MONTREAL(AP) – The Montreal Crows made an
unfortunate announcement yesterday at a press conference held at the Queen
Elizabeth hotel in Montreal. Right-handed starter Koji Uehara
will miss the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury. Uehara was among
the league leaders in several pitching categories, and leaves a huge hole in
the Crows’ rotation. In 12 starts, he compiled a 7-1 record and 2.44 ERA, and
was the stingiest hurler for issuing free passes, having allowed a miniscule 6
walks in the 66 innings he pitched. The injury occurred in the 4th
inning of the Crows’ last game in San Diego, a 6-2 win over the Surf.
“Koji will surely be missed,” said manager Robert Brunet. “The way he
went about his business has been a very positive influence on the staff and the
team as a whole. We had just lost Armando (Galarraga, ankle) for the next few
weeks after getting Brian (Bannister, thumb) back. This is a tough one. There’s
no denying it.”
Uehara will be treated in Montreal by team doctors, but intends to
return to Japan until a decision is made as to when
and where his rehabilitation is to take place. With Galarraga expected to be
out for most of June or more, Montreal GM Doug Brunet (Robert’s son) has called
up 26 year old right-hander Brandon McCarthy from AAA Saint-Louis-de-Ha! Ha!
The injuries are piling up.
Catcher Wil Nieves will join McCarthy on his trip up after Crows’ catcher
Yorvit Torrealba was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to tenderness in
his right shoulder.
Quality Starts
C.Carpenter CCP R 8
R.Porcello HHC R 8
J.Shields ANR
R 7
T.Lincecum LLD R 7
K.Correia SSP R 7
J.Beckett LLM
R 7
C.Sabathia LLD L 7
J.Jurrjens SRS
R 7
J.Lester CIP
L 6
J.Danks KWR
L 6
J.Vazquez CIP
R 6
M.Buehrle SRS
L 6
R.Ohlendorf CWS R 6
J.Santana CCP
L 6
J.Washburn LWD L 6
J.Johnson CCP R
6
M.Cain
SLM R 6
J.Blanton KBM R
6
T.Lilly SLM
L 6
B.Arroyo SRS
R 6
C.Kershaw LWD L 6
F.Hernandez SSC R 6
First month, put it
in the books. Version 15.0-19 or whatever its up to now. Patch 15.02A,
and still Netplay , cant get it right. Mike Koepp and I have a running
joke preseason about how many patches they'll need each year. We're up to
3 now.
You must exit the game completely after playing a full game, else you stay
logged into the chat lobby and your 'port' stays open (tech talk) soooo.
Shutdown the game, relaunch into the lobby AND change the Room name you
use. Many times the game won't connect
Important, Do not alter the game files in any way for any reason for CM or
netplay, else you will get structure errors upon import.
Surprised we havent seen more trades since opening day. Generally the
wires are buzzing as GM's prep[are for the fight, and to arm their team for the
season. Usually its hard to tell in April how a season will go, but GM's
start to have a feel for what their teams can do. Patterns emerge, and dont
ever forget the hot hand. It seems in Strat that as much as a probabilty
based system it seems, the odd players outform the stars often. Good CM
technique comes into play all the time. How many times have we seen the
Jay Johnstone Award go to those less than stellar performers? Platooners
win games in CBA. So does bench management which Longue Pt proves
again and again in the stretch.
So how do we figure Montreal? 9 over .500? Uerhara 5-1 0.85 ?
How do we pronounce his name? Better learn fast that card is a good
one. Scott Feldman is at 2.02, Bannister is pitching well, Galarraga
too. The bullpen aside from Rodney is shaky. But look at Will
Venable. Nice numbers. Montreal could slip back as their players usage is a main
reason why they are bangin now. Enjoy while they can, because Limoilou
and LP do have the depth. The Crows will need some offense INF Ab's to
come in if they are to stay around. Dont expect Longue POint to stay down
long. This team is well balanced, and primed to be consistant all
year. They dont have that 1 slugger that year after year can put them
over. Could Matsui be out at 1B in the QuebecAmusement Park of the Trees? San Diego is doing some damage. The quiet Surf may not
be as strong as 2009, but they have good offense, and good pitching.
Losing Manny half the year will hurt. Dye is not what he was, and Young
well not bad. SD should be there in the end, but they may be vunerable as
usage takes away the big bat. Allentown 16-15. Playing well. Shileds carrying the
staff 5-0 already. Was Cy Young in 2008. Wilson, Farnsworth, Mk
Lowe and Thurston Howell make an impressive pen.....Great core with H Ramirez,
R Martin, Prado, Kendry, C Gomez. Allentown is on the verge of being a very solid good team....Brooklyn has seen Markakis on fire andon base. He's among league leaders
and is hitting atop their order. With Howard, Braun, and Cabrera
slugging, Brooklyn will score runs. So will their opponents...Philly
has a team. Hite again proves his mettle with another winner...Jeter,
Utley, Vic Martinez, Abreu, all hitting. Verlander and Greinke both winning 5
games. Lirianao a hard luck guy 1-1. Rest of the staff, shaky....Bryan, just when you thought this franchise could turn the
corner, bad performances befall the MLB players and bad cards too. The
lovable Bashers seem to be an odd year even year team. They have yet to break
into the first round of playoffs...This team should start to hit. Too
good not to. JasonBay at .217? Wont last long. The pitching should
get better too....Light must be ready to fire his field manager....Lake County
on hard times block 6. Those bats havent woke yet. No doubt they
should. Its a long season.....Cooperstown
hitting with power. 49 HR's . The .466 slug is misleading, should
be higher. Where are the hits, doubles? 51 is low, and 3
triples. Could be a pattern...Longue Pt losing, but 2nd in the league in
hitting? Where is it wrong? 8th in pitching after many seasons at #1 or
2. Missing Zambrano? Probably not as Brandon Phillips is off
fast 2 HR 20 RBI 7sb .289. B Wilson, M Stetter, and R Ortiz
have been a total disaster destroying LP's chances of wins. Rest of staff
appears OK......Nellum and McGee team is having a playoff type year. What
a job Nellum has done with McGee's team to get some life injected. Mike
Young is splendid. Just wanted to say that word. 8 HR 21 RBI.
Lastings Milledge looks like Bake McBride, but his clutch hits have
helped. Butler is looking more like a Middle order hitter. Shin
Choo again is very strong. Could he be the most under rated player in
Schmidt? Pedroia should come on soon....
Despite the garbage offense, the New Hampshire pitching staff is among the best in CBA right
now. Good bullpen...High Bridges Denard Span, last years Rookie of year
runner up is leading all CBA in batting. Witha 24 game hitting streak,
Span is the Heaters all star....Could Carolina be the beast in Clemente?
Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle? I guess. I see balance,
power, some OBA, and good pitching. Brooklyn, Indy, SWest, Philly, Striling watch out for this sleeper...Limoilou's
Prince Fielder 9 HR 31 RBI, an MVP candidate? Or Josh Bartlett 7
20 .366 with speed.. Watch out for him in that lineup...Nick Johnson hitting
.333 for Sunville. Gomes has 7 HR, but is at .217. Keving Correia
has 1-3 3.01 ERA...Derosa and Aybar helping out Ohio another Staub contender.....Kenan wants revenge
on Longue Pt after their 1st rd exit. Go to the archives or 2009 playoff
page to see the news photos of their huge first rd series from rd 1.
The Staub division is known for great pennant races.Last year’s race for the wildcard between
Skokie and Belfast resulted in a game 163 won by the Brawlers leading to their
first playoff appearance in a couple of seasons.For The Wolfman Shapiro it was his final CBA
hurrah retiring from CBA in what could be a hall of fame career of winning
tradition.Of course the Brawlers,
Longue Pointe, and Limoilou fought toth and nail for the Dawson
crown.The races have been
legendary.Now in 2009, Ohio Thundercats
led by Glenn Kenan became players.They
took the Rogers division by 1 game making
it to the round 1 playoffs the first time. It was there they face eventual
Staub champions Longue Pointe.San
Diego took another big step becoming a dominant team
and winning the most in CBA with 109 wins within CBA’s top 5 all time.Brooklyn won 108 as
well.SD could well be developing the
dynasty in Carter.
The Rogers was
an intringuind division. They all finished Ohio
86-76Maine 85-77Allentown 79-83, Kennesaw Mtn 78-84.Each team having a good year despite what
appears to be decent records.A few wins
within the division either way and the whole scenario would have been upside
down.Ohio
turned out the class of the division with good pitching, offensive balanceand some good performances.Their numbers don’t stand out in comparison to
CBA, but remember Staub is a pitching and defense conference.Ohio
hit a very respectable 163 HR’s. 717 RBI.Stole only 52 bases and defense was shaky with 127 errors.So how did they win?Solid pitching.A team 4.07 ERA despite the .703 X rating for
the team which is well below league best.ERA could have been better so the team WHIP was slightly higher than
could have been.The pen combined for a
.285 IRSC which is very good. Limiting the runs scored helped greatly. The
batting was average with a ,335 team OBA and .423 slug.Not up there with the Clemente powerhouses,
but it helped. Kubel had a big bat really boosting the offense as teams
‘pitched around’ Texeira who hit only 26 HR 88 RBI’s.Not a lot of people on in front of him.Role players like Boggs, and Fernando Tatis
had strong years off the bench to supply punch. It all counts.A great front rotation of Edinson Volquez and
Rick3 Nolasco dominated the opposition E.Volquez3.08 17-7R.Nolasco 2.51 14-8, both with great numbers to go along. A pen by
committee featuring Craig Breslow, Trever Miller, Chris Perez, Steve Shields,
Circus Vargas and others were solid.A
great year for Ohio and 2010
could be even better.
Maine just
barely missed.They ran into some usage
issues and folded at season end. .268144 HR 722 RBI’s.That .268 was a
pretty good average in the Staub Conference.Remember you can’t compare the two leagues as they have different goals
and personalities.The power was adequate.Low cost high yield players for Maine.Adrian Gonzlaez is approaching his prime had
a32HR101 RBI.301 year. Uggla paced
the way and had a tremendous MVP like .295 34 HR 103 RBI year.His value was about as much as any team
player though the stats less gaudy.Uggla kept the Express in the race. Just as Aubrey Huff led the Brawlers
despite the lesser stats than others.Its comparative.Uggla and Huff
were absolutely MVP contenders maybe even more.Jorge Cantu had a good year 19 HR 91 RBI.279 in a pitchers conference.Barmes stepped into oplatoon to hit 9 HR
44 RBI.308.BJ Upton led CBA with 71 SB with only a .258
BA.
Excellent pitching from K. Lohse 3.13 13-6, and J. Bergmann
3.96 11-6.Bobby Jenks was outstanding
saving 25 with a 2.05 ERA.Just as bad
were Z. Duke5.2411-11, J. Saunders4.065-14.andI.Snell 6.167-12.Iwamura has 12 PH’s and hit
.309 part time.Perhaps Maine’s
success vs R .276, helped them rise above some others.A team .276 BA vs R and overall .340 OBA
helped somewhat.Though .409 slg was
bad.The defense killed them.676 X rating was too much for the good
pitching and great hitting to overcome in the end.Errors killed them in big game spots and in
big series like Next to last week getting swept by Ohio.The final 2 or 3 of the season went into
extra innings and it may have been the difference in playoffs and pretenders.
Allentown had
another average year showing signs of breaking through then slumping just as
they reached playoff contention. As late as August 18th-19th
they were just 2 games back of first place only to drop a series to Montreal
the spoiler.Again they came within 3 as
late as Sept 2nd after the Joliet
series, but along came the LP Loggers who swept them out of the picture.Perhaps it was usage concerns, but the Dawsons
did in the Senators.For a good stretch
early on, they held first place until 1st week in May.
Weak hitting hurt against the tougher pitching.Little power hurt but they had still some
Staubesque good all around play at times.Chris Gomez had a good year hitting.258 10 HR62 RBI, 58 SB, 35/42
sac’s from leadoff.Jeff Kent upon
retirement closed out his CBA HOF career with 13 more HR and 72 RBI.Will he wear Senators uniform on his
page?Russ Martin was as more than solid
a backstop as in CBA10 HR73 RBI34 SB!He was the teams MVP.Hanley Ramirez hit .249 with his unbalanced
card and 21 HR.2010 will be
different.Delgado was added midway, and
in only 370 AB hit a big 22 HR to bring A Town back to contention, till LP
pitching stopped the Senator bats completely.Martin Prado was CBA’s best PH 19 hits in 54 PH AB.The offense aside from Delgado failed
miserably.A .321 OBA with .376 slug
detracted from a team that had the necessary variables to win CBA games. 118
Iso Power really low.They stole 204
bases, including 3rd 33 times & they bunted well79% success on
bunts. PH hit .291,71 for 244.
KennesawMountain
had a powerful year clobbering 185 round trippers.They did only hit .239 vs Righties which
ultimately doomed them. They only hit .233 in the clutch. Teams loaded righties
on them, because lefties hit a more respectable .258.They didn’t steal too much, just average 75
sb 25 cs.Mike Cameron was the typical.He hit 22 HRs, but batted .239.A microcosm of the offense.Ian Kinsler did damage 18 HR65 RBI.324 He was clearly affected by being pitched around.He was issued a CBA high 25 Int Walks.No lineup protection.Edwin Encarnacion.254 25 HR, 86 RBI .254 most damage vs
Lefty.Ryan Braun was so 1 sided that he
hit only .242 26 HR 65 RBI..It was this
goofus performance that crippled the James Blake who did all he could to build
a winner.How could Braun hit so poorly?He was dealt away to Brooklyn
after season after receiving a 5 in LF.He was so terrible in the filed in ’09 that his X rating .327showed that in only 49 chances he got 16
outs.So he hurt at the glove too.
Pitching was better.The starting staff
was solid despite the lack of team defense .688 X rating.
Card Billingsley, 3.56 10-10and Scott Olsen 3.37 11-8 led
the way with respectable numbers keeping them in many games.John Danks and Hirsohi Kuroda threw well
despite their records.
The Monday division is
looking to create it’s own legacy.The
new division started in 1997 but was retired after only 1 CBA season.The intial teams were.
Monday Division
Cory Light’s Kilgore
Bashers upgraded their facilities in Bryan Texas, Southwest is back in So Cal
and better than ever under General Lindner.Though Indiana can trace its roots back to the old
Sunville Sunjewels, they are here and made it to the Championship on the
wildcard. Lake County, Dave Jones team can be traced back to the Vancouver
Storm, who later became HOF’er Dino Barnabe’s powerhouse St Foy Frenchies. Well
any talk of Monday starts with the division winner Southwest Lizard kings. A
fanatastic regular season punctuated by a bitter playoff loss.Again the same fate befell almost all our
division winners, lone exception the Staub Champion LP Loggers.The team takes on the personality, and the
winning positive attitude of CBA’s true legend Eric Lindner.No question when he came back to us, CBA took
a step apart from others.His spirit and
trading has put the Lizard Kings atop the CBA’s elite.96-66 record winning Monday for the first time.Matt Cain was a gain.He went 20-83.74179 K’s.The other Matt, Holliday was a pain 32 HR 111
RBI .304 BA.The team played better .642
on the road than at home which is surprising playing at Morrison Memorial. A
.359 OBA and .472 slug is good. But in
Clemente noted for slugging teams, like Indy, Philly, Brooklyn, this team used some good balance
and good pitching to win.Keep in mind a
4.39 ERA in Clemente’s DH league is very good.Soria proved worth the expense compiling 32 saves.The rotation was solid.Cliff Lee 16-73.66 ERA, Dave Bush 14-11, Jeremy Arlo
Guthrie 12-6.Perhaps The best of all
relievers was the Cory Wade with CBA leading 19 holds and superb job keeping
Southwest in the game. Good defense .76% X rating.Southwest had its share of stars in the
lineup.Adam Laroche hit 35 HR’s 88 RBI,
Melving Mora.304 21 HR, Johnstone
candidate Nomar Garciaparra slugged 15 HR 46 RBI’s .299 inonly 157 AB’s, not PH. Team had speed
too.122 SB on the season.Southwest had a season, a darn good one.
Indiana’s story is well documented.Bob Fidler’s team had nailed their 3rd
crown. They won in an improbable 1 game playoff vs Jon Stamets and Cooperstown.The lineup the team, it was strong on paper, it was balanced.It was losing.What to do.Some GM knows how to pick its team up and get ‘em going, and Fidler is
proven one of them. With a flick of his wrist, he throws in the towel and
achieves another milestone.A toss here
and there and with cunning and skill Fidler has taken all CBA to task.He’s taken on some of the best and beaten
them. Not only CM’s but Netplay too.Often behind in the series he’s played at some point.He pulls out a Redsox story and sweeps away
to another win….After some linen hurling.The season started slowly and then momentum gained. The Redbirds were in
4th place in April, but still 3rd place in mid May, then
the wins started to come in as the lineups changed and threats were made to
personnel and employee. Maybe it was Pujols putting the team on his back carrying
a final .394 66 Hr 151 RBI season .He
couldn’t so it alone. Josh Hamilton hit 47 HR 137 RBI .315, and A Roid hit 45
HR 117 RBI .312 with 13 SB.Reyes had
705 At bats .275 21 HR 70 RBI 12 threebagers from leadoff spot, and stole 66
bases CS 9 times.Sizemore hit 34 HR 104
RBI.The team batted .284 and hit a
whopping 287 HR to go with 945 runs.A
.354 OBA and .498 Slug were excellent and good to win in an impressive 95-68
season.The only offense negative could
be the abnormally high 1013 K’s.That’s
way too high to be completely efficient and produce even more runs.
The pitching was adequate
despite the seemingly high ERA 4.76.For
Clemente that’s decentThey gave up a lot of hits, but Indiana managed to out hit most of ‘em.
Oswalt slipped some to 14-6 3.56 off his previous Cy Young CBA season. Lucious
Hochevar surprised going 11-4 3.77 and winning a big playoff game vs Brooklyn.Jon Garland, failed miserably with a 6.04 ERA last year despite 11-10
record.Indy will need better P than
that next season.A team .303 IRSC is
ok, though not top shelf,Its average.
Sheets was a disappointment going 7-11 5+ ERA.The staff was plagued with blown saves. B Wags saved 23 also more was
expected.2010 will be a dogfight for
Fidler and Indiana as the others in Monday have stepped up too.No reason to expect Indiana to slip too much in 2010.Fidler will find a way.
LakeCounty is another elite CBA franchise. Dae
has taken this franchise and made them a consistent contender. Always ready to
compete.93-69 a superior record in this
expansion year.They beat up on the
putrid Westminster Kernals and the building Sunville SunJewels.A total of 22-2 against the newbies meant a
shot at playoffs.That’s the game though
beating who your supposed to. In Monday, they had a winning record against all
the teams including the Lizard kings. Lakers had trouble with everyone else
though.They did beat Cooperstown and Ottawa, but the struggles elsewhere held
them back. As though they were designed to play in Monday alone. This team was
led by the X man, oft injured Xavier Nady and his pet’s. 31 HR 108 RBI .338
should merit some MVP votes. Catcher Giovanni Soto had a 31 95 .286 year, and
Carlos Delgado was sensational in his brief time in LakeCounty.Ateam not blessed with great
power need contributions from everyone.Mike Jacobs hit 28 Hr’s, and Garrett Atkins added another 21 at 3B.The other role players like Fucudome,
Fontenot, Spillborghs, Church, Blum , L Castillo all contributed in the
effective platoon.A team .346 OBA with
a .458 slug isn’t enough to be at the top in Clemente, but the pitching is what
made the Leopards run..
5 starters over 11
wins.Led by ace Junior Vasquez 17-6
3.50 ERA with 199 K’s
the others Derek Lowe was
13-12, Beckett 13-6 3.81, Cueto 11-10, and Parra 11-8.J Papelbon only saved 15, and was shaky in
the little time he was used. Funny how he stunk in other leagues Ive seen him
too.What gives there?If you can’t count on him then who can you
count one?Perhaps LC would have had a
few more wins and a playoff without Pimplebun’s break down. A .794 X rating %
was very very good and contributed to the excellent 4.01 ERA.A .280 IRSC was also pretty good. If you can
keep you’re opponents to only 4.46 runs per game in Clemente, you will win more
than your share which the Leopards did. Perhaps a key reason Lake did score more was the low BA and
OBA of the top 2 linep table setters who hit only in the .260’s for 2009
season.
Bryan took a step back in 2009 after a
great season in 2008. The pitching just
wasn’t there. The offense wasn’t there.So what does veteran GM go and do about it?He goes and gets slugger JasonBay in a huge off season acquisition
with KennesawMountain.Jason Kendall also comes with his bat and arm to the Bashers.Burrell’s tail off to .226 26 HR 92 RBI’s
cost this team.Inge dived down to .216
and 5 HR’s after a spectacular 2008.Although they hit 194 HR’s and spread power throughout the lineup, the
on base and hits weren’t there to compete.The pitching well, a disaster 4.94 ERA.Good seasons for Ty Wigginton who .278 28 HR 68 RBI.Not enough runners to take home with
homers.Luke Scott gone in Bay deal,
added 25 dingers. The team MVP may have been LyleOverbays’ .316 17 HR 86 RBI’s.A lack of speed clogged the basepaths, only
42 SB’s and 20 CS.Runners couldn’t roll
home. 772 runs is average, but 885 allowed is deadly unless you have top gun
offense. Bryan is no doubt looking ahead after a very strong draft and
good off season. 4 solid starters are among Clemente’s best with Wolf, Blanton,
Wanda Rodriguez, and Gaving Floyd.A
decent lineup with some good cards and maybe another puzzle piece in the pen
and lineup, and playoffs could be in reach once again.
There aces were hot.
Parkers beast is the 2003-2004 Clemente champions Brooklyn
Syuperbas.Year after year they are the
team to beat.Teams gear up for them
when they come to Brooklyn’s Prospect park grounds
called The “House Of Pain”.The hits are
more frequent, and the Brooklyn air contributes to
power.The team is built to
specification for that field.The
players come and go.This year Hall of
Fame 1B Todd Helton was dispatch starting a myriad of Brooklyn
trades as the Superbas began to build for tomorrow.Players in and out.Along with Helton, Long time 2B Brandon
Phillips, last years RF Magliulo Ordonez, HOF
candidates Omar Vizquel, Mike Timlin, RP set up Dan Wheeler, Andy Laroche.In their place. Nickt Markakis, Ryan Braun,
Carlos Zambrano, David Price. The future mortgaged.Brooklyn had to make
moves to compete with the powerful teams in Cooperstown,
Indiana, Philly, Carolina,
LakeCounty,
and Ottawa. No one can stand idle
in Clemente, the competition is that fierce.Brooklyn is no lock for a division title in
2010.But in 2009, they were.In fact they may have been Brooklyn’s
best team ever. Year after year of 95+ wins, but 2009 was special 108-54 record
their best.Only SD had 109 wins.Both are among the CBA’s all time wins per
season leaders.
Start with the slugging.The new dynamic duo rests the crown from Papi-Vlad. Howard Cabrera.Destruction and total avg.For Cabrera 44 HR (5th overall),
136 RBI’s (5th overall), .308 .953 tot.Howard 8.87 rc/27, 1.021 prod60 HR (2nd overall), 155 RBI (1st
overall), .292 BA.Maglioulo Ordonez
chipped in 21 HR 104RBI, 4th in CBA with a .339 BA.Vermon Wells 24 HR 68 RBI, .354.Punto stole 35 .322 BA in 336 AB’s.B Phillip[s 24 HR 80RBI 24sb.Blake 27HR, 85 RBI .278.Doumit hit 24 HR .316 average, Giles 13 HR 77
RBI .316.The bench was awesome with
Furcal playing vs L only, platooned 9 HR 38 RBI 15sb .432ba as a sub.The offense was legendary in CBA. Finishing
with a near record .307 ba with 275 HR 1048 runs..369 OBA.525 slugging for the Superbas. the latter a CBA record. It should be
noted that Brooklyn hit 44 triples, and stole 114
bases.Speed helped.
There wasn’t much other teams could do except hope the
bats didn’t hit.The lineup stacked with
no easy outs.The defense wasn’tgood
.708 X rating. League average is .712.League Leader Indiana had .802 league low Ottawa
.591.
So did Brooklyn defense help the
pitching?Not at allThe offense couldn’t keep the opposition from
scoring runs, likely a defensive glitch, but the pitching did a respectable job
with a 4.30 era in a bandbox park. With better defense maybe 112 wins could
have been reached.Came back to haunt
them in the playoffs when defense crushed them in late innings...A .302 IRSC
the pen was fair. Brooklyn stayed strong all year but
couldn’t defeat Indiana in the
playoffs. Their dice luck ran out, and they shockingly stopped hitting.Another disapperntment for the lovable
Superba nuts in Americas
4th largest city.
Cooperstown had a great year in
2009.They won 94 times. 14 ½ behind Brooklyn.
They made it to a game 163 playoff vs eventual champion Indiana, another
longball team.First time in many years.
This team typical of Parker and Clemente big power. 215 HR. Nine double digit
HR guys led by Morneau 35 HR 128 RBI .318He was so valuable to his team carrying the team to that 163.Johnny Peralta hit 27 HR 107 RBI .290, Ibanez
his standard 28 HR 108 RBI .299 season.Jose Lopez had a great year hitting .324 18 HR 79 RBI.Burrrisss stole 19 bases. Jack Kemp hit 24 HR
90 .280 33sb and only 1 CS.A CBA single
season SB % record with .971.He did
however K 141 times.A team .351 OBA was
their best in years along with a great .484 slug. .835 production is also very
strong. They threw base stealers ot 75%, Stole 81 basesSo why not more wins?Pitching…It all went wrong.
Well almost. Cy Young candidate Carlos Marmol was dominant
and necessary.He save 43 games from a
poor pitching staff.That he figured in
45% of his teams wins was no accident.He was good. No one else was.The
pen allowed 40% of their inherited runners score.Compared with league leading Carolina’s
22%. Staff ace was 14-8 but a 4.94 ERA.Lot
more losses could be avoided.Jon
Stamets has went to work right away with flurries of trades to get all the
pieces together fora Parker run.He has traded a lot of picks, players, and
gotten different players and picks returned.Wild off season for this franchise. They should be an Iron Horse in
2010.
In most years Carolina’s
88 wins would compete more closely for a wildcard which they did, until swept
away vs Cooperstown and Brooklyn
in the last week and a half of the season.They finished with 5 more wins, but it wasn’t enough,Carolina
and their signature bullpen couldn’t hold out.In fact Carolina may had taken
a WC had Brooklyn not dominated them in September
sweeping two series.A good team home
and away, the pen was the story.The
Cardiac Copperheads won 10 games of 13 in extras. The team largely did better
than actual performances save Tejada who hit only .265, and Zimmerman who at 3B
hit .276.But you know what that will be
in 2010 with Zimm becoming elite.A good
.351 OBA with .478 slug is enough to win, but in Clemente? Parker? Carolina
is looking to build some trading Brian Roberts to the powerful Ohio
team in Staub.239 HR,892 runs, .282 BA, 121 SB.
Both Ludwick and Werth had good seasons.Ludwick 40 HR 107 RBI, .290 BA 1.018
Tot.A great season. Several over 20
HR’s including Jason Werth 26 HR 77 RBI .314, 21sb, 1.033 tot.
A Dunn had a low 28 HR .251, Votto 23 HR 75 RBI .299 BA, B
Roberts 10 HR 49 RBI 63sb, Benjamin Molina .296 23 HR 90 RBI, DeRosa 22 HR 83
RBI .288,overall 12 guys double digit
HR’s.Parker = Power.
The Carolina
pitching was good 4.39 ERA led by Johann Santana who was 20-9 3.86222 K’s. Harang won 13 more but a 5.49
ERA.Ollie Perez was tossed.11-11, 6.39 ERA.Marcum acquired the previous winter from Brooklyn
went 11-93.60 ERA.The pen was strong.Great pen managementOhman was in 92 games only 43 innings.How’s that for super HAL efficiency?Ohman, Valverde, Bray, Gregg, Nelson, Street,
Scott Kenan knew what he was talking about when he tried to install a world
class pen last winter.It almost won a
playoff spot for him.
Woeful expansion team or shining ray of light.What and where is Sunville?Keith Jones’ team the SunJewels.Is it the Jimmy Buffett they play at night
games and Margaritas they serve liberally at games to keep ‘em at the
park?Is it the Buffet table spread
before gametime? Is it Warren Buffet’s attendance at home weekend games dancing
“Bootay Meat” with the SunJewel cheerleaders.What will bring fans to Sunville?Is the team playing in Phlorida or New Mexico…The
mystery of the SunJewels…They now own the top pick in CBA’s draft.Anyone they want is theirs.It took ‘em a loaded trawler of candidates to
meet usage and get to the finish line.Which they absolutely did unlike Harley Bryan (Bryan Harley?) Don Leo
Kernal’sWestminster Albatrosses.Jones guaranteed, and delivered. In the
meantime the offense was futile.The
pitching worse6.36 team ERA.Perhaps CBA’s worst team ever? 36-126, close
the Harley Davidson Kernal’s finished barely 29-133.Worse.1426 Inn pitched 1870 hits allowed.Only 145 HR’s.No one more than Marcust Thames 18. No
players stood out.No one particularly
good.Note Rod Barajas 10 HR 36 RBI
.273. Jose Bautista 18 HR 40 RBI .218BA.Nick Blackburn 10-15 4.35 for a team that won 36 games.Troye Percival saved 8 big games.Greg Maddux was acquired for usage, and
closed out his illustrious CBA HOF career with a 4-13 record unbefitting a
diamond king.A .724 X rating was
actually better than some teams in contention, kudos. A first year team,
Sunville is looking for sunnier days.Jones has just started rest assured.He is ready to land some big fish in the draft pool.Better times are coming for the SunJewels
franchise…Feb 28th could be Sunville’s biggest day ever.
Schmidt Division has more big power teams.The perennial Philly Phantastics are
one.They won 105 games. Now the league
win totals have inflated some because of the expansion.But Philly was good enough anyway.Rob Hite just knows Strat-o-matic baseball.He knows the draft, he knows how to just
win.They mauled the division with a 27
game edge over Ottawa in 2nd.The offense deadly .294 269 HR scoring a CBA
high 1,026 runs. Good defense, some speed 81 sb comparatively Belfast
swiped 240.This year Philly had
excellent pitching.In their HR laden
ballpark, the PPS tossed a 4.05 era salad at opponents.They only sacrificed 20 times..704 def X rating is not too good, but it
didn’t hurt them too much.Funny how it
goes, but it may have stopped Philly from being THE dominant CBA team.Philly used the H & R just enough and
stay out of double plays.Extremely
clutch, PPS took advantage of opportunities with the infield in. When pitchers
were tired a few more hits to win games later innings.9 20+ HR hitters.Key hitters Carlos Lee hit .340 29 HR 98 RBI,
Evan Longoria 33 105 .335. Abreu 22 110 .27524SB.Utley 28 118 .317.Hard to say who the team MVP was when it was
all such a total team effort.This may
have been PPS best chance to win.Cy
Young candidate Cole Hamels was as good as it gets 22-73.09 227 K’s.For a team in a HR hitters paradise, these are awesome numbers.Verlander and Greinke chipped in with 15 wins
each.Randy Johnson in his Swan song
added 14 more wins to his CBA leading total.He now has 231.The staff will be
very strong again in 2010 as Health Bell will likely close and the Greinke
express hits South st for some Jimmy’s Steaks before game time, then down
Oregon to Tony Luke’s after the game.As
fate would have it, the biggest CBA teams took the hardest falls.Hite’s Phantastics will like Skokie,
Brooklyn, Southwest, and San Diego
be forgotten like Tennessee Tazmanians were back in late 90’s.
The Ottawa Otters season started off promisingly as they
were in first place as late as May 21st before dropping back
some.The turning point came when Stirling
swept 4 games from them.Two series
later the CBA’s worst ever Westminster Pidgeons took a pair in a3 game. From
there it was all inconsistent with win streaks not sustaining, and Phlly
getting adjusted and hot.At that point
usage may have contributed to the slide as well.A disappointing season after a playoff
appearance, the Otters got a subpar performance from the injured ace who went
11-133.20.Not Cy Young numbers.Aaron Cook was better at 15-123.84 ERA.Two more stats on the rosters decline was more hurtfulthat of CBA HOF candidates Vlad G and Papi
Ortiz.The CBA’s prolific duo slumped at
the plate.Guerrero slid down to 27 HR
94 RBI .272.Papi Ortiz 26 HR 57RBI
.252.Not enough to drive the offense
who managed only a .253 team BA despite 206 dingers.Joe Mauer was basically an all star with 15
83 .310.Jack Cust did what he usually
does 33 HR 103 RBI .233 .371 OBA109 BB’s.But he struck out 211 times a CBA
record.Ottawa
hit .252 vs L .253 vs R. Team had a .770 OPS.They also did hit 52 triples. But only 26 Sb, likely by accident.A large number.A classic Clemente power team.Make no mistake that Ottawa
is on the rise.A solid young team, with
dynamic young players.Jack Jung the
honred veteran championship manager has drafted some valuable players and
groomed good talent.In 2009 the defense
let down the pitching an all time low X rating as mentioned before .591.The OF made flyball a total adventure.The Otter fans complained of neck injuries
from watching the ball being shot back through the alleys.The bench was a minus PH hit .227 They hit
111 homers at home butfewer, 95 on the
road.The pitchers allowed a very high
.286 batting average, while the relievers allowed the unners to score upon
their entering the game at a .366 clip.36% of which how much was defense?Had the defense been better the staff likely would have produced more
wins.
Stirling is a franchise with an
owner and a GM tandem.There is the
franchise owner the semi retired Wayne McGee.He is an original member and friend of ours. The Stirling
franchise is without question a historic one. Dealer Wayne
(or is it Trader, or is that Rob H?) One of CBA colorful GM’s.His press releases, quips, trade bulletins,
friendship, sense of humor, sense of whats best for CBA, makes him a surefire
CBA hall of famer.
Wayne stays
active, but defers to the man who has rebuilt the talent base of this
franchise. Malachi Nellum.Malachi is a
CBA veteran who was the original owner of the AlamoCity franchise.He returned to us a GM two seasons ago
content to be Stirling’s GM, even turning down
opportunities to own a franchise.He has
built up some players of there. Another below 77-85a .500 record Stirling
has only been in 1 playoff in their existence. A team with .274 176 HR 768 Runs
struggles in Clemente, unless the pitching is outstanding or they have speed
and defense. Stirling had some very playoff worthy
offensive stars.Carlos Pena had a
sensational year 39 HR 101 RBI .296.Pedroia was great again19HR89RBI .321 10sb.Ellsbury stole 65 hittin .290 and should get
even better.Crawford was well
Crawford…Of note Jerry Mather hit 14 HR 36 RBI in 134 AB’s. Shin Soo Choo hit
19 86 .348 in 264 AB’s.Stilring could
glove. .786 X rating was very good.But
they will need to improve on the .339 team OBA & .437 slug.The 4.98 staff ERA could have been a lot
worse without the defense.
Westminster?
Forget about it.
The draft will be held in the CBA chat
room. I expect we will do 3 rounds beginning 12 noon eastern 9am Pacific Sunday Feb 28th.
Those unable to attend will be required to submit a list to a responsible GM to
proxy. I will not be able to draft for you, nor is it advisable to let
HAL do yer pickin'. Your list should be comprehensive.
The Chat room requires Java which almost everyone has by now, so upgrade your
browsers and test the room. We will allow up to 2 minutes before league
allows next draftee to make selection. It is important all be prepared
ahead of time. Trades should never stall the draft clock. Complete
them before selecting, no quarter.
If the draft board is incorrect it must be corrected predraft. Once the
clock starts, that board is official win, lose, or draw.
Should a player be re selected or ineligible for drafting, it is solely that
GM's responsibilty. They may reselect, when they can. We will not
back up the draft.
Should you be knocked off line, call your pal and have them select, its on
you. We do encourage direct chat between GM's either on the chatroom or
by phone with each other. CBA is a family.
The list of FA's is online, but there could be omissions and errors. Be
forewarned. Some players may or may not be there, its a guideline only
not official.
Check your trades and draft charts. With the passing of my father, I may
have missed an item or two.
Stadium changes are in and no more stadiums can be selected. Those who
are on Committee mail list with stadium choices are official now. I must
have stadium choices from NJ and Atlanta ASAP.
This must be selected immediately before the LaManna comes out Thursday.
Reminders: No 2011 picks can be traded until the first selection of the draft
is officially announced by league. You may announce at that
time...certainly you can agree in principal before then.
Atlanta and NJ may not trade their 1,2,3 picks this year
only. Both are probationary franchises.
The draft is always a blast. One of my favorite parts of the
season. The banter is great and as long as we get guys in their and not
bitching about each other. We never had it, and I wont tolerate it
publically on chat or list. You can kiss the league goodbye if you make
it a habit. Just keep it all in fun and good judgement and we'll be lovin
every minute of this draft. It promises to be very interesting this
year. Alot of deals went down. Lots of different players will have
increased value this year. If you look at the economics of it, teams will
need to be very usage conscious. This will have an effect on the drafting
habits of many teams to get usage controlled, not relying on 2 RFA's or trades
that may never happen to get thru the 100% usage and roster limits. The
draft will therefore be stronger than you may think. Smaller players will
have impact now, and teams with good reserves may fare better than superstar
type teams. (LP anyone?)
You may draft a minor league. Un carded players may be retained year to year so
plan ahead.
Remember that first and foremost in CBA is that you make every attempt to win
your games. Its given in our league. Its encouraged and some feel
we owe it to each other to put our best teams out there on the field. Its
been said that respect among GM's is earned when you are a competitive GM who
fights and plays to win. Certainly last year, I commend a few guys who
did their best even sacrificing there high pick (highest) to give you their
best. We salute John Miller, We salute Doug Brunet our two expansioneers
who sacrificed their future, to put rostered players usage into the games
despite dropping their draft positions. They drafted for usage slowing
their building. CBA couldnt ask for better character. Keith
Jones despite the record also did his best to manage his usage, though had to
rely on allotted RFA's heavily. We commend his efforts. We
unfortunately must mention the legend of the Westminster Pelicans franchise who
flew the coop and crashed down to the sea like Icarus in a typhoon.
They were unprepared and had a proxy drafter. Trades werent made and
usage was a mighty issue, with little talent to trade, CBA had to take over the
franchise and set extended RFA's in a 1 time league directive. The
termination was swift, and the franchise became a walk over which inflated some
teams winning percetages. It also made for our best pennant chase
ever......
Lets mention a few other GM's who refused to tank and gave us all good
competition (name of the game here) There were Jack Frost and Jack Jung.
Frost fought it till the end. Jack Jung put 'em forward as best he could
too. We salute you Blake-O. You dint quit. We salute Rich Schneider
and Wayne McGee/Malachi Nellum. You fellas are what its all about.
We saw how you did your best. Jeff Boutet, came back in the 2nd half to
be a factor and never tanked. I cant make out this one though. We
actually had a guy publically throw in the towel only to win his 3rd
championship in 4 years. So quittin never pays right Fid? Heck Bob
knows. He never really quit and he won. CBA doesn't quit.
With Fidler's championship belts, its been suggested that we all publically
throw in towel each year at mid season in a ritual to bring good luck to those
who do...........nah.
Wass
It's stunning....Staub has not had a winner
in the Finals since well, 2005 and Dennis Concepcion's Longue Pointe team won
it all. The reigning champ Fidler is back. He is CBA's best, back
for 3rd time in 4 years. Concepcion, a playoff perrenial, didn't make it last year to
the playoffs, but sure has the year in grand style. He swept the
extraordinary San Diego Surf team. Both Indiana and LP were underdogs to
two of CBA's greatest teams of all time. Both Conference teams beat the
giant teams to help advance. Now they meet. Indiana just plain outslugs you, Longue Pointe just keeps
you off the bases and runners from moving....Two contrasting Strat philosophies
will square off. The games should be well attended just to see what the
next CBA STrategy trend will be....Will it be good pitching with lots of K's
and defense. A team that hit and runs you to death and steals at will? or
will it be the ARoid, Pujols, Hamilton, Pence, Sizemore, reyes show?
For LP it was all pitching and unlikely
heros. For Indy Pence, Sizemore and ARod. Lets look and see who they
are...
Indiana was originally the expansion Houston Aeros, a last
place team that was extremely fortunate to have won the 1st over expansion pick
when 4 teams were broken up. ARod was originally on the Chris Boutin led
Quebec Capitales. He was the first expoansion pick in 2003 by Chris
Thomas' Houston club. He then drafted Albert Pujols with the
first regular draft pick that year. There was the nucleus. Jose
Reyes came over in a trade 3 seasons ago from San Diego, while OSwalt was an orinal draftee. Last year, Indiana acquired B. Wagner,
C. Ruiz, K. Griffey, Jr in a major trade with Southwest for A. Ethier,
Indiana's #1(09), #4(09), #5(09), #6(09). They got Loney from Kennesaw as well at about the same time for a #2 and
Mientkiewicz. They got J Garland from Kennesaw as well in 2008.
Posada came in July of 2007 for D Riske, Kaz Matsui and a 2,6
pick. Polanco came in from Philly for Brad Hawpe. Many good trades
and some not as good. But always looking to improve. Indy traded picks,
acquired, shuffled, drafted and built. Looking out of the picture in
themid season they staged one of CBA's remarkable comebacks winning 41-17 to
gain a last day wildcard, and now back in the finals after Fidler threw in the
"Towel".
Longue POinte has made a few trades mostly
has built through drafting. The team, unlike 2005 is mostly of Concepcion's design. He drafts for bench reserve and
defense. He drafts for talent, he drafts for good cards, he drafts to win
with balance. He drafts strikeout artists, he drafts well. He
acquired great draft pieces starting when he took guys like Richie Sexson at the
end of rd 1 in 2005. Jason Varitek came in 2006 for Jason Kendall. 05 WS
hero Torii Hunter came in 2005 for AJ Burnett and a #1. Dennis moved guys
like Nomar Garciaparra a longue time favorite in Quebec, bringing in players
like Aramis Ramirez, drafted some like pen guys CJ Wilson, Balfour, Marte,
Seanez, Kiko Calero, Brain Fuentes, and even drafted more guys for the staff
and who got outs, K's and stopped runners from moving. But Concepcion has thrived in the draft. After raising some
eyebrows, whose wondering now? He drafted a minor league pick like Tim Lincecum
in rd 1. He took Hideki Matsui in rd 1 too. Ryan Dempster
another. He took Ryan Theriot in a later round. LP is well known for
super sub scrubs. Each year he has his overachieving mutant cards. In
2005, it was Brian Jordan hitting .400. This year its Cliff Floyd, and
Lou Montanez, otherwise guys like Gabe Gross, Kotchmann, Iguchi, new heros with
small names. Remember Miracle Mirabelli?
Its gonna be a Jailbreak...Who will attend?
Parker Divison recap..
Parkers
beast is the 2003-2004 Clemente champions Brooklyn Superbas. Year after
year they are the team to beat. Teams gear up for them when they come to Brooklyn's Prospect park grounds called The
"House Of Pain". The hits are more frequent, and the Brooklyn air contributes to power. The
team is built to specification for that field. The playerscome and
go. This year Hall of Fame 1B Todd Helton was dispatch starting a myriad
of Brooklyn trades as the Superbas began to
build for tomorrow. Players in and out. Along with Helton, Long time 2B
Brandon Phillips, last years RF Magliulo Ordonez, HOF candidates Omar Vizquel, Mike
Timlin, RP set up Dan Wheeler,Andy Laroche. In their place. Nickt
Markakis, Ryan Braun, Carlos Zambrano, David Price. The future mortgaged.
Brooklyn had to make moves to compete with
the powerful teams in Cooperstown, Indiana, Philly, Carolina, LakeCounty, and Ottawa. No one can stand idle in Clemente,
the competition is that fierce. Brooklyn is no lock for a division title in 2010. But
in 2009, they were. In fact they may have been Brooklyn's best team ever. Year after year
of 95+ wins, but 2009 was special 108-54 record their best. Only SD had
109 wins. Both are among the CBA's all time wins per season leaders.
Start with
the slugging. The new dynamic duo rests the crown from Papi-Vlad. Howard
Cabrera. Destruction and total avg. For Cabrera 44 HR (5th
overall), 136 RBI's (5th overall), .308 .953 tot. Howard 8.87
rc/27, 1.021 prod 60 HR (2nd overall), 155 RBI (1st
overall), .292 BA. Maglioulo Ordonez chipped in 21 HR 104RBI, 4th
in CBA with a .339 BA. Vermon Wells 24 HR 68 RBI, .354. Punto stole
35 .322 BA in 336 AB's. B Phillip[s 24 HR 80RBI 24sb. Blake 27HR,
85 RBI .278. Doumit hit 24 HR .316 average, Giles 13 HR 77 RBI
.316. The bench was awesome with Furcal playing vs L only, platooned 9 HR
38 RBI 15sb .432ba as a sub. The offense was legendary in CBA. Finishing
with a near record .307 ba with 275 HR 1048 runs. .369 OBA .525
slugging for the Superbas. the latter a CBA record. It should be noted that Brooklyn hit 44 triples, and stole 114
bases. Speed helped.
There
wasn't much other teams could do except hope the bats didn't hit. The
lineup stacked with no easy outs.The defense wasn't good .708 X rating.
League average is .712. League Leader Indiana had .802 league low Ottawa .591.
So did Brooklyn defense help the pitching?
Not at all The offense couldn't keep the opposition from scoring runs,
likely a defensive glitch, but the pitching did a respectable job with a 4.30
era in a bandbox park. With better defense maybe 112 wins could have been
reached. Came back to haunt them in the playoffs when defense crushed
them in late innings...A .302 IRSC the pen was fair. Brooklyn stayed strong all year but couldn't
defeat Indiana in the playoffs. Their dice luck ran out, and they
shockingly stopped hitting. Another disapperntment for the lovable
Superba nuts in Americas 4th largest city.
Cooperstown had a great year in 2009.
They won 94 times. 14 ½ behind Brooklyn. They made it to a game 163 playoff vs eventual champion
Indiana, another longball team. First time in many years. This team
typical of Parker and Clemente big power. 215 HR. Nine double digit HR guys led
by Morneau 35 HR 128 RBI .318 He was so valuable to his team carrying the
team to that 163. Johnny Peralta hit 27 HR 107 RBI .290, Ibanez his
standard 28 HR 108 RBI .299 season. Jose Lopez had a great year hitting
.324 18 HR 79 RBI. Burrrisss stole 19 bases. Jack Kemp hit 24 HR 90 .280
33sb and only 1 CS. A CBA single season SB % record with .971. He
did however K 141 times. A team .351 OBA was their best in years along
with a great .484 slug. .835 production is also very strong. They threw base
stealers ot 75%, Stole 81 bases So why not more wins? Pitching…It
all went wrong.
Well
almost. Cy Young candidate Carlos Marmol was dominant and necessary. He
save 43 games from a poor pitching staff. That he figured in 45% of his
teams wins was no accident. He was good. No one else was. The pen
allowed 40% of their inherited runners score. Compared with league
leading Carolina’s 22%. Staff ace was 14-8 but a 4.94 ERA. Lot more losses could be avoided.
Jon Stamets has went to work right away with flurries of trades to get all the
pieces together for a Parker run. He has traded a lot of picks,
players, and gotten different players and picks returned. Wild off season
for this franchise. They should be an Iron Horse in 2010.
In most
years Carolina’s 88 wins would compete more closely for a wildcard which
they did, until swept away vs Cooperstown and Brooklyn in the last week and a half of the season. They
finished with 5 more wins, but it wasn’t enough, Carolina and their signature bullpen
couldn’t hold out. In fact Carolina may had taken a WC had Brooklyn not dominated them in September
sweeping two series. A good team home and away, the pen was the
story. The Cardiac Copperheads won 10 games of 13 in extras. The team
largely did better than actual performances save Tejada who hit only .265, and
Zimmerman who at 3B hit .276. But you know what that will be in 2010 with
Zimm becoming elite. A good .351 OBA with .478 slug is enough to win, but
in Clemente? Parker? Carolina is looking to build some trading
Brian Roberts to the powerful Ohio team in Staub. 239 HR,
892 runs, .282 BA, 121 SB.
Both
Ludwick and Werth had good seasons. Ludwick 40 HR 107 RBI, .290 BA 1.018
Tot. A great season. Several over 20 HR’s including Jason Werth 26 HR 77
RBI .314, 21sb, 1.033 tot.
A Dunn had
a low 28 HR .251, Votto 23 HR 75 RBI .299 BA, B Roberts 10 HR 49 RBI 63sb,
Benjamin Molina .296 23 HR 90 RBI, DeRosa 22 HR 83 RBI .288,
overall 12 guys double digit HR’s. Parker = Power.
The Carolina pitching was good 4.39 ERA led by
Johann Santana who was 20-9 3.86 222 K’s. Harang won 13 more but a 5.49
ERA. Ollie Perez was tossed. 11-11, 6.39 ERA. Marcum acquired
the previous winter from Brooklyn went 11-9 3.60 ERA. The pen was strong.
Great pen management Ohman was in 92 games only 43 innings. How’s
that for super HAL efficiency? Ohman, Valverde, Bray, Gregg, Nelson,
Street, Scott Kenan knew what he was talking about when he tried to install a
world class pen last winter. It almost won a playoff spot for him.
Woeful
expansion team or shining ray of light. What and where is Sunville?
Keith Jones’ team the SunJewels. Is it the Jimmy Buffett they play at
night games and Margaritas they serve liberally at games to keep ‘em at the
park? Is it the Buffet table spread before gametime? Is it Warren
Buffet’s attendance at home weekend games dancing “Bootay Meat” with the
SunJewel cheerleaders. What will bring fans to Sunville? Is the
team playing in Phlorida or New Mexico…The mystery of the SunJewels…They
now own the top pick in CBA’s draft. Anyone they want is theirs. It
took ‘em a loaded trawler of candidiates to meet usage and get to the finish
line. Which they absolutely did unlike Harley Bryan (Bryan Harley?) Don
Leo Kernal’s Westminter Albatrosses. Jones guaranteed, and delivered.
In the meantime the offense was futile. The pitching worse 6.36
team ERA. Perhaps CBA’s worst team ever? 36-126, close the Harley
Davidson Kernal’s finished barely 29-133. Worse. 1426 Inn pitched 1870 hits allowed.
Only 145 HR’s. No one more than Marcust Thames 18. No players stood
out. No one particularly good. Note Rod Barajas 10 HR 36 RBI .273.
Jose Bautista 18 HR 40 RBI .218BA. Nick Blackburn 10-15 4.35 for a team
that won 36 games. Troye Percival saved 8 big games. Greg Maddux
was acquired for usage, and closed out his illustrious CBA HOF career with a
4-13 record unbefitting a diamond king. A .724 X rating was
actually better than some teams in contention, kudos. A first year team,
Sunville is looking for sunnier days. Jones has just started rest
assured. He is ready to land some big fish in the draft pool.
Better times are coming for the Leisure King franchise…Feb 28th
could be Sunville’s biggest day ever.
From Southwest Sun Lizard's Home territory came this release
@AP Newswire Date: Oct. 14, 2009
LOCAL INVESTIGATORS SEEK ANSWERS!
Arcane wording discovered scrawled upon a napkin in local steak house outside Indiana's Ballpark has raised concerns that a killer may be on the
loose. It reads:
In the
mighty halls of the CBA
there are only two things of certainty,
The future's uncertain, and THE END is always near!
Wow, I'm sick of doubt
Live in the light of certain
South side
Cruel bindings.
The Redbirds have the power
Dog-men and their mean women
Pulling poor blankets
over
Our players
I'm sick of dour faces
Staring at me from the executive
Suites, i want roses in
My bullpen bower; dig?
Royal doubles, hard hit singles
Must now replace aborted
Strangers in the mud
These mutants, blood-meal
For the pitcher that's plowed.
They are waiting to take us into
The severed garden
Do you know how pale and wanton thrillful
Comes death on a strange hour
Unannounced, unplanned for
Like a scaring over-friendly guest you've
Brought to bed
Defeat makes angels of us all
And gives us wings
Where we had shoulders
Smooth as raven's
Claws
No more money, no more fancy
uniforms
This other kingdom seems by far the best
Until it's other jaw reveals incest
And loose obedience to a REDBIRD law.
I will not go
Prefer a feast of friends
A lie she cried
Spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a marble slab
To the
giant REDBIRD she spoke
I will not go, I will not go
Have I not wandered your streets of yellow haze?
And pitchers come and go
Speaking of Joe DiMaggio
I have measured out my life
In balls, strikes and cheap hot dogs
Am I not Lazarus raised from the dead?
Come back to tell you
To tell you all
THE END
Local officials and police detectives are puzzled by the cryptic verbiage and
its meaning. Rumors that the much awaited contest between the Lizard Kings
and the Rebirds will be tomorrow night at 5pm
Pacific/8pm EST may be related to the arcane scriblings. Rob Fidler is
reportedly suffering from massive migranes in anticipation of the bloody series
and has been cleared of any ill-doings. However, maverick owner, Eric
Lindner, has been heavily sedated and locked securely in a local sanitarium
after being found in a darken alley with steak sauce smeared all over his vomit
covered t-shirt.
The end is most certainly near for one of these vaunted warriors of the CBA.
Report filed by Bernard Shakey
Minister of Propaganda and Ticket Sales
Fantastic week...All we could have
asked. Heading into the final block the races have clarified. The losers
are heading home and the strongest and best survive. This week, Allentown, Kennesaw, Limoilou, have all been practically
eliminated though not mathematically. In Staub That leaves the Dawson decided in an epic 4 game series that all will be
watching between Longue Pointe and Belfast. It has been them all season long, as Limoilou
held on till the end. Dennis Concepcion and JD Adams will play with LP
just a gmae back of the Brawlers. The LP's have been throwing shutouts
with a great staff and 1's all over the field. Great defense has masked a
suspect offense led by 10 man Johnstone award candidate Cliff "pink"
Floyd of all cards...
Skokie is in the wildcard basically 4 games over LP.
Glen Kenan's Ohio has never made the lpayoffs. Not even as BodegaBay.
Could this year be the franchises first ever? The Thundercats are
only 2 back of Mike Koepp's Maine Express. Maine's Adrian Gonzalez and The Uggla at 2B, lead the
offense. SanDiego is having the best year in their history. Wallace
will be formidable in the playoffs. They have last years 7 game playoff
loss to avenge.
Clemente has Philly slugging 3, 20
runs games this week. Brooklyn had the seasons first no hitter. Its the
franchises first as well. John Lannan Brooklyn's 1st rd draft pick throws
one vs Sunville. Box below. Howard and Cabrera each have over 40
HR. Howard 56 of 'em, chasing Sammy Sosa's team record of 63. He
just passed Todd Helton's 55 of 2001. The race is for wildcard which Dave
Jones (got it right) Lake County Leopards is 1 game behind both Cooperstown
with GM Jon Stamets, and Indiana and last years champion Bob Fidler. What
a race.....Netplay could be the thing this week!
Sept 20th 2009
The season end is at
hand. Its destiny or skill. Its luck or probability. Its
torturous or strategous. Usage conservation or damn the
torpedoes... Who will win? Who are the players?
The 2009 CBA elite are....
Marc Wass. Yours truly is having a renaissance season
with 104 wins so far. The 2003 WS finalist and 2004 champion Superbas
have been in the playoffs each year since 2003. They were in a few more
before that. Big games elude Superbas who are driving to become two time
champs ala Rob Hite, Jeff Boutet, Bob Fidler. Been playing Strat since
1977, Superbas are always a team known for offense and power. Brooklyn
signature is perrenial leadership in major offensive categories. Lots of
stealing and Power, teams are tailored for Coors field dimensions.
Joe Wallace: Plays hard in playoffs. Knows the game and
numbers well. Is out to beat the Staub Division and nothing less than a
World Series Appearance will due for the CBA's 7 year veteran. Wallace
has built his team from the ground up and is contending the past 3
seasons. Could this be the year he breaks through?
JD Adams: The usage czar knows his role, and his team.
With the luck of the Irish, and the use of excellent strategies in lineup
making, the Belfast Brawlers again play to maximum potential. They dont
have Limoilou's star power, Longue Tongue's pitching and defense, nor the power
of Clemente's brooklyn or Philly, but they do all the little things, like
steal, pitch, clutch. Huff has been a blessing and though others have
better numbers he may be the true MVP based on his value to a team thats
contending. 52 doubles 23 HR 113 RBI on a non slugging team that
steals tons. Adams has suffered CBA heart break a few times in the
past. 1 game playoff losses. Early rd 1 exits, just barely not
making the cut. JD is hungry and ferocious. Every swing counts for
this competititor.
"Wolfman"
Shapiro. The Skokie, Holland, Atlanta, crystal master.
Moved right in and rebuilt the Wolfmen into powerhouse. This team is
becoming a CBA legend having been there in the thick of the playoffs each
season since 2006 I believe. The Wolfman is known around the world for
his skill. Its on display here in CBA and again he's primed for another
shot at the coveted CBA World Series title. The Strat community watches
our website and posts and our playoffs are watched by the veteran league
watchers online. SOM players always look for the advantages, sometimes
from other leagues that they can apply to their own methods. Wolfman's
web pages get quite a few hits. He wants them to read about a Wolfmen
World Championship. Thats his goal solely. He nows the rules and
how to work within them. he is reliable and efficient. Most of all,
he knows the game and the cards. To beat him in the Netplayoffs is to
beat a legend. Bob Fidler did so. Wolfman may not be done with
him...
Dennis Concepcion: The man behind the CBA graphics. Staub
President, and creator of the Loggers team. DC is one GM that can't be
ruled out because he finds a way to beat you. He has a knack for finding
variables other than slugging. He relies heavily on platoon system and
defense. He has sported teams with 4+ ones on offense. He is known
for his small ball game like the one he used to ride such cards as
"Miracle Mirabelli", Brian Jordan, and Todd Jones into big
moments. He also studies his opponents and plays for the long run.
The LP signature is their strong bench, and fantastic pitching staff. He
prefers strikeout pitchers, and good hit and run men. Concepcion is
unconventional but effective year in and year out. He is also an avid
baseball uniform and stadium historical enthusiast.
Rob Hite: CBA legend. Multi year champion. Just like
Brooklyn in leading CBA in offense and power categories. Owns several CBA
records. Hite is on executive committee, and is an original member.
Perhaps one of CBA most prolific traders, Hite is one of the sharpest draft and
Stratball minds you'll ever meet. Has keen sense of talent and is ever
tough in head to head competition. Rob Hite is a future CBA Hall of
famer. He has the championships to back it.
Glenn Kenan: First year for playoffs? A CBA 4 year
man. The Ohio team has improved each year. Kenan has traded and
drafted himself into a winning team. In a tough conference where teams
knock each other around, Ohio is on the cusp of team history should they overcome
Maine. Kenan has forged a team that could be the underdog surprise of the
CBA season. The little engine who could?
Mike Koepp: Mr Mike to you. Maine is in the 2nd year of
playoff hunt. His last playoff was marred by some questionable circumstances,
but experience was gained. Koepp is fighting hard. The competitor
in Koepp has worked very hard to get this franchise atop Rogers division.
He wont relent now, & is ready to beat you.
Dave Jones: Jones has been around the block in CBA. The Leopards
are his team. He built them and is likely to make noise this year if they
get into the playoffs. Dave always has his team playing tough.
Never an easy win, The Leopards gives all Clemente fits. They play well
against Philly, SW, and Brooklyn. Jones seems to make trades that
keep him in the thick of things.
Eric Lindner: 1 game shy of Southwest's 1998 best franchise win
total. Lindner also knows the cards and the game. Loves to
compete. Loves to win. Plays well and plays fair. Lindner is
fun to play against...Its all fun and sht until you realize he's beating
you. Knows how to shoot down his oponents with Strat skill. He is
the Lizard King and wants to do anything. Plays in Morrison
Stadium. Doors fan obviously, and true artist painter.
Jon Stamets: Has made a seamless transition into CBA to take over
Cooperstown. His GM skills will be on display as he takes a good team and
has been making them play with efficiency. This weeks series vs Carolina
was classic. Knows how to manage, and could be this years X factor as
Allentown's Rich Schneider was back in 2004.
Usage Post:
Batters may only start games during a block
if they have 12 or more PA left for the season, but they can be on your roster
(available as bench players) as long as they have at least 1 PA left for the
season. If the batter meets these requirements, then you are not access a
penalty if the player get overused during that block, but you must deactivate
him for the next block to avoid penalties.
Starting Pitchers can start
one game during a block if they have at least 4IP left for the season. It
has been noted that we need to specify how many IP a pitcher must have to start
two games during a block, but that is unclear at this time. If the starting
pitcher meets this requirement before the block, no penalty will be accessed
for over usage obtained during that block. However, if overused, you must
deactivate the pitcher before the next block
Relief pitchers must have at
least 3IP left before the block. If they meet this requirement and get
overused during the block, no penalty will be accessed, but the pitcher must be
deactivated before the next block if they have less than 3ip left for the
season (or are overused) to avoid penalties.
Starters/Relievers are
evaluated as if the are a starter (may only start if 4ip or more) and a
reliever (may only be activated if they have 3ip or more).
So, as long as you check out
the Usage Display (from Statistics->Team Statistics), after every block, you
should be able to quickly determine who can must be deactivated now, who is
getting close and who must be bench players only. If you do this and
still go over a few PA/IP, then you are not penalized at all.
For example, Mark Ellis from
my team has been used 1 PA more than his card allows. However, once he
got under 12PA, I took him off all of my starting lineups, and then once he
went over, I deactivated him for the rest of the season, so no
infraction/warning was issued. I can also tell that Burrell can't be in a
starting line up, since he only has 2PA left, so he's on the bench now.
for my pitchers, I can see
that Randy Wolf has 4IP left, so can start one game this last block, while
Gavin Floyd has only 3ip left and can only relieve (he can't start, and has a 0
relief rating, but I kept him on the roster just in case he was the last option
left in a long game...)
(there are others on my
roster that either must be bench players
August 21st 2009
The races come alive.
Theres separation at the top. Philly is having a season for the ages 24
games up in Schmidt. Amazing! Phantastic. It's time to recognize
Rob Hite for his accomplishments in CBA. We could also celebrate Jeff
Boutet who has brough Limoilou back into the Dawson race once again, a 3 way dance.
Limoilou has won 3 titles and was perhaps CBA's most dominant team from
Staub.... Rob Hite is among the top elite in CBA history with his
championships and dominance of his division nearly every season. This
year may be his best since winning a CBA record 120 in 2000. Your teams
career stats are now in the team notebooks in your game itself. Each
year's won lost is recorded.... Marc Wasserman, yours truly has asserted
control in the Parker division with perhaps more title wins than any other franchise
in CBA history. BSP has been to the finals in 2003 losing to Limoilou and
Boutet, winning it all in 2004, and nearly three peating being stopped short in
2005. Bob Fidler joins, Boutet and Hite as multiple World Champions.....
The Skokie Wolfman has been dominant since emerging in 2005 with Montreal as a
contender, and eventual World Championship contender. Could he finally
win the elusive big one? He will have to fend off perhaps CBA best team
in San Diego.... Veteran Joe Wallaces team is perhaps less known, but
feared. This team is the favorite to win. Wallace has bowed in very tough
playoff series in 07, 08, but 09 could be his year. The Wolfman is arming
against his rival by acquiring Ben Sheets for the playoffs..... The
other race is intriguing in Staub..... Its the battle for the
Rogers. Not yet a high profile league like Dawson whose races are
legendary, but this is the year Rogers look like the black and blue great south
& midwest division. Maine is now battling Glen Kenan's Ohio Thundercats.
We don't hear much about them, but they're making news in 2009. At or near the
top, they have a great shot at securing a division title, which would be their
first. Their team legacy, Minnesota, then AJ Cusimano's Wantagh
Woods started the ball rolling for the Ohio franchise. And now Glen's Strat
building plan has them in contention. Mike Koepp's Maine has slowed
somewhat but remain dangerous. Kennesaw is just lurking 2 games
out. Blake will no doubt pull out all the stops to steal a title. His
prediction for his teams rise in 2009, may yet come true. Westminster now
has Tom Stephens taking over its economy with new measures and new hope.
He will see this franchise on to batter days. With talent being cut away
to maintain usage and statisticakl integrity, Tom will be allowed to trim to 20
this year. He may add the extra 5 in the Supplemental. He will be
allowed 2 minor league picks this season. If you recall, Kernal missed
the draft so this year his top picks concerned with usage more than prospect
development. His RFA allotment is fufilled so Tom will do his best to manage
the lineup usage , and hopefully some competition for perhaps CBA's sorriest
ever franchise. Westminster (WPS) will no doubt finish with the least
amount of wins of all time. Lets see if Stephens toughest ever Strat challenge
could take him from the beginning to a championship..... Eric
Lindner has been too quiet. Seems when he loses, then the creative and
intriguing world of the Lizard kings come out. The resident CBA poet,
personality, and original CBA member has led this years Morrison's to a shing
lead in the renewed Monday division. He may have to fend off an on
rushing Bod Fidler who has Indy on the rise or David Dean whose Lake County is
steadily a playoff contender. Will Dean & Fidler knock the Lindner
off his Sun rock in Moreno Valley California? The stats dont tell the story
here. The best management does. As we all know, anything could happen in
the playoffs, just look at the WC 2005 Longue Pointe team who beat the mighty
Wendigo and then Philly who were dominant teams. Davey slew Goliath so to
speak...Belfast and LP are dogfighting in Dawson with Boutet's Limoilou
team. The Quebec dominated division is being made complicated by good
performances from the better than expected crows. Just as High Bridge is
spoiling the party, Montreal has been too. They took a series from contenders
Allentown last week, and Ohio this week....Allentown is only 3 back. Rich
Schneider's club is hovering at .500 and thus the Rogers lead. Whoever gets hot
now, could take that spot because Skokie looks like they will take the one wild
card. Its winner take all in Dawson and Rogers...Indy's Pujols is
challenging for a triple crown. His BA up to .391, he leads Ryan Howard
of Brooklyn in HR's by 54 to 50, but trails Howard in RBI's 127 to 121. The
Prince of Fielder is sandwiched between them, er, statistically. By the way
what country designated Fielder a Prince? And please someone tell me what
is a Boof?....Magglio Ordonez, Howard, Casey Blake and Miguel Cabrera lighting
up Parker for Brooklyn. They lead CBA with a .310 BA in Coors with 230
HR's...Brooklyn's bats are legendary in CBA.
Look at the CBA' s all time
franchise leaders by winning pct
Team
Wins Loss Runs Runs against
Brooklyn 1203 876 13053 11378
Limoilou 1168 912 10817
9603
Longue Pointe 1156 924 10075 9093
Philly
1144 938 12408 11048
August 10th 2009
Out of
Montreal:
Jay Payton
announces his retirement: “It was a great ride. As I was already considering
retirement after the season, I let the folks here in Montreal have
the opportunity to have a look at another player before the end of the season.
It’s unfortunate that the injury will prevent me from helping this new
franchise for the remainder of the season. On a positive note, I’ve been
offered the chance to stay on in a coaching capacity. I’m really going to
consider it. My best years were spent in Brooklyn and I have very
fond memories playing there, but I was glad to have the chance to help a young
franchise. I think things here in Montreal are pretty solid.”
August
19th 2009
Skokie acquires RFA(1) B Duckworth release Saroman Torres
SD acquires M Redmond RFA(1)
High Bridge Releases G Jenkins, Acquires RFA(3) E Bonifacio
August 16th 2009
Acquired Travis Metcalf as RFA(1), released Bill Bray.
Aug 12th 2009 Released- Chacon, Gonzalez, Isringhausen, W.
Wright, Mendoza
Acquired RFAs- Bartolo Colon, TJ Beam, Scott Eyre, Matt Tolbert, Alex
Belfast has trimmed LP's lead to 2 in Dawson as LP bench couldn't hold off
their opposition this time. Looks like they must win their division with SD and
Skokie with better records in Staub. Westminster finally won a game, but Joliet
now has a CBA record 21 game losing streak as the Jacks prepare for 2010.
Limoilou is red hot and only 4 out now in Dawson. Could it be another 3
way dance? Boutet's team could be a player. Maine and Ohio are
dogfighting in Rogers. That division is all bunched up. It could be
anyones to win. Could Ohio be worst to first? Montreal has a good lineup
this year. The addition of Todd Helton CBA future HOFer, Joe Crede, Jody
Gerut, Keppinger are quite a tough opponent not to be taken for the Montreal
Uehara's. SD 's lead has been trimmed all the way down by the Skokie
Skunk'ems who are redhot. Again the Wolfman proves to bequite
a CBA manager. Could the future hold HOF enshrinement? A
championship or two may help the cause.
In Clem, Brooklyn is having a terrific season loaded with offense.
Ryan Howard is on an MVP tear and is now 2nd (by 1) in HR and RBI.
HIS BA is up over .285. Both Brian Giles, Ryan Doumit, and Miguel Cabrera
have been on fire. Cabrera zipping right up into the leaders categories.
Both Carolina and Cooperstown are neck and neck in the wildcard. Its been
a great year for both teams. Cooperstown could finish with their best
season ever. Both are tough as nails. Speaking of nails, It looks
like Super GM Rob Hite's Philly team is all but ran away with the
Schmidt. 18 games, that division is nearly wrapped up. Another
classic powerhouse team loaded with offense. As their pitching improved
so did their winning pct.
High Bridge is just so tough for an expansion team. They are a
spoiler. Miller is a good GM who can squeeze blood from rocks. What
has happened to Ottawa and Stirling? IS it too late for them? Lake
County making a run along with Carolina. They too are right in the wild
card playoff hunt...
