California Wins Home Opener Against Springfield 2-1 in 12 Innings

Josh Hamilton waited until the 12th inning to get his first hit of 2011. It was clutch as the Roadrunners defeated the Isotopes 2-1 in the first home game for California. The game was highlighted (or low-lighted) by four Roadrunner errors, including a costly one by Ronny Cedeno in the top of the 12th that allowed J.D. Drew to score after his leadoff double.

Hunter Pence then returned the favor by mishandling a ball hit to him by Kosuke Fukudome. After Bengie Molina sacrificed Fukudome to third, Mark Ellis stepped up and delivered a single to tie the game. Clearly shaken up by the error, Chris Perez then walked the next two batters to load the bases. Springfield got the hook out for Perez, and brought in Edward Mujica to try and put out a nasty fire. However, Hamilton came up huge and smacked a game winning single for the victory in extras.

Here's the game summary from Strat-O-Matic:

One run was the difference at Angels Stadium as the California Roadrunners defeated the Springfield Isotopes in 12 innings 2 to 1.

No runners had crossed home plate after the regulation nine.  California won the hard fought contest in the 12th inning.  Kosuke Fukudome started the inning off right when he reached on an error.  Bengie Molina stepped up to the plate and he laid down a sacrifice bunt.  Mark Ellis then delivered a single. Julio Borbon came up and he drew a walk.  Jose Bautista came to the plate and drew a walk to load the bases.  Josh Hamilton extended the rally and laced a base-hit.  California had 8 hits for the night. 

Brandon Lyon (1-0) went 1 inning allowing 1 run for the victory. Chris Perez (0-1) took the loss in relief.  He gave up 2 runs and 1 hit in 1 inning.

When asked about how his players performed in their opening game, Nathan, the co-manager of the Roadrunners, exclaimed,"thanks to your playing and my decisions, we won the game!" Nathan was key in delivering some tough calls, including pulling starter Chris Volstad in the seventh, substituting him for Nate Robertson. Nathan also wanted an intentional walk delivered to Stephen Drew in the 4th, and demanded Trevor Bell pitch the 10th.

Brendan, the Roadrunners' other co-manager was asked after the game what it felt like to relinquish some of the play-calling duties to his fellow manager. "It could have been some beginners luck out there, or it could be a new brand of California Roadrunners Baseball for BRASS. Either way, it was an exciting opening day, and a great experience to share with Nathan."

Roadrunner Sports Cards

I've been an avid collector of Sports Cards and sports memorabilia since I was seven years old. Well, probably more of an obsessed, addicted, die-hard collector at times, but I prefer to be called an "enthusiast" of sports-related item collecting. No matter what you call me, sports and accumulating sports-related items of meaning will always be a hobby of mine.

The last time I bought a pack of Baseball cards was back in 2004. It probably was a whole box, and I probably didn't open it either. That's pretty much what my "collecting" had become: pure economical speculation. It wasn't as much fun as tearing open a pack of cards in search of the rookie card of the guy that was just called up from the minors.

Turn the clock ahead seven years to the present, and I'm back into Strat-O-Matic. I also have a son who is old enough to play Baseball (T-ball for another year, actually), know most of the major league teams by glancing at the logo, and find a little joy in opening a pack of cards.

I picked up a "few" retail packs of 2010 Bowman Sterling and 2011 Topps Series 1. Because I'm me, and they were a little more expensive, I kept the Bowman Sterling for myself. I let my son open and keep the 2011 Topps cards, and he enjoyed looking at the pictures on the front. I showed him the flip side of the card, and how you can sort them by number. I told my wife that this is a great way to teach him some math, and we created sort piles while ignoring her eye rolling.

While I still find some joy in opening a fresh pack of cards, there's a greater joy in watching a child do so, especially for the first time. As his small fingers passed one card for the next, I read the player names and immediately associated them with BRASSball teams.

Interestingly enough, we only got one insert card worth noting: an autographed refractor of Pirates prospect Tony Sanchez, also of the Roadrunners' amateur system. Of all the packs we opened, we found only two other players from the team: Mark Ellis (2011 Topps) and Jose Bautista (2011 Topps Kimball Champions insert). No Josh Hamilton. No John Lackey. Not even a Chris Valaika!

Now that my son has a box of his own to put his 2011 Baseball cards in (along with a few Star Wars: Clone Wars cards), we'll definitely be picking up a pack or three here and there. I'll be on the lookout for members of the California Roadrunners, and cards of players on your team to use as voodoo dolls.

First Game of "Spring Training"

After letting Strat setup computer managers for Santa Barbara and California, I played my first BRASSball "spring training" game of 2011. It was an extra-inning affair, with Manny Ramirez winning it with a pinch-hit single off of Jonathan Papelbon that scored Carlos Lee. Was it a sign of things to come for the Roadrunners in 2011, or just pure, dumb, beginner's luck? Probably some form of the latter, but it was still fun.

BOXSCORE: 2011 Santa Barbara Outlaws At 2011 California Roadrunners
Roadrunners Win First Spring Game in Extras, Beat Outlaws 2-1
 
  Outlaws                  AB  R  H RBI   Roadrunners              AB  R  H RBI
  M.Izturis 3B              5  0  0  0    M.Ellis 2B                4  0  0  0 
  E.Andrus SS               4  0  1  0    J.Borbon CF               4  0  0  0 
  A.Gonzalez 1B             5  0  3  0    J.Hamilton LF             4  1  1  0 
  D.Uggla 2B                5  0  0  0    J.Bautista RF             2  0  0  0 
  J.Werth RF                4  0  0  0    A.Ramirez 3B              3  0  1  1 
  B.Posey C                 3  0  0  0    C.Lee 1B                  3  1  1  0 
  C.Granderson CF           4  0  1  0    P.Janish SS               3  0  0  0 
  B.Hall LF                 4  1  1  0    R.Barajas C               3  0  0  0 
  L.Morrison DH             3  0  1  1  A-M.Ramirez PH              1  0  1  1 
                                          K.Fukudome DH             3  0  1  0 
                           -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---
         Totals            37  1  7  1           Totals            30  2  5  2
 
A-Pinch Hit For Barajas In 10th Inning
 
Outlaws......... 0 0 0  0 0 1  0 0 0  0 -  1  7  0
Roadrunners..... 0 0 0  1 0 0  0 0 0  1 -  2  5  0
 
Outlaws                  IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
B.Cecil LOSS              9 1/3   4   2   2   2   3   0
J.Papelbon                0       1   0   0   0   0   0
Totals                    9 1/3   5   2   2   2   3   0
 
Roadrunners              IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR
L.Hernandez               6       7   1   1   4   4   0
M.Guerrier                3       0   0   0   0   3   0
B.Lyon WIN                1       0   0   0   0   1   0
Totals                   10       7   1   1   4   8   0
 
ATTENDANCE- 17,392 TIME- Day WEATHER- Bad
UMPIRES- Bill Miller, Paul Emmel, Gary Darling, Jerry Meals
T- 2:47
LEFT ON BASE- Outlaws:10  Roadrunners: 4
DOUBLE PLAYS- Outlaws: 0  Roadrunners: 0
DOUBLES- A.Gonzalez, C.Granderson, B.Hall, A.Ramirez, C.Lee
TRIPLES- J.Hamilton
SACRIFICE HITS- P.Janish
SACRIFICE FLIES- A.Ramirez
WALKS- E.Andrus, J.Werth, B.Posey, L.Morrison, J.Bautista, C.Lee
HIT BY PITCH- J.Bautista
STRIKE OUTS- M.Izturis, A.Gonzalez, D.Uggla, J.Werth, C.Granderson, B.Hall-2,
             L.Morrison, M.Ellis, J.Borbon-2

Strat-O-Matic Baseball Version 16 Has Arrived

The new Strat-O-Matic game arrived at my door today. With the anticipation of the game's arrival over, the task of getting back into the game was finally here. I quickly tore open the envelope and pulled out the CD. There it was: Version 16. It looked a lot like Versions 1-11 from the outside, and I couldn't wait any longer to see how the game had changed over the last five years.

I inserted the disc to begin the installation. The whirring and buzzing of my Blu-Ray burner grabbed hold of the disc.

This was it. Now was my chance to turn back. Did I realize what I was getting myself into? Do I really have the time for this? Will Nathan be able to understand and enjoy Strat-O-Matic Baseball as much as I have? Will my wife put up with the repetitive, digitized sound of "we want a hitter" blasting out of the computer speakers in the bottom of the ninth inning?



Ah... good old C:\CDROMBB. You're back! I remember you fondly and not so fondly. The countless LZP files and CDROMBB backups. Hundreds of PRT files. Oh my system backup will be having some words with you soon enough.

"DON'T LOSE THIS CARD" is right. I'll never be able to play again if I lose this card, right? How will I get a copy of SOM on my laptop now? Okay, here it goes.

So that's the updated interface. Not bad. Now to check my email for those BRASSball league files. Got the LZP. Now for a restore and...

Hey, I did it! Most of the functions and menus are the same so I was able to navigate my way around. So now what? Sort and study the league free agents? Check out the computer manager advanced bullpen settings? Maybe work on my starting lineup? No! It's time to PLAY BALL!

BRASSball Constitution - Acts of God

I was double-checking the usage rules in the BRASSball league constitution, and came across section 11.C:

"The BRASSball league game structure file, sent out by the League Statistician, will not adjust the statistics. As such, each BRASSball owner knows confidently that each position player is allowed 105% of the at-bats plus walks, and that each pitcher is allowed 105% of the innings pitched, from the previous MLB season. The only exception to this rule is when the most recent MLB season played less than a full schedule of games (currently 162 per team) due to a player strike, owner lock-out, act of God, or any other reason. In such a case, the League Statistician may choose to multiply the partial season's statistics to a full 162-game BRASSball equivalent. It is each BRASSball owner’s responsibility to know the plate appearance limit and the innings pitched limit for each player on their squad."

I was trying to determine what my 2012 season was going to look like if the Mayan end-of-the-world thing would be classified under "act of God." My research to see if I would be covered in the outfield during the last year of Jose Bautista's contract got back on track when I realized that the world is supposed to end in December, a month or two after the 2012 MLB season is over. Whew!

Roadrunners and Isotopes Agree on Four-Player Deal

The California Roadrunners and Springfield Isotopes agreed on a four-player deal. The Roadrunners have acquired top prospects Gerrit Cole and Christian Friedrich, along with reliever Trevor Bell in exchange for reliever Sean Marshall and the Roadrunners' first-round draft pick (twelfth overall) in 2011.

The Roadrunners' front office is very excited about the deal after following Cole's career at UCLA, and the speculation as being the first or second pitcher drafted in the upcoming 2011 MLB Draft.

After analyzing the players available in the middle of round one of the 2011 BRASSball draft, it was clear that a pitcher of Cole's caliber and progression would not be there. We needed to make a move to strengthen our farm system, and add some pitching depth for the future.

On February 18, 2011, UCLA's first game of 2011, the Bruins beat the University of San Francisco 1-0. Cole went the distance, shutting out USF while allowing only four hits. He also struck out 11 while walking only one. It's a great start to his final college season at UCLA before he joins the Roadrunners amateur system in 2012.

Cole will be joined in the California Amateur System by left-hander Christian Friedrich. Friedrich is a former first-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 2008 MLB draft. Despite recent injury troubles, he is on a slightly faster track than Cole, and hopes to contribute to the Roadrunners as early as next season.

Bell will replace Marshall in the bullpen in 2011, and he has some pretty large reliever shoes to fill. Marshall was prepared to be one of Brandon Lyon's setup men, but Bell won't be asked to fill that role. We're considering Bell for a long relief position, and potentially a start or two in the second half of the season.

Prospect Preview: Ben Revere, OF

Ben Revere is one of the Roadrunners top prospects and fits the mold perfectly for the future plans of the team.

Revere, a former first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2007, was named the Twins Minor League Player of the Year in both 2008 and 2009 after batting .379 and .311 respectively.

He was rewarded in 2010 with a promotion to AA, and responded by batting .305 and eventually appearing in 13 games for the Twins during a late-season call-up in September.

Speed is the name of the game for Revere. He has averaged 42 stolen bases over the last three seasons in the minors. The Roadrunners will continue to be conservative with Revere, though, as he has struggled on the defensive side.

This season should be an interesting one for Revere, who looks to return to AA with hope of heading to AAA mid-season. The Roadrunners will count on Revere to be their opening day starter for the club in 2013, but are in no real hurry to see Revere as their outfield should remain crowded for the next two seasons.

It really is a perfect scenario for Revere; he's only 22 and still has some upside and areas to improve on. I would not be surprised to see him as early as next season in a utility role, but it will most likely be at DH until he can get his issues with the glove worked out.

Official 2011 Outlook
Remain under minor league contract.