May 22, 2003
How Offensive!
Can the Kansas City Royals be stopped? It's
looking less and less possible. The Royals have won 8 of their last 10
with an offense that leads the league in almost every catagory. They
average at least a run per game more than every other team except Arizona.
With the exception of catcher, they could field a team whose worst hitter was
batting .293. The fourth worst ERA in the league seems to be their only
weakness right now. May
22 Box Scores
May 21, 2003
Shortstop Swapmeet
The first trade of the season was between Anaheim
and the Yankees, two teams who have struggled so far. Anaheim, with A-Rod
at short, had no need for Derek Jeter and sent him packing to New York for
shortstop Jimmy Rollins, CF Chris Singleton and 2B Luis Rivas.
League stats and player status have been updated through yesterday's games. Also
check out the boxes from the last 2 days. May
20 Box Scores, May
21 Box Scores
May 19, 2003
Winds of Change
Over the last week, several teams have been moving
in opposite directions. The once mighty St. Louis Cardinals are in a major
tailspin, losing 5 of 6 this past week and falling out of first. In the AL
West, Oakland is finally making a move and Kansas City, currently the most
potent offense in the FJBL strung together 8 consecutive victories before
finally losing today. Philadelphia is also trying to make a move, winning
5 of 6 this week, but those pesky Reds refuse to give up first place. May
13 Box Scores, May
14 Box Scores, May
15 Box Scores, May
16 Box Scores, May
17 Box Scores, May
18 Box Scores, May
19 Box Scores
May 12, 2003
Player Stats Posted
For those of you in this league who don't have a
copy of Diamond Mind Baseball, or the current season disk, or if you
"accidentally" erased your copy from your computer (Dave!), the 2003
Real-Life stats of all FJBL players is now available on the website. Just
scroll down this page and click on "2003 FJBL Player Real Life Stats"
to view them. Also check out the boxes from the last 2 days. May
11 Box Scores, May
12 Box Scores
May 10, 2003
NL Domination?
There has been much talk early in the season about
the superiority of teams playing in the National League. AL teams took
exception to those statements today, nearly sweeping every game. Only a
4-hitter by Mark Prior kept the Phillies from being a victim of the AL's wrath.
May 10 Box Scores
May 9, 2003
Oh! My aching back!
The Cleveland clubhouse looks like an episode from
the TV series "ER". In the last week, the Indians have had 6
players land in the infirmary, including Eli Marrero, who tried to duke it out
with some tough Texans in Houston today. In all, 4 players donated to the
Red Cross today for the Indians . May
8 Box Scores, May 9
Box Scores
May 7, 2003
What's that Smell?
It could be Colon. As in Bartolo Colon, who
threw a 3-hit shutout for Houston today. Or it could be the smell of
smoke. Smoke from the Cincinnati Reds, who are burning up the standings,
having won 8 games in a row. May
7 Box Scores
May 6, 2003
Cleveland Cruises
What is in the water in Cleveland? While
getting another stellar performance from ERA leader Sidney Ponson, the Indians
erupted for 8 runs, including 3 homers in the last two innings to beat the
Yankees, 11-2, to stay a step ahead of the surging Blue Jays. May
6 Box Scores
May 5, 2003
Atlanta Rising
Tim Hudson fired on all cylinders with a complete
game shutout and Raphael Palmiero provided all the offense Atlanta needed as
they beat up on the "Hitless Wonders" known as the Phillies. Oakland
was also shut out today. May
5 Box Scores
May 4, 2003
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!
While turnout was only a little better than a
mayoral primary, more owners and assistants did vote in the May Power Rankings
than in the pre-season. Now that teams are actually in action, major
shuffling occurred in the voting results. May
2 Box Scores, May 3
Box Scores, May 4
Box Scores, May
Power Rankings.
May 1, 2003
All Quiet On April's Front
The FJBL concluded its April schedule with an eerie
quiet on the league's trade front. "Frankly," Commissioner Dave
Myers said, "I'm stunned by the total lack of activity on the trade front.
It's a rare month that sees not a single trade in the FJBL. We haven't had
one since March 2nd. Don't know if it is good or bad, but it certainly is
an oddity." April
28 Box Scores, April
29 Box Scores, April
30 Box Scores, May
1 Box Scores.
April 27, 2003
Birds Brained
Troy Glaus went 2-for-3 with 2 home runs, a walk,
and 5 RBI's as the White Sox pummeled the Orioles and C.C. Sabathia for 7 runs
in an inning and 2/3. It got so bad, the Sox pulled such stars as Glaus,
Ichiro and Vlad Guerrero to ease up on the hapless birds. April
27 Box Scores.
April 26, 2003
Brave New World
Brad Radke threw a 5-hit shutout for Atlanta today,
facing only 31 Astros. The much needed win is only the fifth of the year
for the struggling Braves, who almost won the NL East last year. April
26 Box Scores.
April 25, 2003
(In)Complete Domination
Russ Ortiz pitched a 4-hit shutout for Cleveland
today, one of 4 complete games for the day. Roy Oswalt also threw 9
innings for Toronto's win in KC. Rodrigo Lopez lost that game, despite
going the distance. But, the toughest break went to Milwaukee's Randy
Johnson, who threw a complete game 2-hitter and lost 2-0 to Philadelphia. April
25 Box Scores.
April 24, 2003
Ohka OK
Tomo Okha moved to 3-0 on the year with a 6-hit
complete game victory over Houston. Okha retired the first 13 batters he
faced and held a shutout until Steve Finley singled with 2 out in the 9th.
The win pulled the Reds even with the Phillies in the NL East. April
24 Box Scores.
April 23, 2003
Slugfest
It was Home Run Derby time north of the border.
Mike Lowell hit 2 out for the Cubs in Toronto. Not to be outdone, Chris
Woodward and Torii Hunter matched Lowell, while Jose Vidro added his own blast.
When the dust settled, Toronto was on top 13-6. April
23 Box Scores.
April 22, 2003
Bagwell, Abreu Lift Surging Yanks
The revamped New York Yankees struggled in spring
training, but have found themselves over the past week and a half. New
York defeated Atlanta behind homers from Jeff Bagwell and Bobby Abreu, lifting
their record to 9-8 and second place in the AL East. April
22 Box Scores.
April 21, 2003
Growth Spurts
It's early, but some FJBL teams appear to be making
strides after struggling in 2002. On the upswing thus far? The
Astros, White Sox, and Yankees. Struggling? The Braves, Athletics,
and Blue Jays. April
21 Box Scores.
April 20, 2003
All Positives
The NL West continues to dominate play. All
four teams remain above the .500 mark with no worse than even runs for/against
differentials. April
19 Box Scores. April
20 Box Scores.
April 17, 2003
Birds of a Different Feather
It took another bird to finally stop the Redbirds. The Orioles, treading
water in the AL East, got the first victory over St. Louis this season.
Despite what "experts" call a mediocre roster, St. Louis is now 11-1
on the year. April
15 Box Scores, April
16 Box Scores and April
17 Box Scores. Also check out the Pre-Season
Power Rankings.
April 13, 2003
Unflappable
The St. Louis Cardinals are on a roll. Despite Mark Prior striking out 12
Redbirds, the Cardinals continued to mirror last year's team. The rest of
the league was given a break on Monday - the Redbirds had an off day. April
13 Box Scores and April
14 Box Scores.
April 12, 2003
Running Wild
If you liked seeing runs scored, then you
loved today. There were an even dozen half innings with 4 or more runs scored.
4 runs is more than half the teams in the FJBL even scored today. While
Toronto beat Oakland in a 10 inning pitcher's duel, Atlanta scored as many runs
as those two combined in the 8th inning. Unfortunately, Atlanta was up
against Arizona, who put up 3 such innings April
12 Box Scores.
April 11, 2003
Williams 2-Hitter Gives Cubs a Lift
Victories have been rare for the Cubs in the early season, but Woody Williams
gave them a lift. Williams tossed a 2-hitter and struck out seven leading
the Cubs to an 8-0 win in Houston. In other action, the St Louis Cardinals
remained the league's only unbeaten squad. April
10 Box Scores and April
11 Box Scores.
April 10, 2003
Unblemished
The most surprising result five games
into the 2003 FJBL season is the league's last two undefeated teams.
Perennial powers Cleveland and St Louis, both expected to suffer down years,
have scratched their way to 5-0 starts. St Louis has needed every win to
remain a game up on second place Arizona. Cleveland's effort has yielded
them a 3 game margin over 2nd place New York and Baltimore. 2002 Champ
Toronto, at 1-4, has stumbled out of the blocks, while the Reds continue to seek
their first victory. April
8 Box Scores and April
9 Box Scores.
April 8, 2003
Run Reduction
The question being asked in the
National League East today is "How can I get my team to score?".
The Cubs, Braves, and Reds all finished their first series of the new year
having scored just 4 runs a piece in three games. You can't win that way.
Only the Cubs won a game in that stretch, signifying the dominance the NL West
displayed last year is still firmly entrenched. The Phillies, who managed
a modest 13 runs, lead the division. April
6 Box Scores and April
7 Box Scores.
April 7, 2003
Welcome to Opening Day
The sixteen FJBL teams put their big guns
on the mound today to start the 2003 season. For the NL West, it was a
booming beginning, as every team was victorious. Their counterparts in the
East, lost them all of course. Time to pull out your pens and start
projecting season stats - after all, we're 1/162nd of the way through the
season. Best offensive effort goes to Bonds and Kent for the DBacks.
Best Pitching effort goes to Bartolo Colon, playing with his new Astros
teammates. April
5 Box Scores.
April 1, 2003
Astros Add Ace Colon to Staff
The Houston Astros boldly moved into
contention in the National League West with two trades over the past week, the
biggest bringing pitcher Bartolo Colon to Houston. Houston GM Tom Wachter
sent young outfielder Adam Dunn and two top prospects, Chad Tracy and Casey
Kotchman to Cleveland for Colon, Steve Finley, and Jose Macias. The
Indians also acquired a prospect pick from the 'Stros in the 2003 All-Star
Prospect Draft.
In another move, the Astros added Jimmy Haynes to their squad when they sent Tsuyoshi Shinjo to Atlanta.
March 23, 2003
Rusch Job
The longest spring training in FJBL
history ended today with a sterling 1-hitter from Arizona's Glendon Rusch.
Rusch needed just 95 pitches to shut down the St Louis Cardinals, striking out
five and walking two in a game the DBacks won 11-0. March
23 results. March
24 results.
March 22, 2003
As Spring Wraps, Brown Gets First Deal
With spring training scheduled to end
tomorrow, new Royals manager John Brown made his first trade earlier today, when
he agreed on sending prospect Victor Martinez to Cleveland for outfielder
Orlando Merced. Merced has hit over .300 for surprising Cleveland in the
spring; Martinez is one of the top minor league hitting prospects in baseball.
March
22 results.
March 21, 2003
White Sox 2, Commish 0
Asleep at the wheel, perhaps? The
Commish, who developed the spring training schedule without the aid of maps,
compasses, or his brain, gave Anaheim an unscheduled day off and forced the
White Sox to play twice today. The Indians, however, alleviated some of
his shame, when they trounced in-state rival Cincinnati and their ace Mark
Mulder. March
21 results.
March 20, 2003
Thominated!
Jim Thome put on a show at the expense of
the New York Yankees. The Oakland first baseman went 3-4, drove in 7,
scored 5 times, and homered twice in a 23-2 spanking of the Pinstripers.
The entire Yankee staff was feasted on as Miguel Tejada drove in 6 runs as well.
Getting the worst of it was Kyle Farnsworth who allowed 6 earned runs without
recording an out upping his pre-season ERA to 40.50. The home runs were
Thome's 8th and 9th of the spring. All March
20th results.
March 19, 2003
Chuck One Up
Holy One-Hit Finleys, Batman, Chuck just
tossed a gem. St Louis lefty, Chuck Finley tossed a 1-hit wonder at
Philadelphia today, striking out 10 in the process. Finley went 8-innings
allowing only 2 unearned runs. Wayne Franklin, the starter for Philly,
allowed just two hits over seven innings, as well, but the Cards won the game in
extras. March
19th results.
March 18, 2003
It's In The (E)Mail
As spring training nears its conclusion,
the commissioner has sent out information regarding the beginning of the season
and what you MUST do to get your team ready. This largely consists of
resubmitting an accurate profile. This information and more was sent to
each owner via email this morning. If you haven't received it, please
contact Dave at once. In the meantime, here are the March
18th results.
March 17, 2003
Computer Says...?
Here's what I do when I am bored - I play
the entire FJBL season in advance to see how things will turn out. Okay,
not really, but I did it for fun today. Check out my
report and be grateful you get to manage your own team.
March 17, 2003
Home Sweet Home
The Chicago White Sox have not lost a
game at home yet this year, going 8-0. They're also 5-0 against lefthanders. But
they are 0-3 in their division. What does this all mean? Nothing! It's only the
preseason and lots of stats are upside down as noted on the message board. Also
check out the March
17 Results.
March 16, 2003
Brown Gets a Little Less Blue
The Kansas City Royals have apparently
been adrift since the draft ended. Milwaukee assistant John Brown (most likely
an alias) has traded in his blue Brewers gear for the more regal shade of blue
the Royals use for their gear. The front office is still in disarray, but should
be organized in the next day or two. Also check out the March
16 Results.
March 14, 2003
Spring at the Meatloaf, Links
Want some Meatloaf talk? Don't we
all? Check out the message board as our own Tom Wachter describes his
brush with musical (and fantasy) greatness.
Also, the Spring Training Link in the right column is now up and running. Or you can click here: Spring Training Stats.
March 15, 2003
8-2 Comes Up A Winner
The good money for this preseason day was
on 8-2. As in the answer to the Jeopardy question: What is the final
score of the most FJBL games today? Victories by this score was posted three
times today leading to victories for the Reds, Cubs, and Brewers. March
15 Results.
March 14, 2003
Unleashing the Redbirds
Last year's runner-up St Louis Cardinals
squad got off to a slow spring training start. An indication the only FJBL
team to qualify for the post-season each of the last three years, might be
watching an erosion of its talent. Not so quickly. The Cards have
rebounded, showcased by a 21-3 thumping of AL power Oakland. March
14 Results.
March 13, 2003
A Pettitte Gem
Andy Pettitte was razor sharp in spring
action today. The Baltimore lefty tossed seven innings allowing just one
hit while striking out seven and walking just one. His effort was
completed when Spooneybarger and Bradford through perfect 8th and 9th innings as
Baltimore won a 2-0 decision at Milwaukee. March
13 Results.
March 12, 2003
Three Days A Charm
Patience is a virtue, kids. Lots of
preseason action is now available for your viewing pleasure as we post results
from March
10, March
11, and March
12. You can't beat that!
March 9, 2003
Lackey-ing Nothing
Performance of the ninth day of spring
training belonged to Oakland's John Lackey. The starter tossed a complete
game 3-hitter against the Reds. View the March
9 preseason results.