WWBL Independent No. 18 - Our GL all-star team

Clipper · 08-07-2002, 07:44 PM

The Independent
Vol. 1 No.18 Thursday, August 8, 2002

Spokane dominates Independent's Gray League all-star team

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Independent staff members see the coming all-star game as not being much different than most games for Spokane.
The defending WWBL champions would have nine players on the team if this publication did the choosing.
Overall, the GL all-star team, as we see them, would have 18 of the 25-team members from just four teams. Nine from Spokane and three each from Fargo, Idaho and Melbourne make up the majority of the team. Only eight teams would be represented. Twelve of the 14 teams in the Blue League were represented in the Independent's projected all-star lineups last week.
Owners' greatest challenge will likely be in narrowing down the quality pitchers, there were many, and first baseman. Many owners may notice there star first baseman, who is probably worthy, left off the team. John Bibler, the 38-year-old Rebels' star, was added to the team as a nostalgic choice. League officials did not know when the voting would start and finish. Here is the team as we see the GL all-stars:

Pitchers:
SP D. Higgin, Spokane (Will not play because of injury)
SP K. Bork, Memphis
SP M. Agustin, Melbourne
SP J. Wachter, Fargo
SP D. Neri, Palm Beach
RP D. Souder, Fargo
RP E. Bell, Melbourne
RP C. Morales, Chatanooga (Replaces Higgin)
RP W. Larsen, Spokane
RP J. Fulmer, Cocoa Beach
RP M. Huertes, Melbourne
RP C. Sales, Spokane
RP J. Borrero, Memphis

Catchers:
C. Shepard, Spokane
K. Benito, Idaho
First baseman
M. Hill, Idaho
D. Fanning, Spokane
J. Bibler, Cocoa Beach
Second baseman
K. Murray, Palm Beach
Shortstop
F. Trueblood, Spokane
Third base
A. Boucher, Spokane
J. Bethune, Idaho
Outfield
J. Lewis, Spokane
J. Gwyn, Fargo
A. Flick, Spokane
W. Metts, Chatanooga

Orona dings way into record books

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Being a 24-year-old first baseman on a team that includes WWBL veteran great John Bibler can't be easy,
He draws the attention of media, fans and the organization.
Well, at least for a time, the Rebels' future star first baseman, has grabbed the headlines. Hitting phenom Robert Orona hit four homers, to raise his season total to 10, during an 8-2 win over Hollywood last week.
Orona's four-dinger day put him in the WWBL record books for most homers in a single game. Springfield's Jeffery Ryland currently holds the Blue League's record with three, though seven others have equaled that total.
Cocoa Beach has surprised many this season by surpassing Savannah for first place in the Sunshine Division. The Rebels have a seven-game lead in the division.
Bibler, a 38-year-old MVP candidate, has hit 15 more homers than Orona this season, but has played more and more in the outfield, allowing Orona to take first base.

Season records will fall this season -- the question is which ones?

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Last year, the best team in the entire league, Spokane, won just 96 games. That number will most certainly fall this season. The Cougars have already won 57 games, putting them on pace to win 114 this season.
The Cougars need just 39 wins in the second half of the season to tie their record.
Here are some other records that may be eclipsed this season (as submitted by Conrad Ward):
Record Number of Losses Darrell Augustin (WTX) 20
Record Number of RBI Derick Fanning (SPK) 168
Record Number of Strikeouts David Brown (WTX) 222
Record Number of Home Runs Eli Ekstrom (AUS) 59
Highest Batting Average Kevin Roe (MAD) .402

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Players of the Week

Blue League: Thomas Goncalves, C, Austin, won his first Player of the Week award this week. He hit .600 with 8 RBI and an .800 slugging percentage. He has an eight -game hitting streak going and the 38-year-old is hitting .302 this season.

Gray League: Barton Howard, 1B, Melbourne, hit .520 with two homers and 7 RBI this week to become Player of the Week. The 28-year-old is hitting .315 this season.

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Line of the Week

Robert Orona had the best game last week. The 24-year-old first baseman hit four homers and recorded five hits and five RBI against Hollywood June 25.
AB R H RBI HR
5 4 5 5 4

Please see next post for more news

Clipper · 08-07-2002, 07:48 PM

Continued from last post

Division-by-Division Dispatches

Gulf Coast

The Baton Rouge Battlecats offices will be open part time for the next week or two, I'm starting another job on Monday and also I'm doing some renovations to my house which has actually been going on for the past week. I should be able to make each weekly sim, but probably won't be able to send any team updates out since time will be tight. Will keep everyone updated. thanks john.

Frontier

It's been a real struggle for the Idaho Marvels over the first half of the season. They started out hot, cooled off quickly and have played .500 ball pretty much the rest of the way. They're sitting not-so-pretty at 3 games under .500 and 17 games out of first place in their division. "It's aggravating to watch us lose games in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings," said manager Fred Mahaffey, who's rumored to be in jeopardy of losing his job at the end of the season if the M's don't finish above .500. "It's been a revolving door at the closer position, and now that we've got that one nailed down with Roderick (Averill), there's a real need for a quality setup man or two on this roster." "Talent will be evaluated," added GM Chris Case when he heard of Mahaffey's comments about the bullpen. "There's no doubt that we will seek relief help for next season. I predicted a .500 finish this season, and I'll be satisfied with a .500 finish. I won't be happy about it, but I'll be satisfied. You can't have a team ERA over 5.00 and be competitive. There's just no way, no matter how well the team hits." Hitting thus far hasn't been a problem: The team is batting a combined .293 and has several hitters in the top 10 in average. Lacking, however, is a solid, quality starting pitcher and RBI and home run production. "There will be a power hitter in this lineup next year. That much I can promise the fans," Case remarked. "When I came here, management had just traded away the best hitter this league has seen. It remains to be seen if those draft picks we traded for will even pan out. I certainly hope they do, and we've got some guys coming along well, but it could be 3 or 4 years before those guys mature enough for the big leagues. I'll definitely be in the hunt for a 4-hole hitter in the offseason. At present, though, my goal is to sign those players who fit into the scheme and lock some guys up long-term, so that Idaho has a solid core of young players to build around with a few veterans."

The Colorado Springs Firestorm have struggled over the last 2 weeks. At one point CS went 6 games without a victory. Despite dealing both Jennngs, and bolstering their pitching staff, the Firestorm have been hampered by the loss of startng pitcher Robert Simmons. Simmons 28, was the Firestorm's best pitcher last season. But due to injuries, includng his latest which will shelve him for 5-6 weeks, Simmons has struggled this year. The Firestorm are searching for a replacement pitcher and would consider dealing mostly anything. Despite the Firestorm's struggles, they find themselves 3 back of the Wild Card and will be making a full push for the postseason. In other news, the Firestorm have signed 1b Daniel Colclough and SP/RP Lucious Channel to 3 year extensions. They are also currently talking with SP Keith Harrison, and expect to reach an agreement shortly.

Spokane, WA. - 10 days after losing SP Dom Higgin, one of the WWBL's best pitchers for the season, the Spokane Cougars are still looking good. Over that 10 day stretch, the Cougars are 6-2, with one of those loses coming in extra innings. Bats have always been the true definition of this team. The Cougars have been led during this period by: 1B Derick Fanning, last 6 games 11-26 .423 BA 2 HR 10 RBI. Fanning has gotten a hit (14 overall with 13 RBI) in all but one of the games since the team lost Higgin. LF Chris Lewis, last 5 games 9-21 .429 BA 2 HR 8 RBI. Lewis has 11 hits and 11 RBI since Higgin went down. 3B Art Boucher, 11-19 .579 BA 1 HR 6 RBI Boucher has 15 hits and 11 RBI since Higgin left the team. SP David Murray, 2-1 6 R in last 3 starts since Higgin went down.

Sunshine

The Little Rock Rapids had a 2-1 record this short week before the All-Star break to improve their Bluegrass Division leading record to 41-40; and opened a 3-game lead over second place Chattanooga and Memphis. Their recent success is without a doubt a consecuence of the arrival of 2 new SP over the season, Marion Richeson and Wayne VanWrinkle. Over 18 starts they have a combined 9-4 record, after going 2-8 with their previous teams, and post a combined 3,43 ERA. Both pitchers are signed through 2004 and hope to become the first ones to pitch for Little Rock in the postseason. With the return of bullpen ace Lane Thai from a long stay in the DL the Rapids the only question remaining is will the ownership make any more moves this season? Owner/GM Guillermo Stamm said recently he hopes to add a solid, veteran arm to their weak bullpen and said he wouldn´t mind trading away prospects or draft picks, "If we don´t get a quality set-up man or closer that will make our road to the postseason very difficult" he said.

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The WWBL Independent is published weekly on Thursdays at the offices of the West Texas Wildcats. This publication is a work in progress. Please send suggestions, articles or constructive criticisms on how we can serve you better to: wt_wildcat@verizonmail.com.

To inquire about openings in the WWBL, please contact Brian Ferris, league chairman, at brianwferris@hotmail.com or visit the league Web site at http://www.wwbl.net/.

WWBL Commissioner · 08-08-2002, 01:11 AM

another great paper...thanks for all the hard work

08-07-2002, 07:44 PM	#1
Clipper Minors (Single A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Texas Posts: 83	WWBL Independent No. 18 - Our GL all-star team The Independent Vol. 1 No.18 Thursday, August 8, 2002 Spokane dominates Independent's Gray League all-star team SPOKANE, Wash. -- Independent staff members see the coming all-star game as not being much different than most games for Spokane. The defending WWBL champions would have nine players on the team if this publication did the choosing. Overall, the GL all-star team, as we see them, would have 18 of the 25-team members from just four teams. Nine from Spokane and three each from Fargo, Idaho and Melbourne make up the majority of the team. Only eight teams would be represented. Twelve of the 14 teams in the Blue League were represented in the Independent's projected all-star lineups last week. Owners' greatest challenge will likely be in narrowing down the quality pitchers, there were many, and first baseman. Many owners may notice there star first baseman, who is probably worthy, left off the team. John Bibler, the 38-year-old Rebels' star, was added to the team as a nostalgic choice. League officials did not know when the voting would start and finish. Here is the team as we see the GL all-stars: Pitchers: SP D. Higgin, Spokane (Will not play because of injury) SP K. Bork, Memphis SP M. Agustin, Melbourne SP J. Wachter, Fargo SP D. Neri, Palm Beach RP D. Souder, Fargo RP E. Bell, Melbourne RP C. Morales, Chatanooga (Replaces Higgin) RP W. Larsen, Spokane RP J. Fulmer, Cocoa Beach RP M. Huertes, Melbourne RP C. Sales, Spokane RP J. Borrero, Memphis Catchers: C. Shepard, Spokane K. Benito, Idaho First baseman M. Hill, Idaho D. Fanning, Spokane J. Bibler, Cocoa Beach Second baseman K. Murray, Palm Beach Shortstop F. Trueblood, Spokane Third base A. Boucher, Spokane J. Bethune, Idaho Outfield J. Lewis, Spokane J. Gwyn, Fargo A. Flick, Spokane W. Metts, Chatanooga Orona dings way into record books COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- Being a 24-year-old first baseman on a team that includes WWBL veteran great John Bibler can't be easy, He draws the attention of media, fans and the organization. Well, at least for a time, the Rebels' future star first baseman, has grabbed the headlines. Hitting phenom Robert Orona hit four homers, to raise his season total to 10, during an 8-2 win over Hollywood last week. Orona's four-dinger day put him in the WWBL record books for most homers in a single game. Springfield's Jeffery Ryland currently holds the Blue League's record with three, though seven others have equaled that total. Cocoa Beach has surprised many this season by surpassing Savannah for first place in the Sunshine Division. The Rebels have a seven-game lead in the division. Bibler, a 38-year-old MVP candidate, has hit 15 more homers than Orona this season, but has played more and more in the outfield, allowing Orona to take first base. Season records will fall this season -- the question is which ones? SPOKANE, Wash. -- Last year, the best team in the entire league, Spokane, won just 96 games. That number will most certainly fall this season. The Cougars have already won 57 games, putting them on pace to win 114 this season. The Cougars need just 39 wins in the second half of the season to tie their record. Here are some other records that may be eclipsed this season (as submitted by Conrad Ward): Record Number of Losses Darrell Augustin (WTX) 20 Record Number of RBI Derick Fanning (SPK) 168 Record Number of Strikeouts David Brown (WTX) 222 Record Number of Home Runs Eli Ekstrom (AUS) 59 Highest Batting Average Kevin Roe (MAD) .402 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Players of the Week Blue League: Thomas Goncalves, C, Austin, won his first Player of the Week award this week. He hit .600 with 8 RBI and an .800 slugging percentage. He has an eight -game hitting streak going and the 38-year-old is hitting .302 this season. Gray League: Barton Howard, 1B, Melbourne, hit .520 with two homers and 7 RBI this week to become Player of the Week. The 28-year-old is hitting .315 this season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Line of the Week Robert Orona had the best game last week. The 24-year-old first baseman hit four homers and recorded five hits and five RBI against Hollywood June 25. AB R H RBI HR 5 4 5 5 4 Please see next post for more news

08-08-2002, 01:11 AM	#3
WWBL Commissioner All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Hawaii Posts: 887	another great paper...thanks for all the hard work __________________ Offey WWBL Commissioner(2004-2014 real life years) WWBL: Hawaii Island Warriors 2005 Pacific League Champion 2006 Pacific League Champion 2007 Pacific League Champion 2008 WWBL WORLD CHAMPION 2010 WWBL WORLD CHAMPION 2019 WWBL WORLD CHAMPION 2029 WWBL WORLD CHAMPION The Island Warriors are 21-23 in World Series play. BadAssBaseball: Boston Red Sox 1906 American League Champion 1907 WORLD CHAMPION

08-07-2002, 07:48 PM	#2
Clipper Minors (Single A) Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Texas Posts: 83	Continued from last post Division-by-Division Dispatches Gulf Coast The Baton Rouge Battlecats offices will be open part time for the next week or two, I'm starting another job on Monday and also I'm doing some renovations to my house which has actually been going on for the past week. I should be able to make each weekly sim, but probably won't be able to send any team updates out since time will be tight. Will keep everyone updated. thanks john. Frontier It's been a real struggle for the Idaho Marvels over the first half of the season. They started out hot, cooled off quickly and have played .500 ball pretty much the rest of the way. They're sitting not-so-pretty at 3 games under .500 and 17 games out of first place in their division. "It's aggravating to watch us lose games in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings," said manager Fred Mahaffey, who's rumored to be in jeopardy of losing his job at the end of the season if the M's don't finish above .500. "It's been a revolving door at the closer position, and now that we've got that one nailed down with Roderick (Averill), there's a real need for a quality setup man or two on this roster." "Talent will be evaluated," added GM Chris Case when he heard of Mahaffey's comments about the bullpen. "There's no doubt that we will seek relief help for next season. I predicted a .500 finish this season, and I'll be satisfied with a .500 finish. I won't be happy about it, but I'll be satisfied. You can't have a team ERA over 5.00 and be competitive. There's just no way, no matter how well the team hits." Hitting thus far hasn't been a problem: The team is batting a combined .293 and has several hitters in the top 10 in average. Lacking, however, is a solid, quality starting pitcher and RBI and home run production. "There will be a power hitter in this lineup next year. That much I can promise the fans," Case remarked. "When I came here, management had just traded away the best hitter this league has seen. It remains to be seen if those draft picks we traded for will even pan out. I certainly hope they do, and we've got some guys coming along well, but it could be 3 or 4 years before those guys mature enough for the big leagues. I'll definitely be in the hunt for a 4-hole hitter in the offseason. At present, though, my goal is to sign those players who fit into the scheme and lock some guys up long-term, so that Idaho has a solid core of young players to build around with a few veterans." The Colorado Springs Firestorm have struggled over the last 2 weeks. At one point CS went 6 games without a victory. Despite dealing both Jennngs, and bolstering their pitching staff, the Firestorm have been hampered by the loss of startng pitcher Robert Simmons. Simmons 28, was the Firestorm's best pitcher last season. But due to injuries, includng his latest which will shelve him for 5-6 weeks, Simmons has struggled this year. The Firestorm are searching for a replacement pitcher and would consider dealing mostly anything. Despite the Firestorm's struggles, they find themselves 3 back of the Wild Card and will be making a full push for the postseason. In other news, the Firestorm have signed 1b Daniel Colclough and SP/RP Lucious Channel to 3 year extensions. They are also currently talking with SP Keith Harrison, and expect to reach an agreement shortly. Spokane, WA. - 10 days after losing SP Dom Higgin, one of the WWBL's best pitchers for the season, the Spokane Cougars are still looking good. Over that 10 day stretch, the Cougars are 6-2, with one of those loses coming in extra innings. Bats have always been the true definition of this team. The Cougars have been led during this period by: 1B Derick Fanning, last 6 games 11-26 .423 BA 2 HR 10 RBI. Fanning has gotten a hit (14 overall with 13 RBI) in all but one of the games since the team lost Higgin. LF Chris Lewis, last 5 games 9-21 .429 BA 2 HR 8 RBI. Lewis has 11 hits and 11 RBI since Higgin went down. 3B Art Boucher, 11-19 .579 BA 1 HR 6 RBI Boucher has 15 hits and 11 RBI since Higgin left the team. SP David Murray, 2-1 6 R in last 3 starts since Higgin went down. Sunshine The Little Rock Rapids had a 2-1 record this short week before the All-Star break to improve their Bluegrass Division leading record to 41-40; and opened a 3-game lead over second place Chattanooga and Memphis. Their recent success is without a doubt a consecuence of the arrival of 2 new SP over the season, Marion Richeson and Wayne VanWrinkle. Over 18 starts they have a combined 9-4 record, after going 2-8 with their previous teams, and post a combined 3,43 ERA. Both pitchers are signed through 2004 and hope to become the first ones to pitch for Little Rock in the postseason. With the return of bullpen ace Lane Thai from a long stay in the DL the Rapids the only question remaining is will the ownership make any more moves this season? Owner/GM Guillermo Stamm said recently he hopes to add a solid, veteran arm to their weak bullpen and said he wouldn´t mind trading away prospects or draft picks, "If we don´t get a quality set-up man or closer that will make our road to the postseason very difficult" he said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The WWBL Independent is published weekly on Thursdays at the offices of the West Texas Wildcats. This publication is a work in progress. Please send suggestions, articles or constructive criticisms on how we can serve you better to: wt_wildcat@verizonmail.com. To inquire about openings in the WWBL, please contact Brian Ferris, league chairman, at brianwferris@hotmail.com or visit the league Web site at http://www.wwbl.net/.