Sunday 14th September 2003
By Cory Giger
Mirror Sports Staff

2003 will be hard to forget

The Curve showed us all that winning is important in the minor leagues, but not necessarily winning a championship.
It doesn't matter much that the club didn't bring home the Eastern League title this season.
The prospects developed and did so in a winning enviroment, which is all the Pirates want from their farm teams.
The Curve reached the playoffs for the first time and showed the fans how exciting a post-season appearance can be in the minors.
It would have been nice to have won it all, but losing in the first round did nothing to diminish the team's accomplishments.
Once we've been through all this a few times, perhaps just getting to the playoffs won't be enough.
Especially if Altoona ever has a truly dominant team that blows everybody away all year and then falls apart in the post-season.
But this wasn't that team.
It was a good club that ran into a better one in Akron. the eventual EL champion.
Sure, getting hammered by the Aeros was a rotten way to end the season, but Curve fans had more to cheer this year then ever before.

The Awards

Player of the Year: Shawn Garrett - The best all-round player on the club.
Pitcher of the Year: Sean Burnett - Amazing poise, success and development for the 20-year-old lefty, who led the EL with 14 wins.
Best starting pitcher: Burnett.
Starter who struggled: John Grabow - Didn't give you much out of the rotation but became effective after switch to bullpen.
Best reliever: Todd Ozias - Terrific season for the veteran, who brought stability to the bullpen.
Biggest surprise: Mike Johnston - Barely made the team in spring training and now stands as the one player closest to the major leagues.
Biggest disappointment: John VanBenschoten - Struggled down the stretch, inconsistent and didn't look anything like an organization's #1 prospect.
Unsung hero: Mike Connolly - Pitched in the shadows of Burnett, VanBenschoten and Jacobsen but was the team's most reliable starter come playoff time.
Best newcomer: Landon Jacobsen - Can't give all these awards to Burnett, so Jacobsen gets this one for finishing second in EL in ERA.
Best pickup: Chan Perry - Farm director Brian Graham knew he'd be a steady force, but Perry was way more than that in the lineup and the clubhouse.
Other great pickups: Kevin Nicholson and Brett Roneberg also came through with big seasons and carried the team at times.
Best breakthrough: Chris Duffy - Got off to great start, fell into a terrible slump but rebounded the final two months: a great show of development.
Biggest step backward: Ben Shaffar - Recovering from knee surgery, he never got back to his 2002 form.
Best pitching performance: Burnett - His two-hit shutout June 18 against Trenton was the best in team history.
Best hitting performance: Garrett - The first Curve player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game, did so on May 2 at Reading.
Look out next year: Chris Shelton - Started 0-for-20 in Double-A, then hit .333 the rest of the way.
Best quote: "We're starting to come together as a team. With each game we're just building confidence in each other and the team" - Duffy, as the team started to make it's move in mid-June.
Best player to work with: Josh Bonifay - A fun guy who always had an interesting take on things.
Worst player to work with: Not many sour apples on this team, though VanBenschoten was a little tough to figure out sometimes.

Team Grades

Offense: The biggest adjustment the team made this season was learning how to win without hitting home runs. The club belted a bunch early on the road, then realized it takes rocket shots to leave Blair County Ballpark. The 11-game home losing streak occurred during the adjustment phase, and after that, the team had no trouble winning at BCB. There was no offensive star, but enough of the likes of Garrett, Perry, Nicholson, Roneberg and others to help carry the load. There were, however, too many stretches where the offense fizzled and put too much pressure on the pitching staff. Grade: B+
Starting pitching: Youngsters Burnett, Jacobsen and Connolly did as well as could be expected, each getting over the hump after some develpomental struggles. Ian Oquendo had a nice showing down the stretch, as did Tom Fordham during his rotation stay. VanBenschoten's second-half struggles were alarming, though, and the Pirates will be hoping he figures things out when he returns to the Curve next year. Grade: A-
Bullpen: Terrific all season, anchored by Todd Ozias and Mike Johnston in the late innings. Once the game got to them, it was pretty much lights out. Jeff Bennett showed a power arm in relief, something the Pirates desperately need in the big leagues. Most everyone else had his ups and downs but usually was good enough to protect leads. Grade: A-
Defense: The Curve had the third-best defense in the EL with 128 errors, 15 more than last season but also the second-best total in five years. Jose Castillo handled the switch from shortstop to second base and, along with Shaun Skrehot, gave the club a nice combination up the middle. Duffy showed the best range of any centrefielder in franchise history, though runners often took advantage of his arm. Grade: B+
Overall: A fantastic season in which the players learned, developed and won. Oh, and gave us all some great memories. Grade: A

Individual Grades

Based on overall accomplishments and development, not just statistics.
A+: Sean Burnett, Mike Johnston, Todd Ozias.
A: Landon Jacobsen.
A-: Shawn Garrett, Kevin Nicholson, Ian Oquendo, Chan Perry.
B+: Jeff Bennett, Jose Castillo, Tom Fordham, Brett Roneberg, Chris Shelton.
B: Mike Connolly, Chris Duffy, J.R. House, Shaun Skrehot.
B-: Chris Heintz, Josh Bonifay, Rick Palma.
C+: Neal McDade, Ray Navarrete, Ray Sadler, John Van Benschoten.
C: Ben Shaffar.
C-: Brady Borner, Shawn Camp, Ronny Paulino.
D-: B.J. Barns, Joe Caruso, Clint Chrysler, Brad Guy, Chris Snusz.
Note: Thre players did not receive a grade because they made only brief appearances with the team.

Coaching Staff

Dale Sveum seemed to do less managing during games this season, probably because he could afford to on a team with good veteran leadership. He wasn't as agressive on the basepaths, opting instead to let the hitters get things done. Jeff Andrews did a fantastic job with the pitchers, showing the young group how to succeed in Double-A. John Wehner got his feet wet in the coaching ranks and undoubtly helped his buddy Sveum relax more. The best thing the coaches did was to have patience with the young team. No one panicked early, and everything came together as the players figured things out. Grade: A-

Top 10 moments of 2003

#1. Blair County Ballpark playoff debut (Sept 5): The playoffs finally came to Altoona after five years, and the pre-game festivities, including the return of Bob Lozinak, were terrific. The Curve fell behind 6-0 in the first, but the electric atmosphere during the mid-inning rally was phenomenal.
#2. The playoff clincher (Aug 25): Curve players and coaches partied deep into the night with alcohol and smiles flowing freely after wrapping up the franchise's first playoff berth. That the clinching win came against long-time nemesis Reading made it even better.
#3. Nicholson's jack (Sept 4): Kevin Nicholson hit the biggest home run of the season, a solo blast in the ninth to give the Curve their first and only playoff win. Nicholson belted two long balls in the 4-3 victory at Akro's Canal Park.
#4. That's just awful (July 14): "Awful Night" at BCB produced a ton of national media attention leading up to what turned out to be a fun event. The best moment was PA announcer Rich DeLeo deadpanning, "Now batting for Akron, the Pink Panther" when Nate Panther came to the plate.
#5. What's going on?: Inexplicably, the Curve lost 11 straight games at BCB, spanning more than a month from April 19 to May 23. The streak also ended in memorable fashion when Ray Navarrete belted the first homer into the new leftfield bleachers in the 11th inning for a 4-3 win over Binghamton on May 24.
#6. That's more like it: The Curve reeled off a franchise-record eight straight wins overall (June 14-20) and eight in a row at home (June 6-20), streaks that got the team over the hump and served as a springboard to the playoffs.
#7. What a save (Aug 18): Todd Ozias saved a crucial 1-0 win over Bowie in heart-pounding, playoff-intensity fashion by striking out the side in the ninth after the Baysox put two runners in scoring position with no outs.
#8. Burnett's masterpiece (June 18): Sean Burnett tossed the best game in Curve history, needing only 89 pitches for a two-hit shutout of Trenton in a 3-0 win at BCB. Burnett hadn't allowed a home run in 83 2/3 innings to that point, a team record he eventually extended to 88 innings.
#9. Garrett doubly dangerous (May 2): Shawn Garrett became the first Curve player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game, hitting one out from the left side in the fourth inning and rightside in the eleventh for the decisive runin a 5-4 win at Reading.
#10. Bashing Bonifay: Josh Bonifay belted a homer in four straight games (April 30-May 3) and just missed tying Adam Hyzdu's team record of five as he doubled off the wall in the ninth at Reading, a feat that helped earn himan EL Player of the Week award.

Looking Ahead

Which players will move on to Triple-A Nashville, and which ones will be back with the Curve?
Lots could change over the winter as the Pirates make moves to bolster the organization's talent.
But here's some speculation as of now about where certain players will start in 2004, along with a comment on the futures.
Bound for the Sounds
J.R. House - Can be Bucs' catcher of the future if he stays healthy.
Shawn Garrett - Could be a nice fourth or fifth outfielder in majors someday.
Jose Castillo - Still has lots of developing to do, so Pirates shouldn't rush him.
Shaun Skrehot - Deserves at least a look in Triple-A
Ray Sadler - Needs to take advantage of his impressive skills.
Mike Johnston - Terrific arm could land him in Pittsburgh soon.
Jeff Bennett - Has to forget about getting roughed up in Triple-A.
Sean Burnett - Will be just 21, so Pirates can take their time with him.
John Grabow - Move to bullpen might put him back in Pirates' plans.
Ben Shaffar - Like Grabow, should benefit from switch to bullpen.
Rick Palma - Decent lefty who has a chance to get to pitch in majors.
Back on board with the Curve
Josh Bonifay - Has to learn to hit at Blair County Ballpark.
Chris Shelton - Should be an offensive force next year.
Chris Duffy - Developed nicely this season and should do same in 2004.
Ray Navarrete - Hopefully he'll get more playing time next year.
Ian Oquendo - Next season could turn him into a golden prospect.
Landon Jacobsen - Pirates may not be sold on him above Double-A yet.
Mike Connolly - Still needs to develop and mature against Double-A hitters.
John VanBenschoten - Needs more consistency and to toughen up on mound.
Brady Borner - Should be key lefty out of the bullpen.
Free agents flying away
Kevin Nicholson - Outstanding 2003 could get him back to Triple-A somewhere.
Chan Perry - Terrific leadership will get him a job with some organization.
Brett Roneberg - Solid player who can help in Double-A or Triple-A.
Chris Heintz - Knowledge of game will keep him around.
Neal McDade - Big fastball might get him a shot in Triple-A.
Shawn Camp - His slider is either awesome or awful from pitch to pitch.
Careers may be over
Joe Caruso - His .196 average this season won't open many doors.
Chris Snusz - Pirates kept him around all season for unknown reason.
Tom Fordham - Veteran looked good at times but struggled in Triple-A.
Clint Chrysler - Two good years with Curve but a terrible 2003 campaign.
Brad Guy - Might have told his last joke in a minor league clubhouse.