August 15, 2001

A Look Back at the Inaugural Draft

As some of you know, Jim Doyle recently founded a PC-based football league called the Knute Rockne Football League.  Since this league includes eight current BDBL owners (and one former owner), I like to call it the "sister league" of the BDBL.  The similarities to the BDBL don't end there, however.  Since we began our Inaugural Draft last month, I've discovered to great horror and amusement that the KRFL has its very own versions of Chuck Shaeffer, Bryan Sakolsky, Kevin Manley, Jeff Clink, Kevin Manley and even Billy Romaniello.  It is fascinating to me to see history repeat itself so thoroughly, and this walk down Memory Lane has reawakened a lot of memories (some fond, some not so fond) of that exciting 1999 season.

As I watch all the various teams in the league choose their players so carefully, pouring over statistics and ratings with one eye on the immediate prize and another on the future, carrying through with thoughtfully-plotted strategies (then changing strategies mid-stream when the draft turns in an unexpected way), I am reminded of how much I enjoyed our own Inaugural Draft. 

There is nothing more fun, or more challenging, in all of fantasy sports than the Inaugural Draft.  Building a team completely from scratch, with $63.5 million of funny money at your disposal and 35 empty roster spots, with 24 different owners from 24 different levels of expertise separated only by their knowledge of the game, is something that is unrivaled in the real world.  In fact, it is probably the only advantage that fantasy sports hold over the real deal.

With these fond old memories bubbling back up to the surface, I thought now would be a good time to look back at our Inaugural Draft of 1999.  Below, I've listed each of the 24 original teams in the order in which they drafted.  (Note: the franchise records are as of the time I wrote this, which was some time around the middle of July.)  We start with the Ft. Lauderdale Marlins, who had the easiest pick in the draft.

Franchise: Ft. Lauderdale Marlins/Queensboro Kings/Bear Country Jamboree
Original GM: The Infamous Bryan Sakolsky
#1 pick: Alex Rodriguez
Franchise record: 199-209 (.488), 11th-place (tied) all-time (as of July 5th)
Number of all-star players: 9
Best pick: Kris Benson, Round 4 of the farm draft
Worst pick: Ray Durham, Round 2
Strategy: Young, high-on-base hitters.

Comments: The Marlins used their first six picks on hitters (Alex Rodriguez, Durham, Jim Thome, Johnny Damon, Rondell White and Fernando Tatis) before finally taking a pitcher (Brad Radke) in Round 7.  As a result, they finished third in the BDBL in runs scored in 1999 and 23rd in ERA.  That, however, has slowly changed with each passing year.  In 2000, they finished 8th in runs scored and 13th in ERA.  And this year, the Jamboree are 15th in runs scored and 5th in ERA.  The Marlins focused heavily on players under the age of 25.  In some cases - A-Rod, Tatis, Paul Konerko (Round 15), Phil Nevin (29) and Corey Koskie (30) - the gamble paid off.  In other cases - Jose Cruz in (9), Shawn Estes (13), Matt Anderson (14) and Brian Meadows, Karim Garcia and Derrick Gibson in later rounds - it did not.  But it should be noted that of the 24 teams that participated in the farm draft, the Marlins were the only franchise that selected a future BDBL all-star (Benson.)

Franchise: Madison Fighting Mimes
Original (and current) GM: Brian Hicks
#1 pick: Mark McGwire
Franchise record: 208-196 (.515), 9th place all-time
Number of all-stars: 9
Best pick: Brian Giles, 9th round
Worst pick: Ken Caminiti, 5th round
Strategy: Power, power and more power.

Comments: When the Mimes took McGwire as the second player overall, it was pretty clear what their strategy would be.  Gary Sheffield was their next pick, followed by Jeff Kent, Matt Stairs and Caminiti.  As a result, the Mimes led the OL in home runs in 1999 and came within one homer of leading the league again in 2000.  Like the Marlins, the Mimes made the most of their first pitcher selection, Kevin Millwood (Round 6.)  But their next four starting pitchers chosen (Steve Woodard, Ramon Martinez, Wilson Alvarez and John Burkett) left a lot to be desired.  Of their last ten selections, the only player who remains under contract with any BDBL team is Brooke Fordyce (Round 26.)  A.J. Burnett, chosen in the second round of the farm draft, will begin paying benefits for the Mimes next season.

Franchise: Salem Cowtippers
Original (and current and future) GM: Mike Glander
#1 pick: Greg Maddux
Franchise record: 254-158 (.617), 2nd place all-time
Number of all-stars: 5
Best pick: Derek Lowe, Round 13
Worst pick: Darren Dreifort, Round 4
Strategy: Balance between pitching and hitting, starting and relief, young and old.

Comments: Only one player (Lowe) remains from the entire Salem draft, including the farm draft.  Yet the Cowtippers have owned the Benes Division for two and a half years.  The core of the 1999 and 2000 division-winning teams were established with the first three picks: Maddux, John Olerud and Shannon Stewart.  Every risk taken on young players high in the draft - Matt Morris (Round 6), Ben Davis (11), Carlos Febles (18) and Ryan Bradley (21) were complete flops for at least the first two seasons.  And with the exception of Joe Randa in Round 29, no player taken in the final 15 rounds made a significant contribution to the franchise.  It's pretty clear by looking at the 1999 Opening Day Salem roster that if it weren't for that 99-percent player turnover rate, the Cowtippers would be in deep trouble today.

Franchise: Delafield Ogres/Minneapolis Haymakers/Villanova Mustangs
Original GM: Jason Wichmann
#1 pick: Sammy Sosa
Franchise record: 199-209 (.488), 11th place (tied) all-time
Number of all-stars: 5
Best pick: Carlos Delgado, Round 3
Worst pick: Greg Vaughn, Round 2
Strategy: Draft as many muscle-bound, slow-footed, strikeout-prone power hitters as possible.

Comments: In addition to Sosa (66 MLB homers), Vaughn (50) and Delgado (38), the Ogres also drafted Eric Davis (28) in Round 7, Dean Palmer (34) in Round 8, Jay Bell (20) in Round 9 and Glenallen Hill (20) in Round 11.  Playing in (what was then) hitter-friendly Tiger Stadium, the Ogres enjoyed a very successful first chapter, leading their division.  But Wichmann resigned for mysterious reasons after that first chapter, leaving the team to Eric Zigmund, who had a different philosophy on building the franchise.  By the end of the chapter, Vaughn and Davis were gone.  And before the 2000 season, Sosa and Delgado were history as well.  The new Ogres emphasis on speed, mediocre pitching and bad defense led to a second-place finish in 1999 and a last-place finish in their new division in 2000.  This season, the franchise has begun to turn it around, hovering around .500 in second place.

Franchise: Gillette Swamp Rats
Original (and reigning) GM: John Bochicchio
#1 pick: Juan Gonzalez
Franchise record: 200-214 (.483), 13th place all-time
Number of all-stars: 7
Best pick: Jeff Nelson, Round 26
Worst pick: Joey Cora, Round 7
Strategy: A well-balanced mix of established vets, aging has-beens and toothless geezers.

Comments: Of the 35 original players drafted by the Swamp Rats, only one (Wes Helms) was younger than 27 years old.  And only eight (Helms, Shane Spencer, Jose Lima, Brian Boehringer, Chris Brock, Angel Echevarria, Bryan Ward and Pat Watkins) were younger than 30.  In addition to acquiring the OL's current ERA leader, Nelson, in the 26th round, Gillette also picked up their best starting pitcher, Paul Abbott, in Round 32.  Their second farm pick, after Brian Reith, was Rafael Furcal.

Franchise: Oakville Marauders/Boardwalk Vulgarians/Atlanta Fire Ants
Original GM: Bob Bierman
#1 pick: Ken Griffey, Jr.
Franchise record: 194-214 (.475), 14th-place all time
Number of all-stars: 7
Best pick: Mike Hampton, Round 6
Worst pick: Tony Clark, Round 3
Strategy: Big-slugging hitters in their prime, plus an all-Colorado bullpen.

Comments: The strategy of combining the power quartet of Griffey, Javy Lopez, Clark and Raul Mondesi  with the all-Colorado bullpen of Chuck McElroy (Round 14), Jerry DiPoto (15) and Mike DeJean (16) worked for one season, when the Marauders went to the EL Championship Series.  But when all five of Oakville's first five selections suffered off-years in MLB 1999, the Marauders suffered as well, losing 24 more games than the year before.  This year, the franchise is just two games below .500, but is sitting in last place in the impossibly-tough Hrbek Division.

Franchise: Virginia Cavaliers/Phoenix Predators
Original GM: Jack Buchanan
#1 pick: Nomar Garciaparra
Franchise record: 183-233 (.440), 22nd-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 7
Best pick: Keith Foulke, Round 15
Worst pick: Todd Walker, Round 3
Strategy: Build for the 2000 BDBL season and beyond.

Comments: The Cavaliers jumped the gun on everybody by selecting J.D. Drew in the 6th round, but it was a gamble that paid off big-time.  Other youngsters snatched by the Cavaliers included Sean Casey (Round 8), Russ Branyan (11), Roy Halladay (17), Trot Nixon (18), Jeff Suppan (20), Braden Looper (21), Kevin Orie (22) and Jay Payton (32).  For the most part, their success rate with these young players has been pretty remarkable, though it hasn't shown up in the standings.  Unfortunately, the best of the bunch were all traded away.  Drew, Halladay and Looper (plus Antonio Alfonseca) were traded to the Law Dogs for Raul Mondesi, Carl Pavano, Robbie Bell and Wayne Gomes.  Casey was traded straight-up for Tino Martinez.  And Branyan was released.

Franchise: Stamford Zoots
Original (and reigning) GM: Paul Marazita
#1 pick: Kevin Brown
Franchise record: 257-151 (.630) 1st-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 6
Best pick: Magglio Ordonez, Round 10
Worst pick: Rolando Arrojo, Round 6
Strategy: Step 1: draft an assortment of has-beens and underachievers, Step 2: win two straight championships.

Comments: With the eighth pick in the draft, BDBL legend Marazita selected 36-year-old hurler Kevin Brown, bypassing Pedro Martinez and Mike Mussina among younger alternatives at that position.  With his second selection, Marazita chose 36-year-old first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, bypassing younger first sackers like John Olerud and Carlos Delgado.  Ordonez and Edgardo Alfonzo, two 25-year-old players with similar backgrounds and yawn-inducing minor league stats, were chosen in the middle rounds.  Both blossomed into all-star caliber players almost immediately.  And rounding out the top-20 were humdingers like Arrojo (Round 6), Brad Ausmus (8), Jose Rosado (9), Mark Clark (11), Troy O'Leary (12), Dennis Cook (13), Dan Miceli (14), Mike Cameron (15), Mike DiFelice (16), C.J. Nitkowski (17), Ruben Rivera (18), Marty Cordova (19) and Mike Lowell (20).  The final 15 picks were populated with even more dubious players such as Shane Halter, Mike Blowers, Jason Bere, Bobby Bonilla, Emil Brown and Ken Cloude.  Yet somehow, some way, this shaky foundation of geezers, slackers and ne'er-do-wells resulted in the most successful franchise in the BDBL for the next two and a half seasons (and counting.)

Franchise: Massillon Tigerstrikes
Original GM: Mike Ries
#1 pick: Roger Clemens
Franchise record: 185-221 (.456) 18th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 8
Best pick: Jason Giambi, Round 6
Worst pick: Tony Womack, Round 4
Strategy: Combine one dominating ace with one dominating reliever and a bunch of low-OBP hitters and ride them to a pennant.

Comments: Unfortunately, this strategy only worked for one season.  Since then, the Tigerstrikes franchise has been in big trouble, mostly because their GM was so idle for so long.  The supporting cast for Clemens, Mariano Rivera (5th round pick), Shawn Green (3) and Giambi was thinner than Courtney Cox on a hunger strike.  After Clemens, the Massillon rotation featured Shane Reynolds, Brian Moehler, Tyler Green and Jarrod Washburn.  After Rivera, the bullpen included Ricardo Rincon, Steve Reed and Julio Santana.  And after Giambi and Green, the lineup included the likes of Womack, Jose Hernandez, Jose Canseco, Andy Fox, David Bell, Darren Bragg, Jeff Reed and Randy Winn.  Yet somehow, this team managed to make it to the playoffs their first year despite the worst record of any playoff team.

Franchise: Los Altos Undertakers
Original (and reigning) GM: Jeff Paulson
#1 pick: Albert Belle
Franchise record: 246-158
Number of all-stars: 10
Best pick: John Rocker, Round 14
Worst pick: Darryl Hamilton, Round 6
Strategy: A big lefty/righty power combo, a solid-yet-unexciting supporting cast and, of course, a strong bullpen.

Comments: The Undertakers won 203 games in their first two seasons, so it's hard to argue with their draft strategy - or any of their other strategies for that matter.  Los Altos was the first team to take a big risk by sacrificing a top pick on a young, unproven player, taking Scott Elarton with their fourth pick.  Elarton has done a fine job for the Undertakers, but his enormous contract was a huge burden on their salary cap.  Fortunately for them, they were able to unload that mammoth contract this year (no doubt a major factor in Paulson's decision to give up his chance at a third straight division title.)  The Undertakers took several young, unproven players early in the draft such as Kelvim Escobar (Round 8), Brad Fullmer (9), Bruce Chen (10), Richie Sexson (11), Mitch Meluskey (13) and Michael Barrett (20).  Yet despite getting little value from those players in 1999, the Undertakers finished that season with the best record in the Ozzie League.  The reason: instead of keeping all those young prospects, Paulson turned them over in exchange for immediate help.  Fullmer and Sexson were traded for Mo Vaughn, and Barrett was traded for Ismael Valdes, transforming the Undertakers into a powerhouse.

Franchise: Akron Ryche
Original (and current) GM: D.J. Sheppard
#1 pick: Pedro Martinez
Franchise record: 204-206 (.498), 10th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 4
Best pick: Pedro Martinez, Round 1
Worst pick: Kenny Rogers, Round 2
Strategy: Pitching, speed and defense. 

Comments: Looking back, it's hard to believe that Pedro Martinez was still on the board when the Akron Ryche snatched him with the 11th pick overall.  I'll guarantee that at least ten of the teams who chose before Akron would love to that their pick back.  Three of Akron's first four, and five of their first seven, picks were pitchers.   Despite that, the Ryche have finished 15th and 20th in ERA over the past two seasons.  This year, they rank 4th in the BDBL.  Akron's offense at the end of Draft Day 1999 included Damian Easley, Robin Ventura, Gary DiSarcina, Rickey Henderson, Kevin Young, Mike Lieberthal and Devon White - a far cry from the offense-heavy Ryche of today.  Akron had great success in the farm draft, taking three players (Jeff Weaver, Mark Mulder and Ramon Hernandez) who have already contributed to the big club.

Franchise: New Milford Blazers
Original (and current) GM: Billy "Baseball" Romaniello
#1 pick: Randy Johnson
Franchise record: 132-268 (.330), 24th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 4
Best pick: Randy Johnson, Round 1
Worst pick: Too many to list
Strategy: Only Billy knows for sure.

Comments: Want to know how to win less than a third of your games for two and a half years running?  For starters, pick a fat, slow, Coors-inflated slugger (Dante Bichette) with your #2 pick.   Among the many players the Blazers passed up in favor of Bichette: Larry Walker, Rafael Palmeiro, John Olerud and Gary Sheffield (and that's just Round Two alone.)  Next, pick a defensive-oriented catcher who hit all of .218 over 386 at-bats with your THIRD pick.  Among the many third-rounders passed up by the Blazers in order to acquire Charles Johnson: Darrin Erstad, Todd Helton, Andres Galaragga, Cliff Floyd and Roberto Alomar.  Next, select two relief pitchers (Robb Nen and Billy Wagner) with your last two $5 million picks.  Then, to really ensure that you won't compete for a very long time, use your five $3 million picks on Tony Fernandez, Chuck Finley, Livan Hernandez, Aaron Ledesma and Hal Morris.  Believe me, the Blazers draft only got uglier from there.  Among the many players drafted by the Blazers who have since retired from baseball: Sean Berry, Roberto Kelly, Steve Avery, Joe Carter, Randy Myers, Chris Gomez, Dave Berg, Shane Monahan, Willie Banks, Matt Beech, Jason Dickson, Jamie Navarro, Gabby Martinez, Brian Barkley and Jesse Levis.  In the history of organized fantasy baseball, this has to be the worst draft ever.  No offense, Billy.

Franchise: South Carolina Sea Cats
Original (and current) GM: Tony DeCastro
#1 pick: Tom Glavine
Franchise record: 181-219 (.453), 20th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 3
Best pick: Freddie Garcia, Round 2 (farm)
Worst pick: Derek Bell, Round 4
Strategy: A balance of strong veteran pitching and weak veteran hitting.

Comments: Number one pick, Glavine, was as steady a starting pitcher as you could find when he was drafted 13th overall.  And he did win the first ever EL Cy Young award, going 14-0 down the stretch that '99 season.   Unfortunately, it was in a Southern Cal uniform, as he was jettisoned to the Slyme mid-season in exchange for Jeremy Giambi (who was then released by the Sea Cats the following season.)  A combination of an ugly start by the 'Cats and an even uglier start by Glavine (who would finish the MLB season with an ERA over 4.00 for the first time in nine years) contributed to the trade.  #2 pick Barry Larkin enjoyed two solid BDBL seasons, but is now a part-timer with a $6m contract thanks to old age and/or injuries.   #3 pick Dustin Hermanson never fulfilled his vast potential, so he was traded (along with Garcia) to Phoenix in 2000 for Carl Pavano (who was also released the following year.)  #4 pick Derek Bell saw his OPS drop nearly 200 points in just one year and was also released.  And #5 pick Kerry Ligtenberg followed up his stellar rookie season with a trip to the operating table.  He, too, was eventually released.   When you get off to a start like that, it's tough to imagine escaping the cellar any time soon.  Yet in Year Three, the Sea Cats are riding high at the top of their division.  (How's that for love, Tony?)

Franchise: Chicago Black Sox
Original (and current) GM: John Gill
#1 pick: Andruw Jones
Franchise record: 212-190, 8th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 5
Best pick: Fred McGriff, Round 23
Worst pick: Juan Guzman, Round 11
Strategy: Load up on superstars, trade most of them away, then load up again.

Comments: Andruw Jones was a somewhat surprising pick at #14 overall, but he has been one of the league's most productive center fielders.  Chicago's #2, #3, #4, #7, #9 and #11 picks were all traded by the deadline, accounting for the team's 101 losses that year.  But if not for those trades, the Black Sox would have never made it to the seventh game of the BDBL Series the very next season following a record-breaking 106-win regular season.  Chicago managed to pick a useful player in every salary tier: Jones at $10m, four BDBL all-stars at $5m, Ismael Valdes and Miguel Tejada at $3m, Chicago's 2000 closer Turk Wendell at $2m, Cal Ripken (who was actually very productive as a platoon player in 2000) at $1m, McGriff (who was eventually traded for Carlos Delgado) at $500k and 2000 starting 2B Randy Velarde at $100k.

Franchise: North Mankato Mudhens/Kentucky Fox
Original GM: Chris Kaufman
#1 pick: Bernie Williams
Franchise record: 185-215 (.463), 17th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 5
Best pick: Mike Sweeney, Round 15
Worst pick: Mike Caruso (remember him?), Round 6
Strategy: A high-OBP lineup with mediocre pitching.

Comments: North Mankato's first four draft picks were all hitters with OBP's better than .400.  A great start to a franchise.   Unfortunately, the Mudhens draft went downhill (and fast) from there.  The next pick, Bobby Higginson, was a solid choice.  But the next pick, Caruso, was just plain awful.  The Mudhens didn't select a pitcher until Round 7.  By then, they were forced to stock up on veteran pitchers with high win totals and even higher ERA's like Brian Bohanon, Aaron Sele and Dave Burba.  Their first relief pick, Rod Beck, was a solid choice, but on the downside of his career.  The Mudhens did make some great picks after that on young players like Sweeney, Eric Milton (Round 13), Jeffrey Hammonds (16) and Jason Varitek (20.)  But the Mudhens were destined to finish with nearly 100 losses in 1999.  The franchise managed to turn it around in a hurry, though, thanks to the mid-1999 acquisition of Tim Hudson by new owner Bobby Sylvester.

Franchise: Bowling Green Spoilers
Original (and current) GM: Mark Ross
#1 pick: Curt Schilling
Franchise record: 187-225 (.454), 19th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 3
Best pick: Woody Williams, Round 11
Worst pick: Mickey Morandini, Round 6
Strategy: Three big-time ace workhorse studs and a bunch of Punch-and-Judy slap hitters.

Comments: The Spoilers's strategy was very clear from the beginning.  With their first three picks, they chose Schilling, John Smoltz and Orlando Hernandez, three of the biggest sure-fire veteran aces in all of baseball.  Unfortunately, only Schilling has managed to stay relatively healthy in the three years since.  After those three picks, the remaining choices on offense were pretty slim (Tim Salmon, Raul Mondesi, Rondell White, Edgar Martinez, Jason Giambi, Carl Everett and Frank Thomas being the best of the lot.)   So with their first offensive selection, Bowling Green chose Jorge Posada, an up-and-coming catcher who posted an 825 OPS over only 358 at-bats the previous year.  They then spent their next six draft picks on hitters who were all eerily similar: Mark Grace, Morandini, Mike Bordick, Garrett Anderson, Doug Glanville and John Valentin.  All except Grace posted an OPS between 701 and 782.  All except Valentin hit between 8 and 17 homers.  And all except Grace and Morandini posted an OBP between .325 and .340.  As a result of this strategy, Bowling Green's ERA ranked fourth in the Eck League in 1999 and third in the Ozzie League in 2000.  But their runs scored ranked sixth in 1999 and 12th (last) in 2000.  This season, Bowling Green is 9th in ERA and 12th (last) in runs scored.

Franchise: Bourbannais Bad Boys/Manchester Irish Rebels
Original GM: Chris Witt
#1 pick: Al Leiter
Franchise record: 177-230 (435), 23rd-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 3
Best pick: Carl Everett, Round 8
Worst pick: Bret Boone, Round 5
Strategy: A balance of strong, lefty-heavy pitching and strong, lefty-heavy hitting.

Comments: The Bad Boys won the wild card their first year thanks to the lefty/righty combo of Leiter and Kerry Wood, a strong bullpen bolstered by the mid-season trade of #1 farm pick Corey Patterson to the Blazers for Billy Wagner, and solid efforts from hitters Todd Helton (#3 pick), Paul O'Neill (#4) and Everett.  It's hard to argue with their first three picks, or with Everett.  But aside from those picks, the Bad Boys failed to strike paydirt with any of their lower picks.  As a result, the team was weighed down by $3m salaries from guys like Royce Clayton, Scott Erickson, Terry Mullholland and Darren Lewis, and $2m salaries from Mike Benjamin, Paul Bako, Dave Veres, Dwight Gooden and Matt Walbeck.  In fact, after Round 8, the Bad Boys give the Blazers a run for the money in terms of Worst Draft Ever status.

Franchise: Litchfield Lightning
Original GM: Phil Geisel (alias Kevin Lowary)
#1 pick: Barry Bonds
Franchise record: 248-160 (.603), 4th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 7
Best pick: Edgar Martinez, Round 8
Worst pick: Carlos Hernandez, Round 12
Strategy: Make everyone believe you have no clue what you're doing by making dumb comments the entire draft, then walk away with many of the biggest steals of the draft.

Comments: Martinez was the biggest steal of the draft, hands-down.  Everyone was scared off by his age and lack of a defensive position, but Litchfield looked past all of that and got a guy who appeared in two all-star games in three seasons while posting MVP-type numbers.  Another two-time BDBL all-star, Bonds, was another big-time steal for Litchfield.  With the 18th pick in the draft, it wasn't expected that the best player in baseball would still be around.  After Bonds, Litchfield concentrated on pitching for the next four rounds.  And when they were ready to start picking offense again, Scott Brosius, Eric Young, Martinez and Mark Grudzielanek were all snatched up in a row.  Brosius, a 6th-round pick, was an all-star and MVP candidate for the Lightning in 1999, and Young and Gruddzy have both been solid up-the-middle players for the franchise.  Surprisingly enough, Geisel was able to pick solid players throughout the draft.  Hideki Irabu (Round 10) was a surprisingly steady workhorse for the Lightning in 1999 and 2000.  Marquis Grissom (Round 11), Otis Nixon (Round 13) and Arthur Rhodes (Round 14) have all contributed positively to the franchise.  Brady Anderson (Round 17) was an all-star last year.  Even as we move to the bottom end of the draft, we can find useful players like Eric Plunk (Round 24), Damian Jackson (Round 27) and Steve Karsay (Round 33.)  In the farm draft, Geisel hit the motherlode with his first pick, Lance Berkman, who is now a star for the Cowtippers.

Franchise: Southern California Slyme
Original (and current) GM: Bob Sylvester, Sr.
#1 pick: David Wells
Franchise record: 229-173 (.570), 5th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 5
Best pick: Jose Vidro, Round 4
Worst pick: David Wells, Round 1
Strategy: A balance of star hitters and pitchers in their prime.

Comments: Don't blame Bob Sylvester for the David Wells pick.  That one actually belonged to the team's real original GM, Kevin Manley, who made the first two picks, then bowed out of the league two days before the live draft.  Among the many players chosen after Wells: Mike Piazza, Derek Jeter, Jeff Bagwell, Vladimir Guerrero, Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Mussina and Manny Ramirez.  For those of you who were in the league at the time, you may remember it took Mr. Manley DAYS to make that decision.  After that pick, though, the Slyme were able to secure several good ballplayers such as Chipper Jones (Round 2), Kenny Lofton (4), Bartolo Colon (5), Tino Martinez (6), Luis Gonzalez (9), Donne Wall (12), Geoff Jenkins (24), Michael Tucker (25) and Vidro.  As a result, Southern Cal won more games than any other team in the BDBL our first season and repeated as division champs the next.

Franchise: Morgan Hill Panthers/Kansas Law Dogs
Original GM: Chuck Shaeffer, Rocket Scientist
#1 pick: Scott Rolen
Franchise record: 216-190 (.532), 7th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 7
Best pick: Steve Finley, Round 21
Worst pick: Jaret Wright, Round 7
Strategy: Young, high-OPS sluggers and high-upside youth.

Comments: When you look at this franchise's first five picks (Rolen, Manny Ramirez, Ben Grieve, Travis Fryman and Frank Thomas), it's easy to see how this team eventually became the record-breaking Kansas Law Dogs of today.  Until, that is, you realize that none of those five is still with the team today.  In fact, you may be surprised to learn that it is the Law Dogs - and NOT the Salem Cowtippers - who are the only team in the BDBL without an original member remaining on the roster.

Franchise: Plattsburgh Champs/Perth Breeze
Original GM: Tim Zigmund
#1 pick: Mike Piazza
Franchise record: 189-219 (.463), 16th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 5
Best pick: Tony Batista, Round 10
Worst pick: Tony Saunders, Round 8
Strategy: Pitching?? We don't need no stinking pitching.

Comments: The Champs didn't select a pitcher until Round 7, then took Rick Helling and Saunders before selecting two more hitters.  Yet despite that fact, Plattsburgh finished a respectable 6th in ERA in 1999 and 9th in 2000.  The reason is somewhat hard to determine, as the rest of the staff (Orel Hershiser, Jamie Wright, Darren Oliver, Roberto Hernandez, Jay Powell, Gabe White and Rudy Seanez) doesn't exactly blow you away.  Oddly enough, despite their imposing lineup, the Champs finished just 5th in runs scored in 1999 and 7th in 2000.

Franchise: Antioch Angels/Boise Bastards/Allentown Ridgebacks
Original GM: Steve Spoulos
#1 pick: Derek Jeter
Franchise record: 191-217, 15th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 6
Best pick: Andy Pettitte, Round 7
Worst pick: Francisco Cordova, Round 3
Strategy: High-OBP hitters, junkballing lefty pitchers and a solid bullpen.

Comments: Four of Antioch's first five picks were hitters with OBP's of .380 or better and slugging percentages below .500 (Jeter, Jason Kendall, Brian Jordan and Fernando Vina.)  At the time, I made a comment that Antioch seemed to be building around #2 hitters.  Unfortunately, injuries to #3 pick Cordova, #6 pick Justin Thompson and #9 pick Bret Saberhagen wiped out the long-term fortunes of this pitching staff.  And most of the youngsters picked up in the later rounds (Brent Gates, Stan Spencer, Jin Ho Cho, Jon Nunnally, Todd Pratt and Jason Grilli) never panned out.

Franchise: Marlboro/Hudson Hammerheads
Original GM: Ken "The Shark" Kaminski
#1 pick: Jeff Bagwell
Franchise record: 180-220 (.450), 21st-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 5
Best pick: Glendon Rusch, Round 27
Worst pick: Brett Tomko, Round 5
Strategy: Build a DMB team any rotiserrie owner would be proud of.

Comments: After two very good picks (Bagwell and Mike Mussina) in the first two rounds, and two solid picks for the future (Cliff Floyd and Jeremy Burnitz) in the next two, The Shark veered off into a strange Bermuda Triangle filled with the likes of Tomko (#5), Dmitri Young (#6), Ramiro Mendoza (#7), Brian Anderson (#9), Wil Guerrero (#11), Pat Meares (#12), Jeff King (#14) and Jose Guillen (#16).  With a roster filled with players who would neither help them in the 1999 season nor any future season, the Hammerheads franchise collapsed shortly after Chapter One in '99 and has not yet fully recovered.

Franchise: California Storm/Cleveland Rocks
Original GM: Jeff Clink
#1 pick: Vladimir Guerrero
Franchise record: 225-186 (.547), 6th-place all-time
Number of all-stars: 11
Best pick: Jermaine Dye, Round 34
Worst pick: Travis Lee, Round 4
Strategy: A ton of offense, a ton of youth and a ton of potential.

Comments: Before the draft began (and even during the draft), there were some people in the league who cried that the draft process was unfair to the teams at the bottom end of the draft.  Ironic, then, that the Storm/Rocks franchise has been one of the most successful franchises in league history, with the 6th-best winning percentage and more all-star appearances (11) than any other team in the league.  The first decision made by GM Clink was controversial, as he chose to make Guerrero his $10 million franchise player instead of Ivan Rodriguez, who was assumed to be signed for fewer years (thus wasting cap money.)  But since both were signed for only three years each, it made no difference.  Of the many youngsters selected by Clink, several (Ryan Klesko, Richard Hidalgo, Matt Mantei, Bobby Howry, Sidney Ponson, Carlos Beltran, Roger Cedeno and Dye) made a contribution very quickly.  Others (Lee, Neifi Perez, Adrian Beltre, Carl Pavano, Jesus Sanchez, Todd Dunwoody, and Jose Silva) have not.