News and Notes: Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- SJ, having stretched their lead in the South to 5 games, got two 1st round picks in the 2017 amateur draft. They grabbed LHP Anthony Rodriguez (AUB) first overall and with the 10th pick took 3B Tyler Diggins (ND). Said a rival GM anonymously, "Rodgriguez was a solid pick. He looks like he could be at worst, a #3 guy. Maybe a solid #1. I'm shocked though, at the Diggins pick. Did they really need a third baseman that badly? We didn't have him in our top 30 - thought he was a good college player, not a great one and we didn't see much there in room for growth."
- TAI, up to #2 with the trade of LF A Mule to KYO, took LHP R Ruettigger (ND). "He throws hard, has good stuff but mentally he just loses focus. If things start badly, be it a game, series or even a season, it gets to him and it all falls apart," said a Tai Fong scout. "I argued against it, I thought we needed a high-ceiling, no risk pick and he seems a little risky to me." The 12th pick had TAI selecting reliever Dave Calvo (UCI). "We really like this guy," said GM Dylan Goforth. "He's going to be part of our 'pen for a long, long time. He just goes out and gets the job done."
- CLE, 1-9 in their last 10, also grabbed a left-handed starter, Dellin Betances (MIA). According to the Tai Fong scout, "Betances can't get right-handed batters out, and he could get by in college but that won't happen at the big league level. Cleveland got a 5th starter with the 3rd pick. He didn't fool us."
- SCO, falling off the pace in the Euro is now in a struggle to maintain wildcard position. With the 4th pick, the Rebels landed RF Pablo Mattisse (UNC). "We're delighted. We can't believe this guy fell to us, we were watching the draft board and when the National Player of the Year lands in your lap ... outstanding. He holds the record for RBI's in the NCAA and we've got a run producer," said the already celebrating SCO GM Carmelo Guarneri.
- IRE, losers are 4 straight and trying to push LON into the Euro basement, selected C J Berry (CONN). Berry, who never hit like scouts expected, are obviously still high on the sweet swinging right-handed hitting catcher. "I don't know why he didn't put up big numbers but he was too good to pass up. A rifle of an arm too," said IRE GM Tony Blake. "We'll find a spot for him, somehow." The Invaders have catchers Al Murphy and Earl Hickey on their roster right now and may be forced to trade one of the three.
- OSA, first place in the Far East, took a CF out of ND with their pick. "Andy Bokelman? Really?", said the Tai Fong scout. "He doesn't really seem like a Ronin type of hitter, in fact, I'm not sure why any team would take this guy with their first rounder. Sometimes, a team has a thing or a bias for a certain school. Certainly seems to be the case here."
- BED, picking 7th, chose yet another left-handed starter, Hunter Johnson (TUL). A World GM noted that they had Johnson ranked 1st on their board. "You really have to get lucky sometimes. This guy should've been number 1 and a couple teams really screwed up to let him go to Bedford."
- HAL, in a North dogfight with CLE and BED, went with LF Sam Archibald (HOU)with the 8th pick. GM Lars Cain said, "He's a real fun player to watch, a guy that gives his all out there and we're happy to get him. He's been an All-American three years running."
- SAV, who has been creeping up on SJ all month, selected 2B Dom Giggie (CMU) 10th. "Well, that's not quite as bad as Bokelman to Osaka," laughed a South GM. "But the Sabers have middle infield issues and he'll probably get a shot by next season."
- PAR, far ahead of the pack in the World League, took RF Shoo Sasaki (LSU) 11th overall. "You knew someone was going to give this guy a shot, right?" said a Euro scout. "They can afford to gamble. You can totally knock a wood bat out of this kids hands but his eye-hand coordination is incredible right now. He's a bit of a project but I like the risky move."
- PHI, picking 13th, had SS Adrian Cardenas (AUB) fall hard and land square on their draft table. "We needed a little boost right now," said a Fever scout. "What a break! We just got our shortstop for the next 10 years and that really helps our rebuilding project. We weren't sure anyone good would be left this late."
- The 15th and 16th picks to end the first round both went to HAL. CF Gary Hamm (MICH) "was an All-American last season and has more of the all-around talent we saw in Archibald. We may have to move him out of centre because of his arm but we think he'll be a heckuva player," said HAL GM Lars Cain. RP Greg Moore (HOU) will be "more of a project. If he can get a second pitch off his fastball, he'll be set," sent the Tai Fong scout.

2017 AMATEUR DRAFT, ROUND 1

The long awaited Amateur Draft show is here! Have fun!

VIDEO TEST

Just testing video embedding. Nothing to see here.

News and Notes: Friday, June 9, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- The 2017 Amateur Draft should be coming up in the next couple of days. Get your lists ready. Three rounds of 16 - the sooner your lists are in, the quicker games can resume.
- OSA fell a little closer to the pack in the Far East, dropping all 3 games to SJ. The Senadores scored 39 runs and gave up 18. Fourteen HR were hit by SJ and GM Bill Gluvna is now lobbying ownership and the league to consider moving the franchise to Japan.
- Just curious: After having their AAA team in Mexico City in 2004-05, HAL was asked to move their AAA franchise because supposedly, the high average (.324 in 2004) and high HR totals (243 in 2005) skewed stats and damaged the integrity of the league. 1B P Fielder of Mexico still holds the minor league record with 43 bombs. Yet the team record for SLB homeruns has been set by OSA (374 in 2014), the individual record by an OSA player (72 in 2014) and the Ronin have led the league in homeruns by 47 (2016), 61 (2015), 142 (2014), and 77 (2013). They are the only team to hit over 300 HR in a season and have done so 4 seasons in a row. The individual HR leader has been from OSA the past 4 seasons as well. Where is the outrage now?
- There are two teams with remarkably low slugging percentages: TAI is at .380, KYO at .393. The Tai Fong's leader in slugging is LF E Dalton (and former Bushido) at .521. LF A Mule of KYO leads his team with his .533 mark.
- KYO took 2 of 3 from ATL , another blow to the Flyers season. ATL is 3.5 games back of third place BAL in the South. "We really spanked Zambrano in the second game," said Manager Bobby Valentine. "I thought we came out a little flat in game three, the guys knew they had the series won and relaxed against Zito. You just can't do that. Savannah comes here next and even though its only June, every game is important."
- Despite getting shutout in 10 innings in Game 1 v LON, BAL took the next two games and are 7-3 in their last 10. The Knights had RHP J Weaver on the mound for Game 2 and saw his typical performance: 7 innings, 13 hits, 2 walks and 7 ER. Weaver has given up 15 HR in 13 starts (68 IP).
- CHNG took 2 of 3 from PHI, the two wins both taking place in extra innings and decided by one run. The Kwaan lost the fina game 9-7 but are just 4 back of OSA. The Fever's loser in both extra inning games was LHP M Buehrle, totalling 2 IP, 5 hits and 2 ER. Buehrle's corpse is now 0-6, 8.62.
- Despite SCO taking 2 of 3 from HAL, PAR is on the verge of running away and hiding with their 7-game winning streak. The Pimpernels swept BED behind CF R Robinson's 8-12, 4 HR, 2 doubles and a stolen base.

News and Notes: Friday, June 2, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- BED is unstoppable and has the best record in (has that ever been written before? ed.) SLB after 56 games. The Crunch swept SCO, giving up a total of 4 runs in three games, and RF M Bradley went 6-12 with 4 doubles. Game 2 saw Bradley have yet another run in with the firstbase umpire after being called out on the back end of a double play and came very close to ejection.
- KYO's lack of team speed again this season is apparent to most rival scouts. The Bushido have hit into 44 DP's (3rd most) and have just 5 triples (fewest in SLB). Making matters worse is the total lack of respect for C K Thibault's arm - opposing teams have stolen 72 SB off KYO, second most in the league. SS B BooYa has managed to steal 17 bases despite his .270 OBP.
- "Hey, we're slow too!" BAL has managed just 15 steals as a team(!) and has 39 GIDP. There are 11 players in SLB with at least 16 stolen bases.
- Meet the Slowskys: KYO C Kiel Thibault has 10 GIDP, PAR 3B Yuliesky Gourriel has 11 GIDP and SCO 1B Henry Sanchez has 12 GIDP.
- IRE didn't lie down for SJ, taking 2 of 3 from the streaking Senadores in Puerto Rico. Back-to-back gems by right-hander J Beckett and T Kawabata totaled 15K in 12.2 IP. The Invaders are tied with LON for 3rd (or last), 7 back of PAR.
- Last season, PHI LF Andy Hunter hit .318 with 41 HR and a 1.001 OPS. This season, the 28 year-old Fever player is hitting .182 with 11 HR and a .604 OPS. Last seasons World Series finalists are 24-34, 14 games out and in 4th in the North.
- BAL SP D Tankersley is making just 7M for this season and next. Brought back to the Panthers to help guide their young pitchers, Tankersley has done all of that and more. He leads the league in IP (92) and has a sparkling 2.35 ERA.

News and Notes: Friday, May 26, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- PAR is the hottest team in SLB right now (8-2 in their last 10) with 5 wins in a row. They moved to 2 games up on SCO in the Euro with 2 wins each over TAI and KYO, allowing just 5 runs in the four games. 3B S Dinkman went 9-18 with 2 doubles and a triple and is now hitting .352 on the season.
- Moving in the opposite direction is the former Far East leading KYO. The Bushido have fallen to third place and are now closer to last than first. The Bushido have the 4th lowest ERA (4.03) but can't hit - .230 is the lowest team batting average in SLB by 16 points.
- OSA has crushed its way to a 10 game lead and gets LF R Brown back in under a month. Brown hit 50 HR last season but had just 3 AB's in 2017. Despite being a hitters mecca, 7 teams have a worse ERA than OSA (4.64).
- CHNG 2B Cap Jackson rehabbed successfully from a broken neck and is playing the best baseball of his career. Jackson is at .281 (career .254) with 27 SB. But the Kwaan continue to struggle with LF J Belinda 58 points under his career average and only 4 HR and the 4th worst ERA in SLB (4.88).
- Is ATL finally making their move? The Flyers have played .500 their past 10 and are now just a half game back of third place BAL. "If you're going to play lousy baseball it's better to do it now then in September," said hitting coach Dennis Dennis Sr. "San Juan hasn't been able to run away and hide yet. We'll be there at the end of the year, mark my words."
- SJ's RP Edwin Jackson is up to his old tricks. He's once again the league leader in saves (12) with a 2.35 ERA. "Our guys think he's back to doctoring the ball," said ATL hitting coach Dennis Dennis Sr. "We just faced him on Tuesday and he's pitching like he was last year - not like he was doing earlier in the year. We'll catch him, don't worry. He'll get his comeuppance, if you will."
- CLE split a 2-game series with PHI and then followed HAL's lead by mistreating BAL. The Dawgs are a surprising 29-20 and just 2.5 out of first in the North. CF D Stubbs has been a total bust in Cleveland and has been sent to work on his game and mindset in AAA. "We knew he was a .300 hitter," said Manager Joe Torre. "We just didn't think it would be in Triple-A."

Is Retirement Next?

Osaka (AP) During Wednesday nights game between the Osaka Ronin and the visiting Kyoto Bushido, centerfielder Andruw Jones was injured on a catch of a sinking line drive off the bat of slugger Chest Rockwell.
"I just twisted my knee at the last second," said an obviously distraught Jones. "Just another thing that went wrong this year."
The 39 year-old Jones, who signed for just over the minimum salary this offseason, has struggled at the plate this season, hitting just .193 with 2 HR and no stolen bases in 109 at-bats. That's quite a dropoff from 2016 with Savannah, where as a platoon player and defensive replacement Jones hit .267 with 15 HR and 21 stolen bases.
"I don't think I've lost bat speed at all," Jones continued. "I've think I've got something left in the tank. I don't have to prove anything. I just don't know if I want to bother with all of the rehab just to come back for next spring training and just be a pinch-hitter or emergency outfielder. It's been a good career if this is it."
The injury to Jones, an inflamed medial collateral ligament, is expected to keep him out for over 6 months. He was a member of the SLB champion Halifax Sailors in 2009 and SLB champion Savannah Sabers in 2015, a three-time All-Star and two-time division MVP.

News and Notes: Monday, May 15, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- BAL was 18-7 early this season. That seems so long ago, as the Panthers dropped 15 straight before winning their final game v PAR Sunday night. BAL has scored the 7th most runs but have the 5th worst ERA (4.94), in which most of the embarrassing performances are coming from the bullpen. Among the starters though, LHP Oliver Perez has just 2 QS in 8 opportunities.
- TAI continued their strategy of "Winning? Not interested, thanks" after dealing RP F Rodney (3.27 ERA)to ATL in a multi-player swap. After the trade was announced, SP R Mexico went ballistic in the dressing room. "Let's face it, we're a farm team. We'll draft guys and when they develop, trade them to a real team. I know I'll be out of here too - if they don't trade me I'll walk at the end of the year. We should change our team colors to all-white 'cause from management on down, we just @#*%ing surrender."
- The Nick Swisher experiment has ended in BED. After going 2-7 with a double and HR in three games v CHNG, GM Rich Gin traded their big free-agent signing to SCO for AAA 3B R Zimmerman. Zimmerman was hitting .312 in Stockholm while Swisher was hitting .250 with 5 HR for the Crunch.
- At 15-25, ATL is 12.5 back of red hot SJ. SJ is 17-2 in their last 19 buy GM J Masters of the Flyers isn't backing down. Sources inside the Flyers head office say Masters is going ahead with plans to print tickets for not just the playoffs but the World Series as well. "We think it's premature but he's confident in his team. He's dug himself a hole ... but with Zambrano getting his ERA down (4.11 ed) he thinks we're a lock. If we disagree with him in private or in public, he sacks us."
- In HAL's 2 game sweep of ATL before sweeping doormat TAI, the Sailors lost 2B (and RHOY favourite) for 4-6 months. Reporters couldn't get GM Lars Cain to comment but did hear constant sobbing coming from the GM's office.
- KYO's 2 big free agent signings aren't faring too well. RF J Reed (8M per) is hitting just .234 with a .649 OPS on a team that needs him desperately to provide offense. And 35 year-old SP J Peavy has a 5.80 ERA with 74 baserunners in 50 IP.
- Preseason favourite LON was the latest victim of SJ and has now lost 5 straight. After winning 97 games last year and adding RF D Young, the Knights are now last in the Euro, 6 games back of SCO.

News and Notes: Friday, May 5, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- Although LON's SS J Reyes was struggling to start the season, the Knights certainly didn't want to be without him for any length of time. But in Wednesday's win against PAR, Reyes fractured his hip sliding safely into second base (his 3rd double of the game). Reyes, a career .302 hitter with 496 SB's, is out for 2-3 months. "Not what the team needed right now," said Reyes. "And I'm a free agent after this season and really wanted to put up some numbers to help the team win." Look for Knights GM Sean O'Hallaran to explore the trade market rather than go with 24 year-old T Hernandez, a career .218 hitter with a .267 slugging percentage.
- TAI has the second worst team ERA (5.49) due to horrible, and not entirely unexpected, showings by pitchers T Unger, T Redding, J Palm, P Tsamis, J Davis and T Johnson, all of whom have ERA's 5.40 or greater. "That makes it tough to win ballgames," said Manager Billy Heywood. "But when you get shutout twice in the last four games, that doesn't help either." The Tai Fong scored a total of 6 runs in their past 4 games.
- TAI has hit 25 HR as a team. OSA's C Rockwell and T Montana have hit a combined 24. The Ronin, 6-4 in their last 10, are just a half game back of KYO in the Far East.
- As expected, KYO's LF A Mule is raking for the Bushido (.328, 8 HR) but he can't make up for the miserable performances by SS B BooYa (.234), 3B E See (.225) and RF J Reed (.246). The bench players aren't providing any help either, and KYO is 14th in runs scored.
- BAL's slide (6 straight losses) has coincided with SJ's hot streak (8-2 in their last 10). SJ is now a game up in the South. The Senadores have a huge lead in the SB department, with 69. CHNG and LON are tied for 2nd with 39 apiece.
- Despite a whopping 5.82 ERA, PAR is tied for 1st in the Euro. The Pimpernels have scored the most runs in SLB (188) and are second to OSA in HR with 51.
- Last in runs scored so far is .... ATL (111)? The 9-21 Flyers (last in the South) are getting a monster season out of CF D Lemming (1.137 OPS) who may still be a candidate for MVP even if the Flyers continue to flounder.
- BED continues to mash (46 HR and 4th in RS)and now has a 1.5 game lead in the North. CF T Johnson is the only player to appear on both the HR leader list (T-3rd) and SB leader list (T-7th). In fact, the only categories where Johnson doesn't appear are: doubles, RBI's, walks and strikeouts.

News and Notes: Monday, May 1, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- Picked in the preseason to be, at a minimum, a Series contender, ATL has given GM Jim Masters fits this spring. The Flyers sit at 8-18 and in the South cellar. The team is 100% healthy and with excuses being offered up by players, management and media alike, rumors of fingerpointing and clubhouse dissension abound. Has Manager Tony LaRussa lost his players? Who's responsible for 1B John Twain's inability to recognize a pitch at the plate? Twain is hitting .161 with 1 HR after hitting.294 with 25 bombs last year. Is SP Carlos Zambrano being shopped around? The 13M he's making doesn't match up too well with his 1-4, 5.19 line so far. A division rival scout, wishing to remain anonymous says, "His fastball has really straightened out the past couple of seasons. And I'd want to check his birth certificate. There's no way he's only 34."
- Taking the high road since being ripped in the papers by ATL GM Jim Masters, BAL GM Jose Gutierrez sees his team on top of the South. Since busting out of the gate, the Panthers are 5-5 in their last 10 and have pitching coach Joe Nathan giving extra time to RP Erasmo Ramirez (8.58 ERA), SP Oliver Perez (5.72) and SP El Ron Ubardo (4.89). "We need all of those guys to turn it around or pick it up a notch", said Nathan. "We've got a shot at this thing if they perform."
- CHNG SP Mark Prior is just 2-2 this season but those wins have him 1st among active and retired pitchers. Prior's record is 201-96, IRE's CC Sabathia is second at 183 wins.
- SAV 1B Hee Seop Choi is on pace for just 19 HR this season but his 3 HR have put him over the 400 career HR mark.
- More distressing to GM Rich Vohs (Choi is hitting .355) is the performance of ace RH Phillip Humber. Humber is just 2-2, 4.50 and also in the last year of his contract. Humber currently makes 10.25M per season.
- Nine active players currently have over 1000 RBI's (PAR's LF A Dunn just joining the club). Four of them have reached 1000 RBI's with under 400 HR - BAL's D McPherson and V Guerrero, KYO's J Hamilton and BED's J Barfield.

- Did anyone pick BED's Doug Waechter for this seasons Cy Young award? No? The 35 year-old RH picked up his 4th win of the season, going 7.1 IP with 1 hit and 7 K v KYO and is now 4-0, 2.34.

Awards Predictions - Lars Edition

MVP - Antonio Mule, KYO
Cy Young - Roy Oswalt, KYO
RHOY - Kiko Brezovan, HAL
RPOY - Jordan Auerbach, KYO

News and Notes: Monday, April 24, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- SCO pasted BAL in a 3 game series putting up 31 runs in the Panther Dome. 2B K Bristow hit his 7th HR already - his career high is 14 (HAL 2014). Bristow also leads SLB in runs scored. The sweep of the Panthers puts SCO up 1 game in the Euro and diminishes BAL's lead to just a half game in the South.
- CF Rocco Baldelli continues to work out in Arizona and practice with ASU while his agent desperately works the phones. Baldelli, a former Goat of the Year (LON 2005), hit just .228 in spot duty for TAI last season. "I may be 34 but I'm in the best shape of my life", said Baldelli. "I'm not looking for a multi-year deal, just an opportunity somewhere. I can't even get a job in Triple A right now? Come on."
- BED has scored the 5th most runs in SLB so far (110). Leadoff hitter and CF T Johnson has as many HR (5) as SB.
- After making 5 deals and revamping his roster, GM B Royer now sees his CHNG team in 3rd place, just one game up on TAI. The Kwaan have the second worst ERA (5.53) despite SP M Prior's 1.90 in 38 IP. Will Royer be able to turn this team around again? His head is on the chopping block according to league sources, with ownership upset that last year's 101-win team was remade instead of tinkered with.
- CLE LHP C Y'Barra (1-1, 7.18) outdueled CHNG RHP M Prior in the rubbermatch of their series to give the Dawgs 3rd place in the North. The game gave Prior his first loss and Dawg Closer M Towaki his 3rd save.
- IRE rookie CF J Ferrera might want to reconsider buying new plasma Hi-Def big screens and the new Apple - that Rookie of the Year bonus money might not be in his future. The Invader CF is hitting (using that term loosely, I know) .198 with 2 HR while batting 2nd in the lineup.
- KYO LF A Mule went 0-8 with 3K in the first two games v SJ (both losses) before rebounding in game three - 4-4 with 2 HR. The young Bushido outfielder is playing hurt but is being counted on to carry the team with both 1B M Hamilton and CF J Hamilton out 4-6 weeks.
- Will KYO's injury issues allow the other Far East teams to shrink the Bushido's 3.5 game lead? KYO doesn't play a Far East opponent for 9 more series.

- What is going on with LON SP Jered Weaver? After going 17-4, 3.80 in 213 IP in 2016, Weaver has been rocked in all 4 starts for the Knights in 2017. Zero quality starts, an ERA of 23.14 and 34 baserunners in 9.1 IP. (Not a typo: 4 GS totalling 9.1 IP). One theory coming out of the Euro division is that Weaver is spending too much time being "mentored" by such upstanding citizens as Knight's hitting coach Darryl Strawberry and pitching coach Dwight Gooden.

Awards Predictions - Darin Edition

MVP - Diego Clemente (LON)
Cy Young - Homer Bailey (ATL)
RHOY - Kiko Brezovan (HAL)
RPOY - Jordan Auerbach (KYO)

News and Notes: Friday, April 14, 2017

Around SLB this week:

- BAL flew out of the gate this season with a 7-3 mark. That matches KYO for the best record in the league. 26 year-old 3B T Gammell is hitting .400 with 5 HR. "That's up there in Rockwell territory," said Gammell. "I plan on doing this all year long."
- Last year's champion PAR has limped out to just a 6-5 record so far, dropping their last 3. Pimpernel pitchers have been grooving pitches at an alarming rate; B Kim has given up 4 HR in 9.2 IP, H Kuo 4 HR in 8 IP, and D Arizmendi 4 HR in 6 IP.
- CLE waived LHP T Lare in order to send the 29 year-old to Hawaii. Manager Joe Torre, bundled up in his winter parka, was misty-eyed after informing Lare of the decision. "It's not that I feel bad for the kid," said Torre. "I just wish I could go with him. Instead I have to stay here, freezing, and watch Towaki pitch. You know what that does to me?" RHP M Towaki, the highest paid Dawg at 3/18M, has a 6.75 ERA so far.
- SCO CF Darin Ford is providing some pop in the Rebel lineup. Ford has a 1.061 OPS with 5 HR in 11 games with the Rebels in front of LON, PAR and IRE. How long Manager Rollie Fingers continues to give RHP E Degerman chances is anyone's guess - Degerman has a 7.62 ERA with 5 HR in his 2 starts.
- OSA lost RP C Sadler (2-4 weeks) and LF R Brown (6-8 weeks) in the first game of the season. And on Tuesday, 2B P Matthew left the game early with a strained back and is out 4-6 weeks. Manager Sadaharu Oh, known for his tough practice schedule, refuses to lighten the workload despite the constant injuries to his players. "They are not in shape and show no discipline. When they accept my methods the team will perform better. I will show no mercy to weak players."
- BED LF N Swisher is struggling with his new team - not that it has hurt the Crunch so far - batting just .214 with 0 HR and a league-worst 15 K's. LHP S Kazmir has shown an affinity for pitching in Bedford, however, with a 2.25 ERA and 10 K in 12 IP.
- SJ's bullpen has been putting gas on the fire early this season. Last year's surprise of a reliever, Edwin Jackson, has a 6.75 ERA (4.74 career). Setup man J Colome has a 7.50 ERA with 11 baserunners in 6 IP.
- LON is behind SCO by a game and has lost LF J Russell for up to 2 weeks. The Knights won't be getting much help from their AAA affiliate in Queens, as they can't even compete at that level. Queens is 0-11, hitting 6 HR so far as a team and allowing 15.
- IRE is 3-8 and last in the Euro, which isn't surprising. What is surprising are the weak performances by pitchers C Sabathia (1-2, 4.12), J Beckett (0-1, 7.71) and FA signee T Kawabata (0-1, 5.25). Look for pitching coach Roger Clemens to be shown the door if this continues.
- New KYO SS B BooYa (acquired from PHI) leads SLB in batting avg (.441) and had a 1.031 OPS with 5 SB. "Right now, he's making up for Jeremy Reed," says Manager Bobby Valentine, trying to bite his tongue. "Reed has .... has not .... lived up to expectations, frankly. My sister can hit better." RF J Reed is at .189 so far while making 8M per season. Says one rival GM, still bitter over the Oswalt/Mule trade to the Bushido, "Maybe they can send Reed to their Triple-A team - that's Taipei, right?"

Taipei Keeps Pace With Atlanta in Week 1

The Tai Fong are neck and neck with the Atlanta Flyers early in this 2017 season, matching them win for win. "We're thrilled to be at the same level as a defending division champion," manager Billy Heywood told reporters. "Who would have thought that Ron Mexico would have as many wins as Homer Bailey, Larry Kargel the same number of homers as John Twain, and Kevin Whelan the same number of saves as K-Rod?

"We're right where we want to be, competing day in and day out and matching the mighty Flyers win for win."

Ronin GM on Suicide Watch as Star Slugger Goes Down Opening Day

PARIS - The optimism of another Opening Day was replaced with dread for Ronin fans as All-Star left fielder Ruben Brown left the game today. The diagnosis: bone spurs in the feet.

Brown raked this spring, leading the league in homers. Osaka faithful felt that the team had a good chance at competing for the post season if (woops) Brown, Rockwell and Peppers stayed healthy all year. Now, just one series into the season, the Ronin are a man down.

Team doctors say Brown will need 6-8 weeks to recover. When asked why these bone spurs were not diagnosed this spring, team doctors suddenly lost all ability to speak English.