Austin Deuce Droppers Season Preview

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, the DD’s look to reclaim their winning ways this season. After nearly missing the playoffs followed by a quick first round exit, Austin’s GM had to choose whether to start the rebuilding process or add some talent and give a World Series berth another run. After fielding some early trade offers for ace pitcher Britt Swindell, the GM decided to go for it one more time. It remains to be seen if the Deuce Droppers can reclaim their past glory this year or if it will be another season of disappointment.

C – Danny Kinney & Pascual Cruz (Platoon): Both of these guys should be above average at the plate, however it’s behind the plate where they are below average. Kinney will get the starts against righties, while Cruz will be hacking away at the Southpaws.

1B – B.C. Bennett: Bennett’s offensive production dropped slightly last year, but he can still be counted on for at least 20 HR’s, 100 RBI’s, and a near .300 Avg. At only 24 years of age, he should be a fixture at first base for years to come.

2B – Blake Mathews: It’s tough to call a 48 HR, 143 RBI season disappointing, but Mathews slumped down the stretch and was a large part of the post All-Star break collapse. Perhaps he was depressed at not having made the All-Star team despite being the HR leader at the break. Perhaps a move to 2B, new 4 year $3.3 million/year contract, and his new Prozac, Zoloft, and Xanax prescriptions will motivate him to his peak performance this year.

3B – Jim Edmonds: Edmonds will be switching positions with Mathews this year in a move designed to try and improve the DD’s defense. Due to a brief stint on the DL last year, Edmonds barely missed becoming a 30 / 30 man last year with 100 RBI’s and a .300 batting average. He was rewarded in the offseason with a 5 year $7.5 million/year contract and will be counted on to keep the offense rolling this year.

SS – Will Yeats: While Yeat’s bat tailed off a bit in his first full season in the bigs, he is quickly becoming one of the best defensive SS’s in the MLB world. He will again be called upon to anchor the DD’s defense up the middle.

LF – Jorel Atkins & Ramon Dong (Platoon): Have no fear DD’s fans, the Donger will not be just a part time player this year. When not patrolling left field for the DD’s, he will be called upon to DH. Atkins is expected to see the majority of the action against lefties while it is hoped that Dong will regain his form after a lackluster season in Milwaukee. It is believed that the Brewers slow start contributed to his lethargic play and he was never able to recover. We’ll know after spring training if Dong’s bat is hard enough to cut diamonds or whether he’ll need to see Mathew’s doctors for a season long prescription of Viagra and Cialis.

CF – Jimmie Bergman: Former SS Bergman successfully made the switch to CF last year and prospered in his new role. Though is power production fell, he still managed 20 HR’s, 114 RBI’s, and a .304 Average while playing stellar defense. More of the same is expected this year.

RF – Vin Ibanez: Pencil this guy in for 100+ Runs Scored and a Batting Average near .315. Ibanez suffered a drop in SB’s last year, but that is the only complaint about last season. Mr. Consistent will be expected to set the table for the big sluggers again this year.

DH – Fernando Armas & Ramon Dong – It’s hard to say that one of the league’s all-time best players is coming to the end of the road when he still managed to post 26 HR’s, 98 RBI’s, and a .336 Average in only 428 AB’s last year. Armas is signed through next season and will easily go down as the DD’s best player when he decides to hang up the spikes. Enough about the future though, Armas is still looking to win one for the thumb (WS rings that is). He will be terrorizing the righties again this year, while Dong will be DH’ing against the lefties.

SP – The reason the DD’s GM was not yet ready to give up on the current version of the team is because he still feels that the starting rotation 1-5 is still one of the best in the bigs.

Brett Swindell will anchor the rotation, he has never had less than 15 wins or more than 10 losses in his 6 full seasons as a starter, posting a career record of 105-39.

Chad Sanders is a solid #2 starter who has posted a record of 60-30 in 4 seasons as a starter after being brought in from the bullpen.

Russell Spence is the #3, are you kidding me. He has a lifetime record of 119-55 in 8 seasons for the DD’s.

Nicholas Perry is the forgotten man in the DD’s rotation, yet he has posted a 103-64 record in his 8 seasons with the club.

Hipolito Palacios is the new face and #5 fireballer for the DD’s this season. After posting a 10-5 record coming out of the pen this year, he is a welcome addition to the rotation.

CL – Doug Cambridge has been named by management as the full-time closer this year and is expected to excel in his role; but should he falter the man closing out the 8^th inning, Mark Carew, is waiting for his shot at the job.

The DD’s don’t settle for anything less than World Championships so the past three seasons have been frustrating for them. Management feels that a return to the top is not only possible, but expected this year.

Hope springs eternal in Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Fire Breathing Dragons started Season 8 off to a serious rough start with a 10+ game losing streak. However the team persevered and went back to basics. Tampa Bay then started winning and finished the season strong. Tampa Bay came in 3rd in the AL South with a record of 70-92, which was better than projected. Tampa Bay insists that had it not been for the slow start they could have been a .500 team. This was a young team that was developing talent last year. Tampa Bay is still developing their farm system as they see it as being weak in many areas. They tried to address this through international free agency and with an aggressive draft strategy. None of these really worked out as well as they hoped. The GM has mentioned that he will not be very active in the International market this year, if active at all. He is debating if they will go with an aggressive draft strategy or not again this year. He feels that the risk may be worth the reward, but also really wants to have an infusion of youth into the farm system. This season Tampa Bay has been active in acquiring talent that can carry them to a playoff berth, even with the Corn Dogs as a perennial fan favorite to win the AL South Division. While talking to the GM the Ismael Azocar trade was mentioned. The Tampa Bay GM strongly defends this trade and points to that Tampa Bay shored up 1B and CF. He did mention that Ismael’s mad key-tar skills will be missed in the clubhouse though.

Key Departures: 1B Phil Nakamura, P Wilfredo Cervantes, CF Willie Henriquez, P Travis Borkowski, and P Ismael Azocar.

Key Acquisitions: CF Francisco Leon , 1B Shane Canseco, P Howard Barkley, and P Ralph Erickson. The Tampa Bay starting line up projects to be as follows:

Catcher: Vicente Rojas -- Rojas has progressed very nicely through the minors, in his last full year at AAA he posted a .320 BA, .401 OBP, .717 SLG, and 1.118 OPS. Tampa Bay does expect him to drop off from those numbers with him in the majors full time. The GM did mentioned that he was very impressed by Vicente’s confidence saying Rojas made the comment “Catching is so easy a caveman can do it.” The Geico caveman could not be reached for comment at the time of this press release.

First Base: Shane Canseco -- Shane was acquired in a trade with Cincinnati. The TB GM is quite impressed with Shane’s skills as a hitter, as he has progressed through the minors at a good rate. Shane is making a position change from outfield to first base, but is learning fast. Shane is concerned that he is being rushed into a position, but is eager to contribute to winning in Tampa Bay.

Second Base: Kerry Thurman -- Kerry is a career .282 hitter with a .351 OBP and .519 SLG. Thurman’s numbers were down slightly last year, however it is the general feeling that this was only a hiccup and he will go back to being a solid hitter. Kerry has always had very solid fielding skills and that does not figure to change this year. If Thurman struggles Tampa Bay has Bosco Hutchinson as a backup plan

Third Base: Harold Traynor -- Traynor has had a few “down” years while transitioning from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee to Tampa Bay. It is the hope in Tampa Bay now that Traynor is in a stable position that he will return to his solid hitting form. Tampa Bay is relying heavily on Traynor as they are very weak at this position through out their system. If he continues to struggle it is thought that Tampa Bay may try to acquire a third baseman through trade.

Shortstop: Nigel Lennon -- Tampa Bay is very lucky in that it has the services of Nigel. Nigel is only 21 years old and shows the promise to be an all-star. In his brief call up time last year from AAA Nigel hit a solid .261 BA and .963 OPS. However this was only over 23 at bats. Tampa Bay is very excited about the promise that this young lad shows though and wants him to succeed at shortstop. Their coach has said that regardless if Nigel struggles early that they will stick with him and will not call up their other SS, Neil Lazzeri, from AAA. This reporter hopes that Nigel succeeds as he has had a rough life. At the early age of 4 his mother put him up for adoption and he spent the rest of his childhood bouncing from home to home with a heroin addiction. At 17 he cleaned himself up enough to put together a great season in high school and was drafted in the 1st round. This would be a great story for MLB if he was to have a breakout year.

Left Field: Clayton Bonham-- last year Clayton hit a very respectable .291 and figures to do the same this year. There are high expectations for Clayton as he is only 24 and improvement is expected over last year.

Center Field: Francisco Leon -- Leon was acquired through trade with Cincinnati. Tampa Bay is simply elated to get Leon. They feel he can be their center fielder for years to come. The GM could not say enough nice things about Leon. Now if Leon can stay away from those twinkies and doughnuts, this writer feels he could be a very solid acquisition for Tampa Bay.

Right Field: Clint Helms -- Clint Helms has a career BA of .291 and .363 OBP. Helms production figures to stay the same or increase only slightly. Clint is the third part to an exciting outfield in Tampa Bay. Word is the Tampa GM has said that his outfield could be one of the best in the majors. With some luck and improvement over last year, this writer agrees.

Designated Hitter: Harry Butler -- Butler had a respectable .273 BA and .338 OBP last year. It is the opinion in Tampa Bay that Butler can be a respectable DH given the right opportunities. Butler did not have any protection last year, and with the improved hitting this year hopefully that is something that is not a problem again. This is a make or break year for Butler, as TB may move in a different direction should he not produce as expected.

In speaking with the Tampa Bay GM, clearly they are most prideful and hopeful about their pitching staff. The GM could not stop gushing about their new acquisitions and additions. The GM claims that if his pitching staff holds up through the season that they could easily carry them to the playoffs, possibly through the wildcard. The fans certainly hope so as they are playoff starved in Tampa Bay. It is further mentioned that with this staff, if they do not make the playoffs that the Fire Breathing Dragons may seek a move to another city with a pitching friendly park. For the sake of the Tampa Bay fans, all 16 of them, lets hope this pitching staff delivers

Starting Pitcher (1): Howard Barkley -- In a bold free agent play, Tampa Bay brought in an aging pitcher. The GM does point out that he has great control and good splits. This reporter noted his average to above average ERA and him never having above 14 wins in the majors. Clearly this was a bold move that could back fire quickly for Tampa Bay and their fans. Barkley was unavailable for comment because he insisted on watching the "Raising the Bar" marathon on TNT instead of showing up for this interview. Here is hoping he "Raises the Bar" in Tampa Bay.

Starting Pitcher (2): Ralph Erickson -- In another free agent move, Tampa Bay brings in Erickson as their #2. This is a pitcher who comes from Houston; clearly this is an orphan in need of a good home. In an interview with Erickson he noted the harsh treatment that he received from the Houston GM, most notably his propensity to make fun of Erickson's Dysarthria. Specifically Erickson mentioned this man making fun of his drooling and poor saliva control, rapid speech with a "mumbling" quality, and slurred speech. Tampa Bay's GM says with this harsh treatment came a diminished capacity to perform. He believes with the right treatment and a GM that shows compassion that Erickson can not only overcome his disabilities but produce pitching seasons to rival the best. The TB GM says that the Houston GM should be ashamed of himself for making fun of a man with disabilities and points to such behavior as one of the reasons that he missed the playoffs.

Starting Pitcher (3): Ken Shumpert -- Ken Shumpert is a work in progress. The TB GM practically falls out of his chair when gushing about Shumpert’s abilities. Ken Shumpert has great splits and control, but it is noted that his stamina is a little below what is expected for a starter. Last year he posted a 12-12 record with a 3.95 ERA. However that was with a team that just could not produce the runs to support him. He is expected to post 20 win seasons with production on the offensive side of the ball.

Starting Pitcher (4): Danny Malone -- This is a pitcher that should easily be a number 3 pitcher but with the crowded pitching lineup he is their number 4. With the limited offensive production last year he managed to pitch a 13-10 record with a 5.59 ERA. The TB GM is insistent with the increased emphasis on the offensive side of the ball that his record will come in due time.

Starting Pitcher (5): Craig Doerr - This is a pitcher that the GM has long debated about. The GM has said that he wants to go with a 4-man rotation but isn’t sure that they can handle the increased load, so he is going with a 5-man rotation for now. In comes Craig Doerr and his 5.45 ERA with a .279 OAV. It is this reporter’s opinion that Doerr could be the cog that puts this whole starting rotation together. Craig Doerr is an excellent anchor to the other four. It should be said that Doerr does have below average stamina for a starting pitcher.

Long Relief A: Dave Sanford -- By having a crowded starting rotation Stanford was a casualty of this wealth of talent. He was pushed into the bullpen. Stanford has taken to this with enthusiasm as he has said he wants to bring Tampa Bay their first winning season ever, and if he has to do it in the pen then he is more than willing to showcase his talents there. In two seasons in the majors Stanford has an ERA of 6.15.

Long Relief B: Gregory Hamilton -- Another starting pitching casualty. Although in talking with the TB GM, he mention that Gregory Hamilton may be better off in the bullpen. He pointed to his sky high WHIP and ERA. It is the hope with less innings that this is fixed. Although the GM can not have much confidence in this as he is the #2 Long Relief.

Long Relief B: Anthony Riley -- Riley is has a fierce fireball with a mean slider. It is the TB belief that the change of scenery from starting to relieving that he will have better production. The TB GM also noted that Anthony Riley is not a “team player” and is perpetually obnoxious. Will his behavior worsen with a change to the bullpen or improve? This reporter is noticing a pattern of hoping for better production with a change from starting to the bullpen. Tampa Bay is relying heavily on pitching that is sketchy as starters and making them relievers. This is just another case of that happening.

Setup A: Julio Belliard -- This is a highly questionable move at best. Belliard has the stamina for a long relief or starting pitcher. Although he is making his major league debut this season. The TB GM has mentioned that if Julio Belliard performs well and above expectations that he could move into a bigger role down the road, but right now they want to limit the number of innings he pitches.

Setup B: Jimmie Blasco -- Jimmie brings a lot to the TB bullpen, again this is another pitcher that could be the back end to a rotation in other cities. Blasco’s ERA has been dropping steadily for the past four seasons in the major league and posted a .260 OAV last year. Blasco does make mention that he possibly should be the primary setup. Can Jimmie Blasco be happy with his role in the bullpen and thrive there or will he become discontent and become a distraction?

Closer A: Ralph Montgomery -- There was wild speculation that Ralph Montgomery would be moved in the off-season to improve a pitching staff in need of a overhaul. Luckily for Tampa Bay this was not needed. Ralph Montgomery has all the tools to be an all-star closer and, if given the opportunity, could lead the league in saves. The Tampa Bay GM points to his control and splits, along with his slider and curveball as examples of this. He also noted that Ralph Montgomery posted a 1.85 ERA, .194 OAV, .242 OBP, and 0.94 WHIP. This reported noticed that Ralph Montgomery did not blow a save in 28 opportunities last year. It is my opinion that the TB GM could be right with this kid, given the opportunities Montgomery could lead the league in saves if he can continue with the outstanding numbers he posted last year.

This Tampa Bay club should be much improved over last years .432 record. However, this club has a lot of "ifs." If this, if that. However, with some luck those ifs will happen. Even if only some of them do, it will be an improvement. Tampa Bay is headed in the right direction, and with some luck there will be printing of playoff tickets this year. If not this year, there is always next year. Tampa Bay is lucky to have a GM that wants to succeed and not settle for mediocrity as has been done in the past. Tampa also has the 10th pick in the draft this year along with a supplemental pick in the first round. With this they should be able to start to fill out their minor leagues. Hopefully the GM comes around and does not go for an all or nothing approach to the draft again this year. With a conservative approach over the next few years, Tampa Bay should have success over a long period of time. Now is not the time to gamble. But that is exactly what the Tampa Bay GM has done with a lot of these moves that he has made this off-season. Here is to hopes that they pay off in spades for them. Those 16 fans deserve to see a winner instead of a .432 record.

Name Change in Tampa

At the request of Cbrese a poll was created to help determine the new name of the Tampa franchise. These were all names recommended by the league. Cbrese will change his team name to the team name receiving the most votes. In the case of a tie Cbrese has the right to determine the name between the two tying names.

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes

First off welcome to our four new owners. Hopefully you enjoy the league as much as the rest of the owners.

Vancouver Canadians - The Seattle Pilots are now the Canadians after the departure of long time owner dreyf and the addition of new owner davisbrian. The Canadians franchise has struggled since winning the division is seasons 3 and 4. The team is in really good shape with some solid young talent to build around. Bryan Whitaker, and Jared Herrera are very good young starting pitchers. Vic Lee, Spike Stairs, and Manny Castillo are solid veteran starters. Overall the Canadians starting pitching have the potential to be very good this season. The Canadians have some solid position players. At the ML league level Jesus Quixote and Marty Benoit are the two stand outs. The Canadians farm system is stacked with quite a few guys ready to make the leap to the majors. Stand outs include Tomas Camacho, Gerald Shigetoshi, Christian Gordon, Daniel Pride, Bernard Collier, Billy Montgomery, and Sam Charles. Overall this team has a ton of young talent, and a solid pitching staff. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this team battling for a playoff spot in a relatively short period of time.

Oklahoma City Kevin Durants - The Iowa City Hawkeyes are now the Kevin Durants after the departure of bcbifflefan and the addition of new owner jsholmes. This franchise has been in a decline since season 4. Unfortunately last seasons poor management did more harm than good to the franchise. At the ML level there a few solid players including young starting pitcher Rico Polonia. Their farm system isn’t in great shape, but Harry Lowry should be a good player. Overall this team is going to be a long term project. On the positive side they number 2 pick in the rule V and amateur draft, and a low payroll.

Dover Dung Beetles – dhyatt1080 takes over the team formerly known as the Boston Red Sox. This has been a struggling franchise since the leagues inception. The Beetles do have some really good ML players to build around including Claude Wallace, Vladimir Julio, and Brant Brede. Their farm system is in decent shape with a few guys ready to make the jump to the majors. Their top rated prospects include Douglas Purcell, Bailey Mack, Diego Flores, Duke Gibson, and Max Carreras. Overall the Beetles have some solid young position players to build around.

Jacksonville Beach Bums - bobkordecki takes over the former Nashville Marlins. This has been one of the leagues top teams since its inception. In 8 seasons they have made the playoffs 8 times. They have played in 8 NL championship series, and have 3 NL titles in the past 8 seasons. Hopefully they keep the winning tradition alive in Jacksonville this season.

Other major league changes include the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NL East becoming the Cleveland Indians, and the Dover Stangs becoming the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pre-season Division Favorites (from the polls)

NL North - The Reds seem to be the favorite in the North by a pretty large margin. The back-to-back champion (and last seasons North champs) Cubs didn't get much love from the voters. The up and coming Pirates managed to get a single vote. Nobody seemed to like the Brewers, the team I believe that could be the surprise of the NL this season.
My prediction: Reds

NL East - Not really a shocker here but the 5 time East champion Pork N Beans took the vote by a pretty large margin. The underrated Pirates (formerly the Pirates) managed a few votes. Nobody liked the Ball Hogs or Mets.
My prediction: Pirates

NL South - The Swingers pretty much dominated the vote in the South. The Astros managed to get a decent amount of votes. The big surprise was the Beach Boys (formerly the Marlins) with no votes. This was the same team that made it all the way to the NL championship series last season, and was taken over by an experienced owner. The Heat also finished with no votes.
My prediction: Swingers

NL West - This is the big shocker with the Giants taking the majority of the votes over the Mayhem. The Giants are definitely one of the most talented young teams, but the Mayhem have have been one of the NL's best for quite a while. Since Weo took over the the Mayhem in season 5 they are a perfect 4 for 4 in division titles. The Kevin Durants and Canadians didn't receive any votes.
My prediction: Mayhem

Interview: Firesign of the (new) Cleveland Indians

What were your expectations going into last seasons draft?

Last year in the draft we went heavily addressing the need for starting pitching but there wasn't a lot to choose from, so we went with a good crop of future relievers and addresses future needs at the catcher spot. This year we are hoping to address the starting pitching again and maybe CF.

(Note: Nice 1st pick - Daniel Blackwell)

What about the free agent market this season?

We may delve into the FA market heavily this year which is unlike us.

What are some concerns going into this season?

Whether Ray Luke can handle the new environment. And we are still trying to figure out why Armando Tavarez is sleeping on the mound and classroom.

What changes are expected this season?

A couple things we are look at is finding a replacement for aging vet Hunter Tomlinson which might be Howard Washington as a platoon and figuring out what to do with Rodney Webber .

Why the move from Pittsburgh?

Simple really. Pittsburgh is more or less a pitchers park. The pitchers couldn't pitch to slap hitters and gave up too many home runs at home. That has plagued me for two seasons there. The offense is geared toward power and the pitchers weren't getting any offensive help. Offense hit 88 dingers at home last year and 128 on the road, if they hold and or get better, I expect 150+ at the Jake. If I can find some pitching help, I think I can hold other teams at bay at home and out score them and have a winning season at home for a change.

Other than Cleveland what other cities were you looking at?

My other destinations could have been as the White Sox but wouldn't let me and the last choice was Baltimore where I don't think would have worked. Other than that I had a couple choices that were not MLB parks.

Power Rankings

1. Chicago Cubs - After winning their second World Series title in a row Cubs GM Jose put the team on a controversial training regiment consisting of drum circles, hacky sack, and frolf. As you can see from the photo to the right, taken at the top secret Cubs training facility, Cubs ace Dwight Johnson is ready for victory. Jose also decided to forgo traditional medical treatments for his players in favor of what he calls medicinal marijuana. Even with all the controversy surrounding the Cubs this off season they have to one of the favorites. Even if they dont win #3 they should look sharp in their new tie-dye uni's. (Sorry Jose)

2. Monterrey Corn Dogs - After finishing the regular season with the best record in the league the CDs fell short in the AL championship series against the Slobs. They should again have the top offense in the league.

3. Cincinatti Reds - The Reds. What else is their to say? They will probably put up the best record in the regular season. Yamil Pulido will probably win the CY Young. They will probably have the best era in the league. They will probably get knocked out of the playoffs. (Sorry Erff)

4. Las Vegas Slobs - Consistently one of the best, if not the best teams in the league. One World Series title and one AL title in the last three seasons.

5. Louisville Swingers - Potent offense and solid pitching. Easily as good as any of the teams above them in the rankings.

6. Salt Lake City Multiple Spouses - Knocked the mighty Deuce Droppers out in round one of last seasons playoffs. The MSs have been improving over the past few seasons and should be right there with the Slobs and CDs this season.

7. Jacksonville Beach Boys (formerly the Marlins) - Wouldnt it be nice if the BBs remained one of the best in the NL? The franchise has a new owner, and new team name. Hopefully they can keep the good vibrations going in Jacksonville.

8. Salem Mayhem - The Mayhem put together a great season last year. The Mayhem have consistently been one of the best teams in the NL. Weo is going for division title #5 this season.

9. Atlanta Pork N Beans - If you look up above average in the dictionary it has a picture of the Pork N Beans. Who wants to be above average (as PnBs ace by default Bubba Rose raises his hand)? If the last two seasons are any indication they will start off slow, be below .500 at the mid-point, play well over the second half, and then get knocked out the playoffs in the 1st round.

10. Houston Astros - Last season was a series of high and lows for the Astros. They went from being one of the best with the best record in the NL to out of the playoffs. Maybe they will be able to pull it together this season.

11. Detroit Detroit - John turned this team around. Last season they were they were the number one wild card seed in the AL.

12. Austin Deuce Droppers - The mighty DD's at #12? Maybe they can turn it around this season. Last season they were towards the top of the AL until a late season collapse almost made them miss the playoffs.

13. St. Louis Barracudas - The Barracudas have been consistently good over the last two seasons with 85 wins in seasons 7 and 8. They should be battling for the division this season.

14. San Diego Dirt Bags - The DBs barely missed the playoffs last season, but showed nice improvement. Not quite to the level of the Slobs, but should be battling for a wild card spot.

15. San Francisco Giants - They were the most improved team in the league last season, winning 30 more games than the previous season. Another 30 game improvement and they should be one the best in the NL.