History of the Salem Cowtippers
2000: The Kids are All Right

On the heels of a disappointing and devastating loss to the Stamford Zoots in the 1999 OLDS, the Salem Cowtippers went into the 1999/2000 off-season full of questions. Their Cy Young Award winning ace, Greg Maddux, suffered through an off-year at the big league level and was destined to disappoint in 2000. Darren Dreifort did not take a step up as expected, and Matt Morris was lost for the year. Offensively, reigning MVP John Olerud had gone from spectacular to merely above-average. Carlos Febles suffered through another injury-plagued year and Ellis Burks and Tim Salmon both missed half the season due to injuries.

"We were hurting," said Salem GM Mike Glander. "No doubt about it. As soon as Game Five of the OLDS ended, I started working the very next day on the 2000 Cowtippers. We had a few strengths to work with. Omar Daal had an excellent season, but we weren't really sure where he'd go from there. His agent was asking for a multi-year deal, but we weren't convinced that he'd maintain that level of performance. Shannon Stewart had a very solid year, earning a multi-year deal from us. Mighty Joe Randa was a huge bargain for us at $100,000. And Derek Lowe and rookie Jeff Zimmerman gave us a very solid foundation in our pen. In the end, though, I knew this team would not be able to compete if we just stood pat."

So Glander began working the phones in search of a way to make the 2000 Cowtippers a contender while building for the future at the same time. The first team to respond was the Madison Fighting Mimes. Salem had an interest in Madison's young junkballer Steve Woodard, and with an excess of quality relievers to deal, the Cowtippers sent Tim Crabtree and Graeme Lloyd to the Mimes in exchange for Woodard. Woodard would finish the 2000 season with a 10-7 record, a 4.50 ERA and a burdensome three-year contract.

The next trade the Cowtippers made shocked the entire Salem fan base to the very core. Maddux, the first player to ever wear the legendary spotted cap of the Salem Cowtippers, was ruthlessly dealt to the Kansas Law Dogs along with clutch hitter Lee Stevens in exchange for reliever Danny Graves and an unknown pitcher named Javier Vazquez.

"At that time, trading the reigning Cy Young Award winner and the heart of the franchise for a kid with a career ERA around 5.00 didn't win me too many friends," Glander admitted. "But we thought the kid had potential. And considering the fact that both of the pitchers we got in that deal had a combined salary of $7 million less than Mad Dog, I felt it was the right deal to make for the future of our franchise."

Graves finished the 2000 season with a 3.69 ERA and 8 saves. Vazquez finished with a record of 10-10 and a 5.29 ERA, but managed to endear himself to the Salem fans by hitting .393 at the plate with 5 home runs and 18 RBI's. Two of his homers came as a pinch hitter, and one of them was a game-winner.

Next, Glander orchestrated a nine-player (and two draft pick) deal with the Kentucky Fox. Omar Daal, Salem's #1 pitcher, was dealt to the Fox along with fan favorite "Mighty" Joe Randa, Robb Nen, Todd Greene, Alan Mills and former closer Doug Brocail. In exchange, the Cowtippers received Eric Milton, Jason Varitek, Jeff Cirillo and two of Kentucky's draft picks.

"We had our eye on Miltie all year," said Glander. "Getting him was a huge, huge win for this franchise. Even though Randa had a great year, Cirillo was actually an improvement at the third base position. And Varitek was a very solid catcher with a great bat. That trade took a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice on our end. We gave up a lot of talent in the hope that our intuition was right about Eric Milton. Thankfully, it was."

Milton became the ace of the Salem staff, posting a 16-10 record and a 3.93 ERA. Cirillo hit .283, cranked out 35 doubles, 23 homers, scored 107 runs and knocked in 109. As for Varitek, he was traded shortly thereafter as part of a six player deal with the Hudson Hammerheads. Varitek and Quilvio Veras, another big star of the 1999 pennant-winning club, were traded in exhange for Sterling Hitchcock, Dmitri Young, two prospects and a draft pick. Hitchcock finished the year with a 14-12 record and an ERA of 4.89. He would eventually cost the Cowtippers $4.5 million at the 2001 draft. Young enjoyed a solid year, batting .292 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI's in only 390 at-bats.

The final two trades of the off-season for Salem were minor deals that landed platoon catcher Damian Miller and a farm pick. The wheeling and dealing, for better or worse, was complete. In the draft, Salem picked up two key components: left-handed specialist Pedro Borbon and rookie Mark Quinn. Borbon would finish the season with a 6-3 record and 2.68 ERA despite yielding an astounding 40 walks in 53 2/3 innings. Quinn proved to be an invaluable asset off the bench, hitting 7 home runs in just 44 at-bats. Each one of his homers was of the pinch hit variety, and several proved to be game-winners.

"When the season began, I really wasn't all that impressed with our ballclub," said Glander. "We were very weak up the middle offensively, we had a ton of part-time players and no legitimate ace on our starting staff. In fact, our entire staff from one to five was mediocre at best. Our only strength was our bullpen. Our thought was that we would play a chapter or two, see where we stood, then make a decision on the direction we wanted to take with this ballclub."

Just before the season began, Salem began desperately searching for a left-handed bat to use off the bench. After several failed inquiries, the Cowtippers ended up overpaying for Armando Rios. At least, it seemed like they were overpaying at the time.

"We gave up an 'A-plus' prospect, Alfonso Soriano, to land 'Mando," explained Glander. "And at the time, we really thought we overpaid to get him. But New Milford didn't want to part with David Dellucci, and Litchfield didn't want to give up Erubiel Durazo, so we had to take what we could get. I really didn't want to start the season without a bench."

As it turned out, Rios was outstanding in limited action. He hit .368 with an OBP of .467 and slugged .607. In 163 at-bats, Rios clubbed 10 homers and knocked in 39 runs. Soriano took a step back as a prospect, but is still highly-coveted by big league scouts.

The season began as it always does for the Cowtippers, with a two-game sweep of the longtime rival New Milford Blazers.  Unfortunately, Salem traveled to Los Altos next for a four game series.  As usual, Los Altos dominated the Salem nine, taking three of the four games.  The next series wasn't any easier, as the wild-and-wacky Litchfield Lightning came to town for a four game series.  Game Two of that series was a classic, with the lead changing several times before Litchfield scored three runs in the top of the 11th inning.  Salem came back to score four runs in the bottom of the inning to win it.  The Cowtippers would eventually sweep that series.

On March 25th, Salem won a dramatic game against state rival Hudson when Russ Johnson followed two failed bunt attempts with a shocking game-winning walk-off home run.  That was just the first of many late-game heroics for Johnson.  The very next day, Mark Quinn provided more late-game heroics with a ninth inning grand slam that put Salem in the lead.  Ever so slowly, the personality of the 2000 Cowtippers began to become apparent.

When Chapter Two ended, it was time for Salem to decide which direction to go.  With a record of 31-21, four games ahead of the Bowling Green Spoilers in the Benes Division, the decision was easy.  It was time to start preparing for a pennant race.

In 1999, Shannon Stewart teamed up with Quilvio Veras to provide Salem with two outstanding on-base batters at the top of the lineup. That combination led to many big innings and helped Salem set a BDBL record for runs scored. In 2000, Salem didn't have a true #2 type of hitter to pair with Stewart, and as a result, Salem struggled to score runs. Then, just before the Chapter Three deadline, GM Glander worked his magic once again to fill that void. In exchange for top prospect Xavier Nady and utiltyman Russ Johnson, Salem acquired second baseman Chuck Knoblauch from the Boardwalk Vulgarians. In 424 at-bats as a Cowtipper, Knoblauch batted an even .300, with a .390 OBP, 15 home runs and 84 runs scored. Salem would eventually top their 1999 runs total.

"I really thought the Knoblauch acquisition was the biggest pick-up of the year," said Glander. "Even bigger than Stamford's acquisition of Smoltz. In terms of value added to a team, Knobby helped us a lot more than Smoltz helped the Zoots."

On May 6th, the "Davis Cup Series" with the Litchfield Lightning continued, and it was never more wacky than Game One of that series.  In the eighth inning of that game, Salem put runners at the corners with no outs in a 3-2 game.  Cirillo, one of Salem's top run-producers, was at the plate facing Rheal Cormier.  Cirillo lined a shot up the middle which Cormier somehow managed to snag with his back turned.  The runner on third, Olerud, had strayed a little too far off the bag, assuming it was a base hit.  Instead, Cormier whipped the ball to third in time to nail Olerud for out number two.  Third baseman Edgar "The Cat" Martinez then heaved the ball across the diamond to first, where a napping Burks was caught with his pants down.   Triple play.  End of inning.  End of game.

The May 19th series against the Bowling Green Spoilers has since been named the "Javy Vazquez Series."  It has become such a legendary series in Salem that the number of people who claimed to be in attendance that day far outnumber those who were actually there.  In Game One of that series, a crucial series at the time between the first- and second-place teams in the division, Vazquez out-pitched Bowling Green ace Curt Schilling, allowing just four hits and one walk through nine innings of work.  It was a truly amazing performance considering his year-end stats.  In that game, Vazquez not only pitched brilliantly, but also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and a double.

As brilliant as he performance was in that first game, however, Vazquez topped it in Game Two of that series.  Salem trailed by a score of 4-2 heading into the top of the ninth in that game.  With one out in the inning, Salem loaded the bases on a pair of hits and a walk.  Bowling Green reliever Rick Aguilera then hit Salem catcher Damian Miller with a pitch, forcing in a run to make it a 4-3 game.  With the Salem pitcher due up and no other hitters left on the bench, Glander called upon Vazquez to pinch hit.  Anticipating a squeeze play, Bowling Green manager Mark Ross called for a pitch-out.  Glander anticipated the pitch-out and took the pitch for ball one.  On the second pitch, Glander called for the squeeze, but Ross once again ordered the pitch-out, and the runner on third was easily tagged out at the plate for out number two.

Bowling Green fans, anticipating the sure final out of the inning, began heading for the exits in waves to beat the traffic.  But all heads snapped back to the field in unison at the crack of the bat.  Vazquez connected for a line drive home run, giving Salem a 6-4 lead and, eventually, a win.  Salem would eventually sweep all four games of that series, putting a damper on Bowling Green's dreams of a pennant race.

That wasn't the end of Vazquez's offensive heroics that chapter.  On June 12th, Vazquez enjoyed another 3-for-4 game, this time against division rival Manchester.  Once again, Vazquez connected for a double and a home run - only this one was a grand slam.  Vazquez knocked in seven runs in the game.   He also yielded just one run in 7 1/3 innings of pitching.  Later that same series, Salem scored 20 runs off Rebel pitching in Game Three.  Salem scored 43 runs in the first three games of that series. 

Prior to the Chapter Four deadline, Glander made a trade that may change the future of the Cowtippers franchise for many years to come. In exchange for fireballing pitching prospect Wes Anderson, Salem acquired Mark Teixeira from the Plattsburgh Champs organization.

"We had our eye on Mark since his freshman year in college," said Glander, "but Tim Zigmund jumped the gun on all of us and picked him up as a free agent in 1999. When Tim left and was replaced by Dave Myers, one of the first things I asked them was whether Teixeira could be had. Unless Anderson turns out to be the next Roger Clemens, I think we got the better part of that deal. Even if he does turn out to be the next Clemens, I still think we got the better part of the deal."

On August 4th, Salem finally wrested the Davis Trophy from the Lightning for the second year in a row.   Later, Salem would win the season series against the Zoots, winning the "Fonzie Trophy" as well.

Before the final trading deadline of the year, GM Glander was back on the phones, trying to strengthen the team's bench for the playoffs. In the final week before the deadline, Glander added Tom Lampkin, John Vanderwal, Harold Baines and Damian Easley. By the time the Cowtippers reached the playoffs, they owned the deepest and strongest bench in BDBL history.

On October 1st, the Cowtippers clinched their second straight Benes Division title with state rival Manchester watching from the opposing dugout.  Toward the end of the chapter, Salem win three of four from the Zoots, narrowly missing an opportunity to knock them out of the playoffs.  Salem beat Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown and John Smoltz that series, but came up empty against #4 starter Gil Meche. 

At the start of Chapter Six, Salem faced Stamford's rival, the Madison Fighting Mimes.  Madison won two of the first three games, then took a 7-0 lead into the fourth.  But despite facing Madison's ace, Kevin Millwood, Salem's offense refused to die.  Salem cut Madison's lead to 7-4 in the third, then scored seven runs in the sixth.  They would eventually win by a score of 12-10.  And Madison would eventually lose the Butler Division title to the Zoots by one game.

With the lowest seed in the OL Playoffs, the Cowtippers were forced to face the team that has owned them throughout BDBL history: the Los Altos Undertakers. The Undertakers, who won an OL-best 104 games in 2000, won nine of twelve games against Salem during the regular season, and was 17-7 through the first two seasons in head-to-head match-ups. Desperate times call for drastic measures, so manager Glander went to work weeks before the playoffs in anticipation of this ill-fated match-up.

"That team has just owned us," Glander admitted, "so I spent a long time scouting their team in search of a weakness. Their bullpen was obviously their strength, but I felt ours matched theirs pitcher-for-pitcher. I felt our offenses were very similar. And I thought our starting staffs matched up well on paper. The biggest difference I found between our two teams was that they relied heavily upon platoon players whereas our roster was concentrated in everyday type of players.

"Dick Howser used a trick in the 1985 World Series that I thought would work in this situation. He let a right-hander start the game for him, then brought in a left-hander after one batter. His reasons for doing so were a little different than mine, but I thought it was a neat ploy. And what the heck - we really had nothing to lose. So in Game One, I started a righty, then brought in our ace, Milton, to face the Undertakers' lefty-heavy lineup. Ideally, it would have worked even better if we could have started the game with a lefty, then brought in righty. But unfortunately, our two best pitchers at that time were both lefties."

The ploy worked for exactly three innings before Albert Belle broke a scoreless tie with a long homer in the fourth off Milton. Milton, who is reknowned for his precise control, began the fifth by walking a pair of unthreatening batters. Los Altos manager Jeff Paulson pulled his starting pitcher, Scott Elarton, out of the game and inserted little-known pinch hitter Jeff Barry. Barry responded with a three-run homer, putting the game out of reach. Salem would eventually score four runs themselves, but an error by normally sure-handed first baseman Olerud gave Los Altos a free run - enough to ensure the win.

In Game Two, Glander attempted his risky strategy once again, bringing Hitchcock into the game in relief after starter Vazquez had faced just two batters. In the second inning, Hitchcock had an 0-2 count on Los Altos pitcher Alex Fernandez with two outs and runners on the corners. But instead of throwing strike three past an overmatched Fernandez, Hitchcock balked home a run. Later, an error by sure-handed Rey Sanchez led to another Los Altos run. In the sixth, Graves served up a leadoff double to Rich Aurilia, then an RBI single to Shawon Dunston. Salem lost by a final score of 6-5.

Game Three was the one bright spot of the playoffs for Salem. Thanks to a pair of homers by team captain Olerud, Salem cruised to an easy 11-4 victory. But the celebration didn't last long. In Game Four, Los Altos starter Francisco Cordova and a never-ending parade of Los Altos relievers held the Salem offense to just one run on seven hits in a 5-1 series-clinching win.

"When you consider that we never expected to even get to the playoffs," said Glander, "it's hard to say we had a disappointing season. But when you get that close, and you lose it - as we did in '99 - because of these quirky mental lapses and unlikely heroes, it makes you wonder whether we'll ever be able to field a team that is good enough to advance past the first round."