The Benson Bunch Lives

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

The original has reappeared here:

[url]http://p079.ezboard.com/fthecranepoolforumfrm1.showMessage?topicID=9674.topic[/url]

Getting started for a 3rd time: The Benson Bunch includes Kris Benson and all the starters who got big $$ after he "set the market."

The idea is to follow these guys for 3 years and see which contracts were good ideas, which sucked, or whether they all sucked.

The Roster:
Kris Benson, NYM , 3/22.5
Matt Clement, BOS 3/25.5
Jon Leiber, PHL 3/21
Eric Milton, CIN 3/25.5
Jaret Wright, MFY 3/21
Odalis Perez, LAD 3/24
Derek Lowe 4/36
Russ Ortiz, AZ, 4/30
Carl Pavano, MFY 4/40

Updated as of 6/19:

VORP
Clement 17.2
Benson 13.6
Leiber 8.8
Lowe 8.7
Od Perez 5.9
Pavano -1.6
Ortiz -3.9
Wright -9.5
Milton -23.6
(league leader: Fucknut Clemens 43.3)

Benson Bunch Showdowns
April 5: Pavano v. Clement I
Pavano gets the early advantage, going 6.1, 2 ER; while Clement knocked out after 4.1, 3 R, 2 ER. Neither gets a decision.

April 10: Ortiz v. Lowe I
Neither guy gets the decision, but Ortiz pitches better.

May 28: Pavano-Clement II
Sox, Clement win 17-1 in KO.

June 13: Clement v. Milton I
Clement goes 8 strong for the wion; Milton bombed for 9 R in 5.2. Ouch.

BB Showdown Standings
Ortiz 1-0
Clement 2-1
Pavano 1-1
Lowe 0-1
Milton 0-1

Benson Bunch News
Russ Ortiz: 15-day DL (rib cage, 6/18)
Odalis Perez: 15-day DL (shoulder, 5/15)
Jaret Wright: 15-Day DL (shoulder, 4/24)

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Before I update this next time, can someone build me a Brady Bunch-style 3X3X3 grid for the Bunch's mugshots?

Thanks.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Grid or no grid, here's this weeks Benson Bunch Upodate


Clement
9-1, 3.33
--Goes for win #10 tonight. If he gets it, it will be difficult to keep him from being the only Benson Buncher at the All-Star Game



Lowe
5-8, 3.66
--Like his team, struggling in June (1-3, 1 ND)


Benson
6-2, 3.69
--5 walks in last start: most all year


Perez
4-4, 4.50
--On DL since May 15, but set to return Tuesday


Pavano
4-6, 4.77
Runner-up for starting pitcher on Verducci's All-Bust team


Leiber
8-8, 5.21
--ERA has doubled since May 7


Ortiz
4-6, 5.88
--Still on DL with stress fracture. No return date set


Milton
3-9, 7.70
--27 HRs in 87.2 innings. Starting P in Verducci's All-Bust lineup


Wright
2-2, 9.15
--Moved to 60-day DL

[Willets Point]

[Willets Point]

I give up, I don't know why it's all scrunched up in the lower left hand corner with all that empty space above it.

[seawolf17]

It's Alice. She's always bringing the whole group down complaining about Sam.

[Guest Edgy DC]

You've got to take the line breaks out between the cells.

Wow, I just did that in Willets' post. I didn't really think he'd mind, as I was helping him do just what he wanted done. But I don't see any footnote stating that I edited his post. I have potential for great eeeevil.

Pretty damn funny no matter where the table fell.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

You rock.

I'll take Odalis Perez to block.

[seawolf17]

That's the secret square!!! You could win a trip for two to sunny Acapulco!

[Willets Point]

Thanks Edgy! As you surmised, I don't mind, but use your powers for good not eeeeeeevil.

[Guest KC]

>>>I don't see any footnote stating that I edited his post.<<<

I've noticed this on my own posts that I've edited. Sometimes it's there,
sometimes it ain't.

[Willets Point]

I think if Alice is bitching, it's because the Bradys don't pay her a salary in line with the rest of the Benson Bunch. No respect for Alice.

OE: I'm dropping letters left and right lately.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Kase your post shouldn't say if you've edited it if you edit it before anyone replies.

Peeps had certainly replied to Willets' post before I edited it though.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Congratulations to our own Kris Benson, who leads the Benson Bunch in ERA at the first annual Benson Bunch All-Star Break.

Here’s the latest on the Bunch, in ERA Order:

Benson 6-3, 3.65
A solid second to Clement right down the line

Clement 10-2, 3.85
He’s been leading the Bunch all year in just about all important statisical categories and is the only Buncher playing for a first-place team. Named to the All-Star team in place of Roy Halladay.

Lowe 5-9, 3.99
Struggling along with his teammates. Had a 1-hitter thru 4 innings the other day then fell apart vs. Colorado.

Carl Pavano 4-6, 4.77
On the DL with shoulder tendonitis -- may (or may not) return Sunday vs. Boston

Odalis Perez 4-5, 4.97
Ripped his teammates in the papers the other day.

"There are people here who think they are superstars, but nobody on this team is a superstar," Perez said. "There are people who are going to the Hall of Fame, and I respect that, but people come from other teams and think they're superstars. ... If we pull together, we'll be fine. Hopefully, we can pull together and not be saying things about other players."

Although Perez wouldn't name the teammate to whom he was referring, he made it clear he wasn't talking about second baseman Jeff Kent, a free-agent signee in his first year with the Dodgers and the only player on the roster who has put together what might be a Hall of Fame career.

The most likely target of Perez's contempt is veteran pitcher Scott Erickson, who earlier in his career was one of baseball's most talented pitchers, but has battled injuries for most of the past six years. Erickson, a sinkerballer who lives by the groundball, lost his rotation spot in May after going 1-4 as a starter, and poor defense behind him was an obvious contributing factor in his failure. Erickson also is in his first season with the Dodgers.

Lieber 8-8, 5.09
Not doing well for weeks now.


Russ Ortiz 4-6, 5.88
Still on the DL with a rib injury

Eric Milton 4-10, 6.92
Reports say Milton has studied the videotape and identified a delivery flaw -- he wasn’t pushing off the mound as he had before knee surgery -- and has thrown two straight Quality Starts, which for him is a giant improvement.

Wright 2-2, 9.15
I think these will be his stats at year-end

VORP (MLB leader Clemens 56.2)
Clement 23.8
Benson 15.2
Lowe 7.7
Lieber 3.4
Perez 3.2
Pavano -1.2
Ortiz -4.0
Wright -9.3
Milton -18.6

[seawolf17]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Eric Milton 4-10, 6.92 Reports say Milton has studied the videotape and identified a delivery flaw

Yeah, every pitch he delivers winds up 500 feet from home plate.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Great report.

[metirish]

From David Lennon...

]METS INSIDER Benson just glad he's here BY DAVID LENNON STAFF WRITER July 29, 2005 It was right around this time last year that Mets general manager Jim Duquette was preparing to make a pair of bold trades for Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson, a last-ditch push to get his fading club into the playoffs. Even under the worst-case scenario, which eventually happened as the Mets took a swan dive in the standings, the rotation would be solidified for years to come, pending Benson's signing with his new team. The Mets were criticized in some circles for the Benson deal, with the detractors claiming they could have just waited to sign him at the end of the season. But the Mets - and Duquette in particular - realized the need to not only get Benson for the final two months, but keep him away from the Braves, who also had been in discussions with the Pirates in the days leading up to the deadline. Pirates GM Dave Littlefield made big demands of the Braves, asking for third-base prospect Andy Marte, and Atlanta GM John Schuerholz probably believed that his club, poised for a 13th straight division title, didn't need Benson that badly to repeat as NL East champs. Turns out, Schuerholz, as he often is, was right. But the Mets were winners last November when they signed Benson to a three-year, $22.5-million contract, and there is no doubt now that deadline deal helped make his signing a foregone conclusion. If the Braves had landed Benson, who went to Sprayberry High in Marietta, Ga., and now lives in Atlanta, there's a strong chance the Mets could have watched him go 7-3 with a 3.14 ERA for the Braves. "Easily, yeah," Benson said this week. "Everybody wants to play in their hometown and especially where you've grown up. I always said, from Day 1 when I was going to become a free agent, I wanted to stay close to Atlanta if I didn't sign there." Sticking it to the Braves was as much the Mets' motivation as adding Benson to their rotation for the remainder of the 2004 season, which didn't measure up to Duquette's ambitious dreams at the trade deadline. And consider what it cost the Mets. Ty Wigginton is now in the minors and highly touted pitcher Matt Peterson is laboring alongside him at Triple-A Indianapolis. The Mets also sent Justin Huber to Kansas City for infielder Jose Bautista - the third player in the Benson package - and that, a year later, is the only regrettable loss. Huber was a promising catcher in the Mets' system, but the Royals have converted him to first base, and he had 12 at-bats with Kansas City in June. From the moment Benson joined the Mets, his agent, Greg Clifton, jumped into talks about a contract extension. But with the organization in upheaval - manager Art Howe learned he was going to be fired with two weeks left in the season and Duquette was replaced by Omar Minaya - Benson had to wait in line. Even then, he didn't mind. His wife, Anna, desired the New York stage to advance her acting/modeling career and Benson quickly got comfortable with the Mets. In two months, he was sold, and never entertained offers from other clubs once the season was over. "It's an individual thing," Benson said. "I mean, you hear stories about guys that don't like to play here for some reason. For me, I was just looking forward to coming here. The times I did visit here, I liked playing at Shea, playing in New York. "I didn't really listen to anyone else. I was looking to form my own opinion, and I got it the easy way by having those two months of the regular season. It was pretty much a trial period before I had to make the ultimate decision. I have no reservations about not seeing what the Braves would have offered. From Day 1, everything here has been great." THE WEEK AHEAD Mets want Overbay, but he's not available yet If anyone in the Brewers' front office is to be believed, then Lyle Overbay will be visiting Shea Stadium when Milwaukee begins a three-game series against the Mets Tuesday. If the Mets had their way, Overbay already would be wearing their uniform, but both Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and team owner Mark Attanasio repeated this week that the talented first baseman will not be traded by Sunday's 4 p.m. non-waiver deadline. "I've told clubs we're not moving him," Melvin said. Attanasio repeated Melvin's stance later, saying, "I think a lot of people would like to have Overbay, but they're not going to get him." Still, the Brewers are expected to shop the 28-year-old this winter, and the possibility of getting Overbay during the offseason should make the Mets reluctant to part with too much young talent in any trade scenarios this week. Milwaukee is anxious to clear first base for Cecil Fielder's son, Prince, and that makes the lefthanded-hitting Overbay (.292, 16 homers, 52 RBIs entering last night) an attractive trade chip for the winter meetings in December. FARM REPORT Scobie just winning at Norfolk Jason Scobie continues to pile up the wins for Triple-A Norfolk, earning his league-leading 13th victory in yesterday's 4-0 win over Akron. But just who is Scobie and where does he stand in the Mets' universe? While Jae Seo remains at the top of the reinforcement list, Scobie can't be far behind, and pitching coach Rick Peterson attributes his breakout season to buying into the system imported from the Athletics' organization. Peterson compared his progress to where Heath Bell was at the end of spring training in 2004: on the verge of making the majors but still perhaps another year away. In the meantime, Scobie is two wins short of tying the Tides' single-season record shared by Mike Fyhrie (1996) and Jim Bibby (1971). Scobie, a 15th-round pick out of LSU in 2001, allowed four hits in 6 2/3 innings to move past Zach Duke, recently promoted by the Pirates, for the league lead in wins.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spminside294362550jul29,0,234677.story?coll=ny-baseball-headlines

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Thanks for reminding me -- this thing needs an update:


Clement
10-3, 4.43
--You might have heard he got his bell rung in his last start when Carl Crawford's line drive hit him in the side of the head and the ball bounced off it all the way to left field.

A scary moment, -- fortunately, he was OK, but his pitching recently has not been -- his ERA is up by more than a run over his last 5 starts. a win 2 losses and 3 NDs



Lowe
7-10, 3.81
--Just hurled a brilliant, 8 IP, 1-hit performance vs. Cincy for his 2nd straight victory following a 5-decision losing streak.



Benson
7-3, 3.14
--Commanding the Bunch in ERA. The Mets have won his last 4 starts, including an 8-inning, 0-ER performance last time out vs. Los Angeles.


Perez
6-5, 4.38
--Improved considerably since his return from the disabled list, with 3 straight wins including two consecutive Benson Bunch Showdown wins (Leiber -- a 1-0 shutout & Milton).


Pavano
4-6, 4.77
On the DL with shoulder tendonitis. Did well in a rehab start in the GCL this week; may return next week.


Leiber
9-9, 4.69
--Rebounding from a June slump but unlucky: Given up 1 ER in each of his last two starts but lost both games (to O. Perez and Oswalt). ``It's been a frustrating 2 1/2 months for me personally,'' he said after his last start. ``These last two starts, guys on the other team have really pitched better and I have to tip my hat to them.''


Ortiz
4-6, 5.88
--Still (still) on DL with stress fracture. No return date set (still)


Milton
4-11, 7.03
--Surrendered at least 1 HR in all but 3 of his 23 starts this year. Just a disaster.


Wright
2-2, 9.15
--60-day DL. Rumored to headed to the pen if he returns at all this year.

Benson Bunch Rankings:

ERA
Benson 3.14
Lowe 3.81
Perez 4.38
Clement 4.43
Lowe 3.81
Lieber 4.69
Pavano 4.77
Ortiz 5.88
Milton 7.03

VORP:
Benson 24.5
Clement 18.1
Lowe 11.3
Lieber 9.8
Perez 8.4
Pavano -1.1
Ortiz -4.6
Wright -9.2
Milton -22.9

Benson Bunch Showdowns
April 5: Pavano v. Clement I
Pavano gets the early advantage, going 6.1, 2 ER; while Clement knocked out after 4.1, 3 R, 2 ER. Neither gets a decision.

April 10: Ortiz v. Lowe I
Neither guy gets the decision, but Ortiz pitches better.

May 28: Pavano-Clement II
Sox, Clement win 17-1 in KO.

June 13: Clement v. Milton I
Clement goes 8 strong for the wion; Milton bombed for 9 R in 5.2. Ouch.

July 21: Perez v. Lieber I
Odalis wins a pitching duel as a solo HR does in Lieber. A classic!

July 26: Perez v. Milton I
Perez cruises to the victory and takes over the BBS Standings!

BB Showdown Standings
Perez 2-0
Ortiz 1-0
Clement 2-1
Pavano 1-1
Lowe 0-1
Lieber 0-1
Milton 0-2

No BB showdowns: Benson, Wright.

[Elster88]

That article certainly makes me feel better about the Benson deal last year.

[duan]

it's worth noting that Benson is by no means the highest paid of the bunch either.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Rescued from the 8/24 IGT:


I now call this meeting of the Benson Bunch to order.


Is everyone here?


Here.


Aqui.


Here.


I'm pitching tonight, let's make this one brief.


I got all kinds of time.


I'm back!


Is that everyone? Russ? You here?


Yeah, I'm here.


Dude, you suck.


Mucho sucko!


You're giving us a bad name.


And making me look good!


What's the deal, Kid.


I ... I don't know. I suck.


You said it! Now what are we doing here?


I just wanted to point this out. Russ here: Four years, thirty million dollars.


Ay caramba!


I can't explain it... Maybe it's the money. It does bad things to a man.


I know what you mean. The stress has kept me from becoming a True Yankee!


I came to LA, hooked up with a FOX Sports Net reporter, and dumped my wife!


Is she hot?


Check her out for yourself: She does the Dodgers pre-game show!




Not bad.


Oh yeah?


Get ready for it.




Wow!

[Elster88]

Well done.

[metirish]

This IMO is the post of the year, Dickshot put great effort into the post, it has great humour and just a perfect post on this night, good job Johnny.

[Willets Point]

I think you need to edit in a valid photo of Lowe's woman to make it work best.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

She disappeared!

[metirish]

here she is..

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

[Valadius]

Wow.

[Centerfield]

Whoa, that's kinda weird. Is it just me or does she kinda look like Derek Lowe in drag?

[Guest Bret Sabermetric]

No, you definitely look like Derek Lowe in drag.