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07-23-2007, 12:12 PM
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#81 | |
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Quote:
Glad you're enjoying the dynasty!
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-23-2007, 05:50 PM
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#82 |
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August 30, 2011 Kodiak @ Eagle River-Chugiak, Game 1 of 2 The Grizzlies brought Jeremie Dessureault to the mound, a former Jet, to go against rookie Warren Turner. Turner was rocked for 8 runs in two and a third innings, and the Grizzlies went on to crush the Jets, 11-5, disappointing over 1000 Chugiak fans who came out to see the front end of a doubleheader on a soggy Tuesday. The best the Jets can now hope for is a four-way tie. Kodiak @ Eagle River-Chugiak, Game 2 of 2 The Jets had to go with another rookie pitcher, Madison Griffin (Charles Pretty would ordinarily have pitched one of these two, but was injured), while the Grizzlies went with veteran Jesse Alexander. In a controversial move, Navarro benched some of the Jets' starters: Botfield, Horswill, Lepine, and Keddy. The Grizzlies took a quick 3-0 lead in the first, but the Jets battled back to win it 8-4, in front of a sellout crowd for the evening game. Bethel @ Anchorage (AGP) The Mushers went with Leif Morris as their starting pitcher, while the Glacier Pilots countered with Alastair Baker. Unexpectedly, this one became a pitchers' duel. It was tied 1-1 in the second and stayed that way until extras. The Mushers ended up using a total of six pinch-hitters in a desperate quest for the win, and in the tenth Adam Joly hit a solo shot off Baker, who completed the ten-inning complete game but took the 2-1 loss. So here are the standings now: Bucs........58-49 Mushers.....58-49 Grizzlies...58-49 Jets........57-50 Tomorrow, the Mushers and Pilots face off again, the Grizzlies meet the Jets in a rainout makeup, and the Bucs host the Oilers for the same. The Jets have to beat the Grizzlies and hope for Pilot and Oiler victories to force a four-way tie for the division lead. For the other three teams it's very simple: win and you're guaranteed at least a tie.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-23-2007, 08:18 PM
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#83 |
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Hall Of Famer
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August 31, 2011 Kodiak @ Eagle River-Chugiak The Grizzlies started their ace, Stephen "Spud" Hill, on three days' rest, while Louis Mays started for the Jets on three days' rest. These were two similar pitchers, both lefthanders, both with good stuff and control and ERA's around 3.40. Mays struggled with control early on, but it was Hill who got roughed up big-time, as Jet center fielder Jimmy Williams launched three dingers, and Botfield and Horswill also got in on the action with one apiece. The Jets clobbered the Grizzlies 10-2. Williams' performance would tie him with the Miners' center fielder Gary Trudel for the league home run crown, with 31. So now both Eagle River-Chugiak and Kodiak needed both Bethel and the Bucs to lose to force a four-way tie. Bethel @ Anchorage (AGP) Reliable Jack Hatt took the mound for the Mushers, while the Pilots sent up Phil Patterson, their #1 starter. The Pilots took a quick 1-0 lead, but the Mushers broke out in the 6th inning to make it 6-1. Final score 6-3. Kodiak and Eagle River-Chugiak were eliminated. If the Bucs lost their game, the Mushers would be the undisputed champions. Peninsula @ Anchorage (ANC) Peninsula started their reliable, 32-year-old ace, Bryan Kendall, while the Bucs countered with southpaw Pete Strelioff. Kendall was masterful, yielding just three hits and two walks. The Oilers took a while to get to Strelioff, but after going up 2-0 in the 5th they added four insurance runs. Final score: 6-0, shutout for Kendall. The Bucs were eliminated, and the Mushers were champions. So the Bethel Mushers and Juneau Senators would meet in a rematch of the 2009 Alaskan Championship Series. Weirdly, the Mushers had won their division by a single game that year as well, while the Senators had won their division by three games over a second-place Miners team, which was again true this year! Some of the personnel were different on both teams, but they had pretty similar profiles to those 2009 teams. Both teams stressed defense, but the Senators were probably slightly stronger on defense, while the Mushers were slightly stronger on offense. This year, the Mushers were probably a better team than they were in 2009, and the Senators had surprised most commentators by winning their division this time. In fact, this time around, Juneau might be the underdogs despite a slightly better record (61-47 compared to 59-49), since their divisional schedule had probably been weaker than Bethel's. Detailed preview of the ACS will follow.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-24-2007, 01:13 PM
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#84 |
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Hall Of Famer
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2011 ACS Preview
2011 Alaskan Championship Series Preview Mushers versus Senators Team Statistics The Mushers' team batting line is .253/.334/.389, while the Senators' team line is .258/.327/.380, giving the Mushers a slight advantage. However, the Mushers played in a ballpark that was roughly neutral, while the Senators played in a pitchers' park, so if anything the Senators probably have a slightly higher park-adjusted slugging percentage. The Bethel team ERA is 3.74, compared to Juneau's 3.62. However, Juneau actually gave up 36 more homers than Bethel, and with park adjustments that difference is even larger. Bethel pitchers walked 439 and struck out 576, compared to 339 and 590 for Juneau. Bethel's BABIP was 11 points higher than Juneau's (.282 versus .271). Park differences account for a little bit of that difference, but most of it must be due to defense. Bethel fielders made by far the fewest errors of any team, however: just 86 compared to Juneau's 132. By the same token, their pitchers also gave up the fewest unearned runs in the league. Despite a better ERA, Juneau pitchers actually allowed 25 more runs than Bethel (477 versus 452). Based on team stats, Bethel seems to have the edge, but those stats are misleading because Juneau had to deal with significant injuries to Dunsmore and Collette during the year. They are healthy now, so this team is as good now as they've ever been this year. Lineup Comparisons C - Alex Holman (.251/.344/.368) (BET) vs. Bob Russo (.245/.309/.363) (JUN) - SENATORS+ because Russo's arm is far better than Holman's and Russo is usually much better (.850 OPS last year) 1B - Adam Joly (.351/.451/.577) (BET) vs. Gates Matkin (.310/.358/.370) (JUN) - MUSHERS++ (Joly led the league in VORP with over 60!) 2B - Duncan Sutherland (.255/.342/.408) (BET) vs. Ralph Collette (.278/.372/.510) (JUN) - SENATORS+ 3B - Ed Mansel (.261/.330/.350) (BET) vs. Henry Willerton (.243/.338/.407) (JUN) - SENATORS+ SS - Bob O'Donnell (.165/.216/.258) (BET) vs. Bill Seguin (.263/.301/.355) (JUN) - SENATORS++ (Seguin is also a formidable base stealer, though O'Donnell has the edge in defense) LF - Mark O'Feeney (.259/.308/.388) (BET) vs. Wynn Dunsmore (.335/.429/.647) (JUN) - SENATORS++ CF - George Henneberry (.249/.356/.389) (BET) vs. Olivier Theriault (.253/.340/.392) (JUN) - EVEN (Henneberry is an extremely quick & accurate base stealer but is mediocre defensively) RF - Sean Heath (.280/.369/.461) (BET) vs. Bob Crawford (.290/.389/.437) (JUN) - MUSHERS+ (Heath had a 1.012 OPS last year, Crawford was playing his first full year this year) Overall: Advantage to the Senators. However, both of these teams are really underrated offensively and can score in bunches. Starting Rotation Comparisons 1. Dave Gould (123 IP, 9 HR, 57 BB, 96 K) (BET) vs. Don Taggart (154 IP, 8 HR, 49 BB, 141 K) (JUN) - SENATORS++ 2. Leif Morris (161, 9, 74, 94) (BET) vs. Quinn Spence (152, 22, 49, 42) (JUN) - MUSHERS++ 3. Jack Hatt (164, 15, 49, 85) (BET) vs. Scott Northeast (170, 18, 30, 92) (JUN) - SENATORS+ The Mushers and Senators both faced problems with pitching sequence. Hatt is the Mushers' #1 starter but pitched on the last day of the season to get them into the playoffs. Northeast is the Senators' #2 starter but did the same. So they will have to wait until game 3. If #4 starters are needed due to injury, Dave Gibbon (153, 3, 72, 79) would go for Bethel and Anthony Sonier (90, 11, 34, 57) for Juneau. Assuming they are not brought in, the Senators probably have a slight advantage in the rotation. Bench Comparisons Gabe Berry started in the outfield for the Mushers most of the year but will not start, at least at first, in the playoffs. He hit .283/.343/.453 this year and can really add pop off the bench. Thirty-five-year-old backup catcher Pat Upton is a career .243/.326/.462 hitter with excellent home run power. Kelyn Birley, a former star in this league who has struggled of late, could come off the bench as a pinch-runner. Juneau's starting first baseman for most of the year was Greg Perkins, but he never performed as expected (.212/.318/.350 after .283/.359/.411 last year). He's still likely to pinch-hit when a lefthanded bat is needed. Dirk Cluett platooned in right field most of the year but is riding pine now after hitting just .296/.317/.311 this year. This is the guy who hit .387-.376-.376 in his first three seasons with Fairbanks. Twenty-year-old Alex-Antoine Ouellet is an incredibly fast and skilled base stealer and could pinch-run in a key late-game situation. Overall: Advantage Mushers. Bullpen The Senators have one of the most experienced closers in the league, Bill Colwill, who bounced back this year to save 20 games in 24 opportunities, allowing just 3 HR (after 11 last year) in 43 IP. Setup relievers include Stephane Landry (46, 4, 21, 36) and former Bethel closer Loren Coleman (45, 5, 17, 42). Solid all around. For closing duties, Bethel relies on the relatively unknown James Marshall, who had a decent year (45, 6, 18, 41). Their setup relievers are Austin Oakley (37, 2, 25, 16) and Carl Baldwin (41, 1, 16, 44). All three of their top relievers are lefties. It's really unclear why the manager puts such faith in the shaky Oakley. Baldwin could be a star in the making, with a fastball topping out around 93 (a rare sight in this league). Advantage: Senators. Managing Comparisons Kevin Aubry is the first-year manager for Bethel. This is only his second year managing, after he was fired from Kodiak mid-season last year. He tends to be pretty aggressive with small ball and has been accused of over-managing his pitchers as well. Iemitsu Kiyomizu, from Fukuoka, Japan, was hired by the Senators this year out of the Gulf Coast League. He has now five years of minor and independent league managing experience but is still just 39. The knock on him is that he can't control his players. His managing style tends to be typically Japanese, with a focus on the fundamentals and a rather "traditional" outlook on the game. Overall: Hard to say, both are Manager of the Year contenders for their teams' surprising success. Probably a slight advantage to the Mushers here. Prediction The Senators' players have more experience as a whole, with leaders like Bill Colwill making the team gel a little better. The Mushers are still mostly a gaggle of no-names and inexperienced players. Intangibles might make the difference with teams so evenly matched. Senators will also have home field advantage, so on those grounds I will pick Juneau to defeat Bethel again, in 7 games.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-24-2007, 05:01 PM
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#85 |
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Hall Of Famer
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2011 ACS Game One
Game One  Mendenhall Valley near Auke Bay The Senators' home field, the Ballpark at Auke Bay, is located in a community about ten miles northwest of downtown, near the University of Alaska, Southeast campus. It's one of the most picturesque ballparks in the league, essentially sitting on a cliff beside Mendenhall Lake. The ballpark is also used for soccer and is almost rectangular in shape. As a result, the deepest part of the field is the right-center power alley, where shots that would be homers in any other ballpark either get caught or bounce around for triples. There is also a fair amount of foul ground beyond first base. All of these features make the park murder on lefthanded hitters.  Dave Gould (7-7, 4.04) vs.  Don Taggart (15-5, 2.86) September 2, 2011 - A sellout crowd of 1,171 was on hand for the opening of the 2011 Alaskan Championship Series in Juneau. After two scoreless innings, the Mushers jumped on Taggart in the third. It started when with one out and a runner on second, Taggart threw away a bunt attempt by the pitcher, allowing the runner to score and Gould to reach second. Taggart was still a little flustered when Henneberry came up to bat, and the speedy Gould - the pitcher, remember! - promptly stole third. Henneberry walked and stole second, and then O'Feeney drove them both in with a single. 3-0 Bethel. The next inning, they added to the lead in a messy inning marked by two errors on the defense, a walk, and three singles. By the time it was all over, it was 8-0 Bethel, and Taggart was gone. The crowd never got back into the game, and neither did the Senators. Gould pitched seven and a third, allowing just one run, and the bullpen took it from there. Final score: Bethel 8, Juneau 2. Home field advantage was now gone, and the Senators also lost the advantage they had expected from putting their ace against Bethel's mediocre #2 starter.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-26-2007, 10:58 PM
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#86 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Game Two  Leif Morris (7-6, 3.19) vs.  Quinn Spence (7-10, 4.80) September 3, 2011 - The Senators did not want to go back to Bethel down 2 games to 0, but to win the split they would likely need Spence to pitch one of his best games of the year. Early on, both pitchers had their defense to thank for keeping the game scoreless. A succession of baserunners, particularly for Bethel, were left stranded or wiped out with double plays or, in one instance, a caught stealing. Nevertheless, Bethel did manage to push one across in the top of the 3rd when Spence walked in a run. In the 6th inning, the Mushers were able to manufacture an insurance run from a leadoff double by Mansel, but the Senators responded with their first run of the game, when Willerton homered off Morris. In the bottom of the 7th, with both starters still in the game, Juneau tied it up when Russo hit a solo shot off Morris. Juneau brought in Stephane Landry to pitch the eighth, and he got through it without allowing a run. Morris stayed in for Bethel. This time he made real trouble for himself, walking Dunsmore and Theriault to lead off the inning. Still he stayed in the game. Willerton hit a sac fly to move Dunsmore to third, and Dunsmore then scored on a two-out infield hit by Collette. Russo was retired to end the inning, but the damage was done. Juneau now had a 3-2 lead. Bill Colwill came in to nail down the save for Juneau. A couple of singles, a walk, and a fielder's choice later, and Bethel had tied it up. On the fielder's choice, a groundball to second by Sean Heath, Collette had no play at home and so had to take it to second, allowing the run to score. The game ended up going to extras. Colwill retired the Mushers in the top of the 10th, and Austin Oakley came in to pitch for Bethel. After retiring Dunsmore, he gave up an infield hit to Theriault on a bounder that the shortstop O'Donnell knocked down but couldn't quite handle in time to get the runner. Willerton grounded into a fielder's choice and found himself at first with two out. Then things started to break down for Oakley. Searle came in to pinch hit for the Senators and singled on a line drive to center. With runners on first and second, Collette rocketed a liner that just got past a diving Mansel at third, and Willerton came around to score before the throw could come in. Final score: Juneau 4, Bethel 3. The Mushers were kicking themselves for their lack of situational hitting. They had left 14 men on base, compared to Juneau's 9, and grounded into 3 double plays!
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 07-26-2007 at 11:19 PM. |
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07-26-2007, 11:18 PM
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#87 |
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Hall Of Famer
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Game Three     Images from the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, which totally surrounds the town of Bethel. Bethel is reachable only by bush plane from the rest of the state.  Scott Northeast (9-6, 3.06) vs.  Jack "The Locomotive" Hatt (12-5, 3.07) (back in his Bucs days) September 5, 2011 - It was a clash of titans, as the Mushers brought their ace against the Senators' popular young Native American pitcher, Scott Northeast. In the end, it was little contest, as the Mushers scored early and often on Northeast in front of the home crowd. The hits finally started coming in bunches and in the extra base hit variety. Joly, Sutherland, Mansel, and O'Feeney all doubled, while Holman and Heath homered. Northeast was left in there to keep fighting, going seven innings and giving up eight runs. Hatt, meanwhile, was masterful, scattering two walks and six hits and posting six strikeouts en route to a complete game shutout. Bethel might have the smallest-capacity park in the league, fitting only 1,000 spectators, but those thousand fans made some noise as they watched their team go up 2-1 in the series with two more home games to come. Final score: Bethel 8, Juneau 0.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-28-2007, 11:10 AM
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#88 |
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Hall Of Famer
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Game Four Taggart vs. Gould September 6, 2011 - Down 2-1 and really having been outplayed in every game so far, Juneau was pretty much in a must-win position now. It was a cloudy, chilly night, 37 degrees at game time. Only 951 fans showed up, 50 short of a packed house. Of course, that was still about 15% of the town's entire population. What else was there to do in Bethel, Alaska on a Tuesday night? The Senators got things off to a good start against Gould. Theriault and Cluett singled to lead off the game, then after a sac fly Dunsmore doubled. A wild pitch and another sac fly later, and Juneau was up 3-0. The crowd got quiet. In the third, the home team gave them something to cheer for, touching up Taggart with a two-run blast by leadoff hitter George Henneberry. They took the lead next inning when pitcher Dave Gould stole second base - his second stolen base of the series - to put himself in scoring position along with Mansel at third. Henneberry then singled them both home. 4-3 Bethel. The Senators immediately struck back with a vengeance. Theriault drew the proverbial leadoff walk, then stole second and scored on a Collette single. Collette then made it to third when Holman threw wide of the bag on a stolen base attempt. Dunsmore doubled him home, chasing Gould, then scored himself on a single by Russo off reliever Trevor Hearn. By the time it was all over, Juneau was back in front 6-4. The Senators added an insurance run in the 8th, and the crowd got very quiet. Bruce Carpenter was now pitching for Juneau as the game went to the bottom of the 8th. With one out, Mansel reached on an error by the third baseman, and Stefan Landry came in to pitch. The next three batters singled, making it 7-6 Juneau, and then Henneberry sacrificed two runners into scoring position. Kelyn Birley came in to pinch-hit. He was not the player he once was, having squandered considerable potential, but he came through on this occasion. On a 2-2 count, after fouling off a couple of pitches, he smoked a line drive deep to straightaway center. Theriault scrambled but couldn't reach it before it came off the wall. Two runners scored to give Bethel the 8-7 lead. Landry was pulled for Loren Coleman, who got the final out, but the damage was done. In the 9th Marshall, Bethel's fifth pitcher, came in to nail down the save. However, he gave up a leadoff walk to Matkin. Then he walked Terry Shannon, pinch-hitting for Bob Russo. He got Perkins to pop out, then Juneau made a controversial decision, sending Searle up to bunt as a pinch-hitter for the pitcher! It was a successful bunt, but now there were two outs with runners on 2nd and 3rd. Leadoff hitter Olivier Theriault came up, and Marshall struck him out swinging to preserve the win. Final score: Bethel 8, Juneau 7. Bethel now leads the series 3-1 and looks set to take revenge for the '09 series loss.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 07-28-2007 at 11:11 AM. |
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07-28-2007, 11:30 AM
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#89 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Game Five Spence vs. Morris September 7, 2011 - It was an elimination game after Juneau had let the last one slip away. Furthermore, they would have the shaky Quinn Spence up there on the mound. The field lights came on in pregame warmup as a light but horizontal sleet swept in over the Kuskokwim Mud Flats from the Bering Sea. It was 34 degrees and the wind was blowing in at 24 miles per hour. These would be vicious conditions in which to hit. Leif Morris looked sharp in the first, striking out two Senators, and the game went to the bottom of the 1st. With one out, O'Feeney stroked a high, arcing flyball down the left field line. Wynn Dunsmore raced over but a gust of wind knocked it down, and a burst of sleet didn't make the ball too easy to see either. It rolled to the wall, and O'Feeney was in with a double. Joly then came up and hit the ball more or less to the same spot, but Dunsmore was able to make the play this time, and O'Feeney scampered over to third with two outs. Heath came up and just squibbed the ball off the end of the bat toward the shortstop. O'Feeney was running on contact and slid into home under the tag. 1-0 Bethel. Sutherland then flied out to center to end the inning. That score held up until the 4th as hitters and fielders alike battled the elements. In the top of the 4th, Juneau took the lead as, with two outs, Willerton walked and then Crawford hit an absolute bullet down the right field line that just got over the wall. If that ball had been hit any higher, the wind would have gotten ahold of it and knocked it down. If it had not been pulled quite so much, it would not have cleared the fence. But clear it it did, and Juneau now had a 2-1 lead. In the 6th inning, an even more spectacular shot was hit by Wynn Dunsmore, a 380-odd-foot blast to right-center. It was a monster shot. It would have been a upper-decker in a domed stadium for certain. 3-1 Juneau. The wind started to die down as the evening wore on and the sun set, and the temperatures dropped another degree or two, and a soft snow began to fall. No delay was called, and Bethel would later complain to the league office that they had disproportionately suffered from the conditions as the team that had to play catch-up. In the end they never did catch up. Spence had his control working and gave up no walks in eight innings. He also struck out just three, but the Mushers really didn't hit any ball hard all night. Colwill came in in the 9th, and the Mushers threatened with two singles to lead off the inning, but Heath promptly grounded into a double play and pinch-hitter Bryan Morris struck out to end the threat. Final score: Juneau 3, Bethel 1. The Mushers still lead the series 3-2, but now the series heads back to Juneau.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-28-2007, 11:49 AM
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#90 |
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Hall Of Famer
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Game Six Hatt vs. Northeast September 9, 2011 - It was noticeably warmer in the panhandle at this time of year, with the temperatures in the upper 40s at game time. However, the panhandle also had a moist climate, and on this night the air was finely misting, while a thick fog loomed offshore over Mendenhall Lake. The starting pitchers were expected to be sharp, with so much on the line, and they were. Scott Northeast walked nobody and struck out five in his eight innings of work, while Jack Hatt walked two and struck out five over eight innings. But at the end of eight Bethel had a 4-2 lead on the strength of a George Henneberry double and some timely hitting in the 6th. However, Duncan Sutherland had ended that inning getting thrown out at the plate, a play that the Mushers hoped wouldn't come back to haunt them. The Mushers went down in order in the ninth, and James Marshall came in to nail down the save and the league championship. With a two-run lead and the fog worsening, the Mushers could already sense victory. The Senators opened up with a pinch-hitter. Terry Shannon came in to pinch-hit for Bob Crawford, who'd had a pretty poor series. Shannon grounded out to shortstop. One away. Second baseman Ralph Collette came up. On a 1-1 count, he pulled a pitch to the left-center power alley and just kept motoring. The relay came in to third, just late. Collette had a dirty jersey and a triple. Catcher Bob Russo came up. Marshall pitched to him carefully, with the pitcher's spot due up next. Russo worked the count 3-2 and then drew the base on balls. Runners on the corners with one out - and the now the tying run was on base. Marshall took a little stroll around the mound, massaging the ball and contemplating the floodlights filtering down eerily through the fine mist. The dense atmosphere made the standing, cheering crowd seem strangely distant. Dirk Cluett came in to pinch-hit. Though still young, his career hadn't turned out the way he had expected after those batting titles. He wasn't even a starter anymore, but he had played well in this series when called upon. The left-handed Cluett was a free swinger, and he wasn't going to think about changing that now. First pitch swinging, he went down and got a pitch down and away, driving it to the right-center power alley. It got down and bounced around along the wall. Cluett kept running. He almost caught up to Russo, huffing and puffing. Cluett was in to third standing up, and Russo beat the catcher to home plate as the relay came in off line. Tie game. Now Marshall really had to focus. The save was blown, no time to think about that, the infield was drawn in with one out and a runner at third. A strikeout would be ideal here. Seguin strode to the plate. He took a ball, stepped back to wipe away the moisture from his forehead. Marshall brought the next pitch, and Seguin simply poked it halfway between the drawn-in shortstop and third baseman. Both dove; neither got there. Cluett danced home easily, and the dugout exploded to greet him. Marshall could only sit down on the mound, dazed. The series was tied. Final score: Juneau 5, Bethel 4.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-28-2007, 12:55 PM
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#91 |
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Game Seven  Downtown Juneau  Dave Gibbon (12-6, 3.01) vs.  Anthony Sonier (5-3, 3.31) September 10, 2011 - This one was for all the marbles. Could Juneau complete a remarkable comeback from 3-1 down? Neither team went with its Game 1/4 starters. For Bethel it was a managerial decision. Gibbon had pitched quite well during the year, so he would go instead of Dave Gould, who had been fairly ineffective in this series. For Juneau it was a decision they would rather not have had to make. Don Taggart was out with a finger blister, and thus they had to turn the ball over to the rookie Sonier. He had pitched well this year, but this was Game Seven. You want your ace out there. It was unseasonably chilly and windy this Saturday evening, but there was no sign of rain. Fans packed the 1,200-seat ballpark. Unfortunately for Bethel, Gibbon was wild. He walked six over his seven innings of work, throwing 126 pitches. Sonier also struggled with control, walking five but striking out eight over seven innings, throwing 127 pitches. Both teams were also plagued with mistakes in the field, each making two errors. For Juneau the hitting was just more timely. They plated runs in first and fourth, and two more in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead. Bethel finally got on the board in the seventh when Adam Joly doubled in a run, and then added another in the eighth but with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out failed to capitalize further. Juneau then made it 5-2 going to the 9th. Colwill came in and retired the side on seven pitches, and the celebration was on. While the Senators piled on in the infield, the Mushers could only shake their heads and wonder how it had come to this. There had been so many moments in this series when they could have put it away, from the 14 men left on base in Game Two to the devastating blow that was Game Six. In downtown Juneau, the bars - yes, this is Alaska, there are plenty of bars even in the small towns - exploded with excited fans who spilled out onto the streets shouting, high-fiving, and even spontaneously chanting. Somehow the first championship had not registered quite as much. This was all the sweeter because of how it had happened, because the Alaskan League was now a much bigger deal than it had been just two years ago, and because the Juneau Senators were the first team to win it all twice. They were the first true dynasty of the league, and they had shown up all those Anchoragites who thought the league belonged to them (so they said in the panhandle). The Alaskan Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award was controversially given to Jack Hatt; it was the first time a player from the losing team had won the award. But Juneau had had no truly outstanding individual performances. Their victory had been a team effort and had relied on its fair share of clutch hitting. Hatt had started two games, posting a 0.53 ERA in 17 innings of work, yielding no home runs and four walks while striking out 11. He was clearly the best player on either side this series.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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07-29-2007, 12:30 PM
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2011 in Review
Year in Review
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 07-29-2007 at 12:48 PM. |
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07-29-2007, 12:46 PM
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#93 |
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End of season notes
Some quick end-of-season notes:
* CPOY Terry Kuhn set the all-time doubles record, by a wide margin. He hit 43, which works out to a pace over 64.5 over a 162-game season. * The Jets were successfully sold for more than $500,000. The new ownership changed the official name of the team to the "Chugiak Jets," but I will retain the "ERC" abbreviation since the team hasn't actually moved anywhere. MOY Leith Navarro has left the team and taken a job with Missoula of the Pioneer League. * Gary Johnson, Fairbanks' first baseman, is now the league's iron man. He has played every game the last two seasons. He finished 2011 with his worst batting average ever: .314. * Dave Bonnar of Peninsula set the all-time walks record with 74, but this is a record that is frequently broken still. * Tom Robbins is injured for 7 months but could return by the start of next season. He is currently 2nd all time in career hitting VORP, behind Bob Horton, who had only 98 at-bats this year.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 07-29-2007 at 12:56 PM. |
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07-30-2007, 04:29 PM
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#94 |
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Sitka vs. Juneau; Training League Reorganization; 2011-12 Free Agents
Sitka vs. Juneau The new popularity of Alaskan League baseball in the panhandle was a boon for Juneau, but Sitka management considered it a threat. After the departure of Ketchikan, Sitka had seen an opportunity to take control of the whole southern panhandle market. Juneau's success was now making that whole plan very difficult to carry out. Even the Native American fanbase wasn't a given for Sitka any longer, due to the popularity of Juneau pitcher Scott Northeast, the league's most visible Native face. Sitka was on the upswing of a rebuilding cycle, and they decided to make a big impact in the free agent market this offseason, as a way of heading off the Juneau challenge. They also pre-emptively expanded their ballpark by 250 seats after Chugiak and Bethel announced their plans to do the same. Taking up the challenge, Juneau also added about 200 seats to the Ballpark at Auke Bay, curving around the leftfield fence. When all was said and done, the smallest ballparks remaining in the league were in Kodiak and Whitehorse, both seating 1,200. Who would win over the hearts and minds of panhandle fans in 2012: the "brown" (Sitka) or the "blue" (Juneau)? Reorganization of the Alaskan Training League In recognition of the new popularity of the sport in the panhandle, as well as the expansion of the league eastward into Yukon Territory, the league decided to reorganize its amateur affiliate, the ATL. Now, six teams would hail from the panhandle region, and the other six would come from the mainland. Each region would have its own division, and teams would play an unbalanced schedule of 64 games, still on weekends only. The mainland teams would be (affiliations in parentheses): West Anchorage (ERC), Fairbanks (FAI), Wasilla (MSM), Seward (PEN), Cook Inlet (AGP), and Valdez (BET). The panhandle teams would be: Dawson City (WHI), Douglas (JUN), Ketchikan (SIT), Skagway (NPN), Petersburg (ANC), and Wrangell (KOD). 2011-12 Free Agents The biggest free agents on the market this year would be as follows, in no particular order (team losing player in parentheses) (followed by last year's stats): * SP Pete Strelioff (ANC) (10-8, 3.96) * LF Sean Heath (BET) (.280/.369/.461, age 25) * RF Luc Trudel (FAI) (.338/.416/.460, age 26) * C Bob Russo (JUN) (.245/.309/.363, age 26 - major down year) * SP Will Blain (MSM) (7-6, 4.14, age 26) * SS-3B Sloan Starr (NPN) (.271/.351/.448) * OF John Fox (SIT) (.289/.349/.445, 37-14 SB-CS, age 25) * 2B Ralph Hearn (SIT) (.342/.405/.552, age 25) * 1B Dale Robison (NPN) (.252/.347/.369, 31-11 SB-CS, age 22) Additionally, the following players from the Lower 48 were trying their luck in Alaska this year: * OF Francis Ikarashi hit .309/.414/.464 in A-ball last year and had made it as high as AAA * 2B Charley Logan hit .270/.336/.370 in AA last year and was solid defensively It was rather a small class of players, but an equally small group of teams was likely to compete for them: Sitka, Chugiak, and the Anchorage Bucs especially. Fairbanks and the Glacier Pilots were still too mired in debt even to sign extensions with their existing players, but they had hardly anyone left of interest to anyone else.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 08-01-2007 at 07:27 PM. |
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08-01-2007, 07:26 PM
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#95 |
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2012 Preview
2012 Preview So the teams that ended up making the biggest splashes in free agency were the Sitka Sentinels, who were trying to overcome their inferiority complexity vis-a-vis Juneau, and the Chugiak Jets, whose new ownership wanted to seize an opportunity to take over the vast Anchorage market. (Opposing fans mockingly called them the "Anchorage Jets of Chugiak.") Sensing the threat from the Jets, the Bucs also made some waves in free agency. Here's how the biggest names ended up: * Strelioff: to Kodiak (ANC loses) * Heath: to Sitka (Bethel loses) * Trudel: to Peninsula (Fairbanks loses) * Russo: to Chugiak (Juneau loses) * Blain: to Sitka (Mat-Su loses) * Starr: to ANC (North Pole loses) * Fox: to Chugiak (Sitka loses) * Hearn: to ANC (Sitka loses) * Robison: to Peninsula (North Pole loses) * Ikarashi: to Sitka * Logan: to Sitka North Pole's losses were particularly important - especially the loss of Robison, as he could have been a cornerstone for a rebuilding project. Instead, they looked set to continue their languorous decline. Overall, there was a significant flow of talent from the Denali Division to the Seward Division. The biggest trade of the offseason was probably a swap of corner infielders between Sitka and the Bucs. The Sentinels sent Anchorage 1B-3B John Brown (.310/.394/.493 career), while the Bucs sent back 1B-3B Nick Bedford (.282/.343/.483 career). Bedford is two years older, a better fielder, and paid about $15,000 less, but as you can see, Brown is the better hitter. Rivaling it was this trade between Bethel and Anchorage (ANC): the Bucs sent 27-year-old center fielder Bryce Payne to the Mushers for 35-year-old starting pitcher Jack Hatt. Payne improved dramatically this year but has still hit just .278/.329/.386 for his career. Hatt pitched the first four years of his career with the Bucs and is reported to be happy to be coming back (he was born in Anchorage as well). His career ERA is 3.51, and he's been a workhorse, averaging over seven innings per start each of the last two years. The Jets' overeager ownership also pushed through several highly questionable "win now"-type deals, sending away top prospects like Johnny Ledlow, Phil Livingston, and Jim Hanlon to Peninsula and Sitka for a clutch of middle relievers! They went from having the top minor league system in the league to being somewhere in the lower middle. Team Previews They continue to be stuck in the cellar, but did make some minor moves that may fill some holes. They are a strange mix of aging second-tier regulars and fresh-faced youngsters who have probably been brought up too soon. Their only offensive star is former North Pole Nicks catcher Vincent Leroux, who is now toiling in obscurity. Hit a mere .234/.327/.371 last year, after .302/.404/.497 the year before, with North Pole. On the pitching side, they have Eric Liger (4-9, 4.04 last year) and Newt Langille (7-7, 3.75). Neither inspires fear, but both are solid and consistent veterans. * Strengths: none * Weaknesses: Pitching, Hitting, Defense * Predicted finish: 6th (last) in Seward _Bucs_050050038_255246213_255255255.png) The Bucs' lineup really looks stacked - and very different - this year. Among their strengths are catcher Julien LaFlamme, a free agent signing who slipped under the radar a bit but who hit .250/.338/.477 at one A-ball club in the Lower 48 last year (granted, his best performance ever); first baseman John Brown, mentioned above; second baseman Ralph Hearn, another FA signing; third baseman Sloan Starr, another FA signing; shortstop Ken Swerdlow (.261/.356/.371 last year - defensively a bit subpar); and leftfielder Terry Kuhn, the former Nick (.319/.416/.551 last year). Their rotation is mediocre, but is buttressed at the top by Jack Hatt. Number two starter Ken Dickson has been pretty reliable (10-7, 3.57 last year). Closer Vincent Wood (2.57, 17 SV last year) is one of the best in the biz and has been with the club since '07. * Strength: Hitting * Weaknesses: Pitching, Defense * Predicted Finish: 2nd in Seward  Bethel is a good example of a patient franchise. They've made some good moves to get promising young players, but how long will their fans wait for that elusive championship? They probably should have gone into win-now mode instead of letting Chugiak try to leapfrog them (see below). Their key offensive contributors are likely to be first baseman Adam Joly, 2011 Hitter of the Year and former Jet (.351/.451/.577); left fielder George Henneberry (.249/.356/.389, 31-6 SB-CS); center fielder Bryce Payne, acquired in the Hatt deal; and right fielder Mike Collette, another former minor leaguer who came up to Alaska for a new start (career .227/.313/.306 in A-ball). They don't have any real stoppers in the rotation, but Dave Gould (7-7, 4.04) doesn't make many mistakes and at 23 could improve (he's also an awesome pinch-runner, of course!). * Strength: Defense * Weakness: Pitching * Predicted Finish: 5th in Seward  If the Bucs are stacked, then the Jets are mega-stacked - on both sides of the ball. That's what happens when you go crazy on the free agent market and sell the farm to fill every hole. They have star players they will not know what to do with. Their starting lineup will probably look like this: catcher Bob Russo, acquired in FA; first baseman Stanton Ryan, another low-profile Lower 48 minor leaguer signed to a contract late (career AA stats: .264/.325/.362) OR Marc Keddy (.294/.352/.527 last year); second baseman John Hauk (.271/.335/.428 last year); third baseman Luke York (.294/.360/.373 last year); shortstop Mike Gaston (.254/.284/.405 last year) OR Jonathan Bertrand (.191/.316/.379 with the Bucs last year but hit .286/.371/.538 back in '09); left fielder Phil Botfield (.350/.395/.543 last year); center fielder Jimmy Williams (.278/.365/.571 last year) OR George Watkins (another minor leaguer, career .250/.348/.396 at the A level) OR John Fox, acquired in FA; and right fielder John Horswill (.264/.356/.479 last year). The starting rotation is almost certainly the best in the league now. Closer Monzaemon Mihashi is moving to the rotation (career ERA 2.80). Then you have Eugene Pond (9-5, 3.41 last year), Louis Mays (11-6, 3.38 last year), Ryan Dye (6-9, 4.11 last year, career 3.90), and Charles Pretty (8-6, 4.09 last year). Oberg is an extreme hitters' park, remember. The new closer is going to be Jason Hilton, who split the job with Mihashi last year, going 4-4 with 12 SV and a 1.82 ERA. * Strengths: Pitching, Hitting, Defense * Weaknesses: none * Predicted Finish: 1st in Seward, ACS champions  The Goldpanners continue their slide into absolute failure. Their only decent player now is likely to be good old Gary Johnson, who went .314/.402/.450 last year, his worst season to date. At 34, he probably has his prime behind him. A lot of teenagers will be on the team this year. * Strengths: none * Weaknesses: Pitching, Hitting, Defense * Predicted Finish: 6th in Denali, worst record ever?  Juneau has probably gotten a little worse over the offseason, what with the loss of team leader Bob Russo. But they still have a good club. The lineup includes stalwarts such as second baseman Ralph Collette (.278/.372/.510 last year); third baseman Henry Willerton (.243/.338/.407 and Rookie of the Year last year); shortstop Bill Seguin (.263/.301/.355 last year, 49-12 SB-CS); left fielder Wynn Dunsmore (.335/.429/.647 last year and still just 25!); and center fielder Olivier Theriault (.253/.340/.392 and Best Fielder winner last year). The top three of the rotation look as solid as ever: Don Taggart (15-5, 2.86 last year), Scott Northeast (9-6, 3.06 last year), and Anthony Sonier (5-3, 3.31 last year). Closer Bill Colwill bounced back strong last year with 20 saves and a 3.14 ERA. * Strengths: Pitching, Defense * Weaknesses: none * Predicted Finish: 1st in Denali  The Grizzlies seem stuck, neither making a big move to contend nor trying to rebuild for the future. They seem destined again for another season of falling just short. In the lineup they have shortstop Scott Wilkinson (.271/.369/.472 last year); left fielder Leith Drover (.359/.411/.472); and of course an aging Tom Robbins (.316/.430/.534 last year) in right field - although he's projected to miss the start of the season with an aggravated injury suffered in training camp. The starting rotation is among the five best in the league probably, featuring 2011 Pitcher of the Year Martin Gagnon (10-5, 2.66); Spud Hill (10-9, 3.79); Ron Quinton (8-8, 4.09); and Jesse Alexander (5-5, 4.31 - but 10-6 with a 3.21 ERA in '10). Closer Ron Yuke is back to overpower hitters (3.12 ERA, 20 SV last year, Reliever of the Year). * Strengths: Pitching, Defense * Weakness: Hitting * Predicted Finish: 3rd in Seward  The Miners look increasingly weak on both sides of the ball, not like the team that has never finished with a winning percentage below .560 in any season in their history. For offense they will rely especially on 40-year-old catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois (.305/.416/.507 last year); third baseman Sherman Ferris (.269/.356/.380 last year); and center fielder Greg Trudel (.320/.413/.604 last year). Their best pitchers are likely to be John Dewitt (10-10, 3.65), Thierry Tremblay (9-4, 3.10), and Vincent Robinson (8-5, 4.57 - still has a mystique because of that 2007 ERA title I guess). * Strengths: none * Weakness: Defense * Predicted Finish: 4th in Denali  The Nicks are a shadow of their former selves but now rely much more on pitching and defense and could give some contenders fits. Their key offensive players are catcher Alan Sellick (.312/.427/.586 last year in limited playing time due to injury) and second baseman John Abston (.285/.353/.521, 41.8 VORP last year). Abston has turned in a VORP above 40 each of the last three years and is still just 25. The top four in the starting rotation are solid: Chip Becker (9-9, 3.97), Chance Major (7-8, 3.78), Tom Pick (12-4, 3.85), and Mike Rancourt (10-7, 3.02). Closer Ed Staitie had a down year last year (18 SV, 4.38) but should come back strong. * Strength: Pitching * Weaknesses: Defense & Hitting * Predicted Finish: 3rd in Denali  The Oilers made some waves in free agency and look set to have one of the better offensive attacks in the league this year. Possible stars include first baseman Dale Robison, picked up in free agency; second baseman Tommy Lambert (.284/.370/.370 last year); all-purpose infielder Johan House (.249/.316/.319 last year in a big down year); left fielder Dave Bonnar (.297/.406/.495 last year); and of course former Nick Bob Horton (.316/.398/.541 in very limited playing time last year), who is coming off a serious injury. Their pitching is a little thinner, but Bryan Kendall (10-9, 3.26), Ernie Geldart (9-8, 4.40), and Gary Tufts (6-7, 4.04) are all fairly reliable. Closer John Adams has been lights-out the last two years (23 SV, 2.06 ERA last year). * Strength: Hitting * Weaknesses: none * Predicted Finish: 4th in Seward  Sitka made that big splash in free agency, and their offense appears set to be by far the best in the Denali Division. They can look forward to contributions from first baseman Zander Sabin (.279/.363/.422 last year); second baseman Charley Logan, acquired in free agency; third baseman Nick Bedford, acquired in the Brown trade; popular 20-year-old shortstop Jack Hussey - or "Hustle," as his admiring teammates call him (.310/.377/.366 last year); left fielder Sean Heath, acquired in free agency; center fielder Francis Ikarashi, acquired in free agency; and right fielder Doug Beard, acquired last year from the Jets (.235/.369/.424). Their pitching looks much weaker. They will rely particularly on Will Blain, acquired in free agency, and a collection of youngsters acquired from Chugiak (Romanov, Earle, Skinner). * Strength: Hitting * Weakness: Pitching * Predicted Finish: 2nd in Denali  The Yukoners are more or less treading water until they can accumulate some 'spects through the draft. Fortunately, the Denali Division is weak, and fan interest should remain high as long as they are within striking distance of first again this year. Their top hitters are considered to be shortstop Walt Duff (.304/.346/.436 last year, 23-14 SB-CS); center fielder John Dugles (.293/.358/.385, still just 23); and right fielder Kisei Suto (.320/.417/.447, also just 23). The pitching staff is older, and, just like every other year since the start of the league, you'll see John Lynn (13-6, 2.81), Andy Krieger (5-8, 4.47), and John Mack (6-13, 4.06) going out there for this team. Rick Sonier (9-9, 4.12) should also contribute positively this year. Thirty-nine-year-old closer Thomas Quinn (21 SV, 3.49) has always been reliable for this conservative club. * Strength: Defense * Weaknesses: Pitching, Hitting * Predicted Finish: 5th in Denali
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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08-03-2007, 07:43 PM
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Hall Of Famer
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2012 All-Star Break
2012 All-Star Break Before playing out the 2012 All-Star Game, I'd like to stop and take stock of this rather surprising season so far, and profile a few of the old-timers who are still making All-Star teams. I'm also going to do a little "where are they now?" piece on Alaskan League retirees from the past few seasons. Standings Seward Division
Denali Division
A couple of things surprise me here. The first is to see North Pole atop the Denali. Juneau has led the division most of the way but are currently mired in a 6-game losing streak. Sitka has also won 5 in a row to get themselves out of the doldrums. But the main story is the Nicks, whom everyone thought were on their last legs. They are doing it by hitting like the Nicks of old, in a year in which offense has increased (league ERA has been around 4.40 all year). In the Seward, the Glacier Pilots are surprising league observers, although they are barely keeping above .500, and there are plenty of other teams just a game or two behind them. That the Jets are dominating is not terribly surprising, given their aggressive transactions in the offseason, but they do look mortal lately: their winning percentage used to be well above .700. There were a couple of big deadline deals that may affect races down the stretch. The Nicks reacquired 38-year-old Bob Horton, trading away pitcher Mike Rancourt and his bloated salary. It's a puzzling move for the Oilers, who had to suffer through Horton's injury-plagued season last year but were enjoying his .325/.382/.519 performance this year. Horton is more valuable than Rancourt and cheaper - but less popular. Well, except in North Pole: Horton certainly received a hero's welcome there, whom he left in 2011 for free agency. Nicks fans have always stood behind the slugger, who put up the three greatest consecutive seasons in history in 2008-10 for the club. In a rather surprising move, the Yukoners dealt starter John Lynn, who had spent his entire career with the club, to Sitka in exchange for 26-year-old second baseman Zander Sabin. The knock on Sabin is his consistency, and he's not hitting well this year. However, he's a great fielder and has made two All-Star teams, in 2007 and 2009. Lynn has declined a bit this year but the patina of his 13-6, 2.81 year in 2011 hasn't fully worn off yet. The Sentinels also acquired starting pitcher Leif Morris from Bethel, another move to shore up their biggest weakness. In exchange, the Mushers got 3.5-star catching prospect Chris Normore. Morris is still 28 but has played since '07, putting up a career line of 35-38, 4.01. Aging Sluggers of the Alaskan League  This survey of the veteran hitters selected to the 2012 All-Star Game begins with the oldest of the bunch: 40-year-old Mat-Su catcher Pierre-Alexandre Langlois. Langlois has played every season with Mat-Su. Each of the last five seasons he has posted a VORP over 40, and this is his fourth All-Star team. He won the 2007 Alaskan Championship with the Miners. So far this is his best year of all; he's hitting .355/.475/.627 and is on pace to break the all-time walks record! It's unusual for a catcher to last to forty years old, particularly for a guy who hadn't played professionally since age 27 when he first tried out for the Alaskan League. The rust showed his first year, but he has only improved since then. Who knows how long he'll go? He's signed with Mat-Su through the 2014 season and is one of a handful of elite players making over $100,000 per year.  What can you say about Tom Robbins that hasn't already been said? The guy has fought through a number of injuries and the negative prognostications of the naysayers. He has played in only just over half of the games this season and still has been good enough to make the All-Star team! He's hitting .312/.387/.716 and has really been crushing the home runs lately: he's hit 14 of them in just 141 at-bats. Robbins is also making over $100,000 a year with Kodiak and, at age 38, has a player option for 2013 in his contract. This guy has been dominant every year he's played, except perhaps 2008. The one thing he doesn't have is a championship ring.  Center and left fielder Dominique Gaudet has been around the league from the start and has now made his fourth All-Star Game. He's having the best year of his career and is a big reason why North Pole has surprised the pundits this year. He's hitting .354/.454/.650 and has already stroked a career-high 20 homers. He's not a bad fielder either and is particularly reliable with his hands, not making many errors (just one this year so far). He came to the team right after their championship year and is itching to get his first ring.  Thirty-four-year-old right fielder Doug Beard of Sitka has seen it all. He's played for cellar dwellers and a championship team: the 2009 Juneau Senators. Last June, Beard was a throw-in in the deal that brought Ryan Dye to the Jets. Since then, he's become a mainstay in the Sitka lineup and has returned to life, making his fourth All-Star team. This year he's only played in 54 games, partly due to injury, but has hit .318/.402/.557 to put himself on the squad. Beard has a nice career line of .299/.397/.504 and this year reached 300 RBI in his career.  Fairbanks first baseman Gary Johnson, 34, is now the only player to have made every single All-Star team since the inception of the league! In the first three years of the league, Johnson hit over .350 every year and won the batting title in 2007. Since then, his performance has declined a bit, but he's still hit over .310 every year, including this one, in which he's posted a line of .315/.403/.494. Johnson has missed two games this season, breaking his consecutive games streak that went back to 2009. In fact, since 2008, Johnson has only missed three games! Hopefully, Johnson's stamina portends a long career that sees him through this painful rebuilding cycle for the Panners. A player of this caliber deserves a ring at some point in his career.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. |
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08-05-2007, 02:01 PM
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#97 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: the dynasty forum
Posts: 2,318
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Where Are They Now? Retired Stars of the Alaskan League Today, the Alaskan League is the destination of choice for all the top Alaskan players and has even drawn players from the U.S., Japan, and Canada. But it wasn't always so. When the league first started, salaries were higher, but there was much less certainty that the league would actually stick around long enough to pay those contracts. A number of players decided to do something else after the 2007 season, and there were also a few who skipped out on their contracts in the off-season or even during mid-season.  Tim Rigg was the ace of Peninsula's staff in 2007. Although he went only 8-11, he pitched 155 innings (back when the schedule had only 96 games), allowing just 7 HR's and 51 BB's and striking out 92, all good for a 2.91 ERA. His contract ran out after the season, and he didn't get a good enough deal in the offseason, so he held out - ultimately for the entire season. By that point, he was 34 years old and teams were even less interested, so he moved out of state for a job. He now works in lower management for Wachovia in Seattle.  Kevin Iwasaki had two All-Star seasons with the North Pole Nicks, winning a championship ring with them in 2008. His 2007 season was truly excellent, as he posted a 2.59 ERA in 111 innings. He was also an All-Star in 2009, posting a 10-4 record to go with a 4.11 ERA. However, he was inconsistent: in 2008 he posted an ugly 5.90 ERA in 101 IP. In June 2010 the Nicks finally released him, and he signed a league-minimum deal with the Goldpanners. He ultimately finished that season with a 5.68 ERA in 59 IP. Now 35, he announced his retirement at the end of the season. He now works in the office of municipal sanitation in his hometown of Palmer.  When he signed with the Goldpanners in 2007, John Robertson was a career minor leaguer, now 40 years old, but enjoying pinpoint control and a good enough fastball to baffle most Alaskan League hitters. He went 6-5 with a 3.83 ERA in '07 before rupturing a tricep tendon, ending his season. Shortly before his injury, he had signed a two-year contract extension with Fairbanks. He tried to come back the next year and was doing well, going 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 5 starts, but in his final start he left the game early because of serious back pain and was diagnosed with a ruptured disc. That injury effectively ended his career. He still lives in Fairbanks on the scant allowance he gets from disability. He comes out to the ballpark for autographs now and then, although among today's fans he is largely forgotten - just another unfortunate twist in the increasingly dismal history of the Fairbanks franchise.  Raleigh Murdock was another one of those players who thought they could get either a big Alaskan contract or a minor league deal with a major-league organization after an outstanding 2007. Almost all of them turned out to be mistaken. Murdock was Reliever of the Year in 2007, posting a 0.96 ERA in 47 IP. He had some interviews with major league clubs but at 27 was too old to be a serious prospect and never signed a contract. Today he works in farm supply in South Carolina.  Reverend Walt Nippard, the Baptist preacher from Dillingham, retired after 2007 simply because he didn't have the time or money to continue. He'd had a 1.43 ERA and 18 saves with Kodiak in that year. Today he is a youth pastor at a large Anchorage church.  Art Johannson was really an underrated player during his career, despite the three All-Star selections. In 2007 he had a great year with Fairbanks, hitting .310/.376/.518 with 16 HR in 326 AB and making the All-Star team. He was then traded to Peninsula, where he put up rather pedestrian numbers for an outfielder (.264/.383/.421) in 2008. In '09 he came off the bench and hit .385/.484/.673 in 52 AB before being released. To this day, he is the only bench player ever to make an All-Star team. His numbers were just that good. But Peninsula released him. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because he signed on with Juneau and participated in their championship run. His final line for 2009: .373/.476/.642. After '09, he was a free agent and signed on with the struggling Jets. He hit a respectable .287/.377/.408 at age 33, made another All-Star team, and even stole 18 bases. During the offseason, he was released from Chugiak and tried to find another job in the league, but could not. He retired in January 2011 and now does part-time scouting for the Bethel Mushers and raises sled dogs.  Ray Tomiak was Eagle River-Chugiak's main offensive force in 2007 - indeed, one of the main offensive forces in the league. He hit for both average and power, posting a .336/.425/.610 line in 333 AB with a whopping 36 doubles and 17 home runs. Unfortunately, his next year was a total collapse, as his home run power virtually evaporated overnight. He hit a mere .256/.343/.372 in 2008. The Jets kept him on for his final contract year and he enjoyed a minor resurgence in '09, hitting .299/.406/.412 but with only 2 HR in 318 AB. The Bucs then signed him to a two-year deal worth $10,000 per year. His main offensive asset was now his eye, and he put up a .262/.411/.315 line in 2010 coming off the bench. He finished off his career regaining a starting role and putting up a .270/.382/.353 line in 382 AB. He is now employed by an Alaska Native Corporation in the town of Cohoe (part of Kenai borough) and can often be seen at Oilers games.  Hirotada Kokura was a two-time All-Star whose career was cut short by injury. He started his AKL career with Kodiak and made the All-Star team in 2008, although he finished the year with a fairly unexceptional .248/.339/.461 line. He then signed on at league minimum with the hapless Jets and had a fantastic season going, hitting .354/.397/.535 before succumbing to a fractured foot that put him out of commission for an entire calendar year. He was named to the All-Star team but could not play due to his injury. He tried to come back in 2009 with the Jets but did not play well, hitting only .226/.300/.409, and did not re-sign when his contract was up. He then moved to the even more hapless Glacier Pilots, putting up a dismal .186/.238/.412 line before calling it quits and returning to Japan, where he now works in the Yomiuri Giants organization.  First baseman Bryan Morris was a key part of that 2007 Sitka club that went to the ACS. He was an All-Star and hit .314/.387/.456 with 29 doubles that year, playing in every game. He also played in every game in 2008, but the wear and tear started to catch up with him. He hit a respectable .288/.386/.381 in '08 but at age 37 was not re-signed. He then signed on with the Mushers and hit decently coming off the bench for two years with them (.262/.354/.393 in '09 and .289/.429/.422 in '10). He is now a graduate student in oceanography at the University of Alaska, Southeast.  Third baseman Erik Boone was another element of Sitka's 2007 run. He hit .305/.377/.458 with 27 stolen bases that year and was an All-Star. At 25, he decided to try his luck in the Lower 48 and signed a minor league deal with the Royals. He bounced around the Royals organization for a while and hit well but was never promoted above rookie level. After the 2010 season, he returned to Alaska for tryouts, but his salary demands were too high, and he never signed a contract, choosing instead to continue working in real estate in Phoenix, Arizona.  Left fielder Fred Dempsey had a very good year with North Pole in 2007, hitting .285/.407/.454 and making the All-Star team. He worked for the University of Alaska for a while but then signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and ultimately worked his way up to AA. When he was demoted to A-ball again in 2010 at age 29, he left pro baseball to become a coach at San Jacinto Junior College.  Ah, the infamous Ron Bishop, who had signed himself to a six-figure deal with the Bucs while one of the team owners. He was never a popular guy around Anchorage after hitting just .264/.368/.344 in '07, not very good even for a shortstop. He never hit a home run in his career. After selling out of the Bucs and moving to North Pole, he didn't improve and was relegated to bench duty. He still lives in Fairbanks today, where he owns an auto-parts store.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 08-05-2007 at 02:03 PM. |
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08-07-2007, 01:44 PM
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#98 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: the dynasty forum
Posts: 2,318
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2012 All-Star Game
2012 All-Star Game The game was held at Coral Seymour Memorial Park for the second straight year, but this time the 18-14 slugfest of last year wasn't repeated. Instead, this year's summer exhibition turned out to be a defensive showcase, as both teams combined for just 11 hits in the game. There was also only one error, and that was made on a bad pickoff throw by Goldpanner Sawao Kawano. The Denali Division struck first in the third inning, touching up Chugiak's Eugene Pond for two runs, the first coming on a double by Sitka shortstop Jack Hussey. The twenty-year-old Hussey gave evidence of the rationale behind his nickname - "Hustle" - when he took third base on the throw to the plate, a play that allowed him to score the second run on a Gary Johnson sac fly that made the second out. Meanwhile, the Seward Division didn't have a single baserunner until the fifth inning! Kodiak's Tom Robbins broke up the perfect game and the no-hitter with a double off lefty Chance Major of North Pole. But he went nowhere, and the score remained 2-0. The Sewards finally broke through in the sixth inning when Chip Becker relieved Major. Becker yielded two leadoff walks, then Buc first baseman John Brown advanced them both into scoring position with a slow grounder to second. Becker yielded another walk to Buc shortstop Swerdlow, loading the bases. A sac fly by Jet left fielder Botfield plated one run. With two outs, last year's Hitter of the Year Adam Joly blasted a three-run homer down the left field line. 4-2. So the score remained until the 8th, when Kawano's bad pickoff throw, followed by a wild pitch, suddenly set up Kodiak shortstop Scott Wilkinson on third, to score on a single by Buc right fielder Kelyn Birley. 5-2. The Denalis loaded up the bases in the bottom of the 9th on Kodiak closer Ron Yuke, but Glacier Pilot closer Edward Long came in for the final out and struck out Miner left fielder Rob Corley swinging. The Seward Division successfully completed yet another come-from-behind victory in the summer showcase, their fifth of the six played so far - and their fourth consecutive victory.
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 08-07-2007 at 01:46 PM. |
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08-07-2007, 11:55 PM
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: the dynasty forum
Posts: 2,318
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2012 Stretch Run August 2012 was not interesting so much for the pennant chase itself, which became exciting near the very end in the Denali Division but still ended up being won by the favorites, but for the way pages from the record book were being torn out and shredded almost every day. Twenty-Nine-Inning Game August 25, 2012 - Around 11 AM today, the Bethel Mushers and Kodiak Grizzlies finished the longest game in Alaskan League history, a game that lasted 29 innings and over nine hours of game play. The game was played at Kodiak Island Park, where 814 fans came out to see the game at 7:05 PM last night. The teams were tied 4-4 at the end of regulation, and so the score remained until, at 2:30 AM, at the end of the 22nd inning, the head umpire stopped play for a six-hour break. Play resumed at 8:30 this morning, and hundreds of fans queued up to buy tickets to see this historic event unfold. In the 29th inning the visiting Mushers finally pushed across four runs to take an 8-4 lead. The Grizzlies answered with two, but the final score was Bethel 8, Kodiak 6. Adam Joly was selected player of the game on the strength of his 5-for-11 hitting and his three-run home run that broke the game open in the top of the 29th. Jason Blumberg was the winning pitcher for Bethel, pitching the final three innings and giving up two runs. Geoffrey Townend, who entered the game in the 25th inning, took the hard-luck loss for Kodiak. The start of today's scheduled afternoon game between the Jets and Grizzlies has been delayed until 7:30 PM to allow the home team some extra rest, while the Mushers' scheduled home game against the Bucs tonight has been pushed to a doubleheader for tomorrow. Box score Check out the team left on base numbers! Also interesting: Blair had 5 sacrifice bunts. Tomlinson made 4 errors. Player of the Game probably should have gone to Hamm for pitching 9 2/3 shutout innings in relief!
Last edited by Elendil; 08-07-2007 at 11:59 PM. |
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08-13-2007, 05:35 PM
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#100 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: the dynasty forum
Posts: 2,318
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2012: Other Records Broken
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Heaven is kicking back with a double Talisker and a churchwarden stuffed with latakia. Last edited by Elendil; 08-13-2007 at 05:40 PM. |
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