Friday, November 30, 2007

It's on like Donkey Kong

May 13-15, 2011: Los Angeles Scorpions at River Cities Sternwheelers: Two teams, one will leave with control of the Zotti League.

Are you ready, Nate? Because I sure am. Get ready to see the past, present, and future of Scorpion hegemony sweep through the River Cities like a flood.

Meet the new Covington players...

Major Leaguers:
2B James Grimes
C Nicholas Cornwall
SP Dominic Hall
1B Stanley Raabe
MR Duane Doyle

Prospects:
LF Charles Sallee
SP Glen Mitchell
MR Victor Valles
SP Michael Sanders

Sim 3: Who uploaded?

Seattle
Saskatoon
Hickory
Houston
River Cities
Los Angeles
New York
Walla Walla
Danville

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Sorry, no sim last night

I had a family emergency to take care of and so, there was no sim last night. We'll try again for tonight... so you have an extra day to send me your changes.

Zev

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Bill Johnson heads north

The Los Angeles Scorpions have announced the trade of backup 3B Bill Johnson to Seattle. "Bill is a good guy, but he hasn't helped us at all this year," owner/GM Michael Weintraub stated. "We're trying to win a championship here, not run a charity."

Johnson has struggled this year, after losing his job as the Scorpion's starting 3B late last season. "I don't know what's happened," the 36-year old switch hitter said. "I know I can still play."

Johnson only hit .125 this season, including 0-7 as a pinch hitter. Spencer Solomon was called up from AAA Arizona Bay to take Johnson's spot on the roster as the backup infielder.

Weintraub stated that the team's strong start wasn't good enough, and jettisoning both third basemen was hopefully the fire that needed to be lit under the team. Struggling prospect Christian Sitton was also optioned to Arizona Bay in the latest flurry of movements.

In return for Johnson, Los Angeles received low minors catcher Bo Harlow and Seattle's 11th round pick in the 2012 amateur draft.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Cecil Cup Winner Moves to Danville

Cecil Cup star Peter Bird was shipped from Seattle to Danville today in exchange for a third round pick in next year's draft and career A-ball player Emilio Beauvais. Seattle Owner/GM Mack Shultz flew back from his island mansion to make the announcement personally.

"Peter has been a huge part of our team's success and was perhaps the key to winning our two championships," said Shultz. "In 2009, he shut down River Cities in Game 7 to win the title. In fact, he threw 14.2 shutout innings that year. Last year, even though he had been moved to the bullpen, he came in in a critical spot and hurled 2.2 perfect innings in relief. We literally couldn't have done it without him."

In the three years from 2008 to 2010, Bird posted a 42-20 record for the Monarchs. This year, however, Bird has seen limited duty, coming exclusively out of the Seattle bullpen. "As much as I loved my time in the Emerald City, I'm looking forward to getting more opportunities to pitch. In fact, Danville's owner has indicated that I may get to go back into the starting rotation. I'm excited and look forward to helping Danville dig out from its current sixth-place position," said Bird.

Beauvais probably could have been reached for comment, but no one cared to try.

Monday, November 26, 2007

I am your new Covington Owner

Hello there everyone,

My name is Jeremy Goldman, and I am the new owner of Covington.

I am ready to make this franchise something great and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it great.

If you are interested in helping me out (and yourself) I am looking for prospects. My team is not good now, but with your help it will be in a few seasons.

My e-mail is: jgoldman99@yahoo.com
My AIM is: jsg3c
My yahooIM is the same as the e-mail

Hope to hear from you soon.

Jeremy

PS I will be moving the team soon...need a fresh start!!!!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Sim 2; Who uploaded?

Everybody!!!

Just some notes: some players made some claims on Covington players that the computer put on waivers. While I wasn't going to stop anyone from doing so officially as commissioner, I wasn't crazy about the further deconstruction of the team. As a result, I used my position not as commissioner, but as the team with the worst record (hey, the 2-11 start actually worked out for something) to put in a claim on some Covington players. However, anyone that I get (I got one player) will not be placed on my major league roster and will be given back to Covington once a new owner is found. (While I can't just give a player away, he'll be traded for a nobody prospect).

As it turns out, Nate put me in touch with one of the owners in his league and he has expressed interest in taking over the Covington team. I'll be emailing him later today and hopefully the "sale" can be closed in the next few days. Since the measures proposed passed a majority vote, I'll be implementing them before the next sim.

Lastly, on a personal note, I'm glad to see that my team went 8-4 this sim, to get us out of the cellar.

Next sim next Wednesday.

Have a happy Turkey Day everyone!

Zev

Monday, November 19, 2007

Covington -- final proposal

Of the six proposals put forward in the last round, it looks like the clear winners are proposals 1 (creating some average "now" players), 2 (creating some prospects) and 4 (cutting existing contracts). Of the eight people who expressed an opinion in the last thread, three chose this very combination, while all parts of it received over 50%, so I think this is the way to go.

When asked how many "now" players to create, the results ranged from 4 to 6. So, five is probably the best way to go.

When asked how many prospects to create, the range went from three to "four to nine." Since most people said four, that would probably be the best way to go.

When asked about cutting contracts, half responded to cut them in half and half by a third.

So, that being said, here's the proposal to be voted on. If it fails, I will listen to suggestions on re-crafting it.

In order to increase the attractiveness of the Covington franchise to new owners and to make it competitive again, we will enact the following:

1. The creation of five players at the major league level. These players will be, on average 2 star players. They will be created at random positions with the proviso that no two of the same non-pitching position will be created.

2. Four minor league prospects (about four-star) will be created. These will be created at random positions.

3. The annual salaries of the following players will be cut by 33%:

SS Lincoln Rosetti ($14.25m to $9.4m)
1B Russell Powell ($12.3m to $8.1m)
CF Samuel Santos ($7.5m to $5m)
SP Andrew Crank ($6.2m to $4.1m)
RF Nelson Broman ($4m to $2.7m)

The lengths of the contracts will not change.

4. The Brooklyn franchise will have it's 2-11 beginning wiped from the books. (OK, I'm kidding about this one).

So, that's it. Please let me know if you approve of the proposal and if the majority of you approve, we'll go ahead, implement it, and begin recruiting.

As usual, any and all comments and suggestions are welcome.

Zev

Friday, November 16, 2007

Sim Schedule

Sim 2 (and subsequent Sims) will be on Wednesday nights...

... until Lost starts in February.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

What The Hell Happened?

I thought my team was pretty good. Maybe I could catch Seattle, maybe not. But who would have guessed that after 13 games I'd be 2-11?? Can I blame it on injuries? Did Beau Manning blow out a lung? Did Miguel Cuesta suddenly burst a brain vessel? No, not quite.

It's like everyone just stopped playing well. Manning is hitting .191., Turek .228, Cuesta .204. Only Collazo, at .304, is hitting for a decent average.

And the rotation is no better! Did Setliff's arm fall off? He's 0-2, 10.39 and 2.77 WHIP! Delvalle is mired at 0-2, 6.55. Siple's been pitching OK, but apparently has no support.

Sigh. It's gonna be a long season.

Sim 1: Who uploaded?

Denver
Houston
Seattle
Saskatoon
Los Angeles
River Cities
Walla Walla
New York

Covington -- some proposals

OK, we've had some general discussion about what to do with Covington which produced some good ideas. Now, I'd like to take some of these ideas and make them more concrete. In other words, let's go from vague generalities to specifics.

So far, most of the suggestions that we have boil down into four suggestions. We can do only one, or some combination of them. The four major categories of suggestion are:

1. Give Covington some (five? six? eight?) newly-created major leaguers of middling skill (2 star? 2.5?)

1a. Give other teams that finished under .500 some of the same players, the number of which will be dependent on how far under .500 they finished.

2. Give Covington some (three? four? ten?) minor league prospects of the four and/or five star variety.

2a. Make a provision that allows each of the other existing teams to create one five star prospect when the team finishes in last place. This option can only be used once per team and not by Covington at all (since they're getting multiple prospects now).

3. An expansion-style draft where each team will end up losing one player from it's major league roster (how many players can each team protect?) Would this happen during the season? Is that fair to owners who have already planned their teams? After the season (and if so, how can we keep a Covington owner interested *this* season?)

4. Renegotiate some of Covington's contracts. Knock down the contracts of Rosetti, Powell, Santos & Crank by a certain percentage (25%? 33%? 50%)? (Side note: knock those contract down enough and they become very attractive as trade bait.)

So, what's your opinion on these proposals. I'd like to know how each of you feels these proposals should be implemented -- specifically. Consider it like a ballot -- cast your vote on each of the four ideas. From this, I'll put forth a proposal that we can vote on for final approval.

If you're not sure of what I mean, see the comments for this post, where I'll cast my vote.

Zev

2011 Seattle Monarchs Season Preview

The Seattle Monarchs eagerly look forward to the 2011 season, believing that they go in as the favorites to win the Cecil Cup and become the second team to win three straight titles. The following is a brief look at the team, its goals and aspirations for the season, and how the Mighty Monarchs were formed.

Starting Pitching:

The starting rotation is led by five-star studs Chad Nelligan (2009 trade from Hickory) and Christopher Hester (2004 3rd round pick). Nelligan is the defending Outstanding Pitcher of the Year with his second sub-2.00 ERA in the last three years and both Nelligan and Hester are coming off 23-6 seasons. The third starter is Isidro Frau (2008 trade from Danville), who has a combined 3.11 ERA over his two seasons. The fourth starter is the returning Albert Garcia (2011 free agent), who is 38 but has posted an ERA under 3.00 for seven consecutive years. The fifth starter will be Isaac Diehl (2009 trade from Covington), who went 14-4 with a 3.65 ERA last year. The spot starter will once again be Kevin Stephens (38th round pick in inaugural draft), who had a bad 2010 campaign but still sports a career 3.76 ERA.

The minor leagues feature several prospects destined for major league rotations. Joseph Macaluso (2007 2nd round pick), slated for the Monarchs' rotation before Garcia was signed, is expected to make his major league debut this year and will be the fifth starter in the majors if Garcia slips. Allen Reuter (2011 trade from Walla Walla) is the #19 prospect and is coming on fast. Roger Painter (2011 4th round pick) leads a group of three other top 100 prospects that includes Jaime Cruz (2011 2nd round pick) and Josue Folch (2010 3rd round pick). Hopefully, at least one of them will take a step forward.

Relief Pitching:

Seattle's relief corps, which was likely the strongest in the league last year, is in the a state of flux. Seattle lost mainstay Mark Deschamp in the offseason deal that brought in Reuter and, more recently, closer Samuel Contreras to a season-ending injury. But the Monarchs will simply reload, tapping into their minor league system for replacements.

At the back of the bullpen, Timothy Vallejo (2003 5th round pick) will return to closing duties. Vallejo, one of the best left-handed relievers in the game, had been the primary set-up man the last three years. He has amassed a 44-24 career record, with 83 saves and a 2.54 ERA. Willie Sewell (29th round pick in inaugural draft) becomes the primary set-up man, coming off an 8-3, 1.72 ERA campaign in 2010.

Beyond Vallejo and Sewell, the bullpen will feature a group of talented arms in a shifting array of roles. Peter Bird (2008 trade from Walla Walla) is the veteran of the group, having been moved from the starting rotation during the off season. Merlin Bohon (2005 trade from River Cities) and Wesley Elton (2006 4th round pick), both highly touted prospects, will break camp with the team and be given the opportunity to shine. Michael Toyoharu (2011 Rule 5 draft) is one of the top relief prospects and appeared to take significant steps forward during spring training.

In the minors, Harry Johnson (2009 4th round pick) has seen his ERA inflated during his brief career by unusually high BABIP but will be the first to join the majors should one of the existing arms falter. Seattle also features an array of young arms with potential, such as closer Jeff Flory (2011 7th round pick).

Infield:

The infield starters are clearly set for the 2011 campaign. Three-time Outstanding Batter of the Year Gregory Mudge (19th round pick in inaugural draft) returns at first base, coming off his finest season. Three young stars join him in the infield. Two-time Slick Fielder Francis Amrmendariz (2008 1st round pick) holds down second base and hit a career high 14 home runs last season. Carmelo "The Gimp" Deleon (2009 trade from New York) returns at shortstop with his career .862 OPS. Eugene Alustiza (2008 1st round pick) is expected to break out as the best third baseman in the league this year, featuring a high batting average, incredible patience, and developing power at the tender age of 21.

The infield bench is a bit weaker than in prior years, due to the retirement of new manager John Willer and the offseason trade of Charles Novotny. Cristobal Santoyo (2010 Rule 5 draft pick) will back up Deleon at shortstop and George Wilde (AAA player created in 2004) will back up Alustiza and Armendariz.

Waiting in the wings is 5-star prospect George "Terminator" Labarre (2010 1st round pick), who is expected to spend the year in AAA Tacoma. Infielder Bill Bivens (2006 2nd round pick) will be in AA Olympia.

Solid catcher Waylon Blassingame (2008 trade from Danville) will be the usual starter, spotted by Alvin Medina (2011 trade from Hickory). Stud prospect Alberto "Nitro" Granado (2010 1st round pick) is developing quickly and is expected to spend the 2011 campaign in AAA Tacoma.

Outfield:

The Monarchs' outfield is overflowing with talent. The starters to begin the season will be Sean Arant (2009 trade from Los Angeles), who set a league record by scoring 140 runs last year; Armando "Rimfire" Cedeno (2008 trade from Danville), a 20-year-old career .326 hitter who will be getting his first opening day start; and David Kerry (2011 trade from Danville), who has a combined OPS of over .900 for the last three years. Arant will lead off and Kerry is expected to hit clean-up.

Backing up at all three outfield spots and first base is Lonnie Machen (45th round pick in inaugural draft), who is a career .319 hitter with a .383 OBP and is just one year removed from a .917 OPS in 2009. The fifth outfielder will be Freddie Villacorta (2003 3rd round pick), who has not yet been able to translate his AAA success to the majors.

In the minor leagues, superstar-in-waiting Mohammed "Bingo" Stelly (2009 trade from Covington) will at least start the year in AAA. How long he waits is anyone's guess, as he demonstrated significant improvement in Spring Training. The only other top 100 prospect roaming Seattle's minor league outfields is Bill Elder (2011 1st round pick).

The Monarchs should, barring further significant injuries, win over 105 games again this season and expect to await the Zotti League champion in the Cecil Cup.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Seattle Fills Catching Void

SEATTLE (April 1, 2011)

On the eve of the start of the regular season, Seattle Monarchs Scouting Director Kevin Smith today announced a trade with the Hickory Huskers. Seattle sent promising relief pitching prospect Franklin Erickson to Hickory in exchange for reserve catcher Alvin Medina.

"I'm disappointed to be moving Erickson," Smith stated. "He was one of my better finds, getting a good relief prospect in the eighth round, and one that was slated to go straight to AAA Tacoma at that. But, Dad sent Stephen Herbert away to feed his outfielder fetish, so we had a hole we had to fill. I think Alvin will put up respectable numbers as a platoon partner for Waylon Blassingame. He also should be a good backup and caddy for Alberto 'Nitro' Granado once he reaches the majors."

With this deal, Seattle's roster appears set for the season, barring a last minute trade to bolster the relief corps. Look for the Monarchs' season preview tomorrow in your friendly local blog.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Spring Training Done. First Sim on Thursday Night

Yeah! Spring Training is done!!

Notes:

1. Covington was placed under computer control pending the "sale" of the team to a new owner.
2. Please make sure that your major league rosters have no more than 25 players.
3. Please make sure that all players that have to be assigned to a roster are, in fact, assigned to a roster.
4. Lather, rinse, repeat (that's my wife's suggestion).

As a reminder for the old owners (and an announcement for the new), I count participation as any one of the following:

1. Sending an upload to the FTP server for the sim.
2. Sending me an email with the changes you want.
3. Sending me an email saying "Hey, Zev, I like my team as it is. No changes this week."

In the meantime, please continue thinking/debating about ways to improve the Covington franchise.

Zev

Monday, November 12, 2007

The Mess that is Covington

As everyone in the league knows, we've had problems keeping an owner for the Covington franchise. Our new owner seems to have gone AWOL on us as well. He has not returned emails from anyone in the league (myself included) since the league began. I did manage to track him down via AIM once when he expressed an interest in staying with the league, but he hasn't had any league activity since. I think it's safe to say that the team needs a new owner.

Part of the problem, as I see it, is that the franchise is in such a sorry state. The team has no real chance of being competitive at the major league level for at least three to four seasons -- heck, I think it'll take that long just to get it to the level of the 1962 Mets. At the major league level, they have Russell Powell, Lincoln Rosetti, Ed Scull, Samuel Santos and a bunch of 1 star players. Aside from John Grondin and Christopher Pearsall, there are no prospects to speak of in the system.

So, what do we do? We can't just go looking for another owner because without making significant changes to the team, I fear that we will have the same problem again and again. As a result, I don't want to start recruiting for the team until we have some definite plan for improving the team.

I would like to find a solution that will provide Covington with a way to immediately (and for the future) improve itself while at the same time being fair to the other owners in the league.

I'm going to throw some suggestions out here that I worked out with Nate, as well as one or two that I thought of on my own. However, I am open to any and all suggestions and would love to have everyone's input on this matter. Feel free to offer any suggestion. We can try any suggestion (or combination of suggestions) that we agree on.

Some ideas that came up were as follows:

1. Hold an expansion draft and allow Covington to stock on players from the existing teams. Perhaps allow each team to protect 15-20 players and allow Covington to start drafting with each team pulling back after each selection.

2. Create some average players at the major league level (to allow them to compete at about the .450 - .500 level for this season) and a few decent prospects for the future.

3. Create some good prospects for Covington. To be fair to the other owners, we would give each one a virtual "chip" to be "cashed in" after any season in which they come in last. The "chip" can be redeemed for a newly-created good prospect (call it a "lucky scouting find.")

Those are just some ideas that we had so far. Feel free to propose another idea or to express your pros or cons about the ideas presented.

It's important to the league that this matter be resolved. The league will be much more exciting without a lame duck team like Covington.

Zev

Trade: River Cities and Danville

Dateline Marietta.

Just prior to the beginning of Spring Training the River Cities Paddlewheelers and the Danville Dans pulled the trigger on a trade that had been anticipated since the signing of Albert Boll a few weeks ago.

River Cities sends the newly signed starting pitcher Albert Boll, 3B Reginald Glatt, and minor leaguers Alfonso Cabana, a three star reliever, minor league starting pitcher Tuan Olmstead, and minor league starter Alexander Morgan.

In return Danville sends major league backup infielder Robert Ramsey, 2011 1st round pick Telmo Dalmau, their first round picks in 2013 and 2014 and their second round pick in 2013.

"We'd have gone after this year's pick but that weasel in Seattle locked that up first", said River Cities owner Nate Wooley, interviewed via Yahoo Chat from his hidden lair in the Bermuda Triangle.

"Still, we're happy with what we got. We needed to clear some space in the minors to let others move up and around and this deal accomplishes that. Also, if we were going to deal Tuan we were insistent on getting another player with a weird first name that began with 'T'. Telmo filled that need perfectly."

Reached at the airport with his tickets to spring training in his hands, Boll said "What the hell? I'm on the team for what? 20 minutes? Why did I even bother getting the uniform tailored? Someone's going to pay me back for that, I tell you!"

Both teams go into Spring Training with high hopes that their new teams can grow into their roles in an increasingly competitive league.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

League File Reposted. Spring Training Tuesday night

I'm not sure what happened, but I reposted the league file (after making sure that it was on Spring Training).

So, we'll do Spring Training on Tuesday night and Sim 1 on Thursday night.

Zev

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Spring training excitement reaches the Southland

Frank Caroll showed up for spring training at the Los Angeles Scorpions vernal home in Ventura, CA today, recently freed from the bizarre kidnapping ordeal he endured during the offseason.

"One morning, I got a call from the commissioner, telling me that I was being traded to Walla Walla. I called my agent, who said he didn't know anything about it," Caroll explained. "Then I called the Scorpions's owner/GM, Michael Weintraub, and he feined ignorance, too."

"I'd been to Walla Walla quite a bit over the years, but I never really liked it there. I was getting steamed that I was being treated like a commodity, and then the news hit that it was all a mistake, and that my nephew, Jesse Caroll, was supposed to be traded to Walla Walla, instead of me.

"So, then I waited. The Scorpions made pleas for the commissioner to return me back to the only franchise I knew. I was stuck in a Super 8 motel by the airport. It didn't have ESPN, and really crappy cell phone reception. I waited there for eight days until Mr Weintraub got permission from the commissioner to send his private jet to pick me up and fly me back to Los Angeles. I'm eligible for free agency after this season, and after seeing how the Scorpions treated me and fought to bring me home, I'm not even sure I want to test the free agency waters this year. I'll have my agent contact the team for a new contract once we get started on the season," Caroll explained.

Caroll's adventure notwithstanding, it's been an exciting offseason for the team, which officially changed its name to Los Angeles Scorpions. A stud outfielder was acquired by trade and the team's best pitcher made a full-time transition to the starting rotation.

Paul Shunk was acquired earlier in the offseason to provide a balancing left-handed bat to the already-potent lineup, featuring perennial All Star John Redman, defending MVP Ricky Peppers, and slugging 1B Luis Jeon.

The team also surrounded ace Junior Cuomo, a three-time All World player as the team's closer, with veterans in the rotation, who will provide guidance and conditioning tips to the young flamethrower as he begins his first season as a starter. Rocco Wojcik, Jeffrey Shuttleworth, and Wendell Sorg return to the rotation, while new free agent acquisition Jonathan Starner rounds out the rotation. The bullpen remains unchanged, anchored by strikeout artist Johnny Cowherd, with strong support from Caroll and William Augustin.

Leading off for the potent Scorpion lineup will be new CF Gary Giles, an OBP machine. He and Redman will help set the table for the bats of Peppers, Jeon, and Shunk. Both Peppers and Jeon eclipsed 100 RBIs last season, and Shunk should join them this season at that level. Rounding out the lineup will be Charles Novotny (re-acquired from Seattle in the offseason) at 2B, last season's Rule V pick Christian Sitton at 3B, and promising youngster Ronald Sims behind the plate.

There's concern that Sims may have trouble guiding the veteran pitching staff, but Martin Baker will backup Sims. Baker and new pitching coach Samuel Dibble will guide Baker and the pitching staff.

The rest of the team include Casey Plunk in his final go-around the league as the long man in the bullpen, last year's rookie surprise Joseph Hamilton and Raymond Sant round out the bullpen. The bench include such aged bats as Bill Johnson, Silas Caruthers, Jeffrey Drewry, and Dennis Chase, as well as this season's Rule V pick, CF Monte Goss.

"Our goals this spring training are to get Junior Cuomo conditioned for a full-season in the rotation," Weintraub stated. "He's used to pitching 90 innings a season, but we want to get 200 out of him as we chase River Cities for the pennant. We also want to get young starters Sims and Sitton up to speed quickly, so they can one day add their names to the Wall of Glory beyond the outfield fence at our beautiful Scorpion Pit."

The Los Angeles Scorpions are the most successful franchise in league history, with four Cecil Cup championships and an unprecedented streak of 90+ wins each season the league has been in existence.

Seattle-Danville trade

SEATTLE (March 2, 2011):

Seattle and Danville reached agreement on a major trade today, on the eve of spring training. Seattle traded outfielders Franklin Jackson and Peter Garlow (acquired earlier this offseason from Walla Walla), catcher Stephen Herbert, and infield prospect Fred Echeverria to Danville in exchange for impending free agent outfielder David Kerry and next year's first round pick.

"It's going to be hard replacing Stephen Herbert," said Monarchs Owner/GM Mack Shultz. "Catchers are in high demand and he's been a valued member of our team. Waylon Blassingame is likely going to shoulder more of the load, rather than just platooning. We may also let three-time MVP Greg Mudge catch a few games behind the plate.

"We're also going to miss Franklin's presence," explained Shultz. "He's an original Monarch, picked in the expansion draft. However, he's going to get a chance to start in Danville and that's an opportunity we just haven't been able to give him on a consistent basis.

"In the end though, we're thrilled to add a talent like David Kerry. He's going to have to compete with "Rimfire" Cedeno and Lonnie Machen for a starting position. Frankly, we expect David to be a starter for us and provide some right-handed power to the line-up. We're also going to try our darnedest to re-sign him for the long haul."

When asked what the long-term plan is for the outfield, since the Monarchs have added Kerry to the already sterling collection of Cedeno, Machen, Sean Arant, and "Bingo" Stelly, Shultz just grinned and said, "I don't know, but it's a nice problem to have."

Seattle Brings Home the Dutch God of Walks

Entering what is likely to be his swan song year, Willie "The Dutch God of Walks" Klopp was returned to the Seattle organization today in a swap of minor leaguers. Seattle sent outfielder Leo Huggins to Los Angeles for Klopp.

Willie Klopp is the all-time SDMB OOTP leader in walks, more than 200 bases on balls ahead of the closest competitor. He is also fifth in runs scored and 19th in hits. Most of his career was spent with the Monarchs, as he was Seattle's ninth round pick in the inaugural draft. He left Seattle as part of the huge offseason deal with then-South Bay before the 2009 season, a deal that some have credited with changing Seattle's fortunes in the Cecil Cup.

Klopp had rejected Seattle's offered minor league contract with this offseason, preferring to re-sign with Los Angeles. However, his attitude softened as buyer's regret took over, and owners Mack Shultz (Seattle) and Michael Weintraub (Los Angeles) quickly reached agreement on a trade to bring Klopp home.

Interestingly, another key piece to the 2009 trade, pitcher Albert Garcia also returned to Seattle this offseason, signing a one-year, $5 million contract. Garcia previously spent 3 1/2 year with the Monarchs, including throwing a no-hitter.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Spring Training Time!!

OK,, folks, spring training is here. Please upload your Spring Training plans and roster modifications by Sunday Morning.

Rule V draft selections were:

HOU C Thomas Geter, Covington
BRK 1B Michael Slye, Covington
LA CF Monte Goss, Covington
SAS 3B Royal Wilson, Covington
SEA MR Michael Toyoharu, Danville

(PS... Yes, I know the front page of the league has changed.... I'll restore the old version later. In the meantime, you can still get the league file from the link on the right side of this blog.)

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

A Note About Rule V Players

Back in the 2005 season, we had a problem with the game where some players would mysteriously disappear from the game. They would show up on the website in the "All Players" listing, and you could go their page on the site, but they did not exist in the game.

One such player is Andrew Merriweather. If you look at his page, you'll see that he was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2005 amateur draft by New York. Since then, he hasn't done anything.

What happened was that the player disappeared before the start of the season. To the best of my knowledge, there was no way to get this player back. The best I could do was create a "new" Andrew Merriweather for New York, who went on to play the 2005 season for New York's A and AA teams before being traded to me before the start of 2006.

Unfortunately, there is no way to remove the "old" Andrew from the game's reports (unless I go in and start mucking with the game generated HTML myself). However, Merriweather is protected on my 40 man roster and cannot be drafted. You cannot draft the "old" Merriweather, since he doesn't really exist.

So, how can you tell if a player is real or not? Unfortunately, there are only two ways to know for sure. The first way is to see if he actually exists in the game. If he's actually in the game, then he's real. The other way is to look at the guy's stats on the website. If he's listed as an active player but hasn't played a game at any level in the last few years, then he's probably a goner.

Zev

Rule V Draft on Thursday Night

The Rule V Draft will be run on Thursday night. If you want to draft players, please send me a list of players that you want. The listing of players available is here.

Please keep in mind that you have to have space available on your 40-man roster to draft a player in the Rule V Draft and that any players drafted must be kept on your 25-man roster all year long.

Spring Training will be run on Sunday and the first sim of the 2011 season will be run on Wednesday (our usual sim day).

Any questions? Send 'em over.

Zev

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Rule V Draft Thursday. Rosters Need to be finalized by Tuesday.

I finished up the free agency period, except for the last two days. I also did not finish the amateur draft (since finishing off the amateur draft kicks off the Rule V draft).

So, on Tuesday, I'll finish the amateur draft and free agency. That's when rosters will be locked in for the Rule V draft on Thursday night. So, if you need to protect players, now is the time to do it.

For a list of potential players available in the Rule V draft, please see here.

Zev

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Dear Alex Weintraub,

I've returned your father's reliever so he can go back to his bed and his dog. You can stop calling me on the phone and crying in Swedish.

Thank You.

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Free Agent Signings:

Denver : 1B Reuben Caufield, 3,500,000 per year, for 2 years.
Seattle : P Albert Garcia, 5,000,000 per year, for 1 year.


Final Free Agency signings Saturday night.

Zev

Did you miss out on a starting pitcher?

Let's face it, kids, Albert Garcia, the sole remaining quality starting pitcher in the free agent market, can only sign with one of you (and possibly with me!).

I, on the other hand, could offer you a quality, top-flight starting pitcher, FAR better than you can get any other way, for nothing more than prospects or a series of draft picks. Think how nice Albert Boll would look at the top of your starting rotation. Wouldn't you be smiling with pride to see that? You know you would.

nate@wooleysark.com for more information!