Clowning Around - A Historical League Based on an Online League

rem · 02-28-2006, 03:33 PM

WHBL is about to finish its sixth season. For the first three years, a friend and I ran the Indianapolis Clowns. We went 288-198 and made the playoffs twice. After the 2002 season ended, we had to leave. New management took over and started a long overdue rebuilding process. I wanted to see how things might have gone if we had tried to say afloat with a band aid approach.

I've tried dynasties six or seven times before and I gave up quickly with each one. Hopefully this one will last a little longer. It won't have any set format or schedule to its updates. I plan to play out games and might use a newspaper style.

gbmoore121 · 02-28-2006, 04:22 PM

Looking forward to it Remangiii! Be interesting to see how my Birmingham team does in an alternate reality....or should that be an alternate of an alternate reality.

rem · 02-28-2006, 04:53 PM

I will be playing with ratings off, just for the record.

disposableheros · 02-28-2006, 08:20 PM

im not sure if i really want to know how much better the Saints would be with out me, but i'll be reading along anyways!

rem · 03-01-2006, 06:41 PM

Finally, an update!

Meet the Clowns - The Lineup

1) LF Donald Klinger

Klinger was a nifty acquisition from rival DC Shadow. He hit .297 and stole 24/30 bases last season while posting a solid .342/.408 line. He is not an ideal leadoff man since he's a singles hitter, but we're kind of like the St. Louis Cardinals in that we have some big bats and then the rest are role players.

2) CF Claver Romero

Romero is a lot like Klinger. He's even more of singles hitter, he posted a .294/.329/.393 line in 2002. He was acquired in trade with St. Louis, back in 2000. He is a fine defensive player; he keeps Klinger a gold glove winner, in left field.

3) 3B Kyle Galluci

Galluci would be the best player on a lot teams. He had a monster season hitting .334/.411/.608/1.018 with 44 homeruns and 200 hits. He had a 144 RBI for those interested in that sort of thing. All of this from second base, too. He was drafted with the team's second pick in the initial draft.

4) RF Armando Guerra

Guerra is one trade which really hasn't worked out for the Clowns. He posted a stellar .303/.398/.589 back in 2000. We acquired him in 2001, and he had a great year overall, hitting .302/.396/.555. but slumped (.292 .384 .470) after he was dealt to the Clowns. In 2002, he continues his decline hitting just .257/.354 /.448. He mainted a good OBP and power numbers (26 homers in a pitcher's league) but just did not have enough singles to be of use. The outlook is not good for the 34 year old Guerra who stands to make just over 22 million dollars over the next two seasons.

5) C Ottis McWilliams

Otis McWilliams, the team's fourth round pick in the initial draft, is another quality guy at a skill position. He hit .290/.341/.481 with 20 homeruns and 87 RBI AND took home a gold glove.

6) 1B ???

Ryan Nattal used to occupy this position for the clowns. He left for free agency after posting a .321./.378/.425 line. The team will probably look to trade an expensive veteran for a replacement first baseman.

7) SS Trevor Moldenhauer

Moldenhauer is a no hit/great field shortstop he plays because of the financial situation. He batted .218/.240/.347 last season.

8) 2B Irwin Saul

Irwin Saul is another great fielder but he manages to hit just a little bit - .280/.311/.352. At 38, this could be the veteran's last season.

UncleBuc · 03-01-2006, 11:18 PM

Wow- a blast from the past. This will be a treat. Great idea Rem and you better stick with it.

rem · 03-03-2006, 05:43 PM

Meet the Clowns - The Starting Rotation

Nick Hadsell 15-3 2.31 ERA 249 IP 285K
Bill Cordoba 9-13 3.22 237 IP190K
Ronald Reyes 11-8 3.13 ERA 204 IP 174K
Paul Alexander 10-8 4.32 ERA 173 IP 123K
Jeffrey Westcott 11-10 3.46 ERA 161 IP 123K

Hadsell's one the best, if not the best, in the game. Cordoba and Reyes were acquired through trades. As we got him for Jason Citizen – a big free agent we'd signed who went bust on us. Reyes was coming off a down year, but we were confident that he would rebound. Alexander is only a league average guy, we got him in a low level trade. Westcott is a premium pitcher, we used him both as a starter and as a reliever last season.

rem · 03-05-2006, 01:45 PM

We made a trade: Armando Guerra, that overpaid bum, for a scrub pitcher; Vancover's Leonard Vercher. Vercher is one star, but he has had some serious success in the minor leagues. As a 24-year-old he pitched a 177 innings of 3.20 ERA ball. Good enough for a 15-5 record. He seems to have a high stuff rating as he allowed just 160 hits in those 177 innings and the year before, in Double A, he allowed 166 hits in 192 innings. He stuck out 148 and 186 respectively. Definitely someone worth giving a look to if there is an injury or ineffectiveness.

The trades gets us back into the black, but we need someone to play 1B and RF. We'll need to make another deal either to clear salary or to acquire said player.

enuttage · 03-06-2006, 02:09 PM

Lookin' good here, rem. KUTGW.

rem · 03-06-2006, 04:47 PM

A larger update should be coming in the next three hours.

UncleBuc · 03-07-2006, 12:37 AM

Longest 3 hours of my life...

enuttage · 03-07-2006, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleBuc

Longest 3 hours of my life...

ROFL.

rem will come through. Have faith. Perhaps he's on 'creator time'.

rem · 03-08-2006, 05:29 PM

rem · 03-08-2006, 05:30 PM

Clowns Finish Busy Off-Season by Signing 1B Lattin

Carroll Lattin was the Clowns' fourth acquisition this off-season. Lattin, who signed a two year contract worth just under 13 million, posted an .853 OPS in 494 at-bats last season.

The Clowns hope that Lattin, along with Roberto Rentas who was acquired via trade, will revamp an offense that finished in the middle of the pack last season in runs scored. Rentas, who hit 42 homeruns and posted an .872 OPS last season will bat fourth behind incumbent third place hitter Kyle Gallucci. Otis McWilliams will move from the fifth place spot to the second spot to make room for Lattin. Armando Ruiz, another player acquired via trade, will bat sixth and Moldehauer and Saul will remain in their positions. Ruiz batted .290/.338/.479/.817 in 374 at-bats last season.

The Clowns' off-season was not without controversy. First the team traded former all-star Armando Guerra for a marginal, at best, minor league pitcher. The finances of the move must be considered, but the team surrendered prized pitcher Chris Claussen to acquire Guerra. Claussen, who had a 3.81 ERA in his lone season with the Clowns, has posted ERAs of 2.38 and 2.61 since his trade.

More controversy arose when the team traded pitcher Ronald Reyes to acquire Rentas. Reyes had been a great for steal for the Clowns, who came in exchange for free agent bust Jason Citizen. Reyes coming off a 5.23 ERA season posted an ERA of 3.11 with the Clowns. The criticism of this deal comes from the Rentas' lack of a track record. His batting average was only .249 last season and he had posted batting averages under .200 in his previous two seasons.

The Clowns will fill Reyes' spot in the rotation with Leonard Manning. Manning went 10-6 with a 3.63 ERA in 84 IP. He made six starts and came out of the bullpen 57 times.

enuttage · 03-08-2006, 06:51 PM

rem, you've got e-mail.

-E

rem · 03-12-2006, 03:18 PM

Clowns Take Close One In Opener
New Acquisition Rentas Blasts 400 Foot Homerun

The Clowns opened their season Thursday with a 2-0 win over San Antonio. The teams played to a 0-0 tie until the eight inning when Roberto Rentas, playing in his first game as a clown, hit a 400 foot homerun of San Antonio's starter Wesley Bromley.

Clowns' ace Nick Hadsell pitched eight shutout innings. He left in the ninth inning after surrending a double to pinch hitter Ronald Defrancisco. Jordan Getty replaced Hadsell and got T.R. Bean to ground out which advanced Defrancisco to third base. Getty then struckout the final two batters, earning him a save. Hadsell struck out 11, walked none, and allowed four hits while throwing 112 pitches.

When asked about the decision to let Hadsell bat in the bottom of the eighth, with a runner on third and two outs, Clowns' Manger Bozo said “Yeah, he was getting up their in pitch count but he struck out the last two guys in the eighth and with a lead I really thought it was best to keep Nick in there. We didn't get the result we were looking for, but the bullpen was their to bail us out; as I knew they would if we needed them.”

The Clowns employ a bullpen by committee setup in which no pitcher is designated as the closer. However, Getty has the most experience as a closer of any of the Clowns' pitchers. He served as Managua's closer for two seasons before joining the Clowns in a trade. Last season, he recorded 17 saves while pitching 76 innings and posting a 4.24 ERA; also, he struck out 88 batters.

UncleBuc · 03-13-2006, 11:42 PM

Woo Hoo! Are you posting the HTML anywhere? I need a closer look at these new acquisitions.

rem · 03-14-2006, 09:23 PM

I have HTML the next time I update. That should be in the next 24-48 hours. Sorry for the slow pace. I've been thinking about this, but it just hasn't been the right time. Or something like that.

enuttage · 03-24-2006, 05:50 PM

Bump. I'm not letting you let this die.

rem · 03-25-2006, 01:21 PM

You may have to wait awhile. Sorry.

02-28-2006, 03:33 PM	#1
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	Clowning Around - A Historical League Based on an Online League WHBL is about to finish its sixth season. For the first three years, a friend and I ran the Indianapolis Clowns. We went 288-198 and made the playoffs twice. After the 2002 season ended, we had to leave. New management took over and started a long overdue rebuilding process. I wanted to see how things might have gone if we had tried to say afloat with a band aid approach. I've tried dynasties six or seven times before and I gave up quickly with each one. Hopefully this one will last a little longer. It won't have any set format or schedule to its updates. I plan to play out games and might use a newspaper style. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

02-28-2006, 04:53 PM	#3
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	I will be playing with ratings off, just for the record. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

02-28-2006, 08:20 PM	#4
disposableheros Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 4,332	im not sure if i really want to know how much better the Saints would be with out me, but i'll be reading along anyways! __________________ 2 Wild Cards, 11 Division Champs, 4 League Champs, 3 World Champs, and 3 Best GM awards Baseball Maelstrom - New York Mets - 180-149 .547 Corporate League Baseball - Coke Buzz - 889-649 .578 Western Hemisphere Baseball League - Santiago Saints - 672-793 .459 Record - 2428-2271 .517

03-01-2006, 06:41 PM	#5
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	Finally, an update! Meet the Clowns - The Lineup 1) LF Donald Klinger Klinger was a nifty acquisition from rival DC Shadow. He hit .297 and stole 24/30 bases last season while posting a solid .342/.408 line. He is not an ideal leadoff man since he's a singles hitter, but we're kind of like the St. Louis Cardinals in that we have some big bats and then the rest are role players. 2) CF Claver Romero Romero is a lot like Klinger. He's even more of singles hitter, he posted a .294/.329/.393 line in 2002. He was acquired in trade with St. Louis, back in 2000. He is a fine defensive player; he keeps Klinger a gold glove winner, in left field. 3) 3B Kyle Galluci Galluci would be the best player on a lot teams. He had a monster season hitting .334/.411/.608/1.018 with 44 homeruns and 200 hits. He had a 144 RBI for those interested in that sort of thing. All of this from second base, too. He was drafted with the team's second pick in the initial draft. 4) RF Armando Guerra Guerra is one trade which really hasn't worked out for the Clowns. He posted a stellar .303/.398/.589 back in 2000. We acquired him in 2001, and he had a great year overall, hitting .302/.396/.555. but slumped (.292 .384 .470) after he was dealt to the Clowns. In 2002, he continues his decline hitting just .257/.354 /.448. He mainted a good OBP and power numbers (26 homers in a pitcher's league) but just did not have enough singles to be of use. The outlook is not good for the 34 year old Guerra who stands to make just over 22 million dollars over the next two seasons. 5) C Ottis McWilliams Otis McWilliams, the team's fourth round pick in the initial draft, is another quality guy at a skill position. He hit .290/.341/.481 with 20 homeruns and 87 RBI AND took home a gold glove. 6) 1B ??? Ryan Nattal used to occupy this position for the clowns. He left for free agency after posting a .321./.378/.425 line. The team will probably look to trade an expensive veteran for a replacement first baseman. 7) SS Trevor Moldenhauer Moldenhauer is a no hit/great field shortstop he plays because of the financial situation. He batted .218/.240/.347 last season. 8) 2B Irwin Saul Irwin Saul is another great fielder but he manages to hit just a little bit - .280/.311/.352. At 38, this could be the veteran's last season. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

03-01-2006, 11:18 PM	#6
UncleBuc Minors (Single A) Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 77	Wow- a blast from the past. This will be a treat. Great idea Rem and you better stick with it. __________________ Un-retired

02-28-2006, 04:22 PM	#2
gbmoore121 All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Arizona Posts: 602	Looking forward to it Remangiii! Be interesting to see how my Birmingham team does in an alternate reality....or should that be an alternate of an alternate reality.

03-03-2006, 05:43 PM	#7
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	Meet the Clowns - The Starting Rotation Nick Hadsell 15-3 2.31 ERA 249 IP 285K Bill Cordoba 9-13 3.22 237 IP190K Ronald Reyes 11-8 3.13 ERA 204 IP 174K Paul Alexander 10-8 4.32 ERA 173 IP 123K Jeffrey Westcott 11-10 3.46 ERA 161 IP 123K Hadsell's one the best, if not the best, in the game. Cordoba and Reyes were acquired through trades. As we got him for Jason Citizen – a big free agent we'd signed who went bust on us. Reyes was coming off a down year, but we were confident that he would rebound. Alexander is only a league average guy, we got him in a low level trade. Westcott is a premium pitcher, we used him both as a starter and as a reliever last season. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

03-05-2006, 01:45 PM	#8
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	We made a trade: Armando Guerra, that overpaid bum, for a scrub pitcher; Vancover's Leonard Vercher. Vercher is one star, but he has had some serious success in the minor leagues. As a 24-year-old he pitched a 177 innings of 3.20 ERA ball. Good enough for a 15-5 record. He seems to have a high stuff rating as he allowed just 160 hits in those 177 innings and the year before, in Double A, he allowed 166 hits in 192 innings. He stuck out 148 and 186 respectively. Definitely someone worth giving a look to if there is an injury or ineffectiveness. The trades gets us back into the black, but we need someone to play 1B and RF. We'll need to make another deal either to clear salary or to acquire said player. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

03-06-2006, 02:09 PM	#9
enuttage Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Hill Country Posts: 2,431	Lookin' good here, rem. KUTGW. __________________ The former GM of the WHBL Managua Four Roses *"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."*

03-06-2006, 04:47 PM	#10
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	A larger update should be coming in the next three hours. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

03-07-2006, 12:37 AM	#11
UncleBuc Minors (Single A) Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 77	Longest 3 hours of my life... __________________ Un-retired

03-08-2006, 05:29 PM	#13
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	__________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

03-08-2006, 05:30 PM	#14
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	Clowns Finish Busy Off-Season by Signing 1B Lattin Carroll Lattin was the Clowns' fourth acquisition this off-season. Lattin, who signed a two year contract worth just under 13 million, posted an .853 OPS in 494 at-bats last season. The Clowns hope that Lattin, along with Roberto Rentas who was acquired via trade, will revamp an offense that finished in the middle of the pack last season in runs scored. Rentas, who hit 42 homeruns and posted an .872 OPS last season will bat fourth behind incumbent third place hitter Kyle Gallucci. Otis McWilliams will move from the fifth place spot to the second spot to make room for Lattin. Armando Ruiz, another player acquired via trade, will bat sixth and Moldehauer and Saul will remain in their positions. Ruiz batted .290/.338/.479/.817 in 374 at-bats last season. The Clowns' off-season was not without controversy. First the team traded former all-star Armando Guerra for a marginal, at best, minor league pitcher. The finances of the move must be considered, but the team surrendered prized pitcher Chris Claussen to acquire Guerra. Claussen, who had a 3.81 ERA in his lone season with the Clowns, has posted ERAs of 2.38 and 2.61 since his trade. More controversy arose when the team traded pitcher Ronald Reyes to acquire Rentas. Reyes had been a great for steal for the Clowns, who came in exchange for free agent bust Jason Citizen. Reyes coming off a 5.23 ERA season posted an ERA of 3.11 with the Clowns. The criticism of this deal comes from the Rentas' lack of a track record. His batting average was only .249 last season and he had posted batting averages under .200 in his previous two seasons. The Clowns will fill Reyes' spot in the rotation with Leonard Manning. Manning went 10-6 with a 3.63 ERA in 84 IP. He made six starts and came out of the bullpen 57 times. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

03-08-2006, 06:51 PM	#15
enuttage Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Hill Country Posts: 2,431	rem, you've got e-mail. -E __________________ The former GM of the WHBL Managua Four Roses *"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."*

03-12-2006, 03:18 PM	#16
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	Clowns Take Close One In Opener New Acquisition Rentas Blasts 400 Foot Homerun The Clowns opened their season Thursday with a 2-0 win over San Antonio. The teams played to a 0-0 tie until the eight inning when Roberto Rentas, playing in his first game as a clown, hit a 400 foot homerun of San Antonio's starter Wesley Bromley. Clowns' ace Nick Hadsell pitched eight shutout innings. He left in the ninth inning after surrending a double to pinch hitter Ronald Defrancisco. Jordan Getty replaced Hadsell and got T.R. Bean to ground out which advanced Defrancisco to third base. Getty then struckout the final two batters, earning him a save. Hadsell struck out 11, walked none, and allowed four hits while throwing 112 pitches. When asked about the decision to let Hadsell bat in the bottom of the eighth, with a runner on third and two outs, Clowns' Manger Bozo said “Yeah, he was getting up their in pitch count but he struck out the last two guys in the eighth and with a lead I really thought it was best to keep Nick in there. We didn't get the result we were looking for, but the bullpen was their to bail us out; as I knew they would if we needed them.” The Clowns employ a bullpen by committee setup in which no pitcher is designated as the closer. However, Getty has the most experience as a closer of any of the Clowns' pitchers. He served as Managua's closer for two seasons before joining the Clowns in a trade. Last season, he recorded 17 saves while pitching 76 innings and posting a 4.24 ERA; also, he struck out 88 batters. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0 Last edited by rem; 03-12-2006 at 03:22 PM.

03-13-2006, 11:42 PM	#17
UncleBuc Minors (Single A) Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 77	Woo Hoo! Are you posting the HTML anywhere? I need a closer look at these new acquisitions. __________________ Un-retired

03-14-2006, 09:23 PM	#18
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	I have HTML the next time I update. That should be in the next 24-48 hours. Sorry for the slow pace. I've been thinking about this, but it just hasn't been the right time. Or something like that. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0

03-24-2006, 05:50 PM	#19
enuttage Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Hill Country Posts: 2,431	Bump. I'm not letting you let this die. __________________ The former GM of the WHBL Managua Four Roses *"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."*

03-25-2006, 01:21 PM	#20
rem Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: College Park, Md. Posts: 5,024	You may have to wait awhile. Sorry. __________________ OTBA: Washington Filibusters CLBR: Minnesota Twins 2005 Winner of LL's Pick the Loser Contest! - 15-0