The ATR finishes off the trades of the 1985 season.
San Francisco receives 2B Nelson Norman
Cleveland receives 3B Manuel Lee
The ATR is of the opinion that a good infielder is hard to find in the CDL. Rare is it that you see a swap of two infielders in the CDL, perhaps because of their scarcity. The Giants have put a great deal of effort into making small moves to ensure that San Francisco wins its first World Series since 1977. Adding Norman is another move like that. He can hit left handers a little and is good with the glove at either middle infield position. Manuel Lee is seven years younger than Norman, but like Norman is in bigs for the first time in his career. Lee also doesn’t have quite the offensive or defensive potential that Norman has, but could be a serviceable utility man with a few years of seasoning. Quite honestly, this is one of the hardest trades to pick a winner in that the ATR has faced.
Winner: San Francisco
Chicago (N) receives SP Lamarr Hoyt
New York (A) receives Chicago (N)’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1986.
Amazingly, Lamarr Hoyt is playing the best baseball of his career since coming over to the Cubs. The Yankees still made the right call in trading away Hoyt for youth, since Hoyt was unlikely to be part of the next good Yankees team. Back to Hoyt for a moment. Hoyt is a solid pitcher, but despite his recent run, he isn’t a good bet to continue his domination, but should post an ERA around 4.00 in a Cubs uniform. For a team that needed pitching in a bad way, this was a good deal.
Winner: Chicago (N)
Texas receives RF/2B Jorge Orta
Philadelphia receives Boston’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1986.
Perhaps the most curious of the deadline deals. Orta could have helped a number of teams, but Texas does not appear to be one of them. The AL is tightly packed this year and trying to leap over six teams is harder than one. The price paid for Orta wasn’t bad, since he is still a first rate hitter who can play the middle infield. On the other hand, one of the teams that might have been better off with Orta is the Phillies. They were close enough to the Mets, only two games out when they gave up one of their best hitters. Replacing Barbery with Orta in the lineup might have been enough to keep the Phillies in the playoff race.
Winner: Texas
Chicago (N) receives SP John Tudor
St. Louis receives SPs Oil Can Boyd and Jim Barr and the Cubs’ first round Amateur draft choice in 1986.
The big deadline deal closes out our 1985 deals. John Tudor is paid like an ace and has the talent to be an ace. In 1984, John Tudor did not pitch like an ace losing 21 times. The Cubs needed to take some risks if they were going to win the World Series this year and this isn’t a horrible price to pay. The first round draft choice will be low in the first round. Jim Barr is bad salary that will most likely be released in the offseason if the Cardinals can find the money to make such a move. Oil Can Boyd is a pitcher with some talent, but at 25, is unlikely to be a major asset to the Cardinals in the near future. This deal will look better for the Cardinals in 1990 than now, when Tudor’s contract is dead weight on the Cubs’ payroll.
Winner: Chicago (N)
Now that I'm back in the league, my omnipresent leaguewide coverage will take a backseat every once in a while, and everyone can get ready for some good old backwoods Canadian propaganda, eh? When the Blue Jays' reins switched hands as they finished July 37 up and 66 down, the team responded by losing six out of seven to the Tigers, Mariners, and Brewers and setting them up for a prime draft pick in the Amateur Draft, sitting pretty at 38-72.
But then something happened. On August 9th, 1985, new manager Whitey Herzog stared down Ross Grimsley, his old nemesis, and said "Boys, we're gonna win today." And win they did. Andy Van Slyke welcomed Grimsley by slapping a single past Milt Ramirez at third. Enos Cabell, Ron Blomberg, and Cliff Johnson followed with three RBI doubles and suddenly Toronto's New Jays were flying high and Grimsley was on the run. Bill Gullickson, the Marshall, Minnesota native who's been around more than... well... I'll skip the joke about our esteemed Houston GM... for now... pitched eight inspired innings and the Jays pulled out a snappy 4-2 win. The next day, Blomberg took Eric Rasmussen to school with homers in the first and the eighth, and proceeded to knock in the winning run off of ace reliever John Franco in the ninth.
After the series with the Brewers, it was business as usual in Kansas City, as Ken Phelps' 30th home run in the seventh inning of a 5-2 game put it out of reach for KC, and the bullpen was able to avoid collapse for yet another game. Phelps homered twice the next day as Jerry Udjur pitched quite well after being bombed in his first start, a game which will ruin his ERA for the rest of the years. The four game win streak was aided by Roy Smalley's fifth dinger of the year. In the Sunday finale of their three game set, the offense apparently took a siesta, and the team posted a 7-4 loss.
After losing two of three at home to the Blue Jays, Matt Skutley brought his Brewers to the 'Dome for some action up north. The series kicked off August 14th with the birds jumping out to a 9-5 lead after four innings and holding onto it for the rest of the game thanks to Gullickson. Rasmussen again got smacked around by Phelps (33 HR) and Blomberg, who homered again to raise his season totals to .310, 19, 66. The next day, with Steve Busby on the mound, the Jays fully expected their second loss in seven games, but thanks to Billy Smith and four relievers matching the Brew Crew's all star staff pitch for pitch and Enos Cabell's 14th RBI of the year coming at just the right time, they clinched another series win for Whitey with a 4-3 11 innning thriller. Skutley was seen pulling his hair out all game as the Brewers left 11 men on base. In the finale, Udjur was spotted a 4-2 lead by Blomberg's RBI double, and he never looked back, running Whitey's record to 7-1.
Surprisingly enough, the bullpen showed up yet again in the series with Texas, as "Cheese" Griffin's 2 RBI and stellar pitching lead the Jays to another 7-4 win in the opener. The next day the Rangers manufactured a run in the seventh to break a scoreless tie, but Cliff Johnson and Cabell had back to back jacks in the ninth to save a great performance by Bruce Hurst. The next day they faced Milt Wilcox and Blomberg's 20th home run went to waste. Tough matchups, road game, nobody's perfect. Despite jumping out to a 7-1 lead the next day thanks to Phelps' 34th home run, the Jays still needed late-inning heroics from Andy Van Slyke to solidify a 9-8 win, their tenth in twelve games.
Udjur pitched a solid game and the bullpen held on as the Jays took the opener at home against the Indians. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth the next day, Chris "Clutch" Chambliss drives in two in the ninth and one in the tenth for the win. Bruce Hurst spots the pen a 6-2 lead thanks to Sixto Lezcano's 21st home run and Mike Stanton nails down his 12th save and Whitey his 13th win as the Blue Jays improve to 51-74. Tom Walker spot started August 24th against the White Sox, and allowed only three hits in six innnings leading up to a 3-2 win. The Pale Hose did, however, take the next three, including stealing another great start from Udjur, who allowed four baserunners in 6.2 innings.
The Orioles came to town to close out the month, and what a series it would be. Here were two teams heading in different directions, with the Jays showing a spirited 14-5 stretch and the O's coming down hard off their pedastel. A three run lead fashioned by Ken Phelps the Earl Weaver way was all Bruce Hurst needed as the Jays took the opener. The next game, however, was one of the more exciting in CDL history. Walker, a relief pitcher by trade, let up five runs on 125 pitches before being pulled for the seventh. With Bruce Sutter on and the game all but over down two in the bottom of the ninth, Jerry Narron hit a home run to tie the game and send it into extra frames. The bullpens matched zeros for five innings until Lezcano singled to lead off the fifteenth and Narron came through with a clutch two run shot to win the game. The next day, with the pitching staffs exhausted, Narron hit another two home runs and Blomberg put one in for good measure to close out the month of August in the middle of a 17-5 stretch with their new manager, with the Blue Jays sitting at 55-78, now the fifth worst team in the league, only 4.5 games out of fourth place!
Another month, another weak group in the AL, another strong group in the NL.
Twins' shortstop Spike Owen wins the Rookie of the Month award in the American League after his ,277/,324/,426 performance. He hit one homer in 94 at bats, with 16 RBIs. Owen, 24, was a first-rounder in 1983. He had a rough first half, but he's hitting ,278 since July. For the season, he's hitting ,232 with 3 homeruns and 38 RBIs.
He finished ahead of Yankees' closer Todd Worrell (1-1, 8 saves, 3,72) and Mariners' shortstop Ernest Riles (,267-0-16).
In the National League, the award is shared between Pittsburgh teammates Jim Presley and Roger Clemens.
Presley hit ,364 in 107 at bats, knocking 5 homers and collecting 16 RBIs, for a ,570 SLG. A second-round pick in 1984, he's hitting ,285-19-82 for the season. He needs 5 homeruns to tie the Pirates' rookie record held by Jerry Moses since the inaugural season of the CDL.
Roger Clemens was also very impressive, holding opponents to 32 hits and 8 walks in 53,2 innings, good for a 2,01 ERA and a 4-2 record. He also struck out 48 batters. Overall, he's 16-9 with a 2,59 ERA in 229,1 innings.
Mike Marshall of the Expos (,286-8-27) also had an amazing month, but fell just short.
The ATR returns from a self-imposed hiatus, as he was busier than a one-armed paperhanger finishing up some deadline stuff to ensure he was removed from another position of some importance to the ATR. Anyway, with enough material for two ATR reports, I will bring you one today and perhaps put one in your basket for Easter. To the trades.
Cincinnati receives SP Orel Hershiser.
San Francisco receives Cincinnati’s first and second round Amateur draft choices in 1986.
One NL Contender steals another NL contenders draft picks for a 26 year old pitcher. I really want to know how Chuck managed to sell Orel Hershiser to the Reds for these picks. Hershiser is already 26, has yet to establish himself as a big league pitcher and doesn’t have the ratings you would want for a starting pitcher that cost you two draft picks and has two years of service time used. I think someone was counting their pennants before they hatched. Especially when the team that will win the World Series this season is the team you are dealing with.
Winner: San Francisco
Toronto receives SP Bill Gullickson and OF Jesse Barfield.
Pittsburgh receives SS Harold Reynolds.
For a mediocre player, Bill Gullickson gets around. This is his fifth team since the Oakland Athletics drafted him in the second round in 1979. Gullickson should be an acceptable fifth starter, but at 26, it appears that he won’t develop into the player many thought he would become. Jesse Barfield is 25 and finally free of Pittsburgh, where his chances of getting playing time were slim to none. Moving to Toronto makes him the second best outfielder the team has after Andy Van Slyke. It’s going to be a long way to the top for the Blue Jays, but if Barfield adds a little ability to hit for average or power, he should be an asset to the Blue Jays first playoff run around 1988 or 1989. I hate to admit this, since he is such an awful television personality in real life, but I like Harold Reynolds as a CDL player and I really like this trade for the Pirates. Reynolds, along with the newly acquired Julio Franco really solidifies the Pirates middle infield with players with excellent gloves and good bats. I think Reynolds has played above his head this season, but he is exactly the player the Pirates needed to add.
Winner: Pittsburgh
San Francisco receives C John Russell
Texas receives Boston’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1986.
Russell is a fine catching prospect. The forward thinking Giants are not going to be caught shorthanded behind the plate once Charlie Moore asks for a big contract next season. For a low first round pick, Russell is the perfect pickup for the Giants. It was unlikely that they were going to get a better player with the draft choice. I assume that Rangers traded Russell away because they felt that Scoiscia is going to be the better catcher in the near future. This is probably true, since Scoscia does fine job getting on base and that batting average should go up a bit. On the other hand, I would rather have Russell than the draft choice. Perhaps waiting a little longer would have been more fruitful for Texas.
Winner: San Francisco
San Francisco receives C Darryl Cias.
Seattle receives MRs David Geisel and Bob Gibson.
This earth-shattering deal needs no analysis, other than why did these teams bother to swap such insignificant players.
Winner: Seattle (At least Geisel is on the Major League roster.)
San Francisco receives SP Bob Sebra
San Diego receives San Francisco’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1986.
San Diego also receives a mulligan on picking Sebra in the first place. When I look for a pitcher, I try to find a pitcher who has some possibility of pitching on my big league roster without my writing those games off as automatic losses. Were I to trade a draft pick for a pitcher, I would trade for a pitcher who might be useful as something other than a doorstop. Amazingly, this is the second trade in a row that the Giants have been written off as the loser. Could this be the end of the dynasty in San Francisco? I don’t think so. Nonetheless, why would anyone trade for Bob Sebra? How do you initiate trade talks on this subject?
Chuck: Hey Brian. I noticed you happen to have a pitcher that I’m interested in acquiring.
Brian: Hello Chuck. Who are you interested in? Candelaria? Lefferts? Wright? Cruz?
Chuck: No, those guys are stiffs. I’m really interested in Bob Sebra.
(Awkward pause)
Brian: Bob Sebra? Are you sure you didn’t mean Sid Fernandez? (At this point, Brian begins to wonder what he is missing about Bob Sebra.)
Chuck: Yeah, he is one of my favorite pitchers from my youth. (The only answer he can give without tipping his hand that he knows something about Bob Sebra the rest of us don’t.)
Brian: Alright, what will you give me for Bob Sebra?
Chuck: How about a second round pick? (If I’m Brian, I have this deal posted the moment he makes the offer.)
Brian: Sure, let’s post this deal.
Perhaps there was some negotiating about the compensation…but Bob Sebra.
Winner: San Diego
Too often, we only focus on the pitchers (or American League batters) when looking back at the seventies in the CDL, but for seven years, certain hitters posted great numbers and gave bad teams a little bit of help. I'd like to focus this time on the first player I ever drafted, and the player that my successor in the 'Lou' sent packing. As we all saw in the league news last sim, Dave Parker of the Cleveland Indians collected his two thousandth CDL hit on August 11th, 1985. This is usually the mark of an aging player, especially in a league such as the CDL where so many years were completely dominated by pitching, but in Parker’s case, this is far from the truth. He is still two and a half years or more from even making the CDL’s all time hit leader’s list, but by then he should be thirty-six years old and still going strong.
At the time of his 1000th hit, Parker was coming off his worst season statistically up until that point, his .236, 18, 67 year of 1978 which was at that point still an admirable achievement for the average CDL player. He was six and a half years into his career. The next six years brought another 1000 hits, and he is in the midst of the best stretch of his career, a career that has been well worth the first round, fifth pick that was spent on him in 1973. His career has spanned thirteen seasons at this point, and throughout his career he has been among the most feared left handed hitters in the league, always terrorizing any right-handed pitcher who took the mound. He hits doubles like nobody else in the CDL has, perhaps the greatest doubles hitter who has ever played in this league. He has been notoriously disrespected in award selections, and will almost certainly become one of the first ten Hall of Fame hitters to have spent ten years in the CDL.
The first thing that must be discussed when talking about Parker is his environment. He played for ten long seasons on the worst team in the big leagues, the abysmal St. Louis Cardinals, but was always a team player. Hitting cleanup for the Cards, he thrice breached 95 RBIs and scored at least 70 times 8 out of his first nine seasons in the CDL. When asked, Dave “The Cobra” Parker even became a terror on the base paths, stealing a robust 45 bases against 19 times caught from 1975-1977 while the management experimented with a more speed-based team. He made five all star teams in ten years with St. Louis, and should have made the 1974 team. His low RBI totals likely kept him off the 1979 team, as well, but the big shaft came in 1983. He was traded across leagues before the all star selections, and was left off the American League team a mere week later despite career highs in average, home runs, triples, and slugging percentage.
It wasn’t triples, however, that earned Parker his reputation, it was his ability to take any pitch and turn it into two bases. He is notorious even today for swinging at anything in sight, his career OBP hanging around .310. The doubles are what separate him from the rest of the crowd and what raise his slugging percentage so much. He entered the league in 1973 with 44 of them, and has posted 30 or more each season since, the exception being injury-shortened 1977. He has post six seasons above forty, two above fifty, and is currently in 7th place all time, poised to move into third by the end of the 1985 season.
Nowadays, he has not lost a step. Offensively, Parker is still playing the best ball of his life and should finish 1985 above .300, 30, 100 for the first time in his career, barring a major injury. He seems happy to be playing in the more offensive-minded American League after new Cardinals management betrayed their franchise player by trading him after one bad season. He can be seen in the 1985 AL top ten in batting average, home runs, runs batted in, and doubles, and would be an MVP candidate on a stronger team. He has signed to a four-year extension and will likely end his career in Cleveland. We should all tip our caps to the Cobra, a model CDL player, and the favorite of this particular writer.
Suck on that Hooton.
Ummm....
We have a problem here.
That fellow --- Poop-Scoop or something -- missed something that should be obvious by now.
For some reason The Quiz wasn't listed in the "ultimate" rankings.
And you need the scare quotes there, because obviously Mr. Pooper-Scooper doesn't know what he's doing, when The Quiz and his deliciously groomed ginger lip locks are left off ANY list at all.
If it isn't obvious, The Quiz is the ultimate CDL fill in the blank here -- player, team, franchise, owner, commissioner, whatever. It all starts and ends with The Quiz. Period.
The Quiz thought he had this cleared up by now.
Now maybe Mr. Poop Scoop forgot how things work in the CDL, with his extended vacation, which is why The Quiz is speaking out.
The Quiz is generous, beneficial, and above all tolerant of those who so obviously get things wrong. And therefore The Quiz will allow the record to be set straight.
So here's The Quiz's Ultimate CDL list.
26. The Quiz.
See note above. It all starts and ends with The Quiz.
25. Pittsburgh
Where The Quiz plays.
24. The Pirates
The Quiz's team, in case you weren't sure. Although The Quiz is lobbying to change the team name to The Quizzes. To hell with the ghosts of Honus Wagner!
23. Ginger
A great flavor which also happens to be the color of The Quiz's 'stache.
22. Luscious Lip Locks
One of The Quiz's favorite ways to refer to his 'stache. The Quiz Ministry of Information requires reporters to refer to the 'stache in this manner at least once in every article written on The Quiz.
21. Tom Niedenfuer
The Quiz Jr. Although needs some hair dye.
20. Rollie Fingers
The Quiz Sr. Also in need of hair dye.
19. The Quiz
The original and always #1. (Or 19 or 26 as the case may be.)
18. Skateboarding
Because it's The Quiz's list. Don't ask why. Just agree.
17. Brett Saberhagen
Right color but not the luxurious flowing growth that The Quiz can sprout.
16. Shane Rawley
Because he sucks. And The Quiz is making this list and can use it as a tool to lash out at the people he doesn't like.
15. Santa Claus
Because he makes a list almost -- but not quite -- as good as The Quiz's. He also brings The Quiz presents.
14. "I'm The Quiz and I Rock!"
One of The Quiz's favorite sayings. Makes The Quiz feel proud. The Quiz rocks!
13. Catfish Hunter
Good 'stache and The Quiz likes to gloat over his victims.
12. Animal Attraction
The kind caused by The Quiz's 'stache.
11. "A real classy player" -- Some unnamed Chicago fan
He knows The Quiz well.
10. The Quiz
Because The Quiz hasn't appeared since #19.
9. The Quiz
Just wanted to make sure The Quiz was getting his point across.
8. Strikeouts
They are fascist, which explains why Mr. Marshall likes them so much and The Quiz does not.
7. His rich, luxuriant ebony curls that gently lept from under his nose like a small fawn finding its way through the forest undergrowth, and then curling back... back and around like the toes of small elven slippers -- gone.
Eulogizing Rollie's 'stache. The Quiz still has nightmares.
6. Steve Busby and Matt Skutley
A pair of facial hair wannabees, who like to take shots at the majestic under nose hair cascade of The Quiz. Silly little boys.... Try again when there is some hair on your lip.
5. The Quiz
'Cause I Rock! (See #14)
4. Raspberries
Not the fruit but the action: "The moustache said nothing, but relished the raspberry because it loves the feel of wind in its hair."
3. Jealousy
As in "I am The Quiz and your aren't." Frequently exhibited in the CDL by masses of clean shaven toadies.
2. The 'Stache
It's importance cannot be emphasized enough. It is the essence of The Quiz. The sexual power of those luxuriant ginger tresses, immaculately groomed with a faint hint of cologne, affects all of those -- men, female, animal -- who come under its power. The 'stache is The Quiz and The Quiz is the 'stache. All are envious. All wish they had the power of the 'stache.
1. The Quiz
Because it all starts and ends with The Quiz.
For more reading on the Quiz, visit his website: The Quiz's Website. You can send him an e-mail at thequiz@staudernet.com
OK, it's been awhile and I apologize. What with the weekend and the new team and everything, I just ran out of time. My bad. Yikes, six days kept you guys waiting. Even right now I don't have the time to do it justice, but I need to post the results.
3. Chicago Cubs
Bang for the Buck: 15 - Fan Interest: 7 - Ownership: 4 - Postseason: 1 - Current Team: 4
Cubs management was desparate to see the final standings, and while they can't be disappointed with their third place finish, they must feel just a tinge of disappointment to see their franchise leading off. Spending a little cash and winning a few more games might have done a little for the Chicago franchise (actually the spreadsheet says it wouldn't...but speculating is fun!). The Cubbies near 100% capacity every year, averaging 39,975 this year, one more fan than they had the year before. Chris Hansen's teams always have a winning tradition, they draft well and come out on top in trades, and he participates both in the news and on the board, keeping everyone well informed of his Cubs' antics. The Cubs have won three world championships and have the greatest amount of postseason success in league history. In addition to this, they have a competitive team with an extremely potent lineup that should be able to contend for a long, long time.
2. Milwaukee
Bang for the Buck: 14 - Fan Interest: 2 - Ownership: 1 - Postseason: 6 - Current Team: 5
In almost every aspect of the game, the Brewers are a top five or top ten franchise, always in contention and containing the league's best player historically. Like the Cubs before them, the mythical Bang for the Buck rankings hurt their chances at nabbing the top spot in this season's "ultimate standings" rankings. Buzz has been selling tickets in Milwaukee for over ten years now, and the Beertown faithful have been for so long among the best fans in baseball, and probably would rank number one in this category if I quickly redid every single ranking--but I'm not going to. Our beloved commissioner, Matt Skutley, puts more time and effort into this league than anyone could have ever deemed possible to do. Though their owner considers them underachievers, the Brewers have always been in contention and won themselves a world championship. In addition to this, they have a competitive team with an extremely potent lineup that should be able to contend for a long, long time. :-)
1. San Francisco
Bang for the Buck: 6 - Fan Interest: 5 - Ownership: 5 - Postseason: 4 - Current Team: 1
It would be hard to come up with a comprehensive metric which determines that the San Francisco Giants are not, currently, historically, and for the future, the CDL's premier franchise and the banner team that we should be showing other leagues. Management takes in as much cash as any other team in the league does, but spends it on young players, the right young players, and makes smart trades--it is almost impossible to win a trade with the wiley Catfish of the CDL. The San Francisco faithful acknowledge this wonder that has been bestowed upon them and line ownership's pockets accordingly, packing over 40,000 fans in every single game and selling out most of the time--even coming off a down year, attendance is up over 10%. Chuck Groening is one of the hall of fame owners of all time in any league I've ever been in. Although he ripped me off big time in the Grimsley trade, he negotiated it fairly and had all three prospects I received not busted, it might have turned out a little better. He is always active on the league forums, humble about his own team's success, and provides the loyal readers of the CDL news with plenty of information about his team. The Giants are always around come playoff time, they are of course one of the main reasons for Houston's seven second place finishes, and they have won two championships and are eyeing a few more before their current crop of players is out. Chuck rebuilt the team without tearing it down within the last few years, coming from a bottom ten record to fielding what could be the greatest team the CDL has ever seen in the 1985 San Francisco Giants (who in real life were the worst Giants ever--ironic?).
You know where the comments go...