[jaa36]

July was a bit of a down month, as we started off by losing seven of eight, but the Warriors remain comfortably in front with a 65-36 record, eight games in front of the Scorpions. We had six All-Star selections- Lucio Montoya (who will start the game), Michael Schneider, Tatu Niemala, Toby Younger, B.J. Pallister and Lou Harte (who got the most votes of anyone in the EC).

Harte had a strong month with the bat, with a .396 OBP and six home runs, though much of the rest of the team slumped. Likewise, Nadif Awuah and Schneider pitched well, but we had a down month on the mound in general, particularly erstwhile fifth starter Owen Lemar, who was 0-3 with a 6.69 ERA.

I'd love to be able to get Younger or Harte locked up to an extension- but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. We still have no money for in-season acquisitions at all, and just $7M for next year. This lets us offer Rocky Long (who is on the IL for a while longer) $4M/year for the next two seasons, but Younger is asking for $313M over nine years, and Harte $340M over eight years. A bit pricey for the Warriors... It would be great if Schneider, Montoya and Nicky Willey exercise their player options for next season, but if they don't, it would give us a little more money to play with.