Centurion comes...to OOTP5 - Page 13

darkcloud4579 · 07-21-2003, 11:12 PM

BALTIMORE, MD (AP) --
According to sources close to the team that did not wish to be identified, have said that Orioles third baseman Alan Hainkel has requested a trade. The 8-time Gold Glove winner has expressed a desire to play for a winning team.

"Alan is a star, a player who should be in the Hall of Fame someday. All he wants, is the chance to win a World Series and its obvious to him, that the Baltimore Orioles, while they're in limbo, it would be a better situation if he were playing someplace else and the club acquired a player who could help them for the future," said Hainkel's agent Steve Sinclair.

Teams rumored to be interested in include Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tokyo, Washington and Atlanta.

Orioles officials had no comment.

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 12:58 AM

Modern Era League logo

Copy and paste URL

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 01:19 PM

The league site is temporarily down. Bandwidth limits.

2014 MODERN ERA PLAYOFFS
This year's playoffs had all the potential of being great. Clubs like Raleigh were making their first appearance since their move from Kansas City in 2004.

The New Jersey Knights, sporting the largest payroll in baseball, were also here to make their impression, as were the Minnesota Twins, with the second lowest payroll in baseball.

In the National League, the San Diego Padres fought the San Francisco Giants until the last day of the season to clinch their NL West title in the Modern Era. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals held off the Washington Legends from their first division title since leaving Montreal.

Atlanta trounced the NL South en route back atop the division mantle and Philadelphia claimed its first division title since 2008.

DIVISION SERIES
New Jersey ended Raleigh's dreams of playoff success by defeating the Blue Stripes 4 games to 2

Minnesota continue their bare bones, low budget title run after knocking off Seattle 4 games to 2

St. Louis squeaked past the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games, 4 games to 3

San Diego pulverized Atlanta to advance, 4 games to 1

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
AL
New Jersey defeated Minnesota with their lineup of bling, boom and bling...4 games to 1

St. Louis narrowly gets past San Diego and avoids a Cinderella story heading to the World Series 4 games to 3

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 01:40 PM

2014 WORLD SERIES

GAME 1: New Jersey 11 St. Louis 3
Justin Morneau uncorked a grand slam in the 1st, to start what would be a barrage of offense for the Boys from Jersey. Knights lead Series 1-0

GAME 2: New Jersey 1 St. Louis 0
J.D. Durbin tosses a 4-hit, complete game shutout of the Cardinals, to send the Knights to Jersey with a 2-0 series lead.

GAME 3: St. Louis 4 New Jersey 1
Starter Andrew Kimmell, who won a World Series ring in 2007 with New Jersey, gave up 1 run over eight innings to beat his old mates and help the Cardinals get into the Series down 2 games to 1.

GAME 4: New Jersey 7 St. Louis 3
Uri Petrov and Charlie Whittle both uncorked 3 run homers, giving Bruno Moya all the offense he need to stop the Cardinals, pitching a complete game, striking out seven as the Knights take a 3-1 series lead.

GAME 5 St. Louis 8 New Jersey 6
St Louis starter Francisco Garcia struck out eight over seven innings and gave up three runs. Despite a New Jersey rally in the top of the 8th, the Cardinals held on and cut the series lead to 3 games to 2.

GAME 6: New Jersey 5 St. Louis 0
Andrew Kimmell didn't have the same luck he did in Game 3. His former mates tagged him for five runs, while NJ's Nicholas Rank fired a complete game shutout and struck out six as the Knights are on the brink of their second World Series in franchise history.

GAME 7: New Jersey 4 St. Louis 3
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Jersey scored after homer from Ricky Salo and an RBI double from Justin Morneau added two runs, the Knights tacked on one more and despite St. Louis scoring a run in the top of the ninth, it wasn't enough and the New Jersey are your WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS for 2014.

The New Jersey Knights become the second franchise in the Modern Era to win two World Series titles. The franchise won in 2007 as the New Jersey Cyclones during the year of the bypass rule.

"We're thrilled that we got this one. People called us one hit wonders for quite some time and to manage this is sweet," said Knights manager Cito Gaston wins his fourth World Series ring as a manager (1992-93, Toronto, 2007, 2014, New Jersey) to put him in exclusive company and the first manager to lead two teams to two titles.

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 01:57 PM

Speaking of "history making", this year signifies the first year since 2003, that a Dark Cloud affiliated team (remember, I'm not with Centurion this time) didn't make the playoffs.

But that's okay...we didn't think we were going anyway.

HIGH POINTS
Tokyo improved 27 WINS from the previous year. This is the highest finish (2nd) in franchise history (previous was 4th), the most wins in franchise history and first time the club has ever finished over .500 in the six years the club has been in existance.

Attendance was over 3 million (3.5 mil) for the first time since the inagural season of 2009.

We've acquired some of the best players in the league and for most of the year, stayed within budget.

PLAYER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
= Josh Pressley (11th in the AL in batting)
= Delmon Young (4th in AL, 7th in the majors in HR)
= SP John Stephens (7th in AL in ERA)

TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
5th in team batting
9th in team homers
5th in runs scored
10th in fewest walks allowed (pitching)

LOW POINTS
24th in ERA
8th in most homers allowed

We really need to upgrade our pitching, if we want a shot next year. Once the management lets me know how much money we're spending, then I can go out and get whatever we need...hopefully something. A few strong arms to bolster the club, but there won't be any drastic changes in the off-season.

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 02:32 PM

FANS FLOCK TO COMERICA TO BUY TICKETS
DETROIT - Regarded as "revenge for winning the Revolution", the British theft of the Detroit Tigers baseball club was regarded as the "biggest sham in sports history" by longtime fans of the ballclub. Despite this and their hate for the club being sold, Major League Baseball announced today that it has come to an agreement to allow Hassan Kilpatrick, son of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to purchase the club.

"This is a great day for Detroit. Kilpatrick himself is not independently wealthy, but he assembled a group of investors, whom he calls "Detroit's Finest" to buy the club from JK Rowland, of Harry Potter fame. The team's interest was waning after the 15th installment of the Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter finally gets laid", in which Harry steals Ron Weasley's girl Hermione and says "I told you she was mine RON!" Parents were outraged and started burning books. This resulted in a loss of interest in the series, the books and of course, the team.

Investors in Detroit's finest include Eminem, former owner Mike Illitch, who bought a minority stake and former Pistons player Isiah Thomas, who wanted a basketball team at one time. "We're thrilled that this assembly of talent has come together to bring Detroit's team back where it belongs!

The team will play at Comerica Park in the fall.

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 02:44 PM

AFTER 20-HR MEETING, CENTURION & DARK CLOUD MAKE UP
TOKYO - Like Pinky and the Brain, Ren and Stimpy, Beavis and Butthead...some pairs were just meant to be together. Today...another famed pair have reunited - and yes, it feels so good.

The Centurion Sports Mgt. Group, founded by Dark Cloud a long time ago, in a place far away, has announced that it has hired Dark Cloud as its President/CEO/Head Dude and has purchased a controlling interest in the Tokyo Aeros from Hamito Masasaki Corporation for $218 million.

"We believe in what Dark Cloud is doing here in Tokyo and we wanted to be part of it," said Centurion Board of Directors Chair Mike Smugglian. "We believe that he can lead our organization back to the top, where it belongs."

Centurion had been running the NY Mets for the past four years and won a title in 2011, when Dark Cloud ran the club. After a division title in 2012 - when he left after a scandal involving his now wife - the club finished in 3rd and then last in the NL East.

"I'm glad to be back where I belong. I know that we can make this club even better than it's been in the past," said Dark Cloud.

Despite Centurion taking over the club, he has not been giving the Carte Blanche. "We will give DC what he needs to be successful and to make our club better. But we will not be the highest payroll team in the game," said Smugglian.

Free agency begins today and Tokyo will focus its entire attention on pitching.

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 03:18 PM

HANKIEL GETS CHANCE AT RING IN TOKYO?
BALTIMORE - Saddled with increasing payroll and a muddle future, the Baltimore Orioles today sent ace Jesse Foppert and 3B Alan Hankiel to the Tokyo Aeros for 3B Hank Blalock, SP Rick Ankiel, SP Chad Billingsley and a minor leaguer.

"I know it might seem odd I accepted the deal to come here, but I believe in Dark Cloud and what Centurion has been able to do in the past. I'm confident that we can make something happen in Tokyo," said Hainkel after the trade.

With the Lastings Milledge contract on their backs, the Orioles were willing to do the deal and picked up a third of the contract.

LAKERS? YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN YET..
As if a pitching staff featuring the last four Cy Young award winners wasn't enough (Foppert won 3, Stephens 1), the Aeros acquired ace closer David Fronk from Toronto for emerging starter
Nbembi "Bee-Bee" Mfekenumi. Bee Bee was 10-11 with a 5.01 ERA last season in split time with the NY Mets and Aeros.

The Aeros then sent CF Rickie Weeks, 2B Will Hetfield, emerging star 3B Bartolo Ordonez and starter Mike Jones to Nevada for ace Max Roswell and young starter Brandon Judson.

"I can't believe we managed to get players of this caliber. Though we gave up at least three guys who are destined to be all-stars or have been in the past (Hetfield), we're certain we're making moves in the right direction" said DC.

The team says its pretty much done with free agent acquisitions, just plans to look for a few relievers to upgrade its bullpen.

PotatoPeeler · 07-22-2003, 05:27 PM

Been out of town for a few days and just getting caught up. Once again, this is really good stuff. Just wanted to point out that my players name should be spelled "Jesse", not "Jessie". Also, I noticed that I get a "Bandwidth exceeded" error when trying to view the Modern Era webpage. Looks like a lot of people have been hitting the leagues website!

Keep up the great work!

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 10:11 PM

I'll fix that... also, the site is down until they can upgrade my plan. I also have a blog on the site and I've been getting hits like crazy between that and of course, the league site. A good problem, but annoying.

Thanks!

PotatoPeeler · 07-22-2003, 10:14 PM

Cool. Thanks for fixing that.

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 11:34 PM

MURMURS OF A NEW LEAGUE UNDERWAY
KANSAS CITY - With Modern Era expansion being considered and baseball exploding all over the globe, a number of influencial investors are talking of starting a "third" major league to rival the monopoly that Major League Baseball has enjoyed since the 1920s.

"We are in discussion to provide fans with an exciting product, that unlike our predecessors (referring to the Players League and Federal League) will not fail, but will be prosperous.

Cablevision owner Charles Dolan is reportedly one of the main investors in the league. Dolan attempted to purchase the Boston Red Sox in 2003, but was rebuffed by baseball, despite a bigger big than the owners who ended up with the team.

"Baseball has benefitted like no other league for so long, in terms of lacking a natural rival. Unlike football, basketball or hockey, all of which benefitted from modern rival leagues being formed, baseball has had no such rival. We want to provide not a rival, but competition in providing major league quality baseball to fans," said Dolan in a statement.

Others considering entry into the league are former Dodgers owner and FOX magnate Rupert Murdoch, who says he has lots of money and no place to put it. Michael Jordan, who despite being the best ever to step on the court can't get a majority stake in a basketball club, was reportedly at the meetings as well.

With the majors having left cities like Chicago and Kansas City, and with markets like New York able to sustain additional clubs, there is little doubt that a well executed league, could get some mid-level talents to come over. One wonders though, if a star player would defect.

"You have to figure that credibility is king. If this league can manage to get foreign players and attract a star or two, it could be a true force to be reckoned with," said Jayson Stark, a columnist for ESPN.

A major leaguer who requested to be unnamed said that if the "price were right, you'd have to consider it." The player said that players go to Japan and no one bats an eyelash, though the days of big contracts for Americans in Japan is largely gone by the wayside, he said there would be an attractive prospect for some players and ultimately, would give them a chance to compete.

Though few details were garnered from the meeting such as locations of teams, etc., one official with the proposed league said a statement would be released in the next day or two.

"We'll be ready to come out with something very soon. We're just hashing out the final details" he said.

darkcloud4579 · 07-22-2003, 11:58 PM

MLB WORLD TO LAUNCH IN 2016
LONDON - Addressing the expansion of the game around the world, Major League Baseball announced today it will launch a new minor league beginning in 2016 called the WorldWideofWonderful Baseball or www.baseball, a play on the internet address and a way to market the league internationally.

"We are committed to developing an international presence and to bring the game to an international audience," said Bob Costas of the Board of Governors.

The setup of MLB World will be much like that of international golf tours that are setup on different continents. We have yet to develop the specifics of the league as of yet, but we are confident that the league will be a successful one and we're looking forward to developing this product for all of our fans throughout the world.

Costas said the league is not being developed to headoff any effort by a burgeoning league in the US. "We have no comment about any upstart leagues. We have over 100 years of experience putting on major league baseball for fans throughout the world. We know that no matter what happens, our market is established and we have no doubt that fans will prove to us that we're the thing they want to see. We're not a fly-by-night operation," said Costas.

MLB World will have several components.

MLB Europe will consist of two conferences, with teams throughout Mainland Europe that will meet for the European Championship.

MLB Latin America will consist of teams in the Caribbean and South America and will have the teams from those two conferences meet for Latin American Championship

MLB International will be comprised of an Asian, African and Oceania teams from Australia and Pacific Islands. A champion will be crowned from this league as well.

The three champions of the MLB World leagues will face off with the champion of the World Series of MLB for the
MLB Universal Series which will occur biennially.

"Because of the travel involved, we wanted to give the various leagues time to play their seasons and get players ready for what promises to be one of the largest and most publicized events in the history of the game," said MLB World Commissioner Ozzie Smith, who most recently was Comissioner of the fledgling Continental League which folded last year and reportedly will not return for another season.

"I'm excited about this opportunity and I have no comment on past leagues."

More information about MLB World will be forthcoming.

darkcloud4579 · 07-23-2003, 03:22 AM

EXCITEMENT IN TOKYO OVER NEW LOOK AEROS
New ownership, key players and the Tokyo Aeros are exhibiting the most exhuberance this franchise has seen, as it enters its seventh year of existance. After the highest finish in franchise history and first winning season, the expectations this season are much higher.

"DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP!" scream fans sitting outside of Sony Field anticipating the club's opening day matchup versus the Seattle Mariners.

Let's take a look at this year's club and see what the Aeros are bringing to the table.

PITCHING STAFF
Its commonly agreed that if Tokyo had better pitching last season, this free swinging club would've made the playoffs. Well, in the offseason, DC addressed this by acquiring some surefire talent, by jettisoning younger pitchers, who by his own admission will likely become "the kind of players that made trades famous for being lopsided. But we need to win now, we want to win now and I'm not convinced that the players we acquired are slouches or put us in a position to where this club will not be able to sustain any success we have in the near future."

The ace of the staff is SP Jesse Foppert who already has a WS ring with the improbable San Francisco Giants club in 2012, that brought him to the attention of the baseball community. He's a three-time Cy Young Award winner, the most recent coming last year in Baltimore, he's a seven-time All-Star, has 187 career wins and is a probable first ballot Hall of Famer.

"There are few players I've coveted in my career that I didn't develop myself. Jesse Foppert is one of those players." said Dark Cloud.

Next in line, is John Stephens, winner of the 2012 Cy Young in the AL, a 4-time all-star who returns to the club after being traded to Tokyo in mid-season last year. He's 10 wins shy of career win 200.

As if the first two pitchers weren't enough for the rotation of the ages, the third starter on this club is future Hall of Famer and first-ballot hall of famer (seem to be a trend) Max Roswell. Roswell, is in a word - the epitome - of dominant pitcher in the Modern Era. He's won four Cy Young awards, 2 rings (2003 with Texas, 2011 with New York Mets) and is a six-time all-star. He comes to Tokyo after a 2 1/2 stint in Nevada. Roswell should help anchor a staff that was one of the worst in baseball last year.

The closer is David Fronk, a two-time all-star, with 350 career saves, he should be an anchor for the Aeros bullpen.

darkcloud4579 · 07-23-2003, 04:04 AM

May 1, 2015
Remember when A-Rod left Seattle...
BALTIMORE - While its certainly early and a lot can still happen, you have to be really impressed by the Baltimore Orioles so far this season. After two weeks, the O's are in first in the AL South, after letting go of high priced players like Jesse Foppert, Lastings Milledge and Alan Hankiel, in total, over $35 million in salary annually. The team still had to pick up over $21 million in Foppert's contract. "We're doing what we can to contend", said GM Eddie Murray.

As the end of April nears, the O's lead Raleigh by 4 games. Despite the 3rd lowest payroll in baseball, the club hopes to win its second division title of the Modern Era. "We have talented players and we'll do our best to succeed."

AEROS IN FIRST BY 3 GAMES
After a month, the Tokyo Aeros lead the Anchorage Sky Chiefs by three games in the AL Pacific. "We're doing our best to continue our success." said DC.

Dark Cloud said he's considering acquiring another pitcher, after Brandon Judson has faltered in his experiment in the rotation. "We believe Brandon can be a great pitcher someday, but we're also considering having a strong rotation that can win now," said DC.

The LA Dodgers, pitching rich, are considered a target.

darkcloud4579 · 07-23-2003, 01:41 PM

BASEBALL MONTHLY
A monthly look into the world of baseball

League Site updated
The problem with a league of this size, is inevitably, all the player cards taking up a huge amount of space on the server and all the bandwidth with data transfer and such. At any rate, player cards will be updated at the end of every season. The league site will be updated normally and has been moved to a site that - while annoying - works for the time being. We'll have a better piece of real estate, but not until sometime later in the year.

Modern Era New Site

EXPANSION RUMBLINGS
As it wasn't slow enough to upload the league, the Majors are still schedule to expand in 2018. With the prospect of new leagues forming in the US and the development of MLB World, the Board of Governors have given little indication as to whether this will occur as planned or not.

A THIRD MAJOR LEAGUE?
When big-ballers like Lamar Hunt, Michael Jordan, Charles Dolan, Rupert Murdoch and other dudes with way too much money get into a room together, there is no telling what can happen.

The as of yet announced "third major league" should be an interesting development. What cities would get teams? Will this league contended head to head with major league baseball in some cities? Even more important, will the majors give this league legitimacy by playing it in a Ultra World Series matchup?

Few pundits argue the league will be taken serious early, unless there are players from the majors who defect. "Right now, most consider this league to be at the very worst, a place for cast-off free agents not getting jobs to put their hats. At best, it could be a legit third major league," said Peter Gammons.

FAN FEEDBACK
What cities would you like to see the proposed third major league go?

Jordan · 07-23-2003, 02:01 PM

Paris....
Sicily Italy

ummmmmm

darkcloud4579 · 07-23-2003, 02:02 PM

DIAMOND NOTES
BLUE JAYS "NEED" THIS SEASON
TORONTO - Sources in the Blue Jays front office have said that this is the "year" that the club could consider a move elsewhere. Though it seems extremely unlikely that the club would abandon the Toronto market, other cities in Canada are rumored to be interested in having major league baseball. Despite a lack of interest from the Board of Governors from putting a new team there, these cities are courting the Jays, if fans aren't in the seats.

Newspapers have been pushing fans to come out to games, but one must wonder, "If the team was winning, would this be an issue?"

INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS ARE HERE TO STAY
TORONTO - Newly traded Blue Jays starter Kosta Nikolandis is part of the international swarm of players entering the game. The league is considering an international tour next year to Europe and Africa, after the success of its "Far East" tour last season to Korea, Japan and Australia.

With players like Bee-Bee Mfekenumi from Nigeria, various South African players like Matthew Dancer who has the Cubs organization doing dances around its offices and the development of players in places one would have never expected like Russia, baseball is truly proud of his global heritage and wants to develop it.

GATEWAY PARK, BEST IN BASEBALL
SIOUX FALLS, SD - I was one of the skeptics of baseball's "Community Baseball Project" that led to moving the club that was once the Florida Marlins, later the New England Whitecaps, to Sioux Falls, SD to become the Great Plains Express. Despite the club's lack of a division title, they've become a contender and the club routinely draws over 2 million fans, a feat considering most of the critics - like myself - doubted this club could ever be financially solvent in a region where few consider major league sports to be sustainable. Granted, the fact that baseball spreads it TV money around evenly has helped the club's cause to stay competitive, but I can honestly say that few parks are as charming and enjoyable as Gateway Park, home of the Express.

For Modern Era baseball, I'm Peter Gammons.

darkcloud4579 · 07-23-2003, 02:16 PM

Hi, I'm Sean "P-Diddy" Combs, and you're watching... STV!

WELCOME TO S-TV....HOME FOR SPORTS

On today's MAKING A STAR...we take a closer look at LA Dodgers outfielder Rocco Baldelli

Rocco, 33, is a five-time All-Star with the LA Dodgers. Let's examine his career progression and see how he was MADE A STAR

Rocco was a younger player and came up with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, an expansion team that entered the AL in 1998. In 2005, the D-Rays as they were known packed up and headed to Indianapolis to become the Indianapolis Racers.

Rocco was traded during that first season to Los Angeles and while the Racers have had some success since leaving Tampa, Rocco says the trade "saved his career".

"You know, playing there wasn't that hard. It was just tough because we were always losing. Even in our new city, it felt like a huge stigma that we were that sorry team that left its old city because we sucked. It was good to get out of there and into a new place, because the expectations on me in Tampa were just too overwhelming."

After a few years of developing, Rocco became known as one of the most explosive players in the game, for his offense and defensive prowess. He won two Gold Gloves and made his first all-star game in 2008.

"That was the most awesome feeling, to be among all those great players. Its truly the highlight of my career, short of an elusive title, to be part of the all-star team, seeing those guys and being recognized as one of the best in the game."

Rocco has made the all-star team each of the past three seasons and shows no signs of slowing down. Signed until 2019 to a deal that's paying him over $17 million a year, Rocco says he'd be content to retire as a Dodger.

"There is so much history associated with this team. I mean, imagine my name being put up there with the all-time greats like Campy, Jackie, Sandy and Rocco? It's mind-boggling to think about."

Despite that, Rocco says his ultimate goal is to bring a championship to the club while he's still there.

"We've got too much talent to keep falling short. I really hope we can pull something together in the next year or two. It's tough, because the league more and more competitive every year. But we'll be able to manage. I know it."

That's all for MAKING A STAR for today. Got a star you want to see profiled? Contact us! PEACE!

darkcloud4579 · 07-23-2003, 03:45 PM

July 1, 2015
PLAYING IN NEW YORK, AMON MAKES THE SHOW
NEW YORK - The New York Mets are in rebuilding mode, so when they had the opportunity to acquire Anthony Amon from the Oregon Emeralds this past off-season, the club jumped at the opportunity.

"We couldn't let a young arm like that languish," said Mets GM Fuzzy Carter. Amon is in the starting rotation and has pitched in nine major league games so far this season, starting two and has a record of 1-1, with a 1.71 ERA, with 17 strikeouts in 21 innings.

"We know he'll be a strong player, he'll get chances here to start and show us what he's capable of." said Carter.

FOPPERT RETURNS
TOKYO - Jesse Foppert is excited to know that after being out for five weeks, the Tokyo Aeros have not only been better than when he was playing, but they're now in first. "It's a huge relief, but I'm glad to be able to get back into the game in and help them out. We've got a great thing going here and I just want to contribute," said Foppert.

AEROS HAVE DANCER IN THEIR HEAD
After Foppert's injury, DC looked around the league to find another starter to fill a slot in the rotation. Despite the excellent play of starters like Zach Hammes, acquired from D.C. earlier in the year, DC says, "I'm adamant about setting this team up for success and we want to ensure the club has no problems when it gets to later in the season. If these players are availible, we want to pull the trigger, but not to do it, just for the sake of making a deal" he said.

He was also reportedly interested in Houston's Ajani Russell, but later rebuffed offers from the club, when they asked for too much in return, plus paying is $19m annual salary.

07-21-2003, 11:12 PM	#241
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	HAINKEL REQUESTS TRADE BALTIMORE, MD (AP) -- According to sources close to the team that did not wish to be identified, have said that Orioles third baseman Alan Hainkel has requested a trade. The 8-time Gold Glove winner has expressed a desire to play for a winning team. "Alan is a star, a player who should be in the Hall of Fame someday. All he wants, is the chance to win a World Series and its obvious to him, that the Baltimore Orioles, while they're in limbo, it would be a better situation if he were playing someplace else and the club acquired a player who could help them for the future," said Hainkel's agent Steve Sinclair. Teams rumored to be interested in include Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tokyo, Washington and Atlanta. Orioles officials had no comment.

07-22-2003, 12:58 AM	#242
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	Modern Era unveils logo Modern Era League logo Copy and paste URL Last edited by darkcloud4579; 07-22-2003 at 01:02 AM.

07-22-2003, 01:19 PM	#243
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	2014 PLAYOFFS The league site is temporarily down. Bandwidth limits. 2014 MODERN ERA PLAYOFFS This year's playoffs had all the potential of being great. Clubs like Raleigh were making their first appearance since their move from Kansas City in 2004. The New Jersey Knights, sporting the largest payroll in baseball, were also here to make their impression, as were the Minnesota Twins, with the second lowest payroll in baseball. In the National League, the San Diego Padres fought the San Francisco Giants until the last day of the season to clinch their NL West title in the Modern Era. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals held off the Washington Legends from their first division title since leaving Montreal. Atlanta trounced the NL South en route back atop the division mantle and Philadelphia claimed its first division title since 2008. DIVISION SERIES New Jersey ended Raleigh's dreams of playoff success by defeating the Blue Stripes 4 games to 2 Minnesota continue their bare bones, low budget title run after knocking off Seattle 4 games to 2 St. Louis squeaked past the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games, 4 games to 3 San Diego pulverized Atlanta to advance, 4 games to 1 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS AL New Jersey defeated Minnesota with their lineup of bling, boom and bling...4 games to 1 St. Louis narrowly gets past San Diego and avoids a Cinderella story heading to the World Series 4 games to 3

07-22-2003, 01:40 PM	#244
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	2014 WORLD SERIES 2014 WORLD SERIES GAME 1: New Jersey 11 St. Louis 3 Justin Morneau uncorked a grand slam in the 1st, to start what would be a barrage of offense for the Boys from Jersey. Knights lead Series 1-0 GAME 2: New Jersey 1 St. Louis 0 J.D. Durbin tosses a 4-hit, complete game shutout of the Cardinals, to send the Knights to Jersey with a 2-0 series lead. GAME 3: St. Louis 4 New Jersey 1 Starter Andrew Kimmell, who won a World Series ring in 2007 with New Jersey, gave up 1 run over eight innings to beat his old mates and help the Cardinals get into the Series down 2 games to 1. GAME 4: New Jersey 7 St. Louis 3 Uri Petrov and Charlie Whittle both uncorked 3 run homers, giving Bruno Moya all the offense he need to stop the Cardinals, pitching a complete game, striking out seven as the Knights take a 3-1 series lead. GAME 5 St. Louis 8 New Jersey 6 St Louis starter Francisco Garcia struck out eight over seven innings and gave up three runs. Despite a New Jersey rally in the top of the 8th, the Cardinals held on and cut the series lead to 3 games to 2. GAME 6: New Jersey 5 St. Louis 0 Andrew Kimmell didn't have the same luck he did in Game 3. His former mates tagged him for five runs, while NJ's Nicholas Rank fired a complete game shutout and struck out six as the Knights are on the brink of their second World Series in franchise history. GAME 7: New Jersey 4 St. Louis 3 Down 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Jersey scored after homer from Ricky Salo and an RBI double from Justin Morneau added two runs, the Knights tacked on one more and despite St. Louis scoring a run in the top of the ninth, it wasn't enough and the New Jersey are your WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS for 2014. The New Jersey Knights become the second franchise in the Modern Era to win two World Series titles. The franchise won in 2007 as the New Jersey Cyclones during the year of the bypass rule. "We're thrilled that we got this one. People called us one hit wonders for quite some time and to manage this is sweet," said Knights manager Cito Gaston wins his fourth World Series ring as a manager (1992-93, Toronto, 2007, 2014, New Jersey) to put him in exclusive company and the first manager to lead two teams to two titles.

07-22-2003, 01:57 PM	#245
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	2014 TOKYO AEROS REPORT Speaking of "history making", this year signifies the first year since 2003, that a Dark Cloud affiliated team (remember, I'm not with Centurion this time) didn't make the playoffs. But that's okay...we didn't think we were going anyway. HIGH POINTS Tokyo improved 27 WINS from the previous year. This is the highest finish (2nd) in franchise history (previous was 4th), the most wins in franchise history and first time the club has ever finished over .500 in the six years the club has been in existance. Attendance was over 3 million (3.5 mil) for the first time since the inagural season of 2009. We've acquired some of the best players in the league and for most of the year, stayed within budget. PLAYER ACCOMPLISHMENTS = Josh Pressley (11th in the AL in batting) = Delmon Young (4th in AL, 7th in the majors in HR) = SP John Stephens (7th in AL in ERA) TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS 5th in team batting 9th in team homers 5th in runs scored 10th in fewest walks allowed (pitching) LOW POINTS 24th in ERA 8th in most homers allowed We really need to upgrade our pitching, if we want a shot next year. Once the management lets me know how much money we're spending, then I can go out and get whatever we need...hopefully something. A few strong arms to bolster the club, but there won't be any drastic changes in the off-season.

07-22-2003, 02:32 PM	#246
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	TIGERS MOVING BACK TO DETROIT FANS FLOCK TO COMERICA TO BUY TICKETS DETROIT - Regarded as "revenge for winning the Revolution", the British theft of the Detroit Tigers baseball club was regarded as the "biggest sham in sports history" by longtime fans of the ballclub. Despite this and their hate for the club being sold, Major League Baseball announced today that it has come to an agreement to allow Hassan Kilpatrick, son of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to purchase the club. "This is a great day for Detroit. Kilpatrick himself is not independently wealthy, but he assembled a group of investors, whom he calls "Detroit's Finest" to buy the club from JK Rowland, of Harry Potter fame. The team's interest was waning after the 15th installment of the Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter finally gets laid", in which Harry steals Ron Weasley's girl Hermione and says "I told you she was mine RON!" Parents were outraged and started burning books. This resulted in a loss of interest in the series, the books and of course, the team. Investors in Detroit's finest include Eminem, former owner Mike Illitch, who bought a minority stake and former Pistons player Isiah Thomas, who wanted a basketball team at one time. "We're thrilled that this assembly of talent has come together to bring Detroit's team back where it belongs! The team will play at Comerica Park in the fall. __________________ ------ My Mods OOTP Advanced Stats & DFS Suite Managerial Strategy Pack Competitive Balance Tax Calculator Major League Women's Baseball (OOTP24) quickstart Indian Premier League \| 300+ years of baseball quickstart \| Expatriate League quickstart \| Off-Field Injuries Update \| Women's Name File for OOTP \| ---- Dynasty classics: Centurion comes to OOTP5 \| DC Moneyball Dynasty (2004)

07-22-2003, 02:44 PM	#247
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	CENTURION BUYS TOKYO AEROS AFTER 20-HR MEETING, CENTURION & DARK CLOUD MAKE UP TOKYO - Like Pinky and the Brain, Ren and Stimpy, Beavis and Butthead...some pairs were just meant to be together. Today...another famed pair have reunited - and yes, it feels so good. The Centurion Sports Mgt. Group, founded by Dark Cloud a long time ago, in a place far away, has announced that it has hired Dark Cloud as its President/CEO/Head Dude and has purchased a controlling interest in the Tokyo Aeros from Hamito Masasaki Corporation for $218 million. "We believe in what Dark Cloud is doing here in Tokyo and we wanted to be part of it," said Centurion Board of Directors Chair Mike Smugglian. "We believe that he can lead our organization back to the top, where it belongs." Centurion had been running the NY Mets for the past four years and won a title in 2011, when Dark Cloud ran the club. After a division title in 2012 - when he left after a scandal involving his now wife - the club finished in 3rd and then last in the NL East. "I'm glad to be back where I belong. I know that we can make this club even better than it's been in the past," said Dark Cloud. Despite Centurion taking over the club, he has not been giving the Carte Blanche. "We will give DC what he needs to be successful and to make our club better. But we will not be the highest payroll team in the game," said Smugglian. Free agency begins today and Tokyo will focus its entire attention on pitching. __________________ ------ My Mods OOTP Advanced Stats & DFS Suite Managerial Strategy Pack Competitive Balance Tax Calculator Major League Women's Baseball (OOTP24) quickstart Indian Premier League \| 300+ years of baseball quickstart \| Expatriate League quickstart \| Off-Field Injuries Update \| Women's Name File for OOTP \| ---- Dynasty classics: Centurion comes to OOTP5 \| DC Moneyball Dynasty (2004)

07-22-2003, 03:18 PM	#248
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	THREE-TEAM DEAL SEND FOPPERT TO TOKYO HANKIEL GETS CHANCE AT RING IN TOKYO? BALTIMORE - Saddled with increasing payroll and a muddle future, the Baltimore Orioles today sent ace Jesse Foppert and 3B Alan Hankiel to the Tokyo Aeros for 3B Hank Blalock, SP Rick Ankiel, SP Chad Billingsley and a minor leaguer. "I know it might seem odd I accepted the deal to come here, but I believe in Dark Cloud and what Centurion has been able to do in the past. I'm confident that we can make something happen in Tokyo," said Hainkel after the trade. With the Lastings Milledge contract on their backs, the Orioles were willing to do the deal and picked up a third of the contract. LAKERS? YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN YET.. As if a pitching staff featuring the last four Cy Young award winners wasn't enough (Foppert won 3, Stephens 1), the Aeros acquired ace closer David Fronk from Toronto for emerging starter Nbembi "Bee-Bee" Mfekenumi. Bee Bee was 10-11 with a 5.01 ERA last season in split time with the NY Mets and Aeros. The Aeros then sent CF Rickie Weeks, 2B Will Hetfield, emerging star 3B Bartolo Ordonez and starter Mike Jones to Nevada for ace Max Roswell and young starter Brandon Judson. "I can't believe we managed to get players of this caliber. Though we gave up at least three guys who are destined to be all-stars or have been in the past (Hetfield), we're certain we're making moves in the right direction" said DC. The team says its pretty much done with free agent acquisitions, just plans to look for a few relievers to upgrade its bullpen. __________________ ------ My Mods OOTP Advanced Stats & DFS Suite Managerial Strategy Pack Competitive Balance Tax Calculator Major League Women's Baseball (OOTP24) quickstart Indian Premier League \| 300+ years of baseball quickstart \| Expatriate League quickstart \| Off-Field Injuries Update \| Women's Name File for OOTP \| ---- Dynasty classics: Centurion comes to OOTP5 \| DC Moneyball Dynasty (2004) Last edited by darkcloud4579; 07-22-2003 at 04:13 PM.

07-22-2003, 05:27 PM	#249
PotatoPeeler Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Rapid City, SD Posts: 3,639	Been out of town for a few days and just getting caught up. Once again, this is really good stuff. Just wanted to point out that my players name should be spelled "Jesse", not "Jessie". Also, I noticed that I get a "Bandwidth exceeded" error when trying to view the Modern Era webpage. Looks like a lot of people have been hitting the leagues website! Keep up the great work! __________________ 培傑西 I have never taken a lesson on how to talk on TV in my life. - Tim McCarver Guns have only two enemies; rust and liberals. The world is a comedy to those that think; a tragedy to those that feel.

07-22-2003, 10:11 PM	#250
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	I'll fix that... also, the site is down until they can upgrade my plan. I also have a blog on the site and I've been getting hits like crazy between that and of course, the league site. A good problem, but annoying. Thanks!

07-22-2003, 10:14 PM	#251
PotatoPeeler Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Rapid City, SD Posts: 3,639	Cool. Thanks for fixing that. __________________ 培傑西 I have never taken a lesson on how to talk on TV in my life. - Tim McCarver Guns have only two enemies; rust and liberals. The world is a comedy to those that think; a tragedy to those that feel.

07-22-2003, 11:34 PM	#252
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	NEW LEAGUE MURMURS MURMURS OF A NEW LEAGUE UNDERWAY KANSAS CITY - With Modern Era expansion being considered and baseball exploding all over the globe, a number of influencial investors are talking of starting a "third" major league to rival the monopoly that Major League Baseball has enjoyed since the 1920s. "We are in discussion to provide fans with an exciting product, that unlike our predecessors (referring to the Players League and Federal League) will not fail, but will be prosperous. Cablevision owner Charles Dolan is reportedly one of the main investors in the league. Dolan attempted to purchase the Boston Red Sox in 2003, but was rebuffed by baseball, despite a bigger big than the owners who ended up with the team. "Baseball has benefitted like no other league for so long, in terms of lacking a natural rival. Unlike football, basketball or hockey, all of which benefitted from modern rival leagues being formed, baseball has had no such rival. We want to provide not a rival, but competition in providing major league quality baseball to fans," said Dolan in a statement. Others considering entry into the league are former Dodgers owner and FOX magnate Rupert Murdoch, who says he has lots of money and no place to put it. Michael Jordan, who despite being the best ever to step on the court can't get a majority stake in a basketball club, was reportedly at the meetings as well. With the majors having left cities like Chicago and Kansas City, and with markets like New York able to sustain additional clubs, there is little doubt that a well executed league, could get some mid-level talents to come over. One wonders though, if a star player would defect. "You have to figure that credibility is king. If this league can manage to get foreign players and attract a star or two, it could be a true force to be reckoned with," said Jayson Stark, a columnist for ESPN. A major leaguer who requested to be unnamed said that if the "price were right, you'd have to consider it." The player said that players go to Japan and no one bats an eyelash, though the days of big contracts for Americans in Japan is largely gone by the wayside, he said there would be an attractive prospect for some players and ultimately, would give them a chance to compete. Though few details were garnered from the meeting such as locations of teams, etc., one official with the proposed league said a statement would be released in the next day or two. "We'll be ready to come out with something very soon. We're just hashing out the final details" he said.

07-22-2003, 11:58 PM	#253
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ANNOUNCES NEW MINOR LEAGUE MLB WORLD TO LAUNCH IN 2016 LONDON - Addressing the expansion of the game around the world, Major League Baseball announced today it will launch a new minor league beginning in 2016 called the WorldWideofWonderful Baseball or www.baseball, a play on the internet address and a way to market the league internationally. "We are committed to developing an international presence and to bring the game to an international audience," said Bob Costas of the Board of Governors. The setup of MLB World will be much like that of international golf tours that are setup on different continents. We have yet to develop the specifics of the league as of yet, but we are confident that the league will be a successful one and we're looking forward to developing this product for all of our fans throughout the world. Costas said the league is not being developed to headoff any effort by a burgeoning league in the US. "We have no comment about any upstart leagues. We have over 100 years of experience putting on major league baseball for fans throughout the world. We know that no matter what happens, our market is established and we have no doubt that fans will prove to us that we're the thing they want to see. We're not a fly-by-night operation," said Costas. MLB World will have several components. MLB Europe will consist of two conferences, with teams throughout Mainland Europe that will meet for the European Championship. MLB Latin America will consist of teams in the Caribbean and South America and will have the teams from those two conferences meet for Latin American Championship MLB International will be comprised of an Asian, African and Oceania teams from Australia and Pacific Islands. A champion will be crowned from this league as well. The three champions of the MLB World leagues will face off with the champion of the World Series of MLB for the MLB Universal Series which will occur biennially. "Because of the travel involved, we wanted to give the various leagues time to play their seasons and get players ready for what promises to be one of the largest and most publicized events in the history of the game," said MLB World Commissioner Ozzie Smith, who most recently was Comissioner of the fledgling Continental League which folded last year and reportedly will not return for another season. "I'm excited about this opportunity and I have no comment on past leagues." More information about MLB World will be forthcoming.

07-23-2003, 03:22 AM	#254
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	2015 TOKYO AEROS TEAM PREVIEW EXCITEMENT IN TOKYO OVER NEW LOOK AEROS New ownership, key players and the Tokyo Aeros are exhibiting the most exhuberance this franchise has seen, as it enters its seventh year of existance. After the highest finish in franchise history and first winning season, the expectations this season are much higher. "DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP!" scream fans sitting outside of Sony Field anticipating the club's opening day matchup versus the Seattle Mariners. Let's take a look at this year's club and see what the Aeros are bringing to the table. PITCHING STAFF Its commonly agreed that if Tokyo had better pitching last season, this free swinging club would've made the playoffs. Well, in the offseason, DC addressed this by acquiring some surefire talent, by jettisoning younger pitchers, who by his own admission will likely become "the kind of players that made trades famous for being lopsided. But we need to win now, we want to win now and I'm not convinced that the players we acquired are slouches or put us in a position to where this club will not be able to sustain any success we have in the near future." The ace of the staff is SP Jesse Foppert who already has a WS ring with the improbable San Francisco Giants club in 2012, that brought him to the attention of the baseball community. He's a three-time Cy Young Award winner, the most recent coming last year in Baltimore, he's a seven-time All-Star, has 187 career wins and is a probable first ballot Hall of Famer. "There are few players I've coveted in my career that I didn't develop myself. Jesse Foppert is one of those players." said Dark Cloud. Next in line, is John Stephens, winner of the 2012 Cy Young in the AL, a 4-time all-star who returns to the club after being traded to Tokyo in mid-season last year. He's 10 wins shy of career win 200. As if the first two pitchers weren't enough for the rotation of the ages, the third starter on this club is future Hall of Famer and first-ballot hall of famer (seem to be a trend) Max Roswell. Roswell, is in a word - the epitome - of dominant pitcher in the Modern Era. He's won four Cy Young awards, 2 rings (2003 with Texas, 2011 with New York Mets) and is a six-time all-star. He comes to Tokyo after a 2 1/2 stint in Nevada. Roswell should help anchor a staff that was one of the worst in baseball last year. The closer is David Fronk, a two-time all-star, with 350 career saves, he should be an anchor for the Aeros bullpen. __________________ ------ My Mods OOTP Advanced Stats & DFS Suite Managerial Strategy Pack Competitive Balance Tax Calculator Major League Women's Baseball (OOTP24) quickstart Indian Premier League \| 300+ years of baseball quickstart \| Expatriate League quickstart \| Off-Field Injuries Update \| Women's Name File for OOTP \| ---- Dynasty classics: Centurion comes to OOTP5 \| DC Moneyball Dynasty (2004)

07-23-2003, 04:04 AM	#255
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	Like the Seattle Mariners? May 1, 2015 Remember when A-Rod left Seattle... BALTIMORE - While its certainly early and a lot can still happen, you have to be really impressed by the Baltimore Orioles so far this season. After two weeks, the O's are in first in the AL South, after letting go of high priced players like Jesse Foppert, Lastings Milledge and Alan Hankiel, in total, over $35 million in salary annually. The team still had to pick up over $21 million in Foppert's contract. "We're doing what we can to contend", said GM Eddie Murray. As the end of April nears, the O's lead Raleigh by 4 games. Despite the 3rd lowest payroll in baseball, the club hopes to win its second division title of the Modern Era. "We have talented players and we'll do our best to succeed." AEROS IN FIRST BY 3 GAMES After a month, the Tokyo Aeros lead the Anchorage Sky Chiefs by three games in the AL Pacific. "We're doing our best to continue our success." said DC. Dark Cloud said he's considering acquiring another pitcher, after Brandon Judson has faltered in his experiment in the rotation. "We believe Brandon can be a great pitcher someday, but we're also considering having a strong rotation that can win now," said DC. The LA Dodgers, pitching rich, are considered a target. __________________ ------ My Mods OOTP Advanced Stats & DFS Suite Managerial Strategy Pack Competitive Balance Tax Calculator Major League Women's Baseball (OOTP24) quickstart Indian Premier League \| 300+ years of baseball quickstart \| Expatriate League quickstart \| Off-Field Injuries Update \| Women's Name File for OOTP \| ---- Dynasty classics: Centurion comes to OOTP5 \| DC Moneyball Dynasty (2004) Last edited by darkcloud4579; 07-23-2003 at 04:18 AM.

07-23-2003, 01:41 PM	#256
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	AROUND THE HORN BASEBALL MONTHLY A monthly look into the world of baseball League Site updated The problem with a league of this size, is inevitably, all the player cards taking up a huge amount of space on the server and all the bandwidth with data transfer and such. At any rate, player cards will be updated at the end of every season. The league site will be updated normally and has been moved to a site that - while annoying - works for the time being. We'll have a better piece of real estate, but not until sometime later in the year. Modern Era New Site EXPANSION RUMBLINGS As it wasn't slow enough to upload the league, the Majors are still schedule to expand in 2018. With the prospect of new leagues forming in the US and the development of MLB World, the Board of Governors have given little indication as to whether this will occur as planned or not. A THIRD MAJOR LEAGUE? When big-ballers like Lamar Hunt, Michael Jordan, Charles Dolan, Rupert Murdoch and other dudes with way too much money get into a room together, there is no telling what can happen. The as of yet announced "third major league" should be an interesting development. What cities would get teams? Will this league contended head to head with major league baseball in some cities? Even more important, will the majors give this league legitimacy by playing it in a Ultra World Series matchup? Few pundits argue the league will be taken serious early, unless there are players from the majors who defect. "Right now, most consider this league to be at the very worst, a place for cast-off free agents not getting jobs to put their hats. At best, it could be a legit third major league," said Peter Gammons. FAN FEEDBACK What cities would you* like to see the proposed third major league go?*

07-23-2003, 02:01 PM	#257
Jordan All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Chi Suburbs now... Posts: 1,991	Paris.... Sicily Italy ummmmmm

07-23-2003, 02:02 PM	#258
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	DIAMOND NOTES... DIAMOND NOTES BLUE JAYS "NEED" THIS SEASON TORONTO - Sources in the Blue Jays front office have said that this is the "year" that the club could consider a move elsewhere. Though it seems extremely unlikely that the club would abandon the Toronto market, other cities in Canada are rumored to be interested in having major league baseball. Despite a lack of interest from the Board of Governors from putting a new team there, these cities are courting the Jays, if fans aren't in the seats. Newspapers have been pushing fans to come out to games, but one must wonder, "If the team was winning, would this be an issue?" INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS ARE HERE TO STAY TORONTO - Newly traded Blue Jays starter Kosta Nikolandis is part of the international swarm of players entering the game. The league is considering an international tour next year to Europe and Africa, after the success of its "Far East" tour last season to Korea, Japan and Australia. With players like Bee-Bee Mfekenumi from Nigeria, various South African players like Matthew Dancer who has the Cubs organization doing dances around its offices and the development of players in places one would have never expected like Russia, baseball is truly proud of his global heritage and wants to develop it. GATEWAY PARK, BEST IN BASEBALL SIOUX FALLS, SD - I was one of the skeptics of baseball's "Community Baseball Project" that led to moving the club that was once the Florida Marlins, later the New England Whitecaps, to Sioux Falls, SD to become the Great Plains Express. Despite the club's lack of a division title, they've become a contender and the club routinely draws over 2 million fans, a feat considering most of the critics - like myself - doubted this club could ever be financially solvent in a region where few consider major league sports to be sustainable. Granted, the fact that baseball spreads it TV money around evenly has helped the club's cause to stay competitive, but I can honestly say that few parks are as charming and enjoyable as Gateway Park, home of the Express. For Modern Era baseball, I'm Peter Gammons.

07-23-2003, 02:16 PM	#259
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	STV NETWORK Hi, I'm Sean "P-Diddy" Combs, and you're watching... STV! WELCOME TO S-TV....HOME FOR SPORTS On today's MAKING A STAR...we take a closer look at LA Dodgers outfielder Rocco Baldelli Rocco, 33, is a five-time All-Star with the LA Dodgers. Let's examine his career progression and see how he was MADE A STAR Rocco was a younger player and came up with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, an expansion team that entered the AL in 1998. In 2005, the D-Rays as they were known packed up and headed to Indianapolis to become the Indianapolis Racers. Rocco was traded during that first season to Los Angeles and while the Racers have had some success since leaving Tampa, Rocco says the trade "saved his career". "You know, playing there wasn't that hard. It was just tough because we were always losing. Even in our new city, it felt like a huge stigma that we were that sorry team that left its old city because we sucked. It was good to get out of there and into a new place, because the expectations on me in Tampa were just too overwhelming." After a few years of developing, Rocco became known as one of the most explosive players in the game, for his offense and defensive prowess. He won two Gold Gloves and made his first all-star game in 2008. "That was the most awesome feeling, to be among all those great players. Its truly the highlight of my career, short of an elusive title, to be part of the all-star team, seeing those guys and being recognized as one of the best in the game." Rocco has made the all-star team each of the past three seasons and shows no signs of slowing down. Signed until 2019 to a deal that's paying him over $17 million a year, Rocco says he'd be content to retire as a Dodger. "There is so much history associated with this team. I mean, imagine my name being put up there with the all-time greats like Campy, Jackie, Sandy and Rocco? It's mind-boggling to think about." Despite that, Rocco says his ultimate goal is to bring a championship to the club while he's still there. "We've got too much talent to keep falling short. I really hope we can pull something together in the next year or two. It's tough, because the league more and more competitive every year. But we'll be able to manage. I know it." That's all for MAKING A STAR* for today. Got a star you want to see profiled? Contact us! PEACE!*

07-23-2003, 03:45 PM	#260
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,689	The Big A in the Big Show July 1, 2015 PLAYING IN NEW YORK, AMON MAKES THE SHOW NEW YORK - The New York Mets are in rebuilding mode, so when they had the opportunity to acquire Anthony Amon from the Oregon Emeralds this past off-season, the club jumped at the opportunity. "We couldn't let a young arm like that languish," said Mets GM Fuzzy Carter. Amon is in the starting rotation and has pitched in nine major league games so far this season, starting two and has a record of 1-1, with a 1.71 ERA, with 17 strikeouts in 21 innings. "We know he'll be a strong player, he'll get chances here to start and show us what he's capable of." said Carter. FOPPERT RETURNS TOKYO - Jesse Foppert is excited to know that after being out for five weeks, the Tokyo Aeros have not only been better than when he was playing, but they're now in first. "It's a huge relief, but I'm glad to be able to get back into the game in and help them out. We've got a great thing going here and I just want to contribute," said Foppert. AEROS HAVE DANCER IN THEIR HEAD After Foppert's injury, DC looked around the league to find another starter to fill a slot in the rotation. Despite the excellent play of starters like Zach Hammes, acquired from D.C. earlier in the year, DC says, "I'm adamant about setting this team up for success and we want to ensure the club has no problems when it gets to later in the season. If these players are availible, we want to pull the trigger, but not to do it, just for the sake of making a deal" he said. He was also reportedly interested in Houston's Ajani Russell, but later rebuffed offers from the club, when they asked for too much in return, plus paying is $19m annual salary.