Playoffs Round 1 (September 16, 2004)  

The Revolution Starts Now!

It's a double-barreled upset as both top seeds went down in the first round, the first time that's ever happened in the eight-year history of the three-tiered playoff format! The No. 3 seed Carolina Mudcats were shocked as they were swept by the sixth-place Tijuana Banditos, and the fourth-ranked Stanhope Mighty Men were edged in a classic five-game series against the fifth-seeded Honolulu Sharks. This week, the Banditos and the Sharks will look to continue the upsets as they advance to the second round. The Morris Division champion Arkansas Golden Falcons will look to defend their league title by taking on the Banditos, while the Hanover Division Newark Sugar Bears will have to get past the Sharks to become just the second team in league history to play in four straight DMBL Championships. Keep up with the latest news and notes on the Playoff Page.

History of the Wildcard Round (1997-present)
Year	Result
1997	#3 Newark Sugar Bears over #6 Sacramento Seahawks, 3-1 #5 Austin Outlaws over #4 Arkansas Golden Falcons, 3-0
1998	#3 Arkansas Golden Falcons over #6 Louisiana Lightning, 3-2 #5 Jerusalem Rabbis over #4 Austin Outlaws, 3-2
1999	#3 Vancouver Iron Fist over #6 Austin Outlaws, 3-1 #5 Carolina Mudcats over #4 Jerusalem Rabbis, 3-1
2000	#3 Vancouver Iron Fist over #6 Kentucky Hillbillies, 3-0 #5 Austin Outlaws over #4 Newark Sugar Bears, 3-2
2001	#6 Carolina Mudcats over #3 Vatican City Cardinals, 3-2 #5 Arkansas Golden Falcons over #4 Stanhope Mighty Men, 3-1
2002	#3 Vancouver Iron Fist over #6 Tijuana Banditos, 3-0 #5 Wanaque Wolverines over #4 Hoboken Cutters, 3-0
2003	#3 Stanhope Mighty Men over #6 Hillsborough Destroyers, 3-1 #4 Carolina Mudcats over #5 Honolulu Sharks, 3-2
2004	#6 Tijuana Banditos over #3 Carolina Mudcats, 3-0 #5 Honolulu Sharks over #4 Stanhope Mighty Men, 3-2

Fried Catfish, Tijuana Style

The first-round match-up between the No. 3 seed and the No. 6 seed always looks like a mismatch -- especially when the No. 6 seed has the worst record of any post-season contender in league history! Making the odds even longer for the Tijuana Banditos, the #3 has lost just once to the #6 -- in 2001, when these very same Carolina Mudcats pulled off the shocker against the Vatican City Cardinals. In the other six years, the No. 3s are a combined 18-5 against the No. 6s! But even with the deck stacked against them, the Banditos did more than just pull off an upset. They actually swept the Mudcats with three come-from-behind victories, including two in Bullhead Memorial Stadium -- making the quick exit all the more bitter for Carolina fans.

It was a battle of two leading Ben McDonald Award candidates as Carolina's Tim Hudson (17-3, 2.08 ERA, 10.8 R/9) matched up against Tijuana's Javier Vazquez (15-6, 3.42 ERA, 11.1 R/9) in Game 1 at Bullhead Memorial Stadium. The first inning went as scripted as the Banditos came up empty in the top of the frame, and the Mudcats took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Richie Sexson. But the Banditos kept battling, and Hudson -- who escaped trouble in the first and second inning courtesy of the GIDP -- couldn't get out of another jam in the third, giving up a two-run home run by Ramon Hernandez. The Banditos then tacked on another run on a solo shot by rookie Hank Blalock in the 6th. But the Mudcats tied it up, reclaimed the lead and then went up by one, 4-3, by coming up with one run each in the 5th, 6th and 7th innings. The "picket fence" looked like it would hold up as the Mudcats went to their bullpen to start the top of the 8th. Brendan Donnelly gave up a single and a walk, but then retired the next two batters. Before he could escape the jam, however, he walked Erubiel Durazo to load the bases and bring up Shannon Stewart. Wasting no time, manager Lenny Dykstra went to closer Rod Beck -- tied with Newark's John Smoltz for the league lead in saves this year -- for the final four outs of the game. Beck made Stewart look foolish on the first two pitches as he swung wildly at two forkballs in the dirt, but left too much of an 86-mph fastball over the plate that Stewart drilled up the middle for a two-RBI single. Beck then got the final out and retired the Banditos in order in the 9th, but the damage was done -- the Mudcats went down 1-2-3 against Vazquez in the bottom of the 8th, and then le grande closer Eric Gagne got the final three outs in the bottom of the 9th, the last two by strikeout, as the Banditos pulled off the upset for a 5-4 victory in Game 1.

The road team just needs a split in the first two to claim home field advantage, so the Banditos were now playing with house money. Meanwhile, the Mudcats suddenly found themselves in a "must-win" game in just Game 2 of the five-game series. And not only were the 'Cats desperate for a win, but they also had yet another McDonald Award candidate in Roy Halladay (18-7, 3.62 ERA, 10.2 R/9) on the mound. Tijuana countered with the first player selected in the 2004 Draft, rookie Dontrelle Willis, who had a very rude welcome to the DMBL this season (4-16, 6.05 ERA, 16.0 R/9). Once again, the Mudcats jumped out to a 1-0 lead, this time on a 3rd inning sac fly by Aubrey Huff. And once again, the Banditos battled right back, taking the lead on a three-run home run by Austin Kearns in the top of the 4th. The Mudcats tied it up in the bottom of the frame on a two-run shot by Randy Winn, but the home run derby wasn't over yet: In the top of the 6th, Tijuana answered back with a two-run shot by Preston Wilson. They tacked on an insurance run in the top of the 8th with a solo home run from Blalock, his second dinger of the series. Down by 3 runs, the Mudcats started their own comeback effort when Mark Grudzielanek led off the bottom of the 8th with a double, then scored on another double by Richard Hidalgo to make it a two-run game. Sexson then reached on a single to put runners on the corners with two outs and bring Winn to the plate, representing the go-ahead run. Once again, Tijuana's Sid Fernandez called on Gagne. After falling behind 0-2, Winn fouled off several tough pitches, then popped one up to first. Durazo backed up, turned, twisted and then stumbled over the bag as the ball blew into foul territory, then dropped harmlessly in the first base coach's box for an error. Calling the game for ESPN, sportscaster Joe Buck was ready with the cliche. "Giving the Mudcats an extra out is a recipe for disaster," he said, barely getting the words out of his mouth before Winn chased the next pitch for strike three to end the inning. Gagne breezed through another perfect 9th, and the Banditos had a 6-4 win to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

"We ain't dead yet," hitting coach Darryl Strawberry said en route the charter flight to Tijuana. "I don't hear no fat lady singing." Indeed, these very same Mudcats had dropped the first two games in the first round of the 2001 playoffs before coming back and stunning the Cardinals with three straight wins. And even though the next two games were to be played in Corona Stadium, the Mudcats had no reason to fear -- they were the league's best road team, at 49-32, while the Banditos were a mediocre 42-39 at home, and the Mudcats had gone 4-2 against the Banditos in Corona Stadium this season. And the Game 3 match-up appeared to be yet another mismatch as southpaw Barry Zito (18-4, 3.96 ERA, 13.3 R/9) -- the 2001 Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award winner -- would take on another young hurler, 23-year-old Josh Beckett (8-10, 5.59 ERA, 15.6 R/9).

The two teams traded zeroes over the first seven innings, with Zito allowing just two hits -- but five walks -- and seven strikeouts -- before leaving after throwing exactly 100 pitches. Beckett, meanwhile, was living dangerously, but did his best Muhammad Ali impression, ducking and weaving out of trouble despite giving up seven hits and a walk -- plus two errors made by his defense -- but the Mudcats just couldn't capitalize. In the second inning, Sexson was thrown out at home, trying to score from second on a one-out single; in the fifth, they came up empty despite three consecutive two-out singles, leaving the bases loaded when Huff bounced into a fielder's choice. The frustrated Mudcats also bounced into three double plays -- and still managed to leave 11 men on base! In the top of the 8th, however, the Banditos went to their bullpen, calling on Guillermo Mota. He was immediately greeted with a lead-off double by Hidalgo and a single by Huff. Jim Edmonds then got the intentional-unintentional walk to load the bases with nobody out, and Fernandez called on Gagne to bail him out of yet another jam. But this time, the Mudcats finally broke through: Sexson grounded a seeing-eye single up the middle that brought home two runs, followed by an RBI sac fly by Jody Gerut that made the score 3-0 in favor of the Mudcats. Gagne then got the next two outs, but the damage had been done. In the bottom of the 8th, Carolina's Paul Shuey struck out Craig Wilson for the first out, but when he walked Bret Boone on four straight pitches, Dykstra immediately went to Beck for the final five outs. A groan went up in Mudcat Nation when Beck gave up a single to Vladimir Guerrero, but then Hernandez grounded into a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners with two outs and bring up Kearns, who had just one hit in the series so far -- the three-run home run in Game 2. Would history be repeated? Yes! Kearns launched another three-run home run, and the score was now knotted at 3 and 3. Both teams came up empty in the 9th, 10th and 11th, with Jose Valverde looking dominant against Carolina (0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K in 3.0 IP), and the Banditos unable to scratch out more than just one hit against Beck and Francisco Cordero. But with one out in the bottom of the 12th, Tijuana sparkplug Edgar Renteria -- who had managed just two hits (both singles) in 13 at-bats -- got things started, as he had all season, by drawing a walk after a 10-pitch at-bat. Pinch hitter Travis Lee then delivered a base hit -- in his only plate appearance in the series -- to put runners on the corners and bring up Boone. Donnelly was warmed up in the 'pen, but Dykstra opted to stay with Cordero to try for the inning-ending double play. It was not to be. Boone laced a clean single to left, Renteria trotted home with the winning run, and the Banditos had pulled off the impossible, a 4-3 win to complete the three-game sweep.

Shark Attack!

After lurking in the middle of the pack for much of the season, the Honolulu Sharks went 10-3 over the last two weeks of the season to claim the No. 5 seed. But they probably would have preferred to finish in 6th place, as that would have pitted them against the third-seeded Mudcats in the first round -- a team they had gone 8-4 against during the regular season. Instead, by virtue of their better record, they got a "break" by facing the 4th-place Matthew's Mighty Men of Stanhope -- who had gone 9-4 against them, their best record against any playoff team! The Mighty Men racked up six out of those seven wins in Stanhope Stadium, where three of the five games would be played.

Interestingly enough, neither team went with their ace in Game 1. The Mighty Men started mid-season acquisition Esteban Loaiza (5-4, 4.01 ERA, 11.1 R/9 in 11 games with Stanhope; 13-10, 4.52 ERA, 13.1 R/9 overall), while Honolulu countered with veteran Russ Ortiz (11-15, 4.70 ERA, 12.2 R/9). The Sharks jumped out to an early lead on a two-run home run by Shawn Green, but that would be all the run support they'd give Ortiz as Loaiza would give up just 2 hits, 2 walks and no runs between the 2nd and 8th inning. But it looked like those two runs might be enough as Ortiz was cruising through the Mites' lineup, giving up just one run -- a solo shot by Nick Johnson in the 3rd inning -- through the first five frames. But Stanhope finally got to him in the 6th inning, chipping away with three straight singles to load the bases, then tying the score when Jorge Posada drew a bases-loaded walk. Ortiz was able to get a huge strikeout to get the second out of the inning, but Mike Lowell then delivered a clutch single to knock in two more and double up on the Sharks, 4-2. Scott Sullivan relieved Ortiz and stopped the bleeding there, but the lead would hold up as Mariano Rivera came in with one out and runners on the corners in the bottom of the 9th, but escaped when Jason Kendall bounced into a game-ending double play to give the Mighty Men a 4-2 win to start the series.

Still looking for the split, the Sharks sent their ace -- Jason Schmidt (13-11, 3.54 ERA, 10.1 R/9) -- to the hill in Game 2. The Mighty Men countered with the other ace they acquired during the stretch drive, Mike Mussina (4-3, 4.16 ERA, 11.2 R/9 in 10 games with Stanhope; 13-11, 4.43 ERA, 11.9 R/9 overall). Once again, the Sharks jumped out to a 1st-inning lead on a two-run home run, this one courtesy of Jacques Jones. But Schmidt, seeing Ortiz's fate the other night, knew he wouldn't get much more to work with, and seemed determined to make those two runs stand up. After giving up a lead-off single to Derek Jeter to start the game, Schmidt got Johnson to bounce into a 4-6-3 double play, then breezed through the next four innings. He was touched up for a run when Posada and Carlos Lee hammered back-to-back doubles to lead off the 5th, but then shut down the Mites on a fly out and two strikeouts, escaping further harm. The two pitchers traded zeroes until the bottom of the 7th, when it appeared the Mighty Men were about to tie it up. Lowell drew a two-out walk, and Stanhope manager Graig Nettles sent up pinch hitter Cliff Floyd. Floyd fell behind, 0-2, but then laid off two sliders to even the count at 2-2. The next pitch was bounced up to the plate, allowing Lowell to advance into scoring position on the wild pitch. After fouling off the first 3-2 pitch, Floyd smacked a line drive over second base. Lowell raced around third, employing GM/Third Base Coach David Landsman's patented theory of "force a throw." But Green fired a perfect strike to Kendall to nail Lowell at home plate and keep the score at 2-1. Now the momentum appeared to be very much in Honolulu's favor, and Jason Giambi proved it by launching an upper deck home run in the top of the 8th to make it a two-run Shark lead. Schmidt would retire the Mighty Men in order over the last two innings and that's how the game would end, with a 3-1 win for the Sharks to tie the series at 1 game each..

Having achieved the coveted split in the first two road games, all the Sharks had to do was win their two home games and the series would be over. Right? Easier said than done when you're facing the Mighty Men, the league's third-best road team (45-36). Needing a win in Game 3 to keep the momentum going, the Sharks turned to Roy Oswalt (13-13, 4.02 ERA, 11.8 R/9), while the Mighty Men hoped to turn things around by starting Loaiza on three days' rest. "You'd be amazed how refreshed you can feel after that 14-hour flight from Stanhope to Honolulu," Loaiza said. "I'm ready to go the distance, baby!" For the third straight game, the Sharks drew first blood with a first inning run -- loading the bases on three hits, and then bringing home a run on Miguel Tejada's one-out infield single. But the Sharks couldn't capitalize further as Loaiza got the final two outs to end the threat. That one run would be the game's only scoring until the 7th, when the Sharks -- now facing Shigetoshi Hasegawa -- scored again when Green laced a two-out double and scored on a Giambi single. But, once again, that would be all the runs the Sharks would give their pitching staff to work with. In the top of the 8th, with two outs, the Mites were finally able to get to Oswalt, with Johnson driving in Lowell on an RBI single. With runners on the corners and two outs, Sharks manager Gary Carter then called on his closer, Ugueth Urbina, for a four-out save. Urbina's first pitch nearly hit Todd Helton, but it just missed him -- and the catcher's mitt -- to roll all the way to the back stop, allowing Jeter to scamper home from third to tie the score at 2-2, and allow Johnson to chug into scoring position. But the biggest blow was yet to come. After pitching around Helton to set up the force at any base, Urbina went after Gary Sheffield -- 1-for-10 with no RBIs at this point in the series. Sheff promptly made him pay, delivering a 1-0 fastball into the left field bleachers for a three-run home run. Urbina wouldn't allow another run, but the five-run 8th was more than enough for Rivera, who blew away the Sharks in the bottom of the 9th for his second series save and preserve the 5-2 Stanhope win to make the series 2 games to 1.

Up 2 games to 1 in the series, the Mighty Men were in no mood to take a flight back to Stanhope with unfinished business. They could close out the series, now, with a Game 4 win. The Mighty Men were understandably looking forward to facing Ortiz again -- after all, they'd tagged him for 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in 5.2 IP in Game 1 -- but got even better news when Ortiz woke up that morning with a stiff shoulder. Instead, the Sharks would go with their fourth starter, lefty Mark Mulder. Not only did Mulder have less-than-impressive numbers this season -- 11-12, 4.56 ERA, 13.0 R/9 -- but the Mighty Men were an astonishing 35-12 (.745 W%) against southpaw starters this season, the best record of any team in the DMBL. The news got even better when Mussina announced he was ready to go in Game 4. And when the Mighty Men jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the 3rd inning -- both runs knocked in by Brian Giles -- Stanhope fans were already looking forward to their long-awaited showdown with the cross-state rival Newark Sugar Bears. The Sharks were able to draw within 1 run on an RBI double by former Mighty Man Johnny Damon, but the relentless Mighty Man offense kept pounding away, padding their lead on a two-RBI single by Posada in the bottom of the 5th that finally knocked Mudler out of the game. The Mites tacked on another run in the top of the 6th when Roberto Alomar singled, stole second and scored on  a Milton Bradley's single. Taking their 5-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th, the Mighty Men needed just two innings out of their bullpen to get to Rivera and slam the door on the game and the series. But Hasegawa -- who had pitched so brilliantly for the Mighty Men after being acquired from Harrison -- had a spectacular implosion: walk by Giambi, single by Tejada, RBI single by Sean Casey, three-run home run by Joe Randa to tie the score at 5-5! Four runs had crossed the plate and the only guy out was Hasegawa -- replaced on the hill by Paul Quantrill. Q finally got the first out, but then gave up back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second. Nettles then went to his third pitcher in the inning, Rheal Cormier, who walked Jones to load the bases, walked Green to force in the fifth run of the inning, and then gave up a sac fly to Marquis Grissom -- pinch-hitting against the lefty for Giambi -- to tack on another run. Cormier then walked Tejada to re-load the bases, but finally got Casey to ground out to end a six-run, 12-batter inning. Rivera pitched a perfect ninth to keep it a two-run game, but that would be enough; the Mighty Men got the tying run on base after a walk by Giles and a single by Lowell, but Johnson flew out to straight-away center field to end the game in a 7-5 Sharks victory and tie the series at 2 games each.

After winning 95 games -- and for much of the season, fighting tooth-and-nail with Newark for the Hanover Division title -- the Mighty Men found themselves taking a very long flight back to Stanhope, and pondering how their World Series hopes had been reduced to one game, winner-take-all, against a team that won 83 games. But the Mighty Men still had an ace to play -- literally. Wilson Alvarez, the first player the team selected in the 2004 draft (#26 overall), had led the team in wins (17), ERA (3.52) and quality start percentage (.545), and had pitched brilliantly in three starts against the Sharks during the regular season (2-0, 2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 15 K in 18.2 IP), yet he hadn't made an appearance in the series. Now, with everything on the line, pitching coach Ron Guidry would unleash the portly southpaw against the unsuspecting Sharks in Game 5. The Sharks would counter by sending Schmidt to the mound for the second time -- no surprise for the Mighty Men, but certainly not a welcome sight after his impressive Game 2 performance.

Randa got it started in the top of the 2nd with a one-out double, scoring on a single by Kendall; the Mighty Men would answer back in the bottom of the frame on a lead-off home run by Giles. Alvarez then settled into a groove, giving up just two more hits over the next five innings. Meanwhile, Schmidt was matching him almost pitch-for-pitch, retiring 17 out of 20 batters after the Giles home run before giving up another solo shot, this time to Lowell, with two outs in the bottom of the 7th. In the top of the 8th, with a 2-1 lead, Nettles again turned to the bullpen that had been so dominant for him this season -- the Mighty Men were 89-12 when ahead or tied after the 7th inning -- calling on Hasegawa to get him out of 8th inning and to Rivera. But rookie Bo Hart led off the inning with a single, then -- after Damon fouled out -- advanced to second on an errant pick-off throw. When Jones singled, putting runners on the corners with one out, Nettles -- unwilling to leave his best weapon in its holster -- immediately went to Rivera to get the final five outs. But the former Dennis Eckersley Reliever of the Year Award winner, appearing in his fourth game in the series, couldn't get it done. Tejada singled home Hart to tie the game at 2-2. With runners still on the corners and one out, Giambi hit a screaming line drive -- but right at Jeter, for the second out of the inning. That brought up the always-dangerous Green, who had asked before the game to be removed from the lineup if the game went past dusk, as it was being played on Erev Rosh Hashanah. With the score tied and the sun sinking in the west, Green had no interest in extra innings. He let the first cutter from Rivera go by for a strike, then crushed a four-seamer deep into the right field bleachers for a back-breaking three-run home run. Rivera got Randa to end the inning, and set the Sharks down in order in the top of the 9th, but the damage had been done; the Mighty Men were able to bring Sheffield to the plate as the tying run in the 8th, but Rafael Soriano got him to bounce into a 3-6-3 double play. In the bottom of the 9th, Posada drew a one-out walk, but Soriano struck out Lee and got Bradley to bounce out to first base to end Stanhope' season in a 5-2 loss and a first-round exit.

Going, Going, Gagne

Tijuana's three-game sweep of the third-ranked Mudcats was made all the more amazing when you consider that their offense hit just .207, with a .672 OPS. But the pitching staff made the meager offensive contributions count, hanging on for two wins by a single run and a third by two runs. Leading the charge was closer Eric Gagne, who continued his red-hot regular season (12-1, 22 SV, 1.47 ERA, 7.5 R/9, 148 K in 97.2 IP) by completely dominating Carolina in his three appearances: no runs, 1 hit, no walks, and 7 Ks in 4.1 IP. Gagne led the league in batting average (.077), on-base percentage (.071), slugging percentage (.077), tied for the league lead in ERA (0.00), saves (2), save percentage (1.000) and inherited runners who scored (.000), and ranked second in K/9 (14.5) to win the South Park Ray Pitcher of the Week Award.

Honolulu's Jason Schmidt came up huge for the Sharks, winning both his starts while giving up just 3 runs, 9 hits and 6 walks while fanning 15 (1.65 ERA, 8.8 R/9). Teammate Rafael Soriano also came up big, picking up a save while giving up no runs, no hits and 1 walk while striking out 3 in 2.2 innings. This week's other top hurlers were Stanhope's Esteban Loaiza (1-0, 3 ER, 15 H, 2 BB, 7 K in 12.1 IP) and Tijuana's Javier Vazquez (1-0, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 7 K in 8.0 IP).

Mike Mussina was the tough-luck loser of the first round, going 0-1 despite giving up just 4 ER, 11 H and 1 BB while striking out 16 in 14.1 IP (2.51 ERA, 7.5 R/9). And a few others who got a no-decision despite some very impressive efforts: Carolina's Barry Zito (0 R, 2 H, 5 BB, 7 K in 6.1 IP); Stanhope's Wilson Alvarez (1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 7 K in 7.0 IP); and Tijuana's Josh Beckett (0 R, 8 H, 1 BB, 6 K in 7.0 IP).

It's Easy Being Green

Honolulu's Shawn Green was key to all three of the Sharks' Round 1 wins. In Game 2, it was Green's throw from right field that nailed Mike Lowell at home plate in the bottom of the 7th, preserving the Sharks' 2-1 lead. He got the game-winning RBI in Game 4, drawing a bases-loaded walk against lefty-killer Rheal Cormier to put the Sharks ahead 6-5. But it was in the Game 5 finale that Green really earned his steaks, smashing a three-run home run off Mariano Rivera to give the Sharks what would prove to be an insurmountable 5-2 lead. His key contributions earned Green the OmahaSteaks.com Batter of the Week Award. Green led all players in game-winning RBIs (2), total bases (14) and extra base hits (4) and tied for the league lead in home runs (2), runs batted in (6) and runs (3); he also was second in runs created (5.6); third in on-base plus slugging percentage (1.206), secondary average (.556), runs created per 27 outs (11.7), isolated power (.444) and total average (1.308); tied for third in hits (6) and doubles (2); fourth in slugging percentage (.778); tied for fifth in on-base percentage (.429) and was tied for sixth in batting average (.333). Green's production was all the more amazing considering the rest of the lineup combined to hit just .251 with a .267 OBP, .355 SLG.

Meanwhile...

The Hanover Division champion Newark Sugar Bears prepared for the second round of the playoffs by taking on Team Italy, fresh from a last-place finish in the Olympic Tournament after losing by a combined score of 46-19 in six games (1-5). The Italians didn't fare much better against the Sugar Bears, with SP Giuseppe Pavarotti giving up 12 hits (including five home runs) in the first three innings. Newark's Scot Shields, Tim Spooneybarger and Keith Foulke combined on a two-hitter in the 23-0 rout. Newark's win came without Mike Piazza, Paul Lo Duca, Jeff DaVanon or Carl Pavano, who worked out separately to avoid a conflict of interest playing against their paisan.

Meanwhile, the Morris Division champion Arkansas Golden Falcons took on the Bedminster A's for the second straight season. Pitcher Mark Zotti gave the Falcons fits over the first seven innings, giving up just four hits -- though he intentionally walked Barry Bonds three times. Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez seemed to be having trouble with the softball delivery, giving up six hits, four walks and hitting two batters as Bedminster jumped out to a 3-0 lead. But the Golden Falcons put the game away with a seven-run 8th inning that included a grand slam by Larry Walker. "After you beat the A's, you're ready for anybody," Walker said after the game. "Bring on the Banditos!"

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.