N L SOUTH PREVIEW SEASON 23

Tampa Bay Stars (NL) neilg View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:80-82

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Neligs Stars are the division champs, and it took 6 seasons to get this team back atop the division. I know this is a weak division but this team is improving every season. They won 83 games with great pitching (3.70 team ERA-4th) and average defense (88 errors, .986 FPct-14th). The hitting wasn't very good (.257 team BA-27th) and may need some help next year.Nelig lost some pitching to free agency but went out and signed some good replacements like Suarez. Nothing was done about the lack of offense but the pitching may overcome that deficiency.PREDICTION:85-77


OUT: Joey Ohlendorf , Kris Karros , Javier Veras , Robin King

IN: Javier Flores , Kevin Jang , Albert Espinoza , Tim Towers , Christian Sipp


PREVIEW: Big fish in a small pond here. Neligs Stars won the division with a sub .500 record. They took their 80 win season into the playoffs as the #4 seed. And fell to the upstart Salt Lake City Utes in the first round. Tampa Bay had decent hitting (.272 BA-15th) but again the pitching (4.96 ERA-25th) and defense (121 errors, .980 FPct-27th) came up very short. In the off-season, Nelig re-signed Matty Guerrero and let Ohlendorf, Karros, Veras and King go to free agency. To plug the holes he signed free agents Flores , Jang , Espinoza and promoted Towers. Finally Nelig picked up Sipp in the R-5 draft. The best player picked up in the off-season was the R-5 guy and that isn't good. The Stars will be lucky to reach the .500 mark especially with the improved Black Bears. PREDICTION:72-90

Jackson Black Bears (NL) olemiss33 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:78-84

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Haven't looked yet wheather Olemiss called up his prospects. Regardless, the Blackbears never made it to my 85 win prediction. Jackson won 71 games with Cub like hitting (..249 team BA-30th) and defense (113 errors, .981 FPct-25th). The pitching was about average (4.46 team ERA-17th),so all isn't lost.Ahhh the Black Bears have awoken from a long hibernation. With the call-up of some very good prospects this team will improve . The future looks bright for Olemiss and the Black Bears. They are my Darkhorse pick this year. They may win this division.PREDICTION:90-72

OUT: Louie Elcano , Fritz Reddick , Al Pelaez , Apollo McNamara , Pete Penny , Joe Wesson , Carlos Wilfredo

IN: Jae Yamaguchi , Horacio Mesa , Asdrubal Morales , Mac Patrick , Bruce Montgomery , Robb Holder , Damaso Gonzalez , Darron Moses , R.J. Lima

OLMISS's PREVIEW: Didn't land the frontline SP I wanted in FA, but added good arms via trade and one FA in the bullpen. Mac Patrick, Joe Yamaguchi, and Horacio Mesa via FA, and Robb Holder and Damaso Gonzalez via trade. Also will be calling Michael Suzuki up after the 25th game. Bats will be weak the first 25 games, then Moe Proctor. Cesar Mateo, and Alex Suarez will be called up. Going to give Javier Lopez and Michael Green one more year on the far before calling them up, then have Dave Moore, Ryota Sugawara, Richard Kyung, and Cesar Gutierrez coming the following season. Look to make a run at the playoffs this year, with next year being the first real year we are a WS contender.


PREVIEW: There was a dark cloud over my Darkhorse pick. Olemiss called up many of the killer prospects he had stashed in AAA and I thought they were going to make a run. Even though they only won 78 games I still think they will have a break out year soon..too much talent not to.The Black Bears kept stocking up on IFA's with the addition of Cesar Gutierrez , Richard Kyung and Ryota Sugawara to the farm system. Jackson will have many options to aquire M L ready players this year. Last year Oemiss's Black Bears had the worst hitting team in Wrigleyville (.240 BA-32nd) . but they did have great pitching (4.18 ERA-6th) and solid defense (91 errors, .985 FPct-12th). In the off-season Olemiss let Elcano go to free agency and released Reddick, Pelaez, McNamara and Penny. He traded away Wesson and Wifredo to other teams. To fill the empty roster spots Olemiss signed free agents Yamaguchi, Mesa, Morales, Patrick and promoted Montgomery. Holder, Gonzalez, Moses and Lima were brought aboard with the earlier mentioned trades. I still believe that Jackson is the cream of the crop in the N L South. Olemiss brought in some proven winners in the trades and he still has several very good prospects in AAA ready to get the call-up. I'm afraid we have awoken a sleeping giant BEAR. PREDICTION:92-70

Austin City Limits (NL) wylie715 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:76-86

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: INCOMING!! another Anvil just hit Wylie on the skull. Like I said last year ,I hope this team plays well. But the City Limits could only win 61 games. Last season Austin had below average hitting (.258 team BA-25th) , terrible pitching (5.16 team ERA-28th) and terrible defense (129 errors, .979 FPct).Wylie improved his middle defense with Knight, and Mills will be good in LF, but Arias's weak glove in CF will be a problem.The bat of Byrne will help score more runs but he's a DH playing on a NL team. On the upside , the pitching will be better. PREDICTION:68-94


OUT: Fernando Calvo , Eswalin Canseco , Felix Guerrero , Eduardo Duran , Ed Quantrill , Roosevelt Rapp

IN: Jose Lee , Sergei Rasmussen , B.C. Alomar , Morgan Hebert , Rob Stults

WYLIE'S PREVIEW: here's my preview: the City Limits will underperform as usual. Although if it is as usual, maybe they are not underperforming, I'm overrating them.

PREVIEW: Wylies Austin City Limits are headed in the right direction. He just needs to look out for the pitfalls. The City limits surpassed my prediction by winning 76 games last year. They did this with an average offensive club (.270 BA-20th) and average pitching (4.74 ERA-21). They are still held back by poor defense (117 errors, .981 FPct-24th) ,but it was an improvment over season 21. Wylie continues at add tasty prospects with the addition of Benji Machado to the farm system. Players like that will help out the pitching in the future. In the off-season Wylie let Calvo, Canseco, Guerrero go to free agency and traded away Duran. He then put Quantrill and Rapp on the waiver wire and they were claimed. Wylie signed free agent Lee and promoted Rasmussen, Alomar , Hebert, and Stults was brought in thru a trade. The addition of Stults will help out the offense but hurt the defense. But Herbert will be a solid defensive fielder and the bullpen will be helped by the addition of Lee and Aomar. All in all Austin is heading in the right direction but still has a way to go. Should finish in the middle of the pack. PREDICTION: 81-81

Jacksonville Juggernauts (NL) wishlist3677 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:69-93

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Bullshippers lost the race for the worst record and the first pick in the draft. But picking 3rd is pretty good. Last year Wishlists guys had below average pitching (4.91 team ERA-23rd) . Durham also had terrible hitting (.249 team BA-29th) and defense (118 errors, .980 FPct).Durham has alot of talent at the ML level. They will not be in the basement if they play up to there ability. Look for this team to make a great turn around this year.PREDICTION:75-87

OUT: Del Lopez , Rick Reagan , Walt Lieberthal , Virgil Guerrero , Johnnie Hurst , Rob Stults

IN: Diory Noesi , James Lee , Dernell Bartee , Johnny Myers , Derrek O'Brien , Edinson Trinidad , Eduardo Duran

PREVIEW: Wish got the hell out of Durham just ahead of the angry mob. It's partly my fault when I predicted the Bullshippers would have a great turn around year. Thus now this team is The Jacksonville Juggernauts. Will they be more Jugger than Naught remains to be seen. But Wish will have to fix last years Hitting (.264 BA-26th) and Defense (121 errors, .980 FPct-26th). The pitching (4.74 ERA-20th) was slightly improved, so not all was Naught. Benito Torres was added to the farm and he should be a real Jugger. In the off-season Wishlist let Lopez, Reagan, Lieberthal and Guerrero. He released Hurst outright and traded away Stults. Wish claimed Noesi off the wire and signed free agent Lee. He promoted Bartee and Myers and traded for O'Brien, Trinidad and Duran. Jacksonville pitching will be better with the trades and the promotion of Bartee. Lee will help shore up the middle D and Myers will knock some homers. All in all the Juggernauts will be a better ballclub but may need more work to make the post-season.PREDICTION: 83-79

N L EAST PREVIEW SEASON 23

Burlington Coat Factory (NL) ehull11 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:99-63 (WORLD SERIES CHAMP)

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Congrats again Ehull on your Championship. In my opinion it was long overdue. The Coat Factories had the best record in the regular season and they parlayed that into a World Series Ring. Last year the Coat Factories had the #1 pitching team (2.85 team ERA-1st) , in fact they left the rest of us in the dust. The closest to their 2.85 ERA was the Red light Districts 3.28 ERA. They also had the #1 defense, commiting only 62 errors with a FPct of .990. The hitting was above average (.271 team BA-13th) but you don't have to score alot of runs with great pitching and defense. Burlington was tested in the NLCS when they won game seven against the Kickapoos. And the AL Champ Somtimes took them to game 6 ,but in the end, no one had an answer for the World Champion Coat Factories.The loss of Pineros 20 million salary helped re-sign several good players. And Ehull replaced Pineros bat with free agent Allen at half the cost. So looks like Ehull's Coat Factories have to be the favorite to win the Series.No jinx this time.PREDICTION: 102-60


OUT: Don Nelson , Mike Karnuth , Eduardo Valdes , Kendry Pena

IN: Del Lopez , Freddy Stahoviak , Albert Torres , Jackie Guthrie

PREVIEW: I had good reasons for ranking Ehulls Coat Factories as favorite to win the Series. And really, it was a easy peasy call. Burlington still had most of the bunch back that won the Series in S-21. They went into the post season with the #2 ranked pitching staff in Wrigleyville (3.41 ERA-2nd) and the 7th ranked defensive club (79 errors, .987 FPct-7th). The only concern was the anemic Offense (.256 BA-28th) .They only hit .250 in the playoffs with a S-22 playoff worst 105 strikeouts. But what propelled them to the Championship was the long ball. Ehulls "hit it far or miss guys" smacked 73 homers ,second to only the Salmonbellies. Looks like great pitching and homeruns are the recipe to World Series Championships. In the off-season Ehull first re-signed Teddy Buckley and let Nelson and Karnuth go to free agency. He released Valdes and lost Pena on the waiver wire. The Champs needed to fill some holes and they started by signing Lopez, Stahoviak , Torres and traded for Guthrie. Burlington swapped players Karnuth and Torres with me. Time will tell who got the best of the exchange. But picking up a player with Championship DNA in Guthrie may help the Coat Factories 3-peat. This team is still intact with a few good replacements. Ehulls Dreadnought Coat Factories are still the Favotite to win this years Series. PREDICTION:105-57

Cincinnati Red Light District (NL) jeff2106 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:83-79

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Red Light Districts Had a very good year but play in the tough NL EAST. This division is a beast and has produced the last 3 World Series Winners. And the defending champs made a great showing with 94 wins and grabbed a wild card berth. Last year this teams batting was below average (.261 team BA- 23rd) and the defense was pedestrian (103 errors, .983 FPct-20th).The Star was the 2nd ranked pitching (3.28 team ERA) and that kept them competative.There are a few holes in this team but the Red Light Districts can still play with the best of them. With San Juan re-building and Syracuse just coming out of a rebuild, this team could make it to the post season.PREDICTION:90-72


OUT: Pasqual Perez , Javier Flores , Rex Maxwell , Chris James , Jae Yamaguchi , Harry Vega , R.J. Roque , Junior Okajima , Adam Hamilton , Claudio Schmidt , Alex Outman , Jorge Fernandez

IN: Yank Hill , Jae Kojima , Grant LaRocca , Miguel Martis , Javier Manzanillo , Albert Sandoval , Yannick Earley , Gene Weston , Miguel Baez , Gorkys Soriano

JEFF'S PREVIEW: The Red Lights for a 2nd straight season seemed to under perform.Last season started with a 4-16 record and it was up hill from there. They still finished with a winning record of 83-79 for the 6th spot in the playoffs. The Reds beat Madison in 4 and the lost to the champs in 4.Chris James wanted greener grass, Rex Maxwell Javier Flores were let go for draft picks. Pasqual Perez Jae Yamaguchi were shown the door. And it's not an offseason without some trades.Knowing what James was going to cost as well as the other FA pitchers the first goal was to get another ace. Gene Weston was the target. Yannick Earley was added in for Junior Okajima and MVP candidate R.J. Roque. Adam Hamilton was moved to clear some cap. Needing some more power Miguel Baez was added for a couple of relievers. Now needing bullpen help, Jorge Fernandez was traded for Gorkys Soriano .Yank Hill was added to take over the SS duties, Miguel Martis glove was added, hoping that Javier Manzanillo can keep up the production he has had the last 2 seasons.Grant LaRocca and Jae Kojima added to finish out the pen. All in all some good pieces added and some let go. I think I've doomed this team, its going to be pretty ugly in Cincinnati. Well be lucky to win 60.


PREVIEW: Jeff's Red Light Districts took a slight step back last year, but it was still good enough for the #6 seed in the playoffs. Cincinnati shocked the up and coming Madison Muskellunges in the first round. But then they really didn't have enough to beat the defending champs in the DCS. Last season the Jeffs guys had great pitching (4.13 ERA-5th), good hitting (.274 BA-11th) and defense( 91 errors, .985 FPct-11th). In the off-season Jeff let Perez, Flores, Maxwell, James, Yamaguchi go to free agency and released Vega outright. Then he held a auction and traded away Roque, Okajima, Hamilton, Schmidt, Outman and Fernandez. With half the roster to fill, Jeff signed free agents Hill, Kojima, LaRocca, Martis, Manzanillio, Sandoval. The trades brought in Earley, Weston, Baez and Soriano. Cincinatti let or traded some talent but the trades brought in some really nice players. Can the Red Light Districts return to glory? You have to trust Jeff's track record and couple that with the tough division in projecting this team. It's a tough call but this team will be in the wild-card hunt.PREDICTION:89-73

Syracuse Moose (NL) rugby1 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:75-87

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Moose Finished close to predictions. Last year Syracuse won only 62 games but thats an improvment on season 20. Rugbys guys had terrible hitting (.248 team BA-31st), average pitching (4.37 team ERA-14th) and bad defense (123 errors, .980 FPct-27th). These stats are about what to expect for a re-build.Nice call-ups! The Moose are on there way back folks. The youngsters that were promoted will improve this team immensely.They still have a little ways to go but this team will be my pick for most improved.PREDICTION:82-80

OUT: Casey Graham , Dude Long

IN: Julio Johnson

PREVIEW: The Moose weren't the most improved as predicted but they did improve 13 games from S-21. They won 75 games with good pitching (4.42 ERA-12th) . But like last year the hitting (.251 BA-31st) and defense (142 errors, .977 FPct-31st) was nearly the worst in Wrigleyville. The addition of 1st round draft pick Charles Yamamoto and IFA Pedro Olmedo  will help Rugby fix these deficiencies in the future. In the off-season Rugby let Graham go to free agency and released Long outright. He only had one roster spot open and traded for a good SP in Johnson. The Moose are still a young team with 28.6 avg age and only 3.7 avg ML years. With some very nice prospects in AAA this team should be competative soon .Is this that year? let me see what my Magic 8-ball says. "Concentrate and ask again"........ well that didn't help me. PREDICTION: 84-78

San Juan Santurce Crabbers (NL) rbedwell View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:74-88

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Crabs are re-building but still won a respectable 80 games. Ralph had 5 first round picks and brought in a ton of young talent like  Esmil Sosa , Enos Crespo , Vance Kulik. Last year San Juan had good defense (86 errors, .986 FPct-10th), good hitting (.276 team BA-10th) and good pitching (4.31 team ERA-10th). Not bad for a rebuild Ralph.You know your team was good when most the players you let go to free agency, get picked up by other teams.And Ralph is in a rebuild so he replaced them with waiver wire pickups and other so-so players. This team still has 3 roster spots open, they may get filled with waiver specials or bargain players. Regardless the Crabbers could still win about 70 games. PREDICTION: 70-92

OUT: Hi Shea , Javier Manzanillo , Ernest Truman , Travis Hocking , Kevin Martin , Orlando Lee , Hi Shea , Tuck Simmons , Kimera Oliver , Matt Kreuter , Al Fernandez , Doc Hampton , Daric Washington , Horacio Benitez , Jackie Guthrie

IN: Brian Dickinson , Albert Santos , Jose Bonilla , Al Vincente , Mo Andrelczyk , Jack Stewart , Jim Speaker

PREVIEW: Ralphs Crabs won 74 games....and thats respectable for a re-build. The Temporary Santurce Crabbers had below average hitting (.270 BA-22nd) pitching (5.09 ERA-26th) and defense (11 errors, .982 FPct-21st) . San Juan did add 1st round pick Kyle Stevens to the farm system and picked up B.C. Gonzales amongst many others in the IFA. I'm watching Ralph closely and learning how to build a winner. In the off-season Ralph re-signed Tyrone Handworth ,Ben Borland and  let Shea, Borland, Manzanillo, Truman, Hocking, Martin, Lee, Shea go to free agency. He released Simmons, Oliver, Krueter, Fernandez, Hampton, Washington and Benitez. Ralph then traded away Guthrie to the Champs. The Crabbers have to field a team so they claimed Dickinson and Santos off the wire and signed free agents Bonilla, Vincente, Andrelczyk and Stewart. Finally San Juan promoted Speaker to the Bigs. This is a Re-build and Ralph is just plugging in temporary players to get him through the season. He has lots and lots of money to spend on his High School draft picks and tasty IFA's. PREDICTION:70-92

A L EAST PREVIEW SEASON 23

Washington D.C. Wingdings (AL) goldenbaer88 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:84-78

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: I wrongly thought the Wingdings were going to win the division last year.  Goldenbaer thought so too when he made several trades before the All-Star break. heres the Link ( THE WEEK IN WRIGLEYVILLE S-21 #4 ). But it didn't help, towards the end he shipped off some players for prospects. Last season Washington D C had good hitting (.275 team BA-12th), average pitching (4.38 team ERA-15th) . But the Ding in the Wings was the defense. They were dead last with 147 errors and a FPct of .976.After a busy off-season trade binge, Goldenbaer has made the Wing Dings a better club. Can they win the division the way they sit right now. It's possible. But you and I know that Goldenbaer will be a trading players all season. If he comes up with the right bunch at the end, he may do damage in the post season.It's a three team race in th A L East.PREDICTION:87-75


OUT: Scott Cookson , Wandy Corpas

IN: Ted Brush


PREVIEW: I was happy that Goldenbaer won the division. I thought they would do it in S-21 but better late than never. And yes, this is a weak division but a division winner they are.  Washington did improve the hitting (.284 BA-4th) last year and held ground with the pitching staff (4.45 ERA-13th). But the biggest improvment was the defense they went from dead last to a respectble 13th (93 errors, .985 FPct-13th).The new and improved Wingdings went into the post-season and drew a 101 win wildcard team,bad luck! In the off-season Goldenbaer re-signed Geronimo Cruz  , let Cookson go to free agency and lost Corpas on the Waiver Wire. The only addition was Brush who was brought in through a trade with Little Rock. Goldenbaer fixed his defensive woes last year and he added a good hitting and fielding 3rd baseman. So this team right now may win about 85-90 games. Goldenbaer will again probably make some trades this season if  his team underpreforms. Goldenbaer will have to win the division to make the playoffs and he is the favorite in this weak division.PREDICTION:88-74

Louisville Redtails (AL) jmuhtoff View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:80-82

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: I predicted this team would finish about .500 and thats exactly where they finished. Jmuhtoffs Howlers just about won the division with a good hitting (.278 team BA-9th) and average defense (88 errors, .985 FPct). The pitching let the Howlers down with a team ERA of 5.20 ,that ranks 29th overall.The Howlers added some nice old free agents and the promotion of Lee should help out in the pen.Jmuhtoff may give the Pirates a run for the division crown. PREDICTION:88-76


OUT: Glen Swann , Denny McCormick , Ezdra Canseco , Omar Perez , Gene Weston , Yannick Earley

IN: Edgardo Rivera , Jorge Guerrero , Hipolito Cano , Terry Bold , Ollie Greenwood , Junior Okajima , R.J. Roque

JMUHTOFF'S PREVIEW: Here's the rundown on this season's Redtails club: The Redtails wish Gene Weston great success in Cincinnati and are greatful for his stay in Lousiville.When the opportunity came to make a move to bolster the offense and add R.J. Roque and Junior Okajima, Redtails management decided that a change was in order.With the later addition of Ollie Greenwood the Redtails have the potential for an outfield of three 30HR 100 RBI guys. SS Xavier Cain played well enough in a late season call up to earn a starting spot this season.Ageless C Randy Lowell tested the market and decided to come back for his lucky 13th season and see if he can knock in his 1000th ML RBI all with the same club.The departure of Weston makes youngtser Walt Henry the ace of a staff that pitched over 800 innings for the Redtails last year. Pablo Lee returns to the closer role after converting 32 of 40 opportunities last season. Rule V players Terry Bold and Hipolito Cano hope to stick around and provide some left handed depth to the bullpen.All told the Redtails hope that the rotation can improve after a year together and that the offensive changes are enough to boost the team to 900 runs scored,which is what we figure it will take to win the AL East and make a strong run to the playoffs.


PREVIEW: Jmuhtoffs Howlers did make a run for the division but finished 4 games out. Jmuhtoff decided it was time to re-brand his team and the new Louisville Redtail T-shirts and Accessories went on sale last week. Last year this 80 win team was ...er...average. The Hitting (.271 BA-18th), Pitching (4.46 ERA-14th) and Fielding (101 errors, .983 FPct-18th) was near the middle of the pack. Jmuhtoff did add Trent Steinbach and Donaldo Balboa in last years draft and could be in the bigs in 2-3 years. In the off-season Jmuhtoff re-signed Randy Lowell , Philip Schultz then let Swann, McCormick and Canseco go to free agency. Then he shipped Perez , Weston and Early to other teams. With some gaps in the line-up, Jmuhtoff signed free agent Rivera and promoted Guerrero. Then he picked up Cano and Bold in the R-5 and traded for Greenwood , Okajima and Roque. Weston will be missed in the rotation but Louisville picked up 2 sluggers for him. Jmuhtoff was able bring in a really good CF'er and this may help out the weaken rotation in the long run. The new and improved Redtails may break .500 this year. PREDICTION: 83-79

Pittsburgh Pirates (AL) ardthomp View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:78-84

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Pirates took a step back with only 83 wins, but it still was enough to win the division. The Love Ship sailed into the playoffs as the #4 seed, but was sunk in the first round by the Cobras. Last year Pittsburgh had a good defensive team (85 errors, .986 FPct-9th) but the average pitching (4.89 team ERA-22nd) and hitting (.271 team BA-16th) kept them from getting deeper in the playoffs.This team improved with the promotions and some R-5 players. Young Tavarez will shore up the defense and Lucano and Aguilar have bright futures on the mound. The Pirates should win at least 90 games. Whether its enough to win the division is up to the other three teams.PREDICTION:91-71


OUT: Flash Reimold , Freddy Stahoviak , Julian Stern , Adrian James

IN: Vic Mercado , Chris James , Danny Wilson

PREVIEW: Boy!! I blew this prediction. 90 wins?? The Pirates sprung a leak in their Ship and floundered to a 78 win season. Back in port Ard looked at last season and saw that his Defense was stellar, Ranked #4 with 77 errors and a FPct of .987. This helped the average pitching staff compete (4.70 ERA-19th) but the offense (.263 BA-27th) marooned the Pirates. Pittsburgh did add a ton of talent in the draft by picking up five first round picks (Ryan Lee, Ozzie D'Amico , Edgar Carrasco , Lyle Alexander , Lou Gamel ). So last season was not..... for not! In the off-season Ardthomp re-signed Karim Paniagua , Jake Alston and let Reimold , Stahoviak , Stern and James go to free agency. To fill the cracks in the hull, Captain Ard claimed Mercado of the wire and signed free agent James to a 5 year ,128 million dollar contract. He promoted Wilson from Swab to Mate to finish his crew. With the addition of High Dollar James and others this team has improved the pitching. But the hitting still needs help. Maybe Good pitching and defense will overcome and playing in this weak division will help. Look for the Pirates to make trouble for Louisville and Washington. PREDICTION: 81-81

Boston Knights (AL) avantrael View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:71-91

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Knights had another rough year with only 62 wins. And even though I predicted 72 wins, I wasn't suprised that my prediction was overly optimistic. Last year Avantrael's Knights had terrible defense (128 errors, .979 FPct-31st) and the the worst pitching staff (6.15 team ERA-32nd). The hitting was average (.271 team BA-17th) so all is not lost.There still is one more slot open on the M L roster and Avantrael has options at AAA.  The Knights still have a poor defensive team (CF) and can't over come it with a average offense. Looks like another average year in Boston.PREDICTION:67-95

OUT: Abraham Brownson , Hick Boucher , Nipsey Benard , Bernard Wilson

IN: Miguel Maradona , Junior Maeda , Tomas Alvarez , Kordell Madson , Omar Perez

PREVIEW: Boston finished close to my prediction but it was an improvement on S-21. Last season Avantrael's Knights had the 2nd best offense in Wrigleyville (.289 BA-2nd) but the 2nd worst pitching (6.14 ERA-31st). The defense (119 errors, .980 FPct-25th) did improve a little but still has a ways to go. They did pick up R.A. Bowie with the 5th pick in the draft and he will help out the defense in 3-4 years. In the off-season Avantrael let Brownson, Boucher, Benard and Wilson go to free agency. Then he signed free agents Maradona, Maeda, Alvarez and promoted Madson. Finally the Knights traded for Perez . The only upgrade on the pitching problem was Alvarez and he won't be enough to get this team above .500. Maybe the added firepower of Perez will overcome the lack of pitching. Avantrael has the lowest budget for players in the league and has maxed out his draft scouting.It looks like a long  Dark Night for Avantrael , but he will pick up some quality prospects in the draft.PREDICTION:70-92

Wrigleyville Pre-Season Power Rankings

Right now these rankings are based primarily on FA signings, finances and how teams fared last season. I'll try to update the power rankings every week when the season begins....

Rank	Team	Record	Last Week	Comments
1	Burlington	0-0	N/A	Defending champs always get the top spot
2	Salem	0-0	N/A	No reason to believe they aren't the best in the AL
3	Madison	0-0	N/A	My early pick for the AL pennant
4	Helena	0-0	N/A	Good offense + good pitching + good defense = success
5	Santa Fe	0-0	N/A	Kings of free agency look tough
6	Salt Lake City	0-0	N/A	Looking to take the NL West for the 1st time
7	San Francisco	0-0	N/A	Too good for too long to start further down the rankings
8	Fargo	0-0	N/A	Going to be fighting off New Britain all season
9	New Britain	0-0	N/A	Going to be fighting with Fargo all season
10	Arizona	0-0	N/A	Aging quickly so they need to stay healthy
11	Pittsburgh	0-0	N/A	Revamped rotation and young hitters look to impress
12	Charlotte	0-0	N/A	Pitching is there but the hitters must step up
13	Cincinnati	0-0	N/A	Darkhorse in the NL
14	Jackson	0-0	N/A	Due to break the seal and get over .500
15	Tampa Bay	0-0	N/A	Repeat division champ won't give up the crown easily
16	Washington DC	0-0	N/A	Breakout season by Jesus James get this team into the playoffs
17	Syracuse	0-0	N/A	Young players will get time to blossom
18	Charleston	0-0	N/A	Veteran squad looking to sneak into the playoffs
19	Trenton	0-0	N/A	RIP Gandolfini
20	Austin	0-0	N/A	Zip Madson looks to move into the upper echelon of players
21	Chicago Bleacher Bums	0-0	N/A	Best stadium in WIS
22	Colorado Springs	0-0	N/A	With San Fran possibly rebuilding this team could make a move
23	San Juan	0-0	N/A	Low payroll and high international $ for this perennial powerhouse
24	Chicago Black Sox	0-0	N/A	Pitching really needs to step up this season
25	Minnesota	0-0	N/A	Looks to be building for the future
26	Louisville	0-0	N/A	Would like to get 20 wins out of Walt Henry
27	Milwaukee	0-0	N/A	Veteran team in need of pitching
28	Cheyenne	0-0	N/A	Working hard but in a very tough division
29	Scottsdale	0-0	N/A	Will moving to a warmer climate create more W's?
30	Little Rock	0-0	N/A	New ownership possibly looking to rebuild
31	Boston	0-0	N/A	Could be a tough season with Pitt and DC looking good
32	Jacksonville	0-0	N/A	Finances point to building to the future

EHULL11 GOES BACK to BACK WHEN BURLINGTON WINS THE S-22 SERIES

 

Ehull is much,Much happier now

Hello my fellow owners, Madmuldoon here. I.B. Lyon is on paid leave while dealing with female problems. *wink* I am traveling to Burlinton to talk to this years World Series Champ, Ehull. The Coat Factories made an unbelieveable comback winning game 5,6 and 7. They did this behind the arms of Marc Lawrence (3-0,3.28 ERA) and Don Nelson (4-0 ,2.57 ERA). On-base phenom  Mike Karnuth hit .386 and walked 10 times. Then Mickey Dawley and Marty Allen drove him home.
   I caught up to Ehull at the Bluebird Barbeque and was led to his table by a large breasted female. I read last years World Series interview and was ready for Mr Grumpy. But to my suprise there was Ehull smiling from ear to ear . He jumped up and nearly shook my arm off shaking my hand and said " I finally get to meet Madmuldoon. Sit here Mad" he motioned to the chair directly across from him. On the table was full tumbler filled with Blanton's ,and I was impressed.
  Our lovely little bird brought us two plates of Barbaque Poutine with a side of Onion Rings and while Ehull dug In I asked my first question . "Did you think the Coat Factories would repeat at the begining of the year Ehull?" He carefully wiped his mouth with a moist napkin and said. "The beginning of the season was full of optimism in Burlington. Most guys were back from the banner season healthy and ready for more. Truly the salad days. Then Teddy Buckley got hurt for the season. Guys got despondent. Marc Lawrence spiraled out of control and started abusing the Purple Drank. Mark Karnuth checked into Betty Ford with "exhaustion." But Old Don Nelson performed some mojo reversing ceremonial dances and suddenly the dark clouds parted just in time for the playoffs. He saved our season." Then he munched on a Onion Ring. Good Lord!! I don't mind telling you folks .This great attitude was not what I expected, Obviously the "Bong Chucking incident" in the offseason must have got his attention. Nobody wants to be paraded infront of cameras in a Blond Wig. And thats no way to treat a perfectly good Bong.
  Our tray of Baby-Back ribs and Pulled Pork in a Maple Sauce arrived ,I asked ."What are your favorite Coat Factories players?"  Ehull gave our little dove of a waitress a slap on the butt and replied' My favorite is Mickey Dawley. I call him Brocktoon. His flowing red hair bespeaks his cunning and prowess. Plus I traded for him in my first Wrigleyville season. Many called the trade foolish. But when I heard that East Hanover, NJ accent, I knew I had a straight shooter who would do great things. We all know he cranked three homers in Game 1 of the series but most people don't know that he did that after a night of hookers and blow with management. A true inspiration to the entire Coat Factory organization." Wow , Thats impressive I have a hard time finding my pants after a night like that. "What are your plans next season and beyond with the Coat Factories?" Ehull was pulling on his Pork and said " The team is aging fast. That's why we here at the Burlington Coat Factory have invested heavily in the future. Not prospects mind you. We've sunk tons of cash into our anti-aging and rejuvenation center. You'll see Don Nelson winning Cy Youngs for several decades more. Because when it comes right down to it, we want the Burlington Coat Factory to be known for more than coats and baseball. This is about radical life expanding treatments. And robots. Actually leave out the part about the robots. That's still secret."  After that answer, I was expecting Ron L. Hubbered to walk through the door and decided to get away from the philosophical.
   The Beautiful little bird cleared our table and set our desert down (Double shots of Blantons). "what is your favorite MLB team Ehull?"  We downed the shots and he said. "Arizona Diamondbacks"  Great team but losing Justin Upton has to hurt .Speaking of hurting, the check was brought to the table and after I made payment plans with the manager I asked my final question. "anything else you would like to add?" Ehull flashed his pearly whites and said. "If the moon were made of barbeque spare ribs, I and every last player on the Burlington team would most certainly eat it, then polish it off with a tall cool Budweiser. That is all."  Well said Ehull.....Well Said.
    I am back in my hotel room writing this piece in my yellow stained underwear. And several things strike me about Ehull. He has built a very good team here in Burlington and he can really pull some Pork. See ya all next year on the WHIF!!

SEASON 22 DUROCHER AWARD NOMINEES

<- Vote


Special Note: I only recieved nominations from 5 owners this year. Hopefully we can get more participation next year. Thanks to all who sent in their nominations.

Mark3313- Mark's San Francisco Kickapoos are a perenial force in Wrigleyville and he works hard as commish in order to keep this World one of the best. These are 2 very good reasons why he was nominated. This is what one owner had to say when nominating Mark- "Mark - has a top team year in and year out. His level of success over the long haul has been amazing."



Mdymond- The Salmonbellies are having the best year in franchise history. Mdymond took over a team in distress in season 9 and has built Salem in to a juggernaught. Here is a comment from one owner."In the power that is the AL West,he has methodically built the team up to where they look like the favorite as we head towards the postseason. 105 wins and counting...a great job of building a contender and keeping them trending in the right direction."



Goldenbaer88- Goldenbaer took over this team 3 years ago and it looks like his Bruins will win the division. This team is on the right track and it's due to a savy owner.Here is what the nominating owner had to sy about Goldenbaer. "I nominate golenbaer88 because he deserves it "



Madmuldoon- I was the only other owner to recieve a nomination. It was due for my work on the Blog, because my team stinks. This is what a nominating owner had to say "Nomination: madmuldoon, the heart of Wrigleyville"