College Baseball

[batted balls]

The following is No. 10 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.

Ivy Eagles
AABL East, 104-58, East & AABL Champions

The Good: What could be better than a College World Series sweep?

The Bat: Lou Gehrig powered his way to the East Golden Spikes Award.

The Ugly: Roy Thomas committed an astonishing 21 errors in center field.

Team MVP: Lou Gehrig, First Base. Gehrig (shown below) was good enough to win the East Golden Spikes; how can he not be Ivy's MVP?

Ivy Eagles Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Bob Seddon
Record: 104 Wins, 58 Losses, .642 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 52 Wins, 29 Losses
Away Record: 52 Wins, 29 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 23 Wins, 22 Losses
X-Innings Record: 10 Wins, 3 Losses
Record vs LHP: 37 Wins, 18 Losses
Record vs RHP: 67 Wins, 40 Losses
Fan Interest: 0/100 (17th)
Batting AVG: .278 (2nd)
Homeruns: 99 (9th)
Walks: 651 (3rd)
Stolen Bases: 36 (3rd)
Runs Scored: 806 (4th)

Pitching ERA: 2.87 (5th)
Opponents AVG: .226 (1st)
HRs Allowed: 89 (8th)
Walks Allowed: 485 (8th)
Runs Allowed: 526 (5th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Brad Ausmus 11 C 4/14/1982 Right Right .259 14 64 1 .721
Doc Marshall 44 C 9/22/1977 Right Right .203 4 35 0 .549
INFIELDER
Steve Yerkes 41 2B 5/15/1983 Right Right .291 3 49 3 .741
Hughie Jennings 1 SS 4/2/1984 Right Right .303 6 69 8 .788
Red Rolfe 2 3B 10/17/1980 Left Right .264 11 73 2 .656
Lou Gehrig 4 1B 6/19/1984 Left Left .304 21 115 16 .907
Tom Upton 8 SS 12/29/1982 Right Right .211 2 34 0 .586
Eddie Grant 36 3B 5/21/1982 Left Right .300 1 5 1 .864
Eddie Collins 31 2B 5/2/1987 Left Right .219 0 5 0 .530
Gene Larkin 9 1B 10/24/1981 Both Right .287 2 19 1 .732
Moe Berg 0 2B 3/2/1982 Right Right .294 3 7 0 .853
OUTFIELDER
Roy Thomas 50 CF 3/24/1981 Left Left .318 2 71 3 .866
Sam Mele 14 RF 1/21/1982 Right Right .322 13 117 1 .825
Doug Glanville 6 LF 8/25/1980 Right Right .259 9 52 0 .671
Bill Almon 42 LF 11/21/1984 Right Right .258 7 47 0 .663

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Jim Beattie 45 SP 7/4/1982 Right Right 2.03 19 6 0 1.10
Pete Broberg 40 SP 3/2/1985 Right Right 2.60 20 11 0 1.16
Ron Darling 12 SP 8/19/1983 Right Right 2.47 12 6 0 1.12
Ted Olson 23 SP 8/27/1982 Right Right 3.02 13 8 0 1.02
John Milligan 30 SP 1/22/1982 Right Left 3.64 15 11 0 1.26
RELIEVERS
Dave Sisler 15 CL 10/16/1981 Right Right 2.18 6 3 30 1.37
Bob Tufts 26 MR 11/2/1980 Left Left 2.55 4 4 4 1.19
Mike Remlinger 43 MR 3/23/1981 Left Left 3.38 9 4 7 1.30
Jeff Musselman 38 MR 6/21/1983 Left Left 3.52 1 3 0 1.70
Chris Young 49 MR 7/13/1988 Right Right 1.17 1 0 1 0.78

[batted balls]

The following is No. 11 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.

San Diego State Aztecs
AABL West, 44-118, 10th Place

The Good: Right-handed starter Aaron Harang won three of his last four decisions to give hope for the future.

The Bat: First baseman Mark Grace finished third in the West batting chase with a .317 average. His 168 hits was the sixth best total.

The Ugly: One hundred and eighteen losses and near the bottom of virtually every pitching and hitting category.

Team MVP: Mark Grace, First Base. Grace (shown below) was snubbed for the All-Star Game. Most likely, he'll find his way into the Midsummer Classic in the coming years.

San Diego State Aztecs Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Player/Manager: Tony Gwynn
Record: 44 Wins, 118 Losses, .272 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 23 Wins, 58 Losses
Away Record: 21 Wins, 60 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 17 Wins, 34 Losses
X-Innings Record: 0 Wins, 13 Losses
Record vs LHP: 11 Wins, 38 Losses
Record vs RHP: 33 Wins, 80 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .217 (18th)
Homeruns: 99 (T-9th)
Walks: 445 (16th)
Stolen Bases: 15 (8th)
Runs Scored: 485 (18th)

Pitching ERA: 5.38 (20th)
Opponents AVG: .270 (20th)
HRs Allowed: 186 (20th)
Walks Allowed: 880 (20th)
Runs Allowed: 915 (20th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Earle Brucker 59 C 5/6/1983 Right Right .153 1 27 1 .406
Jason Phillips 18 C 3/22/1979 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
INFIELDER
Travis Lee 16 1B 5/26/1983 Left Left .250 38 98 4 .860
Pete Coscarart 5 2B 6/16/1981 Right Right .166 5 36 1 .445
Bob Meacham 20 SS 8/25/1983 Both Right .204 6 34 4 .544
Al Newman 28 2B 6/30/1981 Both Right .158 4 29 0 .434
Mark Grace 17 1B 6/28/1982 Left Left .317 7 52 2 .816
Graig Nettles 9 3B-OF 8/20/1983 Left Right .224 2 8 0 .771
Jimmie Wilson 41 1B 7/23/1981 Right Right .271 0 6 0 .679
Alex Pelaez 24 1B 4/6/1980 Right Right .188 0 9 0 .463
OUTFIELDER
Dave Robinson 34 LF 5/22/1982 Both Left .285 7 45 1 .740
Tony Gwynn 19 CF 5/9/1984 Left Left .248 13 63 2 .642
Jim Nettles 7 RF 3/2/1983 Left Left .216 12 39 0 .584
Ed Amelung 40 RF 4/13/1981 Left Left .243 4 12 0 .631
Chris Gwynn 23 LF 10/13/1983 Left Left .182 2 10 0 .460
Jeff Davanon 82 LF 12/8/1980 Both Right .194 0 3 0 .459
Jim Rushford 33 RF 3/24/1978 Left Left .100 0 1 0 .200
Jeff Barry 10 LF 9/22/1980 Both Right .000 0 1 0 .250

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Aaron Harang 39 SP 5/9/1982 Right Right 3.49 9 11 0 1.32
RELIEVERS
Dan Murray 48 MR 11/21/1980 Right Right 5.42 1 13 3 1.54
John Andrews 31 MR 2/9/1982 Left Left 4.54 3 12 2 1.51
Mike Couchee 37 MR 12/4/1980 Right Right 4.70 3 9 2 1.60
Jim Campbell 36 MR 6/24/1982 Right Right 5.02 2 8 5 1.92
Justin Brunette 13 MR 10/7/1981 Left Left 4.90 4 11 3 1.62
Jerrod Riggan 51 MR 5/16/1980 Right Right 6.27 2 14 1 1.71
Dave Smith 45 MR 12/17/1985 Right Right 7.96 6 14 6 2.12
Don Shaw 44 MR 2/23/1983 Left Left 4.71 0 9 0 1.31

[batted balls]

The following is No. 12 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.

Cal State Fullerton Titans
AABL West, 71-91, 9th Place

The Good: Right-handed closer Mike Schooler saved 26 saves and posted a 1.74 ERA. Schooler struck out 74 batters in 64 innings.

The Bat: Catcher Dan Whitmer socked a team-leading 15 homers. His 59 RBIs were second only to center fielder Aaron Rowand's 60.

The Ugly: The Titans drew an AABL-low 389 walks. That's just a 2.4 per game average.

Team MVP: Mike Schooler, Closer (shown below). Cal State Fullerton has to figure out a way to get more games to this dominating stopper.

Cal State Fullerton Titans Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Augie Garrido
Record: 71 Wins, 91 Losses, .438 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 33 Wins, 48 Losses
Away Record: 38 Wins, 43 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 21 Wins, 25 Losses
X-Innings Record: 6 Wins, 10 Losses
Record vs LHP: 23 Wins, 24 Losses
Record vs RHP: 48 Wins, 67 Losses
Fan Interest: 0/100 (T-17th)
Batting AVG: .240 (12th)
Homeruns: 88 (14th)
Walks: 389 (20th)
Stolen Bases: 1 (T-15th)
Runs Scored: 525 (15th)

Pitching ERA: 3.29 (9th)
Opponents AVG: .235 (8th)
HRs Allowed: 144 (17th)
Walks Allowed: 480 (7th)
Runs Allowed: 593 (9th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Dan Whitmer 6 C 11/23/1981 Right Right .257 15 59 0 .674
Bret Hemphill 61 C 12/17/1978 Both Right .169 5 19 0 .525
Brent Mayne 36 C 4/19/1984 Left Right .000 0 0 0 .000
Frank Charles 12 C 2/23/1975 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
INFIELDER
Dave Staton 32 1B 4/12/1981 Right Right .270 9 48 0 .675
Jose Mota 15 2B 3/16/1980 Both Right .216 11 49 0 .603
Mike Lamb 13 3B 8/9/1981 Left Right .254 6 47 0 .624
Shane Turner 20 3B 1/8/1981 Left Right .171 6 51 0 .469
Steve Sisco 11 2B 12/2/1975 Right Right .210 2 20 0 .554
Dann Howitt 43 1B 2/13/1981 Left Right .270 1 5 0 .648
Andy Mota 51 2B 3/4/1981 Right Right .000 0 0 0 .000
OUTFIELDER
Aaron Rowand 33 LF 8/29/1982 Right Right .261 9 60 0 .674
Dante Powell 4 CF 8/25/1982 Right Right .270 5 50 0 .649
Andre David 37 RF 5/18/1980 Left Left .261 7 47 1 .661
Phil Nevin 10 LF 1/19/1982 Right Right .217 1 2 0 .705
Jeremy Giambi 7 LF 9/30/1982 Left Left .252 6 32 0 .630
John Fishel 14 RF 11/8/1980 Right Right .203 5 18 0 .553
Kevin Reimer 47 LF 6/28/1982 Left Right .083 0 0 0 .237
Tim Wallach 30 RF 9/14/1983 Right Right .200 0 1 0 .600
John Christensen 44 RF 9/5/1982 Right Right .000 0 0 0 1.000

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Jeff Robinson 49 SP 12/13/1982 Right Right 3.01 10 14 0 1.22
Kirk Saarloos 23 SP 5/23/1983 Right Right 3.25 12 16 0 1.13
Mike Harkey 22 SP 10/25/1984 Right Right 3.21 11 13 0 1.13
Greg Mathews 53 SP 5/17/1982 Right Left 3.65 12 16 0 1.21
Matt Wise 39 SP 11/18/1981 Right Right 3.83 7 12 0 1.37
RELIEVERS
Mike Schooler 40 CL 8/10/1980 Right Right 1.74 4 4 26 0.85
Dan Naulty 29 MR 1/6/1980 Right Right 2.13 4 2 3 1.12
Brandon Duckworth 56 MR 1/23/1981 Both Right 2.67 3 5 4 1.32
Huck Flener 35 MR 2/25/1982 Both Left 2.79 1 4 1 1.24
Chad Cordero 32 MR 10/12/1983 Both Right 3.35 3 2 1 1.27
Adam Johnson 56 MR 7/12/1984 Right Right 3.87 3 2 1 1.48
Brent Billingsley 28 MR 4/19/1982 Left Left 7.72 0 1 0 1.93
Larry Casian 24 MR 10/28/1981 Right Left 5.16 1 0 0 1.18
Dan Boone 50 MR 1/19/1987 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 13 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.

Stanford Cardinal
AABL West, 74-88, 8th Place

The Good: Starting Pitching . . . All five Cardinal starters had ERAs lower than 2.89. Four of the five were ranked in the top 12 of the West leaders.

The Bat: Third baseman Steve Buechele hit 27 homers and drove home 90 runs.

The Ugly: Third baseman Steve Buechele batted just .218; he was one of five Stanford starters who hit less than .250.

Team MVP: Steve Chitren, Closer (shown below). This All-Star saved 33 games, third best in the West.

Stanford Cardinal Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Mark Marquess
Record: 74 Wins, 88 Losses, .457 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 33 Wins, 48 Losses
Away Record: 41 Wins, 40 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 25 Wins, 37 Losses
X-Innings Record: 10 Wins, 10 Losses
Record vs LHP: 24 Wins, 34 Losses
Record vs RHP: 50 Wins, 54 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .241 (10th)
Homeruns: 109 (6th)
Walks: 458 (13th)
Stolen Bases: 24 (5th)
Runs Scored: 542 (14th)

Pitching ERA: 3.02 (7th)
Opponents AVG: .242 (13th)
HRs Allowed: 106 (11th)
Walks Allowed: 491 (11th)
Runs Allowed: 569 (8th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Bob Boone 8 C 11/19/1980 Right Right .261 8 56 1 .673
INFIELDER
Ed Sprague 33 3B 7/25/1982 Right Right .304 12 50 0 .772
Mike Aldrete 23 1B 1/29/1981 Left Left .266 6 42 2 .660
Steve Buechele 24 3B 9/26/1981 Right Right .218 27 90 3 .685
Frank Duffy 15 SS 10/14/1981 Right Right .204 11 41 1 .569
Paul Zuvella 21 SS 10/31/1981 Right Right .158 0 1 0 .488
Paul Carey 88 1B 1/8/1981 Left Right .284 0 6 0 .611
Ruben Amaro 20 2B 2/12/1980 Both Right .197 7 24 0 .555
OUTFIELDER
Dave Meier 26 LF 8/8/1981 Right Right .278 8 28 1 .745
Steve Hovley 30 RF 12/18/1981 Left Left .220 4 31 4 .606
Chuck Essegian 38 CF 8/9/1979 Right Right .247 14 52 0 .663
Jeffrey Hammonds 43 RF 3/5/1983 Right Right .227 7 28 5 .604
Pete Stanicek 6 LF 4/18/1981 Both Right .233 3 22 4 .594
David McCarty 10 CF 11/23/1982 Right Left .197 0 10 0 .488
Jody Gerut 9 RF 4/24/1982 Left Left .429 0 2 0 1.029

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Mike Mussina 22 SP 12/8/1982 Left Right 2.60 12 15 0 1.12
Jack McDowell 29 SP 1/16/1984 Right Right 2.88 14 12 0 1.26
Ernie Nevers 5 SP 6/11/1982 Right Right 2.86 9 12 0 1.24
Dave Frost 7 SP 11/17/1980 Right Right 3.44 5 13 0 1.29
Rick Helling 31 SP 12/15/1982 Right Right 2.76 10 6 1 1.16
Jim Lonborg 16 SP 4/16/1983 Right Right 2.53 9 8 0 1.22
RELIEVERS
Don Rose 47 MR 3/19/1981 Right Right 4.66 0 1 0 1.40
Steve Chitren 49 CL 6/8/1982 Right Right 2.62 5 4 33 1.05
Steve Dunning 38 MR 5/15/1985 Right Right 3.32 1 3 2 1.22
Jeff Ballard 19 MR 8/13/1982 Left Left 4.03 5 5 3 1.50
Al Osuna 61 MR 8/10/1981 Right Left 2.70 1 0 0 1.95
Mark Davis 28 MR 10/19/1986 Left Left 3.92 1 2 0 1.58
Kyle Peterson 35 MR 4/5/1983 Left Right 5.93 2 7 5 1.95

[batted balls]

The following is No. 14 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.

Arizona Wildcats
AABL West, 76-86, 7th Place

The Good: The Wildcats led the AABL with 46 stolen bases.

The Bat: Second baseman Jason Bates hit .286 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs. Bates also scored 85 runs. Bates was eighth among West doubles leaders (33) and ninth for on-base percentage (.386).

The Ugly: The pitching staff ranked 19th in home runs allowed (160) and 18th in both team ERA (3.85) and runs yielded (690).

Team MVP: Trevor Hoffman, Closer (shown below). This All-Star selection led the West with 30 saves.

Arizona Wildcats Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Jerry Kindall
Record: 76 Wins, 86 Losses, .469 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 40 Wins, 41 Losses
Away Record: 36 Wins, 45 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 29 Wins, 29 Losses
X-Innings Record: 8 Wins, 11 Losses
Record vs LHP: 22 Wins, 37 Losses
Record vs RHP: 54 Wins, 49 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .235 (14th)
Homeruns: 95 (T-11th)
Walks: 582 (6th)
Stolen Bases: 46 (1st)
Runs Scored: 603 (8th)

Pitching ERA: 3.85 (18th)
Opponents AVG: .248 (16th)
HRs Allowed: 160 (19th)
Walks Allowed: 471 (6th)
Runs Allowed: 690 (18th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Ron Hassey 9 C 2/27/1981 Left Right .141 3 39 0 .404
INFIELDER
J.T. Snow 6 1B 2/26/1981 Both Left .226 19 90 1 .739
Jason Bates 26 2B 1/5/1982 Both Right .286 17 74 0 .865
George Arias 18 3B 3/12/1982 Right Right .226 2 19 0 .604
Eddie Leon 25 SS 8/11/1983 Right Right .199 4 52 0 .517
Casey Candaele 2 3B 1/12/1981 Both Right .207 4 21 0 .566
Brad Mills 24 3B 1/19/1982 Left Right .224 5 30 0 .596
Charlie Shoemaker 30 2B 8/10/1983 Left Right .000 0 0 0 .000
OUTFIELDER
Terry Francona 16 LF 4/22/1983 Left Left .296 9 72 0 .735
Kenny Lofton 1 CF 5/31/1981 Left Left .282 4 69 6 .722
Dave Stegman 8 RF 1/30/1981 Right Right .218 11 46 0 .606
Dan Meyer 7 LF 8/3/1983 Left Right .264 10 40 19 .691
John Moses 38 LF 8/9/1980 Both Left .223 7 24 19 .610
Brian Anderson 44 CF 10/9/1988 Right Right .222 0 1 1 .522

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Mike Paul 39 SP 4/18/1983 Left Left 3.27 13 10 0 1.09
Joe Magrane 32 SP 7/2/1983 Right Left 3.77 11 20 0 1.40
Scott Erickson 19 SP 2/2/1983 Right Right 3.93 14 11 0 1.32
Don Lee 48 SP 2/26/1983 Right Right 3.41 9 3 0 1.22
Dave Rajsich 26 SP 9/28/1978 Left Left 3.78 5 9 0 1.15
RELIEVERS
Trevor Hoffman 51 CL 10/13/1980 Right Right 3.67 8 9 38 1.26
Craig Lefferts 11 MR 9/29/1980 Left Left 3.56 1 2 3 1.18
Carl Thomas 20 MR 5/28/1978 Right Right 3.82 3 4 2 1.22
Kevin Blankenship 17 MR 1/26/1980 Right Right 3.61 4 5 2 1.22
Rich Hinton 53 MR 5/22/1981 Left Left 4.08 5 3 4 1.41
Gil Heredia 51 MR 10/26/1979 Right Right 7.31 2 6 4 1.96
Steve Barber 36 MR 2/22/1975 Left Left 5.55 1 4 0 1.57
Ed Vosberg 55 MR 9/28/1980 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 15 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.

Oklahoma State Cowboys
AABL West, 79-83, 6th Place

The Good: Starting pitchers Joe Horlen (15-13, 2.71 ERA) and Tim Pugh (14-9, 3.03) give the Cowboys a solid 1-2 punch.

The Bat: Left fielder Pete Incaviglia ranked third in home runs (43), eighth in RBIs (103), seventh in OPS (.883) and 13th in runs scored (83).

The Ugly: After going 46-35 in the season's first half, Oklahoma State stumbled to a 33-48 record following the All-Star break.

Team MVP: Pete Incaviglia, Left Field (shown below). The All-Star, who swatted 12 home runs in May, was fourth in slugging (.539).

Oklahoma State Cowboys Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Gary Ward
Record: 79 Wins, 83 Losses, .488 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 37 Wins, 44 Losses
Away Record: 42 Wins, 39 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 35 Wins, 26 Losses
X-Innings Record: 10 Wins, 5 Losses
Record vs LHP: 22 Wins, 27 Losses
Record vs RHP: 57 Wins, 56 Losses
Fan Interest: 0/100 (T-17th)
Batting AVG: .247 (7th)
Homeruns: 121 (5th)
Walks: 467 (11th)
Stolen Bases: 2 (14th)
Runs Scored: 580 (10th)

Pitching ERA: 3.29 (10th)
Opponents AVG: .237 (10th)
HRs Allowed: 120 (15th)
Walks Allowed: 563 (15th)
Runs Allowed: 609 (10th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Mickey Tettleton 14 C 9/16/1982 Both Right .284 7 42 0 .713
Danny Doyle 55 C 1/24/1980 Both Right .207 4 11 0 .561
INFIELDER
Robin Ventura 23 3B 7/14/1983 Left Right .254 6 48 0 .690
Jerry Adair 7 2B 12/17/1983 Right Right .248 8 54 1 .611
Danny Thompson 5 3B 2/1/1982 Right Right .262 7 43 0 .657
Gary Green 1 SS 1/14/1982 Right Right .248 13 56 0 .653
Chris Richard 38 1B 6/7/1980 Left Left .254 9 39 0 .662
Jay Canizaro 31 2B 7/4/1983 Right Right .350 0 3 0 .781
Josh Fields 17 3B 12/14/1982 Right Right .333 0 2 0 .833
Ed Mickelson 18 1B 9/9/1982 Right Right .096 0 1 0 .254
OUTFIELDER
Pete Incaviglia 29 RF 4/2/1984 Right Right .263 43 103 0 .883
Ab Wright 15 LF 11/16/1976 Right Right .244 8 52 0 .621
Monty Fariss 2 LF 10/13/1982 Right Right .280 3 18 0 .702
Jeromy Burnitz 21 RF 4/15/1982 Left Right .222 6 36 0 .572
Danny Perez 36 LF 2/26/1981 Right Right .167 0 1 0 .377
Doug Dascenzo 3 CF 6/30/1982 Both Left .207 7 45 1 .556

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Allie Reynolds 22 SP 2/10/1978 Right Right 3.45 9 20 0 1.27
Joe Horlen 20 SP 8/14/1981 Right Right 2.71 15 13 0 1.21
Tom Borland 19 SP 2/14/1979 Left Left 3.61 9 10 0 1.39
Tim Pugh 40 SP 1/26/1981 Right Right 3.03 14 9 0 1.13
Dave Mlicki 38 SP 6/8/1982 Right Right 4.04 4 11 0 1.31
RELIEVERS
Scott Williamson 48 CL 2/17/1983 Right Right 3.32 3 6 27 1.30
Mike Henneman 39 MR 12/11/1980 Right Right 3.49 7 5 9 1.42
Mark Lukasiewicz 60 MR 3/8/1978 Left Left 2.63 1 0 0 1.08
Larry Burchart 47 MR 2/8/1983 Right Right 3.60 2 4 5 1.80
Jeff Bronkey 56 MR 9/18/1978 Right Right 3.26 9 4 3 1.28
Dave Maurer 59 MR 2/23/1981 Right Left 1.59 2 0 0 1.76
Jon Adkins 37 MR 5/5/1983 Right Right 3.52 4 0 2 1.38
Joe Stanka 43 MR 7/23/1977 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Scott Baker 12 MR 9/19/1981 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Doc Wallace 26 MR 9/30/1981 Right Right 0.00 0 1 0 0.00
Joe Price 32 MR 4/10/1986 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
John Farrell 28 MR 12/4/1983 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0
Gordon Dillard 53 MR 5/20/1982 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 16 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.

Texas Longhorns
AABL West, 80-82, 5th Place

The Good: Longhorn closer Huston Street recorded 32 saves, second only to Arizona's Trevor Hoffman.

The Bat: All-Star third baseman Grady Hatton batted .275 with 27 home runs and 96 RBIs.

The Ugly: Texas ranked 15th in team batting (.227) and 17th in team ERA (3.52).

Team MVP: Grady Hatton, Third Base (shown below). Hatton was fourth in on-base percentage (.402) and walks (108), sixth in runs scored (91) and OPS (.890) and tenth in slugging (.487).

Texas Longhorns Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Cliff Gustafson
Record: 80 Wins, 82 Losses, .494 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 41 Wins, 40 Losses
Away Record: 39 Wins, 42 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 31 Wins, 21 Losses
X-Innings Record: 10 Wins, 6 Losses
Record vs LHP: 28 Wins, 26 Losses
Record vs RHP: 52 Wins, 56 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .227 (15th)
Homeruns: 95 (11th)
Walks: 519 (8th)
Stolen Bases: 18 (7th)
Runs Scored: 555 (11th)

Pitching ERA: 3.52 (17th)
Opponents AVG: .245 (14th)
HRs Allowed: 146 (18th)
Walks Allowed: 446 (5th)
Runs Allowed: 616 (12th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Keith Moreland 6 C 5/2/1982 Right Right .135 0 25 0 .345
INFIELDER
Shane Halter 17 2B 11/8/1978 Right Right .260 13 56 0 .690
Grady Hatton 15 3B 10/7/1982 Left Right .275 27 96 9 .890
Ron Gardenhire 19 SS 10/24/1982 Right Right .273 10 55 1 .685
Dave Chalk 2 SS 8/30/1983 Right Right .305 7 30 3 .783
Pinky Higgins 36 3B 5/27/1985 Right Right .223 5 27 0 .586
Spike Owen 7 SS 4/19/1984 Both Right .000 0 0 0 .000
Max Alvis 10 3B 2/2/1982 Right Right .203 0 5 0 .499
Tom Hamilton 35 1B 9/29/1979 Left Right .147 0 1 0 .363
OUTFIELDER
Joe Hague 24 RF 4/25/1982 Left Left .153 0 26 0 .395
Ernie Koy 14 CF 9/17/1977 Right Right .267 16 92 5 .791
Pete Laydon 33 LF 12/30/1977 Right Right .178 6 47 0 .479
Brooks Kieschnick 55 RF 6/6/1982 Left Right .242 11 65 0 .628
Bibb Falk 5 RF 1/27/1985 Left Left .221 0 5 0 .554

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Roger Clemens 22 SP 8/4/1984 Right Right 2.75 14 16 0 0.92
Bruce Ruffin 47 SP 10/4/1983 Both Left 2.93 14 13 0 1.18
Dennis Cook 39 SP 10/4/1979 Left Left 3.88 5 8 0 1.43
Calvin Schiraldi 32 SP 6/16/1983 Right Right 4.30 11 15 0 1.30
Greg Swindell 21 SP 1/2/1985 Right Left 3.30 8 4 0 1.38
RELIEVERS
Huston Street 20 CL 8/2/1983 Right Right 2.78 3 3 32 0.96
Ricky Wright 40 MR 11/22/1982 Left Left 3.01 5 4 9 1.47
Mike Beard 43 MR 6/21/1981 Left Left 2.45 4 3 7 1.42
Kirk Dressendorfer 28 MR 4/8/1984 Right Right 1.08 0 1 0 0.48
Mark Petkovsek 57 MR 11/18/1980 Right Right 4.37 5 1 0 1.29
Burt Hooton 46 MR 2/7/1985 Right Right 3.76 4 7 0 1.28
Mike Capel 44 MR 10/13/1979 Right Right 3.58 3 2 1 1.23
Jerry Don Gleaton 51 MR 9/14/1984 Left Left 3.38 0 0 1 1.59
Rich Wortham 16 MR 10/22/1981 Right Left 0.00 0 0 0
Ox Eckhardt 53 MR 12/23/1975 Left Right 0.00 0 0 0
Murray Wall 59 MR 9/19/1982 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0

[batted balls]

The following is No. 17 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.

Cal Golden Bears
AABL West, 86-76, 4th Place

The Good: Starting pitcher Oval Overall was 20-9 with a 2.42 ERA.

The Bat: All-Star second baseman Jeff Kent led the Golden Bears in average (.280), home runs (30) and RBIs (99).

The Ugly: Take away Oval Overall and the pitching staff suffered mightily. Cal ranked 16th in team ERA (3.46), walks allowed (564) and runs given up (645).

Team MVP: Oval Overall, Starting Pitcher (shown below). The All-Star hurler was tied for first in both shutouts (4) and quality starts (29). Overall ranked second in wins (20) and third in ERA (2.42).

California Golden Bears Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Clint Evans
Record: 86 Wins, 76 Losses, .531 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 45 Wins, 36 Losses
Away Record: 41 Wins, 40 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 32 Wins, 26 Losses
X-Innings Record: 15 Wins, 14 Losses
Record vs LHP: 30 Wins, 28 Losses
Record vs RHP: 56 Wins, 48 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .239 (13th)
Homeruns: 147 (4th)
Walks: 525 (7th)
Stolen Bases: 0 (T-18th)
Runs Scored: 662 (6th)

Pitching ERA: 3.46 (16th)
Opponents AVG: .241 (11th)
HRs Allowed: 111 (13th)
Walks Allowed: 564 (16th)
Runs Allowed: 645 (16th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Jerry Goff 9 C 4/12/1980 Left Right .211 12 47 0 .583
Bob Melvin 33 C 10/28/1982 Right Right .201 5 33 0 .548
INFIELDER
Jeff Kent 12 2B 3/7/1982 Right Right .280 30 99 0 .895
Chris Clapinski 1 3B 8/20/1978 Both Right .264 8 57 0 .721
Rod Booker 10 3B 9/4/1977 Left Right .252 13 63 0 .668
Jack Albright 13 SS 6/30/1980 Right Right .255 12 61 0 .678
Geoff Blum 27 SS 4/26/1980 Both Right .278 5 46 0 .687
Kevin Maas 6 1B 1/20/1981 Left Left .259 12 48 0 .690
Earl Robinson 43 3B 11/3/1984 Right Right .147 0 4 0 .385
Jon Zuber 22 1B 12/10/1979 Left Left .207 2 10 0 .546
Lance Blankenship 23 2B 12/6/1981 Right Right .133 0 2 0 .321
Mike Epstein 8 1B 4/4/1983 Left Left .286 0 0 0 .661
OUTFIELDER
Sam Chapman 14 LF 4/11/1984 Right Right .254 26 64 0 .834
Darren Lewis 76 CF 8/28/1983 Right Right .222 12 43 0 .620
Jackie Jensen 4 LF 3/9/1983 Right Right .212 7 29 0 .576
Dave Hengel 69 RF 12/18/1981 Right Right .176 1 26 0 .469
Curt Motton 68 LF 9/24/1979 Right Right .096 1 4 0 .353
Taylor Douthit 35 RF 4/22/1984 Right Right .286 1 8 0 .723
Jim Eppard 27 RF 4/27/1979 Left Left .200 0 0 0 .400
Emil Mailho 61 LF 12/16/1979 Left Left .000 0 0 0 .000

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Orval Overall 40 SP 2/2/1982 Both Right 2.42 20 9 0 1.28
Bill Werle 19 SP 12/21/1977 Left Left 4.29 9 12 0 1.36
Ryan Drese 57 SP 4/5/1980 Right Right 3.99 10 12 0 1.30
Rich Nye 32 SP 8/4/1984 Left Left 4.75 6 9 0 1.34
Tyler Walker 58 SP 5/15/1980 Right Right 4.66 8 7 4 1.61
Andy Messersmith 47 SP 8/6/1983 Right Right 2.48 12 7 0 1.14
RELIEVERS
Chuck Cary 51 MR 3/3/1981 Left Left 2.99 10 8 12 1.02
Monte Pearson 16 MR 9/2/1982 Right Right 2.62 3 3 7 1.22
Larry Colton 45 MR 6/8/1980 Left Right 1.59 0 1 0 0.88
Chuck Hensley 55 MR 3/11/1979 Left Left 5.34 1 4 3 1.64
Doug Nickle 28 MR 10/2/1980 Right Right 3.31 2 1 3 1.56
Matt Luke 24 MR 2/26/1981 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0 1.50
Juan Eichelberger 30 MR 10/21/1981 Right Right 0.00 0 0 0 0.38
Ed Mayer 34 MR 8/16/1986 Right Right 4.50 0 0 0 1.50
Mike Cather 38 CL 12/17/1979 Right Right 3.02 5 3 18 1.36

[batted balls]

The following is No. 18 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.

UCLA Bruins
AABL West, 89-73, 3rd Place

The Good: The Bruins led the AABL with 816 walks. In fact, UCLA placed four batters in the top 10 for bases on balls.

The Bat: First baseman Bob Hamelin finished second in Golden Spikes voting to Mark McGwire of Southern Cal. Hamelin hit .282 with 46 homers and 143 RBIs.

The Ugly: UCLA lost seven of its first eight games and nine of its first 11 games.

Team MVP: Bob Hamelin, First Base (shown below). The All-Star pick led the West in extra base hits (89), runs scored (129), walks (165), plate appearances (704), slugging (.627) and OPS (1.077).

UCLA Bruins Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Art Reichle
Record: 89 Wins, 73 Losses, .549 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 41 Wins, 40 Losses
Away Record: 48 Wins, 33 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 27 Wins, 24 Losses
X-Innings Record: 16 Wins, 9 Losses
Record vs LHP: 29 Wins, 23 Losses
Record vs RHP: 60 Wins, 50 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .250 (5th)
Homeruns: 180 (2nd)
Walks: 816 (1st)
Stolen Bases: 21 (6th)
Runs Scored: 842 (2nd)

Pitching ERA: 4.09 (19th)
Opponents AVG: .262 (19th)
HRs Allowed: 127 (16th)
Walks Allowed: 602 (19th)
Runs Allowed: 747 (19th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Todd Zeile 5 C 9/9/1981 Right Right .226 14 77 0 .706
Don Slaught 7 C 9/11/1981 Right Right .231 4 20 0 .604
INFIELDER
Bob Hamelin 48 1B 11/29/1979 Left Left .282 46 143 1 1.077
Mike Edwards 47 2B 8/27/1980 Right Right .236 0 30 0 .580
Troy Glaus 23 3B 8/3/1983 Right Right .258 39 119 2 .891
Rich Amaral 12 3B 4/1/1976 Right Right .238 11 59 0 .635
Chris Chambliss 21 1B 12/26/1983 Left Right .310 9 47 0 .862
Mike Gallego 9 2B 10/31/1981 Right Right .195 5 22 0 .550
Luis Gomez 1 SS 8/19/1983 Right Right .174 0 1 0 .463
Jackie Robinson 42 1B 1/31/1978 Right Right .308 11 88 7 .859
OUTFIELDER
Ron Roenicke 45 RF 8/19/1979 Both Left .276 11 53 10 .773
Shane Mack 24 CF 12/7/1982 Right Right .224 11 51 0 .611
Mike Reinbach 10 RF 8/6/1981 Left Right .281 0 6 0 .721
Marshall Edwards 48 CF 8/27/1977 Left Left .235 6 42 0 .614
Eric Byrnes 22 LF 2/16/1981 Right Right .204 6 25 0 .575
Dave Roberts 30 CF 8/24/1988 Right Right .222 1 2 0 .778

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Dave Schmidt 22 SP 4/22/1982 Right Right 3.75 14 9 0 1.34
Matt Young 26 SP 8/9/1981 Left Left 4.00 15 12 0 1.28
Bill Bonham 34 SP 10/1/1983 Right Right 3.82 11 9 0 1.41
Jim Parque 33 SP 2/8/1984 Left Left 3.94 14 10 0 1.31
Glenn Mickens 35 SP 7/26/1983 Right Right 5.14 6 5 0 1.63
RELIEVERS
Jim York 16 CL 8/27/1982 Right Right 2.62 5 2 17 1.41
Floyd Chiffer 29 MR 4/20/1980 Right Right 3.73 3 8 8 1.44
Pat Clements 32 MR 2/2/1983 Right Left 3.77 8 9 14 1.34
Tim Leary 18 MR 12/23/1983 Right Right 5.25 8 5 5 1.66
Bob Adams 49 MR 7/24/1984 Right Right 4.84 2 3 2 1.81
Boardwalk Brown 55 MR 2/20/1984 Right Right 2.23 1 0 0 1.39
Dave Rucker 57 MR 9/1/1982 Left Left 0.00 0 0 0 0.63

[batted balls]

The following is No. 19 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.

USC Trojans
AABL West, 98-64, 2nd Place

The Good: The Trojans led the AABL in team batting (.279), home runs (202) and runs scored (911). USC produced a batting champion in Fred Lynn and the home run and RBI titlist in Mark McGwire.

The Bat: First baseman Mark McGwire was the West Golden Spikes recipient. McGwire topped the AABL with 54 homers, 145 RBIs and 357 total bases.

The Ugly: USC pitchers gave up 633 runs, 15th worst in the AABL.

Team Co-MVPs: Mark McGwire, First Base (shown below) and Mark Prior, Starting Pitchers. The All-Stars won the Golden Spikes and Golden Arm awards respectively.

Southern California Trojans Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Rod Dedeaux
Record: 98 Wins, 64 Losses, .605 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 52 Wins, 29 Losses
Away Record: 46 Wins, 35 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 14 Wins, 22 Losses
X-Innings Record: 5 Wins, 11 Losses
Record vs LHP: 31 Wins, 19 Losses
Record vs RHP: 67 Wins, 45 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (1st)
Batting AVG: .279 (1st)
Homeruns: 202 (1st)
Walks: 676 (2nd)
Stolen Bases: 33 (4th)
Runs Scored: 911 (1st)

Pitching ERA: 3.36 (13th)
Opponents AVG: .234 (4th)
HRs Allowed: 112 (14th)
Walks Allowed: 503 (12th)
Runs Allowed: 633 (15th)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Chad Moeller 16 C 2/18/1980 Right Right .256 10 54 6 .680
Dennis Littlejohn 9 C 10/4/1981 Right Right .220 4 13 0 .693
INFIELDER
Mark McGwire 25 1B 10/1/1982 Right Right .296 54 145 0 1.031
Aaron Boone 17 2B 3/9/1981 Right Right .327 6 55 6 .779
Dave Kingman 10 3B 12/21/1982 Right Right .222 36 104 12 .782
Jim Brideweser 27 SS 2/13/1981 Right Right .265 7 59 0 .670
Bret Barberie 1 SS 8/16/1982 Both Right .318 1 11 2 .799
Gary Sutherland 32 SS 9/27/1983 Right Right .295 5 36 0 .744
Dave Hostetler 34 1B 3/27/1980 Right Right .261 11 33 0 .857
Jeff Cirillo 13 3B 9/23/1981 Right Right .333 1 2 0 .885
Bret Boone 29 2B 4/6/1982 Right Right .167 0 2 0 .439
OUTFIELDER
Steve Kemp 23 LF 8/7/1983 Left Left .267 27 107 0 .847
Fred Lynn 19 CF 2/3/1983 Left Left .368 23 105 3 1.046
Dave Engle 45 RF 11/30/1981 Right Right .288 1 8 0 .755
Jim McAnany 3 RF 9/4/1983 Right Right .271 4 36 0 .659
Ron Fairly 6 RF 7/12/1985 Left Left .244 5 37 0 .632
Geoff Jenkins 20 LF 7/21/1982 Left Right .000 0 0 0 .182

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Mark Prior 22 SP 9/7/1984 Right Right 2.41 23 8 0 0.93
Barry Zito 75 SP 5/13/1984 Left Left 2.67 19 7 0 1.10
Tom Seaver 41 SP 11/17/1983 Right Right 3.37 14 16 0 1.27
Jim Barr 33 SP 2/10/1982 Right Right 3.40 16 7 0 1.23
Barry Latman 18 SP 5/21/1984 Right Right 4.19 1 7 26 1.59
RELIEVERS
Steve Busby 40 CL 9/29/1982 Right Right 5.33 4 7 2 1.42
Ray Lamb 39 MR 12/28/1980 Right Right 3.83 2 6 2 1.35
Randy Johnson 51 MR 9/10/1980 Right Left 3.71 5 2 2 1.39
Pete Redfern 52 MR 8/25/1984 Right Right 4.74 7 0 4 1.71
Tom House 42 MR 4/29/1981 Left Left 3.53 1 2 1 1.37
Bill Lee 37 MR 12/28/1983 Left Left 2.19 5 1 0 0.96
Brian Cooper 31 MR 8/19/1980 Right Right 4.36 1 1 1 1.42

[batted balls]

The following is No. 20 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.

Arizona State Sun Devils
AABL West, 113-49, West Champions

The Good: The five-man starting rotation combined for 75 wins and posted a .714 winning percentage.

The Bat: Third baseman Bob Horner was third in Golden Spikes balloting. Horner batted .287 with 36 home runs and 131 RBIs.

The Ugly: After cruising to an AABL-best 113 regular season wins, the Sun Devils were swept in the College World Series by East pennant winner Ivy.

Team MVP: Bob Horner, Third Base (shown below). The All-Star was third in RBIs (131), fifth in total bases (302), sixth in both home runs (36) and runs scored (91), eighth in slugging (.515) and 10th in batting (.287)--despite sitting out nearly the last two weeks of the season in preparation for the College World Series.

Arizona State Sun Devils Clubhouse
Sunday, 10/10/2006
Team Stats & Info

Manager: Bobby Winkles
Record: 113 Wins, 49 Losses, .698 Winning Pct.
Home Record: 55 Wins, 26 Losses
Away Record: 58 Wins, 23 Losses
1 Run Games Record: 32 Wins, 19 Losses
X-Innings Record: 12 Wins, 3 Losses
Record vs LHP: 36 Wins, 16 Losses
Record vs RHP: 77 Wins, 33 Losses
Fan Interest: 65/100 (T-1st)
Batting AVG: .270 (3rd)
Homeruns: 178 (3rd)
Walks: 609 (4th)
Stolen Bases: 43 (2nd)
Runs Scored: 832 (3rd)

Pitching ERA: 2.92 (6th)
Opponents AVG: .235 (5th)
HRs Allowed: 102 (10th)
Walks Allowed: 486 (9th)
Runs Allowed: 520 (3rd)


Active Roster

Player # Pos Birthday Bats Throws AVG HR RBI SB OPS
CATCHERS
Mike Colbern 19 C 4/19/1983 Right Right .272 12 51 1 .738
Duffy Dyer 10 C 8/15/1982 Right Right .244 6 31 0 .708
INFIELDER
Bob Horner 5 3B 8/6/1984 Right Right .287 36 131 0 .853
Pat Listach 16 SS 9/12/1981 Both Right .314 1 54 0 .763
Bump Wills 1 2B 7/27/1981 Both Right .270 6 69 0 .757
Donnie Hill 3 SS 11/12/1983 Both Right .279 3 22 0 .731
Luis Medina 25 1B 3/26/1981 Right Left .212 5 17 0 .634
Sal Bando 6 3B 2/13/1983 Right Right .258 1 4 0 .589
OUTFIELDER
Hubie Brooks 23 LF 9/24/1981 Right Right .299 4 75 25 .758
Reggie Jackson 9 RF 5/18/1984 Left Left .262 28 86 14 .806
Oddibe McDowell 0 CF 8/25/1983 Left Left .259 33 90 0 .869
Mike Devereaux 22 LF 4/10/1980 Right Right .290 6 36 1 .743
Rick Monday 7 CF 11/20/1984 Left Left .247 15 57 1 .775
Gary Rajsich 17 LF 10/28/1978 Left Left .280 11 34 0 .815
Mike Kelly 35 CF 5/29/1984 Left Right .281 0 3 0 .584
Barry Bonds 24 CF 7/24/1984 Left Left .321 5 19 0 1.010

Player # Role Birthday Bats Throws ERA W L S WHIP
STARTERS
Floyd Bannister 40 SP 6/10/1984 Left Left 2.62 16 7 0 1.21
Paul Moskau 31 SP 12/20/1982 Right Right 2.35 15 7 0 1.17
Craig Swan 27 SP 11/30/1980 Right Right 3.02 14 4 2 1.20
Gary Gentry 39 SP 10/6/1983 Right Right 3.62 16 8 0 1.23
Eddie Bane 52 SP 3/22/1985 Right Left 2.11 14 4 3 0.98
RELIEVERS
Lerrin LaGrow 30 MR 7/8/1981 Right Right 3.58 6 7 8 1.19
Ed Vande Berg 45 CL 10/26/1982 Right Left 2.75 10 4 34 1.21
Sean Lowe 50 MR 3/29/1978 Right Right 2.66 13 2 3 1.32
Larry Gura 32 MR 11/26/1983 Both Left 2.91 5 2 3 1.24

[batted balls]

November 11, 2006

San Diego--Tony Gwynn stepped down as player-manager of the San Diego State Aztecs citing the difficulties in wearing both hats.

"It's in the best interest for San Diego State baseball and for me," said Gwynn.

Gwynn admitted trying to play and manage took its toll on both him and the team. Gwynn hit just .248. He did, however, hit 13 home runs and drove home 63 runs.

"The days of a player-manager may be behind us forever," he said.

The Aztecs announced that Charlie Smith will be the new San Diego State manager.

"I'm excited to have this job, and I'm excited to have players like Tony," said Smith.

The new manager will face a difficult task. The Aztecs posted the worst record in the All-American Baseball League at 44-118.

Aztecs Notes: San Diego State also announced the signing of outfielder Anthony Gwynn, Tony's son, and pitcher Royce Ring to minor league contracts. Both players will attend spring training with the Aztecs.

[batted balls]

December 25, 2006

Palo Alto, Calif.--Christmas arrived just in time for Stanford baseball fans. The Cardinal announced it had signed football star John Elway to a minor league contract.

"We are excited to have John in the fold," said Stanford manager Mark Marquess.

Marquess hopes the move will improve the lackluster Cardinal offense. Stanford, 74-88 last season, was plagued by poor offensive support for its solid pitching staff.

"I'm happy to be here," said Elway. "Hopefully, I can move up to the big club and help out."

Elway, a strong-armed outfielder, will start the season in Class-A. Elway joins fellow football players Ernie Nevers, Joe Borchardt, Kenny Williams and Chad Hutchinson in the Stanford system.

"If we ever start a football league, we've got to be the favorite," joked Marquess.

[batted balls]

Florida State Seminoles
Manager: Mike Martin

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Terry Kennedy 16 C
Kevin Cash 9 C
INFIELDER
Paul Sorrento 11 1B
Juan Bonilla 2 2B
Jody Reed 3 3B
Dick Howser 10 SS
Luis Alicea 14 2B
Eduardo Perez 33 3B
Doug Mientkiewicz 5 1B
Stephen Drew 19 SS
OUTFIELDER
Mark Gilbert 44 RF
J.D. Drew 7 LF
Deion Sanders 22 CF
Johnny Grubb 1 CF
Mike Fuentes 55 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
John Wasdin 47 SP
Paul Wilson 41 SP
Bruce Tanner 31 SP
Richie Lewis 24 SP
Mike Loynd 46 SP
RELIEVERS
Craig Skok 40 CL
Mac Scarce 44 MR
Rick Langford 43 MR 0
Jeff Gray 17 MR
Jerry Nielsen 52 MR

Illinois Fighting Illini
Manager: Tom Dedin

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Jake Stahl 4 C
Mark Dalesandro 47 C
INFIELDER
Don Lenhardt 14 1B
Herb Plews 25 2B
Scott Spiezio 23 3B
Lou Boudreau 5 SS
Bobby Klaus 6 2B
Frank Smykal 35
Ed Spiezio 7 3B
OUTFIELDER
Hoot Evers 17 CF
George Halas 1 RF
Gary Kolb 27 LF
Bob Burda 3 LF
Ethan Blackaby 42 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Fred Beebe 35 SP
Carl Lundgren 41 SP
Jeff Innis 40 SP
John Ericks 57 SP
Jake Thies 39 SP
RELIEVERS
Donn Pall 21 CL
Dick Weik 18 MR
Howie Judson 50 MR
Marv Rotblatt 49 MR
Terry Wells 61 MR
Ken Holtzman 32 MR

Ivy Eagles
Manager: Bob Seddon

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Brad Ausmus 11 C
Doc Marshall 44 C
INFIELDER
Steve Yerkes 41 2B
Hughie Jennings 1 SS
Red Rolfe 2 3B
Lou Gehrig 4 1B
Tom Upton 43 SS
Eddie Grant 36 3B
Eddie Collins 31 2B
Gene Larkin 9 1B
Moe Berg 0 2B
OUTFIELDER
Roy Thomas 50 CF
Sam Mele 14 RF
Doug Glanville 6 LF
Bill Almon 42 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Jim Beattie 45 SP 7
Pete Broberg 40 SP
Ron Darling 12 SP
Ted Olson 23 SP
John Milligan 30 SP
RELIEVERS
Dave Sisler 15 CL
Bob Tufts 26 MR
Mike Remlinger 43 MR
Jeff Musselman 38 MR
Chris Young 49 MR

LSU Tigers
Manager: Skip Bertram

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Keith Osik 15 C
Jack Wallace 21 C
INFIELDER
Warren Morris 30 2B
Buddy Blair 80 3B
Russ Johnson 2 3B
Todd Walker 12 3B
Alvin Dark 3 SS
Jeff Reboulet 32 SS
Jim Bowie 20 1B
OUTFIELDER
Joe Adcock 9 LF
Lyle Mouton 28 RF
Bama Rowell 26 CF
Albert Belle 8 RF
Armando Rios 1 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Mike Sirotka 33 SP
Mark Guthrie 53 SP
Clay Parker 13 SP
Eric Hetzel 31 SP
Ben McDonald 19 MR
RELIEVERS
Paul Byrd 36 MR
Chad Ogea 49 SP
Rick Greene 56 MR
Curt Leskanic 16 MR
Russ Springer 37 MR
Kurt Ainsworth 18 MR

Miami Hurricanes
Manager: Ron Fraser

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Mike Piazza 31 C
Jorge Fabregas 14 C
INFIELDER
Pat Burrell 5 1B
Dave Berg 10 2B
Aubrey Huff 21 3B
Bobby Hill 42 SS
Orlando Gonzalez 4 1B
Alex Cora 13 SS
Mike Pagliarulo 12 3B
Wayne Krenchicki 37 3B

OUTFIELDER
F.P. Santangelo 7 RF
Orlando Palmeiro 3 CF
Greg Vaughn 23 LF
Jason Michaels 22 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Warren Bogle 68 SP
Alex Fernandez 32 SP
John Fulgham 58 SP
Neal Heaton 37 SP
Wade Taylor 48 SP
RELIEVERS
Danny Graves 33 MR
Oscar Munoz 68 CL
Kurt Knudsen 93 MR
Joe Grahe 89 MR
Jay Tessmer 27 MR
Danny Rios 79 MR

Michigan Wolverines
Manager: Don Lund

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Tom Lundstedt 78 C
Mike Matheny 22 C
Fleet Walker 87 C
INFIELDER
George Sisler 10 1B
Barry Larkin 11 SS
Chris Sabo 23 3B
Ted Sizemore 23 2B
Jim Paciorek 4 1B
Charlie Gehringer 8 2B
Rick Leach 58 1B
OUTFIELDER
Elliott Maddox 27 CF
Hal Morris 9 LF
Leon Roberts 30 RF
Dick Wakefield 47 RF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Geoff Zahn 38 SP
Lary Sorensen 39 SP
Steve Ontiveros 53 SP
Dick LeMay 23 SP
Jim Abbott 25 SP
RELIEVERS
Steve Howe 57 CL
Rich Hill 53 MR
Jim Burton 34 MR
Gary Wayne 6 MR
J.J. Putz 20 MR
Scott Kamieniecki 30 MR

Michigan State Spartans
Manager: John Kobs

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Bruce Look 25 C
Ron Pruitt 61 C
INFIELDER
Dan Masteller 16 1B
Steve Garvey 6 3B
Nick Picciuto 7 2B
Irv Bartling 12 SS
OUTFIELDER
Dick Billings 8 LF
Rick Miller 3 RF
Kirk Gibson 23 LF
Rob Ellis 5 CF
Dean Look 26 LF
Bill Stewart 63 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Ron Perranoski 16 SP
Ed Hobaugh 18 SP
Ed Pinnance 58 SP
Mark Mulder 20 SP
Robin Roberts 36 SP
RELIEVERS
Dick Radatz 17 CL
Tim Crabtree 37 MR
Tim Birtsas 49 MR
John Leister 1 MR 0
Don Gross 31 MR
Larry Pashnick 41
Rick Kreuger 25 MR
George Smith 97 MR

Minnesota Golden Gophers
Manager: Dick Siebert

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Dan Wilson 6 C
Mike Sadek 44 C
Terry Steinbach 36

INFIELDER
Brent Gates 8 2B
Paul Molitor 4 2B
Jerry Kindall 16 SS
Bobby Fenwick 19 2B
Robb Quinlan 39 2B
George Thomas 24 3B
OUTFIELDER
Dave Winfield 31 LF
Harry Elliott 10 LF
J.T. Bruett 26 RF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Bryan Hickerson 41 SP
Steve Comer 11 SP
Denny Neagle 15 SP
Brian Denman 31 SP
Jim Brower 50 SP
RELIEVERS
Gregg Olson 30 CL
Kerry Ligtenberg 46
Jeff Schmidt 37 MR
Jerry Ujdur 21
Bill Davis 12 MR
Fred Bruckbauer 15 MR
Frank Brosseau 46 MR
Ralph Capron 14 MR

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Manager: Ron Polk

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Fred Walters 26 C
Sid Womack 46 C
INFIELDER
Will Clark 22 1B
Hughie Critz 6 2B
Jon Shave 15 SS
Alex Grammas 10 SS
Bobby Etheridge 17 3B
Cecil Bolton 18 1B
Buddy Myer 2 SS
OUTFIELDER
Adam Piatt 48 RF
Rafael Palmeiro 25 LF
Del Unser 30 CF
Jim Howarth 3 RF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Ken Tatum 19 SP
Dave Ferriss 33 SP
Jeff Brantley 32 SP
Jonathan Papelbon 58 SP
Jim Roberts 34 SP
RELIEVERS
Bobby Thigpen 37 CL
Carlton Loewer 16 MR 0
Matt Ginter 47 MR
Ray Roberts 35 MR
Willie Mitchell 38
Jay Powell 50 MR
Eric DuBose 51 MR


Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Manager: Pat Murphy

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Peaches O'Neill 12 C
Clem Clemens 15 C
INFIELDER
Cap Anson 1 3B
Billy Reed 6 2B
Craig Counsell 4 SS
Rupert Mills 34 1B
OUTFIELDER
Red Murray 7 RF
Carl Yastrzemski 8 LF
Cy Williams 14 CF
Shaun Fitzmaurice 5 CF
Paul Schramka 22 LF
Louis Sockalexis 48 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Ed Reulbach 20 SP
Norwood Gibson 21 SP
Dick Rusteck 40 SP
Ron Reed 42 SP
RELIEVERS
Brad Lidge 54 MR
Jim Hannan 24 CL
Dan McGinn 96 MR
Ed Hanyzewski 45 MR
Frank Scanlan 27 MR
Frank Carpin 60 CL
Jim Brady 33 MR
Tommy Shields 65 MR
Aaron Heilman 48 MR

[batted balls]

Arizona Wildcats
Manager: Jerry Kindall

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Ron Hassey 9 C
Charlie Shoemaker 30 C/2B
INFIELDER
J.T. Snow 6 1B
Jason Bates 26 2B
Eddie Leon 25 SS
Casey Candaele 2 3B
Brad Mills 24 3B
OUTFIELDER
Terry Francona 16 LF
Kenny Lofton 1 CF
Dave Stegman 8 RF
Dan Meyer 7 LF
John Moses 38 LF
Brian Anderson 44 CF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Mike Paul 39 SP
Joe Magrane 32 SP 0
Scott Erickson 19 SP
Don Lee 48 SP
Dave Rajsich 26 SP
RELIEVERS
Trevor Hoffman 51 CL
Craig Lefferts 11 MR
Kevin Blankenship 17 MR
Rich Hinton 53 MR
Gil Heredia 51 MR
Steve Barber 36 MR
Ed Vosberg 55 MR

Arizona State Sun Devils
Manager: Bobby Winkles

Active Roster

Player # Pos OPS
CATCHERS
Mike Colbern 19 C
Duffy Dyer 10 C
INFIELDER
Bob Horner 5 3B
Pat Listach 16 SS
Bump Wills 1 2B
Donnie Hill 3 SS
Luis Medina 25 1B
Sal Bando 6 3B
OUTFIELDER
Hubie Brooks 23 LF
Reggie Jackson 9 RF
Oddibe McDowell 0 CF
Mike Devereaux 22 LF
Rick Monday 7 CF
Gary Rajsich 17 LF
Mike Kelly 35 CF
Barry Bonds 24 CF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Floyd Bannister 40 SP
Paul Moskau 31 SP
Craig Swan 27 SP
Gary Gentry 39 SP
Eddie Bane 52 SP
RELIEVERS
Lerrin LaGrow 30 MR
Ed Vande Berg 45 CL 0
Sean Lowe 50 MR
Larry Gura 32 MR

California Golden Bears
Manager: Clint Evans

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Jerry Goff 9 C
Bob Melvin 33 C
INFIELDER
Jeff Kent 12 2B
Chris Clapinski 1 3B
Rod Booker 10 3B
Jack Albright 13 SS
Geoff Blum 27 SS
Kevin Maas 6 1B
Lance Blankenship 23 2B
Mike Epstein 8 1B
OUTFIELDER
Sam Chapman 14 LF
Darren Lewis 76 CF
Jackie Jensen 4 LF
Curt Motton 68 LF
Taylor Douthit 35 RF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Orval Overall 40 SP
Bill Werle 19 SP
Ryan Drese 57 SP
Rich Nye 32 SP
Tyler Walker 58 SP
Andy Messersmith 47 SP
RELIEVERS
Chuck Cary 51 MR
Monte Pearson 16 MR
Juan Eichelberger 30 MR
Mike Cather 38 CL

Cal State Fullerton Titans
Manager: Augie Garrido

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Dan Whitmer 6 C
Brent Mayne 36 C
INFIELDER
Dave Staton 32 1B
Jose Mota 15 2B
Mike Lamb 13 3B
Shane Turner 20 3B
Dann Howitt 43 1B
Andy Mota 51 2B
OUTFIELDER
Aaron Rowand 33 LF
Dante Powell 4 CF
Phil Nevin 10 LF
Jeremy Giambi 7 LF 0 .000
Kevin Reimer 47 LF
Tim Wallach 30 RF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Jeff Robinson 49 SP
Kirk Saarloos 23 SP
Mike Harkey 22 SP
Greg Mathews 53 SP
Matt Wise 39 SP
RELIEVERS
Mike Schooler 40 CL
Dan Naulty 29 MR
Brandon Duckworth 56 MR
Chad Cordero 32 MR
Adam Johnson 56 MR
Brent Billingsley 28 MR

Oklahoma State Cowboys
Manager: Gary Ward

Active Roster

Player # Pos Birt
CATCHERS
Mickey Tettleton 14 C 000
Danny Doyle 55 C
INFIELDER
Robin Ventura 23 3B
Jerry Adair 7 2B
Danny Thompson 5 3B
Gary Green 1 SS
Chris Richard 38 1B
Ed Mickelson 18 1B
OUTFIELDER
Pete Incaviglia 29 RF
Ab Wright 15 LF
Monty Fariss 2 LF
Jeromy Burnitz 21 RF
Doug Dascenzo 3 CF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Allie Reynolds 22 SP
Joe Horlen 20 SP
Tom Borland 19 SP
Tim Pugh 40 SP
Dave Mlicki 38 SP
RELIEVERS
Scott Williamson 48 CL
Mike Henneman 39 MR
Larry Burchart 47 MR
Jon Adkins 37 MR 0
Scott Baker 12 MR
Joe Price 32 MR
John Farrell 28 MR

San Diego State Aztecs
Manager: Charlie Smith

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Earle Brucker 59 C
Jason Phillips 18 C
INFIELDER
Travis Lee 16 1B
Pete Coscarart 5 2B
Bob Meacham 20 SS
Al Newman 28 2B
Mark Grace 17 1B
Jimmie Wilson 41 1B
Alex Pelaez 24 1B
Graig Nettles 9 3B
OUTFIELDER
Dave Robinson 34 LF
Tony Gwynn 19 CF
Jim Nettles 7 RF
Ed Amelung 40 RF
Chris Gwynn 23 LF
Jeff Davanon 82 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Aaron Harang 39 SP
Dan Murray 48 SP
John Andrews 31 SP
Mike Couchee 37 SP
Don Shaw 44 SP
RELIEVERS
Jim Campbell 36 MR
Justin Brunette 13 MR
Dave Smith 45 MR
Jerrod Riggan 51 MR

Southern California Trojans
Manager: Rod Dedeaux

Active Roster

Player # Pos OPS
CATCHERS
Chad Moeller 16 C
Dennis Littlejohn 9 C
INFIELDER
Mark McGwire 25 1B
Aaron Boone 17 2B
Dave Kingman 10 3B
Jim Brideweser 27 SS
Johnny Berardino 2 2B
Gary Sutherland 32 SS
Jeff Cirillo 13 3B
OUTFIELDER
Steve Kemp 23 LF
Fred Lynn 19 CF
Jim McAnany 3 RF
Ron Fairly 6 RF
Geoff Jenkins 20 LF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Mark Prior 22 SP
Barry Zito 75 SP
Tom Seaver 41 SP
Jim Barr 33 SP
Bill Lee 37 SP
Randy Johnson 51 SP
RELIEVERS
Steve Busby 40 MR
Ray Lamb 39 CL
Pete Redfern 52 MR
Tom House 42 MR
Barry Latman 18 MR

Stanford Cardinal
Manager: Mark Marquess

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Bob Boone 8 C
A.J. Hinch 45 C
INFIELDER
Ed Sprague 33 3B
Mike Aldrete 23 1B
Steve Buechele 24 3B
Frank Duffy 15 SS
Paul Zuvella 21 SS
Ruben Amaro 20 2B
OUTFIELDER
Dave Meier 26 LF
Steve Hovley 30 RF
Chuck Essegian 38 CF
Jeffrey Hammonds 43 RF
Pete Stanicek 6 LF
David McCarty 10 CF
Jody Gerut 9 RF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Mike Mussina 22 SP
Jack McDowell 29 SP
Ernie Nevers 5 SP
Dave Frost 7 SP
Rick Helling 31 SP
Jim Lonborg 16 SP
RELIEVERS
Don Rose 47 MR
Steve Chitren 49 CL
Jeff Ballard 19 MR
Mark Davis 28 MR

Texas Longhorns
Manager: Cliff Gustafson

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Keith Moreland 6 C
Shane Halter 17 C/2B
INFIELDER
Grady Hatton 15 3B
Ron Gardenhire 19 SS
Dave Chalk 2 SS
Pinky Higgins 36 3B
Spike Owen 7 SS
Max Alvis 10 3B
OUTFIELDER
Joe Hague 24 RF
Ernie Koy 14 CF
Pete Laydon 33 LF
Brooks Kieschnick 55 RF
Bibb Falk 5 RF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Roger Clemens 22 SP
Bruce Ruffin 47 SP
Calvin Schiraldi 32 SP 0
Greg Swindell 21 SP
Burt Hooton 46 SP
RELIEVERS
Tex Hughson 42 MR
Dennis Cook 39 MR
Huston Street 20 CL
Ricky Wright 40 MR
Mike Capel 44 MR
Jerry Don Gleaton 51
Rich Wortham 16 MR

UCLA Bruins
Manager: Art Reichle

Active Roster

Player # Pos
CATCHERS
Todd Zeile 5 C
Don Slaught 7 C
INFIELDER
Bob Hamelin 48 1B
Mike Edwards 47 2B
Troy Glaus 25 3B
Rich Amaral 12 3B
Chris Chambliss 21 1B
Mike Gallego 9 2B
Luis Gomez 1 SS
Jackie Robinson 42 1B
OUTFIELDER
Ron Roenicke 45 RF
Shane Mack 24 CF
Marshall Edwards 38 CF
Eric Byrnes 22 LF
Dave Roberts 30 CF

Player # Role
STARTERS
Dave Schmidt 22 SP
Matt Young 26 SP
Bill Bonham 34 SP
Jim Parque 33 SP
Glenn Mickens 35 SP
RELIEVERS
Jim York 16 CL
Floyd Chiffer 29 MR
Pat Clements 32 MR
Tim Leary 18 MR
Bob Adams 49 MR

[batted balls]

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

Ole Max is back and better than ever after spending the winter betting horses, sunning himself in the tropics and watching a little pigskin, hoops and puck.

It's time for Max's annual predictions for the All-American Baseball League races (just wanted to remind everyone that Max did pick Ivy to upset Arizona State in the first-ever College World Series last October). Here are Ole Max's fearless predictions:

AABL East
1. Ivy Eagles--How do you bet against Bob Seddon's defending champs with the 1-2 punch of Lou Gehrig and Sam Mele in the lineup?
2. Miami Hurricanes--Ron Fraser gets Mike Piazza for an entire season this time around. Miami may will 100 games again; again it may not be enough.
3. Mississippi State Bulldogs--This is a team on the rise with a good mix of pitching and hitting. Ron Polk likes the addition of Jonathan Papelbon to his starting rotation.
4. Illinois Fighting Illini--Strong pitching and home runs will once again carry Tom Dedin's crew.
5. Florida State Seminoles--Mike Martin's bunch put up quite a fight a season ago before fading into the pack. Ole Max assessed they'll fade early this time around.
6. Michigan Wolverines--Don Lund's gang just might be the surprise team of the season. Stayed tuned.
7. LSU Tigers--The young pitchers must come through if Skip Bertram's club is to make any noise in the Bayou. Ole Max's eyes tell him this Albert Belle character just might emerge as a top-notch slugger.
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish--Outside of Cap Anson and Carl Yastrzemski there's not much fight in Pat Murphy's bunch.
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers--Richard Sibert's team will improve as players like Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield and Brent Gates continue to develop. The Gophers just won't improve enough to get out of the hole.
10. Michigan State Spartans--John Kolb's punchless club was shut out 30 times last season for cripes sakes!

AABL West
1. Arizona State Sun Devils--Bobby Winkles' boys are hungry after getting swept in the College World Series.
2. USC Trojans--Offense galore yet somehow pitching poor. Rod Dedeaux has replaced Barry Latman as closer with Ray Lamb.
3. UCLA Bruins--Art Reichle says his team will put more pressure on opponents with the likes of Jackie Robinson.
4. Cal Golden Bears--Clint Evans can pencil worsehorse Oval Overall in for at least 18 wins.
5. Texas Longhorns--Cliff Gustafson assures us his team will be better this year. Ole Max wonders just how much better.
6. Oklahoma State Cowboys--Gary Ward's team folded like a cheap tent after the All-Star break a season ago. Ole Max doesn't see them much better this year.
7. Stanford Cardinal--How desperate is Mark Marquess when he goes out and signs John Elway to a contract? You're supposed to be competing for a berth in the College World Series not the Super Bowl.
8. Arizona Wildcats--Jerry Kindall's club ran to an AABL-high in stolen bases last year. Ole Max asks, "Where are you running to?" Certainly not a pennant.
9. Cal State Fullerton Titans--CFS in the CWS? Not a chance for Augie Garrido and the gang.
10. San Diego State Aztecs--Charlie Smith replaces Tony Gwynn as manager. Wasn't the captain of the Titanic named Smith?

Ole Max's College World Series Selection:
Ivy over Arizona State in Six

This is Max Mercy, Jr. signing off . . .

[batted balls]

April 1, 2007

Bristol, Conn.--Minnesota left fielder J.T. Bruett ruined Ivy's party in Thursday's season opener at Eagles Nest Park.

Bruett singled home George Thomas to give the Golden Gophers a 3-2 lead over the defending All-American Baseball League champions. Minnesota closer Gregg Olson then set the Eagles down in order in the bottom of ninth to record his first save of the season.

"It was a thrilling way to start the season," said Bruett who also tripled in the game. "Maybe it's a sign of things to come."

Prior to the game, Ivy raised its AABL College World Series banner. The Eagles swept Arizona State last October to win the inaugural AABL championship.

The Eagles followed up the pregame celebration by taking an early lead on a two-run single by right fielder Sam Mele in the first inning. Mele, last year's batting and RBI leader, went 2-for-4 in the opener.

Minnesota scored single runs in the second and fifth innings off Ivy starter Jim Beattie to tie the score. Thomas and Jerry Kindall each drove home a run for the Golden Gophers.

Neither Beattie nor Minnesota starter Comer figured in the decision, although both pitched well. Kerry Ligtenberg was the winning pitcher in relief of Comer. Chris Young took the loss for Ivy.

Other East Scores:
Michigan State 2, Illinois 0
Miami 4, Notre Dame 1
Michigan 4, Florida State 2
Mississippi State 2, LSU 1

[batted balls]

April 1, 2007

Los Angeles--Starter Mark Prior was uncharacteristically wild. Reliever Steve Busby doused the flames with gas, and Arizona State battered Southern California 6-2 in the season opener.

"I was all over the place today," said Prior. "Not good at all."

Prior may have been too hard on himself. The Trojan right-hander allowed just one hit--a two-run homer to Oddibe McDowell--in six innings. Prior struck out nine but walked a career-high seven.

The Trojans led 2-0 after five innings, thanks to solo home runs by Mark McGwire and Fred Lynn. McDowell's homer, however, tied the game.

"I went to the plate looking for a fastball and got it," said McDowell (shown below). The Sun Devil center fielder was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Arizona State then scored two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings. McDowell and catcher Mike Colbern drove home runs. Second baseman Bump Wills had a two-run single.

Busby, who relieved Prior in the seventh, allowed two runs on three hits. Barry Latman, the third USC pitcher of the day, gave up one run on one hit and three walks.

"Our pitching was subpar today," said USC manager Rod Dedeaux. "We can't expect to contend for the pennant if that continues to be the case."

Arizona State and USC finished first and second respectively in the AABL West last season. The Sun Devils and Trojans are expected to battle for the West title again this year.

Floyd Bannister pitched six innings and allowed two runs on five hits to earn the win for Arizona State. Bannister walked two and struck out seven. Larry Gura pitched three innings of shutout relief to earn a save.

"Floyd and Larry threw well today, all things considered," said Sun Devil manager Bobby Winkles.

Other West Scores:
Oklahoma State 4, San Diego State 3
Cal 5, Arizona 4
UCLA 7, Stanford 1
Cal State Fullerton 5, Texas 1

[batted balls]

April 5, 2007

Bristol, Conn.--It may be good to be the king, but sometimes the throne gets awfully uncomfortable.

The Ivy Eagles, defending All-American Baseball League champions, started the season just 1-3. Ivy lost two games in a three-game series to Minnesota. The Golden Gophers finished ninth last year. Ivy then was hammered by previously winless Notre Dame.

"We have to realize last year is over," said Ivy manager Bob Seddon. "Hopefully, this bad stretch has our attention."

Meanwhile, Miami started the season by winning its first four games. The Hurricanes, last year's second-place finishers, swept Notre Dame in South Bend and then battered Minnesota in the Twin Cities 12-1.

"We're hungry; we want the pennant," said Miami right-hander Alex Fernandez who three-hit Notre Dame Monday afternoon. "Last year left a bad taste in our mouths."

Diamond Notes: Miami catcher Mike Piazza won the first Player of the Week award. Piazza was 7-for-16 (.438) with a home run and two RBIs . . . Piazza's emergence has put All-Star Jorge Fabergas on the bench. Last season, Piazza spent most of his time as the Hurricanes' designated hitter. That role is being split between Greg Vaughan and Orlando Gonzalez this season . . . Illinois pitcher John Ericks tossed a three-hit shutout in the Illini's season-opening win against Michigan . . . LSU first baseman Russ Johnson hit two home runs and drove in four as the Tigers bombed Mississippi State 8-3. Johnson (shown below) hit nine homers last season . . . Michigan put both Moses Fleetwood Walker and Leon Roberts on the disabled list. Both are still suffering from injuries incurred last year. Bill Freehan and Brian Simmons were called up from the minors to take their roster spots.

East Standings
Team W L PCT GB
Miami 4 0 1.000 --
Michigan 3 1 .750 1.0
Michigan State 3 1 .750 1.0
Mississippi State 3 1 .750 1.0
Illinois 2 2 .500 2.0
Minnesota 2 2 .500 2.0
Ivy 1 3 .250 3.0
Louisiana State 1 3 .250 3.0
Notre Dame 1 3 .250 3.0
Florida State 0 4 .000 4.0

[batted balls]

April 5, 2007

San Diego--Change can be a good thing. Just ask San Diego State.

After dropping their season opener, the Aztecs have reeled off three straight wins and are tied for first place in the All-American Baseball League West. Defending West champion Arizona State and Stanford are also 3-1.

"We've been doing the little things to win," said first-year Aztec manager Charlie Smith. "If these guys can remain confident, who knows what may happen."

Two newcomers have made big splashes for San Diego State. Left-handed reliever Royce Ring was handed the closer role after being called up from the minors following Opening Day.

"When Erik Plantenberg had to go on the disabled list, Royce is the first person I wanted," said Smith. "He really impressed me in spring training.

"I wanted to see how the kid (Ring) would respond so I threw him into the fire right away," Smith said.

Ring responded well, saving two straight games in victories over Oklahoma State.

"I just tried to change speeds and keep the hitters off balance," said Ring.

The other newcomer is Graig Nettles (shown below). The left-handed hitting right fielder turned third baseman batted .455 with a home run and three RBIs in his first week as an Aztec starter. A year ago, Nettles hit just .224 in 76 late-season at-bats.

"I'm just trying to stay loose and hit the ball where it's pitched," said Nettles, who hit his first career homer off Oklahoma State pitcher Joe Horlen.

The early success of Ring and Nettles, coupled with Smith's fresh managerial approach, has been just the infusion San Diego State was looking for.

"We lost 118 games last year, but already you can sense things are going to be different this season," said short stop Bobby Meacham.

Diamond Notes: None of San Diego State's three victories went to starting pitchers. Instead, relievers Dave Smith, Jerrod Riggan and Justin Brunette picked up wins . . . Despite no longer being saddled with the player-manager role, Aztec Tony Gwynn is hitless in 13 at-bats on the young season . . . UCLA second baseman Jackie Robinson picked up the West Player of the Week award. Robinson was 7-for-16 (.428) with two homers and three RBIs . . . Arizona State took three of four games from rival Southern California in Los Angeles. Last year's ERA titlist Paul Moskau twirled a two-hit shutout against the Trojans in game three of the series . . . Stanford spent much of last year looking for offense. Outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds supplied plenty Saturday by going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs in an 11-7 win at UCLA.

West Standings
Team W L PCT GB
Arizona State 3 1 .750 --
San Diego State 3 1 .750 --
Stanford 3 1 .750 --
Arizona 2 2 .500 1.0
Cal State Fullerton 2 2 .500 1.0
Oklahoma State 2 2 .500 1.0
UCLA 2 2 .500 1.0
California 1 3 .250 2.0
Southern California 1 3 .250 2.0
Texas 1 3 .250 2.0