The Majors Insider

Owners in Majors

2011-11-10T11:30:00.002-06:00

Since the Majors has finished its 20th Season, I thought I'd look back on the onwers who have spent at least 10 years with the League and the statistics for those owners. They are as follows (in no particular order):

Russilini: 13 Seasons (S8-20)
Record: 961-1145 (.456)
Avg. Salary: 91.1M
Most Wins: 88 (S20)

gydk: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1737-1503 (.526)
Avg. Salary: 83.2M
Most Wins: 107 (S11)
S9 World Series Champ

jerseytomboy: 10 Seasons (S11-20)
Record: 913-707 (.564)
Avg. Salary: Rays (102.5M) Yanks (91.2M)
Most Wins: 103 (S19)

Cubs All-Star: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1624-1616 (.501)
Avg. Salary: 74.8M
Most Wins: 99 (S6 and 8)

gull: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1518-1722 (.469)
Avg. Salary: 77.4M
Most Wins: 103 (S18)

jceffali: 13 Seasons (6-18)
Record: 1175-931 (.554)
Avg. Salary: 76.7M (Red Sox) 72.1M (Burlington)
Most wins: 100 (S10)

Selmer: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 2095-1145 (.647)
Avg. Salary: 91.8M
Most Wins: 128 (S7)
Season 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, 13, 19 World Series Champion

dmaxie61: 10 Seasons (2-11)
Record: 773-847 (.477)
Avg. Salary: 82.8M
Most Wins: 90 (S4)

jclark: 17 Seasons (2-14, 17-20)
Record: 1597-1157 (.580)
Avg. Salary: 78M (Giants) 43.4 (RedSox) 88.1 (Braves)
Most Wins: 107 (S8)
Season 10 World Series Champion

suginamiku: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1436-1804 (.443)
Avg. Salary: 80.1M
Most Wins: 89 (S1)

indiansrck27: 10 Seasons (8, 11-13, 15-20)
Record: 876-744 (.544)
Avg. Salary: 93.2M
Most Wins: 107 (S15)

Bux express: 15 Seasons (S5-19)
Record: 1094-853 (.561)
Avg. Salary: 78.4M
Most Wins: 100 (S15)

Hartel: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1609-1631 (.497)
Avg. Salary: 84M
Most Wins: 108 (S3)

rjh98B: 11 Seasons (1-11)
Record: 890-892 (.499)
Avg. Salary: 90.9M
Most Wins: 95 (S1)

eblake: 19 Seasons (2-20)
Record: 1811-1267 (.588)
Avg. Salary: 88M
Most Wins: 105 (S8 and S13)
Season 11 and Season 17 World Series Champion

Santo rules: 18 Seasons (2-19)
Record: 1420-1496 (.487)
Avg. Salary: 83M
Most Wins: 92 (S7)

reggiedeal: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1519-1721 (.469)
Avg. Salary: 66.7M
Most Wins: 103 (S10)

drichter: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1805-1435 (.557)
Avg. Salary: 77.2M
Most Wins: 116 (S5)
Season 5 and Season 6 World Series Champion

Moose08: 14 Seasons (S7-20)
Record: 1197-909 (.568)
Avg. Salary: 74.9M
Most Wins: 107 (S18)
Season 16 World Series Champion

abj 101: 13 Seasons (8-20)
Record: 1012-932 (.521)
Avg. Salary: 68.5M
Most Wins: 106 (S18)

rsskfs23: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1435-1804 (.443)
Avg. Salary: 96.4
Most Wins: 84 (S4)

Bearcat: 20 Seasons (1-20)
Record: 1535-1705 (.474)
Avg. Salary: 82.2M
Most Wins: 98 (S16)

Hall of Fame Owner

2011-11-10T11:21:00.003-06:00

As commish of the Majors League, I am inducting the first Owner into our Hall of Fame. That owner is Selmer, former owner of the Baltimore Orioles. In 20 season in Majors, Selmer won an amazing 2095 for an average of a whopping 104.75 games a year. Selmer did an fantastic job of maintaining excellence even though competition in his division grew exponetially. He won 8 World Series titles stretching from Season 1 to Season 19. When he won the title, he often own in consecutive years (S1-3; S7-8; S12-13). It was an amazing run, and he's left the Orioles franchise in fantastic shape for the next owner.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

2011-05-23T13:17:00.003-05:00

Three (3) deserving inductees made it into the Hall of Fame this Year. One was a top pitcher with multiple Cy Young Awards, the other two were slugging OFs.

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Curtis Smith
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Age: 41	B/T: R/R
Born: Hayden Lake, ID
Position(s): P (SP1)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Curtis Smith rang up 210 wins while paying for the 8 teams. He won 20 games three straight years with Tampa Bay including a 21-5 campaign with a .098 WHIP in Season 9. It was a string of 4 years where he won 3 Cy Youngs and cemented his Hall of Fame Status. Curtis won one World Series rings in Season 6 with the Milwaukee Brewers where he went 3-0 in the playoffs to lead the Brewers to a ring.

Felix Irabu
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Age: 39	B/T: L/L
Born: Fukuoka, JP
Position(s): LF/1B/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Felix Irabu: Felix tore up the Majors with 644 HRs over his 15 year major league career (thats almost 43 per year). He drove in over 1900 runs (128 per year) including 179 in Season 9. He was a six time All-Star, three time gold glove left fielder, won an MVP in Season 6 (61 HR, 172 RBI) and won six World Series rings with the only team he ever played for - the Baltimore Orioles.

Gene Everhart
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Age: 38	B/T: S/R
Born: Woodville, MS
Position(s): 1B/3B/RF
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Gene Everhart played his entire career in the National League where he hit .293 for his career with 556 HRs and over 1600 RBI in 15 years. He was a two-time All-Star, two-time gold glove outfielder and won the NL MVP in Season 9 when he hit .339 with 44 HRs and 126 RBI, 111 runs and slugged .623. He also won a World Series ring with the Florida Marlins in Season 4.

Here is the total votes for the Hall of Fame in Season 19:

Felix Irabu 25
Curtis Smith 23
Gene Everhart 18
Lon McCallum 11
Lenny Wigginton 7
Karl Parker 7
David Candelaria 6
Edgardo Padilla 6
Dan Jordan 5
Felipe Lee 5
Tony Olivo 2
Chul Fujiwara 2
Cesar Cedeno 2
Barry James 1
Russell Perry 1
Yorvit Montanez 1
Matthew McKnight 1
Ron Priest 1
Dicky Owens 1
Dick Lowe 1
Pat Houston 1
Yamid Martinez 1

Power Rankings - AL East Reigns Supreme

2011-05-23T12:58:00.003-05:00

Old-Time rivals reign atop the new Majors Power Rankings. The Red Sox and Yankees are 1-2 in the AL Rankings while the entire AL East makes the Top 10. The Brewers, who have not been relevant for the past 10 seasons currently sit atop the NL Rankings. Here is the Majors Top 10:

1. Milwaukee Brewers 38-18: 38 wins and 196 runs allowed vault Milwaukee to the top of the standings.

2. Boston Red Sox 38-18: The Red Sox have scored 321 to lead the AL and all non-mile high teams.

3. Kansas City Royals 33-23: Only 33 wins, but 6-5 in one run games means the Royals are playing better than their record. Plus, only allowed 209 runs - second in all of Majors.

4. New York Yankees 37-19: Based solely on 37 wins. 5-0 record in extra-innings games has helped.

5. Baltimore Orioles 35-21: Orioles lead by the incomparable future Hall of Famer Ron Jacobs - .1117 OPS.

6. Cincinatti Reds 33-23: Most runs scored in the NL at sea level.

7. Washington Nationals 33-23: 7 blown saves have cost the Nationals.

8. New York Mets 35-21: Only one full season removed from 42 wins, team has been a great story and mikebr13 deserves a lot of credit.

9. Toronto Blue Jays 31-25: 5-8 in one run games - team is much better than record.

10. Chicago White Sox: 4-9 in one-run games assures that all 4 teams from the East make the Top 10.

Season 18 Post Season Awards

2011-04-05T13:05:00.002-05:00

In Season 18 the great Rob Jacobs was finall dethroned as the AL MVP. He had won 10 straight years, but a 24-year old stole his thunder(although he still had a great year .336, 42HR, 140 RBI). Here is a look at the Season 18 Post Season Award winners.

AL MVP:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Chris Roberts

The 24-year old might win the next 10 AL MVP Awards. He hit .355 with an amazing OBP of .472. Playing a middle infield position, Chris adds a strong glove to his MVP.

NL MVP:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Ronnie Handworth.

The 28-year old catcher hit .354 and drove in 128 runs while throwing out approximately 30% of runners trying to steal against him.

AL CY YOUNG:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Shannon Sheldon

The gritty veteran who was traded before the season to Kansas City went 18-6 with a 2.56 ERA in the American League. He also pitched 233 innings with a 1.01 WHIP and recorded 200 Ks. Its his second Cy Young award as he won back in Season 16 as well and he took home his first Championship Ring.

NL CY YOUNG:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Miguel Moreno

The 32-year old took home his second straight Cy Young and his 3rd ML overall (he won 2 minor leauge Cy Young Awards as well). He went 19-6 with a 2.24 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 212 innings of work.

AL ROY:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Francisco Johnson

The 25-year old went 18-6 in his first season of ML action, working 191 innings and posting a 1.21 WHIP. He should be dominate for a long time.

NL ROY:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Mike Rushford

The 25-year old hit a NL high 48 HRs and drove in 118 RBI to lead Milwaukee back to the playoffs. He is the second straight Brewer to win NL Rookie of the Year.

AL Fireman:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Orlando Perez

The Twins closer saved 38 of 42 games win a minascule 1.88 ERA. He struck out 48 in 43 innings of work and walked just 12. He held opponents to a .294 OBP.

NL Fireman:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: R.J. Tavarez

R.J. saved a whopping 45 games in 52 chances. In 72 innings of work, he had a 1.20 WHIP. For his career, he now has 158 saves.

Royals Take Home Title, Overeasy Wins GM of the Year

2011-04-03T20:01:00.007-05:00

A newcomer this past season to the Majors, but certainly not a newcomer to HBD, Overeasy took over the Kansas City Royals franchise that was mired in mediocrity. The Royals won the division in their first two seasons, but have had only three (3) winning seasons since Season 2. Nothing big was expected from Kansas City, but Overeasy immediately overhauled the team. He brought in closer Brian Cheung and ace Shannon Sheldon to match with Richie Wilkins who was brought in the year before. Riding a big year from Rigo Jose (35 HR and 133 RBI) and Darryl Hammonds (37HR 122 RBI), Overeasy won the division with 99 wins, the most in franchise history since Season 1.

In the post season, Ed Everett hit 4 HRs and drove in 13 RBI, but it was the pitching that led KC to the World Championship. Richie Wilkins pitched 45 postseason innings and Brian Cheung saved 4 games while the Royals defeated Washington and their 106 win team, 4 games to 2. Based on his success, Overeasy has been voted the Majors GM of the Year over ajb_101 and his Washington Nationals. Congrats to Overeasy.

Alexander Enters the Hall

2011-01-15T13:44:00.002-06:00

Sammy Alexander
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Age: 39	B/T: R/R
Born: Hoxie, KS
Position(s): 2B/1B/COF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The Majors Hall of Fame has doubled its occupancy. Sammy Alexander, who spent his five years with the juggernaut Orioles and lead the Orioles to an amazing average of 120 wins over his five seasons has joined the lonely Ronnie Hodges in the Hall of Fame.

Alexander retired at the young age of 36, but played his last ML game at the age of 34. He hit .287 with 594 HRs over his 14-year ML career. In Season 4 when he won his only MVP Award, Alexander hit .341 with 62 HRs and 155 RBI's, 130 RS and an OPS of 1.165. He finished with two World Series titles for the Baltimore Orioles. Later in his career, he won two Gold Gloves at 2B for the Florida Marlins. He tried to make a comback with the Orioles in Season 15, but was unable to make it back.

Season 17 Award Winners

2010-12-23T12:39:00.003-06:00

Season 17 was a great season for new comers (except for the MVP awards, especially the AL MVP where Ron Jacobs has turned the award into his own private party). Here are the Season 17 Award Winners:

AL MVP:

Ron Jacob - Anaheim Angels: .315, 44 HR, 115 RBI (an off year for Jacobs). Jacobs has now won the AL MVP 10 straight years.

NL MVP:

Slash Lawrence - RF Houston Astros: .310, 66 HR, 155 RBI. A dominating performance from Slash. This is his second straight NL MVP and third overall.

AL CY YOUNG:

Ed Gleason - New York Yankees: 23-7, 3.40 ERA, an amazing 283 IP for the AL Champion Yankees. This is Gleason's first major award, although he does have 99 career wins and a career 3.47 ERA in the AL.

NL CY YOUNG:

Miguel Moreno - Pittsburgh Pirates: The 31 year old was 21-4 with a 1.84 ERA and an outstanding .084 WHIP. Moreno's career WHIP is now 1.06 in 1790 IPs. Now we know how Pittsburgh won the series.

AL ROY:

Dwight King - 1B Minnesota Twins: Drafted in Season 9, King finally got his chance and made the most of it. A little old for the ROY, the 27-year old King hit .285 with 38 HRs and 106 RBI.

NL ROY:

Jolbert Carrasquel: SP - Milwaukee Brewers. An international free-agent signing, the 24-year old Carrasquel was 12-8 with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in 191 IP is his first full season in the majors. He'll be a building block for the Brewers to finally make it back to the playoffs in Season 18.

AL Fireman:

Junior Jacquez - Oakland A's -the 33-year old Jacquez had 41 saves in 44 chances with an ERA of 1.98 and a WHIP of 1.13 and was a major reason for the re-emergence of the A's. Its his third straight Fireman of the Year award.

NL Fireman:

Rich Brooks: Los Angeles Dodgers - Brooks saved 36 of 38 and had a .091 WHIP in his contract year. He's a free agent and it remains to be seen if new ownership in LA will resign the 26 year old.

Pittsburgh Takes Home Season 17 Title

2010-12-23T12:31:00.002-06:00

In a throwback World Series matchup, the New York Yankees and their owner jerseytomboy reached the World Series for the second year in a row and took on the Pittsburgh Pirates and their owner eblake who has been in Pittsburgh for all 17 Seasons of the Majors. In a closely contested Series, the Pirates won the Season 17 trophy with a 4-3 Series win. Congratulations to eblake and the Pirates on their second Majors World Series Trophy.

Welcome Back!

2010-09-20T11:54:00.002-05:00

World Majors is happy to welcome jclarkbaker and deaconsoule back to the league and hope they can bring their new teams to the competitve level they once had their teams before they left.

Jclarkbaker returns to Majors after missing the last 2 seasons. Instead of GMing the Giants jclark has taken the rebuild Atlanta Braves. Jclark has a career record of 1244-861 in 13 seasons in Majors including winnign the WS back in season 10. Only time will tell if the Braves will climb out of the cellar being led by jclark.

Deaconsoule returns to Majors after missing the last 2 seasons. Deac takes over the Arizona Diamondbacks instead of the Angels. One thing that will be missed is the constant back and forth of jclark and deac in the NL West. Is it coincidence they both returned after 2 seasons? Are they destined to face off in the WS in the future? Deac has a career record of 543-591 in 8 seasons in Majors.

Again we welcome back and look forward to many more seasons of Jclarkbaker and Deaconsoule.

We also want to welcome brand new owners timo1964 taking over the KC Royals, azlife takign over the LA Angels, and brentcnb taking over the Florida Marlins

Red Legs Take Home Season 16 Title

2010-09-07T10:08:00.002-05:00

The Cincinatti Red Legs and their owner moose08 took home their first World Series title in Season 16 with a 4-2 series win over jerseytomboy and the New York Yankees. It was a long overdue title for moose08. He took over a Cincinatti team in Season 7 that was a perennial last place team. His first season the team went 59-103. However, the team continually improved over the next 4 seasons and he broke through in Season 12 with 93 wins and a first place finish. Moose08 kept his team at the top with 5 straight division titles and finally took home the trophy this past season. Congrats to moose08.

GM of the Year - Season 15

2010-05-29T18:51:00.004-05:00

The GM of the Year for Season 15 is jerseytomboy of the New York Yankees. The Yankees finished 88-74 and didn't make the playoffs, but the turnaround from the Season 14 record of 67-95 and a franchise worst of 53-109 in Season 12 was enough to carry jerseytomboy to the GM of the Year. However, Jersey's success is not a surprise. She won 100 games with the Season 11 Rays and has a career winning percentage of .547. Congratulations Jerseytomboy.

NOTHING CHANGES IN NL EAST

2010-03-14T19:05:00.003-05:00

Except for Cincinnati, last year was a down year for the NL East. Expect the same in Season 15 as the bottom two teams start a remake of their franchise.

Cincinnati Reds - moose08 Payroll: 89 Million
Last Year 102-68 - 1st Place - lost in NLCS

Key Additions: Walter Cashman - 38 year old Relief Pitcher still has something left and will help shore up the bullpen.

Key Losses: Felix Lee - 1.32 WHIP in Season 14; Rube Cora

Key Players: Vic Lopez - the 24 year old IF hit only .255 last year with 15 HR and 66 RBI. He needs to take a big step forward.

Gustavo James: The 23-year old only hit .246 with 19 HR and 79 RBI after hitting .292, 30, 107 in Season 13. Needs to rebound for Cincinnati to take the next step.

MVP Candidate: Jose Liriano - 52 SVs, 1.15 WHIP is Season 14.

Cincinnati did not make any major additions hoping to rely on increased production from its young players.

Prediction: 100-62 (1st Place)

Washington Nationals: ajb_101 Playroll: 68 Million
Last Season: 88-74 2nd Place - missed playoffs

Key Additions: Lonnie Sweeney - SP - expected to be 3rd or 4th starter
Trevor DeJean - IF - should provided stability in IF
Terry Borland - 3B - more experienced production

Key Losses: Bill Parker, RP - veteran arm will be missed
Danny Seelbach, 1B - Washington must replace 21 HRs and 97 RBI

Key Player: Lon Muellens - hit only 23 HRs after back to back seasons of 40 HRs. Muellens must rebound for Washington to return to the playoffs.

MVP Candidate: Ronniue Handsworth - young catcher hit .334, 27, 118 last year.

Washington hasn't made any big splashes. Should be around where they were last year.

Prediction: 85-77 2nd place

Philadelphia Phillies: lakerross Payroll: 76 Million
Last Season: 66-96 3rd Place - missed playoffs

Philadelphia was very active in cleaning house in Season 15. Under new ownership, Philadelphia made some big free-agent signings.

Key Additions: Eddie Jones - big contract Closer; Sam Nieves - SP; Jeff Stone; Patrick Sabathia, Donaldo Martin - 26 year old already has 270 HRs (hit 64 in Season 11); Al Affeldt, could be potential ace for Philly; Michael Martin, SS will solidify infield.

Key Losses: Not many - with only 66 wins Philly needed to retool.

Key Player: Al Affeldt - Philly will need a big year from their new ace.

MVP Candidate: Eddie Jones - at 16 million this year, he better produce

Philly made some big free agent splashes this year. Will it help? It certainly couldn't hurt.

Prediction: 77-85 - 3rd Place

Chicago Cubs: santorules Payroll: 69 Million
Last Season: 65-97 Last Place - missed playoffs

Chicago has been decreasing in wins the past three seasons. Its time to rebuild in Chicago and thats just what started in Season 16.

Key Additions: None

Key Losses: Jacque Suzuki 37 year old pitcher was past his prime anyway. Chicago had no use for him. But the key innings he provided in the bullpen will still be missed.

Key Player: Branch Nixon: 31 year old hit only 32 HRs after blasting 95 the previous two years. More significantly - his OBP dropped to an unproductive .335.

MVP Candidate: Even with only 65 winds - Hector Sosa is an MVP candidate. Firstbaseman hit .284 with 43 HRs and 120 RBI after hitting .303 44 HR, 133 RBI in Season 13.

Chicago is rebuilding with 20 million in prospect payroll and the 5th pick in the draft. It will take a few years, but young talent exists.

Prediction: 68-94 - Last Place

A Wave Good-bye to jclarkbaker

2010-02-14T12:33:00.003-06:00

After 13 very successful seasons, owner jclarkbaker has decided to step down as owner of the San Francisco Giants. "jclark" as he's been called, stepped down in order to reduce the number of teams that he owns. Jclark now owns just two teams - both the Boston RedSox in the Major Leagues and in Kinsella League. Overall, jclark has played in 25 seasons of HBD, winning 53% of his games (2152-1898). His teams have made the playoffs 15 of the 25 seasons and he has won one World Series Title (his Giants won the title in Season 10).

In this particular world, jclark took over the Giants in Season 2 and had an amazing run. After getting his feet under him with a few .500 seasons, the Giants took off with a 105 win season in Season 5. That started a run of 5 straight 100-win seasons and 11 straight division titles. Amazingly, the Giants team payroll never exceeded $92 million. Overall in the Majors, jclark was 1244-862 (.594) with an average payroll of just $78 million.

Everyone in Majors wishes jclark good luck in the rest of his career at HBD. And there is one positive of jclark's departure. He is 128-95 againt my teams.

Power Rankings

2010-01-21T16:23:00.002-06:00

Its been a while, but its time for a new power rankings given that we are down to the last two weeks of Season 14. After a few seasons of dominance by a small amount of franchises, the Majors League has really become wide open. Traditional powers Milwaukee (complete collapse) and Baltimore (only 81 wins with two weeks to go) and even S.F. (only 82 wins, although still leading its division) are no longer in the top 5 power rankings, opening the way for new owners.

1. Toronto Blue Jays: 101-48 Payroll: $108.3 Million

Toronto is actually performing worse than its expecting winning percentage of .687. But you can't argue with 101 wins and the second most runs scored in all of baseball to go with the least amount of runs allowed in the AL.

Team MVP: Orel West SP: 18-5, 2.97 ERA, 1.09 WHIP

2. Cincinnati Reds: 93-56 Payroll: $72.8 million

Making the most, by spending in the lower half of the League, Cincinnati is doing it with pitching, allowing only 514 runs, almost 50 runs less than the next closest team in the Majors. However, their record in 1 runs games, 22-24 is holding them back from the top spot.

Team MVP: Ken O'Connor SP: 14-6, 2.21 ERA, 1.04 WHIP

3. Montreal Expos: 94-55 Payroll: $125 million

Montreal is going for broke - literally, spending a whopping 125 million. However, its paid off with a 94-55 record with 2 weeks to go. And Montreal is doing it the opposite of Cincinnati - with offense scoring 70 runs more than any other NL team.

Team MVP: Kory Moreno RF: .327 BA, .413 OBP, .556 Slug 27 HR, 119 RBI, 97 R, 21 SB

4. Pittsburgh Pirates: 90-59 Payroll: $106 million

Pittsburgh is performing much worse than its expected winning percentage of .634 mostly due to its 20-21 record in 1 run games. But don't be confused by the 90 wins, this team is very good. They have allowed only 565 runs - 2nd in all of Majors.

Team MVP: Virgil Javier LF: .279 BA, .380 OBP, .497 Slug. 29 HR, 112 RBI, 104 R, 30 SB

5. LA Dodgers: 95-54 Payroll: $95.8 million

The dogers are just 12-10 in extra inning games. A few more wins in that category and LA could be atop this list. Again, pitching rules as LA is only allowing 591 runs this season. However, LA has also scored almost 800 runs, so they are a very balanced team. This team is dangerous once the playoffs start.

Team MVP: Alex Stein 1B: .332 BA, .416 OBP, .549 Slug 28 HR, 118 RBI, 81 R

San Francisco GM To Step Down After Season

2009-12-04T22:08:00.002-06:00

Breaking news ----

This just into our TMI studios.
A league source with direct knowledge of the situation has dropped a significant piece of news our way.
According to the source, San Francisco Giants general manager jclarkbaker will step down and leave the Majors after this season.
The source states that it was a move that has been contemplated for some time now. "Clark is burned out right now by the process and is taking a step back. He may eventually return after some time off but he's definitely tired."

More on this story as it comes...

The Yanks Glee Turns To Frustration

2009-12-03T17:16:00.002-06:00

Breaking news --

Late breaking news out of the bronx tonight. A league source has informed us that staff ace Ed Gleason's apparent shoulder injury was worse than initially thought.
We have confirmed that Gleason flew to Birmingham, Al to see renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
During the visit it was discovered that Gleason suffered a full tear of the labrum.
He underwent immediate surgery and will be out for 4-6 months.
The news was especially disturbing for the fans of the 2-12 bronx bombers.

Baltimore Wins Seventh Title in 13 Seasons

2009-11-08T16:09:00.003-06:00

The dominance of the Baltimore Orioles and their owner Selmer continued in Season 13. The Orioles beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 to win their second straight title. It is the 3rd time that the Orioles have won back to back titles (they once won three straight titles to start the Majors League).

Although the championship of the league has been dominated by Baltimore, the league had some fresh faces in the playoffs this year. The Louisville Sluggers franchise made their first appearance in the playoff since season 7. Also, the Toronto franchise made only their second appearance in the playoffs in Season 13 and the Washington franchise made their first appearance in the playoffs since Season 3. However, along with those newcomers were the league regulars - Florida has made the playoffs 13 straight times, winning the division every season and Pittsburgh also made it for the 13th straight season. Finally, San Fransisco won their 9th straight division title.

The league is looking forward to Season 14 to see if the same teams will dominate or will new franchises set up to make the playoffs.

Report out of the nations capital....

2009-09-10T10:47:00.003-05:00

The Washington D.C. Nationals continue to show inconsistencies this season, with their play in the field. They have yet to get on a couple of long winning streaks, to cement themselves as one of the elite teams in this world. Many scouts and league insiders attribute these inconsistencies to youth inexperience. With 16 players under the age of 27 on the 25 man roster.

So how does manager/GM ajb_101 solve his players inconsistencies and motivate them to play to their best? By bringing in fellow Kent State University graduate and Hall of Fame head coach Lou Holtz. Coach Holtz will be giving weekly pep talks to the players about life, sports, over coming fears and much more. Players can expect Coach Holtz to use his "They put their pants on the same way we do!" pep talk strategy.

Majors Hot Stove - Update

2009-09-03T22:25:00.003-05:00

Word is circling around TMI studios that the Tornoto Blue Jays and Oakland A's have reached an agreement where Carter King goes to Toronto and Sidney Griffin goes back to Oakland. Several other players are rumored to be involved including cash.

There are conflicting reports as Blue Jay GM Indiansrck27 has stated "Us saying that we would do a Griffin/King trade was a joke, we are not open to trading Sidney Griffin at all never were, such trade was never even considered by us. Are we interested in CK? Hell yeah, who isnt. He deserves to have proper coaching and be surrounded by a real offense, not in the minors rotting."

TMI studios is reporting that an offer was in fact made but we can not confirm whther it was truely accepted or not. GM Irock has been known to stir things up, and may be bluffing on this one. Word is the two sides are still speaking on the subject.

You heard it first here at TMI Studios.

Majors Hot Stove Report - Update

2009-09-03T14:32:00.002-05:00

As we reported earlier in the day. The Angels were getting pro active in trade talks.
We have learned through a league source that the team is now is discussions to acquire an area of need.

Talks are preliminary at this juncture but both sides have have good talks and this one could heat up very soon.

- Stay Tuned.

Sidney Griffin = Cliff Lee?

2009-09-03T14:18:00.002-05:00

Since the shocking trade between bitter rivals Toronto and Oakland went down.

They key piece of the deal has remained rather quiet. He's let his play do the talking for him.

Sidney Griffin has appeared in 5 games for the bluejays and he has been stellar.
He owns a 4-0 record in 39.2 innings pitched. He has a 2.04 era with 30 K's and a 1.36 whip.

He has helped launch Toronto into a title contender and may be enough to keep them on top of the division.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Mr. Griffin but for now, the "Sidney Griffin watch" is on.

Majors Hot Stove Report

2009-09-03T14:09:00.002-05:00

Here we are just 39 games into the season and already with a lot of potential need for trades.

- The Angels have reportedly gotten very pro active in contacting several teams about trades for SP and SS.

- The Diamondbacks are in hot pursuit of a defensive C to guide their pitching staff.

- The Dodgers are working the phones to come away with some key pitching additions to their staff. It's a big need for them especially in the dogfight for their division.

- Houston is seeking a very good CF to anchor their defense as they continue their march this season.

- Needs for SP seems to be a common theme as the Giants and Padres seek to add some SP to bolster their rosters.

- TB is trying it's best to upgrade at several positions. The key targets appear to be at C and SP.

- Toronto is searching for a trade partner who can provide them with bullpen help. Long relief and closer seem to be the needs.

- Cincinnati is seeking to stock the farm as they are dangling bait to snag some prospects this season.

Detroit Calls Foul

2009-09-03T13:02:00.002-05:00

Detroit Tigers GM gull1 has been clamoring for more than a week now for what he calls justice.

After a proposed deal with the Louisville Sluggers was soundly defeated via veto faster than a congress energy bill.

Gull has screamed for the right to decide his teams fate without interference.
Even going so far as to point out previous trades made that he saw as "much worse".

"He apparently feels like he's being picked on. He wants everyone to just lay down and let it through. While it might be plausible that other deals similar to that have gone through. This is a different situation and has to be judged as such." One world owner said on the condition of anonymity.

"I would have preferred the deal from the Tigers over the Oakland deal we got instead. It was more in line with my needs for the season after signing that star international free agent." The Sluggers owner cspring was quoted as saying.

Some feedback from around the world shows mixed reactions.

"Everyone has the right to decide what is or isn't best for their team. Everyone plunks down their cash to play. It's like putting down money in a poker game and then after being told you can't play Aces. There is no right or wrong strategy for the game, just what works for you."

"It's a league issue that was handled soundly by the league. Vetoes are a part of the process and like them or lump them they are there for a reason. This isn't Major League Baseball, we don't don't do dump deals with poor quality going back to another team."

"Well if he has such an issue with it then he's playing the wrong game. The deal was absolutely atrocious and the right thing was done with regards to it. It was simply a case of a GM trying to get over and it got shot down hard. Now if only they'd stop Baltimore from doing it maybe someone else could win a WS."

One thing is certain, this issue has the potential to drag on for a long time. It could possibly get even worse depending on if the "wronged" party is willing to let it go or not.

League Look-In NL

2009-09-03T12:43:00.003-05:00

After taking a gander at the AL. We now take a peak at the senior circuit through the first 39.

The infamous Hanley Walker has resumed his one man army form from last season.
6-1 in 71.2 innings with a 2.76 ERA and 78 K's.
But potential ROY and CY Young contender Babe Meulens is overshadowing Mr. Walker this season. 9-0 in 59.2 innings pitched, a 1.66 ERA, .194 oav and 34 K's. The Babe is definitely one to watch comes this award season. Tim Lincecum much?

The Padres Scott Johnstone is playing out of his mind right now. Leading the world in BA at .400.
His best work as a hitter was in his 3rd ML season as a .278 hitter. Though he did his 32 HR's and drive in 103 last season, He should come back down to earth in the near future.

Brendan Bryant of SF is staking his claim for early season NL MVP.
He's battling it out with Johnstone but his .316 BA along with 13 HR's and 38 RBI's sets him apart as he leads the NL in RBI's.

The battle for #1 might be an even tighter race here than in the AL.
Cincinnati is the best team right now and is building upon last years success. Montreal is not far behind after a disastrous previous season with WS hopes crushed. Washington,Pitt,Colorado,Houston and Florida are all nipping at their heels for now as well.

Everyone has to be thinking "where did that come from" when looking at the NL West and seeing the Colorado Rockies in the #1 spot at this point in the season. It's early but they could definitely qualify for the most surprising team.

The most disappointing team has to be the Anaheim Angels this go round. Currently sitting dead last in the division at 15-24 after a 102 win playoff season last year. A team with WS hopes who is now playing for the worst record in the NL can't sit well with the fans.

League Look-In AL

2009-09-03T12:25:00.002-05:00

News and notes from around the AL through the first 39 games.

Ron Jacobs is on a tear so far this season. Hitting .389 while clubbing 20 HR's and driving in 44.
He's trying to run away early with the AL MVP award but Toronto's Del Miranda is making it tough. A .343 average with 15 HR's and 44 RBI's is not to shabby for the young gun but only time will tell the true story.

Miguel Espinoza has been a workhorse RP for Baltimore so far. He has appeared in 20 of the teams 39 games, has pitched 42.2 innings. He has a very robust 1.66 era and is tied for 3rd in the world in wins with 6.

The early favorite for AL ROY has to be Bubbles Heredia of Toronto. He's hitting .348 with 10 HR's and 35 RBI's. Which is tops among rookie hitters.

It's a dogfight in the league for the #1 seed position. Arizona,Baltimore,Ny(yes i said NY),Boston,Toronto and LA are duking it out for league supremacy.
Arizona has pulled out to an early league. They are currently 26-13 with a expected winning % of .671. With an actual winning % of .667 that means they are more than living up to their billing.

On the flip side the bottom of the barrel contenders are Oakland, KC and Cleveland.
None of which is surprising, but still worth noting.

Season 13 Ownership Opportunites

2009-08-02T12:14:00.002-05:00

Heading into season 13, we take a look at the open team for the majors upcoming season.

American League
East
New York Yankees 53-109 #2 Draft Selection
Major League Foundation: Questionable
Bret Corder(82/88),Tim Alexander(70/81),Gregg Tunkel(79/86),Boomer Matthews(75/78),Cecil Williams(70/76),Terry Clark,Francisco Tejada,
Minor League Building Block: Good
Alex Cosby(58/87),Goose Leary(66/83),Fritz Wood(71/81),Joaquin Galarraga(51/70),Blade Garcia(43/70),Max Hardy(56/71)
Outlook: Rebuild
"Will play for draft picks." Is the sign that should be up in the window for the ML roster. It has some nice young players but there is a tremendous drop off after the best 2-3.
The talent in the minors is there(especially at pitching). But no one has managed to turn it into more than a Pirate like youth showcase before they're dealt away. The team has picked in the top 13 every season.
This franchise needs an owner who will come in and put the work in enough to use all the assets at it's disposal and take the franchise to the next level.

South
Kansas City Royals 64-98 #4 Draft Selection
Major League Foundation: Questionable
Yonder Valenzuela(78/83), Eli Prieto(84/88),Trevor DeJean,Lonnie Sweeney,Nolan Poole,Cesar Cedeno,Zeus Rando(71/74),Shane Thomas & Cliff Fick
Minor League Building Block: Poor
Keith Olsen(72/80),Tommy Prinz(64/78),Jerry Roberts(50/82),Louie Mendoza(64/75),Dee Dee Hunter(67/79),Lynn Parkinson(61/73),Omar Ortiz(58/75),Scott Nielsen(56/78),Mateo Santana(63/75) & Rudy Carter(56/73)
Outlook: Rebuild
It's beginning to become harder and harder to watch a team play so poorly on a consistent basis. The team has some talent but much like the Yanks after the top 2-3 it's a drop off and barely relevant.
The past few seasons have been a blueprint upon how to not run your minors.
Foul up after foul up with very high picks in the draft. The ones they have kept have been shipped off to other clubs faster than a mustang going 0 to 60.
This team is in shambles right now and needs a steady owner who will thrive in the challenge to make this team relevant.

National League
South
Atlanta Braves 65-97 #5 Draft Selection
Major League Foundation: Solid
Richard Battle,Ken Simon,Timothy Jackson,Brian Cheung(75/78),Damaso Pulido,Vic Wynn,Vance Shuey(69/76),Terrence Purcell,R.A. Reese(80/83),David Johnson(80/85),Terry Borland(75/81) & Napoleon Campbell(73/77)
Minor League Building Block: Terrible
Farmer Lockwood(47/79),Allan Worthington(73/81),
Luis Johnson(71/74),Sherry Thomas(67/79),Phil Chiba(58/68),Juan Fernandez(65/71),Don Drabek(71/74) & Glen Rusch(70/77)
Outlook: Rebuild
The issue with this club is that while they have a lot of quantity, they lack overall quality and depth. The overalls are nice but they won't win you many games.
The depth in the minors or should i say lack thereof. Is beyond glaring and will need to be rectified in a hurry to set this team right.
This team is the perfect candidate for a owner looking to DIY rebuild a franchise.

And The Award Goes To...

2009-08-02T12:11:00.002-05:00

moose08 general manager of the Cincinnati Red Legs. Congrats are in order as the gm wins his first GMOTY award after a stellar season in which his club won a franchise record 93 games. They also claimed their first division title since season 6 and only the second in franchise history.
Keep up the good work in Cincy!

Baltmore Orioles Win League Record 6th World Series Title

2009-08-02T12:09:00.000-05:00

Congrats go out to the Orioles franchise on their 6th world series title and reigning champs heading into season 13.

Pick a National, any National...

2009-06-23T13:46:00.004-05:00

And lay out your best offer.

News coming into the HBD studios reports that 6 to 10 different Nationals players are available.

According to an unidentified outside source "There might be 6 to 10 players on this team who are available. And names like Brian Wang, Dan Lewis, Dennis Satou, J.C. Coles, Danny Seelbach, Rico Ortiz and B.C. Almanza are going to be some of the more prominent names being tossed around the rumor mill over the next six weeks as teams look to add talent for that playoff push."

But Lon Mullens? The same unidentified source says that the price for Mullens might be "astronomical."

Stay tuned for more details as they come into the HBD studios.

Nationals Launch Fire Sale

2009-06-16T14:00:00.002-05:00

Washington D.C. Nationals (NL)
ajb_101
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

News out of Washington today is that the team is placing all of it's players on the block.
After a disappointing start to the season at 28-44(now in a 5 way dance for the #1 pick.)
the team is looking to sell off it's assets for young talent. While GM ajb_101 has placed calls to all franchises to let it be known he's willing to listen to all offers. We have learned through league sources that that does not mean they will move franchise player Lon Mullens.

The main focus of opposing GM's seems to be Lon Mullens, Troy Ellenwood and Ivan Franco.
Deals are being discussed as we speak but nothing is imminent as of yet. "There is a team out there with severe interest in a Nationals player and i could see something happening quickly on him" Said one source.

Who is shipped out of D.C. is anyone's guess but we here at TMI will keep you abreast of the news as we hear it.

Tragedy Strikes Tampa Bay.

2009-05-19T13:17:00.003-05:00

Breaking News out of TMI Studios reports that Tampa Bay Rays star pitcher Curtis Smith has been injured for the season.

Curtis Smith
Tampa Bay
Rays
Age: 34	B/T: R/R
Born: Hayden Lake, ID
Position(s): P (P)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Curtis Smith was injured while riding his motorcycle in downtown Tampa. His injury will require surgery and weeks of rehabilitation. It is not known when or if he will return to the majors. And when he does how effective he will even be. This really hurts the Rays as they had high hopes for the playoffs this season. The injury could push the Rangers ahead of teh Rays and thus dooming them to watch the playoffs from home.

Smith in his career is 169-96 with a 3.17 ERA. Smith sia 3 time Cy Young winner and a 6 time All Star

Season 12 Preview

2009-05-18T21:53:00.001-05:00

(predicted record)

NL NORTH

Pittsburgh (101-61, Division Winner): The World Series Champs added Hanley Walker, which will strengthen what was already one of the best staffs in the league. They’ll be pushed by Montreal, but expect them to win the division again.

Montreal (95-67, Wild Card): Montreal’s GM went nuts this offseason, even though this was a team that had the best offense in the National League last season. They’ll score runs again, and the nuttiness looked like it strengthened the pitching staff.

New York (92-70): The Mets pretty much stayed pat in the offseason. They’ll push for the Wild Card, but they do not appear to have enough to catch either Montreal or Pittsburgh.

Milwaukee (71-91): The Brewers are continuing their rebuilding process and do not appear to be a threat to challenge for the playoffs.

NL EAST

Chicago (86-76 Division Winner): The addition of rookies and veteran pitching will likely be enough to put the Cubs over the top for a second year in a row in what will once again be a very competitive NL East.

Washington (82-80): Washington will move ahead of Cinci and make a push for the division with the addition of free agent Rico Ortiz and shortstop Diego Deleon.

Cincinnati (77-85): Anything is possible in the NL East, so don’t count Cinci out. But they likely will not have enough to overtake Chicago.

Philadelphia (77-85): Philly made some good free agent signings with Wade Linton and Jeff Matthews, and they will make some noise in a division that is tough to predict.

NL SOUTH

Florida (91-71 Division Winner): Florida added young pitching with Hector Ray and Jeff Gray. They’ll likely take the NL South division title yet again.

St. Louis (85-77): St. Louis picked up Bill Parkers (FA) and Jim Roberts (trade), and they will help. A Wild Card berth is a possibility.

Atlanta (79-83): Ken Simon is a solid vet but not a game changer. Atlanta will likely be looking up at Florida and St. Louis again in Season 12.

Houston (72-90): Houston will be improved, but will once again bring up the rear in the NL South.

NL WEST

San Francisco (98-64 Division Winner): The addition of Jeff Stone to shore up an already solid rotation will be enough to edge out Anaheim for the division.

Anaheim (95-67 Wild Card): Anaheim added a big bat with the addition of Charlie Beckwith, and they will threaten San Francisco for the division. Even if they don’t beat them out, they will have a chance in the playoffs.

San Diego (78-84): San Diego made a few smart offseason moves by adding veteran pitchers Alberto Padilla and Buddy Fleming. They will be improved but won’t have enough to threaten their northern division mates.

Colorado (69-93): Goodbye LA, hello mile high. threester has moved his new team to Colorado and has acquired some big bats. It will be fun to watch.

AL NORTH

Toronto (93-69 Division Winner): Veteran pitching was on the menu in the offseason, and Jeff Skinner was the big addition. Those moves will prove key for Toronto in the division race.

Minnesota (89-73): Unlike Toronto which upgraded with vets, Minnesota is looking for rookies Orber Benitez and Pete Conway to contribute. They will do just that, but it won’t be enough to take the division. The Wild Card is a possibility.

Cleveland (88-74): Cleveland was fairly quiet in the offseason. However, in a competitive division, they will be in the hunt.

Detroit (57-105): Detroit added Alex Cedano which will help the offense. They’re doing better than the Big 3 auto makers, but that’s not saying too much.

AL EAST

Boston (99-63 Division Winner): Boston can hit. Will it be enough to return to the World Series? Maybe. A division title is likely.

Chicago (96-66 Wild Card): Pittsburgh’s gain was Chicago’s loss. And Hanley Walker’s departure will likely cost Chicago the division.

Baltimore (95-67 Wild Card): Selmer is at it again. Trading away vets for quality young talent. They won’t win the division this year, but Boston better not get too comfortable, because that all too familiar team will be back on top soon.

New York (57-105): YANKEES (still) SUCK! But they’re getting better.

AL SOUTH

Tampa Bay (99-63 Division Winner): Tampa Bay remains the class of the AL South. The addition of Dennys Osborne will help them stay on top.

Texas (90-72): Byron Terry was a good get, but Texas likely doesn’t have enough to make up ground on Tampa Bay. Look out for them in the Wild Card hunt.

Louisville (79-83): Power hitting Chipper Martin was added and he will help the offense. If it’s a good season, look for Louisville flirt with the Wild Card.

Kansas City (68-94): Small market KC (wait, isn’t there a salary cap?) will once again bring up the rear in the AL South.

AL WEST

Los Angeles (88-74 Division Winner): The former Colorado Rockies take up residence in la-la land. In a week division, even with the anticipated reduction in runs scored, they should still win the division.

Arizona (80-82): Joey Spradlin is a quality pickup, but Arizona needs to hope the former Colorado club really sees a run reduction to have any hope of winning the division.

Seattle (75-87): Seattle added veteran pitching in the pen, which is a good place to start. But it’s only a start. The weather remains gloomy in the Pacific Northwest.

Oakland (72-80): Carter King wears no cape. He is mortal and doesn’t have enough to make this season any different than last.

Montreal Expos Issue Statement

2009-05-15T16:08:00.002-05:00

Montreal Expos Owner reggiedeal wanted to clear the air this afternoon. With regards to the reasoning behind the moves his team has made this offseason as well as future plans.
In a exclusive interview with the TMI studios today - the air was cleared.

Some owners have wanted to know what was going on in Montreal. Well this will take some explaining but here goes.

first, my starting pitching was weak. Keisler and Stoops were both injury risks, the ladder also had a horrible year last season. Guerrero was not worthy of being a starter and the veteran Lee is a health risk too. Clearly the rotation had to be upgraded. Additionally, I had only three real great players offensively, Martin could only play 1b, Womack could only play the corner outfield, and Terry and Womack both had serious issues of durability. My young SS also had durability issues, so I was often having to play guys out of position. My one strength was the bullpen and I could win a lot in the regular season, but post season was another issue because of these problems with my lineup and my rotation.

So why spend a lot of money on the vets like McCallum and Colome while trading away relief pitchers, it was to get guys in here who could play more and frankly get more at bats. both should do quite well in the offensive park that is the big O. both also can play many positions which gave us depth. By then signing another FA SS, trading for a young and ready to play 2b/cf, and trading Womack for another young guy who can hit, we were able to clear some salary to offset what we took on in the trades mentioned above. That then also allowed for pitching upgrades by adding two vets off the FA market, and taking a flyer on a minor league FA who will be an upgrade over Guerrero, we now have a rotation that is more stable and should hold up a lot easier, thus reducing the need for the great bullpen. Our best two relief guys are still here, Lee and Guerrero now move to the pin and out of the rotation. So while our team got older, it was able to become a much more flexible unit in terms of who we play and where we can play them defensively. We become more stable in the rotation and at the end of the day, our 8th and 9th inning guys are still here.

Is it a gamble by adding many 30-31 year old vets to the club, no doubt, but it is a gamble I had to take. I had only three key players who were major offensive forces and two of them were going to be potentially out of here in two seasons. As it is, I have two young guys who are ready to play now and will be here long term up the middle in Meadows and Ramano, an SS who will be here five years, two great stars who have two and three years remaining with my club, and I have not even mentioned the replacement of Martin at 1b with McDonald, which I look at as a deal that is best described as six of one, half dozen of the other. Long term do we have pitching issues, yes. But by adding Berg and Moss, that gives me time to get a couple of good pitching prospects during the seasons that follow and I have tallented guys who might fetch prospects when their contracts are up. As it is, I can now eventually let Lon and Vic walk away and still have a great club, when it was just Oscar Womack and Byron Terry, losing them would have meant the end of any chance of continued success. So I move two greats for several very good players.

One thing is for sure, this club looks nothing like the one that took the field the previous two seasons.

Pittsburgh Throws Down The Gaunlet

2009-05-11T19:09:00.002-05:00

Breaking news ----

Hardball Dynasty's

Hanley Walker

The latest out of Pittsburgh this evening is that the team has reached a deal with a mega free agent.
Word has gotten around to us in our TMI studios that prized free agent Hanley Walker has agreed to a 5 year $105,000,000 deal with the Pirates. Team sources were said to be ecstatic about bringing aboard the 5 time all-star and cy young award winner.
This will no doubt deal a huge blow to the White Sox rotation but after watching Montreal make so many moves this offseason. The Pirates make a statement of their own.

Barcelo Defects To Montreal

2009-05-10T19:22:00.002-05:00

Hardball Dynasty's

Rodrigo Barcelo

In a stunning move that has angered Blue Jays fans and management alike. SS Rodrigo Barcelo has rebuffed lucrative contract offers from the Blue Jays and signed with rival Montreal.
It seemed to be a forgone conclusion that while Barcelo would test his value in the open market. He would simply use it to gain a better deal from the Blue Jays. But now comes word that talks between the two sides broke down sometime today. The nature of the issue was unknown but it is not believed to be money. Quickly after talks stalled with Toronto he was signed by the Expos.

"I am absolutely stunned and irate beyond words at this moment. No manner of words could express the feeling of utter betrayal this organization and it's fans feel right now." Said owner indiansrck27

When reached by phone to comment Barcelo would only say. "I look forward to beating Toronto soundly this season. But to my new home in Montreal; Concordia Salus"

Questionable Trade Raises Eyebrows

2009-05-07T10:35:00.003-05:00

Breaking News ---

This just in to our TMI studios.
A proposed deal between the Baltimore Orioles and the Montreal Expos has raised the ire of several GM's.
Reportedly the deal would send Orioles slugger Lon McCallum for Eddie Jones & Donaldo Martin.
"This proposal doesn't make any damn sense. Why would you trade the NL MVP a guy who hit 64 HR's and drove in 173. But to then add in a future closer with All-star potential? This is not the NBA but Montreal is giving it away like the Grizzlies gave away Gasol." One American League scout was quoted as saying.
Our league insider Braylon White spoke to a trusted league source who had this to say.
"If you look at his history(Baltimore owner Selmer) this kind of thing happens every season. Some owner gets foolish and desperate enough to deal away top end young talent for a "stud" Baltimore player. There was a situation a few seasons ago where a GM was so irate over the attempted rob job that was proposed that there was a huge blowout and the GM won't even look at a proposal from Baltimore. He just rejects it. I mean you can't really fault a GM if he gets away with it, but it tends to get way out of hand."
So far reactions around the league are of the angered variety, but only time and votes will tell whether the outcry is of substance or simply pompous style.

Barcelo Refuses To Re-Sign With Blue Jays

2009-05-07T03:04:00.002-05:00

TMI reports that Rodrigo Barcelo has refused to resign with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason.

Rodrigo Barcelo
none
none
Age: 28	B/T: R/R
Born: Williston, SC
Position(s): SS/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Rodrigo Barcelo was the Blue Jays key aquisition in making the run to win the AL North last season. GM Indiansrck27 made the decision to trade away 3 prospects for Barcelo. At the time of the trade Irock stated that he did not believe this was a half season rental. Barcelo in 54 games with the Blue Jays batted .336 with 12 HR and 41 RBIs. Barcelo was a crucial piece in the puzzle that was the blue Jays playoff run and now some believe the Blue Jays could take a step back as several other players mostly bull pen arms have refused to sign with the Blue Jays.

Rodrigo Barcelo released a statement late tonight on his reasons of refusing to resign.

"Mire su no que yo me puse como la organización Azul de Arrendajo. Su el hecho sencillo que ese dinero habla. Yo le digo en este momento yo quiero jugar para los Arrendajos Azules, ellos uno de las mejores organizaciones allí. Mi familia y yo adoraron vida en Toronto, hermosa ciudad. El entrenador Dodd y Sr. Irock son dos de los mejores tipos que yo jamás he encontrado. Pero tengo una familia grande y necesito para tener cuidado rmy de fo mejores intereses. Honestamente estaré tirando para Toronto para poner int que él mandó alto. Creo que acabaré por atrás en Toronto."

Translated As

"Look its not that I dont like the Blue Jay organization. Its the simple fact that money talks. I'm telling you right now I want to play for the Blue Jays, they one of the best organizations out there. My family and I loved living in Toronto, beautiful city. Coach Dodd and Mr. Irock are two of the best guys I have ever met. But I have a big family and need to look out fo rmy best interests. Honestly I will be pulling for Toronto to put in the highest bid. I believe I will end up back in Toronto."

Michael Brewer reporting for TMI.

GM Of The Year Award

2009-05-03T21:39:00.002-05:00

The race this season was very close. But in the end Boston Red Sox general manager jceffali claims top honors. After a 95 win season that was capped off with a remarkable playoff run that ended in a world series loss. The red wonder earns his first GOTY award and hopes to make amends for the series loss this season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Your New World Series Champions

2009-04-24T18:24:00.003-05:00

After 10 seasons of being just a few plays away. After a seemingly lifelong amount of anguish for the fans.
Finally the Pirates have claimed the ultimate prize.

Defeating the Boston Red Sox 4 games to 2 in the season 11 world series.

AL MVP Ron Jacobs carried the sox on his back all season long and guided them to the series. But his bat proved to ultimately not be quite enough.

It was a extremely close series decided by 2 runs or less in all but 2 games.

The pirates won in dramatic fashion with a 9th inning walk off hit from SS Calvin Bowie. For the Red Sox it was more heartbreak, for the Pirates and owner eblake it was a long time coming.

Congratulations to your season 11 champions. THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES!!!

Playoffs? You Talking About Playoffs?

2009-04-12T01:00:00.002-05:00

The Regular Season is in the books for Majors and lets take a look at th eplayoff picture.

First up the seeds:

AL
1. Chicago White Sox 107-55
2. Tampa Bay Rays 100-62
3. Colorado Rockies 91-71
4. Toronto Blue Jays 90-72
5. Boston Red Sox 95-67
6. Baltimore Orioles 94-68

NL
1.Pittsburgh Pirates 98-64
2.San Francisco Giants 95-67
3.Florida Marlins 90-72
4.Chicago Cubs 84/78
5.Montreal Expos 94-68
6.New York Mets 93-69

First Round Matchups

AL

Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox* (Winner vs Chicago White Sox)

Colorado Rockies vs Balitmore Orioles* (Winner vs Tampa Bay Rays)

NL

Chicago Cubs vs Montreal Expos* (Winner vs Pittsburgh Pirates)

Florida Marlins* vs New York Mets (Winner vs San Francisco Giants)

*Predicted Winner

League Headlines

2009-04-05T22:12:00.003-05:00

The surprising Toronto Blue Jays notched their tenth straight victory to climb into 1st place by 1/2 a game over the Cleveland Indians.

Also making the rounds was a controversial trade agreement that sent a player and 1.5 mil in cash to the Giants for 2 minor leaguers. Alarming that the players sent in return for the cash were border line awful.

But the biggest news had to be the Arizona Diamondbacks reaching an agreement to a 3 year major league deal with Reid Coomer.
The infield prospect from Venice, IT will receive a $10,000,000 bonus in the deal as well.

The final headline is the brand new power rankings. Some shakeups at the top.

Majors NL West Mid Season Review.

2009-03-22T21:38:00.002-05:00

Here is the majors division by division review of the season through 105 games. Means we are only 57 games away and we have some tight races. The NL West for your viewing pleasure!

Standings

ML NL West (Season 11)
Team W-L PCT GB L10 STRK
San Francisco Giants 58-47 .552 - 7-3 W4

Anaheim Angels 57-47 .548 0.5 5-5 L3

San Diego Padres 38-66 .365 19.5 3-7 L2

Los Angeles Dodgers 28-76 .269 29.5 4-6 L1

The San Francisco Giants, Anaheim Angels, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Dodgers make up the NL West one of the most and least competitive divisions in all of Majors. The Giants and Angels are heated rivals and two of the most competitive. But the Padres and Dodger are two of the least competitive this year.

NL West Stats Leaders
AVG – Edgardo Padilla - Giants - .311
HR - Chipper Martin - Giants - 33
RBI – Chipper Martin - Giants - 98
2B - Rafael Seneca - Padres - 27
3B – Roberto Lorenzo - Giants - 7
SB – Jim Donatello - Dodgers - 33
CG – Carlos Sosa (LA), Neifi Lee (LAA), Joshua Parrish (SF) - 2
W - Joshua Parrish - Giants - 11
K – John Wilson - Giants - 114
ERA – Joshua Parrish - Giants – 2.94
SV –Junior Jacquez - Angels - 24

Division MVP – Chipper Martin
Division Cy Young – Josh Parrish

What To Expect From Here On Out?

Who knows? Expect the Padres and Dodgers to remain way behind the Giants and Angels. But As for Giants and Angels standing in the end? It’s a toss up.

Majors NL South Mid Season Review.

2009-03-22T20:01:00.003-05:00

Here is the majors division by division review of the season through 105 games. Means we are only 57 games away and we have some tight races. The NL South for your viewing pleasure!

Standings

ML NL South (Season 11)
Team W-L PCT GB L10 STRK
Florida Marlins 60-45 .571 - 4-6 L4

STL Cardinals 55-50 .524 5.0 4-6 L2

Atlanta Braves 51-54 .486 9.0 3-7 L2

Houston Astros 41-64 .390 19.0 7-3 W1

Through 105 games the Florida Marlins have a 5 game lead over the . St. Louis Cardinals and a 9 game lead over the Atlanta Braves. And 19 games back are the Houston Astros

NL South Stats Leaders
AVG – Greg Nichting - Astros - .322
HR - Slash Lawrence - Astros - 38
RBI – Vladimir Bennett - Cardinals - 86
2B - Felix Nickle - Braves - 25
3B – 3 Tied with 6 – Richard Battle (ATL), Vladimir Bennett (STL) and Peter Mori (STL)
SB – Evan Matthews - Astros - 42
CG – Nipsey Service - Astros - 2
W - Buddy Fleming - Marlins- 12
K - Don Drabek - Braves - 123
ERA – Erik Magee - Braves – 3.33
SV – D'Angelo James - Marlins -25

Division MVP – Slash Lawrence
Division Cy Young – Buddy Fleming

What To Expect From Here On Out?

I like everything to stay the same, but the Cardinals will make it interesting in the end. And don’t be surprised if the Astros have a good 10 game stretch where they cut into their huge deficit.

Majors NL East Mid Season Review.

2009-03-22T19:50:00.000-05:00

Here is the majors division by division review of the season through 105 games. Means we are only 57 games away and we have some tight races. The NL East for your viewing pleasure!

Standings
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Cincinnati Red Legs
3. Washington D.C. Nationals
4. Philadelphia Phillies
Through 105 games the Chicago Cubs have a 2.5 game lead over the Cincinnati Reds. 8.5 game lead over the Washington Nationals, and a 18.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies.
NL North Stats Leaders
AVG – Brett Benoit - Reds - .341
HR - Tony Olivo - Reds - 39
RBI – Bob Schoendienst - Reds - 91
2B - Alberto Martin - Cubs - 40
3B - Ed Morris - Phillies - 7
SB – Ed Morris - Phillies - 49
CG – B.C. Almanza and Rich Coppolecchia - Nationals - 2
W - Brian Lee - Reds - 12
K - Nate Goodwin - Cubs - 117
ERA – Felix Lee - Reds – 3.17
SV – Pat Houston - Nationals - 21

Division MVP – Put half the Reds lineup in a hat and pick one.

Division Cy Young – Felix Lee

What To Expect From Here On Out?

Expect the Cubs t keep a strong pace, but watch out for the reds and their electric lineup to take over first in the next few weeks. The Nats and Phillies will fade into the distance finishing 3 and 4th respectively.

Majors NL North Mid Season Review.

2009-03-22T19:26:00.001-05:00

Here is the majors division by division review of the season through 105 games. Means we are only 57 games away and we have some tight races. The NL North for your viewing pleasure!

Standings
1. Pittsburgh Pirates --- 66-38
2. New York Mets --- 59-46
3. Montreal Expos --- 58-46
4. Milwaukee Brewers --- 50-55

Through 105 games the Pittsburgh Pirates have a 7.5 game lead over the NY Mets. 8 game lead over the Expos, and a 16.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers.
NL North Stats Leaders
AVG – Oscar Womack - Montreal Expos - .373
HR - Doc Kingman - NY Mets - 39
RBI – Donaldo Martin - Montreal Expos - 102
2B - Otis Rueter - Milwaukee Brewers - 30
3B -Del Matsui - Pittsburgh Pirates - 10
SB – Davey Owens - Pittsburgh Pirates - 31
CG – 3 Tied with 1 David Zapata, Tony Gabriel, Bobby Lombardi
W - Hector Ramirez and Vernon Garcia - Pittsburgh Pirates - 13
K - Vernon Garcia - Pirates - 125
ERA – Vernon Garcia - Pirates – 1.77
SV – Red Ramirez - NY Mets - 33
Division MVP – Doc Kingman
Division Cy Young – Vernon Garcia

What To Expect From Here On Out?

Expect the Pirates to pull ahead of the Mets and Expos by a bigger lead. Mets and Expos will battle until the end for second place where Doc Kingman carries the Mets. While the Brewers struggle to get to .500 but end up missing it by several games.

Blockbuster Trade Completed

2009-03-22T18:57:00.004-05:00

Breaking News. A blockbuster trade between the NeywYork Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays has been officially ocmpleted and aacpeted by the owners.

Toronto Blue Jays Get:

Rodrigo Barcelo
Toronto
Blue Jays
Age: 27	B/T: R/R
Born: Williston, SC
Position(s): SS/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

And the New York Yankees recieve:

Juan Palacios
New York
Yankees
Age: 22	B/T: S/R
Born: Bajos De Haina, DO
Position(s): RF/1B/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Jon Gonzales
New York
Yankees
Age: 21	B/T: S/R
Born: Delta, UT
Position(s): 2B/1B/LF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Mac Spencer
New York
Yankees
Age: 22	B/T: R/R
Born: Duluth, GA
Position(s): RF/1B/LF/DH
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The trade is sure to shake up the AL North division race as the Blue Jays recieve a great SS to provide some more offense. While the Yankees recieve three prospects who will eventually see time in the Majors. Palacios is rumored to get playing time immediately in the majors.

Majors AL West Mid Season Review.

2009-03-22T01:01:00.001-05:00

Here is the majors division by division review of the season through 102 games. Means we are only 60 games away and we have some tight races. The AL West for your viewing pleasure!

Standings
1. Colorado Rockies --- 60-42
2. Arizona Diamondbacks --- 54-48
3. Seattle Mariners --- 43-59
4. Oakland Athletics --- 42-60

Through 102 games the Colorado Rockies have a 6 game lead over the Arizona D-Backs. A commanding lead of 17 games over the Royals, and a 18 game lead over the Oaklands F’s. As a reminder to all who forgot. GM Russilini of the A’s predicted his team, excuse me guranteed his team would win the division. Nice Call Russ.

Al West Stats Leaders
AVG – Ken Simon - Colorado Rockies - .376
HR - Buddy Collins - Seattle Mariners - 34
RBI – Kory Moreno - Colorado Rockies - 102
2B - Steve Withem - Arizona Diamondbacks - 31
3B –Rico Marin - Arizona Diamondbacks - 9
SB - Ricardo Sosa - Colorado Rockies - 41
R - Kory Moreno - Colorado Rockies - 100
BB - Ken Simon - Colorado Rockies - 60
W - Austin Crandall and Odalis Moreno - 9
CG - Rex Williams - Arizona Diamondbacks - 3
SHO - Rex Williams - Arizona Diamondbacks - 1
K - Ed Gleason - Seattle Mariners - 104
ERA – Sidney Griffin - Oakland A’s – 3.56
SV – Earl Daniels Oakland A’s - 23

Division MVP – Kory Moreno or Ken Simon. Toss Up
Division Cy Young – TBD

What To Expect From Here On Out?

Expect the Rockies to pull way ahead of the pack. And expect the DBacks to keep second place, but watch out for the A’s to take 3rd.

Majors AL South Mid Season Review.

2009-03-22T00:50:00.001-05:00

Here is the majors division by division review of the season through 102 games. Means we are only 60 games away and we have some tight races. The AL South for your viewing pleasure!
Standings
1. Tampa Bay Rays --- 64-38
2. Texas Rangers --- 59-43
3. Louisville Sluggers --- 50-52
4. Kansas City Royals --- 43-59

Through 102 games the Tampa Bay Rays have a 5 game lead over the Texas Rangers, 14 game lead over the Sluggers of Louisville, and a 21 game lead over the Royals.
Al South Stats Leaders
AVG – Christian Keeler - Texas Rangers - .349
HR - Harold Snyder - Louisville Sluggers - 46
RBI – Harold Snyder - Louisville Sluggers - 111
2B - Trevor DeJean - Kansas City Royals - 36
3B –Trevor DeJean - Kansas City Royals - 8
SB - Trevor DeJean - Kansas City Royals - 61
R - Christian Keeler - Texas Rangers - 105
BB - Eli Prieto - Kansas City Royals - 63
W - Curtis Smith - TB Rays - 13
CG - Curtis Smith - TB Rays - 4
SHO - Miguel Moreno Texas Rangers - 2
K - Curtis Smith - TB Rays - 145
ERA – Miguel Moreno - Texas Rangers – 2.30
SV - Terry Whitehill - Louisville Sluggers - 24
Division MVP – Harold Snyder .319BA 46HR 111RBI
Division Cy Young – Its close, but ERA edge gives it to Miguel Moreno 11-4 85Ks 2.30ERA

What To Expect From Here On Out?
Expect the Texas Rangers to creep up on the Rays. But in the end the Rays should hold onto their lead. The Sluggers and Royals remain where they are, and end up falling behind quite a bit.

Majors AL East Mid Season Review.

2009-03-21T20:38:00.002-05:00

Here is the majors division by division review of the season through 102 games. Means we are only 60 games away and we have some tight races. Here is the AL East

Standings
1. Chicago White Sox --- 69-33
2. Boston Red Sox --- 60-42
3. Baltimore Orioles --- 60-42
4. New York Yankees --- 30-72
Through 102 games the Chicago white Sox have a big 9 game lead over the Red Sox, and Orioles. While having a 39 game lead over the Yankees.
Al East Stats Leaders
AVG – Ron Jacobs Boston Red Sox - .383
HR - Ron Jacobs Boston Red Sox - 46
RBI – Ron Jacobs - Boston Red Sox - 115
2B - Troy Parkinson - Boston Red Sox - 33
3B - Damaso Soriano - Boston Red Sox - 6
SB - Lorenzo Sojo - Baltimore Orioles - 29
R - Ron Jacobs Boston red Sox - 108
BB - Ron Jacobs Boston red Sox - 70
W - Kevin Malloy - Chicago White Sox - 14
CG - Hanley Walker - Chicago White Sox - 7
SHO - Hanley Walker - Chicago White Sox - 1
K - Hanley Walker - Chicago White Sox - 147
ERA – Hanley Walker - Chicago White Sox - 3.71
SV - P.T. Wilfredo - Baltimore Orioles - 24

Division MVP – Ron Jacobs
Division Cy Young – Hanley Walker

What To Expect From Here On Out?
You can expect the White Sox to keep their lead over the Os and Red Sox. As for second place expect the Red Sox offense to carry them into second while the Os are close behind.

What If?

What If the Yankees had not started 0-30? What if zhawks had been at the helm all season could they compete? Probably not, but in the 70 or so games Zhawks has been GMing for the Yanks, he has led them to a 30-40 record give or take. A great job goes out to zhawks for his work so far in majors.

Majors AL North Mid Season Review.

2009-03-21T19:39:00.001-05:00

Here is the majors division by division review of the season through 102 games. Means we are only 60 games away and we have some tight races. So lest get to it. We are gonna start it off with the AL North.
Standings
1. Cleveland Indians --- 54-48
2. Toronto Blue Jays --- 53-49
3. Minnesota Twins --- 51-51
4. Detroit Tigers --- 30-72

Through 102 games the Cleveland Indians have a slight 1 game lead over the Blue Jays, and a 3 game lead over the Twins. While having a 24 game lead over the Tigers.
Al North Stats Leaders
AVG - Al Ruiz - Toronto Blue Jays - .353
HR - Al Ruiz - Toronto Blue Jays - 38
RBI - Esteban Furcal - Minnesota Twins - 106
2B - Macbeth Coomer - Minnesota Twins - 30
3B - Dom Gray - Cleveland Indians - 5
SB - Albert Pineiro - Toronto Blue Jays - 27
R - Dom Gray - Cleveland Indians - 84
BB - Al Ruiz Toronto Blue Jays - 78
W - Dicky Owens - Minnesota Twins - 12
CG - Morgan Lawton - Twins and Shannon Sheldon - Blue Jays - 1
SHO - Shannon Sheldon - Toronto Blue Jays - 1
K - Morgan Lawton and Shannon Sheldon - 97
ERA - Shannon Sheldon - Toronto Blue Jays - 3.80
SV - Frank Bong - Cleveland Indians – 18
Division MVP - Esteban Furcal .315 AVG 34 HR 106 RBI 15 SB
Division Cy Young - Shannon Sheldon 9-6, 3.80 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 97 Ks,

What To Expect From Here On Out?
Expect this race for the division to stay close and come down to the very last week. In the end I see the Cleveland Indians pulling this one out by one game over the Blue Jays.

Perfection In Tampa

2009-03-21T18:29:00.002-05:00

Hardball Dynasty's

Miguel Moreno

The buzz was already building around young Rangers ace Miguel Moreno.
At 24 years old and coming off a Cy Young winning season. The 6-2 224 lb righthander from Cabimas, VE put the Majors on notice last night. He's going for an encore.
In a key series with bitter rival Tampa Bay the young gun stepped up to the plate. He then delivered 9 innings of perfection with only 90 pitches thrown and 8 K's while notching his 11th win of the season.

Phillies Deal Felix Lee

2009-03-12T10:35:00.003-05:00

Hardball Dynasty's

Felix Lee

After much interest from several teams and a fierce bidding war. Philadelphia came to a trade agreement to deal SP Felix Lee to the Reds for a package of prospects to relieve payroll stress.

The parameters of the deal send Joey Spradlin,Glenn Benoit & Rico Guerrero for Lee.
The 33 year old is having the best ERA season of his career but his record doesn't show it. He could either be re-signed by the Reds in their playoff march or be allowed to enter FA and become a Type A free agent.

The Hot Stove Returns

2009-03-09T20:16:00.003-05:00

The hot stove returns for your reading pleasure. After a month long absence to bring you the latest majors trade news.

The Baltimore Orioles are shopping superstar slugger Lenny Wigginton. They've made it known that for the right package they could let him fly to a new home. also being shopped is RP Vladimir Telemaco

The Philadelphia Phillies are dangling SP Felix Lee. The 33 year old has garnered interest from up to 16 teams.

The Toronto Bluejays continue their search for SP exploring all options.

The Anaheim Angels are seeking to add several pieces before the deadline. The priority seems to be an elite OF bat but there are rumors they are looking to add a SP as well as a SS.

There is also rumors of a deal brewing between two NL teams for a arm. The teams have yet to come to terms but it is indeed in the preliminary stages of a deal.

The Yanks Are Winless No Longer

2009-02-26T14:10:00.002-06:00

It's finally time to rejoice in yankeeland. After a horrendous start to the season that saw the team get off to a 0-37 start. The team has finally rallied after a midseason owner change to win 2 straight games.

The wins came at a time that was unfortunate for the Toronto Blue Jays. The most embarrassing losses in Blue Jays history cost them the division lead they might never reclaim.

Even more interesting than the wins is the rumblings that the Yanks have now set their sights on Russilini's Oakland Carter King's. Can they turn the tide and slay the King's or will their words come back to haunt them?

Season 11 Predictions

2009-02-12T23:16:00.002-06:00

Preseason Predictions Sure To Go Wrong.

American League
North - Minnesota Twins
East - Boston Red Sox
South - Tampa Bay Rays
West - Oakland A's

National League
North - Montreal Expos
East - Chicago Cubs
South - Atlanta Braves
West - Anaheim Angels

Playoffs
AL
1.Tampa Bay
2.Boston
3.Minnesota
4.Oakland
5.Chicago
6.Baltimore

Chicago d Oakland, Baltimore d Minnesota
Tampa Bay d Chicago, Boston d Baltimore
Tampa Bay d Boston

NL
1.Montreal
2.Atlanta
3.Anaheim
4.Chicago
5.San Francisco
6.Pittsburgh

Anaheim d Pittsburgh, San Francisco d Chicago
Montreal d San Francisco, Atlanta d Anaheim
Atlanta d Montreal

World Series
Tampa Bay Rays d Atlanta Braves

Surprise Teams
AL: Oakland A's
NL: Washington Nationals

It's Just Russ Being Russ

2009-02-09T20:25:00.002-06:00

After putting his foot in his mouth yet again. Oakland A's owner Russilini has garnered himself one more notch in the rival column.

After taking several shots at the Toronto Blue Jays organization in recent days the Jays owner had finally had enough. Calling the A's "A bunch of overpaid gold glover's who will never score enough runs to matter." After further bad words were exchanged between the two owners the commish's office sent out a stern letter of warning to both parties to cease and desist with the snide comments.

Even as the weight of potential suspensions looms over the two opposing GM's the hard feelings still linger and i'm told they plan to settle it all on the field this season.
One thing is certain is this is one key North meets West battle for supremacy.

Another Pitcher To Anaheim

2009-02-06T17:23:00.004-06:00

Breaking news --- This just into our TMI studios. League sources have confirmed that the Angels and the Reds have reached an agreement to send Junior Jacquez to the Angels.

The deal is purported to be Gustavo James & Glenn Benoit in exchange for Junior Jacquez, Vladimir Melo & Hick Christman

The deal adds a elite position prospect to the Reds farm while the Angels grab an elite RP to shore up a shaky bullpen and depth on the bench.

AL West Rivalry Burns To A Scorch

2009-02-06T17:02:00.002-06:00

The budding rivalry between the Oakland Carter King's and the Colorado Stein's has heated to a boiling point.

The offseason chess moves saw Colorado sign Scott Holt & Walter Cashman.
While Oakland countered with super free agent Sidney Griffin,Nick Cedeno & Tony Ortiz.

The war of words has turned downright ugly between the two owners. With both teams fighting for AL West supremacy the rivalry is surely only to get better for the fans but worse for the teams.

It's Official...Well Sort Of

2009-02-06T16:57:00.002-06:00

Breaking news --- The Montreal Expos and the Tampa Bay Rays have according to league sources come to an agreement on a trade.

The proposed deal with send

Hardball Dynasty's

Albert Rodriguez

To the Rays in exchange for

Hardball Dynasty's

Geoff Adcock

The sources have also confirmed that there was a handshake deal in place as early as the trade deadline last season to complete this deal early in season 11 after A-Rod got fully healthy.

One thing is certain, the balance of power in both leagues have been tipped to the teams involved in this trade as it covers weaknesses on both sides.

Teams YOU Should Watch Out For

2009-02-03T23:42:00.000-06:00

Every year in baseball there are surprsies, disapointments, upsets, we knew that wa gonna happens. But we rarely know who in fact these teams are who fulfill these needs. But this year we are bringing you the teams YOU should watch out for. This edition features 2 AL clubs, 1 NL club, and a super sleeper coming out of the Al.

First up are the Texas Rangers.

The Texas Rangers won 97 games last year while only losing 65, and they didnt make the playoffs. But this year could be different for the Rangers. Who could make a push for the playofs by overtaking the Rays. Some key players in the Rangers run this year include home running hitting, RBI machine
Vin Colome who needs to have another spectacular season in order for the Rangers to take down the rays. Christian Keeler also needs to have a big year offensively for the Rangers. If both players do put up big numbers, then the Rangers are sure to take down the Rays. The Rangers have an electric pitching staff including Miguel Moreno who is the reigning Cy Young winner. In conclusion if the Rangers stars can duplicate last years success, and with some help from the role players, the Rangers will be sitting atop the Al South

The Anaheim Angels finished 83-79 last year finishing 15 games behind their heated and hated rivals the San Fransico Giants. This offseason has been an active one for GM deaconsoule, as the Angels have bolstered their roatation by aquiring Wayne Jones and Vicente Espinosa from the Blue Jays, and Royals respectively. The Angels staff last year was less than impressive and was considered their biggest weakness. GM deaconsoule was quoted as saying "we are not done" and we can only assume, that the Angels are not done this offseason. Along with their pitching staff Augie Easley and the rest of the starting lineup will be key in the Angels chances this year. So with some luck, some good ball playing, and a little black magic the Anaheim Angels could be sitting atop of their heated rivals once the season is all said and done.

The Oakland Athletics finsished the seasn 73-89, a whooping 19 games behind the Rockies. Everyone would say that A's GM russilni is a loud mouth, and too confident in his under achieving teams. But this year, he may actually be able to backup what he is saying. We all know the A's have Carter King but thats all we really know. This offseason the A's went out with one goal in mind, and that was to sign 2 big FAs that will carry them to the divsion title. Although some believe they over paid for them, no one is doubting that the signings of Nick Cedeno and Sidney Griffin are huge. Pair those two with King, and Austin Crandall and the A's are looking very good to take down the Rockies. Not to mention the Rockies have a worried look on their face.

And now our super sleeper of the year.

The Toronto Blue Jays were horrendous last year. Winning only 49 games, and finishing 44 games back of the Twins. Some even went as far as saying former GM jimedcrew tanked the season. But after Indiansrck27s hiatus into exploring his college basketball coaching abilities, he has returned and already brought new life into this team. GM indiansrck27 was quoted as saying "This team is not a 49 win team, were just too good for that. This team last year had 80+ win talent. Something fishy went on last year. This year I can gurantee we win many more games." The Blue Jays have made some key moves this offseason leading some to agree that this team is a sleeper to take the AL North. Promoting Stud SP Shannon Sheldon, trading for a new MIF featuring Ray Malone and Angel Espinoza. And the signing of FA Matty Henderson all have the baseball world chatting. Not to mentionm the blue Jays look to add another SP through trading, or the Rule V draft. If all the cards fall into place for the Blue Jays we are looking at a very dangerous team who could very well take the division.

Big Names On The Move

2009-02-03T19:47:00.002-06:00

Breaking news --- The news just in this hour is that a potential blockbuster trade has taken place.

The Anaheim Angels and the San Diego Padres have agreed to swap OF Karim Ozuna for SP Neifi Lee. In deal expected to cover weaknesses on both teams.

Angels Deal For Another SP

2009-02-02T11:27:00.002-06:00

Breaking news --- League sources have confirmed that the Anaheim Angels have acquired another SP this offseason.

The Angels have reached an agreement to send their #1 prospect Yonder Valenzuela & Vincente Beltran to Kansas City for 25 year old SP Vicente Espinosa.

The deal is pending league approval and physicals by the players.

This would leave the Angels with a projected opening day rotation of Brace Lloyd,Rob Flanagan,Wayne Jones,Vincente Espinosa & Tony Castillo

A Second Ace Moves In The Offseason

2009-02-01T21:31:00.003-06:00

Breaking news --- League sources have just informed the TMI studios that the Toronto Bluejays and the Anaheim Angels have reached a 4 player deal that send Ace Wayne Jones to Anaheim.

the parameters of the deal are:
Toronto sends - Wayne Jones

Anaheim sends - Del Miranda, Juan Palacios & Luis Beltran

The deal is of course pending physicals by the players involved and league approval of the contracts.

The whispers around the league are that despite dealing for Jones the Angels still plan to be active in chasing 2-3 more starters this offseason to shore up a gaping weakness from last season.

Oakland A's Make a Big Splash

2009-02-01T18:41:00.002-06:00

Sidney Griffin
Oakland
Athletics
Age: 28	B/T: L/L
Born: Tracy, CA
Position(s): P (P)
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The Oakland A's made a big move in free agency today. Agreeing to a 5 year 100 million dollar deal with the top free agent on the market in Sidney Griffin.
"I had several suitors but the opportunity to join a budding organization such as the A's was a big plus. And my 4 year old is a huge Carter King fan." Said Griffin in a phone interview earlier today.

Perspective from the cellar

2009-01-31T21:25:00.003-06:00

It seems so long since the Los Angeles Dodgers were relevant in the National League West. They won the division title in Season 4, slipping past jclarkbaker's budding San Francisco Giants in the first round before succumbing to viperhoops' Florida Marlins in the second. They claimed a Wild Card berth in Season 7, but lost in four games to the Charlotte Black Knights.

That, in a nutshell too small to be seen with the naked eye, is it. The trophy case is bare, a haven for spiders rather than the sport's ultimate hardware. While the defending world champion Giants have averaged 103 wins over six consecutive division-winning seasons since the Season 4 playoff loss, the Dodgers have averaged nearly 78 -- and that average took a beating with Season 10's franchise-worst 62-100 mark.

The Dodgers rely on barely-above-average pitching from a staff led by veteran lefty Wiki De La Vega (11-11, 3.82 ERA last season) and have been waiting for Carlos Sosa (4-14, 4.38) and Jack Dunston (10-10, 3.92) to mature past the growing-pains stage. Alberto Olivares (7-14, 3.98) deserved better, but his best efforts were consistently undermined. Octavio Calles (5-5, 3.94, mainly in long relief) may be ready to step up and claim a spot in the rotation, and will be given the chance to prove himself in spring training, for whatever that experience is worth.

Below-average fielding and hitting must be addressed before the Dodgers can think of contending. They were among the league's five worst in both categories last season. That's a problem; good-hit, good-glove players are hard to find in abundance or without prohibitive cost, and that's just what the Dodgers need.

The Dodgers are long in the tooth at key spots -- solid catcher J.J. Eaton (.266-19-55) and second baseman Michael Edmonds (.262-7-30) are both 37. Paul Winston, 36, who vetoed a trade to the Yankees two seasons ago and lived to regret it, may have to close again. The rest of the roster doesn't excite, though if chicks dig the long ball, the Dodgers can showcase 1B Sammy Terrero (30 homers last season), 3B Roy Charles (28), SS Ernest Mann (24) and jack-of-all-trades Tori Dickson (24).

Among those showing promise are 2B Pedro Lorenzo (.293-5-24), LF Brent Hoover (.311-11-43) and Damon Negebauer (.302-9-29). SS Daryle Rogers may get a chance to show his stuff after batting .300 in extremely limited expanded-roster time last season. But those are bright spots in a sea of darkness and it'll probably be a while before the light truly shines in L.A.

Blockbuster Brewing?

2009-01-31T18:30:00.003-06:00

Breaking news ---- This just into our TMI studios.
League sources have informed us that the Tampa Bay Rays and the Montreal Expos are working on a deal to send Albert Rodriguez to the Rays for a as of yet undisclosed package.
Reportedly the deal will take place as soon as Rodriguez can be activated from the DL and fully healthy.
Stayed tuned for up to the minute news on everything Majors.

Never A More Heated Rivalry?

2009-01-28T15:27:00.002-06:00

The past between the Anaheim Angels and the San Francisco Giants is a storied one.
Never have they been friends, never equals nor even friendly.
It is a bitter past indeed. The Angels once a proud and storied franchise that did nothing but win. clinching 2 WS berths and 3 consecutive division titles while in Colorado before succumbing to poor ownership and personnel moves. Then in season 7 with a franchise on the brink of collapse GM Deaconsoule took over the franchise and sought to rid the NY Knickian franchise of all bloated contracts. Reshaping them as a build from within franchise and making it known the goal was to topple the juggernaut formed in San Francisco by GM jclarkbaker.

At first there was no afterthought given to the fledgling franchise by the Giants GM. Until the franchise dared show up in their backyard by moving to Anaheim and then to boldly proclaim they would end the reign of the Giants. Now in season 11 the rivalry has come to a head.

Hostilities continue to build as the Angels and Giants begin their 5th season in the same division and the fuel on the fire has been intensified by the Giants bringing home their first WS championship. With the Giants claiming they now have no issue with trading with the Angels after a long standing rule of not trading within the division. "That is my personal rule. But if I am not afraid of the other player in my division, I can waive it." Said jclarkbaker as he chomped down on a famous Stanley's Steamers Hot Dog.

Word got back to the Angels GM who had previously angered Giants management by signing away young bench coach Norm Pride in season 9. "They can keep their decrepit scrubs, we'll destroy them this season."

The rivarly was non existent, then bitter and heated...now it's almost a war.

Majors Hot Stove Report #1

2009-01-28T13:02:00.003-06:00

Things are sizzling already on the hot stove this offseason. We here at the TMI studios are working the phone lines to bring you the up to date news from around the Majors.

The Toronto Bluejays have made it known they will be shopping Wayne Jones,Malcolm May,Francisco Tejada,Rich Edwards & others around for prospects this offseason.
The plan reportedly is to shed payroll and focus on building through the draft and international free agency.

The Anaheim Angels who are coming off their best record since season 2. Have put uber prospect slugger Del Miranda up for auction to the highest bidder that returns a potential ace of staff to them.

The San Francisco Giants aka the defending world champions. Are said to be seeking to add a strong setup man to their leaky pen. They also will look to gain some prospects from their aging veterans through trade.

There will be much more to come as the hot stove burns.

Welcome To The New Guys

2009-01-25T16:07:00.003-06:00

The Majors world is proud to welcome the following owners for season 11.

AL South
Kansas City Royals - grantj

AL West
Arizona Diamondbacks - Canam1
Seattle Mariners - jamacanheat

We hope you continue the long standing tradition of excellent and dedicated owners.

New Season, New Look

2009-01-24T19:40:00.002-06:00

To coincide with the new season set to kick off in the near future. We here at the MJI have undertaken a reformatting of the style of this blog. We hope this new more "chic" style will attract new viewers while enhancing the already enjoyable experience.

All the best
- DBC Inc. Mgmt.

GM Of The Year Award

2009-01-18T09:20:00.002-06:00

Congrats goes out to cinnigirl as she takes home this season's GM of the year award
Improving her Tampa Bay franchise from 98-64 club to a astonishing 110-52 record.
Including a WS berth but falling victim to a very game San Fran ballclub.

Season 10 Crowns A New Champion

2009-01-18T09:17:00.001-06:00

San Francisco Giants (NL)
jclarkbaker
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The San Francisco Giants captured their first world series title defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1.

The Home Stretch

2009-01-04T19:22:00.002-06:00

159 games have come and gone. Placed in the annals of history as a mere afterthought.
The National League has all of it's seeds in place. But the American League playoff race will come down to the wire.

Wildcard race
Texas Rangers(97-62) - Winners of 2 straight and have a 3 game set @ Kansas City(71-88)
Texas comes into this series tied with the Boston Red Sox for the final wildcard spot.
On paper it would seem to be a easy series victory coming up for Texas. However the season series belongs to KC who is 5-1 vs the Rangers this season.

Boston Red Sox(97-62) - Coming off a 17-2 win over the Chicago White Sox which gave the Baltimore Orioles(103-56) a one game lead in the AL East. Boston heads into this crucial series with the fate of 4 teams potentially resting in their hands. If they get swept then it assures Baltimore of their 10th straight division title. Boston is one of the few teams Baltimore has a losing record against. Leading the season series 4-3.

AL East
Baltimore Orioles(103-56) - Coming off a 3 game sweep of the New York Yankees. This team holds a slim 1 game advantage over Chicago in the AL East. They had into one of the biggest dogfights of their existence. They face off with a Boston Red Sox(97-62) team fighting for their playoff lives as well as faltering in the season series 3-4.

Chicago White Sox(102-57) -This team might be the hottest in the Majors right now.
They have used a 16-4 record over their last 20 games to close the gap and make this division the most interesting race in the Majors. For the winner a #2 seed and a first round bye. For the loser a #5 WC spot and a date with #4 seed. They head into this series with the New York Yankees(62-97) a team they are 5-2 against one the season just one game out ofthe AL East lead.

Playoff seeding
Minnesota Twins(90-69) - With their division already clinched the Twins roll into Cleveland(84-75) winners of 3 in a row. Their spot in the playoffs is secure. The thing they have to play for now is the right to be the #3 seed. Possessing a 1 game lead over Colorado currently while facing a divison rival. They however own the advantage leading 4-3 over Cleveland in the season series.

Colorado Rockies(89-70) - Having locked up the division title several games ago. The Rockies are currently trailing Minnesota by a game in the race for the #3 seed.
The Rockies lead the season series 4-3.

The only two battles in the NL are to determine which team draws seed #5 and which is #6. As well as the fight for the NL East crown between Atlanta & Florida.

Pittsburgh Pirates(89-70) - Heads into #1 seed Montreal's(103-56) home park.
Pitt is locked into the playoffs. They can be no worse than 6th but no better than 5th.
Pittsburgh trails the season series 3-4

Florida Marlins(90-69) - Goes into this important series with the division title on the line with every game played. Atlanta(88-71) has come back from the brink to close within 2 games.
Florida leads the season series 4-3.

Atlanta Braves(88-71) - Faces with division foe Florida(90-69) for the division crown.
Atlanta is assured of a playoff berth. But they seek to claim the division crown as they're 2 games back with 3 to go.
Atlanta trails the season series 3-4.

American League Scenario
1.Tampa Bay*
2.Baltimore Orioles(p)
3.Minnesota Twins(p)
4.Colorado Rockies(p)
5.Chicago White Sox(p)
6.Boston Red Sox

Tie Breakers
AL East - Should Baltimore tie with Chicago then the White Sox would win the AL EAST. As they hold a 6-4 record in H2H.
#3 Seed - Should Minnestoa tie with Colorado; The Rockies would win the via a 4-3 record H2H.
#6 Seed WC - Should Texas tie with Boston; The Redsox would claim the WC spot via the 6-4 record H2H.

National League Scenario
1.Montreal Expos*
2.San Francisco Giants*
3.Florida Marlins(p)
4.Chicago Cubs*
5.Pittsburgh Pirates(p)
6.Atlanta Braves(p)

Tie Breakers
NL East - Should Chicago and Philidelphia tie; Then it gets really interesting. They each won 5 of the 10 game season series. Which would mean it would allow Philly the advantage as they own a 16-11 record vs that of Chitown which is 14-13. With both facing division foes to end the season Chicago has to win 1 to clinch and avoid the tie breakers.

NL South - Should Atlanta tie with Florida; The Marlins would win due to a current 4-3 season series record.

#5 WC - Should Pittsburgh end in a tie with Atlanta; Atlanta would claim the #5 spot due to a 8-2 season series record. Should Atlanta win the South and they tie with Florida instead then the Marlins would claim #5 with a 7-3 season series win.

(p) - In playoffs but seed as yet to be determined.
* - Locked into playoff seed.
Italic - Currently in the playoffs but could be knocked out.

The Race For The Playoffs - National League

2008-12-26T13:53:00.002-06:00

Tick tock, the sounds of the season ticking away. Precious second winding down. The frustration of being left out, the pure joy of being a winner. Polarizing games and shining moments to define not only a season. But to define a legacy.

There are just 30 games remaining. 30 statements to be made. 30 Chances to prove that you belong.

The races are tight. The fueds are bitter and the desparation building to a boiling point.
Only time will tell who truly belong as the playoffs prove everything.

NL North
The Expos are brimming with confidence heading into the last stretch. They hold a 9 game lead over the Pirates and are likely to clinch their first division title and playoff berth in franchise history.

NL East
A full on 4 team race to first place. Every team has an equal shot to win it. Chicago is still reeling from the WS loss but they hold the 2 game edge over the Philadelphia Phillies. But just 4 and 5 games separate Washington and Cincinnati respectively. It's anyone's to win but it seems no one really wants to.

NL South
Just 3 games separate the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves for the division title. This one will be one of the more intriguing races to watch. The winner makes the playoffs and takes the crown but if thing play out right the loser could lock up a WC berth.

NL West
San Francisco looks primed to lock up their 6th straight NL West crown. With an 8 game lead only a choke job the size of their recent playoff woes or that of futility vs the Rockies earlier this season. Would appear to be able to stop them. One thing is certain, the 3 game set vs Anaheim to end the season will have great playoff implications one way or another.

Predictions
1.Montreal Expos
2.San Francisco Giants
3.Florida Marlins
4.Chicago Cubs
5.Pittsburgh Pirates
6.Anaheim Angels or Atlanta Braves

The Race For The Playoffs - American League

2008-12-26T13:19:00.003-06:00

The playoff picture is becoming more and more crystal clear going into the last chunk of the HBD season.
With most teams having just 30 games remaining on their respective schedules. The playoffs truly begin in earnest now. It can only be described as a best of 30 series to find out just who deserves: wants, needs or bleeds the possibility of winning a championship more.
Anything can happen once your in, from a dynasty dominating it's way to superiority not seen since the Ching dynasty or an upset so shocking the battle that inspired the film 300 would pale in comparison to.

One thing is certain, there will be winners who rejoice and there will be loser who cry while waiting again for next year.

AL North
The tightest race in the AL not named wildcard. The Minnesota Twins hold a 2 game lead currently. On paper the strongest franchise is the Twins but those Cleveland Indians are a scrappy bunch that refuses to let up.

AL East
This is the craziest race in the Majors. 3 teams with a shot at the title. 3 teams with a chance to make the playoffs. Which is why only 2 might make. Baltimore and their Selmer led greatness vie for their 10th straight division crown. Boston has the greatest chance to knock the armed with balance and Ron Jacobs. Their 3 games back with a chance to make things very interesting.
The final hoss in the equation is the defending champion Chicago Whitesox. They will go as far as their pitching staff can carry them.

AL South
Tampa has the division title all but sewn up with a 13 game lead over Texas. They are always likely to guide themselves to the #1 overall seed and a 1st round bye. Texas is still in the playoff hunt but will need a strong finish.

AL West
The move to Colorado has served Richelle & the boys well. They will likely clinch their first division title and playoff berth since season 8. Up 12 games on the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Predictions
1.Tampa Bay
2.Baltimore
3.Colorado
4.Minnesota
5.Boston
6.Chicago Over Texas in a dogfight

Interleague Rivalry Brewing

2008-11-30T18:28:00.002-06:00

Colorado Rockies GM richelle finally responded to comments that the Rockies offense was greatly overrated.

"He's an idiot with oral diarrhea. That's all i'm going to say on the subject." Chelle said after the team's 5-2 win Sunday night to complete the 3 game sweep.

San Francisco Giant GM jclarkbaker made the comments last Tuesday when asked what he thought of the Rockies hot start.

"Your kidding me right? There playing in Colorado with a DH. We'll see how good that offense is playing without a DH in a ballpark at sea level." He went on to say "I look foward to having them come to our park."

"I guess we found out who was overrated. Only thing i will say is 2 things and they are the only ones that matter." Chelle said. When further pressed on the issue "25-5 and 3-0, lets hear him talk now." All said with a big grin on his face.

jclarkbaker refused to comment, saying only "Get that camera out of my face." While exiting the building.

Huge Trade On The Horizon

2008-11-23T18:59:00.002-06:00

Breaking news ----

This just in to the MI studio's.
The Anaheim Angels and Washington Nationals have agreed on terms of a trade sending superstar OF BJ Stocker to Anaheim.

Exact specifics of the trade are not known yet but a league source with knowledge of the deal has said that the following players will change teams.
Receives

B.J. Stocker
Washington D.C.
Nationals
Age: 26	B/T: R/R
Born: Boyceville, WI
Position(s): RF/1B/LF
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

& Mo Seneca.

Washington receives uber prospect

Benj Peters
Anaheim
Angels
Age: 20	B/T: L/R
Born: Terre Hill, PA
Position(s): SS
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

, Pat Houston & Jayson Stewart

This potential blockbuster player exchange could shift the balance of two different divisions.

Just Venting...

2008-10-26T18:39:00.002-05:00

Normally i don't do this but at this time i feel the need.

As a player who loves to wheel and deal when it's opportune situation for improvement.
I must say there is nothing i hate more than someone telling you that you don't know what your player or prospect is worth.

It's one thing to say that "wow that's too steep a price" or even "you must really think alot of that guy". It's another thing however to basically be told that because of a track record or previous success, you should be willing to deal a player you like better in the long term for someone the other GM feels fits your team better.

Generally the person who knows your team best is you since your building it tirelessly through the seasons and hoping to make it into a championship winning juggernaut. So when another GM feels the need to tell me what's best for my players, franchise & season i think to myself.

If you feel strongly enough to tell me i overvalue that player then it means all the more reason why i don't need to trade him. Because either you know the player is going to be a stud & you'll have him for cheap. Or you've locked in on him for other reasons.

Either way i know what's best for my team. If someone else doesn't like it i could frankly not care but i will this. You can kiss it not to left, not to right...but right in the groove. (_|_)

Aaah i feel better now

Big Ron Jacobs signs long-term

2008-10-25T08:39:00.003-05:00

Boston--After brief negotiations, the Boston Red Sox announced last night that they had avoided arbitration by agreeing to a long-term contract with 2-time MVP Ron Jacobs.

Jacobs, a 25-year old Mississippi native, agreed to $7.6M for each of the next 5 years. The deal is reportedly packed with incentives and fringe benefits, and an unnamed source says that the notoriously temperamental Jacobs will have his own hot tub in the clubhouse.

Jacobs was the #6 overall pick in the season 3 draft, and though fresh out of high school, rose quickly through the minors, arriving in Burlington (pre-move to Boston) about 1/3 of the way through season 5. Jacobs already has collected 4 Silver Sluggers, 2 All-Star appearances, 2 MVPs, and a Home Run Derby Championship. With 261 career HRs at age 25, many expect that Jacobs, with excellent health and makeup, to hold the world's career HR record for a generation.

Reached for comment this morning, Jacobs said, "A lot of guys will BS you and say that big money doesn't mean anything without a World Series ring. But I'll tell you that I'm thrilled about finally making decent money after single-handedly carrying this team to the playoffs the last two years. This contract isn't Curtis Smith money, but I'm going to buy my mama a new house, buy myself a Porsche and a new penthouse condo, and well, lets just put it this way: I expect I'll be getting the finest tail in Boston on a regular basis."

GM Of The Year Award

2008-10-21T19:54:00.002-05:00

And the award goes too...

Chicago White Sox gm gydk. The Majors Awards committee would like to thank all the nominees for their effort & thank all the voters for choosing to make their voice heard.

Overall Voting Results
1.gydk
2.selmer
3.cinnigirl
4.dspahlinger
5.eblake
6.jclarkbaker
7.santorules
8. jceffali

1st Place Voting Results
1.gydk
2.cinnigirl
3.dspahlinger
3.eblake
4.selmer
4.jclarkbaker

Voting Changes Things

2008-10-18T10:47:00.002-05:00

GM Of The Year Voting Update ----

Well well well, how interesting this voting has turned out.
We go from a surefire surprise blowout to a 3 way tie at the top.
Who will win? only you know.

And Then There Were 3

2008-10-17T19:38:00.002-05:00

Toronto Blue Jays (AL)
jimedcrew
View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The vacancy in Toronto has been filled by 5 season experienced jimedcrew.
He brings enthusiasm and excitement to the job as well as rekindling the world series aspirations of the Toronto fans.
Welcome to the Majors, the tough part begins now.

GM Of The Year

2008-10-16T17:05:00.002-05:00

With season 10 gearing up for a run we now craft an award that has been in high demand since the Insider's inception.
There is a list of 28 candidates each which the exact same chance of winning. You vote, you decide, you have the power to make your voice heard.

There is no preset criteria for this award. It is simply who you think did the best job this past season. The nominations have begun to pour in. Who will win? Only you know.

Team Openings For Season 10

2008-10-16T13:33:00.002-05:00

Hear ye! Hear Ye! The court of the honorable D. Richter is now in session.
The Majors is rolling into season 10 & there are 4 squads available for checkout.
All are in the AL(such bums they are)

AL North
Formerly The Toronto Bluejays
A intriguing opening this season. a 85-77 season previously with a chance to improve.

Hardball Dynasty's

Wayne Jones

leads a effective pitching staff that includes Ruben Vallarta with a likelyhood to improve upon last season. Stud slugger Al Ruiz leads the offense which can only get better.
Season 8 #1 pick Shannon Sheldon could be added to the pitching staff but if not he definitely owns the distinction of being the top prospect in the system & perhaps the top pitching prospect in the majors. Season 8 IFA Dario Lee provides depth in the system as well.

AL South
Formerly The KC Royals
A contender in a tough division after a 85-77 rebound year last season the future looks bright as this team is primed for a run in season 10. Take your pick of the best player on their major league roster.

Hardball Dynasty's

Eli Prieto

Vicente Espinosa & Lonnie Sweeney look to improve upon their numbers from last season and hope to guide this team to the playoffs and beyond.

Season 9 #1 overall pick Henry Walls along with IFA bonus baby Carlos Cruz add to a already stocked farm system.

Formerly The OKC Redhawks
A dismal 58-104 season looms large for the club heading into next season.
Luckily the team still has high hopes for the tandem of

Hardball Dynasty's

Posiedon Ball

& Charlie Beckwith to guide their offense.

But there is much hope for the future of a once proud franchise that has yet to recover from the season 8 debacle. The season 8 triumvirite of Al Ramirez, Daniel Ramsay & Rheal Lange along with season 9 additions Bret Corder(#4 overall pick), Fernando Lopez, P.T. Johnson & Pedro Velazquez give the fans a glimpse of what the return to glory could be like.

AL West
Formerly The Colorado Rockies
A 75-87 squad last season lead by 24 y/0 stud hitter

Hardball Dynasty's

Darryl Hammonds

on the major league side of things.

Ismael Santayana Is the best pitcher on the ML staff. Converting a career high 42 of 49 saves a season ago.

In the minors season 8 & 9 draftees Ed Gleason & Tony Walbeck lead the class of prospects.

Will Wonders Never Cease?

2008-10-11T20:38:00.003-05:00

79 seasons, 48 playoffs, 3 WS losses. Now finally the time has come.
GM Gydk in his 80th season has captured his 1st world series title.
After sweeping a scrappy Arizona club in the 1st round they were forced with a hellacious task. They dethroned the evil empire in round 2 with a stunning 3-1 upset. While in the ALCS they were taken to the limits of their abilities by a very tough & game Tampa squad.
But it has arrived. The time is now as the Chicago White Sox have captured the Majors season 9 WS championship. Ladies and gentlemen believe it now because the Sox are your WS champions.

Here We Go Again

2008-10-10T21:34:00.002-05:00

Finally the Cubs have returned to the world series. But now they find themselves in a 0-2 hole to their cross town rivals.

Up 2-0 in game one they suffered a demoralizing loss after ace Chuck Shea gave up 4 runs in the 7th to see the Chisox take a 1-0 series lead & send Cubs fans sulking.

In game 2 the gut wrenching game 1 loss was still fresh in the Minds of Cubs players. "We played like we didn't even care in that game" Said star 1B Hector Sosa.

If the Cubs hope to turn it around they will have to forge ahead on the road and string together some consistency.

The whitesox obviously belief the series to be over as the skipper was seen smoking a Bolivar Coronas Gigantes. This is known as his victory run when he's sure of a win. He was even heard shouting "Those damn losers can't win a brown bag after a purchase at the grocery store."

Food For Thought

2008-10-08T13:06:00.002-05:00

1908....100 years ago since it has happened. 1908....or more specifically October 14th in 1908. That was the last time the Chicago Cubs won the prestigious world series title. There have been world wars, nazi's, presidential assassinations, the death of Kennedy's, watergate, energy crises & economic woes.

But is there a pain more unflinching, a feeling better accentuated than that of a Cubs fan spent waiting for the world series to come. since the Cubs last won a world series title there have been 31 former players to have earned their place in history as a world series winner.

So now as we sit mere hours away from the Cubs potentially clinching a spot in the Majors world series against their cross town rival the Chicago Whitesox. We have to wonder will season 9 be the year when Cubs fans can finally rejoice and bask in the glory of a world series victory.

The Pittsburgh pirates certainly hope to give the Majors an answer of no but they'll have to win game 6 to force a game 7 and stop the sure thing cross town war in the WS.

Point - Counter Point

2008-09-05T19:55:00.003-05:00

Welcome all to a brand new feature to the blog. We'll be bringing it to you in weekly installments. What we seek to do is bring issues, ideas and theories to the forefront. It's my hope that you'll find this informative on both sides of the fence.

The very first topic we will cover is the controversial subject of scouting.

Let us first address scouting in the real MLB.
In true pro scouting you have a "Director of scouting" normally part of your front office staff. Generally with some sort of VP title and climbing the ladder toward becoming a general manager in the future.
They would usually assemble a team of 2-3 scouts that they trust to scour their region or area. They follow certain prospects and keep notes on them as well as projecting their tools on a 20-80 scale. A score of 50 is judged to be Major league average or borderline for ML potential. It used judge as a present and future grade of the prospect's "tools" or abilities. This gap is normal closed as the player gets older and closer to reaching the graded potential. Universally accepted as the tools for position players are hitting, hitting for power, speed, defense, and throwing arm, classically known as the 5 tools.
For a pitcher the tools most observed and critiqued are command, movement and speed of each of their pitches. Other potential tools considered are makeup(mental approach, poise, character, maturity and etc), fielding, ability to maintain health and signability.

There is a dramatic drop off in major leagues for each tool. the scale can be look at as such.
45 equates to below average, 50 above average, 60 as "plus", 70 as "plus plus" and finally 80 as simply a 80. Due to it's rarity the grade of 80 has no scale nickname as very few players in the world possess this ability. The 2 most seen 80 scale grades are that of a pitcher's fastball and of a hitter's speed. Still rare as a graded tool but no completely uncommon.

Many players tools fall close to the average grade that some scouts use the terms "fringe-average" and "solid-average" to describe the minus and plus side of players just below consideration of a certain grade.

They also look at what's deemed as a position profile for the player. This includes current build, future frame potential, defensive skillset(range, glove, accuracy and arm strength). If i player fits in between a certain position, he is usually deemed as a tweener. Meaning he is not great enough at the position to play one set position, but is a quality enough fielder to play multiple ones.

After breaking down and critiquing each tool using the set scale, the scout must then determine future potential grades. Once taken into account and averaged the scout comes up with what's called a preliminary OFP(or more commonly unadjusted Overall Future Potential). Once this is done the scout uses the number as a guide, they then adjust the number taking their judgement and other factors into account. The finished product gives the higher ups a full scouting of the players tools, their makeup, scouts full opinion of their potential value to the club, all into just one number. The most important number in scouting. The final OFP(known as adjusted Overll Future Potential).

A scout can start tracking a player as early as their freshman year in high school or even sometimes as early as little league. Some build relationships with the player, his family or his advisor/future agent. Their job is to keep track of the player's overall development and invest the time into securing the trust of the player should the club deem him a worthy pick in the future. This at times can lead to either being able to sign a "signability" player who is seen to be leaning towards going to college. Used to convince a high ceiling collegiate player to sign for less than their true "scouted"(or future) worth. This can also sometimes lead to finding a player that other teams overlook or simply don't know about due to lack of them scouting said player. At times this can lead to a "gem" being found and signed for alot less while truly address a talent need.

A scouts job is never done. They are on the go and mostly the road 365 days a year. Constantly scouting, grading and in effect recruiting for their clubs just for the chance to allow their organization to draft the next superstar.

In contrast to the MLB approach to scouting in hardball dynasty you normally have a team of 3 scouts, who depending on how much you have placed in their scouting budget can find many quality players. They can also miss quite a few. Whereas in the MLB every team has scouted all the known top prospects for several years and know their likely potential in and out.
In HBD you are faced with the challenge of budgeting a certain amount of you 185 million dollar cap to cover the amount of scouting. In essence the game forces you to do in simulated months what it takes most MLB scouts years to find out.
Your payroll for these areas will determine not only how many the report will actually let you see. But also which area the majority of your talent will come from.

To put it in a simpler form...The game forces you to spend a good amount on scouting to give the advantage to the teams who will pour money into their scouting budgets. If Team A spends 40 million in total draft scouting and is allowed to see all but 5 of the high end players in the draft pool, but Team B spends only 6 million and sees the same then it take out the element of strategy from the game.
Putting more into scouting is much the same of a owner pouring money into his MLB ballclub to improve it every season by getting the best talent in all areas. Maybe even like taking the time to use resources to improve your own HBD club. Some spend hours pouring over every facet of the game to improve. Others will use sabermetrics, some spreadsheets and still even more just by gut feeling.

There is no right or wrong way to scout players. You will never see everyone no matter how much you poor into the budget. This is done to script the hidden gem element of the real MLB draft. It is not meant to discourage or torment owners, it is meant to invoke more realism.
Much the same if you surround your pitching staff with all 100 rated fielding shortstops.
Short stop is a error inherent position and as such the degree of difficulty in not making a error is such that even a great fielder will make a couple every now and then.

So think of the draft as a error in fielding your team of the future. You don't always make routine the play.

I have been informed of a theory by several owners that it is at times better to gear the budget more towards a heavy dose of high school scouting. Taking into account prior league drafts over a period of 5 or more seasons in certain worlds, the talent pool for the high school players was wider in high ceiling players than that of the college players. While at times the lower scouting college scouting forced them to miss out on more polished and major leauge ready guys. The superstar/franchise types were a majority of the time in the high school arena. This method forced them to miss out on between 15-100 draftable college players. With 6-10 being solid to superstar first round talents(depending upon the range of scouting from 0-10).
While using the same technique for high school it was shown that the gap was much wider in that they missed out on between 45-200 draftable players and 25-40 high end talents.
I've never tested the theory myself but based upon the results it'll be something to keep in mind in the future.

This is the mange, signing off

The Great Debate

2008-09-04T17:31:00.001-05:00

There is a important issue among us today.
An issue which has plagued the Hardball Dynasty community
for some time now.
it is something that has caused hours of stressful budget reshuffling.
Been the source of broken homes. Even torn the sanity of some.

This issue my fellow owners is a simple one...
What is the best way to handle arbitration cases?

Don't laugh because this is a serious issue. There has been many a discussion on this subject, some good and others bad.
A player is eligible for arbitration if he has accrued 3 seasons of major league experience but no more than 5. The case if not settled before the scheduled hearing will be heard before a independent party. Both sides will then present there case citing reasons the player should be paid X amount of money. The two sides will then submit offers(really almost more bids than anything else), The arbitrator will take into account previous salary, league average for similar players, player demands and finally the clubs final offer. Once the arbitrator has made his decision both sides are obliged to follow the figure of the 1 year deal.

This can be a rewarding exercise to follow. Starting in year 3 let us say you have your young franchise shortstop up for arbitration. His salary break down like this.
Last Year: $327,000
League Average: $4,579,000
Player Demands: $3,780,000
Long Term Contract Demands: 5 years $32,500,000($6,500,000 x5)
You say i don't want to talk long term just yet. Let's go to arbitration.
The hearing rolls around and you win with a new salary of $1,275,000. A savings of $2,505,000
for the season. Quite a win is it not? Fast foward to last arbitration season with the same player
Last Year: $8,900,000
League Average: $8,800,000
Player Demands: $11,500,000
Long Term Contract Demands: 5 years $49,000,000($9,800,000 x 5)
By waiting you saved approximately $8,221,200. Roughly 1,300,000 first year salary with a 15% increase over a 3 year period equating to $4,309,500 over 3 years. Assuming a 15% increase in demands for a total of $12,530,700 over 3 years. This formula assumes you've defeated the player each time.

So you've managed your cheap years just as you wanted to. But now you see that instead of locking up the player young. You've now let the process play out and Will be faced with one of three options. The first is paying the player his long term demands thus costing an extra $16,500,000($3,300,000 more per season). The second is taking the player to arbitration one last time and assuming you win once more(as the above formula shows)run the risk of the player refusing to re-sign with you before free agency. Which could lead to a bidding war you can't afford to win. The last would be taking the player to arbitration once more and losing thus being forced to pay him his $11,500,000 demands and still possibly losing him to free agency.

The process is not always cut and dry. You can save now and pay later or you can pay now and let him walk later when he's older and potentially declining. But at this point the player would still likely garner you a type A pick. The way you handle it is strictly up to your strategy and team philosophy on building a dynasty. There's the prove and then we'll pay method employeed by many a owner. And then there's the Evan Longoria approach, in that we'll pay now for future success to save money for other players down the road.

It's up to you to do what you do. This is the Mange signing off.

This article is also posted on the Duff Beer News Blog

Around The Rumormill

2008-08-14T15:11:00.002-05:00

Breaking News ---

Sources have just learned that a ownership group has agreed in principle to buy the Oklahoma City Red Rocks for just under $725,000,000.
News of the sale comes just days after several Majors owner began to question the dedication of the soon to be previous owner dalailama12 to make the club more than a cash machine.
The deal will include over $150,000,000 in cash, $390,000,000 in borrowed from Société Générale & $185,000,000 in assumed debt. The Majors owner will vote on approval of the sale during their meetings August 15-16

The group is said to have outbid 3 other potential suitors for the fledgling franchise.
Whether the team remains in OKC beyond this season is not known at this time.
The sale if approved is set to be the highest priced sale of a club in Majors world history.

The team is on pace to finish a franchise record worst 27-135(.167) & has been losing money at a rapid pace under the current ownership. a steady decline in fan attendance as well as low merchandise sales is believed to have been the key factor in the sale.

AL East Preview

2008-08-03T16:09:00.011-05:00

AL East Preview
Not again! For the 8th straight year the AL East had the same order of finish. Could times be changing though? The Orioles fell off last year by 11 games while the other teams all improved.

Baltimore Orioles:
Last year 117-45 (World Series Champ)
Selmer's 9th year

Can Baltimore keep it up? One of HD’s best dynasties won 117 games last year, which while less than the stunning Year 7 campaign, was still enough for a comfortable AL East win and selmer’s 5th majors crown. But how long can the O’s dominate without infusing talent into their minors? Last year they arguably failed to sign a single ML-projectable prospect, and trades netted no prospects except CF Donovan Rose. This year the O’s have 5 extra draft picks, but what can they bring home with just $6M allocated to prospects and $0 on HS and college scouting?

For year 9, the Orioles have a ML-high $113M salary budget and are again a big favorite to take their 9th straight AL East crown. The Orioles attack is led by 3-time All-Star LF Felix Irabu who hit over 50 HRs for the third straight year. Irabu’s $8.8M option was just picked up and at age 29, he’ll be looking for a big pay day next year. All-star Lon McCallum returns at 3B with a spiffy new 5-year contract, as do All-star/Gold Glove CF Lorenzo Sojo and 7-time all-star RF Lenny Wigginton, the latter for the final year of his contract. The Orioles had two key offensive defections, losing 5-time all-star SS Sammy Alexander to the Marlins' colossal contract and DH Russell Perry to Seattle. SS duties this year are passed to promising rookie Edgardo Segui. The O’s pitching staff includes 4 returning starters, Larry Blair, Felix Lee, and Corey Foulke. The 36-year old Foulke will be a free agent next year, the other three are signed long-term. 18-game winner Rob Flanagan defected to the Angels.

Chicago White Sox:
Last Year 99-63 (AL Wild Card #1)
gydk's 9th year

The Chicago White Sox are one of the major’s least appreciated dynasties—because they’ve never won a divison! gydk’s squad has finished 2nd for eight straight years and won 99 last year on its way to his 4th wild card. Like Baltimore, the ChiSox also spend heavily on salary and advance scouting, with less on prospects. This year, Chicago’s payroll budget popped up from its typical $90M to $96 (at the expense of coaching and international scouting), but actual payroll is just $85.4M, indicating gydk may have tried and failed for a high-dollar FA.

Offensively, all-star DH Pascual Rodriguez hit 39 HRs with a 1.041 OPS last year and returns, as does young SS Trenidad Barrios, whose range may be a bit weak for SS, but put up 138 RBI last year. 1B Al Service, noted for his mustache and 34 HRs, has left for Texas, which scored the Sox a class B free agent. 3B Dan Jackson was rewarded for his 33 HRs and .356 OPB with a new 5-year contract.

Chicago’s best player may be SP Hanley Walker, acquired in a trade from Seattle during year 6 and now is mid-way through a 5-year contract. Walker was surely worth it last year, going 22-8 with a 3.35 ERA and 265 IP. At just 26 years old, Walker already has had an accomplished career and may be a future Hall of Famer: he’s now made three All-Star teams and has 90 career wins. All-Stars Sun-Woo Chiba and Kevin Malloy also return as starting pitchers. Chiba, the #2 man, won 17 games last year with a fine 3.12 ERA. Young Greg Siddall will close. The White Sox traded Rickey Payton, who threw 100 innings last year to Kansas City in exchange for some nice prospects, restocking the minor league cupboards.

Boston Red Sox:
Last year 92-70 (AL Wild Card #2)
jceffali's 4th year

After moving to Boston, the Red Sox had their 8th straight 3rd place finish, but improved to win 92 games and grab their first ever playoff spot. Management has continued to keep salary low and rebuild a once-barren farm system up through increased investments in prospects and training. The core of this team’s hitters is moving along in service time though, so salary is expected to rise in the future.

Last year's playoff squad was led by AL MVP Ron Jacobs, a 24-year old 1B who already has 199 career HRs. Jacobs benefited hugely from the move to Boston, popping 69 HRs, with a 1.206 OPS, the fourth best in league history. Jacobs had his first arbitration this winter and the Red Sox will look to sign him long-term next season. Jacobs has a nice offensive core built around him, including 26-year old gold glove/All Star 3B Dion Meluskey and 25 year-old CF Damaso Soriano, a prototype leadoff hitter with high OBP and good speed. Both players have been rewarded with 5-year contracts. The Sox made a free agent upgrade at SS by signing former Marlin Jesus Pineda to a bargain contract, which will probably force last year’s Gold Glove SS, the light-hitting Amos Moore into a bench player.

As always (I’m working on it!) the Sox pitchers are weaker than the position players, in part because the training staff has had trouble keeping young SPs healthy. The aging Al Nicholson, fourth in all time league wins, was acquired via free agency last year and won 18 games, but his effectiveness is waning. Younger Louis Sutton and Robert McMurtry both return and rookie Grover Shermann replaces the mediocre Ned Magadan in the rotation. Closer Miguel Sosais a bright spot and has a new 4-year contract.

New York Yankees:
Last Year 76-86
jamsing7's 9th year

The Yanks finished 4th in each of their 9 years, although they won 76 games last year, beating their previous best by 8 games. Notably, the Yanks minor league squads continued to make slow positive strides, although given the once dreadful state of the Yanks farm (some 2-142 stinkers were put up), it wasn’t hard to improve. The Yanks continue to spend heavily on salary at $102M, and budget just $6M for prospects and do not scout internationally. The Yanks were uncharacteristically quiet on the free agent market this year, perhaps due to existing salary commitments.

On the field, the Yanks are again led by stud 25-year old SS Rodrigo Barcelo. Barcelo played every game for the Yanks last year, swiping 28 bags and popping 31 HRs. Barcelo’s defense has also improved enough to make him a solid defensive SS. The Yanks also boast 33-year old CF Marvin Kershner, who parked 41 HRs for the second straight year. Kirshner has aged though, and now has below average CF range. Another long-time Yanks veteran is 2B Paul Yang, who at age 33 has also lost a bit, but should still be worth his $6.8M contract this year and next.

The Yanks pitching staff is again led by the 35-year old all-star SP Chuck Shea, who had his $12.8M option picked up. Shea was 12-13 last year with a 3.86 ERA. Luis Moreno and Rod Blauser also lead the rotation and Robin Griffey returns as closer.

AL NORTH PREVIEW SEASON 9

2008-08-01T17:44:00.004-05:00

The AL North had a huge shift in power last year as the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays both passed the Cleveland Indians at the top of the Division. With little major moves within the division this year it seems as though the finish could be the same as the year before.

1. MINNESOTA TWINS - buy express (5th Season)
Last Year: 93-69 - 1st Place
Prediction: 96-66 - 1st Place

The Twins didn't lose any valuable players from their suprise 93 win season last year. Most of the key contributors are returning for another run at a World Series title while the Twins have added 4 key pitchers from their minor leauges which should boost teams chances for a division title. Given the rest of the division has taken a step back, the Twins should win a few more games this year.

Key Returning Players:
Offense:
Tony Martin: .297 Avg. - .373 OBP - .462 Slug.
Sean Conine: .263 Avg. - 31 HR - 110 RBI
Dennis McCarty: .342 Avg. - 31 HR - 113 RBI
Esteban Furcal: .275 Avg. - 33 HR - 108 RBI

Pitching:
Jamie Bruske: 13-8 - 1.35 WHIP
Dickey Owens: 18-5 - 1.32 WHIP
Gill Cosby: 31 SV 1.42 WHIP

Key Additions:
Derrick Daly: 25 year old lefty 1.07 WHIP in AAA
Luis Jara: 24 year old righty 10-7 in AAA
Boomer Rhodes: 26 year old lefty 15-6 1.30 WHIP in AAA
Doyle Perez: 32-33 Saves - 3.22 ERA

Key Losses:
None

2. TORONTO BLUE JAYS - grissom97 (new owner)
Last Year: 85-77 - 2nd Place
Prediction: 81-81 - 2nd Place

The Blue Jays had a huge turnaround under first year owner last year winning 28 more games than the previous year. However, ownership changed once again and grissom97 now takes over the reins. The team added a slew of new pitchers to an already very strong pitching staff but lost 2 big bats in the middle of the lineup. Because of that loss, the Jays may take a temporary step backwards. However, the young pitchers should improve enough to keep the team heading in the right direction.

Key Returning Players:
Offense:
Brendan Bryant (C): .312 Avg. - .387 OBP - .548 Slug.
Fransisco Tejada (LF): .290 Avg. - .411 OBP - .544 Slug.

Pitching:
Wayne Jones: 26 year old lefty 16-7 - 1.35 WHIP in 220 IP
Trent Blake: 13-9 - 1.39 WHIP
Ruben Vallarta: 22 year old lefty should improve on 7-15 - 1.70 WHIP
Al Ruiz: 39 HR - 1.060 OPS in 110 Games

Key Additions:
Malcolm May: 9-12 - 1.WHIP
Frank Murtz: 1.25 WHIP in 107 IP
Zephyr Casian: 1.35 WHIP in Career

Key Losses:
Jeff Mathews: .285 Avg. - 43 HR - 115 RBI
Doug Daal: .314 Avg. - 32 HR - 122 RBI

3. CLEVELAND INDIANS - hartel (9th Season)
Last Year: 81-81 (3rd Place)
Prediction: 80-82 (3rd Place)

Hartel has been an owner in the Majors League since its inception. However, last year his beloved Indians fell to third place in the division. With no key additions or losses, it looks like Cleveland will remain in 3rd place for another year.

Key Returning Players:
Offense:
David Vargas (C): .331 Avg. - .407 OBP - .583 Slug.
Karl Parker (LF): 53 HR - 126 RBI - 123 R
Alfonso Velazquez (1B): .293 Avg. - 31 HR - 99 RBI
Slim Wise (SS): .315 Avg. - 37 HR - 124 RBI

Pitching:
Walt Moore: 1.31 WHIP in 81 Games
Omar Terry: 22 year old - 1.58 in 22 starts
Miguel Delgado: 16-9 - 1.35 WHIP

Key Additions:
Ernest Norman (OF): 22HR - 78 RBI

Key Losses:
None

4. DETRIOT TIGERS - gull1 (9th Season)
Last Year: 59-103 - 4th Place
Prediction: 60-102 - 4th Place

Owner Gull1 of the Tigers had lead the Tigers to a winning season in 6 of its first 7 seasons but last year his team hit rock bottom winning only 59 games. The Tigers have not done anything drastic to change the outlook for Season 9. However, the Tigers should be building for Season 10 or 11 and should be ready to return to the playoffs by then.

Key Returning Players:
Offense:
John Maeda: .297 Avg. - .372 OBP - .449 Slug.
Toni Harrison (C): .339 Avg. - .424 OBP - .540 Slug.
Roosevelt Henry (CF): 36 HR - 105 RBI

Pitching:
Blake Reed: 24 year old righty 1.56 WHIP in 24 starts
Will Appier: 27 year closer had a down year - 21 saves in 28 chances

Key Additions:
None

Key Losses:
None

Around The Rumormill

2008-07-23T19:15:00.002-05:00

Quite a few to get to on ATR this evening.

First i'm hearing that stud free agent pitcher Curtis Smith is weighing several offers of $100+ million & will be making his decision soon. but i'm told he has turn down atleast 2 offers of $102,000,000

Another soon to make his decision on a new team is Sammy Alexander who is reportedly inching closer to a deal in excess of $96,000,000

Rob Flanagan, yet another Baltimore free agent is said to be entertaining offers well over $70,000,000 & has rebuffed several teams trying to snag him for less than $13,000,000 a season

Tony Mercedes & Alex Won are two others likely to break the bank this offseason, with Ken Simon, Barry James, Pat Houston, Al Service & Darryl McCartin having already signed the pool is getting much thinner to choose from. The real question is who's got the bank to afford to drive up prices so high & absorb it should it turn into a mistake?

With free agency dwindling down & teams cap space becoming smaller & smaller only time will tell who will get the biggest deal of them all. One thing is for sure however, this league's financial state is such that it's truly a buy or be left out market.

Preseason Power Rankings

2008-07-23T09:47:00.003-05:00

1.Baltimore Orioles

2.Pittsburgh Pirates

3.San Francisco Giants

4.Milwaukee Brewers

5.Texas Rangers

6.Chicago White Sox

7.Minnesota Twins

8.Florida Marlins

9.Boston Redsox

10.Chicago Cubs

11.Toronto Bluejays

12.Seattle Mariners

13.San Diego Padres

14.Tampa Bay DevilRays

15.Cleveland Indians

Draftee Performance Tracker

2008-07-17T10:30:00.004-05:00

Tracking the performances from Season 8's top 16 first round draft class.

1.Shannon Sheldon - 6-1 194
Rookie - 2 G, 2 GS, 2-0, 16.1 IP, 2 BB's, 16 K's, 1.04 WHIP & 1.10 ERA
Low-A 14 G, 14 GS, 4 CG's, 8-4, 108 IP, 28 BB's 122 K's, 1.14 WHIP & 3.08 ERA
Current Level: Low A
2.Kenneth O'Connor
Rookie - 17 G, 12 GS, 1 CG, 8-2, 1 sv, 83.2 IP, 37 BB's, 75 K's, 1.65 WHIP & 5.27 ERA
Current Level: Rookie
3.Ed Gleason
Rookie - 8 G, 8 GS, 5-2, 54.1 IP, 16 BB's, 42 K's, 1.29 WHIP & 3.64 ERA
Low-A 7 G, 6 GS, 4-0, 45 IP, 12 BB's, 36 K's, 1.11 WHIP & 2.40 ERA
Current Level: Low-A
4.Carter King
High-A 75 G, 312 AB's, 21 HR's, 89 RBI's, 56 BB's, 35 K's, 1 SB, .343
AA - 2 G, 7 AB's, 1 HR, 7 RBI's, 2 BB's, .571
Current Level: AA
5.Slash Lawrence
Rookie - 76 G, 306 AB's, 39 HR's, 130 RBI's, 83 BB's, 35 K's, .379
Current Level: Rookie
6.Eddie Jones
AAA - 14 G, 0-1, 11-11 Svs, 14.2 IP, 6 BB's, 12 K's, 1.16 WHIP & 3.07 ERA
ML - 5 G, 1-2 SV, 3.1 IP, 2 BB's, 2 K's, 2.40 WHIP & 13.50 ERA
Current Level: ML
7.Augie Easley
Rookie - 74 G, 292 AB's, 20 HR's, 91 RBI's, 64 BB's, 39 K's, 19 SB's, .373
Current Level: Rookie
8.Terry Romero
Rookie - 53 G, 225 AB's, 11 HR's, 59 RBI's, 43 BB's, 28 K's, .364
Current Level: Rookie
9.Christy Fielder
Rookie - 25 G, 101 AB's, 13 HR's, 34 RBI's, 11 BB's, 12 K's, .327
Low-A 38 G, 152 AB's, 11 HR's, 45 RBI's, 26 BB's, 18 K's, .336
Current Level: Low-A
10.Daryl Wise
Rookie - 43 G, 4-4, 2-4 SV, 48 IP, 33 BB's, 26 K's, 2.13 WHIP, 8.81 ERA
Current Level: Low-A
11.Chris Walker
Rookie- 58 G, 250 AB's, 2 HR's, 41 RBI's, 37 BB's, 32 K's, 30 SB, .356
Current Level: Rookie
12.Cory Greenwood
Rookie - 76 G, 326 AB's, 29 HR's, 100 RBI's, 56 BB's, 47 K's, .319
Current Level: Rookie
13.Karim Romano
Rookie - 55 G, 238 AB's, 14 HR's, 82 RBI's, 39 BB's, 28 K's, .399
Current Level: Rookie
14.Tim Halter Did not sign
Current Level: N/A
15.Mendy Tatum
Rookie - 31 G, 3-2, 20-20 sv, 36.1 IP, 8 BB's, 33 K's, 1.10 WHIP & 2.72 ERA
Current Level: Low-A
16.Grant Beckett
Rookie - 76 G, 287 AB's, 15 HR's, 74 RBI's, 50 BB's, 21 K's, .362
Current Level: Rookie

Top 10 Biggest Bonuses
Round 3 #76 Sadie Grace $11,500,000
Round 1 #36 Rheal Lange $7,600,000
Round 1 #25 Pete Conway $4,532,000
Round 1 #1 Shannon Sheldon $4,000,000
Round 1 #2 Kenneth O'Connor $3,910,000
Round 1 #3 Ed Gleason $3,820,000
Round 1 #4 Carter King $3,720,000
Round 1 #5 Slash Lawrence $3,630,000
Round 1 #6 Eddie Jones $3,540,000
Round 1 #7 Augie Easley $3,400,000
Round 1 #8 Terry Romero $3,350,000

GM Snapshot For Season 9

2008-07-17T09:25:00.004-05:00

We head into season 9 with low turnover introducing just 2 new GM's to the equation.
here is a look at their experience level & what they bring to the table to make this league great.

National League

NL North

Montreal Expos - reggiedeal*
Experience: 22 seasons, 3 playoffs. 9th season in the Majors(former Commish)

New York Mets - nocturnal
Experience: 21 seasons, 3 division titles, 3 playoffs. 3rd season in the Majors.

Milwaukee Brewers - drichter*(League Commish)
Experience: 27 seasons, 9 division titles, 12 playoffs, 2 world series titles. 9th season in the Majors

Pittsburgh Pirates - eblake
Experience: 27 seasons, 9 division titles, 21 playoffs, 1 world series title. 8th season in the Majors.

NL East

Chicago Cubs - santorules
Experience: 23 seasons, 5 division titles, 8 playoffs. 8th season in the Majors.

Cincinnati Red Legs - moose08
Experience: 4 seasons, 3rd season in the Majors.

Philadelphia Phillies - rjh98b*
Experience: 8 seasons, 2 division titles, 4 playoffs. 9th season in the Majors.

Washington D.C. Nationals - ajb_101
Experience: 1 season, 2nd season in the Majors.

NL South

Atlanta Braves - wondernine
Experience: 3 seasons, 1 division title, 1 playoff. 3rd season in the Majors.

St. Louis Cardinals - rsskfs23*
Experience: 12 seasons, 9th season in the Majors.

Houston Astros - bearcat74*
Experience: 12 seasons, 1 playoff, 9th season in the Majors.

Florida Marlins - dspahlinger
Experience: 20 seasons, 7 division titles, 7 playoffs. 3rd season in the Majors.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers - dmaxie61
Experience: 23 seasons, 1 division title, 3 playoffs. 8th season in the Majors.

San Francisco Giants - jclarkbaker
Experience: 10 seasons, 7 division titles, 8 playoffs. 8th season in the Majors.

Anaheim Angels - deaconsoule(Blogger)
Experience: 8 seasons, 1 playoff, 3rd season in the Majors.

San Diego Padres - suginamiku*
Experience: 11 seasons, 4 playoffs, 9th season in the Majors.

American League

AL North

Toronto Blue Jays - grissom97
Experience: 23 seasons, 5 division titles, 6 playoffs & 2 world series titles. 1st season in the Majors.

Minnesota Twins - bux_express
Experience: 11 seasons, 1 division title, 2 playoffs. 5th season in the Majors.

Cleveland Indians - hartel*
Experience: 11 seasons, 5 division titles, 5 playoffs. 9th season in the Majors.

Detroit Tigers - gull1*
Experience: 9 season, 2 division titles, 4 playoffs. 9th season in the Majors.

AL East

New York Yankees - jamsing7
Experience: 46 seasons, 7 division titles, 9 playoffs. 8th season in the Majors.

Boston Red Sox - jceffali
Experience: 7 seasons, 1 playoff. 4th season in the Majors.

Baltimore Orioles - selmer*
Experience: 21 seasons, 12 division titles, 15 playoffs, 5 world series titles. 9th season in the Majors.

Chicago White Sox - gydk*
Experience: 70 seasons. 22 division titles, 40 playoffs. 9th season in the Majors.

AL South

Tampa Bay Rays - cinnigirl
Experience: None in HBD

Texas Rangers - Cub All-Star*
Experience: 17 seasons, 4 division titles, 9 playoffs. 9th season in the Majors.

Kansas City Royals - ccustead
Experience: 5 seasons, 1 division title, 1 playoff. 2nd season in the Majors.

Oklahoma City Red Rocks - dalailama12
Experience: 42 seasons, 2 division titles, 3 playoffs. 2nd season in the Majors.

AL West

Oakland Athletics - russilini
Experience: 4 seasons, 2nd season in the Majors(won't shut up about his girlfriend Carter King)

Seattle Mariners - richelle
Experience: 19 seasons, 6 division titles, 8 playoffs, 2 world series titles. 3rd season in the Majors.

Arizona Diamondbacks - toddrohr
Experience: 17 seasons, 5 division titles, 6 playoffs, 1 world series title. 3rd season in the Majors.

Colorado Rockies - afatrain
Experience: 4 seasons, 2nd season in the Majors.

* Original Member

Season 8 Wrapup

2008-07-16T07:55:00.004-05:00

Another season has come and gone by the wayside. many things changed this season, some others did not. Once again the Baltimore Selmers..er Orioles reigned supreme staking their claim as "the" dynasty in the Majors by winning their 5th World series in 8 seasons. Giving them the distinction of being the only team in the league with not only back to back titles but multiple ones as well(can you say Dominance?) what this says about the other owners in the league, i frankly don't know but it shows that Baltimore has winning down to a science.

Division Winners
American League

North
Minnestoa Twins - 8 games

East
Baltimore Orioles - 18 games

South
Texas Rangers - 15 games

West
Seattle Mariners - 8 games

National League
North
Pittsburgh Pirates - 3 games

East
Chicago Cubs - 13 games

South
Charlotte Black Nights - 15 games

West
San Francisco Giants - 25 games

Season 8 Awards

Season 8 ML - AL MVP Award

Player	Franchise	Owner
Ron Jacobs	Red Sox	jceffali

Season 8 ML - NL MVP Award

Player	Franchise	Owner
Edgardo Padilla	Giants	jclarkbaker

Season 8 ML - AL Cy Young Award

Player	Franchise	Owner
Hanley Walker	White Sox	gydk

Season 8 ML - NL Cy Young Award

Player	Franchise	Owner
Curtis Smith	Brewers	drichter

Season 8 ML - AL Rookie of the Year Award

Player	Franchise	Owner
Pascual Rodriguez	White Sox	gydk

Season 8 ML - NL Rookie of the Year Award

Player	Franchise	Owner
Albert Rodriguez	Expos	reggiedeal

Season 8 ML - AL Fireman of the Year Award

Player	Franchise	Owner
Antonio Springer	Orioles	selmer

Season 8 ML - NL Fireman of the Year Award

Player	Franchise	Owner
Ron Priest	Pirates	eblake

Season 8 ML - AL Silver Slugger Award

	Player	Franchise	Owner
DH	Pascual Rodriguez	White Sox	gydk
C	Tori Harrison	Tigers	gull1
1B	Ron Jacobs	Red Sox	jceffali
2B	Posiedon Ball	Red Rocks	dalailama12
3B	Lon McCallum	Orioles	selmer
SS	Tomas Eusebio	Rays	mboydstun
LF	Felix Irabu	Orioles	selmer
CF	Lorenzo Sojo	Orioles	selmer
RF	Lenny Wigginton	Orioles	selmer

Season 8 ML - NL Silver Slugger Award

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Donn Wilkinson	Red Legs	moose08
C	Harpo Valentin	Black Knights	dspahlinger
1B	Edgardo Padilla	Giants	jclarkbaker
2B	Quilvio Tavarez	Black Knights	dspahlinger
3B	Ted Bell	Padres	suginamiku
SS	Ignacio Andujar	Giants	jclarkbaker
LF	Yamil Cueto	Pirates	eblake
CF	Byron Terry	Expos	reggiedeal
RF	Oscar Womack	Expos	reggiedeal

Season 8 ML - AL Gold Glove Award

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	Oscar Perez	White Sox	gydk
C	Rodney Taylor	Orioles	selmer
1B	Brian Katou	Twins	bux_express
2B	Cookie Vizquel	Red Sox	jceffali
3B	Dion Meluskey	Red Sox	jceffali
SS	Amos Moore	Red Sox	jceffali
LF	Karl Parker	Indians	hartel
CF	Lorenzo Sojo	Orioles	selmer
RF	Dan Fox	Red Sox	jceffali

Season 8 ML - NL Gold Glove Award

	Player	Franchise	Owner
P	John Webb	Pirates	eblake
C	Kazuhiro Martin	Expos	reggiedeal
1B	Al Bravo	Angels	deaconsoule
2B	Davey Arias	Cardinals	rsskfs23
3B	Tomas Segui	Braves	wondernine
SS	Vernon Barrett	Phillies	rjh98b
LF	Wes Young	Black Knights	dspahlinger
CF	Sandy O'Shea	Astros	bearcat74
RF	Ryan Moss	Cubs	santorules

World Series Preview

2008-07-04T16:20:00.003-05:00

San Francisco Giants 107-55 v. Baltimore Orioles 117-45

This is the 1st World Series for San Francisco and the 5th for 4-time winner and defedning champ Baltimore. Baltimore had another ridiculous season racking up 117 and finishing 10 games better than San Francisco. However, the Giants boast a very strong pitching staff that could pose problems for the Baltimore bats that scored 1100 runs this year. Here is the preview:

OFFENSE:

Baltimore: 1110 Runs Scored - 1st in Majors
.293 Batting Average - 5th in Majors
.367 OBP - 2nd in Majors
.513 Slugging Percentage -2nd in Majors

Key Hitters: SS Sammy Alexander - 47 HR, 130 RBI in 122 games
OF Ron McCallum - .317 Avg., 47 HR, 148 RBI, 128 RS, 136 games
LF Felix Irabu - 50 HR, 114 RBI, 133 RS
RF Lenny Wigginton - .329 Avg., 42 HR, 146 RBI, 134 games

San Francisco: 973 Runs Scored - 13th in Majors
.290 Batting Average -Tied for 7th in Majors
.352 OBP -12th in Majors
.470 Slugging Percentage - 11th in Majors

Key Hitters: 1B Edgardo Padilla - .357 Avg., 51 HR, 159 RBI, 132 RS
SS Ignacio Andujar -.300 Avg., .371 OBP, 25 HR, 106 RBI, 107 RS
OF Matty Henderson - .317 Avg., .394 OBP, 25 HR, 86 RBI, 92 RS, 110 games
LF Mendy Kelly - .305 Avg., .370 OBP, .559 Slugging, 138 games

Advantage - Heavily to Baltimore

PITCHING:

Baltimore: 682 Runs Allowed - 3rd in Majors
.249 Batting Avg. Allowed - 3rd in Majors
.309 OBP Allowed - 3rd in Majors
.390 Slugging Allowed -3rd in Majors
1.26 WHIP Allowed - 3rd in Majors
58 Saves - 1st in Majors

Key Pitchers: CL Antonio Springer 41-44 Saves, .165 Avg. Allowed, .074 WHIP, 3ER All Season
SP Sidney Griffin - 17-6, 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP
SP Corey Foulke - 17-5, 3.81 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
SP Rob Flanagan - 18-4, 3.95 ERA, 1.32 WHIP

San Francisco: 645 Runs Allowed - 2nd in Majors
.244 Batting Avg. Allowed - 2nd in Majors
.308 OBP Allowed - 2nd in Majors
.380 Slugging Percentage Allowed - Tied for 1st in Majors
1.25 WHIP Allowed - 2nd in Majors
51 Saves - 4th in Majors

Key Pitchers: SP Vince Blank - 14-7, 2.81 ERA, 1.07 WHIP
SP Joshua Parrish - 17-4, 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
RP Tony Ortiz - 8-2, 2 SV, 81 IP, 2.52 ERA, 1.10 WHIP
SP Corey Little - 15-8, 3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP

Advantage: Slightly to San Francisco

Prediction: Parrish and Blank will have to find a way to shut down that vaunted Baltimore lineup. If they can pitch 6 of the 7 games of the series, SF may have a shot to upset the heavily favored Orioles. However, Balimore's staff is no pushover as they finished just behind San Francisco in most of the pitching categories even though they were in the DH laden American League. San Francisco's pitchers keep it close, but Springer saves 4 games and Baltimore wins its 5th title and 2nd in a row in 6 games.