Bush League

[Elendil]

I just realized that I accidentally skipped the North Pole Nicks intro earlier, so I'm doing it now. North Pole is a suburb of Fairbanks, and as you can tell from the uniforms and team nickname, the town has a bit of a "Santa Claus" theme. The Nicks were once a team in the Alaska Baseball League, but this incarnation is completely different, organizationally, although they will play in the same sports complex. The team relies heavily on merchandise sales, but they also hope to make a dent in the decent-sized Fairbanks market.

GM: Ron Miller


Manager: Luke Underwood

[Elendil]

The First Few Weeks

The Alaskan League's schedule makers wanted to start the season out with some rivalry matchups, so the year began with exclusively intradivisional play among geographic competitors. The Bucs and the Glacier Pilots, who actually both play in the same stadium, faced off for a 3-game set. North Pole and Fairbanks duelled in a battle for the fans of the northernmost city in the league. The two southernmost teams of the panhandle, Sitka and Ketchikan, also squared off. The Peninsula Oilers of Kenai traveled to the nearby isle of Kodiak to face the Grizzlies. The Jets-Miners opener has already been described, and the Senators and Vortex were the final matchup.

The opening series were financial successes, with all of them selling out. To accentuate the rivalry aspects of the first series, and to carry over the excitement of the opening games into the weeknight games, the second series all completed a "home-and-home" switch for the same rivals who played in the first series of the season. The Monday night games all sold out as well, because these were home openers.

On Tuesday attendance faded in those cities with either rain or a cold snap: Anchorage and Fairbanks particularly. In Fairbanks, the game time temperature was 39 degrees, and only 700 showed up, in a park that could fit 3000. The midweek games did not do so well, mostly drawing fewer than a thousand, but on Friday night things picked up again, and the second weekend was almost as good as the first. The fine weather, excepting the panhandle, certainly helped.

Financially, the league appeared to be over its first big hump. Most of the teams were still projecting year-end profits after three weeks, and Commissioner Paul Fulfer declared that the league was healthy enough to continue through the entire 96-game schedule. However, the long-term health of the league remained in doubt, as one would expect for any new league, but particularly one with franchises in some very small markets.

The league really needed some superstars to come out of the woodwork and capture the imagination of the fans. Enter Tom Robbins.

The Alabama Slammer



Tom Robbins was a 33-year-old employee at a fish cannery in Anchorage when he read about tryouts for the new league in the newspaper. He'd played some college ball but couldn't pursue it when his father had died, and he had had to take care of his mother and younger siblings. After she had died and they had grown up, three years before, he'd moved up to Alaska, lured by the high seasonal wages.

So he went down to Mulcahy in March to give it a shot. It was actually a Bucs tryout, run by Wes MacArtney, the Buc manager. Word got out pretty quickly about the thin man from Alabama who had hit seven of ten pitches over the snowed-over fence. MacArtney offered him a $30,000 contract, but Tom told him that was far less than he was making at the cannery, and he wouldn't take less than $45,000.

He was about to sign the papers for $45,000 when he picked up the paper and read about the salary the Bucs had given 34-year-old Bob Horton, a friend of Ron Bishop's (he who would make $154,000). Well, it turned out that Horton was given almost exactly the same contract as Bishop.

Robbins knew he was worth more than $45,000. So he went down to the offices of the Glacier Pilots and met with Joe Daye, who also happened to be black. Daye had heard about Robbins' feats at the tryout. After he repeated them in front of Daye, they sat down to make a deal. "You're going to be this league's Babe Ruth," Daye reportedly told Robbins.

The 4-year, $186,000 per year contract dominated headlines across Alaska the next day.

Robbins started slow in May. "I don't hit well in the cold," he explained ironically to laughing reporters when they questioned his big contract. But in June, he would rapidly become the face of the league, as he put up almost legendary numbers: .327 batting average, 12 homeruns in 104 at-bats, .740 slugging percentage, 1.144 OPS, 27 runs scored, 30 RBI. The Glacier Pilots were first in their division, and it was clear who was responsible. His blue-collar background only made him a bigger story. Soon the league was running TV ads all over Alaska featuring "The Alabama Slammer." His visage even appeared on the intro page of the travelalaska.com website set up by the state government.

The league passes the critical stage

With Tom Robbins front and center in their ad campaign, the league marketing itself successfully to tourists from the Lower 48, and some local rivalries developed, the league passed the critical midseason stage and entered July in vigorous health. Some teams in smaller markets would perhaps make some losses, but the real reason was that they had overspent during the March and April spring fever.

Only a few trades were made before the July 1 midnight trade deadline, but there were two fairly significant deals.

On May 22nd, the Ketchikan King Salmon finalized a deal with the Fairbanks Goldpanners for the services of 27-year-old starting pitcher John Lynn. In exchange, the Goldpanners received 27-year-old right fielder Jimmy Williams. They had very comparable salaries, but Ketchikan needed the pitching. Lynn would end up with a respectable 3.52 ERA in 136 innings and an 8-8 record (5 HR, 45 BB, 93 K). Williams would be more than respectable, though, hitting .297/.373/.543 with 21 HR in 350 AB. He turned it on late in the year and actually missed the All-Star Team in a Seward Division that was loaded with outfielders.

A trade that turned out to be much more unbalanced was that on May 28 between the Eagle River-Chugiak Jets, who gave up 28-year-old right fielder Doug Beard, and the Juneau Senators, who gave up 25-year-old SP Alan St. George. Now, to be fair, this was a bit of a salary dump for the overextended Jets, and St. George is still young. But while St. George would finish 2007 with a 5.12 ERA in 123 IP, Doug Beard would end up with a .320/.411/.535 line and 14 HR in 284 AB. He did make the July 5th All-Star Game for the Denali Division.

The Alaskan League All-Star Game

The game was played on June 8th, and the starters at each position were selected by the fans, while most of the pitchers and the backups were selected by a secret ballot of general managers.

The game would be played in Kenai, where the Oilers were among the laggards of the Seward Division. The league was very concerned that fans of the last-place teams would lose interest in the league, and for that reason had arranged the amateur draft so that last-place teams got to pick first. (Valdez had therefore gotten the first pick. Some of the youngsters taken in the draft had already come up for "big league" action. The league rightly guessed that fans would want to come out to see local high school stars debut on a statewide stage.) The siting of the All-Star Game was fortunate as well, in that it kept baseball interest high on the Kenai Peninsula. Furthermore, because there were only six teams in each division, and each team had 23 players, every team had multiple representatives on the field at the game.

It ended up being a thrilling game, with the Sewards clinging to a 6-5 victory over the Denalis despite a two-run eighth-inning rally. Bob Horton of the Anchorage Bucs (mentioned in the Tom Robbins story above) was named All-Star MVP after going 3-for-4 with a homer. Robbins himself doubled and went 1-for-3. The Denali Division managed to use every player on their roster except one pitcher, held back in case of extra innings. Over two thousand fans came out to see the game.

[Elendil]

2007 Divisional Races

When rosters expanded on August 1, the Glacier Pilots, whom some had already taken to calling the "Evil Empire," held a 1.5-game lead on the Mat-Su Miners for the top spot in the Seward Division, while the Denali Division was less close, with Sitka surprising everyone in the lead at 43-28, followed by Juneau at 38-31 and North Pole at 38-32. The Goldpanners, supposedly the Goliath of the Denali, sat at a disappointing 33-36.

Anchorage still held a game and a half lead over Mat-Su on August 9, when a key series between the two teams began at Mulcahy Field. The Miners took the first game decisively, 9-2, but were shut out in the 2nd game by Gary Tufts, who would go on to win Pitcher of the Year. Mat-Su took the rubber match, 6-2, scoring 5 on the Pilots' bullpen, to bring themselves within half a game. Mat-Su finally pulled even on August 14, took the lead the next day, and hung on for the final twelve days of the season to win the Seward Division. In the Denali Division, Sitka encountered no real trouble, but Juneau made it look close by the end.

Alaska Championship Series Preview

Given the unbalanced schedule, no one knew for sure who was the underdog. Sitka had the best record in the league, but it was hardly imposing (55-41, .573). The Miners stood at 54-42 (.563). (Incidentally, the worst team in the league was the vastly disappointing Anchorage Bucs, 41-55, who had had to deal with injuries.) In Pythagorean record, Sitka also had a narrow advantage (54-42 vs. 52-44).

Sitka was primarily an offensive team, but this was perhaps skewed somewhat by the smaller ballparks of the Denali Division. On the other hand, Mat-Su and Sitka had virtually the same team OPS (.740 vs. .739), but Sitka outscored Mat-Su 506-468, so better baserunning and managing were perhaps responsible for Sitka's offensive output.

Pitching-wise, the teams were evenly matched (3.76 team ERA for Mat-Su, 3.88 for Sitka). Sitka pitchers kept the ball down, allowing few homers, getting more double plays, and benefitting from solid infield defense (team BABIP .285, compared to league average .288). Mat-Su pitchers had better control and got more strikeouts. Mat-Su did have a fielding advantage, making only 100 errors compared to Sitka's 121. Overall, though, the teams did not look too far apart in any category, and most pundits predicted a 7-game series; perhaps Sitka's home field advantage would be the deciding factor.

Although it was a minus for the league that no Anchorage-area or Fairbanks-area team had made it to the playoffs, the parity in the league had kept attendance figures up into August. With cooler weather around the corner, the championship series came just in time, and the extra home games would be a big bonus for the two teams playing. League officials eagerly awaited the final season financials; it would be a very close thing, whether the league as a whole had made or lost money.

[Elendil]

Alaska Championship Series Opens

Flying into Sitka tends to occasion whispered prayers from the passengers. The little prop plane bumps through dense rainclouds rolling off the Pacific and, when it finally dips below the clouds, comes face to face with a wall of glacier-draped mountains.

Sitka from the air

Monday, August 29, 2007 - The first game of the inaugural Alaska Championship Series was marked by a festival atmosphere. Despite the threatening clouds, crowds flocked to an impromptu fairgrounds set up outside the stadium. Sitka's weather was fairly mild year-round, and with daytime temps in the 60s, it was perfect weather for family fun.

The game opened at 7:05 PM in the raucous, cozy ballpark (re-christened "Field of the Sentinels" this year) to a sellout crowd of 1,173. Temps had fallen to the lower 50s, but the threat of rain had lifted.


Trevor Wiggins (10-8, 3.94)

vs.


Will Blain (6-5, 3.23)

Mat-Su drew first blood in the 3rd inning, putting together a hit by pitch, single, walk, fielder's choice, and single to plate two runs. The Sentinels answered in the bottom of the 4th, awakening the crowd with a single and run-scoring double. However, the Sentinels then loaded the bases with one out and failed to score again, Blain benefitting from back to back popups.

The Sentinels then chased Blain in the bottom of the 6th by loading the bases with nobody out. The Miners made a double-switch, bringing in reliever Larry Wardrope (38 IP, 3 HR, 17 BB, 32 K). Catcher Sam Plummer promptly hit a two-run single. The Miners got out of the inning without any more damage, but the Sentinels had taken a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the 7th, Miner third baseman John Brown committed one of the cardinal sins: with runners on first and third and two out, he was caught stealing.

Wiggins made it through a full eight innings, and in the bottom half of the eighth, Sitka added an insurance run on a single and error. Sentinel closer Edward Long (46 IP, 5 HR, 15 BB, 30 K, 26 SV) pitched through two singles to lock the game down. Final score: 4-2.

[Elendil]

Game 2


Ray Rayner (6-4, 3.97)

vs.


Brent Johnson (6-5, 3.26)

August 30, 2007 - First baseman Bobby Rae led off the game with a double for the Miners, and he moved around to score and make it 1-0. Sitka answered with a two-run homer in the third, added two solo shots in the fifth, yet another solo homer in the sixth (all four came from different players), and finished the game on top 5-1. Rayner made it eight innings, so Sitka's bullpen remained fresh. The series went back to Palmer for three games.

Game 3


Palmer-Wasilla Highway


Don Thomas (5-8, 3.56)

vs.


Harry Blackwood (6-8, 4.34)

September 1, 2007 - Although Palmer was basically on the Anchorage-Fairbanks road corridor, it was a pain getting there from the panhandle. You had to fly into Anchorage, then rent a bus and drive up. The Sentinels certainly seemed out of their element in the colder weather (39 degrees at game time), as the Miners clobbered them, 10-0. Sitka ran through seven pitchers. Blackwood was chased with two outs in the first after giving up six runs.

Game 4

Rematch: Wiggins vs. Blain

September 2, 2007 - Trevor Wiggins again shut down the Miner offense, in front of a Sunday afternoon crowd of 1,745. He gave up one run in six innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen, and Sitka again came from behind to take the lead, plating four runs in the 5th. The Miners left nine on base and went down 4-1. The Sentinels took a commanding 3-1 series lead.

[Elendil]

Game 5

Rematch: Johnson vs. Rayner

September 3, 2007 - The Miners were up against it now, down 3-1 in the series. And they responded with an early-innings offensive burst. Sitka scored first on a Boone solo homer, but Mat-Su plated two in the bottom of the first and three more in the bottom of the third. A two-run shot from Larry Plummer in the 6th (he'd had 2 HR in 195 AB during the season) sealed it. Miners win, 7-4.

Game 6

Rematch: Blackwood vs. Thomas

September 5, 2007 - With the series back in the panhandle, Sitka was ready to win in front of the home crowd. It didn't work out on this day, though, as Blackwood was pounded early, lasting just three innings. The score was 5-2 after three, Billy Rae homering for Mat-Su. Back-to-back big flies from Langlois and Corley in the 4th made it 7-2. The Miners really broke it open in the 6th, putting up a five-spot (homers from Brown and Corley) and taking a 12-2 lead. Final score: 12-4. In a controversial managerial move, closer Edward Long was sent out for the final two innings of the blowout, throwing 36 pitches. He would not be available the next day.

Game 7

Rematch: Wiggins vs. Blain

September 6, 2007 - There was everything to play for in game seven, but the Miners had to find a way to figure out Wiggins, who had shut them down twice in this series. In fact, Wiggins shut down Mat-Su for four innings while Sitka took a quick 2-0 lead. The buoyant crowd went silent in the 5th, though, when the Miners put together a single-walk-double-single rally with two outs, taking a 3-2 lead. Defensive miscues in the seventh (allowing a successful bunt for hit by Bobby Rae and a throwing error by the catcher that put runners on 2nd and 3rd) paved the way for a two-out, two-run single that put Mat-Su ahead 5-2. Wiggins pitched manfully into the eighth, but the damage was done. Sitka closed it to 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh but went on to lose, 7-4. In the end, it was the Sentinels' three errors that doomed them in this game, rather than the shaky bullpen.

The Mat-Su Miners were the first Champions of Alaska! Championship Series MVP went to Bobby Rae, who went 13-for-32 (.406) with 3 2B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 3 K, 7 R, 6 RBI, and a 3-1 SB-CS.

[Elendil]

September 8, 2007 - Alaskan League award winners were named today following a vote of league GM's.


Tom Robbins, the Alabama Slammer, won Hitter of the Year in a surprisingly close contest. He was third in VORP among Alaskan League hitters. He hit .301 with 31 HR, 24 doubles, 92 RBI, and 78 runs in 346 AB (1.030 OPS).

The runners-up were Robbins' teammate, left fielder Dave Bonnar (.331/.389/.587, 19 HR in 344 AB, 1st in VORP), and third baseman Steve Davis, Valdez's best player (and now a free agent!), who went .310/.376/.556 with 25 HR in 365 AB (2nd in VORP).


Gary Tufts - another Glacier Pilot! - won Pitcher of the Year, and this was also contested. Tufts went 12-7 with a 2.42 ERA, 4.31 K/9, 2.22 BB/9, and 9 HRA in 138 IP in what was known as a fairly pitching-friendly park.

The runners-up were ERA title winner Vincent Robinson, yet another Pilot, who went 7-6 with a 2.22 ERA in 110 IP (3 HRA, 36 BB, 37 K), and rookie Scott Northeast of Juneau (see below).


Scott Northeast won Rookie of the Year, solidifying his growing popularity among Native American baseball fans throughout the state, but particularly in the culturally distinctive panhandle tribes. His 11-3 mark and 2.83 ERA in 149 IP (34 BB, 72 K) put him among the league's elite in a number of categories (6th in ERA, tied for 2nd in wins, tied for 2nd in GS, 2nd in IP, 3rd in VORP, 10th in H/9, 2nd in BB/9, 10th in K/BB, and 9th in OAVG).

Northeast's stiffest competition came from shortstop James Labbee of Juneau (.300/.339/.412 in 337 AB, 4 HR, 11-2 SB-CS, superb defense by league standards) and third baseman Jeremy Hodges, who had been traded from Valdez to Juneau midseason and went .329/.375/.454 in 240 AB. Right fielder Dirk Cluett also turned a lot of heads with his eye-popping performance in limited playing time for Fairbanks: .387/.417/.443 in 194 AB. Just six extra-base hits, though.


Raleigh Murdock blew away the competition in the Reliever of the Year vote. He pitched 47 innings - a lot of work for a reliever in a 96-game season - and put up a minuscule 0.96 ERA, with 1 HRA, 14 BB's, and 37 K's. Strikingly, he wasn't the closer for his Sitka club and recorded no saves. He was now a free agent as well.

Other notable relievers included Bryant Brenton of Mat-Su (22 SV, 2.06 ERA in 44 IP with 4 HR, 9 BB, and 39 K) and Walt Nippard of Kodiak (18 SV, 1.43 ERA in 44 IP with 2 HR, 9 BB, and 31 K).

[Elendil]

October 2007 - The financial numbers were in, and the league had lost money. Not a lot, about $700,000 all told, but most of the teams had lost money, so there were plenty of unhappy owners. Even the Glacier Pilots lost close to $40,000. The only teams that made money were the Juneau Senators, Mat-Su Miners, and North Pole Nicks. The Goldpanners and Bucs led the way with losses around $250,000 apiece.

The owners decided to make some changes to economize for next season, while still trying to maintain fan excitement.

First, there would be a total reorganization of the Alaskan Training League. All teams would be relocated into the Tok-Fairbanks-Anchorage highway triangle to minimize travel costs. The panhandle teams objected strenuously to this decision, fearing a loss of fan loyalty in outlying areas, but Commissioner Paul Fulfer made the call, and it would have taken a majority of owners to veto his decision - the panhandle was outvoted.

Aerial view of Bethel

Second, the owner of the Valdez Vortex decided to move the club to Bethel. Bethel was a larger town, although somewhat more isolated, and the town had a bigger baseball field. (Incidentally, league bylaws actually prohibited the use of taxpayer money to fund stadiums - the owners thought they could build greater fan loyalty to the league as a whole if individual owners could not twist taxpayers' arms with the threat of leaving). Bethel would be the first Alaskan League team in the vast region of Western Alaska. The move was uncontroversial in itself, but the issue of divisional realignment was an extremely thorny one.

Geographically, Bethel should move into the Seward Division, while Mat-Su should probably be the team to switch to the Denali. However, the other Denali teams were not thrilled about the prospect of trading a losing club for the newly crowned league champions. The issue of divisional realignment was therefore postponed for a year, over the vociferous objections of the Bethel owner. Staying in the Denali would mean longer travel times for his club, but it was a take-it-or-leave-it situation, so he relented eventually.

The Vortex held a local vote over what to rename the club. The two options were the Bethel Mushers and the Bethel Huskies. As of this writing, the vote is still ongoing.

Third and finally, the league bylaws were changed to allow the Commissioner a veto over any new player contract, including extensions. A two-thirds supermajority of owners believed that this radical step was necessary to keep player salaries from getting out of control. A particular concern was the decision by some owners to sign long-term contracts with players, some of them extending as long as six years. In a league with high uncertainty about the future and extreme revenue variability, contracts of this length simply seemed irresponsible.

Some of the players grumbled about forming a union, but the fact was that their biggest bargaining chips were: 1) their day jobs, which typically paid better but were more difficult, and 2) for the superstars, the possibility of success in the minors - and maybe a shot at the majors - in the Lower 48. The effort faltered.

[Elendil]

The Alaskan Training League, mostly filled with amateur players, has been reorganized as follows:

Cook Inlet Division

West Anchorage Jets (Eagle River-Chugiak)
Homer Grizzlies (Kodiak)
Soldotna Oilers (Peninsula)
Cook Inlet Glacier Pilots (AGP) -- plays in Anchorage
Seward Bucs (ANC)
Wasilla Miners (Mat-Su)

Northeast Division

Talkeetna Vortex (for now) (Bethel)
Fairbanks Amateur Panners (Fairbanks)
Delta Junction Nicks (North Pole)
Tok Senators (Juneau)
Glennallen Sentinels (Sitka)
Valdez King Salmon (Ketchikan)

I've attached a map with red crosses at each minor league town.

[Elendil]

Front Office Bloodbath!

Teams that lost a lot of money and/or games during the 2007 season ditched their general managers with reckless abandon. GM's were kicked out in Anchorage (both Pilots and Bucs), Peninsula, Eagle River-Chugiak, Fairbanks, Kodiak, Sitka (this was the real shocker), and Ketchikan. North Pole and Juneau hung onto their GMs for their financial acumen, while Valdez's owner held onto his GM, because the move to Bethel was going to stress the organization enough, without a front office job search. Alaskan champions Mat-Su of course held onto their staff. The Bucs, Jets, and Grizzlies also fired their managers.

Fairbanks ended up getting Yancey Norlander after his departure from the Glacier Pilots, but the other clubs all hired rookie GM's.

The Bucs' massive losses were a particular fiasco, even though player-owner Ron Bishop's big contract was far from the only reason for the team's woes. Bishop had hit .264 in 349 AB with no homers and was roundly booed by the home fans throughout the last month of the season. Bishop sold his stake in the team and asked for a trade.

Offseason Hot Stove

The league quickly discovered the next big obstacle to its continued survival. With teams cutting back, a lot of guys who played in the league for a pittance last year in hopes of playing well and getting a big contract this year simply left the league when that didn't happen. Most of the league's superstars came back, and in fact, some of the best ballplayers in Alaska who'd stayed out last year signed contracts for the '08 season. For instance, righthander Brad Morris, who had been clocked in the low 90's, signed on with Juneau to be their closer; slugger John Horswill, an Alaskan-born college star in the Lower 48, signed a one-year, $40,000 deal with Ketchikan; and 26-year-old pitcher Tom Pick signed the biggest free agent deal of the offseason, $145,000 over 2 years with North Pole. (The biggest contract in the offseason was an extension for Mat-Su's catcher, Pierre-Alexandre Langlois, who would make $407,991 for the 2009-2011 seasons.)

No, the biggest problem was not with the superstars but with the role players. The league's minimum salary was a paltry $2000, which meant that for the most part, the benches and bullpens of every club were stocked with young kids looking for a break, washed-up coaches and teachers with the summer off, shift workers, and sundry roughnecks who would play a few weeks on, a few weeks off. [For those interested: I model the shifting rosters by setting injuries to High but position player fatigue to Low. Regulars seem to get lots of playing time, while bench players move on & off the roster frequently, which is what I was aiming for here.]

To get their financial ships in order, the overextended clubs made some deals with those few teams who were actually in the black. Interestingly, this meant that some of the smaller markets, who had spent frugally last year, got some real bargains.

The first big deal to go down was between the Panners and Oilers. Fairbanks sent their starting center fielder, Art Johannson (.310/.376/.518 with 16 HR in 326 AB, $44K per year for the next 3 years), to Peninsula for reliever Wes Dionne (6.14 ERA, 29 BB, 17 K in 44 IP, $14K/year for next two years). On the surface, Peninsula absolutely raped Fairbanks, but it was a salary dump. The Goldpanners had dug themselves a deep hole, and this was a move born of desperation.

That opened up the floodgates. Two days later, the Miners sent 29 year old CF Derek Jenkins (.324/.386/.433 in 275 AB, $9K in '08) to the Glacier Pilots for 27 year old MR Waylon Ellsworth (3.45, 16 BB, 34 K in 44 IP, $37K in '08). Ellsworth was one of the hardest throwers in the league, known to hit 93 MPH.

The Jets then traded the bitterly disappointing Alan St. George (recall that he'd been traded for Doug Beard, then put up a 5.12 ERA in 123 IP) to Peninsula for the rights to one of the better prospects around, Japanese teenager Kisei Suto. (Suto was a student at UAA and had not yet signed a pro contract. [Note: since the Alaskan Training League is mostly amateur, most prospects do not have pro contracts - in game, they appear as having "minor league contracts."])

The biggest blockbuster of the offseason came in October, when the unhappy Ron Bishop finally got his trade, moving to the cash-flush Nicks along with North Slope roughneck Pierre Rheault, who as a reliever had posted a 7.82 ERA in 44 innings with the Bucs. The Nicks also got two extremely marginal prospects' rights. The Bucs got third baseman Nick Bedford, who had put up a decent .288/.336/.476 line last year (18 HR). On the face of it, the Bucs had probably done surprisingly well for their discontented shortstop, although Bedford was probably overpaid too ($120K/year).

There were a couple more important deals before the preseason officially got underway. The Mat-Su Miners sent promising 26 year old 1B Lindsay Beals (.302/.408/.457 in 129 AB) to the Nicks for 33 year old SP Chris Fry (8-4, 2.72 in 109 IP). Pretty clearly a retooling move for the Nicks and a win-now move for the Miners.

By April, most of the remaining big free agents had discovered that salaries were going to be low, and had either signed at reduced rates or taken themselves off the market. The biggest free agents not signed were the following:

* Jason "Pitbull" Hilton, an Anchorage-born reliever who'd been released by the Phillies after a brief stint in the majors: at 27, he was willing to consider offers from the AKL

* Erik Boone, third baseman & one of the stars of Sitka's division-winning club last year (.305/.377/.458, 367 AB)

* Don Goodyear, a decent first baseman who had gone .270/.336/.456 with the Glacier Pilots last year, still just 25

* Ron "Nutball" Yuke, a flashy pitcher with a wicked splitfinger, had been injured most of last year & pitched just eight and a third innings with Peninsula

* Toby Burns, 21 year old shortstop at UAA, had refused to declare for the draft, which meant that he could only be considered for free agency after he graduated this year, was being scouted by MLB

* Scott Hillier, came off the bench last year for the Oilers & hit .364/.440/.477, but in just 44 AB, was working for the Forestry Service

* Fred Dempsey, OF who hit .285/.407/.454 for the Nicks last year and went to the All-Star Game, had gotten a state government sinecure & was going to be tough to persuade

* Henry Mansel, sparkling defensive CF (in fact, he won the Glove Wizard Award at this position) who also hit .292/.379/.464 for the Oilers, who had simply run out of money - offseason injury made him a question mark for other clubs, though

* Bob Horton, slugging left handed OF who hit .302/.401/.530 for the Bucs but was demanding too much & insisting he would wait until Opening Day to sign if that's what it took

* Scott Bradley, a Native American first baseman who had hit .292/.363/.471 for Kodiak, was thought to be available

* Reverend Walt Nippard, the Kodiak closer and Baptist preacher who went 1.43 with 18 SV in 44 IP - he was once reportedly clocked at 95 MPH. But he just couldn't feed his family with a reliever's salary, even with the pittance he got from his tiny Dillingham church

* Last year's Reliever of the Year, Raleigh Murdock, who at 27 had gone south to try out for MLB.

* Tim Rigg, the Oilers' #1 starter last year, went 8-11 with a 2.91 ERA in 155 IP. Had gotten married & was unreachable most of the offseason.

Literally dozens of role players and even some bottom-of-the-order starting lineup types were sitting this season out. Some of the teams were likely going to struggle to keep their active rosters filled once the summer jobs started to lure players away. One change the league made early in April to attract more youngsters to entering the draft, rather than holding out until graduation for a "big" FA payout, was to change the amateur rights expiration period from three years to two. That meant that prospects could hit the free agency jackpot sooner, while spending a year or two playing in the training league - and probably getting called up on a league-minimum contract when the older guys took off for shift work or just dropped out.

The next two months, through the draft, would be particularly critical.

[Elendil]

Opening Day Previews, May 16, 2008

Part One

So Bob Horton finally knuckled under and signed with the Nicks. Local sportswriters openly pondered his work ethic, but he insisted that he liked the winning attitude in North Pole and was happy to be back in his native Fairbanks. Now on to the 2008 team previews...



The Pilots had real weaknesses all around their infield, except shortstop, where Dave Chipman was one of the better fielders in the league and could hit for power, 20 HR in 355 AB last year, but not for average (.217). Fans sometimes called him "Dave Kingman." The corner outfield positions were anchored by two sluggers: last year's HOY, Tom Robbins, and the 1st runner up in the HOY vote, Dave Bonnar. The rotation was headed by POY winner Gary Tufts. There were two more solid starters in the rotation: Bryan Kendall (4.49 ERA but a .333 BABIP last year) and Vincent Robinson (2.22 ERA last year, ERA title winner). The bullpen was mediocre.

Financially, the team was projected to make about $20,000 this year, a slim margin when they had reportedly lost almost four times that amount last year.

Prediction: 2nd in the Seward



The Bucs had retrenched during the offseason and looked set for another losing season. Their only bona fide stars or potential stars were Nick Bedford, acquired in that Bishop deal, and center fielder Bryce Payne, last year's 2nd overall pick in the draft, who had hit .396/.473/.521 in 36 games last year. Jack Hatt was a capable #1 starter but had not gotten run support last year, going 3-11 with a 3.80 ERA. John Dewitt was solid last year, going 11-5 with a 3.44 ERA. The rest of the pitching staff was beyond sketchy.

Financially, the team expected to make over $80,000 this year, but that hardly made up for last year's losses totaling almost $300,000.

Prediction: 6th (last) in the Seward

More previews to follow...

[canadiancreed]

You shoudl see about inviting some of the Yukon cities

Looks like fun! I'm jealous that you were able to make your uniforms and logos so quick

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

You shoudl see about inviting some of the Yukon cities

Don't ruin the surprise.

Looks like fun! I'm jealous that you were able to make your uniforms and logos so quick

Well, the logos that look good are mostly ripped off from other sources. Actually, all of them are at least partially ripped off, with just a bit of "Photoshopping" on my part. The uniform logos look slightly horrendous because my imaging program cannot make transparent backgrounds, even in PNG format. So the lines on the uniforms are...shaky.

[Elendil]

The new construction on the ballpark was complete, and the Mushers were ready for Opening Day. There was plenty of buzz about the new club in Bethel and the surrounding towns, but experts downplayed their chances. In fact, this club might have the best shot at finishing with the league's worst record. They really had no positional strengths at all, although recently signed outfielder Lloyd Flannery brought high expectations for the local faithful. Slugging third baseman and All-Star, Steve Davis, had left baseball, presumably for good. Their best pitcher might be Ryan Dye, but he had been stuck in the bullpen most of last year, putting up a 2.86 ERA in 79 innings. Their projected Opening Day starter, Davis Crawford, had put up a 5.57 ERA. Closer Gaylord Powers was gone. This was gonna get ugly.

Financially, things looked pretty good, as they appeared set to make up for last year's losses and then some.

Prediction: 6th (last) in the Denali



The Jets had some pop in the lineup, but for the most part, they didn't play much defense. Solid hitters included first baseman Adam Joly (.294/.370/.457 last year), shortstop Bill Duval (.233/.331/.408 but expected to do better this time) and superstar right fielder Ray Tomiak (.336/.425/.610). Newt Langille (4-9, 4.60) headed up a weak rotation. Closer Loren Coleman could get the job done if he kept his control (18 BB, 48 K in 44 IP).

Eagle River-Chugiak was still in a financial hole, having lost about $130,000 last year and projected to lose another $20,000 this year.

Prediction: 4th in the Seward

[Elendil]

The Goldpanners had some marquee players: they could afford them. Like the Glacier Pilots, though, it wasn't clear that they would be enough. Their batting stars were first baseman Gary Johnson, last year's batting champ (.351!), second baseman Bill Rogers (.277/.354/.440 and great defense), and outfielder Jimmy Williams (.297/.373/.543, 21 HR). The top three in the rotation were solid: Chip Becker (6-4, 2.62), John Robertson (6-5, 3.83), and Quinn Spence (9-6, 3.05). Closer Wes Dionne was a real wild card, though: 6.14 ERA last year with Peninsula.

Financially, the team was still in bad shape. They had lost over $250,000 last year and still didn't look to break even in '08.

Predicted finish: 3rd in the Denali



The Senators staked their hopes on pitching, but they had a fairly well balanced lineup too. Newly signed catcher Bob Russo might make an impact (didn't play last year), Sam Hayashi had hit pretty well at 1B last year (.287/.376/.457), Ralph Collette had some pop as a second baseman (.289/.378/.462), third baseman/shortstop Jeremy Hodges had hit well after being claimed off waivers from the Vortex last year (.329/.375/.454), and rookie center fielder Wynn Dunsmore was expected to do great things after tearing up the ATL last year.

The rotation featured last year's Rookie of the Year, Scott Northeast, offseason signing Louis Mays (did not play last year), and 36 year old submariner Bob Nealon (10-5, 3.47). The team also had one of the best closers in the game in offseason signing Brad Morris. Rookie Don Taggart would start in the bullpen, but he was expected to move into the rotation soon after putting up big numbers in the ATL last year.

The team had made about $100,000 last year and lost half of that in revenue sharing (the league had upped the cash max to $75,000 for this season). They were projected to break even this year.

Predicted finish: 2nd in the Denali



Ketchikan had tried to improve their squad in the offseason by signing premier outfielder John Horswill, who had sat out the league's inaugural season. Otherwise, though, they looked decidedly mediocre all around. Their #1 starter would be John "Refund" Mack, at 26 still possibly possessing some upside. He went 10-8 with a 3.56 ERA last year.

The team had lost about $20,000 last year but expected to make close to $60,000 this year. Perhaps they could make a move toward contention after this season.

Predicted finish: 5th in the Denali



Kodiak emphasized the hitting side of the game. Catcher Alan Sellick (.278/.358/.482) and center fielder Dominique Gaudet (.303/.394/.459) were their biggest contributors. Spud Hill (8-7, 3.18) led the rotation, which was shaky after that. Closer Cole Walters logged big innings but couldn't really shut down a game.

Kodiak had lost almost $100,000 last year and were projected to lose even more this year with declining fan interest. This was truly a franchise on the brink.

Predicted finish: 5th in the Seward



The league champs had not stood idle in the offseason and looked tough again this year. Catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois (.285/.375/.434), third baseman John Brown (.289/.370/.466), new shortstop Sherman Ferris (did not play last year), outfielder Rob Corley (.290/.378/.459), and outfielder Dave Langille (.276/.365/.519, 17 HR) would probably make up the top half of the lineup. The starting pitching was actually a bit iffy, with Will Blain at the top (6-5, 3.23). Brent Johnson and Don Thomas had also gotten the job done last year, but they were hardly dominators. Chris Fry (8-4, 2.72) came over from North Pole during the offseason.

Financially, the team was in solid, though not outstanding, shape. They had made money last year and were set to make a few thousand again this year.

Predicted finish: 1st in the Seward



After all their offseason acquisitions, the Nicks were a team built for a championship. Fans expected them to steamroll the opposition. Their top contributors were expected to be catcher Vincent Leroux (.325/.441/.519), infielder Sloan Starr (.273/.357/.415 for Fairbanks, expected to improve), second baseman John Abston (.265/.340/.417 but also expected to improve), shortstop Ron Bishop (you know him by now), outfielder Terry Kuhn (did not play last year), outfielder Bob Horton (.302/.401/.530), starting pitcher Mike Rancourt (8-7, 4.07 but .314 BABIP), starter Tom Pick (did not play last year), starter Ron Quinton (did not play last year), and closer Larry Lovell (did not play last year).

Financially, the team had gone all out and was expected to make significant profit only if they went to the postseason.

Predicted finish: 1st in the Denali, and ACS champs



The Oilers had arguably been financially mismanaged, and they lost a lot of players over the offseason. Some of them were still unsigned and perhaps would become available at some point. This year they would rely particularly on second baseman Tommy Lambert (.289/.354/.362, very good defense), third baseman Jim Noel (.253/.339/.367 but expected to improve significantly), and starting pitcher Jeff Simmons (3.11 ERA in 46 bullpen innings).

The team had lost a bundle last year (over $150,000), but they were on track to make that back this year... just so long as their fans weren't alienated by the likely losing season awaiting them.

Projected finish: 3rd in the Seward



After winning the division, the Sentinels had lost a number of players through free agency, desertion, and trade. Their key pieces would probably be infielder Jonathan Bertrand (.254/.355/.502, 18 HR), third baseman Edison Dwyer (picked up last September, played only a bit in the postseason), outfielder Connor Poapst (.251/.373/.450), and SP Trevor Wiggins (10-8, 3.94). The rotation looked mediocre at best, but closer Edward Long (1.94, 26 SV) should be an asset again this year.

The team had actually lost a little money last year, but they expected to make it all back and then some. They had a little room then for deadline pickups if they managed to be in contention again.

Projected finish: 4th in the Denali

Summary of Predictions

Seward Division

1. Mat-Su Miners
2. Anchorage Glacier Pilots
3. Peninsula Oilers
4. Eagle River-Chugiak Jets
5. Kodiak Grizzlies
6. Anchorage Bucs

Denali Division

1. North Pole Nicks
2. Juneau Senators
3. Fairbanks Goldpanners
4. Sitka Sentinels
5. Ketchikan King Salmon
6. Bethel Mushers

[Kelric]

Originally Posted by Elendil

Playing on an island meant that all road games would require trips in three separate propeller planes: the Kodiak airport didn't have hangars big enough to house commercial jets.

Well at least if there is a crash they only lose 1/3rd of their roster.

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by Kelric

Well at least if there is a crash they only lose 1/3rd of their roster.

That's a rather grim upside!

I am thinking about contracting or moving the Kodiak team, though, with their financial woes. We'll see how they do this year.

[Elendil]

2008 Season: First Month

At first, the season went badly as far as the Commissioner's Office was concerned. The preseason favorites, Mat-Su and North Pole, jumped out to quick leads in their respective divisions. The fans in those two towns were excited about this, of course, but if this kept up, there could be a decline in fan interest everywhere else. Many a young sports league had failed in the past because of an emerging dynasty.

Within three weeks, though, things became more exciting, as Kodiak - shockingly - began to challenge Mat-Su for the top spot in the Seward, while Juneau actually passed North Pole for the Denali lead for two days before falling back again. By the date of the amateur draft, June 15, the biggest shockers were the Glacier Pilots and Sentinels, who were both in last place.

A New Crisis

Shortly it became clear that the league was facing a new crisis: player desertion. Just two days into the season, the Jets' starting center fielder, Ed Strauss, 26 years old and making league minimum, left the team. On June 1st, the Glacier Pilots and King Salmon both had players go AWOL.

Even when players didn't desert outright, it was impossible for coaches to maintain discipline. Guys tried to hold down temp jobs while playing, and many of them wouldn't show up for practices. Some players even refused to be called up from the Training League, preferring its weekends-only schedule. The league minimum salary simply wasn't attractive enough to make them quit their day jobs.

Commissioner Paul Fulfer decided to call an emergency meeting of team owners for Saturday June 21st. Media reports suggested that he would push for a significant increase in the league minimum salary, a move expected to provoke opposition from smaller-market clubs, some of whom paid a majority of their active-roster players the league minimum. In addition, a shortening of the period at which players would be automatically resigned at league minimum before becoming eligible for free agency - from three years to two - seemed inevitable. Last year's move to allow player rights to expire after two years if no professional contract had been signed more or less made this change inevitable, because some guys had apparently resisted callup because they hoped to wait out two years in the Training League, then hit the free agency market.

Of course, players who deserted would be blacklisted from ever playing in the league again, so there was still a strong incentive for young guys to stick it out and try to perform their way to a big contract in the future. The more solid the league's financial future looked, the more likely it would be that players would accept small contracts in the short-run, in hopes of striking it rich later. It was a kind of Catch-22 for the league. (I am modeling player desertion by retiring players from random teams who fit the profile: at least mid-twenties or older, making at or near league minimum, not playing particularly well.)

Radio and TV Talks

Not all news was gloomy for the league, however. The Bucs' and Glacier Pilots' weekend radio broadcasts had been so successful that a couple of local AM stations had expressed interest in broadcasting weekday games as well. In addition, the Anchorage NBC affiliate wanted to air a Saturday "Game of the Week," ideally simulcast on radio.

Because of Alaska's highly Anchorage-concentrated media marketplace, the league had from the start insisted that all media contracts would negotiated through the league office rather than by the individual clubs. The league then allocated revenues according to a formula that rewarded local audience share, while guaranteeing a minimum share of media income for each club.

In short, then, the new Anchorage media deals would bring in a fair chunk of cash for the league as a whole. It couldn't have come at a better time.

[Elendil]

The Owners' Conference

At the owners' conference, the league decided to implement the expected two-year free agency rule. The only problem with the rule is that it might make it hard for fans to follow players and develop loyalties to teams with players moving around so often. The owners generally agreed that once financial stability was restored, the free agency period should again be extended.

The league minimum salary was also raised to $4000 a year, effective after the end of this season. For the 2010 season, it would be raised to $5000 and thereafter adjusted for inflation. The small-market clubs objected, but not too strenuously, because attendance and merchandise figures were showing some strong gains. North Pole, in particular, was starting to look like a large market team, as the Nicks secured a bigger fan base in the Fairbanks area than did the Goldpanners.

The 2008 All-Star Game

View of Chugiak in the foreground, Anchorage in the distance

July 6th, 2008 - The second annual AKL All-Star Game was held at Oberg Field in Chugiak, Alaska, the home of the Jets. There were some familiar faces on the divisional teams, but also some new ones - and some surprising omissions.

From the Seward Division, it was no surprise to see Kodiak's slugging catcher, Alan Sellick, or their reliable center fielder, Dominique Gaudet. Tom Robbins - the Alabama Slammer - was back as well, but he was having a down year and wouldn't start this game. He'd hit just .239 with one homer in May, and even a stellar June couldn't quite match last year's numbers.

Some impressive new faces in the Seward Division were Mat-Su's catcher, Pierre-Alexandre Langlois, who had posted a .915 OPS in May and a 1.025 OPS in June. He was making his big offseason contract extension look modest. Second baseman Duncan Sutherland was another entry from a surprising Kodiak team that had clawed into second place. He had already hit 20 doubles in 171 AB, with a .305 batting average.

Among the Seward Division's pitchers, Bryan Kendall was a standout. Coming off a mediocre season, he had been dominant on the mound in May, going 4-0 with a minuscule 0.56 ERA. The Bucs' ace, Jack Hatt, was among the league leaders in strikeout-walk ratio, with 54 K's compared to just 16 walks - and 2 home runs allowed. The much-ballyhooed Alan St. George was pitching pretty well for his new team, the Oilers, posting a 4-4 record and 3.91 ERA in 67 innings, and was one of the final selections for the roster.

However, last year's Pitcher of the Year, Gary Tufts, would miss the game. He hadn't gotten much defensive support, with a BABIP around .340 and ERA just over 5.00. Last year's runner-up for Hitter of the Year, Dave Bonnar, also failed to make the team for a second straight year. He'd had a really slow start, hitting just .175 in May. Tuft's and Bonnar's problems were part of the reason the Glacier Pilots were still languishing in fifth. Their ERA champ from last year, Vincent Robinson, did make the team, but barely.

On the Denali Division side, the brash, cocky Bob Horton - he whose contract with the Bucs had inspired Tom Robbins to seek out the Glacier Pilots, he who had held out from signing almost until Opening Day, when he finally went with the Nicks - was one of the Denalis' marquee players. He had hit .333 in May and .350 in June, scoring 36 runs in 45 games. Last year's batting champ, Fairbanks first baseman Gary Johnson, was also there and sporting a .374 average to this point. Doug Beard - the guy acquired for St. George in that infamous trade - represented Juneau, bringing in a .349 batting average. The unassuming Connor Poapst of Sitka was the home run leader with 17 in 160 AB and made his first All-Star appearance. Ketchikan's big signing John Horswill also made the team.

On the pitching side, Senator starter Scott Northeast was a familiar face, but he wasn't doing as well to this point (4-5, 3.88). The only other Denali Division pitcher to make the team for a second team was 39 year old Nick reliever Murdock Hobbs.

The game was an exciting one. A runner was thrown out to end the top of the first, then in the bottom half the first two batters reached base. Knowing the weakness of Vincent Leroux's arm, the Seward manager, Gilbert Lidstone of Mat-Su, tried a double steal. Sure enough, Leroux threw it away and a run scored. Alan Sellick followed up with a two-run shot to make it 3-0 early.

The Denalis tied it up in the fourth, but the Sewards promptly took the lead back and then added two more in the seventh to make it 6-3 going to the eighth. In the top of the eighth, Connor Poapst knocked in John Abston with a home run, making it 6-5. Glacier Pilot closer John Adams was brought in to nail it down in the 9th.

After getting one out, Adams allowed two singles, and then Abston hit a three-run homer to give the Denalis their first lead of the game.

In the bottom of the ninth, the first two runners reached base on singles. Again, Lidstone rolled the dice with a double steal, but this time Leroux gunned down the lead runner. If the steal had worked, a single could have tied it, but now it would take a homer. Sellick, who had done it earlier, came to the plate and lined into a double play to end the game. The Denali Division won it, 8-6; Gary Johnson won All-Star MVP for going 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and two runs batted in, hitting in the leadoff spot.

[Elendil]

2008 Pennant Race

The Alaskan League was quickly becoming known for wild and woolly offensive outbursts, often fueled by crucial fielding errors.

Take the Juneau Senators' July 13th game against the visiting Bethel Mushers. In a lopsided third inning, the Senators scored twelve runs. It started innocently enough with a walk, single, RBI single, and three-run homer. Four runs in with nobody out - bad but not unusual. Musher starter Dylan Savard stayed in the game and got the next two outs.

Then came the eight-run two-out explosion. It started with a throwing error on the third baseman that put a runner on second. It was followed up with a run-scoring double, which knocked Savard out, a walk, three consecutive line-drive singles, and then back-to-back homers. Allard came in to pitch and gave up a single but retired the next batter. Nine consecutive batters had reached base, and 16 Senators hit in the inning. They went on to win 21-4, with Brent Crowe (2 homers, 6 RBI) getting Player of the Game.

The Mushers were the goat in an even wilder game on July 23rd. Playing the Jets at home, Bethel gave up the first run of the game, but then chased Eagle River-Chugiak starter Jeremie Dessureault with a ten-spot in the bottom of the 1st! Bethel extended the lead to 11-1 in the third. Then in the fifth, the Jets got four of the runs back, one on a Ray Tomiak double and three on a Bill Duval home run.

The score was 12-5 in the eighth, and Bethel brought in mopup reliever Mark Myers, who had allowed six of the Senators' runs in their 12-run inning on July 13. He was again ineffective, yielding a Bill Duval solo shot and then allowing two more runs on a two-out single before Rick Calder came in. Calder promptly gave up a walk and a single, making it 12-9. He was pulled for Randy Wright, a recent acquisition from Fairbanks. He got the dangerous Ray Tomiak on strikes.

The Mushers added an insurance run in the bottom half to make it 13-9. Rather than bringing in the closer, Bethel decided to leave Wright in there for the 9th. He gave up a single and a double and then, in a controversial decision, intentionally walked the bases loaded to put the double play in order. He gave up two singles. That made it 13-11. He should have been long gone by now, but for some reason he stayed in there. He did get weak hitter Tim Nakamura on strikes, but then Al Noguchi got an infield single to make it 13-12, and the bases were still loaded with one out. Finally Jack Woodside came in - he was the closer, but was not exactly having an effective year. He threw a wild pitch on his first pitch in the game to tie it up. Then a sac fly gave the Jets the lead.

Bethel failed to score in the bottom of the 9th, and so the Jets had come back from a ten-run deficit to win the game, 14-13. Shockingly, there had been no errors in the game!

Bethel's year-end pitching stats:

Name               W  L  SV ERA   G  GS IP  HA  R  ER HR BB K  BABIP
Charlie Newson MR  0  0  0  0.00  1  0  2   0   0  0  0  0  3  0.000
Ron Trainor MR     3  1  0  3.26  41 0  61  65  30 22 6  23 31 0.291
Davis Crawford SP  7  9  0  4.19  24 24 155 174 87 72 15 46 40 0.284
Ryan Dye SP        4  9  0  4.33  19 19 106 117 64 51 10 31 61 0.302
Dylan Savard SP    5  5  0  4.35  20 20 110 103 66 53 12 39 54 0.264
Bill Hearn MR      2  1  1  4.46  34 0  38  40  23 19 6  16 46 0.340
Pete Strelioff SP  10 8  0  4.50  24 24 140 152 82 70 16 43 93 0.305
Arvin Currell MR   0  0  0  5.40  2  1  5   7   3  3  0  4  3  0.412
Jack Woodside CL   3  10 17 5.86  36 0  35  51  34 23 6  19 16 0.344
Cecil MacDougall MR 2 1  0  6.20  15 0  20  26  14 14 3  9  15 0.354
Darby Daoust MR    1  0  2  6.70  30 0  42  48  31 31 10 18 18 0.277
Mark Myers MR      2  5  1  7.20  29 0  30  50  38 24 11 15 12 0.342
Eddy Allard MR     0  4  0  7.53  32 8  57  91  53 48 8  28 17 0.355
Rick Calder MR     0  1  0  9.00  15 0  17  23  21 17 1  15 14 0.423
Randy Wright MR    1  1  0  10.00 23 0  27  40  35 30 5  16 19 0.365
Harry Dand MR      1  0  0  12.15 6  0  7   11  9  9  1  1  2  0.400

Yowza! Not exactly a reliable bullpen there.

On July 1, the Mat-Su Miners were in third place in the Seward Division, behind the Bucs and Grizzlies and just a half-game ahead of the Oilers. But in July, they would go on a tear, winning 32 of their next 46 games and steaming far ahead of the other contenders to clinch the division. Even after losing their last five games of the regular season to finish 56-40, they were four games ahead of the second-place Anchorage Bucs.

The Denali Division, on the other hand, was a war down to the very end - between North Pole and Juneau, with everyone else lagging well behind. In an exciting finish to the season, the Nicks and Senators played a three-game set in North Pole, with the Nicks three games up. Juneau would have to sweep the series to force a one-game playoff.

The first game was a tight 3-2 affair until Juneau broke it open in the eighth by hanging a five-spot on Nick starter Tom Pick, pushing his year-end ERA up to 5.05. They won it 8-3.

The next day, Sunday August 24, the Nicks clinched it in decisive fashion, defeating Juneau 15-1 and hanging ten runs on Rookie of the Year candidate Don Taggart. Juneau came back and won the next game, but it was meaningless. North Pole and Mat-Su would face each other in the AKLCS, just as most pundits had predicted.

Year-end standings:

Seward Division                           
Team                            W   L   PCT    GB  Pyt.Rec                
Mat-Su Miners                   56  40  0.583  -   54-42                
Anchorage (ANC) Bucs            52  44  0.542  4   49-47                
Peninsula Oilers                51  45  0.531  5   55-41                
Kodiak Grizzlies                48  48  0.500  8   50-46                
Anchorage (AGP) Glacier Pilots  46  50  0.479  10  45-51                
Eagle River-Chugiak Jets        40  56  0.417  16  35-61                

Denali Division                           
Team                            W   L   PCT    GB  Pyt.Rec                
North Pole Nicks                56  40  0.583  -   56-40                
Juneau Senators                 54  42  0.563  2   56-40                
Fairbanks Goldpanners           49  47  0.510  7   50-46                
Ketchikan King Salmon           43  53  0.448  13  45-51                
Bethel Mushers                  41  55  0.427  15  40-56                
Sitka Sentinels                 40  56  0.417  16  41-55