Spotlight on: NL South

Since we've been to the NL East and North, on to the NL South. First, the current standings. The New Orleans Voodoo have put a hex on the division and lead at 3-1, the Houston Oilers and the Memphis Short Grass(?) are at 2-2 and the San Juan Dead Bunnies(!) are at 1-3. As usual, we will start with the offense.

-The best offense in the division could very well reside in last place right now. San Juan has two guys at the top to set the table in SS Mike Henderson and CF Jerome Grahe. After him they have RF Calvin Chang, who is a big-time star in the making, as well as Greg Cook at 3B, Jaret Teut at 1B, and 2B Jackie Wheeler at 2B all capable of driving in runs in bunches.
- The Oilers could very well be next, although it's close. I put them 2nd because of their 2-3-4 combination of 3B Leo Miller, SS Lawrence Flanagan, and LF Freddie Throneberry. Flanagan's defensive presence allows Miller to move from SS to 3B, which is probably a better fit for him. They should both flourish both at the plate and in the field. Even the defensive catcher, Bob Jenner, will be good for a few home runs from the 8 spot.
- Memphis has a few quality offensive players in Eli Jacquez, a CF who is a legitimate number 3 hitter, and RF Geronimo Fuentes and 3B Jim Powell at the back of the lineup.
- New Orleans and Memphis aren't too far away as far as offense goes. CF Don Jefferson is a good number 2 hitter and 1B Lyle Barber can hit for both average and power.

As for the pitching staffs, let's just say there could be a lot of runs scored in divisional games. There are a few pitchers with big-time potential but may end up struggling this year and no real bonafide aces, like a Broadhurst from Norfolk or Robinson in Cincinnati.

- The N.O. Voodoo's rotation is possibly the best of the division and isn't even the strength of the pitching staff. Carlos Matos is the ace but should really be a #2 on a strong staff. Regardless, he would have to be in the discussion as the best starter in this division along with Joey Adcock from San Juan and Claude Jacquez in Memphis. Tarik Olsen may be 36 but is a solid option at #3. Jose Merced is underrated at #5. What sets New Orleans apart is its bullpen, which is extremely deep. Glen Kelly is the closer and has great setup arms in front of him in Wilfredo Visquel, King Burns, and Buddy Titan.
-Memphis has Claude Jacquez anchoring the staff, with Malcolm Lawrence behind him, maybe a bit of a stretch as a number 2. Herrera and Fernandez should be ok at 3 and 4. Dude Huskey might struggle as the closer- I think he'd be fine as a setup guy.
- San Juan has a future borderline star in Joey Adcock, but he's a year away from being at his best. Buzz Lindend and Joaquin Cordero are decent arms. Chris Doster is the closer but has to be a bit of a question mark.
- The Oilers may want to see if Warren Moon can still throw. Jerome Oliver is the #2 starter and would fit into the category of being a year away. Guerrero and Hillenbrand are shaky as the rest of the top 3. Vince Perez should do fine as the closer.

Predictions (don't hold me to any of this):

1. Tough division to predict, as there seems to be no clear-cut favorite and each team has a major question mark. Can San Juan close games? Can New Orleans score enough? Will Houston get enough out of their starters? Can Memphis be solid enough across the board? If I had to choose I'd say New Orleans, but I could see San Juan winning this or even Houston if they get a few good breaks. Don't think Memphis has quite enough, although they could be in it for a while.
2. New Orleans will try to acquire offense near the deadline, while San Juan tries to add pitching. Not sure where it would come from.
3. If Memphis should indeed fall out of contention, multiple teams will inquire about the services of Eli Jacquez.

Spotlight on: NL North

OK, since I did the NL East and no one has sent me any death threats yet, I guess we will move on to the NL North. Currently, the Montreal Maroons sit atop the division at 3-1. The Chicago Cubs and Fargo Dirtbags(that's their actual name) split a series with each other to sit at 2-2, and the Cincinnati Dragons are hopefully not (bad pun alert) burned out at 1-3.

We'll start with the offenses.

- This rundown starts north of the border with Montreal. What else needs to be said? This is an extremely deep lineup, running pretty much 7 deep. Carlton Beck is probably the weakest hitter of the bunch, but he is a very solid defensive shortstop. Dewey Greenwood (CF) and Vicente Romero (3B) are good all around hitters, but Suzuki(2B), Taylor(C), and James(RF) behind them are all capable of driving in runs. Rico Valdez at the top should get his share of hits- I think the question becomes will he walk enough to be a great leadoff hitter. If he can get on base, Thomas Keisler (1B) has all the offensive tools to be a very good 2 hitter and then you have the mashers behind them. Potentially scary.
- I'd say the second best offense in this division resides in Cincinnati. While they don't have quite as many offensive weapons as Montreal, their lineup is fairly solid, as the 3-4-5 combination of Reid Colbert(2B), Antonio Cone(1B) and David Pineda(C) are all well-rounded hitters. Don't overlook Jack Wilkerson(CF) down in the 8 hole.
- Not far to the west is Chicago. The Cubs have a few solid options in the lineup, the best hitter being 1B Bud Klein in the 3 hole. Getting on base ahead of him is Torey Diaz, who maybe doesn't do any one thing extraordinarily well, but is a very well rounded player on offense and defense and could play for me anytime. Mitchell Dunham is a big slugger down in the 7 spot who will drive in runs but couldn't outrun a tree stump from 1st to 3rd.
- Fargo has many questions . Quentin Harper leads off but he, like Valdez in Montreal, might not be able to give the Dirtbags the OBP they need. Benji Crespo is a decent 2 hitter, but is probably overpriced at 4.2 million. Stan Peterson in CF doesn't give you the power you'd want from the 3 spot, but he will definitely hit.

Now to the pitching staffs. As far as the best in the division, it looks like a toss-up between Montreal and Cincinnati. I'll maybe give the slight edge to Cincinnati and start there.

-The Dragons have a lot to like in their pitching staff. Bernard Robinson is the best starting pitcher in this division and can be called a true ace. They picked up free-agent Manny Christians to give Cincy a very good 1-2 punch. There are question marks on the rest of the staff, but these two will win their fair share of games. The bullpen is solid too, anchored by Willy Nunez setting up Wily Mo (don't call me Pena) Owens. They have a good shot to make the playoffs and if they do, this is why they'd be really tough in a short series.
- Montreal is only slightly behind because they lack the big-time starters of Cincinnati. However, they seem to have a solid staff. Except maybe for Harry Lee being a bit of a stretch as an ace(he's more like a 2 or 3-solid, not spectacular), the rest of the rotation falls into line. Pat Clifton is a legit 2, Alex Valdez is a good option at 3, and Tony Howell can give quality innings out of the pen. Jackson Hayes is ok as a closer.
- Fargo checks in next. The bullpen is the strength of this team, as Bert Price is a capable closer and Chris Siddell is a very good setup man. The rotation is led by Tyler Wilson, but could struggle. They made what could have been the biggest deal of the offseason, getting future superstar starter Javier Henriquez from Milwaukee, but the front office is being conservative with him as he will pitch in AAA. If he pitches to his potential he could be the best pitcher in the entire league in a year or two.
- Chicago has very few options as far as arms are concerned. Tito Naulty would be an iffy proposition as a 4 or 5 starter, never mind an ace. Byron Duckworth anchors the bullpen, but getting him the ball to close games could be a challenge.

Predictions (Don't hold me to any of this):

1. Montreal takes the division. Far and away the best offense in this division. Cincinnati should be in the thick of the race for a wild-card berth and could be very dangerous in the postseason.
2. Fargo and Chicago will "battle" for the 3rd spot. Could go either way.
3. Chris Siddall (Fargo) will be dealt to a contender before the deadline. Several Cubs position players could be headed out of Chicago by that time, too.
4. At least for the first few years, Montreal and Cincinnati will be the premier rivalry in the NL.

Spotlight on: NL East

Today we have a brief preview of the NL East (I know the season has already started).

As of now Norfolk has the lead in the division at 3-1. Trenton is a half game behind at 2-1, Philadelphia is at 1-2, and Atlanta holds the last spot at 1-3.

As far as the lineups go, I think there is a lot of balance, as each lineup seems to have 2 or 3 big-time hitters. Norfolk's offense is going to be led by 22-year old future star Justin Gordon in right field and slugger Ray Canseco at catcher.
Atlanta's offense really gets going at the two spot at shortstop Junior Espinosa, but Tony Reyes and Napoleon Montgomery are going to have to drive in runs to make this a viable offense.
Trenton has a couple of rookies jumpstarting them this year, as LF Ken Davis and SS Carlton MacDougal should get on base, but the question is can guys like Paxton Coleridge(3B) behind them drive them in?
Philadelphia should be able to count on Buzz Gailard (3B) to produce runs and Sid Dillon is a solid hitting catcher.

Pitching is really where this division will be won in my opinion. Norfolk seems to have the upper hand with Babe Broadhurst, maybe the only true ace in the division now that R.J. Toca has been shipped from Trenton to Monterrey. Rod Walters, at age 22 is a future star who occupies the 4th spot right now. Jae Brea may be a bit of a question mark at the closer spot but I think Ariel Lee will quietly put together a solid season from the setup position (if he doesn't take Brea' spot, that is).
Atlanta's best starter is probably a year or two away from really being at his height. Cory Schneider may not ever be in the category of Broadhurst but I think he's destined for a nice career. He'd ideally be a 2 or 3 starter on a good team. Trevor Watson is, probably by a wide margin, the best closer in this division.
Trenton has quite a few question marks. Alex Escobar may be the best starter on the staff right now but he's 36. They have an entire staff of #4 starters who will give them innings, if nothing else. The bullpen is just as questionable, with Justin Beverlin the closer for now.
Philadelphia's staff has question marks as well. Wiki Romo has some potential and should be tough on lefties in particular, but the rest of the staff is similar to most of Trenton's staff (#4 starters). Mule James (who also makes the league's all-name team) has plenty of potential, but could probably use some more time in the minors. The problem is he's a Rule 5 player. Fellow Rule 5 player Torey Carrasco is the closer.

Predictions: (Don't hold me to any of this)

1. Norfolk should be able to win this division. It's possible that Atlanta and/or Trenton have better offenses, but that's debatable and will not offset Norfolk's big pitching advantage.
2. At least one (probably 2) team(s) in this division will not have the same closer at the end of the year as they do now.
3. The second place team (Trenton or Atlanta in a toss-up) does not even come close to a wild card position.

Cummings makes Dirtbags winners in 12

Fargo Dirtbags 1B Edwin Cummings sent fans home happy in the team’s home opener when he hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the 12th inning against the Chicago Cubs to give the Dirtbags the 6-5 win. Cummings was 2 for 6 in the game with his other hit also being a homerun, that one in the first inning. Reliever Wilfredo Estalella got the win for Fargo while Tito Naulty suffered the loss for Chicago.

Opening Day highlights

Here are some highlights from Opening Day in The Bigs’ season 1:

Montreal defeats Cincinnati in the eighth
In a 1-1 game in the bottom of the eighth inning, Rico Valdes leads off the inning with a single off Cincinnati pitcher Willie Nunez. Thomas Keisler follows with a single of his own, advancing Valdes to third. Dewey Greenwood hits a fly ball to center, scoring Valdes and securing the win for Montreal. The Maroons would tack on two more runs for good measure and closer Jackson Hayes would retire the side in order in the ninth for the save.

Eusebio shuts out Anaheim
Fighting Moose ace Matty Eusebio threw a complete game shutout against the Anaheim Sleepers. Eusebio struck out seven while walking just one and allowing only four hits.

New York routs Baltimore 18-8
New York’s Ken Winn hit two homeruns and drove in 5 runs, leading his team to an 18-8 dismantling of the Iron Birds. New York 2B Bernie Soriano also went yard twice in the victory. Oddly enough, Baltimore pitcher Torey Fernandez got the complete game loss, giving up 18 runs, 15 earned, in eight innings. Fernandez threw 231 pitches in the contest, earning himself a bath in some Icy Hot after the game.