Padawans tie Badgers in win column with sweep

'Sox drop 3 of 4 in key series with Badgers

Not much changes as September series play out

Put up or shut up time for the CyberSox

With just one final month to play, the Silicon Valley CyberSox are in a heated three-way battle for two playoff spots, the Griffin Division title and the Ozzie League Wild Card that may very well go down to the wire.

"We know we have work to do, but everything is laid out in front of us," CyberSox manager Tony LaRussa said. "You could pull up any baseball saying that you want and apply it here, but the bottom line is that we have to go out and win ballgames."

Despite coming off a very hot month, the 'Sox know that they can take nothing for granted.

"We rebounded from a very tough two months of baseball to put some distance between us and most of the Wild Card contenders, but we are really focusing on the division crown," 'Sox GM Greg Newgard said.

"Don't get me wrong, if we have to get in as a Wild Card, we'll take it, no questions asked. There's just a little different satisfaction with winning your division, especially when it's been a good race all season."

Looking at the schedule, it's hard to find in any one team may have a real advantage, but the Los Altos Undertakers could play a big part in things as they are the only team that will play all three contenders.

"Our pitching usage is really tight at this point, so we have to limit some innings from our starters and a few relievers," LaRussa said. " But the rosters expanding could help out if we can just get some blowout wins so that we can get some of younger players some playoff-type experience under their belts."

But one thing is for sure, the intensity will be cranked up a notch or two for all of these teams as things start to sort themselves out.

"There's going to a lot of monitoring the out-of-town scoreboards over the next few weeks," Newgard said. "I'll probably send a few front office personal along with our scouts to help try and relay scores any way they can."

CyberSox split final series, finish tied for Griffin lead

CyberSox travel to Sylmar and split in key divisional tilt

Winning streak stops at 12, but take series from Corona

Corona (AP) - August 16, 2005

The Silicon Valley CyberSox remain the hottest team in the BDBL as they took the first two games from Corona in San Jose to run their winning streak to 12 games before splitting the pair in Corona to take the series, 3-1.

The 'Sox have now won 18 of their last 20 games and stand at 14-2 in August.

"I just hope we're not peaking too soon," GM Greg Newgard said. "It's nice to see us winning games in bunches, but it'd be nice if Sylmar would drop a series or two."

Milton Bradley is a big reason for the offensive surge as he is hitting .385 and has an OPS of 1.192 as he has knocked 4 HRs and 4 doubles while drawing 12 walks.

"Milton has turned out to be a real bargain for us this season," Newgard added. "At 5M, he's second in average, third in OPS and homers despite striking out 111 times.

As a team, the 'Sox are hitting .307 and have scored 105 runs in 16 games.

'Sox sweep Flamingos, run winning streak to 10

San Jose (AP) - August 12, 2005

After learning that the Sylmar Padawans open their chapter with a 6-2 start to climb back into a tie for the Griffin Division lead, the Silicon Valley CyberSox went out and swept the Las Vegas Flamingos to jump back out to a 2-game lead.

Dating back to their final series of July, a sweep against New Milford, the 'Sox (66-50) are 15-1 and have won 10 straight.

In the Flamingo series, the 'Sox had to rally from multiple-run deficits three times and won all three in their final at-bats.

The 'Sox now travel to Corona (52-60) for another home-and-home series.

CyberSox start off August strong

San Jose (AP) - August 8, 2005

The Silicon Valley CyberSox may have made a statement to the Sylmar Padawans and the rest of the Ozzie League as they have jump started the month of August by taking three of four from the team with the best record in the entire BDBL, the Salem Cowtippers, and sweeping division-foe Bear Country Jamboree.

"It's stiil early to be thinking about the playoffs," GM Greg Newgard said, "but it's good to see this team get on a hot streak and start playing the way we envisioned when we originally built this team."

The 'Sox have been tearing the cover off of the ball, outscoring their opponents 68-28 over the first two series. They are hitting .323 as a team with 17 HRs and have posted a 3.01 ERA.

The 'Sox have gotten their slumping heart of the lineup, namely Carlos Lee and Adrian Beltre, out of their slumps. Beltre is 12-for-31 with six walks, 3 HRs and 8 RBIs in August, while Lee is hitting .273 with two homers and 10 RBI.

Key pieces involved in trades have also stepped up to contribute. Kevin Mench has quickly acclimated to the CyberSox dugout and has hit .361 in teal with 3 HRs and 13 RBI this month, a team high.  Kent Mercker has appeared in three games and has allowed just one run while striking out four.

But no one has been hotter than Milton Bradley. Bradley has hit .480, going 12-for-25 with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 10 runs scored and 7 walks drawn.

"We're hoping that we can keep this kind of offensive production up," 'Sox manager Tony LaRussa said. "We've been getting good pitching all year, but to have the bats on fire at the same time could make this a very dangerous team."

Silicon Valley gears for the homestretch

San Jose (AP) - July 31, 2005

With four months down and two to go, the Silicon Valley CyberSox find themselves in unfamiliar territory, in a playoff race.

The past two seasons saw the CyberSox stumble to near 100-loss seasons, but in 2005, the CyberSox find themselves trailing the Sylmar Padawans by one game in the Griffin Division, and behind just four games for the Ozzie League Wild Card.

"Since the current management took over the club, this is a new feeling for us," GM Greg Newgard said. "We felt all along that we had a team that could compete this year and so far it has, despite recent slumps."

The CyberSox have not been outstanding by any means, posted two 16-win chapters to start the season, but have been one game below .500 in the past two chapters. They've been stuck in a dogfight with Sylmar who also has tended to follow the 'Sox pace.

"We know it's going to be a tough race," Newgard acknowledged. "We've made some big moves landing some very good players to try and supplement what we have built so that we can stay in this race, without sacrificing too much of the future. But now, we've just got to go out there and win some ball games. Salem will be a good test Tuesday."

The Cowtippers, with a BDBL best 74-30 record, and the 'Sox will hook up in a home-and-home series that will take place Tuesday to kick off both teams August schedule.

"We've got a fairly easy schedule when we look at the rest of the Ozzie League that we have to play. Salem is tough and Marlboro is still fighting, but Corona and Las Vegas should be winnable series. Then we've got to take care of business within our division, but the series with Sylmar is the one we are looking forward to the most."

Of the seven series this month, the 'Sox have fared well against everyone except for Salem who has taken 6 of 8 so far.

"We need the offense to gel, we have to get Beltre and Lee back on track, and then we have to get the bullpen in line," Newgard added. "To go through all of the struggles the past month and still be in it, we feel good. We need to get on a hot streak and there is no better time that with the first series."

CyberSox swap lefties by dumping Miller, acquiring Keisler

San Jose (AP) - July 27, 2005

After making a splash last week by landing left-handed RP Kent Mercker in a deal with the New Milford Blazers, the Silicon Valley CyberSox turned around and trade their only other lefty in the bullpen, Trever Miller, to the Akron Ryche in return for lefty pitcher Randy Keisler.

"Trever just hasn't been that good," 'Sox GM Greg Newgard said. "We brought him in here to get lefties out and he hasn't been to get anyone out. He's the 6th or 7th arm in the bullpen now and we had a chance to land Keisler who could be a decent lefty to go along with Mercker in '06."

Miller amassed a 10.64 ERA in 22 innings and allowed a .980 OPS against.

"It weird to be thinking about next year while in the middle of a playoff run, but he are looking to complete for years down the road, so we think this can be a good move going forward as Miller was going to be a free agent anyway."

In other roster news, Hector Luna was released from the team to get the CyberSox back down to the 50-man roster limit. The Aaron Hill deal netted the 'Sox an additional player that pushed their roster limit to 51 and they had to be back under the limit before July 31st.

Sox make deadline deal to land Mench, Mercker

San Jose (AP) - July 26, 2005

Before the trading deadline, the CyberSox made a final move to try and break away from the Sylmar Padawans by trading IF Aaron Hill to the New Milford Blazers for OF Kevin Mench and LH RP Kent Mercker.

The Blazers had been making moves to try and make the playoffs, but after being swept by the CyberSox, word got back to the 'Sox front office that moves would be made to rebuild and CyberSox GM Greg Newgard pounced to try and get the missing puzzle pieces.

"We needed a solid lefty in the bullpen and Mercker fit the bill," Newgard said. "Also getting another power bat in the outfield for the stretch run will help. Kevin will start in right field against lefties and probably split time in right  with Brady Clark against righties."

"We had a shot at Brad Lidge for awhile which might have been bullpen overkill, but it's getting late in the game."

Mench will be a free agent after the season, this is another case of the 'Sox trading away youth to try to make the postseason.  But that is no stranger to Mench as New Milford traded for Mench back in May. Mench is only hitting .229 on the season, but he's hit .275 since coming to the Blazers with 5 HR and 15 RBI in just 91 ABs.

Mercker is in his option year at would have a 1M contract next year if the 'Sox decide to pick up the contract. He is also someone that the Blazers had picked up to try and bolster their playoff run. Mercker was acquired from the Nashville Funkadelic back in late June and he's compiled a 3.97 ERA in 34 innings.

"We really hated to deal someone like Aaron Hill at this point, because we love his effort and his ability, but we felt we needed to make a final push."

"We've dealt a young speedy outfielder in Willy Taveras, a nice lefty starter in Noah Lowry and now a fine hitting infielder in Hill, but we don't feel we stripped our farm to make these moves since Hill is probably the most highly regarded prospect of the bunch and we think we've got quality help for these deals. We think we have a good mix of talent and youth for 2006, so we haven't sacrificed too much for a shot this year."

Sox avoid disaster, fall one game out of first place

San Jose (AP) - July 24, 2005

After enduring a chapter which saw the CyberSox go 0-10 in the opening half of the first five series, it took a sweep of the New Milford Blazers and a .500 chapter by the Sylmar Padawans to knock  Silicon Valley into second place, but only by one game.

"If you told us that we'd go 11-13 thanks to a final series sweep and told us that we were with four games of the division lead, I'd have been ecstatic," 'Sox GM Greg Newgard said. "To be only one game back is astounding."

At 55-49, the CyberSox will lose ground in the Wild Card race, but are well within striking distance in the Griffin Division, which is the 'Sox primary goal.

"To have Keith Foulke go 1-4 with two blown saves and post an 8.22 ERA, to have Carlos Lee hit .118 with four hits and one homer, to do all of that and still be in it?" Newgard asked. "This is a crazy game."

One bright spot for the 'Sox was the emergence of run production from the catcher spot. After trading for Mike Lieberthal in order to try and jumpstart the offense, Liberthal delivered with a .300 average in 22 games and slugged three homers and drove in 12 runs. That was the two less homers than the 'Sox got from behind the dish in the entire first half of the season.

"Mike really came in and lifted us at a time when the offense struggled," Newgard said. "He's taken over the staff and should be a big contributor down the strecth."

Before their final series, the CyberSox managed to lose the opening two games off all five series that put them in a hole. Luckily, they avoided getting swept and even managed to come back and split two series, but they always seemed to be snakebit.

"That Blazers series should be a spark for us to get out of this funk and start playing like we need to," Newgard said. "The trade deadline is approaching and they may be a place that we can make a move to help, but he hate dealing all of this youth that is set to contribute next season. It'll be a waiting game to see if we can get anything to pan, but we feel we go toe-to-toe with Sylmar right now and see what happens."

Players of the month were announced and Mike Lieberthal and Braden Looper were honored for their efforts.

Looper was the most consistent reliever posting a 1.23 ERA in 14 games and 14 2/3 innings. He racked up five holds over than span while allowing just 11 hits and issuing two walks.

In addition to the stats listed above, Lieberthal slugged .500 for the month adding seven doubles among his 24 hits.

Drese wins nine straight, breaks club record

San Jose (AP) - July 13, 2005

Ryan Drese is streaky.

After losing five straight decisions to run his record to 1-5, Drese has rattled off nine  wins, seven of those in consecutive starts, and despite pitching well in his final three starts of June, he still hasn't been taken a loss.

On May 9th, Drese left after five innings when the Ravenswood Infidels pummeled him for six runs, three earned, and took the loss in a 9-0 decision.

Since that game, Drese has made 12 starts and boasts a 2.36 ERA at a 9-0 record. In 76 1/3 innings, Drese has allowed only 65 hits and 16 walks.

"I can't explain it," Drese said during batting practice. "I'm just going out there and doing what I always do. The offense is just giving me plenty of support and I'm making pitches."

The seven straight decisions breaks the club record of six, last done by Kevin Appier back in 2002.

Foulke rocked in All-Star Classic

Salem (AP) - June 28, 2005

Keith Foulke's streak of 2 2/3 scoreless All-Star innings was shattered as Barry Bonds singled in a run in the 8th and Albert Pujols, who doubled off him in last year's game, followed with a grand slam to help pace the Eck League to a 14-2 victory over the Ozzie League.

CyberSox reclaim Griffin, draft Marceaux and Cox

Allentown (AP) - June 28, 2005

The Silicon Valley CyberSox welcomed back an old farm hand in John-Ford Griffin in the first round of the midseason farm draft.

Griffin, who was released after the 2004 in-season farm draft, was tabbed as the #18 pick based on the fact that he seemed to rebound from a tough 2004 minor league campaign to re-establish himself as a quality corner OF prospect.

"We could have gone in several different directions, but we wanted to bolster our OF core in the minors and select a player that was close to contributing at the major-league level, and we think we got that in Griffin," CyberSox GM Greg Newgard said during the press conference to announce the farm picks.

Also taken were two college pitchers, Jacob Marceaux from McNeese State University  and J. Brent Cox from The University of Texas.

"Marceaux came out of nowhere in 2004 at McNeese, but we felt that he has a quality set of pitches that can be developed quickly. Cox followed Huston Street at Texas as their closer and while he doesn't quite have the stuff of a Street, we think he can become a quality reliever in a short time."

Two CyberSox named Ozzie League All-Star reserves

Salem (AP) - June 27, 2005

Today, the 2005 BDBL All-Star rosters were announced and while no CyberSox got any votes to make the starting lineup, Silicon Valley will have plenty of representation at this year's event.

Last year, despite a poor record, the CyberSox had three players named, including two starters. But this year, 3B Adrian Beltre and closer Keith Foulke were named as reserves to the Ozzie League squad despite their team being tied for first place.

"There were some guys having some real strong years," Beltre said in the locker room. "I'm having a great year, but so are a lot of other guys. To make the team with guys like [Melvin] Mora and [Eric] Chavez, it's a great honor."

"I just hope I can get an at-bat or two and see what happens."

Beltre was named to the team behind his contributions leading his team with 87 hits and 16 HR while hitting .296 and driving in 43 runs.

 The nominations will mark Foulke's second appearance as a CyberSox and his fourth overall.

Foulke pitched 1 1/3 innings in the 2004 event, allowing only a double to the Wapakoneta Hippos' slugger Albert Pujols. Overall, he's pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing only two hits and has struck out four, without giving up a run.

This season, he's compiled a 1.51 ERA and 18 saves as the 'Sox closer.

"Any time that you can make an All-Star squad, it's an honor," Foulke said. "Pitching in an All-Star Game is tough given that you are facing top-notch hitters without a break in sight, but I guess I pitched pretty well in them."

"I just hope that Adrian and I can go out there and put on a good show and try to bring the Ozzie League a 'W'."

CyberSox in the money with Buck

San Jose (AP) - June 26, 2005

In what is turning out to be a busy few days of trading, the Silicon Valley CyberSox traded back former top prospect Chin-Hui Tsao to the Salem Cowtippers. Tsao was acquired from the Silicon Valley CyberSox in exchange for Arizona State standout Travis Buck.

Tsao, who was Salem's top pitching prospect in 2001 before he was traded to the Phoenix Predators in exchange for Keith Foulke, is currently on the DL with the Colorado Rockies. He has been battling with shoulder problems for the past two years, and may require surgery before the end of the season.

Buck is hitting a robust .392/.449/.561 for the Sun Devils, and while once considered to be a surefire first round pick in the coming June MLB amateur draft, he ended up slipping to the 1st supplemental round when he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics 36th overall.

"This trade doesn't look very fair on paper," admitted Salem GM Mike Glander, "but we still hold Chin-Hui in high regard, despite his injuries. We like to take fliers on pitchers like him. Sometimes it works out for us, and sometimes it doesn't. Time will tell."

"Going forward, we just question whether Chin-Hui is going to be able to help us," said Silicon Valley GM Greg Newgard. "His history of injury is just something we don't want to deal with any longer."

"Getting Travis Buck at this stage almost gives us a heads up on the minor league draft," Newgard continued, "as we feel he'll land in the first Round of the '05 MLB draft and will be a nice addition to the farm club at this point. We just hope he signs."

CyberSox land Lieberthal to shore up backstops

San Jose (AP) - June 25, 2005

In a deal designed to get more production from behind the plate, the Silicon Valley CyberSox are sending Charles Johnson and OF Willy Taveras off to the Southern California Slyme in exchange for catcher Mike Lieberthal.

"It's obvious that Johnson is in some kind of funk, and even he knows it," CyberSox GM Greg Newgard said via phone call. "I mean a BDBL catcher with an OPS below .500 for a half of a season in just something we couldn't live with any longer if we want to play in October."

Johnson was hitting .135 with 3 HR and 15 RBI in 49 games for the CyberSox.

"Lieberthal probably hasn't produced like Southern Cal wanted either, so it's probably a change of scenery for both players that will do both players good," Newgard added.

"Losing Taveras is minimal given that we feel going forward that we have a surplus of CF between Brady Clark, Laynce Nix and Milton Bradley. Taveras is cut out of the same mold as a Juan Pierre, so hopefully that will pan out for them."

Lieberthal only hit .219 with the Slyme, but his OPS was about 200 points higher. From a cap perspective, the CyberSox are taking on 4.5M towards the cap.

"The cap hit is somewhat worrisome, but we still feel we have the room to add another quality player or two to fill any holes from here on out."

CyberSox go .500, but grab piece of first place

San Jose (AP) - June 24, 2005

Behind a team record 11-5 interleague record, the Silicon Valley CyberSox managed a 12-12 June, but more importantly, grabbed a share of the Griffin Division lead.

The Sylmar Padawans, who held a two-game lead coming into June, went a disappointing 10-14 to finish at 44-36, indentical to the CyberSox.

"It was a great start and a dismal finish for us," 'Sox manager Tony LaRussa said. "Had we kept some momentum going, we could have really put some distance between us, but all in all, we're happy to be where we are."

The CyberSox started the month with the interleague part of the schedule and caught fire winning 10 of their first 12 games. They took three of four from Atlanta and Akron and then swept Cleveland.

They finishing the games with the Eck League with a series loss to Chicago, losing the last two games. Then they were swept by Ravenswood.

The losing streak hit seven games when the 'Sox dropped the opener to New Hope before salvaging a win. But they couldn't sustain the good results and dropped the final two games to lose that series against the Badgers.

The offense continued to struggle as the 'Sox posted a .247 batting average, four points higher than their average to start the month. The rest of the peripheral numbers followed a similar trend.

The pitching staff regressed a tad, posting a staff ERA of 4.01 after going 3.74 over the first two months.  Their OPS also climbed about 30 points higher than the previous totals.

"What can you say? Run support was up a bit, but the pitching gave a few more up. It puts us right back where we were after 80 games," CyberSox GM Greg Newgard said.

The big addition from last month was the acqusition of Odalis Perez. But Perez was a little shaky as he went 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA. "He was slightly better than what he posted in Corona, but not enough to be what you would expect out of your #1," Newgard said. "Hopefully, it's a case where Odalis may be trying to impress us and do too much, but we just need him to settle in and pitch like we know he is capable of."

The monthly award winners go to Braden Looper and Ben Broussard.

Looper posted a 0.69 ERA over 13 innings of relief work, allowing just 10 baserunners and striking out seven batters. His five holds led the club for the month.

Ben Broussard hit .423 over 21 games with 5 homers and 19 RBI. His OPS of 1.242 over the month was by far the best on the team. He created 26.7 runs and was credited with 4 game-winning RBI.

When asked what the 'Sox needed to do in the second half of the season, LaRussa responded with a laugh.

"We need to win more games. Seriously, we don't think Sylmar will slump again, so we've got to go out and perform like we know we are capable of."

"We've got some moves in the works," Newgard added. "We think we're close on a move to improve some at catcher, and we might have another move or two to make. We've got room under the cap, so we can either make a move or counter anything that Sylmar or any of the wild card contenders might do."

CyberSox cut Honel

San Jose (AP) - May 30, 2005

As a result of the two-for-one trade made early when the CyberSox landed Odalis Perez and Lou Merloni in exchange for Noah Lowry, the CyberSox were forced to make a cut today, and that was AA pitcher Kris Honel.

Honel, on the AA Oakland Outlaws roster, had been struggling in the minors, posting a 9.64 ERA in three starts in Birmingham, a year after pitching just seven innings due to shoulder tendonitits.

Honel was acquired in the surprising Barry Zito trade before Chapter 4 of 2003.

"We wish Kris well and hope he'll get picked up by someone in the farm draft," GM Greg Newgard said. 'It was a tough decision to make and we had three main candidates, but we felt Kris' recent injury and struggle made him the obvious choice here."

CyberSox leapfrogged by Padawans at end of May

San Jose (AP) - May 29, 2005

Despite producing another 16-12 month, the Silicon Valley CyberSox find themselves in second place in the Griffin Division, going from one game in front to two games in back.

"Sylmar had a good month of May," CyberSox GM Greg Newgard said. "They won something like 18 or 19 ball games. Anytime you do that, in a tight race, you'll see some upward movement in the standings."

The last time the CyberSox had more than 30 before the start of June, it was 2002 and the then Phoenix Predators were on their way to a 105-win season and a wild card berth.

Currently, the 32-24 record has the CyberSox in a tie with the New Milford Blazers for the Ozzie League wild card.

"Our record puts us on pace for 91 wins," Newgard said. "That's a lot of win considering we won around 60 the past two seasons, but we don't think 91 wins will get us in the playoffs, especially with what is going on over in the Butler Division, so we've still got some work to do.

The additional of Odalis Perez should help. The pitching staff, who had surprised most everyone in April, regressed a bit in May by compiling a 4.45 ERA.

"We had some untimely performances this month, especially in the bullpen that probably could explain why we still aren't in first place. Silva was bounced around a lot if his starts (6 GS, 6.68 ERA) and Tucker and Miller would not good (8.44 and 16.20 ERA respectively). But we were able to save some innings from some starters and a few bullpen guys and the addition of Perez should help take some workload off the pen as well."

Keith Foulke was named pitcher of the month as he compiled 9 saves in 15 appearances, allowing only 8 hits over 17 1/3 innings and racking up a 1.04 ERA. He now has 14 saves and an ERA of 1.19 and a 2-1 record.

The biggest improvement had to be the offense as they run productions jumped up by nearly a run per game led by the turnaround by Milton Bradley.

Bradley opened the 2005 campaign with a .240 average and 31 strikeouts in 100 ABs. As soon as the calendar hit May, Bradley warmed up and while he still racked up 19 strikeouts, his .341 average .988 OPS helped pace the 'Sox. He drove in 15 runs, scored 18 times himself and racked up 29 hits, third most in the month.

As a team, the offense only posted a .250 average and a .743 OPS, but it was a big improvement over the .237 and .705 of April.

"Some guys got hot," Newgard mentioned. "Bradley was out of his mind for awhile and Beltre clubbed 8 bombs, which we needed to see if we're going to pay someone 15M to be the cornerstone of the batting order.

"But we contributions from some unexpected areas. Jose Lopez filled in at short for us for some games and realy hit well. But we're still not getting the kind of prodcution we need from our catchers or from one outfield spot that we really would like to see change. Johnson is really struggling right now and I don't know how much longer we can put him out there if he's going to be a liability for us at the plate.

CyberSox land Perez, Merloni for Lowry

San Jose (AP) - May 25, 2005

In a deal that surprised the CyberSox front office when it was presented, Silicon Valley will send Noah Lowry to the Corona Confederates in exchange for pitcher Odalis Perez and infielder Lou Merloni.

"This is a pretty bittersweet decision for the organization," CyberSox GM Greg Newgard said. "Over the past two seasons, we've been on the other end when it comes to acquiring young talent in a rebuilding process. But now we know that if we want to compete and bring this city a division crown, we've got to make a move or two."

Lowry had posted a 2-0 record in six spots starts for the 'Sox and had struck out 32 batters over 35 innings.

"Lowry is one of the key pieces of the Confederate future and is a stud starter coming into his own," Corona Confererates GM Ed McGowan said via phone call. "Of course, giving up our #1 starting pitcher in Perez and key bench player in Merloni is extremely difficult, but the Confederate franchise is not going to be known for not pulling the trigger when we feel we can get the right player. Basically, we felt this was a deal akin to investing a few thousand in Microsoft back in the early 80's - trully a no-brainer. "

"We were very high on Noah and his skills and thought he had the makeup to be a mainstay in our rotation for years to come, but the chance to land a top pitcher was something that we didn't think we could pass up. We wish him good luck down the road."

Perez, who had a lifetime record of 42-27 with a 3.99 ERA before the 2005 season started and has gone 3-5 with a 4.61 ERA so far this season, will step in and become the #2 starter behind Chris Carpenter, while Ryan Drese will fall back in the #3 spot, Carlos Silva in the #4 spot and Nate Robertson at the primary 5th starter.

"Merloni will come on board and give us a nice bat off the bench against lefties and will take some pressure off of Ben Broussard at 1B and allow us to rest him more," Newgard said. Merloni has only managed a .226 batting average in 53 at bats during the 2005 campaign.

Lowry will move to the last-place Confederates and help kick start their rebuilding process.

CyberSox garner split from Sylmar, stay one game back

San Jose (AP) - May 24, 2005

The top two teams in the Griffin Division went toe-to-toe and if it were a fight, it would have been declared a draw.

The Silicon Valley CyberSox alternated results, opening with a 4-1 victory, dropping a heartbreaker, 2-1, and then swapping a pair of 8-3 games. All totaled, the 'Sox scored 16 runs to the Sylmar Padawans 14.

"It was a better result than last time, but more importantly, it was a better effort," 'Sox manager Tony LaRussa said. "It was tough going against them and those first two games could have each gone either way. It was definitely a sign that these two squads are pretty even."

The CyberSox remain a game back of the Padawans and still have a series against a tough New Milford Blazer team, but with two series with the Los Altos Undertakers and Bear Country, the 'Sox still have a chance to end March with the Griffin lead.

"We've still got some work to do, but we think we have a good chance to win all three of those series," LaRussa added.

CyberSox looking for revenge from Sylmar sweep

San Jose (AP) - May 20, 2005

With two organizations that have always dwelled near the bottom of the Griffin Division standings, it's nice to see that a budding rivalry is growing between the Silicon Valley CyberSox and the Sylmar Padawans.

This is evidenced by the CyberSox grumbling over their upcoming series and have been talking about nothing but revenge.

"We went into their place and got our tails handed to us," 'Sox 3B Adrian Beltre said. "It was an embarrassing effort that we hope to never repeat."

A 7-5 start in May coupled with a 13-7 start by the Padawans have turned a one-game lead by the CyberSox into a one-game deficit.

The Padawans are 13-7 this month, despite being outscored 88-82. But the CyberSox are in a similiar situation at 7-4 and being outscored 64-62.

"Both teams are winning a lot of tight games right now and that's a sign of good pitching, especially in the bullpen," 'Sox manager Tony LaRussa said. "They're 9-2 in 1-run games. But we're 8-4 and 6-2 in extras, so it should be a good matchup."

The Padawans offensive surge has slowed a bit in May as the team is now only averaging 4.7 runs a game while the CyberSox are averaging 4.4, marks good enough for 8th and 9th in the Ozzie League respectively.

The key may be pitching where the CyberSox hold an edge with a 3.51 ERA, tops in the entire BDBL, while Sylmar's 4.29 ERA is above the Ozzie League average of 4.53, but lands them 6th.

The Padawans are being led by Raul Ibanez who is hitting .408 in 46 games with 6 HR and 26 RBI.  Add in Juan Rivera's .451 in 91 ABs and Craig Biggio's  6 HRs and you have a good offense.

Mark Buehrle has come on board and posted a 4-1 start with the Padawan and posted a 2.52 ERA that may have people forgetting that they traded John Smoltz to get him.

The CyberSox are led by Adrian Beltre on offense who is leading most offensive categories with a .338 average along with 7 HRs and 24 RBI. Carlos Lee adds a .307 avearge with 6 HRs and 24 runs driven in and you've got a solid 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup. Add in a red-hot Milton Bradley who is hitting .441/.537/.647 in 10 May games and the 'Sox bats are starting to click.

Keith Foulke anchors the 'Sox pen with 8 saves and a 1.23 ERA while Nate Robertson continues to shine with a 1.08 ERA in 8 starts and a 3-0 record.

CyberSox play, win, 1,000th game in organization history

New Hope (AP) - May 13, 2005

With a 6-3 victory over the New Hope Badgers, the Silicon Valley CyberSox participated in their 1,000th BDBL game.

Well into the 7th BDBL season, the CyberSox have won 445 games while losing 555. During the game, the CyberSox wore commemorative patches on their right sleeve.

"It's a honor to take part in a historic game like this," CyberSox manager Tony LaRussa said in his post-game press conference. "But now, we have to focus on the next 120 games starting with Sylmar. We want to bring home a division crown to our fans back in San Jose."

No-no Nate named Ozzie League best April pitcher

San Jose (AP) - April 30, 2005

In a press release from league headquarters in Salem, New Hampshire, Nate Robertson was named the Ozzie League's Pitcher Of The Chapter despite a meager 1-0 record.

The 26-year old lefthander posted a league-best 0.55 ERA in five starts including the no-hitter against Bear Country. In 32 2/3 innings, he struck out 29 batters while allowing only 15 hits and 9 walks. Of the four runs Nate allowed, only two were earned. The CyberSox were 4-1 in the games that Robertson started.

"It's quite an honor to receive this award," Nate said from his home. "I just hope that I can keep this momentum rolling for the whole season."

Robertson opened the season with a streak of 26 1/3 innings without allowing an unearned run.  His six innings of scoreless work against the Los Altos Undertakers and left the game with a 1-0 lead. But Braden Looper allowed a single run in the 7th inning to blow Robertson victory, but the 'Sox rallied to pull out a 2-1 win.

Eight days later, Robertson spun his no-hitter against Bear Country, allowing a single unearned run. Robertson's next start saw another unearned run cross the plate against the Las Vegas Flamingos, but Robertson left after six innings with a 1-1 tie in a game the 'Sox would pull out at 2-1 decision.

The streak ended in Marlboro when Eric Byrnes doubled in Jimmy Rollins with one out in the 6th inning. Robertson would only get one more out before being pulled and left with a 3-1 lead. But once against the bullpen would fail him as the Hammerheads would rally to tie the game in the 8th at 3-3. The CyberSox would win 6-4.

Against Corona, Robertson would one again be pulled after six innings with a 1-1 tie. The Confederates would get a 3-run bomb in the bottom of the 9th to beat the 'Sox, 4-1.

The Griffin Division swept April's awards as Raul Ibanez posted a .407 batting average and a 1.168 OPS behind 14 doubles and 4 home runs for the Sylmar Padawans.

Trades shifting balance of power in BDBL, quiet for 'Sox

San Jose (AP) - April 30, 2005

After the first month of the season, several big name players have started switching teams and while the Silicon Valley CyberSox haven't been involved directly, the effects are trickling down to them.

The Sylmar Padawans, who trail the CyberSox by one game, traded away closer John Smoltz in order to land starting pitcher Mark Buehrle.

The Los Altos Undertakers, who are a surprising 13-15 and in the thick of the hunt in the Griffin Division, traded uber-closer Eric Gagne to the New Hope Badgers in a further rebuilding effort.

Then Jason Schmidt, easily the best free-agent pitcher, was dealt from the Cleveland Rocks to the Wapakoneta Hippos.

"Schmidt's move doesn't really affect us much since he stays over in the Eck League, but it certainly strengthens that Hippo club," GM Greg Newgard said via phone call. "We knew Schmidt would be moved and we were contemplating a package to try and lure him over to our club, but we had no idea he'd be moved this quickly.

"We think Cleveland screwed themselves there, but at least we won't have to face them until the World Series, which would be a nice problem to have."

Seeing two closers leave the Griffin Division might have been the best news the 'Sox could have gotten, if they couldn't have landed something themselves.

"We feel the Smoltz trade is good news for us down the road," Newgard said. "Buehrle is a fine pitcher, but I think we'd rather take a crack at him over six innings than Smoltz in the 9th."

"I don't think Los Altos has the horses to stay in the race. So traded off Gagne ensures that this should stay a two-team race right now. But both closers stayed in the Ozzie League, so it should strengthen potential playoff foes, so it's kind of a mixed blessing."

CyberSox announce new TV deal, broadcasting team

San Jose (AP) - April 30, 2005

The Silicon Valley CyberSox have partnered up with ESPN 8 "The Ocho" in a deal to add additional revenue to the club and bolsters the ESPN new local-area sports broadcasting channel.

"We really didn't have a substantial broadcast deal in place, so this agreement will give us a way to get our games broadcast here in San Jose and the surrounding markets as well as well as add some additional revenue to the club," GM Greg Newgard said in the press release circulated to the press.

The broadcast team will be anchored by 22-year veteran Cotton McKnight. McKnight joined "The Ocho" seven years ago after leaving Fox Sports Networks.  Joining McKnight as a color analyst is Pepper Brooks. This team has been recently featured covering such sports as the Las Vegas International DodgeBall Championships.

The team will start immediately with the CyberSox home series against the New Milford Blazers.

"We're excited to be part of the team," McKnight said via phone call late Friday evening. "We're glad to bring our particular style of broadcasting to baseball and the Silicon Valley CyberSox."

Brooks could not be reached for comment before press time.

CyberSox finish April on top of Griffin Division

San Jose (AP) - April 29, 2005

April of 2005 has been a very magical time in San Jose.

The CyberSox recorded sweeps over Los Altos and Bear Country.

Nate Robertson hurled a no-hitter against Bear Country.

The CyberSox finished the month in first place.

That's not a typo. It's the first time in the 5+ years of BDBL history that the Silicon Valley CyberSox organization will be in first place at the end of a month. Ever.

In the two seasons that the CyberSox made the playoffs as the Pheonix Predators over in the Eck League, they needed late season pushes to qualify and never really challenged for the top spot.

The CyberSox finished the month at 16-12 which was not too surprising. After being swept by the Sylmar Padawans and watching them struggle to a 15-13 finish, that's the more surprising part.

"It's just one month," 'Sox skipper Tony LaRussa grunted when asked about the teams start.

"Sylmar handed our rears to us, so we're fortunate to be where we are. It was a little surprising seeing the way that other teams were able to handle them when we weren't, so we're chalking that series up to the Baseball Gods not wanting our players to get big heads and we'll go on from here."

When approached no the subject, CyberSox GM Greg Newgard echoed the same sentiment.

"It's like a golf tournament. You don't win a PGA tournament on Thursday, but you can ceratinly lose one. We've lost a lot of seasons with poor April showings. This season is different, but it doesn't guarantee us a thing."

Nate Roberston was nominated as the CyberSox pitcher of the month, not just based on his performance during his no-hitter, but for compiling a 0.55 ERA over 32 2/3 innings. In his five starts, he only ended up 1-0, but he allowed just two earned runs while striking out 29 batters and allowing a WHIP of 0.73. His allowed a rediculous .388 OPS against.

Adrian Beltre was named CyberSox batter of the month. After a slow start which saw a lack of extra base hits, Beltre still managed to keep his average up. When his swing finally start coming together, the power came back. He finished the month with a .333 average with 4 HRs and 15 RBIs. He created just under 23 runs.

In May, the CyberSox will welcome the New Milford Blazers and the defending BBDL Champion Ravenswood Infidels to EA Sports Stadium. The 'Sox will also travel to Manchester to face the Irish Rebels and to New Hope to battle the Badgers. Then the month will wrapup with key Griffin Division rematches.

Padawans destroy, sweep CyberSox

San Jose (AP) - April 16, 2005

In what was billed as a battle of Griffin Division contenders, it was clear after the series who was the contender and who might be a pretender.

The Sylmar Padawans took four straight from Silicon Valley, outscoring them 18-9 in the process.

"Well, it's certainly pretty clear where we stack up with the rest of the league right now," manager Tony LaRussa after the series finale. "We can't continue to score three runs a game and hope to be competitive, no matter how good our bullpen or pitching may be."

When asked about a rumor regarding damage to the visiting clubhouse at Dagobah Field, LaRussa replied "No comment."

LaRussa did confirm that the veterans did call a closed door meeting before departing for the airport to head for Los Altos. "Hopefully, it'll wake some people up. We need to do something right now, short of a ritual sacrifice to make some changes."

The CyberSox hit a measly .156 in the series while Sylmar hit .285.

For the season, through 16 games, The CyberSox are hitting .210. Marquis Grissom in the lone CyberSox hitting over .270 at .348.

Individual game reports can be found in the Results area.

CyberSox, Padawans tangle in weekend series

San Jose (AP) - April 13, 2005

Although it's too early in the season to consider the upcoming series between the Silicon Valley CyberSox and the Sylmar Padawans as pivotal, it will be a good litmus test to see where these teams are headed.

"We're only 12 games into the season," CyberSox skipper Tony LaRussa said. "It's way to soon to start talking about 'must-win games' in April. We feel good about ourselves, but we're still kind of feeling around to define roles and get some things figured out."

Both teams have started the season off at 6-6 and have done so in different ways.

The Padawans have averaged over six runs a game over the few three series, although they've allowed one more run that they've scored. Sylmar is also smarting from being sweep at home by the Manchester Irish Rebels. They've fared well away from Dagobah Field as they've taken two series from Bear Country and defending-champion Ravenswood.

The CyberSox are very similar in differential, allowing three more runs than they've plated, but have only allowed 43 runs, just over 3.5 per game. They're 4-4 at home, dropping three against Salem but taking three from Las Vegas. They also split a series at Corona.

"We've just got to go out there and play our game," CyberSox LF Carlos Lee said. "We're going to need good pitching from our starters, some key hits from us guys in the lineup, and for the bullpen to keep shutting the door."

"We've been able to go 6-6 despite having Beltre with one extra base hit," said CyberSox GM Greg Newgard. "Heck, we're hitting .225 as a team. If we can get off to this kind of start and still be at .500, we think we're going to be just fine down the road."

Sylmar comes into this series hitting .306 for the season and has already blasted 19 homers in 12 games, leading to a .516 slugging percentage. But the pitching staff has taken a hit, especially the bullpen which is supposed to rival the 'Sox, but has failed to live up to that distinction early on.

"We're not going to get ahead of ourselves here," LaRussa said. "They've gotten into some slugfests and we've been in some nail-bitters. We think we're better suited for one type of game than another, but we're not going to get caught up with any hype. It's an important series for both teams to send a message, but it's nothing more than that."

While both teams tried to downplay the series as just another April match-up, it could be an important series to establish early dominance in a division that figures to go down to the wire.

Robertson spins no-no against Jamboree to gain sweep

San Jose (AP) - April 12, 2005

Complete Box Score

Nate Robertson hurled the 6th no-hitter in BDBL History and the Silicon Valley CyberSox completed their second sweep of a Griffin Division foe with a 3-1 victory over the Bear Country Jamboree.

"It really hasn't set in," Robertson said in between rounds of teammates pouring champagne on his head. "I just went out there to get outs."

The win was Robertson's first in four starts. His ERA stands at 0.33 and he has struck out 26 batters over 27 innings of work.

Robertson allowed three walks and hit one batter to the Jamboree. Robertson's own error on a grounder by Luis Gonzalez in the 5th inning led to an unearned run. Gonzalez reached second base when Robertson shot-putted Gonzalez's comebacker past Hee Seop Choi and allowed Gonzalez to reach second.

Juan Castro flew out to center, moving the runner to third. Carlos Pena followed with a ground ball to Jose Lopez at shortstop and Lopez elected to let the run score to record the out.

"When the run scored, it kind of took the pressure off of me because I had forgeten that Gonzo had reached on my error. I was focusing to get out of the inning with the lead."

The CyberSox had taken the lead in 2nd inning when Lopez doubled in Choi. Lopez would add a sacrifice fly in the 4th to make it 2-0. After the unearned run was plated by Bear Country in the 5th, the 'Sox scored another run when Carlos Lee singled in Laynce Nix.

In the 9th, with Keith Foulke warning in the bullpen, just in case he would be needed, Robertson issued a walk to Chipper Jones with two outs that allowed Sammy Sosa to come to plate and put a scare into the 45,339 CyberSox fans who stayed around to witness history.

But Robertson was able to gather his composure and his 120th pitch of the night struck out Sosa leading to a wild scene on the pitching mound when Robertson was mobbed by his teammates.

The win, which capped a series sweep , pulled the CyberSox back into a tie at the top of the Griffin Division with the Slymar Padawans at 14-10. The Jamboree fell to 3-9.

CyberSox tabbed as Griffin favorite

San Jose (AP) - March 30, 2005

Just days before the 2005 season gets under way, the BDBL Press released its season preview and the Silicon Valley CyberSox were named prohibitive favorites to win the Griffin Division dominated historically by the Los Altos Undertakers.

"Predictions are nice," CyberSox manager Tony LaRussa before batting practice at EA Sports Stadium, "but we still have to go out and play 160 games. We all start at 0-0 on April 1st."

The Sylmar Padawans were predicted to challenge Sylmar for the Griffin crown while the Bear Country Jamboree and Undertakers as also-rans.

"Sylmar does have a good bullpen and a very professional lineup of hitters," LaRussa added, "and their rotation is pretty good. We're going to have our hands full there."

The first chapter of the 2005 season will feature series against each of the Griffin rivals as well as series with the Salem  Cowtippers and Marlboro Hammerheads, two more Ozzie League that figure to be fighting for playoff berths.

"It's going to be a tough month, but we'll have a good idea of where we stand and what we need to do to win this division."

2005 Season Preview - The Future Is Now

San Jose (AP) - March 25, 2005

After enduring two season of threatening to lose 100 games, the Silicon Valley CyberSox rebuilding may finally be over.

The CyberSox, who last tasted the postseason back in 2002 as the Eck League Wild Card, have been stockpiling young talent and clearing cap space and appear ready to take a run at the playoffs.

Major changes to the organization start at the top with the hiring of manager Tony LaRussa and the drastic remodeling of EA Sports Stadium.

LaRussa will be charged with managing a young ball club while the park promises to be much more pitcher friendly.

"We really like this way things stand this year," CyberSox GM Greg Newgard said during the 'Sox Spring Training in Arizona. "We think we've made some moves to upgrade the pitching staff, especially the bullpen, as well as concentrating a little more on defense. We think it will translate into good results. We just hope Tony can get the best out of this club and get us back into the playoffs.

"It doesn't hurt when it looks like Los Altos and Bear Country are in full rebuilding mode. It may be a two-team race."

Big name additions to the club for 2005 include third basemen Adrian Beltre and starting pitcher Chris Carpenter.

"In the past few years, we were frugal with our money, but this year, we really had an opportunity to land some All-Star quality talent to supplement the roster.

Going around the horn, Beltre will man third, Adam Everett will get most of the playing time at shortstop, Orlando Hudson will hold down second base while Ben Broussard will take first base. Hee Seop Choi and Luis Rivas will provide backups and depth.

In the outfield, Carlos Lee will return for his second campaign in left field. Milton Bradley will take right field and Brady Clark will start in center. Marquis Grissom and Laynce Nix will provide quality backups at all three positions, with some possibility of starting time as well.

Pitching, Carpenter will anchor the staff and get the Opening Day nod. Ryan Drese, Carlos Silva and Nate Robertson will follow with Noah Lowry and Sun-Woo Kim sharing time as the fifth starter.

The bullpen may be the strong part of this club. Closer Keith Foulke returns as the endgame solution, but is now surrounded by quality relievers in Bradon Looper, Giovanna Carrara, Trevor Hoffman, T.J. Tucker and lefty Trever Miller.

Draft begins, CyberSox land Bradley 3rd overall

San Jose (AP) - January 12, 2005

Moments after the annual BDBL Auction ended, the Free Agent Draft kicked off and the CyberSox were able to land centerfielder Milton Bradley.

Bradley, who played for the Salem Cowtippers in 2004, was award a 5M contract for being the third player taken behind pitchers Roy Halladay (Sylmar) and Bartolo Colon (Nashville).

"During this whole period, we were targeting a starting pitcher, a third basemen and an outfielder," CyberSox GM Greg Newgard said via phone call from the 'Sox draft war room.  "We would have loved to land all three in the auction, but given the situation, we felt we could land a good offensive addition with this pick, so we made sure to land Carpenter so we could go get Milton.

"Bradley will most likely patrol right this season, as we plan on platooning Laynce Nix and Brady Clark together in center."

Bradley hit .326 with 7 HR and 56 RBI in just 279 ABs for the Cowtippers.

Carpenter added to CyberSox foundation

San Jose (AP) - January 9, 2005

The Silicon Valley CyberSox announce Sunday night that they had come to terms with free agent pitcher Chris Carpenter to the tune of 18M for two years.

"Despite the injury concerns, we were pleased to have a shot to land a pitcher of Carpenter's caliber," CyberSox GM Greg Newgard said during the press conference to announce terms of the deal. "Chris has the makeup to be a front line starter and should jump into the front of the rotation very quickly."

Carpenter, who did not pitch in 2003, has a career 5.68 BDBL ERA and a 26-53 record. His best season was in 1999 with the California Storm (now the Cleveland Rocks) when he went 15-10 with a 3.43 ERA.

"There were concerns with all of the pitchers in the auction and the draft wasn't looking too good either," Newgard said. "We felt Chris was the best solution for us this year and we just have to monitor his health for the long run."

The BDBL Auction ends on the 12th. It is unclear if the 'Sox will try to land an