[pauwoo]

***Long Post Alert***

League Notes:

• The Reds BC have a new owner. In a press release, the Board of Directors of the Toronto Reds BC announced the sale of the team to business entrepreneur Tommy Mattern. The new owner is regarded by close associates as tolerant. They expect him to take a generous approach to payroll issues.
• There is a sense of unease in certain parts of the Green Bay sports community following the sale of the Green Bay Packers. Former owner Stanley Blodgett Jr., well-known to Green Bay, has sold the team to eccentric industrialist Ismael Centeno. Centeno tried to reassure Packers season ticket holders that he wants to win. "I want to make the best team I can. I'm going to find everything that's wrong with the team and fix it," he said. "I know that things are stacked against us. If something is important enough, even if the odds are against me, I'm going to do it." Centeno is said to be a demanding character, with a fiscal personality of economizer. The Packers finished the regular season with a 81-81 record, third place in the American League East Division.
• The San Diego press and public got a chance to meet and greet the new owner of the San Diego Chargers today at Petco Park. The new head man is Clark Roberts, a well-known business tycoon. He bought the club from Tony Malo in a straight cash sale a week ago. The MLB commissioner announced completion of the deal and approval by a vote of the owners earlier this week. Roberts has acquired a ball club that ended up with a 59-103 record last season and was last in the National League West Division standings. Roberts has a reputation for being tolerant in disposition and relating to others and for being generous in financial dealings.
• The Orlando Sentinel has reported that, Elvira Hancock, has won full control of the Orlando City Baseball Club, LLC as part of her divorce settlement from previous owner/husband, Vinny Hancock. In a short press conference, Elvira made her intention to move the franchise to Miami prior to the start of the 2079 campaign clear. “I intend to take his toy to Miami and to achieve the type of success he never could here in Orlando”, was Elvira’s brief & only statement to those in attendance. The Mayor of Orlando has promised his constituents that he won’t let the club move without a fight – but, given that their lease is up, it’s not immediately clear what levers, if any, the ineffectual politician must pull to keep the team in town.

Awards:

• Aitor Cubas has been around Major League Baseball enough to know a good hot streak when he sees one -- and he got to see one firsthand all year. For his standout run through the 2078 season, he's taking home the Boyce Rigg Award in the American League. The Seattle left fielder put up a batting average of .294 with 24 doubles, 4 triples, 36 home runs and 110 RBIs. Pablo Madera of the Carolina Panthers finished second in voting, while Heathcote Kinton of the Los Angeles Galaxy finished third.
• The National League has given Tom Franzone the Boyce Rigg Award. In 2078, the Pittsburgh first baseman was outstanding with a .329 batting average, 31 doubles, 1 triple, 54 home runs and 146 RBIs. Franzone also had 81 walks, scored 126 times and posted a .410 on-base percentage. Jacob Wells of the Phoenix Suns finished second in voting, while Ray Gerhold of the Phoenix Suns finished third.
• Big Burt McElheny of Vancouver excelled on the mound in 2078 with a 23-6 record and was named the American League Victor Pacheco Award winner. The Giants star put on quite a show with a 3.15 ERA in 32 starts and 173 strikeouts in 234 innings. David Arney of the Los Angeles Galaxy finished second in voting, while Ken Spears of the Golden State Warriors finished third.
• It was a dream season for Landon Sampson of San Francisco Seals. He pitched his way to a 16-8 record and carted off the 2078 National League Victor Pacheco Award. Working 193.2 innings this year, Sampson made 33 starts, struck out 251 and crafted a 2.28 ERA. He gave up 153 hits and 45 walks and limited other teams to a .214 average. Jake Talley of the Phoenix Suns finished second in voting, while Cathal Magill of the Orlando City finished third.

Contract News:
After careful consideration, Phil Murray extended an offer of a 2-year extension paying me $11.3M per year. After my own careful consideration, I countered with a request for more money. Given that Loretta Synn and Yan Welli are not on the official books, and are, instead, paid for out of my own pocket (mostly using my Tupperware cash), I feel like my raise should leave a little room in there for me to give them one too. Phil didn’t budge. So, I didn’t either. And when, Elvira Hancock came calling, with an offer of $15.3M per and threw in her Ex-Husband’s fully equipped Miami-based Houseboat, free of charge and with 5-years of moorage fees prepaid, I did what any self-respecting beach bum would do… I packed my bags, told Loretta & Yan that I had a new adventure to pursue, offered them a raise to come along, and went on my merry way.

Notes from the Editor: I loved LA and had a great run in La-La Land, but it was time… time to try to build a club from the ground up, to start fresh, and to see if I could duplicate my previous success in a new city. And, while leaving the CITY OF COMPTON, Otto, OH HONG (yeah, right! I'm totally gonna trade for him), and Brisky behind will be tough - it’s time… onward and upwards my friends…

The New Crew:



The Organization:


Miami United, MLB (lovingly referred to as the Hot Pinks, ‘Mingos, or Flim-Flams by the locals)
Havana Sugar Kings, AAA
Barbados Tridents, AA

The Early Moves:

• Fans in Miami woke up this morning to learn that their team had traded 23-year-old minor league CF Wayne Sisson to the Minnesota North Stars. In return, the United will receive 22-year-old minor league LHP T-Rex Stiles.
• In an effort to add some depth to its roster, the Miami United have swapped 28-year-old CF Filonas Polyclitus and 24-year-old minor league RHP Shawn Duc to the Houston Dynamo for 27-year-old LF Kyle Weaver and 20-year-old minor league 2B Chico Mendes. The United GM told reporters, "We saw a chance to upgrade our ball club and took it."
• Newspapers in Miami and Los Angeles reported that the United have reached a deal sending 20-year-old minor league 2B Chico Mendes to the Kings for 24-year-old minor-league RHP Orlando Vasquez.
• You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you find a deal anyway. The Baseball News Network is reporting that Miami and New York have made a swap with 20-year-old minor league LHP Jon Browning being shipped to the Jets and in return the United would get 23-year-old minor-league 3B Bump Stanley and 36-year-old minor league RHP Flamengo Zamora. Miami general manager Lefty Anonymous said the two sides were close to a blockbuster trade before agreeing upon a smaller scale transaction. "This is just a bit of housekeeping compared to what we wanted to do," he said. "I won't name names, but the potential deal we were close to making would have certainly grabbed some headlines."
• The Miami United announced a deal with the Packers today, sending 23-year-old minor league LHP Taylor McGrady to Green Bay for 21-year-old minor-league 2B Magmo Noyola. It had been talked about for the past few weeks and everything came together late last night. All players are expected to be joining their respective clubs shortly.
• The Baseball News Network is reporting that the Warriors and United have consummated a trade. Miami will receive 37-year-old minor league RHP Christopher Pimentel in a swap for 31-year-old RF Joshua Newman. A league analyst called the trade a "fairly even transaction."
• The Miami United have finalized a deal with the Los Angeles Kings for the services of 26-year-old 1B Oh Hong, 25-year-old minor league LF Aris Anaconda and 23-year-old minor league C Monty Williams. In exchange, the Kings will receive 25-year-old LHP K.J. Judd and 29-year-old LHP Jack Grace.

Other Notable Trades & Transactions

• Officials for Los Angeles confirmed that they have traded 25-year-old LF Joseph Zody to the Minnesota North Stars. In return, the Kings will receive 27-year-old 1B Yoshimasa Sugawara.
• Rumors of a deal between Josiah Weber and Jacksonville finally bore fruit today as the two sides faced a packed press gathering. Jaguars officials looked very pleased as they outlined the terms of the new deal. Weber will earn $34,000,000 per year for 2 years. He is expected to be a solid addition to his new club. Weber has a lifetime ERA of 2.78 with a record of 309 wins and 160 losses. He also has struck out 5496 batters in 4371 innings and allowed 3680 hits.
• Team insiders were tight-lipped prior to today's deal that brought 28-year-old second baseman Heathcote Kinton to Portland. Kinton is considered one of the league's A-list players and certainly will enhance any chances the Timbers have to win a playoff spot this year. For his career Kinton has hit at a .304 clip. Among his lifetime numbers are 992 hits, 137 doubles, 26 triples, 111 home runs and 480 RBIs.
• The euphoria surrounding a big-name deal can sometimes overshadow the deal itself. Occasionally a team will mortgage its future to make a big splash, though no one in Seattle was worried about that today as the club finalized terms with Ethan Mullens. Mullens will earn $26,800,000 per year over 3 years. Mullens is hitting at a .287 rate over his 857-game career. Lifetime he has 175 doubles, 28 triples and 116 home runs with 482 RBIs and 560 runs scored.
• Paul Yeager and Seattle put the finishing touches on a $31,133,333-a-year deal that will keep the 28-year-old in a Seattle uniform for 3 years.
• Golden State's signing of Michael Brisk was met with mixed reactions today as the 31-year-old starting pitcher was introduced to the media. Some experts consider him overpaid at $15,400,000 a year for 2 years, while others insist that Brisk is a perfect fit for the Warriors.
• In what local scribes are hailing as a huge move for the team's future, the United inked a $64,400,000 deal with catcher Rex Engelstad. Team officials expect Engelstad to fill an immediate void on the roster and felt the deal would solidify them as a playoff contender.
• Los Angeles Galaxy fans welcomed Steven Barbaccia into the fold, as the veteran announced he'd reached an agreement with Los Angeles brass. Some were critical of the move, insisting that you shouldn't invest $3,520,000 in a 36-year-old man, no matter how good he might be on the field. The team believes he will deepen their roster and ultimately win a championship.

Elvira’s expectation is that we play .500 ball in 2079… I think we should be able to handle that. Maybe.