 The Blazers traded franchise player Danny Haren for one-year-rental Chris Carpenter, hoping that he would lead them to a BDBL championship. Close, but not quite. |
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 The Badgers' impressive 2004 showing allowed them the #1 pick in the draft, which they used to sign Barry Bonds. Bonds became the first player signed in the first round of the draft since the introduction of the free agent auction. |
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 Jim Doyle spent a record amount of money in the free agent auction ($18 million) on his double play combo. That combo led the Irish Rebels to a 71-89 record. |
 Randy Johnson won five BDBL Cy Young awards, and won five BDBL championships during his prestigious career. The Cowtippers hoped some of that magic would rub off on them. |
 ...but instead, Johnson was traded to the Las Vegas Flamigos just one chapter into the season. |
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 Chicago Black Sox GM John Gill assembled a legendary one-two punch by trading for both Manny Ramirez and Derrek Lee in the winter of '06. But six weeks into the season, he would begin waving the white flag. |
 The Sylmar bullpen of Francisco Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Bobby Howry was ranked among the best in BDBL history. Unfortunately for Sylmar, none of those guys could hit. |
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 The Cowtippers loaded up on pitching in the auction, with the intent to sell it off in a grand rebuilding effort. Kevin Millwood was signed as a free agent, at a salary of $10.5 million... |
 ...and shortly thereafter he was traded to the Sea Cats in exchange for prospects. |
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 South Carolina slugger Andruw Jones hit 61 homers in 2006, and drove home a league-best 166 runs. But he hit just .245 on the season, with an OBP of just .305. |
 Southern Cal's Victor Martinez carried a .400 batting average into the final chapter of the season. He hit .450 in the first half of the season, but settled down after that and finished at "just" .383, with a .448 OBP and .610 slugging percentage. |
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 The seventh annual BDBL Weekend was held in Chicago, with nine members attending. |
 The Blazers continued to strip their franchise in their desperate pursuit of a trophy. Franchise player Jason Bay was traded in exchange for high-salaried headaches Ken Griffey, Jr. and Bartolo Colon. |
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 The Cowtippers acquired Derek Jeter in mid-season in a desperate attempt to finish above .500. It didn't work. They would finish at just 71-89. |
 After years of back-and-forth waffling, Ben Sheets and Manny Ramirez landed back on the Marlboro roster -- again. |
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 After a stunning 16-12 record in Chapter One, the Allentown Ridgebacks won the Johan Santana Sweepstakes prior to Chapter Two. |
 ...and shortly thereafter, they traded him to Marlboro. |
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 The Sylmar Padawans did everything they could to repeat as division champions, including the acquisition of Derrek Lee. They accomplished their goal by coming from nine games out of first at the all-star break to win their second consecutive division title. But they then lost four straight to the Corona Confederates in the Division Series. |
 Needing just two wins in four games in the final series of the season, against the worst team in the Ozzie League, the Los Altos Undertakers instead lost three of four, giving the Sylmar Padawans the division title. |
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 Pitching in his final season with the Akron Ryche in the final year of an eight-year contract, Pedro Martinez carried his team to another division title. But the Ryche would lose the Division Series to the South Carolina Slyme, ending Martinez's Akron career without an Eck League title. |
 The Villanova Mustangs won the Eck League title on a slow roller to the shortstop. |
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 OLCS MVP David Eckstein celebrated New Milford's Ozzie League championship. |
 ...and World Series MVP Jim Edmonds celebrated Villanova's BDBL championship. |
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 ...so did Mariano Rivera. |
 ...and Mark Buehrle. ...and Mike Glander. |
