King County Baseball Conference

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/13/12
Friday
Daily Recap






Key Moment

With two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning with the bases loaded and clinging to a 2-1 lead CL Brad Jones (0-2 8 3.86) was called on to save the game. He fanned 2B Dave "Fat Sack" Williams (.219 3 7) on a 1-2 curveball to end the threat.


Plowboys Outduel Coal Raiders; Ryan Loses No-Hitter in 6th

Federal District--SP Joel "The Kid" Ryan (4-0 2.17) pitched 5.2 no-hit innings and finished the night pitching 7.2 strong innings in a winning effort in front of 8,321 disappointed fans at Federal Field. Ryan yielded just 1 ER on 3 hits and 4 walks while cementing his reputation as the Plowboys (10-6) ace. His 7 strikeouts kept him in the league lead with 47 and he remains undefeated on the season at 4-0. The Plowboys (10-6) who remained in 1st place with the victory have now won 2 straight after a 3-game losing streak.

After yielding his 1st hit of the game in the bottom of the 6th inning The Kid quickly got back to work retiring the next 5 batters he faced but with one out in the 8th inning he got himself into trouble. He allowed a single to RF William Nelson (.303 0 2) followed with by a walk to C Tim Chambers (.091 1 5). PH Joe Williams (.182 0 1) then singled up the middle driving in the only run of the game for the Coal Raiders to make the game 2-1. The runner at 1st base, C Tim Chambers, expected the throw to go home and tried to go from 1st to 3rd on the play but was caught red-handed by the strong throw to third base by CF Roy "The Terd" Logan for the 2nd out of the inning. Joel "The Kid" Ryan then walked lead-off batter CF Kellen Caldwell (.227 1 2) putting the tying run on 2nd base with the heart of the order brewing on-deck. CL Brad Jones was called in to shut down the threat and promptly fanned 2B Dave "Fat sack" Williams on 5 pitches. He finished the 9th and picked up his league-leading 8th save on the season.

The Plowboys head back home Saturday night feeling good about themselves and prepare for the 1st game of a home-and-home weekend series against Adamsville (7-9).

Player of the Game
SP Joel "The Kid" Ryan


Honorable Pawn
SP Ken Yates

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/14/12
Saturday Morning
Updated Standings

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/14/12
Saturday
Daily Match-ups

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/14/12
Saturday
Daily Recap

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/15/12
Sunday Morning
Updated Standings

[Honorable_Pawn]

Breaking News


Federal District--The Federal District Coal Raiders have announced that they have completed a trade with the District Thirteen Blackjacks this morning. The Coal Raiders received 26-yr old SP Henry Jackson (4-1 2.58) in a move that significantly bolsters their starting rotation. They parted ways with 33-yr old DH/RF William Nelson (.324 0 3) and 15-yr old 2B Terry Gardner.

To make room for SP Henry Jackson the Coal Raiders demoted struggling 28-yr old SP Clement Martin (1-3 5.72) to the reserve roster. Although the trade greatly improves their 3-man rotation they now have greatly reduced the depth in their outfield and the strength of their line-up. The Coal Raiders still have 3 solid starters in the LF Kellen Caldwell (.261 1 2), CF Ollie "Pop" Thomas (.212 2 8), and RF Dennis Ayers (.400 0 5) but OF Joe Williams (.167 0 1) who was serving as the 4th OF'er will be given the DH job. Speculation is now mounting, however, that the Coal Raiders will make a strong push for troubled free-agent 1B Tony Bustamonte to fill the hole at DH.

To make room for RF William Nelson the District Thirteen Blackjacks optioned 19-yr CF Bob Wilson (.286 0 0) to the reserve roster and recalled 28-yr old SP Tim Rogers who will make his debut in today's game against Brown Town. RF William Nelson will vastly improve District Thirteen's offense but there are questions about SP Tim Rogers' ability to avoid big innings. In exhibition reserve roster games he showed great control of his fastball (92-94 mph), cutter, and change-up but was susceptible to leaving his pitches over the plate.

The Coal Radiers have been involved in every trade this season with the most-significant being the trade that yielded 3B Shannon Bridges for RF Brit Mayfield. CEO Lou Ironon III, known for his short temper, clearly pressured GM Randall Bonner into making a move for a starting pitcher sacrificing an aging but quality DH for a legitimate #3.

At the moment the trade looks like it slightly favors the Coal Raiders but much of the long-term implications will depend upon the continued development of 15-yr old 2B Terry Gardner.


Coal Raiders Receive:



Blackjacks Recieve:

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/15/12
Sunday
Daily Match-ups

[Honorable_Pawn]

Damn...Henry Jackson looks good in that uniform

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/15/12
Sunday
Daily Recap

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/16/12
Monday Morning
Updated Standings

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/16/12
Monday
Daily Match-ups

[Honorable_Pawn]

Player of the Week

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/16/12
Monday
Daily Recap






Key Moment

With no outs in the bottom of the 11th inning and the bases loaded C Palmer Ryan (.275 2 6) laced a single up the middle for a dramatic walk-off victory.


Joel Ryan throws 11 innings for Complete Game Win

Farmingdale--Joel "The Kid" Ryan (5-0 1.93) tossed 11 vigorous innings on just 2 days rest while picking up his league-leading 5th victory of the season. He set the KCBL record for strike-outs in a game with 15 though he had 13 through nine innings which is tied for the most in a 9-inning game. His 11 innings pitched is also a league record for most innings pitched in a single game.

Perhaps more impressive than his strike-out total was that he allowed just 3 hits and 2 walks during Monday afternoon's 11-inning marathon. He dropped his league-leading ERA to 1.93 after allowing just 1 ER. He was given a 1-run lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning when LF Donovan Todd (.167 1 6) drew a 1-out walk that was followed up by RF Howard Griffin's (.239 2 13) RBI triple.

The lead held up until the 7th inning when 2B Larry Joysey (.219 1 6) drew a lead-off walk. Joysey stole 2nd base and scored on 3B Hal Hancock's (.313 4 19) single through 2nd base to tie the game at 1-1.

After the 9th inning most of the 6,175 in attendance at Burlington Farms Baseball Yard thought Ryan would be saddled with a no-decision but manager Carl Silver allowed Joel to finish the game. In the 2 extra frames Joel fanned more batters (2) than he allowed to reach base (1) as he finished up strong despite 138 pitches thrown.

The Farmingdale Plowboys (13-6) have now won 5 straight games after a 3-game losing streak to set the KCBL record for most consecutive victories in a row. Once considered a preseason favorite to make the playoffs the Brown Town Powers (9-10) have now lost 3 games in a row dropping them under .500 and 4 games out of 1st place.

Player of the Game
SP Joel Ryan


Honorable Pawn
SP Matt Thirkettle

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/17/12
Tuesday Morning
Updated Standings

[Honorable_Pawn]

Breaking News




Federal District--In a move that shocked the home-town fans of District Thirteen troubled free-agent 1B Tony Bustamonte signed a 1-yr $130,350 deal with the Federal District Coal Raiders. The District Thirteen Blackjacks appeared to be close to signing Bustamonte late last week but CEO Louis Ironon Jr. III of the Federal District Coal Raiders upped the ante over the weekend and finalized the deal late Monday night. Bustamonte will likely be the Federal District DH and is expected to start Wednesday evening at home against the Adamsville Woodcutters.

The troubled 1B was convicted of armed bank robbery in the winter of 2006 and served 5 years at the King County Correctional Institution in which he adamantly proclaimed his innocence. Several months after his release he was again in the crosshairs of law enforcement when he was arrested for strong-arm robbery in January 2012. He pleaded not guilty and retained the services of the famous law firm Ask Dick & Harry. Speculation abuzzed that the notorious mobster Tommy Knuckles funded his defense. During the trial the prosecution's star-witness and the victim in this case was diagnosed with late-stage Alzheimers Disease and was admitted to a nursing home unable to testify. The District Attorney was forced to drop all charges in the case.

The trial was considered a major setback to Tony Bustamonte's KCBL baseball career. He was expected to be a 1st round draft choice during the KCBL 2012 inaugural draft but negative media attention amidst a storm of intense public debate forced the Commissioner's Office to call a hasty Owner's Meeting in which the CEO's of each team would decide whether or not he would be given a chance to pursue his baseball career. Bustamonte won a narrow 5-3 decision on July 1, 2012 and was admitted to the league as an unrestricted free-agent.

CEO Louis Ironon Jr. III has made the news in several big-splashes this season. First by trading away SP Joel Ryan to Farmingdale after selecting him 1st in the inaugural draft for a multitude of 1st round picks. He later traded superstar RF Brit Mayfield to the Paco Wolves for 3B Shannon Bridges in late June. Then just last week he traded away DH William Nelson to the District Thirteen Blackjacks for SP Henry Jackson. CEO Louis Ironon Jr. III has made it clear that he is making a run for the championship despite his teams lackluster 8-10 record.

Will this be the spark his team needs to make a run for a championship or will this spell the end of GM Randall Bonner's control of the front office? Can Tony Bustamonte stay out of trouble? Will the fans of the league turn away in disgust or will they embrace giving a man a chance to redeem himself?

Only time will tell.

Stay tuned...

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/17/12
Tuesday
Daily Match-ups

[Honorable_Pawn]

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/17/12
Tuesday
Daily Recap






Key Moment

27-yr old right-handed hitting DH Ricky Olsen (.194 2 6) scored the only run of the game when he pulled a 2-2 forkball 347' down the left field line with two outs in the bottom of the 2nd inning.


Eddie Throttles Adamsville

District Thirteen--SP Eddie "Iron Maiden" Melton (2-4 3.76) was at the top of his game Tuesday evening in front of 7,831 nut-jobs at Pocket Rocket Stadium. He easily shut-down the Adamsville Woodcutters (7-12) scattering 3 hits and 1 walk over 9 shut-out innings. He added 8 strike-outs to his season total moving him into 5th in the KCBL with 46.

Early on it looked like the 31-yr old lefty was going to be in for a long day. He allowed 2 singles and a lead-off walk in the 1st inning. He escaped damage, however, after a big 4-6-3 double play cleared the base-paths. He then allowed back-to-back singles that advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a throwing error by recently-aquired RF William Nelson (.298 0 3). Eddie settled down and struck out CF Fletcher Carroll (.212 0 5) on 95 mph cutter to end the inning. After that he was practically unhittable retiring 24 of the next 25 batters he faced. His cutter was consisteny running at 94-95 mph setting up a devasting change-up to righties and a backdoor screwball to lefties.

It was a masterful pitching performance that was met by an almost equally good performance by SP Millard Walker (2-4 3.33) of the Woodcutters. Walker pitched 8 strong innings giving up just 3 hits. He fanned 4 batters and did not yield a walk. His only mistake came in the 2nd inning when he left a 2-2 forkball over the plate that DH Ricky Olsen launched down the line to deep left field.

The Blackjacks have now won 3 games in-a-row moving them above .500 for the first time this season and within 3 games of the idle Farmingdale Plowboys (13-6).

Player of the Game
SP Eddie "Iron Maiden" Melton


Honorable Pawn
SP Millard Walker

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/18/12
Wednesday Morning
Updated Standings

[Honorable_Pawn]

07/18/12
Wednesday
Daily Match-ups