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FROM THE DESK OF THE COMMISH |
October 30, 2002
2002 BDBL Playoff Preview
Last November, after my team was unceremoniously swept out of the post-season by those obnoxious Zoots in four ridiculously lopsided games, I promised myself I would never write another BDBL playoff preview. It seemed like such a waste to devote so much time writing about something so random. Why go through all the trouble of analyzing every aspect of the playoffs from pitcher match-ups to platoon advantages to bench depth, when in the end, the outcome of these games rests solely upon the random number generator buried deep within our home computers?
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However, in the interests of tradition and posterity, and in fairness to those few who actually look forward to reading this article every year, I've decided to be a good sport, suck it up and put my seething bitterness and rage on the back burner...for now.
This year, it's deja vu all over again for the Ozzie League. For the fourth year in the BDBL's four year history, the BDBL playoffs will feature those three-time champion Zoots and those bumbling, hopeless Salem Cowtippers. After taking a year to regroup, the Los Altos Undertakers have returned to this year's festivities for the third time in franchise history. The only newcomer to the Ozzie League post-season fiesta is the Madison Fighting Mimes, who finally grabbed that final spot in the OL playoffs normally reserved for the Litchfield Lightning or Gillette Swamp Rats during the final week of the season.
In the Eck League, the Akron Ryche (2001 division champs), Phoenix Predators (2000 wild card winners) and New York Knights (1999 Person Division champs) have all been here once before, while the Allentown Ridgebacks will be making the first of what is sure to be many playoff appearances in their franchise history.
This season, it seems like even more of a waste of time than usual to write this piece. If we've learned anything from BDBL history, it is this: two dominant pitchers is all a team needs to win the BDBL championship. The Stamford Zoots rode twin aces Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown to three straight BDBL titles, trouncing the three best offensive teams of all time: the 2001 Chicago Black Sox, the 2002 Salem Cowtippers and the 2002 Kansas Law Dogs.
Dominant pitching beats dominant hitting in a short series. It's been proven by the Zoots and it's been proven to a lesser extent at the Major League level. The Dodgers of the 60's won several pennants despite a yawn-inducing lineup thanks to the tandem of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Now, put the pitching staff of the '66 Dodgers together with the lineup of the '27 Yankees, and you've got the 2002 Allentown Ridgebacks.
Though there is little drama remaining to this post-season, there is always a chance for an upset. It's why we actually go through the trouble of playing these games. So with that said, here are the match-ups we're looking at in the Division Series:
Quick Links:
Los Altos vs. Madison
Salem vs. Stamford
Allentown vs. Akron
New York vs. Phoenix
Los Altos Undertakers vs. Madison Fighting Mimes
How they match up overall:
| W | L | Pct. | RS | RA | Diff | ERA | OPS | |
| Los Altos | 114 | 46 | .712 | 827 | 581 | 246 | 3.26 | 785 |
| Madison | 91 | 69 | .569 | 813 | 767 | 46 | 4.19 | 777 |
How they got here:
There aren't many GM's in the game that are more resourceful than Undertakers GM Jeff Paulson. You could say that Paulson is the Martha Stewart of the BDBL (without the legal trouble.) Just as Martha is able to create an exquisite Thanksgiving centerpiece using nothing but a rusty coat hanger and some belly button lint, Paulson has spent the past four years assembling division-winning teams by scouring the free agent wire, minor leagues and trade wire for discarded spare parts.
The Undertakers' formula for winning has always been the same: two or three big bats in the middle of the lineup surrounded by part-time platoon players, and the league's largest, most suffocating bullpen comprised of specialists for every conceivable situation. Two of the three big bats in this year's Los Altos lineup, Larry Walker and Rich Aurilia, are original Undertakers, selected by Paulson in the BDBL's inaugural draft. The other big bat came through the rarist of rarities: a mid-season swap between two Division Series opponents. Earlier this summer, Paulson sent his bold first-round pick-up, Eric Chavez, to Madison in exchange for former Salem standout Jeff Bagwell.
Like an antique dealer that turns a 10-cent trinket from a tag sale into a $200 item on e-Bay, Paulson has made a BDBL career out of converting unwanted free agent fodder into valuable, productive players. Juan Uribe, a mid-year free agent pick-up in 2001, was converted into leadoff hitter Craig Biggio earlier this year. Unwanted draft picks were exchanged for John Riedling last winter. During the white-flag trades of 2001, damaged goods Scott Williamson and Eric Davis were converted into a pair of prospects. One of those prospects was later paired with another discarded free agent pick-up, landing the Undertakers their left-handed ace, Tom Glavine.
Los Altos also used their farm scouting to full advantage, trading former farm products Carlos Pena, Ben Sheets and Christian Guzman for Jason Schmidt, Aaron Sele, Octavio Dotel and Dunston. The rest of the roster is filled with low-demand role players like Todd Hollandsworth, David Dellucci, Shawn Wooten, Ryan Franklin and Juan Moreno - all acquired in the late rounds of the draft or via the free agent scrap heap.
The core of the Madison Fighting Mimes roster was built through trade. Oddly enough, the trade that probably helped Madison the most was their controversial deal with the Cowtippers last season. In that trade, Madison gave up three free agents-to-be in exchange for seven players. Two of those players, Astacio and prospect Dewon Brazelton, were shipped back to Salem last winter in exchange for Jeff Bagwell. Two others, prospects Adam Johnson and Hee Seop Choi, were sent to Chicago this summer in exchange for closer Keith Foulke - a trade in which Madison also received current media pet Francisco Rodriguez as a throw-in. Bagwell, who played the first half of this season out of position at third base for Madison, was later shipped to the Undertakers in exchange for Ex-ranged third sacker Eric Chavez.
Kaz Sasaki, a second round pick by Madison in the 2000 farm draft who wore out his welcome with Madison fans, was dealt to the Villanova Mustangs last winter in exchange for two players and two draft picks. One of those players, Vicente Padilla, was then bundled with 6th round inaugural draft pick Kevin Millwood to add ace Greg Maddux mid-season.
Madison's 91-loss season in 2001 allowed them to stock up in the draft on Rafael Palmeiro and Frank Catalanatto in the first two rounds. Joe Mays, a mid-season farm acquisition in 1999, blossomed into the #2 starter on the Madison staff this season. And Miguel Batista was a mid-season free agent pick-up in 2001.
What they've done this year:
The Undertakers shocked the BDBL world this year, breaking the single-season team record for wins with 114. They also broke the all-time BDBL team records for ERA (3.26) and saves (63). Los Altos benefited greatly from playing in a weak division, compiling a 40-8 record against teams in their division - the best divisional record in the BDBL.
As usual, the Los Altos bullpen was phenomenal. The Undertakers lost just six games when leading after seven and only two games (fewest in the league) when tied after seven. Of the 274 base runners the Los Altos bullpen inherited, only 54 managed to score - a BDBL-leading figure of just 19.7%. In addition to their saves record, the Undertakers' bullpen also set a BDBL record this season for holds (a stat that has only been kept in the BDBL since 2001) with 153. To put that into perspective, the next-highest holds total ever in BDBL history is just 93 - an indication both of how good the Los Altos bullpen has been this year and how many relievers Jeff Paulson uses over a full season.
Lefty Juan Moreno delivered the type of bullpen performance that hasn't been witnessed in fantasy baseball since the days of Dennis Eckersley. Through 42 innings, Moreno allowed just 10 hits and three earned runs, resulting in a ludicrous ERA of 0.64. Of the 20 base runners he inherited, only one managed to score. He held left-handed batters to a .190 OPS - that's OPS, not batting average! Franklin (8-1, 1.72), Riedling (2-0, 1.70, 37 SV) and Dotel (9-5, 1.88, 11 SV) also posted ERA's under 2.00 out of the Undertakers pen.
The Los Altos starting rotation, led by OL wins leader Chan Ho Park (25-10, 3.26) and Glavine (14-5, 3.66 as an Undertaker), is probably the best this franchise has ever seen. Ramiro Mendoza (8-3, 3.30) and Jason Marquis (11-4, 3.38) fill out the bottom half of the playoff rotation.
Offensively, the Undertakers ranked third in the BDBL in runs scored thanks to the Big Three of Aurilia (.295/.345/.533), Walker (.300/.425/.522) and Bagwell (.282/.374/.508 for Los Altos). 6th-rounder Kevin Millar (.316/.370/.552) also had a huge year for the Undertakers. And a potpourri of platoon players like Hollandsworth, Danny Bautista, Shawn Wooten, Dellucci, Tim Salmon and Dunston combined to create more than 170 runs in a little over 1,200 plate appearances - the equivalent of two full-time all-stars.
After coming within two games of the playoffs in 2000 (which would have knocked the Zoots out of the post-season), the Madison Fighting Mimes are finally playing ball in November thanks to an offense that ranks fourth in the OL in runs scored and a pitching staff that ranks fifth in ERA.
The heart of Madison's lineup is franchise mainstay Brain Giles (.264/.368/.497), Palmeiro (.277/.393/.565) and Chavez (.280/.322/.481 as a Mime). Catalanotto (.315/.383/.474) and Jose Vidro (.312/.366/.492) are the catalysts at the top of the lineup, and the bottom is filled with platoon-heavy players like Desi Relaford (.303/.373/.496), Jeff Conine (.284/.366/.401) and Ray Lankford (.250/.323/.466).
The Madison pitching staff is led by Cy Young candidates Mays (21-4, 3.43) and Maddux (7-9, 3.82). Batista (13-7, 3.87) looks like the #3 pitcher and Kelvim Escobar (5-7, 3.70) could get the nod in Game Four. The bullpen is comprised of Foulke (6-3, 2.17, 32 SV), Bob Wickman (3-6, 2.85, 12 SV) and Jay Powell (7-5, 3.48).
Madison performed six games better than their Pythagorian record thanks in part to a 35-23 record in one-run games (the most one-run wins in the BDBL.) Madison led the Ozzie League in come-from-behind wins, winning eleven games when trailing after seven innings.
That's the good news. The bad news is that Madison also led the Ozzie League (and Eck League, for that matter) in losses (14) when leading after seven. That isn't an indictment of their bullpen, which ranked in the middle of the road in blown saves (20) and inherited runners scored (33.6%), but is most likely simply a reflection of bad luck.
How they've done against each other this year:
Overall the Undertakers hold the season advantage over Madison seven games to five. The two teams faced each other six times in the first chapter, with Los Altos winning five of those games. Twice, the Undertakes shut out the Madison offense - once with Aaron Sele starting, the other with Park starting. Game Four was an 11-inning victory for the Undertakers, thanks to a pinch hit home run by Hollandsworth off Wickman. Madison's only win came in the second game, when they pulled off a rare come-from-behind win against the Los Altos bullpen, scoring two runs in the eighth inning off Dotel and Rudy Seanez to win 4-3. The two teams then split their final three series of the season.
Madison ace Mays was rocked by Los Altos twice this season - once for eight runs (seven earned) through five innings, and once for six earned runs in an inning and a third. Those were Mays' only two starts of the year against the Undertakers.
Undertakers ace Glavine had mixed results against Madison. In one of his two starts, he allowed six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. In the other start, he yielded just two earned runs through seven.
In the twelve games played between these two teams, Los Altos out-scored Madison by just eight runs, 69 to 61.
Keys to the series:
The mid-season trade that brought Eric Chavez to Madison in exchange for Jeff Bagwell could play a big role in this series, since it gave Madison an extreme lefty-heavy lineup while balancing the Undertakers. All of the big hitters in the Madison lineup (Chavez, Palmeiro, Giles, Catalanotto) are left-handed. Switch-hitter Vidro hits lefties 126 (OPS) points lower than he hits righties.
Overall, the Madison offense actually has hit lefties 34 points higher than they hit righties this season. Granted, those numbers include four chapters of Bagwell, but Chavez (888) has actually hit lefties better than Bagwell (839 OPS) during his short stay with the club. Wiki Gonzalez has murdered lefties (.455/.554/.803 in 66 AB's) this year, and Jeff Conine (.328/.429/.466 in 131 AB's) and Jeff Reboulet (.361/.434/.630 in 108 AB's) have also fared well against southpaws.
With Glavine getting two starts for the Undertakers in the series, and Moreno, Jeff Wallace (415 OPS vs. lefties) and Jim Mecir (486) coming out of the pen, Madison will have to rely upon the platoon players at the bottom of their lineup to do most of the damage.
The question for Los Altos is who starts Game Four. Glavine and Park will undoubtedly get the nods in Games One and Two. Mendoza should get the call in Game Three. The Game Four starter is anybody's guess. Jason Schmidt (4-0, 3.26 ERA in seven starts) has done a fine job for the Undertakers since his acquisition, but he's been killed by lefties (991 OPS). Marquis has been solid overall, but has been inconsistent, with only nine quality starts in 20 games started. One ballsy option for the Undertakers is Dotel. Dotel would obviously be the strongest option of the three, but the question is whether or not Paulson would be willing to remove Dotel's arm from the bullpen. Are the 14-plus innings the Undertakers would get from Dotel as a starter be an even swap for the eight or so crucial late-game innings they'd get from him out of the bullpen? My guess is that the Undertakers leave Dotel right where he is.
Another factor that isn't considered too often is ballparks. The Undertakers play in a very lefty-friendly park (-1% HR bias for lefties, -23% for righties), while Madison plays in the most lefty-friendly park in the BDBL (+11% for LH, -14% for RH). That gives the Fighting Mimes a distinct advantage in this series. Whether of not that advantage is cancelled out by the Undertakers' lefty pitching remains to be seen.
Salem
Cowtippers vs. Stamford Zoots
How they match up overall:
| W | L | Pct. | RS | RA | Diff | ERA | OPS | |
| Salem | 112 | 48 | .700 | 913 | 569 | 344 | 3.37 | 833 |
| Stamford | 104 | 56 | .650 | 864 | 658 | 206 | 3.59 | 805 |
How they got here:
Throughout the history of the BDBL, no franchise has made more trades than the Salem Cowtippers. No team even comes close, really. Sometimes trades can be good; sometimes they can be bad. The 2002 Cowtippers are a finely-blended mixture of both good and bad.
Most of the starting rotation (Mike Mussina, Steve Sparks, Pedro Astacio, Brad Penny and Paul Wilson), most of the bullpen (Chad Fox, David Weathers, Mike Magnante and Rolando Arrojo), and most of the starting lineup (Mike Cameron, Ray Durham, Todd Helton, Ben Davis, Craig Wilson and David Eckstein) was acquired either via trade or via draft picks that were acquired via trade since the end of last season.
Two more key members of the 2002 roster (Robin Ventura and John Thomson) were acquired in last winter's free agent draft, meaning the bulk of this year's Benes Division winner was assembled during one winter's worth of work.
If Jeff Paulson is the Martha Stewart of the BDBL, Stamford Zoots GM Paul Marazita is Merrill Lynch, pumpin' and dumpin' like a seasoned pro (or convicted criminal, depending on how you look at it.) As the Zoots headed into the 2001 playoffs, the prognosis for the 2002 club was bleak at best. With long-time ace Randy Johnson and offensive mainstay Rafael Palmeiro both leaving via free agency, co-ace Kevin Brown missing half a season due to injury and Edgardo Alfonzo having an injury-plagued off year, there was a tiny sliver of hope from the anti-Zoots corner of the BDBL (well, okay, me) that the relentless Zoots dynasty was on its last legs.
Then, the Manchester Irish Rebels came calling.
In a trade that to this day remains inexplicable at every level, the Irish Rebels decided to hand Chipper Jones to the Zoots in exchange for rotation deadweight Ryan Dempster. Before a pitch had even been thrown in the 2001 post-season, the fate of the 2002 Stamford Zoots had been sealed thanks to Manchester GM Jim Doyle.
Shortly after winning his third straight BDBL championship, Marazita swapped Phil Nevin for Trot Nixon (gaining an extra year of service time, plus a high second-round pick as a "throw in".) Next in line at the Stamford charity office was the South Carolina Sea Cats, who replaced Stamford's loss of the reigning National League Cy Young with that of the American League Cy Young, Roger Clemens. All-star center fielder Jim Edmonds was graciously added by South Carolina as a "throw-in", giving Stamford their best offensive lineup to date.
The Zoots spent $11 million on platoon specialists like Tony Clark, Jeff Fassero, Benny Agbayani, Lou Pote and Damian Jackson in the draft. Then, during the course of the season, Stamford added more lopsided platoon players like Charles Johnson, Tom Gordon, Masato Yoshii, Brian Daubach, David Segui, Mike Myers and Todd Walker at little to no expense (Nate Cornejo, Chad Krueter, Josh Fogg, Mike Jones, Chad Bradford, Ryan Christianson, Corky Miller, Eric Byrnes, Garrett Atkins and Michael Young.)
What they've done this year:
The Cowtippers briefly tied the Ozzie League record for wins in a single season before they were lapped by the Undertakers. The 'Tippers out-scored their opponents by more runs (344) than any team in BDBL history with the exception of the 2002 Ridgebacks. Salem led the Ozzie League in Pythagorian wins (115), which tells you just how poorly this team performed in the clutch all season. Offensively, Salem led the OL in runs scored, batting average, OBP, slugging, doubles and walks. They also stole 113 bases, good for fourth in the league.
Helton (.331/.442/.617), Sammy Sosa (.324/.443/.702) and Lance Berkman (.321/.442/.566) formed one of the most feared hearts of any lineup this side of Allentown. Cameron (.269/.355/.481) and Durham (.256/.337/.436) scored 217 runs batting in front of those three. And Ventura (.267/.370/.459) enjoyed a big year batting in the six-hole.
On the mound, Salem finished with the third-lowest ERA in league history, trailing only the 1999 Southern Cal Slyme and 2002 Undertakers. They led the league in fewest walks allowed and were exceptionally good at stopping the running game (a league-leading 18 pick-offs and an opponents' stolen base percentage of .580). The Salem defense, with six of the nine starters having above-average range ratings, placed second in the league in fielding percentage behind the Arizona Heat.
Mussina (20-9, 3.05, with a league-leading 241 K's) finished the year strong, and Manchester import Penny (6-3, 2.63) helped ease the pain of Derek Lowe's departure (a little.) Sparks (15-7, 3.87) silenced his many critics by giving Salem 225-plus quality innings. Astacio (11-5, 4.43) silenced his critics as well (at least until he takes the mound next year.) Thomson (11-1, 2.84) had an outstanding year, but would be limited to just five innings if he were kept on the post-season roster thanks to the fact that he missed the 100-inning cutoff by 6 1/3 innings.
The Salem bullpen blew just 13 save opportunities all season (the lowest in the league) and allowed just 25.8% of inherited runners to score (second only to the legendary Undertakers.) Karsay (5-3, 1.48 as a 'Tipper), Fox (5-4, 3.06 for Salem), Arrojo (6-1, 3.38) and Weathers (2-4, 2.80, 23 SV) gave Salem outstanding efforts from the right side, while Norm Charlton (6-1, 3.63) and Magnante (2-1, 3.45) held down the left side.
Stamford finished second in the OL in runs scored with an offense composed of just four full-time players. Led by Edmonds (.307/.431/.546), franchise mainstay Ordonez (.301/.376/.544), Jones (.279/.379/.516) and Nixon (.272/.382/.478), the Stamford offense ranked second in walks, second in OBP, second in slugging and third in home runs.
Losing Randy Johnson to free agency and Kevin Brown to injury didn't seem to hurt the Zoots' pitching staff very much, as they finished third in the OL in ERA thanks to staff ace Buehrle (17-10, 2.64), Clemens (18-14, 4.39) and half a season's worth of Brown (9-6, 3.37).
The Stamford bullpen, led by Gordon (3-1, 1.21, 17 SV's as a Zoot), Fassero (7-0, 2.58) and Kim (8-4, 2.19, 27 SV), was shockingly good yet again this year - so good that the Zoots didn't blow a 7th inning lead until Chapter Six. They finished the year with just two blown leads - tied for lowest in the BDBL.
One amazing aspect of the Stamford pitching staff is that they managed to allow so few runs despite putting so many runners on base purposely. Stamford obliterated the BDBL record for intentional walks in a season, giving 92 batters a free pass to first.
How they've done against each other this year:
The Zoots were the only Ozzie League team to post a winning record against the Cowtippers this season, winning eight of twelve. Overall, Stamford out-scored Salem by a margin of 60-54. Half of the games played between these two teams were decided by one run.
Mussina, who was rocked twice by the Zoots in the 2001 OLCS, got six starts against Stamford this year and went 1-4 with an ERA of 4.79. Buehrle also got six starts against Salem, but enjoyed somewhat better results: 4-2, with an ERA of 3.07.
Historically, the baseball gods have never been kind to the Cowtippers. Salem has faced Stamford twice in the post-season over the past three years. In 1999, Salem lost the fifth game of a best-of-five series when Rafael Palmeiro homered off Greg Maddux in the eighth inning. Last season, Stamford swept the 'Tippers right out of the post-season, defeating the league's most dominant offensive team with stifling pitching.
Going back even further, in the old CBL, Glander and Marazita met each other in the post-season twice. In the first series, Glander lost the fifth game of a best-of-five series when Marazita exploited a flaw in the software the CBL used at that time. In their second meeting, Marazita swept Glander right out of the post-season, defeating the league's most dominant offensive team with stifling pitching.
If that pattern holds, expect Salem to lose this series in seven.
Keys to the series:
The key to any series for Salem is determining which team will show up in November: the one that dominated throughout the season and won 112 games or the one that annually disappoints their fans with inexplicably poor performances in short series played during the month of November. This is really the only factor for the Cowtippers in this (or any) post-season.
In particular, will the real Mike Mussina show up this November, or will his evil twin spoil Salem's efforts once again? Mussina is coming off a chapter in which he went 7-0 with an ERA of 1.35, so if momentum counts for anything in the BDBL, he should be just fine.
For Stamford, the biggest question is who to pitch in Game Four. If the Zoots win the first three games of the series (and really, what are the chances of that?), they'll likely go with Lou Pote in Game Four. Pote, who started just one game in MLB 2001, is available to pitch an unlimited number of innings in the post-season thanks to a loophole in the BDBL rulebook that only a rat-ass-sucking lawyer would exploit.
If the Zoots are up 2-1, down 2-1 or (if this series is shifted to Bizarro World) down 0-3, they might decide to go with a three-man rotation and use Buehrle on just three days rest. Stamford has had great luck with the three-man rotation in past Novembers, but let's face it: Buehrle and Clemens are no Johnson and Brown. Buehrle and Brown both sport Av durability ratings, while Clemens is a "Vg", so if Stamford decides to employ a three-man rotation, they'll have to rely heavily upon their bullpen throughout the series. Since Pote normally plays a significant role in the pen, this decision could prove to be a tough one for Stamford...unless, of course, they win the first three games by such drastic margins that no decisions are difficult. But then...what are the chances of that?
Allentown
Ridgebacks vs. Akron Ryche
How they match up overall:
| W | L | Pct. | RS | RA | Diff | ERA | OPS | |
| Allentown | 113 | 47 | .706 | 1082 | 649 | 433 | 3.63 | 886 |
| Akron | 81 | 79 | .506 | 781 | 781 | 0 | 4.35 | 761 |
How they got here:
By now, the story of how the 2002 Ridgebacks came to be the most dominant team in BDBL history has reached legendary status. Allentown GM Tom DiStefano took over the Ridgebacks after the 2000 season, inheriting a last-place team from the previous ownership. In 2001, the Ridgebacks lost 19 more games than the year before, finishing with the worst record in the BDBL at 52-108. That gave them the dubious distinction of having the #1 draft pick in last winter's draft. Fortunately for them, the greatest pitcher on the planet just happened to be a free agent that winter.
Before adding Randy Johnson, the Ridgebacks' rotation was already in decent shape thanks to a couple of pick-ups made during that disastrous 2001 season. Prior to that season, DiStefano made a deal with the Manchester Irish Rebels in which former Allentown franchise player Chipper Jones was shipped off in exchange for several players of questionable value (Mike Sirotka, Brian Bohanon, Ramon Castro and Elpidio Guzman.) Fortunately for DiStefano, the always-generous Rebels also threw in their #1 farm pick. That farm pick - the #3 overall pick in the winter of 2001 - was used to select future staff ace Roy Oswalt.
In the middle of that 108-loss season, the Ridgebacks dealt away another former franchise cornerstone, Derek Jeter. In exchange for Jeter, the Litchfield Lightning gave the Ridgebacks their third ace, Wade Miller.
With the pitching staff solidified, it was time to begin building the Allentown offense. Prior to the 2001 season, DiStefano made a little-publicized trade with the Perth Breeze, sending Delino Deshields and their #1 farm pick to Perth in exchange for Bartolo Colon. The next winter, Colon was traded (along with overpriced hacker Sean Casey) to the Lightning for the greatest hitter in baseball history, Barry Bonds. So, in essence, Tom DiStefano managed to turn Delino Deshields into the greatest hitter in the history of the game. (Does that make Tom the greatest hitting coach ever?)
At that point, DiStefano began looking for hitters to surround Bonds in the lineup. Joel Piniero (a 28th-round pick by DiStefano in the 2001 draft), Wil Cordero (a carryover from the previous administration) and Colby Lewis (acquired in trade for Jay Buhner, straight-up) were dealt to the Cleveland Rocks in exchange for Vladimir Guerrero. A few days later, Guerrero was moved to Manchester for Manny Ramirez, saving the Ridgebacks $3 million while securing an extra year of service.
Edgar Martinez was then nabbed in the second round of last winter's draft to fill out the heart of the Ridgebacks lineup. By the time the Ridgebacks took the field on Opening Day, they had gone from being the worst team in the league to the overwhelming favorites to win the Eck League title.
Then, just prior to the second chapter deadline, the Ridgebacks (with lots of help from the Arizona Heat) dropped an atomic bomb on the BDBL, turning the 2002 season into a mere formality. In a trade that continues to be analyzed (and criticized) to this day, the Heat traded the second-best pitcher in baseball, Curt Schilling, to the Ridgebacks (with supercloser-to-be Eric Gagne "thrown in", just to make it even) for four players of dubious value. Instantly, the fate of the BDBL season had been decided.
The core of the Akron roster was carried over from the 2001 division-winning team that missed the BDBL World Series by just one game. Pitching has always carried the Akron franchise, and the core of the Akron rotation was built with a combination of inaugural drafting (Pedro Martinez), farm drafting (Mark Mulder) and trading (Tim Hudson.)
Prior to this season, Akron attempted to upgrade offensively by adding John Olerud from Marlboro and Scott Rolen from Chicago (at the astronomical price of Mark Prior.) Despite being in midst of a battle for the division title all season, Akron GM D.J. Shepard refused to give in to temptation and trade away any of his young players to improve his team for the stretch run. Akron's main divisional competition, the Cleveland Rocks, used the opposite approach. Oddly enough, it was Akron that emerged victorious in the Hrbek Division.
In the 2002 draft, the Ryche bulked up their bullpen, using their first three picks on Jeff Nelson, Ricardo Rincon and Victor Zambrano. After that draft, the active roster remained unaltered the rest of the season.
What they've done this year:
Where to begin with the Allentown Ridgebacks? For starters, they set a BDBL record (albeit briefly) for wins in a single season, with 113. Though they no longer hold that record, they do hold a much more impressive record. The Ridgebacks out-scored their opponents by a whopping 433 runs this season. That's an average of over 2.5 runs per game, which tells you just how dominant this team has been this season.
The Allentown offense, led by the legendary Bonds (.337/.519/.785), scored 1,082 runs this season, becoming only the third team in BDBL history to join the 1,000 run club. Bonds set six major BDBL offensive records this season, including OBP (.519), walks (195), intentional walks (48), runs scored (188), OPS (1.304) and runs created (231.2). His 66 homers was two shy of the BDBL record.
Bonds is surrounded in the lineup by EL batting leader Martinez (.374/.463/.623 with 50 doubles and 120 runs scored) and all-time RBI king Ramirez (.309/.380/.644 with 54 home runs and 182 RBI's.) Bill Mueller (.333/.447/.507) and Dean Palmer (.318/.444/.705) formed an impressive platoon at third, and Burks (.289/.396/.507) was excellent upon his arrival in Allentown. Second baseman Ricky Gutierrez (.298/.350/.406) and catcher Robert Fick (.254/.354/.496) enjoyed solid years as well.
As phenomenal as this team's offense is, it isn't even their strength. Allentown led the Eck League in ERA, fewest hits allowed, fewest walks allowed and most strikeouts. Former Stamford ace Johnson enjoyed yet another Cy Young-caliber year, leading the league in wins (26-5), ERA (2.68), strikeouts (363) and fewest base runners allowed (10.1). #2 pitcher Schilling went 17-4 on the year with an ERA of 3.64 and whiffed 241 batters in 215 innings while walking just 36 (yet his manager still insists that he's just barely better than Ramon Ortiz.) Oswalt (13-5, 3.53, with a 150/36 K/BB ratio) did a fine job as the team's #3 pitcher, while Miller (18-8, 3.38 with 200 K's) turned in the best season of any #4 pitcher in BDBL history.
The Juan Moreno of the Ridgebacks is reliever Mike Lincoln, who allowed just one run through 27 innings (an ERA of 0.33). He is available to pitch an unlimited number of innings in the post-season. Felix Rodriguez (4-2, 2.22, 26 SV's, with 85 K's in 69 innings) did a fine job as closer, though he was hardly ever needed.
The Akron staff finished fourth in the EL in ERA despite a disappointing season by Hudson (14-15, 4.73) and only half a season from reigning EL Cy Young Martinez (6-6, 3.72). Mulder (18-9, 3.46) basically carried the Ryche on his shoulders into the post-season. In the bullpen, Akron got their money's worth out of Nelson (4-5, 3.38, 30 SV), and late-round pick-up Ben "Chris Sabo on Steroids" Weber (4-3, 3.06) did a great job in a set-up role.
Offensively, the Ryche ranked just eighth in the Eck League in runs scored. Adrian Beltre (.276/.325/.460) and Armando Rios (.222/.295/.467) tied for the team lead in homers with 22 - a stark contrast to the high-powered Ridgebacks. Olerud (.282/.372/.437), Rolen (.263/.367/.432), Jeremy Giambi (.315/.412/.525 in 381 AB) and John Vander Wal (.290/.366/.416) enjoyed decent seasons, but no Akron player appeared in the top ten in any major offensive category.
How they've done against each other this year:
These two teams were surprisingly well-matched this season. Allentown won just seven of the twelve games against Akron this season, and out-scored the Ryche by only two runs (70-68).
The Allentown rotation of Johnson, Schilling, Oswalt and Miller were a combined 4-4 with an ERA of 4.56 over 77 innings against Akron, while the Akron rotation of Martinez, Mulder and Hudson went 3-2 with a 3.86 combined ERA over 51-plus innings against the Ridgebacks. Seven of the nine starts by Akron's three starters were considered "quality" starts (at least six IP and no more than three ER), while only five of the eleven starts by Allentown's four were "quality."
Keys to the series:
They say anything can happen in a short series, and that's about the only prayer the Ryche have of beating the Ridgebacks. The differences between these teams are astounding. Allentown out-scored the Ryche by 301 runs this season and allowed 132 fewer runs. No two playoff teams have ever been this mismatched in the history of the BDBL.
That said, "they" also say good pitching beats good hitting, and the Ryche can at least compete with the Ridgebacks on that level if nothing else. If Akron employs a three man rotation (which wouldn't be too much of a reach, since both Hudson and Mulder are Vg-rated for endurance), the Ryche's pitching should be able to hold its own with Allentown. Akron's bullpen is significantly weaker than Allentown's, so they'll have to cross their fingers that it doesn't become a factor. The Ridgebacks can kill a team's bullpen, as evidenced by their eleven wins while trailing after seven, and Akron can't likely get away with pitching Nelson every day.
Allentown has the option of using a three-man rotation themselves. For most teams with Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling at the top of the rotation, this would be a no-brainer decision. But when Wade Miller is your #4 pitcher, why bother pitching anyone on short rest? This will likely be a game-time decision for DiStefano in Game Four, and will be dependent upon which team leads the series.
The differences between these two teams on offense is where you really begin to appreciate the disparity. But we've seen good pitching completely shut down the best offenses in the league time and time again throughout BDBL post-season history. Akron's only hope this post-season, then, is to win four games by scores like 1-0 and 2-1. In a best-of-five series, it can be done, but in a best-of-seven, it's damn near impossible.
New York Knights vs. Phoenix Predators
How they match up overall:
| W | L | Pct. | RS | RA | Diff | ERA | OPS | |
| New York | 100 | 60 | .625 | 981 | 752 | 229 | 4.31 | 861 |
| Phoenix | 99 | 61 | .619 | 866 | 693 | 173 | 3.90 | 806 |
How they got here:
Knights GM Steve Osbourne inherited a division-leading team this past May, and was able to build on that solid foundation and turn the Knights into a serious contender for the EL crown. The core of the Knights' division-winning roster was assembled by the previous regime, Chris Schultheis and Mike Ries. Ries chose team MVP Jason Giambi in the 6th round of the inaugural draft, and selected two other stars (Shawn Green and Mariano Rivera) in the high rounds of that draft that were recently traded by Osbourne. Knights ace (or should-be ace) Matt Morris was another 6th-round draft pick by Ries, chosen in the 2001 draft.
Schultheis took over in the middle of the 2001 season and immediately jumped in on a three-way trade, dealing Doug Mientkiewicz, Craig Counsell and Rob Ramsey for Bernie Williams (don't ask me how that happened.) During this past off-season, Schultheis added Robert Person from the Blazers and Jose Cruz, Todd Ritchie and Eddie Guardado from the Kentucky Fox.
When Osbourne took over in May, he went to work picking over the bones of the non-contenders and fattening up on star power like Roberto Alomar, Javier Vazquez, Richie Sexson and Jason Isringhausen. Rivera was sacrificed for Isringhausen, and Green was sacrificed for Sexson, so it's still somewhat unclear whether the Knights upgraded at either of those positions. But Alomar was certainly an upgrade over Luis Castillo, and Vazquez gives the Knights the pitching they need to compete in this tough division.
The framework for the 2002 Predators was built in 2000 when GM Scot Zook managed to convert overpriced, overhyped pitcher Carl Pavano into unproven prospect Freddy Garcia. That same year, Zook chose Barry Zito with the fourth overall pick in the farm draft, giving the Predators two of the best bargain pitchers in the game.
Like Garcia, Andy Pettitte also came to the Predators by way of the South Carolina Sea Cats. Pettitte was acquired last winter at the expense of Jeff Suppan, Roger Cedeno and a farm pick. The fourth member of the starting rotation, Kevin Appier, is a holdover from the previous administration. He was a 25th round pick in the inaugural draft.
The bulk of the offense was built via trades made since the end of last season. Bobby Abreu came to the Predators in exchange for a first round pick. Phil Nevin was acquired from the Zoots in exchange for Trot Nixon and a second round pick. And Carlos Beltran, Luis Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez were all contributions from the Kansas Law Dogs organization. Phoenix sacrificed Miguel Tejada for Beltran in 2001, and Pat Burrell, Marcus Giles, Michael Barrett and Andy Ashby for Gonzalez and Rodriguez.
The vaunted Phoenix bullpen was built through a series of trades made over the past three years. Troy Percival was acquired in a 2000 trade and Steve Kline and Jeff Zimmerman were both acquired in 2001. The fourth of the Big Four, Scott Sullivan, was an original draftee in the inaugural draft.
What they've done this year:
The Predators and Knights are about as evenly-matched as any two teams can be. They finished one win apart from each other (100 wins for New York, 99 for Phoenix), they rank second (Phoenix) and third (New York) in ERA, and third (New York) and fourth (Phoenix) in runs scored.
The Knights' offense holds an advantage over Phoenix in getting on base (.364 to .342), where the main difference is that New York walks much more often than Phoenix (666 to 494.) New York's Big Three of Giambi (.355/.501/.704), Williams (.322/.398/.585) and Cruz (.319/.381/.628) are just about as good as you'll find on any team. Then again, Phoenix's Big Three of Gonzalez (.327/.427/.675), Nevin (.342/.412/.647) and Abreu (.296/.391/.549) are no slouches, either.
Phoenix's Big Three are surrounded in the lineup by the Little Three of Pudge Rodriguez (.307/.342/.603), Beltran (.296/.346/.490) and Tino Martinez (.278/.342/.442). New York's Big Three is supplemented by Alomar (.338/.435/.578) and Sexson (.273/.342/.519).
Phoenix's starting rotation includes three big guns: Garcia (16-7, 3.09), Zito (13-12, 4.20) and Appier (15-8, 3.71), with Pettitte (13-11, 4.25) rounding out the post-season rotation. New York's rotation includes the disappointing Morris (13-14, 4.96), Vazquez (12-2, 3.01 as a Knight) and Kevin Jarvis (10-10, 4.24), and either Ramon Ortiz (14-5, 4.79) or Todd Ritchie (5-7, 4.36) in the #4 spot.
Phoenix owns one of the most impressive bullpens in the league, with Percival (3-1, 0.94, 44 SV's), Zimmerman (7-1, 1.27) and Kline (5-2, 1.72). But New York's bullpen of Rivera (3-2, 2.97 for New York), Isringhausen (2-1, 2.33 as a Knight) and Guardado (8-2, 1.63) is every bit as impressive.
Defensively, Phoenix holds a distinct advantage over New York, as the Predators led the league in fielding percentage, while allowing just one passed ball all season and holding runners to a league-low 59.8% stolen base percentage. The Knights ranked eighth in fielding percentage, had seven passed balls, and held opposing base stealers to 65%.
How they've done against each other this year:
Not surprisingly for two teams that are so well-matched, the Knights and Predators split their season series of twelve games, winning six each. Phoenix out-scored New York 67-64.
The Predators' starting four of Garcia, Zito, Appier and Pettitte fared horribly against New York this season, going 3-3 with a 5.75 ERA combined. However, Garcia earned only one start against the Knights this season (allowing three earned runs in six-plus). Appier (11 IP, 10 ER) was particularly horrible against the Knights' offense.
For New York, Morris started three games against Phoenix with mixed results. He won his first game on a complete game shutout, lost his second despite giving up just three ER in six innings, and got a no-decision in his third despite allowing four runs in just two-plus innings.
Vazquez started just one game for the Knights against Phoenix (6.1 IP, 7 ER), but started two as a member of the Kentucky Fox. He earned the win in one of those games, allowing three earned runs in 6.2 IP, then came out of the second game with an injury after throwing only four pitches.
Ramon Ortiz and Kevin Jarvis were both hammered by the Predators this year. In five combined starts, the two combined for a 6.26 ERA. Ritchie pitched only once against Phoenix, allowing one earned run through four innings.
Keys to the series:
The Knights should be able to hold their own against the Predators in Games One and Two with Morris and Vazquez on the mound (assuming Morris pitches like the real Morris.) But after that, they'll have to rely upon Jarvis and either Ortiz or Ritchie to out-pitch Zito and Pettitte. That's not likely to happen.
New York probably won't be affected by having three quality lefties pitch against them in this series, as the team's only lefty, Giambi, hits lefties pretty well (.380/.500/.683), as do the switch-hitters in the lineup. In fact, New York hit 18 (OPS) points higher against lefties this year than they did against righties.
On the other hand, New York's lack of a left-handed pitcher (with the exception of Guardado) could hurt them in this series, as Phoenix bats 66 points lower against lefties than righties.
Another plus in favor of the Predators is having Rodriguez catching full-time throughout the series. Rodriguez created 7.3 runs per game for the Predators this season, compared to Dan Wilson's 4.6 and Michael Barrett's 3.4.