[EMSoccerCoach]

OFFSEASON MOVES

SOUTHERN LEAGUE WEST

Arizona Sandmen (94-68, 1st Place)

Who's Here: C Ray Schalk (trade with Las Vegas), C Mike Grady (free agent), CF/1B Lip Pike (free agent), LF Irish Meusel (free agent)
Who's Gone: 1B Albert Pujols (free agent), RF Willie Keeler (free agent), C Roger Bresnahan (free agent), C Hank Gowdy (free agent), CF Andy Pafko (trade with Las Vegas)

Las Vegas Bosses (73-89, 5th Place, 21 GB)

Who's Here: SP Steve Rogers (trade with St. Louis), CF Andy Pafko (trade with Arizona), SS Denis Menke (trade with St. Louis)
Who's Gone: SS John Beckwith (trade with St. Louis), CF/1B Lip Pike (free agent), CL Scott Stewart (free agent), 1B Harry Davis (free agent), C Ray Schalk (trade with Arizona), LF Ken Landreaux (trade with St. Louis)

Los Angeles Idols (77-85, 4th Place, 17 GB)

Who's Here: P Ed Summers (trade with Orlando), CL Jonathan Papelbon (free agent)
Who's Gone: LF Mike Donlin (free agent), RF Benjamin Boyd (free agent), MR Rube Foster (free agent), MR Andy Sonnanstine (free agent), 2B Willie Upshaw (trade with Orlando)

Oklahoma City Scorpions (78-84, 2nd Place, 16 GB)

Who's Here: 1B Mike Lamb (trade with Wichita), CF Ginger Beaumont (free agent), OF Fred Clarke (free agent), OF Curtis Granderson (free agent)
Who's Gone: 1B Fred Tenney (free agent), C Ryan Doumit (free agent), RF Jesse Burkett (free agent), CF George Van Haltren (free agent), RP Ron Davis (trade with Wichita)San Antonio Sheriffs (78-84, T-2nd, 16 GB)

Who's Here: 1B Ken Harrelson (trade with New Orleans), SP Bill Voiselle (trade with St. Louis
Who's Gone: SP Dick Rudolph (trade with New Orleans), SP Joe McGinnity (free agent), CL Sam Jones (free agent), SS Rafael Furcal (free agent), 3B Hank Blalock (trade with St. Louis)


A very interesting shakeup in the west, where Arizona and San Antonio both seem to have taken some lumps. Despite a career-low .237 average, Pujols still hit 25 homers and drove in 101 runs. While Arizona hopes Lip Pike can be rejuvenated by escaping the nightmare of Las Vegas and joining a contender, he's 37 and it may be too much to ask of him. Vegas just seemed to want to turn the club over, and after 7 consecutive losing seasons it's easy to understand why. Seeing Mike Donlin and Benjamin Boyd gone from Los Angeles will be strange, but the Idols grabbed a bonafide closer in Papelbon and now seem poised to at least let prospect Eddie Murray join a regular platoon if nothing else. San Antonio took a beating in free agency, losing McGinnity, Jones and Furcal, and could take a dramatic step backward this season. They've done nothing to improve the Southern League's worst offense, and losing their sparkplug in Furcal could prove devastating. If the Scorpions mature, they could make a run at the division.