2000 PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #28

NAME	TEAM	AVG	SLG	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	K	W	IW	SB	CS	HBP
GIAMBI,Jason	CBL AL	.448	1.103	6	29	13	1	0	6	8	18	6	2	0	0	0	0

NAME	CLUB	G	W	L	S	ERA	IP	R	ER	H	K	BB	IBB	WP	BK	HB	HR
ABBOTT,Paul	CBL AL	2	2	0	0	1.29	14	2	2	8	5	4	0	0	0	1	1

NAME	TEAM	AVG	SLG	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	K	W	IW	SB	CS	HBP
ALOMAR,Roberto	SRB NL	.500	.857	6	28	14	1	0	3	11	12	2	2	0	1	0	0

NAME	CLUB	G	W	L	S	ERA	IP	R	ER	H	K	BB	IBB	WP	BK	HB	HR
FERNANDEZ,Osvaldo	SRB NL	2	2	0	0	0.63	14.1	6	1	10	6	6	0	0	0	0	2

Winnipeg Goldeyes @ Hollywood Vampires
Series Summary:	Hollywood wins game 1, drops the next 5.

Baltimore Blue Crabs @ Manhattan Gas Hornets
Series Preview:	Gas Hornets finish out the season hosting Baltimore and look to tune-up for the post season (and maybe get some rest)…
Game #1:	After rbis from Chipper Jones and Tony Batista (homer 38), the Crabs are up 2-0 in the 5th. Bottom half Manhattan scores twice to tie, but ace (?) reliever Mike Williams gives up a 9th inning 2 run homer to Sean Casey (23) and Baltimore pulls out the opener, 4-2. BAL 4-10-0 WP Ricky Bottalico (3-1) S Paniagua (26) MGH 2- 6-0 LP Williams (3-5)
Game #2:	Rick Reed gives up a solo homer to Jorge Posada (30) in the 4th – that cut the Gas Hornets lead to 3-1 as Manhattan plates 1 in the 1st and 2 in the 3rd. Reed gives up just 1 more hit and the two relievers give up none over the final two innings. BAL 1-2-0 LP Woody Williams (11-14) MGH 3-9-0 WP Reed (18-4) S Matt Mantei (3)
Game #3:	Chipper Jones unloads for a solo shot in the 3rd – but that was all the Blue Crabs get. Derek Jeter strokes 2 homers (14, 15), 4 hits, 3 rbis and Manhattan goes on to get 13 hits and 6 runs to win it easily. BAL 1- 8-1 LP Jeff Suppan (10-8) MGH 6-13-2 WP Rob Bell (10-10)
Game #4:	This was not a pitcher’s duel – unless hitting bats and giving up runs was the goal. 17 runs, 23 hits, 1 run game! Baltimore gets the early lead 5-3 after 3 as Chipper Jones slugs a solo shot (34) as part of the mix. Then Manhattan gets single runs in the 5th and 6th and a big 4 spot in the 7th for a 9-5 lead. But Tony Batista slams a 2 run shot in the 8th (39) and then the Crabs plate another in the 9th, but finally Donne Wall gets the final outs with Manhattan still on top, 9-8! BAL 8-12-1 LP Todd Worrell (2-1) BS Trombley (2) MGH 9-11-0 WP Jose Cabrera (1-0) S Wall (16)
Game #5:	Gas Hornets plate 5 in the 2nd – Brian Anderson gives up only 2 hits (homers by Posada (31) and Batista (40)) but that was their offense. Manhattan adds 3 more in the 5th for easy 8-2 win. Chad Curtiss actually came through going 4 for 4 and missing the cycle by a triple. 3 rbis and his 2nd homer of the year. BAL 2- 2-0 LP Ryan Dempster (15-10) MGH 8-12-0 WP Anderson (12-11)
Game #6:	Season finale, Tim Hudson vs. Tim Wakefield again and the Blue Crabs open up on Wakefield with 4 in the 2nd and another in the 3rd. Andy Fox came through in the 2nd with a 2 run single. But the Gas Hornets get their own 4 run innings, the 4th (after a 2 run 3rd and 1 run 2nd) and it’s 7-5 Manhattan after 4. Garrett Anderson hit the solo shot (37) in the 2nd for his 176th rbi! Then Baltimore scores another in the 5th – all 6 runs (2 earned) charged against Wakefield, but he leaves in the 5th. And the bullpen does something they are not famous for – they hold and close out the game with 5 scoreless innings! BAL 6-9-2 LP Hudson (8-14) MGH 7-8-1 WP Matt Mantei (8-1) S Kim (6)
Series Summary:	Manhattan won 5 of 6 and rested all their players extensively during the series. And they finished the season with a lot of offense and suspect pitching as they head into the post season. 4 regulars batting well over .300 (ranging from .326 to .383). 4 regulars scoring more than 113 runs (ranging from 114 to 152). Jason Kendall‘s 124 rbis were bested by 52 as Garrett Anderson drives in 176 (37 dingers, .326 avg, .373 obp and .952 OPS). However, Kendall (1.001 ops) and Jeter (1.027 ops) topped him. Ray Durham and Luis Alicea were no slouches either!! But pitching? Rick Reed had a great year, 18-4, 3.02 era. After that, well Matt Mantei was 8-1 out of the bullpen! But the bullpen was 30-20, 4.47 era, 43 saves and 21 blown saves. It was always a mystery and we always needed the offense to perform or well, we were toast! Fun year.

Fort Worth Panthers @ Portland Mavericks
Series Preview:	The cellar of the AL West squares off for 6 to close out the season as Fort Worth travels to Portland for their final time.
Game #1:	Fort Worth 5 Portland 2 W: T. Richie (6-16) L: D. Kile (11-14)Richie goes the distance here giving up only 1 earned in the gem. Fort Worth put up 3 quick ones in the 1st but Kile settled in and got through 7. In the 8th Fort Worth got solo shots from both Sheffield and Pudge to put the game away for good.
Game #2:	Portland 12 Fort Worth 5 W: R. Person (10-9) L: B. Arroyo (1-4)6 home runs combined in this one from 6 different hitters. Todd Zeile had 2 hits (including a HR) to go with 3 RBI. The difference in this one was defense as Fort Worth commits 3 errors that led to 6 total unearned runs.
Game #3:	Fort Worth 9 Portland 8 W: S. Sauerbeck (5-3) L: F. Castillo (4-11) S: F. Rodriguez (2)A true back and forth game. 3-3 after 4, Portland up 6-5 after 5. The 7th was the game changer, Fort Worth put up 4 and Portland responded with 2. Williamson and Rodriguez made sure the door was slammed shut to get the Panthers a victory. Edgar Martinez had himself a HR and Jose Guillen knocked 3 in. Jose Valentin and Jeff Conine had home runs for Portland, Conine had 4 RBIs.
Game #4:	Fort Worth 5 Portland 4 W: M. Redman (4-16) L: A. Lopez (6-10) S: Erdos (1)Another close one as the competition is pretty equal. Sandy Martinez had a clutch double in the 5th which was the 3rd in a row for the Panthers to chip away at the Portland 4-1 lead. After tying it up in the 5th, Fort Worth got the winning run in the top of the 6th thanks to Sandy Martinez getting a run scoring single. Erdos came in for Fort Worth and was strong over 2.1 surrendering just 2 hits and 2 walks to earn his first save.
Game #5:	Portland 7 Fort Worth 3 W: S. Sparks (5-8) L: J. Lima (3-8)Steve Sparks had a shutout through 5 but gave up 3 in the 6th. Portland decided to bring him back out for one more inning knowing that if someone reached he was done, he got through 1,2,3. 7 strong, which was needed after the last two games. Portland had a great night out of Todd Zeile who had 3 hits, 1 2B, 2 HR, and 3 RBI. It was 7-0 through 5 and it made the night a lot easier to just get through to a victory. Edgar Martinez had himself an RBI double for Fort Worth but the hits were scattered all night.
Game #6:	Portland 3 Fort Worth 2 W: D. Kile (12-14) L: T. Richie (6-17) S: G. White (22)Kile and Richie really shined in this series. It was great to see them battle twice and close out the season on a good note, even if Fort Worth loss. Rich Aurilla got the scoring started with a solo shot for Fort Worth in the 2nd. It took until the bottom of the 5th for Portland to tie it up, Sandy Alomar Jr. came back from injury and slapped a home run. In the bottom of the 6th, after Todd Zeile was thrown out at home to try and take the lead for Portland on a Conine single, Derek Bell hit a 2 run shot to make it 3-1. Fort Worth had bases loaded in the top of the 9th with 2 outs and scored a run on a passed ball but fell short on a Rondell White groundout.
Series Summary:	A 3-3 split in the series as both teams close out the 2000 season looking forward to improving next year as Portland is relocating.

Hampton Huskies @ Santa Rosa Beach Bums
Series Preview:	The Bums welcome the Huskies from Hampton to the Emerald Coast to close out the season.
Series Summary:	Santa Rosa beach takes 5 of 6, taking advantage of a worn out Huskies squad.

Connecticut Jays @ Michigan Mauraders
Series Preview:	Connecticut takes on Michigan for a 6 game series to wrap up the season.
Game #1:	Connecticut 8 Michigan 7 The Jays score 2 runs in the 9th to win the game. Polonia and Husley have 3 hits.
Game #2:	Michigan 4 Connecticut 2 Rekar wins his 4th game. Singleton with a homer. Piatt with a pinch hit single drives in 2 runs.
Game #3:	Connecticut 5 Michigan 4 Ben Grieve with a 3 run homer. Carlos Feebles has 3 hits.
Game #4:	Connecticut 6 Michigan 3 Al Leiter goes to 15-15 with the win. Piazza has a homer as part of his 4 hits. Meares has a homer and 3 RBIs.
Game #5:	Michigan 4 Connecticut 3 (10) Mike Lieberthal with 2 hits. Bret Boone with a big RBI as Michigan wins.
Game #6:	Michigan 8 Connecticut 3 Radke wins his 12th to close out the season. Jim Edmonds hits a homer.
Series Summary:	Connecticut and Michigan split their series to close out their seasons. Michigan finishes 74-88 and Connecticut closes out at 69-93.

Blarney Drive Bandits @ Long Beach Titans
Series Summary:	Blarney Drive closes out the season by taking 4 of 6 from Long Beach.

Houghton Penguins @ Corktown Bootleggers
Series Summary:	Corktown wins 5 of 6. They also scored double digits in 5 of 6 games.

Harper Woods Expos @ Southlake Scorpions
Series Preview:	Both teams just trying to finish out the season.
Game #1:	Mussina has loved pitching against the Scorps this year. With 3 wins in 4 starts where he went the distance in all of them, he is salivating at the chance to add to his victory total. Dante Bichette decided to make it a bit tougher on Mike by greeting him with a two run double in the first to take the lead early. The Scorps added one in the 2nd on the speed of Cairo and a timely single by Bogar. Van Poppel with the rare spot start ran into a spot by putting the first two on in the 4th. Fearing a potential game changing inning, Sarge went to old reliable John Rocker. Rocker must have gotten some sleep the night before because he did his job and shut down the inning. Again the Expos put the pressure on in the 5th, loading the bases with two down. Paul “Chop” Shuey struck out DeShields looking to put the fire out. Meanwhile, Mussina settled in and was dealing until the bottom of the 6th. A single, a walk, and a sac bunt put two in scoring position with just one down. Sarge went to the bench and pulled some magic out of the hat. Eusebio pinch hit for Cairo and took Mussina deep for a 6-0 lead. With the Mussina magic gone on this evening the Scorps would add 3 more runs off Eyre. Mariano Rivera would finish off the game in a non save situation as the Scorps put one in the victory column 9-0. The combined 4 hit shut-out was the best outing for the Scorps staff all season.
Game #2:	With the Expos down to just two relievers who were available to pitch and the Scorpions starting a pitcher with an ERA over 7.5, the last thing anyone expected was a pitchers duel. Its a good thing no one expected it, because it never happened. Instead both teams combined for 24 runs, 32 hits, 11 walks and 4 men reaching base on errors in a 13 -11 Scorpion victory. Larry Walker went 5/5 with 2 HRS and 4 RBIs. Todd Helton jacked one as well contributing 4 more RBIs for the Expos. On the Scorpion side Bagwell went 3/4 with 4 RBIs and a bomb. O’Leary plated 3 and Bichette and Johnson went deep as well. As strong as the Scorp pitching was yesterday no one threw well today. Someone had to get the win, which went to Reyes and Rivera finished the game for his 27th save of the year. It was as ugly as a game as you could ever imagine.
Game #3:	Is there combat pay in the MWWL? If so Eyre deserves it all and then some. As the only available arm for the Expos, the spot starter was forced to take a beating. A beating it most definitely was. The Scorps scored 15 times on 20 hits and 5 walks. Surprisingly only 8 of the runs were earned as the Expos added two errors in the limited effort they put forth. Cairo was 5/6 with 3 Runs and 3 RBIs. Bichette stayed hot going 4/5 with 2 Runs and 2 RBIs. Bagwell was only 1/6 but that one hit was a monster bomb. Bottenfield got his first win of the year in the Start.
Series Summary:	Four Games to two – The Scorpions prevail.

Chicago Demolition @ Monroeville Maulers
Series Preview:	CHI visits Hammer & Steel Stadium after clinching the division. The Maulers are poised for the challenge hoping to clinch the first wild card spot.
Game #1:	MVM 5 CHI 3 – Jon Leiber scatters 9 hits over 6IP, and picks up his 18th win. Roger Clemens scatters 8 hits over 6IP as the Mauler hang on for the win. W- Jon Leiber 18-9 vs Roger Clemens 10-8 MVM: Vladimir Guerrero 2-4, 3B(18) CHI: Carlos Delgado 2-4, 2B(69)
Game #2:	CHI 12 MVM 7 – Brian Tolberg gets shell-shocked and the bullpen didn’t help as the Mauler bats tried their best to keep up but fell short in this one. W- Kevin Millwood 15-10 vs Brian Tolberg 10-4 MVM: Vladimir Guerrero HR(59) Can he get 60??? CHI: Shannon Stewart 3-5, HR(25), RBI4(106)
Game #3:	MVM 3 vs CHI 1 – A pitcher’s dual as the Maulers get a brilliant performance from spot starter Ramiro Mendoza 8IP 5 hits and SV17 from a well-rested Ray King gearing up for the playoffs. W- Ramiro Mendoa 3-1 vs L- Ron Villone 3-4 MVM: Vladimir Guerrero 2-4, David McCarty HR(8) RBI(47), many contributors for the Maulers CHI: J Cirillo 2-4, Canizaro HR(7)
Game #4:	MVM 5 CHI 1. Goose eggs after 5 as “El Grande” is spot on but unexpectedly he begins to tire and the Maulers plate 4 runs off of him and 5 overall in the 6th & 7th. Francisco Cordova pitches surprisingly well over 8.1IP and turns over the ball in the 9th to Turk Wendell and Todd Jones for the combined SV8 for Jones. W- Francisco Cordova 5-3, Todd Jones SV8 vs L- Pedro Martinez 26-3 MVM: Vladimir Guerrero 2-4 RBI 4(162) CHI: Edgar Renteria 3-3 HR(21) RBI(97)
Game #5:	MVM 6 vs CHI 1. “Vlad the Impaler”, 4-5, 3B(19), RBI 2(164) was all the Maulers needed as Jon Leiber goes the distance scattering 5 hits and only 1 run for win 19 capping off a Maulers MVP season along with Vladimir Guerrero. Troy Glaus 2-4, RBI 2(109) a certain honroable MVP mention. W- Jon Leiber 19-9 vs L- Mike Morgan 9-6
Game #6:	MVM 6 CHI 3. Brian Tolberg allowed 10 hits but only 3 runs as the Demolition LOB 11 as the Maulers once again make efficient use of the lumber for 6 runs on 7 hits. Vladimir Guerrero 1-2 3B(20), RBI 2(166), Troy Glaus HR(45), RBI 2(111). The dynamic duo of this squad. W- Brian Tolberg 11-4 vs Roger Clemens 10-9
Series Summary:	Wow, the Maulers make a statement after losing 3 out of 5 on the road last week and take this series 5-1, beating “El Grande” along the way in game 4! Somehow the Mauler pitching was overly effective except for Game 2 and after a disappointing performance at Southlake last week the Hammering Time Bats came out to play. Vladimir Guerrero makes MWWL history with an all-time best .816 SLG (.381 .445 .816 1.261) however he misses 60HRs by 1 surrendering the HR crown to Barry Bonds. Much to the delight of the sellout home-town crowd at all 6 games the Maulers clinch the first wildcard spot and look forward to Round 1 of the playoffs!

Danbury Mad Hatters @ Valdosta Bombers
Series Summary:	With the Bombers having the division wrapped up, rested most of the regulars, and the teams split 6 games.

DeWitt Tigers @ Montreal Canadiens
Series Summary:	The Canadians end the season taking the last series 4 – 2.

Castle Rock Hounds @ California Quakes
Series Summary:	California takes the series 4 games to 2 over Castle Rock with lots of offense in the series.