Part 1 - Griz History of +/-

Whats Gone Wrong in Bear Land
Or
How Many Bad Decisions Can One GM Make
(a.k.a. How Stupid Am I)

Part 1

The Grundy County Grizzlies joined the NASBL during the 2001 season. The first GM mistake I made was allowing Vermont to claim Sammy Sosa. Sammy was his first steroid blue chip contributor of the Fighting Sioux. I did end up with Brad Radke who led the Griz with 8 Wins in its inaugural season. The Griz completed the season 48-114 and in the NASBL basement, a location we have occupied way too often.

Grundy County played lets Make a Deal with the first pick in the 2002 draft. Vermont was happy to pass on Jermaine Dye and the 5th overall pick to get a gangly hitter without a position named Alex Pujols. (Mr. Beard you once asked who the first pick in the 2002 – theres your answer) I had boldly predicted the 1st round of the draft figuring Jimmy Rollins, Roy Oswalt, and Adam Dunn would be available when my turn came up at 5. I wanted Dunn and lost him when the York Town Schooners took him at #3. [I was unable to determine who the Kansas City Cannibals took with the 2nd pick or who the New York Knights took with the 4th pick.] I choose Oswalt in the fifth spot and when Rollins was available at pick 13. I traded Radke and others to acquire the pick and take Rollins as my regular SS for the next few years.

Looking back it would have been nice to have kept the pick and take Pujols but I got good results from Dye (BAvg. .299, 24 Dingers, and 92 RBIs [holding the single season Griz RBI record of 92 until Ryan Howard broke that record with 103 this year]) and Oswalt (7 Wins [tie for team high in 2002] and second in ERA at 4.76). Rollins batted .225 with 11 jacks and 46 stolen bases [second on the team to Juan Pierre who set the NASBL stolen base record at 130]. The Griz had a great draft – even if results did not support that hypothesis. 1st round picks Oswalt and Rollins, 2nd rounder Ben Sheets, and Billy Wagner and Jon Garland, all provided hope and several seasons of play. After the 2006 season the Griz traded Oswalt and Pat “the Bat” Burrell for Miguel Cabrera and Mark Buehrle. Billy Wagner was traded to the Fighting Sioux after he 2004 season; do not remember what our return was. Rollins was traded following the 2005 season to the Roadkill for a prospect named Justin Morneau who had not panned out yet after being drafted in 2005. So what went wrong – well among other things, I cut Dye and Buehrle when they had off years and/or injuries.