Millennial League Baseball, est. 2001

[Questdog]

Saturday, September 30, 2006

P Mike Hollenbeck (24-R) was sent back to the Portland (AAA) roster and RP Bob Craig (28-R) and his sausage arm were recalled.

Jacksonville Jays (105-55 .656 18 GA in 1st place in the Southern Division) at
Richmond Robins (84-76 .525 21 GB in 3rd place in the Southern Division)

JAX: Tommy Keyser (27-L) (7-2 3.61 ERA 82.1 IP, 71 H, 11 HR, 17 BB, 41 SO)
RICH: Ken Kramer (28-R) (6-11 4.65 ERA 120 IP, 117 H, 14 HR, 49 BB, 77 SO)

Keyser gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts in 6 innings last time out, but we only scored 1 run and he took a loss at Orlando.

Kramer is 0-2 in 2 starts against the Jays this season with a 5.40 ERA. 13.1 IP, 10 H, 3 HR, 7 BB, 8 SO.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: RF Ray McDonald (26-L .290-576-16-86-.782-25 B+) MVP/Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
2: CF Cal Doty (29-L .298-561-12-62-.767-28 C+) Silver Slugger(04)/All-Star(3: 04-06)
3: LF Fernando Tello (24-L .314-398-10-48-.790-2 C)
4: 3B Tom McDowell (29-R .271-547-34-109-.858-25 C+) All-Star
5: 1B Jack Washburn (24-L .251-479-25-89-.831-26 B)
6: 2B Bart Daw (34-R .272-217-6-24-.735-12 A+)
7: SS Buddy Hendricks (27-R .260-219-0-13-.626-17 A)
8: C Bob Hutson (24-L .216-204-0-20-.644-0 B) RoY
9: P Tommy Keyser (27-R .296-27-0-5-.593-0 B)

RICHMOND
1: LF Dave Brooks (28-L .312-224-6-38-.786-9 D+) Silver Slugger(04)/All-Star(2: 04-05)
2: CF Jose Vazquez (34-R .320-643-2-62-.744-19 C+) All-Star(4: 01-03,06)/Gold Glove(2: 01-02)
3: 3B Vince Depew (26-L .332-602-11-92-.820-35 C) All-Star(2: 04-05)
4: 1B Gus Milam (38-R .205-298-8-28-.629-1 C+) All-Star(2: 01-02) Trade from Memphis June 7
5: RF Tim Dawson (30-R .281-552-7-61-.713-8 B+)
6: C Larry Slattery (30-R .288-267-6-34-.809-0 C)
7: SS Graham Carr (34-R .241-249-0-20-.595-1 B+)
8: 2B Bruce McArthur (29-L .258-423-10-55-.705-0 A) Gold Glove(3: 1B,02-04)
9: P Ken Kramer (28-R .211-38-0-2-.441-0 F)

Game Start: 2:05 PM
Ballpark: Griffith Stadium
Weather: 61 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 7 MPH wind blowing out to right
Attendance: 14,429

Top of the First
Ray McDonald beats out an infield hit! Cal Doty grounds a hit up the middle and McDonald beats the throw to 3rd! Fernando Tello grounds into a 1-4-3 double play and McDonald stays at 3rd.............. Tom McDowell swings at a 3-0 pitch and pops out to right......... Major bummer.......

Bottom of the First
Dave Brooks flies out to deep center. Jose Vazquez lines the first pitch to left for a hit... Vince Depew grounds a hit to right and Vazquez beats the throw to 3rd and Depew takes 2nd.... Gus Milam hits a home run to left.... 3 to 0, Robins. Tim Dawson pops out to left. Larry Slattery lines out to deep right.

Top of the Second
Jack Washburn lines a double to the right field corner! With 2 outs, Bob Hutson draws a walk. P Tommy Keyser takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4 to load the bases up! Ray McDonald lines one to deep right, but the defensively challenged Dave Brooks makes a miraculous diving catch.........

Bottom of the Third
Dave Brooks triples to left..... Jose Vazquez swings at the first pitch and lines out to center and Brooks tags up and scores. 4 to 0, Robins.

Top of the Fourth
Bart Daw grounds one to short, but 1B Gus Milam drops the throw for an error! Buddy Hendricks beats out an infield hit! Bob Hutson clears the bases with a double to left, but gets thrown out at 3rd... 4 to 2, Robins.

Top of the Fifth
Cal Doty doubles down the left field line and goes to 3rd on a wild pitch! With the infield in, Fernando Tello grounds out to 2nd and Doty holds... Tom McDowell draws a walk. Jack Washburn flies out to deep left and Doty trots home. 4 to 3, Robins.

Top of the Seventh
Ray McDonald and Cal Doty lead off with back to back hits and we have runners at the corners with no outs! Fernando Tello grounds one to 1st, but P Ken Kramer drops the toss for an error and McDonald scores! Tie Game: 4 to 4! Tom McDowell grounds the first pitch up the middle for a hit and Jose Vazquez, the 2-time Gold Glover, overruns the ball for an error and Doty scores! 5 to 4, Jays! They walk Jack Washburn intentionally to load the bases up with no outs. That does it for P Ken Kramer. New Pitcher: Guy Goodman (22-R), who faced 1 batter yesterday and got an out. Bart Daw strikes out... Buddy Hendricks grounds into a force at home, 6-2... Bob Hutson strikes out......

Bottom of the Eighth
PH Ivan Moreno (35-L), 1 for 5 with a run and an RBI yesterday, lines a hit to left... The Bullpen gets up. Dave Brooks lines a 3-0 pitch to center for a hit and Moreno beats the throw to 3rd.... Jose Vazquez grounds one to 3rd, but Tom McDowell boots it and Moreno scores... Tie Game: 5 to 5. Call to the Bullpen: Ron Thurgood (22-L). They pull off a double steal.......... Vince Depew strikes out! We walk Gus Milam intentionally to load the bases up with 1 out for a wild pitcher........ Tim Dawson grounds into a force at home, 6-2! Larry Slattery fouls out to the catcher! P Ron Thurgood is now definitely our closer!

Top of the Ninth
New Pitcher: Benny Martineau (35-L), their 3-time All-Star and 2-time Fireman Trophy winning closer, who is 6-5 with an MLB leading 40 SV and a 1.70 ERA in 79.1 IP with and 0.98 WHIP and 86 SO. PH Brian Bowden (29-R), still nursing his hamstring, swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses.... Tom McDowell doubles high off the wall in right center! PH Dickie Stemen (31-R) grounds a double over the 3rd base bag and McDowell scores! 6 to 5, Jays! Bart Daw plunks one and is out, 2-3, and Stemen goes to 3rd. They walk Buddy Hendricks intentionally. PH Greg Walker (24-S) clears the bases with a double lined down the left field line!! 8 to 5, Jays! P Ron Thurgood gets his first MLB at bat and he grounds out to short.

P Ron Thurgood retires the side in order in the bottom of the 9th!

Won - 8 to 5

We had 13 hits and made 1 error
Richmond had 8 hits and made 3 errors

Tommy Keyser went 7 innings, allowed 5 runs, 8 hits, 1 home run, no walks and struck out 1. At bat, he drew a walk.
LHP Ron Thurgood (W 5-1) pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 walk (INT) and struck out 1.

Ken Kramer went 6 innings, gave us 5 runs (3 earned), 10 hits, 4 walks (1 INT) and struck out 1. He threw a WP.
LHP Benny Martineau (L 6-6) went 1 inning, gave us 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk (INT) and struck out 1. His 2nd loss to the Jays this year!

RF Ray McDonald had 2 hits and scored a run. CF/LF Cal Doty had 3 hits with a double and scored 2 runs. 3B Tom McDowell had 3 hits with a double and a walk, scored a run and had RBI #110. 1B Jack Washburn hit a double, drew a walk (INT) and had an RBI. PH/CF Dickie Stemen hit a double, scored a run and had an RBI. SS Buddy Hendricks had a hit and a walk (INT) and scored 2 runs. C Bob Hutson hit a double, drew a walk and had 2 RBI. PH Greg Walker hit a double and had 2 RBI.

For Richmond, 1B Gus Milam hit his 9th home run (3rd against the Jays), drew a walk (INT) and had 3 RBI.

[Questdog]

Sunday, October 1, 2006

The final game of the regular season!

Jacksonville Jays (106-55 .658 18 GA in 1st place in the Southern Division) at
Richmond Robins (84-77 .522 22 GB in 3rd place in the Southern Division)

JAX: Jim Baucom (25-L) (22-8 1.66 ERA 270.1 IP, 163 H, 16 HR, 55 BB, 295 SO) Ace(04)/Hurler(04)/All-Star(5: 02-06)
RICH: Steve Weston (30-L) (14-12 3.51 ERA 246 IP, 222 H, 17 HR, 108 BB, 178 SO) All-Star(3: 01-02,06)/Silver Slugger(02)

Baucom gave up 1 run on 5 hits, 1 home run and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts in 8 innings last time out, but we were shut out and he took a loss at Orlando. He is 2-4 in his last 6 starts. For those of you who think I ought to be sitting him and saving him for the 1st game of the Millennial Cup, answer me this: since he can only make 2 starts in the Cup, regardless, without pitching on short rest, what does it matter if it is Games 1 and 5 or Games 3 and 7? Of course, starting Game 1 means the series is more likely to still be going when his 2nd start comes up, but I will be very happy if it goes 7 games and Baucom can start the finale. One of these years, we will start him in Game 1 and then pitch him on short rest twice and get him in 3 games! And I just jinxed us for every getting back to the Cup..... And he needs to put some meat on his bones in order to do that....

Weston is 2-1 in 3 starts against the Jays this season with a 3.68 ERA. 22 IP, 19 H, 3 HR, 5 BB, 18 SO. He 3-0 in his last 4 starts and has not allowed more than 2 runs in any of them.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: RF Ray McDonald (26-L .291-581-16-86-.782-25 B+) MVP/Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
2: SS Buddy Hendricks (27-R .260-223-0-13-.626-17 A)
3: LF Cal Doty (29-L .300-566-12-62-.772-28 A) Silver Slugger(04)/All-Star(3: 04-06)
4: 3B Tom McDowell (29-R .274-551-34-110-.865-25 C+) All-Star
5: 2B Bart Daw (34-R .266-222-6-24-.719-12 A+)
6: CF Dickie Stemen (31-R .219-151-4-23-.582-0 C+)
7: 1B Jack Washburn (24-L .252-481-25-90-.834-26 B)
8: C Don Kern (29-R .229-284-7-38-.659-3 B+)
9: P Jim Baucom (25-L .172-87-0-7-.409-0 C) Ace(04)/Hurler(04)/All-Star(5: 02-06)

RICHMOND
1: 1B Doug Sievers (23-L .264-364-9-50-.740-22 B+) Rookie
2: CF Jose Vazquez (34-R .322-646-2-64-.746-20 C+) All-Star(4: 01-03,06)/Gold Glove(2: 01-02)
3: 3B Vince Depew (26-L .332-606-11-92-.818-36 C) All-Star(2: 04-05)
4: LF Ivan Moreno (35-L .267-536-19-85-.757-1 C) Silver Slugger(RF-02)/All-Star(3: 02-04)
5: SS Carlos Frias (25-R .232-501-11-66-.646-1 B)
6: RF Tim Dawson (30-R .279-556-7-61-.708-8 B+)
7: C Sandy Sanchez (29-S .244-270-2-22-.633-0 C+)
8: 2B Graham Carr (34-R .237-253-0-20-.586-1 A+)
9: P Steve Weston (30-L .225-71-0-5-.529-0 F) All-Star(3: 01-02,06)/Silver Slugger(02)

Game Start: 2:05 PM
Ballpark: Griffith Stadium
Weather: 66 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing right to left
Attendance: 15,050

Top of the First
Ray McDonald swings at the first pitch and grounds out to short. Buddy Hendricks swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to 2nd. Cal Doty swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses............

Bottom of the First
Doug Sievers strikes out looking for #296 by P Jim Baucom! Jose Vazquez grounds out to 3rd. Vince Depew strikes out on 3 pitches for #297! 1-2-3!

We send 9 batters to the plate in the first 3 innings... We got a walk from Jack Washburn, but Manny, in another one of his brilliant moments had P Jim Baucom swing away with 1 out and he grounded into double play....

Bottom of the Fourth
With 2 outs, Ivan Moreno strikes out on 3 pitches for #300 on the season for P Jim Baucom!

We have 1 hit through 5 innings.........

Bottom of the Fifth
Carlos Frias draws a walk... With 1 out, Sandy Sanchez grounds a 3-2 pitch up the middle for a hit and Frias goes to 3rd... Graham Carr strikes out! P Steve Weston, a Silver Slugger, grounds out to 2nd!

Bottom of the Seventh
With 1 out, Tim Dawson lines the first pitch to left for a hit... Sandy Sanchez lines a hit to center and Dawson beats the throw to 3rd... The Bullpen gets up. Graham Carr swings at a 3-2 pitch and flies out to deep left and Dawson tags up and scores... 1 to 0, Robins.

Top of the Eighth
With 2 outs, PH Greg Walker (24-S) takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Ray McDonald takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Buddy Hendricks lines a hit to center and Walker heads home, but Jose Vazquez throws him out.....................................

Top of the Ninth
P Steve Weston is at 129 pitches. 3-4-5 up for us. Cal Doty grounds out to the pitcher...... Tom McDowell strikes out......... Bart Daw grounds out to 3rd.....

Lost - 1 to 0

There is your preview of the Millennial Cup with us having to go up against all those lefties............

We finish the season series with Richmond 9-5.
2nd straight year we have won it.
We were 8-6 last season.

We had 3 whole hits (all singles) and made no errors
Richmond had 5 hits (all singles) and made 1 error

Jim Baucom (L 22-9) went 7 innings, allowed 1 run, 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 8. 2nd straight game we have been shut out when he started.... He finishes the season 2-5 in his last 7 starts.... We scored 4 total runs in his 5 losses........
LHP Ron Thurgood went 1 scoreless inning and walked 1.

Steve Weston (W 15-12) pitched 9 shutout innings (CG), gave us 3 hits, 4 walks (1 INT) and struck out 10. 138 pitches. His 3rd shutout of the season and 13th of his career. Game Score of 87, the highest by an opposing pitcher this season.

RF Ray McDonald had a hit and a walk. PH Greg Walker drew a walk, but got thrown out at home....

[Questdog]

October 2, 2006

Monday Morning Report
Player of the Week - Jose Castillo, LF, Louisville (24-S .324/.387/.507) Had 12 hits with 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 2 SO, 7 R and 11 RBI in 7 G (5 GS) (2nd PoW of season and career)

(Slash lines are for the season, not the week)

Editor's Note: As is the custom, OOTP would not pick a PoW for the final week of the season, so I did it myself.

September 25 - Juan Ledesma (34-R) of Indianapolis pitched a 3 hit shutout at Syracuse. He walked 1 and struck out no one. It is his 1st shutout of the season and 17th of his career. He is now 7-11 with a 3.90 ERA in 28 starts. The Arrows won, 6 to 0.
September 25 - Rookie Jose Porchas (23-R) of Ottawa pitched a 3 hit shutout at Buffalo. He walked 2, hit a batter and struck out 7. It is his 3rd shutout of the season and of his career. He is now 11-16 with a 3.22 ERA in 34 starts. The Otters won, 2 to 0.
September 26 - 3B Floyd Shawn (29-R) of Columbus went 5 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI at Providence. The Explorers won, 8 to 4.
September 27 - CF Mike Fox (27-L) of Louisville hit 2 home runs and had 5 RBI at Richmond. The Colonels won, 10 to 5.
September 27 - LF Jorge Moreida (27-L) of Columbus went 5 for 5 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs and scored 4 runs at Providence. The Explorers won, 9 to 7.
September 27 - Jim Riggs (36-R) of Birmingham allowed 12 hits, but still managed pitch a shutout at home versus Memphis. He did not walk a batter and struck out 5. It is his 1st shutout of the season and 14th of his career. He is now 9-12 with a 3.62 ERA in 28 starts. The Barons won, 3 to 0.
September 29 - Buffalo outhit Indianapolis, 9 to 3, at home, but lost, 4 to 1. All 3 of the hits were singles. The Bombers did not make and error, but issued 7 walks. But the Arrows made an error an issued 4 walks. It is the 10th win in a row for Indianapolis, who had the worst record in the MLB before the streak started.
September 29 - LF Jose Castillo (24-S) of Louisville hit 3 doubles and drew a walk, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBI at Birmingham. The Colonels won, 11 to 6.
October 1 - Rookie Mike Rossini (23-R) of Charlotte pitched a 4 hit shutout at Orlando. He did not walk a batter and struck out 3. At bat, he had a hit and a walk. It is his 3rd shutout of the season and his career. He is now 15-10 with a 3.19 ERA in 33 starts. The Hornets won, 1 to 0, and only had 4 hits themselves.
October 1 - LF Jose Castillo (24-S) of Louisville had 3 hits with 2 home runs and a walk, scored 4 runs and had 4 RBI at Birmingham. 1B Ron Lerche had 4 hits with a double, scored 2 runs and had 4 RBI. The Colonels won, 17 to 5.
October 1 - Jack Brown (30-R) of New Orleans pitched a 3 hit shutout at Memphis. He walked 3 and struck out 8. At bat, he had 2 hits and scored a run. It is his 2nd shutout of the season and 12th of his career. He is now 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA in 30 starts. The Pelicans won, 11 to 0, and had 18 hits.

P.S. I forgot to post the Players of the Month for September at the proper time, so here they are now:

Monthly Awards for September, 2006
Player of the Month: Ray Dallas, 3b, Hartford (24-R) .495/.513/.664 107 AB, 53 H (!!!!), 16 2B (!!!!!), 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS, 16 R, 16 RBI in 27 G (2nd PoM this year)
Pitcher of the Month: Bil Stewart, rhp, Hartford (35-R) 4-0 0.92 ERA 6 SV, 14 G, 19.2 IP, 12 H, 0 HR, 7 BB, 14 SO Waiver claim fro Richmond August 20
Rookie of the Month: Jose Porchas, rhp, Ottawa (23-R) 3-1 1.88 ERA 1 ShO 6 GS, 48 IP, 32 H, 3 HR, 18 BB, 33 SO

Monthly Awards for August, 2006
Player of the Month: Vince Depew, 3b, Richmond (26-L) .439/.466/.626 107 AB, 4 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 7 BB, 6 SO, 7 SB, 5 CS, 13 R, 23 RBI in 27 G (25 GS)
Pitcher of the Month: Del Warwick, lhp, Jacksonville (31-L) 5-1 0.52 ERA 3 ShO 6 GS, 52 IP, 32 H, 2 HR, 9 BB, 32 SO (2nd career PoM)
Rookie of the Month: Mike Rossini, rhp, Charlotte (23-R) 4-1 1.43 ERA 0 ShO 6 GS, 44 IP, 31 H, 0 HR, 9 BB, 27 SO

Monthly Awards for July, 2006
Player of the Month: Tom Walker, cf, Rochester (26-R) .323/.404/.545 99 AB, 4 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 13 BB, 10 SO, 8 SB, 1 CS, 17 R, 25 RBI in 25 G
Pitcher of the Month: Jim Baucom, lhp, Jacksonville (25-L) 5-0 1.41 ERA 1 ShO 6 GS, 51 IP, 26 H, 2 HR, 11 BB, 56 SO Should have been 6-0... (7th career PoM)
Rookie of the Month: Ken Fall, lhp, Syracuse (26-L) 4-0 2.18 ERA 0 ShO 5 GS, 33 IP, 31 H, 3 HR, 10 BB, 17 SO

Monthly Awards for June, 2006
Player of the Month: Glenn Benoit, 2b, Hartford (24-R) .340/.404/.649 97 AB, 9 2B, 0 3B, 7 HR, 11 BB, 14 SO, 2 SB, 1 CS, 17 R, 21 RBI in 26 G (25 GS)
Pitcher of the Month: Dave Barker, rhp, Rochester (30-R) 5-1 0.95 ERA 5 SV 12 G, 19 IP, 13 H, 0 HR, 6 BB, 12 SO
Rookie of the Month: Dave Barker, rhp, Rochester (30-R)

Monthly Awards for May, 2006
Player of the Month: Jose Castillo, rf, Louisville (24-S) .377/.408/.675 114 AB, 7 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 6 BB, 7 SO, 4 SB, 0 CS, 19 R, 19 RBI in 27 G
Pitcher of the Month: Larry Thornton, lhp, Rochester (25-L) 5-1 1.53 ERA 6 GS, 1 ShO, 47 IP, 35 H, 1 HR, 6 BB, 47 SO (2nd career PoM)
Rookie of the Month: Jack Klaustermeier, rhp, Buffalo (26-R) 4-1 1.03 ERA 6 G, 4 GS, 1 ShO, 35 IP, 23 H, 3 HR, 10 BB, 24 SO)

Monthly Awards for April, 2006
Player of the Month: Ray Dallas, 3b, Hartford (24-R) .400/.436/.611 95 AB, 11 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS, 19 R, 16 RBI in 24 G (23 GS)
Pitcher of the Month: Jim Baucom, lhp, Jacksonville (24-L) 6-0 0.89 ERA 6 GS, 3 ShO, 50.1 IP, 24 H, 2 HR, 12 BB, 47 SO (6th career PoM)
Rookie of the Month: Mike Baugher, lhp, Rochester (21-L) 4-0 0.63 ERA 4 SV, 10 G, 14.1 IP, 5 H, 1 HR, 7 BB, 8 SO)

[Questdog]

There are no ties in the MLB. 1st tiebreaker is head to head record, 2nd is record within the division, 3rd is run differential, 4th is record versus the division champion and 5th is run differential in head to head games.

The tie between Hartford and Columbus was broken by the head to head record, with Hartford going 8-6.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

The Millennial Cup

Rochester Roosters (96-66 .593 4 GA Champions of the Northern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (106-56 .654 18 GA Champions of the Southern Division)

The season series was split 4-4.
It is the first appearance in the Cup for the Roosters.
It is the 3rd straight appearance for the Jays, though they have yet to win one.
Third time is the charm?

The Otters have 2 players on the DL, both closers: RP Arturo Alejandro (34-R), who the Roosters signed as a free agent from Richmond. He was 1-2 with 7 SV and a 2.88 ERA in 25 IP through May 23, when he tore a flexor tendon. He was Plan A. Plan B was Izzy Gomez (33-L), who was 2-0 with 7 SV and and did not allow a run in 27 IP until he tore his labrum on June 8.

The Jays have 2 players on the DL, though only one of them is of any significance: 3B Ken Yockey (27-R), our normal starter versus left-handed pitching (very important in this series). He was batting .272/.329/.342 in 243 AB with 2 HR and 13 RBI and 15 SB. He sprained a finger on September 28. The other player is P Danny Coreano (27-L), who did not pitch for the Jays this season.

Rochester Roosters



Jacksonville Jays



Stats shown below for this game are what the player did against today's opponent during the regular season.

Game 1
ROCH: Rick Potts (27-R) (Did not face Jacksonville) All-Star(3: 02,04-05)
JAX: Al Calice (25-R) (1-0 0.53 ERA 17 IP, 8 H, 0 HR, 6 BB, 13 SO) All-Star

Potts, who was a free agent from Memphis, is 5-1 with a shutout and a 2.77 ERA in 11 starts against the Jays in his career. 74.2 IP, 60 H, 6 HR, 19 BB, 64 SO.

Calice pitched a 3 hit shutout against the Roosters with 5 walks and 7 strikeouts on August 11.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
ROCHESTER
1: SS Shawn Smith (22-R .167-12-0-0-.333-0 A) All-Star/Rookie #9 prospect
2: CF Tom Walker (27-R .281-32-0-6-.636-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
3: 1B Glen Lewis (25-L .206-34-1-3-.603-2 B) RoY(02)/All-Star(4: 02-05) ex-Jay
4: RF Mike Herring (26-L .208-24-0-2-.575-0 C+) All-Star
5: 3B Gary Russell (29-R .185-27-0-2-.452-1 B) All-Star(05)
6: LF Ron LeMaster (28-L .182-11-0-1-.364-0 B+)
7: 2B Eddie Taylor (26-R .038-26-0-0-.146-0 A+)
8: C Marc Barksdale (35-R .381-21-1-2-1.054-0 C+) All-Star(04)/Gold Glove(3: 01-02,04)
9: P Rick Potts (27-R Did not face Jax C+) All-Star(3: 02,04-05)

JACKSONVILLE
1: SS Brian Bowden (29-R .172-29-0-1-.483-1 A) Gold Glove(2: 02,2B-04)
2: CF Cal Doty (29-L .172-29-0-1-.535-3 C+) Silver Slugger(04)/All-Star(3: 04-06)
3: RF Ray McDonald (26-L .345-29-0-5-.820-1 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
4: 1B Jack Washburn (24-L .200-20-0-2-.554-1 B)
5: 3B Tom McDowell (29-R .267-30-3-7-.890-0 C+) All-Star
6: LF Fernando Tello (24-L .400-5-0-2-1.100-0 C)
7: 2B Bart Daw (34-R .222-9-0-2-.422-1 A+)
8: C Bob Hutson (24-L Did not face Roch B) RoY
9: P Al Calice (25-L .000-6-0-0-.143-0 F) All-Star

Game Start: 8:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 71 F, Clear Skies, with a 9 MPH wind blowing out to right
Attendance: 29,941

A new record crowd!

Top of the First
Shawn Smith lines a 3-2 pitch to right for a hit.... Tom Walker lines out to 3rd. Glen Lewis, the ex-Jay and my favorite for series MVP, lines a 2-2 pitch to right for a double and Smith scores.... 1 to 0, Roosters. Mike Herring pops out to 2nd! Gary Russell swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses!

Bottom of the First
Brian Bowden pops out to right. Cal Doty grounds out to the pitcher... Ray McDonald grounds out to 1st, unassisted...

Rochester 1
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Second
With 2 outs, Marc Barksdale walks on 4 pitches... P Rick Potts strikes out looking!

Bottom of the Second
With 2 outs, Fernando Tello takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4! No perfect game! Bart Daw grounds out to 3rd...

Rochester 1
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Third
With 1 out, Tom Walker hits a home run to left center... 2 to 0, Roosters. With 2 outs, Mike Herring lines the first pitch to right for a hit. Gary Russell fouls out to 3rd.

Bottom of the Third
P Rick Potts strikes out the side in order........

Rochester 2
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Fourth
Ron LeMaster swings at a 3-2 pitch and beats out an infield hit... With 1 out, Marc Barksdale hits a home run to left..... 4 to 0, Roosters. I am NOT crying, Pia! The Bullpen gets up. P Rick Potts grounds a hit up the middle... Shawn Smith grounds one to 2nd, but Bart Daw makes a bad throw to 2nd for an error.... Tom Walker grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6, and P Potts goes to 3rd. Call to the Bullpen: Bill Grant (36-L). Glen Lewis strikes out!

Bottom of the Fourth
After Cal Doty strikes out, Ray McDonald makes slight contact with an 0-2 pitch and beats it out for an infield hit! But the next two make outs... P Rick Potts has 6 K....

Rochester 4
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Fifth
P Bill Grant strikes out the side in order!

Bottom of the Fifth
Fernando Tello swings at the first pitch and beats out an infield hit! Bart Daw grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4. Bob Hutson plunks one and they get the 2-6-3 double play.....

Rochester 4
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Sixth
New Pitcher: Roger Wallace (30-R). Buddy Hendricks (27-R) is in to play 2nd in a double switch. P Wallace strikes out the side in order! 7 straight strikeouts for our Bullpen!

Bottom of the Sixth
With 1 out, Brian Bowden walks on 4 pitches! With 2 outs, Ray McDonald lines a 3-0 pitch to left for a hit. Jack Washburn swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 2nd.....

Rochester 4
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Seventh
With 2 outs, we let P Roger Wallace face a lefty, since he is coming to bat next inning, and Glen Lewis hits a home run to right....... 5 to 0, Roosters. None of our right-handers in the Pen can get lefties out at all.... Mike Herring pokes a hit to right... Gary Russell flies out to left.

Bottom of the Seventh
With 2 outs, PH Greg Walker (24-S) flies out to left.

Rochester 5
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Eighth
New Pitcher: Bob Craig (28-R). With 1 out, Eddie Taylor draws a walk. A wild pitch sends him to 2nd... Marc Barksdale draws a walk... And P Craig calls out Trudy the Trainer..... New Pitcher: Mickel Cannady (24-R). P Rick Potts bunts one foul with 2 strikes. Shawn Smith swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd.

Bottom of the Eight
P Rick Potts strikes out the side in order....... This has to be a record with the side being struck in order 4 times in a game.

Rochester 5
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Ninth
The Roosters go down in order.

Bottom of the Ninth
P Rick Potts is at 108 pitches and he is a low stamina fellow. Cal Doty grounds out to 1st, unassisted. Ray McDonald grounds out to 3rd... Jack Washburn pokes a hit to right. That does it for P Potts. New Pitcher: Mike Baugher (21-L), their rookie closer, who was the #3 prospect this Spring. Tom McDowell strikes out.......

Lost - 5 to 0

We had 4 whole hits and made 1 error
Rochester had 9 hits and made no errors

And that was not a lefty!!!

Al Calice (L 0-1) went 3.2 innings, allowed 4 runs, 7 hits, 2 home runs, 1 walk and struck out 3.
LHP Bill Grant faced 4 batters and struck them all out.
RHP Roger Wallace went 2 innings, allowed 1 run, 2 hits, 1 home run and struck out 3.
RHP Bob Craig got 1 out and walked 2.
RHP Mickel Cannady went faced 5 batters and got them all out with 1 strikeout.

Rick Potts (W 1-0) pitched 8.2 shutout innings, gave us 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 9. 117 pitches. At bat, he had a hit.
LHP Mike Baugher faced 1 batter and struck him out.

RF Ray McDonald had 2 hits. LF Fernando Tello had a hit and a walk.

For Rochester, CF Tom Walker hit a home run. 1B Glen Lewis hit a double and a home run and had 2 RBI. RF Mike Herring had 2 hits. C Marc Barksdale hit a home run, drew 2 walks and had 2 RBI.

Rochester leads the series, 1 to 0.

Trudy's report on Bob Craig is back tightness that will bother him for 3 or 4 days.

[Westheim]

While things go south here, may I just throw in that Boots Hotchkiss has a total winner's name and should definitely be added to the mix next year?

Maybe not as pitcher. More as mascot.

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by Westheim

While things go south here, may I just throw in that Boots Hotchkiss has a total winner's name and should definitely be added to the mix next year?

Maybe not as pitcher. More as mascot.

Definitely not as a pitcher.... He is injury prone, to boot...
But I do like his name.

[Questdog]

Thursday, October 5, 2006

The Millennial Cup

Rochester Roosters (1-0) at
Jacksonville Jays (0-1)

Game 2
ROCH: Terry Luckett (31-L) (First game of the Millennial Cup) All-Star(5: 01-04,06)
JAX: Tommy Corris (26-R) (First game of the Millennial Cup) All-Star(3: 04-06)

Luckett, who was a free agent from Columbus, beat us the only time he faced us this year, but we scored 4 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts in 8 innings. That was the game Jim Baucom gave up 7 runs.

Corris was 0-1 in 2 starts against the Roosters with a 3.97 ERA. 11.1 IP, 9 H, 1 HR, 4 BB, 8 SO.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
ROCHESTER
1: SS Shawn Smith (22-R .200-5-0-0-.400-0 A) All-Star/Rookie
2: CF Tom Walker (27-R .200-5-1-1-1.000-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
3: 1B Glen Lewis (25-L .400-5-1-2-1.600-0 B) RoY(02)/All-Star(4: 02-05)
4: RF Mike Herring (26-L .400-5-0-0-.800-0 C+) All-Star
5: 3B Gary Russell (29-R .000-4-0-0-.000-0 B) All-Star(05)
6: LF Ron LeMaster (28-L .250-4-0-0-.500-0 B+)
7: 2B Eddie Taylor (26-R .000-3-0-0-.250-0 A+)
8: C Marc Barksdale (35-R .500-2-1-2-2.750-0 C+) All-Star(04)/Gold Glove(3: 01-02,04)
9: P Terry Luckett (31-L Cup debut F) All-Star(5: 01-04,06)

JACKSONVILLE
1: RF Ray McDonald (26-L .500-4-0-0-1.000-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
2: 2B Buddy Hendricks (27-R .000-2-0-0-.000-0 A++)
3: SS Brian Bowden (29-R .000-3-0-0-.000-0 A) Gold Glove(2: 02,2B-04)
4: 1B Tom McDowell (29-R .000-4-0-0-.000-0 B) All-Star
5: 3B Bart Daw (34-R .000-2-0-0-.000-0 A+)
6: CF Dickie Stemen (24-L Cup debut C+)
7: LF Cal Doty (29-L .000-4-0-0-.000-0 A) Silver Slugger(04)/All-Star(3: 04-06)
8: C Don Kern (29-R Cup debut B+)
9: P Tommy Corris (26-R Cup debut F) All-Star(3: 04-06)

Game Start: 8:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 74 F, Clear Skies, with a 9 MPH wind blowing left to right
Attendance: 29,786

Top of the First
Shawn Smith beats out an infield hit... Tom Walker swings at the first pitch and grounds into a 4-6-3 double play!! Glen Lewis pops out to short!

Bottom of the First
Will we score a run this series? Ray McDonald swings at the first pitch and lines a hit to right! Buddy Hendricks grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. Brian Bowden pops out to right. Tom McDowell lines the first pitch to right for a hit and Hendricks beats the throw to 3rd! Bart Daw flies out to left....

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Second
Mike Herring pokes a 3-2 pitch to center for a hit... With 2 outs, Eddie Taylor grounds an 0-2 pitch up the middle for a hit and Herring heads to 3rd, but Dickie Stemen throws him out!

Bottom of the Second
We go down in order with 2 strikeouts...

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Third
The Roosters go down in order!

Bottom of the Third
We go down in order...

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Fourth
With 1 out, Glen Lewis lines a hit to center... He'll be running, so be ready! And he runs, but we are not ready and he is safe.... Mike Herring grounds out to the pitcher and Lewis goes to 3rd. Gary Russell flies out to center!

Bottom of the Fourth
We go down in order on 3 ground outs.... That is 10 in row retired by P Terry Luckett...

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Fifth
Ron LeMaster beats out an infield hit... Eddie Taylor grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. The next two make outs!

Bottom of the Fifth
3 more in a row for P Terry Luckett to run his string to 13....

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Sixth
With 2 outs, Glen Lewis draws a walk... You know he's running, Manny! He does NOT run, but Mike Herring lines a 2-2 pitch to right for a hit and Lewis goes to 3rd... The Bullpen gets up. Gary Russell grounds out to short! But when P Tommy Corris comes back to the dugout, he goes and sees Trudy and she says his day is done.............................

Bottom of the Sixth
PH Greg Walker (24-S) grounds out to 2nd and we go down 1-2-3 yet again.... 16 in row set down by P Terry Luckett....

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Seventh
New Pitcher: Ron Thurgood (22-L). With 1 out, Eddie Taylor draws a walk and gets the Bullpen active again. But the next two make outs!

Bottom of the Seventh
And we go down in order again.... 19 in a row retired by P Terry Luckett....

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Eighth
With 1 out, Tom Walker beats out an infield hit... The Bullpen gets up. Glen Lewis grounds into a 4-6-3 double play!!

Bottom of the Eighth
Never mind will we ever score a run! Will we ever get another runner on base? Not this inning.... 22 in row......

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Ninth
The Bullpen is ready. 4-5-6 up for Rochester. Mike Herring swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd! Gary Russell takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4.... PH Tim Burnette (26-R), a rookie, is sent up. Call to the Bullpen: Mickel Cannady (24-R). Russell steals 2nd..... Burnette strikes out looking! PH Tim Brantley (32-L) is sent up. Will Manny walk him, if we leave P Cannady in there? I am hoping he will, because I do not want any of our right-handed relievers facing any lefties, if we can help it.... He does! Marc Barksdale strikes out!

Bottom of the Ninth
P Terry Luckett is at 88 pitches. 9-1-2 up for us. PH T.R. Hunter, the only right-handed bat left on the bench, swings at the first pitch and grounds out to short... Ray McDonald strikes out..... Buddy Hendricks grounds out to the pitcher......... 25 in a row retired by P Terry Luckett........

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Extras!
We were 13-4 during the regular season.
But it will be hard to win it without any base runners........
And we have already used the only two relievers I have any confidence in....

Top of the Tenth
New Pitcher: Bill Grant (36-L). 9-1-2 up for the Roosters. P Terry Luckett bats and swings at the first pitch and pops out to right and the next two make outs!

Bottom of the Tenth
3-4-5 up for us. With 1 out, Tom McDowell ends the streak of outs at 26 with a double to right! Bart Daw strikes out looking....... Dickie Stemen grounds out to short.........

Rochester 0
Jacksonville 0

Top of the Eleventh
With 1 out, Mike Herring draws a walk... The Bullpen gets up. A wild pitch sends Herring to 2nd...... Gary Russell swings at a 3-2 pitch and lines a hit to left.... Tim Burnette gets beaned to load the bases up with 1 out...... Call to the Bullpen: Roger Wallace (30-R). 2B Tom Morris (32-R), in his first Millennial Cup at bat, strikes out looking! Marc Barksdale grounds out to 3rd!

Bottom of the Eleventh
P Terry Luckett takes the mound at 110 pitches. Cal Doty grounds one to 2nd, but Tom Morris makes a bad throw for an error! Doty steals 2nd! Oh! Pia! I would give you to the slavers for a base hit right now! Don Kern fouls out to the catcher....... PH Fernando Tello (24-L), who hit .224 against lefties this season, which is the best of those left on the bench, swings at the first pitch and pops out to right...... They walk Ray McDonald intentionally. Buddy Hendrick grounds the 3rd out to short, but Shawn Smith makes a bad throw to 2nd for an error and the bases are loaded! Brian Bowden, hitless in the Cup so far, but who had the best BA on the team during the season, swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit to left and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Jays!

Won - 1 to 0

Oh, my!!!!!
No sweep this year!

We had 4 whole hits and made no errors
Rochester had 8 hits (all singles) and made 2 errors (both in the final inning)

8 total hits for our batters in 2 games....

Tommy Corris pitched 6 scoreless innings, allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2.
LHP Ron Thurgood went 2.1 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 2 walks and struck out 1.
RHP Mickel Cannady faced 3 batters and walk one intentionally and struck out the other two.
LHP Bill Grant went 1.1 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 HBP and struck out 1. He threw a WP.
RHP Roger Wallace (W 1-0) faced 2 batters (with the bases loaded) and got 2 outs with 1 strikeout.

Terry Luckett (L 0-1) went 10.2 innings (CG), gave us 1 unearned run, 4 hits, 1 walk (INT) and struck out 6. 122 pitches. He retired 26 in a row at one point.

RF Ray McDonald had a hit and a walk (INT). Brian Bowden only had 1 hit, but it knocked in the run that ended the game. 1B Tom McDowell had 2 hits with a double.

For Rochester, 1B/LF Glen Lewis had a hit and a walk and stole a base. RF Mike Herring had 2 hits and a walk. 2B Eddie Taylor had a hit and a walk. PH Tim Brantley was walked intentionally.

The series is tied at 1 win apiece!

Trudy's report on Tommy Corris is a strained back that will bother him for about a week. Which means, if their is a Game 6, he probably will not be able to go...

[Questdog]

Saturday, October 7, 2006

The Millennial Cup

Jacksonville Jays (1-1) at
Rochester Roosters (1-1)

Game 3
JAX: Jim Baucom (25-L) (First game of the Millennial Cup) Ace(04)/Hurler(04)/All-Star(5: 02-06)
ROCH: Larry Thornton (26-L) (First game of the Millennial Cup) All-Star(2: 05-06)

Baucom faced Rochester once and got beat in his worst outing of the year. He allowed 7 tuns on 9 hits, 1 home run and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts in 7.1 innings.

Thornton faced us twice and pitched 9 shutout innings both times, but only one was a shutout win, because Al Calice held them scoreless for 9 innings, too, but they won in extra innings. 18 IP, 9 H, 0 HR, 6 BB, 15 SO. 553 strikeouts by these two starting pitchers combined this season! They finished 1-2 in strike outs and also in wins.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: SS Brian Bowden (29-R .125-8-0-1-.347-0 A) Gold Glove(2: 02,2B-04)
2: 2B Buddy Hendricks (27-R .000-7-0-0-.000-0 A++)
3: RF Ray McDonald (26-L .375-8-0-0-.819-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
4: 1B Tom McDowell (29-R .250-8-0-0-.625-0 B) All-Star
5: 3B Bart Daw (34-R .000-6-0-0-.000-0 A+)
6: CF Dickie Stemen (24-L .000-4-0-0-.000-0 C+)
7: LF Cal Doty (29-L .000-8-0-0-.000-0 A) Silver Slugger(04)/All-Star(3: 04-06)
8: C Don Kern (29-R .000-4-0-0-.000-0 B+)
9: P Jim Baucom (25-L Cup debut C) Ace(04)/Hurler(04)/All-Star(5: 02-06)

ROCHESTER
1: 1B Glen Lewis (25-L .333-9-1-2-1.178-1 B) RoY(02)/All-Star(4: 02-05)
2: SS Shawn Smith (22-R .200-10-0-0-.400-0 A) All-Star/Rookie
3: RF Mike Herring (26-L .444-9-0-0-.944-0 C+) All-Star
4: CF Tom Walker (27-R .200-10-1-1-.700-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
5: LF Ron LeMaster (28-L .286-7-0-0-.571-0 B+)
6: 3B Gary Russell (29-R .125-8-0-0-.347-1 B) All-Star(05)
7: 2B Eddie Taylor (26-R .200-5-0-0-.629-0 A+)
8: C Marc Barksdale (35-R .143-7-1-2-.905-0 C+) All-Star(04)/Gold Glove(3: 01-02,04)
9: P Larry Thornton (26-L Cup debut B) All-Star(2: 05-06)

Game Start: 8:05 PM
Ballpark: Memorial Stadium
Weather: 46 F, Rain, with a 10 MPH wind blowing in from center
Attendance: 29,750

Top of the First
Brian Bowden strikes out... Buddy Hendricks doubles to right! Ray McDonald strikes out on 3 pitches... Tom McDowell gets beaned with a 1-2 pitch... Bart Daw strikes out.......

Bottom of the First
Glen Lewis grounds out to 2nd. Shawn Smith pops out to right. Mike Herring swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses! 1-2-3!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 0

Top of the Second
With 2 outs, Don Kern walks on 4 pitches. P Jim Baucom grounds out to 3rd.

Bottom of the Second
Tom Walker hits a home run to left..... 1 to 0, Roosters. Ron LeMaster grounds the first pitch to left for a hit... Gary Russell pokes a hit to left..... Eddie Taylor takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4 to load the bases up with no outs....... The Bullpen gets up. Marc Barksdale grounds a 3-2 pitch to left for a hit and 2 runs score... 3 to 0, Roosters. What are the odds of us getting 3 runs off Thornton? Practically nil..... P Larry Thornton bunts the runners up. Glen Lewis strikes out! Shawn Smith grounds out to the pitcher!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 3

Top of the Third
With 1 out, Buddy Hendricks beats out an infield hit! 2 hits for us, both by Hendricks. With 2 outs, Hendricks gets thrown out stealing........

Bottom of the Third
The Roosters go down in order with 2 strikeouts.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 3

Top of the Fourth
We go down in order with 2 strikeouts....

Bottom of the Fourth
Gary Russell lines the first pitch to center for a hit... The Bullpen is up. With 1 out, Marc Barksdale takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4... P Larry Thornton bunts the runners up. Glenn Lewis grounds out to 1st, unassisted!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 3

Top of the Fifth
Cal Doty lines a hit to center! But the next three all make outs...

Bottom of the Fifth
Shawn Smith grounds a 2-2 pitch to right for a hit... But the next three make outs!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 3

Top of the Sixth
P Larry Thornton strikes out our 2-3-4 hitters in order........

Bottom of the Sixth
They go down in order.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 3

Top of the Seventh
Pia? How can the team that finished 2nd in the MLB in runs scored, be so inept at the plate? I know we have stunk against lefties all year, but this is a new level of stink.... And we did not hit their right-hander, either.... P Larry Thornton strikes out the side in order again...........

Bottom of the Seventh
They go down in order.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 3

Top of the Eighth
With 1 out, PH Greg Walker (24-S) lines a hit to right center! We have reached our quota of 4 hits! Brian Bowden lines a 2-2 pitch to left for a hit! But the next two make outs......

Bottom of the Eighth
New Pitcher: Tommy Keyser (27-L). The Bullpen is ready. With 1 out, Tom Walker hits his second home run of the day... 4 to 0, Roosters. Ron LeMaster lines the first pitch to right for a hit... Call to the Bullpen: Bob Craig (28-R). It starts to rain, but it has already been raining on our parade for quite a while..... Gary Russell draws a walk... Eddie Taylor draws a walk to load the bases up.... Marc Barksdale grounds into a force at home, 6-2. P Larry Thornton grounds out to the pitcher.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 4

Top of the Ninth
P Larry Thornton is at 121 pitches. 4-5-6 up for us. Tom McDowell swings at the first pitch and pops out to 2nd... Bart Daw grounds out to 3rd... Dickie Stemen swings at a 3-2 pitch and flies out to deep center....

Lost - 4 to 0

We had 5 whole hits (a new high for the series) and made no errors
Rochester had 8 hits and made no errors

Jim Baucom (L 0-1) went 7 innings, allowed 3 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 7. He has now lost 6 of his last 8 starts....
LHP Tommy Keyser got 1 out, allowed 1 run, 2 hits and 1 home run.
RHP Bob Craig got 2 outs and allowed 2 walks.

Larry Thornton (W 1-0) pitched 9 shutout innings (CG), gave us 5 hits, 1 walk, 1 HBP and struck out 13, a new Millennial Cup record. Jim Baucom and Ron Wisham had shared the record with 10 each. 132 pitches. He now has pitched 27 scoreless innings against the Jays this season....

2B Buddy Hendricks had 2 hits with a double. PH Greg Walker had a hit.

For Rochester, CF Tom Walker hit 2 home runs, giving him 3 in the series. LF Ron LeMaster had 2 hits and scored a run. 3B Gary Russell had 2 hits and a walk and scored a run. 2B Eddie Taylor drew 2 walks. C Marc Barksdale had a hit and a walk and 2 RBI.

Rochester leads the series, 2 games to 1.

[Questdog]

Sunday, October 8, 2006

The Millennial Cup

Jacksonville Jays (1-2) at
Rochester Roosters (2-1)

Game 4
JAX: Del Warwick (31-L) (First game of the Millennial Cup) Gold Glove(02)
ROCH: Ralph Williams (26-L) (First game of the Millennial Cup)

Warwick was 1-1 against the Roosters in 2 starts this year with a CG win and a 2.30 ERA. 15.2 IP, 12 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 11 SO.

We beat Williams in April, but only scored 2 runs on 4 hits, 1 home run and no walks with 3 strikeouts in 7 innings. Tommy Keyser pitched a 4 hit shutout for us.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: SS Brian Bowden (29-R .167-12-0-1-.397-0 A) Gold Glove(2: 02,2B-04)
2: 2B Buddy Hendricks (27-R .182-11-0-0-.455-0 A++)
3: RF Ray McDonald (26-L .250-12-0-0-.558-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
4: 3B Tom McDowell (29-R .182-11-0-0-.523-0 C+) All-Star
5: LF Greg Walker (24-S .333-3-0-0-.667-0 F-) Rookie
6: CF Cal Doty (29-L .091-11-0-0-.182-1 C+) Silver Slugger(04)/All-Star(3: 04-06)
7: 1B Jack Washburn (24-L .250-4-0-0-.500-0 B)
8: C Don Kern (29-R .000-6-0-0-.143-0 B+)
9: P Del Warwick (31-L Cup debut F) Gold Glove(02)

Walker is atrocious in the field, but we need to get some offense going! And Washburn has not hit lefties all year, but he might get lucky and connect on one....

ROCHESTER
1: 1B Glen Lewis (25-L .231-13-1-2-.824-1 B) RoY(02)/All-Star(4: 02-05)
2: 2B Shawn Smith (22-R .214-14-0-0-.429-0 A+) All-Star/Rookie
3: RF Mike Herring (26-L .308-13-0-0-.665-0 C+) All-Star
4: CF Tom Walker (27-R .286-14-3-3-1.214-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
5: LF Ron LeMaster (28-L .364-11-0-0-.727-0 B+)
6: 3B Tom Morris (29-R .000-1-0-0-.000-0 B)
7: SS Eddie Taylor (26-R .143-7-0-0-.597-0 A)
8: C Marc Barksdale (35-R .200-10-1-4-.885-0 C+) All-Star(04)/Gold Glove(3: 01-02,04)
9: P Ralph Williams (26-L Cup debut B)

Game Start: 8:05 PM
Ballpark: Memorial Stadium
Weather: 45 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 10 MPH wind blowing in from center
Attendance: 29,783

Top of the First
Brian Bowden strikes out.... Here we go again... Buddy Hendricks flies out to left. Ray McDonald flies out to near the warning track in left....

Bottom of the First
Glen Lewis swings at the first pitch and skies one to left and I cringe, but Greg Walker makes the catch! Shawn Smith grounds a 2-2 pitch up the middle for a hit... Mike Herring lines a hit to left... Tom Walker pops out to left and Walker makes another catch! Ron LeMaster strikes out!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 0

Top of the Second
With 2 outs, Cal Doty lines a hit to center! Jack Washburn flies out to right.

Bottom of the Second
Tom Morris grounds a hit to left... Eddie Taylor hits a home run to left center... 2 to 0, Roosters. The next three all make outs.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 2

Top of the Third
With 2 outs, Brian Bowden draws a walk and steals 2nd! Buddy Hendricks strikes out.......

Bottom of the Third
With 1 out, Mike Herring takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4... Tom Walker grounds into a 5-4-3 double play!!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 2

Top of the Fourth
With 2 outs, Greg Walker draws a walk. Cal Doty grounds out to short.......

Bottom of the Fourth
They go down in order!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 2

Top of the Fifth
With 1 out, Don Kern grounds one to 1st, but Glen Lewis boots it! P Del Warwick bunts Kern to 2nd. Brian Bowden draws a walk. Buddy Hendricks grounds one to short, but Eddie Taylor boots it and the bases are loaded for the reigning MVP! Ray McDonald flies out to center...............

Bottom of the Fifth
Marc Barksdale takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4.... P Ralph Williams bunts him to 2nd. Glen Lewis walks on 4 pitches.... The Bullpen gets up. With 2 outs, Mike Herring pops one foul on the left side, but 3B Tom McDowell drops it for an error........ Given a second chance, Herring pops one fair to the left side and McDowell makes the catch!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 2

Top of the Sixth
We are in the fourth game of the series and we have not yet scored a run in regulation........ With 2 outs, Cal Doty lines a hit to right. Jack Washburn flies out to left....

Bottom of the Sixth
With 1 out, Ron LeMaster gets beaned with the first pitch.... The Bullpen is up again. With 2 outs, LeMaster tries to steal, but C Don Kern throws him out!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 2

Top of the Seventh
Don Kern grounds a hit to left! PH Bart Daw (34-R) grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6. Brian Bowden beats out an infield hit! Buddy Hendricks clears the bases with a double to right and ends up on 3rd!! Tie Game: 2 to 2! Ray McDonald lines a 3-2 pitch to center for a hit and Hendricks scores! 3 to 2, Jays! That does it for P Ralph Williams. New Pitcher: Dave Baker (30-R). The Rooster Bullpen, not all that impressive, has pitched 1/3 of an inning in the series so far.... Tom McDowell strikes out... Greg Walker grounds out to 2nd.....

Bottom of the Seventh
New Pitcher: Mickel Cannady (24-R). Tommy Adams (24-L) is in to play left in a double switch. They go down in order!

Jacksonville 3
Rochester 2

Top of the Eighth
New Pitcher: Benedict Hughes (27-L), an All-Star as a starter in 2005, but who had a rough year in the rotation this season. With 1 out, Jack Washburn lines a hit to right! He steals 2nd! Don Kern grounds a hit to center and Washburn scores! 4 to 2, Jays! The next two ground out to 2nd.

Bottom of the Eighth
The Bullpen is ready. Glenn Lewis takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4..... Shawn Smith grounds a hit to left... Call to the Bullpen: Ron Thurgood (22-L). Dickie Stemen (31-R) is in to play center in a double switch and Cal Doty moves to left. Before he throws a pitch, P Thurgood balks the runners up......... Mike Herring pokes a hit to center and Lewis scores... 4 to 3, Jays. With the infield in, Tom Walker grounds out to 3rd and Herring goes to 2nd and Smith stays put at 3rd. PH Jim Phillips (25-R) strikes out! Tom Morris hits a home run to left.......... 6 to 4, Roosters. He hit 1 whole home run during the season.... Eddie Taylor draws a walk... Call to the Bullpen: Roger Wallace (30-R). Marc Barksdale plunks one and is out, 2-3. We finally score a few runs.....

Jacksonville 4
Rochester 6

Top of the Ninth
New Pitcher: Mike Baugher (21-L), their rookie closer and the #3 prospect this Spring, who has looked impressive so far with his 0.99 ERA.... 2-3-4 up for us. Buddy Hendricks grounds out to 1st, unassisted... Ray McDonald swings at the first pitch and pops out to short... Tom McDowell grounds out to the pitcher........

Lost - 6 to 4

We had 8 hits and made 1 error
Rochester had 7 hits and made 2 errors

They have out-homered us, 7 to 0, this series....

Del Warwick went 6 innings, allowed 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 home run, 3 walks, 1 HBP and struck out 6.
RHP Mickel Cannady (H 1) went 1+ innings, allowed 2 runs, 1 hit and 1 walk.
LHP Ron Thurgood (L 0-1, BS 1) got 2 outs, allowed 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 1. He balked and he is not the closer anymore....
RHP Roger Wallace faced 1 batter and got him out.

Ralph Williams went 6.1 innings, gave us 3 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 4.
RHP Dave Baker faced 2 batters and got them both out with 1 strikeout.
LHP Benedict Hughes (W 1-0) went 1 inning, gave us 1 run and 2 hits.
LHP Mike Baugher (SV 1) pitched a perfect 9th.

SS Brian Bowden had a hit and 2 walks, stole a base and scored a run. 2B Buddy Hendricks hit a double, scored a run and had 2 RBI. CF/LF Cal Doty had 2 hits. C Don Kern had 2 hits and an RBI.

For Rochester, 1B Glen Lewis drew 2 walks and scored a run. 2B Shawn Smith had 2 hits and scored a run. RF/LF Mike Herring had 2 hits and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. 3B Tom Morris had 2 hits with a home run, scored 2 runs and had 3 RBI. SS Eddie Taylor hit a home run, drew a walk and had 2 RBI.

Rochester lead the series 3 games to 1.

[Questdog]

Monday, October 9, 2006

The Millennial Cup

Jacksonville Jays (1-3) at
Rochester Roosters (3-1)

Game 5
JAX: Al Calice (25-R) (0-1 9.82 ERA 3.2 IP, 7 H, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 SO) All-Star
ROCH: Rick Potts (27-R) (1-0 0.00 ERA 8.2 IP, 4 H, 0 HR, 2 BB 9 SO) All-Star(3: 02,04-05)

Rochester won this matchup in Game 1, 5 to 0

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: SS Brian Bowden (29-R .200-15-0-1-.533-1 A) Gold Glove(2: 02,2B-04)
2: CF Cal Doty (29-L .200-15-0-0-.400-1 C+) Silver Slugger(04)/All-Star(3: 04-06)
3: RF Ray McDonald (26-L .235-17-0-1-.513-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
4: 1B Jack Washburn (24-L .250-8-0-0-.500-1 B)
5: 3B Tom McDowell (29-R .125-16-0-0-.364-0 C+) All-Star
6: LF Fernando Tello (24-L .333-3-0-0-.833-0 C)
7: 2B Buddy Hendricks (27-R .188-16-0-2-.500-0 A++)
8: C Bob Hutson (24-L .000-3-0-0-.000-0 B) RoY
9: P Al Calice (25-L .000-1-0-0-.000-0 F) All-Star

ROCHESTER
1: 2B Shawn Smith (22-R .278-18-0-0-.556-0 A) All-Star/Rookie
2: CF Tom Walker (27-R .222-18-3-3-.944-0 B+) Silver Slugger/All-Star(3: 04-06)
3: 1B Glen Lewis (25-L .200-15-1-2-.800-1 B) RoY(02)/All-Star(4: 02-05)
4: RF Mike Herring (26-L .375-16-0-1-.819-0 C+) All-Star
5: 3B Gary Russell (29-R .273-11-0-0-.657-1 B) All-Star(05)
6: LF Ron LeMaster (28-L .308-13-0-0-.665-0 B+)
7: 2B Eddie Taylor (26-R .200-10-1-2-.967-0 A+)
8: C Marc Barksdale (35-R .154-13-1-4-.738-0 C+) All-Star(04)/Gold Glove(3: 01-02,04)
9: P Rick Potts (27-R .250-4-0-0-.500-0 C+) All-Star(3: 02,04-05)

Game Start: 8:05 PM
Ballpark: Memorial Stadium
Weather: 50 F, Clear Skies, with a 10 MPH wind blowing out to left
Attendance: 29,944

Top of the First
Brian Bowden flies out to deep left. Cal Doty strikes out... Ray McDonald lines out to center.......

Bottom of the First
Shawn Smith flies out to right. Tom Walker lines a hit to right... He tries to steal 2nd, but C Bob Hutson throws him out! Glen Lewis grounds out to 2nd!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 0

Top of the Second
With 1 out, Tom McDowell grounds a hit up the middle! Fernando Tello grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.......

Bottom of the Second
They go down in order!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 0

Top of the Third
We go down in order...

Bottom of the Third
With 2 outs, P Rick Potts draws a walk...... Shawn Smith grounds a 3-0 pitch up the middle and P Potts beats the throw to 3rd.... And Cal Doty is hurt............. Tommy Adams (24-L), who is not a center fielder, goes in to play center. Tom Walker flies out to left!

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 0

Top of the Fourth
We go down in order......

Bottom of the Fourth
Glenn Lewis takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4... Mike Herring lines a 3-0 pitch to right for a hit and Lewis goes to 3rd.... The Bullpen gets up.. Gary Russell hits a home run to left.......... 3 to 0, Roosters. 8 home runs for them now and none for us.... P Al Calice allowed only 10 home run all season and has now allowed 3 in 6.2 innings in the Millennial Cup......... The next three all make outs.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 3

Top of the Fifth
We go down in order for the third straight inning......... Three straight 100+ win seasons and three straight times of not even being competitive in the Cup.........

Bottom of the Fifth
P Rick Potts lines the first pitch to right for a hit.... The Bullpen is up. Shawn Smith bunts the runner up. Tom Walker lines the first pitch to left for a double and P Potts scores... 4 to 0, Roosters. Call to the Bullpen: Ron Thurgood (22-L). Glenn Lewis lines a hit to left.... Mike Herring bloops a hit to left and Walker scores.... 5 to 0, Roosters. Call to the Bullpen: Roger Wallace (30-R). He gets the next two out.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 5

Top of the Sixth
Buddy Hendricks lines our second hit of the game to right! A wild pitch sends him to 2nd! With 1 out, PH Greg Walker (24-S) strikes out looking....... Brian Bowden pops out to center.......

Bottom of the Sixth
New Pitcher: Bill Grant (36-L). They go down in order.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 5

Top of the Seventh
Our 2-3-4 hitters go down in order with 2 strikeouts......

Bottom of the Seventh
They go down in order.

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 5

Top of the Eighth
Tom McDowell beats out an infield hit. With 1 out, Buddy Hendricks grounds into a 5-4-3 double play........

Bottom of the Eighth
With 1 out, Gary Russell grounds a hit up the middle... The Bullpen is up. Ron LeMaster bloops the first pitch over the left side of the infield for a hit... Eddie Taylor grounds into a 6-4-3 double play!1

Jacksonville 0
Rochester 5

Top of the Ninth
P Rick Potts is at 103 pitches. 8-9-1 up for us. Bob Hutson strikes out..... PH Dave Estey (24-L) strikes out......... Brian Bowden grounds out to 3rd........

Lost - 5 to 0

Just plain pitiful......

We had 3 whole hits (all singles) and made no errors
Rochester had 10 hits and made no errors

Al Calice (L 0-2) went 4.1 innings, allowed 5 runs, 6 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 2.
LHP Ron Thurgood faced 2 lefties and gave up 2 hits.
RHP Roger Wallace faced 2 batters and got 2 outs.
LHP Bill Grant went 3 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 2.

Rick Potts (W 2-0) pitched 9 shutout innings (CG), gave us 3 hits, no walks and struck out 8. He threw a WP. 119 pitches. At bat, he had a hit and a walk and scored a run.

3B Tom McDowell had 2 hits. He and Buddy Hendricks were are top hitters for the series, each batting .211........

For Rochester, CF Tom Walker had 2 hits with a double, scored a run and had an RBI. 1B Glen Lewis had a hit and a walk and scored a run. RF Mike Herring had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. 3B Gary Russell had 2 hits with a home run and 3 RBI.

Pitiful.... Just pitiful.....

As a team we batted 24 for 163 (.147) with 0 HR in the series.
In the regular season, 7 times a starting pitcher had a Game Score of 80+ against us in 162 games.
In the Millennial Cup, the Rooster starters had 4 in 5 games.....

Rochester wins the Millennial Cup, 4 games to 1

P Rick Potts was named the MVP with 17.2 scoreless innings pitched with 7 hits allowed.

We have now lost the Cup in 4 games, 5 games and 6 games; I guess we still need to lose it in 7 games to consider ourselves well rounded losers.....

[Westheim]

We may have a team that can win a hundred, but we'd also love to have a team that can win FOUR when it counts...

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by Westheim

We may have a team that can win a hundred, but we'd also love to have a team that can win FOUR when it counts...

We only need one more win to make it to four in the Millennial Cup!

3-12..........

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Questdog

We only need one more win to make it to four in the Millennial Cup!

3-12..........

Thank you for that chuckle.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

After crying uncontrollably for several hours Monday night, Pia gave me some herbal tea to relax me.... And I slept all through yesterday.... I am not going to ask her what was in that tea.....

This loss was even harder to take than the sweep last year. We were just so pathetic....

Oh, well. We have business to attend to and hope for the future!

And how were we rewarded by our owner for bringing in the most revenue of any team in the MLB? He cut our budget $10,000..... We were already near the limit on player salaries and a bunch of players are going to be getting raises..... 14 players are arbitration eligible.... We brought in the most money, but our budget is only 4th in the MLB. Syracuse and Richmond top the list at $2.24 million and Buffalo is at $2.18 million. We are at $2.14 million. Hartford is at the bottom at $1.7 million.

IF Junior Danielson (35-R), who played for the Jays from 2001 to 2004 and has been in AAA the past two seasons has retired.

IF Bart Daw (34-R), who we were scheduled to pay $50,000 to next year, has voided his player option and will test the free agent waters. I told him that there is no other team that will pay him anywhere close to that, but he would not listen. He'll be 35 before the season starts, so, even though I am sad to see him go, he is really doing us a big favor.

2B/SS T.R. Hunter (29-R) is the only other player we have that can file for free agency this year and we have zero interest in bringing him back. He will save us a big pile of money ($161,700). There will be no compensation attached to the 3-time All-Star.

Players we are non-tendering: RP Robbie Hopley (32-R), C Alex Martinez (32-R), LF Norm Mayer (31-L), RF Danny Rosas (27-L) and RF Dickie Stemen (31-R). They made a combined $41,000 this season.

Team needs this off season are about the same as ever, though we will not be in the market for any starting pitching for a change. We need a 2nd baseman and a center fielder, especially a center fielder. Cal Doty is not getting any younger and never was a true center fielder in the first place. We need relief pitching desperately, though we do have a few prospects coming down the pipeline, but they cannot be counted on for this coming season, though it is possible one of them could contribute. I would like to get one really strong arm to count on as our closer. Bill Grant has been great, but is great no longer and no one that pitched for us this year looks ready to step into the breach. C Bob Hutson, after being the Rookie of the Year in 2005, had a dismal sophomore season, but there are not a lot of good catchers in the MLB and I think we are better off hoping he will bounce back, rather than moving on. Don Kern had his best year yet with the bat (though still not all that great) and I am okay with the two of them splitting the chores again. A 3rd catcher to cover for injuries will need to be found, though, as Alex Martinez cannot hit a lick and Garret Bender, our old starter, who is still at Portland (AAA), is not much of a defender anymore and never was much of a hitter.

Also, if the opportunity arises, I would like to get rid of any or all of our left-handed hitters. Our park likes right-handers, but our team is mostly left-handed. Plus, we were so stinky against left-handed pitching this year. 1B Jack Washburn, CF Cal Doty and RF Ray McDonald will all be put on the trading block along with OF's Tommy Adams and Fernando Tello. We have no chance of moving Doty and his ridiculous contract, but hopefully we can work out something equitable for at least one or two of the others.

Editor's Note: Two changes for this year: 1) We are in OOTP 22 now! The big draw for me, besides the usual improvements to the A.I. and fixes, is the reverting of the strategy sliders to be different for whether you are leading or behind. This use to be a thing, but was removed a few versions ago, because it was deemed too complicated. But now they have made them even more complicated than ever! Which is a good thing! Many more options! It will make Manny the Manager a little less of a moron! and 2) since I cannot utilize the "Shop and Trade for a player at random" mechanic anymore, since the A.I. wants to dump salary on us, I have decided to allow myself to initiate 1 trade per off season, with no restrictions on who is included. The trading difficulty will be set to "8" during negotiations. We will probably wait until closer to Opening Day before giving this one a whirl.

[Questdog]

Thursday, October 19, 2006

The Gold Gloves were announced today:

P Mike Marsh, Memphis (25-R) ex-Jay
C Jeff Tummino, Orlando (24-L) Rookie
1B Ron Lerche, Louisville (28-R)
2B Tom Van Diest, New Orleans (32-R) 2nd straight award
3B Lindy Elson, Charlotte (26-R)
SS Brian Bowden, Jacksonville (29-R) 3rd award: SS-02, 2B-04
LF Jimmy Reed, Providence (29-R)
CF Pete Hudzik, Buffalo (27-R) 2nd straight award
RF John Byers, Syracuse (23-R)

Brian Bowden is the first Jay to ever win a Gold Glove!

[Questdog]

Friday, October 20, 2006

The Fireman Trophy was announced today:

Terry Lies, Buffalo (27-R) 7-7 1.92 ERA 27 SV (Votes: 16-80)

Others receiving votes:
Dave Hedrick, Ottawa (33-L) 8-2 2.32 ERA 20 SV (0-48)
Barry Martineau, Richmond (35-L) 6-6 2.02 ERA 40 SV (0-13) Winner in 2002-03
Jerry Brustad, Orlando (22-L) 4-3 1.26 ERA 5 SV (0-3) Rookie

The Rolaids Relief Man Award was also announced:

Benny Martineau, Richmond - 114 pts

Next 4:
Dave Hedrick, Ottawa - 82 pts
Ray Hayes, Orlando (31-R) 6-5 2.66 ERA 29 SV - 78 pts
Jim Dooley, Louisville (23-R) 7-8 2.51 ERA 32 SV - 61 pts
Bill Stewart, Hartford (35-R) 7-0 2.19 ERA 11 SV - 59 pts

Editor's Note: The Relief Man award uses a modified version of the formula that was used in the late 70's and 80's. We have added Holds to the mix and penalized losses and blown saves more. (4 X SV) + (3 X W) + (2 X HLD) - (8 X L) - (6 X BS)

[Questdog]

Saturday, October 21, 2006

The Silver Slugger team was announced today:

(Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB)
P Dale Gilchrist, Providence (28-R .355-76-0-11-.759-0) 2nd award(2004 with the Jays)
C Dick Pavlov, Columbus (39-L .279-517-11-66-.720-0) 2nd award(2004)
1B Frank Cohen, Indianapolis (30-R .331-477-17-97-.904-4 69 BB, 29 SO)
2B Frank Bates, Syracuse (34-R .263-543-21-89-.789-14) 4th award(SS-2002-03,05)
3B Ray Dallas, Hartford (24-R .385-623-15-88-.973-7 106 R, 51 2B, 31 SO)
SS Ernie Patterson, Orlando (25-R .326-656-10-60-.809-54 107 R, 31 2B, 39 SO)
LF Mike Herring, Rochester (26-L .300-547-23-86-.855-0 82 BB)
CF Tom Walker, Rochester (27-R .308-613-19-90-.856-37 32 2B, 73 BB, 69 SO) 2nd straight award
RF Glen Lewis, Rochester (25-L .302-652-11-68-.788-55 110 R-led MLB) ex-Jay

No other team has ever swept the outfield awards before!

Also, Richmond announced that they had signed RP Benny Martineau (35-L), fresh off winning the Relief Man Award, to a 2 year extension that will pay hit $132,000 per season, which is a pay cut from the $176,000 he made this year. The 2nd year has a vested option of 20 GF.

[Questdog]

Sunday, October 22, 2006

The Rookie of the Year was announced today:

1B Robert Rodriguez, Orlando (25-R .326-439-12-75-.843-2) (Voting: 16-80)

Others receiving votes:
RF Rudy Purcell, Louisville (27-L .323-400-6-40-.804-12) (0-26)
SS Shawn Smith, Rochester (22-R .301-419-3-39-.712-14) (0-18)
P Mike Rossini, Charlotte (23-R 15-10 3.19 ERA 237.1 IP, 210 H, 18 HR, 61 BB, 149 SO) (0-15)
1B Tim Burnette, Rochester (26-R .257-358-16-61-.771-0) (0-5)

[Questdog]

Monday, October 23, 2006

The Ace Award was announced today:

Jim Baucom, Jacksonville (25-L 22-9 1.66 ERA 35 GS, 277.1 IP, 168 H, 16 HR, 56 BB, 303 SO) (16-112)

Baucom also won the award in 2004!

Others receiving votes:
Larry Thornton, Rochester (26-L 21-9 2.73 ERA 35 GS, 263.2 IP, 206 H, 21 HR, 59 BB, 250 SO) (0-64)
Juan Estrada, Syracuse (32-L 20-7 2.44 ERA 36 GS, 262.1 IP, 212 H, 10 HR, 96 BB, 218 SO) (0-37)
Terry Luckett, Rochester (31-L 15-9 2.43 ERA 35 GS, 244.2 IP, 202 H, 10 HR, 46 BB, 159 SO) (0-27) 2nd in 2004
David Lucero, Syracuse (27-L 15-11 2.28 ERA 34 GS, 237 IP, 197 H, 10 HR, 61 BB, 175 SO) (0-22)
Tommy Corris, Jacksonville (26-R 16-6 2.56 ERA 34 GS, 242.2 IP, 211 H, 18 HR, 33 BB, 154 SO) (0-9)
Al Calice, Jacksonville (25-R 13-10 2.59 ERA 33 GS, 225.2 IP, 197 H, 10 HR, 66 BB, 151 SO) Corris and Calice are the only right-handers to get any votes!

Juan Estrada, who finished 6th with 8 points last year, is the only pitcher to receive votes last year and this year.


The Anti-Ace Award Association of America (AAAAA) presented their Hurler Trophy today:

Jim Baucom, Jacksonville, with 351 points in their system.

He also won the award in 2004! He had a record 425 points that year, but his 351 this season is the 2nd highest total ever! He is the first pitcher to win either the Ace Award or the Hurler Trophy for a 2nd time!

Others over 200 points:
Juan Estrada, Syracuse (281)
Larry Thornton, Rochester (269)
Tommy Corris, Jacksonvillee (231)
Terry Luckett, Rochester (214)
David Lucero, Syracuse (212)

Larry Thornton, who had 201 points last year, is the only pitcher to get 200+ points last year and this year.

Editor's Note: The Pitcher of the Year award in OOTP is not picked based on the way voting would have been in the 70's and 80's, so I have devised a system to try to replicate the way it was in those days for the Cy Young Award based on a formula, except that I have excluded relievers from consideration for the Hurler Trophy. Well, I have technically not excluded them, but they get no points for the stats associated with their role. The formula is much too complicated to write out. Wins, Losses, Shutouts, Strikeouts, ERA and IP are the components. No adjustments are made for park factors, as I do not think that was much of a consideration of voters back then. The system matches voting in the period fairly well, with the few exceptions being ones that I am happy with, since the original vote seemed indefensible.