The Outpost League

[ifspuds]

Baseball League Crowns Its First Champion
Bay League Declared a Success By Founders
Outpost News Service

The first Outpost-wide sports league finished its opening season yesterday, with the Lorris Greens named the champions of baseball's Bay League by virtue of their top record in 70 games played. The Greens outlasted seven other competitors thanks to excellent play in the final month of the season coupled with the struggles of their closest rivals, the Deepvale Ferrymen. "Any time you play the game, of course you want to win," said Lorris field manager Jerry Lee. "If you're not playing to win, what's the point of taking the field? We had a great run this year, thanks to guys like Tega Smith and Cliff Rock, and of course Dennis Phillips and Mark Boykin pitched terrific too." Lorris fans greeted their champions as they returned home from their final game in Gentry Hills, filling Lorris City Park for a welcome home reception. Lorris star Tega Smith and owner Patrick Murphy addressed the crowd and thanked them for their support. "None of us have a lot of time to be wasting as we try and build the Outposts into a home, so we're very grateful that you came out to watch us play a game," said Smith. "While you can play without fans, you can't enjoy it nearly as much." Greens left fielder Cliff Rock was notably absent from the celebration, and owner Patrick Murphy said later that Rock had been given permission to go straight home to Silver Beach after the final game.

At the outset, many questioned the need for an organized sports league like the Bay League, which took men from their homes and required them to travel from town to town for several months of the year. But it was clear that there was a market for this sort of entertainment, as fans went out to the eight ballparks around the Outposts to spend some deserved leisure time cheering on their adopted heroes. Still, some have wondered about the long-term viability of the Bay League. "Do we have room to improve? You can always improve, even on the best of ventures," said Bay League founder John Baxter. "Travel plans were often disorganized, we occasionally had trouble getting equipment to the proper destinations, some players decided in the middle of the season that the baseball life wasn't for them and left their teams short of players. But make no mistake, the people of the Outposts want to see baseball played and played well. The Bay League is giving that to them, and we consider our first season a definite success." When asked about changes for next season, Baxter said that the founding owners of the eight teams would meet soon to discuss plans going forth. Under consideration, he said, are a longer schedule and perhaps additional teams.

The Bay League has already announced plans to open its second season next year toward the end of the fourth month of the year and tickets for next season's games will be available soon at team offices around the league.

[ifspuds]

September 17, 2014

Bay League Standings

Team              W   L   Pct   GB   Stk  Magic#
Lorris           41  29  .586    -    W1    *
Deepvale         39  31  .557  2.0    W3    -
Elliott Springs  39  31  .557  2.0    W3    -
Gentry Hills     35  35  .500  6.0    L1    -
Silver Beach     35  35  .500  6.0    L3    -
Tifton           33  37  .471  8.0    W2    -
Marsein          29  41  .414 12.0    L4    -
Allison          29  41  .414 12.0    L2    -

League News

The Greens win the Bay League title!

Lorris was never in danger of losing their lead as the final month of the season progressed, as Deepvale never got closer than the half-game behind they started the month at. Elliott Springs made a nice late move, but it didn't happen until the title race was over. How did the Greens do it? Pitching, primarily. They had the top composite ERA in the league at 3.19, and allowed the fewest runs, 242. The Greens hurlers were led by Dennis Phillips (17-10, 3.19 ERA, .223 OAvg, 1.16 WHIP), who was named the Top Pitcher in the league, and Mark Boykin (7-4, 2.69 ERA, .246 OAvg, 1.12 WHIP). Of course, you have to score some runs as well, and between Tega Smith (.308/.400/.512, 12 HR, 22 SB) and Cliff Rock (.234/.349/.546, 14 HR, 14 SB), the Greens didn't embarrass themselves by any means, finishing 3rd of 8 in runs scored (278) and first in both walks and stolen bases.

Deepvale had their chances, but a 3-game losing streak to start the month took them too far out of contention to make a serious run at the Greens. The Ferrymen do have some scant consolation in the fact that their star first baseman Ace Gervin (.371/.456/.723, 20 HR) won the Top Batter Award and 24-year old starting pitcher Jason Grant (10-11, 3.75 ERA, .244 OAvg, 1.15 WHIP) was named the Top Rookie, boding well for a good season next year as well.

Gentry Hills goes home with four of the 9 possible fielding awards, with Top Leather awards going to pitcher Hayletts Turner, catcher Heath Williams, first baseman Tarise Ellis and second baseman Gilbert Evans. The other Top Leather awards were given to third baseman Renaldo Wright (TIF), shortstop Josh Stanley (SIL), left fielder Mario Goodwin (DPV), center fielder Josh Lutz (ESP) and right fielder Dionsio Brey (ALL).

Final League Leaders

Batting Average                Stolen Bases
H. Gervin (DPV)       .371     T. Smith (LOR)          22
R. Wright (TIF)       .355     R. Isenhour (MAR)       18
J. Anderson (ALL)     .339     A. Strong (ALL)         18

OPS                            ERA
H. Gervin (DPV)      1.179     C. Redd (SIL)         2.19
J. Brown (ESP)        .987     J. Britton (GEN)      2.47
R. Gomes (ESP)        .936     M. Boykin (LOR)       2.69
 
Home Runs                      Wins
J. Brown (ESP)          22     D. Phillips (LOR)       17
H. Gervin (DPV)         20     E. Hope (ESP)           16
T. Ellis (GEN)          20     I. Black (DPV)          15

RBI                            Strikeouts
J. Brown (ESP)          57     M. Hawkins (TIF)       280
L. Nielsen (ALL)        47     D. Odle (SIL)          228
C. Rock (LOR)           44     D. Phillips (LOR)      227    
H. Gervin (DPV)         44                          
     
Runs Scored            
H. Gervin (DPV)         50
T. Smith (LOR)          50
T. Ellis (GEN)          49	
J. Brown (ESP)          49

[Dark Horse]

Congrats on finishing your first season. i'm looking forward to next season.

[ifspuds]

Thanks, Dark Horse. I'm looking forward to getting it started, once I get a few things settled. Until then, hope you enjoy a bit of offseason news from the Outposts.

[ifspuds]

Offseason News

One week after the season ended, John Baxter of the Tifton Generals announced that he would be financing the construction of a dedicated ballpark for the Generals. "Tifton City Park should be returned to the citizens of Tifton to use as they see fit. The new ballpark, which will be named Generals Field, will provide our townsfolk with a comfortable, pleasant place to come and watch their hometown team," said Baxter. "The construction of the park will provide jobs for the community as well." Asked about the details of the new park, Baxter stated that there will be room for approximately twice as many fans, with dimensions similar to those of Tifton City Park. The new stadium will open for the 2016 season, and the Generals will continue to use the city park until that time.

Not to be outdone, two days later, Michael Hernandez of the Silver Beach Whales announced that the Whales would also be moving into a new park, to be christened Silver Field, for the 2016 season. When asked if this announcement was a response to Baxter's, Hernandez said, "We have been planning to move into our own park since it was clear that the Bay League would survive the first season. It is an accident of timing, no more, no less." Ironically, the new ballpark in Silver Beach will hold exactly two more fans than Generals Field is projected to hold.

There is talk among the villages and towns of the upper northeast part of the Outposts that a careful exploration of The Sisters must be undertaken. The two islands off the coast have long resisted such efforts due to their forbidding terrain and lack of decent harbors, but recent events suggest that more of an effort may need to be made. A number of fishing vessels that have traditionally worked the waters off the islands have failed to return home, and townsfolk are demanding answers. The larger cities have offered assistance in the venture, but many in the northeast are complaining about the reluctance with which the offers have been made.

The maglev train tracks between the northwestern cities of River Bend and Marsein have been completed, promising to increase ease of travel to and from the remote city of Marsein. Future Transportation Corps plans include an expansion of the maglev system to take in the town of Pelish on the far west coast, as well as completion of the line between Elliott Springs, Gentry Hills and Lorris. Work on transportation lines has been extremely slow going due to the difficulties in moving construction materials between Earth, where the materials are produced, and the Outposts, which lack the manufacturing infrastructure to do the work themselves.

(more news to come...)

[Eugene Church]

Congratulations on the Outpost League dynasty.

Sorry for not knowing about it. Just happened upon it this afternoon.

Great map...really well done.

Beautiful logos, too.

And you are a darn good writer.

[ifspuds]

Thank you for the kind words, Eugene. Your positive outlook on things is a great asset to the community. The logos, of course, are the fine work of illeracula, who is another great asset to the community.

The Outpost League has taken a short hiatus while I organize a few things, and clear some room in my schedule to do some more in-depth writing than the blurbs I put in my Time Warp Pirates dynasty. So here's another entry, before the thread sinks on to page 3.

------

Bay League Holds Open Call For Players
Outpost News Service

In an announcement long rumored and finally confirmed, Bay League founder John Baxter stated today that the eight-team baseball league will hold a series of open tryouts in each of the league cities over the next two months, culminating in a draft to be held in Tifton one month before the league's second season is to begin. "This is an idea we have been considering for some time, and with the requests the league has received for information about how to join a team pouring in, we have decided to open the process to all who might be interested," said Baxter. The league founder went on to describe the process for registration and the eventual selection of players by each of the teams. "Each team, as they did last season, will continue to maintain a roster of reserve players to be used in the case of injuries or other unforeseeable events that otherwise limit the number of active players. Most likely, the players selected in these open tryouts will be placed on those rosters. Selection is no guarantee to even the mild reknown enjoyed by Bay League players, but as with all things in the Outposts, hard work and dedication will take a person a long way."

Skeptics decry the so-called theft of young men from their homes, families and towns with no guarantee of any sort of consistent income. League officials responded by stating that the reserve roster players are given jobs in the home city of the team and are well-cared for by their adoptive hometown. League officials further indicated that the demand for limited spots in the open tryouts suggests that these young men are happy to take their chances. "Am I going to sign up? Absolutely," said Walter Sebring, 18 years old, of North Reach. "It's a chance to see other parts of the Outposts, get to play a game while I'm working, and maybe some day get to play in the league." With a boyish grin that spoke of confidence and excitement, Sebring added, "No one believes me when I say I could get a hit off Kyle Richardson. How else am I going to prove them all wrong?"

Those interested in reserving a spot in the open tryout should contact the team office in the nearest Bay League city. Players are expected to bring a glove or mitt, and all other equipment will be provided. Team officials from each of the Bay League teams will be in attendance in all cities to watch the proceedings in preparation for the selection of players, which will be announced here on the Outpost News Service.

[ifspuds]

Joe Leonard stood at the edge of Gentry Field, watching a bunch of guys of all ages taking infield practice. Not easy, taking grounders on a field soaked with three straight days of cold rain with a borrowed glove and lopsided batting practice balls. Not easy to stand here and watch, either. At least the tryouts got to move around. Leonard stood beside the dugout wall, sheltered a little from the wind, huddled down in a heavy jacket. As unpleasant as the environment was, though, he had to take the job seriously. As the player-manager of the Allison Spelunkers, his squad got to pick the first player in what amounted to a draft. He'd been travelling across the Outposts for three weeks now, taking in all the various tryout sessions, and this would be the last one before the decisions were made.

His team needed plenty of help. The pitching would probably be okay, with Kyle Richardson anchoring the rotation and a collection of guys who could come in and put out fires. It was the offense that screamed out for a big bat. Alton Strong, the second sacker, had star potential, could do it all, but he didn't have a whole lot of help. Jeff Anderson at the hot corner could certainly put wood on the ball and draw a healthy share of walks, but he had no power at all, and no one else in the lineup did either. Luckily for Leonard, it was pretty clear who the best hitters had been throughout the tryouts: a couple of kids who hardly looked old enough to shave, let alone travel around the Outposts with a bunch of baseball players.

Walter Sebring, who had tried out in Marsein, was clearly the best hitter. Just 18 years old, Sebring already had an incredible eye at the plate. Pitches that fooled guys who'd played a whole season in '14, Sebring didn't chase. Leonard had talked to the others from Allison who were along for the tryout circuit, and they all agreed that the kid could really be a great player someday, maybe even at the level of that ball-murdering bastard in Deepvale, Ace Gervin. But he was a first baseman, and couldn't play anything else around the field. In Leonard's opinion, you could stick just about anyone at first and do okay. The other guy, Matt Roy, had no weaknesses in his game. He was good at everything, and played a decent outfield as well. Hard to believe a kid that tall and skinny could manage to get all his arms and legs moving in the same direction at once, but the 18-year old had a strange grace nonetheless. It was going to be a tough decision. Sebring was the better hitter, but Roy was the better overall ballplayer.

It would be hard to go wrong with either one. Either way, the Knights would be happy. Marsein had the next pick, and they needed pitching in a bad way. A new Outposter, Ahmad Reese, had pitched some in high school and college back Earthside and had tried out in Tifton. Easily the best arm out of all the tryouts, he threw hard, spotted his pitches well, and kept the ball down. Chances are he'd be a great pitcher someday.

Joe Leonard shifted his shoulders and blew into his hands. Surely the infielders could get along without him while he found himself a cup of Outpost coffee. As bad as it was, at least it'd warm his bones a little. Definitely time for a coffee break.

[ifspuds]

Walter Sebring sat down on a recently felled tree and mopped sweat off his forehead. Hard to believe, as cold as the spring had been, that he could still manage to sweat, but clearing forest was hard work. He'd been at it all morning with his brothers and father, more for something to occupy himself with than any real need to cut down more trees. That and the fact that he was probably going to spend most of the spring and summer away from home, playing baseball. Leaving the hard work for the rest of his family. It was a job, sure. Whoever he ended up playing for would at least pay for his room and board and give him a job to earn spending money when he wasn't on the field, but here in North Reach, at the edge of the Outposts, they needed all the hands they could get. Not just here at his family's home, but all around town. Without a maglev train line into town, it was a lot harder to get supplies and materials, so everyone ended up having to share what they could get. Nice for community, but not very easy to get by with.

So it was hard not to feel a little guilty.

George Sebring, Walter's father, had played baseball back Earthside. Might have even had a shot at playing in the minor leagues for a while, had Walter's mother not gotten pregnant. Suddenly, it was time to grow up and get a steady job, rather than chasing some far-off dream. When the jobs had started drying up in 2006, the Sebring family jumped at the chance to start a new life in the Outposts. And now, little Walter Sebring was 18-year old Walter Sebring, 6'2" and still growing into his body, with his father's baseball skills running in his blood. And his father wouldn't hear a thing of him staying home to help out.

Walter went to the Bay League tryout in Marsein, the closest tryout to North Reach, a few weeks ago. He'd played well enough, he thought, but he could've played better. His head wasn't in it. Half his thoughts were on trying to hit a dirt-smeared lump of baseball and half were wondering what in the Outposts he was doing there. He could've played better, yeah. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if none of the teams wanted him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay home.

"Hey Walt!" That was his younger brother Tom, yelling at him from down the hill. "Mom says you've got a vidcall waiting for you at town hub."

Walter Sebring stood up and looked down the rise across his family's property. If that was the vidcall he thought it was, it might be a long time until he saw this place again.

[Dark Horse]

Great read, Spuds! You slipped a couple of updates in on me. Keep it up.

[ifspuds]

Glad to see I didn't lose you over the slow posting period, Dark Horse, and thanks for reading as always. Especially now that viewing numbers aren't tracked for each thread, it's nice to get any comments from readers at all.

One more post before the Thanksgiving break and then the 2nd season of the Bay League will begin in a couple weeks!

[ifspuds]

2015 Bay League Draft

Representatives of the eight founding Bay League teams met today in Tifton at the offices of league president John Baxter, where they selected players from the Outpost-wide tryouts held last month. The Allison Spelunkers, by virtue of their last-place finish the previous season, were awarded first choice from among all the players who had tried out and were deemed talented enough to have a shot at playing in the league. With that first selection, the Spelunkers selected 18-year old first baseman Walter Sebring, from the remote village of North Reach on the north coast of the Outposts. Sebring is said to be very talented, a powerful, disciplined hitter that ought to see action with the Spelunkers at some point during the upcoming Bay League season.

The Marsein Knights owned the rights to the second selection, and they surprised many observers with knowledge of the player pool by selecting 18-year outfielder Matt Roy. The Knights are already a strong offensive team, and the addition of Roy will likely only improve that standing. With a talented pitcher, Ahmad Reese, available, many expected the Knights to call Reese's name rather than Roy's. Instead, Reese went to the next team, the Tifton Generals, which prompted insinuations from some quarters that league founder (and Tifton Generals owner) John Baxter exerted influence with his close associate, Marsein Knights owner Carroll Eichhorn, in order to get the Knights to skip over the talented Reese with their selection. The Generals denied these allegations, noting that they would have been just as happy with the outfielder Roy. It is likely that Reese and Roy will be watched carefully early in their careers to see how their paths diverge.

The first round of selections went as follows:
1. Allison Spelunkers -- Walter Sebring, 18 years old, First Base (4/3/4/8/5 ratings, 8/5/9/10/7 talents)

2. Marsein Knights -- Matt Roy, 18 years old, Left Field/Right Field (4/4/4/4/4 ratings, 7/7/9/7/7 talents)

3. Tifton Generals -- Ahmad Reese, 21 years old, Pitcher (3/5/4 ratings, 8/8/8 talents)

4. Silver Beach Whales -- Richie Jones, 21 years old, First Base (4/4/2/3/2 ratings, 7/6/6/6/6 talents)

5. Gentry Hills Scouts -- Damian Latimer, 22 years old, Pitcher (4/4/5 ratings, 8/7/7 talents)

6. Deepvale Ferrymen -- Mike Dodson, 24 years old, Pitcher (2/4/3 ratings, 6/8/6 talents)

7. Elliott Springs Tornadoes -- Lannce Barber, 20 years old, Left Field/Center Field (1/3/2/3/1 ratings, 4/7/6/6/5 talents)

8. Lorris Greens -- Sherman Wells, 18 years old, Second Base (1/4/1/2/1 ratings, 4/7/4/6/4 talents)

[Dark Horse]

And have a Happy Thanksgiving!

[ifspuds]

Bay League Preview, 2015 Season

Let's take a look at the big names on each team and do a little prognostication for the second season of the Bay League. We'll take the teams in order of the 2014 finish, starting with the first four finishers.

Lorris Greens
Last Season: 41-29, 1st place
Top Hitter: CF Tega Smith. Smith came on strong at the end of the season, finishing at .308/.400/.512 and led the league in stolen bases with 22 in 29 attempts. He and LF Cliff Rock make a potent 1-2 punch in the lineup, but the 28-year old Smith is the clear leader of this lineup.
Top Pitcher: Dennis Phillips. The 30-year old Phillips won honors as the Top Pitcher in the league in 2014, going 17-10 with a 3.19 ERA and ranking 3rd in the league in strikeouts with 227 in 251 innings.
Top Prospect: SP Jordan Thompson. Though Shawn Dawson, another starting pitcher, is also talented, Thompson is far closer to pitching for the Greens. Thompson tossed 89 innings in Lorris City League action last season and put together an ERA of around 3.50. He'll have a tough time cracking Lorris's talented rotation, however.
Forecast: There's no reason the Greens won't continue to be one of the top teams. They have four quality hitters in the lineup, one of whom (C Kory Jackson) underperformed last season. Add to that a collection of 3 starting pitchers that could start for any team in the league, and you've got the potential for a dominating squad.

Deepvale Ferrymen
Last Season: 39-31, tied for 2nd place
Top Hitter: Do you really need to ask? Ace Gervin isn't just Deepvale's top hitter, he's the best hitter in the Outposts. Gervin was named the Top Batter for 2014, after blistering Bay League pitchers to the merry tune of .371/.456/.723. He won the batting title, clubbed 20 homers, drove in 44 and scored 50 runs (leading the league). He can just about do it all.
Top Pitcher: Isaac Black. Black finished 3rd in the Bay League in wins with 15, and posted a 3.10 ERA as well. He's very well liked among his teammates and is a vocal leader. The 28-year old hurler doesn't throw hard, but he's good at keeping hitters off balance, and he doesn't give away many free passes.
Top Prospect: SP Nik Tillman. Tillman's 24 years old and flashed some occasional dominance in city league games, but the Ferrymen don't seem to have a lot of confidence in him despite the fact that he went 12-7 with a 1.88 ERA in the Deepvale City League.
Forecast: Any team with Ace Gervin is always going to be in the hunt. The real concern, however, is the pitching staff. The Ferrymen finished 7th in the league in runs allowed, and unless 24-year old Jason Grant raises his game, they're not going to improve that mark very much this season.

Elliott Springs Tornadoes
Last Season: 39-31, tied for 2nd place
Top Hitter: RF Jared Brown, the best hitter in the Bay League last season not named Ace Gervin. Brown led the Bay League in homers (22) and RBI (57), an impressive feat for a guy who only hit .256 on the season.
Top Pitcher: The aptly named Eddie Hope, who went 16-7, 3.03 in 2014. Hope is capable of absolutely dominating, as echoed in his numbers. In 234 innings pitched, he allowed 198 hits and walked a meager 21 batters, while striking out 214. Had the Tornadoes pulled out the league title down the stretch, it wouldn't have been a surprise if Hope had won Top Pitcher instead of Dennis Phillips.
Top Prospect: SP Jamie Wilder. Wilder is considered one of the best young players controlled by any Bay League team. In city league action last season, the 19-year old hurler went 7-7 with a 2.27 ERA, striking out 124 in 150 innings.
Forecast: It's hard to believe that a player who hit .335/.412/.524 last season was a disappointment, but 1B Riyad Gomes was nonetheless. He's that talented. Jared Brown was a phenomenon at the plate, but the Tornadoes need Gomes to step up and be the Ace Gervin clone everyone thought he'd be. The pitching is solid, if 34-year old Eddie Hope can fight off decline. They could challenge Lorris for the Bay League crown.

Gentry Hills Scouts
Last Season: 35-35, tied for 4th place
Top Hitter: First baseman Tarise Ellis. Ellis is a brilliant fielder, as evidenced by his Top Leather award last season, but he's no slouch with a bat in his hands either. He cracked 20 homers, tied for 2nd place in that category with the incomparable Ace Gervin, and scored 49 runs, also tied for 2nd place in the league. Overall, Ellis hit .260/.363/.560 last year, and he's just 27 years old.
Top Pitcher: Broderick Earl, though 21-year old Jon Britton might steal that title from him this season. Earl went 11-10, 2.77 in 2014, striking out an even 200 in 214 innings. At 27 years old, the Scouts look to have a bright future in the rotation.
Top Prospect: 1B Brandon Dixon. Dixon, a hometown boy, has an extreme line-drive swing and rarely hits the ball over the fence, but some Scouts fans swear that he could rip the glove off a fielder's hand, he hits everything so hard. Just 18 years old, there's plenty of time for him to hone his skills. Tarise Ellis can also play the corner outfield spots, so Dixon may have a spot waiting for him.
Forecast: Who finished 1st in the league in runs scored in 2014? Lorris? Maybe Elliott Springs, or Deepvale? None of the above. It was the Scouts, thanks to a combination of power, speed and average unrivaled in depth anywhere in the league. That should remain true in 2015, and with the very talented Jon Britton and Broderick Earl in the rotation, this ought to be a very good team.

[Dark Horse]

[ifspuds]

Bay League Preview, 2015 Season

Now for a look at the bottom half of the league...

Silver Beach Whales
Last Season: 35-35, tied for 4th place
Top Hitter: You wouldn't guess it from his relatively anemic numbers (.272/.372/.416), but second baseman Carlin Chadwick is very talented. The 26-year old struggled with the demands of the Bay League season and the associated travel, and didn't hit up to his talent as a result. He should bounce back this season.
Top Pitcher: Hawkeye Odle notched the second most strikeouts of any Bay League pitcher, fanning 228 batters in 257 innings, and went 13-13 with a 2.86 ERA. He's just 27, and if the Whales find any more offense to support him with, he'll get the recognition he deserves.
Top Prospect: 1B Richie Jones is one of those hitters that doesn't overwhelm you with any one skill, but you should be able to stick him in the lineup and know that he won't hurt you with any deficiency in his game either. He was just selected in the player draft a few months ago, so the Whales will keep a close eye on him to see how he fares.
Forecast: The Whales will be better this season. The pitching remains solid (3rd in runs allowed in 2014), and the offense almost has to get better, even though an expected season from Chadwick and a better season from C Bryan Jones still won't put them into the upper echelon of teams.

Tifton Generals
Last Season: 33-37, 6th place
Top Hitter: Renaldo Wright is widely considered one of the toughest outs in the league, and with good reason. He can hit just about anything a pitcher tosses up, and his ability to put the bat on the ball is uncanny. But at the same time, he's not a free swinger either. Wright, 27, hit .355/.451/.465 last season, finishing second in the batting race to Ace Gervin. The concern for the Generals is that he has almost no help.
Top Pitcher: Carlin Bonner went 14-8 with a 3.28 ERA last season, good for ace status on the Generals. Behind him in the rotation is Juggie Hawkins, who led the Bay League in strikeouts with 280 in 249 innings, but he also walked 105 batters as well. With their weak offense, the Generals pitching staff will need to step up if they want to improve.
Top Prospect: This season's first pitcher drafted was Ahmad Reese. He's 21 years old, he's a solid pitcher in all regards, and with a couple years of city league play, he could definitely be a top contributor.
Forecast: Let's be honest. The Generals just aren't very good. Their pitching will keep them in games, but Renaldo Wright can't carry an offense by himself. He's a #2 hitter looking for a big bat to drive him in.

Allison Spelunkers
Last Season: 29-41, tied for last place
Top Hitter: Speaking of #2 hitters looking for a big bat to drive them in, meet Jeff Anderson, who mans the hot corner for Allison. Like Renaldo Wright, he's an extremely tough out. But he has even less home run pop than Wright, so he needs even more help through the rest of the lineup. Unlike Wright, however, Anderson has Alton Strong, who hit for surprisingly little power last season, but has the capability to be a serious home run threat.
Top Pitcher: Without a doubt, it's Kyle Richardson. Just 22 years old, Richardson made a big splash in the Bay League last year, going just 8-13 but striking out over a batter an inning and posting a 3.02 ERA. He throws extremely hard and spots his pitches well, holding batters to a meager .206 average. He's one of the top arms in the league.
Top Prospect: Walter Sebring, the first player selected in the player draft, is a monster lurking down in the Allison city league. It wouldn't be a big surprise to see the 18-year old get some time with the Bay League club this year. He's already got an incredible eye, and as he fills out a little bit, he's expected to hit for big-time power as well.
Forecast: If Alton Strong figures it out, Allison could make a lot of noise in the league this season. Consider that their best players are all 27 years old or younger, and Allison is one of the up-and-coming teams in the league.

Marsein Knights
Last Season: 29-41, tied for last place
Top Hitter: RF Mario DeGray. The 27-year old right fielder is capable of doing everything but stealing bases. He hits for average, he hits for power, he draws walks. He's the whole package. Free-swinging shortstop Robbie Isenhour earns some mention here, but DeGray is clearly more talented.
Top Pitcher: Quentin Stallworth wasn't expected to do much for the Knights, but the right-hander went 11-11, 3.36 for a team that only won 29 games, which says a little bit about his competitive spirit. Is he the equal of a Kyle Richardson or Hawkeye Odle? No, but he's the capable rotation stalwart every team needs. Now if the Knights could just come up with one of those aces in front of him.
Top Prospect: The Knights made left fielder Matt Roy their first pick in the player draft, despite their clear need for pitching. In their defense, they do have a talented up-and-comer named Jay Moore on their city league team, and Roy is very talented, with plus power and good peripheral skills.
Forecast: The Knights just don't have much pitching and the lineup combo of DeGray and Isenhour isn't enough to overcome that. Expect more struggles for the most remote town in the Bay League.

Predicted Standings for the 2015 Season:

1. Lorris Greens
2. Gentry Hills Scouts
3. Elliott Springs Tornadoes
4. Deepvale Ferrymen
5. Allison Spelunkers
6. Silver Beach Whales
7. Marsein Knights
8. Tifton Generals

[ifspuds]

I toyed with the idea of starting this over when OOTP:BM 2006 came out, but I decided against it. It's going to be a busy few months for me, so I can't promise constant updates, but I'm hoping to at least be consistent in posting.

May 1, 2015

Bay League Standings

Team              W   L   Pct   GB   Stk   L10
Lorris            5   1  .833    -    W5   5-1
Gentry Hills      4   1  .800  0.5    W3   4-1
Deepvale          3   2  .600  1.5    W2   3-2
Marsein           3   2  .600  1.5    L1   4-6
Silver Beach      4   3  .571  1.5    L3   4-3
Tifton            2   4  .333  3.0    L3   2-4
Allison           1   5  .167  4.0    L5   1-5
Elliott Springs   1   5  .167  4.0    L1   1-5

League News

Welcome, Bay League fans, to our second season. The standings start the 2015 season much the way they ended the 2014 campaign: with the Lorris Greens on top. Center fielder Tega Smith is off to a blistering start, hitting .435, and the pitching staff has been even better, with Mark Boykin leading the rotation with just a single run allowed in two complete game starts. The Allison Spelunkers have just a single win on the season, but it was one to talk about. The Spelunkers drew the Opening Day game against the Tifton Generals, the first game of the new season. League founder John Baxter threw out the honorary first pitch, a batting-practice fastball that smacked into Tifton catcher Michael Copeland's mitt without the backstop having to move more than an inch. It would be just about the only hittable pitch the Generals would see that day, as Allison's ace Kyle Richardson stymied the Tifton bats with a 2-hit, 2-walk, 10-strikeout shutout. Richardson wouldn't fare so well in his next two starts, but the 22-year old hurler is still one of the most popular players in the league.

Other notable performances from around the league include Gentry Hills third baseman Roland Harrington, who's hitting .421 with a league-leading 3 homers. More specifically, Harrington's tied with two of his teammates for the league lead in homers. The 33-year old hot corner man hit .262 last season with 12 homers, so he's already a quarter of the way to last season's power output. His Scouts teammate Broderick Earl was named the Pitcher of the Month, going 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA and striking out a batter an inning. It's no accident the Scouts are just a half-game behind the Greens for first place.

League Leaders

Batting Average                Stolen Bases
J. Sowder (SIL)       .448     D. Zimmerman (ALL)       3
M. DeGray (MAR)       .444     J. Leonard (ALL)         3
T. Smith (LOR)        .435     7 players tied with      2

OPS                            ERA
R. Harrington (GEN)  1.450     M. Hawkins (TIF)      0.00
T. Smith (LOR)       1.214     F. O'Neil (LOR)       0.00
R. Lockwood (DPV)    1.182     T. Allen (SIL)        0.00
 
Home Runs                      Wins
R. Harrington (GEN)      3     B. Earl (GEN)            3
S. Dyer (GEN)            3     4 players tied with      2
T. Ellis (GEN)           3     
                               
RBI                            Strikeouts
C. Rock (LOR)            7     D. Phillips (LOR)       31
B. Brown (DPV)           6     E. Hope (ESP)           25
5 players tied with      5     B. Earl (GEN)           25
                               
Runs Scored                   
J. Lutz (ESP)            8	
S. Burks (MAR)           6
T. Smith (LOR)           6

[Y0DA55]

Yay! It's back.

[ifspuds]

Thanks, Yoda... nice to have someone chiming in. Here's a non-baseball interlude to ponder on...

Train Line Failure Linked to Sabotage
Outpost News Service

A recent discovery of extensive damage along the maglev train line between the Outpost cities of Tifton and Deepvale is now being called sabotage. Routine maintenance checks along one of the most highly-traveled routes in the Outposts came across significant damage to both the tracks and the power generation systems along several miles of track. Maintenance crews worked quickly to repair as much as possible, but with finished materials short due to a manufacturing strike in Allison, the scheduled trains were delayed until yesterday afternoon. A spokesman for the maglev cooperative venture based in Tifton stated today that investigators have concluded that the damage was deliberately caused by unknown persons. "The perpetrators clearly knew exactly where to strike in order to cause the most damage in the shortest amount of time," said Peter Maltby in a video press conference held late yesterday. "We are working to determine how to prevent such incidents in the future and are looking into the incident further."

Had maintenance crews not been scheduled for that stretch of the Outposts' most reliable method of transportation, Maltby added, "there would most certainly have been a tragic result." Some have renewed calls for an Outpost-wide law enforcement organization in order to handle such issues as the growing population of the Outposts expands away from the still relatively isolated cities, but opposition remains vocal to such a plan as contrary to the spirit of the Outposts. The maglev cooperative has not come down on one side or the other of the issue, but with this latest setback, the fourth in as many months, it is likely that the safety and security of the transportation system will not be handled solely internally much longer.

[Dark Horse]