwire Watch: .262, 44 HR, 128 RBI
HR & RBI Pace: 59 HR, 173 RBI
Minor League Spotlight: Carlos Reyes (4-1, 1 SV, 1.93 ERA, 56.0 IP, 33 K)

[Hendu Style]

Wednesday, September 6th, 1995

McGwire Banned Thanks to Bash Brother's Testimony

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Jose Canseco holds the distinction of being the first player ever banned for steroid use. Now his testimony could set him free, while setting up a former teammate for a steroid ban.

Oakland A's first baseman Mark McGwire has been suspended indefinitely by Major League commissioner Sandy Alderson, after Canseco outted McGwire as a steroid user when the two were teammates in Oakland.

As part of Canseco's agreement with the commissioner's office, his lifetime ban will be lifted in favor of a 500-game suspension. Of that suspension, 148 games will be subtracted for time served since his forced retirement, making him eligible to play in the majors again in 352 games, or roughly two seasons.

"I want to thank Mr. Canseco for his cooperation in this matter," Alderson said in a statement. "He could have taken the easy way out and written a book and brought a lot of people down with him. Instead, he gave us some rare insight into the world of steroid use in baseball. Rest assured, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a war on steroids in sports, and baseball will win it."

McGwire's fate, though, remains very much uncertain. It's not yet known how long his ban will last, and what evidence the commissioner's office has other than Canseco's word. It's also unknown how long he will be suspended, or whether he used steroids during his record-breaking 1993 season when he hit 64 homeruns.

McGwire had clubbed 49 homeruns this season with 144 RBI in 138 games. He at one point was on pace to match his single-season homerun record and was threatening Hack Wilson's RBI record of 191.

[deandean1998]

I, personally would like to come by and do a rare thing, congratulate you on this amazing thread. I almost never do this. Great thread!
Also on Clark, I call Shenanigans! I, personally, in a phone call to Beane himself, say that trade away Brown for Martinez. It should work whenever he hears it on his voicemail.

[Stromson]

What a great dynasty. I'm really enjoying the style, so please keep it up! Are you managing the games yourself, or leaving the AI (Mr. La Russa) to do its thing?

[Hendu Style]

Originally Posted by Stromson

What a great dynasty. I'm really enjoying the style, so please keep it up! Are you managing the games yourself, or leaving the AI (Mr. La Russa) to do its thing?

I manage the season opener, just to get a feel for the team each year. I typically let LaRussa handle the management from that point forward, though every once in a while I will override the AI on the rotation or the lineup, but that's typically only for short stretches.

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday, September 19th, 1995

I should be celebrating. We just clinched the AL West title today with a 2-1 decision over California. We have the best record (99-51) in the American League. Barry Bonds is on pace for a 40-40 season. Curt Schilling (18-5) is gunning for a 20-win campaign.

Yet, I can't get past the suspension of Mark McGwire.

It's a crippling blow. A 40-game suspension. And why? Because Jose Canseco says Mac was juicing. Says. What is this, McCarthyism? Are we looking for steroid users or communists? Is Baseball so paranoid about steroids that all it takes is one person's word to ruin another one's reputation?

Keep in mind, no one has not even a smidge of physical evidence to prove the Mark used steroids. And correct me if I'm wrong, but MLB didn't even have a steroid policy in 1993 when this steroid use alledgedly happened, did it?

If Sandy Alderson was looking to burn his bridges between him and Oakland, he's done more than that. He's torched 'em with napalm.

In the short term, I'm going to have to get past this. Not for Sandy's sake. What little friendship and understanding we had between us is now totally gone. I'm talking about where this team goes from here. We're past the trading deadline, and the free agent and waiver wires aren't exactly brimming with All-Star firstbaseman. In the meantime, our only option is moving our rookie DH, Jason Giambi, over to first base. With all due respect to Giambi, that is a huge downgrade at that position. That means we'll have to move Jeff Kent into a fulltime DH role and take Scott Brosius off the bench and start him at third.

It's a domino effect that changes the entire dynamic of our team. Instead of an elite homerun hitter protecting Bonds in the lineup, we have an untested rookie in Giambi. I'm not exaggerating when I say the very essence of our team has been dramatically changed.

Mark's suspension will end 29 games from now. Do the math, and he's eligible to come back maybe in time for the World Series. But we would first have to win both the ALDS and the ALCS, and both of those series would have to go the maximum amount of games.

I hate to say it, but it's time to forget about Mac. He's a lost cause this season. We have to focus on the team we have right now, and prepare for the playoffs... without the greatest homerun hitter of this generation.

[Kevdog1020]

Just read all 11 pages of your dynasty and I'm absolutely loving it.

[GXMarc]

Originally Posted by Kevdog1020

Just read all 11 pages of your dynasty and I'm absolutely loving it.

Done the same and have to say, it´s a great written Dynasty! Love it.

So in real Life I´m a Mets-Fan, but my one and only Live-Baseball-Game was in my Honeymoon in the US in 2009, Tigers vs. A´s at the Coliseum. The A´s lost, but since then they have a little Bonus in my Heart when I look at the Scoreboards every Morning.

Hope you will continue with the Story!

[Hendu Style]

Originally Posted by GXMarc

Done the same and have to say, it´s a great written Dynasty! Love it.

So in real Life I´m a Mets-Fan, but my one and only Live-Baseball-Game was in my Honeymoon in the US in 2009, Tigers vs. A´s at the Coliseum. The A´s lost, but since then they have a little Bonus in my Heart when I look at the Scoreboards every Morning.

Hope you will continue with the Story!

Originally Posted by Kevdog1020

Just read all 11 pages of your dynasty and I'm absolutely loving it.

Thanks guys. I will keep going with this dynasty. The weather has been so nice, it's been hard to get on the computer for any sustained period of time (that's a good thing, right?). There are still plenty of twists and turns to be played out with this, and I'm looking forward to sharing it.

[Hendu Style]

Monday, October 2nd, 1995

I'm so damned proud of this team right now. We went 22-5 in the month of September, finishing the season 107-55. Those 107 wins match a franchise record set in 1931 -- back in the days of Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, and Lefty Grove. Granted, those old Athletics did it in 10 fewer games, but I'm pretty damned sure they did it without a season-ending suspension of their best player.

So, how did we do it?

For starters, our offense was dominant. Again. Though we didn't have a single starter bat above .300 (Roberto Alomar was close at .297), we led the AL in runs scored, OBP, homeruns, and stolen bases, and we were third in batting average.

Despite his lowest batting average in four years (.281), Barry Bonds was a 40-40 threat, hitting 38 homers while stealing 51 bases... 1 shy of his career-best. Ellis Burks had a career year, clubbing 31 homers and driving in 114 runs. I would be remiss if I didn't mention our stud rokie, Jason Giambi. He hit a respectable .276, with 17 HR and 68 RBI. He also showed remarkable discipline at the plate for a rookie, drawing 60 walks in 135 games.

Out pitching was solid as always. We didn't get our staff ace, Kevin Brown, back into the rotation until mid-August, but he was a revelation. He went at least six innings in all nine of his starts, and went into the eighth inning in each of his last seven starts. Brownie finished the regular season with a 6-1 record, 2.25 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP. Tony LaRussa will have no problem plugging him in as our number one pitcher in the postseason.

We have three other pitchers who could/should be #1 starters. Curt Schilling was our only 20-game winner (20-6, 3.53 ERA, 234.1 IP, 228 K). David Cone fanned 200 batters this season, going 16-9 with a 3.49 RA. And maybe the biggest surprise of our rotation was Al Leiter (16-6, 3.01 ERA, 212.1 IP, 166 K). His ERA has plummeted over the course of the last three years, from 5.94 his first year in Oakland in 1993, to 4.43 last season, to a career-low 3.01 this season. Our pitching coach, Dave Duncan, has done a phenomenal job with all these guys.

But that starting pitching and offense would be nothing without our bullpen. Roberto Hernandez has flourished in the closer's role, converting 43 of 50 save opportunities. He had a rough stretch mid-season, but he really pulled it together, lowering his ERA from 4.35 on July 29th to 2.96, converting 20 of his last 22 save opps. Mike Timlin was our top setup man, posting a career-best 1.53 ERA in 49 appearances, and Graham Lloyd (0-1, 3.00 ERA, 45.0 IP) and John Franco (5-10, 3.19 ERA, 2 SV, 73.1 IP) were our go-to leftied out of the bullpen.

Now it's onto the playoffs for a run at a second straight World Championship. This is the first year of the Wildcard, and we'll open up against the AL East champion Boston Red Sox (86-76), while the AL Central champs from Cleveland (90-72) will take on our division rival Seattle Mariners (91-71).

As always, Tony has the say on the playoff roster. In a decision that's sure to raise a few eyebrows, he has decided to leave Mark McGwire (.262, 49 HR, 144 RBI) on the roster despite having 17 more games to serve on his suspension. It's the ultimate risk-reward situation. I personally would like to have seen that spot go to an extra arm out of the bullpen, but Tony's the boss when it comes to that. He's also elected to keep Dennis Eckersley on the squad. He appeared in just 9 games while battling an elbow injury, but our team trainer, Barry Weinburg, says Eck is good to go.

And so are we. Boston has a the best pitching staff in the league, led by Roger Clemens (17-8, 2.633 ERA, 228 K), and a tough lineup headlined by Mo Vaughn (.302, 41 HR, 112 RBI) and Wade Boggs (.340 avg). Game one is tomorrow at the Coliseum.

Go A's.

[MarkCuban]

Glad to see you back. I actually can't wait for the eventual restock/retool/rebuild for the team. I always feel Beane works best when he builds from nothing. It's just more exciting.

Schilling was a great pickup. Love the emphasis on the coaches in-game.

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday, October 3rd, 1995

Giambi Saves the Day in ALDS Opener

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- For a guy who has never been in the playoffs, Jason Giambi looked remarkably at home in his postseason debut on Tuesday. The A's rookie first baseman, subbing in for the suspended Mark McGwire, hit a game-tying solo homerun to lead off the 9th inning against Lee Smith. Terry Steinbach drove in the game-winner one inning later on a walk-off RBI double off of Smith, as the Oakland A's went on to defeat the Boston Red Sox in 10 innings, 3-2, in Game 1 of the ALDS.

"I think I got a little lucky with that wind behind me," Giambi said after the game. "The wind was blowing out to left, and I swore (Mike) Greenwell was going to catch it at the track. I guess we could all use a little luck, couldn't we?"

The A's certainly could. Despite winning an MLB-best 107 games during the regular season, they are far from 100% going into the postseason. Cleanup hitter Ellis Burks was a late scratch from the lineup with a sore arm, replaced by Matt Stairs in right field. Stairs went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. Kevin Brown, who was expected to be the Game 1 starter, was instead in the dugout, with David Cone getting the nod.

"I made that decision late last night," A's manager Tony LaRussa said. "Brown wanted to go, but he admitted he wasn't 100%. We'll see him in Game 2 instead."

Cone did an admirable job in Brown's place, allowing just 2 runs on 8 hits in 8 innings of work, while striking out 7. Roberto Hernandez picked up with win in relief, pitching the 9th and 10th innings. Roger Clemens, who was ejected in his last playoff appearance in Oakland, was lights-out this time around, giving up one run and striking out 9 in 8 innings.

"I don't know what else we could've done," a disappointed Clemens said afterward, throwing 125 pitches in a no-decision. "You win a game like this, and you've got them up against the wall. Instead, we're down 1-0."

Game 2 is Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum.

[Hendu Style]

Saturday, October 7th, 1995

Sele Seals Game 4 Win; A's on Brink

BOSTON, Mass. (AP) -- All season long, Aaron Sele has heard the comparisons between Boston's starting rotation and Oakland's. On Saturday night at Fenway Park, the 26 year old righthander made his case for the Red Sox, holding the A's lineup in check and giving Boston a 3-2 win in Game 4 of the ALDS. Boston, which lost the series opener, now leads the series, 3-1.

"They just have so many bats, you have to go right at them," Sele said, after limiting Oakland to 1 run on 7 hits, while striking our 4 and walking 3 in 8 innings on the hill. "Everyone talks about (Barry) Bonds and (Roberto) Alomar, but then you have some other tough hitters all the way to the bottom of the order. I'm just glad I got the job done."

Sele left the game in the hands of Lee Smith, who blew a similar save opportunity for Roger Clemens in Game 1. Right on cue, Jeff Kent drove in Scott Brosius with an RBI double with 1 out in the top of the 9th inning to pull Oakland within one. But Smith settled down to retire Terry Steinbach and Omar Vizquel to close out the ballgame.

The Red Sox can now close out the series in Game 5 on Sunday afternoon. Since a 3-2 loss in Game 1, Boston has picked up three straight wins in the ALDS, winning 7-5, 15-1, and 3-2.

"It's gut check time," A's manager Tony LaRussa said. "It's been that way all season. We just have to find a way to get one tomorrow and take the series back home. Simple as that."

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday, October 10th, 1995

Game Over: BoSox Eliminate A's with 9-5 Win

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland A's run at a second straight World Series ended prematurely on Tuesday night, with a 9-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the ALDS.

Al Leiter, making his first start of the postseason, was roughed up for 5 runs in 2.1 innings and took the loss. He started in place of Curt Schilling on what manager Tony LaRussa called "a hunch."

"That's all it was, and obviously it didn't work out," LaRussa said. "Schill was lit up pretty bad his last time out against these guys, so I wanted to give Leiter a shot against those left-handed bats."

While lefties Wade Boggs, Mo Vaughn, and ALDS MVP Phil Plantier were held in check to a collective 0-12 for the ballgame, righties John Valentin, Craig Paquette, and Brett Barberie teed off on Leiter and the A's bullpen, going 6-16 with 6 RBI for the ballgame.

While it would be easy to point to LaRussa's decision to pitch Leiter instead of Schilling, much of the blame for Oakland's postseason collapse comes at the feet of Barry Bonds. The reigning AL MVP went hitless in 5 plate appearances, stranding 4 baserunners. He finished the series just 3-24 (.125 average) at the plate, with no homeruns and 2 RBI.

"I got nothing to say except I blew it," Bonds said. "Guys kept on getting on base and I couldn't get them in. That's all it came down to."

The Game 6 loss could be the final chapter in what has otherwise been a Hall of Fame career for Dennis Eckersley. The one-time A's closer struggled in the postseason against the team he played for from 1978 until 1984. He was torched for 4 runs on five hits in three relief appearances, and took the loss in Game 2 in Oakland. It's not yet known if he'll come back for the final year of his contract, a player option.

"I'm just going to let this one sink for a bit, okay fellas," Eckersley told a small gathering of media after the game. "I'm not ready to make a decision on that right now."

Meanwhile, the Red Sox win the series 4-2 and advance to play the winner of the Cleveland-Seattle series in the ALCS. The Indians and Mariners are tied up at 3 games apiece. In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers have already secured a trip to the league championship series by sweeping the Cincinnati Reds, while St. Louis and Montreal will play in a Game 7 of the NLDS.

[Hendu Style]

Monday, October 30th, 1995

No Kidding! M's Win World Series

MONTREAL (AP) -- They weren't the best in the American League. They weren't even the best in their own division. But when it mattered most, the Seattle Mariners were better than their opponents. The Mariners christened the Wild Card Era of Major League Baseball by beating the Montreal Expos, 4-2, to win their first World Championship Monday night, in Game 6 of the World Series.

"I can't believe this is really happening!" All-Star centerfielder Ken Griffey Junior exclaimed amid a boisterous and bubbly champagne celebration in the visitors' lockerroom of Olympic Stadium. "I was just a kid when Dad won it with the Reds, and now I'm doing it. It's just unbelievable."

Unbelievable would describe Seattle's season. The Mariners have had the misfortune of playing in the same division as the Oakland A's, and if not for MLB's new expanded playoff format, Seattle would've once again found itself in the offseason. Instead, the Mariners toppled the Cleveland Indians in seven games in the ALDS, then beat the Boston Red Sox in five games in the ALCS.

"This team just has heart," winning pitcher Sterling Hitchcock said, who came to Seattle in an offseason trade with the New York Yankees for Tino Martinez. "We never quit and never stopped believing. And look at us now!"

Now the only question is, will this be a start of a Mariner dynasty? Ken Griffey Jr. (.304, 41 HR, 124 RBI) and Alex Rodriguez (.286, 24 HR, 71 RBI) haven't even hit the peaks of their careers. Randy Johnson (20-5, 2.76 ERA, 261 IP, 313 K) is the frontrunner for a second straight AL Cy Young Award.

"As far as I'm concerned, we can win a few more of these," beamed Johnson, donning goggles and a rain coat to protect himself from the champagne celebration. "Me, the Kid, A-Rod... I can't imagine any one of us playing anywhere else."

[GoBucsGo]

Tough break on not getting the repeat! Great seeing the Mariners get one. If only this were real life. Griffey Jr. was my hero growing up. Can't wait till the off season

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday, October 31st, 1995

It's hard not to look back on this past season and not feel like we got cheated. It was like we were playing Texas Hold 'Em, and we had pocket Aces, but the rest of the deck was stacked against us.

Our staff ace, Kevin Brown, is out for much of the season... we have to shut down Pat Hentgen for the year... Dennis Eckersley blows out his elbow. **Boom** Three diamonds on the flop.

The top homerun hitter in baseball, Mark McGwire, gets suspended for the season for something that didn't even happen this season. **Boom** Another diamond on the turn.

Our MVP Barry Bonds has the worst seven-game stretch probably of his MLB career smack-dab in the ALDS. **Boom** A fifth diamond on the river.

Suddenly, our pocket aces lose to a lucky draw for one fortunate SOB who happened to have two diamonds.

I know... I know... I should be thankful. We still had one hell of a ride. And we're set up very nicely for the future. Bonds will bounce back. Mac will serve out his suspension. Our rotation will be stronger than it ever was before. I'm also appreciative of our owner, Walter Haas, who has done a tremendous job of letting me do my thing, and giving us the financial capital to put together a winning team. The way things are going, we can sustain a championship roster for the next 4-5 years. Everyone's talking about the Mariners being a dynasty team, but I would put our team up against theirs any day of the week.

Like many others out there, I'm already looking forward to the offseason. There is a very deep and promising free agent market to evaluate. Albert Belle, Frank Thomas, David Justice, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Rafael Palmeiro, and Kevin Appier are all eligible for free agency. I'm going to take a long, hard look at our roster and see where we can upgrade without significantly raising our team payroll. I'm pretty confident that Mr. Haas will be on board with that, though I'll have to wait and see when we have our annual exit interview to discuss the past season. But I'd like to think 107 wins and a decent overall profit margain will make the boss happy...