Embedded Files
Circuit Clouts
May 1, 1997 • Opening Day Edition
May 1, 1997 • Opening Day Edition
East W L GB R RA
Brooklyn 18 10 - 1 17
Manhattan 15 13 3 4 7
Havana 15 13 3 10 5
Boston 14 14 4 6 9
Washington 14 14 4 14 14
Toronto 13 15 5 8 15
Montreal 13 15 5 16 18
Keystone 10 18 8 11 16
Florida 10 18 8 17 7
West W L GB R RA
Cleveland 19 9 - 8 1
Denver 16 12 3 3 13
Atlanta 16 12 3 12 2
Detroit 15 13 4 12 3
Chicago 15 13 4 2 10
Minneapolis 14 14 5 5 4
Seattle 12 16 7 7 11
St. Louis 12 16 7 14 6
Los Angeles 11 17 8 18 11
tied
Screaming Bats Are Back!
GM Glen Reed Leads Brooklyn to 1st
Three days.
That's all it took for GM Glen Reed to land Brooklyn in first place all alone in his third stint with the Superbas. Reed was 1216-736 in his fabled first stint with the Screaming Bats from 1952-64. On April 3, the Bas were 3-0 and they had stayed in 1st ever since.
Brooklyn is led by the league's top-rated offense, no small feat considering they play in one of the most pitching-friendly parks. Alvin Davis (.358-3-16) and Mike Greenwell (.353-3-20) are in the top eight in batting, and 3B Scott Spiezio (.341-5-22, .978) earned Batter of the Month.
Last year's pennant winners Manhattan are tied with Havana for 2nd in the East. The Sox' 4th starter Terry Mulholland (2-1, 1.70) is 4th in ERA and Leones' ace Sean Bergman (3-1, 2.29) is 4th in strikeouts.
Florida ace Mike Mussina pitched back-to-back shutouts in 3-0 and 7-0 wins aver Toronto and Boston, but the Pink Birds were 6-17 in games he didn't start and were tied for last with Keystone. His Apr. 15 shutout of Toronto was a one-hitter with 13 Ks, earning a score of 98.
Red-Hot Mark Grace Leads Denver to 2nd
Cleveland Leads West with Best Overall Record
DENVER (May 1) -- Mark Grace batted .385-6-20 with a 1.072 OPS, leading the third-ranked Denver offense to a 2nd place tie in the West with a 16-12 record. The 14ers rattled off six straight wins Apr. 10-16 and sit just two games back of the West-leading Cleveland Barons after the first month of the season. 2B Delino DeShields (.320) also had a hot bat in April, taking Player of the Week honors Apr. 28. The much-ballyhooed Denver rotation was 17th with a 4.33 ERA in April, though Greg Mathews impressed with a 3.13 ERA and ace Joe Magrane managed a 4-1 record with a 3.86 ERA.
After a 2-3 start, the defending division champion Barons went on an nine-game tear, including sweeps of Manhattan and Boston, to go to 11-3 on Apr. 15, and have held sole possession of first place since. Former Detroit Griffin Alex Fernandez (4-1, 2.00) is 7th in the league in ERA, and Salomon Torres is 2.25 despite a 1-3 record. The Cleveland bullpen leads the league with a 2.23 ERA—Sergio Valdez has a 0.90 ERA in 9 appearances and closer Toby Borland leads the circuit with 9 saves.
Elsewhere in the West, Atlanta has a share of 2nd place. The Toppers offense ranks 2nd in batting, OPS, and bWAR; and 3rd in home runs—but somehow only 12th in runs scored. Pedro Martinez (3-0, 1.96, 11.5 K/9) is picking up where he left off, and converted starter Julio Valera is 3-1, 1.14 in six starts. Minneapolis (14-14) has surprised, less for their record than for their rankings. The Foxes are 5th in runs and 4th in runs against, making them the only club in the top five in both categories. Their star players include Scott Rolen (.351-6-18, .981) and Jason Isringhausen (3-2, 1.65), who ranks 2nd in ERA.
UL Sued!
1997 Draft Debacle Becomes Courtroom Catastrophe!
By Sean Holloway, Beat Reporter in Residence and vacationing Detroit Griffins GM
With the 1997 UL draft experiencing several hiccups, the main one being not enough players for picks #5.10 – 5.18, a couple of UL GMs decided to not take the mistakes sitting down. Shortly after the draft concluded, FLO GM Jo “I put the ‘ing’ in Flamingos” Lima and CHI GM Peter Vays sued in the US District Court of Colorado.
Despite numerous press conferences and citing in their briefs several really cool sounding legal phrases, like “quid pro quo”, “modus operandi”, “e pluribus unum” and “in-a-gadda da-vida”, the case quickly came to a screeching halt. District Court Judge Judge Reinhold threw the case out citing the fact that neither GM—nor their team—was harmed in any tangible way. The Judge went even further and stated “5th round picks? Come on. What are they upset about?”
After hearing the Judge’s decision, Lima at first appeared a bit dejected, but he then perked up when he got a flash of inspiration and set off to change the name of his team from the Florida Flamingos to the Florida Flimangos (the court building is across the street from UL HQ. Vays, meanwhile was complaining to any reporter he could find, as with the case thrown out, his dream of being rewarded an extra and perpetual 3rd round pick as compensation for damages was now up in smoke.
Wow. With all this drama, I believe it is time to relax. I’m heading out to see Dickie Thon’s latest, which opens on Opening Day, and is entitled “A Game of Inches”. After seeing Kal Daniels’ movie “Screaming Eagles”, bomb spectacularly, Thon invited him to appear in his next flick, reportedly stating that Daniels was the “Dickie of the future – even if his bat is not as big as what I use”. The movie, a poignant story of ballboys and the girls who like balls, is expected to be another hit for Thon, so get in line early to ensure you get tickets!
Opening Day 1997
Opening Day 1997
Seattle Rookie Ortiz Stars on Opening Day
Havana Beats Champs in Extra Innings
MPS 4, DET 2
The Foxes jumped to an early 4-0 lead and Jason Isringhausen took them home, scattering four hits and on earned run over seven-plus innings. Detroit starter Terry Adams looked nervous, serving up two-run doubles to Kal Daniels and Garrett Anderson in the first two innings, while rookie closer Ricardo Rincon tossed 1.2 hitless innings to earn a save in his UL debut.
ATL 10, MAN 5
Pedro threw eight-innings of three-hit ball, with nine Ks, and Charles Johnson homered and drove in four, as the Toppers won a comprehensive 10-5 win over the Gray Sox at Aaron-Antonelli Field. Bubba Trammell homered in his UL debut for Manhattan.
SEA 12, CHI 8, 10 inn.
David Ortiz was 4-for-6 with 5 RBIs in his UL debut, including a three-run homer in the 10th, helping power the Rainiers over the Colts at Wrigley. Seattle ace Erik Hanson was solid, allowing just three runs in 5.1 innings. Tim Salmon, Gary Sheffield, and starting pitcher Steve Cooke all homered for Chicago in the losing effort.
DEN 7, KEY 1
Joe Magrane silenced Keystone's bats, allowing six hits and one run in 7.2 innings, and contributed a grand slam off John Smoltz in the second at the 14ers rolled to a 7-1 win at Ralph Carr Field.
LA 4, STL 1
With new GM Tim Widholm looking on from the owner's box, Greg Swindell and two relievers combined to hold the Maroons to six hits and one run. Chipper Jones had half of St. Louis' six hits and L.A. rallied for three runs in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie.
WAS 12, TOR 2
Mike Mason went the distance for an 8-hit complete game and Gregg Jefferies had three hits and three RBIs as the Mons rolled to a 12-2 win. Pres. Bob Dole threw out the first pitch.
BRO 8, MON 1
Kevin Brown authored the best pitching performance of the day, holding the visiting Canoeists to four hits and one run in eight innings. Dave Nilsson was 3-for-4 with a homer and Mike Greenwell drove in three runs in GM Glen Reed's return to Red Hook.
HAV 5, BOS 3, 11 inn.
The defending champs took an early 3-0 lead on a two-run homer by Jim Thome, but Havana chipped away and took the win in the 11th. Bip Roberts and Shane Mack had three hits apiece, and Matt Lawton hit the go-ahead RBI double off Billy Taylor.
CLE 4, FLO 3
Ron Karkovice's walk-off single completed a four-run comeback at Johnny Podres Field after the home side fell behind 3-0 early. Leadoff man Luis Polonia homered and drove in two, and Tony Clark homered for the Pink Birds.
West Division
West Division
East Division
East Division
Cleveland is 11-5 at home and 6-2 in one-run games. Their 19-9 record is best in the league but contains two three-game losing streaks—Apr. 3-5 vs FLO/TOR and Apr. 16-18 vs MPS/CHI. The B's were 9-0 after the first skid and 8-3 after the second.
Brooklyn's offense ranks #1 in runs, average, OBP, OPS, and bWAR. That new catcher, Dave Nilsson, seems to be working out. The 27-year-old Australian hit .418-7-18, 1.205 in April, and leads the league in batting
Hideo Nomo's move to the bullpen has not been a smooth transition. Nomo leads the league with 6 meltdowns and his 5.64 ERA is highest in the bullpen. On the other hand, closer Todd Frohwirth (2-0, 1.69, 3 SV) has been lights-out.
The Dingy Hose swept Florida at home Apr. 17-19. Matt Morris pitched a gem in the 4-2 opener. Pat Hentgen anchored a seven-hitter in a 8-1 rout, and Roger Clemens anchored a four-hit game in the 11-1 finale. All three wins were the first win of the year for each pitcher.
If Fernie Valenzuela (1-3, 4.43) is pitching oddly, it could be his odd-year syndrome. After going 22-6, 2.21 in 1994, he had a 4.40 ERA in '95. Last year he went 22-6 again and his ERA is around 4.40 again. Rondell White's 5 triples puts him on early pace for the single season record of 25 by Willie McGee in 1986.
Any fears that Shane Mack might be getting old should be put to rest. Mack hit .305 last year and is batting .343 with a .958 OPS. The club's all-time leader with 1707 hits, Mack moved into a tie with Kal Daniels with 54.8 WAR for the most WAR in club history.
Detroit young players have mostly been flops thus far. Eli Marrero, Todd Hollandsworth, and Neifi Perez are all batting under .240 and ace Terry Adams is 0-4, 5.91. The bullpen has been stellar, however. Closer Billy Wagner is 0.71 with 5 saves and setup man Hector Carrasco is 0.63 in 13 games.
The Feds rank 6th in runs despite ranking 14th in batting, OBP and bWAR, which suggests good clutch hitting. Howard Johnson is batting .400-4-20 in 37 PA with RISP and Jim Thome is 3-for-5 in extra innings.
Fresh off his 3rd All-UL Team nomination and 7.2-WAR season, 3B Gary Sheffield is off to a hot start, batting .358-7-17 with a 1.038 OPS, including .522 in his last five games. Steve Cooke was 0-1, 4.35 in his first three starts, then was 2-0, 1.06 in his next two.
Ace Mike Mason went 5-1, 2.25 in April, claiming Pitcher of the Month at age 37. Fellow oldster Ryne Sandberg (36), however, showed his age in April, batting just .215 with a .672 OPS.
Ace Jason Isringhausen is 2nd in ERA with 1.65 and allowed zero runs in two starts, and one run in two other starts. He pitched 16.1 consecutive shutout innings on Apr. 22 and 28.
Garret Anderson is batting .321 with a .817 OPS and won Player of the Week Apr. 14.
Reigning MVP Juan Gonzalez got off to a hot start in his MVP defense, winning Batter of the Month with a .356-8-24, 1.039 OPS month. Despite Juan's exploits, the P-Bears were tied for 8th in runs and were two games under .500 (13-15).
Last year's 17th-ranked offense is #7 so far this year, with three hitters batting over .300, led by leadoff man Johnny Damon (.313). Rookie 1B David Ortiz leads the club with 19 RBIs, and middle infielders Nomar Garciaparra and Benji Gil co-lead with 4 HR.
Rookie Miguel Tejada had the best batting performance of the month Apr. 12, going 4-for-5 with 2 HR, and 5 RBI in a 10-4 win over Canadian rivals Toronto. For the month, Miggy hit .326-4-16, .980, certainly earning a promotion from the #8 batting slot.
The Maroons offense has sputtered thus far, ranking 12th in batting, OBP, and OPS; and 14 in runs. One bright spot has been Chipper Jones (.304-6-18, .939),
John Smoltz (0-2, 4.37) is winless in his first six Keystone starts and closer Steve Olin is off to a rough start (1-4, 7.71).
The Outlaws' bottoms dragged them to the bottom. The bottom two starters in their rotation (Dave Schmidt and Floyd Youmans) were 0-8, 4.90 in April. And Jay Bell (.194) and Matt Merullo (.187) struggled in the bottom half of the lineup.
Florida's pitching shone in April. The club was tied for 7th in runs allowed and three starters had ERAs under 3.20, led by Mike Mussina (4-1, 2.19), who won Player of the Week Apr. 21 and is on the leaderboards for wins, strikeouts, and pWAR.
League Leaders
League Leaders
Batting Average
Dave Nilsson BRO .418
Mark Grace DEN .385
Roberto Alomar CLE .362
Gary Sheffield CHI .358
Alvin Davis BRO .358
Juan Gonzalez TOR .356
Dion James KEY .356
Mike Greenwell BRO .353
Scott Rolen MPS .351
Cliff FLoyd MON .349
RBIs
Juan Gonzalez TOR 24
Howard Johnson BOS 22
Scott Spiezio BRO 22
Tim Salmon KEY 21
Mark Grace DEN 20
Mike Greenwell BRO 20
Eric Karros TOR 20
John Olerud CHI 19
David Ortiz SEA 19
Manny Ramirez ATL 19
Infield Zone Rating
Tony Graffanino MAN 5.9
Jose Valentin ATL 5.4
Fernando Vina DET 4.3
Tony Batista STL 4.3
Orlando Cabrera KEY 3.4
Home Runs
Juan Gonzalez TOR 8
Eric Karros TOR 8
Manny Ramirez ATL 8
Dave Nilsson BRO 7
Gary Sheffield CHI 7
7 tied with 6
bWAR
Rondell White ATL 2.4
Gary Sheffield CHI 1.9
Mark Grace DEN 1.9
Scott Rolen MPS 1.8
Chipper Jones STL 1.8
Jim Thome BOS 1.7
N Garciaparra SEA 1.6
Jose Valentin ATL 1.6
Dave Nilsson BRO 1.5
Bernie Williams FLO 1.5
Outfield Zone Rating
Rondell White ATL 6.1
Andruw Jones WAS 5.6
Michael Tucker STL 5.2
F.P. Santangelo MAN 5.0
Darin Erstad DEN 4.0
Earned Run Average
Julio Valera ATL 1.14
J. Isringhausen MPS 1.65
Julian Tavarez BOS 1.66
T. Mulholland MAN 1.70
J.M. Robinson MPS 1.95
Pedro Martinez ATL 1.96
Alex Fernandez CLE 2.00
Rheal Cormier LA 2.04
Erik Hanson SEA 2.04
Jon Lieber BOS 2.11
Strikeouts
Pedro Martinez ATL 59
Kevin Millwood TOR 43
Tom Glavine WAS 42
Sean Bergman HAV 41
Mike Mussina FLO 41
Kevin Tapani WAS 41
Kevin Brown BRO 40
Steve Cooke CHI 39
Jon Lieber BOS 39
Bret Saberhagen STL 39
Wins
Mike Mason WAS 5
Alex Fernandez CLE 4
Doug Henry CLE 4
Joe Magrane DEN 4
Mike Mussina FLO 4
Scott Sanderson BRO 4
Julian Taverez BOS 4
Randy Tomlin BRO 4
pWAR
Pedro Martinez ATL 1.8
Mike Mason WAS 1.6
Jon Lieber BOS 1.4
Rheal Cormier LA 1.3
Roger Clemens MAN 1.2
Mike Mussina FLO 1.2
Sean Bergman HAV 1.2
John Mitchell CHI 1.1
Phil Leftwich DET 1.0
Bret Saberhagen STL 1.0
Awards
Awards
Batter of the Month
APR Juan Gonzalez TOR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Pitcher of the Month
APR Mike Mason WAS
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Rookie of the Month
APR Scott Spiezio BRO
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Player of the Week
4/7 Orlando Merced FLO
4/14 Garret Anderson MPS
4/21 Mike Mussina FLO
4/28 Del DeShields DEN
5/5
5/12
5/19
5/20
6/2
6/9
6/16
6/23
6/30
7/7
7/14
7/21
7/28
8/4
8/11
8/18
8/25
9/1
9/8
9/15
9/22
9/29
Google Sites
Report abuse