Pasttime: An Alternative MLB History - Page 4

darkcloud4579 · 08-13-2007, 11:00 PM

We dealt Cuban defector and outfielder Juan Melendez (.213, 3 hr, 4 SB in 89 ABs), SS Scott Atkins (.343 in 67 ABs) and a prospect to San Francisco for four players including OF Takuya Yamasaki, who is the first player from Wales in the major leagues. Though of Japanese descent, he was born in Wales where his father was a diplomat and where is mother was born. His nickname is Tea-Time.

(Note: I changed his name to make the story more interesting. Nothing else..)

The 30-year old veteran is hitting .317 so far this year with 3 HRs and 9 stolen bases as the starting right fielder in San Francisco.

Melendez, 24, is a five-tool player with lots of upside and most are wondering if there is panick in Tampa at the growing gap (currently three games) between the Yankees and Marlins in the AL South.

"We think Takuya is an excellent addition to our ballclub and we think the other players we acquired in the deal have the ability to contribute for us down the road," said Yankees GM Dark Cloud.

darkcloud4579 · 08-13-2007, 11:51 PM

JUNE 1, 2007 STANDINGS

Code:

American League Standings
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Montreal Royals		34	23	.596	-
Chicago Cyclones	29	28	.509	5.0
Columbus Clippers	27	29	.482	6.5
New York Highlanders	23	35	.397	11.5
Washington Senators	21	34	.382	12.0

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
San Francisco Seals	33	24	.579	-
Los Angeles Angels	31	25	.554	1.5
Salt Lake City Bees	27	28	.491	5.0
Seattle Pilots		25	33	.431	8.5
Colorado Springs Sky Sox19	38	.333	14.0

Southern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Tampa Yankees		35	21	.625	-
Miami Marlins		35	22	.614	.5
Birmingham Barons	28	29	.491	7.5
Baltimore Colts		25	31	.446	10.0
Houston Generals	23	34	.404	12.5

National League Standings
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Brooklyn Kings		35	21	.625	-
New York Heroes		31	26	.544	4.5
Philadelphia Blue Jays	29	27	.518	6.0
Boston Browns		30	29	.508	6.5
Toronto Marlies		30	29	.508	6.5

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles Stars	31	25	.554	-
Kansas City Elites	31	26	.544	.5
Fresno Grizzlies	28	29	.491	3.5
Vancouver Canadians	27	30	.474	4.5
Portland Beavers	24	32	.429	7.0

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago Whales		30	27	.526	-
Keokuk Comets		30	27	.526	-
Memphis Blues		30	27	.526	-
Detroit Mustangs	28	30	.483	2.5
Atlanta Firecrackers	24	34	.414	6.5

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 02:16 AM

YANKEES OFFICIALS VISIT INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana was the first locale on the list of potential cities for the Yankees ownership group last week, after the team publicly announced plans to relocate the ball club or to explore options to that end.

Indianapolis, a major metropolitan hub in the midwest says it's the "perfect" locale for the ballclub.

"We're already home to a huge base of Yankees fans, but more importantly, we're a city on the rise," said Stuart McClellan, in a piece for the Indianapolis Star entitled, "Why the Yankees should relocate to Indianapolis."

Also on the list of potential visits are Newark, New Jersey, which recently built a new multipurpose facility, Las Vegas, Nevada; Orlando, Florida; Toledo, Ohio; Hartford, CT;,and the former home of the Yankees back in the early 1900s, Wyoming. But this time, the city of Cheyenne is vying for the team. The team's first decade were spent in Casper. Ownership said the last visit is more a courtesy than anything else.

"We feel it's a good way to assess where the Yankees brand penetrates and we feel like that part of the country is about where our signal ends in terms of carrying large swaths of the nation," said Team President and GM Dark Cloud.

It's anyone's guess what will happen with this process, but team officials said they hope to have a deal in place by August 1st. Tampa officials have already indicated the team can extend its lease for another year if need be, provided the team (if moved) is out for good in 2009. But..city officials say that they're not in a hurry to see the team go.

"They're great for business. But I don't know what they are doing," said Pete Mitchell of the Tampa-St. Pete Board of Tourism.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 01:37 PM

2007 FIRST-YEAR PLAYER DRAFT----
I'm just going to cover the notable picks from our side. It's a 25-round draft.

Generally speaking, high school and college stats mean nothing in the context of trying to assess prospects at this level.
----
ROUND (OVERALL)
1 (29): Dan Crowley, Catcher, 22, Seton Hall
Crowley is not the best prospect in this draft. But he is the best player at our pick who is ready for the majors right now. He boasts a 79 GAP and 76 Power number and is rated 92 at Catcher. That combination makes him the kind of kid that I'd like to have now, that can help us now and would allow me to deal one of my catching prospects for other players that can help us down the stretch.

2 (58) Pedro Montoyoa, Starting Pitcher, Dominican Republic.
95 STUFF/49 MOVEMENT/75 CONTROL

He's got lots of upside as a front-line starter if he pans out, but at age 19, it's going to be a while before we'll hear from him, if at all.

3 (87) Carlos Vargas, Closer, Seton Hall
POTENTIAL: 98/65/75
The closer on the College World Series champion Seton Hall Pirates, Vargas is a 22-year old hurler who has decent endurance (45) and might be worth exploring into a spot starter role down the line, once he develops, just purely on his intangibles.

4 (116) James Nelson, 2B, Randallstown (HS) Maryland
POTENTIAL: 62/68/18/48/63

He's not going to do much positionwise, he's just marginal and needs to bulk up, but he's got the ability to be decent with the stick down the road.

Now, I have a penchant for..in the later rounds of draft, recreating a whole pool of new players for the teams to choose from. You may say "THAT'S NOT FAIR?!" But here's the deal. The game is absolutely awful at draft modeling. Even in the lower leagues without massive tweaks. My tweaks will take hold in time, but they're just not here yet and I'm not happy with the talent distribution in this league. Part of it probably has to do with the lack of minor league development to track player progress.

But anyway...to bolster the youth movement in the game, I created a glut of foreigners mostly (Dominican Republic, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Netherlands Antillies , maybe one or two others) and it's only like another 35 players that were any good of those that I created, the rest are crap. All we're at the level of "draft-eligible prospect" or "very young and raw" and the idea is...to have them into the lower rounds. It gives us the whole "hidden gem" effect, plus it just makes the draft a lot more interesting than drafting one-star guys in the 4th round.

And it's fair, because the computer gets its shot well before I do. And I'm all about making the computer teams better and spreading the wealth disproportionately in their favour anyway. Otherwise, there isn't a point in writing.

5 (145): Alfredo Velasco, Dominican Republic, Shortstop
POTENTIALS: 68/72/15/85/61

He's just 18. And there were NO DOUBT better players ahead of him on the board. But I decided it was more important for us to go with need, at this point, than to go with "best player available."

If he pans out, we have a solid shortstop for on our hands, with potential to hit for average.

6 (174): Vincent Lacy. 19, South Africa, Starting Pitcher
POTENTIALS: 57/66/60

7 (203): Steve Bradley, 19, Houston, TX, HS
POTENTIAL: 46/63/75

Next year's draft is going down to 10 rounds. The long draft is kinda silly with the lack of a minor league system. I might go lower after that, if I choose to. It's silly to drag it on for no reason when the players drafted will almost never make it to the majors anyway.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 01:46 PM

2007 AL-ALL STARS
---
Here are the members of the Yankees selected for the 2007 All-Star game:

Quote:

SP Sean Blair (10-3, 2.76 ERA, 85 K in 14 starts)

SP Francisco Rosado (9-3, 3.07 ERA, 103 K in 15 starts)

MR Joe Stanley (4-3, 14 SV, 27 K in 28 appearances)

2B Matt Kirk (.358/ 11 HR/ 44 RBI in 296 ABs)

C Brandon Schneider (.320/15 HR/ 44 RBI)

1B Orlando Romero (.317/15 HR/ 65 RBI)

LF Luis Silva (.336/12 HR/ 31 RBI)

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 02:53 PM

LAS VEGAS WOOS THE YANKS
LAS VEGAS -- The North Las Vegas development complex is getting underway and the firm developing it are trying their best to create an entire town out of scratch just for the Yankees.

"Diamond Park, Nevada will be the most immaculately concieved area in the history of sports. It'll be a mixed-use, community-centered environment. So nice that players might want to live there, but besides that, it's just a beautiful place with a stadium as the anchor, but with schools, parks, businesses and much much more."

According to city officials, the nearly $1.1 billion project is being built "with or without the Yankees."

"We believe this locale is prime real estate for any baseball team. We believe in the future of baseball in the Interior West and want to be the crown jewel of that for whoever decides to come here."

The Salt Lake City Bees are looking at this with peering eyes, as the team is already established in the region and is looking at a potential move. San Diego and Tucson, Arizona is also wooing that team.

Meanwhile, Yankees officials are mum as to where they're looking at going. They've been cross-crossing the country in recent weeks and given that there has been "no communication" between the team and Tampa officials, the likelihood of the team staying in the city beyond this season seems increasingly unlikely.

"I have no idea what's going on anymore than you do," said GM Dark Cloud, when asked recently if he had any idea how the move was coming along. "I was brought here to construct a team to win a title and we're working hard at that. I'll let the folks in the upstairs office deal with all of that."

On whether he'd be with the team when they moved or not, DC was mum. "I'm focused on this season right now. Besides that, I'm not thinking about anything else. This season is the most important one to me at the moment."

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 02:54 PM

JUNE 25: Dealt prospect C Shaun Gordon, reliever Bill Berry, OF Kevin Pope and prospect pitcher Wade Cannon, plus cash to Columbus for reliever Tomas Martinez (3-5, 3 SV, 5.35 ERA with 25 K in 30 games) and SS Luis Bernal. (.301 BA/ 6 HR and 35 RBI in 276 ABs)

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 03:13 PM

ALL-STAR BREAK REVIEW

So here's the story. At the All-Star Break we lead the majors with 54 wins. At 54-31, we're 3 1/2 games up on the Marlins.

We're tops in the AL in batting and hits, 2nd in Homers, OBP, SLG and Runs scored.

Our pitching staff is the 2nd best ERA in baseball and the recent gutting of the bullpen has paid dividens as our Bullpen ERA is tops in te league too.

I don't forsee us making a lot of moves at the deadline, given we've done all we could during the off-season with this team, there won't be any big signings this deadline and we'll just have to hope this team as it's composed right now will be enough to get us over the hump.

I'm attaching our mid-season batting statistics and our pitching stats too, in case they are of interest to you.

Also, feel free to chime in on potential cities for this team to relocate to. I'm not 1000% sure that they'll go, but...the storyline itself is evolving and I'd love to get a bug in my ear if there is an interesting angle you can concoct. Besides the obvious "Yankees to New York" story, which obviously isn't going to happen.

Also, you do realize that the DH still has never been implemented. I'm tempted to consider doing this as early as next year. It'd be for both leagues, but the idea is..I'm kinda tired of hitting pitchers, because especially in this game, they stink and there isn't any real way around that. So if they offer nothing to the game at all, it seems kinda silly to keep allowing other than for tradition, which is a bad idea to me.

I think five-man rotations and changing the pitching setup of the league to allow more relievers has improved the pitching numbers dramatically, but also has quelled the hitting outbursts of past years.

BATTING STATS -- ALL-STAR BREAK (TAMPA YANKEES 2007)

PITCHING STATS 2007 ALL-STAR BREAK (TAMPA YANKEES 2007)

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 03:16 PM

JULY 3, 2007 ~ ALL STAR BREAK
MLB STANDINGS

Code:

American League Standings
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Montreal Royals		51	35	.593	-
Columbus Clippers	44	42	.512	7.0
Chicago Cyclones	44	43	.506	7.5
Washington Senators	36	48	.429	14.0
New York Highlanders	34	53	.391	17.5

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Salt Lake City Bees	42	43	.494	-
Los Angeles Angels	42	44	.488	.5
San Francisco Seals	40	46	.465	2.5
Seattle Pilots		40	47	.460	3.0
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 37	49	.430	5.5

Southern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Tampa Yankees		54	31	.635	-
Miami Marlins		51	35	.593	3.5
Birmingham Barons	44	42	.512	10.5
Baltimore Colts		43	43	.500	11.5
Houston Generals	29	58	.333	26.0

National League Standings
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Brooklyn Kings		51	34	.600	-
Philadelphia Blue Jays	50	36	.581	1.5
New York Heroes		49	37	.570	2.5
Boston Browns		41	46	.471	11.0
Toronto Marlies		39	49	.443	13.5

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Vancouver Canadians	46	40	.535	-
Fresno Grizzlies	44	42	.512	2.0
Los Angeles Stars	43	42	.506	2.5
Kansas City Elites	41	44	.482	4.5
Portland Beavers	37	47	.440	8.0

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Memphis Blues		53	34	.609	-
Chicago Whales		46	40	.535	6.5
Detroit Mustangs	44	43	.506	9.0
Atlanta Firecrackers	38	49	.437	15.0
Keokuk Comets		38	49	.437	15.0

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 03:20 PM

REPORT: BEES TO NEVADA IN 2008
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- An unconfirmed report out of the All-Star Game festivities is that the Salt Lake City Bees are off the market. The team is reportedly being acquired by Devin Smart, the son of Madras Palace Casino owner Bobby Smart, for $382 million.

Smart, 41, would be one of the youngest owners in the game. But the team would, after a year at Cashman Field, move to the gleaming new Diamond Park complex in North Las Vegas.

No comment was available when we tried to reach Smart, MLB or the current owners of the Bees.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 03:26 PM

MAJOR LEAGUE LEADERS (BATTING & PITCHING) (as of July 3, 2007)

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 03:48 PM

I've noticed that the most important thing that revenue sharing does (and we don't have it, but revenues are still pretty evenly distributed as it turns out anyway) is that it allows teams to keep their best players locked into long-term deals.

At least, that's what the AI in this game does almost universally. It's an interesting thing, because the landscape isn't anything resembling what we see in the status quo.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 04:01 PM

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY OFFICIALS SAY "WHY NOT US?"

New Jersey's last major league baseball entry left in 1975, when the Jersey City Elites headed west to Kansas City. Despite vying for several clubs during the last expansion and attempting to woo teams, the city has been unsuccessful in its bids for teams.

The number one reason? It has nothing to do with usual city problems such as crime or even the lack of a suitable stadium. It has everything to do with the behemoth to the north. New York City.

"Teams are afraid to come here, because they feel all of our fans are already rooting for New York teams," said baseball writer for the Newark Star-Ledger Paul Kiper.

"But I think they'll find a much more nuanced environment and that New Jersey people like to root for New Jersey teams."

The most likely candidate on the block at present, are the Yankees, who are strongly considering a relocation from Tampa at the end of the season. While Indianapolis has privately emerged to be the frontrunner for the ballclub, Newark officials -- who say they have yet to talk to the team -- believe that their city is the perfect place for the team.

"Our brand new ballpark is less than a year old and has the ability to be expanded. Major League Soccer put its team just over the river in Harrison, NJ and the New Jersey Devils hockey team are moving this fall. It's the right time to be in Newark," said Mayor Cory Booker.

The city's woes in other areas such as crime and woeful schools say that "they should be focusing their efforts on other things," but the city says that "We're in the midst of a renassiance. Into the early 50s, Newark was still one of the largest cities in America. We're on the doorstep to the world's economic powerhouse. We believe this is the right place for a major league team and baseball's legacy here is long."

When asked about this, Yankees spokesman Randy Winter said, "I've heard nothing about this before."

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 04:32 PM

STANDINGS AS OF AUGUST 1, 2007

Code:

American League Standings
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Montreal Royals		66	43	.606	-
Chicago Cyclones	56	53	.514	10.0
Columbus Clippers	54	55	.495	12.0
Washington Senators	49	58	.458	16.0
New York Highlanders	42	68	.382	24.5

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Salt Lake City Bees	56	52	.519	-
San Francisco Seals	54	56	.491	3.0
Los Angeles Angels	50	59	.459	6.5
Seattle Pilots		49	61	.445	8.0
Colorado Springs Sky Sox45	64	.413	11.5

Southern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Tampa Yankees	68	41	.624	-
Miami Marlins		64	45	.587	4.0
Baltimore Colts		58	51	.532	10.0
Birmingham Barons	56	52	.519	11.5
Houston Generals	40	69	.367	28.0

National League Standings
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Philadelphia Blue Jays	64	45	.587	-
Brooklyn Kings		62	45	.579	1.0
New York Heroes		58	50	.537	5.5
Boston Browns		49	60	.450	15.0
Toronto Marlies		49	62	.441	16.0

Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles Stars	60	48	.556	-
Vancouver Canadians	58	51	.532	2.5
Kansas City Elites	53	55	.491	7.0
Fresno Grizzlies	51	58	.468	9.5
Portland Beavers	49	59	.454	11.0

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Memphis Blues		68	42	.618	-
Detroit Mustangs	55	55	.500	13.0
Chicago Whales		53	56	.486	14.5
Atlanta Firecrackers	49	60	.450	18.5
Keokuk Comets		49	61	.445	19.0

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 06:12 PM

Yankees first baseman Orlando Romero will be out 7-8 weeks with a dislocated shoulder. Romero, 30, who is in his first year with the Yanks is the team leader in home runs this season with 23 and RBI with 84.

The team called up Billy Howard from the reserve roster today. The 26-year old rookie was acquired in the off-season from Keokuk and during spring training was a hit among all of the veteran players.

"I think the kid will shine in his chance to show us what he can do," said GM Dark Cloud.

Howard, 26, was a first-round pick of the Comets in 2002 and played his college ball at Ohio State.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 06:21 PM

August 7, 2007

THOMPSON ON THE MOVE, AGAIN
PHILADELPHIA -- After being dealt in the off-season, future Hall of Famer Mark Thompson (.354/36 HR/ 113 RBI) felt that the Yankees, his long-time team figured he didn't have much left to offer them.

But the 39-year old slugger is vying for a triple crown, with less than six weeks left in the season and with his Fresno Grizzlies in last place, he quietly asked management for a trade.

"I don't know how many years left I have here. They were gracious and I'll always appreciate that."

The slugger was dealt to Philadelphia today for three prospects.

The Blue Jays are a half game behind the Brooklyn Kings in the NL East.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 06:36 PM

August 9, 2007

In 9 games with the big club, Billy Howard is hitting .368 with 2 HRs and 9 RBI. I got him this off-season specifically because I saw his potential numbers and thought he was suffering from not being able to play everyday. I think he'll develop into a real talent.

But we're in a pennant race. And to be honest, we're 7 games up in the division and even if we somehow blow that..we'll probably get the Presidents (Wild Card) title and so, I'm not overly concerned about that.

We're a decently veteran ballclub.

I'm wondering more about the playoffs and how we match up with potential opponents, so being able to get a veteran producer..even if he's just a month long rental, is almost worth it to me.

There might be an offer on the table for us to pick up a veteran 1st baseman who is in his walk year. I might have to give up a pretty good prospect to get him, but I'm almost tempted to do it.

I think the coin flip is like this. Our team is good enough to win for years to come. Most of our core guys are locked into long-term deals and our payroll is capped pretty much where it is, so we can't take on any major deals.

But, I hate making the assumption we can win later, when you don't know what'll happen later. I'd rather take the chance to roll the dice now and let the future play out however it does. Plus, I've done a good job of getting the farm system on track and so, I'm not as concerned about it as I was when I took the job.

It'll be an interesting thing to see whether I pull the trigger or not, as the deadline approaches on August 15th.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 06:57 PM

August 13, 2007
We dealt SS Luis Bernal (.319/5 HR/17 RBI) and outfield prospect Will Griffin to Detroit for 1B Skip Gustafson. Gustafson, 30, is in the last year of his deal with the Mustangs. He's hitting a major league leading
.350 with 13 HR and 75 RBI this year. He's spent the past six years in Detroit and refused to sign an extension last month, opting instead for free agency.

"I'm tired of losing. It's nothing personal, I love the people in Detroit. But I've only been to the playoffs once in my career (2003, the Mustangs lost to Toronto in the ALCS) and I was really excited to know a team of this caliber wanted me to contribute. Shoot, I'll be the bat boy if it means I can wear my jersey and get on the field a bit in the playoffs," he said about his impending move to Tampa.

Meanwhile, GM Dark Cloud said that the move was "really about us doing the best possible thing we could for our team. I mean, we're really excited about the work that Billy (Howard) has done in relief of Orlando during his injury. But we wanted to make a proactive move towards a World Championship and I'm convinced that when this deal came available that it was the best thing for us and we couldn't be happier about Skip coming to town."

Howard, 26, is expected to replace the departed Bernal -- who was desirous of a starting position with a ballclub and still has a year left on his deal -- as the team's lead infield backup, because he can play all four infield positions.

"I'm all about winning, man. It's as simple as that for me," said Howard, after hearing news of the deal.

The MLB trade deadline is August 15th at 11:59pm.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 07:03 PM

I imagine the pace will slow down now. I intend to do a day-by-day account of the team's regular season up until the end of the year and through the playoffs. It'll be difficult for me to stay patient that long with it, so I welcome (invite? demand? beg?) feedback, questions and other league interest because otherwise...I'll just succomb to my impatient side and sim the rest of the year to see how my team does.

darkcloud4579 · 08-14-2007, 07:33 PM

August 14, 2007

I just got a trade proposal from Boston. They offered me David Morgan (21 HR/78 RBI/.284), a centerfielder for starting pitcher Sean Blair. (13-7, 3.25, 147 K).

No way in hell I'll make that deal. But, knowing that Morgan, 33, is available is alluring to me and so, I've taken to negotiating with them.

Morgan would be a nice addition to our weakness in center field. He's another rental player (last year of his deal), but the only regular player I'd have to give up to get him at the moment is SP Santiago Martinez (7-9, 3.97 ERA, 172 K in 24 starts) and a fifth outfielder named Steve Knapp. The other three players I'd send are prospects. And of those, only Tom Sims (20 years old, 80/76/84 potentials) is worth screaming about.

Sims is from Connecticut and having him in New England might be good for that franchise and conversely, I don't have time to worry about pitchers who might be four years out, when I'm trying to win a World Series now.

Needless to say, I'm working out the trade as I post this. So it's more of a running commentary.

But the deal is done now and is about to be official.

Quote:

BOSTON GETS A BOUQUET OF PROSPECTS FROM TAMPA AT DEADLINE

BOSTON GETS:
SP Santiago Martinez (7-9, 3.97 ERA, 172 K)
MR Steve Bradley (19)
SP Tom Sims (20)
3B Eyal Fassman (25)
OF Steve Knapp (25)

TAMPA GETS:
CF David Morgan (.284/21/78)
P Brian Cox (4-11, 4.80 ERA, 103 K)
SS Dennis Smith (.241/5 HR/26 RBI in 245 ABs)

08-14-2007, 02:16 AM	#63
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	YANKEES OFFICIALS VISIT INDIANAPOLIS INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana was the first locale on the list of potential cities for the Yankees ownership group last week, after the team publicly announced plans to relocate the ball club or to explore options to that end. Indianapolis, a major metropolitan hub in the midwest says it's the "perfect" locale for the ballclub. "We're already home to a huge base of Yankees fans, but more importantly, we're a city on the rise," said Stuart McClellan, in a piece for the Indianapolis Star entitled, "Why the Yankees should relocate to Indianapolis." Also on the list of potential visits are Newark, New Jersey, which recently built a new multipurpose facility, Las Vegas, Nevada; Orlando, Florida; Toledo, Ohio; Hartford, CT;,and the former home of the Yankees back in the early 1900s, Wyoming. But this time, the city of Cheyenne is vying for the team. The team's first decade were spent in Casper. Ownership said the last visit is more a courtesy than anything else. "We feel it's a good way to assess where the Yankees brand penetrates and we feel like that part of the country is about where our signal ends in terms of carrying large swaths of the nation," said Team President and GM Dark Cloud. It's anyone's guess what will happen with this process, but team officials said they hope to have a deal in place by August 1st. Tampa officials have already indicated the team can extend its lease for another year if need be, provided the team (if moved) is out for good in 2009. But..city officials say that they're not in a hurry to see the team go. "They're great for business. But I don't know what they are doing," said Pete Mitchell of the Tampa-St. Pete Board of Tourism. Last edited by darkcloud4579; 08-14-2007 at 02:18 AM.

08-13-2007, 11:00 PM	#61
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	We dealt Cuban defector and outfielder Juan Melendez (.213, 3 hr, 4 SB in 89 ABs), SS Scott Atkins (.343 in 67 ABs) and a prospect to San Francisco for four players including OF Takuya Yamasaki, who is the first player from Wales in the major leagues. Though of Japanese descent, he was born in Wales where his father was a diplomat and where is mother was born. His nickname is Tea-Time. (Note: I changed his name to make the story more interesting. Nothing else..) The 30-year old veteran is hitting .317 so far this year with 3 HRs and 9 stolen bases as the starting right fielder in San Francisco. Melendez, 24, is a five-tool player with lots of upside and most are wondering if there is panick in Tampa at the growing gap (currently three games) between the Yankees and Marlins in the AL South. "We think Takuya is an excellent addition to our ballclub and we think the other players we acquired in the deal have the ability to contribute for us down the road," said Yankees GM Dark Cloud.

08-14-2007, 01:37 PM	#64
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	2007 FIRST-YEAR PLAYER DRAFT---- I'm just going to cover the notable picks from our side. It's a 25-round draft. Generally speaking, high school and college stats mean nothing in the context of trying to assess prospects at this level. ---- ROUND (OVERALL) 1 (29): Dan Crowley, Catcher, 22, Seton Hall Crowley is not the best prospect in this draft. But he is the best player at our pick who is ready for the majors right now. He boasts a 79 GAP and 76 Power number and is rated 92 at Catcher. That combination makes him the kind of kid that I'd like to have now, that can help us now and would allow me to deal one of my catching prospects for other players that can help us down the stretch. 2 (58) Pedro Montoyoa, Starting Pitcher, Dominican Republic. 95 STUFF/49 MOVEMENT/75 CONTROL He's got lots of upside as a front-line starter if he pans out, but at age 19, it's going to be a while before we'll hear from him, if at all. 3 (87) Carlos Vargas, Closer, Seton Hall POTENTIAL: 98/65/75 The closer on the College World Series champion Seton Hall Pirates, Vargas is a 22-year old hurler who has decent endurance (45) and might be worth exploring into a spot starter role down the line, once he develops, just purely on his intangibles. 4 (116) James Nelson, 2B, Randallstown (HS) Maryland POTENTIAL: 62/68/18/48/63 He's not going to do much positionwise, he's just marginal and needs to bulk up, but he's got the ability to be decent with the stick down the road. Now, I have a penchant for..in the later rounds of draft, recreating a whole pool of new players for the teams to choose from. You may say "THAT'S NOT FAIR?!" But here's the deal. The game is absolutely awful at draft modeling. Even in the lower leagues without massive tweaks. My tweaks will take hold in time, but they're just not here yet and I'm not happy with the talent distribution in this league. Part of it probably has to do with the lack of minor league development to track player progress. But anyway...to bolster the youth movement in the game, I created a glut of foreigners mostly (Dominican Republic, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Netherlands Antillies , maybe one or two others) and it's only like another 35 players that were any good of those that I created, the rest are crap. All we're at the level of "draft-eligible prospect" or "very young and raw" and the idea is...to have them into the lower rounds. It gives us the whole "hidden gem" effect, plus it just makes the draft a lot more interesting than drafting one-star guys in the 4th round. And it's fair, because the computer gets its shot well before I do. And I'm all about making the computer teams better and spreading the wealth disproportionately in their favour anyway. Otherwise, there isn't a point in writing. 5 (145): Alfredo Velasco, Dominican Republic, Shortstop POTENTIALS: 68/72/15/85/61 He's just 18. And there were NO DOUBT better players ahead of him on the board. But I decided it was more important for us to go with need, at this point, than to go with "best player available." If he pans out, we have a solid shortstop for on our hands, with potential to hit for average. 6 (174): Vincent Lacy. 19, South Africa, Starting Pitcher POTENTIALS: 57/66/60 7 (203): Steve Bradley, 19, Houston, TX, HS POTENTIAL: 46/63/75 Next year's draft is going down to 10 rounds. The long draft is kinda silly with the lack of a minor league system. I might go lower after that, if I choose to. It's silly to drag it on for no reason when the players drafted will almost never make it to the majors anyway.

08-14-2007, 02:53 PM	#66
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	LAS VEGAS WOOS THE YANKS LAS VEGAS -- The North Las Vegas development complex is getting underway and the firm developing it are trying their best to create an entire town out of scratch just for the Yankees. "Diamond Park, Nevada will be the most immaculately concieved area in the history of sports. It'll be a mixed-use, community-centered environment. So nice that players might want to live there, but besides that, it's just a beautiful place with a stadium as the anchor, but with schools, parks, businesses and much much more." According to city officials, the nearly $1.1 billion project is being built "with or without the Yankees." "We believe this locale is prime real estate for any baseball team. We believe in the future of baseball in the Interior West and want to be the crown jewel of that for whoever decides to come here." The Salt Lake City Bees are looking at this with peering eyes, as the team is already established in the region and is looking at a potential move. San Diego and Tucson, Arizona is also wooing that team. Meanwhile, Yankees officials are mum as to where they're looking at going. They've been cross-crossing the country in recent weeks and given that there has been "no communication" between the team and Tampa officials, the likelihood of the team staying in the city beyond this season seems increasingly unlikely. "I have no idea what's going on anymore than you do," said GM Dark Cloud, when asked recently if he had any idea how the move was coming along. "I was brought here to construct a team to win a title and we're working hard at that. I'll let the folks in the upstairs office deal with all of that." On whether he'd be with the team when they moved or not, DC was mum. "I'm focused on this season right now. Besides that, I'm not thinking about anything else. This season is the most important one to me at the moment."

08-14-2007, 02:54 PM	#67
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	JUNE 25: Dealt prospect C Shaun Gordon, reliever Bill Berry, OF Kevin Pope and prospect pitcher Wade Cannon, plus cash to Columbus for reliever Tomas Martinez (3-5, 3 SV, 5.35 ERA with 25 K in 30 games) and SS Luis Bernal. (.301 BA/ 6 HR and 35 RBI in 276 ABs)

08-14-2007, 03:13 PM	#68
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	ALL-STAR BREAK REVIEW So here's the story. At the All-Star Break we lead the majors with 54 wins. At 54-31, we're 3 1/2 games up on the Marlins. We're tops in the AL in batting and hits, 2nd in Homers, OBP, SLG and Runs scored. Our pitching staff is the 2nd best ERA in baseball and the recent gutting of the bullpen has paid dividens as our Bullpen ERA is tops in te league too. I don't forsee us making a lot of moves at the deadline, given we've done all we could during the off-season with this team, there won't be any big signings this deadline and we'll just have to hope this team as it's composed right now will be enough to get us over the hump. I'm attaching our mid-season batting statistics and our pitching stats too, in case they are of interest to you. Also, feel free to chime in on potential cities for this team to relocate to. I'm not 1000% sure that they'll go, but...the storyline itself is evolving and I'd love to get a bug in my ear if there is an interesting angle you can concoct. Besides the obvious "Yankees to New York" story, which obviously isn't going to happen. Also, you do realize that the DH still has never been implemented. I'm tempted to consider doing this as early as next year. It'd be for both leagues, but the idea is..I'm kinda tired of hitting pitchers, because especially in this game, they stink and there isn't any real way around that. So if they offer nothing to the game at all, it seems kinda silly to keep allowing other than for tradition, which is a bad idea to me. I think five-man rotations and changing the pitching setup of the league to allow more relievers has improved the pitching numbers dramatically, but also has quelled the hitting outbursts of past years. BATTING STATS -- ALL-STAR BREAK (TAMPA YANKEES 2007) PITCHING STATS 2007 ALL-STAR BREAK (TAMPA YANKEES 2007)

08-14-2007, 03:20 PM	#70
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	REPORT: BEES TO NEVADA IN 2008 LAS VEGAS (AP) -- An unconfirmed report out of the All-Star Game festivities is that the Salt Lake City Bees are off the market. The team is reportedly being acquired by Devin Smart, the son of Madras Palace Casino owner Bobby Smart, for $382 million. Smart, 41, would be one of the youngest owners in the game. But the team would, after a year at Cashman Field, move to the gleaming new Diamond Park complex in North Las Vegas. No comment was available when we tried to reach Smart, MLB or the current owners of the Bees.

08-14-2007, 03:26 PM	#71
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	MAJOR LEAGUE LEADERS (BATTING & PITCHING) (as of July 3, 2007)

08-14-2007, 03:48 PM	#72
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	I've noticed that the most important thing that revenue sharing does (and we don't have it, but revenues are still pretty evenly distributed as it turns out anyway) is that it allows teams to keep their best players locked into long-term deals. At least, that's what the AI in this game does almost universally. It's an interesting thing, because the landscape isn't anything resembling what we see in the status quo.

08-14-2007, 04:01 PM	#73
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	NEWARK, NEW JERSEY OFFICIALS SAY "WHY NOT US?" New Jersey's last major league baseball entry left in 1975, when the Jersey City Elites headed west to Kansas City. Despite vying for several clubs during the last expansion and attempting to woo teams, the city has been unsuccessful in its bids for teams. The number one reason? It has nothing to do with usual city problems such as crime or even the lack of a suitable stadium. It has everything to do with the behemoth to the north. New York City. "Teams are afraid to come here, because they feel all of our fans are already rooting for New York teams," said baseball writer for the Newark Star-Ledger Paul Kiper. "But I think they'll find a much more nuanced environment and that New Jersey people like to root for New Jersey teams." The most likely candidate on the block at present, are the Yankees, who are strongly considering a relocation from Tampa at the end of the season. While Indianapolis has privately emerged to be the frontrunner for the ballclub, Newark officials -- who say they have yet to talk to the team -- believe that their city is the perfect place for the team. "Our brand new ballpark is less than a year old and has the ability to be expanded. Major League Soccer put its team just over the river in Harrison, NJ and the New Jersey Devils hockey team are moving this fall. It's the right time to be in Newark," said Mayor Cory Booker. The city's woes in other areas such as crime and woeful schools say that "they should be focusing their efforts on other things," but the city says that "We're in the midst of a renassiance. Into the early 50s, Newark was still one of the largest cities in America. We're on the doorstep to the world's economic powerhouse. We believe this is the right place for a major league team and baseball's legacy here is long." When asked about this, Yankees spokesman Randy Winter said, "I've heard nothing about this before."

08-14-2007, 06:12 PM	#75
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	Yankees first baseman Orlando Romero will be out 7-8 weeks with a dislocated shoulder. Romero, 30, who is in his first year with the Yanks is the team leader in home runs this season with 23 and RBI with 84. The team called up Billy Howard from the reserve roster today. The 26-year old rookie was acquired in the off-season from Keokuk and during spring training was a hit among all of the veteran players. "I think the kid will shine in his chance to show us what he can do," said GM Dark Cloud. Howard, 26, was a first-round pick of the Comets in 2002 and played his college ball at Ohio State.

08-14-2007, 06:21 PM	#76
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	August 7, 2007 THOMPSON ON THE MOVE, AGAIN PHILADELPHIA -- After being dealt in the off-season, future Hall of Famer Mark Thompson (.354/36 HR/ 113 RBI) felt that the Yankees, his long-time team figured he didn't have much left to offer them. But the 39-year old slugger is vying for a triple crown, with less than six weeks left in the season and with his Fresno Grizzlies in last place, he quietly asked management for a trade. "I don't know how many years left I have here. They were gracious and I'll always appreciate that." The slugger was dealt to Philadelphia today for three prospects. The Blue Jays are a half game behind the Brooklyn Kings in the NL East.

08-14-2007, 06:36 PM	#77
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	August 9, 2007 In 9 games with the big club, Billy Howard is hitting .368 with 2 HRs and 9 RBI. I got him this off-season specifically because I saw his potential numbers and thought he was suffering from not being able to play everyday. I think he'll develop into a real talent. But we're in a pennant race. And to be honest, we're 7 games up in the division and even if we somehow blow that..we'll probably get the Presidents (Wild Card) title and so, I'm not overly concerned about that. We're a decently veteran ballclub. I'm wondering more about the playoffs and how we match up with potential opponents, so being able to get a veteran producer..even if he's just a month long rental, is almost worth it to me. There might be an offer on the table for us to pick up a veteran 1st baseman who is in his walk year. I might have to give up a pretty good prospect to get him, but I'm almost tempted to do it. I think the coin flip is like this. Our team is good enough to win for years to come. Most of our core guys are locked into long-term deals and our payroll is capped pretty much where it is, so we can't take on any major deals. But, I hate making the assumption we can win later, when you don't know what'll happen later. I'd rather take the chance to roll the dice now and let the future play out however it does. Plus, I've done a good job of getting the farm system on track and so, I'm not as concerned about it as I was when I took the job. It'll be an interesting thing to see whether I pull the trigger or not, as the deadline approaches on August 15th.

08-14-2007, 06:57 PM	#78
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	August 13, 2007 We dealt SS Luis Bernal (.319/5 HR/17 RBI) and outfield prospect Will Griffin to Detroit for 1B Skip Gustafson. Gustafson, 30, is in the last year of his deal with the Mustangs. He's hitting a major league leading .350 with 13 HR and 75 RBI this year. He's spent the past six years in Detroit and refused to sign an extension last month, opting instead for free agency. "I'm tired of losing. It's nothing personal, I love the people in Detroit. But I've only been to the playoffs once in my career (2003, the Mustangs lost to Toronto in the ALCS) and I was really excited to know a team of this caliber wanted me to contribute. Shoot, I'll be the bat boy if it means I can wear my jersey and get on the field a bit in the playoffs," he said about his impending move to Tampa. Meanwhile, GM Dark Cloud said that the move was "really about us doing the best possible thing we could for our team. I mean, we're really excited about the work that Billy (Howard) has done in relief of Orlando during his injury. But we wanted to make a proactive move towards a World Championship and I'm convinced that when this deal came available that it was the best thing for us and we couldn't be happier about Skip coming to town." Howard, 26, is expected to replace the departed Bernal -- who was desirous of a starting position with a ballclub and still has a year left on his deal -- as the team's lead infield backup, because he can play all four infield positions. "I'm all about winning, man. It's as simple as that for me," said Howard, after hearing news of the deal. The MLB trade deadline is August 15th at 11:59pm.

08-14-2007, 07:03 PM	#79
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	I imagine the pace will slow down now. I intend to do a day-by-day account of the team's regular season up until the end of the year and through the playoffs. It'll be difficult for me to stay patient that long with it, so I welcome (invite? demand? beg?) feedback, questions and other league interest because otherwise...I'll just succomb to my impatient side and sim the rest of the year to see how my team does.