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2019 and before....

July 9th 2019

The Essex escapees would like to notify their fans are in league members of a new minor-league franchise the Swanklin Sea serpents We are excited for the developmental league said manager bryan swank we will be steadfast in our ways of recruiting that include your grandma when asked about his notions of this leak Swank manager said in miz style awesome! Our manager for the serpents will be forthcoming
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July 6th, 2019

The Ohio Outlawz just announced before their July 4th game celebration that their new Minor League affiliate will be the Chillicothe Mudcats. They have been a member of the Frontier League since the league's inaugural debut in 1993. The games are played in the old V.A. Memorial Stadium which was built in 1954. The stadium is scheduled for a major renovation in 2020 which will increase the capacity from 4000 to 6515 in light of their new affiliation with the Ohio Outlawz, and much anticipated attendance increase.

The Cooperstown Iron Horse Minor League affiliate, The Punxsutawney Ponies, has released a list of specials in anticipation of the expanded rosters and new minor league draft.

1) The Punxsutawney Phil Burger - Is it just a burger that we named after our beloved Groundhog... or is it actually made from our beloved Groundhog?

2) Gobbler's Knob - An all you can eat section where you can fine like a groundhog.. A ticket includes a general admission bleacher seat and all you can eat Alfalfa, June Bugs and Snails.

3) The Burrow Parking Lot - An underground parking lot with a tunnel leading straight to the stadium.

4) Early Spring Pavilion - A grandstand section full shade and no shadows.

5) 6 Weeks of Winter Terrace - A bleacher section full of sun and scary shadows. Free passes to the Burrow Parking Lot included.

April 26th, 2019

There was a buzz in Cooperstown entering the 2019 season.

The rotation of Cole, Bauer, Sanchez, Wheeler and Bumgarner looked formidable.

The lineup looked intimidating. 4 projected 30+ HR bats with 4 more projected to hit 20 or more. Even the "worst" hitter, Marcus Semien was penciled in to hit .250 with 15 HR.

The Draft War Room focused heavily on the bullpen in the middle rounds adding numerous arms... Tepera, Biddle, Roe, Kelley, Brazier, Nuno to go along with the trio of Familia, Watson and Lugo.

They looked ready to reclaim the division after taking a year to retool in 2018... but the Iron Horses have derailed. Stumbling to an 11-19 start, tied for 2nd worst in CBA, is not what this fan base or front office had in mind.

"It is surprising," said Stamets after their 4th consecutive loss, "We traded away some good talent last year to set up for a pennant chase this season. We weren't expecting this." When asked about shopping veteran player

to continue looking towards the future, Stamets wasn't ready to to discuss that topic. "We're not there yet. There's still time to right the ship and there's enough talent on this team to do so. It's a 162 game season and we have to depth to make it to the end with a competitive team."

While the slow start is concerning, one would figure that Suarez will improve on his .207 average. Carpenter, Polanco and Encarnacion are all hitting below .173, that surely has to change. Trevor Bauer's ERA still sits above 5.00 after throwing 6 scoreless innings but that should continue to trend downwards.

While there's not a plan for a fire sale in the near future, you have to wonder if those plans will change if this team is still in the cellar approaching the trade deadline. Iron Horse fans sure hope it doesn't come to that.

April 21st, 2019 Press Newton Bombs

Heys:

The 2018-2019 CBA Champion Newton Bombs Review

I can tell you - I never thought I'd e sitting here now DEFENDING the CBA Title. I didn't think I had the horses. I have no superstars, and my main weapons seem to be of the "smoke and mirrors" variety! I was gearing more for the 2019 season than the 2018 season last year, where all 3 of my outfielders have much better years. But, I commited to run, and the team ran well, but was always a distant 2nd next to the Brooklyn juggernaut! Still, I was contending for a good shot at a wild card at the mid-point, and started to seek some ace relievers to carry me thru the 2nd half. Cooperstown had an interest draft, picking up Goody and Kahnle's superior cards in the 3rd round of the draft. The Iron Horse had seemed to be ready to look at future options, so I offered my 3rd and 5th for these blank cards. Jon Stamets must h ave looked over my roster very well. He posed the trade of Bauer, Heaney, and Vlad Guererro for Kershaw. I would not part with Vlad, so it became Bauer and Heaney for Kershaw. These moves worked well, and I made it into the playoffs as a wild card with good distance.
The playoffs, however, were magical! So, it is why sometimes all you need is to make the playoffs - anything happens in a 7 game series! And boy, did it ever! I just had to sit back and be a spectator, and my rotation of Strasburg, Sale, Kershaw, and Carrasco took over the games, going 16-7. Carrasco and Sale didn't fair as well, but, they went 5-5 in the playoffs, which is great for winning! Kershaw and Strasburg went 7-1 in 66 innings, giving up 39 hits, 9 walks, and 1 HR. That was dominant. A real treat to watch! I stand by the idea that it is "everything" just to make the playoffs in the CBA!

Moving ahead, I think the Newton Bombs will deliver on a repeat playoff mission in 2019! The team is actually very improved in many important ways - starting pitching, outfield, catcher, and some infield - the team will continue the win with the same pedigree as last year. Newton will have it's hands full, however, as the Parker Division has no slackers at this point, and playoff-worthy Brooklyn and Newton will not have an easy road with Atlanta and Middlesex breathing down our backs. We complete the intradivision play this week - so far we are playing like sisters. CBA is, like the MLB, a marathon, however. It will be great to watch how this year unfolds as well! Good luck to all of you CBAers! Always go for the stars - you will never know when not to run if you give yourselves a chance to contend!

April 6th, 2019

Ottawa Otters Team Outlook

Mike Trout won the Clemente MVP award in a close ballot, edging out Nolan Arenado. The Otters were able to sign Trout to a new contract during the off-season with an eye-watering 12-year, $430 million extension to his existing contract that would have expired next season. While Trout has been brilliant since joining the league in 2012, he has not had much team success in Ottawa. The Otters made with play-offs just once during Trout’s career thus far when the Otters lost in seven games to Ohio in the second round in 2014. There were rumours that Trout would be traded in the off-season, but the Otters decided to keep Trout on their roster and build their team around him.

A new season begins and the pre-season showed that the Otters may be able to climb out of the basement in the standings this year. The team will once again be anchored by a stellar outfield with Trout, McCutchen and Jason Heyward. Other key returning veterans include Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, and Kurt Suzuki.

The Otters chose to use most of their draft picks to upgrade their pitching for the new season. Returning to the rotation are Joulys Chacin and Kyle Gibson. Joining them are free agents Francisco Liriano, Ian Kennedy, and Chad Kuhl. Brad Ziegler will continue as the team’s closer. Starters Yu Darvish and Doug Fister are both on the disabled list for most of the season and are not expected to return to play until September. Hopefully, the Otters will be vying for a play-off position when they return.

Looking even further ahead, key prospects for the Otters include outfielder Lewis Brinson and short stop Royce Lewis. Brinson may be ready for the majors as early as next year while Lewis is still at least two years away.

{AP Newsline Brooklyn, NY March 26th, 2019}

The mood was festive at Trommers Beer Gardens on Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue. The melting pot that is Brooklyn NY, has taken to the Superbas this spring with renewed enthusiasm. Last year was a successful season winning 106, two less than the franchise record and within the top 10 all time. Yet somehow the fans seemed a bit shook. Their divisional playoff loss to eventual World Champions Newton was heartbreaking. They ran into historic pitching, but you couldn't tell that the defeat ever happened the way the loyal Brooklyn Crew spoke of their team. "Dese guys here may be back in da mix agin. The lineup hits, and gets on base, and man the pitching staff looks good." said Louis Costello of Bergen st. His friend and Superbas 'D-Line' female fan booster president Lorinda Dee added "Not for nuthin, they can hit, and yep they can ...a tent in my backyard anytime..."

Superbas closer star Craig Kimbrel stopped by at Trommers Beer Garden for a few cold ones. When a few fans bought him rounds, Kimbrel gave them each an autographed jar of tartar sauce, and an 8x10 picture. 3 lucky beer blasters were given his Superba cap, Kimbrel's neck tie, and a sock for their efforts. Kimbrel eventually escaped Trommer's without a shoe, and healthy mustard stain compliments of his losing in the sudden death round of the popular Trommer's game "Name That Hot Dog".

Robinson Cano will be making an appearance Saturday at Trommers after the home game against Newton. He will be a guest coach for the Sid and Marty Barrett Pink Sox Brigade Charity Curling match. The contest will be played on roller skates on Trommers famous Ballroom dance floor in lieu of ice.

Cory Kluber took a no hitter into the 7th inning in the opener against Newton. Kluber looks forward to a good season as staff ace. My kid helped me develop my knuckleball, and a fork ball. I hope they can be alternate out pitches.

Kevin Plawecki is excited to be Brooklyn's primary back up at catcher behind James The Can. He hopes he contribute more than just ocassional ant-acid pills to the men in the clubhouse.

December 1st, 2018

The Outlawz are coming off one of their worst seasons in 2018. There were some bright spots with Altuve, Posey and Morton, but overall the pitching and hitting took a big downward slide. The biggest surprise of the year was management trading its superstar 2B, Jose Altuve for Manny Machado. GM Kenan stated: "the team needed a shakeup and when Manny became available, it was a move I had to make, as hard it was to trade Jose". The future looks bright for the Outlawz with a solid nucleus of "team captain" Buster Posey, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado, Michael Conforto, Shin-Soo Choo and new rookie sensation, Miguel Andujar. The big question marks going into 2019 is if Jonathan Villar can adequately fill in at 2B and if the talented Adalberto Mondesi can keep progressing and hold down the SS position. A big plus is that 3 of our starting infielders can play multiple positions which gives us a lot of flexibility. The other huge question mark is starting pitching. We have 3 solid arms in the rotation of Leake, Morton, and the newly acquired Danny Duffy, but after that its a cast of: Wade Miley, Tyler Mahle and Ty Blach. The bullpen is fairly decent with Vizcaino (needs to stay healthy), Ramos and Grace. And, another major concern for the Outlawz is the health of their 2 young pitching prospects coming off of major surgeries, Alex Reyes and Julio Urias. These guys not being available has really hurt the Outlawz rotation for the past 2 years. The team needs to stay healthy, especially the pitching staff, as it has had more than its share of injuries.

In conclusion, the 2019 Outlawz will score some runs, but how many will the opposition score is the concern. I think it will be an exciting season and a hotly contested Monday division. I look for an exciting 2019 CBA season with some really great divisional races and if Bruce Bundy and his Newton Bombs can defend their title. Bring on the Hot Stove and 2019 draft !!

October 1st, 2018

In a highly anticipated divisional playoff series, the New Jersey Beatles eliminated the Towaco Wolf Pack, 4 games to 2. These teams battled for the Rogers division all year, with Towaco prevailing with a Staub Conference-leading 104 wins, including a 14-4 record against New Jersey. The Beatles, who won 101 games in the regular season, looked to turn the tables in this playoff series. They did not disappoint.

Game 1 saw Brad Peacock (12-3) take on Dallas Keuchel (11-4). Neither man would factor in the decision. The teams were tied 3-3 after 6 innings. In the bottom of the 7^th, MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt launched a 2-run bomb off Felipe Rivero. That was the difference in the game, as the Wolf Pack bullpen held the Beatles scoreless the rest of the way. Towaco goes up 1-0 with a 5-3 win. W-Colome; L-Rivero; S-Rodney

In game 2, the Wolf Pack picked up where they left off, jumping out to a 4-0 lead against Beatles starter Justin Verlander (15-6), who lasted only 4 innings. New Jersey touched up Alex Cobb (16-6) to get to within 4-3 in the top of the 5th, but Towaco added 2 runs in the bottom of that frame to extend their lead to 6-3. New Jersey put together some timely hitting in the 8^th, rallying for 3 runs to tie the game at 6. In the top of the 10^th, Carlos Correa smashed a 2 run dinger against Fernando Rodney to put the Beatles up 8-6. Towaco battled back in the bottom of the inning, but ultimately, Trevor Rosenthal held them off. New Jersey wins 8-7(10) to tie the series at 1. W-Albers; L-Rodney; S-Rosenthal

The series headed to the Cavern for game 3, which featured Towaco’s Mike Clevinger (10-4) taking on New Jersey’s Chase Anderson (12-7). The Beatles opened up the scoring in the 2nd, capitalizing on a Zack Cozart error and Jacoby Ellsbury’s 2-run double. Towaco came back to tie the game on solo homers by Cozart and Carlos Gomez in the 3^rd and 5^th innings, respectively. New Jersey took the lead again in the bottom of the 5^th on Yasiel Puig’s run-scoring double. Both teams’ bullpens took over from there, and that’s how the game ended. New Jersey wins, 3-2, and leads the series 2-1. W-Anderson; L-Clevinger; S-Albers

Game 4 saw Towaco’s Rich Hill (12-5) facing Jersey’s Dylan Bundy (12-4). New Jersey jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by Rafael Devers and a run-scoring single by Jay Bruce. That’s how the score stayed until the 9^th inning. With one on, and Towaco down to their last out, Paul Goldschmidt stepped to the plate and crushed a game-tying home run off of Beatles closer David Robertson to send the game to extra frames. An inning later, pinch hitter Lucas Duda smashed another 2-run homer off of Robertson. The New Jersey crowd was in stunned disbelief, as Towaco ties the series 2-2 with a come-from-behind 4-2(10) win. W-Rodney; L-Robertson; S-McGee

In game 5, Peacock and Keuchel faced off again, as each team looked to take a crucial 3-2 series lead. New Jersey opened up a 5-1 lead behind 2 Carlos Correa home runs. The Beatles bullpen could not hold the lead, as the Pack battled back with 2 in the 6^th and 2 in the 7^th to tie the game, 5-5. New Jersey opened the 9^th inning with singles from Jose Martinez and Devin Marrero. Jacoby Ellsbury came up and lined a single up the middle, as the Beatles got a huge walk-off win, 6-5, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. W-Albers; L-Colome

The series returned to Towaco for game 6, with Justin Verlander taking on Alex Cobb, in a rematch of game 2. New Jersey opened the scoring in the 2nd inning on Martin Maldonado’s 2-run jack. Towaco battled back to tie the game on Tommy Pham’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 2^nd and Travis Shaw’s solo home run in the 3^rd. The Beatles were not to be denied, however, as they homered in each of the next 4 innings to open up a 7-2 lead. The bullpen was able to hold off the Wolf Pack, and New Jersey won the game 8-4, and the series, 4-2. W-Albers; L-Cobb

Matt Albers had a stellar series, winning 3 games and notching a save, as he pitched 7 1/3 scoreless frames in relief. Carlos Correa hit 5 home runs over the 6 games to lead the Beatles’ offense. New Jersey will face the winner of the Longue Pointe-San Diego series, and will be looking to make it to the finals for the first time since their championship run in 2013.

September 18th, 2018 Game 163

The city of Philly had the day off as fans poured into downtown to see game 163 that will settle the CBA Schmidt Division champs.

Jared Eickhoff took the mound for the Phanatics and maybe some nerves showing as he hits Mitch Haniger to start. With Mitch at 2nd and 2 down, Rob Hite Intentionally walk Hosmer and brings up Tucker Barnhart who ripx a double and plates the games first run. Rob then walk Suarez to face the (6L) Brian Dozier, who bangs one up the middle and NWS has a 2-0 lead. Antonio Senzatela cruises and Eickhoff settles down and going into the 5th the score is the same. Haniger rip a double with 1 out and again Rob use the Int. Walk putting Bour on. Eickhoff then walks Steven Souza to load them up. Eric Hosmer K's and Rob brings in Jose Torres to face Barnhart. Ball 4 - NWS 3-0.

Senzatela finally cracks in the 5th and gives up a HR to Wilmer Flores. After 5, 3-1. In the 6th Chris Brazeau goes with his bullpen which got him here. Chris Devenski, John Brebbia and Shane Greene keep it a 3-1 game into the 9th.

In the top of the 9th, Addison Russell doubles and Haninger and Bour hit singles to add a run. Steven Souza walks and they are loaded. Lance Mcullers time, he strikes out Hosmer and Barnhart and get Suarez to ground out keeping this one close.

Tyler Lyons starts the 9th against Bryce Harper and hits one to Dozier, one of the best 2bs in the game. Boots it. Really, in the 9th, no stress! Ken Giles comes on and gets the next 3. Final NWS 4 - PPS -1

August 2018 races in both Conferences.

The Dawson battle has emerged, and the two players right now are Longue Pt and Belfast. Both teams will need good bench performances to move them into thhe top spot. Both have regulars in need of rest. What if the Crows win 2 or 3 good blocks? Will the Crows and Neah Bay do damage to both teams?

At current pace in Staub, With the Dawson division hovering around .500 and bench rest coming to the Brawlers and Loggers, this could develop into quite an August. Will either team will make moves considering that other teams in Staub may also be competeing for the Second wild card spot? Thhe next few blocks are critical. Whoever gets hot may take Dawson. Odds favor that the teams in that division may need to win thhe title to make the playoffs. Longe Pointe has pitching a team 1.21 WHIP, and an IRSC of .263. Belfast may not boast the pitching numbers, but the offenses show similar offensive team Sabermetrics...Neah Bay's Wellington Castillo may be CBA's best catcher. Batting .372 17 HR 40 RBI, if ever there were an all star this year, he's one.

Towaco and New jersey are embroiled in an epic Rogers division battle, and a trade war. Both have moved significant future stocks to compete in Staub. Division champ and rival Essex has done somewhat the same. All are competing for the playoffs. Towaco stepped out in front of Rogers after Joliet and Indiana swept New Jersey. New Jersey is interesting. The team holds opponents to .227 BA, but thhe bullpen despite paultry ERA's, WHIPS, allows a poor 33% of inherited runners to score. Jersey outslugs opposition with homers, 174 of 'em. Towaco is known for the pitching in Citifield whhere thhe ballpark singles are a '1-1'. Despite that, the Wolfpack still slug .426, and create 4.76 runs per game. Bullpen you ask? .176 IRSC, well below league .330 average, awesome....
Essex underachieving need to win a few series or sweep some games they should win. Pretty much rested, expect a push for a wildcard. The key will be head to head match ups with Detroit, and their division rivals. The move for Altuve makes sense in a non DH Conference. Can the Wheels spoil dreams? Can't count them out of causing trouble for that division.

Joliet has started to piece back together their season and with a good block or two could complicate matters for the plentiful pack of contenders. They are well rested, and still talented. Buckle up your seat belts. With SD dropping some games last block, and Temple on a surge, the outlook is for a tight August race for the Carter title. It's anyones guess who can emerge there. Further complications, Temple Angels GM Cory Light went and added lefty ace John Lester who should give some needed innings down the stretch. The Angels lefties Vargas and Lester could hurt certain playoff bound teams. They may not stop Gianmichaelcarlo Stanton of rival SD. He has a .310 40 HR 79 RBI season happening right now. Thhe losers of this battlle for Carter may all be in contention for 1 wildcard spot if NJ and Towaco do not fade.

Parker division has Brooklyn holding 5 games over Newton. That division is up for grabs between those two teams as Atlanta cashed in her chips in another Loria like massacre upset some GM's in it's wake. With these two teams looking at possibly a title and a wildcard, a tremendous race is on within the Schmidt for wins. Wins to take the title and knock the Willdcats from their perch, but needed wins to gain a wildcard. All teams are within reach still. Philly keeps rising after a slow start. CBA's leading BA, the Phantastics platoon is working, and are well rested. Bryce is hitting.342 with16HR now...The Willdcats are rested too. The official Schmidt pennant chase is on. This is the first ever for the previously underdog Wildcats. Chris Brazeau, has rebuilt the franchise into a contender after years of labor and less than stellar records. This year has to be gratifying. Although NH's Greinke is 9-10 right now, it's been in hard luck as his ERA 2.79 and WHIP 0.95 are terrific. He could be the races X factor....Stirling is competing as well. A strong offense, but problems at the end of the rotation have limited the wins for the Sox. Remains to be seen what Malachi does as the deadline approaches. Two clear signals that the Sox could in August be on the rise, are a strong bullpen .261 IRSC, and a nice .75 fld Xrating. They also have a few sub.500 teams scheduled...The Otters need some pitching help fast. The pen is in shambles Feliz 1-7, Strickland 5.68 ERA, Ziegler, Romero, alll over 5.00+ Mike Trout's best 28 HR 71 RBI .320, and the potent offense may not be enough to carry them through without pitching help.

The Monday is all Carolina righht now. CTown also cashed in their chips, andall that remains is Skokie who is looking toward the trade market. With Carolina's hot usage for pitching, will they sustain? Does anyone want to win this division right now? If Carolina fades then what will happen? Should be interesting as the Copperheads will face playoff contenders all through August. This division thhough quiet now could become a real surprise if no one steps up. This may need to be HOF'er Scott Kenan's best managing job to date... Did we read correct Bob Fidler's Redbirds rekindled olld magic and swept Jersey? Fidlers been awful quiet during a dismal season, but capable of defeating any given team, at any given time. Adam Jones .319 18HR 69 RBI. Ohio lands Machado. Could be the start of a new ERA in Ohio. Kenan hopes to revisit the World Series, and another CBA championship to his trophy chest. This may not be the year, but never count a Kenan out.

September 18th, 2018 Game 163

The city of Philly had the day off as fans poured into downtown to see game 163 that will settle the CBA Schmidt Division champs.

April 1st, 2017 CBA Press Release Atlanta

“It’s a nice start but the division race will take more than a two-week run of good fortune.” You can excuse Coach Blakely for not allowing team complacency with a 10-2 start of the CBA season. “I imagine Brooklyn will have much to discuss this week at the House of Pain.”

This team was 55-107 in 2016 and returns most of the same players responsible for this fast start. The Phoenix sport a team ERA of 2.41 (3^rd in the CBA) and is playing lights out defense; yet, Coach Blake is barking about the bats. “We have hit when we needed to hit and pitched when we needed to pitch. But we have to become better at getting on base.”

Coach Blake worries that he may need to work on the lineup and move players around. But not until the record demands; Though Nolan Arenado (.186), Kole Calhoun (.180), Rougned Odor (.213), and Trevor Story (.188) have struggled early, all have hit well in the clutch when it was needed. Wilson Ramos, Mookie Betts, Luis Sardinas and Adeiny Hechavarria have picked up to help carry the offensive load. “Those guys will start hitting soon. I think. If not, I’ll have to order more firewood and a new set of mirrors for the pitchers.” The pitching has been spectacular (third in the league with a 2.41 ERA) so far, and Blake is prepping for a tiring pitching staff. “Conley and Gibson are both good for 25 starts. The time will come when I have to find some guys to step up and fill those shoes.” When asked if he has anyone in mind, Blake barks, “Oh yeah, just pick one or two from Seaver, Koosman or Matlack. Dumbass…”

“Alex Wilson will be a big help in the pen. We gave up a future OF kid (Mitch Haniger) to the Hamp Cats (New Hampshire) to get Wilson. It’s worth it for now. Really wanted to see Mitch develop. Anyway, Wilson will help the pen and the pen has been solid so far.” The pen is not a collection of all-stars but a group of pitchers that, when used correctly, will produce nice results.

Before leaving, Coach Blake wanted to talk about the rookies he got in the draft. “You know, if we can take care of business around here and keep up with our ’18 picks, we might really scare some people.” Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson are pounding away waiting to contribute in the future. “Don’t sleep on my red-head, Frazier; he’s gonna mash. He can fight you, too.” Clint Frazier won a head-butting contest before leaving to join his minors team. Frazier was the only contestant in the contest without a batting helmet. “Kid’s gonna mash, gonna mash. Had a damn bad headache, though.”

And if the Atlanta Phoenix has its way, the rest of the CBA will suffer from headaches in 2017.

J. Michael Blakely

CBA Press Release Detroit....March 23rd, 2017

The press conference was starting about 10 minutes late. There had been a mention of a meeting with a legal team running over. Wheels owner Mitch Ryder finally stepped to the microphone, looking a bit disheveled and wearing dark sunglasses.

“Thanks for coming, we are looking forward to our new season. But do you know what really gets me? Those West End Dogs, they’re using my songs. That’s why our meeting just ran over, they’re using my songs, they owe me some serious royalties! They’re using my songs, WHY IF I GET MY HANDS ON THEM I’LL…”

A whine and loud thud were heard as the microphone was switched off and Ryder was escorted away from the press conference. Ryder could be heard continuing to rant as he walked away. After a couple of minutes the microphone was switched back on as Wheels General Manager Al Kaline stepped to the microphone. Looking a little bit dejected, Kaline spoke calmly to the assembled media.

“Thank you all again for coming to our preseason press conference. On behalf of the organization I apologize for Mr. Ryder’s reaction, he’s been a bit preoccupied lately with this particular legal issue. We have been trying to distract him by calling more meetings about the team, but he continues to be extremely concerned about that one issue.

“Anyway, the rest of us are certainly looking forward to the upcoming season. You know, someone, I forget who, called us ‘the best last place team in the league’ last season. I’m not sure how to take that, I guess sort of a compliment. We were in a tough division though and did show an overall record better than even we might have hoped for. It was good that we were able to move some players who were a bit disgruntled, rightly so perhaps, it was not possible to get Pujols, Fielder and Roidriguez in the lineup at the same time, at least in most of our games since the team was moved from the DH to the non-DH conference.

“We are glad to continue to have a strong ‘up the middle’ defense, with Wieters at catcher, Crawford and LeMahieu in the infield, and Maybin in center. Maybin is currently struggling with some nagging injuries though, so we are a bit worried about that. Pujols finally settles in as the regular first baseman rather than the rotating situation we had early last year, and Jake Lamb looks ready to take over as the regular third baseman. Adam Eaton looks ready to take over as our regular right fielder, and we’re optimistic about Alex Dickerson growing into the left field job.

“Pitching-wise we felt we were a little thin so we put more focus on that in this last draft. Wainwright and Roark look like they’ve rebounded from last year’s injury problems and we are glad to add Junior Guerra. Colby Lewis looks like he might struggle with some injuries this year though. We are optimistic that the bullpen can be a strength especially with Roberto Osuna closing things out.

“Thanks again for coming and here’s to a new season.”

CBA Press release Brooklyn, N.Y...April 1st, 2017.................................................................................

The annual Brooklyn event known as Superba Daywas a spectacular success. The Brooklyn fans took to the iconic park (design by Olmstead and Vaux) early Friday afternoon in anticipation of the events that were in store. Giant satellitte broadcast screens were set in place for the what was to be a weekend celebration of music and baseball. Fans ever so loyal. Many fans felt that last year was a building year and were very pleased to compete once again finishing with 95 wins in yet another playoff season.

   The weekend events featured 3 days of great division rivalry baseball between the Parker champ Newton Bombs and the Brooklyn Superbas. Brooklyn eventually took 2 of the 3 games in spectacular pitching dominated games. The atmosphere was festive as the crowsds in Prospect Park watched, oohed, aaah'd, and cheered when the Brooklyn pitchers managed to strike out an ever tough Bomb batter.

   Many camped overnight and took advantage of the great festival music from the great band lineups at the 3 day event. Friday evening saw 'Michael Franti's Spearhead, Thievery Corporation, Ziggy Marley, and Warren Haynes reunited with Derek Trucks, and Dickey Betts in a grand finale alongside Stevie Ray Vaughn's Double Trouble bandmates.    Saturday after the game fans were treated to a rousing performance by the West End Dogs who tore it up playing a Mitch Ryder version of "Sock It To Me Baby". They were joined onstage by Gary Rossington and Peter Frampton. But the real kicker was the post game show Sunday night.

    Live from Prospect Park, Sir Paul McCartney helicoptered unto the Botanical Garden Pit, and led an entourage featuring, Little Richard, Don Wilson, Brian Wilson, Wilson Alvarez, Al Kooper, and the band The Persuit of Hapiness, to the fileds where the faithful were gathered for the big concert and Superba rally. After a light hearted, and heartfelt words, mocking the Kardashians, Paul led a supercharged version of Centerfield as he attempted to hit a homerun with guest artist MC Lyte.    All in all a fun weekend as the Superbas start their season on a positive and hope to be in the final mix for the playoffs in 2017.

New Jersey Beatles Press Release

The New Jersey Beatles are now two years removed from their magical run to the CBA title, and what a difference two years has made. The Beatles advanced to the playoffs in 2014, bowing out in the first round, before struggling in 2015, compiling a 69-93 record. New Jersey has assembled an exciting mix of veterans, such as Felix Hernandez, Evan Longoria, and Justin Verlander, and young players, such as Carlos Correa, Starling Marte, Daniel Norris, and Byron Buxton. Their pitching staff has been hampered by injuries to Verlander, Norris, Cliff Lee, Matt Moore, Zach Wheeler, and prospect Dylan Bundy. They will need to acquire some pitching help in order to contend in 2016, but with GM Steve Adler wheeling and dealing, they should not be counted out.

Essex Escapees Press Release

2016 Campaign: the essex escappes escaped to first wild card birth in 2015 and look to build on that success. Bryan Swank assessed the rubble remaining from first round loss and determined to send yasiel fatman pig packing and wi yen chen off to greener pastures. Newly acquired nathans famous eovaldi and rubb one out de la rosa look to strengthen staff . With scherzer ricahards colome and pomeranz we look to shut down opposition. Outfielders Cespedes and Polanco hunker the corners whilst machado turner and kendrick sure up infield with rollins and lindor at ss, ryan howard adds depth. Fransisco Cervelli takes over catcher responsibility and adds obp. a couple platoons with blanks and ruf and the division title wont be tough,Gibson we are gunning for you, Look out!

New Hampshire Prospectus

The last few years have been rather dismal in New Hampshire. The front office has tried to be aggressive, and few things have not worked out as planned. Matt Cain, Jared Cosart, Jurickson Profar, Charlie Morton to name a few, have not lived up to expectations. Even an inexpensive gamble like Hanley Ramirez has not panned out. We stayed aggressive in 2015 trading for Kolten Wong, Miguel Montero. Two years ago, there were a few snickers when the Cats drafted Jose Abreu 2nd overall. That is one thing that has worked out well. Coming into this draft, the Wildcats have added Shelby Miller and young and upcoming SS Addison Russell.

The 2016 version of NWS should score its share of runs with the likes of Wong, Montero, Kendys Morales, Jose Abreu, Brett Lawrie, Danny Valencia and Kevin Kiermaier. Our defense should be significantly better with an up the middle troika of Russell, Wong and Kiermaier. Which can only help a very average pitching staff.

Pitching, well that will be our issue. Miller will look good at the top but after that we have a bunch of 3 and 4 guys. The future of this team rests on our staff pitching to its capabilities. This season, who knows. We will score a lot of runs, but we likely will give up a bunch to. The future has something that Wildcats fans have craved for a few years, Hope.

So heading into the draft, Pitching will be a priority.

Towaco Wolfpack Press Release

The Towaco Wolfpack are looking forward to 2016 with a much stronger starting staff and a mix of youth and veterans in trying to win our third Rogers Division pennant and a 2016 championship. Towaco is looking forward to having a healthy E. Goldschmidt this coming season. "When Goldy is on there isn't anyone better at 1B" bragged Kevin Gibson the Wolfpack manager. "He's the driving force on this club for sure." "Losing him for part of the stretch run almost did our team in but we recovered when he came back and it was just in the nick of time" said Gibby!

Towaco has some concerns regarding Alex Cobb's elbow. "He was struggling some last season and from what we've heard from him during the off season his elbows bothering him so we shut him down and sent him for further testing." "If there is a problem we may need to stretch out Warren to fill the void." Towaco is expecting improvement from Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano and their young stud starter Noah Syndergaard who can really light up the radar gun! The Wolfpack are expecting Kris Medlen to bounce back from his second TJ surgery and are going to try using lefty Travis Wood out of the bullpen some this year! "We may look to add another starter or two to replace Georgie and add a little depth" said Gibby. The Georgie he's referring to is Jorge De La Rosa who was traded to High Bridge for veteran outfielder M. Byrd this off season.

Manager Gibson likes his two returning catchers and thinks they are one of the best catching tandems in the league. "We've added this 25 year old to play second base named Jace Peterson. We may need to platoon him some but he should see the bulk of his time vs. right hand pitching." "We love the way Marty plays third and we have Sogard and Reyes taking turns at SS." Kevin Gibson is really high on his young 21 year old left-handed SS Corey Seager. "This kid just tore up the minor leagues the past couple of seasons. I can't see keeping him down there again he's got nothin' to prove there anymore." "This kid is itchin' to do some damage so I'm gonna turn him loose!" "I may be able to work him into the mix at 3B with Marty."

As for the Wolpack outfield young Christian Yelich has leftfield locked up with great defense and a solid bat. Rightfield will have a platoon with returning veteran DeAza vs. righties and newly acquired Byrd vs. lefties. "Byrd gives us some much needed pop" says Gibby. Gomez and Davis should have centerfield covered but there may be some additional moves made before the regular season starts.

Right now the Wolfpack bullpen has three potential closers in Smith, Cecil and newly acquired McGee. "I think all three will be pitching and competing in spring training before I figure out who will be assigned to which roll" said Gibby. "We'll have everybody ready by the time the season starts." "We're looking forward to winning this damn thing and that's what we are working hard to do!"

High Bridge Heaters Press Release

2015 was a disappointment for the Heaters. Although we lost Matt Harvey for the year, we thought great managing and a few good breaks would have been enough to grab a wild card.

Ohio proved to be too good to catch. After falling behind in July, we came on strong at the end to finish 500. Some teams would have been satisfied to get the best draft picks possible, but the Heaters play to win!

Our team's tenacity and desire for excellence instils fear in our opponents. It's no accident that we have been transferred from both conference and divisions several times in the past five years. The league fears that if left alone in one division for too long, we would dominate for many years. We pledge to persevere in our quest to win the Parker division in 2016. We have a mighty line-up that's about to get mightier when a blockbuster trade is announce on February 8th. It should remind everyone of the deal the Dallas Cowboys made when they traded Hershel Walker. We are going to use our new draft picks to replace a stud SP with good, young pitchers who can also win now. We are open t trades. but have already reshaped our team and will probably use the draft to sure-up our needs. Ours offensive stars this year include: J.D. Martinez with his new 3 rating in RF with that -3 arm. Charlie Blackburn got 2's in the corners and crushes righties. Kyle Seager lost his "1" , but is still in the top ten 3b's. Joe Panic has been rated in the top three 2b's this year ( a defensive "1" this year). Didi gets his "1" again and will platoon with Mercer at ss. We picked up the Mets' lucky charm in Juan Uribe to sure up the infield with his dominant bat against lefties. Veteran OF Josh Hamilton gets a second chance in High Bridge and we expect great things from him. Jason Werth is coming off a disappointing season, although he cam on strong at the end. We predict Werth will be the Come-Back player of the year in 2016. So-beware Parker Division, especially Brooklyn! We are ready to give you a run for your money. Good luck all! See you on draft day.

Skokie Wolfmen Press Release 2016

What was once a great team (making the playoffs in 8 of its first 9 seasons
including 4 visits to the WS) is now a rebuilding team -

we expect to continue to rebuild in 2016 -

Starting Pitching is always a problem and for the most part the
Skokie starters are young with several with high potential and a group
of other young starters we see helping our future

With the draft coming up soon Skokie will continue to work
to add more youth following the models done in MLB by the Royals,
Houston and the Cubs --

prior to the draft or doing the draft we have holes to fill -
our 3B will be retiring next year - 2B is weak - and we have
no Catcher to speak off (hint hint if anyone has an extra
catch to trade with some PAs we might give a draft pick)

in any case we like our OF with Springer, Inciarite and Souza
with Blanco to backup and Beltran to DH/RF

we expect however either Beltran or C. Santana (or both) will be
traded (if anyone has an interest let us know) this year

we might have a left handed starter to trade as well

We don't expect another 100 lost season but we do
expect to find a way to fill all our holes - as always we
are open to trade and no player is untouchable if we
hear the right offer including any stars we have

as we offered before the #2 pick of the upcoming
draft is available - if the right offer is heard ...

there are some very excellent players, franchise
players you would be guaranteed to get at this pick

good luck to all the returning and new managers
of the CBA - would will be the 2016 champ - the trend
the last four seasons has been 1st time champs

From the headquarters of the Skokie Wolfmen

Oct 26th, 2015

Tim Hudson, a likely CBA Hall of Famer, has announced that the 2016 will be his last. "It's time to hang it up and spend time with my family," Hudson said "I think I have one more season left in me where I can help a team win, whether it's in Cooperstown or elsewhere, but that will be it."

Hudson currently sits at 10th all time in CBA in strikeouts, 4th all time in wins, 3rd in innings, 2nd in starts and 9th in shutouts.

His 5th start of 2016 will make him the CBA all time leader in that category, passing Andy Pettitte who currently holds that title.

If Hudson can earn 14 wins in 2016, he'll leapfrog Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez to become CBA's most winning-est pitcher. Whether he can manage that feat or not, this season Hudson joined those three pitchers as the only members of the 200 win club, currently sitting at 204.

It remains to be seen if Hudson will be on the Iron Horse roster next season, or if teams who find his veteran presence appealing inquire about a trade. He won't pitch like the Tim Hudson of old, but you can pencil him in for about 120-125 innings and an ERA around 4.40-4.45. Tim said he may be willing to pitch out of the bullpen as well if it's what's best for the team. Regardless of his role, it will be fun watching him pass some CBA legends in some impressive categories as he writes his own story in the history books.

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Associated Press)

As many CBA teams lick their wounds from a disappointing regular season or early playoff exit, the league's esteemed GMs are beginning to look forward to 2016 as they inspect every piece of the roster for future potential -- and future gaps in talent.

Many fine players across the league are expected to change uniforms during what is sure to shape up as a busy off-season. According to Philly GM Rob Hite, "I've been around CBA for a long time, and back in the golden age of the league many GMs chose to sit on their talent and build slowly. They would trade for a piece here or there, but they mainly built through the draft".

But the institution of the CBA amateur draft changed everything. With young talent at a premium, and harder to acquire in the regular draft, it is of utmost importance that a team draft kids who are 18 or 19, and follow them as they develop into CBA contributors. Hite added, "sometimes we plan a positional need way ahead of time, and use the prospect pick to try to fill that need before it's really a need. Like back when our all-time franchise greats Derek and Chase [Jeter & Utley] were getting older, we said - hey we have a great middle infield but let's start addressing that so we'll be great there for the next decade after they hang it up".

At the time, Philly also sported a perennial all-star Evan Longoria at 3rd, making one of the most potent infields in the Association. But Longoria was packaged up to New Jersey in exchange for Bryce Harper, who Hite hoped would be his franchise slugger for the next 15 years. That was a controversial move which many Philly phans wanted him run out of town for, as evidenced by the venom spewed on sports talk WIP radio in Philly. Calls for the GMs head on a platter were plentiful as Philly not only dealt Longoria in the deal for the unproven hot-headed Harper, he also dealt ace Justin Verlander. But the 22 year old Harper gamble paid immeasurable dividends this season, slugging a gaudy .330/.460/.649 slashline with 42 HR to boot. So the consensus in Philly now is, Longoria who? Didn't she used to star on Desperate Housewives?

With an entire infield to rebuild in Philadelphia, Hite went on the offensive - drafting and signing a plethora of young infielders with hopes that a few would pan out and become the anchors that Jeter, Utley, and Longoria were.

And today, the maligned Philly front office can flash a smug Cheshire Cat smile, because their young infielders have finally arrived. In this 2015 MLB Fall Playoffs alone, there are 5 young players featured who will be competing for time at SS and 2b next year for Philly:

Starlin Castro - the "old-timer" of the group at 25, is a few years removed from his great 207 hit season in 2011. But Starlin, who hit .265 this year, has possibly found a new home at 2b and will surely deliver many all-star seasons ahead given his age.

Wilmer Flores - Flores at 24 is still developing into his game, but his burgeoning power was on display in 2015. With 16 HR and 22 doubles this year, along with much improved defense at short, Wilmer will be hard to keep out of the starting SS gig for Philly next season. By the time he reaches his prime, 25-30 HR seasons will be the norm for this infield slugger.

"Kike" Enrique Hernandez - Kike is a 22 year old superkid who can literally play 7 positions on the field. A next generation Ben Zobrist, he can also hit the baseball better than Zobrist as witnessed by his .307 average and .490 SLG% this season. It's quite a luxury having this kind of bat who can backup at 2b, SS, and 3rd in addition to quality OF starts in LF, RF, or CF. This kid is a young star in the marking.

Javier Baez - Another great next generation SS/2B/3B, Baez is just 21 and has the greatest power potential of them as indicated by his prolific minor league power - 37 HRs in AA ball. Baez has cut down on his swing to make contact in the major leagues, to a tune of a .289 average this season. A Troy Tulowitzki-esque future awaits this stud.

Addison Russell - Russell is the closest thing to Derek Jeter that Philly GM has found in this collection of young infield stars. A mere Cub at 21 years old, he delivered 29 doubles and 13 homers in his first campaign, along with spectacular shortstop defense. As his bat develops, his all-star appearances will begin to accumulate. The next great shortstop of this generation? Time will tell. He also plays 2b and a little 3rd should the glut of infielders pose a huge dilemma for GM Hite.

What is GM Hite going to do with these 5 great young middle infielders? Surely nobody will be moved over to third on Philly, especially in light of two equally young and talented 3rd basemen just to the left of them in the infield of dreams:

23 year old Maikel Franco (.497 SLG) and 23 year old run producer Nick Castellanos (33 doubles, 15 HR, 73 RBI).

We asked Hite what his plans were for all of them, and he shared,

"Hey, I am in no rush to trade any of them because having a group of young stars is a unique luxury for us. If we are bowled over with offers this Fall and Winter, we will listen. But the good-ol-days of Former Commish Claude Lamarre legislating against positional hoarding in CBA are long gone. I'm going to hoard away, baby! Unless the other GMs offer up some of their blue chip outfield talent, then I may listen"

Photo: Young Philly Phantastics stars Addison Russell and Javier Baez

February 18th, 2014

Japanese Ace Tanaka Bound for CBA

Tokyo- At noon today in Japan, a press conference was held at the Tokyo Hilton by much scouted and highly touted righthander Masahiro Tanaka. There he announced his intentions to pitch in the major leagues in 2015. The timing of the announcement is crucial as it comes only short weeks away from the CBA spring draft which is scheduled for Sunday, March 9th beginning at 11AM ET.

Tanaka, who turned just 25 this past November, has garnered much attention from CBA scouts since before mid-season in 2013, in no small part due to the success of Ottawa Otters starter and fellow countryman Yu Darvish. Tanaka has followed Darvish since he came to North America, and made allusions to plying his trade here as well. Now that he has made his intentions known publicly, his name should instantly move up in priority on CBA draft lists. Darvish was drafted 11th overall as Ottawa's prospect pick in 2012. The same may happen with Tanaka in 2014, especially given the clarity provided at today's press conference.

Just like Darvish, he will be drafted while still under contract for 1 more season with his Japanese club. In this case, it's the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League. Also like Darvish, he intends to accept the opportunity offered to him by any CBA team.

"I just want a chance to prove myself at the highest level," said Tanaka, "I am not playing favorites."

CBA has always had its' share of foreign born players, but in the last few years more looks have been given to the younger talent now emerging from Asia and Cuban players who have defected from their homeland to find careers as professionals. Jose Iglesias, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jose Fernandez were all drafted as prospects and are establishing themselves in the majors. Yasiel Puig, who had defected from Cuba during the 2012 season, is expected to go very early in the 1st round this spring after excelling in Los Angeles of the independant leagues last season. And, because of the affiliation agreement that CBA has with the independant leagues, Puig is eligible to be drafted as a free agent. The drafting team will retain its' prospect pick, making the future star outfielder even more attractive. So it is the same with another LA star. Korean lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu is also expected to be taken from the slate very early on. It's reasonable to project more of the same in the coming years, if not more this spring, as CBA general managers continue to widen the scope in search of the game's best.

There may not be a lot of instant impact players in the coming draft, but there is no shortage of talent. And where there's talent, you'll find the CBA.

Let It Be...Beatles Win!

New York- Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. A Staub team will win the series. Let it be.

As the New Jersey Beatles were clinching a CBA championship with a 4-0 win over the defending champions Skokie Wolfmen at home in game 6 of the series, they were also ending a seven year streak of CBA championships by Clemente conference teams. Not since the Longue Pointe Loggers in 2005 had a Staub conference team taken the title.

When New Jersey took game 3 in Skokie by a convincing 9-4 score, the writing seemed to appear on the proverbial wall. But Skokie was valiant in defending the crown and forced the series back to New Jersey via a shutout win in game 4 and a barn burning 13-12 win in game 5. In the end, however, the combination of pitching and power would prove too much to overcome for the incumbents. Indeed, the team that looked the best all season while winning 106 games, was the best.

Their stiffest test in the post-season came from division rival San Diego, who took the Beatles to a seventh game before bowing to the new champs in the division series. The Beatles then had to face down the pitching of the Montreal Crows, and did so with some pitching of their own. After dropping game 1 to the Dawson claimants, the Beatles rang up four straight wins on the way to meet Skokie for the big prize. New Jersey's first championship comes in just its' fourth year of existence, making for a story of an unusually quick rise to a difficult summit.

After the league expanded in 2009 from 20 to 24 teams, that season ended with two teams in difficulty. Westminster, one of the 4 expansion teams, did not fair well at all in losing 126 games. Regardless, it was a baseball experiment in a place that had too little interest to sustain a major league team. The old Skokie franchise, although successful, ran into difficulties from unfortunate circumstances not of its' making that forced the league to act with a respectful marker given to both the owner Josh Shapiro and the Wolfmen's fans, a marker that was redeemed when Southwest moved to Skokie when the Wolfman took control in 2011. Westminster and Skokie were contracted and two new franchises were to be awarded and formed in a redraft from the remnants of the contracted teams before the 2010 season. Chris Brazeau garnered one of them and put a team in Hew Hampshire as the Wildcats. Steve Adler, a die-hard fan of the Fab Four, got his ticket to ride and the New Jersey Beatles came to be.

The Beatles won just 50 games in its' inaugural season, and only 42 in 2011. But in 2012, the tally rose to 75 showing the team to be up and coming. A few daring trades brought the likes of Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander to the club to mention just a couple. Kyle Lohse, who pitched 6 shutout innings in game 6 of the championship series to earn the clinching win, was drafted in the 8th round in 2011. Perhaps the quick rise to the top can be best reviewed through his eyes.

It's been a hard day's night, but Steve Adler will be sleeping like a log.

Lake Hopatcong, NJ – The New Jersey Beatles won their first CBA title, 4 games to 2, over the defending champion Skokie Wolfmen. After taking a 3-games-to-none lead in the series, the Beatles were hoping to close things out in Skokie. However, the Wolfmen battled back to win games 4 and 5, sending things back to New Jersey. Perhaps bolstered by the huge throng of fans that greeted them at New York’s JFK Airport, the Beatles refused to let back-to-back losses dishearten them. They closed out the series with a 4-0 game 6 win behind series MVP Kyle Lohse’s 6 shutout innings and 4 hits from Chris Denorfia. After the final out was recorded on Aramis Ramirez’s comebacker to Fernando Rodney, Rodney struck his familiar bow and arrow pose. “Twist and Shout” blared from the speakers as 58,000 screaming Beatles fans went wild.

In the process, the Beatles brought the title back to the Staub Conference for the first time since 2005. With the win, New Jersey completed an improbable run to the championship, having suffered through a 120-loss season just 2 years ago. A series of trades that brought key players to the Beatles helped turn that team around. Young players, such as Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, Jeremy Hellickson, Jason Motte, and Chris Tillman were traded away, while proven stars Adrian Beltre, Edwin Encarnacion, Evan Longoria, Jimmy Rollins, Felix Hernandez, and Justin Verlander joined the team. It proved to be a winning combination, as the Beatles won 106 games in the regular season, and then topped things off with a CBA Championship.

Series Recap:

Game 1 featured a pitchers’ duel, with Justin Verlander pitching a complete game and leading the Beatles to a 1-0 victory over the Wolfmen and hard-luck loser Mike Fiers. The only run of the game scored in the 5^th inning. Michael Saunders hit a one-out double and advanced to third when Brian Lahair mishandled Kelly Johnson’s routine ground ball to first. Verlander then laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Saunders.

Game 2 saw the Beatles defeat the Wolfmen, 7-1. Felix Hernandez earned the win with 5 2/3 strong innings, as Skokie could not muster much offense for the 2^nd game in a row.

The series moved to Skokie for Game 3, as the Wolfmen fans were looking to get back into the series. Unfortunately for them, the Beatles roughed up starter Ryan Vogelsong, scorching him for 8 runs in 5 innings. The Beatles cruised to a 9-4 victory, hitting 5 homeruns in the process. Edwin Encarnacion hit 2 dingers, including a first inning grand slam.

Skokie’s backs were against the wall in Game 4, down 3-games-to-none and facing likely Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. The gritty Wolfmen were not dead yet, though, as Tim Hudson pitched a complete game 3-hitter, as Skokie won 4-0.

It was do-or-die for Skokie again in Game 5. Game 2 winner Felix Hernandez faced off against game 1 loser Mike Fiers. Neither of them made it past the 3^rd inning, as this game turned into a slugfest. Skokie raced to a 7-2 lead at the end of 2. New Jersey took the lead back with 6 runs in the top of the 3^rd highlighted by Ryan Ludwick’s grand slam. Skokie scored 3 more in the bottom of the 3^rd, and then scored 1 run in each of the next 3 innings, extending their lead to 13-9. New Jersey closed to 13-12 on a 3-run homerun by Ludwick in the 9^th, but their comeback fell short, as Skokie held on for the win.

The series returned to New Jersey for Game 6, with the Beatles holding a 3-games-to-2 lead. Game 3 winner Kyle Lohse took on Game 2 loser Wade Miley. Just as they had all season, the Beatles’ pitching staff carried the day, as New Jersey closed out the series with a 4-0 win. Lohse (2-0) went 6 innings, allowing just 2 singles and a walk. Fernando Rodney contributed 2 2/3 scoreless innings to finish the game. Meanwhile, Chris Denorfia went 4-4, and had a hand in each of New Jersey’s scoring rallies.

For openers, congratulations to all the playoff teams.  Steve Adler, Kevin Gibson, Joe Wallace, Dennis Concepcion, Doug Brunet, Wolfman Shapiro, Marc Wass, Rob Hite, Bruce Bundy, Jack Jung.  Who will win it?  Wolfman vs Bundy in Clemente vs Steve Adler whose Beatles are the current  #1 hit across CBA Land.  
GM's next year is approaching rapidly.  There is a likelyhood of some rules clarifications and modifications.  Among the issues that coulClaude and Gerald should have known. The original CBA teams were all named after movie studios. The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone. The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record. Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard. But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald. Donald was known for his questionable participation. Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmanians it would change their fortunes. They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99. By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67. That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive. The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year. Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs. 

Just for some nostalgia.  Lets look back at a storied franchise that dissolved in favor of expansion after 2003.  The story of the Tennessee Tazmanians run by Stephane Bouchard.  
The franchise story was different from its inception.  
  The original CBA teams if I recall were all named after movie studios.  The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone?? {Claude?}.  The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record.  Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard.  But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald.  Donald was known for his questionable participation.  Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmanians it would change their fortunes.  They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99.  By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67.  That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive.  The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year.  Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.  


Belfast: .742 X Rating, .251 BA against, .305 IRSC a 3.68 ERA...but .310 OBA .104 ISO, .348 slug meant 3.46 runs support.  22-44 vs Dawson's LP, Montreal, Limoilou....But Belfast walloped Monday 31-17 for season.  What does that tell you about Dawson?

Brooklyn: After losing Parker by 1 game to Carolina, took revenge in '13 sweeping Carolina and winning div title in process.  Braun .331 30 SB 48 HR 128 RBI 116 runs, Miguel Cabrera .352 .428 OBA .630 slg, 43 HR, 136 RBI 113 runs 216 hits, RA Dickey 17-7 2.93 239 K's, David Price 13-6 3.22 203 K's, Jeter 20 HR 96 RBI .322 13 SB 218 hits.  They carried Brooklyn.  Brooklyn led CBA in batting .287.  Lower than usual power totals and average in Coors were made up for with a rare display of speed by the Superbas.  They stole a team record 131 stolen bases led by Jarrod Dyson's 54. 


Bryan:  Another winning season for Cory Light.  The Bryan Bashers hung tough until the final two blocks.  The battle with Towaco was fierce and right to the last month.  Bryan featured excellent pitching.  Perhaps the best Basher staff in recent memory finishing 4th overall.  The pen saved 53.  Though Casey Janssen finished with 31 sv it was a committee of relievers who had save totals.  .242 IRSC (Inherited runners scoring) The offense doesn't jump out at you.  The numbers are below average.  .246, 149 ISO, 166 HR's not bad for Staub however.  Part timer Dwayne Wise 12, led the er speedy Bashers to 51 stolen bases.  Paul Konerko deserves MVP consideration carrying this team on his back virtually himself .296 31 HR 96 RBI.  Nick Swisher chipped in with .227  25 HR's.  
 
Carolina: Fell just short.  In tough Parker, Carolina had a few sluggers who provided offense.  Shoo in for rookie of the year Willin Rosario hit 30 HR's, Votto 11 HR 61 RBI .329 in an  injury laden season.  Zimmerman 23 HR, Dunn 25 HR, Kubel 22 HR 82 RBI, and Marco Scutaro .312 led CBA with 27 sacrifices. Had 18 Hit and run hits using that it's advantage.  The low team OBA/SLG .324/.398 hurt most. The pitchers were tough. Anibal Sanchez finished 14-10 3.41 152 K's, J Johnson 12-10 3.57.  Huston Street saved 26.  Took 3 of 4 to finish the season block 25 in revenge of losing the week before spoiling Newton's Parker run.

Cooperstown: The Iron Horses cashed in early in the season after some early set backs.  They acquired draft picks and players looking ahead. Some very promising rookies like Byrom Buxton, Evan Gattis, Jeff Locke to go along with player returness like Matt Kemp 25 HR 65 RBI .277 and Adrian Gonzo 23 HR 81 RBI .275.   27 traded ballplayers from the team.  The future will tell if Cooperstown will return to prominence.  On paper it looks like it could be.

High Bridge opened the season strong.  They remained only two games back by June 17th.  They hung around into July before fading when roster changes took place and rest given to the over worked players.  The future seemed bright when John Miller grabbed Matt Harvey with his number 1 pick.  When MLB Harvey went down with injury, the Heaters front office felt let down.  Though the injury isn't as serious as could have been, Harvey will have a superior card in 2014.  Dillon Gee has returned from his serious injury to become a front end pitcher as well to go along with Rick Porcello.  Young talent like Denard Span, Didi Gregorius, Starling Marte, and Alex Presley present well for future years.  Tyler Colvin had a very good year 17 HR

Indiana:  returned to the press with a nice little run for the Monday title.  The Redbirds reclaimed a taste of their glory years of last decade with a return to first as late as mid September.  Who could ask for more?  When the pitching and key sluggers like Pujols, and Hamilton suffered injuries the last week.  Hamilton 46 HR 109 RBI .265BA.  Pujols 39 HR 124 RBI .298 BA a typical year for him.  Pujols career totals .323 601 HR's 1,591 RBI's.  Indy won 14 of 17 down the stretch in September to keep the pressure on Skokie.  Indiana socked a whopping 250 Homers in '13.  Catchers (Wieter) threw out 39% of their base stealers best in CBA. 

Joliet: Jack Frost builds, slowly but surely.  Looking for a return to the glory days of 2008, '14 could be the year the Jacks could make some noise.  2013 saw a 68-94 record which was not too awful.  Some moments of good play.  The Jacks had a good July which brought them neqar the cust of the second wildcard range. 9 games under .500, but so were a few teams.  One August and eventual Staub champ New Jersey came to town, Joliet underwent a long losing streak to fade away into CBA's abyss.  Middlebrooks 14 HR 49 RBI .339, Chris Carter 24 HR, and Rizzo 16 HR .319 starred. Some bright youngsters are on hand to make the future a bright one.

Limoilou; Our long time friend Jeff Boutet stepped aside in 2013 departing CBA as it's championship leader with 3. The Wendigo used good pitching from Latos 13-9 2.84, Kimbrel 7-1 26sv, Scherzer 14-8, Kershaw 17-5 3.23.  Melty Cabrera 10 HR 54 RBI .334 was among leaders in batting. Granderson 39, and Fielder 26 HR generated power in their approach to a wildcard.  James Blakely replaced Jeff for the final month steering them just shy of the final wildcard despite inherited usage situations.

Longue Pointe: One of 2013 great mysteries, what happened to Dennis Concepcion? His proxied team took a wildcard spot but lost to San Diego Surf in the playoffs.

Maine:  Up and down roller coaster for the Express. Started off April relatively fast, then dropped a bunch to fade fast from first place after 3 weeks.  From May and June They hovered at .500 then a losing streak took hold dropping them back a ways.
When it all seemed lost, Mike Koepp reeled off an impressive 12 game winning streak to highlight a streaky season. They made a rush to .500 and into contention, but usage became a factor and the fade took them out of the race in the second half.  Perhaps some better hitting vs lefties where a 20-32 record against lefty starters hurt them most. Acloser look shows the power shortage vs L hurt worse than the BA.

Montreal: Second best season, and same results.  Twice to the Staub Showdown and no show, yet. The Crows are now known for their pitching, defense, and '13 was more of the same. The addition of Cory Hart and Garrett Jones no doubt got them to the dance. But the price they paid has yet to be determined. Though Montreal traded quite a bit, Brunet knows how hard it is to get to the dance and join the CBA elite franchises which Montreal has now done twice in a row 5 years after his initial DRAFTING from scratch of a team.  Montreal and Westminster were true expansion teams in that year.  Its possible that there could be another expansion in the future,but Montreal shows, that from having initially no talent a dedicated GM can achieve high status in post season events.  Post season = Best of year. Conference finals equals elite teams for a season. Doing more than one time brings the level higher. Consider that Doug has done it in season 4 and 5 but...what about 2014? The draft will be important for the Crows.

New Hampshire: The assigned history of this franchise is quite fascinating I find.  The history was one of turmoil. Possibly CBA least successful franchise that had been snake bitten from day 1.  Right now Chris Brazeau has stabilized, and rebuilt this franchise gone wild.  Lets look back.  Claude and Gerald should have known.   The original CBA teams were all named after movie studios.  The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone.  The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record.  Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard.  But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald.  Donald was known for his questionable participation.  Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmainians it would change their fortunes.  They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99.  By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67.  That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive.  The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year.  Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.  

Well New Hampshire is continuing the structure started by Brazeau to get into the upper ranks.  a 59-103 season was a setback of sorts.  Some expected a better record for '13 but '14 could be promising.  Matt Cain fronts the staff. Hanley Ramirez returns to SS at a very high level at least part time. Masterson steps up into the top of the rotatsh.   Profar gets utility work.  D'Aza steps up,  The future looks bright.  Viciedo led hitters with 27 HR, Cain was 10-15 3.50 ERA.  

New Jersey: It was like 1964.  The year the Beatles controlled the charts.  The Jersey boys controlled all of Staub at one pint winning 20 in a row just shy of the CBA record.  They controlled the Staub Playoffs.  Shrewd deals. Killer pen, and some stick to boot.  See how they do in the big show.  

Newton:  Last years near miss in the playoffs, just made him angry.  Laying low in the standings, the Newton Bombs found a way to win and manage usage enroute to the franchises first playoff.  It was at the end that the strategy master put the puzzle pieces together, to enter and take out the veteran Rob Hite in the playoffs, no easy task 3 games to 1.  Next, Bundy had to play Clementes toughest team, Ottawa.  With all on the line the two managers dueled a full 7 games.  In the end, Bundy defeated Jack Jung to advance to meet the Wolfman in the Clem finals.  Newton used all resources to get this far.  .745 X rated fielding. .345 OBA, .452 slug showed Clemente like offense.  A team 4.62 ERA was 3rd worst, but the saving grace was Bruce's use of the bullpen to get wins.  A team .225 IRSC.  Only 8 pb 55 wp from the batteries, Newton's pen shutdown those late runners.

Ohio:  Great offense team .273 BA with 195 Homers.  This team was made for Clemente.  They were able to play against friendly rival Carolina face to face on occassion.  Somehow more was expected of Ohio befor ethe season began.  As the T Cats began to start and look good, they too faded back in the tough Clemente.  The Conference teams are all quite strong and capable of defeating each other.  We saw that with even the second division teams defeating and spoiling for the top standings teams.  Ohio led by Buster Posey's 21 HR 86 RBI .352 season may get some MVP consideration.  Matt Holiday added 30 taters.  Fredrick Freeman added 28.  A team .181 ISO PWR good, So it wasn't that offense.  Than what?  Defense? .745 X rating not bad, 79-83 record was attributed to the pitching staff's failure to get guys out.  4.56 ERA.  Clay Buckholtz 15-8 4.08 ERA was a lone bright spot. A .362 IRSC stunk.  Then pen and rotation failed.

Ottawa:  Best regular season ever for the Otters.   Team .353 OBA, .272 BA, 965 runs, 265 HR's .481 slug team records all.  Best in 17 seasons.  Ottawa took that offense led by MVP candidates Trout 44 HR 125 RBI .325, McCutchen 48 HR 127 RBI .307,  Papi's 30 HR 91 RBI .347 BA in 322 AB.  Leadoff hitters hit 30 HR, 2nd place hitters 42 HR, 3rd place hitters hit 50 , cleanup hitters hit 52.    Perhaps the best top half of the lineup years!  A season for the ages.  The team 3.91 ERA could have meant more wins if lower.  Gallardo 19-6 4.38, Fister 13-6 3.58, and Yu Darvish 14-7 4.26, had solid seasons.  Ottawa was 4 games back on May 2nd, but got hot to take first place and never look back.  They led runner up Philly all season after the first week of May.  

Philly came on strong at the end to snatch wildcard number 2 in the last block.  Is that any news at all that Rob Hite had made the playoffs yet again? Hite has 5 World Series appearances.  The elite?  Perhaps Rob is one of the standards that others will  be measured by.  A true elite franchise.  egular playoff appearances, it isn't just luck.  Hite has won 3 Championships.  This year the big trade came back to hurt some as Justin Verlander 24-4 went on to lead New Jersey to a walk away title.  Rob got back Bruce Harper 22 HR 81 .272 who went on to become a main cog in the powerful Philly Offense.   Philly slugged 230 HR with a team .281 BA.  
Quebec:  Led by Hall of Famer Dino Barnabe is building up.  They have some high draft picks, and some very good young players just waiting to break loose.  Quebec hit 231 HR last year showing alot of power.  Mitch Moreland slugged 23 HR .298, Cespedes had a great year .295 28 HR.  Trumbo slugged 32 HR's, and Josh Reddick added a big 35 HR's.  .183 ISO power is among the leagues best.  The BA was a low .250, with only 649 runs knocked in.  Homers with out men on base.  Cant win those games if the defense drops 142 balls ,and the pens allows 35% of inherited runners to score. Clearly this is a team on the rise.  The pitching defense and speed may have hurt, but the future and the draft could make Barnabe a player once more.

River Meadow:  Claude Lamarre is back.  The Monarchs hung around .500 or just under most of the year.  The team was not strong enough to contend for the title, so Lamarre acquired some draft picks for some aged retired players.  The Monarchs did slighty better on the road.  They did a bit better in one run games as their pen was strong .281 IRSC.  The opponents .287 batting average hurt the pitchers but the teams 3.87 runs of offensive run support was pathetic.  A team .315 on base, and no real slugging threats aside from catcher Ryan Doumit and the stud 1B from Baltimore {whats that} Chris Davis who hit 37 HR.  Next season Chris Davis major league high for Baltimore 53 HR .286 BA should carry this team a long way the way Mark McGwire once did.   There's great talent here with Kipness, Iglesias at SS, Davis who is going to be awesome, Fowler, Teheran, Lowry, Carpenter   around t contend in '14 with a good draft. 

San Diego: The Surf dynasty continues.  The Surf have won yet again getting into another playoffs.  All the classy Joe Wallace does is win baby.  The Surf continue to draft well each year and develop new talent.  Wallace rarely misses with his young prospects.  This year David Wright, Giancarlitolo Stanton 45 HR,obinson Cano led a strong offense.  .327 26 HR 110 RBI's.  SD lost to Staub Chmapion NJ in round 1.  Expect Wallace to be back with his dynastic franchise.

Skokie:  The Wolfman has parlayed his way using the trade market to gain an advantage.  That advantage led to a final week clinch of the Monday title, narrowly defeating Indiana's Bob fidler in some head to head matchups.  Wolfman's mastery of the usage and preparation provided dividends.  Skokie got excellent support down the stretch from Ethier who got hot, Future hall of famer acquired from Joliet Juan Pierre who provided a leadoff hitter, and the spot usage of Troy Tulowitsky.  The Wolfman acquired bullpen supprt and pitching as well.  This combined to add up to another appearance in the Clemente finals.

Stirling: A good offense with a team .277 BA.  Despite 'only' 140 HR's, the Redsox contended into the last 3 blocks in September.  Ultimately, injuries and other issues kept the Sox from a deserved wildcard spot.  Brett Butler 38 HR 107 RBI .304 BA was a team best.  148 stolen bases led by Campana 20,Choo 30, and Andrus 27.  Kenley Jansen led the pitchers with 38 saves.  No starters stood out.  Buehrle went 13-10 4.55, and Ian Kennedy 13-16 was an iron horse.  The pen was otherwise not too good allowing 32% of inheriteds to score.

Towaco:  Kevin Gibson proved a saavy manager guiding a relatively well balanced but not spectacular team all the way to the Rogers title over rival Bryan Bashers.  Towaco use magaer matchups despite an ordinary Staub offense.   They go on base a pretty good .333 OBA, which for Staub is good.  A .420 slug is fairly decent.  Managed  .755 team production.   .159 ISO was weak.   Two players with 20+Homers were Russ Martin 24 HR .179 BA, and P Alvarez 25 HR 80 RBI .256.  174 HR was good for Staub, and a .261 average not bad.  Just balanced.  Ken Medlen pitched absolutely lights out.  He was the difference.  consider for Cy Young  16-1 1.21, I say 1.21 ERA but only 21 starts. but those were big starts.  Towaco had a great year despite bowing to Staub champ NJ.  Gibson is proving to be quite a GM and tactician.

CBA: Where the Action Is February 23, 2013

New York- CBA. The major leagues. The show. Playing baseball at this level was once considered to be only an American dream. Now it is a dream shared around the globe, from kids in the back yards and sandlots in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela to men dotting the fields of packed stadiums in Japan and Korea. And this is a time in the year when some few will find out if that dream has a chance at reality, when the CBA holds its' annual draft.

At approximately 11 AM eastern time tomorrow, Scott Kenan, owner and general manager of the Carolina Copperheads, will likely make a dream come true by announcing the first overall selection. Likely, because not all players being considered are without prior experience in the majors. Just ask Skokie pitcher Ryan Vogelsong. Likely, because those coveted early round picks are almost always devoted to acquiring the best young rising stars. Whatever happens, players and agents the world over will have all their media attuned to the goings on here in New York.

Indeed, Ryan Vogelsong's case is a rarity. For someone who hadn't pitched in the majors since 2006 with the Allentown Senators (now the Towaco Wolf Pack), being selected fifth overall last year came as a pleasant surprise to the then 34 year old, who had been playing in Japan.

"It's not that I'd given up hope. But after so long, you kind of don't expect anybody to be watching anymore. Even knowing that there had been scouts that went over to Japan who had spoken with my agent, I didn't dare think that anything would come of it," said Vogelsong. "I can't tell you how excited I was when my agent called me last year to tell me I had been drafted by Skokie."

Not only was he drafted, but won a spot in the rotation out of spring training and played a prominent role in the Wolfmen winning its' first world championship. It's a testament to how far and wide CBA organizations will go to find the right players as they draw from the vast well of talent that is present at many levels.

"We weren't the only ones over there looking at Ryan," said Josh Shapiro, the wolfman himself. "We knew we wanted him, but we also knew that if we didn't snap him up somebody else would. I admit that picking him that early at his age was done with some reservation. But kudos to our scouting staff for recognizing that Ryan had found his way back to his game. Obviously, there are no regrets. I think, without him, we probably would have come up short of the title yet again."

Though not so long away from the majors, reliever Fernando Rodney could be getting the same call that Vogelsong did. After seeing his performance and command decline over two seasons, the Montreal Crows released him following the 2011 season. His disappointment at not being selected as a re-entry in last year's draft drove Rodney to elevate his pitching to the level that got him to the majors. He pitched well enough with Los Angeles of the independent leagues last season that led to Skokie acquiring him as a restricted free agent in mid-August, and has had a number of CBA scouts keeping an eye on him this winter in his native Dominican Republic. The word is that his name is on several draft lists of general managers looking to address their bullpen shortages.

But, as mentioned earlier, these are the rare ones. What teams are really hoping for is Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, or Jordan Zimmermann. This is where the scouting staffs really earn their paychecks. A shining example as to the impact of advanced scouting can be seen in the Philly Phantastics. GM Rob Hite has assembled what he refers to as 'the best birddogs in baseball', a scouting staff that he personally heads and travels with extensively. He believes that it is the key to Philly putting a competitive team on the field year after year.

"It's not easy when you have to cut down your roster every December to know who to keep, who to move, and who to cut," says Hite. "Certainly there are your core players that remain, but you can't hold on to everybody. The scouting that we do plays a huge part in how we move forward through all phases of the off-season. We look at everything. Sabermetrics, development in the minors and the independents, prospect maturity, even the psychology of certain players we look at. Things have to fit a profile for this organization."

There is an obvious measure of success for Hite where the draft is concerned. He claims that drafting a player at the right time to suit a need before it occurs prevents the necessity to move value at a later time. Players like Starling Castro, Jonathan Lucroy, and Eric Hosmer are examples of draft picks that have made or will make an impact at the major league level in a relatively short period of time, keeping fresh the mix of veteran leadership and young raw talent.

And as Shapiro alluded to, Hite adds, "You have to respect what your dealing with in this league. If you don't go out and find your guys, someone else will. That's the nature of the beast."

Short turnarounds are not so uncommon. We saw glimpses last season of some youngsters looking to make a splash this season. Salvador Perez in Montreal and Mike Trout with the Ottawa Otters gave us a taste in 2012. Perez was even included on the Crows' post-season roster and looks to be the starting catcher in 2013. With shoe-in hall of famer Vladimir Guerrero's retirement, a whole different player than the one Jack Jung watched last year at AAA has to show up this spring to keep Trout from playing in Ottawa.

So many others can be named. Kipnis, Lawrie, Parker, Cespedes, Goldschmidt, the list goes on. Many new names and some old ones, too, will be the talk of baseball as they roll out on the list of players drafted onto CBA rosters, where the action is.

Recap

The wildcard round saw Longue Pointe and their pitching staff dominate over David Jones Lake County Leopards. Lake County took game 1 behind Johnny Cueto's masterful pitching. Then it was CC Sabathia, Tim Lincecum, and CJ Wilson shutting the door to advance the Loggers to the Conference playoffs vs Joe Wallace's powerful San Diego Surf.

The Clemente Wildcard saw Rob Hite's Philly Phantastics sweep Marc Wass' Brooklyn Superbas in 3 straight. Although Verlander, Hamels, and Brandon Morrow stifled the potent Brooklyn Superbas attack in the House of Pain, It was Eric Hosmer who single handedly and legendarily executed the Brooklyn boys with 5 Homers 2 doubles 9 RBI's and 7-11 batting. Not to be forgotton anytime soon.

In round 1 of the Staub Playoffs, Doug Brunet's Montreal Crows swept past Cory Light's Bryan Bashers behind superior pitching in tight ball games. Both first time managers, but someone had to win. Montreal will play against the LP vs. SD winner. Rob Hite's Philly Phantastics defeated Malachi Nellum's Stirling RedSox 4 games to 3 in an epic and well played series. The Skokie wolfmen defeated the Cooperstown Iron Horses 4 games to 1. Wolfman is looking at yet another Conference final to add to his resume.

This is where the big boys meet and play. The dedicated, the lucky, the astute, the confident, the best in CBA ball for 2012. Last year Saw Brooklyn Defeat San Diego in 5 games for the 2011 Championship as Miguel Cabrera dominated the post season like no other has since. Cabrera had 10 HR's and led his team. Who will this years hero be? We saw magnificent perfomances so far that will be archived for future reference. Performances Like Johnny Cueto's shutout over Longue Pointe on opening day. Eric Hosmer single handedly destroying Brooklyn's dream of repeat with 5 HR's in a 3 game wildcard. Montreal terrorizing the Bashers behind masterful pitching by James Shields. Allen Craig's timely PH. Nyger Morgan's .469 batting average leading Longue Point over deep into the 2nd round. Billy Butlers 13 hits and .409 BA for Stirling vs Philly. Sandoval's 3 HR's for Bryan. Jared Weaver's gem vs red hot Skokie for Cooperstown. Perhaps not many bigger highs and lows than we saw in the LP-SD series which turned after an 8th Inning boot by Yunel Escobar in g5. The hero, Nick Hundley with a long Homer to win the series for San Diego against the speedy small ball artistry of the Loggers.

Now we have two repeaters looking for their opportunity for gold. We have GM Doug Brunet who makes his first appearance in the final four. The Skokie Wolfman. Veteran GM with a record of success each year. He has been to the dance, but unable to claim the ring. There's CBA legend Rob Hite. All Hite does is win. We learned in 2012, never count Philly out. He even threw down the towel so he says. A towel chuck right into the playoffs ala Indiana. Seems to work in Clemente. Hite is a 3 time champion looking for his fourth. In CBA Jeff Boutet has 3, Bob Fidler 3, Marc Wass 2, Jack Jung 1, Dennis Concepcion 1, among active GM's. Although some forget the losers, no Finals runner up is a loser. No shame losing in the Conf Champ. Only shame if your a former champion who gets blown out in 3 straight in the wild card round. Staub has last won a World Championship in 2005 when Dennis defeated Rob Hite, the year of Miracle Mirabelli and Ichiro's series and GW HR. Clemente has dominated since then.
Rounding out the managers is the long time veteran Joe Wallace. Joe Wallace has built a long runniing dominant franchise in San Diego. Holder of the all time best season with 122 wins, San Diego and Wallace have been there and paid some heavy dues, slowly building up from first round and outs, the game 7's in the second round a few years back (Archives has it), and finally a Staub Championship and World Series appearance. After last years disappointment, Wallace revamped his squad, and brought aboard the powerful Mike Stanton sending King Felix to New Jersey where Hernandez helped improve their record from last year. Wallace vowed to add power and did. He seeks yet another series appearance after his hard fought battle vs Longue Pt.

Superbas claim New York!

 (AP) September 29th 2012  CBA©  Offices New York, NY all rights reserved. 

   "...And they danced, like a wave on the ocean...they romanced and they danced the night..." 
from Rockaway Beach in Queens to Manhattan's rediculous Upper West Side, all of New Yorks eyes are on the 
Brooklyn Borough's Superbas.  But the rest of the borooughs have cashed in on "SuperMania".  The Superbas 
have become New Yorks City's favorite, especially after last years heart stopping and spectacular World Series win.
  Playoff and Series MVP Miguel MVP Cabrera yesterday led a team rally in Brooklyn's own Prospect Park near 
Grand Army Plaza that blocked traffic on Flatbush Avenue all the way down Flatbush avenue extension to the 
Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan's Chinatown.  Cabrera hit that famous 1 out 9th inning HR to tie and ultimately
win the Division playoffs in 7 games from arch rival Philly Phantastics.  Cabrera the Grand Poobah of today's
rally said " We like to thank our fans very much.  Salud!  Brooklyn!"   Disgruntled High Bridge fans protested the rally.
  High Bridge is New Yorks other team in the area, but the fans are not amused by the antics of loyal Brooklyn fans.  
Said cab driver Shetstaen AlFaisal "These animaux they crazy.  Make celebrate party by punch each other face in happy way.
  I'm going home now its too much.  My team the Heaters and this is not good for me..."  

Joey Loconsolo of Brooklyn's Bay Ridge section was in the 3rd Ave "Brooklyn Superba" bar when the announcement that 
Brooklyn won the home wild card seat was made by the bar tender whose identity must remain anonymous.  Said Joey, 
"Mink-ya...Min...I mean thats my boys.  Got that Jeter going off, with Cabrera, and Braun, Mah-ron thats what I'm talkin bout ya hear?".
  Shirley Lumpis of Staten Island was also in the Superba bar in the table across from Mr Loconsolo with her friends Gertie, and Gimble. 
" We cam hee-yah to watch the action.  And that game against the Iron Horses was good too, tee-hee".  Bars around New York reported sales
increases during the Brooklyn Cooperstown series.  The ratings and crowds may be quite high again for the upcoming Wild card round. 
Can Brooklyn pull it off? Manager Marc Wass thinks so.

Worst to First- The Iron Horse Turnaround

Cooperstown - After enduring a heartbreaking game 163 loss to the eventual 2010 CBA champion Indiana Redbirds, Iron Horse fans watched as the entire roster was torn down and rebuilt from scratch. “We knew our team was getting older and our window to win a championship had closed.” Cooperstown GM Jon Stamets stated. “We needed to bring in some young blood, and with that comes growing pains.” There were indeed growing pains as Horse fans saw even more of their stars shipped off at the deadline on their way to a 110 loss season.

However one thing was obvious to Stamets, “We had pitching and draft picks coming out of our ears.” In fact, they had 11 capable starting pitchers on their roster and with SP at a premium; this opened the flood gates for one of the most active off-seasons in Cooperstown history. “We had a solid team of youngsters, but with 7 picks in the first 3 rounds and a lot of depth we knew we could make a big splash.”

It was a Prince Fielder cannon ball type splash.

Over the next few months Iron Horse fans saw 16 trades with 11 different teams empty their stockpile of draft picks and young talent. However, there was a buzz in Cooperstown as they witnessed press conference after press conference introducing their new superstars. Cliff Lee and Tim Hudson were added to the rotation and sluggers Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart were added to the lineup.

2012 wouldn’t be a disappointment. Kemp and Gonzalez went on to mash 89 combined HR’s and the team hit .291 as a whole. New acquisitions Hudson and Lee anchored the pitching staff that saw Jered Weaver and Madison Bumgarner enjoy breakout seasons combining for 40 wins. Javier Vazquez, in what he has announced will be his final season, cut his 6.43 ERA from 2011 in half to 3.09. After seeing triple digits in losses just last season, the Iron Horses accomplished that feat in the win column, racking up 101 of them to eke out a division title by one game over the mighty Superbas.

When asked if the 2012 offseason would be as busy as it was in 2011, Stamets replied, “We’ll see, but at this point we’re concentrating on the postseason. We’ll worry about the offseason in the offseason.”

Bryan Bashers 2012 1st Playoff appearance!

Pitching and Defense was the name of the game in 2012 for the Bryan Bashers. With the move out of the hitter friendly Clemente to the Pitcher friendly Staub, Bryan was able to deal with the loss of a DH with relative ease. Continuing their recent trend of improving pitching (this 2012 marks the 4th year in a row that Bryan has lowered their ERA from the previous year, from 5.53 in 2008 to 3.45 this year), Bryan set several team records in pitching, the most significant in many eyes was the record 23.56% IRSC% (only 45 of 191 inherited runners scored on Bryan in 2012. Bryan also set a team record for fewest errors at 87. The dominant pitching and Defense was needed, as the anemic offense set many team record lows..Runs scored (643) AB (5477) Triples (16) and OPS (.705)--and just missing the record low in HR (from 2011) by just one HR. Bryan did manage a very respectable 86.6% Stolen base percentage with only 9 CS vs. 58 SB

Key additions were

Josh Tomlin, who was 2nd in wins (12) and 2nd in era (2.99) for the team. Acquired last offseason in a trade with Cooperstown.

Pablo Sandoval, a draft day trade, that anchored what offense Bryan did have (33HR, .996 OPS)

Joaquin Benoit, acquired in May, help shore up an already deep pen, with a 1.97 ERA.

Amazingly, Jason Isringhausen brought in 25 saves in 27 opportunities after being drafted in the 10th round.

Bryan jumped to an early lead in the Rogers division, with over .600 winning percentage by mid season. Then they managed to ride out the big start to finish 5 games over Maine by the end of the regular Season, earning their first ever Playoff appearance and 2nd best record of all time with 87 wins. (the 2007 Bryan Bashers ended up with a 92-71 record, having tied Philly for the wild card and losing the game 163 tie breaker).

Congratulations to all that have made the playoffs this year, and good luck! It's been a wild season, and the playoffs surely will be more of the same!

Getz To Miss Postseason

Montreal- After four seasons, the Montreal Crows will make their first appearance in the postseason after winning the Dawson division crown. After four seasons in the Crows organization, third with the big club, infielder Chris Getz will be relegated to dugout cheerleader due to a pulled hamstring.

"I am so disappointed, you have no idea," said Getz. "It's ridiculous. You think of how many times you run the bases. Sometimes you go real hard on some plays, especially coming home. But it wasn't even that kind of play. Y'know, just run home."

In the eighth inning of last Monday's 3-1 loss to the Belfast Brawlers, Getz entered the game as a pinch-hitter for reliever Fautino De Los Santos. After he drew a walk and stole second, Todd Helton slashed a two-out double to the left field gap. It was a play on which Getz would have easily scored, but rounding third he pulled up favoring his right leg. He managed to hobble his way to the plate, then went to the ground and was helped off the field by team trainer Basil Fawlty and J.J. Hardy who was on deck during the play.

"We've had a great season," added Getz. "It's gonna be tough to have to sit this out. This is what you work for, a chance to do something special. All I can do now is cheer the guys on."

In a platoon role with Jeff Keppinger, Getz hit .257 and stole 25 bases while providing solid defense at second. No doubt the dimensional aspect that he has brought to the team will be missed. To replace him, however, the Crows have decided to add a third catcher to the postseason roster instead of another infielder. With multi-positional players Todd Frazier and Nick Punto backing up in the infield, manager Robert Brunet has elected to add rookie sensation Salvador Perez.

"My dad wants Perez, he gets Perez," was GM Doug Brunet's answer as to why. "Besides, I think the kid deserves it after what he's done. He can flat out hit. I don't know if he'll start, he's just 22 years old. But, dad believes he can be a threat off the bench in a late inning situation. So, we're going with him."

Perez was drafted fourth overall by Montreal in March of this year. After lighting it up in Halifax, he was called up in late July when Lou Marson went on the disabled list. After a bit of a slow start at the major league level, Perez finished the season riding a ten game hitting streak with a .321 average, 1 homer, and 14 RBI.

Regarding the pitchers, Brunet will shorten the rotation a little to allow staff ace James Shields to take the ball as often as possible. Of course, Shields will start game 1 in the division series against the Bryan Bashers that looks to be shaping up as a battle of pitching staffs. Lefty Derek Holland will get the ball in game 2, and Jordan Zimmermann is slated for game 3. The intention at that point is to have Shields go on 3 days rest in game 4, so he would be able to do the same again if the series goes to a 7th game. Holland will start game 5 or 6 depending on how he bounces back from his game 2 start, with either righty Dillon Gee or lefty Paul Maholm starting the other game. The short rotation gives Brunet the extra pullpen arms of the latter two, particularly Maholm adding to southpaws Rafael Perez and Tom Gorzelanny.

The Crows have plenty of time to deliberate strategy. The series with Bryan will begin on Tuesday, October 9th at Oscar Peterson Memorial Stadium. Before that, however, the wild card series between crosstown rival Longue Pointe Loggers and Carter division runner up Lake County Leopards will be decided to see which team faces the conference incumbent San Diego Surf.

With two teams going into the postseason, the city is abuzz with talk of baseball and hopes of an inter-city series for the Staub conference championship.

"The Legend Of Donnybrook"

Legend has it that the word describes the time back in 2004

when a clueless Irish guy from out of town named Donny

went into a crowded bar and grill near the Brooklyn Bridge

known as Da Greasy Spoon Saloon at the height of Happy Hour

AND rush hour had a few mugs of Steeplechase brews.

Watching the CBA World Series playing on the TV above the bar,

Donny loudly (and carelessly) said some disparaging words

about the local CBA franchise that just happened to be at bat

that very moment.

The enraged partisan barflies instantly Twittered and texted

a flash mob summons. Within seconds the entire populace

of the borough converged on said watering hole and proceeded

to thoroughly and firmly, but violently, explain the incorrect syntax,

grammatical errors, and most especially the poor and inaccurate

word choices of Donny's remarks by using Donny's entire body

as a metaphor to diagram and correct his multiple verbal faux pas.

Having purged him of his anti-Superba bias (as well as most of his

consciousness and stomach contents) the crowd deemed it

appropriate that Donny should be "re-born" and, carrying Donny

over their heads and shoulders like a rock star in a mosh pit,

trooped their way to the Brooklyn Bridge where they gleefully

baptized him in the murky waters of the East River below.

Following the Superba triumph in the Series that very night,

the current logo was commissioned.

People have often remarked about the Superba logo

and the meaning of the little blemish seen in the

lower right edge.

Historians have postulated that it is a symbolic reference

to the legendary Steve Brody, but in explaining the meaning

of the word DONNYBROOK (as it applies to CBA fans

in Brooklyn anyway), the origins of that curious mark

have never been revealed....

UNTIL NOW...

It is early morning here in Renton, WA aka Skokie, IL
I just read the news today (oh boy) of San Diego's victory
of Longue Pointe to be our fourth team to survive to the
conference championship round

It is natural for us to focus on the remaining teams
as we wait to see who will face each other in the
CBA World Series -

at this juncture we have 3 teams who have never won
and one who has won (Philly) what 3 or 4 times, we
recall our WS visit against Philly in I think it was
2007 losing in six games and here we are again
for another chance

but before I speak and share some thoughts (this is
all propaganda of course to get things juicy as we
enter the next round, some postering, the usual
for the Wolf Guys) I want to once again acknowledge
and honor the six friends who were part of our party
who are now on the sidelines

Of course expanding to 10 playoffs teams I believe
was a good thing, it gave more teams a chance to
make the playoffs and we had five of those 50%
who had not had a chance before - it seems to have
worked too in the MLB as St.Louis who might be
in the series (similar to Philly in the CBA) would not
have had a chance without the extra slot

so we miss our friends in Brooklyn, Lake County,
Bryan, Cooperstown, Longue Pointe and Stirling,
while you might feel a bit disappointed you couldn't
go farther this year, you all did a hell of a job and
should be proud, as we all know only one can be
champion - and to do this is no easy task as Skokie
has experienced in our two unsuccessful bids to the show

what I can tell you is usually the team that wins at the
end may not have the best team on paper or with the
best record, its who is hot - and perhaps knows some
strategies to defeat their opponents working with the game

I can tell you when I have played the board game at tournaments,
I didn't have a prayer - all the strategies I remembered from the less
advanced board games or the computer game, didn't even help
me to finish at .500 in the two tournaments I played, although
I occasionally beat a good player

So we now have Montreal and San Diego - history would favor
San Diego but I played Montreal in Exhibition and got beat so
good pitching and defense in a short series can prove victorious,
this was a strategy we tried early in our history and while we
did get to the playoffs we couldn't get far so you have to have
patience for it to work and it seems Mr. Doug has it so it
could be surprising what happens here.

Of course Skokie has something to prove - Philly, thanks to
the new playoff system just makes it in - with the worse record
in the Clemente Conference - that when the Playoffs come,
the record means nothing - everything is reset and since
Philly has already been champion before, its just another
day at the office for GM Rob Hite - you notice Rob is very
humble, I noticed this during the banter between him and
the Boss, the Wass in their playoff series - always letting
others know he isn't sure if he can do it but goes ahead
and does it anyway - there is something of winning which
he understands, kind of like a personal secret, which is
why he is able to win or be there at the end - plus he
has a way to pull off bringing in the best young players,
look at his current roster

Billingsley, Castro, Craig, Cruz, Greinke, Hosmer,
Longoria, Lynn, Morrow, Morse, Verlander, Zobrist

this is why he stays good - its difficult to keep a team
successful from year to year - every year some key players
are injured or have a down year - we know and the only reason
why Skokie keeps showing up in the playoff is we trade -
we try every which way to bring a balanced team to the field
but one year, this method won't work and it could set us back
years

In round 1 of the Staub Playoffs, Doug Brunet's Montreal Crows swept past Cory Light's Bryan Bashers behind superior pitching in tight ball games. Both first time managers, but someone had to win. Montreal will play against the LP vs. SD winner. Rob Hite's Philly Phantastics defeated Malachi Nellum's Stirling RedSox 4 games to 3 in an epic and well played series. The Skokie Wolfmen defeated the Cooperstown Iron Horses 4 games to 1. Wolfman is looking at yet another Conference final to add to his resume.

Superbas claim New York!

 (AP) September 29th 2012  CBA©  Offices New York, NY all rights reserved. 

   "...And they danced, like a wave on the ocean...they romanced and they danced the night..." 
from Rockaway Beach in Queens to Manhattan's rediculous Upper West Side, all of New Yorks eyes are on the 
Brooklyn Borough's Superbas.  But the rest of the borooughs have cashed in on "SuperMania".  The Superbas 
have become New Yorks City's favorite, especially after last years heart stopping and spectacular World Series win.
  Playoff and Series MVP Miguel MVP Cabrera yesterday led a team rally in Brooklyn's own Prospect Park near 
Grand Army Plaza that blocked traffic on Flatbush Avenue all the way down Flatbush avenue extension to the 
Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan's Chinatown.  Cabrera hit that famous 1 out 9th inning HR to tie and ultimately
win the Division playoffs in 7 games from arch rival Philly Phantastics.  Cabrera the Grand Poobah of today's
rally said " We like to thank our fans very much.  Salud!  Brooklyn!"   Disgruntled High Bridge fans protested the rally.
  High Bridge is New Yorks other team in the area, but the fans are not amused by the antics of loyal Brooklyn fans.  
Said cab driver Shetstaen Alfyasal "These animaux they crazy.  Make celebrate party by punch each other face in happy way.
  I'm going home now its too much.  My team the Heaters and this is not good for me..."  

Joey Loconsolo of Brooklyn's Bay Ridge section was in the 3rd Ave "Brooklyn Superba" bar when the announcement that 
Brooklyn won the home wild card seat was made by the bar tender whose identity must remain anonymous.  Said Joey, 
"Mink-ya...Min...I mean thats my boys.  Got that Jeter going off, with Cabrera, and Braun, Mah-ron thats what I'm talkin bout ya hear?".
  Shirley Lumpis of Staten Island was also in the Superba bar in the table across from Mr Loconsolo with her friends Gertie, and Gimble. 
" We cam hee-yah to watch the action.  And that game against the Iron Horses was good too, tee-hee".  Bars around New York reported sales
increases during the Brooklyn Cooperstown series.  The ratings and crowds may be quite high again for the upcoming Wild card round. 
Can Brooklyn pull it off? Manager Marc Wass thinks so.

Worst to First- The Iron Horse Turnaround

It was a Prince Fielder cannon ball type splash.

Bryan Bashers 2012 1st Playoff appearance!

Key additions were

Josh Tomlin, who was 2nd in wins (12) and 2nd in era (2.99) for the team. Acquired last offseason in a trade with Cooperstown.

Pablo Sandoval, a draft day trade, that anchored what offense Bryan did have (33HR, .996 OPS)

Joaquin Benoit, acquired in May, help shore up an already deep pen, with a 1.97 ERA.

Amazingly, Jason Isringhausen brought in 25 saves in 27 opportunities after being drafted in the 10th round.

Congratulations to all that have made the playoffs this year, and good luck! It's been a wild season, and the playoffs surely will be more of the same!

Getz To Miss Postseason

"We've had a great season," added Getz. "It's gonna be tough to have to sit this out. This is what you work for, a chance to do something special. All I can do now is cheer the guys on."

With two teams going into the postseason, the city is abuzz with talk of baseball and hopes of an inter-city series for the Staub conference championship.

Pitchers

James Shields

Derek Holland

Jordan Zimmermann

Paul Maholm (designated starter for relief)

Dillon Gee

Tom Gorzelanny

Michael Stutes

Rafael Perez

Wilton Lopez

David Robertson

Mark Melancon

Catchers

Yorvit Torrealba

Lou Marson

Salvador Perez

Infielders

Todd Helton

Jeff Keppinger

J.J. Hardy

Alberto Callaspo

Nick Punto

Todd Frazier

Outfielders

Will Venable

Caneron Maybin

Jeff Francoeur

Tony Gwynn

Juan Rivera

Great Season once again. With the playoffs in the books and balloting and cuts upon us look back on the past season.

The Clemente division last year was a battle with Brooklyn winning 106, and Newton a wild card and championship. This year the Middlesex Generals leveled and exceeded the playing field, by winning the Parker division. The Generals led by Frank Berta took care of business taking over 1st place March 28th, their 4th game, and never looked back. They set the pace by sweeping Brooklyn in Block 1. That was all she wrote. Berta led his team all the way to their first playoff series win in the divional series against a well stocked Cooperstown team. Cooperstown having won the Monday division, lost in 5 to the Generals in a hard fought and close set. The bullpen led by Edwin Diaz, held the fearsom Iron Horse lineups in check in the late innings when it counted the most in the final games that the Gen's Snell and Lauer started effectively.

But the stunning and now legendary Conference final was wild, a CBA classic against Philly in which the Generals won 3 of the first 5 games. Bloke Snell was dominant 3-0, and in game 6 and 7 the Generals couldn't score against the Philly bullpen led by Dominguez (11 total lights out appearances in PO). In game 6 so close in extra innings, Philly relievers held on, and Philly won 2-1 in 11 innings. It was that close for Middlesex to get to the World Series. With Philly's miracle of game 6, game 7 saw the momentum swing in an even series. The Philly offense awoke for 9 runs, and the Clemente title. Philly would later defeat the New Jersey Beatles in the WS.

The Generals led by Ace Blake Snell 16-7 2.67 ERA, Jameson Taillon 12-9 3.36, and Edwin Diaz 2-2 0.53 46sv, who was spectacular in the playoffs as well. The pitching led by the aces, also boasted solid middle performances by Jefferies, Stanek, and Casilla to hold the late games in place. Diaz 'Generally' closed the door. A total offensive effort, though not the best in the Conference, but adequate with JP Realmuto 24 HR 85 RBI .309, with the to boot being 8 triples. MIddlesex completed a succesful year.

The Brooklyn Superbas dropped 19 wins in the standings, although barely making their way into the second wild card spot. Not the strongest Brooklyn team ever. Certainly compared to the powerhouse 106 win team of 2018, and Parker titles, and Clenete, WS championships of the past. It's been 8 years since Brooklyn has last made it to the WS. This year the Superbas finally had what they sore need back in '18, pitching. Starting pitching as good as any in CBA, and at the legendary CBA "House Of Pain". The ballpark that opponents dread playing, in and Brooklyn fans embrace, the Superbas led by the now injured and ineligible Cory 'K' Kluber who was 16-7 3.09 222 K's many in Coors field. 1st round pick Trevore Williams had an impressive rookie campaign 13-6 3.81 ERA to head a staff that had Greinke 10-11 4.46 187 K, and Marquez 1-13 4.07 195 K's, Kimbrel 2.85 13 sv . The pen only allowed .271 of inherited runners to score despite a .683 X defense. The Coors inflated numbers not withstanding, a good effort for a team with a middling offense .263 178 HR, whose leading power hitters Braun 22 HR 74 RBI .265, since traded David Freese 19 HR, and Adam Duval 16 HR. Brooklyn's 90 SB led by Ahmed Rosario's 29 SB were second in Clemente to Skokie.

The Newton Bombs stayed as one of CBA winningest franchises although were unable to achieve their lofty position of the previous year. With competition firce and ginning for the champion, some of the Newton players didn't reach some their projected levels. Aside from good years from David Peralta 23 HR 69 RBI .291, and the popular Nick Catellanos 17HR 56 RBI .296, their was a sharp dropoff in offense after those players. A team .316 OBA and .384 slg, made it tougher in the DH conference.

Despite playing half the games in the SF Giants park, the Bombs, are looking towards better performances in '20. The Newton pitching remains largely the same although the injured Carrasco needs a year to recoup. Chris Sale was a dominiant ace again 17-4 2.69 ERA 231 K's merits Cy consideration. Betances 2-4 1.56 25 sv since traded to Brooklyn, and and Aroldys Chapman 3-1 3.13 17 saves were a deadly late inning lights out combo. The goat were Ronson award candidate Randy Hendricks 13-18 4.37, and Kurton Clayshaw er Clayton Kershaw 9-11 3.49 ERA. Hector Carrasco used mainly in long relief, pitched 111 appearances all in relief, was 9-5 3.47 3 sv in 191 IP with 230 K's! The team defense .74% X was about 3/10 of a point above average.

The Monday division wound up in Jon Stamets Cooperstown hands after some noise made from some other teams. The Iron Horses trade and put themselves in the best position they could to get into the elite playoffs. A former champion, Jon usually finds a way to at least get there and take his shots. The Horses had 251 homers 11 guys over double digits, and clubbed opponents despite a .251 BA. Encarnacion hit 34 HR 85 RBI .219, Semien 19 HR 80 RBI .276 but 29 errBaez ors and a .687 X rating, Acuna 22 HR 70 .269. Yadi had 18 HR at catcher. Of note Matt Carpenter who has been in CBA trade talks, led the team with 15 sacrifice bunts.

The pitching staff saw Zack Wheeler 11-7 3.05 in 150 IP, Cole 12-10 3.13, and Trevor Bauer acquired from Newton for Clayshaw went 13-8 3.57. The staff was not helped by the teams abyssmal .704 team x rating among the lowest. To think how many more wins had the defense been able to turn double plays instead of hitting into them, only +3 on the season. The bad range ratings do not help. A .552 X rating in the playoffs took it's ultimate toll in an otherwise succesful season for Jon Stamets. The team has talent and is willing to trade it, so one never knows how the Iton Horse will turn out next season.

Skokie has had a nice rising trend since beginning their rebuild two seasons ago. Last year, Skokie held first place from March 26th through July 3rd before being over taken by CTown. Still they made the playoffs. Unfortunately, Skokie's usage was over extended by season end. Many of their players were not eligible, and with so many players not, the Commisioner allowed them to participate rather than to have his team walk over in a forfeit.

The players are hitting their prime, and Skokie has more talent in the wings and baking in the minors. Chuck Furlong managed this potent offense with a .331 OBA and high .456 slug. 240 homers 10 guys in double digits, and speed too 112 SB. 3 guys over 25 SB. Inciarte 7 62 .267 37sb, Story 30 100 .300 25sb, and Baez 31 100 .280 24sb. The pitching was pretty poor this year with a team led by Chris Archer 17-8 3.92 ERA. The team ERA was 4.46 pretty substandard so the offense bailed them out. The bullpen only had a team leading 11 saves from Nathan Eovaldi of all people. Although win totals may show a succesful year for Skokie, the fact of gross over usage mars any support of this being a successful season for the Wolfmen. The league requires it should not occur in the future or the team (or any) risk being made non eligible for post season.

Ohio has made improvements to their team and it showed in the standings in 2019 being on the fringe of the second wildcard race late season. Once again the Outlawz pitching staff kept their very potent Clemente style offense working to gain any wins. The lighter fluid (5.01 ERA) staff had no performances to speak of other than horror and humiliation for this once championship franchise. Chalie Morton can not do it forever and he at was 11-8 4.57 as the ace. Arodys Vizcaino's 12 saves led the team. Acquiring Machado was big for Ohio. His 27 HR 101 RBI .268, alongside Freeman .307, Shin Choo .291 24 HR, Posey 7 HR .301, and Aldemys Diaz 15 HR .296 made Ohio a scary team especially in extra innings where they were 9 and 2! The team had a .343 OBA, and 450 Slg. .180 ISO Pwr is excellent, and signals the best Ohio offense many years. Glenn has won the CBA Trophy before 5 years ago. You can bet with some great MLOR picks, Ohio fans look ahead to their future. Glenn Kenan will be ready to compete.

Hard times have fallen on the once proud Carolina franchise. The team has been saddled with draft pick loss, and some players not living up to their lofty expectations. A .327 OBA and .380 slug are a long way from the playoff years. The pitchers sans the late Skaggs 11-8, who are talented and of high pedigree just haven't developed yet, and the team has dipped in the standings. Scott Kenan did draft plenty of top choice future talent which should help in a couple of years, but until then, it will be up to the MLB stars to reach their potential then Carolina will rebound if they sit tight. Joey Gallo gained competence defensively in the OF and at 1B. Well he did go nuts slugging 48 HR and 138 RBI for a 4.0 WAR. On the other hand Erik Kratz 1 HR 9 RBI .209 was a reserve catcher. Stark contrast which shows nothing and has no relevance much like Carolina this season. More penalties don't bode well for the listless Copperheads.

The Schmidt was all about Philadelphia who we chronicled in an earlier Newsletter. The Trophy winning Rob Hite has built the ultimate franchise. A worthy CBA team to represent the best of us moving forward. We honor Rob's 4th championship. We are seeing a great franchise. 112 wins a league leading .275 BA, team 3.83 ERA 242 HR in a down offensive year, with a high 942 runs. Philly had a true two way player with Otani. 6-3 5.12, but his paired with his offense in 300+ Ab .312 23 HR 63 RBI he was a force in reserve roles. Ground breaking. Trade rumors swirl around Nelson Cruz 39 HR 121 RBI .287 he of one way offense, has hiked his career totals to .278 343 HR 924 RBI. 5 guys over 20 HR. Harper 43 HR 100 RBI hit well despite a low BA. His presence protected the others in the lineup. Trea Turner .282 21HR 96 RBI and flawless defense at a tough position had a 7.0 WAR, however the story wasn't the offense.

Two big big aces. Jake-a-nola. Deadly Jake 2.35 19-4, Dastardly Nola 2.42 20-3. Cy candidates, but who was better? 39 wins between them a significant difference for Philly in '19. Will Smith 'hitched' together 23 saves for the Phun Phans. Old King Cole Hamels went 16-10 despte a gaudy 5+ ERA. 55 team saves reinforced a team approach for the great Phantastics.

Malachi Nellum's Red Sox 81-81 competed for the second wildcard again this year. The Sox didn't quite have the same offense as in years past, but the leagues offense numbers seem be down for 2019 season over all. That is sure to change next year as the rediculous Selig express has allowed juiced baseball to mask cheating scandals and a diminishing fan base as the game has priced itself out from the youth. Stirling still had enough offense to be near the top batting .263 with 185 homers. The team allowed a .251 BA against. Some difficult defense numbers with 102 errors, but some improvement is showing in the pitching staff compared with years past. Severino 15-11 3.94 234 K's led the improved starting staff. Berrios 12-5, Godley 11-12, and Minor 10-10 3.98. The bulpen's .304 IRSC meant they allowed 30% of inherited runners to score compared with the league average of .303, about average despite Kenley's 26 saves .206 IRSC and only 3 blown saves for an .897 sv%. Kenley always seems to be on the trade block despite his effectiveness.

Lorenzo Cain 118 runs 11 HR 57 RBI 23 SB .345 is on the MVP ballot carrying the teams offense. Relatively speaking Cain had a tremendous impact on his teams 81 wins with a 7.6 WAR! Cody Bellinger 25 HR 111 RBI .276 had a solid if not spectacular year. Malachi has mastered the draft acquiring Joey Wendle .325 Lourdes Gurriel .319, D Santana .310. M Adams 21 HR, and Schwarber 27 HR's. Stirling looks ready into the future.

Jack Jung's Ottawa Otters was led by the Whole @&% Show Mike Trout .286 33 HR 82. 71 wins is a recent low point for the once playoff inspred Otters. To make things more complex, Adrian Beltre, who was drafted by Ottawa way back in 1999 as the first pick in the draft by Dan DiVirgilio's Mackinaw Breakers has retired after 20 years, His career numbers include a BA of .288 +390 HR 1,472 RBI .341 OBA 2,583 hits, 1,251 runs, 548 doubles plus gold glove defense. His steady card will be missed. Although their record is down, Ottawa still has a few good players on the roster to help compete, but as the shows age and wear n tear, will Ottawa be competive in '20?.

New Hampshire. After reaching the ultra highs of the Conference finals in '18, the Wildcats took a severe tumble in '19 dropping to 67 wins. Mr. Brazeau will not tolerate such foolishness and has embarked on some team building acquiring Jean Segura 8 HR 60 RBI .300 39sb. This years offense was middle of the road, with 147 HR .247 BA. Mitch Haniger hit 14 64 .304. Myckhyl Franco 18 65 .288. Jake Cave 10 35 .305 in his first year. Not bad, but not enough to compete in Clemente.New Hampshires bullpen was the best part of the team with Cole, Castillo, and the released Chris Bassitt showing solid numbers in set up. The Bassitt early season release may yet haunt the Wildcats. Chris must hope that he can get rebound pitching performances form his staff. NH hopes to use strong draft picks, and get some more major league ready talent. They drafted plenty of good talent in the MLOR which is a few years away.

With offense down on the whole in 2019, the generally less offensively prolific Staub Conference had it’s share of playoff drama within the Black N Blue Rogers division and wildcard shuffles. Please read the entire newsletter beofre tour Votes are due. Ballots will be released this week.

I just completed an total statsitical analysis of CBA’s last 23 seasons. I will post the new findings and latest ground breaking long term statistics shortly afer this Newsletter.

Looking at the numbers in CBA over some time. It’s startling….This year was CBA’s lowest ever batting average as a league .249. CBA averged .263 over it’s 23 seasons. The on base 3^rd lowest of all time behind 2015-6. Slugging .410 tied for lowest all time as a league. CBA all time has a .428 slugging pct. In 2018 the CBA had a total .330 on base percentage. In 2019, .321. Slugging went from .436 down to .421.

Staub Conference

The Staub Conference was led by the 100 win Towaco Wolfpack. Kevin G held off eventual Conference champion New Jersey in the regular season. Knowing the outcome of the playoffs and course of events, we see that another 100 win season for Towaco puts the pack among the elite CBA teams in history. 833 wins 625 losses for a .571 Win pct. Hall of Fame material, one of CBA’s most successful franchises. This year, Towaco held off New Jersey and Essex in the final block as they had all year to take the coveted Rogers title. A .654 road win percentage meant success and another shot at the elusive Championship. MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt has a sensational .324 41 HR 101 RBI season. Yelich added a .288 27 HR 88 RBI 21 sb season to lead the offense. The offense was powerful belting 198 HR The team collected a .241 BA, .323 OBA, and .411 slug which in simple terms meant that they had to rely on their pitchers and their two big hitters to win them 100 ball games. A complementary offensive crew, but this year were dependent on the big homers. The pitching staff was tremendous establishing dominance in CBA with a team 3.28 ERA and 1,352 K’s. Syndergaard 11-3 2.66, Clevinger 11-9 3.28, Lopez 15-7 3.56, and Towaco veteran Marco Gonzalez 12-7 3.60 were a fearsome 4 some. Overall OP BA .238, .260 IRSC, and a miniscule 1.19 WHIP tell much of the Towaco story for 2019, regular season dominance.

The New Jersey Beatles caught CBA off guard. Rest assured no one will look past them for a long while. A stunning playoff run, and a stunning playoff run put Steve Adler back in the show. To get there, they had to rely on their pitching staff as well. The Beatles were powerful whomping 212 taters, scoring 703 runs. The sabremetrics show a .308 oba, and only 4.32 runs of support per game. The Beatles did steal 82 bases. Steals are a lost art in todays baseball it seems. Jersey’s defense wasn’t particulary efficient with a .699 Xrating. Just a weird note, The pitching staff did lead the league with 60 Intentional walks. The Jersey batters were walked only 30 times themselves. No players made the top league leaders on offense and the team .163 Iso, and .718 OPS tells a story of stuggling for runs. Yasiel Puig .292 29 HR 72 RBI 12 sb, proved to be an excellent acquistion as he was the Beatles lead guitar slinger. Marte 22 HR 63 RBI .282, and Raffy Devers 24 HR were strong enough to provide big homers when needed. The teams bats cooled off in August batting only .221, but launching an impressive winning streak to close out the second half of that month.

Pitching however was Jerseys’s strength. A 3.71 ERA led by Justin Verlander 16-4 3.43, and Kyle Freeland 14-6 2.88 ERA. A side note, Verlander manged to get a win in the last regular season block over Towaco and in the playoffs, whereas Kyle Freeland lost to title winner Towaco in the last series. Verlander reached his 210^th win against only 102 losses and 2,957 K’s, and still going. Vasquez did it all 9-5 2.53 21 sv. The Beatles bullpen was efficient and din’t allow opponents to score often, (.268 IRSC). The champion Beatles took advantage of their matchups on a consistant basis. They avoided long losing streaks, and won when they had to.

Big Bryan Swank’s colorful Essex Escapees brought Strat-o-madness to CBA the past few years. Ever so tough, the Escapees are building a tough competitive reputation. The Rogers division could be one of the strongest, and Essex has a championship and close calls in the pennant chases. Swankymodes team fights right to the end. In the most dire of circumstances, Swank’s army fought usage issues, and to ensure the others gaming experience he completed games bunting, PH, platooning, and manipulating his team to stay CBA legal. All the while suffering on a personal note. He was not the only GM who did so under personal duress. I have a great deal of respect for my GM’s, who this year were suffering personal tragedy and hardship, yet who maintained their bond with their CBA friends here. Selfless act some made, and Bryan Swank’s dedication to his Escapees, and others playoff chances made me so proud to lead CBA. Indeed, he gets part of my votes for GM of the year.

Perhaps Essex would have won other divisions or made the show? Hard to say. Detroit and Towaco won 11-7 against Essex, but Essex shredded NJ 12-6. This was a team that had 11 PH homers in 2019. The Escapees did slight better +3 on road rather than at home. Essex relied on a platoon and reserve sytem. They gained every bit of usage they could from a total team effort which brought them to 85 wins in a tough division. Lindor 26 HR 76 RBI 31sb .262 BA, and Altuve 16 HR 62 RBI .313 22 Sb, generated a productive offense for Essex. .262 team BA was the best in the division over Det, NJ, Towaco, in fact best in the Staub Conference by a wide margin. 178 Homers, very good for a non DH team. There was some speed too 119 Sb, including 21 by Allen. Gorkys Hernandez belted 19 homers of the 178. The Escapees fared better against their lefty pitching competition posting a 30-19 record agains games in which a lefty started. 55-58 vs Righties The pitching stood at 3.75 which means that Essex competition in Rogers likely kept their record down a few wins. They did it in the clutch. 85 wins was well earned. Justin Turner paid huge dividends in with a .338 11 HR 46 RBI line, Ryback Zimmerman .309 12 HR 51 RBI off the bench. How did they lose?

Scherzer a Cy Candidate 18-8 2.73 307K in 220IP led the teams staff. Marco Estrada added 10-4 3.38 to the mix. Cahill 9-5 3.28 part time tell half the story. The other half was the collapse of the platoon pitchers like Edwin Jackson career 78-87 4.98 1425 IP since 2004 when he first came up with Brooklyn as a late round draft pick popnomer. How has Jackson 2-7 4.44, stuck around CBA for so many years? Ryan Yarbourough was pressed into starter duty pitching 23 games as a lefty starter. Yabourough a long reliever who had the ability to turn lineups around in a hurry midway through a game, went 7-8 3.53 as mostly a starter. The pen was efficient .237 IRSC, and a team 1.22 WHIP. So what hurt the Escapees? Seems like Detroit and Towaco were were the main culprits.

Detroit. Mark Holmes Wheels could be one of the toughest teams with a losing record in awhile. 78-84 but a hard fought record. Detroit had good pitching 3.75 team ERA led by Cy candidate Mike Folty 14-8 2.56 196K, and Nick Pivetta 11-6 2.86 174 K’s. Roarke 8-15 3.95, but only 130 K’s in 180 IP. Blake Treinen since departed in trade saved 1-2 2.53 and 25 games saved. The bullpen after Treinen was disastrous allowing 35% of their inherited runners to cross the plate. That is deadly in later innings as the 6-8 record in extra innings and 21-22 record in 1 run games will tell you. Detroits pitching was assisted by a stellar defense. A team .830 X rated was superb, and took away plenty of hits and turned many runs away. Jones, Lemahiew, Crawford were a main reason why this team was so tough. In a perhaps the toughest division.

Detroit’s offense suffered from a lack of hits and on base. The .300 OBA and .378 were sparse at best generating absolutely no runs. Outside the occasional homer. .143 Iso Power, and 150 homers. Max Muncy hit 35 of them. Lamahieu added 11 HR 49 RBI and a .260 BA which was a let down but better times are ahead. There’s some talent here especially in the pitching staff. Detroit got nice bounce back years from LaMahieu, Wainwright, Lamet, Roark, Eaton, and Pujols. Some young talent like young Ronny Rodriguez, Pivetta, and Jalen Beeks.

We skip to the Carter division where The Temple Angels finsihed 89-73. The Angels led by Cory Light, completed another season in which they entered the CBA playoffs. The Angels are a scary team. Among CBA’s most powerful franchises for a few years now, the Angels are led by an all star slugging crew which features a CBA version of Murderers Row. JD Martinez 35 HR 96 RBI .311, Charlie Blackmon 31 HR 91 RBI .277, The Judge 26 HR 67 RBI .250, Gregorius 27 HR, Cory Seager 23 HR, Gattis hit 7 PH HR, wow! A team .242 BA where BA’s seemed down across all of CBA. Angels Stadium limits the ballpark singles last year to next to nothing accounting for much of the low team average at home where they thrived. With such a stingy park, the Angels dominating lineup popped a .255 BA, and 129 HR on the road which led all of CBA, but only .227 at home. But no one else could hit in Angels park either. The team .434 slug was .024 better than the league average of .410. However they hit, this was a slow team with 38 SB and 15 CS. Perhaps some of the poor SB pct is due to use of the Hit and run, where Temple used the play more than the average team, getting 14 hits in 40 attempts, but runners advanced only 28 of the 40 times total causing some ill fated steal attempts. Teams preferred walking the Angels most lethal, issuing 50 IBB’s in 162 games.

The pitching was surprisingly good 5^th in ERA in Staub 3.61. with a low .232 BA against. Porcello 11-9 3.38, LeBlanc 12-9 3.43, Lester 10-10 3.69 were quite solid. Pruit had 22 saves in his rookie year. The bullpen was shaky despite the gaudy ERA numbers for the middle innig guys who let runs score 30% of the time, then shit people down which is why their ERA ‘s are low but IRSC’s are high. Temple should be around again in 2020 as they will face comptetion from Tinley Park, and the next team, San Diego.

The story of SanDiego is one of reinvention. Every so often Joe Wallace embarks on a mission to retool his ever present and successful SD Surf franchise. The model of shrewd trades, and shrewd talent recognition, Already Joe Wallace has made a hot stove fire by trading All Star X Boegaerts get a #1, Luis Uria, And catcher Joey Bart. He also acquired Brandon Woodruff to shore up his Starting pitching, and dealt CF Manny Margot to Brooklyn for a 3^rd rounder. With that last SD struggled, and limped to the finish line with an un SD like 71-91 record. The Surf enjoyed the SoCal vibe mostly finishing 39-42, close to .500. On the road, the team probably “Couldn’t Stand The Weather” and took a “Cold Shot” from teams on the road, 29-52. They struggled in 1 run games going 12-26 pretty much at the bottom of CBA’s barrel. They scored 4.7 runs per game, but allowed 5.02 runs a formula for a disastrous year. Better times await this proud franchise.

The team batted .247 despite 198 homers of which 11 in double digits. Stanton hit 27 HR, Alex Bregman was an MVP candidiate .336 22 HR 69 RBI, and 25 79 RBI .283 homers from Huntermel Renfroe. SD lacked pitching, and gave up more than a run per game more than the playoff contenders generally did in 2019. A 4.55 ERA was ludicrous in the Staub conference and ended all talk of playoffs right there. Tyson Ross did go 13-9 but a 4.79 ERA which was bad. The bullpen the biggest culrit blowing games at an prescendented rates. A .380 IRSC is about as high as any Ive seen in awhile. Nuf ‘ced. Joe has already begun to correct the issue in making some off season moves.

The Indiana Redbirds haven’t been as competitive the last 10 seasons. The once proud franchise hasn’t lived up to the lofty Standards that future Hall of Fame manager Bob Fidler had set for the franchise. Indy used to dominate those years with an all Star team loaded to the gills at all positions. Names of CBA’s storied past like Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Jason Bay, A-Roid, Roy Oswalt. This team won CBA championships 3 of 4 years 2006-2009. Visit the CBA webpages Archive links at cba-bb.net. Be sure to scroll down and click on links for each of our 23 seasons playoff results, summaries and events, and stats. Also click thriugh to our vast archive for our updated records page. You would be surprised to see the phenomenal CBA Pitching and batting records over the years.

The Red Birds 62-100, have not challenged for the playoffs in many years. Like San Diego they were able to win at home somewhat 37-44 wins, but were futile on the road 25-56. Usage issues caused the team to drop 9 of their last 10 games. Indy was 15-30 in one run games. James Shields return to his old form and finished 10-9 3.19 for such a poor team. A team 1.31 WHIP wasn’t horrible, but was inflated by a few wank performances from Jacob Barnes 1.63, Sonny Gray 1.52, Luke Farrell 1.83, Willy Peralta 1.65, and Justin Wilson 1.67. All were counted upon to help Indiana contend. Didn’t happen. The team posted a 32% IRSC. The hitting was anemic a .305 OBA and .369 slug. Pretty much most teams might have kept their corners in against such low slugging.

The struggles could be in the past as this team has started to develop some good players who could impact the standings in years to come. Meadows, Lorenzen, Bichette, catchers Knizner, and Rutschmann, Mr Botte, Dakotie Hudson, and more. The Indiana quest for younger viable talent is in effect. Although in need dire need of pitching, Bob Fidler sold high on the older but rejuvenated Sonny Gray gaining a 1^st round pick along with Hampson. Expect the overhaul to continue as Fidler starts to put effort and knowledge back into this dormant franchise.

The Dawson is an interesting division to watch. Long time rivals Belfast-LP-Montreal now have some competition in John Skillings Neah Bay Whalers. J-Skill is one of CBA’s old school GM’s back a few years ago for his 2^nd go around. He has taken a useless dead franchise and painstakingly rebuilt it ground up with NO real talent. Given the barest of teams, the knowledgeable and fierce competitor has made the Whlaers a favorite to rise substantially in next years standings. This year they didn’t conceal their losing 111 games and dubious records shattered. Not a badge of honor, Neah set some records here in futility. ‘Specially da’ offense: a team .208 BA and .337 Slug, both are lowest of all time officially. But the story is interesting.

JSkill’s Whalers now after years of building, show some serious talent development. The great Peter Alonso, Juan Soto, Keston Hiura, Bradley Jr, Verdugo, Teheran, and Alex Kiriloff up in Neah’s Vancouver Beavers farm team. Plus theres some fine looking Minor League Organzations (MLO’s) Neah lost 111 games this year, and lost their first two picks this year with unfortunate usage issues. Not one to sit idle, John picked up another 1^st round draft pick which will add to his growing core of talent. In his rookie year Soto 14 HR 38 RBI .260 showed enough promise for next year. Soto will be tremendous. Jed Lowrie smashed 31 HR 93 RBI .266 to lead the offense. Will Jed Lowrie or Chris “Khalifa” Davis be back with Neah? Decisions loom. Catchers Victor Caratini and Tom Murphy, pleasant surprises were traded in order to draft young talent in the 1^st round. One must look ahead to keep from crying…

…And then there is one of CBA’s shining stars, Judy Brunet. Judy knows how to compete and build a solid team, proven. She has shown she can kick you’re a** too, competing in the Conference finals two years straight. All Judy hasn’t done is win the CBA title which she is definitely trying to do, and win a very tough division. Many of her wins came in face to face or Netplay game encounters. Now, she secure the services of Xander Boegaerts from San Diego. This sent ripples through CBA causing a trade buzz and subsequent frenzy. The Dawson champs, Lynx featured a very aggressive pitching staff that was effective in all facets. A 3.33 ERA including 50 saves from the outstanding 2 closer pen. Playoff manager Steve Adler last year said to me that the LP bullpen could have been among the best he has ever played against of any team. A tremendous compliment, but this year LP (.234) may indeed have been better (2018 .264 IRSC%) as the number comparisons show .

He lets his fastball do the talking with the baseball animals, Dr Doolittle converted 20/25 saves, and the Rev Osuna another 13 of 13 opps. The team boasted a miniscule 1.20 Walks+Hits divided by Innings pitched (WHIP). Inherited runners scored a historically low .234 IRSC% good for 5^th place all time in CBA’s 1997-2019 history. Newcomb went 11-9 2.93 and Rodriguez 11-5 3.13 ERA. McHugh excelled in long relief 9-3 2.33 ERA. Hitters suffered somewhat providing some clutch hits by squeak by their limited opponents. Batting .231, LP could have managed many more wins with any other offense than Edwdin Rosario’s 29 HR 85 RBI .285, Ramirez’ 25 HR 70 RBI .231, and Justim Smoak’s 29 round trippers and .anemic .221 BA. Beoegaerts was sorely needed moving ahead to 2020.

The Crows have struggled of late, but appear to destined to move forward in the standings. Montreal is loaded with good draft picks, cashing in early and looking to continue their massive rebuild yet still compete somewhat. Next year they should compete and their youth have begun maturing. Last year was still, a year in which Doug Brunet would perhaps rather forget. It started well with Montreal claiming the early Dawson lead in the first week of April. But the meek offense drowned while the exalted pitching staff labored. A .239 team BA plus a fair 162 HR’s, but really no OBA and little offense to speak of. Sal Perez 33 HR 79 RBI .212 will get a year off to rest while the team of Carrotini and Murphy rent the space and entertain til Mr Sal returns. The team MVP seemed like Jonathan Schoop who pelted 33 HR 85 RBI .245. The .151 ISO was not so good. The pitching was indeed very similar to Montreals pitching. A strong bullpen with a near CBA record .238 IRSC 10^th place all time. The philosophy of strong bullpen seems to run in the family. Teams only bat .232 with a tidy 1.20 WHIP against Montreal. The .711 X Chart defense was average slighty below than the leagues .715 Xrating so that din’t help. Ja’ Happ 11-6 2.63 since has beendealt across town to Judy Brunet’s Longue Pointe Lynx who needed innings. Kirby Yates went 7-4 2.61 21 saves, and Killa Kela added 12 more saves. Fiers went 11-10 with a 3.81 ERA to show, that despite good pitching a team must have some offense. The .306 OBA and .391 slug doesn’t always translate to wins.

The Brawlers story .247 BA wasn’t bad. CBA entire league batting average was .249 lowest of all time! But the incidentals show more. Look at the .313 OBA .389 slug, .142 IsoPWR, .640 total average, .702 OPS all add up to …nothing. No one on base, no runs, no wins. The pitching was good as is the case for all of Dawson division. The bullpen was much better than average. The league allowed .32% of inherited runners to score, JD Adams Brawlers allowed only .288 ( apx 29%) A 1.33 WHIP wasn’t awful. Brian Anderson was a standout 12 HR 79 RBI .279 166 hits, Camargo had 25 HR 70 RBI, Malex hit .301 and stole 51 bases! There is some talent amasing here. The story for Cy Young includes Patrick Corbin 18-11 3.19 231 K’s who was dominant for a poor team. Matt Boyd 10-11 3.93 shows some promise as well. JD has to have a strong draft in the spring and get some high level prospects and players into the mix. There may be a golden opportunity with good draft positioning in 2020. With Montreal acquiring so many picks and young players, all the teams in Dawson surely must be taking notice.

Have a great holiday season all!

Cooperstown

July 6th, 2019

The Cooperstown Iron Horse Minor League affiliate, The Punxsutawney Ponies, has released a list of specials in anticipation of the expanded rosters and new minor league draft.

1) The Punxsutawney Phil Burger - Is it just a burger that we named after our beloved Groundhog... or is it actually made from our beloved Groundhog?

2) Gobbler's Knob - An all you can eat section where you can fine like a groundhog.. A ticket includes a general admission bleacher seat and all you can eat Alfalfa, June Bugs and Snails.

3) The Burrow Parking Lot - An underground parking lot with a tunnel leading straight to the stadium.

4) Early Spring Pavilion - A grandstand section full shade and no shadows.

5) 6 Weeks of Winter Terrace - A bleacher section full of sun and scary shadows. Free passes to the Burrow Parking Lot included.

April 26th, 2019

There was a buzz in Cooperstown entering the 2019 season.

The rotation of Cole, Bauer, Sanchez, Wheeler and Bumgarner looked formidable.

The lineup looked intimidating. 4 projected 30+ HR bats with 4 more projected to hit 20 or more. Even the "worst" hitter, Marcus Semien was penciled in to hit .250 with 15 HR.

The Draft War Room focused heavily on the bullpen in the middle rounds adding numerous arms... Tepera, Biddle, Roe, Kelley, Brazier, Nuno to go along with the trio of Familia, Watson and Lugo.

April 21st, 2019 Press Newton Bombs

Heys:

The 2018-2019 CBA Champion Newton Bombs Review

April 6th, 2019

Ottawa Otters Team Outlook

{AP Newsline Brooklyn, NY March 26th, 2019}

Kevin Plawecki is excited to be Brooklyn's primary back up at catcher behind James The Can. He hopes he contribute more than just ocassional ant-acid pills to the men in the clubhouse.

July 9th 2019

July 6th, 2019

The Cooperstown Iron Horse Minor League affiliate, The Punxsutawney Ponies, has released a list of specials in anticipation of the expanded rosters and new minor league draft.

1) The Punxsutawney Phil Burger - Is it just a burger that we named after our beloved Groundhog... or is it actually made from our beloved Groundhog?

2) Gobbler's Knob - An all you can eat section where you can fine like a groundhog.. A ticket includes a general admission bleacher seat and all you can eat Alfalfa, June Bugs and Snails.

3) The Burrow Parking Lot - An underground parking lot with a tunnel leading straight to the stadium.

4) Early Spring Pavilion - A grandstand section full shade and no shadows.

5) 6 Weeks of Winter Terrace - A bleacher section full of sun and scary shadows. Free passes to the Burrow Parking Lot included.

Someone put a hot poker on the Cooperstown Iron Horses rear. After a dismal 11-19 start, Cooperstown is on a 17-7 run, bringing them above .500 to 28-26, within 2 games of division leading Wolfmen and currently tied with Ottawa for the 2nd wildcard spot.

The front office has likely shifted gears from looking for trades to help the future, to now helping the team this season.

They have a bunch of young talent who could be dealt. 2B Brandon Lowe is protected to be ready next season as is Choi at 1B and Stewart in the OF. Lopez, Wright and Wilson are all potential rotation talents next season and beyond. Will we see any if this young talent used in a trade for help now? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

April 26th, 2019

There was a buzz in Cooperstown entering the 2019 season.

The rotation of Cole, Bauer, Sanchez, Wheeler and Bumgarner looked formidable.

The lineup looked intimidating. 4 projected 30+ HR bats with 4 more projected to hit 20 or more. Even the "worst" hitter, Marcus Semien was penciled in to hit .250 with 15 HR.

The Draft War Room focused heavily on the bullpen in the middle rounds adding numerous arms... Tepera, Biddle, Roe, Kelley, Brazier, Nuno to go along with the trio of Familia, Watson and Lugo.

It was a disappointing 2018 season for the Ottawa Otters when they finished with only 69 wins against 93 losses, and a dismal 23 games behind Philly in the Schmidt Division. Ottawa usually relies on the long ball to win games but only Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen had at least 30 homers that year. The Otters finished in the bottom third of the league in terms of team hitting and pitching. Mike Trout won the Clemente MVP award in a close ballot, edging out Nolan Arenado. The Otters were able to sign Trout to a new contract during the off-season with an eye-watering 12-year, $430 million extension to his existing contract that would have expired next season. While Trout has been brilliant since joining the league in 2012, he has not had much team success in Ottawa. The Otters made with play-offs just once during Trout’s career thus far when the Otters lost in seven games to Ohio in the second round in 2014. There were rumours that Trout would be traded in the off-season, but the Otters decided to keep Trout on their roster and build their team around him. A new season begins and the pre-season showed that the Otters may be able to climb out of the basement in the standings this year. The team will once again be anchored by a stellar outfield with Trout, McCutchen and Jason Heyward. Other key returning veterans include Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, and Kurt Suzuki. The Otters chose to use most of their draft picks to upgrade their pitching for the new season. Returning to the rotation are Joulys Chacin and Kyle Gibson. Joining them are free agents Francisco Liriano, Ian Kennedy, and Chad Kuhl. Brad Ziegler will continue as the team’s closer. Starters Yu Darvish and Doug Fister are both on the disabled list for most of the season and are not expected to return to play until September. Hopefully, the Otters will be vying for a play-off position when they return.Looking even further ahead, key prospects for the Otters include outfielder Lewis Brinson and short stop Royce Lewis. Brinson may be ready for the majors as early as next year while Lewis is still at least two years away.

April 21st, 2019 Press Newton Bombs

Heys:

The 2018-2019 CBA Champion Newton Bombs Review

April 6th, 2019

Ottawa Otters Team Outlook

{AP Newsline Brooklyn, NY March 26th, 2019}

Kevin Plawecki is excited to be Brooklyn's primary back up at catcher behind James The Can. He hopes he contribute more than just ocassional ant-acid pills to the men in the clubhouse.

September 18th, 2018 Game 163

The city of Philly had the day off as fans poured into downtown to see game 163 that will settle the CBA Schmidt Division champs.

April 1st, 2017 CBA Press Release Atlanta

And if the Atlanta Phoenix has its way, the rest of the CBA will suffer from headaches in 2017.

J. Michael Blakely

CBA Press Release Detroit....March 23rd, 2017

CBA Press release Brooklyn, N.Y...April 1st, 2017.................................................................................

New Jersey Beatles Press Release

Essex Escapees Press Release

New Hampshire Prospectus

So heading into the draft, Pitching will be a priority.

Towaco Wolfpack Press Release

High Bridge Heaters Press Release

2015 was a disappointment for the Heaters. Although we lost Matt Harvey for the year, we thought great managing and a few good breaks would have been enough to grab a wild card.

Skokie Wolfmen Press Release 2016

Oct 26th, 2015

Hudson currently sits at 10th all time in CBA in strikeouts, 4th all time in wins, 3rd in innings, 2nd in starts and 9th in shutouts.

His 5th start of 2016 will make him the CBA all time leader in that category, passing Andy Pettitte who currently holds that title.

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Associated Press)

23 year old Maikel Franco (.497 SLG) and 23 year old run producer Nick Castellanos (33 doubles, 15 HR, 73 RBI).

We asked Hite what his plans were for all of them, and he shared,

"Hey, I am in no rush to trade any of them because having a group of young stars is a unique luxury for us. If we are bowled over with offers this Fall and Winter, we will listen. But the good-ol-days of Former Commish Claude Lamarre legislating against positional hoarding in CBA are long gone. I'm going to hoard away, baby! Unless the other GMs offer up some of their blue chip outfield talent, then I may listen"

Photo: Young Philly Phantastics stars Addison Russell and Javier Baez

February 18th, 2014

Japanese Ace Tanaka Bound for CBA

"I just want a chance to prove myself at the highest level," said Tanaka, "I am not playing favorites."

There may not be a lot of instant impact players in the coming draft, but there is no shortage of talent. And where there's talent, you'll find the CBA.

Let It Be...Beatles Win!

New York- Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. A Staub team will win the series. Let it be.

It's been a hard day's night, but Steve Adler will be sleeping like a log.

Series Recap:

Game 2 saw the Beatles defeat the Wolfmen, 7-1. Felix Hernandez earned the win with 5 2/3 strong innings, as Skokie could not muster much offense for the 2^nd game in a row.

For openers, congratulations to all the playoff teams.  Steve Adler, Kevin Gibson, Joe Wallace, Dennis Concepcion, Doug Brunet, Wolfman Shapiro, Marc Wass, Rob Hite, Bruce Bundy, Jack Jung.  Who will win it?  Wolfman vs Bundy in Clemente vs Steve Adler whose Beatles are the current  #1 hit across CBA Land.  
GM's next year is approaching rapidly.  There is a likelyhood of some rules clarifications and modifications.  Among the issues that coulClaude and Gerald should have known. The original CBA teams were all named after movie studios. The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone. The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record. Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard. But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald. Donald was known for his questionable participation. Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmanians it would change their fortunes. They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99. By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67. That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive. The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year. Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs. 

Just for some nostalgia.  Lets look back at a storied franchise that dissolved in favor of expansion after 2003.  The story of the Tennessee Tazmanians run by Stephane Bouchard.  
The franchise story was different from its inception.  
  The original CBA teams if I recall were all named after movie studios.  The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone?? {Claude?}.  The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record.  Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard.  But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald.  Donald was known for his questionable participation.  Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmanians it would change their fortunes.  They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99.  By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67.  That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive.  The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year.  Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.  


Belfast: .742 X Rating, .251 BA against, .305 IRSC a 3.68 ERA...but .310 OBA .104 ISO, .348 slug meant 3.46 runs support.  22-44 vs Dawson's LP, Montreal, Limoilou....But Belfast walloped Monday 31-17 for season.  What does that tell you about Dawson?

Brooklyn: After losing Parker by 1 game to Carolina, took revenge in '13 sweeping Carolina and winning div title in process.  Braun .331 30 SB 48 HR 128 RBI 116 runs, Miguel Cabrera .352 .428 OBA .630 slg, 43 HR, 136 RBI 113 runs 216 hits, RA Dickey 17-7 2.93 239 K's, David Price 13-6 3.22 203 K's, Jeter 20 HR 96 RBI .322 13 SB 218 hits.  They carried Brooklyn.  Brooklyn led CBA in batting .287.  Lower than usual power totals and average in Coors were made up for with a rare display of speed by the Superbas.  They stole a team record 131 stolen bases led by Jarrod Dyson's 54. 


Bryan:  Another winning season for Cory Light.  The Bryan Bashers hung tough until the final two blocks.  The battle with Towaco was fierce and right to the last month.  Bryan featured excellent pitching.  Perhaps the best Basher staff in recent memory finishing 4th overall.  The pen saved 53.  Though Casey Janssen finished with 31 sv it was a committee of relievers who had save totals.  .242 IRSC (Inherited runners scoring) The offense doesn't jump out at you.  The numbers are below average.  .246, 149 ISO, 166 HR's not bad for Staub however.  Part timer Dwayne Wise 12, led the er speedy Bashers to 51 stolen bases.  Paul Konerko deserves MVP consideration carrying this team on his back virtually himself .296 31 HR 96 RBI.  Nick Swisher chipped in with .227  25 HR's.  
 
Carolina: Fell just short.  In tough Parker, Carolina had a few sluggers who provided offense.  Shoo in for rookie of the year Willin Rosario hit 30 HR's, Votto 11 HR 61 RBI .329 in an  injury laden season.  Zimmerman 23 HR, Dunn 25 HR, Kubel 22 HR 82 RBI, and Marco Scutaro .312 led CBA with 27 sacrifices. Had 18 Hit and run hits using that it's advantage.  The low team OBA/SLG .324/.398 hurt most. The pitchers were tough. Anibal Sanchez finished 14-10 3.41 152 K's, J Johnson 12-10 3.57.  Huston Street saved 26.  Took 3 of 4 to finish the season block 25 in revenge of losing the week before spoiling Newton's Parker run.

Cooperstown: The Iron Horses cashed in early in the season after some early set backs.  They acquired draft picks and players looking ahead. Some very promising rookies like Byrom Buxton, Evan Gattis, Jeff Locke to go along with player returness like Matt Kemp 25 HR 65 RBI .277 and Adrian Gonzo 23 HR 81 RBI .275.   27 traded ballplayers from the team.  The future will tell if Cooperstown will return to prominence.  On paper it looks like it could be.

High Bridge opened the season strong.  They remained only two games back by June 17th.  They hung around into July before fading when roster changes took place and rest given to the over worked players.  The future seemed bright when John Miller grabbed Matt Harvey with his number 1 pick.  When MLB Harvey went down with injury, the Heaters front office felt let down.  Though the injury isn't as serious as could have been, Harvey will have a superior card in 2014.  Dillon Gee has returned from his serious injury to become a front end pitcher as well to go along with Rick Porcello.  Young talent like Denard Span, Didi Gregorius, Starling Marte, and Alex Presley present well for future years.  Tyler Colvin had a very good year 17 HR

Indiana:  returned to the press with a nice little run for the Monday title.  The Redbirds reclaimed a taste of their glory years of last decade with a return to first as late as mid September.  Who could ask for more?  When the pitching and key sluggers like Pujols, and Hamilton suffered injuries the last week.  Hamilton 46 HR 109 RBI .265BA.  Pujols 39 HR 124 RBI .298 BA a typical year for him.  Pujols career totals .323 601 HR's 1,591 RBI's.  Indy won 14 of 17 down the stretch in September to keep the pressure on Skokie.  Indiana socked a whopping 250 Homers in '13.  Catchers (Wieter) threw out 39% of their base stealers best in CBA. 

Joliet: Jack Frost builds, slowly but surely.  Looking for a return to the glory days of 2008, '14 could be the year the Jacks could make some noise.  2013 saw a 68-94 record which was not too awful.  Some moments of good play.  The Jacks had a good July which brought them neqar the cust of the second wildcard range. 9 games under .500, but so were a few teams.  One August and eventual Staub champ New Jersey came to town, Joliet underwent a long losing streak to fade away into CBA's abyss.  Middlebrooks 14 HR 49 RBI .339, Chris Carter 24 HR, and Rizzo 16 HR .319 starred. Some bright youngsters are on hand to make the future a bright one.

Limoilou; Our long time friend Jeff Boutet stepped aside in 2013 departing CBA as it's championship leader with 3. The Wendigo used good pitching from Latos 13-9 2.84, Kimbrel 7-1 26sv, Scherzer 14-8, Kershaw 17-5 3.23.  Melty Cabrera 10 HR 54 RBI .334 was among leaders in batting. Granderson 39, and Fielder 26 HR generated power in their approach to a wildcard.  James Blakely replaced Jeff for the final month steering them just shy of the final wildcard despite inherited usage situations.

Longue Pointe: One of 2013 great mysteries, what happened to Dennis Concepcion? His proxied team took a wildcard spot but lost to San Diego Surf in the playoffs.

Maine:  Up and down roller coaster for the Express. Started off April relatively fast, then dropped a bunch to fade fast from first place after 3 weeks.  From May and June They hovered at .500 then a losing streak took hold dropping them back a ways.
When it all seemed lost, Mike Koepp reeled off an impressive 12 game winning streak to highlight a streaky season. They made a rush to .500 and into contention, but usage became a factor and the fade took them out of the race in the second half.  Perhaps some better hitting vs lefties where a 20-32 record against lefty starters hurt them most. Acloser look shows the power shortage vs L hurt worse than the BA.

Montreal: Second best season, and same results.  Twice to the Staub Showdown and no show, yet. The Crows are now known for their pitching, defense, and '13 was more of the same. The addition of Cory Hart and Garrett Jones no doubt got them to the dance. But the price they paid has yet to be determined. Though Montreal traded quite a bit, Brunet knows how hard it is to get to the dance and join the CBA elite franchises which Montreal has now done twice in a row 5 years after his initial DRAFTING from scratch of a team.  Montreal and Westminster were true expansion teams in that year.  Its possible that there could be another expansion in the future,but Montreal shows, that from having initially no talent a dedicated GM can achieve high status in post season events.  Post season = Best of year. Conference finals equals elite teams for a season. Doing more than one time brings the level higher. Consider that Doug has done it in season 4 and 5 but...what about 2014? The draft will be important for the Crows.

New Hampshire: The assigned history of this franchise is quite fascinating I find.  The history was one of turmoil. Possibly CBA least successful franchise that had been snake bitten from day 1.  Right now Chris Brazeau has stabilized, and rebuilt this franchise gone wild.  Lets look back.  Claude and Gerald should have known.   The original CBA teams were all named after movie studios.  The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone.  The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record.  Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard.  But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald.  Donald was known for his questionable participation.  Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmainians it would change their fortunes.  They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99.  By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67.  That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive.  The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year.  Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.  

Well New Hampshire is continuing the structure started by Brazeau to get into the upper ranks.  a 59-103 season was a setback of sorts.  Some expected a better record for '13 but '14 could be promising.  Matt Cain fronts the staff. Hanley Ramirez returns to SS at a very high level at least part time. Masterson steps up into the top of the rotatsh.   Profar gets utility work.  D'Aza steps up,  The future looks bright.  Viciedo led hitters with 27 HR, Cain was 10-15 3.50 ERA.  

New Jersey: It was like 1964.  The year the Beatles controlled the charts.  The Jersey boys controlled all of Staub at one pint winning 20 in a row just shy of the CBA record.  They controlled the Staub Playoffs.  Shrewd deals. Killer pen, and some stick to boot.  See how they do in the big show.  

Newton:  Last years near miss in the playoffs, just made him angry.  Laying low in the standings, the Newton Bombs found a way to win and manage usage enroute to the franchises first playoff.  It was at the end that the strategy master put the puzzle pieces together, to enter and take out the veteran Rob Hite in the playoffs, no easy task 3 games to 1.  Next, Bundy had to play Clementes toughest team, Ottawa.  With all on the line the two managers dueled a full 7 games.  In the end, Bundy defeated Jack Jung to advance to meet the Wolfman in the Clem finals.  Newton used all resources to get this far.  .745 X rated fielding. .345 OBA, .452 slug showed Clemente like offense.  A team 4.62 ERA was 3rd worst, but the saving grace was Bruce's use of the bullpen to get wins.  A team .225 IRSC.  Only 8 pb 55 wp from the batteries, Newton's pen shutdown those late runners.

Ohio:  Great offense team .273 BA with 195 Homers.  This team was made for Clemente.  They were able to play against friendly rival Carolina face to face on occassion.  Somehow more was expected of Ohio befor ethe season began.  As the T Cats began to start and look good, they too faded back in the tough Clemente.  The Conference teams are all quite strong and capable of defeating each other.  We saw that with even the second division teams defeating and spoiling for the top standings teams.  Ohio led by Buster Posey's 21 HR 86 RBI .352 season may get some MVP consideration.  Matt Holiday added 30 taters.  Fredrick Freeman added 28.  A team .181 ISO PWR good, So it wasn't that offense.  Than what?  Defense? .745 X rating not bad, 79-83 record was attributed to the pitching staff's failure to get guys out.  4.56 ERA.  Clay Buckholtz 15-8 4.08 ERA was a lone bright spot. A .362 IRSC stunk.  Then pen and rotation failed.

Ottawa:  Best regular season ever for the Otters.   Team .353 OBA, .272 BA, 965 runs, 265 HR's .481 slug team records all.  Best in 17 seasons.  Ottawa took that offense led by MVP candidates Trout 44 HR 125 RBI .325, McCutchen 48 HR 127 RBI .307,  Papi's 30 HR 91 RBI .347 BA in 322 AB.  Leadoff hitters hit 30 HR, 2nd place hitters 42 HR, 3rd place hitters hit 50 , cleanup hitters hit 52.    Perhaps the best top half of the lineup years!  A season for the ages.  The team 3.91 ERA could have meant more wins if lower.  Gallardo 19-6 4.38, Fister 13-6 3.58, and Yu Darvish 14-7 4.26, had solid seasons.  Ottawa was 4 games back on May 2nd, but got hot to take first place and never look back.  They led runner up Philly all season after the first week of May.  

Philly came on strong at the end to snatch wildcard number 2 in the last block.  Is that any news at all that Rob Hite had made the playoffs yet again? Hite has 5 World Series appearances.  The elite?  Perhaps Rob is one of the standards that others will  be measured by.  A true elite franchise.  egular playoff appearances, it isn't just luck.  Hite has won 3 Championships.  This year the big trade came back to hurt some as Justin Verlander 24-4 went on to lead New Jersey to a walk away title.  Rob got back Bruce Harper 22 HR 81 .272 who went on to become a main cog in the powerful Philly Offense.   Philly slugged 230 HR with a team .281 BA.  
Quebec:  Led by Hall of Famer Dino Barnabe is building up.  They have some high draft picks, and some very good young players just waiting to break loose.  Quebec hit 231 HR last year showing alot of power.  Mitch Moreland slugged 23 HR .298, Cespedes had a great year .295 28 HR.  Trumbo slugged 32 HR's, and Josh Reddick added a big 35 HR's.  .183 ISO power is among the leagues best.  The BA was a low .250, with only 649 runs knocked in.  Homers with out men on base.  Cant win those games if the defense drops 142 balls ,and the pens allows 35% of inherited runners to score. Clearly this is a team on the rise.  The pitching defense and speed may have hurt, but the future and the draft could make Barnabe a player once more.

River Meadow:  Claude Lamarre is back.  The Monarchs hung around .500 or just under most of the year.  The team was not strong enough to contend for the title, so Lamarre acquired some draft picks for some aged retired players.  The Monarchs did slighty better on the road.  They did a bit better in one run games as their pen was strong .281 IRSC.  The opponents .287 batting average hurt the pitchers but the teams 3.87 runs of offensive run support was pathetic.  A team .315 on base, and no real slugging threats aside from catcher Ryan Doumit and the stud 1B from Baltimore {whats that} Chris Davis who hit 37 HR.  Next season Chris Davis major league high for Baltimore 53 HR .286 BA should carry this team a long way the way Mark McGwire once did.   There's great talent here with Kipness, Iglesias at SS, Davis who is going to be awesome, Fowler, Teheran, Lowry, Carpenter   around t contend in '14 with a good draft. 

San Diego: The Surf dynasty continues.  The Surf have won yet again getting into another playoffs.  All the classy Joe Wallace does is win baby.  The Surf continue to draft well each year and develop new talent.  Wallace rarely misses with his young prospects.  This year David Wright, Giancarlitolo Stanton 45 HR,obinson Cano led a strong offense.  .327 26 HR 110 RBI's.  SD lost to Staub Chmapion NJ in round 1.  Expect Wallace to be back with his dynastic franchise.

Skokie:  The Wolfman has parlayed his way using the trade market to gain an advantage.  That advantage led to a final week clinch of the Monday title, narrowly defeating Indiana's Bob fidler in some head to head matchups.  Wolfman's mastery of the usage and preparation provided dividends.  Skokie got excellent support down the stretch from Ethier who got hot, Future hall of famer acquired from Joliet Juan Pierre who provided a leadoff hitter, and the spot usage of Troy Tulowitsky.  The Wolfman acquired bullpen supprt and pitching as well.  This combined to add up to another appearance in the Clemente finals.

Stirling: A good offense with a team .277 BA.  Despite 'only' 140 HR's, the Redsox contended into the last 3 blocks in September.  Ultimately, injuries and other issues kept the Sox from a deserved wildcard spot.  Brett Butler 38 HR 107 RBI .304 BA was a team best.  148 stolen bases led by Campana 20,Choo 30, and Andrus 27.  Kenley Jansen led the pitchers with 38 saves.  No starters stood out.  Buehrle went 13-10 4.55, and Ian Kennedy 13-16 was an iron horse.  The pen was otherwise not too good allowing 32% of inheriteds to score.

Towaco:  Kevin Gibson proved a saavy manager guiding a relatively well balanced but not spectacular team all the way to the Rogers title over rival Bryan Bashers.  Towaco use magaer matchups despite an ordinary Staub offense.   They go on base a pretty good .333 OBA, which for Staub is good.  A .420 slug is fairly decent.  Managed  .755 team production.   .159 ISO was weak.   Two players with 20+Homers were Russ Martin 24 HR .179 BA, and P Alvarez 25 HR 80 RBI .256.  174 HR was good for Staub, and a .261 average not bad.  Just balanced.  Ken Medlen pitched absolutely lights out.  He was the difference.  consider for Cy Young  16-1 1.21, I say 1.21 ERA but only 21 starts. but those were big starts.  Towaco had a great year despite bowing to Staub champ NJ.  Gibson is proving to be quite a GM and tactician.

CBA: Where the Action Is February 23, 2013

And as Shapiro alluded to, Hite adds, "You have to respect what your dealing with in this league. If you don't go out and find your guys, someone else will. That's the nature of the beast."

Recap

Superbas claim New York!

 (AP) September 29th 2012  CBA©  Offices New York, NY all rights reserved. 

   "...And they danced, like a wave on the ocean...they romanced and they danced the night..." 
from Rockaway Beach in Queens to Manhattan's rediculous Upper West Side, all of New Yorks eyes are on the 
Brooklyn Borough's Superbas.  But the rest of the borooughs have cashed in on "SuperMania".  The Superbas 
have become New Yorks City's favorite, especially after last years heart stopping and spectacular World Series win.
  Playoff and Series MVP Miguel MVP Cabrera yesterday led a team rally in Brooklyn's own Prospect Park near 
Grand Army Plaza that blocked traffic on Flatbush Avenue all the way down Flatbush avenue extension to the 
Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan's Chinatown.  Cabrera hit that famous 1 out 9th inning HR to tie and ultimately
win the Division playoffs in 7 games from arch rival Philly Phantastics.  Cabrera the Grand Poobah of today's
rally said " We like to thank our fans very much.  Salud!  Brooklyn!"   Disgruntled High Bridge fans protested the rally.
  High Bridge is New Yorks other team in the area, but the fans are not amused by the antics of loyal Brooklyn fans.  
Said cab driver Shetstaen AlFaisal "These animaux they crazy.  Make celebrate party by punch each other face in happy way.
  I'm going home now its too much.  My team the Heaters and this is not good for me..."  

Joey Loconsolo of Brooklyn's Bay Ridge section was in the 3rd Ave "Brooklyn Superba" bar when the announcement that 
Brooklyn won the home wild card seat was made by the bar tender whose identity must remain anonymous.  Said Joey, 
"Mink-ya...Min...I mean thats my boys.  Got that Jeter going off, with Cabrera, and Braun, Mah-ron thats what I'm talkin bout ya hear?".
  Shirley Lumpis of Staten Island was also in the Superba bar in the table across from Mr Loconsolo with her friends Gertie, and Gimble. 
" We cam hee-yah to watch the action.  And that game against the Iron Horses was good too, tee-hee".  Bars around New York reported sales
increases during the Brooklyn Cooperstown series.  The ratings and crowds may be quite high again for the upcoming Wild card round. 
Can Brooklyn pull it off? Manager Marc Wass thinks so.

Worst to First- The Iron Horse Turnaround

It was a Prince Fielder cannon ball type splash.

Bryan Bashers 2012 1st Playoff appearance!

Key additions were

Josh Tomlin, who was 2nd in wins (12) and 2nd in era (2.99) for the team. Acquired last offseason in a trade with Cooperstown.

Pablo Sandoval, a draft day trade, that anchored what offense Bryan did have (33HR, .996 OPS)

Joaquin Benoit, acquired in May, help shore up an already deep pen, with a 1.97 ERA.

Amazingly, Jason Isringhausen brought in 25 saves in 27 opportunities after being drafted in the 10th round.

Congratulations to all that have made the playoffs this year, and good luck! It's been a wild season, and the playoffs surely will be more of the same!

Getz To Miss Postseason

"We've had a great season," added Getz. "It's gonna be tough to have to sit this out. This is what you work for, a chance to do something special. All I can do now is cheer the guys on."

With two teams going into the postseason, the city is abuzz with talk of baseball and hopes of an inter-city series for the Staub conference championship.

"The Legend Of Donnybrook"

Legend has it that the word describes the time back in 2004

when a clueless Irish guy from out of town named Donny

went into a crowded bar and grill near the Brooklyn Bridge

known as Da Greasy Spoon Saloon at the height of Happy Hour

AND rush hour had a few mugs of Steeplechase brews.

Watching the CBA World Series playing on the TV above the bar,

Donny loudly (and carelessly) said some disparaging words

about the local CBA franchise that just happened to be at bat

that very moment.

The enraged partisan barflies instantly Twittered and texted

a flash mob summons. Within seconds the entire populace

of the borough converged on said watering hole and proceeded

to thoroughly and firmly, but violently, explain the incorrect syntax,

grammatical errors, and most especially the poor and inaccurate

word choices of Donny's remarks by using Donny's entire body

as a metaphor to diagram and correct his multiple verbal faux pas.

Having purged him of his anti-Superba bias (as well as most of his

consciousness and stomach contents) the crowd deemed it

appropriate that Donny should be "re-born" and, carrying Donny

over their heads and shoulders like a rock star in a mosh pit,

trooped their way to the Brooklyn Bridge where they gleefully

baptized him in the murky waters of the East River below.

Following the Superba triumph in the Series that very night,

the current logo was commissioned.

People have often remarked about the Superba logo

and the meaning of the little blemish seen in the

lower right edge.

Historians have postulated that it is a symbolic reference

to the legendary Steve Brody, but in explaining the meaning

of the word DONNYBROOK (as it applies to CBA fans

in Brooklyn anyway), the origins of that curious mark

have never been revealed....

UNTIL NOW...

It is early morning here in Renton, WA aka Skokie, IL
I just read the news today (oh boy) of San Diego's victory
of Longue Pointe to be our fourth team to survive to the
conference championship round

It is natural for us to focus on the remaining teams
as we wait to see who will face each other in the
CBA World Series -

at this juncture we have 3 teams who have never won
and one who has won (Philly) what 3 or 4 times, we
recall our WS visit against Philly in I think it was
2007 losing in six games and here we are again
for another chance

but before I speak and share some thoughts (this is
all propaganda of course to get things juicy as we
enter the next round, some postering, the usual
for the Wolf Guys) I want to once again acknowledge
and honor the six friends who were part of our party
who are now on the sidelines

Of course expanding to 10 playoffs teams I believe
was a good thing, it gave more teams a chance to
make the playoffs and we had five of those 50%
who had not had a chance before - it seems to have
worked too in the MLB as St.Louis who might be
in the series (similar to Philly in the CBA) would not
have had a chance without the extra slot

so we miss our friends in Brooklyn, Lake County,
Bryan, Cooperstown, Longue Pointe and Stirling,
while you might feel a bit disappointed you couldn't
go farther this year, you all did a hell of a job and
should be proud, as we all know only one can be
champion - and to do this is no easy task as Skokie
has experienced in our two unsuccessful bids to the show

what I can tell you is usually the team that wins at the
end may not have the best team on paper or with the
best record, its who is hot - and perhaps knows some
strategies to defeat their opponents working with the game

I can tell you when I have played the board game at tournaments,
I didn't have a prayer - all the strategies I remembered from the less
advanced board games or the computer game, didn't even help
me to finish at .500 in the two tournaments I played, although
I occasionally beat a good player

So we now have Montreal and San Diego - history would favor
San Diego but I played Montreal in Exhibition and got beat so
good pitching and defense in a short series can prove victorious,
this was a strategy we tried early in our history and while we
did get to the playoffs we couldn't get far so you have to have
patience for it to work and it seems Mr. Doug has it so it
could be surprising what happens here.

Of course Skokie has something to prove - Philly, thanks to
the new playoff system just makes it in - with the worse record
in the Clemente Conference - that when the Playoffs come,
the record means nothing - everything is reset and since
Philly has already been champion before, its just another
day at the office for GM Rob Hite - you notice Rob is very
humble, I noticed this during the banter between him and
the Boss, the Wass in their playoff series - always letting
others know he isn't sure if he can do it but goes ahead
and does it anyway - there is something of winning which
he understands, kind of like a personal secret, which is
why he is able to win or be there at the end - plus he
has a way to pull off bringing in the best young players,
look at his current roster

Billingsley, Castro, Craig, Cruz, Greinke, Hosmer,
Longoria, Lynn, Morrow, Morse, Verlander, Zobrist

this is why he stays good - its difficult to keep a team
successful from year to year - every year some key players
are injured or have a down year - we know and the only reason
why Skokie keeps showing up in the playoff is we trade -
we try every which way to bring a balanced team to the field
but one year, this method won't work and it could set us back
years

In round 1 of the Staub Playoffs, Doug Brunet's Montreal Crows swept past Cory Light's Bryan Bashers behind superior pitching in tight ball games. Both first time managers, but someone had to win. Montreal will play against the LP vs. SD winner. Rob Hite's Philly Phantastics defeated Malachi Nellum's Stirling RedSox 4 games to 3 in an epic and well played series. The Skokie Wolfmen defeated the Cooperstown Iron Horses 4 games to 1. Wolfman is looking at yet another Conference final to add to his resume.

Superbas claim New York!

 (AP) September 29th 2012  CBA©  Offices New York, NY all rights reserved. 

   "...And they danced, like a wave on the ocean...they romanced and they danced the night..." 
from Rockaway Beach in Queens to Manhattan's rediculous Upper West Side, all of New Yorks eyes are on the 
Brooklyn Borough's Superbas.  But the rest of the borooughs have cashed in on "SuperMania".  The Superbas 
have become New Yorks City's favorite, especially after last years heart stopping and spectacular World Series win.
  Playoff and Series MVP Miguel MVP Cabrera yesterday led a team rally in Brooklyn's own Prospect Park near 
Grand Army Plaza that blocked traffic on Flatbush Avenue all the way down Flatbush avenue extension to the 
Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan's Chinatown.  Cabrera hit that famous 1 out 9th inning HR to tie and ultimately
win the Division playoffs in 7 games from arch rival Philly Phantastics.  Cabrera the Grand Poobah of today's
rally said " We like to thank our fans very much.  Salud!  Brooklyn!"   Disgruntled High Bridge fans protested the rally.
  High Bridge is New Yorks other team in the area, but the fans are not amused by the antics of loyal Brooklyn fans.  
Said cab driver Shetstaen Alfyasal "These animaux they crazy.  Make celebrate party by punch each other face in happy way.
  I'm going home now its too much.  My team the Heaters and this is not good for me..."  

Joey Loconsolo of Brooklyn's Bay Ridge section was in the 3rd Ave "Brooklyn Superba" bar when the announcement that 
Brooklyn won the home wild card seat was made by the bar tender whose identity must remain anonymous.  Said Joey, 
"Mink-ya...Min...I mean thats my boys.  Got that Jeter going off, with Cabrera, and Braun, Mah-ron thats what I'm talkin bout ya hear?".
  Shirley Lumpis of Staten Island was also in the Superba bar in the table across from Mr Loconsolo with her friends Gertie, and Gimble. 
" We cam hee-yah to watch the action.  And that game against the Iron Horses was good too, tee-hee".  Bars around New York reported sales
increases during the Brooklyn Cooperstown series.  The ratings and crowds may be quite high again for the upcoming Wild card round. 
Can Brooklyn pull it off? Manager Marc Wass thinks so.

Worst to First- The Iron Horse Turnaround

It was a Prince Fielder cannon ball type splash.

Bryan Bashers 2012 1st Playoff appearance!

Key additions were

Josh Tomlin, who was 2nd in wins (12) and 2nd in era (2.99) for the team. Acquired last offseason in a trade with Cooperstown.

Pablo Sandoval, a draft day trade, that anchored what offense Bryan did have (33HR, .996 OPS)

Joaquin Benoit, acquired in May, help shore up an already deep pen, with a 1.97 ERA.

Amazingly, Jason Isringhausen brought in 25 saves in 27 opportunities after being drafted in the 10th round.

Congratulations to all that have made the playoffs this year, and good luck! It's been a wild season, and the playoffs surely will be more of the same!

Getz To Miss Postseason

"We've had a great season," added Getz. "It's gonna be tough to have to sit this out. This is what you work for, a chance to do something special. All I can do now is cheer the guys on."

With two teams going into the postseason, the city is abuzz with talk of baseball and hopes of an inter-city series for the Staub conference championship.

Pitchers

James Shields

Derek Holland

Jordan Zimmermann

Paul Maholm (designated starter for relief)

Dillon Gee

Tom Gorzelanny

Michael Stutes

Rafael Perez

Wilton Lopez

David Robertson

Mark Melancon

Catchers

Yorvit Torrealba

Lou Marson

Salvador Perez

Infielders

Todd Helton

Jeff Keppinger

J.J. Hardy

Alberto Callaspo

Nick Punto

Todd Frazier

Outfielders

Will Venable

Caneron Maybin

Jeff Francoeur

Tony Gwynn

Juan Rivera

The Joliet Jackhammers and Cooperstown Iron Horses faced off in the 2016 CBA World Series.

Game 1

A battle of aces, Jake Arrieta of Joliet squared off against Madison Bumgarner of Cooperstown in a classic pitching duel for the ages. Each pitcher threw a complete game, giving up no earned runs and 2 hits each combining for 21 K's in 17 innings . The difference maker? A Marcus Semien 2 base error on a Justin Upton ground ball. Fielder grounded to 2B to move him up to 3rd and Justin Turner hit a sac fly for the only run of the game.

Cooperstown 1 - Joliet 0

Cooperstown leads the series 1-0

Game 2

Harvey of CIM vs Quintana of JJC. It started with 7 shutout innings but Joliet scored a run in the top of the 8th when Gose reached base and was driven in by Granderson double. However, in the bottom of the 8th the Iron Horses got to Quintana and the trio of Kimbrel, Brach and Ross for 4 runs with a pinch hit 2 run double by Arencibia and another 2 run single by Justin Turner.

Cooperstown 4 - Joliet 1

Cooperstown leads the series 2-0.

Game 3

Kershaw vs Samardzija. Joliet picked up a run in the first, Cooperstown countered with a run in the 3rd. Cooperstown took the lead with a run in the top of the 5th but Joliet tied it up in the bottom of the innings. However, midseason acquisition Justin Turner came up big with a 3 run home run in the top of the 7th for what would be the difference making runs.

Cooperstown 6 - Joliet 3

Cooperstown leads the series 3-0

Game 4

Joliet and their Ace Arrieta trying to continue their season, Bumgarner and the Horses trying to win it all. The Horses took the lead in the top of the 5th by scoring 3 runs but the Hammers tied it up in the bottom of the innings. The Horses again took the lead in the top of the 6th with a run. In the bottom of the 6th game the at bat of the game. With 2 outs and the bases loaded Jack Frost decided to stick with Semien against Koji Uehara. His instincts were spot on with a game changing grand slam. Josh Reddick would add a HR in the 7th to allow the Jackhammers to sail to victory.

Joliet 9 - Cooperstown 4

Cooperstown leads the series 3-1

Game 5

Jason Hammel takes the hill for Cooperstown against Quintana The Iron Horses jump out to a 4-0 lead scoring runs in the 1st, 2nd and 5th while Hammel threw 7 shutout innings. He went out for the 8th but gave up a couple of hits before being pulled after 7 2/3 innings. Jose Fernandez came in and gave up another hit before the game was turned over to Uehara. Koji allowed a hit to let the third run score, but he escaped the 8th with Cooperstown clinging on to a 4-3 lead. Cooperstown scored an insurance run in the top of the 9th and Uehara came out to close it out in the bottom of the innings. Kris Bryant led off the innings with a walk. Granderson and Davis followed with singles. Grandal tied the game with another single bringing up Jean Segura with runners on 1st and 3rd and no one out. Segura lofted a ball deep to the OF for what was a walk off sac fly.

Joliet 6 - Cooperstown 5

Cooperstown leads the series 3-2

Game 6

Cooperstown send their ace Kershaw to the mound against Samardzija. The Iron Horses scored a run in the bottom of the 4th and that would be all the scoring through the first 7 innings as Samardija pitched 7 1/3 innings of 1 run ball and Kershaw took a perfect game into the 8th but after allowing Semien to reach base Jack Frost went to lefty killer Parker. Stamets countered with Pedro Baez, Frost countered with Rendon. It was Jack Frost who got the best of the chess moves this inning as Rendon hit a game tying double. After a scoreless 9th it went to extra innings. In the top of the 9th Granderson hit a swinging bunt in front of the plate. The veteran Yadier Molina pounced on the ball and made a strong throw but it hit Granderson and rolled into RF allowing Curtis to head to 2B. Semien came up and hit a single to left to allow Joliet to take the lead in the top of the 9th off of Tony Watson.

In the bottom of the 9th, the Cooperstown Iron Horses were down a run, knowing a game 7 would mean facing 20 game winner Jake Arrieta. After Brad Bach allowed a leadoff walk to Justin Upton, Frost turned to his big arm Craig Kimbrel to face what would have normally been Prince Fielder's DH spot, but he'd been pulled earlier in the game favor of pinch hitter and backup catcher J.P. Arenciba. J.P. however is no slouch. In 57 AB's during the regular season he hi .345 with a .684 SLG recording 4 HR serving as an extraordinary pinch hitter.

Kimbrel leaned in to take the sign, dangling his arm. J.P. was locked in. Kimbrel brought the 100 MPH heat but Arencibia was looking fastball and sent the ball sailing over the CF fence for a walkoff World Series winning HR off one of the best closers in the game.

Cooperstown 3 - Joliet 2

Cooperstown wins the World Series.

Towaco Wolfpack Press Release

High Bridge Heaters Press Release

2015 was a disappointment for the Heaters. Although we lost Matt Harvey for the year, we thought great managing and a few good breaks would have been enough to grab a wild card.

Skokie Wolfmen Press Release 2016

New Jersey Beatles Press Release

Essex Escapees Press Release

New Hampshire Prospectus

So heading into the draft, Pitching will be a priority.

Oct 26th, 2015

Hudson currently sits at 10th all time in CBA in strikeouts, 4th all time in wins, 3rd in innings, 2nd in starts and 9th in shutouts.

His 5th start of 2016 will make him the CBA all time leader in that category, passing Andy Pettitte who currently holds that title.

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Associated Press)

23 year old Maikel Franco (.497 SLG) and 23 year old run producer Nick Castellanos (33 doubles, 15 HR, 73 RBI).

We asked Hite what his plans were for all of them, and he shared,

"Hey, I am in no rush to trade any of them because having a group of young stars is a unique luxury for us. If we are bowled over with offers this Fall and Winter, we will listen. But the good-ol-days of Former Commish Claude Lamarre legislating against positional hoarding in CBA are long gone. I'm going to hoard away, baby! Unless the other GMs offer up some of their blue chip outfield talent, then I may listen"

Photo: Young Philly Phantastics stars Addison Russell and Javier Baez

February 18th, 2014

Japanese Ace Tanaka Bound for CBA

"I just want a chance to prove myself at the highest level," said Tanaka, "I am not playing favorites."

There may not be a lot of instant impact players in the coming draft, but there is no shortage of talent. And where there's talent, you'll find the CBA.

Let It Be...Beatles Win!

New York- Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. A Staub team will win the series. Let it be.

It's been a hard day's night, but Steve Adler will be sleeping like a log.

Series Recap:

Game 2 saw the Beatles defeat the Wolfmen, 7-1. Felix Hernandez earned the win with 5 2/3 strong innings, as Skokie could not muster much offense for the 2^nd game in a row.

For openers, congratulations to all the playoff teams.  Steve Adler, Kevin Gibson, Joe Wallace, Dennis Concepcion, Doug Brunet, Wolfman Shapiro, Marc Wass, Rob Hite, Bruce Bundy, Jack Jung.  Who will win it?  Wolfman vs Bundy in Clemente vs Steve Adler whose Beatles are the current  #1 hit across CBA Land.  
GM's next year is approaching rapidly.  There is a likelyhood of some rules clarifications and modifications.  Among the issues that coulClaude and Gerald should have known. The original CBA teams were all named after movie studios. The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone. The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record. Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard. But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald. Donald was known for his questionable participation. Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmanians it would change their fortunes. They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99. By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67. That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive. The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year. Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs. 

Just for some nostalgia.  Lets look back at a storied franchise that dissolved in favor of expansion after 2003.  The story of the Tennessee Tazmanians run by Stephane Bouchard.  
The franchise story was different from its inception.  
  The original CBA teams if I recall were all named after movie studios.  The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone?? {Claude?}.  The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record.  Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard.  But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald.  Donald was known for his questionable participation.  Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmanians it would change their fortunes.  They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99.  By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67.  That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive.  The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year.  Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.  


Belfast: .742 X Rating, .251 BA against, .305 IRSC a 3.68 ERA...but .310 OBA .104 ISO, .348 slug meant 3.46 runs support.  22-44 vs Dawson's LP, Montreal, Limoilou....But Belfast walloped Monday 31-17 for season.  What does that tell you about Dawson?

Brooklyn: After losing Parker by 1 game to Carolina, took revenge in '13 sweeping Carolina and winning div title in process.  Braun .331 30 SB 48 HR 128 RBI 116 runs, Miguel Cabrera .352 .428 OBA .630 slg, 43 HR, 136 RBI 113 runs 216 hits, RA Dickey 17-7 2.93 239 K's, David Price 13-6 3.22 203 K's, Jeter 20 HR 96 RBI .322 13 SB 218 hits.  They carried Brooklyn.  Brooklyn led CBA in batting .287.  Lower than usual power totals and average in Coors were made up for with a rare display of speed by the Superbas.  They stole a team record 131 stolen bases led by Jarrod Dyson's 54. 


Bryan:  Another winning season for Cory Light.  The Bryan Bashers hung tough until the final two blocks.  The battle with Towaco was fierce and right to the last month.  Bryan featured excellent pitching.  Perhaps the best Basher staff in recent memory finishing 4th overall.  The pen saved 53.  Though Casey Janssen finished with 31 sv it was a committee of relievers who had save totals.  .242 IRSC (Inherited runners scoring) The offense doesn't jump out at you.  The numbers are below average.  .246, 149 ISO, 166 HR's not bad for Staub however.  Part timer Dwayne Wise 12, led the er speedy Bashers to 51 stolen bases.  Paul Konerko deserves MVP consideration carrying this team on his back virtually himself .296 31 HR 96 RBI.  Nick Swisher chipped in with .227  25 HR's.  
 
Carolina: Fell just short.  In tough Parker, Carolina had a few sluggers who provided offense.  Shoo in for rookie of the year Willin Rosario hit 30 HR's, Votto 11 HR 61 RBI .329 in an  injury laden season.  Zimmerman 23 HR, Dunn 25 HR, Kubel 22 HR 82 RBI, and Marco Scutaro .312 led CBA with 27 sacrifices. Had 18 Hit and run hits using that it's advantage.  The low team OBA/SLG .324/.398 hurt most. The pitchers were tough. Anibal Sanchez finished 14-10 3.41 152 K's, J Johnson 12-10 3.57.  Huston Street saved 26.  Took 3 of 4 to finish the season block 25 in revenge of losing the week before spoiling Newton's Parker run.

Cooperstown: The Iron Horses cashed in early in the season after some early set backs.  They acquired draft picks and players looking ahead. Some very promising rookies like Byrom Buxton, Evan Gattis, Jeff Locke to go along with player returness like Matt Kemp 25 HR 65 RBI .277 and Adrian Gonzo 23 HR 81 RBI .275.   27 traded ballplayers from the team.  The future will tell if Cooperstown will return to prominence.  On paper it looks like it could be.

High Bridge opened the season strong.  They remained only two games back by June 17th.  They hung around into July before fading when roster changes took place and rest given to the over worked players.  The future seemed bright when John Miller grabbed Matt Harvey with his number 1 pick.  When MLB Harvey went down with injury, the Heaters front office felt let down.  Though the injury isn't as serious as could have been, Harvey will have a superior card in 2014.  Dillon Gee has returned from his serious injury to become a front end pitcher as well to go along with Rick Porcello.  Young talent like Denard Span, Didi Gregorius, Starling Marte, and Alex Presley present well for future years.  Tyler Colvin had a very good year 17 HR

Indiana:  returned to the press with a nice little run for the Monday title.  The Redbirds reclaimed a taste of their glory years of last decade with a return to first as late as mid September.  Who could ask for more?  When the pitching and key sluggers like Pujols, and Hamilton suffered injuries the last week.  Hamilton 46 HR 109 RBI .265BA.  Pujols 39 HR 124 RBI .298 BA a typical year for him.  Pujols career totals .323 601 HR's 1,591 RBI's.  Indy won 14 of 17 down the stretch in September to keep the pressure on Skokie.  Indiana socked a whopping 250 Homers in '13.  Catchers (Wieter) threw out 39% of their base stealers best in CBA. 

Joliet: Jack Frost builds, slowly but surely.  Looking for a return to the glory days of 2008, '14 could be the year the Jacks could make some noise.  2013 saw a 68-94 record which was not too awful.  Some moments of good play.  The Jacks had a good July which brought them neqar the cust of the second wildcard range. 9 games under .500, but so were a few teams.  One August and eventual Staub champ New Jersey came to town, Joliet underwent a long losing streak to fade away into CBA's abyss.  Middlebrooks 14 HR 49 RBI .339, Chris Carter 24 HR, and Rizzo 16 HR .319 starred. Some bright youngsters are on hand to make the future a bright one.

Limoilou; Our long time friend Jeff Boutet stepped aside in 2013 departing CBA as it's championship leader with 3. The Wendigo used good pitching from Latos 13-9 2.84, Kimbrel 7-1 26sv, Scherzer 14-8, Kershaw 17-5 3.23.  Melty Cabrera 10 HR 54 RBI .334 was among leaders in batting. Granderson 39, and Fielder 26 HR generated power in their approach to a wildcard.  James Blakely replaced Jeff for the final month steering them just shy of the final wildcard despite inherited usage situations.

Longue Pointe: One of 2013 great mysteries, what happened to Dennis Concepcion? His proxied team took a wildcard spot but lost to San Diego Surf in the playoffs.

Maine:  Up and down roller coaster for the Express. Started off April relatively fast, then dropped a bunch to fade fast from first place after 3 weeks.  From May and June They hovered at .500 then a losing streak took hold dropping them back a ways.
When it all seemed lost, Mike Koepp reeled off an impressive 12 game winning streak to highlight a streaky season. They made a rush to .500 and into contention, but usage became a factor and the fade took them out of the race in the second half.  Perhaps some better hitting vs lefties where a 20-32 record against lefty starters hurt them most. Acloser look shows the power shortage vs L hurt worse than the BA.

Montreal: Second best season, and same results.  Twice to the Staub Showdown and no show, yet. The Crows are now known for their pitching, defense, and '13 was more of the same. The addition of Cory Hart and Garrett Jones no doubt got them to the dance. But the price they paid has yet to be determined. Though Montreal traded quite a bit, Brunet knows how hard it is to get to the dance and join the CBA elite franchises which Montreal has now done twice in a row 5 years after his initial DRAFTING from scratch of a team.  Montreal and Westminster were true expansion teams in that year.  Its possible that there could be another expansion in the future,but Montreal shows, that from having initially no talent a dedicated GM can achieve high status in post season events.  Post season = Best of year. Conference finals equals elite teams for a season. Doing more than one time brings the level higher. Consider that Doug has done it in season 4 and 5 but...what about 2014? The draft will be important for the Crows.

New Hampshire: The assigned history of this franchise is quite fascinating I find.  The history was one of turmoil. Possibly CBA least successful franchise that had been snake bitten from day 1.  Right now Chris Brazeau has stabilized, and rebuilt this franchise gone wild.  Lets look back.  Claude and Gerald should have known.   The original CBA teams were all named after movie studios.  The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone.  The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record.  Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard.  But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald.  Donald was known for his questionable participation.  Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmainians it would change their fortunes.  They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99.  By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67.  That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive.  The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year.  Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.  

Well New Hampshire is continuing the structure started by Brazeau to get into the upper ranks.  a 59-103 season was a setback of sorts.  Some expected a better record for '13 but '14 could be promising.  Matt Cain fronts the staff. Hanley Ramirez returns to SS at a very high level at least part time. Masterson steps up into the top of the rotatsh.   Profar gets utility work.  D'Aza steps up,  The future looks bright.  Viciedo led hitters with 27 HR, Cain was 10-15 3.50 ERA.  

New Jersey: It was like 1964.  The year the Beatles controlled the charts.  The Jersey boys controlled all of Staub at one pint winning 20 in a row just shy of the CBA record.  They controlled the Staub Playoffs.  Shrewd deals. Killer pen, and some stick to boot.  See how they do in the big show.  

Newton:  Last years near miss in the playoffs, just made him angry.  Laying low in the standings, the Newton Bombs found a way to win and manage usage enroute to the franchises first playoff.  It was at the end that the strategy master put the puzzle pieces together, to enter and take out the veteran Rob Hite in the playoffs, no easy task 3 games to 1.  Next, Bundy had to play Clementes toughest team, Ottawa.  With all on the line the two managers dueled a full 7 games.  In the end, Bundy defeated Jack Jung to advance to meet the Wolfman in the Clem finals.  Newton used all resources to get this far.  .745 X rated fielding. .345 OBA, .452 slug showed Clemente like offense.  A team 4.62 ERA was 3rd worst, but the saving grace was Bruce's use of the bullpen to get wins.  A team .225 IRSC.  Only 8 pb 55 wp from the batteries, Newton's pen shutdown those late runners.

Ohio:  Great offense team .273 BA with 195 Homers.  This team was made for Clemente.  They were able to play against friendly rival Carolina face to face on occassion.  Somehow more was expected of Ohio befor ethe season began.  As the T Cats began to start and look good, they too faded back in the tough Clemente.  The Conference teams are all quite strong and capable of defeating each other.  We saw that with even the second division teams defeating and spoiling for the top standings teams.  Ohio led by Buster Posey's 21 HR 86 RBI .352 season may get some MVP consideration.  Matt Holiday added 30 taters.  Fredrick Freeman added 28.  A team .181 ISO PWR good, So it wasn't that offense.  Than what?  Defense? .745 X rating not bad, 79-83 record was attributed to the pitching staff's failure to get guys out.  4.56 ERA.  Clay Buckholtz 15-8 4.08 ERA was a lone bright spot. A .362 IRSC stunk.  Then pen and rotation failed.

Ottawa:  Best regular season ever for the Otters.   Team .353 OBA, .272 BA, 965 runs, 265 HR's .481 slug team records all.  Best in 17 seasons.  Ottawa took that offense led by MVP candidates Trout 44 HR 125 RBI .325, McCutchen 48 HR 127 RBI .307,  Papi's 30 HR 91 RBI .347 BA in 322 AB.  Leadoff hitters hit 30 HR, 2nd place hitters 42 HR, 3rd place hitters hit 50 , cleanup hitters hit 52.    Perhaps the best top half of the lineup years!  A season for the ages.  The team 3.91 ERA could have meant more wins if lower.  Gallardo 19-6 4.38, Fister 13-6 3.58, and Yu Darvish 14-7 4.26, had solid seasons.  Ottawa was 4 games back on May 2nd, but got hot to take first place and never look back.  They led runner up Philly all season after the first week of May.  

Philly came on strong at the end to snatch wildcard number 2 in the last block.  Is that any news at all that Rob Hite had made the playoffs yet again? Hite has 5 World Series appearances.  The elite?  Perhaps Rob is one of the standards that others will  be measured by.  A true elite franchise.  egular playoff appearances, it isn't just luck.  Hite has won 3 Championships.  This year the big trade came back to hurt some as Justin Verlander 24-4 went on to lead New Jersey to a walk away title.  Rob got back Bruce Harper 22 HR 81 .272 who went on to become a main cog in the powerful Philly Offense.   Philly slugged 230 HR with a team .281 BA.  
Quebec:  Led by Hall of Famer Dino Barnabe is building up.  They have some high draft picks, and some very good young players just waiting to break loose.  Quebec hit 231 HR last year showing alot of power.  Mitch Moreland slugged 23 HR .298, Cespedes had a great year .295 28 HR.  Trumbo slugged 32 HR's, and Josh Reddick added a big 35 HR's.  .183 ISO power is among the leagues best.  The BA was a low .250, with only 649 runs knocked in.  Homers with out men on base.  Cant win those games if the defense drops 142 balls ,and the pens allows 35% of inherited runners to score. Clearly this is a team on the rise.  The pitching defense and speed may have hurt, but the future and the draft could make Barnabe a player once more.

River Meadow:  Claude Lamarre is back.  The Monarchs hung around .500 or just under most of the year.  The team was not strong enough to contend for the title, so Lamarre acquired some draft picks for some aged retired players.  The Monarchs did slighty better on the road.  They did a bit better in one run games as their pen was strong .281 IRSC.  The opponents .287 batting average hurt the pitchers but the teams 3.87 runs of offensive run support was pathetic.  A team .315 on base, and no real slugging threats aside from catcher Ryan Doumit and the stud 1B from Baltimore {whats that} Chris Davis who hit 37 HR.  Next season Chris Davis major league high for Baltimore 53 HR .286 BA should carry this team a long way the way Mark McGwire once did.   There's great talent here with Kipness, Iglesias at SS, Davis who is going to be awesome, Fowler, Teheran, Lowry, Carpenter   around t contend in '14 with a good draft. 

San Diego: The Surf dynasty continues.  The Surf have won yet again getting into another playoffs.  All the classy Joe Wallace does is win baby.  The Surf continue to draft well each year and develop new talent.  Wallace rarely misses with his young prospects.  This year David Wright, Giancarlitolo Stanton 45 HR,obinson Cano led a strong offense.  .327 26 HR 110 RBI's.  SD lost to Staub Chmapion NJ in round 1.  Expect Wallace to be back with his dynastic franchise.

Skokie:  The Wolfman has parlayed his way using the trade market to gain an advantage.  That advantage led to a final week clinch of the Monday title, narrowly defeating Indiana's Bob fidler in some head to head matchups.  Wolfman's mastery of the usage and preparation provided dividends.  Skokie got excellent support down the stretch from Ethier who got hot, Future hall of famer acquired from Joliet Juan Pierre who provided a leadoff hitter, and the spot usage of Troy Tulowitsky.  The Wolfman acquired bullpen supprt and pitching as well.  This combined to add up to another appearance in the Clemente finals.

Stirling: A good offense with a team .277 BA.  Despite 'only' 140 HR's, the Redsox contended into the last 3 blocks in September.  Ultimately, injuries and other issues kept the Sox from a deserved wildcard spot.  Brett Butler 38 HR 107 RBI .304 BA was a team best.  148 stolen bases led by Campana 20,Choo 30, and Andrus 27.  Kenley Jansen led the pitchers with 38 saves.  No starters stood out.  Buehrle went 13-10 4.55, and Ian Kennedy 13-16 was an iron horse.  The pen was otherwise not too good allowing 32% of inheriteds to score.

Towaco:  Kevin Gibson proved a saavy manager guiding a relatively well balanced but not spectacular team all the way to the Rogers title over rival Bryan Bashers.  Towaco use magaer matchups despite an ordinary Staub offense.   They go on base a pretty good .333 OBA, which for Staub is good.  A .420 slug is fairly decent.  Managed  .755 team production.   .159 ISO was weak.   Two players with 20+Homers were Russ Martin 24 HR .179 BA, and P Alvarez 25 HR 80 RBI .256.  174 HR was good for Staub, and a .261 average not bad.  Just balanced.  Ken Medlen pitched absolutely lights out.  He was the difference.  consider for Cy Young  16-1 1.21, I say 1.21 ERA but only 21 starts. but those were big starts.  Towaco had a great year despite bowing to Staub champ NJ.  Gibson is proving to be quite a GM and tactician.

CBA: Where the Action Is February 23, 2013

And as Shapiro alluded to, Hite adds, "You have to respect what your dealing with in this league. If you don't go out and find your guys, someone else will. That's the nature of the beast."

Recap

Superbas claim New York!

 (AP) September 29th 2012  CBA©  Offices New York, NY all rights reserved. 

   "...And they danced, like a wave on the ocean...they romanced and they danced the night..." 
from Rockaway Beach in Queens to Manhattan's rediculous Upper West Side, all of New Yorks eyes are on the 
Brooklyn Borough's Superbas.  But the rest of the borooughs have cashed in on "SuperMania".  The Superbas 
have become New Yorks City's favorite, especially after last years heart stopping and spectacular World Series win.
  Playoff and Series MVP Miguel MVP Cabrera yesterday led a team rally in Brooklyn's own Prospect Park near 
Grand Army Plaza that blocked traffic on Flatbush Avenue all the way down Flatbush avenue extension to the 
Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan's Chinatown.  Cabrera hit that famous 1 out 9th inning HR to tie and ultimately
win the Division playoffs in 7 games from arch rival Philly Phantastics.  Cabrera the Grand Poobah of today's
rally said " We like to thank our fans very much.  Salud!  Brooklyn!"   Disgruntled High Bridge fans protested the rally.
  High Bridge is New Yorks other team in the area, but the fans are not amused by the antics of loyal Brooklyn fans.  
Said cab driver Shetstaen AlFaisal "These animaux they crazy.  Make celebrate party by punch each other face in happy way.
  I'm going home now its too much.  My team the Heaters and this is not good for me..."  

Joey Loconsolo of Brooklyn's Bay Ridge section was in the 3rd Ave "Brooklyn Superba" bar when the announcement that 
Brooklyn won the home wild card seat was made by the bar tender whose identity must remain anonymous.  Said Joey, 
"Mink-ya...Min...I mean thats my boys.  Got that Jeter going off, with Cabrera, and Braun, Mah-ron thats what I'm talkin bout ya hear?".
  Shirley Lumpis of Staten Island was also in the Superba bar in the table across from Mr Loconsolo with her friends Gertie, and Gimble. 
" We cam hee-yah to watch the action.  And that game against the Iron Horses was good too, tee-hee".  Bars around New York reported sales
increases during the Brooklyn Cooperstown series.  The ratings and crowds may be quite high again for the upcoming Wild card round. 
Can Brooklyn pull it off? Manager Marc Wass thinks so.

Worst to First- The Iron Horse Turnaround

It was a Prince Fielder cannon ball type splash.

Bryan Bashers 2012 1st Playoff appearance!

Key additions were

Josh Tomlin, who was 2nd in wins (12) and 2nd in era (2.99) for the team. Acquired last offseason in a trade with Cooperstown.

Pablo Sandoval, a draft day trade, that anchored what offense Bryan did have (33HR, .996 OPS)

Joaquin Benoit, acquired in May, help shore up an already deep pen, with a 1.97 ERA.

Amazingly, Jason Isringhausen brought in 25 saves in 27 opportunities after being drafted in the 10th round.

Congratulations to all that have made the playoffs this year, and good luck! It's been a wild season, and the playoffs surely will be more of the same!

Getz To Miss Postseason

"We've had a great season," added Getz. "It's gonna be tough to have to sit this out. This is what you work for, a chance to do something special. All I can do now is cheer the guys on."

With two teams going into the postseason, the city is abuzz with talk of baseball and hopes of an inter-city series for the Staub conference championship.

"The Legend Of Donnybrook"

Legend has it that the word describes the time back in 2004

when a clueless Irish guy from out of town named Donny

went into a crowded bar and grill near the Brooklyn Bridge

known as Da Greasy Spoon Saloon at the height of Happy Hour

AND rush hour had a few mugs of Steeplechase brews.

Watching the CBA World Series playing on the TV above the bar,

Donny loudly (and carelessly) said some disparaging words

about the local CBA franchise that just happened to be at bat

that very moment.

The enraged partisan barflies instantly Twittered and texted

a flash mob summons. Within seconds the entire populace

of the borough converged on said watering hole and proceeded

to thoroughly and firmly, but violently, explain the incorrect syntax,

grammatical errors, and most especially the poor and inaccurate

word choices of Donny's remarks by using Donny's entire body

as a metaphor to diagram and correct his multiple verbal faux pas.

Having purged him of his anti-Superba bias (as well as most of his

consciousness and stomach contents) the crowd deemed it

appropriate that Donny should be "re-born" and, carrying Donny

over their heads and shoulders like a rock star in a mosh pit,

trooped their way to the Brooklyn Bridge where they gleefully

baptized him in the murky waters of the East River below.

Following the Superba triumph in the Series that very night,

the current logo was commissioned.

People have often remarked about the Superba logo

and the meaning of the little blemish seen in the

lower right edge.

Historians have postulated that it is a symbolic reference

to the legendary Steve Brody, but in explaining the meaning

of the word DONNYBROOK (as it applies to CBA fans

in Brooklyn anyway), the origins of that curious mark

have never been revealed....

UNTIL NOW...

It is early morning here in Renton, WA aka Skokie, IL
I just read the news today (oh boy) of San Diego's victory
of Longue Pointe to be our fourth team to survive to the
conference championship round

It is natural for us to focus on the remaining teams
as we wait to see who will face each other in the
CBA World Series -

at this juncture we have 3 teams who have never won
and one who has won (Philly) what 3 or 4 times, we
recall our WS visit against Philly in I think it was
2007 losing in six games and here we are again
for another chance

but before I speak and share some thoughts (this is
all propaganda of course to get things juicy as we
enter the next round, some postering, the usual
for the Wolf Guys) I want to once again acknowledge
and honor the six friends who were part of our party
who are now on the sidelines

Of course expanding to 10 playoffs teams I believe
was a good thing, it gave more teams a chance to
make the playoffs and we had five of those 50%
who had not had a chance before - it seems to have
worked too in the MLB as St.Louis who might be
in the series (similar to Philly in the CBA) would not
have had a chance without the extra slot

so we miss our friends in Brooklyn, Lake County,
Bryan, Cooperstown, Longue Pointe and Stirling,
while you might feel a bit disappointed you couldn't
go farther this year, you all did a hell of a job and
should be proud, as we all know only one can be
champion - and to do this is no easy task as Skokie
has experienced in our two unsuccessful bids to the show

what I can tell you is usually the team that wins at the
end may not have the best team on paper or with the
best record, its who is hot - and perhaps knows some
strategies to defeat their opponents working with the game

I can tell you when I have played the board game at tournaments,
I didn't have a prayer - all the strategies I remembered from the less
advanced board games or the computer game, didn't even help
me to finish at .500 in the two tournaments I played, although
I occasionally beat a good player

So we now have Montreal and San Diego - history would favor
San Diego but I played Montreal in Exhibition and got beat so
good pitching and defense in a short series can prove victorious,
this was a strategy we tried early in our history and while we
did get to the playoffs we couldn't get far so you have to have
patience for it to work and it seems Mr. Doug has it so it
could be surprising what happens here.

Of course Skokie has something to prove - Philly, thanks to
the new playoff system just makes it in - with the worse record
in the Clemente Conference - that when the Playoffs come,
the record means nothing - everything is reset and since
Philly has already been champion before, its just another
day at the office for GM Rob Hite - you notice Rob is very
humble, I noticed this during the banter between him and
the Boss, the Wass in their playoff series - always letting
others know he isn't sure if he can do it but goes ahead
and does it anyway - there is something of winning which
he understands, kind of like a personal secret, which is
why he is able to win or be there at the end - plus he
has a way to pull off bringing in the best young players,
look at his current roster

Billingsley, Castro, Craig, Cruz, Greinke, Hosmer,
Longoria, Lynn, Morrow, Morse, Verlander, Zobrist

this is why he stays good - its difficult to keep a team
successful from year to year - every year some key players
are injured or have a down year - we know and the only reason
why Skokie keeps showing up in the playoff is we trade -
we try every which way to bring a balanced team to the field
but one year, this method won't work and it could set us back
years

In round 1 of the Staub Playoffs, Doug Brunet's Montreal Crows swept past Cory Light's Bryan Bashers behind superior pitching in tight ball games. Both first time managers, but someone had to win. Montreal will play against the LP vs. SD winner. Rob Hite's Philly Phantastics defeated Malachi Nellum's Stirling RedSox 4 games to 3 in an epic and well played series. The Skokie Wolfmen defeated the Cooperstown Iron Horses 4 games to 1. Wolfman is looking at yet another Conference final to add to his resume.

Superbas claim New York!

 (AP) September 29th 2012  CBA©  Offices New York, NY all rights reserved. 

   "...And they danced, like a wave on the ocean...they romanced and they danced the night..." 
from Rockaway Beach in Queens to Manhattan's rediculous Upper West Side, all of New Yorks eyes are on the 
Brooklyn Borough's Superbas.  But the rest of the borooughs have cashed in on "SuperMania".  The Superbas 
have become New Yorks City's favorite, especially after last years heart stopping and spectacular World Series win.
  Playoff and Series MVP Miguel MVP Cabrera yesterday led a team rally in Brooklyn's own Prospect Park near 
Grand Army Plaza that blocked traffic on Flatbush Avenue all the way down Flatbush avenue extension to the 
Manhattan Bridge and into Manhattan's Chinatown.  Cabrera hit that famous 1 out 9th inning HR to tie and ultimately
win the Division playoffs in 7 games from arch rival Philly Phantastics.  Cabrera the Grand Poobah of today's
rally said " We like to thank our fans very much.  Salud!  Brooklyn!"   Disgruntled High Bridge fans protested the rally.
  High Bridge is New Yorks other team in the area, but the fans are not amused by the antics of loyal Brooklyn fans.  
Said cab driver Shetstaen Alfyasal "These animaux they crazy.  Make celebrate party by punch each other face in happy way.
  I'm going home now its too much.  My team the Heaters and this is not good for me..."  

Joey Loconsolo of Brooklyn's Bay Ridge section was in the 3rd Ave "Brooklyn Superba" bar when the announcement that 
Brooklyn won the home wild card seat was made by the bar tender whose identity must remain anonymous.  Said Joey, 
"Mink-ya...Min...I mean thats my boys.  Got that Jeter going off, with Cabrera, and Braun, Mah-ron thats what I'm talkin bout ya hear?".
  Shirley Lumpis of Staten Island was also in the Superba bar in the table across from Mr Loconsolo with her friends Gertie, and Gimble. 
" We cam hee-yah to watch the action.  And that game against the Iron Horses was good too, tee-hee".  Bars around New York reported sales
increases during the Brooklyn Cooperstown series.  The ratings and crowds may be quite high again for the upcoming Wild card round. 
Can Brooklyn pull it off? Manager Marc Wass thinks so.

Worst to First- The Iron Horse Turnaround

It was a Prince Fielder cannon ball type splash.

Bryan Bashers 2012 1st Playoff appearance!

Key additions were

Josh Tomlin, who was 2nd in wins (12) and 2nd in era (2.99) for the team. Acquired last offseason in a trade with Cooperstown.

Pablo Sandoval, a draft day trade, that anchored what offense Bryan did have (33HR, .996 OPS)

Joaquin Benoit, acquired in May, help shore up an already deep pen, with a 1.97 ERA.

Amazingly, Jason Isringhausen brought in 25 saves in 27 opportunities after being drafted in the 10th round.

Congratulations to all that have made the playoffs this year, and good luck! It's been a wild season, and the playoffs surely will be more of the same!

Getz To Miss Postseason

"We've had a great season," added Getz. "It's gonna be tough to have to sit this out. This is what you work for, a chance to do something special. All I can do now is cheer the guys on."

With two teams going into the postseason, the city is abuzz with talk of baseball and hopes of an inter-city series for the Staub conference championship.

Pitchers

James Shields

Derek Holland

Jordan Zimmermann

Paul Maholm (designated starter for relief)

Dillon Gee

Tom Gorzelanny

Michael Stutes

Rafael Perez

Wilton Lopez

David Robertson

Mark Melancon

Catchers

Yorvit Torrealba

Lou Marson

Salvador Perez

Infielders

Todd Helton

Jeff Keppinger

J.J. Hardy

Alberto Callaspo

Nick Punto

Todd Frazier

Outfielders

Will Venable

Caneron Maybin

Jeff Francoeur

Tony Gwynn

Juan Rivera

For openers, congratulations to all the playoff teams. Steve Adler, Kevin Gibson, Joe Wallace, Dennis Concepcion, Doug Brunet, Wolfman Shapiro, Marc Wass, Rob Hite, Bruce Bundy, Jack Jung. Who will win it? Wolfman vs Bundy in Clemente vs Steve Adler whose Beatles are the current #1 hit across CBA Land.
GM's next year is approaching rapidly. There is a likelyhood of some rules clarifications and modifications. Among the issues that coulClaude and Gerald should have known. The original CBA teams were all named after movie studios. The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone. The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record. Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard. But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald. Donald was known for his questionable participation. Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmanians it would change their fortunes. They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99. By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67. That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive. The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year. Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.

Just for some nostalgia. Lets look back at a storied franchise that dissolved in favor of expansion after 2003. The story of the Tennessee Tazmanians run by Stephane Bouchard.
The franchise story was different from its inception.
The original CBA teams if I recall were all named after movie studios. The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone?? {Claude?}. The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record. Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard. But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald. Donald was known for his questionable participation. Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmanians it would change their fortunes. They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99. By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67. That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive. The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year. Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.

Belfast: .742 X Rating, .251 BA against, .305 IRSC a 3.68 ERA...but .310 OBA .104 ISO, .348 slug meant 3.46 runs support. 22-44 vs Dawson's LP, Montreal, Limoilou....But Belfast walloped Monday 31-17 for season. What does that tell you about Dawson?

Brooklyn: After losing Parker by 1 game to Carolina, took revenge in '13 sweeping Carolina and winning div title in process. Braun .331 30 SB 48 HR 128 RBI 116 runs, Miguel Cabrera .352 .428 OBA .630 slg, 43 HR, 136 RBI 113 runs 216 hits, RA Dickey 17-7 2.93 239 K's, David Price 13-6 3.22 203 K's, Jeter 20 HR 96 RBI .322 13 SB 218 hits. They carried Brooklyn. Brooklyn led CBA in batting .287. Lower than usual power totals and average in Coors were made up for with a rare display of speed by the Superbas. They stole a team record 131 stolen bases led by Jarrod Dyson's 54.

Bryan: Another winning season for Cory Light. The Bryan Bashers hung tough until the final two blocks. The battle with Towaco was fierce and right to the last month. Bryan featured excellent pitching. Perhaps the best Basher staff in recent memory finishing 4th overall. The pen saved 53. Though Casey Janssen finished with 31 sv it was a committee of relievers who had save totals. .242 IRSC (Inherited runners scoring) The offense doesn't jump out at you. The numbers are below average. .246, 149 ISO, 166 HR's not bad for Staub however. Part timer Dwayne Wise 12, led the er speedy Bashers to 51 stolen bases. Paul Konerko deserves MVP consideration carrying this team on his back virtually himself .296 31 HR 96 RBI. Nick Swisher chipped in with .227 25 HR's.

Carolina: Fell just short. In tough Parker, Carolina had a few sluggers who provided offense. Shoo in for rookie of the year Willin Rosario hit 30 HR's, Votto 11 HR 61 RBI .329 in an injury laden season. Zimmerman 23 HR, Dunn 25 HR, Kubel 22 HR 82 RBI, and Marco Scutaro .312 led CBA with 27 sacrifices. Had 18 Hit and run hits using that it's advantage. The low team OBA/SLG .324/.398 hurt most. The pitchers were tough. Anibal Sanchez finished 14-10 3.41 152 K's, J Johnson 12-10 3.57. Huston Street saved 26. Took 3 of 4 to finish the season block 25 in revenge of losing the week before spoiling Newton's Parker run.

Cooperstown: The Iron Horses cashed in early in the season after some early set backs. They acquired draft picks and players looking ahead. Some very promising rookies like Byrom Buxton, Evan Gattis, Jeff Locke to go along with player returness like Matt Kemp 25 HR 65 RBI .277 and Adrian Gonzo 23 HR 81 RBI .275.   27 traded ballplayers from the team. The future will tell if Cooperstown will return to prominence. On paper it looks like it could be.

High Bridge opened the season strong. They remained only two games back by June 17th. They hung around into July before fading when roster changes took place and rest given to the over worked players. The future seemed bright when John Miller grabbed Matt Harvey with his number 1 pick. When MLB Harvey went down with injury, the Heaters front office felt let down. Though the injury isn't as serious as could have been, Harvey will have a superior card in 2014. Dillon Gee has returned from his serious injury to become a front end pitcher as well to go along with Rick Porcello. Young talent like Denard Span, Didi Gregorius, Starling Marte, and Alex Presley present well for future years. Tyler Colvin had a very good year 17 HR

Indiana: returned to the press with a nice little run for the Monday title. The Redbirds reclaimed a taste of their glory years of last decade with a return to first as late as mid September. Who could ask for more? When the pitching and key sluggers like Pujols, and Hamilton suffered injuries the last week. Hamilton 46 HR 109 RBI .265BA. Pujols 39 HR 124 RBI .298 BA a typical year for him. Pujols career totals .323 601 HR's 1,591 RBI's. Indy won 14 of 17 down the stretch in September to keep the pressure on Skokie. Indiana socked a whopping 250 Homers in '13. Catchers (Wieter) threw out 39% of their base stealers best in CBA.

Joliet: Jack Frost builds, slowly but surely. Looking for a return to the glory days of 2008, '14 could be the year the Jacks could make some noise. 2013 saw a 68-94 record which was not too awful. Some moments of good play. The Jacks had a good July which brought them neqar the cust of the second wildcard range. 9 games under .500, but so were a few teams. One August and eventual Staub champ New Jersey came to town, Joliet underwent a long losing streak to fade away into CBA's abyss. Middlebrooks 14 HR 49 RBI .339, Chris Carter 24 HR, and Rizzo 16 HR .319 starred. Some bright youngsters are on hand to make the future a bright one.

Limoilou; Our long time friend Jeff Boutet stepped aside in 2013 departing CBA as it's championship leader with 3. The Wendigo used good pitching from Latos 13-9 2.84, Kimbrel 7-1 26sv, Scherzer 14-8, Kershaw 17-5 3.23. Melty Cabrera 10 HR 54 RBI .334 was among leaders in batting. Granderson 39, and Fielder 26 HR generated power in their approach to a wildcard. James Blakely replaced Jeff for the final month steering them just shy of the final wildcard despite inherited usage situations.

Longue Pointe: One of 2013 great mysteries, what happened to Dennis Concepcion? His proxied team took a wildcard spot but lost to San Diego Surf in the playoffs.

Maine: Up and down roller coaster for the Express. Started off April relatively fast, then dropped a bunch to fade fast from first place after 3 weeks. From May and June They hovered at .500 then a losing streak took hold dropping them back a ways.
When it all seemed lost, Mike Koepp reeled off an impressive 12 game winning streak to highlight a streaky season. They made a rush to .500 and into contention, but usage became a factor and the fade took them out of the race in the second half. Perhaps some better hitting vs lefties where a 20-32 record against lefty starters hurt them most. Acloser look shows the power shortage vs L hurt worse than the BA.

Montreal: Second best season, and same results. Twice to the Staub Showdown and no show, yet. The Crows are now known for their pitching, defense, and '13 was more of the same. The addition of Cory Hart and Garrett Jones no doubt got them to the dance. But the price they paid has yet to be determined. Though Montreal traded quite a bit, Brunet knows how hard it is to get to the dance and join the CBA elite franchises which Montreal has now done twice in a row 5 years after his initial DRAFTING from scratch of a team. Montreal and Westminster were true expansion teams in that year. Its possible that there could be another expansion in the future,but Montreal shows, that from having initially no talent a dedicated GM can achieve high status in post season events. Post season = Best of year. Conference finals equals elite teams for a season. Doing more than one time brings the level higher. Consider that Doug has done it in season 4 and 5 but...what about 2014? The draft will be important for the Crows.

New Hampshire: The assigned history of this franchise is quite fascinating I find. The history was one of turmoil. Possibly CBA least successful franchise that had been snake bitten from day 1. Right now Chris Brazeau has stabilized, and rebuilt this franchise gone wild. Lets look back. Claude and Gerald should have known.   The original CBA teams were all named after movie studios. The Bodega Bay team was titled Essasnay, Longue Pointe was Pathe, Brooklyn was Vitagraph, and Harlem was Keystone. The team name was changed to the Harlem Dark Knights when Donald Davis assumed control before the draft commenced.1997 season saw Donald Davis lead the Harlem Knights to a 77-85 record. Donald Ducked after the season in favor of Claude's friend Stephane Bouchard. But wait! A little known secret, Shawn Jones was the original owner in the winter of 1996 into the cold of 1997 with the Memphis Mafia. Somehow, he was rubbed out and replaced with Big Donald. Donald was known for his questionable participation. Stephane went on to a disappointing and horrid 51-11 record in '98. Figuring that if he changed the teams name to Tazmainians it would change their fortunes. They improved 22 games to 73-89 in '99. By 2000 he had them up to a franchise high 95-67. That same year Jon Calder {Alexandria Assault} became a league official, our first ever roster transaction executive. The Parker team made it to the playoffs losing in round 1 to Clemente Champion Philly who was 120-42 that year. Stephane stuck around until 2003 when the Tazmanians went 88-74 missing the playoffs.

Well New Hampshire is continuing the structure started by Brazeau to get into the upper ranks. a 59-103 season was a setback of sorts. Some expected a better record for '13 but '14 could be promising. Matt Cain fronts the staff. Hanley Ramirez returns to SS at a very high level at least part time. Masterson steps up into the top of the rotatsh.   Profar gets utility work. D'Aza steps up, The future looks bright. Viciedo led hitters with 27 HR, Cain was 10-15 3.50 ERA.

New Jersey: It was like 1964. The year the Beatles controlled the charts. The Jersey boys controlled all of Staub at one pint winning 20 in a row just shy of the CBA record. They controlled the Staub Playoffs. Shrewd deals. Killer pen, and some stick to boot. See how they do in the big show.

Newton: Last years near miss in the playoffs, just made him angry. Laying low in the standings, the Newton Bombs found a way to win and manage usage enroute to the franchises first playoff. It was at the end that the strategy master put the puzzle pieces together, to enter and take out the veteran Rob Hite in the playoffs, no easy task 3 games to 1. Next, Bundy had to play Clementes toughest team, Ottawa. With all on the line the two managers dueled a full 7 games. In the end, Bundy defeated Jack Jung to advance to meet the Wolfman in the Clem finals. Newton used all resources to get this far. .745 X rated fielding. .345 OBA, .452 slug showed Clemente like offense. A team 4.62 ERA was 3rd worst, but the saving grace was Bruce's use of the bullpen to get wins. A team .225 IRSC. Only 8 pb 55 wp from the batteries, Newton's pen shutdown those late runners.

Ohio: Great offense team .273 BA with 195 Homers. This team was made for Clemente. They were able to play against friendly rival Carolina face to face on occassion. Somehow more was expected of Ohio befor ethe season began. As the T Cats began to start and look good, they too faded back in the tough Clemente. The Conference teams are all quite strong and capable of defeating each other. We saw that with even the second division teams defeating and spoiling for the top standings teams. Ohio led by Buster Posey's 21 HR 86 RBI .352 season may get some MVP consideration. Matt Holiday added 30 taters. Fredrick Freeman added 28. A team .181 ISO PWR good, So it wasn't that offense. Than what? Defense? .745 X rating not bad, 79-83 record was attributed to the pitching staff's failure to get guys out. 4.56 ERA. Clay Buckholtz 15-8 4.08 ERA was a lone bright spot. A .362 IRSC stunk. Then pen and rotation failed.

Ottawa: Best regular season ever for the Otters.   Team .353 OBA, .272 BA, 965 runs, 265 HR's .481 slug team records all. Best in 17 seasons. Ottawa took that offense led by MVP candidates Trout 44 HR 125 RBI .325, McCutchen 48 HR 127 RBI .307, Papi's 30 HR 91 RBI .347 BA in 322 AB. Leadoff hitters hit 30 HR, 2nd place hitters 42 HR, 3rd place hitters hit 50 , cleanup hitters hit 52.    Perhaps the best top half of the lineup years! A season for the ages. The team 3.91 ERA could have meant more wins if lower. Gallardo 19-6 4.38, Fister 13-6 3.58, and Yu Darvish 14-7 4.26, had solid seasons. Ottawa was 4 games back on May 2nd, but got hot to take first place and never look back. They led runner up Philly all season after the first week of May.

Philly came on strong at the end to snatch wildcard number 2 in the last block. Is that any news at all that Rob Hite had made the playoffs yet again? Hite has 5 World Series appearances. The elite? Perhaps Rob is one of the standards that others will be measured by. A true elite franchise. egular playoff appearances, it isn't just luck. Hite has won 3 Championships. This year the big trade came back to hurt some as Justin Verlander 24-4 went on to lead New Jersey to a walk away title. Rob got back Bruce Harper 22 HR 81 .272 who went on to become a main cog in the powerful Philly Offense.   Philly slugged 230 HR with a team .281 BA.
Quebec: Led by Hall of Famer Dino Barnabe is building up. They have some high draft picks, and some very good young players just waiting to break loose. Quebec hit 231 HR last year showing alot of power. Mitch Moreland slugged 23 HR .298, Cespedes had a great year .295 28 HR. Trumbo slugged 32 HR's, and Josh Reddick added a big 35 HR's. .183 ISO power is among the leagues best. The BA was a low .250, with only 649 runs knocked in. Homers with out men on base. Cant win those games if the defense drops 142 balls ,and the pens allows 35% of inherited runners to score. Clearly this is a team on the rise. The pitching defense and speed may have hurt, but the future and the draft could make Barnabe a player once more.

River Meadow: Claude Lamarre is back. The Monarchs hung around .500 or just under most of the year. The team was not strong enough to contend for the title, so Lamarre acquired some draft picks for some aged retired players. The Monarchs did slighty better on the road. They did a bit better in one run games as their pen was strong .281 IRSC. The opponents .287 batting average hurt the pitchers but the teams 3.87 runs of offensive run support was pathetic. A team .315 on base, and no real slugging threats aside from catcher Ryan Doumit and the stud 1B from Baltimore {whats that} Chris Davis who hit 37 HR. Next season Chris Davis major league high for Baltimore 53 HR .286 BA should carry this team a long way the way Mark McGwire once did.   There's great talent here with Kipness, Iglesias at SS, Davis who is going to be awesome, Fowler, Teheran, Lowry, Carpenter   around t contend in '14 with a good draft.

San Diego: The Surf dynasty continues. The Surf have won yet again getting into another playoffs. All the classy Joe Wallace does is win baby. The Surf continue to draft well each year and develop new talent. Wallace rarely misses with his young prospects. This year David Wright, Giancarlitolo Stanton 45 HR,obinson Cano led a strong offense. .327 26 HR 110 RBI's. SD lost to Staub Chmapion NJ in round 1. Expect Wallace to be back with his dynastic franchise.

Skokie: The Wolfman has parlayed his way using the trade market to gain an advantage. That advantage led to a final week clinch of the Monday title, narrowly defeating Indiana's Bob fidler in some head to head matchups. Wolfman's mastery of the usage and preparation provided dividends. Skokie got excellent support down the stretch from Ethier who got hot, Future hall of famer acquired from Joliet Juan Pierre who provided a leadoff hitter, and the spot usage of Troy Tulowitsky. The Wolfman acquired bullpen supprt and pitching as well. This combined to add up to another appearance in the Clemente finals.

Stirling: A good offense with a team .277 BA. Despite 'only' 140 HR's, the Redsox contended into the last 3 blocks in September. Ultimately, injuries and other issues kept the Sox from a deserved wildcard spot. Brett Butler 38 HR 107 RBI .304 BA was a team best. 148 stolen bases led by Campana 20,Choo 30, and Andrus 27. Kenley Jansen led the pitchers with 38 saves. No starters stood out. Buehrle went 13-10 4.55, and Ian Kennedy 13-16 was an iron horse. The pen was otherwise not too good allowing 32% of inheriteds to score.

Towaco: Kevin Gibson proved a saavy manager guiding a relatively well balanced but not spectacular team all the way to the Rogers title over rival Bryan Bashers. Towaco use magaer matchups despite an ordinary Staub offense.   They go on base a pretty good .333 OBA, which for Staub is good. A .420 slug is fairly decent. Managed .755 team production.   .159 ISO was weak.   Two players with 20+Homers were Russ Martin 24 HR .179 BA, and P Alvarez 25 HR 80 RBI .256. 174 HR was good for Staub, and a .261 average not bad. Just balanced. Ken Medlen pitched absolutely lights out. He was the difference. consider for Cy Young 16-1 1.21, I say 1.21 ERA but only 21 starts. but those were big starts. Towaco had a great year despite bowing to Staub champ NJ. Gibson is proving to be quite a GM and tactician.

Parker Fight Takes Center Stage

New York- As CBA rosters expand with the closing of the minor league season, so too does speculation on the stretch run to the major league postseason. The stretch run, when the last 21 games of the regular season are played within one's own division, when a team's depth is tested, when a contending team's bench spends the bulk of game time with their faces at the rail of the dugout. And as the plot develops, the Parker division has grabbed center stage in the baseball theater.

The Parker division sports four teams that are well over the .500 mark in wins, three of which are first, and tied for second in the overall standings. Considering that Brooklyn has a shaky one game lead on Cooperstown and Newton with 27 games remaining, one can easily deem it a virtual three-way tie in the division race. As it is the Clemente conference champion that has the home field edge over Staub in this year's World Series, if the season were to end today, the Superbas would have home field advantage throughout their postseason run with both the Iron Horses and the Bombs taking the Clemente wild card spots. But, the season does not end today. Remember those last 21 games. The possibilities created by the CBA schedule can be compared to all the cages at the zoo being opened with all the animals running amok.

Just looking at the head-to-head records within the Parker division, the Superbas have a losing record against their principal foes while the Iron Horses have done better than well. However, the Carolina Copperheads have proved to be unsympathetic to the Cooperstown cause and will undoubtedly play a factor before all is decided. It's difficult to determine among Brooklyn, Cooperstown, and Newton as to which is the most well rounded team. A case can be made for each of them, whether pitching, defense or hitting is dominant over the others. As we turn our attention away from center stage, however, we can see how the strength of their own division puts them all on a bubble. While the powerhouse laden Parker division clubs are beating up on each other, the Schmidt and Monday division contenders are chomping at the bit for a schedule far less taxing.

The Skokie Wolfmen have already clinched Monday, and stand to howl their way through three sub .400 teams toward a first overall finish. On the way, Josh Shapiro may have the luxury of resting arms and healing his wounded. The Lycans hold a whopping 35-10 record against Indiana, High Bridge, and Kennesaw Mountain collectively, and can profit from the Parker scenario. Although Skokie is five games back of Brooklyn in the overall standings, they could easily win enough games to pass the Parker survivor for top spot. A close eye must be kept on the Schmidt division as well.

Stirling holds a slim two game advantage over Philly. The Red Sox have the extra home game in the remaining series against Philly, but have dropped nine of fifteen decisions to the Phantastics, making for more interesting speculation. Both of them will be in tough facing the Parker front runners in the coming week, which puts a crucial aspect to the games remaining with Ottawa and New Hampshire. Go ahead. Try to pick it. Both teams are offensive monsters. It will probably come down to the healthier team who gets better pitching. In any event, what happens in the Schmidt division could put one of those Parker predators right out of the play-offs.

The Staub conference has everything to do with the wild card race, but no less to do with the structure of the schedule. The division leaders Bryan, Montreal, and San Diego all have healthy leads heading to the end of the regular season.

After an auspicious beginning plagued with underachievement and nagging pains early on , the Surf have washed away the writing in the sand of a team on the decline to reassert themselves as the team to beat in the conference and can be expected to take first overall out the Carter division. Montreal has won eight in a row en route to establishing a ten game bulge over Limoilou and Longue Pointe. It's almost unfathomable that the Crow's pitching will allow the kind of run scoring it would take to bring them back. Bryan's lead of seven games over Maine and Ohio looks solid enough given that Towaco has been the division rival to give the Bashers the most trouble. Indeed, it appears that the wild card is the hope for any others close enough to contend. As it may be easy to say, it's not so easy to see which teams will be facing off come wild card time.

The Wendigo and the Loggers sit tied atop the race, but have to play out the remainder within the Staub conference's toughest division, Dawson. With the Belfast Brawlers having scrapped their way into the hunt and the Crows having home field advantage to play for, one of the two could drop out a wild card position. For the same reason, the Brawlers chances can only be improved by overcoming poor results against division rivals. Maine and Ohio suffer from much the same problem in Rogers.

Towaco may sit in last place and out of the play-off picture, but have a winning record against every team in Rogers, with particular and equal effect on the Express and Outlawz. The Wolfpack could end up having been the team to keep both clubs from reaching the postseason.

The Lake county Leopards could be sitting pretty in Carter at this point in the season. If they can fair decently in the week ahead as they face Maine and Ohio and in the remaining games with New Jersey and Joliet, they may stay close enough to overcome being three games behind the contenders from Dawson for a Staub wild card spot.

Sure that Parker has center stage in the CBA play. But for all of you sitting in the theater, you'd better keep an eye on the rest of the players lest you miss the point of the theme. As for the plot and its conclusion, unfortunately, only a few in the audience will see a happy ending.

 Has 
the Wolfman lost it? Will this be the Wolfmen's Year?

by reporter: Joe "the Rub" Schmultz of the Skokie News


Wolfmen fans - with the trading deadline happening in about

a week - and the Wolfmen as of late going 3-9 in their

last 12 games against the tough teams in the Parker Division

we knew the Wolfman would try to make some bold moves


I had a chance to visit the Wolfman in Carolina after

they ended their worse losing streak this year of five games

to ask about the two amazing trades done recently

with Maine and Philly


Wolfman: "Well Joe, we have a pretty balance team this

year but LF has been a week area that we haven't gotten

the production we hoped. Besides after our performance

in the playoffs last year where our hitters just died vs.

the champion Superbras - I knew this year we needed

at least one more what I call a "slug-gah".


So we sent out a few appeals to the league this week and

first we heard back from Maine - our old trading partner.

Trader Mike - he offered us Uggla who we tried

to trade for last year - but we couldn't get him -

Maine needed a 2B back and asked us about

Nova. Nova hasn't performed as we hoped and

we won't need him in the playoffs so he was

expendable but the only 2B we could offer

was Daniel Murphy who is a great hitter

but little power plus we have Hudson for

defense - and Daniel has played a great

2B and 3B for us - but since I felt we needed

another "slug-gah" for the playoffs - a player

who could in one swoop bring in 3 or 4 runs

and with our relief pitching and defense, we

had to go for him.


But then within moments of working on a deal

with Maine, Philly contacted us and actually made

us an offer to send us Berkman. Well as you know

and our fans were not happy just before the season started

we traded Holliday - to get Texieria - who has been

our RBI guy this season - so this left a hole in LF

which we hoped with Nix and Lillibridge to fill but

they didn't produce as we hoped.


Now our fans don't know this, but we were one player

away in the pre-season of getting Batista - we needed

a Batista type of hitter because we sent Kemp packing

last year and this was the biggest mistake we have ever made.

But Newton asked for too much in our eyes - just to

get one guy - we would have lost Cain our best starter

this year. So Berkman was our second choice but

Philly, who we felt could have been the team to beat,

at the start of the season - there was just nothing

we could offer him unless we wanted to trade Tulo

or Cain.


Anyway Philly knows us well, having beaten us in the

series in 2007 and Trader Rob knew if he sent us

Berkman, filling our LF hole, another power hitter

this could do it for us to have a good shot at our

1st championship - but he first asked us to

trade alot along with Craig - Peavy and Holland too

but we didn't feel this would work for us for this

season or for us next year.


Craig is going to be a future superstar which is

why we traded for him from Joliet and Mattheus is a great

young relief pitcher so Trade Rob wanted youth.

We know Berkman is a risk - but we think we

can work with this for next year, however ...


The question was, do we go for all the marbles

as we might never get another chance again now? I said

we had to so I convinced our management we have to do this

and it isn't everyday you get offered a guy like Berkman.

Besides Craig was mostly our DH vs lefties and we have

a ton of hitters verse lefties and sometimes DH vs. a reverse

righty of which Uggla will fit now.


The key to building a competitive team is to do it via

good trades or wait years and get good young players.

Trader Rob we admire who seems to have the instinct

who these good young players are and is why he is

successful - we seem to work hard via the trade route.


So to conclude we did give up some good young

players and two good hitters - but I think the power

hitters we received without having to trade the

core nucleus of our team was worth it and will

take us deep into the post-season.


So only time will tell is these two trades will

bring us the championship - we think this extra

power giving us like 7 guys in our lineup at a moment's

notice who knock the ball out of the park will strike

fear into the hearts of our opponents - we could

be like what the old Yankee's called "Murder's

Row" - anyway there are 33 games left, probably

in the next week we will clinch the division so

we have a chance to test our new team - this

should give us an indication of how we will do

in the playoffs - we are not worried about having

the best record or home advantage as I believe

our boys can perform well in any park although

we have done very well in our home park which

is made for our team."


Joe: "Thanks Wolfman, continued success in

the season and of course, speaking on behalf of

all the people in Skokie who have seen our beloved

Wolfmen come close to a championship we are with

you and excited to welcome the new players

which include:


Lance Berkman, our new LF and partime DH

Dan Uggla, our new 2B and partime DH

Jason Hammel - a new starting pitcher

and free agent Fernando Rodney, another RH relief pitcher


This is Joe "the Rub" Schmultz signing off."

of the Skokie News, evening edition

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

New York- We're not talking about the fantastical literary characters assembled by Mina Harker to counter the evil intentions of Fu Manchu or Professor Moriarty. We're talking about baseball. In particular, we're talking about the league of gentlemen that comprise the brotherhood of general managers in the CBA, and the extraordinary period of the off-season which they are in at present. Though we may liken some of our CBA characters to Allan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, or perhaps even The Invisible Man, it has much more to do with how they deal with the league rules regarding the transacting of draft picks.

According to the league's constitution, the rules are very specific about the use of a franchise's future draft picks in transactions. With the 2012 spring draft only three weeks away, understanding how the rules work becomes very important for the league's trade market. Understanding how to work within the limits is equally important. This is where the 'gentlemen's agreement' comes into play around the backroom hot stove.

In order for the league's rules to be clearly defined and understood, a distinct line between one season's end and the other's beginning had to be drawn. Officially, the 2012 season begins with the first selection in the 2012 draft. The necessity for this distinction is paramount to the integrity of the CBA constitution in that, by rule, teams are not permitted to trade draft picks beyond the following season's draft. Therefore, we are still considered to be in a period associated with the 2011 season. This eliminates any gray area in the interpretation of the rules. It does not, however, prevent GMs from discussing the implication of future consideration beyond the scope of league rules. The idea of the gentlemen's agreement is never more prevalent than at this juncture of the off-season, the trading period after the roster cuts and before the spring draft.

Such agreements are entered into on faith and word of honor. There are certain aspects that GMs must be aware of when the virtual handshake is exchanged. Firstly, no trade is official until the CBA trade committee ratifies it, enabling the league's governing body to announce it as official. Therefore, there exists no trade as such. Secondly, there is no guarantee of ratification once an agreement is submitted to the committee. True that it is uncommon for the trade committee to request a reworking of a proposed trade, or to actually declare a trade as void, but it has to be noted that the committee's mandate is to consider the league as a whole before any involved parties. A presumption of ratification could be misleading. Thirdly, and this is the stickler, the trade committee cannot make known it's decisions until the start of the draft, even though all gentlemen's agreements may be submitted on February 23rd immediately following the trade deadline so that the draft doesn't get bogged down at the outset. GMs are wiser under such circumstances to do their best to make these agreements rock solid in principle, lest they find themselves in a difficult situation once the draft begins. This being most crucial if first round 2012 picks are involved. No GM wants to be caught up in reworking a trade as he watches his pick window lapse.

With all this taken in, we may ponder the viability of the gentleman's agreement, whether or not it should be encouraged or discouraged. What are the risks and what does it mean to league functioning? Should it be considered a circumvention of the rules, or another way to look for an edge in putting together a competitive team. CBA commissioner Marc Wasserman, a character known as just Wass in this picture, had some insightful comments.

"I would never like to create an atmosphere that GMs in this league are limited where the trade market is concerned. There are 24 GMs, so there are possibly 24 differing philosophies. I think it makes the league richer. The rules are there simply as a safeguard to ensure that all our franchises remain healthy heading into the furture. Gentlemen's agreements are fine as long as the protocols are respected. Last year we were a little lax. It won't happen again under the current structure, and it can't be cited as precedent," said Wass determinedly. He spoke at length about maintaining the league as attractive to new ownership.

It can happen at any time that current owners, for whatever reason, can no longer fulfill obligations and need to be replaced. The viability of all franchises has to be upheld to attract the interest of prospective investors. Such was the case with the Sunville team. A consortium headed by Bruce Bundy was quickly in on the acquisition of the Sun Jewels this past fall, and just as quickly has moved the team to Newton. Bundy himself is well known from the independent leagues as a keen man for assessing baseball talent, will be directly involved in the team's baseball activities. This is an example of what Wass was alluding to regarding the assurance that quality prospective owners will come forward when the need arises.

The gentlemen's agreement is an extension of the will of CBA GMs to do what they feel must be done for the good of their respective franchises. Since the flurry of trades before the cuts and the subsequent resumption of trading, the current period leading to the draft has offered much less to report concerning trades. But don't be fooled into thinking that no one is fueling the hot stove, for the CBA is a league of extraordinary gentlemen.

No Off-season In CBA

By Skip Duckworth

New York- Okay, so the headline is a lie. When the CBA regular season ended, the San Diego Surf had set a new record for wins in a season with 122. When the post-season ended, the Brooklyn Superbas were crowned as champions after defying the baseball axiom that good pitching always beats good hitting. Then began the off-season. The players know it. The fans know it. Even we, the insatiable media, know it. But shhhhhh, don't tell that to the general managers. As far as they're concerned, the 2012 season started on the morning of October 25th, the day after the Superbas 4-3 clinching win over the Surf in game 5 of the World Series.

While everyone else in the baseball world is sleeping soundly in their beds at night, desk lights stay lit in the offices of CBA GMs as they move and shake before the December 11th roster cuts. As of this day, the 21st of November, since trading reopened after the play-offs, 18 trades have been transacted involving 40 players and 19 draft picks. 2 of those picks were moved twice, as well as outfielders Chris Denorfia, Logan Morrison, and infielder Wilson Betemit. 13 clubs have taken part in the 18 deals thus far. No one more than Cooperstown. The Iron Horses' Jon Stamets has swung into 8 of them. It's a wonder that he's gotten any sleep in the last month. As for the other 11 clubs that have yet to appear on the transactions page, it's not because the desk lights are off. All of them are tuned in and rubbing their hands together around the CBA hot stove, looking for something that fits in with the plan.

For those who are familiar with the process of the CBA off-season, there's no mystery to it. Those not in-the-know may wonder what all the hub-bub'a about being so far from the 2012 draft and season. It's really quite simple to understand once one grasps the dynamic difference between the trading periods prior to the December cuts and thereafter leading up to the spring draft.

During this time before all rosters must be pared down to 24, teams are looking to get value for some players that are challenging the decision making process regarding who stays and who goes. In some cases, retaining promising young players and prospects makes necessary the movement of prominent members on a team's roster. General managers are forced to quickly assess the relative competitiveness of their respective clubs in the short term while evaluating what talent the next draft will present. Although much more constrictive than the period after the cuts, trades made prior to that are crucial in shaping a team and can improve the clarity of a GMs view of where his team is headed once trading resumes afterward until the draft in March.

For the most part, rosters are fairly full at this time. Although the limit on rosters remains at 34 even during the off-season, the release at season's end of unrestricted free agents that were acquired during the course of the season eases the constriction somewhat in that it facilitates unbalanced trades. Not unbalanced as in not fair, but unbalanced where one team receives more players in return than players dealt away in a given transaction. The aforementioned Mr. Stamets has, through his activity, already brought his roster down to 27 which means he's looking at only 3 releases come December, barring anything else he may have in the works. Only 9 of 24 teams are currently at 34 players and are looking at having to release 10 players.

Once the cuts are finalized and trading resumes, the market for trades broadens with few restrictions. The 34 player limit is always in force regardless of the time of year. But, other than the 5-15 draft pick rule(no team may have less than 5 or more than 15) there is little else preventing the movement of players and draft assets. This will be the time for GMs to renew the charge for acquiring what they need to improve their ball clubs, be it for the coming season or seasons to come.

The off-season is definitely on in CBA.

__._,_.___

It was perhaps one the single greatest series I've played in all my 34 years of Strat.  The series was marked by dramatic hits, 2 out rallies, Game ending walkoff HR's. Starting ace's crunched, heroes from the pen. Unlikely bench subs coming up huge.  It was the series for the ages.  The war for the right to meet the Skokie Wolfman.

Game 5:  It was sick!.  One of the all time great games in CBA history.  Brooklyn jumped out to an early 2-0 lead behind a Furcal triple, his 2nd of series and a long Cabrera HR.  The pitching was sharp.  R.A. Dickey was throwing a gem all night long keeping Philly off balance.   Nelson Cruz who had a terrific series then hit a solo bomb cutting the lead to 2-1. Brooklyn came right back scoring on another Cabrera HR to make it 3-1.  It went all the way to the 9th. With 2 outs, Utley walked against CBA save king Mariano Rivera.  Mariano was called in for a 4 out save. After Utley walked, Russell Branyan caught the cutter, and sent it deep to Right field pavillion for a game tying  2 RBI blast.  Rivera closed the inning and the game went until the 11th.  Andres Torres ripped a base-hit.  Chase Utley stepped up to the
plate and he reached on an error.  After an out was recorded, Russell Branyan
stepped in and he slapped a single to load the bases.  J.D. Drew followed
next and he laced a one-base hit resulting in a mighty exciting win for
Philly and the 53,416 home town fans in attendance.  Philly had a total of 9
hits for the game.  A dramatic Branyan HR and the Phanstastics led the series 3 games to 2.

Game 6:
Back to the House of Pain where Brooklyn feels at home.  When this game started, it was all Brooklyn.  Not so fast.  After a heartbreaking and nearly devastating loss in Philly game 5, the Superbas gathered up and struck for 8 runs against lefty Francisco Liriano.  Everyone in the lineup hit.  Markakis 4 for 5, Cabrera again 3 for 5, Jeter had a big game 2 for 5, Howard knocked in a pair, Rolen went 3 for 4 and had a big HR to seal the game after Philly mounted a furious comeback to make the game 8-7 by the top of the 4th!  Philly got huge hits from their whole lineup.  Utley had 3 hits knocked in 3.  Starlin Castro knocked in another 3, roughing up David Price and sending the Brooklyn #2 right to the showers.  But as throughout the whole series, (save Dickey's gem) the Brooklyn bullpen closed the door behind Sergio Romo and rev Righty Sergio Mitre. The Phanatstics always kept coming.  Abreu and Drew had some big hits, and some RBI's as well to round out the Philly attack.  These two powerful teams slugged it out. Philly edged back closer. Ivan Rodriguez who had a terrific series, added an RBI on his 3rd hit of the game.  Later Scott Rolen put it away against the lefty Tony Sipp with a 3 run bomb.  Final Brooklyn 13 Philly 8 series tied.

Game 7
 For the ages.  Greatest CBA playoff game ever for Brooklyn. Halladay vs Hamels.  Perhaps one of CBA's biggest ever.  Series tied at 3.  It was a good day for baseball, and Philly looked to make it a great upset victory in the House of Pain.  Brooklyn jumped out early when Nick Markakis doubled. Miguel Cabrera knocked him in for a 1-0 lead.  Philly came back with 1 in the 4th when Nelson Cruz and Russell Branyan hit back to back doubles and a JD Drew single off starter Roy Halladay who had been cruising till then, tied the game at 1.  It then fell apart for Doc in the 5th, he self destructed in games 1 and 4 as well.  Zobrist let the air out of Superbas fans chests after the super sub replacing banished Longoria hit a solo HR to give a 2-1 to Philly.  Two batters later, little Andres Torres hit another solo blast to make it 3 to 1 Philly.  A lead that the excellent Philly bullpen would hold onto until the 7th inning.  With 1 out Casey Blake was summoned from the bench and he doubled to left center :)   Derek Jeter then came up against the lefty starter Cole Hamels and singled. Next key RF Nick Markakis doubled and Blake scored jeter was cut down at the plate by Torres on a 1-15 drawing a 17.  The score was cut to 3 to 2, but the inning ended on a Cabrera K.  The game went 3-2 as Brooklyn's Burnett and Hensley quieted Philly for 2 more innings giving Brooklyn their last opportunity in the bottom of the 9th.  Arthur Rhodes and Tony Sipp had been great this series and held Brooklyn in check and down by 1.  After two walks in the 8th, Arthur Rhodes induced a Double play from Ryan Doumit.  To the 9th.  Hensley mows 'em down, and Brooklyn faces lefty Tony Sipp to pitch to the Brooklyn top of the lineup.  He gets Denorfia PH for Vernon Wells, to pop out.  Omar Infante comes up and hits a gapper double to left center, and with 1 out Brooklyn was in business but would it be enough?  The fans were screaming at the top of their lungs as Brooklyn's Nick Markakis stepped up.  Markakis had been red hot this series and facing lefties was dangerous.  Hite replaces Sipp with Heath Bell to face Derek Jeter.  With no subs on bench Jeter had to hit vs the Righty Bell.  He grounded weakly to SS. Now with 2 outs and the lefty Markakis up, Hite stayed with Bell.  Markakis promplty deposited a game tying single allowing a play at the plate and safe score for Infante!.  Game tied.  Miguel Cabrera red hot at the plate.  The pitch the swing.....LONG LONG BACK BACK BACK GONE!!!!  Walk off HR for Miguel Cabrera.  Brooklyn wins round 1 vs Philly 5 to 3!!  Huge win  for Brooklyn.  The story an absolutely gutty hard fought nearly won series played expertly by Rob Hite.  Hite played this team that was hit by overuse on two best hitters to the max.  A fine gentleman, and fun as heck to play gainst.  My hats off to you Rob for a whale of a fun series win or lose.





BOXSCORE: 2011 Brooklyn Superbas At 2011 Philly Phantastics         10/4/2011

[1]  Superbas           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Phantastics        AB  R  H RBI AVG
  R.Furcal SS         3  1  2  0 .500     A.Torres CF         5  1  1  0 .200  
B-O.Vizquel SS,2B     2  0  0  0 .222     C.Utley 2B          4  1  2  0 .368  
  O.Infante 2B        3  0  0  1 .182     N.Cruz RF           5  1  2  1 .429  
C-D.Jeter SS          2  0  1  0 .455     R.Branyan 1B        5  1  2  2 .500  
  M.Cabrera 1B        3  2  2  2 .471     J.Drew LF           5  0  1  1 .190  
  R.Howard DH         6  0  2  0 .318     V.Martinez C        4  0  1  0 .300  
  R.Braun LF          5  0  1  0 .238     C.Lee DH            3  0  0  0 .375  
  V.Wells CF          3  0  0  0 .125   E-L.Berkman PH        0  0  0  0 .333  
D-C.Denorfia PH,CF    0  0  0  0 .125     B.Zobrist 3B        2  0  0  0 .211  
  S.Rolen 3B          5  0  1  0 .188     S.Castro SS         4  0  0  0 .227  
  R.Doumit C          2  0  0  0 .167                                          
A-I.Rodriguez C       2  0  0  0 .286                                          
  N.Markakis RF       5  0  1  0 .190                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
[1]         Totals      41  3 10  3                 Totals      37  4  9  4

A-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Doumit In 4th Inning
B-Subbed Defensively (SS) For Furcal In 6th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (SS) For Infante In 7th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Wells In 10th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Lee In 10th Inning

Superbas........ 2 0 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  0 0 -  3 10  2
Phantastics..... 0 0 0  1 0 0  0 0 2  0 1 -  4  9  1

[1]Superbas (2-3)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
R.Dickey                  7 2/3   5   1   1   0   4   1   1.17  A1 C8
M.Rivera L(0-1) BS(1st)   2 1/3   2   3   3   2   1   1   8.10  C9 E1
C.Hensley                 0 1/3   2   0   0   0   0   0   6.00  E2
[1]Totals                   10 1/3   9   4   4   2   5   2

[1]Phantastics (3-2)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
J.Verlander               7       8   3   3   1   3   2   4.91  A1 D3
E.O'Flaherty              1       0   0   0   1   0   0   0.00  D4 D6
A.Rhodes                  0 1/3   0   0   0   1   0   0   0.00  D7 D8
H.Bell                    1       1   0   0   1   3   0   3.86  D9 E4
T.Sipp                    1       1   0   0   2   2   0   0.00  E5 F1
L.Gregerson WIN(1-0)      0 2/3   0   0   0   1   0   0   6.75  F2
[1]Totals                   11      10   3   3   7   8   2

ATTENDANCE- 53,416 DATE- Tuesday, October 4th 2011 TIME- Night WEATHER- Good
T- 3:00
LEFT ON BASE- Superbas:13  Phantastics: 5
DOUBLE PLAYS- Superbas: 2  Phantastics: 1
ERRORS- S.Rolen, C.Hensley, C.Utley
DOUBLES- R.Furcal(1st), D.Jeter(1st), S.Rolen(1st)
TRIPLES- R.Furcal(2nd)
HOME RUNS- M.Cabrera-2(3rd), N.Cruz(1st), R.Branyan(4th)
STOLEN BASES- R.Howard(1st)
CAUGHT STEALING- O.Vizquel, C.Utley, N.Cruz
SACRIFICE HITS- B.Zobrist
SACRIFICE FLIES- O.Infante
WALKS- O.Vizquel, M.Cabrera-3, V.Wells, C.Denorfia, I.Rodriguez, C.Utley,
       L.Berkman
HIT BY PITCH- B.Zobrist
STRIKE OUTS- O.Vizquel, R.Howard-2, R.Braun, V.Wells, S.Rolen, I.Rodriguez,
             N.Markakis, A.Torres-2, J.Drew, C.Lee, S.Castro
GIDP- R.Howard, A.Torres, R.Branyan
WILD PITCHES- J.Verlander, T.Sipp
PASSED BALLS- I.Rodriguez
2-out RBI- N.Cruz, M.Cabrera, R.Branyan-2

The Philly Phantastics and the Brooklyn Superbas locked up in an exciting
one-run game at Ameriquest Field.  The final score was the Philly Phantastics
4, the Brooklyn Superbas 3 in 11 innings.

The score was tied at 3 after nine.  Finally, Philly prevailed in the 11th
inning.  Andres Torres ripped a base-hit.  Chase Utley stepped up to the
plate and he reached on an error.  After an out was recorded, Russell Branyan
stepped in and he slapped a single to load the bases.  J.D. Drew followed
next and he laced a one-base hit resulting in a mighty exciting win for
Philly and the 53,416 home town fans in attendance.  Philly had a total of 9
hits for the game.  

The victory was credited to Luke Gregerson(1-0) who went 2/3 of an inning,
allowing no runs. Mariano Rivera(0-1) ended up with the loss in relief.  He
allowed Philly 3 runs in 2 and 1/3 innings of work.  

BOXSCORE: 2011 Philly Phantastics At 2011 Brooklyn Superbas         10/6/2011

[1]  Phantastics        AB  R  H RBI AVG     Superbas           AB  R  H RBI AVG
  S.Castro SS         4  1  2  3 .389     D.Jeter SS          5  2  2  2 .364  
  B.Zobrist 3B        4  1  1  0 .235     N.Markakis RF       5  1  4  2 .353  
  V.Martinez DH       5  0  1  0 .176     R.Braun LF          5  1  1  1 .250  
  C.Lee 1B            5  0  1  1 .400     M.Cabrera 1B        5  3  3  1 .467  
  C.Utley 2B          3  1  2  2 .500     R.Howard DH         3  2  1  2 .286  
  N.Cruz CF           1  1  0  0 .333     S.Rolen 3B          4  1  3  3 .417  
A-A.Torres PH,CF      3  0  1  0 .200     C.Denorfia CF       4  1  0  1 .000  
  J.Lucroy C          4  0  0  0 .000     I.Rodriguez C       5  1  3  1 .385  
B-R.Branyan PH        1  0  0  0 .500     O.Vizquel 2B        4  1  1  0 .375  
  B.Abreu LF          4  2  2  1 .313                                          
  J.Drew RF           4  2  2  1 .313                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
[1]         Totals      38  8 12  8                 Totals      40 13 18 13

A-Pinch Hit For Cruz In 4th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Lucroy In 9th Inning

Phantastics..... 0 4 0  3 0 0  0 1 0  -  8 12  1
Superbas........ 8 0 0  1 0 1  0 3    - 13 18  0

[1]Phantastics (1-3)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
F.Liriano LOSS(0-1)       4 1/3  12   9   4   1   1   0   4.63  A1 C9
L.Gregerson               2 2/3   3   1   1   0   6   1   2.25  D1 E3
T.Sipp                    0 2/3   3   3   3   0   0   1  40.50  E4 E9
A.Rhodes                  0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  F1
[1]Totals                    8      18  13   8   1   7   2

[1]Superbas (3-1)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
D.Price                   3 2/3   9   7   7   2   5   0   8.68  A1 C5
S.Romo WIN(1-0)           1 2/3   0   0   0   1   4   0   0.00  C6 D2
S.Mitre SAVE(1st)         3 2/3   3   1   1   1   1   1   1.59  D3
[1]Totals                    9      12   8   8   4  10   1

ATTENDANCE- 49,281 DATE- Thursday, October 6th 2011 TIME- Night WEATHER- Good
T- 3:43
LEFT ON BASE- Phantastics: 8  Superbas: 9
DOUBLE PLAYS- Phantastics: 1  Superbas: 0
ERRORS- B.Zobrist
DOUBLES- S.Castro(3rd), C.Utley(1st), N.Markakis(1st), M.Cabrera-3(7th)
TRIPLES- S.Castro(1st)
HOME RUNS- J.Drew(1st), R.Howard(2nd), S.Rolen(1st)
CAUGHT STEALING- B.Zobrist
SACRIFICE FLIES- R.Howard, C.Denorfia
WALKS- S.Castro, B.Zobrist, C.Utley, N.Cruz, O.Vizquel
HIT BY PITCH- C.Utley, D.Jeter, R.Howard, S.Rolen
STRIKE OUTS- S.Castro, B.Zobrist, V.Martinez, A.Torres-2, J.Lucroy-3, J.Drew-2,
             D.Jeter-2, R.Braun-2, M.Cabrera, R.Howard, C.Denorfia
GIDP- O.Vizquel
WILD PITCHES- F.Liriano
2-out RBI- I.Rodriguez, D.Jeter-2, N.Markakis-2, C.Lee, C.Utley-2

Scott Rolen jacked one out of the ballyard and had 3 RBI as the Brooklyn
Superbas beat the Philly Phantastics by a score of 13 to 8.

Sergio Romo(1-0) did a nice job in relief and was credited with the win.  He
allowed no hits and 1 walk in 1 and 2/3 innings and struckout 4 Philly
batters.  Brooklyn had 18 hits for the night while Philly had 12.  

Sergio Mitre was credited with his 1st save.  Francisco Liriano(0-1) took the
loss.  Brooklyn scored big getting 9 runs off him in 4 and 1/3 innings.  

BOXSCORE: 2011 Philly Phantastics At 2011 Brooklyn Superbas         10/7/2011

[1]  Phantastics        AB  R  H RBI AVG     Superbas           AB  R  H RBI AVG
  A.Torres CF         4  1  1  1 .227     D.Jeter SS          5  0  1  0 .381  
  C.Utley 2B          3  0  0  0 .360     N.Markakis RF       5  2  3  2 .355  
  N.Cruz RF           4  1  1  0 .385     M.Cabrera 1B        5  1  2  3 .481  
  R.Branyan 1B        4  0  1  1 .435     R.Howard DH         3  0  1  0 .321  
  J.Drew LF           4  0  2  0 .276   D-R.Furcal PR,DH      0  0  0  0 .500  
  V.Martinez C        3  0  0  0 .250     R.Braun LF          4  0  2  0 .267  
E-J.Lucroy C          0  0  0  0 .000     S.Rolen 3B          3  0  1  0 .304  
  B.Abreu DH          4  0  0  0 .292     I.Rodriguez C       1  0  0  0 .350  
  B.Zobrist 3B        3  1  1  1 .231   A-R.Doumit PH,C       3  0  1  0 .222  
  S.Castro SS         4  0  1  0 .267     V.Wells CF          3  0  0  0 .091  
                                        F-C.Denorfia PH       1  0  0  0 .077  
                                          O.Vizquel 2B        2  0  1  0 .267  
                                        B-C.Blake PH          1  1  1  0 .250  
                                        C-O.Infante 2B        1  1  1  0 .250  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
[1]         Totals      33  3  7  3                 Totals      37  5 14  5

A-Pinch Hit For Rodriguez In 5th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Vizquel In 7th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (2B) For Blake In 8th Inning
D-Pinch Ran For Howard In 8th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Martinez In 8th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Wells In 9th Inning

Phantastics..... 0 0 0  1 2 0  0 0 0  -  3  7  0
Superbas........ 1 0 0  0 0 0  1 0 3  -  5 14  0

[1]Phantastics (3-4)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
C.Hamels                  6 1/3  10   2   2   0   7   0   2.79  A1 D1
B.Morrow HOLD(1st)        1       1   0   0   2   2   0   1.42  D2 D6
A.Rhodes HOLD(1st)        0 2/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00  D7 D7
T.Sipp HOLD(1st)          0 1/3   1   1   1   0   0   0   9.82  D8 D9
H.Bell LOSS(0-2) BS(1st)  0 1/3   2   2   2   0   0   1  10.13  E1
[1]Totals                    8 2/3  14   5   5   2   9   1

[1]Superbas (4-3)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
R.Halladay                6 1/3   6   3   3   2   6   2  10.20  A1 C9
S.Burnett                 0 1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   4.15  D1 D1
C.Hensley                 0 2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   4.91  D2 D3
S.Mitre                   1 1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   1.29  D4 D8
M.Rivera WIN(1-1)         0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   7.36  D9
[1]Totals                    9       7   3   3   2   8   2

ATTENDANCE- 47,194 DATE- Friday, October 7th 2011 TIME- Day WEATHER- Bad
T- 3:08
LEFT ON BASE- Phantastics: 6  Superbas: 8
DOUBLE PLAYS- Phantastics: 2  Superbas: 1
DOUBLES- N.Cruz(3rd), R.Branyan(2nd), N.Markakis-2(4th), C.Blake(1st),
         O.Infante(1st)
HOME RUNS- A.Torres(1st), B.Zobrist(2nd), M.Cabrera(4th)
STOLEN BASES- S.Castro(1st)
WALKS- C.Utley, V.Martinez, R.Howard, S.Rolen
HIT BY PITCH- B.Zobrist
STRIKE OUTS- A.Torres-2, N.Cruz-2, R.Branyan, V.Martinez, B.Abreu, S.Castro,
             D.Jeter-2, N.Markakis, M.Cabrera-2, R.Howard, R.Braun, R.Doumit,
             V.Wells
GIDP- R.Braun, R.Doumit
WILD PITCHES- R.Halladay
2-out RBI- N.Markakis, M.Cabrera-2

Miguel Cabrera left the yard and had 3 RBI as the Brooklyn Superbas came back
to win one over Philly Phantastics, 5 to 3.

Brooklyn won the game with a rally in the 9th inning plating 3 runs using 3
hits.  After an out was recorded, Omar Infante kicked off the action when he
doubled.  One out later, Nick Markakis stepped in and he stroked a single.
Cabrera then lifted one out of the park for a two run home run.  For the game
Brooklyn out-hit Philly 14 to 7.  

The win went to Mariano Rivera(1-1) who allowed no runs in 1/3 of an inning.
Heath Bell(0-2) was the losing pitcher in relief.  'Now that is what I call
fun! I just love baseball, especially games like this, of course,' Marc Wass
offered.  'Everyone at the stadium had a great time - did you see the fans go
wild there at the end?!'

2011 Comes to a close. The races went down to the last block. The games each so important. The most important of the Staub came right down to the Joliet vs High Bridge series. It was a classic. Perhaps one the of the greatest final series of em all. The series needed a winner and they split. High Bridge had been defeated 2 game of 3 by San Diego. Joliet has taken two from Jersey. in the series first. Towaco was swept away in series 1 by Rogers champion Ohio. Dropping just that 1 extra to Ohio meant defeat for the surprising Kevin Gibson led Wolfpack who split 2-2 in the final seies vs Koepp's Maine Express. 1 win from at least a tie from Ohio. With Joliet's speedy small ball team optimized to win, they took the first two from the Heaters. The Heaters getting that 1 win pushed Belfast out of the way who swept Longue Pointe. Just that one win vs San Diego September 21st by High Bridge. Faustino Carmona the staff ace came big, and lil ole David Purcey saved him. It was the combo of HB great pitching, and small ball with Denard Span, Rajai Davis, and Chone Figgins ina 3-1 win perhaps biggest ever for John Millers expansion franchise. So it is that High Bridge edged out Towaco and Joliet with a huge win vs SD. If Joliet had taken 1 more from HB, they could have tied for the WC.
In Clemente the final curtain came down in Indiana for the Redbirds. Their playoff streak is ended and the winner of the crown 3 times will be a spectator as the Skokie Wolfmen went on a decisive roll at the end, and effectively left Indiana in the dust. Skokie won a phenomenal 108 in destroying the competition in the Monday division. Skokie won 14 of last 15 games, 24 of 28. They swept Bryan 4 games ,and 2 of 3 from Indy. The Redbirds had taken 3 of 4 from Bryan before being stopped by Skokie. The Indiana losses meant little as both Brooklyn and Carolina destroying their opponents Cooperstown, and Sunville respectively. But before, they met in the epic battle for Clemente. At first Carolina jumped out with an impressive game 1 win behind Chris Crapenter and Andrew Bailey. Brooklyn took the next two when Nick Markakis 9th Inn HR won g2 for BSP 7-6, then David Price and Mariano teamed for a 3-2 win for Parker champion Brooklyn. It marks Brooklyn's 12th playoff appearance and 8th Parker crown. Brooklyn 102-60, last won the CBA championship in 2004 defeating Kansas City (Towaco), after losing to Limoilou Wendigo in 2003. Brooklyn finished with a team .304 BA, 264 HR, 981 runs. Carolina finished with the wildcard and another 100 win season. Scott Kenan has built a very strong franchise, and together Brooklyn and Carolina have been the story in Parker through the last 5 years.
Philadelphia just blew away from the competition in Schmidt once again and will face Brooklyn in the first round, while Skokie will face the Carolina Copperheads in Clemente action. Joe Wallace and San Diego will face John Miller and High Bridge. Ohio will face Limoilou in the Staub. Philly shredded Stirling 3 games to 1, and took 2 of 3 from New Hampshire to finish with 97 wins in another great year. Philly's Rob Hite has 3 championships under his belt. Marc Wass would like his 3rd. Road will be tough through Skokie/Carolina winner.

The 2011 CBA season has closed. It was another in a long line of great seasons. the races again were outstanding. This year again went to the final block. Although the division winners San Diego, Philly, Limoilou, won their divisions outright, Brooklyn had to defeat Carolina in the last block, and Skokie didn't wrap things up until the end. Perennial favorites like Brooklyn, San Diego, Philly, Indiana, Skokie, Carolina franchises, continue to win big. Other franchises have now certainly joined the elite as this year Ohio repeated their division title to join the exclusive club after successful campaigns and playoff appearances the past few years. A few teams rose to a higher level. High Bridge was the Staub story winning their first ever playoff appearance out lasting their rivals Towaco, Belfast, and Joliet to advance by 1 game. Perhaps it was the huge September 21st win at San Diego that put them over, while Towaco was swept in their first series, last block by the Ohio Outlawz, who won their crown in Rogers in that series. Kudos to Joliet on a fantastic season in which shaep management, small ball and speed took them far into the last block. Towaco formerly Allentown a snake bitten franchise that had struggled along since its days as Kansas City appearing in only 1 playoff in their existence (2004). This year Kevin Gibson took the reigns and brought them within 1 game of the playoffs. Belfast returned from their year rebuilding plan, and put together a sensational year in Dawson finishing with 89, just out of playoff reach. Brooklyn took 2 of 3 from Carolina to win Parker with the Copperheads taking the wildcard spot facing Wolfman Shapiro's Skokie Wolfmen who had the best conference record with 108 wins. Philly plays Brooklyn once again in round 1.

We saw some great games and performances in 2011. The 25 inning game won by Skokie on Sept 15th, over the tenacious Lake County team. Lake County had a good second half and played spoiler against Indiana in the final September stretch run. Septemeber saw 2 other 20+ inning affairs. A Stirling 9-3 win over Ottawa on Sept 10th. A huge game between High Bridge and San Diego combining 43 hits total in which the Heaters won in 20, 10-9. It was the Heaters big wins over San Diego that earned them a playoff spot...Brooklyn and Sunville played in the three of the highest scoring games of the year. On July 31st, Brooklyn winning 19-10, and Sunville returning the favor Sept 8th 18-5. BSP won a 16-13 game on Apr 5th as well. ERA killers for both. Cooperstown and Ottawa played a 10 inning slugfest won by Ottawa 16-14 on August 25th. That was a wild one....On June 30th, Ut Chasely of Philly had a 6 for 6 day against Cooperstown. Delmon Young had 7 hits in a 14 inning game vs Bryan April 21st...The Heaters Gregor Blanco walked 5 times vs Longue Pointe a team known for great pitching (even in this down year)...On June 5th, Joey Votto slugged 4 HR's vs Stirling a feat only achieved in CBA by Albert Belle of the Bodega Bay Madbirds vs Cooperstown Sept 4th, 2000. Mike Piazza of Skokie Wolfmen also did it vs Cooperstown July 10th, 2007....On June 12th Shin Ha Choo of Stirling had 9 Ribbies vs. Philly in 5 at-bats. Pedro Alvarez of Towaco and Aubrey Huff both had 8 in games this year...Both Carl Crawford and Juan Pierre stole 5 bases in a single game, twice...Brooklyn's Edwin 'Ronson' Jackson gave up 16 runs in 6 IP vs Sunville during the September 8th 180-5 SSP win...Gio Gonzalez tossed the seasons only no hitter for Sunville vs Stierling July 5th...There were 7 one hitters...Dontrelle Willis of Longue Pointe walked 12 vs Towaco Sept 4th in midst of a pennant race. Not to feel so bad, both Edwin Jax and Philly's Brandon Morrow walked 11. The CBA record is 14 set by Hartford's Steve Reed in 2003, and Maine's Noah Lowry in 2006...

World champion Brooklyn's offense led the CBA with a final .304 BA, 264 HR, 981 runs. Skokie was second at .288, 248 HR. Philly had 244 HR, and Ottawa 245...High Bridge led by 4 players with 35+ SB's. Figgins 64, Rajai 59, Crisp 40, Span 35, Blanco 18. Joliet stole 190 led by league leaders Juan Pierre 86, and Michael Bourne 73...In Clemente, Indiana's Joey Hamilton won the Clemente Batting crown at .344 Omar Infante fell just shy of appearances to qualify, while Staub crown went to Robby Cano of San Diego at .337...Clemente HR champ was Jose Bautista who slugged 64 HR and tied with Pujols whose .305 55 HR helped him to 142 RBI's. Miguel Cabrera led Brooklyn with .336 43 HR 131 RBI 47 Doubles. In Staub Adrian Gonzalez won the HR crown with a 40 HR effort recording 121 RBI...With no 20 game winners in Clemente, Skokie's Jeremy Guthrie won 19-5 4.11 ERA. Roy Halladay finished second 18-8 3.88 ERA. The ERA crown went to Carolina's Alex Sanchez at 15-5 158 K's 2.72. He edged team mate 14-11 Brett Myers who also had 178 K's In Staub King Felix and Jon Lester both of SD had 21 and Lester won the ERA title at 2.11 to boot...

The Clemente Conference boasted some of the strongest teams in CBA. The race was decided early in Schmidt. Philly took control of first place on June 23rd wresting control to a hot Stirling team. Ottawa was in the mix, then when bench strength became a necessity, Philly made some adjustments then took over first for the rest of the season finishing 97-65, 17 games over Stirling who fell off in the second half to oblivion along with Ottawa. The Phantastics won another title in gaining their 8th playoff trip questing for Rob Hite's 4th championship. This year San Diego broke the Phantastics 2000 season record 120 wins. Rob Hite knows talent, and this year no exception. A young team with an expanding roster of blue chip prospects, who generally seem to develop for baseball junkie Rob. This year with the development of Starlin Castro, long time Phantastic SS, all time CBA hits leader and future HOF Derek Jeter was dealt to the Brooklyn Superbas. The Superbas already boast future HOF types such as Ivan Rodriguez, Omar Vizquel, Miguel Cabrera, Roy Halladay, and Mariano Rivera. Perhaps a signal Brooklyn is aging but this year the two storied long time franchises will meet in the 1st round Marquis matchup. Power vs Power.

Philly rode the strength of destroying his own division. They went 14-8 against all teams Schmidt. Philly had it's struggles with Monday division teams like Bryan whom they went 4-8, Skokie, and Lake County. They feasted on Parker destroying Cooperstown 12-0, and had a winning record against Sunville and Carolina but splitting the Brooklyn Superbas. Hard to figure, but would that mean Monday was the strongest of the conferences? Perhaps Bryan and Lake should move up the power rankings based upon impact on Schmidt's Philly. A total team effort, Hite's platoon system worked to perfection. Michael Morse .336 25 HR 68 RBI, in 298 AB's a name you will hear more of next year. Nelson Cruz .336 20 HR 74 RBI in 411 AB. Longoria's 30 113 .282 was excellent at 3B. Drew 29, Branyan 26 , Abreu 21 and Torres 22 added more HR power. A .282 team BA with 240 HR and 908 runs. Another year over 900 runs. Playing in Ameriquest adds to that total, but don't forget inflates the Philly pitching totals as well. Philly's 4.16 era was quite good for that park. It was helped along with excellent defense, only 73 errors. Verlander 13-11 3.76 ERA 231 K was good as the ace but had some struggles despite the card. Brandon Morrow had the best win pct 13-4 3.36 ERA. Greinke went 15-9 4.83 ERA, and Health Bell saved only 13 ina bullpen by committee approach. Gregorson, Rhodes, O'Flaherty, contributed with middle and set up support.

This team promises to get better if not great. PPS .355 OBA .483 Slug .839 and Production was excellent. Philly relied heavily on the hit and run advancing the runner 53 times and gaining 23 hits, 2nd to Belfast in CBA. The Staub division has clearly made use of the "Longue Pointe" small ball style in recent years, utilizing the Hit and Run more and more like LP did in winning their World Series in 2005, and getting back there 2 years ago. Philly has brought that to Clemente. Philly did steal 80 bases which was less than rivals Brooklyn and Skokie, but part of a trend towards some speed in the Power conference. A breakdown of the team lineups show that the front of the order got on base and exploded significantly more stats wise than the bottom half. Jeter, the injury loss of Utley, hurt in that lineup. Philly will power up against anyone and will be a force as always and years to come.

The Stirling RedSox were a team of promise and hope going into the second half of 2011. The started out by residing atop Schmidt division before taking a turn. According to GM Malachi Nellum, the teams collapse in July was centered on Phillip (being counted on as a stopper) Hughes crumble, and the bullpen in that month could not hold on to leads. 99 errors that seemed to come at the wrong time. Do they ever come at the right time? That pattern cotinued as the RedSox IRSC was at .346 an unacceptable percentage for a contender with pen so vital. Stirling had enough juice to contend this year on offense scoring 819 runs with a.345 team OBA. Perhaps a bit more slugging in their conference could have helped somewhat. Carlos Pena 31 HR 88 RBI .218 and Chin 30 HR 88 RBI .284 were the power sources. Pena flashed good leather at 1B, so he was of value beyond his low BA. But this team won with small ball in Clemente. Stirling stole 150 bases an excellent total in Clemente. Carl Crawford 13 HR 89 RBI .322 69 SB 12 triples and 4 doubles. He only hit into 4 double plays all year. It an was awesome year and CC is an MVP candidate despite the other players gaudy numbers. A lot of underachieving performances for the Sox while playing at Bank One Park with good singles, and 1-10 HR numbers on average. So here goes Stirling. Once again strengthening as they prepare for 2012.

The Ottawa Otters are an original 1996 (yes, December) team. They own a World Championship secured by the likes of players like Vladimir Guerrero, Omar Vizquel, and the retired HR giant Mark McGwire. Vladdy 30 HR 94 RBI .289 still plays at a high level to this day, and is high among the all time league leaders in many categories like batting, HR, RBI, Slug, OBA, and even SB. His tandem with first big Mac, then Big Papi are CBA legendary. Still going strong. Big Papi Ortiz spit his way to a 40 HR 98 RBI .257 season. Cust 22, Drew 24, McCutcheon 21 and the Moody Justin Haywood played the blues only nailing 20 HR 51 RBI and a .250 BA. Only 78 Stolen bases, Haywood didnt move much. and only M'Cutch stole 25. Alot of power off the bench too as the Otters hit 242 HR. Guys like Baker, Izturis, Varitek, Hinske, McDonald al showed some pop. The pitching was a near disaster with a 4.52 ERA. Gallardo 13-7 4.16 ERA, Lackey 12-9 4,09 with a nearly 1.50 WHIP. Randy Wells went 12-11 but a 5.60 ERA.

Its a similar pattern for many Clemente staffs. The numbers are always inflated , so runner movement or lack thereof is very important when considering pitchers. The numbers can lie on the surface, but deep down that runner advance and strikeouts which stop runners dead often contribute to CBA wins. Ottawa pitching only K'd 1080 batters which is low by standard. Considering how many pitches thrown is another way of showing that runners were on base moving around. In combination with LOB, team base runner patterns may become clearer. Only 7 clutch outs by pitchers and alot of pitches thrown show many dangerous situations encountered by Ottawa. 108 errors and a .702 X rating were poor. Led to many runs. The defense hurt the pitching. 30% of the runners crossed the plate when relievers were summoned. By contrast Limoilou had a .205 IRSC. A division title too. The importance of relief even in a softball slugfest, is unmistakable. Ottawa staffs tossed 8 CG's and only 5 shutouts for the team all year. As long as Ottawa has played, they have always been an offensive minded team. Their teams lineups were of legend. The Otters are still however quite a good young team. The OF may be among the best of CBA, and getting better with the rapid development of Cameron Maybin. Next year, Fister, Ogando, Gallardo and Serge Santos will be strong. With a good draft the Otters could be a team that could challenge.

The New Hampshire WildCats are a team building their way to the future. Give Chris Brazeau credit. He is a perfect fit for CBA. It was said, that he brings an enthusiasm to CBA that is exactly what CBA has wanted. He began right away to establish a foundation for his new franchise. He inherited perhaps CBA's worst and already has added some talent throught attention to building relationships and trading. Some interesting future players include Justin Masterson, Diane Viciedo, Jose Tabata, Gaby Sanchez, Yoder Alonso, JP Arrencibia, Gerardo Parra, Matt Harrison, Danny McCutchen, and good performances from David Pauly and Bruce Chen. With a record of 42-120, the team can only move up from there. Highlites included reliever Brandon League's 0.86 ERA and holds. Dan Wheeler had 12 saves in 14 innings. Ross Ohlendorf gave 5-6 3.81 RA in 100 IP. It was mostly the relievers not the starters who helped the cause. The Wildcats played well in September against the contenders going 11-15. Tim Stauffer was solid in the middle with 4-2 3.58 ERA in 45 App. New Hampshire will lok ahead to better times. Attendance in the cats lair is sparse game after game. The Wildcats must play better than the Goldie Hawn led WWildcats to get the respect of other team CM's in Schmidt division competition. Perhaps one day people will cae less about resting their regulars when New Hampshire comes to town.

The Parker division hosts two perennial beasts who have long dominated their division, Brooklyn and Carolina. It was widely thought that this year Sunville could present a challenge, but Keith Jones and his infrequent managerial CM's put a quick end to the notion of a playoff, let alone his continued participation in CBA. It's a shame he had put together a nucleus of talent there. Now it's up to upcoming Cooperstown to fufill some promise. The story wound up being Brooklyn's. The SUperbas are an original franchise and the 5th one created by Gerald and Claude way back in winter of 1996. The Alexandria Assault, Ottawa Otters, Philly and the Louisville MobSquad were also among the first teams created. Brooklyn quickly established Coors field as their "House of Pain" and developed stories, press, and a webpage to comemorate what was Brooklyn's return to pro baseball. The Superbas started out with a team led by the enigmatic Albert "Joey" Belle as their team hero. In that first season, Belle slugged 50+ HR, led the league in HR, RBI, and almost won the BA title and the triple crown. It was then the the Superbas established identity as CBA's leading power and offensive team of all time. Brooklyn team and players share or hold many CBA records for offense both individually and as a team. A few players with huge career totals like Todd Helton, Sammy Sosa, Ivan Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Halladay, have played a majority of their career there putting up huge numbers. This year the Brooklyn bad Boys had a team full of huge offensive numbers. They boasted a CBA leading amount of HR, 264, Runs 980, 376 doubles, and even 94 SB. The Superbas pitching was less spectacular and accounted for many problems allowing lesser offensive teams to score at will and even win games. The bullpen fared better than the starters with a .282 IRSC. The starters had a substandard defense behind them in which they accounted for a .717 X rating 3 /1000 less than league average. A majority of the most dangerous kind, OF errors, and big errors on the INF left side. The staff threw the most pitches in CBA. Perhaps if RA Dickey pitched more, or better. Perhaps if Edwin Jackson's 13-9 and 7.53 ERA didnt hover around 9.00 all season until the end. Forget his 13 wins, Brooklyn gave him the best run support in CBA. John Lannan 3-8 7.50, and released John Maine also did little. This team with a 4,5 starter could have done alot more. Dice-K 12-8 4.53 had a fine season. Haladay 18-8 3.88 209 K's had another fine season, and David Price 16-5 4.34 172 K's is an emerging ace. Both could have been better and were weaker in the first half before settling down. The bullpen is among the best led by Mariano 2-2 2.09 27sv. Clay Hensley 3-2 2.59 5sv, Jon Rauch 4-2 3.14, Mitre 4-0 2.52 ERA, Sergio Romo 7-1 3.25, and Sean Burnett 2-3 1.86 7sv all had strong seasons. Carlos Zambrano 6-2 4.91 4sv won some swingman games and some saves in long relief. The starting staff was let down by themselves, and the porous defense. The offense thrived.

The big three are the biggest triple threat in CBA. Brooklyn always had a fearsome middle order. A team .358 OBA, .519 slug, 6.39 runs created are all excellent. An .840 totoal avg is outstanding for a team effort. Years before, It was Helton, Sosa, Bagwell, wells, before that Ventura, Henry Rodriguez, Brian Daubach, Luis Polonia, Jay Payton all had huge seasons in a Brooklyn Black and Gold, vested uniform. Brooklyn has led the CBA in power categories many times. Miguel Cabrera 43 HR 131 RBI .336, was sensational this season and will get strong MVP support. Ryan Howard 47 HR 123 RBI .283 no doubt will receive many top votes in one of his best years ever. Ryan Braun 28 HR 106 RBI .296 10sb, nearly matched his MLB numbers and was a key force protecting the other two stars. Vernon Wells had another huge year. The former Clemente MVP, and 2011 candidate hit .309 with 33 HR 82 RBI's. Wells made no errors in CF and threw out 9 runners. Brett Gardner led CBA CF with 21. The Markakis hit 17 HR 79 RBI .296 BA was great defensively leading CBA in RF assists. The under rated Omar Infante nearly won the batting crown this season hitting .351 falling just shy on PA's. Derek Jeter certainly didn't add much this year in September, but he's an October player. Furcal 6 HR 40 RBI .329 29 SB was great offensively at ss with Omar Vizquel ) HR 24 RBI .286 in 315 AB, likely in his last season before retirement and it was a good one for his BA stats. Brooklyn has to shwo they can get past round 1 and Philly to be a threat in the CBA playoffs. They didn't make it last year, but if they do this year, watch out. This team can explode and will. Especially if their front three starters can get er done.

Carolina 100-62 and a wildcard, rode atop the division for a good amount of time going back n forth. Their match ups with Brooklyn 6-16, haven't always worked in their favor with Brooklyn having their number. The match ups aren't favorable, but Carolina struggled with Sunville a bit too. Carolina fattened up their record a lot on Cooperstown going 20-2 done well vs the other teams. Carolina had identical 50-31 records on the road and at home. They struggled in 1 run games going below .500 in those 23-24. Carolina scored an average of 5.08 runs and let up an excellent 3.75 runs. A good margin for winning ball. Carolina did finish the season strong winning at a .700 clip the last few weeks. Opponents scored 10+ runs 10 times, Carolina did 20 times. Kenan's teams seem to win. Carolina had a team .343 OBA with a good .444 slug. They used a platoon system at some positions. The 10th man award will undoubtedly go to Jim Thome in his final days . He hit 33 HR 73 RBI .325 in only 271 at bats! Has to be some type of performance record. 14.92 RC/27, Total avg 1.508, 1.244 Productivity, his ISO was .458, OM lord... The other platooner Adam Dunn 19 HR 53 RBI .286 in 287 at bats, not too shabby ehh? . Thats insane numbers. Absolutely insane. Ryan Zimmerman had 33 HR 113 RBI .303 BA. Werth 26 HR 117 RBI .290, D Stubbs 23 HR 67 RBI 26 SB 5 CS, although Joey Votto was a 'disappointing' 28 HR 91 RBI .265. Ian Kinsler will need to step back up after a .258 6 HR 41 RBI campaign. The team batted .261, but scored 823 runs but only grounded into 130 DP's a good number for baserunner movement. That big power accounted for 215 HR's mostly from those hall of fame platooners. The team made 90 errors which was fair. It could have been better to help the great pitching.

The pitchers limited hitters to a 5th best 3.50 ERA in Clemente! Thats outstanding in a DH league built for rip. Those pitchers K'd 1176 batters, and a .233 IRSC. They had 26 CG's, 8 shutouts, 46 saves led by Valverde's 3-5 2.91 24sv, and Andrew Bailey added 11 more saves. Chris Carpenter 17-11 3.75 had a good year atop the staff. Annabelle Sanchez 15-5 2.72 led the Clemente in ERA. Brett Myers was excellent doing at a 14-11 2.74 clip. Excellent back to back staff. John Johnson 14-9 4.26 ERA. All that without talking about Johann Santana 11-11 4.83 not even on the playoff roster. Set up middle man Matt.Belisle had a great season appearing in 70 games going 3.16 7-0. Len Ondrusek was 2-0 with a brilliant 1.54 ERA and 10 holds in 65 games as a set up man. Elmo Dessens went 5-1 with 2.38 ERA in 45 IP. Peter Moylan of Joliet had a CBA leading 29 holds. Looking at the low inning but high number of appearance data of Carolina leads me to believe they employed quick set up men more than most teams did. Carolina is a good fielding team with a .757 X rating avg It will carry them into the playoffs where a balanced team is necessary. They can hit, for power, pitch, field, and run a little. A formidable team that can beat anyone in CBA on any day.

Sunville management dropped the ball in 2011. Keith Jones an original manager, disappeared in July and with only 1 communique in 4 months, I wont waste my team reviewing his franchise. Just know that Jose Bautista 64 HR 142 RBI .276 BA was electrifying to watch this year. With Austin Jackson 1 HR 41 HR .290 37 SB and Carlos Gonzalez 24 HR 88 RBI .321 BA in front of him, it was a run producing machine atop that helped generate their 742 runs. Beyond those guys there was a few performers like Barton 12 HR .276, Gomes .272 12 HR, Barajas 16 HR, and Willingham who hit 14 HR. Sunville did slam 187 HR. The staff was led by Gio Gonzalez 13-6 3.61 ERA 171 K's was outstanding for a poor club. The bullpen let them down. Guys like Rafael Soriano 1-10 3.69 27 saves, blew plenty of opportunities with no one else stepping up. No manager to alter the pecking order, no manager, no more.

Cooperstown Iron Horses on the other hand is a quality organization that is re tooling and working very hard to build a contender ground up. They have alot of future wealth that tell the story more than the season they just closed. C Town went 52-110. 20 of those to Carolina, and 16 to Brooklyn. Shave half those from those teams and you would have 16 more wins should the Horses decipher those foes. It would have been a little closer if they could have won more from the Monday division. In fact had they won more anything would have been better. The Horses spit the bit in a 2011 race they'd rather forget. The offense hit 178 HR's, and had a .250 BA. Their PH hit only .220. The team amassed a measly 6,171 PA's. Not many rallies there. Better focus on the hitting cuz the pitching was well. The young talent had bright spots. Neil Walker .301 20 HR 64 RBI was good from 2B. Casey McGehee .290 23 HR 62RBI was a solid producer. Delmon Young added a .284 28 HR 74 RBI season. McCann 21 HR 59 RBI .260 season was adequate but below his usual numbers. Still not bad for a backstop. The nucleus is here. Excellent young talent that will develop further. Guys like Weaver, Walker, Young Jr, Storn, Mejia, Bumgarner, Chacin, Nova, Latos, Tomlin, Morton, Pinieda, and Lots of better draft picks to come too. A few guys will have excellent cards in 2012. This team could be a force, soon.

The Monday division got it roots back in 1997. Bryan formerly Kilgore is an original team there. Southwest Lizard Kings now known as the Skokie Wolfmen were an original there too. Now it is said it could be the toughest division in CBA's Clemente. Judging by the record of success that the Monday teams had over the other divisions, a case could be made. This divisions teams beat the best teams of the other divisions. Bryan had success against the better teams, yet they finished just under .500. A team that defeated Indy 11-11, Philly 8-4, Stirling 8-4, 7-5 vs the Sunville, 12-10 vs Lake Co, and 5-7 vs Brooklyn. Why then couldn't Bryan break free? Skokie went 3-19 vs them. Carolina 3-9, and Ottawa had their number 4-8. If they had played better vs Skokie and Ottawa, it may have been a race. Indy went 25-11 vs Parker a winning record vs all the teams there. A winning record vs Schmidt too. Skokie struggled with Parker. But it was Skokie's domination over Indiana that finally separated this divisional race. Skokie took that season series in a year when three teams could have made playoffs. Lake County played well vs the tough teams and were just below despite the record.

Skokie outlasted Indiana in the end. Skokie maintained an advantage pretty much all season, but Indiana kept nipping at the Wolfmen's collar, pushing Josh Shapiro to make adjustments often to keep ahead. Shapiro guided this team to the franchises best season ever with 108 wins. Shapiro programs two CM's each week tailoring the team to his opponents and it makes all the difference. The team did perform for him, so luck or Skullduggery may have had some...effect. The team was remarkably well balanced between the CBA's 2nd rated offense and an excellent pitching staff. The defense was strong as well with a.779 X Rating. Skokie was just as good at home or the road, righties or lefties didn't matter winning at .600+, 700+ against righties. They were 28-16 in 1 run games, but for some reason only 6 and 6 in extras. Seems like Soria and the pen really let down the excellent starting staff whose ERA's inflated a bit as they allowed .356 IRSC. Very poor. Soria 4-3 2.96 saved 19, blew only 3 saves but allowed 44% of runners inherited to score. Ineffective in the clutch, horrible numbers. Imagine if he stopped them cold what a few more wins could have done. A team 3.83 ERA, the starters were led by C.Lee 3.57 16-11 12 QS, J.Guthrie 4.11 19-5 only 12 quality starts whereas league leader Jon Lester had 20, and M.Cain 4.23 14-11, Clayton .Richard 4.36 14-4 The numbers don't jump out at you. But they got it down limiting opposition scoring to 1.25 runs better than the opposition. The team did K 6.9 batters per 9 IP, and let righties hit .232. Lefties batted .246. Them pitchers Stopped the runners dead in their tracks. The defense chipped in with 24 OF assists and 4 Double plays 10 from CF, 7 from Bupton. The offense was classy. .288 BA with 248 HR 894 runs scored. ,A.Beltre .312 30 HR 106 RBI and SS Troy Tulowitzki contributed .278 27 HR 75 RBI and with 11 men collecting double digit HR's. It was a team effort. Many players contributed. Platooners thrived. M.Holliday .333 21 HR 73. RBI M.Ordonez .372 19 HR 65 RBI in 290 AB was effective in the OF platoon. Backups like Ramon Castro hit .339 9 HR, C Will Rhymes .366 21 RBI in 180 AB all led to a title in Monday. The team showed good ISO power .198 figure average is around .180-.190. A .815 total average and .839 Production rating are good numbers and mean wins. By contrast New Hampshire had a .561 total abg, and .643 production. New Hampshire was better at keeping runners from scoring though .335 to Skokie's .35 :)

Indiana A team 4.16 ERA, the starters were great R.Oswalt 2.82 15-8 , A.Wainwright 2.98 18-9, J.Garland 3.86 14-7 although H.Kuroda 4.77 14-6 underachieved. Bill3 Wagner was 3-5 and 32 saves. Team K's 1279 players, with Wainwright having 202 of them. Oswalt 198 K's. The bullpen despite the saves was shaky a team .339 IRSC. The pitchers allowed a .240 BA against. The offense gave Indiana 5.4 runs per game to work with. Indy couldn't out muscle Skokies CM's, nor edge Carolina and Brooklyn down the stretch. It was so close. The offense may not have been enough. Who knows had Bob been able to tweak the CM's what could have occurred. The proxy did a great job, and Indiana won too down the stretch but already behind they just ran out of time. The team batted .271 with 238 HR. A .333 OBA and a nice .461 slug, but in Clemente where Brooklyn, Skokie reside. Fell short. Scored 863 runs. J.Hamilton hit .344 38 HR 112 RBI. Alfert.Pujols.309 44 Do 1 TR 55 HR 142 RBI 100 extra base hits not up to others in CBA but a stellar year. P.Polanco .304 11 HR 52 RBI was under rated and steady. Great glove .808 X rating at his off position. A.Rodriguez .267 18 HR 76 RBI 12 SB had an off year at 3B. Huntor.Pence.265 24 HR 99 RBI 21 SBwas solid. Hanley.Ramirez disappointed at .261 25 HR 68 RBI but had 33 SB. Starter Rahul Ibanez killed them in LF .235 10 HR 49 RBI with no glove or speed or variables to think of. The bench players were adequate but Wilson Valdez for 260 AB's at .241 and no power hurt a bit more than his glove helped. Alfonso Soriano acquired for the stretch didn't help much in nearly 200 Ab only .217 and 6 HR. Pinch hitters batted .243 with only super card vs Lefty Drew Sutton hitting 1 PH HR. Had 16 of 20 successful sacrifices. There was a significant production decline at the end of the batting order, but so much firepower up front that Indiana finished with a great season. A credit to Bob Fidler that he always is in the game.

The Bryan Bashers were better than the record shows. In a very tough division they held their own against the best as was chronicled previously. The Cory Light Led team gave away some distance after contending in the first half but this year was no disappointment. 77-85, but a tough losing record. A sweep the final week hurt the record more as the Redbirds laid into them with a full arsenal at the end. A team .327 OBA and .382 slug. Both need some improvement but the oBA isn't too bad. 4.38 RC and a .662 Production meant the offense slipped this season and didnt get much going. 142 HR and 662 runs were weak in Clemente they only stole 52 bases too, so no runner movement hurt. Nick Swisher batted .288 with 24 HR 78 RBI 4 SB and Paul Konerko hit .280 28 HR 95 RBI. Pat Burrell .241 17 HR 62 RBI, and Marlon Byrd .258 16 HR 62 RBI were solid. This team killed any lefties hitting .281. It was just that righties hurt this righty lineup limiting them to a team .238 BA vs R. The pitchers were opposite, a .235 BA vs L, and a .282 BA vs R against them. The team generally went 40 AB between HR's. Brooklyn comparing had 1 every 22 AB. A .137 ISO was abysmal. The defense however was excellent posting a .777 X rating helping a strong pitching staff for 2011. A 4.17 ERA 1,062 K's. The staff fared better than the offense. Using that solid defense, Bryan pitchers had good seasons. The bullpen was weaker but still led by Kevin Gregg's 30 saves 1.54 4-1 5 blown saves and set up man Broope Badenhop 2.14 5-0 led to a few wins. A .375 IRSC hurt. Starters Joe Blanton 3.80 12-10, T.Wakefield 4.21 10 7, Wanda Rodriguez 4.32 10-11, and Randy Wolf a hard luck pitcher who was 3.28 9-9. The Whips of the starters were pretty good but runners trickled in. Bryan will need to continue to build the franchise to keep pace with the fading Redbirds and Skokie who will slow a bit barring deals next season. Injuries in MLB may help Bryan by hurting some rivals. Cory looks forward to a brighter 2012 season.

The Lake County Leopards finished with a stronger September and helped eliminate the Indiana team in the end. The Leopards perhaps could have done more in a different division but it is a team on the rise. Some good talent and decent MLB season could spell wins for David Jones. This season a weak offense hurt this team evidenced by a .248 BA. 127 HR and 644 runs won't win in CBA, though the teams 4.54 ERA doesn't hurt as bad when you're scoring runs either. A .314 OBA with a .376 Slug is bad. Garrett Jones led the team with a 20 HR season and a .217 BA took the gain away. The team allowed 198 HR's against. They were successful bunting 27of 28 times. Only 86 SB with 47 CS doomed the runner movement despite the bunts. The # 3 hitter hit .281 23 HR 85 RBI's. The #4, .238 15 HR 69 RBI very Mets like. Dexter Fowler and Cody Ross did throw out 13 runners from RF a plus. A .756 X rating was quite good. G.Soto .275 13 HR 47 RBI, and Ryan Spilborghs .266 12 HR 52 RBI were among team leaders. Jimmy Rollins .249 5 HR 27 RBI 14 SB was a bust. The pitching records reflected the teams offense a bit in the loss column J.Cueto 4.33 7-13 145 K's is a star waiting to explode. Jamie Garcia 4.86 9-14 133 K's is as well. Derek Lowe 5.16 9-18 deserved better. These pitchers and Tyler Clippard, Papelbon (13 sv), Venters, Acosta, forma good nucleus and mean trouble for Monday. Could be the best pitching staff in the division next season. The development of Fukudome, Avila, and Fowler should help a bit. A return by Rollins, some added power you never know. Jones has recruited some good players here.

The Staub conference has had it's share of fantastic finishes. The is no question that year after year the conference will all boil down to the last block of games. The competition so fierce. This year the battle was epic. All season San Diego had ran away with the Carter title. Joe Wallace's 2011 Staub championship team has made it through a wondrous season finishing at 122 - 40. The best record ever in CBA. Joe must be proud of the team that swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs in dominating fashion winning 4-0 both series. As of this writing will face the powerful Brooklyn Superbas in what promises to be an excellent World Series. The Surf had unbelievable balance. Robison Canoe 202 hits 35 HR119 RBI .337 13 HB and stellar defense .984 X rating. David Wright .308 37 HR 115 RBI had a super season against all types of pitching. Jay Bruce in CF slammed 27 HR, Victorino hit .289 with 37 steals. The numbers don't scream at you but if you run down the stats, you can see how it was a team effort. The platooners like David Murphy, Justin Morneau, Kevin Youkilis hit .326, and got on base at a .423 clip and a .564 slug in platoon had great seasons. Wallace strung together great cards. Look at the numbers. As a team, they had it all. 3rd in batting .283 .360 OBA, .478 slugging. They were1st by far in pitching 2.66 ERA. That is a CBA record. Struck out 1378 batters. An outstanding .228 IRSC 2nd in CBA behind the Wolf Pack of Towaco. A .753 X Rating, combined with that K and ERA. The whip was an astounding +173 ! The only blemish perhaps, Nict Hundley and crew 22 PB. They stole 19 of 86 bases for a .819 clip. San Diego started the season going 12-1, never looked back. Always seemed to have trouble with rival High Bridge including a memorable inning inning affair that had a direct impact on the Staub wild card races. It was San Diego's losses to High Bridge that allowed the Heaters to slip past the red hot Towaco Wolfpack. In essence SD controlled the entire outcome of the Staub. Thank you Mr Schedule maker. The staff with King Felix 2.36 21 - 8 +22 Whip, but Jon Lester went nuts. 2.11 21 - 3 +30 whip 200 IP 130 hits 101 BB. Hong Kuo 1.33 17 saves, Nap Feliz 1.62 12 sv. M.Garza 3.12 17 - 5, Earvin Santana 3.28 16 - 4 Dan Haren 3.60 19 - 5 completed an awesome rotation with Daniel Hudson 2.18 11- 4.

John Miller took an expansion club. He was given nothing but the promise of better days should he be patient and build. John had a plan. It took 3 years, but in that time he created a contender. A playoff team. The Heaters survived a Battle Royal to win the wild card and the right to face the Surf. The Heaters were clearly among the contenders of CBA for much of the season for the first time in their history. They had a chance to vie for elite status that a conference championship can bring. We rarely remember the contenders, but this year San Diego was in the way of a dream. The final season games between SD and HB were phenomenal the 20 inning affair won by High Bridge was legendary. The Heat were .591 against their own division, and they owned Rogers as well .604 29-19. They were .500 against the Dawson, having loads of trouble with Limoilou and Belfast, two of Staub's better teams. Struggled at times with Longue Pointe too falling prey to the pitching. A healthy mix of platoon players drove the limited offense of the Heaters. A team .243 BA, 699 runs, 125 HR the offense was just enough to compete. You can look at the stats and counter that offense with a superior pitching performance, and you have a good Staub team. Both Juan Uribe the versatile infielder and Tyler Colvin hit 21 HR to lead the team. Ike Davis added 18 more. The platooners Melvin Mora .289 13 SB, Gegor Blanco .302, Wus Helms .27 added some pop to the line up. They were a great speed team 242 SB, with table setters who did damge in the late innings when their turn came around. Denard Span stole 35, Crisp .284 40 SB, .Chone Figgins acquired from Brooklyn for 2B hit 3 HR 72 RBI and stole 63 SB. Rajai Davis 7 HR 51 RBI .248 acquired from Montreal stole 60 himself. The team OBA was pretty poor at .316 with a below average .366 slug. So it was all about the speed game that even managed to create nearly 700 runs. HB's pitching really kept the Heaters in most of it's games. The speed stole wins for the pitching. A .736 X rating, they struggled batting .238 vs righties .258 vs Lefties. But the pitching? A different story. they allowed a .225 vs lefties and a .243 vs righties. The Heaters staff not only kept the games close, but they hit .170 knocked in 24, and had 51 sac bunts. They were destructive to good offenses all over CBA. Charlie.Narveson 3.29 11-10 and Fausto.Carmona 3.40 14 - 11 were strong. Brent Cecil 2.71 15 - 6, and Rick.Porcello 2.80 12 - 8 led the staff. The bullpen by committee approach was effective. a .248 IRSC. Kenji.Uehara 1.07 2 - 0 24 saves who was a hero with Montreal before getting injured leading them to within a series of the playoffs had a sensational year for the Heaters. Ace set up person J.Benoit 1.23 2 - 0 12, S.Marshall 2.00 5 - 3 , D.Hernandez 2.11 8 - 1 ,M.Delcarmen 2.34 1 - 1, all contributed to a 92 - 70 season. It was September when it matterd most. The custom lineups produced by Miller effectively set strategies to tear through the final month and keep pace outlasting Joliet, and Towaco.

Joliet came out of nowhere it seemed and became a big story in the CBA soap opera. Now what happened here? Did anyone predict that Joliet would be a factor in the Staub.91-71, they went nuts on the base paths. Like the Heat the team tore it up with 190 SB. Somehow they would win. Like HB, they had some pop, but a low .243 BA. JJC's .685 .315 OBA and 370 Slug and only 2000 total bases. The Iso .120 didn't scare anyone. They had a league leading 8 clutch hits. The pitching staff was very good with a 3.79 ERA though not the caliber of High Bridge or San Diego. Then where did they win? A team approach. solid components K.Jepsen 2.34 4 - 3 , B.Duensing 2.45 11 - 6, .J.Hanrahan 3.10 8 - 0 8sv, B.Matusz 3.11 11 -11, A.Burnett 3.26 13 - 7 146K a committee approach.. Where did they win from? Hit .219 vs lefties. Opponents batted only around .250 but could that be it? Other teams had better stats. Huigh Bridge more speed, better pitching, then only 1 game? A testament to Jack Frost's gamesmanship in what could be one of the best performances by a GM this season. Joliet was able to A .679 OPS, wheres the beef? Perhaps the speed and a lot of key match ups in the CM's perhaps? Joliet didn't always send a CM for each opponent, but he managed his usage which gave him a competitive edge. The bench? No. Luke.Scott .285 20 65, and the amazingly under rated clutch season of Corey Hart another strong MVP candidate. The numbers don't tell the story there with .273 28 HR 111 RBI considering his seemingly limited offense MVP candidate Juan Pierre .268 1 HR 66 RBI a CBA leading 87 SB he is setting records in CBA with every SB. Michael Bourne's .267 3 HR 43 RBI with 73 SB. These guys were the key while the bullpen nailed it down .248 IRSC. Matt Capps 4.31 3 - 7 44 saves held what Hart and the speed kings handed him. Their record against Dawson was in contrast with HB having won 27 games. The late Joliet rush occurred when the other teams knocked each other around and had to substitute in their lineups. Joliet then took advantage through most of August before finally succoming at the end to High Bridges San Diego wins. Jolient wasn't as lucky in the final week losing to their arch rival in their final series.

The New Jersey Beatles didn't create much music in 2011. A true expansion team with a building future, the veteran league face to face commisioner/manager Steven Adler came to us from the Tri-State Strat-o-matic League based in Northern New Jersey. In his 2nd season, the nucleus is there. Lind hit 16 HR and drove 69 in. He looks better for 2012. Prospects like Bryuce Harper, Justin Smoak, Jed Lowrie .282 15 34, Jeremy Hellickson, and of course Mike Stanton .242 22 HR 54 RBI . Meanwhile the team made it through the season managing usage well. Jeff Niemann 3.98 5 - 13 134 K's led the staff and pitched pretty well. Donnie Bush 5.03 3 - 20. J.Francis 5.57 7 - 10, Ben Sheets 7.26 3 - 14. Blake Dewitt.289 5 HR 33 RBI had a good rookie season. The team batted .231 with 111 HR's and scored 547 runs a very low figure. Much of the concern was to develop the young talent. A 42-100 can only improve as the Beatles will hope their yellow submarine surfaces. A .300 OBA with a .347 slug. A .116 ISO is horrendous. The figures really serve to point out the low end of the range, and where teams that are more successful may lie. Whereas a team has a .190 and reaches the Conference finals, the other end is at .116. Brooklyn is at .209. A 3.46 runs created is also the low range. New Jersey did go 6 - 5 in 1 run games. Motte 3.12 4 - 4 and Perry 3.86 1 - 2 did well in the pen for the Beatles. Jesse Crain saved 9 games in a surprise.

The Rogers division saw a great playoff run by the perennial contender Ohio Outlawz and the emergent Towaco Wolf Pack, (not to be confused with Skokie Wolfmen). Once home of .500 and below type teams, this division has become a stronger division in the CBA. With he Clemente dominating recent World Series play, teams like San Diego, Limoilou, and Ohio emerged to try and wrest the Conference bragging rights from the likes of Brooklyn, Indiana, Carolina, Philly, and Skokie. Tall order. But the guard changes quickly here in CBA as powers emerge and some fade into CBA's abyss. Now we see new powers emerging. Rogers will be a battle in 2012. It's expected that Kennesaw Mt will begin to emerge as the young talent has started to pay some dividends. Ohio may have a set back with Posey's injury, but their talent has moved ahead as well. Maine looks pretty powerful in the middle of the lineup. Towaco will need another good draft as the division emerges.

Ohio had a great season. They had power and pitching and 97 wins. They won as much on the road as at home. Even money in one run games as well. Went 9-7 in extra innings. To say the least, Ohio is a CBA elite team. They started 2011 with a quick start from the gate, then faded back a bit in May and really began to slide through June and into the first week of July. Who'd have thought that the Outlawz could finish first? Firing their six shooters at the sky, and instead of hitting nothing, they shot down stars. The streak began. On June 30th, 11 games out, they began a torrid month of July. By July 28th, they were 1 game behind Towaco. They were 7 games out on July 19th, by the 28th just 1. They took a share of 1st place on July 29th, and kept pace with Towaco eventually outlasting them taking first place through August. , though Towaco made it really close all season. Looks like they may be up there awhile as the team is stocked with good talent. The Posey 15 HR 54 RBI .329 affair may be a stunning set back for Glen Kenan, but players like Dan Alex Gordon 3 HR 18 RBI .195, Logan Morrison 29 RBI .254, Melty Cabrera 2 HR 17 RBI .231, Seth Smith 15 HR 48 RBI .264, will join Mark Texeira 19 HR 82 RBI .270, in a solid lineup again. Those numbers will look better. This season aside from Posey, Chris Young had a return to stardom with a great 35 HR 98 RBI .253 36 SB .912 X rating, a great all around season. He will undoubtedly get votes in the MVP voting as well. MVP candidate, Kelly Johnson porked 27 HR 78 RBI .278 45 doubles, 15 SB with a CBA 8th best 105 runs scored, all at 2B. Miguel Tejada in the twilight of his career managed 16 HR 83 RBI .255 BA. John Buck .292 16 HR 64 RBI .818 Total avg at catcher was a blessing in Posey's absence. Best tandem in CBA for 2011. A team .339 OBA and .421 slug in Staub is pretty good. A 4.92 runs created, and .725 total avg on .761 production works out quite nicely in the non DH 12 team Conference. The team showed excellent power despite playing in San Francisco's ball park. 91 stolen bases were also pretty good, though not elite. Mainly a power team. Imagine if they were in Clemente? Ohio did ground into 150 double plays and will need to reduce that number.

Ohio's pitching was excellent as well. Team 3.49 ERA allowing only 129 HR with a +377 Whip is quite good. They K'd 1233, and kept opposing runners honest when in scoring position 26% of the time. The league average was .298. Erick Aybar's 26 errors didn't help, but Ohio's .683 X rating was abominable. They may have done a lot more with gloves behind the staff. 10 CG's 14 shut outs. Cy Young candidate Clay Bucholz led the staff a stellar year 2.58 19 - 4 only 6 HR allowed in 170 IP. Jesus Sanchez went 2.97 11 - 10, Jake Westbrook 3.72 16 - 7. Ricky Nolasco 3.81 11 - 4. Chris Perez 3 - 2 1.88 22 saves all had fine seasons. The middle corps were solid with Breslow, Wright, and Lopez. Ohio should be in good shape next season as their talent develops further.

Following Ohio in the race for the Steve Rogers division was first year GM Kevin Gibson's Towaco Wolfpack. Towaco held first place throughout much of the seasons first half. Great pitching and offense led the pack and they were the talk of the Staub conference for that while. Knowing they would come back to earth, Kevin Gibson still managed to keep the Pack quite motivated and winning right until the final block, despite Ohio's hot streaks and stellar play. Towaco was in first polace up until August 8th. It was a great season to stay up there that long. They and Joliet missed on a wild card by the slimmest of margins when High Bridge defeated San Diego for a big series in September, and won 1 more against the eventual Staub Champions. That was the difference, 1 game between Towaco a playoff or a long winter in North Jersey. It took conference rival Maine to split a 4 game series at the end to keep the Pack out. Just 1 win, could have meant a game 163. Towaco won 49 games on the road 7 more than home. The team offense totals were good for Staub, though not as strong offensively as Ohio, the Wolves hit a collective .257 with 146 HR and a total 745 runs. Good numbers. 281 doubles could be upgraded a bit and the defense must buckle down. .710 X rating 128 errors is poor. The catchers Russell Martin 5 HR 51 RBI .260, and Matt Treanor 7 HR 40 RBI .235, threw out 31% of the would be thieves, a nice number. The offense managed a .329OBA and .402 slug, numbers that aren't awful, but approaching mediocrity. A bit more slug and OBA go a loooong way. They managed to pilfer 110 bases in contrast to their catchers throwing many runners out. A good turn around there. .731 production is .037 pts lower than was Ohio. The win column reflects this. Oh and they did hit into 1 triple play somewhere along the line. Kenduck Morales .335 15 HR 36 RBI in 188 AB's, and Matt Diaz .330 215 AB 9 HR 45 RBI, were worthy of Johnstone award consideration. Jose Reyes was great 9 HR 81 RBI 35 SB and a solid SS glove. Martin Prado 12 HR 57 RBI .291 was solid, as was Colby Rasmus' 19 HR 72 RBI's. Carlos Quentin added 21 HR and 50 RBI's despite an anemic .212 BA.

The pitching staff was the opposite very strong. A team 3.27 ERA, with opponents batting a measley .242 against. Relievers were lights out allowing only a .221 IRSC. Joel Piniero led the staff as ace 2.40 17 - 3 , Tim Hudson was superb and a top 5 ERA leader, 2.30 13 - 10. Travis Wood added 3.12 with a 10 - 6 record. The middle pen and closer roles were by committee. Brian ' The Beard' Wilson 2-3 1.96 saved 15, and Brandon League 2 -4 2.12 ERA 10 saves were efficient in tandem. The other set up and middle men were outstanding. Joel Peralta was 2 - 0 0.92 in 49 IP! Doug Slaten 2.11 ERA, Kyle Farnsworth in 50 games went 2.22 5 - 1 as righty set up man. Wuertz, Carrasco, and Mota 2.88 4 - 2 4 saves were solid as well. With some and new young talent like Taillon Jamison, the resurgent Jeff Karstens, batting champ Reyes, there is reason to think there is a future nucleus to center upon win or lose in 2012.

The Maine Express rolled off the track in 2011 75-87. Mike Koepp's team fading away as usage woes, and a less than Maine standard team played in Maine's 'Expressway' stadium. The offense was a respectable .263 BA with 167 HR's, and 703 runs scored. The pitchers were 4.01 team ERA with an opposing .267 BA. and a +628 Whip, could be better if they hadn't let as many men on base. Maine themselves only had a .319 team OBA and a .728 production, with a .408 slug. In Staub the slug is fairly decent, but in the speed pitching conference Staub that OBA meant everything almost 30 pts less than the contenders, and a full hundredth below league average. Maine's defense accounted for so many base runners reaching against. 126 errors, not good. .687 X rating is horrid. The IRSC of .376 was a problem compounding all those problems, scoring many more runners. It is the lack of OBA, defense, and bullpen (lack of) that doomed the Express train. Chase Headley .309 13 HR 73 RBI's and 24 SB had an excellent season with 606 AB's and 187 hits. MVP/Player of the Year candidate Adrian Gonzalez .305, hit 40 HR and drove home 121 RBI's to lead Staub in both categories just another great year for the perennial all star. Dan Uggla hit.266 16 HR 60 RBI, and will undounbtedly be a force combined by AGonzo, Matt Kemp .230 26 HR 84 RBI 17 SB next year. The pitchers were led by Rick Romero 2.52 13 - 9, and Dollars Braden 3.66 10 - 9 . Brian Fuentes saved 17 for the Express otherwise there was little to cheer about. The good news This is a team on the rise, and next years lineup will score a bunch of runs.

The Kennesaw Mountain Boys had many unfufilled expectations in 2011. With Michael Blakeley pushing his team for a wild card berth, the Braves, Mountain men, Woodsmen, whatever they're known as din't respond. A 48 - 114 record meant one thing for Blake, a high set of draft picks. A horrifying .235 road pct 19 wins. 29 at home. Won .289 vs Righties. Weak vs righty pitchers in CBA is a recipe for lack of wins. They did win 6 of 11 extra inning games. A .237 BA .297 OBA and a .375 slug. 3.65 runs created, .590 total avg, .672 productivity, and .138 ISO. Meanwhile they did hit 145 HR led by team MVP Hideki Matsui .267 23 HR 63 RBI's who was acquired to play 1B before the season. Edwin Encarnacion added 20 HR, Jose Guillen hit 17 HR, and SS Yuniesky Betancourt popped 15 taters. Future superstar Carlos Santana used Black Magic to ellicit a .260 12 HR 25 RBI performance in 169 AB's. The team stole a league low embarrasing 23 bases and was caught 19 times, nearly as many. They hit .216 vs left handers as a team. The pitching was a bit better than the offense with a team 4.62 ERA and opposition hit .264 BA against Kennesaw. Matt Latos went 2.73 8 - 8 before he was dealt. John Danks was a terrific 3.35 but let down by the offense 5 - 14, with 159 K's. Andy Pettitte retired this season following a strong 3.55 11 - 9 record. HOF enshrinement possible. Wade Davis was a good 4.08 but 3 - 12. Drew Storen saved 10.
With a few good prospects on the squad, and better luck the team will surely rise in 2012. It may be possible that the Bravewoods could look towards a .500 season.

The legendary Dawson division. The home of some of CBA's most historic moments. A legacy of gentlemanly play, intense competition, and the small teams. The Dawson has usually been characterized as the quintessential National league style of baseball. Usually lots of baserunning, good solid pitching, and top shelf defense. Could anyone whose been here long enough forget the earliest competitions between Quebec Capitales, Longue Pointe, and Limoilou? With Chris Boutin's retirement, and the rise of the Belfast Brawlers, it has generally been a 3 way dance year after year with all the teams shuffling year to year in fierce competition that often had resulted in game 163's. Can anyone forget the classic Belfast Limoilou end season struggles? or Longue Pointe and Limoilou's epic battles in the playoffs? How many times has Dawson been to the World Series? Limoilou 5 times has been to the World Series. By comparison, Rob Hite has made the trip 5 times winning 3, Bob Fidler has won Indiana 3 championships in 3 tries, Marc Wass has won 2 of 3 World Series, and Dennis Concepcion has 1 in 2 appearances. It is no easy task getting into the playoff circle of elites. Maintaining it year to year is very difficult in CBA. It is a testament to the teams who can compete at a high level. With great teams in LP, Limmer, Belfast, and last years surprise success of Montreal all should have a shot at some playoff next season. The trading has begun with Limoilou making moves at the end of last season, Belfast and Longue Pointe making moves. Neither have had the flurry of moves that Cooperstown has recently made, but CBA is changing and the old guard must continually update or get left behind the new stallions.

Limoilou was never in doubt in 2011. They were in first place for 160 games. Is that record? Would anyone doubt Jeff Boutet is a Strat-o-matic force in CBA? Why is it that year after year. The pretty much held a full notch over Belfast despite the scrappy Brawlers cutting it close at times during the long haul. The story was domination with pitching. Big time Wendigo pitching. Enough to lead CBA and the rest of the Dawson was left to Belfast to pound on Longue Pointe and do netplay with Belfast in tough series. It was a sensational year for the Wendigo and Jeff Boutet. It also saw the return of Jim Edmonds in his last hurrah and impending hall of fame candidacy. Limoilou had some power, but in a role reversal became more of a speed team using the LP model of Pitching and speed. A few guys who were in double digits, but no real standouts. Curt Granderson's 22 HR 81 led the team in RBI's, but generally it was just a solid team effort. Mike Cuddyer hit 16 HR and 68 RBI, Ian Stewart 18 HR 65 RBI. Prince Fielder hit only 17 HR's curiously. An off year for him. Angel Pagan swiped 47 bases hitting .271 and playing excellent defense. Chipper Jones had a difficult year at the plate and with the glove, but should return for another round in 2012. The years are dwindling for Larry. The team got on base at a .335 clip which is good for Dawson. A 4.48 Runs created, .721 production. .688 Total avg, and .139 Iso Pwr. The numbers don't jump out.

The pitching staff was marvelous. .230 Opp BA, .205 IRSC was one of CBA's best ever. The offense was basically irrelevant when the staff allowed 3.35 runs per game despite the shoddy defense .709 X rating pct. The only flaw being a 10-11 record in extra innings which showed some closer problems in late innings in fact. A void likely left behind when Joe Nathan suffered his injury. The staff struck out 1406 batters stopping base runners dead in their tracks. M.Scherzer went 2.61 18 - 7, C.Kershaw went 2.28 14 - 5, U.Jimenez went 2.72 18 - 4, Tommy Hanson went 3.40 11 - 10, and Barry.Zito 3.43 12 - 9. Opponents batted .222 vs L, and .236 vs R. Each had 18 quality starts, sans Zito who had 19! Zito? yes Zito! Ryan Franklin saved 22 with a 1.74 ERA. What a great staff. The Wendigo were eliminated in the playoffs by Eventual Staub Champion San Diego, but indeed it was quite a season.

The Belfast Brawlers were contenders to the last block. They opened quickly despite a hot Limoilou team, and held it close throughout the first three months. Only 4 back on June 25th, the Brawlers couldn't match that Limmer team pitching. No one could. The core impression of this franchise is scrap iron tough, fight back and scratch out wins. Its given the Brawlers and owner Derek Adams an impressive CBA resume. It has also struck CBA fear in the hearts of some immortal GM's. The Brawlers whether in a good year or an occasional off season, do evoke pangs of fear in opposing GM's. Belfast plays tough to the last out. They played 2011 to the hilt scratching out wins against tough competition. Generally through the seasons Belfast has been characterized as one of the better hitting franchises in Staub. The teams usually hit for high team average and 2011 was no exception batting .270. Power never a forte was better than last season with 116 Hr's which isn't awful in Stab. A majortiy from the bat of team MVP once gain Aubrey Huff. Huff 29 HR 116 RBI .313 is a Belfast legend competing in the MVP races many times for the Brawlers. A BBD hall of famer, will he be back? 728 runs is pretty good in Staub as well. Alexi Ramirez had a break out 10 HR 80 RBI .323 season. In a season where the bench and the lineup players were all over .270. Jamie Carroll hit.306, Danny Valencia hit 4 HR 45 RBI .296 in his rookie year. Freddie Sqanchez so good with the glove had a .295 bat, Rios and Napoli hit 14 and 17 HR respectively. Joey Jay hit .306 in his rookie year. Nate McClouth stole 17 bases, Alex Rios 14 HR 80 RBI 35 sb and 27 double plays, and Alexi 20 in 29 attempts, so speed again a specialty. The Brawlers used old time small ball and employed the hit an run to maximum advantage. An amazing 25 hits in 69 attempts with 52 runner advances best in CBA. An amazing success ratio. It's worthwhile it seems to have a B hit and run guy working behind the table setters. They attempted and made 11 of 20 squeeze play attempts, second to only 12-21 by the Joliet Jacks. They sacrificed successfully 88 of 119 times for 73.9%. Those strategies helped propel a healthy offense for the Brawlers.

The pitching was led by staff ace Trevore Cahill 16-7 3.10. A little thin in the starters, the step down was to 10 wins by Craig Stammen 10-7 4.90. Juan Contreras had 26 saves out of the pen. A team 4.10 ERA 9th in Staub will need to come down in a conference where teams don't always score many runs. A run and a half behind the Conference leader San Diego. A wide margin. The bullpen had some good numbers. They notched 44 saves and a .250 IRSC while the starters could only complete 4 games. The team shut out opponents 8 times. The defense was better than most with an excellent .786 X rating. Fewer hits, fewer runners allowed and less base runner movement. Kyle Davies had a solid season 4.28 9- 10. But the pen did it all. Jerry Lewis went 1.60 3-0, Manny Corpas went 2.39 3-1, Shawn Camp 2.58 7-1, Chris Ray 3.29 3-4, Hisanori Takahashi 3.36 5-6, and set up man Tony Pena finished at 3.74 3-2. It was that pen that kept Belfast in it. Belfast and Derek Adams will no doubt always find a way to maximize their talent.

It was a disappointing season for Staub finalist Longue Pointe owned by Dennis Concepcion. Concepcion a lifetime Montreal Expos fan knows what suffering poor season is all about, now. Prior to this season, the Loggers have compiled an impressive winning percentage over .550, including a 2005 World Championship. Fans of the Loggers can remember classic playoof and series performances and walk off HR not unlike this years playoffs and series. Who can forget 'Miracle Mirabelli's huge playoff and clutch HR's. Perhaps some remember Ichiro's walk off playoff game 7 winning HR. Those days seem long ago and far away after a dismal season going 71-91. Ichiro who once led CBA with a record setting .405 BA in 162 games, (Miguel Cabrera the other CBA player to top .400), fell to 4 HR 39 RBI .285 with only 25 SB. Not Ichiro like but good nonetheless. Torii Hunter did manage a good offensive season with 26 HR 99 RBI and .305 BA, but alas was nailed 13 times on the paths stealing a pitiful 8 bases. The Loggers couldn't play well on the road 20 games below .500, but .500 at home. A lot of the offensive woes were due to low on base numbers, and RBI production. The were able to move runners with the Hit and run 16 hits in 62 att with 45 advances. They were 3 for 7 on the squeeze and 69 for 87 sac 79.3%. Brandon Phillips was excellent at 2B with gold glove and bat 23 HR 79 RBI .290 20 SB 3 CS. Recently traded Aramis Ramirez hit a disappointing .241 but did manage 22 HR and a weak 64 RBI's. The team OBA was .318 and the slug .380. They hit 132 HR's most by LP in years, with a .254 BA, stole 125 bases and had just 666 runs a dubious number. The .380 slug was indeed an upgrade over last season. The offense was better than last years, but the pitching weaker. Generally as LP always is a platoon style team. The team concept didn't work too well this time, but is sure to be employed in the future. The pitching staff faltered, especially the pen.

A team 4.05 ERA was nearly 3/4 of a run worse than 2010 where LP was near the CBA leadership. LP dropped 9 notches in team ERA. The bullpen was not its usually dominant self with a .323 IRSC. The fielding was shoddy and contributed to several loses .705 X rating. The catchers Varitek, Laird, and Thole (1 HR 17 RBI .291), allowed .761 OSB, a poor number. LP's defense, and pen seemed to be the biggest reason for the collapse. Perhaps even the OBA could have been lived with, but it's certain LP will have their work cut out for them in 2012. Blaine Boyer 2.09 1-2 51.2 IP 41 Hits, was the only bright spot in the pen. CJ Wilson was awesome with a fantastic 2.43 2.43 14-7 152K's for a 91 loss team.
Old man river, Jaimie Moyer 3.02 6-7 and steady Tum Lincecum 3.35 12-7 209.2 IP 195 hits 212 K's wasn't his dominant self. Ryan Dempster 3.54 9-7 will see a drop off in 2012 as his card turns to crap. With so many poor team performances, it was hard to get excited about this team in 2011. Dennis C will always find a way.

The Montreal Crows 52-110 had a well documented spectacular year in 2010 winning 90+. Now look. In 2011 it was almost certain not to be follwed up. That didn't stop the building of the franchise as it looks like the Crows will take a step up in 2012. This season not many highlites to talk about except for the great face to face battles that both Montreal and Belfast endured while Belfast chased the gold in the pennant drive. Montreal did have some good performances worth noting, and was never a team to just lay down and let others roll over them. The GM Doug Brunet would never allow his boys to tank not a single game. Trades to bring in talent like James Shields, Daniel Hudson, Jordan Zimmerman, Cameron Maybin, and Robert Andino, to go along with improved 2011 MLB performances by Jeff Francoeur (2011 CBA 9 HR 31 RBI .241) , Jeff Keppinger (2011 CBA 4 HR 44 RBI .274 solid) bring youth promise and hope to Montreal. Todd Helton disappointed when he batted .260 this year in CBA with 13 HR 54 RBI, and Will the thrill.Venable batted .247 with 17 HR and 48 RBI's while stealing 36 bases, a great season. Alberto Callaspo hit 6 HR 48 RBI and .269. Fred Lewis 7 HR 27 RBI and a good .274 BA. The pitching was poor to fair with a team 4.37 ERA. Armando Galarraga 3.60 8-12, Tom Gorzelanny 3.63 6-11 and Livan Hernandez went 3.74 6-16, but will he be back? On a sadder note, Paul Maholm was better known for striking out Billy Crystal cause he sure didn't strikeout too many in CBA. 5.97 5-18 was pathetic. Will he be back? Fernando Rodney saved 22 games! but was 2-7 with a 6.26 ERA, so he was a sweet and sour patch kid. Doug Brunet is admittedly building. He is no doubt one of the teams that will take a step up in 2012. Who else will be there to rise. Can new teams make the playoffs in 2012? Can anyone dethrone Brooklyn's Supebas with all that power. We will wait till next season to find out.

Lake County has come up huge in the second half. Playing role of Spoiler and knocking around Indiana taking 3 out 4 games, and perhaps stalling Indy's race for their 4th championship. Look how David Jones Lake County Leopards took Skokie to the absolute limit.

BOXSCORE: 2011 Skokie Wolfmen At 2011 Lake County Leopards          9/15/2011
 
  Wolfmen            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Leopards           AB  R  H RBI AVG
  J.Repko CF          8  0  1  0 .222     D.Fowler CF        11  0  2  0 .246  
  O.Hudson 2B        11  1  1  0 .259     C.Guzman 2B        10  0  0  0 .236  
  M.Holliday LF      11  1  2  1 .331     G.Soto C            9  0  2  0 .274  
G-T.Crowe LF          0  0  0  0 .220     J.Michaels LF       5  0  1  0 .248  
  C.McGehee 3B        9  0  0  0 .273   D-A.Avila PH          1  0  0  0 .211  
  A.Ethier 1B         9  0  2  0 .297   E-C.Carter LF         4  0  0  0 .235  
  R.Castro DH         4  0  2  0 .322     G.Jones DH          9  1  1  0 .221  
A-C.Patterson PR,DH   6  0  1  1 .292     C.Ross RF           8  0  2  0 .256  
  M.Ordonez RF        8  0  1  0 .362   F-R.Spilborghs PH,RF  3  0  0  0 .261  
  Y.Molina C          4  0  1  0 .294     J.Rollins SS       10  0  4  1 .251  
B-B.Upton PR          0  0  0  0 .224     J.Loney 1B          9  0  1  0 .269  
C-J.Posada C          5  0  0  0 .189     J.Lopez 3B         11  0  2  0 .231  
  C.Izturis SS       10  0  1  0 .308                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      85  2 12  2                 Totals      90  1 15  1
 
A-Pinch Ran For Castro In 8th Inning
B-Pinch Ran For Molina In 11th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Upton In 11th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Michaels In 13th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Avila In 14th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Ross In 20th Inning
G-Subbed Defensively (LF) For Holliday In 25th Inning
 
Wolfmen......... 0 0 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  1 -  2 12  3
Leopards........ 0 0 0  0 0 1  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 -  1 15  0
 
Wolfmen (97-53)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
C.Lee                     6       8   1   1   1   3   0   3.65
M.Guerrier                1       0   0   0   0   0   0   7.07
R.Ramirez                 2       0   0   0   1   2   0   4.47
J.Soria                   3       1   0   0   1   2   0   3.24
C.Coleman                 2       0   0   0   0   0   0   2.34
D.Nippert                 0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.86
D.Oliver                  0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   5.43
J.Lopez                   2 1/3   2   0   0   2   0   0   2.91
M.Adams                   2       1   0   0   2   1   0   3.39
D.Bard                    2       2   0   0   0   1   0   3.53
T.Lilly WIN(13-6)         4       1   0   0   0   3   0   2.89
Totals                   25      15   1   1   7  12   0
 
Leopards (63-87)         IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
C.Silva                  10 1/3   8   1   1   5   8   0   5.55
J.Venters                 4       0   0   0   3   5   0   3.12
T.Clippard                2       1   0   0   1   0   0   3.19
J.Papelbon                3       0   0   0   1   3   0   3.05
B.Sanches LOSS(1-6)       5 2/3   3   1   1   1   7   0   4.41
Totals                   25      12   2   2  11  23   0
 
ATTENDANCE- 9,284 DATE- Tuesday, September 15th 2011 TIME- Night WEATHER- Bad
T- 7:50
LEFT ON BASE- Wolfmen:20  Leopards:23
DOUBLE PLAYS- Wolfmen: 1  Leopards: 0
ERRORS- O.Hudson, C.McGehee-2
DOUBLES- J.Repko(1st), M.Holliday(32nd), A.Ethier(33rd), G.Soto(11th),
         C.Ross(19th), J.Lopez(24th)
TRIPLES- O.Hudson(4th)
STOLEN BASES- J.Repko-2(2nd), B.Upton(20th), J.Rollins(13th)
CAUGHT STEALING- J.Repko, C.Patterson
SACRIFICE HITS- C.Guzman
WALKS- J.Repko-3, C.McGehee-2, A.Ethier-2, M.Ordonez-3, Y.Molina, G.Soto-2,
       C.Carter, G.Jones-2, J.Rollins, J.Loney
HIT BY PITCH- C.Patterson, J.Loney
STRIKE OUTS- J.Repko-3, O.Hudson-5, M.Holliday-2, C.McGehee, A.Ethier-3,
             R.Castro, C.Patterson-3, M.Ordonez, Y.Molina, J.Posada-2,
             C.Izturis, D.Fowler-4, J.Michaels, G.Jones, C.Ross-2,
             R.Spilborghs-2, J.Loney, J.Lopez
GIDP- J.Michaels
WILD PITCHES- J.Soria
PASSED BALLS- J.Posada
2-out RBI- J.Rollins
WEB GEMS- Bot 5th: Matt Holliday robbed Cristian Guzman of an extra base hit.
          Bot 20th: Jason Repko robbed Ryan Spilborghs of an extra base hit.
 
Ted Lilly came through with a solid 4 innings and left fielder Matt Holliday
had 2 base hits at Jacobs Field as the Skokie Wolfmen beat the Lake County
Leopards in 25 innings 2 to 1.
 
Both teams had scored 1 runs after nine full innings.  Finally, Skokie pulled
the game out in the 25th inning.  Holliday doubled.  After an out was
recorded, Andre Ethier came to the plate and drew a walk.  Corey Patterson
then slapped a one-base hit.  Despite losing, Lake County out-hit Skokie 15
to 12.  
 
Lilly(13-6) got credit for the victory, pitching 4 innings and allowing no
runs. Brian Sanches(1-6) ended up with the loss in relief.

This one ranks right up there with the 28 inning, approximately 9 hour and 25 minute marathon back in 2005 between the visiting Loggers and the Neah Bay Whalers at Safeco Field. Around the 14th inning stretch, the Whalers announced to the upper deck and loge level fans that they can move down to any field level seats to enjoy the game until the end. This helped to consolidate fan services and allowed for the cleaning of the uppers.

In appreciation of the tireless baseball fans who remained to the very end of the game which had started at 8pm the previous night, the Loggers and Whalers had spontaneously called out to a nearby McDonald's around the 21st inning stretch and treated the hardy survivors to a full McD's breakfast menu with lots of coffee and orange juice which was delivered and ready for serving by the 25th inning. The game finally ended

after the 28th inning stretch as LP held on to their winning tally against the Whalers final inning.

In lieu of any excuse notes for working fans who had to head out to work within a couple of hours (the game had concluded around 5am), the Whalers issued vouchers to be exchanged for a free pair of field or loge seats to any remaining Whalers games that season. Class act.

An experience to those that attended, would be a paraphrase of the great Mister Cub Ernie Banks,

"LET"S PLAY 3!!"

Dennis

Longue-Pointe

Date: Sept./Oct. 2009 - extra game playoff
with Belfast -

The Skokie fans have been use to seeing their home team,
the Wolfmen, year in, year out playoff bound ..

however for the first time, in 2009, as their stars ran
out of gas - so to speak - in the extra playoff game
of the season, the Wolfmen didn't make it

plus have had a chance the two years before to
go to the CBA world series and come up empty -
as Skokie returned to the CBA, coming into
the Clemente Conference for the 2011 - the
management of the Wolfmen set some goals

the first goal was to get back to the playoff, which
was not seen as an easy goal - as the Clemente
conference has quite a few power teams - including
Indiana in our own conference - with 3 time champ
and nemesis Bob Fidler who beat Skokie in 7
in the 2008 CBA WS - especially with the way
Bob does his trades and builds his team - definitely
there were no guarantees that Skokie might make
it to the playoffs or win the conference - this would
be one of our most challenging seasons.

As the season started, the Skokie fans were in
shock going 0-6 in Block 1 - it appeared that
this was going to be a very long season but the
players believed and the team started to reverse
directions after the first few weeks.

There were big questions marks for Skokie if
we were to have success --

a) could we win with 3 main left handed starters?
(although we did pick up two righties for spot starts
of which we traded Nova to Cooperstown but this
was a trade we had to make)

b) how would our team do at the end of the season
due to usage? - would we fall as in 2009 when our
key players had to be rested - primarily Beltre and Tulo
(the trade for McGehee helped with Beltre as well as
another RH bat for 1B) - C. Itzuris has done an
amazing job filling in for Tulo - also Hudson too
at 2B - would need rest and Rhymes did an
amazing job - so this year we were prepared -
Crowe also filling in for Patterson in CF was
another key

c) The revolving doors at key positions - 1B was
a big question mark - who would we start - we tried
working with Betemit - Posada - LaRoche - surprisingly
LaRoche came through in the end of the season and
also again McGehee helping out - for catcher - we needed
3 catchers - using different strengths with Molina - Castro -
Posada - and the RF Platoon was amazing between
Ethier and Ordonez - combining for over 40 HRs and 140 RBIs
and then DH by committee too

anyway the key we have tried for every season is to have
enough diverse players to be ready for any type of pitching.
Also our staff too - with five solid starters and pretty good
relief with our defense at the end - this is what brought
Skokie its chance to return

Finally, after this past block, Skokie set a record for victories
in a season passing over 100 and finally sweeping
a block at the right moment -

so we wish to thank everyone for allowing Skokie to return to the
CBA - for those who have helped us with rules and procedures -
and we look forward to another great playoffs - as we have learned
many times in the CBA, the season record is not always a guarantee
who will win - one season we made it to the world series with 87 victories
but we created a team that could play in short series as I believe
we are now -

this email isn't to gloat but only to share our joy and excitement
as Skokie had a miracle week - we send good wishes to all the other
teams who have qualified for the playoffs and to those who are still
in the hunt - who will emerge as the 2011 CBA Champion -
of course this is Skokie's 2nd goal to get back to the WS - but
its not a sure thing with the great managers and teams in
Clemente

a good weekend to one and all and to the end of another
great season next week

The Skokie Wolfman

Father Steps Down, Son Takes Over

Montreal- Not surprisingly, during the press conference following yesterday afternoon's 5-2 win over the High Bridge Heaters that ended yet another extended losing streak, Robert Brunet announced that he is stepping down as manager of the Montreal Crows. He will, however, remain with the ball club as director of personnel and player development. In the interim, son and general manager Doug will assume both GM and manager roles for the club until, at the very least, the end of the season.

"We won today, and I'm glad for that," said Robert Brunet, "but this was my last game as manager of the Montreal Crows. I wish Douglas and the players all the best going forward. I see a bright future for this team, but my part in that future now takes on a new personality."

After a very successful campaign in only its' second season in which he managed the team to within 2 games of the post-season, Robert Brunet has met with only frustration and disappointment in 2011. The turnaround from a 91-71 mark to being 49 games below .500 has brought about many questions and much speculation as to the direction the team is going. Indeed, as it is the father who is stepping down, it is his son and interim successor who has come under criticism by both the fans and the media.

The comments fired from all sides concerning some of the Crows front office moves have created a somewhat negative image around the club. The trading of fan favorite Rajai Davis to High Bridge remains a bitter pill unswallowed. In light of the fact that Colby Lewis was the key element in the Davis trade, the Lewis-for-Shields deal has met with no less bombardment, especially considering that the latter has yet to win a game in a Crows uniform while being tagged with 12 losses in 14 starts and stands at the prospect of losing his 20th game of the season in Maine when he faces the Express this Friday afternoon. But yet, when approaching the players, one does not get the impression that the players themselves hold any of the sentiments expressed from the outside.

"I'm a little sad that Coach Brunet won't be with us on a daily basis," said veteran Todd Helton, "He's a congenial and soft-spoken man, but commands the respect of all the guys. I can't think of one time where anyone on this team had a bad word about Coach. As for that other stuff, we have no control over it. All I can say is that Doug Brunet is doing and will continue to do what he believes is best for this team. It's not fair to put the blame for our season on his shoulders. We have to go out and play this game, and as players we haven't done that. We haven't executed on the field the way we should. Things just don't seem to be working the way they did last year."

One only has to examine the statistics to understand what Helton expressed. True, some elements were exchanged, some older players exchanged for younger ones. But it's also true that many of the players that made up a successful team in 2010 are part of a team floundering to one of the worst records in baseball in 2011. The pitching in general is not where it was last year, but is not far off the league average. The offense, however, has not been able to connect as a unit with anything close to consistency.

Did Rajai Davis really drive the offense that much in 2010? Can one player make a difference of 69 games in a season? Nobody who knows the game of baseball from the inside would ever say such a thing. Fans and the media, though, will think and say what they will nonetheless. Maybe it was too much too fast, but the fans got used to the excitement that Robert Brunet and the Crows generated in Montreal last year. A 12 game road trip begins tonight in Maine. One can hold out no hope for fanfare and celebration when Doug Brunet and the Crows return to Oscar Peterson Memorial Stadium on the 31st.

The battle this season is fierce. Several GM's faced with franchise altering decisions. Do I play for now or later?
Well with many teams in it, we've seen quite a few deals. Towaco was busy bringing bullpen help with lefty Phil Coke and righty closer specialist
Dan Wheeler. Blake and Kennesaw moved someplayers Drew Storen, and Mat Latos, to bring in some strong draft picks and address usage concerns.
Blake may not win it this year, but considering circumstances beyond his control affected his draft, Blake took one for the team and has sacrificed
and dealt to meet requirements. It is GM's like Blake whose passion for CBA drives us. On the otherhand, some teams were assesed penalties for
going over their alloted usage. We have had some incredible races going on in both Conferences. In Clemente things have started to become a little clearer.
Stirling and Ottawa had slipped back a little bit which put them further behind Indiana and Brooklyn in the wild card race. Both teams are within distance,
but time is quickly running out. This block was good for both teams as Ottawa swept Lake Co, and dropped 2 to Indiana. Stirling took 2 of 3
from Carolina, and Cooperstown. Papi, Vladdy, and Rickie Weeks have had huge years for Ottawa, Bryan,and Striling has gotten some good production from Carl Crawford,
Austin Kearns, and carlos Pena. They will both need to win big the next month. Brooklyn dropped 2 of 3 to the skokie Wolfmen who took a 4 game lead over Indiana this week.
Indiana and MVP candiate Josh Hamilton are making a strong push for a playoff spot. The Colby trade has been paying off as the staff ERA contnues to drop.
Brooklyn's pitching has betrayed their a-1 offense. Miguel Cabrera, Ryans Howard and Braun, Doumit, Infante, Wells, Markakis can put a hurtin on any team, and could
be deadly in a playoff series. Pitching will decide Clemente. Carolina has enough and holds the Parker with strong pitching.
Philly has a sizeable lead in the Schmidt. The Bashers made a case with a tough series win over Brooklyn, and is 12 for last 15.
Could it be that resurgent Bryan can disrupt all Clemente?

The Staub races are pretty much decided in Dawson and Carter where Limoilou and San Diego look to wrap it up early. Ohio, Towaco, has been dropped
quite a few games of late and have slipped to 4 games behind Ohio who is winning at a better clip.
This leaves a wild card race for the ages with the on rushing Joliet led by Jack Frost taking a 1 game lead over the Brawlers. Towaco is 4 out of the WC,
along with the not so hot High Bridge Heaters. High Bridge performed poorly against leaders Limoilou and SanDiego, both potential
playoff opponents. HB ace Carmona lost twice for them. So now, it looks like Belfast may have an advantage. The team gets on base at a high clip for Staub.
they will hit and be a pest witha team .275 BA. With Longue Pointe virtually out of the picture, and LP's usage poor, Belfast could fatten up on a weaker division, where as Towaco, Maine, Ohio, will face each other and knock each other
around. Joliet, High Bridge and San Diego will be all tough opponents. The month will be very exciting indeed.
Notes: Limoilou's offense is weak, but the pitching staff is one of the best ever. A 2.84 team ERA, .189 IRSC! San Diego has a .196!
Despite less than gaudy numbers, has anyone been more valuable to a teams offense than Aubrey Huff's 20HR 82 RBI .300 BA.
Miguel Cabrera has been sensation 36 HR 99 RBI, .332 BA looking for an MVP? Jose Batista may have something to say. Sunville's 3B-OF 55 HR 119 RBI,.264 BA. Could he break 70?
Jim Thome in 205 AB's 26 HR, 55 RBI, .307 BA. Could be Johnstone award candidate. Jared Weaver 3.03 10-8 for basement Cooperstown. Bright outlook for the Iron Horses.
Defintiely a spoiler now...Quietly Brett Cecil 12-6 2.95 and Rick Porcello 10-5, 2.58 have led the High Bridge Heaters staff this season.
Koji Uehara's efficient CBA career continues. He is 2-0 1.03 ERA with 19 saves in 2011. Remember his all star appearance last season in first half before injury slowed him?
Cory Harts bat has been carrying the Jackhammers. CBA's hottest team is now leading the wildcard race...The power compliments CBA swiftest team 189 steals. The Jacks Duensing having a good year...
Charles Wilson having a strong year for Longue Pointe. 10-6, 2.61 ERA, 145 IP, 104 hits....

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 2011 C.B.A.

Dawson WON LOST PCT GB The Skinny
2011 Limoilou LWD 67 36 .650 ---- This team is a major surprise with no stats leaders. Could wrap up title quickly
2011 Belfast BBD 57 46 .553 10.0 Very tough, fighting for wildcard spot. Brawlers get on base .343 Huff and Alexei shine.
2011 Longue Pointe LLD 46 57 .447 21.0 A disappointing season for Concepcion. Starters pitch well, team doesn't respond.
2011 Montreal MCD 32 71 .311 35.0 Looking to 2012, the Crows can spoil and become a ravenous nightmare for Staub.

Rogers WON LOST PCT GB The Skinny

2011 Towaco TWR 58 45 .563 ---- Poor July, Swept in Bk16 by Maine, and 2-3 by HB, The Wolfpack have to hold on as Rogers foes move up.
2011 Ohio OOR 56 47 .544 2.0 Rushing fast! The Outlawz were 11 out on June 30th! now 2 back in less than a month.
2011 Maine MER 50 53 .485 8.0 Here's comes the MK Express. .500 the goal, was 14 out June 20, now only 8. A-Gone on a tear.
2011 Kennesaw Mtn KWR 31 72 .301 27.0 Despite some talent, the Braves are struggling and likely done in '11. The crafty vet Blake will ruin conteders chances

Carter WON LOST PCT GB The Skinny

2011 San Diego SSC 79 24 .767 ---- Solid and in good shape usage wise. SD could break 120 win CBA record.
2011 High Bridge HHC 56 47 .544 23.0 Miller must fight off Frosts Jackhammers. Closer could become an issue as Uehara has done a fine job to now. Usage a concern.
2011 Joliet JJC 56 47 .544 23.0 This team is moving up into the elite teams with a great July. Pierre and Bourn best SB tandem in CBA?
2011 New Jersey NBC 30 73 .291 49.0 DeJesus, Stanton, and Lowry star. Niemann has pitched far better than 3-11 indicates.

Schmidt WON LOST PCT GB The Skinny

2011 Philly PPS 64 39 .621 ---- Hite is pulling all the stops and is starting to break away from the pack.
2011 Ottawa OOS 55 48 .534 9.0 The Otters have slowed down after last months torrid pace. Still an elite team with future HOFers Ortiz, Vladdy, and the under rated Rick3 Weeks.
2011 Stirling SRS 52 51 .505 12.0 What has happened to the RedSox? After Choo and Pena, little power has hurt Nellum in Clemente division.
2011 New Hampshire NWS 26 77 .252 38.0 Great block 16 winning 3 of 4 from contending Otters. Tabata and Wheeler playing well. Brandon League is lights out!

Monday WON LOST PCT GB The Skinny

2011 Skokie SWM 63 40 .612 ---- A purely excellent all around team. Great power n pitching. Patterson has been a revelation adding needed speed to the arsenal.
2011 Indiana IRM 60 43 .583 3.0 Fidlers magic is starting to pay dividends. Lewis has settled the staff with 9 decent starts. Now if Kuroda pitches well, Clemente will suffer. ,
2011 Bryan KBM 49 54 .476 14.0 After a promising June, the Bashers have slipped back below .500. Power needs to resurge.
2011 Lake County LLM 44 59 .427 19.0 Jones's Leopard's are playing much better ball. Aside from a Carolina sweep, this team had a great July...but so did SWM, BSP, and IRM...

Parker WON LOST PCT GB The Skinny

2011 Brooklyn BSP 61 42 .592 ---- Brooklyn is a battling team. Huge offense, not so huge pitching despite a good 4 man rotation. Cabrera, Infante, Braun, Howard, and Doumit are puttin em up in Coors.
2011 Carolina CCP 60 43 .583 1.0 Copperheads swept Bryan, but then dropped 3 of 4 vs Sunville. They must find a way to beat Brooklyn and the SunJewels in 2011. Thome amazing numbers!
2011 Sunville SSP 48 55 .466 13.0 Could we see a resurgent SunJewels in the final third? Bautista is scorching, and Cargo is now on fire. Parker is in trouble.
2011 Cooperstown CIP 36 67 .350 25.0 Winning of late, split 4 with Brooklyn, won vs Wildcats and Stirling. Spoiler!

SC Wild Card Standings WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2011 Belfast BBD 57 46 .553 ---- 59
2011 High Bridge HHC 56 47 .544 1.0
2011 Ohio OOR 56 47 .544 1.0
2011 Joliet JJC 56 47 .544 1.0
2011 Maine MER 50 53 .485 7.0
2011 Longue Pointe LLD 46 57 .447 11.0

CC Wild Card Standings WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2011 Indiana IRM 60 43 .583 ---- 60
2011 Carolina CCP 60 43 .583 ----
2011 Ottawa OOS 55 48 .534 5.0
2011 Stirling SRS 52 51 .505 8.0
2011 Bryan KBM 49 54 .476 11.0
2011 Sunville SSP 48 55 .466 12.0

Press releases by JM Blakely Block 16

Aramis Ramirez is CBA .317 with a card that hit .241. I say this is pretty good considering our league. Let’s hope that Aramis keeps this going and the gods of Strato give him a deserving card. Omar Infante leads the league in hitting. Wow. .347. Adrian Beltre leads the CBA with 129 hits. Ricki Weeks has pounded 23 homers in only 379 at bats! Jose Bautista is a beast. Angel Pagan, the devil, leads the CBA with 20 intentional passes! Mike Koepp has programmed his team to straddle the plate enabling both Andruw Jones and Aaron Rowand to receive 13 bruises each while the Prince of Fielder leads the CBA with 18! Prince has some fat to absorb the shock. Not sure what Andruw Jones and Aaron Rowand are doing. Big Albert is half way to 200 RBIs! 92! Man, please. The man drives in runs as long as a team member reaches first base! Jose Bautista has as many as Phat Albert. How does the Joey Votto card produce fewer homers (13) than Ryan Howard (25)? Juan Pierre and Carl Crawford have 58 and 54 swipes! When those guys are walked, they break out in a sprint to 2B! Next closest is Michael Bourn at 39. Am I reading this correctly….Miguel Cabrera produces 10 runs every 27 outs? (RUNS CREATED/27 OUTS) The slugging and on-base percentages are wild and very close to actual totals. Cabrera, Josh Hamilton and J. Bautista must use boat paddles for bats.

Top three ERA leaders are all left-handed pitchers as are seven of the top ten….left handed pitchers can’t be successful in Stratomatic? Who said that, lol! Randy Wolf is first with a 2.02 ERA

CBA pitchers finish what they start, especially Zack Greinke and J. Weaver with 10 and 11 complete games. Matt Capps has 25 saves. As for the younger Weaver, he is at 175 strikeouts. What is the record for strikeouts recorded by a pitcher in the CBA?

Dan Haren is the “Hammer” of CBA pitchers with….1….homerun.

That’s all for now. Making my pitchers take batting practice……….

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 2011 C.B.A.
 
Dawson                      WON LOST  PCT   GB  Skinny
2011 Limoilou LWD            47  30  .610 ----  Beating lefties, despite a .228 avg 
2011 Belfast BBD             42  35  .545  5.0  Making a challenge.  Cahill an ace    
2011 Longue Pointe LLD       37  40  .481 10.0  After reaching .500 fell to rising Joliet in series 2.      
2011 Montreal MCD            25  52  .325 22.0  Yes... A Hard luck roller in 2011     
 
Rogers                      WON LOST  PCT   GB  Skinny
2011 Towaco TWR              47  30  .610 ----  Kevin Gibson's magic leads Towaco.  Rasmus and Quentin star.
2011 Ohio OOR                38  39  .494  9.0  Chris Young red hot. Hanging around .500, need to have strong 2nd half.     
2011 Maine MER               35  42  .455 12.0  Could be on the cusp of CBA oblivion. Adriax hacks 22 HR.     
2011 Kennesaw Mtn KWR        26  51  .338 21.0  Wait till next year. Players could be moving.     
 
Carter                      WON LOST  PCT   GB  Skinny
2011 San Diego SSC           59  18  .766 ----  Perhaps the best balanced team in CBA history? Is SD really that good?  
2011 High Bridge HHC         44  33  .571 15.0  Wild card contender, Millers patience paying dividends.      
2011 Joliet JJC              40  37  .519 19.0  Jack's team is surging.      
2011 New Jersey NBC          22  55  .286 37.0  Stanton and Lowrie stars...      
 
Schmidt                     WON LOST  PCT   GB  Skinny
2011 Stirling SRS            44  33  .571 ----  This team is fighting with all theyve got.  
2011 Philly PPS              44  33  .571 ----  Hite's team is in a dogfight this year.      
2011 Ottawa OOS              43  34  .558  1.0  The Otters are a playoff contender.  Playing strong ball in tough division.     
2011 New Hampshire NWS       19  58  .247 25.0        
 
Monday                      WON LOST  PCT   GB  Skinny
2011 Skokie SWM              49  28  .636 ----  Skokie is red hot.  Wolfman making his move, leaving Indy behind. 
2011 Indiana IRM             44  33  .571  5.0  Will struggle keeping up with Skokie, but trades could make difference in long run.     
2011 Bryan KBM               39  38  .506 10.0  Struggling block 12, needs to rebound to remain in contention.      
2011 Lake County LLM         28  49  .364 21.0  Tough year for Jones, with a team who can beat any team on any given day.     
 
Parker                      WON LOST  PCT   GB  Skinny
2011 Carolina CCP            46  31  .597 ----  Very strong week beating Sunville and C Town to tie. 
2011 Brooklyn BSP            46  31  .597 ----  Struggled a little with pitching, but offense is cookin      
2011 Sunville SSP            36  41  .468 10.0  Dropped off after 2 poor weeks.  Should rebound.     
2011 Cooperstown CIP         24  53  .312 22.0  This team could be a beast in '12     
 
 
SC Wild Card Standings      WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2011 High Bridge HHC         44  33  .571 ----    84  
2011 Belfast BBD             42  35  .545  2.0        
2011 Joliet JJC              40  37  .519  4.0        
2011 Ohio OOR                38  39  .494  6.0        
2011 Longue Pointe LLD       37  40  .481  7.0        
2011 Maine MER               35  42  .455  9.0        
 
CC Wild Card Standings      WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2011 Carolina CCP            46  31  .597 ----    86  
2011 Brooklyn BSP            46  31  .597 ----        
2011 Stirling SRS            44  33  .571  2.0        
2011 Philly PPS              44  33  .571  2.0        
2011 Indiana IRM             44  33  .571  2.0        
2011 Ottawa OOS              43  34  .558  3.0

(AP News release Brooklyn NY....May 16th 13:10....Svooge)

Roll what? the Brooklyn cab drivers are snickering. The 2011 season has hardly been a great one to start,
but fight? Yeah they have a real fight on their hands with not just the Parker division, but the
improved ballclubs all over Clemente. Clemente looks like a dominant conference. Brooklyn bats have
responded for the most part with some power and hits in their barely .500 season. Should they think
for the playoffs? Should they move towards the future. Many Brooklyn fans think the time is now, with
some excellent offensive and defensive players in the midst. The problem has been pitching or lack thereof.
Although it has improved somewhat, BSP starters have struggled allowing approximately a half run more than
last year a 97 win season. Brooklyn's team ERA is despite and improved defense in the OF, and middle infiled
with Markakis, Wells, and Brauin improving their ratings, and Uribe and Vizquel as well. Somehow, the staff
isn't shining. Halladay has been disappointing until now +21 Whip, 5-4 4.68 ERA. Edwin Jax a major problem
with numbers off the charts 3-4 8.89 ERA. Whats that? Dickey has been sickey 2-3 5.63, and it could be soon
that he is used as trade bait in a deal.
The fans have started to get agitated. In a game last week, fans took to hurling jars of Tartar sauce
at opposing players in a rediculous effort to stir up some team spirit and good play. Said NY cabbie Shetstayne DelPamper
"It Is important to make other teams feel like fish out of water". Whatever warped reasoning the fans of Brooklyn and
the boroughs have, its clear they won't be having any parades through Prospect Park or down Avenue M if the pitching staff
doesn't settle down.

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 2011 C.B.A. Block 8 May 15th 2011

Dawson WON LOST PCT GB Skinny
2011 Limoilou LWD 35 16 .686 ---- CBA best pitching. The Little offense that could
2011 Belfast BBD 29 22 .569 6.0 Scrap Iron tough. Huff another MVP type season
2011 Longue Pointe LLD 21 30 .412 14.0 Pitching keepin em barely alive. Travis Ishikawa red hot despite team offense.
2011 Montreal MCD 18 33 .353 17.0 Pitching can beat the best, and lose to the worst. No power.

Rogers WON LOST PCT GB Skinny
2011 Towaco TWR 33 18 .647 ---- CBA's cinderella team of 2011. Power in Staub conf goes a long way.
2011 Ohio OOR 26 25 .510 7.0 Inconsistant week to week. Better at home, Nolasco and Buchholz solid.
2011 Maine MER 21 30 .412 12.0 Uggla,Kemp,Headley culprits for poor start. When they heat up will it be too late?
2011 Kennesaw Mtn KWR 19 32 .373 14.0 Encarnacion with 12 HR highlite dismal start for Blake's building team

Carter WON LOST PCT GB Skinny
2011 San Diego SSC 39 12 .765 ---- Only question is will they set a CBA record 120 wins held by 2002 Philly?
2011 High Bridge HHC 28 23 .549 11.0 Fading a bit after torrid start. Phenomenal pitching, and Mora.
2011 Joliet JJC 24 27 .471 15.0 Joliet starting to play good ball. Moving up a bit after slow start. Pierre and Bourn electric
2011 New Jersey NBC 13 38 .255 26.0 Lowrie and Stanto show power. Built for the decade.

Schmidt
WON LOST PCT GB MAGIC#
2011 Stirling SRS 30 21 .588 ---- 110
2011 Philly PPS 28 23 .549 2.0
2011 Ottawa OOS 28 23 .549 2.0
2011 New Hampshire NWS 11 40 .216 19.0

Monday WON LOST PCT GB Skinny
2011 Skokie SWM 32 19 .627 ---- Never a doubt in Wolfie's mind. Skokie the class of Clemente. Team built to last
2011 Indiana IRM 30 21 .588 2.0 Fidler hounding the Wolf in one of CBA's key rivalries. They met in the Finals and in real life.
2011 Bryan KBM 27 24 .529 5.0 Bryan is the X factor that could change the wildcard race. Playoff caliber, good P with Gregg having all star start.
2011 Lake County LLM 20 31 .392 12.0 Faded against division in block 7,8 could rebound easily. Team looks like it could be a dominant force in years to come.

Parker WON LOST PCT GB Skinny
2011 Carolina CCP 31 20 .608 ---- Struggled with Ottawa, but well balanced. The pitching rules here.
2011 Sunville SSP 26 25 .510 5.0 The SunJewels maybe a longshot, but look at that team again, they could take a wildcard or more.
2011 Brooklyn BSP 26 25 .510 5.0 In Coors, P is key. With a rested starting staff, they should win more games. Usage problems in Mid INF could hurt playoff chances.
2011 Cooperstown CIP 17 34 .333 14.0 McGeehee on fire, Delmon showing big power.

Newcomer Lewis to pitch home opener

Montreal(AP)- Crows right-hander Colby Lewis will be Robert Brunet's starting pitcher for the home opener against Longue Pointe on Sunday at Oscar Peterson Memorial Stadium. He's expected to face Canadian born Ryan Dempster for the crosstown rival Loggers, which could shape up as a righty duel if Lewis' first start is an indication of his capabilities.

It was supposed to be veteran Livan Hernandez taking the ball to open at home. But, with Feldman on the disabled list to start the season, it moved the rotation up a slot meaning Hernandez will start the third and deciding game in the series against Belfast and Brawlers ace Trevor Cahill. Lewis' slot in the rotation falls 'just right' as far as he is concerned.

"I consider it an honor," said Lewis, "I'm looking forward to the challenge."

In his first start in Limoilou, Lewis showed the stuff that prompted general manager Doug Brunet to make the trade that sent fan favorite Rajai Davis to the High Bridge Heaters. He had a nervous beginning allowing a couple of runs on a walk and a hit in the first inning against the Wendigo. After inducing lead-off man Angel Pagan to ground out, he walked Jason Bartlett on four pitches. The always dangerous Prince Fielder then took a 2-0 pitch that headed to the gap in right-center, which might have scored Bartlett if not for a heads up play by Crows right fielder Jeff Francoeur. Lewis uncorked a wild one to Curtis Granderson that catcher Lou Marson had no chance on, scoring Bartlett and moving Fielder to third who would also score on Granderson's sac fly. Ramon Hernandez grounded out to end the inning. He settled down after that, giving up only one hit over his next seven innings before giving way to Fernando Rodney in the ninth. Unfortunately for Lewis, he had to watch from the dugout as Rodney's 3-1 pitch to Ian Stewart left the ballpark for a 3-run walk off homer after the home guys had already tied the score.

"Hey, that's baseball," Lewis mused. "Sure I would have liked a chance to finish up. But, I'm not gonna play that second guessing game. Fernando's our closer and that's that. I had no hard feelings handing over the ball. It's a team game. I'm sure I'll have my times when the guys come in and get me out of a jam."

It's unsure yet just what kind of home opener the Crows can expect with all the Loggers fans who will undoubtedly fill many of the seats. The senior team has no shortage of support in the city.

" Well, there's no way to pick and choose who buys the tickets," says manager Robert Brunet. "Anyway, like we saw last year, we get quite a few of ours at LaMarre Field when they host us. It's great for the city, and great for the guys on both teams. More games at home with the families."

No matter what happens, Oscar Peterson Memeorial Stadium will be a noisy place come Sunday.

Cooperstown undergoes major overhaul.

Cooperstown -- While most GM's were finishing holliday shopping and arranging holiday travel arrangents, Bob Fidler and Jon Stamets were hammering out the details on a blockbuster trade that will reshape the present and future of each of their teams.

It has been a whirlwind of an offseason for the Iron Horses, and now that the dust has settled, Cooperstown fans are struggling to find familiar names in the newly revamped roster. Gone are anchors of the rotation Adam Wainwright, Jon Lester and Kirboki Kuroda. Onto greener pastures are hitters Justin Morneau, Travis Hafner, Raul Ibanez and Magglio Ordonez along with closer Francisco Cordero.

Without the offensive firepower needed to hang in the tough Parker division, the Iron Horses acknowledged a change was neccesary. "Considering the age of the veterans on the team, we needed to go for it now, or step back, retool and come back strong in 2012," Jon said, "We've made the team younger and added players who should be cornerstones of the team for years to come."

The rebuild began with help from the newly relocated Skokie. GM Josh "Wolfman" Shapiro wants to kick of the rebirth of his storied CBA franchise with a championship sesaon. Skoakie added a veteran presense and middle of the order bat to the lineup in Magglio Ordonez. Cooperstown was able to add young speedster Eric Young Jr. as well as a solid young backstop Nick Hundley.

Next came a deal with Joe Wallace and his San Diego team. "We needed a big left handed bat and a lefty in the rotation," Joe explained. They certainly solved that need adding perenial MVP candidate Justin Morneau as well as young ace Jon Lester and catcher Nick Hundley. Cooperstown added established youngsters Delmon Young and Jhoulys Chacin and also filled their closer need with Francisco "KRod" Rodriguez as well as oft-injured, but ace calibur SP Jake Peavy. "We were hoping to focus a deal around Harden and Peavy, but we knew that in order to obtain a pitcher like Lester, either Daniel Hudson or Jhoullys would need to be included," Joe said. In the end it was Chacin heading to Cooperstown.

Cooperstown and Stirling came together in a couple small deals sending utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. and young OF Lasting Milledge to the Iron Horses. Stirling added picks to the deal in exchange for picks a round higher. "When it came time to establish our 24 man roster, we just didn't have the room for those two guys," Stirling GM Malachi Nellum said, "We were just happy to see them go somewhere they could be better used and wish both of them the best."

When the Wolfmen of Skoakie needed to add some offense from the left side prior to the cut deadline, he knew where he could find it. "We contacted Cooperstown since names had been thrown around before and a deal came together quickly," Josh said. Cooperstown sent lefties Raul Ibanez and Travis Hafner for right hander Alfonso Soriano and a late pick.

After dealing Soriano and Hafner, the Cooperstown lineup needed some pop. Corey Light had a different need for his Bashers. "Speed was something the Bashers hadn't had in quite some time, and Brett gives us that plus great OBP and defense in the OF," Corey said. He was referring to Brett Gardner, who Bryan acquired from Cooperstown for 1B/3B Casey McGehee. With the departure of Morneau, the Iron Horses not only filled the void he left at 1B, but added some extra punch to a lineup that's seen many of its best hitters depart the team.

It was clear no player was untouchable on the Cooperstown roster, and rumors were flying as to who could possibly be dealt next. Could KRod or Delmon Young be sent packing before even suiting up in an Iron Horse uniform just like Hundley? Could ace pitcher Jered Weaver be moved? What about the team leader Brian McCann and others? For now at least, these players will still call Cooperstown home, but the same can't be said for Adam Wainright, Hiroki Kuroda, newly acquired Alfonso Soriano and Jerry Hairston Jr. as well as long time closer Francisco Cordero.

These players were traded to Bob Fidler's Indiana Redbirds. At first, it didn't appear a trade was possible. "I knew we didn't have the ammunition to pull off a deal for Wainright," Bob said. Things changed, however, when the Redbirds acquired a pair of young phemoms, Madison Bumgarner and Bud Norris, in seperate deals with Kennesaw and Joilet. "After those deals were made, the Cooperstown front office contacted us and let us know a deal might be possible."

For two weeks, through nearly daily corrospondance, the two sides negotiated, fine tuned and tweaked the deal, at one point erasing and starting over before coming to an agreement. "This is the type of deal that I love. Careful deliberation by both sides, evaluating not only the needs of our own team, but of the other team as well to help create a realistic agreement," Jon said.

It was established that in order to let go of Wainright, Cooperstown was going to have to receive a young trio of starters including Norris and Bumgarner, as well as Tommy Hunter. "We knew we'd need the 3 of them, but also acknowledged that price was too high for Wainright alone," Jon said. With a premium on young pitching these days, the Iron Horses were willing to add aging, but still effective starter Hiroki Kuroda to the deal, along with Alfonso Soriano, Hairston Jr. and Francisco Cordero. Indiana added young shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera as well as their 1st and 3rd round picks in this years draft. "We have always been high on Cabrera, but with Jose Reyes as our starter, we were able to include him without hurting ourselves too much in the short term." Bob continued, "Wagner will be taking the ball in the 9th inning for us, but Cordero will be a reliable guy to go to in setup situations and spell Billy if needed. Soriano's power is a welcome addition to the lineup and Hairston Jr.'s ability to play anywhere on the field gives us a lot of flexibility.

The 2009 CBA champion Redbirds are certainly built to win. Their rotation of Wainright, Oswalt, Kuroda and Garland give them one of the best big 4 in CBA. "Right now Figueroa and Kazmir are penciled in to compete for the 5th starter spot, but we're still looking at options outside the organization." Wainright now becomes a candidate likely to win 20 games or more, pitching for a team who's lineup contains Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton as well as three other players who should hit 20 or more HRs. This deal makes the Redbirds a favorite for a playoff spot with the possibility of yet another CBA championship.

As for the Iron Horses, their eyes are set on 2012. With a young quintet of starting pitchers consisting of Jered Weaver, Madison Bumgarner, Bud Norris, Jhoullys Chacin and Tommy Hunter and led by vets Javier Vazquez and Jake Peavy, 2011 will be used to evaluate their best options for a rotation going forward from 2012. "We'll probably be limiting most guys to 100-150 innings with the exception of Weaver, even Javy and Jake will be given extra time off."

When asked if offseason dealings were over for the Iron Horses, Jon smirked and responded, "Never say never." When asked about his draft plans, he was more specific. "We plan to bring in a player or 2 to compete with Milledge in RF. We will also be looking for a left handed bat to help out at 1B/3B and maybe in the OF as well. There are a couple pen spots that need to be filled and you can never have too much starting pitching. We're willing to fill these spots through trades though... I much prefer a bird in the hand, but now that we have 5 picks in the first 3 rounds, we should be able to find players who suit our needs."

Though most of the Iron Horse veterans have been traded, one thing is clear. The Iron Horse's front office phone lines will always be open for incoming calls from other GM's for a trade, no matter how big or small.

December2010

CBA 2010 Season In Review

Can you believe since Newsletter #1 in 2003 (press archive) we have had 290 of these league memo's?   Lots of writing. Well here's the state of CBA right now. Where we are at. First I'd like to commen each and every one of you for a Phantastic (In respect to Philly) year. It was well run on each end. You guys were a) Efficient b) Reliable c) Prompt d) Careful. It made the league office job so much easier than the year before. In fact this season for this first in 3 years had no major crashes. In an attempt for the truest statistics, or CBA Excutive Consultant Jack Frost managed to eliminate a statistical anomaly. A game was counted 2 times. Jack Painstakingly rebuilt from all our carefully archived files the season eliminating the problem and even managed to trim the 'memory fat' from the main files so file size were smaller. This year the player notebook file which we always record highlites, ate much memory. 1 or 2 megs. This is just 1 reason why Jack Frost is well respected by the commmisioners office. His scheduling work is another. I would like to acjnowledge publically his fine and dedicated efforts. His love for CBA is the motivation.

     This years administration did a fine job working behind the scenes. It was a team effort without question. The proper and efficient running of an organziation like CBA requires effort from several. It starts at the top. Your league Presidents set the tome for CBA, a league whcih has a VERY positive vibe. I must say, that is the coolness factor of our GM's and the tone and manner and friendships that have evolved for which I am most proud. Friends, not just acquaintances have been made. GM's have met, socialized, Netplayed, talked deal, BS with each other, and now become part of each others lives. Wheres the tissue? Tito? Jermaine? And this years Academy award goes to...
Cory Light. A trusted and awesome CBA person. We owe MAJOR thanks to Cory, who at his OWN expense provides us with our CBA website. The domain is his, and server fees are his contribution. Its more than appreciated on my end and judging by the webstats, by many others internationally who do follow our league...especially at draft time since we generally are the first to draft the new cards, and be on MLB schedule with our statistics. There are quite a few who track our stats to project for their own league uses. The draft is a template for many when their drafts begin as well. Its somewhat of an honor when we do get our occasional emails from web visitors. Cory Light sets the tone with his personality and diplomacy. CBA elder statesman on council. Cory's vote carries alot of respect and weight in council. Thanks again Cory, you're the best.

Dennis Concepcion is another integral part of the machine. Dennis also is the true spirit of CBA and section 15. His manner and enthusiasm has transformed CBA directly and indirectly from a league in transition to a positive, fun, and stable league. His voice of reason and innovation is resposible for making CBA not only a basic run of the mill Strat league to a league with a personality. A league which has taken on a life force through his Press releases and finely detailed and comprehensive photo galleries are known throught the Stratworld. Yes, CBA is well known after 13 seasons. Dennis is also active in trade council and rules committee discussions.

JD Adams is our Usage Commisioner and going into his 2nd season on trade committee. The committee consists of JD, Dennis, Cory, Rob Hite and myself. Derek has done an excellent job for 3 seasons now review usage, and saving the office time while creating a custom easy to use weekly reference that is simply unique to CBA. Its is so easy, a caveman can use it. CBA has evolved technically, and is even more user friendly thanks to Derek who has eased the time it takes to set upa weekly CM. Since inception, I have noticed our weekly CM forwarding rate to have increased from about 11 or 12 per week to about 16-17 on and off list. Make no mistake, your GM 'friends' are trying to beat you. They're tailoring CM's to match your teams, and beat you. It about winning, not the draft.   Thanks Derek. These are our council members for 2011 season.

Within the CBA core are our consultants. Executive Technical consultant Jack Frost, and Committee consultants Rob Hite, Jack Jung, and for 2011 Doug Brunet. Rob is a CBA elder statesman, and original member who played in another league with founder Claude LaMarre, and is always well known in Strat circles. He also enters the World Series looking for his 3 crown. Hite lends his expertise again in 2011 as an executive consultant to committee. Rob has his input and league rules and issues of importance. 2001 CBA Champion Jack Jung of Ottawa Otters fame is another 13 year original veteran is on hand to assist with some rule committee and council input on an as needed basis. Doug Brunet Joins us with a wealth (30+ years) of Strat-o-matic experience. He is thorough and sharp. He will assume duties as a council consultant, and Transaction, Roster Management official. He joins our council list. Consultants do no have an official vote on trade council, but their opinions are sometimes asked or presented in the decision making and voting process. Generally trade committee needs majority to pass, however 1 dissention is enough to trigger a committee action to review a trade then a final vote. GM’s input are welcome to Committee if presented to a league President for introduction. This procedure is in effect for trade review and rules committee review. Suggestions are welcome via proper channels to committee, not on CBA_List.

The season started with the opening draft and a flurry of trade activity preceding and during what was a smooth and exciting 2010 draft. There was a trendous amount of trade activity leading up to the February draft. Many trades involved draft picks exchanging hands. Picks high, and not so surprisingly with the increased vale of the late rounds, due to our CBA formula, many late picks were not only relevant but brought in some good talent in late rounds. Big names moved. Long time Basher Michael Young brought back power bat of Nick Swisher. Bryan, now adds in 2011 Paul Konerko as they look to slug way to playoffs. Brett Myers went to Carolina, Carmona went for a 5 to High Bridge. Ian Kinsler also went to the Coppersheads for a 1. C Town got Jav Vasquez for a 1, Bryan also got Jason Bay. Brooklyn answered by picking up Ryan Braun, and Nick Markakis. In a win, win trade a busy BSP also swapped 2010 MVP candidate and Staff ace carlos Zambrano. Joliet acquired Corey Hart for a few late draft picks from C Town. Jon Buck only cost Ohio a #4, and Southwest got Cy candidate Theodore Lilly. Cooperstown countered by snatching up MVP contender Brian McCann. Kurt Suzuki catcher, went to Striling. Malachi Nellum made a lot of off season moves in 2010, including acquiring closer Joe Nathan for the stretch run. The draft saw a lot of talent move in round 1. Strasberg went to Keth Jones Sunville as the 1^st overall pick. He was followed by Rick Porcello, and Brian Matusz. Andy Bailey was the fourth but was just dealt for 2011 to Kennesaw Mt.

Other first rounders included Carlos Gonzalez, Chris Coughlin, Mat Latos, Trevhor Cahil went to Belfast late round 1, Scott Podsednick, and Garrett Jones as well. Some good talent also spread into the round 10 where Josh Thole, and Ike Davis both were drafted.

With the races now over and Philly’s Rob Hite and the Phantastics the CBA 2010 champions, here is a team by team analysis by division. We start this year looking at the Schmidt division home of the world champ Phantastics. Philly dominated the entire season start to finish. It was no accident as Rob Hite custom designs his teams and trades for select players to fit his franchise model. The team was led by MVP candidate Derek Jeter who rebounded to post excellent stats, and more so winning baserunner movement and clutchness. 17Hr 69RBI .311 27sb. Although the team only hit .269, a low for Philly over the past several years, the HR bat was there slugging 282 of them. Homer wise they were among CBA;'s best ever. The ballpark helps them there. Philly has always known the long ball. 13 players had double digit RBI’s. Eight players hit 20+ HR with Berkman in what could be his last huge season hittling 32 and Ut Chasely hitting a big 36 HR. Philly added speed to their mix in ’10 swiping 84 SB, which is a lot for this 3 run HR team. The top of the order averaged around a .370 on base. So natural that runs get plated. The offense numbers .354 OBA overall, .834 total avg, but the .480 slug is down a bit for Philly, but where the offense and defense was balanced, the pitching stepped it up.

Not known for pitching lately, the Phantastics allowed only a .257 BA. The relief corps wasn’t too effective allowing 33% of opposing runners to score once brought in. In fact they blew many saves. Quite a few Clemente teams blew alot of saves as well showing a pattern for the juiced up Clemente offenses providing alot of late heroics and pop. They converted only 55 of 83 saves oppoprtunities. Despite Verlander's CY Young season, he had the least run support from his starting crew 5.17 runs per games while the others got generally a half run more support. The season was a tremendous success for 3 times champion Rob Hite. Executive consultant and long time CBA friend. Rob is the cream of CBA's GM crop for 2010. Will he be again in 2011?

The Stirling RedSox have officially been transitioned to Malachi Nellum. Wayne McGee steps aside, retires and will undoubtedly gain entry into CBA's Hall of Fame when balloting is issued in January 2011. This team has been built almost ground up into a contender by former Alamo City Flames GM Nellum who as VP and director of player personel, had drafted traded, acquired and revamped the once moribund RedSox into a streamlined talent laden organziation. Last year, Stirling was edged out of a wildcard spot by the Carolina Copperheads and Brooklyn Superbas in the final week of the season. Carolina took the final series against both Brooklyn and Stirling. Striling lost out of the playoffs by dropping 3 of 4 to the eventual World Champion Philly Phantastics, while Brooklyn swept away Cooperstown in the final series after losing before to theCarolina Parker champs. It was Clementes closest race in many years and any one of the final teams dancing, Stirling, Superbas, CTown could have won it. Stirling was a player all year. They started out owning Schmidt throughout April. In May Philly took the eventual Schmidt lead. Stirling never let 2nd place out of their hands as they consuitantly stayed in the hunt all year long. Led by Player of the year candidate Bill3 Butler 25 HR 103 RBI .331, and Carlos Pena's 46 HR 98 RBI .233 the Sox powered 195 HR. Michael Young added 24 more at 3B. Pedroia was awesome at 2B 19HR 100 RBI .285 17SB a solid if not spectacular year. The catching was among the best if not the best. Kurt Suzuki hit an excellent .310 with 16 HR, and Taylor Tea...garden was a .322 hitting backup. Now the paradox, The Sox stole 176 bases! Crwaford had 56 despite lower numbers in '10 than is customary. 15 HR 65 RBI .267 10 triples. Ellsbury stole 39 with 16CS, and Elvus Andrus stole 31. The team hit 36 triples Andrus 8, Crawford 10, Ellsbury 7. Just to add some xtra pop. Overall a .345 OBA and .456 slug add up to improved performance. A .748 Total average is good enough to win with. The pitching was capable, but the bullpen was shaky. Bronson Arroyo pitched well allowing a .251 BA, but the team duidnt suport him scoring almost 3/4 run less when he was on the mound. Likely as he was stacked up against the Aces of the Clemente Conference. Guys like Halladay, Oswalt, Verlander, Carpenter, Wainwright, Lilly, Greinke, and a slew of top shelf aces. Jurjenns, Arroyo, Buehrle were solid. Jurjens emerged as top line guy though will be limited in 2011. Until Nathan came on board, the Red Sox pen was shaky at best. A .326 IRSC is crap. Too many comebacks allowed. Very important stat that CBA recognizes. Byrdak despite a .200 Opp BA, allowed 40%, Madson 46%, and O'Day 37% of all runners on base inherited, to score. Cant win games unless you out slug them or out steal them which is what The Sox had to do. 2011 promises to be an a good one as Nellum let go of Milledge and Hairston for picks, acquired ace Phil Hughes. Again there should be tough competition as the powerhouses lineup in the slammmin Clemente where all teams can clubber each other.

The light is on and shinig. Perhaps the envy of the CBA's new decade, Ottawa is living off they're former glory, but not for long. There are hard times for CBA's original franchise in the Canadian National Capital city. The beautiful city of Ottawa has come close making the playoffs recently as 3 years ago, but there has been little joy other than that brief shining moment. They came close in 2009 to making the show, but swooned intheir last month. Not since the days of the Dynamic Duo Papi and Vlad had they brought the fans to their feet. But in 2011 with those two re emergence, bright things could be in store in 2011. In 2010 a perfectly dismal season. However Jack Jung doesnt quit. Patiently building through the draft, This team is one to watch out for in 2011. Super young talents like Justin Heyward, Ricky Weeks, Cameron Maybin, Andrew McCutcheon, Steven Drew, Justin Upton, Y Gallardo. The team is a goldmine. Pitching is the deficiency here. The offense certainly can compete with anyone in the upcoming campaign. Last year, the light was flickering not shining. Like a bad Doors song, the team was out of synch and plugging away laying in wait for better times. The crowd dwindled, but the press was buzzing following their minor leagues. The coming of Heyward. A minor league draft pick. A superstar in 1 year. CF of the future for all of Ottawa to cheer. Despite Rickie Wells 13-7 record in an impressive rookie season, There was little pitching to speak of. Gallardo was 9-16, Volstad 2-13, Lackey 3-15, Era's all ranging from 4.70 - 7.16. Cook was 8-9 4.40 Best of the rest. The defense was shoddy with a below average.716 X rating percentage allowing in even more runs. Next year the starters are all grouped around 4.50 ERA's and there is no clear ace, So Ottawa should struggle to keep opponents from scoring. The staff in 2010 allowed righties to hit .275 against them, .266 overall. Not particularly effective. Allowing 9.3 hits per 9 IP. A high 3.8 BB per game and alot of hits per IP, adds up to runs for the Opponents. When you achieve a low .329 OBA on offense, your opportunities are limited. 2011 promises to be so much better. Theyre IRSC matched Stirlings. Joe Mauer MVP /Player of Year candidate had a sensational year and is undoubtedly the face of the franchise. Next year should be a bonanza for him if they can get the pitching. No reason why Ottawa couldnt be a Clemente Champion. Mauer led CBA with a .366 BA, with 27 HR & 79 RBI. Had an amazing 1.069 Total avg. Vlad hit .292 with 15 HR, while Papi slugged 39 HR with a low .233 BA. Expect those three to dominate in 2011 with McCutcheon and Heyward setting the table.

The Schmidt division. It stands for power. Philly has dominated like Schmidt did. Despite being somewhat of a question mark in social skills, Schmidt his bat stood out. In Clemente especially in Schmidt its the bats which stand out too. New Hampshire's bats were perhaps a CBA record low with a measly horrifyingly unprofessional .216. It skewed the stats weighed in by the conferences other teams. This was solely the fault of former GM Dave Jacobs of the Atlanta Crackers (should have known then) Columbus Wildcats, who was ill prepared, all talk and no action. He came aboard, and proceeded to make a shambles of deadlines, time positions during the draft, and whined about procedures, to the point he was removed into his initial probation and replaced by the league office before he could do much more damage to the team and our league. No way to see it coming with Jacobs, but happily we were able to recruit our first choice a valued veteran whom Id hoped would join us for years Chris Brazeau who turned out to be exactly what this franchise needed, and more. He has fit right in at home with our veteran GM's, and has dedicated time and studied our rules and league. Seems like he is having fun, and we are gald to have him building this franchise ground up. A challenge, but he will make all kinds of CBA friends and surely will compete at a high level within the close future. Chris has several friends here in CBA from other leagues, and all were thrilled to add a familar buddy and true Strat man. All wasnt horrible with the NWS pitching. The great bullpen put up some good numbers and kept the team from getting trashed in some games. Outman, Wheeler, O'Day, Hughes, Coke. Were very capable in a pen by committee. Some of the starters performed reasonably well too. Young Ross Ohlendorff, M Repzcynzki, and R Vandenhurk, kept the ERA in the mid 4's. Some potential there as well. The staff did well enough to wins some. But the bats were a ragtag collection of usage filler RFA's whose sole purpose is to add to some career stats on the Batters Register before there careers in CBA fizzle out. Guys like Ross Gload (Brooklyn's Madison HS) .217 4 HR, 17 RBI, Chipper Larry Jones .239 11 HR 45 RBI, Julio Lugo .271 4 HR 29 HR, Omir Santos .261 7HR 39 RBI, Ronny Cedeno .214, E Renteria .214, M Maier .213 you get the picture. Gerardo Parra hit .266 with a few HR. But they will need eventual offense to compete in CBA. This draft is key for Hampshire who acquired Pitchers, J Masterson, B League, and JA Happ in the Hughes trade, clearly building for the future up in New England.

The Monday Division

Last year 2009 was the year the Bob Fidler and the Indiana Redbirds set CBA on its side when he took his wildcard team across Clemente defeating Brooklyn and eventually Longue Pointe for his 3rd championship in 4 years. Fidler is in the Monday division where he pared up with The Offense mided Bryan Bashers who featured Jason Bay, and Southwest who Featured Matt Holiday. Not to be outdone, Albert Pujols as well as A Rod were in tow. But 2010 was not to be as Holliday led the enigmatic Eric Lindner Lizard Kings to the Monday title by a substantial margin. The dominant team of the the late 2000's had fallen victim to age and poor MLB performances, but still managed a respectful 83-79 season under Fidler's attentive guidance. It could be made a case for that Bob Fidler is no longer a the towel waving GM champion going into the new decade, but rather a grizzled veteran GM whose savvy and determination has carried this franchise into a transition with grace and class. Fidler is already rebuilding and looking to change things necessary to compete. Even in transition, Fidler can beat you. This team did not quit and kept fighting despite obvious deficiencies. Slightly better at home in Redbirds park, they were a playoff team at home less than that on road where they were .481 They had to mix up their game even doing some small ball to win games. Cabrera, and Polanco resorting to the lost Clemente art of bunting successfully 46-56 times. The pinch hitters came thru witha .378 BA, best in CBA. The offense was good enough to win. Comparable but more powerful than Stirling's The power went 1-9 through lineup. A .345 OBA and .478 Slug which was two percent better. .278 overall BA, 242 HR (2nd in CBA), 830 runs (3rd best). Pujols won the Clemente MVP and player of the year award for his .323, 58 HR 127 RBI season. He edged out Brooklyn's Ryan Howard in HR, but Howard had more RBI's to lead CBA. 5 players over 20 HR, Sizemore 31 in CF, Pence with 26 HR for an amazing power OF. A Roids numbers were deflated to .262 24 HR 81 5 SB as he detoxed and dried out in 2010 CBA. Hamilton's numbers were down, but will be way up in 2011. Carlos Ruiz solidified catching hitting better than expected .277 10 HR 46 RBI. Posada added 25 HR's .254. Colby Rasmus was solid with 18 HT 70 RBI .268. Enough offense to win. In the clutch in 600 AB's, they slugged 29 HR and drove in 122. But for only a .231 average. A microcosm of the season. No pitching, huge bats, but something missing other than the long ball. Hit .298 with bases loaded however, strange. But pitching? 4.77 ERA Jeremy Sowers wins 13-5 but 5.21 ? Oswalt only 9-10 ? It was a horror show. 41 more hits than IP. 586 BB's, Oswalt and Kazmir got little run support from a good offense (4.50 or so) Also the pen was shaky with a Stirlingesque .328 IRSC. They saved only 70% of games too 43-61 not good. The Pitching was actually helped by a good defense which posted a .802 X rating. 80% is very good. Otherwise the team ERA would have been likely near 5.00. They even turned a triple play around the horn 3rd to 1st.

Lindners Southwest Lizard Kings 101-61, put it all together in 2010 with another ill fated playoff run. It was Eric Lindners final hurrah in CBA as he moves on to irrelevant in the Strat-o-sphere.. The Lizard Kings (Skokie Wolfmen) season was verifiable and documented with great performances by Holliday 31 HR 104 RBI .310 BA. ,Tulowitzsky 33 HR's, 17 SB zero times caught, Matt Kemp's 27 HR 95 .282 with excellent defense. Adam LaRoche hit .301 23 HR 91 RBI, Andre Ethier hit 31 HR 78 RBI .269. 9 guys over 133 hits. 6 over 150 hits. Thats consistent. A team .341 OBA with a .270 BA. 213 HR 819 runs. Near the top in all catagories. Except this year the pitching was the difference. The top 4 in the rotation did very well keeping opponents at bay. Theodore Lilly acquired in a trade with NJ Beatles for a a draft pick, went 18-2 for the Monday champs. Matt Cain added 14 wins, and 13 more for Clifford Lee. Guthrie had 11 more. Team 3.83 ERA with a great .816 X rating made this a bonified contender and favorite except that Lindner had a meltdown and quit Stratomtic when they wouldnt assist his Netplay and told him he tampered with protection system. We lost, and so did the company.

Bryan Bashers. A team looking for respect and coming real close being competitive the past few seasons after struggling throughout most of its CBA tenure as Kilgore. The team is built on some punch. They acquired what seemed the last piece in Jason Bay, and has been the case with most of Bryans great acquisitions, the players tune dog the next year and Ole Cory Light has to restart again. Each year they add a big piece. This year the huge bat of Paul Konerko. If Bay and Konerko return to form they could be formidable with McGehee, Wigginton, and Swisher also strong bats. In 2010 the Bashers popped 213 HR's Lots of power but very low .249 BA and low OBA .329. The slugging was at .429 which belies their 213 dingers. So if it wasn't a HR, it wasnt anything for Bryan. Jason Bays' injuries in MLB, may not help this year except that he should get on base in 2011, run and play some D. He should rebound easily as he adjusts. Bay hit 36 HR (( RBI .267 for Bryan while Swisher added 33 HR 100 RBI. Overbay, Hairston, McGe hit all around 15 HR's Marlon Byrd added 21 HR. O'B was their most consistent hitter batting .288 with 16 HR 80. He does it year in and out and is a steady bat. This got steady work out of Jason Kendall .254 4 HR 29 RBI, but the defense doesnt enhance things at catcher, and they will need better overall production at catcher. Mark Ellis 10 54 .266. was solid at 2B with great defense. O Cabrera had 11 HR 59 RBI .260 but had 23 big errors to blemish a decent defense. Ben Francisco hit 10 taters off the bench. A typical patter that sums it up up Brad Inge hit 23 HRs at 3B, but drove in 48 and hit .204.

The numbers individually look good, but on the field they could barely reach .500. Speed, defense, and bullpen as well as The ace starter hurt their chances. They were better than most in a tough conference. No reason to think they cant compete again. The pen couldnt hold down what the stares had, and the batters couldnt get on enough to take advantage of the HR's. Despite Hawkins 30 saves, he did lose 7 games which means something went wrong here. A 68.3% sv mark. 33% IRSC. Shoddy work. The defense was improved by a few percent over 2009 at 76% X rating. The staff only allowed 6 more hits than IP. But the starts hits was far higher than the relievers +53, and relievers -45. So relievers choked in tough situations but were good in long relief allowing the offense to come back in games and maybe win. A comeback offense.

Lake County Leopards. David Jones is one of CBA's class gentlemen. He has experienced playoffs, and the cellar and is always a pleasure to correspond with and play in CBA. The Leopards have a leagcy of winning and are rebuilding at this time. The moved along malcontent Adraim Beltre and brought back Scott Rolen who has a great card again in 2011 with defense of legend. Also coming aboard is super prospect Chris Carter, and Jones' intentions are clear. The Leopards are looking ahead. The 2010 team was equally as poor on the road as at home as the fans stayed back some at Leopard stadium. The team struggled at the plate and in the power categories. They achieved good numbers from CBA's Jay Johnstone award winner Garrett Jones .343 26 HR 70 RBI. Dexter Fowler hit .277 and remains a propsect, and Fucudome showed more improvement into elite CF department for 2011. James Ba-Loney was a disappointment and was counted on to do more than .251 10 HR when he was acquired from Indiana. Garrett Atkins fall off wasnt expected, as was Brad Penny or Derek Lowes drop off. With a reverse of fortunes in MLB this would have been a different club. The players aged quickly and the numbers showed it. Jimmy Rollins hit .210, Nady was hurt and tailed off. he should rebound in MLB with Arizona in 2011. Gio Soto dropped off, huge. Too many to drop to sustain wins in 2010. Some plyers will rebound for them in 2011 set so the chances are great we will see improvement in the Lakers for next year. The staff was woefully deficient an old in 2010. They couldnt buy wins. What seemed like a good staff was affected by the lack of offense. The rotation startsr Beckett, Penny, Lowe won 10 while Cueto won 9. The pen had a .77% save pct which wasnt too bad. A .294 IRSC was pretty good allowing a 66 win season. Could have been much worse. Lake Co showed that Pitching can only win so much. The defense had a .771 X rating not bad, but without the offense, cant win in Clemente where offenses are powerful enough to overcome pitching.

The Parker Divison

Carolina Copperheads Scott Kenan was a runner up for GM of the year. He certainly earned that distinction with his breakout performance in 2010. Took awhile to get there. Building and drafting. Trading and planning Kenan represents CBA's future. He has taken control of the Parker divison wresting it from Brooklyn who had won 8 division titles with 10 playoff appearances since 97. They went 98-64 with a team ERA of 3.88 in a tough slugging conference. Pitching stopped their division and Conference opponents down the stretch as well. Sthey stopped Brooklyn cold in their final week match ups when they needed the most. -104 hits than IP, allowing only 170 Hrs to their slugging 3rd best 238 HR's. In a HR laden conference its huge. 86 errors was good, but only 66 SB, meant the team relied on the bat not speed to generate runs. Offense did pound into alot of DP's 146 rally killers. They hit 126 HR on the road, 2nd most in CBA. Typical Clemente contender .346 OBA, .453 slug. The offense didnt have that extra zip, but the pitching gave a good offense the chance to be in all the games. They were retaliated against, by having 68 of their batters plunked. Rick Debrule? 45 Sac flies 2nd best in CBA. Defense was good enough. Catchers couldn't get out stealers throwing out 21% not too good, putting guys into scoring position. Carolina was able to use the hit and run its advantage getting 28 advances in 34 chances an 82% H & R rate. Only 33% in clutch hitting. The Carolina team came through in the clutch during the regular season. A 73% X Rating was not too great but league average was .721.

The team got better performances from several key players. Looking at the lineup Joey Votto 18 HR 76 .317. Miguel Tejada was sensational with his glove only 2 errors! He hit 14 74 .303. Zimmerman at 3B hit .285 22 86. Scutaro was capable at .277 with 46 RBI's and glove. Hermida hit .288 in platoon. Kinsler .251 30 107. Thats great offense in the infield middle. Makes the rest of offense that much more effective. Despite low batting averages, Jayson Werth and Adam Dunn had 34 and 38 HRs respectively. The difference being they both were able to get on base helping teams win rather than the low OBA high HR guys on other teams. Carolina was able to survive Ryan Ludwick's slack from 2009. The pitching was solid. Jason Marquis ate up innings and got 14 wins and a .487 ERA. Johnson was a Cy Young runner up behind Verlander and Greinke with a 21-5 record and an awesome 2.51 ERA to make it into franchise history books. Huston Street was spectacular as closer of the year, and a valuable acquisition. Carpenter added 15 wins against 5 defeats and Johan won 14 more. The bullpen was strong with a 28% IRSC and good middle inn support from Ni, Frasor, and lights out 0.25 ERA from Tyler Walker. Carolina won in a historic 4 game set in the battle of Parker at seasons end defeating the Superbas perhaps setting the stage for their unceremonious first round exit the next week.

Brooklyn Superbas were an enigma. Again a dominant team though not as powerful as in years past. Brookyn is t rebuilding acquiring several young prospects and players over the past year. David Price, Ryan Braun, Hank Conger, Nick Moustakis, .Their team BA was down to .283 after last years .307. HR's went down from 275 to 213, and runs 1069 down to 879. Still quite good, but not the typical Superba power team. The Superbas reputation is that of CBA legend. Perhaps the single most potent offensive force in CBA's history, the Superbas have epitomized the Clemente model year after year. Dominant offenses. Historicallly led by Player HOFers like Todd Helton, Sammy Sosa CBA HR all time leader till 2009. Bagwell, Ventura, Albert Belle. Huge numbers and recently Ryan Howard who was almost an ex Superba this winter, Miguel Cabrera, and now Ryan Braun. Ivan Rodrguez 7 55 .276, will return again as the Brooklyn Longtime catcher sits very high on many CBA career leader categories like Hits Doubles and RBI's let alone his Hall of Fame defense. Brooklyn must cut the WP's and PB's. He will split time again with Ryan Doumit 11 Hr's. In the wings in wunderkind Hank Conger so Brooklyn is also planning ahead. . This season Ryan Howard 55 HR 145 RBI .277 10 sb 1.002 Total avg, made a a serious pitch for MVP finishing second Indiana's Pujols. Braun had a great first year with Brooklyn slugging 34 121 .304 22 SB. Miguelito Cabrera finished strong down the stretch 33 115 .320. Those are big Superbas seasonsbut not enough to dthrone the Philly team in Rd 1. When the bats were stopped cold by Philly pitching. Former MVP Vermon Wells hit 18 more HR's and is another CBA player who is added to career totals. Omar Vizquel will return for another season with Brooklyn and is another CBA HOF candidate. Markakis had a solid 13 HR 76 RBI .307 campaign batting 2nd with 188 hits and 45 doubles to match his defense and arm. Furcal returned as fulltime SS, but was fair .267 8 HR 52 only 4 SB and 26 errors too high, led team with 20 sacs however. Blake hit 14 HR .294 at 3B, but his defense was rough. The teams defense once a bright spot in 2009, was 10% worse finishing .727 X which is average but didnt help a good pitching staff which faltered at times. Brooklyn got 49 assists from their OF. Adding Chone Figgins for defense and speed didn't factor too much in the race, and may be dealt as the spring approaches. Second base thought to be a sore spot with 3 men filling in Vizquel, Bloomquist, and Infante turned out very productive in a 3 way platoon. Infante was a runner up in the Johnstone award voting. Brooklyn just could win in the clutch. Only getting 2 of 20 clutch hits all year. PH Randy Ruiz under achieved only 3 for 22 after being counted on heavily in clutch. They did manage to hit with the infield in 17 times. So the extra speed in '10 did help indirectly at times. Again Brooklyn matched well winning 49 at home. They finished 3 games behind Carolina. They scored about 5.3 runs a game allowing only 4.6 in Clemente. The won in close games 31-15. Superbas 'struggled' vs Lefties only .276 but .285 vs R. The team had a typical contender like .343 OBA and .463 slug. .805 production, They struck out way too much 1113 times, and grounded into 153 double play both numbers came into play in the playoffs, and meant doom for Brooklyn ultimately. Its the well balanced teams that win most frequently. There is a stark contrast between the Staub teams offenses and Clemente. A true comparison could be made between the old MLB NL and AL. Rick Debruhle?

The pitching staff did decently but faltered late. Halladay had a poor year by any standards despite double digit wins. 13-15 4.92 ERA. Zambrano acquired for Staub MVP nominee Brandon Phillips was Brooklyns best with a 4.00 EAR and an 11-6 record in limited Inn. Edwin Jax was 4.18 11-10 219 K's and a high Whip. Lannan was decent solid at 12-10 4.47. The team has a 4.21 ERA which is very respectable in Clemente. Mariano had a decent year by his standards after a poor 2009. He saved 24 games 6-3 2.39. Dice K won 6-0 2.73, and the bullpen was .287 IRSC. By committee Vargas, Miller, Boyer were decent. Could have been worse, but it was enough to limit the opposition in close games and win 95. Jon Rauch was awful in his role 2-4 5.03 3 saves hurtin them in the stretch. Brooklyn continues to build and can be expected to compete again in 2011 with a balanced offense, though in need of some more power, Brooklyn will need a starting pitcher or two to keep get ahead for another parker crown.

Cooperstown came really close in 2010, succumbing in the final weeks to Brooklyn and Carolina who barely edged them out of a wildcard spot. It was a close as can be. Morneau and Reynolds could only carry the decent offense so far.One game does matter. Cooperstown GM Jon Stamets set about resurrecting the franchise with a series of huge trades. They brought in Hirshima Kuroda, Brad Hawpe, Travis Hafner, Brett Gardner, Yunel Escobar, lots of draft picks for building. This became Jon' s team. They wasted no time winning and this season finished with a 91-71 record. The numbers were good all around. The staff tossed 12 shutouts, 49 saves, a .284 IRSC. A team 3.83 ERA was excellent in Clemente. Vasquez 14-10 2.99 could have won more if he didnt get just 4.19 runs per start against this offense, Lester 14-7 3.07, Wainwright 16-14 3.43, Jeff Weaver 17-6 4.02 ERA. Frank Cordero saved 31, 6-7 3.35. The rest of the pitching substitutes and end staff guys struggled or the numbers would have been better. Howry, Burnett, and Angel Guzman did a solid jn mid relief but really the 4.51 relief ERA meant the numbers could lie. The startes low 3.43 ERA probably tells more the pitching story for C Town which was heavily reliant on its starters to win as many as 91. The staff struggled against lefty starters allowing a .267 BA as opposed to a .242 vs R BA. The lack of lefties may have hurt there. The team had a .250 avg allowed to batters. The strikeout to walk ratio was only 2.27 not too good, but acceptable. Hit and run was not a specialty. Only 8 hits and 38 advances in 49 tries. C Town stole 70 bases in 85 tries for a 81% rate. Excellent running so runner movement was acceptable between speed and hit n run. Seven batters slugged double digits in HR with Morneau hitting 38 HR's 98 RBI .283. McCann was perhaps the 2nd best catcher in CBA with .311 21 HR 80 RBI. Yunel was 14 57 .297, only 9 errors. Franklin Gutierrez hit 15 71 .297. Mark Reynolds slugged his way to a .251 36 HR 101 15 SB, but made 22 errors at 3B. B Harris made 13 more errors as a utility reserve which hurt some. Ibanez hit another 29 HR's to add pop. Maglio had 5 HR 37 RBI but did hit .303. Overall a successful campaign for Cooperstown.

Sunville SunJewels is a building team and boy there is talent here. Carlos Gonzalez, Steven Strasburg 9despite the hurts), Austin Jackson, Josh Willingham, Jose Bautista, Rod Barajas, J Gomes, D Freese, Ankiel. This team will be much imprioved in 2011. That is the direction that Keith Jones is going in. Jones feels the time is now to take Sunville from the rebuild phases to the next level of winning. The staff has Gio Gonzalez, N Blackburn, Strasburg, Hochevar, Joba, Correia, Troncoso, and Pavano. This team has picks, and could surprise. Could this be a breakout year for Sunville they way Montreal broke last year? The team batted only .235 with 177 HR. They scored only 618 runs. A lot more than they did in '09, but woeful in the Clem. They will need further development of their players to achieve more. The best hitter was Nick Jiohnson who hit .306 at 1B. Willingham hit 17 HR, Cargo hit 15, Andruw Jones hit 18 HR, Thames 14, Barajas 13. Blackburn won 7 games as staff ace, and few guys posted around 5 or 6. Soriano saved 12, and Troncoso saved 9. The staff ERA was 5.91 terrible.The sedond worst BA, and wrost ERA meany Sunville will draft high again in 2011, and could get richer in talent.

The Staub Conference

The Rogers Division

Rogers division may feature very different situations than any other division. They are the caught between division. Caught between low win pct division winners, and contrasting styles of play. The Dawson gets the headlines, but Rogers races are unpredictable. Reason being that Rogers gets whooped each season by Dawson who boast the wildcard teams in their three way dances. Rogers gets bumped around and while Dawson may fatten up, it leaves a competition for the title. Each year someone emerges as the hero. No one team in Rogers is dominant perhaps fortunately for the teams of this division. Carter has to contend with San Diego, and the division title is always up for grabs between Maine, Ohio, Kennesaw, and Allentown. The title was won with 87 wins by Maine. Ohio had 83, 4 back and clearly out of the wildcard. Teams seem to have to win Rogers outright year after year to make the playoffs. Last year Ohio was the winner only to be taken out in Rd 1 by Staub Champs Longue Pointe. This year Maine basically staked claim getting hot in the second half. The funny thing is Maine was 19-29 vs Dawson this year. Says it all. By May 14th, Maine was 9 games back of first place Ohio. Ohio held first place pretty much opening bell through end of July. They won 9 of their next 10 games vs Joliet, High Bridge and New Jersey, while gaining ground. By June 24th, they were down still by 6 games and again it was a time for the Express to switch tracks and roll. Within aonly 2 weeks they tore it up and by July 4th were in 1st place. This time winning 11 of 12 and for the next month battled Ohio for 1st. At the end of July the Maine Express finally took control of Rogers with another hot streak winning 9 of 10 games including a sweep over Allentown which devastated the Senators season. Maine took it from there.

Mike Koepp is a classy GM. He has been reliable loyal, and above all else a great CBA friend to many of us. Always eager to help out. His teams have been successful in CBA as well. Maine has been to the playoffs 2 of past 3 years. He's had to match wits with division mates like Glen Kenan, Mike Blakeley, Rich Schneider. He finds a way to manage his usage and win. Not sure he thought he would at the season start, but he never quit. The team hit .252 but this year they added some power to the team rare for Staub, but 192 HR's was a good year. 769 runs, 311 doubles, 118 SB. Solid numbers there for Staub. Remember how LP won with around 600 runs last year. MVP Adrian Gonzalez 11.94 RC, 1.131 prod, 1.232 TotAvg, .342 ISOPWR was amazing, 49 HR 119 RBI 120 runs .337, literally carried this team on his back to the playoffs. The numbers were amazing for Staub. Other players contributed like Phil Cantu 20 HR 94 RBI .294, Adam Jones 23 HR 72 RBI .271 season in CF. Uggla added 42 HR despite a .217 average. Ryan Sweeney hit .297 and both Saltalamacchia and Barmes hit 15 HR. Team .327 OBA not too good, and a .420 slug is below average. The PH's hit only .145 and that hurts in big moments. Maine will need to increase their Prod numbers from 748. By comparison, Kennesaw was 757. A good team like LP was in the 780's. On base and some xtra base hits are needed somewhere. The Pitching staff's 4.01 ERA really carried this team with the occasional long ball. Aaron Rowand was expected to contribute more than a .217 BA with 6 HR, and Bupton better than .220, but they will rebound and Maine should benefit.

The only trouble with the pitching staff eminated from the middle inning marginal cards that brought up the pitching stat numbers, the garbage hurt the overall, but its hard not to note the quality starts and performances given by Braden 10-6 3.47, Romero 12-11 3.91, Duke 13-12 4.15 and Saunders 11-10 4.21. The bullpen was outstanding otherwise with a total 3.48 ERA as the Starters were 4.26. Jenks saved 18, but the committee of Fuentes 1-2 6sv 1.78, Coffey 4-1 2.13 5sv 84 IP, Lyon 7-3 2.45 8sv, and others were outstanding as was the team 26% IRSC. Perhaps CBA's best middle relief staff. RFA RA Dickey chipped ina few good games as well. The saves pct left something to be desired, so a proper closer could have helped there for a few more wins. Opponents hit .267, but the run support at 4.75 per game will need to increase. A low .9 HR per 9 was excellent. The .766 X rating defense was better than average in 2011. Catching was a weakness in the field nailing only 28 -126 runners stealing. With average OF arms, many extra bases could have been avoided. Runners did try their luck against the OF, but high OF assists totals kept them somewhat at bay. Relievers accounted for nearly half the teams wins. Mike Koepp hopes to compete in the playoffs again in 2011.

Ohio Outlawz formerly the Thundercats held first place through the seasons first 2/3. They looked like a repeat playoff performer but in the end could not beat opponents in Dawson 22-26, or do better than .500 vs Carter. They cleaned house in their own division 37-29. Obviously, Rogers will need to best Dawson to be able to start looking playoff bound. It will be their litmus test. Ohio split with Maine, but ate up Kennesaw spelling doom for Blakes team inside Rogers. It was Ohio that ended Blakes season more or less going 14-8. Ohio had the offense .273, 177 HR, 813 runs. Definitely approaching Clemente totals but in Staub. So what happened? The power was steady and good but no huge HR threat aside from Kubel MVP nominee's 28 HR 105 RBI season. Texeira tailed off to 25 HR 95RBI .288, and 8 others had 10 or more HR spread around the lineup. 49 triples were very good too. A team .345 OBA is good, and .440 slug was above average. Definitely better than their divisional rivals. A .762 Total avg and .168 ISO were decent. Mike Diaz was a strong Johnstone candidate with 10 HR 46 RBI .384 BA in 320 AB's. The team fielded at a 70.6% X rating which is low and didnt help the pitching staff much. Opponents stole 80% on catchers, but Posey in 2011 should fix that somewhat. Ohio will need better OF production as the highly untalented a nd over rated Melky Cabrera is not any kind of answer in strat baseball. Both Starters and relievers were equally as poor totaling 4.71 ERA. Relievers 4.75 alone despite a good .256 IRSC. . 125 SB were good, but was caught stealing home 4 times, and 3rd 6 times. Some squeeze and bunt plays it seems 70-88 in sac attempts, 39 sac flies, and only got 3 clutch hits from batters. Cant win big games like that. 12-14 in extra innings, and 22-25 in 1 run games. So the culprits were who? The Hit and run didnt work too well for Ohio 9 hits in 53 attempts only 38 advances total. PH's hit well, .299. Ohio scored pitchers about 5.02 runs per game. The staff allowed 4.75. Too narrow a margin to win more than 83 wins. Strong correlation in wins and run margin there. Pitchers tossed 1477 IP, 1177 K's. Likely the both starters and relievers were the leading cause of Ohio's late collapse. They blew so many saves. only saved 48 of 80 games, rancid. Closer Aardsma blew 8 alone. Blowing just isnt good in baseball. Millwood 12-17 6.91 really dragged down the staff . The middle pen and other spot starters didnt do a great job. Perez, Meek, McClung, Volquez, all spit the bit. The end of th rotation suffered, and with it Ohio. It was a down year for the staff anyway with Volquez and Bonderman hurting. To finish above .500 was a testament to Kenan's GM skill.

Allentown Senators. This team cant seem to get a break. Injuries and some poor MLB unexpected seasons hurt them in 2010. The talent is there and this team should be in better shape as the talent returns and blossoms. Kendry Morales hit .295 21 HR 79 RBI, Hanley Ramirez almost took the MVP with a sensational season .336 24 HR 93 RBI 38 SB and improved defense .804 X rating. Schumacher hit 2 45 .290 in his first full time season at 2B. The bench was strong with Robinson Diaz .365, E Patterson hitting .412, Alex Gonzalez .309 in 275 AB's, and Mike Sweeney .293. Allentown has a future with Martin Prado 13 HR 44 RBI .283, and Russell Martin the Yankee. Pedro Feliz added 9 HR 74 RBI and a .282 BA to go with great defense at 3B. The team batted a nice .274 up much from last year with 113 HRs also improved. Bats were evenly amtched both sides of the plate slight advantage vs Righties. A nice .340 OBA, but a low .397 slug meant problems against the tougher pitching teams of Staub. 6-16 vs Maine doomed them. Maine's Pitching stopped ATown. Respectable otherwise in their division. They managed decently vs Dawson, defeating LP 7-5 in the season series. Maine is the Allentown natural nemesis. A Town did well against Carter going 25-23. Fattened up on New Jersey and High Bridge. Good defense .766 X rating helped the Pitching. Terrible throwing from the OF also allowed runners to move along extra bases un necessarily. Allentown stole 3B 17 times caught 8 of times, and was caught stealing home once.

Joel Piniero had a good year 11-10 3.97 ERA 20 quality starts but just 4.84 run support was the ace likely matched up against other aces. Doug Davis went 13-12 4.20 with 14 Quality starts. While Staub Cy Young 2009 winner James Shields was disappointing at 11-12 4.76 ERA. The pen seemed better with Mike Wuertz 6-3 2.73 100 K 79 IP 18 holds a stud set up middle man finishing 3rd in reliever award balloting. Brian Wilson saved 22 with 82 K's in 66 IP and will return as closer. Wade LeBlanc, Howell, and Farnsworth did well in setup too. The rest of the staff was well pitiful and non descript.. Allentown will need to draft well to keep pace in Rogers. They are all bunched together and 1 player could make a diffeence between these teams. Look out because right behind and building is the young and talented Kennesaw Braves.

Kennesaw Braves are an enigmatic team constantly evolving as the top shelf talent comes in and some leaves. The team is being built to specification by JM Blakely himself, and his talent evaluation has GM's drooling and looking to deal. Kennesaw has been grabbing lots of talented young players in an attempt to become a dominant player in the new decade. Players with high upside potential he brings in, along with lots of high draft picks. Blake is a patient man. He wants to win now, but would not hesitate to build for more succes down the road than a quick fix. Recent acquisitions include , Jesus Montero, Carlos Triunfel, Jason Frasor, Yonder Alonso, IRM#2(11) PPS#1(11) JJC#1(11),JJC#2(11), JJC#6(11) and Andrew Bailey.

Chris Coghlan had a great 1st year batting .329 13 HR 57 RBI at the top of the order, but his defense crushed the team with 18 errors. and horrid range a .597 X rating 77 safe in 129 total chances. 57 safeties taken off his 168 hits is not a good turn around. defense is mighty important. Julio Borbon hit .342 in 150+ Ab's, and team MVP Ben Zobrist hit .291 37 HR 96 RBI's in a career year. He was dealt away after the season. Gordie Beckham in a part time role hit 7 28 .294, and Cameron added 20 HRs in CF. Chris Davis hit 17 HR 60 .281, while Thome popped 23 HR, and Luke Scott added 16 more. A .335 team OBA, with 4.97 runs created is not that special, and unless the pitching is like Longue Pointe's, its not enough to compete in Staub. Iso power .170 and total avg nothing to write home about. Giving up 4.97 runs while gaining 4.75 runs added up to losses. Kennesaw couldnt defeat their won divison. They finished 70-92, but were rotten vs Dawson divison too. Unexpectedly they punded the Carter division going 29-19. Cant figure the Jeckyl and Hyde performance we saw there. The pitching was all John Danks. Cy Young candiate and at 16-8 .281, Danks could have won the award with no reply. The rest of the staff was so dismal I cant even talk about it. Lets say the clsoer Kawakami saved 17 games witha 6.51 ERA. Better times are a coming for the Braves.

The Carter Division

The Carter division has been dominated the past several seasons by the San Diego Surf. Joe Wallace has got to be pleased with his teams performance and playoff appearances the past several years. They have created a winning legacy With quite a few winning seasons after building painstakingly. Joe Wallace is now a super senior veteran Member of CBA. The original members with us are as follows: CBA's Senior Committee Executive, Clemente President and website provider, Cory Light owner of the Bryan Bashers, Three time inc.2010 Champion Philly's Phantastics Rob Hite. 3 Time World CBA Champion and one time commisioner (2003) Jeff Boutet, Executive consultant and 2001 CBA Champion, Jack Jung owner of the Ottawa Otters, as well as myself Commisioner, 2004 World Champion, 2003 Clemente Champion, 8 Time division title Brooklyn Superbas. After the original owners we have long time CBA Generals. Amongst them executive consultant and technician Jack Frost. Frost (as well as Brunet) join the executive consultant list for 2011. The hierarchy is as follows.
Commisioner: Marc Wass
Senior Executive: Cory Light
Executive Council: Marc Wass, Cory Light, Dennis Concepcion
Trade Committee: Marc Wass, Dennis Concepcion, JD Adams, Cory Light, Rob Hite.
CBA Executive Consultants: Jack Jung, Jack Frost, JD Adams, Doug Brunet.

The role of Senior Executive is defined as the co-comissioner by some league standards. By constitutional interpretation
The primary function of the League Presidents is to assist the commissioner on resolving issues within the league.
Issues pertaining to procedure. Results, interpretations, Proposals, Protests, should be directed to council.
Cory is more than that, he is at the heart of organziation of CBA. Theres alot more to it behind the scenes.
Every trade is consented and at times discussed, opinions heard when needed. Cory is CBA reason and integrity.
His opinions very well respected and his influence on the overall operation is a major reason why CBA has achieved its stability and consistency. His league communication clear, and he has my trust. Cory embodies section 15.

League Presidents Cory Light and Dennis Concepcion from Staub. Your league presidents are the liason into Council for inquiries or questions about procedures. We generally all will assist with questions, but Cory or Dennis have the CBA ability
to move the league along procedurally if the are needed to. Either alone may freeze a trade and prompt review. CBA prefers a free market. Free market meaning the league supply and demand mainly dictate the trade market. Trade council commences generally upon each trade. If discussion or member contact is needed to resolve trade terms, or even dispute, the trade council is empowered to advise, or even assist in trade completion. Members please know that there are often communications and procedures that do occur time to time. CBA has an effective routine and procedure for trade manufacture via committee.
Our council are Executive council and JD Adams, Rob Hite. However Senior consultant Jack Jung has the ability to vote or express opinion at any time. Jack Jung is our senior consultant. He has the abilty to vote in council when rules votes are called.
He can and has been asked to weigh in on league matters and trades if needed. When there are sensitive league issues,
Sensitive rules issues are sole discretion of Executive council and ultimately the commisioners office.

Our technical advisors are three. They have committee access and may be consulted on CBA operational issues only.
Jack Frost is Executive Technical advisor. He has been gracious in his time and effort to ensure that CBA has a consistant league file and database for the past 3 seasons now. He has been assisting scheduling longer. Jack has perfected working with the game engine and it is to all our advantage that he has applied his talents to us.

JD Adams is our future. JD has brought CBA into reliabilty and efficiency of the new decade with his careful monitoring and use of spreadsheets in applying our usage to our game play. He has saved us all time, and given us techies some more food for thought. His work is your gain in that the usage sheet has made GM's accountable to our rules and giving us the maximum in gameplay and roster efficiency. When each game counts, we must get to a higher technical standard to be enjoyable. With usage a CBA strategy, and roster management dependent on proper usage we are fortunate for the efforts.

Doug Brunet joins us with his work on maintaining the new CBA Spreadsheet. The Roster management guy is tracking and compiling the trades and roster movements as we move into the new decade. He will generally be able to confirm roster and trade moves. He may record and log information and events on a players game file personal page or even on their main page. Doug may note significant performances and present them to the league enhancing the experience. Doug's organization skills even further technically move us ahead as he will further technically evolve the CBA. Could we dare to say, Skype, Twitter, MySpace, and that CBA may soon have a presence??. Right now WikiPedia links to us as the "International Strat-O-Matic League".

We then have our next in line, San Diego Surf and Joe Wallace. Joe Wallace is entering his 10h season in CBA. He is a certifield senior CBA member. A 10 year man. Congratulations on behalf of the league office Joe. He has been at the bottom, and slowly built his way to the top. Wallace is now a perennial playoff contender. It was a long road. Starting in 2001 and toiling in the cellar pretty much until 2006 as one of CBA's lowest winning percentage franchise since 1997. Beginning as the Don Jensen owned Hamilton Harbors a winning franchise, but definitely a quickly aging one, Joe took over with a 75 win season in 2001. It was a long 4 more years gaining draft picks. He was patient. He was confident that he could build a team into not just a 1 season winner, but a force for years to come. He is one of the favorites to win the Championship every year it seems. Built through pitching, and key player acquisitions. Wallace has made many excellent trades over the years, and many great draft picks as well. This year San Diego was doing it again. Led by a strong rotation and good hitting and on base in the lineup. The Surf hit .287 this season. A little righty heavy, they hit .294 vs L. .283 vs R, but higher slug. They slugged 174 HR's in Staub a good number. MVP Candidate Kevin Youkilis .348 21 79, 1.225 Tot Avg had a marvelous year in the field as well. Roobinson Cano .310 18 HR 85 RBI at 2B. David Wright 12 HR 67 RBI .309 41 SB had another good year at 3B. Delmon Young 12HR 42 .335 in 288 AB was a good Johnstone candidate, providing necessary depth down the stretch. Manny being Manny led the team with 22 HR , adding 66 RBI and a .277 in platoon. Catching was a strength at bat as Jesu Montero hit 10HR 61 RBI .313 in fulltime duty. Jack Bruce added 17 HR's in his first fulltime role. Perhaps it was the superior bench strength that did it for SD fending off the Jackhammers? You can bet on it. SD didnt miss a beat when they rested they're regulars in Wallace's platoons. Usage was addressed at a highly eerily reminiscent of their Dawson rival Longue Pointe. Aubrey .360, German .444, David Murphy .324, Flores .317, R Pena .310 gave great bench. Jermaine Dye retired from CBA with a distinguished career of service mostly with SD and will become hall of fame eligible. He hit 19 HR 90 RBI .258. A .359 OBA and .458 Slug is more like Clemente division statistics.

The pitching looked dominant in their rotation. The team ERA 3.80 seemed a little higher than usual, then again the .687 X rating fielding was awful, and likely contributed to keeping SD under 100 win plateau for a 2nd concutive season. They relied on their starters and a bullpen by committee. The high save total was Matt Thornton 53 games 0-4 1.70 11 saves, Jason Bulger 7, F Rosriguez 5, Ho Chi Kuo 4 saves, Feliz debut with 3-1 1.07 and rounded a shaky little bullpen, which was suspect allowed 32% of its runners inherited to score. But its the Surf's starting pitching that is the talk. Peavy part time 10-1 2.01 ERA, Felix 18-11 3.62, Haren 21-9 3.54, Matt Garza 14-9. Good stuff. Hitters hit better lefty against them .244 only, a great .233 vs R! as a staff. With some glove, that ERA coulda been perhaps, closer to 3.30? Who knows could have been first in pitching not second in CBA behind eventual Staub champion Limoilou.

The rise of Joliet was another big story in 2010. The team that won 65 lost 97 in 2009, came back and won 89 in 2010. A 24 game swing. Frost had supporters for the manager of the year in balloting. Has Joliet developed a trademark style? Could it be speed? Well the hit much better last year scoring +46 runs over they're opponent and could have been more with that offense. A team .277 BA is strong, 170 HRs much improved, and a whopping 211 steals fantastic. Hits were doubles and runs aplenty 836 of them Clemente-esque, as many as the DH led Stirling. Joliet was in it all the way and was peaking as late as September 9th in their epic struggle and great pennant chase of San Diego last season. It was a hot race. Joliet closed with a furious August rush, tio draw within a game of the perennial leader SSD. As late as Sept 15th, within 2 games after beating who they should have The Beatles and Heaters. That was far as the reserves could take them. Usage bit them in the.

The defense was a little problematic hurting a decent staff with 111 miscues, .751 X rating. Pablo Sandoval hit .326 20 HR 82 RBI, amongst league leaders in BA and doubles with 46. AJ Pierzcyzszcnszki hit .309 12 HR 64 RBI was excellent behind the plate throwing out a strong 33%. .Aaron Hill was a player of the year candidate hitting 37 HR 114 RBI .291 at 2B with awesome .932X defense. Derek Lee was his rock solid self .35 29 HR 98 RBI. Alfonso Soriano was a major disappointment and was forced to pack his bags twice this off season in search of his potential with a humbling 16 HR 56 RBI .246 11 SBseason. That drop likely hurt the most in the final run for the div title. Luis Valbuena despite 14 HR, and his measely .218 BA, and Flyinmg Fred Lewis were also disappointing off the thin bench for the Jackhammers. Better support may have evened the race and is where the two Carter beasts SD and Joliet were separated from the title. Michael Bourne 4 HR 50 .264, 111 runs, 154 hits, 340OBA, stole a near CBA record 91 bases 3rd best mark of all time. If the OBA were higher. A .781 prod, and a .769 Total avg mark for the team was good, and 5.37 Runs created was in the upper end. Pitching was uncharacteristically better for Joliet in 2010. They allowed a .262 BA, and an average 32% IRSC. The team 4.38 ERA must come down in the Staub Conference. AJ Burnett went 13-12 3.76 177 K's to lead the staff. Looper blew the pennant on his own with a 9-17 record. So Frost went out and acquired Brian Matusz who will front the staff in 2011. It may be that team MVP Andrew Bailey since dealt, his rookie 26 save campaign, kept them in what Looper blew. Again Looper just blew. The rest of the pen was great. Duensing 6-0 as a lefty middle guy. J Gutierrez was excellent saving 6, Spot starters Maine 8-1, and Shairon Martis 5-4 2.63 did well. Shawn Green 5-1 3.31 4 saves also did a good job in set up. The starters threw a 4.69 ERA, while the pen a 3.99 ERA. Joliet gave up too many hits and the +429 WHIP was too high for that good offense to fight against.

High Bridge Heat and Owner John Miller. High Bridge is kind of like the National League New York equivalent of the the expansion New York Mets. Named after the old bridge across the Harlem river in NY City's upper Manhattan stretching to the Bronx. Their logo depicts that area especially close to the old Polo Grounds national league team for over a century. Their other New York Team, the Brooklyn Superbas catch many of the headlines with their gaudy offense and consecutive playoff appearances. Miller's team goes into its 3rd year with most of their draft picks plus a big #1 pick in exchange for the powerful slugger Paul Konerko who has taken his considerable at at 1B to Texas' Bryan Bashers. High Bridge is hoping to develop some core players to work with. Miller showed in year two that he will be a GM to reckon with, as he kept his Heaters in contention in the first half. They were in second place first week of May. 6 out June 22nd, then the rest and bench weren't there. It was his CM management that kept HB competitive at times. Miller custom designs his CM's for each team and was a spoiler for some parties in 2010. They had a good stretch in the third week of July taking 3 of 4 from contending Joliet, 2/3 from LP and sweeping The Jersey Rockers in 4.

They finished an improved 70-92 making big strides from their first year. In fact some guessed 100 losses for the Heaters, oops. This is John Miller were talking here. The man who refused to tank his team for higher draft placement. Two big time #1's coming. The also received the emerging Jason Vargas to move into the future with Fausto Carmona, Rick Porcello, Paul Mahom, Brett Cecil.. Its safe to say that High Bridge has had some poor MLB luck with many of there players not achieving the results John had hoped for but the talent is there on that staff. Anything can happen when you have pitching. But it is clear HB is in a build mode.

Highlites for HB last year included the 2-1 series win with Ohio which ultimately affected Ohios playoff advance. High Bridges extra inning walk off win to take the July 4th series from Ohio. Miller gives Kenan sleepless nights in Rogers. A 17 Inn game vs Joliet June 17th, Coco Crisp's 9 triples in 154 ABs this team hit 41 triples. Konerko's 24 HR 109 RBI .267 BA 17 HBP. Team MVP. Juan Uribe was a strength 17 HR 64 RBI .281. Luis Castillo in his last hurrah, had a great year stealing 39 .318. Denard Span a future star 8 HR 60 RBI .260. Lots of reserves and roster fillers to round out the weak offensive numbers. The pitchers had good seasons from Paul Maholm who was acquired before the season and went a respectable 12-12 4.26, and First round Pork Ricello who went 11-9 3.70. 39 bullpen by committee saves, and good pitching in setup by Sean Marshall 5-1 2.25 85 IP 64 games. Future remains to be seen how the players here develop as next season comes quickly.

The New Jersey Beatles made news this past week trading starting pitcher Tim Hudson for Felipe Paulino, Kevin Slowey, 5 tool Michael Taylor and a #2 draft. Steven Adler made a clear message. He will build from the ground up and construct a team for the future. A team that he will be patient and develop. In the past we saw an influx of GM's back around the dark ages who made future trades to win. high risk players and such. teams which aged fast. Teams like the Green Bay Roches, the Jonquiere Lifesavers, the Texas Desperadoes. See them in the defunct team pages, the archives, or click the link. A sharp Strat-o-matic mind with years of experience and championships in other leagues, Adler knows how to win, but now may not be the time. There is some talent here. Players like Justin Smoak, Jed Lowrie, Mike Stanton, Carlos Quentin 22 HR 52 RBI .275, Player of the year candidate Adam Lind 43 HR 120 RBI .320. David DeJesus 20 HR 68 RBI .267, Daniel Murphy 10HR 48 RBI .260, Miguel Olivo 19 HR 503 RBI .240. This team looks good down the road. It remains to be seen what Adler does after his first successful campaign in which he managed his usage well and had some decent team numbers despite the wretched record. 167 Homers and a .251 BA was pretty decent, good power for Staub. The ragtag pitching staff was led by middle man Aaron Heilman 2-1 3.81 ERA 5 saves. Vincente Padilla led the team with 9 wins 15 losses. Two 20 game losers in Rich Thrill Hill this years Ronson Award runner up, and the rediculous Chris Tillman at 5-21, who in some circles has been compared to a modern day Herm Wehmeier. Timn Hudson sucked as well 7-18 5.31 ERA. This team is developing and will win more next season despite perhaps becoming the team high ERA threat to CBA record books. What if ? The Beatles could be surprising in the draft, and more surprsing in the number of wins they achieve if they get the pitching.

The Dawson Division.

Arguably CBA's toughest division for a few years, again still may be the class of Staub. The Limoilou Wendigo won the Staub Championship. They are the best team in that conference. With the best pitching staff in CBA, the Wendigo lurked just under the radar until Jeff Boutet's boys brought it on home with impressive playoff games. The Wendigo started by holding first place throughout May and June before Brandon Phillips and his LP Loggers caught fire. This year they had Montreal who split the 12 games with them. The cries of "Loo, Loo," weren't the Loonies barking at a full moon or whatever those things do, it was the Limoilou fans, Limoiloooo. They won 93 games in '10 taking the final playoff spot, the wildcard in the final block. The Wendigo made short work of the rivals Longue Pointe, and Maine. Details can be found on the playoff pages. The battle for a playoff spot went to the very end being determined ina strategic Netplay series with Belfast and Montreal. LP took control of the division's first place on June 24th, and never looked back despite Montreal and Limmer hovering around. Another huge series in the 2nd to last week saw LP square against contending Montreal who needed to beat them to gain ground and maybe a wildcard. The series game 1 went to Montreal 6-4 in extras won on a big HR by Juan Rivera. LP took the next two then Montreal won the final. Had LP not split that and their last series vs Limoilou who knows? The battles were tight. Each game made a difference.

They out scored their opposition by more than a full run. while posting the the league lowest ERA 3.60. They destroyed right handed pitching winning 74 and losing only 41 vs Righties. Disaster vs Lefty going 19-28. They struggled in 1 run games 18-28, meaning that somehow they werent getting the big hits enough to make fullest use of that great pitching. PH only hit .239 but Gary Sheffield closed his CBA career with 6 Pinch HR's in 2010.. The teams Iso Power was a low .169, and 5 runs really needs to be more like 5.50+ to be efficient in Staub. The team got on base plenty .352, but a low .431 slg was average not awful, but decent. Both Limoilou and Longue Pointe stayed within 3 games for the entire season until August 30th. At that pointe, LP's depth took over and increased the margin between 5-7 games. Limoilou had a stellar season from Prince Fielder 34 HR 115 RBI .297. Mike Cuddyer .266, about league average, 32 HR 101 RBI's had a breakout year after all his CBA service. Beltran 6 HR 46 RBI .349 had injury problems limiting his play time, but he produced some good offense in consideration of his votes for Johnstone award. Granderson added 21 HR 85 RBI's. Josh Bartlett sparked the contests at leadoff .287 18HR 62 RBI 27SB. Felipe Lopez was excellent 5 HR 64 RBI .313. The team hit .266 overall with a strong 180 Homers. Middle of the pack batting average. The pitching was as stated strong. A .242 Opp avg, best in CBA. Jared Washburn came out of nowhere to post a super 15-4 season 2.60 in 174 IP. The rotation of Hanson 11-4 2.82, Clayton Kershaw 7-2. Scherzer was a great draft pick up going 12-11 3.66. But the pen may have saved the staff for the season. Raffy Betancourt 5-2 2.28, Ryan Franklin 6-5 2.90, Broxton a reliever award contender, 74 IP 47 Hits 30 saves. A .272 IRSC team total. 2-1 strikeout to walks. A .745 X rating was average.

The Longue Pointe Loggers had another excellent season which was based on the 3 LP principals of Pitching with K's, Speed, Depth, and alot of hit and run/bunts. The formula has worked for a long time in LP. But it took bold drafting and surviving a few snickers on draft day. When Dennis drafted Scott Podsednick, no one envisioned the multiple roles and value he had in sparking CBA's 2009 Staub Champs to a Dawson title, no easy feat. He went near the end of round 1. But he sure played like a 1st rounder 13 HR 73 RBI .297 39 SB 7 triples only 2 errors in the field. He rotated all over the field and the lineup even batting cleanup towards season end. Brandon Phillips acquired for Carlos the Zambraino had a great season 20 HR 95 RBI .303 35 SB. Hunter added 19 HR 17 SB .287. Theriot added 25 stolen bases while Nyger Morgan was awesome 3 HR 25 RBI .325 62 SB in 412 AB. The speed was amazing. 213 Stolen bases. Ichiro 5 HR 47 RBI .333 32 SB. Aramis Ramirez 19 HR .315. Ramirez was intentionally passed 18 times. It was Longue Pointe's best offensive output since Claude LeMarre when they were the Hitmen. PH were efficient at .281 65 for 251. Had 9 PH HR's which 4 were hit by Hideki Matsui. They bunted an awful lot successful at a .73% clip, a bit low, 82-112 in advances. The team struggled against lefties hitting .261, but a good .280 vs righties. The pitchers were well balanced however. The team .339 OBA was fair, and the slugging was poor overall despite the increase in teams HR to 152 from under 100 last year. LP was at or near leading the CBA in batting much of the year before succumbing late to slow bat-itis.. The pitchers actually hit .156 which isnt bad, but no HR's this year. The team fielded at a .757 X rating, which is low by LP standards, but was hurt by Ryan Theriot's .636 X rating and 17 errors and Geoff Blum's defense in utility .659. As result the pitching staff had an increase in its ERA. The starters ERA was significantly better 3.71 than the relievers at 4.30. The LP ERA dropped from leaguye best to 5th best in CBA at 3.91. Losing Zambrano may have hurt that, but increased their wins with more defense and offense which they needed this season to compete with the improved offenses in Joliet, Montreal, Allentown. The starters led by CC Sabathia 22-6 2.86 190 K's was brilliant. While Tim Lincecum was dominating 17-3 2.43. He struck out a CBA high 267 K's in 225 IP. Ryan Dempster was 11-7 3.61, and Brain Tallet was a find going 12-6 4.66. The bullpen wasn't as effective as in years past. A .306 IRSC was high ...for LP decent elsewhere based on rep. CJ Wilson did a good job closing 4-2 2.29 16 saves, while Frank Francisco added 21 more. Both blew a number of saves. 1265 team strikeouts was outstanding 3rd best in CBA. With Belfast building, and Montreal building in 2011, this may be a good time for Longue Pointe to challenge for another Dawson title.

Montreal Crows. Efficient. This team went 91-71.

First place throuout April? The Montreal who? The Royals? Wolfmen? no Its the 3rd Montreal franchise, the Crows. Not even the best pick in the draft being an expansion team. In tow years can win? Dont count on it in 2011. The stars aligned for Doug Brunet and his Crows originally named the 'Murder'. How appropriate since they murdered Staub in 2011. Despite the protests, the name changed and the attitude grew nasty as they took no prisoners, the CBA cinderella. Doug Brunet manager of the year in piloting an expansion team to playoff contender within 1 season. The question is how? The numbers and stats dont jump at you. But there are some variables that came into play. Base runner movement. The team did not strikeout, and pout runners in play. They were also efficient in what they did. The sacrifice success rate was high .789, PH well adding 6 PH HRs. Hit and run, was 3rd in CBA with 46 advances, and a team .279 BA. They got on base .334, and a .414 SLG. But thats not why they won. They went 30-15 in 1 run games. A .272 IRSC meant the bullpen was efficient. Brunet used Super Hal running strategies to his advantage and the efficiency paid dividends. The pitching staff was excellent, and efficient as well. Pitchers needed to keep the offense in games though not with the bat hitting .102 despite Scott Feldman's 16 sacs among leaders. The offense struggled past the cleanup position. A .268 BA with 151 HR 768 runs was pretty good. Not up to Joliet standard, but it did help the Crows score slightly more than they allowed. The lineup got on the board and the pen held them. The team was patchwork. The staff a multitude of characters. The story of the first half was the legend of Uerhara. Uehara fever griped Catherine and Piel streets as partiers wore samurai masks and winced about. He went 7-1 2.44 in 12 starts to help get the Crows out to a good lead. Steve Richmond has a great year 9-5 3.23 in 23 starts. Scott Feldman had many quality starts and was effective matching others teams aces went 11-8 3.12. Bannister ate innings and had support of about 5.17 runs per, went 9-7, Villanueva 10-7 3.63, Andres Galarraga went 11-10. The pen could have done a bit better for the starters. Overall a .264 BA. Starters had a 4.05 ERA, relievers 4.22.

The offense was led by all world Rajai Davis who hovered near .400 for a good part of the season before settling to a 1 HR 36 RBI .343 BA with 57 SB setting the table along with the steady Jeff Keppinger who was 9 HR 47 RBI .295 and moved runners along well. Todd Helton returned to Hall of Fame form with a 13 HR 80 RBI .320 season with a .416 OBA. With the leadoff hitters moving things, and Helton on a scoring Juan Team MVP Rivera had an MVP type season. He was so clutch. a .361 OBA .568 Slug, 32 HR 108 RBI .313 season. Seems that Juan Rivera absolutely carried the Crows into the final month of the season where he really caught fire gaining CBA accolades down the stretch in key games. He made it a season to remember. Like Aubrey Huff had done last season in winning the MVP, same could be made case for Rivera, though the voters didn't see it that way. It is good that owner should read the weekly boxes to read the game hilites and comments atop the PRINT files. The HTML's dont have the comments added after each game. A Callaspo was a good add 14 HR 68 RBI, Chris Getz stole 25, Francoeur 14 79 .270, and Ramon Castro was devastating hitting 18 HR in 157 AB, 13 vs lefties. Montreal hit .284 fattening up and feasting on lefties. The Crows hit 4 grand slam HR's. Ironically their weakest hitters, 3 infielders, Hannahan, Desmond (start of good career?), Juff Keppinger, and Endy Chavez since released. Todd Helton despite his excellent season saw his X rating decline to .761, off from his customary .900's, he is a question mark next season, and could be a candidate to return to the DH league. Could Brooklyn be calling again? Not too many players out of position were played. The final .701 X rating was better than the overall .687 which isnt too bad a discrepancy. Montreal definitely worked it out to meet his usage needs, and in the process actually created a working platoon system which was able to put the variables together and win. Miontreal showed how planning and platooning can work, like Dawsons Dennis Concepcion proves again and again, its not the superstarst and stats, but the whole picture. The Crows jumped out to a good start, held it, while the others knocked each other around. Many teams had to throw lefties to meet usage minimums. Could it be that beating lefties is so important? In CBA it just may be. Worst to constender Doug Brunet had a good season in 2010, and is hoping to build for the long term. It was this season that a rookie, out did the veterans in rare instance. Then again, Brunet is no mere rookie. He volunteers his efforst to CBA, and places much time into his Strat CBA.

The Belfast Brawlers are re tooling their team and in a building phase. Could nevber count out the Brawlin Bullies because they still were capable of sneaking up on you and defeating you. Another team that featured on lefties, but they just didn't have something in 2010. A team .265 BA 148 HR 743 runs. Led by Alexei Ramirez 18 HR 72 RBI .296, 20 SB and Aubrey Huff who again had a good season 22 HR 75 RBI .285 BA. Freddie Sanchez .295 13 HR 67 RBI had a super year at 2B. McClouth added 16 HR .294, and led team with .934 Total avg in platoon duty. While Chone Figgins had 62 SB before being dealt off the Brooklyn late season for draft choice. Alex Rios added 19 more HR. Belfast offense improved but the pitching was fair, allowing3/4 of run more than Limoilou. In Dawson that was a huge difference. Perhaps in another division the Brawlers could have done better? 26-40 vs their own, but closer to .500 22-26 vs Rogers. .811 sacrifice and small ball was typical Belfast. PH .241, not good. The .341 OBA was good, but the .400 slug, deficient. 4.76 runs created not nearly enough when Joliet, SD, LP, Montreal score around 5 a game or more. The .712 total team average was not too bad, better than Montreal. The bullpen was excellent .247 IRSC, but little run support for pitchers with 4.59. Belfast couldn't convert the baserunners. Needed the pure hitter to bring 'em around. Belfast stole 170 bases overall. This team had to juggle many players around to meet usage. Quite a few OF roamed the grounds. Carroll, Dickerson, Rios, McClouth, Garko, Moss, Sullivan, Kotsay, Brian Schneider even. Dickerson 5 HR 34 .318 had a good rookie campaign. Contreras and Trevor Cahill both won 9 games for Belfast. Odly going into the final week it was Belfast who spoiled Montreal Crwos pennant chase with a split 2-2 in the final Netplayed series. Belfast should improve as Trevor cahill becomes an ace in 2011, something Belfast has been sorely lacking for years. Corpas and Mazzaro have made strides so there is reason for hope as the '11 draft approaches.

November 9^th, 2010

World Series Tradition the 2010 World Series is traditional CBA in every sense of the word. CBA offers official congratulations to Staub Champion Limoilou who swept Dawson titlist Longue Pointe in 4 games. Limmer then was defeated 7-4 in game 1 of the Staub finals. They then exploded reeling off 4 straight to lead them to this matchup against Clemente.

Clemente champ Philly, also lost their 1st game to explosive Brooklyn. But Philly was able to quiet the Superbas bats with good defense, and power to win 4 to 1. Carolina played tough winning 2 to 1 after 3 netgames. The series stretched all the way to 7. Philly took game 4 and 5. In game 6 Scott's Copperheads, faced with the brink of elimination stormed back to tie it up. The Phantastics then won the final game 7, 9-5.

A few pre season speculated these were the favorites to meet in the fall classic. Philly is hitting .280 over the playoffs. They have pounded 17 HRs in 12 games. With a 4.14 team ERA. Not bad for a DH league staff. They have only gotten on base .351 OBA, and a .455 slg... Slightly off their .355 OBA and .480 slg during the season. Theyve created 6 runs per game and the .791 total average is lower than the seasons .828 total average. My friends that points either to great dice luck, or superior Stratomatic management. Winning key games going 8-4 in playoffs. Brooklyn series was not easy, nor was Carolina. Hite is here.

Jeff B of the Mighty Wendigo. For years been called the mighty Wendigo in press releases and reports, ever wonder why? Well rookies here's why, this F'n guy is good! All he does is win, and beat you. He parallels to the old baseball dynasties. A Staub legend, the Mighty Wendigo led by the classy Jeff Boutet of Quebec. He's been to the Finals before, and before, and before...You get it. Why is it that some guys always get there? Ask Jeff he knows first hand. Aside from the 3 he's won, he's been in 4, now in his 5th. This is Rob Hite's 5th World Series winning two and losing two. Look at the list. These are your best CBA managers of all time. Its all about the wins gentlemen. Wins get the glory and both Jeff and Rob have a date with destiny. The two original GM's. Who is CBA's all time greatest? We know about Bob Fidler's 3 of 4 which may never be equaled. We know about Marc Wass record number of division titles 8 and record 10 playoff appearances. Rob Hite has done that in Schmidt too. We know about the classic Dawson Quebec, LP, Limoilou 3 way dance and later the Belfast, Limoilou, LP 3 way dance, year after year. And Jeff is still there at the end 13 full seasons later. We know about Phillies domination of the Schmidt title. Rob is no stranger to winning and its thrill, and defeat in losing tough games in the late playoffs and early rounds. But he knows how to win just as Jeff. Usually when their backs are against the wall, they rise to the top. Whose CBA's best ever?...

here's a look back at Limoilou vs Quebec in Jeff Boutet's first ever CBA playoff series in 1997 against arch rival Quebec Capitales led by Chris Boutin.

----- ------------ ------------ --- -------------------- -------------------

10/ 0 QCD 6 6 0 LWD 2 4 1 B.Radke (1-0) S.Trachsel (0-1)

10/ 0 QCD 6 10 0 LWD 5 11 1 R.Springer (1-0) T.Mathews (0-1)

10/ 0 LWD 6 11 0 QCD 4 6 1 M.Brandenbur (1-0) D.Burba (0-1)

10/ 0 LWD 10 14 2 QCD 7 9 1 A.Sager (1-0) H.Flener (0-1)

10/ 0 LWD 0 4 1 QCD 9 13 0 B.Radke (2-0) S.Trachsel (0-2)

10/ 0 QCD 7 11 0 LWD 8 12 0 T.Borland (1-0) M.James (0-1)

10/ 0 QCD 1 8 2 LWD 9 11 1 J.Lieber (1-0) D.Burba (0-2)

NAME BAVG GM AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO HB SH DP SB CS E

S.Berry 1.000 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

G.Hill .500 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

R.Amaral .462 7 26 5 12 1 0 0 3 6 4 0 0 0 3 2 0

M.Duncan .400 5 5 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

D.Segui .367 7 30 4 11 6 0 0 7 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0

B.Higginson .367 7 30 6 11 3 0 1 4 2 4 0 0 0 0 1 2

B.Brown .333 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0

J.Edmonds .308 7 26 7 8 2 0 3 7 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0

R.Durham .261 7 23 1 6 1 1 0 2 1 4 2 0 0 0 0 1

S.Brosius .207 7 29 6 6 1 0 1 3 2 4 1 0 1 0 0 1

B.Larkin .200 7 25 7 5 0 0 2 6 7 3 0 0 1 1 0 1

M.Macfarlane .130 7 23 2 3 1 0 1 3 4 8 0 0 0 0 0 0

J.Levis .000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

B.Mueller .000 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

C.Shipley ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D.Lewis ---- 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D.Sheaffer ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ALL PITCHERS .000 7 15 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 2 0 0 0 1

----------------- ---- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- --- --- -- -- -- --- -- --

TEAM TOTALS .278 241 67 1 37 41 2 6 6

7 40 17 9 27 3 3 3

NAME ERA W L PCT G GS CG SH SV IP H R ER HR BB SO

R.Bottalico 0.00 0 0 ---- 2 0 0 0 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 4

M.Brandenburg 1.80 1 0 1.000 2 0 0 0 0 5.0 2 1 1 1 0 5

T.Borland 1.80 1 0 1.000 3 0 0 0 0 5.0 3 1 1 0 2 0

J.Lieber 4.00 1 0 1.000 2 2 0 0 0 9.0 9 4 4 3 3 7

A.Sager 4.50 1 0 1.000 4 0 0 0 0 4.0 7 2 2 1 0 2

T.Mathews 5.14 0 1 .000 4 0 0 0 1 7.0 4 4 4 1 2 7

T.Belcher 5.25 0 0 ---- 2 2 0 0 0 12.0 14 8 7 1 6 9

D.Linton 7.20 0 0 ---- 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 6 5 4 1 2 7

S.Trachsel 8.31 0 2 .000 2 2 1 0 0 13.0 17 14 12 7 2 9

J.Schmidt ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

J.Juden ---- 0 0 ---- 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 1 1 1 0 0 0

T.Vanegmond ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D.Springer ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ALL NON-PITCHERS ---- 0 0 ---- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Team 0 +0

----------------- ---- -- -- ----- --- -- -- -- -- ----- --- --- --- -- --- ---

TEAM TOTALS 5.23 3 7 1 3 63 36 18

4 .571 7 0 62.0 40 15

In 1999 Jeff and Limmer made it to the Staub Finals losing to eventual Staub champ Longue Pointe managed then by Claude LaMarre (LaMarre trophy is CBA's championship). Rob and Philly lost in rd 1 to eventual WS champ St Foy (Dino Barnabe). In 2000 Hite went to the finals losing to LaMarre, but winning it all in 2002 against who else, Jeff Boutet! A rematch. Hite beat Jeff in 5 games with what some consider CBA's all time best team which won 120 games. In 2003 Brooklyn defeated Philly in the Clemente finals for the right to play Jeff Boutet. Limoilou defeated Brooklyn 4 to 1 in that series only to see Brooklyn defeat Philly once again in 2004 enroute to Brooklyn's World Title. In 2005 Philly went to the finals losing to Longue Pointe in 7 on Miracle Mirabelli's performance. Mirabelli had a great unlikely hero series that year, and hit a game tying HR in extras to lead to victory. Limoilou lost in the Staub finals.... Then of course The Philly championship year of 2007 Hite defeating the Skokie Wolfmen.

Who is perhaps? Look at the Kings of CBA....

CBA World Series Champs

1997 Limoilou Wendigo (Jeff Boutet) vs. Parma Flamingos (Lou Bloss) in 7

1998 St Foy Frenchies (Dino Barnabe) vs. Longue Pointe (Claude LaMarre) in 7

1999 Limoilou Wendigo (Jeff Boutet) vs. Beauport Gamblers (Martin Boulet) in 6

2000 Longue Pointe Hitmen (Claude LaMarre) vs. Philly Phantastics (Rob Hite) in 7

2001 Ottawa Otters (Jack Jung) vs. Quebec Capitales (Chris Boutin) in 7

2002 Philly Phantastics (Rob Hite) vs Limoilou Wendigo (Jeff Boutet) in 5

2003 Limoilou Wendigo (Jeff Boutet) vs Brooklyn Superbas (Marc Wass) in 5

2004 Brooklyn Superbas (Marc Wass) vs Kansas City A's (Rich Schneider) in 5

2005 .Longue Pointe (Dennis Concepcion) defeats Philly Phantastics (Rob Hite) in 7

2006 Indiana Redbirds (Bob Fidler) vs Neah Bay Whalers (league managed) in 7

2007 Philly Phantastics (Rob Hite) vs Skokie Wolfmen ("Wolfman" Shapiro)

2008 Indiana Redbirds (Bob Fidler) 4 games to 3 vs Skokie Wolfmen (Wolfman Shapiro)

2009 Indiana Redbirds (Bob Fidler) 4 games to 2 vs Longue Pointe (Dennis Concepcion)