Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

Great to see some new posts here!

Thanks -- it's about time, right?

[AZTarHeel]

The roller coaster that is Andrew Zarzour

Dodgers pitcher strikes out 12 but gives up four bombs in latest effort

April 24, 2002

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have … LA pitcher Andrew Zarzour.

The 7-foot-2 left-hander got the win last night as the Dodgers clipped the Colorado Rockies 6-5 at Chavez Ravine. Zarzour earned a career best 12 strikeouts in seven innings of work, and he held the Rockies to only four hits. But all four of those hits left the yard, leaving LA fans with an uneasy feeling still about the likeable southpaw.

“Like I said before, it’s a good thing this game wasn’t at Coors Field,” Zarzour quipped after the outing. “They might have hit 10 out there. I’m just glad that we won the game. Thanks to my teammates for making that happen and for Hoff (Trevor Hoffman) for saving things in the ninth.”

Zarzour can say he helped snap Delino Deshields’ 20-game hitting streak. His overall record improved to 2-2, but his ERA is still at 11.57.

Alex Rodriguez, Jeff Cirillo, Albert Pujols and Damian Easley each had doubles for the Dodgers in the victory. Johnny Damon hit a two-run homer in the third inning…

[AZTarHeel]

Big Z shackles Braves

Left-hander wins for the fifth straight time

May 28, 2002

ATLANTA -- After a rough and tumble start to the season, Andrew Zarzour seems to be finding his groove again.

The 21-year-old certainly was on top of his game last night at Turner Field, striking out eight over seven innings in a 3-2 Los Angeles win. Zarzour surrendered only five hits and one walk. Best of all, nothing left the yard while he was on the mound. In fact, no one crossed the plate for Atlanta in the first seven frames.

When he left the game, LA had a 3-0 lead. Although relievers gave up two runs in the eighth, closer Trevor Hoffman was able to keep the Braves off the board in the ninth to preserve the victory (and get his 14th save).

Zarzour improved to 6-2 with the decision, his fifth straight win since opening the year 1-2. Best of all, his ERA continues to fall, and is now down to 6.29. Still not overwhelming, but it’s a far clip from the 15+ ERA he had in mid-April after a few outings.

“I still don’t feel the best I can be, but things are getting better,” Zarzour said after hearing he was named game MVP for the first time this season. “It’s good to keep the ball in the park, that’s for sure.”

______________________________
NOTE: Whew! Finally the tide turns Big Z’s way a little bit … Other wins during this stretch came against the Pirates, the Phillies (in Philly) and the Mets… Zarzour hasn’t given up more than four runs in a game since his horrendous start, though this was the first time he managed a shutout during his time on the hill…

Overall, Dodgers are building a steady lead in the NL West over San Diego and San Fran (6-8 games). Arizona and Colorado are both pretty awful and have long since fallen off the back of the pack…

[AZTarHeel]

From: AZarzour72@earthlink.net “Andrew Zarzour”
Sent: May 29, 2002 • 1:03 AM
To: TimmyZMan@earthlink.net “Timmy Zarzour”
Subject: Pomp and circumstance

Hey little brother, Andrew here. Just wanted to congratulate you on your upcoming graduation from Bunn High School. Nice job of scrambling over the past month to get all your make-up work done. Glad to hear Mr. Baker cut you some slack in senior English, too. He never did me many favors.

Barring anything unforeseen, I should be able to come in for your graduation ceremony, though I’ll have to take off the next morning. Life in the real world, you know. I’m proud of you, kid!

When I get home, let’s talk more about what we talked about last week. You definitely have some big decisions to make. I admire your desire to serve your country in the military and believe you when you say you’re serious about going to Afghanistan.

If you decide to go the college route, I think Louisburg College would be a good option for you. It’s close, you can save some money on room and board, and you’ll get to continue your baseball career. They’ve got good coaches who can get you ready for the next level if you want to pursue that. A lot of people think you’ve got the talent to play Division I and make a run at a pro career if you want it.

Even if you don’t see yourself playing baseball long-term, they are offering you some $$$ for school, so I’d jump on it. You can’t beat getting help for an education.

Looking forward to talking with you about everything when I breeze home next week.

Big brother Drew

[AZTarHeel]

June 2, 2002

Andrew Zarzour laid on his back as they prepared to roll him into the tube-like machine. Even with a blanket, he was cold.

“You sure you don’t have any metal on you anywhere?” the attendant asked. “No metal screws anywhere in your legs or arms or anything?”

“I’m positive,” Andrew said. “This thing scares the you-know-what out of me.”

In just a few minutes, Zarzour would be rolled into the MRI machine to figure out just what was wrong with his left shoulder. He had felt a little "off" all season, and yesterday he felt more pain than he had ever felt with an injury anywhere in his body.

He had pitched a couple of so-so innings against Arizona and couldn't seem to work out the tightness and kinks. He gave up a few runs but was still battling with all he could muster.

In the top of the fourth inning, trying to work through some soreness, he had lured Travis Lee into an out, then struck Mark Whiten out with a nasty cutter. But the out pitch did something to his shoulder, producing a sharp twinge that he hadn’t really experienced before. After walking Dan Wilson on four straight pitches -- all way out of the zone -- coaches took him out and the medical armada moved in. He went straight to the locker room.

He could tell there was real concern on the doctors’ faces as they moved his shoulder and arm up and down, especially when Zarzour winced several times. And now, here he was facing an MRI to determine the extent of the damage.

He couldn’t help but worry if this would sideline him for the season. Or maybe this would be the kind of injury that debilitates his career. What if he needed major surgery? What if he were done for good with baseball? What if the Dodgers won the World Series and he wasn’t around to help? What if this injury gives someone else the chance to steal his spot in the rotation and he never gets it back? All these thoughts swirled through his head as he tried to keep from shivering on the table.

“Would you like headphones and some music,” the nurse asked him. “It can get kind of loud in there.”

“Sure,” Zarzour said. “Give me something upbeat, please.”

[AZTarHeel]

Zarzour to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks

MRI reveals bone chips in throwing shoulder

June 3, 2002

Los Angeles pitcher Andrew Zarzour will likely miss up to two months while recovering from a shoulder injury, team officials announced today.

An MRI taken yesterday revealed bone chips in his throwing shoulder. Manager Jim Tracy is confident that Zarzour can get back to full health by early August for the stretch run.

"We're going to need him. He's a battler," Tracy said. "Fortunately, the injury isn't as serious as we first thought."

Zarzour, 21, has been the No. 5 starter for the Dodgers this season after winning a franchise-best 17 games a year ago. The 7-foot-2 native of North Carolina goes on injured reserve for the first time in his career.

He has a record of 6-2 and an ERA of 6.30. He started the season 1-2 and after three starts had an ERA above 15.0.

[Recte44]

Uh oh. I was afraid of this.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Recte44

Uh oh. I was afraid of this.

well at least when the game says he'll be back in 6-8 weeks I know he'll pitch again ... but how well he'll be when he comes back ... hard to say ... even with out Big Z, I must admit the Dodgers are built for a nice post-season run if they can keep things up ...

[AZTarHeel]

Early July 2002

Andrew Zarzour spent the 2002 All-Star break with his family in Bunn, N.C. Everyone was there for a couple of days -- older sister Mary Katherine, little brother Timmy, mom and dad. It was a magical time just hanging out as a family.

They watched movies, they went to play Putt-Putt (Andrew played one-handed so as not to bother his healing shoulder), they played endless rounds of spades and other card games, they stayed up late and slept in. They talked and caught up on each other’s lives. They ate more home-cooking prepared by Mom Zarzour than they thought possible.

Though Andrew has always dreamed of pitching in an All-Star Game, he was glad this year to have this special time with family.

On the night of the All-Star game, the Zarzours had a massive neighborhood cookout. Friends, neighbors, former teammates at Bunn -- they all came by to eat and watch the game. Andrew and his dad were in charge of the grill, which had everything from ribs to steaks to burgers and dogs. Mrs. Zarzour made four of her special peanut butter pies to go with all the other deserts that folks brought over.

The game itself was wild indeed, with some of Andrew’s teammates right in the center of the action -- for good and for bad.

A-Rod had three hits and three RBIs (with a home run). Paul Lo Duca also had three hits with two RBIs. Ramon Martinez pitched briefly and well, but closer Trevor Hoffman got rocked. Coming into the game in the 10th inning, Hoffman was charged with four hits, five earned runs and SIX walks. Yikes! Hoffman took the loss, and the American Leaguers prevailed 12-10 in 10.

Larry Walker earned MVP status after recording three hits and four RBIs. A-Rod or Lo Duca may have earned the award had the NL won. Zarzour still couldn’t believe how bad Hoffman was. It certainly wasn’t how Hoffman had pitched all season to that point.

Once the party broke up and folks went home, the Zarzour men stayed up in the den, taking in the late, late SportsCenter highlights and a Seinfeld re-run. About 2:30 a.m., Timmy Zarzour -- who had been quiet much of the night -- finally spoke up.

“Well, I’ve decided to enlist in the Marines,” he said. “Hank from the baseball team, too. We report to basic training in six weeks in South Carolina. Hopefully, I‘ll get to fight in Afghanistan…”

[AZTarHeel]

Zarzour goes eight innings in first game back

Los Angeles can't get win for big left-hander

July 23, 2002

Andrew Zarzour came back from injury a few weeks earlier than expected and gave the Dodgers eight strong innings last night.

LA couldn’t give their 21-year-old left-hander a victory for his efforts, however. Montreal scored the winning run off closer Trevor Hoffman in the 10th inning, and the Expos prevailed 4-3.

Zarzour threw 124 pitches, striking out 10 and surrendering nine hits. He walked one and allowed three earned runs. LA manager Jim Tracy finally went to go get him after Zarzour -- who missed about seven weeks with a shoulder injury -- surrendered the game-tying home run to Luis Gonzales in the eighth.

“Andrew shooed me away when I went out to get him, but he was obviously at his limit for the day,” Tracy said. “We probably shouldn’t have had him out there beyond the seventh but he kept telling us he was feeling great. And his results backed that up. We’re just glad to have him back healthy.”

The Dodgers only had five hits on the night, with the biggest being Alex Rodriguez’s 30th home run of the season. All of their runs came in the fifth inning.

It will be interesting to see where Zarzour fits into the Dodgers’ schemes for the final few months of the season. LA went out in mid June and traded for another starting pitcher, Korean sidearm slinger B.K. Kim from the Orioles. Kim, who was traded for Raul Mondesi and reliever Scott Sauerbeck is 5-0 and pitched in Zarzour’s spot a few times in his absence.

Dodgers’ brass are really high on Kim and his strikeout prowess. Zarzour could be fighting for his job for the rest of the season. LA continues to lead the NL West by 10 games, holding one of the best records in baseball...


NOTE: LA also dealt 2B Damion Easley and reliever Ryan Franklin in early July, getting 2B Damian Jackson in return. Jackson is an upgrade in Damions, but the Dodgers have had trouble finding someone to lock down the keystone sack since I've taken the team over.

[AZTarHeel]

Aug. 1, 2002

Some news and notes from around the Majors now that the trading deadline has passed:

• The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to be the hottest team in the NL West. The Dodgers, now at 62-40 have opened up a comfortable eight-game lead over San Diego and 10-game cushion over San Francisco. Arizona and Colorado have been dreadful this season, both with 39-63 records — painful to even type those numbers.

• Cincinnati and Houston are neck and neck in the NL Central. Both are 60-42. Montreal and Florida have the same records atop the NL East, with Atlanta looming at 58-44.

• Boston, the 2000 World Champions, have been the class of the American League, winning a league best 66 games against 36 losses. Toronto, which won the Series a year ago, sits at 60 wins. The White Sox have been playing well in the Central with 61 wins. Seattle has 61 "W's" in the AL West.

• Toronto's Barry Bonds continues to bash balls all over the place. He's up to 45 homers heading into the back stretch of the season and could challenge for the single-season record. Alex Rodriguez of Los Angeles leads the NL with 32 bombs. A-Rod also has 84 RBIs already.

• Youngster Josh Hamilton, 21, has been the shining star that many expected him to be. The LA outfielder has a .327 average, second-best on the Dodgers' outfit behind catcher Paul Lo Duca (.334).

• Here's a story line to follow. If Boston and LA managed to stay hot and make it to the World Series, there could be a brother vs. brother pitching match-up in the 2002 Fall Classic. Pedro Martinez leads the Red Sox with a 16-2 record, while older brother Ramon Martinez (13 wins) is one of the ace's on LA's staff. Pedro got his start with the Dodgers in the early 1990s, while Ramon has been in LA his entire career.

• Speaking of the Dodgers' pitching staff, it will be interesting to see what they choose to do with Ramon Martinez and Hipolito Pichardo, last year's Cy Young Award winner obtained from Cincy in a trade for Mike Piazza.

Both Martinez and Pichardo are set to be free agents after this season. Since both have been on top of their games this season, they are sure to command big money. Will the Dodgers try to keep both around or will they part ways with one or both of them, since the two are in their 30s? The acquisition of young sidearm specialist BK Kim, who aims to be a full-time starter one day, could factor into that decision if he continues to show promise...

[AZTarHeel]

From: TimmyZMan@earthlink.net “Timmy Zarzour”
Sent: Aug. 26, 2002 • 9:56 AM
To: AZarzour72@earthlink.net “Andrew Zarzour”
Subject: Nice job bro

Hey big brother, just wanted to congratulate you on getting your 10th win last night. You do live dangerously, mi amigo, giving up two homers. Wish I could have come up to New York with mom and dad to see you pitch, but I just couldn't make the trip. You know, I still have my issues with New York and all that happened with Big Ed.

So, you're 10-3 now and you've got that ERA down to 5.53, eh? You're the comeback player of the year -- haha!! How much do you pay Sasaki and Hoffman to save your butt? They are nasty that's for sure. I'm impressed with your staff - you, Dreifort, Martinez, Smith and Pichardo all have 10 or more wins. Can you give a collective Cy Young Award?

Which brings me to my next topic. Don, Hank and I have decided to delay our enlistment in the Marines until November. I just have a feeling I'm going to see my brother pitch in the World Series in October. Don't want to miss that...

Cheers,
TZ

[AZTarHeel]

Martinez brothers eye Cy Young, Series titles

Oct. 8, 2002

Brothers Ramon and Pedro Martinez could very well both win Cy Young Awards this season.

And it's feasible the two hard-throwing pitchers from the Dominican Republic could meet up in the World Series too boot.

That's shaping up to be the hottest story line now that the 2002 post-season has arrived. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers (Ramon's team) and the Boston Red Sox (Pedro's team) finished the regular season with 108-54 records, each scorching their closest division mates by 20+ games. Ramon led Los Angeles with a 21-5 record and an ERA of 3.34. Pedro did his big brother a few better, posting a 25-4 record with an ERA just a shade lower at 3.35.

Cy Young resumés indeed.

Wouldn't it be something to see them square off in game one (and maybe game four and game seven) of the 2002 World Series? Of course, both teams have to get there first. Better teams have flamed out before the Series.

Los Angeles faces the pesky Florida Marlins (90-72) in the NL Division Series, beginning today at Chavez Ravine. Boston takes on Seattle (87-75). Atlanta (95-67) and Cincinnati (90-72) are the other NL playoff teams. Cleveland (94-68) and the Chicago White Sox (92-71) round out the AL side of the bracket. Defending champion Toronto (86-76) sits at home despite Barry Bonds' league leading 57 homers.

While he was starting for the Dodgers, Ramon repeatedly asserted that his brother Pedro was an even better pitcher than he was. Nevertheless, Dodgers management thought Pedro was too small to be successful and traded him away.

LA obviously doesn't want to make the same mistake with Ramon, signing him to a three-year contract extension just before the regular season ended.



****
Pretty cool, eh? That's why I love this game

Some other Dodgers notes at the end of the regular season:

• Andrew Zarzour finished 12-4 with a 5.50 ERA as the No. 5 starter for the Dodgers this season. He won four of his last five decisions. After an awful April (2-2, 10.27 ERA), Zarzour settled in for the most part, going 10-2 the rest of the way. Not too shaby.

• Big Z's good buddy Josh Hamilton really had a breakout year in the Dodgers outfield. In his first year as a full-time starter Hamilton batted .334 with 11 HRs and 82 RBIs. His average was second only to Paul Lo Duca (.348) among the regulars. Hamilton drove in six runs against Philly in June. Hamilton stole 19 bases for the year.

• Young Albert Pujols bashed two homers and had seven RBIs against Milwaukee in early August. Wow. Craig Wilson nearly matched that feat later in the season against the Brewers, hitting two homers and recording six RBIs. Pujols had six RBIs the next night against the Brew Crew. Milwaukee finished a woeful 67-95...

• A-Rod had a splendid year, batting .301 with 46 HRs and 124 RBIs.

• Pitcher Dan Smith, 27, staked his name as a solid No. 3 arm for the Dodgers, going 15-10 with a 2.72 ERA. He was Pitcher of the Month for August, posting a 3-1 mark with a 1.36 ERA.

• The post-season pitching rotation for the Dodgers right now will be 1) Ramon Martinez, 2) Hipolito Pichardo, 3) Dan Smith, 4) Andrew Zarzour and 5) Darren Dreifort. Martinez obviously could be used in a game four setting if needed, so Big Z and Dreifort may or may not see action, depending on how things go...

On to the post-season!!

[AZTarHeel]

FISH WRAPPED: Dodgers sweep Marlins in three

LA waiting for Braves-Reds winner for NLCS

October 12, 2002

MIAMI -- Dan Smith pitched a two-hitter through seven innings, and the LA Dodgers finished off a 3-0 sweep of the Florida Marlins last night in the National League Divisional Series.

LA jumped on the Fish early with three runs in the top of the first and cruised to a 5-0 victory. The Dodgers will play the winner of the Atlanta-Cincinnati series, which the Reds lead 2-1.

Craig Wilson hit a two-run homer in the top of the first to get LA off to a great start. Josh Hamilton had two hits and a pair of RBIs. Wilson and Craig batted .600 and .538 in the three games to lead the Dodgers in the NLDS. Alex Rodriguez added five RBIs.

The Dodgers had little trouble in dusting off the Marlins. Starters Ramon Martinez and Hipolito Pichardo got pitching wins in the first two games at Chavez Ravine, won the Dodgers 4-1 and 5-2 respectively. Los Angeles scored at least two runs in the first inning of each playoff contest.

Jim Tracy’s club is the only to win its series 3-0. Boston leads Seattle 2-1, while the Cleveland Indians lead the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in the American League.

“We’re glad we get a chance to rest our starting pitchers a few extra days,” Tracy said. “Since our bullpen didn’t get a lot of work in any game, we should be nice and fresh when the NLCS begins.”


NOTE: Andrew Zarzour didn’t pitch and didn’t really need to in this series.

[AZTarHeel]

L.A. ONE WIN FROM THE WORLD SERIES!

Dodgers, up 3-0, giving the ball to Big Z in Game Four

October 20, 2002


ATLANTA -- The Los Angeles Dodgers need just one more victory to earn their 22nd National League pennant. They’ll have four tries to get it.

In what is turning out to be a lopsided post-season for the boys from Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead on the Atlanta Braves with a come-from-behind 4-2 victory last night. The Dodgers scored three runs in the top of the ninth to swipe the game away.

Atlanta led 1-0 for awhile, then the Dodgers tied it up 1-1. The Braves pushed their second run across in the bottom of the eighth, with Billy Koch just needing to close things out to pull Atlanta within a game in the best-of-seven series.

But Koch gave up a single to Craig Wilson for starters in the top of the ninth, then walked Albert Pujols. Andy Tracy flied out to left center, but Rod Lindsey tripled down the left field line to give LA a 3-2 lead. Sandy Martinez singled to right-center to drive the final run home (his first at-bat of the post-season). Trevor Hoffman picked up the save for the Dodgers, with many believing this to be a back-breaking game for the Braves.

Los Angeles hasn’t been to the World Series since winning it all in 1988. The Dodgers have won 21 NL pennants since 1890. LA has six World Series titles, earning its first in 1955 when the Boys in Blue were still in Brooklyn.

Big left-hander Andrew Zarzour will get the start tonight against the Braves, hoping to close things out. He remembers watching LA’s 1988 World Series championship march with his dad, while growing up in Bunn, N.C.

“I was a Phillies’ fan but we got wrapped up in the Dodgers that year because of Kirk Gibson‘s home run and all that,” Zarzour said. “It’s an honor to take the mound and try to bring LA some new special memories.”

This will be Zarzour’s first post-season appearance this season. He went 12-4 in the regular season, missing about seven weeks with shoulder problems. The Dodgers would go with Ramon Martinez in game five, if necessary, and Hipolito Pichardo -- last year’s Cy Young Award winner for Cincinnati -- in the event of a game six.

****

A few other details from the first two games:

GAME ONE: Dodgers 10, Braves 4 -- Rod Lindsey went 4-for-4 from the plate for the Dodgers, and pitcher Ramon Martinez won for the second time in the post-season. Craig Wilson hit a three-run homer. LA scored five runs in the bottom of the second and jumped ahead 9-2 after four frames.

GAME TWO: Dodgers 5, Braves 3 -- Hipolito Pichardo picked up his second playoff win, again getting help from an explosive offense that got LA on the board first...

[AZTarHeel]

Andrew Zarzour remembers feeling more nervous than usual during his warm-up pitches leading into the bottom of the first inning against Atlanta in Game Four of the NLCS.

The Dodgers had been three-up, three-down to start the game, and the Turner Field crowd buzzed with an extra energy as the home fans tried to keep their team from getting swept away by the red-hot Dodgers.

Zarzour got Mark Grudzielanek to fly out to start the game, but then he bobbled a grounder up the middle hit to him by Erubiel Durazo. That shook his confidence — he just got ahead of himself trying to make a play for his team — and the big fella walked the next batter, Cliff Floyd on four pitches.

Then, with men on first and second, Zarzour hung a pitch over the middle of the plate to J.D. Drew. Before you could say "tomahawk chop," Drew drilled Zarzour's weak offering into the right centerfield seats for a three-run homer. This wasn’t the start that Andrew Zarzour had hoped for on national TV, putting his team down 3-0 on a night they hoped to clinch a berth into the World Series. He was so angry at himself, he fanned both Javy Lopez and Scott Spiezio on three pitches each to get out of the inning (touching 98 mph a few times). Usually reserved, the disgusted Zarzour walked into the dugout and slung his glove angrily into the wall.

“Hey Z,” teammate Josh Hamilton said. “Relax big man. We’ll get those runs back for you…”

[AZTarHeel]

It didn’t happen right away, but the Dodgers did get those runs back -- and quite a few more -- and Zarzour got his first career playoff victory as a reward.

The Dodgers exploded for seven runs in the top of the fifth inning and rolled to a 9-4 triumph over the Braves to ADVANCE TO THE 2002 WORLD SERIES!

Zarzour’s final line as the winner in Game Four -- 5.2 innings pitched, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk, six hits allowed, three earned runs, one home run surrendered (and one glove scuffed up pretty good after slinging it across the dugout into the back wall).

Alex Rodriguez bashed a three-run homer during the fifth frame, punctuating a six-hit inning. Craig Wilson added a long ball in the ninth inning to keep the Braves at bay.

While Atlanta fans bemoaned yet another season that fell short of the ultimate goal, excited Dodgers fans have begun dreaming about the franchise’s first World Series title since the 1988 season. Zarzour was only seven years old then. Now 21, he’ll be right in the thick of the action.

The best part for the Dodgers is that their three ace pitchers -- projected Game 1, 2 and 3 starters Ramon Martinez, Hipolito Pichardo and Dan Smith -- will be able to rest more while the Red Sox and White Sox finish duking it out in the American League Championship Series. Boston and Chicago are tied 2-2 going into game five. At least two more games will be necessary, maybe three.

[GrimmyDee]

Just wanted to let you know that I have spend most of the entire morning here reading this entire thread. Excellent work man. Truly awesome. It's guys like you that make me realize that I could never do a player based dynasty - and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Gotta ask for some details about my Indians though.

[ifspuds]

Go Dodgers! Wooooooooo!

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by GrimmyDee

Just wanted to let you know that I have spend most of the entire morning here reading this entire thread. Excellent work man. Truly awesome. It's guys like you that make me realize that I could never do a player based dynasty - and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Gotta ask for some details about my Indians though.

Hey Grimmy, thanks for taking the time to read. It has been a lot of fun to bring ol' Andrew to life. If you have an idea for a dynasty, by all means go for it. I remember being in awe of stories like Pat O'Farrell and Bubba Jones. Truth be told, I "borrowed" a lot of their ideas in this story, plus some others I've seen on here. Just have fun with it. The more stories the better...

As for your Indians, well they had a pretty good year in 2002. They won the NL Central with a 94-68 record, though they lost to the White Sox in the NLDS, 3-2.

Bartolo Colon went 16-10, though his ERA was pretty high (5.19). Casey Fossum and Jaret Wright each had 12 wins, and Bob Wolcott added 11 more. Billy Wagner saved 42 games. Better pitching might have helped them push through in the playoffs. Their offense was pretty ridiculous.

The starting lineup typically was:
C Michael Barrett (.300, 11 HR, 73 RBI) ...
1B Ryan Klesko (.263, 15 HR, 54 RBI) ...
2B Warren Morris (.250, 19 HR, 73 RBI) ...
3B Robin Ventura (.245, 25 HR, 83 RBI) ...
SS Juan Uribe (.303, 12 HR, 63 RBI) ...
LF Richie Sexson (.296, 40 HR (!), 142 freakin' RBIs - 2nd in the AL) ...
CF Bernie Williams (.379 best in the majors, 28 HR, 103 RBIs) ...
LF Manny Ramirez (.311, 42 HRs, 135 RBI) ...

I'm drooling at those outfielders ... Glad the Dodgers don't have to mess with the Indians this year ...

Cleveland was up 2-1 on the White Sox in the ALDS, then lost 3-1 and 12-7 in Games 4 and 5... oh well...

thanks for stopping by ... the Indians could be a team to watch in the future ...