Week Fourteen (June 10, 2002)  

Clash of the Titans

If it's a preview of the World Series, the Newark Sugar Bears are up 3 games to 2 over the Arkansas Golden Falcons, and Game 6 features a marquee matchup of Randy Johnson (11-5, 2.76) and Roger Clemens (13-3, 2.97)! The series has been a tough one, with three bench-clearing brawls, six batters hit-by-pitch and Lance Berkman, Manny Ramirez and John Smoltz all hobbling to the trainer's table. "It's been a war," said Newark's Stan Javier, a Golden Falcon in 1998 and 1999. "If the World Series is anything like this, we'll need United Nations' peacekeepers between the dugouts." The Bears are now 1 game behind the Falcons in the standings for the league's best record; the two teams will meet again for three games in Arkansas at the end of the month.

Racing up through the standings, the hot-hitting Honolulu Sharks went 5-2 and ended the week on a three-game winning streak, and are now 1.5 games behind the Hoboken Cutters for the top wild-card spot. The Cutters went 4-2, including a two-game sweep of the Phoenix Dragons, who dropped five of six games this week and are now 4.5 games out of the wild card race... In fifth place, the Brooklyn Bean Counters went 4-2 and have won 8 of their last 12 to finally climb ahead of the Stanhope Mighty Men, who have gone 6-6 over the last two weeks: A six-game losing skid, bookended by two three-game winning streaks... The hapless Harrison Rats went 2-6 this week and now have a 14-game "lead" on the worst record in baseball.

After the 9-game winning streak that propelled them into second place two weeks ago, the Wanaque Wolverines have been stumbling, losing 8 of their last 12, including three in a row. They now have just a half-game lead over the third-place Tijuana Banditos, who went 4-4 this week... In fourth place and coming on strong, the Vancouver Iron Fist went 4-3 and are 2 games out of the final wild card spot; the Carolina Mudcats, who also went 4-3, are a half-game behind them... The Columbia Rattlesnakes took 4 out of 5 in Phoenix this week and have won 9 of their last 14, edging into sixth... Bringing up the rear in the Morris Division, the Philadelphia Endzone Animals ended the week on a three-game losing streak and managed to win just 1 out of 7 this week. They were a half-game out of third place just three weeks ago.

Miguel Who?

Columbia's Miguel Batista, that's who! The 31-year-old journeyman made his debut with the Philadelphia Eaglewings three years ago (4-8, 5.73 ERA in 18 starts), but has been kicking around the minors ever since. A spot starter and swing-man even in Triple-A, Batista got an unexpected call-up to the show when rookie ace Mark Buehrle went down for two weeks in March. The results weren't pretty (0-2, 9.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP), and Batista spent the next two months pitching mop-up in Charleston. But with fifth starter Terry Adams (1-8, 6.06 ERA, 16.2 R/9) getting bombed on a regular basis, the team decided to make a change. So did Batista, who learned a knuckleball from Charleston coach Charlie Hough. This week, Batista strung together 12.1 scoreless innings over two starts, scattering 8 hits, 6 walks and striking out 8 to pick up his first two DMBL wins since 1999 and win his first-ever How Jedi Are You? Pitcher of the Week Award. This week's other two-win starters: Arkansas's Pedro Martinez (4.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP), Brooklyn's Joe Mays (1.72, 0.89), Carolina's Mike Mussina (2.63, 1.32) and Honolulu's Mark Mulder (3.45, 1.34).

Arkansas's Roger Clemens out-dueled Newark's Randy Johnson on Thursday to move to 13-3 on the season. Clemens gave up just 1 run on 8 hits and 3 walks in the complete game 4-1 win; Johnson, who fell to 11-5 with the loss, actually had a no-hitter going into the 7th inning, only to lose it and the game on back-to-back singles by Phil Nevin and Juan Gonzalez, followed by a two-RBI double by Joe McEwing... Harrison won both of Tony Armas Jr.'s starts this week, though the bullpen did blow a four-run lead to cost him one of the W's. He posted a 1.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP... Andy Pettitte's bid to throw back-to-back no-hitters for the first time in league history bit the dust in the first inning Thursday, giving up a two-out single to Alex Rodriguez. The Wolverines went on to pound out 9 more hits against the Stanhope southpaw, handing him a 6-1 loss.

Brooklyn's Robb Nen notched 2 wins and a save this week, allowing no runs, no hits and 2 walks in 5 appearances... Columbia's Jeff Shaw and Mike Williams were 3-for-3 in saves, giving up no runs, no hits and just one walk between them, while Newark's Keith Foulke and Arthur Rhodes converted all three save chances while allowing 1 hit, no walks and fanning 9 in 5.1 IP... All five Hoboken relievers combined to post a 0.00 ERA and 0.76 WHIP over 21 innings, picking up a win and two saves... Tijuana's Pedro Borbon picked up two wins and a save this week, appearing in six of the team's eight games.

How About a Ruben?

The 18th player selected in the 1991 inaugural draft, Ruben Sierra never lived up to the promise he showed as a five-tool all-world prospect, hitting .255 with a .396 SLG and .306 OBP over a career spanning 2,261 at-bats. After a five-year hiatus from baseball to pursue a career as a furniture maker, Sierra returned this season as Brooklyn's full-time DH and has already surpassed his career high in HRs, with 24. This week, Sierra got revenge on the team that gave up on him in 1993, slamming HRs in three straight games against the Vancouver Iron Fist. Among Sierra's blasts was a jaw-dropping upper-deck solo shot off Jeff Zimmerman in the 8th inning to give the Bean Counters a 5-4 win, and a two-HR performance Sunday to hand Brian Lawrence a 4-3 defeat. In the 5-game series against Vancouver, Sierra hit .500 (10-for-20) with a 1.682 OPS, 2 doubles, 5 HRs and 6 RBIs, earning the switch-hitter the coveted OmahaSteaks.com Batter of the Week Award, and a big step toward claiming the Steve Olin Comeback Player of the Year Award. "In '93 (Vancouver GM) Yaro (Zajac) told me to shove it and that's what I'm going to do," Sierra said after going 4-for-4 with two doubles and a homer off Greg Maddux on Saturday. "Every time I face his team, I'm going to shove it up right up his ass!"

Other notable performances this week: Arkansas's Larry Walker (.500, 1.338 OPS, 2 HR, 5 R, 7 RBI); Carolina's Jim Edmonds (.381, 1.250 OPS, 4 2B, 7 BB, 7 R) and Torii Hunter (.250, 1.107 OPS, 3 HR, 7 RBI); Harrison's Mike Sweeney (.381, 1.346 OPS, 2 HR, 7 R, 5 RBI); Columbia's Terrence Long (.500, 1.424 OPS, 2 HR, 7 R, 7 RBI); Hoboken's Mike Piazza (.304, 1.056 OPS, 3 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI); Phoenix's Luis Gonzalez (.391, 1.288 OPS, 3 HR, 5 RBI); Stanhope's Ken Griffey Jr. (.375, 1.199 OPS, 3 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI) and Todd Helton (.391, 1.133 OPS, 1 HR, 5 R); Tijuana's Scott Brosius (.480, 1.176 OPS, 1 HR, 5 R); Vancouver's Sammy Sosa (.308, 1.148 OPS, 3 HR, 6 R, 6 RBI); and Wanaque's Richard Hidalgo (.478, 1.190 OPS, 1 HR, 6 R) and Alex Rodriguez (.357, 1.098 OPS, 2 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI).

The Honolulu Sharks rode a league-leading 12 HR, 43 R to a 5-2 record this week, with Jason Giambi posting a .440 batting average, .563 OBP, .960 SLG (1.523 OPS), 2 HRs and 5 RBIs. Seven was Giambi's lucky number: 7 2B, 7 R, 7 BB. Other Sharks in on the feeding frenzy were Shawn Green (.308, 1.227 OPS, 4 HR, 7 R, 6 RBI), Jose Cruz Jr. (.375, 1.108 OPS, 2 HR, 8 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB) and Jacques Jones (.313, .931 OPS, 1 HR, 4 R, 6 RBI)... Arkansas's Barry Bonds announced for the second time this season that reports of his retirement were exaggerated by the media. "I was misquoted last week," Bonds said. "Last week, when I said 'I have retired. The fans can go screw themselves and you can quote me on that,' it was... uh, taken out of context." Bonds resumes his assault on the record book, on track to set new league highs in OBP (.536), SLG (.899) and OPS (1.435).

Sandy: Say It Ain't So!

Sandy Alomar Jr., a founding member of the Diamond Mind Baseball League, has been banned for life after failing his third drug test this season, acting commissioner-for-life Yaro Zajac announced last week. Alomar's once-promising career has been derailed time and time again by illicit substances, but this time, apparently, for good.

The 22nd player taken in the inaugural 1991 draft -- selected 10 rounds ahead of his brother, Roberto -- Alomar had a promising rookie season with the Austin Outlaws in 1991, hitting .268 with 7 HR and 40 RBI, astounding would-be base thieves with his cannon arm and leading the Outlaws to the best record in baseball and the World Series. But as hard as he played, Alomar partied even harder, earning a $125,000 fine during the post-season when he was caught trying to trade playoff tickets for Peruvian marching powder. He would play in just 9 major league games over the next five seasons due to suspensions, stints in rehab, jail sentences and gunshot wounds. In mid-1997, Alomar was huffing typewriter correction fluid in a Filipino whorehouse when Toledo Mutthens hitting coach Darryl Strawberry came calling. "I slapped his bitch-ass around and told him God don't make no junk," Strawberry said. The "tough love" approach worked like a charm, and soon Alomar gave baseball the passion he had once reserved for cat tranquilizers, hitting .293 with 26 HR, 48 doubles and 104 RBIs through 1998. But Alomar fell off the wagon again, signing with a semi-pro team in Syria that paid him in hashish brownies. He resurfaced briefly with the Vatican City Cardinals last season, but showed little of his old talent, hitting an empty .262, .594 OPS.

But Strawberry again intervened, giving Alomar a second chance -- well, technically, a ninth chance -- and the two furiously trained all off-season. A rock-hard Alomar wowed the scouts in winter ball, and he signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Mudcats, where Darryl Strawberry is hitting coach. (Editor's note: The manager of the Columbia Rattlesnakes is another guy also named Darryl Strawberry.) For the first half of the season, Alomar looked liked he'd regained his stroke, hitting .297 with a .453 slugging percentage.

But now, Thursday's revealation that Alomar had been grooving on magic mushrooms all season has even his most ardent supporters saying enough is enough.

"He's the Robert Downey Jr. of the DMBL," said quote-machine Andy Van Slyke, a teammate from the 1991 Outlaws. "He had the talent to be the greatest of his generation, but he couldn't even hold a job on Ally McBeal."

Ramirez Rained Out

Newark's Manny Ramirez decided to entertain the fans during a 52-minute rain delay Wednesday, running the bases and diving into second base a la Rick Dempsey. The fans loved it, but Ramirez caught the flu and missed the rest of the series, and probably won't be able to take the field for another week. Former Newark All-Star Carl Everett suited up and raced to the ballpark, but the team still hasn't signed him. "I'm sure it's just a foul-up with the paperwork," Everett said before being removed by stadium security... The Carolia Mudcats released 2000 Rookie of the Year Homer Bush (.257, .585 OPS) to sign infielder Benji Gil (.235, .590 OPS) off waivers from the Philadelphia Endzone Animals... Tijuana reliever Justin Speier announced he'll miss the next 15 days after appearing in three games this week. "Bud Smith only has to pitch three times every 15 days, why should he be treated better than me?"... Carolina's Tony Clark, a letter carrier in Hamburg during the off-season, has walked out as part of a postal strike... Wanaque's Jeff Cirillo will be out this week as he has to fly to Taiwan to pose for a sculptor to make a bobblehead doll to be given away later this season.

Shannon Stewart made his first-ever appearance behind the plate after both Tijuana catchers were unavailable Thursday night. On Wednesday, Ramon Hernandez (.264, 9 HR, 34 RBI) decided to take a two-week leave of absence to join a monastery and reflect on his new-found celebrity status after being voted the Morris Division's All-Star starter. "...," Hernandez said, shortly after taking a vow of silence. But his introspection was cut short after backup Eli Marrero was mauled by a bear between innings Thursday, prompting manager Dennis Martinez to call on Stewart to don the catcher's gear for the first time since Little League. Until Hernandez arrives from Tibet, Tom Lampkin will be the starter, joining his third team this season. Lampkin hit .318 with 5 doubles, 5 runs and 6 RBIs in 44 ABs with Carolina and Vancouver this season.

With a 5-1 loss to Carolina on Thursday night, Hoboken's Jarrod Washburn has a chance to set the single-season record for futility. Washburn is now 0-9 in 12 starts; Kevin Appier was 0-8 in 11 starts in 1991. After going 0-7 over his first 10 starts, Washburn was banished to Triple-A and it looked like he wouldn't get another chance to get off the schneid this season, but then rookie Joel Pineiro (11-3, 3.54) was injured in a freak jellyfish incident. That gave Washburn two more chances, but no such luck: 0-2, 7.84 ERA, 1.65 WHIP in 10.1 IP. Again, Washburn was about to be ticketed back to Weehawken, but now Brandon Duckworth (8-3, 3.94) will miss at least two starts after a bizarre gardening injury. Washburn was happy to get two more chances to finally win a game. "I am going to win a game this season no matter how many of these twerps I have to put on the Disabled List," he vowed.

TWIB may have Ozzie Smith, but we have the better Smith! Zane Smith, former pitcher for the San Antonio Slingers and Sacramento Seahawks, now writes this column exclusively for the Diamond Mind Baseball League. Click Here for past articles.