Orcin's Story

[Orcin]

2001 Mid-Season Recap: Louisville Colonels
(courtesy of cbatraderumors.com)

Colonels’ owner Henry Cooper entrusted the day-to-day management of the team to his son Gordon after last season’s one-and-done playoff appearance. The new CEO raised a few eyebrows when he appointed a young MBA barely out of college to take over the GM position from Shawn Harrison. New GM Otto Orcin wasted no time in orchestrating an extreme makeover for the team in the off-season. The series of moves have paid off so far with the best record in the Federal League. Three of these decisions stand out as game changers for the Colonels.

• Fired the existing team personnel and hired manager Chad Byrne, a proven winner that knows how to get a team into the post-season. Byrne’s new coaching staff has improved the team defense and handled the bullpen well.

• Traded overpaid veteran SP Adam Burleigh to Providence for young outfielders Terrence Banks and Hugh McGlone. Banks made the All-Star team and McGlone posted big first-half stats. The budget surplus was wisely re-invested in star free agent pitcher Alfredo Gonzalez to replace Burleigh.

• Traded closer Matt Head and two other fringe players for C Julio Martinez and 1B Chris Brown. Again, the acquired players significantly upgraded the lineup and Head was successfully replaced with internal options and street free agents.

It should also be noted that GM Orcin has assembled the Federal League’s top bullpen out of youngsters and spare parts after trading Head. Another solid move was sending overpaid middle reliever Josh Atkins to Cincinnati for lefty setup man Ricardo Melendez.

The young wizard has the Colonels way out in front in the Midwest Division race. The true validation of his methods may come in the post-season, where the franchise has seen very little success in its twenty-year history.

[Orcin]

July 11, 2001

The All-Star Game brings all of the key executives together in mid-season with the trade deadline looming in the near future. Many discussions start there and continue through the end of the month. My conversations all start with the same name: Alfredo Gonzalez. Is he really available? Everybody needs pitching.

Bill Carter is the GM of the New York Monarchs. He is 61 years old and we really don’t have a lot in common. The guy lives in the past and relies on the wisdom of a bunch of tobacco-chewing rednecks for his baseball decisions. He doesn’t have much respect for a 26-year-old Bill James disciple like me. Frankly, I didn’t have much respect for his way either until I hired Fernando Candelaria and realized how valuable the advice of a good scout could be. But I digress. The point is that Bill Carter and I don’t have a relationship.

So I was quite surprised when Carter called to invite me to dinner on Wednesday night. We barely had our salads when Bill got right to the point. He started with a little history lesson, which he assumed to be necessary for a young greenhorn. I already knew all of this information of course, but I didn’t want to offend him so I let him spin his yarn.

Carter took over as GM of the Monarchs prior to the 1998 season. His first three years were losing seasons, but the team improved a little each year. Alfredo Gonzalez was New York’s best pitcher in 1998-99, but that is not saying much. Gonzalez was a combined 19-33 with a 3.98 ERA during the final two years of a 7-year, $112 million contract. Carter played hardball with the 36-year-old prior to the 2000 season, and signed him to a one-year deal at $4.5 million. It was a hometown discount from a player that had been with one team for his entire career and desperately wanted to retire there.

Gonzalez resented the heavy-handed negotiations and turned the tables after a 15-13 season in 2000, refusing all extension offers from New York. He became a free agent for 2001 and Louisville won the bidding war for his services at $9 million. Carter didn’t see a big problem because he had gotten the milestones (200 wins, 3,000 Ks) already and the Monarchs didn’t figure to be a contender. He was fooled when his young team jumped out to a 53-35 start, and he suddenly realized that he might be one pitcher away from a playoff berth. And thus here we are, talking about his old friend Gonzalez.

I may be young, but I understand how to deal with people. I value my credibility, so I had to be straight with Carter. I told him the truth. “Bill, I have been offered a lot for Gonzalez, and believe me it has been tempting to move him. But we continue to play well and I have to consider the opportunity to win a championship this year as the #1 goal. Therefore, I have decided to keep Gonzalez. I would really regret trading him if we have an injury to a starter and we lose a playoff series because of weak pitching.”

Carter seemed to appreciate the honesty but he couldn’t resist one last attempt over dessert. “It’s too bad Gonzalez is not available”, Carter said. “I was ready to part with Bland.” I tried hard not to choke on my crème brûlée.

Catcher Duncan Bland is the #12 prospect in the CBA and has “can’t miss” stenciled all over him. Candelaria drools at the mere mention of his name and gives him a five-star potential rating. Bland was the Monarch’s #1 draft pick in 1998 out of high school. He is 21 years old and currently playing at AAA, where his stat line is .312/.382/.465. He was the all-star catcher for his AAA league. He is a good defensive catcher with a strong arm. He is durable and has enough speed to steal a few bases. He is smart with a high work ethic, and is viewed as a team leader with strong loyalty. Financially, he has zero major league service time and is not on the 40-man roster.

“That’s a great offer, Bill, but it would take more than Bland to make me part with Gonzalez right now. I am not just negotiating. I really don’t think I can trade Gonzalez.”

Carter nodded as he paid the check. “I understand. Just do me one favor… if you change your mind between now and July 31; please call me first to see what else I could include in a package with Bland. We want Gonzalez and we will beat any offer.”

I went back to my office instead of going home. I wanted to look over those scouting reports on the Monarchs minor league system. I was just curious, of course. I have no intention of trading Gonzalez.

Otto Orcin

[Orcin]

July 16, 2001

Subject: Week 15 Notes

Record: 60-33 .645, - GB
Position: 1st place (12.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 455 – 3rd in Federal
Runs Allowed: 338 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .708 – 3rd in Federal
Power Ranking: 117.1 (3rd in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 88/100


• Last week (2-2): 1-1 vs. New York, 1-1 at New York
• The Patriot League defeated the Federal League 6-2 in the CBA All-Star Game. Banks started in LF and was 0-3. Martinez entered the game in the 7th inning and was 0-1 at the plate. Amazingly, Fletcher did not appear in the game. (That was good news for me. He didn’t get hurt and can start our first game out of the break.)
• Ricardo Martinez threw eight innings of shutout ball at New York to earn his 10th win and a PotD. Mike MacIntosh pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.
• All-Star shortstop Raul Martinez was injured in a collision at second base on Sunday. The diagnosis is pending.
• Indianapolis fired their hitting coach, Ben Blair. I hear that Blair wants a manager job. I am hoping that he is still around at the end of the minor league season. I would like to see him managing at AAA Lexington.
• This week: 3 at Salt Lake City (58-36), 3 at Indianapolis (30-62)

[Orcin]

July 17, 2001 (BNN)

Subject: Raúl Martínez Gets Diagnosis; Out 3 Weeks

Raúl Martínez will have to wait a while longer. The Louisville shortstop was informed this afternoon that he will miss another 3 weeks with a torn ligament in his thumb. The injury has kept him off the field since 07/15/2001. Though Martínez had hoped to return soon, he has no choice but to be patient. "Gotta stay focused," he said. "Gotta stay positive." On the year Martínez has hit .260 with 16 HRs, 48 RBIs and scored 51 runs.

Louisville management revealed their plans for a temporary infield alignment earlier today. Rodney Wright will move from second base to shortstop. Juan Aponte will move from third base to second, and Juan Mejia will play third. Infielder Russell Bennett will be called up from AAA to replace Martínez on the active roster. Bennett, a switch-hitter, plays all three infield positions and will see some playing time against right-handers.

**********

This story wasn’t twenty minutes old when my lovely assistant, Jennifer, informed me that Bill Carter of the New York Monarchs was on the phone. Carter got right to the point as usual, and the topic was a trade for Alfredo Gonzalez. “Orcin, I hear you need a middle infielder. How about Mariano Gonzalez, could he help you?”

Mariano “Bloody” Gonzalez, a 21-year-old infielder who bats left and throws right, was discovered in Cuba last November by the Monarchs and signed to a minor league deal. He was the #28 prospect in the CBA going into spring training. Fernando Candelaria rates his potential at 4.5 stars and says, “It’s easy to dream on this kid. Makes the game look easy, and should have a long career ahead. He is an above average contact hitter with tremendous raw power, a solid eye, and plus-plus speed. His range and glove are great. His only flaw is a mediocre arm that makes him better suited for second base.” Gonzalez was rushed to the major league roster after only 24 games in AAA. He has hit .217 in limited play and our view is that he should still be at AAA for seasoning this year.

“Gonzalez is a great prospect, Bill, and he would certainly be an attractive short-term option as a backup infielder while Martinez heals up. But we have Bennett and Martinez will only be out for a few weeks. Besides, I would prefer Bland.”

“Oh, you don’t understand, Orcin… I am offering you Gonzalez AND Bland for your pitcher.”

There was a long pause while I mopped up the espresso I just spilled all over my desk. “Bill, I have to think that one over. I’ll get back to you.”

I hung up the phone and called manager Chad Byrne. I asked Byrne to start Ron Sims tonight instead of Ed Gibson. “We need to see if Sims has made any progress.” Byrne had no problem with the idea because Gibson has been slumping a bit anyway.

[Orcin]

July 17, 2001 (BNN-Late Edition)

Subject: Perfect Game for Sims!

The Louisville Colonels celebrated and piled on top of Ron Sims after he recorded the final out of a perfect game against the Salt Lake City Bees. Sims kept the Salt Lake City offense guessing all day long and with some help from a few spectacular plays behind him, etched his name into the record books with the 7-0 shutout. It was only the second perfect game in CBA history.

"His breaking pitches had more movement than I've ever seen from Ron," the Louisville catcher said in the postgame interview. "He made my job easy. I just gave him the target and he hit it. Simple as that. I almost didn't have to move my glove, he was so good."

For the game the 24-year-old hurler retired all 27 batters he faced and fanned 7 of them. Sims walked none and (obviously) nobody got on base. His record this year is 6-4 in 10 starts and he has a 4.75 ERA.



I passed our manager, Chad Byrne, in the locker room after the game. He gave me a sly grin and said, “Good call.”


**********
I happened to be managing this game because I wanted to observe Sims pitch. It is my first no-hitter, much less perfect game, as an in-game manager in OOTP. I was really nervous in the late innings and afraid that I was jinxing it by rooting for it. I kept knocking on wood after every batter.

What a great story this makes. I couldn’t write a better script! Is this an omen? Is the game telling me to make the Gonzalez trade so Sims can pitch? Am I in need of an intervention?

[MizzouRah]

Nice!

[Orcin]

July 20, 2001 (BNN)

Subject: Campbell Tags Number 300

It was a great day for Silas Campbell, but not a good one for his Louisville Colonels. The 33-year-old left fielder reached a personal milestone with his 300th career homer, but it wasn't enough to beat the Indianapolis Indians, who came away with a 6-5 victory. Campbell finished the day with 3 hits, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored.

"Well, I've conceded the fact that you can't will yourself to hit a home run," he said. "I tried hard for the last few days. It was getting to be embarrassing with the crowd standing up every time I came to the plate."

Campbell was drafted by Louisville out of Central Florida as the 23rd overall pick in 1989. Over his ten-year career with the Colonels, Campbell has batted .276 and holds the Louisville career records for games (1231), at bats (4514), runs (757), hits (1244), home runs (300), RBIs (786), and total bases (2351).

[blazertaz13]

Originally Posted by Orcin

July 17, 2001 (BNN-Late Edition)

Subject: Perfect Game for Sims!

The Louisville Colonels celebrated and piled on top of Ron Sims after he recorded the final out of a perfect game against the Salt Lake City Bees. Sims kept the Salt Lake City offense guessing all day long and with some help from a few spectacular plays behind him, etched his name into the record books with the 7-0 shutout. It was only the second perfect game in CBA history.

"His breaking pitches had more movement than I've ever seen from Ron," the Louisville catcher said in the postgame interview. "He made my job easy. I just gave him the target and he hit it. Simple as that. I almost didn't have to move my glove, he was so good."

For the game the 24-year-old hurler retired all 27 batters he faced and fanned 7 of them. Sims walked none and (obviously) nobody got on base. His record this year is 6-4 in 10 starts and he has a 4.75 ERA.



I passed our manager, Chad Byrne, in the locker room after the game. He gave me a sly grin and said, “Good call.”


**********
I happened to be managing this game because I wanted to observe Sims pitch. It is my first no-hitter, much less perfect game, as an in-game manager in OOTP. I was really nervous in the late innings and afraid that I was jinxing it by rooting for it. I kept knocking on wood after every batter.

What a great story this makes. I couldn’t write a better script! Is this an omen? Is the game telling me to make the Gonzalez trade so Sims can pitch? Am I in need of an intervention?

Congrats, I have yet to in game manage a no hitter or perfect game in either this or the other game. So now the question you have to ask yourself is do you make that tempting trade with New York.

[Orcin]

July 23, 2001

Subject: Week 16 Notes

Record: 64-35 .646, - GB
Position: 1st place (13.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 482 – 3rd in Federal
Runs Allowed: 351 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .711 – 2nd in Federal
Power Ranking: 117.4 (4th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 87/100


• Last week (4-2): 3-0 at Salt Lake City, 1-2 at Indianapolis
• Attendance is 99.34% of capacity despite our ticket prices being 10% over the league average, so I refuse to worry about the gradual decline in fan interest.
• I offered a long-term contract to Terrence Banks. He is possibly eligible for “super-2” arbitration and I can’t take that chance with the year he is having. The offer will buy out his arbitration eligibility at a bargain price.
• CF Hugh McGlone returned to the lineup on Thursday. RF Jeff Moyle was sent back to Lexington (AAA) to make room on the roster.
• Manager Byrne has McGlone batting second again because he bats left and drives the ball into the gaps. Byrne likes a little pop in the second spot.
• That still leaves us without a decent leadoff hitter. Wright and Aponte are splitting the job right now but they both continue to struggle at the plate.
• Reliever Kelly Dean, injured in spring training, is finally recovered and was sent to AAA on a rehab assignment. There is no spot open for him in the bullpen at the moment and I hate to burn an option. I will delay his activation as long as possible.
• Ron Sims followed his perfect game with six strong innings against Indianapolis on Sunday, allowing one earned run on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.
• Jim Poole has made 18 starts at AAA. He is 11-3 with a 1.57 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.
• This week: 3 vs. Chicago (40-60), 3 at San Francisco (48-51)


You may be able to guess why news about Ron Sims and Jim Poole would make this update. Bill Carter continues to call and says he might be willing to include a third player as long as it is not a prospect. There are only a few teams with need that come close to New York’s package, but please don’t tell Carter. He thinks he has to beat somebody and they really want Gonzalez back. I am stalling because I want to see one more start from Sims.

[Jabez54]

TRADE ... Trade ... trade !!! ... this is from the mate who played this and the "other" Game ... LMAO ... shall we say PURESIM ...

[Jabez54]

The closest I ever gotten to, in the managing state, was a 1 hitter ... the bottom of the 9th ... 2 outs ... by my fifth starter, with a WHIP 1.75 ... he was only used to spell relief on a 5 man rotation, when the other 4 need a rest ... needless to say, my table was not being kind to my hand (ouched)

Congratulation, mate !!!

[Denny Lemaster]

Congrats on the perfecto!

[Orcin]

July 24, 2001 (BNN)

Subject: League Issues 10-Game Suspensions for Brawl

Júlio Martínez of the Louisville Colonels and Leonardo Valdés of the Chicago Cougars will be on the sidelines for a few days. They have been suspended 10 games apiece by the league office for causing the bench-emptying free-for-all at today’s game between the Colonels and Cougars at Colonels Field. Neither player had any comment about the suspensions. Both clubs told BNN that their players will begin serving the suspensions immediately.

The melee ensued in the ninth inning when Valdes hit Martinez with a pitch. It was the third Louisville batter plunked in the game by Chicago pitchers, and that was apparently one too many for Martinez. The severity of the suspensions is no doubt linked to the fact that Martinez carried the bat with him to the mound.

Louisville has not made a roster move yet, but the suspension to Martinez leaves them with only one catcher for an extended period of time. It would not be a surprise to see Jorge Costa called up from AAA Lexington where he is hitting .265 with 20 HR.

[Breckinridge]

Looks like Costa has some pop in his bat....20 homers at this stage of the season ain't bad at all.....but you know who else has some pop in his bat? That Bland kid in the Monarch's organization.......


Question: If you pull the trigger on the trade, who's going to break the news to Gonzalez that he's going back to the team that he might feel stiffed him and showed disrespect to him? There could be some hard feelings there.....or am I wrong, and he makes a triumphant return with a bigger salary than they were willing to give him? Maybe he'll hold a grudge against Mr. Orcin since no one likes being dealt from a first place club.....If Ol' Man Carter is right, you may get another look at Gonzalez from the other side of the equation......
(I know I'm reading stuff into this that you may not intend, but, hey, when I read sports in the papers, I make guesses about motivation until I find out the real story(if I ever truly find the truth)

I'm really, really enjoying this dynasty. Keep it up!

Regards,
Breck

[Orcin]

I expect Gonzalez will take the news like a pro. He is a veteran and it's a business. I think Gonzalez wants to retire in a Monarchs uniform and probably won't resent a trade there like he would to a different team.

But yeah, there could be some issues to resolve when arrives in New York. He and Carter may not be on the best of terms, but I'm sure that his teammates will welcome him back with open arms. That should ease the transition. Maybe Carter will open the wallet and sign him for next year as a way to mend fences.

Thanks for following along and posting your thoughts. It's great to see what people are thinking about the events as they unfold.

[Orcin]

July 27, 2001 (cbatraderumors.com)

Subject: Gonzalez on the Move?

CTR has learned that the Louisville Colonels will start perfect game pitcher Ron Sims tonight in San Francisco against the Seals instead of scheduled starter Alfredo Gonzalez. There is no report of an injury to Gonzalez, leading to speculation that a trade involving the veteran right-hander is imminent.

Gonzalez has been rumored to be available, although he is not officially listed on the “trading block”. The New York Monarchs are one of the teams linked to the speculation. New York has reportedly offered top catching prospect Duncan Bland for Gonzalez.

[Jabez54]

Wait ... didn't he stated at one time with this offer: "I am offering you Gonzalez AND Bland for your pitcher.”

[Orcin]

The website cbatraderumors.com doesn't get every fact correct. You can't believe everything you read on those Internet rumor sites.

[Orcin]

July 27, 2001

I learned a lesson from the reaction of Henry Cooper to the off-season firing of our manager and coaches. Management doesn’t like to be surprised and caught off guard by the media. So I had a brief meeting this afternoon with Gordon Cooper to go over the potential trade with New York. He gave his full blessing, understanding that it was a calculated gamble on this season in return for a potentially huge future reward.

The acquisition of Bland and infielder Gonzalez would make 2B Rodney Wright and C Julio Martinez expendable in the next couple of years if the young players develop as expected. This could really help balance the budget in 2003 when arbitration and free agency begins to squeeze our payroll.

I called Bill Carter back late in the afternoon, and told him that we have a deal on two conditions. One, we need to be happy with Ron Sims’ start tonight (mainly he needs to come out of it healthy). Two, the third player in the deal must be veteran left-handed starting pitcher Dan Clayton. You may recall that I almost claimed Clayton off waivers prior to the season. I want Clayton because he can be a fifth starter and he will probably be a Type-B free agent with the potential to yield a supplemental draft pick next year.

Carter seemed relieved by this demand and agreed at once. New York had Clayton on the trading block and Carter was planning to send him down to make room for Gonzalez anyway. Clayton makes the same salary as Gonzalez, so Carter will also not have to increase his payroll expenditures for the deal.

The stage is now set and the announcement will likely come tomorrow. I am bracing for the fan reaction to the trade of a popular player. We just lost three straight at home to a horrible Chicago team, so they are not in a good mood as it is.

Otto Orcin

P.S. Sims pitched six innings, allowing three runs, seven hits, no walks, and recorded 6 strikeouts in a 7-3 win over the Seals. We faxed the trade paperwork to the league office around midnight Central time.

[Jabez54]

LOVE it ... Having a continuing, solid all-around foundation mark a winning Organization ... your fan, from the 3rd base cheering section ...