The biggest piece of news to report right now is that there are no changes. No changes in ownership, no teams moving. As stability is usually a great sign for a league, this reporter is pleased to have nothing to report on this subject.
With no team/ownership moves to report, we might as well get the rumor mill up and running. Quite a few names have been bandied about as being available at the GMs meetings in Hawaii. The most prominent of them would be Seattle's King Winn, who struggled mightily after being dealt to the Pacific Northwest mid-season. The likely landing spot for him would be another AL team. Washington is dangling power-hitting 1B Jimmie Williams, as the Blue Coats continue their rebuilding process. Speedster Rico Valdes could be playing for his 5th team in 7 seasons, as Chicago is dangling him. Trenton was disappointed in their 82 win season and looking to make some changes, making it clear that Enrique Park and Alex Sanchez are available for the right price. Expect a flurry of deals right before free-agency- I think a lot of deals are going to get done this season.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Boise Shadow Wolves Press Conference S6 Wrap-up
It was another good year in Boise. We reached our goal of 75 wins, improving over last year and setting a new franchise record.
Ralph Wilkins settled down this year in the long relief roll and had a great season with a 9-4 record and team leading 1.24 WHIP, a 3.10 ERA, .242 OAV and 88 strike outs in 101 innings. Max Dalgado had another strong season in the set-up roll playing 91 innings over 77 games, with a 6-2 record, a 1.51 WHIP, a 3.96 ERA and 76 strike outs. Pete Rubel with his more reasonable contract and less pressure had a solid season as a starter for us this year. his 12-13 record wasn't as good as it could have been, but his 1.28 WHIP, 4.22 ERA, .259 OAV and 137 strikeouts shows that he was getting the job done, it's the offense that wasn't keeping up. York Watson made a good show as a starter after moving over from long relief early in the season with similar stats to rubel. Alex Cornejo was acceptable as the closer picking up 39 saves in 46 opportunities, but management expects him to work on his game in the off-season to bring his WHIP and ERA down a little.
On the batting side of things, rookie Alex Suh lead the team in batting average with .288, followed closely by sophmore catcher Hiram Spooneybarger with .285. Ryan Hamill lead the team in RBIs with 98, followed by Derrek Beddard with 91 and Spooneybarger again with 85. Beddard lead the team in HRs with 31, with Hamill and Spooneybarger close behind with 28 and 27 respectively. Master thief Abdullah Dillon greatly improved on his 40 stolen bases last year, to lead the team with 64 this year. Hal Ball came in second again, jumping from 39 to 55 SBs. Early season aquisition Hideo Nikano was a bust, and will be let go to free agency.
So after another year of improvement, Boise is on the verge of moving up in the division and is looking towards a playoff appearance in the near future. We still have a number of very talented bats looking to find room on the roster, as well as a large pool of starters that are almost ready to make the jump. The Shadow Wolves is a name that other teams will come to fear for years to come.
Wolf Industries and the Shadow Wolves Management Group thanks you for your time.
Ralph Wilkins settled down this year in the long relief roll and had a great season with a 9-4 record and team leading 1.24 WHIP, a 3.10 ERA, .242 OAV and 88 strike outs in 101 innings. Max Dalgado had another strong season in the set-up roll playing 91 innings over 77 games, with a 6-2 record, a 1.51 WHIP, a 3.96 ERA and 76 strike outs. Pete Rubel with his more reasonable contract and less pressure had a solid season as a starter for us this year. his 12-13 record wasn't as good as it could have been, but his 1.28 WHIP, 4.22 ERA, .259 OAV and 137 strikeouts shows that he was getting the job done, it's the offense that wasn't keeping up. York Watson made a good show as a starter after moving over from long relief early in the season with similar stats to rubel. Alex Cornejo was acceptable as the closer picking up 39 saves in 46 opportunities, but management expects him to work on his game in the off-season to bring his WHIP and ERA down a little.
On the batting side of things, rookie Alex Suh lead the team in batting average with .288, followed closely by sophmore catcher Hiram Spooneybarger with .285. Ryan Hamill lead the team in RBIs with 98, followed by Derrek Beddard with 91 and Spooneybarger again with 85. Beddard lead the team in HRs with 31, with Hamill and Spooneybarger close behind with 28 and 27 respectively. Master thief Abdullah Dillon greatly improved on his 40 stolen bases last year, to lead the team with 64 this year. Hal Ball came in second again, jumping from 39 to 55 SBs. Early season aquisition Hideo Nikano was a bust, and will be let go to free agency.
So after another year of improvement, Boise is on the verge of moving up in the division and is looking towards a playoff appearance in the near future. We still have a number of very talented bats looking to find room on the roster, as well as a large pool of starters that are almost ready to make the jump. The Shadow Wolves is a name that other teams will come to fear for years to come.
Wolf Industries and the Shadow Wolves Management Group thanks you for your time.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
32 Teams, 32 tweets
A synopsis of each team's season, done Twitter-style (135 characters or less)
National League
Atlanta: No guts, no glory- we get Black, we get MacDougal, we get Romero, we win the title!
Trenton: Patchwork offense, average pitching somehow equals an above .500 record.
Norfolk: Great Gordon season wasted on a 70 win team. Boy, did we miss Broadhurst.
Washington: Just another season closer to the Leonard/Rader era. Biddle and Javier can join them.
Fargo: Simple math: Bad defense + blown saves = wasted Javy starts = early playoff exit.
Chicago: Another 98 win season leads to another early playoff exit.
Toronto: Gave the fans early hope. Won't deviate from the rebuilding plan.
Philadelphia: Bernie and the Phans get a top-3 draft pick.
Houston: NLCS appearance cements our status as one of the best teams in the league.
San Juan: We're the Fouts-era Chargers- score a ton, give up a ton.
New Orleans: There's a hex on everyone on this team not named Matos.
Austin: Work in progress. Better than last season.
Salem: We beat Cheyenne out again. Too bad our march through Atlanta made Sherman roll over in his grave.
Cheyenne: Three playoff apperances, 0 series wins.
Salt Lake City: So close to the playoffs. Top offense in the league. Maybe another starter?
Vancouver: Safe to say the season 4 NL championship was a fluke.
American League
Louisville: Another AL East banner, another heartbreaking playoff loss.
Scranton: Too many good AL teams this season to get in the playoffs. Still a solid season in PA.
New York: The whole Martin thing was weird. Was Omar Minaya GM this season?
Boston: Gonna need more than Cashman on the staff. Fenway's no place for mediocre pitchers.
Milwaukee: If not for the Season 4 title, we'd be the Buffalo Bills.
St. Louis: Pitching staff kept us in almost every night. That's how you win 95. Oh, and have Carrasco close.
Buffalo: We have some talent, but not enough. Need pitching.
Syracuse: Bolivar and Miller go 7-44 combined. McMahon leads team with 7 saves. Need I say more?
Monterrey: Always in the thick of it, but we're hearing footsteps.
Jackson: 91 wins establishes us as a force for seasons to come. Wish that came with a playoff spot.
Oklahoma City: Name change didn't much. More watchable this season, though.
Charlotte: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Black/Winn era is over.
Helena: Loving the new ballpark. Hating the new divisional rivalry.
Seattle: Lost the battle but won the war with Helena. What a roller-coaster ride! Can we get back on line?
Anaheim: Quietly won the most games in our history since our lone division title.
Boise: Cracked 70 wins for the first time. Future looks fairly good in Idaho.
National League
Atlanta: No guts, no glory- we get Black, we get MacDougal, we get Romero, we win the title!
Trenton: Patchwork offense, average pitching somehow equals an above .500 record.
Norfolk: Great Gordon season wasted on a 70 win team. Boy, did we miss Broadhurst.
Washington: Just another season closer to the Leonard/Rader era. Biddle and Javier can join them.
Fargo: Simple math: Bad defense + blown saves = wasted Javy starts = early playoff exit.
Chicago: Another 98 win season leads to another early playoff exit.
Toronto: Gave the fans early hope. Won't deviate from the rebuilding plan.
Philadelphia: Bernie and the Phans get a top-3 draft pick.
Houston: NLCS appearance cements our status as one of the best teams in the league.
San Juan: We're the Fouts-era Chargers- score a ton, give up a ton.
New Orleans: There's a hex on everyone on this team not named Matos.
Austin: Work in progress. Better than last season.
Salem: We beat Cheyenne out again. Too bad our march through Atlanta made Sherman roll over in his grave.
Cheyenne: Three playoff apperances, 0 series wins.
Salt Lake City: So close to the playoffs. Top offense in the league. Maybe another starter?
Vancouver: Safe to say the season 4 NL championship was a fluke.
American League
Louisville: Another AL East banner, another heartbreaking playoff loss.
Scranton: Too many good AL teams this season to get in the playoffs. Still a solid season in PA.
New York: The whole Martin thing was weird. Was Omar Minaya GM this season?
Boston: Gonna need more than Cashman on the staff. Fenway's no place for mediocre pitchers.
Milwaukee: If not for the Season 4 title, we'd be the Buffalo Bills.
St. Louis: Pitching staff kept us in almost every night. That's how you win 95. Oh, and have Carrasco close.
Buffalo: We have some talent, but not enough. Need pitching.
Syracuse: Bolivar and Miller go 7-44 combined. McMahon leads team with 7 saves. Need I say more?
Monterrey: Always in the thick of it, but we're hearing footsteps.
Jackson: 91 wins establishes us as a force for seasons to come. Wish that came with a playoff spot.
Oklahoma City: Name change didn't much. More watchable this season, though.
Charlotte: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Black/Winn era is over.
Helena: Loving the new ballpark. Hating the new divisional rivalry.
Seattle: Lost the battle but won the war with Helena. What a roller-coaster ride! Can we get back on line?
Anaheim: Quietly won the most games in our history since our lone division title.
Boise: Cracked 70 wins for the first time. Future looks fairly good in Idaho.
Season-Ending Awards for Season 6
The Fargo branch of TBDN already did a great job of recapping the season-ending awards, so I won't run through all the votes again. But, as usual, I'll tell you who won, who I voted for, and why.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MVP
Winner: Osvaldo Johnson, 1B, Chicago
My vote: Johnson
Why: I know he's a 1B, but his numbers are too big to ignore. He hits for average, drives in runs, and steals bases. He's maybe not quite what he once was, but he's still very good. The other candidates were all 1B/COF types, anyway.
Cy Young
Winner: Javier Henriquez, Fargo
My vote: Stephen Michaels, Atlanta
Why: I saw these two guys as being in a virtual tie. I have absolutely no problem with Javy winning this. In fact, looking at the numbers again, I'd probably say he should have. Michaels was so close and I figured this may be his last chance to win one, while Henriquez will likely walk away from his career with so many of these trophies, he won't know what to do with them all.
Rookie of the Year
Winner: Melvin Taylor, Salem
My vote: Taylor
Why: At least I think I voted for him- I honestly don't remember. I'd have to think that batting .316 with over 30 HRs and over 100 RBI would grab my attention. I wish my veterans could put up those numbers.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MVP
Winner: Burt Stevenson, Milwaukee
My vote: Stevenson
Why: Took a serious run at the Triple Crown. He ended up winning the batting title, finished 4th in HRs, and 5th in RBI. If you didn't vote for him, you could point to his low number of games played and at-bats (116, 438, respectively), but the damage he did while in the lineup was good enough for me.
Cy Young
Winner: Miguel Benitez, Seattle
My vote: Benitez
Why: This was maybe the most interesting of all the votes I cast. St. Louis closer Carlos Carrasco had a phenomenal season, probably the best season we have ever seen out of a reliever here in the Bigs. He saved 51 out of 52 games, had an ERA of 1.80, a microscopic WHIP of 0.75, and the league hit .163 off him- those are just some of his statistical highlights. However, due to the fact that starters pitch so many more innings, their body of work has to be given more weight in a vote like this. Benitez went 23-8 with a 3.00 ERA and a WHIP of 1.16. More importantly, he pitched a Roy Halladay-like 10 complete games and therefore led the league in innings. He wasn't quite as dominant as Carrasco, but the extra 200 innings is probably more valuable to his team, so he wins the award. This is not to say I would never vote for a closer- if not for Benitez, I would have picked Carrasco here.
Rookie of the Year
Winner: Yogi Anderson, St. Louis
My vote: Anderson
Why: If you've been paying attention, I've been touting Anderson since before he got to the bigs. Went 14-6 with an ERA of 3.09 for a playoff team at the age of 22. He's only going to get better.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MVP
Winner: Osvaldo Johnson, 1B, Chicago
My vote: Johnson
Why: I know he's a 1B, but his numbers are too big to ignore. He hits for average, drives in runs, and steals bases. He's maybe not quite what he once was, but he's still very good. The other candidates were all 1B/COF types, anyway.
Cy Young
Winner: Javier Henriquez, Fargo
My vote: Stephen Michaels, Atlanta
Why: I saw these two guys as being in a virtual tie. I have absolutely no problem with Javy winning this. In fact, looking at the numbers again, I'd probably say he should have. Michaels was so close and I figured this may be his last chance to win one, while Henriquez will likely walk away from his career with so many of these trophies, he won't know what to do with them all.
Rookie of the Year
Winner: Melvin Taylor, Salem
My vote: Taylor
Why: At least I think I voted for him- I honestly don't remember. I'd have to think that batting .316 with over 30 HRs and over 100 RBI would grab my attention. I wish my veterans could put up those numbers.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
MVP
Winner: Burt Stevenson, Milwaukee
My vote: Stevenson
Why: Took a serious run at the Triple Crown. He ended up winning the batting title, finished 4th in HRs, and 5th in RBI. If you didn't vote for him, you could point to his low number of games played and at-bats (116, 438, respectively), but the damage he did while in the lineup was good enough for me.
Cy Young
Winner: Miguel Benitez, Seattle
My vote: Benitez
Why: This was maybe the most interesting of all the votes I cast. St. Louis closer Carlos Carrasco had a phenomenal season, probably the best season we have ever seen out of a reliever here in the Bigs. He saved 51 out of 52 games, had an ERA of 1.80, a microscopic WHIP of 0.75, and the league hit .163 off him- those are just some of his statistical highlights. However, due to the fact that starters pitch so many more innings, their body of work has to be given more weight in a vote like this. Benitez went 23-8 with a 3.00 ERA and a WHIP of 1.16. More importantly, he pitched a Roy Halladay-like 10 complete games and therefore led the league in innings. He wasn't quite as dominant as Carrasco, but the extra 200 innings is probably more valuable to his team, so he wins the award. This is not to say I would never vote for a closer- if not for Benitez, I would have picked Carrasco here.
Rookie of the Year
Winner: Yogi Anderson, St. Louis
My vote: Anderson
Why: If you've been paying attention, I've been touting Anderson since before he got to the bigs. Went 14-6 with an ERA of 3.09 for a playoff team at the age of 22. He's only going to get better.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
World Series Recap- Season 6
So the World Series pitted the Milwaukee Manic Maulers, making their 4th straight World Series appearance, against the Atlanta Bandits, who were making their first appearance on this stage.
WORLD SERIES
In game 1, neither James Morton nor Stephen Michaels pitched very well- both gave up 3 runs in failing to get out of the 6th. Michaels himself started the scoring in the 3rd by driving in Eric Baker with a single up the middle. Gregg Black stretched the lead out to 3-0 with a 2-run shot in the 5th, but Milwaukee came back in the 6th with 3 runs, as the first four batter reached base and an RBI groundout followed. It stayed 3-3 until the 9th, when Black hit his second homer of the game, a walkoff solo shot off Seth Faulk to send the Atlanta fans home happy after a 4-3 win by the home team.
In game 2, Woody Hiller held the Bandits to two solo shots (Jason Walker and Stan Starr). But Matty Eusebio was better, allowing only 1 run in a 2-1 Bandit win.
In game 3, Atlanta was still playing longball, hitting 3 home runs. Atlanta starter Fred Carter was good enough to win, and the bullpen was again great in a 6-4 victory. Atlanta took a commanding 3-0 lead. Would Milwaukee lay down and die?
In a word, no. Down 3-0 in the bottom of the ninth, Harold Lewis hit a 3-run shot off Tex Howell and Burt Stevenson drew a bases-loaded walk in the 10th to win a 4-3 decision and stave off elimination in game 4.
Game 5 saw a dominant performance from Milwaukee starter Woody Hiller. He went 8 innings, giving up 5 hits and no runs. Ray Buchanan drove in 4 in a 7-0 mauling to bring Milwaukee to within 3-2.
Game 6 saw Milwaukee's bullpen let the team down. Up 6-5 in the 9th, closer King Burns struck out the first two hitters, then allowed 3 straight hits to tie the game. After a pitching change, a walk loaded the bases for Carlton MacDougal, who singled for a walk-off, World Series ending hit. The Bandits won the game 7-6 and the series 4-2. Congrats to the Bandits and to all for a great season 6.
WORLD SERIES
In game 1, neither James Morton nor Stephen Michaels pitched very well- both gave up 3 runs in failing to get out of the 6th. Michaels himself started the scoring in the 3rd by driving in Eric Baker with a single up the middle. Gregg Black stretched the lead out to 3-0 with a 2-run shot in the 5th, but Milwaukee came back in the 6th with 3 runs, as the first four batter reached base and an RBI groundout followed. It stayed 3-3 until the 9th, when Black hit his second homer of the game, a walkoff solo shot off Seth Faulk to send the Atlanta fans home happy after a 4-3 win by the home team.
In game 2, Woody Hiller held the Bandits to two solo shots (Jason Walker and Stan Starr). But Matty Eusebio was better, allowing only 1 run in a 2-1 Bandit win.
In game 3, Atlanta was still playing longball, hitting 3 home runs. Atlanta starter Fred Carter was good enough to win, and the bullpen was again great in a 6-4 victory. Atlanta took a commanding 3-0 lead. Would Milwaukee lay down and die?
In a word, no. Down 3-0 in the bottom of the ninth, Harold Lewis hit a 3-run shot off Tex Howell and Burt Stevenson drew a bases-loaded walk in the 10th to win a 4-3 decision and stave off elimination in game 4.
Game 5 saw a dominant performance from Milwaukee starter Woody Hiller. He went 8 innings, giving up 5 hits and no runs. Ray Buchanan drove in 4 in a 7-0 mauling to bring Milwaukee to within 3-2.
Game 6 saw Milwaukee's bullpen let the team down. Up 6-5 in the 9th, closer King Burns struck out the first two hitters, then allowed 3 straight hits to tie the game. After a pitching change, a walk loaded the bases for Carlton MacDougal, who singled for a walk-off, World Series ending hit. The Bandits won the game 7-6 and the series 4-2. Congrats to the Bandits and to all for a great season 6.
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