When it rains, it pours

"I've had pretty good success with him, by throwing my best pitch and backing up third." (Carl Erskine, on pitching to Stan Musial)

There have been rumors swirling around the league on what happened to Matthias Maccioni. Did "Crayon" win the Colorado Pick 6 lottery and retire to buy his own pro baseball team? Did he turn his back on baseball to join Scientology? Did he get signed to a lucrative contract to be a judge on the upcoming season of "American Idol"?

The truth of the matter is that on 9/19/2013, Maccioni stroked a single in the 8th inning and then suffered a concussion during a play at 2nd base. Doctors examined him and decided that the damage was so severe it would be too dangerous for him to continue playing baseball.

Thus, at the age of 24, Maccioni has retired from baseball. He leaves the game having played 977 games, with 3359 at bats, 753 hits, 84 HRs, 404 RBIs, 21 SBs, a career .224 average, .370 OBP and .733 OPS.

The 2013 season was his breakout year, with Maccioni posting a .293 average with 27 doubles, 33 HRs, 107 RBIs, a .442 OBP, .543 SLUG and a .985 OPS.

If Denver didn't have bad luck, it would have no luck at all. In addition to losing Maccioni on 9/19, Denver OF Phil Lindsey also was injured in that game, spraining his ankle making a play in centerfield. He's out for another 1-2 weeks. That costs Denver a dangerous hitter vs LHP. His overall season stats were 31 HRs, 99 RBIs and a .917 OPS.

But the team cannot dwell on the past, as Denver is about to face the Regina River Sharks in the Divisional Championship series. On paper, it looks like a no-brainer with Regina having posted a 111-51 record compared to Denver's 88-74 record. A sampling of team statistics look like this:

Denver: .251 average - .351 OBP - .413 SLUG - .764 OPS - 58 SBs  - 4.6 ERA  - .273 OAVG
Regina: .273 average - .353 OBP - .432 SLUG - .785 OPS - 156 SBs - 3.6 ERA - .237 OAVG

Normally, there would be a "Keys to the Game" analysis before the series with Regina. However, considering Denver's top two bats will be out for the series, and the team is also without its top starter, Gilberto Montano, "Keys to Not Getting Swept" would be more appropriate.

* Play error-free in the field.
* Limit the number of walks allowed.
* Larry Jackson needs to have a big series at the plate.

If Denver succeeds in those three areas, then they won't get dominated in the series.

We're gonna need a bigger boat

"Oh say can you see / By the dawn's early light / What so proudly we hail / In the twilight's last gleaming? / Whose bright stripes and broad stars / In the perilous night / For the ramparts we watched / uh, da-da-da-da-da-daaaa. / And the rocket's red glare / Lots of bombs in the air / Gave proof to the night / That we still had our flag. / Oh say does that flag banner wave / Over a-a-all that's free / And the home of the land / And the land of the - FREE!" (Frank Drebin singing the national anthem in "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!")

Date: 9//9/2013

A memo from Glenn Polyn

 

I've been examining the Denver Dynasty franchise from top to bottom and come away feeling like I'm driving a 1971 Ford Pinto in a Nascar race with Kyle Busch in the car behind me.

 

Denver's major league roster is full of talent that, other than the outfielders and Maccioni, I wouldn't call "average." What con cerns me the most is the state of the pitching staff. Our best starter is Heckbert, who we plucked last week off some construction site in South Carolina, where he was working as a bricklayer. Chandler and Juarez are adequate relievers, but have both shown a tendency to implode under pressure.

 

It doesn't help matters that players, such as P Gilberto Montano, 1B Chet Harden and recently SS Gary Ratzlaff, have suffered injuries, further depleting our thin major league roster throughout the season. Our minor leagues are not where I would like them, as evident with our lack of prospects who have the ability to be promoted to our active roster when players go on the DL.

 

Our AAA team, the Vancouver Canadians, sit at 68-81. OFs Richard Knight, Scott Jones and Xing-Fu Loong appear to be the only players with any chance of having a future in the major leagues. The pitching staff should be taken out back behind the supplies shed and be put down.

 

Our AA and A teams, Ocean Park Mafia and Abbotsford Heat, are both over .500 and have a few talented prospects, but none seem to be true impact players who are required to be a title contender. P Aluizio Subgua and OF Roger Robinson are the players who I feel are the only prospects who I can see in the big leagues in the next 2 years.

 

I'm in the process of constructing a plan for the franchise, deciding on how best to turn a mediocre team that's in first place due to smoke and mirrors into a contender that can strike fear in its opponents.

The Beginning of the End?

"From what I hear, you couldn't hit water if you fell out of a fucking boat." (Crash Davis to Ebby "Nuke" Laloosh in "Bull Durham")

It's the beginning of the end for Denver.

The team is still called the Denver Dynasty, but that will obviously change in time. The new owner, Glenn Polyn, has already chosen the next city - St. Charles, Missouri - but has yet to announce the final team name. That will be revealed, along with the new team logo, during the offseason (perhaps during the parade after the team wins the BSA championship).

The team had a 2-3 record during the most recent sim. It's a miracle that the team is able to win, all things considered. Changes to the rosters and the lineups are already taking place. Several players - including SS Jonathan Glover and reliever Cor van Ginderen - have been placed on the disabled list, and will be replaced by players in the minor league system.

The team sits at 70-54, and the new ownership is planning to do everything to keep the team in first place. It won't be easy. It's not a pretty team, but we've won a title with less in the past.