[batted balls]

Max Mercy, Jr. here again, folks . . .

Surprised by the first two games of the College World Series? Hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Ivy is on a roll. Ivy is getting strong. Ivy is growing!

Yet, Ole Max wants to look at the other side right now. One of the biggest reasons for Arizona State's failures in games one and two has been the "performance" of right fielder Reggie Jackson. Reggie never met a microphone or camera he didn't like. Reggie views himself as "the straw that stirs the drink." Well, folks, Ole Max is here to tell you that right now that straw really sucks. Check the stat line for Reggie: Eight at-bats, five strikeouts. Those numbers don't lie Reggie. Add in the fact that Reggie has left more men on base than a revoked military pass and you begin to see why ASU is struggling.

Which leads Ole Max to ask the question, what will Arizona State manager Bobby Winkles do? With the Sun Devils down 2-0, Winkles can't wait. Reggie needs to get hot, and he needs to get hot now! The problem is that Reggie isn't even lukewarm. He's gone from being a Sun Devil to a Sin Devil. Reggie's been as close to a hit that past two days as Bobby Vinton has.

One of my colleagues said that he'd seen better swings in a park compared to Reggie's. I'll go a step futher: Reggie's "swing" looks like that of a blindfolded sugar-spastic kid lunging at a pinata. Heck, any baseball thrown by an Ivy pitcher is safer than that brightly colored animal dancing off a tree at some kid's fiesta.

Ole Max thinks Reggie will continue to get at-bats in the CWS because Winkles is hoping and praying that his swing will eventually connect. However, look for Winkles to drop Reggie in the batting order. He's got to wake up his slumping giant.

Does Ole Max think Reggie's bat will get out of its slumber. Ole Max's answer is yes. But, it may be too late. Sure, ASU still may win a game or two. But mark Ole Max's words, unlike Reggie's bat, Ivy is in control.

Is it fair to place so much blame on one player? Probably not, but when that player is proclaiming himself as the "beginning, middle and end" of all things baseball, Ole Max can justify it. Besides, somewhere in that beginning, middle and end Reggie Jackson may actually hit the baseball while it still matters. The problem is that it may not matter enough . . .

This is Max Mercy, Jr. signing off and getting ready for game three of the College World Series . . .

[batted balls]

Bristol, Conn.--Moe Berg spent most of the year in the minors and much of the College World Series as an unknown. But with one swing of the bat Friday, Berg's name now appears in headlines across the nation.

Berg delivered a two-out single that knocked in the winning run as Ivy edged Arizona State 4-3 in 10 innings. The Eagles hold a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven CWS.

Berg, a late season call-up, was a surprise starter at short stop in the CWS opener. After going 0-for-4 in that game, Berg did not play in game two. Yet, Eagle manager Bob Seddon had his eye on Berg's spot on the Ivy bench.

"Moe Berg is the type of player I wanted on the Series roster," said Seddon. "He can play several positions and knows how to use the bat."

Berg singled to left field off losing pitcher Ed Vande Berg. The hit allowed Ivy third baseman Red Rolfe to race across the plate with the winning run ahead of a rushed throw by Arizona State outfielder Mike Devereaux.

"Sure, it's the biggest hit of my life," said Berg (shown below). "Mr. Seddon put his faith in me, and I wanted to do him proud."

The extra-inning victory may well prove to be the telling game of the CWS, a game Arizona State desperately had to win.

"This one hurts, of that there's no doubt," said Sun Devil manager Bobby Winkles. "It was a great game to watch as a fan, but it's a bitter pill for us to swallow."

After Vande Berg struck out Gene Larkin to open the home half of the 10th, Rolfe singled past a diving Bump Wills at second base. Vande Berg then struck out Bill Almon on three pitches. Ivy catcher Brad Ausmus, the leading CWS hitter at .583, rifled a single to left sending Rolfe to second. Seddon then made his surprising move by pinch-hitting Berg for lead-off hitter Steve Yerkes (1-for-4, .286 in the CWS).

"People may have raised an eyebrow when Moe got sent up off the bench but Bob Seddon knows his baseball," said Ausmus.

Moments later, Berg smashed a hard ground ball between Arizona State third baseman Bob Horner and short stop Pat Listach. The hit sent Rolfe home with the game-winner.

Each team scored two runs in the first inning. Arizona State tallied on RBI singles by Hubie Brooks and Barry Bonds against Ivy starter Ron Darling. Bonds received his first start of the CWS and batted fifth.

Ivy got the runs back in the bottom half of the inning as right fielder Sam Mele hit a 413-foot home run off Sun Devil starter Paul Moskau. Hughie Jennings, who had singled earlier in the inning, scored ahead of Mele.

Arizona State took a 3-2 in the fourth with an unearned run. Rolfe bobbled a ground ball off the bat of No. 9 hitter Gary Rajsich allowing Wills to score the lead run.

Ivy tied the game in the seventh. Three straight singles by Mele, Roy Thomas and Larkin knotted the game and sent Moskau to the showers. Left-handed reliever Larry Gura and right-hander Craig Swan got Arizona State out of the jam. First, Gura got Rolfe to bunt into a force out at third. Swan ended the threat as Eagle pinch-hitter Eddie Grant bounced into a double play.

The game then settled into a battle between Swan and Ivy left-hander John Milligan. Arizona State had its best chance to score in the top of the 10th. Milligan hit Sun Devil catcher Mike Colbern with a pitch to put two men on with two outs. Seddon brought in 6-foot-10 right-hander Chris Young to face right-handed pinch-hitter Mike Kelly. Young retired Kelly on a fly out to right.

"We had our chances," said Winkles. "We didn't capitalize."

Vande Berg, third in the West with 30 saves during the regular season, then gave up the winning run in the bottom of the inning. Young, who threw just six pitches, earned the victory.

Winning Pitcher: Chris Young (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Ed Vande Berg (0-1)

Game Three Notes: Seddon announced right-hander Ted Olson will start game four for Ivy. Olson was the game one winner in relief of starter Pete Broberg. Left-hander Floyd Bannister, the game one starter, will take the mound for Arizona State . . . Winkles dropped struggling Reggie Jackson to the No. 7 slot in the Sun Devil lineup. Jackson broke his 0-for-10 slump with a hit-and-run single in the sixth inning . . . Oddibe McDowell hit in the cleanup spot for Arizona State. McDowell was hitless in five at-bats. Sun Devil cleanup hitters are 0-for-13 in the CWS thus far . . . Overlooked by the Ivy dominance has been the lackluster performance by Lou Gehrig. The Eagle first baseman is 0-for-11 in the first three games. Gehrig has drawn two walks, scored twice and driven home a run . . . After booting balls left and right in the first two CWS games, each team committed just one error in game three . . . Arizona State lead-off hitter Pat Listach (.533) leads all CWS batters with eight hits. Ivy catcher Brad Ausmus is second with seven while Hubie Brooks and Bump Wills of the Sun Devils each have six.

BOX SCORES Arizona State @ Ivy
Game #: 1623, (GAME LOG) , Friday, 10/8/2006

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Arizona State 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 13 1
Ivy 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 10 1



Arizona State AB R H RBI BB K AVG HR RBI
P. Listach SS 5 1 2 0 0 0 .533 1 3
H. Brooks DH 5 1 2 1 0 0 .429 1 4
B. Horner 3B,1B 5 0 2 0 0 0 .400 0 2
O. McDowell CF 5 0 0 0 0 2 .214 1 1
B. Bonds LF 4 0 1 1 0 0 .167 0 1
M. Devereaux LF 1 0 1 0 0 0 .500 0 0
B. Wills 2B 5 1 3 0 0 0 .429 0 0
R. Jackson RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 .083 0 0
M. Colbern C 4 0 1 0 0 0 .364 0 3
G. Rajsich 1B 1 0 0 0 1 0 .222 0 0
L. Medina 1B 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000 0 0
M. Kelly 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
S. Bando 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
Totals 42 3 13 2 1 3

BATTING
Doubles: H. Brooks (1, 7th inning off Musselman, 0 on, 0 out.)
Runs Batted In: H. Brooks (4), B. Bonds (1)
Stolen Bases: P. Listach (1)
Sacrifice Hits: R. Jackson (1)

FIELDING
Errors: B. Horner


Ivy AB R H RBI BB K AVG HR RBI
S. Yerkes 2B 4 0 1 0 0 1 .286 0 0
M. Berg PH 1 0 1 1 0 0 .200 0 3
H. Jennings SS 4 1 1 0 0 0 .267 0 1
L. Gehrig 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 1
S. Mele RF 4 2 2 2 0 0 .385 1 2
R. Thomas CF 4 0 1 0 0 2 .300 0 2
G. Larkin DH 4 0 1 1 0 1 .143 0 1
R. Rolfe 3B 4 1 1 0 0 0 .375 0 2
D. Glanville LF 2 0 0 0 0 0 .125 0 1
E. Grant PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
B. Almon LF 1 0 0 0 0 1 .286 0 1
B. Ausmus C 4 0 2 0 0 2 .583 1 7
Totals 37 4 10 4 0 7

BATTING
Homeruns: S. Mele (1, 1st inning off Moskau, 1 on, 2 out.)
Runs Batted In: M. Berg (3), S. Mele 2 (2), G. Larkin (1)
Caught Stealing: S. Mele (1)

FIELDING
Errors: R. Rolfe


Arizona State IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA RECORD
P. Moskau 6 6 3 3 0 3 1 77 56 4.50
L. Gura 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 5.40
C. Swan 1.2 1 0 0 0 1 0 18 12 0.00
E. Vande Berg L 1.2 3 1 1 0 3 0 31 19 3.38 0-1

PITCHING
Batters Faced: P. Moskau 24, L. Gura 1, C. Swan 4, E. Vande Berg 8
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: P. Moskau 3-12, L. Gura 0-0, C. Swan 1-1, E. Vande Berg 1-1
Game Score: P. Moskau 51


Ivy IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA RECORD
R. Darling 5.1 9 3 2 1 1 0 86 55 3.38
J. Musselman 1.2 1 0 0 0 1 0 17 11 0.00
J. Milligan 2.2 3 0 0 0 1 0 42 19 0.00
C. Young W 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 3 6.75 1-0

PITCHING
Batters Faced: R. Darling 26, J. Musselman 6, J. Milligan 12, C. Young 1
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: R. Darling 8-7, J. Musselman 2-2, J. Milligan 3-4, C. Young 0-1
Game Score: R. Darling 40


GAME INFO
Time: 3:41
Attendance: 44955 (45000) at Eagles Nest Park
Weather: Clear skies (58 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 10 mph
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Sam Mele

[batted balls]

Bristol, Conn.--Nearly every move Ivy manager Bob Seddon made during the College World Series worked. Saturday as no exception.

Seddon called upon Red Rolfe to pinch hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. Rolfe greeted Arizona State reliever Sean Lowe by drilling an opposite field grand slam. The home run allowed Ivy to overcome a 2-0 deficit and propeled the Eagles to a 5-2 victory and a CWS sweep of the Sun Devils.

"I was looking to just hit the ball hard somewhere," said Rolfe. "He left a breaking ball over the outer half of the plate. I drilled it."

The grand slam was yet another sour note for Lowe. The Arizona State right-hander allowed an incredible five hits and two walks to the eight hitters he faced in three CWS games. His post-season ERA was an astronomical 108.11. Lowe gave up a three-run homer to Brad Ausmus in the eighth inning of game two.

"This was all a nightmare for me," Lowe said. "I let my teammates down yet again."

Many will criticize Arizona State manager Bobby Winkles for using Lowe in such a key moment of Saturday's game. Yet, the Sun Devil manager defended his choice.

"Sean Lowe is one of the reasons we were here," Winkles said. "I would go to him again if there was a similiar situation."

The Sun Devils built a 2-0 in game four by scoring single runs in the third and fifth innings. Hubie Brooks, getting a rare start at third base, doubled home Pat Listach with two outs to begin the scoring. Bob Horner, the Sun Devils' top run producer during the regular season, singled home the second run in the fifth off Ivy starter Ted Olson. Arizona State nearly added to its lead as Reggie Jackson, reinstated as the Sun Devil cleanup hitter, lined a drive into left-center field with Listach and Horner on base. However, Ivy left fielder Doug Glanville made an inning-ending sliding catch.

"Doug's play was big time," said Seddon. "It kept us in the game."

Meanwhile, Arizona State starter Floyd Bannister was sailing along. The left-hander entered the eighth inning with a two-hitter intact. However, Bannister issued a lead-off walk to Tom Upton, a bench player Seddon gave a start at short stop for the potential Series clincher.

"Tom is another guy who deserved to be a part of this," Seddon said. "He got the inning going by working the count and drawing the base on balls."

Glanville, the No. 9 hitter, and lead-off man Hughie Jennings followed with solid singles to load the bases. Winkles then lifted Bannister (88 pitches) in favor of Lowe. With right-handed hitting Steve Yerkes due up, Seddon selected the left-handed hitting Rolfe from his bench.

"The rest is history as they say," said Winkles.

After giving up the grand slam to Rolfe, Lowe retired his only hitter of the CWS as Sam Mele grounded out. Lou Gehrig, hitless until game four, then clouted a 448-foot home run to provide the final margin of victory.

Winning Pitcher: Bob Tufts (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Floyd Bannister (0-1)
Save: Dick Sisler (3)

Game Four Notes: Brad Ausmus was named Series MVP. The Ivy catcher reached base in all four CWS games. He hit .500 with one home run, a stolen bases and seven RBIs . . . Dick Sisler recorded three Series saves for the Eagles . . . Pat Listach was the top Arizona State hitter by batting .500 with a homer, a stolen base and three RBIs . . . Hubie Brooks led the Sun Devils in RBIs with five . . . Red Rolfe drove home six runs for Ivy despite making just two CWS starts at third base . . . Arizona State manager Bobby Winkles shook up his lineup for game four. Winkles put his regular DH (Brooks) at third, moved his normal third baseman (Bob Horner) to first and put right-handed hitting Mike Devereaux into the DH slot. Reggie Jackson, despite batting just .083 going into the game, was reinstated as the Sun Devils' cleanup hitter. Jackson went 0-for-4 in the final contest. Arizona State No. 4 hitters were 0-for-17 in the CWS . . . the game was delayed 51 minutes by rain in the third inning.

BOX SCORES Arizona State @ Ivy
Game #: 1624, (GAME LOG) , Saturday, 10/9/2006


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Arizona State 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 8 0
Ivy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 X 5 7 1


Arizona State AB R H RBI BB K AVG HR RBI
P. Listach SS 5 1 2 0 0 1 .500 1 3
H. Brooks 3B 5 0 1 1 0 2 .368 1 5
B. Horner 1B 4 0 2 1 0 0 .421 0 3
R. Jackson RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 .063 0 0
B. Wills 2B 4 0 0 0 0 1 .333 0 0
O. McDowell CF 3 0 1 0 1 1 .235 1 1
R. Monday LF 3 0 0 0 0 0 .182 0 0
D. Hill PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0
B. Bonds LF 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167 0 1
M. Colbern C 2 0 0 0 1 0 .308 0 3
M. Kelly PH 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 0 0
M. Devereaux DH 4 1 2 0 0 0 .500 0 0
Totals 35 2 8 2 3 5

BATTING
Doubles: H. Brooks (2, 3rd inning off Olson, 1 on, 2 out.) O. McDowell (2, 4th inning off Olson, 0 on, 2 out.)
Runs Batted In: H. Brooks (5), B. Horner (3)


Ivy AB R H RBI BB K AVG HR RBI
H. Jennings 3B,SS 4 1 1 0 0 0 .263 0 1
S. Yerkes 2B 3 0 0 0 0 1 .235 0 0
R. Rolfe 3B 1 1 1 4 0 0 .444 1 6
S. Mele RF 4 0 1 0 0 0 .353 1 2
L. Gehrig 1B 4 1 2 1 0 0 .133 1 2
R. Thomas CF 4 0 0 0 0 1 .214 0 2
B. Almon DH 4 0 1 0 0 1 .273 0 1
B. Ausmus C 2 0 0 0 1 1 .500 1 7
T. Upton SS 2 1 0 0 1 0 .000 0 0
E. Collins 2B 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0
D. Glanville LF 3 1 1 0 0 1 .182 0 1
Totals 31 5 7 5 2 5

BATTING
Homeruns: R. Rolfe (1, 8th inning off Lowe, 3 on, 0 out.) L. Gehrig (1, 8th inning off Lowe, 0 on, 1 out.)
Runs Batted In: R. Rolfe 4 (6), L. Gehrig (2)

FIELDING
Errors: T. Upton


Arizona State IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA RECORD
F. Bannister L 7 5 3 3 2 4 0 88 52 5.06 0-1
S. Lowe 0.1 2 2 2 0 0 2 10 5 108.11
L. Gura 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 5 3.86

PITCHING
Batters Faced: F. Bannister 28, S. Lowe 3, L. Gura 2
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: F. Bannister 9-8, S. Lowe 1-0, L. Gura 0-1
Game Score: F. Bannister 57


Ivy IP H R ER BB K HR PI PS ERA RECORD
T. Olson 6.2 7 2 2 2 4 0 99 56 4.82
B. Tufts W 1.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 13 7 0.00 1-0
D. Sisler S 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 12 5 0.00 3 SV

PITCHING
Batters Faced: T. Olson 30, B. Tufts 4, D. Sisler 4
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: T. Olson 13-4, B. Tufts 2-1, D. Sisler 1-1
Game Score: T. Olson 54


GAME INFO
Time: 2:58
Attendance: 44970 (45000) at Eagles Nest Park
Weather: Rain (56 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 10 mph
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Red Rolfe (shown below)

[batted balls]

Max Mercy, Jr. here again, folks . . .

Those of you ready to blame Arizona State manager Bobby Winkles for the Sun Devils' putrid performance in the recent College World Series had better point your focus in many different directions.

Sure, this is the guy who gave way too many chances to Sean Lowe. Sure, some of his game decisions and lineup tinkering may have been a little questionable. But tell me why everyone wants to blame the manager in the face of failure? Don't the players have a big hand in the losing?

Let's examine the evidence: While many of the Sun Devils swung their bats well in the CWS (eg. Pat Listach, Hubie Brooks, Bob Horner, Mike Colbern), so many more were just plain awful. Let's run down the numbers: Reggie Jackson (.063), Barry Bonds (.167), Rick Monday (.182), Gary Rajsich (.222) and Oddibe McDowell (.235).

How about that atrocious defense? It virtually gave away game one. Game two wasn't all that much better. Bob Horner made errors at such key times that Winkles felt compelled to move him across the diamond from third to first for game four. That meant putting iron glove Hubie Brooks at the hot corner. ASU's defense was so bad it made France's Maginot Line look like the '85 Chicago Bears.

The starting pitching wasn't exactly stellar either. Sure, Floyd Bannister pitched well in game four but his Series-opening performance was lousy. Eddie Bane and Paul Moskau didn't exactly such down Ivy in games two and three. The bullpen just wasn't there at all. In fact, take away usual starters Gary Gentry and Craig Swan and what's left is a big pile of dirt.

So before you bemoan Bobby Winkles and point your finger in his direction, take a good long look at the players. After all, they're the ones who truly performed like Devils.

This is Max Mercy, Jr. signing off for the season . . . see you next spring.

[molarmite]

Great year. I hope you do another season of this. Those Gophers are getting pretty good.

[batted balls]

Illinois right-hander Carl Lundgren edged Miami's Alex Fernandez for the All-American Baseball League East Golden Arm Award.

Lundgren posted a 21-7 record with an East-leading 1.81 ERA. Lundgren pitched four complete games and three shutouts for the Illini. The right-hander struck out 101 batters while walking just 60 in 253 innings.

"Winning the Golden Arm is a great honor," said Lundgren. "Hopefully I can be just as effective next season."

Lundgren won nine of his last 10 decisions. He posted a 10-2 record in road games.

Fernandez, meanwhile, led the East in victories with a 22-6 record. The Miami right-hander's ERA was 2.79. Fernandez struck out 155 batters while walking 81 in 242.1 innings.

"I pitched well this season, especially in the second half," said Fernandez. "Maybe next year I can win the Golden Arm along with winning the East pennant."

Miami, 100-62, finished second to AABL champion Ivy. The Hurricanes wound up four games behind the Eagles. Illinois, 93-69 , took third place.

Pete Broberg of Ivy placed third in the Golden Arm voting. Broberg was 20-11 with a 2.60 ERA.

[batted balls]

Southern California right-hander Mark Prior easily won the All-American Baseball League West Golden Arm award.

Prior led the entire AABL with 23 wins. The right-hander, who posted a 23-8 record win 37 starts, struck out a league-high 288 batters in just 243 innings. Prior walked just 88 hitters while opponents hit just .184 against him. His 2.41 ERA was second only to Arizona State's Paul Moskau (2.35).

"This award means a great deal to me," said Prior. "I could not have done it without my teammates."

Prior, 11-2 at home, finished well ahead of award runner-up Oval Overall of Cal. Overall was 20-9 with a 2.42 ERA, good for third best in the AABL West.

Barry Zito, Prior's teammate at USC, placed third in the voting. The left-handed Zito was 19-7 with a 2.67 ERA.

[batted balls]

Lou Gehrig of All-American Baseball League champion Ivy was named the East Golden Spikes Award winner.

The Eagle first baseman led numerous AABL East offensive categories en route to the Golden Spikes, which honors the Most Valuable Player. Gehrig was the East leader in home runs (21), doubles (42), stolen bases (16), slugging (.512) and OPS (.907). In addition, Gehrig was second in runs scored (110) and RBIs (115). His .304 average was sixth among East leaders.

"This is an award is the icing on the cake (after winning the College World Series)," Gehrig said. "However, my teammates are a big part of it. Sam (Mele) just as easily could have won the award."

Mele, the Eagles' All-Star right fielder, finished second in the balloting. Mele won the East batting title with a .322 average. He also led the East with 117 RBIs.

Will Clark of Mississippi State was third in the voting. Clark's .320 average was second only to Mele. Clark hit 15 homers, drove in 85 runs and recorded an OPS of 8.61 (third best in the East).

[batted balls]

Mark McGwire of Southern California took home the All-American Baseball League West Golden Spikes Award as the division's top player.

McGwire put up monster numbers to lead the potent Trojan offense. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound All-Star led the West in home runs (54), RBIs (145) and slugging (.626). McGwire bashed 80 extra-base hits and collected 357 total bases. The USC first baseman was second in OPS (1.031), third in runs scored (115), eighth in batting (.296) and ninth in base on balls (101).

"This will look great on my mantle, but I'd gladly trade it to play in the College World Series," said McGwire.

USC took both major West awards as Mark Prior, McGwire's teammate, won the Golden Arm.

Bob Hamelin of UCLA was second in the West Golden Spikes voting. Hamelin led the West in OPS (1.077) and runs scored (129). He was second to McGwire in homers (46) and RBIs (143).

Bob Horner of West champion Arizona State took third in the balloting.

[batted balls]

The All-American Baseball League's East Gold Glove team has a definite Southern influence. Florida State placed two players from its infield and a pair of Mississippi State outfielders made the list.

Short stop Dick Howser and third baseman Jody Reed were the two Seminoles selected.

"Any time a ball was hit to the left side of our infield we felt pretty confident," said Florida State manager Mike Martin.

Meanwhile, center fielder Del Unser and right fielder Adam Piatt represented the Bulldogs.

"Defense is a big part of the game, and those both Del and Adam are excellent outfielders," said Mississippi State manager Ron Polk.

Below is a complete list of the East Gold Glove recipients:

P-Jim Burton, Michigan
C-Brad Ausmus, Ivy
1B-Dan Masteller, Michigan State
2B-Warren Morris, LSU
SS-Dick Howser, Florida State (shown below)
3B-Jody Reed, Florida State
LF-Hal Morris, Michigan
CF-Del Unser, Mississippi State
RF-Adam Piatt, Mississippi State

[batted balls]

It was a miserable season for San Diego State. Losers of 118 games, the Aztecs had little to cheer about. But with the announcement of the All-American Baseball League West Gold Glove team, San Diego State fans suddenly have something to smile about.

First baseman Mark Grace and second baseman Pete Coscarart were selected as Gold Glovers, honoring them for their fielding excellence.

"It's a real honor to win this award," Grace said. "To me, playing good defense is just a satisfying as getting a hit."

Grace knows a little about hitting; he finished third in the West batting race with a .317 average.

"He knows a little about playing defense too," said Coscarart. "He really helped me out this season."

The West Gold Glove team is listed below:

P-Bill "Bugs" Werle, Cal
C-Mickey Tettleton, Oklahoma State
1B-Mark Grace, San Diego State
2B-Pete Coscarat, San Diego State
SS-Shane Turner, Cal State Fullerton (shown below)
3B-Grady Hatton, Texas
LF-Pete Laydon, Texas
CF-Oddibe McDowell, Arizona State
RF-Dave Stegman, Arizona

[batted balls]

The following begins a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Michigan State Spartans
AABL East, 58-104, 10th place

The Good: Dan Masteller won the East Gold Glove at first base. Masteller, who also led the Spartans in runs scored, fielded .995 with a 12.01 range factor.

The Bat: Center fielder Rick Miller led the team in average (.265), RBIs (55) and OPS (.663).

The Ugly: Michigan State ranked dead last in the AABL in team average (.196), home runs (55) and runs scored (389). The Spartans were shut out a league-high 30 times!

Team MVP: Dick Radatz, Closer (shown below). The Spartans' lone All-Star selection saved 28 saves. Radatz--nicknamed "The Monster"--posted a 1.19 ERA while striking out 77 batters in just 68.1 innings.

Michigan State Spartans Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: John Kobs
Record: 58 Wins, 104 Losses, .358 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 29 Wins, 52 Losses
Away Record: 29 Wins, 52 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 28 Wins, 33 Losses
X-Innings Record: 9 Wins, 13 Losses
Record vs LHP: 21 Wins, 27 Losses
Record vs RHP: 37 Wins, 77 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .196 (20th)
Homeruns: 55 (20th)
Walks: 403 (19th)
Stolen Bases: 0 (T-18th)
Runs Scored: 389 (20th)

Pitching ERA: 3.35 (12th)
Opponents AVG: .242 (12th)
HRs Allowed: 90 (9th)
Walks Allowed: 569 (17th)
Runs Allowed: 623 (14th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Bruce Look 25 C 6/9/1981 Left Right .230 4 32 0 .589
Tom Yewcic 47 C 5/9/1981 Right Right .167 0 9 0 .441
Ron Pruitt 61 C 10/21/1982 Right Right .222 0 2 0 .562
INFIELDER
Dan Masteller 16 1B 3/17/1979 Left Left .184 3 31 0 .468
Steve Garvey 6 3B 12/22/1984 Right Right .219 4 51 0 .533
Nick Picciuto 7 2B 8/27/1982 Right Right .151 4 20 0 .414
Irv Bartling 12 SS 6/27/1982 Right Right .173 7 38 0 .470
OUTFIELDER
Dick Billings 8 LF 12/4/1980 Right Right .203 10 51 0 .568
Rick Miller 3 RF 4/19/1983 Left Left .265 9 55 0 .663
Kirk Gibson 23 LF 5/28/1984 Left Left .193 10 35 0 .562
Rob Ellis 5 CF 7/3/1985 Right Right .155 4 33 0 .424
Dean Look 26 LF 7/23/1982 Right Right .158 0 1 0 .371
Bill Stewart 63 LF 4/15/1979 Right Right .210 0 6 0 .515
Al Luplow 27 RF 3/13/1984 Left Right .224 0 6 0 .572

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Ron Perranoski 16 SP 4/1/1981 Left Left 2.93 8 17 0 1.34
Ed Hobaugh 18 SP 6/27/1979 Right Right 2.87 6 18 0 1.23
Ed Pinnance 58 SP 10/22/1982 Left Right 3.36 10 13 0 1.25
Mark Mulder 20 SP 8/5/1983 Left Left 2.68 10 8 2 1.16
Robin Roberts 36 SP 9/30/1984 Both Right 4.67 5 22 0 1.46
RELIEVERS
Dick Radatz 17 CL 4/2/1981 Right Right 1.19 1 4 28 1.02
Tim Crabtree 37 MR 10/13/1980 Right Right 3.19 5 5 4 1.23
Tim Birtsas 49 MR 9/5/1981 Left Left 3.02 2 2 3 1.47
John Leister 1 MR 1/3/1980 Right Right 3.69 5 7 1 1.39
Mel Behney 93 MR 9/2/1983 Left Left 3.32 0 3 2 1.21
Don Gross 31 MR 6/30/1982 Left Left 4.08 2 3 1 1.33
Jerry Byrne 91 MR 2/2/1984 Right Right 6.08 3 1 0 1.88
Jack Kralick 3 MR 6/1/1982 Left Left 6.83 1 1 1 1.59
Larry Pashnick 41 MR 4/25/1980 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0 0.39
Rick Kreuger 25 MR 11/3/1979 Right Left 0.00 0 0 0
Larry Foster 50 MR 12/24/1980 Left Right 0.00 0 0 0
George Smith 97 MR 5/31/1985 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Bub Kuhn 20 MR 10/12/1981 Left Right 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 2 of a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Minnesota Golden Gophers
AABL East, 64-98, 9th place

The Good: Minnesota ran up a season-high nine game winning streak in September. The Golden Gophers swept series from second-place Miami, first-place Ivy and struggling LSU. The win string got Minnesota out of the AABL East basement.

The Bat: Infielder Brent Gates hit .314 in September to post decent final numbers for a middle infielder: team highs in both average (.287) and OPS (.745) along with eight homers and 51 RBIs.

The Ugly: Despite swatting 14 home runs and knocking in 53 runs, short stop Jerry Kindall batted just .192 and committed 30 errors for the Golden Gophers.

Team MVP: Brent Gates, Second Base (shown below). Gates (.287-8-51) scored 59 runs and drew a team-high 69 walks.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Dick Siebert
Record: 64 Wins, 98 Losses, .395 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 32 Wins, 49 Losses
Away Record: 32 Wins, 49 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 23 Wins, 31 Losses
X-Innings Record: 10 Wins, 14 Losses
Record vs LHP: 16 Wins, 25 Losses
Record vs RHP: 48 Wins, 73 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .224 (17th)
Homeruns: 60 (18th)
Walks: 432 (18th)
Stolen Bases: 1 (T-15th)
Runs Scored: 490 (17th)

Pitching ERA: 3.32 (11th)
Opponents AVG: .249 (18th)
HRs Allowed: 84 (5th)
Walks Allowed: 513 (13th)
Runs Allowed: 621 (13th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Dan Wilson 6 C 3/25/1983 Right Right .282 7 42 0 .699
Mike Sadek 44 C 5/30/1979 Right Right .128 1 8 0 .414
Terry Steinbach 19 C 3/2/1982 Right Right .200 0 1 0 .700
Tim McIntosh 3 C 3/21/1981 Right Right .125 0 0 0 .301
INFIELDER
Brent Gates 8 2B 3/14/1983 Both Right .287 8 51 0 .745
Paul Molitor 4 2B 8/22/1984 Right Right .269 5 66 0 .662
Jerry Kindall 16 SS 5/27/1985 Right Right .192 14 53 0 .540
Bobby Fenwick 69 2B 12/10/1980 Right Right .211 3 35 0 .549
Robb Quinlan 32 2B 11/24/1980 Right Right .167 4 26 0 .483
George Thomas 24 3B 11/29/1986 Right Right .162 0 30 0 .404
OUTFIELDER
Dave Winfield 31 LF 10/3/1984 Right Right .225 8 48 0 .597
Harry Elliott 10 LF 12/30/1976 Right Right .222 7 54 0 .557
J.T. Bruett 26 RF 10/8/1981 Left Left .226 3 32 0 .565

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Bryan Hickerson 41 SP 10/13/1978 Left Left 2.87 8 15 0 1.14
Steve Comer 11 SP 1/13/1982 Both Right 2.57 10 12 0 1.21
Denny Neagle 15 SP 9/13/1983 Left Left 3.13 7 13 0 1.22
Brian Denman 31 SP 2/12/1980 Right Right 3.36 8 12 0 1.42
Jim Brower 50 SP 12/29/1979 Right Right 3.33 5 10 0 1.19
RELIEVERS
Gregg Olson 30 CL 10/11/1983 Right Right 3.68 7 12 20 1.18
Kerry Ligtenberg 46 MR 5/11/1980 Right Right 2.38 5 8 3 1.13
Jeff Schmidt 37 MR 2/21/1981 Right Right 3.99 7 5 4 1.53
Jerry Ujdur 21 MR 3/5/1983 Right Right 4.77 2 3 2 1.45
Bill Davis 12 MR 6/6/1983 Left Left 3.34 1 2 2 1.69
Fred Bruckbauer 15 MR 5/27/1983 Right Right 3.44 1 3 2 1.25
Frank Brosseau 96 MR 7/31/1981 Right Right 5.61 1 0 1 1.93
Ralph Capron 14 MR 6/16/1983 Left Right 11.88 2 3 0 3.06

[batted balls]

The following is No. 3 of a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
AABL East, 68-94, 8th Place

The Good: Pitchers Norwood Gibson (2.01) and Ed Reulbach (2.48) ranked fourth and 10th among East ERA leaders.

The Bat: Third baseman Cap Anson finished fourth among East batting leaders at .312. He was tied for second in triples with 10 while his 196 hits was third best. Anson struck out just 12 times in 696 plate appearances.

The Ugly: The Irish didn't put up much of a fight in September and October. Notre Dame was just 8-20 during that span and wound up in eighth place.

Team MVP: Cap Anson, Third Base (shown below). The All-Star starter posted an OPS of .761 while ranking 12th in walks (61) and 15th in runs scored (71).

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Pat Murphy
Record: 68 Wins, 94 Losses, .420 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 34 Wins, 47 Losses
Away Record: 34 Wins, 47 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 25 Wins, 24 Losses
X-Innings Record: 9 Wins, 9 Losses
Record vs LHP: 21 Wins, 29 Losses
Record vs RHP: 47 Wins, 65 Losses
Fan Interest: 0/100 (T-17th)
Batting AVG: .216 (19th)
Homeruns: 72 (15th)
Walks: 450 (14th)
Stolen Bases: 8 (13th)
Runs Scored: 463 (19th)

Pitching ERA: 2.76 (4th)
Opponents AVG: .248 (15th)
HRs Allowed: 52 (1st)
Walks Allowed: 422 (3rd)
Runs Allowed: 545 (6th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Peaches O'Neill 12 C 8/30/1981 Right Right .224 1 3 0 .529
Clem Clemens 15 C 11/21/1978 Right Right .140 2 38 0 .406
INFIELDER
Cap Anson 1 3B 4/11/1982 Right Right .312 3 50 1 .761
Billy Reed 6 2B 11/12/1976 Left Right .197 8 55 2 .545
Craig Counsell 4 SS 8/21/1981 Left Right .194 5 24 0 .554
Tom Carroll 11 SS 9/17/1987 Right Right .157 0 12 0 .399
Rupert Mills 34 1B 10/12/1983 Right Right .147 7 30 1 .397
OUTFIELDER
Red Murray 7 RF 3/4/1984 Right Right .267 15 67 2 .702
Carl Yastrzemski 8 LF 8/22/1984 Left Right .269 12 66 0 .741
Cy Williams 14 CF 12/21/1981 Left Left .233 10 39 0 .613
Dan Peltier 17 RF 6/30/1982 Left Left .177 6 39 0 .485
Shaun Fitzmaurice 5 CF 8/25/1982 Right Right .195 0 3 1 .514
Jackie Mayo 13 LF 7/26/1983 Left Right .265 3 11 0 .783
Paul Schramka 22 LF 3/22/1981 Left Left .233 0 4 0 .565
Louis Sockalexis 48 LF 10/24/1985 Left Right .182 0 1 1 .416

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Ed Reulbach 20 SP 12/1/1983 Right Right 2.48 12 15 0 1.19
Norwood Gibson 21 SP 3/11/1980 Right Right 2.01 12 16 0 1.19
Herb Kelly 22 SP 6/4/1984 Left Left 2.97 9 14 0 1.27
Dick Rusteck 40 SP 7/12/1981 Right Left 2.70 11 13 0 1.14
Ron Reed 42 SP 11/2/1982 Right Right 3.33 9 12 0 1.26
RELIEVERS
Bill Lathrop 39 MR 8/12/1984 Right Right 3.13 3 7 6 1.31
Brad Lidge 54 MR 12/23/1980 Right Right 3.29 3 4 6 1.35
Jim Hannan 24 CL 1/7/1984 Right Right 2.97 4 6 24 1.66
Ed Lagger 99 MR 7/14/1984 Right Right 2.11 3 2 2 1.04
Lou Bevil 44 MR 11/27/1986 Both Right 2.00 2 0 0 0.67
Chris Michalak 81 MR 1/4/1979 Left Left 4.97 0 0 0 1.11
Dan McGinn 96 MR 11/29/1981 Left Left 0.00 0 1 0
Ed Hanyzewski 45 MR 9/18/1984 Right Right 4.43 0 1 0 1.13
Frank Scanlan 27 MR 4/28/1987 Left Left 6.75 0 0 0 2.25
Frank Carpin 60 MR 9/14/1979 Left Left 3.00 0 3 0 1.42
Jim Brady 33 MR 3/2/1986 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0
Tommy Shields 65 MR 8/14/1978 Left Right 0.00 0 0 0
Christian Parker 59 MR 7/3/1980 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Dick Thoenen 61 MR 1/9/1983 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Bill Sullivan 72 MR 7/4/1988 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Aaron Heilman 48 MR 3/10/1988 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Bill Froats 16 MR 10/20/1981 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 4 of a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Louisiana State Tigers
AABL East, 70-92, 7th Place

The Good: Opponents hit just .231 off LSU pitchers. That mark was third best in the AABL.

The Bat: Warren Morris led the Tigers in triples (7), home runs (16), walks (64), RBIs (78), runs scored (81), on-base percentage (.356), slugging (.427) and OPS (.776).

The Ugly: While opponents didn't hit much against LSU, Tiger pitchers issued 542 walks (sixth worst in AABL) which led to 651 runs being scored against them (only three teams gave up more).

Team MVP: Warren Morris, second base (shown below). The East's All-Star starter at the keystone, Morris batted a robust .409 in June.

Louisiana State Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Skip Bertram
Record: 70 Wins, 92 Losses, .432 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 40 Wins, 41 Losses
Away Record: 30 Wins, 51 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 27 Wins, 34 Losses
X-Innings Record: 7 Wins, 17 Losses
Record vs LHP: 24 Wins, 21 Losses
Record vs RHP: 46 Wins, 71 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .240 (11th)
Homeruns: 93 (13th)
Walks: 433 (17th)
Stolen Bases: 0 (18th)
Runs Scored: 544 (13th)

Pitching ERA: 3.40 (14th)
Opponents AVG: .231 (3rd)
HRs Allowed: 110 (12th)
Walks Allowed: 542 (14th)
Runs Allowed: 651 (17th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Keith Osik 15 C 10/22/1978 Right Right .237 12 39 0 .635
Jack Wallace 21 C 8/6/1981 Right Right .113 0 1 0 .315
INFIELDER
Warren Morris 30 2B 1/11/1981 Left Right .281 16 78 0 .783
Buddy Blair 80 3B 9/10/1974 Left Right .267 8 74 0 .697
Al Baird 8 SS 6/2/1984 Right Right .242 6 31 0 .600
Russ Johnson 2 3B 2/22/1982 Right Right .270 9 45 0 .683
Aaron Hill 22 SS 3/21/1982 Right Right .211 0 1 0 .596
Todd Walker 12 3B 5/25/1983 Left Right .262 7 51 0 .659
Alvin Dark 3 SS 1/7/1982 Right Right .145 0 4 0 .355
Mike Miley 25 SS 3/30/1984 Both Right .400 0 0 0 1.000
Brandon Larson 17 3B 5/24/1981 Right Right .200 1 1 0 .700
Jeff Reboulet 32 SS 4/30/1985 Right Right .128 1 11 0 .352
Jim Bowie 20 1B 2/17/1977 Left Left .000 0 0 0 .111
OUTFIELDER
Joe Adcock 9 LF 10/30/1983 Right Right .290 11 65 0 .757
Lyle Mouton 28 RF 5/13/1980 Right Right .225 8 50 0 .605
Bama Rowell 26 CF 1/13/1983 Left Right .208 9 45 0 .581
Albert Belle 8 RF 8/25/1983 Right Right .194 5 28 0 .539
Armando Rios 1 LF 9/13/1979 Left Left .208 0 3 0 .472

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Mike Sirotka 33 SP 5/13/1982 Left Left 2.54 10 11 1 1.15
Mark Guthrie 53 SP 9/22/1982 Right Left 2.83 13 13 0 1.07
Chad Ogea 49 SP 11/9/1982 Right Right 2.94 4 11 30 1.41
Clay Parker 13 SP 12/19/1981 Right Right 4.43 3 7 0 1.39
Eric Hetzel 31 SP 9/25/1980 Right Right 3.98 4 11 0 1.29
RELIEVERS
Paul Byrd 36 MR 12/3/1981 Right Right 2.39 4 6 0 1.01
Ben McDonald 19 MR 11/24/1984 Right Right 2.33 1 4 0 1.17
Rick Greene 56 MR 1/2/1978 Right Right 2.66 7 4 1 1.29
Curt Leskanic 16 MR 4/2/1981 Right Right 5.81 0 3 0 1.39
Barry Manuel 35 MR 8/12/1980 Right Right 3.76 9 9 0 1.31
Russ Springer 37 MR 11/7/1982 Right Right 4.38 8 4 2 1.34
Trey Hodges 57 MR 6/29/1982 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Brian Tallet 30 MR 9/21/1981 Left Left 0.00 0 0 1 1.32
Mark Freeman 46 MR 12/7/1977 Right Right 4.86 7 8 0 1.40
Randy Wiles 28 MR 9/10/1980 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0
Dave Madison 35 MR 2/1/1977 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Red Swanson 28 MR 10/15/1987 Right Right 12.46 0 1 1 2.31
Kurt Ainsworth 18 MR 9/9/1983 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 5 of a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Michigan Wolverines
AABL East, 75-87, 6th Place

The Good: Closer Steve Howe racked up a 9-4 record and 28 saves. The hard-throwing left-hander gave up just one home run in 78 innings.

The Bat: Short stop Barry Larkin led the Wolverines in seven offensive categories including average (.286), hits (182) and home runs (11).

The Ugly: Despite worthy candidates such as Barry Larkin, no Wolverines were named to the East All-Star team.

Team MVP: Barry Larkin, short stop (shown below). Larkin was sixth among East hit leaders and tied for fourth in stolen bases.

Michigan Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Don Lund
Record: 75 Wins, 87 Losses, .463 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 44 Wins, 37 Losses
Away Record: 31 Wins, 50 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 27 Wins, 34 Losses
X-Innings Record: 15 Wins, 14 Losses
Record vs LHP: 15 Wins, 18 Losses
Record vs RHP: 60 Wins, 69 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .226 (16th)
Homeruns: 71 (16th)
Walks: 449 (15th)
Stolen Bases: 11 (10th)
Runs Scored: 519 (16th)

Pitching ERA: 3.40 (15th)
Opponents AVG: .248 (17th)
HRs Allowed: 85 (6th)
Walks Allowed: 429 (4th)
Runs Allowed: 611 (11th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Tom Lundstedt 78 C 4/10/1981 Both Right .211 1 5 0 .567
Mike Matheny 22 C 9/22/1982 Right Right .175 4 29 0 .501
INFIELDER
George Sisler 10 1B 3/24/1984 Left Left .238 5 42 3 .585
Barry Larkin 11 SS 4/28/1984 Right Right .286 11 57 4 .720
Chris Sabo 23 3B 1/19/1980 Right Right .250 5 52 0 .634
Ted Sizemore 23 2B 4/15/1982 Right Right .262 2 33 2 .668
Jim Paciorek 4 1B 6/7/1979 Right Right .228 8 59 0 .593
Elliott Maddox 27 3B 12/21/1983 Right Right .207 9 48 2 .570
Dave Campbell 97 2B 1/14/1980 Right Right .216 0 4 0 .458
Kelly Dransfeldt 32 SS 4/16/1982 Right Right .163 8 26 0 .518
Rick Leach 58 1B 5/4/1982 Left Left .164 1 3 0 .502
Don Eaddy 23 3B 2/16/1981 Right Right .286 0 1 0 .661
OUTFIELDER
Hal Morris 9 LF 4/9/1983 Left Left .196 8 41 0 .552
Brian Simmons 81 CF 9/4/1981 Both Right .205 1 9 0 .514
Elmer Gedeon 16 RF 4/15/1983 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .500
Dick Wakefield 47 RF 5/6/1986 Left Right .125 0 0 0 .277

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Geoff Zahn 38 SP 12/19/1977 Left Left 2.73 13 12 0 1.10
Lary Sorensen 39 SP 10/4/1984 Right Right 3.16 11 13 0 1.20
Steve Ontiveros 53 SP 3/5/1982 Right Right 2.10 3 2 0 0.79
Dick LeMay 23 SP 8/28/1983 Left Left 3.31 9 14 0 1.23
Jim Abbott 25 SP 9/19/1984 Left Left 4.15 4 10 0 1.37
RELIEVERS
Steve Howe 57 CL 3/10/1984 Left Left 2.54 9 4 28 1.12
Rich Hill 53 MR 3/11/1980 Left Left 3.00 0 0 1 1.22
Jim Burton 34 MR 10/27/1980 Right Left 3.99 8 13 1 1.28
Gary Wayne 6 MR 11/30/1979 Left Left 3.80 4 2 7 1.35
J.J. Putz 91 MR 2/22/1977 Right Right 3.00 3 6 4 1.48
Whitey Wistert 7 MR 2/20/1983 Right Right 4.96 3 1 1 1.78
Bill McAfee 22 MR 9/7/1983 Right Right 6.95 3 3 1 1.99
Scott Kamieniecki 30 MR 4/19/1979 Right Right 3.27 3 5 1 1.26

[batted balls]

The following is No. 6 of a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Florida State Seminoles
AABL East, 88-74, 5th Place

The Good: Florida State allowed just 491 runs, the lowest in the AABL. That works out to a 3.03 per game average.

The Bat: Right fielder Mark Gilbert led the Seminoles in nearly every offensive category. The All-Star batted .300 with 12 home runs and 76 RBIs.

The Ugly: First baseman Paul Sorrento batted just .174 with three homers and 30 RBIs, paltry numbers for a power position.

Team MVP: Craig Skok, Closer. This All-Star reliever led the AABL East with 43 saves. Skok (shown below) posted a sparkling 1.59 ERA.

Florida State Seminoles Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Mike Martin
Record: 88 Wins, 74 Losses, .543 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 44 Wins, 37 Losses
Away Record: 44 Wins, 37 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 38 Wins, 20 Losses
X-Innings Record: 7 Wins, 7 Losses
Record vs LHP: 24 Wins, 24 Losses
Record vs RHP: 64 Wins, 50 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .248 (6th)
Homeruns: 68 (17th)
Walks: 478 (10th)
Stolen Bases: 1 (15th)
Runs Scored: 549 (12th)

Pitching ERA: 2.65 (2nd)
Opponents AVG: .230 (2nd)
HRs Allowed: 64 (3rd)
Walks Allowed: 575 (18th)
Runs Allowed: 491 (1st)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Terry Kennedy 16 C 6/4/1983 Left Right .268 7 65 0 .668
Kevin Cash 9 C 12/6/1981 Right Right .275 0 9 0 .670
INFIELDER
Paul Sorrento 11 1B 11/17/1982 Left Right .174 3 30 0 .437
Juan Bonilla 2 2B 2/12/1980 Right Right .281 4 53 0 .674
Jody Reed 94 3B 7/26/1981 Right Right .245 8 43 0 .612
Dick Howser 10 SS 5/14/1981 Right Right .261 4 42 1 .720
Luis Alicea 14 2B 7/29/1983 Both Right .265 0 6 0 .600
Rafael Bournigal 8 SS 5/12/1980 Right Right .258 2 6 0 .684
Eduardo Perez 33 3B 9/11/1982 Right Right .182 3 13 0 .517
Doug Mientkiewicz 5 1B 6/19/1982 Left Right .143 0 3 0 .371
Stephen Drew 19 SS 3/16/1983 Left Right .250 0 0 0 .500
Bien Figueroa 21 SS 2/7/1978 Right Right .208 0 3 0 .505
OUTFIELDER
Mark Gilbert 44 RF 8/22/1977 Both Right .300 12 76 0 .766
J.D. Drew 7 LF 11/20/1983 Left Right .279 7 49 0 .689
Deion Sanders 22 CF 8/9/1984 Left Left .213 9 64 0 .566
Johnny Grubb 1 CF 8/4/1982 Left Right .235 9 54 0 .603
Jeff Ledbetter 4 RF 4/22/1986 Left Left .222 0 1 0 .611
Mike Fuentes 55 LF 11/23/1984 Left Left .000 0 1 0 .000

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
John Wasdin 47 SP 8/5/1983 Right Right 2.48 16 11 0 1.20
Paul Wilson 41 SP 3/28/1983 Right Right 3.29 10 19 0 1.35
Bruce Tanner 31 SP 12/9/1982 Left Right 2.49 15 8 0 1.28
Richie Lewis 24 SP 1/25/1980 Right Right 2.37 14 10 0 1.13
Mike Loynd 46 SP 3/26/1984 Right Right 3.14 12 12 0 1.26
RELIEVERS
Craig Skok 40 CL 9/1/1980 Right Left 1.59 3 4 43 1.06
Mac Scarce 44 MR 4/8/1982 Left Left 2.52 3 3 3 1.46
Rick Langford 43 MR 3/20/1982 Right Right 2.70 7 4 2 1.25
Jeff Gray 17 MR 4/10/1981 Right Right 1.80 4 0 1 1.02
Jeff Tam 28 MR 8/19/1978 Right Right 2.19 2 1 0 1.51
Tim Davis 27 MR 7/14/1982 Left Left 2.70 1 2 3 1.35
Jerry Nielsen 52 MR 8/5/1980 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0 2.25
Chris Brock 36 MR 2/5/1979 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Randy Choate 55 MR 9/5/1981 Left Left 0.00 1 0 0 0.75
Jim Lyttle 39 MR 5/20/1986 Left Right 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 7 of a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Mississippi State Bulldogs
AABL East, 90-72, 4th Place

The Good: Mississippi State's 2.55 team ERA was the lowest in the AABL.

The Bat: First baseman Will Clark finished third in the East Golden Spikes voting. Clark was second in batting (.320) and doubles (41), fourth in hits (186) and RBIs (85), sixth in home runs (15) and 12th in runs scored (73).

The Ugly: Third baseman Bobby "Luke" Etheridge was hit 23 times by pitches to lead the AABL.

Team MVP: Will Clark, First Base. Clark (shown below) was named East Player of the Month twice. He batted a torrid .455 in July.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Ron Polk
Record: 90 Wins, 72 Losses, .556 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 43 Wins, 38 Losses
Away Record: 47 Wins, 34 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 29 Wins, 29 Losses
X-Innings Record: 11 Wins, 11 Losses
Record vs LHP: 32 Wins, 22 Losses
Record vs RHP: 58 Wins, 50 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .242 (9th)
Homeruns: 59 (19th)
Walks: 465 (12th)
Stolen Bases: 9 (12th)
Runs Scored: 596 (9th)

Pitching ERA: 2.55 (1st)
Opponents AVG: .235 (6th)
HRs Allowed: 61 (2nd)
Walks Allowed: 421 (2nd)
Runs Allowed: 506 (2nd)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Fred Walters 26 C 9/4/1973 Right Right .178 5 42 1 .490
Sid Womack 46 C 10/2/1976 Right Right .190 1 8 0 .497
INFIELDER
Will Clark 22 1B 3/13/1984 Left Left .320 15 85 2 .861
Hughie Critz 6 2B 9/17/1982 Right Right .289 5 81 0 .745
Jon Shave 15 SS 11/4/1980 Right Right .210 6 43 2 .555
Alex Grammas 10 SS 4/3/1978 Right Right .274 5 54 4 .684
Bobby Etheridge 17 3B 11/25/1981 Right Right .187 3 43 0 .513
Cecil Bolton 18 1B 2/13/1982 Left Right .121 0 3 0 .373
Buddy Myer 2 SS 3/16/1985 Left Right .167 1 1 0 .501
OUTFIELDER
Adam Piatt 48 RF 2/8/1982 Right Right .286 9 71 0 .702
Rafael Palmeiro 25 LF 9/24/1984 Left Left .272 9 77 0 .688
Del Unser 30 CF 12/9/1982 Left Left .209 0 33 0 .532
Jim Howarth 3 RF 3/7/1982 Left Left .166 0 20 0 .425

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Ken Tatum 19 SP 4/25/1981 Right Right 1.85 11 6 0 1.07
Dave Ferriss 33 SP 12/5/1982 Left Right 2.54 15 14 0 1.09
Jeff Brantley 32 SP 9/5/1981 Right Right 2.69 13 9 0 1.19
Jonathan Papelbon 58 SP 11/23/1980 Right Right 1.45 4 1 0 1.18
Jim Roberts 34 SP 10/13/1977 Right Right 2.75 12 10 0 1.10
RELIEVERS
Bobby Thigpen 37 CL 7/17/1983 Right Right 1.80 5 3 28 1.22
Paul Gregory 38 MR 6/9/1982 Right Right 2.04 2 4 10 1.23
Carlton Loewer 16 MR 9/24/1981 Right Right 2.81 10 8 4 1.39
Matt Ginter 47 MR 12/24/1983 Right Right 2.72 5 0 3 1.11
Bob Myrick 53 MR 10/1/1982 Right Left 2.95 2 6 5 1.15
Ray Roberts 35 MR 8/25/1982 Left Right 3.01 10 10 1 1.30
Homer Spragins 15 MR 11/9/1979 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Willie Mitchell 38 MR 12/1/1986 Right Left 0.00 0 0 0
Ed Chapman 26 MR 11/28/1978 Both Right 4.77 0 0 1 1.76
Jay Powell 50 MR 1/9/1983 Right Right 4.34 1 1 1 1.38
Eric DuBose 61 MR 5/15/1980 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0
Bunny Hearn 27 MR 5/21/1987 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0
Gary Rath 54 MR 1/10/1981 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0
Rags Faircloth 60 MR 8/19/1979 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 8 of a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Illinois Fighting Illini
AABL East, 93-69, 3rd Place

The Good: Starting pitchers Carl Lundgren (1.81) and Fred Beebe (1.92) ranked first and third respectively among East ERA leaders.

The Bat: Short stop Lou Boudreau was second to East leader Lou Gehrig of Ivy with 20 home runs. Boudreau, who batted .256, ranked third with 89 RBIs.

The Ugly: Right fielder George Halas hit just .213 in his 456 at-bats.

Team MVP: Carl Lundgren, Pitcher. Lundgren (shown below) was the East Golden Arm Award winner. He was 21-7 with his league-leading 1.81 ERA.

Illinois Fighting Illini Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Tom Dedin
Record: 93 Wins, 69 Losses, .574 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 50 Wins, 31 Losses
Away Record: 43 Wins, 38 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 27 Wins, 28 Losses
X-Innings Record: 9 Wins, 6 Losses
Record vs LHP: 35 Wins, 17 Losses
Record vs RHP: 58 Wins, 52 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .246 (8th)
Homeruns: 104 (8th)
Walks: 586 (5th)
Stolen Bases: 11 (T-10th)
Runs Scored: 604 (7th)

Pitching ERA: 2.68 (3rd)
Opponents AVG: .235 (7th)
HRs Allowed: 67 (4th)
Walks Allowed: 417 (1st)
Runs Allowed: 522 (4th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Rube Novotney 9 C 8/5/1981 Right Right .262 11 53 1 .687
Jake Stahl 24 C 4/13/1982 Right Right .248 6 46 1 .663
Mark Dalesandro 7 C 5/14/1980 Right Right .245 5 34 0 .694
Tom Haller 12 C 6/23/1982 Left Right .248 5 17 0 .744
Paul Chervinko 45 C 7/28/1979 Right Right .250 0 1 0 .550
John Felske 36 C 5/30/1980 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
INFIELDER
Don Lenhardt 14 1B 10/4/1978 Right Right .215 18 60 1 .745
Herb Plews 25 2B 6/14/1978 Left Right .273 6 71 0 .649
Scott Spiezio 23 3B 9/21/1982 Both Right .259 8 37 1 .661
Lou Boudreau 5 SS 7/17/1984 Right Right .256 20 89 1 .704
Bobby Klaus 6 2B 12/27/1979 Right Right .206 4 44 1 .577
Frank Smykal 35 SS 10/13/1978 Right Right .219 0 8 0 .507
Ed Spiezio 7 3B 10/31/1982 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .125
OUTFIELDER
Hoot Evers 17 CF 2/8/1981 Right Right .277 12 67 5 .752
George Halas 1 RF 2/2/1982 Both Right .213 9 42 0 .603
Gary Kolb 27 LF 3/13/1986 Left Right .283 0 7 0 .620
Bob Burda 3 LF 7/16/1982 Left Left .200 0 9 0 .613
Ethan Blackaby 42 LF 7/24/1984 Left Left .429 0 0 0 .929

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Fred Beebe 35 SP 12/31/1980 Right Right 1.92 16 10 0 1.11
Carl Lundgren 41 SP 2/16/1984 Right Right 1.81 21 7 0 1.21
Jeff Innis 40 SP 7/5/1981 Right Right 2.10 12 11 0 0.92
John Ericks 57 SP 6/16/1978 Right Right 2.83 10 11 0 1.10
Jake Thies 39 SP 4/1/1978 Right Right 3.94 9 10 0 1.24
RELIEVERS
Donn Pall 22 CL 1/11/1980 Right Right 2.23 5 5 34 1.07
Dick Weik 18 MR 11/17/1985 Right Right 3.76 7 2 4 1.43
Howie Judson 50 MR 2/16/1984 Right Right 2.88 5 3 6 1.45
Marv Rotblatt 49 MR 10/18/1985 Both Left 4.68 6 6 5 1.44
Terry Wells 61 MR 9/10/1979 Left Left 3.16 0 1 2 1.15
Lou Possehl 39 MR 4/12/1986 Right Right 5.33 2 2 1 2.30
Sean Mulligan 43 MR 4/25/1980 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0 1.00
Herb Juul 18 MR 2/2/1980 Left Left 0.00 0 1 0
Em Lindbeck 29 MR 8/27/1981 Left Right 0.00 0 0 0
Ken Holtzman 32 MR 11/3/1986 Right Left 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 9 of a 20-part series reviewing the 2006 All-American Baseball League. Each feature will focus on one team. It will include the following sections: The Good (highlighting a team strength), The Bat (highlighting a hitting star) and the Ugly (lowlighting a team shortcoming). It will also include the team Most Valuable Player and a final hitting and pitching statistical report.

Miami Hurricanes
AABL East, 100-62, 2nd Place

The Good: Miami was 55-26 (.679) after the All-Star break.

The Bat: Mid-season call-up Mike Piazza hit .277 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs in just 267 at-bats.

The Ugly: Outfielder Pat Burrell struck out an East-high 167 times in 528 at-bats.

Team MVP: Alex Fernandez, Pitcher. Fernandez (shown below) finished runner-up for the East Golden Arm Award. He was 22-6 with a 2.79 ERA.

Miami Hurricanes Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Ron Fraser
Record: 100 Wins, 62 Losses, .617 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 53 Wins, 28 Losses
Away Record: 47 Wins, 34 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 34 Wins, 26 Losses
X-Innings Record: 12 Wins, 5 Losses
Record vs LHP: 31 Wins, 12 Losses
Record vs RHP: 69 Wins, 50 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .261 (4th)
Homeruns: 108 (7th)
Walks: 516 (9th)
Stolen Bases: 12 (9th)
Runs Scored: 701 (5th)

Pitching ERA: 3.17 (8th)
Opponents AVG: .236 (9th)
HRs Allowed: 87 (7th)
Walks Allowed: 490 (10th)
Runs Allowed: 565 (7th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Mike Piazza 31 C 9/4/1981 Right Right .277 14 51 2 .837
Jorge Fabregas 14 C 3/13/1982 Left Right .305 11 68 0 .790
Nelson Santovenia 2 C 7/27/1980 Right Right .063 0 1 0 .183
INFIELDER
Pat Burrell 5 1B 10/10/1982 Right Right .250 17 67 2 .798
Dave Berg 10 2B 9/3/1978 Right Right .311 7 69 1 .761
Aubrey Huff 21 3B 12/20/1982 Left Right .262 10 66 1 .698
Bobby Hill 42 SS 4/3/1982 Both Right .265 14 58 4 .689
Orlando Gonzalez 4 1B 11/15/1981 Left Left .250 6 45 0 .644
Alex Cora 13 SS 10/18/1983 Left Right .202 2 17 0 .525
Ross Jones 2 SS 1/14/1982 Right Right .095 0 3 0 .313
Jim Maler 33 1B 8/16/1983 Right Right .270 6 50 0 .694
Mike Pagliarulo 12 3B 3/15/1982 Left Right .214 0 10 0 .498
Wayne Krenchicki 33 3B 9/17/1981 Left Right .000 0 0 0 .000
Mike Metcalfe 47 2B 1/2/1981 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
OUTFIELDER
F.P. Santangelo 7 RF 10/24/1978 Both Right .255 9 55 0 .682
Orlando Palmeiro 3 CF 1/19/1980 Left Right .254 5 66 2 .623
Greg Vaughn 23 LF 7/3/1982 Right Right .269 6 35 0 .664
Tony Brewer 6 LF 11/25/1979 Right Right .273 1 3 0 .742
Jason Michaels 22 LF 5/4/1981 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Warren Bogle 68 SP 10/19/1984 Left Left 2.40 20 7 0 0.91
Alex Fernandez 44 SP 8/13/1985 Right Right 2.79 22 6 0 1.17
John Fulgham 58 SP 6/9/1983 Right Right 3.45 16 13 0 1.24
Neal Heaton 37 SP 3/3/1984 Left Left 3.05 11 13 0 1.34
Wade Taylor 48 SP 10/19/1980 Right Right 3.58 8 8 0 1.28
RELIEVERS
Danny Graves 87 CL 8/7/1983 Right Right 4.08 5 4 21 1.19
Oscar Munoz 68 MR 9/25/1980 Right Right 2.05 4 1 20 1.18
Kurt Knudsen 93 MR 2/20/1981 Right Right 3.36 5 4 14 1.51
Gus Gandarillas 87 MR 7/19/1976 Right Right 3.69 2 1 1 1.27
Joe Grahe 89 MR 8/14/1983 Right Right 3.67 4 2 2 1.30
Jay Tessmer 27 MR 12/26/1979 Right Right 4.53 2 2 2 1.59
Mike Armstrong 37 MR 3/7/1980 Right Right 5.23 1 1 0 1.65
Ryan Karp 97 MR 4/5/1981 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0
Danny Rios 79 MR 11/11/1981 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0