Final SOMBILLA Standings 2002-2003
W L Pct
GB
North Dakota
34 22 .607 --
Constantinople
32 24 .571 2
Future Wax
32 24 .571 2
Area 51
32 25 .561 2.5
New Orleans 31
26 .554 3.5
Gawd B
25 31 .446 9
TTFKA Bay City 21
35 .375 13
Manila Folders 18
38 .321 16
League Leaders
All stats
MVP - Barry Bonds, Future Wax
Cy Young, Curt Schilling*, Area 51
Manager of the Year - Jeff
One-game playoff for 4th place:
Area 51 4 New Orleans 3 (10
innings)
Playoffs:
(3/2) Area 51 d. North Dakota
4 games to 1
(3/8) Future Wax d. Constantinople 4 games to
3
World Series:
(3/16) Area 51 d. Future Wax 4
games to 1
Ballparks
Twits* Notes: (4/28) Here are the final regular season
home and away records for 2002-2003:
Home
Away
Arnie 19-9 .679
Randy 18-10 .643
Tom 18-10 .643
Arnie 15-13 .536
Jeff 17-11 .607
Harold 15-13 .536
Harold 16-13 .552
Jeff 15-14 .517
Randy 14-14 .500
Tom 14-14 .500
Eric 14-14 .500
Eric 11-17 .393
Robin 10-18 .357
Robin 11-17 .393
Matt 9-19 .321
Matt 9-19
.321
Total 117-108 .520
108-117 .480
New SOMBILLA records set this year:
Most homers, season: Bonds, FW 32 (old record Piazza, FW '98-99
30)
Most runs, one inning: 13 by CN 11/8/02 (vs. MF)
13 by ND 2/25/03 (vs. FW)
Most consecutive intentional walks: Barry Bonds, FW 18 by
Harold 11/25/02
Most hits, game: 35 by ND 2/25/03 vs. FW
Most runs, season: Bonds, FW 74 (old record: Bagwell, NO '01-02
69)
Highest slugging pct, season: Bonds, FW .994 (old record Burks,
CN '00-01 .796)
Most strikeouts, season: R. Johnson, ND 157 (old record Clemens,
ND '98-99 155)
Highest OPS, season: Bonds, FW 1.465 (old record: who the fuck
knows?)
Worst ERA, league leader: Wolf, CN 3.97 (old record P. Martinez,
FW '01-02 3.46)
Most consecutive seasons, playoffs: Future Wax 1993-2003 10
Fewest games behind, 5th place team: New Orleans 3 1/2
SOMBILLA records tied:
Most runs, one game: 29 by ND (29-7 over FW 2/25/03) (ties Randy
2/11/98 29-6 (vs. Eric); Harold 10/21/98 29-3 (vs. Clint))
Fewest stolen bases, SB leader: 16 Suzuki, MF (ties R. Sanders,
CN '95-96)
Most triples, season: Beltran, BC 7 (ties DeShields, CN '98-99)
Most triples, team: BC 21 (ties Bay City, '96-97)
Fewest errors: North Dakota 23 (ties Learned Hands '86-87)
Records set with asterisk:
Most strikeouts, pitchers*: Area 51 505 (in 57 games) (old record
North Dakota '98-99 497 in 56 games)
(3/16) Area51 melts Wax 4 games to 1, cruising to the franchises
first World Series victory. Celebrations and ticker tape parades
are scheduled but will not be disclosed to the general public.
Officials allege all celebratory information will be released once it is
declassified.
Game 1 - Held promise of a classic pitching battle between
Schilling and Maddux, but the red hot alien squadron having won 9
of their last 10 showed no respect to Maddux by knocking him out of
the match in the second inning. The A51 assault was lead by
Lo Duca (3 for 4, 2B, RBI and a run) and Delgado (2 for 3,
HR, 2 RBI and 2 runs). Schilling (7.2 IP, 7H, 8 SO, and Win)
and Zimmerman (1.1 IP, 0 H, and 3 SO) lead the defense. Final A51
9 FW 3. A51 leads series 1-0
Game 2 - Pitted the Moose against K Wood. Giambi lite's
seventh inning solo shot (1 for 2, HR, RBI and Run) added an extra cushion
making the score 4-1 as the A51 bullpen (Fox, Staton, Kline and Wickman
allowed only 4 hits over 3.1 innings) leading the squad down the garden
path. The Moose scored the victory and Wickman recorded the save
as A51 shocked a capacity crowd stealing two wins in the hostile environment.
Final A51 4 FW 2. A51 leads series 2-0
Game 3 - A51 offense sends both the Starter Miller and
first game starter Maddux to the showers as they jump out to an 8 0
lead after two innings lead by an Olerud grand slam. Olerud went
2 for 4 with 2 HR, 5 RBIs and two runs. Garcia cruised for a win
with 6.2 IP followed by 2.1 of hitless bullpen activity by Wickmen, Kline,
Zimmerman and Staton. A51 9 FW 5. A51 leads series 3-0.
Game 4 A humbling event for the fans at the bASE. There
was great anticipation of a four game sweep with fan favorite ace Schilling
on the mound; however, the Wax tee off early and then often knocking
Schilling out in the third. After three innings, Wax was ahead 6-5
and than things quick being to unravel. A Bonds, (Harold you re right
I should have walk him every time) Ramirez back to back bombs in the fifth
followed by a Thome, Sheffield back to back bombs in the sixth stifled a
jovial broom carrying crowd. FW 17 A51 6. A51 leads series
3-1
Game 5 - A rematch of Mussina and Wood marked the last opportunity
of the season for the bASE faithful to see their team. The Wax
knowing the needed the victory to extend their season back to the Future
Wax Ball Park quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of second
frame (effectively knocking the Moose out of the game). A51 came
back to tie the game on a third inning 2 run shot followed by a
fifth inning 3 run shot by Boone. Vazquez did a fine job in relief
of the tired Moose by tossing 4 relief innings of 1 hit, 4 SO ball.
In the sixth inning Guerrero hit a solo shot allowing A51 to take the lead.
In the seventh an added insurance bomb by Boone (3 for 4, 3HR, 6 RBI and
3 Runs), further securing votes as the MVP of the series, put A51 ahead
7-5. A combination of Staton, Fox, Kline and Zimmerman (S) pitched
3 innings and allowed no hits results in popping of the corks in the club
house. A51 7 FW 5.
A51 wins series 4 -1
(3/8) This was the 3rd first round playoff meeting between
Future Wax (FW) and [Constantinople] Manatees (CM) -- once vs Land,
twice vs Tom. The teams had identical regular season records, and split
their head-to-head match ups. (FW won a coin toss to secure home field
advantage, not a small thing given that FW's park favors lefties and
the CM ballpark heavily favors righties.)
It was a hard fought series, with two of the first three games
decided by 1 run and the third decided in 13 innings. Tom took a 3-1
series lead, but FW managed to win the final three games to advantage
to a World Series finale to be played this weekend against Jeff's Area
51.
Barry Bonds was named series MVP. Bonds had 7 hits (5 HR, 2 D)
in 18 at bats, and 5 walks and 13 intentional walks, with 7 RBIs and
13 runs scored. For the series, he had a .388 AVG, .694 OBP, and a 1.116
SLUG. Mike Piazza was runner up, with .370 AVG, 4 HR, and 10 RBI.
Pedro Martinez was at the heart of the action, managing 2 wins,
a loss, a save, and a blown save in 4 relief appearances.
Game 1: Both teams came out hitting. With CM up 7-6 in the 6th,
Fassero came in against Thome and pinch-hitter Wilson's put FW up by
1. Four alternating lefty and righty relief pitchers for FW (a pattern
which would repeat through the series) held CM to just 2 run over the final
4-2/3 innings.
Game 2: 15 pitchers and 27 players saw action in a dramatic 13-inning
game that was ultimately decided by an Alex Rodriguez homer off Pedro.
FW loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but failed to score,
leaving a total of 18 runners stranded. Nelson's 4 innings of relief secured
the victory, but nearly burned him for the series.
Game 3: A bases-loaded double by Burks in the 5th plates the
eventual winning runs. FW claws back, but falls just short as FW wins
8-7.
Game 4 White hits a grand slam off the hapless Maddux (who gave
up hits on his own card at nearly 3 times the statistical average over
the course of the series). Park, on the other hand, is masterful, allowing
only 2 runs and 4 hits (and scattering 8 walks) over 7-2/3. FW again
fails to convert scoring opportunities, stranding 15 runners. For the
first time in franchise history, CM is one game away from the World Series.
Game 5: Bonds homers twice to ignite the smoldering FW offense.
A Mirabelli pinch hit grand slam ensures that FW will have the chance
to make a final stand at home.
Game 6: FW 10, CM 9. Series: tied 3-3. An A-Rod double
puts Tom up early, but FW strings together 7 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks
in the 6th, punctuated by an (A.) Ramirez grand slam.
Tom rallies for 2 runs in the 8th, but comes up short when Belliard
is thrown out at the plate attempting to tag up on a cf-B?. Pedro closes
out the 9th to tie the series.
Game 7: Mike Piazza steps up, with 2 homers and 5 RBIs.
Pedro comes in with bases loaded and one out in the 5th and gets out
of the jam. The FW bullpen (7 pitchers) give up just 1 hit and 3 walks
over the final 4-2/3rds to advance to the World Series.
(3/5) Game 1 - A 14 inning thriller which utilized almost every
player on each team. Area51 was up 3-1 in the sixth when the Crime
Dog tied the game off Area51 starter Schilling. It stayed this
way for 7 more innings with both teams having opportunities to take the
lead. On two occasions Area51 had the infield as well as the outfield
in to circumvent a ND victory. In the top half of the ninth ND
defense gunned down Boone at the plate to lengthen the game. Buddy
Groom became the "Buddy Goat" as Boone ended up the hero by launching a
top of the 14th HR (his second of the game) over a oversized plastic
cow grazing in left-center field . Final score 4-3 in favor of A51.
Game 2 - Saw ND never relinquishing the lead. A51 found
themselves in the black hole by allowing 7 runs off the Moose in the
first inning. A51 fought back and had an opportunity to tie
the game in ninth but this time Buddy Groom "gruffly" shut down the
A51 offense. ND's Cabrera went 4-4 with 2 HR, triple and a double.
Final ND 9-7.
Game 3 - ND start with an early 2 run lead which A51 erased
in the fourth. A51 went ahead in the top of the fifth but starter
Garcia couldn't hold it as ND tied the game in the bottom half of their
frame. In the sixth inning Giambi Lite hit a two out double to score
Tejada to
take a 4-3 lead, then the A51 bullpen shut the ND offense
down. Wickmen, Fox, Kline and Zimmerman combined for 4 innings of hitless
ball to secure Game three: Final score A51 5-3.
Games 4 and 5 - Was all Area 51, in Game 4, Schilling went
all 9 innings, recording a 12-0 shut out allowing only 5 singles and
striking out 9. In Game 5 Mike Mussina avenged his Game 2 performance
by allowing only 6 hits over 9 innings to win the game 8-1. Offensively
saw a balanced contribution to the run support in both games.
Area51 wins series 4-1 and their first opportunity to go
to the show in franchise history.
(3/2) It was Schilling against Leiter on an early Sunday
morning in Marblehead for the right to face ND in the first round
of the playoffs. Posada's HR in the 2nd made it 1-0 for NO,
but Boone doubled in Vidro to tie the game for A51 in the 3rd. A
pinch-hit rbi single by Mike Lowell off Mariano Rivera made it 2-1 in
the 6th for A51, but NO tied it in the 7th on an unearned run. Tejada's
HR in the top of the 9th appeared to seal it for A51, but Alou's leadoff
homer in the bottom of the 9th off Kline tied it at 3. In the top
of the 10th, Matos was hbp, then stole 2nd. An x-chance single by
Vlad gave A51 the 4-3 win, as Zimmerman struck out the side in the bottom
of the 10th.
(2/28) I'm still not sure I believe it, but both Jeff and
Matt insist that Jeff swept Matt earlier this evening to force the
third one-game playoff for 4th place in league history, and certainly
the first time anyone has swept a 4-game series to force one. The scores
were 7-6, 6-4, 9-4 and 7-3. Matt insists he was substituting like
crazy to try and win and will post the scoresheets on his website as proof.
Jeff's Bob Boone was even injured for the finale, and Jeff noted
that Matt "had his chances, threatening all the time". Schilling will
start for Jeff as his team travels to the Dock Ellis Crackhouse &
Stadium. Negotiations for the 75-mile drive will be interesting. An
anxious North Dakota, leaving for its annual Florida scouting combine
with the owner of TTFKABC next Friday, is pressuring both teams to complete
the 7-game first round series by then.
(2/27) After incurring the league's wrath for getting
swept by Future Wax Tuesday night, Eric came back tonight and shocked
Area 51, leaving Jeff's playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Jeff
needs to sweep Matt on Friday night to force a 75-mile drive one-game
playoff with Harold...30 miles away, after splitting the first two games,
the battle for 1st place ended in game 3 when Bernie Williams broke
a 0-0 tie with a 2-run blast off Jeff Nelson in the bottom of the 9th
as dozens of fans mobbed the field. CN pounded ND in the finale,
11-3, to tie Future Wax for 2nd. Tom and Randy split their season series,
and so for the first time ever, the 2nd tie-breaker, a coin flip (Bylaws
IB(1)) will decide home advantage...Draft Day, Sunday March 30.
(2/26) Future Wax traveled to Gawd B land needing three
wins to assure a tie for 4th, and a sweep to be assured a playoff
spot. Two losses would spell elimination. Things looked bleak for FW
in game one: down 4-3 with two outs and no one on in the 9th. But
Carlos Wilson tied it with a pinch-hit homer off righty-killer Foulke.
Eric got the lead runner to second on a hit and Kent error in the bottom
of the inning, but Reese's sac bunt attempt went bad, with the runner
gunned out at third. In the 10th, Eric had runners on first and third
with no out, but with the infield and outfield in, Palmeiro struck out
and Drew hit to Thome for a force at home. Another K ended the threat.
In the 13th, Bonds led off with a home run, and A. Ramirez added an insurance
run. Rincon, Sasaki, and Weathers combined for 6-2/3 scoreless relief
innings in the dramatic 6-4 victory. In game 2, Walker, Helton, and AJ
Pierzinski (sp?) homered for GB, putting Eric up 5-4 after 6. But in the
7th Bonds, Sheffield, and Thome homered consecutively, and Randy eventually
held on for an 11-7 victory. Game three was decided in the 4th inning
when Glavine loaded the bases, then hit a batter, gave up two singles,
followed by a grand slam to Bonds, before retiring a batter. FW won 10-4.
In the final game, Kerry Wood racked up 11 Ks and allowed only 3 hits over
7-1/3 innings. Charlton, Weathers (both had their arms fall off), and Cormier
got the final 5 outs with out allowing a hit, and Future Wax was back from
the dead and in the playoffs (with 2-1/3 bullpen innings to spare).
(2/25) It was 13-0 before Future Wax ever came
to bat. In the record-setting first inning, ND recorded 15
hits (3 of them were tired rolls), 2 stolen bases, an error, and 2
homers all off the beleaguered Greg Maddux. A late FW rally fell
short by three touchdowns as ND tied the league record for most runs
in a game, winning 29-7. ND had a total of 35 hits - Alomar, L.
Gonzalez and Klesko had 5 each, while McGriff and Cabrera both chipped
in with 4...ND went up 6-1 in game 2 and hung on to win 7-6, Isringhausen
picking up the save, with the tying run (Bonds, an IBB) on base...Another
FW rally fell short in game 3, as they clawed back from an 8-3 hole, and
again, Izzy picked up the save with the tying run (Bonds, an IBB) on base,
8-7...Future Wax kept its playoff hopes alive, winnng the finale 7-5, but
by spending its beleaguered bullpen. Unorthadox managing by Randy
leaves FW with just 6 innings of relief for tonight's season finale against
spoiler, Gawd B...Star of the night was Lance Berkman, who was 8 for 16,
with 5 runs, 7 rbi's and 2 homers.
(2/24) TTFKA Bay City came up big in this year's Stupor
Bowl, clinching 7th place handily. Indeed, Robin closed
her season in style, winning the finale 18-4. Unless Matt
gets swept by Jeff, there will be a rolloff for the first pick overall
in the draft. The playoffs begin next weekend, but nobody has any idea
who is playing whom...This should be a wild week.
(2/20) Harold became the first team to close out his
regular season, splitting with the 7th place Folders. The
odds of two 4-game splits occurring (assuming the odds of either
team winning one game are 50-50) are 14%...If two, three, or four
teams end up tied for 1st - 4th, playoff seeding is determined based
on head to head record. One-game playoffs (or two-game playoffs)
are used only to determine playoff teams, not for playoff seeding...Draft
day, Sunday March 30. Draft day will begin at 11:00, with the
annual meeting beginning at 11:30, and the 12-round draft beginning
by 1:00 PM (ET) at the latest. We should be finished by 3 PM.
(2/16) Away from the league's focus on the
wild playoff race, Eric and Robin engaged in the all important
battle for 6th place. Gawd B easily won the series (highlights
to be forthcoming from Eric), all but clinching 6th place for the
proud franchise, and setting up a loser-take all Stupor Bowl showdown
between Matt and Robin next weekend...The final 8 days of the regular
season, beginning Wednesday, promise to be one of the more memorable
finishes in league history.
(2/14) Constantinople cemented its tenuous hold
on 2nd place last night, winning a series from the lowly Folders...When
CN last we saw the Folders, they had been quarantined to the team
bus in Southwest Florida. They started what was to become a legendary
bus ride wandering around the country. Matt Phelps got out his guitar
and harmonica and played all the Dylan tunes he remembered. At least
they thought it was Dylan tunes since no one could understand a word
he was "singing". Surviving on tepid water from the buses radiator,
ho-ho's and twinkies they made their way on the Sal-Manilla Express
to North Dakota. Exhausted and confused, they dropped the first two games
to Arnie before they woke up and humiliated the first place North Dakota
team. Celebrating, they got back on the bus and cranked the CSN and WHO
tunes and headed South. A week later they stumbled into Manatee stadium
and tried the same strategy that lead to the humiliation of ND. They
dropped the first two games 9-3 (CG win for Park) and 12-1 laugher. Manilla
had the Manatees where they wanted them as Zito pummeled Hudson 9-4. The
final game would decide it and Joe (Hammered) Mays came out and could not
get a single out in the 4th after being given a 5-1 lead over Roger Clemens.
He left for Wolf who got the Manatees out with a 5-4 lead. But the Folders
came out and scored 3 runs off of Wolf in the 5th and 6th innings to go up
7-5. Ausmus and Belliard chased Nunez out of the game in the 6th with back
to back singles and in came Smoltz to hold the tide. Burks hit a long flyball
to get the score to 7-6, but A-Rod and Giambi went quietly to get Smoltz
out of the inning. Smoltz got a quick two outs in the 7th but Abreu walked
and A. Jones hit a long single to get to a pinch hitter. Varitek hit a short
double to tie the game, but Smoltz left men on 2nd and 3rd to get to the
8th in a tied game. The red hot Jose Mesa came out and immediately hit Ellis
Burks and then struck out A. Rod, but that would be his only out as 3 straight
singles later (Giambi, Nevin and hit) the Manatees were up 9-7. That would
be all the scoring as Dotel and Nelson were tough late for the Manatees.
A. Jones continued his clutch hitting getting player of the week honor with
3 homers and 9 RBIs just edging out Giambi who had 3 homers, 5 RBIs and 8
Runs scored.
(2/10) North Dakota opened up a slim 2-game
lead over the pack, beating Gawd B 3 out of 4 at Gackle Park yesterday.
It started out dim for the 453 faithful, as Randy Johnson
blew a 5-0 lead in game 1 and GB won it 7-5, marking the third straight
ND loss, all against non-contenders. But Matt Morris (now
6-1) came up big in game two, pitching a 4-hitter to stop the losing
streak. Homers by Pujols and B. Williams, and 6 1/3 innings of shutout
relief by Arrojo, Isringhausen and Escobar helped the Gackle team win
game 3, 7-3...In game 4, Luis Gonzalez broke out of a 4 for 27 slump
in a huge way, hitting for the cycle - with 2 homers (no.s 24 and 25) and
4 rbi's. The team hit 6 homers in all (Lance Berkman 2, B. Williams,
and McGriff were the others) as they cruised 19-10 (Gawd B scored a meaningless
8 runs in the 9th inning to make the score almost respectable)...Over in
the Wax Home, New Orleans gutted out a split after losing the first two
games to keep their improbable playoff hopes alive. The split knocked
FW out of 2nd place by percentage points, behind Tom.
(2/7) The Folders thoroughly humiliated
1st place North Dakota Thursday night, gaining an upset split
at Gackle Park, and putting a dent in ND's championship hopes. ND's
Randy Johnson carried a 4-hit shutout into the 9th, and won game 1
5-2, with 16 K's and just one BB. Game 2 was a laugher for ND,
as Matt Morris carried a 2-hit shutout into the 9th, and won the game
12-2. At that point, the ND team tapped a keg in the dugout in anticipation
of a series rout. But the Folders did not live up to their name.
A gritty performance by Zito and Mesa in game 3, helped by a
timely 3-run blast by Ichiro led MF to a 4-2 victory. Confident
of a series win, ND stranded 9 runners in game 4, while ex-ND pitcher
Roger Clemens (and Mesa) pitched a combined 3-hitter to win a thriller,
2-1, and gain the split for the spoiling Folders.
(2/6) It was a weird series that took
over 5 hours to play (why am I not surprised?). But after
5 hours, the standings remained unchanged as the SOMBILLA's
version of 'odd man out' continues. All the games were
close and high scoring. The teams each won 12-10 in games 1
and 2, with CN winning game 3, 9-7, and FW winning the finale 8-6.
(2/1) Just when you thought the playoff
race couldn't get any tighter, it gets tighter as the top 4 teams
are separated by just one game (Jeff, only 2 games out, is in 5th)...The
annual hockey game wouldv'e been snowed out anyway, thanks to this
morning's 3 inches of wet snow and rain...Robin, it seems,
can beat only Future Wax, as she drops 9 of 12 to three other contenders
since sweeping Randy...Both Harold and Robin were the first teams
to be able to call up the 26th player (for their final 12 games)...Many
postponements have led to many schedule changes for the upcoming week.
(1/30) Home field advantage was just a bit
too much for league leading North Dakota as A51 defeats their
foe three games to one. To the disappointment of the scattered
fans sprinkled around the bASE, brooms had to be stowed as ND came
back if the finally to avoid the sweep. The scores were 6-4,
8-6, 4-2 and 3-11. A51 was led by outstanding pitching from
Schilling (complete game 5 hit, 4 run 12 SO) and Garcia (7 2/3, 3 hit).
Offensively saw Jose Cruz go 5-9 in the series with 1 HR, 3runs, 2
RBIs and a SB.
(1/26) Playing a week early due to
next weekend's hockey bash, ND outscored BC 32-13 and nearly
pulled off a sweep to open a two game lead over Future Wax. Game
1 was never in doubt as homers by Klesko, Berkman, role-player
Danny Bautista (2 HR's in the game, 6 for 13 with 5 runs, 6 rbis and
a triple to garner star of the week honors), and injury replacement
C. Pena stake CG winner Randy Johnson (4 hits, 14 k's) to the easy
8-3 win...Luis Gonzalez's game 2 3rd inning 3-run blast (his franchise-record
tying 20th) off Steve Sparks gave ND a 4-1 lead. The lead was
5-2 in the 9th when ND plated 6 more (Rolen's grand salami the big blow)
off the beleaguered BC pen as ND wins the rout 11-2, as Matt Morris
goes to 5-1...Jon Lieber (CG win , 7 hits, 0 bb, 7 ks) carried
a 3-hitter into the 7th in game 3 as he protected a slim 2-1 lead. ND
explodes for 6 runs again in the 7th and cruises 9-3...Game 4 was actually
the best of the series. Luis Gonzalez hit no.s 21 and 22 to stake
the team to a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the 9th. BC's Carlos
Beltran leads off with a single off ND's Buddy Groom. Mark Grace,
pinch-hitting for M. Sweeney, works a walk. Shawn Green, representing
the winning run, then rocks a double to make the score 4-3. Isringhausen
come in to face Pudge Rodriguez. Ivan cracks a 2-run single for
the dramatic come-from-behind win and BC avoids the sweep...
All of the postponed games have been
rescheduled for this week....Draft Day Sunday March
30, 2003.
(1/19) After managing no more than a
split in any series this year, TTFKABC stunned Future Wax,
the league, and themselves, by sweeping Randy at the
Wax Dome to streak into 7th place. In game 1, both Catalanatto
and Beltran started out w/triples, then HR'd in their second at
bats - neither hit for the cycle, but Catalanatto tripled again
and Beltran homered again. Bay City outhomered FW 6 to 0 (and outripled
them 4-0), winning 11-8. Bonds' first-inning double was
FW's only extra-base hit of the game...In game 2, Nomar (himself
an injury callup) is injured for 4 games grounding into a DP in his
1st AB. Bonds (who was not intentionally walked the entire
series) goes 3 for 3 with a HR and 2 BBs (4HR in the series). But Karsay,
Fossum & Pineiro hold FW to 2 runs over the final five innings,
and Bay City squeeks past 10-9 thanks to Sammy's 2 HR's, 8 team walks
and Shawn Green's 9th inning homer off Sasaki...In game 3, Wakefield,
Kim & Gordon hold FW to 3 runs all on solo homers, as everyone
but Jeter chips in with hits, RBI's or runs and BC wins 7-3...In game
4, BC squeezes a 1st inning run off Pedro with a single, BB, single
& HBP. but Randy gets 5 runs off Buehrle and down 5-1 to Pedro after
4, a sweep seems unlikely. But Catalanotto leads off the 5th
with a HR (to go with his single and a double - but still no cycle)
& following a single by Jeter, doubles by Floyd & Beltran
bring BC to within 1 run. In the 7th, we tire Pedro and score 4,
thanks to Pudge's 3-run HR & a double by Cirillo. A Sosa HR
in the 8th adds an insurance run. Randy scores 2 in the bottom
of the 8tth on Bonds second 2-run HR, but Fossum & Karsay shit them
down for the 9-7 win.
Player of the Week (2nd series in
a row after an abysmal sfirst half) Sammy Sosa, 7 for
15 (.467), 4 HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB...Fun fact: Team triples entire
'01-02 season - 0. Team triples this series - 5...Fun
fact no. 2 - the Commissioner believes it to be the first 4-game
sweep by BC over FW in league history.
(1/17) Last nights series between
the Folders and Gawd B was a perfect blend of mediocrity
and melodrama. Mediocrity dominated the first three games,
two won by Matt, one won by Eric (a one won is, I think, a Chinese
soup), while game 4 supplied all the drama of the night, and is
the only game worth a write-up. Let me see if I can remember the gritty
details. Oh yes, I took a two run lead into the 9th (a two run, as
the story goes, is supposedly the place where Jesus was temporarily laid
to rest, his face covered in a shroud; the shroud of two run is now a
sacred artifact) with Foulke on the mound, who to date this year had
not blown a save. So now you guess what's coming. With two down, two
on, Matt pinch hits with the Bellvue Basher (to be played in the film of
his life by a chubby George Clooney) who crushes a three-run shot to take
the lead into the bottom of the 9th. Two quick outs, and it's Mesa for Matt
versus Damien Miller for Eric, who contemplates pinch-hitting, but decides
to stick with Miller because of his, um, power. Hey! It's a 3-6, homer
1-11, double otherwise. And guess what? The thingy sticks on 11, and the
game is tied, and on we sail to extra innings. Let's see now. Foulke is tired,
so out he comes, replaced by Sullivan, who goes 4 before he wearies. As
for Matt, he beans Walker in the 9th and sends him to the DL for 3 games,
and then throws a combination of relievers at Eric's no longer formidable
line-up. After Sullivan, Eric orders Everyday Eddie to the hill, despite
the fact he's pitched the last two games. Matt counters with...oh shit, I
can't remember. Sorry Matt. In any case, they do a splendid job. In the top
half of the 15th, Matt squeaks a run across the plate, and Eric is probably
more relieved than Matt because he's been holding a pee for 8 innings. Up
comes Jordan for Walker and he's out, on a roll that Walker would have walked
on (a walk on, if I recall, is an electric Chinese cooking pan), but then
Helton takes a pass to first and shows it to the hall monitor, and he's excused
from seeing the principal (you get the sense, I'm sure, that it's getting
quite late, and our coherency has been replaced by dippy little brain demons).
JD then strides to the plate and spits a wad of tobacco juice into
Fick's goalie mask before sending lolly pop deep into the right field
mist for the comeback V. Good thing, too, because Eric was at the borders
of the scoresheet and his bladder was about to phone the Department of
Social Services. All players and pitchers were used by Gawd B, and the
Folders virtually depleted its roster. After the game, Matt and Eric enjoyed
a quick shot of Daly's pickle brine before Matt remembered he had a family
to return to. And in case you've all gotten lost, the 4 games were split.
That means he won two, and I won two (a he won two is a man with two wives
and won great regret). ..Commissioner Letter Ruling 2003-2. The
bylaws which state "Any pitcher who has pitched, and is then sent
down before a series will have his innings pitched allocated to the pitcher(s)
called up to replace him, for purposes of limitations." will be amended
to add the following phrase. "If the allocated innings are more than the
innings which the pitcher being called up (Pitcher B) has left, then the
manager is not allowed to make the move (i.e s/he cannot replace Pitcher
A with Pitcher B). " Thanks to Tom for bringing it up
.
(1/16) In a weird and wild battle
for first, Future Wax out-blast Area 51 42 runs to 26,
taking 3 out of 4 games to seize sole possession of first
place. In an opening thriller, Tejada hit a 3-run game tying
shot in the 8th, setting up Lo Duca's 2-out walk-off homer in
the 11th, for an 8-7 A51 victory. In game two, Future Wax jumped
off to an early lead and held on, powered by 5 Rey Sanchez singles
(4 RBIs). Sexson homered twice (5 RBIs), but A51 fell short, 14-10
FW. Game three saw with both teams throw their entire benches and most
of their bullpens in the fray, but FW again hung on, for a 5-3 victory.
Game four was 4-3 FW after 6, after homers by Bonds and Cameron were
countered with two from Boone and one from Delgado. Then Juan Gonzalez
broke it open with a two-run double in the 6th, and a grand slam
in the 7th. Final score: 16-5 FW. (Odd Observations: Jeff held
the lead for only 2 innings all series, and hit into four clutch
outs. The first pitch was tossed at 8:45 pm and the last out was recorded
just before 12:30 am).
(1/13) Stars of the weekend
was TTFKABC's Sammy Sosa who was 5 for 16, with 4 runs,
5 rbi and 3 homers and CN's Mays and his 9 K 3 H CG shutout
and Abreu and Giambi had 4 homers each batting .500 and .467
respectively.
(1/10) Future Wax moved into
a tie for first by taking 3 of 4 from the 7th place
Folders Wednesday night. The Folders took the first
game 13-7, on the strength of a 6 hit, 8 run second off Maddux,.
Giles broke a 4-4 slugfest with a 2 run shot in the 7th, but
Ordonez countered with a 3 run blast. Bonds homered in the 9th,
knotting the struggle at 8 runs apiece. The bottom of the 10th was
a SOMBILLA moment. Still tied with one on and no outs in the bottom
of the 10th, Matt pinch-hit for Maglio Ordonez with… Russ Ortiz (!)
who laid down a perfect (A) bunt, beating out the throw (1-13 runner),
but all for naught after two fly outs culminated with the man on
second being thrown out from rightfield as he tried to tag up (20
roll). Piazza then homered off Smoltz and Future Wax squeaked out
a dramatic 9-8 win...Future Wax banged out 5 homers -- including two
by Preston Wilson, called up for the injured Rameriz -- to take the third
game, 9-5. Bonds' 3 run homer in the 9th (his fifth of the series)
at first seemed superfluous, given that Future Wax already had 5-1
lead (on the strength of 14 strike outs over 7-2/3s by Pedro). But
it ended up being crucial, after Matt's scored 5 in the bottom of the
ninth, and had the tying run in scoring position only to have his best
hitter, Chavez, ground into a double play -- giving Future Wax a 3-1
series win by the narrowest of margins.
(1/8) Game 1 saw Chan Ho
Park facing Maddux. CN roughed up the home team
for 13 runs and Chan
Ho Park threw a 3 hitter. Final score 13-1...In Game
2, Wax came back to wax CN 12-5 carried by Aramis Ramirez
and his 2 home run 5 RBI performance...Game 3 was the only close
game as Wax went out to a quick 4-1 lead. Riedling
had entered the game for FW to get the last out in the 7th and
quickly retired the first two batters in the eighth when Nevin
got a hold of a pitch for a long double. He then hit clutch
hitting Conine. Rondell White came to the plate and
Randy went into thinking mode. Riedling had reached his inning
limit and White had those ball park chances, so he went for a
better matchup from the pen. In came Raul Mondesi to hit
a game-tying 3 run homer. The game remained tied through
the 10th inning. Mondesi lead off the 11th with a long
double and was followed by A. Jones who drove him in. Jeff
Nelson came back out and after walking Mirabelli and striking
out Piazza, Barry Bonds came to the plate with two outs.
Breaking baseball rules, CN put the winning run on at first.
Sheffield came up to ground out for the last out, final score
5-4 CN...Game 4 started out even with a 4-4 tie through 5 innings.
Wax had had enough though and pummeled CN for 8 runs to even the series
with a 12-4 victory behind homers by Sheffield, Piazza, Bonds and
Griffey...Commissioner Letter Ruling 2003-1: An injury for remainder
of game (REM) counts as the one injury per season...Draft
Day is Sunday March 30, 2003.
(1/6) After flying around
Future Wax stadium and being refused entry, the Manatees
returned home to face Gawd B instead. The Manatees scored
4 quick runs punctuated by A. Jones 3 run shot. Chan Ho settled
in striking out 10 in 7.1 innings holding Gawd B. scoreless
throughout seven. Helton hit a three run shot for GB to send
Park to the showers with a 6-3 lead. Fassero and Nelson did not
allow a hit in relief to hold onto the 6-3 advantage...
Game 2 saw Burnett chased
early by CN as they scored four runs in the fourth
punctuated by E. Alfonzo 3-run shot. Gawd B. came back
in the fifth to chase Radke after Trott Nixon hit a 3-run shot
with no outs. The CN relief corps of Wolf, Dotel and Fassero once
again blanked Gawd B to hold onto the heartbreaking 4-3 win as Larry
(I hate him) Walker missed a BP HR (1-11) shot in the ninth with
2 men on and 2 outs...
Game 3 saw CN jump in
front on 3 solo ballpark homers (1 by Giambi and 2
by Burrell) to go ahead of GB 3-1. Larry Walker and Helton
chased Hudson in the eighth with a lead off walk followed
by a short double. Wolf came in to ace JD Drew who was replaced
by Jordan. After intentionally walking Jordan, Wolf got Koskie
to foul out and then Loretta grounded to A. Rod (SS-X roll) and
on a 1 the short single drives in a run. Then Hollandsworth pinched
hit in response to Jeff Nelson coming in from the pen. With the corners
in and one out, he grounds to Giambi (1B-X downgraded to a 4 for
being in) and he comes up with the inning ending double play. Nelson
pitched an uneventful ninth for his second save of the series.
Eric went out for two cigarettes after this one...
Game 4 saw an angry
GB coming out against their favorite pitcher Joe (Elbow)
Mays and lighting him up for 4 runs in the first inning punctuated
by a JD Drew 3 run shot. The second inning started and Mays
was battling to stay in the game, Guzman singled and was caught
stealing before Trot Nixon hit another home run giving the
GB a 5-0 lead. But A. Jones delivered a 3-run ballpark homer to
draw CN to 5-3. Mays settled in to hold GB scoreless (despite
ballpark chances from Helton and Palmeiro) and the CN hitters chipped
away with a ballpark homer from R. White (4th inning) and a
long single in the clutch for J. Giambi to tie the game in the fifth.
The eighth saw Sean Casey (an injury call up for clutch pinch hitter
J. Conine) hitting a solo shot to give CN a 6-5 lead. Baez came back
out to set GB down 1-2-3 with 2 Ks to win the game. CN did just
enough to sweep GB who was defeated by timely hitting, the CN ball park
and the CN relief staff who allowed only 1 inherited runner to score and
were charged with no runs (earned or not) against their ledger. A. Jones
was clutch leading the offense with 7 RBIs on 2 homers...
Draft Day, Sunday March
30, 2003.
(12/29) It's the Sunday
before New Year's, and it's the Pats keeping the
season alive, if only for a few hours, and it's Hockey
Day at the ice-filled Pollinger hippodrome. I arrive in time
for Patriot overtime, as children and adults stand and sit
around the tv perched on top of the fridge in the kitchen, and
I quickly retreat to the den, which is empty, thank God, until
I gain my composure. It was all for naught, as no one even notices
my presence, let alone my absence, and the children do not swarm
around and demand my clowning attention. Pity. I would have made
a complete fool of myself, if I'd been given half the chance. The
game on tv ends, children unlace their skates, parents gather up
their crap, and I enjoy a brief chat with a fellow named Joe, who
went to the same high school as me, though we discover, after
naming many names, a dearth of mutual acquaintances. Eventually
the suburbanites depart for their cozy snow castles, and Robin
and I settle into our chairs at the dining room table and play
some ball. I can tell that Robin is distracted. Rachel, and especially
Jinny, demand attention while Arnie Zambonies the ice with a broom
and water-hose. Jinny wants a new pet. Robin reminds her they have
two cats and dog already, and says to take it up with dad. Jinny wants
a NEW dog, but if she can't have a dog she'd like something furry. I suggest
a lizard. Meanwhile, I sweep the first three games of series (8-3, I
think, 7-3 or 4, and 5-4) before we break for lasagna, which may be the
only meal I've ever eaten at the Pollinger's (except for a few barbecues--a
few burgers and potato salad. This not an indictment against lasagna,
by the way, as Robin, with her long, dark tresses, does a masterful
imitation of an Italian mama.) With dinner digesting gently we sit
again to play and Robin crushes me in game four, 10-3, avoiding a
sweep. But because of a few unearned runs, she cannot keep my team era
from dipping below 7 runs per game for the first time all season. Stars
of the series? Luis Gonzalez of course, who, despite not playing, managed
to hit 3 more home runs. So, creeping over .500 for my mid-season tease,
it was time to go home. Back to the den, to don coat and scarf, there
was Rachel, lying on the divan and watching tv. I arrange my scarf carefully
and worry on my coat. Do I look okay?, I ask Rachel, modeling my outfit
for her. She nods. You don't think I look fat, do you? She smiles, but
doesn't say anything, which of course I take to mean that I DO look fat,
so thanks to Rachel I'm heading on a diet. As of January 1st, it's no
more furry lizards for me....
(12/20) Wednesday's
split was "an unmemorable series by two mediocre
teams."...The Tom/Randy series has been tentatively rescheduled
for Tuesday 1/7...A few more tweaks to the schedule,
this is it...Happy Holidays to all.
(12/16) A tough
struggle between two teams with high postseason aspirations
ends in a draw. Game 1 was the best of the four and
a true classic, although not exactly the sort of classic you'd
expect from a Schilling/Randy Johnson matchup. With
Jimmy Stewart philosophising about whether he ever should have
been born in the background, A51 jumped out to a 3-0 lead
on homers by LoDuca and new Red Sox 1B/DH/OF Gimabi-lite. But
a solo shot by Alomar and 2-run single by the crime dog, McGriff,
tied it at 3-3 in the 2nd. A homer by A51's Vidro was matched
by ND's Klesko to make it 4-4 after 5. Despite striking
out 13, ND's Johnson was lifted with none out in the 8th after yielding
an rbi single to C. Jones that made it 6-4 A51. In the bottom
of the 8th, after a long talk on the mound with Schilling, Jeff
sticks with him and he serves up a 2-run shot to Bernie Williams
to tie it at 6-6. Bottom of the 9th, still 6-6, Alomar singles
to lead it off. Schilling is lifted for Zimmerman. Berkman
smashes the first pitch over the RF cow statue to send the 453
customers home happy...In game 2, Matt Morris, last on ND in ERA,
pitched a 6-hit CG shutout to win 4-0 and ND fans got the brooms
out...But Jeff was having none of that, as his team came out swinging
in the final two games to win both by identical 10-5 scores, hitting
6 homers in the final two games to gain a character-building split. In
the finale, Vazquez retired 23 in a row at one point before giving up
meaningless runs in the 9th.
(12/12) Without
the benefit of the scoresheets, and disadvantaged
by weariness and ennui, I will try to summarize last night's
journey into the abyss in Somerville. To keep the suspense
at a minimum, the four games were split between Wax and Gawd
B. That said, I fully expected to get trashed, and Randy did not
disappoint, scoring 6 runs in the first inning of game one, highlighted
by 3 2-run shots, starting with Bonds (I know, Harold, I shouldn't
have pitched to him), Thome, and... who can remember all these details.
Final: 15-4. The curiousness of that game is that it felt as a somewhat
less horrific loss than it looks on paper. I think a score of 28-4
would have more truly reflected my dread. Game 2 was a 10-6 win for Wax,
and to be only 4 runs down in the 9th felt like a 1-run deficit, not because
of weak pitching or my team' ability to rally from behind, but simply because
I still had some faint glimmer of an unrealistic hope. Monstrous religions
have been built around such faint glimmers, such unrealized hopes.
This finding of religion fed into the 3rd game, which was uncharacteristically
low scoring. I took a 2-0 lead into the 9th, with Bonds leading
off for Wax. Of course I couldn't intentionally walk him in this
situation, and of course he belted a home run. It really ticked me
off, too, because Bonds hit 3 for the series, and I really began to
hate that 1 column on his card, because it is a damn magnet for that
damn dice. Final: 2-1. Now game four was long and grueling and strange.
Tied 4-4 in the top of the 9th. Koskie was on base for Gawd B, tried
to get a good lead, and failed. Next, AJ Pierzynski faced Rincon, a
lefty, a terrific match-up for Randy. I attempted a hit and run, which
moved Koskie to 2nd on a fielder's choice. Guzman then was out,
the inning over, and Randy was getting ready to bat in the bottom of
the inning when he realized that Rincon was tired when he entered the
game, and that Rheal Cormier should have, would have, been the pitcher,
if Randy hadn't been distracted, tired and addled, just as I was. Since
we were both in this state and unable to satisfactorily and completely
reconstruct events, Randy was magnanimous in his contrition, and insisted
that the only way to fairly deal with this glitch was to erase the past
and put Koskie back on 1st base rolling for the good lead against Cormier.
This time he got the lead, and then the steal. Now AJ was up again, and
again it was a good match-up for Randy, but AJ somehow managed a bp
single off his own card (I think he hit .180 against lefties), and moved
Koskie to 3rd. Guzman then laid down a terrific bunt on a suicide squeeze
and beat the throw to first. And then I scored 3 more runs in a manner
which now escapes me, and the final was 8-5. It was 11:40. I was dead.
And do any of you think I left at that point? Guess again. As it turned
out, Randy had to drop off critical papers at a colleague's house several
blocks away, and it was pouring outside, and this life-or-death errand
could not be postponed till morning. Can any of you
imagine poor Randy
walking through such a torrent and not be moved?
Well, I didn't want to be moved, I wanted to go home, go to
sleep. But charity and perhaps some guise of a holiday spirit
possessed me and we hopped into my car and Randy was able to
fulfill his mission without getting too wet. But I am nagged by
a thought: if he had swept me, would I have been so compassionate?
All I can say is thank Gawd we split....
(12/11) The Manatees
came home after celebrating their first winning
series of the year by boozing on Bourbon Street (Hurricanes
for everyone!) for 24 hours. Chan Ho Park found out that
yes they will give you your drink to go even if you fall off
the bar stool. He then came out flat against Bay City by giving
up 7 runs on 4 homers (2 BP shots) in 2 and 2/3 innings while
his teammates could only respond with a homer from Burks and a bases
loaded double play ball from Conine. The Manatees chipped
their way back on back to back homers by A. Rod and Burrel in the
3rd, a Burrel 2 run shot in the 5th and a RBI single by Nevin to tie
the game. Meanwhile, Chan Ho had settled down to shut out
BC. The Manatees intentionally walked Sosa 4 times as the
game went into the 14th. A. Rod led off the 14th with a game
winning homer (his 2nd of the game) for a final of 8-7. BC used
16 players (12 batters) and the Manatees used 22 players (15 batters)....Game
2 was a Manatee victory as they scored 7 runs all by the homerun
with A. Rod hitting consecutive homers (for 3 in a row if you include
the game 1 winner) for a 7-5 victory....Game 3 saw the Manatees score
7 more runs all off homeruns to win 7-4....Game 4 was a 5-5 tie
into the eight inning (the Manatees again scored all 5 runs on home
runs) when Dotel hit Derek Jeter, gave up a single to Floyd and a
walk to Sosa. He then struck out the next two batters and
faced S. Green in the clutch. Green hit the first pitch into the
stands for a grand slam (his third of the series in which he batted
.412 with an on base % of .500) and TTFKABC held on for a 9-5 victory...
A. Rod took series honors when he hit 7 for 19 with 5 homers and eight
RBIs. The Manatees, who have now won 6 of their last 8 to move into
a 4th place tie, hit 16 home runs and 26 out of 27 runs scored were
the result of the long ball.
(12/8) North
Dakota swept into sole possession of 1st place,
winning three one-run games (the other was extra innings)
against plummeting BC. The first game was an 11-inning
doozy, as BC came back from a 5-3 deficit to tie in the 9th
when Beltran homered off Arrojo to send it to extra inns. Luis
Gonzalez's 11th inning walk-off 2-run homer (his 16th) off
Pineiro won the game. In game 2, Carlos Pena (called up for the
injured Pujols) doubled in Rolen in the 7th inning to break a 1-1
tie and Isringhausen nailed down the save as the BC 9th inning rally
fell one run short, 3-2. BC jumped in front 3-0 in game 3 on
Pudge's 3-run blast, but ND chipped away and tied it 3-3 on Klesko's
6th inning 2-run homer. In the bottom of the 9th, Luis Gonzalez
hit a walk-off bases loaded single with the infied and outfield in off
loser Tom Gordon. In the finale, ND went ahead 4-1 when Jinny Pollinger,
rebuffed by Mom to roll for her, instead rolled a 3-run homer for Dad
by injury returnee Albert Pujols. After BC made it 4-3 in the
6th (Floyd 2-run homer), Mulder and Escobar closed the door, sort of,
as BC threatened many times but just couldn't score the tying run.
ND has now won 11 of its last 12 games...Meanwhile at Area
51, Giambi lite (Jeremy) batted .625 (2 double, 1HR and 5 RBIs)
and Garcia and Kline combined a 4-hit shutout to lead Area 51 to a
four game sweep over the Folders. Zimmerman added 1.67 scoreless
innings to pick up 2 saves. Final scores were 5-3, 14-3,
3-0 and 5-3. Reports of the ghost of Floyd the Barber are quickly
met with a "No comment." from Area 51 staff...All teams are now at
the roster freeze.
(11/25)
Area 51 continues their emergence from the black hole
they fell into
earlier this
season by taking three out of four from GawdB at the
Demesne Esplanade under the cupola. A befuddled
GM of Gawd was overheard muttering to himself after the
series, "I must have switched the tiny bag with the really lilliputian
bag" (inside joke). Leading Area 51 offensively was
Delgado (3 HR, 6 RBIs) and Cruz (1 HR, 6 RBIs). Freddie
Garcia pitched a complete game 6 hit one run gem. GawD came
back in the last outing lighting up former Gawd Bin Vazquez to
avoid the sweep...Meanwhile at the Palm Computing
(C) Douglas McArthur Memorial Dome, Luis Gonzalez enjoyed
another fine series, smacking 6 homers (he now has a league-leading
15) and 10 RBI's to lead ND (which has now won 8 of their last
9 games) back into a first place tie. The team from Gackle
absolutley loved this park, outhomering the home team 15-6, as yet
another team GM'd by Jed finds itself looking up at the league...The
FW/NO split featured a 20-6 FW win, followed by an 18-4 NO win.
Harold walked Bonds intentionally 18 times in a row as Bonds
finished 0 for 5 with 4 K's.
(11/21) The
Wax swept into first place last night. Bonds homered
and doubled, driving in four runs, to put the Wax on
top in the first game. But it was Cameron's solo shot in
the 7th that proved decisive. Millar homered for Matt in
the 9th, but the Folders came up short, FW winning 5-4.
Game two was a Wax rout, as Kile was pounded for 7 homers.
Despite 10 hits, Matt narrowly avoided a shut-out. FW wins
15-1. In game 3, Zito took a 7-4 lead into the 7th,
but Matt's bullpen couldn't close the door. A. Ramirez got
the crowd back in the game by greeting Mesa with a dinger,
then Matthews loaded the bases with one out. Griffey pinch-hit
for Piazza, Matt brought in the lefty Williams to counter,
and Randy then countered with Timo Perez, who hit a grand slam
(off the pitcher's card) and Preston Wilson added an insurance
homer, FW winning 10-7. Bonds two solo blasts were it for offensive
in game four, as Wood, Charlton, Cormier, Rincon, and Riedling
pulled off a 6-hit shut-out. FW 2-0. Bonds went 7 for 14 for
the series, with 3 homers, 6 RBIs, and 3 walks.
(11/20) Preseason
favorite Jeff rode the stellar pitching of Freddy
Garcia (CG, 1 ER), Mussina (CG, 5-hits, 1 BB, 1 ER), and
Schilling/Kline/Zimmerman (combined 4-hitter 1 ER) to
rise from the league's ashes. Sexson added 3 homers in
the series. The scores were 2-1, 15-1, and 4-1, with
BC coming back to avoid the sweep 9-4.
(11/17)
North Dakota homecooking was the key to sweeping
into 1st place, as the home team knocked a hot New
Orleans team back into a 3rd place tie. Randy Johnson
pitched his 2nd straight CG impressive home win in game 1
(4 hits, 12 K's, 1 ER). Luis Gonzales'z 3rd inning grand salami
set the tone as ND cruised 6-1. In game 2, Luis hit a 1st
inning 3-run blast to erase an early 1-0 NO lead, then came back
and hit another in the third to tie it up 4-4, after a 5-hit NO
inning scored 2 for Harold. The game stayed 4-4 until Robbie
Alomar's 2-run homer in the 7th off Wagner made it 6-4. Escobar,
Arrojo, Groom and Isringhausen pitched the final 6 2/3 of shutout
relief for ND. Game 3 was a wild affair, with ND outlasting
NO in 13 innings 9-8, on mutant Matt LeCroy's game winning rbi double,
while Escobar pitched 3 final perfect innings (ND relief the final
scoreless 8 inns) for the win. ND's Alomar and Berkman missed
2 ballpark homers (1-14) in extra innings that would have won it.
Gonzalez had had homers in the first two innings (his 4th and
5th of the series) to give ND the early 6-3 lead, and there were 3 more
lead changes until Rollins' 7th inning pinch hit homer for ND made it
8-8...In the finale, Mark Mulder won his third game, scattering 7 hits
to win 6-2, with Berkaman's 3-run homer (his 6th) the big blow. Luis
now has 9 homers and 19 rbi, while Pujos, who had an OK series, is
hitting .406 (28 for 69), with 6 homers...In the other series, Koskie
(9 for 18, 2 HR, 5 BI, TR, 3 sb) led Eric over CN into a 3rd place tie...When
Harold used Al Leiter as a pinch-runner in the 13-inning game, it
was discovered that he and some other pitchers have real running
ratings (in place of the default 1-10). Here they are:
CN- Dempster,
Dotel, Hudson, Park, Sheets, and K. Wells are all
1-12. K. Wells is also starred (*3, 20-11) to steal.
BC - Daal
1-13, Oswalt 1-12
ND - Gagne,
Lieber, Ritchie 1-12, Williams 1-14
NO - Leiter
and Marquis are both 1-12
MF - Matthews
and Person are 1-12, Russ Ortiz is 1-13
FW - Penny
1-12, Wood 1-13, Maddux 1-14
GB - Millwood
and Sullivan 1-12
A51 -
Schilling, Vazquez 1-12. Valdes is 1-14 and
is starred (*3, 20-11) to steal.
(11/14)
An exhausting night leaves the standings unchanged.
The pre-game ceremonies for the ND home opneer
featured a long-forgotten tradtion: the non-playoff
flag burning. In game 1, ND outlasted FW 4-3 in 11
innings as LeCroy's rbi single won game 1 for R. Johnson, who
pitched all 11 innings, scattering 6 hits. W. Miller,
Rincon and Riedling combined on a 4-hit shutout for FW in game
2, 3-0 (Bonds was 0 for 0 with 5 IBB's). A. Ramirez led
a balanced attack for FW in game 3, with Bonds adding a HR and 4
IBBs, as FW cruised 9-4. In the finale, ND torched Pedro
for 4 HR's (Pujols, Berkman, Klesko and McGriff) and 6 runs in 6
innings to gain the split, 8-2.
Halfway
across the country, two frustrated teams faced off
against each other in Constantinople, Florida.
The Manatees had leads entering 3 innings during the
entire series, but faired better than this stat would indicate.
Game 1 saw Area 51 take an early 10-3 lead, but the Manatees
came back with a grand slam by R. White and a solo shot from
A. Rod (who had 3 solo shots in the series) to enter the bottom
of the 9th down 10-8. With one out and a man on 2nd, Jeff
walks Giambi to bring up Nevin. Nevin, feeling
the insult, hit the walk off 3 run homer. This
lead to Jeff declaring throughout the night, "I hate this guy
[Nevin]." or "He is just not that good."...Game 2 saw
A 51 pound out a 6-4 victory, with Zimmerman holding on striking
out A. Rod, Nevin and White in a row to cement the victory...In
Game 3 A51 had a 5-2 lead against the Manatees who clawed back
to tie it with a 9th inning Ellis Burks homer. Giambi hit a
walk off 10th inning homer to give the Manatees a 6-5 win...In the
finale A51 was done fooling around and sent Vazguez out there and staked
him to a 6-2 lead. Vazquez was just too good as he held on for
a 6-4 complete game victory.
(11/11) Picked for next to last in the preseason,
the pre-season whipping boy Harold continued to
make his opponents pay for such disrespect as he opened
up a 2-game lead over the pack, here early in the season.
New Orleans took 3 of 4 from Gawd B. NO out scored BG 40 to
15, hitting 10 HR’s. The manager of GB ended the evening by
telling the NO manager to "Get the f**k out of my house."
(11/8)
In the FW/A51 series, Schilling and Maddux each
scattered 4 hits over 6 innings, then lost it. The
Wax pounded out 6 runs in the 7th, capped by a Giles
pinch-hit grand slam. The strange visitors responded
with 6 in the 8th, as Sasaki bent but didn't break, preserving
a 7-6 victory. The Wax wore down Mussina, while Wade Miller
x-filed the aliens, to take the second game 6-1. In the
next game, Area 51 came back from a four run deficit, scoring
5 in the 5th and 7 in the 7th for a 17-9 victory (despite only
one A51 homer). Guerrero hit doubles on his last four at-bats
(and the first at bat of the next game as well). In the finale,
Pedro struck out 10 in 5 innings, while Kent, Piazza, and Gonzalez
each hit multiple-run homers, as the Wax coasted to a 9-3 victory...Constantinople
traveled down the Bosporus, through the Suez Canal and around
India, entering Manila Harbor into the shadow of the impressive
McArthur Dome to take on the 1-3 Folders. The "Mac Dome" was cooking
as outside temperatures reached 90 plus, while the mercury
inside the un-air conditioned facility reached 160. The heat
wilted the CN batters as Russ Ortiz and then Darryl "Dead Man
Pitching" Kile coasted to complete game victories in the first
two games. Game three was a back-and-forth affair with the Folders
coming out on top with an unearned run in the seventh. Mesa closed
it out with 2 IP 1 BB and 4 Ks. The Folders were on there way to
a sweep with a 7 - 2 lead when the CN team finally drank enough Gatorade,
exploding with a 13-run, four HR seventh inning. CN took game
four 19 - 13. The 13-run outburst is believed
to be a SOMBILLA record (although managers were speculating that,
upon reading this, Andrew would claim a 14-run inning for FW back
in the 80's and would fax the old scoresheets as proof.
(11/4) Stars for the Gawds were Koskie, 10 for 17
2HR 6RBI and the releif
corps of Trombley, Guardado, Garces, Foulke and
Manzanillo who pitched a total of 9 1/3 iniings
of no-hit ball. Trombley got two wins and Foulke
two saves in the process. The only bright spot for
Manila was Chavez who went 3 for 15, but all three
hits went over the anti-matter on the McArthur Dome walls.
9 RBIs resulted. Manila stats for 2002/3 are online
at: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~mphelps/sombilla/2002/MFStats2002.htm
(10/28) The underdog New Orleans team surprised
the league, taking 3 of 4 from A51. After A51
wins game one, the much maligned NO starting staff
lead them to 3 straight wins, 2-1, 10-1 and 3-1. Colon
pitches a complete game win, scattering 7 hits, and Percival
picks up 2 saves. Glaus hits 2 HR. Life imitates
Strat-O: Just a few hours after Percival shut down Area 51,
he shut down the Giants to save game 7 for the World-Champion
Angels.
(10/24) This year's World Series roster
winner is a tie between Future Wax (Bonds, Kent,
L. Hernandez and Salmon) and Area 51 (Lofton, Erstad,
Molina and Eckstein), each with four players.
Every other team in the SOMBILLA has either 2 or 3 representatives,
except for Constantinoiple with just one (Ramon Ortiz).
Actually, the most telling roster stat is that only 20 of
the 50 rostered World Series players are actually in the SOMBILLA,
which probably says more about the Angels and Giants than
it does about the SOMBILLA. No, Francisco Rodriguez will
not be available.
* This week in the SOMBILLA