2006 All Star Game Tribute – Brooklyn/Carolina
The 2006 All Star Game will be held in New Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Barons. Round of Applause! Here's the 2006 Brooklyn All Star Game Tribute.
History Carolina
New Ebbets Field is the second newest field in the league behind SF Bay Ballpark. In 1995 a momentous change happened in Earl Weaver Baseball League, the first relocation in the history of the league occured. The Carolina Colonials moved from Charleston to Brooklyn. So in order to tell the story of the Brooklyn Barons we must start in Carolina.
1970s
The Carolina Colonials were owned by Big Tobacco and were one of the inaugural EWB teams, helping lay the foundation of EWB in 1970. Carolina always had a great fan base and their orange/black halloweenish colours went over well during the '70s. The Sunbelt is traditionally hyper competitive but in the 1970s it also had a lot of parity with each team taking a turn at the top. However, Carolina's story lay in 1976, only their 2nd ever Sunbelt Pennant (1st was 1970).
The American League had been dominated by two dynasties in the early-mid 70s. The Denver Amigos went to 3 straight World Series from 1971-1973, winning the 1972 World Series. In 1974 the Washington Admirals, who had won the Mountain West in 1971 and 1973 but failed to ever capitalize in the playoffs, stole the AL Dynasty stamp from a Denver organization that was slowly burning out. Washington went on to dominate in 1974 and 1975 behind Luis "Gizmo" Delgado ('74, '75 Bob Gibson Winner) and Sherwood Johnston ('74, '75 AL MVP Winner). Needless to say, they went on to win the '74 and '75 World Series.
1976 was set up to follow the prior two years. No team looked to pose a real threat to Washington, Johnston, or Delgado. The Colonials were only an 81 win team in 1975 and although they had the most runs scored and a potent offense, nobody thought much of them going into 1976. Instead pundits saw a repeat Miami team in the Sunbelt. Nobody realized just how good the Colonial offense would turn out to be. They ended up scoring 956 Runs and batting .288 as a team which was remarkable in such a pitcher's era. The Colonials were led by Future Hall of Famers, 1B Arturo Reyes and C Marcos Rodriguez. In addition they had a solid Javier Martinez who would go on to have a long and productive career. The pitching was headed by Enrique Ferreira, known as one of the better pitchers in the 1970s and written up in Cincy's All Star Tribute.
Still even with the explosive offense, Carolina was clearly under the radar. Sure they won 90 games and took the Sunbelt by 6.5 games but Washington had won 101 games and took the Mountain West by 21 games. Washington had the two time Bob Gibson and MVP Award winners. Delgado would go on to win the 1976 Bob Gibson but Sherwood Johnston would not be able to top Hall of Famer Hoshi Kobayashi's amazing 1976 performance when Kobayashi dominated most offensive categories. In fact, 1976 seems to be Johnston's only hiccup in his career and somewhat inexplicable (cocaine? infidelity?). Carolina drew a resurgent Amigo franchise while the Admirals drew the wildcard Samurai. Carolina won their series 4-1 and Washington 4-2 setting up the Colonial-Admiral matchup.
Sherwood Johnston's relative malaise carried on into the playoffs, meanwhile though, Arturo Reyes and Marcos Rodriguez were both able to post .330+ postseasons and lead the Colonials offense. The Colonials were able to pull off a massive upset of Washington, winning the series 4-2. They would go to win the World Series against the Austin Marshalls. What makes this season even more significant is that the Admirals would go on to win the 1977 and 1978 World Series so the Colonials not only prevented the first ever 3-Peat (Miami would be the first team to accomplish this 2001-2003) but also the only 5-Peat in history.
The Colonials made it back into the playoffs in 1977 but were swept in the 1st round by the 108 win Wolverines. After that the rest of the '70s were a time of mediocrity for Colonial Fans.
1980s/mid-1990s
The early '80s saw relative success. The Colonials were able to capture the 1980 and 1982 Sunbelt Pennants but were defeated in the playoffs by stronger teams like the early 80s Gargoyles and Dukes. The 1984 Colonials were able to win 98 games finishing 2nd behind New Orleans in the division. They defeated LA and subsequently lost to KC in the ALCS, that was the beginning of a major dry period. The Colonials were an old franchise with Arturo Reyes at 40, Pancho Nevarez at 37, and Hall of Fame CL Miguel Villareal at 38 (only played 1984 in Carolina, career was in Washington). In 1985 Carolina won 86 games missed the playoffs and would not see them again (the 1989 team with 51 wins is the second worst record in the history of EWB) until their 84 win 1995 team snuck in. The 84 win Colonial team would enter the playoffs with the 111 win Banditos, the 102 win Wolverines, and the 101 Admirals.
Omaha kicked their ass in the Wildcard round 4-2.
In the 1995-1996 offseason a momentous change occurred in EWB. The Phillip Morris company, owners of the Carolina Colonials, were under severe pressure from Tobacco Litigation and public pressure. The Winston Cup was the first to go and now there was financial pressure on the company and pressure on the league to take a stance with regards to tobacco. Meanwhile in NY, financial magnate Michael Bloomberg was anxious to bring a team to New York, knowing that the city could host two or even more EWB teams. Bloomberg's acumen and ego focused when word that the Carolina Colonials might be for sale. In a quick transaction, which stunned the fans in Charleston, the Carolina Colonials were no more and moved to Brooklyn to become the Barons. To this day, Carolina Colonial jerseys are the most popular "throw back" item in sports paraphernalia easily beating out Austin Marshalls sales. Trivia: The old Colonial Stadium was used to house their old rival New Orleans during last year's Hurricane Katrina.
History Brooklyn
Bloomberg wasted no time using his much more immense resources and revenue to try to shape Brooklyn into a powerhouse. Bloomberg fit in well with the set of egotistical, high pressure to win, big pocket owners which EWB was filled with. Helping Brooklyn was the fact that the young Miami, Omaha, and Washington GMs were on a sabbatical.
The '96 and '97 seasons were underwhelming but steadily improving. Most notable was that in 1997 Jesse Parks made his debut as a rookie. Jesse Parks would come to embody the Brooklyn Baron franchise, decimating their franchise leaderboard and becoming the only man in EWB to ever hit above .400.
1998 is when Brooklyn put it together and started to become a real threat. Still not able to overtake Miami in the Sunbelt, they finished in 2nd with 92 wins while Miami won 98. Brooklyn was led by 22 year old Jesse Parks who batted .384/.492/.626, 28 HR, 109 RBI, 93.7 VORP. They also had such names as Paul Bradford, Rintaro "Godzilla" Oyama, and Hector Campos on offense. Their pitching is what differentiated them that year with Adrian Ramos, Alfredo "Hardrock" Aguilar in the rotation and Keith Clowes and Pedro "Loose" Macias in the bullpen.
Still, though, like in 1995 they were going into the playoffs with EWB powerhouses Miami, Washington, and Omaha (who won the 1997 World Series).
Omaha kicked their ass 4-2 in the Wildcard round.
1999 was an amazing performance for Brooklyn, dethroning Miami from the Sunbelt by putting up 109 wins! Granted though, Miami went into the Wildcard slot with 101 wins. Jesse Parks won his 2nd consecutive MVP at the young age of 23. He broke the .400 barrier batting .417/.538/.724, 35 HR, 135 RBI, 128.3 VORP. This was the year! Brooklyn made it past the Wildcard round beating Las Vegas 4-2.
Miami kicked their ass 4-1 in the ALCS and went on to win the World Series.
It was tough to be a Baron fan, to see such a great team be frustrated in the playoffs. In 2000 they won the Sunbelt and made it to the World Series only to get beat by Detroit. In 2001 they along with the rest of the Sunbelt they moved to the NL. The Brooklyn Barons have yet to make it back to the Playoffs. They have a huge budget, a genuine legend in Parks, and an aggressive owner in a big market yet to this day the only real success the franchise has earned was the Year of 1976.
GM's
Robbie Johnson, 1992-1998 - Robbie Johnson's tenure did not involve much winning except for the 1995 Wildcard and his last year in 1998 when the beginnings of his foundation began to take place. From 1992 to 1998 Johnson was responsible for drafting such players as Adrian Ramos, Jesse Parks (21st Rd), Pedro "Loose" Macias, and Alredo "Hardrock" Aguilar amongst others. The success of the Barons from '98-'00 can in a large part be attributed to Johnson. Johnson retired after the 1998 season.
Dewey Douglas, 1999-2002 - Dewey Douglas took over a great foundation laid by Johnson. He oversaw the '98 team go from 92 wins to 109 in 1999. The success of the 1999 and 2000 can also be attributed to his addition of Clayton Jones who at the time was among the league's top starters. He had a large budget and may have given out a couple of bad contracts. Douglas' draft record is pretty spotty. His 2000 number 1 pick, Albert Torrez, is contributing for Brooklyn currently but only one, P Eugene Johnson, of his top 5 picks in 2001 and 2002 has reached the EWB. Though it may still be early, most look like busts including his relatively high picks. Douglas was not re-signed by Bloomberg at the end of the 2002 season and is currently the GM of the Cincinnati Rebels (if you remember, him and Mike DO NOT get along).
Juan Carlos Rodriguez, 2003-Present - Bloomberg replaced Douglas with a very experienced and tenured GM, Rodriguez, who had been heading Memphis from 1994-2002 though with very little success. Brooklyn has had a 3rd, 5th, and 4th place finish under Rodriguez but are currently leading the Sunbelt Division. It's a little early to see how his draft picks will turn out but there are some legitimate prospects among them and 1st rd. pick in 2003, Lee Powers, is up and contributing. Rodriguez can also take credit for bringing C Bob Johnson and RF Jim Huffman to Brooklyn.
Managers
Tommy Lasorda, 70-72 - Lasorda started his EWB career in Carolina with a bang winning 93 games and going to the playoffs in 1970. Two years after that he left to go to Austin where he had a long successful career. Making the playoffs 5 times. He ended his career in mediocrity in Omaha in the early '80s.
George McKee, 73-75 - This was McKee's only EWB gig and his career was blase in general.
Albert Nelson, 76-78 - Won the World Series in his first year, lasted until 1978. Reappeared to manage Denver one year in 1985.
Dane Stover, 79-81 - Took the 1980 team to the playoffs in an otherwise un-extraordinary career. Only EWB stop was in Carolina.
Juan Cruz, 82-83 - Cruz managed Cleveland all the entire 70s, up until 1981 when he was let go. He took the open Carolina job and took them to the playoffs in 1982. Went to greener pastures in Boston where he made the playoffs 3 times in the 80s. Made stops in LA and Philly before finally retiring. Never great but had a hell of a long managerial career.
Roger Craig, 84-87 - Roger Craig was a very successful minor league manager before finally getting a shot in Carolina. Took the Colonials to the 1984 playoffs but is probably best know for his time in El Paso.
Felix Tapia, 88-89 - Another manager with a long EWB resume but in Tapia's case he can lay claim to a World Series with St. Louis in 1973. Unfortunately the game had passed him by when he got to Carolina. He only lasted 2 years and led the Colonials to a 51 win, 111 loss season in 1989 (2nd worst all time).
Tim Brown, 90-91 - Probably best known as the manager of the Miracle 1988 World Series winner Cleveland Rockers but has a long resume in EWB but no success with Carolina.
Jose Machado, 92-96 - Continuing their tendency to hire veteran EWB managers, GM Robbie Johnson hired Machado who has managed in every year of EWB existence from 1970-1996 but only made the playoffs 3 times. He was the inaugural Brooklyn manager.
Albert Sharp, 97-01 - Best known as the manager of the Brooklyn powerhouses. Was with DC in 2004-05.
Vincent Henson, 01-02 - A Bandito product, managing Vermont and South Omaha. Initially got a shot with Cleveland but became somewhat of a nomad manager, retiring in 2005 with SF.
Juan Matos, 03-mid05 - Took the Renegades to the playoffs in his first EWB stint. Only Manager to get fired mid-season in the Carolina/Brooklyn organization. Currently the Bench Coach in Memphis.
Devin Dean, mid05-Present - Successful mL manager handling the helm now.
Trophy Room
- The Organization has 10 Playoff Appearance, 2 AL Pennants (1976, 2000) and one World Series Title in 1976.
- The Organization has 6 Sunbelt Division Pennants: 1976, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1999, 2000
Awards
1973 AL MVP Arturo Reyes (CAR) .358/.427/.552, 30 HR, 115 RBI, 85.6 VORP
1977 AL MVP Marcos Rodríguez (CAR) .343/.458/.495, 13 HR, 116 RBI, 78.5 VORP
1998 AL MVP Jesse Parks (BRK) .384/.492/.626, 28 HR, 109 RBI, 93.7 VORP
1999 AL MVP Jesse Parks (BRK) .417/.538/.724, 35 HR, 135 RBI, 128.3 VORP
2001 NL MVP John Clark (BRK) .352/.423/.588, 33 HR, 106 RBI, 86.3 VORP
2002 NL MVP Jesse Parks (BRK) .356/.489/.601, 35 HR, 125 RBI, 100.4 VORP
1997 AL Bob Gibson Award Pedro Macías (BRK) 17-9, 1.95 ERA, 208.0 IP, 224 K, 89.1 VORP
1974 AL Angel Rosa Award Javier Martínez (CAR) .273/.302/.468, 27 HR, 111 RBI, 31.8 VORP
1992 AL Angel Rosa Award Kenneth Brown (CAR) .290/.336/.513, 24 HR, 73 RBI, 30.8 VORP
Hall of Fame Members
The following Players spent a significant period of their career in Carolina/Brooklyn
César Olivares
Willie Thomas
Arturo Reyes
Marcos Rodríguez
Rafael Valentín
The following players spent a fringe period of their career in Carolina/Brooklyn
Artie Bicknell
Carlos Gudino
Chris Henry
Hoshi Kobayashi
Francisco Mendoza
Miguel Villarreal
Leaderboards
http://ewbl.us/lgreports/news/html/history/team_1_batting_leaders.html
http://ewbl.us/lgreports/news/html/history/team_1_pitching_leaders.html
Minors
AAA Norfolk Scythes - Have been slightly more successful than their parent club. In the AAA IL they've won 3 Championships but their most successful period of time was the mid 90s foreshadowing the powerhouse Brooklyn teams of '98-'00.
AA Bowie Bullfighters - Of the Eastern League. They too have that bulge of talent that foreshadows the late 90s. This team had a run of success in the early 90s. 4 Championships overall.
A Delmarva Colossals - South Atlantic League. Historically one of the more mediocre but not horrible teams in the South Atlantic league. Nearly totally forgettable, who even knows where Delmarva is?
A Frederick Sea Eagles - Carolina League. Their 5 championships ranks around the upper half but only 8 playoff appearances is worrisome.
SA Aberdeen Infantry - NY-Penn League. Once a pretty consistent playoff team however going through a real rough patch in the last 15 years.
R Lakeland Bugs - Gulf Coast League. 1 title in 36 years. However, it is in the uber competitive GCL and they do have several 100+ win seasons, so not a total failure.
R Bluefield Ventures - Appalachian League. A total failure. 3 playoff appearance in 36 years, 0 titles. Only team to have never won an Appalachian League Championship, 2nd to worst win Percentage in league.