Bush League

[Elendil]

2008 Alaskan Championship Series

The 2008 Alaskan Championship Series would open at Wright Field in North Pole, Alaska. Some pics of Wright Field before its renovation:









There were now huge grandstands down the left field and right field lines, but beyond the outfield fence there were still no permanent bleachers. For Opening Day and this series, the club brought in jacked-up temporary bleachers to fit the overflow crowd and could just seat the 2,200 fans who would come out.

Luis Gonzalez playing for the amateur Nicks back in the eighties:



Series Preview

Despite the two teams' comparable records, the Mat-Su Miners had suffered some devastating injuries down the stretch and came into the series as decided underdogs to the Nicks, who also enjoyed home-field advantage. Number One starter Will Blain (5-1, 2.56) had gone down with a fractured elbow and would be out for a full year. At age 22, his baseball career might even be over. Back-end starter Chris Fry was also out, but more important was All-Star catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois (.325/.427/.580 this year), who had strained a back muscle right at the end of the regular season and would just miss the entire playoff series. Third baseman John Brown had fractured his foot and would also be sorely missed: he had hit .319/.394/.533 this year.

On the Nicks' side, only fourth outfielder Landon Phillips and reliever-starter Earl Burry were out.

Lineup Comparisons

C - Leroux, NPN (.309/.391/.577) vs. Peterson, MSM (.161/.186/.179) - ADVANTAGE NICKS
1B - Starr, NPN (.253/.344/.481) vs. Rae, MSM (.296/.342/.389) - ADVANTAGE NICKS
2B - Abston, NPN (.301/.343/.560) vs. Fortier, MSM (.323/.411/.493) - EVEN
3B - Jewers, NPN (.246/.348/.338) vs. Ferris, MSM (.263/.351/.331) - EVEN
SS - Bishop, NPN (.299/.364/.365) vs. Owens, MSM (.240/.289/.344) - ADVANTAGE NICKS
LF - Kuhn, NPN (.279/.359/.501) vs. Corley, MSM (.301/.374/.571) - ADVANTAGE MINERS
CF - Fox, NPN (.253/.321/.405) vs. Trudel, MSM (.322/.404/.551) - ADVANTAGE MINERS
RF - Horton, NPN (.364/.444/.674) vs. Langille, MSM (.289/.382/.511) - ADVANTAGE NICKS

The Nicks simply have a Murderer's Row comprising the top six spots in the lineup (Starr-Bishop-Abston-Horton-Kuhn-Leroux) that the Miners cannot match. The Nicks will have the advantage on offense. Bob Horton had had a season for the ages, stroking 29 doubles, 28 home runs, one triple, and 77 singles (135 hits) in 371 at-bats, to go with 48 walks. To put that in perspective, his home run output corresponds to 47 HR in a 162-game season. Couple that with a Gwynn-like .364 batting average, and you have one dangerous hitter. He even stole 10 bases, without getting caught. His VORP total was an eye-popping 70.8.

Bob Horton, the player the media wish Tom Robbins had become

Rotation

1. Quinton, NPN (5 HR, 24 BB, 44 K, 81 IP) vs. Thomas, MSM (13 HR, 36 BB, 40 K, 122 IP) - ADVANTAGE NICKS
2. Pick, NPN (20 HR, 43 BB, 73 K, 139 IP) vs. Johnson, MSM (13 HR, 42 BB, 64 K, 87 IP) - ADVANTAGE NICKS
3. Rancourt, NPN (15 HR, 32 BB, 111 K, 129 IP) vs. Wadden, MSM (11 HR, 20 BB, 37 K, 73 IP) - ADVANTAGE NICKS (I'm not sure either why these aren't the #1 starters)

The Nicks clearly have a huge advantage here. The loss of Blain is a heavy blow for Mat-Su. One thing you can say about this series is that there are likely to be a plethora of homers hit.

Bench

As an infield defensive backup, the Nicks can rely on Brian Keith, especially at short, where Bishop has deteriorated in his defensive skills. However, he can't hit. Their main pinch hitter would be 1B John Fox (.253/.321/.405).

The Miners will rely on Bill Rollin for defensive help in the outfield and he could also pinch hit, though not that well (.226/.301/.379). Henry Owens will provide strong defense at first and short. Ronnie Stephens could be a good option at catcher; he's hit very well but in very limited time.

The Nicks probably have the offensive advantage off the bench.

Bullpen

The Nicks would rely on Murdock Hobbs as a quality setup man/long reliever/emergency starter (6 HR, 23 BB, 53 K in 88 IP). He might even close, since Larry Lovell was not very reliable this year (3 HR, 12 BB, 23 K in 28 IP). Ronald Hawk is another solid option (4 HR, 14 BB, 27 K in 38 IP).

The Miners have a closer with stopping power: Bill Colwill (3 HR, 8 BB, 39 K in 43 IP). Waylon Ellsworth was also superb (4 HR, 20 BB, 48 K in 47 IP). Finally, Bryant Brenton was a solid innings-logger (5 HR, 16 BB, 44 K in 49 IP). They might be best served by pulling their starters after a couple of innings and just relying on their bullpens to go the rest of the way.

Clear advantage to the Miners here.

Overall

The Nicks just have too much firepower. The Miners will need loads of heart to overcome the injuries they've suffered. North Pole could well take this in five.

[darkcloud4579]

Let's go Nicks!

[Elendil]

Game One

The North Pole Nicks had by far the biggest fansite on the web (nicksfans.com), and in the runup to the series, the fan forum was the scene of a little flamewar that got a bit out of hand. It seems that an anonymous poster, supposedly a Miners fan, issued a death threat against a particular Nicks fan during the heat of the forum discussion, and the police got involved. The person who made the threat couldn't be identified, but the offender's IP address came from the Fairbanks area, leaving some to wonder whether this wasn't a bit of misdirection by a Nicks fan aimed at making Miners fans look bad (or so the denizens of Mat-Su Borough were inclined to think). It soon all blew over, but for a couple of days it was front-page news across the state.

Amidst the overheated Internet environment, Game One opened in North Pole.

vs.
Don Thomas (8-7, 4.72) Ron Quinton (8-0, 2.45)

August 27, 2008 - It was a clear, cool, still evening as the Miners and Nicks faced off for the first time in the second Alaskan Championship Series. Don Thomas hadn't been as effective this year as last, and the Nicks had the tools to exploit his weaknesses. They manufactured a run in the first off a Sloan Starr infield hit and stolen base, then added two in the second with a two-run home run by the same Sloan Starr. The Miners manufactured one of their own the next inning after Henry Owens led off with a single, advanced on a ground ball, stole third, and scored on a single, but a double play ball ended the threat.

The score remained 3-1 until Terry Kuhn jacked a three-run long ball in the fifth that put things out of reach. Final score: North Pole 8, Mat-Su 2.

Game Two

vs.
Brent Johnson (3-9, 7.01) Tom Pick (8-9, 5.05)

August 28, 2008 - The weather turned downright cold, just 38 degrees at game time, but again 2200 fans showed up at the ballpark, making for another sellout. This game looked like a golden opportunity for the Miners to tie things up. Although Johnson's ERA was abominable, he actually hadn't pitched much worse than last year, while Tom Pick was extremely vulnerable to the long ball.

Bobby Rae, last year's ACS MVP, started things off on a promising note for Mat-Su with a home run to lead off the game. Dave Langille further quieted the home crowd by knocking Greg Trudel home on a one-out double. 2-0 Miners.

The Nicks quickly got one back in the bottom half, Sloan Starr bunting for a hit, taking second a ground ball, stealing third, and then scoring on a hit (sound familiar? the hit was a double this time, though, so the stolen base was rather superfluous). 2-1 Mat-Su.

Rookie center fielder George Mullins got the crowd to their feet when he struck with a mammoth, 424-foot solo home run in the 2nd to tie the game. The Miners didn't sit back, though, and the next inning Langille plated Ferris with a ground ball with no out and runners on 2nd and third. They couldn't capitalize further, though, and the score stayed 3-2 Mat-Su after two and a half. In the bottom half of the third, the Nicks again clawed back, Leroux knocking home Abston, who'd hit a leadoff double.

The Miners couldn't take advantage of a two-out single by the pitcher in the fourth, and the Nicks took their first lead of the game in the bottom half when Sloan Starr hit a solo shot off Johnson. 4-3 Nicks.

From that point it became a pitching duel, as neither team could string together a series of baserunners. Johnson left the game after just five innings, but Pick stayed around for eight innings.

Larry Lovell came in to pitch the ninth with the score still 4-3. He pitched through a bobble by the third baseman and stranded the lone runner with two straight groundouts to end the game. North Pole took a 2-0 series lead, putting the Miners into a big hole.

Game Three

vs.
Mike Rancourt (9-7, 4.13) Fred Wadden (7-6, 4.09)

August 30, 2008 - As the series went back to Palmer, the Miners believed they had a decent pitching match-up on paper. However, the Nicks smelt blood and went for the kill. They plated two in the first and one each in the second and third to take a quick 4-0 lead. They would have a baserunner in every inning of this game except the ninth. Bob Horton's first home run of the series, coming in the sixth, made it 7-0 and occasioned murmurs and a few boos from the crowd.

The Miners put together a four-run seventh, two of the runs coming on a Rene Fortier blast, but it wasn't enough. The Nicks added three more the next inning and took the game 10-5. Now the defending champions faced elimination - and a humiliating sweep.

Game Four

vs.
Kevin Iwasaki (5-8, 5.90) John Earle (2-1, 4.88)

August 31, 2008 - With the Miners down big, both teams put out their #4 starters rather than going with their #1 starters on 3 days' rest. For the injury-bitten Miners, that meant handing the ball to eighteen year old rookie John Earle.

It was a windy and rainy last day of August, and the North Pole Nicks quickly deepened the gloom for the Miners faithful, scoring six before the Miners had even had a chance to bat. Earle was left to the dogs, throwing into the sixth and giving up ten runs. Iwasaki was uncharacteristically dominant, striking out seven, walking none, and throwing eight innings of one-run ball. The Nicks would win it, 11-1, and disgusted Miners fans left the park early, leaving only a couple hundred onlookers to witness the final trophy presentation. Many Miners partisans said that they expected the defending champs to put up a bigger fight to defend their title.

In the end, though, the North Pole Nicks were on a mission, and it all paid off for them today, as they are the new Alaskan Champions.

ACS MVP: 1B Sloan Starr (9 for 15, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, .600/.684/1.200, 2-0 SB-CS)

[Elendil]

2008 Offseason Begins

Awards

Horton Is Unanimous Pick for Hitter of the Year

UNGODLY. That is certainly one word for Bob Horton's performance this year. The North Pole right fielder was unanimously selected by Alaskan League GM's for the Hitter of the Year Award for compiling these eye-popping stats:

371 AB, 86 R, 135 H, .364 BA, 29 2B, 1 3B, 28 HR, 62 RBI, 48 BB, .444 OBP.

Second in voting points was center fielder Jimmy Williams of Fairbanks, who went .347/.401/.616 with 25 HR in 372 AB, putting up a VORP of 50.3. Corner outfielder Connor Poapst of Sitka was the second runner-up, posting a .296/.402/.616 line with 29 HR.

Hatt Grabs AKL Pitcher of the Year Award

This season he was the best pitcher in the league according to the general managers. Jack Hatt was in command and couldn't do much wrong when he was on the mound. His outstanding 11-6 won-lost mark and 3.05 ERA were big factors in him winning the 2008 Alaskan League Pitcher of the Year Award.

In 141.2 innings of work and 24 starts, Hatt struck out 119 while giving up 123 hits and 32 walks. He held opposing batters to a .236 average.

In a tightly contested vote, Bryan Kendall of the Glacier Pilots was the first runner-up, leading the league in strikeouts with 137 and posting a 7-9 record with a 3.00 ERA. In third was 26-year-old Alan St. George of Peninsula, who posted an 11-7 record with a 2.99 ERA. (<--What a turnaround!)

AKL's Best Rookie Honored

The AKL's best rookie will be honored this weekend at the annual SBWA awards dinner. The 2008 honoree is Carl Preston of the Mushers. He stood out with a .274 batting average, garnering 94 hits in 343 at-bats to take the Alaskan League Rookie of the Year Award.

The 21-year-old Bethel first baseman completed his season with these stats:

96 G, .274 BA, 343 AB, 72 R, 94 H, 12 2B, 0 3B, 26 HR, 85 RBI, 1 SB, 64 BB, 55 K, .387 OBP.

In second place was 21-year-old Anchorage Bucs shortstop Ken Swerdlow, who hit a stunning .352 but was hurt by his .908 fielding percentage.

Pitcher Don Taggart of the Juneau Senators placed third in the general managers' vote, having posted a 3.45 ERA in 99 IP, with 85 K's.

2008 Reliever of the Year Named

This year's Reliever of the Year vote was a close one, but Bill Colwill of the Miners grabbed the top spot. Colwill put up 19 saves, pitching 43 innings with a filthy 1.05 ERA. He yielded just 3 HR and 8 BB, while putting up 39 strikeouts.

First runner-up was John Adams of the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, who threw 49 innings, snagging 20 saves, allowing just 2 HR and 9 BB while posting 40 strikeouts and a 1.85 ERA.

Second runner-up was Anchorage Bucs setup man Monzaemon Mihashi, one of a handful of Japanese-born players in the league. This rubber-armed reliever threw 55 innings over 47 games, earning a 1.80 ERA.

Finances

The year-end financials were in the Commissioner's office by mid-September, but they were not to be released to the public until the end of the calendar year. The good news was that most teams had made at least a small profit this year. The only teams that actually lost money were the disappointing Glacier Pilots and Jets, both of whom had also lost money in 2007.

However, a number of teams were still on shaky financial ground because of their big losses in '07. Most of them did not plan to be very active on this year's free agent market, so it was a very good possibility that even more players would drop out of the league before the third season. Teams in this position included the Bucs, Goldpanners, and Grizzlies. One of the ironies of the way the financial system was working out was that the small-market teams were getting hit by revenue-sharing and started to press for raising the cash maximum further, while the largest-market teams were actually net recipients in the revenue-sharing game. The Senators, Nicks, Miners, and - more surprisingly - Mushers all bumped up against the cash limit and saw some of their revenues redistributed to loss-making clubs.

One of the biggest financial turnaround stories had to be the Peninsula Oilers. The silver lining from losing all those free agents the previous offseason was that the team had gone from losing over $200,000 in 2007 to making almost $300,000 in 2008. With the second-lowest payroll in the league after free agents filed and a decent-sized market to draw on, the Oilers could afford to spend rather freely in the offseason and perhaps build a winning club.

Here's the payroll report for all Alaskan League teams as of September 22nd, 2008:

1 Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots $893,491
2 Mat-Su Miners $744,741
3 North Pole Nicks $690,446
4 Anchorage (ANC) Bucs $541,325
5 Juneau Senators $539,346
6 Fairbanks Goldpanners $479,953
7 Sitka Sentinels $452,392
8 Eagle River-Chugiak Jets $419,939
9 Kodiak Grizzlies $364,031
10 Ketchikan King Salmon $340,181
11 Peninsula Oilers $292,817
12 Bethel Mushers $275,790

Shockingly, the Nicks had out-drawn the Panners last year, by a fair margin. Apparently, plenty of Fairbanks residents were willing to make the drive out to North Pole in order to see a winning team, even though they were divisional rivals of their hometown club. The Nicks could really be considered a large-market club after the way they had stolen so much of the Alaskan market in this young league. They would probably be a powerhouse again next year.

[Elendil]

Realignment

The touchy issue of divisional realignment bubbled up again during the offseason. The core of the problem was that no non-panhandle team wanted to be in the Denali Division if they could help it: the long travel times and requisite use of airplanes to get to the panhandle towns taxed both the budget and the players. In addition, the division was turning out to be a powerhouse, with North Pole, Juneau, and Ketchikan financially secure - and Sitka's previous success could return.

In the end, the Mushers got their wish to enter the Seward Division by doing it the old-fashioned way: they paid the Miners off. By this time, the other Denali teams were reconciled to the idea of bringing a competitive Mat-Su club into the division, for two reasons: 1) Mat-Su wasn't that far for Fairbanks and North Pole to travel, certainly better than Bethel; 2) Bethel was actually entering an aggressive rebuilding program that could turn them into a powerhouse in a year or two, while Mat-Su had seemingly fallen apart in the Championship Series. So they didn't block the move; Bethel just needed to get Mat-Su to agree to it. Mat-Su much preferred the travel times in the Seward Division, and they didn't want to join a more competitive division.

So the Mushers ownership paid the Miners ownership $50,000 to agree to the move, and the Commissioner ruled that this cash transfer would not count against the cap for the Miners, paving the way for the deal to go through. Both teams were happy, and the league could move on.

New divisions:

AKL Seward Division

Anchorage Glacier Pilots
Anchorage Bucs
Bethel Mushers
Eagle River-Chugiak Jets
Kodiak Grizzlies
Peninsula Oilers

AKL Denali Division

Fairbanks Goldpanners
Juneau Senators
Ketchikan King Salmon
Mat-Su Miners
North Pole Nicks
Sitka Sentinels

[Elendil]

2008-09 Offseason Hot Stove

As expected, the Oilers, Nicks, and to a lesser extent Senators were active players on the free agent market. The Mushers also dipped their toes into the FA pool, but they were far more active as traders, attempting to build up a minor league system that would assure them future domination. The Ketchikan King Salmon had some money to play around with, but in an effort to shore up fan loyalty, they concentrated on re-signing their key players. Although they had some money, the Miners largely stood pat. Let's take a look at some of the offseason highlights.

North Pole Nicks

The league champions would have to defend their title financially. Vincent Leroux, the two-time All-Star catcher (lifetime stats: .316/.413/.552) was a free-agent, as were their starting 3B and CF, Harry Jewers and Landon Phillips. Jewers and Phillips were basically little better than replacement level, though, but the Nicks also had a hole at short, where Brian Keith had been an offensive black hole and Ron Bishop a defensive black hole. Starting pitcher Ron Quinton (2.45 ERA) was also testing the market.

The Nicks re-signed Leroux to a stunning seven-year, $590,000 contract. That may have worked out to a reasonable sum on a per-year basis, but the length of the contract was a mighty statement. However, Quinton, Jewers, and Phillips all got away. In addition, pitcher Murdock Hobbs (7-1, 2.26) was controversially lost on waivers to the Goldpanners. He had just signed a league-minimum one-year extension at age 40.

That was more than made up for with another signing at catcher: Alan Sellick, another two-time All-Star who had hit .310/.390/.529 the last two years with Kodiak. What would they do with two catchers? Well, Sellick was better defensively, so he would start at catcher, and Leroux would move to first base. That left Sloan Starr the odd man out, but he would move readily to shortstop, solving the team's deficiency at that position. That GM Ron Miller was a canny one.

Edison Dwyer, who had hit .257/.333/.500 last year with Sitka, was brought in to play third. Still just 24, he would make $21,000 a year over the next three years.

The Nicks stole away another Grizzly, nabbing 33 year old center fielder Dominique Gaudet, perhaps overpaying him at roughly $40K for 4 years (he hit .270/.350/.437 last year).

As for the last starting pitcher position, left-handed fireballer Chance Major would be moved into the rotation (66 K's in 55 IP last year! But a 4.07 ERA). The team hired some marginal relievers to round out the bullpen.

If anything, the Nicks would be much scarier this year than last.

Peninsula Oilers

The Oilers were flush with cash but initially focused on re-signing their top players, while letting some nonproducers move on. Starter Jeff Simmons (6-7, 3.75 but .258 BABIP last year) was re-signed to a 3-year, $150,000 contract. Reliever Doug Miles (4.52 ERA, 62 IP) got a two-year extension. 2007 All-Star second baseman Tommy Lambert was re-signed at $44K per year for 3 years. 2007 All-Star third baseman Xander Eggert (.287/.378/.483 career) was brought back relatively inexpensively, $28K per year for three years.

But in October, the team got more aggressive. Ron Quinton was lured away from the Nicks for $93,000 over two years, a handsome salary for a guy who threw just 81 innings last year and was still 24.

The team also made a multiplayer trade with aggressively rebuilding Bethel. The Oilers got two young relievers with AKL experience - Mark Myers (career 4.52 ERA) and Rick Calder (career 4.22 ERA) - in exchange for the rights to four amateurs, most notably Japanese-born Kokei Memoto, 23 years old and itching to play professionally, and rumored to throw in the mid-90s (that would be the hardest fastball in the league).

In November, starting pitcher Leif Morris, who had pitched in Chugiak and Sitka last year, came on board. With a 9-11 career mark, 4.58 ERA, he was hardly a dominator and cost only $28K per year for 2 years.

The Oilers possibly got a real steal in shortstop Bill Duval, a former Jet, who hit .264/.350/.539 with 27 HR last year. He signed a one-year, $9000 deal shortly before Christmas.

Overall, though, the Oilers disappointed their fans somewhat with their signings, bringing in some bench players and relievers who wouldn't make that much of a difference. By mid-March, they still had almost $80,000 left to spend to break even next year.

Bethel Mushers

The Mushers' big offseason acquisition was right fielder Brent Crowe (career .304/.378/.526), who had played the last two seasons with the Senators. However, the Mushers had a plan in mind. Two months later, they dealt Crowe to Kodiak for top catching prospect Jeffrey Hubert, who had hit .319/.402/.511 in the Training League last year.

The Mushers' big trade with the Oilers has already been mentioned. They also made a sharp deal with the King Salmon, bringing in first base prospect Flynn O'Leary and shortstop prospect Walt Duff for long reliever Randy Wright, whose career ERA was an ugly 5.74. Neither O'Leary nor Duff was likely to become a world-beater, but that was a heck of a return for an apparent scrap-heap reliever.

In a perhaps less astute move, the Mushers signed the Jets' 33 year old closer, Loren Coleman (career 4.66 ERA) to $25K/year for 2 years with a team option for the 3rd year at $25K. However, they made up for it shortly thereafter by shelling out only $44K per year for Kelyn Birley, the Bucs outfielder who had hit .308/.381/.541 over the past two years. Then they went and spoiled it again by spending $76K over two years for Newt Langille, the Jets starting pitcher (brother of slugger Dave Langille) who has sported a 4.60-4.61 ERA each of the last two years.

Overall, though, Bethel stayed to a rebuilding tack, trading away 24 year old SP Ryan Dye (career 3.70) to the Grizzlies for two even younger pitchers, most notably two-time Training League All-Star Phillippe Bisaillon.

The Mushers were able to nab Vincent Robinson on the FA market, who had won the ERA title with the Glacier Pilots in 2007. He asked for only $22K per.

All in all, the Mushers might actually improve this year, but they had set themselves up fairly well for the future regardless.

Juneau Senators

Juneau made one aggressive move this offseason. They signed SP Quinn Spence, who had gone 19-13 with a 3.97 ERA with Fairbanks in two seasons (well below league average), to a 4-year, $233,000 deal.

Other than that, they made some small, sensible deals, bringing in a fourth and fifth outfielder and a new closer on the cheap.

However, they did lose Brent Crowe to Bethel (and thence to Kodiak) and Sam Hayashi to Ketchikan.

Ketchikan King Salmon

The Hayashi signing was an important one for Ketchikan. He was 34 and had hit only .277/.364/.446 last year, not great for a first baseman, but was noted for his leadership capabilities, and he cost just $15,000.

The $62K over two years that threw at George Henneberry, latterly of Fairbanks, was more perplexing. He could field and run well, but his hitting was terrible for a corner outfielder: .243/.300/.395 career.

Otherwise, Ketchikan spent their kitty on big-ticket re-signings and extensions for their key players. Like the Leroux signing in North Pole, the six-year contracts signed by Carl White and John Mack raised plenty of eyebrows. This didn't look like prudent financial planning for a small-market team with a temporary surplus.

Other Teams

Most other teams were relatively quiet over the offseason, hiring some personnel, signing some extensions, and offering some minor league contracts, but there were a couple other big deals not yet mentioned.

1) The Sitka Sentinels signed 25 year old starter John Dewitt away from the Bucs for $43K/year, for 3 years. Career record: a solid 20-13, 3.57.

2) The Bucs replaced Dewitt with an inferior substitute, former Musher Pete Strelioff (career ERA: 4.34), paying him about $85,000 over 3 years.

[Elendil]

Opening Day Previews, May 15, 2009



The Pilots' offense would once again depend on a resurgence by Bonnar and Robbins. The team's real strength would lie in the pitching staff, with 2007 POY Gary Tufts, 2-time All-Star Bryan Kendall, and 2008 All-Star Eric Liger filling the top three positions. The loss of Vincent Robinson would probably hurt, though. The new #4 starter was Mike McCutcheon (3-4, 5.85 last year with Sitka). Closer John Adams, an All-Star last year, should once again be solid.

Financially, the team was still in pretty dire shape due to their massive, immobile player payroll ($813,611). Next year Bonnar and Adams would drop off the books, but for now, they look poised to lose money yet again.

Prediction: 4th in the Seward.



The Bucs had surprised everyone in '08 with their second place finish. However, they really hadn't improved over the offseason and didn't have the financial room to bring in veterans for a playoff push.

Last year's POY, Jack Hatt, was their only true star. The rest of the team was fairly well rounded, but few names really stand out.

They expect to make a fair bit of money again this year and finally perhaps dig themselves out of that big hole from the first season.

Prediction: 3rd in the Seward.



The Mushers' offseason moves have already been reviewed. They would probably improve this year, but any team whose #1 starter is Newt Langille has limited potential. Outfielder Kelyn Birley, a new acquisition, would lead the offense.

The team had made quite a bit of money this year, but they were on track to spend most of their cash reserves this year. However, hugely overpaid starting pitcher Davis Crawford would be off the books next year, when the Mushers would likely start to make a push.

Prediction: 5th in the Seward.



Chugiak, as they were becoming known colloquially, was in bad shape. The worst-off team in the league, financially speaking, had tied for the worst record in the league last year. While first baseman Adam Joly was a bona fide star (.292/.389/.480 career), at almost every other position the Jets were among the least well equipped for the coming season. The number one starting pitcher would be Jeremie Dessureault (15-15, 4.55 career).

The team could break even this year, but if attendance collapsed, they could fall into a deeper hole. Privately, the team's ownership was considering getting out of the business already.

Prediction: 6th (last) in the Seward.

More previews coming soon...

[Elendil]

The Goldpanners looked more or less like the same team that started last year. Gary Johnson had hit .355 last year, lifting his career average to .353. Third baseman Bill Rogers was solid again (.293/.343/.458). Center fielder Jimmy Williams had come in third in HOY balloting (.347/.401/.616). Right fielder Dirk Cluett had won the batting title with a .376 average and now sported an eye-popping .381 career batting average.

The pitching left a little something to be desired, though. Chip Becker (8-7, 3.07) was good, but beyond him it got very shaky.

Financially, the team expected to make some money this year, but it wouldn't make up for their huge losses their first two years. It would be an uphill climb to win back the fan base in their own city.

Prediction: 4th in the Denali.



Juneau battled hard for the Denali title last year, falling just short. They were built around pitching, but had some good hitting too, particularly in catcher Bob Russo (.332/.431/.511 in limited playing time), second baseman Ralph Collette (.277/.359/.459 career), and outfielder Doug Beard (.319/.408/.526 career).

The rotation was built around Scott Northeast (6-11, 4.99 ERA but .316 BABIP - had struggled with the longball last year), Louis Mays (7-5, 3.46), Quinn Spence (19-13, 3.97 career), and Don Taggart (7-6, 3.45, 3rd in ROY balloting). Closer Brad Morris (18 SV, 3.65 ERA) was capable of dominating.

The team had made a lot of money last year and would spend down a bit of their cash this year, but they still appeared to be a fundamentally healthy franchise.

Prediction: 2nd in the Denali. Still not enough to catch the Nicks.



Ketchikan looked like a slightly but not drastically improved team this year. They could probably aim for a .500 record if they were in the Seward Division, but not the Denali. No real stars, but outfielder Brad Porter (.302/.381/.428), starter John "Refund" Mack (19-15, 3.51 career), and closer Ed Staitie (35 career saves, 4.31 ERA but .315 BABIP) generally got the job done.

Ketchikan had wiped out their '07 losses with their '08 gains but were projected to make a slight loss again this year. Their market size simply would not tolerate any significant increases in payroll.

Prediction: 5th in the Denali.



Kodiak had finished at exactly .500 last year but in a weak division this year would probably improve.

On offense, first baseman Don Goodyear (.270/.336/.456 in 2007 with AGP, sat out 2008, signed as a free agent in the offseason) was perhaps their most recognizable name. Shortstop Scott Wilkinson had accumulated 26.9 points of VORP last year simply by hitting .264/.346/.449.

Number one starter Spud Hill (15-15, 3.53 career) was solid, and no one knew quite what to expect from new closer Ron Yuke, one of the most highly touted pitchers in the league, but who had injured himself badly in 2007, pitching just 8 innings with Peninsula, and then sat out 2008.

Kodiak had made some money last year, not enough to cover losses from 2007, and looked set to break even this year. This wasn't going to be good enough for ownership. After the Jets, the league's most vulnerable franchise.

Prediction: 2nd in the Seward.



The 2007 champions found themselves in a new, much more competitive division. They hadn't done much in the offseason, and fans had a bad taste in their mouths from the '08 championship series. Would the team come back with a burning for revenge, or fold easily?

The team still had plenty of stars. Catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois (.308/.405/.511 career), second baseman Rene Fortier (.288/.376/.437 career), third baseman John Brown (.304/.383/.498 career), left fielder Rob Corley (.296/.377/.521 career), center fielder Greg Trudel (.317/.402/.563), and right fielder Dave Langille (.285/.376/.520 career) would all super-charge the offense.

The pitching was far less stellar. Thierry Tremblay (11-14, 4.58 career) would lead the rotation, followed by Don Thomas (13-16, 4.18 career), Chris Fry (11-8, 3.57 career), and Brent Johnson (9-14, 4.87 career). The team was missing Will Blain badly, but he still had another two months before recovery.

Financially, the team did have a high payroll and would use a lot of their cash surplus from the previous two years. Nevertheless, their success did guarantee them a certain market for the foreseeable future.

Prediction: 3rd in the Denali. But contending all the way.



The defending champions had, if anything, improved over the offseason. New acquisition Alan Sellick would join the Murderers' Row of Starr-Abston-Horton-Leroux-Dwyer-Kuhn. Their #8 hitter would be center fielder Dominique Gaudet, who has hit .288/.374/.448 for his career. That should tell you something.

The Nicks' pitching was far less reliable, but that might not matter. Chance Major would lead the rotation having pitched just 55 relief innings as a rookie last year. Tom Pick (5.05 ERA last year as a rookie), Mike Rancourt (17-14, 4.10 career, now 32 years old), and Kevin Iwasaki (11-12, 4.16 career, age 33) didn't inspire a lot of confidence, but might just be good enough.

The team looked to spend down its entire cash balance in order to create the league's first, unlikely dynasty.

Prediction: 1st in the Denali and repeat champions. But I don't think their base market size will allow them to stay a dynasty for long.



The Oilers had improved a little in the offseason, following last year's third-place showing. They might have improved enough to vault over the Bucs, and with Mat-Su gone, they could win the Seward Division by default.

Strengths include catcher Pat Upton (.254/.325/.490 career), center fielder Derek Jenkins (.302/.379/.402 career), left fielder Boyd McNeely (.291/.375/.440 career), and starting pitchers Ron Quinton (8-0, 2.45 as a rookie with the Nicks last year) and Alan St. George (11-7, 2.99 ERA last year after a shaky '07).

Financially, the Oilers look set to spend down their entire cash balance, which in their case may not be such a good idea. Although their market is sizeable compared to, say, Ketchikan or Bethel, they have little record of success and their fans are likely to prove fickle.

Prediction: 1st in the Seward, creamed by somebody in the championship series.



Sitka had basically stood still since winning the Denali Division in 2007. The division had become more competitive, but they had not, plummeting from first to worst in 2008.

Their two big hitters are shortstop Jonathan Bertrand (.268/.361/.475 career) and outfielder Connor Poapst (.272/.386/.535 career, 29 HR last year). They have two solid starting pitchers: John Dewitt (20-13, 3.50 career with the Bucs) and Ernie Baird (5-7, 3.76 career with Juneau).

A very small market club, they had made a little money last year but would probably lose just as much this year.

Prediction: 6th (last) in the Denali.

[Elendil]

Challenging Times in Chugiak

The owner of the Eagle River-Chugiak Jets announced at the end of training camp that he would sell the team after this season if attendance fell from last year. Privately, he told the league that the team was close to bankruptcy, and the league prepared contingency plans to place the franchise into receivership should the Jets' finances deteriorate further. To encourage fans to come out, the Jets dropped their ticket price to $6.50. The signing of Greg York (3.93 ERA in 2 years with Kodiak), a former Chugiak High School pitching star, to shore up the bullpen was also intended to build up community spirit around the ailing team.

Opening Day

The 2009 season opened on Friday May 15th at 2:05 PM with the Mat-Su Miners visiting the Anchorage Bucs before an anemic crowd of 1,414. The Bucs downed the Miners 8-6 in 10 innings on a walk-off homer by Zander Sabin (who? well, apparently, he's been the starting 2B for the Bucs every year - go figure).

That evening, the other teams played their first games. The Mushers and Senators joined in a wild one in the capital city, Bethel scoring four in the first, only to allow the Senators to put up eight in the bottom half. Bethel starter Newt Langille left the game with a 108.11 ERA! The game didn't end there, though, as the Mushers clawed back with three in the fourth and four in the seventh to tie things at 11. At that point a bullpen duel set in, and the Mushers used every single reliever on their roster before finally taking the game in 14 innings, 12-11. Nineteen-year-old outfielder Mike Wilson's solo shot was the game winner.

In other games, Kodiak blanked the Glacier Pilots 8-0, Ketchikan beat up on North Pole 12-4, the Jets spoiled Peninsula's home opener 8-6, and John Dewitt's stellar pitching gave Sitka a 3-1 victory over the Panners.

The First Month

The Alaskan League needed to make a big impression, particularly in its larger markets, during the early part of the season to show that they were not a flash in the pan, that they could become the focus of summertime entertainment and sporting rivalry in the Last Frontier. They also needed more recognizable stars. It would be nice if Scott Northeast filled out his potential in Juneau, and Tim Robbins went back to his old self.

Well, the outlandish extremes of the league soon made themselves felt once again. You could always count on a ridiculously high-scoring game now and again, and the first one of the season came on the first Sunday of the season, as the stacked North Pole Nicks lineup devastated Ketchikan pitching, putting up 22 runs on 18 hits, 14 walks, and 6 extra-base hits. Ketchikan's John Lynn, one of the league leaders each of the last two years for lowest ERA, now became the league leader for highest ERA: 121.62. The Nicks' shortstop, Sloan Starr, tied the single-game nine-inning record for times on base with seven (three hits and four walks).

In another exciting extra-inning matchup that same day, Bethel put up nine unanswered runs, starting in the seventh, to defeat the Senators 9-8 in 11 innings.

The league also had its first-ever no-hitter on Sunday May 24th, as Tom Pick of North Pole dismayed but dazzled almost 1,500 Miners fans at Hermon Brothers Field, giving up only a single base runner on a walk over the full nine innings. However, Pick K'ed only three Miners and thus had his defense to thank for preserving the no-no.

Other records were broken that first month. Dirk Cluett, the 20-year-old Fairbanks outfielder, put up the longest-ever hitting streak in the league's 3-year history, ending at 27 games extending back to 2008 on May 21. Juneau pitcher Louis Mays set the single-game strikeout record on June 10th, striking out 13 hapless Jets in just 7 innings before being lifted for a reliever (the Senators combined for a two-hitter in a 3-0 victory over Chugiak).

Gary Laursen



He may not have been a star on the diamond, but working lumberjack Gary Laursen became one of the league's best-known personalities after being featured in an article in Alaska Magazine.

Laursen, now 30, had never played organized baseball at any level before the Alaskan League started, but had taken in part in numerous slow-pitch softball leagues in the Juneau area over the years. When he heard about the startup of the new league, he immediately contacted the Senators about trying out.

When he showed up, the team didn't know exactly what to do with this fit (6'1", 200) but slow and awkward player with the fierce, wild swing. When he did make contact with the ball, he hit it a long way, but making contact was the problem. He gave it his all on every flyball in the outfield but was error-prone and didn't have a great arm. They figured he might have some benefit in the clubhouse, so dedicated to the team was he, that they signed him to a league-minimum contract.

A month into the 2007 season, he'd gone 1-for-6 with 2 strikeouts and played in 6 games. The Senators had no more room for him with the draft coming up, so they released him.

That same day, Laursen took the ferry down to Sitka, walked into the Sentinels' offices, and offered his services - on the amateur affiliate if need be. The Sentinels agreed and assigned him to Glennallen. But before he had a chance to play for the amateur club, the Sentinels had an injury and immediately signed him to a league-minimum contract.

The rest of that season, Laursen started frequently in the corner outfield positions, making six errors in 31 starts, but also hitting 10 home runs in 135 at-bats, with a .274 batting average and .375 OBP. He pinch-hit in five of the Alaskan Championship Series games but went just 1-for-5 with two strikeouts and never played in the field.

After the season, the Sentinels declined to re-sign him, and in March '08 he accepted an assignment to the Fairbanks ATL affiliate. Before the ATL season began, though, he again found himself in the Alaskan League on a league-minimum contract. He played every position for the Goldpanners except first base, center field, and pitcher, as the manager struggled to find a place to get him AB's. In the end, though, he struggled mightily, as the magic of the previous season seemed to have left him. He hit just .220/.263/.240 in 48 games, 50 at-bats, so the Goldpanners declined to re-sign him at the end of the year.

During the offseason, Laursen tried out once again for the Senators. Having seen what he could do first-hand in the Denali Division in '07, the club was willing to take a chance on him, and gave him a $5690 contract. Before the season began, though, they found they had no room for him and gave him his unconditional release.

Not to be discouraged, Laursen faxed all the Alaskan League clubs offering his services. In the end, the Oilers decided to take a chance on him and assigned him to their amateur training camp. By opening day of the 2009 season, he was back in the pros on a league-minimum contract.

Laursen took an apartment in Kenai, even though it meant that he had to drive two hours each way to the nearest logging job. He frequently drove himself to away games but was always there on the bench, even at the panhandle games.

He endeared himself to the Oilers fans with his blue-collar work ethic, distinctively wild swing, clutch pinch-hitting, and clubhouse leadership. He became the heart and soul of an Oilers franchise that was suddenly resurgent.

Although Alaska Magazine chose to profile Gary Laursen, he was just one of many Alaskan men - and even "flatlanders" and a handful of Japanese players - who were making sacrifices, from giving up steady jobs to giving up steady sleep, to have a chance at playing organized baseball just for the love of the game. The fans came out to watch because they identified with these players, and because they all wanted their city to be the best in Alaska. Which, after all, was the only part of the world that mattered.

Laursen's stats as of June 24, 2009:

Year/Team/League     Age G   AB  2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG VORP
2007 Sitka - AKL     27  60  135 7  1  10 34 24 18 23 0 1 .274 .375 .563 12.1
2007 Juneau - AKL    27  6   6   0  0  0  0  0  0  2  0 0 .167 .167 .167 -0.8
2007 Total - AKL     27  66  141 7  1  10 34 24 18 25 0 1 .270 .367 .546 11.2
2008 Fairbanks - AKL 28  48  50  1  0  0  8  7  3  8  0 1 .220 .263 .240 -6.2
2009 Peninsula - AKL 29  19  23  2  0  2  3  3  3  3  0 0 .261 .346 .609 1.8
Total AKL          3 yrs.133 214 10 1  12 45 34 24 36 0 2 .257 .341 .481 6.9

[Elendil]

2009 All-Star Game

The 2009 Alaskan League All-Star Game would be played at Growden Memorial Park, home of the Goldpanners.

Growden Memorial Park

The game took place on July 5th. By this time, Alaskan League fans had seen a few surprises. One of them was the fact that the Seward Division, led by a red-hot Peninsula and a surprising Bucs club, was playing almost up to the standard of the Denali Division. In the Denali, the Nicks and Senators were duking it out for the top spot, while the disappointing Miners had trouble keeping their heads above .500. The financially handicapped Jets actually had a slightly better record than they.

There had been some disappointing injuries too. Last year's Hitter of the Year runner-up, Fairbanks' Jimmy Williams, was out for two months going back to June 1st, and was not selected for the All-Star Game. Bethel's Vincent Robinson, the 2007 ERA title winner, went down for seven weeks but hadn't pitched all that great so far (2-1, 4.37). Finally, the Jets got something they really didn't need: number two power threat, Japanese third baseman Hirotada Kokura, went down for the entire season. He'd been having a career year, hitting .354/.397/.535. The team's future now stood in even more doubt.

The All-Star Game featured some new and old faces. Tom Robbins was back on track, among the league leaders in home runs after a disappointing '08 campaign, and he made the Seward roster for a third straight year. He was joined by teammate Dave Bonnar, but between the two of them they couldn't sufficiently boost the league-worst Pilots' offense. Other familiar Pilot faces at the game were pitchers Bryan Kendall, Gary Tufts, and Eric Liger. Last year's Pitcher of the Year, the Bucs' Jack Hatt, was also on the Seward roster. New faces for the Seward Division included Newt Langille of Bethel, who was finally living up to his potential, and shortstop Ken Swerdlow of Anchorage, who hit .352 last year and stood at .350 at the break this year.

On the Denali side, the Nicks were well represented, with sluggers John Abston, Bob Horton, Alan Sellick, and Terry Kuhn out in force. Nick starter Tom Pick, who had thrown a no-hitter and cut his ERA in half from last year, made his first ASG appearance. Shortstop Jonathan Bertrand of Sitka, one of the most consistent forces at the plate in the league's short history, was at the game for the second straight year. Pitching phenom Scott Northeast, who had just signed a 5-year contract renewal with Juneau for almost $100,000 a year, made his third All-Star team. The hometown favorite for the game would surely be Gary Johnson, perennial batting champion contender.

The game opened with Louis Mays of Juneau, the current league ERA leader, facing off against Gary Tufts of AGP. In the bottom of the first, Tufts gave up a leadoff home run to Gary Johnson, which got the crowd into a raucous mood. The Denali team plated two more runs in the inning to take a 3-0 lead. They would get only one more hit in the entire game.

The Seward Division finally got on the board in the top of the fifth, when first baseman Adam Joly of Chugiak scored Musher outfielder Calvin Curry on a groundout. In the sixth the Seward team took the lead for good on a three-run home run by Dave Bonnar. They added an insurance run in the ninth and sealed a 5-3 come from behind victory. Bonnar won the All-Star Game MVP. Jack Hatt was credited with the win for the Seward Division, while Ken Iwasaki took the loss for the Denali team.

Over 3000 fans had attended on a fine, 60-degree July evening, the biggest crowd yet for an All-Star Game, and the game had been broadcast across Alaska over the radio.

[TwinsFan86]

Just wanted to say that, being from Alaska, this is really cool to read about. I've done several of my own versions of the Alaska Baseball League, as well.

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by TwinsFan86

Just wanted to say that, being from Alaska, this is really cool to read about. I've done several of my own versions of the Alaska Baseball League, as well.

Glad you're enjoying it! I've actually never been to Alaska, but have long wanted to go there.

[TwinsFan86]

Originally Posted by Elendil

Glad you're enjoying it! I've actually never been to Alaska, but have long wanted to go there.

It's incredible! I plan on moving back as soon as I'm done with school.

[Elendil]

'09 Pennant Chase

For the first time, both divisions were extremely competitive right down to the end.

Seward Division
The Oilers simply collapsed in July, going 8-16, and by August 1, the Bethel Mushers - yes, that's right - had taken over the divisional lead by half a game over... the Kodiak Grizzlies, who had gone on an 18-7 tear in July. The Oilers now stood a game back. The Bucs, meanwhile, had sunk to 33-38. The 32-38 Jets and 26-45 Glacier Pilots rounded out the cellar.

Denali Division
The Senators put up a robust 17-9 record in July and now led the division at 44-27. The Nicks were a full three games back at 40-29. The Mat-Su Miners had finally started to kick it into gear, but would it be too late? They stood at 38-32. The surprisingly decent Sentinels (34-37), King Salmon (33-37), and surprisingly awful Goldpanners (28-41) were basically out of the running.

God Hates Chugiak?

The Jets had suffered a series of disasters, just what they did not need at this point in their team's history. With Kokura out, the team's best hitter, Adam Joly, went down with a fractured eye socket after being hit by a pitch in a game against Kodiak. He would miss the rest of the season. In an ironic twist, he won league Player of the Week the next day. Joly's season would end with a .360/.447/.614 line.

With Joly and Kokura out, the Jets literally had no power threats left in their lineup. If that wasn't bad enough, the team's best two OBP men - third baseman J.R. Smith and centerfielder Landon Phillips - asked for and received leaves of absence, in one case due to family issues and in the other due to financial problems.

Towards the end of the season, the Jets' best prospect, John Hauk, went down with injury, as did the team's only decent starting pitcher, Michael Evans.

Small wonder then that by the end of the season, the park, small as it was, was less than two-thirds full as the franchise came ever closer to the brink of failure.

Robbins Hits for Cycle



As if he hadn't already achieved enough in this league, Tom Robbins, the Alabama Slamma, hit for the cycle on July 22, the first player to do so in the history of the Alaskan League. He went 4-for-4 with a walk against the Jets, scoring three times.

Can the Miners Do It?

Can the Miners come from behind to win their third straight pennant and become the first team in history to win a pennant in both divisions? They would need some help against the Senators, and they would need the Nicks to continue their underperformance.

After losing to Fairbanks 5-4 on August 1, Mat-Su won 13 of their next 18, including a key sweep over the Senators and a first game victory over the Nicks. They were now at 51-38. The Senators were still in first at 55-35 but had just lost one of their best pitchers, Don Taggart, to injury for the rest of the season. The Nicks stood at 54-36, just a game behind the Senators.

On August 21, the Miners and Nicks played a doubleheader. The Nicks shut out the Miners in the day game on a strong effort from Chance Major, but the Miners roared back to take game two 8-3. Meanwhile, Juneau defeated hapless Fairbanks to extend their lead a half-game over both challengers.

The next day, Mat-Su got to beat up on Fairbanks, while Juneau traveled down the road to North Pole. In a wild affair, the Senators took a 7-0 lead on the Nicks, who then responded with 6, then the Senators added another run, only to give up 4 in the bottom of the 8th and lose it 10-9. Senators up just a half-game on the Nicks now.

Mat-Su took care of Fairbanks - twice - on Friday the 23rd, while Juneau got revenge on North Pole, outslugging them 15-9. The Miners were eliminated, while the Nicks were 1.5 back.

On 24th, Juneau won the crucial rubber match against North Pole, 5-2, but in the process lost another starting pitcher, Quinn Spence, with a finger blister: the earliest he could pitch would be a Championship Series game four.

On the 26th, the final day of the regular season, rained out games were made up: Juneau got to travel to Sitka for a doubleheader, while North Pole faced Mat-Su. North Pole would need Juneau to lose both games to Sitka and to beat Mat-Su themselves in order to tie Juneau and have a chance at repeating their Denali pennant. But the Senators took care of business against the Sentinels and Mat-Su beat North Pole as well, giving them a tie for 2nd place at 3 games back. The surprise winners of the Denali Division were the Juneau Senators. They would limp into the Championship Series with injury problems, but whom would they face?

Bethel, Peninsula, and Kodiak Duke It Out

Peninsula went on a tear the first four days of August and quickly built up a 3.5-game lead over both rivals. Peninsula came within two outs of sweeping Kodiak, on the island, on August 5th, but a walkoff double by Jeremy Zwicker gave the Grizzlies a 6-5 victory. Bethel, however, lost again and remained 3.5 out.

The Oilers then continued their run, building their lead up to a seemingly insurmountable 6.5 games over Kodiak, 5.5 over Bethel, by August 12th - just two weeks left in the season! On the 12th, Kodiak was humiliated at home by Chugiak, 15-1, while the Bucs crushed Bethel in Bethel, 13-2. There couldn't have been a more unlikely time for a sudden turnaround of fortunes.

Yet that's exactly what happened.

On the 23rd, with Bethel 3 games back and the Grizzlies eliminated, the Mushers visited the Oilers and took both halves of a doubleheader, 11-3 and 1-0 in 13 innings. The next day, the Mushers downed the Oilers with authority, 10-3. Suddenly they were tied.

But then on the 25th, Bethel traveled to Kodiak and lost both halves of a doubleheader. On the last day of the season, Bethel would need a win and a Peninsula loss to force a tie.

It happened - Bethel beat Kodiak and Peninsula lost to the Bucs.

In the one-game playoff for the pennant, Bethel put up Vincent Robinson on two days' rest, while the Oilers countered with Melvin Phillips. Robinson lasted just 3 2/3 innings, but the Mushers' bats took over and put this one away 9-5. They had completed the most remarkable comeback to win a division title in the league's short history, and would face the Juneau Senators in the Championship Series.

[Elendil]

2009 Alaskan Championship Series Preview

Bethel Mushers (52-45) vs. Juneau Senators (59-37)

Lineup Comparisons

C - Tim Rowsell, BET (.263/.296/.407) vs. Bob Russo, JUN (.233/.329/.432) - SENATORS +
1B - Carl Preston, BET (.259/.344/.473) vs. Jeremy Offredi, JUN (.262/.313/.332) - MUSHERS ++
2B - Duncan Sutherland, BET (.251/.315/.470) vs. Ralph Collette, JUN (.299/.384/.491) - SENATORS ++
3B - Tom Morse, BET (.298/.340/.447, 95 AB) vs. Ross Dunsmore, JUN (.234/.302/.348) - EVEN
SS - Terence Ostrom, BET (.224/.282/.324) vs. James Labbee, JUN (.252/.317/.309) - SENATORS + (due to Labbee's much better defense)
LF - Kelyn Birley, BET (.302/.389/.517) vs. Wynn Dunsmore, JUN (.312/.381/.519) - EVEN (Juneau slugger Doug Beard will come back from injury after three games - he hit .318/.416/.535)
CF - Mike Wilson, BET (.327/.366/.405) vs. Olivier Theriault (.286/.340/.500, 42 AB) - MUSHERS + (RF Wells will move to center once Beard returns)
RF - Calvin Curry, BET (.272/.407/.393) vs. Ken Wells (.279/.387/.486) - SENATORS +

Overall: slight edge to Senators

Bench Comparisons

Juneau has two important weapons on the bench: 1) All-Star Art Johannson, who was actually released by Peninsula shortly after making the All-Star team and was then signed to a league minimum deal by Juneau - he hit .373/.476/.642 in 67 AB this year; 2) Greg Coyle, who hit .236/.336/.394 in 127 AB.

Bethel's depth weakness is catcher, where they have no backup worth the name. For pinch-hitting, though, they can turn to a variety of good hitters: 1) George Poor (.292/.333/.563 in 48 AB); 2) Lloyd Flannery (.349/.394/.523 in 86 AB); 3) Sean Heath (.250/.337/.442 in 156 AB).

Overall: slight edge to Bethel

Rotation

1. Newt Langille, BET (4.02, 11 HR/45 BB/97 K in 134 IP) vs. Scott Northeast, JUN (3.34, 14/31/87 in 146) - SENATORS +

2. Davis Crawford, BET (4.27, 11/41/44 in 135) vs. Louis Mays, JUN (2.05, 11/36/121 in 145) - SENATORS ++

3. Vincent Robinson, BET (3.95, 5/15/23 in 55) vs. Gunner Seltzer (5.40, 5/42/42 in 93) - MUSHERS +

Overall: decent edge to Juneau

Bullpen Comparisons

Juneau has a good setup man in Stephane Landry (3.48, 4/17/35 in 41), but their closer Brad Morris was more lucky than good this year (1.91, 3/20/26 in 42).

Bethel probably has more options in the bullpen, including a good mix of lefties and righties. Setup men Austin Oakley (4.87, 6/13/36 in 44) and John Oram (2.63, 5/11/37 in 41) and closer Loren Coleman (1.49, 2/15/35 in 36) give the Mushers a decided edge in this category.

Summary

Were it not for their injuries, the Senators would be heavy favorites. As it is, Bethel could challenge them, but Juneau still looks to be the better team on paper and should take the series in 5 or 6.

[kreitena]

Found this article on Yahoo Sports today, thought you might like it:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns

[Elendil]

Neat article, Avi. If you read the Alaska newspapers, you'll see stories about major leaguers who played in Alaska & so on. The ABL is a reasonably big deal there, though apparently attendance figures are low.

Now to get back in character...

Game One



Mendenhall Glacier and Lake in Juneau

August 29, 2009 - Play was ready to begin at the Ballpark at Auke Bay, the Senators' home field. Neither the Senators nor the Mushers had been in the Championship Series yet, but Juneau was getting support from the eastern half of the state, while the western half overwhelmingly supported underdogs Bethel.

vs.
Newt Langille (8-7, 4.02) Scott Northeast (11-6, 3.34)

Terence Ostrom got the series started for Bethel by rolling a slow one over to the shortstop and beating the throw. Lefty Mike Wilson strode to the plate and stroked a line-drive single to right on a 1-1 count; Ostrom scampered over to third.

After Birley popped up to short, Curry flied out just deep enough to center to get Ostrom home. 1-0.

Duncan Sutherland kept things going with a hard grounder to short that took a funny hop and bounced off the glove of James Labbee for a single. Runners on first and second. Slugger Carl Preston then scorched a line drive that bounced off the glove of second baseman Ralph Collette and just rolled into right. Wilson chugged home and Sutherland beat the throw to third. Scored a single and RBI. 2-0. Tom Morse then flied out to end the inning.

The Senators came to bat and tried to play the same kind of ugly baseball that gave the Mushers two runs in the top half. Jeremy Offredi led off with a bunt hit down the third base line. Then Bob Russo came back from a 1-2 count to work a walk.

Ralph Collette made up for not catching that line drive by blasting a double off the wall in left-center field, knocking in Offredi.

Now in big trouble, Langille got ahead of Wynn Dunsmore 1-and-2 but couldn't put him away, loading the bases with another walk and still nobody out.

At this point he was really rattled and walked Ken Wells, walking in the tying run. The pitching coach came out to give him a breather and time to settle down. Langille struck out Olivier Theriault. One out, bases loaded.

James Labbee came to the plate and just hit a little looper that curved toward the left field line, bounced inside the line, and then rolled slowly toward the corner while Birley hustled over. By the time he got the ball in, Labbee was standing on second and three runs had scored. 5-2 Senators.

Langille got Dunsmore to ground out, but then committed the unpardonable sin: walking the pitcher - on four pitches.

Offredi made him pay by sending a grounder through the hole on the left side and scoring Labbee. Langille finally got Russo to fly out, but it was now 6-2 Juneau.

Bethel again threatened in the second but failed to score this time. Langille stayed in and gave up a leadoff homer to Collette, walked two more batters, but got out of the inning without further damage. 7-2.

Langille struggled through another scoreless inning before being pinch hit for in the 4th. After that point, the pitchers settled down, although Bethel worked a run in the 6th off a leadoff double by Sutherland.

In the eighth inning, Duncan Sutherland hit a two-run home run to make it 7-5, but Northeast stayed in to finish the inning. Brad Morris came in in the 9th to nail it down, and finished off the Mushers 1-2-3.

Juneau leads the series, 1-0.

[Elendil]

Game Two

Davis Crawford (4.27, 6-8)

vs.


Louis Mays (2.05, 13-3)

August 30 - The Mushers found themselves looking up a mountain. Louis Mays' Quality Start percentage was 68.2. They couldn't expect to rattle him easily, but going down 2-0 would put the underdogs in a dire situation.

It was a brisk, 47-degree day at the small park, with the wind blowing in. If it kept the score down, that would probably work to the benefit of the Bethel squad.

The Mushers struck early again in this game. After Ostrom led off the game with a single, Kelyn Birley blasted a two-run homer to the power alley in left-center. Mays got out of the inning without further damage.

In the bottom of the 1st, southpaw Crawford set the Senators down 1-2-3.

In the top of the second, Tom Morse led off the game with a double down the third base line, but the Mushers couldn't move him around to score.

In the bottom of the third, Crawford hit James Labbee with the first pitch of the inning. His next pitch to Russ Dunsmore bounced in front of the plate and rolled to the backstop, putting Labbee on second.

On a 3-2 count, Dunsmore nubbed a slow roller to the right side. Labbee alertly took third and Dunsmore beat the throw to put runners on the corners with nobody out.

Fortunately for Bethel, Mays was at the plate. He executed a bunt to put Dunsmore on second but Labbee stayed where he was.

Leadoff hitter Jeremy Offredi came up with one out and hit a pitch almost straight down into the dirt. By the time Crawford came up with it, Offredi was going to be safe, and Crawford just ate the throw to hold Labbee at third. Bases loaded, one out.

Oliver Theriault strode to the plate and took the first pitch deep, deep, off the wall in left-center. The ball took a funny bounce off one of the billboards on the wall, and Theriault made it all the way to third with a bases-clearing triple. Juneau 3, Bethel 2. Crawford got the last two outs of the inning without letting Theriault score, but the Senators had taken the lead.

The next scoring came in the top of the 6th, as Mays pitched to the heart of the Bethel order. Birley struck out and Preston flied out to start the inning inauspiciously for Bethel. Then on an 0-2 count George Poor reached base when he swung through the catcher's glove on a ball outside the zone, drawing the interference call.

From this small beginning, the Mushers took advantage. Duncan Sutherland singled to right, and Poor dashed to third. Tom Morse then came up and doubled to straightaway center field, scoring them both. Rowsell struck out to end the inning, but Bethel had new life. 4-3.

Unfortunately for the Mushers, Crawford couldn't hold the lead. He gave up a hit and two walks to load the bases with one out, then third baseman Tom Morse bobbled a Dunsmore grounder to allow a run to score. Pitcher Louis Mays then helped his own cause by stroking a triple off the right-center wall. Four runs in and Crawford was done.

Juneau didn't look back from there, adding three more in the 8th with a hit parade off Bob Nealon. Final score: Juneau 10, Bethel 4. Juneau leads the series 2-0.

[Elendil]

Game Three

Gary Seltzer (5.40, 4-6)

vs.


Vincent Robinson (3.95, 3-2)

September 1 - The series came back to Bethel with the Mushers in good position to get a game back. The Senators were bringing the unreliable Seltzer to the mound, while the Mushers could count on Vincent Robinson, who'd been injured much of the year but had won the ERA title in 2007 and had been effective when starting this year.

Both teams started out tight, and both pitchers had no-hitters going through four. In fact, there had been only one baserunner up until the bottom of the fifth, for Juneau, and he had been wiped out on a double play, so both pitchers had faced the minimum.

In the bottom half of the 5th, the Mushers finally broke through in a big way. Curry started it off by getting hit by a pitch. Seemingly rattled by losing his perfect game, Seltzer then served up a fat one to Sutherland, who doubled in Curry, ending the no-hit bid and the shutout, just like that. With two outs in the same inning, the Mushers then strung together a walk and two singles to go up 3-0.

In the 6th, Robinson got himself into trouble as well, yielding two leadoff walks, but he pitched his way out of it. His no-hit bid was finally broken up in the top of the 7th, but he kept the shutout going, working efficiently and going the distance to put the Senators away in just two hours and six minutes. Final score: Bethel 5, Juneau 0. Juneau still leads the series, 2-1.

[Elendil]

Game Four

Aerial view of Bethel

Northeast vs. Langille

September 2 - The Mushers needed to tie things up at home to avoid going back to Juneau on the brink. To do that, Langille would have to do far better than he did in Game One, and the Mushers would need to figure out Northeast.

At first, Langille outdueled Northeast. Langille K'ed nine Senators in the five and one-third innings that he lasted, while Northeast needed a double play to get him out of a first-and-third, one-out situation in the 2nd.

Olivier Theriault opened the scoring for the Senators in the 4th with a leadoff home run. Two errors in the inning allowed another Senator run to score, making it 2-0.

After that point, Northeast coasted, allowing just six baserunners in eight shutout innings. Thirteen Senators ended up striking out, but their pitching and defense saved the day, as the Mushers simply could not get anything going. Kelyn Birley struck out swinging to end the game, a 3-0 victory for Juneau. Series lead: 3-1.