Lindros hits #500

Dirk Lindros, 33, becomes the 5th player in league history and the second this year to reach 500 home runs. He did it under the extreme pressure of APBA's Boston-New York rivalry, hitting it in the 9th inning off NY closer Sal Franco to tie the game. Boston went on to win 4-2, and the two teams are now locked in a tie for the Superior League East celler with records of 63-69.

Rick Vaughn

Rick Vaughn was removed from Boston's rotation today. He will pitch again for the team only if necessary due to another starter getting injured. He's having a horrible season, 3-15 with a 7.56 ERA.

If this is the end of Vaughn's career, his record is 210-205. He has 3541 strikeouts? Will he have enough to make the Hall of Fame? Vaughn has only won more than 15 games twice in his career, but he has a Cy Young award, 7 seasons of a sub 3.00 ERA, and 8 seasons of 200 or more strikeouts. At age 38, Vaughn is pitching in his 20th season.

Final Deadline Trades

Louisville gets their other Block back. They traded 2B Antwan Lemongello and RHP Dan Evans to Texas for Block, Leon Davis, and Rick Cooper. Block was hitting only .213 in Texas, with 21 homers. He returns to the team where he was much more successful in his first 3 seasons. Cooper is a rubber armed middle reliever who has 37 relief wins in the last 3 years. Texas solves their 2B problem with Lemongello, who is having a breakout year, batting .326 with 30 doubles.

LA stocks up on young pitching, getting Eric Rodriguez from Toronto for Robbie Fett and Bud McNamara, and Steve Jiannetti from Hollywood for Jack Johnson.

Denver traded a 3rd round pick and a scrub to Alaska for some catching help, getting Buck Bergen, and NY Cobra adds catcher Paul Hagan, a defensive specialist, from Detroit for RHP Marc Moreno.

Florida made some early noise in the trading season but rumors say they were shut out in attempting to deal former Cy Young winner Bryan Brooks. Hollywood was rumored to have some interest, but were able to get Jack Johnson at a much cheaper price. Johnson has no contract beyond 2006 and has a much better ERA, 2.53 compared to 3.83.

There are still 5 days left to make trades within your league.

Top Prospects, Boston Beaneaters

1. Scott Meyer, 3B-SS, age 21

He'll play 3rd base in the majors. Has a good idea of the strike zone, and potential to hit 25 or more homers. He needs to make better contact. Hit .211 with 13 homers, also drew 54 walks.

2. Floyd Davison, RHP, age 23

Floyd was drafted out of Boston College in 2005. He could contend for a 5th starters position in 2007, or be used in middle relief. Doesn't throw hard, but is a polished pitcher who knows how to get batters out. Went 13-9 with a 3.26 ERA

3. Jay Lansing, RHP, age 23

He's not as polished as Davison, but throws harder, with a fastball that can hit 94. Went 6-5 with a 4.18 ERA, also struck out 72 in 79 innings.

4. Kurt Kawasaki, C, age 21

He can hit for average and conrols the strike zone well, but has little power. His defense is improving, and should be pretty good. Threw out 33% of basestealers. Also was hit by 18 pitches.

5. Seth Lopez, OF, age 21

Hit .263 with 4 homers, 24 doubles in 415 at bats. He's an average runner and thrower. He's a pretty good hitter, but will need to develop homerun power if he's going to have a career as a corner outfielder. He would be best in left but could get by in right.

Superior League pennant race

Miami wins their 6th in a row in an 8-6 win against Baltimore. Tim Carey's PH 2 run single put Miami ahead in the 8th, and K-Bob recorded his 40th save in the 9th. Miami has a 4 game lead over Louisville, who kept pace by defeating Orlando. Joe Young hit his 39th homerun in the first, but was ejected after striking out in the 8th against Don "the poet" Thompson.

Toledo beat Springfield 3-2 in the first game of their series for the central lead, Toledo takes a half game lead after the win.

Texas just completed a 3 game sweep of Utah, and then beat Las Vegas 9-6 to tie the Utes for first pace. Utah had the day off.

Top Prospects, Baltimore Colts

Baltimore doesn't have much in the farm system, but has developed some very good young talent that is already in the major leagues, such as W. Gehrig Bear, Jesse Myers, and Darin Elam.

1. Don LaPoint, 1B, age 24.

He's a good defensive 1st baseman with some power, but his swing is long and he doesn't get on base as much as you'd like. Hit .248 with 24 homers, also 115 strikeouts against 40 walks.

2. Rafael Payro, LHP, age 20

Throws 89-92 with a good slider and curve, needs to improve control. Had a 5.47 ERA in 49 innings.

3. Kevin Stanfield, RHP, age 21

Throws a fastball 91-94 and a slider out of the bullpen. Projects as a middle reliever.

4. Mitchell Joseph, OF, age 22.

A good athlete with power, speed, and a good arm, but he can't hit. In 112 at bats, hit 10 homers and stole 13 bases, but hit only .223 and had a horrid 47-3 strikeout to walk ratio.

Major League Update

Stats for both leagues are current. I'll try and write a bit about the major league, although I don't see any of their games because I don't live in a Major League city. Our Major League correspondant, Jeffrey Lamar Lewis, called in sick a few months ago and we haven't heard from him since. I surely hope he hasn't run afowl of the Cipriani family. I'm doing this as a favor to my boss, a slightly rotund jawa who happens to own property in Dagobah, but is by no means a FAT YODA.

Hollywood has slumped, falling 4 back of Portland after having a 3 game lead just 2 weeks ago. They only have a 2 game lead on Toronto for the wild card. New York and Denver have given themselves some breathing room for the East and Central divisions. Cobra leads by 8.5 and the Rabbits by 7.

Detroit and St Louis made a few trades to try and catch Denver, but nothing has worked. Jimmy Urbano has hit only .250 for Detroit, and the team can't wait till he becomes a free agent. They plan on converting top prospect BJ Lewis to second base. Hank Crowell has hit for St Louis, .379 with 6 homers, but the team hasn't caught fire despite him.

Alaska's Miguel Cruz has replaced Crowell at 3rd base, and is developing into a top player at the position. In the last 2 weeks he's hit .403 with 4 homers and 14 RBI. In 31 games at 3rd, he's made only 1 error. Only 22, he stands to make some cash this offseason, and should be the Snow Sox #1 priority, ahead of Prince Coleman, who has 36 homeruns, tops in the league.

Toronto has done the job with the best pitching in the league other than Portland, making up for a weak offense. They have the best closer in the league in Julio (J-Rod) Rodriguez. He's 35 for 37 in save opps with a 1.07 ERA.

What a Comeback!

It didn't look like a good game for the Sluggers, down 9-0 to the Knights entering the 8th inning. Dave Firzgerald was throwing a 2 hitter. Then Louisville scored 5 in the 8th, the last 3 on a Jason Foster homerun. After the Knights added one in the top of the 9th, it was time for the Sluggers to get to work:

J Alfonzo doubled. Gato struck out. Lemongello beat out an infield single. Glover singled, 10-6.

At this point NY manager Don Muttonly went to his closer, Sal Franco.

Rob Block draws a walk. Jason Foster lines to first. Sluggers down to the last out. Willie Gomez singles, 10-8. Then Fred Gannon comes up and hits a three run dinger to end the ballgame.

Sluggers win 12-10 to move within 1/2 a game of Miami.

Top Prospects, Bay Area Bandits

1. Dustin Chavez, SS-2B, age 21.

Dustin doesn't have speed, power, or a strong throwing arm, but the kid can play baseball. He has excellent strike zone judgement and hand-eye coordination, and should be a .300 hitter. In the field, his range is limited but he fields everything he gets to and doesn't make mistakes.

This year he hit .285 with 49 walks and only 37 strikeouts. He also hurt his team by attempting 50 steals, and was thrown out 38 times. This is because his manager, Chuckie Ford, believes in the running game so much that he kept sending him. In the big leagues he will not be stolen base threat.

2. Xavier Esquivel, LHP, age 21

He's a hard throwing lefthander with a wicked slider, and needs to develop an off speed pitch, plus improve his control. As a starter, if he develops he could be comparable to Rafael Garcia, and at worst he should be a lefty handed setup guy. Was 9-12 with a 4.42 ERA and 175 strikeouts in 159 innings

3. Ryan Hall, OF, age 19

Hall makes good contact and has a sweet swing. Hit .254 with only 2 homers, but he projects to add power as he matures. Speed is average and his arm is good enough for right field.

4. Jeremy Cartman, C, age 24

Cartman is fat, even for a catcher, and his defensive skills are weak. But you have to respect the authority with which he reaches first base. Hit .302 with a .443 on base percentage.

5. Tavaris Velasquez, SS, age 18

Didn't embarrass himself by hitting .240 against older pitching at age 18. His skills are raw, and he may never pan out, but makes the list for his potential. Speed is ordinary, hitting is very raw, his arm is good, and he could turn develop into a big time power hitter. Or an insurance salesman. He's a long way from the majors, and its anyone's guess if he sticks as a shortstop.

Top Prospects, Alaska Snow Sox

The minor league season is over and stats can be found here: http://home.comcast.net/~briankaat/min2006.htm

And now its time for a 30 part series, top prospects by team, and then the top prospects from the 2007 draft. Here's the Snow Sox:

1. Wilfredo Martin, SS, age 21.

Martin was Alaska's 1st pick (13th overall) in the 2006 draft. He received a 1.7 million dollar signing bonus. He has good hands, excellent range, and a decent arm. Despite speed that rates only a tick above average, he is considered a future gold glover at short. He hit .280 with 5 homers in 85 minor league games. He's not a walker but has a solid line drive swing that might produce double digit homers at his peak. Martin may replace Ival Vizquel next spring.

2. Steve Taylor, 2B, age 21.

Taylor is an outstanding defensive 2B, has mid range power and good speed. His weakness is that he has trouble making contact. He hit .252-11-61 and stole 24 bases last year.

3. Denny Romero, LHP, age 22.

Romero was acquired from St Louis in the Hank Crowell trade, and immediately becomes the only decent pitching prospect in Alaska. His fastball is average at best, and he mixes in a curve and a change. He was 4-9 with a 3.85 ERA

4. Rich Almanzar, 2B, age 20.

Almanzar is first and foremost a hitting machine. He has a knack for putting the bat on the ball. His speed and defense are average. He's a hacker, unwilling to take a walk. He should develop some power, but his value will be in a .300 or better average. Hit .276 in the minors.

5. JJ Jones, OF, age 19.

Gets the nod over Brady Robinson for his tools, power (14 homeruns) and a strong throwing arm. His strikeouts are too high (187, .179 average), but he's young enough to improve.

6. Brady Robinson, OF, age 22.

Robinson is a better bet to be a major league player than Jones, but doesn't have much of a ceiling. He hit only 3 homeruns, his speed is about average and his arm a little below. He would be best in left field but could handle center. He's a solid enough hitter (.261), will take a few walks, and has good doubles power. Robinson may compete for a Snow Sox job next season.

League Leaders

Saves:

Bob Belardi 36
Chad Anderson 36

Wins:

Dave Lefevre 15-6
Tom Groovine 15-8

ERA:
Jim Farmer 2.59
Bob Zimmerman 3.05

Strikeouts:
Rufus Anderson 204
Joe Callahan 185

Batting:
Hal Glover .349
Lou Zamuda .331
Alex Maldonado .331

Slugging:
Joe Young .638
Ryan Ballard .628

OBP:
Frank Lewis .464
Hal Glover .423

Runs:
Frank Lewis 98
Adama Dunn 95

RBI:
Carlos Merejo 114
Ryan Ballard 114
Joe Young 103

Homeruns:
Ryan Ballard 38
Adama Dunn 37
Joe Young 36

Walks:
Frank Lewis 111
Adama Dunn 98
Jose Harris 92

Steals:
Jason Williams 61
Jose Harris 41

Chicago 7 Louisville 6

Chicago took a 7-4 lead into the 9th. They scored 4 early runs off Jojo Lewis, though Lewis settled down and struck out 10 over 7 innings. Chicago got 3 off the Slugger bullpen, then went to struggling closer Cliff Garrison to protect a 3 run lead in the 9th. Garrison allowed 3 straight hits then a walk to Rob Block before Sylvanus Wong had seen enough. He summoned James Rhodes (1.98 ERA) from the pen to face Jason Foster. Foster lined a single to right, but Sithas Kawasaki gunned down Hal Glover at the plate to preserve a 1 run lead.

Rhodes then struck out Willie Gomez and Fred Gannon for the save.

Utes Dominate

Utah destroyed the old Utes, also known as the Knights, 10 to 1 behind Bob Zimmerman (12-6). Utah got 6 runs in the first off Tom Groovine, raising his ERA to 3.20. Lou Zamuda had 3 hits, and is hitting .331-12-90 on the season.

Texas beat Phoenix 9-8. Mark Crawford hit his 28th homerun but left in the 9th inning with a sore hamstring. Crawford normally plays everyday but the injury has caused him to miss 2 games in the last week. He is day to day.

Cleveland beat Charlotte 6-5, getting 2 runs in the 9th off struggling closer Javier Cavazos. Larry Patterson pitched 8 innings and struck out 12.

Toledo shut out Boston 2-0 behind John Almaraz, Lucious Whitmore, and a 2 inning save for Paul Williamson. Due to injuries, Toledo called up Gonzalo Veres, who was selected in last fall's draft. Veres started at 2B and was 0 for 3. Johnny DeMario struck out 9 in 6 innings.

Sluggers Win Again

The Sluggers beat Texas 4-1 to win their 7th in a row. Texas has lost 4 in a row and the Sluggers move past them for the wild card lead. Jason Foster extended his hitting streak to 18 games, and Chad Anderson recorded his 36th save.

The worst news for Texas is that young lefthander Mike Cottrell left the game with discomfort in his elbow. He will undergoe tests, and its possible that he will not pitch again this season.

Rugrats 2 Autobots 0

Rugrats win in the 12th inning. George Wallace White, one of the young aces, pitches 9 innings of 1 hit ball but gets a no decision. On the year he's 8-2 with a 3.12 ERA.

Las Vegas gets a rare win today, pounding Chicago 15-7. Moose Stinson hit 2 homers, and Bill Judge, Alvaro Samuel, and Roy Gray each added homers.

Favre, He Got the Gun

Stars vs Baltimore -

Miami takes a 2-1 lead into the 9th, getting a fine performance from Dave Lefevre and Matt McCoy's 1st ever Superior League homerun. Bob Belardi (K-Bob) takes the mound looking for his 35th save, but immediately gives up a single to Joe Young. Young surprises Miami with a steal of second, Joe's 3rd in 3 attempts. The reigning MVP is a very smart baserunner.

After Cesar Ramos strikes out, Mike Reed singles, putting runners at the corners. Dan Blackwell then lifts a high fly to right. Favre had to go back on it, then unleash a hail mary to the plate, and gets it there just in time to throw out Young. The Stars hold on to give them a 3.5 game lead of Louisville, and 6 over Baltimore.

Today's Games

Miami lost their 3rd in a row and second straight shutout against Texas. The Stars cling to a 3.5 game lead over Louisville as they next host third place Baltimore. Stars fans miss Justin Springer, as Matt McCoy is hitting only .175 since the trade.

Louisville beat Mars 4-3 as Jojo Lewis finally pitched a good game, striking out 13 and walking zero in 8 innings.

Toledo clings to a 1 game lead over Springfield and 1.5 over Cleveland. They lost Thursday to New York and Tom Groovine, who becomes the first 15 game winner in the league.

Utah won a slugfest 11-10 over Charlotte. Starter Cory Schaeffer was knocked out in the third, he has a 13.50 ERA in two starts since the trade. Welcome to the Superior League, Cory. Utah won anyway as Frank Runge pitched two hitless innings for the win and Ryan Ballard hit his 38th homer, driving in 3 to give him 112, 3 ahead of teammate Carlos Merejo.

Game over

The Knights lose 11-2, and the player of the game is not Holmes, but Kurt W. Scherman, who was 6 for 6 and raised his average to a league best .361. Kurt also passed for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns, and thanked the baby Jesus for his blessings.

3000 Hits

It was an otherwise forgetable game for New York. The Knights are trailing the Mud Hens 11-0 with 2 out in the 8th inning, when Kermit Holmes drives a pitch from Lucious Whitmore over the head of Vernon Coles. Holmes stretches it into a triple, becoming the 4th player in league history to record 3000 hits.

Autobots sign Jackson

Autobots signed SS Greg Jackson, 24, to a 5 year contract worth 62.5 million. Jackson is hitting .268 with 19 homers and 71 RBI, and has taken as many walks (56) as he's struck out.

Greg would have been a restricted free agent after the season, and Phoenix wanted to avoid losing him in a Joey Renseller like bidding war.

Another big number for a 5th place team

Almost an afterthough with all the attention on Conan, but Kermit Holmes now as 2,997 career hits. He will become the 4th player in league history to reach 3000, joining Lou Zamuda, Willie Mays Hayes, and Tony Bambora, who have all reached the mark in the last 3 seasons.

Joe Thomas, Dee Sanders, and Sonic and Mahatma Russell have all passed the 2600 mark. Sanders is next with 2,824. Dirk Lindros is 6 homers away from 500.

New York wins 14-8

The game with Conan's big hit. Check out the box score:

http://home.comcast.net/~briankaat/Conan756.html

After the homer the game was delayed for 15 minutes for Conan career highlights and a speech. Eddie Bird flew in after the game for a special appearance, and sang "Wind Beneath my Wings" to Conan in front of 37,000 fans.

Conan has 96 RBI on the season, and 2240 for his career. He is 57 away from breaking Aaron's other big record.

Hank Aaron ,#2

Conan connected for career homerun #756 today in the 3rd inning in Charlotte. He hits a Larry Patterson pitch to opposite field for the record breaker with one Holmes on base. He was appropriately greeted at Home plate by Kermit Holmes, the leadoff hitter he has driven in so many times before.

Minor League Highlights

7-19: Jesus Superion no-hits aberdeen, beating RD Phillips 1-0, walking 4, and striking out 17 for a game score of 100.

7-22: Lexington's Danny Marrero throws a complete game shutout, with one walk and 14 strikouts. In his next start he throws another shutout, 2 hits, 10 strikeouts.

7-26: Durham's Lou Kuzmic throws a 3 hit shutout, strking out 13.

Catcher George Herman "Babe" Frog, the son of actors Kermit Frog and Miss Piggy, is hitting .277 with 16 HR in 64 games, and has drawn comparisons to Joe Young.

Catcher Jeremy Cartman has a .446 OBP

1B Daniel Smith, Hawaii's top prospect, is hitting 335/448/537 in 77 games

1B Miguel Delgado, 19, is hitting .285 with 9 HR

1b/DH Marcus Trujillo is hitting .325 with 13 HR

Ricky Buckley is hitting only .240 but has a .376 OBP and 40 steals

2B Ruben Ressler is hitting 309/358/479

3b Ryan Fitzpatrick is hitting .317 with 22 doubles

3b Alex Williams is hitting 321/425/513

SS Shadow Russell, Sonic's cousin, is hitting .289 with 37 steals

SS Brandon Cohen is hitting .257 with 12 HR in 67 games.

SS BJ Lewis is hitting .263 with 27 steals, his brother Jek is hitting only .202

OF Delmon Jefferson has 22 HR and 68 RBI

OF Darnell "Crabman" Turner is hitting .267 but has more walks than strikeouts

OF Johnny Tusken is hitting .308 with 34 steals

RHP Jesus Superion has 128 strikeouts in 96 innings, with a 2.44 ERA

RHP Juan Francisco Hernandez is 10-3 with a 2.40 ERA, 130 K in 108 IP

Jason Jarvis is 12-3, 1.85

LHP Floyd Brennan is 8-4, 1.97

Closer Troy Lewis has a 1.79 ERA and 29 saves.

Jay Born has 52 steals, Kenny Anderson Jr has 45

Historical Standings

http://home.comcast.net/~briankaat/oldstandings.htm

Check out the stats website, now with standings for all seasons from 1987 to 2005.

Isotopes get Infield Help

Springfield trades RHP Rafael Baker to Orlando for IF Keith Johnson. Johnson, hitting .279, has played mostly 3rd base after playing shortstop most of his career. The Isotopes will play him at 2B. Baker has a 7.04 ERA in 46 relief innings, but has the kind of power arm that the Rugrats hope they can develop.