4th Annual Intrasquad World Series to Open Tomorrow
Greensboro, NC (10/09/01) - Teams Black and Cardinal are set to open play in the 4th annual Guilford College Intrasquad World Series on Wednesday. With the departures of both teams' skippers after last year's lopsided Team Cardinal victory, both organizations have gone to a management by committee system. Team Black with defend its title with a senior trio of Zach Whicker, Joe Dooley and Tim Huie at the helm. After two years with Team Cardinal and a 1-1 series record, Huie jumps ship to Team Black, where he should play a more significant role than he did last year as lying and cheating umpire for his former club. Dooley returns to the series after a year's hiatus in Japan. He brings a series record of 0-2 to the classic, contributing three errors as a third baseman for Team Black in 1998 and a save for Team Cardinal in 1999, all, obviously, in a losing cause. His return to Team Black is one of many controversial roster moves in the series. Whicker is one of only three players in the series with a winning record at 2-1, and one of only two players to have played all four years of eligibility with the same organization. He homered off series MVP Chad Coward in 1998 in a losing cause and was part of a formidable heart of the order in 2000 that included castaway catcher, Nick Black, along with retirees Ryan Mercer and John McConagha.
For Team Cardinal, Chris Francis and Steve Danis own identical records of 1-2, as Danis plays his 4th series for his current club and Francis his second. Both were instrumental (as was everyone else) in their team's blowout loss last year, while Danis helped the club to victory as a freshman in 1998 and Francis played a key role in Team Black's 1999 win. Nick Black is the reigning MVP, earning the award for Team Black in 2000, but a heated free agency arbitration case caused him to sit out the entire spring and eventually led to his signing with Team Cardinal.
"I don't want anyone to think I'm bitter," Black said, "But I lost a prime year of my career and had to move off campus to avoid the media. The only thing I want more than to win this series is to bring bin Laden to justice. OK, maybe I am a little bitter."
The final member of the Team Cardinal management team is Anthony Ramakis who sports a perfect 3-0 series record in his storied career. He was a key contributor in 1998 for Team Cardinal throwing a three-hit shutout in Game 2, but took a hard-luck 4-3 loss in the deciding sixth game, leading to an off-season trade to Team Black where he won three without a loss over the last two years. His return to Team Cardinal was strictly a financial decision. Hit hard in his retirement 401k plan by the recent recession and terrorist activity, Ramakis thought it best to return to Team Cardinal, who quit on him after the 1998 season, due to the incentive package offered by management. If Ramakis can win four games and earn three saves in the five-game series, he will qualify for a $1,000,000 bonus. Shrewd negotiator that Ramakis.
With two picks in the first round as compensation for Black and Ramakis, Team Black tabbed sophomore A J McCauley and junior Brad Franklin as the top picks in this year's draft.
"We think Joe (Dooley) can throw every inning so we went for speed and offense," was the rationale given.But, the key picks in the draft came later. Only three players in the draft pool had ever played on a winning Intrasquad World Series team, and Team Cardinal got them all. Junior third baseman Luke Kempton was the 4th overall pick with a record of 1-1, including a winning stint with Team Black last year. Ciahnan Miller, while not an active participant last year was on the Team Black disabled list and owns a record of 1-0. And, the true dark-horse pick in the entire draft may be Gabe Staub, who won with Team Cardinal in 1998, spent a year in the minors and came back to win with Team Black in 2000. Team Cardinal drafted only three players with World Series experience, and McCauley, Franklin, and junior Matt Webb own a collective record of 0-3, with Webb sitting out the 1999 series in a contract dispute.
Vegas oddsmakers call the series a pick'em, but a representative of the commissioner's office said, off the record, "Black was last year's MVP, and has surrounded himself with previous winners. How could you bet against that?" Speaking for Team Black, Tim Huie retaliated, "Huh?"
After a day of workouts to hone skills, workout kinks, set pitching rotations, and develop strategy, the two teams will square off in Game 1 at 3:00 pm Wednesday. Starting pitchers have not been announced, but Team Black's Conrad Smith and Team Cardinal's Steve Danis have led their respective staff's this fall in batting average against, each allowing an opposing batting average below the Mendoza line. Neither pitched last Sunday.
- Gene Baker
