The Bull Malarky - 1998 January Offseason Edition

[cheekimonk]

The Bull Malarky
January 1, 1998
Hackensack, New Jersey
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For Bulls fans, the MBBA offseason has been a mixed bag. After the euphoria of the club's first MBBA championship wore off, the period covering awards season, arbitration, and the winter meetings must seem anti-climactic. In fact, it's been a case of good news, bad news, and worse news.

The good news is that all the key pieces from the Bulls' championship run remain in place. For starters, all of the players who played in the 1997 All-Star game return. This includes 27-year-old RF Tom Mohler (.341 avg, .893 OPS, 21 HR, 112 RBI, 28 SB), 22-year-old SP Ken Quinney (11-7, 130 K, 3.46 ERA, 1.08 WHIP), 35-year-old SP John Ross Riles, Jr. (12-6, 136 K, 2.94, 0.85), 28-year-old SS Rafael Rodriguez (.339, .998, 33, 121, 12), 29-year-old 1B Stan Ross (.301, .891, 30, 119, 4), and 31-year-old 3B Carl Tawk (.331, .865, 10, 64, 12).

Don't forget to add to these accolades a 2nd-place and 4th-place finish, respectively, for Rodriguez and Mohler in voting for the Sawyer Silk Silver Slugger Trophy, a 4th-place finish for 32-year-old SP Williamson Prushnok in Steve Nebraska Golden Arm Award voting, and a 2nd-place finish in GM of the Year voting for Bulls boss Ben Teague.

This team, returning almost completely intact, finished the 1997 season 2nd in runs scored, 2nd in OBS+Slugging, 2nd in AVG, 1st in ERA (including 1st in starters ERA and 1st in bullpen ERA), 1st in runs allowed, and 1st in defensive efficiency. "I'm most please, to be honest, with our defensive numbers, " said Teague. "I've turned down some deals in the past for players that would be an offensive force, but they didn't have the solid defensive makeup that I look for. Baseball is a game of streaks and slumps. Good pitching and defense keep you out of extended slumps and that's key over a 162-game season. This past season, we just happened to be excellent in both categories. While I'm not predicting we'll turn in the same gaudy numbers, I do think we'll be solid in both spots."

So, what's the bad news. Well, this offseason has been very boring for Bulls fans, and probably will continue to be according to Teague, "Sometimes you have years like this where the key pieces are lined up to remain in place. I'm open to offers from other teams as we glance at the long-term future, but there's not a lot of urgency in regards to the upcoming 1998 season."

There was one setback when Teague targeted respected trainer Jeffrey Russell to replace Jose Gonzalez (who's contract was allowed to expire) only to be outbid by the Phoenix Talons. On December 20th, the Bulls signed 42-year-old Raul Alonzo. "I'm confident Alonzo can get the job done. In some respects, injuries are about minimizing risks and just being lucky. Rauly has a comprehensive philosophy for offseason and mid-season training. We'll keep an eye on our progress, but I think we're in good hands. He is definitely determined to prove his worth, and that's a big plus," said Teague.

As for the worse news, it looks like that is confined to the other GMs in MBBA. According to Teague, "The offeason is all about keeping the pressure on other GMs. It's about making sure they don't get too many restful nights of sleep. It just so happens that this year that's best accomplished by standing pat. Being new, this is my first offseason, but I can feel the envy and resentment from other owners. All I can say is I've slept well every night."

[lynchy34]

If Hackensack is returning their whole roster - scary.

[scottsdale_joe]

A great season followed by a very sensible off season.
Hackensack should be a formidable foe in chasing a second straight league championship.