2009 GM List
BOS JUAN BELTRAN 2005 (fired MICHAEL HALEY 2004)
MON KEN BOWLING 2004
NY STEVE CURT STONE SHOCKEY2005 (fired AARON CARMICHAEL 2004)
PHI JACOB COLE 2006 (fired JOHN HART 2001)
DC JEFF SHAFFER 2009 (NR DONG-KYOON KIM 2004)
CHI STEVE GRANT 2008 (fired AARON CARMICHAAEL 2005)
DEN FERNANDO SAUREZ 2004
KC AARON CARMICAAEL 2008 (fired IVAN VILLAREAL 2006)
OMA MIKEG 2005 (fired HAMILTON FLOYD 2003)
MIN KRESIMIR BUKVIC 1999
LA JOHN HART 2008 (NR STEVE GRANT 2004)
LV THEO EPSTEIN 2008 (retired CHARLES COLLINS 2003)
POR MATT EGGHEAD 2006 (NR JACOB COLE 1998)
WAS JTT 2005 (fired LUIS MARTINEZ 2002)
ATL DEWEY DOUGLAS 2007 (NR ROBINSON FERNANDEZ 1999)
BRK IVAN VILLARREAL 2008 (NR JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ 2003)
MIA ROBM 2005 (fired JOSE BRUNO 2001)
MEM BILL JAMES 2006 (fired IVAN VILLAREAL 2003)
NO LARRY BEINFEST 2009 (retired JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ 2008)
CIN RONALD ALISTAIR 2009 (retired ROBINSON FERNANDEZ 2007)
CLE ASHTON CLAYTON 2005 (fired STEVE CURT STONE SHOCKEY 2003)
DET DONG-KYOON KIM 2009 (fired CISCO CRUZ 2002)
IND RAUL ROBLES 2001
PIT VICTOR HERNANDEZ 2000
STL CISCO CRUZ 2009 (NR RONALD ALISTAIR 2002)
SF JOEM 2005 (retired BRODY HARVEY 2001)
ELP ANDREW GARNHAM 2003
SA DAN BANNATYNE 2002
DAL MARV CARTWRIGHT mid2005 (fired MATT EGGHEAD 2004)
HOU STEPHEN WRIGHT 2000
2008 World Series MVP: Washington v. Houston
The 2008 Stroh's World Series MVP Award goes to.....
SP PEDRO "LOOSE" MACIAS, WAS. Round of Applause!!
The ALCS MVP comes back and wins the World Series MVP with another clutch performance, this time against Houston. This World Series MVP is more of a coronation for the whole postseason as Macias was unbeatable and won an unprecedented three Game 7's. Macias first took the mound against the Black Gold in Game 3 with the Admirals down 2 games to 0 and hope dissipating like Seattle fog. Loose was able to march out there and pitch 6.1 innings, only allowing 4 hits and 2 runs putting Washington in a position to win. The bullpen wasn't able to hold the lead and Washington found themselves down by 4 going into the 9th but managed to come back and rally. The series played out to a Game 7 where Macias would find himself in his 3rd Game 7 situation of the season. This time the Admirals left no doubt, nor did Macias who gathered the W. Loose went on to finish the game with 6.0 IP and 2 ER. In the entire postseason of 2008 he would finish 4-0 in 6 starts with a 1.66 ERA in 38 IP, 25 K's and a 0.92 WHIP...simply stellar. Let the big dogs "loose" tonight fella with some supreme ice-cold Stroh's, fine ladies, and election night coverage on this first Tuesday of November 2008.
2008 World Series Champion
Washington Admirals
Owner Tom Teehun
GM Justin Teehun
Manager Esteban Mendoza
2008 NLCS MVP: Houston v. Atlanta
The 2008 Stroh's NLCS MVP Award goes to.....
C ROBERT BRYANT, HOU. Round of Applause!
Robert Bryant is a sure fire Hall of Famer and may even contend with his future colleague, Vincent Carter, as the league's best catcher ever. However, one thing missing from Bryant's resume is a World Series. His only other postseason was the with the 2006 Black Gold when they lost the World Series to Washington DC. At 37 Bryant realizes that this year may be his last real shot and he's playing with a fervor. In the NLCS against Atlanta: Bryant got at least a hit in every single game; hit 11-25, .440 avg, 3 runs, 1 HR, and 7 RBIs; was named Player of the Game in Game 5; got a crucial walk in the bottom of the 11th which allowed his pinch runner to eventually score the game/series winning run in Game 6. In all Bryant was the most consistent and also the most productive Houston player. He helped lead a slight underdog Black Gold team to a pretty convincing NLCS title over the perennial powerhouse Atlanta Confederates. Kick up your feet old man, your playing days aren't over yet but you can still drown those catcher's knees in a bucket of ice cold Stroh's...on the house champ.
2008 ALCS MVP: Washington v. Omaha
The 2008 Stroh's ALCS MVP Award goes to.....
SP PEDRO "LOOSE" MACIAS, WAS. Round of Applause.
No other Admiral was depended on more than Pedro Macias in this series. Sure, the argument could have been made that other offensive players actually contributed more statistically, yet with the series on the line there was only one player who could really be the Admiral saviour, Macias. Macias has always had a great knack for shutting down Omaha, one of the most potent offensive organizations in modern EWB. With the series tied 1-1, Esteban Mendoza called on Macias to pitch a big Game 3 and Macias responded. He was able to go 7.1 IP and only allow 4 hits with 5 K's allowing Washington to squeak by 2-0. Macias was named the Player of the Game as Washington went up 2-1. The Admirals went on to win Game 4 but with a 3-1 series lead, haunting memories of the 2007 Omaha come back came flooding into their psyche's. History seemed to be repeating as Omaha won the next 2 and forced a Game 7. The rematch of the Ballew/Macias showdown in Game 3 was going to happen. Macias was not as focused as Game 3 and perhaps a little fatigued but still made an impressive effort despite the Admiral defense making some poor plays behind him. Macias was able to navigate the Admirals through 5.2 IP and only gave up 2 ER with 5 hits, enough to allow the offense to do the rest. No other SP has been as consistent as Macias in really shutting down Omaha and there's no doubt that without Macias in the rotation, Washington would never had advanced to the World Series. So Pedro, "loosen" up your already "Loose" demeanor and pop open an ice, cold, drinkability Stroh's while you gloat over your hated rival, Omaha.
2008 NLDS MVP: Atlanta v. Pittsburgh
The 2008 Stroh's NLDS MVP Award goes to.....
3B JULIAN SPRINGER, ATL. Round of Applause!
Springer is far from the typical series MVP winner, he posted a 2-27, 0.74 AVG, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, and 11 K's, so in other words he was terrible. Yet that all went out the window when Springer came to bat in the top of the 9th of Game 7. With the score tied 1-1 and Will Page on 2nd with 1 out, Springer launched a Gary Miller changeup 330 ft. to just barely clear the fence and give Atlanta a 3-1 lead. Atlanta was able to get the last 3 outs and win the emotional, up and down series with Pittsburgh and move on to the NLCS all due to Julian Springer's clutch HR. Although you may be forgotten in the depths of EWB history, you'll always be able to relive this moment at the bottom of a bottle of Stroh's. Bravo Mr. Springer...Bravo.
2008 NLDS MVP: Houston v. Cleveland
The 2008 Stroh's NLDS MVP Award goes to.....
SP CAM "NO NECK" DAVIS, HOU. Round of Applause!
Interestingly enough "No Neck" actually has a long skinny neck, I always imagined a "No Neck" as a squatty, chin to chest guy. In any case, Davis impressed greatly in the series vs. Cleveland in his two starts. Davis was called upon in Game 1 and won the Player of the Game with a masterful performance: 6.2 IP, 5 hits, 6 K's and most importantly the Win as Houston defeated Cleveland 3-0. In the clinching Game 5 Davis went 6.2 IP giving up only 4 hits, 2 R, 1 ER with 3 K's. His end of series totals were 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA in 12.1 IP. Houston also benefited from a couple of good performances by Juan "Bootleg" Beltran, Craig Maynard, and Robert Bryant but nobody put their stamp on the series like Cam Davis did with his 2 stellar starts. Enjoy one of our cold, refreshing long necks, No Neck, you earned it.
2008 ALDS MVP: Washington v. Minneapolis
The 2008 Stroh's ALDS MVP Award goes to.....
CF CORY COTTON, WAS. Round of Applause.
The wild and often reckless Cory Cotton pulled his act together this series versus Minneapolis and produced big time. Cotton ended up putting up the following stat line against the Mutiny: 11-31, .355 avg, 6 R's, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs and 2 Player of the Game Awards. Cotton won the POG in Game 2 despite losing 10-5, but it was his Game 4 performance that really engraved his name on the Stroh's Award. In Game 4 Cotton ended up delivering 4 RBIs and hitting a top of the 13th HR to take a 9-8 lead over Minneapolis, unfortunately the lead didn't hold but it did give Cotton another opportunity to come up big. In the 14th inning with the bases loaded Cotton was able to induce a big walk to bring in the go-ahead run, Cotton won the Game 4 Player of the Game as well. Cotton continued his productiveness through games 5, 6, and 7 leading Washington to the ALCS. Cotton's substance abuse issues are public knowledge (court records, casino surveillance films, etc), so in honor of his dilemmas and wild history we are sending our NEW Stroh's Non Alcoholic Brew...crack open this savory, tasty concoction and fantasize about getting drunk Cory, you earned that much.
2008 ALDS MVP: Omaha v. Philadelphia
The 2008 Stroh's ALdS MVP Award goes to.....
LF JOSEPH "G-FUNK" JOHNSON. Round of Applause.
Johnson had competition for the Award as several Wolverines put up a great series, including veteran Tom Travis. However Johnson not only put up gaudy numbers but also came through in clutch situations and was a model of consistency and dependability. Johnson's 6 game stat line was as follows: 12-30, .400 AVG, 7 runs, 10 RBI, and 1 HR. Johnson was named Player of the Game in Game 2 when he 3-6, 1 R, and 3 RBIs. Omaha scored 7 runs in the last two innings to overcome a 9-3 Philly lead and Johnson was huge in that rally. In the eighth inning with bases loaded Johnson hit a 2 run single and he did it again in the ninth with a bases loaded single to knock in the game winner. Johnson has found a way to come up with big hits when Omaha needs them. Crack open this Ice Cold Stroh's and get funkified tonight, Joseph, you deserve it.
2008 All Star Game Tribute – Indianapolis
I know this is really early but here is the history of the Indianapolis Black Jacks, hosts of the 2008 All Star Game....
On a cold October night in 1968 the city of Milwaukee was granted the final team in the new EWB league about to be formed. The Miller Brewing Company was celebrating with their champagne of all beers about the decision of the board of directors and owners being negotiated as the final team to make up EWB and Miller had the guarantee of the Milwaukee City Council that a stadium bill would be passed and the City of Milwaukee would finally have one of the teams in the newly created EWB league.
Well that all sounded good but the citizens of Milwaukee had to vote on the measure in the elections the next month before the city would get the team. Polls were showing that the measure had a 50/50 chance because the people of Milwaukee would have their taxes raised to pay for the new stadium. One of the ideas was that the team would play at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, but Lambeau Field had to be retro fitted to allow a baseball field to be made out of a football stadium and that costs alot of money too so that is why the people of Milwaukee had to vote on a new stadium.
Election night came and the stadium bill did NOT pass. The measure was defeated by 1 percent of the vote. The Miller Brewing Company was astonished that after all the work they did for the city they call home and the jobs they have created for the people of Milwaukee that this would happen. EWB and the Miller Brewing Company had egg all over it's face and now it was time for EWB to find another team to make up it's league which would kick off in just 17 months.
EWB looked at Hartford, Connecticut they looked at Phoenix, Arizona, they looked at Orlando, Florida, they looked at Tampa, Florida. They got the same answer from the politicians, NO. It just wasn't enough time to pass a bill to build a new stadium and no one had the budgets for it and the country was in alot of turmoil at the time. It was the first time a sitting President had not run for re election of his party for the office of President, the country was at war in Vietnam, Bobby Kennedy was killed, Martin Luther King Jr, was killed and the country as a whole was just strapped for cash.
One industry that wasn't strapped for cash was auto racing and especially Roger Penske. Roger was a pioneer in formula one racing and built a company of moving van companies along with his winning teams in racing. Roger was a baseball fan and was living in Indianapolis at the time and he knew the Mayor of Indianapolis, Richard Luger (R). Indianapolis was dying for professional sports and they,as a city, didn't have the same budget problems that alot of other cities had at the time. EWB had little time to make a decision about a team because of the short time frame and they certainly never considered Indianapolis as a destination for an EWB team. Indianapolis has little to no market value, they really don't have the population that EWB was looking for and to be honest Indianapolis really isn't that exciting as far as a EWB team to be.
Roger approached the heads of EWB about the problem they had and pitched them on his ideas. EWB was getting desperate and had no other options so EWB told Roger that if he can get Richard Luger in here and GUARANTEE us that there would be no issues as far as a stadium deal, and that it would have to be in writing because they didn't want another Milwaukee situation. Roger agreed and the meeting was set. At this time it was February 1969, 14 months until opening day. EWB was kinda of disgusted at the idea of a team in Indianapolis and they felt kind of shook down but it was all their own doing. Basically the future of the league was in the hands of Richard Luger and Roger Penske because EWB couldn't have started April of 1970 with only 29 teams and with all of the money the other teams have committed it would have started as a complete failure and the league would have never gotten off the ground.
March 1969, EWB, Roger Penske and Richard Luger meet at unknown location and hash out a deal on paper and EWB was guaranteed it's 30th and final team. Indianapolis did it's own poll and 80 percent of the people were for it so Mayor Luger put everything in writing. That writing stated that if the funding was not passed then contractually the city of Indianapolis was responsible for the funding anyway, so I guess it really didn't matter if the citizens passed it or not but with all the excitement in Indianapolis it was a given that it would pass and Luger knew this was his lasting legacy in Indianapolis as he had a higher office in mind, that being a Senator in DC for the state of Indiana.
EWB was finally on track to begin in 13 months but there were a few things that had to be settled, 1) where would the Indy team play until the stadium was built and 2) a team nickname. Well it was decided that the Indy team would play at Butler University until the new stadium was built and since Roger owned the team he came up with lots of racing names but nothing really stuck with him, so one day he thought since this whole scenario was such a gamble by EWB and himself he thought it would be fitting to be called.....Black Jacks.
The people of Indianapolis overwhelmingly voted for the stadium and at an unavailing of the new team name people were crowded in downtown, so the enthusiasm was there from the fans now it was time for the team to begin next season.
The team ended it's first season with a 83-79 record, they didn't make the playoffs but that's not bad for a team that had no home field and played in front of crowds that maxed 21,000 people and an organization that started so late. That inaugural team was led by 1B Vicente Valseca .319/16/118 and C Roberto Cantu .291/14/97 and on the mound led by Burt Smith 14-15 3.70 ERA and John Merriam 13-9 4.69 ERA.
For the next three years it would be rough as they went over .500 once, but in 1971 season they opened up Indy Park. In 1975 the Black Jacks went an a great run where they went to the playoffs 6 out of the next 7 years. Winning the division in 75,77,79, and 81 but little did fans know that would be the glory days of Black Jack baseball. Some of the team leaders and fan favorites during that time span were Mr.Black Jack SS Ronald Ramsey, 2B Ben Dickerson, 1B Victor Carlisle, LF Victor Ramos, and CF Ken Cole and pitchers during that run of greatness were SP Daniel Pena, SP Mike Stanley, SP Ricardo Morales, SP Ed Rottschaefer, and long time closer Katsuhiko Nakamura. These players are looked at as the pioneers of Black Jack baseball.
Sadly Roger Penske refocused his attention to his racing ventures after the 1981 season and let his baseball people handle the day to day operations and that turned out to be a major failure as these "baseball" people were not qualified to run a baseball organization and it showed. Penske just looked at this as a money making venture and didn't really care anymore. After 27 years after 1981 there are only 3 players of mention, 1) Marv Cartwright- a potential Hall of Famer wasn't even drafted by the Black Jacks, Marv was drafted in the 1st round, 8th pick overall by the Boston Irish, Boston the traded Cartwritght to Indy in 1988 for two no namers. Cartwright is the only player in Indy after 27 years since Penske gave up control that was noteworthy. The others are Wilfred Christian, and CL Cris Rosario.
Edgardo Martinez has the all time wins total at 158 and the career loss total of 195. Sad.
EWB has warned the Indianapolis Organization numerous times about just taking the money and running, but like the very first days of inception where EWB had to allow Indy's acceptance now they can't get rid of them.
So that's the story of Indianapolis Black Jacks, bet you never knew there wouldn't be an EWB without them.