Orcin's Story

[Orcin]

June 1, 2002 (BNN)

Subject: Brown Wins Federal Batter of the Month

When Chris Brown stepped up to the plate in May, he did it with confidence and today he was honored with the Federal League Batter of the Month award.

The young Louisville first baseman posted a .411 batting average with 12 home runs, 25 RBIs and scored 28 runs. Brown also worked pitchers for 16 walks to post a .495 on-base percentage.

Brown is hitting .343 this year with 17 home runs, 35 RBIs and 47 runs scored. He has 61 hits in 178 at-bats, 27 walks and a .431 on-base percentage. Brown has played in 53 games.

**********

Brown is obviously our Player of the Month for May. His May OPS of 1.373 speaks for itself.

Brown is still a year away from arbitration eligibility, and this is really not a good time to negotiate an extension with him. He is one player that might be worth paying big money ($18-20M), but I will wait until at least next year to see what can be done to lock him up at a little lower figure. He does not want to do a long-term deal now… understandable. He is building one helluva resume.

Our Pitcher of the Month for May was starter Ron MacLain. The right-hander was 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA in his five starts. MacLain continues to defy our scout Candelaria, who insists that he is a back-end starter at best and not worthy of the extension that I gave him. I see good results, although I do curse his inconsistency at times.

The Louisville Colonels had a good month in May, going 18-10. We are 11-3 in one-run games so far this season, thanks to the bullpen and the league’s best offense. Let me say that again… a little louder… just in case Gordon Cooper didn’t hear me… LEAGUE’S BEST OFFENSE! We are #1 in runs scored, batting average, OPS, hits, extra-base hits, and home runs. The only thing we still don’t do well is draw walks (14th). Our guys like to swing the bat, but they make contact so no harm done.

Now, if only the starting pitching was as consistent as the offense…

[Nunyer]

You know how fickle the baseball gods can be... As soon as the starting pitching becomes consistent, Chris Brown will have a 40 game stretch where he bats .190 with 3 HR.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Nunyer

You know how fickle the baseball gods can be... As soon as the starting pitching becomes consistent, Chris Brown will have a 40 game stretch where he bats .190 with 3 HR.

And THAT'S when I will contact his agent about a contract extension.

[Sal, The Barber]

Mr. Orcin,

Sal thanks you kindly for the tickets. Your next shave is on the house!

Sal would like to take credit for Louie ville's 3-0 record against SD; after all, it was his presence at game one that willed them to victory. Normally, Sal cannot afford to take an afternoon off. But free tickets make the difference. And the delightful Jennifer ... [sigh]

Mr. Orcin, tell Jennifer I have thought it over, and, while Sal likes to think of himself as a progressive man (he has progressed through his share of wives, for example), he doesn't not think he will add a nail salon to his shop. I hope she will not be so disappointed in Sal as to never visit again. Tell her Sal's sinuses are too sensitive and the chemicals involved simply make it unworkable.

And, finally, Mr. Orcin, Sal says do not think twice of sending the underachieving Rodney Wright out of town. Sal cannot wait for him any longer. Hit a home run and give everyone hope; strike out 12 times and pooh-pooh Sal's hope. No, Mr. Wright, you have worn Ol' Sal out.

[Orcin]

Trade Market – Starting Pitchers, part 2

Dan Clayton was injured in yesterday’s win over Indianapolis. He is day-to-day for two weeks, but he really won’t be able to pitch effectively. So he will go on the D/L and it is decision time.

I contacted Philadelphia GM John Evans. They will give me Huertas and 36-year-old second baseman Luis Sanchez for Rodney Wright and Jim Poole, if I kick in enough cash to balance their payroll ($1.2M). Sanchez would be able to handle the second base job for the rest of the season, and then he will be a free agent. I also have internal candidates galore for the second base position and I am not worried about covering for Wright. OR…

Ray Alexander is 6-0 with a 1.99 ERA at AAA. Candelaria says he is ready and will not improve much at AAA, but he should improve rapidly in Louisville under pitching coach Barry Melton. He costs nothing to try, except that I have to put him on the 40-man roster and pay him the minimum. I have to do that anyway before next season because he will be “Rule 5” eligible. If I am going to give him a look, this is the perfect opportunity. If he does well, Clayton could be waived in two weeks. If he flops, I option him back to AAA and stick Clayton back in the rotation until the next injury.

Which way do I go?

The right thing to do is try Alexander. I have nothing to lose. If Alexander flops, then I can probably still make the deal with Philadelphia, because they seem determined to move Huertas and they really want Poole.

Poole seems to have a lot of trade value and it might be better to hang on to him. I hate to break up my infield by trading Wright, even though Sal has given me the green light. And most of all, I don’t want to block my young pitching prospects. If Alexander pitches well, I may have found another key piece in my rotation of the future that will surely include #1 prospect Chip Davidson. It’s worth a two-week trial to find out.

[Orcin]

June 3, 2002

Subject: Week 9 Notes

Record: 38-18, .679, - GB
Position: 1st place (7.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 295 – 1st in Federal
Runs Allowed: 227 – 4th in Federal
Defense: .683 – 14th in Federal
Power Ranking: 135.1 (1st in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 94/100

• Last week (6-0): 3-0 vs. Seattle, 3-0 at Indianapolis
• The offense was the story this week, averaging 8 runs per game. The hapless Indianapolis pitching staff was no match for our lineup.
• We got our first look at Seattle’s phenom pitcher, “Pokey” Gonzáles (4-2, 2.08). MacLain (7-1, 3.86) out-pitched him, going eight innings for a 3-1 Louisville win.
• The Colonels pounded the Indians 13-2 on Friday. Pierre-Louis Simon was 4-6 with 2HR and Lúcio Martínez was 4-5 with a homer. Both players earned a PotD.
• Lúcio Martínez is leading the league in hitting with a .358 average. He is on a 17-game hitting streak.
• Ray Alexander will make his first start on Wednesday in Chicago.
• Mariano Gonzalez, the young infield prospect acquired last season in the Alfredo Gonzalez trade, is finally recovered from his long-term injury and is at AAA on a rehab assignment. He was moved from the 60-day D/L to the 40-man roster.
• I will have to burn an option on an infielder: Gonzalez, Aponte, or Bennett. I still have 18 days to decide which player goes to AAA on assignment. It is probably Gonzalez because I want him to get more work at second base.
• Bum report: Ed Gibson, the only pitcher banned from Sal’s Barber Shop, is on a one-year deal with Orlando. He is 1-7 with a 5.38 ERA. You nailed that one, Sal.
• This week: 3 at Chicago, 4 at Dallas

[Sal, The Barber]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Trade Market – Starting Pitchers, part 2

The right thing to do is try Alexander. I have nothing to lose. If Alexander flops, then I can probably still make the deal with Philadelphia, because they seem determined to move Huertas and they really want Poole.

As Sal told you in the shop, Mr. Orcin. This is the way to go.

And about that bum Gibson. He can't come into the shop, but send him to the alley in the back. Sal will make sure he's is sharpening his razor at just the right time ... then ... Wait a minute. Sal has to think on that. It was Sal's 2nd wife who was so good with the razor. Sal, himself, does not like the blood.

[Orcin]

Trade Market – Starting Pitchers, part 3

I continue to explore potential trades for front-line starting pitchers. I am not looking for a rental fifth starter. I am looking for a premium #1 or #2 starter that can give us a more formidable playoff rotation. I cycled through the top 10 starting pitchers according to BNN again, and found one team with a different outlook. The defending champion Houston Stars are 29-32 and looking to shake things up. They are willing to trade their ace pitcher, Robert Westaway, if the price is right. And by right, I mean steep.

Robert “Workhorse” Westaway is a 25-year-old lefthander. BNN has him rated as the #10 pitcher in the CBA, just behind Todd Fletcher. Fernando Candelaria has him rated at #4. He was drafted by Houston as the first player overall in 1994 out of high school and debuted with the Stars in 1998. He throws a 94-96 mph fastball, good changeup, and a nasty sinker that yields a 74% groundball ratio. His movement is rated 10/10 by Candelaria, who says that his “sinker drops off the table”.

Westaway was 21-9 with a 3.12 ERA last year. He is 5-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 12 starts so far this season. His career totals: 59-34, 2.95 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, 3.0 K/BB, and 0.48 HR/9. He keeps the ball in the park. Westaway was named to the All-Star team each of the past two seasons, and he was the MVP of last year’s World Series.

Westaway signed a one-year contract for $7M last November to avoid arbitration. He still has two arbitration years remaining. His current estimate is $8.5M. He will be hard to sign to a long-term contract and it will be expensive. That may be a reason why he is available. It could be that Houston has tried to sign him long-term without success. I’ll worry about that later. So what does Houston want for Westaway?

First of all, they want a starter to replace him, either Ron MacLain (8-2, 3.61) or Ron Sims (7-4, 3.77). MacLain is older, more expensive, and Fernando is screaming his name in my ear. He thinks it is a great opportunity to dump a bad contract. It is well-documented that we don’t agree on this point, but I do agree that I would prefer to keep the younger and much-cheaper Sims. MacLain and Westaway are close to the same salary, so I won’t need to include cash in the trade if MacLain goes instead of Sims.

In order to swap MacLain for Westaway, Houston also wants a second quality pitcher, an outfielder for their bench, and a top 100 prospect. Houston GM Dave Simon is asking for SP Jim Poole (1-0, 4.28), CF Brian Smith (.234/.259/.416 in 80 pa), and infielder Luis Gonzalez (BNN’s #50 prospect currently hitting .353/.453/.595 at AAA).

Is a staff ace worth four major league players? I discussed the potential deal with Gordon Cooper. He asked a different question. “What is Westaway’s post-season record?” I hadn’t thought about that, so I checked the datasheet that Fernando had given me. “Well, Houston won the Federal League in 2000 and 2001. In those two post-seasons, Westaway is 5-1 with a 1.44 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 10 starts.”

Gordon thought about it for a second and then asked, “Is a ring worth four players?”

[Orcin]

June 10, 2002

Subject: Week 10 Notes

Record: 40-23, .635, - GB
Position: 1st place (8.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 317 – 1st in Federal
Runs Allowed: 255 – 4th in Federal
Defense: .690 – 13th in Federal
Power Ranking: 113.3 (4th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 93/100 (down 1)


• Last week (2-5): 0-3 at Chicago, 2-2 at Dallas
• Ray Alexander’s first start: 5.2IP, 1R, 2H, 6K, 3BB, 1HR, left with a 2-1 lead on a pitch count (91 pitches), no decision because MacIntosh blew the save in the ninth.
• Alexander will start again on Tuesday in San Francisco, a tougher opponent. Clayton is due to come off the D/L on Wednesday.
• We lost a 16-inning game in Dallas on Sunday because Mike MacIntosh blew the save (his third) in the ninth. I may need to put Melendez back in the closer role.
• Other teams have problems too: You may recall Sacramento re-signed their 36-year-old free agent SP Jeff Stidham to a 3-year $40M contract in the off-season. Stidham is 1-7 with a 4.99 ERA.
• This week: 3 at San Francisco, 3 vs. Sacramento


I really don’t like a 2-5 week. It puts me in a mood to shake up my roster. Are we going to win with this roster? And by win, I mean playoff series wins. If this team can lose five of seven to the likes of Chicago and Dallas, it doesn’t bode well for the post-season.

The offense is good enough to win, and seems to be more consistent this year. The defense is good, except left field where Campbell’s lack of range (ZR of -11.6) is a big liability. The pitching has improved considerably since the early part of the season, but is it good enough? Maybe a second dominant starter stops that slump in the playoffs.

I called Houston’s GM Dave Simon in the late afternoon. Westaway is scheduled to pitch tomorrow (Tuesday) and I wanted to give Simon time to arrange a replacement pitcher. The paperwork was faxed to the league office late in the evening, after we were sure that BNN was not going to pick up the story before the morning edition.

[Orcin]

June 11, 2002 (BNN)

Subject: Colonels-Stars Swap MacLain for Westaway

In a hastily-called press conference, Louisville announced today a trade with Houston that will send 29-year-old starting pitcher Ron MacLain, 26-year-old reliever Jim Poole, 26-year-old left fielder Brian Smith and 25-year-old minor league third baseman Luis González to the Stars in exchange for 25-year-old starting pitcher Robert Westaway. All players are expected to be in their respective new cities in time for today's games.

Season-to-date, MacLain has a won-lost record of 8-2 while registering a 3.61 ERA. He has 56 strikeouts and 43 walks in 77.1 innings. On the year Westaway has worked 79 innings with 65 strikeouts en route to a 5-4 record and 2.51 ERA.

**********

From the Houston Stars perspective: The Stars put both MacLain and Poole in their starting rotation, with Poole as the #1 starter (!) and MacLain as the #2. Luis González goes into their starting lineup as the third baseman, batting sixth. Brian Smith will be their fourth outfielder. I think Poole as a #1 starter is really a stretch, but it proves how highly the AI values Poole. It will be interesting to see how this evolves. I predict failure for Poole while Fernando insists that Poole will out-perform MacLain.

From the Louisville Colonels perspective: The three empty active roster spots were put to good use. Westaway replaces MacLain as the #2 starter and his next turn will be Thursday in San Francisco. Poole’s spot will be taken by Jeff Moreno when the latter is activated from the D/L tomorrow. Poole would have been demoted if not traded.

Smith’s spot will be taken by LF Dennis Morgan, who is destroying AAA pitching with a stat line of .367/.455/1.025 and 22 HR in 120 at bats. Morgan is just too good to leave at AAA, and Smith was out of options. Morgan will be the new fourth outfielder and will play often in place of either Campbell (every fifth game) or Banks (vs. left-handers). He might even get some time in center field if McGlone continues to wallow in the .230’s.

The real loss in this trade was González, but the emergence of Lúcio Martínez left no spot for him. The Stars would not do the deal without him anyway. I tried substituting several other prospects that were more palatable but the Stars GM said “not fair, need more”. Gonzalez moved the meter to “fair barely, let’s do it before I change my mind”.

[Orcin]

June 12, 2002 (BNN)

Subject: Outlaws Swap Villeneuve to Stars

After a week of negotiations, the Outlaws and Stars have come to terms on a deal that will send 29-year-old starting pitcher Jeff Villeneuve to Houston for 23-year-old minor league starting pitcher Mauro Ordóñez and 23-year-old minor league third baseman Julián Martínez.

For the season Villeneuve has logged 4 wins and 8 losses and struck out 48 batters in 94.1 innings while compiling a 4.77 ERA.

**********

Interesting! BNN says it was “after a week of negotiations”, but in fact we don’t know if this deal was in the “offer and acceptance” stage yesterday. Regardless, it is becoming obvious that Houston was not satisfied with their pitching staff.

Villeneuve will be the #3 starter in Houston’s revamped pitching rotation. He is roughly equivalent to MacLain in ratings, but not in results. Villaneuve replaces Rusty Floyd, a 1.5-star 25-year-old who was optioned back to AAA.

Floyd was not the first Houston starter to be demoted, explaining why the AI was willing to trade an ace (quality) for two lesser starting pitchers (quantity). Houston’s rotation before these trades was basically a two-man show with Westaway and Ivan De Jesus (who is now their fourth starter).

[Orcin]

June 15, 2002 (BNN)

Subject: Star LF Green Signs Two-Year Extension

Opting to stay with what he knows, Jack Green signed an extension with the Rockers earlier today that will keep the 39-year-old in a Cleveland uniform for at least 2 years longer.

Green is poised to earn $16,050,000 per year and is loved by diehard fans for his loyalty to the organization.

For the season Green is currently batting .271 with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs. In 65 games he has reached base at a .309 rate and scored 36 runs to date.

**********

This extension gives Green the opportunity to become only the fourth player in CBA history to hit 500 home runs. Green has 480 homers, putting him in fifth place all-time. However, he is being chased by a couple of younger players that could pass him before he reaches the milestone. We may be seeing some of these announcements before the end of this season.

Besides the career milestone and a 39-year-old getting a two-year contract, why is this story significant?

Jack Green was the first amateur draft pick ever by the Louisville Colonels, the second player taken overall in the June 1981 draft. Unfortunately, the Colonels traded Green for a middle reliever on June 16, 1988 – just before he became a star. A 13-year-old fan named Otto Orcin sent a stern letter of complaint to the Louisville Colonels front office, informing them that it was a stupid trade. The letter was filed in a round container under the GM’s desk along with the rest of the customer feedback.

[Orcin]

June 15, 2002

Subject: First-Year Player Draft

The Providence Grays had the first overall pick in the draft, and selected LF David Cook, a high school player from Baltimore. Candelaria was shocked. He says Cook should be a third-rounder at best. It’s no wonder the Grays are terrible. They have no eye for talent in that organization. Don’t forget that I fleeced them for McGlone and Banks in my first few weeks on the job. The Grays have budget problems too, and it could be they were unable to offer the slot signing bonus to a real first-round prospect.

Louisville had all of its picks this year, but no extras. I was extremely happy when the #1 position player on Candelaria’s board was still there for us near the end of round 1.

Round 1 (#29 overall): C Edward Henderson (age 21, bats L), Georgetown University, 5-star potential, contact hitter with outstanding power and a great eye, above average catching skills with a good arm, hit .302 with 13 HR and .979 OPS against top college competition, very easy to sign, only knock on him is his work ethic – doesn’t seem to have his mind on the game.

The other early round selections were:

Round 2 (#115 overall): CF Ramon Rodriguez (age 21, bats L), Texas A&M-CC, 4-star potential, high contact, good eye, exceptional speed, great defensive outfielder, projects to be a leadoff hitter, hit .294 with .353 OBP vs. good competition, great intangibles but dumb as a post, very easy to sign

Round #3 (#145 overall): SS Arnold Downey (age 20, bats R), Brown University, 4-star potential, above average contact hitter, very patient at the plate, hit .309 with .359 OBP against average competition, slick fielder, average speed, great intangibles, hard to sign

Round #4 (#175 overall): CL Jeff “Refund” Carver (age 17, throws R), Stuart FL, 4.5-star potential, elite bullpen prospect, fastball/changeup, exceptional stuff with great movement and control, 2.26 ERA and 1.13 WHIP vs. average competition, works hard but rest of intangibles are not so hot, very easy to sign

Round #5 (#205 overall): RF Javier Rodriguez (age 17, bats L), Jackson WI, 2-star potential, hit .453 against average competition, good speed, great base running instincts, average fielder, good intangibles

This was a poor draft for pitchers. I got a few last year, so this year I went for college position players with my top picks. I took the “best player available” approach.

[Orcin]

June 17, 2002

Subject: Week 11 Notes

Record: 43-26, .623, - GB
Position: 1st place (11 game lead)
Runs Scored: 357 – 1st in Federal
Runs Allowed: 291 – 5th in Federal
Defense: .690 – 13th in Federal
Power Ranking: 111.2 (6th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 93/100


• Last week (3-3): 2-1 at San Francisco, 1-2 vs. Sacramento
• Ray Alexander’s second start: 6 innings (94 pitches), 1 run, 3 hits, 4 Ks, 5 walks (still struggling with control); he left with a big lead and picked up his first major-league victory.
• Chris Brown was 3-5 with 2 HR and 4 RBI in support of Alexander and earned yet another PotD.
• Silas Campbell suffered another mild hamstring strain on Tuesday and was held out of the starting lineup for the rest of the week. He was available to pinch-hit.
• Campbell’s injury provided an opportunity to see Morgan in the lineup. He was 10-25 (.400) with 4 HR and 9 RBI. He needs to play somewhere.
• Dennis Morgan got a PotD on Thursday, going 2-3 with 2 HR and 3 RBI.
• Clayton came off the disabled list on Saturday. He has no remaining options, so it was either waive him or put him back on the active roster. I decided to buy some time with a rehab assignment.
• Ricardo Martinez (5-5, 4.48) gave up six runs, including three homers, in five innings on Saturday. We won 11-6 when the offense and bullpen bailed us out.
• Alexander’s third start on Sunday was a wakeup call. He gave up seven runs on nine hits and two walks in three innings. Welcome to the majors.
• I contacted Robert Westaway’s agent about a long-term contract. He suggested 4 years, $65 million. This is the same contract that Boston gave free agent pitcher Roberto Campos last off-season.
• Top prospect Chip Davidson is absolutely killing AA with a 1.78 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 113K’s in 91 innings. He has 12/14 quality starts, a 3.2 K/BB ratio, and a 2.27 FIP.
• I have decided to move Davidson up to AAA even though he is only 19 years old. I want him to stay challenged.
• This week: 3 vs. Dallas, 3 at St. Louis

[Orcin]

June 24, 2002

Subject: Week 12 Notes

Record: 46-29, .613, - GB
Position: 1st place (11 game lead)
Runs Scored: 375 – 1st in Federal
Runs Allowed: 309 – 4th in Federal
Defense: .693 – 11th in Federal
Power Ranking: 108.4 (6th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 91/100


• Last week (3-3): 2-1 vs. Dallas, 1-2 at St. Louis
• Todd Fletcher earned a PotD with seven shutout innings against Dallas. He has improved to 7-3 with a 3.66 ERA after a couple of bad outings.
• Robert Westaway threw eight shutout innings at Dallas the next day for a PotD, but we lost the game when Melendez blew the save (his first BS).
• Ron Sims completed the blitz of Dallas by our pitching staff, allowing them only one hit over six innings. The bullpen closed this one out.
• Silas Campbell returned to the lineup on Tuesday and picked up where he left off.
• Dennis Morgan will play some this week in place of the slumping Hugh McGlone in center field. We give up some defense there, but Morgan is a homer machine.
• Ray Alexander’s fourth start was 5 innings, 5 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks. He is 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA and I think I have seen enough for now. Time for Plan B.
• Plan B: Jeff Moreno will take over as the fifth starter. Dan Clayton was recalled from his rehab assignment to pitch out of the bullpen. Ray Alexander was sent back to AAA.
• Kent Jones, the pitcher that we lost to Nashville in the Rule 5 draft, is 9-4 with a 3.35 ERA. I made a bad call on that one. Those stats would look pretty good as a fifth starter right now.
• This week: 3 at Philadelphia, 3 at Denver


The following players from our farm system were selected for the All-Star team in their leagues.

• Lexington (AAA): SP Fraser Wall (8-2, 3.28) – age 32, and 1B Don Greene (.321/.438/.579, 16 HR, 54 RBI) – age 31
• Dayton (AA): SP Chip Davidson (7-5, 1.78) – age 19
• Evansville (A): none

This is a pretty poor showing. The lower-level prospects are not performing well. I still have some work to do with regard to the coaching personnel below AAA.

Fraser Wall might make a better fifth-starter than Moreno but I don’t want to release Clayton. I am stuck with the current roster (due to options) unless there is an injury.

[Orcin]

June 27, 2002

Subject: Personal Message from SP Jeff Moreno

Dear Mr. Orcin,

My contract with the Colonels organization expires after this season. I'd like to play here again next year. The fans are great, and my family is happy in Louisville. Let me know if we can work out a deal. I am eager to get it done.

Jeff Moreno

**********

Well... let’s see, Jeff. You are 35 years old. You missed six weeks with an injury that has limited you to 15 innings pitched so far this season. I think we should wait a few weeks and see how things go before we talk about an extension. Thanks for your interest though.

Otto Orcin

[Orcin]

July 1, 2002 (BNN)

Subject: Louisville’s Brown Federal #1 Batter in June

When Chris Brown stepped up to the plate in June, he did it with confidence and today he was honored with the Federal League Batter of the Month award.

The young Louisville first baseman posted a .361 batting average with 11 home runs, 19 RBIs and scored 19 runs. Brown also worked pitchers for 19 walks to post a .485 on-base percentage.

This season in 79 games Brown is batting .349 with 28 home runs, 54 RBIs and has scored 66 times.

[Orcin]

July 1, 2002

Subject: June 2002 Results

Brown was honored by BNN for the second consecutive month, and wins our Player of the Month as well. He is definitely a contender for the Outstanding Player Award at the end of the season. The early 2001 trade to acquire Brown and catcher Julio Martinez from Milwaukee for reliever Matt Head looks pretty good right now.

Our Pitcher of the Month for June is reliever Chris Patterson. The lefthander bailed us out nine times with a 0.93 ERA/0.31 WHIP in ten innings of work. You can read a lot into a left-handed relief specialist being our Pitcher of the Month. It speaks volumes about the rest of the staff.

The Colonels were 12-15 in June. Don’t look now, but the St. Louis Hawks are at .500 and they gained 3.5 games on us this week. We aren’t playing like a first-place team at the moment, but we are just going through a little rough stretch right now. We will pull out of it soon. I hope.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

And, finally, Mr. Orcin, Sal says do not think twice of sending the underachieving Rodney Wright out of town. Sal cannot wait for him any longer. Hit a home run and give everyone hope; strike out 12 times and pooh-pooh Sal's hope. No, Mr. Wright, you have worn Ol' Sal out.

Mr. Wright is still here. I heard you and I feel your pain, but I just don't think the time is "wright" to break up my infield. I will have candidates to replace Wright next spring, so he is likely to be moved in the off-season. His $11 million salary needs to go in order to afford the increases coming via contract escalation and arbitration for several other players. I rate him as the biggest "under-achiever per dollar" on the roster. But he stays for now because I want that ring and his defense is important.

[Orcin]

July 1, 2002

Subject: Week 13 Notes

Record: 48-33, .593, - GB
Position: 1st place (7.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 407 – 1st (tie) in Federal
Runs Allowed: 343 – 6th (tie) in Federal
Defense: .691 – 10th in Federal
Power Ranking: 103.7 (7th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 91/100


• Last week (2-4): 1-2 at Philadelphia, 1-2 at Denver
• Dan Clayton blew his second straight relief appearance on Wednesday, giving up four runs while protecting a two-run lead in the seventh.
• We salvaged one game of the Philadelphia series thanks to Terrence Banks (4-4, 2HR, PotD) and Ricardo Martinez (8 innings, 1 run, PotD).
• Terrence Banks was Player of the Day on Saturday, going 4-6 with a HR and 3 RBI. Banks has been hot since moving up to second in the lineup.
• We have signed all five of our draft picks and they are playing at either Evansville (Class-A) or Owensboro (Rookie).
• This week: 4 vs. Los Angeles, 3 at Salt Lake City, leading up to the All-Star break

There’s not much more to say about this miserable week. Let’s move on to the big picture and review the league standings and stats at the halfway point of the season.