Wrigleyville Compromise Proposal

In light of the current climate of this very prestigious world, there are talks of "tanking".  The idea of minimum win requirements (MWR) and/or a salary floor have been discussed.  Some of that discussion has been curbed in order to sling personal attacks and the discussion part of fixing things has really come to a halt.

I have come up with a point/strike system that I think would be beneficial to this league.  While it combines components of MWR and a salary floor, neither are the end all, be all of how a team can be ran.  Bear with me as I lay out the plan.  The first thing I wanted to do was to get an idea of exactly how successful and unsuccessful the teams in Wrigleyville have been.  To do this, I compiled the lowest win total and the highest win total for each of the 23 completed seasons for Wrigleyville.  Here are the numbers.

As everyone can see, the average wins between the low end and the high end is 82 per year.  The high was 91.5 and the low was 72.5.  Taking the average of 82 and doing a simple subtraction of 32 (1 per each team in the league), that leaves us with an MWR of 50 wins per year.  This should be a fair total for everyone to agree upon.

If a team fails to hit the MWR of 50 in a season, then this is 1 point/strike (whichever you want to call it) for that owner.

If a team fails to hit the MWR of 50 wins in a season, then that team will not be able to spend more than 15 million in prospect budgeting.  Why 15 million?  This is the average prospect budget by all teams during the 23 seasons of Wrigleyville.  No money can be transferred into the prospect budget UNLESS it is to sign that teams draft picks.  Prospect budget cannot be used on International Free Agents if a team failed to hit the MWR the previous season.  If an owner with an MWR failure uses prospect budget on an IFA, then they are subject to dismissal from the league.  This helps avoid the notion of tanking and also requires the owner to improve their team through trades and free agency.

While a "salary floor" has been discussed, it is harder to implement since teams can build their roster in completely different ways.  One team might want to spend $100 million or more, while some want to spend $20 million.  However, if a team does not make the MWR and has a salary of less than $50 million, then that is 1 point/strike.  Where did I get $50 million?  I used the average player budget for all teams for all seasons, which came out to $82 million.  I used the same subtraction method that was used to get the base MWR.

If an owner accrues 3 strikes within 2 seasons, then they will be replaced immediately.

This isn't meant as a punishment, but it does show, to the league, that everyone is playing on somewhat of a level playing field.

Of course, tweaks can be made to this system, but this at least gets the ball rolling in a productive manner.

AT THE BREAK AL NORTH SEASON 24

New Britain Bruins

RECORD:55-36

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Dodger let Richard, Hines, Cabeza and Guerrero go to free agency. He released Corbin, Martin and Wood and traded away Chapman, Maduro and Hamilton. With a few roster spots open Dodger signed free agents Morales, Long, Rodriguez, Xaio and Alvarez. He traded for Stuart and still has one spot left to fill. Dodger has 14 million in cap space so he has flexability in rounding out this years roster. He traded away a couple of really good players to land Stuart and he may be worth it. New Britain also strengthened the back end of the Bullpen and that should fix last years 17-21 record in one run games. I had my eye on free agent pitcher Tomas Alvarez as did Dodger. I think he will help out this years rotation. Dodger is the favorite to win the division but Fargo and the improved Misfits will be nipping at their Heels. PREDICTION:92-70


AT THE BREAK:  The Bruins are in a Dog fight with the Misfits....sorry, P-dogs are not included. They are projected to win 98 games and are leading the AL North at the break. The New Britain pitching staff are #1 in ERA (4.19), SLG (.414) and OAV (.253). The offense is clicking with the 4th best batting average (.282) and OPS (.819). The defense has commited 64 errors , but like Proffesor Ralph correctly pointed out in reference to a earlier post. The Bruins 44 plus plays to only 6 negative plays will overcome the errors. And don't try to swipe a bag , they lead the league in CS% with an astounding .493 percentage.  Looks like Dodger is on his way to the playoffs . the only question is: will it be as a division winner or a wild-card? Too  close to call.



Minnesota Misfits

RECORD:52-39

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Pbsilver re-signed Chris Everett and let Wise, Livingstone and Ordaz go to free agency. He released Clayton and traded away Tyson and Stevenson. With many holes to plug Pbsilver signed free agent pitcher James to a big contract and traded for Peterman, Wells, Resop, Franco and Rogers. While writing this preview the Misfits had their first major injury Rafael Uribe. That seems to be the Misfits luck! PB went out and spent alot of cash on James and traded for some very good players. It's apparent that he is going for it, in true Chevy Chase fashion. I like the additions to this years Minnesota team and think they have a good shot at winning the division.PREDICTION:89-73


AT THE BREAK:  The Misfits are right on the heels of the Bruins and project to win 93 games. I predicted this years Misfits had a "good shot at winning the division. And PBsilver backed up my boast. He has these guys playing good baseball with the 2nd best batting average at .288. And they are in the top 5 in OPS (.810), OBP (.350) and SLG (.459). The pitching staff is in the middle of the pack and they won't embarass with a solid 4.76 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. The defense is also in the middle with 61 errors , 38 plus plays to 23 negative plays. PB and his Misfits will give Dodger and his Bruins all they can handle . I think this team will make the playoffs....If...they stay healthy. And we know that is what has held them back before.



Chicago Black Sox

RECORD:46-45

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Hacker let Wilson, Bottalico and Sweeney go to free agency. And Montgomery, Wallace and Davis were released. With just a couple gaps in the line-up Hacker signed free agents Garcia, Martin and Olshan . The biggest story in Chicago was the signing of Olshan. He got a 10 million dollar signing bonus with a 3 year 30 million dollar contract. Lots of money for a below average defensive Catcher. But the guy can hit and would make a wonderful DH. Overall Hacker improved the hitting and pitching, but the defense will lead them into darkness. It will be Dark, Dark days for the Blacksox. PREDICTION:78-84

AT THE BREAK:  The Black Sox are projected to win 82 games. Reading my preview , I admit I was a little over zealous in saying a 78 win season was Dark, Dark Days for the Black Sox. It is more like a shade of gray or Dusk. Anyways , Hacker's team is average right now with a average offense . They have a .274 batting average with 500 runs scored. The pitching staff has overcome the worst defense in the AL. How they manage to over come 74 errors , 34 negative plays to 27 plus plays and 17 passed balls is amazing. This team could take off if they didn't beat themselves.



Fargo Prairie Dogs

RECORD:43-48

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Aaron let Miller, Tewksbury, Medrano, Pineda and Castro go to free agency and released Meyers. Then he traded away Monroe and Butler to Tampa. With a bunch of holes to fill Aaron signed free agents Suarez, Wieters, Ramirez, Henriquez, Castillo, Ontiveros and Teahen. I won't spend much time on the guys that left, most were mid-season fill-ins. But I will point out the trading of a young super-closer and future FOY pitcher Butler, will be missed in the bullpen. Maybe the promotion of Efrain Willits last year made him expendable. Aaron spent about 30 million on free agents and most are solid veterans. Most of the signings were in his biggest need....Pitching. I like the direction the P-Dogs are heading and Fargo has 18 million in cap space for flexability. I think Aarons P-dogs rebound from last years average season and vie for the AL North title. PREDICTION:91-71



AT THE BREAK:  The P-Dogs are chasing their tail and they are projected to win 77 games. And it looks as if Aaron is throwing in the towel on this season. He sent out the chat message :....... I'm willing to listen on offers for just about everyone in the ML roster. TC or make an offer, thanks! Looking for prospects................ : Can't blame him , His P-dogs are rolling over and playing dead right now. They need to get up, lick their balls and start playing like a bigdog.

AT THE BREAK AL EAST SEASON 24

Pittsburgh Pirates

RECORD:51-40

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Ard let Walker, Alston, Rodriguez, Green go to free agency and released Molina. He signed free agents Miller, James, Estrada, Surkamp and promoted Fujiwara. Then he traded for a young CF'er in Nunez. The Pirates improved the defense and swapped hitters with Arizona in free agency. Will Estrada be better than Walker??? Average ..yes...Homers ...No. Ard brought in some pitching including a very good closer. My guess he wasn't happy with the one run game record of 15-17. This division is his for the taking if the Pirates play like...the real Pittsburgh Pirates. I think this team will be in the mix for the division crown.PREDICTION:86-76

AT THE BREAK: The Pirates are projecting to win 91 games, 5 more than the preview predicted. Ardthomp is in a battle with Richmond for the division. And it may come down to the last week of the season before we crown the winner. The Pirates pitching staff is in the top 5 in ERA (4.50), WHIP (1.35), OAV (.264), OBP (.326) and SLG (.424). And the offense relies on the longball with a 3rd best 154 homers. The defense has a great +/- ratio of 53 plus to 18 negative. There achilles is,  you can swipe bases on them (.259 CS%). All told ,the Pirates are a solid team and should make the playoffs.



Richmond Revolutionaries

RECORD:50-41

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Ihateunc let Zerbe, Rodriguez  go to free agency and released Wieters, Jamison and Pena. He traded away Wainhouse, Resop, Giovanola and Rodriguez. IhateUNC promoted Franco and Segui and traded for Peterson, Harris, Baez, Tyson, Nieves, Romero and Mercedes. The story here is that Richmond went out and traded for most of the new guys on this team. Ihateunc has a idea of players that he prefers over the last owner. Right now the Revolutionaries still will be one of the worst defensive teams in the AL, but they will be very much improved at the dish. The rotation is average and the bullpen is a little better. If Richmonds hitting can overcome the defense the Revolutionaries will finish above .500. They will have to prove it to me before I go out on the limb and buck the satus quo. PREDICTION: 78-84

AT THE BREAK:  It looks right now like Richmond will win about 89 games. I went out on a limb and predicted that Richmond would be a bad defensive team. And while there FPct of .983 and 57 errors are not bad . they do have the worst + plays (only 18) and have 13 passed balls and has given up 101 stolen bases. Not good. This may be the reason the good pitching staff looks average (.480 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) . As predicted the offense is the star with the 3rd best batting average (.284) and OPS (.819). Can they keep up with the Pirates? Odds are against it but they will at least battle for a wild-card berth.



Augusta Northmen

RECORD:37-54

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Avantrael let Alvarez, Prieto and Jennings go to free agency. He released Crabtree and Bennett, then traded away O'Brien, Black, Desmond and Nieves. Avantrael signed free agent pitchers Wise and Palmer then picked up Mayne in the R-5. He traded for Montana, Gentry, Gagne and Guerrero. Augusta will try to fix the pitching problem with a couple free agents and a R-5 player. They improved the offense in the trades. Nothing was done for the 26th ranked defense. It will be a 70'ish season for the first year in Maine. PREDICTION:77-85


AT THE BREAK:  With 37 wins so far the Northmen project to win 66 games. That is below my prediction of 77 wins. I also stated that the defense was lacking and I was dead wrong. They are one of the better defensive clubs in the AL with only 1 passed ball 50 plus plays to 11 negative plays. Throw in 48 errors and a FPct of .986 and you can see why I'm wipeing egg off my face. Or is that hooker glitter? Anyways point being, the Northmen have a very good defense and I must have been sniffing glue to say otherwise. The offense is the worst in the AL and it is the real reason why they are floundering. With only 357 runs scored 338 RBI's they are near the bottom. It may be to late to make the playoffs for Avantrael.



Louisville Redtails

RECORD:32-59

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Jmuhtoff let Reed, Hayes, Brock, Okajima, Lim and Schulltz go to free agency . He then released Bonilla and Alexander. Jmuhtoff signed free agents Bates, Alson, Morales, Larocca, Guzman, Sullivan and Sheldon. Finally he traded for Black. Louisville plays in a weak division and it is a good thing they do. Jmuhtoff brought in some veteran M L players and they will not disappoint him.PREDICTION:88-74

AT THE BREAK:  57 games is all that the Redtails will win and that might be a high estimate. Jmuhtoff threw in the towel on season 24 and is selling off players for prospects. He was one of the first to bail sending this add out:....................I'm willing to listen on offers for just about everyone in the ML roster. TC or make an offer, thanks! Looking for prospects.................: I, along with several owners picked the Redtail carcass clean and Jmuhtoff picked up many prospects while shedding salaries. He is poised to hit free agency next year or go into re-build mode. It's nice to have options and he will battle Mark and Ralph for the #1 pick next year.

AT THE BREAK AL SOUTH SEASON 24

Charlotte Sometimes

RECORD:47-44

PREVIEW:  In the Off-season Hatton re-signed Garry Olsen and let Sosa, Huang, Griffin and Cerda go to free agency. He released Castillo and traded away Koloff and Little. With only a few spots to fill Hatton signed free agents Mayne and Livingstone and promoted Hernandez and Valdes.Then he traded for Lukasiewicz and Cogan to complete this years Sometimes. Free agency added some depth to the Bullpen and the promotion of Hernandez will help out the middle defense. The trades brought in a SP and a good hitting 3rd baseman. Charlotte is a good team with a few tweaks that made them better. They will be in the fight for the division but may need help in the playoffs...if they make it. PREDICTION:88-74


  AT THE BREAK:  The Sometimes are on pace to win 84 games which is a liitle less than predicted. Good thing they play in one of the weakest divisions. Hatton's team is the favorite to win this division right now but the Blues are still in contention. Charlotte has good pitching with a respectable ERA of  4.50 and are second in the AL in OBP (.318). The defense is good with only 55 errors commited. Hitting is their weakness, they are near the middle in most catagories. If Hatton can bring in a bat or two this team may take off. Right now they will get the #4 seed in the playoffs.



Santa Fe Blues

RECORD:41-50

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Tchagnon let Sheldon go to free agency and traded away Weathers. He also waived Piedra outright. TC had only 2 spots open on the M L roster and he signed free agent catcher Pence and traded for Chang. As I said earlier in this post, we had high hopes for the blues last year. And the defense really let them down. I looked at the numbers on the franchise rankings page. Of the 16 teams in the A L, the Blues are 13th in range and glove, 15th in arm strength and 11th in accuracy. Not good news for Santa Fe fans! Maybe the great hitting and the high dollar free agent pitchers will overcome poor defense. The odds are against it. PREDICTION:75-87

AT THE BREAK:  The Blues are playing like a 73 win season. And that is close my my pre-season prediction of 75 wins. I predicted the Blues defense would be their downfall and would be in the basement. So I'm suprised that they are ranked 10th out of 16 teams with 61 errors and only 15 negative plays. The pitching is the reason they are below .500 right now. 2nd worst ERA (5.70), WHIP (1.55) and they have surrendered the most homers (154) and runs (5.69). Your not gonna win much with that kind of pitching. It's pretty obvious what TC needs to fix.



Charleston Tobacco Farmers

RECORD:39-52

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Nwsheehy let Krause, Martinez, Jang, Tabaka and Benitez go to free agency. Then released Boyer, Tabata, Marmol and Bailey. With several holes to fill Nwsheehy signed free agents Wood, Rodriguez, Gabriel, Mercado and promoted Suzuki. The Tabaky Farmers improved the pitching and can hurl a baseball with the best of them. But the hitting and defense may make you hurl big chunks. Charleston should finish in the middle of the pack in the AL . PREDICTION:79-83


AT THE BREAK:  The Tabaky Farmers are projected to win around 70 games.Nwsheehy's team pitching is not as predicted, they are nearer the bottom than the top. The batting average (.254) is second to last in the AL as is the .318 OBP. If you can't get em on base they can't score. The play in the field isn't that good either, coughing up 61 errors and 34 negative plays. The Tabaky Farmers need to quit smoking that there special blend and get to cracking by jimminy!!



Little Rock Moonshiners

RECORD:38-53

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Dmann let Pena and Roundtree go to free agency and released Person. Then he traded away Goodwin to Cincy. With a few gaps to plug Dmann signed free agents Casillo and Rosario and promoted Darling. He picked up Ozuna, Barker, Romero and Lorenzo in the R-5. The Moonshiners have shed 23 million in salaries from last year and have 30 million in cap space. Not choosing to spend the money in free agency means the Moonshiners either will trade for some big salary players or spend some cash on IFA's. He re-vamped his catching corp and filled the rest with R-5 players . The Moonshiners right now are a 70 win team at best. Drink Up Moonshiner Fans...you're gonna need it.PREDICTION: 68-94

AT THE BREAK:  I predicted 68 wins and with 38 wins at the 91st game mark. The Moonshiners are on pace to make that prediction. I touted that the Dmann re-vamped his catching corp, and they are 2nd in CS% but the 12 PB are a little high. The defense is pretty good with 53 plus plays and only 15 negative plays. The pitching can use a little work ,right now they have a ERA of 4.90 and a WHIP of 1.40. The offense is what needs to be turned around the most . The Moonshiners lead the league in strikeouts and are second from last in Homers. On the good side they lead all A L teams in stolen bases with 127. Dmanns guys need to quit chuggin on the jug to make the post season.

AT THE BREAK AL WEST SEASON 24

Salem Salmonbellies

RECORD:61-30

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Mdymond let Acosta, Mcknight and Mendoza file for free agency and released Taylor. Then he traded Qiunn. The only player added was Flores. He was promoted from AAA. Salem doesn't have good contact hitter but they have power.Defensively the Salmonbellies are solid and won't embarass. The pitching rotation has the best splits in the AL but the bullpen is much weaker. This means the Salmon bellies will be a strong team and may give up some leads late. PREDICTION:97-65


AT THE BREAK:  Salem is on pace to win 108 games which is much better than my 97 win prediction. I was correct in my prediction that the pitching was the star. They have the 3rd best ERA (.442) in the AL and have only given up 402 runs. The defense was predicted to be solid and they have exceeded expectations with only 45 errors. The hitting has been a plesant suprise , they lead the AL with 593 runs 225 homers and 583 RBI's. Looks like Mdymond has a very good team and will make the playoffs but the division title is still up for grabs with the Moonbats on their tail.



Helena Barking Moonbats

RECORD:54-37

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Sordie let Cookson file for free agency and traded away Rodgers. He signed free agent Hines and traded for Stevenson. This is the same Sordies mashers with a couple tweaks. And Sordie Knows Tweakers. The Barking Moonbats wil hit the ball very well and Win at least a wildcard berth.PREDICTION:95-67


AT THE BREAK: Helena is Tweaking good and Sordie knows tweaking. The Moonbats are on pace to win 96 games ,that was really close to my prediction. And it was a easy call to tout about their hitting prowess. They lead the AL in batting average (.294), OBP (.365), OPS (.901), hits (950). The defense has been solid with only 54 errors. The pitching is the only thing holding this team back. They are near the bottom in ERA (5.15) , OAV (.290). They have allowed 952 hits and 495 runs which is the 3rd most. If the Moonbats shore up their pitching, the Fever will run rampant again. Moonbat Fever...catch it now!



Arizona Cobras

RECORD:47-44

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Swish re-signed Corey O'Brien and let Estrada, Mann, Grossman and Wood leave for free agency. Then he released Suzuki and traded away Mateo, MacFarlane, Peterman, Cogan, Allen, Rios, Padilla and Pena. With a bunch of holes to fill Swish signed free agents Pimental, Richard, Morales, Walker, Marmol, Bocachia, Delgado, Conway, Cookson and Corbin. He promoted Shin and traded for Crawford and Little. Swish kept a core of key players and got rid of the rest. With a bunch of Shrewed trades, Swish re-loaded the farm system with tasty prospects. He had some cash and signed several bargain players to keep the Cobras in the mix. I think Arizona took a little step back in talent but set themselves up for the future. PREDICTION:96-66


AT THE BREAK:  The Cobras are on pace to win 84 games but they will never make .500. Why you ask? Simple. Swish is re-tooling by selling off all the talent to bring in prospects and free up salary. He could turn this into a re-build but we won't know for sure until the hot stove season. The only thing we have to go on right now was his distress call that went.......... " ship be sinkin'. send me offers for anyone and everyone"............That and the fact that Arizona had the highest cap at 128 million and now the overall salaries owed are 105 million. Which makes me lean towards a re-tool. One thing is for sure the Cobras will miss the playoffs this year.



Cheyenne Bagwell Bashers

RECORD:36-55

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Sonneboy re-signed Ricky Mann , Thom Gates the rest of the departures were free agents. All the additions were low level free agents and waiver wire pick-ups. The promotion of  Ramsey is the only addition of note. The Bagwell Bashers are looking to the draft and IFA  to re-build this team. PREDICTION: 60-100

AT THE BREAK:  The Bagwell Bashers are right on target to a 100 loss season.No suprise. Sonneboy is on vacation and has this team on auto-pilot at the writing of this article. This club picked up a couple of very nice prospects in the draft but has been shut out in the IFA so far. What ya waiting on Sonneboy...Get ya some of that IFA Booty!!! This team will  get a top 5 pick in next years draft.

AT THE BREAK NL EAST SEASON 24

Burlington Coat Factory

RECORD:52-39

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Ehull re-signed Esmailyn Silva and let Lawrence, Guerrero, Guthrie and Bittle go to free agency. He signed free agents Silva , Rekar, Lim and Acosta. When you win a World Series let alone 3 in a row. Your players want to get paid and there are many teams who are willing to pay them. So Ehull had to let several key players go to free agency and pick up some replacements that wouldn't break the bank. When you lose as much talent as Burlington did, it's hard to overcome. The Coat Factories will be competative...but.... I think they will fall short of 4 in a row. PREDICTION: 95-67


AT THE BREAK:  The Coat Factories are on pace to win 93 games at that is close to my prediction.93 wins is below what Ehulls team has done in previous years .So the prediction of the decline of the 3 time world champs looks profetic. But this team is still very good and should not be taken lightly . Burlington still has great pitching and defense . Both are ranked #2 at the break and pitching with defense will get you far. The hitting is the second worst in the NL and if the bats start singing we could be in for a 4th verse of Queens "We Are The Champions". Cincinatti is the only team giving Ehulls team a run for the division. It's a 2 team race and 1 will nab a wildcard berth.



Cincinnati Red Light District

RECORD:50-41

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Jeff let re-signed Grant LaRocca and Dion O'Donnell and let Herrera, Maloney, Pimentel and Kojima go to free agency. He traded away Baez and Manzanillo. Jeff signed free agents McKnight and Pena and traded for Giovanola, Goodwin and Allen. It's all about pitching in Cincinatti and Jeff brought in some good free agents and traded for another good pitcher. He also landed a young Hooks Giovanola who may get off the pine if the Red Light Districts have a injury. Jeff always puts together a good team and this year is no different. The RLD's should at least get a wild-card and may win the division with the decline of Burlington.PREDICTION:95-67


AT THE BREAK:  The Red Light District are on pace to win 89 games which may get them in the post season. A division championship is not out of the question with the best batting average in the national league (.282) . The pitching and defense is in the middle of the pack and with a upgrade here or there. It could put them over the top. I traded Mike Karnuth to Jeff last year and he is making me regret that decision. But there is no crying in baseball and who hasn't regretted a trade or two.



Syracuse Moose

RECORD:42-49

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Rugby let Henriquez go to free agency and released Howell, Hubbard and Snyder. We are 11 games into the season and the Moose still have 5 roster spots open. I looked at the AAA players and there are many tasty prospects waiting for the call-up. I think Rugby will bring them up soon and the Moose will give the Coat Factories a run fer their money. They have a great chance of winning the division.PREDICTION:95-67


AT THE BREAK: I had high hopes for the Moose but they trampled them so far. I'm sure Rugby is disappointed in the performance of his team and right now they are projected to win only 75 games. Thats 20 below my prediction. The hitting and defense are the reasons for this years record. 69 errors have lead to 44 unearned runs. And with only 427 runs scored as a team, there is no margin for the Errors. It's not too late for rugby and his Moose to make the playoffs. They still have 27 million in cap space and could make some moves before the trade deadline.



San Juan Santurce Crabbers

RECORD:29-62

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Ralph re-signed Jack Stewart and let Marichal, Borland, Bonilla, Andrelczyk and Bevil go to free agency. He released Campos, Baker, Handworth, Belinda, Bocachica, Corpas and Martinez. Ralph claimed Tatis, Valbuena, Piedra, Jackson and Masato off the wire. He signed free agents Gil and MacDougal and promoted Moran. No secret here folks. The Crabbers are in a re-build and this years M L squad is made up of old free agents and young waiver wire pick-ups. Maybe some will prove good enough as trade chips. But regardless, San Juan will be picking up IFA's a good draft prospects for the future.PREDICTION 60-100

AT THE BREAK:  Ralphs Crabs are on pace to win 52 games and continue to pick up prospects for the future. When Ralph isn't scouring the scouting reports he can be found on the beach with a jug in one hand a Senorita on his face. My Mother always warned me that sex will make you blind, a Senorita on the face will definatly hamper your vision. San Juan will duel San Francisco for the right to pick first in next years draft.

AT THE BREAK N L NORTH SEASON 24

Madison Muskellunges

RECORD:60-31

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Daddio re-signed Sammy Sanchez and let James, Woods and Fernandez go to free agency. Then he traded away Franco and Owens. Now with a few gaps in the line-up Daddio claimed Ferrer off the wire and promoted Baerga. He picked up Lopez in the R-5 and traded for Lee and McNamara. The Muskies lost some pitching with the departure of James and Fernandez but last years acquisition of Walter Parker and the promotion of Harry Jensen will cover their loss. The adding of McNamara will help the offense and if Daddio promotes Hector Pena from AAA......lookout. I think Madison is a great solid team with alot of upside. They should win this division and go deep in the post-season.PREDICTION:101-61


AT THE BREAK:  Daddios Muskies are on a tear and have the best record in the NL. My prediction of 101 wins looks low right now but we still have a ways to go. This team is about hitting and they lead the NL in OPS (.830) Runs (514), Homers (154), RBI's (503), OBP (.344) and SLG (.486). The pitching is good with a 1.37 WHIP and ERA of 4.11. The chink in their armour is a porous defense (59 errors) but they do have 35 + plays to make up for the boots. Madsion has a huge lead over second place Trenton and will win this division. They also are a favorite to get a first round bye and Daddios team will be dangerous in the playoffs.



Trenton Toyotas

RECORD:43-48

PREVIEW: In the off-season Sandberg re-signed Juan Pena and let Delgado, Tejeda, Ruffin, Guerrero and Ramirez go to free agency. To fill the holes Sandberg promoted Morehead, Fernandez, Sojo and Duran and traded for Quinn. The acquisition of CF'er Quinn will help the defense and the promotions of the promising prospects will make them better. But with the tough NL East grabbing the wildcards every year. Trenton has to win the division to make the playoffs. I don't see them beating Madison. PREDICTION:85-77

AT THE BREAK:  Ah...the up and down Toyotas are having a tough go of it this year. With only 43 wins they will have to floor it to hit my 85 win prediction. Trenton has a good offense , they are 4th in batting average (.271) and 5th in hits (875),but only 13th in runs scored (422). The low runs scored may be due to grounding into 96 double plays. The Toyotas have commited the most errors (73) and it may have contributed to them allowing 497 runs to score. Sandbergs team has little chance of a wild card berth unless they fix the defense.



Milwaukee Sturgeon

RECORD:41-50


Buffalo Chips

RECORD:38-53

PREVIEW:  In the off-season Jared let players above Gabriel thru James go to free agency. Then he released Ramirez and traded away Boucher, Chang, Lukasiewicz and Lansing. Jared turned up the water pressure and hosed all of last years team out the door. Now he must find a team so he signed free agents Walker, Lima, Green, Ramirez, O'Conner, Yamaguchi, McNamara, Taylor and Prieto. Then he promoted Franco, Terrero, Yerkes and Schwartz and traded for Weathers, Koloff and Moses. This is one of the biggest makeovers in league history. And I have no idea if they will be Buffalo Blue Chips or Buffalo Turds? So I asked grumpy McJared that question. He said." Hey if they turn out to be Turds at least they will be my Turds!" Hmmmm.........Words of Wisdom. PREDICTION: (They'll Stink)

AT THE BREAK: The fans of the Chips are wearing clothespins on their noses at all the games. Buffalo keeps churning out fresh turds and the smell has gotten the attention of the EPA. They have issued Air Quality bulletins when the Chips play at home (17-25). Jareds guys are near the bottom in hitting and pitching and are not in contention for the playoffs. It will be Buffalo Baseball as usual with the Chips hitting the fans and the fans hitting the Chips.