Sim's Done

Next sim :  Saturday night

Sim's Done

Game Date:  11/6/2017

League webpages have been updated.

Next sim:  Thursday night

Huge Surprise at MVP Press Conference

As Brian Frison stepped to the microphone to accept the SDMB OOTP Outstanding Batter of the Year Award, the crowd was looking forward to nothing more than the usual bland platitudes that accompany such occasions. However, this was far from a normal press conference.

As Frison was saying, "I'd like to thank my teammates for their support," or some similarly mind-numbing soporofic, Seattle Monarchs Owner/GM Mack Shultz and Saskatoon Amigos patriarch Eric Lent strode into the room together. A hush came over the room as the assembled media wondered what could have brought these two bitter rivals together.

Frison stumbled to the end of his remarks and yielded the podium to Lent and Shultz. Lent took the stage and thanked Frison for his 12 years of exemplary service to the Amigos and then stunned the crowd by announcing that Frison, a lifelong Amigo, had been dealt to the Seattle Monarchs, effective immediately. Lent then began sobbing and ran out of the shocked room.

Shultz took the microphone and, smiling, announced the details of the trade. Seattle acquired Frison and Saskatoon's second round pick in next spring's draft in exchange for starting pitcher Floyd Crown, catching prospect Cristobal Cordero, and $800,000 cash.

Shultz then turned to Frison, said, I think this actually belongs to you, and handed the surprised outfielder $800,000 in cash. "This is your bonus for the MVP award, right?" asked Shultz. "We like to pay our players their bonuses promptly and in cold, hard cash. That's just how we roll." Shultz then pulled out a Seattle Monarchs jersey with Frison's name and number 82 on it, Frison's long-time number with the Amigos.

Although Frison has just one year left on his contract, it remains to be seen whether the Monarchs will be able to extend the long-time star before free agency in 2018-19.

Brooklyn-Seattle Trade

The Brooklyn Wolves executed their first trade in well over a year by shipping young reliever Robert Riddick to the Seattle Monarchs in exchange for prospects and cash.

"We all recognize Robert's talent," said Zev Steinhardt, the Brooklyn GM.  "But our bullpen in Brooklyn is so strong that we felt we could deal from that strength to improve ourselves in other areas.  In fact, even after this trade, we still have potential excess relief pitching that we can trade."

In exchange for Riddick, the Wolves acquire SS Luis Cedeno, OF Rocky Washington and $2 million in cash. 

"We like the players we're getting in return,"  Steinhardt said.  "Cedeno's a great young shortstop who has shown continuous improvement during his three minor league seasons.  He can hit for average, has soft hands in the field and even has some pop in his bat.  We expect that he's going to give [starting shortstop] Jeff Wardlaw a run for his money.

"Washington's a young outfielder whom we feel has a bright future.  We believe that he's going to blossom into a fine hitter with excellent running speed and basestealing ability.  He won't be Rickey Henderson, of course, but we think he has the tools to become someone special.

"Riddick's been a fine player for us in the Wolves bullpen for the last three seasons.  We wish him the best of success as he continues his career on the Pacific coast."

Sim Done

Outstanding Batter:  Brian Frison, Saskatoon.

Next sim:  Wednesday night.

Sim Done

High school feeder league added.

Next sim -- tomorrow night.

Zev

(PS -- someone has to put up a trade post)

Los Angeles re-acquires the best pitcher in the game

Rehabbing superstar shortstop Ricky Peppers cut his workout short today and rushed back to team headquarters at the Scorpion Pit when he heard the news that the team had traded for all-universe closer Junior Cuomo.

"Junior and I are best buds," Peppers said. "And, when he won the Cecil Cup in Seattle this year, he told me that it just wasn't the same as when we won it together in '07." 2007 was the last of a league-record four-straight Cecil Cup championships for the Scorpions franchise.

"We decided to do it again, and petitioned our GMs to make it happen."

And, it happened. The Los Angeles Scorpions traded prospects Barney Maxon, a catcher who was the team's first round pick in the 2017 draft, outfielder Steve Keo, and the Scorps's second round pick in the 2018 draft, to Seattle in exchange for Junior Cuomo.

"I have lunch with the Man all the time," Peppers said, referring to GM Michael Weintraub. "And we both agreed that our bullpen was our weak link this past season. Nothing against the hard work the guys did, but we definitely needed to get one more quality arm out there."

Rookie closer Joseph Curry, who had 40 saves for the Scorpions this past season, welcomed the move. "He's the best, and I'm still learning," Curry stated through his agent. "I welcome the opportunity to learn from the best."

Sim Done

Game Date:  10/16/2017

Next sim:  Monday night.

Zev

Chad Nelligan To the Hall of Fame

Chad Nelligan, longtime starting pitcher, has retired and been elected to the Hall of Fame. 

Nelligan burst onto the major league scene with an 18-9 record in 2004 for Saskatoon.  He then racked up nine consecutive seasons of 14 wins or more, including four seasons with an ERA under 2.00.

His most dominant season was 2011, when he posted a 28-3 record for the Seattle Monarchs with a 1.82 ERA and a BB/K balance of 31/213.  During the three year period of 2010-2012, he won 75 games while losing only 13 with an ERA of 1.92.

He retires with 212 lifetime wins (3rd place), 2952 IP (2nd), a 2.83 ERA (7th), 2240K (6th), 27 complete games (4th) and 20 shutouts (2nd).  

Nelligan is the second member of the Hall of Fame, joining Michael Fay, another player who started with Saskatoon.

One Day Simmed -- Future Schedule Posted.

I simmed one day to October 10, 2017.  I decided to shorten the sim when I realized that owners have to exercise or decline any options for the coming season.

The next sim will be Sunday, December 26.  That will cover one week.  After that, there will be one-week sims on each of the following days of the week:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Saturday night (although I reserve the right to postpone it to Sunday morning depending on my schedule)

We'll do this until we hit Spring Training.

2017 Team Records

And, with the updating of the league history chart comes the post that probably only interests me. Not very many league-wide team records set this year.

River Cities set a record this year with 331 doubles, besting 2015 Maui's previous mark of 322.

Danville allowed 1,021 runs (6.41 per game), surpassing the mark of the 2016 Los Angeles squad that gave up 1,008 (6.25).

Danville also allowed the most unearned runs in history, 122, more than the 2005 Hickory squad that yielded 115.

Finally, Danville and Maui this year had probably the two worst defenses in league history. Danville posted the lowest fielding percentage ever at .975 and made the most errors with 152. Maui was right behind, second in league history in both categories, with .976 and 150, respectively. (Maui also turned the fourth fewest double plays ever, with 89, nearing the league-low record of 84 by the 2013 New York squad.)

Playoffs: Fate or Luck?

There's been some talk in the past about whether the playoffs are basically a coin flip (as I contend) or not (as others contend). I just finished updating my SDMB OOTP history spreadsheet to include everything up to the 2017 season. Here are some numbers from SDMB OOTP history that I found interesting about playoff performance.

In the 25 playoff series where one team won more regular season games than the others, the team with more regular season wins won only 11 of the 25 series and went 65-73 overall (.471).

In the 22 playoff series where one team had a better Pythagorean record, the team with the better Pythagorean record won 11 of the 22 series and went exactly 62-62 (.500).

By way of contrast, the home team has gone 75-65 (.535) in the playoff games so far.

I'm sticking with my coin flip theory.

Time To Move On...

OK, I think we've given Mack enough time to celebrate out in Seattle.  :)

I'll be running the next sim on Wednesday night.  This sim will cover one week.  At that time (when I'm actually in front of my laptop with the game) I'll post a schedule.

In addition, unless there are any objections, I am going to add a high-school feeder league.  If you recall, adding a college feeder league had the unintended consequence of making all the draftees 22-year-olds.  Hopefully, by adding a high-school feeder league, we will get some younger prospects as well.

If you have questions/objections to a high-school feeder league, please let me know and we'll discuss (and eventually bring it to a vote).

Zev

Lucky Seven For Mack!!

2009 Cecil Cup Champion
2010 Cecil Cup Champion
2011 Cecil Cup Champion
2013 Cecil Cup Champion
2014 Cecil Cup Champion
2016 Cecil Cup Champion
2017 Cecil Cup Champion


Congratulations Mack!!

The website's been updated.  We'll give Mack a few days to bask in the glory of his accomplishment and pick things up next week.  I'll post a preliminary schedule on Sunday.

River Cities Gets To Play Another Day!

Juan Villatoro pitched seven innings of one-run ball to lead the River Cities Sternwheelers to a 5-2 victory over Seattle.


Game 5 on Thursday night.

Is It Time For The Broom?

Ask me in about half an hour.  :)

Game 3 to Seattle

The Seattle Monarchs are just one win from winning the Cecil Cup, after defeating the River Cities Sternwheelers 5-3 in 10 innings.

The Sternwheelers scored single runs in each of the second, third, and fourth innings, but lost the lead when Seattle took the easy route and scored three in the bottom of the frame, including two on a single by Bas Bijkerk (remember that name, folks...).

There the game remained tied for the next five and a half innings, until Bijkerk drove Pedro Ramos's last pitch of the game over the fence, driving in Alberto Grenado, and himself, to give Seattle the win and a chance to win the Cecil Cup in any of the next four games.

Zev's got the controls again for game four, which I'm guessing will be on Wednesday night.

SEMI-IMPORTANT DEPUTY COMMISSIONER NOTE: I've been lax this season maintaining the Traded Draft Picks list for the 2018 draft. Looking at the draft order in the game, I think it has all of the picks correctly assigned, from trades.

But, please take a look at it when you download the league file and make sure your picks are correct. If they're not, let me know and I'll investigate.

Thanks!

Game 2 to Seattle

Placencia pitches complete game shutout.

Game 3 -- tomorrow night, courtesy of Michael.

Zev

Game 1 To Seattle...

The Seattle Monarchs have taken Game 1 of the Cecil Cup series with a 9-4 victory over the River City Sternwheelers. 

Things started going wrong for the 'Wheelers from the first pitch when Ronald Quijada hit a 385 foot home run off of starter Juan Villatoro.  A single, a balk, a triple and another single brought in two more runs in the top of the first for the Monarchs.  Seattle put another four runs on the board in the fifth, chasing Villatoro from the game.

Meanwhile, Christopher Hester kept mowing down the River Cities players, with only one runner even reaching third before the eighth inning.

Seattle piled on another two runs in the eighth against reliever Damian Coppock, on a single, double, ground out and single.

The boys from River Cities finally got to Hester in the eighth, leading off the inning with four hits in a row.  By the time the inning was over, Hester was pulled and four runners had crossed the plate.  But, as the saying goes, it was too little, too late.  After allowing a lead off double to Guillaume Fournier, John Burgess retired the next three batters to finish the game.

Game 2:  Monday night. 

It's Seattle-River Cities Again

I'm sorry, guys, but it's time for finals and final projects and the like.  I don't really have time to write up game summaries as I sometimes do.

Nonetheless, I can tell you that River Cities defeated Saskatoon and will meet Seattle for the Cecil Cup.

Game 1 -- Saturday night. 
Game 2 -- Monday night
Game 3 -- Tuesday night
Game 4 -- Wednesday night
Game 5 -- Thursday night
Game 6 -- Saturday night
Game 7 -- Monday night.

Of course, be sure to pay attention.  If the series finishes up before seven games, we won't wait to begin the offseason. 

Good luck, Mack & Nate.

Zev

Seattle Wins Series, River Cities Takes 3-2 Lead

The Seattle Monarchs have moved on to the Cecil Cup series by defeating the Maui Mashers 4-0.   Seattle starter Ronald Placencia shut down the Masher bats by pitching a 2 hit complete game shutout.

The Sternwheelers moved ahead of the Saskatoon Amigos with a 6-5 ten inning victory. 

Game 6:  Thursday night.

Zev

Seattle Takes Lead, River Cities, Saskatoon Tied at 2

The Seattle Monarchs took a 3-1 lead in their playoff searies against Maui behind eight strong innings from starter Joseph Macaluso and a 2-4 day from catcher Alberto Granado. 

Both teams were scoreless until the fourth inning when a triple, a walk and then a three run homerun by Granado gave the Monarchs a lead they would never relinquish.  Maui loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth with one out, but Macaluso induced a ground ball double play to end the inning.   Seattle added two more in the top of the fifth on three hits, a wild pitch and a fielder's choice.  After that, Maui never even got close to being back in the game.  They got a duece in the eighth off a two-run homerun, but could not score again in the game.

The Sternwheelers outlasted the Mashers 2-1 to tie up their series at 2 games apiece.  Both teams were scoreless until the fourth when the Sternwheelers pushed across a run with a one-out single by Patrick Valdez and a triple by Lindsay Walker.  The 'wheelers put another one on the board in the sixth with a single, followed by a double by Walker.   Saskatoon managed to make it a 2-1 game with a solo home run by Bruce Frison, but they could not get the tying run across the plate.

Game 5:  Wednesday night.

Seattle, Saskatoon Take Leads

The Seattle Monarchs outlasted the Maui Mashers winning Game 3 of the series 1-0 in 13 innings.

Starter Nicholas Vargas pitched eight scoreless innings for the Monarchs, striking out five and not even allowing a single Masher to reach third base.  Anibal Ottman matched Vargas goose egg for goose egg.  Both bullpens continued shutting down the opponents' bats until Bas Bijerk finally managed to drive in a run with an RBI single in the top of the 13th.


The Amigos only needed nine innings to beat the River Cities Sternwheelers by a score of 3-1.  The Amigos scored two in the first on a home run by Bruce Frison.  River Cities managed to push a run across the plate in the third on a Thomas Geter RBI single.  Saskatoon added one more run in the third on a single, wild pitch and single.

Game 4:  Tuesday evening.

Seattle, Saskatoon Tie Up Serieses

Christopher Hester pitched eight innings of three-run ball and hit an RBI double to lead the Seattle Monarchs to a 5-3 victory over the Maui Mashers. 

Over in River Cities,  the Saskatoon Amigos beat the Sternwheelers 7-2 behind a complete game by
Demarcus Ramirez and RF Brian Frison's triple, home run and 4 RBI.

Game 3:  Monday night.

River Cities, Maui Take Early Leads

Sorry, but it's too late for me to do full game reviews.  :)

Game 2 on Saturday night.

Nominate your teams ROY candidate!

So what the hell, with all the chatter of the playoffs I thought we could spend some time looking at the best of the young players breaking into the game this year. Feel free to nominate your own or others and we'll find out which way it breaks when the playoffs are over.

For the Sternwheelers I'd like to forward two young hitters into the discussion. Both exceeded my wildest expectations this year.

Lindsay Walker. This 24-year-old first baseman come up with the major league team from Spring Training this year expecting to share time with Travis Sparrow, the Sternwheelers other young first sacker. But sharing wasn't really in the discussion as Walker earned the majority of the playing time. In 152 games Walker hit at a .344/.402/.564 clip with 49 doubles, six triples and 17 home runs. In his first major league season he drove in an even 100 runs while earning more walks than strikeouts. This young man now has a lot to live up to.

Guillaume Fornier. This Quebecois outfielder played center field for the Sternwheelers this year. Called up unexpected due to the decline of Anton Suarez Fournier (pronounced for-nee-AY, for the American crowd) missed the first three weeks of the season but still put up numbers that would make any established major leaguer proud. In addition to playing near flawlessly in the outfield with one error in 121 games Fournier also proved a potent offensive force. In 509 at bats the Montreal Masher hit to the tune of .291/.324/.436. With 42 extra base hits and 56 stolen bases (against 12 times caught stealing) Fournier has the promise that may make him the next toast of the town. Poutine for all!

How about others? Who from your team would YOU nominate for Rookie of the Year?

To Anyone With Deep Pockets...

To anyone not currently participating in the playoff party looking ahead, Hickory is interested in shedding payroll. I don't have any serious superstars to offer, but extra pieces like Michael Slye, Kareem King, Cesar Pla, Danny Lorenzen, and most of my farm system apart from Jesus Flores are available at modest cost to the buyer, as long as some of my dead salaries - Lucien Weber, Mohammed Stelly, or dear God Frank Osborne - go your way as well. Frankly, if any of you want Osborne, just let me know, and he's yours for whatever compensation you see fit to offer.

Obviously we'd have to wait a bit to actually consummate a deal, but there's no harm in starting a discussion.

ferrarafc@comcast.net

Time For The Postseason!

Game Date: 9/23/2017

Who Uploaded?
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
New York
Ohio
River Cities
Seattle

Awards:
Ohio's Christopher Moss wins Player of the Week

Playoff Brackets
Series #1: Saskatoon vs. River Cities
Series #2: Maui vs. Seattle

Final Standings:
Adams:
River Cities 106-56
Brooklyn 82-80
Hickory 79-83
Cleveland 76-86

Zotti:
Seattle 103-59
Saskatoon 96-66 (Wild Card)
Los Angeles 94-68
Ohio 85-77

Signorino:
Maui 84-78
New York 63-99
Houston 59-103
Danville 45-117


Playoff Schedule:
Game 1: Thursday night 12/2
Game 2: Saturday night 12/4
Game 3: Monday night 12/6
Game 4: Tuesday night 12/7
Game 5: Wednesday night 12/8
Game 6: Thursday night 12/9
Game 7: Saturday night 12/11

If Games 5, 6 and/or 7 are not needed, the schedule will be adjusted to start the Cecil Cup series earlier.

Zev

September I Sim Done

Game Date: 9/16/2017

Who uploaded?
Cleveland
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
New York
River Cities
Seattle

Standings:
Adams: River Cities has wrapped it up.
Zotti: Seattle leads Saskatoon by five.
Signorino: Maui has not only locked up the division, but they've even assured themselves up a better than .500 season  (which, to be fair, is more than my team can say)
Wild Card: Saskatoon leads Los Angeles by three.

Significant Injuries:
Seattle OF David Kerry, out for the season
Seattle LF Roger Nichols will miss this season and most, if not all, of 2018
Saskatoon SP Thomas Cohen, out for the season
Danville RF Peter Bernabe, out for the season
Los Angeles SS Ricky Peppers, out for the season
New York 1B Jerome Guerra, out for the season
Houston C Edward Collidge, out for this season and most of 2018

Awards:
Houston 3B Andres Velasco wins Player of the Week (9/4)
Maui C Herman Gossard wins Player of the Week (9/11)

Next sim: Next Tuesday, to the end of the regular season.

August II Sim Done

Game Date:  9/1/2017

Who Uploaded?
Cleveland
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
New York
River Cities
Seattle

Standings:
Adams:  River Cities still up by twenty over Brooklyn
Zotti:  Seattle holds a slim one-game lead over Saskatoon
Signorino:  Maui is nineteen games over New York
Wild Card:  Saskatoon in front by eight over Los Angeles and sixteen over Brooklyn

Awards:
Seattle 1B Gregorio Marzanno wins Player of the Week (8/21)
Seattle LF Roger Nichols wins Player of the Week (8/28)
Saskatoon LF Rufus Murray wins Player of the Month
Saskatoon SP Thomas Cohen wins Pitcher of the Month
Maui CF Rejilo Kondo wins Rookie of the Month

Injuries:

Maui LF Robert Estil is out for the year with a torn rib cage.
Danville 3B Jorge Velazquez is done for the year with a torn abdominal muscle
Seattle 3B Ronald Quijada will miss about five weeks with a fractured ulna.
New York SS Carsten Rasch is finished for the season with a strained elbow ligament.

Milestones:
I don't know who caught up to whom, but Luis Jeon and Christopher Moss are both tied for the all-time lead in runs with 1176.

Next sim will be next Tuesday.  Don't forget to expand those rosters!

August I sim run

Game Date: August 16, 2017, trades and roster moves are processed.

Who Uploaded:

• Cleveland
• Los Angeles
• Maui
• New York
• Ohio
• River Cities
• Seattle

Standings:

• River Cities leads the Adams by twenty over Brooklyn
• Zotti: Saskatoon and Seattle are tied!
• Signorino: Maui (now three games over .500!) are fifteen games ahead of Houston and New York
• Wild Card: Los Angeles sits three games back of Saskatoon and Seattle, and is chasing both of them for a playoff spot.

Significant injuries:

• July 30th - Brooklyn lost SS Ronald Chambers to a torn rotator cuff muscle. He's out for the season.
• July 31st - Brooklyn lost OF Miguel Cuesta to a strained PCL. He'll miss four weeks.
• July 31st - Cleveland lost MR Adrian Busch to back spasms. He'll miss one-to-two weeks.
• August 6th - Houston lost pitcher Coy Hendon to a tender elbow. He'll miss one-to-two weeks.
• August 8th - Seattle lost OF Bas Bijkerk to a pinch nerve, suffered when he fell out of bed due to a nightmare (undoubtedly a dream about the future, with Seattle out of playoff position). He'll miss about two weeks.
• August 12th - Seattle lost SP Floyd Crown to a tender elbow. He'll miss about two weeks.
• August 14th - New York lost MR Kenneth Byers to dead arm syndrome. He'll miss one-to-two weeks.
• August 14th - River Cities lost 2B Winston Satterlee to a torn calf muscle. He'll miss the rest of the regular season.

Whew!

Awards:

• RF Paul Shunk of Hickory won the last Player of the Week award for July, as well as the first award of August
• SS Ricky Peppers of Los Angeles won the Batter of the Month for July
• SP Juan Villatoro of River Cities won the Pitcher of the Month for July
• 3B Andrés Velaso of Houston won the Rookie of the Month for July
• RF Brian Frison of Saskatoon broke Shunk's hold on the Player of the Week award and won it for the second week of August

Notable achievements:

• Elder Guzman of Los Angeles pitched a two-hitter on July 30th against Houston, and Hickory's James Turner two-hit the Scorpions on August 9th.
• Paul Shunk (yes, him again) went 5-for-5 against Seattle on August 4th.

Next sim:

• Zev will hopefully be back in the saddle next Tuesday night.

Tonight's sim...

... will be run by Michael, as my computer has decided to die.

He'll be processing your trades (make sure that all your trades are on the blog!) and running the sim to mid-August.  In addition, since the last sim was a day short, you may have players that have one day left on the DL.  If you want Michael to remove a player from your DL after the first day of the sim, please let him know.  He'll be running the sim at around 8:30 PM PST/11:30 PM EST.

I hope to have my new machine (and any potential eLicense issues resolved) by next week.

Zev

Los Angeles rents OF

After starting the season in rebuilding mode, the Los Angeles Scorpions suddenly find themselves one game out of playoff position. To take the next step and restore the glory of one of the most-successful franchises in league history, the team announced the acquisition of OF Alva Mendonca today from the New York Gothams.

"Alva will bring an immediate impact to our lineup, giving us one more solid bat in our lineup," owner/GM Michael Weintraub said. "He can bat anywhere from leadoff to eighth, and will also provide more veteran experience for our very-young team."

Heading to New York from the Los Angeles AAA affiliate is outfielder Rafael Sandoval. "We had high hopes for Raffy when we traded Bill Turek for him, but the emergence of Ignacio Lopez from out of nowhere has made him expendable. And, in a win-now mode, we had to sacrifice him for the present."

Monarchs Acquire Quijada

Cashing in some of their starting pitching and prospect depth, the Seattle Monarchs today sent young starting pitcher Josue Folch and A-ball first baseman Dan McBride to Ohio for free-agent-to-be Ronald Quijada.

"We're happy to add Ron to our organization," said Monarchs Owner/GM Mack Shultz. "He's a veteran who knows how to win and, as a hitter, he's always on base. It's an exciting step to bolster our team."

Quijada is expected to become the Monarchs' everyday starter at second base. It is unclear whether Seattle will attempt to resign the star.

For Sale to Right Bidder: Real Players

Yes, folks, even on my inevitable march to glory I find that I have major and minor league players that can be dealt. Truly, the fates smile upon me. And upon you! You stand to benefit from their largesse to me.

Uncover your eyes and behold the wonders of available talent...

Travis Sparrow, first base. .329/.382/.600. He's only 26 years old and still has several years to go until free agency. Sparrow has average, power, on base skills and is the complete package. But he can be yours to hold down first base for 10 more years. Not often does a player of his caliber come available at such a young age!

Winston Satterlee, second base. .311/.399/.482. A seasoned veteran having a great year, Satterlee is on the market due to player development elsewhere. If you're looking at a competitive wild card team and need something extra from your infielders Satterlee is your man.

Anton Suarez, center fielder. .290/.331/.414. A great player forced into part time work by Guillaume Fournier and River Cities owner Nate Wooley's affection for the Quebecois, Suarez delivers the goods with the stick and on the basepaths. In addition, his ability to play all three outfielder positions means he can increase the options for your manager throughout each game!

Relief pitching? We got it!

Wilburn Brown: 49/56/69 37 hits in 39 innings and 14/35 BB/K
Robert Brown: 48/66/70 (*****) 1.89 ERA, 0.99 WHIP
Damian Coppock: 26/70/63 (****) Only 25 years old!
Joshua Fullen: 58/52/50 (*****) 2/1 K/BB and 26 years old
David Roberts: 77/58/53 (****) 36 hits in 58 innings
Tony Errico: 56/66/74 (*****) 6-1 4.63

Contact me today for deals!

Maui/New York Trade

The New York Gothams continue their rebuilding process today by sending star catcher Herman Gossard to the Maui Mashers. In return, New York acquired the following:

C Richard Heitz
2B Miguel Rodriguez
Maui's 5th round draft pick (2018)
$2 million cash

Gossard is expected to shore up Maui's offense at the backstop position, which has been non-existent so far this year.

Players Los Angeles wouldn't mind moving

I won't call it a fire sale, or maybe I should because my team is on fire, but Tony Demiras (OF), Willy Guzman (C), and Federico Soriano (1B) are occupying my bench and all can start elsewhere.

All are available cheap.

Timmy!!!

Houston wishes to say bye bye to Timothy Mendiola.

I would like picks and prospects in return.

That Is All

New York fire sale

I'm eager to move two FA's to be - C Herman Gossard (.894 OPS) and CF Alva Mendonca (.301 AVG). Would also move RF Richard Bilbrey, who's signed through next year (not having a good year this year, but was .289/31/102 last year). Make me an offer!

July II Sim Done

Game Date: 7/30/2017 (bet you didn't know that Election Day was in July)

Who uploaded?:
Cleveland
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
New York
Ohio
River Cities
Seattle

Standings:
Adams: River Cities up by fifteen over Brooklyn
Zotti: Seattle four games ahead of Saskatoon
Signorino: Maui (with a winning record) is 14 games ahead of Houston

Wild Card: Saskatoon leads Los Angeles by one, Brooklyn & Ohio by eight.

Significant Injuries:
New York's young starter Jack Lucchesi is gone for good with a ruptured back.
Hickory CF Lonnie Machen fractured his ankle and he's gone for the year.
Duane Gerhart (Danville) will miss about four weeks with a hernia.
Los Angeles reliever John Eyman will be out for 3-4 weeks with back spasms.
Danville's Hugo Abarca scratched his cornea and will sit out for about three weeks.

Awards:
Los Angeles's double play combination of SS Ricky Peppers (7/17) and 2B Felipe Mendoza (7/24) both win Player of the Week.

Milestones:
River Cities' John Hukill reaches 1000 runs.

Next sim: Next Tuesday. This is your last chance to get trades in before the deadline.

Zev

Seattle Ships Out Beloved Star and Promising Prospects, Recieves Only Mere Reliever

July 15, 2017 - SEATTLE (AP) - The Seattle Monarchs, after welcoming beloved star hitter Gregory Mudge back into their arms just last season, after bemoaning the poor decision that led to Mr. Mudge being traded, has now dealt away the Seattle fans' hero yet again. Despite hitting .333/.364/.602 last season and carrying the Monarchs back to a title, Mudge was plunked on the bench for some Johnny-come-lately named Gregorio Marzano. The new "Greg M." at first base has been passable this season, but not much more.

In addition to sending away Mudge, the Monarchs sent off two of the most promising minor league arms in the game: AAA starters Jesus Concepcion and Claudio Gonzales. Seattle also included a fourth-round pick in next Spring's draft.

"They dealt away both my favorite player AND a guy named Jesus?" exclaimed diehard Monarchs fan Joe Schmoe. "What, they couldn't put Mohammed and Moses into the deal too?"

And who did Seattle get back for this bounty? A mere reliever. Some dork named Junior Cuomo. Please. As if a reliever could possibly be good enough to justify this haul of talent.

This appears to be another sign of Seattle Owner/GM Mack Shultz's declining faculties. Hopefully someone will be along soon to relieve him of his day-to-day responsibilities.

July I Sim Done

Game Date: 7/16/2017

Who Uploaded?
Cleveland
Hickory
Los Angeles
Maui
Ohio
River Cities
Seattle

Standings:

Adams: River Cities leads Brooklyn by seventeen games.
Zotti: Seattle holds a five game lead over Saskatoon
Signorino: Maui has an eight game lead over Houston

Wild Card: Saskatoon has a three game lead over Los Angeles and a six game lead over Brooklyn.


Awards:
Cleveland 2B John Grondin named Player of the Week (7/3)
Seattle RF David Kerry wins Player of the Week (7/10)

Significant Injuries:
Joseph Curry (Los Angeles) has a tender elbow and will be out for three weeks.
Cleveland pitcher Ernest Gerth is out for the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff.

Milestones:
Hickory's Frank Osborne, the all-time leader in strikeouts, recorded his 3000th strikeout (7/1).

Maui's Timothy Palacio became the 13th player to reach 1000 RBI.

Next sim (to 7/30/2017):
Next Tuesday.

June II Sim Done

Game Date: July 1, 2017

Who Uploaded?:
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
New York
River Cities
Seattle

Standings:
Adams: River Cities has a commanding 15-game lead over Brooklyn
Zotti: Seattle leads Saskatoon by one.
Signorino: Maui leads Houston by ten games
Wild Card: Saskatoon is seven games ahead of Brooklyn and Los Angeles

Significant Injuries:
Ohio MR James Fleitas is suffering from back spasms and will miss about two months.
Houston RF Manabu Sasaki will miss the rest of the season with back spasms and may not be ready for the start of the 2018 season.
Danville MR Benicio Castro strained a tricep muscle and will miss 2-3 weeks.

Awards:
Ohio LF Christopher Moss was named Player of the Week (6/19)
Saskatoon RF Bruce Frison was named Player of the Week (6/26)

Saskatoon RF Bruce Frison was named Player of the Month
Seattle SP Ronald Placencia was named Pitcher of the Month
River Cities 1B Lindsay Walker was named Rookie of the Month

Milestones:
Brooklyn 1B Luis Jeon hit his 400th home run, making him the second player to reach that goal.

Next sim: Next Tuesday night

June I Sim Done

Sim's done and the league pages are updated, but I don't have time to do a summary right now.

Teams that uploaded:

Cleveland
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
River Cities
Seattle

Next sim will be next THURSDAY night.

Zev

Rain Delay

Sorry about this, but I'm going to have to push off the sim until Thursday night.

Zev

On the DL

FYI: I suffered a computer crash over the weekend that is going to severely limit my league activities for a while. In fact, I may need to ask Zev to put my team on CPU control until I can get back in the saddle.

May II Sim Done

Game Date: 6/1/2017

Who uploaded?:
Cleveland
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
New York
River Cities
Seattle
Ohio

Standings:

Adams: River Cities has a seven game lead over Hickory
Zotti: Saskatoon leads by two over Seattle
Signorino: Maui holds a ten game lead over New York

Significant Injuries:
Cleveland LF Tyler Thomas will miss 4-5 months with a dislocated shoulder
Danville LF Armando Cedeno will be out for 4 weeks with a strained tricep.

Awards:

LA SS Ricky Peppers named Player of the Week (5/22)
Saskatoon OF Brian Frison named Player of the Week (5/29)
River Cities SS John Hukill named Batter of the Month
Saskatoon's Brad Buckly named Pitcher of the Month
Houston SS Santo Gurrola named Rookie of the Month

Milestones:
David Kerry (Seattle) reached 1000 RBI.

Next sim: next Tuesday.

Seattle Still Hot with Trade Fever

May 15, 2017 - SEATTLE (AP) - The Seattle Monarchs continued their run of trades today, dealing yet another infielder away. This time though, the cupboard appeared to be starting to run bare as they had to dip down to AA to make their latest move. Seattle sent AA second baseman Luis Romero and a briefcase with $1 million in small, unmarked bills to Saskatoon in exchange for AAA outfielder Guo-ning Qiao.

Why was this deal made? Nobody really knows, although speculation has centered around two theories. The first is that the Seattle front office wants to move star outfield prospect Pedro Martinez to right field, in preparation for his long-term role in the major leagues, and that the Tacoma Titans lack anyone else on the roster capable of playing centerfield.

The second theory arises from the rumor that Seattle Owner/GM Mack Shultz greatly regrets the trade that sent Qiao to Saskatoon in the first place. Sources indicate Shultz goes into a tirade whenever anyone mentions the trade, insisting that he is "the Architect of Lopsided Trades, but in MY favor" and that he would never have made such a horrible, horrible trade. Shultz has been known, however, to be at a loss for words when asked to explain Thomas Cohen's continued presence on Saskatoon's roster. Under this theory, underlings in the front office traded to recover Qiao to permit Shultz to continue to delude himself about the fateful 2015 trade that handed the Cecil Cup to the invaders from Saskatoon.

Trade: Los Angeles and River Cities

Dateline: Marietta, Ohio!

A deal was announced today between the Los Angeles Scorpions and the River Cities Sternwheelers. Coming to the confluence in the deal are two third basemen, Kenneth Lea and Britt Moroney. The cost to the league leading Sternwheelers? New reacquisition reliever Jefferson Theriault, third baseman Alfonso Barrenechea, single A reliever Andrew Barrett and a 2nd round pick in the upcoming minor league draft.

"Third base had been a concern for us since spring training", said River Cities owner Nate Wooley, reached on the campaign trail at the Washington County Farm Bureau dinner at the Career Center. "Cordoza was signed to be a supersub with some power but he'd been forced into a starter's role by the hole in the lineup. Sure, he hit well in April (.271/.382/.635(!!!)) but with the a closer-to-expectation first half of May (.115/.230/.192(!!!)) it was time to pick up a starter and, as it turns out, we got two of them. Vote for me in the upcoming election!" Wooley then ran off to chase a person holding an absentee ballot.

It wouldn't surprise this reporter if Theriault's $5.3MM salary this season had something to do with the deal. With River Citie's opening day payroll above $110MM any trimming is good trimming, in this reporter's opinion.

Seattle Deals Longtime Monarch to Danville

May 1, 2017 - SEATTLE (AP) - The Seattle Monarchs shipped utility player Bill Bivens to Danville today in a swap where the two teams also exchanged first-round picks in the upcoming 2018 amateur draft. Bivens was a 2006 second-round draft pick by Seattle and had spent his entire career with the Monarchs' organization.

Bivens, 29, is expected to become the starting shortstop for Danville and was excited about the opportunity. "I've loved my time with the Monarchs," Bivens said," and winning titles is always nice. But, I've gotten the feel that the front office here only viewed me as useful depth. I think I've shown I can be an everyday starter in this league."

Bivens broke into the majors in 2013 with Seattle and has won three championships with the Monarchs. He has cleared 500 at bats twice in his four seasons, but always as an injury replacement. Bivens has put together a more than respectable career line in the majors of .299/.352/.457. Also, his defensive versatility is almost unmatched, as he can play all four infield positions and both corner outfield slots.

"We're going to miss Bivens," said Monarchs Owner/GM Mack Shultz. "It's tough to trade someone who's been here as long as Bill has. But, he wanted to play everyday and we felt like we owed it to him to give him that chance."

1B available for MR

With top prospect David Seibel champing at the bit in AAA Arizona Bay and more than ready for a major league promotion, I'm looking to move 1B Federico Soriano in exchange for help in the bullpen. Soriano is having another excellent season (.383 OPB, 15-20 HR power) and is cheap at only $900k this season.

While my rotation is fairly strong, I need some competent arms in the bullpen. Preferably someone proven with less than a 4.00 ERA, or someone mowing hitters down in AAA where there's no room in the majors.

-- Michael / Los Angeles / mweintr@gmail.com

May I Sim Done

Game Date: 5/16/2017


Who Uploaded?:
Cleveland
Danville
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
Ohio
River cities
Seattle


Standings:
Adams: River Cities leads by two over Hickory
Zotti: Saskatoon leads Seattle by two games
Signorino: Maui has a four game lead over New York

Injuries:
Brooklyn OF Cornelius Bondy will miss about three weeks with a damaged meniscus
Houston 2B Billy Cremeans fractured his ankle and will be out for about 2-3 months.
Brooklyn MR Xavier Portillo will miss 2-3 months with a torn back muscle.

News:
Hickory's Paul Shunk wins Player of the Week (5/8)
Maui LF Robert Estill wins Player of the Week (5/15)
Seattle and Danville executed a trade -- one of them will post about it shortly.

Milestones:
Hickory's Paul Shunk hit both his 300th home run and drove in his 1000th run in the same game on 5/7.

Next sim, next Tuesday.

Seattle/Maui Trade

Maui Mashers GM Matt Macario announced today that the Mashers have acquired SS Carmelo "The Gimp" Deleon from the Seattle Monarchs. In exchange, Seattle will receive Maui's third round pick in next year's amateur draft.

Deleon has lived up to his nickname recently, having just returned from a lengthy stay on the disabled list. While the latest scouting reports suggest a recent decline in his skills, Macario is hopeful that Deleon still has enough in the tank to provide a boost to a Maui lineup saddled with injuries to core infielders Octavio Cabrales and Gabriel Sequeiros.

April II Sim Done

Game Date:  5/1/2017

Who Uploaded?:
Cleveland
Hickory
Los Angeles
Maui
Ohio
River Cities
Seattle

Standings:
Adams:  River Cities (20-8) leads Brooklyn by two.
Zotti:  Saskatoon (19-9) leads Ohio and Seattle by five.
Signorino:  Maui (14-14) leads New York by four.

Significant Injuries:
Cleveland 1B Benito Torre will miss about 4 weeks with a torn abdominal muscle
New York RF Richard Bilbery fractured his ulna and will be out for about 2 months.
Maui SS Gabriel Sequeiros is suffering from back spasms and is expected to be out for six weeks.

Awards & Accomplishments:
RF Rufus Murray of Saskatoon named Player of the Week (4/17)
CF Monte Goss of Cleveland named Player of the Week (4/24)
Amigos RF Brian Frison named Player of the Week (5/1)
Maui 1B Timothy Palacio named Player of the Month
Jesus Morales of Maui named Pitcher of the Month
1B Lindsay Walker of River Cities named Rookie of the Year Month

Brooklyn's John Okane pitched a no-hitter against Saskatoon (4/27)
Seattle's David Kerry reached 300 home runs, becoming the 14th player to reach this milestone.

Next sim, next Tuesday.

April I Sim's Done.

Game Date: 4/16/2017

Who Uploaded?:
Cleveland
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
New York
Ohio
River Cities
Saskatoon
Seattle

Standings:
Adams: River Cities leads Brooklyn by one.
Zotti: Los Angeles & Saskatoon are tied.
Signorino: Maui leads by two despite having a 6-8 record.

Significant Injuries:
Houston: MR Jonathan Cassidy will miss 8 weeks.
Maui: 1B Octavio Calabres strained a ligament and will be out 2-3 months.

Awards:
Cleveland's Tyler Thomas named Player of the Week (4/10)

Accomplishments:
New York SS Carsten Rasch hit for the cycle (4/12)
Saskatoon's Demarcus Ramirez reached 200 victories, becoming the third player to reach that goal
Los Angeles' Ricky Peppers, Brooklyn's Miguel Cuesta and Ohio's Ronald Quijada all reached 1000 runs in this sim, becoming the 12th, 13th and 14th players to do so.

Next sim: Next Tuesday night (Tuesday night will be the sim night for the next three months or so).

Zev

Los Angeles/Saskatoon trade

Late last evening, the Los Angeles Scorpions announced the trade of star 2B Bill Turek to the Saskatoon Amigos. In return, the rebuilding Los Angeles team receives outfield prospect Rafael Sandoval and a 3rd round pick in 2018. "We have top prospect Felipe Mendoza all set to take over at second," GM Michael Weintraub announced. "We wish Bill well in the great white north."

Between this deal and the earlier trade yesterday for bench help, Weintraub promises the 25-man roster is finally set with a startling amount of young players, but with still enough experience to help guide the team back to glory.

Trade: Los Angeles and River Cities

River Cities deals the aforementioned Malcolm Birdsell to Los Angeles.

In return River Cities gets minor league RF Freddy Aldape and a 4th round pick.

Still a middle reliever or two to deal! Who wants 'em? Cheap!

MR who thinks he is a closer

MR Arnold Pough is my second set-up guy and he wants to be a closer. As long as I have Junior, he will not be a closer, so he is stuck.

Do you want a future closer? One that has a 2.07 ERA in his first 53 ML games. He has a 0.92 WHIP and 59 K's.

I am not looking to give him away, but it will not take that much to get him.

I am not looking for Major League players, I want prospects and/or draft picks, and will favor deals that include pitching in return.

Hit me up on the e-mail at jgoldman99@yahoo.com if you are interested!!!!

Seeking Best Offer: CF and MR

OK, so it appears I overcommitted on some things this off season. I am seeking the best offer for these players, either as a group or individually.

CF Malcolm Birdsell. 23 year old who plays LF/CF/RF. A high-average versatile outfielder. Last season hit .405 in AA, .349 in AAA, and .372 in the Majors.

CF Anton Suarez. CF/RF. Exceptional back up or average starter. Suarez is a lifetime .314 hitter who's forced out by developing players on my team. Last year on his contract at $5.3MM.

MR David Roberts. Quality Middle Reliever with STF 76, MOV 60, CON 53. Good enough as a set up man and could close in an emergency. Under contract for this year at $1.2MM.

First reasonable offer for one or all can land you the player you need to make you competitive.

Sim's Done. Opening Day is Here!!

Game Date: 3/31/2017

Spring Training is just about over. The season starts on April 1 with the next sim.

PLEASE make sure your rosters are down to 25 for the season opener. If your roster is not down to size, I will do it myself using my best judgment -- but keep in mind that I have not won a championship in the entire 15 year history of the league. :)

The next sim (going through 4/15/2017) will be on Thursday night.

Zev

Sim's Done

Game Date: 2/23/2017

Tuesday night's sim will cover the rest of Spring Training.

Zev

A Bit Tardy... But Sim's Done

Game Date: 3/16/2017

Due to some personal business, Saturday night's sim turned into Sunday afternoon's sim.

1B Carl Watson was awarded to Danville -- he should have been drafted by Danville instead of Seattle during the amateur draft.

Next sim -- Monday night.

Zev

Sim's Done

Game Date: 3/9/2017

I had to fix a slight roster problem. During the Rule 5 draft, LA drafted John Cooper from Maui. For some reason, however, the player was not drafted despite being on the draft list. In order to correct this, I used the player editor to assign Cooper to LA. For some reason, however, while it did assign Cooper to LA's 25 man roster, it left him on Maui's 40 man roster.

To fix this, I reassigned Cooper to Maui and then traded him to LA (along with $1) in exchange for $1.

Next sim on Saturday night.

I will be out of email contact from tomorrow night until Saturday night, so if you email me, don't expect a response until Saturday night.

Zev

Draft's done. Welcome to Spring Training.

Game Date: 3/2/2017

Amateur Draft is done, the league pages have been updated and we are now at Spring Training.

The Spring Training Schedule will be:

1st week: Tue evening (Sep 7)
2nd week: Sat evening (Sep 11)
3rd week: Mon evening (Sep 13)
Rest of spring training: Tue evening (Sep 14)

Sim's Done. Amateur Draft on Monday Night

Game Date: 3/1/2017

Signings:

C Willy Guzman leaves Maui and signs with Los Angeles for $2.5m/1 year
SS Reggie Perez ends a decade in Saskatoon and inks a deal with New York for $450k/1 year

The amateur draft will be held on Monday night. Please double check the Traded Draft Picks page and let myself and Michael know if there are any errors.

Zev

Sim's Done

Game Date 2/23/2017

It's too late for me to do a summary. :)

Next sim Sunday night
Amateur Draft Monday night.

Zev

Sim's Done.

Game Date: 2/16/2017

Signings:

CL Jefferson Theriault leaves Ohio and returns to River Cities with a $5.3m/1 year contract.

Next sims:

Saturday night -- sim to 2/23
Sunday night -- sim to 3/1
Monday night -- Amateur draft.

Sim's Done

Game Date: 2/19/2017

Signings:

3B Cristobal Santoyo signs with Los Angeles for $470k/1 year.

One owner asked about the draft order for the upcoming amateur draft. Here is the upcoming draft order (subject to changes for traded picks as per the traded pick spreadsheet):

Amateur Draft Order:

1. Houston (62 wins -- winner of coin toss)
2. Danville (62)
3. Los Angeles (65)
4. New York (68)
5/6. Brooklyn/River Cities (78)*
7. Hickory (81)
8. Ohio (83)
9. Maui (104 -- winner of coin toss)
10. Cleveland (104)
11. Saskatoon (Cecil Cup loser)
12. Seattle (Cecil Cup winner)

* Tie to be broken by coin toss to be conducted by Michael.

Next sim on Thursday night.

Sim Done -- and a word about the upcoming draft

Game Date: 2/2/2017

Signings:

Maui signed Cuban free agent 2B Jorge Perales $500k/1 year

2B Carlos Mccrea returns to New York for $400k/1 year

SP Santos Gonzales leaves Saskatoon and heads to Houston for $4.98/2 years

SP Hector Orozco leaves Saskatoon and joins New York for $3.2/2 years.

CF Joseph Bevers returns to the Wolves' Den for $17.8m/4 years.

CL Pedro Ramos leaves the shores of Maui and signs with River Cities for $35.2/2 years.

1B Gregorio Marzano takes his .305 lifetime average from New York to Seattle for $15m/1 year.

MR Donald Dinwiddle returns for his sixth season in Los Angeles for $310k.

As for the draft -- there's good news and bad news.

The good news is that the game added enough players for us to have a full draft.
The bad news is that all the players are college-aged (21-22).

It seems that if we have a college feeder league, all of our amateur draft picks will be in that age range. If we add a high school feeder league, we'll get some 18-19 year olds as well.

So, at this point, we have a few options:

1. Leave things as they are and only use college aged players
2. Add a high school feeder league.
3. Eliminate the college feeder league
4. Anything else you might care to suggest.

The floor is open for discussion.

Next sim -- Wednesday night.

Zev

Sim Done

Game Date: 1/26/2017

Signings:

LF Brian Bringham leaves Hickory and signs with River Cities for $1m/1 year

2B Marvin "Marvin" Cardoza says goodbye to New York and signs with River Cities for $2.3m/1 year.

CF Mohammed Stelly also leaves New York and goes to Hickory for $3 million/3 years.

Next sim, Tuesday evening.

Seattle-Saskatoon Trade

Seattle sends minor league infielder Miguel Salazar to Saskatoon in exchange for Saskatoon's first round pick in the upcoming draft. There's surely some very interesting backstory, but I'm watching Psych and am more interested in that. So, feel free to make up your own speculation.

Los Angeles/Hickory trade (again)

Los Angeles and Hickory have another trade to announce:

The Scorpions trade closers Dale Beene and Bill Dewall in exchange for 1B/OF Federico Soriano, and three pitchers, John Kautz, Robert Calderon, and Sean Sheppard.

"It hurts getting rid of both Dale and Bill, but we're confident our young relievers can pick up the slack," Los Angeles GM Michael Weintraub stated. "We're glad that Frank found Federico Soriano redundant, as we liked having him on our team in the past and will put him back at 1B."

"The three pitchers should help us, too. We know that pitching is our weakness."

Before ending the phone call, Weintraub reminded everyone that Bill Turek is still available to trade.

(Junior commissioner's note: I also updated the Traded Draft Pick list, including a trade that Mack and Eric have yet to announce.)

Sim Done.

Game Date: 1/19/2017


Still working on the draft issue, but there's no reason to hold up the sim any longer.

Signings:

C James Hardman re-upps with Ohio for 3 years at $12.6m

Next sim -- Monday night

NO Sim Last Night

Mack brought to my attention a possible issue with the upcoming draft, so I took some time last night to investigate. As a result, there was no sim.

The sim will be run on Saturday night.

Zev

Sim Done!

Game Date: 1/12/2017

Signings:

CF Alva Mendonca leaves the shores of Maui to play in the Big Apple with New York ($690k/1 year)

SP Kenneth Byers leaves Houston after six years and goes to New York ($470k/1 year)

2B Timothy Palacio leaves River Cities and returns to Maui ($17.5m/1 year).

Next sim, Thursday night.

Zev

Sim Done. Welcome to 2017!!

Game Date: 1/5/2017

Free Agent Signings:

MR James Cropper, last with Maui, signs with Cleveland ($870K/1 year)

3B Brian Palazzo, previously with Danville, signs with Cleveland ($1.625m/1 year)

SP Isaac Moore, re-signs a minor league contract with New York.

Next sim, Wednesday night.

Sim Done.

Game Date: 12/30/2016

Signings:

SP John Okane, last with Ohio, signs with Brooklyn ($36m/2 years).

MR David Roberts, last with Saskatoon, signs with River Cities ($1.2m/1 year)

SP Bill Tussey ends a nine-year career with Houston to sign with Cleveland ($1.5/1 year)

Next sim - Tuesday evening.

Sim Done. Hickory Inks Turner

Game Date: 12/23/2016

Major Signings:

SP James Turner, previously with Cleveland, returns to Hickory ($98.5m/6 years)*

MR Lucien Weber, previously with Maui, signs with Hickory ($1.78m/2 years)

CL Timothy Vallejo, after a dozen years in Seattle, signs with Maui ($15.5m/2 years)

Next sim: Monday night.


* I'm a little peeved, as I offered a better contract. Oh well...

Rain Delay

At the request of one of the owners, I am delaying the next sim until Saturday night.

Zev

Trade: River Cities & New York

Dateline New York: The first part of the Gothams' plan to reduce payroll and get younger came to fruition today as the team held a press conference today to announce a major trade with River Cities.
"Yes, it's true - we have traded Isaac Diehl and Tony Errico to River Cities", said Assistant GM Harry Diemer. "We hate to lose them, and we thank them for their years of service to the team, but we had to do something to build for the future. And frankly, what was the chance that either one of them would be on the next good Gothams team?"
In exchange for the two veteran pitchers, New York added 1B Marcos Alcazar, AA 3B Brian Yoder, A CF Cheung Ying and 3 million in cash.
"We're glad to welcome Marcos back to the Gothams organization," Diemer said of the 25 year old first baseman who was traded from the Gothams to the Sternwheelers a little over two years ago. "It's fitting that Marcos, who was the centerpiece of the trade for Gregory Marzano, will step right in and replace him in the lineup in 2017." Alcazar hit .390 in limited playing time in River Cities last year.
"Ying's a young kid that the scouts really like," said Diemer of the Sternwheelers' first round pick this year. "Great speed, good defense, and a lot of raw talent. Obviously, he's a couple of years away, but he's just the kind of high-ceiling prospect we were looking for. We're hoping in three years he can be the Yao Ming of our league in terms of expanding fan interest in the game and in the Gothams (without the career ending injury, mind you)."
"And Yoder - what can you say? He fields pretty well for a muppet Jedi master."

Rumors persist that despite this big trade, New York may not be finished dealing. Reports from league sources say that they are still fielding offers for veterans such as C Herman Gossard, OFs Richard Bilbrey and Kevin Rubio, MR Matthew Salcedo and SP Fredrick Thomas. However, earlier rumors of closer Michael Friday being on the block seem no longer to be true, as some insiders say there is now talk of converting Friday into a starter to help replace the loss of Diehl.

Sim Done.

Game Date: 12/16/2016

Free Agent Signings: MR Wilbur Brown, formerly of Brooklyn, signed with River Cities ($900k/1 year).

Next sim, Thursday night.

Zev

Sim Done

Game Date: 12/8/2016

SP John Cooper was awareded to Los Angeles. Michael had selected him in the Rule V draft and, for some unknown reason, the game did not select him.

Free Agent signings:

1B Francis Armendariz, formerly of Houston, signed with Hickory ($1m/1 year)

RF Tony Demiras, re-signed with Los Angeles ($12.3m/3 years)

1B Ronald Aikin, formerly of Cleveland, signed with Los Angeles ($1.4m/2 years)

Next sim: Wednesday night.

Zev

Sim done

Game date: 12/2/2016

Next sim: Tuesday night

New York fire sale

Well, I've come to the decision that it's the time to start selling of some of my assets. I'm broke, have no depth at all, and have exactly one good position player prospect above A ball (Rasch). Even cutting a couple of arb-eligible players earlier only got me to 8M in budget space to bid on free agents, and even the fringe free agents aren't liking my offers.
Even a Dongless Miami appears way beyond my grasp to catch.

So, it's time to start moving some veteran players and looking for the future.

Anyone on my ML roster is avaiable - probably Lucchesi, Moyer & Campion are the closest to untouchable since they are young.

Prime targets to move -
4.5* SP Isaac Diehl, 18-12 last year with a 2.85 ERA, signed for two more years at an extremely reasonable 5.73 million a year. He's extremely durable, having pitched over 230 innings each of the last 4 years. Career 115-70 record. Would make a very nice #1 or #2 starter for a contender. He's probably my biggest trading chip so he won't come cheap.

4.5* C Herman Gossard - career .312 hitter, only 31, some power, good eye. Another very durable player, no injury history at all. VORP just below 30 or in the 30s each of the last three years. Signed for 2017 at 9.5 million.

Releivers Tony Errico (4*) and Matthew Salcido (4.5*) are decent bullpen options - Errico's in the first year of arbitration and Salcido is a year away. Errico's a high strikeout guy, while Salcido is more of a finesse guy with good control

Closer Michael Friday (4.5*) - only 27, my scout loves him, but he's going to get expensive after this year when he hits arbitration. Plus I want to move Moyer into the closer's role. 28 saves last year with a 3.54 ERA, he was even better in 2015 when he struck out 126 in 105 innings in a setup role. Might even have the endurance to start!

OF Richard Bilbrey - came back from a dismal 2015 with a solid year last year - .289/.375/.494 with 31 HRs and 102 RBI. Signed for just over $10M each of the next two years.

OF Kevin Rubio - a 31 year old LF, last year's .294 batting average was the first time he's hit below .300. Not a superstar by any means, but a decent outfielder that will probably go a bit cheap because of his off year last year. Signed for the next three years at a total of $12.4 million.

So, what am I looking for? Prospects and picks of course, but also cash, and ML ready players at SP, CF, 1B and the middle infield (not to mention C if I move Gossard). I can't take on any salary at all though.

So, come make an offer!

Sim's Done. Rule V Draft Is Next

Game Date is 12/1/2016. The Rule V draft is upon us.

Please submit your draft lists online via the game or to Michael and myself via email.

The draft will be run Monday night.
Tuesday night's sim will cover the next week of game time (12/1-12/8)

Zev

Sim Done

Game Date: 11/28/2016

Next sim will be until 12/1 -- the date of the Rule 5 draft.

Next sim will be Sunday night
Rule 5 draft will be Monday night

Zev

History Lesson #1: #1 Draft Picks 2003-2009

A bit of history: #1 Draft Picks 2003-2009

Los Angeles/Hickory trade

Los Angeles traded stud 1B Michael Slye to Hickory in exchange for SP William Lawrence and 2nd and 4th round draft picks in 2017.

Sim's done

Game date:  11/21/2016

Next sim on Saturday night.

Someone owes a posting on a trade... please put it up.  :)

Zev

Sim's Done

Game Date:  11/14/2016.

The next few sims will be for one week each until we get to the Rule 5 draft on 12/1/2016.

Next sims on Thursday night and Saturday night.

(P.S.  Someone owes a trade blog post -- please put it up.  Thanks.)

Maui GM Trades His Dong

Maui GM Matt Macario made headlines in the fake baseball community today when he agreed to trade his Dong.

That's right - to the surprise of many, Maui has traded superstar first baseman Dong Lutz to the Danville Dans in exchange for veteran SS Robert Camarena and promising AAA SS prospect Hernando Albacete.

Many are questioning why Maui would trade away the extremely popular Dong, particularly after coming so close to a Cecil Cup berth this year. "I know this will not be a popular move among the Maui fanbase," Macario admitted. "In fact, I expect to get an email any day now advising me that the enthusiasm of our fans has 'crashed'. But in these economic times, we need to find creative ways to achieve the financial flexibility necessary to explore the free agent market and add new team members."

Dong, a career .298/.408/.544 hitter with 361 home runs, will slide right into the revamped Danville lineup, which already got a boost when it acquired "Rimfire" Cedeno earlier today. Danville fans were said to be lining up to buy season tickets, ecstatic with the move. Maui fans, however, had a different take.

"We got the shaft," said an angry group of fans clustered in a Kihei bar. "Well, we had the shaft, and then our stupid GM sent our shaft away. Something like that. You get the idea."

Clearly, Dong's hefty contract played a role in the move. "When I woke up from a drunken stupor the morning after we signed him to his contract a few years ago, I couldn't remember how it happened," Macario confessed. "$25 million per year is a lot for any Dong," he said. "Frankly, I was blown away."

Seattle Deals Cecil Cup Star to Danville

The Seattle Monarchs, once again reshaping a successful roster, sent star outfielder Armando "Rimfire" Cedeno to the Danville Dans. Cedeno hit six home runs in the playoffs, driving in 11 and scoring 15 runs. Cedeno was a very popular player with local fans, who had seen him break into the majors at the tender age of 18. Just 25, Cedeno is fifth all-time in home runs in Monarchs history with 147.

"It's tough to deal someone like Rimfire," said Seattle Owner/GM Mack Shultz, "especially after the great playoff series he had. But, we have some excellent young outfielders who we think are ready to play in the majors and we wanted to gain some flexibility going forward."

Seattle sent Cedeno, promising infield prospect Salomon Adrover, and its second-round pick to Danville in the deal. In return, Seattle acquires left-handed reliever John Burgess and Danville's picks in the first and second rounds.

"We know it's not going to be a popular move with our fans, sending out Cedeno for a reliever and a couple draft picks," said Shultz. "But hopefully those six Cecil Cups on our mantle will buy us a little leeway here. We think Burgess has a promising arm, especially for a left-hander. And, we now have four of the top 14 picks in the draft, which will give us a chance to really stock out minor league system."

Adrover, although the 88th rated prospect in the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list, was part of a logjam that the team had forecast for its AAA infield next year. A number of players were fighting for limited starting spots.

For the first time in recent Monarchs history, it looks like there may be an open position battle in spring training. Young outfielders Bas Bijkerk and Pedro Martinez are expected to duel with established veterans Steven Jackson, Bill Bivens, and Robert Ferrer for the Opening Day job alongside Roger Nichols and David Kerry. This trade shows that the Seattle front office is expecting Bijkerk or Martinez to step up and win the spot.

Los Angeles trading block

I'm currently accepting trade offers for:

1B Michael Slye - 28 HR, 938 OPS
2B Bill Turek - 20 HR, 870 OPS
SP William Minton - needs a change of scenery

I really, really, need starting pitching in return for either Slye or Turek.

Last Chance To Re-Sign Your Impending Free Agents

Sim's Done.  Current Game Date is 11/2/2016.

Tomorrow night's sim will go to Nov 14, by which time your impending free agents will have become actual free agents.

Zev

League Awards!!

The 2016 SDMB League awards have been handed out.  The winners are:

Outstanding Hitter
Saskatoon LF Rufus Murray won the Outstanding Hitter award with a .351 average, 41 home runs and 114 RBI.

Outstanding Pitcher
The Outstanding Pitcher award goes to Maui's Kyle Fike, who finished the season with a record of 19-7, a 2.49 ERA, 195 strikeouts and a no-hitter.

Outstanding Rookie
The Outstanding Rookie award landed in the middle of the Pacific as Maui SS Gabriel Sequeiros captured the trophy while hitting .250, with 17 HR and 82 RBI.

Slick Fielder
The Slick Fielder Awards have been fanded out.  The winners are:

P:  Fermin Perez (Danville)
C:  Alberto Granado (Seattle)
1B:  Francis Armendariz (Houston)
2B:  Ronald Chambers (Brooklyn)
3B:  Bruce Parker (Brooklyn)
SS:  Royal Wilson (Saskatoon)
LF:  Phillip Verner (Houston)
CF:  Monte Goss (Cleveland)
RF:  Hal Pires (Houston)

Next sim will be Monday night.  We'll go Nov 2, when the arbitration hearings will be completed.
After that, on Tuesday, we'll sim to Nov 14, by which time the players eligible for free agency will have filed.

Zev

Sim done

I simmed one day, stopping at the point where the budgets are set (as per Matt's request).

Next sim will be Saturday night.

Zev

Moving On...

We'll give Mack another day or so to bask in the glory of the championship and then we'll move on.

I'm tentatively scheduling the next sim for Thursday night.  I don't have the game on this machine, so I can't say how long it will cover but it will probably be a week or two (depending on whether or not there are any major events scheduled in that time period).

Zev

Congratulations Mack!!!

Saskatoon Overthrows Monarch Pitching, Takes Game 5

Yesterday, the Seattle Monarchs taught the Amigos that it helps to have a 5-0 lead after the first inning.  The Amigos learned the lesson well as they took a 5-0 lead against the Monarchs in the first inning, capped off by 1B Billy Pla's two run home run.

Ultimately, Saskatoon would manage to have a 10-0 lead before Seattle managed to score four runs in the final innings.  However, by that point, it was just too little, too late.

Thomas Cohen went eight innings and struck out nine to earn his fourth win of the post season and to cut Seattle's lead in the Cecil Cup Series to three games to two.

Box
Log

Game 6 -- Monday night
Game 7 (if necessary) -- Tuesday night

Seattle Bats Pound Amigo Pitchers. Seattle Leads 3-1

You know it's a bad day when your team is in a five run hole before you even get to bat.  That's the reality that the Saskatoon Amigos faced today as they lost to the Seattle Monarchs 11-5 and fell behind three games to one in the Cecil Cup Series.

Demarcus Ramirez, the longtime ace of the Saskatoon staff, just didn't have his stuff today.  In the first inning, he surrendered six hits, including back to back home runs to David Kerry (a three run shot) and Alberto Grando.  By the time the half-inning was over, five Monarchs had crossed home plate and if not for a runner being thrown out trying to take an extra base on a double, there may well have been more.  Ramirez lasted until the third, but by then had given up a total of six runs. 

The Monarchs had a second big inning in the sixth when they pushed across another three runners, including two on another David Kerry home run. 

While it wasn't a good game pitched for Monarchs starter Jamie Cruz (8IP, 5ER), it's enough when your team scores 11 runs.

Box
Log

Game 5 -- Sunday night
Game 6 (if necessary) -- Monday night

Seattle Beats Up on Amigos Bullpen, Takes Game 3

The Seattle Monarchs came from behind and beat the Saskatoon Amigos 8-6.  The Amigos jumped out to an early lead putting a three-spot up on the board.  Seattle managed to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth with their own three run inning, but Saskatoon managed to take the lead in the bottom of the inning.  Seattle, however, took the lead in the seventh and solidified it in the eighth with four runs off of Amigo reliever Willie Sewell.  Seattle now leads the Cecil Cup series 2-1.

Box
Log

Game 4 -- Saturday night
Game 5 -- Sunday night

Game 2: The Amigos Bats Wake Up

The Saskatoon Amigos tied the Cecil Cup Series at 1 game apiece with a 10-4 victory.  Saskatoon managed to get six runs on the board before Seattle even had a single base runner.  The hitting stars of the game for Saskatoon were RF Santiago Salazar who went 2-3 with a home run, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored and LF Rufus Murray who had four hits in five at bats, including a double with three runs scored and an RBI.  Thomas Cohen went the distance for Saskatoon, earning his third victory of the post-season.  Seattle starter Ronald Placencia was bombed for six runs in 2.2 innings. 

Box
Log

Game 3 Thursday night.
Game 4 Saturday night

Seattle Takes Game 1 of Cecil Cup Series

It was a pitcher's duel out  there as Seattle took Game 1 of the Cecil Cup series from the Saskatoon Amigos by a score of 2-0.

Both pitchers held their opposing teams scoreless until the bottom of the seventh when SS Rich Bender reached on a single and pinch hitter Steve Jackson (pinch hitting for Mudge??!!) hit one over the right field wall for a two run home run. 

Bender was the only player on either team to have more than one hit (he had three) in the game.  Joseph Macaluso went the entire way for Seattle, earning a complete game shutout.

Box
Log

Game 2 will be Wednesday night.

Saskatoon, Seattle Head to Cecil Cup Series

I'm sorry... it's very late here in NYC, so I'm not going to write up the articles.

Seattle 7, Cleveland 1
Box
Log

Saskatoon 6, Maui 2
Box
Log

Seattle Wins In 10, Fike Throws Two-Hit Shutout: Both Series at 3-2

The Seattle Monarchs needed 10 innings to defeat the Cleveland Steamers and take a 3-2 lead in their playoff series.  Both teams put two runs up in the first inning:  Cleveland's pair coming via a 364 foot homer by Tyler Thomas and Seattle's runs by a Roger Nicols lead off homer and an RBI by "Nitro" Granado.  Cleveland put another two on the board in the fourth on a two run homer by Bill Torre.  Seattle answered back with a solo home run by "Rimfire" Cedeno in the sixth and an RBI double by Eugene Alustiza in the seventh.  The score remained tied until the bottom of the 10th when Cedeno hit his second blast of the day - a two run 415 foot walk-off homer off of reliever Arnold Pough to win the game.

Box
Log

Maui's Robert Estill hit a lead-off home run off of Saskatoon starter Hector Orozco's second pitch of the game.  After that, the Masher batters could have just sat on the bench the rest of the game as starting pitcher Kyle Fike pitched a two-hit shutout against the Amigos.  So dominating was Fike, that he had a perfect game until there were two out in the seventh.  In fact, the only batter to even reach second base for Saskatoon was pinch hitter Telmo Dalmau, who, in the ninth inning, received the only walk that Fike gave up and went to second on a groundout.  In the end, Fike ended up pitching the entire game and only faced 29 batters (one of the batters who got a single was erased in a double play), two more than the minimum for nine innings.

Even though they weren't needed after the first batter, the Maui batters also pitched in their share, chasing Orozco from the game in the third and scoring eight runs overall. 

Box
Log

Game 6- Sunday night
Game 7 (if necessary) - Monday night

Cleveland Ties Series, Saskatoon Shuts Out Maui

The Cleveland Steamers tied their playoff series with the Seattle Monarchs at two games apiece with a 4-2 victory.  Cleveland scored first in the fifth with a home run off a solo homer.  Seattle struck back with two in the bottom of the inning on a Richard Bender double and a Jaime Cruz RBI groundout.  Cleveland responded with two more runs on a Monte Goss single and a William Midkiff single. Cleveland added an insurance run in the 8th on another Midkiff single.

Box
Log

The Saskatoon Amigos took a 3 games to 1 lead against Maui with an 8-0 shutout.  Saskatoon starter Thomas Cohen was dominating, allowing seven hits and striking out ten while throwing eight shutout innings.  Brian Frison and Rufus Murray both hit home runs for Saskatoon in the victory.

Box
Log

Game 5 -- Saturday night
Game 6 -- Sunday night

Steamers, Amigos Win. Both Series stand at 2-1

The Cleveland Steamers won their first game of the playoffs with a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the Seattle Monarchs.  The Monarchs had a 3-1 lead going into the top of the 8th when facing Joseph Malcuso, they scored three runs on a homer by Tyler Thomas.  Seattle tied it up in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Steven Jackson.  Cleveland, however pushed across two more runs on a single by John Grondin.  Junior Cuomo then came in to shut the Monarchs down in the ninth.  Tyler Thomas was the hitting star of the game, going 3-5 with the home run (however, he also left 5 runners on base). 

Box  Log

The Saskatoon Amigos took a 2-1 lead in their series against the Maui Mashers with an 8-6 victory.  Things got off to a bad start for Maui when starter Jesus Morales had to leave the game in the first inning with an injury that will likely sideline him for the remainder of the playoffs.  Anibal Ottman came in to pitch the next three plus innings and gave up six hits and four runs to take the loss.  Gabriel Sequiros was the hitting star of the game for Maui, going 3-5 with 3 RBI.  Bill Frison went 3-5 for Saskatoon, including hitting his second triple of the series. 

Box  Log

Game 4 on Thursday night
Game 5 on Saturday night

Seattle Takes 2 Game Lead, Maui Ties Series

The Seattle Monarchs won Game 2 of their series easily behing eight innings of two-hit ball pitched by righty Christopher Hester and home runs by Armando Cedeno and Alberto Granado.  Closer Timothy Vallejo came in to pitch the ninth and gave up the third hit of the game, but that was all for the Steamers.

The Maui Mashers defeated the Saskatoon Amigos by a score of 5-4.  Maui batters chased righty Hector Orozco in the third inning after tagging him for five runs.  The damage came from home runs by Dong Lutz, Willy Guzman and Gabriel Sequeiros. 

Game 3 tomorrow night.

Seattle, Saskatoon Take Game 1

The Seattle Monarchs crushed the Cleveland Steamers 8-1 in the first game of the playoffs.  Ronald Placencia (19-10) held the Steamers to nine hits and one run in eight innings of work while striking out eleven.  The hitting stars of the game for the Monarchs included CF Roger Nichols who missed hitting for the cycle (he had a single, double and triple) and RF David Kerry, who went 3 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBI.  Nathaniel Burton went 3-4 in a losing effort for the Steamers.

Box Log

The Amigos beat the Mashers today in an 11-7 victory.  This game was all about the offense, as both starting pitchers were roughed up.  Saskatoon took the lead for good in the third inning with a four run inning featuring a Brian Frison 2 RBI triple, a Royal Wilson RBI single and a Billy Pla double.

Box Log

Game 2 on Tuesday night
Game 3 on Wednesday night
Game 4 on Thursday night.

Sept II Sim Done

Game Date:
September 23, 2016 (the day before the playoffs)

Who Uploaded?:
Cleveland
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
Seattle

Playoffs -- Round 1 Matchups:
Seattle vs. Cleveland
Saskatoon vs. Maui

Awards:
Hickory 1B Fredrico Soriano wins Player of the Week (9/19)


Injuries:
None affecting playoff teams or the 2017 season.


Milestones:
No new milestones reached.

League Leaders:
Batting Avg:  Monte Goss (CLE) .357
Hits:  Monte Goss (CLE) 230
Doubles:  Monte Goss (CLE) 52
Triples:  Winston Satterlee (RIV) 12
Home Runs:  Luis Jeon (BRK) 42
RBI:  Santiago Salazar (SAS) 134
Stolen Bases:  Nathaniel Burton (CLE) & Duane Gerhardt (DAN) 47
Walks:  Robert Estill (MAU) 125

Earned Run Average:  Kyle Fike (MAU) 2.49
Wins: Kyle Fike (MAU), Ronald Placencia (SEA), James Turner (CLE), Juan Villatoro (RIV)  19
Saves:  Junior Cuomo (CLE) 46
Innings Pitched:  Ronald Placencia (SEA) 253.2
Shutouts:  Juan Villatoro (RIV) 5
Strikeouts:  Ferdinand Pineda (MAU) 252
WHIP:  Ronald Placencia (SEA) 0.95

Upcoming Schedule:
Game 1 -- Sunday night
Game 2 -- Tuesday night
Game 3 -- Wednesday night
Game 4 -- Thursday night


UPDATE:  The league pages have been updated.  For the eight of us not playing right now and looking to the future, you might want to pay attention to this.

Sep I Sim Done

Game Date:
Sep 16, 2016

Who uploaded:
Cleveland
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
Ohio
River Cities
Saskatoon
Seattle

Standings:
Cleveland clinched the Adams Division
Maui long ago locked up the Signorino
Seattle is six up over Saskatoon in the Zotti with six to go.
Saskatoon is six up in the wild card race over Ohio with six to go.

Awards:
Maui 1B Dong Lutz wins Player of the Week (9/5)
River Cities SS John Hukill wins Player of the Week (9/12)

Minor League Awards:
Class A
Outstanding Pitchers:

• Moose Jaw (SAS) closer Alejandro Lopez who spent most of the year as a starter going 15-5 (with 3 saves) with a 1.90 ERA.
• Sharon (RIV) starter Cal Hamilton with a record of 14-6, with a 1.90 ERA

Outstanding Hitters:

• Kent (SEA) 3B Bay Tran-Nhu who hit .381 with 7 home runs 51 RBI and an OPS of .867.  He also stole 29 bases.
• Kihei (MAU) CF Reijro Kondo who hit .369 with 11 home runs and 50 RBI and an OPS of .808.

Class AA
Outstanding Pitchers:

• Olympia (SEA) SP Jesus Concepcion with a record of 14-5 and a 2.68 ERA.
• Brighton (OH) SP Larry Gabrielson with a record of 15-2 and an ERA of 1.86 before being promoted to Mississagua (AAA) where he went 2-2.

Outstanding Hitters:

• Quincy (DAN) Kitahatchi Noriyori who hit .329 with 16 homers and 71 RBIs and an OPS of .854.
• Jersey City(AA) (HIK) LF Melvin Steinbach with a .276 average, 25 homers and 87 RBI.  His OPS was .828.

Class AAA
Outstanding Pitchers

• Regina (SAS) SP Einar Gaona compiled a record of 17-3 with an ERA of 2.70.
• Debois County (DAN) pitcher Benicio Castro who went 16-10 with a 2.71 ERA.

Outstanding Hitters:

• Jersey City (AAA) 1B Jorge Vasquez:  .300, 18HR, 85 RBI, .834 OPS.
• Dayton (RIV) 1B Lindsay Walker: .353, 11HR, 59RBI, .941 OPS

Injuries
Cleveland SP Ernest Gerth strained his bicep muscle.
Cleveland SP Kendrick Kaler developed a blister
Hickroy MR William Lawrence developed a blister.

All three are minor 1-2 week injuries but this close to the playoffs it may be significant.

Milestones
River Cities RF Patrick Valdez scored his 1000th run.  He is the 11th player to reach this milestone.

Next sim:
Next Saturday night, July 17.  This sim will cover the remainder of the regular season and take us up to Game 1 of the playoffs.

August II Sim Done

Game Date:
September 1, 2016 -- time to expand the rosters.

Who Uploaded?:
Hickory
Houston
Los Angeles
Maui
Ohio
River Cities
Seattle

Standings:
Adams:  Cleveland leads by twenty.
Zotti:  Seattle up by seven against Saskatoon
Signorino:  Maui leads by 32.
Wild Card:  Saskatoon leads Ohio by three and River Cities by four.

Awards:
Saskatoon 3B Albert Peavy wins Player of the Week (8/22)
Maui CF Ronald Amos wins Player of the Week (8/29)
Saskatoon LF Rufus Murry wins Batter of the Month
Maui SP Jesus Morales wins Pitcher of the Month
Maui SS George Sequeiros wins Rookie of the Month

Minor League Playoffs:
It was all Seattle and Ohio in the minor league playoffs!

AAA:  The Mississagua Free Agents (OH) defeated the Tacoma Tigers (SEA) 4-2.
AA:  The Olympia Oligarchs (SEA) defeated the Brighton Apples (OH) 4-2
A:  The Kent Kings (SEA) defeated the Sharon Beauties (OH) 4-1

Injuries:
No long-term injuries this sim.

Milestones:
Seattle 1B Gregory Mudge becomes the all-time leader in hits with 2098, passing Hall of Famer Michael Fay.  Mudge is also the all-time leader in home runs.

Next Sim:
Saturday night, July 10. 

August I Sim re-run

Game Date
8/16/2016

Who Uploaded?
Brooklyn
Danville
Los Angeles
Maui
Ohio
Saskatoon
Seattle

Who's in first?
Adams Division - Cleveland leads River Cities by 14 games
Zotti Division - Seattle leads Saskatoon by one game
Signorino - Maui leads New York by 30 games
Wild Card - Saskatoon leads River Cities by 5 games

Player of the Week Honors:
8/1 - O. Cabrales (Maui)
8/8 - C. Moss (Ohio)
8/15 - B. Turek (Los Angeles)

Junior Commissioner Note
I considered rolling back the injury to Brooklyn's Franklin Lakey that happened in the "ghost" sim, but I decided to invoke my junior commissioner powers to revise Lakey's injury. Due to the crazy time travel that happened in the sim, Lakey developed migraines and will miss the entire month of August. No word on if he has nosebleeds like the hot redhead on Lost, or not, but, for Zev's sake, I hope he doesn't exhibit symptoms of temporal sickness, and is just confused by what's happened. I hope everyone agrees this was a fair compromise.

I also had to make a roster decision for Hickory, to accommodate adding Timothy Palacio to his active roster. I demoted 3B Carlos Pais to AAA on Frank's behalf.

Next sim
Saturday night, July 3, 2010.

Replay

OK, folks, Mack was kind enough to send me a copy of the old league file and so we'll replay the two weeks in question.  That will be run either tonight or Tuesday night.

If you sent an update file after last night's sim, IT WILL BE DELETED.  You will need to reimport the game after I run the sim and then re-export your team changes.

In addition, to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest, I will be disabling Franklin Lakey for the remainder of the season.

My apologies for all the confusion in this.  If anyone has any questions, please feel free to post them here or to send them to me by email.

Zev


UPDATE:  I've been having some trouble with the file Mack sent.  I tried to use it both Monday night and last night.  I don't know whether the problem lies with his system or mine (the smart money is probably on mine), so Michael is going to run the sim tonight from his machine (since he hasn't imported the new file).

Zev