Multiple Spouses Season Preview

The Multiple Spouses are once again pretty strong on offense with a good mix of average, speed and power, but pitching will make or break their season. If the staff can manage to cut the team ERA by .50 or more we should contend for the playoffs.

C
Starter - Don Lee - dependable, decent pitch calling. Will hit for average with some pop
New Spouse Danny Kinney should get about 150 ABs as lee's backup
1B
John Prinz - shown improvement every season in the majors. The Spouse are looking for a .300+ average with 18 - 20 HRs
2B
Yamid Maranon - Maranon quietly keeps putiing up a close to .300 average with a little pop. He'll steal 20 or so bases a year in addition to his excellent deefense
3B
Fred Wilson - Wilson came off the bench when last year's starter got hurt and won himself a job with 48 HRs and a .284 BA
Hayes Casarone - last year's starter can hit and play a steller 3B, but has had injury problems the last two seasons. (83 games total)
SS
Juan Bararas - acquired last season in a trade with Cinncinnati, Bararas has the starter's job because of his defense...any offense is an added bonus. The same applies to his backup, Alex Linton
LF
Marshall Hunter - Hunter ended season 8 in High A. Last season he started off in AAA, where he hit .424 in 132 ABs. He was then called up to the show. All he did there was contend for ROY and steal 94 bases. He looks to improve this season in every facet of his game. Look for over 100 stolen bases.
CF
Jeff Brooks = while hitting 45 HRs and driving in 118 while winning your second straight gold glove, can't really be considered a bad year, it was very dissapointing for Brooks after his MVP season. Brooks is determined to bounce back to match or better his MVP numbers.
RF
Zephyr Roosevelt
As long as Zephyr can ht .300 + with 20+ HRs he'll be in RF for the Multiple Spouses.

Starting Pitching
AJ Davis, RJ Molina, Samuel Martin, Vic Rogers and Clay Griffith are all dependable pitchers who will kepp the team in most games. Unfortunately there is no one you would consider a stopper in the bunch

Bullpen
Brian Baker, Rob Cambridge, Pascual Concepcion, Justin Sadler, Victor Blanco, Gary West, Rigo Pineiro and Earl Miller.
They're dependable, but no one will wow you. The MS are hoping that Miller's excellent sring might finaly mean he's reaching his potential

Projected finish 87 - 75

Internationals Pursued

The Dover Dung Beetles strike quickly in the International market by signing Jumbo Medrano and Alex Ong. According to my scouts, these signings may be minor league rosters fillers. Both have the capability to make a ML roster one day, though unlikely.

The Cleveland Indians signed Vic Santiago. The Indians found a probable future prospect for the ML backup catchers role as Vic was immediately put into the #2 slot and coupled with #1 prospect, Milton Priddy.

Season 10: Houston Astros

After losing the tie breaker for the last Wild Card spot last season the Astros are coming off of their most disappointing season. Management has raised the club's payroll to 98 million from 78 million a year ago showing that they are ready to make a run. The club has completely remodeled their bullpen and bench, they have also added 3 new starters to the lineup and one new starter to the rotation. The Astros chances this season ride on the production of the 3 new comers to the lineup, if they can produce expect the Astros to have the honor of losing the tie breaker again.

Lineup

C: Juan Santiago – Known for a steady bat, Juan will again be the staring Catcher. Although Juan hits for a high average he has never been overly productive, expect management to move him around in an attempt to find his place in the lineup.

1B: Heinie Watkins – After demanding the trade of Rocky Spencer, Heinie is now able to play his natural position. After watching Rocky carry the Reds to their first title the pressure is on Heinie to once again compete for the league MVP.

2B: Pascual Dotel – One of two rookies in the lineup, Pascual hit .321 in 84 Abs last season. The biggest concern with this player is his ability to play 2B.

3B: Russell Relaford – Aquired from Good Will, Russel is returning home. Russel was the current GM’s first ever draft pick and was originally traded for teammate Everett Hill. Russel is expected to produce offensively, but his ability to play 3B is a huge question mark.

SS: Yamid Moraga – Yamid earns his pay with his glove. Yamid has some pop in his bat but is still below average at the plate.

RF: Sid Bryant – The face of the franchise, Sid is now 27 and entering his prime. Sid earned a spot on the All Star team and won the NL Silver Slugger Award in season 9. Coming off of a 30HR/30SB season, the Astros are hoping that Sid can improve on his SB numbers.

CF: Rafael Almanzar - The team expects 40+ Hr and 125+ SO again this season.

LF: Everett Hill - The Astros' revamped lineup depends on Hill. Hill is expected to fill the void left by Rocky Spencer which is a lot to ask of any rookie.

Bench

Erubiel Johnson - Brought in to catch for Jared Herrera. Johnson's role beyond Herrera's ball boy is still a question mark.

Gregory McMillan - Exect McMillian to see some relief time at 1B and C this season.

Alton Turner - A strictly defensive backup SS.

Santos Bolivar - Coming off of a season filled with injuries Santos will see a lot of playing time in the OF thise season. If Pascual Dotel struggles expect to see Santos starting.

Virgil Camacho - A great Utility guy that brings a good glove and a soft bat.

Pitching

SP1: Dan Hitchcock - Returning as the ace of a deep staff its time that everyone's favorite Hitchcock learns how to win. After going 14 and 13 the Astros hope Hitchcock can put together the club's first 20 win season.

SP2: Mel Wagner - Aquired as a part of the Rocky trade last season, Mel proved to be a reliable starter in his time with the Astros. The World's all time SO leader many don't expect Mel to win 15 games this season.

SP3: Willie Espinosa - Another quality starter still trying to learn how to win. This fireballer hopes to improve on his 10 and 10 record last season.

SP4: Jared Herrera - After bringing in Jared's ball boy the Astros expect him to return to his Season 8 form.

SP5: Dick Reed - By signing veteran Dick Reed the Astros accompished two things. They were able to snag a SP from a division rival with a one year deal, and they were able to honor the memory of George Carlin by becoming the first baseball team ever to have a Dick, a Hitchcock, and a Heinie. Dick hopes to challenge Benji Campos for the title of best #5 SP in the World this season.

LRA: Eric Dawkins - Perhaps the Astros best starter last season Eric is assigned to the pen in a desperate attmept to improve last season's biggest weakness. Eric should still get his fair share of starts this season.

SetUpA: Mickey Frazier - The first of the Astros army of setup me, Frazier is expected to improve this season.

SetUpA: Danny Hennessey - Aquired along with Russell Relaford in an offseason trade, Danny has been stellar the last two seasons with Texas. If he is half as good with the Astros he will be a huge boost for them.

Setup B: Raymond Marte - Aquired in the Astros latest trade, Raymond is expected to provide veteran leadership for the young guys in the bullpen.

Setup:B Freddy Tanaka - Tanaka struggled in his rookie campaign, the Astros hope this young arm continues to improve.

Closer: Vinny Post - Like Lil Wayne, Vinny Post is the Fireman. Coming off of his best season in the Majors the Astros signed Vinny to a big money deal but will still have no problem pulling him as Closer in favor of Danny Hennessey .

Mopup: Jorge Navarro - The second of the Astros' two spite signings this offseason, Jorge accepted a one year 8 million dollar deal just like his Jacksonville teammate Dick Reed . The Astros don't expect Jorge to play at all this season if everything goes well.


Season Outlook: Expect Everett Hill to flop, hitting .230 with 40 HR 90 RBI and 200 SO. The Astros are still clearly the 3rd best team in the NL South, so expect 90-95 wins and another season of having the best record to not make the playoffs.

Milestone: 3000 Strikeouts

Mel Wagner:
Strikeouts - 1519
Doubtful considering his age. He is 33.

Yamil Pulido:
Strikeouts - 1509
Could be close. He is 29, so if you project 7 more seasons at 225Ks per he would reach 3000.

Santiago Manto:
Strikeouts - 1466
Same as Wagner. Doubtful.

Milestone: 500 Homeruns

Roosevelt Stevenson:
HR - 475
Stevenson should be the first player to reach any of the major milestones. He is projected to reach 500 HRs around the midpoint of this season. He has an outside shot at reaching 600 HRs.

Omar Nixon:
HR - 456
Nixon should be the 2nd player to reach a major milestone. He is projected to reach 500 HRs towards the end of this season. He has a good chance at 600 HRs.

William Hernandez:
HR - 417
Hernandezs HR total dropped rather significantly last season, and his power rating is declining. Considering his age and decline in power it will be close.

Harry Delgado:
HR - 388
Delgado has a slim chance at reaching 500. His chances depend heavily on how the Deuce Droppers (Fightin Armadillos) decide to use him. Last season he only got 318 ABs with the Pork N Beans.

Can the NL South Champs Finally Get Past the NL North?

Louisville Swingers

Can the Louisville Swingers once again return to prominence and follow up with their 5th straight 100+ win season and playoff invitation? Bench Coach Lonnie Ward and his staff will once again be up to the challenge in the ever increasing NL South.

They will return the same starting 8 and will have an even deeper bench than last season with the addition of Dee O'Brien. Another question will be if they starting rotation will be able to recover from losing Cam Anderson, their number 2 in the rotation last year. They will replace him with either Donald Tanaka, Jose Crespo, Leonardo Evans or Benji Campos, all of whom who have started last year or in their past.

Starting Eight

C- Vicente Unamuno Vicente will return for his 5th Season behind the plate. He will look for another season of .300+ batting avg and .400+ Obp.

1B- Miguel Franco will return as the starting 1B while spending some time as well down the RF and LF lines. He will look for his 1st 50+ HR season. He will move to the clean-up role and provide some much needed fire power.

2B- Albert Johnson will return to 2B and hopes to return to finally hit the .400 avg barrier for the 1st time in his career as well as regaining his MVP status.

SS- Dustan Daneker returns to captain of the infield. He hope to regain his form from two years ago when he hit .300.

3B- Mandy Lowe will return to his spot on the corner bag. He looks to duplicate his same performance from last season.

RF- Shigetoshi Ramirez is looking forward to finally staying in a place for more than two seasons. Staying in one place last year led to a career season down the RF line.

CF- Edgardo Castillo will once again roam the gaps in the OF. Following a slightly down year in production, the Swingers help for a healthy productive year from their All Star CF.

LF- Clarence Mathewson is a 40 HR 140 RBI player in the last year of his contract. He will be counted on once again to lead the team in power and offense.

Replacements

C- Achilles Shannon
2B- Dee O'Brien
SS- Nick Ramirez
LF- Sammy Ayala
CF- Derek Snow

Pitchers

The Swingers look to return one of the top staff's in the league. Their starting crew will be tops in the league and look for all 10+ seasons for all. The Staff also returns top closer Santiago Mangual and a stellar set up staff. They will look to lead to another 100 win season.

Starters

SP1- Paulie Sanders will once again try for the Cy Young. As the ace of the staff, Paulie will try for 20 wins and lead the staff to the playoffs.

SP2- Pasqual Martinez will work to replace the gap from Cam Anderson. Added mid season and then injured, hopefully he will come back strong.

SP3- Stuart Post will once again provide strong quality starts for his team. If he can once again do what he did the last couple of seasons, the Swingers will once again be playoff contenders.

SP4- Jose Crespo will look to return as a strong #4 starter. He will look to step up and take control of the league.

SP5- Benji Campos will look to return to last years form. If he can keep his era in the mid 4's he will be the best #5 in the league

Bullpen

LR- Leonardo Evans
LR- Alex Figureoa
LR- Donald Tanaka
LR- Tommy Cameron

SU- Jose Benitez
SU- Carlos Seguignol

CL- Santiago Mangual

Outlook- The Swingers will once again contend for a NL playoff spot. Providing a healthy season, this team should be in position for another run at the WS. Losing a 2-0 lead in the NLCS was heart breaking but the pitching will be one season better and the position players are ready to fight. If all goes well, you may see a Louisville banner at the end of the season.

Meet The Injun Night

Injun management has been pouring over statistics all off-season trying to figure out what went wrong last season and how to fix the problems. The answers are very elusive but spring training may have shed some light on part of the problem already. The biggest problem was hitting and pitching, ok..ok.., so those problems belong to everyone. Well, may have solved the pitching problem. The answer to the home hitting woes has eluded me for three years now and will probably be another year of the same as I haven't really uncovered the answer. The move to Cleveland should have solved the hitting problem but in reality made it worse. But we believe in our intrepid endeavors that there isn't a problem to solve, just unlucky. In the meantime, meet the Injuns.

C - Dean Hill, Rule 5 pickup
1B - Rodrigo Gonzales, 3rd full season.
2B - Jae Dong, 2nd full season.
3B - Hideki Huang, 3rd full season.
SS - Howard Washington, 2nd full season.
RF - Karim Quevedo, rookie.
CF - Giovanni Jackson, 4th full season.
LF - Albert Tapies, 6th full season.

Bench:
Hunter Tomlinson, all purpose vet who will retire at the end of the season.
Harry Brock, all purpose OF and may start over Quevedo.
Hawk Bates or Thomas Baxter as backup catcher, management has yet to decide and it could be neither and could be traded.
Rookies, Tony Brown, Don Webster and veteran Max Crede are also fighting for a spot.

SP: As for the pitchers one or more may not make the opening day roster.
Ray Luke
Ozzie Chang
Garry Magnusson
Hub Strange
Victor Guerrero
Elston Bush
Wilson House
Randy Halladay

Relievers:
Kenneth Buckley
Quilvio Olivares
Lawrence Dawkins
Tomas Saez
Max Lee

Closer:
Kory Governale

Fighting for spot:
Daniel Blackwell

No Matter Where You Go, There You Are: Cubs Season 10 Preview

Old school Gammons style

Season 9 Finish: 101-61, second place (-12), defeated Salem in Div., play in series (3-0), lost to WS Champ Cincinnati in NL Div. Champ. Series (3-2)

Offseason Transactions: Made several cost cutting moves to pare payroll, get younger and bolster a depleted farm system. Traded Mendy Hughes for Davey Valdes, Don Bell for Julio Alvarez, Cooper Benes for Mule Hernandez, Posiedon Warden and cash for Donne Garland and Dan Leary. Made no major FA acquisitions.

Rookies and Other Strangers: Rookie RP Luis Bonilla, SP Alex Ayala, and 2B Pedro Amaral should all see significant time in season 10. LRP Turner Hughes, Cubs all-time leader in wins, has been brought in for an extended look in spring training.

Major Spring Training Questions: The Cubs enter spring training with something to prove. Questions linger about windows closing, but that mostly has to do with other teams getting better, while the Cus jettisoned some of their older vets to get younger. The cubs lineup remains formidable, as stalwarts Tony Suarez, Joey Tracy, Juan Castro are once again leaned on to provide 120-140 HR and close 400 RBI. IF the Cubs get anything resembling the MVP performance submitted last year by Brett Kinney, and IF Jacob Yoshii can build on his rookie campaign and replace Warden's OBP, the Cubs will score runs in bunches. Defensively, the Cubs remain near the top of the NL.

Major questions revolve around the pitching staff. At 35 and entering a contract year, does Dwight Johnson have anything left? Can Xavier Hart make the leap from good to great? Will Douglas Baker make the most of his first real opportunity in the rotation? The answer will have to be yes to all three if the Cubs expect to contend.

The bullpen is thinner than previous years, but expectations are high on rookie Bonilla to help contribute right away. The Cubs expect Jorge Padilla to bounce back from an off year, and re-signed Vicente Lopez, who has pitched big innings that past 2 season and submitted a sub 2 ERA, to anchor the pen. Expect either rookie Ayala or Garland to start the year in the pen to add depth. If they struggle, look for the Cubs to make a move to add a few pieces mid-season.

This is an interesting year for the Cubs - the team still relatively young, but the NL should be the strongest its ever been. The Cubs believe they can compete and still win another WS with the team constructed the way it is, but that may change as the year goes on.

Season 10 Team Song: "What If?" (Creed)

Season 10 Prediction: 100 - 62, second place

The Royals fans are excited after the Royals had their first winning season since season 2 and their best record since the 117 win team in season 1. After a disappointing loss in the wild card round last season the Royals are looking to take it to the next level. Anything less than a playoff series victory would come as a disappointment after adding Sanders, Dong, & Bunch from the Austin Franchise at the cost of some highly touted prospects. With the pressure on and the element of surprise gone, the Royals expect to make the playoffs with 90-95 wins and probably as a wild card again. Here is your season 10 Kansas City Royals by position.

C - Wascar Sanchez will man the tools of ignorance again this season. He was an All Star at the position last season and should be in the running for years to come. Hector Campbell is the backup. He is good enough where there was some thought to letting him start. Sanchez' bat said no.

1B - Dallas Payton will move from leftfield to man firstbase. He had MVP like numbers last season and we can expect more of the same from him.

2B - Spud Hoyt will start at secondbase. Spud had an off year last season and the team hopes that he will return to form this year. If it wasn't for the great season the team had I would be more concerned about his production. I believe spud will see an All Star game or two before his career is done.

3B - Charlie Stone will start at thirdbase. He was an All Star last season at the position and management had intended to move him to SS this season. Since Fernandez also made the All Star team he will remain at 3rd for now. There may not be enough room on the guys mantle for all his awards when his career is through.

SS - Oswaldo Fernandez will start at shortstop. He was an All Star last season after being only expected to warm the spot for Stone. The Royals expect a solid contribution from him again, but I think an All Star repeat is a stretch.

LF - Ramon Dong will start in leftfield. The Royals expect what Dong has done pretty much all his career. He will be an on-base machine and could approach 50 doubles in Kansas City. Management think hes a perfect fit.

CF - Sidney Kotsay is the starting centerfielder. He was an All Star last season and the Royals expect he will be in the running at the position once again. After signing a 2 year contract, pressure is on management to sign him to an extension.

RF - Kyle Forster will start in rightfield. He was aquired late last season from St.Louis and may be an All Star or at least in the running with a full season this year.

DH - John Bang/Art Peters will share the DH spot this season. Either could start full time and probably post All Star numbers. Bang will get lefties and Peters will get the righthanders. The two combined for 22hrs 136rbis & 350.+ avg. last season. The Royals expect more of the same this year.

SPs - Rico Dali, Victor Guzman,Chad Sanders, & Frank Kim form a solid and young rotation anchored by the vet Sanders. The Royals are expecting 12-15 wins out of each.

LR/Spot Starters - Fernando Gonzalez & Orlando Delgado will be the long relievers and get a start now and then. Delgado may have an all star game in his future and Gonzalez is consistent.

Bullpen - Louis Bunch & Bill Roth will be the setup men. Both are solid, durable, veteran relievers. Miguel Owen will return as closer and hopes to duplicate the season he had last year. (He was an All-Star)

Bench - Duke Crawford, Ruben Reyes, Francis Guerrero, & Thomas Schmidt form a useful and great hitting bench. Guerrero & Schmidt could probably start somewhere and it'll be tough to see them have to ride the pine.

The Royals are excited about the upcoming season but are prepared for a battle. With strong teams like New York, Toronto, Monterrerey, and Vegas in the way and still the teams to beat, the Royals will have their work cut out for them. Kansas City expects to return as a wild card and hopes to advance beyond that first series.

Pirates Season 10

Season 10 began with the Pirates Management wanting to address a couple of weaknesses from Season 9. The first was the bullpen. Season 9 started off well right up to the all star break, the team was with 5 games of the final wild card spot.

Then the wheels fell off, the bullpen blew up and management was forced to

overwork their starting pitching and draw straws to see if anybody could do a decent job in the set

up role in the bullpen. Although missing out on 2 big name free agents this year: Cam Anderson

and Bryan McDowell, the Pirates managed to add a few pieces, that will hopefully strengthen the

bullpen and in turn the rotation. Still have holes at 3B, CF, and 2B. This season will just try and

piece it together. Anyway here is the Pirates starting lineup by position for season 10:

C: Raymond Strong will try to get him 145 games this year. Tony Castilla will backup

1B: Hong-Jin Perez acquired from Detroit. Willie Lopez will fill in when necessary.

2B: Jamie Xaio veteran FA signing. Ricardo Cela will see some time at 2B and CF.

SS: Matt Wise had a nice season 10.

3B: Felipe Ontiveros another veteran FA signing.

LF: Juan Carrasquel will bat 4th.

CF: Efrain Yoshii future SS for the Pirates. Oswaldo Guillen will see some time in CF and in the infield.

RF: Paul Rushford was a major disappointment in season 9.

Pirates Pitching rotation for season 10:

SP1: Kent Heredia a workhorse counting on a big season

SP2: Byung-Hyun Pan had a nice season after coming over from St. Louis

SP3: Tim Loewer will get try to 25 to 30 starts out of him

SP4: Jimmie Torres would like to give him one more season in the minors

SP5: Patrick Counsell got his feet wet in season 9, season 10 hopefully will see some gains.

Mop: Jeff Dalesandro mop up, long relief and maybe the odd start.

LR: Darin Berry long relief, the odd start

LR: Jared Hampton Long relief and possibly starting

SU: Geraldo Rosa This seasons rule 5 draft pick.

SU: Matty Guardado came over in a trade with Philadelphia along with Efrain Yoshii.

SU: Albert Villafuerte FA signing will set up and close when Corranodo needs rest.

CL: Andres Coronado had a great rookie season

Still undecided about the final two roster spots should be sorted out by the end of spring training.

Bullpen should be a lot stronger in season 10. Still have some holes but, overall team depth has

improved each year since taking over this team. Pirates Management will be on the lookout for

another frontline SP as teams fall out of the race and decide to dump contracts later in the season.

Pirates management hopes to stay within 5 games of a wildcard spot this season and if this happens

will add players through trade for a final push.

NL Predictions

NL West:
Poll Prediction: Mayhem
My Prediction:
1. Salem Mayhem - The Salem Mayhem has dominated the West for the past 5 seasons. I don’t see that changing in season 10. They were able to add a solid SP in Esteban Torres. The addition of Torres should help out the Mayhem who ranked 11th in team ERA last season. Last season: 1st
2. Scottsdale Pepperjackets – The Peppers have been quiet on the trade front. They have a lot of solid young talent like Vin Veras, Bey Lynch, Matt Pierce, Lonny Waltman, and Ugueth Cruz. Their rotation appears to be a little too weak right now to compete for a division title. They did sign the legendary Cookie Almanza to a one year deal. He should be a solid addition to their rotation. Last season: 2nd
3. Vancouver Canadians – Although it probably won’t impact them this season the Canadians are more than likely going to lose at least 4 solid players in the rule V draft due to some doodling, and general diddling. There is a lesson to be learned here, dont doodle or diddle before the rule V draft. The Canadians did add Mendy Hughes in a trade with the Cubs. He should be solid out of the pen, and be a big boost to a team that only converted 53% of their save opportunities last season. Last season: 4th
4. Oklahoma City Kevin Durants – Jsholmes did a great job last season with the Kevin Durants last season. This is a project team though that needs a few more seasons. Last season: 3rd

NL South:
Poll Prediction: Swingers
1. Houston Astros – I’m going with the upset here. The Astros may be the most talented team in the league. If they don't make the playoffs this season KJD should be forced to retire. They probably have more pitching depth than any other team in the league. They added SP’s Dick Reed and Jorge Navarro through free agency. They were able to add Russell Relaford and Danny Hennessey through trade. Hennessey should be a nice addition to a bullpen that was medicore last season. Relaford is projected to start at 3B. You got to wonder if he has the glove to play 3rd. Last season: 3rd
2. Louisville Swingers – One of the NL’s elite teams. The loss of Cam Anderson could be big for the Swingers. He was one of the NLs top pitchers last season. They still have Albert Johnson, arguably the leagues most talented position player. There still a 100+ win team. Last season: 1st
3. Jacksonville Beach Boys – The Beach Boys lost SP’s Reed and Navarro to the Astros. They were able to add starter Cam Anderson from the Swingers. The loss of Reed and Navarro may be too big of a hit to their rotation to overcome. Then again with Omar Elcano and Anderson at the top of the rotation it may not be as bad as it seems. Last season: 2nd
4. Santa Fe Heat – Santa Fe doesn’t appear to have the talent to compete with the Astros, Beach Boys, or Swingers this season. They do have a solid farm system stacked with some very good young players though. The Heat have the potential to be a very good team in a few seasons. Last season: 4th

NL East:
Poll Prediction: Pork N Beans
1. Cleveland Indians – Another upset. The Indians started out really strong last season, but faded as the season progressed. They have a lot of solid young talent. There bullpen is a bit weak though. Last season: 2nd
2. Atlanta Pork N Beans – There is enough info in the preview. Not much to say, they have dominated the East for 6 seasons. This is probably the season they fall. Last season: 1st
3. Trenton Ball Hogs – Trenton has improved each of the last two seasons. They were able to add a very good OF in Vin Ibanez from a trade with the Deuce Droppers. Don Bell could be a nice addition to their rotation if he returns to his season 8 form. Last season: 3rd
4. New York Mets – It’s only a matter of time before the Mets turn the corner. They have quite a few talented young prospects. Last season: 4th

NL North:
Poll Prediction: Reds
1. Cincinnati Reds – The North is arguably the leagues toughest division , but there is no reason to think the season 9 champs are going to fall from the top in season 10. The Reds added some solid vets in Posiedon Warden, Doug Cambridge, Tommy Johnson, and Jimmie Bergman. (I hate the Deuce Droppers, I refuse to call them the Fightin Armadillos after trading Bergman and Cambridge to the Reds J/K.) I predict another championship this season. Last season: 1st
2. Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers improved significantly last season over their relatively dismal season 8. This off season they added some solid vets in Cooper Benes and Wes Kelly to go along with some very talented young players. The Brewers have a ton of solid young pitchers like Joaquin Villano, Tomas Camacho, and Edgard Espinosa. They have the potential to be one of the leagues best teams. Last season: 3rd
3. Chicago Cubs – The two time champs were really active this off season. Luis Jose was the teams most significant addition. They have the talent to win the division and a championship, but their window of opportunity may be closing. Last season: 2nd
4. Pittsburgh Pirates – This shows how good the NL North is. The Pirates are stacked. Last season they were over .500 for most of the season before falling off late. They have the potential to be a very good team in a season or two. Last season: 4th

Pork N Beans Season Preview

The Pork N Beans enter season 10 with high expectations. After winning their 6^th division title in a row in season 9, but again failing to progress past the 1^st round of the playoffs management decided to address their biggest weakness – starting pitching. Veterans Britt Swindell and Russell Spence from the Deuce Droppers (fightin’ armadillos) were added at the expense of two solid pitching prospects. The additions of Swindell and Spence should improve upon the teams mediocre starting pitching. The PnBs also added veteran 2B Jim Edmonds. The real question is will this be enough to surpass the NLs elite teams like the Reds, Cubs and Swingers.

C - Max Lima - Last seasons gold glove winning catcher is back. Minor injuries last season limited him to 437 ABs, but he still managed to hit 33 HRs, and 99 RBIs. His pitch calling is weak and he struggles against RH pitchers, but he still one of the better catchers in the NL.

1B - Zoltan Mercedes - Last seasons MVP. He hopes to add a 2^nd MVP title this season.

2B - David Colin and Raymond Neal - Colin and Neal are expected to platoon at 2B with Colin getting the majority of the ABs against RH pitchers, and Neal against LH pitchers. Colin is a little better defensively and little more consistent at the plate. Neal has great speed.

SS - Vernon Rooney - One the NLs top SS. Solid defensively and at the plate.

3B - Jim Edmonds - Edmonds is scheduled to start at 3B. He struggled some last season. Hopefully he can return to his season 8 form.

LF - Junior Bocachica - In his 1^st full season in the majors Junior hit 34 HRs and 103 RBIs. Hopefully he can improve upon that in season 10.

CF - David Colin and Pedro Fernandez - Colin and Fernandez are expected to split time in CF. Fernandez was on fire in the early part of last season, but really cooled off as the season progressed. Colin will shift to CF against RH pitchers. Last season he dealt with some minor injuries and a slow start. When Fernandez started struggling at the plate around the midpoint of last season he took over in CF.

RF - David Guardado - Guarardo was horrible last season. After seeing dramatic improvements in season 8, Guarardo struggled in season 9. Hopefully he can return to his season 8 form.

Bench:

Vince Fyhrie - Backup catcher who only plays when fatigue necessitates that Lima rest.

Maximo Starr - Power hitter who strikes out too much. He should see some time at 3B, and RF.

Slash Kroeger - Every day player last season who will be used in a utility role this season.

Starting Pitchers:

1. Bubba Rose - Not really the teams ace but management is loyal to Bubba since he was the teams 1^st draft pick. Won his first pitcher of the week award last season. Expect 15 wins, with an era around 4.
2. Britt Swindell - Won his 3^rd, and most likely final CY Young last season. Hopefully he can adjust to the NL.
3. Russell Spence - Struggled a bit last season. Still he was better than most of the PnBs starters last season.
4. Gary Wyatt - Won his first pitcher of the week last season. Solid in the regular season, horrible in the playoffs.
5. Michael Ming - Managements hopes that Ming will be anything more than a mediocre pitcher are beginning to diminish. He did show some potential over the 2^nd half of last season though.

Bullpen:

Long Reliever A - Max White - Forced to start a few games last season due to the PnBs pathetic rotation. Solid out of the pen.

Long Reliever B - Aaron Ohka - Way over paid. Ohka was forced to start a few games last season due to the PnBs pathetic rotation. Solid out of the pen.

Setup A - Willard Farley - One of the leagues best setup men.

Setup B - Heath O'Brien - Gets the job done. Started off last season 7 – 0 before cooling off.

Setup B - Joey Henderson - Poor stamina and durability limits him to about 40 innings a season.

Setup B - Rick Dickson - Called up late last season. Pitched extremely well in AAA in seasons 8 and 9. Poor durability limits his innings.

Setup B - Groucho Rogers - He pitched extremely well in AAA and the majors last season.

Closer - Dan Stearns - He should be one of the NLs top closers this season.

Reds Finally Win One

Congratulations to the Reds on winning their first World Series title.