Kai Neizman

Hometown
Originally from Maui, Hawaii but have lived in Washington state for the last 16 years.

Age
41 years old, married for 12 years with 2 kids (11 and 9 year old)

Education
University of Hawaii - Go Warriors!

Occupation
Vice President for a Regional Bank

Strat Experience
Started in the 80s (best period in baseball!). College, family, work got in the way and started playing again in draft leagues 5 years ago. Currently in 5 leagues.

Hobbies
Strat (of course) and quasi - day trading stocks ( I won't tell you what my record is). Used to play a lot of softball and was a LF 3e10 -1 but now thanks to age, LF 5e40 +3.

Favorite team
See picture.

Favorite Baseball Memory
Seeing the "We Are Family" '79 Pirates winning the World Series over the O's.

July 26 BRASS Gathering a Success

On a gorgeous summer day, seven members of the BRASS League got together at the Rock residence in Brookfield to enjoy conversation, refreshment, sustenance, and whiffleball (Above shown [l-r] Tony Cieszynski, Abby Rock and Bob Gale). And then after all was done, the happy owners drove to Miller Park and watched the Milwaukee Brewers come from behind to defeat the Houston Astros 6-4 and claim a share of first place in the National League Central division.














A fine conclusion to a glorious day, and the only victory on a lost home stand. I think the Brewers should consider having BRASS League members attend all home games in the future. Heck, put us out on the road, too. The Breweres will win their division by 30 games. Above photo: [l-r] Vaughn Nuest, Mark Lentz, Daniel Valois, Tony Cieszynski and Bob Gale.














Anyway, here are a few action pictures of the good-looking guys who got together. There is talk of doing this next year in Milwaukee and on a regular basis thereafter. More news on that front later.

Above photo: BRASS members raiding the Rock refrigerator.














Vaughn Nuest shows off the batting style that won three batting titles in tee-ball.














Tony Cieszynski reacts to a brushback pitch. Juust a bit inside.














At the game. In the back row: [l-r] Kevin Kolb (who joined us late at the game) Mark Lentz, Tim Rock, Bob Gale. Front row: Tony Cieszynski, Daniel Valois, Vaughn Nuest.

Tom Taormina Should Be In

The Hall of Fame results are in, and for the most part I think the voters got it right. But one result greatly disappoints me: the rejection of Tom Taormina.

I can understand why it happened. By my count, 13 of the 24 managers now in the league weren't members when we lost Tom to cancer, and I'm betting that all the No votes for Tom came from that group. All those voters had to go by was the highlights of Tom's career as listed on the HOF ballot. In terms of games and titles won, Tom's record doesn't come close to Vaughn's or Kevin's--no one's does--but that's not why Tom Taormina should be in the BRASS Hall of Fame.

Tom's work as Silver League director was essential to the success of BRASS in the early years. Among other things, he ran the free agency process before most of us had email. Bids were written by hand on paper forms, submitted by regular mail, and resolved by a phone call from Tom to every manager who had a winning bid to pursue or drop or match.

I could go on, but suffice it to say there's a reason we renamed the BRASS Bucket after Tom. I hope his exclusion from the Hall is rectified next year.

The Story of the BRASS Bucket

At risk of making Daniel wistful for possessing the bucket that he came within a few innings of winning earlier this month, here is the story of The Old BRASS Bucket for the uninitiated or those new to the league

It is an immigrant story really.

In the late 19th Century, my great grandfather left the Alsace-Lorraine region of Germany with his family for the prospect of a better life in America. Gustave Bucher worked the land in Germany as a farm laborer and this was all he knew. But he dreamed of more. He dreamed of owning his own farm one day and a better life for his family.

So he came to America.

He and his family settled in a small town in central Illinois whose rich earth reminded him of home. My grandmother was born there within the first year and was the first generation of my family to be an American citizen.

The brass bucket that we use for a trophy is also from the 19th Century. It is a farm vessel that is very like a bucket that my grandmother used to keep in her garage as a keepsake of the time of her youth. Like most farm vessels, hers was not ornamental as it had been constantly in use serving a multitude of needs. My grandmother said they used their bucket to haul water from the well, to take the table scraps out to the hogs to eat, to gather and tote feed corn for the chickens and bring back the eggs they had laid, even to wash dishes, babies and soak their feet.

Her bucket was well-worn and was a symbol of the story of her family's immigration and of the roots they put down in midwestern American soil.

Our bucket, hand made as hers was, is more ornamental and ceremonial in nature. Like my family, the BRASS League has midwestern American roots and our bucket, a symbol of those roots, is a traveling trophy which resides in the league champion's home for the year of their reign. Our bucket is filled with baseballs. Each league champion takes one of the baseballs and paints it or decorates it as they wish and places it on the heap, displaying it in their home and commemorating their championship, before conveying it to the next champion.

The Bucket is formally called the Thomas Taormina Trophy in honor of Tom's profound contributions to the formative years of BRASS, before his untimely passing.

What a neat coincidence that The Bucket will be in the same place as the BRASS gathering in southern Wisconsin, not too many miles from where my great-grandfather settled in the late 19th Century, starting a cycle of events that would eventually lead to me and to the BRASS League.

I'm sure Tim will have it polished and gleaming for all to see in July, as he hands it over to Kevin, this year's champ, a man who will be taking The Bucket back home with him for a fourth time.

And yes, Daniel, I think one could drink victory beer from it if one wanted to. I recommend choosing a dark German ale, something like Gustave would have enjoyed. ;)

Unintended Consequence?

One of the rule changes you voted in (I won't say "we"; I voted against it) requires that players who previously had major league deals must be signed to a U contract if drafted. The rationale, if I recall, was to avoid underpaying players with previous major-league experience. Has anyone else noticed that the result was to swing the pendulum the other way? A lot of players in the draft pool will, if picked, be paid more than they would if their original teams had kept them.
Take Ben Zobrist, for example. He was a Y1 last year, and if I'd kept him on my roster he'd be Y1 again because he didn't get enough PAs to advance. Since I cut him, he's in the pool, and must be signed to a U contract if drafted. That would pay him, at a minimum, three times what he'd have made as a Y1.

But of course he won't be drafted, because no one's going to pay Ben Zobrist $1.2M to play for them next year. Ironically, the same will be true for nearly every "U" player in the draft pool; they're there in the first place because one or more teams had the chance to pay them a Y or A1 salary and chose not to. I haven't looked through the list to see if there are exceptions, but I'd be very surprised if there are more than a couple.

The result of this will be a larger number of PAs and IPs in the secondary free agent pool, where teams will finally have the chance to get the marginal "U" players for what they're worth. This might be a good thing; did anyone vote for the change because he foresaw that and liked the idea?

BRASS WORLD SERIES, 2008

2008 BRASS WORLD SERIES: Montral Sunsets (113-49) vs. Plainsfield Hitmen (119-43)

Game 1: John Smoltz (17-7, 3.18) vs. Mike Mussina (19-6, 3.69)

Both teams headed into the series with a full head of steam. The Sunsets had just stormed back from a 3-1 deficit against Dulth-Superior, while the Hitmen had dispatched Chuckanut Bay in four straight. One question: would the extra time off earned after the 4-game sweep hurt Plainsfield? And would the Sunset bats remain hot? Looked that way early on in Game 1. After the Hitmen had taken an early 2-1 lead thanks to a 2-run single by Matt Holliday, the Sunsets exploded against Mussina for 5 runs in the 3rd, sending the Plainsfield starter to the showers early. JD Drew had the big hit, a 2-RBI double. Leading 6-3 after 3 innings, John Smoltz made the lead stand up. The Sunsets tacked on runs in the 4th, 7th, and 9th en route to a 10-5 win. JD Drew was the star of this game, going 5 for 5 while hitting for the cycle. Travis Hafner had two hits, including a homer, while John Smoltz pitched into the 7th against the powerhouse lineup of Plainsfield.

Game 2: Johan Santana (17-9, 3.61) vs. Aaron Harang (21-6, 3.87)

The Sunsets weren’t satisfied with just one win in Plainsfield. They were looking to grab the series by the neck. Hitmen fans weren’t even in their seats before Montreal leadoff man Bobby Abreu took Harang deep for a quick 1-0 lead. The Sunsets loaded the bases with nobody out, but Harang managed to escape with only one more run scoring. An RBI single by Holliday in the bottom of the 1st made it 2-1 Montreal. Griffey Jr. homered in the 2nd to tie it, but Montreal came right back with 2 of their own in the 3rd, thanks in large part to FOUR Harang walks. Chris Coste (3 for 4, 3 RBIs) added a 2-run double in the 4th, and the Sunsets had a 6-2 lead through four innings. They would not score again, but thanks to three perfect innings from their bullpen, they didn’t have to. Final score, Sunsets 6, Hitmen 4. Montreal heads home with a surprising two games to none lead in the series.

Game 3: Bronson Arroyo (20-7, 4.04) vs Brett Myers (19-7, 3.21)

Likely the biggest game of the season for Plainsfield, but Montreal was very uncooperative. The Sunsets torched Arroyo, scoring two in the first and five more in the second, thanks in part to 2-run homers by Bobby Abreu and Travis Hafner (4RBI). Trailing 7-0 after 2 innings, the Hitmen were very much on the ropes. Signs of life appeared in the 4th, as the Hitmen put a 4 spot up. An unlikely error by Ryan Zimmerman helped set the table, and Ken Griffey laced a big 2-run 2-out double to help cut the Montreal lead to 7-4. Montreal came right back with a run in their half of the 4th, and the Hitmen trailed by 4. Myers settled down a bit after the 4th, yielding only a solo homer by Matt Holliday in the 6th. Through 7 innings, the Sunsets were up 8-5. In the top of the 8th David Wright led off with a double, sending Myers to the showers. In came Carlos Zambrano, winner of 18 games during the regular season. The bullpen did not agree with Big-Z, as all three hitters he faced reached base. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Hector Carrasco was summoned from the pen. Adam LaRoche greeted him with a big 2-run double to tie the game at 8, and then Jorge Posada launched a huge 3-run homer, to make it 11-8 Hitmen. Drew and Zimmerman singled off Papelbon in the bottom of the 9th, but the Hitmen closer retired the next three batters and secured the 11-8 win. The Hitmen were once again alive, trailing two games to one.

Game Four: Mussina vs. Smoltz, part II

The Hitmen took the momentum from their dramatic Game 3 victory and jumped to a quick 4-0 lead after 2 ½ innings, thanks to a 2-run homer for Matt Holliday and RBI hits for David Wright and Jermaine Dye. JD Drew answered in the bottom of the 3rd with a 2-run double to make it 4-2. Each team added a two-spot in the 4th, and the score stood at 6-4 after 4 innings. A JD Drew homer in the 6th made it 6-5, which is how the game stood through 8 innings. Bob Wickman started the 9th after hurling a scoreless 8th, as Jonathan Papelbon had pitched in each of the first 3 games. A pinch hit double by Chris Coste and a walk to Kevin Youkilis forced the hand of the Hitmen, and Papelbon was brought in to hold the one run lead. Bobby Abreu promptly tied the game with an RBI double, and with nobody out, runners stood at 2nd and 3rd. After getting Chipper Jones to pop out and Travis Hafner on strikes, Papelbon and the Hitmen were one hitter away from extra innings with David DeJesus at the plate. DeJesus never had a chance to win it, as Papelbon uncorked a wild pitch to score the winning run for Montral. A heartbreaking loss for the Hitmen, and the Sunset were one victory away from their first BRASS title.

Game Five: Aaron Harang vs. Johan Santana, Part II

The Hitmen, with their backs squarely up against the wall, jumped on Santana early with twin 2-run homers by Jermaine Dye and Rich Aurilia. The lead was cut to 4-2 in the bottom of the 4th on a Travis Hafner triple and a JD Drew RBI double. Hafner homered in the 6th to cut the Hitmen lead to one, but Justin Duchscherer and Bob Wickman pitched scoreless 8th and 9th innings and the Hitmen pulled out a 5-3 win to send the series back to Plainsfield. Aaron Harang threw 7 quality innings, allowing only 3 runs and 6 hits. Johan Santana went the distance in a losing cause, allowing only 5 hits and striking out 14 Plainsfield hitters.

Game 6: Carlos Zambrano vs Matt Cain

Plainsfield went to their young righthander in this do or die game. After a subpar and wild performance in the GLCS against Chuckanut Bay, Cain responded with a quality outing in what was Plainsfield’s biggest game of the year. Cain struck out nine Sunset hitters in 7 innings, while his counterpart from Montreal couldn’t get out of the 3rd inning. A 2-run homer by Jason Giambi erased an early 2-0 lead by Montreal, and 3 consecutive doubles by LaRoche, Posada and Griffey to open the 2nd led to 3 more Hitmen runs in the 2nd. Single runs in the 6th and 7th closed out the scoring, and Scott Proctor threw two scoreless innings to close out Game 6. 7-2 Hitmen, and the Series would move to a 7th and deciding game.

Game 7: Smoltz vs. Mussina, The Finale

With the momentum on the side of the Hitmen, the Sunsets were looking to break on top early in the series finale. Chipper Jones homered to start the scoring in the 2nd, and Michael Barrett added an RBI single to make it 2-0 after 2 innings. It remained that way until with 2 out in the bottom of the 4th, Jorge Posada tied the game with a 2-run homer. That seemed to spark the Hitmen offense, as Chase Utley added a 2-run homer of his own in the bottom of the 5th, which was followed by three more runs in the frame, including RBI singles for Holliday and Griffey. All of the sudden, it was 7-2 Plainsfield. Back to back triples by Utley and Wright opened the 6th, and Jermaine Dye added an RBI single to make it 9-2 Plainsfield. Hafner homered one final time in the 9th, but it was too little too late, as the Hitmen completed their impressive comeback in the series with a 9-3 win. John Smoltz took the loss, surrendering 6 earned runs in 4 innings. Chase Utley was 3 for 5 in the finale, to run his series totals to 14 for 30 with a homer and 3 RBI.

A tremendous series for Travis Hafner (8 for 22, 4HR and 8RBI), thought it was not quite enough. JD Drew added 12 hits and 9 RBI in the 7 games as well for Montreal. Jorge Posada also had an impressive series for the Hitmen, going 6 for 18 with 2 HR and 7 RBI.

A great series, and it was unfortunate that one team had to lose. These two teams were evenly matched, and it showed in the results all year and in the playoffs. Congratulations to Daniel Valois and the Montral Sunsets for a tremendous season.

Draft coming up

The draft begins in less than two weeks. Drafting is probably my favorite part of strat leagues, so I am looking forward to it. I am in a good position this year where I have enough starts and PAs going into the draft, so beside from maybe getting a reliever or two, I can draft with an eye on the future. Who will be this year's Jeremy Guthrie (7th round last year) be for me?

Opening Day 2008 -- What A Day!

Click on pictures to enlarge.


Courtesy of my beautiful and talented little sister, Kate, who just happens to be the executive assistant to the general counsel of a certain major league baseball team, my long-time friend Tim Heilman and I had the good fortune to attend opening day at Miller Park this year. For the both of us this was our 4th opening day. My first was many years ago when as a resident's assistant at UWM I helped organize a 300-person bus trip. The other two times were the final two seasons of County Stadium (additionally the final two last home games ... I have the brick and certificate to prove it).

We had breakfast with my wife's sister and my daughter at a local restaurant and consequently got off to a late start for the stadium. We crossed over 94E to the 41S entrance lane at about 11:15. The line appeared quite long, so I settled back and took a few pictures on the way in like the one above.

Surprisingly, the ride in did not take too long. Within about 15 minutes we were being directed to Preferred Parking (isn't my sister great?). Tim settled his SUV into our parking spot. We had arrived. What a day!

Despite the evidence to the contrary (see the snow on the roof above), the weather was gorgeous. Jackets were eventually shed and chairs were placed strategically in front of Tim's SUV, away from the guys drunkenly tossing a football about. Beers were hoisted in salute to Kate and the Brewers and we sat back to enjoy the morning.

What a day!

Our next door neighbor offered to take our pictures. I'm the shaded (shady?) one on the left. Tim bought that Brewer jacket just the day before, wanting to be in high fashion for the game. There was just the barest hint of the remnants of winter in the air. Perfect for cooling off from all the activity we engaged in ... bringing beer and chips to mouth and being on alert for errant flying footballs.

Soon enough the time came to ramble into the stadium. There was a buzz of excitement in the air. The Brewers are going to be a good team for a second consecutive year. When was the last time this could be said? I could feel the energy as I entered the doors to Miller Park. We picked up our kitchen schedule magnet and Brewer towel and made our way to section 112.

Our seats were in the infield boxes, about 30 rows up from the field (did I say how much I love my sister?) From here we could easily pick out some of the Brewers warming up ... Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, JJ Hardy, Jason Kendall and another whom we couldn't identify.

I glanced around and made the acquaintance of the two fellas behind us, one who confessed that they had each downed ten Jaeger-bombs before entering the stadium, along with a few beers. Nothing in their demeanor caused any disbelief.

I checked out the scoreboard and was amused to see an advertisement for a charity drive being run by Northwestern Mutual in conjunction with the Brewers. My wife works for NML. The message reminded me she was home with our 15-month old. I could wax proudly of the sacrifice she made allowing me to attend while she stayed home, but I knew that she would be out shopping with the baby and her sister who had driven up from Chicago. And, our darling daughter, who is already cute beyond words, would have some new duds. This makes my wife happy. So I'm happy, too. No remorse there.

The players lined up for the pre-game introductions. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun received the biggest adulations, though the decibel level of the cheers for Hardy, Sheets and the others were not far behind.

All this while we tried to contact Kate on Tim's cell phone. No luck. I knew that she wanted to join us for a while and no one had claimed the three seats to our right ... yet. Of course, that didn't mean they would be claimed. Heck, two years ago I was at a game with my wife and some friends of hers and we never made it into the park. The festivities outside were just fine.

With Carlos Villanueva on the mound (I can't believe I traded him away in one of my fantasy leagues) the Giants went down meekly in the first. Villanueva looked sharp. He came out of spring training with the number four spot locked down after the release of Claudio Vargas. I was especially pleased because the number five starter is Manny Parra, a top lefty prospect. I drafted him pretty high in another league and had hoped he would make the team. His last spring outing was shakey, but I read that manager Ned Yost did not let that outing sway his decision. He remarked it was probably rookie jitters.

Rickie Weeks came to the plate to lead off amidst the din of 45,000 excited fans. He managed to draw a walk, which caused the fans to roar louder. With one out he stole second. The fans were on their feet as The Prince Fielder strode to the plate. Wearing baggy pants and high socks, he looked like Babe Ruth. He waggled his bat menacingly waggled. With two strikes on him, Fielder showed why he has become more than just a power bat. He shortened his stroke and ripped a single up the middle. When Rickie came in to score the tremors from the noise in the stadium made the hairs on my arm stand on end. It was a truly electric.

Bill Hall walked to the plate. Batting number 5 right behind Prince, it will be his job to offer some protection in the lineup for the big bopper. Last year was difficult for Hall. It's been written that he never really felt comfortable in centerfield and the team hopes a return to the infield will revitalize his bat.

We didn't have to wait long. I don't remember what the count was. All I know is as the ball climbed higher and higher on its journey over the centerfield wall, the noise generated by the excited fans increased exponentially. A wave of camaraderie swept over the stands as the ball fell to earth just beyond the fence and the leaping effort by Aaron Rowand to spoil the fun. High-fives were exchanged with everyone in high-five proximity as though we'd been friends forwever. What a way to start the game!

Kate came down in the third inning to join us (those seats remained empty). Opening Day fever made it hard to concentrate and the Brewer front office, being wise (at least wiser these days) allowed its staff to enjoy the day. She spent the rest of the game with us.

We met a fellow who was juuuust a bit inebriated (he's behind me making the rabbit ears) and kept saying in a poor excuse for Scottish brogue, “Beam me up, Scotty.” When I pointed out that the person asking Scotty to beam him up would not likely speak with a Scottish accent, our new friend responded, “Aye.” It didn't matter.

We also met Granny P. Granny was attending her first Brewers game and she had a sign to prove it. She was here with her granddaughter and was having a spectacular time. The fellas to her right kept her entertained. I think she had a few too, but couldn't swear. Who cares? We were all having fun.

I returned to watching the game. A little while later I heard one of the guys start laughing and say that Granny P was standing on the Brewer dugout with five young ladies. No way. I turned around and saw that Granny was indeed gone. Then I looked over at the dugout. Oh my god, there she was!

The Brewer staff who man the cameras that scan the crowd must have spotted her with her sign and decided she would be the perfect candidate for a game of The Price is Right, or whatever the game was called. The five lovely young ladies held numbers in front with prizes behind the numbers. I don't know what the top prize was, but Granny made one selection (it was a $50 gift certificate) and quit. Smart lady.

Gabe Kapler and Prince Fielder rapped out run-scoring singles in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead. The announcer kept called Kapler, Gabe Kaplan, obviously confusing him with the former star of “Welcome Back Kotter” who has most recently been reincarnated as a professional poker player. We were laughing about the announcer's ineptitude when a roar rose from the crowd. I turned in time to see the ball disappear over the left field fence. Bill Hall had just stroked his second homerun of the game. I guess the question of whether his move back to the infield would help has been answered. We certainly appreciated his efforts and our cheering convinced him to come out for a wave.

The rest of the game was spent trying to get action shots of Brewers at bat. Unfortunately, by this time the camera battery was losing its charge so I had to turn it off between shots, let it recharge a bit, then turn it on and take a quick shot. Some of the pictures were a bit fuzzy. Still, I got a few. Here is a picture of Prince belting a double off the right centerfield wall. This one just missed.

I also tried to get a picture of the sausage race, but the battery was playing games at this time so I had to settle for this picture sent to me by Kate. Better than nothing. And you know, it almost seems a crime, but neither Tim nor I had a brat, sausage or even a hot dog on this glorious day. We did buy a couple Cousins subs though, before the game, and feasted on these in the parking lot afterward.

After the final out was made (final score 13-4), we lingered in the stands with Kate and waited for the crowd to thin. I gave Kate a hug. She took one step and this kid walking down the stairs came up and gave her a hug too. I looked at him and he smiled and said something to the effect of he thought he'd get in a quick hug too since they were being given out. I told him she was my sister and that he was dead meat. For a moment he looked concerned, but then I smiled and told him it was cool ... get oughta here. After all, weren't we all family ... at least for this day?

We bade goodbye to Kate and went out to the parking lot. Before settling down to eat our subs, down a few beers and wait for the lot to empty a bit, we caught up with Brewer hall of famer Robin Yount for a picture. A great way to finish the day.


Edited for some re-write because I'm picky and for a few spelling and grammar mistakes because, unlike what many members of the blogosphere think, the impression does matter.

Gold League Championship Series

Game 1: Chuckanut Bay 1 at Plainsfield 5
The Plainsfield Hitmen toppled the Chuckanut Bay Tubas by a 5 to 1 score at Yankee Stadium. In the bottom of the 2nd inning Plainsfield scored 4 runs when they had 4 base hits. That was all Mike Mussina (1-1) needed. Neither team managed to score after the 4th inning. Kevin Millwood (1-2) ended up with the loss. Despite losing, he struckout 12 Plainsfield batters in 7 innings.

Game 2: Chuckanut Bay 6 at Plainsfield 11
David Wright smacked 2 homeruns and had 4 RBI as the Plainsfield Hitmen defeated the Chuckanut Bay Tubas 11 to 6 at Yankee Stadium. Wright had a big evening at the plate. He blasted a two-run home run in the 4th inning and smashed a two-run homer (his 3rd of the postseason) in the 6th inning. Plainsfield totaled 10 hits on the night. The win went to Scott Proctor (1-0) who allowed no runs in 1 and 1/3 innings. John Maine (1-2) absorbed the loss. He served up 4 gopher balls in 3 and 1/3 innings.

Game 3: Plainsfield 6 at Chuckanut Bay 2
At Busch Stadium the Plainsfield Hitmen easily handled the Chuckanut Bay Tubas by the score of 6 to 2. Plainsfield scored the decisive runs in a big 8th inning, scoring 2 runs on 3
hits. After an out was recorded, Matt Holliday got things going when he laced a base-hit. One out later, Jorge Posada stepped in and he laced a one-base hit which scored a run. Posada took second on the throw. Ken Griffey Jr then doubled scoring the final run of the inning. For the game Plainsfield out-hit Chuckanut Bay 12 to 6. Bronson Arroyo (2-0) picked up the victory, allowing 2 runs in 8 innings. Brian Tallet (0-1) was charged with the loss in relief. He pitched 1 inning, allowing 4 hits and no walks.

Game 4: Plainsfield 12 at Chuckanut Bay 7
Center fielder Ken Griffey Jr touched them all and had 2 RBI as the Plainsfield Hitmen topped the Chuckanut Bay Tubas by a score of 12 to 7 at Busch Stadium. Dan Wheeler (2-2) came through for Kevin Kolb with an excellent relief stint. He performed flawlessly in relief in his 2 innings and recorded 4 strikeouts lowering his postseason ERA from 3.86 to 2.70. This was the kind of game that many fans love as the lead changed hands 5 times. The losing pitcher was Duaner Sanchez (0-1) in relief. He allowed 2 hits and no walks in 1 inning.


The Hitmen absolutely jumped all over the Tubas pitching staff, hitting 10 homers in the four games. Kevin's offense was opportunistic and jumped on every miscue by the Chuckanut Bay defense. His team was clearly superior and he will be a fine representative for the Gold League in the BRASS Championship Series. Best of luck getting that 4th BRASS Championship, Kevin!

I am going to miss the amateurs

This is a test post to see if everything is good with the invite. I really liked it when we had five AMs. I enjoyed reading minor league reports, prospect lists, etc. This year I will be drafting no AMs. Dont get me wrong. I like drafts too. In fact, drafts and player acquisition are my favorte parts of strat. But to me persoanlly it is sad we have reduced our amateur numbers.

Rules Change Voting Results

by Vaughn Nuest

Below is a run down of how our crop of proposals fared this year. Kudos to BRASS voters for again carefully considering the proposals and voting, in most cases, in overwelming numbers one way or the other.

Over the years I've always been impressed with how clear league preferences are on most topics and how smart voters have been in assessing the best and most fair season in which to implement changes also. This year is no exception.

No matter what your position is on given topics, the league has always been so well served by its membership and how they approach these critical voting issues. Good work guys, as always. I've never been stuck with a klunker or impossible to implement or understand league change.

Commentary on the voting ....

The first Proposal, the one which synchronizes the in-season playing months with actual months, passed 21-2 (one abstention). So we will be trading now during in-season months right up to the last day of the month and then beginning play around the 7th of the following month, with a deadline for completion of games as the last day of the given month also.

It seems clear that we've dug about as deep as the league cares to dig in terms of reducing the number of amateur players on rosters and increasing the draft's strength. While league voters narrowly approved (by a 13-11 margin) a further reduction in the number of amateur players we want to see on rosters, the league strongly favored retaining two amateurs (13 votes) over both the option of one amateur (5 votes) or zero amateurs (6 votes). As with last year, this change won't take effect until the 2009 Draft. So we all have about 13 months to cut down to a total of 2 amateurs on our 2009-10 pre-draft rosters.

71% to 29% of the membership (17 yes to 7 no) voted to make another in our series of routine, cosmetic modifications to BRASS dollar amounts to make them feel just about like modern MLB salary numbers. The proposal also slightly modified the Y1, Y2, and Y3 contract amounts to bring them more closely in line with MLB entry wages and account for the salary increases that MLB players get as their early service time accrues (BRASS had a flat rate for each season with no raises). The new dollar amounts will be shown in the next roster file update, which will come out after the April 18 trade freeze begins. The new system will officially be in effect at that time.

23 of us liked the proposal that modified our player overuse fines to a graduated scale whose penalty amounts varied in direct proportion to the size of the infraction. The usage buffer concept is retained in this proposal, preserving the buffers that currently exist to cover slight manager miscalculation and other events. We definitely thought overuse fines should still exist, but that the fine should better fit the crime that our current system.

By a 14-10 margin, the league said they prefer to keep the Home/Road Discrepancy program in place as is, measuring and rewarding as it does now.23 of us also stated that we believe players who are on no-trade contracts may not be exposed to selection in The Draft and must remain on a team's protected list from here forward.

17 of the 24 of us want to see veteran players get veteran player (or "U") contracts when selected in the draft. We'll begin this with the 2008 Draft.12 people felt the current Y1 PA and IP thresholds were best and 12 wanted to see them revised slightly, as detailed in the proposal. So these thresholds will stay as they are.

By a 14-10 margin, league voters did not wish to see draftees become eligible for a month-to-month contract, irrespective of their MLB PA or IP levels. These contracts (MTM) therefore remain in the private domain of Secondary Free Agency signees.

By an 88% to 12% (21 to 3) margin, the league approved the utilization of the "B" contract minimums and not the "U" contract minimums to determine contract amounts for players re-signed after returning to their teams when no one signed them in the Free Agency process.

And in what is certainly the ballot item with the biggest impact on league play of any proposal on this list, the question of whether to eliminate the DH (and if so, when), the league voted decisively but not overwelmingly, 58% to 42% (14-10), to eliminate the DH from BRASS in the future. The 2010-11 season was selected by 13 voters as the year in which this will be implemented. The 2009-10 season was the choice of 9 voters. 2 voters wanted the DH to be gone immediately, starting with next season.

So we will all have until September 1, 2010, exactly 30 months from today, to figure out how best to plan our individual roster set up for the elimination of the DH. While I would bet the league membership is savvy enough to have done it in 3 months if they needed to, we'll have 10 times that transition period, so we will have plenty of time to make plans or discuss/vote on any special circumstances that we perceive may be part of this implementation.

I encourage you all to give some individual thought about how this change will impact your roster and while it almost sounds silly to consider how something 30 months away will impact you, time passes and things can catch up to us all. Someone like me, who has extended DH David Ortiz's contract for three seasons, will have some decisions to make before that last season comes due for me when Big Papi may not have a position on my roster anymore, other than pinch hitter.Again - great work here guys. Nothing we can't handle and implement cleanly on this list. Nothing scares me at all here from an administrative standpoint.

And from the decisive voting totals here on the topics we all liked, it certainly looks like we all decided to tweak the league in small ways to make it more fun or more to our liking, which is the point of the process.

I'll revise the constitution as I am able, as usual, to reflect our changes and get the new document out to you all.

Good luck with your draft prep!

About rule changes

I would just like to add my 2 cents about the recent posts on rule changes. 

I agree with most of what has been written so far. In particular, I see no reason for tripling the salary scale. I was sitting on the fence on this, but you guys convinced me (I will have to change my submiottedvote): we're used to this scale, and it doesn't matter whether we have a $500 or $35M stipend to play with, what counts is player/value, no matter what the baseline is.

Plus, I can't remember the details (what is Scott who wrote about that a few years back?), but I'm not sure straightforward tripling of everything doesn't create some discrepancies somewhere down the line.

As for the amateur players ratio, I personally love the draft, and scouting those is my favorite part. But I understand the league's concerns, and will vote for abolishing them altogether (might as well do it all the way if we're going to do it).

More on Team Nicknames

by Daniel Valois

It would actually be interesting to see more people comment on their team's nicknames. I'm sure some of them have interesting stories behind them.

Here are mine. The first two are kind of boring, the last one is more interesting.

BRASSWORLD: Lafontaine Park Diamonds. I live right next to Lafontaine Park in Montreal, and its baseball diamonds (in ever dwindling numbers now) were where I had my best years playing organized baseball between the ages of 10 and 15.

BLOC: Parc Jarry Expos. The Expos were (and will always be) my favorite sports team of all-time. Damn you MLB. Your loss. Parc Jarry was the home of the Expos from 1969 to 1976, before they moved to then state-of-the-art Olympic Stadium. It was a small place (max. capacity of just under 30, 000), but it was a fantastic place to watch baseball. You could almost touch the players on the field, and the ambiance was crazy. People just loved their Expos. The first year, the Expos were one of the very few teams to draw over a million fans (at a time when one million was a lot) to their games. I have so many fond memories from that place. The "Parc Jarry" moniker is of course aimed at reflecting the French part of Montreal’s bilingual culture.

BRASS: Montreal Sunsets. Well, Montreal is my hometown, I was born right downtown, baptised at what later became the Université du Québec à Montréal, and lived there all my life except for a 10-year hiatus in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Los Angeles. "Sunsets" stands for two things: first it's an homage to my alma mater, UCLA, where I got my PhD in, ahum, 1991. Our department (Linguistics) was just off Sunset Boulevard. I just loved my time there. The logo's colours are UCLA's. Benoît Gauthier, a fellow Montrealer who was then a member of Brass, designed it (as well as a few others in the league).

Second, it's a reference to a unique set of events that happened a few times at the old Expos home of Jarry Park, before league officials decided to delay the start of some early evening games.

Jarry Park was a small Junior League stadium, with one set of bleachers in left field. Early in the 1969 inaugural season, the team had scheduled a bunch of 7pm games. That worked for a while. The problems started when the days got longer and the sun would start to set after game time from higher up in the sky. It so happened that those sunsets were right behind the left field beachers, which after a while were no longer shielding the infield from the glaring sun. That’s when "infield ground-rule doubles" started to happen. The chain of events would go like this: batter grounds out to shortstop, shortstop handles the ball cleanly, throws over to first base perfectly, and … first-baseman loses the ball in the sun ! Nobody touched the ball after the throw, both the fielding and throwing part of the play were flawless, and the batter ends up at second base. Official scoring: ground-rule double. After firstbaseman Ron Fairly complained a few times that every groundball to shortstop Bobby Wine was life threatening, game umpires decided to delay the game once the sun would competely set behing that problematic spot.

And if you think this is funny, ask someone to tell you the Joe Sparma story!

Rule Change Proposal Comments

As we're dealing with the flurry of messages and decisions endemic to free agency, hopefully we'll all remember that there are proposals to be voted on. It would also be good if there could be some discussion of the proposed changes before the voting, so people can make informed decisions. I'll start the ball rolling with some thoughts:

2 - Reduce the number of AM players
If you read my earlier post, you know I like this one. I'm for phasing out AM players completely, and the logical next step in that process is to reduce the number to either 1 or 2 next year (having gone from 5 to 3 this year). As others have noted, the lack of impact players in the rookie draft pool really draws out the process of turning around a bad team. Plus, the most astute managers tend to also be the best at picking AMs, so dynasty teams tend to get reinforced.

3 - Update dollar amounts
I've been through at least two of these now, and I'd really, really like it if I didn't have to do it again. (I'm talking about rescalings, not a restructuring like when we went to the Y1-Y2-Y3 system.) I really don't care whether our salary structure comes anywhere near matching that of Major League Baseball; that target will never sit still anyway. I want a system that's easy to use and understand, and which balances the different types of costs in a way that makes sense.

Multiplying everything by 3 isn't going to make the system easier for anyone. Not that most of us will have trouble remembering to adjust the numbers before comparing contracts across different years, but it's one more thing to worry about.

Just as with previous updates, it's not just a matter of multiplying everything by a fixed number. If this proposal passes, AM, M0 and Y1 contracts will be cheaper (relative to the revenue stream) than they are now, while Y3 contracts will be more expensive. Should we make those changes? I don't know, but if we do, we should do so explicitly, not as a side effect of/footnote to a general round of inflation.

4. Scale fines to level of overuse
A very good idea, and long overdue; frankly, it's ridiculous to charge the same amount for a ticky-tack foul as for using, say, Barry Bonds full time. I'd like to see the ranges widened somewhat, and/or based on percentages of a player's allotted usage instead of fixed PA/IP amounts. But the proposal before us is certainly better than what we're doing now.

6. Protecting NT players from the draft
This is a no-brainer for me; I actually thought we already required this. The only change I'd make is to allow NT players to be left unprotected as long as the owning team pays the NT cost if the player is claimed by another team.

7. Drafted veterans must be signed to U contract
The problem with this is that it's not always obvious which players are affected. Sure, if the guy had 200 AB the year before, you'll probably know about it. But suppose he pitched 50 innings in 2002, then had a couple of Tommy John surgeries before finally getting back to the majors last year. And suppose you didn't really start paying attention to baseball until 2003. It's going to be an unpleasant surprise when you draft him, then learn that you can't sign him to a Y1 contract.

The nice thing about the present system is that all players in the draft pool are treated equally, regardless of their history. I'd like to keep it that way.

9. Drafted players can be signed MTM
We always had this option (at least once MTM contracts were introduced in the first place) until the overhaul of the contract system. I don't know if the MTM option was removed deliberately or if that was an oversight, but I see no reason for the removal. The MTM contract is the ideal vehicle for a player who doesn't have enough PA/IP to keep on the roster the whole year, and doesn't figure to have any future in MLB. Why shouldn't you be able to use it on a draftee?

Where did the name Chuckanut Bay Tubas come from?

So, why the Chuckanut Bay Tubas? Good question. The answer is that I wanted to pay homage to the early portion of my undergraduate studies. Coming out of high school, I was a really good tuba player. Believe it or not, when played properly the tuba can be quite a beautiful solo instrument, with more range than any other brass instrument. I decided to go to Western Washington University to pursue my undergraduate degree in music performance (never mind the fact that after two years I switched to physics, that's a whole 'nother story).

So, Western Washington University is located in beautiful Bellingham, Washington. I thought about naming the team the Bellingham Tubas, but that didn't quite do it for me. So then I thought about Bellingham Bay Tubas, as Bellingham Bay (part of the Puget Sound) is quite beautiful to look at. However, that name really didn't quite work for me either. Just south of Bellingham Bay is Chuckanut Bay, which is a great place to canoe or kayak. Chuckanut Bay Tubas had a nice ring to it, so a new franchise name was born!

So there you have it. Not a made-up name at all. It pays homage to my early years as an undergratuate student and now joins the lineup of great names for my strat teams:

RRBL: Madison Warthogs - went to grad school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have some warthog slippers.

NASA: Renton Microbrews - grew up in Renton, Washington and I love beer.

BLOC: Redwood City Atom Smashers - currently live in Redwood City, California and part of my current job is to collide protons into other atoms to make radioisotopes.

BRASSWORLD: Palo Alto Robber Barons - an homage to my employer's location and the mascot that the student body wanted when Stanford University decided that Indians was no longer a politically correct mascot.

Gold League Division Series: (1) Diamond vs. (4) Chuckanut Bay

Game 1: Chuckanut Bay 4 at Diamond 7
The Diamond Gems defeated the Chuckanut Bay Tubas by a score of 7 to 4 at Coors Field. Diamond had 4 runs cross the plate in the bottom of the 6th inning when they had 5 base hits. The key offensive moment was provided by Alfonso Soriano who made the Diamond fans a happy lot when he doubled bringing in two baserunners. Diamond out-hit Chuckanut Bay for the game, 13 hits to 5. Pat Neshek (1-0) got credit for the victory, pitching 1 inning and allowing no runs. J.J. Putz recorded the save, his 1st. The losing pitcher was Livan Hernandez (0-2). He was hit hard and gave up 9 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings.

Game 2: Chuckanut Bay 2 at Diamond 1
Kevin Millwood went 8 strong innings as the Chuckanut Bay Tubas defeated the Diamond Gems by the score of 2 to 1 at Coors Field. Chuckanut Bay took the lead for good in the 3rd inning plating an isolated run utilizing 2 base hits. Chuckanut Bay had only 6 hits for the night. The victory was credited to Millwood (1-1) who went 8 innings, allowing no runs. Takashi Saito earned his 2nd save. Josh Johnson (0-1) took the loss.

Game 3: Diamond 14 at Chuckanut Bay 6
Lance Berkman ripped 4 homeruns and had 9 RBI as the Diamond Gems outscored the Chuckanut Bay Tubas 14 to 6. Berkman really lit it up for Diamond. The Chuckanut Bay fans let him have it for what he did to their boys. He belted a three-run homer in the 1st inning, blasted a two-run home run in the 2nd inning, smashed a bases-empty 'big-fly' in the 3rd inning and lofted a three-run bomb (his 4th of the post-season) in the 7th inning. Diamond finished with 15 hits while Chuckanut Bay ended up with 7. Chris Capuano (1-0) got the win allowing 4 runs in 5 innings. John Maine (1-1) suffered the loss. He served up 4 homeruns in his 5 innings. 'They made a couple of mistakes and I took full advantage,' Berkman said 'next time I'm sure they'll pitch me tougher.'

Game 4: Diamond 7 at Chuckanut Bay 1
In a lop-sided win the Diamond Gems ripped the Chuckanut Bay Tubas by a 7 to 1 count. Scott Rolen had a good evening at the plate. He doubled bringing in two baserunners in the 1st inning and bombed a two-run dinger (his 1st of the post-season) in the 3rd inning. For the game Diamond out-hit Chuckanut Bay 12 to 5. Chien-Ming Wang (1-0) picked up the victory, allowing 1 run in 5 innings. Livan Hernandez (0-3) absorbed the loss. He allowed 10 hits and 5 walks in 5 innings.

Game 5: Diamond 7 at Chuckanut Bay 8
In an exciting finish the Chuckanut Bay Tubas pulled out a win over the Diamond Gems by a score of 8 to 7 at Busch Stadium. The deciding run was scored by Chuckanut Bay in the 9th. After an out was recorded, Geoff Jenkins blasted a solo shot (his 2nd of the post-season) giving
Chuckanut Bay the win and sending the home town fans into a frenzy. Chuckanut Bay managed 12 hits in their victory. Takashi Saito (1-0) picked up the victory, allowing 3 runs in 1 inning. Adam Wainwright (0-1) was charged with the loss in relief. Dave Dick was just happy to get a win, 'We've had such a bad streak of games -- boy, it's great to get the monkey off our back. Now maybe we can relax a little and play the kind of baseball of which we are capable.'

Game 6: Chuckanut Bay 9 at Diamond 2
The Chuckanut Bay Tubas had very little trouble at Coors Field downing the Diamond Gems. The score was 9 to 2. Chuckanut Bay came up with 5 runs in the top of the 2nd inning when they had 4 base hits. The early run support proved sufficient for Paul Byrd (2-0) and Chuckanut Bay. That was all the run support Byrd required. Chuckanut Bay had 8 hits for the night. Josh Johnson (0-2) was given the loss. He allowed 5 runs and 4 hits in 1 and 2/3 innings.

Game 7: Chuckanut Bay 9 at Diamond 1
In an embarrassing outing for the Diamond Gems pitching staff, Chuckanut Bay Tubas flexed their collective muscle amassing 9 runs as Livan Hernandez (1-3)with help from the bullpen held Diamond to 1 run. Chuckanut Bay set the tone of the game in the first inning when they tallied 2
runs on 1 hit. The early run support proved sufficient for Hernandez and Chuckanut Bay. That was all the run support Hernandez required. Chuckanut Bay had a total of 8 hits for the game. Chris Capuano (1-1) absorbed the loss. Chuckanut Bay scored big getting 4 runs off him in 2 and 1/3 innings.

This series was one in which one team got a lot of luck and as a result won the game. Both teams scored 39 runs in the series, showing how even the matchup really was despite some lopsided scores. Game 7 really could have gone either way, but I seemed to get good luck in the form of home run splits and Vaughn was getting bad luck in the form of two errors by a 2e6 shortstop, hitting into a lineout DP to kill an early rally, KRod giving up two bases-loaded walks, etc.

Honestly, if these teams played another 20 games, I bet Diamond wins around 14 out of 20. I just happened to catch a couple of breaks. Chuckanut Bay looks forward to matching up with Green Bay or Plainsfield in the next round.

The Look of the Face

In a word, grim. Very grim.

A combination of expired contracts and failed prospects has left the Face with a badly depleted lineup and a virtually nonexistent pitching rotation. Going into free agency:
- David Eckstein's B contract has expired, making him a URFA. Ben Zobrist was released, so the closest thing to a replacement is AM Brent Lillibridge, who has yet to play in the majors.
- Once-promising second baseman Jorge Cantu has fizzled, and Ryan Freel lost much of the year to injuries and ineffectiveness (plus he's an RFA).
- In the outfield, Luis Gonzalez went URFA, Freel and Milton Bradley are RFAs, and Mark Kotsay was even more injured and ineffective than Freel. Former prospects Laynce Nix and John Rodriguez were released, leaving nothing in the pipeline.
- Worst of all is the rotation. Doug Davis, Jarrod Washburn and Kenny Rogers all finished out their contracts, and prospects like J.P. Howell and Seth McClung took steps backwards. Ubaldo Jimenez and Edgar Gonzalez will pick up a little of the slack, but they and (God help us) Tomo Ohka are the only starters we have at this point. That's 240 innings total, scarcely more than you normally expect from your #1 starter alone.

Not much waits in the wings, either. Adam Jones is a coming star, but Alberto Callaspo's upside is a middle-of-the-pack second baseman, Scott Moore's is a mediocrity at third, and Guillermo Quiroz will get about 400 at-bats in a 5-year career as a third-string catcher if he's very, very lucky. Dioner Navarro is expected to break out; if he does, and Mike Napoli takes charge in Anaheim, one of them can be traded. That's about it.

I should be able to repair some of the damage with free agents, as I lead the league in both bank balance and margin. But to actually put together a winning team that way, I'd need four regulars and four rotation starters, half of them stars and the other half at least league average. A couple of relievers wouldn't hurt either; I haven't mentioned my bullpen, but suffice it to say that Joe Borowski is my closer. It's possible to get all that from free agency, but you need a much bigger budget than mine. (A team called the Iowa Roscoes went Steinbrenner on the league and bought an All-Star squad a few years ago, but they had over $90M to work with.) No, I'm going to have to just hope for enough warm bodies to field a team and allow me to go for prospects with upside in the rookie draft.

Wild Card: Chuckanut Bay vs. Great Kills

The Gold League wild card matchup was Chuckanut Bay (89-73) vs. Great Kills (88-74). The winner of this series gets the reward of having to face the Diamond Gems (120-42), holder of the best overall record in the league. So, here's how the games went...

Game 1
Great Kills 2 at Chuckanut Bay 9
John Maine went the distance and Julio Lugo left the yard and had 2 RBI as the Chuckanut Bay Tubas defeated the Great Kills Galloping Ghost by the score of 9 to 2 at Busch Stadium. Great Kills never recovered after Chuckanut Bay took the lead in the 3rd inning when they scored 2 runs on 2 hits. The critical plate appearance was by Lugo who brought a roar from the partisan Busch Stadium fans when he bombed a two-run dinger (his 1st of the season). Chuckanut Bay had a total of 11 hits for the game. Maine(1-0) allowed 2 runs on the game. Jason Jennings(0-1) was tagged with the loss. He was hit hard and gave up 10 hits and 3 walks in 6 and 2/3innings.

Game 2
Great Kills 11 at Chuckanut Bay 3
Ben Sheets racked up an impressive total of 16 strikeouts and Alex Rios had 2 base hits and 3 RBI as the Great Kills Galloping Ghost defeated the Chuckanut Bay Tubas 11 to 3 at Busch Stadium. Sheets(1-0) contributed a very nicely pitched game. He surrendered only 8 hits and no walks in 9 innings and allowed 2 gopher balls. Great Kills had a total of 16 hits for the game. Livan Hernandez(0-1) took the loss. He got hit pretty hard, allowing 8 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings. 'He was really impressive tonight,' Hernandez said of his counterpart. 'Our guys were just swinging at air.'

Game 3
Chuckanut Bay 4 at Great Kills 8
Alex Rios cracked a homer and had 2 RBI and Ted Lilly whiffed 10 batters as the Great Kills Galloping Ghost topped the Chuckanut Bay Tubas by a score of 8 to 4 at Angels Stadium. Lilly(1-0) gave a fine effort for Great Kills. He surrendered 5 hits and 2 walks in 6 and 2/3 innings. Great Kills and Chuckanut Bay each finished the night with 10 hits. Kevin Millwood(0-1) was the losing pitcher. Lilly was pleased with his performance. He noted, 'I had good zip on my pitches. Just as important, my location was right on. The fans really got into the game too - that alwayshelps me. Now, if I can only do that again in my next outing.'

Game 4
Chuckanut Bay 10 at Great Kills 6
Third baseman Miguel Cabrera went yard and had 2 RBI at Angels Stadium as the Chuckanut Bay Tubas beat the Great Kills Galloping Ghost 10 to 6. Paul Byrd(1-0) got the win despite looking shaky at times. He gave up 8 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings. The Chuckanut Bay offense poured it on, scoring in 7 of the 9 innings. Brendan Donnelly(0-1) was tagged with the loss in relief. He gave up 4 runsin 2 innings of work.

Game 5
Great Kills 3 at Chuckanut Bay 5
Miguel Cabrera had 2 base hits at Busch Stadium as the Chuckanut Bay Tubas beat the Great Kills Galloping Ghost 5 to 3. Chuckanut Bay took the lead off Jason Jennings in the first inning when they scored 4 runs on 3 hits. That was all John Thomson(1-0) needed. The pitchers took over after the 4th inning as neither team was able to score again. Thomson was helped out by Takashi Saito who recorded his 1st save. Jennings(0-2) ended up with the loss. He pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hitsand 3 walks.

The series was very much back and forth and it seemed to switch quite frequently as to who was getting the rolls at any given time. In game five, Chuckanut Bay seemed to get all the rolls at the crucial times. These were two very evenly matched teams.

Now, here's hoping the Vaughn's brain is still scrambled from organizing free agency when the next series gets underway!

Duluth Advances: Home Sweet Home

by Michael Swanson

Ask the ‘87 and ‘91 Twins. Ask the ’01 Diamondbacks. And now ask the 2008 Dukes. I know it is only a divisional series, but ask all these teams how important it is to have home field advantage. The Duluth-Superior Dukes (106-56) won the divisional series over the East Lyme Crush (103-59), four games to three. This series was one of the closest series I have been a part of. One at bat could have changed the whole thing.

The games were hard fought and all but one statistic was the same.

Batting Average: D-S .254, EL .250.
Runs Scored: 30 each.
Doubles: D-S 12, EL 14.
Strikeouts by pitchers: D-S 37, EL 41.

I could go on. The one stat that jumps out at you are the homeruns. East Lyme connected 7 times while the Dukes were able to crush 14 times.

The big guys really came through! Justin Morneau led the Dukes hitting 4 homeruns and hitting in 7 runners. Albert Pujols hit 3 balls out of the yard and had 8 rbi, while Alex Rodriguez also connected 3 times but hit only 4 runners in. Beltran had 3 for the Crush.

Game 1:
The Crush got on the board right away in the first as Derek Jeter scored on a wild pitch. The Dukes came back in the bottom of the first plating 4 runs with the big hit from Morneau on a 3-run homer. Eventually the Crush tied the game 4-4 in the seventh on a single by Carlos Beltran. Alex Rodriguez then hit the game winning homerun in the bottom of the 8th off Joel Zumaya(0-1). The winning pitcher Mariano Rivera(1-0) pitched two innings and gave way to Joe Nathan to earn his first save.

Game 2:
The Dukes scored first in the bottom of the second with a Justin Morneau homerun. By the bottom of the fifth, East Lyme had built a lead of 3-1. The lead did not last long as in the bottom half of the inning, Duluth-Superior scored 3 runs. The big hit was a 3-run smash by Albert Pujols. The Dukes would go on to score 2 more runs to win 6-3 and to take a commanding lead of 2-0 in the series. The winning pitcher Freddy Garcia gave up 9 hits in 5 innings. Jon Rauch, Darren Oliver and finally Joe Nathan(save #2) needed to help out with 4 strong scoreless relief innings.

Game 3:
The next 3 games belonged to the crush. The crush took a 4 run lead in the first inning of game 3 and never looked back. Connor Jackson plated two runners with a first inning double and Mark Derosa had a solo shot in the 8th. The final score, 7-2 and East Lyme was back in it. Greg Maddox was the winner and Lackey was shelled for 9 hits and six earned runs in only 5 2/3 innings of work.

Game 4:
Again East Lyme got a four run inning but this time they had to wait until the 7th inning. The Dukes were enjoying a 3-2 lead thanks to two homeruns and three runs batted in by Alex Rodriguez. Carlos Beltran’s two run homer in the bottom of the 7th was the big blow and helped East Lyme to tie the series at 2-2.

Game 5:
Chris Young and C.C. Sabathia fought for 7innings and the game was still up in the air until the last out was recorded. Down 3-1 in the top of the ninth the Dukes sent up Tadahito Iguchi with one out. Iguchi bombs one off reliever D. Reyes to make the score 3-2 and then with two out and the tying run on first, Reyes is able to close the door by getting Randy Winn to fly out and secure a 3-2 game lead for the Crush. Other homeruns hit were Cuddyer(2nd) and Carroll(1st).

Game 6:
Game 6 pits Erik Bedard and Freddy Garcia and the Crush erupt with two first inning runs on a two-run bomb by Carlos Beltran(2nd). The Dukes not to be outdone comes back in the bottom of the 1st with two of their own to tie the game. The Dukes busted the game open when they were able to score four more runs in the third. Cuddyer was the star of the game: in the top of the third inning he robs Juan Rivera of an extra base hit, then in the bottom hits his 2nd double of the game to hit in his 2nd run of the game. East Lyme pecked away at the 6-2 lead the Dukes had scoring one in the fifth and two in the seventh. Joe Nathan was called on again to shut the door on the Crush and did just that. Nathan struck out Derek Jeter and Russell Branyon to end the game and force a game 7 in this Divisional series.

Game 7:
Game 7 starters were Greg Maddux and John Lackey. The first inning was exciting as Derek Jeter starts off with a base hit and eventually scores on Barry Bonds. Swanson was heard saying, “If you would have told me that our pitcher would hold Barry Bonds to a batting average of .048 in this series, I would have laughed in your face. Our pitchers pitched great to keep him off the board.”

The bottom of the first saw the Dukes score two with Pujols’ 4th homerun of the series. The Dukes would go on to score one in the second on a homer off the bat of Iguchi(2nd). Two more runs would be scored in the 4th inning and another in the 7th. In all the Dukes hit 3 homeruns and 4 doubles in this game and win the game 6-2 and the series 4-3. Lackey(1-1) was the winner and Greg Maddux(1-1) the losing pitcher.

Notable stats:
Dukes:
Pujols: 3 HR’s, 4 2B’s, 8 RBI, .333 BA.
Morneau: 4 HR’s, 7 RBI, .192 BA.
AROD: 3 HR’s, 4 RBI, .261 BA.
D. Oliver: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K’s
Nathan: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K’s

Crush:
Carroll: 7 RBI, .381 BA.
Beltran: 3 HR’s, 9 RBI, .370 BA.
C. Jackson: .360 BA.
Jeter: .333 BA., 4 SB’s, 6 runs scored.
Bonds: 1-21, .04 BA.

Tuba growlings

The New York Giants better win the championship this year, because it will be a while before the franchise (to be renamed the Chuckanut Bay Tubas at the completion of the postseason) sniffs the playoffs again.

I inherited a team with a lot of expiring contracts and decided to play out the rest of the season and then rebuild. Sure enough, I just got done with the roster decisions and the Chuckanut Bay Tubas will only have 18 players under contract (plus two amateurs) heading into free agency, plus matching rights for Miguel Cabrera.

The Tubas have a ton of holes, and don't figure to be active players in free agency as it would require a monster budget to fill them all. The Tubas will only have two starters, two relievers, no catcher, no third baseman (unless Cabrera's best offer is matched), and very offensively challenged players at second base and shortstop. Indeed, it's time to get young, plug holes via secondary free agency and hope that new GM David Dick is good at assessing young talent.