[Westheim]

We were to start a 2-week homestand – one which Daniel Hall would for the most part sit on the bench. We decided against putting him on the DL when team trainer Michael Dempsey opined that he could play pain free a week from now. That meant playing the Titans and Bayhawks a half man short, since Hall was at best available to pinch hit. But if it was only a week, there was no use for Hall on the DL. I trusted Dempsey on this one. He’s been Mr. Bones for the Raccoons for 12 years, he knows every back condition there can possibly be thanks to Dan The Man.

Raccoons (57-34) vs. Titans (50-44) – July 21-23, 1992

Neil Reece would bat cleanup in Hall’s absence, behind Salazar, O-Mo, and Kinnear. Higgins 5th looked awkward, but you want him ahead of Osanai, who’s clogging up the bases. Quinn would be a better alternative at 5th, but not against righties, he still whiffs too often. We’d face all right handers in the 3-set against the Titans.

While Kisho Saito was dealing poison in the first game, the Raccoons barely managed two runs through six innings, one of them unearned. Saito came apart in the top 7th, allowing a home run to start the frame (1B Danny Nichols the culprit), then allowed a single to Salvador Vargas. The Titans replaced Vargas with Alejandro Espinoza to pinch-run, and he stole two bags off Saito and Vinson before tying the game on a run-scoring double play. Thankfully, O-Mo had Saito covered, launching a 2-run homer in the bottom 7th. Grant West in the ninth had to work around a leadoff walk to Hjalmar Flygt, but the runner never got into scoring position. 4-2 Raccoons. Salazar 2-4; O’Morrissey 4-4, HR, 2 RBI; Saito 7.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (7-7);

Well, boys, and this Sunday, we’ll give Kisho a WINNING record. You hear me? A WINNING RECORD.

Game 2 saw Jason Turner whacked around badly in the first inning. He surrendered hits to the first five batters, resulting in four runs in the inning. Turner would pitch 2-hit ball the next four innings until he was pinch-hit for, but how was that to help the Raccoons offense? When Turner left, we were down 4-1, 3-hit by Luis De Jesús, who came in with an ERA well north of 5. De Jesús went eight innings, despite the Coons having the tying run at the plate in the sixth and seventh innings. They never scored, but our bullpen broke up, with Nelson and Carrillo being saddled with a total of four runs in the last two innings. 8-1 Titans. Salazar 2-4; P. Vázquez 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K;

Game 3, more of the same. Robert Vázquez was socked for four runs before he could ever record an out. What was going on?? Vázquez loaded the bags in the second with one out, then walked Nichols, who had hit a 3-run homer in the first. Vázquez was dragged out of the game to be beaten to death, and we had to use Ken Burnett in long relief, since I didn’t want to use Lagarde in the second inning and the other candidates for the job had been torched the day before. Burnett allowed all the runners on base to score, and needless to say, there was no comeback for this offense from eight runs down. In the best scenario, the massacre would end right here. That was not to say that the Raccoons didn’t score: they put four runs on Willie Young in the bottom 2nd. But with the bases loaded and one out, Neil Reece struck out and Higgins lined out to short. Little happened through the sixth, with Young and Burnett axing down the lineups. In the bottom 7th, still down 8-4, O-Mo singled to lead off. He moved up a base on a wild pitch. Then Kinnear reached on a Nichols error, and then Young threw another wild one to score O-Mo. 8-5, runner on second, nobody out, any more presents to receive? Nope, and the Raccoons didn’t get a hit from just their own power. Titans held on, 8-6. Salazar 3-4, BB, 2B; O’Morrissey 2-5, 3 RBI; Vinson (PH) 1-1; Burnett 4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K and 1-2;

Things are going great, obviously.

Raccoons (58-36) vs. Falcons (38-56) – July 24-26, 1992

The true test. Could we beat a team with as little pitching as the Falcons had? They ranked 10th in runs allowed in the CL, and last in starters’ ERA. They had just lost their most respectable starting pitcher for the year. Score, boys, score.

The Falcons could offer Carlos Castro (0-2, 13.50 ERA) for the series opener. He was na-na-na-nineteen. The first-inning massacres continued in Portland, this time with Scott Wade, who walked three and allowed two hits in a 2-run first. The Raccoons were remarkably toothless against a boy without any facial hair and a poor arsenal AND terrible control. They got one run in the second, then nothing. Bottom 4th, down 2-1. Quinn got on, and Rodriguez doubled, but Quinn was held at third. With two out, Osanai was put on intentionally to bring Wade to the plate (Osanai batting eighth against the lefty). Wade grabbed his favorite bat, went out there, looked back at the dugout, pointed with the bat, and shouted “It goes like that!”. Then he took Castro’s second pitch over the left center field fence for a GRAAAAAND SLAAAAM!!! Okay, that was almost unfair to the hairless boy. Quinn knocked him out in the fifth with an RBI single, 6-2. Wade’s remaining outing was nothing to drool about, as he went six innings and was bailed out in the sixth by 3B Ben O’Morrissey converting a line drive into a double play on the runner from first, but he had helped himself enough in many’s eyes. Osanai made it 8-2 with a 2-run shot in the bottom 6th to move the game out of reach for the Falcons. 9-3 Coons! Quinn 2-3, HR, 2 RBI; Salazar 2-4, 2B, RBI; Wade 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, W (7-3) and 1-2, HR, 4 RBI;

This was the first home run of Scott Wade’s career, but that’s what you have to do if your team sucks at the plate. At this point, all our SP’s have at least seven wins. Those with the best ERA’s, Saito (2.46) and Wade (2.28) have the least (7), and the guy with the worst ERA, Vázquez (3.99), has the most (10). Strange game this is.

The Coons led 2-0 after the third in game 2, but Beato had it slide away in the fourth. He ended up with a no-decision when he was pinch-hit for in a 2-2 game in the bottom 6th, but Daniel Hall made the final out instead of scoring Glenn Johnston from second. To start the bottom 7th, Salazar singled through 2B Adam Kent, and O’Morrissey doubled through ex-Coon 3B Joe Jackson. Kinnear came up clutch behind them and doubled to left, giving the Coons a lead, but they did not follow up on it, Osanai eventually double-playing them out of the inning. Lagarde had gotten two outs in the seventh, but was whacked in the eighth. Burnett had to be sent into the fray with two on, no outs, and no run to spare anymore. Burnett responded with a balk. Jackson scored Jose Madrid on a sac fly then, and we were tied once more. The Falcons would break up Pedro Vázquez in the 11th inning, loading him with four runs. 8-4 Falcons. Salazar 2-5, BB; O’Morrissey 2-5, BB, 2B; Kinnear 2-5, BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Johnston 2-4, BB, 2B; Beato 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K;

This marked the end of Pedro Vázquez’ Raccoons career. The 29-year old was designated for assignment and we recalled Daniel Miller, since Albert Matthews had just gotten hurt in AAA.

Rubber game with Saito. Remember boys, we will make sure that Kisho comes out with a winning record today. Remember? REMEMBER?

Kisho allowed four hits and a run in the first, so things were pointing south quickly. Jorge Mora (3-12, 4.88 ERA) had to be overcome – the senior generation was still able to recollect his better times. This game belonged to the new Mora, who was 35, and pitched like it. Vern Kinnear knocked a 3-run homer as the third man up for the Furballs in the game. But for Kisho, it was one of those days. He was wild, and still hittable. Much the same was true for Mora, and they both were beaten up. Mora left first, pinch-hit for with Billy Mitchell (another ex-Coon) in the fourth, and Mitchell mauled Saito with a 2-run homer that halved a 5-1 lead. Kisho managed to add a happy tune to a six-frame outing by K’ing his last batter, 2B Ramón Garza, then still up 5-3. Hall pinch-hit for Saito in the bottom 6th, and was 0-3 on these occasions on the homestand. Osanai and Quinn were in scoring position with one out, but Hall grounded slowly to left, the runners had to hold – but Hall was safe at first, since the Falcons couldn’t make a play. The Coons still didn’t score, and neither did they in the seventh with two on, no outs, and a Higgins double play. Top 8th, Burnett came in, faced two men, walked both, and left in discomfort. With a ruined bullpen, West had to pitch six outs to save this one, with the tying runs already on. Jackson grounded to third, where O-Mo made a play to first, and West struck out Djordje Nedic. That brought up Christian Dunphy, a .304 batting right-hander, and we used the open base to stow him away. West went after .198 batter Garza, and Garza fouled out. PHEW!!! After Alejandro Moreno flew to deep right, but to Quinn, to start the ninth, West struck out the last two. YES!!! 5-3 Coons. Salazar 2-5, 3B; Kinnear 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI; Reece 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; Osanai 2-4; Hall (PH) 1-1; West 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, SV (25);

Jorge Salazar has a 12-game hitting streak going.

The Canadiens are closing up fast now, only 5 1/2 behind. They were 10 behind early in the month.

On roster news, the Wolves claimed Pedro Vázquez, which is fine. Ken Burnett was diagnosed with a mildly herniated disc and will be DTD for a week, leaving us a man short again. Matt Brown was demoted to AAA for an extra arm in Carlos De Los Angeles, an easily hittable AAA starter, who was rotting in our system for some time now. Aged 27, we had acquired him in 1989 from the Gold Sox for fellow pitcher Francisco Trujillo, who was by now out of the game.

Raccoons (60-37) vs. Bayhawks (61-39) – July 28-30, 1992

The Bayhawks were an offensive powerhouse, outscoring us by 117 runs so far. This could become scary especially with the way Turner and Vázquez, up first and second in the series, had behaved themselves in their last starts. For better or worse, Daniel Hall was back in the lineup, hopefully it was for better. In him (75 RBI) and RF Pedro Perez (73 RBI) the CL’s leading run producers were meeting.

Dan The Man got the better start into the series by a wide margin. Perez killed the Bayhawks’ first inning with a double play in game 1, while Daniel Hall burned SP Wilson Moreno with a 3-run homer. The joy didn’t live long. Jason Turner managed to give up five straight singles to begin the third inning, and the Bayhawks took a 4-3 lead, and made it 5-3 the next inning. Neil Reece unloaded a 2-shot to tie it in the bottom 4th, but Turner served up a leadoff home run to Perez in the fifth. Two good starters, ravaged. Bottom 6th: Salazar and O’Morrissey had 1-out line drive singles to left. Reece blooped a single into short center between converging defenders, bringing up Daniel Hall with a prime chance to turn a 6-5 deficit into a lead – and Hall singled up the middle, scoring two! Kinnear scored Reece with a single, 8-6. That was also the score after seven. Juan Martinez came in, surrendered a homer to Mike Powys, and then a triple to Antonio Gonzalez. Pepe Padilla’s grounder was short and held Gonzalez, and Martinez struck out Pedro Villa. Neil Reece held on to the 8-7 lead with an amazing catch on the run on Roberto Rodriguez’ flyer. As Grant West entered the ninth, he threw six straight balls before Perez popped up his seventh offering with a runner on first. West then reversed his track record and struck out the next two batters. PHEW!! 8-7 Raccoons! Salazar 2-3, 2 BB, 2B; O’Morrissey 3-5, 2B; Reece 2-5, HR, 2 RBI; Hall 2-4, BB, HR, 5 RBI; Kinnear 3-5, RBI;

That was an extremely intense game after I had already leaned back when Hall had gotten us up 3-0 and Turner had fanned three in the first two frames. Phew!

Game 2. An Osanai error got the Bayhawks going in the second, where they score four runs, all unearned, capped by a 3-run homer by Pedro Villa. The Raccoons had to deal with 22-year old Ricardo Sanchez (12-2, 3.10 ERA) and were pretty much overmatched. A Hall triple and Kinnear double produced one run in the fourth, before Sanchez became wild in the sixth, nicking Salazar and then walking O-Mo and Reece. Sanchez exited, while Hall batted with the bases loaded and no outs against Luciano Parrilla, who had been the losing pitcher of record the day before. Hall ended a battle with a walk, forcing in a run, and Kinnear was put out at first, scoring another run. Higgins walked, reloading the bases. Osanai grounded to short for what could have been a 6-4-3 rally killer, but SS Ruben Durán bobbled the ball and the tying run scored. Parrilla was still in there against Vinson, but was toasted by now. Vinson walked, forcing in the go-ahead run in Dan The Man. Rodriguez pinch-hit for Vázquez, but ended the inning with a double play. Four runs on zero hits. Don’t see that every day. Miller almost blew the lead in the seventh, but Martinez got out. Top 9th, still 5-4. West put the leadoff man on again, then forced the lead runner with a nifty play on a grounder. Two out, Antonio Gonzalez grounded to first. Osanai had been replaced by Quinn, but Quinn too was too unwieldy to make a play and the Bayhawks had runners on the corners as Hall had to bring the grounder-turned-single back in. Roberto Rodriguez grounded to the mound, and West converted it for the final out. 5-4 Coons! PHEW!!! Kinnear 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Martinez 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K;

The Bayhawks sent their weak link in the rotation, Wilbert Rodgers, for game 3. Wade was drilled first, a solo jack by Roberto Rodriguez in the third. The Coons struggled against Rodgers, and Wade himself twice left two men on, before we were putting our first two men on in the bottom 5th. Reece lined out hard to short, but Hall walked and loaded them up. Kinnear never got a good pitch to hit and instead let Rodgers beat himself, as he drew a walk to tie the game. Osanai tried to hit into a double play, but the Bayhawks only got one out, a run scored, and we were up 2-1 for like four minutes before the Bayhawks tied the game, 2-2, and CF Pepe Padilla homered off Wade to make it 3-2 in the seventh. He was taken off the hook in the eighth with kind help of the Bayhawks who drilled Morales, and we managed to bring him around and score him with a 2-out RBI single by Salazar. Daniel Miller pitched in the ninth. Two out, runner on third, lefty Pedro Perez to bat, two more lefties after that. We had only Carlos De Los Angeles available among left-handers, and I didn’t want a no-stuff guy pitching to run machine Perez. This was Miller’s job all the way. Perez homered, Furballs lost, 5-3. Salazar 2-4, BB, RBI; Morales 2-3;

Daniel Miller after two appearances was sent back to St. Petersburg. We called up Qi-zhen Geng for the first time since 1990. He has 13 big league appearances so far, with a 2.76 ERA.

Raccoons (62-38) vs. Aces (45-57) – July 31-August 2, 1992

Lame offense, weak rotation. After scoring 16 runs on the much better Bayhawks, I was hoping for another seris win (and maybe a wee bit more) here, although we would face the ace of Aces, Carlos Guillén and his 2.19 ERA in the series, presumably in game 2 against Kisho Saito (because he never faces a bad pitcher, and when he does, the bad pitcher has the day of his life).

The scouting report was inaccurate, Guillén went in game 1 against Raimundo Beato, who fell behind in the second on a Javier Vargas home run. Balls were flying well recently here – if only for the other teams. After Beato drew a 2-out walk to load the bags in the bottom 2nd, O-Mo grounded out, but the Aces also left them full in the third. Yet the Raccoons were easily more unable to score. Bottom 6th, still down 1-0, Hall led off with a double, but was thrown out going for three after a stumble around second base. Rodriguez ended up killing the inning with runners on the corners and a double play. Beato left after seven and on the hook. Tetsu Osanai would FINALLY produce a run with a 1-out RBI double in the bottom 8th, scoring Reece. Johnston and Quinn left two men in scoring position in the inning. The agony (20 hits combined in a 1-1 game in regulation) spilled over into everybody’s dinner reservations. Lagarde pitched the ninth and the tenth, and twice watched his team mates flail. Roberto Carrillo even hit a double in the bottom 11th and remained unscored when Vinson struck out. He did not remain unbeaten, though. Claudio Garcia homered off him in the top 12th. In a bad caricature of a baseball game, the Aces even had to play SP Jou Hara at short in the bottom 12th after an injury to SS Jamal Howard. With one run, the tying runs were on for Hall, who doubled to left, scoring Higgins. Tying run at third, winning run at second, Salazar up. Liner to short – PAST a helpless Jou Hara, and Reece scored. Tied game. Morales could walk us off, he grounded to Lowell Allen at second base, Allen through home to get Hall, but the tag was late, and the Coons walked off indeed! 4-3 Raccoons. Reece 3-6, 2B; Hall 3-6, 2 2B, RBI; Osanai 2-4, 2 2B, RBI; Morales 3-5, BB, RBI; Beato 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K; Lagarde 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K;

Kisho Saito faced a struggling Manuel Movonda in the middle game. But as things went, Saito was not sharp, fell 3-0 behind early, including a home run (again…), and Movonda was perfect through four until a leadoff double by Hall in the bottom 5th. Hall was brought in to score, but that didn’t help three runs down. Vinson was responsible for the Aces adding a run in the seventh with a throwing error on a stolen base attempt, the runner going to third and scoring on the next play. Vinson tried to redeem himself with a 2-run home run in the bottom 8th, but the Raccons were still trailing, 4-3, and I was still foaming from the mouth. Vinson failed to catch strike three form Geng to Robinson Gutierrez in the ninth, and didn’t catch him stealing either. A nifty pick by Higgins for a double play bailed Geng out. O-Mo took Saito off the hook with a leadoff jack off Vicente Rúbio in the bottom 9th. Extras once more. Geng put a man on, and Grant West didn’t cope well with being thrown in here, allowing three singles. Salazar didn’t look good on one of them. 5-4 Aces. Osanai 2-4;

Boy, was David Vinson annoying the crap out of me. So much talent, so much misery coming off these hands.

Jason Turner started the rubber game. He had not won a game in a month. The Raccoons gave him a solid base for a W here, scoring five runs in the first inning of Rafael Espinoza, admittedly aided greatly by two Las Vegas errors that made all the runs unearned. But the early onslaught continued until the Raccoons led 9-1 after three. The game was in the bag right there. Turner went six with a few shaky moments, and the bullpen was a bit more shaky. Carrillo allowed the daily homer to the opposition, but the Coons still won, 10-2. Salazar 2-5; O’Morrissey 2-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI; Reece 3-5, RBI; Rodriguez 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI; Johnston 2-5; Turner 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (10-6);

In other news

July 22 – The Bayhawks lose OF Dave Burton (.320, 9 HR, 45 RBI) to a strained hamstring. He may be out for two months or even the rest of the season.
July 24 – CHA SP Robbie Campbell (6-8, 3.92 ERA) will miss up to a full year with a damaged elbow ligament.
July 26 – SFW SP Bill Smith (8-9, 3.91 ERA) is out for the year. The 34-yr old has bone chips in his elbow.
July 29 – VAN 2B David Brewer (.399, 7 HR, 66 RBI) will be out for two weeks with a foot contusion.
July 30 – The Wolves trade 31-yr old 1B/2B Mark Williams (.325, 0 HR, 38 RBI) to Las Vegas, receiving 1B Marcinek Wodaj (.198, 6 HR, 15 RBI) and a prospect from the Aces.
August 1 – A groin injury will sideline VAN 1B Salvador Mendez (.378, 0 HR, 46 RBI) for six weeks.

Complaints and stuff

Our manager, trainer, hitting coach, and pitching coach were all in contract years. All should be re-signed, especially manager Chad Klein, who took over in 1984, the year after our first World Series loss. While it took us a few years to get back to the Show, he’s been a wild success story for us, forming a persistent winner from the ragdoll crew that stumbled into the World Series in ’83. I won’t say a few good trades (and a few more bad ones) weren’t part of the story. (looks arrogantly)

So, Klein is in his ninth year in Portland, and I mentioned trainer Michael Dempsey, who’s been here for 12 1/2 years and counting. Hitting coach Hollis Case has only been part of the crew for 5 1/2 years, but he’s the only one among the group with a ring (Stars, 1983, ahem). And they have in common that they all three instantly signed the 4-year extensions we offered them, at about 15% raises. Pitching coach Pat Henderson, only brought in this year, signed a 2-year extension a few days after receiving his offer. It’s okay, Pat, you’re new here, nobody knows you anyway.

The trade deadline passed without any activity by us. I had a trade developed with the Scorpions, dealing lefty Chris Nelson, who was annoying me incredibly, for INF Alfonso Torres. Torres would replace Morales, who would be banished to far, far away. But I had no real option for a left-handed reliever in the minors, and thus didn’t pull the trigger.

Grant West may go down as my second-best draft pick after Daniel Hall (well, imagine a slightly less fragile Hall and what he could have done in his career). I wondered: we picked him with the fourth overall pick in the 1979 draft. Who were the top 3 draftees and what has become of them?
1st pick: Gold Sox select SP Wilson Martinez, a career sock, 144-131, 3.32 ERA, currently on the shelf after Tommy John surgery
2nd pick: Miners select SP Leland Lewis, a career Miner, 199-164, 3.32 ERA, *never* injured!
3rd pick: Condors select SP Pedro Romero, pitched for TIJ, ATL, BOS; 47-68, 4.52 ERA, retired at age 29 due to zero interest in his services
Was a neat draft for pitchers, it seems. Lewis is an elite starter, and Martinez is not far below him. Both could have piled up rings with good teams. As it stands, Martinez won one with the Gold Sox in the brief period of glory, in 1985.

The Condors showed humor at the trade deadline, offering Ira Houston for our Juan Martinez. Houston is in the second year of a 5-yr, $4.25M contract. He broke his leg in the first week of the season and has just started rehab. Yeah, I can’t wait to add him. (chuckles) No, he’s a great outfielder when healthy, but I have a starting outfield (Kinnear, Reece, Hall) that wreaks havoc already. Johnston and Quinn have shown what they can do before and will return there. Right, Glenn? Right, Bobby? RIGHT??