BREAKING NEWS!  HALL OF FAMER RETIRES EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is being reported out of Las Vegas that long time Gamblers manager and Hall of Famer, Ray Brooks, is retiring effective immediately.  After meeting with Owner and General Manager Boba Fett this afternoon, Brooks was seen leaving the former lair of Jabba the Hutt looking angry.  According to unconfirmed sources within the Vegas organization, Brooks had requested the meeting to discuss the remainder of the 2026 season and beyond.  He had a vision that the Gamblers could use more bullpen arms and also wanted to encourage Fett to sign All-Star catcher Roberto Vargas to a long term contract to keep the Lineup of Death in tact.  Additionally, he expressed frustration at the lack of progress in the negotiations with star pitcher, Shawn Finley.  Apparently the Bounty Hunter informed Brooks of his intentions to begin the rebuilding process and that everyone on the roster would be available and that if Fett had a mother, she'd be available for trade too.  Fett then insulted Brooks' bench coach calling him a "dirty honorary jawa" and demanded he fire him immediately. This set off what sources say was a shouting match and that at one point Brooks even pulled a gun on the Bounty Hunter.  When Fett informed him that he couldn't be certain he was talking to the real Boba Fett and that he could be one of his clones, the long time manager threw down the pistol and stormed off in disgust saying he would be retiring in protest.

Following the meeting Las Vegas made the following press release: 

Effective immediately, Ray Brooks is no longer the manager of the Las Vegas Gamblers.  We thank him for his decade of service and the championship baseball he brought to the city.  We will build a statue of Ray to be unveiled next season.  Dean Ashby is also no longer with the team and we do not thank him for anything.  Hitting Coach Bob Sullivan has been named Interim Manager for the remainder of the season.  Stuart Coppola has been hired as Bench Coach and Yat-sen Guao has been hired as Hitting Coach.

Draft Order

 1. Phoenix

2. Alaska

3. Los Angeles

4. Portland

5. Cleveland

6. Florida

7. NY Knights

8. Utah

9. Miami

10. Detroit

11. Green Day

12. Springfield

13. Chicago

14. Hawaii

15. Hollywood

16. Toronto

17. Orlando

18. Charlotte

19. NY Cobra

20. Texas

21. St Louis

22. Baltimore

23. Las Vegas

24. Denver

25. Louisville

26. Mars

27. Toledo

28. Boston

29. Bay Area

30. Philadelphia

Supplemental Comp Pick round

31. Florida

32. Alaska

33. Springfield

34. Louisville

35. Boston

36. Bay Area

37. Louisville

Players from the APBA era

 We are now in year 12 of using OOTP baseball. There aren't many left who played in APBA. Here are a few of them:

Rookie class of 2014

These players had one year before moving over. 12 of them played in 2025. The best are Robb Stark, the first overall pick that year, and Javier Soto, third baseman in Chicago.

On the pitching side are 22, led by Silvanos Tonka. Scott Elzy, Mark Stevens, and Roger Blackwood are also in this class.

Class of 2013

Only 3 hitters are left, but two of them are great ones: Bryce Parkman and Squirrel Nutkin Jr. There are 5 pitchers, including Kevin Ribaudo who is still dominating.

Class of 2012

12 players, highlighted by Michael Rondon, Billy Bass, and Peter Rabbit. There are 12 pitchers led by the greatest closer of all time, Cesar Cordero.

Class of 2011

9 players led by Aaron Moore and Adrian Sandusky. Both played in 2025 but are now retired. Six pitchers survive, none are noteworthy. 

Class of 2010

2 players, but one has hit 500 homers. Manny Ortez and Denny Berroa. Eleven pitchers led by Stephen Hamburg and Clayton Lewis.

Class of 2009

Only one remains, the first pick of that draft, Conn Barbarian. Conn is having an excellent season in Florida after missing most of 2025 to injury. Ervin Russell was still pitching last year and had a 1.66 ERA, but is unsigned for 2026.

Classes of 2005-2008

A few played last year but none so far in 2026, it looks like this group is retired unless Derek Tufnel can find a team to hook on with.

There were 3 pitchers from 2008. Jon Papelbrad suffered a torn rotator cuff for Texas and his career is likely over. Joseph Smith Langford is struggling for the NY Cobra, and Scott Klippenstein is still pitching for Baltimore.

Juan Francisco Hernandez is the only remaining pitcher from the class of 2007 or earlier. He retired after pitching for Texas last season.

Class of 2003

Miguel Cruz is still playing, one month away from his 42nd birthday. He defied father time for many years, putting up another 30 homer season last year. It looks like he is finally reaching the end with an OPS of .649 through his first 40 games. Cruz will likely retire once this season is up.

Class of 1988

Gerald White returned to the field at age 63 after a 12 year layoff and even picked up a single.

2025 Hall of Fame elects 2

 The Hall of Fame class of 2025 welcomes Hank Crowell and Gerald White Sr to the legends of the game. Both players received 100% of the votes.

Crowell was a 2-time MVP and a triple crown winner. In 2008 he hit .336 with 48 homers and 129 RBI for the LA Shockers. He finished his career with 2667 hits and 383 homeruns.

Gerald White fell short on the previous 6 HOF ballots despite 2596 career hits. It turns out all he needed was one more. Last summer, the 63-year-old suited up for one more game to join his grandson in the lineup. Gerald had 4 at bats that game and added one more hit to his total. He now ranks among the immortals.

Falling short with 2 votes are: 

Jason Baret, Prince Coleman, Jaret Benser, Kenny Anderson Jr, and Charlie Zito.

The following players received one vote and will remain on next year's ballot:

Rufus Anderson, Suzuke Mazdahonda, Alex Maldonado, and Ryan Harris.

2025 World Series

 Game 1: Toledo arrived in Philadelphia as extreme underdogs. They face a team that won 106 games in the regular season, while they only won 90. It didn't take them long to flip the script. The second batter of the game, Tsutomu Sato, belted a 2 run homer off Philly starter Gary Smith. In the 3rd inning, Sato homered again as Toledo won 9-2. Cary Lee started the game and allowed 1 run on 2 hits over 6 innings.

Game 2: Philadelphia brought out their ace, Tom Weaver, the new strikeout king. Sato struck again with an RBI single in the first, and a double in the 3rd to put Toledo up 2-1. Felipe Cortez followed with a 2 run homer. Weaver took the loss, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits over 5 innings. Michael Farley allowed 2 runs over 7 innings as Toledo won 7-3.

Game 3: Toledo pounded Philadelphia 12-5. Carl Bell had 5 hits, Cortez and Broderick Jordan each scored 3 runs. Jesus Palmeiro won the game with 6 1/3 innings of one run ball, and Mark Stevens took the loss.

Game 4: We finally had a close game. In the bottom of the first Jeremy Keen doubled. He tried for third on a fly ball to left field, challenging the weak arm of Barry Rayburn. Rayburn threw the ball away, allowing Keen to score. In the third inning, Sato struck again with a solo homer off Larry Pressley.

Dorian Ivey pitched six innings of shutout ball. In the 8th, Kelsey Lester hit a solo homer off closer Steve Greer to bring the Grays within one. Greer retired the next 5 hitters to earn a save and give the Mud Hens their first ever championship.

Sato was named series MVP. Commissioner Manfred presented the championship trophy to 91-year-old Mud Hens owner Max Klinger, a Toledo native and lifelong Mud Hens fan.

MLCS: Philadelphia vs Bay Area

 Game 1: Troy Wyckoff had a 2 run homer off Mark Stevens in the second inning. Philadelphia scored twice in the 6th against Anthony Henderson to tie it up. Cromwell McGee pitched 2 perfect innings in relief and set his team up for a walk off. In the bottom 9th with 2 out, Dave Thomas singled. Gunnar Lumo ran for him, and a Jose Perez single brought Lumo to third. Brian Rhodes took a 4 pitch walk to load the bases, and Ren-qing Sun drew a walk on a 3-2 count against Anthony Vincent to bring home the winner. It was Philadelphia's 4th consecutive 3-2 playoff win.

Game 2: Tom Weaver struck out 13 while allowing 3 hits and no runs. Neither team scored until the 7th, but 3 Philadelphia homers gave them a 5-1 win and a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3: Gary Smith allowed 2 runs over 7 innings, and Mike Winters went 4-4 with RBI singles in the second and fourth innings. With a 2-1 lead in the 7th, Kelsey Lester busted the game open with a grand slam. Philadelphia went on to win by the score of 6-2.

Game 4: Bay Area scored 4 runs in the first as Larry Presley was unable to finish the inning due to injury. Jose Alvarado homered and drove in 5. Tomas Colon pitched 5 1/3 innings of scoreless ball in the 8-1 Bay Area victory.

Game 5: Mike Winters hit a pair of homers off Anthony Henderson but Philadelphia could not hold Bay Area down despite leads of 4-0 and 6-4. In the top of the 9th Kelsey Lester hit a 2 out, game tying homer. In the bottom of the inning, Eugene Wheeler hit a one out homer, his second of the game, to keep Bay Area alive.

Game 6: Philadelphia had ace Tom Weaver ready to try and clinch it. While he gave up 2 runs in the first 2 innings to fall behind 2-0, he settled in, pitching a 3 hitter with 11 strikeouts over 6. Philadelphia's bats got started in the 2nd and never stopped. Sun had 4 hits and 5 RBI, and Winters had 5 hits, 2 more homers, and 6 RBI as Philly won the clincher 19 to 2.

SLCS Toledo vs Boston

 Game 1: It was a great pitcher's duel between likely Cy winner Michael Farley and 2023 Cy winner Larry Moody. Moody allowed one run on three hits over 7 innings. Farley allowed only one hit over 6 innings, but left the game after his pitch counted topped 100. In the 7th, Manny Ortez tied the game at 1 with a homer.

In the 14th inning, Manny Ortez walked and with 2 out, Reggie Guerrero lined a double over the center fielder's head. Ortez is not fleet of foot, but with 2 out he was running on contact and scored the winning run in Boston's 2-1 victory.

Game 2: Jesus Palmeiro pitched a 3 hitter over 7 innings and Steve Greer pitched the last 2 to complete the 4-0 shutout. Carl Bell had 3 hits for the Mud Hens, and Tsutomu Sato had 2 hits and a walk.

Game 3: Dorian Ivey struck out 9 and allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings. Toledo took a 2-1 lead to the 6th and busted the game open with a 6 run inning.

Game 4: Cary Lee homered in the first inning and pitched the first 4 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs and striking out 8. Jeremy Byers allowed 4 runs in 6 innings for Boston.

The game was tied going into the bottom 9th. With 2 out, Bill Vinson came on as a pinch hitter and took closer Brandon Sanders deep for a walkoff homer. It was the second pinch hit, game winning homer by Vinson in the playoffs.

Game 5: Game 1 starters Farley and Moody came back, and Boston took a 3-2 lead to the bottom 9th. With 2 out, Hisashi Kondo had a pinch hit single to score Carl Bell and send the game into extra innings.

In the 10th, Willem Galpin tripled in the lead run and came around to score an insurance run off Steve Greer. In the bottom of the inning, Christopher Walker gave up one run but held on for the 5-4 win.

Game 6: Ignacio Robles pitched 7 innings, combining with Walker on a 3-0 shutout. Boston scored all 3 runs in the third inning as Masuda brought home one with a single and Bernardo Pineda followed with a 2 run homer.

Game 7: Dorian Ivey retired all 6 batters he faced, but strangely, Miles O'Brien pulled him in the third to go with a bullpen game. Sato had 3 RBI, Vasquez homered, and Toledo won the pennant with a 7-2 victory. In the 9th Steve Greer walked the bases loaded with one out. Leonhilde Ascencio got Reggie Guerrero to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to end the game.

MLDS: Philadelphia vs St Louis

 Game 1: St louis struck first with a 2 run homer in the first inning by RJ Lauritzen. Mark Stevens allowed no more over 5 innings. In the 7th inning Chin Phong tied the game with a 2 run homer off starter Vicente Juarez. Von McPherson and Cromwell McGee combined for 4 perfect relief innings, sending it to the bottom 9th tied at 2.

With one out, Kelsey Lester singled. Lester has been playing through a hamstring injury, and Philly sent in Gunnar Lumo to run for him. Lumo stole second on the first pitch, and Chin Phong brought him home with a single to second.

Game 2: Tom Weaver, fresh off a 19-strikeout regular season finish, only struck out 9 in this game. He did however take a no-hitter into the 6th. With 2 out and a runner on, Vince Murphy tagged him with a 2 run homer to tie the game.

Cromwell McGee pitched another 2 innings of perfect baseball, and Lester hit a solo homer to give Philly another 3-2 win.

Game 3: Terry Carter's 4th inning, 2 run double gave Philly the lead, and Alex Jones tied it the next inning with a 2 run homer off Gary Smith. In the 4th inning, Chin Phong was injured on a hit by pitch and had to leave the game.

In the 7th, Brian "Big Thunder" Rhodes hit a 2 out double with speedy Jorge Perez on first. Perez raced around the bases to take the lead.

Cromwell McGee, series MVP, pitched a perfect 9th to save the game. Philadelphia won all 3 by the score of 3-2. 

MLDS: Bay Area vs Orlando

Game 1: Bay Area won 5-2 behind Anthony Henderson, who allowed 2 hits, one run, and struck out 10 over 7 innings. Anthony Sepulveda allowed 2 runs in 6 innings but took the loss for Orlando. Miguel Cruz had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs.

Game 2: Bay Area took a 6-1 lead after 2 innings and held on for an 8-4 win. Cruz homered and drove in 5 runs. Wade Miller (6 IP, 2 runs) earned the win, and Clay Seymour took the loss after giving up the 6 early runs.

Game 3: Jose Noe pitched 6 innings and combined on a shutout with 3 relievers. Troy Wyckoff scored on an error in the second and Bay Area took a 1-0 lead to the 9th. Wyckoff added some insurance with a 2 run homer in the 9th. John Wilson took the loss for Orlando but pitched well, with just an unearned run allowed over 7.1 innings.

SLCS Toledo vs Mars

 Game 1: Felipe Cortez homered and drove in 6, and Cary Lee homered and scored twice as Toledo won easily, 10-3. Michael Farley allowed 3 runs over 6 2/3 innings, Kris Smith took the loss for Mars. Smith allowed 4 runs in 4 innings, walking 5.

Game 2: Jesus Palmeiro outdueled Clayton Lewis for the first 6 innings. Palmeiro allowed 2 hits, no runs, and struck out 11. Lewis pitched well, but allowed a run. Frank Branch gave up 3 runs in the 7th and 8th to give Toledo some insurance.

Cary Lee hit a solo homer off Lewis for the first run, and added a 2 run homer off branch later. Toledo took game 2 4-1.

Game 3: Toledo scored 3 in the first as Cortez cleared the bases with a double. In the 4th, Jeff Rashid drove in one run and scored on a 2 run homer by Thomas White to tie the game. The game was still tied at 3 in the 9th, when pinch hitter Bill Vinson hit a 2 out solo homer off Sam Parillo. Steve Greer pitched the last 2 innings for Toledo to earn the win.

SLDS: Las Vegas vs Boston

 Game 1: Larry Moody pitched a 3 hitter, striking out 10, over 8.1 innings. Ben Angus allowed just 2 runs, on a homer by Manny Ortez, over 5 innings before Jack Shaw pitched a disastrous 6th inning. Boston won 6-1.

Game 2: Boston jumped off to a 10-1 start in the first 4 innings, knocking out starter Jorge Cota. Ignacio Robles pitched 5.1 innings of one run ball for the win. Tom Chaisson had 3 hits including a homer and drove in 4 in a 13-2 final. The only highlight for Las Vegas was outfielder Johnny Woods pitching a scoreless 9th and even striking out 2 batters.

Game 3: Boston got off to a 7-1 lead as Las Vegas ace Shawn Finley didn't have it. Las Vegas came back to tie it in the 7th inning as Johnny Woods hit a 2 out, 3 run homer. Woods had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 5th, replacing the second LV shortstop and leaving the defense short handed. They put Woods in the outfield, moved second baseman Draal Kanjigarson to shortstop, and left fielder Mark Bennett to second base. Draal made 2 errors in the game and Bennett made one.

Boston scored in the 8th to retake the lead, and with 2 out and 2 on, Manny Ortez hit a routine grounder to second. Bennett fielded it and threw it away, allowing another run to score and extending the inning for a third to score. Brandon Sanders pitched the last 2 innings for the save. 

Superior League Wild Card

 Las Vegas vs Louisville

Game 1: Roger Blackwood pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. In the 4th inning with a 1-0 lead, Las Vegas put 2 men on with 2 out and the shortstop coming up. Ray Brooks pinch hit with Johnny Woods, who hit a 3 run homer. Las Vegas won 6-3, with Jon Papelbrad earning the save.

Game 2: Michael Rondon hit a 4th inning grand slam to put his team up 6-0. Shawn Finley allowed 3 runs over 5 1/3 innings as Las Vegas won 7-5.

Mars vs Baltimore: 

Game 1: Jose Barrera and Joe Clayton pitched excellent games, leading to a 2-2 tie going to the 9th. In the top of the inning, Mark Lee tripled and scored on a Brady Balmer sacrifice fly. Sam Parillo pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th to seal the victory.

Game 2: Mars scored 11 runs in the first 3 innings to bury the Colts, winning the game 11-3. Mark Lee homered and drove in 4. Jon Pilgrim allowed one run over 5 innings for the win.

Major League Wild Card

 Denver vs Orlando

Game 1: John Wilson struck out 10 over 7 innings, allowing one run. Jake Delhomme matched him for 5 innings, but Orlando scored 3 in the 7th off reliever Kevin Schneider while Denver's offense never got going. Orlando took game 1 4 to 1.

Game 2: Pat Evans gave up 3 runs, getting knocked out in the 4th, and Denver's bullpen allowed 4 more as Orlando took a 7-0 lead. Denver added 3 late runs but it was too little, too late and the defending champions were sent home early. Jesus Martinez earned the win for Orlando with 2 runs allowed in 6 innings, despite walking 6. Rabbits drew 10 walks on the day but stranded most of them.

New York vs St Louis

Game 1: St. Louis put together a second inning 4 run rally against Stephen Hamburg, who then left the game with a sore elbow in possibly his last Cobra start. Mike Law allowed 2 runs and struck out 7 over 5.1 innings to earn the win as St. Louis prevailed 6-4.

Game 2: The teams were tied at 5 heading to the bottom of the 8th. With the top lefty batters from St Louis due up, New York went to their left-handed closer Elmer Stephens. Adam Yates walked, stole second, and one out later scored on a Vince Murphy single. Later. New York hoped to escape with 2 outs and down by one run, but a single, double, and homer put St. Louis up 11-5 before the inning was done, and that was the final score.

Final weekend pennant race

 Boston and Denver, last year's pennant winners, have clinched their divisions.

In the Superior League East, Louisville holds the first wildcard spot with 87 wins. They finish the year by playing Baltimore, who have one of the 2 remaining wild card spots. Baltimore has had a rough patch lately after being power swept by the Miami Stars. Miami is playing with an edge, not like a team looking for their third straight top 2 draft pick. In the 4 game sweep, Miami threw three shutouts and outscored Baltimore 17 to 1.

Toledo has the central division, and no other team there remains alive in the playoff hunt. In the west, Mars holds a 2 game lead for the division and Las Vegas, with 85 wins, is tied with Baltimore for the last 2 spots. Texas, with 84 wins, is the only team left that could overtake a playoff team. They will find a difficult opponent as they play Boston to end the season. Boston will not go easy or hold back, because they are playing for home field advantage in the Superior League. They can use their best starters, who are assured of full rest after the wild card round is over.

In the major league, the Rabbits have clinched the central and St. Louis has one wild card spot. The Rabbits have no chance at catching Bay Area or Philadelphia, so they will rest their top starters in a meaningless series against Green Day.

Philadelphia has one thing left to play for. They have clinched the best record in baseball, but will start Tom Weaver (23-5) one more time as he attempts to reach 400 strikeouts. He needs only 11 more.

The last 2 wild card spots will go to crappy teams who all had chances to put this race away several times, but through their own mediocrity stayed right in the middle of the pack. Nobody really seems to want the playoff spots, but 2 will get them anyway. The most likely scenario is that in two series, best of 3 will decide the race.

Portland hosts New York, and Toronto plays in Orlando.

Three of the teams have 78 wins, and Orlando has 79.

The weird thing would be if Toronto takes 2 out of 3 from Orlando, and the other series does not result in a sweep. That would give 3 teams 80 wins and force us to bring out the tiebreakers. Further complicating things would be if Hollywood (77 wins) sweeps its final series against Bay Area. This is a Hollywood team that had a chance to take control of this race but has lost their last 6 games against 4th place Hawaii and last place Los Angeles.