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Vol. 2, No. 1 1
FantasyLand The official newsletter of the St. Louis Cardinals Fantasy Camp
AFebruary 2014 Vol. 2, No. 1
IN THE BOOKS: Camp Hits Home Run in 2014
A once-a-decade snowstorm in the Midwest and a record of nearly 2 feet of rain falling in the Palm Beach area in a 24-hour period proved to be no match for the flood of Campers and for-mer Cardinals invading South Florida, as 28 Redbirds alumni and more than 100 Campers flew south for the 14th annual Cardinals Fantasy Camp at the team’s Spring Training complex in Jupiter.
“In our first year of running the Camp directly, we certainly faced some unusual challenges, even before the Camp got started,” commented Camp Director Joe Pfeiffer, “from the winter weather up north, to the rain that seemed like it was never going to end. But our staff and all the Cardinals and Campers worked together to deal with the travel adjustments because of the snow, and we had (Camp Director of Baseball Operations) Scott Terry as our ‘secret weapon’ to adjust our Camp schedule once the rain hit. Given all of that, I don’t think it could have worked out any better.”
When the snow, and ice, and rain had cleared, and the Camp teams had weathered a four-game schedule on the Saturday schedule, the Andy Benes-led “Mobsters” had claimed the 2014 Camp Championship, defeating the “Responsible Drinkers” of Danny Cox in a Sun-day-morning game — already on the Camp schedule — that turned out to serve as a Championship match. The Mobsters fin-ished 4-1-1, their only loss coming to the Cardinals Legends; the Responsible Drinkers finished tied with Alan Benes and his Neon Cowboys squad, at 4-2. (See story on p. 2).
From the Responsible Drinkers, Camp newcomer Dean Zurliene was named the 2014 Camp Most Valuable Player. Zurliene, whose baseball resume includes service time with Quincy (Ill.) University, hit a solid .385 (5-for-13) with a double and five runs batted in. He also made three pitching appearances for the Drinkers, allowing just a single earned run and striking out three. His fourth-inning, leadoff double ignited a five-run rally in the Drinkers’s first win, a 6-0 decision over Spalding.
Veteran Camper Bump Williams of the Neon Cowboys claimed the Camp’s “Cy Old” Award, appearing on the mound in three games and fashioning a 2.16 ERA while striking out nine batters in just 8.1 innings. Against amateur competition, though, Williams’ ERA was a perfect 0.00 in two appearances. The two earned runs he allowed overall at Camp both came against the Cardinals Legends, when he started against the big-leaguers and was credited with just one-third of an inning, as the first inning
ended with only one out after the Legends scored their limit of two runs in the frame.
Another longtime presence in Camp, the Rev. Terry Rush, was honored with the “Most Improved Award.” Already a favorite of Campers and Cardinals alike off the field, the Reverend recorded two hits and scored twice as a member of Brad Thompson’s Baby-Faced Assassins. He pitched in on the mound as well, making two appearances and allowing one earned run in three innings of work.
The Camper Veteran Corps made it 3-for-4 in the trophy case when Herman Cushman was named winner of the prestigious “Nowhere To Go But Up” Award. The enviable distinction, given
annually to a well-liked and well-respected Camper who has had something short of perfect success on the field, was presented in honor of Cushman’s contributions to Randy Flores’ Team Sanchez squad.
That anyone was on hand to receive any of the Camp awards was, itself, a victory, considering the one-two
precipitation punch that began before the start of camp. Numerous flights were cancelled or delayed due to a severe
winter storm that covered much of the Midwest beginning the Sunday before Camp began. In the warmer climes of South
Florida, that weather pattern was converted to a game-cancelling deluge on second full day of Camp, with Friday’s games washed out by a torrential downpour that closed local schools and led to flash flooding throughout the area.
“Despite everything the weather threw at us, we were fortunate to be able to play every game on the schedule, and we didn’t lose any of our other activities on the fields,” Pfeiffer noted. “Scott Terry did an amazing job of working with the schedule to rearrange a few of those events and made sure every Camper team played its full slate of games. Everyone got in, mostly on time, and everyone had a great time while they were at Camp. Looking at the com-ments we’ve received so far from both veterans and new-comers, I’d have to say the en-tire week was a success.”
IN THIS ISSUE
2014 CHAMPS: Page 2
CAMP AWARDS: Page 3
SCORES, STANDINGS: p. 4
2014 STATS LEADERS: p. 5
NEWS & NOTES: p. 6
CAMP PHOTOS: p. 7
Prepara ons help Camp weather two storms; Mobsters gang up on opposi on to claim tle; Camp veterans claim near‐sweep of Camp awards
February 2014 2
FantasyLand Vol. 2, No. 1
MOBBED UP: Mobsters Are 2014 Camp Champs Unpredictable weather and s ff compe on from an expanded
pool of camper teams ensured the ba le for the 2014 Fantasy
Camp Championship was no walk in the park. But in the end, it
was a walk AT the park — or, to be exact, several walks at the
park — that played a key role in the championship game, as the
Andy Benes‐led Mobsters completed the week’s biggest come‐
back and captured the Camp Crown with a 6‐5 win over Danny
Cox’s Responsible Drinkers.
Trailing the Drinkers, 5‐1, headed into the bo om of the fourth
inning, the Mobsters got a leadoff single from Corey Christanell
and a one‐out safety from Tom Kraus. Drinkers star ng pitcher
Bill Haas, who up to that point had allowed just a single, first‐
inning run, seemed to have pitched his way out of trouble when
he fanned Mark Rolf for the inning’s second out. But the Drink‐
ers ran into two‐out trouble, offering too many pitches that the
Mobsters could, and did, refuse.
A two‐out walk to Doug Lassman loaded the bases for Ron Lass‐
man, whose base hit made the score 6‐2. A Drinkers error let
another run in and prolonged the inning for Kenny Gregson, who
drew the bases‐loaded RBI walk that made the score 6‐4. With
the Drinkers lead growing wobbly, Camp veteran Joe Samel re‐
placed Haas but fared no be er. A walk to Joey Gambino ed
the score, 5‐5, and a bases‐loaded free pass to David Evans
brought home the go‐ahead run and ended the inning via the
five‐run rule. In the top of the fi h, Gregson—who had relieved
Mobsters starter Mike Stewart in the fourth—allowed just a
harmless walk while ending the game and securing the Camp
Championship.
“I’m really proud of the way our team didn’t give up a er being
down 5‐1,” commented Mobsters capo Benes. “Our pitching
righted itself a er a rocky start, and our hi ers stayed pa ent
with the game on the line. They really earned this champion‐
ship.”
The last‐inning victory was in keeping with the spirit of the
overall Mobster march to the Camp tle, as the Mobsters and
Drinkers raced nearly side‐by‐side in the standings throughout
the schedule, se ng up the Sunday‐morning tle lt in the final
scheduled game for both teams.
“When Camp begins, we know there’s the possibility that the
Camp Championship could be determined before we even get to
the final day of compe on,” noted Camp Commissioner Rick
Horton. “To not only have the ba le for the tle go down to the
final day of Camp — but also to have the top two teams play
each other, so that we have an actual ‘championship game’ — is
really the most exci ng scenario possible from the moment we
put the schedule together.”
That scenario began to take shape with the first round of play.
The Mobsters snuffed out Brad Thompson’s Baby‐Faced Assas‐
sins, 6‐4, star ng the camp schedule 1‐0 while the Drinkers start‐
ed their week with a 2‐0 loss at Roger Dean Stadium as the first
vic m of the Cardinals Legends squad.
While the Mobsters followed a second‐round bye with their
own 2‐0 downturn at Roger Dean, however, the Drinkers walked
a straight line to victory in each of their next four games, out‐
scoring the opposi on 20‐3 to improve to 4‐1 heading into the
final game on their schedule. The Mobsters looked just as
strong, squashing Bug Dynasty, 12‐2, and flying high with a 9‐1
win over Frankie’s Addicts.
The brewing possibility of a match for all the marbles almost
slipped away on the next‐to‐last day of Camp. As the 4‐1 Drink‐
ers enjoyed a sixth‐round bye, the 3‐1 Mobsters a empted to
keep up the pennant pace in a game against Dave LaPoint’s Spal‐
ding squad. Spalding took a 2‐1 lead in the bo om of the first,
and broke a 2‐2 e with a single third‐inning tally. But the Mob‐
sters ed the game again with a run in the fourth — scoring just
2014 Fantasy Camp Recap
February 2013 3
FantasyLand Vol. 2, No. 1
FRONT ROW (Le to Right): Tom Kraus, Josh Jones, John Ross, Andy Benes, Stuart Schelp , Mark Rolf, David Evans. BACK ROW (Le
to Right): Mike Stewart, Tony Simokai s, Ron Lassman, Doug Lassman, Mike Sundet, Clint Knoblach, Corey Christanell.
NOT PICTURED: Joey Gambino.
once, despite compiling four hits in the frame. Neither team
scored in the final two innings of the e game, leaving the
Mobsters with a 3‐1‐1 record. The win over the Drinkers the
following day gave the Mobsters a final record of 4‐1‐1, a half‐
game ahead of the 4‐2 Drinkers.
Shortly a er the Mobsters ed up the tle, the Neon Cow‐
boys completed their own comeback in the standings to finish
in second place. Bucking off an 0‐2 start, the Cowboys rode a
four‐game winning streak to an overall 4‐2 finish, trampling
Bug Dynasty, 9‐1, in the final round of play on Sunday. A er
scoring just two runs in their first three games, the Cowboys
stampeded past their final three opponents by a combined
score of 30‐4. Overall, the Cowboys recorded a +21 run differ‐
en al (32‐11), while the Responsible Drinkers binged for just a
+11 figure overall (26‐15).
Spalding, the only other team at or above .500, finished the
week a respectable 3‐3‐1. Complete scores and standings, as
well as league sta s cs, are on the following pages.
2014 Fantasy Camp Recap
The Mobsters — 2014 Fantasy Camp Champs
2014 Fantasy Camp Awards
CAMP MVP
Dean Zurliene, The Mobsters
CY OLD AWARD
Bump Williams, Neon Cowboys
MOST IMPROVED
Terry Rush, Baby-Faced Assassins
NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP
Herman Cushman, Team Sanchez
February 2013 4
FantasyLand Vol. 2, No. 1
2014 Fantasy Camp Standings, Results
February 2014 5
2014 Fantasy Camp Stats
2014 Fantasy Camp Recap
TEAM BATTING STATISTICS
FantasyLand Vol. 2, No. 1
TEAM PITCHING STATISTICS
INDIVIDUAL BATTING INDIVIDUAL PITCHING
NOTE: All sta s cs are unofficial, and are intended for recrea onal use only. Individual ba ng sta s cs included hi ers with at
least 10 at‐bats or 12 plate appearances; individual pitching sta s cs included pitchers with at least three innings pitched. Any
errors are the responsibility of FantasyLand Publishing.
February 2014 6
News and Notes
FantasyLand Vol. 2, No. 1
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 2014 Camper Surveys Ready
To those who are s ll nursing overworked hamstrings or el‐
bows, it might feel like the 2014 Fantasy Camp ended only yes‐
terday. But planning for the 2015 Camp
has already begun, and a significant part
of that planning is ge ng feedback from
par cipants in 2014.
Was the 2014 Camp the best five days of
your year? Have ideas about how it could
be even be er? Whatever your opinion,
we want to know. And the annual Camper
survey is your chance to let us know what
you think.
“We’ve received comments from a
pre y good number of campers since the Fantasy Camp ended,
and everyone who’s sent us a note has said they thoroughly en‐
joyed Camp, from start to finish,” said Camp Director Joe
Pfeiffer. “That’s great to hear, because obviously our goal was to
make this the best experience possible for everyone who came
down.
“And to make sure next year’s Camp is even
be er, we want to hear from everyone, on every
aspect of Camp. Our survey is the best way for us
to collect and use input from everyone who
a ended.”
A link to the online survey has been sent to all
Campers by email. Pfeiffer pointed out that Camp‐
ers are free to submit the surveys confiden ally
and remain anonymous, although any Camper
who wishes to include his or her name with the
survey may also do so.
If the emailed link to the 2014 Fantasy Camp survey does
not connect you to the working online survey or if you have any
other ques ons about the survey, please send a note to
lstate@cardinals.com.
PICTURE THIS: Camp Photos Ready in Print, Online From the moment the Wizard throws you out at first base during a game against
the Cardinals Legends, to the me John Costello calls you out during one of the
morning mee ngs, the Cardinals Fantasy Camp provides memories that will not
likely fade from your memory any me soon. To help you preserve those images in
your mind, however, photos from the 2014 Fantasy Camp are now available.
Each par cipant in camp who posed for a photo with the 28 Cardinals Legends at
Roger Dean Stadium will receive a printed, 11‐by‐20 photo, delivered in a white
photo envelope and sent through the U.S. mail. Those photos are now ready for
mailing. Even if you have provided your mailing address earlier, please send your
mailing address again, to Larry State at lstate@cardinals.com.
In addi on to the printed photos, six photo galleries are now available online at the following web address: h p://stlouiscardinals.zenfolio.com/f998775996. Using the password “fantasycamp,” Campers will be able to access photos from the gal‐lery “Fantasy Camp Slugfest” and the galleries “FantasyCamp1” through “FantasyCamp5.”
All photos within the galleries are available for Campers to download and print, but may not be offered for sale. If you have any ques ons about the photo galler‐ies, send a note to lstate@cardinals.com.
None of the ac on at Roger Dean escaped the
eye of Cardinals manager of photography
Taka Yanagimoto, who has posted Camp
photos in online photo galleries.
February 2014 7
SCRAPBOOK A look back at some of the sights of 2014 Fantasy Camp
FantasyLand Vol. 2, No. 1
NO, YOU DA MAN: Brad Thompson doesn’t exactly rule with an iron
fist as he lightens the mood while prepping his Baby‐Faced Assassins.
FRATERNIZATION: It’s hard to hold your game face when the greatest shortstop of all me just got a hit against you.
CLOSE‐MINDED: A combined 1,078 saves holds the a en on of
the group for Lee Smith, Bruce Su er and Jason Isringhausen.
TALKIN’ HOF: Cooperstown
comes to Florida once a year at C
ardinals Fantasy Camp,
bringing a Hall‐of‐Fame feel to the st
age during the Talkin’ Baseba
ll dinner.
WHAT’S...UP?:
Exhausve rese
arch into base
ball history ha
s found no pre
vi‐
ous occurrenc
e of whatever
is happening i
n this photo, i
n any game, ever
.
SCRAPBOOK A look back at some of the sights of 2014 Fantasy Camp
FantasyLand Vol. 2, No. 1
HARDBALL: Camp rookie Jay Jurevicius shows li le deference to the
Legends team on a full‐speed slide into second base.
DON’T GO THERE: Kyle D
inges reflects on lessons
learned
from trying to take an extra b
ase against Larry Walker.
BROTHER BATTERY: Zach Pranger pitches at Roger
Dean, with teammate (and brother) Drew Pranger
behind the plate as his catcher.
LOVING LIFE W
ITH LOU: For Bu
g Dynasty, a g
ame at Roger Dea
n meant
an opportunit
y to steal a tea
m photo with th
e Base Burglar
.
REWARDING MO‐MENT: Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak took
ques ons while addressing the Camp during the Awards Banquet.
February 2014 8
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