French Baseball League - Julien Henri

[BirdWatcher]

Congrats to the Diamonds! Nice to see Julien come up with the big hit in the deciding game.

And apparently the Snake Eyes didn't roll, well, snake eyes yet. It'll be fun to see what comes next.

[stevem810]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Congrats to the Diamonds! Nice to see Julien come up with the big hit in the deciding game.

And apparently the Snake Eyes didn't roll, well, snake eyes yet. It'll be fun to see what comes next.

Having won 11 of 15 from the Snake Eyes this season, it would be an epic upset if the Expedition don't win the series. Having Rolland on their team is reason enough to anticipate a W for Ottawa.

I'll be attending this Game 7 and watching how things unfold.

The Diamonds were 4-8 vs. Ottawa and 7-5 vs Quebec.

[stevem810]

Shocking? Inexplicable? I could go on. The first round seemed like a formality for the powerful Ottawa Expedition for too many reasons to mention. But, it was the Wild Card Quebec Snake Eyes who were the high rollers in this series as they beat the Expedition three times on Ottawa turf, including the final two games by convincing scores.

Game 7 had a few critical events. One, was the big 3 run homer in the first inning by Anton Belloso to put Quebec up 3-0. Secondly, the Snake Eyes turned four ground ball double plays. The winning pitcher, Jean Martin, was not invincible, as he issued 6 free passes in 6 innings. But, the ground ball DP's and the stranded runners were too much to overcome for the team that had the best overall record in 1968.

MVP of the series was Xavier Rolland of the Expedition who batted .556.

So, the Snake Eyes will try and parlay their first round upset into a finals one as they take on Le Diamant, the FBL champs of the past two years.

[stevem810]

This won't be an easy loss to explain to ownership for GM Angel Poirot and Manager Ishii. The good news is this team is poised to be a front runner for some time.

[stevem810]

Julien Henri had a triple and scored a run for the Diamonds as they take the quick 1-0 series lead over the Snake Eyes. Cole Burke, POG, not only spun a shutout but pounded out a pair of singles and two RBI's.

[stevem810]

Le Diamant is making it look easy. After the first inning this game was never in doubt. The Diamonds have lost DeLage for the remainder of the series with a sore back. They lost Green earlier in the season to a CEI, now Herve, at the same position, second base.

[stevem810]

Not much drama, so far, as it's one way traffic for Le Diamant. Legendre and Lorenzo had the games only rbi's. The real story? Vic Cosman and the bullpen.

[stevem810]

Julien Henri got the ball for game four of the series and he did not disappoint the Le Diamant fans. Two walks and an error by Julien, after 2 were out in the first, put the road team on defensive early on. But, Henri coaxed the 3rd out of the inning and from that point had things his own way until he gave up a 2 run homer in the 7th.

Not even a career ending injury to Green or losing Herve DeLage for the series could stop Le Diamant from its third consecutive championship.

As good as the Snake Eyes looked against the best team in the league this year, the Expedition, they hardly resembled the players who showcased the grit and determination that was present in winning the first round.

[stevem810]

The Champs deal two of their big stars to Paris.

A second twist to the story is that the Paris Legendary general manager, Laurant Legrande and the Le Diamant GM (Steve Meyers) switched positions. This strange, and rare move, took place less than 24 hours after the trade was made. Ownership of both teams called it a win/win for each city.

The fans? Their heads are spinning.

[stevem810]

The MVP, the POY, and Manager of the year all are awarded to Ottawa

[stevem810]

Both from the country of Martinique.

[BirdWatcher]

Oh my, Julien is an Artist now.

I like it!

Looking forward to some Parisian fun.

[stevem810]

Lots of players changing uniforms including long time friends Herve Delage and Julien Henri both leaving Martinique to play for the Paris Artists. The Artists gave up a very highly talented secondbaseman in Gary Sweet, and another infield prospect, but Paris gets a pair of seasoned pro's who have won three straight titles while in Le Diamant.

Paris, on the other hand, has never won a title. Never been to the post season. More stunning than those facts? They have never had a winning season.

[stevem810]

From the Journal of Julien Henri

It was a shock to be traded away from the team that I grew up with. It was done very professionally which I appreciated. The GM explained to me that the franchise needed to think about the financial impact of both Herve's situation, as well as my own, so management made a business decision to pick up two younger infielders in the process. Herve would have been a free agent after this season and I was one year behind him.

But, it still stung hearing the news. I had the winter to think about it and was feeling pretty good about things. Alize is now working in Paris so that part is awesome. At the same time, I do miss the team and the guys I played with over the years. What an experience. Three championships in a row.

Paris will be a different experience. This team has never had a winning season. But, Paris felt like they needed leadership. That is why they gave up two up and coming players for Herve and me.

With spring training underway, we won our first game and then have lost two in a row. The last one was to Le Diamant. Vic Cosman owned us as we picked up just 3 hits. Herve broke an 0 for 9 spring slump with a double. I was 0 for 3 in CF.

But, it was great seeing the guys before the game. Talking about old times as well as the season coming up. A lot of them thought that the Artists might be the best pick to come out of the French League. The team did increase their off-season budget so a few holes were plugged.

I am excited about turning the page and wearing the Artists uniform. I've always loved my visits to this city and I don't think I will have any problems adjusting to life in Paris. I'm 24, a big league ball player, living in Paris, able to see my girlfriend much more often. I can't complain about anything.

I'm finishing up these notes. Had to take a break as Herve called to ask me if I heard the news about our first series this year. I told him, I had no idea. He said he just saw the schedule. We are on the road for three games in Le Diamant. Oh, boy.

[stevem810]

Julien Henri and Herve Delage were welcomed warmly in the seasons opener in Le Diamant, Martinique. The two former stars who have always been ultra popular with the Martinique baseball fans looked out of place in the Paris uniform and cap, but that changed when business started on the field.

Henri pitched a great game as he netted the win for the Artists. Quoted after the game the popular Julien had this to day, "These fans are the best. I really appreciated the welcome we received. Hey, we're just happy to beat the champs on Opening Day. The Diamonds are too good of a ball club to let one loss get to them."

[stevem810]

After Le Diamant lost the opener to Paris they reeled off 11 straight wins and have the most in the FBL. Sweet, who came over in the Delage/Henri deal, is hitting .355. Michelet, the other player in the trade, is hitting .333 in limited duty (still 23 years old).

Surprisingly, it's the Expedition who are struggling, mightily. Brophy and Chauvin have combined to go 5-2, but the rest of the rotation is 1-7.

As for Paris and Henri, they are atop the France division by 1 game at 12-8. Marseille Soleis are in second place. Julien Henri, considered the ace of the Paris staff, is earning that reputation with his 4-0/ 2.11 ERA line.

[stevem810]

Here is Julien's pitching log for this season and a comprehensive hitting snapshot. Henri appears to be headed towards an elite type pitcher, elite fielder, and average hitter.

[stevem810]

Aside from the 2.2 IP vs. LMR (winners of 10 in a row), Julien Henri is pitching like someone who will be considered for the POY Award. He is tied with Cosman and Burke of Le Diamant for the most wins.

Looks like a good race in the France League this season as the three teams at the top are within 1 game of each other.

One of the reasons that Le Diamant knew they could deal Herve Delage was the development, and potential, of their thirdbaseman, Gracia. Just 23, he keeps getting better and better adding yet another weapon to the Diamond arsenal of bats. Habib Vial, SS, is lost for the season so they will need to plug that hole, again.

[stevem810]

The team that took the FBL by storm last year, winning more games than any other team including Le Diamant, has been gone 'missing'. Except for the blip in the opening round of the playoffs (Snake Eyes won the series 4-3), they dominated play. Here are some of the key players and their stats.

Brophy ERA 1968 2.55 1969 3.65
Chauvin ERA 2.19 vs. 4.93
Allain ERA 3.72 vs. 6.82
LeRoy ERA 0.75 (small amt innings) vs 4.75
Neveu ERA 3.41 vs. 5.87

Lefevre OPS .783 vs .534
Simon OPS .758 vs .352
Rolland OPS .986 vs .821
Renard OPS .827 vs .621
Doyen OPS .771 vs .623

And, there are others with similar stats. What makes a team decline so quickly? Essentially, the same coaching and managerial staff is in place.

The sample size is small, but, things need to change quickly in Ottawa or it will be a first miss of the post-season since 1962 for the Expedition.

[BirdWatcher]

Things are pretty quiet out Paris way.
Hope you and Julien are both doing fine and will make a re-appearance soon!