Radical Baseball - Page 3

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 01:54 AM

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
August 8, 2001

Code:

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
New York Mets	85	36	.702	-
Brooklyn Cyclones	74	47	.612	11.0
Pittsburgh Pirates	74	47	.612	11.0
Toronto Blue Sox	64	57	.529	21.0
Boston Yankees		61	60	.504	24.0
New York Bombers	55	67	.451	30.5
Philadelphia Colonials	54	66	.450	30.5
Cleveland Indians	40	80	.333	44.5

American Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago Comets		67	54	.554	-
St. Louis Cardinals	65	56	.537	2.0
Kansas City Royals	62	58	.517	4.5
Chicago Cubs		60	60	.500	6.5
Columbus Clippers	60	61	.496	7.0
Detroit Tigers		59	61	.492	7.5
Minnesota Twins		55	65	.458	11.5
Colorado Rockies	48	73	.397	19.0

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles Angels	71	50	.587	-
Los Angeles Dodgers	70	51	.579	1.0
San Francisco Giants	66	53	.555	4.0
Seattle Mariners	59	61	.492	11.5
San Diego Padres	60	63	.488	12.0
Riverside Red Sox	55	65	.458	15.5
Salt Lake City Bees	55	65	.458	15.5
San Jose Captains	48	72	.400	22.5

National Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Atlanta Athletics	73	46	.613	-
Texas Rangers		69	52	.570	5.0
Cincinnati Reds		61	61	.500	13.5
Arizona Diamondbacks	57	63	.475	16.5
San Antonio Aviators	53	66	.445	20.0
Houston Astros		51	68	.429	22.0
Florida Marlins		51	70	.421	23.0
Washington Diplomats	46	74	.383	27.5

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 01:57 AM

CONTINENTAL LEAGUE STANDINGS
August 8, 2001

Code:

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore Orioles	57	35	.620	-
Tampa Bay Rays		51	41	.554	6.0
Durham Bulls		51	42	.548	6.5
Richmond Braves		49	43	.533	8.0
Philadelphia Phillies	40	52	.435	17.0
Milwaukee Brewers	35	58	.376	22.5

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Monterrey Matadors	57	35	.620	-
Chicago White Sox	47	46	.505	10.5
Portland Beavers	44	48	.478	13.0
Nevada Silverhawks	42	50	.457	15.0
Los Angeles Empires	42	51	.452	15.5
Boise Hawks		39	53	.424	18.0

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 01:59 AM

I did some research and rough calculations to attempt to create ballpark factors for a few cricket stadiums. The sheer size of the playing field in most makes it a pretty big challenge, but...at the same time, it's a lot of fun to be able to do it and I haven't tested it out yet for a game, but I intend to later this season in my current dynasty.

The premise is, it's not like America where you'd get to descrate the pitch by putting say 20,000 more bleachers on the actual field of play to accomodate the differences between the sheer largess of a cricket pitch and the relative narrowness of a baseball field.

Foul Ground size is extra large.

Kensington Oval (28,000)
(Barbados, West Indies)
Dimensions: (330/403/414/475/425/368/349)
Factors

Quote:

LBA: .966
RBA: 1.017
2B: 1.039
3B: 1.293
LHR: .688
RHR: .710

Lord's (30,000)
(England)
Dimensions: (345/423/470/505/460/410/360)
A baseball exhibition was actually played at Lord's around World War II.

Quote:

LBA: 1.028
RBA: 1.009
2B: 1.135
3B: 1.597
LHR: .580
RHR: .485

I'll be doing others later, but...it was a neat idea of something different to attempt to do.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 02:46 AM

With just over a month left in the season, I can reflect on the progress we've made in just a year. We have a foundation in place now that we didn't have last year.

Brennan Atkins (12-7, 2.87) and Ralph Oliver (11-6, 3.69 ERA) have been solid.

We signed Alvaro Vega, a hard-throwing pitcher from Puerto Rico last year and he's already paying dividends for us, going 4-4 with a 1.55 ERA and 90 K since coming up this year from the minors.

Our starters ERA is 8th in the majors at 3.76, but there real problem exists in our hitters. We're just in the middle of the pack offensively in most categories -- 19th in average (.260), 18th in homers (104) and 18th in stolen bases (96). We're striking out too much, which is probably owes to the fact that we've got a lot of young guys in the lineup.

I don't anticipate any major changes going into next year, with a month left in this season. We're 8 games out of the wild card, which is too much ground to make up for a team that hasn't gone out of its way to get 'hot' all year. But that being said, we're probably just a few set pieces away from being a playoff contender next season.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 02:47 AM

It looks like Cleveland is running away with the last place title in MLB with just 40 wins. They might get hot, in which case Washington, San Jose and Colorado would have to watch out, if they'd prefer not to be in the Challenge Series.

Salt Lake City has been pretty solid considering coming out from scratch this year to make sure that they won't be making a return trip to the Continental League after a year in the majors.

Meanwhile, Chicago is 10 games out in the CL West and it seems less and less likely that they'll even get a chance to avenge their demotion to the upstart circuit. There are rumors the team might sell its rights to a promoted team owner for the right price. So it would effectively be a 'franchise swap' where the team moving up would assume the Chicago White Sox name and market and the team staying in the CL would move elsewhere. A crazy idea, but it doesn't seem likely if the standings stay the same and Baltimore and Monterrey hold their leads. Monterrey is vying to become the first Mexican franchise to enter the MLB and Baltimore hasn't had a team since the original Orioles moved to San Jose in 1990. The irony that would ensue if the two teams met in the MLB Challenge Series would be downright hilarious and yet, interesting at the same time.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 03:01 AM

ROSS RETURNS, ENERGIZES YANKEES INTO PLAYOFF RACE
September 1, 2001

C Vic Ross got injured on June 10th and was out 7-8 weeks with a fractured jaw after being hit by a pitch. He was leading the team in home runs before he left and upon his return in early August, it was his leadership that led the team to an 18-8 record in August and now it seems that the faithful in Boston are using the 'p' word as in playoffs.

The team's only playoff appearance since 1976 when they last won the World Series came in 1995, when the team suffered a crushing defeat in the World Series against San Antonio in six games.

So it would be no small feat to return even to the playoffs.

As of September 1st, the team remains 3 games out of the final spot held by San Francisco with Texas just 2 back, St. Louis is just 3 1/2.

"We'll see how it goes. It's great for the confidence of a young team to be in the thick of a playoff race," said Yankees GM D.C. Daly. "But we're not counting our chickens. The boys are playing extremely well right now though and so, if they can manage to keep it up, I do like our chances against anybody."

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 02:18 PM

HERE'S OUR SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER 2001

I looked at the schedule and there are no games scheduled in NYC for 9/11/01. As a result, I've decided to keep the schedule as it is, imagining a time and a better world than the one we live in..and that such a heinous act never would have occurred.

The American Division leading Comets come to town for three, followed by six home games against Columbus (6th place, American) and Philadelphia (7th place, East) before we play a decisive set of three games against 2nd place Brooklyn who already have 93 wins and the dominant Mets who with 99 wins are within striking distance of the all-time regular season wins record, set by the Atlanta A's in 1998 at 109. Of course, Mets fans will remind you that no matter who had the best record that year, it was the 92-win Mets who ended up winning the World Series in a sweep over Pittsburgh, while the 109-win A's were upset by the Giants in 4 games in the WS Quarter-finals.

"Winning the division is a big deal for us, but winning the World Series is an even bigger one," said Mets manager Eugene Allen.

Our regular season ends with a four game set against Pittsburgh, who are currently just ahead of us in 3rd in the east.

So, our schedule is pretty tough, because the only way we make the playoffs is knocking off teams that are ahead of us at every turn.

Doable? Sure it is. Likely? Well, you have to have hope I think.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 02:40 PM

9/4/2001 UPDATE
---
After taking 2 of 3 from Chicago over Labor Day Weekend, we still sit 3 1/2 games out of the Giants (81-64) who own the last playoff spot at the moment. St. Louis and Texas are just above us 3 games out.

If we can beat Brooklyn in that series and gain ground on Pittsburgh, it'll help us keep pace, but in theory...if the teams above us keep winning and we win, it won't do us a whole lot of good.

But one thing is certain: We don't want to lose.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 03:05 PM

9/12/01 UPDATE
---
We dropped 2 of 3 to Columbus, but then took 3 of 4 from Philadelphia.

We lost yesterday to Brooklyn 5-2, putting us four games out with 9 games to go. It's increasingly evident that we'll need some help if we want to get into the playoffs.

It's funny, I know in some leagues it's actually better NOT to make the playoffs and just figure that it's better to work on building your team for the next year and try again.

I'd much rather -- for the experience of it and more importantly, just the chance to see what we can do -- make the playoffs. But I can see the key weaknesses in our ballclub, especially at the bottom of the lineup. We need more power and we need it now.

The thing is, I can't say that I look at our club and see us as a definitive playoff team next year. I think we should have a good chance if things go right, but the sorts of changes we'll need to make will be slightly more decisive than I think I'll be willing to make this off-season, as we're not going to be taking on any significant increase in salary this year.

INDIANS HOLD ON TO BOTTOM SPOT, MATADORS ALREADY CLINCH
With less than two weeks in the season, the Cleveland Indians (55-98) are holding on to the last spot in the majors, making them the team to 'beat' en route to the MLB Challenge Series against the Guinness Cup winner of the Continental League.

This year's tourney will be played at Lord's, known as the birthplace of cricket in England.

In the Continental League, Monterrey has already clinched the CL West, assuring them the opportunity to face off against the Baltimore Orioles whose magic number is 2, with 12 games left in the CL regular season.

Not surprisingly those two cities are leading the league in overall attendance (Monterrey: 832,628, Baltimore: 818,000) and on the tail end are the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies, the latter proving that even with an underachieving major league team in town, there is no guarantee that fans will show up unless you win. Both teams might be moving at the end of the year.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 04:14 PM

FINAL 2001 MLB STANDINGS
Wild Card qualifiers in Green, Challenge Series qualifier in red.

Code:

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
New York Mets		110	52	.679	-
Brooklyn Cyclones	108	54	.667	2.0
Pittsburgh Pirates	93	69	.574	17.0
Boston Yankees		86	76	.531	24.0
Toronto Blue Sox	83	79	.512	27.0
New York Bombers	73	89	.451	37.0
Philadelphia Colonials	71	91	.438	39.0
Cleveland Indians	56	106	.346	54.0

American Division	W	L	PCT	GB
St. Louis Cardinals	90	73	.552	-
Chicago Comets		89	74	.546	1.0
Kansas City Royals	88	74	.543	1.5
Detroit Tigers		82	80	.506	7.5
Columbus Clippers	78	84	.481	11.5
Chicago Cubs		76	86	.469	13.5
Minnesota Twins		71	91	.438	18.5
Colorado Rockies	64	98	.395	25.5

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles Dodgers	93	69	.574	-
Los Angeles Angels	92	70	.568	1.0
San Francisco Giants	92	70	.568	1.0
Riverside Red Sox	81	81	.500	12.0
San Diego Padres	80	82	.494	13.0
Seattle Mariners	77	85	.475	16.0
Salt Lake City Bees	76	86	.469	17.0
San Jose Captains	69	93	.426	24.0

National Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Atlanta Athletics	96	66	.593	-
Texas Rangers		89	73	.549	7.0
Cincinnati Reds		82	80	.506	14.0
Arizona Diamondbacks	74	88	.457	22.0
Houston Astros		74	88	.457	22.0
Washington Diplomats	69	93	.426	27.0
San Antonio Aviators	67	95	.414	29.0
Florida Marlins		64	98	.395	32.0

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 04:16 PM

2001 FINAL STANDINGS, CONTINENTAL LEAGUE

Code:

Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Baltimore Orioles	83	53	.610	-
Tampa Bay Rays		72	64	.529	11.0
Richmond Braves		69	67	.507	14.0
Durham Bulls		68	68	.500	15.0
Philadelphia Phillies	64	72	.471	19.0
Milwaukee Brewers	53	83	.390	30.0

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Monterrey Matadors	84	52	.618	-
Chicago White Sox	73	63	.537	11.0
Portland Beavers	68	68	.500	16.0
Los Angeles Empires	61	75	.449	23.0
Nevada Silverhawks	61	75	.449	23.0
Boise Hawks		60	76	.441	24.0

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 04:33 PM

PLAYOFF PREVIEW, MLB
Baltimore and Monterrey face off in the best-of-five game Guinness Cup Series in the Continental League. The winner will face Cleveland of MLB in another best-of-five game series, this time taking place in London, England for the right to play in MLB next year.

Meanwhile, in MLB the playoff matchups are:

San Francisco (92-70) v. New York (110-52)

Los Angeles Angels (92-70) V. Atlanta (96-66)

Pittsburgh (93-69) v. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-69)

Brooklyn (108-54) v. St. Louis (90-73)

If I had to put money on it, I'd bet that MLB is hoping for a rematch of the seven-game thriller between New York Mets and Brooklyn that took place in 1997.

Meanwhile, you can expect that there will be a variety of changes in the Continental League going into next year, with MLB considering shortening the CL regular season and possibly expanding the CL playoffs to encourage more teams to "go for it" later in the season. Low attendance numbers for some teams has discouraged MLB from those cities and you can expect some changes in venue for some teams.

Meanwhile, the rousing success of Monterrey and Baltimore in the CL has MLB desperate to get back into that market. The O's drew over 1 million fans. By comparison, the Indians drew just 1.5 million for the entire major league season, while Monterrey drew just under a million for the year in total.

Ed note: The game has done a great job with modeling the attendance figures for what amounts to a Triple-A league. Teams are still playing in ballparks that befit their size in some cases, while others are still in MLB parks (White Sox, Orioles) and yet, we don't have any CL teams drawing more than MLB team, which is accurate. That said, Baltimore's 1 million would be a Triple-A record. Sacramento and Memphis are the only two real life Triple-A teams that have hit 900k+ in recent years.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 04:51 PM

BALTIMORE WIN GUINNESS CUP SERIES IN FIVE GAMES
October 1, 2001
Everyone expected a hard-fought series and that's exactly what they got, as the Baltimore Orioles fought off the Monterrey Matadors in five games to win the 2001 Guinness Cup Series.

The Orioles now travel to England to face the Cleveland Indians in the MLB Challenge Series.

"We're pumped," said Orioles Manager Vince Lawson, who is in his first year with the club after managing the Colorado Rockies last year.

The teams say that they're aware the conditions at Lord's are far different than anything in MLB currently, but that doesn't seem to bother O's cleanup hitter and first baseman Gene Holder.

"It doesn't matter. We've got to put up or shutup. This is our chance to prove we belong and we've got to take it."

Meanwhile, the Indians have already discussed with fans of the team who live in Europe, the chance to show up and support the ballclub.

Rookie third baseman Ben Fidge, an Australian who was born in London said that he's sad to be going to his birthplace under such dismal circumstances, but is happy to be playing there.

"I have mates who still live there and so, I can't wait to show off what I do. We're in the majors and they're not. So they have to prove that they want it, because we're not going to give it up easy."

The setup for the games will be Baltimore will be the home team for the first two, with Cleveland being the home team for two others if necessary.

Plans originally called to avoid the double-header format of the series, but in the end, the schedule was set for double-headers on Friday and Saturday, with Game 5 if necessary on Sunday.

"We want to make sure the conditions are fair for the players, but more importantly, we wanted to be sure that fans would come and enjoy the game and we felt doubleheaders were a great way to do that" said an MLB spokesman.

Games 1 & 2 start Friday at 1:15pm local time

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 04:53 PM

Game crash. Oops.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 04:55 PM

MLB CHALLENGE SERIES: TEAMS SPLIT GAMES
October 5, 2001
A near capacity crowd of 29,795 saw the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians split the first two games of the MLB Challenge Series.

The first game, the Orioles won 2-1, but the Indians came back in the 2nd game, mashing 13 hits and winning 9-4 to tie the series. Games 3&4 are tomorrow.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 05:03 PM

CHALLENGE SERIES GOES TO A DECISIVE GAME FIVE

The Indians won Game 3 of the MLBCS 5-0 on stellar pitching by Norberto Avila, and needed just one more win to retain their spot in MLB. But the Orioles weren't to be thwarted and won 4-1 in Game 4, to force a decisive Game 5 tomorrow here at Lord's.

The scene has been nothing short of spectacular. Fans have been energized and playing at Lord's has been exciting for players too.

"It's like playing at Fenway, but so much cooler. I could do this all the time," said Kiernan Black, pitcher for the Orioles and winner of Game 4.

The fear that there wouldn't be enough offense has been unfounded too, as playing in cricket ovals has resulted in less home run action, but still has produced upwards of 5 hits per team per game.

"I think people are too home run obsessed," said Indians manager Gerald Thompson. "This is baseball the way it's meant to be played. I told the guys that they're closer to the roots of the game now on a field like this, than anything they'd ever seen in the U.S.

Since there are no dugouts at Lord's the teams used makeshift benches taken from a local soccer club. The players were also asked not to spit sunflower seeds on the hallowed grounds at Lord's. The players were glad to oblige.

Game 5 will end this year's Challenge Series, but the excitement of the event overseas means that MLB will probably again look at this as a more permanent fixture for the event. Sunday is an off-day for the MLB playoffs, giving the Challenge Series the entire stage for U.S. fans to tune in to what their game is doing abroad in a place where people understand the concept of bat to ball, but where it takes an entirely different form.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 05:28 PM

ORIOLES WIN 5-4, MOVE TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES

In an extra inning thriller, the two teams combined for 21 hits and 9 runs, as the Orioles scored 2 runs in the 10th, to win 5-4. The Indians scored a run in the top half of the 10th to break a 3-3 tie that sent the game to extra frames, but in the end, the Orioles wanted it more and as a result, Baltimore is once again a major league city.

"This is great for our fans, they've supported us all year," said Orioles starting pitcher Jermaine West.

MLB announced that this year and in future years, the winner of the MLB Challenge Series will recieve the "Commissioner's Pin", which is quite honestly just a 'pin' that is awarded to the winning manager, who has a meet 'n greet with the winning manager, either to welcome him and his team formally to MLB or simply to congratulate them on another season in the majors and to wish them "good luck" onto a new year.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 05:43 PM

WORLD SERIES 2001: SUBWAY SERIES II
Last year, we had a hard fought series that saw Pittsburgh knock off Philadelphia in six games to win their first World Series title since 1974.

This year, the Subway Series is back. A rematch of the 1997 instant classic where the Mets won a seven-game battle against the Cyclones and this time, the two teams are back with the Mets having already finished with the best regular season record in history and the Cyclones winning a non-slouchlike 108 games.

Dean Mattingly · 09-24-2007, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkcloud4579

RATIONALE/BACKGROUND
The main reason for things being how they are is simple. I wanted to be able to have a league that would let me go crazy with adding teams to cities that otherwise would never be in the majors,

Okay, where's Indianapolis?

Cool idea by the way.

darkcloud4579 · 09-24-2007, 11:27 PM

CL CHANGES
In addition to the relegation of the Cleveland Indians to the Continental League, a few other changes will be announced and approved at the MLB owners meeting at the end of the post-season.

*Approval of the move of the Philadelphia Phillies to Montreal, Quebec*Approval of the move of the Boise Hawks to Vancouver, British Columbia

*Approval of the move of the Milwaukee Brewers to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Warm weather cities or domes. Not an accident, either.

MLB SEASON END REPORT
In other news, the New York Mets defeated the Brooklyn Cyclones in seven games to win the 2001 World Series.

YANKEES SEASON RECAP
Winning seasons are enough to get fans at least excited about the product on the field, but not good enough to do much else. Despite having one of the highest values in all of baseball, the team has taken to an approach of chasing after players who fit into the team's plans, rather than trying to build via free agency.

To that end, fans say that they are excited and yet, frustrated about what the team has been doing.

"We're trying to build a winner here and it takes time," said GM D.C. Daly, who is heading into his third year with the club.

He points to a retooled farm system that's the class of baseball and the fact that the team is investing heavily in recruiting players overseas. And Daly says, there is more to come.

The team plans to open a new $15 million baseball facility in the United Kingdom on the heels of a success MLB Challenge Series in that country, as well as the expansion of efforts to develop the game throughout Europe. Daly says, that sticking to the UK is an advantage that other teams have yet to realize.

"There is a culture for the game there. People might know everything about it, but it's a far cry to other countries where they've never seen it and have no links to it at all. We're also looking at other suitable markets around the world and will continue to grow the game and our system to acquire talent wherever it is."

All of this planning, Daly says, costs money.

"Trust me, they're not letting us do it for free."

So initial reports that the team plans not to do much in free agency this off-season were "greatly exaggerated," and Daly says that the Yanks will be an "active player as our fans would expect, to do whatever we can to improve this ballclub. I've been the most critical guy of this team all year, saying what we need to get better," but Boston fans are growing weary as they see a team that has failed to replicate the success of the team's early years when from 196-1976, the team won 3 World Series titles and made seven playoff appearances. Since then, the team's lone playoff appearance in 1995 resulted in a loss in the World Series.

"1995 rings in my ears as if I was here and I wasn't. We want fans to think of the future ahead of us," said Daly.

Rumors that the team is considering replacing hallowed Yankee Field by 2007 is also causing some rumblings, but the team has been mum about its plans to date.

In any case, the question of whether there is a bright future ahead for the Yankees remains to be seen on the field, because as we all know...you can play on paper all you want, but the only way we'll know anything is to see the proof in the pudding.

09-24-2007, 02:18 PM	#47
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	HERE'S OUR SCHEDULE FOR SEPTEMBER 2001 I looked at the schedule and there are no games scheduled in NYC for 9/11/01. As a result, I've decided to keep the schedule as it is, imagining a time and a better world than the one we live in..and that such a heinous act never would have occurred. The American Division leading Comets come to town for three, followed by six home games against Columbus (6th place, American) and Philadelphia (7th place, East) before we play a decisive set of three games against 2nd place Brooklyn who already have 93 wins and the dominant Mets who with 99 wins are within striking distance of the all-time regular season wins record, set by the Atlanta A's in 1998 at 109. Of course, Mets fans will remind you that no matter who had the best record that year, it was the 92-win Mets who ended up winning the World Series in a sweep over Pittsburgh, while the 109-win A's were upset by the Giants in 4 games in the WS Quarter-finals. "Winning the division is a big deal for us, but winning the World Series is an even bigger one," said Mets manager Eugene Allen. Our regular season ends with a four game set against Pittsburgh, who are currently just ahead of us in 3rd in the east. So, our schedule is pretty tough, because the only way we make the playoffs is knocking off teams that are ahead of us at every turn. Doable? Sure it is. Likely? Well, you have to have hope I think. Last edited by darkcloud4579; 09-24-2007 at 02:29 PM.

09-24-2007, 04:53 PM	#54
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	Game crash. Oops. Last edited by darkcloud4579; 09-24-2007 at 05:20 PM.

09-24-2007, 05:03 PM	#56
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	CHALLENGE SERIES GOES TO A DECISIVE GAME FIVE The Indians won Game 3 of the MLBCS 5-0 on stellar pitching by Norberto Avila, and needed just one more win to retain their spot in MLB. But the Orioles weren't to be thwarted and won 4-1 in Game 4, to force a decisive Game 5 tomorrow here at Lord's. The scene has been nothing short of spectacular. Fans have been energized and playing at Lord's has been exciting for players too. "It's like playing at Fenway, but so much cooler. I could do this all the time," said Kiernan Black, pitcher for the Orioles and winner of Game 4. The fear that there wouldn't be enough offense has been unfounded too, as playing in cricket ovals has resulted in less home run action, but still has produced upwards of 5 hits per team per game. "I think people are too home run obsessed," said Indians manager Gerald Thompson. "This is baseball the way it's meant to be played. I told the guys that they're closer to the roots of the game now on a field like this, than anything they'd ever seen in the U.S. Since there are no dugouts at Lord's the teams used makeshift benches taken from a local soccer club. The players were also asked not to spit sunflower seeds on the hallowed grounds at Lord's. The players were glad to oblige. Game 5 will end this year's Challenge Series, but the excitement of the event overseas means that MLB will probably again look at this as a more permanent fixture for the event. Sunday is an off-day for the MLB playoffs, giving the Challenge Series the entire stage for U.S. fans to tune in to what their game is doing abroad in a place where people understand the concept of bat to ball, but where it takes an entirely different form. Last edited by darkcloud4579; 09-24-2007 at 05:05 PM.

09-24-2007, 02:46 AM	#44
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	With just over a month left in the season, I can reflect on the progress we've made in just a year. We have a foundation in place now that we didn't have last year. Brennan Atkins (12-7, 2.87) and Ralph Oliver (11-6, 3.69 ERA) have been solid. We signed Alvaro Vega, a hard-throwing pitcher from Puerto Rico last year and he's already paying dividends for us, going 4-4 with a 1.55 ERA and 90 K since coming up this year from the minors. Our starters ERA is 8th in the majors at 3.76, but there real problem exists in our hitters. We're just in the middle of the pack offensively in most categories -- 19th in average (.260), 18th in homers (104) and 18th in stolen bases (96). We're striking out too much, which is probably owes to the fact that we've got a lot of young guys in the lineup. I don't anticipate any major changes going into next year, with a month left in this season. We're 8 games out of the wild card, which is too much ground to make up for a team that hasn't gone out of its way to get 'hot' all year. But that being said, we're probably just a few set pieces away from being a playoff contender next season.

09-24-2007, 02:47 AM	#45
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	It looks like Cleveland is running away with the last place title in MLB with just 40 wins. They might get hot, in which case Washington, San Jose and Colorado would have to watch out, if they'd prefer not to be in the Challenge Series. Salt Lake City has been pretty solid considering coming out from scratch this year to make sure that they won't be making a return trip to the Continental League after a year in the majors. Meanwhile, Chicago is 10 games out in the CL West and it seems less and less likely that they'll even get a chance to avenge their demotion to the upstart circuit. There are rumors the team might sell its rights to a promoted team owner for the right price. So it would effectively be a 'franchise swap' where the team moving up would assume the Chicago White Sox name and market and the team staying in the CL would move elsewhere. A crazy idea, but it doesn't seem likely if the standings stay the same and Baltimore and Monterrey hold their leads. Monterrey is vying to become the first Mexican franchise to enter the MLB and Baltimore hasn't had a team since the original Orioles moved to San Jose in 1990. The irony that would ensue if the two teams met in the MLB Challenge Series would be downright hilarious and yet, interesting at the same time.

09-24-2007, 03:01 AM	#46
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	ROSS RETURNS, ENERGIZES YANKEES INTO PLAYOFF RACE September 1, 2001 C Vic Ross got injured on June 10th and was out 7-8 weeks with a fractured jaw after being hit by a pitch. He was leading the team in home runs before he left and upon his return in early August, it was his leadership that led the team to an 18-8 record in August and now it seems that the faithful in Boston are using the 'p' word as in playoffs. The team's only playoff appearance since 1976 when they last won the World Series came in 1995, when the team suffered a crushing defeat in the World Series against San Antonio in six games. So it would be no small feat to return even to the playoffs. As of September 1st, the team remains 3 games out of the final spot held by San Francisco with Texas just 2 back, St. Louis is just 3 1/2. "We'll see how it goes. It's great for the confidence of a young team to be in the thick of a playoff race," said Yankees GM D.C. Daly. "But we're not counting our chickens. The boys are playing extremely well right now though and so, if they can manage to keep it up, I do like our chances against anybody."

09-24-2007, 02:40 PM	#48
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	9/4/2001 UPDATE --- After taking 2 of 3 from Chicago over Labor Day Weekend, we still sit 3 1/2 games out of the Giants (81-64) who own the last playoff spot at the moment. St. Louis and Texas are just above us 3 games out. If we can beat Brooklyn in that series and gain ground on Pittsburgh, it'll help us keep pace, but in theory...if the teams above us keep winning and we win, it won't do us a whole lot of good. But one thing is certain: We don't want to lose.

09-24-2007, 03:05 PM	#49
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	9/12/01 UPDATE --- We dropped 2 of 3 to Columbus, but then took 3 of 4 from Philadelphia. We lost yesterday to Brooklyn 5-2, putting us four games out with 9 games to go. It's increasingly evident that we'll need some help if we want to get into the playoffs. It's funny, I know in some leagues it's actually better NOT to make the playoffs and just figure that it's better to work on building your team for the next year and try again. I'd much rather -- for the experience of it and more importantly, just the chance to see what we can do -- make the playoffs. But I can see the key weaknesses in our ballclub, especially at the bottom of the lineup. We need more power and we need it now. The thing is, I can't say that I look at our club and see us as a definitive playoff team next year. I think we should have a good chance if things go right, but the sorts of changes we'll need to make will be slightly more decisive than I think I'll be willing to make this off-season, as we're not going to be taking on any significant increase in salary this year. INDIANS HOLD ON TO BOTTOM SPOT, MATADORS ALREADY CLINCH With less than two weeks in the season, the Cleveland Indians (55-98) are holding on to the last spot in the majors, making them the team to 'beat' en route to the MLB Challenge Series against the Guinness Cup winner of the Continental League. This year's tourney will be played at Lord's, known as the birthplace of cricket in England. In the Continental League, Monterrey has already clinched the CL West, assuring them the opportunity to face off against the Baltimore Orioles whose magic number is 2, with 12 games left in the CL regular season. Not surprisingly those two cities are leading the league in overall attendance (Monterrey: 832,628, Baltimore: 818,000) and on the tail end are the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies, the latter proving that even with an underachieving major league team in town, there is no guarantee that fans will show up unless you win. Both teams might be moving at the end of the year.

09-24-2007, 04:33 PM	#52
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	PLAYOFF PREVIEW, MLB Baltimore and Monterrey face off in the best-of-five game Guinness Cup Series in the Continental League. The winner will face Cleveland of MLB in another best-of-five game series, this time taking place in London, England for the right to play in MLB next year. Meanwhile, in MLB the playoff matchups are: San Francisco (92-70) v. New York (110-52) Los Angeles Angels (92-70) V. Atlanta (96-66) Pittsburgh (93-69) v. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-69) Brooklyn (108-54) v. St. Louis (90-73) If I had to put money on it, I'd bet that MLB is hoping for a rematch of the seven-game thriller between New York Mets and Brooklyn that took place in 1997. Meanwhile, you can expect that there will be a variety of changes in the Continental League going into next year, with MLB considering shortening the CL regular season and possibly expanding the CL playoffs to encourage more teams to "go for it" later in the season. Low attendance numbers for some teams has discouraged MLB from those cities and you can expect some changes in venue for some teams. Meanwhile, the rousing success of Monterrey and Baltimore in the CL has MLB desperate to get back into that market. The O's drew over 1 million fans. By comparison, the Indians drew just 1.5 million for the entire major league season, while Monterrey drew just under a million for the year in total. Ed note: The game has done a great job with modeling the attendance figures for what amounts to a Triple-A league. Teams are still playing in ballparks that befit their size in some cases, while others are still in MLB parks (White Sox, Orioles) and yet, we don't have any CL teams drawing more than MLB team, which is accurate. That said, Baltimore's 1 million would be a Triple-A record. Sacramento and Memphis are the only two real life Triple-A teams that have hit 900k+ in recent years.

09-24-2007, 04:51 PM	#53
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	BALTIMORE WIN GUINNESS CUP SERIES IN FIVE GAMES October 1, 2001 Everyone expected a hard-fought series and that's exactly what they got, as the Baltimore Orioles fought off the Monterrey Matadors in five games to win the 2001 Guinness Cup Series. The Orioles now travel to England to face the Cleveland Indians in the MLB Challenge Series. "We're pumped," said Orioles Manager Vince Lawson, who is in his first year with the club after managing the Colorado Rockies last year. The teams say that they're aware the conditions at Lord's are far different than anything in MLB currently, but that doesn't seem to bother O's cleanup hitter and first baseman Gene Holder. "It doesn't matter. We've got to put up or shutup. This is our chance to prove we belong and we've got to take it." Meanwhile, the Indians have already discussed with fans of the team who live in Europe, the chance to show up and support the ballclub. Rookie third baseman Ben Fidge, an Australian who was born in London said that he's sad to be going to his birthplace under such dismal circumstances, but is happy to be playing there. "I have mates who still live there and so, I can't wait to show off what I do. We're in the majors and they're not. So they have to prove that they want it, because we're not going to give it up easy." The setup for the games will be Baltimore will be the home team for the first two, with Cleveland being the home team for two others if necessary. Plans originally called to avoid the double-header format of the series, but in the end, the schedule was set for double-headers on Friday and Saturday, with Game 5 if necessary on Sunday. "We want to make sure the conditions are fair for the players, but more importantly, we wanted to be sure that fans would come and enjoy the game and we felt doubleheaders were a great way to do that" said an MLB spokesman. Games 1 & 2 start Friday at 1:15pm local time

09-24-2007, 04:55 PM	#55
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	MLB CHALLENGE SERIES: TEAMS SPLIT GAMES October 5, 2001 A near capacity crowd of 29,795 saw the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians split the first two games of the MLB Challenge Series. The first game, the Orioles won 2-1, but the Indians came back in the 2nd game, mashing 13 hits and winning 9-4 to tie the series. Games 3&4 are tomorrow.

09-24-2007, 05:28 PM	#57
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	ORIOLES WIN 5-4, MOVE TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES In an extra inning thriller, the two teams combined for 21 hits and 9 runs, as the Orioles scored 2 runs in the 10th, to win 5-4. The Indians scored a run in the top half of the 10th to break a 3-3 tie that sent the game to extra frames, but in the end, the Orioles wanted it more and as a result, Baltimore is once again a major league city. "This is great for our fans, they've supported us all year," said Orioles starting pitcher Jermaine West. MLB announced that this year and in future years, the winner of the MLB Challenge Series will recieve the "Commissioner's Pin", which is quite honestly just a 'pin' that is awarded to the winning manager, who has a meet 'n greet with the winning manager, either to welcome him and his team formally to MLB or simply to congratulate them on another season in the majors and to wish them "good luck" onto a new year.

09-24-2007, 05:43 PM	#58
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	WORLD SERIES 2001: SUBWAY SERIES II Last year, we had a hard fought series that saw Pittsburgh knock off Philadelphia in six games to win their first World Series title since 1974. This year, the Subway Series is back. A rematch of the 1997 instant classic where the Mets won a seven-game battle against the Cyclones and this time, the two teams are back with the Mets having already finished with the best regular season record in history and the Cyclones winning a non-slouchlike 108 games.

09-24-2007, 11:27 PM	#60
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,712	CL CHANGES In addition to the relegation of the Cleveland Indians to the Continental League, a few other changes will be announced and approved at the MLB owners meeting at the end of the post-season. Approval of the move of the Philadelphia Phillies to Montreal, QuebecApproval of the move of the Boise Hawks to Vancouver, British Columbia Approval of the move of the Milwaukee Brewers to New Orleans, Louisiana. Warm weather cities or domes. Not an accident, either. MLB SEASON END REPORT* In other news, the New York Mets defeated the Brooklyn Cyclones in seven games to win the 2001 World Series. YANKEES SEASON RECAP Winning seasons are enough to get fans at least excited about the product on the field, but not good enough to do much else. Despite having one of the highest values in all of baseball, the team has taken to an approach of chasing after players who fit into the team's plans, rather than trying to build via free agency. To that end, fans say that they are excited and yet, frustrated about what the team has been doing. "We're trying to build a winner here and it takes time," said GM D.C. Daly, who is heading into his third year with the club. He points to a retooled farm system that's the class of baseball and the fact that the team is investing heavily in recruiting players overseas. And Daly says, there is more to come. The team plans to open a new $15 million baseball facility in the United Kingdom on the heels of a success MLB Challenge Series in that country, as well as the expansion of efforts to develop the game throughout Europe. Daly says, that sticking to the UK is an advantage that other teams have yet to realize. "There is a culture for the game there. People might know everything about it, but it's a far cry to other countries where they've never seen it and have no links to it at all. We're also looking at other suitable markets around the world and will continue to grow the game and our system to acquire talent wherever it is." All of this planning, Daly says, costs money. "Trust me, they're not letting us do it for free." So initial reports that the team plans not to do much in free agency this off-season were "greatly exaggerated," and Daly says that the Yanks will be an "active player as our fans would expect, to do whatever we can to improve this ballclub. I've been the most critical guy of this team all year, saying what we need to get better," but Boston fans are growing weary as they see a team that has failed to replicate the success of the team's early years when from 196-1976, the team won 3 World Series titles and made seven playoff appearances. Since then, the team's lone playoff appearance in 1995 resulted in a loss in the World Series. "1995 rings in my ears as if I was here and I wasn't. We want fans to think of the future ahead of us," said Daly. Rumors that the team is considering replacing hallowed Yankee Field by 2007 is also causing some rumblings, but the team has been mum about its plans to date. In any case, the question of whether there is a bright future ahead for the Yankees remains to be seen on the field, because as we all know...you can play on paper all you want, but the only way we'll know anything is to see the proof in the pudding.