Revisiting my childhood baseball days (1980 Cubs) - PureSim 2007 1.86

[hoopsguy]

Mike Witt laid an egg against the Giants, who were starting a guy with an ERA of 30! We lose at home 9-3. Even more depressing is the realization that Lamp's scoreless streak is over, thanks to Jack Clark cranking one out onto Waveland for his 10th homer of the season. Clark had 5 RBIs on the day.

Martinez put up goose eggs for 8 straight innings and Corbett finished off an 8-0 shutout on getaway day to give us a 3-3 home stand. Rice went 3-3 and Barfield hit a pinch 3 run homer.

Otto Velez is having a horrid year for the Giants: .186/4/14. With numbers like that, he is not going to get the big off-season payday that I'm sure his agent had promised him.

Scioscia has just kept on hitting since I called him out last month and is up to .303. Oberkfell is at .253, so he has also responded.

Next up is a big (well, for June anyway) series with the Phillies at Veteran's Stadium. We have a one game edge on them in the division race. They have a lineup full of guys that just mash - Schmidt, Luzinski, Thomas.

[hoopsguy]

Nothing like starting a big series with a rookie pitcher making his 2nd big league start. Unless, of course, it is having the hitters take the day off. Their rookie, Dave Dravecky (#2 starter?) dominated ours (Morgan) in a 5-0 decision. Luzinsky hit a homer, only his 4th on the season, to help cement the win.

Gullickson played the stopper role to perfection the next night, making an early run stand up en route to a 2-0 win. He dominated the middle of their order, holding their big three to a combined 1-12 with 4 Ks. And Witt gave us the series with a 5-1 triumph in the finale. Boggs opened the game up with a two run pinch-hit single in the 7th, making the score 4-1.

I had mentioned earlier a guy who was not going to get his payday (Velez) but one guy that is just killing in the final year of a contract is Bobby Grichb of the Angels. He is a lock to make his first All Star team and is positioned to pick up his 3rd straight Silver Slugger. .338/9/27 are off-the-charts numbers for a middle infielder in this era, although guys like Cal Ripken (.278/15/41) are beginning to change those long-held perceptions.

Yount's hitting streak is up to 19, just two off of the mark held by Kirk Gibson.

[hoopsguy]

Off to Montreal, where Yount gets his 20th game in the books with three hits, one of them over the wall. But the biggest hit was a 9th inning homer by Ogilvie to give us an 8-7 victory.

#21? Nope, 0-3 with 2 walks in a 5-3 win. Oh well, it still stands as a franchise best. Boggs, Ogilvie, Rice, and Harrah each had two hits in the win.

Morgan picks up his first win in style, with a 1-0 decision that gives us a sweep of the Expos and moves our record to 36-24 on the year. I'll take it, given that our #5 starters are 1-8 on the season.

[hoopsguy]

The Phillies come calling, now trailing us by three games. Gullickson moves to 8-2 on the year and closes in on another All Star berth with a 3-2 victory. Mike Hargrove, who is still getting starts against lefties, went 2-4 to move his average to .327 on the year. Boggs hit a pinch homer; the guy has been a lethal weapon when called on in that role. The note on the Boggs homer, 404 feet to center, was "that would have been a fly out in most parks". Small comfort to the Phillies, as that homer scored the tying and winning runs.

Romo picks up his first win as a Cub, extending our streak to 7, in a 6-5 victory. The Phillies had 18 hits in the loss, cuffing around Witt but Corbett backed him up with 3 1/3 scoreless innings to allow us to make up an early 4-0 hole. Boggs had three hits, three RBIs, and scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. Gorman Thomas hit his 11th homer on the year in the loss.

The streak ends at seven, with another non-quality start from Viola. Thomas went nuts with two homers and five RBIs in a 6-4 Phillies win. Three more hits for Boggs, who has moved his average up to .315.

Montreal comes to Chicago in a dangerous spot, trailing by 7.5 games and behind several teams. If they were swept here it just might be time to start thinking about next year. Boggs and Barfield both had two hits, with the latter putting the ball over the wall in the opener. 5-3 victory. Rice hit his 10th the next day to back Mike Morgan in a 7-2 triumph. And Gullickson slammed the door with an 11-0 win. Warm up the bus, Expos fans! Four hits for Boggs, who is just stupid hot right now.

[hoopsguy]

So why is Detroit the class of the American League? Well, it seems like they have a bunch of guys who put up numbers. Guys like 1B John Wockenfuss who is hitting .310/11/36 this season. The guy was a platoon player last year who put up some power numbers, but he has exploded this year. The Tigers re-upped him last season for two years at 8.7 million so they must have known what they had. Now the rest of the American League is finding out.

The Cardinals have fallen apart. They are 30-36 now after losing five straight and are in last in the division. I guess PSPN knew what they were talking about when they forecasted their demise. Hernandez and Durham are still putting up numbers on offense, but the pitching staff is not getting the job done.

Pete Vukovich is the only pitcher worth a damn. John Fulgam is who we thought he was and the rest of that starting rotation is garbage. Jim Bibby is unsigned right now; you have to figure he could still help them but negotiations must have gone very sour at the end of last year.

Off to Pittsburgh, where the Pirates have found some consistency. They are 34-31, seven back in the standings but have played better ball over the last month and a half. Even when they struggled they had guys who gave us fits. But Viola worked out of jams all night and we win 3-2 in the opener. It is another one run win the following night, 2-1 in 13 innings. It seems like our bullpen has picked it up a notch with the new additions. Jesse Orosco posted three scoreless innings for the win and Templeton had three hits, including a double in the 13th. The win streak hits seven as
Morgan picks up his 3rd straight win. Again, a roster move that seems to have paid off as we are now getting wins from our 5th starter.

So that is two straight division rivals that we have demoralized in midseason. The division lead is at 8, so it might be time to start moving through the games with a little less detail until they mean something.

[hoopsguy]

The win streak ends at 10 as the Cardinals win the final game of a four game set at Wrigley.

Mike Norris has moved his record up to 6-8 for the Orioles. Looks like he is getting it together again.

I had mentioned Mike Krukow dominating us earlier in the year. Apparently we are not the only ones. He is 6-1 with a 1.71 ERA for the Giants with quality starts in 13 of his 15 outings. To put that in perspective, that matches the numbers posted by Gullickson and Witt. Vukovich of the Cards leads the majors in that category with 15/17 quality starts.

Fred Lynn is still killing the ball. .363/17/42. Dwight Evans is at .333/21/60. How they are not winning more games (34-40) is beyond me. Must be the pitching staff?

But for pure batting average, no one is hitting like San Francisco's Willie McGee. That guy is hitting .423!!!!

[hoopsguy]

The Cubbies crush Bert Blyleven 11-1, which is notable because he previously had the lowest Batting Average Allowed in the majors and because he usually owns us.

As we head into July, here is a look at the division races.

AL East - The Tigers had a five game losing streak and Baltimore capitalized by cutting the margin to three games. Everyone else is at least eight games back.

AL West - The Angels have claimed the top spot with a 44-33 mark, but KC, Oakland, and Minnesota are all within two games.

NL East - Philadelphia is 9 back, which is improvement as they were 11 back just two days ago.

NL West - The Padres have claimed the top spot by a half game over Houston with a 42-35 mark. LA and the Reds are 4.5 and 5 games back, respectively.

[hoopsguy]

July does not start off well for the boys in blue. That loss to the Pirates sparked a four game losing streak where the bats just went silent. I guess guys got a little too comfortable with the lead and were not motivated to make a push for their All Star appearances. But we snapped out of it with a 5-4 win at St. Louis on the 4th of July to salvage a game in that series.

Jesse Barfield has rewarded me for not sending him down, as he is up to 8 homers and 20 RBIs in spot duty. The batting average is now at .251. Ben Ogilvie has to know that his days are numbered ...

Huh - the Mets traded George Bell to the Brewers for Bill Castro. This trade makes no sense at all. The Mets gave up a young stud for a 29 year old #6 reliever who is, at best, a bad imitation of Rick Reuschel. I guess good for us to have a premier player out of the division but that is not good for the game.

[hoopsguy]

The All Stars have been announced:

AL Starters (in order of votes):
CF Fred Lynn (Bos) - .351/18/44 w/18 steals. Repeat All-Star, already set or matched highs for homers and steals.
RF Dwight Evans (Bos) - .327/22/62
SS Cal Ripken (Tex) - .293/22/61. First All-Star game for 2nd year player
LF Joe Charboneau (Cle) - .308/14/40. 27 year old FA to be playing for bad baseball team.
1B Cecil Cooper (Mil) - .293/17/52. FA to be likely to match/exceed 14 million he is currently paid.
3B Mike Marshall (Tor) - .261/10/40, 2nd year player is not elite prospect like Ripken but still has lots of room for growth (84 potential).
2B Dave Stapleon (Bos) - .281/11/41. Repeat All Star.
C Rich Gedman (Bos) - .287/8/34. Fourth All Star starter from losing team.


AL Reserves
1B Jason Thompson (Cal) - .292/14/45. Also an All-Star reserve in 1980.
1B John Wockenfuss (Det) - .303/13/38.
RF Harold Baines (CHW) - .289/7/35. Same situation as Charboneau, but he is younger (23) more elite prospect.
CF Ken Landreaux (Min) - .286/7/42 w/35 steals.
CF Juan Beniquez (Sea) - .272/10/30
SS Roy Smalley (Min) - .291/12/56. Very competitive position in AL right now.
3B Wayne Gross (Oak) - .295/7/41. Also an All Star reserve in 1980.


AL Pitchers
Closer Mark Clear (Cal) - 0-1 3.20 ERA, 25 saves, 1 blown, 25:10 K/BB ratio, .234 BAA, 1.26 WHIP
Starter Jack Morris (Det) - 12-3 1.96 ERA, 5 CG, 1 SO, 75:47 K/BB, .190 BAA, 1.03 WHIP
Starter Steve Rogers (Cal) - 10-7 2.42 ERA, 5 CG, 112:46 K/BB, .233 BAA, 1.19 WHIP
Starter Dave Stieb (Tor) - 10-7 2.52 ERA, 8 CG, 91:40 K/BB, .224 BAA, 1.10 WHIP
Starter Mike Flanagan (Bal) - 11-4 2.56 ERA, 2 CG, 47:28 K/BB, .235 BAA, 1.14 WHIP. Repeat All-Star, in last year of contract.
Starter Albert Williams (Min) - 10-1 2.59 ERA, 58:43 K/BB, .242 BAA, 1.26 WHIP. Great success but secondary numbers do not quite line up with wins and ERA.
Reliever Luis DeLeon (KC) - 7-2 1.33 ERA, 2 saves, 1 blown, 6 holds, 28:8 K/BB, .200 BAA, 0.91 WHIP. Very nice looking young player (24), second year in big leagues.
Reliever Dave Tobik (Det) - 8-3 2.14 ERA, 1 save, 1 blown, 3 holds, 27:18 K/BB, .213 BAA, 1.12 WHIP
Reliever Larry Pashnick (Min) - 7-4 2.21 ERA, 1 save, 5 blown, 5 holds, 15:20 K/BB, .193 BAA, 1.05 WHIP. Enjoy your time here, Larry. I doubt you are ever back.
Reliever Ron Davis (NYY) - 6-2 2.16 ERA, 2 saves, 1 blown, 3 holds, 39:11 K/BB, .181 BAA, 0.91 WHIP


Rickey Henderson, hitting .317 with 63/67 steals, not being on this team is a traveshamockery. He should be starting ahead of Charboneau in LF. Beniquez has no business on this team.

[hoopsguy]

NL Starters (in order of votes):
3B Bob Horner (Atl) - .313/23/48 w/10 steals just for good measure. 3rd straight season as starter.
RF Jack Clark (SF) - .307/17/59. 27 year old keeps getting better, great value for next 4 seasons at 3.4 million a year.
LF Leon Durham (StL) - .318/11/48 w/11 steals. Repeat All Star who is doing a nice job defending his batting title.
CF Gorman Thomas (Phi) - .287/15/49. In position to match/exceed his 10 million dollar contract this offseason.
1B Dan Driessen (Cin) - .283/9/47. 3rd straight All-Star team who I'm sorry that I slighted early in the dynasty.
SS Bill Almon (NYM) - .300/5/35. Won't be back, should not be here this year.
2B Mike Ramsey (StL) - .297/4/23. Indictment of the position in NL.
C Gary Carter (Mon) - .243/10/39. First All Star appearance for premier player at position in NL.


NL Reserves
3B Darrell Evans (SF) - .284/12/34. Second All Star appearance.
3B Mike Schmidt (Phi) - .301/11/43. Another Phillie in a walk year. First All Star appearance.
LF Jim Rice (Chi) - .292/12/44 w/9 steals. Repeat All Star.
LF Larry Herndon (SD) - .287/12/47 w/9 steals. His 1980 trade from SF for Gene Tenace must have been completed with a mask and a gun.
RF Dave Winfield (SD) - .276/11/44. Repeat All Star who is not going to match his production from last season.
1B Keith Hernandez (StL) - .272/9/46. 2nd All Star game for this raving egomaniac.
1B Wade Boggs (Chi) - .311/7/40. He is begging for full-time starting job in Chicago so he can lock up the ROTY.

NL Pitchers
Closer Ed Glynn (Phi) - 1-0 1.13 ERA, 24 saves, 1 blown, 1 hold, 16:8 K/BB, .213 BAA, 1.13 WHIP
Starter Bill Gullickson (Chi) - 11-2 1.54 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SO, 90:28 K/BB, .195 BAA, 0.94 WHIP. Repeat All Star.
Starter Mike Witt (Chi) - 10-3 2.02 ERA, 2 CG, 66:37 K/BB, .215 BAA, 1.10 WHIP. Repeat All Star.
Starter Bob Welch (LA) - 10-5 2.27 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SO, 97:32 K/BB, .235 BAA, 1.14 WHIP. In final year of his deal. Surely big spending Dodgers will lock up this 26 year old who is still developing (80 pot)?
Starter Mario Soto (Cin) - 9-3 2.03 ERA, 2 CG, 1 SO, 96:28 K/BB, .229 BAA, 1.10 WHIP. Repeat All Star will be in Reds uniform for next 5 years.
Starter Bert Blyleven (Pit) - 9-7 2.97 ERA, 74:38 K/BB, .206 BAA, 1.07 WHIP. Repeat All Star.
Reliever Dennis Lamp (Chi) - 6-0 1.44 ERA, 2 blown saves, 11 holds, 20:18 K/BB, .181 BAA, 0.94 WHIP. I'm sorry I said he would not ever be in another All Star game. Monster first half for this guy. Bravo!
Reliever Dennis Kinney (SD) - 3-1 1.29 ERA, 3 holds, 12:17 K/BB, .208 BAA, 1.26 WHIP. Treasure this time, Dennis.
Reliever Dave Rucker (Pit) - 4-2 1.77 ERA, 1 save, 1 blown, 1 hold, 14:14 K/BB, .252 BAA, 1.40 WHIP. Wow, Dave has been living right this year.
Reliever Cecilio Guante (Cin) - 2-0 1.93 ERA, 1 save, 1 blown, 5 holds, 33:13 K/BB, .218 BAA, 1.12 WHIP. This guy will be back. Great rookie.

[hoopsguy]

League Leaders - Hitting:
BA:
AL - .351 Fred Lynn (Bos)
NL - .318 Leon Durham (StL)
Top Cub - .311 Wade Boggs (6th)
Note - Willie McGee (SD) is hitting .397 but only has 141 at-bats and does not qualify. In fairness, two of the regulars in the OF are All Stars but c'mon.

HR:
AL - 22 Cal Ripken (Tex), Dwight Evans (Bos)
NL - 23 Bob Horner (Atl)
Top Cub - 12 Jim Rice (tied 16th)

RBI:
AL - 62 Dwight Evans (Bos)
NL - 59 Jack Clark (SF)
Top Cub - 44 Ben Ogilvie, Jim Rice (tied 17th). Note that this is 18 better than last year. We have six players with more RBIs than the 26 Kingman led with at this point last year.

Runs:
AL - 54 Fred Lynn (Bos)
NL - 54 Bob Horner (Atl)
Top Cub - 48 Jim Rice (tied 9th)

Hits:
AL - 105 Willie Wilson (KC)
NL - 105 Mookie Wilson (NYM)
Top Cub - 100 Robin Yount (3rd)

Stolen Bases:
AL - 63 Rickey Henderson (Oak) - 28 ahead of his league best last year
NL - 55 Mookie Wilson (NY)
Top Cub - 27 Robin Yount (tied 21st)

On Base %:
AL - .408 Fred Lynn (Bos)
NL - .391 Jack Clark (SF)
Top Cub - .379 Toby Harrah (tied 7th)

OPS:
AL - 1.007 Fred Lynn (Bos)
NL - .977 Bob Horner (Atl)
Top Cub - .848 Jim Rice (13th)

[hoopsguy]

League Leaders - Pitching:
ERA:
AL - 1.96 Jack Morris (Det)
NL - 1.54 Bill Gullickson (Chi)
Top Cub - Gullickson

Wins:
AL - 12 Jack Morris (Det)
NL - 11 Bill Gullickson (Chi)
Top Cub - Gullickson

Saves:
AL - 25 Mark Clear (Cal)
NL - 25 Joe Sambito (Hou), Rod Scurry (Pit)
Top Cub - 20 Lee Smith (tied 11th)

Innings Pitched:
AL - 158 Rick Langford (Oak)
NL - 127 Bob Welch (LA)
Top Cub - 117 Bill Gullickson (tied 46th)

Complete Games:
AL - 12 Rick Langford (Oak)
NL - 3 Scott Sanderson (Mon)
Top Cub - 2 Mike Witt (tied 31st)

Shutouts:
AL - 2 Richard Dotson (CHW)
NL - 1 (multiple players)
Top Cub - 1 Bill Gullickson (tied 2nd)

Strikeouts:
AL - 112 Steve Rodgers (Cal)
NL - 97 Bob Welch (LA)
Top Cub - 90 Bill Gullickson (10th)

Walks:
AL - 64 Don Aase (Cal)
NL - 58 Greg Harris (Mon)
Top Cub - 40 Dennis Martinez (tied 40th)

Run Support:
AL - 79 Rick Langford - down 17 from leader last season
NL - 68 Jim Gott (NYM)
Top Cub - 59 Bill Gullickson (tied 21st)

[hoopsguy]

Best Record: Chicago Cubs 52-31 .627
Best Record, AL: Detroit Tigers 49-34 .590
Worst Record: Seattle Mariners 29-55 .345
Worst Record, NL: San Francisco Giants 36-47 .434

Most Runs: 359 Boston Red Sox
Fewest Runs: 246 Los Angeles Dodgers
Most Runs Allowed: 394 Seattle Mariners
Fewest Runs Allowed: 245 Chicago Cubs
Best Run Differential: +90 Chicago Cubs
Worst Run Differential: -103 Seattle Mariners

Oldest Team: Cleveland Indians 29.48 years
Youngest Team: Boston Red Sox 27.00 years (everyone is 31 or younger)

[hoopsguy]

We extend Lamp for 2 years @ 3 million apiece. Thank you for your service. We had actually offered 3 but he declined.

I decide that it is also time to extend Gullickson, as I'm worried he might ask for even more next year in the final year of his deal. We push for the max 3 years @ 10 million. I would be very pleased to lock him in at that price as I feel that he is the best pitcher in the National League right now. He accepts.

Everyone else who has a contract issue can wait until later in the year to get addressed. I'm interested in seeing how some of these guys perform in the playoffs. There - I've said it. With an 8.5 game lead at the All Star break I am making playoff plans.

[hoopsguy]

Post All-Star break:
- we pay back Houston in their ballpark with a pair of low-scoring, 1 run wins.
- Cincinnati comes into our building and wins the first three games. We respond to beat Mario Soto in the finale. Still, we are scuffling right now. The lead remains 8.5 games.
- Mike Morgan moves to 6-3 with a home win against the Braves. He is our hottest pitcher right now, as shocking as that seems to me.
- Viola loses in that series to fall to 6-8, which is garbage on a team that is 21 games over .500. I'm not going to give a super-promising young pitcher the Reuschel treatment but I'm starting to give some thought to swamping him and Lamp. He is on notice.
- The Atlanta series was a 2-2 split.
- Three game sweep over Houston, with another win for Morgan. This one was a shutout, the first of his career.
- Toby Harrah has a two homer game @ Cincinnati, bringing his total to 11. He is asking for about 12 million per year, which feels like too much money but he has been very good for us this year.
- Ogilvie hits two the next day. His demands are much more reasonable, but we have to create room for our young outfielders in the starting lineup.
- We see a 5 game losing streak broken by the Reds, right as we notice that the Pirates had won 7 in a row. The lead remains 8.5 over the Phillies.
- Morgan moves to 8-3, winning 4-1 @ Cincinnati against Tom Seaver. Seaver is still one of the best in the league.
- The Braves want Bud Black, but we can't find anything they are offering that help us short or long term.
- Tom Brunansky should be in the conversation for AL Rookie of the Year. .247/21/70 for the morbid Mariners. He also has 11 assists and has developed a reputation of having the best arm of any LF in the game.
- St. Louis Cardinal Tom Herr has an 18 game hitting streak.
- We win 2 of 3 from the Reds.
- Harrah sustains a shoulder injury that is going to put him on the shelf. Yount can play some 3B so he'll probably pick up some time there along with Boone.

[hoopsguy]

More notes:
- Witt is in a funk right now, 0-4 in his last six starts. In fairness, three of those were quality starts but his history has been so good that this qualifies as a major slump.
- We split witht he Expos.
- The Phillies are fired up about getting us in the Vet. They are 8 games back, with the 2nd best record in the NL. They are now 55-45 and have won their last three. They series starts with Viola, which should set up well for them in terms of getting the back of the rotation. None of it matters, as the Phillies are summarily dispatched in four straight games. Game, set, match.

Standings:
AL East - The Tigers, who PSPN is predicting to come crashing back to earth, are 60-45 and lead Toronto by four games. Baltimore is fading, sitting six back.

AL West - separation is underway at the top, with Kansas City rolling up a 61-42 mark. But they are only 1.5 in front of California, who has won 5 straight. Oakland is trying to hang around, but they are 6.5 back despite winning their last four.

NL East - The margin is 12.

NL West - The 54-51 Padres are the "class" of the division. The Dodgers (2), Astros (3), and Reds (4.5) remain in striking distance despite having losing records.

[hoopsguy]

As of August 2nd, Gullickson has nearly a half run better ERA than anyone else. Vukovich of the Cards is second, at 1.86.

The Rangers are piling up young weapons with their draft picks. I've detailed the work of Cal Ripken several times already, but Tony Gwynn is also having an impact. He is tied for 8th in the majors in stolen bases in his rookie season with 46. He is not yet a hitting machine, but still has room for growth and years (22) to do so.

Our own Wade Boggs has a 13 game hitting streak. We'll keep an eye on it going forward.

Witt picks up a win at home against the Mets. Boggs homered to extend his hitting streak to 14. We swept the Mets, with Boggs eating chicken and getting hits in each game to move his streak up to 16 games.

The winning streak ends at 7 games, thanks to a strong outing by the Phillies Dick Ruthven. He only allowed five hits, one by Boggs, in earning a 2-1 decision over Morgan. That also snapped Morgan's personal five win (in five starts) streak. Boggs went 0-4 in an 11 inning win, ending his streak at 17 games. Yet another man who was not up to the pressure of the great Kirk Gibson's 21 game streak. Is that one of the most hallowed and unbreakable records in sports today?

[hoopsguy]

Lamp and Vande Berg are #1/#2 in holds, with 16 and 15. Guess that goes with the territory when you have the most records in the game. Rick Sutcliffe of the Dodgers is also on that list. I'm a bit surprised that he is not starting games ... guess the Dodgers must have a pretty good rotation to be using him in this role.

Ben Ogilvie has hit the longest homer in baseball on the season, clubbing on 474 feet. That was one of two he hit in a game against the Mets last week.

Our old friend Rick Reuschel, now of the Twins, has found himself on the DL with a rib cage injury. It is 50/50 whether or not he will return this season.

The Cubs win the remaining two games against the Phillies, then head to Montreal to sweep three. The Mets, in the second game of a series at Shea, stop the win streak at six. But the Cubbies are rolling right now. Both the starters and the relievers have been giving good efforts over the last three weeks. Lamp wins the middle game of the Mets series, bringing his record on the year to 10-0. We then sweep a double-header to finish off the series, winning four of five.

[hoopsguy]

Jack Clark of the Giants is tightening his grip on the NL MVP award. His numbers right now read .333/22/78 with about 40 games to play. If he is able to sustain that pace he has a real good shot of winning two of the three triple crown categories.

The Orioles appear to have sent Mike Norris down to the minors at some point, as they have just recalled him. He ended up throwing 32 2/3 innings for the Norfolk Tides. While making over 19 million per season. After winning six straight decisions and driving his ERA down 1 1/2 runs. With his team still in the AL East race (3.5 games back). Only to be listed as the #1 starter in the Orioles rotation on his return. This is frigging nuts.

Boston SP Dennis Eckersly has a broken fibula and will miss the rest of the year.

We host the Dodgers and win a two of three, with Barfield picking up two homers (one a walk off) in the series. The Padres are next, and they are red hot. They had won 7 of 8 but Wrigley is unkind to them as we take two of three. At least we are being fair and consistent to the NL West teams as they try to sort out their mess of a division race. Another 2 of 3 against the Giants. This is consistent with our season results, where we have won exactly 2/3 of our 129 games.

[hoopsguy]

Gullickson now has a three game losing streak, as do the Cubs, after a 2-1 loss in LA to Valenzuela. Witt has pulled into a tie for team wins, at 14, in salvaging the final game of that series. That brings us to September 1st, where it is time to add Von Hayes (.332/21/81) and a couple of other players to the big league roster. This is also a good time to take a look at the division races.

AL East - the Tigers and Blue Jays are tied, each 13 games above .500. Baltimore and the Yankees are 6 games back, so they are pretty much done given that they have to catch two teams.

AL West - the Angels have the best record in the AL at 76-54, 2.5 in front of KC. The A's are 4 back and would be leading the AL East by a half game.

NL East - The 70-61 Phillies wish they were in the West, since they are 16.5 back in the East.

NL West - The Padres have won six in a row to open up a 6.5 game lead on the Reds. The Dodgers, who are 7 back, are done with the news that slugger Pedro Guerrero will miss the remainder of the year with a broken wrist.

[hoopsguy]

Rice is the first Cub to get to 20 homers on the year, hitting it in a 6-1 win at San Francisco. Morgan lost his shutout bid in the 9th when he gave up a solo shot to the great Jack Clark.

A quick look at the starting lineup batting averages:
Boggs - .295
Yount - .288
Ogilvie - .267
Rice - .293
Hall - .255
Harrah - .296
Oberkfell - .288
Sciosia - .281

Not much to complain about here - at this point I'm just hoping that we don't see everyone go cold at the same time in the playoffs. This feels like a team loaded for a run.

[hoopsguy]

The Padres win streak hits eight before we arrive at Jack Murphy. It is looking like a foregone conclusion that these two teams will be playing for the right to appear in the World Series.

A tight game is 6-6 after 9 innings but we score 7 in the top of the tenth to blow it open. Harrah hit the big home run and Ogilvie piled on later in the inning. The next day is nowhere near as close, with Jesse Barfield leaving the yard three times! 11-1 is the final, with JB accounting for six of those runs personally. The Padres win the finale 7-2, getting to Witt early and often, with single runs in each of the first four innings.

Viola runs his mark to 11-8 with a victory over the Phillies. That is five straight winning decisions for him; it has been about 50 days since his last loss. The Phillies get us back the following night, handing Lamp his first loss on the season. Winning two out of three in the series drops our magic number to 4.

The Tigers have won six in a row to take a 1.5 game lead over the Blue Jays. Meanwhile, KC has tied up the Angels in the AL West.

Ripken is the first player in baseball to reach 100 RBIs.

We head to Montreal and sweep the Expos. But the Phillies keep winning and the magic number is one.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers have not yet given up on their season. They have won five straight and have pulled within 4.5 of the Padres.

Off to Pittsburgh to try and wrap this up, with Morgan on the hill. He gives us a fine outing, but it is not enough when recent arsonist Dennis Lamp surrenders the lead and the game in a 3-2 loss. But the Cards win in Philadelphia to give us our first division crown under current management. Since it is September 13th, we have a little bit of time to ease our way into the playoffs if we want to take that route.

One last celebratory note - Templeton is hitting .261.

[hoopsguy]

Lamp gives away his third game in the last ten days; what the heck has happened to our most reliable reliever? Whatever it is, it infects Caudill the next night and we are swept in Pittsburgh in a series where the starters were in line for wins all three nights.

The Tigers are now up three games on the Blue Jays; it looks like the cream is rising to the top out East. KC and California are in a dogfight that looks like it will go down to the final weekend. And the Padres have opened up a six game lead again.

We lose two of three in Montreal. Our hitters have been really flat since we clinched the division. I'm going to start mixing in some younger guys for the remainder of the season while still trying to put together lineups that can help Gullickson potentially get another Cy Young award.

Sandberg is 2nd in the majors in hits, with 176. He is only hitting .279, so he must swing at everything at this age. Our own Wade Boggs is 8th.

Gullickson moves to 17-5 with a home win against the Pirates. He is also leading the majors in WHIP and ERA, so hopefully one more win should do it for locking up his Cy.

Lamp picks up the win in our 100th victory of the season, a 6-4 triumph in front of the home fans against the Mets. Smith added his 41st save in this game. Boggs had four RBIs in this game, bringing him to 74 on the year. That is second best on the team, ten behind Ogilvie. But Boggs is doing this while spending a lot of time in the leadoff spot.

The Tigers have just destroyed the Blue Jays down the stretch. They are now 89-65, with a 7 game lead. I would say that race is over.

Meanwhile, KC has gone cold at the wrong time. They have lost five straight and are 2.5 behind the Angels.

The Dodgers have one last kick in them, and the Padres are helping them out by losing five in a row. That race is now down to two games with nine to play. Houston sits three back and wonders how the hell they are still in this with a 78-75 record.

[hoopsguy]

We waste a pair of Harrah home runs in St Louis. In fact, it was a lost weekend as the Redbirds swept us and gave Gullickson a 3-2 loss. Well, technically it was Smith who got the loss in that game after surrendering a pair in the 9th. Boo. Ex-Cub Doug Capilla picked up a pair of wins in that series. Hopefully our hitters are saving themselves for August?

Bob Horner is making a late push for NL MVP. He has been an RBI machine over the last month, bringing his numbers up to .312/39/95. Clark has fallen off, down to .307/28/98. Of course, neither of them is sniffing the playoffs or has a hint of speed so there is a chance that someone else could emerge as a surprise candidate, I suppose.

Viola helps us snap a four game skid, winning in Philadelphia 4-2. Hayes leaves the yard in Shea, bringing our winning streak to three games.

The Angels clinch the West after game #160. They Royals just did not have their usual finishing kick this year, as the Angels were not lights out in September. But they were good enough the rest of the year, allowing them to ease into the playoffs and a date with the Tigers.

Meanwhile, San Diego and LA are tied at 83-77, one game ahead of the Reds and two ahead of Houston. Cincinnati and Houston are matched up (Soto vs Ryan), while LA will send out Valenzuela against the Giants in San Francisco. The Padres host the hapless (67-93) Braves.

In Chicago news, Gullickson wins his 18th at home against St. Louis. 5-2 final. He finishes the regular season with a 1.88 ERA. Fricking Keith Hernandez went 4-4 in the Cardinal loss.

Soto won his 18th game to eliminate Houston from the playoffs, 2-0. The Braves bombed the choking Padres 13-2. And San Francisco withstood a furious Dodgers rally to win 5-4 by scratching across one run in the bottom of the 9th. That leaves a three way tie atop the West with one game to play.

[hoopsguy]

The Reds lose 8-0 on the final day of the season to the Astros. Way to come up small after an emotional win the day before. Mike Krukow picked up the win for Houston, his 10th on the season.

San Diego triumphed 4-3 over the Braves in 11 innings.

San Francisco put the Dodgers out of their misery with a 4-2 win. So the Padres made it a lot more interesting than it should have been, but they will advance to meet the Cubs in the 1982 playoffs. The good news for Cubs fans is that Steve Garvey is an Atlanta Brave.

[hoopsguy]

The Cubs finished the year with a record of 105-57. That is 21 games better than the Padres. The likely Game #1 starter for the Padres is 10-12 Steve Mura, a still-developing 27 year old with decent stuff.

Dave Winfield, the 1981 MVP, is the man to fear in this lineup. He hit .285 this year with 28 homers and 88 RBIs. Larry Herndon was also an All Star this season and he finished with numbers of .281/16/76. "ET" Willie McGee hit .350 as a platoon player in the outfield.

Randy Jones is probably the biggest name in the rotation. The 32 year old was 12-8 with a 3.08 ERA this season. But he spent a fair amount of time in the bullpen, for reasons that are difficult to fathom.

[hoopsguy]

A quick roster recap, as I'm heading into the post-season and making some financial decisions:

RF Jesse Barfield - hit .243/17/48 in 337 at-bats. Big-time power hitter who has not yet hit his ceiling at 23 years, I'm thinking that he will replace Ogilvie in the lineup next season. He is under contract for the next four seasons.

1B Wade Boggs - .309/9/79, under contract for four years, is 24 years old with unlimited potential. Franchise player in training, stud right now.

C/3B Bob Boone - 35 year old under contract for two years, remains a serviceable backup player. But that is it; would be fine putting him in minors next year if better options emerge. .262/3/29 in 301 at-bats this year.

RP Bill Caudill - 9-3 2.41 ERA, 5 saves, 10 holds, 3 blown, this 26 year old is a stud reliever. His deal is also up. He is making 3.7 million this year and wants to be making 3 million a year for 2-4 year deals. I think this is very acceptable given his talent, performance, and age. We give him a three year deal and immediately regret not making it four.

RP Doug Corbett - 30 year old with two years remaining. A little expensive considering his talent, but his numbers this year (2-1 1.52 ERA, great WHIP/BAA) suggest that he will earn that pay next season.

SP Bill Gullickson - only 23, already dominant, under contract for five years. 18-5 1.88 ERA, 169/53 K:BB ratio, .220 BAA, 1.06 WHIP.

CF Mel Hall - .262/12/58 w/37 steals in 474 at bats. Still a lot of potential for the 22 year old, if he grows into it then he'll be a guy that is a cornerstone player.

1B Mike Hargrove - .290/1/25 in 238 at bats. This 33 year old is going to be a productive player somewhere else next year. I'm not looking to hold him here as a backup or force him to learn another position (3B) that does not suit him.

3B Toby Harrah - .295/16/61 in only 438 at bats. This 34 year old missed some time with injuries and really did not drive many guys in after the All Star break. But he was a huge upgrade for us at the position this year and we are going to have a hard time replacing him. I'm just not willing to pay him the 10+ million that he wants for a deal given his age and the makeup of the rest of my team. Maybe if he was 27 ...

LF/CF Von Hayes - tore up AAA, this guy will be in the outfield rotation next year. 24 year old with a lot of potential, he is under contract for four seasons. He is right there with Hall and Barfield right now; should be interesting to see how they all shake out over the next couple of years.

MR Bob James - 0-0 2.89 ERA in 9 appearances. We had him in the minors most of the year but after his September call-up he has shown us that he belongs on the playoff roster. Signed for 5 years, this 24 year old should be a significant part of our future.

LF/RF Dave Kingman - .308/6/17 in 91 at bats. Man, I had forgotten that he was on this team. I've tried and failed to give him away. If he is here next year it will be with a similar role.

SP/MR Dennis Lamp - 11-3 2.19 ERA w/21 holds. Not great stuff, but fabulous production for most of the year. This 30 year old is under contract for three years. I hope that he is able to maintain a spot in our bullpen as we continue to develop talent.

SP Dennis Martinez - 9-7 3.01 ERA. His contract is up. Right now he charts as our #5 starter, after being passed during the year by Morgan. He is 27 years old and his contract demands are not out of line (4-5 million per year). I'm inclined to give him one more year and see where he fits after the draft. The worst case scenario is that he takes over the Dennis Lamp role next year.

SP Mike Morgan - 13-6 2.69 ERA w/3 complete games in a little more than a half season of work. This guy came on like crazy for us when we brought him up from Iowa. The 23 year old is still developing, under contract for four seasons.

2B Ken Oberkfell - .287/2/52 w/24 steals. Very reasonable contract (2 years, 1.3 million), he would be a fine sub and is an acceptable starter.

LF/RF Ben Ogilvie - .266/16/87, dude was a very clutch hitter in 2nd half of the year. His contract is up and I've got too much young talent to keep him around at the age of 33, even if he is not asking for a ton (3 million for multi-year deal). Hopefully someone pays him a ton on the free agent market, preferably someone in the American League.

3B Steve Ontiveros - .206/0/6 in 34 at bats. We've relegated him to minor league duty this year and expect him to return there next season as well unless free agency and trades yield nothing at 3B.

MR Jesse Orosco - 4-4 2.98 ERA, 4 holds. Good stuff, good future at 24 years of age. We've got him under contract for two seasons and will likely have to pay a decent price to keep him. But that is a worry for next season.

LF/CF Jim Rice - .297/25/76, he is the highest paid regular on the team at 9.5 million for two seasons. I feel a sense of loyalty to him, since we had really struggled in 1981 prior to signing him. But we'll see where that loyalty goes next year with the development of our younger players.

MR Enrique Romo - 3-0 0.86 ERA, 35 year old with good stuff and a big expiring salary. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Age discrimination, coupled with loyalty to players we have drafted, makes this a surprisingly easy call.

C Mike Scioscia - .279/4/40 represents a nice upgrade from what I've seen in past out of this position. The 24 year old should continue to develop a bit, and we have him under contract for three seasons at a very reasonable number.

C Don Slaught - hit pretty well at AAA this season, he will have a shot at backup catcher duties over the next couple of seasons. But we'll definitely sign players over him as needed.

CL Lee Smith - 7 blown saves this year is a bit of a concern. But he does have 125 saves at the age of 25 and should continue to get better. We've got him locked up through 1983.

SS/2B Gary Templeton - .265/0/15. Pretty well compensated backup for Robin Yount, and we owe him money through 1984. I'll happily move him if needed, as he has been a whipping boy over the past two seasons. But at age 26 he should still have plenty of room for growth and I still wonder why he has not worked out a bit better.

MR Dick Tidrow - this 35 year old reliever has been relegated to AAA Iowa. Still good enough to pitch for a lot of teams, just not here. His contract runs through next season.

MR Ed Vande Berg - 4-1 2.17 ERA 16 holds, 4 saves. This 24 year old is a keeper. Under contract for three seasons. Definite building block in the pen.

SP Frank Viola - 13-9 3.81 ERA. Was eclipsed by Morgan, but should be the bigger star in the end. This 22 year old has massive potential, and is locked up for five seasons.

SP Mike Witt - 18-9 2.72 ERA. Could not quite match last seasons numbers, but is among best in the game and only 22 years old. Under contract for three years, some concern that he may be close to maxed out already. But that is nit-picking.

SS/3B Robin Yount - .280/12/53 w/45 steals. Still a lot of untapped potential for a 27 year old. We have him for three years. May end up playing 3B next season if we cannot find a good replacement for Harrah.

[hoopsguy]

Game #1:
ALCS: Jack Morris, who went 22-7 in the regular season, is postseason gold. This day sees him move to 6-0 lifetime with a 2.11 ERA, thanks to a 10-1 triumph against the Angels at Tiger Stadium. Steve Rodgers only lasted 3 2/3 innings. No one went yard, but John Wockenfuss had three hits and three RBIs.

NLCS: Steve Mura stymied the North siders in San Diego (huh? we were 21 games better than them?) as the Padres earn a 2-0 victory against the Cubs ace Bill Gullickson. Yount had three of the five Cub hits in the loss. Catcher Gary Redus hit a solo shot for the Padres.

Game #2:
ALCS: It was Dave Rozema's turn to stifle the Angels, as he held them to just four hits over 8 innings. Wockenfuss hit one out and the Tigers won this one 3-1 to move one step away from their third straight World Series appearance.

NLCS: Same storyline being written in the NLCS, as the home team pitching is dominant. Randy Jones threw six shutout innings and the bullpen did the rest in a 5-0 win. Jerry Mumphrey was 4-4 for the Padres. 18 innings of futility in San Diego for the Cubs; hopefully they enjoyed the beach weather. The postseason now rests in the hands of a rookie pitcher.

Game #3:
ALCS: The Angels strike back at home, posting five runs in the first three innings. Would it be enough? It did not feel like it when the Tigers answered with three in the top of the fifth, cutting the margin to one. But the bullpen held up and the Angels had their first win of the postseason. A total of five homers were hit in this game: Grich, Jason Thompson (2 run), Carney Lansford (2 run, 457'), Gibson, and Lance Parrish (3 run shot).

NLCS: Mike Morgan gave up a first inning run and the Cubs fans were holding their breath, dreading the worst from an offense that had not produced in the postseason. But Morgan kept posting zeroes and the bats awoke to post three runs in the 5th. Bob Boone was the unlikely hero, providing a two run homer on a flyball that just got into the basket in left field. Jesse Barfield's homer to left was much more convincing. Seven strong from Morgan and a perfect ninth by Smith. So far home teams are 6-0 in the playoffs, which is not a promising trend for Angels or Cubs fans.

[hoopsguy]

Game #4:
ALCS: The Angels just were not good enough offensively to hang with the Tigers in this series. Once again they were held to a single measly run and it was not enough. It was for five innings, but the Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the sixth and added another pair in the 9th. 4-1 final, series over. Wockenfuss was the player of the series, hitting .538 with 7 RBIs to lift his team to their third straight pennant.

NLCS: The Cubs got an early run off a solo homer by Rice and had built a 3-0 lead before Viola allowed the first two men to reach in the top of the 8th. He was pulled, but both inherited runners scored against Bill Caudill to set up a 3-2 game heading into the bottom of the 8th. That is when magic happened for long-time Cub Dave Kingman. Kong stroked a three run homer to left, putting his team up 6-2. The crowd roared for Kingman in a way that they never have over the past three seasons. The Cubs are hosting San Diego (2-3 format???) for a deciding game 5.

Game 5:
NLCS: The Padres received word before the start of the game that Larry Herndon would be unable to go today. He had left Game #4 with an injury early and was doubtful. Willie McGee gets the nod instead. Gullickson mows down the first five Padres before surrendering a double to Tim Flannery. Ozzie Smith follows with a bloop hit to right that was badly played by Hall, allowing a run to score.

Bottom of the 3rd - Cubs finally get a hit off Mura, but Scioscia is stranded at 2nd.

Bottom of the 4th - Yount singles to left, steals 2nd on a pitchout, and moves to 3rd on an error. Rice brings him home with a ground out to 2nd, advancing Ogilvie to 2nd. Hall singles, Ogilvie holds. Harrah hits into a fielders choice, scoring Ogilvie. Back-to-back hits by Oberkfell and Scioscia bring home a 3rd run. Further damage when Mumphrey makes a diving stab of a sinking Gullickson liner. But the best pitcher in the NL has a 3-1 lead, in his own park, with a World Series bid on the line.

Bottom of the 5th - Yount hits a long fly to left that is kept in by a driving wind.

Top of the 6th - Gullickson works out of a jam caused by an Oberkfell error. He is up to 84 pitches.

Bottom of 6th - 1st and 3rd, one out is wasted on a strike-out/throw-out play. Ugh, would have loved to have the insurance run.

Top of 7th - Gullickson walks the leadoff man, but gets out of the inning by inducing a ground out from McGee.

The latter innings just don't have much drama. Gullickson leaves for a pinch hitter; Lamp and Smith do not even give the Padres a sniff over the final two innings. So the Cubs ended up taking advantage of the 2-3 format and winning each of their home games to earn a shot against the Tigers.

Series MVP is Mike Morgan for his sterling Game 3 effort that brought life back to this team.

[hoopsguy]

World Series:

Game #1:
Morris vs. Gullickson. The Chicago fans will have their first opportunity in 37 years to watch a WS game at Wrigley Field. A chance to break a 74 year drought against the defending champions. For the Cubs, it is a rematch against the last team that they beat in a World Series, way back in 1908. We only have to go through the best big game pitcher in baseball to earn our first victory.

When you have a hitter like Mike Scioscia anything is possible. This will make more sense in a minute.

Top of 1st - leadoff hitter Ryne Sandberg singles and steals 2nd, but is stranded there.

Bottom of 1st - leadoff hitter Boggs works a 13 pitch at bat from Morris before grounding out to 2nd. Yount doubles, but is left there when Rice grounds out to end the inning after yet another 13 pitch at bat. No runs, but making Morris throw 32 pitches for the inning is an early moral victory.

Bottom of 2nd - another 13 pitch out, this time by Harrah, there is no way that Morris is going the distance against us.

Bottom of 3rd - two out rally, with Boggs tripling and getting knocked in on a double by Yount. 1-0.

Bottom of the 4th - Hall collects a single and steals 2nd. The Tigers intentionally walk Oberkfell with two outs to set up force plays for Scioscia. Big mistake, as he drives a 2-2 pitch over the wall in center for a three run bomb. 4-0 Cubs! That one was wind aided, no doubt about it, but those three runs count just the same.

Top of 6th - Tigers have Wockenfuss pinch-hit for Morris, who will not be in line for his 7th postseason win. I am surprised that Wockenfuss did not start after the season/post-season he had. He promptly singles to lead off the inning and moves to 2nd on a Sandberg single. But Hebner strikes out and Gullickson induces a 1-6-3 double play from Steve Kemp to end the threat. This one is not over with the wind blowing out, but that was a big opportunity wasted by the champs.

Top of 7th - leadoff homer for Lance Parrish to cut the margin to 4-1. Al Cowens collects a one-out double but is left there.

Bottom of 7th - Gullickson is left to bat for himself with two outs and no one on (pitch count is 87) and he drives one to deep center field that just sneaks over the wall. 5-1, on a second wind aided homer for the Cubs.

Top of 8th - Gullickson gives up a double to Sandberg, who later scores on a two out single by Kemp. Gullickson is left in to face Parrish, despite having thrown 101 pitches and given up a homer to him in his last at bat. Good result, as Parrish grounds out to third on the first pitch.

Bottom of 8th - more two out magic, this time against Dan Petry. Hall gets to second on an error by CF Rick Leach and scores on a Harrah single. Oberkfell gets a walk, setting up Scioscia to do what he does best: hit three run bombs in the World Series! Another one that rode the jetstream out to center, 9-2 Cubs now and the Bleacher Bums are going crazy!

Top of 9th - Gullickson closes out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth. Nice day at the office.

[hoopsguy]

Game #2.
Witt vs Rozema. Youth versus experience in this matchup. The Cubs fans are riding high, playing on their home field with the defending Cy Young winner taking the bump. They can almost smell a 2-0 series lead. Well, that is why they play the games.

Top of 1st - Witt has a three pitch inning. Nice and easy.

Bottom of 1st - Boggs walks and Yount hits a screaming liner in the gap. But Al Cowens makes a great play to spear it, the type of play that can change momentum in a hurry.

Top of 2nd - Parrish leads off with a single and moves to second on a one out base knock by Sandberg. But neither runner advances any further.

Bottom of 3rd - Boggs gets a two out double but is stranded when Rozema blows away Yount on three straight pitches after falling behind 2-0.

Bottom of 4th - Ogilvie leads off with a single, moves to second on a Rice walk, and the bases are loaded with no outs after a single to right by Hall. Harrah flies out to right, Ogilvie holds even though the ball went 285 feet. Oberkfell strikes out, bringing up Game #1 hero Scioscia. He hits an 0-1 pitch to shallow left but Kemp makes a great running catch to end the inning. Huge lift for the Tigers!

Top of 5th - Sandberg leads off with a double. He is killing us this series. Lynn Jones singles past second, and Sandberg barrels home. There is a play at the plate and he is ....

OUT! Jones moves to 2nd on the play. But Rozema singles Jones in and the fans sink into their seats again. Kemp doubles, then Alan Trammell brings home an additional run with another single. Witt finally retires Wockenfuss to end the threat but the Tigers are up 2-0.

Top 6th - leadoff double for Parrish, then Cowens walks. Leach hits a one out double to bring home Parrish and end the day for Witt. Jones hits a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-0. Tigers are in great shape to even up this series. Rozema stays in to bat and nearly tacks on another two runs, but Rice makes a web gem in center to end the threat.

Bottom of 6th - Hall gets a two out single and Harrah follows with a drive to deep left. But it only has warning track power, thanks to a stiff breeze. This does not feel like our day.

We never threaten again, so it is off to Detroit tied 1-1. I more or less expected a split but was disappointed to see how it transpired. We just did not match the Tigers' intensity in Game #2.

[hoopsguy]

Game #3:
Off to Tiger Stadium, where rookie Mike Morgan will face the crafty veteran Milt Wilcox. Our rookies really saved our bacon against San Diego, but how will they fare on the road in this series against a deep, experienced Tigers team?

Top of 1st - Ogilvie hits into a double play. He is having a very poor series.

Bottom of 2nd - Wockenfuss doubles to lead off the inning and advances to 3rd on a single by Trammell. A Cowens ground out brings home the first run of the game. Then Jones knocks in Trammell with a two out hit to make the score 2-0.

Top of 3rd - Boggs works a walk with two outs and moves to third on a double by Yount. Good old Ogilvie wastes the opportunity with a fly out.

Top of 4th - Hall has a fifteen pitch at bat that ends with a 428' fly out to center. God, that would have hit the scoreboard in Wrigley! Harrah follows with a 12 pitch at bat with another long fly out. Man, I did not realize just how cavernous this ballpark is.

Bottom of 4th - Cowens doubles with one out but is left stranded.

Top of 5th - Scioscia gets on base with a one out single. He advances to third on a double by DH Jesse Barfield. The bases are full after Boggs gets his second walk of the day. Yount knocks in one run with a sharply hit ball past a drawn in infield. Then Ogilvie hits a tailor made double play ball back to the pitcher. But Yount blows up Sandberg at second and the throw to first is a split second late! 2-2 game! Rice and Hall then get back-to-back walks, with the latter being a very borderline call on a 3-2 count. That puts the Cubs up one. Wilcox recovers to strike out Harrah and end the inning with his team still very much in the game.

Bottom of 6th - Wockenfuss gets a leadoff single and moves to 2nd on a hit by Trammell. Cowens looks uncomfortable in striking out. Leach flies out, but Jones singles to left and Wockenfuss is headed home. Ogilvie unleashes a strong throw and Wockenfuss is meat. Big play for the Cubbies!

Top of 7th - Petry comes in with one out. Ogilvie fouls off ten straight pitches before being retired to end the inning.

Bottom of the 8th - Cowens doubles with two outs but Leach grounds out to second to end the inning. Morgan has thrown 91 pitches through 8.

Top of 9th - Hargrove triples to start the inning, but is left there when the next three hitters can't get the ball out of the infield.

Bottom of the 9th - Smith is in for the save and just blows away Sandberg for the second out. Hebner lifts a lazy fly to right that should end it, but Hall gets a terrible jump on it and it drops for a hit! Kemp has a chance to be a hero, but Smith is having none of it. A fly out to left ends this one.

The Tigers had 12 hits but could only muster two runs in an aggravating loss in front of their home fans.

[hoopsguy]

Game #4:
It is Viola and Dan Schatzeder taking the mound for this game. Both looked good in their divisional appearance. Obviously this is a huge game for the Tigers, who have already re-surrendered home field advantage.

Top of 1st - The Cubs was two on with one out when Ogilvie strikes out and Harrah pops out to third to end the inning.

Bottom of 1st - Trammell hits the first pitch of the game back up the box and moves to second when Sandberg repeats the trick. Wockenfuss advances the runners with a ground out to the right side and Parrish hits a sac fly. 1-0 Tigers.

Top of 2nd - Boone singles and advances to second on a two out walk to Hall. Oberkfell ties the game with a clutch single to right.

Bottom of 6th - Trammell breaks a string of 13 straight retired by Viola with a leadoff single. But he goes no further, as Viola really appears locked in.

Bottom of 7th - Kemp hits one to deep center. 406' and no reward.

Bottom of 8th - Jones starts the inning off with a double. Gibson pops up to 2nd; he is having a series much like Ogilvie. The skipper calls for an intentional pass to Trammell, who is the only guy swinging the bat well against Viola. Sandberg flies out to center and Jones decides to test Rice's arm. Not a good decision at all, as he is called out at third.

Top of 9th - Schatzeder is still in and has been nearly as effective as Viola. He gets two quick outs before allowing a single to Boone on his 118th pitch. The next batter, Barfield, just crushes one to center to put the Cubs up 3-1. Wow. Schatzeder is pulled and replaced by Dave Tobik. I'm guessing the manager is going to hear some second guessing about leaving his starter in that long, especially when the bullpen was fresh.

Bottom of 9th - Wockenfuss singles to start things off. Parrish grounds out to 3rd but Cowens walks to put two on with one out for Kemp. Kemp grounds out to first, with the tying run advancing to 2nd. But Tom Brookens swings and misses a 3-2 pitch and the Cubs have taken a 3-1 lead in the series!

[hoopsguy]

Game #5:
Morris is faced with saving the season for Detroit, but he will have to pitch better than he did in Game #1 when he took his first ever postseason loss.

It just does not happen. No inning by inning recap required here, as this was a beatdown. 11-1 final, as the Cubs sweep three in Tigers Stadium to claim the crown!

Ben Ogilvie busted out huge, with a 4-4 game featuring two homers and five RBIs. Boggs, Rice, Hall, Scioscia, and Barfield all had multi-hit games as well. Morris only lasted three innings.

Gullickson was awarded the MVP for winning two games in the series, outdueling the Detroit ace. But that was more because there was no consistent hitting star over the five game set.

[Izulde]

Congratulations on winning the World Series, even if it is with those bloody Cubbies.

[hoopsguy]

AL Cy Young - Jack Morris (Det) 22-7 2.48 ERA, 8 CG, 3 SO, 142:87 K/BB, .215 BAA, 1.14 WHIP. Led league in wins, ERA, and shutouts. Those first two categories alone are going to get you the Cy Young about 99% of the time.
AL MVP - Cal Ripken (Tex) .308/34/115. Led the league in homers, RBI, and slugging percentage while playing a premier defensive position.
AL Rookie of the Year - Tony Gwynn (Tex) .295/7/58 w/76 steals.
AL Rooke Pitcher of the Year - John Stuper (Bos) - 16-11 3.95 ERA, 5 CG, 1 SO, 97:90 K/BB, .260 BAA, 1.40 WHIP. It is good to have run support.

AL Gold Glove Winners:
P Dennis Eckersly (Bos)
C Butch Wynegar (Min)
1B Dave Revering (Oak)
2B Frank White (KC) - repeat winner
3B John Castino (Min) - also won in 1980
SS Ryne Sandberg (Det)
LF Steve Kemp (Det)
CF Dwayne Murphy (Oak) - also won in 1980
RF Al Cowens (Det)

AL Silver Sluggers:
C Rich Gedman (Bos) .302/17/74
1B Cecil Cooper (Mil) .283/25/88
2B Paul Molitor (Tex) .261/13/79 w/66 steals
3B Mike Marshall (Tor) .288/21/81
SS Cal Ripken (Tex) .308/34/115
LF Tom Brunansky (Sea) .279/34/112
CF Fred Lynn (Bos) .309/31/84
RF Dwight Evans (Bos) .289/34/109
DH Joe Charboneau (Cle) .278/32/95

Notes - youth was served, with Ripken, Brunansky, and Marshall all making a big impact during their second season. Gedman (23), Molitor (26), and Charboneau (27) are hardly old men either.

[hoopsguy]

NL Cy Young - Bill Gullickson (Chi) 18-5 1.88 ERA, 2 CG, 1 SO, 169:53 K/BB, .220 BAA, 1.06 WHIP.
NL MVP - Jack Clark (SF) .307/29/100. Led league in RBIs, walks, and OBP.
NL Rookie of the Year - Wade Boggs (Chi) .309/9/79
NL Rooke Pitcher of the Year - Dave Dravecky (Phi) 15-13 3.28 ERA, 1 CG, 122:81 K/BB, .249 BAA, 1.31 WHIP

NL Gold Glove Winners:
P Enrique Romo (Chi)
C Gary Carter (Mon) - repeat winner
1B Dan Driessen (Cin) - three time winner
2B Manny Trillo (Phi) - three time winner
3B Larry Parrish (Mon)
SS Dave Concepcion (LA)
LF Mickey Hatcher (Hou)
CF Dale Murphy (Oak) - repeat winner
RF Terry Puhl (Hou)

NL Silver Sluggers:
C Gary Carter (Mon) - .238/19/67. Repeat winner.
1B Dan Driessen (Cin) - .266/21/89
2B Glen Hubbard (Atl) - .249/11/62. Repeat winner.
3B Bob Horner (Atl) - .309/41/98. Repeat winner, led league in homers, OPS, and Slugging%.
SS Robin Yount (Chi) - .280/12/53 w/45 steals
LF Ben Ogilvie (Chi) - .266/16/87
CF Gorman Thomas (Phi) - .266/30/93. Repeat winner, with one in each league.
RF Jack Clark (SF) - .307/29/100

In comparison to AL, the position players are a significantly older group. The youngest players (Horner and Hubbard) are 25.

[hoopsguy]

Team Stats for 1982:
Offense: 674 Runs Scored - 6th (+87 Runs, +13 Rank)
Defense: 466 Runs Allowed - 1st (+3 Runs, same Rank)
Total Salaries: $67,406,690 - 1st (-10 million versus same point last year)
Available Finances: some stupid amount
Approval Rating: 51/100 - not sure where to see compared to other teams (+50 from previous year)

The salary shows much lower with guys like Harrah, Ogilvie, and Romo not on the payroll at the end of the season. In reality we probably carried something close to 85 million this year but I'm fine with these numbers as long as I run them at the same point each year.

Going into the draft/FA I would like to find a 3B or 2B that looks like a long-term solution. Other than that, everything should be about "best available athlete" or contract value. We've got a great young rotation that is locked in for awhile and some position players that look like building blocks as well.

I'm also going to apply the 1.84 patch after this post in order to take advantage of some new features. The AI is supposed to be better (probably not getting Wade Boggs off of it going forward if this is true) and options such as automatic stadium changes will be nice to have as well.

[hoopsguy]

Here is a list of guys who will be in the last year of their deals in 1983:
LF Jim Rice - big decision to be made
MR Doug Corbett - probably gone
Closer Lee Smith - expect to re-up him
LF Dave Kingman - sayanora
2B Ken Oberkfell - would love him as quality backup
MR Dick Tidrow - gone
3B Steve Ontiveros - see above
C Bob Boone - another aging vet who won't be back
MR Jesse Orosco - expect to resign
SP Bud Black - better have a good spring if he wants to stay here

[hoopsguy]

The GM Score moves up to 78/100. This has to be aggregate, right? After posting 105 wins and taking home the title I would expect better than this if it is only for one season. If it is aggregate then it would be nice to see the per-season numbers.

Records set last season:
OBP: 1982 Jack Clark (.391) beats 1981 Leon Durham (.385)
Slugging %: 1982 Bob Horner (.582) beats 1980 George Foster (.574)
OPS: 1982 Bob Horner (.952) beats 1980 George Foster (.938)
Home Runs: 1982 Bob Horner (41) beats 1980 Dale Murphy (40)
RBI: 1982 Cal Ripken (115) beats 1981 Mitchell Page (110)
Hits: 1982 Willie Wilson (198) beats 1980 Willie Wilson (197)

*** Stolen Bases: 1982 Rickey Henderson (140) beats 1980 Willie Wilson (97) ***

Losses: 1982 Roger Erickson (19) ties 1980 Jim Beattie (19)
Appearances: 1982 Gene Garber (83) beats two players who previously had 77
Games Started: 1982 Bob Knepper joins a group who have started 37 games in a season

[hoopsguy]

Retiring players:
Enrique Romo - hmm, thought he had something left in the tank and would be able to command a good salary this year. Went out with a Gold Glove, so he has that going for him.
Jim Kaat - leaving at 45 years of age.
Rollie Fingers - had 44 saves in 1980.
Phil Niekro - 44 years of age.
Reggie Jackson - had 46 homers in our association, the most I've seen so far for a retired player.
Pete Rose - "Hit King" is done at 42.

[hoopsguy]

Time to take a look at some league history. Hopefully it is starting to get a little interesting with three seasons of work behind us.

Top Five for each category:
Batting Average:
1. George Brett (KC) .306
2. Andre Dawson (Mon) .297
3. Leon Durham (StL) .295
4. Bob Horner (Atl) .293
5. Fred Lynn (Bos) .292

On Base %:
1. George Brett (KC) .374
2. Fred Lynn (Bos) .366
3. Kirk Gibson (Det) .360
3. Leon Durham (StL) .360
5. Bob Horner (Atl) .355

Slugging %:
1. Bob Horner (Atl) .538
2. George Foster (FA) .513
3. Dave Winfield (SD) .498
4. George Brett (KC) .493
5. Andre Dawson (Mon) .488

OPS:
1. Bob Horner (Atl) .893
2. George Brett (KC) .867
3. George Foster (FA) .855
4. Dave Winfield (SD) .852
5. Fred Lynn (Bos) .846

Home Runs:
1. Bob Horner (Atl) 110
2. Dave Winfield (SD) 90
2. Dale Murphy (SD) 90
4. Gorman Thomas (Phi) 85
5. George Foster (FA) 76
5. Tony Armas (Oak) 76

RBIs:
1. Dave Winfield (SD) 280
2. Mitchell Page (Oak) 260
3. Bob Horner (Atl) 255
4. Andre Dawson (Mon) 250
5. Harold Baines (CHW) 248

Runs:
1. Rickey Henderson (Oak) 296
2. Mookie Wilson (NYM) 283
3. Dale Murphy (Atl) 282
4. Carney Lansford (Cal) 277
5. Andre Dawson (Mon) 261

Hits:
1. Eddie Murray (Bal) 536
2. Willie Wilson (KC) 520
3. Andre Dawson (Mon) 514
4. Dave Winfield (SD) 508
5. Keith Hernandez (StL) 507
5. Carney Lansford (Cal) 507

Doubles:
1. Carney Lansford (Cal) 103
2. Kirk Gibson (Det) 99
3. Harold Baines (CHW) 98
4. Tom Brookens (Det) 97
5. Andre Dawson (Mon) 95
5. Eddie Murray (Bal) 95

Triples:
1. Willie Wilson (KC) 38
2. Mookie Wilson (NYM) 28
3. Craig Reynolds (Hou) 27
4. John Castino (Min) 23
4. Leon Durham (StL) 23

Stolen Bases:
1. Rickey Henderson (Oak) 314
2. Willie Wilson (KC) 255
3. Mookie Wilson (NYM) 211
4. Omar Moreno (Pit) 206
5. Ken Landreaux (Min) 194

Walks:
1. Rickey Henderson (Oak) 253
2. Jason Thompson (Cal) 243
3. Eddie Murray (Bal) 225
4. Jack Clark (SF) 210
5. Lee Mazzili (NYY) 205

ERA:
1. Mario Soto (Cin) 2.11
2. Tom Seaver (FA) 2.35
3. Pete Vukovich (StL0 2.38
4. Nolan Ryan (FA) 2.45
5. Bob Welch (LA) 2.56

Innings Pitched:
1. Rick Langford (Oak) 858
2. Dave Stieb (Tor) 847 1/3
3. Britt Burns (CHW) 836 2/3
4. Matt Keough (Oak) 826
5. Moose Haas (Mil) 822

Wins:
1. Dennis Leonard (KC) 60
2. Rick Langford (Oak) 58
3. Matt Keough (Oak) 57
4. Dave Stieb (Tor) 55
5. Mike Norris (FA) 52

Losses:
1. Richard Dotson (CHW) 51
2. Glenn Abbott (FA) 50
3. Frank Tanana (Cal) 48
3. Moose Haas (Mil) 48
3. Britt Burns (CHW) 48

Saves:
1. Dan Quizenberry (KC) 145
2. Joe Sambito (Hou) 141
3. Mark Clear (Cal) 137
4. Tom Hume (Cin) 134
5. George Frazier (StL) 131

Strikeouts:
1. Len Barker (Cle) 607
2. Mario Soto (Cin) 592
3. Britt Burns (CHW) 522
4. Bert Blyleven (Pit) 517
5. Steve Rogers (Cal) 505

Walks:
1. Jim Clancy (Tor) 318
2. Renie Martin (KC) 298
3. Matt Keough (Oak) 295
4. Britt Burns (CHW) 272
5. Mike Norris (FA) 268

Appearances:
1. John Urrea (StL) 212
2. Gene Garber (Atl) 201
3. Roy Thomas (StL) 200
4. John Littlefield (StL) 198
5. Rick Sutcliffe (FA) 197

Games Started:
1. Bob Knepper (KC) 108
1. Mike Caldwell (Mil) 108
3. John Candelaria (Pit) 107
3. Ed Whitson (SF) 107
5. 5 tied with 106

Complete Games:
1. Rick Langford (Oak) 48
2. Mike Norris (FA) 46
3. Britt Burns (CHW) 42
4. Matt Keough (Oak) 38
5. Dave Stieb (Tor) 35
5. Dennis Leonard (KC) 35

Shutouts:
1. Mike Norris (FA) 8
2. John Candelaria (Pit) 7
2. Rick Langford (Oak) 7
4. Dave Stieb (Tor) 6
4. Britt Burns (CHW) 6
4. Matt Keough (Oak) 6

[hoopsguy]

So there is one huge prize in this amateur draft - Darryl Strawberry. In my one previous association I played in this time period he was something like a 7 time MVP in ten seasons. He is asking for the moon - 11 million per year. Only three other players (Kevin McReynolds, Nick Esasky, and Andy Van Slyke) are even asking for seven figures a year. The biggest name in the pitcher class is Orel Hershiser.

Time to see who is willing to pay the piper for the monster talent. I certainly will if he somehow falls to me at #26.
1. Seattle - C Darren Daulton represents a decent player at a position that is tough to fill, but there were so many better players out there. Very cheap decision, but at least it is not a bust of a pitcher
2. Milwaukee - DARRYL! At least he is in the other league.
3. Atlanta - Orel Hershiser goes to a franchise that is in desperate need of arms. This signing suggests that the AI may actually know how to draft pitchers in this revision.
4. Chicago White Sox - SS Tony Fernandez does not look like a guy who is major league ready to me. High potential (81) but isn't that a given at #4 in the draft? Bad pick.
5. Pittsburgh - SP Sid Fernandez. The Pirates should add him immediately to their starting rotation. They already have a team that gives me some trouble and this guy won't help ease that pain.
6. Mets - RF Otis Nixon. Same thoughts here as I had for White Sox.
7. Cleveland - CF Kevin McReynolds does a lot of things pretty well and should do all of them even better in a couple of years. Nice player.
8. San Francisco - LF Andy Van Slyke. They are already swimming in talented outfielders, but this was clearly the best available hitter.
9. Boston - CF Phil Bradley. Potential replacement for Fred Lynn? He is a McReynolds-lite.
10. Minnesota - Greg Gagne. Could be a decent shortstop but feels like a bit of a reach in this spot.
11. Montreal - Tom Candiotti. He needs some work, reminds me of our own Bud Black. Feels like a fringe big leaguer.
12. Cardinals - SP Ron Darling. Has potential to be pretty good, but needs a lot of work right now. They had to choose pitching, as their staff was a disaster last year after Vukovich.
13. Yankees - SP Kevin Gross. I liked him a lot, had hoped he fell to us.
14. Astros - SP Matt Young. Asking for highest salary among pitchers at over 2.3 million a year. He will immediately join their rotation.
15. Texas - C Dann Bilardello. Has some pop, but doesn't look like there is much upside.
16. Cincinnati - SP Jose DeLeon. Another nice arm for the Reds, who feel like they are a good free agent period away from being the team to beat in the NL West.
17. Los Angeles - 3B Nick Esasky. Bummer, I was starting to get excited about him sliding towards us. I think he is going to be a good player and he has a chance to be great. We would have loved to add him to a position of need. Now I'm not really all that excited about our pick.
18. Baltimore - CF Dan Gladden. Fringe big leaguer now, already 26 years old. I'm not wild about this pick.
19. Philadelphia - SS Spike Owen. I guess they really needed a SS?
20. San Diego - SS Jose Oquendo. Much more potential than Owen, but will struggle to hit ball out of the infield.
21. Toronto - MR Bill Dawley. Immediate impact player for their bullpen. If they thought this is what they needed to catch Detroit then great pickup.
22. Oakland - MR Craig Lefferts. Run on relievers? Another quality arm, but I'm not wild about his age (26)
23. Kansas City - MR Jim Acker. A cut below the last two guys.
24. Detroit - MR Keith Atherton. Better than Acker, younger than Lefferts. I think they needed starters more than middle relief, but maybe they address that in free agency?
25. California - SP Dennis Rasmussen will have more impact than any of the relievers picked in front of him.
26. Chicago - Joe Carter is the best available player and should have been off the board by now. But I've already got three young OF that need to get their shot. 2B Juan Samuel probably is not ready to start for us, but has potential to replace Oberkfell and/or Templeton. Tim Teufel could play the same role, as well as be an outstanding utility player. SP Charles Hudson looks like major league ready right now. If 1B Carmelo Martinez could play third I would probably take him. In the end, we go with Juan Samuel, inking him to a four year deal for 350K per season.

Round 2:
- The White Sox sign Hudson, which helps make up for the 1st round blunder.
- The Indians sign Teufel. Bastards, I would have definitely taken him if he came back around. I think he is a nice 2nd round player.
- I'm clearly seeing more in Joe Carter than the rest of the league as he comes around for Round #2. Easy pick, in my mind. We give him 4 years @ 600K a season. I'll be aggressive in moving a young outfielder at some point this season.

Round #3 - MR Steve Brown is a warm body in the pen if we get desperate. The 26 year old has 1 potential, so what we see is what we get. 3 years, 300K.
Round #4 - SP Allan Ramirez has 68 potential, which means he has an outside chance of not sucking for his entire career. Sold, 3 years @ 150K.
Round #5 - SP Jay Pettibone gets the same review as Ramirez. 2 years @ 180K.

[rjolley]

Hoops, is that draft with 1.84RC1? If so, it looks like the AI may do a better job of drafting.

[hoopsguy]

Free agents of interest:
If I want to inject some infield power then options include Doug DeCinces, Mike Schmidt, or Bobby Grich. All are asking for 12+ million right now.

Harrah is looking for 8 million a year. We'll monitor his situation.

I don't see anything in the way of interesting young hitters. We've only got two roster spots open at the moment, but I'm more than willing to dump some of the dead wood that will be in our farm system for the right players. I'm just not seeing them right at this moment.

MR Alejandro Pena looks like a reliever that could stick with us for quite awhile. He is 24 and has a live arm. I normally like to try and fill these spots in the middle rounds of the draft but I just did not see much there this year. So we'll offer him four years at 1.3 million a season and see if that gets us our man.

Week 1 signings:
- Twins get Rick Sutcliffe for 3 years at 5 million per. Nice pickup, he should be a starter for them instead of stuck in pen like he was for LA.
- Seattle makes a major splash, adding Willie Upshaw for 2 years at nearly 15 million per. He'll team with Brunansky to give them a strong middle of the order.
- Detroit grabbed one of the more promising young players available, 25 year old Reid Nichols, for a 5 year/5 million dollar deal.
- Baltimore added 3B/2B Luis Salazar for 5 years/2 million. I thought about offering him, but did not when I could not bring up his defensive chart. That is one issue I have with the interface ... I want that info when evaluating free agents. I have access to it during the draft, but not Free Agency.
- Cleveland adds DeCinces for 3 years/17 million. Ooh.
- San Francisco keep Nolan Ryan in the division, picking him up for two years @ 17 million apiece. Big money this offseason!
- Seattle also adds Randy Jones, who was last seen beating us in the playoffs, for 2 years @ 3.7 million.

Week 2 signings:
- we note that the Padres have added Mike Boddicker for 4 years @ 1.2 million a year. I think he was a pretty good prospect when he came out ... may have to look him up.
- our old catcher Barry Foote has caught on in Toronto, signing a one year deal for 3 million.
- Oakland pays Johnny Bench 15 million per year for two seasons. Hmm, that guy looked pretty washed up to me.
- Baltimore takes Ozzie Smith away from San Diego for just 1.2 million a year over two seasons.

Week 3 signings:
- Yankees add Buckner for 4 years/5.7 million
- They also grab Harrah for one season at nearly 11 million. Good for him getting his cash.
- The Yankees are going nuts, adding Garvey for one year at 7.3 million. I guess if they spend enough money on corner outfielders that should help them climb the mountain that is the Detroit Tigers.

There are a couple of third basemen I have my eye on as short term solutions. Darrell Evans is looking for 6 million a year and Ron Cey wants 5 million. I'm hoping that one of them will take a lower offer from us in the middle stages, just as long as other teams don't gobble them up too fast.

Pena signs with us in Week 8, but that forces us to the end of the FA period since we do not have any other outstanding offers. Hmm, I wish that was a "yes/no" option rather than automatically moving me there.

We do end up grabbing Cey for five million dollars. It is stunning to me that no one was willing to pay Mike Schmidt his money, as he is currently on the scrap heap.

[hoopsguy]

Originally Posted by rjolley

Hoops, is that draft with 1.84RC1? If so, it looks like the AI may do a better job of drafting.

1.84RC2, actually. I updated my version after finish last season and before rolling into the new year. I agree that the drafting looks far superior to what I saw with 1.82.

[hoopsguy]

The folks at PSPN once again think we are the team to beat this season. Here is the rest of the top 10:
2. Detroit
3. Kansas City
4. Oakland
5. Baltimore
6. Pittsburgh (hmm, not sure I see it just yet)
7. San Francisco
8. Chicago White Sox (definitely do not see that)
9. Montreal
10. Toronto
Cardinals are #22.

Jim Rice makes the "most feared hitters" list. Here is what the PSPN scouts are projecting for some of the games best sluggers:
Eddie Murray (Bal) - .290/30
Jim Rice (Chi) - .293/32
Bob Horner (Atl) - .288/34
Willie Aikens (KC) - .297/29
George Brett (KC) - .297/27
Cal Ripken (Tex) - .310/23
Andre Dawson (Mon) - .292/27
Dave Winfield (SD) - .278/30

Top Payrolls:
1. Detroit - $115,571,307
2. Los Angeles - $112,153,143
3. New York Yankees - $107,151,680
4. Baltimore - $104,847,339
5. Cleveland - $101,834,110

We are #16 overall at $73,199,388. That makes sense to me as we let some big names go at the end of last year. We're investing heavily in some of our young position players in terms of time, if not yet money. We'll see if that allows us to adequately defend our title. If it does not look good then it will be time to test the new and improved 1.84 AI.

[hoopsguy]

Last cuts in camp - Carter, Black, Boyd, and Corbett. I'm kind of surprised by that one as well. I'll look to deal him early in the season because he is definitely a big league arm.

Viola projects as our #2 starter, knocking Witt down to #3. I hope that Frankie's performance validates that ranking.

Looking at our ratings changes from season to season, Gullickson took a big hit. He still is our #1 but I'm not expecting quite the same dominance when his velocity has dipped by 9 points. Mel Hall and Jim Rice probably had the best springs, per our scouts.

[hoopsguy]

We start the year at home against the Expos. There is a ring ceremony to commemorate the achievements of the 1982 team. It is also the last time that I plan on using last year as anything other than a whip to motivate this team.

Don't tell the Expos that Gullickson has lost anything off his heater. He dominated on a cold day at Wrigley, throwing eight innings of four hit ball. Dave Kingman, in for a gimpy Mel Hall, hit a solo shot that was the only scoring. We get to face rookie Craig McMurtry in the second game and he acquitted himself well, only allowing two runs over six innings. But Viola was even better and we got some late runs to pull out a 5-3 victory. Jesse Barfield hit a two run homer in the bottom of the 8th to break a 3-3 tie and provide the final margin.

Next stop, Cincinnati. The Reds are 0-2 after dropping a pair at home to Atlanta. We push them to 0-3. Ron Cey hits his first homer as a Cub and Witt throws a complete game in a 7-1 win. Both streaks continue on 4/9 as Morgan goes 8 1/3 shutout innings in a 6-0 win against Mario Soto. Yount and Barfield each had three RBIs. 5-0, as Barfield hits his third homer on the year in a 5-2 win. 6-0, as we get another shutout win. A four game sweep in Cincinnati - we look very motivated early on this year.

Nick Esasky did not waste much time getting himself acclimated to the bigs. He hit a 464' shot on 4/9, the longest of the year by a good twenty feet.

[hoopsguy]

Montreal gives us our first loss of the year, 4-0, in the opener of our trip to Olympic Stadium. It was McMurtry again doing good work against our hitters. Real good work, as we only had one hit and he had two by himself. Wow. Witt picked up his second win to give us a split, 4-2. Smith added his 5th save on the year.

The road trip continues in Pittsburgh, where the Pirates are off to a 1-7 start. I would love to bury them in April, if at all possible. But they have other ideas, winning the opener 5-1 behind a good outing by John Candelaria. We rebound against Blyleven the next day, tacking on a 9-1 triumph featuring yet another homer by Barfield. Starter Dennis Martinez was also raking, going 4-4 at the dish. Barfield supplied the only offense in the series finale, as we lost 4-1.

Man, the schedule makers did us no favors this April. It is off to Philadelphia. Once again we face a division rival who is struggling (2-8) and desperate for wins against us. We are not accommodating, as we sweep the three game set to pull 8.5 in front of them.

Despite our hot (11-3) start, we have not created all that much distance in the division race. Both the Mets and Cardinals are 9-5. Montreal sits a game behind them at 7-5.

Oakland has rattled off seven in a row in the AL West and is tied with Minnesota for the best record in the league at 11-4.

Pedro Guerrero is injured again, this time with a hammy that will sideline him for a month. That is the same timeframe that J.R. Richard faces in coming back from a shoulder injury for the Brewers. Injuries must be the in thing this spring, as Rich Gossage will also miss a month with some non-descript leg injury.