Millennial League Baseball

[Questdog]

In the mid 1990's, a small group of wealthy men, disillusioned with the Steroid Era baseball of the Major Leagues, began to ferment a plan to build their own baseball league. By 2000, their number had grown to 16 and they were ready to play their inaugural season in 2001.

Millennial League Baseball has 16 teams in two divisions, North and South:

(Team - Owner (age))
North Division
Buffalo Bombers - Nate Owen (46)
Columbus Explorers - Todd Kosanke (61)
Hartford Whalers - Ricardo Munoz (47)
Indianapolis Arrows - Antonio Aldana (45)
Ottawa Otters - Jimmy Kross (59)
Providence Steamrollers - Robby Morris (54)
Rochester Roosters - Matt Lee (55)
Syracuse Sycamores - Doug Anderson (56)

South Division
Birmingham Barons - Brett Forte (47)
Charlotte Hornets - Bubba McNamara (55)
Jacksonville Jays - Edgar Sanchez (51)
Louisville Colonels - Mike Harris (47)
Memphis Mules - Rick Curtis (55)
New Orleans Pelicans - Kyle Bess (45)
Orlando Juice - Mike Farley (60)
Richmond Robins - Jake Farmer (39)

Editor's Note: A very special thanks to txranger, who made most of the uniforms used in the League and the beautiful League logo at the top of the page!

The teams will play 162 games with 14 against each division foe and 8 against teams in the other division. The winners of each division will play a 7 game series for the league championship, called the 'Millennial Cup'.

Here are the parks and factors for the teams:
The owners wanted to add some nostalgia pull to get fans to come to the games, so all of the parks are recreations of old MLB Parks. Carleton County Stadium in Ottawa is a recreation of Milwaukee County Stadium. Providence Stadium is a recreation of Arlington Stadium. Charlotte Municipal Stadium is a recreation of Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Colonels Field is a recreation of Braves Field in Boston. All recreations have modern amenities added, of course.... They wanted to have the Polo Grounds in the League, but it was voted out because of its radical park factors.

[Questdog]

Editor's Note: Here are the rules of Millennial League Baseball:

No scouting/no coaches
No Current or Potential Ratings shown
Other Ratings shown on a 1 to 5 scale with 6's shown
No Overall or Potential Overall Ratings shown
No Owner Goals
No Storylines

Injuries - Normal (OOTP Classic)
Injury Rating hidden
Suspensions - Normal
Personality, Morale and Chemistry Systems enabled

Aging/Development settings at default

Trading Difficulty - Average/Neutral
Player Evaluation Settings - 0/60/25/15

25/40 man rosters with expanded rosters disabled
Waivers enabled (3 days)
DFA - 10 days
Disabled List - 15 days
Option Years enabled
Players can refuse minor league assignments
Rule V Draft enabled (December 2)
Trading Deadline - July 31
Drafted Players can be traded immediately
10/5 rule enabled
Injured players can be traded
No waiver trades after the deadline
Trading Frequency set to Very High
No Amateur Draft and automatic creation of free agents disabled

Financial settings all at their defaults, except for:
No inflation
Global coefficient set to 0.1
Attendance baseline = 10,000
Ticket price = $9.00
Teams cannot change the ticket price
Minimum Service Years for Free Agency = 25
No Compensation for lost Free Agents
National Media Contract fixed for all teams
No revenue sharing
Minimum Salary = $50,000
Contract Years Maximum = 1
No extensions allowed

Spring Training = 5 weeks
MVP = no pitchers allowed
Pitcher of the Year = Ace Award, no relievers allowed
Reliever of the Year = Fireman Trophy

All-Star = 25 man rosters, all teams are not forced to be represented

5 man Bullpens

Stats set to recreate the National League of 1969-1992

Each Team has 1 A Ball Affiliate (AAA)
Teams will draft players from the Dixie League, a B league (AA). (10 rounds each January)
The Dixie League has C (A) and D (Rookie) affiliates
All of their players come from Scouting Discoveries

House Rules:
No waiver claims allowed by me, though I can lose players to waivers.
I cannot trade any free agent signed until a Millennial Cup (World Series) has been played after the signing. There will not be many marquee free agents, but some players will be non-tendered and not offered arbitration and others players just outright cut.
I cannot trade any player with a Minor League Contract, unless that player was drafted by me in the B Leagues draft.
I cannot negotiate any trades. I can only accept trades offered by other teams and I must accept them as they are offered, no negotiating allowed.
If I am desperate to be rid of a player, I can shop the player, but I must randomly take a player that is offered through a dice roll.

As always, I simmed 25 years of action and then deleted all history. My team, the Jacksonville Jays, were given a market size of 1 for the 25 years and forced to pick last in all drafts and each of their first picks was sacrificed to the baseball gods. So, in essence, each team got 2 picks before the Jays got 1. I took over the team on January 27, 2001. There are 14 slackers on the roster that I need to get rid of and 14 other players that I would like to trade away, if possible, for various reasons (too slow, bad fielding, etc.)

I will play all games out, but during the games, I am only in charge of substitutions. All teams, including mine, are controlled by the same AI strategy settings. I found that managing teams completely gave me a 5 to 10 game advantage over the A.I. just by avoiding doing the stupid things it likes to do. That's the equivalent impact of having an extra superstar player in the lineup, so my team will do the same stupid things to even it out.

All teams have the same market size (6) and will stay the same forever. Every team begins 2001 with Fan Loyalty set to 1 and Fan Interest set to 40 and Fan Interest Modifier set to 0. These numbers will be allowed to change organically.

Also, I set the Experience rating at each position and the triple rating manually for every player based on formulas. It is all done in a spreadsheet and I do not see any player info while doing this. Well, I do see some player info, but I do not see much and I do not know which players the info I am seeing belongs to.....

[Questdog]

January 27, 2001

I took over as the General Manager of the the Jacksonville Jays today. I have been given a budget of $11 million for the season, $3 million less than the next lowest budget (Buffalo). New Orleans has the largest budget at $22 million. Owner Edgar Sanchez (51) was planning on being his own GM but found that he was lacking the necessary skills after being ridiculed in the local press for the composition of his roster so far. And I will have to say that the press had it about right. He has 52 players under contract and only a handful of them have much talent at all. And those that do are mostly malcontents and slackers, which I told him up front, I cannot stand for. So I made it known among my fellow GM's that about half of our roster could be had for just about anybody with any skills at all.

And then I sat back by the phone and waited....

And waited...

And waited...

And waited....

[Questdog]

February 19, 2001

And waited....

I could wait no longer. Spring Training had already started and we were scheduled to play our first exhibition game in a week and no offers had come. So I got on the phone and, determined to get rid of these malcontents regardless of the players I could get for them, I started to make some deals. Not many of them favorable for us, but I was determined to have no more slackers and problem children on the roster by the time we played our first exhibition game.

Editor's Note: These deals are all of the Shop and take a player at random variety. As long as the player is not another slacker, a 1 runner or a poor fielder or on the DL, I have to take them or release the player I was trying to trade. Since we have no stats or ratings to report, I will just show the salaries of the players.

Trade #1:
SP Chad Forsyth (27-L) $50,000 to Louisville for C Jason Boettcher (29-R) $1,686,563.

This is a good trade for us! Boettcher is a catcher who can run a little! He is overpaid for his skill set and seems a bit injury prone, but can hit for a good average and draw some walks and plays decent defense. He immediately becomes our starting catcher and our highest paid player, by far.

Trade #2
SP Bobby Parish (32R) $75,000 to Columbus for SS Joe Adams (29-L) $121,000

Adams is a great fielder, smart and is a hard worker, but cannot hit.

Trade #3
RP Jacob Petty (24-R) MiLC to Indianapolis for SP Dale Gerace (27-R) MiLC

Gerace can maybe start some games in the minors. He is not much of a talent. But then again, we do not have many other pitchers with any talent...

Tuesday, February 20, 2001

Trade #4
RP Mike Simpson (26-R) $50,000 to Birmingham for CF Bryan Graham (30-R) $86,250

Everybody wanted Simpson, as we got a list of 5 players from every other team. Graham plays solid defense, has some power and speed, but swings at everything and strikes out a lot.

Wednesday, February 21, 2001

Trade #5
3B Matt McCoy (26-L) $50,000 to Buffalo for SP Matt Austin (27-R) MiLC

McCoy does not hit for much average, but he hits a lot of home runs and draws a lot of walks. We get a 27 year old pitcher who has never pitched above B Ball before.... Not a good trade at all...

Trade #6
SS Josh Jones (23-R) $50,000 to New Orleans for SS Dan Thomas (27-R) MiLC

Jones is a no hit, good glove type and Thomas is a little better hitter and a little less as good a fielder, who is coming off a fractured eye socket...

Trade #7
SS Jose Reyes (24-R) $50,000 to Rochester for 1B Nolan Dykes (28-R) $50,000

Reyes looks a like a coming star. He can hit for average and run and field well. Dykes has some power and is not immobile, but has not hit for much average at all so far in his career. A very bad trade.

Thursday, February 22, 2001

Trade #8
LF Dakota Combs (22-L) MiLC to Hartford for CF Kaleb Diehl (27-L) #75,000

Combs is a good hitter, but a slacker and cannot play defense. Diehl can play defense, but is not much of a hitter, though he will draw some walks and is a Captain type of fellow. He is probably the front runner to be our Opening Day starter in Center and our leadoff man.

Trade #9
LF Jason Morrison (23-L) MiLC to Orlando for RP Adrian Myers (22-L) MiLC

Morrison is a good young hitter and can play defense, but is a slacker. Myers is a pup who can hit 100 MPH on the radar gun, if he can throw it in the direction of the fellow holding it, which is not often.

Trade #10
CF Dan Collins (25-L) $50,000 to Charlotte for SP Leon Hermosillo (25-L) MiLC

Collins would be our hands down starter in Center and our leadoff man if he was not an unmotivated bum. He can hit for average, take some walks, steal some bases and play great defense. We are giving him away for not much in Hermosillo, though we have plenty of worse pitchers on our roster. He throws very hard, but has control issues and is kind of old to be still on a minor league contract... He missed most of last season with injuries.

No Trade
CF Michael Rogers (28-R) $1,375,000, the best hitter on our team, capable of hitting .300 with 30 HR and 20 SB and 70 BB and a good fielder was cut because no one offered us a single player when we shopped him around.... He is more than just a slacker, though; he is evil incarnate and smart enough to cause real harm...

Friday, February 23, 2001

RF Ricardo Florez (32-R) $1,182,750, the second best hitter on the team, was cut when no one would offer me any players at all for him.

Trade #11
CF Tom Weiner (25-R) $50,000 to Hartford for CF Mario Claros (28-L) $85,000

A slight upgrade here. Weiner can only field. Claros can hit for average at least and field his position, but no power and no walks.

Saturday, February 24, 2001

Trade #12
SP Jim Gibbons (27-L) $50,000 to Providence for SP Josh Hunter (26-R) $50,000

A definite downgrade, but Hunter might have some skills. He throws very hard, but has no minor league options left.

And that is it for the trading. Exhibition games start on Monday!

So we have an $11 million budget and I am using almost half of it ($4.3 million) to pay players to not play for us that owner Edgar Sanchez had signed to contracts.....

We have 59 players under contract right now and 25 of them were signed to minor league contracts by me since January.

[RMc]

Are these fictional players? And does MLB exist in this universe?

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by RMc

Are these fictional players? And does MLB exist in this universe?

Yes, all fictional and the MLB does not exist in game.

[Questdog]

Monday, February 26, 2001

We began our schedule of 30 exhibition games with a 9 to 2 win at the Syracuse Sycamore's training complex. We outhit them, 13 to 5, but only had 1 extra base hit, a triple by RF Mike Garrett (34-L), who we signed as a minor league free agent 3 weeks ago. He is the front runner to be our cleanup hitter. P Walt Urbanski (30-R), who is the front runner to be our Opening Day starter, gave up 2 runs in 4 innings, but went 2 for 2 at the plate with a run scored and 2 RBI. No one reported any injuries and fingers are crossed that it stays that way....

Tuesday, March 6, 2001

CF Michael Rogers (28-R), our best hitter that we cut because he is a problem child, signed with Hartford for $590,000.

Thursday, March 29, 2001

We finished up our exhibition schedule with a 3 to 2 win over the Columbus Explorers at our Spring Training complex in Daytona Beach. We made it all the way to the 2nd to last game of the schedule without any serious injuries and then C Jason Boettcher (29-R), our scheduled Opening Day starter and the highest paid player on the team, tore his hamstring and will be out until the middle of May.

We ended up 16-14 (.533), the 3rd best record in the Southern Division, behind the Louisville Colonels (19-11) and the New Orleans Pelicans (17-13). The Hartford Whalers had the overall best record in Grapefruit League play at 20-10 (.667). The Orlando Juice, our in state rival, had the worst record at 9-21. Jim Rutherford (25-L) of the Indianapolis Indians led all players with 8 HR and Ben White (23-R) of the Ottawa Otters led all players with 17 RBI.

Next up: Meet the Jays!

[Questdog]

Meet the Jays!

Opening Day starters are highlighted in blue.

Opening Day Roster
Pitchers
Starting Rotation
Walt Urbanski
30 year old right-hander from Los Angeles, California. 6' 7" 245 lbs. $403,200. An original Jay. 97 MPH fastball with a slider, changeup and splitter. He keeps the ball low in the zone and gets a lot of ground balls. Not a good fielder, as one would expect from such a big man, and a below average move to 1st. A pretty good hitter for a pitcher and an excellent bunter. A very hard worker and a stand up guy who does not like to take credit for his success. A solid #3 or #4 starter who is our #1. Was 3-1 with a 1.06 ERA this Spring. 17 IP, 16 H, 0 HR, 6 BB, 6 SO.

Pete DeVivo
29 year old right-hander from State College, Pennsylvania. 6' 2" 193 lbs. $50,000. An original Jay. 96 MPH fastball with a cutter and changeup. Not a good fielder and a below average move to 1st. A good hitter for a pitcher and a good bunter. Likes to run his mouth, but not bright enough to think of interesting things to say. Was 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA this Spring. A hard thrower who does not strike out a lot of batters, but keeps the ball in the park mostly. 11.1 IP, 12 H, 0 HR, 2 BB, 7 SO. Only got 1 AB, but hit a home run.

Travis Barger
28 year old right-hander from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts (a very small town 12 miles northwest of Lowell on the New Hampshire border). 6' 8" 214 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. An original Jay. 95 MPH fastball with a sinker and changeup. Not a good fielder and a below average move to 1st. A horrible hitter and not such a good bunter. Very smart, but self-centered. Very good control. Was 1-2 with a 6.16 ERA this Spring. 19 IP, 23 H, 3 HR, 8 BB, 10 SO.

Josh Spence
24 year old left-hander from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (a suburb of Madison). 5' 10" 177 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. An original Jay. 97 MPH fastball with a curve, changeup and forkball. A good fielder and an exceptional move to 1st. A decent hitter for a pitcher and a good bunter. Likes to fish. Was named the #2 prospect in the Millennial League by Baseball America this Spring. Was 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA this Spring. 20 IP, 19 H, 1 HR, 10 BB, 16 SO.

Matt Austin
27 year old right-hander from Corona, California (southwest of Riverside). 6' 4" 202 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. Acquired in a trade with Buffalo in February. 92 MPH cut fastball with a curve, slider and changeup. Not a good fielder and an average move to 1st. A very good hitter for a pitcher and a good bunter. Likes to keep to himself. Was 0-1 with a Save and a 2.63 ERA this Spring. 13.2 IP, 10 H, 0 HR, 8 BB, 10 SO. We do not expect him to keep his job for the full season, but he earned a shot.

Bullpen
Bobby Kaiser
28 year old right-hander from Elgin, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). 6' 6" 231 lbs. $205,275 An original Jay. 95 MPH fastball with a curve. Not a good fielder and an average move to 1st. A good hitter for a pitcher and a good bunter. Not an assertive individual. Was 1-0 with 2 Saves and a 1.88 ERA this Spring. 14.1 IP, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 BB, 11 SO.

Billy Boone
38 year old right-hander from Alderwood Manor, Washington (a suburb of Seattle). 6' 4" 232 lbs. $78,750 An original Jay. 91 MPH fastball with a curve. Not a good fielder, but an excellent move to 1st. A decent hitter for a pitcher and an excellent bunter. Excellent control is his primary asset. Was 0-0 with 2 Saves and a 1.15 ERA this Spring. 15.2 IP, 12 H, 0 HR, 3 BB, 9 SO.

Jose Rubio
31 year old (32 on April 6) left-hander from Acarigua, Venezuela. 6' 1" 188 lbs. $110,000 Signed as a free agent in March. 88 MPH sinker with a cutter and a changeup. Not a good fielder and a good move to 1st. A very good hitter for a pitcher and an excellent bunter. An avid golfer. Impeccable control and gets a lot of ground balls, but a soft tosser.Was 1-0 and did not allow a run in his short time with the team this Spring. 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO.

Mike Wooldridge
35 year old right-hander from Plano, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). 6' 2" 188 lbs. $50,000 Signed as a minor league free agent in February. 95 MPH fastball and slider. Not a good fielder and a good move to 1st. A good hitter for a pitcher and an average bunter. A good team player. Not much stands out about him as a pitcher, but he did better than others this Spring. Was 0-0 with a 2.57 ERA this Spring. 14 IP, 13 H, 1 HR, 8 BB, 9 SO.

Oscar Campuzano
26 year old left-hander from La Vega, the Dominican Republic. 5' 10" 186 lbs. $50,000 An original Jay. 92 MPH over the top fastball with a curve and changeup. Not a good fielder and a good move to 1st. A horrible hitter, but a good bunter. Level headed. A groundball pitcher. Was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA this Spring. 8.2 IP, 9 H, 0 HR, 7 BB, 9 SO.

Fielders
Catchers
Lamar Woods
27 year old catcher who bats and throws right-handed from Lake St. Croix Beach, Minnesota (just east of St. Paul). 6' 1" 208 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. An original Jay. A good receiver with a strong arm. Cannot run. Hit decently in the minors with very few home runs, but a lot of doubles and walked more than he struck out. A regular Joe. Hit .250/.294/.250 with 0 HR and 2 RBI in 32 AB this Spring with 0 SB.

Nick Witherspoon
27 year old catcher who bats and throws right-handed from San Jose, California. 6' 4" 220 lbs. $50,000. An original Jay. A good receiver with an average arm. Cannot run. Not much of a hitter. Not very bright, but he knows it and stays humble. Hit .100/.217/.100 with 0 HR and 1 RBI in 20 AB this Spring with 0 SB.

Will Mullen
27 year old catcher who bats left-handed and throws right-handed from Chicopee, Massachusetts (just north of Springfield). 6' 0" 196 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. An original Jay. A good receiver with an average arm. Cannot run. Hit for a decent average in the minors and drew a lot of walks and did not strike out much. Owns a boat. Hit .206/.270/.265 with 0 HR and 6 RBI in 34 AB this Spring with 0 SB.


Infielders
Nolan Dykes
29 year old first baseman who bats and throws right-handed from Killeen, Texas (between Waco and Austin; location of Fort Hood). 6' 2" 206 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. Acquired in a trade with Rochester in February. A very good fielder. Below average runner, but will steal a base every now and then. Hit home runs and drew walks in the minors, but had a very low average and struck out a lot. A good ol' boy. Hit .353/.450/.441 with 0 HR and 5 RBI in 34 AB this Spring with 1 SB.

George Rauch
27 year old first baseman who bats from both sides of the plate and throws right-handed from Rancho Santa Margarita, California (a planned community in Orange County, only recently incorporated). 6' 3" 221 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. Signed as a minor league free agent in February. A very good fielder. Can play 3rd and some outfield. Below average runner. A big fellow, but did not hit many home runs in the minors, but hit a lot of doubles and drew a lot of walks and did not strike out much. Very smart. Hit .308/.372/.410 with 1 HR and 2 RBI in 39 AB this Spring with 0 SB.

Marcus Ferguson
31 year old second baseman who bats and throws right-handed from Clearwater, Florida (across the bay from Tampa). 6' 1" 198 lbs. $110,000. An original Jay. Good range, hands and arm and solid on the pivot. Can play well anywhere in the infield and a little outfield if pressed. Average runner. Not a threat on the bases and not much of a hitter. Swings at everything, but makes contact most of the time. Has a lot going on off the field, business wise. Hit .250/.291/.404 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in 52 AB this Spring with 0 SB.

Sam Dickson
31 year old third baseman who bats and throws right-handed from Grifton, North Carolina (a very small town 20 miles south of Greenville). 6' 0" 217 lbs. $85,000. An original Jay. Average range, good hands and a very strong arm. Can play 1st and 2nd. Average runner, but likes to steal bases and is good at picking his spots. Has never shown much ability to hit in the past, but had a good Spring and is a hard worker and high energy guy, so he is getting a shot. Hit .316/.447/.447 with 0 HR and 5 RBI in 38 AB this Spring with 3 SB.

Josh Mikalauskas
23 year old third baseman who bats and throws right-handed from North Mankato, Minnesota (a very small town across the river from Mankato, 80 miles southwest of Minneapolis). 6' 2" 196 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. Signed as a minor league free agent in February. Average range, very good hands and a very strong arm. Can play 1st and 2nd. Very fast runner and smart on the bases. No power, but will take a walk. A loner. Hit .256/.327/.442 with 0 HR and 6 RBI in 43 AB this Spring with 2 SB.

Nelson Carrasco
29 year old (30 on April 4) shortstop who bats and throws right-handed from Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. 6' 2" 200 lbs. $75,000. An original Jay. Good range, very good hands and a strong arm. Can play anywhere in the infield and a little outfield, too. Average runner, but will steal an occasional base. No power and won't walk much, but should hit around .250. A very hard worker, but not very bright. Hit .228/.279/.228 with 0 HR and 4 RBI in 57 AB this Spring with 3 SB.

Dan Thomas
27 year old shortstop who bats and throws right-handed from Brooklyn, New York. 6' 1" 187 lbs. $50,000. Acquired in a trade with New Orleans in February. Good range, hands and arm. Can play anywhere in the infield. Fast runner and will steal bases, if he gets on, which is not very often. Has some power, but strikes out a lot and has not hit for much average at all. .200 might be a stretch for him. A very hard worker and high energy guy. Hit .160/.300/.360 with 1 HR and 3 RBI in 25 AB this Spring with 0 SB.

Outfielders
Jeremy Herman
22 year old left fielder who bats and throws left-handed from Boston, Massachusetts. 6' 0" 176 lbs. $50,000. Rookie. An original Jay. Good range, hands and arm. Can play anywhere in the outfield and is a good first baseman. Very fast runner and superb base stealer. We hope he develops into a good hitter; he showed a good average in the minors and some power, but could walk a bit more and strike out less. An introvert. Hit .288/.315/.462 with 2 HR and 8 RBI in 52 AB this Spring with 3 SB.

Kaleb Diehl
28 year old center fielder who bats and throws left-handed from Lincolnwood, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). 6' 2" 203 lbs. $75,000. Acquired in a trade with Hartford in February. Excellent range and hands and a strong arm. Can play anywhere in the outfield and is a good first baseman. Fast runner and good base stealer. Not much power, but will draw an occasional walk and has had some good years average wise. Very hard worker and one of the leaders on the team. Hit .280/.390/.360 with 0 HR and 4 RBI in 50 AB this Spring with 3 SB.

Mario Claros
28 year old center fielder who bats left-handed and throws right-handed from Havana, Cuba. 6' 3" 203 lbs. $85,000. Acquired in a trade with Hartford in February. Excellent range and hands and a strong arm. Can play anywhere in the outfield and is a good first baseman. Fast runner and will steal. Very smart on the bases. No power and swings at everything, but hits for a good average. Easy going fella. Hit .250/.291/.385 with 1 HR and 8 RBI in 52 AB this Spring with 1 SB.

Mike Garrett
34 year old right fielder who bats and throws left-handed from Port Washington, New York (on the north shore of Long Island, where a lot of rich folks live). 6' 0" 217 lbs. $50,000. Signed as a minor league free agent in February. Average range and hands and a very strong arm. Can play left. Below average runner, but will steal a few bases. Very smart on the base paths. Could hit .260 with 15 to 20 HR, if he can stay healthy, which is doubtful. Very hard worker and a leader on the team. Hit .255/.375/.468 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in 47 AB this Spring with 2 SB.

Alex Fernandez
32 year old right fielder who bats and throws left-handed from Lewisville, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). 5' 9" 174 lbs. $50,000. Signed as a minor league free agent in February. Good range and hands and a very strong arm. Can play anywhere in the outfield and some 1st base. Fast runner and will steal a base. Not much of a hitter, but decent and will draw a walk. A regular Joe. Hit .277/.346/.383 with 1 HR and 3 RBI in 47 AB this Spring with 1 SB.

Disabled List
Jason Boettcher
29 year old catcher who bats and throws right-handed from Yonkers, New York. 6' 2" 226 lbs. $1,686,563. Highest paid player on the team, by far. 4 times what the next player is getting. Acquired in a trade with Louisville in February. Good receiver with an average arm. Decent runner for a catcher and will steal an occasional base. Should hit around .290 with 25 2B and 8 to 10 HR and a .375 OBP when healthy. Maybe the best catcher in the League. A bit of a prankster. Hit .469/.575/.625 with 1 HR and 8 RBI in 32 AB this Spring with 0 SB. Tore his hamstring in the 2nd to last game of the preseason and will be out until the middle of May.

Since there are only 16 teams in the League and no minor league affiliations below A Ball, being the 200th highest rated prospect in the Millennial League does not mean much, so we will only worry about the top 100.

Prospects ranked by Baseball America in the top 100:
SP Josh Spence (#2)
See Opening Day roster above.

RP Adrian Myers (#10)
22 year old left-hander from New York City. 6' 4" 198 lbs. Minor league contract. Acquired in a trade with Orlando in February. 99 MPH fastball with a curve and changeup. There is no finesse with him, he just rares back and throws the ball and it goes where it goes. A decent fielder and an average move to 1st. A pretty good hitter for a pitcher and a good bunter. Not very bright. If he can get control of his fastball, he will be a star. Was 0-1 with 1 Save and a 5.79 ERA this Spring. 9.1 IP, 7 H, 1 HR, 6 BB, 9 SO.

SP Leon Hermosillo (#63)
25 year old left-hander from Santiago, the Dominican Republic. 6' 7" 223 lbs. Minor league contract. Acquired in a trade with Charlotte in February. 98 MPH fastball with a cutter, curve and changeup. Keeps the ball low in the zone and gets a lot of ground balls. A decent fielder and a good move to 1st. An average hitter for a pitcher and an average bunter. Kind of a boring fellow. His wildness is what is holding him back and he ain't getting any younger. Was 1-0 with 1 Save and a 2.70 ERA this Spring. 10 IP, 10 H, 1 HR, 7 BB, 4 SO.

Our group of prospects is rated #6 of the 16 teams by Baseball America. Hartford tops the list. Memphis is at the bottom of the list, their only Top 100 prospect being at #53.

Top 25 prospects according to Baseball America:
(Rank: Name, Position, Team (Age-Throws or Bats) (Level to begin the season))
1: Alex Medina, SP, Ottawa (23-L) (A)
2: Josh Spence, SP, Jacksonville (24-L) (MLB)
3: Jake Netz, 1B, Indianapolis (19-R) (A)
4: John White, RP, Hartford (24-R) (A)
5: Corey Schafer, CF, Orlando (23-R) (A)
6: Adam Dickey, 3B, Richmond (24-R) (A)
7: Mike Wolf, SS, Charlotte (22-R) (A)
8: Preston Whitten, RF, Louisville (21-R) (A)
9: Bobby Ceja, SP, New Orleans (23-L) (A)
10: Adrian Myers, RP, Jacksonville (22-L) (A)
11: Bobby Quincy, CF, Hartford (20-L) (A)
12: Zach Romano, SS, Hartford (20-S) (A)
13: Paul Ford, SP, Richmond (23-L) (A)
14: Russ DiNonno, SP, Syracuse (24-R) (MLB)
15: Mel Navarrete, SS, Orlando (21-R) (A)
16: Bill Davis, CF, Birmingham (21-L) (MLB)
17: Edgar Sanchez, LF, Birmingham (25-L) (MLB) Not related to our owner of the same name
18: Brad Howton, SP, New Orleans (24-R) (MLB)
19: Jon McNew, SP, Columbus (23-R) (A)
20: Justin Jauregui, 3B, Providence (19-R) (A)
21: Ken Schermer, RF, Buffalo (20-R) (A)
22: Steve Dietz, RP, Columbus (24-R) (A)
23: Mike Freier, CF, Louisville (21-L) (A)
24: Steve Retherford, 2B, Buffalo (22-R) (A)
25: Rob Davis, SP, Richmond (24-R) (A)

Prognosis:
We have to have the worst offense in the League. Hopefully, our good defense and decent pitching will keep us from losing 100 games. We will not challenge for the Southern Division championship.

Next Up: Opening Day!

[Questdog]

Tuesday, April 3, 2001

Opening Day!

Memphis Mules at
Jacksonville Jays

MEM: Alex Celestino (25-R) (2-1 3.55 ERA 12.2 IP, 6 H, 2 HR, 7 BB, 11 SO this Spring) vs.
JAX: Walt Urbanski (30-R) (3-1 1.06 ERA 17 IP, 16 H, 0 HR, 6 BB, 6 SO this Spring)

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF Stats from this Spring)
MEMPHIS
1: 2B Paul Wolfson (27-R .267-60-1-2-.772-1 A)
2: SS Jeremy Bateman (28-R .304-69-0-2-.748-3 A)
3: LF Eiichi Nakamura (25-L .271-59-1-11-.685-0 B)
4: 3B Jamie Casady (28-R .283-46-3-13-.878-1 C)
5: 1B John Gamble (28-L .186-43-0-5-.601-0 A) Rookie
6: RF Benjamin Beresford (25-R .203-69-1-5-.516-1 B)
7: C David Allen (28-L .282-39-0-2-.641-1 C)
8: CF Ken Kenney (21-R .306-49-3-14-.905-2 B) Rookie
9: P Alex Celestino (25-R did not bat in the Spring F)

JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .280-50-0-4-.750-3 A)
2: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .316-38-0-5-.894-3 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .288-52-2-8-.776-3 A) Rookie
4: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .255-47-1-4-.843-2 B)
5: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .353-34-0-5-.891-1 A) Rookie
6: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .250-52-2-6-.695-0 A)
7: SS Nelson Carrasco (29-R .228-57-0-4-.507-3 B)
8: C Lamar Woods (27-R .250-32-0-2-.544-0 B) Rookie
9: P Walt Urbanski (30-L .500-4-0-2-1.000-0 F)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 68 F, Clear Skies, with a 9 MPH wind blowing in from right
Attendance: 14,028

Top of the First:
Paul Wolfson flies out to center. Jeremy Bateman swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to 2nd. Eiichi Nakamura walks on 4 pitches. Jamie Casady grounds out to short!

Bottom of the First:
Kaleb Diehl leads off with a triple to right center! That's the way to inaugurate a season! Sam Dickson swings at the first pitch and lines a hit to center and Diehl scores! 1 to 0, Jays! Jeremy Herman grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6. Mike Garrett grounds into a 4-6-3 double play...

Two innings, two GDP's for us....

Top of the Third:
With 1 out, P Alex Celestino gets their first hit. Paul Wolfson grounds a double play ball to 3rd, but Sam Dickson makes a bad throw to 2nd for an error. Jeremy Bateman grounds out to 3rd and the runners move up. Eiichi Nakamura grounds a 2 out hit to right and both runners score... 2 to 1, Mules.

Bottom of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Steve Hold (33-R), their closer, who had a 4.38 ERA this Spring. Top of our order up. With 1 out, Sam Dickson draws a walk. Jeremy Herman loops a hit to center and Dickson beats the throw to 3rd! Mike Garrett, who has grounded into 2 double plays today, swings at a 3-2 pitch and flies out to right and Dickson tags up and heads home.....Safe! Tie Game: 2 to 2! Nolan Dykes flies out to center.

Extras!

Top of the Tenth:
On the Hill: Mike Wooldridge (35-R), after a perfect 9th. 9-1-2 up for them. PH Ryan Olsen (28-L), who hit .213 with a .546 OPS this Spring, grounds out to short and they go down in order!

Bottom of the Tenth:
With 1 out, Nelson Carrasco draws a walk. C Will Mullen, who had a hit as a pinch-hitter in the 8th, ropes a line drive to right for a hit. PH George Rauch (27-S) strikes out... Kaleb Diehl rips a fastball to right for a hit and Carrasco heads home....he slides and the ump signals safe and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Jays!

Won - 3 to 2

We had 7 hits and made 1 error
Memphis had 4 hits (all singles) and made no errors

Walt Urbanski went 6 innings, allowed 2 unearned runs, 2 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3.
RHP Billy Boone went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 3.
RHP Mike Wooldridge (W 1-0) pitched 2 perfect innings and struck out 3.

Alex Celestino went 8 innings, gave us 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2. At bat, he had 2 hits and scored a run.
RHP Steve Hold (L 0-1 BS 1) went 1.2 innings, gave us 2 runs, 3 hits, 2 walks and struck out 2.

CF Kaleb Diehl had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had the game winning RBI. 3B Sam Dickson had a hit and a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. LF Jeremy Herman had 2 hits and a walk and stole a base. PH/C Will Mullen went 2 for 2.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, April 4, 2001

Today is Nelson Carrasco's 30th birthday!

Memphis Mules (0-1 .000 1.5 GB tied for 6th place in the Southern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (1-0 1.000 0.5 GB tied for 1st place in the Southern Division)

MEM: Kevin Westbrooks (32-R) (1-1 4.44 ERA 24.1 IP, 27 H, 2 HR, 8 BB, 16 SO this Spring) vs.
JAX: Pete DeVivo (29-R) (2-0 2.38 ERA 11.1 IP, 12 H, 0 HR, 2 BB, 7 SO this Spring)

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
MEMPHIS
1: 2B Paul Wolfson (27-R .000-5-0-0-.000-0 A)
2: SS Jeremy Bateman (28-R .000-5-0-0-.000-0 A)
3: LF Eiichi Nakamura (25-L .667-3-0-2-1.417-0 B)
4: 1B Jamie Casady (28-R .000-4-0-0-.000-0 A)
5: RF Benjamin Beresford (25-R .000-4-0-0-.000-0 B)
6: 3B Danny LeMieux (34-R Season debut C)
7: C David Allen (28-L .000-3-0-0-.250-0 C)
8: CF Ken Kenney (21-R .000-4-0-0-.000-0 B) Rookie
9: P Kevin Westbrooks (32-R Season debut F)

JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .400-5-0-1-1.200-0 A)
2: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .333-3-0-1-.833-0 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .667-3-0-0-1.417-1 A) Rookie
4: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .000-3-0-1-.000-0 B)
5: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .000-4-0-0-.000-0 A) Rookie
6: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .000-3-0-0-.250-0 A)
7: SS Nelson Carrasco (30-R .000-3-0-0-.250-0 B)
8: C Will Mullen (27-L 1.000-2-0-0-2.000-0 B) Rookie
9: P Pete DeVivo (29-R Season debut F)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 62 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 7 MPH wind blowing in from right
Attendance: 7,542

Top of the First:
Paul Wolfson grounds out to 2nd. Jeremy Bateman lines a hit to center. Eiichi Nakamura grounds into a 6-4-3 double play!

Bottom of the First:
Kaleb Diehl swings at the first pitch and beats out an infield hit. Sam Dickson strikes out looking. Jeremy Herman swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds into a force at 2nd. Mike Garrett grounds out to the pitcher...

Top of the Second:
Jamie Casady beats out an infield hit. With 1 out, he steals 2nd. With 2 outs, David Allen swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit to right and Casady beats the throw home... 1 to 0, Mules.

Top of the Fourth:
Eiichi Nakamura squibs one, but C Will Mullen throws the ball over the head of the 1st baseman for a 2 base error... Jamie Casady swings at the first pitch and doubles to center and Nakamura scores... 2 to 0, Mules. With 1 out, Danny LeMieux gets beaned. David Allen draws a walk to load the bases up with 1 out. Ken Kenney grounds into a force at home, 6-2. PH Shane Sheridan (28-R), making his season debut, bats for P Kevin Westbrooks, who is apparently injured. Sheridan swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit to left and 2 runs score... 4 to 0, Mules.

Bottom of the Fourth:
New Pitcher: Alex Martin (30-R), making his season debut. Sam Dickson leads off with a double over the head of the center fielder and goes to 3rd on a ground out and scores on another. 4 to 1, Mules.

Top of the Sixth:
With 1 out, Danny LeMieux hits a home run to right. 5 to 1, Mules.

Bottom of the Sixth:
With 1 out, Sam Dickson doubles to center. Jeremy Herman bloops a hit to left and Dickson scores. 5 to 2, Mules.

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Bobby Kaiser (28-R), making his season debut. Paul Wolfson takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Jeremy Bateman grounds into a 6-4-3 double play! Eiichi Nakamura doubles to center. A wild pitch sends him to 3rd. Jamie Casady draws a walk. Benjamin Beresford swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds a hit to left and Nakamura scores.... 6 to 2, Mules.

Lost - 6 to 2

We had 5 hits and made 1 error
Memphis had 10 hits and made no errors

We grounded into 3 more double plays to give us 6 in 2 games...

Pete DeVivo (L 0-1) went 7.1 innings, allowed 5 runs (2 earned), 8 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks, 1 HBP and struck out no one.
LHP Jose Rubio got 2 outs, allowed 1 walk and struck out 1.
RHP Bobby Kaiser went 1 inning, allowed 1 run, 2 hits, 2 walks and struck out 1. He threw a WP.

Kevin Westbrooks went 3 scoreless innings, gave us 1 hit, 1 walk and struck out 1.
RHP Alex Martin (W 1-0) went 4 innings, gave us 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.
RHP Lorenzo Baca (SV 1) pitched 2 scoreless innings, gave us 2 walks and struck out 2.

3B Sam Dickson hit 2 doubles, drew a walk and scored both of our runs. 1B Nolan Sykes drew 2 walks. PH Alex Fernandez drew a walk.

The Mules announced that P Kevin Westbrooks had a mild hamstring strain and should be fine in a few days.

[Questdog]

Thursday, April 5, 2001

We are in Columbus to play the Explorers a 4 games series. They lost a pair of games here to Syracuse to open the season.

Jacksonville Jays (1-1 .500 1 GB tied for 2nd place in the Southern Division) at
Columbus Explorers (0-2 .000 2 GB tied for 5th (last) place in the Northern Division)

JAX: Travis Barger (28-R) (1-2 6.16 ERA 19 IP, 23 H, 3 HR, 8 BB, 10 SO this Spring) vs.
COL: Mike Hall (28-R) (2-0 8.27 ERA 16.1 IP, 17 H, 4 HR, 10 BB, 6 SO this Spring)

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .333-9-0-1-.889-0 A)
2: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .500-6-0-1-1.458-0 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .429-7-0-1-.929-2 A) Rookie
4: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .000-7-0-2-.000-0 B)
5: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .000-6-0-0-.250-0 A) Rookie
6: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .000-7-0-0-.125-0 A)
7: SS Nelson Carrasco (30-R .167-6-0-0-.452-0 B)
8: C Will Mullen (27-L .400-5-0-0-.800-0 B) Rookie
9: P Travis Barger (28-R Season debut F)

COLUMBUS
1: 3B Joe McLean (23-L .300-10-0-1-.600-1 C)
2: 2B Mark Vann (27-R .375-8-0-0-.944-0 B)
3: LF David Padilla (25-S .500-8-0-1-1.375-1 A)
4: RF Travis Gebert (27-L .125-8-0-2-.325-0 C)
5: CF Ray Phipps (27-R .200-5-0-0-.400-0 B)
6: 1B Ruben Aragon (26-L .250-4-0-0-.650-0 A)
7: SS Kyle Martinez (32-S .125-8-1-1-.722-0 B)
8: C Adam Duclos (28-S Season debut B) Rookie
9: P Mike Hall (28-R Season debut F)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: Comiskey Park
Weather: 46 F, Clear Skies, with a 7 MPH wind blowing out to left
Attendance: 4,892

Top of the First:
Kaleb Diehl takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Sam Dickson swings at a 3-2 pitch and doubles to left center and Diehl scores from 1st without a throw! 1 to 0, Jays! But Dickson calls out Trudy, our Trainer.... Pinch-runner: Josh Mikalauskas (23-R), a rookie making his season debut. He will stay in the game to play 3rd. Jeremy Herman swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd. Mike Garrett swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses... Nolan Dykes grounds out to short...

Bottom of the First:
Joe McLean leads off with a home run to right... Tie Game: 1 to 1. Mark Vann swings at the first pitch and flies out to center. David Padilla pops one up high behind 2nd base, but everyone stands around a watches it drop for a hit... Travis Gebert flies out to deep center. Ray Phipps pops out to left.

Top of the Second:
Marcus Ferguson draws a walk. Nelson Carrasco lines a hit to right and Ferguson beats the throw to 3rd! Will Mullen pops out to center and Ferguson stays put. P Travis Barger pops out to short... Kaleb Diehl swings at the first pitch and grounds out to the pitcher. That was a bummer....

Bottom of the Second:
Ruben Aragon and Kyle Martinez lead off with back to back hits and the Explorers have runners at the corners with no outs. Adam Duclos swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds a hit up the middle and Aragon scores... 2 to 1, Explorers. I have a feeling that P Travis Barger will not survive in the rotation for very long... P Mike Hall bunts one foul with 2 strikes. A wild pitch moves the runners up... Joe McLean grounds out to 2nd and Martinez scores and Duclos goes to 3rd. 3 to 1, Explorers. P Barger balks home the runner... 4 to 1, Explorers. Mark Vann walks on 4 pitches and then steals 2nd. David Padilla grounds a hit to left and Vann scores... 5 to 1, Explorers.

Top of the Third:
Josh Mikalauskas grounds one to 3rd, but Joe McLean throws it away for a 2 base error. Jeremy Herman drives one to deep right center, but Ray Phipps makes a circus catch and Mikalauskas tags up and goes to 3rd. Mike Garret grounds out to 1st, unassisted, and the runner holds... Nolan Dykes tries to check his swing on a 3-2 pitch, but gets rung up... Our 4 and 5 hitters are hitless on the season...

Bottom of the Third:
With 1 out, Ruben Aragon doubles to left center. The Bullpen is up. Kyle Martinez lines a hit to center and Aragon scores and Martinez ends up on 2nd after the throw home... 6 to 1, Explorers. Martinez tags up and goes to 3rd on a fly ball. With 2 outs, P Mike Hall grounds one to short, but Nelson Carrasco boots it for an error and Martinez scores... 7 to 1, Explorers.

Bottom of the Fifth:
On the Hill: Oscar Campuzano (26-L), in his season debut, after a perfect 4th. Ray Phipps draws a walk. With 1 out, P Campuzano balks the runner to 2nd. Kyle Martinez grounds a hit to right. P Campuzano balks again! 8 to 1, Explorers. The next two make outs.

Top of the Sixth:
Mike Garrett gets his first hit of the season, a little poke just over the glove of the 2nd baseman. With Garrett on the move for some reason, Nolan Dykes swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses, but Garrett is safe at 2nd. Marcus Ferguson grounds a hit to left and Garrett scores. 8 to 2, Explorers. The next two make outs.

Lost - 8 to 2

We had 8 hits and made 1 error
Columbus had 11 hits and made 1 error

Only 1 GDP this game to give us 7 in 3 games.

Travis Barger (L 0-1) went 3 innings, allowed 7 runs (6 earned), 8 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 2. He threw a wild pitch and balked.
LHP Oscar Campuzano went 3 innings, allowed 1 run, 1 hit, 1 walk and struck out 1. He balked twice.
LHP Jose Rubio went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 1.

Mike Hall (W 1-0) went 7 innings, gave us 2 runs, 7 hits, 2 walks and struck out 5.

CF Kaleb Diehl had a hit and a walk and scored a run. 3B sam Dickson hit a double his only time up and had an RBI. 2B Marcus Ferguson had a hit and a walk and an RBI. SS Nelson Carrasco had 2 hits. PH Mario Claros had a hit.

For Columbus, SS Kyle Martinez went 4 for 4, scored 2 runs and had an RBI.

The Explorers announced that P Mike Hall, injured during the game, had forearm stiffness that they expected to keep him out for a week.

Trudy's report on Sam Dickson was hamstring spasms that should subside in a day or two.

Down on the Farm: The American Association began its season today and our affiliate, the Daytona Beach Islanders, lost, 2 to 1, in 12 innings to the West Palm Beach Sun Chiefs. They only had 6 hits, 2 each by 3 players: RF Kurt Reuter (25-L), 3B Jamie Stelter (27-L) and LF Sonny Robertson (22-L). Reuter's 2 hits were a double and a triple; the rest were singles.

[Questdog]

Friday, April 6, 2001

Today is Jose Rubio's 32nd birthday!

Jacksonville Jays (1-2 .333 2 GB tied for 3rd place in the Southern Division) at
Columbus Explorers (1-2 .333 2 GB tied for 5th place in the Northern Division)

JAX: Josh Spence (24-L) (2-3 3.15 ERA 20 IP, 19 H, 1 HR, 10 BB, 16 SO this Spring) vs.
COL: Bobby Parish (32-R) (0-0 4.91 ERA 18.1 IP, 16 H, 1 HR, 10 BB, 7 SO this Spring)

Spence, the #2 prospect in the League, according to Baseball America, makes his eagerly anticipated debut.

Parrish was traded to the Explorers by us in February for SS Joe Adams, who we ended up releasing and is now playing in A Ball for Orlando.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .308-13-0-1-.819-0 A)
2: 3B Josh Mikalauskas (23-R .000-3-0-0-.000-0 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .273-11-0-1-.606-2 A) Rookie
4: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .091-11-0-2-.174-1 B)
5: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .000-6-0-0-.250-0 A) Rookie
6: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .100-10-0-1-.350-0 A)
7: SS Nelson Carrasco (29-R .300-10-0-0-.664-0 B)
8: C Will Mullen (27-L .333-9-0-0-.667-0 B) Rookie
9: P Josh Spence (24-L Season debut C) Rookie

COLUMBUS
1: 2B Mark Vann (27-R .250-12-0-0-.690-1 B)
2: 3B Joe McLean (23-L .267-15-1-3-.733-1 C)
3: LF David Padilla (25-S .500-12-0-2-1.250-1 A)
4: CF Ray Phipps (27-R .125-8-0-0-.347-0 B)
5: 1B Carlos Alvarez (24-R .000-1-0-0-.000-0 A) Rookie
6: RF Travis Gebert (27-L .167-12-0-2-.381-0 C)
7: SS Kyle Martinez (32-S .417-12-1-2-1.128-0 B)
8: C Luke Stephens (30-L .556-9-0-1-1.111-0 B)
9: P Bobby Parish (32-L Season debut F)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Comiskey Park
Weather: 51 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing out to left
Attendance: 5,920

Top of the First:
Kaleb Diehl grounds a hit up the middle. Josh Mikalauskas lines out to 1st and they double off Diehl... Jeremy Herman grounds out to short...

Bottom of the First:
Mark Vann beats out an infield hit... Joe McLean lines a hit to left and Vann beats the throw to 3rd... McLean steals 2nd. David Padilla grounds out to 3rd and Vann scores. 1 to 0, Explorers. Ray Phipps hits a home run to right center... 3 to 0, Explorers. P Josh Spence is the #2 prospect, but he is apparently not the #2 pitcher in the League yet... Carlos Alvarez hits a fly ball to left, but Jeremy Herman drops it... Travis Gebert grounds a double down the left field line and Alvarez scores and Gebert ends up on 3rd... 4 to 0, Explorers. The Bullpen is up. Kyle Martinez, who was 4 for 4 yesterday, fouls out to the catcher. Luke Stephens grounds a hit to right and Gebert scores... 5 to 0, Explorers. Call to the Bullpen: Billy Boone (38-R). P Bobby Parish grounds a hit to center... Mark Vann grounds out to short.

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 2 outs, Luke Stephens hits a home run to right. 6 to 0, Explorers.

Bottom of the Eighth:
On the Hill: Mike Wooldridge (35-R), after 2 scoreless innings. Luke Stephens squibs one and C Will Mullen throws it away for a 3 base error, his 2nd of the day and 3rd already on the season... P Bobby Parish bunts the runner to 3rd. Mark Vann grounds out to short and Stephens scores. 7 to 0, Explorers.

Lost - 7 to 0

Our offense is even worse than I expected and I expected it to be the worst in the League....
7 runs total in 4 games...
2 more GDPs and 1 LDP

We had 6 hits and made 4 errors
Columbus had 10 hits and made no errors

Josh Spence (L 0-1) got 2 outs, allowed 5 runs (3 earned), 5 hits, 1 home run, no walks and struck out no one.
RHP Billy Boone went 4.1 innings, allowed 1 run, 4 hits, 1 home run, 1 HBP and struck out 4.
RHP Mike Wooldridge went 3 innings, allowed 1 unearned run and 1 hit.

Bobby Parish (W 1-0) pitched 9 scoreless innings (CG), gave us 6 hits, no walks, 1 HBP and struck out 4. At bat, he went 2 for 2 with a double.

CF Kaleb Diehl had 2 hits. LF Jeremy Herman hit a double. PH Mario Claros had a hit.

[Questdog]

Saturday, April 7, 2001

Jacksonville Jays (1-3 .250 3 GB tied for 5th place in the Southern Division) at
Columbus Explorers (2-2 .500 2 GB tied for 4th place in the Northern Division)

JAX: Matt Austin (27-R) (0-1 2.63 ERA 1 SV 13.2 IP, 10 H, 0 HR, 8 BB, 10 SO this Spring) vs.
COL: Damon Dahlin (24-R) (0-1 9.00 ERA 1 IP, 3 H, 0 HR, 0 BB, 1 SO)

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .353-17-0-1-.859-0 A)
2: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .571-7-0-2-1.667-0 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .267-15-0-1-.646-2 A) Rookie
4: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .133-15-0-2-.258-1 B)
5: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .000-13-0-0-.133-0 A) Rookie
6: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .154-13-0-1-.421-0 A)
7: SS Nelson Carrasco (29-R .231-13-0-0-.516-0 B)
8: C Lamar Woods (27-R .000-2-0-0-.000-0 B) Rookie
9: P Matt Austin (27-R Season debut F) Rookie

COLUMBUS
1: 3B Joe McLean (23-L .263-19-1-3-.684-2 C)
2: 2B Mark Vann (27-R .235-17-0-1-.610-1 B)
3: LF David Padilla (25-S .438-16-0-3-1.069-1 A)
4: RF Travis Gebert (27-L .188-16-0-3-.472-0 C)
5: CF Ray Phipps (27-R .182-11-1-2-.762-0 B)
6: SS Kyle Martinez (32-S .313-16-1-2-.853-0 B)
7: 1B Carlos Alvarez (24-R .200-5-0-0-.400-0 A) Rookie
8: C Luke Stephens (30-L .538-13-1-3-1.308-0 B)
9: P Damon Dahlin (24-R Season debut at bat D) Rookie

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: Comiskey Park
Weather: 61 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing out to right
Attendance: 7,060

Top of the First:
Kaleb Diehl takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. He steals 2nd. Sam Dickson swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to the pitcher and Diehl goes to 3rd. Jeremy Herman beats out an infield hit and Diehl scores. 1 to 0, Jays! Herman steals 2nd. Mike Garrett squibs one and is out, 2-3, and Herman goes to 3rd. Nolan Dykes, still looking for his first hit of the season, swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses... 0 for 14 now.

Bottom of the First:
Joe McLean grounds out to 2nd. Mark Vann grounds out to short. David Padilla lines a hit to left. Travis Gebert grounds out to 2nd!

Bottom of the Second:
Ray Phipps lines a hit to left and steals 2nd. But the next three make outs!

Top of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Brad Odorisio (28-R), making his season debut. With 1 out, Kaleb Diehl grounds a hit to right and steals 2nd. Sam Dickson grounds one to 3rd, but Joe McLean boots it. Jeremy Herman swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses... Mike Garrett swings at a 3-0 pitch and squibs it and is out, 2-3...

Bottom of the Ninth:
P Matt Austin is at 106 pitches. The Bullpen is primed. PH Leo Ramos (26-L), 1 for 1 on the season, grounds out to 3rd. Luke Stephens takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4... SS Pat Dwyer (24-L), 0 for 1 on the season, grounds into a force at 2nd, 6-4, but beats the relay throw to 1st. Joe McLean knocks one off the wall in center and ends up with a triple and Stephens scores... Tie Game: 1 to 1. Ugh... Call to the Bullpen: Bobby Kaiser (28-R). Will Mullen is in to catch in a double switch. Mark Vann swings at the first pitch and grounds out to the pitcher.

Extras!

Top of the Tenth:
On the Hill: Matthew Shamrock (33-R), their closer, after a scoreless 9th. 9-1-2 up for us. We go down in order.

Bottom of the Tenth:
3-4-5 up for them. With 1 out, Travis Gebert swings at the first pitch and bounces a hit to right. Ray Phipps grounds out a hit to left. PH Mike Leombruno (33-R), 1 for 1 with a walk on the season, loops a hit to left center and the bases are loaded with 1 out. P Bobby Kaiser is not pitching like the dominant closer we thought he was.... Leo Ramos lines a hit to right and this one is over...

Lost - 2 to 1

We had 7 hits (all singles) and made 1 error
Columbus had 15 hits and made 1 error

Only 1 GDP this game...

Mike Austin went 8.2 innings, allowed 1 run, 11 hits, 2 walks and struck out no one. 123 pitches.
RHP Bobby Kaiser (L 0-1) got 2 outs, allowed 1 run and 4 hits. He has now allowed 6 hits and 2 walks in 1.2 IP on the season.

Damon Dahlin went 5.1 innings, gave us 1 run, 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.
RHP Matthew Shamrock (W 1-0) went 2 scoreless innings, gave us 1 hit and struck out 3.

CF Kaleb Diehl had 2 hits and a walk, stole 2 bases and scored a run. LF Jeremy Herman had 2 hits, stole a base and had an RBI. SS Nelson Carrasco had 2 hits.

For Columbus, 3B Joe McLean had 3 hits with a triple and an RBI. CF Ray Phipps had 3 hits with a double and stole a base.

[Questdog]

Sunday, April 8, 2001

Jacksonville Jays (1-4 .200 4 GB tied for 5th place in the Southern Division) at
Columbus Explorers (3-2 .600 2 GB tied for 4th place in the Northern Division)

JAX: Walt Urbanski (30-R) (0-0 0.00 ERA 6 IP, 2 H, 0 HR, 3 BB, 3) vs.
COL: Ted Hubbard (28-L) (0-0 6.00 ERA 6 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 0 BB, 7 SO)

Hubbard is their #1 starter. He is the first lefty we have faced.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .381-21-0-1-.911-2 A)
2: SS Nelson Carrasco (30-R .294-17-0-0-.627-0 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .316-19-0-2-.718-3 A) Rookie
4: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .333-12-0-2-1.012-0 B)
5: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .158-19-0-2-.308-1 B)
6: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .000-17-0-0-.105-0 A) Rookie
7: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .118-17-0-1-.328-0 A)
8: C Lamar Woods (27-R .000-6-0-0-.000-0 B) Rookie
9: P Walt Urbanski (30-L .000-1-0-0-.000-0 F)

COLUMBUS
1: 3B Joe McLean (23-L .333-24-1-4-.875-2 C)
2: 2B Mark Vann (27-R .227-22-0-1-.564-1 B)
3: LF David Padilla (25-S .429-21-0-3-1.006-1 A)
4: RF Travis Gebert (27-L .238-21-0-3-.594-0 C)
5: CF Ray Phipps (27-R .313-16-1-2-.951-1 B)
6: SS Kyle Martinez (32-S .263-19-1-2-.754-0 B)
7: 1B Ruben Aragon (26-L .444-9-0-0-1.056-0 A)
8: C Adam Duclos (28-S .250-4-0-1-.500-0 B) Rookie
9: P Ted Hubbard (28-L .000-1-0-0-.000-0 D)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Comiskey Park
Weather: 54 F, Partly Cloudy, with an 11 MPH wind blowing right to left
Attendance: 6,684

Top of the First:
Kaleb Diehl grounds out to short. Nelson Carrasco swings at the first pitch and grounds out to 3rd. Jeremy Herman lines a hit to left. Sam Dickson swings at a 3-2 pitch and misses...

Bottom of the First:
Joe McLean swings at the first pitch and flies out to left. Mark Vann swings at a 3-0 pitch and grounds out to short. David Padilla beats out an infield hit. He steals 2nd. Travis Gebert flies out to center!

Top of the Fourth:
With 1 out, Sam Dickson grounds a hit to left. With 2 outs, Nolan Dykes ends his 0 for 18 streak to start the season by grounding a hit to right and Dickson goes to 3rd without a throw. Marcus Ferguson takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4 to load the bases up with 2 outs. Lamar Woods grounds his first hit of the season to left and 2 runs score!! 2 to 0, Jays!

Top of the Sixth:
Sam Dickson takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. With 1 out, Nolan Dykes hits our first home run of the season to left!! 4 to 0, Jays!

Top of the Eighth:
With 1 out, Nolan Dykes, who had not had a hit all season before today, grounds his 3rd one of the game to left. That does it, finally, for P Ted Hubbard. New Pitcher: Josh Rigby (30-R), with 3 scoreless innings on the season and only 1 hit allowed. Marcus Ferguson draws a walk. With 2 outs, P Walt Urbanski grounds a hit up the middle and Dykes scores! 5 to 0, Jays!

Bottom of the Eight:
Adam Duclos leads off with a double down the left field line. The Bullpen is alerted. But the next three make outs!

Won - 5 to 0

We had 12 hits and made no errors
Columbus had 5 hits and made no errors

Our first shutout and our first errorless game!
Everyone in the lineup had a hit!

Walt Urbanski (W 1-0) pitched 9 shutout innings (CG), allowed 5 hits, 2 walks and struck out 6. 120 pitches. At bat, he had a hit and an RBI.

Ted Hubbard (L 0-1) went 7.1 innings, gave us 5 runs, 10 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 8.

LF Jeremy Herman had 2 hits with a triple. 3B Sam Dickson had a hit and a walk and scored 2 runs. 1B Nolan Dykes had 3 hits with the first home run by a Jacksonville Jay in the history of the world, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBI. 2B Marcus Ferguson had a hit and 2 walks. C Lamar Woods had a hit and 2 RBI.

For Columbus, LF David Padilla had 3 of their 5 hits and stole a base.

[Questdog]

April 9, 2001

Monday Morning Report
Player of the Week - Alex Acuna, 1B, Louisville (32-R .647/.700/1.176) Had 11 hits (17 AB) with 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 BB, 2 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS, 5 R and 4 RBI in 5 G

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

April 2 - Chris Pacheco (31-R) of Indianapolis pitched an Opening Day 2 hit shutout at Providence. He walked 1 and struck out 4. The Arrows won, 7 to 0.
April 3 - 1B Eddy Melgar (34-L) of Hartford hit two home runs, including a Grand Slam, drew a walk and had 6 RBI at home versus Ottawa. The Whalers won, 12 to 1.
April 3 - SS Eric Brown (32-L) of Syracuse went 4 for 4, hitting for the Cycle, scored 3 runs and had 2 RBI at Columbus. The Sycamores won, 5 to 4.
April 7 - 2B Caleb Hickey (26-L) of Providence had 3 hits with a Grand Slam and 6 RBI at home versus New Orleans. The Steamrollers won, 9 to 1.

[Questdog]

Monday, April 9, 2001

We are back home to play the Buffalo Bombers a 4 game series. They won 3 of 4 at home against Birmingham over the weekend. After a week of games, they are tied for 8th in scoring with 4.00 runs per game (Jacksonville is dead last (#16) with 2.17). They are tied for 7th in fewest runs allowed with 4.17 per game (Jacksonville is also tied for 7th with 4.17). We have the 2nd best ERA in the League (2.70), not because we are pitching well, but because we've made so many errors that it is hard for any earned runs to squeeze through. The Bombers' run differential is -1 and ours is -12, the 2nd worst in the League (Ottawa is -20).

Buffalo Bombers (3-3 .500 3 GB tied for 4th place in the Northern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (2-4 .333 4 GB tied for 5th place in the Southern Division)

BUF: Kevin Hansen (34-R) (0-1 1.86 ERA 9.2 IP, 6 H, 0 HR, 3 BB, 7 this Spring) vs.
JAX: Pete DeVivo (29-R) (0-1 2.45 ERA 7.1 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 0 SO)

Hansen is making his season debut.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
BUFFALO
1: 2B Ryan Rarey (24-R .182-22-0-0-.535-4 A)
2: SS Chad Talmadge (28-R .286-21-1-4-.851-2 B) Knee soreness
3: RF Andrew Phipps (24-L .125-24-0-3-.362-0 D)
4: 1B Daniel Hayes (28-R .261-23-0-1-.711-1 B)
5: 3B Matt McCoy (26-L .318-22-1-5-.875-0 B) ex-Jay
6: CF Nick Putman (24-L .421-19-0-3-1.153-2 A)
7: LF Paul Lamb (25-L .429-7-1-1-1.357-1 A) Rookie
8: C Josh Van Well (27-L .000-3-0-0-.250-0 C) Rookie
9: P Kevin Hansen (34-S Season debut F)

JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .346-26-0-1-.816-2 A)
2: SS Nelson Carrasco (30-R .273-22-0-0-.577-0 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .333-24-0-2-.818-3 A) Rookie
4: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .313-16-0-2-.921-0 B)
5: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .167-24-0-2-.327-1 B)
6: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .143-21-1-2-.503-0 A) Rookie
7: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .158-19-0-1-.462-0 A)
8: C Lamar Woods (27-R .100-10-0-2-.200-0 B) Rookie
9: P Pete DeVivo (29-R .000-2-0-0-.000-0 F)

We traded them 3B Matt McCoy for P Matt Austin.

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 69 F, Rain, with a 7 MPH wind blowing in from center
Attendance: 4,124

Top of the First:
Ryan Rarey swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit up the middle. Chad Talmadge swings at the first pitch and pops out to left. Andrew Phipps swings at the first pitch and pops out to short. Rarey steals 2nd. Daniel Hayes swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to the pitcher!

Bottom of the First:
Kaleb Diehl fouls out to the catcher. Nelson Carrasco pops out to center. Jeremy Herman grounds out to 1st, unassisted...

Top of the Fourth:
Andrew Phipps walks and Daniel Hayes gets beaned. Matt McCoy strikes out, the first strikeout for P Pete DeVivo on the season. Nick Putman lines a hit to center and Phipps beats the throw home. 1 to 0, Bombers. They pull off a double steal... With the infield in, Paul Lamb grounds one to 3rd, but Sam Dickson boots it and Hayes scores. 2 to 0, Bombers. Josh Van Well swings at a 3-2 pitch and hits a home run to right... 5 to 0, Bombers.

Bottom of the Fifth:
With 2 outs, PH Alex Fernandez (32-L), a 32 year old rookie, hits a home run to right. 5 to 1, Bombers.

Top of the Sixth:
New Pitcher: Oscar Campuzano (26-L). He strikes out the side in order!

Lost - 5 to 1

We had 5 hits and made 1 error
Buffalo had 7 hits and made no errors

Pete DeVivo (L 0-2) went 5 innings, allowed 5 runs (4 earned), 5 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks, 1 HBP and struck out 2.
LHP Oscar Campuzano went 3 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 5.
LHP Jose Rubio pitched a perfect inning and struck out 1.

Kevin Hansen (W 1-0) went 8 innings, gave us 1 run, 5 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 3.

PH Alex Fernandez hit a home run.

For Buffalo, C Josh Van Well hit a 3 run home run.

[Questdog]

Tuesday, April 10, 2001

Buffalo Bombers (4-3 .571 2 GB tied for 3rd place in the Northern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (2-5 .286 5 GB tied for 5th place in the Southern Division)

BUF: Matt McKee (24-R) (Season debut) vs.
JAX: Travis Barger (28-R) (0-1 18.00 ERA 3 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO)

McKee, a rookie, was signed as a minor league free agent 2 days ago. He did not pitch for anyone in Spring Training, so is facing us cold. He is a hard thrower (98 MPH) and pretty wild.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
BUFFALO
1: 2B Ryan Rarey (24-R .192-26-0-0-.531-5 A)
2: SS Chad Talmadge (28-R .320-25-1-4-.873-2 B) Knee soreness
3: RF Andrew Phipps (24-L .111-27-0-3-.352-0 D)
4: 1B Daniel Hayes (28-R .280-25-0-1-.779-2 B)
5: 3B Matt McCoy (26-L .269-26-1-5-.745-0 B)
6: CF Nick Putman (24-L .391-23-0-4-1.047-3 A)
7: C David Barnett (27-R .176-17-0-2-.440-0 B) Rookie
8: LF Paul Lamb (25-L .364-11-1-2-1.053-2 A) Rookie
9: P Matt McKee (24-R Season debut D) Rookie

JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .300-30-0-1-.710-2 A)
2: SS Nelson Carrasco (30-R .269-26-0-0-.566-0 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .321-28-0-2-.773-3 A) Rookie
4: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .250-20-0-2-.748-0 B)
5: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .148-27-0-2-.291-1 B)
6: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .130-23-1-2-.492-0 A) Rookie
7: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .182-22-0-1-.490-0 A)
8: C Lamar Woods (27-R .154-13-0-2-.308-0 B) Rookie
9: P Travis Barger (28-R .000-1-0-0-.000-0 F)

Game Start: 7:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 67 F, Partly Cloudy, with a 15 MPH wind blowing in from right
Attendance: 5,216

Top of the First:
Ryan Rarey swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to short. Chad Talmadge strikes out! Andrew Phipps flies out to left! 1-2-3! First time in the History of the Jays we set the opposition down in order in the 1st!

Bottom of the First:
Kaleb Diehl takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Nelson Carrasco lines a hit to center and Diehl beats the throw to 3rd! Jeremy Herman takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4 to load the bases up with no outs. Sam Dickson pops out to right and the runners hold... A wild pitch scores Diehl! 1 to 0, Jays! Mike Garrett flies out to right and Carrasco tags up and beats the throw home and Herman goes to 3rd. 2 to 0, Jays! Nolan Dykes strikes out on 3 pitches...

Bottom of the Third:
Kaleb Diehl and Nelson Carrasco lead off with back to back hits and we have runners at the corners with no outs. Jeremy Herman swings at a 3-2 pitch and flies out to deep center and Diehl trots home. 3 to 0, Jays! With 2 outs, Carrasco steals 2nd, but Mike Garrett grounds out to 2nd.

Top of the Fourth:
Chad Talmadge swings at the first pitch and lines a hit to left. Andre Phipps swings at the first pitch and grounds into a 6-4-3 double play! Daniel Hayes draws a walk and steals 2nd. Matt McCoy doubles to left center and Hayes scores. 3 to 1, Jays.

Top of the Seventh:
Daniel Hayes leads off with a double to right center. The Bullpen is scrambled. Matt McCoy grounds a hit to right. Nick Putman lines out to center and Hayes tags up and beats the throw home. 3 to 2, Jays. David Barnett grounds into a 5-4-3 double play!

Top of the Ninth:
On the Hill: Bobby Kaiser (28-R), after a scoreless 8th. Andrew Phipps squibs one and is out, 2-3. Daniel Hayes lines a hit to center. Call to the Bullpen: Jose Rubio (32-L). PH Willie Reyes (29-R), batting .412 with 2 HR in 17 AB, grounds into a 6-4-3 double play and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Jays!

Won - 3 to 2

We had 7 hits (all singles) and made no errors
Buffalo had 7 hits and made no errors

We turned 3 double plays and did not hit into one ourselves!

Travis Barger (W 1-1) went 7 innings, allowed 2 runs, 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 4. He threw a WP.
RHP Bobby Kaiser (H 1) went 1.1 scoreless innings, allowed 2 hits and struck out 2.
LHP Jose Rubio (SV 1) faced 1 batter and got 2 outs.

Matt McKee (L 0-1) went 7 innings, gave us 3 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 5. He threw a WP.

CF Kaleb Diehl went 3 for 3 with a walk and scored 2 runs. SS Nelson Carrasco had 2 hits, stole a base and scored a run.

For Buffalo, 3B Matt McCoy, the ex-Jay, went 3 for 2 with a double and an RBI.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, April 11, 2001

Buffalo Bombers (4-4 .500 3 GB tied for 3rd place in the Northern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (3-5 .375 4 GB tied for 5th place in the Southern Division)

BUF: Nick DeBolt (27-L) (1-0 2.25 ERA 8 IP, 5 H, 1 HR, 0 BB, 8 SO) vs.
JAX: Josh Spence (24-L) (0-1 40.50 ERA 0.2 IP, 5 H, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 SO)

Barger had a much better 2nd start after getting shelled in his 1st; hopefully, Spence can do the same.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
BUFFALO
1: 2B Ryan Rarey (24-R .167-30-0-0-.465-5 A)
2: SS Chad Talmadge (28-R .310-29-1-4-.823-2 B) Knee soreness
3: 1B Daniel Hayes (28-R .321-28-0-1-.889-3 B)
4: RF Andrew Phipps (24-L .097-31-0-3-.308-0 D)
5: LF Willie Reyes (29-R .389-18-2-3-1.091-0 C)
6: CF Nick Putman (24-L .360-25-0-5-.953-3 A)
7: C David Barnett (27-R .150-20-0-2-.377-0 B) Rookie
8: 3B Matt McCoy (26-L .345-29-1-6-.904-0 B)
9: P Nick DeBolt (27-L .000-3-0-0-.000-0 F)

JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .364-33-0-1-.841-2 A)
2: SS Nelson Carrasco (30-R .310-29-0-0-.644-1 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .300-30-0-3-.733-3 A) Rookie
4: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .217-23-0-2-.681-0 B)
5: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .148-27-1-2-.493-0 A) Rookie
6: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .133-30-0-3-.258-1 B)
7: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .154-26-0-1-.421-0 A)
8: C Lamar Woods (27-R .188-16-0-2-.375-0 B) Rookie
9: P Josh Spence (24-L Season debut at bat C)

Game Start: 12:35 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 64 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing in from right
Attendance: 5,252

Top of the First:
Ryan Rarey pops out to center. Chad Talmadge swings at a 3-2 pitch and grounds out to short. Daniel Hayes grounds a hit to left. Andrew Phipps grounds a double down the left field line... Willie Reyes flies out to deep center!

Bottom of the First:
Kaleb Diehl skies one to right, but Andrew Phipps drops the ball! Diehl takes off for 2nd and they have a pitchout on, but he is safe anyway! Nelson Carrasco lines a hit to left, too hard to let Diehl score. Jeremy Herman grounds a hit to right and Diehl scores and Carrasco beats the throw to 3rd! 1 to 0, Jays! Herman steals 2nd. Sam Dickson grounds out to 3rd and Carrasco scores and Herman moves up. 2 to 0, Jays! Nolan Dykes takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. A wild pitch scores Herman! 3 to 0, Jays! Mike Garrett flies out to deep right and Dykes tags up and moves to 3rd. Marcus Ferguson grounds out to 1st, unassisted.

Bottom of the Second:
Lamar Woods leads off with a grounder over the 3rd base bag for a double. P Josh Spence bunts him to 3rd. Caleb Diehl grounds out to short and Woods scores. 4 to 0, Jays!

Top of the Seventh:
David Barnett leads off with a grounder to left for a hit and P Josh Spence, the #2 prospect in the League, calls out Trudy the Trainer.... New Pitcher: Oscar Campuzano (26-L). He gets the next three out.

Bottom of the Eighth:
On the Hill: Jose Vargas (35-L), after a scoreless 7th. With 2 outs, Lamar Woods doubles down the right field line. PH George Rauch (27-S) grounds his first hit of the year up the middle. A wild pitch scores Woods! 5 to 0, Jays!

Won - 5 to 0

First time ever winning back to back games!

We had 9 hits and made no errors
Buffalo had 7 hits and made 1 error

Josh Spence (W 1-1) went 6+ scoreless innings, allowed 6 hits, 1 walk and struck out 2. At bat, he drew a walk.
LHP Oscar Campuzano went 2 scoreless innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 2.
RHP Mike Wooldridge went 1 scoreless inning and walked 1.

Nick DeBolt (L 1-1) went 6 innings, gave us 4 runs (3 earned), 6 hits, 4 walks and struck out 1. He threw a WP.

CF Kaleb Diehl had a hit, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. SS Nick Carrasco had 2 hits and a walk and scored a run. LF Jeremy Herman had a hit, stole a base, scored a run and had an RBI. 1B Nolan Dykes had a hit and a walk. RF Mike Garrett had a hit and a walk. C Lamar Woods hit 2 doubles and scored 2 runs. PH George Rauch had a hit.

Trudy's report on Josh Spence, the future of the franchise, was a stiff forearm that should be fine in 4 or 5 days. Whew! That was scary waiting on that report...

[Questdog]

Thursday, April 12, 2001

Buffalo Bombers (4-5 .444 4 GB tied for 5th place in the Northern Division) at
Jacksonville Jays (4-5 .444 4 GB tied for 3rd place in the Southern Division)

BUF: Danny Fusco (30-R) (1-1 2.76 ERA 16.1 IP, 11 H, 1 HR, 5 BB, 16 SO) vs.
JAX: Matt Austin (27-R) (0-0 1.04 ERA 8.2 IP, 11 H, 0 HR, 2 BB, 0 SO)

Fusco is their #1 starter. He pitched a CG 5 hitter last time out, allowed 1 run, 2 walks and struck out 8.

We got Austin from Buffalo for 3B Matt McCoy, which was not a good trade for us at all.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
BUFFALO
1: RF Paul Lamb (25-L .286-14-1-2-.833-2 A) Rookie
2: SS Chad Talmadge (28-R .333-33-1-4-.843-2 B)
3: 1B Daniel Hayes (28-R .313-32-0-1-.843-3 B)
4: 3B Matt McCoy (26-L .344-32-1-6-.882-0 B)
5: CF Nick Putman (24-L .310-29-0-5-.831-3 A)
6: LF Elijah James (29-L .000-3-0-0-.000-0 D)
7: C Josh Von Well (27-L .143-7-1-3-.821-0 C) Rookie
8: 2B Andy Asbill (33-L 1.000-2-0-0-2.000-0 B)
9: P Danny Fusco (30-R .143-7-0-0-.286-0 D)

JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .342-38-0-2-.785-3 A)
2: SS Nelson Carrasco (30-R .344-32-0-0-.726-1 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .294-34-0-4-.707-4 A) Rookie
4: RF Mike Garrett (34-L .152-33-0-3-.318-1 B)
5: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .185-27-0-3-.587-0 B)
6: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .167-30-1-2-.531-0 A) Rookie
7: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .133-30-0-1-.369-0 A)
8: C Nick Witherspoon (27-R Season debut B)
9: P Matt Austin (27-R .000-3-0-0-.000-0 F) Rookie

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: Connie Mack Stadium
Weather: 78 F, Clear Skies, with a 7 MPH wind blowing in from right
Attendance: 6,077

Top of the First:
Paul Lamb grounds out to 2nd. Chad Talmadge grounds a hit up the middle. Daniel Hayes swings at the first pitch and pops out to right. Matt McCoy takes a 3-2 pitch for strike three!

Bottom of the First:
Kaleb Diehl takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. He takes off for 2nd and they have a pitchout on, but he is safe anyway! Nelson Carrasco strikes out. Jeremy Herman grounds one to 3rd, but Matt McCoy boots it! Herman steals 2nd. Matt Garrett grounds a double down the left field line and both runners score!! 2 to 0, Jays! But Garrett calls out Trudy the Trainer... Pinch-runner: Alex Fernandez (32-L), who will stay in to play right. Sam Dickson grounds out to 3rd. Nolan Dykes swings at a 3-2 pitch and pops out to the pitcher...

Top of the Third:
With 2 outs, Chad Talmadge hits a home run to left... 2 to 1, Jays.

Top of the Fourth:
With 1 out, Nick Putman triples to right center. Elijah James flies out to deep left and Putman trots home. Tie Game: 2 to 2.

Bottom of the Fourth:
With 1 out, Nick Witherspoon grounds a hit up the middle. P Matt Austin hits a home run to left center!! 4 to 2, Jays!

Top of the Fifth:
P Danny Fusco grounds a hit to center. Paul Lamb draws a walk. Chad Talmadge grounds a double down the left field line and Fusco scores... 4 to 3, Jays. The Bullpen is up. Daniel Hayes grounds a hit to center and Lamb scores... Tie Game: 4 to 4. Hayes tries to steal 2nd, but we have a pitchout on and C Nick Witherspoon throws him out! Matt McCoy draws a walk. Call to the Bullpen: Jose Rubio (32-L). Nick Putman pops out to center and the runners hold. Elijah James swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit to center and Talmadge scores and McCoy beats the throw to 3rd... 5 to 4, Bombers. Josh Von Well pops out to left.

Top of the Eighth:
New Pitcher: Billy Boone (38-R). With 2 outs, Josh Van Well lines a hit to right. Andy Asbill lines a double down the left field line and Van Well scores from 1st... 6 to 4, Bombers.

Bottom of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Chris Gross (34-R), their closer with a 10.13 ERA in 2.2 IP with 2 HR allowed.. PH George Rauch (27-S) grounds out to 2nd. Kaleb Diehl swings at the first pitch and flies out to deep left. Nelson Carrasco strikes out...

Lost - 6 to 4

We had 7 hits and made 1 error
Buffalo had 12 hits and made 2 errors

Matt Austin (L 0-1) went 4.1 innings, allowed 5 runs, 8 hits, 1 home run, 2 walks and struck out 1. At bat, he hit a 2 run home run.
LHP Jose Rubio went 2.2 scoreless innings and allowed 1 hit, but that hit knocked in a run.
RHP Billy Boone went 2 innings, allowed 1 run, 3 hits and struck out 2.

Danny Fusco (W 2-1) went 7 innings, gave us 4 runs (3 earned), 5 hits, 1 home run, 3 walks and struck out 5. At bat, he had a hit and scored a run.
RHP Chris Gross (SV 2) pitched a perfect 9th and struck out 1.

CF Kaleb Diehl had a hit and 2 walks, stole 2 bases and scored a run. RF Mike Garret hit a 2 run double in his only trip to the plate.

For Buffalo, SS Chad Talmadge had 4 hits with a double and his 2nd home run of the season, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI. C Josh Van Well had 3 hits and scored a run.

Trudy's report on Mike Garrett is back tightness that should take a few days to go away.

[Questdog]

Friday, April 13, 2001

We are lucky to be in Charlotte on this wonderful day to play a 3 game series with the Hornets over the weekend. They just split 4 games with the Sycamores in Syracuse. They are currently 4th in the League in scoring with 4.80 runs per game (Jacksonville is up to #15 with 2.60!). The Hornets are 15th in fewest runs allowed with 5.00 per game (Jacksonville is tied for #5 with 3.80). The Hornets are giving up a League worst .287 BA to their opponents. Ours is at .254, exactly the League average. Their run differential is -2 and ours is -12, still the 2nd worst in the League (Ottawa -14).

Jacksonville Jays (4-6 .400 4 GB tied for 4th place in the Southern Division) at
Charlotte Hornets (5-5 .500 3 GB in 3rd place in the Southern Division)

JAX: Walt Urbanski (30-R) (1-0 0.00 ERA 15 IP, 7 H, 0 HR, 5 BB, 9 SO) vs.
CHAR: Dusty Peer (26-L) (2-0 2.25 ERA 16 IP, 15 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 SO)

Urbanski pitched a 5 hit shutout at Columbus in his last start.

Peer gave up 1 run and 6 hits in 8 IP last time out in a win.

Lineups: Pos Name (Age-Bats BA-AB-HR-RBI-OPS-SB DEF)
JACKSONVILLE
1: CF Kaleb Diehl (28-L .341-41-0-2-.803-5 A)
2: SS Nelson Carrasco (30-R .324-37-0-0-.683-2 B)
3: LF Jeremy Herman (22-L .263-38-0-4-.635-6 A) Rookie
4: 1B Nolan Dykes (29-R .147-34-1-2-.472-0 A) Rookie
5: 3B Sam Dickson (31-R .194-31-0-3-.576-0 B)
6: RF Alex Fernandez (32-L .143-7-1-1-.905-0 A) Rookie
7: 2B Marcus Ferguson (31-R .147-34-0-1-.384-0 A)
8: C Lamar Woods (27-R .250-20-0-2-.600-0 B) Rookie
9: P Walt Urbanski (30-L .200-5-0-1-.400-0 F)

CHARLOTTE
1: CF Dan Collins (25-L .303-33-1-3-.755-1 A) ex-Jay
2: LF Tristin Hynes (25-L .314-35-0-3-.886-1 A)
3: 2B Vince Watson (33-R .300-40-2-6-.878-1 C)
4: RF Sean Meaney (27-L .297-37-2-8-.836-0 B)
5: SS T.J. Genett (27-R .229-35-3-9-.900-0-B)
6: 1B Ricky Solorzano (24-L .000-3-0-1-.000-0 A) Rookie
7: 3B Jesse McNatt (28-R .000-4-0-1-.333-0 B)
8: C Phil Nichols (29-R .185-27-1-1-.511-0-C)
9: P Dusty Peer (26-L .000-5-0-0-.000-0 D)

Game Start: 1:05 PM
Ballpark: Charlotte Municipal Stadium
Weather: 72 F, Clear Skies, with an 8 MPH wind blowing out to left
Attendance: 7,237

Top of the First:
Kaleb Diehl lines a hit to center. He steals 2nd. Nelson Carrasco takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. Jeremy Herman grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6, and Diehl goes to 3rd. P Dusty Peer tries to pick Herman off at 1st, but throws the ball away for an error and Diehl scores! 1 to 0, Jays! Nolan Dykes swings at a 3-2 pitch and pops out to right. A wild pitch sends Herman to 3rd. Sam Dickson lines out to 3rd.

Bottom of the First:
Dan Collins grounds a hit to right. Tristin Hynes lines a hit to center. Vince Watson grounds into a 4-6-3 double play and Collins goes to 3rd. Sean Meaney flies out to the warning track in left center!

Top of the Third:
Nelson Carrasco grounds a hit up the middle. With 1 out, Nolan Dykes hits a home run to left center!! 3 to 0, Jays! Dykes is now 6 for 10 with 2 HR against lefties and 0 for 26 against righties.

Top of the Fifth:
Nelson Carrasco lines a hit to center. Jeremy Herman grounds into a force at 2nd, 3-6. He steals 2nd. With 2 outs, Sam Dickson lines a hit to right center and Herman scores! 4 to 0, Jays!

Bottom of the Seventh:
Vince Watson swings at the first pitch and grounds a hit up the middle. The Bullpen gets active. Sean Meaney takes a 3-2 pitch for ball 4. T.J. Genett grounds into a force at 2nd, 1-6, and Watson goes to 3rd. Rocky Solorzano doubles over the head of the center fielder and Watson scores. 4 to 1, Jays. The first earned run allowed by P Walt Urbanski this season... Call to the Bullpen: Mike Wooldridge (35-R). Jess McNatt swings at a 3-2 pitch and pops out to left and the runners hold. Phil Nichols lines one to left and Jeremy Herman makes a great catch!

Top of the Eighth:
On the Hill: Chris Davis (26-R), after a scoreless 7th. Sam Dickson beats out an infield hit. Alex Fernandez grounds into a force at 2nd, 4-6. Marcus Ferguson hits a home run to left!! 6 to 1, Jays! A new record for runs scored by the Jays!

Top of the Ninth:
New Pitcher: Raheem Robinson (25-L), a rookie with 1.2 scoreless innings under his belt. With 1 out, Jeremy Herman grounds a hit to right. Nolan Dykes hits a home run to left!! 8 to 1, Jays! 2 home runs for Dykes today!

Bottom of the Ninth:
On the Hill: Oscar Campuzano (26-L), after a perfect 8th. PH Joel Martinez (26-R), who had been to bat once this season and drawn a walk, draws another one. Sean Meaney swings at the first pitch and loops a hit to right center. The Bullpen gets up. T.J. Genett grounds into a force at 2nd, 1-4, and Martinez goes to 3rd. Ricky Solorzano flies out to deep center and Martinez trots home. 8 to 2, Jays. Jesse McNatt swings at the first pitch and hits a home run to right... 8 to 4, Jays. Phil Nichols grounds out to short and THIS Ball Game Belongs to the Jays!

Won - 8 to 4

We had 14 hits and made no errors
Charlotte had 7 hits and made 2 errors

Walt Urbanski (W 2-0) went 6.1 innings, allowed 1 run, 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 3.
RHP Mike Wooldridge (H 1) faced 2 batters and got them both out.
LHP Oscar Campuzano went 2 innings, allowed 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 1.

Dusty Peer (L 2-1) went 6 innings, gave us 4 runs, 8 hits, 1 home run, 1 walk and struck out 1. He threw a WP.

SS Nelson Carrasco had 2 hits and a walk and scored a run. LF Jeremy Herman had 2 hits, stole a base and scored 2 runs. 1B Nolan Dykes hit 2 home runs and had 4 RBI. He now has 3 HR on the season. 3B Sam Dickson had 2 hits and an RBI. RF Alex Fernandez had 2 hits with a double and scored a run. 2B Marcus Ferguson had 2 hits with his 1st home run and 2 RBI. PH Mario Claros drew a walk.