Montreal Spectres Fan Club 1990- Topic

kermit
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6/24/2007 7:10 AM
kermit
Posts: 11201 (2)
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Rookie
This is the third Montreal Spectre Fan Club thread. We pick this up as the second half of 1990 begins.
I took over the Spectres from iribuz for the 1976 season. Some of those original Spectres, like Dick Ruthven and Cecil Cooper, have been around for my entire stint as manager. Ruthven was released after the 1983 season, and Cooper will be hard-pressed to fight off Pete O'Brien for the starting job at first.
The first year was tough, and we finished 67-95, in fourth place.
 
1977 saw a tight divisional race, with the Spectres winning the last two games of the season to win the division at 90-72 over the Cosmos. We were then summarily beaten down in the first round by the Chicago Bootleggers.
 
1978 saw another tough race, but we lost out to Philly by three or four games, done in by a bullpen that blew 20 saves. For some reason I did not record the final record.
 
1979 was a tough one as Montreal tumbled to 75-87. We finished 20th in the league in runs scored.
 
1980 saw a bit of improvement as we finished 81-81.
 
1981 was the watershed year for Montreal. Midyear, we traded Greg Luzinski to the AL New York franchise for a 2nd round draft choice and a rookie SS. That rookie SS blasted the ball for half a season and the trade of the Bull forced the Roenicke/Lowenstein platoon into motion. They provided a spark that led to a 10-2 record in the last round of divisional play and a division championship, albeit with a losing record (79-83). Montreal swept Houston in three games to start the playoffs, then beat the Los Angeles Looters in six games to advance to the World Series. Facing the powerful Texas Superspurs in the World Series, we fell behind 3 games to 1 but rallied to win the final three and steal the championship!
 
In 1982, we actually deserved to be a playoff team, winning 102 games. After beating Frisco in the first round, we were pummelled by Atlanta in the LCS.
 
1983 saw a third straight NL East title for the Spectres as we finished 87-75. After a surprising win over Chicago in the first round, we lost in six games to Cincinnati in the LCS.
 
1984 - Surprisingly, the Spectres were better than '83, by one game, finishing with an 88-74 record. However, the New York Cosmos ran away with the division, winning 104 games, and the Chicago Bootleggers win 92 to take the wild card.
 
1985 - What a year.. everything fell into place. We won 107 games in the regular season, the best mark in either league. Then, of course, we were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Looters, whom we had beaten nine of 12 times during the regular season. Division mate Pittsburgh went on to win the championship!
 
1986 - A gut-wrenching season. Short on pitching, especially after a mid-season trade of Ed Correa, the Spectres' generally above-average offense (seventh in the league in runs scored) could not compensate. The final record was 76-86, far behind Pittsburgh (102 wins) and Philadelphia (93 wins).
 
1987 - Full-blown disaster as the pitching staff was woefully short of stamina. We barely avoided recording our worst record under my leadership, sweeping the long-since division winning Philadelphia Keystones in the final series of the season to finish with a 68-94 record.
 
1988 - Worst season yet, dismal hitting and not enough quality pitching. We top the century mark in losses for the first time, finishing 59-103.
 
1989 - High draft choices are starting to pay off, and this is the best year in the last three seasons (70-92). Still far off the pace, however.
 
1990 - An early season trade for Dennis Rasmussen stabilizes the pitching staff, and breakout seasons from Ken Griffey Jr. (151 RBI) and Candy Maldonado (144 RBI) give Montreal a winning team for the first time since 1986 (89-73).
 
1991 - New "ace" pitcher Chuck Finley gets off to a horrible start (doesn't get a win until game 51, making his record 1-9) and the Spectres stumble back below .500, finishing 76-86. A 48-33 second-half record gives hope for the future.
 
1992 - Montreal returns to the good side of .500, winning 88 games, but finishes nine games behind Philadelphia for the wild card spot and 20 games behind the Cosmos for the division championship.
 
1993 - Another diastrous first half by Chuck Finley along with a poor showing by Ken Griffey doom the Spectres, who have only 32 wins at the break. While not as impressive as 1991's second half, a post-break 43-39 record brings some hope for the future. Montreal finishes 75-87 and in a distant fourth place, 38 games out of the division lead.
 
1994 - The long rebuilding process finally starts to show progress as the Spectres win 100 games and win the NL East. In their first playoff appearance since 1985, Montreal loses a heartbreaking Game 5 in the first round to the Los Angeles Looters.
 
1995 - A preseason injury to Ken Griffey Jr. costs him half the season and the team basically falls apart. The offense falls off tremendously from '94 and the team falls back below .500, finishing in third place at 74-88, 19 games behind the Cosmos.
 
1996 - A season that starts with six straight losses ends in exciting fashion; Montreal rallies down the stretch to force a tiebreaker game with the Cosmos for the division title; Montreal wins and finishes 91-72. In the first round, the Spectres upset the West-leading San Francisco 69ers in four games, then get past Orange County in six to reach the World Series. After falling behind three games to none against Kansas City, the Spectres run off three straight wins to force a Game 7. Curt Schilling proves to be too much, and the Blue Devils win the championship.
 
1997 - League MVP Ken Griffey Jr. leads the Spectres to their second straight division title and their third playoff appearance in four seasons, finishing 99-63. The playoffs appearance is short-lived as Montreal is swept by San Diego.
 
1998 - Ken Griffey Jr. nearly repeats as MVP (finishing second) and Robb Nen saves an amazing 58 games as the Spectres roll to a third straight NL East title, finishing 103-59. The offense disappears in the posteason, however, and the St. Louis Blue Storm send the Spectres home in four games.
 
1999 - Ken Griffey Jr. has another strong showing, finishing third in the MVP voting, and the Spectres make the playoffs again. Their string of division titles ends at three, however, as a shaky bullpen limits them to 92 wins and a second place finish behind Philadelphia. The Spectres surprise West champions San Diego in four games in the first round but drop four straight to the Chicago Bootleggers in the NLCS after winning the opener.
 
2000 - Montreal finishes far behind the Seaphils but wins 92 games and wins the wild card for the second straight season. Ken Griffey Jr. does not place in the award voting but paces the club with 40 home runs and 150 RBI. The playoffs are exciting but Montreal drops three one-run decisions in a 3-2 series loss to San Diego in the first round.
 
2001 - Montreal misses the playoffs for the first time in six years, finishing five games behind Philadelphia with a pathetic 74-88 record. Running a six-man rotation most of the season, the pitching staff does not have enough talent to succeed. Bret Boone hits .359 with 32 homers and 150 RBI but does not even place in the MVP voting.
 
2002 - Montreal returns to the postseason, winning the division with a 95-67 record behind a much improved starting rotation. After sweeping Milwaukee in the divisional round, the Spectres fall behind three games to none in the NLCS. Miraculously, Montreal rallies back to force a seventh game at LA and tops the Looters 5-4 to make the World Series for the third time in franchise history. The Detroit Facerockers, and particularly Jason Varitek, are too much for Montreal to handle and the Spectres bow in six games.
 
2003 - The pitching staff returns to the depths of 2001 and the Spectres fall off badly, finishing in third place in the division at 73-89 in a year that Pittsburgh takes the division crown with a .500 record. Bret Boone has an even better year than 2001, blasting 47 homers and driving in 166, but again does not place in the MVP voting.
 
2004 - Montreal bounces back and easily wins the NL East with a 94-68 record, besting Pittsburgh by 19 games, but falls in the first round of the playoffs to St. Louis, three games to one.

2005 - Led by NL MVP Carl Crawford, the Spectres win 96 games and take the division, holding off a hard-chargin Philadelphia team over the final week. We then beat that same Philly team in the NLCS to advance to the World Series, our fourth in franchise history and third in the last ten years. After winning the first two games of the series, Eddie Guardado blows game 3 - Baltimore scores eight times in the ninth inning. The Spectres lose their heart after that one and lose the series in seven games, with another late collapse (four runs in the eighth) leading to a 5-4 loss in Game 7.

2006 - The Spectres start to show their age, and an ineffective bullpen takes them out of the division race from the start. Montreal finishes 84-78, but in a suddenly resurgent NL East, that's only good enough for fourth place. Rookie of the Year Dan Uggla gives some hope for the future, but a 37/66 mark in save opportunities is too much to overcome.

2007 - The old-age decline of the roster continues, and the bullpen continues to struggle, as the Spectres drop below .500 for the first time since 2003, at 79-83. The team's offense finishes with only 841 runs, compared to a league average of 878.

2008 - The Spectres return to playing winning baseball but fade down the stretch and finish three games out of the wild card spot, seven games behind Philadelphia in the division, at 84-78.

2009 - Montreal rides the league's fifth-best ERA to a wild card berth, finishing 91-71 to edge San Diego and Milwaukee for that spot. Then they are swept away in the first round by Central winner St. Louis.
9/9/2011 7:15 AM (edited)
kermit
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Montreal puts two players on the NL All Star roster: Reliever Rick Aguilera, who has 12 saves but a 6.43 ERA, and Ken Griffey Jr., who has 80 RBI at the break.
The second half begins with the Los Angeles Looters making a trip to Montreal.
Game 82: Bill Krueger gets the second half off to a poor start, allowing six runs in the first three innings as the Looters romp to an 11-3 win.
Game 83: Kevin Gross has an ERA over 5.00 but that doesn't stop him from befuddling the Spectre batters. Los Angeles gets two doubles and two RBI from Chris Sabo on the way to a 5-2 win.
Game 84: Charile Leibrandt has a rough go, allowing eight hits and striking out none in three-plus innings of work. LA gets five doubles among 16 hits and rolls to a 9-5 win for the sweep. Jason Kash hits his first home run for Montreal.
Montreal's next chance to win a game in the second half will be in interleague play.. the Chicago White Sox up next.
6/24/2007 7:14 AM
kermit
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Game 85: Montreal snaps the skid, getting seven strong innings from Dennis Rasmussen, a homer from Tony Phillips, and a two-run single from Ken Griffey, Jr. in an 8-2 decision.
Game 86: Scott Erickson throws six shutout innings, and the bullpen adds three more as the Spectres shut out the White Sox 2-0. Candy Maldonado and Ken Caminiti drive in Montreal's runs.
Two more interleague series on tap: Cleveland followed by Oakland.
Game 87: Bill Krueger gets tapped for seven UNEARNED runs in the third and fourth, and Tony Fossas tries to even things out by allowing eight earned runs later.. Cleveland rolls, 15-3. Mark Carreon hits his first home run for Montreal.
Game 88: Montreal bounces back to earn a split with Cleveland as Oil Can Boyd pitches a complete game, allowing only an unearned run. The Spectres score four in the first off Frank Viola and go on to win 5-1.
Game 89: Candy Maldonado and Terry Kennedy each hit their 24th double, Mike Marshall hits a pinch hit home run, and Charlie Leibrandt throws eight strong innings as the Spectres beat Oakland 5-2. Leibrandt evens his record at 7-7.
Game 90: Oakland gets 10 hits off Dennis Rasmussen in five innings of work; he limits the damage to three runs (two earned) but Dave Stewart pitches a gem for Oakland and the Oaks even things with a 6-2 win.
Montreal heads to Wrigley Field to face the Bootleggers.
6/25/2007 6:46 AM
kermit
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Game 91: Montreal has unusual good luck in the opener at Wrigley, a place where we usually suffer through 80-pitch apppearances from the mopup man. Candy Maldonado hits a three-run home run and the bullpen throws four scoreless innings in a 6-1 win. Scott Erickson improves to 6-2.
Game 92: Bill Krueger gets rocked again, exiting in the third, Bill Sampen fails to retire any of the three batters he faces, and the Spectres are forced to use Tony Fossas to start the eighth inning. It is hardly surprising, then, that the Bootleggers score the winning run with none out in the bottom of the ninth. Ken Griffey Jr. doubles twice for the Spectres and Ken Caminiti has three hits, but Chicago wins 8-7.
Game 93: Same song, second verse. Oil Can Boyd lasts only two innings, allowing six runs. Tim Crews gets through a scoreless eighth, but in the bottom of the ninth allows a leadoff home run to pinch hitter John Olerud to lose the game. Chicago triumphs 7-6. Pete O'Brien homers and Alvin Gerdes has three hits for Montreal.
The Spectres will try to regroup in San Diego as we face the 58-35 Leaguers.
6/27/2007 6:54 AM
tacosaregood
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What progressive is this?
6/27/2007 12:09 PM
bagchucker
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6/27/2007 12:34 PM
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kermit
Posts: 11201 (2)
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Game 97: Atlanta shows some offense, but luckily they don't show any pitching. Montreal gets an RBI from seven different batters and Bill Krueger lasts through the fifth to pick up his third win as Montreal beats Atlanta 9-7. Mike Marshall and Tony Phillips have two RBI each; Ken Griffey Jr. hits a home run.
Game 98: Montreal holds the Atlanta offense down better in this one, as Oil Can Boyd recovers from his recent swoon to throw 7.1 innings. Ken Griffey Jr. strands six baserunners but the Spectres still hit double digits, winning 10-3. Candy Maldonado hits his 10th home run and Mark Carreon hits his fourth. Boyd goes over .500 at 7-6.
Game 99: It's a little closer than seems warranted, but Montreal does manage to complete the sweep with a 3-2 win. Charlie Leibrandt and two relievers combine to limit Atlanta to two hits, but the Spectres commit four errors (three by Randy Velarde) and need a bases-loaded double by Mark Carreon in the bottom of the eighth to pull it out.
We're off to the Astrodome to face Houston (68-31).
6/29/2007 7:00 AM
kermit
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Game 100: Dennis Rasmussen throws 7.1 scoreless innings and Mark Carreon continues his hot hitting with a home run and a double as the Spectres win their fifth straight contest, shutting out Houston 5-0.
Game 101: Mark Carreon hits another homer, his sixth, and Ken Caminiti has three hits, but the Spectres fall to Houston, 5-2, as Alex Fernandez falls to 1-4.
Game 102: Houston walks away with a series win, scoring five in the seventh off Jim Gott and Bill Sampen, then scoring the winner in the ninth when Mark Carreon's throw is way up the line as Chase Meachem scores from second on Eric Yelding's single.
We return home to face Cincinnati (50-52).
6/30/2007 7:10 AM
kermit
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Game 103: Charlie Hough's knuckleball usually baffles the Spectres hitters, but not on this night. Montreal bats around as Hough walks six in the first inning and scores 11 times, the final four on Candy Maldonado's grand slam. The stunned Stingers never recover and Montreal wins 20-9. Ken Griffey Jr. has four hits, including two triples, and Alvin Gerdes scores four times. Oil Can Boyd improves to 8-6.
Game 104: Candy Maldonado hits a two-run triple in the first, but Charlie Leibrandt can't hold the lead and the Stingers come back to score a 7-5 win over the Spectres. Maldonado later homers and ends the day with three RBI.
Game 105: Cincinnati jumps out to a 7-0 lead in the first inning, but the Spectres battle back, get eight of their own in the sixth, and take the series finale, 13-8. Mark Carreon is 4-4 with two doubles and a triple while Mike Marshall and Candy Maldonado have three hits each.
Montreal heads for the west coast to face Frisco.
7/1/2007 7:08 AM
kermit
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Game 106: A pitchers' duel turns into a slugfest in the last two innings. After seven brilliant innings, Alex Fernandez runs out of steam in the eighth, and Jim Gott is no help; Frisco scores five times in the frame to take a 6-4 lead. Ken Griffey leads off the ninth with a triple, then scores when rookie 3B Darrin Tillar boots Candy Maldonado's ground ball. A few batters later, Tillar makes a wild throw to score a second run. A walk to Alvin Gerdes loads the bases, and Greg Gagne hits a two-run single to give Montreal the lead back. Rick Aguilera works a scoreless ninth and the Spectres win, 8-6.
Game 107: As another indication that the Spectres are making progress, they take a series at Candlestick, shutting out the 69ers 11-0 in Game Two. Bill Krueger throws seven shutout innings to improve to 4-7 while the Spectres hit five home runs, including another from Mark Carreon. Candy Maldonado hits his 29th double and reaches 80 RBI.
Game 108: I don't want to say SWEEEEEEEEEEPPP!!!!!, but... Frisco tries to sneak out a win with former Spectre John Cerutti on the mound, but the Spectres are having none of that. Mark Carreon hits TWO MORE homers, Candy Maldonado has another double and two RBI, and Tony Phillips scores three times as Montreal whips the 69ers 10-7 in the finale.
The conquering heros return home to face St. Louis.
7/2/2007 6:46 AM
kermit
Posts: 11201 (2)
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Game 109: St. Louis ends the Montreal celebration, limiting the Spectres to six hits. Alvin Gerdes hits a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth, but pinch hitter Mike Marshall strikes out with runners on the corners to end it. Blue Storm wins, 3-2.
Game 110: Former Spectre Andre Dawson hits his 30th home run, giving him 99 RBI, and Jose Rijo shuts down the Montreal bats as St. Louis takes a 5-0 win.
Game 111: St. Louis completes a sweep as Andre Dawson drives home three more runs and Zane Smith shuts the Spectres down for eight innings to improve his record to 10-3. Mark Carreon homers for Montreal, his 10th of the season, but it's too little too late in a 5-3 loss.
We're headed west to visit Los Angeles.
7/3/2007 6:47 AM
kermit
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Game 112: Bill Krueger contributes his typical sub-three-inning start, Jim Gott contributes HIS usual two-runs-allowed relief appearance, and the Spectres lose the opener 8-4, collecting only seven hits, six of them singles.
Game 113: Oil Can Boyd puts an end to Montreal's four-game skid, allowing only an unearned run in eight innings of work. Rick Aguilera slams the door in the ninth for his 21st save and the Spectres win 2-1. Ken Griffey Jr. reaches 100 RBI with a double in the fourth.
Game 114: Montreal takes the series with an identical 2-1 score in the finale. Greg Gagne's error allows LA to tie the score in the bottom of the ninth, but Gagne redeems himself in the 11th. He leads off with a single, steals second, then scores the winner on Randy Velarde's single.
We return to Montreal to host Chicago (56-58).
7/4/2007 6:57 AM
kermit
Posts: 11201 (2)
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Game 115: It's not Wrigley, but you couldn't tell from the way Chicago hit the ball; they blast 10 hits and draw 11 walks, putting up three innings of three runs, on the way to a 10-1 win in the opener.
Game 116: Montreal gets its bats going in the second game, but after five shutout innings from Scott Erickson, the bullpen allows two runs in each of the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Neither team scores in the ninth, and the game goes to extras. Steve Olin puts a couple of runners on in the top of the tenth but strikes out Paul O'Neill to escape without damage. Chuck Crim walks Tony Phillips to lead off the bottom half, and with one out, Ken Griffey Jr. yanks a ball over the right field fence to win it, 8-6. Mark Carreon hit his 11th homer earlier; he is slugging .621
Game 117: In a complete reversal, Montreal shuts out the Bootleggers 3-0 to win the series. Bill Krueger throws six shutout innings to earn his fifth win and Rick Aguilera gets his 22nd save. All three Spectre runs are unearned, courtesy of an error by Carlton Fisk.
Our last three games before the roster deadline are against Philadelphia. Scrub time!
7/5/2007 6:44 AM
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