It has become an eagerly anticipated rite and ceremony that coincides with the end of each baseball season—the announcement of two very special awards. Not your ordinary awards, for these, um, “prestigious” designations are given to the worst Bisons hitter and worst Bisons pitcher of the season. With the 2006 Bisons campaign coming to an end this weekend, we are pleased to present this year’s winners.

In making the selections, we again teamed up with Bisons superfan Christopher Mach of Cheektowaga. We haven’t seen much of Chris this summer—at least not since game seven of the NHL conference finals against the Hurricanes—but we’re happy to report that Chris got talked off of the ledge and is doing fine. Earlier this month, the selection committee met to pore over the nominees and candidates and to whittle it down to the winners.

Some background on the awards: This all started as a lark, just three fans who take Bisons baseball way too seriously. In 2000 and 2001, we let the regular fans in section 112 above the dugout in on the fun, then in 2002 took it on to an obscure public access sports show with miniscule viewership. Since 2004, Artvoice has become the official repository of these very unofficial awards.

The “Pat Listach Award” is presented to the worst Bisons hitter on the roster. Listach is a former American League rookie of the year who ended his career in a Bisons uniform in 1998. Listach now manages the AA West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. The “Jimmy Hamilton Award” for the worst pitcher is named after former Bisons prospect Jimmy Hamilton, whose claim to fame was surrendering back-to-back home runs in the 1997 AAA World Series in Las Vegas to the New Orleans Zephyrs. We don’t know what became of poor Jimmy; we hope he is doing well.

On to the awards. The Hamilton Award was actually the easier of the two. The 2006 recipient is none other than starter Jake Dittler, who as of August 28 has posted a 4-12 won-lost record and a 4.82 ERA. Dittler’s opening day loss at Richmond was just a sign of things to come, and his home debut a week later against Columbus didn’t turn out much better, when he got torched for three runs in the first and didn’t get past four innings.

To be fair, Dittler has had a tough go of things as he climbed the ladder in his career, going 5-11 at (A) Columbus in 2002 and 5-12 at (AA) Akron in 2004, before following up with improved seasons. Nonetheless, looking at the Bisons’ near miss for the postseason and the pile of losses that Dittler racked up, one can only imagine what kind of year it could have been with a different pitcher in the lineup.

The Listach Award generated more spirited discussion. Could hot prospect Andy Marte, the phenom we got in the Coco Crisp trade, actually be awarded the worst hitter? The argument could be made; Marte didn’t hit his first dinger until May 12, his early season play was disappointing, his defensive work shoddy and he seemed to get it together just enough to get named to the AAA All Star team. Once that event passed, it was same ol’ same ol’, until the Cleveland brass came to town and took Marte back with them on July 28.

The other two hitters in the mix are outfielder Jason Cooper and infielder Jake Gautreau. Cooper had a great season in Buffalo in 2005 and was one of those people you would expect to emerge as a clubhouse leader. Gautreau was also one of those everyday players last season who everyone thought would step it up, but when he wasn’t on the sidelines nursing a bad hamstring and battling colitis, his paltry average (.185) and 60 strikeouts, not to mention the Listachesque 27 RBI said it all, and it is Jake Gautreau who claims the 2006 Pat Listach Award.

Tonight (August 31) Bisons GM Mike Buczkowski will pass out the “official” awards for such achievements as Most Valuable Player and Unsung Hero. Congratulations to all the winners, official and otherwise!

AROUND THE BASES

Hockey fans will be very happy about the new Morrissey’s Pub scheduled to open around Thanksgiving, just a long slapshot away from HSBC Arena on Mississippi Street. We met proprietor Dennis Brinkworth during the Buffalo Old Home Week downtown housing tour this past weekend; he was at the Cobblestone Lofts open house proudly showing off his renderings and inviting visitors to sample his Irish brew. Let’s wish Dennis success and hope more restaurants, bars and bistros follow his lead.