4/7/03
New Haven Traffic Cones coach Jeff Stanley held a press conference 
early this afternoon in order to give an update on the team after the 
first week of the season.  The Cones have been off to a losing start, 
dropping a 3-6 series to Gore Street.  Stanley commented, "I'm 
surprised we were able to keep the spread as close as 40.  With the 
luck this team has had in the first week, Gore Street should have beat 
us by a lot more."
The bad luck Stanley was referring too included a full DL by day two, 
as closer Rob Nen and short stop Derek Jeter joined closer Mariano 
Rivera in the training room...all of which are significant losses for 
the Cones.  Another week one disappointment included Randy Johnson's 
2 games, but no wins performance.  In response to the Cones' week one 
loss, Stanley has made some significant changes to the lineup.
The week two lineup is as follows:
C - Brad Ausmus - Had a great week one...can he keep it up as a Cone?
1B - Rafael Palmerio - His numbers look to improve
2B - Jeff Kent - Several different trade offers, yet he's still a Cone
3B - Edgardo Alfonzo - Had more walks than Bonds; too bad he didn't 
have more HR too
SS - Rafael Furcal - Takes over for the injured Derek Jeter after a 
good first week at MI
OF - Shannon Stewart - Keeps his starting role
OF - Carl Crawford - Tampa Bay rookie is a surprise week 2 starter 
for the Cones
OF - Hideki Matsui - It only took a week for Godzilla to earn a 
starting role, but he's gotta go yard to keep it
OF - Randy Winn - Decent hitting secures his spot for another week
CI - Derrek Lee - McGriff's sub-par performance benefits Lee
MI - Alex Gonzalez - As Furcal benefits of Jeter's injury, so does 
newcomer A-Gon
Util - Raul Mondesi - Former Bridge Jumper returns to a starting role
Util - Mike Cameron - His bat keeps him in the lineup for another week
RP - John Smoltz - Pitching well...too bad Braves can't win a game
RP - Keith Foulke - No surprise here
RP - Ugueth Urbina - Opening day save earns him a roster spot
RP - Mike MacDougal - Royals wins = MacDougal saves
SP - Al Leiter - Solid week won start secures his spot
SP - Randy Wolf - See Al Leiter

In other Cones news, it has been rumored that franchise player Randy 
Johnson's name has been surfacing in trade talks.  Stanley's 
pro-closer, anti-starter agenda has been clear for some time, but the 
mention of the veteran Cone's name in trade talks does come as a 
bit of a surprise.  When asked to comment, Stanley responded, "I'm 
obviously not at liberty to elaborate on any trade proposals that may 
or may not have been discussed.  It is already a week into the season, 
however and there has yet to be a single trade in the league.  I'd be 
surprised if I can say that at this time next week, though.  Besides, 
I want to see if anyone is actually reading these press releases."