From: "Andrew Zarzour"
AZarzour72@earthlink.net
Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2000 11:45 PM
To: "Brandon Weaver"
BManWeaver@yahoo.com
Subject: News from New Mexico
Hey Brandon, thanks for your email earlier this week. It was good to hear from you. Sorry it has taken me a few days to get back to you.
Yeah, you are right, the Albuquerque Dukes can't seem to score runs when I pitch. You'd think with an ERA of 3.28 I'd have a better record than 9-8. It's tough when you're tagged with a loss after striking out 14 with only two walks. But the Big Club did take a couple of our big bats (Josh Hamilton and Andy Tracy), and 3B Cole Liniak has been out for a few weeks with some elbow problems.
No excuses, though, if we only score two runs, I can't let the other team score three. I've got to hold them to zero or one.
Speaking of the Big Club, if you've got any ideas on how those guys can snap out of their funk, please, please, please get in touch with manager Davey Johnson. This is unbelievable. Since the trading deadline, LA is 1-7. Swept by the Brewers. Lost two of three to the Diamondbacks. And the Cubs still have Kerry Wood. Maybe it was a mistake not to go harder after him, even if it meant giving up Mike Piazza. Of course, I might be a Cub right now if that deal went through.
Still, heads might roll if the freefall continues... I went back and looked at LA's schedule, and the team is 4-16 in the last 20 games. Yikes. Now eight games back of San Diego, with San Fran now only one back. Playoffs seem way out of the picture now.
Thanks for sending me some of your stories from your time as "summer intern" at the Zebulon Record. I especially liked your piece on the little league baseball team winning the district title and going on to the state tournament. That brought me back to the days when we used to play all-stars. Great photo of Zeb's little brother pitching. Great expression. He's probably a little too young to throw a curve ball but it's still a good shot by you.
I also liked your story on Carolina Mudcats 3B Josh Booty. I didn't realize that he had been considering leaving baseball to go play college football. Hope he finds some success staying with baseball. I'll be pulling for him, unless I ever have to pitch against him.
Have fun packing to go back to college. So, you're staying in the dorms one more year at least? Ah, you college crazies. If you ever score Carolina-Duke hoops tickets, hook me up!
Take care. Here's hoping I'll be packing for LA sometime in the near future...
Your friend,
Andrew ("moose")