N L WEST PREVIEW SEASON 28

Scottsdale Schizoids (NL) madmuldoon View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:90-72

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: My boys surprised me in the regular season and won the division. It was a miracle with my 2 best set-up guys on the 60 day DL. We went into the playoffs as the #3 seed and lost game 5 at home to the Juggernauts. I sure could have used Mariano Rivera and Steven Daniels in my bullpen for the post-season. In the off-season I re-signed Chad Krause and let Prieto go to free agency and promoted Cabrera. This is the same team as last year. Late last year I brought up Daryl Schmidt and I hope he gives my rotation some wins. I promoted Cabrera this year because he hit over 400 in S/T and has been hitting .300+ in AAA and deserves a shot at the bigs. Gonna try and win the division but my goal is getting back to the playoffs with my bullpen intact.PREDICTION:96-66 (Division Winner)

OUT: Larry Walker , Edinson Trinidad

IN: Al Jodie

PREVIEW: My Zoids played well and we may have made my 96 win prediction. But I was resting my players in the last 10 games so they would be fresh for the playoffs. My team is all about pitching , ranked #2 in the NL with a ERA of 3.80 and 662 runs against. A lot of the credit goes to my bullpen ,anchored by 4 time FOY winner Kenshin Yoshii. In the playoffs my team swam by the Sturgeons in 5 , then got swept by the champs. The funny thing about that sweep, Yoshii blew 2 saves and took a loss.Ha Ha! That Muskellunge offense was stout and my bullpen wilted,Yikes!!.In the off-season I re-signed Chad Krause , Steven Daniels and Quinn Collins and let Walker and Trinidad go to free agency. Then I picked up Jodie in the R-5 to back-up Al Martin in CF. My team is getting really old and a lot of contracts expire at the end of the season. It's win now for this bunch and next year will be a re-load year. With the other teams getting better every year while my numbers plummet....it may be harder to win this division and make the playoffs. I believe in my old goats they will getter done. PREDICTION:92-70 (Division Winner)

Colorado Springs Bandits (NL) ressda View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:83-79

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: I thought Ressda's Bandits would take the next step after surpassing the 500 mark in season 25. But they slid back to a sub-500 team. Ressda did load up on the prospects when he grabbed Art Ashley, Keenyn Yearwood , Matthew Green and Houston Price in the draft. In the off-season Ressda re-signed Patsy Hartman and let Mamol go to free agency. He signed free agent Towers and promoted Collins and picked up Lowery in the R-5. Collins has arrived to be the ace of the Bandit staff and the Colorado Springs Bandits will try to make another push to get above .500 and beyond.Can they do it? Anything is possible but this division is tough. PREDICTION:82-80

OUT: Patsy Hartman , J.B. Battle , Claudio Schmidt , Nicky Fordham , Russ Orr

IN: Jose Lugo , Andrew Culver , Paul Barrett , Alex Tatis , Vin Johnson , Rajai Cornelius

PREVIEW: The Bandits won 83 games last year. Ressda's guys are a good hitting team, ranked 3rd in the NL with a batting average of .267 and 787 runs scored. The pitching however was below average with a ERA of  4.22 and 748 runs allowed. In other moves, Colorado Springs did pick up George Bowen in the draft and Humberto Uribe in the IFA market. In the off-season Ressda let Hartman, Battle, Schmidt, and Fordham go to free agency. He promoted Lugo, Culver, Barrett, Tatis, Johnson and Cornelius. Barrett and Cornelius are the cream of the promotions and should help this team win a few games. You never know if the youngsters you bring up will hit the ground running. And this team is one of the youngest with a average age of 26.7 years. It's just a matter of time before they make the playoffs. I think they will battle the Zoids and Utes but when the music stops they will end up without a playoff chair. PREDICTION: 89-73

Salt Lake City Utes (NL) hoopcoach07 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:76-86

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Hoop was in the division race all season long and never let me rest my guys. He did come up a little short on the division race but did grab a wild-card spot.In the playoffs his team was bested in the first round by the Moose in 4. In the off-season Hoop let Jose, Alonso , Jordan go to free agency and released Owen. He signed free agent Flair and picked up Hernandez in the R-5. The N L West is getting tougher with the Mariners showing signs of improving. It's going to be tough but the Utes should at least get a wild-card.PREDICTION:94-68(Wild Card)

OUT: Gerardo Bonilla , Sadie Klesko

IN: Corky Walter

PREVIEW: I'm scratching my head looking at last years preview....Where Did the Utes go so wrong?? And my prediction for that matter. Hoop's team only won 76 games with good pitching with a 3.97 ERA and 641 runs allowed. The hitting was average with a batting average of .261 and 720 runs scored. Usually when you score more than you give up , you have a good winning record. But if you dig deeper in the stats, you find a 24-33 record in 1 run games. Losing 33 games by one lousy run is bad luck indeed and Hoop may want to buy some rabbits feet and quit stepping on cracks.In the off-season Hoop re-signed Johnny Shunick , Harry Megias , Roger Montana and let Bonilla go to free agency. Klesko was waived and cleared the wire at the time of writing. Free agent. Walter was signed to a 2 year 2.8 mil per contract. Adalberto Guzman was added late last year and the youngster has a bright future. I don't see the bad luck continuing in S-28 and the Utes won't lose 33 one run games. Hoop will be celebrating a division win or a wildcard berth.PREDICTION:91-71 (Wildcard)

Seattle Mariners (NL) bbwinksdaddy View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:67-95

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: BBwinks had his Mariners playing good baseball all season long. And with a 47-44 record at the break they were making Hoop and myself nervous nellies. Seattle's draft didn't go well when his 1st round pick (#3 overall) didn't sign, but he will get this years #5 pick overall as compensation. And to rub salt in the wound ,they lost out on the IFA bidding. No real significant IFA's were signed.Ouch! In the off-season Bbwinks re-signed Rex Maxwell and Shawn Terry .He let Teahen, Brock, Wilson , Sheffield go to free agency and released Resop and Jones. He signed free agents Halter, Nickle and Espinoza. Finally he promoted Ordonez and picked up Ramirez in the R-5. Seattle is a good young team and when BBwinks promotes Don Hamilton and Jeanmar Estrella from AAA they will be even better. Whats scares me more is he has even better talent in AA. It's just a matter of time before they win this division .They will battle for a wild-card and could get one.PREDICTION:86-76

OUT: Javier Flores , Rex Maxwell , Tony Amaral , Bert Nathan

IN: Willie Aquino

PREVIEW: Bbwink's is another team that makes my head scratch. At this rate all my hair will fall out...whats left of it. Last year they only won 67 games with average pitching (4.21 ERA) but it was the hitting that failed the Mariners. They were next to last in the NL with a batting average of .243 and 626 runs scored. BBwink's continues to add good prospects like Brandon Giolito and Gary Holland and will get another good draft pick next year. In the off-season Bbwink's re-signed Albert Sierra , Vernon Nickle and let Flores, Maxwell, Amaral , Nathan go to free agency. He signed free agent Aquino to fill the one roster opening. Marcell Matos and Jeanmar Estrella were promoted late last season and have some growing to do. There are a half-dozen youngsters on this team that will be studs. Can they up their game this year and make the playoffs? Or will they play 60 win baseball? I think it's somewhere in the middle, for now. But the future looks good for BBwinks. PREDICTION: 81-81

A L WEST PREVIEW SEASON 28

Salem Salmonbellies (AL) mdymond View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:94-68 (Division Winner) (AL Champion)

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Salmonbellies are a good team in a tough division. They did get the final wild-card berth with a 90 win season. They played the 83 win Bruins in the first round but came out on the short end in 4 games. In the off-season Mdymond let Gamel and James go to free agency. He released Campos then Forster and Vizcaino was claimed off the wire. Mdymond promoted Hines to fill 1 of the remaining 4 open roster spots. Salem has lowest cap and one of the lowest overall payrolls. Mdymond gets more bang for his buck and his team should make it back to the playoffs. PREDICTION:92-70(Wild Card)

OUT: J.P. Mendez , Ron Clayton , Art Desmond

IN:

PREVIEW: I predicted a 92 win wildcard for Mdymond's Salmonbellies and they ended up a 94 win division winner and AL Champion. Go figure! Great season for Mdymond and the Salem Salmonbellie fans. They had the number 2 ranked offense in the A L with a batting average of .281 with 808 runs scored. They also had the best defense in the AL with a FPct of .990. In the post-season they Flopped out their big bellies and bucked the Cobras in the first round then the Tabaky Farmers in the DCS. They swept the P-Dogs in the ALCS but fell flat against Madison in the World Series. In the off-season Mdymond let Mendez, Clayton and Desmond go to free agency. At the time of writing, Salem still has 3 roster spots open and Mdymond has options in AAA that can be promoted. The 22 players now on the roster are stout and can Buck with the best Bellies in Wrigleyville. Bartolo Colon would be proud. Regardless of who Mdymond puts on the M L roster, his team will win this division and has a great chance of making it back to the Series. PREDICTION:93-69 (Division Winner)

Vancouver Blitz (AL) blitziscomin View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:93-68 (Wildcard)

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Blitziscomin did what I failed to do. Win a World Series in Vancouver. I knew the Blitz had a good enough team to win about 100 games but I didn't see a Championship. Congrats to Blitziscomin and his team , Great season! In the off-season Blitz re-signed Victor Paulino and let Guerrero, Hawkins, Toca and Rekar go to free agency. He signed free agent Surkamp and picked up Mota in the R-5. Vancouver lost a couple bullpen guys and Hawkins will be missed , but Surkamp looks like a good replacement. Toca's bat is also gonna leave a hole but Alex Santana is ready to fill in as the everyday SS. The Blitz are a comin folks and they are the favorites to win the division.And don't count them out in the playoffs... PREDICTION:100-62(Division Winner)

OUT: Miguel Duran , Rick Surkamp , Tony LeCroy , Spud Kraemer , Rob McNamara , Matthew Marshall

IN: Mac Patrick , Kendry Bocachica , Bernard Wilson , J.T. Stevenson , Marcus Glynn , Lonny Lopez , Maikel Lopez

PREVIEW: Blitzaisacomin's Blitz took a step back last year with only 93 wins. While they didn't win the division, they did grab a wildcard. Vancouver had decent hitting (.274 BA), pitching (4.40 ERA) and defense (.985 FPct). If you had to look at why they took a step back, it would be the pitching staffs fault. They fell from the #1 ranked AL pitching staff in S-25 and S-26 to the 6th ranked in S-27. In the playoffs this team beat the Pirates in the first round then got chewed up by the P-Dogs in the DCS. In the off-season Blitz re-signed Jumbo MacFarlane , let Duran, Surkamp, LeCroy, Kraemer , McNamara go to free agency and released Marshall. He signed free agents Patrick, Bocachica , Wilson and promoted Stevenson, Glynn and Lopez. Blitz lost some more pitching in free agency but he brought in Patrick and promoted L Lopez and Stevenson to soften the loss. This division is so tough and the step back in talent will doom vancouver to 4th in the division with a winning record. PREDICTION:82-80

Arizona Cobras (AL) swishnev23 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:87-75

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: At the All-Star break it looked like Swish's Cobras were on their way to the playoffs with a 53-38 record. But they faded down the stretch and ended up with 84 wins, 6 games behind for the final Wild-card spot. In the off-season Swish let Richard, Quinn and Pryce go to free agency. He signed free agent Martin and traded for Lombardi.Arizona still has a young team averaging 26.8 years per player. That also keeps salaries low at 1.9 per player. Swish has 40 million in cap space and has upped his international and HS scouting budget. This makes me lean towards a year where the Cobras ride out the season and pick up some more prospects. They will be back on top in a year or two.PREDICTION:82-80

OUT: Del Martin , Gavin Everidge , Albert Bernadina

IN: Carlos Sierra , Albert Cabeza , Donaldo Balboa

PREVIEW: I wrote in last years preview that the Cobras will ride out the season , pick up some prospects, and get back to their winning ways in 1-2 seasons. But Swish was ready to win last year and Arizona won 87 games. They had good hitting (.276 BA) and pitching (4.46 ERA) and defense (.985 FPct). He did pick up some prospects like Gary Carpenter , Al Watson , Benny Rivera and Alex Rodriguez, so at least I got that part right. In the off-season Swish let Martin , Everidge go to free agency and released Bernadina. Then he signed free agents Sierra and Cabeza and traded for Balboa. Even though he lost a good pitcher in Evenridge , Swish brought in three very good pitchers thru free agency and a trade. The max contract to Sierra may hamper cap flexibility but he is a stud #1 starting pitcher. Look for the Cobras to give the Slamon bellies all they can handle in the regular season and this team gets back to the playoffs as a wildcard. PREDICTION: 92-70(Wildcard)

Cheyenne Bagwell Bashers (AL) carseneau View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:69-93

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: No surprise last year for the Bagwell Bashers. They are re-building and will get the 4th pick in this years draft, just like last year. Jim Hartley was the player Carseneau added with the pick .He also added Fausto Castillo , Yamaico Kim and Damaso Vidal in the International Market.In the off-season Carseneau released Dingman, King, Gonzales, Collins and Javier. He lost Tekotte off the waiver wire to Madison.He put a claim in for Larish, Johnson and Tabaka and added them to this years roster.He signed free agents Delgado, Miller, Jordan, Acosta and Diaz. Finally he picked up Beimel and Hermansen in the R-5 draft.With Ned Coleman and Cesar Limon  as the future core of this franchise. Carseneau went out and spent 39 million on free agents to build around them. He still has some talent in the farm system, some ready, some not. I think this team is on it's upward swing to respectability.But they are still a year or 2 from the post-season.PREDICTION:72-90

OUT: Juan Lopez , Cal Baez , Quentin Hermansen , Ed Carlson

IN: Paxton Wells , Torey Acosta , Charlie Lockwood , Floyd McAnaney , Larry Walker , Mandy Perez , Carmen O'Connor , Hipolito Maduro , Grover Robinson

PREVIEW: Carseneau's Bagwell Bashers are in a re-build so a 69 win season was expected. And even though he went out and spent a little money in free agency. This team was riding out the year while Carseneau wheeled and dealed. He added a young slugger in the draft ,Tripp Rasmus , he could be in the bigs in 2-3 years. In the off-season Carseneau released Lopez , Baez ,traded away Hermansen and waived Carlson. He went out and spent money on free agents Wells, Acosta, Lockwood, McAnaney and Walker. Then he picked up Perez and O'Conner in the R-5 and traded for Maduro and Robinson. With the free agent pick-ups and the players brought in thru trades, Cheyenne is making a move to respectability. Carseneau greatly improved this team and made this one of the toughest divisions in Wrigleyville. Do they have enough juice to topple Salem , Vancouver or Arizona? Maybe? They will be in the hunt for a wildcard but will fall short because of the tough division. PREDICTION: 86-76

A L SOUTH PREVIEW SEASON 28

Charleston Tobacco Farmers (AL) nwsheehy007 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:95-67(Division Winner)

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: It was a easy call picking the Tabaky Farmers as division champs. They showed signs of improvement last year and are back to post-season form. Last years Durocher winner ,Nwsheehy, found his team in the playoffs as the #2 seed. And it looked as if he would go far when he was matched against the 83 win Bruins. But the HBD gods were unkind and the Tabaky Farmers were smoked in 4 games. In the off-season Nwsheehy let Amaral, LeCroy, Wood go to free agency and picked up Funaki in the R-5. The Tabaky Farmers are here to stay. And they should even get better with time and the promotion of Willie Sosa from AAA, whenever that may be.PREDICTION:94-68(Division Winner)

OUT: Roger Serrano , Clayton Bragg , Vin Serra , Brutus Sheffield

IN: Santo Ugueto , Willie Sosa , Eric Workman , Antonio Cora , Harold Grudzielanek , Gerald Edwards

NWSHEEHY'S  PREVIEW: Real happy with last year's performance, but not as pleased with the post-season performance. I lost a great vet in Roger Serrano , but the future was just too bright to hold onto the past.Promoting Eric Workman and Willie Sosa will add youth, defense, and power to an already potent offense. The glaring problem is pitching. Without much cap room, I had to add three pitchers from the Rule 5 draft.My bullpen is suspect and I am short one starting pitcher. Hopefully Jake Dietrich will hold up. Thinking of my beloved SF Giants, I just want to make it to the post-season and then anything can happen.

PREVIEW: Nwsheehy's Tabaky Farmers were smoking last year and they also won the division with 95 wins.They do everything well with good hitting (.280 BA-3rd AL), pitching (4.34 ERA-5th AL) and defense (.987 FPCT-3rd AL). In the post-season the Wacky Tabacky's had a first round bye then got wacked by the A L Champion Salmonbellies in the DCS. This is the second year in a row this team got a bye and then lost in the DCS. It isn't easy to win in the post-season and this team is in their prime and needs to stay the course. In the off-season Nwsheehy let Serrano, Bragg, Serra, Sheffield go to free agency. He signed free agent Ugueto and promoted Sosa and Workman.He picked up Cora , Grudzielanek and Edwards in the R-5. Not really thrilled with any of the R-5 players but the 2 youngsters promoted will be studs. The free agent bullpen guy is good but not sure he can pitch very many innings to make a difference. The core of this team is pretty good and the 2 youngsters will improve this team. Charlotte and Santa Fe will be on their heels but they should win the division again. PREDICTION:96-66(Division Winner)

Charlotte Sometimes (AL) hatton98 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:87-75

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Hattons Sometimes did miss the playoffs as predicted in last years preview.His team was 13 games behind Charleston at the All-Star break and never came close to making the post-season. Charlotte did add some prospects in the draft (Scooter Spiezio , Javier Cortez , Lance Little, William Tobin). The youngsters should help get this team right in a few years. In the off-season Hatton re-signed Al Carrasco , Coco West, Destin Brow , Ernie Cannon and let Hayes, Cookson and Valdez go to free agency. He signed free agents Lieberthal,Owens,Person to fill his line-up. None of the additions really standout to me and that would make me say they are a near .500 club. But there are some interesting prospects in AAA like Bill Robbins and Miguel Rosario. If they get the call-up who knows ?? PREDICTION:81-81

OUT: Buzz Person , Destin Brow , Walt Lieberthal , Brad Cogan , Gerry Abbott , Ernie Cannon , Britt Lukasiewicz

IN: Vance Kendall , Carlos Gomez , Jonathan Valdes , Luis Fernandez , Juan Fernandez , Bert Nathan , Marshall Winn

PREVIEW: The Sometimes had a good year with 87 wins and lost the tiebreaker for the final wildcard berth. Hatton's team bounced back from last years 77 win season with the 2nd best pitching staff in the AL (4.25 ERA). They also had the second best defensive team (.988FPct) but the Some in the Times was the hitting, ranked 12th in the A L (.267 BA). In the off-season Hatton let Person, Brow, Lieberthal, Cogan, Abbott , Cannon go to free agency and released  Lukasiewicz. He signed free agents Kendall, Gomez, Valdes, L Fernandez, J Fernandez, Nathan and Winn. Hatton has a core of good players that make decent money and when he saved some money on releasing Lukasiewicz during Arbitration. He had some extra cash to shop for some roll players to put around his regulars. Charlottes pitching will be one of the best in the A L and while Kendall, Gomez and J Fernandez were brought in to help the struggling offense . They are not real difference makers. The Sometimes will be a above .500 team but will need the Tabaky Farmers to fail in order to make the playoffs.. PREDICTION:85-77

Santa Fe Blues (AL) tchagnon View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:84-78

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: TC has done a great job with the Blues. By adding several good free agents to the youngsters already there. This team did win a Wild-Card as predicted and damn near won the division. They went into the playoffs as a #5 seed and faced the 83 win Red Tails in the first round. Where they won a game 5 on the road and faced the eventual champs in the DCS. They did give the Blitz all they could handle but couldn't win another road game 5. Nice run though. In the off-season TC let King, Scott, Karros go to free agency and released Acosta. He signed free agent Guzman and promoted Estrada and Walters. TC upgraded his catching with the addition of perennial All-Star Guzman .And he brought up 2 very nice pitching prospects to solidify the rotation.They may have enough to overtake Charleston, but my guess is they will be a wild-card team.PREDICTION:92-70(Wild-Card)

OUT: Bob Liverman , Peter Hodges , Chad Jones , Phillip Rhodes , Juan Fernandez

IN: Vin Serra , Darron Moses , Len Hawkins

PREVIEW: The Blues took a step back after last years wildcard year with only 84 wins. Santa Fe always fields one of the best hitting teams and hopes the pitching will be good enough. Last year TC's team was the best offensive team in Wrigleyville with 970 runs scored and a batting average of .294. But they gave up 906 runs with the 3rd worst ERA in Wrigleyville (5.22). Some pitching would get this team to the playoffs and beyond! In the off-season TC let Liverman, Hodges, Jones, Rhodes and Fernandez go to free agency. He signed free agents Serra, Moses and Hawkins. Pitching will still be the problem in Santa Fe , Serra and Hawkins aren't real difference makers. The Hitting will have to overcome and they are good enough to maybe get this team back to the playoffs. But only as a wildcard.PREDICTION:85-77

St. Louis Spirits (AL) donmossi View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:75-87

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: The Rebels finished exactly as predicted.....81-81. And Bob did run em with 206 SB last year. Then Bob's friend and companion ,Dadgummit the Mule, passed away. So Bob up and moved his team to Richmond to escape the grief.  Dadgummit was a Damn good Ass after all. In the off-season Bob re-signed Ruben Rosario and let Mota, Castillo, Nickle, Guillon , Miyakazi go to free agency and released Diaz. He signed free agents Sandoval, Quinn,Hawkins,Craddock,Cheung and picked up Tatis in the R-5. Last years team was poor defensively and offensively. The additions will help but Charleston and Santa Fe are pretty good. They may compete for a wild-card but I don't think they will make the post-season.PREDICTION:84-78

OUT: Len Hawkins , Graeme Quinn , Glen Craddock , Albert Sandoval , Alex Johnson , Cristian Satou , Andres Lorenzo , Tim Perry , Robert Adkins

IN: Bengie Torres , Kenshin Suzuki , Derek Whitesell , Jamie Saito , Vic Perez , Nick Orie , Omar Sanches

PREVIEW: Bob lasted 2 years with this team but never got over Dadgummit the Mule's  demise. He could be heard behind the locked door of his office crying "Dadgummit Why?" over and over again. I have cried and lamented over the loss of some good ass before, so i can relate. Donmossi bought the team after he came in to a ton of cash selling his Bryophyte business. I didn't know Decorative Moss was so popular. In the off-season Donmossi re-signed Ruben Rosario and let Hawkins, Quinn, Craddock, Sandoval and Johnson go to free agency. He released Satou, Lorenzo, Perry and Adkins. Donmossi signed free agent Torres , promoted Suzuki and picked up Whitsell, Saito, Perez, orie and Sanches in the R-5 draft.This is a classic let players go that want to leave and release the rest. Then fill the holes with low-level free agents and R-5 players. Looks like a re-build for new owner Donmossi and he has 40+ million to transfer to prospect money. Look for this team to sign some top level IFA prospects and win 60-70 games. Watch the Moss grow in St Louis.PREDICTION:65-97

N L SOUTH PREVIEW SEASON 28

Jackson Black Bears (NL) olemiss33 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:112-50 (Durocher Award Winner) (Division Winner)

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: I predicted the Black Bears would not win another World Series because my team would beat them. And they did not win it, but not due to my team beating them. In fact the Black Bears kicked my ass this year in the regular season (Note To self: Don't piss off the Bears). Olemiss's team did win the division with 111 games (Best Record) and were the favorites to win the Series again. In the playoffs the Black Bears beat the Moose in 4 and were upset by the Muskellunges in 5. In the off-season Olemiss let Hartman, Montgomery, Bennett go to free agency and signed free agent Broxton. Olemiss and his Angry Bears are gonna be out for blood after not winning the Series.They are a great team and should win the division. Another World Series Title is probable.PREDICTION:105-57(Division Winner)

OUT: Floyd McAnaney , Mac Patrick , Gerald O'Neil , Ricky Sonnanstine , Oswaldo Veras

IN: Miguel James , Sam Price , Chad Patrick

PREVIEW: Olemiss's Black Bears won 112 games and the division with the best pitching staff in Wrigleyville. The 3.08 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and the 520 runs allowed, were the lowest in our league and it's why they dominated the regular season. In the playoffs, usually, great pitching trumps great hitting but Jackson bearly got by the Moose in the DCS. Then lost again to the high powered Muskellunge Offense in the N L Championship Series.It was a carbon copy of last years playoffs where they beat the Moose but couldn't get past Madison. In the off-season Olemiss let McAnaney , Patrick, O'neil and Sonnanstine go to free agency and traded away Veras. The trade brought in Price and Patrick, then he promoted James. The Black Bears still have 3 roster spots open and we may see  Esmailyn Campos and Julio Macias get the call-up after 20 some games. This team is already stacked with super talent and they will keep on winning no matter who gets on the M L roster. It's a easy call to say the Black Bears will win the division. And they are my pick as NL Champs and World Series Winners. PREDICTION:107-55 (Division winner) (World Series Champs)

Texas LoneStars (NL) wishlist3677 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:100-62 (Wildcard)

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Wishlist's Juggernauts exceeded my expectations and won 90 games. Then to rub my nose in it, they went into the playoffs as a #6 seed and beat my Zoids in the first round. But then they lost a game 5 on the road to this years N L Champs. In the off-season Wish let Towers go to free agency and signed free agent Eovaldi. The Lone Stars are a power house team and with last years N L MVP  Zip Madson.........well....They will be hard to beat.Texas will be in the playoffs as a wild-card.PREDICTION:92-70(Wild Card)

OUT: Jerome Cochrane , Wiki Ordonez , Damaso Gardel

IN: Bum Morgan

PREVIEW: Wish's Lone Stars did get a wildcard and won 8 more games than my prediction finishing with a 100 win season. This team was the best all-around team in the N L ,ranked 2nd in hitting (.268 BA), 3rd in pitching(3.88 ERA) and 2nd in defense(.988 FPct). It wasn't enough in the post-season when they were bounced in the first round by the Moose. In the off-season Wish let Cochrane go to free agency , released Ordonez. He traded away Gardel to Austin and got Morgan . Pretty much the same team as last year with a better defensive RF'er at a fraction of the cost. The results will be the same as last year , a strong wildcard berth unless the Black Bears hibernate. PREDICTION:96-66 (Wildcard)

Tampa Bay Rays (NL) svick39 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:73-89

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: It was a long way down when that limb broke off at the All-Star break. Now that all the contusions have healed. I look back at my brash prediction of a .500 season and wonder why I predicted what I predicted. Must of been the Bourbon,everything looks better after a couple shots, I guess. The Rays only won 59 games last year but did add some nice prospects. He picked up Chin-Feng Vanguri , Damian Ishikawain the International market and Chad Bard , Benny Porter in the draft. In the off-season Svick let Ma, Chang, Sandoval, Tabaka, Adams, Corpas, Cortez go to free agency. He released Estrada, Lane, Sanders, Robinson and Osoria and traded away Lombardi. With most the team gone Svick claimed Romero and Trevino off the waiver wire and signed free agents Barker, Castillo, Collins and Smart. He promoted Barmes, Bailes, Erdos, Suarez and traded for Leon and Davis. Well.....That was a complete dismantling of a team. Svick brought in so many players I will have to look at the Franchise standings to see how this team will play.The starting line-up defensively will be pretty good but the offense is near the bottom of the N L in most categories. The starting rotation will walk many a batter but are average in most categories. The Bullpen is below average for the N L. Looks like another long season in Tampa Bay.PREDICTION:70-92

OUT: Esteban Campos , Julian Mitchell , Thumper Smart , Felix Ming , Tony Romero , Yuniesky Trevino , Dan Long , Alex Suarez , Danny Barker

IN: Albie Vazquez , Derrek O'Brien , Geovany Aguilar , Thom Shave , Eduardo Camacho , Ismael Lorenzo , Eddie Rain , Lyle Alexander

PREVIEW: I didn't climb on the .500 limb and Svick's Rays finished close to my 70 win prediction.But I was still drinking when I worked on last years preview so I can no longer blame that as a scapegoat for erroneous predictions. The only surprise last year was the pitching. They finished with a respectable ERA of 4.00 and a 1.30 WHIP. The defense was near the bottom with the hitting not far behind. Svick did pick up Mule Wesson with the 2nd pick in the draft and added Joseph Kobayashi and Livan Valdez from the IFA market. They will help the Rays shine in a couple years. In the off-season Svick let Campos , Mitchell go to free agency and released Smart, Ming, Romero, Trevino and Long. He traded away Suarez and Barker to Philly for Wang and Masaoka. With some gaps to fill he claimed Vasquez off the wire and signed free agents O'Brien and Aguilar. Svick promoted Shave, Camacho and Lorenzo and picked up Rain and Alexander in the R-5. The trade will save some cap money but lower the overall talent.The promotions on the other hand increase the talent. The two free agent pitchers are solid so it looks like the Rays are a better team this year. But still not in the league with Jackson and Texas. PREDICTION:81-81

Austin City Limits (NL) wylie715 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

LAST YEARS RECORD:65-97

LAST YEARS PREVIEW: Whether it's Yoda or Forrest Gump talking , last years City limits underwhelmed. And we knew at last years All-Star break that this team was not going to get to the playoffs. Wylie did add some tasty prospects like Bernard Hollandsworth , Michael Sparks , Pete MacDougal, Wyatt Spencer so last year wasn't a total bust. In the off-season Wylie let Brohawn and Rasmussen go to free agency and signed free agents Ma and O'Donnell. Wylie is getting discouraged with the way his team has performed. He still has high hopes for the City Limits and maybe this will be his year. There is the talent there to win but they have to show me some sign of life before I pick them to make the playoffs.PREDICTION:82-80

OUT: Hideki Ma

IN: Pinky Realmuto , Pablo Arias , Damaso Gardel

PREVIEW: Wylie seems to be chasing his tail trying to get the City Limits on the right track. They finished way below my preview prediction and far below Wylie's hopes and aspirations. You don't have to look far for the biggest problem. The hitting was at the bottom of the N L with a batting average of .243 with only 641 runs scored. Austin did swipe a shitload of bases with 190 bags stolen, so it's not all Anvils on the head. Wylie picked up Artie Freeman in last years draft and he looks like a good one. In the off-season Wylie put Ma on the waiver wire and she was claimed. How can you do that to your Ma?? He signed free agents Realmuto and Arias and traded for Gardel. Wylie went out and got some bats for his struggling offense. Gardel should help out nicely and Realmuto and Arias can hit as well. Will it get Austin to the playoffs? Not in this division but it's a step in the right direction.PREDICTION: 78-84