Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story

[AZTarHeel]

Andrew Zarzour figured some heads might roll after the Phillies' disappointing season, especially when the Baseball News Network gave the club a score of 5 out of 100 for its 2006 effort. Ouch! Had it been that bad?

Sure enough, a few days after the World Series, the Phillies fired their manager. It didn't take long for GM Pat Gillick to bring in a replacement, however. Zarzour was intrigued by the pick, 55-year-old Korean-born Tetsui Suzuki. He came highly regarded by his peers but with little manager's experience in the Major Leagues thus far. His only stints have come in an interim role with Cincinnati and Detroit several years earlier when those clubs cut their managers loose mid-season. He's been around the game forever, though, since moving to the states as a high-schooler in fact.

Zarzour liked Suzuki, whom many called "Teddy", the first time he met him. He seemed eager to connect with his players, something the old manager lacked. The more Zarzour thought about it, the more he felt like the old manager had lost this team early on in the season and never really did much to win the players back. Hopefully, the mood around the clubhouse would be more upbeat this coming season, and that would result in better effort overall by more people.

"Over the next several weeks and months we plan to go over our entire organization with a fine-tooth comb, top to bottom," Gillick had said in the press conference announcing Suzuki's hiring. "We're going to look at everything and examine what is working and what is not. Obviously, a lot of things didn't work well for us this season. We are committed to getting the right personnel on board for 2007 to make us a championship contender in the National League again."

Suzuki seemed a better fit for a young team like what the Phillies possessed. He was more of a teacher and less of a "good ol' boy" who gave preference to the older guys.

"For me, it all begins with pitching," Suzuki told the press at his introductory news conference. "We've got a lot of great young arms here already. But you can never have enough. I'd like to see if we can add another front-line starter or two, maybe a veteran guy who can show some of these younger guys the ropes. And we've got to stock the bullpen full of guys who can hold leads and keep us in it when we're behind. Nothing kills a team more than blowing a game late because of wild, out-of-control pitching."

The more Suzuki talked, the more Zarzour and many of his teammates liked what they heard.

"I like speed and defense," the new manager said. "Can you fly around the bases and can you use your glove? I like to be the kind of team that always puts pressure on the opponent where they are always worried that you're up to something. Hopefully, we can build an aggressive offensive team, mixed with good contact, power and savvy base-running. We've got to improve offensively. I believe we were last or near last in a lot of offensive categories this past season. That can't happen again. Of course, if we have the stellar pitching I want to have, we can still win games even when the offense is in a slump..."

It was only early November but Zarzour now couldn't wait until Spring 2007...

[bschr682]

you've got to give us more than that... haha im on the edge of my seat now! i like how Big Z didn't seem to notice when the new manager mentioned "wild" pitching. intense...

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by bschr682

you've got to give us more than that... haha im on the edge of my seat now! i like how Big Z didn't seem to notice when the new manager mentioned "wild" pitching. intense...

haha - Big Z is an optimist most of the time ... selective hearing in this case ...

(As I wrote this, actually I was thinking about a couple of pitchers with great stuff/movement numbers but terrible control that I'm trying to figure out if I want to re-sign. Zarzour's control might be too good at times, seems to telegraph his pitches too much, thus giving up lots of HR balls, especially earlier in his career)

[elfdog428]

This is an unbelievable read man, you are the bomb when it comes to dynasties. Just finished this up so far and it is outstanding.

Hope you continue it, Z should go to Cleveland, lol, or better yet, my other Fav team the Pirates need a star like him.

Hope to see more in the near future.

[realworldJAM]

You owe my office at least a half a day of work

[AZTarHeel]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback ... this game can be a productivity-killer, that's for sure ... I'm behind with work on my photo business because I keep sneaking time to play ... darn me...

It'll be interesting to see how Andrew's career plays out in Philly. He's under contract for 2007 and 2008. But if he keeps doing as well as he's doing, he may command more money than the Phillies can pay him. I've found it pretty tough to deal with my upcoming free agents because the budget is in the bottom third of the league (about 20th to 22nd of all MLB teams) ... It's a fun challenge as a game-player but may wreak havoc with my main character's story line...

That's why I tried to offer Andrew a long-term deal a few seasons ago (like 6-7 years) to keep him in Philly, but he balked at it (making for interesting story telling) ...

Anyways, thanks for reading -- once I get through my latest photo project (hopefully within 2-3 weeks) I should be freed up to play more... thanks for tuning in -- now get back to work!!

[AZTarHeel]

It was Christmas Eve 2006, and as usual the Zarzour farm/household in Bunn, NC was all decked out for the season. Andrew's mom left nothing untouched with lights, decorations, candles, garland, potpourri, etc. It took a whole outbuilding on the farm to store Mrs. Zarzour's Christmas stuff during the rest of the year, so by golly she was going to use it when late November and December rolled around.

Just before 5 p.m., as per usual, John the mailman came around. As per usual on the day before Christmas, Mrs. Zarzour had left him a nice tin full of cookies and treats (as well as a generous tip). The mailman, who had served the area for more than 20 years, in turn gave her a big, plainly wrapped package.

"Look who it's from," he said with a grin. "My word, my word, my word."

The address said Teaneck, N.J., but the name on it gave Elizabeth Zarzour a gasp. It was from her youngest son, Timmy, who was still serving with the Marines in Afghanistan (as far as everyone knew). Apparently he had sent the package via a friend who had returned from his overseas duty several weeks earlier.

The Zarzour family couldn't wait until Christmas morning to open the present, so they dug into it after eating their Christmas Eve dinner. There were a lot of knick-knacks and gifts inside, even some special coffee from Afghanistan that was stronger than anyone had ever tasted in their lives.

The most prized part of the gift, though, was a hand-written letter from Timmy. It was two pages and was incredibly upbeat throughout, despite his admission that times were hard and that he grieved "beyond belief" for friends who had been killed or badly injured. He talked a lot about how his faith in God kept him from giving up and giving in to despair.

The family wept as Andrew read the letter (himself stumbling through it). It was probably the most honest and open Timmy had ever been with his feelings that they could remember. The last part is what got them the most:

"If all goes well, I hope to be home by late summer," Timmy wrote. "Please keep praying for us these next few months as we need it more than you'll ever know. Things could get more dangerous than they've ever been. Never forget how much I love each one of you and how my heart aches to see you again, to hug you and to just be with you. I will be praying for you as well. All my love, Timmy"

At the end of the letter, Timmy had added a little PS to his big brother, using a different pen. "Hey Drew, I'm not sure yet what I want to do with my life when I get home (ha ha -- at least that hasn't changed). I'll probably rest a bit, then I think I'd like to try my hand at being a baseball player. Think you can help me? You always said I had pretty good skills as a catcher. Maybe there is some Single A team that needs an old war vet behind the dish..."

[AZTarHeel]

Hey all, I haven't posted Andrew's career numbers in awhile, so here you go ... I'm actually a few months into playing the 2007 season (it's been a crazy ride already) but here are his numbers after 2006. I'd say 70-37 with 900+ K's isn't a bad career for a guy in his mid-20s.

PITCHING NUMBERS - MLB LEVEL

Year/Team/League	Age	G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	CG	SHO	WHIP	BABIP	VORP
1999 Los Angeles - MLB	18	1	1	1	0	0	1.29	7.0	5	1	1	0	1	5	0	0	0.86	.000	0.0
2000 Los Angeles - MLB	19	10	10	4	4	0	3.98	72.1	57	37	32	0	22	70	1	0	1.09	.000	0.0
2001 Los Angeles - MLB	20	32	32	17	7	0	4.10	206.1	188	103	94	0	51	197	2	0	1.16	.000	0.0
2002 Los Angeles - MLB	21	22	22	12	4	0	5.50	131.0	149	80	80	0	37	140	0	0	1.42	.000	0.0
2003 Los Angeles - MLB	22	3	3	1	1	0	6.14	14.2	16	10	10	3	7	20	0	0	1.57	.382	-3.2
2004 Philadelphia - MLB	23	12	12	4	5	0	3.11	72.1	80	29	25	8	11	71	3	1	1.26	.353	15.6
2005 Philadelphia - MLB	24	29	29	17	7	0	2.30	211.2	157	55	54	11	24	191	4	2	0.86	.262	68.3
2006 Philadelphia - MLB	25	33	33	14	9	0	2.99	222.2	186	85	74	25	30	232	4	2	0.97	.282	72.9
Total            MLB		142	142	70	37	0	3.55	938.0	838	400	370	47	183	926	14	5	1.09	.829	153.7

MINOR LEAGUE STATS (older stats were lost in conversion to OOTP9)

Career Minor League Pitching Stats
Year/Team/League	Age	G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	CG	SHO	WHIP	BABIP	VORP
2003 Las Vegas - AAA	22	30	30	17	6	0	1.82	242.1	162	53	49	13	51	312	13	5	0.88	.271	61.6

PLAYER HISTORY (2003 and beyond, again due to conversion from older OOTP)
He's injury prone, eh?

Player History
04-01-2003	Pitches a 2-hit shutout against the Salt Lake Stingers with 16 strikeouts and 2 BB allowed!
05-01-2003	Wins the AAA PCL Pitcher of the Month Award.
05-11-2003	Pitches a 5-hit shutout against the Round Rock Express with 13 strikeouts and 0 BB allowed!
06-04-2003	Was selected to the 2003 Triple A All-Star Game.
06-09-2003	Injured (tender elbow), out for 1-2 weeks.
07-27-2003	Pitches a 2-hit shutout against the Portland Beavers with 15 strikeouts and 0 BB allowed!
08-01-2003	Pitches a 1-hit shutout against the Albuquerque Isotopes with 15 strikeouts and 1 BB allowed!
09-29-2003	Wins the 2003 AAA PCL Outstanding Pitcher Award.
11-12-2003	Received a 1-year contract worth a total of $2,606,300 through arbitration.
12-30-2003	Was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Philadelphia Phillies, along with 3B E. Jackson, in exchange for CF A. Jones.
01-01-2004	SISA scouting updated ratings (potential): Stuff: 16 (15); Movement: 10 (12); Control: 16 (16).
04-14-2004	Injured (back spasms), day-to-day for 2 weeks.
06-17-2004	Injured (ruptured disc (back)), out for 7 months.
11-18-2004	Received a 1-year contract worth a total of $4,236,000 through arbitration.
11-30-2004	Injured (strained elbow ligament), out for 2 months.
01-01-2005	OSA scouting updated ratings (potential): Stuff: 12 (12); Movement: 11 (11); Control: 15 (16).
02-21-2005	Signed a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $12,708,000 with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
05-31-2005	Pitches a 1-hit shutout against the San Francisco Giants with 13 strikeouts and 1 BB allowed!
07-10-2005	Was selected to the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
08-17-2005	Injured (herniated disc (back)), out for 4-5 weeks.
09-22-2005	Pitches a 3-hit shutout against the Atlanta Braves with 5 strikeouts and 1 BB allowed!
01-01-2006	OSA scouting updated ratings (potential): Stuff: 15 (15); Movement: 13 (13); Control: 15 (15).
04-23-2006	Pitches a 4-hit shutout against the Florida Marlins with 6 strikeouts and 2 BB allowed!
05-02-2006	Pitches a 4-hit shutout against the Florida Marlins with 12 strikeouts and 0 BB allowed!
07-09-2006	Was selected to the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
09-22-2006	Injured (dead arm syndrome), out for 1-2 weeks.

[AZTarHeel]

Baseball America continues its tour of the Major Leagues leading up to Opening Day 2007. Today we spend some time with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies were the mystery team in 2006, holding great expectations but never coming close to living up to them. They began the year at the back of the NL East, made a little run in a middling division during the summer but ultimately collapsed at the end.

When the dust cleared, the manager was gone and a whole bunch of off-season moves were made to try and build a consistent winner.

“We think we’re on the right path to having a competitive team for years to come,” GM Pat Gillick said near the end of Spring Training. “It may not show this year, per se, but we like where we are headed and the guys we have.”

Korean-born Tetsui "Teddy" Suzuki is the new Phillies' boss. He likes a speed game and prefers defense. "But I certainly don't mind power one bit if the player knows how to use a glove as well," he said.

WHO’S GONE?
SP Jason Middlebrook -- free agent, who landed with the Padres
MR Brian Bowles -- free agent, signed with the White Sox
1B Adrian Gonzalez -- traded to Tampa Bay for IF Troy Tulowitzki (see below)
3B Edward Jackson -- part of a three-man trade (others were prospects) to Houston for SP Josh Johnson (more below)
CF Carlos Beltran -- the Phillies signed this oft-troubled player a few years ago, hoping the change of scenery would revive what started as a promising career. He’s been pretty much a disappointment, and the Phils finally gave up on him, trading him to Arizona for more relief pitching.

WHO’S NEW (2006 avg.-HR-RBI)
IF Troy Tulowitzki (.208-13-48) -- 22-year-old shortstop prospect is expected to make the Opening Day roster. He had a crazy good spring, hitting six homers.
LHP Greg Mullins (6-4, 11 saves, 3.53) -- The Phils paid good money (maybe too much?) to add this 35-year-old lefty reliever to their bullpen.
RF Ichiro Suzuki (.278-9-57) -- No relation to the new Philly manager, Tetsui “Teddy” Suzuki, Ichiro appears to be on the backside of his career. Teddy Suzuki likes his speed as a pinch runner and still thinks Ichiro can get himself on base, hence the one-year free agent signing. (Note: his career in Andrew’s world has not really lived up to the real-life Ichiro. It’s tailed off quite a bit the past few seasons)
LHP Bryan Ward (5-0, 1 save, 2.48) -- Time will tell who got the better deal -- Philly or Arizona (which obtained Carlos Beltran). Ward has good control but lacks a lot of “stuff” on his pitches. Plus, he’s in his mid-30s. Beltran is much younger.
SS Hanley Ramirez -- the first pick in the 2004 draft looks ready for the Bigs. He’s coming off major knee surgery that cost him most of last year in Triple A. Still, manager T. Suzuki likes his speed and possibilities at the top of the order.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHING ROTATION (2006 record, ERA)
1. LHP Andrew Zarzour (14-9, 2.99)
2. RHP Josh Johnson (15-9, 3.51)
3. RHP Jason Jennings (8-16, 4.64)
4. RHP Scott Baker (3-5, 3.97):
5. RHP Pedro Ruiz (4-4, 3.55):

Notes: Zarzour is considered the fourth-best pitcher in the Majors coming into the season (!!). With a little offense last season, his record could have been much better. Jennings mirrored the Phillies as a whole, tanking in 2006 after a great 2005 campaign (14 wins, 2.75 ERA). Reports are that Jennings has fallen out of favor with the new manager and his staff, and could move out the door quickly if he can‘t recover his 2005 form. Ruiz, 22, is considered one of the top prospects in the league. Baker really shined in Triple A last year (5-0, 1.05) but couldn’t seem to get in a good rhythm whenever he played on the Big Club.

RELIEF PITCHERS
Middle Relief
LHP Bryan Ward (5-0, 1 save, 2.48):
LHP Greg Mullins (6-4, 11 saves, 3.53):
RHP Mike Grzanich (1-3, 4.04):
RHP Lee Plunkett (9-8, 5.33):

Set-Up
RHP Takashi “Sammy” Saito (7-2, 1 save, 2.51):
LHP Norihide Isei (7-1, 1 save, 2.53):

Closer
RHP Jon Ratliff (8-8, 39 saves, 2.60): Does the he still have it at age 35? We’ll find out.


POSITION PLAYERS (2006 avg.-HR-RBI)
Catchers
Carlos Longoria (.195-1-14): A stellar fielder but still working on his bat. Because of his impeccable defense, he may swipe the starting nod despite being just 22 years old.
Michael Barrett (.283-11-59): A solid backstop, can play first or third if needed

Infielders
1B/2B/3B Jorge Cantu (.317-33-99): The real leader of the Phillies is a pretty complete package -- great defense, good power, solid contact. His average has gone up 80 points the past two seasons.
2B Bernie Castro (.216-5-17): Looking to stick in the Majors for a complete season for the first time, the 27-year-old has good speed, an OK bat and OK defense.
1B//2B/3B Jose Lopez (.260-5-33): A utility guy with a good glove but not much speed at all on the bases. May play first to get his bat in the lineup, moving Cantu to third.
SS Keith Chambers (.262-15-43): Moved to Philly mid-season last year after a trade with Oakland. He’s splendid on defense and carries some power in his bat. His speed has made him a favorite of the new manager
SS Hanley Ramirez (no MLB stats in 2006): He’s lightning quick and decent on defense. Ramirez will need to perform with the bat to stay in Philly.
SS Troy Tulowitzki (.208-13-48): Can he keep up what he started in Spring Training? If so, the new manager will have a hard time deciding on his middle infield.

Outfielders
OF Edward Vanetten (.187-15-44): Can play anywhere in the outfield, with pretty good speed on the bases. He’s more of a power guy who could bat clean-up.
LF Matt Holliday (.287-18-65 in 108 games in Philly): Holliday was brought on board to supply power under the previous manager. He doesn’t quit fit the mold of the new dugout chief, who likes speed and defense first, but it’s hard to argue if he can knock 30-40 out of the park this season.
OF Edward Clemente (.279-9-45): One of the veterans on the team, Clemente likely will move into the role of utility outfielder this season rather than starting in CF. Still a great defensive player with a decent bat.
OF George Kelch (.237-4-6): He spent 11 games with the Big Club last year after knocking the tar out of the ball in Triple A. He’s another power guy but with some solid speed to go with it.
RF Ichiro Suzuki (.278-9.57): May snag the lead-off spot if he can make good contact this season. Or maybe he'll fade into oblivion.

DOWN ON THE FARM
Some kids to pay attention to who could figure into the Phils' Big Club plans in 2007:

RHP John Gully: promising starter
LHP Cole Hamels (not as good, ratings-wise, as the real Cole)
RHP Luke Hochevar: promising reliever
RHP Frank Francisco: can sling it but can be wild

1B Sebastian Berger: a first baseman with power AND speed? Looks that way
3B Andy LaRoche: Phillies' first-round pick (No. 26 overall) last season
LF Adam Lind: spent some time with the Phils last season

[AZTarHeel]

philliesnation.com/more than just a blog

Hot start is refreshing; Keep your fingers crossed

OK, so it’s only one week. But boy it’s hard not to feel upbeat about the Phillies after its first two series. The Phils, who were 17-7 in Spring Training, are off to a 5-1 start now that the games count, beating the Braves twice after losing the opener and then sweeping the Marlins. The bullpen didn’t surrender a run until the fourth game …

Every other team in baseball has at least two losses right now. So, that’s right, your 2007 Phillies are NUMBER ONE!

Andrew Zarzour was a tough-luck loser on Opening Day but rebounded with an eight-inning, five-hit shutout against the Fish five days later. Newcomer to Philly Josh Johnson also has been sharp from the mound.

And the Phillies are hitting! Jorge Cantu! George Kelch! Matt Holliday! Keith Chambers. Carlos Longoria! Hanley Ramirez! There is a lot of baseball to be played, but 5-1 sure looks pretty sweet at the top of the NL East … Up next: we preview the Mets and the Astros, the Phillies’ next two opponents. Coming tomorrow: We’ll publish our list of where to find the best cheese steaks …


(AUTHOR'S NOTE: I poked around the real philliesnation.com today and it's a pretty cool site...)

[AZTarHeel]

May 4, 2007

Andrew Zarzour was going through his usual game-day rituals in the clubhouse when a young clubhouse worker approached him with a single piece of yellow paper, with a type-written note on it. It looked like it had been printed off on an old dot-matrix printer.

"A telegram?" Andrew asked the young man.

"Looks that way, sir," the young man responded.

As soon as Andrew started reading it, he knew exactly who it was from.

HEY BROTHER.
LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO EXTRA INNINGS HERE.
WON'T BE MAKING FALL CLASSIC.
WE'RE LOW ON RELIEVERS AND THEIR POWER HITTERS ARE UP.
MAYBE THERE BY CHRISTMAS? SPRING TRAINING?
TAKE CARE OF MOM.
LOVE, TIM

Andrew and his younger brother Timmy had talked before he left for Afghanistan about using baseball terminology to communicate in "code" if they couldn't be upfront with each other because of who might be looking at their correspondence. Andrew surmised this was one of those times, and it troubled him.

He had hoped his brother would return home from his tour by summer. Now it looks like he won't even be home by fall. Maybe not even until next spring. And it sounded like things were going badly for his unit.

Andrew caught himself cursing under his breath. One of his teammates in the club house heard it and was surprised because Zarzour usually has the cleanest mouth around. Zarzour didn't respond, balled up the telegram and threw it in his locker.

Later that night, Zarzour pitched one of his best games of the season, an eight-inning, three-hitter, helping the Phillies pound the visiting San Francisco Giants 11-0. He struck out 12 with no walks. For good measure, Zarzour pounded out a run-scoring single in the top of the third inning to make the score 7-0 Phils.

Zarzour didn't say much to the press afterwards, just that he was "inspired" to play his absolute best that night...

[bschr682]

sounds like the story is about to take a turn...

[AZTarHeel]

philliesnation.com/more than just a blog

Guess who's No. 1? Even if it doesn't last, we'll take it!

We here at Phillies Nation just wanted our beloved baseball team to be relevant again this season after the disaster that was 2006. Well, it’s July 2, and the Fightin’ Phils are pretty relevant, sitting at the top of the National League East standings.

Taking two of three over the weekend from New York put the Phillies a game ahead of the Metropolitans and two up on the Marlins. Fans would be breathing a lot better at 10 up but we won’t complain after enduring last season’s tank job.

You’ve got to tip your cap to the Phillies brass (and we don’t do that often) for trading to get pitcher Josh Johnson. He’s already got 10 wins and still has an ERA under 3.00, putting himself in the early Cy Young conversation. Think we miss Carlos Beltran and his .222 average about now (actually, we checked and it‘s .208)? Not a chance. Johnson very well may be the ace of the staff in a year or two, especially if Philadelphia can’t afford to keep Andrew Zarzour when he is eligible for free agency. Zarzour is 7-4 and again has been a tough luck loser a couple of times. How great it would be to keep both of them for the long haul.

Hats off, too, to management for sending Jason Jennings packing. He just proved a cancer over the past year in the clubhouse, thinking his one big year in 2005 gave him walk-on-water ability. The mood around the pitching staff has been so much more energetic since his departure. So far, Odell Jones is holding down his spot in the rotation for now, but starting pitching could be a need by the trade deadline if Jones, Scott Baker or Lee Plunkett can‘t keep it together..

Losing starter Pedro Ruiz (4-1 record) in early June to injury really hurt but Plunkett (4-2, 3.73 ERA) and Baker (6-6) have been adequate thus far.

New manager Tetsui Suzuki may love defense and small-ball, but he’s in charge of a team with a lot of power this season. Jorge Cantu hit his 28th home run over the weekend, and Matt Holliday bopped his 25th. Cantu is having an MVP type season, which isn’t good news for his long-term future here. Word has it he’d like in the $10 to $11 million range per year to stay in Philly and that money just doesn’t look in the cards from this organization (which is why we worry about Zarzour’s long-term future here as well).

But why worry too much about 2008 and beyond. We’ll just try to enjoy 2007 as long as we can. It feels good to be relevant again.


*** A few notes on the 2007 this season thus far:

-- Jorge Cantu is batting .354 with 83 RBIs, and it’s only early July. The Phils are top five in probably two-thirds of the offensive and two-thirds of the pitching stat categories. What a change from 2006.

-- Zarzour has the team’s best ERA at 2.72 and leads the Phils with 102 K’s. His VORP is 40.0, which is second in the National League.

-- The Dodgers have the best record in the NL (50-32) but I’d put my money on Cincinnati (49-33). They absolutely had the Phillies for lunch in a three-game series before the Phils played the Mets. Philly is 44-38 right now by the way.

-- Barry Bonds, age 42, signed a one-year deal with the Nationals coming into this season. He had moved from San Francisco to Toronto and back to San Francisco since I started this dynasty, but San Fran didn’t want him back for 2007 (even though he hit 43 HR‘s in 2006). His season in Washington appears over, though, after Bonds suffered a PCL injury running the bases in late June. He only had 57 at-bats to that point, hitting three homers. He has 728 HR’s for his career, probably not enough time to catch Aaron..

-- Josh Hamilton signed an extension with Baltimore. He had a .375 average going into June but it’s fallen to .338 since. Still pretty solid.

-- The “real” Josh Hamilton came into the league, via the game’s database, in the 2006 June draft. Since I had created my own Josh Hamilton way back in the day when I started this dynasty, I was left with a little dilemma. What to do with the new Josh? Well, I re-named him Luke Lawson after one of my first OOTP dynasty characters. He’s already starting with the Twins and tearing it up for them. He’s hitting .295 with 25 HR’s so far in 2007.

-- If anyone wants to know anything about a player or team, let me know and I’ll supply a brief update… thanks for reading...

[AZTarHeel]

Sept. 1, 2007

Giants’ Prince Fielder poised to obliterate home run record

So long, Ruth. So long, Maris. So long, McGwire. So long, Gonzalez.

There is a new single-season home run champion in Major League Baseball, and he’s only 23-years-old. Meet Prince Fielder, and here on Sept. 1, he’s already stroked 67 home runs for the San Francisco Giants. If he keeps this pace, he’ll finish the season with 80 dingers, absolutely destroying the old record. EIGHTY!

Fielder broke into the league in 2004, hitting 11 home runs. He recorded 45 in 2005 but missed much of 2006 with a back injury. This season, his back is fine and his swing is out of this world. Fielder stroked three homers in his first two games and hasn’t looked back -- once going eight straight games with at least one home run. He knocked three out against Milwaukee in mid-June.

Even with Fielder’s heroic hitting, the Giants are merely 67-68, pretty much out of it in the National League West behind the Dodgers (78-57) and Diamondbacks (78-58). The Giants trail in the wild card standings by 10.5 games. So maybe Fielder will get pitches to hit over the next month, which might not have been the case if San Francisco remained in contention for the post-season. Each homer from here on out is a record.

Aside from Fielder, it’s been a pretty typical home run hitting season. Next on the stat leaders list this season is Boston’s Paul Konerko (42), followed by Houston’s Adam LaRoche (41) and Cincinnati’s Brian McCann (41). No one else has reached 40 yet.

Wow. Just wow.

Here is the single-season home run leaders list in Andrew Zarzour’s world (remember, Barry Bond’s 73 and Mark McGwire’s 70 homers never happened here):

1	Prince Fielder	67	2007	 
2	Juan Gonzalez	63	1999	 
3	Sammy Sosa	62	1999	 
3	Mark McGwire	62	1998
5	Roger Maris	61	1961
6	Babe Ruth	60	1927
7	Babe Ruth	59	1921
8 	Barry Bonds	58	2001	 
8	Mark McGwire	58	1997	 
10	Barry Bonds	57	2002	 
10	Manny Ramirez	57	1998	 
10	Jose Canseco	57	1998	 
10	Juan Gonzalez	57	2000

Fielder has 133 career homers, so it will be interesting to see where his career numbers end up.




NOTE: Wow. I couldn't resist posting about this. The game created Fielder as a freakin' superstar. He's making less than 400K at this point because he's so new to the league. Anyone else see someone in their dynasty this far and above everyone else in terms of home runs?

Up next, some great news from Phillies land. They are smokin' pretty good, too right now...

[AZTarHeel]

From: PhilliesPitcher72@yahoo.com "Andrew Zarzour"
To: robbie@hartleturf.com "Robbie Maine"
Date: Sept. 1, 2007, 8:43 AM
Subject: Your new life...

Hey Robbie, your pal Andrew here. Sorry I had to miss your house warming party over the weekend. I’m sure it was a blast, and I’m sure you’ll really like living in Asheville. The western North Carolina mountains are absolutely beautiful. I could see myself settling there some day when I‘m an old washed up left-hander.

Sounds like your new job with Hartle Turf and Landscaping is a dream. You get to spend all day out on the golf course or at the local ball field making sure the grass is nice and lush -- and you get paid to do it! Pretty sweet.

Have you been to an Asheville Tourists game yet? I remember reading somewhere that the franchise has been around for like a century or something. Used to play in something called the North Carolina State League. Imagine that. A league of teams all from North Carolina.

I guess you know why I wasn’t able to attend your house-warming party. We’ve been pretty busy trying to lock up the NL East pennant. Man, if we underachieved last season, then we’re doing just the opposite this year. Can you believe that we’re really 80-54 with a month to play? No one else in the NL East even has a winning record. We were 22-6 in August, winning seven in a row at one point. This might be my favorite team experience since becoming a pro. Most of these guys really care about each other and care about winning, unlike last year when we had a lot of "dead weight" in the club house. And we've got some real scrappers out there, too. Refuse-to-lose types who you know will have your back.

If I had a vote for the NL Cy Young, I’d give it to our No. 2 man, Josh Johnson. He’s 17-5 with an ERA of 2.84. Funny, my ERA is better (2.60) and I’ve got more strikeouts, but I’m only 10-7. We just can’t seem to put games away when I’m on the hill for some reason. Lee Plunkett has developed into a steady No. 3, posting an 8-4 record and 3.38 ERA. I think that will make us a pretty tough in the playoffs.

A few months ago I would have said that IF we made the playoffs, we’d likely compete OK but be a pretty quick out. But now I really think we can play with and beat anybody. We’ve just got to show up. It’s good to have Jorge Cantu back. He missed about three weeks due to a fractured nose. He’s batting .324 with 34 homers.

Our manager may like speed and defense but he’s the coach of the second most prolific home run hitting team in the NL. Funny. Matt Holliday has 37 to lead the way.

Man, you have got to come see Francisco Ramirez play at some point. He’s 24 and just kind of showed up in our minor league system this season from Mexico. Well, when Cantu got hurt, the Phillies brass felt it would be a good idea to give Ramirez a shot at playing first. Well, he gets a hit in his first major league at-bat against the Nationals. The next day, he’s 0-for-1. But on day three, he goes 2-for-3 with two homers. In his first 10 at-bats, Ramirez rapped six hits (three of which were long balls).

Needless to say, when Cantu came back from his injury, Francisco didn’t go back down. Ichiro took one for the team for us and graciously agreed to take an assignment. He’s back up now for the stretch run now that it‘s September. Ramirez now has seven homers at this point and is batting better than .300. Like I said, we’re pretty good right now. Just hope we can keep it up.

When the playoffs start, just remember that you and Brandon and your ladies are welcome to come on up. I’ll have tickets waiting for you.

Well, enjoy Asheville and your new job. Keep in touch my friend.

Your pal, Andrew

[elmwood44]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

[IMG]

-- If anyone wants to know anything about a player or team, let me know and I’ll supply a brief update… thanks for reading...

Wondering how the Cards and Rays are doing in your universe?
Thanks!

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by elmwood44

Wondering how the Cards and Rays are doing in your universe?
Thanks!

If you flip back a page, you'll see that the Rays won the 2006 World Series over the Dodgers. The unlikely hero was pitcher Brad Woodall, who really hadn't had a winning season in the Majors until last year. This year, the Rays are good (87 wins) but to look ahead a bit, will end up missing the wildcard by two games in the AL. Tampa finished second in the AL East to a red-hot Boston team, which won 102 games

The Rays have Adam Dunn, Chipper Jones and Derrick Lee, each of whom contributed well to this season's success. Jamie Shields is one of their top pitchers (13-7), along with (fictional) Esteban Yan (15 wins). Woodall won 13 but lost 15...

The Cardinals -- yikes! -- were absolutely dreadful this season, winning 56 games in probably the toughest division. Mariano Rivera is the Cards' No. 1 starter but he went 9-17. Ouch ... St. Louis really hasn't been a factor in my universe for now...

[elmwood44]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

If you flip back a page, you'll see that the Rays won the 2006 World Series over the Dodgers. The unlikely hero was pitcher Brad Woodall, who really hadn't had a winning season in the Majors until last year. This year, the Rays are good (87 wins) but to look ahead a bit, will end up missing the wildcard by two games in the AL. Tampa finished second in the AL East to a red-hot Boston team, which won 102 games

The Rays have Adam Dunn, Chipper Jones and Derrick Lee, each of whom contributed well to this season's success. Jamie Shields is one of their top pitchers (13-7), along with (fictional) Esteban Yan (15 wins). Woodall won 13 but lost 15...

The Cardinals -- yikes! -- were absolutely dreadful this season, winning 56 games in probably the toughest division. Mariano Rivera is the Cards' No. 1 starter but he went 9-17. Ouch ... St. Louis really hasn't been a factor in my universe for now...

Thanks for the update....my fault on TB. I forgot that part of the story. That was great.

Too bad about the Cardinals. Hopefully they can turn it around....maybe start by getting Big Z in free agency!!!!

As always great stuff!!!!!

[POKeefe]

You've inspired me to do one of these of my own. Maybe not as in-depth, but definitely follow a guy through his journey. I just want to know a few things though. How were you able to import the rosters as the journey went on (real players getting drafted, etc)? Also, how did you edit Zarzour so he had that kind of potential and exactly that stats you wanted? I've found all the FAQ to not be that helpful and importing roster guides too. I've ran my favorite team (Red Sox) many times over and eventually about 5 yrs down the line I always seem to get them to win 100+ games every year, but I've never understood how to get the realism factor added. I used to be a big All Star Baseball board game fan, and now I'm transitioning to OOTP.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by POKeefe

You've inspired me to do one of these of my own. Maybe not as in-depth, but definitely follow a guy through his journey. I just want to know a few things though. How were you able to import the rosters as the journey went on (real players getting drafted, etc)? Also, how did you edit Zarzour so he had that kind of potential and exactly that stats you wanted? I've found all the FAQ to not be that helpful and importing roster guides too. I've ran my favorite team (Red Sox) many times over and eventually about 5 yrs down the line I always seem to get them to win 100+ games every year, but I've never understood how to get the realism factor added. I used to be a big All Star Baseball board game fan, and now I'm transitioning to OOTP.

Hey POKeefe, thanks for stopping by ... I started this dynasty with OOTP5 a few years ago. I just did a normal historical import to start with and then added a couple of guys (Zarzour and Josh Hamilton) to the original draft ... Each season I just selected the box "import real rookies" to get real players, although one year I did it wrong and ended up with a fictional class of players. I guess I have an old OOTP database because it ran out before I did the 2007 draft, so I guess I'll have fictional guys most of the rest of the way ... I also have the "create and maintain hidden players" box checked and have ended up with a few fictional free agents that way (one was a bust and one could be a real star who is currently with the Phillies, 1B Francisco Ramirez) ...

As for how I created Zarzour, the OOTP5 engine was different, and I just tinkered with him until I got something reasonable. I wanted him to have the potential to be a star but not have that necessarily guaranteed. I think had I stayed with OOTP5 he might have crashed. But he "converted" well to the newer version and has gone the other direction ... Z still has the propensity to give up the long ball, though he has great control and strike-out potential ...

Good luck with your dynasty -- have fun with it ...