The IBL's Chicago Iron Pigs

[gehrig38]

Managing to hang in there...

[gehrig38]

Week 4
3 vs Columbus
4 vs Houston

Game 20
Francisco Salazar throws the Iron Pigs first ever CG in a 4-1 loss to Columbus. Our offense is seriously depleted right now and this game showed just how bad. Mixing and matching for the next few days while we wait on word from the team docs.
COL 4 CHI 1 (10-10)

INJURY NEWS
Word came down that Bill Alexander has a bum ankle but he should be ok to strap it on. Need to keep an eye over the next 3-4 days to make sure it clears up.

Game 21
Bah! An Alfredo Alejandrez start is win day, but not today. Hoping to squeeze one too many outs out of him, I stayed with him too long and Craig Frank managed to allow all three runners to score, turning a battling outing into a horrid one. 8 earnies in 6.1 IP and an 8-7 loss. Alexander returned to drive in 3 with a bases clearing 2B that brought it to a run, but that was it.
COL 8 CHI 7 (10-11)

GAME NEWS
Ernie Kelly of Dayton (he of the 1 hit opening day start) managed a 3 hit shutout. With an 11 IP CG under his belt he’s 3-1 with a 1.00 and 45 IP in 5 starts through April 25th.

Game 22
Time for Kevin Johnson (2-2) to head down and get some innings. 5 ER in 5.1 IP with 4 BB on 8 hits just ain’t gonna cut it. Bill Alexander’s 11th HR and a 3-5 day from Jorge Diaz weren’t enough to make it work.
COL 7 CHI 4 (10-12)

ROSTER NEWS
Sat down with Kev after the game and in a no holds barred discussion it was clear to me he doesn’t want to start??? In working through this he made it known he’d prefer to try and close! So, we optioned him, and moved him into a closer role for AAA Tulsa. 29 year old SP Jeff Garrett was called up from AA Bakersfield.

First meeting vs pre season powerhouse Houston, interested to see how we stack up.

Game 23
Maybe Martin wasn't wrong on Mike Davis (2-0). A CG 4 hitter with 8 punch outs and a 5-2 Iron Pigs win. Bill Alexander got it rolling with a 2R HR (12) in the 1st and Jorge Diaz went 3-4 with a solo shot in the 4th. Bill Barbour stole his 8th base and Ernesto Gutierrez was 2-3 in returning to the lineup.
CHI 5 HOU 2 (11-12)

GAME NEWS
Dayton appears to have a 2 headed monster named Kelly. Gerald Kelly spun a 5 hit shut out to move to 4-0 with an 0.95 in a 7-0 Dayton win over West Michigan.

Game 24
Bill Donohue lived up to the hype. The leagues ERA leader shut us down over 8 and Houston won 6-2. Eric Hudson remained hot, going 3-4. Jeff Jackson dropped to 0-1 surrendering 4 ER over 5.2 IP.
HOU 6 CHI 2 (11-13)

Game 25
This one was over before it started. Francisco Salazar (2-3) yielded 5 first inning runs. For a half inning we made it fun plating 4 in the 3rd, but they responded with a quick 3 to end it. Weaver drove in 3 in the loss.
HOU 8 CHI 4 (11-14)

Game 26
Win day! Alfredo Alejandrez became the first Chicago pitcher to K 10 or more during a game. 7 dominating innings with 11 K’s and 1 ER led Chicago to a 5-3 win. Bill Alexander continued his insane month hitting a 2R HR in the first (13) (to go with 35 April RBI’s!). Ernesto Cruz got the last 5 outs to record his 3rd save.
CHI 5 HOU 3 (12-14)

WEEK 4 RECAP
A 2-5 week.

Brent McCoy of the Sacramento River Cats on the FL PotW going 7-18 with 3HR’s and 8 RBI’s

Haqverdi Hamidov won the CL PotW going 15-28 with 7 RBI’s.

[gehrig38]

APRIL WRAP
The first month of the season is in the books and what a month it was. The Dayton Dragons paced the IBL at 18-8 and the Phoenix Greyhounds pulled up the rear with the same record, in reverse (8-18).

The Iron Pigs of Chicago find themselves 3 GB at 12-15.

Alberto Vargas won the Frontier League PotM hitting 352 with 13 HR's and 23 RBI's.

The Iron Pigs Bill Alexander won the CL award. Hitting 362 with 13 HR's, 36 RBI's scoring 24 runs.

Ernie Kelly of the Dragons was the FL Pitcher of the Month going 4-1 with a 1.02 ERA.

Nick Johnston of the LA Sky Sox was the CL Pitcher of the Month going 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

Vargas and Alexander both won Rookie of the Month awards (since technically everyone in the league is a rookie!)

[gehrig38]

I have my draft set to 60 days beforehand to open the draft pool. Here's a peek at the top prospects entering the draft.

(As I return to edit this 4 years later, very cool to see players in the first draft that have developed into IBL stars). Pay attention to the guy on the top of this list and the first reliever on the board as the year progresses.

[gehrig38]

Week 5
3 vs Corpus Christi
3 at New Hamphsire (2 very welcome off days!)

Game 27
Jeff Garretts (0-1) first ML start was… well, ugly. 7 earnies over 5.1 putrid innings. The only positive was Bill Alexanders 3-5 day and the end of an enormous month with a 362-13-36 line.
CC 12 CHI 5 (12-15)

Game 28
Mike Davis (3-0) manages 7.2 IP yielding 2ER on 6 hits walking 3 with 2 K’s. Ernesto Cruz gets the last 4 outs for save #4. Bill Alexander starts May no different than April, 2-3 with a HR (14). Bob Barbour turns in a 3 hit day with 2 2B’s and his 10th SB.
CHI 5 CC 2 (13-15)

DRAFT NEWS
Scouting report on Anthony Martin came back huge. Could be the kid I’m eyeing with my first pick next month.

Game 29
The Iron Pigs lose a battle of #3 hitters. Jack Jackson throws a gem into the 8th with 7.2 innings of 2 hit ball, yielding a run on 4 walks and 5 K’s. Always hate a SP getting a loss after the 6th but a late walk killed him. Marcos Diaz (3-2) goes the distance for CC with a line of 9-3-0-0-0-2. Bill Alexander has 2 of the 3 Pigs hits, going 2-3 and raising his average to 375.
CC 1 CHI 0 (13-16)

ROSTER NEWS
After the game Ignacio Ferrer is activated from the DL and Chris Dixon is sent to AAA.

Game 30
In what I can only describe as frustrating, we won… Francisco Salazar (3-3) threw 114 pitches through 6, walking 6 and giving up 3 hits, to only a single run. A 6 run lead seemed to evaporate in about 4 hitters as Jose Pacheco showed up with gas, and promptly threw that into the fire. At days end Ernesto got his 5th save but it was far harder than it needed to be. Chartier hit a 3 run bomb in the 1st and Alexander remind insanely hot hitting #15.
CHI 6 NH 5 (14-16)

(If you know anything about my career, and my #’s, you’ll understand why I loathe, despise, hate, and cannot breathe when pitchers walk hitters… KILLS ME!)

DRAFT NEWS
Mr Cintron also tells me that 17 year old Raul Feliz is the real deal. I am unsure if he’ll be there when I pick, his bonus demands make me think he won’t, but he’s an option.

Game 31
Wow, just wow. Bill Alexander pops a 2R HR in the 1st, his 16th! Alejandrez couldn’t handle a lead today, bouncing back and forth he yielded 3 earnies in 6.1 IP. Our offense showed some fight though, scoring 4 in the 8th and Cruz gets the final 2 outs for save 6. Alexander goes 3-5 with 2 RBI’s and is now sitting at 387-16-41 through 31 games. Chartier, Barber and Bartlett chipped in with 2 hit days (Barbour launching his 3rd HR).

(This feels like an amazingly hot streak Alexander is on and it’s likely I’ve had other hitters do more in less time, but paying attention like this feels way cooler and way more personal. I now have a love for the guy, which could cloud my trading judgement!)
CHI 7 NH 5 (15-16)

Game 32
Chartier hits the Iron Pigs 1st ever leadoff HR Ricardo Estrada answers in the bottom of the 1st for NH… Chris Dalton comes into the game in the 8th and punches out 2 with the bases juiced, and closes it out for a tired pen. Garretts (1-1) 2nd start goes far better than the first, yielding 2 through 7 with 5 K’s and 0 walks. Hudson and Alexander both go 3-5, Hudson now at 324 and Alexander flirting with 400 at 395. Ferrer chips in with a 3 hit day as well.
CHI 6 NH 2 (16-16)

WEEK 5 RECAP
Nori “Ratchet” Takahashi of Sacramento takes home FL PotW honors with a
12-23 3 HR 5 RBI week

Rich Stone of Fresno wins the CL PotW going 17-28 1HR and 10 RBI’s

[Jabez54]

Sheesh ... got some good hitters there with some speed ... at least, for now - .500 team ... good start ...

[gehrig38]

Week 6
3 vs Philly
4 at Michigan

Game 33
Not a repeat! Alexander hits another 2R HR in the 1st. To no avail though, as Davis struggled through 6.1 tough innings giving up 4 earned runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. Pacheco took the loss but defense was the reason, 3 unearned runs in the 8th provided the margin of defeat (with Parker committing his 8th error at 3B to open the flood gates). Gutierrez was 3-4.
PHI 7 CHI 4 (16-17)

Game 34
Just an ugly game. Jackson was atrocious giving up 3 walks, 7 hits and 5 runs through 3.1 and Dalton and George did no better. A 12-0 drubbing.
PHI 12 CHI 0 (16-18)

Game 35
Lead changes on 7 occasions with the final one being Bob Barbour’s walk off HR in the bottom of the 11th to propel the Iron Pigs to a 12-11 win! 3 hit games from Bartlett and Barbour and 2 hit games from Chartier, Alexander, Diaz, Parker (who subbed for an injured Ferrer) and Weaver. Salazar was brutal, giving up 7 earned runs on 4 walks and 9 hits through 3.2 IP. Cruz grabbed the win getting the final 6 outs as I had to run through the pen once again!
CHI 12 PHI 11 (17-18)

DL NEWS
Word came down after the game the Ignacio Ferrer is once again headed to the DL, this time for 5-6 weeks with a torn meniscus. Chris Dixon will come up to sit and spell an IF here and there.

Game 36
Tying run thrown out at home, bottom of the 9th. A sloppy ending to a sloppy game. A 4-1 then 5-2 lead evaporated in the 7th with a Battlecats 5 run rally. All due to my depleted pen and only 2 LHP rested, trying to squeeze another out from Alejandrez (3-2). His line, 6.1-6-7-6-4-5 was way worse than the effort. I needed him to eat another inning and he couldn't’ do it, not his fault. The last 3 runs he gave up were Franks, as he couldn't plug the leak with the bases loaded. Bartlett and Weaver hit HR’s in the losing effort.
MICH 7 CHI 6 (17-19)

Game 37
Jeff Garrett (1-2) took a beating. Amazing to me how much OOTP is like real life in that almost every single time you work to get just one more out with a pitcher, it’s one hitter too many. 5.2-11-7-7-2-6 was the line. He gave up the 10th hit and I was thinking, now… But I said nah, 2 outs, he can get this guy. 3R HR…. Eric Hudson went 4-4 in the losing effort.
MICH 7 CHI 1 (17-20)

Game 38
Son of a B. Mike Davis (3-1) walks the bases loaded in the 1st, then gives up a granny. Did I mention how I feel about walks? A 7 walk outing in 6 IP, yielding 6 earned runs. He has been wild a bit, but this was out of nowhere and a symptom of my staff. I am going to need to look hard and long at the draft and maybe load up on a ton of arms. Once I get stabilized I’ll also need to work on the defense. My offense walked 9 times today, managing just 1 run in the effort.
MICH 8 CHI 1 (17-21)

Game 39
The score and most of the game, was never in doubt. Until the 8th. Up 6-2 Jackson loads the bases and van Bodegraven and George wiggle one out between them, allowing a run in the process. Ernesto Cruz comes in, bases juiced and 1 out, and 1 pitch and a DP later the Iron Pigs drop a 5 spot in the top of the 9th to put it away. Jackson (1-3) was outstanding (7-6-2-2-2-5) in the win. Chartier hits his 2nd leadoff HR to start the game (and goes 4-5) and Bill Alexander hits his 18th in the 9th.
CHI 11 MICH 2 (18-21)

WEEK 6 RECAP
A 2-5 week always feels better when the last one is a W. Diaz was banged up but it’s nothing serious and DtD.

DRAFT NEWS
Cintron came back on 22 year old Barney Watt, SP from TCU. He looks like he could be a serviceable ML SP but given his demands I can’t seem him in a Chicago uni.

Roger Goodman of the WM White Caps wins the FL PotW going 10-25 with 5HR’s and 9RBI’s

Joe Rowe of the Fresno Grizzlies wins the CL PotW with a 12-24 3HR 6 RBI effort.

[Jabez54]

It's really hard when to say enough to your starter ... but then ... maybe a little more ... and then whamo ... but hey That's Baseball ... Yeah, this Game is as good as it can get ... awesome ... tomas

[gehrig38]

Week 7
3 @ Baltimore
3 vs LA

ORG NOTES
Ken Johnson is flourishing as a closer in AAA. In 11.2 IP he’s punched out 16 and given up 1 ER and 5 hits with 8 saves and a 0.77 ERA. His command is still a huge concern as he’s walked 10. (in coming back to edit this, make a mental footnote of this little call out, it will come into play in the future of this franchise)

AA SP Mauro Rodriguez will need Tommy John, and 12-13 months to recover. At 30 years old I imagine he’s got some soul searching to do.

TRADE NEWS
The Staten Island Yanks apparently are happy with their pitching depth! I threw a line in the water in the form of 19 year old Albert Hardin. A former Olympic track star who made the transition to baseball and who Martin projects as a RF with top of the order speed and a very good eye. I don’t see him hitting for enough average to be someone I’d covet so I took a flyer. Yankees GM Gary Seabolt bit and the slew of players he listed as available, one Jacob Nelson turned up. Jacob is a 21 year old LH starting pitcher who Martin believes can be a 2 or 3 in a year or two. Tried to get a 2nd pick for my 3rd as well but Gary wants to think on that one. I’m taking the straight up deal before he reconsiders.

Game 40
Salazar (3-4) never really got it going. 4 runs in 6 and a sluggish early offense doomed us. We did bring the winning run to the plate in the 9th to no avail. Bartlett was 2-4 and Weaver hit his 3rd.
BAL 5 CHI 4 (18-22)

Game 41
Alejandrez (4-2) grinds out 5.1 giving up 4 earned on 6 hits and 5 walks. Relievers again didn't help, allowing 2 inherited to score. Bartlett goes 3-4 and Gutierrez drives in 3. Chartier, Diaz and Weaver have 2 hit days.
CHI 8 BAL 4 (19-22)

STREAKS
Pat Adams of the LA Sky Sox is the first IBL player to hit in 20 straight.
Wes Morgan is due back for game 43, man I need that pop.

Game 42
A wild pitch walk off win, sucks when it happens against you… Jeff Garrett was superb today (7.1-7-2-2-1-4) but the offense couldn’t manage to push it across. Weaver drove in Alexander in the top of the 9th to tie the game but the bullpen couldn’t hold it.
BAL 3 CHI 2 (19-23)

DL NEWS
Wes Morgan is activated prior to game 43 and Chris Dixon rides the Tulsa train once again. Wes is feeling very good and BP has looked great, he has prodigious power and we could use the presence. His ability to play both corners will allow us to move Parker to the bench where he should be anyway.

Game 43
Unstinking real. Another huge first inning vs Mike Davis. All of his own doing. 4 hits and 4 walks put us down 5-0 before we’d even gotten an AB. It was all downhill from there as he gave up 9 in 2 innings of work. A 17-5 drubbing we certainly earned. My goodness walks suck. Diaz was 2-4 with 2 HR's and all 5 Iron Pig RBI’s. Gutierrez was 3-4 in the loss.
LA 17 CHI 5 (19-24)

TRADE NEWS
Nick Foster, GM of the Cyclones pinged me today. He came asking for AAA catching prospect Rafael Flores, someone my scouts are very high on, as well as 26 year old reliever Craig Frank. He was offering 27 year old 3B Robert McPherson. I rejiggered the list and offered up 20 year old catching prospect Sergio Medina, 33 year old reliever Bill George and 1B Donald Weaver if he would include 24 year old LH reliever Trey Howard. My scouts love his arm and makeup. I then asked for their 2nd round pick and offered my 3rd in its place. He seems warm to it, but now wants to go back and look it over and get back to me. So my 3-4th best catching prospect, a 33 year old LH reliever and a 27 year old back up 1B for a 27 year old 3B who likely won’t start for me, a LH reliever that will likely be in my pen in September of this year and for years to come, and their 2nd pick for my 3rd. I get younger, and have 3 of the top 38 picks as opposed to 3 of the top 54 based on standings right now.

Game 44
Is 11 walks bad? Thought so. Jackson (1-4) walks 4 in 4.1 innings and Potts 2 in 2.2, George 1 and doesn't record and out, and van Bodegraven 4 over the last 2 innings. Amazing I lost! An 11-3 drubbing was deserved and it’s getting damn frustrating that we’re out of games so early. Gutierrez drives in 3, Alexander, Weaver and Bartlett have 2 hit days.
LA 11 CHI 3 (19-25)

TRADE NEWS
On a whim I ping Philly GM Glenn Wilhelm. Star CF Tom Byrd has just been lost for 7 months and their up top in their division. I mention Jorge Diazs’ name and his eyes light up. The starting price for me is corner outfielder 22 year old Sergio Lopez, and I add 24 year old AAA 3B Alejandro Bautista to the list. He is more than ok with this. So I move to his 2nd pick, for my 4th, this makes him pause. Lopez projects to be Diaz with a bit more pop, and he’s 6 years younger, and Bautista is a 1B/3B with big time pop. 24 makes me worry, feeling like there should be more there, but I’m talking about the guy that’s centering my lineup with Alexander. I am being realistic I think, I am not going to get there this year, and a 28 year old outfielder is going to be 30-31 by the time I’ve got my organization where I want it. I think I need to look at an arm in this deal. And I find it. 19 year old Ben Sharp is a legit top of the rotation arm who needs innings, and nothing more! That forces me to offer my 5th rounder but I get him to give me an 11th back. He’s now going home to stew on it. This would be a HUGE deal for this club and its future.

Game 45
The box score will read W for Craig Frank (1-0) but this game was all Francisco Salazar. A line of 8-6-1-1-1-4 after a shaky first was just what the doctor ordered. Game was knotted at 1-1 when Jean Chartier led off the bottom of the 9th with his 6th HR. Gutierrez was 3-4 and I hear rumors that Diaz knows he’s being shopped, which didn't stop him from a 2-3 night raising his average to .299. The staff combined to stop LA’s Pat Adams hit streak at 21 as well.
CHI 2 LA 1 (20-25)

WEEK 7 RECAP
A 2-4 week to drop us 7 games back of Houston who seems to be finding their stride.

Lou Sparks of San Antonio was the FL PotW going 11-22 1HR and 4RBI’s

Houston Roughriders Juan Amador went 13-27 with 2 HR’s and 6 RBI’s to collect the CL PotW

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by gehrig38

Game 44
Is 11 walks bad? Thought so.

LOL. I like the wit and your frank commentary on the team (both favorable and not so favorable). Good stuff.

I have a suspicion that this team will look much different after a year or two. I like hearing about the trades that might happen along with those that actually do.

[gehrig38]

Week 8
3 vs Las Vegas
3 @ Pittsburgh

Game 46
When it rains it pours. 3rd inning leadoff single for Vegas, followed by a K, then 1B, 2B, 2B, 2B, 2B, HR…. Ya, win day my ass. 11 hits and 9 runs from the ‘Ace’ (Alejandrez (4-3) line 2.1-11-9-9-0-2)??? On a night when the offense scores 8 on 11 hits and your ace starts, you expect a win. 13-8 was the final. Morgan hammers 2 HR’s and Weaver collects 3 hits but it was a beating.
LV 13 CHI 8 (20-26)

Game 47
Garrett (1-3) battles through 6.2 innings giving up 3 on 10 hits and 3 walks but the bats never get going against Matthieu Cafasso (6-2 3.30). Morgan does pound his 5th in the 9th to bring it to 3-2. Hudson has 2 hits (but has come back to earth at (.291) and Alexander is hitless and sits at .348 now.
LV 3 CHI 2 (20-27)

TRADE NEWS
It’s done! Chicago reaches out late after the game, they won’t do this deal unless we add another player. From their list I give them 19 year old minor leaguer Carlos Vargas a reliever doing well in AA. Martin isn’t a believer in his ceiling so we are ok parting with him. Though we do part with our best overall bat in Diaz, we gain a blue chip 19 yr old pitching prospect in Bill Sharp. Sergio Lopez will slide into my everyday lineup and Bautista likely will head to AAA and get AB’s but could be ready for some time as well. The ceiling on all three is high. We lose our 5th pick and gain an 11th. Still waiting to hear from Philly.
(Another looking back item that I smile at when reading, oh what I thought to be, and what really was....)

Game 48
Davis (4-2) makes it harder than it should have been (6-9-4-4-1-5) but grinds it out. Alexander pops his 19th in the 3rd and Sergio Lopez says hello with a 4-4 3 run day at DH. Cruz gets the last 3 for save #8.
CHI 7 LV 4 (21-27)

Game 49
Jackson (1-5) never gets it together (6-5-4-4-3-4) and the offense outside of Gutierrez (4-4) never gets it going. A 4-1 loss that never felt close.
PIT 4 CHI 1 (21-28)

GAMES
Roberto Flores of the Philadelphia Freedoms pounds 3 HR’s and drives in 3 vs the Fisher Cats of NH.

Ernie Kelly of the Dayton Dragons spins his 3rd SHO of the year vs San Antonio. He’s sitting at 6-2 1.54 through 11 starts.

Game 50
4.2-8-8-8-4-2 isn’t a winning line right? Ya, it isn’t. Francisco Salazar (3-5) had his day end on a Ken Wright Grand Slam in the 4th. Offense managed just a run with Vic Bray punching out 10 over 7.2 IP(Looking back, a sign of things to come).
PIT 9 CHI 1 (21-29)

Game 51
Gah, the rotation nightmare continues. My “Ace” drops to 4-4 with another abysmal outing. 5-6-6-6-6-4 is the line. 6 stinking walks. The ‘win’ was getting 5 out of him as he gave up 2 in the 2nd, 4 in the 3rd. Just going to have to grind this out. Obviously my feelings for him are directly proportional to the prospects that may be offered. I’m going to float his name out there before the draft, see what sticks.
PIT 6 CHI 2 (21-30)

WEEK * RECAP
A 1-5 week and now 8 games out. Not going to fret about ‘winning’ as much as making the best moves for the future. Ya it’s only 51 games, but it’s telling, I need pitching, badly.

Toby Clifton of the Edmonton Trappers wins the FL PotW going 11-21 4HR’s and 8 RBI’s

51’s 2B Ken Jackson wins the CL PotW with a 13-25 3 HR 7RBI week

Chicago falls to 21st in the power rankings.

TRADE NEWS
Pittsburgh sends 26 year old 1B Edgar Rose (224-12-33) to Corpus Christi for 29 year old 3B Ray Gillespie who’s hit 238 in part time duty as well as big time catching prospect Kent Sellers.

ROSTER NEWS
Chris Dalton was sent down after tonight and I’m bringing KJ back from AAA. He’s throwing the crap out of the ball. Control is still an issue, but I’ll manage him to short bursts for now, see how that works.

BTW Paul Riggs was deemed ready to move to A ball so he’s taken over at SS in Denison. His first time out he threw up a 3-4 2 2B HR and 4 RBI night…. Stay tuned. (LOOK BACK ALERT! Watch this kid)

The other blue chip SS, Joreao Tio was given the same vote of confidence. He’s manning the SS spot in Class A Belleview. His first night out he was 1-5 with a 3B. (and this one, for different reasons)

Young Bill Sharp, recently acquired in the Diaz trade will likely start the season in the Omaha rotation in Rookie league, but he’s my #2 prospect overall, and #1 pitching prospect.

My top 5 hitting prospects are all at or below A ball. Only 1 pitching prospect (Sharp) below AA.

Week 9
3 @ Columbus
4 vs Fresno

Game 52
Jeff Garrett (2-3) in command (6-6-1-1-2-6) and the offense busted out. Alexander’s 3-5 2 run 2 RBI night sparked a 13 hit attack. Lopez hits his first HR in a Chicago uni, 4th overall. KJ comes in and promptly throws a WP on his first delivery. Settles in to throw 2 serviceable innings.
CHI 8 COL 2 (22-30)

MINORS NEWS
AAA Closer Ramon Valdez takes his strained oblique to the DL for 3 weeks or so. A legit pen prospect for me I’ll watch this one carefully.

Can’t decide how badly I want to win right now. I am sitting with the 6th overall pick, 3 losses back of the #1 pcik and a few wins from picking 10th or worse! Problem is I cannot play to lose, nor can anyone on my roster worth keeping.

Game 53
Mike Davis (5-2) pitches very well until running into 6th and 7th inning trouble (6.1-3-3-3-3-5). Frank, van Bodegraven and Cruz (SV 9) close it out. Alexander (20) and Morgan (6) go back to back in the 3rd. Lopez, Chartier and Alexander have 2 hit days.
CHI 6 COL 3 (23-30)

Game 54
Jackson (2-5) “bounces” back (if a 6 walk outing can be counted as bouncing back!) with a 6-3-1-1-6-4 line aided by 2 DP’s. Gutierrez, Collins, Morgan and Lopez have 2 hit days. CHI 5 COL 1
(24-30)

STUFF
Checking in on Jorge Diaz. In 7 games in Philly since the trade, he’s at .344-6-15, I think moving to a contender juiced him up! The player replacing him? Ya, Sergio Lopez is sporting a .444-1-4 line himself. Hope Jorge does fantastic! He’ll likely be retired while Lopez is filling up the gaps in Chicago with extra base hits! 3B Alejandro Bautista is off to a fine start in AAA Tulsa as well with a .345-3-10 line in 8 games since the trade.

ROSTER and DL NEWS
Leo Russell, a 25 year old OF prospect with a .284-8-29 line at AAA was called up today. He’ll be a RHH bench option and Hugh Collins was sent back to AAA. Hugh needs AB’s and time to mature, he’s not getting that here (this is how I 'know't the game has great AI, watch Hugh Collins career progression). Also felt my team is a bit heavy from the left side. And in another move Bob Barbour was moved to the 15 day DL and LHH OF Brian Walker was called up. It’s likely Barbour (my teams fastest player and best SB threat) will rehab in AAA and be sent down afterwards as he needs to get more AB’s and I need him to gain confidence. LF Chip Sharpe was sent to Tulsa from Bakersfield to plug that hole while Barbour heals up.

(On a side note as I read through Orcins replay I’m stealing any ideas that will make this more fun for me, and hopefully more enjoyable to follow. I’ve moved to a 1-20 scouting system with stars, never used stars before and I’ve always done 20-80, so it might take some time to re align with my organization. FWIW I just experienced what feels like a scouting meltdown and some players I didn’t know were BIG time prospects now are, and some I thought were, are not!)

Game 55
A 10 run 3rd inning usually ends it, and it did today. The lowlights of a 17-3 drubbing? Well where to begin? I could give you Francisco Salazar’s 2.2 IP 10 hit 7 earned runs! Or Kevin “I wanna CLOSE!” Johnson's wonderful 1 IP 4 hit 6 earned run BEAUTY! Not even sure where to go from here. I can’t look at anyone on my staff except for Ernesto Cruz who may see his next save opp in August.
FRE 17 CHI 3 (24-31)

MAY RECAP
May clearly ended on a down note after what was a decent week.

Barton “Goat” Roberts (really?) of the West Michigan White Caps wins the FL Player of the Month. He hit .324 with 8 HR’s and 27 RBI’s

Qi-Chen Jung of Fresno (no doubt helped by my staff!) wins the CL Player of the Month hitting .372 with 10 HR’ 32 RBI’s and scoring 27 runs.

Shawn Calhoun of the West Michigan White Caps takes home FL Pitcher of the Month honors. A 5-1 record, 42 punch outs in 42 IP and 1.50 ERA. Now sitting at 8-1 with a 1.55

Raul Gonzalez of the Houston Roughriders wins the CL Pitcher of the Month going 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA with 29K’ in 50 IP. Raul is 8-4 with a 3.09 ERA on the season.

Gerald Wright of the El Paso Diablos wins the FL Rookie of the Month. Hitting
.359 with 6 HR’s and 15 RBI’s. Now sitting at .322 with 13 HR’s and 32 RBI’s on the year.

Rich Stone of Fresno (wow, what an offense!) takes home May Rookie honors with a stunning .425 AVG, 51 hits on the month, 5 HR’s 20 RBI’s to go with 12 walks and a .477 OBP. Rich is at .376 on the year with 7 HR and 38 RBI’s.

On the homefront, Julio Acevedo wins Midwest League Pitcher of the Month for Belleview. 5-1 with a 1.83 ERA he K’d 48 in 39.1 IP. 7-2 3.28 on the year.

[gehrig38]

I'll continue to try and tweak what I am doing to make it easier to follow along. I want to get to 'know' guys and I think breaking the leagues up will help in talking about franchises and players.
If I had to hazard a guess West Michigan and Dayton are likely to be playing in October. WM appears to have the arms (Shawn Calhoun is off the charts on every talent eval) and bats and Daytons pitching is sick. Brooklyn is 3rd in the FL in HR and 2nd in SB. WM is 2nd in runs scored, 2nd in runs against and it looks like their DL is an entire roster already! Daytons pitching is where it's at. 1st in runs against, 1st in starters ERA, 2nd in bullpen ERA and 1st in Def Eff. They'll have to have some luck with their starters staying healthy as their offense is 8th in runs, 10th in avg and 9th in OBP and HR.

[gehrig38]

The CL is starting to become a bit clearer as well. Houston's pitching is as advertised, their SP are #1 in ERA. Their offense is 4th or better in the meaningful categories and they are 1st in Def Eff. The Freedoms of Philly are 2nd in Runs, Avg and OBP, 1st in runs against and bullpen ERA and 2nd in starters ERA. Fresno (no doubt helped by my pathetic staff!) are 1st in runs, and AVG, 2nd in HR. Did I mention Stone, Jung and Holland are 2, 3 and 4 in the batting race? Fresno is stacked. Vegas is 6th or better in every meaningful category except Bullpen and Def, so I am guessing their schedule has been good to them.
The Iron Pigs of Chicago are struggling. 4th in SB, 5th in HR and bullpen ERA is the great news. 11th in OBP, 12th in starting ERA, 9th in runs and 10th in runs against all explain the 24-31 record. Help is 2 weeks away, as we prepare diligently for the first ever amateur draft.

[gehrig38]

Tulsa at 24-24, Bakersfield at 25-24 and Belleview at 30-19 are all in 1st place. I attribute much of that to stagnant competition as anything. Denison is 21-28, 10 games back. These owners all understand our philosophy for the next 4-5 years. Develop players, period. If they win, great, if not that's ok. I need players and they're the ones to make them for me.

Paul Riggs, after 5 games is .400/.455/.650 as the 16th best prospect in the game. Jorge Sanchez is at .348/.471/.391 in A ball.

[gehrig38]

Month and weeks end coincided so here's a quick look at this past few games to end week 10

Game 56
Win day? Alfredo Alejandrez battles the leagues best offense in 6.1-9-4-4-2-4 yielding 2 HR’s. Frank and van Bodegraven throw 3 more runs into the mix and then something crazy happens. The Iron Pigs get pissed and explode for 7 runs in the bottom of the 8th! Donald Weavers 1 out Grand Slam followed 3 hitters later by Eric Hudsons 3R HR nail it for us. Weavers came on the first pitch from reliever Dave Stout (a Chicago outing it seems, 1st pitch granny, 1st pitch 1B, walk, 3R HR). George (3-0) wins it and Cruz nails save #10. CHI10 FRE 8 (25-31)

Game 57
Oh how quickly things turn suck. Did I mention my need for pitching? 4.2-12-8-7-1-3 was the line Jeff Garrett (2-4) rolled out there. This is a mismatch right now, the Fresno offense is insane.
FRE 13 CHI 3 (25-32)

Game 58
Mike Davis (6-2) had his day. 8-2-0-0-2-8 against the best offense in the game. Didn't surrender a hit until the 5th and was in line for a shutout until he nailed the lead off hitter in the 9th (that was for the SB yesterday in a blowout btw). Cruz came on to save his 11th.
CHI 2 FRE 0 (26-32)

WEEK 10 RECAP
Bill Hill of the Dayton Dragons takes home FL PotW honors. 11-28 6 HR’s and 12 RBI’s on the week. He’s at .298-22-48 on the year

Ramon Perez off the Fresno Grizzlies wins CL PotW honors. 12-22 3HR’s and 11 RBI’s sealed it for him.

ORG NEWS
The Belleview Rawhides are #1 in the Midwest League power rankings

[gehrig38]

Week 11

3 vs NH
3 @ PHI

Game 59
Jackson (2-6) was poop. 6-6-6-6-5-2 and that was just to not kill my pen. Wil Morgans bat is heating up a bit after a 2-4 2HR 3 run 3 RBI day. Brian Walker had 3 hits in the loss. Score was not indicative of the game, never felt ‘in it’.
NH 6 CHI 5 (26-33)

Game 60
Francisco Salazar (3-7) started the drubbing, and left the drubbing…. 3-8-8-8-3-3 was the line. Offense was shut down by Mark Cowan (2-6) 8.2-5-0-0-2-10. Kevin Moore had a 1B, 3B and 3R HR for NH.
NH 9 CHI 0 (26-34)

AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Francisco Avalos of El Paso became the first player in IBL history to hit for the cycle today. 3B, HR, 2B and 1B with 4 RBI’s and 3 runs in a 9-8 El Paso win over Tulsa.

TRADE NEWS
Pittsburgh GM Skip Jones came calling today. Seems C Harley Baker is on everyone’s radar. He’s asking for KJ as well (who I’d move for belly button lint honestly). Working in and out with some different names it just feels like there’s no match here. Pittsburgh has a VERY OLD roster right now. Vince Bray is their ace and a 5 star guy according to Martin, and 27 years old. 25 yr old 1B Ross Tunstall is a 15/18/14 5 star guy as well. I’ll keep Skip talking, there could be something there.

ROSTER NEWS
Shaking things up. Francisco was optioned to AAA Tulsa after the game. Bill Flowers was called up to take his spot in the rotation. At this point I just need semi quality innings and Salazar couldn't give me that.

Game 61
Alejandrez (5-4) was outstanding today (7-4-1-1-2-6). Van Bodegraven tried to make it interesting and forced Cruz to get 5 outs for his 12th save. Alexander popped his 21st in a 2-3 3 RBI day.
CHI 7 NH 3 (27-34)

Game 62
Not the series for the offense to go cold. Larkin (6-4) goes 7-3-0-0-3-3 easily out pacing Garrett (2-5) who stumbles to a 4-8-6-6-2-2 line.
PHI 7 CHI 0 (27-35)
Lopez had 2 more hits and is now .368/.410/.544 since the trade.

Game 63
Nothing scarier than seeing your SP grab his arm… Mike Davis came out after throwing the last pitch of the 5th (5-3-1-1-2-0) and we had to go to the pen. Pacheco gave 2 back quickly and van Bodegraven served up a 3R walk off HR in the bottom of the 9th. Alexander hammered his 22nd in the 8th.
PHI 6 CHI 3 (27-36)

Mike isn’t too concerned, and neither are the trainers. Soreness in the elbow so we’ll watch him over the next few days but he should be fine for his next start.

Game 64
Bill Flowers (1-0) wins in his IBL debut (6-5-3-3-4-2). Bill George and the pen walk the tightrope before a 4 run 9th breaks it open. Alexander hits a grand slam, and a 2B in a 3-4 5 RBI day.
CHI 9 PHI 3 (28-36)

ROSTER NEWS
Paul Riggs and Joreao Tio were both called up to AA Bakersfield today. They’ll split middle infield duties for the Speed Demons. Both will be watched closely but Martin feels like they are both ready for the competition.

WEEK 11 RECAP
Tim Davis of the Edmonton Trappers takes home FL PotW with an 11-24 2HR 4RBI week.

Randolph Boyd of the Baltimore Railcats wins CL PotW going 12-26 with a HR and 4 RBI’s.

(On a side note. I always feel like the BNN stats could be way way more ‘basebally’ if that makes sense. This week it’s “who’s leading in 3B while playing 2B”. So many stats that could be called out, streaks, things like that, that I feel like baseball ‘hard core’ guys (which we all clearly are) would love. Maybe even an option to ‘set’ which stats the league reports on weekly to keep you informed.

[gehrig38]

Here's the list of the leagues top 10 prospects heading into the draft. As you can see I'm in the 5 spot, still unsure of who I'll take. I'm likely to cover my entire draft, so if you don't have interest go ahead and move along

[gehrig38]

IBL DRAFT
Martin Cintron is an outstanding scout in every way, legendary in others. He highly favors ability in his players and I need to plan accordingly.

2012
FYI The first 4 picks go like this:
1) NH Fisher Cats take LF Manny Espinoza
2) Tulsa selects SP Antonio Rodriguez
3) The NY Knights go with SP Ray Anderson
4) Baltimore selects CF Barton Tinker

Martin tells me to take SP Anthony Martin, which I smile, as I know, and he knows I know, this is his grand son I know him well enough to know this is not a paternity thing, this kid can pitch and his ceiling is legit. His 1.6m ask is well below the slot bonus of 2.03m for the 5th pick.

So with their first ever draft choice the Iron Pigs of Chicago do in fact select SP Anthony Martin out of Oakwood Friends HS.

PICK 2
I am STUNNED to see my top 4 players still on the board here. My first bet is that Pennington, being a middle reliever, will keep, no need to jump yet. With Raul Feliz still here, and his demand being about 170k over slot I have a problem to work through. But Martin throws me a literal curve ball. He’s recommending SP Chris Blanchard out of Rice here. I need the pitching for sure, but I worry he won’t develop the command needed to anchor a rotation. I am thinking if I can finagle with Martin to save the dough I can use it to sign Feliz in this spot. I do hate to pass on pitching at this point. In the end Feliz is just too good to pass up. A 17 year old franchise cornerstone in rd 2. Never expected him to get here.

Pick 3
Martin and I are in mind meld right now. Ryan Pennington and Sandoval are still on the board and I’m thinking pitching, so is he. Interesting to note David Farley remains on the board and I expect his 4.4m bonus demand means he’ll end up going to college.

PICK 4
No 5th pick so I need to make this one count! Martin is leaning towards Ka-byong Song, a 21 year old south Korean SP. I am not seeing the ceiling to be a 4th pick. When asking him to give me another option he calls out 21 year old RF Jeff Payne out of Tougaloo College in Missouri. Average competition and the kid hit a little bit. A good average insanely fast kid with what appears to be a good eye for the zone and decent discipline. I happen upon Jeff Bentley, a 22 year old SP out of Wichita State. Martin has him as a 2 star guy, and one ready for at least A ball right now. If he hits high end he’s a 4 or 5 with outstanding control. I go with Bentley

PICK 6
Big bonus demands keep a few 3.5-5 star guys in the draft here in round 6. Martins first choice here is Jesus Fuentes a 22 year old 1.5 star potential catcher. Already above avg behind the plate his bat projects as decent with 40 2B pop. He’ll walk little and punch out a lot. I end up taking Hector Guzman, a 17 year old Santo Domingo kid with a bowling ball sinker. His command is horrid but my hope is we can harness that in the coming years.

7) Carl Walker 21 LHSP Florida Atlantic
8) Jesus Fuentes 22 C LHH New Orleans
9) Eduardo Alarcon 18 LHSP Tech Charter, Atlanta, GA
10) Jesus Mercado 20 C Switch Mississippi
11) Ivan Rea 21 LF LHH LSU 1 star
11) Eric Green 17 IF RHH St Marks HS, Wilmington, DE 3 star
12) Troy Graham 21 1B RHH St Peters, Jersey City, NJ 1 star
13) Paul Mcclellan 17 LHRP Catholic Central, Lansing, MI
14) Greg Leach 19 3B Switch Benilde-St Margarets, St Louis Park, MN
15) Nikodem Krasinski 18 OF RHH Danville, OH
16) Francisco Reyna 17 C LHH 4 star!!
17) Steve Leblanc 20 RHSP UNC, Chapel Hill, NC
18) Jack Durham 18 RHRP .5 star
(just realized all the players left are 17, I think I had roster settings at 18, which may have hosed the crap out of this first round! That being said there are a butt load of 17 year old players left so it’ll spread the talent!)
19) Julio Perez 17 LHSP 3.5 star who is looking for 1.1m to sign
20) Clancy Watts 17 RHSP Valencia, Placentia, CA
21) Pablo Diaz 17 RHSP Comanche High, TX
22) Conrad Peterson 17 2B RHH Grady High, Atlanta, GA
23) Louis Miguel Esquibel 17 RHRP
24) Steven Grubb 17 3B RHH
25) Manuel Gallardo 17 LHRP

[gehrig38]

Week 12
3 @ LA
4 @ CC

Game 65
Alexander kicks things off with a 2R HR in the 1st, his 24th. The offense clicks today with Hudson going 3-4 driving in 3, Lopez having a 3-6 day driving in 2. Jackson (3-6) battles going 6-5-1-1-5-3 for the W but Johnson and George give up 3 each over the last 3.
CHI 12 LA 7 (29-36)

Game 66
Alejandrez (6-4) goes the distance with a 2 hitter (9-2-1-1-0-7). Alexander goes 4-5 with 2 2B’s and an RBI and Chartier and Morgan hit HR’s. Gutierrez has a 3-5 day.
CHI 8 LA 1 (30-36)

ROSTER NEWS
Bob Barbour was sent to AAA on a rehab assignment, and it’s likely he’ll remain there after it’s over. Ignacio Ferrer came of the DL and Gonzalo Barron was optioned to AAA.

Game 67
Alexander hits his 25th, and the rest was ass. Garrett gives up 7 in 5 to drop to 2-6. Alexander's 7th error broke our back. Frank and Potts both got hit hard in the loss.
LA 12 CHI 5 (30-37)

STAT STUFF
Bill Alexander is 3rd in CL Avg at 356, 21 pts behind Rich Stone, tied for the league lead in HR’s at 25 with Michigan’s Brian Kempton and holding a lead of 1 in RBI’s, 74-73 over LA’s Jorge Garza. What a start.

Game 68
Another Grand Slam given up by Mike Davis, and again walks preceded it. Davis drops to 6-3 (6-3-5-5-5-3). Walks have just killed him, and us. Alexander and Lopez have 2-4 days in the loss.
CC 5 CHI 1 (30-38)

Game 69
Morgan hammers a 3R shot in the 1st, Lopez clears the bases with a 3B in the 2nd and Flowers 2-0 gets into the 9th before tiring (8.1-6-3-3-2-6). Morgan adds a solo shot in the 9th and Hudson 2Bs in a 3-5 day.
CHI 10 CC 3 (31-38)

Game 70
Ernesto Cruz comes in to escape a troubled 8th only to get himself into trouble in the 9th. Ending the game with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Gutierrez goes 3-4 and scores 3 times and Alexander drives in 2. Bartlett hits his 4th to back a solid Jackson (4-6) start (6-3-1-1-5-4).
CHI 5 CC 4 (32-38)

DRAFT NEWS
I may be about 100k short of snagging 19th rounder Julio Perez. I didn't pay close enough attention to available monies and should have waited to offer my top pick his slot bonus before proceeding. That would suck. None of my top 4 have signed yet.

Game 71
When a 4 hit day is a .500 avg you've been at the park awhile. 16 innings of rainy, wet, baseball ended after the Iron Pigs plated 3 in the top of the 16th, and tiring closer Ernesto Cruz nailed down the final 3 outs in the bottom. Pigs starter Alfredo Alejandrez battled for 6 (6-10-5-5-1-7) after giving up 5 early. Had it not been for him settling down I have no idea where the pen would be. As it was they managed to throw up 10 scoreless innings. Working out of jams all night long. The most stunning stat of the day was the staff punching out 11 and walking just 1! The Pigs 16 hit attack saw only 2 XBH, a 9th inning 3B by Walker and a 4th inning solo shot by Bartlett. Gutierrez went 4-8, Hudson 3-9 and Wil Morgan was hurt mid way through (waiting to see how he is). Corpus Christi SP Tatsuso Ito set an IBL record with 8 walks over his 5.2IP.
CHI 8 CC 5 (33-38)

INJURY NEWS
Morgan looks DtD at worst, might hold him out of #72 to be safe.

DRAFT NEWS
Word came down late in the evening that Martin has inked all 3 of our top picks, all agreeing to terms and reporting to their respective clubs tomorrow. Martin will start out in Rookie ball, Raul Feliz could likely hold his own in AAA today, but we’ll let him wet his feet in AA first. Pennington will close in AAA now, he’s that close.

WEEK 12 RECAP
Bill Hill of the Dayton Dragons wins the FL PotW with a 13-33 4HR 9 RBI week. Hills at 310-28-62 on the season.

Bill Alexander of Chicago wins his 2nd PotW award with a 12-26 3HR 12RBI week. Bill is at 353-25-77 on the year.

ORGANIZATION NEWS
Keith Todd, one of Martin’s blue chippers, took home Midwest League PotW honors by going 10-24 with 2 HR’s and 8 RBIs. Todd had struggled out of the gate at AA Bakersfield but looks to be settling in.

Chicago has moved to 12th in the power rankings (88.7)

Belleview ranks #1 at 128.3

LEAGUE NEWS
Cy May of HOU paces the IBL in XBH with 44, followed by Bill Alexanders 42, Dave Ladd of Philly’s 41, Bill Hill of Daytons 40 and Rajah Lashari of Tulsa sits at 39.

[gehrig38]

WEEK 13
3 @ HOU
3 vs MICH

Game 72
A tired and depleted bullpen finally caught up to me. I had no Cruz tonight and nursed a 1 run lead into the 9th. Given his fragile nature I couldn’t in good conscience send him out. That left me with Riley Potts as the only available reliever after Johnson, who I couldn’t keep in. van Bodegraven, Johnson and Potts all surrendered homers over the final 3 innigns to drop to Houston 9-7. Leo Russell getting a rare start was 2-4 with 2 HR’s and 4 RBI’s. Gutierrez went 3-5 and Charitier mimicked him at 3-5 with 2 RBI’s. The Iron Pigs plated 4 in the 1st and Garrett managed to battle through 5 (5-10-3-2-2-2) but a tired pen could not hold the lead.
HOU 9 CHI 7 (33-39)

Game 73
Man oh man. Mike Davis (6-4) went 6, gave up 2 earned runs, both in the first, 4 hits. Sounds about right. Now add in 0 K’s and 7 walks. I guess the ‘win’ is in the fact we only lost 2-1! I don’t have a ton of options and the kid has serious potential but this is damn frustrating. Chartier had 2 hits and stole his 15th. Raul Gonzalez moved to 10-5 2.90 with an 8-6-1-0-0-10 line.
HOU 2 CHI 1 (33-40)

LEAGUE NEWS
LA Sky Sox Felix Torres became the 2nd IBL player to hit in 20 straight (following LA’s Pat Adams who ended at 21)

DRAFT NEWS
Wichita States Jeff Bentley came to terms last night. He’ll head to Class A Denison to start his career.

MINOR LEAGUE ORG NEWS
In other news it appears Martin seriously jumped the gun on both Riggs and Tio. Riggs sits at .083 and Tio at .138 after 7 games. A few more days of this and I need to make a move. Can’t allow these kids to lose their swagger.

Game 74
Bill Flowers (3-0) continues to blossom! 9-4-0-0-0-2 as he shuts out division leading Houston. Wil Morgan slams his 12th in a 2-5 3RBI day.
CHI 6 HOU 0 (34-40)

STUFF
Had my first real ftf with Manager Jared Smith today. As a former player I respect the clubhouse and the players protectivel nature about it. Jared is of the mind to move Hudson to the 5 hole and Lopez into the 2 spot to more utilize his speed. I’m thinking they’re fine where they’re at, but that’s what I pay him for. I appreciated him asking me about it honestly. He’s as perturbed as I am with the staff and the walks. It has to stop. Pitching Coach Peter Hardin has a great reputation and I am looking to him to start fixing this. I get that we’re short on talent and depth, but I need to see some improvement staff wide, as we move along.

Game 75
I accidently simmed the top half of inning 1 thinking I was hitting, I wasn’t. But amazingly the results seemed familiar! BB, 1B, out, BB, BB, K, 1B, BB, out. Jackson (4-7) and the Pigs get routed 8-5 as he goes 3.1-6-7-7-5-2. Walkers 3 R HR in the 9th made it look closer than it was. Morgan belted his 13th in a 2-4 2 RBI day.
MICH 8 CHI 5 (34-41)

Game 76
Ted Long steps to the plate, 2 outs, runners on 1st and 2nd, 1 ball 2 strike count. Alejandro lost his perfect game with the 1 out walk to Jones here in the 9th, now with 2 on, 2 down, 4-0 game, let’s cut to play by play man Todd Kalas (son of the legendary play by play man Harry Kalas)…

“Cut on, Long tops slow a roller to Mo, a quick step to the bag and he flips to Alejandro covering….he’s done it! Alfredo Alejandro has tossed the IBL’s FIRST EVER NO HITTER, can you believe it? He’s being mobbed by teammates around the first base bag!”

One of the things I so love about this game is the ‘feel’, it just ‘feels’ like a real baseball game in so many ways. This was certainly one of them. About the 5th I started to feel it, he was punching guys out all over the place. Sort of like I felt in real life when I got past the 5th with a no no. The 1 out walk in the 9th made me realize he was perfect, or had been. He was tiring fast too. His final line was 9-0-0-0-2-11.
CHI 4 MICH 0 (35-41)

LEAGUE NEWS
Besides Alejandor’s no no, LA’s Felix Torres broke teammate Pat Adams streak of 21 games but was held hitless in game 23 by the Riverhounds.

Game 77
Back to reality. I need an option for Jeff Garrett. A 3.2-9-5-5-2-3 line puts his ERA north of 7, that can’t be allowed to continue for him and for me. He didn’t even take the loss. A 5 run 6th tied itup but Chris Frank served up a 2 run PH HR to Henry Wilson as I, again, stayed a hitter too long with a pitcher. Feel like I need a 9 man pen. Gutierrez was 3-5 to raise his average to .325. Alexander was 1-5 and has dropped to .333. Bartlett was ejected in the 6th for arguing balls and strikes.
MICH 7 CHI 6 (35-42)

WEEK 13 RECAP
West Michigan White Caps Paco Veldez wins the FL PotW award going 13-21 with 6 RBI’s

Rich Stone of Fresno wins another PotW award. He was 15-24 with 2 HR’s and 9 RBI’s to push his season totals to an astounding .402-10-51.

In other interesting news Dayton’s Ernie Kelly is leading the league in CG’s, having completed 8 of his first 16 starts. Jose Castellanos of Tulsa is 2nd with 6, Matthieu Caffasso of Las Vegas, Marcos Diaz of Corpus Christi and Raul Gonzalez of Houston are all tied with 5 apiece.

Chicago drops to 19th in the Power Rankings (80.8)

ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS
Dudley Williams seems to have taken his promotion to AAA well. Going 10-15 with a HR 6 RBI’s and 5 runs scored the 2B won the PotW award, Tulsa’s first such winner.

Belleview remains atop their leagues power rankings at 126.5