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FROM THE DESK OF THE COMMISH |
January 22, 2000
2000 BDBL Season Preview
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BUTLER DIVISION
STAMFORD ZOOTS
1999 Finish: 97-63 (BDBL champions)
Projected Rotation: Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, John Halama, C.J.
Nitkowski, Kip Wells and Gil Meche.
Bullpen: John Wetteland, Bobby "Shotgun" Chouinard, Donne Wall
and "Bung-Hole" Kim.
Projected Lineup: 1. Omar Vizquel, 2. Edgardo Alfonzo, 3. Rafael
Palmeiro, 4. Magglio Ordonez, 5. Corey Koskie/Mike Lowell, 6. Michael Tucker/Marty
Cordova, 7. Brad Ausmus, 8. Luis Polonia/Mike Cameron.
Strengths: No mystery here: Johnson and Brown. No other team has a pair of aces like them, and no other team can expect to win when facing either one of them. Because they pitched so many innings, both pitchers can go every fourth day all season long. Unless you happen to luck out and draw the second of back-to-back two-game series against Stamford, you can count on facing both of these guys. If the Zoots only had these two pitchers and nothing else, they would still be virtual locks to make the playoffs. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the Zoots have an explosive offense as well, built around the first four spots in their batting order. As if that weren't enough, the Zoots can also rely upon one of the better defenses in the league, with Vizquel and Alfonzo up the middle, Cameron in center and rifle-armed Ausmus behind the plate.
Weaknesses: Not many. The starting rotation beyond the first three is thin, but this will have little effect during the season and even less during the playoffs. The middle relief is also somewhat suspect, although it is still above average for this league. The only thing missing from this team is a left-handed specialist, but I'm sure GM Marazita will rectify that situation before all is said and done.
Outlook: When you get right down to it, is there really any reason why we should go through the motions and play out this season? The fate of the 2000 season was sealed the moment Marazita shipped off Jose Rosado for Johnson last season. The Zoots will face some stiff competition in the Ozzie League, especially in their division, but in the end - barring a miracle - they'll end the regular season exactly where they were last year.
Prediction: 1st place. After an intense two-month struggle with the Madison Fighting Mimes, Marazita deals John Halama to the New Milford Blazers in exchange for Alex Fernandez, Tony Fernandez and Matt Mantei (and three of New Milford's draft picks, thrown in to "balance it out.") Alex Fernandez goes on to win the National League Cy Young in 2000, and the Zoots sign him to a multi-year deal at the end of the year. The Zoots easily win the OLDS thanks to back-to-back-to-back shutouts by Johnson, Brown and Fernandez. The Zoots take the OLCS in seven games thanks to the clutch hitting of full-time left fielder Luis Polonia. And thus, the cycle continues. Until, that is, the World Series...(read on...)
MADISON FIGHTING MIMES
1999 Finish: 70-90 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Kevin Millwood, Tom Glavine, Bret Saberhagen, Steve
Parris, Wilson Alvarez and Joe Mays.
Bullpen: Tim Crabtree, Graeme Lloyd, Brad Clontz, Pat Mahomes and T.J.
Mathews.
Projected Lineup: 1. Brian Giles, 2. Jeff Kent, 3. Mark McGwire, 4. Gary
Sheffield, 5. Matt Stairs, 6. Brooke Fordyce, 7. F.P. Santangelo/Jose Vizcaino, 8. Jeff
Reboulet/Vizcaino/Santangelo.
Strengths: Not many teams in this day and age can boast a pitching staff with eleven of their seventeen pitchers sporting ERA's under 4.00, but the Mimes can. That fact alone makes them a contender. Add in a legitimate staff ace (Millwood) who can compete with any other ace in the league and a lineup including Giles, Kent, McGwire, Sheffield and Stairs, and you have a recipe for a playoff team.
Weaknesses: Try as he might this off-season, Madison GM Brian Hicks wasn't able to secure a legitimate leadoff hitter for this team. (Sources say Hicks turned down a straight-up swap of Giles for Shannon Stewart back in November.) Without a leadoff hitter, this lineup is very top-heavy. If an opposing pitcher can pitch his way around the first four spots in the batting order, it's clear sailing the rest of the way. Third base and shortstop are offensive black holes that will need to be patched if this team is going to seriously contend. The bullpen is also lacking a true closer, although the committee of five that they have is very capable of sharing that duty. They would all be better off, however, in the setup role.
Outlook: The Mimes have made vast improvements this year thanks to the emergence of Millwood as an ace and Giles as a full-time offensive threat. There is more than enough excess talent here to deal during the season, and as we are all WELL aware, Hicks is not afraid to deal. I think by the end of this season, the Mimes will be on nearly equal ground with the defending champs.
Prediction: 2nd place (OL wild card.) The Mimes become the first wild card team in BDBL history to win 100 games. They advance to the OLCS and a showdown with their dreaded division rivals. Mimes fans attempt to distract series hero Luis Polonia by bringing their 13-year-old daughters to the stadium, but their ploy doesn't work. In the final game, Bobby Chouinard closes out the series by retiring Giles, Kent and McGwire in order. I guess you can say they are simply out-gunned.
MINNEAPOLIS HAYMAKERS
1999 Finish: 81-79 (2nd place in the
Person Division)
Projected Rotation: Jamie Moyer, John Lieber, Omar Olivares, Paul Byrd
and Rick Reed.
Bullpen: Armando Benitez, Mike Venafro, Rick Croushore, Tim Worrell and
Jose Paniagua.
Projected Lineup: 1. Rusty Greer, 2. Jay Bell, 3. Jeremy Burnitz, 4. Dean
Palmer, 5. Fred McGriff, 6. Eddie Taubensee, 7. Cliff Floyd/Jeffrey Hammonds, 8. Edgar
Renteria.
Strengths: A starting lineup that features three full-time players with an on-base percentage over .400 and six players with a slugging percentage over .500. Like his big brother, Haymakers GM Eric Zigmund LOVES offense and it shows. It says a lot when a team can trade away Sammy Sosa, Greg Vaughn and Carlos Delgado and still have a monster offense.
Weaknesses: An absence of a dominating pitcher other than closer Benitez. The Haymakers play their home games in a ballpark modeled after a hitter's paradise called Tiger Stadium. For years, the Detroit Tigers have loaded up on power hitters and ignored pitching. Not coincidentally, the only time Detroit has been to the World Series in the past thirty years was when they had Jack Morris, Dan Petry, Doyle Alexander, Milt Wilcox, Willie Hernandez and Aurelio Lopez all having career years. The Haymakers' staff isn't bad by 1999 standards, though, and I think this staff can keep this team in a lot of games. Unfortunately, the pitching staff won't be helped by the defense, where no starter has a range rating better than average. Anticipate a lot of 11-10 Haymakers victories this year.
Outlook: The Haymakers are the prototypical team of the '90's: lots of power, lots of strikeouts, little defense or finesse. There are a lot of good offensive teams in the BDBL, and in the Ozzie League in particular. If the Haymakers can get any pitching at all from their staff, they'll be in contention for the wild card.
Prediction: 3rd place. The Zigmund brothers battle all season long in the race to the BDBL records for both runs scored and highest ERA. In the end, the younger Zigmund comes up just short on both accounts. At the end of the season, both Zigmunds lobby the BDBL to institute the DH rule.
MARLBORO HAMMERHEADS
1999 Finish: 64-96 (4th place in Benes
Division)
Projected Rotation: Mike Mussina, Pat Rapp, Ron Villone, Ryan Rupe, Bret
Tomko, Brian Anderson and Jaret Wright.
Bullpen: Mike Timlin, Dan Miceli, Curt Leskanic and Juan Acevedo.
Projected Lineup: 1. Quilvio Veras, 2. Reggie Sanders, 3. Jeff Bagwell,
4. Sammy Sosa, 5. Geoff Jenkins, 6. Jason Varitek, 7. Aaron Boone, 8. Mark Loretta.
Strengths: A deep, solid lineup from one-to-eight. Veras and Sanders should do for the Hammerheads what they'll do for Atlanta this year, which is set the table for the big guys. There isn't a better one-two punch in all of the BDBL than Bagwell and Sosa. Jenkins and Varitek provide ample protection, and Boone and Loretta are hardly easy outs at the bottom of the order. Mussina is a rarity in the BDBL: a solid, reliable staff ace capable of winning every time he takes the mound.
Weaknesses: Beyond Mussina, the rotation is a patchwork of has-beens and rookie flops. Rapp and Villone together make one pretty decent #3 pitcher, but the rest of the rotation is hurting. The bullpen is even worse than the rotation, with closer Timlin being the only bright spot. Acevedo, Leskanic and lefty-specialist Mike Myers all sport ERA's over 5.00. The only thing this staff has going for it is innings. And they'll need them.
Outlook: Ken "The Shark" Kaminski returns to the BDBL to find his old team very much changed, yet very much the same. Unfortunately for Hammerheads fans, their team has been moved into the toughest division in the entire BDBL, which makes any hope of reaching the playoffs a longshot. Kaminski will have to work his usual magic at the trading table this summer to bring in some pitching for this team, or it could be a long year for Hammerheads fans in 2001 as well.
Prediction: 4th place. By mid-April, Kaminski trades half the players on the team in an attempt to break out of a 15-game losing streak. Emulating his hero, Peter Angelos, Kaminski fires his entire staff, drives the Hammerheads payroll over $100 million by acquiring every aging DH available, and begs the Los Altos Undertakers to trade him Albert Belle.
BENES DIVISION
PLATTSBURGH CHAMPS
1999 Finish: 86-74 (2nd place)
Projected Rotation: Darren Oliver, Orel Hershiser, Vladimir Nunez, Jim
Parque and Rick Helling.
Bullpen: Roberto Hernandez, Rudy Seanez, Bob Wells, Jay Powell and Chuck
McElroy.
Projected Lineup: 1. Craig Biggio, 2. Tony Gwynn, 3. Mike Piazza, 4. Matt
Williams, 5. Bobby Abreu, 6. Jose Canseco, 7. Mike Stanley/Dave Justice, 8. Tony Batista.
Strengths: Any time you can put a guy with 31 home runs, 100 RBI's and a .518 slugging percentage in the eighth spot in your batting order, there is little doubt as to what your team's strength is. For the second year in a row, Plattsburgh GM Tim Zigmund is employing an all-offense/no-pitching strategy. It didn't work last year, though most if not every player on the team far underproduced for mysterious reasons above and beyond the Champs' pitcher-friendly ballpark. This year, it is hoped by Plattsburgh fans everywhere that their big sticks will produce. If they do, this team is capable of scoring upwards of 1,000 runs.
Weaknesses: This pitching staff is - to put it mildly - excruciatingly AWFUL. If this team had only one legitimate ace, or even two or three pitchers of average ability, it would be a lock for the playoffs. But this team is going to struggle, once again, thanks to their pitching. Oliver inherits the role of team ace, and should perform well with the change of scenery from The Ballpark in Arlington to Bailey Ave. Field. Hershiser's numbers are deceptive, and he will likely perform a little better than he did in the big leagues last season. Nunez may be a little erratic, but he might be of help. Unfortunately, he's only available for half the season. From there, the Champs will turn to the likes of Helling, Parque and (shudder) Jamey Wright or John Snyder to get the job done every fourth or fifth game. The bullpen is solid, yet unspectacular.
Outlook: It would be an understatement to say that Tim "Stand Pat" Zigmund loves his players. He loves them so much, it pains him to part with any of them. After a winter of inactivity, this year's team is a carbon copy of last year's second-place squad. But with notably weaker competition in the Benes Division this year, and with the balance of luck tilting in their favor, their offense may just be enough to carry them into the postseason.
Prediction: 1st place. With only a slight lead over the spunky Salem Cowtippers, Tim Zigmund finally acknowledges that pitchers are an evil necessity and he trades away prized prospect Pat "The Bat" Burrell one day before the trading deadline in order to snag an ace for his staff. That one trade gives him enough of an edge that the Champs win the division championship on the final day of the season.
SALEM COWTIPPERS
1999 Finish: 99-61 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Eric Milton, Javier Vazquez, Sterling Hitchcock,
Darren Dreifort and Steve Woodard.
Bullpen: Jeff Zimmerman, Derek Lowe, Danny Graves and Pedro Borbon.
Projected Lineup: 1. Shannon Stewart, 2. Jeff Cirillo, 3. John Olerud, 4.
Ellis Burks, 5. Tim Salmon/Dmitri Young, 6. Damian Miller/Terry Steinbach, 7. Carlos
Febles, 8. Rey Sanchez/Kevin Stocker.
Strengths: The Cowtippers have tried to emulate the blueprint of the Griffin Division champion Los Altos Undertakers by assembling a bullpen beyond compare and a decent enough lineup and rotation to compete. No bullpen in the BDBL (outside of Los Altos) can match Salem's Big Three of Zimmerman, Lowe and Graves. If Salem can keep it close until the later innings, they should be able to win some of those close games, much in the same way as Los Altos last season.
Weaknesses: This year's offense will not set any records for run production as last year's version did. Stewart, Olerud and Salmon all had off years at the plate, and the awesome table-setting duo of Stewart and Quilvio Veras is history. Although this year's lineup is deeper, there is no MVP in the middle of the lineup like there was last season. In the end, it is assumed this team will have trouble scoring runs. Even more important than the lack of an MVP, however, is the fact that there is also no Cy Young at the front of this year's rotation. It is thought that without Maddux's efforts last season, Salem would have been nothing more than a .500 ballclub. This year, that theory will be tested.
Outlook: Although there aren't any superstars on this team, the combination of assembled talent seems to be enough for this team to compete in the Benes Division. This is a very different team, however, and winning won't come easy. The 2000 Cowtippers will have to scratch and claw for each and every victory. Luckily, they have a manager who is highly skilled at getting the most out of a group of players.
Prediction: 2nd place. After a long, hard year during which Milton, Vazquez, Lowe and Zimmerman all blow out their elbows after only 51 innings at the major league level and are lost for the entire 2001 BDBL season, Salem mounts a rally in late September and fights their way back to within striking distance of the Champs. But in the final series of the season, a dramatic four-game head-to-head showdown with Plattsburgh, Salem's bats suddenly go dead and their arms go inexplicably limp. Darren Oliver, Orel Hershiser, Jim Parque and Rick Helling hold the Salem offense to a combined three runs for the series, while the Plattsburgh offense lights up Salem's staff to the tune of 46 runs.
BOWLING GREEN
1999 Finish: 81-79 (2nd place in Higuera
Division)
Projected Rotation: Curt Schilling, Orlando Hernandez, John Smoltz, David
Wells and Woody Williams.
Bullpen: Rick Aguilera, Rick White, Carlos Reyes, Eric Gagne, Dennis
Springer, Mike Maddux and Mike Mohler.
Projected Lineup: 1. Doug Glanville, 2. Tony Phillips, 3. Mark Grace, 4.
Garrett Anderson, 5. Ken Caminiti/Tim Bogar, 6. Jeff Conine, 7. Mike Bordick, 8. Jorge
Posada/Jason LaRue.
Strengths: Bowling Green's starting rotation is second only to the Stamford Zoots - and even that is debatable. The Zoots may have a better one-two at the top of the rotation, but the Spoilers have far more depth. The bullpen is also better and deeper than average. Bowling Green finished fourth in the Eck League in ERA last season. This season, they should be among the top two in the Ozzie League.
Weaknesses: The starting lineup. The Spoilers finished last in the Eck League in home runs last season, and should repeat in that category again this season. Despite that fact, they were able to manufacture a lot of runs with their speed and finished in the middle of the pack in runs scored. This season, Spoilers GM Mark Ross will have his hands full patching together an offense from all the spare parts on this roster.
Outlook: This Bowling Green Spoilers are the Anti-Champs. Everything Plattsburgh has, they do not. And everything Bowling Green has, Plattsburgh lacks. It should be interesting to see these two teams battle within the same division this season. Look for a lot of disbelieving stares no matter which way it goes.
Prediction: 3rd place. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez gets lost in downtown Boston while traveling to Salem and is forced to build a home-made raft out of nothing but popsicle sticks and chewing gum. He fights the shark-infested waters of the Charles in time to arrive at the front gates of the Glanderdome just before game time and wins his 20th game of the season.
MANCHESTER IRISH REBELS
1999 Finish: 87-74 (2nd place in
Hrbek Division)
Projected Rotation: Al Leiter, Mike Sirotka, Terry Mulholland, Rolando
Arrojo, Brian Bohanan and Jay Witasick.
Bullpen: Billy Wagner, Darren Holmes, Stan Belinda and Lance Painter.
Projected Lineup: 1. Lance Johnson/Roberto Kelly, 2. Royce Clayton, 3.
Carl Everett, 4. Todd Helton, 5. Chili Davis, 6. Olmedo Saenz/Kevin Orie, 7. Charles
Johnson, 8. Mike Benjamin/Kevin Jordan.
Strengths: The nastiest closer in baseball not named Rivera. If the Rebels can reach the ninth inning with a lead, Wagner will slam the door shut 99-percent of the time. As with last season's wild-card winning team, this year's version features strong defense. Not many ground balls will get past an infield of Helton (Vg), Benjamin (Ex), Clayton (Vg) and Orie (Ex). Johnson sports an Ex arm behind the plate, and Everett (Vg), Lewis (Vg) and Johnson (Av) patrol the outfield.
Weaknesses: It is hoped that this gold-glove defense helps out the pitching staff in a big, big way. Unfortunately, it looks as though the Rebels pitchers will need all the help they can get. Leiter, a first-round pick last season, is merely serviceable this season. The rest of the staff is filled with bloated ERA's. Of the 16 pitchers on the Rebels staff (not counting Kerry Wood), ten of them have ERA's over 5.15. That's not good even in this day and age. Aside from Holmes, the middle relief staff setting up for Wagner is below average. The offense features Helton and Everett in the middle of the order, but not much else on the fringes. If opposing teams can pitch around those two hitters, they can pretty much sit back and relax the rest of the way.
Outlook: The predecessor to this team, the Bourbonnais Bad Boys, featured basically the same type of personnel: great defense, solid pitching, and little offense. And they rode that formula all the way into the playoffs. The difference is, that team featured two monster pitchers at the top of their rotation: Leiter and Wood. This team doesn't have that going for them, so manager Jim Doyle will have his hands full juggling all these pieces of the puzzle around in order to find the right fit.
Prediction: 4th place. Post-season ceremonies are held in downtown Manchester and team physician Arthur Pappas is named the team MVP. Pappas, who took the arms of Kerry Wood and Tom Gordon and surgically combined them to make one good arm, is hailed as a hero.
GRIFFIN DIVISION
LITCHFIELD LIGHTNING
1999 Finish: 94-66 (2nd place, OLCS
loser)
Projected Rotation: David Cone, Pete Harnisch, Armando Reynoso, Hideki
Irabu and Denny Neagle.
Bullpen: Jeff Shaw, Steve Karsay, Rheal "a.k.a. Raul" Cormier,
Scott Radinsky and Arthur Rhodes.
Projected Lineup: 1. Brady Anderson, 2. Mark Grudzielanek, 3. Barry
Bonds/Erubiel Durazo, 4. Edgar Martinez, 5. Preston Wilson, 6. Scott Brosius, 7. Eric
Young, 8. Scott Servais.
Strengths: Due to a quiet winter in the Lightning front office (is there any other kind?), the 2000 Lightning returns 24 of their 40 players from last season. Despite the fact that they haven't done much with this team, however, the Lightning have improved in several areas. Anderson is a vast improvement over Marquis Grissom, and is a much better leadoff hitter than Otis Nixon or anyone else the Lightning employed last year in that role. Grudzielanek not only made great improvement at the plate, but in the field as well. Wilson steps up to fill Brosius' old spot in the batting order. Hard as it may be to believe, Martinez even improved his numbers at the ripe old age of 36. On the mound, Litchfield's biggest problem last year - its bullpen - has been virtually solved. Karsay is a much better right-handed setup man than Eric Plunk, and Cormier is much improved over Rhodes.
Weaknesses: Unfortunately, the Lightning will be without one of their big sticks in the lineup, Bonds, for about half the season. Grissom is capable of filling in on days when Bonds doesn't play, but let's face it: he's no Barry Bonds. The biggest black hole on this team, however, is behind the plate. Servais is the only catcher on the team, and he can only bat 217 times this year. Where the Lightning will find another catcher is a mystery. Will J.T. Snow - probably the best hitter on anyone's bench in the BDBL - don the tools of ignorance? Will Martinez learn a new position at his ripe, old age? Or will Geisel himself reclaim the lost glory of his high school years when he served as backup to star catcher Mike Glander?
Outlook: This offense is too good, and the pitching too deep, for the Lightning not to win this division. Despite their clueless manager, the Lightning will find a way to succeed this year. It seems they always do.
Prediction: 1st place. Litchfield wins the Griffin Division title thanks to Barry Bonds, who was used only 356 at-bats over his maximum limit. Edgar Martinez wins the OL MVP award, takes home his first gold glove award at third base, pitches two no-hitters and guns down 56-percent of potential base stealers from behind the plate. The Lightning fall to the Madison Fighting Mimes in the ELDS, as they field a team of backups due to the fact that every starter went over his maximum limit during the season. Despite that fact, the series goes the distance and is lost in the 15th inning of Game Five thanks to a wild pitch by Jim Pittsley. After the season, Geisel quits, changes his name to Mike Fitzgerald, and joins the EBA.
GILLETTE SWAMP RATS
1999 Finish: 78-82 (3rd place)
Projected Rotation: Jose Lima, Andy Ashby, Scott Karl, Mike Oquist, John
Burkett and Kent Mercker.
Bullpen: Greg Swindell, Brian Boehringer, Jason Grimsley, Guillermo Mota
and Jeff Nelson.
Projected Lineup: 1. Johnny Damon, 2. Bill Spiers/Luis Sojo, 3. Juan
Gonzalez, 4. Vinny Castilla, 5. Will Clark, 6. Al Martin, 7. Darren Fletcher, 8. Rafael
Bournigal/Spiers/Sojo/Mike Lansing.
Strengths: Lima and Ashby at the front of the rotation, Gonzalez and Castilla in the middle of the lineup and a solid, deep bullpen. Lima and Ashby should be able to keep their team competitive against most other number one and two pitchers in the league. Acquiring Damon for the top of the lineup was a huge boost to this offense. He and the tandem of Spiers and Sojo should do very well setting the table for the heart of the order.
Weaknesses: After Lima and Ashby, the level of talent in the starting rotation drops steeply. "Lima and Ashby and Pray for Rain" will be the slogan of every Gillette fan this season. Aside from that, the Swamp Rats really have no other glaring weaknesses. Their bullpen is well-balanced, their lineup is solid from one-to-seven, and their defense is average.
Outlook: The Swamp Rats are a few players away from guaranteeing a spot in the post-season. They'll battle with the Lightning and Undertakers all season long, but in the end I think they'll come up just short.
Prediction: 2nd place. In an embarrassing episode, Gillette relief pitcher Jason Grimsley is caught sneaking through the air ducts into the Los Altos locker room before a crucial intra-divisional series and attempting to replace Albert Belle's bats with ones made of balsa wood.
NEW MILFORD BLAZERS
1999 Finish: 46-114 (4th place)
Projected Rotation: Jose Rosado, Alex Fernandez, Chuck Finley, Kenny
Rogers and the legendary Robert Person.
Bullpen: Matt Mantei, Dave Veres, Rigo Beltran and Tim Wakefield.
Projected Lineup: 1. Luis Castillo, 2. Tony Fernandez, 3. Paul O'Neill,
4. Eric Karros, 5. Marvin Benard, 6. David Dellucci/Brian McRae/Randy Winn, 7. Ben
Davis/Jose Valentin/Joe Girardi, 8. Chris Gomez/Aaron Ledesma.
Strengths: Can it be?? The New Milford Blazers going into a season with the third-best pitching rotation in the league? It just doesn't seem right, but there it is. Aside from Stamford and Bowling Green, I would rate New Milford's rotation third in the league. There, I said it. The offense is not all that bad, either. Castillo is a legitimate threat as a leadoff hitter, Fernandez is the best #2 hitter in the league not named Alfonzo, and O'Neill, Karros and Benard form a pretty decent heart of the order. Mantei is an A-list closer and will either be the MVP of this team or big-time trade bait.
Weaknesses: The middle relief for the Blazers is very weak and in serious need of innings. Wakefield and Person are both capable of starting and relieving, but the Blazers will need at least another 50 innings from someone in order to stay under the limits this year. Unless they can trade for someone, those 50 innings are liable to be ugly innings given what's left out there on the free agent market.
Outlook: Wait a minute...is that ALL the bad things I had to say about the Blazers?? Surely something is missing. Starting pitching, bullpen, offense, defense...nope, that pretty much covers it. So why am I predicting the Blazers to finish third in the Griffin Division this season? Simply because of their competition. I just happen to think Litchfield and Gillette are better teams - and Los Altos isn't far behind. Of course, I've been wrong before.
Prediction: 3rd place. Thanks to new acquisitions Otis Nixon, Willie McGee, Terry Pendleton and Jeff King, the New Milford Blazers rally out of the cellar and past the defending champion Undertakers during the final week of the season. GM Billy Romaniello immediately announces three-year contract extensions for all four players as a token of gratitude.
LOS ALTOS UNDERTAKERS
1999 Finish: 99-61 (1st place)
Projected Rotation: Ismael Valdes, Francisco Cordova, Masato Yoshii, Mark
Portugal and Scott Elarton.
Bullpen: Trevor Hoffman, Scott Williamson, John Rocker, Mike Remlinger
and Doug Jones.
Projected Lineup: 1. Kenny Lofton, 2. Bill Mueller, 3. Larry Walker, 4.
Albert Belle, 5. Tino Martinez, 6. Rich Aurilia, 7. Terry Shumpert/Hanley Frias/Jerry
Hairston, 8. Brett Mayne/Brian Johnson.
Strengths: As usual, the Undertakers boast the best bullpen in the BDBL, hands-down. Between Hoffman, Williamson, Rocker and Remlinger it's hard to tell who has the better numbers. Best of all, this bullpen is well-balanced with two outstanding righties and two dominating lefties. The offense is, once again, centered around the two-headed monster of Walker and Belle. New addition Lofton provides this team with the table-setter it lacked last season.
Weaknesses: The rotation lacks a true ace (Valdes' numbers look better than they are due to Dodger Stadium), and the rest of the rotation is adequate at best. Yet that's the same diagnosis I gave to this rotation last season, and look what they did. Who will be the Candiotti of 2000? That remains to be seen.
Outlook: I predicted the Undertakers would finish below .500 last season and they proved me wrong. This year, I think they will win 75-80 games. I wouldn't be surprised if they proved me wrong again.
Prediction: 4th place. In an attempt to duplicate his success of last season, Undertakers GM Jeff Paulson lures 63-year-old Hall-of-Famer Phil Niekro out of retirement to pitch for Los Altos down the stretch. Despite winning all ten of his starts, Los Altos can't catch up. Meanwhile, Los Altos teammates Belle and Rocker endear themselves to the Los Altos community. Rocker spends every spare moment of his time working with AIDS patients and teaching English lessons to immigrants while Belle donates his entire salary to charity and spends his Halloween helping children trick-or-treat door to door.