All-injured team

We're about 1/3 of the way through the season and the chat board is already filled with owners complaining about injuries. Quite a few big names have been bit by the injury bug, so here's an "all-star" team currently on the DL (all times given are WIS time, not real-life time):

C: Ricky Beech, Durham. Mostly a DH, he did catch 42 games for the Entombed Spiders this season- good enough for me. He hit 40 home runs for the Spiders last season, and had already 8 before a rib cage strain kept him out for two weeks. He should be fine and ready to return to the lineup next week.

1B: Burt Stevenson, Milwaukee. A bonafide star in this league, hit 42 HRs and drove in 115 runs while hitting .313 for the AL North winning Manic Maulers. Was on pace for similar numbers before tearing the miniscus in his knee, he's about halfway through his expected month absence.

2B: Bernard Young, Louisville. The 33-year-old had a monster year for the Legends last season, hitting 48 HRs and driving in 138 while hitting .308. Was hitting well despite not driving in runs (.320, 5 HRs, 6 RBIs) before a sore shoulder kept him out for the last month and is still about 3 weeks away from being healthy.

SS: Dewey Greenwood, Toronto. Great things were expected of this highly-touted prospect for season 2. A bulging disk has kept him out since spring training and is still at least a week away from making his season debut for the Toros.

3B: Greg Whitaker, Kansas City. Whitaker drove in 100 runs for Baltimore last season, which speaks volumes. An all-or-nothing type hitter, he's been out since spring training with a herniated disk in his neck and will miss about another 1/3 of the season. He should be back for the last 40-50 games barring any setbacks in his rehab.

LF: Denny Moss, Las Vegas. Arguably the best all-around hitter in both leagues, Moss had an MVP-type season (.315-61-152) for the Gamblers last season. The boys from Vegas were struggling even before Moss went down with back spasms. He's been out for a week and he'll be out for one more.

CF: Orlando Diaz, Toronto. Another young player the Toros were counting on for this season, as he scored 96 runs in 115 games in AAA last season. Played 5 games and landed on the DL, he'll be out another 3 months with nerve irritation in his arm. The Toros are hoping to have him back for the final 20-30 games or so.

RF: Marc Olson, Salt Lake City. I know, I know, he's a second baseman by trade. But he's eligible to play RF and I already have Young playing second, so I'm bending the rules a little. Olson drove in 106 for the Dodgers last season, and the Shakers were counting on him to help Abernathy revive the offense after moving to Salt Lake City. However, he tore his hamstring after 30 games and is out for the year.

DH: Yank Lohse, Boise. Why a DH? Because I can. Lohse drove in 88 last season while stealing 51 bases. Was on pace for similar numbers and was hitting better than last season before a bulging disk (sound familiar?) put him on the DL after just 19 games. He's got another 2 months before he'll be cleared to play.

SP: Claude Jacquez, Memphis. He was 13-9 last season with an ERA just over 4 and over 200 innings. He was going to be relied on to be a big part of the rotation this season, but instead he's out for the year after blowing out his elbow in spring training. Memphis is leading their division in spite of this, albeit below .500.

SP: Rod Walters, Norfolk. After going 14-12 but with a very good 3.66 ERA in his rookie season, the Destroyers were hoping he'd progress and help Norfolk make the postseason. The 23-year-old also went down in spring training and may be back to make a few starts at the end of the season.

SP: Fred Carter, Atlanta. He's yet to prove himself on the ML level, but huge things are expected from Carter. He won 22 games in AAA last season and was rated #4 on ACEROTHSTEIN's Top 100 Prospect list both seasons of the league's existence. He was 1-1 with a 2.80 ERA this season in the ML before a (what else?) bulging disk in his back knocked him out. He'll be out 3 months, which could be costly to Atlanta's playoff hopes.

SP: Louie Martin, Las Vegas. Like Walters, he didn't have a great record (10-14) last season, but his ERA (3.96) would seem to indicate that he pitched better than 10-14. He had a 3.23 ERA shuffling between starting and relieving. He'll be out around 3 more weeks with an elbow sprain, and Las Vegas should consider themselves lucky as they have a pitcher whose elbow injury isn't keeping him out all year. However, without Martin and Moss they have to at least tread water if they hope to catch the surprising Anaheim Chiles.

RP: Juan Mendoza, Las Vegas. Not as big a loss as Moss or Martin, but he's still a hard-throwing young lefty out of the pen. He has great AAA numbers but scouts are still divided as to whether his skills will translate to the majors. At any rate, he'll have to wait another 6 weeks before his tendonitis heals.