Julian Brown's Inevitable Frontier

[willowz]

I never had a father.

It's kind of like the Nirvana song goes, I guess...

"I tried hard to have a father, instead I had a dad."

My biological dad, as I've referred to him ever since I was little, was named Rick Aurora. He was a major league quality outfielder for many years before I was born, and after I had came about his career, be it by age, or perhaps, my existence began to fall apart. Before he reached professional success he had spent much of his youth in and out of county jails and drug clinics with vicious, debilitating drug issues. My dad, a career .280 hitter for his entire career, didn't hit a lick over the Mendoza line once I was born -- and so he had turned back to drugs, essentially demolishing his longstanding relationship with my mother.

As a toddler I remember random things -- sitting in my playpen, hearing drunken, drugged bouts between the two, the distinct tints of red and blue flashing lights of state troopers and city police outside my door frequently. I would sit in living room, on a chair, huddling, crying myself into a cage. I was three at the time my dad's lack of control finally ended my parents relationship. My parents had been arguing about something meaningless, the shampoo on the floor in the bathroom, the dirt on the hallway rug, the type of meaningless fights that had connotations between the lines when my dad cracked, picked up a Louisville Slugger resting against a chair and hurled it down the stairwell. I was listening at the bottom and, not having time to react at three years old, watched as the 34 oz Mantle model paraded and glided itself downward into my head, knocking me unconscious. I spent the next three weeks drifting in and out of a coma in an emergency room and when I had finally woke my dad was completely gone from my life. My mother never truly explained to me what happened in those three weeks, and in the end it is truly anyone's guess, but I suppose some things are better left unknown.

When I awoke I had a different name. I wasn't Julian Aurora anymore. I was Julian Brown. My mother had decided, as I grasped to my life, that we would adopt her maiden name, and the name of my grandfather, Charlton Brown, a man she has often compared my biological dad to by saying, "five times as brilliant, ten times as sincere." Such seemed to be the case.

My mother and I moved in with him, and as she struggled through two jobs to make ends meet, my grandfather, who had recently lost my grandmother to the adverse effects of alzheimers, took me as something of a redeeming chance at raising a child.

He knew my fondness for baseball -- and very little else, but there was something simple, loving even about baseball that made it enough for me. We lived in Buffalo, where I had lived all my life, and so in the spring and summer every day my Grandfather would take me across town, across the old highway bridge to Pilot Field, as it was known in my adolescence, to see the Triple A Bisons play. I can still remember crossing to the stadium from the highway behind deep centerfield with him today.

One time, in the fall of 1996, my favorite team, the Yankees had an unusual daytime playoff game that was in direct conflict with my schooling. Despite my begging and pleading my grandfather refused to allow me to stay home to watch the game, and begrudgingly, telling him I hated him, I trudged to school and back, feeling as though a part of my world, a most important part had been taken from me. When I returned home that day a baseball card, of the vintage kind was taped to the television. I approached and noticed Joe DiMaggio immediately, and a younger man, someone vaguely familiar.

"That's me," my grandfather said and peered into the room.

Something I hadn't know was that my grandfather was an all-star minor league baseball player in his youth, something he had apparently left behind to study science at some of the countries most renowned Universities.

"I could have been great," he started, patted me on the head. "But sometimes, baseball isn't the most important thing in our lives."

Years later, in my Junior year in high school, I was sitting in my room watching The Yankees and Marlins duel in Yankee stadium in the 2003 world series. Beckett was on the mound and the Yankees were a strike away, and then a tag away from coughing up what seemed like an inevitable World Series. The next morning I had been woken by my mother, short on rest, teary eyed, exhausted in every sense of the word. She had rarely gotten me up before. It was never something she sought to do. She looked at me sorrowfully, and instantly I knew.

My grandfather had died in my sleep that night, above my head, in a room only feet away. For these past few years I've always thought that perhaps there was something more I could do, if I wasn't so rapped up in a pop fly here or a foul ball there. If I wasn't so rapped up in a damn bullpen decision, or some damn payoff pitch. Sometimes, I've heard, baseball isn't the most important thing in our lives.

--

It was three years later on my 19th birthday that I had even thought about Baseball again. It wasn't by my own will.

My mother asked me to come into the dining room. Over thecourse of two years it seemed like the toll of the world had taken its wrath upon our house, our lives. A man was sitting at the dining room table in an expensive appearing suit. He introduced himself.

"I'm Jack Uppenheimer." he said.

We shook hands.

I sat down with a blank face, it was my 19th birthday, I had saw myself living in this despicable hole of an existence, a wretch in my completion, and had no time for this man.

"Son, I have a piece of paper here I want to show you." Uppenheimer said and removed a thick pad of delicately sorted papers on the table. "There is something you don't know about your Grandfather, about the exact reasons he quit baseball."

For a moment I was confused.

"Julian, have you ever heard of The Manhattan Project?" the man asked me.

I thought for a moment.

"Yes. What is this?"

"Julian, your grandfather was a key component in the consummation of the Manhattan Project. As a result he was awarded several special treasury bonds and tax exemptions over sixty years ago."

I stared blankly and he continued.

"Over time, these bonds and assets have gained interest. The Manhattan Project, because of its historical importance, allowed these bonds to be of considerable size from the outset." for a moment he stuttered and gathered himself. The man did not want to feel as though he was lecturing. "They amount to slightly over $100 million dollars."

"W-what?" I stumbled on my excitement. "What?!"

"Son, your grandfather left this money in his will specifically for you. To be given to you on your 19th birthday."

It didn't make sense. I could have had the money a year earlier, a year's worth of torture for our family, a year's worth of anguish, hopelessness, shame..

"I don't understand, I could have had this a year ago?" I asked him.

"No, no. Your grandfather made specifically clear that it was to be your 19th birthday. He wanted you to be sure of your destiny."

"My destiny?"

"Son, I'm not a banker. I'm not a will worker. You follow baseball, right?"

"Yeah, I do.."

"Well, I'm not just Jack Uppenheimer, the man with magical million dollar briefcases. I'm Jack Uppenheimer, treasurer, Florida Marlins..." Uppenheimer paused for a moment, waited for my response.

"Yeah?"

"Well, Julian, you have a hundred million dollars. If you follow baseball I'm sure you know that the Florida Marlin franchise is looking to relocate out of Miami. I think everyone who knows you is aware of your interest in baseball, Julian. I think we have an offer you may not be able to refuse. As per the vote passed in 1993 when Buffalo was named as a finalist for a major league club, falling short only to Colorado and Miami, any professional baseball team assigned to Buffalo within 15 years of that legislation could move in tomorrow, granted they had the funds to buy the rights to Dunn Tire Park, formerly Pilot Field."

"I own the Florida Marlins?" I asked him, absolutely confused.

The man laughed and nudged the paper across the desk.

"Well, not yet. Look: That paper is worth $100 million dollars. You can sign it. By signing it you cut that paper's value in half, approximately. I take the other half of its value with me. And in turn, you own and run the front office of a major league franchise."

For a moment I thought, remembering the night of my grandfather's death and watching the Marlins and Yankees play. Why does it have to be the Marlins? I asked myself. But that didn't really matter. Was this my dream. I looked at the paper. Looked within myself again.

$100 million dollars could cure any person in the worlds problems. It could cure my mothers exhaustion, my boredom. But it couldn't necessarily make me happy in and of itself. My grandfather had left it for me as a testament to following my dreams. I signed the paper.

I owned the Dunn Tire Park. I owned the Florida Marlins.

-------

Two Days Later

"Names, names, names..." I sat in my girlfriend Lucy's apartment and played with an empty notepad. "Names..."

Lucy was a college student at the Universty in Buffalo. We agreed on so few things when it came to names, restaurants, clothes. Our relationship was based purely on one anothers humor, ideals, our affection for one another.

"Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Bulls, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Bandits, Buffalo Barons. Everything's a damn B."

"The Sabres?" she asked. I grimaced in return. "What about the Blues?"

"The Blues?" I asked her.

"According to this web-site," she began "The Buffalo Blues were one of the first professional baseball franchises in Buffalo."

"Really? Cool."

"Yeah, and it starts with a B. "

---

[willowz]

Marlins Move to Buffalo for 2007

Lawrence Caufield -- AP

Major League Baseball announced the official closing of a multi year deal with the city of Buffalo and the Brown family to relocate the MLB Florida Marlins Franchise to Buffalo, New York, this past week. With the announcement of the move was brought about the official renaming of the franchise to the Buffalo Blues, an homage to the first professional baseball franchise in Buffalo in the 1870's.

The principle owner in the deal is 19 year-old Julian Brown, the heir to the fortune of his grandfather, a scientist with rumored government influences. The Blues franchise went 72-90 in 2006 in its last year as the Florida Marlins.

Team officials say that the team will expect to expend about $50 Million dollars in payroll to improve the team for the 2007 season.

------------


A Holly Jolly Christmas

I'm a baseball fan, but even I didn't know that Florida had managed to strip its roster this bare. Heading into this week is our restricted free agency period, where we have to expend some of our free resources on retooling deals with a tremendous amount of unrestricted free agents.

When a large percentage of your team are prospects working off of one-year deals, I suppose this is what happens.

Buffalo Blues Restricted Free Agency List
*Blue denotes prospect
SP Sergio Mitre 4.0 Stars
SP Scott Olsen 4.0 Stars
SP Renyel Pinto 4.0 Stars
SP Jason Vargas 4.0 Stars
SP Dontrelle Willis 5.0 Stars
RP Joe Borowski 1.5 Stars
RP Travis Bowyer 4.0 Stars
RP Darren Dreifort 1.0 Stars
RP Donald Meas 4.0 Stars
RP Randy Messenger 3.0 Stars
RP Chris Resop 5.0 Stars
C Miguel Olivo 2.5 Stars
C Josh Willingham 2.5 Stars
1B Mike Jacobs 4.5 Stars
3B Wilson Delgado 1.0 Stars
3B Wes Helms 1.0 Stars
SS Hanley Ramirez 5.0 Stars
LF Chris Aguila 1.5 Stars
LF Eric Reed 3.0 Stars
CF Reggie Abercrombie 1.5 Stars
RF Jeremy Hermida 5.0 Stars
RF James Shanks 1.0 Stars

Free Cash: $34,000,000 Million

2006 Statistical Year in Review

Pitching

Starting Pitching

Dontrelle Willis - 33 G, 15-15, 3.54 ERA, 228.2 IP, 166 K
Sergio Mitre - 35 G, 15-9, 4.03 ERA, 232.0 IP, 177 K
Scott Olsen - 32 G, 8-15, 5.25 ERA, 171.1 IP, 156 K
Brian Moehler - 30 G, 9-12, 4.66 ERA, 175.2 IP, 112 K
Jason Vargas - 29 G, 7-14, 5.70 ERA, 154.2 IP, 109 K

Relief Pitching

Darren Dreifort - 83 G, 4-5, 4.01 ERA, 92 IP
Joe Borowski - 58 G, 4-5, 3.98 ERA, 61 IP
Travis Bowyer - 78 G, 4-4, 3.83 ERA, 84.2 IP
Chris Resop - 56 G, 3-1, 2.91 ERA, 68 IP
Randy Messenger - 53 G, 2-2, 5.06 ERA, 78.1 IP
Rick White, 14 G, 0-1, 2.65 ERA, 17 IP


Hitting

Josh Willingham - .299 AVG, .362 OBP, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 44 R, 37 BB, 48 K
Mike Jacobs - .277 AVG, .335 OBP, 21 HR, 70 RBI, 71 R, 40 BB, 110 K
Dan Uggla - .236 AVG, .274 OBP, 11 HR, 59 RBI, 49 R, 23 BB, 117 K
Hanley Ramirez - .286 AVG, .328 OBP, 13 HR, 59 RBI, 77 R, 39 BB, 141 K
Miguel Cabrera - .289 AVG, .376 OBP, 38 HR, 95 RBI, 99 R, 80 BB, 117 K
Eric Reed - .274 AVG, .291 OBP, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 70 R, 12 BB, 126 K
Reggie Abercrombie - .253 AVG, .283 OBP, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 58 R, 19 BB, 108 K
Jeremy Hermida - .290 AVG, .380 OBP, 15 HR, 51 RBI, 57 R, 53 BB, 57 K



So, quite obviously, what we need is some pitching and some hitting. .. And some defense. Essentially though, going into regular free agency, after this period, our improvements have to come in finding players who can make contact. Take a look at my starting 9's BB/K ratio... deplorable.

[willowz]

Key Resignings from Restricted Free Agency Period

SP - Dontrelle Willis - $9.5 Million for 3 years:
The ace of my staff obviously, and a proven, fairly consistent pitcher, Dontrelle Willis was priority number one heading into this off-season. He will be the anchor of my staff.

SP - Sergio Mitre - $2.3 Million for 2 years:
Sergio put in a solid season in 2006, and will make a good 3rd or 4th starter on a competitive team. An inexpensive, close-to-home resigning.

SP - Jason Vargas - $1.25 Million for 2 years:
Vargas is a cheap signing, but the Blues do not have a lot of wiggle room in free agency. Vargas will probably fight again for the 5th rotation spot, but will need to earn it this season.
RP - Chris Resop - $2.5 Million for 2 years:
Another relatively risk-free resigning, Chris Resop has the talent to be a top flight reliever for years to come, and will help sure up an incredibly shaken bullpen with increased maturity.

C - Josh Willingham - $1.75 Million for 3 years:
The Buffalo Blue's catcher of the future, Willingham's 2006 campaign left the team formerly known as the Marlins pleasantly surprised, and Willingham's willingness to sign for such a discount rate is another pleasant gift.

1B - Mike Jacobs - $4.25 Million for 3 years:
Mike Jacobs possesses the type of once-in-a-while hitting prowess that can not be passed up. Jacobs was a tough cookie to crack in the negotiation processes, and with funds being limited for such a small market team was not exactly our foremost concern, but accepted our 11th hour offer.

3B/LF - Miguel Cabrera - $9.75 Million for 3 years:
Short of Todd Helton's groundbreaking 2006 campaign, may have had the most impressive 2006 year considering the circumstances of his surrounding team and hitting in a pitcher's ballpark. Cabrera, over the course of the next few years, may climb into the very top echelon of hitters in the game.

SS - Hanley Ramirez - $3.8 Million for 3 years:
[B]Hanley Ramirez is going to be a considerable part of the 2007 Buffalo Blues. He has been touted throughout his early career as someone that possesses Nomar Garciaparra or Derek Jeter like potential. Now is the time to show it.




Money Left for Unrestricted Free Agency

$11,478,100


A Brief 2006 MLB Review

In the world of OOTP, sometimes, there is sometimes a tendency to stray from tangible reality, but pleasantly, other than a few acceptable surprises, the 2006 season went by without too much of a hastle.

The New York Yankees won the AL East, putting together a typical banner year, with the surprise Baltimore Orioles edging out the world champion White Sox for the wild card.

The Twinkies of Minnesota reclaimed the AL Central throne, while once again the pesky Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outsprinted Oakland to the finish line in the AL West.

In the national league, the Atlanta Braves trailed the Washington Nationals for almost the entire season, but a hot September gave Atlanta their 15th straight divisional crown.

St. Louis ran away with the NL Central once again, but in a nifty surprise, the Milwaukee Brewers overtook the Houston Astros in September to pull over a majestic wild card race.

Not to be outdone by their local counterparts, the Los Angeles Dodgers were the only NL team to win 100 games, tallying 102, and setting up what many thought would be an LA vs. LA seaon finale. Bonds over in San Fran passed Ruth, and is left a decent season short of the all-time record, having inked, at least in the interim, an extension with his team.

Playoffs:

Wild Card Round

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3-0 over Baltimore Orioles
New York Yankees 3-2 over Minnesota Twins
Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 over Milwaukee Brewers
Atlanta Braves 3-0 over St. Louis Cardinals

League Championship Round

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4-2 over New York Yankees
Atlanta Braves 4-3 over Los Angeles Dodgers

WORLD SERIES

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4-0 over Atlanta Braves

[willowz]

A Laundry List of Acquistions

Okay, so, you can't exactly put together the 27 Yankees with 11 million dollars to spend on free agents in this market, and with more holes than I can possibly fill, but we gave it our best shot.

Starting Pitcher - 2.5 Stars - JEFF SUPPAN - $5 MILLION FOR 3 YEARS
Suppan is not exactly everyone's dream #2 starter, but he has plenty of experience and can eat innings. When he's on, he can win games on his own. It's a matter of keeping him on. Suppan boasted a 16-8 record in 2006 with a 3.83 ERA, but most importantly, he is now the third pitcher on our roster who threw for more than 200 innings in '06, something we need to help our retooled and wounded bullpen.

Relief Pitcher - 5.0 Stars - GABE DEHOYOS - $525K for 3 YEARS
DeHoyos is 25 years old, still listed as a prospect. He has plenty of potential coming out of the pen if he can put it together. Will start the year in Triple A.

Relief Pitcher - 1.5 Stars - SHIGETOSHI HASEGAWA - $500K for 2 YEARS
Though well past his prime, Hasegawa, at 38, still provides some veteran leadership and a clutch peformer out of the bullpen.

Relief Pitcher - 1.5 Stars - DAVID WEATHERS - $1.5 MILLION FOR 3 YEARS
David Weathers is another veteran arm in the pen nearing the end of his career, a year younger than Hasegawa, he will be the force to be reckoned with in middle relief for the Buffalo Blues this year.

Relief Pitcher - 1.5 Stars - ESTEBAN YAN - $678k FOR 2 YEARS
A little more expensive, and perhaps the worst of all the deals this off-season, Yan is versatile in the sense that he can be used as a closer or in middle relief. Will fight for a roster spot in Spring Training.

1B/Corner OFer - 1.0 Stars - RYAN KLESKO - $800K for 2 YEARS
Klesko has a lot of pop in his bat and provides some versatility with what we can do with our lineups.

OFer - 2.0 Stars - MATT LAWTON - $1.25 M for 3 YEARS
Matt Lawton is one of two big outfield signings in helping realign our outfield. Lawton will likely start in Left Field.

OFer - 1.0 Stars - Juan Pierre $1.00 M for 3 YEARS
A discount signing, Pierre will be the Blues starting Centefielder to open 2007. Though Pierre is listed at one star, he provides a lot of versatility as a veteran lead-off man, including speed, defensive range and bunting ability.








Projected 2007 Buffalo Blues Opening Day 25-Man Roster

Starting Pitching

1) Dontrelle Willis
2) Jeff Suppan
3) Sergio Mitre
4) Jason Vargas
5) Ryan Pinto

Bullpen
LR - Scott Olsen
MR - David Weathers
MR - Travis Bowyer
MR - Esteban Yan
SU - Chris Resop
CL - Shigetoshi Hasegawa

Line-Up

1) Juan Pierre, CF
2) Hanley Ramirez, SS
3) Mike Jacobs, 1B
4) Miguel Cabrera, 3B
5) Josh Willingham, C
6) Jeremy Hermida, RF
7) Matt Lawton, LF
8) Dan Uggla, 2B
9) Pitcher

[rallymonkey1982]

Wow, great start. I'll be following this one.

[willowz]

Originally Posted by rallymonkey1982

Wow, great start. I'll be following this one.

Thanks. I plan to take it slow, enjoy this as I enjoy the summer, hopefully with a relaxed pace it will be a good read for everybody.



There's that certain time of year when you're aware that spring is finally right around the corner. The signs are always clear, the grass, specifically, for the first few weeks always has a present scent. It's something that escapes us quietly throughout the winter, we slowly forget the natural sensations of mother nature, and are awoken by them only again when the resurgence of life arrives in a new season. In Buffalo, spring doesn't come until opening day, and sometimes later. This is the first opening day for this city in over a hundred years, though.

A few factoids:

During the last Buffalo opening day, Ulysses S. Grant was still alive.
Babe Ruth was yet unborn.
The Model T was nearly a half century away.

And so, of course, as time progresses a city tends to lose its tender kinship with its previous bonds. Baseball in Buffalo was a mere after thought. Winning in such a city is a pressurized and difficult task. With a population under the half-million watermark, the area is a near-microscopic Metropolitan community -- one that treats its sports franchises with endearing yet unforgiving compassion; as such a large and critical part of local economies. Never before have I felt so much personal pressure.

Just this past week, as our Buffalo Blues ball club, a ball club I feel is a ten fold improvement over the last edition of the Florida Marlins franchise, the city legislature passed stipulations and conditions concerning the Blues stay in Buffalo. We've been given the following ultimatum:

Win the NL in three years or face relocation.

And so this is the timeline of my dream. Three seasons. To know that in order to get a contract extension with the city, I must do something that some teams have gone decades, half centuries without doing.

As a result of all this, my relationship with Lucy has become strained. These past few months I have spent an inordinate amount of time in team offices, toiling away over random deals for Jeff Suppan or Matt Lawton or whoever else.

The girl I had loved so strongly seemed so distant now, showing up only so often, but nevertheless, with admirable resolve, staying by my side. In times where the stress of building a franchise can be crippling, where it means so much to my grandfather's memory, to my family's future, it is nice to have that escape, if only brief and random. I fear that my inability to share my affection for her as I previously have may push her away.

I am scared to death. I am engulfed by this franchise, and in the very pit of my desires can I only think of finding a way to make this baseball team a winning one. But I am scared to death to know that it may be at the cost of everything else in my life.

Game 1 Preview

Buffalo Blues (0-0) @ Philadelphia Phillies (0-0)
Projected Starters:
BUF, Dontrelle Willis (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
PHI, Jon Lieber (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

[willowz]

Game 1
Buffalo Blues (0-0)@ Philadelphia Phillies (0-0)
Dontrelle Willis (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Jon Lieber (0-0, 0.00 ERA)


Whenever people go into a regular season, the most common reaction is the excitement and expectation for your team. Sure, it's a 162 game season, but the first game, in many peoples minds, can be an indicator of success or failure. Plus, it's usually a whole 24 hours more until they get to see their team in action again.

I have to admit to you, I'm one of the people who tends to share that general reaction, and with the ace of my staff on the mound I wanted to burst out the games and make the first game of the Buffalo Blues a dandy, and in a way, I suppose it was, but most certainly not the type of dandy I was hoping for.

Things started off fairly well, with us hitting first, and all, and Juan Pierre got things going with a lead off infield single. This is hopefully a testament of things to come, as finding a way to get our new Centerfielder on base, in whatever way possible will be a key to our offensive success this season; success we didn't have this game. After Pierre got on, our 2-3-4 combination of Ramirez, Jacobs and Cabreraaccounted for some quick outs and we moved into the bottom half of the frame.


Dontrelle Willis looked sharp at first, but one thing that was noticeable from the beginning was the amount of deep counts he was working himself into. Nevertheless, he got out of the first inning unscathed, and the Blues were back on the offensive. Unable to accrue much leverage in the top of the 2nd, the Phillies then came back up to bat with their first real opportunity of the night, as Chase Utley, someone who killed us all game, found his way to third with only one out after a lead-off double. Sure enough, Utley was pushed across the plate and quickly into the season, Philadelphia had a 1-0 lead. With only a relatively small amount of harm done, we were able to stop the bleeding quickly, and afterall a one run advantage is just that. If we hope to win we'd have to score at least one anyway.


Another inning passed with the Blues bats silenced, and I wasn't sure heading into the 4th inning if Philly Jon Lieber was dealing or if my team was reenacting a scene from The Benchwarmers. Unfortunately for me the top half of the 4th was worse than the top half of the 3rd, and so Willis headed back out, laboring a bit more now as his pitch count increased, with the sense that a one-run deficit, at this point, felt more like 30. And so, maybe trying to make the perfect pitch with that in mind, Dontrelle had an inning that he would not like to put in his personal highlight reel. After allowing a 1-out single, Willis dueled with his opposing hurler from the batter's box, who was fouling off pitch after pitch, before caking into a slicer down the line. Never, or very rarely at least, have I ever seen someone such as Jon Lieber move all the mechanics of his thick, aging frame with the velocity that he was rounding the basepaths, and somehow the Philly hurler slid into third with a triple!

To add insult to injury, we're now looking at the top of a dangerous batting order with Willis laboring and a deficit that previously felt like 30 runs double to 2-0. Sure enough, Bobby Abreu and Jimmy Rollins provided back to back extra base hits to take a 4-0 lead, with a 3-run fourth before we finally got things back in order. Dan Uggla came through in the 5th with his 2nd hit of the game, and you know when your 8-hole hitter is tagging the ball better than anyone else in the line-up it's going to be a long night. Pierre was then put in an unusual position in the 5th, with Uggla on, Pierre was asked to drive in a run, something that we don't want him to be the leader in this year, or that could bode very poorly for us. Fortunately, however, he answered the call, slipping a blooping single over the opposing Shortstop's head, and the lead was 4-1. Pierre then helped push momentum a little more in our favor by using his wheels to steal 2nd and force a poor throw into centerfield, allowing him to get to third. But as quickly, or perhaps quicker than the momentum came it drifted, as Juan was stranded there, and we went to the bottom half of the 5th down 4-1.


Dontrelle Willis settled back down in the 5th, putting together a quick inning and escaping, but reaching nearing 100 pitches it was unfortunate but true that his day would probably end prematurely. To lead off the 6th, Jeremy Hermida, a player who the Blues feared they may lose in the off-season, but recaptured due to minor league option availability, singled and moved over into scoring position on a hit and run. Dan Uggla, once again came through with a key hit and Hermida crossed the plate to cut the deficit to 4-2. Though it probably would have been smart to pull him then, Willis stayed in to hit and go out in the 6th inning. That's when the real trouble began.


Willis was definitely tuckered out, reaching 113 pitches with men on base and 2 outs, and staring Bobby Abreu right in the eye, we called upon Scott Olsen to come in and get one left-handed out. Olsen a starter in 2006, did not have as good a training camp as teammate Jason Vargas and was relugated to the bullpen, but would have an incredibly important role from the pen as the team's only left hander to start the season. Whether or not Olsen can contribute out of the pen in being our LOOGY will be a key factor as to if he will remain with the ballclub.

Olsen dueled with Abreu back and forth, as the slugger fouled off several payoff pitches, before finally breaking through, cracking a 3-2 curveball into the right field corner and scoring too. So, Olsen's first try at being a LOOGY was unsuccessful, and the damage would only get worse. Next up was switch-hitter Jimmy Rollins and with the damage already getting out of hand at 6-2, Olsen remained out there, but he essentially sealed his teams fate by allowing a two-run blast to the opposing Shortstop, and Olsen, tasked with getting one out, was unable to do so.

So for the third pitcher in the 6th inning, the Blues called upon Travis Bowyer, one of only two bullpen carryovers from the team's final season in Florida, and as a medium-level middle reliever, Bowyer knows that his performance on this team will directly effect his ability to stay on it for very long. So it didn't take long, of course, for Bowyer to throw three pitches and garner the third out, but the damage had already been done, and the Blues went back to bat in the top of the 7th down 8-2.

With Jon Lieber still dealing, and the Blues now seemingly disinterested in attempting to mount a comeback, only Dan Uggla, now 3-for-3, could break through, with his second double of the game. Travis Bowyer could not return the favor of a scoreless 7th in the bottom half, Philly Aaron Rowand would join the party, knocking in the Phillies 9th run, and making the game 9-2.

Bowyer and Lieber would trade goose eggs in the 8th though, before Lieber marched back out in the top of the 9th to go for his first complete game of the season in his first game of the season. It was not to be, however, as Matt Lawton would reach on a 2-out error, and Laynce Dawson would come in to mop up the final out. The out didn't come against Dan Uggla though, who put up a 4-for-4 outting in his first game of the year by knocking a comebacker straight up the middle and moving Lawton into scoring position. Trying to mount a last second rally, Travis Bowyer was replaced by pinch-hitter Ryan Klesko, who swung at the first pitch he saw and drilled it to deep center, but not deep enough, and game one was over, 9-2, Phillies.

Buffalo    AB    R    H    RBI    BB    K    LOB    AVG    HR    RBI
J. Pierre CF    4    0    2    1    0    0    2    .500    0    1
H. Ramirez SS    4    0    1    0    0    1    2    .250    0    0
M. Jacobs 1B    4    0    0    0    0    1    2    .000    0    0
M. Cabrera 3B    4    0    0    0    0    0    1    .000    0    0
J. Willingham C 4    0    0    0    0    0    1    .000    0    0
J. Hermida RF    4    1    1    0    0    0    2    .250    0    0
M. Lawton LF    4    0    0    0    0    0    1    .000    0    0
D. Uggla 2B    4    1    4    1    0    0    0    1.000    0    1
D. Willis P     2    0    0    0    0    0    2    .000    0    0
    S. Olsen P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    T. Bowyer P     1    0    0    0    0    0    1    .000    0    0
    1-R. Klesko PH    1    0    0    0    0    0    2    .000    0    0
Totals    36    2    8    2    0    2    16    .222    0    2
Substitution Notes
1 - R. Klesko pinch hit for T. Bowyer in the 9th
BATTING
Doubles: D. Uggla 3 (3, 3rd inning off Lieber, 0 on, 1 out, 5th inning off Lieber, 0 on, 1 out, 7th inning off Lieber, 1 on, 1 out.)
Runs Batted In: J. Pierre (1), D. Uggla (1)
Stolen Bases: J. Pierre (1)
Caught Stealing: J. Pierre (1)
Team LOB: 5
 
Philadelphia    AB    R    H    RBI    BB    K    LOB    AVG    HR    RBI
B. Abreu RF    5    1    2    3    0    1    0    .400    0    3
J. Rollins SS    4    1    2    2    1    1    1    .500    1    2
P. Burrell LF    5    0    1    0    0    0    2    .200    0    0
R. Howard 1B    5    0    0    0    0    3    3    .000    0    0
C. Utley 2B    4    2    2    0    0    1    0    .500    0    0
M. Vechionacci 3B    4    2    2    0    0    2    2    .500    0    0
A. Rowand CF    2    1    2    2    1    0    0    1.000    0    2
B. Davis C     4    1    2    1    0    1    3    .500    0    1
J. Lieber P     4    1    1    1    0    0    5    .250    0    1
    L. Dawson P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
Totals    37    9    14    9    2    9    16    .378    1    9
BATTING
Doubles: J. Rollins (1, 3rd inning off Willis, 0 on, 1 out.) C. Utley (1, 4th inning off Willis, 0 on, 0 out.)
Triples: J. Lieber (1, 4th inning off Willis, 1 on, 2 out.)
Homeruns: J. Rollins (1, 6th inning off Olsen, 1 on, 2 out.)
Runs Batted In: B. Abreu 3 (3), J. Rollins 2 (2), A. Rowand 2 (2), B. Davis (1), J. Lieber (1)
Stolen Bases: C. Utley (1), A. Rowand (1)
Sacrifice Flies: A. Rowand (1)
Team LOB: 7

FIELDING
Errors: B. Davis (1), M. Vechionacci 2 (2)
 
Buffalo    IP    H    R    ER    BB    K    HR    PI    PS    ERA    RECORD
D. Willis L    5.2    9    6    6    1    7    0    111    63    9.53    0-1
S. Olsen     0    2    2    2    0    0    1    11    7    0.00     
T. Bowyer     2.1    3    1    1    1    2    0    31    20    3.86     
PITCHING
Wild Pitches: D. Willis
Batters Faced: D. Willis 27, S. Olsen 2, T. Bowyer 11
Inherited Runners-Scored: S. Olsen 2-2
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: D. Willis 9-1, S. Olsen 0-0, T. Bowyer 4-1
Game Score: D. Willis 33
 
Philadelphia    IP    H    R    ER    BB    K    HR    PI    PS    ERA    RECORD
J. Lieber W    8.2    7    2    2    0    2    0    112    71    2.08    1-0
L. Dawson     0.1    1    0    0    0    0    0    4    2    0.00     
PITCHING
Batters Faced: J. Lieber 34, L. Dawson 2
Inherited Runners-Scored: L. Dawson 1-0
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: J. Lieber 14-11, L. Dawson 0-1
Game Score: J. Lieber 64

[willowz]

Game 2 Preview
Buffalo Blues (0-1) @ Philadelphia Phillies (1-0)
Projected Starters:
BUF - Jeff Suppan, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
PHI - Brett Myers, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Overview

Jeff Suppan has had up and down seasons his entire career, but for the most part he's had an average career. Major League SP's average ERA in his career has been 4.70, and his career ERA has only been fractionally lower, 4.66. 2006, however, marked the first season in which Suppan really put two back to back solid seasons together, matching his 16-10, 3.57 year in 2005 with a near-banner year in 2006, (16-8, 3.83). Chances are he won't three-peat the year, but keeping his ERA around 4 flat will go a long way in helping this team do what it has to do.

Meanwhile, 26-year old Brett Myers is going for the Phillies, and appears to be coming into his own as a solid #2 starter with possible #1 potential, which doesn't bode well for the cold bats of Buffalo out of the gate. While it's true that the Blues have only played one game this year, Dan Uggla is nevertheless on top of the OPS chart at 2.750. While it would certainly be nice for him to keep up his 4 for 4 pace for 162 games (which would give him a pedestrian 648 hits for the season ), just staying on a hot streak and putting the ball in play is all we ask.

[willowz]

Game 2
Buffalo Blues (0-1) @ Philadelphia Phillies (1-0)
Jeff Suppan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Brett Myers (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

There has not been a time that I can remember where one particular part of a 3-facet team (pitching, offense, fielding) being so poor, so poor that in a game that it could cost the team not only a blowout result but a win all together. And nevertheless, one of the three facets of this Blues team, a facet especially in fielding that needs to be rock solid for us to have any hope this season failed us in game two, amounting to four errors. Making it worse though, was the fact that you're not going to see this much offense from this team very often this year, but at least so far, something positive to bring away from the 2nd game is that the most of our role players, are, in fact, playing their roles.

That included Juan Pierre who, for the second straight game, justified his acquisition as a lead-off man by leading off the game with a sharp lining single, and moved along to second with a quick stolen base. Immediately, the Blues put the pressure on the opposition and allowed the Blues centerfielder to cross the plate off an RBI single from Miguel Cabrera.

Immediately, Phillies pitcher Brett Myers looked shaky, as he struggled to get three outs in the first inning, but eventually did so allowing only 1 run, and Jeff Suppan would go to the mound for the first time as a Buffalo Blue with a 1-0 advantage. The lead would not stand, though, as the Phillies, this time sending out a more conventional lead-off man, played their own version of early-inning small ball by pushing Jimmy Rollins across the plate to tie the game at 1 after 1.

Brett Myers came out shaky again in the second, and though throwing well, was throwing on what appeared to be an invisible tee, as Matt Lawton went deep with 1 on and nobody out to get the inning going. 3-1, Buffalo flavor. Myers countered by striking Dan Uggla out and ending his perfect streak at one game and 4-for-4 and followed up by k'ing the pitcher to get back to the top of the order, where Juan Pierre drew a walk after battling a long full-count at bat, and a few more hits later, Miguel Cabrera stepped in and dropped a blooper in to make two more runs cross the plate. All together, the Blues mini-run accrued 5 runs, and ended Myers day after only 1 2/3.

Suppan came back out in the second and let up another run, and I noticed a precarious pattern, that both runs the Blues new hurler let up were unearned, and Suppan's performance seemed to stifle itself, if only briefly, after one of his fielders failed to make an easy out. Edwin Moreno came in for Philly to start the 3rd, and got two easy outs before Dan Uggla got back on the right path with a 2-out double. It usually wouldn't amount to much with the pitcher behind him, but this time, Jeff Suppan, of all people, came through with an RBI-single to extend the lead to 7-2.

Suppan settled down in the bottom of the 3rd, before the teams traded shutout 4th innings. In the 5th, Dan Uggla continued his early season success story by tagging his second double of the game and knocking in the Blues 8th run to give the team a 6-run edge. Unfortunately though, for some reason, the Blues offense died after the 8th run, and they would come to find they needed a little bit more than that in the long run. Suppan put up a scoreless bottom of the 5th, and the teams traded a scoreless 6th. Buffalo put another goose egg up in the 7th, before things began to fall apart. In the other side of the 7th an early error rattled Suppan who let in two runs off a big double by Pat Burrell before settling down, but the inning wasn't over there, as Hanley Ramirez dropped a 2-out error which cost the team three more runs off of two more hits before Dave Weathers finally came in for relief. All in all, Suppan allowed 7 runs, but 0 earned.

Although Suppan allowed 7 runs, going into the top of the 8th, the Blues had in fact scored 8.

So, the young reliever, originally slated to be the closer until the acquisition of Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Chris Resop was warming up to go for his first hold attempt of the season.

Coming in, in the 8th, Resop had a slim 8-7 lead to protect, and started off well by grabbing hold of two quick outs, but the third was a little harder as Resop ran into Jimmy Rollins, who turned a hot-shot single into a scoring threat with an accompanying steal. Aaron Rowand ended his 0-for date thenafter by slamming an RBI single in his own right to tie the game, and Resop, in his first hold attempt comes up unsuccessful. Resop did have some post hold attempt success however, as he closed out the 8th and swapped shutout innings in the 9th with the Phillies.

The Phillies concluded in throwing six shutout innings after Moreno's performance, and would Esteban Yan come in, in the 10th to try and extend the game for the Blues.

Yan did well in the 10th, and showed that he may be a reliable short inning guy for the Blues this year, but allowed a 1-out double to young Philly up-and-comer Greg Golson. Though Yan returned with a strikeout to Jimmy Rollins, a walk to pitcher Ian Kennedy led to a 2-out single from Chris Roberson, which pushed the winning run across the plate, and somehow the Blues turns a blowout into a miracle nailbiter that we somehow gave away.

 
    
     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10    11         R    H    E
Buffalo    1    5    1    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0         8    15    4
Philadelphia    1    1    0    0    0    0    5    1    0    0    1         9    10    1
    
 
 
Buffalo    AB    R    H    RBI    BB    K    LOB    AVG    HR    RBI
J. Pierre CF    5    2    1    0    1    0    2    .333    0    1
H. Ramirez SS    6    1    2    1    0    1    1    .300    0    1
M. Jacobs 1B    6    1    1    0    0    2    2    .100    0    0
M. Cabrera 3B    5    0    3    3    1    0    0    .333    0    3
J. Willingham C     6    0    1    0    0    0    5    .100    0    0
J. Hermida RF    4    1    2    0    1    0    0    .375    0    0
M. Lawton LF    5    2    2    2    0    1    3    .222    1    2
D. Uggla 2B    5    1    2    1    0    2    0    .667    0    2
J. Suppan P     4    0    1    1    0    0    0    .250    0    1
    D. Weathers P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    C. Resop P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    1-R. Klesko PH    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    E. Yan P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
Totals    47    8    15    8    3    6    13    .277    1    10
Substitution Notes
1 - R. Klesko pinch hit for C. Resop in the 10th
BATTING
Doubles: M. Cabrera (1, 2nd inning off Myers, 2 on, 2 out.) D. Uggla 2 (5, 3rd inning off Moreno, 0 on, 2 out, 5th inning off Moreno, 1 on, 1 out.)
Homeruns: M. Lawton (1, 2nd inning off Myers, 1 on, 0 out.)
Runs Batted In: H. Ramirez (1), M. Cabrera 3 (3), M. Lawton 2 (2), D. Uggla (2), J. Suppan (1)
Stolen Bases: J. Pierre (2), H. Ramirez (1)
Caught Stealing: J. Hermida (1)
Team LOB: 1

FIELDING
Errors: J. Willingham (1), M. Jacobs (1), H. Ramirez (1), D. Uggla (1)
Double Plays: 1 (Suppan-Ramirez-Jacobs)
 
Philadelphia    AB    R    H    RBI    BB    K    LOB    AVG    HR    RBI
J. Rollins SS    5    2    2    1    1    1    3    .444    1    3
A. Rowand CF    4    1    1    1    0    1    2    .500    0    3
    A. Simpson P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    T. Gordon P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    1-B. Davis PH    1    0    0    0    0    1    0    .400    0    1
    I. Kennedy P     0    0    0    0    1    0    0    .000    0    0
P. Burrell LF    3    0    1    3    0    1    1    .250    0    3
    2-C. Roberson LF    2    0    1    1    0    0    0    .500    0    1
R. Howard 1B    5    0    0    0    0    0    2    .000    0    0
B. Abreu RF    4    2    0    0    1    2    1    .222    0    3
C. Utley 2B    4    1    1    0    0    2    1    .375    0    0
M. Vechionacci 3B    5    1    1    1    0    1    2    .333    0    1
J. Paul C     4    0    0    0    1    1    4    .000    0    0
B. Myers P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    J. Santana P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    3-A. Nunez PH    1    0    0    0    0    0    1    .000    0    0
    E. Moreno P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    4-J. Thurston PH    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    L. Dawson P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    5-G. Golson CF    3    2    3    2    0    0    0    1.000    0    2
Totals    42    9    10    9    4    10    17    .304    1    18
Substitution Notes
1 - B. Davis pinch hit for T. Gordon in the 9th
2 - C. Roberson pinch ran for P. Burrell in the 7th
3 - A. Nunez pinch hit for J. Santana in the 2nd
4 - J. Thurston pinch hit for E. Moreno in the 5th
5 - G. Golson pinch hit for L. Dawson in the 7th
BATTING
Doubles: P. Burrell (1, 7th inning off Suppan, 2 on, 2 out.) G. Golson (1, 11th inning off Yan, 0 on, 0 out.)
Runs Batted In: J. Rollins (3), A. Rowand (3), P. Burrell 3 (3), C. Roberson (1), M. Vechionacci (1), G. Golson 2 (2)
Stolen Bases: J. Rollins 2 (2)
Sacrifice Flies: P. Burrell (1)
Team LOB: 6

FIELDING
Errors: J. Rollins (1)
Double Plays: 1 (Utley-Rollins-Howard)
 
Buffalo    IP    H    R    ER    BB    K    HR    PI    PS    ERA    RECORD
J. Suppan     6.2    7    7    0    1    5    0    94    60    0.00     
D. Weathers     0.1    0    1    1    1    0    0    7    3    27.03     
C. Resop     2    1    0    0    1    4    0    35    22    0.00     
E. Yan L    1.1    2    1    1    1    1    0    25    12    6.75    0-1
PITCHING
Batters Faced: J. Suppan 30, D. Weathers 2, C. Resop 9, E. Yan 7
Inherited Runners-Scored: D. Weathers 1-0, C. Resop 1-1
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: J. Suppan 7-9, D. Weathers 1-0, C. Resop 1-2, E. Yan 3-0
Game Score: J. Suppan 50
 
Philadelphia    IP    H    R    ER    BB    K    HR    PI    PS    ERA    RECORD
B. Myers     1.2    7    6    6    1    1    1    45    28    32.41     
J. Santana     0.1    0    0    0    0    0    0    5    2    0.00     
E. Moreno     3    4    2    2    0    2    0    46    30    6.00     
L. Dawson     2    2    0    0    1    2    0    30    17    0.00     
A. Simpson     1    2    0    0    1    1    0    22    12    0.00     
T. Gordon     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    6    3    0.00     
I. Kennedy W    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    21    10    0.00    1-0
PITCHING
Intentional BB: A. Simpson
Batters Faced: B. Myers 13, J. Santana 1, E. Moreno 14, L. Dawson 9, A. Simpson 5, T. Gordon 2, I. Kennedy 6
Inherited Runners-Scored: J. Santana 1-0, T. Gordon 1-0
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: B. Myers 3-1, J. Santana 0-1, E. Moreno 5-2, L. Dawson 0-4, A. Simpson 1-0, T. Gordon 1-1, I. Kennedy 3-3
Game Score: B. Myers 11

[willowz]

Game 3 Preview
Buffalo Blues (0-2) @ Philadelphia Phillies (2-0)
Projected Starters:
BUF - Sergio Mitre, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
PHI - Ryan Madsen, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)


Overview

It will be interesting to see how the boys come back from their first devastating loss of the season, but it was also good that it happened early. Dan Uggla will have a chance to continue his opening season hot streak (6 for 8) as well as Sergio Mitre who had a decent opening season in the rotation in 2006, and will need to be an anchor in the 3-spot this year to give the Blues a chance.

After two games now, something to look for is the Blues bullpen, who should fairly worn out after a lot of innings to open the season.

[willowz]

My apologies for the lack of an update yesterday, but let me attempt to explain my board absence with the presence of a single, rather rhetorical question:

You know what kind of moron thinks my scrawny 130 pound frame can handle a 8 foot long 250 pound rod by myself? Rednecks. That's who. I'm talking this guy literally only had two front teeth.

I am teeny. I mean, I am about 5'10, 130 lbs of skin and bones... pure, unadultered pretty city boyness. Yesterday I was assigned the task of helping a group of rather large rednecks move 250 to 500 pound iron rods, handles, bars, slates and other materials to help put together a nearly 108 year old amusement park.


Now Google tells me there are only about 11 true 'Trolley' Amusement parks left in the United States, the one I am working at this summer I am working in the arcade, and I had agreed to help set things up (until today, where my status has officially reverted back to disagreed), but for any parents on the board who have interest in taking their kids to amusement parks here is a word of advice: Don't. And, if you must, take them to larger ones. The smaller the park generally, the more shabby the operation, most certainly. The park I am assisting in doesn't use a crane, and in fact instead relies on an old carriage and a near 90 year old gas powered tractor to lug everything around. Had that hunk of metal been made any earlier, it likely would require a crank on the front, or several horses to pull it along.


In any event, where were we? Ah, yes. Game 3... the Blues still looking for their first win of the season. Off we go.


Game 3

Buffalo Blues (0-2) @ Philadelphia Phillies (2-0)

Projected Starters:

BUF - Sergio Mitre (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
PHI - Ryan Madsen, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

I don't think many people tend to think of the concluding game of a series with the 3-spot pitchers in the rotation going as the climactic game of the series, however, this opening series certainly had the momentum and feeling that it was just going to get better and better as things went along.

Juan Pierre, attempting to start the season by reaching base in the first 3 games tried to catch Philadelphia on their heels with a quick drag bunt, but the opposing defense was on it. Two more outs were quickly recorded as Ryan Madsen was quickly showing that he was going to do something that his rotation-mate, Brett Myers, could not do a day earlier -- deal. The top half of the inning was over and Sergio Mitre returned the favor by retiring the side heading into the second frame.

Madsen continued going to work in the 2nd, where he got out Miguel Cabrera, who seems never to make outs these days, for the only time Cabrera would not reach base on the day. Mitre was not so lucky, as Philly jumped out to an early lead with a solo-shot by the 0-for-10 Ryan Howard, in his first hit and homer of the year.

The two hurlers would match scoreless 3rd and 4th innings, with the 1-run lead holding and Madsen making a lot of people miss, before finally a stolen base by Juan Pierre and a single by Hanley Ramirez knotted things up at 1. The pitchers would again trade scoreless 6ths, and Madsen was done for the day. Mitre would attempt to go back out for the 7th, but after allowing a pinch-hit RBI to Abraham Nunez after Marcos Vehionacci left with an injury ended his day after only 6.1, and again Philly was on top 2-1.

The Blues would fire right back however, as Josh Willingham would be brought up after intentionally walking the bases loaded to avoid Miguel Cabrera, with two outs. Willingham recorded his only tag of the day shooting one down the line, opposite field, and a good play by Bobby Abreu allowed only one to score, but that one was the important one, evening the game back up at 2.

Esteban Yan, who appears to be making an argument for a significant role on the team came in to throw in the 8th, and though allowing a double, kept the game even. With an out in the 9th, Mike Jacobs cracked a single down the right field line, and was immediately replaced with some wheels by Eric Reed as the Blues tried to take the advantage then and there. This brought about the presence of Phillies closer Tom Gordon, and though Reed would make it to third, he was halted there and the game continued on with Chris Resop brought in.

While Eric Reed was sent out to left field to replace Matt Lawton defensively, Ryan Klesko was given his first defensive action of the year, replacing Mike Jacobs at first.

Resop, perhaps shaken up by letting up the tying run in the team's previous matchup did not fair well in the bottom of the 9th, recording only one out before the team had to turn to their closer for the first time on the year, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, to try and work the team out of a late inning jam.

Fortunately, Hasegawa came through, which allowed the Blues to go back out in the 10th, where Eric Reed cracked a 1-out double into the right field corner off Tom Gordon, ending his day and bringing about the presence of Ian Kennedy. Kennedy's first pitch was wild however, which allowed Reed to reach 3rd, and now all that the Blues needed was a sac fly to take the lead. Miguel Cabrera delivered on a long fly ball nearly dropped by Pat Burrell and the advantage was 3-2 Buffalo. Kennedy continued with his obvious control issues for the rest of the inning, walking the bases loaded before two more wild pitches brought two more runners scampering home, and at the conclusion of the top half of the 10th, the score was 5-2.

Quickly, Hasegawa, in his second inning of work, would grab the first two outs of the inning before Jimmy Rollins started a rally with a single, followed by another single from Aaron Rowand and a walk to Pat Burrell to load the bases. Still with two outs, and with the tying run on base, and the winning run at the plate, Ryan Howard stepped in and after fighting off several 2-2 pitches finally flied out weakly to 1st, and the Buffalo Blues had their first win of the year.

 
    
     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10         R    H    E
Buffalo    0    0    0    0    1    0    0    1    0    3         5    9    0
Philadelphia    0    1    0    0    0    0    1    0    0    0         2    10    2
    
 
 
Buffalo    AB    R    H    RBI    BB    K    LOB    AVG    HR    RBI
J. Pierre CF    5    1    0    0    0    1    3    .214    0    1
H. Ramirez SS    5    1    1    1    0    2    1    .267    0    2
M. Jacobs 1B    4    0    1    0    0    1    1    .143    0    0
    1-E. Reed LF    1    1    1    0    0    0    0    1.000    0    0
M. Cabrera 3B    3    1    2    1    1    1    2    .417    0    4
J. Willingham C     5    1    1    1    0    2    3    .133    0    1
J. Hermida RF    4    0    1    0    1    1    2    .333    0    0
M. Lawton LF    3    0    0    0    0    3    3    .167    1    2
    2-R. Klesko 1B    1    0    0    1    1    0    2    .000    0    1
D. Uggla 2B    5    0    1    0    0    1    2    .500    0    2
S. Mitre P     3    0    1    0    0    1    0    .333    0    0
    D. Weathers P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    E. Yan P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    3-W. Delgado PH    1    0    0    0    0    0    1    .000    0    0
    C. Resop P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    S. Hasegawa P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
Totals    40    5    9    4    3    13    20    .260    1    14
Substitution Notes
1 - E. Reed pinch ran for M. Jacobs in the 8th
2 - R. Klesko substituted for M. Lawton in the 8th
3 - W. Delgado pinch hit for E. Yan in the 9th
BATTING
Doubles: H. Ramirez (1, 5th inning off Madson, 1 on, 2 out.) E. Reed (1, 10th inning off Gordon, 0 on, 1 out.)
Runs Batted In: H. Ramirez (2), M. Cabrera (4), J. Willingham (1), R. Klesko (1)
Stolen Bases: J. Pierre 2 (4), E. Reed (1)
Sacrifice Flies: M. Cabrera (1)
Team LOB: 11
 
Philadelphia    AB    R    H    RBI    BB    K    LOB    AVG    HR    RBI
J. Rollins SS    5    0    2    0    0    1    0    .429    1    3
A. Rowand CF    3    0    0    0    0    0    2    .333    0    3
    J. Santana P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    A. Simpson P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    1-C. Roberson PH    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    .333    0    1
    T. Gordon P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    I. Kennedy P     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
P. Burrell LF    4    0    2    0    1    1    2    .333    0    3
R. Howard 1B    4    1    1    1    1    1    4    .071    1    1
B. Abreu RF    5    0    0    0    0    1    4    .143    0    3
C. Utley 2B    4    1    2    0    0    0    0    .417    0    0
M. Vechionacci 3B    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    .300    0    1
    2-A. Nunez 3B    3    0    2    1    0    0    1    .500    0    1
J. Paul C     3    0    0    0    0    2    1    .000    0    0
    3-J. Thurston PH    1    0    0    0    0    1    1    .000    0    0
    4-B. Davis C     0    0    0    0    0    0    0    .400    0    1
R. Madson P     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    .000    0    0
    5-G. Golson CF    3    0    1    0    0    0    1    .667    0    2
Totals    38    2    10    2    2    7    16    .291    2    20
Substitution Notes
1 - C. Roberson pinch hit for A. Simpson in the 8th
2 - A. Nunez substituted for M. Vechionacci in the 3rd
3 - J. Thurston pinch hit for J. Paul in the 9th
4 - B. Davis substituted for J. Thurston in the 10th
5 - G. Golson pinch hit for R. Madson in the 6th
BATTING
Doubles: P. Burrell (2, 8th inning off Yan, 0 on, 2 out.) C. Utley 2 (3, 7th inning off Mitre, 0 on, 1 out, 9th inning off Resop, 0 on, 1 out.)
Homeruns: R. Howard (1, 2nd inning off Mitre, 0 on, 0 out.)
Runs Batted In: R. Howard (1), A. Nunez (1)
Caught Stealing: A. Nunez (1)
Sacrifice Hits: I. Kennedy (1)
Team LOB: 7

FIELDING
Errors: C. Utley (1), J. Rollins (2)
 
Buffalo    IP    H    R    ER    BB    K    HR    PI    PS    ERA    RECORD
S. Mitre     6.1    6    2    2    0    4    1    91    52    2.84     
D. Weathers     0.2    1    0    0    0    1    0    10    6    9.00     
E. Yan     1    1    0    0    0    0    0    16    11    3.86     
C. Resop     0.1    1    0    0    0    0    0    10    5    0.00     
S. Hasegawa W    1.2    1    0    0    2    2    0    29    16    0.00    1-0
PITCHING
Batters Faced: S. Mitre 24, D. Weathers 3, E. Yan 4, C. Resop 2, S. Hasegawa 8
Inherited Runners-Scored: D. Weathers 1-1, S. Hasegawa 1-0
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: S. Mitre 4-10, D. Weathers 0-1, E. Yan 2-1, C. Resop 1-0, S. Hasegawa 0-2
Game Score: S. Mitre 57
 
Philadelphia    IP    H    R    ER    BB    K    HR    PI    PS    ERA    RECORD
R. Madson     6    6    1    1    0    8    0    90    58    1.50     
J. Santana     1    1    1    0    0    3    0    21    14    0.00     
A. Simpson     1    0    0    0    0    1    0    9    6    0.00     
T. Gordon L    1.1    2    3    3    3    1    0    40    19    11.57    0-1
I. Kennedy     0.2    0    0    0    0    0    0    11    5    0.00     
PITCHING
Wild Pitches: I. Kennedy
Intentional BB: T. Gordon 2
Batters Faced: R. Madson 25, J. Santana 5, A. Simpson 3, T. Gordon 9, I. Kennedy 2
Inherited Runners-Scored: A. Simpson 2-1, I. Kennedy 3-2
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: R. Madson 4-5, J. Santana 1-0, A. Simpson 1-1, T. Gordon 1-2, I. Kennedy 1-1
Game Score: R. Madson 64

[willowz]

League Review for April 7th, 2007:

AL EAST

The Yankees started out the gate fast in 2007 with a 3-0 series sweep in their opening effort, with Hideki Mastui leading the charge with 2 early homers and 4 RBI.

The Red Sox started off 1-2 on the year, with David Ortiz struggling mightily, going 0-for-11 in the first series, though Manny Ramirez looks to be starting up yet another banner year with a good opening week.

AL CENTRAL

In the Central, Cleveland remains the only undefeated team at 2-0 with pitcher Jason Young giving good opening performance.

Johan Santana allowed only two runs in his opening effort, but received a loss as the Twins sit at 1-2.

AL WEST

Out in the west, Garrett Anderson is starting things off right, leading the AL with 3 early homeruns for the Angels, who sit atop the western division at 3-1.

Meanwhile, the Mariners start has been just about as bad as you can get at 0-4, with three of their four opening pitching performances being titanically bad.

NL EAST

Atlanta starts their bid for division crown #16 in a row in 2007 with a 2-1 start, with Matt Holliday and Ryan Langerhans both collecting 5 early RBIs.

Washington is not out to a great start however as newly acquired starter Kerry Wood was the only one to pitch well in the team's opening season, but couldn't grab a win, and they sit at 0-3.

NL CENTRAL

In the NL Central, Milwaukee looks to be starting things the right way, in perhaps a bid to be a serious contender this year, with Ben Sheets, throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings in his opening performance.

Also hot out of the gate is the St. Louis Cardinals who's starting rotation has yet to allow a run, with the "Rocket" Roger Clemens having signed off in the off-season to make one last bid for a world-series.. this guy never seems to age! A front-end rotation of Morris, Carpenter and Clemens is a force to be reckoned with.

NL WEST

News is flying out of San Fransisco that Barry Bonds is demanding a trade to a team where he will have the opportunity to play full-time, as the slugger stated that he had no idea when signing an extension that he was signing on to be a pinch hitter. Bonds returned in 2007 with the goal in mind of breaking the all-time career home-run record, and sitting at 736 to open the season, he is 1-for-2 in a pinch hitting role for San Fran this year.

[willowz]

Game 4
Buffalo Blues (1-2) @ Chicago Cubs (1-2)
Projected Starters:
BUF - Jason Vargas, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
CHI - Mark Pawelek, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Overview

The Cubs are started off the year in the same school that Buffalo is, with a 1-2 start, but when you look at typical Cubs rotations lately, Mark Pawelek is not someone you'd expect to be asked to contribute. Nevertheless, the young prospect will get his season debut against another pitcher out to prove himself in a real way. The Cubs also have another thing going for them, in Jerry Hairston Jr., who is an early and pleasant surprise for the team with an NL leading .556 OBP to open the season.

Jason Vargas won the 4th rotation spot over Scott Olsen in spring training, and as both are lefties, Vargas recognizes that he could quickly be swapped into the LOOGY role with Olsen put into the rotation if he struggles.

[floorman81]

great work, I'll be staying tuned...

[willowz]

Originally Posted by floorman81

great work, I'll be staying tuned...

Hey thanks! It's been fun so far. Hopefully the writing, though a little bland at times, is still worth reading.

Game 4
Buffalo Blues (1-2) @ Chicago Cubs (1-2)
Projected Starters:
BUF - Jason Vargas, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
CHI - Mark Pawelek, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Juan Pierre is proving himself to be an admirable acquisition and did so again in the fourth game of the season, reaching base in the lead-off spot for the 3rd time in 4 games with a lead-off double. Hanley Ramirez followed up the lead-off double with a hot-shot single that brought Pierre home, and after two at-bats, the Blues had a 1-0 lead.

Mike Jacobs followed up with a hard lining double, and Hanley Ramirez tried to score from first, but a good throw by Jay Payton forced an out at the plate and halted the Blues early momentum.

So Jason Vargas came out with a 1-0 lead, and after recording only a single out let the game fall back to even with a solo shot by Roger Cedeno. The early struggle for Vargas continued as he allowed two more runners on and then a 3-run shot to Matt Murton to make the game 4-1 Cubs advantage before the 1st inning was over.

The teams traded shutout 2nd and 3rd innings, and the Blues put up another goose egg in the 4th, before the Cubs slated three more runs onto the board, as Vargas, looking shaky with the necessity for a good outting, continued to struggle and the gap widened to 7-1.

Wilson Delgado pinch hit for Vargas in the 5th, ending his day, and Delgado put into play a 1-out double that eventually turned into the Blues second run thanks to, once again, Hanley Ramirez. That was all Buffalo could get however, as the game advanced to the bottom of the 5th at 7-2.

In for Vargas to pitch, ironically enough, was Scott Olsen who is his main competition to take his spot in the rotation. Olsen helped to push the game along in the 6th by delivering a scoreless inning after allowing a few baserunners, but struggled in the 7th, and a series of 2 out hits provided another 3 run inning for the Cubbies, which brought the game to 10-2 heading into the 8th.

Miguel Cabrera returned fire in the 8th, but did so on his own by launching a moonshot solo-homer over the left-field bleachers to make it 10-3, before the Blues offense petered out again. Travis Bowyer came in, in the bottom half of the inning with Vargas and Olsen both carrying 15.00+ ERA's early in the year. Bowyer was effective in short relief, and in the top of the 9th the Blues made a brief charge before making their 27th out and the game concluded 10-3, giving Buffalo a 1-3 record.

 
	
 	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	 	R	H	E
Buffalo	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	 	3	8	1
Chicago (N)	4	0	0	3	0	0	3	0	X	 	10	10	1
	
 
 
Buffalo	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	LOB	AVG	HR	RBI
J. Pierre CF	4	1	1	0	0	0	2	.222	0	1
H. Ramirez SS	4	0	2	2	0	0	0	.316	0	4
M. Jacobs 1B	3	0	1	0	1	1	1	.176	0	0
M. Cabrera 3B	4	1	1	1	0	1	2	.375	1	5
J. Willingham C 	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.105	0	1
J. Hermida RF	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	.250	0	0
M. Lawton LF	4	0	1	0	0	3	2	.188	1	2
D. Uggla 2B	4	0	1	0	0	1	1	.444	0	2
J. Vargas P 	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000	0	0
    1-W. Delgado PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.500	0	0
    S. Olsen P 	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
    T. Bowyer P 	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
    2-R. Klesko PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	0	1
Totals	34	3	8	3	1	8	13	.255	2	17
Substitution Notes
1 - W. Delgado pinch hit for J. Vargas in the 5th
2 - R. Klesko pinch hit for T. Bowyer in the 9th
BATTING
Doubles: J. Pierre (1, 1st inning off Pawelek, 0 on, 0 out.) H. Ramirez (2, 1st inning off Pawelek, 1 on, 0 out.) W. Delgado (1, 5th inning off Pawelek, 0 on, 1 out.)
Homeruns: M. Cabrera (1, 8th inning off Wolf, 0 on, 2 out.)
Runs Batted In: H. Ramirez 2 (4), M. Cabrera (5)
Sacrifice Hits: S. Olsen (1)
Team LOB: 8

FIELDING
Errors: M. Cabrera (1)
 
Chicago (N)	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	LOB	AVG	HR	RBI
J. Hairston 2B	4	2	2	1	1	0	2	.538	0	2
R. Cedeno SS	3	3	1	1	2	1	1	.400	2	4
A. Ramirez 3B	4	0	2	2	1	0	2	.400	0	3
M. Barrett C 	3	1	2	3	2	0	0	.364	0	4
J. Payton CF	4	1	0	0	1	3	6	.188	2	6
M. Murton LF	4	1	1	3	1	1	2	.267	1	3
J. Jones RF	5	1	1	0	0	1	1	.294	1	2
R. Martinez 1B	5	1	1	0	0	1	2	.353	0	1
M. Pawelek P 	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	0	0
    1-J. Brito PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.286	0	2
    R. Wolf P 	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
Totals	34	10	10	10	9	7	17	.343	7	29
Substitution Notes
1 - J. Brito pinch hit for M. Pawelek in the 7th
BATTING
Doubles: A. Ramirez (2, 6th inning off Olsen, 0 on, 1 out.)
Homeruns: R. Cedeno (2, 1st inning off Vargas, 0 on, 1 out.) M. Murton (1, 1st inning off Vargas, 2 on, 2 out.)
Runs Batted In: J. Hairston (2), R. Cedeno (4), A. Ramirez 2 (3), M. Barrett 3 (4), M. Murton 3 (3)
Stolen Bases: J. Hairston (2)
Sacrifice Hits: M. Pawelek (1)
Team LOB: 9

FIELDING
Errors: A. Ramirez (1)
 
Buffalo	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PI	PS	ERA	RECORD
J. Vargas L	4	7	7	7	3	3	2	79	40	15.75	0-1
S. Olsen 	3	3	3	3	6	2	0	75	36	15.00	 
T. Bowyer 	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	11	8	2.70	 
PITCHING
Batters Faced: J. Vargas 23, S. Olsen 18, T. Bowyer 3
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: J. Vargas 4-5, S. Olsen 5-2, T. Bowyer 1-0
Game Score: J. Vargas 20
 
Chicago (N)	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PI	PS	ERA	RECORD
M. Pawelek W	7	6	2	2	1	6	0	104	61	2.57	1-0
R. Wolf 	2	2	1	1	0	2	1	26	18	4.50	 
PITCHING
Batters Faced: M. Pawelek 28, R. Wolf 8
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: M. Pawelek 9-5, R. Wolf 3-1
Game Score: M. Pawelek 62

[willowz]

Game 5
Buffalo Blues (1-3) @ Chicago Cubs (2-2)
Projected Starters:
BUF - Renyel Pinto, (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
CHI - Mark Prior, (0-0, 4.77 ERA)

Overview

This is where the Blues rotation will diverge from some other teams as we've opted to go with a strict rotation instead of starting the most rested pitcher. Such will allow pitchers such as today's starter, Renyel Pinto to get some early innings in as he will certainly need them throughout the rest of the season.

Pinto is one of three young arms in the Blues rotation (Mitre, Vargas) and we're hoping that at least two of them can perform fairly well. With Vargas having a sloppy first outting, Pinto can take a big step toward being that #2.