Do you believe in magic: The Santa Maria Winemakers Baseball Club (2014-)

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:38 PM

I pre-wrote the bulk of this dynasty and so, a lot of stuff might change as times went on. That said, the "meat" of the dynasty is entertaining and has a lot of going for it, so...yeah. Here we go.

My current universe began using Gambo's DB back starting with the 1980 season.

The only franchise move that happened during that time was the San Francisco Giants left for Tampa Bay to play in the Florida Suncoast Dome. They later moved to Norfolk, VA, after their stadium became outmoded.

This is the story of the major leagues in my own mind, I guess. The minor leagues aren't prevelent in this game and they're really just one level for each major league, mostly for a holding place for players.

By 2007, MLB had 40 teams. When you consider that in real life, there are over 300 major, minor and independent minor league professional baseball franchises in the US and that attendance for professional baseball is over 100 million fans per year, I decided that America loves baseball more than any other sport.

Simply put, no other sport can captivate the country or has that much penentrating reach. It's mostly the greediness and monopoly that MLB owners have created over the years that makes baseball such a relatively unimaginative sport that has essentially languished behind sports like football and basketball (Yawn).

Well, in this world...that's not the case because the minors are just reserve leagues and are nominal.

So with all of those fans out there clamoring for baseball, the eventual idea is to get to something like what Europe has with soccer. With its various divisions and such alike. And the day when a team from a small town could someday make it to the majors and be on the big stage.

But...how do we get there? Friends, it's all about the journey....

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:39 PM

DATELINE: 2008

Major League Baseball owners vote 28-12 to expand by a whopping EIGHT teams over the next decade. These owners cite the game's growth across the nation, an increased talent pool with influxes from the Caribbean and Japan and new talent pools identified in Europe, Australia and Africa, the game has unlimited potential for growth.

Meanwhile venerable franchises such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and others decide that the game has just gotten too out of hand and that they've stayed quiet for too long.

In a late meeting before spring training, a hasty constitution is written and the owners of eight charter clubs, later joined by two others decide that they will NOT be joining Major League Baseball for the 2008 season after all.

Instead, they will be forming an entirely new partnership called the American Premier League of Professional Baseball or simply, the Premier League.

"We believe that our teams are the standard bearers for the success, excellence and dominance of Major League Baseball. We are not sure what our brethen have tried to do the game that we love, but we believe this move is necessary to preserve the sanctity and future of the sport as we know it," said the owners collectively.

MLB owners were somewhere between furious and euphoric. The Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox all signed on to leave and these teams draw fans no matter where they go. To lose them, is to lose a huge chunk of MLB's revenue.

But they decide to move forward with their expansion plans, believing that the best way for baseball to grow its profits around the country, is to have teams in markets that do not have major league sports, so that baseball can be cultivated and nurtured for generations to come.

"We're going back to the basics of the game."

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:40 PM

TV revenues were essentially split between the two leagues, but with fewer teams to split the money with, the Premier Leagues have more money to spend and the Yanks and Sox are not going to let the league die and have pitched in cash.

Premier League games appear on national television during the week, giving fans access to games all of the time. There are no cable games, ticket prices are a little higher on average, though.

Here's the initial setup

PREMIER LEAGUE
---
East
New York Yankees
Chicago White Sox
Florida Marlins
Cleveland Indians
Boston Red Sox
Detroit Tigers

West
---
Atlanta Braves
St. Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Angels
Pittsburgh Pirates
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins

Here are the teams left in MLB
---
AL East
---
New Jersey Nine
Toronto Blue Jays
Charlotte Knights
Chicago Comets
Tampa Bay Threshers
Baltimore Orioles

AL West
--
Portland Beavers
Kansas City Royals
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
Oakland A's
Inland Empire 66ers

NL East
---
Brooklyn Cyclones
New York Mets
Virginia Giants
Montreal Expos
Chicago Cubs
Hartford Whalers
Washington Nationals
Philadelphia Phillies

NL West
----
Colorado Rockies
Nevada Silverhawks
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Seals
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros

The first two seasons of the arrangement worked okay. The PL plays 162 games, there is no DH and relievers are minimized so you have more pitchers throwing complete games.

At the end of the 2009 season, the PL -- in anticipation of a mass expansion in MLB in 2010 -- invited teams from MLB to join their league. The following teams accepted the offer:

Colorado Rockies
Virginia Giants
San Francisco Seals

Adding to the plot is that the Giants are the two-time DEFENDING World Series champions. The team grumbled over its ability to attract marketing dollars despite this and believe that the move to the Premier League will "improve" the brand among fans and others. The team barely turned a profit this past season despite its title winning ways.

"We are looking forward to the ability to challenge in the Premier League and believe it to be a step forward in the future of the Giants organization," said J.P. Shipp, CEO of the Virginia Giants Baseball Club.

The Premier League saw this as a way to break into the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, where as the move to bring the Rockies and Seals into the folder provided a crucial Western presence.

"This move is a critical component to our western fans," said Premier League commissioner George W. Bush

The league is expected to still claim one more team before the start of the regular season and the move should be announced sometime before the end of the winter, but, mum is the word currently.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:40 PM

The Chicago Cubs haven't won the World Series since 1907. Winning the NL East in 2002 was the first time the team had been in the post-season since their NL Pennant year of 1945.

So needless to say, a move to a new league would give the team the chance to breathe some fresh air into an otherwise stale franchise.

But Cubs officials have rebuked offers by the Premier League to woo the franchise.

"The idea is, they believe in MLB and want to remain part of what they consider to be the only legitimate history of baseball," said one AP writer assigned to the ballclub.

Still, it's hard to top poaching the two-time defending World Series champions and it's going to be very, very hard for MLB to recover from this, said one media observer of trends from Stanford University, Jeff Skillen.

"The fact is, we've never seen this sort of aggressive poaching since the early 1900s when baseball was really getting going as a pro sport. So to see this action over 100 years later is pretty interesting and consensus is, it can't go on forever because people will start to lose interest."

But that hasn't been the case and most fans have said that the split has been 'good' for baseball.

"It's now cool because you don't have the Yankees winning all of the time," said Mike Jackson, a Philadelphia native of the Yankees dominance (24 World Series titles) of the majors before leaving for the Premier League.

Rumored teams to be interested in the move include the Nevada Silverhawks, Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos and the Texas Rangers.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:41 PM

PREMIER BREW: Milwaukee moves to PL

Milwaukee was once a National League city, than an American League city, back the to the NL and now, it's in the Premier League.

The Milwaukee were the fourth and final team to jump ship from MLB for the 2010 season.

"We look forward to a new era of Brewers baseball in the Premier League," said GM Gord Ash.

The move represents a huge boost for the fledging circuit who now claim amongst their ranks the two-time defending World Series champion Virginia Giants.

Going into the 2010 season, here is the new Premier League alignment
---
PL EAST
---
Virginia Giants
New York Yankees
Chicago White Sox
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Cleveland Indians
Boston Red Sox
Detroit Tigers

PL WEST
---
Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Seals
St. Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Angels
Pittsburgh Pirates
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Twins

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:41 PM

MLB announces expansion teams for 2011
---

Much-maligned for the desire to expand the league, MLB now has just 24 teams and so, expansion isn't as unusual an idea as it was before.

There were over two dozen candidate cities for this particular expansion, but when the dust settled eight cities were selected.

Santa Maria, California (AL)
Salt Lake City, Utah (NL)
Omaha, Nebraska (AL)
Monterrey, Mexico (NL)
Memphis, Tennessee (NL)
Manhattan, New York
(Harlem Rens) (AL)
Columbus, Ohio (NL)

---
Let the games begin: Independent minors get off the ground.

Oklahoma City
Davenport, IA (Quad City Explorers)
Cheyenne, WY
Sacramento, CA
Spokane, WA
Billings, MT
Boise, ID
Colorado Springs, CO
Bend, OR
Albuquerque, NM

Four cities that were rejected by MLB for expansion franchises have formed their own minor league called the Continental League to start play in 2010, a year before their expansion MLB brethen get moving. The new league will play a 140 game schedule and will employ a a salary cap.

The league is in talks with the Premier League to become an official feeder league, but no news has been released as of yet on this.

----
Southern League
Austin
Birmingham
Durham
Little Rock
Louisville
Nashville
Shreveport
Tunica

Western League
Wenatchee
Coeur D'Alene
Missoula
Casper
Eugene
Reno
Tuscon
Stockton, CA
Salem
Calgary

Cape Cod League (college league)

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:42 PM

I decided to postpone expansion in MLB until 2012. I'm not sure why. I just think I wanted to wait. 2002 was the last expansion and so that would be ten years.
---
Ok, so the first expansion of four teams took place for the 2012 season. The new teams added were:

Monterrey (Mex.) Matadors
Columbus Clippers
Salt Lake City Bees
New York Rens

The moves are largely response moves it seems to the losses that MLB experienced when the Rockies, Reds, Yankees and Angels headed to the Premier League.

"We're not really reacting to what's happened. We're instead being proactive and working to provide what we've always provided, a fan-friendly experience with the best caliber baseball that we can offer our fans annually," said Clippers GM and former major league star Don Mattingly.

So far, the three league 'experiment' that many panned would "never survive" has worked well.

After five years, the New York Yankees have claimed three of the five Fall Classic titles. The Cardinals won the first year and the Braves are the only other team to win.

Some fans, critical of the "big market" exodus from MLB are not surprised.

"They wanted a place they could go and dominate unfettered. They believe that baseball starts and stops with New York and Boston and that's pretty much it. But the teams that stayed in MLB are pretty brave at the same time, I think," said Dave Jacoby, a baseball historian who wrote the book, "The League of Excess: How Major League Baseball lost its way"

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:43 PM

As you probably notice, I haven't taken over a team yet. I probably won't until the next expansion, which is tentatively slated for 2014, but I might wait a little longer to do it, depending on how I feel.

At any rate, this dynasty will be different for me in one major regard. I intend to take over one team and to stay there the length of the dynasty.

Anyone who reads me, knows I don't do that very much or at least, not in a long, long time. But I think it's time and to tell you that up front, so you can get invested in the franchise, the players and all of that, seems to make sense to me.

So that's the story.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:43 PM

In the Premier League, the lowest drawing team were the Cleveland Indians who drew just 2.6 million fans this past season.

Explaining the cash cow of the Premier League is easy, when you consider that the Seattle Mariners were the lowest drawing team in MLB this year with just 1.8 million fans coming through the gates to see them.

However, the New York Mets (4.2 million) and New Jersey Nine (4.1 million) drew almost as well as the Premier League behemoth New York Yankees (4.6 million) did this past season, en route to their third Fall Classic title in the five year history of the Premier League.

So how exactly does a league with so much history deal with the loss of sixteen teams, among those 11 that account for SIXTY-ONE World Series titles among them.

In fact, it's part of their marketing campaign.

61 world championships
Do you need anymore history than that?

Premier League Baseball
The tradition continues.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:45 PM

NEW BALLPARKS

You are aware that teams naturally had some ballpark plans in the works around this time. Here are the teams of the non-expansion variety that have moved into new parks between 2008 and 2011.

PREMIER LEAGUE
----
New York Yankees: Mastercard Yankee Stadium (2010)

Boston Red Sox (2012): Samuel Adams Park at Fenway (same dimensions as Fenway, even the same field..just a different facade and seating, etc.)

Minnesota Twins: 3M Field (2010)

Virginia Giants: AOL Park @ Diamond Lake (Leesburg, Virginia) (2012)

Florida Marlins: Burger King Park (2012)

MLB
---
New York Mets: CitiField (2010)

Washington Nationals: Capital One Park (2008)

Montreal Expos: Labatt Park (2009)
-----

The Chicago Cubs have announced plans to replace Wrigley Field in 2013 with McDonalds Field. With the sale of the team by the Tribune company, over six years ago, revenues are down and the team was seeking new ways to increase ticket sales, as well as modernize the team's facilities.

The stadium's redesign was hotly contested for many, many years and finally, the decision was to build a new ballpark new the Cabrini Green area. The idea was that the new park would continue to be part of the huge redevelopment taking place in that area and pointing to what the New York Rens did in Harlem with M&M's Field, the Cubs said that this was another step to "helping the team become part of the solution" in the community.

There was a great deal of rankling over the decision to move the park there. But the waiting list for tickets to Cubs games are already tops several years in waiting.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:45 PM

2014: The Green Bay of MLB

Privately, Major League Baseball officials had been scouring for a team that they could launch for their expansion in 2014 as the "Green Bay" of the league.

"The idea is to have a team that can be showcased nationally as the small market hero team of the league. The league went looking for over a decade to find a team that would work and over two hundred entries from cities across America were submitted.

The winning city was a Central California city by the name of Santa Maria. With over 100,000 people, it's the largest city in Santa Barabara county and is the host city of Vandenburg Air Force Base, a space command base.

The local community applied on behalf of the chamber of commerce and was sponsored largely by the local winemakers association who felt the team would propel the city to a higher scale than any of their winemaking counterparts and to "provide the city with a higher profile in general. We're proud of our community," said Jacob Gallo, owner of the Santa Maria Winemakers Cooperative.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:46 PM

2014 MLB ALIGNMENT
---
AMERICAN LEAGUE
EAST
--
Tampa Bay Threshers
Louisville Knights
Toronto Blue Jays
New York Rens
Charlotte Knights
Chicago Comets
Baltimore Orioles
New Jersey Nine

WEST
---
Inland Empire 66ers
Kansas City Royals
Monterrey Matadors
Santa Maria Winemakers
San Jose Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
Portland Beavers

NATIONAL LEAGUE
EAST
---
Brooklyn Cyclones
Hartford Whalers
Memphis Hound Dogs
Philadelphia Phillies
Montreal Expos
Washington Nationals
Columbus Clippers
New York Mets

WEST
---
Chicago Cubs
Arizona Diamondbacks
Nevada Silverhawks
Omaha Owls
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
Salt Lake City Bees

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:47 PM

I took over the Winemakers for their inaugural season.

It's currently May 12th and we're in a three-way tie for 5th in the AL West at 16-19, 5 games out.

Here's the cast of characters that make up the Winemakers squad.

Here's the starting lineup (with 2013 stats)

C Alex Williams (.268/5/45 in 414 ABs with Inland Empire)
1B Martin Elipse (.323/13/84 in Triple-A)
2B Phil Harrison (.294/13/85 in Triple-A)
3B Ryan Zimmerman (.277/10/69 in Toronto)
SS Derek Jeter (.323/9/51 in Baltimore)
LF Carlos Blanco (.236/12/41 in Toronto)
CF Edgardo Gallegos (.297/8/52 in Baltimore)
RF Delmon Young (.323/9/66 in Kansas City)

SP Jonathon Broxton (3-4, 29 SV as a closer w/Cubs)
SP Erik Bedard (18-10, 167 K in 36 starts with Arizona)
SP Felix Hernandez (13-17, 4.58 ERA, 149K with Kansas City)
SP Kevin Hardin (10-9, 3.25 ERA, 97K with Philadelphia)
SP Adam Loewen (7-17, 112 K, 5.57 ERA in 34 starts with Baltimore)
CL Pete Osinski (5-7, 32 SV, 2.61 ERA with Los Angeles Angels)
---

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:51 PM

I don't have the illusion that this team is very good. And I can't say that I've even developed a strategy yet for exactly how we're going to map this team out down the road.

The farm systems are pretty desolate and so starting in 2015, I'm bringing the amateur draft back, because should help things a ton since right now the overwhelming majority of the players on all team's minor leagues systems are junk.

There are just one level of minors in both the MLB and Premier League, which essentially serve as 40-man reserve rosters for each squad.

As far as independent minor leagues, we have the Frontier League (AAA), the Southern League (AA) and Northwest League (A). The Cape Cod League is a feeder college league for the Frontier League.

There hasn't been much of a yield yet for these players from these leagues, but as time goes on, I think that might change.

Trades are only allowed between the MLB and PL.

---

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:53 PM

I decided to simulate to the all-star break. Before I could get there, the Chicago White Sox of the Premier League offered me a deal.

SS Kent Jacobs (.364 in 44 ABs) for RF Brian Ellis (.241/2 HRs in 83 ABs)

I decided not to do the deal. I don't really see the value and with five outfielders in the majors already, I didn't see the point in getting rid of a middle infielder for a spare part.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 09:55 PM

King Felix: All-Star

The first All-Star game selection in Winemakers history. He was joined by SS Derek Jeter, for whom the honor was the 7th of his Hall of Fame career, while it was the fourth for Hernandez.

Jeter, 39, is reportedly considering retiring after this season. He's spent 22 of his 23 year career with the Baltimore Orioles. He currently has 3794 career hits, 256 career HRs and is a career .324 hitter. He was left exposed in the Expansion draft last season due to his contract (over $13m this season) and Winemakers officials believed the class player would be the right way to get their franchise off to a great start.

"He's coming at a price, to be sure, but we're just happy to have him on board and our fans have been very appreciative that we signed such a classy veteran to wear Winemakers colors to start the franchise as his career winds down," said Winemakers minority owner Winston Sales.

Jeter is 9th on the all-time hits list and has the most hits of any active player. Stan Musial and his 4239 hits are the all-time record, with Hank Aaron's 4205 is 2nd on the list.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 10:00 PM

SANTA MARIA: Great pitching, but for what?

The expansion Santa Maria Winemakers have the best pitching staff in baseball, mostly because their team went
spending for proven veterans like Felix Hernandez during the off-season heading into their first year.

The operative question for many is, are they going to translate those players into prospects before the deadline or they going to go after something far more elusive for a first-year franchise in MLB -- the playoffs.

The team to come the closest? The 1996-98 Portland Beavers made the playoffs in their 2nd year (1996) and won the World Series in just their fourth season of existance in 1998.

Sitting just four games out of the AL West (35-24), behind the Kansas City Royals and in the drivers seat for one of the two Wild Card spots that go to teams that don't win their division, the club says they're cautiously optimistic.

"We're not sure what we think right now, other than we're playing as a team. I mean, from Day 1 we talked about not approaching this as just an ordinary expansion franchise. Baseball has put a lot of faith in our ownership group, to allow a team to play in a market that's small and not "traditional" these days. But we're going to do our best to keep our noses afloat as we move down the season.

So far, the early season deal of SP Erik Bedard to the Premier League's Los Angeles Angels for three players has turned out to be pretty beneficial. 31-year old righty Lance Maxwell is 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA since coming over in the deal.

33-year old catcher Jason Fletcher has been reborn after starting off the year hitting just .229, he's hitting .329 with Santa Maria with 3 HRs and 12 RBI in 74 ABs so far with the club.

"We're happy with what we have and I don't expect us to do much tinkering," said Dark Cloud, but added, "if things start to get out of hand towards by the deadline, we won't be afraid to make a move."

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 10:01 PM

Why Santa Maria?

I always thought it would be interesting for a baseball team to be located in a community that's like Green Bay. That is, smaller than a traditional market and a place that basically, "you'd never know it was there if it weren't for that particular team."

I think that Santa Maria, more than any of the other places I considered, fit that bill perfectly and it just "felt" right.

So...that's how it all went down.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 10:03 PM

SANTA MARIA - The Santa Maria Winemakers announced their resigning of catcher Jason Fletcher to a 3-year deal worth $50.3 million. Fletcher, is a three-time Best Nine Catcher in the Premier League and won the 2008 MVP award in the Premier League with the Los Angeles Angels.

darkcloud4579 · 04-22-2007, 10:04 PM

June 26, 2014
ALL-STAR BREAK

The 2014 All-Star Game is taking place in Chicago at brand new John Deere Park, home of the Chicago Cubs. The new stadium has the same dimensions as old Wrigley Field, which is now a museum. The new ballpark is being called one of the best EVER built and after the city's debacles with Solider Field and Comiskey Park of the White Sox, the Cubs felt this was their opportunity to "shine" and boy, does it shine.
----------------

In thinking about this season, this team and such alike, I've decided to gloss over the 2014 season as was my original plan anyway...and to do a game-by-game account of the 2015 season. I've NEVER done a dynasty before where I did that.

But for some reason, I think the challenge of recapping each game slowly and savouring the actual team, rather than running through it, would be a good thing and could add a whole new dimension to things.

So we're going to try that and so, it gives you something to look forward to as head into next year, I guess.

04-22-2007, 09:38 PM	#1
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	Do you believe in magic: The Santa Maria Winemakers Baseball Club (2014-) I pre-wrote the bulk of this dynasty and so, a lot of stuff might change as times went on. That said, the "meat" of the dynasty is entertaining and has a lot of going for it, so...yeah. Here we go. My current universe began using Gambo's DB back starting with the 1980 season. The only franchise move that happened during that time was the San Francisco Giants left for Tampa Bay to play in the Florida Suncoast Dome. They later moved to Norfolk, VA, after their stadium became outmoded. This is the story of the major leagues in my own mind, I guess. The minor leagues aren't prevelent in this game and they're really just one level for each major league, mostly for a holding place for players. By 2007, MLB had 40 teams. When you consider that in real life, there are over 300 major, minor and independent minor league professional baseball franchises in the US and that attendance for professional baseball is over 100 million fans per year, I decided that America loves baseball more than any other sport. Simply put, no other sport can captivate the country or has that much penentrating reach. It's mostly the greediness and monopoly that MLB owners have created over the years that makes baseball such a relatively unimaginative sport that has essentially languished behind sports like football and basketball (Yawn). Well, in this world...that's not the case because the minors are just reserve leagues and are nominal. So with all of those fans out there clamoring for baseball, the eventual idea is to get to something like what Europe has with soccer. With its various divisions and such alike. And the day when a team from a small town could someday make it to the majors and be on the big stage. But...how do we get there? Friends, it's all about the journey....

04-22-2007, 10:03 PM	#19
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	FLETCHER SIGNS 3-year extension with Santa Maria SANTA MARIA - The Santa Maria Winemakers announced their resigning of catcher Jason Fletcher to a 3-year deal worth $50.3 million. Fletcher, is a three-time Best Nine Catcher in the Premier League and won the 2008 MVP award in the Premier League with the Los Angeles Angels.

04-22-2007, 09:39 PM	#2
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	DATELINE: 2008 Major League Baseball owners vote 28-12 to expand by a whopping EIGHT teams over the next decade. These owners cite the game's growth across the nation, an increased talent pool with influxes from the Caribbean and Japan and new talent pools identified in Europe, Australia and Africa, the game has unlimited potential for growth. Meanwhile venerable franchises such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and others decide that the game has just gotten too out of hand and that they've stayed quiet for too long. In a late meeting before spring training, a hasty constitution is written and the owners of eight charter clubs, later joined by two others decide that they will NOT be joining Major League Baseball for the 2008 season after all. Instead, they will be forming an entirely new partnership called the American Premier League of Professional Baseball or simply, the Premier League. "We believe that our teams are the standard bearers for the success, excellence and dominance of Major League Baseball. We are not sure what our brethen have tried to do the game that we love, but we believe this move is necessary to preserve the sanctity and future of the sport as we know it," said the owners collectively. MLB owners were somewhere between furious and euphoric. The Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox all signed on to leave and these teams draw fans no matter where they go. To lose them, is to lose a huge chunk of MLB's revenue. But they decide to move forward with their expansion plans, believing that the best way for baseball to grow its profits around the country, is to have teams in markets that do not have major league sports, so that baseball can be cultivated and nurtured for generations to come. "We're going back to the basics of the game."

04-22-2007, 09:40 PM	#3
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	TV revenues were essentially split between the two leagues, but with fewer teams to split the money with, the Premier Leagues have more money to spend and the Yanks and Sox are not going to let the league die and have pitched in cash. Premier League games appear on national television during the week, giving fans access to games all of the time. There are no cable games, ticket prices are a little higher on average, though. Here's the initial setup PREMIER LEAGUE --- East New York Yankees Chicago White Sox Florida Marlins Cleveland Indians Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers West --- Atlanta Braves St. Louis Cardinals Los Angeles Angels Pittsburgh Pirates Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins Here are the teams left in MLB --- AL East --- New Jersey Nine Toronto Blue Jays Charlotte Knights Chicago Comets Tampa Bay Threshers Baltimore Orioles AL West -- Portland Beavers Kansas City Royals Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Oakland A's Inland Empire 66ers NL East --- Brooklyn Cyclones New York Mets Virginia Giants Montreal Expos Chicago Cubs Hartford Whalers Washington Nationals Philadelphia Phillies NL West ---- Colorado Rockies Nevada Silverhawks Arizona Diamondbacks San Francisco Seals San Diego Padres Los Angeles Dodgers Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros The first two seasons of the arrangement worked okay. The PL plays 162 games, there is no DH and relievers are minimized so you have more pitchers throwing complete games. At the end of the 2009 season, the PL -- in anticipation of a mass expansion in MLB in 2010 -- invited teams from MLB to join their league. The following teams accepted the offer: Colorado Rockies Virginia Giants San Francisco Seals Adding to the plot is that the Giants are the two-time DEFENDING World Series champions. The team grumbled over its ability to attract marketing dollars despite this and believe that the move to the Premier League will "improve" the brand among fans and others. The team barely turned a profit this past season despite its title winning ways. "We are looking forward to the ability to challenge in the Premier League and believe it to be a step forward in the future of the Giants organization," said J.P. Shipp, CEO of the Virginia Giants Baseball Club. The Premier League saw this as a way to break into the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, where as the move to bring the Rockies and Seals into the folder provided a crucial Western presence. "This move is a critical component to our western fans," said Premier League commissioner George W. Bush The league is expected to still claim one more team before the start of the regular season and the move should be announced sometime before the end of the winter, but, mum is the word currently.

04-22-2007, 09:41 PM	#5
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	PREMIER BREW: Milwaukee moves to PL Milwaukee was once a National League city, than an American League city, back the to the NL and now, it's in the Premier League. The Milwaukee were the fourth and final team to jump ship from MLB for the 2010 season. "We look forward to a new era of Brewers baseball in the Premier League," said GM Gord Ash. The move represents a huge boost for the fledging circuit who now claim amongst their ranks the two-time defending World Series champion Virginia Giants. Going into the 2010 season, here is the new Premier League alignment --- PL EAST --- Virginia Giants New York Yankees Chicago White Sox Atlanta Braves Florida Marlins Cleveland Indians Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers PL WEST --- Colorado Rockies San Francisco Seals St. Louis Cardinals Los Angeles Angels Pittsburgh Pirates Milwaukee Brewers Cincinnati Reds Minnesota Twins

04-22-2007, 09:42 PM	#7
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	I decided to postpone expansion in MLB until 2012. I'm not sure why. I just think I wanted to wait. 2002 was the last expansion and so that would be ten years. --- Ok, so the first expansion of four teams took place for the 2012 season. The new teams added were: Monterrey (Mex.) Matadors Columbus Clippers Salt Lake City Bees New York Rens The moves are largely response moves it seems to the losses that MLB experienced when the Rockies, Reds, Yankees and Angels headed to the Premier League. "We're not really reacting to what's happened. We're instead being proactive and working to provide what we've always provided, a fan-friendly experience with the best caliber baseball that we can offer our fans annually," said Clippers GM and former major league star Don Mattingly. So far, the three league 'experiment' that many panned would "never survive" has worked well. After five years, the New York Yankees have claimed three of the five Fall Classic titles. The Cardinals won the first year and the Braves are the only other team to win. Some fans, critical of the "big market" exodus from MLB are not surprised. "They wanted a place they could go and dominate unfettered. They believe that baseball starts and stops with New York and Boston and that's pretty much it. But the teams that stayed in MLB are pretty brave at the same time, I think," said Dave Jacoby, a baseball historian who wrote the book, "The League of Excess: How Major League Baseball lost its way"

04-22-2007, 09:43 PM	#8
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	As you probably notice, I haven't taken over a team yet. I probably won't until the next expansion, which is tentatively slated for 2014, but I might wait a little longer to do it, depending on how I feel. At any rate, this dynasty will be different for me in one major regard. I intend to take over one team and to stay there the length of the dynasty. Anyone who reads me, knows I don't do that very much or at least, not in a long, long time. But I think it's time and to tell you that up front, so you can get invested in the franchise, the players and all of that, seems to make sense to me. So that's the story.

04-22-2007, 09:45 PM	#10
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	NEW BALLPARKS You are aware that teams naturally had some ballpark plans in the works around this time. Here are the teams of the non-expansion variety that have moved into new parks between 2008 and 2011. PREMIER LEAGUE ---- New York Yankees: Mastercard Yankee Stadium (2010) Boston Red Sox (2012): Samuel Adams Park at Fenway (same dimensions as Fenway, even the same field..just a different facade and seating, etc.) Minnesota Twins: 3M Field (2010) Virginia Giants: AOL Park @ Diamond Lake (Leesburg, Virginia) (2012) Florida Marlins: Burger King Park (2012) MLB --- New York Mets: CitiField (2010) Washington Nationals: Capital One Park (2008) Montreal Expos: Labatt Park (2009) ----- The Chicago Cubs have announced plans to replace Wrigley Field in 2013 with McDonalds Field. With the sale of the team by the Tribune company, over six years ago, revenues are down and the team was seeking new ways to increase ticket sales, as well as modernize the team's facilities. The stadium's redesign was hotly contested for many, many years and finally, the decision was to build a new ballpark new the Cabrini Green area. The idea was that the new park would continue to be part of the huge redevelopment taking place in that area and pointing to what the New York Rens did in Harlem with M&M's Field, the Cubs said that this was another step to "helping the team become part of the solution" in the community. There was a great deal of rankling over the decision to move the park there. But the waiting list for tickets to Cubs games are already tops several years in waiting.

04-22-2007, 09:46 PM	#12
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	2014 MLB ALIGNMENT --- AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST -- Tampa Bay Threshers Louisville Knights Toronto Blue Jays New York Rens Charlotte Knights Chicago Comets Baltimore Orioles New Jersey Nine WEST --- Inland Empire 66ers Kansas City Royals Monterrey Matadors Santa Maria Winemakers San Jose Athletics Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Portland Beavers NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST --- Brooklyn Cyclones Hartford Whalers Memphis Hound Dogs Philadelphia Phillies Montreal Expos Washington Nationals Columbus Clippers New York Mets WEST --- Chicago Cubs Arizona Diamondbacks Nevada Silverhawks Omaha Owls Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres Salt Lake City Bees

04-22-2007, 09:47 PM	#13
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	I took over the Winemakers for their inaugural season. It's currently May 12th and we're in a three-way tie for 5th in the AL West at 16-19, 5 games out. Here's the cast of characters that make up the Winemakers squad. Here's the starting lineup (with 2013 stats) C Alex Williams (.268/5/45 in 414 ABs with Inland Empire) 1B Martin Elipse (.323/13/84 in Triple-A) 2B Phil Harrison (.294/13/85 in Triple-A) 3B Ryan Zimmerman (.277/10/69 in Toronto) SS Derek Jeter (.323/9/51 in Baltimore) LF Carlos Blanco (.236/12/41 in Toronto) CF Edgardo Gallegos (.297/8/52 in Baltimore) RF Delmon Young (.323/9/66 in Kansas City) SP Jonathon Broxton (3-4, 29 SV as a closer w/Cubs) SP Erik Bedard (18-10, 167 K in 36 starts with Arizona) SP Felix Hernandez (13-17, 4.58 ERA, 149K with Kansas City) SP Kevin Hardin (10-9, 3.25 ERA, 97K with Philadelphia) SP Adam Loewen (7-17, 112 K, 5.57 ERA in 34 starts with Baltimore) CL Pete Osinski (5-7, 32 SV, 2.61 ERA with Los Angeles Angels) ---

04-22-2007, 09:51 PM	#14
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	I don't have the illusion that this team is very good. And I can't say that I've even developed a strategy yet for exactly how we're going to map this team out down the road. The farm systems are pretty desolate and so starting in 2015, I'm bringing the amateur draft back, because should help things a ton since right now the overwhelming majority of the players on all team's minor leagues systems are junk. There are just one level of minors in both the MLB and Premier League, which essentially serve as 40-man reserve rosters for each squad. As far as independent minor leagues, we have the Frontier League (AAA), the Southern League (AA) and Northwest League (A). The Cape Cod League is a feeder college league for the Frontier League. There hasn't been much of a yield yet for these players from these leagues, but as time goes on, I think that might change. Trades are only allowed between the MLB and PL. ---

04-22-2007, 09:53 PM	#15
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	I decided to simulate to the all-star break. Before I could get there, the Chicago White Sox of the Premier League offered me a deal. SS Kent Jacobs (.364 in 44 ABs) for RF Brian Ellis (.241/2 HRs in 83 ABs) I decided not to do the deal. I don't really see the value and with five outfielders in the majors already, I didn't see the point in getting rid of a middle infielder for a spare part.

04-22-2007, 09:55 PM	#16
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	King Felix: All-Star The first All-Star game selection in Winemakers history. He was joined by SS Derek Jeter, for whom the honor was the 7th of his Hall of Fame career, while it was the fourth for Hernandez. Jeter, 39, is reportedly considering retiring after this season. He's spent 22 of his 23 year career with the Baltimore Orioles. He currently has 3794 career hits, 256 career HRs and is a career .324 hitter. He was left exposed in the Expansion draft last season due to his contract (over $13m this season) and Winemakers officials believed the class player would be the right way to get their franchise off to a great start. "He's coming at a price, to be sure, but we're just happy to have him on board and our fans have been very appreciative that we signed such a classy veteran to wear Winemakers colors to start the franchise as his career winds down," said Winemakers minority owner Winston Sales. Jeter is 9th on the all-time hits list and has the most hits of any active player. Stan Musial and his 4239 hits are the all-time record, with Hank Aaron's 4205 is 2nd on the list.

04-22-2007, 10:00 PM	#17
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	SANTA MARIA: Great pitching, but for what? The expansion Santa Maria Winemakers have the best pitching staff in baseball, mostly because their team went spending for proven veterans like Felix Hernandez during the off-season heading into their first year. The operative question for many is, are they going to translate those players into prospects before the deadline or they going to go after something far more elusive for a first-year franchise in MLB -- the playoffs. The team to come the closest? The 1996-98 Portland Beavers made the playoffs in their 2nd year (1996) and won the World Series in just their fourth season of existance in 1998. Sitting just four games out of the AL West (35-24), behind the Kansas City Royals and in the drivers seat for one of the two Wild Card spots that go to teams that don't win their division, the club says they're cautiously optimistic. "We're not sure what we think right now, other than we're playing as a team. I mean, from Day 1 we talked about not approaching this as just an ordinary expansion franchise. Baseball has put a lot of faith in our ownership group, to allow a team to play in a market that's small and not "traditional" these days. But we're going to do our best to keep our noses afloat as we move down the season. So far, the early season deal of SP Erik Bedard to the Premier League's Los Angeles Angels for three players has turned out to be pretty beneficial. 31-year old righty Lance Maxwell is 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA since coming over in the deal. 33-year old catcher Jason Fletcher has been reborn after starting off the year hitting just .229, he's hitting .329 with Santa Maria with 3 HRs and 12 RBI in 74 ABs so far with the club. "We're happy with what we have and I don't expect us to do much tinkering," said Dark Cloud, but added, "if things start to get out of hand towards by the deadline, we won't be afraid to make a move."

04-22-2007, 10:01 PM	#18
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	Why Santa Maria? I always thought it would be interesting for a baseball team to be located in a community that's like Green Bay. That is, smaller than a traditional market and a place that basically, "you'd never know it was there if it weren't for that particular team." I think that Santa Maria, more than any of the other places I considered, fit that bill perfectly and it just "felt" right. So...that's how it all went down.

04-22-2007, 10:04 PM	#20
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,709	June 26, 2014 ALL-STAR BREAK The 2014 All-Star Game is taking place in Chicago at brand new John Deere Park, home of the Chicago Cubs. The new stadium has the same dimensions as old Wrigley Field, which is now a museum. The new ballpark is being called one of the best EVER built and after the city's debacles with Solider Field and Comiskey Park of the White Sox, the Cubs felt this was their opportunity to "shine" and boy, does it shine. ---------------- In thinking about this season, this team and such alike, I've decided to gloss over the 2014 season as was my original plan anyway...and to do a game-by-game account of the 2015 season. I've NEVER done a dynasty before where I did that. But for some reason, I think the challenge of recapping each game slowly and savouring the actual team, rather than running through it, would be a good thing and could add a whole new dimension to things. So we're going to try that and so, it gives you something to look forward to as head into next year, I guess.