Mar. 1, 1996 • Draft Edition

Remember that if you need stats, go to baseball-reference.com; everything and anything you want is there.  I will make an effort to rate both the individual 1st round pick as well as give an idea as to how a team did overall in this year’s draft when appropriate, but I cannot review every single pick.  Finally, remember that even though it’s hard to believe, I swear all of the below Fun Facts are true.  Note this edition may be shorter than usual.  I have been sick as a dog and just cannot get healthy.  Apologies in advance if this edition is a bit off as a result of me dying.  

1. SEA – SS Nomar “Say No More!” Garciaparra
With the introduction of the new “Red Wings Rule” to offset being hosed ad nauseam in the draft lottery for consecutive seasons, the Commish rolled the dice at the UL Draft Lottery, and yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus – at least for Seattle fans.  This pick was a no-brainer.  SEA needs a lot of help, and drafting an SS who’s nearly fully developed but potentially could become a 10/7/10?  Yes, please.  GM Brandon still needs to fill out his team, and while he did not have additional picks in the same way as Bryan “LFG” Gryka of MON did, he managed to add OFs Trot Nixon and Doug Glanville, the latter who is a beast defensively.  Nixon has a ways to develop, but SEA has time.  These additions will immediately improve SEA’s offense; the question is if GM Brandon will be able to find a rotation.  Buying SEA’s draft.

Did You Know?
• Married to Mia Hamm, the US soccer star who is widely considered one of the greatest players the women’s game has ever seen.
• One of 13 MLB players to hit two GS in one game; the only player to do this at his home stadium.
• Known in MLB as “Nomar” (which is his father’s name spelled backwards); real first name is Anthony.
• FUN FACT:  Just like Hideo Nomo, favorite TV show is Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
• FUNNER FACT:  favorite sketch is “The Bruces”.


2. MON – #2 OF Vlad Guerrero, #9 SP Livan Hernandez, #16 OF Jermaine Dye, #18 SP Ramiro Mendoza
Wait!  What is this?  Multiple 1st Round picks being reviewed simultaneously?  What gives?  This is what happens when someone like Gryka has 90% of the first round’s picks and essentially has a different team after Round 1.  Cannot review these moves in a vacuum, so, as the MON GM may say, let’s fucking go!

Wait!  What is this?  Didn’t you just re-use copy from last year’s Draft Review?  A-ha!  Curses, you are too clever for us naughty people.  This is what happens when Gryka does the same thing year after year, and by that I mean sucking and trading away quality prospects for picks.  You’d think one of these years that MON would actually win some ball games.

Gotta say it’s hard to go wrong with Vladdie.  This dude should rake.  Nearly developed and a potential 10/8/8.  Yeah, he’ll do.  And Gryka did fairly well with adding some pitching as well.  Livan Hernandez and Ramiro Mendoza are outstandingly mediocre, but they should shore up MON’s rotation.  And adding OF Jermaine Dye, a potential 7/8/5, should also mean that the MON’s lineup from top to bottoms should be able to crush the ball.  The only issue the team may face is being on the other side of the great Edmonton Oiler teams of the late 70s and early 80s.  MON should be able to score oodles of runs; the question is if the team has the pitching to hold other teams to 7 after they’ve scored 8.  Remember MON already has Jeter, Sweeney, Giles, and Alfonzo as well waiting to play.  I am buying MON’s draft.

Did You Know?
• Guerrero’s nickname is “Vlad the Impaler” and he’s known as one of the best bad ball hitters in MLB history.
• Hernandez was the MVP of the 1997 WS with the Marlins; sadly has a gambling problem and is essentially broke now, running a youth baseball academy in Miami.
• Dye was WS MVP for the White Sox in 2005.
• Mendoza wasn’t an incredible player but managed to be on FIVE WS champion teams.
• FUN FACT:  Vlad Guerrero is from Izhevsk, Russia; so he’s also known as “The Black Russian”; and he actually is a vampire, too.
• FUNNER FACT:  Livan Hernandez had a cameo in “Leaving Las Vegas” which was so successful that they remade the movie in Spanish with him replacing Cage; the film was called “Livan en Las Vegas”; Elizabeth Shue reprised her role.
• FUNNER FACT:  Although not germane to the conversation about Jermaine, Dye is a renowned tool-and-die maker.
• FUNNEST FACT: Mendoza was hurt fairly frequently, so he had a lot of spare time on his hands, and this led to him also becoming a tool-and-die maker as well as getting his Journeyman papers.


3. DEN – CF Darin Erstad
In what has become a recurring event, many UL observers write DEN off only to discover that the team has way more bite than they assume.  With the addition of a premier CF, The Commish has started yet another one of his immediate rebuilds, but with moves he has made in the offseason such as the acquisition of Barry “How can I not have you?” Larkin and 2B Luis Castillo, The Commish has made it clear that he is in it to win it in the West.  Erstand is a beast.  The guy is a developed 7/5/7, and for those who believe his offense won’t be exciting, he seems to have the ratings for an OBP hound.  And how can anyone not like his OF ratings of 10, 10, 10, 8 in CF?  Oh, the guy is also a 10 in LF, and an 8 at 1B.  I wouldn’t call this pick a swoop, but I do believe DEN landed the best CF in the draft.

Did You Know?
• One of only five batters to have hit a lead-off and walk-off HR in the same game.
• The erstwhile Angel also was head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers for eight years, racking a 267-193-1 record, so the dude was no ersatz coach.
• FUN FACT: favorite athlete is fellow Norwegian Erling Halland.


4. MPS – #4 Scott Rolen and #7 Bobby Abreu
Foxy Steven is at it again, building a fighting force of extraordinary magnitude – this time just in a different city.  The MPS GM is also in a rebuilding frame of mind, and what better way to start than with a potential elite 3B in Rolen?  A nearly fully developed four star 3B with the fourth pick is just what MPS needs, as the other infielders that they have on the bench do not inspire – not that I don’t love Olmedo Saenz.  Haugh followed this fantastic pick with OF Abreu, a guy who should be an OBP hound and a perfect lead-off hitter.  Now, this pick had me a bit confused because in earlier off-the-record conversations I had with Haugh, he stated “I'm a huge Bobby Abreu fan, but not with that much development needed”.  But then again, at the time of my interview Haugh was wearing a fox costume, so take lightly what this guy says.  With Garrett Anderson not inspiring at the moment, and with Kal Daniels getting up there, these are players that will definitely improve the Foxes.

Did You Know?
• Rolen is an eight time GG winner; 10 seasons with 20+ HR; WS with Cardinals in 2006.
• Rolen created The Enis Furley Foundation, a non-profit that helps children and their families suffering from illness or hardships.
• Abreu owns a soccer team in Puerto Ordaz, the Mineros de Guyana.
• FUN FACT:  Rolen got together with family and close friends to create “Rolens on the River”, an Ike & Tina Turner cover band that plays on a river boat queen.
• FUNNER FACT:  in all his MLB appearances, never lost one minute of sleepin' worrying 'bout the way things might have been.
• FUNNEST FACT:  Has better legs than Tina Turner.


5. WAS – CF Andruw Jones
GM Gudim has a lot of ground in the OF in WAS, so the pick of the other insanely talented CF in this year’s draft in Jones makes complete sense.  Gudim, who took OF Raul Ibanez with his 2nd pick, has immediately improved his OF.  Dykstra is getting up there in age, and Green and Higginson have not exactly knocked the cover off the ball.  Adding these two players should give WAS’s line-up some pop right from the get go, with Jones wielding some sneaky power in his bat.  Gudim also gets major points for swooping me, as the baseball gods continue to laugh at and challenge me to win a WS without a real CF.

Did You Know?
• Jones Won 10 consecutive GGs; hails from the island of Curacao.
• Ibanez is currently the vice president of baseball development and special projects for the Dodgers.
• FUN FACT:  Jones is an ardent D&D player; favorite character is his Level 87 Druw Elf.


6. DET – 3B Lance “Bill” Mueller
No one is quite sure how GM Holloway got this pick – well, at least Holloway is not certain.  But Holloway did make it clear in his post-pick comments that this had been his plan all along, and that he had spent much time refining and tweaking moves to ensure he would see his plan to fruition.  Stated Holloway.  “When my staff informed me that we had acquired HAV’s 1996 1st, we immediately began working on possible picks, but the one choice that stood out above the rest was by far 3B Mueller.  Few UL fans know how good the Griffins Special Assistant for All Things Good and Holy is at the hot corner.  As such, the chance to acquire a potentially high contact hitter who should also get on base frequently was one we could not pass up, especially with our starting 3B, Tony Fernandez, retiring suddenly to become a missionary.  And besides, did you see the look on Lance’s face when he was on the podium, opened the envelope, and then had to announce to the world that he was drafting himself?  Priceless! This pick was so worth it!.”

Well, apparently drafting for giggles is not only condoned but also encouraged in Detroit.  This does not seem like a strategy for success, but who am I to inform Holloway of this?

Did You Know?
• Only player in MLB to hit a GS from each side of the plate in one game.
• Mariano Rivera couldn’t get him out; Mueller hit .455 lifetime vs MR.
• People insist Mueller’s last name is pronounced “Miller”.
• FUN FACT: Lance’s first name is spelled “Lance” but pronounced “Oye Como Va”.


8. FLO – #8 SP Francisco Cordova; #11 Dmitri Young; #14 IF Tony Batista
Another astute pick by GM Lima.  Not surprised at all by a pitcher, as Lima loves crafting a robust rotation.  With Cordova, he gets arguable the best SP in the 1996 Draft, and a guy that is developed and will slot in at #2 behind Moose.  Batista is incredibly talented at three IF positions, and his bat carries a lot of pop in it.  The guy would have slotted in well with FLO, but GM Lima sent him to STL in return for SP Darren Dreifort and a 1st rounder.  Gutsy move by both GMs here; we’ll have to see how things play out before making a judgement.  Young, meanwhile, has average defensive prowess in the OF and at 1B, but he is potentially an excellent contact hitter with decent power, and a switch to boot.  He is already slated to start Opening Day for the Birds, and Lima will be counting on him heavily for his offensive production potential.

Did You Know?
• Cordova teamed with Ricardo Rincon to throw MLB’s only extra innings no hitter in 1997.
• Batista had power, but he was known for wild ABs which resulted in a fairly low OBP.
• Young was always being warned to not “eat himself out of the MLB”; has one of the most extensive rookie card collections ever amassed.
• FUN FACT:  Chrysler offered Cordova a large contract to pick up where Ricardo Montalban left off in extolling the Cordoba’s “rich, Corinthian leather”, but negotiations hit a snag when Cordova demanded they change the name of the car from Cordoba to Cordova, claiming he always wanted to “drive himself”.
• FUNNER FACT:  Batista was angry at Cordova, as after the inability of Chrysler and Cordova to reach an agreement, the company pulled the plug on all athlete related deals, so Batista lost out on being the new spokesman (replacing Sergio Franchi) for the planned re-introduction of the Plymouth Volare.
• FUNNEST FACT:  Young accompanied both Cordova and Batista to their negotiations with Chrysler, not because he wanted an offer from the company, but because he heard the food served during meetings was tremendous.


10. MAN – IF Tony “The Count” Graffanino
GM Holthaus has much on his mind apparently, with random notes coming across the wire out of MAN with statements such as “Man, my team kinda sucks”.  Me thinks this could be kicking off a rebuild in the Big Apple, as SP Pettitte and SS Barry Larkin were quickly traded.  BUT that’s not why we’re here.  As for MAN’s draft, the only pick that looks to make an impact immediately is Tony, a middle IF extraordinaire.  The guy may not have the offensive chops of Nomar, but good god can this kid play in the field.  If one is going to rebuild, having an SS with Graffanino’s glove is a great way to start.

Did You Know?
• The only thing he ever dropped was the “g” in his last name, as to prevent confusion he went from “Graffagnino” to “Graffanino”.
• In high school, played bass guitar in cover band Graf Zeppelin, which was described in the school paper as "not only terrible, but dirigible."
• FUN FACT:  I think “graf” means count in German.  Russians also use the word as well, having simply stole it since there were so many German rulers in the country and German was typically spoken by Russian nobility.


12. CHI – #12 C Jason Kendall; #13 2B Todd Walker
CHI GM Peter Vays….wait!  That has a strange feel to it!  First, let’s get to the elephant in the room.  We all know Vays switched teams because he just cannot stand on the sidelines and watch other GMs draft players.  This may be viewed as a bit drastic, but it shows just how the UL Draft – regardless of talent level – is one of the most addictive, exciting, gut-wrenching and disappointing events in the world of sports!  No one wants to be left out!

As for Vays’ picks, getting the best catcher of the draft in Kendall and then adding Walker and CF Jermaine Allensworth and SP Jose Silva, arguably the second best SP in the Draft, are all good gets.  Kendall and Walker are both high contact OBP types, and Silva, while not having the best stuff, does have four pitches, and he should be helped by Comiskey Park being brutal on hitters (unless, of course, the team migrates north to Wrigley).  With the team’s stalwarts starting to cost stupid money, these guys are just what Vays needs to help him sort out which current Colts are staying and which are going.

Did You Know?
• Kendall holds the record for most SBs by a catchers since the Dead Ball Era.
• Walker won the College World Series with LSU in 1993.
• Silva has a career WAR of -0.9.
• Allensworth is one of nine MLBers born in Anderson, IN; he has a career WAR of -0.1.
• FUN FACT:  Kendall’s favorite album is El Rey Bravo by Tito Puente.
• FUNNER FACT:  Walker’s father was reportedly the inspiration for Chuck Norris’s Walker, Texas Ranger TV show.


15.   KEY – SS Edgar Renteria
Renteria, a solid but not spectacular SS, gives GM Aiton a very good IF.  Bags at 1B, Baerga at 2B, and then SS and 3B handled by Renteria and Wil Cordero, who quietly has become one of the UL’s best power hitters.  And while some may argue that Renteria is on the bubble for being a 1st rounder, I would posit that it was also a difficult choice considering the fact that the quality of prospects began to drop precipitously right around GM Aiton’s pick.  Edgar should be an upgrade over Disarcina, so good pick for the Starlings.

Did You Know?
• 2010 WS MVP!
• FUN FACT: Edgar was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, the same town as Shakira and Sofia Vergara
• FUNNER FACT: Shakira mentions Barranquilla in her hit song "Hips Don't Lie" "En Barranquilla se baila asi" (translated as: "In Barranquilla they dance like this")
• FUNNEST FACT: Barranquilla unvieled a waterfront bronze statue of Shakira in 2023; at 21 feet it is the second tallest statue of a pop icon, after the 26-foot Marilyn Monroe in Palm Springs, California.


16. BRO – 3B Scott Spiezio
Same approach to this pick for BRO GM Widholm – just whom does one take considering the drop in quality?  I like this pick.  A utility IF that has solid defensive skills, good contact, power and eye, and above average avoid Ks.  BRO has a solid IF already, with Williams and 3B and Pena at 2B, and Davis at 1B.  With no upgrade at SS to Bret Barberie, Spiezio is perfect, as he can back up most anyone.  And with questions about Davis’ ability to produce behind the plate only compounding matters with his defense (which is practically non-existent), this is a great pick.

Did You Know?
• Won the WS in 2002 with ANA and in 2006 with STL.
• FUN FACT: Father Ed Spiezio played for the Cardinals from 1964-68 and was an original Padre in 1969.
• FUNNER FACT: In 2002 World Series, hit a three-run homer in Game 6 that turned the tide of the game and series over the San Francisco Giants.
• FUNNEST FACT: He and his dad are considered the third father-son tandem in Cardinals history, according to "citation needed".
• NOT SO FUN FACT:  struggled with addiction and run-ins with the law.   

In a stunning development in the midst of the 1996 rookie draft, longtime Los Angeles Outlaws GM has agreed to terms with the Chicago Colts, his hometown team. The Colts vacancy arose when the first round came to a screeching halt when league officials noticed that the Chicago table in UL Conference Room AA was unoccupied. After a hastily-organized meeting in the adjacent Conference Room AA-2, the league announced that Chicago GM Anthony Sexton was no longer active with the club, and would be replaced by Vays.

Peter Vays took over the Los Angeles Outlaws in 1960 in their sixth year of existence. Though he was not the original GM, he became the face of the franchise, and the city, and occupied a corner office at Arroyo Seco Stadium for 36 years. The Outlaws made the playoffs just once in Vay's first 15 years, but qualified in every single one of his last 15 years, establishing a UL record for most consecutive playoff appearances and cementing Los Angeles' status as the premier club in the league. His 36-year run in Los Angeles was the second-longest tenure with the same club in the same city, just one year less than Charlie Qualls' run with the Cleveland Barons.

After World Series losses in 1968 and 1977, the Outlaws won their first title in 1981 and added three more in 1985, 1991, and 1995. Vays' record as a GM is 3185-2544, which ranks 5th in total wins and second in winning percentage (.556) behind one Glen Richard Reed. He also ranks 2nd in playoff appearances (18), 2nd in playoff wins (85), and is tied for 2nd with Jay Kaplan and Eric Holthaus for most UL titles (4).

Vays said "I accomplished by goal in L.A. Fifteen years of playoffs and now I won with this lineup. Maybe it's time to build a bit. And I live in Chicago." The Los Angeles Outlaws made a statement thanking Vays for his three-plus decades of service and four league titles. The club immediately began a search for his successor.

Lance Mueller, founding Colts GM and current head honcho in Havana, had this to say: "“Chicago will always have a special place in my heart and I hope that Pete can bring his magic touch to the Colts and put them back on top of the West where they belong.”

In addition to Los Angeles' four titles during Peter Vays' tenure, the club was also named the Team of the Decade in the 1980s, won four President's Trophies (for best regular season record), and one Founder's Cup, But the statistic that perhaps best captures Vays' unrivaled acumen for player selection and team construction is this one: seven Hall of Famers.

Only Brooklyn has more plaques in Beachville, but unlike the Superbas, all seven Outlaws in the Hall of Fame played for and were inducted while Vays was the big cheese. What's more, four of the seven were drafted by Vays:

Frank Robinson (1956 #1)
Larry Dierker (1965 #4)
Fritz Peterson (1966 #6)
Dave Winfield (1973 #5)

And the above list does not count players draft by L.A. who entered the Hall with other teams...

Joe Torre (1961 #3)
Dick McAuliffe (1961 #13)

... and several future Hall of Fame candidates:

Darrell Porter (1971 #7)
Lou Whitaker (1977 #7)
Tim Raines (1979 #2)
Lee Smith (1980 #8)
Tony Fernandez (1983 #4)
Mariano Duncan (1985 #7)
Bruce Ruffin (1986 #9)
Larry Walker (1989 #13)

Since taking over the Outlaws in 1960, Vays' draft picks have accumulated 2,933 WAR, 300 more than any other team.

WAR by DrTeam, 1960-95

  Bat Pitch Sum
1 LA   2129 804 2933
2 ATL 1861 769 2629
3 DET 1749 714 2463
4 BOS 1806 613 2419
5 BRO 1510 647 2157
6 WAS 1643 479 2122
7 CHI 1471 593 2063
8 SF   1435 557 1991
9 SEA 1217 516 1733
10 STL 1196 511 1707
11 CLE 1053 445 1497
12 MAN 783 253 1036
13 MON 730  270 1000
14 DEN 732  261 993
15 TOR 389  102 490
16 HAV 214    79    293
17 KEY 67    37 104
18 FLO 50    32     82

The First Cut Is the Deepest!
UL Wants Sheryl Crow; Gets a Mohel Instead!
by Sean Holloway, UL Beat Reporter

Some FA years are rather scarce, with a paucity of talent.  1996, however, seems to be shaping up to the Year of the FA.  Whether it is to keep finances under control, dissatisfaction with player performance, or concerns about players’ longevity, the axe fell on many UL veterans in the offseason.  Before I move on, I must add a word from our sponsor, EET, the company that reminds you that if you are dissatisfied with your performance and/or “longevity”, EET is there for you.

Ahem.  As the FA signing period opened, rumblings from team war rooms were that there were simply TOO many tempting players, and many teams were simply flummoxed as to how to approach signings.  Here is just a short excerpt of players cut:  Roberto Alomar, Will Clark (1995 UL Batting Champion), Rod Beck, Rob Dibble, Roger Clemens, Eric Young, Mark Wohlers, Mariano Duncan, Mike Morgan, Britt Burns, Lenny Dykstra, Howard Johnson, Ivan Calderon, Joe Magrane, Ellis Burks, Dion James, Alvin Davis, Robin Yount, Don Robinson, Kelly “System of a” Downs, and Terry Mullholland.

The talent available has left teams in a quandary.  Try to sign long-term or wait for the bidding rounds?  WAS GM Jason Gudim has taken a Pokeman approach and is apparently trying to sign everyone, nabbing Jeff Frye, Mike Mason, Pat Clements, John Costello, Mariano Duncan, Roger Clemens, and Lenny Dykstra.  ATL GM Chaney has been busy trying to sign all pitchers but also found room to nab HoJo.  And the scary thing is that – at the time of this article’s composition – there were still many high-talent FAs still on the table. 

Are these approaches brilliant, or do they reek of desperation?  Or have UL GMs been partying too much with Grieve and the boys?  Witness WAS GM Gudim who commented “All this talk about where Dykstra fits in my lineup, and you guys assume I have a plan; I’m just here for the strippers and blow”.

And that brings me to what could be an end to one of the greatest dual players in the game:  Dickie Thon.  A terror on the diamond; a legend on the screen.  The only UL player to be able to successfully juggle the demands of the game with the demands of the bedroom, and one widely known for his artsy films such as “That’s Not My Bat”, “Two Balls and One Dick”, and “Insider Her Park”.  He very well may have seen the end of his playing days at the UL level, being cut by Dr. Eric and the Medics Clemons.  The TOR faithful did all they could to prevent the inevitable, scheduling weeks of protest marches and sit-ins while holding signs that read “Hands off my Dickie!”, “Don’t cut my Dickie!” and “Leave my Dickie alone!”.  Alas, it appears that Father Time has finally caught up with Thon. 

And if that wasn’t a strange enough end to a UL player’s career, here’s another one that went way under the radar.  On November 18, reporters approached Griffins star 2B/3B Tony Fernandez to get some thoughts on how the Griffins planned to tweak their lineups in response to being manhandled by CLE and LA all 1995.  Fernandez said little and slipped out of the locker room as fast as he could.  When pressed, he replied that he’d been “going through a lot at the moment”. 

Roughly a month later, Fernandez shocked the greater Detroit area by announcing that he would be retiring at the age of 33 so he could become a missionary and “help out the poor, the needy and the overlooked of society”.  Fernandez continued.  “My good friend, Dickie Thon, and I have been discussing how we can best help people out, and he has offered me a role in his upcoming movie ‘Don’t Mess with the Missionary, Man!’, which he says will document our tag team approach to spreading love throughout the world.  I am 100% behind him; although every time I say that, he says ‘not quite, actually’, which I don’t understand, but no worries!” 

Whoa!  Methinks Tony, with his religious background, does not know of Dickie’s second career.  I also think Tony needs to read the title of Thon’s next movie closer and pay particular attention to that one comma.  And what of DET?  How will this impact the Griffins’ chances of competing for a playoff spot next year?  How can the team recover from losing its starting 3B?  We can only wait to see what GM Holloway does over the offseason break and then attempt to evaluate how this could impact the Griffins’ 1996 draft picks.

In a stunning development in the midst of the 1996 rookie draft, longtime Los Angeles Outlaws GM has agreed to terms with the Chicago Colts, his hometown team. The Colts vacancy arose when the first round came to a screeching halt when league officials noticed that the Chicago table in UL Conference Room AA was unoccupied. After a hastily-organized meeting in the adjacent Conference Room AA-2, the league announced that Chicago GM Anthony Sexton was no longer active with the club, and would be replaced by Vays.

Peter Vays took over the Los Angeles Outlaws in 1960 in their sixth year of existence. Though he was not the original GM, he became the face of the franchise, and the city, and occupied a corner office at Arroyo Seco Stadium for 36 years. The Outlaws made the playoffs just once in Vay's first 15 years, but qualified in every single one of his last 15 years, establishing a UL record for most consecutive playoff appearances and cementing Los Angeles' status as the premier club in the league. His 36-year run in Los Angeles was the second-longest tenure with the same club in the same city, just one year less than Charlie Qualls' run with the Cleveland Barons.

After World Series losses in 1968 and 1977, the Outlaws won their first title in 1981 and added three more in 1985, 1991, and 1995. Vays' record as a GM is 3185-2544, which ranks 5th in total wins and second in winning percentage (.556) behind one Glen Richard Reed. He also ranks 2nd in playoff appearances (18), 2nd in playoff wins (85), and is tied for 2nd with Jay Kaplan and Eric Holthaus for most UL titles (4).

Vays said "I accomplished by goal in L.A. Fifteen years of playoffs and now I won with this lineup. Maybe it's time to build a bit. And I live in Chicago." The Los Angeles Outlaws made a statement thanking Vays for his three-plus decades of service and four league titles. The club immediately began a search for his successor.

Lance Mueller, founding GM of the Colts and current head honcho in Havana had this to say: “Chicago will always have a special place in my heart and I hope that Pete can bring his magic touch to the Colts and put them back on top of the West where they belong.”