by K	1998 WRAP-UP

The time has come for all good bats and gloves to return to their off-season homes in the back of bedroom closets. Their job done for another year, they now have six long months to rest and mull over this season of transition and disappointment.

As the 1998 season draws to a close, The BEAT returned home with a sigh following one of the longest years in recent memory. From the multiple rain-outs in early spring to the disheartening and bitter loss to the last place Consumers in late September, Peter Wenner, the team's third manager in twelve years, managed his ass off through constantly changing circumstances.

The team came into the spring already short two veterans in Greg Lukoski, who left the team prior to the '97 summer season, and Wilfred Spoon, the team's manager for the last four and a half years. Pete's job was to try to regain the momentum of last summer's pennant race; a race that fell flat with blowout losses in the last two games. As tragic as the constant, weather-related postponements of opening day (three in all) was the loss of key players as the treacherous spring rolled on. Following the long awaited spring opener, slugger Greg DeMaestri, who hit .615 last summer, was lost for the season due to injury. Also lost by the end of the 3-5 spring season was eight-year veteran, starting left-fielder, and 1995 Brass Beat winner Jeff Ricketts and nine-year veteran and spring RBI leader Mike Laffey. With the added disappearance of three reserves, the team had lost 35 years of experience in just one short year.

Typical of the first year of a new BEAT managerial era, it soon became clear that full-scale restructuring of the team would be required. The team brought back 1997 walk-on Brian Arcuri whose speed and rifle-arm may be a force to reckon with in 1999. Rick Coglio and Matt Barber were picked up from the Chevy's team and soon found themselves in vacated starting roles. Finally, by mid-summer, came the BEAT's first cyber-rookie, Jim Colletto. This second-coming of Will Clark looks to make his presence known next year as well.

Alas, as any manager knows, a team relying on a line-up consisting of one-third new players will struggle to find their pace (just ask Jim Leyland). Struggle they did. After winning the first game of summer handily over the last place Consumers, the team struggled against the comeback power of Hammertime. Game three provided a slugfest against Band which was thought to be a tie. Following a review of the scorecard, The BEAT pulled out a decision victory 19-18. Little did they know, this would be the last win of the summer, and that decision would be the only thing between The BEAT and sole possession of last place at season's end. Even a second shot at Consumers fell flat as the underdogs beat the boys in gray for the first time. The team just never seemed to build that special chemistry; moreover, the lack of hitting, the bane of the BEAT since arriving in 'C' league, finally took its toll. The team hit a low .392 on the year, the worst team average since 1992. Worse yet was the clutch hitting as over a hundred runners were left on base in just 15 games.

One experiment the team may continue with in '99 is the use of two pitchers per game. It became apparent this year that whether it was starter Dennis O'Brien or backup Kevin Austin, the opposing team would start a hit parade by the third time through the line-up. Look for Pete to use a two-man tandem in '99 with Austin coming in after two rotations through the opponents order. This strategy worked well on a few occasions this year. Unfortunately, with The BEAT unable to get the needed hits, even that could not keep the games within range.

The final tally for the summer was 2-6. Now the team must wait six longs months to find out if they will remain in 'C' league or get the boot downstairs to regroup in 'DD'. Either way, the team has full expectations of a strong spring.

The Enforcer

Following the final game on September 26, was the annual presentation of the Brass Beat Award. The award is typically presented by the prior year's winner. Since the 1997 winner was coach Wilfred Spoon, now living in North Carolina, he sent a written presentation on his behalf. "I have always believed that the Brass Beat has symbolized more than a player's statistics. I also believe it symbolizes dedication, teamwork, enthusiasm and leadership. This year's recipient has over the years demonstrated these qualities along with the stats and more. For me he has been a player to consult when there are hard managerial choices to be made. He has made me comfortable in the infield on those occasions when I pitched and was too nervous to get the ball over the plate. He has created crucial outs for the Beat defense on appeals to the umpire on many occasions just by paying close attention to the game. He is also the first player that I recruited as manager. The winner of The Brass Beat for 1998 is Donnell Moody." Following a slow start in the spring, Donnell hit a team high .682 in the summer with a 1.091 slugging percentage. 'D' led the team with 22 hits, 17 RBIs, 2 home runs, and a .705 slugging percentage for the year. He tied for the team lead with 13 runs scored and finished third on the team with a .500 batting average and .583 on base percentage.

Peter Wenner not only made it through his first season at the helm, he did it in a way never done before. Pete is the first BEAT manager to win the batting title finishing the season with a .533 average. He also racked up a team-high six walks and led the team with a .722 on base percentage. Placing second in the batting race was eleven-year veteran Mark St.Georges with a .514 average. Mark tied for third on the team with 18 hits and a .583 on base percentage. He also set new career marks passing John Palmer for the all-time lead in hits with 210 and runs scored with 171. One of the bright spots for the future of The BEAT was the play of sophomore B.J. Bateman. B.J. led the team with five extra base hits and placed second in hits with 19 and slugging percentage at .581. He also placed in the top five in runs scored (12), RBIs (10) and batting average (.442). Another member of the slugfest was Mike Buttafuso who tied with Moody for the team lead in runs scored with 13 and second in extra base hits with four. Mike posted a .535 slugging percentage and .587 on base percentage. Veteran Kevin Austin showed a significant drop from his career seasons in '96 and '97, but still placed in the top five in hits (18), runs scored (11), RBIs (10) and extra base hits (2). Third-year player Mike Weiss also started to break out toward the end of summer and finished in the top five in average (.405) and on base percentage (.561). Three time batting champ Chris Young started strong in the spring hitting .667 before hitting a summer long slump. We all know CY will be back next year ready to roll!

Pete and the coaches have decided to open up all positions next spring, so may the best man take his place. With a strong group of sophomores and the hopeful return of slugger Greg DeMaestri and all-time slugging and RBI leader John Palmer, the team looks to make a run for respectability in '99. The goal for spring training is to take the incredible talent on this team and form it into a cohesive unit. If that can be accomplished, and the team gets sluggers DeMaestri and Palmer into the lineup with '98 Brass Beat Winner Moody, this will definitely become a team to be reckoned with.

The 1998 BEAT! Up: Devin, B.J., Pete, Matt, Kev, Chris Down: Rick, Mike, Mark, Denny, Brian, Mike Sideways: Donnell

View The BEAT's 1998 Final Batting Statistics

On The BEAT News Archive