65-97, Come On Cubs!

[TheBigBomber]

WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE SEASON?



TRADES:

Atlanta Braves Receive: SS Melvin Mora
Baltimore Orioles Receive: SP Odalis Perez, RP Joe Nelson

Kansas City Royals Receive: RP Hideki Okajima
Boston Red Sox Receive: 1B Mike Sweeney

Anaheim Angels Receive: LF Randy Winn
Tampa Bay Devil Rays Receive: SP Steve Green, RP Greg Jones

Seattle Mariners Receive: C Jason Kendall
Pittsburgh Pirates Receive: CL Brian Fuentes

SEASON AWARDS:



MILESTONES:

FLA SP Matt Clement (No-Hitter)
SFG LF Barry Bonds (500th Home Run & 1500th RBI)
HOU RF Lance Berkman (26-Game Hit Streak)
MIL SP Jamey Wright (No-Hitter)
BOS RF Manny Ramirez (27-Game Hit Streak)
SEA RF Jay Buhner (1000th RBI)
STL RF J.D. Drew (33-Game Hit Streak)
SEA 1B Edgar Martinez (1000th RBI)
MIL SP Ben Sheets (No-Hitter)
SFG RF Eric Davis (1000th RBI & 1000th Run)
NYY LF David Justice (1000th RBI)
BOS SP Pedro Martinez (2000th K)
CLE CF Kenny Lofton (500th Steal)
HOU 1B Jeff Bagwell (Hit For The Cycle)
TEX 1B Rafael Palmeiro (2500th Hit)

IMPORTANT RETIREES

1B Julio Franco - Franco was the only big retiree this year and the only one who retired past the age of 40. His career average stands a .301 and he has 141 career homers. He also had 2177 hits, his career lasted nice and long. He will be remembered.



2001 HALL OF FAME CLASS

1B Pete Rose

SP Tommy John

SP Bert Blyleven

CF Kirby Puckett

RF Dave Winfield

2B Bill Mazeroski

[TheBigBomber]

THE FERG



The Chicago Cubs skipper, Fergie Jenkins was very quiet all season but was reached for comment by an interviewing crew. He sat us down and gave his 2 cents on the season and players. When asked about pitching he responded with:

"DAMN! We had absolute garbage pitching. Our so-called ace, Kevin Tapani was horrible, I want him fired but I don't see that happening just yet. Then we had Jason Bere, I can't even begin to describe him. He's outta here, I'm convincing Jim Hendry to fire this guy. Even The Z Man couldn't help us out this season. When in need, there's Jon Lieber. He was hot all season long and I want his contract extended. I'm also giving some props to Rich Hill."

Harsh words, when asked about batting he responded with:

"Boy oh boy, was I happy. Sammy Sosa is AMAZIN! He's too good for this team, I love this guy. Other than him we did have Jose Vidro & Cliff Floyd. We smack a ton of homers, the job done by our batters was off the charts. I want all of them, all hit over .270, most have 20 homers. What more can you want?"

To finish it off:

"I'm impressed, we had 20 more wins than last year and 20 less losses. If we can get just 5 or 10 more wins, we'll be right up there with the best of 'em. GO CUBS!"

[TheBigBomber]

THE PLAYOFFS!



AMERICAN LEAGUE:

AL East Winner: Boston Red Sox (105-57) - Led by Nomar, Manny, and Pedro, the Red Sox destroyed the competition. They had the second best record in the MLB. They had the most homers in the MLB AND the best BA in the MLB. Boston is a shoo-in to make it to the WS.

AL Central Winner: Cleveland Indians (94-68) - Roberto Alomar was on fire all season long. Kenny Lofton swiped 38 bases. Juan Gonzalez hit 165 RBIs! Charles Nagy went 19-5. Although the division wasn't too hard to win, the Indians proved they can rally with the best of em. Rincon & Speier were the best bullpen duo out there, they kill in the last 2 innings. Watch out for some wins from Cleveland.

AL West Winner: Oakland Athletics (92-71) - Oakland and Seattle tied in the end of the season which forced a tiebreaker. Oakland destroyed Seattle, 11-3 led by Tim Hudson. Jason Giambi homered them to victory all season long. Oakland barely made it in and might have some trouble staying in.

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

NL East Winner: Atlanta Braves (106-56) - The best team in the MLB record wise. They're looking to be in the WS and nothing will stop 'em. The best 3-5 lineup in baseball. Andruw, Chipper, and Tony Clark. All 40 homers, all 100 RBIs, all .280+ BA. On the pitching side they were led by Kevin Millwood who went 21-3. Along with him is Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, & John Smoltz, the big 3. This team is not one to mess with.

NL Central Winner: Houston Astros (100-62) - A pretty big surprise here. We all assumed it would Chicago or St. Louis but it was Houston in the end. Jeff Bagwell is in line to become the MVP and around him are Moises Alou & Richard Hidalgo. Their rotation is beastly, Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller, & Octavio Dotel. When it's all said and done, Houston beat out expectations and won the NL Central.

NL West Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers (90-72) - The easiest division to win, LA beat out all of the competition. No challenge at all but that was thanks to Adrian Beltre & Kevin Brown. LA may not have the best rotation or lineup in the league, but when it comes to late innings, they have it covered. First comes Jeff Shaw, pitches the seventh. Eric Gagne pitched a great ninth and sets it up for Takashi Saito to finish it off. LA doesn't have the material but they a chance.

WILD CARD:

AL Wild Card Winner: New York Yankees (103-59) - 2 games back from Boston, New York found a way in. It came real easy since New York was the second best in the AL. Knoblauch, Williams, and Jeter led the way while David Justice slammed homers at the back of the lineup. Their rotation is the worst in baseball but they make up for it in relief. They by far have the best 'pen in baseball, no doubt. Rivera & Mike Stanton carried an ERA in the 1's which gave them victories. New York may not last too much though since most teams in the playoffs have strong lineups.

NL Wild Card Winner: Florida Marlins (98-64) - They weren't going to beat Atlanta, but they were going to win Wild Card. Luis Castillo, Preston Wilson, Derrek Lee, and Kevin Millar had .300+ BA's to lead the Marlins' bats. Clement and Burnett were great but the rest were terrible. Florida doesn't look to make it past round 1 sadly enough.

[TheBigBomber]

ASTROS WIN IT!



The ASTROS DID IT! They defeated the New York Yankees in the 2001 playoffs. Octavio Dotel pitched them to a win allowing 2 runs. It was Billy Wagner who put the finishing touches on it. Down 4-2 going into the top of the ninth, the Yankees sent Tino Martinez up to bat. He evened the count at 2-2 before Billy Wagner delivered a sweet curve. Tino couldn't quite handle it and flied out to Lance Berkman at right. Next came veteran, former WS winner, Paul O' Neill. Wagner threw him a curve, and a fastball. He swung and miss on both, then came the patented curve. Paul was waiting for a fasty but he guessed wrong and missed. That was two outs, Octavio Dotel got up from his seat. Wagner faced Scott Brosius. The count was even 2-2 until the curve ball came. Brosius was waiting for it, and he swung as hard as he could. The curve dropped down to the ground, Brosius had swung and missed. Billy Wagner tossed up his glove and pointed up. Before long, he was greeted by a hug from Brad Ausmus. They jumped into the air and here came Jeff Bagwell. He jumped onto them, followed by Charlie Hayes. Then came Octavio Dotel, Craig Biggio, and Julio Lugo. The entire outfield and half of the bench were together hugging Billy Wagner. The entire team including the coach had piled together. On the other side of things, Scott Brosius and the entire Yankee team was in tears. It was over the Astros won it.

Now let's take a look at the Astros run to victory.

ROUND 1 - Houston Astros vs. Florida Marlins

OUTCOME - Houston Astros win 3-2 in the series

MVP - 3B Morgan Ensberg (Scored the winning run in the Marlins' game)
______

ROUND 2 - Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves

OUTCOME - Houston Astros win 4-3 in the series

MVP - 1B Jeff Bagwell (2 homers, 7 RBIs, hit the game-winning RBI in the final game of the series)
______

ROUND 3 - Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees

OUTCOME - Houston Astros win 4-3 in the series

MVP - CF Richard Hidalgo (.320 BA, 1 HR, 5 RBIs)
______
Moises Alou, Charlie Hayes, Jay Powell, & Jose Vizcaino all have won 1 World Series previously so this is their second WS win. Mike Jackson has lost in the World Series once.



(In the real 2001 World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees in 7 games by ending the seventh game, 3-2. Luis Gonzalez hit a walk-off bloop single. Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling were Co-MVPs.)

(Just to inform you, I'm not including 9/11 in any way in this dynasty, because technically it was supposed to postpone the World Series. But I want the country to be nice and terrorist-free, there won't be any story in the dynasty for that matter. Just good ol' game playing. ENJOY!)

[Jeffy25]

I hate the astros, but am enjoying your franchise

[TheBigBomber]

I hate them too lol, cause they were in my division

[TheBigBomber]

STARTING THE OFF-SEASON



To start the off-season we decided to make some long-term deals before FA to a few of our spectacular stars.

JOSE VIDRO - A crucial part of our batting and we need to keep him. I think a 3-year deal would work out. After some talks we managed to achieve a fantastic deal.

FINAL DEAL - 3 years, $3.05 million along with a No Trade Clause
___

ORLANDO CABRERA - Also part of the deal we made with Montreal. He's been great with us and we want him back. He's young and can hit for success. It took some grueling battling but we managed to work out a decent deal that wasn't our preference but we accepted.

FINAL DEAL - 3 years, $2.65 million, Team Option for 1 year, $3.15 million
___

So far that's all we managed to do, and both came off of trades. Trading has been our upside this season, thankfully we came out on top. This isn't all the free agency just 2 guys that were up for FA. The rest of them will be signed at a later date along with upcoming Free Agents.

[TheBigBomber]

THE RE-SIGNING PROCESS



Let's go to finish off the re-signing process and ZOOM into the off-season. The following were up for resignation.

C Todd Hundley - Big bad, Todd Hundley! Too bad his age and asking price were far too steep for us. Toddy, we loved you but we'll have to lose you.

- RELEASED -

3B Bill Mueller - We love this guy, he's only 30 and we want to keep him for a few more years. His fantastic average will keep him on the team.

- SIGNED - 3 years, $2.2 million

2B Eric Young - We loved his great ability to steal bases. We have decided that we want him at least two more years. Hopefully he can pinch-run and even get some starts as well.

- SIGNED - 2 years, $1.1 million

3B Kevin Orie - He only filled roster space and that's all we needed him for, so peace out Kev.

- RELEASED -

CL Joe Borowski - A fantastic closer for us this year, we would love to keep him for more years and since he's up for arbitration we'll give him arbitration money.

- SIGNED - 1 year, $1.6 million

RP Francisco Cordero - Since he was so cheap and he could eat up a late inning or two, we wanted to give him another year.

- SIGNED - 1 year, $650k

RP Felix Heredia - Absolute garbage, that's what Heredia was. He was opening day closer, but failed to amaze. Yeah asking for 3 years is like asking for a starting role, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

- RELEASED -

RP Manny Aybar - Who? I barely know this guy, he pitched 32 innings for us according to stats but I have no idea who he is. Although, he may be unknown, I'm going to give him a one year arbitration deal since he's asking for low money and gives us depth.

- SIGNED - 1 year, $550k

RP Ron Mahay - These ERAs are killing me but I know, depth is key. It ALWAYS is, at least to me it is. I want all the relief we can get and Mahay will stay with us.

- SIGNED - 2 years, $700k

SP Seth Greisinger - *slaps head* Very terrible idea signing him, he was a one time thing, we gave him $500k to play one game, what a waste. See ya later alligator!

- RELEASED -

I think we did a good job with re-signings!

[TheBigBomber]

THE FREE AGENT CLASS OF '01



The Free Agent Class looks absolutely terrible this year, let's look at the hot players we have in the draft class.

CATCHER

Damien Miller - He batted at a .278 average and had 12 RBIs. He also won a gold glove at catcher, this guy is top in the class of catchers.

Paul Lo Duca - He's a great player who batted at a .291 clip and had 10 homers along with 64 RBIs. His fielding skills were off the charts as well.

Todd Hundley - 30 homers, .277 average, you know the rest. We're not looking to re-sign him though.

FIRST BASEMEN

Scott Spezio - He did a nice job, batting at .279, blasting 23 homers. He's the top the first basemen though sadly. Let's not forget his amazing fielding ability though.

SECOND BASEMEN

Pokey Reese - Part of the great second basemen class. He faced some trouble this season and didn't perform to high standard but he's looking to be great next season.

Homer Bush - A great contact hitter, he had a .292 average and 57 RBIs. Too bad he struck out 100 times. He's still pretty young but he may be asking for a little more than teams have to offer.

THIRD BASEMEN

Michael Barrett - A slugger here, he had 16 homers and 72 RBIs this season but has a low average, he is very young and could really help a team in need of a 3B.

Jose Hernandez - A great slugger, 25 homers this season and 75 RBIs. His age may be getting to him but he got walked intentionally 11 times.

SHORTSTOP

Cristian Guzman - What a beast! Only 23 years old and he had a .280 average. Along with 12 homers and 86 RBIs. Guzman has a giant future ahead of him, I see an MVP and a future Cub. BUT he's asking for over 3.5 million.

Jose Valentin - He blasted 34 balls and had 99 RBIs. Even if he's 32, he's worth taking a crack at. This guy will help anchor a team to victory, there's no doubt.

Omar Vizquel - A wily veteran, king of field. You will not see many errors from this guy but you will see great plays. He can also hit which he proved when he had a .282 BA. Omar can also steal bases even at the ripe age of 34.

LEFT FIELD

Troy O' Leary - A very nice player, head of the left field class. He batted at a .279 BA and had 25 homers along with 86 RBIs.

Marty Cordova - He's practically Troy O' Leary. A .299 BA and had 26 homers with 99 RBIs. He did only have one error and 5 assists.

Shannon Stewart - He's a contact king, he had a .305 BA, Shannon is young and very skilled.

CENTER FIELD

Marquis Grissom - Marquis is good but 34 years old is a little bit shaky. Although he does have a .300 batting average and can slap the ball into the outfield.

Todd Hollandsworth - A great batter, only 28 years old. He batted at a .313 average and had 25 homers. He also had 75 RBIs, I feel this guy would be great in a Cubbie uniform but he's asking for quite a bit.

RIGHT FIELD

Raul Mondesi - A part of the best class, the right field class. He had a .299 batting average and 29 long balls along with 104 RBIs. Raul is one of the best in the free agency this year.

David Dellucci - Arizona lost a bunch this year, headed by David Dellucci. He had a .261 average and 15 slammers. His fielding wasn't too shabby either.

Moises Alou - Great season by the 34-year old. He had a .301 BA, 27 homers, and 111 RBIs. He's been one of the best in the past 4 seasons and a great way to finish the season with a World Series ring.

Eric Davis - Davis is 39 years old and had a breakout season. I'm penciling in my vote for Eric Davis into the Hall of Fame. .297 batting average, 31 homers, and a career high 109 RBIs.

STARTING PITCHING

Charles Nagy - The head of the worst starting pitcher free agent class ever. He had a fantastic 3.99 ERA, a sweet 19-5 record and he led Cleveland. He'll be top on the Cubbie list that's for sure.

... That's the only good thing in starting pitching, every team liked the pitchers this year, that's horrible for us since that's our biggest worry. DOH!

RELIEF PITCHING

CL Joe Nathan - A fantastic star, he's only 26 and he's got closer written all over him. Last year he had a 3.50 ERA and 82 K's in 79.2 IP.

CL Rod Beck - Getting older but still good. He went 40 out of 50 in saves but the 4.15 ERA got him kicked from the Red Sox.

Scott Williamson - Very young and he came off a great year with Cincinnati. In 50 games, he managed a 3.61 ERA, had 67 K's in 51 innings, and went 20/28 in saves.

Matt Mantei - Another good pitcher who went 72 innings. He had a 3.75 ERA and struck out 88 batters in 72 innings.

Tim Worrell - ERNEST WORRELL! NO, it's Tim Worrell. He had a nice 3.53 ERA and even at his age, he can perform with the best of 'em.

CUBBIE INTERESTS

C Scott Hatteberg
SS Cristian Guzman
RF David Dellucci
SP Charles Nagy
RP Ray King
CL Joe Nathan

(Oh and obviously I'm not signing all of them, I have a limit, I will ONLY sign 2 free agents, so only two of those guys. Also, ONLY ONE trade during the off-season. I want to build my minors to win, not use the free agency or trading.)

[TheBigBomber]

HATTEBERG, NAGY ARE CUBBIES



We chose between those 6. We didn't really care for Ray King since he was a low class reliever, so he was dropped out of the conversation. David Dellucci would not be starting because of Sammy Sosa so we didn't want to sign dead weight. Cristian Guzman is really a luxury and we have Cabrera, we don't want two guys platooning especially since they both hit right-handed. We didn't need him and we won't waste precious cash on him. That left it between Joe Nathan, Charles Nagy, and Scott Hatteberg. We figured we needed a catcher so we needed to sign Scott. He was inked quickly. The deal we came up with was a 2 years, $2.7 million. We still have 12 million in budget so we can sign either Nathan or Nagy.



Joe Nathan would give us a superstar closer and greatly help our bullpen. But on the other hand we have Joe Borowski who didn't do too bad last season and Will Ohman to back him up. Charles Nagy would fill our main need, an ace. Jon Lieber is good, don't get me wrong but he's not ace good. Nagy was Cy Young caliber last year and we want him. Even if his age is high, he's asking for 2 years which is what we can give him. Sorry Joe, but we have to go with Charles Nagy here. The deal we gave him was 2 years, $3.45 million.

SPOTS ON THE TEAM

C Scott Hatteberg - He will be our opening day starting catcher and hopefully through the season.

SP Charles Nagy - He Will be our opening day ace, you heard it right. We thought hard and his wins & ERA secured that spot.

(Next up, we'll see where everyone off the big FA list has gone and then awards. From then on, we'll sim up to spring training. Play spring training, get the lineups up and opening day. Oh and there's a big twist, in between will be a trade, and I can't say whose going and who were looking at )

[TheBigBomber]

WHERE DID THE FREE AGENTS END UP?



Where did everyone on my list go? Did the Astros take them? Did no one take them? Did they end up on the last place, 55-107 Detroit Tigers? Find out now!

CATCHER

Damian Miller - SIGNED CLEVELAND INDIANS

Paul Lo Duca - REMAINS UN-SIGNED

Todd Hundley - SIGNED LOS ANGELES DODGERS

FIRST BASEMEN

Scott Spiezio - ANAHEIM ANGELS RE-SIGN HIM

SECOND BASEMEN

Pokey Reese - SIGNED PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Homer Bush - SIGNED SAN DIEGO PADRES

THIRD BASEMEN

Michael Barrett - SIGNED DETROIT TIGERS

Jose Hernandez - SIGNED CHICAGO WHITE SOX

SHORTSTOP

Cristian Guzman - MINNESOTA TWINS RE-SIGN HIM

Jose Valentin - SIGNED SEATTLE MARINERS

Omar Vizquel - SIGNED DETROIT TIGERS

LEFT FIELD

Troy O' Leary - SIGNED BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Marty Cordova - SIGNED SEATTLE MARINERS

Shannon Stewart - SIGNED OAKLAND ATHLETICS

CENTER FIELD

Marquis Grissom - SIGNED LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Todd Hollandsworth - SIGNED BALTIMORE ORIOLES

RIGHT FIELD

Raul Mondesi - SIGNED NEW YORK METS

David Dellucci - SIGNED BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Moises Alou - SIGNED NEW YORK YANKEES

Eric Davis - SIGNED DETROIT TIGERS

STARTING PITCHING

Charles Nagy - SIGNED CHICAGO CUBS

Chuck Finley - SIGNED CINCINNATI REDS

RELIEF PITCHING

CL Joe Nathan - SIGNED NEW YORK YANKEES

CL Rod Beck - SIGNED BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Scott Williamson - REMAINS UN-SIGNED

Matt Mantei - SIGNED BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Tim Worrell - SIGNED MINNESOTA TWINS

TEAM THAT HIT THE JACKPOT

Baltimore Orioles
Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles Dodgers
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees

[TheBigBomber]

2001 MLB AWARDS



AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL Cy Young Award - BOS Pedro Martinez (2.52 ERA, 19-4, 212 K's in 175.1 IP)
AL MVP Award - CLE 1B Jim Thome (51 homers, 146 RBIs, .309 BA, .465 OBP)
AL Rookie Of The Year - TBD 3B Aubrey Huff (26 homers, 100 RBIs, .257 BA)

Pitcher Gold Glove - P Tim Hudson
Catcher Gold Glove - C Ramon Hernandez
First Basemen Gold Glove - 1B Scott Spiezio
Second Basemen Gold Glove - 2B Frank Menechino
Third Basemen Gold Glove - 3B David Bell
Shortstop Gold Glove - SS Alex Rodriguez
Out Field Gold Glove - LF Darin Erstad
Out Field Gold Glove - RF Jermaine Dye
Out Field Gold Glove - LF Marty Cordova

NATIONAL LEAGUE

AL Cy Young Award - ATL Kevin Millwood (3.06 ERA, 21-3, 58 BBs in 215 IP, 2 Shutouts)
AL MVP Award - HOU 1B Jeff Bagwell (47 homers, 155 RBIs, .336 BA, .452 OBP)
AL Rookie Of The Year - STL 1B Albert Pujols (36 homers, 131 RBIs, .316 BA, .422 OBP)

Pitcher Gold Glove - P Tom Glavine
Catcher Gold Glove - C Damian Miller
First Basemen Gold Glove - 1B J.T. Snow
Second Basemen Gold Glove - 2B Pokey Reese
Third Basemen Gold Glove - 3B Chipper Jones
Shortstop Gold Glove - SS Mark Loretta
Out Field Gold Glove - LF Geoff Jenkins
Out Field Gold Glove - CF Rondell White
Out Field Gold Glove - CF Doug Glanville

[TheBigBomber]

OPENING DAY ROSTER



LINEUP

#1 SS Orlando Cabrera (.283 BA, 10 HR, 78 RBIs, 10 SB)
#2 2B Jose Vidro (.328 BA, 19 HR, 88 RBIs)
#3 LF Cliff Floyd (.310 BA, 22 HR, 108 RBIs, 123 Runs)
#4 RF Sammy Sosa (.302 BA, 46 HR, 141 RBIs, 114 Runs)
#5 1B Ryan Klesko (.298 BA, 26 HR, 99 RBIs)
#6 3B Bill Mueller (.299 BA, 4 HR, 54 RBIs)
#7 CF Rondell White (.284 BA, 24 HR, 76 RBIs, 14 IBBs)
#8 C Scott Hatteberg (.247 BA, 3 HR, 23 RBIs)
#9 P Slot

BENCH

2B Eric Young (.348 BA, 2 HR, 25 RBIs, 13 SBs) OUR DH
C Joe Girardi (.240 BA, 1 HR, 5 RBIs)
1B Julio Zuleta (.261 BA, 2 HR, 27 RBIs)
SS Augie Ojeda (.230 BA, 9 RBIs)
C Mike Mahoney (.414 BA, 1 HR, 5 RBIs)
CF Corey Patterson (.269 BA, 4 HR, 12 RBIs, 6 SBs)

BATTING MINORS



ROTATION

#1 Charles Nagy (3.99 ERA, 19-5, 5 CG)
#2 Carlos Zambrano (4.40 ERA, 8-10, 162 K's in 186.1 IP)
#3 Jon Lieber (4.17 ERA, 12-10, 52 BBs in 226.2 IP)
#4 Rich Hill (2.70 ERA, 6-1, 64 K's/20 BBs in 63.1 IP)
#5 Jason Bere (5.51 ERA, 9-6, 145 K's in 161.2 IP)

BULLPEN

CL Joe Borowski (3.61 ERA, 38/40 in Saves/Save Opportunities)
SU Will Ohman (2.91 ERA, 68 K's in 65 IP, 6-1 Record)
SR Francisco Cordero (3.61 ERA, 14/21 in Saves/Save Opportunities)
SR Tom Gordon (4.38 ERA, 13-4 Record, 88.1 IP)
MR Julian Tavarez (5.11 ERA, 8-7 Record, 35 BBs in 100.1 IP)
LR Manuel Aybar (7.31 ERA, 27 K's in 32 IP)

PITCHING MINORS



YES TAPANI IS IN THE MINORS!

(Alright, I didn't get a chance to trade so I'm going to allow myself to do ONLY 3 trades all season. Only one of them can be for a player 85+. Next up opening day and then pretty much the same as last year, except Ferg will take his leave soon :/. Hope your enjoying because right now, the only way I can play a dynasty in mogul is by writing about it.)

[TheBigBomber]

2002 OPENING DAY SHUTOUT!

Sweet way to open out the season. Almost as good as last year's opening day but not quite there. Charles Nagy proved why he should be the ace, as he started opening day. He pitched us 8.1 innings of no run ball! He allowed only 5 hits and walked 2 batters but impressed all, much better than our previous ace, Kevin Tapani. Let's not forget, he did strikeout 7 batters. Will Ohman capped off the game with 0.2 innings of no-hit ball.

Ours bats were on fire as well, every one of our hitters got on base via hit, walk, or was hit by a pitch. Floyd was the only one who was hitless but did get base via the hit by pitch. Ryan Klesko was hot, as he went 3-4, scored, and hit an RBI. Orlando Cabrera was the only one of our hitters that had 2 RBIs. Jose Vidro also had 3 hits and an RBI. A great team effort here, and I loved every moment.



Ryan Klesko looking at the third basemen after hitting a ball foul.

Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs
April 6, 2002

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Brewers (MIL) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    0  5  1
          Cubs (CHC) 2 0 1 0 0 5 0 0 x    8 13  0

MILWAUKEE            ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
R. Belliard (2B)      3  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .000
M. Loretta (SS)       4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
G. Jenkins (LF)       4  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .250
R. Sexson (1B)        4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .250
J. Burnitz (RF)       4  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .250
G. Blum (3B)          4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
S. Finley (CF)        3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .333
K. Brown (C)          3  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .000
B. Sheets (P)         2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 S. Sparks (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 M. Sweeney (P)       0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 C. Fox (P)           0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               31  5  2  0  0  0  8  0

   3B:  S. Finley (1)
   GIDP:  G. Blum

       MILWAUKEE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       B. Sheets  5.1 11  0  0  8  8  4  88  13.50
       S. Sparks  1.2  2  0  0  0  0  1  22   0.00
          C. Fox  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  0  13   0.00
          TOTALS  8.0 13  0  0  8  8  5 123

CHICAGO              ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
O. Cabrera (SS)       5  2  0  2  0  2  0  0    .400
J. Vidro (2B)         5  3  0  1  0  1  0  0    .600
C. Floyd (LF)         2  0  0  1  0  1  0  0    .000
S. Sosa (RF)          4  1  0  0  0  1  2  0    .250
R. Klesko (1B)        4  3  0  1  0  1  0  0    .750
B. Mueller (3B)       4  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .250
R. White (CF)         4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .250
S. Hatteberg (C)      4  1  0  1  0  1  0  0    .250
C. Nagy (P)           4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .250
 W. Ohman (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               36 13  0  8  0  8  5  0

   HBP:  C. Floyd
   GIDP:  S. Hatteberg

         CHICAGO   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         C. Nagy  8.1  5  2  0  0  0  7 127   0.00
        W. Ohman  0.2  0  0  0  0  0  1  13   0.00
          TOTALS  9.0  5  2  0  0  0  8 140

     WP: C. Nagy (1-0)
     LP: B. Sheets (0-1)

     Temperature: 54F
     Wind: 9 MPH (in from left)
     Attendance: 38,852
     Time: 2:34

Nagy raising his hat after getting removed from the game.

[TheBigBomber]

Can't Possibly Bere It
APRIL HURTS



We've had it with Jason Bere! Fergie & Hendry have decided its game over for Jason Bere, he will be a mandatory for trading. As we speak, they are inches away for finalizing a trade including him. He's unbearable, I can't stand him, no one can for that matter. He's 0-2 which wouldn't be so bad if his ERA wasn't 35.31! YES YOU HEARD IT RIGHT! He had two starts, on his first one, he gave up 10 RUNS IN 1.1 INNINGS! Who the hell does that?! Next time out, there shouldn't of been a next time but he allowed 7 RUNS IN 3 INNINGS! Oh and to top it all off, he sprained his lower back and will be out for 2 weeks, now shortened by a few days though. Even if it takes adding the best prospect we have, Bere is going no matter what.

We struggle again in the pitching category, even after an 8-inning no run opening to the season. Charles Nagy has done his best and given us somewhat of a performance. Luckily, he's 4-0, leading the majors. His 4.23 ERA leads the team sadly but he has pitched us 34 nice innings. But we're happy he enjoys it in Chicago and we want him for many years to come. Next up is Big Z, I think a small trip down to the minors would help and so does Fergie. This means Kevin Tapani will take over his duties until halfway through May. Jon Lieber hasn't been very good, but he's eating up some innings. He does only have 7 walks but his 4.99 ERA isn't appealing, not at all. Then there's Rich Hill, coming off his great rookie season, he hasn't been nearly as good this year. A 5.96 ERA, that's scary, hopefully he doesn't turn into the next Jason Bere. Our fifth starter was Jason Bere and I can't even begin to describe him. Mark Prior will take over his duties now. In the 'pen, Borowski is leading the way, same as last year. Manny Aybar has proved why he should start and why we re-signed him. A great 2.76 ERA in 16 innings of play. He will be switched into setup as Ohman goes into short relief. But on the other hand Gordon, Cordero, and Tavarez are having loads of trouble.



Our bats aren't quite as hot as last year, but they're getting there. Orlando Cabrera has been torrid, a .219 average but surprisingly he has 5 homers and a team leading 16 runs. But when we made the trade involving Kerry Wood, I never thought it'd turn out this good. Kerry Wood is fantastic, don't get me wrong but Jose Vidro is a rare player to have on the team. His .349 BA is off the charts good and has 12 runs along with 8 RBIs. Money, money, Cliff Floyd continues to impress us with his 5 homers, .276 BA, and leads the team with 3 stolen bases, wow. Sam.I.Am is hitting the ball hard but is having trouble making contact. He leads the team with 6 homers and 18 RBIs but his .256 average better improve. The Muell is fantastic, keeping a .295 average and even has 3 homers. Klesko & White are batting normal, not great but normal. Then, rounding off this star-studded line-up, catcher, SCOTT HATTEBERG! He has paid off, his average stands at .348 and has smacked 3 homers & 12 RBIs. Eric Young has made some starts to relieve Jose Vidro but is having a bit of trouble.



... And The Standings



CALENDAR:

The laziness kicks in, I wrote too much and now I want to just finish this damn thing.



(Going to try something new, I'm going to update you on the league leaders and shiz like that. More in depth, hope ya enjoy. Trade soon, Ferg out soon.)