VOLUME:XLVI ... February 1, 2020
LATEST NEWS
Lancaster. Before I talk about this particular gathering I want to say something in general about getting together in Lancaster. I really appreciate those caring enough about the league to take time out of your everyday life to annually meet for our draft. Joe & Jason Skovran plus Bob Dowrick flying in from Florida and Bob Fenili from Atlanta. Ken Brand driving from the other side of the Mississippi River. It's incredible those guys travel that far for our league. Seeing everyone in person is far exceeds talking on the phone. Again I thank all of you guys for making it not only an APBA thing but personal.
I got up at 8AM and was on the road by 8:30. Not impressive to most but to me that is REALLY early. I got to Lancaster around 1pm on Friday the 24th and I knew Mark Gaudiano and Randy Prichard had arrived Thursday. It wasn't long before we got together in the lobby area were we hold the draft. Everyone arrived, including first timer Jim Kockler, within a couple hours and we sat in the lobby area where we hold our draft just talking about the trip and catching up on stuff. Along with 11 of the league, Joe Reagan & Randy Prichard wives joined them for the weekend plus TCWBA manager Joe Jutzi checked into the hotel. Little did I or he know how interesting his weekend would be. As usual we talked about RCMBA stuff and the debate about where we all could have dinner and handle a group of 10-12 at once. The Longhorn Steakhouse was the winner and well worth that choice. Soon after we were back at hotel for more talk. We had about 8 or 9 of us in Mike Fisher's room for all kinds of debates. Slowly everyone headed back to their rooms which by the way are very nice. About 2AM I got to my bed and set my alarm for 8AM.
Saturday at 8AM. Good grief! 8AM, sigh. A morning shower helps, coffee does too. Everyone meets in lobby around 9 and Ed Morgans joins us. We go about a mile to Katie's Kitchen and somehow they sit all of us. Back to the hotel and by 11AM almost everyone is in the lobby area looking at their newly purchased cards and setting up for the draft. On the web in the ROLZ room, we had Mark Featherstone, Andy Jeschke and eventually Chris Uhlhorn. Joe Jutzi was there too as an observer. At noon Joe Reagan kicks off the draft with Peter Alonso joining the elite #1 draftees. Unofficially deals are working in the background about upcoming draft picks. LOTS OF THEM! About 15 by the time the draft will be over. We roll thru several rounds until we reached R4p9 when Uhlhorn gets to make his first pick. He doesn't respond even though he is in the ROLZ room. I call him on the phone. No answer. We skip him and move on and when we get to R5p9 again nothing from Uhlhorn until we see him type this into the ROLZ room, "is there dufety abaielia". WTF? I tell him to pick his skipped pick and this one. He says, "put mreileif" & "relier pitvhers". I ask him does he want me to pick for him and he says yes, so I do that. A couple picks later it's his pick again. I call him on phone. No answer. Call him again and he answers. I tell him it's his pick and he slurs several unintelligible words. He is totally plowed! Drunk or stoned on something. He was flat out drunk at 2PM! I have no idea what he's saying or suggesting and I hang up. I asked the group how they think I should handle it and they confirmed what I was thinking. He's kicked out of the league! Joe Jutzi agrees to take over Cinci which then becomes the Havre de Grace Bucs. The draft moves on ends with pick #177, Mr Irrelevant is Jordan Lyles/Knob Noster. The immediate conversation is about Uhlhorn and the numerous times he's been drunk before while we've been playing on-line with him and how I incorrectly allowed him to continue in the league despite those issues. Eventually we move to making even more deals and deciding that Red Robin gets tonight's dinner gang. Back to Fisher's room for more deals and the night ends at 2AM again with 22 deals since noon!
Sunday 8AM. Yikes this before 10AM stuff is horrible! Mark and Bob Fenili have already left. Three more deals in the morning to make it 25 in under 24 hours. Reagan heads off and the rest of us head to the Waffle House. Then it's over. We all head home either directly or with the Florida crew, the Casino on the way to the Airport. Nobody got a group photo and all but Randy & myself nixed a partial photo. Soon we are all home safely and waiting for next years draft. I got back to text and phone messages from Uhlhorn. He claimed a medical emergency with family member was reason he left the draft room. He didn't even realize we had talked on the phone and that he had mumbled out something draft related. No idea that happened. I dealt with drunks for 21 years on PD. I know a drunk and how they act. He denied it as they always do. I suggested he get professional help before he hurts himself or others. Bottom line he was told was he wasn't going to be returning to RCMBA.... Twenty five deals at Lancaster! I am impressed with that.
... IMPORTANT DATES ...
- Mar 29 (Sun): Cutdown to 36 and end of trading
- Mar 30 (Mon): Opening day
THE SHOW
RANDOM STUFF
Just 17 days until pitchers and catchers report... meanwhile some numbers
Carlos Beltran had 2,725 hits and 4,751 total bases. Chipper Jones had 2,726 hits and 4,755 total bases.
Andruw Jones had 1,933 hits and 434 home runs. Juan Gonzalez had 1,936 hits and 434 home runs
Derek Jeter had 1,082 walks and 1,840 strikeouts. Ozzie Smith had 1,072 walks and 589 strikeouts
When Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941, he reached base in all but three games in which he had two or more plate appearances
Ted Williams had 71 triples and 521 home runs. Roger Metzer had 71 triples and five home runs
On January 19, 1900, Boston Beaneaters catcher Marty Bergen killed his family with an axe, then took his own life with a razor
Pirates Hall of Famer Pie Traynor had 19 doubles, 19 triples, and 19 strikeouts in 1923
Vince Coleman had more than 100 stolen bases in 1985, 1986, and 1987. No player has reached triple digits since
Derek Jeter started 2,660 games at shortstop, the only defensive position he played. Pete Rose started games at six different defensive positions: first base (905), left field (652), third base (627), second base (600), right field (581), center field (70).
Ian Kinsler, who announced his retirement this off-season will have finished his career with 1,999 hits. Hall of Fame infielder Jimmy Collins also finished with 1,999 hits. A total of 287 players have 2,000 or more hits.
Josh Hader has thrown 204 big-league innings and has yet to be charged with a wild pitch. Jordan Walden has thrown 222 big-league innings and has been charged with 31 wild pitches
Vladimir Guerrero had 2,590 hits, 477 doubles, and 449 home runs. Gary Sheffield had 2,689 hits, 467 doubles, and 509 home runs.
Edgar Martinez had 514 doubles, 309 home runs, 1,219 runs scored, and 1,261 RBIs. Scott Rolen had 517 doubles, 316 home runs, 1,211 runs scored, and 1,287 RBIs.
On January 14, 1940 Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis released 91 minor leaguer players from Detroit farm system because of what he deemed to be illegal dealings by the front office.
The new 26 man roster where clubs will be limited to 13 pitchers. The Angels, though, would benefit from the new two-way player exemption for Ohtani, so he would not count among those 13 pitchers and instead receive two-way status. But in order to receive official two-way status, a player must pitch at least 20 Major League innings AND play at least 20 Major League games as a position player or designated hitter, with at least three plate appearances in each game in either the current or previous MLB season.