Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Superior League Pennant Races, as of 8/23

On August first, Las Vegas had a 10 game lead in the west. Since then they have won 5 and lost 15 to see their lead drop to 1 1/2 over Mars. In the most recent match between the teams, Las Vegas took a one run lead into the 9th when Alvaro Samuel misplayed a Michael Johnson leadoff single into a single + 2 base error. Johnson later scored, and Mars won the game in 12 innings.

Boba Fett is frustrated. His offense has slipped a bit, his starters are still pitching well, but they seem to have lost the ability to win close games.

Springfield jumps one game ahead of struggling Charlotte for the central lead. Bryan Brooks pitched them into the lead with a minimum quality start (6 innings, 3 runs) in his second game with the team. In his first game he was knocked out in the second inning.

Miami (70-59) is the league's hottest team and holds a 1 game lead in the wild card. They are still 20 games behind Baltimore, who win their 90th game with a week left in August. On July 1st, Miami lost to Baltimore by a score of 21-0. Since then they are 31-15, the same record as Baltimore during that span.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Managerial News in Florida

Former Penguins great, Hall of Famer and current Manager Wally Calhoun who temporarily left the team last season due to "personal reasons" and has not yet returned, has informed the team that he will fulfill his contract but will not return until 2010 at the earliest. Apparently Wally has been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness. Interim Player-Manager, Gerald White will add "Permanent" to his interim tag and become the "Permanent Interim Player-Manager".

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Baltimore Owner passes

Michel Angelos, the beloved owner of the Baltimore Colts, passed away today after a long decline into poor health. He was 17, or 119 in dog years. He was a fine canine, beloved by humans and cats alike. His favorite food was hot dogs, and as a way of remembering him, hot dogs will be free to all fans at the next Colts game.

His team leads all of baseball with an 84-36 record at the time of his death, and now the players have something extra to play for. The 2008 Colts great season will remind everyone that this dog was truly a winner.

Rest in peace, Mikey. May every tree in doggie heaven be made yellow by your presence.

Mid August Trades

Florida sends Bryan Brooks to Springfield along with minor league outfielder Cristobal Guillen for Mitch Oakenshield and a player to be named later. Florida helped send Brooks to a contender. The last time Brooks pitched against Springfield was the 2001 world series. Brooks pitched 4 2/3 perfect innings before Springfield put the rain-making machine of C. Montgomery Burns to work.

In a bigger trade, Florida sends Jake Cisco to Hawaii and Zach Graham, Justin Springer, a 2nd round pick, and a minor league pitcher named Escobar to Orlando. Orlando sends Tomas Gonzalez to Hawaii and George and Gerald jr. White to Florida. Hawaii sends Todd Johnson and Daniel Smith to Florida and John Rodriguez, Kelly Crawford, Fetters, and a first round pick to Orlando.

This has got to be one of the biggest deals in league history.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Trade?

A funny thing happened to Kenny on Kenny's way to the ballpark today. Kenny's buddy Gerald was not there. In fact, neither was Dan Patrick. And the only yoda in sight was Lyman. The office was eerily quiet. Kenny couldn't find nobody. Even the bathroom was locked. And this can only mean one of two things. Either the Penguins have moved....or the Jedi council has been called to consider an important matter (usually a trade of significance). Stay tuned!

Trade Rumor and Dan Patrick

Kenny has it on good authority that Florida will likely move an all-time Penguin in the next couple of days. When asked why consider trading anyone so readily identifiable with the Penguins, President of Baseball Operations Dan Patrick said, "It's a matter of respect. Clearly Florida is in rebuild mode. If we have an opportunity to help a player join the pennant race, especially a player that has given his heart and soul to this franchise, why wouldn't we accommodate such a player? Especially if we can help meet our goals to build for the future." Kenny then asked Dan exactly when does he expect Florida to return to being competitive? "I think 2009 is possible, but we are not interested in being a one year wonder. Our plan is to return to the postseason and stay there as long as possible. So if it is 2010, fine. When really isn't important. When is when we are prepared to compete for the long haul." Kenny tried pressing Dan more about who he was shopping, but for some reason Dan thought Kenny might tell someone.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Trades

Detroit and Green Day made a blockbuster deal the other day. Detroit, in contention and unhappy with the unrealized potential of BJ Lewis, traded him to Green Day for Willie Dixon and closer Jeff Beck. Lewis and Dixon, both 2B and jawas, are similary opposite. On paper, Lewis is the superior talent and player. In reality, he will be salary arbitration eligible for the next 2 years and is no longer a bargain contract. Dixon is having a fine season setting the table in Green Day and is a bargain player with 1 year and 1.5 million left on his contract. Beck, a 10X reliever, is one of the better relievers on the market and will help shore up the Detroit bullpen for their playoff push. In Green Day, they now have 3 young jawas (Jek Lewis, Ezekial Duke, and now BJ Lewis) to form the nucleus of their team. Expect Lewis to be called up soon to spur fan interest. Once he starts, he may not relinquish the role for the next 15-20 years.

Hollywood and Toronto also struck a deal. Toronto, looking to get younger, trade 2B Andy Stewart and OF Dave Cronin to Hollywood for 3 prospects and one utility infielder. The prospects are 2B Chris Batista, OF Dante Henderson, and SP Ryan Bordenick. The throw in utility infielder is Michael Curtis. With this deal, Hollywood strengthens to weak spots in their lineup for a playoff push and Toronto gets younger. The prospects are all solid but none are considered to be grade "A" prospects. Batista at 24 will probaby start for Toronto the rest of the year, while the other two prospects are 2 years away from reaching the majors.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

800 Homers

Conan hit homerun #800 of his career in a 3-2 win over Springfield. His first inning blast was hit to dead center in Knights stadium, Conan's 16th of the season. His batting average has dropped to .230, but he hopes to continue playing after his contract expires at the end of the season.

New York has had a terrible season and they sit in last place, and the biggest disappointment is Dirk Lindros, in a deep slump and hitting only .213. With over 50 million left on his contract, Lindros is a shell of his former self and untradeable.

Friday, August 08, 2008

Superior League pennant races

With a four game sweep of Las Vegas, Mars has made it a race in the west, they are just 4 back for the division and now have the wild card lead.

Charlotte clings to a one game lead over the streaking Isotopes.

And Baltimore (82-35) has already guaranteed an above .500 season. The only question now is if they will challenge Utah's record for wins. Andy Parsons (14-2) is tied for the league lead in wins, and he's done it all in middle relief. The hitter updates:

Bear: 352/433/624, 25 hr, 110 rbi, 43 2b
Joe Young: 326/402/614, 32 hr, 95 rbi, 105 runs