Embedded Files
Circuit Clouts
Nov. 10, 1994 • Awards Edition
Nov. 10, 1994 • Awards Edition
A Director Is Born!
Eric “The Doctor!” Clemons’ Masterpiece Crushes Thon’s Latest Release!
By Sean “He’s the same guy as the Griffins GM!” Holloway, UL Beat Reporter
With the Toronto Polar Bears winning the 1994 UL WS, fans and UL observers alike were eagerly waiting to see what GM Clemons had in store for the League. Fresh off his 1992 Pulitzer-prize winning photograph “A GM and His Trophy” (now more often referred to by its street title “A Boy and His Dong”, a stunning work that was noted for its scathing critique of American imperialism, Clemons has astounded the League with his latest creation, an epic 2 ½ minutes of film genius that has left everyone utterly flummoxed and in awe.
For those that don’t know, earlier today, Clemons released a short film entitled “1994: My Odyssey”, that has already received rave reviews and is currently the favorite to win an Oscar. Clemons, who wrote, directed, produced, starred and even did all the visual effects in the piece, commented that he never expected that the film would create such a stir. “I create art from the heart.” Stated Clemons. “I don’t care what people think.”
Regardless of whether or not Clemons does care about what people think, others have chimed in, and emotional comments are flowing in from all around the League and film industry that testify to the film's impact. To wit:
Charlie Qualls (CLE) – “Thank God I will never win this league, cuz that cannot be topped!”
Stanley Kubrick – “Even though I’m dead, I had to come back and say that this is how I should have done ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.”
“Foxy” Steve Haugh – “HUZZAH!”
Martin Scorsese – “Never did I think I would see film-making stripped to its essential core, but thanks to Clemons, we all have something to strive for, and that is being as authentic as he.”
Glen Reed (STL) – “This might be the greatest two minutes and thirty-three seconds I’ve ever seen. Anywhere in any context. Take an effin bow man. The first one was genius in its simplicity and originality. But this is so crudely done and overt in its provocation that it’s affecting in a wholly different way.”
Francis Ford Coppola – “The emotional gut punch in ‘1994: My Odyssey’ is what I had hoped to achieve in ‘The Godfather’. Alas, after seeing this, I realize I fell short.”
Sean Holloway (DET) – “Better than Kubrick, with a touch of Terry Gilliam’s Python wackiness thrown in; I was in tears that turned into open weeping by the 90-second mark. I’ve never been so emotionally impacted in such a short time – save for that quickie with Destiny behind the Cum on Inn – and I’m utterly blown away by how Clemons is able to weave a scathing commentary of man’s inhumanity to man in such a short time.”
Ridley Scott – “A masterpiece; a film my brother and I would have wanted to create.”
Quentin Tarantino – “Everyone is still wondering what was in the suitcase in ‘Pulp Fiction’; I sure hope it was this film.”
Peter Vays (LA) – “Worth the WS loss. No chance I could have created this much enjoyment.”
This work of art, nay, epic work of biblical proportions, has left all UL fans and observers in a tizzy as they try to determine what, pray tell, Clemons will do if TOR wins the WS yet again next year. Some are clamoring for the other UL teams to lie down and die just so we are entertained with another Clemons masterpiece. For some reason, this reporter doesn’t see that happening, but whatever does happen, Clemons has raised the bar for every other UL GM.
Bonds Wins 4th MVP
Barry Joins UL's "Mount Rushmore"
Coming into 1994, only three players had won the UL Most Valuable Player Award four times. On Nov. 9, St. Louis' Barry Bonds joined that elite club, completing the UL's Mount Rushmore of the four greatest hitters in UL history.
Bonds (.306-52-135, .987) led the league in home runs, RBIs, runs, total bases, slugging, OPS—the list of categories he did not lead would be shorter. His unanimous selection came as no surprise (Brooklyn's Ken Griffey Jr and Boston's Sammy Sosa tied for a distant second) and the 29-year-old has now won back-to-back MVPs twice: in 1988-89 and 1993-94. [Which begs the question: what the hell was he doing in 1990-92? Answer: averaging .293-40-117, .962.] The slugging left fielder put up career numbers with 52 homers, 135 RBIs, and 135 runs.
Bonds joins Granny Hamner, Joe Torre, and Craig Robinson on the mythical UL Gutzon Borglum masterpiece. Torre and C-Rob are well known to most current fans; Hamner less so. The swift-fielding glove man helped lead the "Screaming Bat" era Brooklyn Superbas to seven titles between 1955-64 and was the first middle infielder elected to the UL Hall of Fame.
Hamner got his 4th MVP in 1962. A decade later Joe Torre joined the four-timer club, having captured four in five years—two each at catcher and first base and two each as a Manhattan Gray Sox and Atlanta Hilltoppers. Torre would return to the ManSox in 1979, where he paired up with C-Rob in the UL equivalent of Ruth and Gehrig. The fateful 1979 season was the tail end of Manhattan's four-year dynasty, and was also the year that C-Rob garned his 4th MVP (on his way to six). At age 29 and playing in one of the most lefty-friendly parks in the circuit, Bonds has a a decent shot at overtaking C-Rob's record of six MVPs.
So there you have it. The UL's Mount Rushmore is complete. At least until another generational talent comes along.
Pedro Wins Toppers' 2nd Straight Cy Young Award
23-Year-Old's Historic Season Nets Trophy
Pedro Martinez capped a dominant pitching season not in the way he wanted—with a UL title—but will take the Cy Young Award as a decent consolation prize. The 23-year-old Dominican was 19-6 with a 1.80 ERA, 340 Ks, 0.74 WHIP, and 9.5 WAR.
Let's take a moment to parse those numbers, shall we?
• The 1.80 ERA is the 5th best in league history, behind the iconic names Singer, Moose, Conley, and Podres.
• The 340 Ks is tied for 11th all-time, but more impressively, the most in threee decades.
• The 0.74 WHIP? Best all-time, narrowly edging 1992 Pedro Martinez and 1993 Pedro Martinez.
• The 9.5 WAR is the 8th best since 1970, behind three Gooden, two Dierkers, and two Reuschels.
With 21.0 WAR after his third season, Dwight Gooden is the only decent comp for the level of greatness that Pedro has sustained.
Florida's Mike Mussina was second in the voting—including 3 of 18 first place votes—
and Pedro's Atlanta teammate Fernando Valenzuela was third, marking the fourth time that Fernie has finished in the top 3. He won the Cy last year, was runner-up to Gooden in 1988, and third in 1990 and this year.
Fernie and Pedro are just the second teammates to win successive Cy Youngs in league history—and the first in over 40 years. Larry Jansen and Stu Miller won the award in 1952 and '53, the league's second and third seasons.
Nov. 5, 1994 • Minnesota Edition
Nov. 5, 1994 • Minnesota Edition
Protests in Minnesota
"No to Spiders! No to St. Paul!"
MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 5)—Just days after the location of the new ballpark was revealed by a savvy amateur imagery analyst, Minneapolis area baseball fans congregated at the construction site to protest the "Minnesota Spiders" name, moniker, and logo. Many objected on the basis of the club's wretched history and recent string of misfortune. Others objected to the bizarre, abstract logo. Some wanted a fresh start and new identity for the club. A few objected simply because "spiders are creepy."
As the protest grew throughout the day—in the words of my grandma, it was an ornery bunch—a new element emerged: namely a jingoistic and apparently heavy-drinking anti-St. Paul cabal holding up signs that said "No to Spiders! No to St. Paul!" As the afternoon wore on and the snow started, this hard-core group, which had been imbibing since before noon, became more belligerent and aggressive, drowning out the smaller, more peaceful, "spiders are creepy" contingent.
The crowd finally settled down and began dispersing after GM Steve Haugh arrived—accompanied by cartoonist Charles Shulz and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, a huge baseball fan who grew up in Hibbing, the hometown of Roger Maris—and promised to drop the Spiders name, nix the logo, and "look into" other changes. Haugh's words were met by loud cheers followed by a rush to the just-opened box office, where season tickets went on sale at 4pm, as Dylan broke into "Subterranean Homesick Blues." The tickets were printed with "Minnesota Baseball Club" and tiny fox paw printed in the corner.
Qualls, Boxer "Just Friends"
Cleveland GM Shuts Down Relocation Rumors
"I Put the Jersey On and Felt Nostalgic"
About that sighting of Cleveland Barons GM with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) exiting an Italian restaurant, it turns out that Quallsie and the California politician are "just friends" who share an interest in wine. Qualls, a Lodi, Calif. native and part-time resident, had been linked to a possible move of the Cleveland Barons to the Bay Area after the sale and imminent relocation of the San Francisco Spiders to the Minneapolis area.
But after returning to the Forest City, Qualls squashed all relocation rumors and reiterated his commitment to the City of Cleveland. At a press conference in which he announced that construction of the new ballpark was ahead of schedule and will be more than ready for Opening Day 1995, Qualls briefly waxed poetic: "I just put on the jersey and I felt nostalgic."
He continued: "We look forward to giving the fans of this fine community a beautiful ballpark worthy of their loyalty and of being fine fans of this fair community," Qualls said. The as-yet unnamed stadium is rising at the site of the old League Park in the Hough neighborhood, an historic and cultural district on the east side of the city. League Park hosted major league games from 1891 until 1946, when the old Cleveland Indians moved full-time to Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
The Barons have made Municipal Stadium their home since relocating from Boston in 1959. The cavernous facility opened in 1931 and held 78,000 seats, making it look half-empty at the best of times. Located just south of Lake Erie, "the Mistake by the Lake" was known for the biting cold winds that would blow into the stadium in winter, as well as during much of the spring and fall. Because of its proximity to the lake during hot summer nights, its lights attracted swarms of midges and mayflies.
The new ballpark will closely mimic the old League Park. In fact, architects incorporated some of the original blueprints into the design. A double deck grandstand will extend from the right field foul pole to home plate and just shy of the left field foul pole. The lower deck extended around the left field foul pole and to left field and a small section of wooden bleachers will be located in left center field. League Park’s playing field was shaped like a rectangle due to the configuration of the streets surrounding the ballpark. This made the right field fence very short at 290 ft. and creating a 40 feet high wall.
The ballpark's location, nestled in a largely residential neighborhood between the central business district to the west and parks and museums to the east, will embed the team more closely in the community and give fans a more intimate game day experience.
Leaving Las Vegas
Just days after the announced relocation of the San Francisco Spiders to the Midwest, the United League announced that the Triple-A affiliate would no longer play in Sin City.
The Las Vegas Aces—with deep ties to former GM a noted card shark Jeff Tonole—played in the Triple-A International League since 1976. Commissioner Timothy J. Smith, speaking in Conference Room L at UL Headquarters said the league was moving the team "the best interests of baseball." To keep travel costs down, the new Minnesota franchise deserves a farm team closer to home, the Commish said. But the crux of the issue, according to those behind the scenes who spoke on condition of acrimony, was Las Vegas' ties to gambling.
"It is inappropriate to have a professional baseball team in a city so strongly associated with gambling," Smith proclaimed. "So we are moving the team to Cincinnati."
So in the span of less than a week, the two largest Midwestern metro areas without ballclubs got ballclubs. The Cincinnati Red Stockings, formed in 1869, were baseball's first all-professional team. Later, the Cincinnati Reds were a charter member of the American Association in 1881 before joining the National League in 1890. The Reds won the World Series in 1919 and 1940, but were a second division team for much of their existence. In 1950, with the collapse and bankruptcy of both major leagues, Cincinnati was left off the list of UL franchises. The city hosted the Chicago Colts' Triple-A team for one year, 1961, and has not had a baseball team since, even as Louisville, Kansas City, and Milwaukee have had Triple-A teams and Omaha, Indianapolis, Gary, and Grand Rapids have hosted Double-A teams. The new Cincinnati club will play in the IL's Midwest Division, which also consists of the Kansas City Monarchs, Milwaukee Robins, and Winnipeg Blizzards. The Twin Cities Trappers, Washington's farm club, is actively looking for a new home for the 1995 season.
Nov. 3, 1994 • Minnesota Edition
Nov. 3, 1994 • Minnesota Edition
Bay Area Mourns Baseball's Departure
Spid Fans Leave Flowers at Stadium Rubble Pile
The shocking news of the sale and departure of the San Francisco Spiders to the arctic tundra of suburban Minneapolis have left a wave of shock, disappointment, and resolve in its wake. Public officials lamented the loss of a franchise that was woven into the fabric of the San Francisco community and the greater Bay Area. Seals Stadium, at the intersection of 15th and Bryant, was a mainstay of the Mission District. Built of steel and concrete, the ballpark opened in 1931 and was home to both the San Francisco Seals and Missions until the Missions moved in 1937.
In 1955, the big leagues arrived with the expansion San Francisco Spiders. The club found sudden and shocking success in 1959. After four losing seasons, the Spids went from worst to first, with an offense anchored by the power trio of Rocky Colavito, Harmon Killebrew, and Wes Covington, and a pair of 21-game winners in Bob Porterfield and Ewell Blackwell. In the third season of divisional play, S.F. won the West Division pennant by a comfortable seven games over the St. Louis Maroons, then proceeded to pull off one of the greatest World Series upsets in UL history, taking down the 105-win Brooklyn Superbas in seven games. The Spiders won two games at Brooklyn in extra innings to seize the title: a homer by reserve shortstop Eddie Kasko in the 11th in Game 6, followed by the most iconic play in Spiders history—and one of the most iconic in all of UL history—Jim Lemon's 2-run HR in 14th inning of Game 7.
The Arachnids return to their losing ways after that Cinderella season, with 12 losing seasons in the next 14 years, before returning to the promised land. The 1974 season marked the beginning of the Spiders' Golden Age, coinciding with an era of pitching dominance. From 1974 to 1986, San Francisco was a top-5 pitching team in 10 of 13 seasons, leading to five playoff appearances. The 1974 team, another 87-win outfit like the '59ers, pulled off the only undefeated postseason in UL history, sweeping past Manhattan and Atlanta despite losing Bob Moose midway through the season. Fergie Jenkins silenced the bats of the Atlanta Hilltoppers, who were the league's top offense for four years running.
The Spiders suffered early exits in 1976 and 1978, but returned to the Fall Classic in 1980, a 4-1 loss to Boston that gave the Federals their first—and so far only—UL title. In 1986, led by a new generation of pitchers, including Jose DeLeon and Jose Rijo, the Spiders were the surprising team of the league, improving by 22 games. The took the St. Louis Maroons to seven games.
Since that '86 playoff appearance, San Francisco has had just one winning season, and after longtime GM Jeff Tonole's departure in 1992 the club fell into a malaise, culminating with the condemnation of the building (which inexplicably remained open), earthquake damage in June 1994, and the agreement to sell the club to Bay Area playboy and grifter Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who was shockingly crushed to death at a press conference announcing the sale. City officials have already rezoned the former ballpark for mixed-use condos.
San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan, Speaker of the California State Assembly Willie Brown, Senator Barbara Boxer, and Governor Pete Wilson have convened a bipartisan task force to bring the United League back to northern California. Cleveland Barons GM Charlie Qualls, who hails from the region, was seen exiting an Italian restaurant with Sen. Boxer the day after the sale of the team to a Minnesota consortium. Qualls, who operates a winery near his hometown of Lodi in the offseason, has privately mused about bringing his long-suffering Barons to the Bay. Neither Boxer not Qualls were available for comment.
So the quest continues, and San Francisco braces for its first year without baseball since the formation of the Pacific Coast League in 1903.
Nov. 1, 1994 • Minnesota Edition
Nov. 1, 1994 • Minnesota Edition
Minnesota Über Alles!
Spiders Embark-adero For the Land of Lovesexy
by Steve Haugh, Acting Deputy Assistant UL Beat Reporter
An overflow crowd of understandably nervous reporters were called together this afternoon for a press conference at Camp Snoopy in Bloomington, Minnesota. Flanked by cardboard cutouts of Prince and Bobbie Gentry, former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura stepped to the podium to announce that the threesome’s management consortium, dubbed ‘I Would Die 4 the UL’, had purchased the San Francisco Spiders franchise earlier this morning.
“Thanks for coming, everyone. We’re excited to be here today to announce that we are joining the United League, and we’re even more excited to get these poor bastards out of San Francisco before anyone else gets killed!”
Ventura nods, and a projector hums to life. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… THE MINNESOTA SPIDERS!"
"As part of our agreement to acquire the team, we have already broken ground for a new stadium in Fridley. We're thrilled to have the immortal Bobbie Gentry as part of our management team, and in her honor we have christened the stadium Pronto Pup Park.'
(editor's note: Ms Gentry is the widow of culinary pioneer George Boyington, and inheritor of the Pronto Pup fortune). (other editor's note: A Pronto Pup is a deep-fried, battered hot dog on a stick, similar to a corn dog, but with a distinct batter recipe.) (first editor's note: no shit, asshole! Let me do my job!) (other editor's note: let's take this outside, tough guy!)
Minnesota to Join UL
Sale to Consortium Ends 30-Year Quest for UL Franchise
Efforts to bring the United League to the Land of 10,000 Lakes has finally come to fruition, with the announcement today of the sale of the struggling—some would say cursed—San Francisco Spiders franchise to consortium of local boosters.
A club beset by front office turmoil, alleged financial impropriety, an already-crumbling facility made criminally unsafe by a recent earthquake, the tragic and untimely death of Eddie DeBartolo Jr.—a prospective buyer and perceived savior of the franchise—by the crumbling debris of said ballpark, to say nothing of the poor baseball product on the field, has been rescued by a group of investors as diverse as the strange bedfellows—the famous "Brotherly Glove" Group, including Bob Saget, Kevin Bacon, Isaac Asimov, Noam Chomsky, et al—who birthed the Keystone Starlings.
Minneapolis/St. Paul was first mentioned as a potential UL city ahead of the 1984 expansion that brought Toronto and Havana into the league. It came closer in the next round of enlargement. After a notoriously convoluted process that included seven rounds of redundant voting and the mysterious addition and subtraction of certain cities, MSP polled well, finishing somewhere between 1st and 3rd runner-up to Toronto and Havana, depending on which poll results and weighting scheme one uses. According to data from the US Census Bureau, as of 1990, Minneapolis/St. Paul is the fourth largest metro area without a UL franchise, after Dallas, Houston, and San Diego. [Dallas and Houston briefly celebrated their admission into the UL in 1989 before league officials clarified that the Texas metropolises would be getting Triple-A teams, blaming the snafu on "an intern shortage."]
Since the Cleveland Barons moved from Boston in 1959, only four Midwestern cities have competed in the UL (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis). The Midwest was shut out of all five rounds of expansion, despite—or perhaps because—of several UL GMs with ties to the region. Former Washington Monuments GM Mark Waller, a Minnesotan, relocated the Monuments farm team to Minneapolis after the stadium in Baltimore burned to the ground under suspicious circumstances. The region is also home to the Milwaukee Robins (Atlanta) and Kansas City Monarchs (Chicago). Since 1955, the expansion teams have been awarded to the West (3), Northeast (2), South (2), outside the U.S. (3).
The Minnesota Spiders will still play in the West Division, setting up regional rivalries with the Chicago Colts and St. Louis Maroons.
Breaking Ground Broken?
Aerial Imagery Shows Near-Complete Ballpark in Minneapolis Suburb
Brooklyn Park Mayor, former professional wrestler, and now Minnesota Spiders co-owner, Jesse Ventura's statement that "we have already broken ground for a new stadium in Fridley" is coming under scrutiny as new aerial imagery—apparently acquired from the window seat of a commercial airliner—reveals a nearly-completed ballpark in the northern Minneapolis suburb. The photo reveals what appears to be a three-tiered grandstand behind home plate, some rather sad-looking bleachers along the first- and third-base lines, two large scoreboards in center field, and an array of floodlight towers.
Oct. 28, 1994 • World Series Edition
Oct. 28, 1994 • World Series Edition
WORLD SERIES
Toronto Wins 2nd Title
Polar Bears Outpitch Outlaws
The Toronto Polar Bears are champions of the United League for the second time after taking down the pitching-dominant Los Angeles Outlaws, four games to one.
GAME 1 - TOR 3, LA 2
The hosts took an early 3-0 lead off Rheal Cormier and lefty starter Greg Mathews combined with two relievers to hold the lead. Mickey Morandini's sac fly but Toronto on the board in the second, then Cory Snyder hit a two-run homer the next inning. Ron Karkovice's sac fly made it 3-1 in the 4th and L.A. mounted a rally in the 9th off closer Jose Mesa. With one out, pinch hitter Brent Mayne singled and stole second, later scoring on Rey Sanchez' RBI single. With two on and two out, Mesa induced a Frank Thomas flyout to center to lock down the win.
GAME 2 - TOR 3, LA 2, 11 inn.
Don Robinson and Brian Holman went toe-to-toe through six scoreless innings before the teams exchanged 2-run innings. Eric Karros homered with Morandini on in the sixth, and Julio Franco delievered a two-run pinch single in the seventh. The duel then picked up with both bullpens throwing several shutout innings until the bottom of the 11th, when Juan Gonzalez cranked a game-winning homer on the second pitch from Derek Lilliquist, who allowed just one dinger in 24.2 innings in the regular season.
GAME 3 -TOR 4, LA 3
In a battle of aces and high school buddies, the Outlaws jumped to an early 2-0 lead off Dwight Gooden on Felix Jose's two-run shot. But Floyd Youmans got into a jam in the 4th that he could not get out of. Eric Karros hit an RBI single and after Cory Snyder struck out, Raul Mondesi launched a three-run homer that proved to be the game-winner. Frank Thomas' leadoff homer in the 9th halved the lead and chased Gooden, but Rene Arocha got the save, despite allowing two singles.
GAME 4 - LA 3, TOR 2
Facing elimination at home, L.A. got a super start from lefty Greg Swindell, who allowed just four hits and two runs, while striking out nine, in eight innings. The hosts strung together four hits, and walk, and hit batsman to score three off Scott Sanderson in the fourth for a 3-2 lead, and Swindell combined with closer Todd Frohwirth for four no-hit innings to extend the series.
GAME 5 - TOR 3, LA 0
Fresh off his Game 1 gem, Greg Mathews outdid himself, pitching 8.1 shutout inning with seven strikeouts. As in the first game, Toronto touched Canadian southpaw Cormier early, this time with three runs in the first that turned out to be the only runs of the game. Ellis Burks got the party started with a one-out double, scoring on Juan Gonzalez' two-bagger. Karros then singled Gonzalez to third and he scored on Snyder's fielders choice, and Mondesi doubled home Karros. The Outlaws had numerous chances to get back into the game, but failed at every turn, leaving 10 men on base, including the bases loaded in the 3rd and two on in the 2nd and 9th. A Stan Javier walk and another Brent Mayne pinch hit brought the tying run to the plate with one out, but Jose Mesa fanned Tom Brunansky and then Andy Van Slyke grounded to first to end the game and the series.
The triumph was Toronto's second World Series win, and the Polar Bears have now appeared in four of the last six Fall Classics, more than any other team. The P-Bears win was less surprising than how it was accomplished. They entered the series strong favorites with a +13 win differential, but Toronto has always been a hit-first team, leading the lead in scoring six of the last seven years (aided by the very pitcher-friendly Ed Werenich Stadium). In their first title campaign, the Polar Bears bludgeoned Los Angeles 40-25 over five games, including 13 home runs. It was the second highest scoring average (8.0) in ULWS history. The aggregate score in this five-game series was 15-10. It was the fifth lowest run total in 38 Series and the lowest scoring average (3.0) for a winning team. In the five games, a team scored more than three runs just once, and all four Toronto wins came with three runs of offense.
Lew Burdette Playoff MVP Greg Mathews deserves most of the credit: the 31-year-old, who joined Toronto in 1992, was 2-0, 0.63 in the Series. But Brian Holman allowed just two runs in Game 2, and the bullpen duo of Rene Arocha and Jose Mesa allowed just one run in 8.2 innings across six appearances.
As for L.A., Rheal Cormier was a huge disappointment, going 0-2, 6.00 and pitching just 9.0 innings in his two starts. In fact, Cormier gave up six of Toronto's 15 runs. But the biggest letdown was the offense. No hitter drove in more than two runs and they hit just two home runs in the series.
Best Team ERA in a World Series
Year Team ERA WHIP G
1983 Detroit 0.49 0.57 4
1963 Brooklyn 1.23 0.77 5
1987 Washington 1.25 1.11 6
1982 Montréal 1.64 1.09 5
1984 Detroit 1.83 0.96 6
1989 St. Louis 1.95 1.03 4
1994 Toronto 1.96 1.37 5
Spiders Sale Segues Into Symphony in Ed Flat Majeure
DeBartolo Press Conference Takes Tragic Turn
Prospective Spiders Owner and Some Lawyers Feared Dead
by Steve Haugh, Acting Deputy Assistant UL Beat Reporter
A section of the Seals Stadium grandstand collapsed earlier today during the announcement that area playboy Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. has signed an agreement to purchase the hard-luck San Francisco Spiders franchise. Ironically, DeBartolo had just assured the assembled press that the Stadium “just needed a few band-aids”, and was in fact completely safe, when a horrendous grinding noise began high above the podium. An avalanche of steel girders and concrete chunks soon fell onto the makeshift stage, burying DeBartolo and his posse of attorneys.
Miraculously, the members of the press assembled for the announcement a few yards in front of the stage were all spared from injury, as was new Spiders GM Steve Haugh, who had just entered the room seconds before the collapse.
Stay tuned for an eyewitness, thankfully 3-dimensional account from UL Beat Reporter Sean “It Was Probably Haugh!” Holloway.
League Standings
League Standings
West W L GB 2ndH R RA
Atlanta 110 50 - 51-25 3 1
St. Louis 98 62 12 51-25 4 6t
Los Angeles 88 72 22 42-34 9 3
Florida 86 74 24 42-34 10 6t
Chicago 83 77 27 42-34 11 2
Havana 77 83 33 31-46 8 11
San Francisco 58 102 52 27-49 15 16
Denver 57 103 53 27-50 17 14
Seattle 55 105 55 24-52 18 15
East W L GB 2ndH R RA
Toronto 101 59 - 56-20 1 8
Boston 99 61 2 50-26 2 9
Detroit 94 66 7 42-34 5 4
Keystone 92 68 9 46-30 6 12
Brooklyn 91 69 10 39-37 7 5
Cleveland 71 89 30 41-35 12 10
Manhattan 62 98 39 32-44 14 18
Washington 62 98 39 27-49 16 13
Montreal 56 104 45 15-61 13 17
League Leaders
League Leaders
Batting Average
Dave Nilsson DET .331
Carlos Baerga KEY .320
Tony Gwynn ATL .318
Bip Roberts MON .317
Ken Griffey Jr BRO .315
Kal Daniels BOS .313
Juan Gonzalez TOR .309
Barry Bonds STL .306
Larry Walker CLE .306
Dwight Smith DET .306
RBIs
Barry Bonds STL 135
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 130
Ryan Klesko DET 130
Tim Salmon KEY 123
Jim Thome BOS 120
Raffy Palmeiro STL 114
Bret Boone ATL 111
Eric Karros TOR 109
Howard Johnson HAV 106
Mike Piazza BOS 106
Infield Zone Rating
Cal Ripken Jr STL 17.7
Alan Trammell CHI 15.6
Jay Bell LA 10.8
Rey Sanchez LA 8.5
Jose Valentin ATL 8.2
Home Runs
Barry Bonds STL 52
Eric Karros TOR 48
Tim Salmon KEY 46
Ryan Klesko DET 43
Sammy Sosa BOS 43
Eric Davis CHI 41
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 41
Mickey Tettleton TOR 40
Howard Johnson HAV 39
Jim Thome BOS 39
bWAR
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 10.5
Barry Bonds STL 10.3
Eric Davis CHI 9.1
Sammy Sosa BOS 8.7
Jose Valentin ATL 8.4
Dave Nilsson DET 8.3
Rich Gedman STL 8.3
Ryne Sandberg WAS 7.9
Andy Van Slyke LA 7.4
Tony Phillips STL 7.2
Outfield Zone Rating
Eric Davis CHI 16.1
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 14.3
Stan Javier LA 13.6
Shane Mack HAV 11.4
Gar. Anderson SF 10.5
Earned Run Average
Pedro Martinez ATL 1.80
F. Valenzuela ATL 2.21
Mike Mussina FLO 2.23
Joe Magrane STL 2.24
Floyd Youmans LA 2.43
T. Mulholland CHI 2.50
Greg Swindell LA 2.67
Darryl Kile ATL 2.74
Ismael Valdez CLE 2.74
Jaime Navarro CLE 2.79
Strikeouts
Pedro Martinez ATL 340
Floyd Youmans LA 289
Fern Valenzuela ATL 274
Mike Mussina FLO 267
Dwight Gooden TOR 238
Steve Cooke CHI 235
Jon Lieber BOS 234
Scott Sanders DET 230
Jose DeLeon KEY 221
Donovan Osborne CHI 221
Wins
Mike Mussina FLO 22
F. Valenzuela ATL 22
Joe Magrane STL 21
Pedro Martinez ATL 19
Kirk Rueter KEY 19
Brian Anderson BOS 18
Kevin Brown BRO 17
Dwight Gooden TOR 17
Bruce Hurst LA 17
Darryl Kile ATL 17
pWAR
Pedro Martinez ATL 9.5
Mike Mussina FLO 7.1
Fern Valenzuela ATL 7.0
Dwight Gooden TOR 6.4
Bret Saberhagen BOS 6.1
Floyd Youmans LA 6.0
Jon Lieber BOS 5.2
Butch Henry KEY 5.1
Tom Glavine WAS 5.1
Darryl Kile ATL 4.8
Awards
Awards
Batter of the Month
APR Raffy Palmeiro STL
MAY Tim Salmon KEY
JUN Ken Griffey Jr BRO
JUL Barry Bonds STL
AUG Howard Johnson HAV
SEP Mike Stanley KEY
Pitcher of the Month
APR Mike Mussina FLO
MAY Mike Mussina FLO
JUN Pat Hentgen BOS
JUL Pedro Martinez ATL
AUG Fern Valenzuela ATL
SEP Bruce Hurst LA
Rookie of the Month
APR Aaron Sele KEY
MAY Jon Lieber BOS
JUN Jim Edmonds CLE
JUL Salomon Torres CLE
AUG Salomon Torres CLE
SEP Angel Miranda STL
Player of the Week
4/11 Kal Daniels BOS
4/18 Tim Salmon KEY
4/25 Shane Mack HAV
5/2 Jeff Bagwell KEY
5/9 Greg Colbrunn ATL
5/16 Ken Griffey Jr BRO
5/23 Andy Van Slyke LA
5/30 Matt Williams BRO
6/6 Ron Karkovice LA
6/13 Matt Williams BRO
6/20 Ken Griffey Jr BRO
6/27 Barry Bonds STL
7/4 Ken Caminiti MAN
7/11 Frank Thomas LA
7/18 Ron Gant TOR
7/25 Mike Piazza BOS
8/1 Eric Karros TOR
8/8 Bret Boone ATL
8/15 Barry Bonds STL
8/22 Eric Davis CHI
8/29 Bob Horner MAN
9/5 Dwight Smith DET
9/12 Kal Daniels BOS
9/19 Mike Stanley KEY
9/26 Carlos Baerga KEY
Milestones
Milestones
May 14 - HAV Lenny Dykstra 500 stolen bases (#20 all-time)
May 16 - ATL Tony Gwynn 500 stolen bases (#21 all-time)
May 18 - LA Andy Van Slyke 700 stolen bases (#5 all-time)
May 25 - TOR Dwight Gooden 2,500 strikeouts (#22 all-time)
June 5 - BOS Mike Scott 2,000 strikeouts (#42 all-time)
June 6 - ATL Wade Boggs 1,000 runs (#57 all-time)
June 7 - SEA Alvin Davis 1,000 RBIs (#48 all-time)
July 1 - DEN Ozzie Smith 1,000 runs (#58 -all-time)
July 7 - HAV Lenny Dykstra 1,000 runs (#59 all-time)
July 15 - BRO Robin Yount 3,000 hits (#4 all-time)
July 18 - SEA Willie McGee 1,000 runs (#60 all-time)
July 18 - LA Don Robinson 200 win (#19 all-time)
July 24 - TOR Ellis Burks 300 home runs (#43 all-time)
July 26 - CHI Eric Davis 1,000 RBIs (#48 all-time)
July 28 - WAS Ryne Sandberg 2,000 hits (#51 all-time)
Aug. 18 - KEY Jesse Barfield 300 home runs (#44 all-time)
Aug. 18 - WAS Ryne Sandberg 300 home runs (#45 all-time)
Aug. 20 - DEN Tim Raines 2,000 hits (#52 all-time)
Aug. 23 - TOR Scott Sanderson 2,500 strikeouts (#23 all-time)
Aug. 23 - HAV Lou Whitaker 2,000 hits (#53 all-time)
Aug. 27 - CHI Eric Davis 400 home runs (#20 all-time)
Sep. 1 - FLO Roberto Alomar 300 stolen bases (51 all-time)
Sep. 3 - TOR Scott Sanderson 200 wins (#19 all-time)
Sep. 8 - STL Rafael Palmeiro 300 home runs (#46 all-time)
Sep. 11 - CHI Eric Davis 600 stolen bases (#10 all-time)
Sep. 12 - STL Tony Phillips 2,000 hits (#54 all-time)
Sep. 21 - WAS Ryne Sandberg 1,000 RBIs (#50 all-time)
Sep. 22 - DEN Ozzie Smith 2,500 hits (#19 all-time)
Injuries
(playoff teams only, *min 4 wk; bold=this sim)
Injuries
(playoff teams only, *min 4 wk; bold=this sim)
ATL 3B Wade Boggs 6 mo
ATL SP John Smoltz 5 mo
DET LF Larry Walker 2 mo
LA SP Jose Lima 11 mo
STL RF John Kruk (2 mo)
East Division
East Division
Toronto's season a mirror image of Brooklyn's. While the Superbas were red-hot into early August, Toronto started slowly. Their 42-38 record on Jun. 25 was good for 5th place in the East, nine games behind division-leading Detroit. The P-Bears were 59-21 the rest of the way, but it was not a linear ascent. The were 32-7 June 26-Aug. 11, the day they claimed a share of 1st place, which they held for 16 days. But a 1-7 slump saw them spiral out of the top three by Sept. 1, as Brooklyn reclaimed a top-three spot. But a 19-4 finish saw Toronto surge to a franchise-best 101 wins and their first pennant since 1991.
Toronto mashed a league-leading 261 dingers, led by Eric Karros (48) and Mickey Tettleton (40). CF Raul Mondesi led all rookies with 36 HR and 301 total bases. The rotation ranked 6th in ERA led again by Dwight Gooden (2.81, 238 K), while 37-year-old Scott Sanderson had his best ERA (3.54) and WHIP (1.22) since his 20s.
Despite improving by 32 games, the Feds ended the season on a bitter note, blowing a three-game lead with 10 games to go. The 99 wins set a franchise record as well as a career record for second-year GM Mark Waller, whose emphasis upon entering Beantown was the upgrade one of the worst pitching staffs to complement one of more prolific offenses.
Boston was the only club with rookies in top-2 SP and closer roles, and the results exceed all expectorations. Jon Lieber, the 3rd overall pick, was 15-11 with a 3.12 ERA, and led all rookies with 11 CGs, 234 Ks and 5.2 WAR. Billy Taylor, the 21st overall pick, was 41/42 (.976) in save situations and had 41 shutdowns to just 6 meltdowns, the best ratio in the league.
At the plate, the Federals unlocked their latent potential, with four regulars with OPS over .880, three of whom were under 25. Sammy Sosa, 24, hit 43 dingers, slugged .533 and was 4th in the league with 8.7 WAR. Jim Thome, 23, was the club RBI leader (120) and added 39 home runs and a .900 OPS. And third-year catcher Mike Piazza, 25, had his second .300-30-100 season. Kal Daniels, at age 30, was the old man of the group; the former Leone hit .313-32-92, and led the team with 38 stolen bases and the league with a .391 OBP. Other players of note: 2B Chuck Knoblauch, 25, had a .353 OBP and 3.9 WAR, and a pair of 34-year-old sentimental bozos—Joe Carter and Gary Gaetti—combined for 28 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Ever since most pundits declared Detroit's 1992 103-win and World Series winning season a fluke, said pundits have predicted the Flyin' Lions decline. And for the second straight year, the Griffins refused to obliged, again posting 90-plus wins and securing a third straight playoff berth. This year it was the pitching that bouyed the ballclub. Their 3.15 ERA was the best in franchise history, and the rotation featured three hurlers with ERAs at or below 3.00, though none ranked in the top-10 in ERA or pWAR, and none of them was ace Andy Benes (3.18), who posted career bests in ERA, innings, and WHIP. Rookie Scott Sanders was spectacular, with a 12-7 record, 2.80 ERA, and 230 Ks. Chris Nabholz' 2.82 ERA was his lowest since his ERA-title rookie year, and lefty Pete Schourek pitched a career-best 1.06 WHIP and 2.7 WAR despite missing most of the first two months of the season.
But the Griffs also had the fifth-best offense. They were first in batting average and OBP, 2nd in wOBA, and 3rd in OPS and bWAR. Dave Nilsson's .331-30-101 won the batting title. Ryan Klesko's 43 homers tied for 4th, and Dwight Smith was 10th in batting with .306. This trio's production offset an off-year by 1992 MVP Fred McGriff. The Crime Dog got off to a slow start, had a hot July (.313, .804 OPS), and then hit like a snowman after an abominable strain July 27 (.182 in 62 PA). Veteran shortstop Tony Fernandez was a key cog as well, hitting .295 with a .351 OBP and career-high 5.2 WAR.
At +23, Keystone was the third most-improved team in 1994, but fell under the radar compared to headliners Atlanta and Boston, who led their divisions most of the season. And 18-7 July had the club in the pennant race before an August swoon dashed their playoff hopes. Even still, a 12-3 finish gave Philadelphia its first winning team since the 1950 Whiz Kids, the year before the UL's founding.
The Starlings crop of young players all took forward strides. The offense flew from 15th to 6th. Third-year RF Tim Salmon, already christened "Mr Starling" at the age of 26 hit .267-46-123 and finished 3rd in HR and 4th in RBI. Twenty-five year old 2B Carlos Baerga led the league with 221 hits and 46 doubles and finished 2nd in the batting race at .320. New arrivals 3B Kevin Mitchell (.279-24-89) and C Mike Stanley (.326-20-41, 1.083) made big contributions.
The Starlings' pitching also hatched, climbing five perches to 12th. William Van Landingham (16-11, 4.12) led all rookies in wins and was 2nd in WAR; sophomore southpaw Kirk "Woody" Rueter (REE-ter) was 19-4, 3.36 with a 1.22 WHIP; and veteran Scott Bankhead (12-9, 3.14) posted the lowest ERA and WHIP of his career. In the pen, closer John Dopson, after eight years at the back of the bullpen, led the league with 43 saves and 45 shutdowns.
Keystone finished just two games out of the Hex, and with most of their stars under 25, should be East Division contenders throughout the rest of the '90s.
The Superbas won 91 games, one more than last year's World Series year, but somehow finished in fifth place. As late as Aug. 7, the Bas had the second best record in the league (71-44) and a share of 1st place. But a seven-game losing streak plummetted them into a three-way scrum for the last two playoff spots and their catastrophic 9-15 September doomed them to 5th place behind Keystone. What went wrong? On the pitching side, 3-4 starter Steve Avery and Kelly Downs were a combined 1-5, 7.21; on the hitting side, Matt Williams OPSed .672, after OPSing .857 in the first five months. The most demoralizing bit may have been a 1-6 week in mid-September that included shutouts by four separate divisional rivals.
Despite the disappointment, there were some massive individual achievements. Ken Griffey Jr (.315-41-130) was 2nd in OPS, RBIs, and total bases and led the league in WAR for the second time in three years. Kevin Brown won a career high 17 games. And despite his late-season meltdown, the 24-year-old Avery led the club with a 2.85 ERA and notched his second straight 15-win campaign.
With six teams in rebuilding mode, the Barons have a slight head start, based on the core of players that won the Triple-A Governor's Cup last year plus the 1-2 double-whammy of top draft picks. All that young talent is starting to gel along the banks of Lake Erie (eww!).
The B's won 71 games, a 15-game improvement, the biggest one-year gain since 1964 (which was just before two pennants in three years). The biggest upgrade game in the hitting department. Cleveland's offense ranked 12th, which doesn't seem all that remarkable, but was the best showing since 1983. After all, this is a pitcher-friendly roster playing for a pitcher-friendly GM in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Rookie Jim Edmonds was the breakout star; the 24-year-old led all rookies with 98 RBIs, .825 OPS, and 7.1 WAR—the third best bWAR in club history. The other rookie outfielder, RF Jeffrey Hammonds, was less flashy but still contributed 20 HR and 71 RBI. Third year infielder Eric Young had another solid year with 3.6 WAR at second base.
The pitching rotation featured three rookies, two of which performed admirably. Ismael Valdez, this year's #2 overall pick, led all rookies with a 2.74 ERA and 0.97 WHIP; and Salomon Torres had a 3.81 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 31 starts. Meanwhile 23-year-old Allen Watson took his lumps (2-16, 5.08). Yet another rookie, Pedro A. Martinez, was plugged into the closer role and responded well, with 36 saves and 3.76 ERA, though his 9 blown saves were 2nd in the league and 14 meltdowns tied for 6th.
The defense was solid again, attendance ticked upward, and the most highly anticipated hitting prospect since Griffey Jr is on the near horizon. A-Rod hit .316-6-14, .962 in 24 games in September and could see regular action in 1995.
The Dingy Hose had their most anemic offense since moving into the bandbox called Ferraro. Manhattan scored just 3.2 runs per game, a full run lower than their previous floor. Pair this with the league's worst pitching staff and you easily get to 98 losses, the most in club history. However, in the warped world of the '94 UL, that tied with 13th in the league, meaning five other teams were just as bad.
The season started well enough. At 25-32 on May 31, the Sox weren't exactly world-beaters, but they were only six games out of the Hex. Then the calendar flipped to June and the wheels came off. A nine-game losing streak was following by a six-game losing streak, then another six-game losing streak. All told, starting June 1, the team went on a 14-44 slide that had them 7.5 games out of eighth place in the East.
The bright spots were few and relative. Ed Sprague was the team WAR leader, with 2.9. He hit .246-28-54. Tom Brunansky was the #2 WAR guy; he hit .233-20-42. Veteran Bob Horner joined the team in mid-May and gave fans something to cheer for when his 8 home runs in August suddenly turned the media's attention on the all-time home run race (see Horner's Corner, below). The best pitching WAR belonged to Melido Perez, and he was 5-17, 4.71. As I said, few and relative.
The last time this team had a downturn—in 1990-91—they won 89 games and made the playoffs the next year. Don't be surprised if the '95 Gray Sox do the same. The rebuild is already in full swing. In 14 trades, Manhattan managed to acquire both established stars and a raft of picks. They added SS Barry Larkin, 3B Chris Sabo, 3B Gary Gaetti, LF Vince Coleman; SPs Pat Hentgen, Roger Clemens, Bill Wegman, and Mike Scott; and RPs Gregg Olson and Cris Carpenter. And the Sox have 19 picks in the seven-round 1995 draft, including nine in the first three rounds.
Father Time is catching up to the Washington Monuments. While new GM Jason Gudim has made some big moves in his two years—trading away fan favorites Bret Saberhagen and Wade Boggs could not have been easy—most of the roster is over 30 and on the wrong side of the development curve. However, the roster is loaded with national fan favorites (Ryne Sandberg, Teddy Higuera, Will Clark) and at least one sentimental bozo (Kirby Puckett), making further moves more difficult. LF Gregg Jefferies was the only regular and Tom Glavine the only starting pitcher under 29.
The pitching, in particular, regressed in '94, finishing 13th in runs allowed, its worst showing since 1982. Both Kevin Tapani and Randy Johnson's ERAs bloated by a over a run to 4.06 and 4.79, respectively. Johnson and 36-year-old free agent Charlie Lea co-led the league with 18 losses. The bullpen was worse, ranking 15th compared the the rotation's 13th. First round pick Bryce Florie was a bright spot, notching 18 saves with a 3.86 ERA in 53 appearances.
Ryne Sandberg hit .293 and had a 7.9 WAR and led the team in most offensive categories. At age 34 and with gradually declining salaries through 1997, he may be the club's best trade capital. Looking ahead, Washington has the 5th best minor league system, including the #3 overall prospect, C Mike Lieberthal and the #15 prospect SP Sterling Hitchcock.
A team that started the season with mid-table expectations hit a midsummer slump, which initiated a teardown, which contributed to the longest losing streak in UL history. The Canoeists were 41-39 on June 25, then fell into a 1-18 descent that turned out to be just their second worst slump of the year. Larry Walker, Bret Boone, Junior Felix, and Luis Gonzalez were all sent packing in a flurry of deadline trades, and then performance on the field went from bad to worse. Montreal was 15-65 from June 26 on and lost 24 straight through Sept. 19 before winning four of their last seven.
The pitching was the biggest problem, ranking next-to-last in runs allowed and dead last in starting pitching. Ron Robinson's 3.83 was the only ERA under 4.00, and Jack Armstrong led the club with a measly eight wins. The offense fared slightly better; Bip Roberts finished 4th in batting (.317) with his eighth straight .300 season.
West Division
West Division
Despite Atlanta's greatest pitching season of all time, what made them the winningest team in three decades was not their pitching, but their dramatically improved offense. Atlanta was already a historical good pitching team last year, with a league-best 3.3 runs per game and a 118 RA+. But the offense improved from 17th to 3rd this year, an almost unheard of 14-spot leap, thanks to some deft trades and development boosts.
The biggest move was the acquisition of Wade Boggs, which paired alongside Tony Gwynn, gave the Red Blobs to two greatest hitters in UL history by career average. And Boggs did not disappoint, batting .346 and posting a 5.8 WAR despite missing the last two months to injury. The club got massive contributions from SS Jose Valentin (24), C Charles Johnson (22), and LF Manny Ramirez (22), and CF Rondell White (22). Valentin was a top-5 defensive infielder and led the club with 8.4 WAR. Johnson was a top-3 defensive catcher and hit 21 HR and 66 RBI. Manny hit 29 HR and 69 RBI and surpassed 3.0 WAR for the first time. and White led the club with 32 HR and 92 RBI and posted a 5.4 WAR. One of the many amazing things about this team is that if you take away Gwynn and Boggs, the other six regulars are all 25 or under.
Of course, we must spend some words describing the Hilltoppers' pitching. Their 2.7 runs against, 2.57 team ERA were the best and 1.07 WHIP 2nd best in UL history. Pedro Martinez's 0.74 WHIP, .209 OOBP, and .475 OOPS set a new single-season records. His 1.80 ERA ranks 5th best all-time and the best since 1970. His 12.3 K/9 is 4th best, but his 12.6 last year set the record. And his 340 strikeouts is tied for 11th all-time, but the most in the five-man rotation era and the most since Whitey Ford in 1966.
Back to the team level, Atlanta had three pitchers in the top 10 in ERA, wins, and WAR, so we should say something about Fernando Valenzuela and Darryl Kile. Fernie, of course, won the Cy Young last year while leading the league with a 2.28 ERA. This year, he led the league with 22 wins trimmed his ERA seven points to 2.21, trimmed his WHIP two points to 0.96, and increased his strikeouts to 274. In short, Valenzuela is an improved Cy Young winner. Kile, a 25-year-old righthander, was 17-7 with a 2.74 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 4.8 WAR. His last three ERAs (4.79, 3.10, 2.74) show that he is one of the fastest-developing young hurlers in the game.
Some other tidbits. With a historically excellent rotation, the bullpen does not get a lot of recogniation. But check this out: Atlanta's 2.54 ERA also ranked 1st, Arthur Rhodes had a 1.69 ERA and 2.1 WAR in 63 appearances, middle reliever Mike Maddux 1.84, and Steve Howe had 33 saves with a 2.97 ERA.
If we are comparing the '94 Hilltoppers with the '63 Superbas, the only other team to win at least 100 games, we find some similarities and differences. At the aggregate level, Brooklyn had a +2.3 run differential to Atlanta's +1.8. Brooklyn's R+ and RA+ (indexed measures of runs per game compared to league average, which is 100) were 121 and 132 compared to Atlanta's 120 and 128.
Like Atlanta, Brooklyn's offense featured two of the best hitters of all-time, Mickey Mantle and Granny Hamner. Mantle would hit .340 the year and averaged 110 RBI per 162 games. Hamner hit over .350 three years in a row and had a .323 career average and close to 2600 hits. But that '63 lineup also got key contributions from Hall of Fame 2B Felix Mantilla, 1B Jim Gentile, and RF Al Kaline.
The pitching featured the legendary trio of Burdette, Conley, and Ford, who had WARs of 10.9, 10.6, and 9.0 and combined for a 67-17 record. Pedro, Fernie and Darryl have WARs of 9.5, 7.0, and 4.8 and combined for a 58-19 record.
Brooklyn's big three:
Conley, Burdette and Ford rank 4th, 5th, and 8th in career WAR.
Burdette won 305 games and nine UL titles, and two World Series MVPs, and had the Playoff MVP named after him.
Conley won 309 games, four Cy Youngs, eight UL titles, two World Series MVPs, won 20 games eight years in a row, was once 26-3, and had the best career ERA in UL history (2.74).
Ford won 263 games, one Cy Young, and six UL championships, including a final one at age 39 with the 1968 Manhattan Gray Sox.
Atlanta's big three:
Pedro is 22 years old and already has 41 wins, a 2.05 ERA, 823 strikeouts, and 21.0 WAR. Only Gooden had better numbers by age 22. Conley didn't debut until he was 23, Ford was 24, and Burdette was 25. In short, Pedro has 41 more wins at his age than the Burdette-Conley-Ford trio combined.
Fernie is 33 years old and won his first Cy Young last year. He is 177-121 with 68 WAR and has won five Ullies.
Kile is 25, has a career losing record (36-41), a 3.50 ERA, and 10.5 career WAR, and one All-Star appearance.
As for age, the following Hilltoppers are 25 or younger: Charles Johnson, Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez (22); Greg Colbrunn, Jose Valentin (24); Bret Boone, Darryl Kile (25).
Brookyn's youngest key players were 28 (Mantilla and Gentile). Burdette and Hamner were 35, Ford 34, Amoros and Landrith 33, and Mantle 31.
After last year's (relatively) disappointing 87-win season, the Dark Reds rebounded to familiar territory: 98 wins for the 6th time in 11 years. The bounce was equal parts offense and pitching, as both improved a couple spots to 4th and 6th.
Barry Bonds (.306-52-135) is the fifth batter to win back-to-back HR and RBI titles, and his two-year HR tally of 101 is second only to Craig Robinson. Former Monuments Gold Glove catcher Rich Gedman (.290-25-79) had his best WAR season (8.3) as did iron man 2B Tony Phillips (7.2), who has played in 1,917 out of a possible 1,928 games since becoming a regular in 1983.
Joe Magrane (21-4, 2.24, 1.04 WHIP) put up Cy Young numbers (in any other year) and Dave Schmidt started 32 games for the 9th time in 10 years. The bottom of the rotation featured some new faces. Shawn Hillegas was 9-6 in 22 starts, including a no-hitter on May 1; and 24-year-old Angel Miranda—a 2nd round pick in 1993—was 10-3, 2.44, third in WAR among rookie hurlers and posted a 0.95 WHIP in 18 starts, including 6-1 down the stretch, when he allowed two or fewer runs in his last six starts. Alejandro Pena led all relievers with a 2.9 WAR, despite a league-high 12 blown saves.
Back-to-Back HR and RBI Titles
Yrs ΣHR ΣRBI
Craig Robinson MAN 1977-78 129 274
Barry Bonds STL 1993-94 101 259
Tom Grieve DEN/MAN 1974-75 96 268
Bob Horner DET 1981-82 95 271
Orlando Cepeda BOS 1972-73 94 256
The Outlaws extended their league-record playoff run to 14 years—barely. L.A. won just 88 games, fewest since 1980, and didn't clinch until the penultimate day of the season. In the Year of the Pitcher, L.A.'s staff ranked just third, with only two of the top 16 ERAs. Meanwhile, the run production shrank from 4.3 to 3.7 per game, and the team had a losing record in both extra-inning and one-run games for the first time in six years.
Ace Floyd Youmans had a career-best 2.43 ERA and led the staff with 289 Ks; Greg Swindell (15-13, 2.63, 1.07 WHIP) bounced from last year's off-season and 35-year-old southpaw Bruce Hurst set career marks with 17 wins and 2.92 ERA. In the pen, closer Todd Frohwirth had his third straight 30-save campaign. The offense was midtable in almost every category. Rey Sanchez led the team with a .286 batting average, Frank Thomas with 33 HR and 97 RBI, and Andy Van Slyke stole 41 bases and was 9th in WAR. The question is, do the Outlaws have enough gas to get past St. Louis and Atlanta and return to the World Series for the first time since 1991?
After last season's great leap forward—26 more wins—1994 was more about consolidation. Last year, the Flamingos briefly flirted with the pennant race but finished five games out of the Hex; this year they were on L.A.'s heels and were not eliminated until Sep. 29, finishing just two games behind the Outlaws. The overall metrics were unchanged: a mid-tier offense paired with a top-third pitching staff. The big story at Ponce de Leon was the emergence of Mike Mussina as an elite ace. Moose went 22-5, 2.23 with 267 Ks; he led the league in wins, shutouts (6) and innings pitched (270.2). Those are Cy Young numbers any other season, but in the Year of the Pitcher that might only get him 3rd place in Cy voting. Pete Smith also turned the corner (3.21 after 5.40 last year) and 32-year-old Jay Tibbs (3.03) had his first sub-4.00 ERA in a decade.
The offense was again focused on speed, with 168 stolen bases (2nd), led by Roberto Alomar's 56. The 25-year-old $15 million second baseman struggled in his first year in South Florida batting .266 with a .725 OPS, 50 and 115 points under his career averages. Ivan Calderon also had an off-year, slugging just .762 after last year's .914; and Mark McGwire's OPS likewise dropped 66 points to .737. The bright spots included SS Kevin Elster's 2.9 WAR and Ruben Sierra's .800 OPS.
After years of climbing—from Semi Series loss to World Series loss to World Series win—the Colts looked like the new power in the West, with several key pieces still young and developing. Instead, Chicago took a giant step backwards, winning just 83 games, 14 less than last year and its lowest win total since '88. The decline was so sudden and so dramatic that Colts management ran GM Steve Haugh out of town—following assault allegations involving a furry club—and he landed with the hapless San Francisco Spiders. So what went wrong?
In a word: offense. The team dropped from 5th to 11th in run production. Alan Trammell's OPS dropped 100+ points to .641, Gary Sheffield's 93 points to .775, and Albert Belle's 155 points to .788, and Benito Santiago's a stunning 215 points to .563. On the other hand, Sheffield (24) and Belle's (26) drops look like simple off-years, and young hitter John Olerud (25) continues to develop. Also, CF Eric Davis had his second best season, hitting 41 home runs and producing 9.3 WAR.
Chicago again was a top-3 pitching staff (aided by the league's best defense). All five starters had ERAs 3.30 or under. Terry Mulholland (16-6, 2.50) had a career year, leading the team in wins and ERA. Steve Cooke, at the tender age of 24, had another stellar campaign (15-9, 3.02), and newcomer Donovan Osborne was effective (3.29, 1.05 WHIP) while leading the staff in innings.
In the final analysis, 83-77 is not a horrible record, and the new Colts GM will have a lot of star-level players to work with.
This was the year the Leones were supposed to make a move and fight for a playoff berth. After four straight fourth place finishes, averaging 4.5 games out of the Hex, Havana added several big-dollar signings, including six-time All-Star CF Lenny Dykstra, two-time All-Stars SS Scott Fletcher and LF Dan Pasqua, and former Boston ace Roger Clemens. A 44-27 start found Havana in 2nd place, 3.5 games ahead of St. Louis and L.A. But two straight losses at Sportsmans Park, followed by home sweeps at the hands of San Francisco and Detroit signaled the beginning of a decent that would land the team in sixth place. Havana was 33-56 from mid-June.
Dykstra had the worst OBP (.335) and OPS (.690) of his career, Dan Pasqua had his lowest SLG (.440) and the offense slumped to its lowest output in eight years (3.8 R/G). Under .500 at the trade deadline, GM Lance Mueller dealt Clemens and C Mike Stanley to Manhattan and Keystone for draft picks.
On the plus side, Shane Mack (.297-23-75, .815) and Howard Johnson (.277-39-106, .850) again produced 6.0+ WAR seasons. HoJo tied for 9th in both HR and RBI and Mack ranked 4th in outfield defense. Sergio Valdez had an off season (4.05) but as the only starter under 30 figures to be a key part of future rotations as the club shifts focus into rebuilding mode.
A crumbling stadium around a crumbling team is the best way to describe the '94 Spiders campaign. The Arachnids not only suffered their 12th losing season in 14 years, but lost a club record 102 games. The club's future at Seals Stadium was already in question when a major earthquake on June 4 damaged the "Queen of Concrete." The club hired former Chicago Colts GM and World Series winner Steve Haugh to clean up the mess, both literally and figuratively. Haugh's first move was dealing longtime SS Barry Larkin to Manhattan.
Rookie LF Garret Anderson hit .287 with a 3.0 WAR, but youngsters 3B Travis Fryman (.753 OPS) and CF Bernie Williams (.677) both regressed a bit. The young pitchers showed signs of progress, with 26-year-old Tommy Greene (3.70) and 25-year-old Kevin Foster (3.80) leading the staff in ERA, while 25-year-old Frank Castillo led with 202 strikeouts.
Denver continued the teardown that it started last season, dealing away SP Bill Swift, 2B Jeff Kent, LF Luis Polonia, and CL Norm Charlton and netting 2B Delino DeSheilds, LF Luis Gonzalez, SP David West, and several draft picks.
The 14ers lost a franchise record 103 games thanks largely to the second-worst offense. 2B Mark McLemore and C Rick Wilkins' development stalled, and the youngers CF Brian Hunter, C Mike Matheny, and 3B Robin Ventura all looked overmatched at the big league level. Utility man Kurt Stillwell hit .285 and put up 2.0 WAR and veterans Ozzie Smith and Tim Raines hit 2500 and 2000 career hits, respectively. New pitchers Charles Nagy and David West showed some promise, and RP Bryan Hickerson (1.22 in 50 games) was a pleasant surprise and garnered the club's lone All-Star appearance.
After a 17th place overall finish last year, Seattle finished dead last in 1994 thanks to a 14-game losing streak that coincided with Montreal's 24-game skid. Historically known as a hitting team in a hitter's dome, the R's offense hit rock bottom this year, finishing last with 3.0 runs per game. Alvin Davis (.258-17-85) was the only hitter with more than 8 HR and 63 RBI.
A major rebuild is likely in the offing, with several big stars ending contracts—Willie McGee, Chris Brown, Rickey Henderson, and Alvin Davis—and two of the first nine picks in the draft.
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