SALEM COWTIPPERS: 2002
An Inning Away from Immortality

After three seasons of futility, the Salem Cowtippers finally reached their goal of making it to the BDBL World Series in 2002.  In a lopsided match-up in which they were universally regarded to have no chance of winning, the fearless Cowtippers took the most dominant team in BDBL history, the Allentown Ridgebacks, to seven games in the BDBL World Series.  Then, with the score tied in the top of the ninth, former Cowtipper Ellis Burks crushed the hearts of the hometown crowd by blooping a double off righty-killer David Weathers to bring home the go-ahead run.  It was an anticlimactic ending to what had been the most thrilling season in Salem history.

Preparations for the 2002 season began earlier than expected. After making it to the OL Championship Series for the first time in franchise history, the Cowtippers barely had a chance to savor that accomplishment before their old nemeses, the Stamford Zoots, crushed the hopes and dreams of Cowtippers fans once again.

Salem headed into the off-season with a high-octane offensive core of Bobby Abreu, Jeff Bagwell, Sammy Sosa and Lance Berkman, a starting rotation led by Eric Milton and a bullpen led by Derek Lowe and Norm Charlton.  The problem for the Cowtippers was that other than Milton, they had no other quality starting pitcher, and other than Lowe and Charlton, they had little to rely upon in the bullpen.

Aside from having only three quality pitchers on the staff, the Cowtippers went into the off-season without a catcher, a second baseman, a shortstop, a third baseman and a center fielder.  As he does each and every off-season, GM Mike Glander rolled up his sleeves and went to work to fill those holes and put his team in a position to defend their division title for the fourth season in a row.

Negotiations began with Manchester Irish Rebels GM Jim Doyle, who had just traded all-star third baseman Chipper Jones to the Stamford Zoots in exchange for human batting machine Ryan Dempster.  The Irish Rebels had another high-impact offensive player on their roster, Todd Helton, who had the same salary and contract length as Jones.  Assuming the Jones trade meant that Manchester would be looking to dump salary at any cost, Glander inquired about the availability of Helton.  Considering the uselessness of Dempster, the Salem front office was shocked to learn that Helton would cost the Cowtippers both Eric Milton and a top prospect.

"Miltie alone was a hundred times the pitcher that Dumpster was," explained Glander, "Not only was Miltie one of the top left-handed pitchers in the game, but he had another year remaining on his contract at a very reasonable salary.  Dempster was not only useless in every sense of the word, but he was in the final year of his contract.  Frankly, it was a little disconcerting to learn that we would have to give up ten times as much as the Zoots for a player who was similar in performance, age, salary and contract.  But then, we've grown used to paying ten times more than most teams - especially Stamford - at the trading table through the years."

After a few days of haggling, Glander eventually talked the Rebels down to a straight swap of Milton for Helton.  Later that year, Helton became the third different Salem first baseman to start for the OL all-star team.  With 2001 all-star first baseman Jeff Bagwell still under contract at $10 million, however, Salem found themselves with two high-priced all-star first basemen.  That meant it was time for Glander to work the phones once again.

"We made the Helton trade during the playoffs," said Glander, "so the trade could not be officially announced until after the BDBL championship.  That gave us a very short window of time to trade Bagwell before anyone found out that we were carrying two high-priced first basemen.  If anyone knew of our situation, it would have severely hurt our bargaining position."

Partly motivated by a desire to help out the main competition to the Zoots in the Butler Division, Glander first contacted Madison Fighting Mimes GM Brian Hicks.  Hicks' Mimes were a good fit for Bagwell, as they had a need for a power hitter and a first baseman, had enough room under the cap to take on Bagwell's contract, and were competitive enough to accept a player in his walk year.  In the middle of the 2001 season, Madison and Salem agreed on a controversial ten-player trade where Salem borrowed superstars Jeff Kent and Gary Sheffield for two chapters in exchange for Pedro Astacio, Randy Velarde, Benji Gil and four top prospects.  In exchange for Bagwell, Salem requested the return of two of those players: Astacio and prospect Dewon Brazelton.   Madison agreed, and Salem had replaced Bagwell with Helton and Milton with Astacio, saving $3 million while upgrading slightly on offense.  Helton would hit .331/.442/.617 for the Cowtippers in 2002, out-performing Jeff Bagwell, and Astacio would go 11-5 with an ERA of 4.43, compared to Milton's 9-16 record and 3.50 ERA for the Irish Rebels.

With the draft looming, the Phoenix Predators publicly offered the #2 pick of the draft and began taking bids.  Glander contacted Phoenix GM Scot Zook and asked what it would take.  Zook's reply: Bobby Abreu.  Abreu was a long-time favorite of Glander, and was under contract at a reasonable salary for the next two years.  But Salem saw an opportunity to grab an ace with that #2 pick, so they pulled the trigger.  That pick gave the Cowtippers their ace, Mike Mussina (20-9, 3.05 ERA), who was the true OL Cy Young award winner in 2002 (even though Chan Ho Park's name is on the trophy.)

Next, the Great Lakes Sphinx and their GM, Scott Romonosky, publicly posted the availibility of several players, including knuckleballer Steve Sparks.   With a salary of just $500,000 and no contract, Sparks was a very attractive option for Salem.

"Sparky is one of those pitchers that tends to be undervalued in this league," said Glander.  "He's a knuckleballer, he plays for a really poor MLB team, and he doesn't strike out a lot of batters or do much of anything to get himself noticed.  He just pitches a quality game time after time and gives his team a chance to win.  We asked the Sphinx what they were looking for in return, and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that it would only cost us a couple of our B-grade prospects, Gookie Dawkins and Aaron Rowand.  I pulled the trigger pretty quickly on that deal."

Sparks, who was the subject of mid-season ridicule, quieted his detractors when he finished the season with a record of 15-7 and an ERA of 3.87, giving the Cowtippers a solid #3 pitcher that worked more than 225 innings for close to minimum-wage.

With the core of their lineup set, and their pitching rotation filled with three strong pitchers, Salem only needed to beef up the bullpen a bit before heading into the draft.  Fortunately, the Los Altos Undertakers (who are constantly stocked with quality bullpen arms) found themselves with more arms than they needed.   In exchange for two top prospects, Salem received David Weathers and Mike Magnante.  Weathers came within one save of tying the Salem franchise record (24), and was Salem's most reliable reliever throughout most of the season (until Game Seven of the World Series, that is.)   Magnante (2-1, 3.45) was inconsistent, but good, and gave the Cowtippers two quality arms from the left hand side.  He would also provide the greatest moment in Salem Cowtippers history.

In addition to their #2 pick, the Predators also threw in Jeremy Giambi in the Abreu trade.  Still searching for a catcher, Salem dealt Giambi to the Akron Ryche in exchange for Salem's former bonus-baby Ben Davis.  Davis (.261/.374/.387) enjoyed a better-than-expected season, and gave the 'Tippers another full-time starter earning close to minimum-wage.

Anticipating that most of the quality players would be taken early in the draft, Salem began searching for an early second-round draft pick.   The Atlanta Fire Ants offered their #2 pick in exchange for pitching prospect Brandon Claussen.  Salem used that pick to select second baseman Ray Durham.  Durham (.256/.337/.436) provided all-star- caliber performance in the #2 spot in the lineup, scoring 101 runs in front of Salem's Big Three, while providing excellent defense in the field.

When Salem headed into the draft, they still had no second baseman, no shortstop, no center fielder and no third baseman.  By the end of the draft, however, Salem was able to fill every one of those holes with a quality full-time player.

When Salem's second round pick (the 23rd pick in the round) came up, the draft had developed so unexpectedly, the game plan of drafting two $3 million players and one $2 million player was thrown out the window.  With few quality players remaining on the board, Salem chose Robin Ventura at the seemingly outrageous salary of $5 million.  Ventura (.267/.370/.459) proved to be worth every penny, earning the starting spot on the Ozzie League all-star team while providing excellent defense.

Still in need of a center fielder and shortstop, it became clear as Salem headed into the sixth round that no free agents at those positions were worthy of a $3 million salary.  Out of desperation, Salem contacted the Arizona Heat, who owned at least three quality, full-time center fielders.

"The best free agent center fielder on the board at that time was Steve Finley," said Glander.  "I just couldn't bring myself to spend $3 million for Steve Finley.  I knew someone out there was hoarding center fielders, and sure enough after looking at all the rosters, I discovered the Heat.   They could afford to part with one of their many center fielders, get some players to help them in the future, and not miss that player at all.  I offered two of our best prospects, Mike Restovich and Dewon Brazelton, for Mike Cameron, and after what seemed like weeks of consideration, Arizona GM Mike Leuck finally accepted.  We really sweated that one out, and actually made our sixth round pick before Leuck had accepted.   If he declined, we would have been left without a center fielder."

Cameron, who also made the all-star team, finished the season at .269/.355/.481 with 26 homers, 73 RBI's, 116 runs scored and 48 stolen bases - all while providing excellent defense.  With that sixth round pick, Salem chose pitcher John Thomson.  Thomson (11-1, 2.84) was another player that seemed to be a reach at the time, yet proved to be worth every penny.  Despite pitching only half a season, Thomson proved to be a valuable contributor in both the regular season and post-season.

"In the $1 million round, we had our eye on Odalis Perez the entire round," said Glander.  "We watched team after team passing over Perez that round.  Twenty-two teams passed right over him.  Then, with the pick right ahead of us - a pick that was only ahead of us because we 'won' the tie-breaker - D.J. Shepard of the Akron Ryche stole Perez right out from under our nose.  That gave us the consolation prize of Ramon Vazquez."

With every mediocre full-time shortstop in the draft being inexplicably hoarded by the Marlboro Hammerheads, Salem was once again forced to hit the trade table to fill that hole.  Glander contacted the New Milford Blazers, and eventually acquired David Eckstein in exchange for Vazquez and Adam Piatt.  Eckstein (.259/.314/.325) had a disappointing year at the plate, but gave the Cowtippers an infield where every member had an above-average range rating.

In the late rounds of the draft, Salem snatched up future contributors and trade fodder like Tim Spooneybarger, Brett Tomko, Gabe White and Paul Byrd.

"I was happy with our team heading into Opening Day," said Glander.  "I thought we had a good chance at winning our division, but beyond that, I wasn't sure how good we'd be."

In the first chapter, the Cowtippers would find out just how good they were.  After a shocking two-game sweep of the New Milford Blazers in the Opening Day series, Salem finished the chapter with a record of 23-5 and won a remarkable fourteen games in a row at one point.  Salem swept ten of the fourteen series they played in Chapter One, and owned the league's top offense and top pitching staff in the league at the end of that chapter.

Paul Wilson (3-0, 2.57) and Paul Byrd (3-0, 0.90 ERA) were phenomenal in Chapter One, but the feeling in the front office was that those two would not be able to keep up that pace the rest of the year.  So once again, Glander hit the phones, this time in search of a starter that could give the Cowtippers six quality starts per chapter and limit Wilson and Byrd to the bullpen.

Shane Reynolds was on a short list of players Salem had hoped to snag in the middle rounds of the free agent draft, but the Atlanta Fire Ants stole Reynolds away earlier than expected.  When the Fire Ants got off to a slow start, Glander contacted Atlanta GM Gene Patterson to inquire about Reynolds' availability.  In the end, it cost the Cowtippers Luis Vizcaino, Byrd and prospect Jake Gautreau.  It would be one of the worst trades ever made by Glander.  Vizcaino enjoyed a phenomenal 2002 MLB season as a middle reliever, Byrd had a career year at minimum-wage, and Gautreau enjoyed a solid season at the minor league level.  Reynolds (6-1, 3.74) filled in admirably, but started just eight games as a Cowtipper.

"That trade hurts every time I think about it," said Glander.  "With the record we had, and the lead we had in our division, there was really no reason to add someone like Reynolds - especially for what we gave up.  Sometimes, we just get a bit ahead of ourselves, I guess."

The Cowtippers followed up their phenomenal first chapter with an 18-8 record in Chapter Two.  At the one-third mark of the 2002 season, Salem had the best record in the BDBL, the best pitching staff in the BDBL (with a team ERA of 2.78) and the best offense in the Ozzie League.

The highlight of Chapter Two was a series against division rival Marlboro that resulted in a four game sweep, giving the 'Tippers an 8-0 start to the chapter and a 31-5 overall record.  In the final game of that series, Reynolds hit Marlboro leadoff man Ichiro Suzuki with the first pitch of the game.  Suzuki charged the mound kamikaze-style, leading to a benches-clearing brawl that resulted in four injuries to Marlboro players and one ejection.  Salem trailed 3-2 heading into the seventh inning of that game, tied it up on a pinch hit homer by Terrance Long (who also came over in the Reynolds deal), then won it on a bases-loaded walk by Helton.

Salem ended up winning that game by a score of 10-3.  But best of all, that four game sweep of the Hammerheads deflated their GM, Ken Kaminski, so badly that it caused him to give up hope on the season.   That development eventually led to Kaminski's decision to trade his left-handed ace, Jamie Moyer, to the Cowtippers in exchange for college prospect Bobby Brownlie.

"With our starting rotation already set, we felt we had no use for Moyer," Glander explained.  "It was, however, an offer we simply couldn't pass up - especially if it meant blocking the Hammerheads from trading Moyer to one of our competitors."

After a league uproar over the Moyer trade ensued, it became evident that Moyer was more highly-regarded than anyone in the Salem front office had imagined.  So, right away, Moyer's name was put on the trading block.  Oddly enough, Salem received very little response.

"It was strange that no one seemed to want the guy," said Glander, "yet when we got him, these same people were crying bloody murder.  If he's so good, why didn't anyone want him?"

Eventually, Salem found a taker, and traded Moyer to the Bear Country Jamboree in exchange for reliever Chad Fox.  Fox posted a 5-4 record in his time with the Cowtippers, with an ERA of 3.06.  More importantly, though, Fox's unbalanced split stats proved to be a huge factor in the OL Division Series.

Chapter Three was full of ups and downs for the Salem franchise, which finished the chapter with a 16-10 record and a 57-23 record at the halfway mark of the season.  The chapter began with another sweep of the Marlboro Hammerheads, who tried to out-smart Salem by starting Brian Moehler (who threw just eight innings in MLB 2001) against them in the first game.  Salem crushed Moehler for four runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.  A come-from-behind victory in the second game gave the Cowtippers the clean sweep.

In a four game set against the Zoots that chapter, Salem dropped three games thanks to two more servings of whoop-ass handed to Mussina by the Stamford offense.  By the end of that series, Mussina had allowed 21 runs (19 earned) on 31 hits and 10 walks through 15 1/3 innings against the Zoots, dating back to the '01 playoffs.

During that third chapter, the reigning EL champion Kansas Law Dogs began a deconstruction effort despite the fact that they were having a very good year.  In the midst of that deconstruction, Kansas GM Chris Luhning contacted Glander and asked if he were interested in his ace, Darryl Kile.  Of course, the Salem franchise is always interested in adding an ace pitcher.  The problem was the cost.  Kansas wanted longtime Salem legend Derek Lowe.

"After waiting four years for Derek to become a starter, he was finally going to get that opportunity in 2003," said Glander.  "He'd be a damn good starter, too.  One of the best in the league, as a matter of fact.  But Kile was one of the top starters in the league already.  He had the same contract as Derek, with the same salary.  So basically, we'd be getting a huge upgrade to our rotation this season at the expense of a minor downgrade next season.  Our pitching staff for 2003 looked so good, and so deep, at that point, that it seemed as though the trade-off would work.  So we pulled the trigger."

Three weeks later, Darryl Kile turned up dead in a hotel room.  Lowe would finish the Major League season as one of the top three pitchers in baseball.

Salem pulled the trigger on another trade that chapter - a trade that caused ripples of controversy and calls for drastic changes to the system.  In exchange for middle infield prospect Tim Hummel, Salem acquired short-usage superstar Craig Wilson.  With 158 at-bats in the prior MLB season, Wilson just made the cut-off for full-time eligibility in the post-season.  Critics of the trade felt that Hummel was not nearly enough compensation for such an impact player.

"Frankly, we were shocked by the reaction we got from that trade," said Glander.  "We didn't want to part with Hummel, but we also didn't want Wilson going somewhere where he'd be exploited in the post-season.  For years, we'd spoken out against the overusage of part-timers in the post-season.  But after losing three years in a row to teams whose starting lineups were full of these types of players, we figured if we couldn't beat 'em, join 'em."

The ghost of Kile made six starts for Salem in Chapter Four, compiling an ERA of 8.16 while allowing 44 hits and 17 walks in 28.2 innings.  Faced with the prospect of carrying a deceased pitcher with a $5 million guaranteed contract and a propensity to implode on the mound, Glander went in search of yet another trading partner, focusing on contending teams.  He was shocked when Manchester GM Doyle came calling.

Looking to bolster a long-shot run at the wild card, Doyle was looking to add a pair of quality arms for the stretch run.  With Shane Reynolds relegated to spot starting and Kile proving to be useless, Glander offered to trade both pitchers to Manchester in exchange for Irish Rebels ace Brad Penny.  Doyle asked the Cowtippers to throw in perennial prospect Rick Ankiel and Canadian prospect Jeff Francis.  Eventually, Manchester added prospect Aaron Heilman on their side, and the deal was completed.  Penny (6-3, with a 2.63 ERA as a Cowtipper) proved to be the missing ingredient to Salem's success down the stretch.

Chapter Four began with the worst defeat in Salem Cowtippers (or any franchise's) history.  Heading into the ninth inning with a lead of 12-3 against the New York Knights, the Cowtippers bullpen managed to blow the lead and the game by allowing 10 runs in the inning.  The nightmare began when Paul Wilson (who entered the game with an ERA under 3.00) allowed four runs while recording just one out.  Hoping to put an end to the game quickly, Salem called upon closer David Weathers.  Eight straight Knights batters reached base against Weathers, as the Knights scored two more runs.  Knights second baseman Roberto Alomar then stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and appeared to strike out on a foul tip.  Instead, the pitch was dropped by Salem catcher Ben Davis.  The very next pitch was deposited into the seats, giving Alomar a grand slam home run and the Knights a 13-12 lead.

The nightmare continued that chapter, as the Cowtippers lost three of four once again to the Zoots thanks to an offensive collapse reminiscent of the 2001 OLCS.  Salem turned it around the rest of the way, however, winning eleven of their final twelve games to finish at 19-7 for the chapter.

Just prior to the Chapter Four trading deadline, Salem completed another trade with the Kansas Law Dogs, sending prospect Ryan Bukvich to Kansas in exchange for Corey Bailey and the re-acquisition of Tim Spooneybarger.  Bailey, who pitched just nine innings for Salem during the regular season, was another key player in the 2002 post-season.

Salem began Chapter Five with a four game split with Stamford, giving them a record of 4-8 against the Zoots on the season.  Stamford was the only team in the Ozzie League with a winning record against Salem in 2002.  The chapter closed with a four game split against the always-tough Los Altos Undertakers.

Needing to win one more game than the Undertakes in Chapter Six if they were to avoid an OLDS match-up against Stamford, Salem finished the chapter with a record of 22-6.  Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough, as Los Altos went 23-5.  That meant a November date with the Stamford Zoots for the third time in four years.

Battling the ghosts of championships past, Salem bravely went into battle with the three-time defending champs with a game plan, a few secret weapons and a strange sense of confidence.

"Stamford builds the same team every year," said Glander, "and we figured out early in the season that there was a way to beat such a team.  We made trades and other transactions specifically designed to remove the advantage of a team like that, assuming that the road to the World Series would go through Stamford as it always does.  Turns out we were right on all accounts."

Despite their new game plan, their new secret weapons and their new sense of confidence, it was the same old story in Game One of the Division Series.  Despite pitching brilliantly all year, Penny was crushed by the Zoots offense, allowing seven runs in four-plus innings.  It was the same old story, reminding Salem fans of how Mussina was crushed in Game One of the 2001 OLCS despite pitching brilliantly all season, and how Omar Daal and Matt Morris were spanked in the 1999 OL Division Series.

The unexpected twist to the 2002 Division Series, though, was that Stamford ace Mark Buehrle was every bit as awful as Penny, allowing six runs (four earned) through five-plus innings.  That allowed the Cowtippers to stay in the game and eventually win it on a pair of Zoots errors in the seventh.  Finally, after five straight losses to the Zoots in the post-season, the Salem Cowtippers had knocked the mighty Zoots back on their heels.

"It reminded me of when Rocky hit Drago with that first good punch in 'Rocky IV'," said Glander.  "Gives me chills just thinking about it."

Salem rolled out their first secret weapon of the series in Game Two, when Rolando Arrojo was handed the ball to start the game instead of Mussina.   Arrojo and four Salem relievers held the Zoots to just two runs (both unearned) on four hits as Salem pulled off a 3-2 win.

Mussina finally got a chance to pitch in Game Three, and as expected, he was spanked by the Zoots yet again.  He allowed six runs (five earned) through three-plus innings while old nemesis Kevin Brown pitched brilliantly as always for Stamford.  The Zoots cruised to a 6-1 win, cutting Salem's lead in the series to two games to one.

In Game Four, it was time to reveal secret weapon #2.   Thomson, who was available to pitch only five innings in the series, was called upon to start the game.  He and four relievers held the Zoots to just two hits through nine shutout innings.  Salem then clinched the series in Game Five thanks to a seven-run ninth inning off the Stamford bullpen that broke a 3-3 tie.

For the first time ever, the Cowtippers had defeated the Zoots.  The monkey had been officially removed from Mike Glander's back.  The victory meant that Salem would now have to beat the winningest team in BDBL history - the Los Altos Undertakers - in order to gain entrance to the World Series.

Thanks to two blown games in the late innings by the Salem bullpen, the Cowtippers found themselves in a two-games-to-none hole in that series.   In Game Three, Salem finally turned it around with a 9-1 win behind the pitching of Penny.

In Game Four, the Cowtippers tied the series thanks to another gem by Thomson over "OL Cy Young" Chan-Ho Park.  Game Five was one of the most thrilling championship games ever played in the BDBL.  Salem held a 3-1 lead heading into the ninth, but for the third time in the series, the Cowtippers bullpen - which had been so brilliant against Stamford in the Division Series - blew it yet again.   A two-run double tied the score with the Undertakers just one out away from defeat.   That forced the game into extra innings, where Robin Ventura won the game with a seeing-eye single up the middle off the league's toughest reliever, Juan Moreno, in the bottom of the eleventh.

Los Altos took Game Six behind the pitching of Tom Glavine, forcing yet another Game Seven in the BDBL playoffs.  With Penny matched up against Park, the game went into the seventh inning with a scoreless tie.  Then, finally, Los Altos blinked.  A leadoff home run by Sammy Sosa off Park broke the game open.  Salem then scored six runs in the eighth inning to make it a 7-0 game.   Los Altos made it interesting by scoring four runs against the piss-poor Salem bullpen, but the Cowtippers managed to hold on for the series win, earning their first trip to the BDBL World Series.

League polls suggested overwhelmingly that the Cowtippers had no chance of winning the World Series.  The Allentown Ridgebacks were the most dominating team in BDBL history, out-scoring their opponents by 433 runs during the regular season.  But the Cowtippers refused to be intimidated, and vowed to carry the momentum they had generated that post-season into the biggest series of the year.   For two magical games, it appeared as though Salem actually had a chance to win it all.

In the first game, Mussina was rocked once again, driving his career November ERA into double digits.  Fortunately for Salem, Allentown ace Randy Johnson failed to bring his "A" game to the mound as well.  Salem eventually won the game by a score of 8-7 on a walk-off double by Todd Helton in the bottom of the ninth.

In Game Two, Salem was shocked to learn that scheduled starter Arrojo was unable to pitch, meaning Thomson would have to take the ball.   Thomson tossed five quality innings while Allentown co-ace Curt Schilling was rocked for five runs in five innings.  Salem's 5-2 win put them two games ahead in the series - something that no one thought was possible.

With a chance to apply pressure to Allentown's throat, Salem held a 3-1 lead heading into the seventh inning of Game Three.  With Penny pitching brilliantly once again, he struck out the first two batters he faced in the seventh, bringing the bottom-third of the Allentown lineup to the plate.  But with the BDBL trophy staring him in the face, Penny buckled under the pressure.  A walk to Bill Mueller was followed by an RBI double by Ricky Gutierrez.  Future Hall-of-Famer Tyler Houston then jacked a pinch hit, two-run home run to put Allentown ahead.  The Ridgebacks would eventually win by a score of 4-3.

Allentown evened the series in Game Four thanks to the pitching of Rolando Arrojo.  Through 4 1/3 innings, Arrojo allowed seven runs (all earned), picking the worst possible time to suffer through his worst outing of the season.   After Mussina was pounded yet again in Game Five (four runs in five-plus innings), the mighty Ridgebacks were just one win away from the BDBL championship.

That set the stage for the greatest game in Salem Cowtippers history.  With no starting pitcher ready to go in the biggest game of the season, Salem turned to the MVP of the OLCS, Brad Penny.  Sensing his team needed to score some runs to keep the season alive, Sosa turned on a Schilling pitch in the first inning, connecting for a two-run home run.  To the shock of everyone in attendance, the Cowtippers then carried a 5-3 lead into the ninth inning.  But once again, the Salem bullpen proved they weren't up for the challenge.

With two outs in the top of the ninth - just one out away from forcing a Game Seven - Norm Charlton hit a batter with the bases loaded, forcing home a run.  Paul Wilson followed by hitting yet another batter, forcing home the tying run of the game.  That brought lefty Mark Kotsay to the plate with the bases loaded, and that brought Glander out to the mound to make the fateful decision to call upon lefty reliever Mike Magnante - the last pitcher remaining in the Salem bullpen.

After retiring Kotsay for the final out of the ninth, the Salem offense failed to push across a run in the tenth.  Magnante then went back out to the mound in the bottom of the inning to face Russ Johnson, Edgar Martinez and the greatest hitter in BDBL history, Barry Bonds.  In a gutsy effort that brings a tear to ones eyes, Magnante retired all three batters in order.

In the bottom of the tenth, with two outs and a runner on second, Allentown manager elected to intentionally walk both Ray Durham and Ken Caminiti.   As there were no other players remaining on Salem's bench, that brought Magnante to the plate against Allentown closer John Smoltz.  Despite not having a single at-bat during the MLB season the previous year, Magnante lifted a Smoltz offering deep into the night for a grand slam home run.  It is an event that will not be forgotten by anyone in attendance that day for the rest of their lives.  Magnante rounded the bases in complete silence, as the home town Salem crowd was too stunned to cheer.

That thrilling game led to yet another thriller when Arrojo took the mound against Roy Oswalt in Game Seven - the fourth straight Game Seven in BDBL World Series history.  The Cowtippers jumped out to an early lead in the first inning thanks to the wheels of pesky little David Eckstein.  Eckstein bunted his way on base, stole second, then scored on a base hit by Sosa.

After four scoreless innings of work, Arrojo allowed Allentown to tie the score when Gutierrez doubled to lead off the fifth, then scored on a base hit by Kotsay.  The score remained tied at 1-1 heading into the ninth.   After Norm Charlton retired Bonds on a fly ball to right to start the inning, Manny Ramirez stepped to the plate.  After a slow walk to the mound and a lengthy discussion with his battery, Glander called for an intentional walk of Ramirez, putting the World Series-winning run on base.  It was a gutsy decision that will be second-guessed for all eternity.

"The bottom line is this," said Glander.   "Ramirez was one of the best hitters in the league.  If you can take the bat out of his hands, you do it.  If it were the sixth or seventh inning, it's a different story.  But all it took at that point was one swing of the bat and our season was over.  They had a guy (Robert Fick) on deck that matched up well against Ramirez, and we had our best righty pitcher (David Weathers) warming up in the pen if they went with a pinch hitter.  I've thought about this decision a thousand times, and I've come to the conclusion that I'd do it over again if given the chance.  It was the right decision to make.  It just didn't work out."

Allentown manager Tom DiStefano called upon Ellis Burks to pinch hit, and Salem countered with Weathers, their most dominating reliever against right-handed hitters.  Burks rose to the challenge, blooping a double off the end of his bat to the opposite field.  Despite the fact that the Pr-footed Ramirez was chugging around the bases, the throw home was not in time, and Salem's dream season came to an end.

"You can't come much closer to winning a championship and not winning it," said Glander.  "There's no doubt the better team won that series.  It was just surprising they made it so close.  And once you smell the blood in the air, you begin to believe the impossible is possible.  We came within one out of making it happen.  99 times out of 100, David Weathers gets Ellis Burks out.  We just happened to witness that one time in 100.  That's what playoff baseball is all about."