The Pastime Baseball League

[kenyan_cheena]

Considering the post-season disappointments their fans have endured for the league's first three seasons losing that playoff would have been disasterous for the Heroes. I hope they can finally get it done this time around.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

Considering the post-season disappointments their fans have endured for the league's first three seasons losing that playoff would have been disasterous for the Heroes. I hope they can finally get it done this time around.

Interesting playoff scenario this time around. Indianapolis is the first-timer, New York has made the postseason each year but never won it. New Orleans was the defending champ knocked from its perch last season, and Arizona returns to the playoffs after a two-year absence.

Looking forward to the postseason, but first the regular season wrapup.

BTW, as for your earlier post, I'm going to go with the Oklahoma City Scorpions. Steers sounds good, but a real team with that name would be heckled mercilessly.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Pastime Baseball League

September Review
FINAL STANDINGS

East	W	L	PCT	GB
New York Heroes	84	79	.515	-
Philadelphia Ringers	83	80	.509	1.0
Louisville Racers	82	80	.506	1.5
Charlotte Cougars	77	85	.475	6.5
West	W	L	PCT	GB
Indianapolis Engines	90	72	.556	-
Chicago Hitmen	87	75	.537	3.0
Wichita Brigade	84	78	.519	6.0
Sacramento Stingers	66	96	.407	24.0

East	W	L	PCT	GB
New Orleans Knights	94	68	.580	-
Orlando Orcas	83	79	.512	11.0
Memphis Strummers	80	82	.494	14.0
Alabama Airmen	76	86	.469	18.0
West	W	L	PCT	GB
Arizona Sandmen	94	68	.580	-
Los Angeles Idols	86	76	.531	8.0
Las Vegas Bosses	67	95	.414	27.0
San Antonio Sheriffs	64	98	.395	30.0

[EMSoccerCoach]

Pastime Baseball League

September Review
FINAL LEADERS

Batting AVG
H. Walker	SAC	.356
J. Beckley	IND	.350
M. Moynahan	WIC	.328
D. Brouthers	LOU	.328
J. Hamilton	CHI	.324

Home Runs
J. Gibbons	WIC	33
C. Jones	PHI	32
J. Beckwith	CHA	30
W. Pipp	IND	27
E. Flick	IND	25

Runs Batted In
J. Beckwith	CHA	122
J. Gibbons	WIC	121
R. Connor	NY	120
F. Chance	WIC	111
W. Pipp	IND	109

Runs
J. Beckley	IND	115
E. Flick	IND	104
F. Jones	NY	104
J. Gibbons	WIC	96
J. McGraw	CHA	96

Stolen Bases
J. Anderson	PHI	30
J. McGraw	CHA	29
H. Ramirez	IND	28
T. Brown	CHA	27
H. Collins	WIC	25

ERA
A. Rusie	CHI	2.55
H. Pollet	CHI	3.20
J. Francis	PHI	3.36
J. Whitney	WIC	3.41
B. Byrd	NY	3.41

Wins
H. Pollet	CHI	20
A. Rusie	CHI	18
R. Waddell	WIC	18
B. Byrd	NY	16
F. Killen	NY	15

Innings Pitched
B. Sheets	CHA	281.0
R. Oswalt	LOU	273.0
B. Byrd	NY	269.0
R. Waddell	WIC	265.2
H. Pollet	CHI	264.0

Strikeouts
R. Waddell	WIC	276
B. Sheets	CHA	226
S. Paige	PHI	215
B. Byrd	NY	196
R. Branca	CHA	195

Saves
C. Cordero	WIC	34
J. Papelbon	NY	32
S. King	CHA	30
J. Soria	IND	29
F. Rodriguez	LOU	28

Batting AVG
O. Charleston	MEM	.369
M. Donlin	LA	.344
C. Sullivan	ARI	.342
C. McVey	LA	.335
F. Tenney	LA	.334

Home Runs
L. Pike	LV	32
S. Thompson	NO	29
H. Davis	LV	28
O. Charleston	MEM	25
T. Wigginton	MEM	25

Runs Batted In
T. Wigginton	MEM	122
O. Charleston	MEM	114
S. Thompson	NO	113
M. Donlin	LA	106
H. Davis	LV	105

Runs
J. Rollins	ALA	118
S. Strang	LA	117
O. Charleston	MEM	114
H. Wagner	ORL	111
M. Donlin	LA	109

Stolen Bases
J. Rollins	ALA	40
E. Delahanty	ALA	30
P. Hill	ARI	27
M. Tiernan	ALA	27
R. Furcal	SA	25

ERA
C. Griffith	ARI	2.40
A. Javery	ORL	2.72
B. Sanders	ARI	2.78
T. Lincecum	MEM	2.79
E. Bedard	MEM	3.22

Wins
B. Sanders	ARI	22
J. Clarkson	LA	19
T. Lincecum	MEM	18
M. Prior	NO	18
E. Bedard	MEM	17

Innings Pitched
B. Sanders	ARI	272.1
J. Clarkson	LA	271.2
T. Bond	LV	266.2
M. Prior	NO	266.2
D. Rudolph	SA	261.2

Strikeouts
T. Lincecum	MEM	251
M. Prior	NO	235
D. Haren	ALA	214
E. Bedard	MEM	196
J. Clarkson	LA	193

Saves
J. Valverde	ARI	33
B. Donnelly	ALA	30
T. Saito	ORL	28
S. Jones	SA	27
B. Sutter	NO	25

[PhillieFever]

Originally Posted by EMSoccerCoach

Interesting playoff scenario this time around. Indianapolis is the first-timer, New York has made the postseason each year but never won it. New Orleans was the defending champ knocked from its perch last season, and Arizona returns to the playoffs after a two-year absence.

Looking forward to the postseason, but first the regular season wrapup.

BTW, as for your earlier post, I'm going to go with the Oklahoma City Scorpions. Steers sounds good, but a real team with that name would be heckled mercilessly.

I like New Orleans this year,missing the post season last year seemed like a wake-up call for these guys,and they came back stronger than ever this year while making a strong statement in the process.As for the name change,I like it 100% better.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

I like New Orleans this year,missing the post season last year seemed like a wake-up call for these guys,and they came back stronger than ever this year while making a strong statement in the process.As for the name change,I like it 100% better.

Yeah, I like the names, and justafan did some great logos for me.

As for New Orleans, they are the most complete team I think. They will be hurt, though, losing home run king John O'Rourke (.272-40-125) for the season when he tore his meniscus against Orlando Sept. 21. He'll be replaced by Rocco Baldelli (.281-6-27) and/or Curtis Granderson (.219-13-60). Losing that power bat could be huge against Arizona's pitching staff.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Logos for three of the four new franchises, courtesy of Justafan:

[kenyan_cheena]

sWEET!

[norva13x]

Sweet logos!

[EMSoccerCoach]

Yeah, Justafan does great stuff. Didn't know what to do with the Milwaukee Bangers logo. Wanted to pay tribute to the old Harvey's Wallbangers...just said to maybe do a brute with a bat. We'll see what he, or someone else, comes up with.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Pastime Baseball League

September Review

It took a gut-wrenching race, but in the end the New York Heroes prevailed, winning their fourth straight East Division title. But don't be fooled, this team is on very loose footing. In August and September, they went a combined 21-35. That they held on to win the division was more representative of the rest of their division than their own efforts this season. Their leaders stumbled through September: Roger Connor hit .250, David Wright hit .240 and Irish Meusel hit .204. Add Jim McCormick's 6.00 ERA over five starts and Harry Howell's 7.11 mark over four, and this is not a team primed for the postseason.

The Philadelphia Ringers, on the other hand, are the team nobody wants to play and, fortunately for those teams, they don't have to. After treading water most of the season, the Ringers went 20-9 in September, including winning their final 8 games to force the one-game playoff. It should be noted they played that playoff game without Charley Jones - who led the Northern League with 32 homers - and Andre Dawson (.271-13-73), whose rookie campaign gave Philadelphia fans promise.

It looked as though the Louisville Racers were going to get another crack at New York, but Philadelphia took care of that in the season's final week. Still, the Racers capped an odd, up and down season with a 16-13 final month and a winning record for the fourth straight time. Dan Brouthers (.328-21-86) was strong, and his RBI numbers being down may spark concern, but it's important to remember he had nobody around him as a real threat. Hardy Richardson got his 108 RBI only because teams went after him instead of Brouthers. If the Racers even get a real strong bat to back Brouthers up, they might finally get that title. Edinson Volquez, who had never given up more than 19 homers in a season, gave up 32 this year, and Roy Oswalt (13-14, 4.45) followed the best season of his career with the worst.

They hung around, but in the end the Charlotte Cougars suffered their third straight losing season. They are set up to improve, though, as their pitching looks solid: Jake Peavy (11-11, 3.42), Ben Sheets (14-14, 3.56), Ralph Branca (14-12, 3.87) and, if his brief work is any indication, rookie Rick Sutcliffe (3-1, 2.43 in five starts) are a nice core to build from. John Beckwith may have hit only two homers in September, but he still made the leap from solid player to star with a great campaign (.303-30-122, 54 doubles).

The rotation isn't great and they played .500 ball in September, but anyone who paid attention this season knows what the Indianapolis Engines can do. Rookie Wally Pipp (.288-27-109) cooled down considerably after the All-Star Break, but still should take home the award. That's a shame for teammate Pedro Guerrero, whose own rookie campaign (.298-6-77, .329 over the final two months in the heat of a pennant race) was a strong one. Jake Beckley hit .350, falling just shy of his second straight batting title.

They lost, at various times, Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Adam Dunn, Josh Hamilton and Johan Santana, who finally seemed to be becoming what was forecasted. And yet, the Hitmen ended up tallying their first .500 season, losing the division by only three games and playing an inspired September during an 18-10 push that kept them in the race until the final week. They ended up with the top two pitchers in ERA (Amos Rusie at 2.55 and Howie Pollet at 3.20), and doled out their first major contract extension last week to Albert Pujols, locking him up for the next three years.

The Wichita Brigade lost their Ace/1A pitcher, Al Orth, for the season in his first start of the year, and just never seemed in sync all season long. Rube Waddell won 18 games and struck out a league-leading 276, but posted a sub-league-average 4.40 ERA. The offense scored plenty of runs, but Jay Gibbons' 33 homers were more than double the second batter on the team (Frank Chance, who hit 15). And still, it was until the final days of the season that the Brigade were right there, too. It will be odd having a postseason without them for the first time.

Before the season even began, the Sacramento Stingers lost top pick Mario Soto to Tommy John Surgery. The team now belongs to deadline pickup Justin Morneau, who despite playing half a year with them led the Stingers in homers with 16, tallying 28 total for the year with 112 RBI, batting .299. He's the cornerstone. Will the Stingers be able to build around him. They'd better, playing in what may be the PBL's toughest division.

AWARDS

Player of the Week

9/3 LF Harry Walker - Sacramento Stingers
9/10 1B Eddie Waitkus - Chicago Hitmen
9/17 RF Billy Southworth - Louisville Racers
9/24 1B Justin Morneau - Sacramento Stingers

Hitter of the Month

RF Jay Gibbons - Wichita Brigade

Pitcher of the Month

Howie Pollet - Chicago Hitmen

Rookie of the Month

1B Wally Pipp - Indianapolis Engines

[EMSoccerCoach]

Pastime Baseball League

September Review

Things may have been a little tenuous, but they were never really in doubt as a determined New Orleans Knights squad that, even after an 11-17 August, still stayed confident, showing it with a 20-8 September that cinched the division. The offense scuffled a bit besides John O'Rourke, who went .356-6-22 in 19 games before going down for the season with a knee injury; and the always solid Sam Thompson, who went .330-7-23 on the month to wrap up another great campaign (.293-29-113). Ace Mark Prior won 18 games, 5 of them in September in which he posted a 2.17 ERA.

There's nothing to be ashamed of for the Orlando Orcas, as the defending champions were crushed by injuries in the final month to leader Sam Crawford, deadline pickup Cap Anson and last year's playoff star Ryan Ludwick, as well as the midseason loss of ace Bill Hoffer. But they hung in, going 15-14 in September and posting a winning record on the year. The quartet of Crawford, Anson, Nap Lajoie and Honus Wagner should keep Orlando in the hunt perpetually.

The Memphis Strummers fell shy of .500 with a brutal 10-19 September that ended with an injury to Oscar Charleston (.369-25-114), who may well win his third Outstanding Hitter Award in four seasons. Despite a .716 OPS, Ty Wigginton drove in 26 runs on the month, putting him over 100 for the second straight season. Tim Lincecum (18-9, 2.79) is great, but this staff needs help going forward. The protection list for Memphis for the upcoming expansion draft should be one of the most watched. The Tim Keefe trade in which they dealt Cap Anson blew up in their face, as Keefe posted an even 6.00 ERA as a member of the Strummers. His future here is much in doubt.

There's talent in Alabama, where the Airmen a bit of this and a bit of that but not enough of anything. As such, the Airmen suffered their fourth straight losing season. Mike Tiernan topped 100 RBI and Mike Jacobs drove in 99; Jimmy Rollins hit .304 and stole 40 bases and George Van Haltren hit .330. Dan Haren lost 15 games despite a solid 3.83 ERA. Ed Delahanty knocked 40+ doubles for the third straight year and, at only 23, could be evolving into a force. But there's a long way to go here.

The Arizona Airmen weathered several hits to their rotation this year and just kept turning out productive starters. As such, they led the Southern Legaue in every pitching category except, oddly enough, strikeouts. Nobody hit 20 homers or drove in 100 runs (Willie Wells led in both with 18 and 88, respectively, despite missing a month). But Ben Sanders won 22 games - reaching 20 for the second straight year, Clark Griffith put forth a 2.40 ERA and Jose Valverde saved 33 games.

Pitching was not part of the Los Angeles Idols' recipe, and they paid for it. The trio of Mike Donlin (.344-23-106), Fred Tenney (.334-18-82) and Cal McVey (.335-12-68) was outstanding again, though not quite as good as last year. But beyond John Clarkson (19-12, 3.64) the pitching wasn't there. Even Billy Rhines, though he won 17 games, posted a 4.77 ERA, worse than the league average.

Lip Pike led the league with 32 homers. Harry Davis hit 28. The good news for the Las Vegas Bosses pretty much ends there. Rookies Lonnie Smith and Terry Puhl both impressed, both topped .300 and both got hurt. Such is life in Vegas.

Nobody thought Gabe Gross would be the offensive leader of the San Antonio Sheriffs. That he was is a big part of what went wrong. Gross (.283-18-54) is one of few things that went right in San Antonio, which has collapsed completely the past two seasons after winning 101 games two years ago. Ted Trent's injury hurt, but he couldn't have saved this group. Change must be coming in Texas.

AWARDS

Player of the Week

9/3 SS Willie Wells - Arizona Sandmen
9/10 CF Tommy Holmes - Las Vegas Bosses
9/17 SS Jimmy Rollins - Alabama Airmen
9/24 SS Willie Wells - Arizona Sandmen

Hitter of the Month

SS Honus Wagner - Orlando Orcas

Pitcher of the Month

Clark Griffith - Arizona Sandmen

Rookie of the Month

RF Dale Murphy - Memphis Strummers

[EMSoccerCoach]

...ugh, formatting problem.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Pastime Baseball League Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2012

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

NORTHERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

NEW YORK HEROES (84-79) vs INDIANAPOLIS ENGINES (90-62)


NEW YORK LEADERS

Team Leaders AVG I. Meusel .311 J. Viox .279 R. Connor .276 J. Burkett .276 D. Wright .270	Team Leaders HR R. Connor 26 D. Wright 19 J. Burkett 13 F. Jones 13 I. Meusel 11	Team Leaders RBI R. Connor 124 I. Meusel 98 D. Wright 96 J. Burkett 84 F. Jones 68

Team Leaders W B. Byrd 16 F. Killen 15 H. Howell 13 J. McCormick 10 A. Sothoron 9	Team Leaders ERA B. Byrd 3.56 F. Killen 3.88 H. Howell 4.63 J. McCormick 4.83	Team Leaders K B. Byrd 197 J. McCormick 157 F. Killen 129 H. Howell 128 U. Jimenez 56

INDIANAPOLIS LEADERS

Team Leaders AVG J. Beckley .350 E. Flick .300 P. Guerrero .298 W. Pipp .288 A. Dalrymple .285	Team Leaders HR W. Pipp 27 E. Flick 25 J. Beckley 22 S. Wise 15 H. Ramirez 13	Team Leaders RBI W. Pipp 109 E. Flick 100 J. Beckley 93 P. Guerrero 77 H. Ramirez 77
Team Leaders W C. Radbourn 15 C. Weilman 13 H. Wyse 13 J. Taylor 11 P. Galvin 9	Team Leaders ERA C. Weilman 4.00 H. Wyse 4.20 J. Taylor 4.37 C. Radbourn 4.96	Team Leaders K C. Weilman 147 C. Radbourn 114 H. Wyse 112 J. Taylor 95 L. Baldwin 67

SEASON SERIES: Indianapolis won 10 of 17

The New York Heroes have won four straight division titles now, the only division winner the Northern League of the Pastime Baseball League has ever known. And yet, they feel incomplete. For all their success, there is no PBL Championship. That led to the team not bringing back skipper Pat Moran. But the void is on the players.

"We've been a good team, everyone knows that," David Wright said. "But good isn't enough. Great is the goal, and great means titles. We blew our last shot [two years ago against New Orleans, when they were swept]. We want another crack."

To do that, they'll need to get past an Indianapolis squad hungry to show they aren't satisfied with being the first team to top Wichita for the west division.

"People forget, we've been a winning ballclub now 3 of the 4 years the PBL's been around," Elmer Flick said. "This isn't a fluke. This is a good team that's getting better every year."

Key will be Roger Connor, who has slugged just .380 since August 1st. He's a career .410 hitter in the postseason. Can he find that stroke now that the calendar's turned to October? And can Wright shake off his .200 career postseason average to produce a big playoff run.

For Indianapolis, it's really a matter of how they take to the big stage. The league's top offense and the league's top bullpen are also new to the postseason, where New York is very comfortable. This offense does everything...they hit, they walk, they hit homers, they steal bases. But the playoffs are a different animal.

Prediction: The Heroes have been through the ringer before, and even though they have no title to show for it, they won't be intimidated here. Using Bill Byrd, who posted a 2.01 ERA in September, in the one-game playoff, could hurt. New York flipped the switch in the playoff game, but the Engines were strong all month, and this offense can do too many things. Engines in 6.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Pastime Baseball League Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2012

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

SOUTHERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

NEW ORLEANS KNIGHTS (94-78) vs ARIZONA SANDMEN (94-78)



NEW ORLEANS LEADERS

Team Leaders AVG S. Thompson .293 R. Barnes .283 C. Tracy .275 E. Longoria .215	Team Leaders HR S. Thompson 29 E. Longoria 23 C. Tracy 22 J. O'Rourke 20 2 tied with 13	Team Leaders RBI S. Thompson 113 C. Tracy 102 E. Longoria 89 R. Barnes 77 J. O'Rourke 70
Team Leaders W M. Prior 18 D. Willis 17 R. Harden 14 D. McJames 14 E. Blackwell 10	Team Leaders ERA M. Prior 3.65 R. Harden 3.73 D. McJames 4.22 D. Willis 4.33	Team Leaders K M. Prior 235 D. McJames 191 R. Harden 163 D. Willis 139 2 tied with 75

ARIZONA LEADERS

Team Leaders AVG C. Sullivan .342 W. Wells .311 J. Reyes .295 G. Gore .289 A. Gonzalez .277	Team Leaders HR W. Wells 18 A. Gonzalez 17 P. Hill 8 G. Gore 7 4 tied with 6	Team Leaders RBI W. Wells 88 A. Gonzalez 81 B. Nash 81 H. Gowdy 66 C. Sullivan 65
Team Leaders W B. Sanders 22 D. Casey 14 C. Griffith 13 A. Sanchez 12 J. Verlander 8	Team Leaders ERA C. Griffith 2.40 B. Sanders 2.78 A. Sanchez 3.62 D. Casey 3.96	Team Leaders K D. Casey 149 B. Sanders 146 A. Sanchez 144 J. Verlander 86 C. Griffith 80

SEASON SERIES: Arizona won 12 of 17

New Orleans loses the home-field advantage based on head-to-head record, but that doesn't bother them. That's because the Knights went 50-31 on the road this season.

This matchup sees the top two pitching teams, not only in the Southern League, but in all of the PBL. As of now, the pitching matchups are Mark Prior (18-13, 3.65) vs Ben Sanders (22-9, 2.78), Rich Harden (14-12, 3.73) vs Clark Griffith (13-4, 2.40) and Erik Bedard (17-9, 3.22) vs Dan Casey (14-12, 3.96).

Arizona's putting a lot of stock in its bullpen, which posted a collective 2.67 ERA this season. Randy Choate (1.43) and Jose Valverde (2.01) have just been dynamite. New Orleans' bullpen put up a 3.58, third in the league.

Arizona hit only 92 homers all year, fewest in baseball and the only team not to crack 100. New Orleans, on the other hand, hit 180, tops in the Southern League and second to Philadelphia's 183 in all of baseball. It's no coincidence John O'Rourke, who led baseball with 40 homers, played for both Philly and New Orleans. But now he's out for the season, and that looms very, very large.

Prediction: This should be a great series. The loss of O'Rourke could change a lot for New Orleans, which hopes the Curtis Granderson/Rocco Baldelli platoon can hold the fort. I'm on the fence here, but have a hunch Arizona's staff will prove too much. Sandmen in 7.

[Doc_Brown]

Come on the Engines and Sandmen, you can do it.

Once again fantastic updates, Chapeau!!

[EMSoccerCoach]

Originally Posted by Doc_Brown

Come on the Engines and Sandmen, you can do it.

Once again fantastic updates, Chapeau!!

Thanks, much. Should be good series...postseason writeups to start later today.

[EMSoccerCoach]

Milwaukee Bangers logo, courtesy of Justafan:

[EMSoccerCoach]

Pastime Baseball League Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2012

PLAYOFF REVIEW


NORTHERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

NEW YORK HEROES (84-79) vs INDIANAPOLIS ENGINES (90-62)

Game One: Frank Killen (15-10, 3.88) gets the start in Game One for New York, while Carl Weilman (13-11, 4.00) gets the nod for Indianapolis.

The first inning passes with only a Jake Beckley infield single in the bottom half, both pitchers comfortably getting through. The second inning, however, brought some scoring. Roger Connor would double to start the inning, move to third on a wild pitch and score on a John Cassidy groundout to make it 1-0. Indianapolis would fire back, though, in the bottom half. Wally Pipp singled, Pedro Guerrero doubled - with Pipp stopping at third - and Les Nunamaker walked to load them up. A grounded from Bill Hall scored Pipp, a wild pitch scored Guerrero and a sac fly from Harry Steinfeldt scored Nunamaker to put the Engines up 3-1.

That's how it stayed until Connor hit a solo shot in the 6th to cut the deficit to 3-2. But Indianapolis would again see and raise New York's output, getting a 2-run shot from Pipp after an Elmer Flick leadoff single, making it a 5-2 game.

Indy scored three runs off reliever Allan Sothoron in the 7th, getting four hits capped by Guerrero's 2-run double, which made it an 8-2 game.

Cassidy would pick up an RBI single in the 8th for New York's final run, as Weilman left after eight, leaving Brandon Webb to pick up the final three outs to close out the Engines' Game One victory.

Indianapolis 8, New York 3 (Indianapolis leads series 1-0)

Game Two: Jim McCormick (10-14, 4.83) takes the hill for New York, while Hank Wyse (13-12, 4.20) goes for Indianapolis.

Indianapolis got 2 RBIs apiece from Jake Beckley and Elmer Flick - who eached homered - as well as Pedro Guerrero and Les Nunamaker as the Engines built a 7-0 lead against McCormick and cruised to an 8-4 victory.

Fielder Jones dropped a fly ball that scored two runs in the fifth and let two more unearned runs score on a hit to the next batter to make a 3-0 deficit a 7-0 deficit and it never got any better for New York, which fell in danger of yet another abbreviated postseason.

Jones, Jesse Burkett and Pat Mullin each drove in a run for New York.

Indianapolis 8, New York 4 (Indianapolis leads series 2-0)

[kenyan_cheena]

Damn, looks like the Heroes are literally on their way to being the Atlanta Braves of the PBL.