Centurion comes...to OOTP5

[darkcloud4579]

CLASSIC WORLD SERIES
Pittsburgh v. Oregon

The Ems managed to escape the ALCS by defeating Josh Pressley and the Texas Rangers 4 games to 2, to earn their third straight trip to the World Series.

Facing off on the other side, were the Pittsburgh Pirates. This scrappy, determined team has done nothing but play solid baseball over the past few seasons.

From the start, the series had all the makings of a classic.

Let's recap:

GAME 1: Pittsburgh 8, Ems 4
Jimmy Journell gets rocked in 2 2/3 innings for 5 earned. Two errors cost the Ems big and the offense never got started.
Pirates lead series 1-0

GAME 2: Oregon 16 Pittsburgh 3
In typical Ems fashion after a loss, the offense roared back. Delmon Young, the young phenom had FIVE RBI and went deep twice, including a monster shot that went 496 ft., the longest of his young career. Mark Prior gave up 2 earned in 8 1/3 to tie the Series at 1-1.

GAME 3: Pittsburgh 5 Oregon 2
[I]The Bucs pitching allowed just 2 earned in 8 solid innings to propel themselves to a 2-1 lead in the Series. Nick Rank dropped his third straight playoff game.

GAME 4: Pittsburgh 19 Oregon 11
The Bucs won the slugfest and go up 3-1 in the Series. Ronny Paulino was 5 for 7 for the Pirates with two homers in the victory To give the Pirates a 3-1 series lead.

GAME 5: Oregon 16 Pittsburgh 3
The Ems bats didn't fall asleep after last night. The fury continued as Delmon Young proved his star power with 2 more homers, as Jimmy Journell pitched seven strong to get his third post-season victory and bring the Ems closer at 3 games to 2 in the series.

GAME 6: Oregon 4 Pittsburgh 3
Ems tie the Series as Mark Prior gave up 2 runs in six innings. The bullpen held the lead, that was cut into by a run in the bottom of the eighth, to give the Ems their series tying win. Delmon Young hit his sixth post-season homer, solidifying him as the consensus choice for World Series MVP

GAME 7: Pittsburgh 7 Oregon 2
Pittsburgh added four runs to a 3-1 lead in the eighth, to put themselves within one win of the World Series title! Ronny Paulino had 2 RBI to bring his postseason total to 15. The Pirates are just a game away from the title.

GAME 8: Oregon 20 Pittsburgh 12
The Ems scored a late touchdown....okay, this slugfest was almost blown open in the Top of the 7th when Pittsburgh, down 17-7 scored four runs off Jose Almonte of the Ems, to pull within six. Despite giving up seven runs, David Aardsma gets his first playoff win, to force the Series to a decisive Game 9.

[darkcloud4579]

PORTLAND - Going for the three-peat, the Ems weren't sure what to expect. After all, they'd been down in this series non-stop and few expected this new version of the Emeralds had the luster of the old clubs.

Boy, were they wrong. Down 7-6 in the bottom of the 7th, the Ems lit up Pittsburgh for four runs. Delmon Young, World Series MVP had two doubles and 3 RBI. Ben Hauser was 3-4 with 4 runs scored.

The Ems tacked on other run in the bottom of the eighth. Tom O'Rear came on for the save and successfully clinched a third straight World Series title for the Oregon Emeralds.

[darkcloud4579]

NEW YORK - Looking to infuse "respect and talent" into the Mets organization, the Centurion Group has taken on its most ambitious project ever - the New York Mets.

"We're delighted to be invited to the Big Apple and look forward to helping this club achieve its goals, including winning a World Series," said Dark Cloud at the press conference.

Centurion comes to New York after eight years in Oregon where the club won seven straight division titles, made four trips to the ALCS and won three straight World Series titles. The Oregon farm system has developed some of the most talented players in the league and has still quite a few talented players in the pipeline.

"We're thrilled to have a group with this type of expertise at our disposal", said Fred Wilpon, Mets owner. "I'm happy to be sharing this franchise with Dark Cloud for the next five years and if he wants, longer", he said.

"We're getting right to work", said Dark Cloud.

[darkcloud4579]

NELLY RELEASES WORLD SERIES SOUNDTRACK
ST. LOUIS - International recording superstar and Oregon Emeralds outfield NELLY aka Cornell Haynes, Jr., had a listening/CD release party today at Vintage Vinyl in University City for his new album - PLATINUM CHAINS, GOLD RIMS & GOLD RINGS

The CD includes such hits as "Rid wit me (Championship Stylin), Batter Up (for da Ems) and brand new hits like "Gold Rims/Gold Rings" featuring Jay-Z and Pharrel from the Neptunes.

Get it now!!

JOSH EAGAN SIGNS MONSTER CONTRACT
ORLANDO - Whoever would have expected the biggest free agent signing of the off-season to be a catcher who only hit 12 homers the previous season, but at age 25, has immense upside - would have been quite a gambler. The Orlando Tourists sign arguably the most prominent free agent in their short history, signing a six year deal worth $237.18 million or $39.5 million per season.

The signing came down between the NY Mets and Orlando, but after New York offered $32 million and was turned down, Dark Cloud said he got out of the running. "I've learned that large contracts for some players make sense, but they're not always advisible. I didn't think that his asking price was going to fit into the new culture we're trying to cultivate here in NY.

C Josh Eagan, Orlando Tourists

NOTABLE FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
NEW YORK METS
----
SP Thomas O'Rear - $42.5 million/5 years
RF Ichiro Suzuki - $6 million/3 years
3B Hank Blalock - $22 million/4 years
3B Scott Rolen - $55 million/4 years
SP Matt Brown - $126.6 million/6 years

As is prevelent in the game, many of our free agent signings, we actually sign and trade deals.

NOTABLE ACQUISITIONS
--------------------------
METS TRADE:
SP Scott Maine, C Allen Alpert
to Raleigh for
SP Mark McLaughlin
------------------
Atlanta gets :
P Kason Gabbard
NY Mets Get:
P Allan Simpson

---------------------
Texas gets :
3B Hank Blalock
LF Bernardo Alonso
RF Mike O'Keefe
SS Shawn Bowman

NY Mets get:
3B Alan Hainkel
RF Tim Lemon
RF John Selden
C Stephen Moore
LF Adam Hernandez
----------------
Tokyo gets :
3B Jamie D'Antona
2B Ruben Gotay

NY Mets get:
2B Arturo Prado
P Tomeshirou Norihisa
----------------------
Boston gets :
3B Adrian Beltre
LF Haj Turay

NY Mets get:
CF Larry McGillicuddy
RF Anthony Kirby
----------------------
Louisville gets :
P Modesto Pasillas
P Aaron Heilman
SS Jose Reyes
P Saul Labarge

NY Mets gets:
SS Darren Panglaet
P Matt Clement
P David Martinez
----------------
St. Louis gets :
3B Scott Rolen
CF Ruben Mateo
1B Scotty Nock
P P.J. Bevis

NY Mets:
CF Mitch Capra
1B Dave Kelton
---------------

Philadelphia gets :
P Matt Brown
LF Manuel Melo

NY Mets get:
P Leonard Hobbes
P Justin Kaye
LF James Burr

[darkcloud4579]

A NEW DAY AT CHASE...
NEW YORK - The NY Mets media day was a far cry from past ones. There was a buzz in the air, unlike previous years in New York. Fans are excited and have bought tickets in droves - especially since prices were lowered - for what many anticipate will be one of the best seasons this club has seen in a long time.

"Hey, I've got a reason to go to the ballpark. That looks like a good club", said Saul Martin, a taxi driver from Queens.

The Mets entire starting lineup has been revamped, with no players from last year's lineup starting the year in it. The pitching staff, anchored by two 20 game winners in Mark McLaughlin and Leonard Hobbes, have turned this club into an entire new look team. "We're excited about this season", said new manager Gary Carter, who replaces Willie Randolph, who ironically heads to Oregon.

"We're happy with this club and I want fans to discover the new NY Mets ballclub", said Carter.

To that theme, the Mets are running ads on television and radio to encourage fans to come out to games. The "DISCOVER METS BASEBALL" campaign has a number of promotions including the newly instituted $1 game day, where all tickets in the ballpark are just $1.

Other promotions brought over from Centurion include Free Dog and Beer day, where the first 20,000 fans get a coupon for one free jumbo dog and a free beer (or soda for the kiddies) at the ballpark. "This promotion proved wildly popular in Oregon, even if it does cost quite a bit", said Dark Cloud.

"Anything to get the fans to come watch their team play. We're a different ballclub and we're looking forward to the season", he said.

With that, let's PLAYBALL.

Modern Era League website (updated for 2011 pre-season)

[darkcloud4579]

CYCLONES TO BECOME KNIGHTS
Seeking to tie themselves closer to their home state, the New Jersey Cyclones have changed their name to the New Jersey Knights.

They have also released a new logo, to represent the franchise starting this season.

New Jersey Knights site

"We felt it was important to represent the club as one from this state, rather than being from someplace else. This logo and name will help us to do that", said GM Jim Detmer.

[darkcloud4579]

New ballpark:

NEW YORK YANKEES
Honda Field at New Yankees Stadium
The House that Ruth built is still there, only the field, luxury boxes and concourses have been renovated and updated. This modern stadium within an older ballpark should prove interesting to fans coming to games. However, outrage over razing the park altogether caused this alternative. Nonetheless, the $600 million upgrade shouldn't hurt fans interesting in seeing games.


GOING TOTALLY RETRO
The Raleigh Blue Stripes and Sacramento Athletics will play two games in Kansas City this season. The arrangement was setup in lieu of the clubs playing interleague games this season, since there is an uneven number in the leagues until 2015, when the National League will expand.

"We're excited about both of Kansas City's old clubs returning "home" to play two games. The dates have annoyed some fans who are upset the clubs moved, but nonetheless should sellout.

The Blue Stripes will wear KC Royals uniforms and the A's will toat the road uniforms of the Kansas City Athletics.

VISITING...
Also on June 10th, the Tokyo Aeros and San Francisco Giants will play an interleague game at Silver Mountain Brewery in Reno, Nevada, which will home to the expansion Nevada Silverhawks beginning in 2015.

On July 15th, the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays will play at SMB.

On that same date, Houston and Orlando will play their interleague game in San Juan, Puerto Rico, rumored to be the second site of NL expansion.

[darkcloud4579]

GOODBYE TO FENWAY...
BOSTON - The Boston Red Sox are officially leaving Fenway Park. The old, creaky, but historic ballpark will remain in the community as a landmark.

Despite years of rankling over whether to use the ballpark as the basis for a new one or not are finally over, as the team will move into Allston Gardens on June 12th.

"We can't wait, we hear its a great park". The Gardens have some unique features that should become lore for future generations including "The Gorge" - where fans are surrounded by water and lush greenery.

The Green Monster is back, this time with an actual Red Sox mascot called "Zippy", the Green Monster. "We're looking forward to the new park", said Manager Mike Greenwell.

ANOTHER SEASON....EMS STILL DOMINATE
PORTLAND - Some people thought once Centurion left Oregon, that the team would become a virtual wasteland overnight. After some early competition with Anchorage and Sacramento early in the season, the Ems have once again taken a huge lead in the AL Pacific and look comfortably en route to their eighth straight division crown.

The three-time defending World Champs say they're still the same team. "We've got some of the best players this league has to offer. No matter who is running the club, the Emerald way will be that of achieving the best there is out there. That means, a four-peat", said manager Willie Randolph.

MIRACLE METS OF 2011?
NEW YORK - After a slow start, many Mets fans started to believe that all the talk of "Discovering the new Mets", smelled a lot like the old rotted club that had irritated them over the years.

The Mets lead the NL East by a 1/2 game over the Pittsburgh Pirates and are looking for their first division title since 1986. (They won the Wild Card in 2000)

The team has only made a few deals, but they've been ones that Dark Cloud hopes can put the team over the top.

He first swapped 1B Dave Kelton and 3B Conor Jackson back to his old club in Oregon for 2B Kaz Matsui.

The club then signed SP Kerry Wood and SP Rick Ankiel to minor league deals, only to turn Ankiel into an outfield. "It was discussed back when he was in the minors with St. Louis, but he found his form and it worked out. He approached us about it and we were receptive to the idea of having a bat that was key on the lineup in pinch hitting situations. Hopefully, it will work out", said DC.


The two big names that come to New York should be very well known to Modern Era fans. Colin Curtis and two minor leaguers are headed to New York for CF Larry McGillicuddy and highly touted young starter Ramon Venegas. Curtis leads the league in RBI with 71, is batting .319, with 17 homers so far this season.

The second big deal made was the acquistion of Texas Rangers star SP Max Roswell. Included with him was 3B Hank Blalock, who was originally sent to Texas earlier in the year. He was traded for SP Leonard Hobbes and 3B Alan Hankiel, who ironically was also part of the original deal that sent Blalock to Texas and him to NY.

"The deal benefits both teams and we hope that all the players involved have long and prosperous careers", said Dark Cloud.


OTHER DIVISION LEADERS
New Jersey leads London by 2.5 games in the AL East
Louisville leads Baltimore by a 1 game in the AL South, Raleigh is 2.5 games out, Texas is 3 games out and Orlando is 5.

Oregon leads Anchorage by 15 games in the AL Pacific.

Indianapolis leads Toronto by 16 games in the AL Central.

St. Louis leads Chicago by 2 games in the NL Central.

San Francisco leads San Diego by 8.5 games in the NL West

Houston leads Atlanta by 2.5 games in the NL South.

In the NL East, the Mets lead by a .5 game over Pittsburgh. Philadelphia is 2.5 games back and Washington remains just 4.5 games back.

[darkcloud4579]

Modern Era League
Despite the lack of standings, all the team sites are updated. I screwed up and got rid of the standings when I came to work updating the site names and such.

But, you can look @ League Batting to get the update standingsUpdated Standings

[darkcloud4579]

Looking to stay on top of the pack, several teams made deadline deals to bolster their lineups:

Oregon gets :
RF Ruben Luckey
C Cassius Ali
P Shelby Rink
We get :
DH Oneximo Espino
3B Dave Reyes

Trade with Oregon :
We get :
C Palmer Mienkietwicz
Oregon gets :
P Kerry Wood

[darkcloud4579]

THIS SEASON HAS BEEN ONE FOR THE AGES!!
Not only do we have record breakers left and right, but we have teams doing the unthinkable.

Some of the highlights for the 2011 SEASON YEARBOOK INCLUDE:

- A division title for Louisville
- The NY Mets resurgence
- Total domination in Oregon/Going for the 4-peat
- A Triple Crown winner in London
- Barry Bonds record challenged?
- A new single-season home-run record in the AL

AND MORE!!!

We'll be filling you in with all the goodies from the 2011 season after these messages.

[darkcloud4579]

In the American League, the suspense in many of the division races was gone well before September.

That didn't stop the suspense from entering the playoff matchups.

ALDS
Indianapolis v. Oregon
Another year, another division title for the Oregon Emeralds. For those of you counting at home, this is the club's ninth straight. On the other hand, Indianapolis is starting to make itself a force to be reckoned with, after essentially clubbing the AL Central this year en route to a title.

So this matchup between the three-time defending World Series champs and Indianpolis wasn't supposed to be much of a matchup at all. Oregon is obviously the better club and has more weapons in its aresenal.

GAME 1: Indianapolis 9 Oregon 6
GAME 2: Indianapolis 5 Oregon 2
GAME 3: Indianapolis 10 Oregon 7
GAME 4: Oregon 7 Indianapolis 1
GAME 5: Indianapolis 6 Oregon

And just like that, with little fanfare, the Oregon Emeralds will not four-peat this year,

NEW JERSEY V. LOUISVILLE
The New Jersey Knights make their first trip to the playoffs since 2009, while the Louisville White Sox make their first everModern Era playoff appearance.

GAME 1: Louisville 2 New Jersey 1
GAME 2: New Jersey 13 Louisville 3
GAME 3: Louisville 12 New Jersey 7
GAME 4: New Jersey 3 Louisville 1
GAME 5: New Jersey 8 Louisville 3
GAME 6: New Jersey 4 Louisville 1

The Knights advance to the ALCS, searching for their second AL pennant in their short franchise history.

NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
In the NL, we have an upstart NY Mets club that is surprising everyone with its flair and energy, not to mention the best pitching staff in baseball.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks are seeking to get out of the first round, en route to a chance for the pennant, the Chicago Cubs want a trip back to the World Series and the San Francisco Giants are also, searching for a chance at a title lost.

The NL has lost the last four World Series, can the winner of the league reverse their fate this year?

ARIZONA V. CHICAGO
The Arizona Diamondbacks play in the absymal NL South, a division so bad that the Board of Governors are considering moving up expansion to next season, to shift better teams into the division.

The Chicago Cubs had an impressive season and are looking to continue their fantasy run to the title.

GAME 1: CHICAGO 6 ARIZONA 3
GAME 2: CHICAGO 7 ARIZONA 5
GAME 3: ARIZONA 4 CHICAGO 2
GAME 4: CHICAGO 7 ARIZONA 1
GAME 5: CHICAGO 6 ARIZONA 1

The Cubs move on and inch closer to that elusive title. For Arizona, hey, they get some playoff revenue.

NEW YORK V. SAN FRANCISCO
With old men wearing t-shirts saying "Beat those bastards" and other Mets fans cheering "Stay out west", the Giants vs. Mets series brings together New York's new team (well, 1962) versus New York's old team, the Giants.

Would old New York win it for the wild west? Or would the boys from Chase pull it out?

GAME 1: SAN FRANCISCO 5 NEW YORK 3
GAME 2: NEW YORK 3 SAN FRANCISCO 1
GAME 3: NEW YORK 4 SAN FRANCISCO 1
GAME 4: NEW YORK 3 SAN FRANCISCO 1
GAME 5: NEW YORK 4 SAN FRANCISCO 1 (10 inn.)

New York pitching prevails and sends them for a matchup against the Cubs the right to play in the World Series.

[darkcloud4579]

AL CHAMPIONSHIP
NEW JERSEY V. INDIANAPOLIS
For the first time in since 2007, there is an ALCS without the Oregon Emeralds. The battle for the AL title will go through these two teams, the upstart Indiana club and the experienced, but still relatively unseasoned New Jersey club.

GAME 1: NEW JERSEY 4 INDIANAPOLIS 2
GAME 2: INDIANAPOLIS 2 NEW JERSEY 0
GAME 3: INDIANAPOLIS 12 NEW JERSEY 1
GAME 4: INDIANAPOLIS 5 NEW JERSEY 4
GAME 5: NEW JERSEY 3 INDIANAPOLIS 1
GAME 6: NEW JERSEY 15 INDIANAPOLIS 8
GAME 7: INDIANAPOLIS 5 NEW JERSEY 3

So there you have it! The Indianapolis Racers will be making their first ever WORLD SERIES appearance. Remember when this club was in Tampa?! Now they're WORLD SERIES bound.

NL CHAMPIONSHIP
NEW YORK V. CHICAGO
The New York Mets, making their first Modern Era playoff appearance are looking for their first trip to the World Series since 2000, while the Chicago Cubs have already won an NL pennant in the Modern Era, but are looking to make their return trip and want to win, this time.

GAME 1: CHICAGO 4 NEW YORK 0
GAME 2: NEW YORK 12 CHICAGO 7
GAME 3: NEW YORK 7 CHICAGO 3
GAME 4: CHICAGO 2 NEW YORK 1
GAME 5: CHICAGO 3 NEW YORK 1
GAME 6: NEW YORK 5 CHICAGO 4
GAME 7: NEW YORK 8 CHICAGO 3

And just like that, the New York Mets are headed to the WORLD SERIES!

[PotatoPeeler]

You shouldn't have changed your sig so soon. Now I already know what happens in the World Series!

[darkcloud4579]

sorry, i was too excited last night. in retrospect, i realize it was pretty stoopid.

my bad...

[PotatoPeeler]

No problem, dude. Just giving you a hard time. Anyway, I'm enjoying the thread. Keep up the good work!

[darkcloud4579]

Note: put your hand over my sig....or close your eyes while you read this..wait..nevermind

Both teams are making their first Modern Era World Series appearance, while the Mets are returning for the first time since 2000 as a franchise, Indy has never been here.

GAME 1: NEW YORK 9 INDIANAPOLIS 5
Rookie pitcher Karl Sturm pitched 6 2/3 strong innings to notch his fourth straight playoff win.

GAME 2: INDIANAPOLIS 5 NEW YORK 4
Walter Young went deep in the fifth off Max Roswell, while Indy scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Racers their first ever WS victory and tie the series at a game apiece.

GAME 3: NEW YORK 9 INDIANAPOLIS 4
Rookie Matt Rosenberry, who was pitching in A ball earlier this year got his first career playoff win after eight strong innings against Indy. Darren Pangalet hit 2 homers in the Mets win

GAME 4: NEW YORK 8 INDIANAPOLIS 4
Bilal al-Musharaff and Tim Lemon both had 2 RBI in the Mets win as they go up 3 games to 1

GAME 5: NEW YORK 7 INDIANAPOLIS 4
[I]Mark McLaughlin increased his playoff record to 3-0 this season as the Mets are within one game of winning their first World Series title since 1986 and first in the modern era. Playing DH, Rick Ankiel went deep and was 2-4.

GAME 6: NEW YORK 6 INDIANAPOLIS 5
Oneximo Espino hit 2 homers, Darren Panglaet went deep and despite a 9th inning rally that scored a run and brought Indy within one, "Lights Out" O'Rear was on the mound for the second straight year to close out another World Series, as the New York Mets win THE WORLD SERIES

[darkcloud4579]

2011 has been quite a year!!

Let's take a look at what happened this season...

MVPs
Lars Heinreich went undrafted and was signed to a one-year deal for almost $6 million by London. Why would an eighteen year old, with virtually no talent and that no team sought fit to draft be eligible for that kind of praise? When the guy WINS THE first TRIPLE CROWN in the Modern Era.

Heinreich, hit .396 with 70 Homers, a new AL record and drove in 159 runs during the 2011 season. He will certainly be showered with a number of contract offers this post-season, though one has to wonder if people will regard this season a fluke or if he'll be considered the star he is? Heinreich was also the logical choice for Rookie of the Year in the AL.

The NL MVP was no slouch either. He came within 3 homers of tying Barry Bonds NL record (which of course, was set in 162 games, not 154) Pangalet, won his third straight NL MVP award - on his THIRD different team. He hit .303 with 70 homers and 151 RBI this season, helping launch the NY Mets to their first World Series title in the Modern Era.

JUST CALL 'EM CY...
Not many people blinked when the New Jersey Knights signed Casey Fossum as a free agent. Fossum, 33, is originally from Cherry Hill, NJ and wanted to play for his home state team. He signed for a modest deal just over $3 million a year. That turned out to be a bargain as the star won the first Cy Young of his career. Fossum was 20-4 this season with a 2.35 ERA. He struck out 114 batters in 199 innings.

In the NL, San Francisco's Jesse Foppert has established himself as one of the dominant starters in baseball. Foppert, 31, has won his second straight Cy Young award after going 20-6 with a 1.56 ERA and striking out 203 batters, while walking on 96 in 264 2/3 innings this season.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
You know about the triple crown exploits of Lars Heinreich. But you don't know about his hard throwing counterpart Karl Sturm who plays for the World Champion NY Mets. Sturm was a third round pick by the Mets, who despite his so-called lack of talent took a chance on him and were rewarded. Sturm was 17-3 with a 1.66 ERA and struck out 139 batters. Opponents hit a microscopic .103 off him during the regular season. Sturm finished third in the NL Cy Young race this season.

Heinreich also set the new rookie RBI record, as well as the AL home run record. One would imagine those records will stand for quite some time.

[PotatoPeeler]

I have a quick question about guys like Heinreich and Strum. I just wanted to know why you are editing these guys' ratings?

[darkcloud4579]

A number of the players I play with are people I know, that is, friends of mine I've created to feature prominently - or not so much so - in the game and subsequently, in the dynasty.

In these cases, they were people I knew and created to create anomalies. I wanted to see what the computer would do with them, how well they play, for how long, etc.

They're not prevelent and in some cases - Orval Hajek, for example - I didn't edit them at all, they just turned out to be freaks of nature.

I mean, it seems futile to play just for the sake of winning all the time. After all, who really cares if you win 20 World Series titles in your league against yourself. I like to test out the game, the way it plays out to see exactly how it responds to various scenarios. Might seem bizarre, granted, but it makes me tick.

~dc