Sal, the Barber Presents . . .

[Sal, The Barber]

31 May 2004
Cheyenne, WY

You literary types know that T.S. Eliot proclaimed April the cruelest month. Not so this year. The Cheyenne Cowboys went 15-8 in April. In May, the Cowboys were 12-15. The end of May was particularly bad for Cheyenne. They lost 2 of 3 to Wichita and 3 of 4 to Kansas City. Today, they lost to Oakland. They are 3-7 in their last 10 and have slipped to 3rd place in the Pacific Division, 2 and one half games behind Sacramento.

The good news is that Roy Horton was named Western League Player of the Month. Horton has taken over as leader of the Cheyenne rotation. He’s 8-0 with a 3.11 ERA. Tze-meng Tang has pitched better. Better than better really. He’s been the Cowboys' second best starter.

The bad news is that Paul Lyons continues to give up hits. He walks no body, yet his WHIP is 1.52! Ben Koch is even more terrible. His ERA is 5.55. Jose Torres has been average. He strikes people out, but he has to because he walks too many. If Cheyenne can straighten out their pitching, they’ll be right back on top. But, right now, their starting rotation is a mess.

There’s no help on the horizon as Jason Bryant is out for another 6 weeks. The offense will carry Cheyenne or they will continue to struggle.

[Sal, The Barber]

15 June 2004
Kansas City, MO

The amateur draft was held today. Boo Bentley felt the draft offered very good high-end talent but then not much after that. There seemed to be a number of good catching prospects and a dearth of starting pitching. Here are the Cowboys’ first 5 selections:

3B Barry Turpin—“Plus plus contact,” raves scout Norm Rucker, “top of the charts power,” and a “very patient approach at the plate.” Rucker says Turpin could be—could be—a superstar. He’s also an average to plus defender. Norm likes him a lot better than OSA does, however.

C Cesar Barron—“An elite hitting prospect” is what Norm calls this guy. Plus power and contact, patient approach. An average catcher, though, with an average arm.

1B Nelson Alvarado—Alvarado has a long way to go; he’s only 17. Norm says he has “star potential” and will end up to be at least a capable starting first baseman. Big power. A solid eye at the plate and average defense.

You can see that we focused on hitting potential with our first 3 picks. All these players have loads of power potential, but they also promise high batting averages to go along with it. That this has become a priority for Bentley and the Cowboys may be because of Jesus Soto, their star bat whose average always hovers around .250. Alvarado is projected to hit around .330 by Rucker, and Rucker calls Barron an elite hitter. But Cheyenne also nabbed a couple of pitchers.

SP Rick Wilson—Wilson is 17 and while listed as a starter Norm sees him as strictly a bullpen arm. He doesn’t throw hard, but he has tremendous movement on his pitches plus excellent control. Rucker labels him “an elite pitching prospect.”

SP Jose Vincent—Vincent is a college pitcher, and Norm thinks he’s number 1 or number 2 material. Plus plus stuff but little movement and average control. Vincent has got some work to do if he wants to pan out.

The Cowboys are excited about many other picks, too. They nabbed a couple of highly rated first basemen—Clarence Mobley in the 17th and Colby Mitchell in the 6th—and catchers—Mark Robinson in the 8th and Nelson Knight in the 23rd. Two more pitchers of note are closer Jose Avanda (15th rd) and starter Mario Sinisterra (14th rd); Sinisterra projects as a bullpen arm.

NEWS
The Cheyenne Cowboys traded closer Frankie Howard today to Burlington. The Cowboys received starting pitcher Owen Peck in return. Peck is currently at AA. Peck is a potential middle of the rotation guy. He has three excellent pitches but inconsistent control. He’s aggressive, and Norm Rucker thinks he will become a big strike out pitcher.

Frankie Howard was crushed by the news as he had expressed a desire to stay in Cheyenne. Cowboy fans appeared to understand this trade and welcomed Peck warmly. The move was mainly a financial decision, as Bentley wasn’t able to convince his owner to sign Howard long-term. Howard’s contract is up after the season. Bentley also has a couple of closer prospects in the minors who appear ready for promotion. Further, rumor has it that Bentley wanted to be sure he had enough money in his budget to sign all his draft picks this year, hence the timing of the deal.


17 June 2004
Cheyenne, WY

The Cowboys’ record is 35-29. They are 2.5 games back of Sacramento. They sit in third place in the division. 1.5 games behind Boise. The Cowboys went on a run, winning 5 straight, including a 3-game sweep of Sacramento. However, since then, they dropped two series (losing 2 games to 1) to Sioux City and Kansas City.

[Sal, The Barber]

22 June 2004
Cheyenne, WY

Yesterday, the Cowboys opened a 2-game series with Boise. The two teams came in with the exact same record.

Game one was highlighted by lack of offense. Ben Koch pitched ably for the Cowboys. Melvin Monroe was better for Boise. The game was tied 1-1 through 8 innings. Chuck Johnstone gave up a 2-run homer in the ninth. The Cowboys had to face Braves’ closer Mike Dooley in the ninth and came up empty. The loss was a tough one to take given that the Cowboys were set to face Boise ace Victor “No Trump” Reyes today.

“No Trump” came as advertised. He shut out Cheyenne through five innings and allowed only two hits. Tze-meng Tang struggled, walking four, but held the Braves to just one run through five.

Then, in the sixth, everything changed. A couple of walks, a couple of hits, and an error put Reyes on the ropes. The Cowboys came out of the inning with 5 runs. The bullpen took over from Tang and performed well (except for Javier Gomez who was injured, diagnosis pending). And in the seventh, Reyes gave up a hit and hit the canvas. He was replaced by Manny Castillo. The problem was that Castillo couldn’t find the plate. He walked the bases loaded, walked in a run, gave up a single, walked another to load them up again. Then he pitched to Cy Sanders. Sanders took 3 pitches, and the count went to 3-0. He took a fourth, a called strike. He took a fifth, another called strike. So he went back to hitting and put one in the seats for a grand slam. 7 runs. The Cowboys not only beat “No Trump” they pulverized him and his mates. A seven-run seventh to go with a five-run sixth. The Cowboys won the game, 13-1 and split the 2-game series.

Today, it felt like the Cowboys played “no mercy” ball. They need a little more of that going forward. It looks already like there’s going to be a 4-team division race. Sacramento still holds a slight lead--.5 games. That half-game lead is over a 3-team second place pile-up. Boise, Cheyenne, and Hollywood are right there, ready, waiting.

[Sal, The Barber]

5 July 2004
All-Star Break

The Omaha Robin Hoods are first in the Western League in HRs. Peruse their lineup for just a second. You’ll notice: Right fielder James Francis 21 (and Francis hits lead-off), Center fielder Dan Davis 17, Third baseman Ignatio Lozano 23, and First baseman Karl McKenzie 22.

In contrast, look over the Cheyenne lineup: Jesus Soto 13, Pedro Ibarra 16, Bernardo Vasquez 9.

That’s giving up a lot. But right before the break, the Cowboys kept the Robin Hoods in the park and whitewashed the Hoods four straight. The series sweep catapulted the Cowboys to number one in the league power rankings at the break and first in the Pacific Division, 1 game ahead of Sacramento. The clubbing of the Robin Hoods came after a 2 of 3 series win against Topeka.

So the Cowboys pause at the break playing better ball. They have two All-Stars: Roy Horton (12-1 2.82) and Pedro Ibarra (.311 16 52). The starting rotation is still a struggle. Ben Koch was sent back to AAA; he’ll be replaced by Leonardo Trinidad who will make his first start in the opener to the second half of the 2004 season. The bullpen is a work in progress. And I guess one would have to say, then, that it is the offense that has kept the club afloat. Ibarra is leading the way, yes. But the Cowboys are getting great years from Will Byrd (.313 6 37), Kelly Judson (.303 4 27), and Shawn Clark (.280 5 21). John O’Flanagan has stayed on the field for the most part and is starting to hit better. Rookie Eric Kelham’s average has been falling—it’s at .266—but you can tell that he’s going to be a dynamic player. And Jesus Soto is still a presence in the order, even if he can’t get that average above .250 (he’s at .226).

Somehow the Cowboys keep chugging along. There’s every reason for a lull. The division is ultra-competitive this season; Pedro Ibarra and Will Byrd don’t have a contract for next year; Frankie Howard was traded; Jason Bryant and Ricardo Diaz, 2/5ths of last year’s starting rotation, have been on the DL all year. But no lull—at least no prolonged one. Give credit to manager Terry Taylor and his staff. They’re looking for another World Series appearance in Cheyenne and appear at least to be in it until the end once again.

[Sal, The Barber]

24 July 2004
Boise, ID

NOTES
The injuries are piling up on the infield. Cy Sanders is on the DL with a hamstring strain. He is projected to be out another 3 weeks. Kelly Judson just hit the DL with a hamstring strain, as well. Judson’s is mild and he could play with it; however, the Cowboys have put him on the DL instead to get it healed for the stretch. Mike Walker, a left fielder and third baseman, has been called up to fill in on the infield, but he is day-to-day with a strained rib cage.

Tim Fields, Jason Bryant, and Miguel Flores are on rehab stints at AAA. There isn’t really room for them on the roster at the moment, but, all the sudden, Cheyenne has a glut of pitching. One would think that Fields would be the easiest to work into the bullpen, but, right now, the bullpen has the best ERA in the WL. Bryant could fit back into the rotation, but Tang or Koch would have to go down to make room, and both are pitching satisfactorily at the moment.

Maybe there’s a trade on the horizon? The trade deadline looms, one week away.

Roy Bryant started the All-Star game and threw 2 innings, allowing one hit and an unearned run. The Western League won the game 3-2. Pedro Ibarra got into the game in the 9th but did not get an at-bat.

After the All-Star game, the Cowboys took 2 of 3 from Oakland, lost 2 of 3 against Wichita, took 3 of 4 from Topeka, and just split a 2-game series with Boise. Cheyenne still leads the division by one game over Sacramento.

[Sal, The Barber]

28 July 2004
Cheyenne, WY

The Cheyenne Cowboys and Kansas City Monarchs made a big trade today as if trying to upstage the activity on trade deadline day, three days from now. Fans who have been paying attention should have been ready for this. GM Boo Bentley has been telling us that the future of this club is uncertain. He’s reported that he continues to delay negotiations on contract extensions with Pedro Ibarra, Will Byrd, Bernardo Vasquez, and Jesus Soto. He wants a better sense of the budget going forward. He’s also been plotting roster maneuvers.

Two days ago, Bentley made the first move, trading a mid-level minor league prospect for Burlington outfielder Todd Carr. Carr is 23 and was starting for the Whites, but he was hitting just .230. Bentley sent him to AAA Laredo where he’s gotten off to a good start. The prospect going to Burlington was Claudio Ochoa, a future 4th or 5th outfielder with a lot of power potential. Carr can be a starter, and some think more than that.

Today, Bentley shipped starting pitcher Ben Koch, reliever Lee Martin, and 4th outfielder Jesus Rivera to KC for outfielder Theodore Whitfield and closer prospect Manuel Rivera. Whitfield is a righthanded bat, and Bentley needed one badly for his current outfield. Whitfield also has had great playoff series against the Cowboys. He can play all 3 outfield positions and has good speed. He’s 27 and had an OBP over .400 last season. He wasn’t playing much for the Monarchs this season, however. He seems to have just gotten squeezed out of the outfield there. He’ll get a fresh start as the #4 outfielder in Cheyenne.

Manuel Rivera projects to be a closer at best, a set-up guy at worst. He’ll take over the closer role at AAA Laredo. Former AAA closer Jun Yang has been called up to the big club. And Jason Bryant moves to the starting rotation, taking Koch’s spot. Bryant is fresh off of 2 rehab starts in the minors. Jesus Rivera joins KC’s outfield; Rivera was not expected to return to Cheyenne next year, and Bentley spun him off for what he hopes to be an upgrade in the outfield.

Giving up Ben Koch is the riskiest part of this trade. Koch was the only real lefthanded starter the Cowboys have. They do have pitchers waiting in the wings. Leonardo Trinidad is ready to stay in the majors, and Richardo Diaz is soon off of the DL. That gives the Cowboys 7 starters, so they had the depth to move one. Koch has had his struggles, although he was pitching a bit better recently.

We expect Carl Reed to be designated for assignment soon. Reed is having a horrible year, and it’s clear Whitfield was acquired to take Reed’s place as the righthanded hitting outfielder on the roster.

In the meantime, the Cowboys keep rolling along; they have a record of 56-39; they are 2 games up on Sacramento.

[Sal, The Barber]

4 August 2004
Sioux City, IA

If we can all agree that roses are always welcome and cheer-producing (ignore the thorns, I guess), a baseball season never comes up all roses. The Cheyenne Cowboys were rolling along in July. Their last week of baseball saw them go 5-1, sweeping Lincoln and splitting a 2-game series with Sacramento. But then the calendar turned to August, and Cheyenne arrived in Sioux City.

The Soos puzzle me. Bruce Charles, their first baseman, won a gold glove last year and the triple crown. He has 35 HRs and leads the WL. Left fielder Ron McPherson is no power slouch either; he has 24 HRs. And center fielder Freddy Soto is hitting .301 and ably handling the leadoff role in the lineup. Collectively, the Soos have the 2nd best batting average in the WL, yet they are ranked 9th in runs scored. Their defense is quite good, but their bullpen is not. They are 9 games under .500.

But they blew through the Cowboys. The first two games of the 4-game series were ugly for Cowboy fans. The Soos won 9-1 and 7-1. Game three was lost in the bottom of the ninth inning when Jun Yang gave up a walk-off 3-run homer to Charles.

So game four was significant, and the Cowboys had Paul Lyons on the mound. Lyons looked better than the impression the scoreboard gave. The Soos leaked out a run in the first, after Cheyenne had scored in the top of the inning, and in the third, after Cheyenne had scored in the top of the inning.

Cheyenne then plated 2 in the seventh. Lyons came back out for the bottom of the inning and gave up 3! Remarkably, none of this shook the Cowboy hitters. In the eighth, they scored the tying run. In the bottom of the inning, Lyons, prioritizing being consistent over being a shut-down guy, gave up another and gave the Soos back the lead. That was it for Lyons. Basilio Mangoni came on and desperately wanted to get in on the act of giving all the runs scored back to the home team, so he gave up another. The Soos were up 7-5 going into the ninth and were going for the sweep.

Billy Denton is the Soos’ closer, and he’s a lefty. He has blown 2 save opportunities this season. Today was his second. Denton’s downfall began with Eric Kelham, the top of the Cowboy order. Kelham hit a 3-2 pitch in the hole between short and third and had himself a single. New arrival Ted Whitfield came on to pinch hit for Shawn Clark; he hit a 1-0 pitch on the ground past third and into the corner for a double. Kelham stopped at 3rd. Johnny O, the next hitter, walked. Then, Pedro Ibarra singled, scoring one run. Doug Broomhead hit a 1-1 pitch in the right centerfield seats. And so long Billy Denton. Chased by the grand salami.

Jun Yang closed out the Soos, and Cheyenne avoided a sweep, even while their pitching seemed intent on giving this one away. It’s Seattle next, then Omaha, and then Hollywood. Seattle isn’t very good; Hollywood has fallen out of the Pacific Division race, but Omaha leads the Cornhusker Division and looks like a likely playoff opponent for the Pacific winner. We’re expecting that winner to be the Cowboys.

[Sal, The Barber]

9 August 2004
Cheyenne, WY

The opener against Omaha featured a pitching duel. The winner? The Lion. Paul Lyons went 8 innings, scattering 4 hits. The only damage a solo home run by James Francis on the second pitch of the ballgame.

Raphael Pina was good, too, for Omaha. He went 7, striking out 7 Cowboys. But Cheyenne got a run in the first to match and a run in the third to take the lead.

Jun Yang came on to pitch the ninth. He gave up a lead-off single, then got two outs, then he hit Lozano with a fastball. Terry Taylor went to new arrival Manuel Rivera to face lefthanded hitting Karl McKenzie. Rivera got McKenzie to ground to first, earning his first save as a Cowboy. Game one is a squeeky one-run victory, 2-1.


10 August 2004
Cheyenne WY

Jason Bryant started for the third time this season. Bryant never had good control, but today his control was exemplarily bad. He walked 8 in 4.1 innings. Bryant has always had a high WHIP and a good strand rate. Hitters don’t make good contact with his pitches, they move so much; they either walk or strike out. Today the balance tipped way to the side of the walks. And so even if Bryant had been able to retire batters, he wouldn’t have been able to stay in the game for long—he was throwing too many pitches.

In typical Bryant style, he gave up a run here and a run there, single runs in the first, second, third, and fifth, the inning he didn’t make it out of. In some ways, Bryant is remarkable; he walked the first three batters he faced in the third but only gave up one run. Yet it turned out that Bryant wasn’t the only pitching problem Cheyenne had.

Their problem is not being able to get the third out in an inning.

The Robin Hoods pitched Carlos Sanchez who is not known as a control pitcher himself. The Cowboy bats were patient, but Sanchez only walked 1 in 6 innings. Still, Cheyenne had opportunities; they just didn’t capitalize. After five innings, Cheyenne had 11 hits but only 2 runs. You just knew they would have a big inning, but when?

The Robin Hoods’ relief pitchers weren’t control specialists either, which is why the 8th inning mattered so much. The villain? Basilio Mangoni.

In the 8th, Mangoni got a ground out and a strike out. Then he stood on the mound facing the Hoods’ number 7 hitter, the bottom of the order! He walked him. Hitter number 8? Gave up a single. Trouble now. A pinch hitter. Another walk. A fan in the upper deck screamed, “What the duck are you doing?” We think it was Terry Taylor.

That brought up the top of the order, James Francis. He singled, plating 2. Taylor took the blanket out of his doghouse; Mangoni was going in there without any of the comforts of home.

So when Cheyenne got to their half of the eighth, well, you just didn’t know what to feel. The score was 10-2. On the mound was Serge Provost, former closer for Cheyenne until Bentley traded him in the very first deal he made as Cowboy GM. Provost is famous for poor control. Two walks and a single immediately loaded the bases. The big inning had arrived. How big?

Three more singles made the score 10-6, and there were no outs and two runners on base. We shudder to think what the dog house Provost would be staying in looked like. The Robin Hoods turned to reliever Clarence Harvey. He’s not their closer, but he sure looks and pitches like a closer. Top notch stuff and control. Will Byrd greeted him with a 3-run home run. Then Harvey decided to quit fooling around, and he set down 3 straight. But the score was 10-9.

Where oh where had Omaha gotten that 9th and 10th run? Basilio, would you like to take a stab at answering that one for us?

Mangoni was still in the game—because our bullpen is tired. In the ninth, Mangoni got two quick outs. Then a walk and a single. Deja vu, yes. Guess who was up? Right, batter #7. Same schlub. Same result. Single. But guess what? Left fielder Sammy Thompson threw the runner out at home, saving another run and perhaps saving Mangoni from being put directly on waivers.

To the bottom of the ninth we go to face Omaha’s real closer, Steve Gardner. Gardner was 20 for 27 in save opportunities. That’s 7 blown saves, not an insignificant number. First hitter, strike out. Second hitter, walk. Third hitter, strike out. Fourth hitter, single. Tying run on second—wrong, he went to third on the hit. All we need now is a wild pitch! Teddy Whitfield at the plate (by the way, Thompson and Whitfield were playing because both Soto and O’Flanagan are injured, so is Cy Sanders, and Kelly Judson was injured in this ballgame). Whitfield was waiting for a strike. He didn’t get one until the fourth pitch. Then he saw a second. Full count. Pay off pitch. Swing. And a miss. Strike out.

How did that feel, Basilio?


11 August 2004
Cheyenne, WY

Can this series get any more strange? Well, yes, maybe. Roy Horton pitched for the Cowboys today. He was matched by Alberto Torres. Torres gave up back-to-back HRs to Whitfield and Ibarra in the first inning, but that was all. Omaha rallied for 2 runs to tie, and we went to extra innings.

In the bottom of the 10th, the Cowboys got 2 singles. Shawn Clark then grounded into a fielder’s choice. Omaha took the out at second. So runners on the corners for Whitfield, one out. Whitfield had been up with the bases loaded and one out earlier in the game; he struck out. Here, against the Robin Hoods’ closer, Steve Gardner, Whitfield . . . strikes out again!

But it gets worse. Next hitter is the pitcher, Christian Cole. The rest of the bullpen is tired, and this game is still tied. So Terry Taylor lets Cole hit. Cole works the count full. Then swings at the payoff pitch, misses, and strikes out. Except that the ball skitters away, and Cole goes safely into first while the run from third comes home! Ballgame. A 3-2 Cheyenne win.

[Sal, The Barber]

26 August 2004
Cheyenne, WY

The Cheyenne Cowboys lead the Pacific Division of the Western League by 3.5 games over the Boise Braves. The Cowboys’ record is 69-53. Today, they’ll begin a 3-game series with Boise. There are 32 games left in the 2004 season, and the Cowboys look like the Pacific Division favorite.

But there are two huge concerns for the Cowboys as they look toward September and October. The first is third base where Kelly Judson has been steady and very good. At the moment, however, he is injured and on the 60-day DL. Judson has a torn thigh muscle, and no one expects him back by October. So the Cowboys’ problem is how to replace him.

The Cowboys carry 5 infielders to cover 2nd, 3rd and short. Judson’s absence would be not such a big deal if 2B Eric Kelham wasn’t also injured. Kelham has a sprained ankle and is out for another month or so. That leaves Robert Doss to play second, Cy Sanders to man short, and Bernardo Vasquez to play third. That’s a big step down offensively from Judson, Kelham, and any one of those other three. So what does Boo Bentley do?

The conservative approach is to wait for Kelham to return. He’ll be back by October, it seems. Cheyenne has called up Ozzy Newman, a good-glove-no-hit utility guy who can play all infield positions. This approach depends on the loss of offensive production not hurting the win-loss record.

The not-so-conservative approach involves Barry Turpin. Is that name familiar? The Cowboys have no 3B prospects to bring to the major leagues. The only possible candidate is Barry Turpin. Turpin was the Cowboys’ first pick in this year’s amateur draft. Turpin jumped rookie ball, skipped single A, and is playing at double A, where he is hitting .285. Don’t be surprised if Boo Bentley brings the young man up on September 1.

Problem two is the back end of the bullpen. No one has pitched well in the closer’s role since Cheyenne dealt Frankie Howard. Terry Taylor has tried the rookies Domingo Martinez and Jun Yang. He’s tried Christian Cole and Chuck Johnstone. He's now gone to Javier Gomez, and Gomez hasn’t solved the problem. Cole probably performed most ably, but Cole is the one guy in the bullpen with some stamina; Cole can give you 3 innings if you need it. With him locked into the 9th inning, the bullpen loses a long man. In addition, Cole is not suited to pitching two days in a row. He doesn’t bounce back well from an appearance.

Still, Gomez is a trusted arm and so is Mangoni, but neither seems suited for closer. The rookies just don’t seem experienced enough, and we’re not sure what’s wrong with Johnstone because he performed very well as closer at AAA.

A possible option is Tim Fields except that Fields hasn’t pitched very well in the minors since his return from arm surgery. There’s a little time for Fields to put it together but not much more than a little. Perhaps Taylor will turn back to Cole—at least in the playoffs there will be a starter or two in the bullpen that can be relied on to eat up innings. Otherwise, October is going to be an incredibly interesting game of bullpen mix and match.

[Sal, The Barber]

27 August 2004
Cheyenne, WY

Jason Bryant threw his best game of the season today, going 8 innings. He allowed 5 hits and 2 runs. He walked 3 batters. The runs came in the first inning, so perhaps Bryant found something afterward that allowed him to settle in for 7 scoreless frames.

As good as Bryant was on the hill today, that’s not what we want to talk about. Cheyenne beat Boise today for the second straight time. Today, they won 16-4. But that’s still not what we want to talk about.

Jason Bryant went 3 for 3 at the plate, and he walked. That’s what we want to talk about. Bryant hit 2 home runs. And he tripled. With the bases loaded. That’s 6 RBI for Bryant. We’ve never seen a pitcher put on such a performance as a hitter.

If this pitching thing doesn't work out, perhaps Bryant stays on the bench as a pinch hitter!

[Sal, The Barber]

16 September 2004
Boise, ID

The Cowboys have lost 4 games in a row, including today’s 2-1 defeat in Boise. In those 4 games, Cheyenne has scored 6 runs and has a total of 20 hits. To say the offense is scuffling would be understatement. These Cowboys need Eric Kelham and Shawn Clark back. Both are expected back right around the end of the regular season.

The bigger loss is leadoff hitter Kelly Judson. Judson, unfortunately, will miss the remainder of the season. At the moment, the Cowboys have no leadoff man; they’re trying Teddy Whitfield against lefties and using Jesus Soto against righties. Eric Kelham is the best option for that spot in the order after Judson.

This three-game series is Boise’s last chance to make a run at the division title. They are currently 4.5 games behind the Cowboys. They have two more games to try to cut the margin. Right now, I think Cheyenne would be happy to simply salvage one game in this series.

In other news, GM Boo Bentley is trying to do some late season house cleaning. Fans were happy to hear news that Jesus Soto’s contract was extended for 3 more years. Soto will pull in 3 mil next year, 3.5 in 2005, and 4 mil in 2006. Bentley is currently trying to bring back Bernie Vasquez next year; negotiations are said to be going well.

[Sal, The Barber]

26 September 2004
Cheyenne, WY

The Cowboys were the first team to clinch a 2004 playoff spot, and they started a final, 4-game series with Hollywood today. Paul Lyons pitched five innings in a playoff tune-up appearance. The five innings carried Lyons just over 200 for the season. The Cowboys won the game 9-5, and the win gave Lyons 15 on the season.

With 3 games to go, the Cowboys are trying to avoid injuries and finalize the playoff bullpen. In addition, Eric Kelham will rejoin the lineup for the last 2 games of the season, so there is some lineup tinkering to do yet.

It now looks like the Cowboys’ playoff opponent will be Topeka. The Owls’ magic number is just 1. They have surged past Omaha, and Wichita has hung on as well to make that a close division race. But the Owls offense has taken charge and looks to lead them into the playoffs. The Cowboys will welcome Topeka as they have faced Kansas City the last two years.

In the Eastern League, Halifax looks like it will return to the playoffs. The 2002 WS champs have a magic number of 2 with 6 games to play. The Buckeye division is much closer. Cincinnati has held the reins of that division most of the season, but, recently, Windsor has surged past the Outlaw Reds. The Spitfires hold a 1-game lead with 5 games to play.

[Orcin]

Good luck in the playoffs, Boo!

[Sal, The Barber]

4 October 2004
Cheyenne, WY

The Topeka Owls blew it, losing their 3 final games to Sioux City. Those losses put them in a one-game playoff against Omaha. The Robin Hoods blew by them, 5-1. So Omaha faces Cheyenne in the West; Halifax plays Windsor in the East.

It’s too bad Topeka gave away the division because Omaha scares me. They hit HRs and will score runs because of it. We are without Kelly Judson and will have to find a way to score without him.

Let’s take a look at how the two teams stack up:

Omaha is 4th in runs score, 7th in batting average, 5th in on base, 1st in HRs, and 4th in SBs.

Cheyenne is 3rd in runs, 9th in batting average, 2nd in on base, 8th in HRs, and 2nd in SBs.

Omaha is 3rd in runs against, 6th starters’ ERA, 2nd bullpen ERA, and 3rd in defense.

Cheyenne is 2nd in runs against, 1st in starters’ ERA, 6th in bullpen ERA, and 2nd in defense.

So the numbers make it a pretty even match up. We’ll have to use our speed to help us score runs, and we’ll need our starters to pitch well and deep into games. Should be a good series. We were 10-4 against Omaha in the regular season.

Paul Lyons will start game one against Omaha’s ace Raphael Pina. The rest of the Omaha starters don’t scare us. We’ll use Roy Horton in game three so that if the series goes seven, he’ll be our man on the mound. Omaha does have Clarence Harvey in the bullpen; he’s a lights out set-up guy. And their closer, Steve Gardner, is pretty good too.

We’ll pitch Jose Torres in game two and Jason Bryant in game four. Bryant has gotten better the more he has pitched since coming back from injury. We’ll carry Tze-meng Tang on the roster to take care of long relief and jump into the rotation if needed.

[Sal, The Barber]

5 October 2004
Cheyenne, WY

Cheyenne executed the game plan perfectly today and won game one of the WLCS, 3-1 over Omaha. Paul Lyons pitched brilliantly for 7.1 innings, and the Cowboy bullpen closed it out.

The Cowboys got off to a good start when John O’Flanagan led off the bottom of the first inning with a double. Will Byrd moved him to third with a ground out, and Pedro Ibarra knocked him in with a fly to left center field. The early lead was enough for Lyons, and he got a little help from the bottom of the Cowboy order.

Shortstop Robert Doss singled in the bottom of the fifth and stole second. Eric Kelham’s single drove Doss to third, and Lyons came to the plate. There was one out. Lyons bunted, and the Robin Hoods got Doss at the plate. Cheyenne failed to score.

But in the seventh, the same circumstances occurred. Doss doubled, Kelham singled. Lyons came to the plate with runners at the corners and bunted again. This time Doss scored, and Lyons was safe at first. Will Byrd knocked in another run with a two-out double to give Cheyenne the 3-run lead.

Lyons got into trouble in the 8th. He gave up a 1-out RBI single, the third single in a row, and Cheyenne manager Terry Taylor went to Javier Gomez. Runners were on second and third. Gomez, however, struck out the next two batters to get Cheyenne out of the inning.

Christian Cole came on to pitch the ninth and save it. Tomorrow’s game features Jose Torres for Cheyenne versus Takeichi Mori****a. Mori****a is the Robin Hoods’ next best starter.

[Orcin]

Let me guess... is his name Morish!ta?

[Sal, The Barber]

6 October 2004
Cheyenne, WY

Cheyenne GM Boo Bentley told us that his club would have to try to capitalize on its speed to score enough runs to push past the slugging Hoods. The first half of today’s ballgame illustrated the team’s contrasting styles.

Robert Doss singled and stole second base; he scored on a single from pitcher Jose Torres. For Omaha, centerfielder Dan Davis hit a solo home run. Each team also scored an unearned run.

The game was tied at 2 after 3 innings. Both pitchers settled, although Omaha’s Mori****a looked stronger. Torres was throwing more pitches.
And Torres wouldn’t last but ‘til 2 were out in the sixth. Torres got the leadoff out in the inning but then gave up two singles. Mori****a bunted, and he was Torres last batter. Chuck Johnstone came on and struck out James Francis to get Cheyenne out of the jam.

In the eighth, to face two lefties, Terry Taylor brought out Juan Cabral. Cabral failed to get either batter, allowing a double to McKenzie and a single to Neely. McKenzie had to stop at third base on Neely’s hit, however.

Taylor jumped up and immediately replaced Cabral—with the rookie Domingo “Furball” Martinez. Martinez, Jun Yang, and Manuel Rivera—rookies, all—are the future Cowboy bullpen, and Martinez and Yang are on this season’s playoff roster. Martinez’s first test was the light-hitting Omaha catcher Regis Aubert. Martinez struck him out—exactly the result Taylor was hoping for when he put Furball in the game, no doubt.

The next Robin Hood hitter hit a ground ball to third. Vasquez fielded it, looked McKenzie back to the bag, and threw the batter out at first. And then Furball wrapped up the inning, getting a pinch hitter to fly to right. Wow! Martinez’s inning goes a long way to encourage Taylor to use him again in a tight spot.

And the big escape was just what the Cowboys needed to jump start the bats. In the bottom of the inning, they’d have to face elite set-up man Clarence Harvey. Eric Kelham greeted him with a shot over the center fielder’s head that went for a double. Ibarra—aka PI, the Private Investigator or Private Eye for his discerning eye at the plate—struck out. Jesus Soto was walked intentionally.

And then Terry Taylor surprised us. He called for a double steal. At the plate, catcher Doug Broomhead took a strike, but Kelham and Soto each took a base. The gamble, however, appeared to be for naught as Broomhead hit a grounder that Harvey grabbed, keeping everyone at their base and getting Broomhead at first. So it was up to Bernie Vasquez. Vasquez punched a ground ball between first and second base, and both baserunners scored. Cheyenne had taken a 2-run lead.

Vasquez’s hit chased Harvey, and Cheyenne threatened for more when pinch hitter Shawn Clark walked. But Cy Sanders made the third out with a lazy fly ball to left.

Omaha would have only one shot at getting those two runs back, and they would have to do it against Christian Cole. On for the second day in a row, Cole was a little shakier today. He gave up a lead-off single before getting two outs. But then he gave up another single, putting the tying run on base and bringing the winning one to the plate. But Cole didn’t disappoint the home crowd. With the two Robin Hood baserunners threatening, Cole struck out Karl McKenzie and saved the game for the home team.

It’s a 2-0 LCS lead for Cheyenne!

[Sal, The Barber]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Let me guess... is his name Morish!ta?

Well, no, it's Mori****a!

We'll do our best to dispose of him and his mates, so we won't have to endure this again!

[Sal, The Barber]

8 October 2004
Omaha, NE

With Roy Horton on the mound for Cheyenne, the Cowboys were confident of a game three victory. They got off to a good start with a 2-run third inning, instigated by a Roy Horton single. Will Byrd had an RBI double.

But the Robin Hoods chipped away, scoring one in the 5th—and leaving base runners at second and third—and one in the 6th to tie the game. Jesus Soto hit a 2-out single to put Cheyenne up 3-2 in the 7th.

In the Omaha half of the 7th, Horton got a fly out, then walked the next hitter on 4 straight pitches. That was enough for Terry Taylor; he replaced Horton with Basilio Mangoni. Mangoni struck out the next hitter and then got a pop up to end the inning.

Cheyenne put the game out of reach in the 8th, scoring 5 runs, the highlight a Pedro Ibarra 3-run HR. They added two more in the 9th, as well, to win 10-2.

Juan Cabral pitched well. He came on with two on and no one out in the 8th and immediately got a double play grounder and another ground out. Jun Yang struck out 3 batters in the 9th while walking one.

Cheyenne has a chance to clinch the series tomorrow. In the EL, Halifax has a 2 games to 1 lead on Windsor.

[Sal, The Barber]

9 October 2004
Omaha, NE

John O’Flanagan led off the ballgame with a solo home run, but that was the highlight for Cheyenne. Omaha took game four 7-4. Jason Bryant walked 4 in 3 innings, giving up 5 runs, and O’Flanagan hurt his elbow throwing in the 2nd inning. Cheyenne did manage 2 runs in the ninth, but their rally fell short.

O’Flanagan will go to the DL. Paul Lyons takes the hill tomorrow to try to sew up the series.