Orcin's Story

[Jabez54]

Smart move

[Orcin]

May 28, 2001

Subject: Week 8 Notes

Record: 33-18, .647, - GB
Position: 1st place (9 game lead)
Runs Scored: 244 – 2nd in Federal
Runs Allowed: 182 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .713 – 2nd in Federal
Power Ranking: 121.5 (3rd in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 91/100


• Last week (5-2): 2-1 vs. Sacramento, 3-1 vs. Denver
• Terrence Banks hit a walk-off 3-run homer, his second home run of the day, to beat Sacramento 4-3 and earn a “Performance of the Day” mention.
• Terrence Banks hit a grand slam the next night to beat Sacramento again and help Todd Fletcher to his eighth win.
• David Harris hit two home runs in the third game of the Sacramento series, and another the next day vs. Denver. He now has 6 HR but only 9 RBI because he is hitting just .143 with men in scoring position.
• Lefty Ricardo Martinez (6-2, 3.38) threw a two-hitter at Denver for eight innings, holding them scoreless and earning his own “Performance of the Day” appearance.
• Todd Fletcher took his turn in the “PotD” spotlight on Sunday, blanking the Denver Miners for seven innings on two hits and a walk. Fletcher is 9-1 with a 1.42 ERA.
• Juan Aponte went 10 for 24 this week to raise his season average to .263. Did he hear about my contract offer to Julian Mejia? (That offer is still pending.)
• SP Ron Sims (2-3, 5.28 ERA) was moved to the bullpen and Ed Gibson (1-1, 3.75 ERA) will try the fifth starter role for a few turns. Sims might be pressing a bit.
• This week: 3 vs. Seattle (23-27), 3 vs. Milwaukee (24-27)

[Orcin]

May 29, 2001 (BNN)

Subject: Gonzalez Whitewashes Seattle

The Falcons can take comfort in knowing that they will not have to face Alfredo González again for a while. The 37-year-old hurler pitched a 3-hit shutout to help the Louisville Colonels beat Seattle 6-0. In the process, González struck out 10 and walked 0.

In 9 starts this season, González has picked up 5 wins while suffering 2 losses. He has pitched 55.1 innings, allowed 45 hits, struck out 52 and posted a 3.09 ERA.





June 1, 2001 (BNN)

Subject: Gibson Hurls Louisville to Shutout Victory

Ed Gibson shut 'em down and shut 'em out, hurling Louisville past Milwaukee 4-0 in a complete game victory. He told BNN sportswriters in the postgame interview, "This is a game of adjustments and I made some good ones in this game." Gibson threw 118 pitches, 79 for strikes, in the 6-hitter while walking 0 and fanning 3.

So far this season Gibson has a record of 2-1 with 35 strikeouts and 16 walks in 52 innings and a 3.12 ERA. He has appeared in 14 games, making 5 starts.

[Orcin]

June 4, 2001

Subject: Week 9 Notes

Record: 38-19, .667, - GB
Position: 1st place (12 game lead)
Runs Scored: 271 – 2nd in Federal
Runs Allowed: 193 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .718 – 2nd in Federal
Power Ranking: 129.0 + (2nd in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 91/100


• Last week (5-1): 2-1 vs. Seattle, 3-0 vs. Milwaukee
• The team finished 17-11 in May, winning 13 of 17 after a 4-7 start to the month.
• The pitching has been the catalyst for the hot streak. The staff has only allowed 22 runs over the last 11 games, including the two shutouts reported by BNN in the previous post.
• Terrence Banks was 3-4 with a homer and 4 RBI in a win over Milwaukee.
• Julian Mejia finally accepted my contract offer. He will assume the utility infielder role and sub for Aponte every fourth day. Aponte is hitting .310 over the past two weeks so I don’t want to take him out of the lineup.
• Middle infielder Lou Gordon was placed on waivers to make room for Mejia on the active roster. He was claimed by the Providence Grays.
• SP Todd Fletcher’s trade status was set to “Untouchable”. Don’t bother calling.
• We had a great (10-3) home stand, but now we go on the road for two weeks.
• This week: 3 at Chicago (22-35), 3 at San Francisco (27-29)

[blazertaz13]

Seems to be an amazing start to the season. I am interested in seeing how the rest of the league is doing. Any other team out to a similar start as your Louisville club.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by blazertaz13

Seems to be an amazing start to the season. I am interested in seeing how the rest of the league is doing. Any other team out to a similar start as your Louisville club.

See post #77. The standings haven't changed much since then, but I will post another update at the halfway point.

[Orcin]

June 7, 2001

Subject: Personal Message from SP Ed Gibson

Mr. Orcin,

Playing for the Louisville Colonels has been a very positive experience. The city and the fans have been great to me. As you know my contract expires after this year and I would like to extend my stay. When you get a chance please contact my agent so we can work out a deal.

Thank you,

Ed Gibson

**********

June 8, 2001

Subject: Personal Message from SP Alberto Gonzalez

Mr. Orcin,

I find it perplexing that I haven't received an offer to extend my contract. I am sure it's an oversight, and I want you to know that I would be willing to entertain offers. Please get in touch so that we can begin discussions as soon as possible.

Alfredo González

**********

You can measure the relative value of these two potential free agents by the tone of their messages. It is only slightly unnerving to have two members of my starting rotation on expiring contracts. Two key members of my bullpen, Chavez and Melendez, are also without contracts for next season. It’s about time to lock some of these pitchers up.

I will be taking them in priority sequence, starting with the late-inning lefty (Melendez). He is a relative bargain at $3M per year, and his performance (1.75 ERA, 0.90 WHIP) has been stellar. I compared him to other pitchers with similar ratings and the comps are making at least $8M per season. I don’t want to be forced to replace him in the free agent market and the farm system has only one mediocre candidate for the position.

[Orcin]

June 11, 2001

I am entertaining trade offers for SP Alberto Gonzalez. Don’t look so shocked. Only Todd Fletcher is untouchable.

Gonzalez has been inconsistent (5-3, 4.31 ERA) and has missed a couple of starts with a minor injury. Some of his fundamental stats are very good (1.26 WHIP, 2.9 K/BB ratio) and some are not (45% GB ratio, 5/11 quality starts, 1.4 HR/9). I signed him because I wanted a veteran to start that big game in the playoffs. Honestly, I am less excited over the prospect of him starting that game now after seeing how unpredictable he is.

I don’t intend to sign him for next season at $9M or more. It is only prudent business to see what I can get for him on the open market. Several teams need a front-line starting pitcher. Gonzalez is so highly regarded that almost every team is willing to offer a blue chip player or top prospect for him. It is more about what I want than what I can get.

Gonzalez is valuable, but at the same time replaceable. Fernando Candelaria remains convinced that Ron Sims should be in the rotation. He could move back in as the fifth starter with Martinez and Gibson shifting up a slot. Jim Poole is 6-1 with a 1.56 ERA in AAA, and could fill the long-man role in the bullpen. There are a couple of veteran arms available on the trading block in case Sims falters again or there is a serious injury, plus we have a couple of emergency options in AAA.

I can thus rationalize trading Gonzalez, but I don’t think my fans will embrace the idea. Gonzalez is wildly popular. Louisville fans may not understand trading a quality pitcher while in the midst of a pennant race. I am not sure that I can justify it myself except to say that I believe we can still win without him. Here’s the rough draft of my rehearsed answer for Gordon Cooper when he storms into my office and says “you did what?”

“Gonzalez was an asset with a short shelf life that I flipped for long-term assets that will have greater value to the franchise over the long haul. Gonzalez has been worth about 0.5 runs per game over an ordinary replacement pitcher like Sims. Our offense is #2 in the league, and good enough to cover for that one-half run most of the time. We only need four starters in the playoffs anyway, and Gonzalez might have been the odd man out considering the way that Gibson is pitching. The potential return for Gonzalez was too rewarding to pass up. Trust me – we can win it all without him.”

This speech might work on Gordon. I know it won’t satisfy our fans, but I will worry about that if or when the time comes. Gonzalez hasn’t been traded yet, so all of this may come to nothing unless someone wows me with an offer I can’t refuse. I’m not going to give him away. Stay tuned between now and July 31.

Oh, and please don’t tell BNN about any of this. We don’t need the distractions.

Otto Orcin

[Orcin]

June 11, 2001

Subject: Week 10 Notes

Record: 42-21, .667, - GB
Position: 1st place (12.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 305 – 2nd in Federal
Runs Allowed: 215 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .718 – 2nd in Federal
Power Ranking: 126.0 + (1st in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 91/100


• Last week (4-2): 2-1 at Chicago, 2-1 at San Francisco
• We continue to win two of every three games. That is a pace that yields 108 wins. We are only two over our Pythagorean record, so we haven’t just been lucky.
• Terrence Banks was 3-5 with a homer and 5 RBI in a 15-5 win over San Francisco to earn a Performance of the Day.
• Banks started slowly in the power department but has come on strong lately. He now has a stat line of .316/.361/.558 with 12 HR, 47 RBI and .918 OPS.
• This week: 4 at Phoenix (26-36), 3 at Denver (29-34)


I will be at the league office on Friday for the first-year player draft. I don’t expect much considering that we only have two picks in the first 100. We will fill out the rookie league roster as best we can and see what develops (literally).

[Orcin]

June 15, 2001

Subject: First-Year Player Draft

The first overall pick in the draft went to the Seattle Falcons. They selected 21-year-old starting pitcher Luis “Pokey” Gonzalez from Brown University. Gonzalez could probably start in the majors right away and looks like a premier pitcher. He wants a $7M signing bonus, but he is worth it. My scout rates him 10/10/10 potential.

Louisville’s picks in the early rounds were all high-school players:

Suppl. Round 1 (#47 overall): RF Arlen Craig (age 17, bats L), Burlington MA, 4.5-star potential, contact hitter with speed, arm strength makes him better suited for LF, smart but lazy, very easy to sign

Round 2 (#94 overall): 1B Michael Sampson (age 18, bats L), Waco TX, 3-star, high contact and power potential, decent fielder, normal INT and work ethic, very easy to sign

Round #3: SP Dale Reynolds (age 17, throws L), Chicago IL, 2.5-star, good movement, three decent pitches, decent stamina, good work ethic but dumb as a post, very easy to sign

Round #4: SP Jim Thomason (age 18, throws L), Youngstown OH, 1.5-star, would be rated higher but velocity is only 85-87 mph, has three fair pitches plus the stamina and movement to be a good starter, throws grounders, hard worker with normal IQ, he is rated extremely hard to sign but I have money to throw at him

Round #5: RF Vaughn Novak (age 18, bats S), Montclair CA, 1.5-star, good arm and range, good speed, potential to develop power, good contact and eye, high work ethic but a slow learner, normal sign-ability

Rounds 6-25: They are all long shots. I let Fernando pick most of them while I made sure we got a balanced crop to cover all positions (not just middle relievers).

**********

I will not post another update until Monday. My wife and I are taking a little post-draft R&R trip. I can’t really say where because I don’t want the paparazzi to follow me around. But here’s a hint… the destination offers games of chance.

[Jabez54]

LMAO ... thanks for the updates ...

if your team was dead last, I would say trade all your drafts for Mr. Pokey ...

[Orcin]

June 17, 2001 (BNN)

Subject: 15Ks for Figueroa

The Baltimore Robins were victorious over the Orlando Sharks today 11-1 at Ballpark of Baltimore after getting an outstanding performance from starting pitcher Jorge Figueroa. The 31-year-old Figueroa brought his top game to the mound, striking out 15 batters while allowing 6 hits and 1 walk.

"He made a lot of good pitches out there," the Orlando manager said. "He made some of our guys look bad. We didn't help matters by swinging at everything, but we really have to give him credit -- he didn't make many mistakes."

Figueroa continues to roll on toward a Hall of Fame plaque. This year he has a 12-0 record with a 1.29 ERA in 16 starts. He leads the Patriot League with 138 strikeouts.

[Orcin]

June 18, 2001

Subject: Week 11 Notes

Record: 45-25, .643, - GB
Position: 1st place (11.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 343 – 2nd in Federal
Runs Allowed: 253 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .716 – 2nd in Federal
Power Ranking: 116.7 - (3rd in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 90/100


• Last week (3-4): 1-3 at Phoenix, 2-1 at Denver
• Pitcher Ron Sims was injured during the first game of the Phoenix series. He was diagnosed with a mild shoulder strain and will miss one week.
• SS Raul Martinez sat out a couple of games with a stiff back.
• Silas Campbell was 3-5 with 2 HRs in a 7-2 win over Phoenix. Todd Fletcher (11-2) went seven innings and allowed one run.
• Terrence Banks had 4 hits and 4 RBI in a 12-2 win over Denver. Banks now leads the Federal League with 57 RBI.
• Our first-round draft pick, RF Arlen Craig, signed for a bonus of $1.25M and will report to Owensboro in the Rookie League.
• Lefty MR Rodrigo Melendez was signed to a three-year contract extension worth $10.5M. The final year of the deal is a team option for $4M.
• MR Mario Chavez is also a potential free agent but it is not time to negotiate with him. He is pitching too well. I will wait until he slumps a bit to make him an offer.
• SP Ed Gibson is asking crazy money for an extension and he will have to look elsewhere next season unless he tempers his demands. He signed a one-year “build value” deal with us, and it is working out well for both parties so far.
• This week: 3 vs. San Diego (44-25), 3 at Providence (26-42)

[Orcin]

June 25, 2001

Subject: Week 12 Notes

Record: 50-26, .658, - GB
Position: 1st place (13.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 380 – 1st in Federal
Runs Allowed: 271 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .717 – 2nd in Federal
Power Ranking: 125.4 (2nd in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 90/100


• Last week (5-1): 2-1 vs. San Diego, 3-0 at Providence
• Todd Fletcher hit a grand slam to provide all of the run support he needed for a 5-2 victory over San Diego. Fletcher is now 12-2 and will probably start the All-Star Game for the Federal League against legendary Baltimore pitcher Jorge Figueroa.
• Ron McLain beat San Diego the next night, allowing no runs, one hit, and one walk over eight innings.
• 1B David Harris was 3-4 with a HR and a double, driving in 4 runs to help beat Providence 6-3 and earn a PotD.
• 2B Rodney Wright suffered a mild oblique strain and will be day-to-day (20%) for a week or so. I will not start him but he is available to pinch-hit.
• 1B Chris Brown was declared ready to begin a rehab assignment at AAA. I hope to have him back in the major league lineup by the end of next week.
• Our remaining four draft picks signed this week: 1B Michael Sampson (round 2), SP Dale Reynolds (round 3), SP Jim Thomason (round 4) and RF Vaughn Novak (round 5). All four players will report to Owensboro in the Rookie League in time for the start of their season. The total draft expenses came in under budget.
• This week: 3 at St. Louis (32-43), 3 at Denver (35-41)


The following players from our farm system were selected for the All-Star team in their league. Several of those AAA players are on their last option and decisions will need to be made on their future with our organization before next season. The lack of All-Stars from the other two levels does not bode well for the depth in our system.

• Lexington (AAA): SP Jim Poole, CL Jason Gray, C Jorge Costa, 3B Russell Bennett, and CF Brian Smith.
• Dayton (AA): CL Ron Hutchison
• Evansville (A): none

[Orcin]

June 28, 2001

Chris Brown is ready to be activated. I want him back in the lineup, but a tough roster decision must be made. David Harris replaced Brown and has played extremely well. Harris has a .326/.429/.601 stat line in 55 games (207 plate appearances). I want to keep Harris as a left-handed bat off the bench because our pinch-hitters are batting a dismal .129 combined. I usually keep a five-man bench consisting of a catcher, two infielders, and two outfielders in order to have twelve active pitchers. It is difficult to stock the bench with a pure pinch-hitter and still cover all of the defensive positions. Harris may be worth the hassle, considering how badly my bench needs a big bat.

Harry Hall, our current left-handed pinch-hitter, has a pitiful stat line of .175/.240/.292 in 149 plate appearances. Hall only has one option remaining, and I hate to burn the last option on a player for a mid-season demotion. He is also our best defensive outfielder and often subs for Campbell in the late innings.

Mark Mann is the other outfield sub. He has played very well in all three outfield spots and is out of options, so he’s not going anywhere.

Ray Conley is the corner infield sub. Conley has a .230/.313/.340 stat line in 112 plate appearances. He only plays first and third base, so he is not a great option for a utility infielder. Like Hall, he has one option remaining.

Juan Mejia has been terrible in his brief tryout. His stat line is .146/.176/.167 in 50 plate appearances. He has a .929 fielding percentage and was caught stealing in his only attempt. Some fans blame him for the recent bad weather in Louisville. He stepped on the clubhouse cat and it hasn’t been seen since the incident. His locker smells bad too.

Let’s look at the AAA roster for alternatives. One player stands out. Russell Bennett, 24, is playing all-star third base in AAA and hitting .282/.413/.453. He is a switch-hitter. He has 9 steals in 11 attempts. He has a .968 fielding percentage and (get this) he plays every position on the diamond at a high level (except catcher). I would love to bring him up as a super-utility player but then I would have to open two roster spots.

I decided to keep two-left-handed bats and two outfielders, which means that Hall stays on the active roster. I compared Conley and Mejia. Mejia plays all four infield positions. Mejia is out of options and Conley has one remaining. Mejia has much better speed if I need a pinch-runner. So, Conley will go down to AAA and play first base every day. Mejia is on a short leash and will not survive long if he doesn’t clean his locker. Bennett will be pushing Mejia but he is also an ace in the hole in case of an injury to an infielder.

Otto Orcin

[Orcin]

2001 First-Half Standings (after 81 games):



We are in a tight race for best record, which will determine home-field advantage in the post-season. No team has made a move to challenge in our division… yet. In case you didn’t notice, the three worst teams in the Federal League come from our division.

Defending champion Baltimore has the best overall record, but two teams in their division are right on their heels in a tight race for the wild card.

Houston LF Vincente Juarez has a consistent .408 batting average, hitting .387 in April, .413 in May, and .421 in June. L.A.’s young 1B Josh Haley continues to pound the ball with 28 HR and 61 RBI to go with his .307 average. Haley hit 66 HR and contributed 131 RBI last season, so the 26-year-old slugger’s performance is no fluke. A pair of outfielders from the Patriot League, Philadelphia’s Joe Hollaway and Charlotte’s Jon Schultz, are also pushing a 60-homer pace to go with their gaudy RBI totals.

[Orcin]

Louisville Colonels active roster at 07/01/2001:




The team leaders in batting average do not include LF Silas Campbell and 1B Chris Brown, because they don’t have enough plate appearances to qualify due to injuries.

The bullpen has been really sharp lately and they appear to have settled into their roles. Setup man Chavez is refusing to negotiate a new contract for reasonable dollars, so the bullpen may need to be revamped for next season. I’ll worry about that later.

The lineup has been stable for a while now after a lot of early shuffling. McGlone is the best leadoff hitter but he could just as easily be in the middle of the order.

I am very encouraged by the records of the minor league teams. They are competitive despite our lack of star prospects. I think our player development could benefit from an upgrade in teaching personnel at the lower levels, and this will be a priority in the early off-season.

[Orcin]

July 2, 2001

Subject: Week 13 Notes

Record: 54-28, .659, - GB
Position: 1st place (13 game lead)
Runs Scored: 413 – 1st in Federal
Runs Allowed: 293 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .716 – 1st in Federal
Power Ranking: 124.5 (1st in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 89/100


• Last week (4-2): 2-1 at St. Louis, 2-1 at Denver
• The team was 18-9 in June, winning consistently at home and on the road. The strong pitching has prevented prolonged losing streaks.
• Fan interest continues to slowly decline in spite of (or perhaps because of) our big lead. Attendance is still very strong so there is no need to panic.
• RF Terrence Banks was our team’s player of the month for June with a .349 average, 7 HR, and 34 RBI.
• Louisville pitcher of the month went to Todd Fletcher, who held the rotation together with a 4-2 record and a 2.50 ERA.
• Alberto Gonzalez was the Player of the Day after throwing eight shutout innings in a 5-0 win over St. Louis. Gonzalez allowed four hits, struck out 4 and walked none.
• Terrence Banks got a PotD by going 3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI in a 13-8 win over Denver.
• Chris Brown returned to the lineup. Manager Byrne has him batting fifth behind Banks and Campbell.
• Ray Conley was demoted to AAA to clear space for Brown on the active roster.
• Former Colonels outfielder Marcos Sosa was signed to a minor league contract because injuries have eroded our AAA outfield depth. Sosa is only 26, bats left, has good speed, and plays all three outfield positions well. He played for us last season but has remained unsigned after we refused to offer him arbitration.
• This week: 3 at Los Angeles (39-43), then 4 vs. division leader Salt Lake City (51-32) leading up to the All-Star break

[Orcin]

July 8, 2001 (BNN)

Subject: All-Star Rosters Announced

It is not an easy task to pick the best players for the annual baseball classic -- the All-Star Game. It is not possible to please everybody. Whether we agree or not, they have been chosen... and here they are. The rosters for this year's Continental Baseball Association All-Star Game have been announced.

For the Federal League, the roster includes:
SP Alfredo Acosta (SLC) - 8-5, 2.94 ERA
SP Ronald Austin (DAL) - 9-5, 2.12 ERA
SP Jesús De La Cruz (DEN) - 10-6, 2.53 ERA
SP Todd Fletcher (LOU) - 14-3, 1.76 ERA
SP Mike Rhodes (SD) - 12-2, 2.53 ERA
SP Jeff Stidham (SAC) - 8-8, 2.76 ERA
SP Robert Westaway (HOU) - 12-4, 2.66 ERA
CL Nick Davis (SEA) - 3-2, 25 SV, 2.01 ERA
CL Juan Deleón (HOU) - 5-2, 19 SV, 3.09 ERA
CL Bill Greer (DAL) - 3-5, 27 SV, 3.02 ERA
CL George King (SD) - 0-2, 26 SV, 3.00 ERA
CL Miguel Morán (SF) - 5-4, 24 SV, 3.60 ERA
C Guillermo Zamora (DAL) - .289/.356/.531, 17 HR, 51 RBI
C Francisco Flores (HOU) - .272/.349/.544, 22 HR, 51 RBI
1B Josh Haley (LA) - .321/.378/.764, 30 HR, 67 RBI
1B Paolo Bogliolo (CHI) - .279/.367/.574, 29 HR, 57 RBI
1B Bob Rice (SLC) - .347/.411/.468, 9 HR, 61 RBI
2B Juan Rodríguez (PHX) - .294/.381/.537, 17 HR, 28 RBI
3B Pedro Rivera (SD) - .290/.387/.559, 21 HR, 70 RBI
3B Stephen Richardson (SF) - .327/.387/.492, 11 HR, 49 RBI
SS Raúl Martínez (LOU) - .260/.364/.495, 16 HR, 47 RBI
LF Roy Newbury (PHX) - .348/.444/.633, 21 HR, 65 RBI
LF Vincente Juárez (HOU) - .416/.429/.641, 13 HR, 43 RBI
LF Justin Holden (SEA) - .315/.365/.588, 22 HR, 62 RBI
LF John Nelson (SD) - .344/.430/.575, 17 HR, 60 RBI
LF Flint Schmitt (SLC) - .329/.403/.484, 8 HR, 43 RBI
CF Blake Franklin (MIL) - .293/.331/.551, 20 HR, 70 RBI
RF Terrence Banks (LOU) - .322/.362/.559, 18 HR, 74 RBI


For the Patriot League these players have been selected:
SP Billy Bailey (NY) - 13-4, 3.00 ERA
SP Al Blackburn (PIT) - 5-4, 2.98 ERA
SP Jorge Figueroa (BAL) - 15-0, 1.08 ERA !!
SP David Harrison (BAL) - 12-1, 1.94 ERA
SP Gilberto Huertas (PHI) - 10-5, 3.36 ERA
SP Alfredo Ramírez (CLT) - 10-6, 2.61 ERA
SP Bill Robertson (BOS) - 9-6, 2.24 ERA
SP Marshall Sloan (WAS) - 8-8, 3.02 ERA
CL Tynan Casey (PIT) - 3-3, 21 SV, 1.79 ERA
CL Pablo Hernández (PHI) - 4-3, 19 SV, 3.05 ERA
CL Rodger Mack (WAS) - 4-2, 20 SV, 0.89 ERA
CL Rafael Salinas (CLE) - 2-2, 32 SV, 0.86 ERA
C Brian May (NSH) - .292/.406/.498, 12 HR, 45 RBI
C Russell Griffin (ATL) - .268/.353/.507, 18 HR, 60 RBI
1B Craig Jackson (CIN) - .288/.374/.573, 22 HR, 54 RBI
1B Andrés Ruíz (NY) - .306/.415/.531, 16 HR, 55 RBI
1B Jon Schultz (CLT) - .317/.405/.663, 28 HR, 96 RBI
1B Grant Williams (ATL) - .336/.409/.569, 17 HR, 52 RBI
2B Ling-Lai Mao (CLE) - .310/.358/.542, 17 HR, 48 RBI
3B Alfredo Luzuriaga (BAL) - .309/.396/.537, 16 HR, 51 RBI
3B Max Robertson (CHS) - .313/.429/.586, 18 HR, 51 RBI
SS Pierre-Louis Simon (BOS) - .290/.344/.392, 5 HR, 36 RBI
LF Glen Jacobs (CLT) - .333/.406/.513, 7 HR, 45 RBI
LF Joe Holloway (PHI) - .299/.388/.613, 30 HR, 87 RBI
CF Manuel Cisneros (NY) - .298/.379/.490, 9 HR, 56 RBI
RF Archie Wall (CHS) - .292/.398/.535, 17 HR, 44 RBI
RF Carlos Torres (BOS) - .269/.329/.500, 19 HR, 68 RBI
RF Ángel Quintero (ATL) - .296/.404/.456, 10 HR, 41 RBI


The Federal manager conceded that not every deserving player is rewarded with a spot on the roster. "Every year," he said, "someone is disappointed to be left out. This year's no different -- too many good players, not enough roster spots."

[Orcin]

July 9, 2001

Subject: Week 14 Notes

Record: 58-31, .652, - GB
Position: 1st place (14.5 game lead)
Runs Scored: 441 – 3rd in Federal
Runs Allowed: 321 – 1st in Federal
Defense: .708 – 2nd in Federal
Power Ranking: 117.3 (4th in CBA)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 88/100


• Last week (4-3): 2-1 at Los Angeles, 2-2 vs. Salt Lake City
• CF Hugh McGlone was injured on a defensive play. The diagnosis: strained rib cage muscle. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. The injury probably cost him a spot in the All-Star Game.
• Mark Mann will take over for McGlone in the starting lineup. Rookie RF Jeff Moyle was called up from Lexington to take the active roster spot. Moyle is already on the 40-man roster. CF Brian Smith would have gotten the call but he is also injured.
• SP Ricardo Martinez was injured in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game vs. Salt Lake City. He was diagnosed with a sore elbow but probably won’t miss a start due to the All-Star break.
• The offense is weaker without McGlone. Rodney Wright was moved into the leadoff spot with Aponte hitting second. Wright has been a major disappointment this year.
• As previously announced, the Colonels placed three players on the All-Star team: SP Todd Fletcher, RF Terrence Banks, and SS Raul Martinez.
• This week: All-Star break followed by the inter-league home & home special series in which we host the New York Monarchs for two followed by a pair in New York.