CFOD All-Star Break-DOWN by Jeff Goldberg, GM, Cincinnati Rock Well we are at the all-star break, and I thought it was a great time to do a breakdown of where each team is, and what players are having special seasons of note. There are plenty of close races, and it has been a great 1st half. The 2nd half should be even better. These comments are just my opinions, and the teams are listed by division in order of record. I've also listed some of the likely candidates for the season-ending awards. I didn't use Littau's master formula .. I just chose guys that had the obvious category numbers, and they are listed in no particular order. MVP CANDIDATES Vladimir Guerrero, SACRAMENTO Bobby Abreu, ANGRY CANDY Jason Giambi, HILLSBOROUGH Carlos Delgado, PAXTANG Sammy Sosa, SAN FRANCISCO Mike Sweeney, SAN DIEGO CY YOUNG Pedro Martinez, PARK CITY Greg Maddux, SEATTLE Denny Neagle, SAN FRANCISCO Mike Mussina, OREGON Al Leiter, CINCINNATI Randy Johnson, CALIFORNIA FIREMAN Rob Nen, SAN DIEGO Jose Jimenez, SACRAMENTO Jose Santiago, TORONTO Mariano Rivera, CALIFORNIA Antonio Alfonseca, OREGON Bob Wickman, CHARLOTTESVILLE MANTLE DIVISION TORONTO TOWERS Allright, if you thought the Towers would have the best record at the all-star break, please stand up. No one standing heh? I'd bet Owner Marc Siegel is still sitting. Talk about a shocker. As I look at their stats, I still don't see how they are doing it. Their hitting is good but not great. Pudge is incredible this year, hitting .350 with 72 RBI's. Klesko is breaking out, with 24 HR's and 70 RBI's. Derek Lee, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Miguel Tejada all complement Pudge well. This team truly is an amazing one to analyze. They have two regulars, Kenny Lofton and Robin Ventura hitting UNDER .200. Imagine if these guys wake up. So they probably have a staff of aces. Not even close. The likes of Jeff Fassero, Masato Yoshii, Reid Cornelius, and Jose Mercedes don't strike fear into hitters. But they all have been serviceable, especially Fassero (2.49 ERA) and Yoshii (8-2, 3.41 ERA). The Towers are a prime example of how valuable a solid bullpen is. Danny Patterson (1.75 ERA), Jose Santiago(2.49 ERA, 13 SV's), LaTroy Hawkins (3.08 ERA, 13 SV's), Steve Kline (4.31 ERA), and Terry Mulholland (10 Wins in Relief!) are the reason why the Towers are in first. So can they keep it up? From this observer's perspective, it looks as though the staff is overperforming, and they can't pitch any better and probably will pitch worse. Do the Towers have enough magic to do this all year??? ANGRY CANDY Why are the Candy so Angry? They are 48-31, only 2 games back of Toronto. The "Rebuilding" Candy, as our great Commissioner Littau dubbed them, wanted to hold a firesale very early on. The response from Bobby Abreu, Chipper Jones, and Todd Helton was "Not so fast". These 3 guys are maybe the best 1-2-3 punch in the CFOD. Abreu is leading the league in hitting at .378, and Chipper has 84 RBI's. I'd list the rest of their stats, but my fingers would get tired. They get a little help from Randy Velarde, Marvin "Saint" Bernard, and Jeromy Burnitz, but they don't really need it. Their staff is led by "El Duque", Scott Elarton, Jim Parque (8 wins, 3.80 ERA), and Julian Tavarez, while Troy Percival closes the door (15 SV's). This team looks to be legit. Instead of being a seller, they should be a buyer. And if they keep it up, we may have the rename them the Happy Candy. SAN FRANCISCO SHRINERS They should probably rename the city Sam Francisco in honor of slugger Sammy Sosa, who has been incredible in the 1st half. 31 HR's and 66 RBI's illustrate just what Sosa means to the Shriners. He's gotten some help from part-timer Armando Rios, Kevin Millar , Carl Everett, and Eric Young, who leads the league in SB's with 39. Only one hole exists in this lineup, and the aging Mark Grace is at fault. The only thing Grace does is get on base, which doesn't mean much when you hit .214. Shriner management must determine if the team can survive with Grace at 1b, and if not, they need to make a move. The Shriners also boast a very nice pitching staff, led by Denny Neagle (2.30 ERA, 7 WINS), Glendon Rusch, Chris Holt, and Mark Gardner. Corey Lidle has been great in middle relief , but the rest of the bullpen has caused headaches. Antonio Osuna (8.49 ERA) and flaky closer John Rocker (7.34 ERA) have not made friends of the starters, combining for a 4-11 record. Who knows where they'd be with a decent bullpen?????? CHARLOTTESVILLE SQUIDS The Squids stand 3 games under .500, at 38-41. Stats wise, they almost mimmick the Springfield Topes. Almost an exact same ERA of 4.60, thanks to a strong bullpen effort by Bob Wickman and Rich Garces. Blake Stein and Brian Bohanon have been solid starters, while the big dissapointment has been Ryan Dempster. This was supposed to be the breakout year for Dempster, but a 5.42 ERA has the Squids scratching their heads. Dempster should turn it around, providing a nice spark to this rotation. Like the Topes, the team is led by 4 star hitters in Sean Casey, Gary Sheffield, Luis Castillo, and Brian Daubach. Sheffield has been absolutely sick this year, hitting .350 with 27 HR's and 66 RBI's. Sheffield could be MVP if the Squids can squeak into the post-season. After those 4, the rest of the lineup make the fans Charlottesville wear bags over their heads. Damian Miller, Chris Singleton, and Dean Palmer are all having embaressing years, and an outsider would think that this club needs a CF to get on base more than 27% of the time in order to make some noise this year. SPRINGFIELD TOPES A rotation led by Kevin Brown and Andy Pettitte had Springfield buzzing in Spring Training, but something about this team just didn't click in the first half. Brownie and Pettitte combined were just 7-11. Frank Castillo has been great, going 6-3 with a 3.05 ERA. The bullpen has been adequate, with closer Justin Speier inspiring a little confidence in himself with 11 saves. The Topes's offense is an interesting bunch. They have 4 stars in Posada, Luis Gonzalez, Bernie Williams, and Jose Vidro , and the rest are simply bottom feeder with the exception Jason Varitek. They only have 4 HR's from the corner bases starters Mike Lamb and Tino Martinez, and if the Topes's make a playoff run, it will be on the backs of their four amigos. This looks like a team which desperately needs another bat, preferably at 1b, or else they risk fading away from contention. A strong 2nd half from Dustin Hermanson would also provide a huge boost. MECHAN SYNDICATE Bonds + Palmeiro + Alomar + Green + Chavez + Chan Ho = Pennant, doesn't it? Or maybe not. Hard to pinpoint why the team is 33-48. Or maybe not, it could be that 5.14 ERA. First things first, the offense has been stellar as usual. Bonds has his usual 25 HR's and 65 RBI's at the break, while Pamleiro and Alomar are both hitting .310. Eric Chavez and Brad Fullmer are having breakout years, with 16 and 18 HR's respectively. Meanwhile, is that Shawn Green and Gabe Kapler, dubbed the best (and only?) Jewish Outfield tandem ever by the Mechan Press, with a paltry combined HR total of 8??? Even so, the offense is good enough, but the pitching is not. Didn't you used to be Darren Dreifort, the #2 pick in the draft behind A-Rod (in the MLB draft) ? Dreifort continues to be a massive dissapointment, sporting a 6.26 ERA and a 4-10 mark. Chan Ho has underperformed, with a 5-8 record and 4.70 ERA. Eric Gagne has a 8.53 ERA. What's up with Dodgers playing so bad? Maybe the DMB game has a L.A. bias. Sidney "Don't Call me Pottier" Ponson has been decent, but it seems as though it isn't meant to be for the Syndicate. The same old story ^Å. Pitching. They need it. Maybe next year. KOUFAX DIVISION SOMERVILLE SLUGGERS What a 1st half for the Sluggers! They are 49-30 and in 1st place in the Koufax Division. The team is built around two sluggers: Manny Ramirez and Tony Batista. Manny has been simply awesome this year, hitting .377 with 17 HR's and 68 RBI's. Is he the league MVP? Is he the team MVP? Tony Batista has 29 HR's and leads the team with 73 RBI's, and add Craig Grebeck (.353 avg!!!), Julio Lugo, Mark Quinn, and Paul Konerko, and the Slugger offense scores plenty of runs. The big surprise has been the pitching staff. None of the starters (Andy Ashby, Alex Fernandez, Steve Traschel, Kevin Tapani, Steve Reed) scare you, but they have been solid, especially Andy Ashby (7-2 3.31 ERA), who has come back to haunt the Cincinnati Rock for trading him in the off-season. The Sluggers could really use some bullpen help, as Bobby Howry and company has been shaky. Can they keep it up? One would think that their pitching has overachieved, and will falter in the 2nd half. That means Manny and Batista need to continue to carry the load, which may be too heavy even for them. The Rock are only 2 games back, and it should be a formidable race with Hillsborough and Oregon also in the hunt. An interesting note: The Sluggers run margin is only +18 runs, and they are an awesome league best 19-4 in 1-run games, which could mean that they have been plain lucky (or good) so far. CINCINNATTI ROCK The Rock, fresh off an appearance in the CFOD World Series, are right in the thick of things in the Koufax Division, only 2 games back of Somerville. It has been a season of streaks for the Rock, who at one time won 16 of 17 games. Like the Sluggers, their run margin is only +23, and the Rock are an unbelievable 16-4 in one run games. Troy Glaus continues his ascension into stardom, hitting .312 with 23 HR's and 70 RBI's. John Vander wal has ceased his chance to play and is hitting .351, while Derek Bell is hitting .305 with 14 HR's. Shawon Dunston and Chris Richard have been good in part-time roles, but the rest of the lineup leaves much to be desired. JT Snow only has 2 HR's, and Craig Paquette was hitting a disgusting .179 before losing his starting job to the recently acquired Delino DeShields. Deshields should help jumpstart this offense, and this offense will suvive if Glaus can continue to carry it. But no mistake, this team is built on pitching. Al Leiter (7-3, 2.71 ERA), Bartolo Colon, and Curt Schilling anchor the staff, while Armando Benitez was acquired to shut the door. The starters should be ok, but after Benitez, the bullpen is questionable. Relying on guys like Doug Davis and Geraldo Guzman may turn out to be the Rock's downfall. Either way, it should be a fun race in the Koufax division. HILLSBOROUGH REGULATORS Hillsborough is led by two superstar hitters in Jason Giambi and Cliff Floyd. Giambi has been smoking all year, hitting .337 with 20 HR's and 67 RBI's. Floyd has been almost as impressive, at .312, 20 HR's, and 63 RBI's. Supersub Frank Catalanatto has been great, while Al Martin is having a career year hitting .333. The Regulators lead the league in walks, thanks to Matt Lawton and Barry Larkin, who get on base and set the tables up very nicely. Like almost every other team, Hillsborough's ticket to the postseason will be bought with improved pitching. Look at their staff, and it is pretty amazing that they are 44-36. Their 4-man rotation is beginning to fall apart. Rick Helling is their ace at 8-3 with a 4.75 ERA. Garrett Stephenson's arm is about to fall off, but at least he is giving IP's. Brian Meadows is just awful with a 7.60 ERA. To have any chance in the 2nd half, this team has to acquire some pitching. If they get a lead to the 9th, Trevor Hoffman usually closes it, with 15 saves. Yet another team on the brink of contending. Which way will they go? OREGON WET SOX Nomar is hitting .340, Bags and Andruw each have 17 HR's, So what's the problem? Depth, that's what. When Tyler Houston and the ancient Paul O'Neill and Rickey Henderson are regulars, there are issues. The team severely misses Larry Walker's presence. The issue is not whether Nomar, Bagwell, or Jones will perform, because they undoubtedly will. The issue is whether the ancient warriors will be average enough to not bring the rest of the lineup down. On the pitching front, the Wet Sox lead the CFOD in ERA, and have a mighty rotation. Rick Reed (6-4, 3.01 ERA), Mike Mussina (12-3, 3.33 ERA), Mike Redman, and Aaron Sele give the Wet Sox a top 4 that can match up with any in the league. Antonio Alfonseca (19 SV's) and Tanyon Sturtze have done a nice job in relief. The pitching is there, the big bats are there, the only question is whether Oregon can sustain getting little production from 2 Outfield positions. If O'Neill can revert back to his old Conehead form, this team could take the Koufoax Division. ZIPPY's The team with no city, the Zippy's have fallen upon hard times. Derek Jeter (.332 avg), Geoff Jenkins (17 HR's, 68 RBI's), and JD Drew (.327 avg) have done their part, and the Zippy offense has been adequate. Placido Polanco has been great as well. They have an interesting staff. They have some great young talent in Jeff Weaver (9-5 3.98 ERA), Mac Suzuki, and Barry "Baked" Zito. But Todd Van Poppel and Brian Moehler have been horrid. It is amazing to see the number of starters with 6.00+ ERAs, or even 8.00+ ERAs this year! Combine two awful starters with awful relief in Aybar and Paniagua, and disaster strikes. Jim Mecir and Jeff Nelson have been great however. An interesting team in that half the staff is good, and the other half is awful. Not a lot in between. It doesn't look good this year, but next year looks decent, with JD Drew expecting a breakout year and the venerable Derek Jeter returning. If they can find someone to pitch with Zito, Weaver, and Nelson, who knows what could happen. BOSTON BREWINS The Brewins are another team that had high expectations coming in, and with good reason. Behind a staff of Mike Hampton, Mike Sirotka, Livian Hernandez, and Armando Benitez, the team looked poise for a possible playoff birth. Well what happened? 24-56 happened. The team started off horribly and never recovered. The pitching was decent, but Livian really struggled, and outside of David Segui, no one really hit. Owner Chris Hovanic wasted no time rebuilding, sending off Segui, Benitez, Cirillo, Sirotka, and Albert Belle for more firepower next year. In comes Tony Armas, Joe Mays, Freddy Garcia, Luke Prokopec, Jason Marquis, Phil Levin, Terrence Long, and Dee Brown. You gotta hand it to Hovanic, as he has built an awesome staff for next year. They really need to move one of their arms for a big bat, and combine that bat with Nevin, breakout candidate Cristian Guzman, Garrett Anderson, and perhaps Ichiro Suzuki or Albert Pujols to have a playoff contender next year. The only questionable move Hovanic made was giving up $3 in cap room to Carolina, as that could really hamper their protected roster. Will they have enough room to carry all their acquisitions? Either way, they should be fun to watch next year. RUTH DIVISION CALIFORNIA CONEHEADS Defending CFOD World Series Champs California are back and in first place. Sure the Termites are within striking distance, only 3.5 games back. But after a slow start, the Coneheads are back in form, and should run away with the division soon. Preseason, their biggest threat was Paxtang, but the white-flag trades eliminated that. Forget their hitting, their pitching is what is scary. Big Unit is his dominating self, going 9-3 with a 3.01 ERA and 160 K's. Tim Hudson is getting to be mentioned in the same breath as the best in the game. Give credit to Owner Brian Stromblad for drafting Hudson over Kris Benson. That 1-2 punch is deadly. Ramon Ortiz leads the team with 10 wins, although his 2nd half may be shortened due to arm trouble. Randy Wolf hasn't produced, going 3-6 with a 6.31 ERA. If they can get a consistent 4th starter, they will leave the rest of the Ruth Division in the dust. Their bullpen is quite simply scary. I won't go in depth about its potency, I'll just list them: Rivera, Lowe, Foulke. Enough Said. Offensively, it's the same old juggernaut. Mainstays Big Hurt (27 HR's), Piazza (25 HR's), and Rolen have been joined by Darrin Erstad (.349), Jermaine Dye, and Jose Valentin. The Coneheads look to bein position to defend their crown. Only two questions: Do they go get a starter or wait for Wolf to come around ^Å and how many games do they win the division by. SAN DIEGO TERMITES Think of the Termites and two words come to mind: Sweeney and Kent. They lead the CFOD in offense, led by these two stars. Their offensive numbers have been staggering, combining for 157 RBI's in the 1st half!!! Not to mention averages of .353 and .343, and I could go on, but you get the point. The supporting cast includes Larry Walker (you think the Wet Sox don't want him back?), Sandy Alomar, Steve Finley, and Dante Bichette. Needless to say, hitting is not the problem. A Team ERA of 5.12 is. Their top two starters entering the year, David Wells and Jeff D'Amico, are a combined 10-11. But Termite management has recognized this, and have recently acquired Kirk Reuter and the other Finley Chuck. Not to mention closer extradinaire Rob Nen, who has gotten off to a rough start thanks to his 8 WALK appearance, but should be fine in time. Where does this leave the Termites? Well thanks to the Coneheads, San Diego is probably going to have to scrap for the wildcard. And it looks like management is committed to getting the Termites to the post-season. PAXTANG PITBULLS The residents of Paxtang are not very happy customers. They entered the year with championship expectations, with good reason. A team with superstar after superstar on their roster is supposed to win. They have the arguably the league's best 1b (Carlos Delgado), SS (A-Rod), CF (Ken Griffey Jr.), and closer (Rob Nen), not to mention other stars like Brian Giles, Chuck Finley, and Daryl Kile. The team struggled to stay .500, and somebody had to take the heat. That person was Ken Griffey Jr, who was dealt to Carolina after starting the season with only 15 hits in 90 AB's. Paxtang received slugger Ellis Burks, Robert Person, plus a draft pick, but the deal has done little to improve things. Offense is not the problem, as Delgado and A-Rod are putting up scary numbers, but even more scary is the team ERA of 5.97! Newcomer Robert Person has a 7.17 ERA, Kile has a 7.00 ERA, Bobby J. Jones is at 6.86 ERA, and Chuck Finley was at 6.22 before being exiled to San Diego. The only bright spots are Javier Vazquez (4.05 ERA), Billy Koch (4 BB's in 46 IP's!), and Rob Nen before he was dealt to the Termites. You almost can't blame Owner Dan Stupp for pulling the plug on the season. I said *almost*. With a team like this, putting up the white flag so early is unforgivable, and you gotta wonder if the team morale will recover. If you can't win with this team, can you ever win? And will the city of Paxtang ever forgive their owner? On a bright note, the team should have several high picks next year, which should make this dreadful season a little easier to bear. CAROLINA LIGHTNING 38-42 isn't bad. It isn't bad when you don't have a pitcher with more than 11 IP's with an ERA under 4.00. Tom Glavine has been solid (7-5, 4.30 ERA), while Gil Meche and Pat Hentgen have been serviceable. But overall, performances like AJ Burnett (6.79 ERA) and Jesus Sanchez (8.55 ERA) have killed the Lightining. Dave Veres (15 SV's) and John Franco have been decent in relief, but this team is missing an ace pitcher (Randy Johnson?) in order to make a run. The offense has been decent, with both 1st rounder Pat the Bat and Mike Lowell with 17 HR's, and Glenallen Hill, Jim Edmonds, and Ken Griffey Jr. with 13 apiece. Speaking of Junior, the blockbuster to get Junior cost Ellis Burks and Robert Person, but if Junior is healthy, it could be a steal. Mo Vaughn and Craig Biggio are having off years, and the team needs Jim Edmonds to hit like he should. They have the potential to be a great offense, perhaps in the future. The future may be what Lighting fans should look to, but maybe they can make a run at a wildcard. MIAMI MANGOS The Mangos put in a respectable 1st half, finishing at 37-44. They made a big splash by acquiring Ace Mike Hampton from the Brewins, and fans applauded the move at the time, but recently there have been rumblings that Hampton has experienced a few too many Coors and could burn out next by next year. To get Hampton, the price was steep, young stud Freddy Garcia and Raul Mondesi. The Mangos are 11.5 games behind the Coneheads, and have a faint shot at a wildcard. Owner/GM Jeff Brown is caught between rebuilding and taking a shot at a playoff run. Between Hampton, Nomo, Radke, Ritchie, and Burba, the Mangos have a playoff rotation. The main problems, however, are in the bullpen and batting lineup. Curtis Leskanic has been awful, with 13 saves but a 6.67 ERA. Meanwhile, the offense has been led by Darrin Fletcher (.316 avg, 12 HR's) and Ray Durham (65 Runs), and the recently hot Andres Galarraga (56 RBI's). The Mango fans can hope for Leskanic to come through and more power from Galarraga, or there might be a fire sale in Miami before the deadline. On a side note, the Mangos could have a formidable future rotation in 2001 with Hampton, Nomo, Radke, Schoeneweis, and Ritchie. TOPEKA MOOSEDOGS This year Topeka looked to finally reverse their losing ways, and for awhile it looked like that was going to happen. They were actually in 1st place for a few days, before the Coneheads woke up and the Moosedogs fell asleep. Their offense has been solid, behind the resurgent Bobby Higginson (16 HR's), Jason Kendall (.311 avg), and Richie Sexson (15 HR's). But their pitchers have really dissapointed. Rocket Roger Clemens is back to his old self (7-6, 3.27 ERA), and Chris Benson has been decent with 8 wins. But the rest of their rotation has been awful, with Shayne Reynolds, Jamey Wright, Jon Halama, and Adam Eaton all carrying 6.00+ ERA's. The Moosedogs stand at 35-45, and with the Coneheads taking off, one has to wonder if Owner Danny Goldberg will cut bait and hold a firesale. Kris Benson, Jason Kendall, and Corey Koskie all could be moved before the deadline. The future is bright in Topeka, but it doesn't look like the future is this year. Rumors are swirling that the owner is going through a tough split with his girlfriend, and has been spotted stumbling around drunk at numerous Dallas nightspots. Maybe that will explain the lack of trading activity thus far. Kris Benson's elbow has been sore lately, which could be a deadly blow to this team's future. Youngster Corey Patterson is one to definitely watch to see if he can grab CF in Spring Training next year. YOUNG DIVISION SACRAMENTO FISH Well there is no soul food in Sacramento, but whatever the Fish are consuming, they need to keep on eating it. Vladimir Guerrero may be MVP, hitting .368 with 30 HR's and 77 RBI's. Lance Berkman is having a coming out party, and these two guys may be the best 1-2 punch in the league for the next 10 years. Adrian Beltre, Ben Grieve, and Ronnie Belliard provide plenty support. The pitching has been great, and is led by 3 young lefties in Rick Ankiel, Bruce Chen, and Eric Milton. The bullpen, led by closer Jose Jimenez, hasalso been strong. When you look at the Fish, you see a team very close to making a postseason impact. They are 49-32, and lead the Young division by 5 games. But you gotta wonder if they can keep it up unless they make a few moves. They desperately need a 5th starter, as Valerio De Los Santos and company just won't cut it. And is that really BRADY ANDERSON still starting in CF? He is killing them with his .224 average. Owner Theron Skyles is definitely feeling heat from Park City, and the question looms: Will he make a run and strengthen his team for this year, or will he continue to look to the future? PARK CITY CLIMBERS 48 HR's & 120 RBI's. That's the production that Park City has gotten from 1b Jim Thome OF Preston Wilson. The offseason deal to acquire Wilson from the Coneheads is looking pretty good, and with Segui, Greer, and Hundley, the offense has produced. Oh ya, they have Pedro too. Pedro Martinez is 12-3, with a 1.70 ERA, 180 K's in 132 IP's, 8 CG's and 4 SHO's! Paul Abbott has been stellar (2.63 ERA), and the deal to get Livian Hernandez has helped (5-1, 3.86 ERA). Maybe the only thing holding them back is their bullpen. Mike Remlinger has been great (5 W's, 2.53 ERA), but after that there is a drop-off. Mike Stanton and recently acquired Steve Karsay should help, so it probably won't be a hindrance in the 2nd half. The Climbers could go far if they can continue to hit, and getting some production out of Jeff Cirillo is crucial. He has been unable to replace Phil Nevin thus far. Park City could be a good bet to overtake Sacramento for the Young Division crown. BROOKFIELD BROUHAHA Brookfield remains in contention in the Young Division, only 6.5 games back of the Fish at 42-38. Edgar Martinez continues to hit (.305 avg, 23 HR's, 63 RBI's), while Joe Randa (.330 avg), Richard Hidalgo (16 HR's), and Greg Vaughn protect him. The team really needs Hidalgo to step it up and have a huge 2nd half, and don't be surprised if he does. Jeffrey Hammonds also needs to increase his power totals (only 3 HR's). Brookfield's pitching has been very good. 1st rounder Chuck Smith, Tomka Ohka, Cal Eldred, and Russ Ortiz have kept them in ballgames. Dan Reichert and Jason Bere haven't, and these two pitchers have to give them a chance in the 2nd half. The strength of the team so far is the bullpen. Greg Swindell has been super, with a 2.08 ERA in 43 IP's. Matt Mantei, Onan Masoaka, Kelvim Escobar, Jamie Arnold, and Ric White all sport ERA's under 4.00 ! There seems to be a recurring them: a good bullpen equals a good team. For Brookfield to make a run, their bullpen must continue their remarkable season, and Hidalgo must go wacko. It could happen. SEATTLE MOSHERS When looking at the Young Division race, don't forget to factor in the Seattle Moshers. When you think of Seattle, one person comes to mind: Mad Dog Greg Maddux. He's been there for years, and he isn't going anywhere. 11-3 with a 3.16 ERA, he just keeps trucking along, and youngster Jarrod Washburn has helped with 11 solid starts. But after that, Kevin Appier (5.65 ERA), Gil Heredia (5.80 ERA), and Albie Lopez (6.43 ERA) have combined to go 10-19. It's pretty amazing that the team is above .500 considering 3 of their starters plain out stink so far. Rod Beck has taken over as closer and has been super with a 2.45 ERA and 6 SV's, while the ageless one Doug Jones has been solid. If Paul Shuey and flame-out closer Turk Wendell pitch to form in the 2nd half, this bullpen could be great. The thrill isn't gone^Å yet. Will Clark has one last good year in him, hitting .345 with 14 HR's. Fernando Vina gets on base and gets beaned a lot (20 HBP's), while Mags Ordonez has 60 RBI's and Tim Salmon looks young again (19 HR's 65 RBI's). The team gets nothing from C or SS, but at least Cal Ripken has been decent at 3b. Overall the offense produces. If, and that's a big IF, but if 2 of the 3 struggling starters come around, and Wendell or Shuey start pitching well, Seattle could make a run at the Young Division crown. The Young Division should be a dogfight till the end. SAN FRANCISCO PIAZZA's The Piazza's are at 27-53, and definite players in the Ichiro sweepstakes. It just hasn't been their year, as several key components haven't lived up to expectations. The team ERA is 5.96, as Steve Parris boasts an ERA of 8.42, and Shawn Estes has an ERA of 9.20 !!!! The only bright spots have been Kerry Wood and Kirk Reuter, who was rewarded with a ticket south to San Diego. The offense never gelled, as David Justice, Fred McGriff, and Javy Lopez all have performed below their career levels. Moises Alou and Benny Agbayani have done their best, but haven't gotten the support they need. It is time to look to next year, and it wouldn't be shocking to see slugger David Justice follow Delino DeShields, Kirk Reuter, Ken Caminiti, and Steve Karsay out of town. There is hope in the city by the bay, as Fred McGriff, Kerry Wood and Shawn Estes are rumored to be healthy and should be better next year. Alou should be as good as ever, and with a top pick, maybe they can rebound quickly. Could closer Kaz Sasaki have someone to talk to next year? ARIZONA THUNDER That roaring sound you hear isn't Thunder, it is Arizona falling to the bottom of the standings. Injuries have killed this team, and by ^Ñteam' I mean Big Mac. Mark McGwire is aching everywhere, and despite Johnny Damon's and Chris Stynes's best efforts, the Thunder haven't been able to score much. Pitching wise, it gets worse. Jon Lieber and Esteban Loiaza have done their best, but this is truly a rebuilding year for the Thunder. At least there is good news. The team recognized this, and drafted to get younger and faster. Youngsters Juan Pierre, Roger Cedeno, Neifi Perez, David Ortiz, and Jimmy Rollins, all hope to be able to contribute in the future with speed and athleticism. The speed could be fun to watch, and combine them with Damon, Cameron, and and healthy Big Mac, the rebuilding plan could only be one year. Jon Lieber, Jason Johnson, Jeff Zimmerman, and Billy Wagner give them some pitching to build upon, and with another starting pitcher or two, this team could be interesting next year.