Orcin Returns

[Orcin]

2017 Federal League Divisional Playoff Series
Louisville Colonels (93-69) vs. Salt Lake City Bees (104-58)

The West Division champion Bees were third in the CBA in runs scored with a team batting average of .283. They have great speed and led the league with 267 steals. Their top pitchers are pretty good, and they won’t need much depth with that lineup. CF Javier Vega will miss the first game of series, as he is still recovering from a strained hamstring, but his replacement hit .365 over the last 91 games of the season. Salt Lake City was 8-2 vs. Louisville this year. We have our work cut out for us.

GAME 1 @ Salt Lake City: Francisco Longoria (13-14) vs. Alfred Sawyer (17-9)

Key Moment: Longoria hit the first batter that he faced, Donald Murray, with a fastball that got away from him. George Craig singled over the shortstop. Ray Schultz crushed a three-run homer to left field. It was typical of Longoria’s season. We considered taking him out for Fuller right there. Eric Burt added a two-run homer in the fourth. We finally did pinch-hit for Longoria in the fifth, but the damage was done as all five base runners that he allowed came around to score via the two long balls.

Final score: Salt Lake City 6, Louisville 3
Salt Lake City leads the series 1-0.

WP: Sawyer, LP: Longoria, SV: Fuentes
HR: Schultz, Burt (SLC); Diaz (LOU)
Star of the Game: Ray Schultz (SLC) 2-4, HR, 3 RBI

Other games:
Los Angeles 4, Dallas 3 (Los Angeles leads series 1-0)
Providence 8, Orlando 6 (Providence leads series 1-0)
Washington 5, Philadelphia 4 (Washington leads series 1-0)

[Sal, The Barber]

Sal normally likes the strategy of knocking the first batter in a playoff series down. But Sal's recommendation is to do it at home and when the boys behind you are tough enough to back it up. And never ever admit that the ball got away from you. You say, "I aimed right for the center of his back. What is he going to do about it?"

But this is the problem with this Louie-ville team. Sal thought they would finally get tougher when they got rid of this Chad Byrne coffee cake. Now Sal doesn't even know this softie at the helm. And, Sal must admit, the Bees from Salt Lake are a tough draw.

But let Sal make you a promise. If the Louie-villes lose in this playoff, Mr. Idiot Owner is going to fire Sal's friend Mr. Orcin. If this becomes the case, then Sal is not even needed to consult on the good-bye speech. You will hear no tougher language ever, and there may even be baseballs thrown through the windows of Cooper's office. You can be sure that Fat Tony will take a baseball bat to his chauffeured limousine. There will have to be no asking. This is done deal. And then this Cooper fellow will begin to have the trouble urinating; this is because Sal will have stuck a pin in his Cooper voodoo doll right in a certain place ... Oh, Sal is getting the carried away. At this point, Sal may end up walking to Salt Lake City to bean their first batter himself.

[Orcin]

2017 Federal League Divisional Playoff Series
Louisville Colonels (93-69) vs. Salt Lake City Bees (104-58)

GAME 2 @ Salt Lake City: Michael Bowles (17-7) vs. Alejandro Rosario (17-9)

Key Moment: Bowles took a 2-1 lead into the eighth and struck out the first batter, PH Ryan Crosby. Donald Murray singled sharply up the middle, and that was all for Bowles. Santiago Flores came on to give up a single and a walk, loading the bases with one out. Left-handed cleanup hitter Eric Burt was at the plate and the crowd smelled Louisville blood in the water. Rookie lefty Salvador Felix was summoned from the bullpen and got Burt to ground into an inning-ending double play. Felix stayed in the game for a 1-2-3 ninth against three left-handed Bees, and the Colonels stole a game in Utah.

Final score: Louisville 2, Salt Lake City 1
The series is tied at 1.

WP: Bowles, LP: Rosario, SV: Felix
HR: none
Star of the Game: Michael Bowles 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 107p/74s
Luis Vargas was 3-4 with a run scored and a RBI.

Other games:
Los Angeles 5, Dallas 4 (Los Angeles leads series 2-0)
Orlando 6, Providence 3 (series is tied at 1)
Philadelphia 7, Washington 0 (series is tied at 1)

Philadelphia got 8 shutout innings from 40-year-old SP Bill “Rainmaker” Robertson.

Orlando lost their leadoff man, CF Antonio Taylor, for the rest of the playoffs with a shoulder injury that occurred as a result of a collision at second base.

[gehrig38]

Originally Posted by Orcin

2017 Federal League Divisional Playoff Series
Louisville Colonels (93-69) vs. Salt Lake City Bees (104-58)

GAME 2 @ Salt Lake City: Michael Bowles (17-7) vs. Alejandro Rosario (17-9)

Key Moment: Bowles took a 2-1 lead into the eighth and struck out the first batter, PH Ryan Crosby. Donald Murray singled sharply up the middle, and that was all for Bowles. Santiago Flores came on to give up a single and a walk, loading the bases with one out. Left-handed cleanup hitter Eric Burt was at the plate and the crowd smelled Louisville blood in the water. Rookie lefty Salvador Felix was summoned from the bullpen and got Burt to ground into an inning-ending double play. Felix stayed in the game for a 1-2-3 ninth against three left-handed Bees, and the Colonels stole a game in Utah.

Final score: Louisville 2, Salt Lake City 1
The series is tied at 1.

WP: Bowles, LP: Rosario, SV: Felix
HR: none
Star of the Game: Michael Bowles 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 107p/74s
Luis Vargas was 3-4 with a run scored and a RBI.

Other games:
Los Angeles 5, Dallas 4 (Los Angeles leads series 2-0)
Orlando 6, Providence 3 (series is tied at 1)
Philadelphia 7, Washington 0 (series is tied at 1)

Philadelphia got 8 shutout innings from 40-year-old SP Bill “Rainmaker” Robertson.

Orlando lost their leadoff man, CF Antonio Taylor, for the rest of the playoffs with a shoulder injury that occurred as a result of a collision at second base.

Wow, that's one of those 'close your eyes, hit the pitch key, and pray' moments that make this game so damn fun. Huge HUGE win.

[Orcin]

Off topic: Just got home from watching Yu Darvish pitch today. He took a no-hitter into the eighth. Outstanding game, finished with 15 K's. He figured to get a lot of strikeouts against the Astros (MLB team leader in striking out).

Edit: I saw Curt's comments on the umpire this morning on Sportscenter. Pierzynski was sure mad. It was clearly a strike on the replay.

[Orcin]

2017 Federal League Divisional Playoff Series
Louisville Colonels (93-69) vs. Salt Lake City Bees (104-58)

GAME 3 @ Louisville: Jose Antonio Flores (19-10) vs. Alec Potvin (17-8)

Key Moment: Martinez and Gillespie singled to open the fourth inning. Diaz grounded into a double play. Castro struck out. It was like that all day. Potvin pitched well enough to win, but Flores was better and our guys did not come up with the clutch hits.

Final score: Salt Lake City 2, Louisville 1
Salt Lake City leads the series 2-1.

WP: Flores, LP: Potvin, SV: Fuentes
HR: none
Star of the Game: Jose Antonio Flores (SLC) 8 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 99p/65s

Other games:
Dallas 9, Los Angeles 8 (Los Angeles leads series 2-1)
Providence 9, Orlando 1 (Providence leads series 2-1)
Philadelphia 7, Washington 4 (Philadelphia leads series 2-1)

[Orcin]

2017 Federal League Divisional Playoff Series
Louisville Colonels (93-69) vs. Salt Lake City Bees (104-58)

GAME 4 @ Louisville: Alfred Sawyer vs. Chao Yang (14-5)

Key Moment: Louisville bats had been silent all day against Sawyer, and we trailed 4-0 going to the bottom of the ninth. Gillespie led off with a single off reliever Sosa Tanaka. He was not looking to steal with a 4-run deficit. Martinez struck out. Tanner flied out for the second out. Morrison singled Gillespie to second to keep the season alive.

Hector Castro was called upon to pinch-hit for Edwards. The Bees brought closer Juan Fuentes in to face him. Castro singled to score Gillespie. Miguel Bustamante pinch-hit for the pitcher. Fuentes balked the runners into scoring position and Bustamante’s clutch single scored both of them to make it a 4-3 game.

Bustamante stole second to put the tying run in scoring position for our hottest hitter, Luis Vargas. The script was written for a big comeback, but Vargas ended the story (and the season) by grounding out.

Final score: Salt Lake City 4, Louisville 3
Salt Lake City wins the series 3-1.

WP: Sawyer, LP: Yang, SV: Fuentes
HR: none
Star of the Game: Alfred Sawyer (SLC) 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 2 K, 100p/60s



Other games:
Los Angeles 4, Dallas 2 (Los Angeles wins series 3-1)
Providence 3, Orlando 1 (Providence wins series 3-1)
Washington 6, Philadelphia 4 (series is tied at 2)
Game 5: Washington 7, Philadelphia 5 (Washington wins series 3-2)

2017 League Championship Series:
Federal: Los Angeles at Salt Lake City
Patriot: Providence at Washington

AAA: Lexington defeated Richmond 4 games to 0 to win the championship.

[blazertaz13]

Sorry to see the post season run come to a quick end. Unfortunately, the Bees just seemed to have Louisville's number all year long. There is always next season (and as a Cubbies fan, I do get tired of hearing that).

Hope that the off season is productive.

[cmdrsam]

Tough break. Sal, please put down the straight razor please. I mean this as no disrespect. But this team just had an different Aura about them this year. I think they under achieved all year long. Maybe I am wrong, you sure do have a great fell for your team and the pulse. But again, this just had a different feel about them.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by cmdrsam

I think they under achieved all year long.

I agree completely.

[Galeg]

Didn't you used to have a catcher that helped improve the pitching? Could that be contributing to the problem in any way?

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Galeg

Didn't you used to have a catcher that helped improve the pitching? Could that be contributing to the problem in any way?

The catcher position is not only contributing, it is a root cause of the problem in my opinion.

[Orcin]

October 8, 2017

Subject: The Morning After

As I said before the series, we will go as far as the pitching will take us. Ahem. Yeah ok, I misread that one. We scored 9 runs in 4 games, and that’s just not good enough to win against a great team like Salt Lake City.

Was it bad luck that we ran into the league’s best team in the first round? Frankly, I doubt that we would have beaten Los Angeles either. This team is just not good enough to win in the post-season.

I said it in August, and I repeat it now. The hitting and pitching are too inconsistent. There are some nice pieces here, but the whole is less than the sum of the parts. I guess that’s just another way of saying that we under-achieved.

Major changes are needed here… if I get the chance.

[Orcin]

2017 POST-SEASON RESULTS



Los Angeles and Washington met in the World Series after surviving tough league championships. Washington’s offense was too much for the Vipers, as they averaged 6 runs per game in their 4 wins. The Admirals did not have to go far (just across town) for their visit to the White House to meet President Clinton.


Louisville Organization News:

• Frank Jensen, 59, was hired as the pitching coach for Owensboro (R). Jensen was formerly with the Sacramento organization. He is rated as an excellent pitching instructor with a good rating for handling all types of players.
• SP Mauro Acevedo (17-1, 3.65 ERA) was named AAA Best Pitcher. The 23-year-old right-hander is expected to contend for a spot in the Louisville rotation next season.
• 1B Ricky Allen (.351/.445/.685, 36 HR, 99 RBI) was named AAA MVP. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger is blocked by Jose Martinez on the big club.

[Sal, The Barber]

Originally Posted by Orcin

The Admirals did not have to go far (just across town) for their visit to the White House to meet President Clinton.

Sal is jealous. Sal is a big fundraiser for President Chelsea Clinton!

[blazertaz13]

Now that I am laid up (ACL surgery), I am enjoying the exploits of Orcin. I have just set up another association (yes one is bound to stick) with the hopes that the down time will allow me to get caught up in.

Looking forward to the off season notes (training sessions).

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by blazertaz13

Now that I am laid up (ACL surgery), I am enjoying the exploits of Orcin.

I hope you recover soon.

[Orcin]

2017 Game Score = 79

Well, at least I didn’t get fired! Three first-round exits in a row are frustrating to say the least, but adversity builds character. I have an idea or two about how to get over that hump. I hope you will stick around to see if it works.



The Colonels were over the 3 million mark in attendance for the third straight year and were 11th in the CBA. Gordon Cooper informed me that the 2017 budget will remain at $130 million this season. You may notice that we generated $17M in profit and received $1M in revenue sharing. Mr. Cooper promptly removed this $18M from the team coffers and deposited it in his own account somewhere. I have long ago adjusted my thinking to live comfortably within a $130M budget, so no problem.

I was informed that my scout, Phil Allen, has decided to retire. My first task of the off-season will be to identify a new scout and hire him quickly.

[Orcin]

October 28, 2017 - The Off-Season Begins

Key dates:
November 7-11 – Award announcements
November 18 – Salary arbitration hearings
November 21 – Eligible players file for free agency
December 1 – “Rule 5” Draft
December 11-15 – Winter Meetings
February 1, 2018 – Preseason begins


Management Carousel Begins
The following CBA personnel were fired after the season, or have retired voluntarily.

Federal League:
Houston Stars (88-74, 5th): MGR Bruce Hensley (replaced by BC Jorge Munoz)
San Diego Stallions (76-86, 8th): MGR Jack Gibson (replaced by BC Pat Graham)
San Francisco Seals (74-88, 9th): GM Stu Spencer, MGR Matt Bader (was MGR of the Year in 2016)
Phoenix Coyotes (73-89, 10th): MGR Oliver Miranda
Sacramento Outlaws (69-93, 14th): GM Eric Allen, MGR John Blake (replaced by BC David Fowler)
Chicago Cougars (66-96, 15th): MGR Al Emerson

Patriot League:
Orlando Sharks (92-70, 2nd): GM Millard Lawrence (retired)
Providence Grays (86-76, 4th): GM Javier Ortiz (retired)
Cleveland Rockers (85-77, 5th): GM Terence Anderson, MGR Jim Vandenberg
Detroit Titans (84-78, 8th): MGR Tommy Evans (retired, replaced by BC Luis Martinez)
Charleston Generals (83-79, 10th): legendary MGR Howard Mick (replaced by BC Howard Davis)
New York Monarchs (82-80, 11th): GM Buck Welch


CBA 2017 Hall of Fame Class

1B Josh Haley (1997-2012)
Haley starred for the Los Angeles Vipers 1999-2007. He hit over 60 home runs in three consecutive seasons (2000-02) and finished with 558 career homers (#6 all-time). His 1,374 RBIs rank #13 on the all-time list. Haley’s slugging percentage of .775 in 2001 is the single-season record, and his 66 home runs in 2000 ranks #5 on the top season list. Haley finished his career in Indianapolis where he hit 80 home runs over two seasons at age 36.

[Orcin]

First Day of the Off-Season

The following items are on my “To Do” list today.
• Address open personnel positions
• Make decision to exercise or decline team options
• Offer arbitration (or not) to potential free agents
• Consider offers to potential minor league free agents
• Submit arbitration offers to eligible players or decide not to tender them

Budget Considerations

The budget is $130 million. I need at least $25 million for operating expenses, leaving $105 million to cover player and personnel salaries. Using current arbitration estimates, I have $107 million committed for next year without signing any free agents. Oops. Well, no problem. I have a plan.

For the fourth consecutive season, my highest-paid player will not return: Eduardo Sanchez, Rafael Valdez, Duncan Bland, and now Francisco Longoria. What? Wait a minute…didn’t I sign him to a long-term contract to be the ace? Yes, I did. I signed him to be the ACE, not an undependable pitcher with a losing record who blows up in the first inning of our first playoff game. I ran out of patience with him and I don’t intend to tie up that much money in a player that drives me crazy.

Longoria has market value because pitchers that throw over 200 innings with a sub 4.00 ERA are scarce. I will find someone to take his contract and will likely get a good return. I have other assets to include in the deal as sweetener if needed. There is a catch… the trade must be completed quickly before free agents file. When teams start making offers to newly-available players, they will consume their budget room and limit my options.

Next: Roster analysis