Playoff review: Future Wax vs. North Dakota
Playoff review: New Orleans vs. Constantinople
World Series review: Future Wax vs. New Orleans
Minutes of Annual Meeting 4/1/01
Franchise News
SUMMER STUDY No. 1 - Racial Profiling
SUMMER STUDY No. 2 – Draft Analysis - 1997
SUMMER STUDY No. 3 - How the teams were created
All-star count
Ballparks
 

2000-2001 Playoff Review

First Round

Future Wax vs. North Dakota

Background: Mighty Future Wax starts the season like many other teams, sweeping Matt, and wins 8 of 10 in October to streak to the top. But a 7-6 November has Randy just one game up on the Dewey Dells, at 15-8. A 4-4 December and FW is knocked back into 2^nd place for the holiday break at 19-12, 1/2 game behind Robin. But FW gets serious in the new year, sweeping Matt again, as well as Bay City (and 2 of 3 from Harold) for a nifty 9-1 January to regain 1^st place at 28-13. As if there was any doubt, FW goes 11-4 in February (20-5 in 2001) to finish in 1^st place for the third consecutive season. ND starts differently from FW, losing 3 of 4 to CN on 'opening night' and, at 8-7 by Halloween, is looking up at the league from 7^th place. An 8-6 November has them firmly ensconced in the middle of the pack, 1 game from 2^nd place and 1 1/2 from 7^th. A 4-3 December, and ND is percentage points behind CN in 5^th place at the break at 20-16. ND gets to play Matt & Jeff in January, and as a result, streaks into 3^rd place at 25-18. But in February, other contenders also get to play Matt & Jeff, and ND falls back into 5^th place. Suddenly, Eric folds up his tent, and like a hungry cat, the team sneaks in the back door during the final week to tie CN with a 32-24 record. Tom edges ND for 3^rd place on the head to head tiebreaker, setting up the 5^th ND/FW post-season meeting in Randy's 6 seasons at the helm. FW wins the season series 4 games to 3.
 
 

Game 1                        R  H E
North Dakota 1 3 1  0 0 0  1 1 0  7 15 3
Future Wax   0 0 0  3 1 0  0 1 0  5  7 1

WP - R. Johnson LP - Moyer SV - Hoffman HR: Cirillo (2), Sefcik (ND); Nomar, M. Williams (FW)

Cirillo leads off the game with a homer for ND, and follows in the 2^nd inning with an unearned 2-run homer after Nomar's error. Sefcik's solo 3^rd inning homer makes it 5-0 ND. But Garciaparra's homer and Kent's 2-run double in the bottom of the 3^rd make it 5-3 and Larkin's error scores Sheffield in the 5^th so that FW is within one run at 5-4. ND scores a big insurance run in the 7^th off FW's ace setup man, Pedro Martinez, when Alomar singles, steals 2^nd, goes to 3^rd on Piazza's overthrow, and scores on Justice's 2-out single. A sac fly by Santiago in the 8th makes it 7-4, and Remlinger and Hoffman nail down the win in the 8^th and 9^th for North Dakota.

Game 2                        R  H E
North Dakota 5 0 0  0 0 0  0 2 0  7 12 0
Future Wax   1 0 1  1 0 4  0 0 1  8 12 2

WP - P. Martinez LP - Shaw HR: Lampkin (ND); M. Williams, Bonds, Febles (FW)

Once again, ND jumps out in front. A single, error, single and 2-run double by Alomar make it 2-0. A walk, lineout and rbi single by O'Neill makes it 3-0. Santiago's 2-out single makes it 4-0, and FW's second error of the inning, by Durham, makes it 5-0 in the top of the first. Sheffield's rbi hit makes it 5-1 after one. M. Williams's homer makes it 5-2 and 2 hits and a double play make it 5-3 after 4. Meanwhile, mopup man supreme Greg Maddux pitches 3 1/3 shutout innings. In the bottom of the 6^th, after two outs were recorded, a pinch-hit single by Juan Gonzalez keeps the inning alive. Then Rosado hits Griffey, and Shuey comes in. He walks Garciaparra to load em up, and Barry Bonds smacks a 2-0 fastball for the grand salami and FW leads for the first time, 7-5. But ND refuses to die and ties it up on a pinch-hit 2-out 2-run homer by Tom Lampkin off closer supreme Pedro Martinez. Bottom of the 9th, Carlos Febles smacks Jeff Shaw's first pitch into the night, sending the Wax fans home delirious, and the series is tied.

Game 3                        R  H E
Future Wax   0 2 3  0 0 1  0 3 0  9 10 0
North Dakota 1 1 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  2  4 0

WP - P. Martinez LP - Saberhagen HR: Piazza (2) (FW)

Klesko's rbi double off starter Paul Abbott gives ND the short-lived 1-0 lead. Piazza's homer, Bonds's, triple and Durham's sac fly give FW a 2^nd inning 2-1 lead, and Piazza's 3-run blast makes it 5-2 in the 3^rd. ND gets 2 on with one out for Larkin in the 5^th. Embree comes in. Mo Vaughn pinch-hits and is intentionally walked to load the bases. Ramon Hernandez pinch-hits for Klesko, and Pedro comes in. Justice pinch-hits for the pinch-hitter with the bases loaded and 2 out, and strikes out. Mop up pitcher Greg Maddux finishes off the combined 4-man 4-hitter for Future Wax and they're up 2 games to 1.

Game 4                        R H E
Future Wax   0 0 0  0 0 1  0 0 0  1 5 2
North Dakota 0 0 0  0 0 2  0 0 0  2 7 1

WP - R. Johnson LP - P. Martinez

Lefty aces Jamie Moyer and Randy Johnson hook up and yield a combined 6 hits through 5 innings (only one for Randy). A one out single by Nomar, who steals second, is followed by a 2-out Matt Williams triple for a tenuous 1-0 FW lead in the 6^th. Glenallen Hill outlasts Johnstone and draws a one-out walk. Pedro comes in to face pinch-hitting Paul O'Neill. O'Neill hits a routine fly to CF Giles (playing instead of Griffey against the lefty) and Giles misplays it for a 2-base error. Luis Gonzalez hits a sac fly to tie it up, and B. Williams drives in the unearned go-ahead run with a single. Johnson, meanwhile, pitches the final 3 innings, allowing just one baserunner for his second World Series victory.
 
 

Game 5                        R H E
Future Wax   0 2 2  0 0 0  0 0 0  4 9 0
North Dakota 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 2 2

WP - Embree LP - Rosado HR: Piazza (FW)

Kevin Rogers, Scott Williamson, Alan Embree and John Johnstone pitch a combined 2-hit shutout for FW to give the Wax a 3 games to 2 lead in the series. Piazza's 2-run blast following B. Williams's 2 base error in the 2^nd is all the offense FW needs. Rogers, pitching a 1-hitter, is inexplicably removed after 4 1/3 innings, but Williamson doesn't miss a beat. The only threat for ND is in the 6^th, when Alomar doubles with one out, sending Cirillo (who led off with a walk) to third. But Williamson fans Mo Vaughn and Embree comes in to fan the pinch-hitting Justice and ND is cooked.

Game 6                         R  H E
North Dakota 2 2 1  2 1 1  2 0 0  11 19 1
Future Wax   0 2 2  0 0 0  0 0 1   5  9 0

WP - Saberhagen LP - Hermanson HR: B. Williams (3), O'Neill, Lankford (ND); Piazza, J. Gonzalez (FW)

Finally, the "Controversy of Game 6" must be told. For 4 months now, nobody other than the combatants has known about this strife. Until now: After three games in ND, (singles 1-5 for righties), The Waxhome (among other things, singles for righties 1-14) will be a big contrast. The game started out ordinarily enough. ND's early 4-0 lead becomes a slim 5-4 lead after 3 innings. In the top of the 4^th, with one out and one on, Craig Grebeck gets a ballpark single and rolls a '9'. The manager and scorekeeper rules a lineout. B. Williams then flies out to end the inning. But the ND manager calls a halt and thinks "wait a minute, we're at FW now. That bp single by Grebeck was a hit' and points this out to the FW manager. Randy, who of course would have had no reason to remember Grebeck's actual ballpark roll, is taken aback at the request to replay the inning, counting the Grebeck ballpark single as a single. The discussion gets tense. What's the correct thing to do? What would other managers do? Do you trust your opponent? And even if you do, should scoring or managerial (or card reading) errors be corrected or not? Both managers threaten to protest the game. In the end, it is agreed to go back and let Grebeck have another at bat. He singles and ND goes on to score 2 runs to lead 7-4. But not only does the game continue with strained and muted communication, the karma completely surges to ND and ND goes on to rout FW with 19 hits. (Overlooked in the Controversy was B. Williams' 3 home runs and 6 rbis). Randy and FW are completely taken out of the game. The issue wasn't one of questioning the honesty of the ND manager about whether Grebeck's bp roll was really a "9", but whether the inning should have been replayed, regardless. Was FW robbed? Would other managers, as ND claimed, also believe the inning should have been replayed?
 

Game 7                        R H E
North Dakota 0 0 0  0 0 1  0 0 0  1 6 0
Future Wax   0 0 0  0 0 2  0 0 x  2 7 1

WP - P. Martinez LP - Hoffman HR: R. Alomar (ND); M. Williams (FW)

The bad vibes carry over into game 7. Like the game 6 World Series controversy between Eric & Jed back in '90, ND realizes now that any victory will be tainted. Did guilt influence the karma of this game? Moyer and Johnson battle through a tense scoreless first 5 innings, as ND gets 2 on in each of the first three innings but can't score. A one out homer by R. Alomar off relief ace P. Martinez, in for Moyer, gives ND a 1-0 lead in the 6^th . In the bottom of the 6^th, Nomar hits a one out double. Despite 2 complete game wins over FW, R. Johnson is taken out for Hoffman. He strikes out Piazza, but then serves up a 2-run shot to Matt Williams. In the 8^th, Cirillo leads off with a walk for ND. After two outs, M. Vaughn smashes a double. Ken Griffey, who came into the game once R. Johnson had been lifted to pinch-hit for Sheffield (Giles moving from CF to RF) uncorks a spectacular throw, enabling Piazza to block Cirillo from the plate to get the third out and preserve the lead. IF Giles is still in CF instead of Griffey (because R. Johnson hadn't been lifted) the run scores. Would Williams have hit the hr off Johnson, like he did off Hoffman? Was ND subconsciously influenced by guilt from game 6? The second-guessing continues during the heat of the summer. We'll never know.

Future Wax wins series 4 games to 3
 
 
 
 

New Orleans vs. Constantinople

Background: Coming off a disappointing first round playoff loss to ND (blowing a 3-0 series lead) in 2000, NO is picked 4^th in the preseason poll. Like everyone else, NO gets off to a fast start by sweeping Matt. Harold drops 3 of 4 to Eric on opening night, and by Thanksgiving is only 9-9, good for only 8^th place. But NO then knocks off FW 3 games to 1 and a week later, sweeps Tom and on 12/11 Harold is sitting in 1^st place at 16-10. The perch is short-lived; Robin beats him 5 of 7 and by Christmas, he's in 6^th place (18-15) 3 1/2 games out. A vacation filled January (3-4) leaves Harold in 7^th place, 8 games behind at 20-19. But he gets to play Matt (3-1) and the swooning Eric (3-0). Harold enters the final Sunday of the season against Clint with all kinds of crazy possibilities in the air. But Harold made quick work of Clint to clinch 2^nd place with an amazing final push (16-4 in February).

Constantinople starts the season off poorly - winning just 2 of 3 against Matt to sink into 8^th place. But he comes back to beat ND and BC and by the end of October, is in 2^nd place (9-5) 1 game behind Randy. After a lackluster November (6-7), Tom is still hanging around in 3^rd place (15-12) just 2 games out. Another mediocre month (4-3) is good enough to keep Tom in contention in 4^th place (19-15) by percentage points. But early in January, Tom gets to play Matt and sweeps into 2^nd place. He plays .500 ball the rest of the way, and that's good enough to finish in 3^rd place, the highest Constantinople regular-season finish ever. New Orleans wins the season series 4 games to 3.
 

Game 1                               R  H E
Constantinople 0 0 3  0 2 0  0 0 1   6  9 1
New Orleans    0 5 6  3 0 0  0 0 x  14 15 0
WP: Benson LP: Radke HR: CN - Tatis, Abreau NO - Bagwell, Jenkins

In game one, it’s all New Orleans. They score 5 runs in the 2^nd against Radke, led by Bagwell’s grand slam. Constantinople picks up 3 in third after they load the bases - Giambi works a walk scoring a run, and Burks knocks in 2 with a double. In the third, however, New Orleans blows it open, scoring 6 (on 4 walks and 3 singles) and adds 3 more in the 4^th , led by Jenkins' 2-run blast. Bagwell is the hitting star, going 2 for 3 with 2 walks, a HR and 4 RBI.
 
 

Game 2                               R  H E
Constantinople 1 0 0  2 0 0  0 2 1   6  8 2
New Orleans    0 1 1  1 1 2  0 4 x  10 11 0
WP: Harnisch LP: Rupe HR: CN - Tatis, Burks, Giambi NO - Fernandez, Martinez, Petrick

In game two at the Doc Ellis Crack House, Tatis starts the game with a leadoff HR to give CN the early lead. But the lead is short lived - Fernandez ties it in the 2^nd on a solo HR, and NO takes the lead in the 3^rd. The scrappy Constantinople team retakes the lead in the top of the 4^th on Karros’ 2 run double. The seesaw battle is tied in the bottom of the inning on three consecutive singles. But the Manatee staff can’t hold NO - they score a single run in the 5^th on Fernandez’s double, and add a pair in the 6^th on E. Martinez’s 2-run blast. Burks’ 2 run shot in the 8^th pulls CN back to within one, 6-5. But high-scoring New Orleans breaks it open in the bottom half of the inning on mutant Petrick’s grand slam. A solo shot by Giambi in the 9^th makes it 10-6. Fernandez is the hitting star for NO, going 3 for 4 with a HR, double, and an RBI.
 
 

Game 3                                R H E
New Orleans    2 0 2  2 0 0  0 0 0   6 11 0
Constantinople 2 0 9  0 0 0  2 0 x  13 11 0
WP: Thurman LP: Colon HR: NO - Bagwell, Mayne CN - Alfonzo (2), Trammel, Abreau

The series shifts to the Manatees' home park, and the home cooking does them well. The teams match each other with 2-run HRs in the 1^st - Bagwell for NO and Alfonzo for CN. NO takes the lead in the 3^rd on Martinez’s 2-run shot. But CN explodes for 9 runs in the bottom of the inning against Colon, led by Trammell’s grand slam, Alfonzo’s second HR of the game, and Abreau’s solo shot and they never look back. Alfonzo is the hitting star, going 4 for 4 with a walk and 4 RBI.
 
 

Game 4                               R  H E
New Orleans    0 0 1  0 4 1  1 1 3  11 14 2
Constantonople 1 1 2  0 2 0  0 1 0   7  9 0
WP: Rivera LP: Rocker SV: Wagner HR: NO -Hidalgo, Mayne, Ramirez(2), Martinez CN - Alfonzo, Giambi

The Manatees look to even the series. They get out to an early lead, scoring a run in the first as NO walks Everett with the bases loaded. Alfonzo’s solo HR in the 2^nd makes it 2 -0. Hidalgo’s HR cuts the lead in half 2 - 1, but CN responds in the 3^rd on Giambi's 2 run HR. Radke is strong, giving up just 2 hits through 4, but the NO bats come alive in the 5^th, led by Mayne's 3-run HR, giving NO the lead 5-4. But CN responds again, scoring 2 in the bottom of the inning on Everett's double. The NO offense keeps up the pressure, scoring single runs in the 6^th (solo HR Ramirez), 7^th (solo HR by Martinez) and 8^th (RBI single by Cedeno) and 3 in the 9^th on Manny’s second HR of the game, this one a three run blast. CN finally can no longer respond, leaving NO one game away from the championship series.
 
 

Game 5                               R  H E
New Orleans    0 0 3  1 0 1  1 7 0  13 15 0
Constantinople 0 1 0  0 4 3  3 1 0  12 17 2
WP: Rivera LP: Rocker HR: NO - Vizquel, Bagwell, Ramirez(2) CON - Burks, Tatis, Huskey, Alfonzo, White, Everett

With the Manatees up against the wall, game 5 is one of those SOMBILLA slugfests, with both teams combining for 10 HRs. CN opens the scoring on Burks's solo HR in the 2^nd. But solo shots by Vizquel and Manny give NO the lead, and they add a run in the 4^th on Manny’s run scoring single. But the Manatees will not go down quietly, scoring 4 in the 5^th (2 run HRs by Tatis and Huskey), 3 in the 6^th (on Alfonzo’s 2 run HR and White's solo HR) and 3 in the 7^th (on Everett's 3 run HR). After 7, it’s CN 11 - NO 6. The CN bullpen implodes in the 8^th, as NO scores 7 runs, led by HRs by Bagwell and Manny. CN pulls to within one run in the bottom of the inning, but Rivera closes the door and New Orleans is in the World Series for the 4^th time, and the 2^nd in 4 years.

New Orleans wins series 4 games to 1
 
 

World Series

Future Wax vs. New Orleans

At Somerville, 3/11/01. Background: The series marks the 4^th World Series appearance in Randy's 6-year managerial tenure. It is also a rematch of the 1998 World Series won by Future Wax in 6 games. New Orleans won the season series 4 games to 3.

Game 1                           R  H E
New Orleans 0 2 1  2 0 0  2 0 1  8 14 1
Future Wax  0 1 2  3 2 0  1 0 x  9 14 1
WP: Martinez LP: Benson SV: Williamson HR: FW - Sheffield, Bonds (2), M. Williams. NO - Jenkins, Ramirez.

It’s Pedro vs. Rookie Kris Benson in game 1 at the Wax Home. Pedro flexes his muscles in the first inning, striking out E. Martinez and Vizquel to start the game. But New Orleans draws first blood in the series in the second, with back-to back doubles by Ramirez and Fernandez, and Mayne adds an RBI single, putting NO out to an early 2-0 lead. The Wax strike back in the bottom half of the inning with a Griffey single and Nomar RBI double. A Jenkins HR in the third puts NO up 3 -1, but Sheffield quickly answers with a 2 run shot to tire the score 3 all. NO plays "small ball" in the 4^th, scoring 2 runs on four singles and an SB, but FW again quickly strikes back with 3 runs in the 4th, and 2 in the 5^th on two solo shots by Bonds and M. Williams, making the score 8-5, FW. NO scrapes back with 2 runs in the 7 to pull to within a run, but Bonds hits his second solo HR of the game in the bottom half of the inning to ice it. A Manny solo shot in the 9^th is not enough. Final FW 9 NO 8. Pedro gets the win, fanning 9 in 5 innings.
 
 

Game 2                           R  H E
New Orleans 0 0 0  1 0 0  0 0 1  2  7 1
Future Wax  1 1 1  0 0 0  3 0 x  6 11 0
WP: Williamson LP: Leiter HR: FW - Sheffield. NO - Fernandez, Widger

The Wax Home is rocking for game 2, Greg Maddux vs. Al Leiter. Sheffield leads off the game with a HR, and the Wax don’t look back. They plate single runs in the 2^nd and 3^rd, and take a 3 - 0 lead into the 4^th. Fernandez hits a solo shot to pull NO to within 2, but FW adds 3 more in the 7^th on 2 walks, two singles and an error by Mendoza. Widger hits a solo shot for NO in the ninth to close out the scorning.
 
 

Game 3                           R  H E
Future Wax  1 1 0  0 3 0  1 0 0  6 10 0
New Orleans 0 0 0  1 2 1  0 0 3  7  5 0
WP: Pote LP: Abbott HR:NO - Hidalgo, Martinez, Petrick FW - Giles, Gonzalez, Kent.

With the Wax up 2 games to 0, the series shifts to the Doc Ellis Crack House, where Keith Richards throws out the first pitch. For the second straight game, FW jumps out to a quick lead, with a Giles HR in the 1^st. Colon strikes out the side in the 2^nd, but not before FW picks up another run on a double by Kent and three consecutive walks. Gonzalez and Kent hit HRs in the 5^th inning, giving FW a 5 - 1 lead after 4 ½ innings. The NO Manager starts to think about the draft.

But the NO team starts to rally. They score two runs on only one hit in the 5^th, to make the score 5 - 3 FW. Hidalgo hits a solo shot in the 6^th to put NO within one run, 5-4, but the Wax answer back in the 7^th with a Nomar single and Kent’s second double of the game, to make the score FW 6, NO 4 going into the 9^th inning.

Williamson strikes out Fernandez for the first out of the 9^th. After a walk to Hidalgo, NO brings up its mutant Petrick as a pinch hitter. The mutant comes through, hitting a game-tying HR. FW brings in Abbott to face Biggio, who grounds out. With the game tied and both managers thinking about extra innings, Abbott grooves a pitch to Edgar Martinez, who hits the game winning HR.
 
 

Game 4                               R  H E
Future Wax  5 0 2  0 0 2  0 0 0  1  10 12 1
New Orleans 1 0 1  0 2 3  0 2 0  2  11 13 1
WP: Mendoza LP: Williamson HR: NO - Fernandez, Ramirez, Jenkins, Bagwell FW - Piazza, Gonzalez, Bonds.

It’s a match up of game 1 starters Pedro vs. Benson, and the Wax jump all over Benson for 5 runs in the top of the 1^st, on a 3 run HR by Piazza and double by Williams scoring 2. Benson doesn’t survive the 1^st inning. NO pushes across single runs in the 1^st and 3^rd innings, with FW adding two more in the 3^rd. Fernandez hits a two run HR in the 5^th to make the score FW 7, NO 4. When the Wax add 2 runs in the top of the 6^th, the crowd starts to wonder, will the limited Pedro (14 inn for the series) come out of the game, thus saving him for a potential 7^th game?

To the amazement of the NO Manager, Pedro stays in…and promptly gives up a 3 run HR to Ramirez in the bottom of the 6^th, to pull NO to within two runs, 9 - 7. Pedro strikes out the side in the 7^th, and again the crowd wonders, will Pedro answer the bell in the 8^th inning? Yes he does, and promptly gives up a two run shot to Jenkins to tie the score 9-9. The game goes into the 10^th inning, when Bonds hits a two out solo HR against Mendoza, the ninth pitcher used by NO. In the bottom of the 10^th, FW brings in closer Williamson, who gives up a leadoff walk to Jenkins. Bagwell then hits a monstrous HR to give NO the miraculous come from behind victory. As both managers sit stunned, the series is tied 2-2. And Pedro, who had 17 strikeouts, is through for the series.
 
 

Game 5                            R H E
Future Wax  0 0 0  2 3 0  4 0 0   9 12 3
New Orleans 1 0 0  2 0 0  3 2 2  10 13 0
WP: Mendoza LP: Abbott HR: NO - Bagwell FW - Bonds, Sheffield

It’s a new series as NO jumps out to an early lead on two singles and an error by the FW starter Maddux. The Wax take the lead with 2 in the 4^th, but NO answers with 2 in the bottom of the inning. A solo shot by Sheffield, and a 2 run HR by Bonds put the Wax up 5 -3 after 5. FW then breaks it open with 4 runs in the top of the 7^th on 4 singles, and 2 walks as the NO bullpen implodes. NO starts to chip away - Bagwell hits a 2 run HR , and NO scores another in the bottom of the 7^th to make the score FW 9, NO 6. In the bottom of the 8^th, NO scores 2 runs on a double, two walks and a single, making the score FW 9, NO 8. As FW goes 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, both managers wonder if NO can pull off a third straight walk-off come from behind win. Widger leads off the bottom of the ninth getting hit, putting the tying run on. Biggio then doubles, moving Widger to third, and putting the winning run on second. FW bring in Abbott to face Game 3 hero Edgar Martinez. Martinez lines a shot into the gap, scoring both runners, and NO wins 10 - 9. In dramatic fashion, the series shifts back to the Wax Home.

Game 6                           R H E
New Orleans 0 0 2  2 0 0  1 1 0  6 9 1
Future Wax  0 1 3  0 0 0  0 0 0  4 8 1
WP: Harnisch LP: Hermanson SV: Wagner HR: FW - Piazza (2)

With NO looking for their first championship, the Wax strike first on Piazza’s solo HR in the 2^nd. In the top of the 3rd, NO takes the lead on a run scoring double by Martinez and single by Vizquel. The Wax strike back in the bottom of the inning, on Piazza's second HR of the game, this one a 3 run shot. NO ties this seesaw battle in the 4^th on Mayne’s 2 RBI single. As we go into the 5^th tied 4 -4, the vaunted NO bullpen, which has been rocked all series, finally takes charge. Six pitchers scatter 2 hits over the final 5 innings (no extra base hits), with only one FW runner getting as far as second base. NO takes the lead to stay in the 7^th without the benefit of a hit - an error by Febles and 4 consecutive walks. They score an insurance run in the 8^th on a sac fly by FPS. In the bottom of the 9^th the Wax try to rally. Thome walks with one out, and moves to 2^nd on a fielder's choice. Pinch hitter Delucci then hits a single on a 1-3 to put two runners on and bring Piazza (who already has 2 HR in the game) to the plate as the winning run. Wagner challenges Piazza, who hits a deep fly that Jenkins catches, giving NO the victory and its first SOMBILLA championship.
 
 

New Orleans wins series 4 games to 2
 

THOUGHTS WHILE WALKING THE NEW DOG
 
 

Minutes of Annual Meeting and Draft April 1, 2001

1. Dues - OFFICIAL BLASTING!!! OFFICIAL BLASTING!!! OFFICIAL BLASTING!!! OFFICIAL BLASTING!!! OFFICIAL BLASTING!!! à Land, Andrew & Tsuanß - are DELINQUENT!!!. $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00.

2. Awards Voting - 5 points for 1st place, 3 for 2nd place, 1 for 3rd place. Votes from teams with two members voting are worth half of the above points. Since managers cannot vote for their own players, 8 votes would be a unanimous vote.

MVP              1    2   3    Tot

Ramirez, NO    5^1/2    1  1^1/2   32
R. Alomar, ND  2^1/2    2  1     19^1/2
B. Williams, ND 1     3  1     15
Burks, CN             1  3      6
Bagwell, NO           1  1      4
Garciaparra, FW       1         3
Abreau, CN               1      1
I. Rodriguez, BC        1/2    1/2
 

Cy Young         1    2    3    Tot

P. Martinez, FW 6^1/2   1        35^1/2
Foulke, DD      1^1/2   3    1   17^1/2
Hoffman, ND          1^1/2  4^1/2    9
K. Brown, O9          2    2     8
Millwood, DD     1        1/2   5^1/2
Wagner, NO            1          3
Moyer, FW            1/2   1    2^1/2
 
 

Manager of the Year   1   2   3   Tot

Harold                6   1   1   34
Tom                   1   6       23
Eric                  1            5
Arnie                         4    4
Jeff                      1        3
Clint                         2    2
Randy                         1    1
 

3. Rules changes

Strat-O proposed the following new rule:

a. Rule 14.5. OUTFIELDER ROBBING A HOMERUN. This is along the same vein as the Catcher Blocking the Plate rule. Whenever there is a Homerun/Flyout split (from the cards or the ballpark chart) the outfielder's defensive ability may be challenged, and it can make a difference between a homerun and a flyout. The rule comes into play when you are rolling the 20-sided die to determine if it is a homerun. If the last number in the homerun range or the first number in the flyout range is selected then the outfielder's ability will be checked with another roll of the 20-sided die. Refer to the following chart to determine which outfielder has a chance for the catch:
 

Batter Bats	Last number in HR range	First number in Flyout range
Left-handed	Rightfielder	Centerfielder
Right-handed	Leftfielder	Centerfielder

For instance, if the homer range is 1-14 and you roll a 14 or a 15 on the 20-sided die then you ,must roll the 20-sided die again and refer to the following chart to determine the outcome:
 

Outfielder's Rating	Homerun	Flyout
1	1-3	4-20
2	1-7	8-20
3	1-11	12-20
4	1-15	16-20
5	1-19	20

The vote was surprisingly close; the league voted 5-3 to adopt the new rule (with one abstention).

b. By-laws clarification. Randy proposed a clarification for the bylaw. Currently, Article III, Paragraph A, contains the following text (among other language): "Used up players who must bat get an automatic popout. Used up pitchers are automatically tired."

The proposal was to remove that text and add a new Paragraph, G:

Used Up Players

A used up player must be removed before his next at bat if a substitute is available. Used up players who must bat get an automatic popout. A used up player on the bench may be used as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner only if it is possible to replace him before his next at bat.

A used up pitcher must be removed from the game immediately if there are any non-used-up eligible pitchers available (including tired relievers with available innings left). Used up pitchers who must pitch are automatically tired. Used up pitchers may still pinch-hit or pinch-run.

The league adopted this clarification by a vote of 8-1. (For some reason, Harold was against it.)

c. Draft change. Three proposals, all from Tsuan, were on the table. We basically got to the first proposal, which was to allow a team to make a total of 12 picks, as long as the team had traded for the extra picks in the first 3 rounds (the status quo). After some back and forth discussion, and some creative amendments, a new simpler proposal came out - namely that each team can cut down to 33 players, and then draft to a total of 45, for a total of 12 rounds, regardless of any trades made. In essence, the draft would be 12 rounds instead of today's 10, and a potential of 108 players could be drafted.

One person pleaded that certain teams that do the most scouting would have an unfair advantage in the later rounds (which Clint not incorrectly took as an [unintentional] insult). Others felt that whether or not that was true, it was counteracted by any team's wanting to draft 12 players having to cut more players who get thrown back into the pool to get redrafted again as free agents in later years. The league then adopted this change to the draft, beginning in 2002, by a vote of 7-2. All Holliston residents were against it.

d. Ballparks. In an effort to bring ballpark creativity back into the league, and halt ballpark extremism, I proposed eliminating designed ballparks, but to increase the available ballparks from the 30 MLB parks, to those parks plus their identical negative. Strong opinions abounded. Certain league officers were accused of having thorns up their butts over the issue. But when the votes were counted, the league had voted 5-4 in favor of the proposal to end designing parks.

At that point, Matt gave a rousing speech, pointing out that, based on the numbers for the 2001 ballparks, 4 teams in the SOMBILLA would end up playing in Colorado. He proposed to table the Commissioner's proposal for a year to see if in fact the league could get more creative. Robin 'Et tu Brute?' then switched her vote, and designing ballparks was back in, 5-4.

e. Ballpark amendment. Harold then proposed that each team be required to retain their park for three years. This was defeated 8-1.

f. Someone then proposed that we draft ballparks. The proposal was then abruptly withdrawn when issues around timing of the draft arose.

g. Extra roster move. Eric proposed that each team be allowed one extra roster move after the roster freeze (not counting any moves necessitated by injuries) for teams that make trades. His reasoning was that a trade can sometimes change the makeup of the team, making certain players superfluous. To make the proposal more palatable to the conservative faction, he added to the proposal a limit of one roster move even if the team made more than one trade. He then tried to back down from this limit, but the proposal, with the limit adjustment, passed over Eric's own objection, 5-4.

Randy then proposed to amend the rule, by extending it to 1 extra roster move per team, regardless of whether it makes a trade, after the roster freeze, but before the trading deadline. This passed by a vote of 6-3.

Clint then proposed a very detailed amendment to the amendment, which nobody, including Clint himself, understood, and the proposal was withdrawn before a vote could be taken.

Eric then proposed an amendment to Randy's rule whereby each team gets 1 roster move after the roster freeze, plus one additional move if they make a trade. This was defeated by a vote a 5-4, so Randy's amended rule remains the law.

h. DH. Matt then proposed that we eliminate the DH. This was defeated 6-3. Jed & Clint proposed that the home team could decide whether to use the DH. This was defeated 8-1.

i. Roster expansion. Harold then proposed that each team be allowed to expand its roster at a pro-rated date similar to the major leagues' roster increase date of September 1. The added players are not eligible for the postseason. He clarified that, for this season, the roster increase be by just one man, from 25 to 26. This passed by a vote of 5-4. According to the 2001 Red Sox schedule, there are 134 games before September 1, which prorates to 46 games in the SOMBILLA. Therefore, each team will be allowed to carry 26 players for the final 10 games of the SOMBILLA season, based on this rule change.

j. Roster freeze. Tom & Robin then asked for a clarification of the roster freeze deadline, which is before the 21^st game. Their clarification concerned confusion about when the 21^st game falls in the middle of the series. The current rule is that, in such a case, your roster is frozen before the series in which your 21^st game falls. Alternatives such as allowing the freeze to occur in mid-series or after the series in which the 21^st game occurs were discussed. But I think the league was burnt out from all of the prior discussions and lost focus, and no actual vote to change this rule was taken before the meeting ended in a chaos of cellphones, yelling children, and spilled beer.

4.  The plaque. I tried to refocus everyone's attention on the next agenda item - the fact that with Harold's championship, the plaque is now full. No real discussion took place, although I think it was decided to look into some kind of additional plaque. Unless I hear from people, I will visit my local trophy store and report back.

5.  Internet Strat-O. At the draft, Tom, Jeff (maybe) and myself volunteered to form the SOMBILLA's Internet Committee and test this out. It's here, and it's ready. According to Strat-O "[t]he software will allow two opponents to play head-to-head in real time over the Internet. The Net Play software replaces the SOM Interactive project that was terminated by STATS, Inc. for business reasons…Strat-O-Matic's Net Play has been under development for more than a year…{I}t will include face-to-face Internet play, the feature most requested by gamers. It will allow all or just a few games to be played over the Internet. Statistics will be kept on your computer for either league or pickup games…Net Play will be available for a single annual fee of $15 to help the game company recoup the cost of its investment in developing the new software. Because most customers already have ordered their game, shipping and handling charges will be waived this year. Net Play will require the IBM Version 6.0 games and Windows 95, 98, ME, NT or 2000 operating systems. The Version 6.0 CD-ROM must be in the drive while the game is being played. The feature will not be offered for Windows 3.1 or Macintosh users because the technology utilized does not support those platforms. Net Play might not work behind a firewall. If the firewall cannot be temporarily disabled, SOM suggests using a free dial-up modem service for the game."

So there you have it. As far as I know, nobody in the league has purchased this yet, but if someone does, I will too. I am still waiting to hear from people like Jed, Tsuan and Andrew as this is your chance to get back into the day to day managing of your teams. And I would think Jeff, Clint and Harold would be interested in order to cut traveling time. Of course, I think only Clint, Tom, Andrew, Robin & I actually have Computer Strat-O 6.0, and that's a prerequisite.

6. Card burning. The only nomination received was for Bobby Chouinard, who was then burned.

7. Draft notes

There were two pre-draft trades, and one trade occurred in the middle of the first round:

• Cirillo, North Dakota to TTFKA Bay City for a 2nd round pick (became J. Rollins) (Insurance - if Cirillo bats <.300 or is limited, Robin gets a 5^th round pick in 2001 [Double indemnity clause: If Cirillo hits 30 home runs, no 5^th round pick is owed, regardless of batting average or at bats.])
• Manila Folders trade 8^th round pick acquired from Other 99 to the Dewey Dells (became C. Koskie) for an 8^th round pick in 2002.
• Other 99 trades K. Brown to New Orleans for 1^st, 5^th and 7^th round picks in 2001 (became R. Dempster and Lugo [7^th round pick acquired from NO annulled due to having already made 10 picks] and 1^st, 5^th and 7^th round picks in 2002.

• Jamey Wright, picked just after D'Amico in the 1^st round by Robin, who previously drafted him in the 7^th round in 97 and cut him in 99.
• F. Castillo, 2^nd round by Matt. Originally drafted by Land way back when.
• Paul Wilson, 2^nd round Eric. Jeff took a 9^th round flyer on him once, but gave up.
• Leskanic, 3^rd round Robin. Toiled for Jed & Clint once, I believe.
• Higginson, 4^th round Matt. This former J&C farmhand was cut just one year ago.
• D. Fletcher, Arnie, 5^th round. Redrafted by the same dolt who cut him in 2000.
• Hollandsworth, Eric 6^th round. Another former J&C farmhand.
• D. Lee, 6^th round, RAT. These guys are indeed human. They cut him last year.
• McLemore, 8^th round Jeff. Played for Matt at one point.
• R. Ortiz (Ana), 8^th round by Tom - who Matt had cut about an hour earlier.
• D. Wells, 8^th round, RAT. ND picked him up in '99; he helped them win a championship, then they cut him.
• A. Gonzalez, 10^th round Robin. J&C cut the league's cutest player last year, briefly vaulting Steve Finley into 1^st place, making the free agent irresistible to at least one manager.
• C. Guillen, 10^th round, Tom. Cut by Jeff this year, Land really liked him.
• D. Lewis, 10^th round Harold. Another former J&C player.
• M. Grace, 12^th round Harold. With the last pick of the draft, Harold redrafted Grace, who he had cut a mere 2 hours earlier.

FRANCHISE NEWS

Negotiations between the Future Wax front office and Randy Divinski continue to drag on. They hope to have a one-year deal concluded by Labor Day.

In the wake of the massive explosion that ruined Gackle Park, North Dakota's home field, and the continual death threats received by certain of the team's cow handlers, the team has formed a search committee to seek out potential new playing sites. Stay tuned.
 
 

SUMMER STUDY No. 1 - RACIAL PROFILING IN THE SOMBILLA

Always at the cutting edge of controversy, this summer, the SOMBILLA spotlight team, sponsored by the International Committee for Karma, Yada, yada, yada; the Politically Correct Oversight Order (ICKYPOO), revisits a familiar subject.

Team White Latino African-American Asian '01 White% 97 White%

Eric   30    5          9            1       67%        64%
RAT    29    9          6            1       64%        64%
Matt   27   11          5            2       60%        69%
Arnie  27   11          7            0       60%        60%
J&C    26   11          6            1       59%        67%
Harold 26   16          3            1       57%        60%
Jeff   24   14          7            0       53%        64%
Tom    24   11          9            1       53%        42%
Robin  22   12         10            1       49%        47%

            W   L  AA  A
TOTAL 2001 58% 25% 15% 2%
TOTAL 1997 60% 20% 20%
TOTAL 1994 57% 19% 24%
TOTAL 1991 66% 13% 22%

The numbers were compiled with Robin's assistance (who of course not only knows what all our players look like but also knows who has nice buns and who wears gold chains, etc). There were only about 10 players whom she was not familiar with, so we found pictures on the Internet for them.

As you can see, the league has made great progress in its integration efforts over the past four years, as only 3 of the 9 teams are whiter than they were four years ago. The league does have more Latino ballplayers than ever before - fully 1/4 of the league, although they appear to have replaced more African-Americans than white ballplayers. The black population in the league is at its lowest point ever. I am not certain of the causes of this, whether due to racism in real baseball, expansion, worse quality of African-American players in real baseball (I have read that basketball and football are now the sports of choice for many urban youths), or a less 'enlightened' league. And , we of course now have a new category, as the SOMBILLA features 8 Asian players.

Eric, who back in 1991 in the inaugural study owned a team that was 80% white, has regained his title as 'Red Sox of the SOMBILLA', with the whitest team in the league. Bucking the Latino trend, Eric employs a mere 5 players of Latino origin, and has banned all Salsa music in the clubhouse. 'Southern Man' Harold has only 3 African-Americans on his team, replacing them with a league-high 16 Hispanics.

Robin, always employing among the most minorities on her club, earns the most politically correct team honors, including a league-high 10 African-Americans. Matt, the league's most racist team 4 years ago, has made a few baby steps to see the light, as he employs one white, one black and one Latino catcher.

This is probably a reflection on MLB as a whole, but across the league, 73% of the pitchers are white (82% for Eric), but only 34% of the outfielders. Tom has the most politically correct infield - only 27% white, while Eric (who else) has the whitest infield at 64%.

One final interesting discovery was that New Orleans' Danny Graves is counted as Asian; his mother is Vietnamese and he was born in 'Nam.
 
 

SUMMER STUDY #2 –DRAFT ANALYSIS - 1997

This summer we will do our 4-year draft retrospective analysis of the 1997 draft. As always, the first 2 rounds (18 picks) will be listed in order, for heightened scrutiny. For these two rounds, SOMBILLA stats are available for all players except for partial stats for some who played for Eric or Matt during the past 3 years. After that, all picks are lumped together by round.

We've conducted 4 SOMBILLA seasons since that '97 draft (using the 96, 97, 98 and 99 seasons), and we will begin playing another season, the 2000 cards, in a few months. Finally, in real life, we are currently in the midst of a 6th Strat-O season, 2001, and we can project who might be usable. Thus, each player from this draft will have the potential to play in all six SOMBILLA seasons. In '96-97, Dave & Jeff finished in last place, earning the right to draft first overall. Dave resigned from the league at the end of the season, giving Jeff the entire ownership of the team. This was the first draft ever held in Holliston. How'd we do?

Round 1

1.  Renteria, Jeff (.268, 6 homers, 53 rbis). Has played in four full seasons, although does not appear to be usable in either 2000 or 2001.
2.  Radke, Matt (partial stats 7-4, 8.52). 2 seasons, plus having a good 2001.
3.  A. Jones, Jed & Clint (.271, 32, 78). A productive 3 seasons, with a good card in 2000.
4.  T. Walker, Jeff (.252, 3, 15). Jeff's 2^nd pick in the top 4 has played just one season so far, but has a good card in 2000 and is having a good 2001.
5.  C. Park, Land & Brian (6-8, 4.60) 2 seasons, plus 2000 and 2001.
6.  L. Castillo, Robin (.229, 0, 16). 2 seasons, plus 2000 and 2001.
7.  Garciaparra (.350 [234 for 668], 35, 142). 5 teams had a crack at this guy (one person had two cracks) and snubbed their noses. 3 seasons, plus 2000 and (I assume a limited) 2001.
8.  Rolen, Arnie (.241, 19, 80). 3 seasons, plus 2000 and 2001
9.  A. Leiter, Harold (13-9, 5.66) 3 seasons, plus 2000 and 2001

Best pick: Right now, I gotta go with Nomar. Those would be great stats in MLB, let alone an all-star league like the SOMBILLA. But in ten years, it'll be interesting to compare Andrew Jones's career with Nomar's; Jones is still only 24, 3 years younger than Nomar.

Worst pick: No one really. T. Walker and Castillo both got off to very slow starts in their careers. Walker especially looked like a bust. But he's turned his career around nicely.

Round 2

10. Erstad, Jeff (.292, 1, 11) 3 seasons, plus 2000.
11. Brosius, L&B (.263, 3, 21) 1 season plus 2000.
12. B. Wagner, Harold (9-3, 3.91, 4 sv) 3 seasons, plus having a good 2001
13. S. Sanders, J&C (8-4, 2.59). One season.
14. TJ Mathews, Matt (2-0, 10.48, 4 sv) One season
15. R. Pemberton, Robin (6 for 16, 3 rbis)
16. Kendall, RAT (.318, 6, 33). 3 seasons, plus 2000
17. Belcher, Arnie (4-6, 7.55) One season
18. M. James, Eric (0-1, 5.29, 2 sv) One season.

 Best pick - Tie. Wagner, Harold and Kendall, RAT. Let's see. 5 teams drafted one year wonders in this round. 2 of the four who didn't played in the World Series last year.

Worst pick - Rudy Pemberton, Robin. Mutant supreme, but the 15^th overall pick for 16 at bats?

Round 3

Best pick - Giles, RAT. All 6 seasons, one of only two players from this draft with that claim. I see a trend here. They find these guys who then get to play in the World Series for Randy.

Worst pick - Bluma, Robin. The earliest player drafted who never played in the SOMBILLA.

Also picked - Dye, Jeff (1 season + 2000); R. Ordonez, Matt (2 seasons); T. Worrell, J&C (1 season); Rosado, Arnie (3 seasons); T. Adams, L&B (2 seasons, plus 2000); R. Jefferson, Arnie (1 season); Cook, Eric (3 seasons).

Round 4

Best pick - Shuey, Arnie. Not usable at all for 3 calendar years (2 seasons) after being drafted but played last SOMBILLA season, had a fine 2000 and is looking good again in 2001.

Worst pick - Bielecki, Harold. Never played in the SOMBILLA. Chosen just ahead of Prieto

Also picked - Prieto, L&B (never played); Al. Benes, Harold (2 seasons); Grudzelanik, J&C (2 seasons); Offerman, L&B (2 seasons); Trombley, Eric (2 seasons); Guthrie, RAT (1 season); E. Davis, Eric (1 season)

Round 5

Best pick - T. Clark, J&C (4 seasons, plus a fine 2001). An outstanding 5^th round pick.

Worst pick - Bochtler, RAT. The only player from this round to not appear in the SOMBILLA.

Also picked - Wendell, Jeff (2 seasons plus 2000); Shaw, Matt (3 seasons plus 2001); MacFarlane, Eric (1 season); Radinsky, L&B (2 seasons); B. Taylor, Robin (3 seasons); D'Amico, Arnie (cut after 2 season ending surgeries, was drafted 4^th overall by Matt this year); Sprague, Eric (1 season)

Round 6

Best pick - McElroy, Robin. After being cut by J&C, Robin picked him up and got 3 seasons out of him.

Worst picks - Coppinger, RAT; Dickson, Arnie. We gambled and lost.

Also picked - Baldwin, Harold (1 season); Batista, L&B (1 season); R. Rivera, Harold (1 season); Burba, J&C (2 seasons); Becker, Matt (1); Flaherty, Eric (1)

Round 7

Best pick - D. Graves, Harold (3 seasons)

Worst picks- 'Way Back' Wasdin, Matt; D. Young, L&B; Eldred, Eric; Wade, J&C. Never made the big-time.

Also picked - Holtz, Jeff (1); J. Wright, Robin (cut and redrafted 5^th overall this year); Mi. Grace, RAT (1); Estes, Arnie (2)

Round 8

Best pick - FPS, Harold (although Harold cut him and redrafted him last year). 3 seasons

Worst picks - McCracken, Robin; Stahoviak, Eric. Never played.

Also picked - McLemore, Jeff (1); Whiten, L&B (1); Berroa, J&C (1); Stottlemyre, Matt (1); Elster, RAT (1); Casian, Arnie (1)

Round 9

Best picks - Tie. Urbina, Harold (all 6 seasons) and M. Sweeney, Robin (5 seasons). Two outstanding 9^th round picks.

Worst picks - B. Brown, Matt; Paquette, J&C; Howard, Harold. Quite a contrast to Urbina and Sweeney.

Also picked - P. Wilson, Jeff (1); Espinoza, RAT (1); Osik, Arnie (1); Stairs, Eric (4 seasons and in most years, would be the best 9^th round pick)

Rounds 10 & 11

Best picks - N. Perez, Harold (3 seasons); B. Mueller, Robin (4 seasons). Perez is 4 years younger.

Worst pick - None

Also picked - H. Rodriguez, J&C (2); S. Andrews, Matt (1); Valle, RAT (1); Deer, Matt (1)

Best draft, 1997: Harold (A. Leiter, B. Wagner, Bielecki, Al. Benes, Baldwin, R. Rivera, Graves, FPS, D. Howard, N. Perez). 4 years later, he won the World Series.

Worst draft, 1997 tie: Matt (for the 4^th consecutive year) (Radke, TJ Mathews, R. Ordonez, Shaw, Becker, Wasdin, Stottlemyre, B. Brown, S. Andrews, Deer) and Eric (M. James, Cook, Trombley, E. Davis, MacFarlane, Sprague, Flaherty, Eldred, Stahoviak; Stairs). Coming off a SOMBILLA championship, this draft began Eric's downward spiral into the SOMBILLA's netherworld.

SUMMER STUDY #3 - HOW THE TEAMS WERE BUILT

This summer, I decided to look at each team in the SOMBILLA and determine how its GM acquired its players. Players can wind up on your team in two ways - via the draft or by trade. But drafted players can be looked at in two ways as well - the rookies, or SOMBILLA first timers, who came up from your farm system - and the free agents, those guys who have been in the SOMBILLA before, but who were cut by someone. An older one year wonder who has never been in the league is not considered a free agent for purposes here. The reason is that you discovered him and no one else - hence he counts towards your farm system totals.

Here are the results:
 

Team	Farm system (i.e. draft)	Trade	Free agency	Home grown percentage
New Orleans	40	4	2	87.0%
North Dakota	39	3	3	86.7%
Constantinople	38	4	3	84%
Other 99	36	5	3	82%
Area 51	37	6	2	82%
Manila Folders	37	4	4	82%
TTFKA Bay City	36	3	6	80%
The Dewey Dells	36	5	4	80%
Future Wax	35	5	5	78%
TOTAL	334	39 (10%)	32 (8%)	82%

Surprisingly, there is not a lot of variation, although some observations can still be made. 82% of the league's players are still with the team that originally drafted them. In fact, a close look shows there is no secret to success, as last year's World Series participants, New Orleans and Future Wax are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of home-grown talent. This would seem to make sense - there are many paths to success, but drafting well and trading well in any combination, will get you there.

Years ago, long-since departed league member Durga lamented that the SOMBILLA hates to trade. Given that only 10% of the league's 405 players have been traded, I'd say that's still the case. No one team appears to be any more trade happy than any other.

As far as free agency goes, one of the arguments used by the league's vote (I want to say 'faction', but 7-2 was the vote) to increase the draft to 12 rounds was that, you'll need to cut more players in order to be able to draft the full 12 rounds. This will increase the pool of future potential recycled free agents. This year 16 of the 90 picks, or 18%, were actually recycled free agents, one more than last year. It will be interesting to see if this percentage goes up in future years.
 
 

HOW IS YOUR TEAM DOING?

Here is our first unscientific look ahead to the 2001cards (due out in January).

THE 2000 SOMBILLA/USA Today ALL-STAR COUNT

Arnie (10) - R. Alomar, Berkman, L. Gonzalez, R. Johnson, Klesko, Lieber, M. Morris, Rollins, Shaw, B. Williams

Harold (8) - M. Alou, Glaus, E. Martinez, Percival, Posada, Ramirez, M. Rivera, B. Wagner

RAT (6) - Bonds, Giles, J. Gonzalez, Kent, Piazza, Sasaki

Jeff (6) - B. Boone, F. Garcia, C. Jones, Olerud, Pettitte, Schilling

Robin (6) - Floyd, Jeter, Ripken, I. Rodriguez, Sosa, M. Sweeney

Matt (6) - Clemens, C. Johnson, Milton, Nelson, M. Ordonez, R. Reed

Jed & Clint (5) - Cameron, T. Clark, Guerrero, Helton, Nevin

Land & Tom (5) - Casey, J. Giambi, Mays, Park, A. Rodriguez

Eric (4) - C. Guzman, Hampton, G. Vaughn, L. Walker
 
 

Which team has the most popular hitters?

Here are the total fan all-star votes for each team. Future Wax has the league's most popular hitters for the 3^rd year in a row.

1. Future Wax                         10,658,918
2. New Orleans                         9,659,442
3. Area 51                             9,641,962
4. The Team Formerly Known As Bay City 7,594,240
5. Other 99                            6,462,850
6. North Dakota                        6,453,934
7. Constantinople                      6,072,544
8. The Dewey Dells                     3,962,348
9. Manila Folders                      3,961,738

Matt just barely nudges out Eric as the league's most boring team, (or at least the most boring hitters) as voted by the baseball fans of America.

Tentative Opening Day: Monday, October 1
 
 

 

Ballparks	Singles	Homers
Arizona	1-14	1-6
Atlanta	1-9	1-7
Chicago (NL)	L 1-12 R 1-7	L 1-7 R 1-10
Cincinnati	1-7	1-10
Colorado	1-19	L 1-18 R 1-19
Florida	1-3	1-4
Houston	1-11	L 1-19 R 1-13
Los Angeles	1-2	1-9
Milwaukee	L 1-6 R 1-9	1-5
Montreal	L 1-11 R 1-4	1-6
New York (NL)	L 1-8 R 1-2	1-5
Philadelphia	1-10	L 1-14 R 1-6
Pittsburgh	L 1-3 R 1-6	1-11
St. Louis	1-5	1-12
San Diego	1	L 1-3 R 1-6
San Francisco	L 1 R 1-4	L 1-2 R 1-8
Anaheim	L 1-7 R 1-4	1-12
Baltimore	L 1 R 1-4	L 1-7 R 1-12
Boston	L 1-19 R 1-17	L 1 R 1-6
Chicago (AL)	L 1-5 R 1-8	L 1-8 R 1-14
Cleveland	1-14	1-12
Detroit	L 1-18 R 1-12	L 1-2 R 1
Kansas City	1-12	1-12
Minnesota	1-12	L 1-14 R 1-5
New Yuck (AL)	1-4	1-9
Oakland	L 1-4 R 1	1-7
Seattle	1	L 1-7
Tampa Bay	L 1 R 1-6	1-12
Texas	1-12	L 1-16 R 1-11
Toronto	1-6	1-9