July 21, 2003  

Viva Los Banditos!

The Tijuana Banditos, a playoff team last year, have endured a brutal season, with ownership trying everything to shake up the squad from making major trades (Mike Sweeney) to releasing half the pitching staff to promotions like 99 Cent Tequila Night. Nothing worked -- until this week, when the Banditos inexplicably won five straight games to go 5-2 this week. The Banditos' "lead" on the worst record in baseball is now down to just 1½ games... The Carolina Mudcats also won five out of seven games this week, moving to within 3½ games of the Arkansas Golden Falcons, who went 3-4. It's the first time in 12 weeks that a team has crept this close to the division leading Falcons. Over the last six weeks, the Mudcats have jumped 10 games in the standings... The Vancouver Iron Fist went 4-3 to move two games above .500 and a half-game out of the final wildcard spot, ending the week with three straight wins... The Philadelphia Endzone Animals dropped four out of seven games this week and have fallen into a tie for eighth place overall... The Columbia Rattlesnakes dropped five out of eight this week and are now 20 games under .500. The Hillsborough Destroyers had the worst week of any team this week, losing six out of seven games. They've dropped eight out of their last 10.

The Newark Sugar Bears built on their league-best record with a league-best 6-2 mark this week. They've won seven out of their last 10. The Stanhope Mighty Men climbed to 20 games above .500 after winning four out of seven this week, opening up a 2-game lead over the Golden Falcons for the second-best record in baseball... The Honolulu Sharks went 4-3 to hold onto the fifth-best record in baseball, while the Brooklyn Bean Counters rebounded from a four-game losing streak at the start of the week to close the week by winning three in a row, for a 3-4 mark... Weren't the Hoboken Cutters supposed to be in rebuilding mode after trading away their stars over the last few weeks? They won four out of six this week to move into a virtual tie for eighth-place overall, four games behind the Bean Counters for a post-season berth... The Phoenix Dragons also looked like they had an outside shot at a late playoff run, winning five in a row and 24 of their last 35 (.686), but ended the week with a five-game losing streak, going 3-5 on the week to drop to 10 games below .500, 6½ games out of the playoffs... the Harrison Rats were at one time flirting with the worst-record in baseball, but despite an awful week (2-5), they're in 11th place overall, 3½ games out of climbing out of the bottom 5.

Lowe and Behold

Derek Lowe made the All-Star team and the playoffs in his first full season in the bigs three years ago, with the Austin Outlaws. This year, he was named to the All-Star team again, and in all likelihood will reach the post-season a second time after being traded to the Stanhope Mighty Men. Lowe earned his chance to pitch in the October Classic by getting hot at the right time: Over his last seven starts, he went 5-0 with four complete games for a 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, making him a prime target for championship contenders looking for a post-season ace. The converted closer, in his first season as a starter, had one of his best weeks leading up to the trading deadline, going 2-0 with 2 complete games, allowing a 1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP to win the Cub Fan Club League Pitcher of the Week Award.
Newark pitching coach Mike Grace has worked his magic on another so-called has-been pitcher: Ismael Valdes, who went 2-0 with a 0.53 ERA, 0.76 WHIP this week. Valdes -- who came into this season with a 57-56 lifetime record and a 4.63 career ERA, 13.3 R/9 -- is 10-4 with a 3.87 ERA, 11.6 R/9 this season... Tijuana's Chuck Finley pitched great in two starts this week (8 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 15.1 IP), but went 1-1 after being let down by his defense and his bullpen: Nursing a 1-0 lead into the 7th inning against Philadelphia, Edgar Renteria made a throwing error that tied the game at 1, and Finley was yanked with two on and one out for Justin Speier, who promptly gave up a double to allow both of Finley's runners to score... One positive, though: Philly's Darryl Kile picked up his first win -- a complete-game five-hitter, allowing just 1 earned run -- for a team other than the Sugar Bears for the first time since 1999... There was much gnashing of teeth in Hoboken after fans learned that the team had protected Chris Reitsma over young stud C.C. Sabathia, and even more frustrated hair-pulling when Reitsma found himself buried in Triple-A behind Dennis Stark and Danys Baez while Sabathia was pitching every fifth day in Arkansas's rotation. But while the other team's other phenoms struggle, Reitsma continues to pitch brilliantly in spot duty (3-0, 3.89 ERA, 11.4 R/9). "Attention Cutters," ESPN's Peter Gammons wrote this week. "Do you know how good Reitsma is?" They do now, after Reitsma's impressive performance against the Destroyers this week (9 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K).

The league's top three closers -- Brooklyn's Robb Nen, Newark's John Smoltz and Stanhope's Mariano Rivera -- all saved two games in two chances this week to remain tied at 31 saves on the season. Nen (0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K in 2.2 IP) was nearly perfect, but Smoltz (0 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 0 K in 2.2 IP) and Rivera (1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 K in 2.1 IP) had to do some wriggling. Smoltz and Nen are tied atop the Relief Points Leaderboard with 62 each, with Rivera just behind at 60... Carolina's Jose Mesa, who ranks fourth with 26 saves, kept pace with the leaders by nailing down two saves and also picked up a win, allowing no runs, 3 hits and 2 walks in 5 IP... Honolulu's Ugueth Urbina and Tijuana's Eric Gagne were tied for the league lead with three saves this week, but while Urbina (0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K in 2.2 IP) looked brilliant in a perfect 3-for-3 save opportunities, Gagne (4 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 2 HR in 4 IP) nailed down three saves but blew another for his sixth blown save of the year... Columbia's bullpen of Chris Hammond, Mike Koplove, Mike Lincoln and Mike Williams combined to go 1-0 with 2 SV and a 0.00 ERA in 14 appearances, but Casey Fossum posted a big fat infinity when he faced four batters -- two walks, two hits, one earned run -- without recording an out.

Captain Crunch

Newark's trade for nine-time All-Star Mike Piazza paid immediate dividends. Piazza started crushing opposing pitchers as soon as he arrived in Newark, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI in his first game -- including a double in his first at-bat as a Sugar Bear -- and hasn't cooled off yet. On the week, Piazza hit .448 (13-29) and led the league in slugging percentage (1.069), runs (9), RBIs (15), home runs (5), runs created (14.0), OPS (1.538), total bases (31) and total average (1.941) as he led The Crunch With Punch to a league-best 6-2 record. Piazza -- who was named Hoboken's team captain two months before the trade -- said the pressure is off in Newark, where he's just 'one of the guys.' "Taking that big 'C' off my chest was the best thing I ever did," Piazza said. "I love being able to just hang out as one of the guys in the locker room, rubbing each other's shoulders, braiding each other's hair..." He may no longer be a captain in name, but Piazza's leadership by example earned him the OmahaSteaks.com Batter of the Week Award. Another recent addition to the Brick City Bombers, Edgardo Alfonzo, also is hot (.545, 1.188 OPS), while veteran Sugar Bear Chipper Jones kicked it old school (.308, .979 OPS, 1 HR, 5 R, 7 BB).

Shawn Green has the league's longest active hitting streak, at 14 games (which is tied for ninth-longest overall this season), and this week he hit .407 (.971 OPS) with 1 HR, 5 R, 6 RBI... Barry Bonds isn't dominating the league the way he did last year, but consider this: He hit .318 with a 1.136 OPS this week, which actually lowered his season averages (.346, 1.229 OPS). Arkansas teammate Ellis Burks also enjoyed a good week (.333, 1.024 OPS, 2 HR, 4 RBI)... The Iron Fist had the top offense this week, leading the league in runs (45) and HRs (12) behind Steve Finley (.429, 1.282 OPS, 1 HR, 8 R), Sammy Sosa (.346, 1.241 OPS, 4 HR, 8 R, 9 RBI) and Jeff Kent (.286, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 R, 9 RBI)... Harrison's new additions have had mixed success so far: Derrek Lee had a good first week (.280, 2 HR, 9 RBI), but Carl Everett isn't getting the playing time he'd been hoping for (1 hit, 1 walk in two plate appearances this week), Corey Koskie hit just .217 (but with an .814 OPS) and Jimmy Rollins has been atrocious (.154, .377 OPS)... The Mudcats have kept up their hot pace thanks to timely hitting from Richie Sexson (.424, .939 OPS, 10 RBI), Randy Winn (.367, .941 OPS, 7 R, 2 SB) and Mark Bellhorn (.321, .958 OPS, 2 HR, 6 R, 5 RBI), while the Banditos owe their hot week to Josh Phelps (.370, 1.060 OPS, 2 HR, 9 RBI), Vlad Guerrero (.333, 1 HR, 7 RBI) and Edgar Renteria (.467, 1.100 OPS, 5 RBI, 1 HR, 1 SB)... Philly's Albert Pujols had seven hits in 26 ABs this week, but four of those hits were home runs, good for 6 RBIs and a .731 SLG... Phoenix's Paul Konerko (.367, 1.106 OPS, 3 HR, 9 RBI) and Garret Anderson (.323, .945 OPS, 2 HR, 7 RBI) are also getting it done. Also hot: Brooklyn's Mike Redmond (.429, .976 OPS, 7 RBI); Columbia's Robert Fick (.290, .959 OPS, 2 HR, 5 RBI); Stanhope's Alfonso Soriano (.300, 1.067 OPS, 3 HR, 7 R, 6 RBI).

And Who's Not: How about Jim Thome? After putting up monster numbers over the first two-thirds of the year, Newark's slugging first baseman has found himself mired in a slump, going 1-for-18 with 0 RBI this week... Other struggling stars: Hillsborough's Alex Rodriguez (.143, .450 OPS); Honolulu's Jason Giambi (4-28, .429 OPS); and Vancouver's Jeff Bagwell (2-18, .516 OPS).

Dealing at the Deadline

Teams played chicken with the clock as they waited right up until the trade deadline to make their final deals of the 2003 season. There were 16 deals made this season, but nearly half happened in the last two weeks, and two were made right at the deadline on Sunday.

Harrison had been trying to move 29-year-old Derek Lowe (10-6, 3.28 ERA, 9.9 R/9) for several weeks, hoping the ace could net them several young prospects as they rebuild for 2004 and beyond. The Rats entertained a number of offers but finally settled on a deal that moved the ace starter to the Mighty Men in return for that rarest of commodities, a first round draft pick. In addition, Stanhope also agreed to take on the contract of 36-year-old southpaw Tom Glavine (8-10, 3.81 ERA, 12.6 R/9), but the Rats had to throw in a third-round pick. In addition to the first rounder, the rebuilding Rats get two players in their early 30s coming off major injuries: Ken Griffey Jr and Mike Lieberthal. Griffey will be out for the rest of this year and all of next year, while Lieberthal is said to be fully recovered from his knee injury, though he's shown little power or patience at the plate this year (.277, .318 OBP, .376 SLG in 141 AB with Stanhope).

Coincidentally, one of the pitchers dealt for Glavine last year was traded himself when the Fisters sent southpaw Al Leiter to the Falcons for a fourth-round pick in the 2005 draft. And the fact that the two teams agreed on a 2005 draft pick is just one of many strange facets of this deal. Why would the Iron Fist make a deal with the Golden Falcons, one of the teams they're desperately trying to catch in the standings? Even more curiously, why would the Golden Falcons even want the 37-year-old Leiter -- 5-10 with a 4.51 ERA, 12.9 R/9 -- after he'd been banished to Triple-A Tacoma and replaced in the rotation by rookie Brett Myers? Whatever the motives behind the mysterious move, Van fans are delighted by one of its side effects: Brad Radke, an Iron Fister since 1997, was re-signed to take Leiter's place on the roster.

One of this year's busiest teams were the Cutters, and the Boys from 'Boken made another swap at the deadline when they sent veterans Marquis Grissom (.301, .995 OPS in 166 AB) and Joe Randa (.261, .712 OPS in 352 AB) to Honolulu for a fourth-round pick. Just before the trade was announced, the Cutters put Grissom on the Disabled List after he complained of feeling "a little verklempt," but the Sharks elected to go ahead with the deal anyway as they're desperate to upgrade at DH, where Troy O'Leary (.212, .544 OPS in 378 AB) and Tyler Houston (.250, .545 OPS in 44 AB) have proved flat-out useless.

Hey, Remember Us?

Did we time travel back to the 1998 season? With the success of a number of "retired" players who have resurfaced this season (Brian Meadows, Quinton McCracken, Marquis Grissom, Joey Eischen, etc.), teams have been sending scouts to Sears stores and used car dealerships looking for ex-big leaguers. This week, the Iron Fist signed Jose Lima -- who said he hasn't picked up a ball since March 2001, when he abruptly retired in spring training with the Golden Falcons; Hoboken inked 35-year-old Rheal Cormier -- who hasn't pitched in the bigs in three years, but confirmed he's still left-handed; Newark found Carl Pavano -- who quit the game two years ago, after going 3-9 with a 5.81 ERA for Stanhope; and Philly unearthed Ron Villone, last seen in 2000 with the Hawaii Volcanoes. Villone has spent the last three years working as a police dispatcher in Rahway and said he agreed to the minor-league deal "only because I have a lot of vacation time I have to use up before the end of the year."

In other not-washed-up-yet news, Hoboken signed Vinny Castilla, Philly signed Jeff Suppan and Stanhope signed John Flaherty. Hey, you guys who got released this week -- Cliff Politte from Arkansas; Troy O'Leary and Tyler Houston from Honolulu; Valerio de los Santos and Tim Redding from Philly; Joe Crede from Stanhope; and Alex Sanchez from Vancouver -- keep in touch! We may be seeing you again in a few years.

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.