POWER RANKINGS

RANK	Franchise	W	L	WIN%	RS	RA	xW	xL	SOS	HIT	PIT	DEF	PREV RANK
1	Minnesota Golden Gophers	106	38	0.736	847	509	103	41	0	1	1	8	1
2	Arizona Lumberjacks	93	50	0.650	770	564	91	52	0	4	3	1	3
3	Philadelphia Owls	94	50	0.653	798	571	93	51	0	3	4	3	2
4	Richmond Spiders	94	50	0.653	723	535	91	53	0	8	2	22	4
5	Dover Fightin Blue Hens	88	55	0.615	731	574	87	56	0	6	5	18	5
6	Charlotte Tar Heels	87	57	0.604	729	589	86	58	0	7	7	11	8
7	Anaheim Trojans	88	55	0.615	803	661	84	59	0	2	16	12	7
8	New York Red Storm	85	58	0.594	764	612	86	57	0	5	12	20	6
9	Detroit Wolverines	83	61	0.576	642	584	78	66	0	20	6	15	11
10	Oakland Golden Bears	74	69	0.517	666	610	77	66	0	14	10	23	14
11	Nashville Commodores	68	76	0.472	711	669	76	68	0	11	18	4	9
12	Charleston Cougars	79	65	0.549	701	644	78	66	0	12	15	28	12
13	Jackson Rebels	66	78	0.458	717	679	76	68	0	10	19	10	13
14	Helena Grizzlies	76	67	0.531	600	587	73	70	0	25	8	7	15
15	Seattle Huskies	77	66	0.538	621	600	74	69	0	23	9	30	16
16	Columbus Buckeyes	73	71	0.507	592	615	69	75	0	27	11	5	10
17	Louisville Cardinals	67	77	0.465	693	721	69	75	0	13	21	29	25
18	Huntington Thundering Herd	70	74	0.486	718	767	68	76	0	9	28	32	20
19	Kansas City Wildcats	59	84	0.413	654	722	65	78	0	16	22	17	18
20	Cincinnati Bearcats	65	79	0.451	646	739	63	81	0	19	25	2	26
21	Syracuse Orange	64	79	0.448	585	637	66	77	0	29	14	6	19
22	Memphis Tigers	64	80	0.444	590	637	67	77	0	28	13	24	23
23	Boise Broncos	69	74	0.483	651	744	63	80	0	17	26	25	17
24	Texas Tech Red Raiders	57	86	0.399	664	784	61	82	0	15	30	9	22
25	Portland Ducks	63	80	0.441	594	696	61	82	0	26	20	19	24
26	Little Rock Razorbacks	62	81	0.434	650	782	60	83	0	18	29	16	21
27	Fargo Bison	62	82	0.431	642	760	61	83	0	21	27	21	27
28	Buffalo Bulls	52	91	0.364	499	661	54	89	0	32	17	13	28
29	Salem Beavers	57	86	0.399	584	732	57	86	0	30	24	14	31
30	New Orleans Bayou Bengals	49	95	0.340	633	867	52	92	0	22	32	26	29
31	Chicago Blue Demons	54	89	0.378	600	803	53	90	0	24	31	27	32
32	Iowa City Hawkeyes	51	93	0.354	568	731	56	88	0	31	23	31	30

Rule Change Discussion

I have been thinking for some time that we may need to revise our MWR rule.  Specifically regarding the probationary season and the result if you don't hit 70 wins.   I am not sure how much attention everyone is paying to the HBD forums, classifieds, and current world openings, but the climate right now is not of a very robust environment.  Frankly, we're not in a position to be kicking out owners who legitimately want to stay and are open to taking significant penalties in lieu of expulsion.

I've thought about this for awhile, but it came to a head this season as mongoose_22 (who has a stellar reputation within the HBD community and is a great owner) has struggled to get to 70 wins with his Texas squad.  He has taken full ownership of whats happened and has admitted to thinking his teams were better than they were.  That combined with some unbelievably bad luck in 1 run games has led him to the point of expulsion.  He sent me a trade chat offering to give up his team immediately because he isn't going to hit the 70 win mark, but offered these penalties instead so that he would not be getting benefits from a bad season.

1. Forfeiture of the first round pick next year by selecting an absolute scrub

2. Two season IFA ban on signing anyone for more than $1 million.  Anything less would still allow him to sign minor league filler.

3.  Between the first round pick forfeiture and IFA ban, the remaining payroll would have to be invested into the ML team to keep improving it.

This would not be a one time exception.  We're discussing making a permanent rule change as exceptions just cause all kinds of problems.  In essence, anyone not hitting 70 wins in their probationary season would have a choice of leaving the world or accepting the above penalties. The competition committee voted 4 - 0 to vote for this rule change, but I want to bring it to the world as well.  Feel free to post in the world chat or you can always trade chat or sitemail me.

Down on the Farm...

Rob Ray
Cincinnati Bearcats

Score - 64
Fastball Velocity - 70
Fastball Movement - 65
Control - 65
Command - 55

Rob has a blazing fastball that sits between 92 to 95 MPH. When he needs to, he can give it a little extra. His four-seam FB has good late movement. He has an above average cut FB that breaks into RH batters and away from LH batters. His command could be a little better. Rob looks like he has the ceiling of a #2 SP with the floor of a #4 SP. He was drafted with the 17th pick, and it looks like he should have been selected higher. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Cincinnati next season.

Down on the Farm...

Roger Urich
Jackson Rebels

Score - 43
Fastball Velocity - 30
Fastball Movement - 55
Control - 30
Command - 55

Roger has above average movement on his Split Fastball. He tops out around 85 MPH and doesn't look like he will add to his velocity. He has a plus slider. Control is where Roger is lacking. He is having a fine year in AA, but his success there doesn't look to translate to the majors. He has the ceiling of a AAAA pitcher with the floor of a AAA SP. Only look for Roger in the majors if there are several injuries to the ML staff.

Interview With Arizona Lumberjacks Owner mitt0108

I had the opportunity to interview mitt about his Arizona Lumberjacks team. They are having another great year. With the interview, we get to talk a little about the past and the present. 



J: I appreciate you taking the time to chat. Will your team continue on its torrid pace (.685 winning percentage) the rest of the year? 

M: Probably not quite that high, but who knows. Everything is clicking right now. We have been fortunate to avoid injuries as well. I don't care too much what the final record is, but the goal was getting a bye for the playoffs. 

J: You have some stiff competition in the NL. Do you think Arizona can represent the NL in the World Series?

M: I definitely think we are talented enough to make it, but the odds may be working against us after 3 straight WS appearances. My luck might run out against hop's Charlotte squad! I know he is sick of me haha. 

J: What did you do in the first two seasons that lead to your current success?

M: I'm not a fan of full on rebuilds. I don't have the patience ha. So, when I took over I was immediately focused on improving the ML squad every season. I inherited a couple good young bats in Doug Treadway and Howard Stevenson, so that obviously helps, but almost everyone else on my squad was acquired via trade or FA. I really just look at every position and pitching role and ask if I think they are good enough to be a part of a WS team. If the answer is no, or if I think I can get a net upgrade somehow, I am willing to deal whoever it is or upgrade via FA. 

J: What were the keys to winning it all in season 23?

M: Season 23 was when I finally had acquired enough ML talent mainly through FA and trades. I had 2 veteran FAs lead the team in home runs and a couple veteran pitchers acquired via trade come up big in Kevin Ryu and Tony Telemaco. Fred Keppel has also been a good value pick up in FA at SP. 

J: You have won 5 straight division titles and look as though you will win your 6th. How did you build your team to where it is today? Have you built mainly through the draft, international free agents, free agent signings, or some part of each?

M: I have built mainly through free agency and trades to get the core of my team. I am quick to sacrifice a late first round pick for a quality free agent. I do dabble in IFAs, but usually just acquiring middle tier cost ones that I will eventually trade. I also try to improve something every offseason, even after having a good team. I have acquired 4 big contributors since that WS victory in 3B Danny Smoltz, 2B Arthur Haynes, 1B Franklin Cornelius, and just this last offseason CF Pedro Gonzales.



Thank you again for taking the time to answer a few questions mitt! Arizona looks like a force to be reckoned with. Will mitt win his second World Series ring? We look forward to the playoffs to see the answer.

25 Years of History

Looking back at 25 years of history, we can try to determine who were the dominate teams in both leagues. Day in and day out, you can definitely see that some organizations have been at the top of their game.

Charlotte has the best win percentage at .604 while Louisville has the most wild cards at 9. Minnesota has the most world series rings with 5 and Nashville has the most division titles with 18.

Team	League	Division	W	L	W%	WC	Div	WS
Anaheim Trojans	AL	West	2044	2006	0.505	7	4	3
Arizona Lumberjacks	NL	West	2082	1968	0.514	0	13	4
Boise Broncos	NL	West	1804	2246	0.445	2	3	0
Buffalo Bulls	NL	East	1900	2150	0.469	4	0	0
Charleston Cougars	AL	East	2130	1920	0.526	3	11	0
Charlotte Tar Heels	NL	East	2447	1603	0.604	5	17	3
Chicago Blue Demons	AL	East	1812	2238	0.447	0	2	0
Cincinnati Bearcats	AL	North	1955	2095	0.483	2	4	0
Columbus Buckeyes	NL	North	1878	2172	0.464	2	0	0
Detroit Wolverines	NL	North	2054	1996	0.507	5	9	1
Dover Fightin Blue Hens	NL	North	2143	1907	0.529	2	12	1
Fargo Bison	AL	North	2154	1896	0.532	3	10	2
Helena Grizzlies	NL	West	2054	1996	0.507	2	7	2
Huntington Thundering Herd	NL	South	1942	2108	0.480	1	4	0
Iowa City Hawkeyes	NL	North	1847	2203	0.456	2	4	0
Jackson Rebels	AL	South	1904	2146	0.470	2	0	0
Kansas City Wildcats	NL	West	1924	2126	0.475	2	2	0
Little Rock Razorbacks	AL	South	1871	2179	0.462	3	3	0
Louisville Cardinals	NL	East	1996	2054	0.493	9	0	0
Memphis Tigers	NL	South	1845	2205	0.456	1	2	0
Minnesota Golden Gophers	AL	North	2210	1840	0.546	3	9	5
Nashville Commodores	AL	South	2264	1786	0.559	1	18	2
New Orleans Bayou Bengals	AL	South	2019	2031	0.499	5	4	0
New York Red Storm	AL	East	2036	2014	0.503	7	5	1
Oakland Golden Bears	AL	West	2032	2018	0.502	3	5	0
Philadelphia Owls	AL	East	2048	2002	0.506	3	7	0
Portland Ducks	AL	North	1968	2082	0.486	2	2	0
Richmond Spiders	NL	South	2144	1906	0.529	3	12	1
Salem Beavers	AL	West	2256	1794	0.557	3	16	0
Seattle Huskies	AL	West	1847	2203	0.456	3	0	0
Syracuse Orange	NL	East	2208	1842	0.545	6	8	0
Texas Tech Red Raiders	NL	South	1982	2068	0.489	4	7	0

The AL has a slight edge in win percentage and world series rings over the NL. Every division has won at least one world series ring. 

		W	L	W%	WS
AL	North	8287	7913	0.512	7
AL	East	8026	8174	0.495	1
AL	South	8058	8142	0.497	2
AL	West	8179	8021	0.505	3
TOTALS		32550	32250	0.502	13
NL	North	7922	8278	0.489	2
NL	East	8551	7649	0.528	3
NL	South	7913	8287	0.488	1
NL	West	7864	8336	0.485	6
TOTALS		32250	32550	0.498	12

When you look at the overall win percentage of each team and the leagues, you get a sense of balance in the world. Each team has a chance to bring home the trophy every year. Some teams are consistently good, but the world seems to have an equilibrium over time.

Twenty-five years can seem like a long time. In reality, some of the long-time owners have probably felt like it has flown by. What a nice testament to the world as a whole when you view the statistics behind the last 25 years.

Waiver Wire

Hick Wilson
Huntington Thundering Herd

Hick is on the waiver wire currently. He was promoted to the majors this season. He pitched in relief and got his first career win. The highlight reel stops at his first win.

Hitters in the NL have hoped to get to Huntington's bullpen so they could face Hick. He has a 6.20 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP in 24.2 innings. He hasn't been afraid to throw the ball over the plate as shown by the 4 long balls he has given up. The ease with which he has given up walks has definitely hurt him.

If you are looking for a mopup pitcher, you might want to select Hick off the waiver wires. Otherwise, a trip back to AAA looks to be in his future.

A Look Back at the Rule 5 Draft

Peter Feng

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Peter was selected by Texas Tech with the number one pick of the Rule 5 draft from Oakland. When asked about leaving Peter off their 40 man roster, the Oakland GM said, "We sent in the paperwork to add Peter Feng to our 40 man roster. We didn't want to lose someone of his caliber. Somehow the league says they didn't get the paperwork in time to process our request." 

Peter has done an excellent job mainly roaming CF in Texas Tech while sometimes filling in at 2B. He is batting .287 on the year with 18 HR and an OPS of .833 while playing 110 games. Peter has held his own in CF with 8 plus plays and only 2 errors on the season.  Of his 110 games played, he has started 97 of them in CF. 

"When I received the call from the GM of Texas Tech, mongoose, I was as happy as can be.", said Peter. He continued, "I knew I had finally made it! I had been waiting for my opportunity to show that I belonged in the big leagues. Oakland was a nice organization, but I am happy to be playing in Texas Tech. I hope to bring a championship to Texas."

Down on the Farm...

Pepe Zurbaran
Texas Tech Red Raiders

Score - 48
Hitting - 55
Power - 70
Plate Discipline - 45
Running - 20
Fielding - 45
Range - 10
Arm Strength - 55
Arm Accuracy - 55

Pepe has plus power along with a decent contact skill. He doesn't walk enough. His play calling skills behind the plate are lacking. He could be a backup catcher in a pinch, but he looks to be a DH. Texas may try to trade him to an AL team where he would have greater worth. If he could remain as a catcher, he would have All Star potential. Due to his pitch calling and receiving skills lacking, his ceiling will be as a DH in the AL with his floor being a bench player and backup catcher.

Down on the Farm...

Gregg Wells
Portland Ducks

Score - 59
Hitting - 45
Power - 60
Plate Discipline - 45
Running - 75
Fielding - 65
Range - 65
Arm Strength - 50
Arm Accuracy - 45

Gregg was drafted as a CF but has been moved to 2B which appears to be where he will stick. He has plus plus speed with good base running IQ. He should steal 40+ bases a year. Combine that with his plus power, and Gregg should be in the majors next season. When he makes contact, the ball will go a long way. His hitting skills outside of the long ball are suspect. He has played in a career high 100 games this season which diminishes his overall value as a player. He has the ceiling of a starting 2B in the majors with a bench role as his floor.

Down on the Farm...

Luis Morlan
New Orleans Bayou Bengals

Score - 57
Hitting - 55
Power - 50
Plate Discipline - 55
Running - 70
Fielding - 55
Range - 60
Arm Strength - 50
Arm Accuracy - 45

Luis belongs in LF with his glove. With his power, he should hit 15 to 20 HRs per season in the majors. He is much better against LH pitchers. His plus speed is his best skill. If he could stick at 2B, he would be a more valuable player. If he is moved to LF as expected, his value will drop some. He has the ceiling of a starting LF with a bench spot as his floor. Don't be surprised to see Luis in New Orleans next season.

Down on the Farm...

Al Brandt
Cincinnati Bearcats

Score - 48
Hitting - 65
Power - 80
Plate Discipline - 55
Running - 0
Fielding - 40
Range - 45
Arm Strength - 45
Arm Accuracy - 40

Al has plus plus power to go along with good contact and a decent eye. He should easily hit 40+ homers a year in the majors. Don't let his overall score fool you. He will be a force for Cincinnati. He may be more suited as a DH than a 1B. Al's biggest problem will be finding a place to play in Cincinnati since they already have an everyday Dh and 1B. Cincinnati may look to trade him for some help elsewhere.

Down on the Farm...

George Priddy
Louisville Cardinals

Score - 56
Fastball Velocity - 40
Fastball Movement - 65
Control - 65
Command - 55

George like several others in his draft class has decent movement on his fastball but lacks the velocity to make it a plus pitch. His fastball will remind you of a Bronson Arroyo fastball with him topping out at 89 MPH with good movement. Like Arroyo, Priddy will have a hard time keeping the ball in the park at Louisville. George should be in the majors next year with a ceiling of a #5 starter and the floor of a long relief guy.

Down on the Farm...

P.T. Durazo
Salem Beavers

Score - 54
Fastball Velocity - 40
Fastball Movement - 60
Control - 60
Command - 55

P.T. looks to be a fifth starter in the majors or possibly in a long relief/mopup role. His fastball is a little too slow without enough movement to fool big league hitters. His sinker is a decent second pitch. He is having a decent year in AAA, but he doesn't project to be any better than average in the majors. Look for P.T. on Salem's major league team next year.

Down on the Farm...

Lance Owens
Memphis Tigers

Score - 58
Hitting - 65
Power - 65
Plate Discipline - 45
Running - 75
Fielding - 50
Range - 50
Arm Strength - 45
Arm Accuracy - 45

Lance has plus speed but lacks some of the necessary base running skills needed to be very successful as a base stealer. His defense will be fine in LF. He has the potential to be a 30/30 man in the majors. He will strikeout his fair share and will not hit for a high average probably in the .265 to .280 range.

Down on the Farm...

Anthony Painter
Philadelphia Owls

Score - 55
Fastball Velocity - 20
Fastball Movement - 75
Control - 70
Command - 55

Anthony has plus movement on his fastball, but he lacks the arm strength to strike batters out. He can use his curveball to set up his fastball though. He will have trouble keeping the ball in the park and will not strike out many batters. Look for Anthony to be called up next year to help in Philadelphia's bullpen.

Minor League Update

Tarrik Price notched his 25th save of the season last night as the Cincinnati Bearcats beatthe Seattle Huskies in a AAA game 2 to 1. Tarrik pitched one inning with one strikeout and one hit batter. When asked how his outing went, Tarrik said, "I didn't have the greatest command out there tonight. I hit their left fielder in the leg. Their first basemen was so scared in his at bat that I could throw the ball down the middle and he was ducking. It was nice to help my team though. " Tarrick reached a career high in saves tonight.

Jesse Becker blasted a solo HR to left field as the Dover Fightin Blue Hens defeated theHelena Grizzlies 6 to 1. Dover swept Helena in their four game series. For Becker, he hit his 33rd HR of the season. He is having a great season after repeating AA and looks primed for a call up to AAA any day now.

The Salem Beavers beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 6 to 5 to avoid the sweep in a High A game last night. Tony Hargrave hit is 5th home run of the season to seal the win. As he was talking about his home run Hargrave said, "The ball just had 'nuff umpf to clear the wall. My arms really hurt from swinging that hard! I may bunt next time since it is safer." One wonders if Salem has retractable fences.

The manager of the Dover Fightin Blue Hens was asked about his catcher in last night's game which Dover one 8 to 6 over the Arizona Lumberjacks. The Low A coach Tim Parrish said, "Jae Sugawara has played well for us this season. I know it looks like he doesn't know what he is doing behind the plate, but he is hitting .323 on the season. Where would you have me play him?" If you are like most of our readers, you are probably wondering how much longer Parrish will keep his job with those strategy skills he possesses.

Power Rankings by joekendall

Joe has asked to help contribute on the blog and I've happily accepted.  Below is his first submission and I think its great! Enjoy reading and hopefully a good conversation will follow on the blog!

Weekly, I will be releasing a Power Rankings for our NCAA world. As we get closer to the playoffs, I may increase the release schedule.

There are four pieces that I use to create an overall ranking. Hitting, Pitching, Defense, and current
record are those four pieces. I take into consideration seven components for Hitting, Pitching, and
Defense. I weight Hitting and Pitching higher than Defense while the current record accounts for a small amount of weighting in the composite rank.

The table will show the rank of each franchise in order, their current record, runs scored, runs against, expected wins, expected losses, strength of schedule (which I am not currently doing), their hitting
rank, pitching rank, defensive rank, and their previous rank. I have another table which I can include if others want it. It would show the breakdown of each franchise and how they rank in each of the seven components for hitting, pitching, and defense.

POWER RANKINGS

RANK	Franchise	W	L	WIN%	RS	RA	xW	xL	SOS	HIT	PIT	DEF	PREV RANK
1	Minnesota Golden Gophers	85	27	0.759	660	376	83	29	0	1	1	6	0
2	Philadelphia Owls	74	38	0.661	627	437	74	38	0	4	3	3	0
3	Arizona Lumberjacks	77	35	0.688	643	454	73	39	0	2	6	1	0
4	Richmond Spiders	75	37	0.670	590	412	74	38	0	7	2	23	0
5	Dover Fightin Blue Hens	69	43	0.616	590	457	69	43	0	6	7	14	0
6	New York Red Storm	67	45	0.598	601	464	69	43	0	5	8	17	0
7	Anaheim Trojans	72	40	0.643	634	499	68	44	0	3	15	15	0
8	Charlotte Tar Heels	67	45	0.598	552	472	64	48	0	10	9	11	0
9	Nashville Commodores	54	58	0.482	563	522	60	52	0	8	17	4	0
10	Columbus Buckeyes	60	52	0.536	498	484	57	55	0	21	12	5	0
11	Detroit Wolverines	62	50	0.554	471	445	59	53	0	26	5	16	0
12	Charleston Cougars	64	48	0.571	534	489	61	51	0	15	14	27	0
13	Jackson Rebels	48	64	0.429	539	529	57	55	0	12	18	10	0
14	Oakland Golden Bears	59	53	0.527	522	487	60	52	0	18	13	22	0
15	Helena Grizzlies	59	53	0.527	474	481	55	57	0	25	10	8	0
16	Seattle Huskies	58	54	0.518	471	444	59	53	0	27	4	31	0
17	Boise Broncos	57	55	0.509	535	583	52	60	0	13	23	26	0
18	Kansas City Wildcats	46	66	0.411	524	574	51	61	0	17	21	18	0
19	Syracuse Orange	50	62	0.446	442	481	52	60	0	30	11	7	0
20	Huntington Thundering Herd	54	58	0.482	554	609	51	61	0	9	28	32	0
21	Little Rock Razorbacks	52	60	0.464	527	593	50	62	0	16	24	19	0
22	Texas Tech Red Raiders	45	67	0.402	547	639	48	64	0	11	30	9	0
23	Memphis Tigers	51	61	0.455	475	502	53	59	0	24	16	24	0
24	Portland Ducks	51	61	0.455	486	532	51	61	0	23	19	20	0
25	Louisville Cardinals	46	66	0.411	535	600	50	62	0	14	27	29	0
26	Cincinnati Bearcats	46	66	0.411	504	613	46	66	0	20	29	2	0
27	Fargo Bison	47	65	0.420	492	600	46	66	0	22	26	21	0
28	Buffalo Bulls	36	76	0.321	379	533	39	73	0	32	20	12	0
29	New Orleans Bayou Bengals	38	74	0.339	507	680	41	71	0	19	32	25	0
30	Iowa City Hawkeyes	41	71	0.366	456	582	44	68	0	29	22	30	0
31	Salem Beavers	43	69	0.384	432	599	40	72	0	31	25	13	0
32	Chicago Blue Demons	39	73	0.348	468	660	39	73	0	28	31	28	0