Hey, everyone, we've got two new owners.
Taking over the Denver franchise will be Michael Henderson, and taking over the Covington franchise will be Ian Morochnick. However, since Michael signed up first, I'm giving him the option of switching to the Covington franchise if he wants. Of course, both of them will have the option of relocating/renaming their franchises before the next season.
Welcome aboard guys!
One quick note:
Firstly, the deadline for re-signing your free agents will be Tuesday night, not Sunday as previously reported. This will give the new guys a chance to get acquainted with their rosters and decide who to re-sign and make offers.
Zev
UPDATE: Michael's going to be keeping Denver, so Ian will get Covington.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
His Work Done, John Willer Moves On
Lifetime Seattle Monarch John Willer and the team reached an agreement yesterday to allow Willer to seek a starting job with another team for the 2011 season.
"I know that my time here has passed," said the 35-year-old third baseman. "I recognize that it's Gene's time now. But, I still feel like I have a lot left in the tank and the Monarchs management has agreed to let me pursue the chance to find a starting job with another team."
Even though he was named to his fifth All-Star team this year, Willer had been supplanted at the hot corner by Eugene Alustiza in June. The 21-year-old Alustiza hit .318 with ten home runs and posted a .396 OBP in the regular season. Alustiza then followed that up with a .435 OBP in the Cecil Cup. Despite Alustiza's star turn, Willer more than held his own and ended the year with .284/.346/.390 marks. He had 18 doubles in just 282 at bats.
Willer was the Monarchs' seventh round pick in the inaugural expansion draft and has been the starting third baseman for the Monarchs franchise since its inception. He ranks among the leaders in SDMB OOTP history in many categories, including:
Batting average: .288 (25th)
Hits: 1,278 (12th)
RBI: 653 (14th)
Doubles: 331 (2nd)
Triples: 31 (18th)
Walks: 521 (12th)
Runs: 654 (16th)
Willer's best year was probably 2009, when he hit .324/.414/.494 and helped lead the Monarchs to their first championship. In fact, Willer was rarely to blame for the Monarchs' previous failures, as his career stats for the Cecil Cups are .366/.409/.646. He was especially remarkable in the Monarchs' seven-game loss to South Bay in 2006 when he hit over .400 with four home runs in the series, posting a stunning 1.523 OPS.
"John Willer has been one of the pillars of our franchise. He's the last remaining player who started in Opening Day 2002 for the Monarchs. He asked us to let him go to pursue a chance to play again. But, we will always have a door open to John if he ever wants to come back," said Owner/GM Mack Shultz. "To show our respect, we've agreed to pay John his full salary for the 2012 season, $8 million."
Sources within the Monarchs organization have indicated that they are going to keep the manager position open, to possibly be filled by Willer should he retire. Even if Willer is not chosen, the Monarchs are expected to look within their own organization or at former players to fill the head job. Apparently, interim manager Larry Hockett damaged his chances of keeping the top job when he termed the front office, "Lollygaggers."
"I know that my time here has passed," said the 35-year-old third baseman. "I recognize that it's Gene's time now. But, I still feel like I have a lot left in the tank and the Monarchs management has agreed to let me pursue the chance to find a starting job with another team."
Even though he was named to his fifth All-Star team this year, Willer had been supplanted at the hot corner by Eugene Alustiza in June. The 21-year-old Alustiza hit .318 with ten home runs and posted a .396 OBP in the regular season. Alustiza then followed that up with a .435 OBP in the Cecil Cup. Despite Alustiza's star turn, Willer more than held his own and ended the year with .284/.346/.390 marks. He had 18 doubles in just 282 at bats.
Willer was the Monarchs' seventh round pick in the inaugural expansion draft and has been the starting third baseman for the Monarchs franchise since its inception. He ranks among the leaders in SDMB OOTP history in many categories, including:
Batting average: .288 (25th)
Hits: 1,278 (12th)
RBI: 653 (14th)
Doubles: 331 (2nd)
Triples: 31 (18th)
Walks: 521 (12th)
Runs: 654 (16th)
Willer's best year was probably 2009, when he hit .324/.414/.494 and helped lead the Monarchs to their first championship. In fact, Willer was rarely to blame for the Monarchs' previous failures, as his career stats for the Cecil Cups are .366/.409/.646. He was especially remarkable in the Monarchs' seven-game loss to South Bay in 2006 when he hit over .400 with four home runs in the series, posting a stunning 1.523 OPS.
"John Willer has been one of the pillars of our franchise. He's the last remaining player who started in Opening Day 2002 for the Monarchs. He asked us to let him go to pursue a chance to play again. But, we will always have a door open to John if he ever wants to come back," said Owner/GM Mack Shultz. "To show our respect, we've agreed to pay John his full salary for the 2012 season, $8 million."
Sources within the Monarchs organization have indicated that they are going to keep the manager position open, to possibly be filled by Willer should he retire. Even if Willer is not chosen, the Monarchs are expected to look within their own organization or at former players to fill the head job. Apparently, interim manager Larry Hockett damaged his chances of keeping the top job when he termed the front office, "Lollygaggers."
Friday, September 21, 2007
Simply The Greatest Team Ever
Upon sober reflection (OK - a night of wild partying), I'd like to point out the obvious and indisputable fact that the 2010 Seattle Monarchs are the greatest team in SDMB OOTP history.
The Monarchs were 114-48 in the regular season, the first team in history to post a winning percentage above .700 (.704). They withstood an onslaught from the 108-54 Saskatoon Cossacks, who featured both the best offense (relative to the league) in SDMB OOTP history and a pitching staff backed by long-time superstars Demarcus Ramirez and Richard Pimental.
The Monarchs' Pythagorean record was 119-43, second only to the 122-40 mark posted by last year's River Cities team. I note though that last year's River Cities squad (a) failed to capture the Cecil Cup, thus disqualifying it from the discussion, and (b) had its regular season accomplishments substantially boosted by the historically awful performance of that year's Covington squad, which was essentially run by no one at all and careened to an unthinkable 33-129 mark (.209).
The Monarchs' opponent in the Cecil Cup series was a River Cities squad that went 111-51 in the regular season and posted the lowest ERA in SDMB OOTP history. The Monarchs beat them like a drum, taking four of five games and scoring over five runs per game in the process.
The Monarchs' two aces, Chad Nelligan and Christopher Hester, both posted 23-6 marks. The five starting pitchers (including Peter Bird before his heroic move to the bullpen for the Cecil Cup and his 2.2 innings of perfect relief work in the pivotal Game Four) were a combined 86-24 with a combined ERA of 2.80. The bullpen was no slouch either, posting a combined ERA of just over 3. For his work, Mr. Nelligan won the Outstanding Pitcher of the Year Award.
The offense matched the pitching staff's excellence, having one of the top handful of seasons in league history. The 5.37 runs per game were sixth-best in league history and a third-best 23% above the league average. When veteran stalwarts such as John Willer and George Rawlins began to decline, promising youngsters Eugene Alustiza and Armando Cedeno stepped in. Despite being only a combined 40 years old, the two future stars both hit over .300 in the regular season and in the Cecil Cup. Leadoff hitter Sean Arant broke the record for runs scored in a season, tallying 140, and stole 81 bases while getting thrown out just 19 times. And first baseman Gregory Mudge won his third Outstanding Batter of the Year Award in the last four years (a streak broken only last year by fellow Monarch George Rawlins). He hit .329 with 46 home runs, drove in 146, and had an OPS over 1.000 for the first time in his career.
Finally, the Monarchs were no slouches with the glove either. The batting average on balls in play was an Adams League best .278 and they posted the fewest errors in the Adams League. The Monarchs' play in the field was recognized by voters as Waylon Blassingame won his second consecutive Slick Fielder Award behind the plate and Greg Mudge captured his fourth Slick Fielder Award at first base.
Pitching. Hitting. Defense. Wins. The Championship. By any measure, the 2010 Seattle Monarchs are the greatest team in SDMB OOTP history. I defy anyone to say otherwise.
The Monarchs were 114-48 in the regular season, the first team in history to post a winning percentage above .700 (.704). They withstood an onslaught from the 108-54 Saskatoon Cossacks, who featured both the best offense (relative to the league) in SDMB OOTP history and a pitching staff backed by long-time superstars Demarcus Ramirez and Richard Pimental.
The Monarchs' Pythagorean record was 119-43, second only to the 122-40 mark posted by last year's River Cities team. I note though that last year's River Cities squad (a) failed to capture the Cecil Cup, thus disqualifying it from the discussion, and (b) had its regular season accomplishments substantially boosted by the historically awful performance of that year's Covington squad, which was essentially run by no one at all and careened to an unthinkable 33-129 mark (.209).
The Monarchs' opponent in the Cecil Cup series was a River Cities squad that went 111-51 in the regular season and posted the lowest ERA in SDMB OOTP history. The Monarchs beat them like a drum, taking four of five games and scoring over five runs per game in the process.
The Monarchs' two aces, Chad Nelligan and Christopher Hester, both posted 23-6 marks. The five starting pitchers (including Peter Bird before his heroic move to the bullpen for the Cecil Cup and his 2.2 innings of perfect relief work in the pivotal Game Four) were a combined 86-24 with a combined ERA of 2.80. The bullpen was no slouch either, posting a combined ERA of just over 3. For his work, Mr. Nelligan won the Outstanding Pitcher of the Year Award.
The offense matched the pitching staff's excellence, having one of the top handful of seasons in league history. The 5.37 runs per game were sixth-best in league history and a third-best 23% above the league average. When veteran stalwarts such as John Willer and George Rawlins began to decline, promising youngsters Eugene Alustiza and Armando Cedeno stepped in. Despite being only a combined 40 years old, the two future stars both hit over .300 in the regular season and in the Cecil Cup. Leadoff hitter Sean Arant broke the record for runs scored in a season, tallying 140, and stole 81 bases while getting thrown out just 19 times. And first baseman Gregory Mudge won his third Outstanding Batter of the Year Award in the last four years (a streak broken only last year by fellow Monarch George Rawlins). He hit .329 with 46 home runs, drove in 146, and had an OPS over 1.000 for the first time in his career.
Finally, the Monarchs were no slouches with the glove either. The batting average on balls in play was an Adams League best .278 and they posted the fewest errors in the Adams League. The Monarchs' play in the field was recognized by voters as Waylon Blassingame won his second consecutive Slick Fielder Award behind the plate and Greg Mudge captured his fourth Slick Fielder Award at first base.
Pitching. Hitting. Defense. Wins. The Championship. By any measure, the 2010 Seattle Monarchs are the greatest team in SDMB OOTP history. I defy anyone to say otherwise.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Postseason Awards
The Postseason Awards are in! Here they are:
Outstanding Batter, Adams League: Gregory Mudge, 1B, Seattle (.329, 45, 146, 1.008 OPS) -- third award.
Outstanding Batter, Zotti League: Ricky Peppers, SS, South Bay (.311, 40, 122, .970 OPS, 48 SB) -- second award
Outstanding Pitcher, Adams League: Chad Nelligan, Seattle (23-6, 1.96, 259 K, 0.83 WHIP)
Outstanding Pitcher, Zotti League: Juan Villatoro, River Cities (25-2, 2.02, 230 K, 0.86 WHIP)
Outstanding Newcomer, Adams League: Dario Lopez, Saskatoon (13-9, 3.49, 1.29 WHIP)
Outstanding Newcomer, Zotti League: Kevin Rubio, LF, New York (.315, 10, 59, .784 OPS)
Outstanding Batter, Adams League: Gregory Mudge, 1B, Seattle (.329, 45, 146, 1.008 OPS) -- third award.
Outstanding Batter, Zotti League: Ricky Peppers, SS, South Bay (.311, 40, 122, .970 OPS, 48 SB) -- second award
Outstanding Pitcher, Adams League: Chad Nelligan, Seattle (23-6, 1.96, 259 K, 0.83 WHIP)
Outstanding Pitcher, Zotti League: Juan Villatoro, River Cities (25-2, 2.02, 230 K, 0.86 WHIP)
Outstanding Newcomer, Adams League: Dario Lopez, Saskatoon (13-9, 3.49, 1.29 WHIP)
Outstanding Newcomer, Zotti League: Kevin Rubio, LF, New York (.315, 10, 59, .784 OPS)
Monarchs Rule Again!!
The Seattle Monarchs have won their second consecutive Cecil Cup today with a 3-2 victory over the River Cities Paddlewheelers.
Seattle jumped out to an early lead by putting a run on the board in the second and another one in the third. Seattle added a third run on a fielder's choice.
River Cities tried to come back, by getting a run in the seventh on a Patrick Valdes home run and an additional run with a homer in the ninth by John Hukill... but it was too little too late.
Box Score Game Log
Congratulations to Mack on the victory.
There will be one more opportunity to sign potential free agents. I will be running those signings on Sunday morning.
Zev
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Monarchs Roar Back From Five Run Deficit To Take 3-1 Lead
The Paddlewheelers thought they had this one in the bag. By the time the third inning was over, they had five runs on the board and knocked 23-game winner Christopher Hester out of the game. But that's when the Monarchs started coming back.
It began with a four-spot in the fifth, where the Monarchs put together five hits. They added another two to take the lead in the sixth on four singles and another two insurance runs in the seventh on a two run blast by Armando Cedeno.
Box Score Game Log
Game 5, River Cities @ Seattle -- Thursday night.
It began with a four-spot in the fifth, where the Monarchs put together five hits. They added another two to take the lead in the sixth on four singles and another two insurance runs in the seventh on a two run blast by Armando Cedeno.
Box Score Game Log
Game 5, River Cities @ Seattle -- Thursday night.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Frau Flops, Hukill Shines As River Cities Wins
River Cities won its first Cecil Cup game this year, defeating Seattle 6-3 and cutting the Monarchs lead to two games to one.
Isidro Frau was in trouble right away, giving up a single and double and allowing the first Paddlewheeler run before even securing a single out. A John Hukill double in the third added another run for the Paddlewheelers. However, the real damage came when Hukill came up in the fourth with the bases loaded. Hukill slammed the ball 343 feet down the right field line and brought in four runs with a grand slam. The Monarchs never recovered from that. Seattle managed to get a run in fifth on Stephen Herbert's triple and two more in the ninth on a Gregory Mudge homer, but it was too little, too late.
Box Score Game Log
Game 4, River Cities @ Seattle, Wednesday night.
Isidro Frau was in trouble right away, giving up a single and double and allowing the first Paddlewheeler run before even securing a single out. A John Hukill double in the third added another run for the Paddlewheelers. However, the real damage came when Hukill came up in the fourth with the bases loaded. Hukill slammed the ball 343 feet down the right field line and brought in four runs with a grand slam. The Monarchs never recovered from that. Seattle managed to get a run in fifth on Stephen Herbert's triple and two more in the ninth on a Gregory Mudge homer, but it was too little, too late.
Box Score Game Log
Game 4, River Cities @ Seattle, Wednesday night.
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