Sal, the Barber Presents . . .

[Sal, The Barber]

10 October 2002
Halifax, NS

Cheyenne's first two batters produced a run today in the opening game of the 2002 World Series, but they went through the next 9 innings unable to produce another. Halifax beat them on a 2-out single in the 10th, 2-1. The Cowboys left 11 on base.

Paul Lyons pitched a strong game and even led off the fifth with a double. He went to third on Kelly Judson's single. A ground out, a shallow fly, and a pop out followed, and Lyons couldn't believe he couldn't score from third with no one out. But that was the story of the Cowboys' day. They'll come back tomorrow and hope to tie the series. "The Magic Man" John Cummings starts for Cheyenne.

Maurice East knocked in the first Moosehead run with a double, scoring Stan Hall. In the 10th, Sims, pinch hitter Silva, and Brown singled. Stan Hall delivered the game-winning hit with two out. Hall did not receive player of the game honors. That award went to Cowboy pitcher Paul Lyons. Thurman Barnett (8-1 2.39) starts for the Mooseheads tomorrow.

[Sal, The Barber]

11 October 2002
Halifax, NS

Game two started in a way that called back game one. Cheyenne put a man on third base with one out. Jim Thompson grounded out to the pitcher. Will Byrd popped out. Perhaps it was the long flight from Wyoming to Nova Scotia that had cooled the Cowboy bats. The offense looked, at the start of the game, like it had gone back into hibernation.

And the defense! The Cowboy defense continues to be porous. This was the best-ranked defense in the Western League. Today they made 3 errors. And all infielders--Byrd, Beck, Campos.

But the Cowboys won the game. That's right. Won the game. Tied the series. The turning point was the 6th inning. But in the fifth, with the score tied 1-1, Halifax got a lead-off double and then a home run. Cummings' magic had seemed to run out.

Yet in the top of the 6th, Will Byrd hit a two-out double. Jorge Reyes walked. And Carlos Campos. Yes, Carlos Campos, who is hitting .121 in the playoffs, lifted a 3-1 pitch into the leftfield seats. Cheyenne had taken the lead. And they put the game in the hands of their capable bullpen. Julio Garcia threw a scoreless inning. Javier Gomez pitched what should have been a scoreless inning, except that Byrd threw wildly on a steal attempt, allowing the runner to take third base with none out--a situation the Cowboys' opponent has had no trouble turning into a run.

So the score was tied 4-4 after seven.

In the eighth, Soto walked and promptly stole second. Thompson doubled him home. Gomez pitched another inning, a scoreless one. And in the ninth, Carl Reed added an insurance run via a solo HR. But Moosehead pitcher Corey Cantrell was wild, and Cheyenne took advantage of a couple of walks to score yet another run.

Frankie Howard pitched two innings yesterday, so the ninth went to Lee Martin who tidied up just fine. Final score: 7-4. Series tied 1-1. Now another plane ride back to Wyoming. Let's hope nothing happens to the bats on the way.

[Sal, The Barber]

13 October 2002
Cheyenne, WY

Roy Horton, who was dominant in Game 6 of the LCS when he last pitched, threw badly today, and Cheyenne lost 6-4. Cowboy pitching gave up 14 hits. Jesus Soto collected another 2-run HR, but that was about the only highlight for the Cowboys. Oh, well, the defense played a lot better.

But Horton only lasted 3 innings, allowing 3 runs--a 3-run homer from the centerfielder Stewart. "He wasn't sharp," Terry Taylor said, defending his decision to remove Horton so early. Jason Bryant, the Cheyenne starter who's been squeezed out of the rotation, came on for four innings; he gave up one run. Cheyenne's next pitcher, Miguel Flores, gave the game away. He allowed a run each in the eighth and ninth innings. The score was tied at 4 until then, but this never felt like a game the Cowboys were going to win. Halifax kept punching out hits, keeping the pressure on Cheyenne pitching. Five Moosehead players had 2 hits. Bryan Stewart had 3 RBI and took player of the game honors.

The Halifax win also gives them the Series lead, 2 games to 1.

[Sal, The Barber]

14 October 2002
Cheyenne, WY

Both teams came back with their game one starter for game four. Paul Lyons was shaky in the first inning. He allowed the bases to load, but he got out of it. Michael Duncan didn't have as good of a day. When Duncan left the game after 5 innings, he was trailing 6-0. The highlight of the Cheyenne offense was a Carlos Campos 3-run homer.

But Lyons seemed to tire, and he took a couple of shots in the sixth, the last a 2-run blast by Juan Garza. It was 6-3.

As the first five innings belonged to the Cowboys, the last four were owned by the Mooseheads. Mangoni gave up 2 runs in the 7th. He started the eighth too and got an out then gave up a hit. Lee Martin came on and was tagged for another 2-run homer, this time by slugger Gerrit Sinke who finished with 2 hits and 4 RBI. Those two runs put Halifax ahead 7-6. The Mooseheads brought on their closer in the eighth for a 4-out save, and he got it. Even when Jesus Soto walked and stole second to lead off the 9th. Cheyenne not only failed to score Soto; they failed to even move him up a base.

Losing both games at home comes as a bit of a shock to Cowboy fans. Halifax has a 3-1 series lead, and they could wrap up the series if they take the next 2 at home. Cheyenne fans are hoping they'll see their Cowboys play at least one more home game this season.

[Sal, The Barber]

16 October 2002
Halifax, NS

The Cheyenne bullpen is coming apart at exactly the wrong time. After Cheyenne produced a 3-run seventh inning and gave themselves a 5-3 lead, Kevin "Buddah" Funk gave it all back. And for a team that supposedly didn't hit home runs in the regular season, the Mooseheads sure are knocking out their fair share in the playoffs. They now have 6 in five games of this World Series. Garrit Sinke's two-run homer in the seventh gave Halifax back their lead (Sinke now has 6 HRs in the playoffs), and they held it, winning 7-6. Cheyenne's offense is doing its part; their pitching is letting them down.

"The Magic Man" John Cummings appears to have lost most of his magic. Halifax got three runs off of him in only 4.2 innings. But give Boo Bentley's offense credit, they came back only to be let down by their bullpen.

The Halifax bullpen has only been a little better; they have shown themselves to have control problems. However, closer Jonah Alexander got it done today. RF Juan Garza had 3 hits and 5 RBI to pace the Moosehead offense.

[Sal, The Barber]

17 October 2002
Halifax, NS

Jesus Soto. Jesus Soto. Jesus Soto. Jesus Soto is by far the Cheyenne Cowboys' star. Soto hit 2 home runs today to extend the Cowboy season. In a back-and-forth ballgame, Soto hit his first home run, a solo shot, in the sixth inning, to give Cheyenne a 3-2 lead. When the Mooseheads tied the score, Soto hit a two-run shot in the eighth to put Cheyenne ahead for good, 5-3. The Cowboys hung on for a 6-3 win.

Roy Horton pitched well, and he had to, as a Cheyenne loss would have ended their season. The Cowboys now make another trip across the continent. At least it's a trip back home. And they have an interesting decision to make. John O'Flanagan appears to be ready to play, but he hasn't faced major league pitching in over 2 weeks. Do you put him in the lineup? When asked that question, Boo Bentley admitted, "I don't know. We'll have to talk about it. Watch him swing. But I don't know what to do." Unfortunately, the whole Cheyenne club seems a little lost, slightly directionless. They have been off their game and must win 3 straight now to take the Series. Perhaps today's win was the first step in finding their way in that direction. Soto was the offense today; he'll need some help if Cheyenne is to pull off a miracle comeback.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

John O'Flanagan appears to be ready to play, but he hasn't faced major league pitching in over 2 weeks. Do you put him in the lineup? When asked that question, Boo Bentley admitted, "I don't know. We'll have to talk about it. Watch him swing. But I don't know what to do."

Hey Boo! This decision comes down to the confidence you have in your bench. A rusty O'Flanagan might still make the pitcher work and get a hold of one. But if your bench guy is swinging the bat well, then he is probably the best option. Sometimes, you just have to go with your gut. Good luck!

[Sal, The Barber]

19 October 2002
Cheyenne, WY

Well, the Mooseheads did it again, scoring 7 runs, all by home run. Sinke hit a 3-run HR off of Paul Lyons. Hall hit a 3-run HR off of Basilio Mangoni. And East hit a solo shot off of Julio Garcia.

East's homer made the score 7-5, and it looked like the Cheyenne bullpen had blown the game again. In the ninth, against the Halifax closer, the Cowboys rallied. Campos singled. Beck flew out. Reed, pinch hitting, doubled. Campos was held up at third. Judson came up, took a pitch for ball one, fouled one off, and hit the next one into the left field seats. Game winner.

The Cowboys have staved off elimination now for two games, barely. The starting pitching has been ok. The defense has been solid. The offense has been good enough. The bullpen, probably the best facet of the ballclub during the regular season, has gone frigidly cold. They just don't seem able to put all parts of their game together, yet they're still alive. Halifax leads the World Series 4 games to 3. There are only 2 games left, one in Cheyenne and one, if needed, in Halifax.

The Cowboys started John O'Flanagan today. He went 1 for 3, walked, scored 2 runs, and stole a base. It was clearly the right move from the Cheyenne braintrust. Their next decision is who to start in Game Eight. John Cummings wasn't sharp in his last start, and even in his first start this series he only went 5 innings. The Cowboys could start Ben Koch or even Jason Bryant. We don't know yet what they'll do. Game Nine, if they get there, belongs to Roy Horton. Here's hoping they get there.

[Sal, The Barber]

20 October 2002
Cheyenne, WY

The season came to an end today. Halifax beat Cheyenne 6-3. Halifax is the 2002 Association champ.

Cheyenne started Jason Bryant. It was his first start of the playoffs, although he had worked once in relief. He pitched well enough. Garrit Sinke continued his relentless slugging; the home run he hit off of Bryant, however, only counted for one run. Sinke's home run came in the second inning and gave Halifax a 1-0 lead.

Cheyenne came right back. Jim Thompson doubled and scored on a Carlos Campos single. In the bottom of the third, Jesus Soto hit his 7th home run of the playoffs, and it counted for 2. Cheyenne had a 3-1 lead after 3 innings.

But Halifax would get one back in the fourth and chase Jason Bryant. Javier Gomez came on for the Cowboys, and he shut Moosehead hitters down for two more innings. But Cheyenne wouldn't score any more runs, and, in the eighth, they lost the game.

Lee Martin came on to pitch after Gomez, and Sinke got it started by drawing a walk. Martin walked the next hitter, too. A two-out double scored one run, but it was the next hit, a fly to center that cost Cheyenne the game. O'Flanagan misplayed it, and two runs scored. In the ninth, Halifax added one more run. Cheyenne's bats went quiet. Halifax had won the Series.

[Sal, The Barber]

3 November 2002
Cheyenne, WY

The Cowboy coaching staff returns for the 2003 season. Manager Terry Taylor and Bench Coach Antonio Martinez were signed through 2003 and will be coaching this season in their contracts' final years. Pitching Coach Vaughan Webster and Hitting Coach Jose Sosa were re-signed for the 2003 season. So all contracts for Cowboy coaches will come due at the end of the upcoming season.

This group is joined by a newcomer, Trainer Jesus Herrera. Herrera is signed through the 2004 season. He previously worked for the Boise Braves.

Boo Bentley did make a couple of more significant personnel moves. He hired new managers at Single A Collinsville and at Altus in the Rookie League. In both instances, he hired managers with no previous managerial experience.

Former Rookie League Hitting Coach Darren Vincent was hired at Altus. Bentley praised Vincent's ability to work with rookies and said Vincent would pair nicely with well-regarded Altus Pitching Coach Joe Chapman.

At Collinsville, Bentley hired a former pitching coach. Arturo Santana coached pitchers at Altoona's AAA club in 2000. Again, Bentley pointed to Santana's ability to work with younger players as his reason for hiring him.

Both new managers were signed to single year contracts.

In a rather unexpected move, Head Scout Phil Green left the Cheyenne organization, citing philosophical differences. Green said he had plenty of other options and that he thought it was time to move on. Bentley expressed surprise and disappointment at the development. "I thought we would be able to get together and make a deal so that Phil could continue working in Cheynne," Bentley said. "We thank him for his contributions to our organization and wish him well."

It probably didn't sit well with Bentley, however, that a few days later Green took a job with the Youngstown Steelmen. The Steelmen had a very disappointing 2002 and fired their GM at season's end. There were rumors that Bentley would have taken that job last year had it been available. But Youngstown was coming off a super 2001 and was primed to move forward; they have a stable a solid young prospects. Green should only help the Steelmen add to that stable.

Bentley shot back though and hired legendary scout Norm Rucker. Rucker is only 37, but his reputation is Hall of Fame worthy already. Bentley acknowledged that there would be some adjustments necessary but that he was certain Rucker would lead Cheyenne forward. "As positive as our recent success has been," Bentley said, "we still have some work to do to improve the quality of our prospects and minor leaguers. Rucker will help us do that."

[Sal, The Barber]

Cowboy players who won awards for outstanding play in 2002:

Shortstop Mike Beck was awarded a WL Gold Glove.
Jesus Soto won WL Rookie of the Year.
Terry Taylor wins WL Manager of the Year.

(Terry Taylor didn't actually win Manager of the year; it was awarded to Boo Bentley who managed probably 3/4ths of Cheyenne games last season; for the purpose of the story, however, we will "pretend" that Taylor won. Bentley's GM score, by the way, was 100.)

[Sal, The Barber]

Won arbitration awards for CF and 4th OF Jorge Reyes and for RP Javier Gomez. Gomez and the Cheyenne club, it turned out, submitted the same salary figure, however. Contract discussions had broken off earlier between Gomez and Cheyenne; Gomez noted that he and the Cowboys were too far apart to make a deal work.

Injured reliever Gary Williams' recovery is taking longer than first estimated. He'll be out another 3-4 months healing from a partially torn ulner collateral ligament.

Claimed shortstop Cy Sanders on waivers from Burlington. Sanders got only 26 ABs with the big club last season and will likely play the 2003 season in the minor leagues for Cheyenne. But Sanders is an athletic and versatile infielder. He's not projected to be a big hitter, but he does have a very patient approach at the plate.

Traded minor league catcher Bartolo Silva to Windsor for a closer prospect in the Spitfires minor league system. Jun Yang has a big league arm and lots of movement on his fastball and slider. He is still learning how to control those pitches. Yang had an ERA of 2.00 in A-ball last season.

Claimed reliever Tim Fields off of waivers from Cincinnati. "Fields is highly rated by our scouts," stated GM Boo Bentley. "We didn't expect to find him on the waiver wire." Fields has nasty stuff and very good control--a lethal combination for batters. Fields will push for a spot in the Cowboys' bullpen; Bentley says he's one of the league's top prospects. Bentley couldn't explain how he ran afoul of Cincinnati management. Bentley was just grateful for his good luck.

Signed Free Agent SP Ricardo Diaz who pitched last season for Flint. Diaz has a career ERA of 4.88 and a career WHIP of 1.41. Those aren't dazzling numbers. Manager Terry Taylor said Diaz was brought in to compete for the major league rotation; if Diaz isn't in the rotation on opening day, however, Taylor said he was a more than capable replacement should there be an injury to a starting pitcher. Diaz has good stuff and good control, and he throws hard--low to mid 90s. The Cowboys appear to be betting that he's a better pitcher than his numbers have shown. Diaz is 35 years old, but he's been a workhorse over his career. He signed a 2-year contract.

Signed lefthanded RP Stan Hogan, formerly of Cincinnati. Why Cincinnati seems to be giving away relief pitchers, we don't know. Hogan is an average to better-than-average pitcher, and he is lefthanded (and 6' 10"). The Cowboy bullpen was without a lefty for most of the season last year. Hogan's ERA has come down each of the last three years, but it was still 4.58 last season. Hogan will compete with Juan Cabral to be the lefty in the Cheyenne 'pen.

Signed Free Agent 2B Clancy Wilson to a minor league contract. Wilson is only 18, and he has incredible tools--makes good contact, takes walks, great fielder, and slightly better than average speed. The only thing Wilson doesn't have is power. "Our Scouting Director really likes this kid," explained GM Boo Bentley. "We'll be patient with him."

Signed two young Free Agent pitchers. Abraham Abrams is a future star, according to Cowboy Pitching Coach Vaughan Webster, although whether he turns out to be a starter or reliever is still uncertain. Abrams has filthy movement on his pitches, but he can control them. Abrams is 18 years old. Hector Reyna is also 18 years old and projects to be a fearsome relief pitcher and top strike out pitcher. "Our scouts love him," Webster added. Webster didn't discount the possibility that Reyna could develop into a starter.

Traded minor league reliever Larry Burris to Manchester for starting pitcher Shawn Meyer. This appeared to be a move to open up major league roster space for Cheyenne. Meyer is a fringe prospect who probably won't make it beyond AAA. Cheyenne has an abundance of relief pitchers, so Burris was expendable; in addition, moving Burris opened up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Traded minor league reliever Earl Burnett and outfielder Jorge Reyes to Portland for AAA outfielder Jesus Rivera. Obviously, the Cowboys like Rivera a little better than Reyes. Reyes played key minutes for the Cowboys last season when their outfield was plagued by injuries. Rivera appears to step right into the fourth outfielder spot. Rivera is a lefthanded hitter who batted .234 at AAA last season. He got 300 major league at-bats and hit .210. Rivera is a very good corner outfielder, and he has good power. This move, too, opened up space on the 40-man roster and saved Cheyenne a few bucks.

According to the numbers, Cheyenne has improved by 3.8 WAR, tops so far in the Association.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by Sal, The Barber

"Fields is highly rated by our scouts," stated GM Boo Bentley.

Famous last words.

[Sal, The Barber]

5-9 December 2002
Winter Meetings

Cheyenne GM Boo Bentley joked that he was going to the Winter Meetings simply to spend time on the beach. He had nothing on his shopping list and held up a blank piece of paper as evidence.

As promised, Bentley initiated no moves and kept his club transaction-free at the meetings. Bentley was not moved by any of the offers he received. "Not even close" was how he answered the question "Anything interesting?"

There were, though, a couple of trades to report. Portland dealt for Ramon Maldonado, a catcher who played with Wichita last season; he hit .336 with 29 home runs. The Mainers sent 5 players to the Linemen for Maldonado. 5 players!

Kansas City also dealt playoff home run star Nelson Leclerc to Seattle for relief pitcher Mark Carroll and a minor leaguer. Leclerc for a relief pitcher! Leclerc hit 36 home runs for the Monarchs last season. KC obviously is counting on good health all season from John "Wolfman" Erickson. Erickson hit 48 HRs last season and won the Paul Waner Award as the Western League's best hitter. Erickson was out with a thumb injury during the playoffs.

[Sal, The Barber]

Omaha's slugger, Lee Krant, left the Robin Hoods and signed with Sacramento.

Wichita signed two big free agents, catcher Eddie Wilson and first baseman Jesus Ortiz. Wilson is the 6th catcher the Linemen added via free agency this off-season. Gotta wonder why they traded Maldonado, don't you? Although Wilson is a fine player. Wilson's WAR last season was 3.7, Maldonado's 6.0. Ortiz was the Quebec Capitales best player last season. Quebec did not sign a replacement for Ortiz.

In more strange catcher news, Portland spent 4.5 mil on free agent Antonio Rojas. Rojas batted .319 last season for Quebec but got over 400 ABs. Portland is the club that traded for Maldonado. With Maldonado there, we don't see enough ABs for both catchers.

Wichita continues to masquerade as a player on this year's free agent market. They signed right fielder Aaron Duncan for 4years and 46.3 million. Duncan played for Wichita just last year but was traded in July. Now he's back. Duncan hits for a good average; his career batting average is .290. He doesn't have big power. He's never hit over 26 HRs, and he hit 21 last year.

Cheyenne no longer leads the off-season WAR rankings.

Oakland is collecting closers. Jeff Hollis was signed; he had 25 saves last season for Windsor and is slated to be a set-up man. Danny Leahy was Oakland's closer last season; he had 23 saves, and he is slotted to be a set-up man. Because Oakland signed Mark Patrick who had 14 saves for Altoona last season before losing his job to Parker Wilcott. Oakland signed Patrick for 3 years and just over 20 million.

[Sal, The Barber]

6 April 2003
Cheyenne, WY

The Cheyenne Cowboys finished their preseason schedule 16-8. Keystone combination Mike Beck and Carlos Campos had especially productive springs. Pitching-wise newcomer Ricardo Diaz, Paul Lyons, Lee Martin, and Kevin Funk threw very well.

Making the move north, in the Cheyenne bullpen, is Zak Brimmer. Brimmer is out of options and so will get an early crack at regular bullpen work. Brimmer's presence on the big league club means Juan Cabral and Stan Hogan, our only lefthanded relievers both will start at AAA. Also, Julio Garcia, Julio Sanchez, and Tim Fields will also start the season at AAA. All three of these guys are good enough to go north; there is just no room for them on the Cowboy roster. Gary Williams will also start the season in the minors, re-habing from last season's injury.

The major league bullpen features Mangoni, Funk, Flores, Martin, Gomez, Howard, and Brimmer. This is clearly the deepest part of the organization and the most talented.

The club did place 2 players among the Association's top 100 prospects. Eric Kelham an 18 year old 2B is ranked 21st. He was selected in last season's draft. 18 year old SS Dave Burton is ranked 31st; he too was selected in last season's draft. Two players among 100 prospects is a slim showing, and the Cowboys will have to strengthen their minor league system to keep a competitive ballclub on the field for years to come.

When asked about his expectations for the 2003 season, owner Matt Ellis said he was sure the club would play .500 ball. He added, "Come down to the park. We're looking forward to another exciting season."

[Sal, The Barber]

7 April 2003

Catcher: Will Byrd is just 22 years old. His best asset is his bat. He's a contact hitter who should hit for a high average--.293 last season. He does not have a lot of power. His bat, though, should continue to get better. His defense is fine, better than average actually, except for his arm, which is weak (rated 39 out of 100). What he gives up to our opponents' running game, we hope he can get back with the bat. That's the calculation made by management anyway. Byrd is a lefthanded hitter.

Randy Johnston is the club's wily veteran at 34 years old. He's not going to hit (.216 last season), but he's excellent behind the plate and has a very good arm (71/100). Johnston also has a little bit of power (15 HR last season), and he walks a lot. So he makes up for his low batting average by getting on base and hitting the occasional HR. Johnston is also a switch-hitter, making him a valuable pinch hitter.

These two make a very good platoon. The better player (Byrd) plays against righties (so more frequently), and Johnston spells Byrd every third game or so and against lefties.

We carried a third catcher, Alex Bryan, on the big club last season because we had no better bench options. Bryan was released this off-season.

First Base: Pedro Ibarra had a break-out season last year, hitting .323 with 22 HR and 97 RBI. He had an OPS of .926. Ibarra is a right handed hitter who finally got a full year of playing time and made the most of it. Ibarra was well-liked by former scout Phil Green, and Green recommended we trade for him. It took Ibarra a month to take the job outright, but he hasn't looked back. Ibarra is not the defensive first baseman Jim Thompson is, but Ibarra was in the running for a gold glove last season; he made just one error.

Jim Thompson is a left handed batter and a very good defensive first baseman. Thompson has power but doesn't hit for average as Ibarra does. Thompson and Ibarra both have good eyes at the plate and take walks. Ibarra, however, is the tougher out. Thompson, though, will hit the occasional 450 foot home run. Thompson filled in well for the injured Ibarra in the World Series, and Thompson remains our number one pinch hitter off the bench. Other teams frequently inquire as to Thompson's availability. Neither Ibarra nor Thompson is rated as a superstar, but each is a quality first baseman. We'll hold onto both of them for now. If we get a knock-our-socks-off offer, we'll listen. If one begins to decline, we'll make a move. But for now we'll carry both players on the major league roster. Ibarra is 30 years old; Thompson is 26.

Second Base: Last season was Carlos Campos' rookie year. He hit .293 and a surprising 17 HRs. Campos will hit, but he's not a big on-base guy. If he's going to get on, he's going to hit his way on. The fortunate thing for us is that he can do that. He not a great fielder, just an average one. And he's not a speed guy. Campos will play on the big club as long as he hits; he doesn't hurt you anywhere, but his bat is the only thing that really helps you.

Shortstop: Mike Beck is an all-field, no-hit shortstop. He won a gold glove last season, so he's proven his worth. Actually, for a while, Beck was hitting lead-off and doing a pretty good job of it. He doesn't hit for a high average--expect .240-.270. He doesn't really have an especially good eye either, yet he'll draw a walk or two when you need him to, and he can steal a base. Beck also seems to be developing a little more power; we see him hit a few more home runs lately. We thought of Beck as a guy who we could keep in the eighth spot of the lineup because he was so valuable defensively, but he's shown us he's not as limited as we wanted to make him out to be. Still, defense is his top priority, and he's got to field to keep his spot on the club.

Third Base: Kelly Judson took over the lead off spot in the order once he was acquired via trade. He's not really a lead off guy (he hits right handed). He's better suited to the second or third spot in the order, but we've got a few second or third guys and no leadoff guy. So. Judson gets on base--last year's OBP was .407. He can hit--last year's average was .319. He's a singles, doubles guy, but he chipped in 14 HRs last season. And he can steal--25 last season. He's an average fielder. He's also a good Canadian boy!

Left Field: Jesus Soto, our star. 38 HR, 100 RBI last season, and he hit .285. He was dominant in the playoffs, and he was only a rookie. Soto is a tough out, a great defender, and a basestealer. This guy has it all.

Center Field: John O'Flanagan has an injury history that makes us wince. Johnnie O is a good hitter, a good fielder, but an excellent basestealer. O'Flanagan will hit .300, add 20 HRs, and steal 20, if he stays healthy, something he hasn't yet been able to do. When healthy, Johnnie O bats third, in front of Soto. Add Ibarra in the 5th spot, and you've got as good a string of 3 hitters as there is in the Association. Johnnie O is a right handed hitter and would be perfectly suited to the number two spot in the order if he just batted left handed.

Right Field: Shawn Clark was reacquired before last season and missed half the year with an injury. He came back and was inserted right into the lineup; it took him a while to get going. Clark is a contact hitter with a good eye. He isn't a special player except defensively, but he's a solid one. Currently, he hits in the number two spot, and Terry Taylor likes to use Clark to hit and run. Clark isn't a fast runner, like Soto and O'Flanagan, but he, too, is an excellent basestealer and a good bunter. Clark just seems to do all the fundamental things well. We'll see if Clark was negatively affected by the injury, a ruptured Achilles; he is 27 years old. Clark has the best outfield arm on the club (rated 100/100) and won gold gloves in 2000 and 2001.

Outfield: Our fourth outfielder is Jesus Rivera. Rivera is a left handed hitting corner outfielder (although he's actually pretty good in center, too). He was acquired this past off-season. Rivera is a very good corner outfielder and a guy with a lot of power. He's a good baserunner, and a guy who gets quality at-bats. He'll walk and steal a base. He's 27 years old and may just push Shawn Clark for that right field job.

Carl Reed is our fifth outfielder. Reed earned his keep last season; he showed he can steal a base, hit a homer, and run down a ball in the outfield. Reed is right handed hitter who likes left handed pitching. Still, Reed is a marginal big league hitter with marginal power and a fairly undisciplined approach. Yet Reed is an excellent outfielder (he can play all 3 positions) and a fast and good baserunner; he's the ideal pinch runner for late in a game. And so he has value.

Utility Infielder: There's not much to say about Bernardo Vasquez. He doesn't play much, and he doesn't hit. But he can field at 3B, SS, and 2B. He'll be on the roster this season, but he'll probably be replaced next year by Cy Sanders, a guy with a little more going for him.

[Sal, The Barber]

Starting Rotation: Paul "The Lion" Lyons is our ace. He pitches a lot of innings--over 200 for 3 years in a row. He strikes out a lot of guys--at least 150 each of the last 3 years--even though his ERA crept up over 4.00 last season. He keeps you in games and reminds me a little of Jack Morris. Lyons was dominant in the post-season last year, recording an ERA of 2.08 and a WHIP of 0.81. Lyons always has a top strike out to walk ration; he rarely walks a batter.

Roy Horton had an even better year than Lyons. Horton has become durable, going longer in individual games and pitching more innings every year. His ERA and WHIP, too, have come down every season. He is just now entering his prime; he is 27 years old. He relies on a sinker and gets a ton of ground ball outs; he also rings up his share of K's.

Ben Koch is slotted to be our number three. He's our only southpaw. Koch had a lot of bad luck last year and ended with a lopsided W-L record (9-15). His ERA was just under 4.00, so he pitched better than his record. Yet he was inconsistent at times. Scouting Director Norm Rucker calls his stuff just average and projects him as a number four or five. Koch is inefficient; he wastes too many pitches. Still, we get a lot of trade inquiries for Koch. We're not sure what we'll get from him, and that's his biggest problem.

Ricardo Diaz was signed this off-season to a two year deal. He's a back of the rotation guy who eats innings. He's carried an ERA in the high 4's, but we think he can be better. If this guy pitches as well as we think he will for us--as a number four starter--credit Vaughan Webster, our pitching coach. Webster gets a lot out of his pitchers. Diaz is a control pitcher with good enough stuff. He is 35 years old, but he has been durable his whole career.

Jason Bryant will slot in as our fifth starter to begin the season. Bryant is just 24. We'd like to see him go deeper into games, but he's got good stuff. He gets into trouble by walking people. We expect an ERA in the mid 3's, but his WHIP has got to come down. He's got great movement on his pitches, but that's the problem; he can't always control what he's doing out there. Still, he'll be a solid number five--we want to keep the pressure off of him and let him develop.

Starting the year at AAA is the "Magic Man" John Cummings. Cummings had a unbelievable year last season. He pitched way over his head, finishing 15-4. He was also pretty damn decent in the post-season. His ERA last season was 3.33; his WHIP 1.27. Cummings doesn't go deep in games, and he walks too many. Yet the club produces when he's on the mound. Cummings was once a 5-star prospect, but now most scouts think he'll be a journeyman at best. We're not sure if he can pitch like he did last season, but if he is close, he'll serve as an injury replacement or a potential fifth starter.

Julio Garcia was acquired early last season from Wichita as a relief pitcher. He'll start the year in our AAA starting rotation. He started 31 games for Wichita in 2001 and ended with an ERA over 5.00. He has been effective in the bullpen, but he's struggled to hold onto a place on a major league club. This may be his chance to get back to the major leagues. He's got average everything--stuff, control, movement--so he won't be more than a backend guy. But he could be a very valuable insurance policy.

The Pen: Francis (Frankie) Howard is our closer. He's dominant. Expect an ERA under 2.50 and perhaps closer to 1.50. Expect strike outs. And Howard is not your run-of-the-mill sissy-boy closer; he can come in and get a 6-out save. He'll even go three innings for you if you need him to. He's racked up save totals of 36, 41, and 36 the last three years.

The set-up guys are Lee Martin and Basilio Mangoni. I know what you're thinking: these fine Italian motor cars require a lot of maintenance. Not the case with Mangoni. Mangoni likes to be left alone. He's got great sink on his stuff, so he gets a lot of ground ball outs. He's got good control, so he doesn't exacerbate situations when he comes into them. He just quietly gets hitters out. His ERA was 2.99 last year, and he even picked up 3 saves. Lee Martin throws high 90's; he has a good fastball, and he's a bulldog out there. You can't leave him out there very long, but you can usually count on him to get a couple of big outs.

Our best reliever may just be Javier Gomez. Rucker thinks Gomez will be a top of the rotation starter. Except that he hasn't yet cracked a starting rotation. But he does come in in the sixth or seventh inning when we need 6 or 9 outs. And he gets them. He's got plus pitches and great control. He threw 100 innings last year with an ERA right around 3.00. We tried to extend this guy's contract, but he wasn't much in the mood to negotiate. He thought our couple of offers were much too low and then broke off talks. We'll take another swing at them this off-season and then try to move him to the rotation. If we can't sign him, we'll have to trade him; he's got value. We got him in a trade for a solid relief guy and a prospect.

Our long man is Miguel Flores. Flores is a little better than average and can eat innings if we need him to. He made a couple of emergency starts for us last season, although he didn't fair too well, but he is versatile. His ERA last season was 5.15; he needs to be closer to his 2001 ERA, 3.82, to hold onto a place in our pen.

Kevin "Buddha" Funk was a potential closer. He's got good stuff but doesn't always have great control of it. Like Lee Martin, he's better in short stints. He's got a really good fastball and a solid curve, and he's only 23; he should get better.

Finally, Zak Brimmer holds down the mop-up role. He's out of options, so he'll start on the big league club. His best asset is his control. He worked as a closer at AA last season, and he's pitched effectively in the minors. We're not yet sure what we'll get from him, but we'll look for low-pressure situations for him to get his feet wet.

Gary Williams was an effective set-up guy for us last season. He even filled in as closer when Frankie Howard was tired. Williams is recovering from ulner collateral ligament damage, so he'll start the year in AAA. We'd like to see what he's got, but he's a big league option if someone on the big club falters.

Also in the minors are lefty Juan Cabral and righty Julio Sanchez who also pitched at the major league level last season. Cabral struggled, but he's got an open invitation to step in and be our only lefty in the pen; he just hasn't yet done it. Sanchez pitched well last year, moving from AA to AAA to the big club. He's not projected to be any better than an average pitcher, but if others falter, he'll get a chance.

And, finally, the two guys we picked up on waivers from Cincinnati, Tim Fields and Stan Hogan. Hogan is a lefty who is working as our closer at AAA. He's a big guy with good control. We're desperate for a lefty in the pen; maybe he can be it. Fields has been demoted to AA, but Rucker still considers him a top prospect. He has major league experience. Good movement and excellent control. He's an option, giving us lots of bullpen depth.

[Sal, The Barber]

8 April 2003
Cheyenne, WY

The Cowboys opened the season in style today, beating up the Hollywood Stars 6-3. Jesus Soto started the year with a 3-run HR. He finished the day 3-4. Kelly Judson also collected 3 hits. Mike Beck and John O'Flanagan had two. Among Beck's two hits was a solo HR.

Paul Lyons started the game and went 6 innings. He struck out 11 Stars. Miguel Flores and Lee Martin finished up for the Cowboys.

Not all was rosy for Cheyenne, however; they left nine runners on base and left four players in scoring position with less than 2 outs. That was the bugga-boo that caught them in last season's playoffs. Looks like it is still dogging them.

[Sal, The Barber]

10 April 2003
Cheyenne, WY

This Cowboy offense appears to be sending an early-season message that it's something special. Today, the Cowboys fell behind the Topeka Owls 6-2, but then they came to bat in the bottom of the 7th. Here's the kind of damage this offense can do.

Kelly Judson led off with a walk. Carlos Campos was in the number two spot today with a left handed starter on the mound for Topeka. He hit a 2-run HR. Jesus Soto followed with a home run of his own, his 4th in three games. Cheyenne had crawled back to within a run.

But there were no outs, so why stop there? John O'Flanagan doubled. Jim Thompson made the first out with a pop up. Jesus Rivera, who had come on as a pinch hitter earlier in the game, doubled, his first hit for the Cowboys and first RBI. That was all Cheyenne got, but it was enough to tie the score.

The Cowboys added 2 more runs in the bottom of the eighth, and Frankie Howard came on for the save. 8-6 Cheyenne victory. The two runs in the eighth were gifts essentially from Topeka. There was an error, a Judson double (scoring run number one) and a couple of wild pitches (scoring run number two). But Cheyenne had put itself in position to win the game with the 4-run seventh. It might be a long year for Western League teams if a 4-run lead isn't safe with 3 innings to play in Cheyenne. And that means it could be a very special year for the Cowboys!