Harry Lyerly and the Denver Brewers of the WPK

[BirdWatcher]

It's that time of year again, when we step into the WPK Time Machine and get a glimpse of some future players who are related to current WPK players and will enter the WPK universe at some point in the future.

First identified is the nephew of current Chicago Fire right fielder Luis Machado. Machado, who entered the league in 1969 as an international free agent out of Cuba, is known for his leadership skills, his rifle arm, and his decent power bat. He got off to a great start, winning the 1969 MGL Rookie of the Year award as a member of the Brooklyn Aces and followed that up with his best season in 1970, when he hit .314 with 27 homers and 103 RBI, putting up 5.9 WAR. Unfortunately, he hasn't replicated that performance since and has slowly declined into mediocrity, leading to him being unprotected in the recent expansion draft and being chosen by the Chicago Fire with the 2nd overall pick. He does have 37 doubles this season but has mostly had a poor year with just 0.5 WAR and he is very unhappy about his present lot in life.


His younger brother has a 7-year old son named Henry Machado who is destined to be a rare thing when he grows up- a slugging shortstop. Henry is slated to enter the WPK through the 1986 amateur draft.

The L.A. Spinners 25-year old starting pitcher Victor Lugo was recently called up from AAA, having also received a late-season call up in 1974 and having been on the big league roster for 1 start earlier this season. He has started 3 games, including one recently in which he got a victory over the Denver Brewers. As a junk-baller (elite curve ball and change up) with poor movement and limited control, his future in the bigs is probably tenuous. But one thing we do now know is that he will have a grandson, who will be born on March 16th, 2001, who will also become a professional ballplayer, a pitcher who is a control specialist adept at painting the corners. The grandson, who will be named Axel Lugo, will enter the WPK universe through the amateur draft of 2019 (this is the furthest into the future we have glimpsed thus far.)


What will become of young Messrs. Machado and Lugo only time will tell.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 5-2 (week), 92-54, 2nd place, MGL, 1 1/2 gb (season).

September 14-15, at San Francisco: 5-1, 4-5.

The Brewers gain at least a series victory against the Velocity when they rode the right arm of Steve Green (that time travelling wonder) to an easy win. Green (13-5, 3.31) gave up just a single run on 4 hits over his 7 2/3rds innings, striking out 8 while walking 3. Jeremy Walker (4.82) pitched the final 1 and a third for his 7th save of the season. Youngsters Jorge Gonzalez and Brett Taranto led the way offensively. Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the game and Taranto was also 2 for 4 and drove in 2 runs.

The Velocity avoided being swept by the Brewers at home in the final game of the series, taking an early lead and then giving up 4 runs to the visitors in the 7th inning before holding on for the one-run win. Erik Sloan (8-7, 3.53), going through a rough patch here late in the season, gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits in 5 2/3rd innings. Zacarias Martell went 2 for 4 and hit his 8th HR of the season in the loss.

September 16-18, versus Portland: 2-3, 11-8, 5-4.

The Brewers return home to take on the 9th place Wild Things and dropped a low-scoring close game in the series opener. Tough luck for Sekien Hamasaki, who is looking to earn a spot in the rotation in 1976. Hamasaki gave up 2 runs on just 3 hits with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk in 7 innings pitched but got a no-decision. It was probably his most impressive start of 1975. Tim Shore (2-4, 3.90) took the loss in relief. Zacarias Martell homered again, his 9th.

Game two was a slug-fest that went into extra innings tied at 8 runs apiece. In the bottom of the 10th, Bobby Erbakan came up with two runners on and two outs and hit his 14th home run of the season to give the Brewers the walk-off win. He was 2 for 5 in the game with 5 RBI. Joe McPhillips hit his 21st double and 23rd HR in the win and he also threw out a runner at third base. And Andrew Kennedy hit his 3rd HR of 1975 and drove in 3 runs.

Bobby Erbakan stays hot, going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and hitting his 15th HR of the season as the Brewers win again and take another series. He also stole his 18th base. Matty Helm had to leave the game early, after recording the final out of the 2nd inning. (Fortunately it turned out to just be a minor sore back issue that won't cost him his next start.) Fortunately, while the 'pen wasn't great after he left, they didn't fall apart either and Ben Flynn (4-1, 4.83) earned the win while Jeremy Walker got his 8th save.

September 19-20, at Charlotte: 5-3, 13-1.

Travelling to Charlotte to take on the last place Sting, the Brewers get off to a good start in game 1 when the mystifying Harry Lyerly once again pitches a strong game. Lyerly (11-6, 3.33) lasted 7 1/3rd innings, giving up 3 runs (only 1 earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks. Tim Shore pitched the final inning and two thirds for his 12th save. Zacarias Martell went 3 for 4 in the win. Joe McPhillips hit his 24th homer. And RodRod committed his 30th error, stole his 7th base and was caught stealing for the 7th time, started one of the three double plays the Brewers infield completed, and collected one hit and one walk. How do you solve a problem like a RodRod?

In game 2 of the series, the final game of the week, the Brewers won in a laugher. Cheol-han Lee carried a shutout with two outs in the 9th inning before he finally surrendered the one Sting run of the day. Cheol-han (15-5, 3.28), worked the complete game, allowing just 4 hits. Josh Schaeffer went 2 for 4 in the game with 3 runs scored, and got the scoring started with a lead-off HR, his 17th long ball, to start the game. RodRod went 3 for 6, drove in 3 runs, and committed two errors to get to 32 on the season. Because, well, that's RodRod. Brett Taranto went 3 for 4 with a run and 2 RBI and hit his 2nd double. And even Cheol-han, not known as a great hitting pitcher by any means, went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI.

Notes from around the league: The Boston Berserkers (90-56)are hot and have closed the gap to 5 1/2 games in their quest to catch the Columbus Whalers (95-50). But it's probably a bit too little too late. The Philadelphia Mud Hens and Jacksonville Wolf Pack are the only other SJL teams to not be mathematically eliminated yet. But they will be soon.
The Brewers have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. That's the good news. The bad news? So have the L.A. Spinners. The Brewers big win yesterday, on a day off for L.A.,got us to within 1 1/2 games of the leaders. The third place Brooklyn Aces fall to 9 1/2 games back and the fourth place Baltimore Lords are 16 games out. Again, they are not mathematically eliminated yet. But soon.

[BirdWatcher]

It was announced today that the ever under-achieving San Antonio Keys have agreed to a 5-year contract extension with veteran corner infielder Norm Howard, who is considered one of the team's captains.


Howard came to the Keys in a mid-season trade from Phoenix, where he had spent his entire career prior to this. He has played third base for the bulk of his career but did begin his career as primarily a first baseman and it appears that this is the plan for him San Antonio going forward.
Norm Howard is a decent contact hitter but does not have the power one would normally expect from a corner infielder, particularly a first baseman. His best offensive season as a big leaguer came in 1973, when he put up a slash line of .340/.391/.469 but this was in just 76 games played. He was an All-Star for the first time in 1974. He is a solid defensive corner infielder and possesses great speed. In his career he has 213 stolen bases while being caught stealing 131 times.


Howard's move to first base is partly due to the Keys having another decent veteran player at third in Kyle Watts, who is signed through 1977, and even more due to the collapse of Erik Brakeall's game the past few seasons. Brakeall, who hit 50 homers to lead the league as a rookie in 1969 and won the Rookie of the Year award at the end of that season, is in the midst of his 3rd straight negative WAR season. While he still has that power bat, he rarely makes contact these days has almost no defensive skill even at first base and is one of the slowest runners in the game. Brakeall will soon be 31 years old and is arbitration eligible at the end of this season and currently makes 234K, third highest on the team. It is his final year of arbitration and it will be interesting to see if the Keys decide to non-tender him and let him go as a free agent.

[BirdWatcher]

Bobby Erbakan looks like he might have a strong finish to the 1975 season. Now the Brewers just have to hope he can help push them over the top in their quest for a repeat as MGL and WPK champions.

[Palaaemon]

Happy New Year guys! I would have posted last night but could not get on to the web site for some reason. Anyway, hopefully today finds you and yours safe and sound. My wife and I stayed in last night and watched football (her choice). She enjoys sports just as much as I do and in some ways more! I hope that you all had an enjoyable night.

Here's to great upcoming year!

Palaaemon

[BirdWatcher]

For the fourth time in eleven seasons of existence, the Brewers AAA farm club, the Chester Big Stick, are the AAA Champions.


While the rest of Denver's minor league affiliates generally languish near the bottom of the standings season after season, this Chester club has become a force to be reckoned with.

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by Palaaemon

Happy New Year guys! I would have posted last night but could not get on to the web site for some reason. Anyway, hopefully today finds you and yours safe and sound. My wife and I stayed in last night and watched football (her choice). She enjoys sports just as much as I do and in some ways more! I hope that you all had an enjoyable night.

Here's to great upcoming year!

Palaaemon

Happy New Year to you as well, my friend!
I celebrate the new year by doing what I always do- a little OOTP (or, sometimes, a lot of OOTP, like today), a lot of quiet time, some reading, baseball or otherwise, a show or two on Netflix, then off to bed well before midnight with some good, relaxing music.
Ready now for 2020 and for the final stretch run of the WPK 1975 season!

[BirdWatcher]

Jesus Casiano, the great Jacksonville third baseman destined for Dubuque (i.e., the WPK Hall of Fame), yesterday collected the 2000th hit of his illustrious career.



He becomes just the fourth WPK player to reach this milestone (joining Felix Lopez, Josh Jenkins, and Travis Johnson). Among Casiano's 2000 hits are 385 doubles, the most in WPK history thus far, and 298 home runs, putting him just two shy of joining the 300 club, of which there are currently only two members (Nate Bennett, with 369, and Jamison Bash, at 307.)

[BirdWatcher]

And just a few short days after joining the 2000 hit club, Jesus Casiano joins the 300 homer club.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 4-2 (week), 96-56, 2nd place, MGL, 2 gb (season)

September 21, at Charlotte: 5-6

The Charlotte Sting were able to avoid being swept at home by the Brewers when they fought back from a 5-3 deficit to win the final game of the series. Steve Green (13-6, 3.40) took the loss for Denver, giving up 6 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits over 6 innings. Bobby Erbakan went 2 for 5 in the game and hit his 16th homer of the season. Josh Schaeffer hit his 19th double and threw out a runner at third base.

September 23-25, versus Baltimore: 8-5, 4-3, 8-11.

The Brewers return home to Denver for their penultimate home stand of the 1975 season (with just a 3-game series against the Detroit Falcons in October left for the home schedule- unless we can get into the post-season).
In game 1 they win a back-and-forth game with much of the credit going to right fielder Josh Schaeffer, having a career year. Schaeffer went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, and hit his 20th double of the season while also stealing his 17th base of the season. Erik Sloan (9-7, 3.62) got the win in spite of not being at his sharpest. The veteran lefty allowed 4 runs on 9 hits, though he also struck out 7 while walking just 1, over his 6 innings pitched. The bullpen was unusually strong and Jason Gottula earned his 5th save. Andrew Kennedy and Zacarias Martell were also both 3 for 4 in the game.

It took 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to get the win in game 2 for the home squad. It also took Alfredo Elizondo's first hit as a Brewer, in his first at-bat for his new team, as the 24-year old slugging first baseman was brought in to pinch-hit with the bases loaded and two outs and shot a single through the right-side of the infield which plated the winning runs. Sadahige Kawasaki labored a bit through 8 innings, giving up just 3 runs but allowing 11 hits in the no-decision. Jason Gottula (3-1, 3.92) got the win in relief. Joe McPhillips hit his 22nd double in the game and Josh Schaeffer walked 3 times while going 1 for 2.

The Brewers lost in a slug-fest in game 3. Harry Lyerly allowed 6 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits in 5 innings pitched but got a no-decision. The Brewers used 7 pitchers in this one with the unlucky loser being Ben Flynn (4-2, 4.90) who gave up 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in 1 inning pitched. Rich White, who has been one of the weakest links offensively for the team, went 4 for 6 in this one, with 3 runs, 2 RBI, and hit his 1st triple and 5th HR of the season. White also committed a pair of errors though, to get to 12 on the season. Jorge Gonzalez went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and hit HR number 6 and threw out a runner at third base from center field (while not considered a strong armed outfielder, he made an accurate throw to collect his 4th outfield assist as a Brewer, in addition to the 10 he earned as a member of the Chester Big Stick.) Bobby Erbakan was 3 for 3 in the game, scoring twice and driving in two.

September 26-27, versus Phoenix: 13-5, 5-2.

The Brewers next take on the slugging Phoenix Speed Devils. In game 1 it is the Brewers who out-slug the Speed Devils. Joe McPhillips was the Player of the Game, going 2 for 3 with a run and 4 RBI, hitting his 23rd double of the season, but also being caught trying to steal a base for the 10th time. Matt Helm got the start for the Brewers and gave up 5 runs (3 earned) on 11 hits over 5 2/3rds innings and while he did not figure in the decision he did hit the lone HR by the Brewers, his 2nd of the season. Jordan Stephens pitched a fine 2 1/3rds innings for the win, improving to 3-0 with a 5.60 ERA. (Ouch.) RodRod went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI and hit double number 37. Chad Brown went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI's and while he has lost his starting shortstop job to Rich White his bat has stayed pretty consistent this year (.299/.335/.371). He did, however, also commit 2 errors to get to 21 for the season.

In the second game of the series the Brewers get another fine start from Steve Green (14-6, 3.35). Green lasted 8 1/3rd, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 8 and walking 2 batters. Tim Shore got the final two outs for his 13th save (4.02 ERA.) Rich White is getting hot at the plate at home, and went 1 for 2 with 2 runs and 3 RBI and hit HR #6 in the win. Jorge Gonzalez (.340/.358/.474) was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Notes from around the league: The Columbus Whaler's (99-53) magic number is down to 3 as they lead Boston (91-61) by 8 games in the SJL. Everyone else has already been mathematically eliminated. There are tight races in the three batting triple crown categories, with veteran third baseman Trevor Leach holding a narrow lead in batting average as he tries to get the first batting title of his great career. Justin Vargas has taken over the HR lead with 31 and leads in WAR with 7.9. The Boston outfielder is a strong candidate for the SJL MVP award and if so it would be the second of his career. Jake Harris should easily win the SJL ERA title (2.18 and his nearest competitor is at 2.66) and has a good chance to win his 4th Pitcher of the Year award at age 37 (his birthday was 4 days ago.)
The Los Angeles Spinners magic number is now 9, as they continue to refuse to let the Brewers, no matter how well we play, catch them for the MGL lead. The Spinners (98-54) lead the Brewers by 2 games and are given slightly better than an 83% chance to hold on and take the MGL. The third place Brooklyn Aces (88-64) are the only other team not already eliminated, but they are 10 games out and have no chance. Their future HOF center fielder Felix Lopez has caught the Brewers RodRod in the batting title race as they both sit at .347 with L.A.'s Greg Foster in third at .338. Phoenix' Ju-ao Ju should easily win the HR and RBI crowns as his 45 HR's is 11 better than his nearest competitor (teammate Devin Schwisow) and he leads over Baltimore's Mike Walters in RBI, 124 to 118. It looks like another pitching Triple Crown and MGL Pitcher of the Year award for Aaron McNally. He is the only 20-game winner thus far (20-5), leads in ERA (2.38) over Denver's Sadahige Kawasaki (2.59), and has 170 K's, 17 more than his nearest competitor (L.A.'s Kerry Krieg.)

[BirdWatcher]

It might be:


So here we are, with 9 games remaining in the season, and the Brewers are on pace for the second best record in the team's history.
And will likely finish in 2nd place to L.A.

Crazy season, this one.

[BirdWatcher]

When a team is establishing themselves as a team of destiny, big contributions must come not just from the established stars but from unexpected sources as well.
On a day in which the Denver Brewers got a win on the road in the first of three against the Brooklyn Aces, the Los Angeles Spinners kept their winning ways alive too, not in small part due to the performance by 24-year old back-up center fielder Heath Zweig.



The diminutive Zweig, who was chosen 9th overall in the 1970 draft, is known most for his blazing speed and his defensive skills but in this one he shined with his bat, hitting for the cycle, while driving in 3 runs and scoring twice.

With the victory the Spinners retain their 2 game lead on Denver in the race for the MGL pennant. Both teams now have only 7 games remaining, including the last three of the regular season against one another in L.A.'s Avalon Park.

[BirdWatcher]

The 1975 Los Angeles Spinners= TOD.

The latest youngster to step up is 25-year old starting pitcher Victor Lugo, whose 4-hit shutout of Detroit, combined with the Brewers loss in game 2 in Brooklyn, gives the Spinners a 3-game lead in the MGL and brings their magic number to 5.

[BirdWatcher]

Xiao-mei Mah continues his terrific first season in the WPK by winning the SJL Batter of the Month honors for September.


And the Brewers own MVP, Joe McPhillips, gets the honor in the MGL.

[BirdWatcher]

For the second month in a row, Washington hurler Jose Casillas gets the Pitcher of the Month honors in the SJL.


And L.A. rookie left-hander Victor Lugo, part of a new breed of players helping to lead the aging Spinners to another MGL title, was given the honors in the MGL.

[BirdWatcher]

It should be clear by now that Xiao-mei Mah will be the SJL's Rookie of the Year for 1975, if not also the league's MVP.


And Victor Lugo, an 8th round draft pick from 1968, has really burst onto the scene at age 25.

[BirdWatcher]

....
1- With 7 games left for both the Denver Brewers and the L.A. Spinners- the last three seeing the teams go head to head in L.A.- the Spinners hold a 3 game lead. While not mathematically over, the chances of the Brewers over-taking the Spinners are very, very small. And as the GM/Manager of the Brewers, but also a fan (and, I guess, official historian) of the WPK, I have mixed feelings about this. The Spinners do, after all, have three great players in the late stages of their careers: starting pitcher Jose Santos, third baseman Jesus Hernandez, and left fielder/first baseman Travis Johnson. Hernandez and Johnson are sure thing Hall-of-Famers and Santos has a chance to go as well. How many more chances this trio has to get a championship is anybody's guess, but the window is inevitably closing before long. The Spinners have over-performed expectations, and their run differential, this season and this has something to do with a really fine bullpen led by Shouta Hori. I'm not in front of the game right now, so forgive the vague references to stats and records, but suffice it to say that the Spinners have a much better record in one-run games than either the Brewers or the third place Brooklyn Aces. And Denver and Brooklyn have nearly identical run differentials, 1 and 2 in the WPK respectively, and have both under-achieved by that measure (the Brewers a little, the Aces a lot). I didn't think the Spinners could win the MGL this year, largely because they are an aging lot, but I did not count on some fine performances by youngsters like starting pitcher Victor Lugo and former 1st round pick outfielder Heath Zweig, and I perhaps under-estimated their bullpen. Plus, the addition of 32-year old starting pitcher Mike Stagner really solidified an already good rotation.
I'd love to see the Brewers repeat, but a Kinsella Classic Series (yes, the World Series has been officially re-branded!) featuring the Jake Harris led Columbus Whalers and the L.A. Spinners should be a good one indeed.

2- What to do with Ryan Rodgers? Rodgers has continued to under-perform in 1975 and is currently hitting something like .275 with little extra base power. He still does draw walks at a fine rate and is a plus defender on the outfield corners. His 2.0 WAR isn't bad though it places him behind Joe McPhillips, Bobby Erbakan, Josh Schaeffer, Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez, and Zacarias Martell, in that order. The really confusing thing here is that the scouts, both the OSA and the Brewer's scouting staff, still see him as a premiere player in the league. (Granted, the Brewers scouts do see a decline in his gap power, though still seeing it as well above average.) He is one of the highest paid players in the league. The Brewers can buy out his 1976 contract, which would bring him 390K, with a minimal expenditure of 58.5K. And if they don't, he is guaranteed 390K again in 1977. The fans will be furious if we do buy him out and let him walk. But the question is, why did we build in this option late in his contract, when he is heading into his late 30's, if we aren't going to take it when his performance so clearly declines? So he will probably not be a Brewer in 1976. Let's just hope he doesn't sign with an MGL competitor and come back to hurt us.

3- Chad Brown and Rich White. Rich White has mostly stabilized our infield defense, though he has proven to be a bit more error prone then expected. (He has an error rating of 10 out of 10, but hasn't performed up to that standard.) But he is clearly the weak link in the lineup. On the other hand, he has shown some over-the-fence power, even more than might have been hoped. Back to the first hand, though, the most recent scouting development report indicates that his potential ability to draw walks may have been overstated a bit earlier. As for Chad Brown, well, he continues to be who he always has been. And maybe even a bit better than average with his bat this year. He won't draw walks, but he has good contact, drives in runs in key situations, hits doubles, steals bases, runs the bases well. His defensive range isn't as great as it once was, but he still has made some really fine plays this year. And he continues to be error prone.
Because of his defense alone, the Brewers will surely keep White as their primary shortstop for at least the 1976 season if not beyond. And we'll see if he can hit consistently enough to hold the job.
But Brown? He could be moved to second base where he should be quite capable. More likely he is traded, especially if we can get an elite bullpen arm in the deal.

4- Andrew Kennedy and Jorge Gonzalez. Andrew Kennedy is a favorite of the Brewers front office. An unheralded minor leaguer with great contact and gap hitting skills but average tools in most every other area, he has proven to be a fine player for the Brewers and one of the better contact hitters in the league. His defense won't hurt you too much, but isn't a plus either. And he is slow and getting slower as he nears 30. His WAR this year is middle of the pack on the team or even a bit below. He can play left field and first base, but that's it. Jorge Gonzalez, on the other hand, is young (22) and is already nearly Kennedy's peer as a contact hitter while having at least average power potential. He's a fine left fielder, albeit with a weak arm, and a very good runner. He's not Kennedy's match in the clubhouse as Gonzalez is considered a selfish player. But he's a better player on the field already and has a good potential ceiling. He is also our best option at this point to fill in for Joe McPhillips in center field when needed (the reality is that Gonzalez put up fine defensive numbers in center this year, even better than he did in left.) Kennedy might return for 1976, but likely in a diminished role. Gonzalez has almost surely earned the right to be on the big league club the full season in '76 (he was up and down from AAA Chester this year) and may well be our future starting left fielder.

5- Harry Lyerly. He's Harry Lyerly, the namesake of this thread and one of the most intriguing and controversial players in Brewer history. Not controversial because of his personality: he's a solid citizen and a good teammate who doesn't make waves. But controversial because of his perceived deficits, particularly his very poor movement and sub-par control. He has somehow forged a good WPK career, including winning the MGL Pitcher of the Year award in his first full season, due to his tremendous fastball and elite stuff. He has led the league in K/9 pretty much every season of his big league career and is once again leading this season. He had a poor 1974, leading some to believe that his smoke-and-mirrors act was coming to an end. But he's bounced back with a solid 1975. Still, his WAR is 5th best in the rotation (I mean, it IS a tremendous rotation) and disaster always seems to be just around the corner with him.
It's his last arbitration year and he's expected to command something above 200K. Youngster John Weaver is nearly WPK ready and Sekien Hamasaki now profiles as a mid-rotation arm. We have to make room for them somehow and Cheol-han Lee is signed at least through next season and still a force at age 34. It's probably time to say goodbye to Harry and let him test the free agency market. Sad as it is to contemplate.

6- The bullpen. Earlier I mentioned that at least one of the following three relievers- Jaden Francis, Jordan Stephens, or Jeremy Walker- would like likely be back in 1976, with 2 others being traded or otherwise unloaded (non-tendered, basically). As we near the end of the season I don't see having any of these three back for 1976. Eric Marino has done pretty well and will return. Ben Flynn has been inconsistent but still has great potential- and great bat- and will be back for at least one more season. Tim Shore has under-achieved but is signed for one more season and we'll see if he bounces back. And Jason Gottula is signed for '76 and has been pretty good. After those 4, it all comes down to what we can get in trade or via free agency. Our best relief prospect at the highest levels, Mike Lizarraga, suffered a major arm injury this season and is out for 18 months. (Our very best bullpen prospect, Adrian Darby, is still far from being WPK ready.) So expect to see some new names for 1976.

[BirdWatcher]

It's been a foregone conclusion for awhile now, but today it became official: the Columbus Whalers, with a record of 100-57 with 5 games remaining, have won the SJL pennant for the fourth time in team history.


They will be representing the Shoeless Joe League in the upcoming Kinsella Classic Series, in search of their 3rd WPK championship.

[BirdWatcher]

It's lousy timing for Josh Schaeffer, one of the best players on the team this year, to be doing battle with tendinitis in his knee when the Brewers are just barely clinging to hope for a repeat MGL title, as they trail L.A. by 3 with 4 games to play (the last 3 against the Spinners in L.A.)
But the reality is that he will probably only be used sparingly here at the end of the season and the team will have to hope that somehow steps up big in his absence if we are to have any chance to catch the Spinners.
(Let's face it, we really don't anyway.)

[BirdWatcher]

So this guy is going to be a monster in the WPK before long:



Sure, he won't win any Gold Glove awards. But with his bat, who cares?
It will be interesting to see what his big league career looks like, but I wouldn't bet against him being a future Hall-of-Famer and home run king.