HISTORY: Sloppy Gaines entered the league in 1993 as an expansion and immediately plunged into the market for power hitters, selecting such brutes as Bobby Bonilla, Freddie McGriff, and Darren Daulton. However, a number of his sluggers turned out to be busts (Oz Canseco, Jack Clark) and he assembled perhaps the oldest pitching staff in league history. Predictably, his gang of Social Security eligible hurlers threatened many of the league worst records for pitching futility. He then proceed to fire sale away most of his power for young talent, unlike the other expansion club, playing for the future.

1994 saw the Sloppy Gaines as the consensus pre-season favorite with an unbelievable keeper list. Yet, another dismal pitching staff and some poor player moves put the Slopsters into only seventh place.

1995 was an all around undistinguished year for Sloppy Gaines. Any chance of competing for the money disappeared when Cliff Floyd mangled his wrist and nobody other than Jeff Conine stepped up to have a solid offensive season. Result: 9th place.

Sloppy Gaines was put out of its misery when the Slops folded after the 1995 season.

BEST TRADE:
Sloppy Gaines, out of the running for the money in his expansion season makes the first of a number of trades which should have put him into contention his second year. He trades Terry Mulholland to the Pauly Ticks for the low contracts of up and coming Carlos Garcia, Brian Williams, and Tavo Alvarez. Mulholland sucked for the Ticks and Garcia (.274, 8, 28, 15) blossomed after the trade. Neither Alvarez or Williams worked out but at least for one season it worked out well.

WORST TRADE:
Desperate for players after seemingly half of his team ends up in the minors or on the fat farm (Jack Clark), the Slopster trades the "Crimedog" Fred McGriff to the Pauly Ticks for warm bodies Greg Briley, Dave Gallagher, John Roper, Brian Hunter, and Paul Assenmacher. Immediately after the trade, the Marlins call up Darrel Whitmore to take away Briley's PT, the Mets trade for Darrin Jackson and call up Jeremy Burnitz to take away Gallagher's PT, John Roper gets hurt and then ripped (5.73 ERA), Hunter hits about a buck thirty before being sent down to Richmond when the Braves acquire who else but McGriff, and Assenmacher gets traded to the Yankees.

FRANCHISE MVP: Jeff Conine

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