Venus Baseball League

[venusbaseball]

Off to a Good Start
Kirshner Throws No-Hitter in First Start with New Team

(Dallas) Think about it. You are traded in a blockbuster mid-season trade to a division rival. You make your first start two days later -- against your former club. So you want to make a good impression, showing your new club you were worth the trade, and your old team that they shouldn't have traded you away. What do you do? Throw a no-hitter.

Right-hander Mia Kirshner did just that in throwing the first no-hitter in Venus Baseball League history. Traded on June 27 from Colorado to Dallas for SS Rosario Dawson, she made her first start for her new team, at home, against her former team on June 29, beating them 5-0.
"Unbelievable," said Kirshner after the game. "I still cannot believe I did it. I wanted to come out strong in my first game for the Diamonds, but this is beyond my wildest imagination. I got into a good groove and kept it going the whole game."


Kirshner (7-4) fanned 8 and walked 2, throwing 112 pitches. The Diamonds gave her all the runs she needed in the very first inning, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the frame.

Box Score

[venusbaseball]

Batters of the Month (June)

Jolie, Valera win Batter of the Month Awards



It's the 1st time that the American League Batter of the Month award goes to Detroit's centerfielder Angelina Jolie. Jolie helped her team with an average of .355 and 29 RBI in 93 at bats. While compiling an on base percentage of .415, Angelina hit .326 and slugged .616. She has collected 64 runs batted in this year. She's 5th in the American League in batting, 5th in homeruns and 1st in RBI!

The National League's best player of the month was Philadelphia's Leonor Valera, who wins the award for the 1st time in his career. Leonor pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .352 with 12 and 21 RBI while slugging .824. Valera has hit 26 taters this year while batting .288. He adds 12 doubles, along with 72 runs scored. He's 1st in the National League in RBIs and 1st in homeruns!

[venusbaseball]

Pitchers of the Month (June)

Campbell, Barton win Pitcher of the Month Awards



Winner of this months American League Pitcher of the Month award is Texas' Maia Campbell. Her record of 4-1 in 6 was among the league's best this month. In 43.2 innings of work, she allowed just 21 hits while striking out 52, compiling an ERA of just 1.24. Maia pitched a shutout as well. Opposing players are hitting .192 against Maia this season. While posting an ERA of 3.09, she is 7-3 in 17 starts, fanning 145 and walking 27 hitters. Maia has pitched one shutout and one complete game. She's 5th in the American League in ERA and 9th in wins!

Mischa Barton pitched like a legend in June, and the National League named her Pitcher of the Month for her extraordinary performance. She struck out 50 hitters in her 6 starts, putting together a record of 4-0 while pitching 50 innings. Her ERA in June was 2.68. In 17 starts this year, Mischa has struck out 120 batters in 119.2 innings of work. Her ERA is 2.71, her record 9-3. She has one complete game and one shutout. She's 2nd in the National League in ERA and 3rd in wins!

[venusbaseball]

Has it really been a year?!?!?!

Well, I am trying to get everything up to date after some issues with my web site and work.

Want to finish the 2006 season and get caught up with the 2007 season soon!!

[venusbaseball]

Behind the hitting of the Liberty Belles' Leonor Valera and the pitching of the Firebirds' Mischa Barton, the National League squeaked out a 4-3 win over the American League in the second annual Venus Baseball League All-Star game. The win ties the series 1-1.

Valera staked the NL to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with the first of her two home runs. Barton earned the win in her All-Star game debut, pitching three strong innings and allowing only one hit, no runs, 2 walks and 4 strike outs. Erica Durance earned the save, striking out 2 of the four batters she faced to end the game.

After leading 4-0 after 6 innings, the National League had to withstand a 3 run outburst by the American League to earn the victory. Heather Kozar's solo blast brought the AL to within a run, but did not pose a threat the rest of the game. Jenny Finch took the loss for the AL, even though she pitched 3 strong innings and gave up only 3 hits and 1 run.

The 20 year old Barton's performance was so overwhelming, she was named the MVP of the game, narrowly edging out Valera in a close vote.

Boxscore

[venusbaseball]

The Batter of the Month award in the American League goes to Colorado's Rosario Dawson, as the shortstop displayed the best offensive performance in the AL. In 93 at bats, she hit .387 with 6 HR and 16 RBI. Dawson has hit 14 taters this year while batting .327. She adds 17 doubles, along with 61 runs scored. She's 5th in the American League in batting!

The Batter of the Month award in the National League goes to Seattle's Jill Scott this time, as the leftfielder displayed the best offensive performance in the NL league. In 97 at bats, she hit .330 with 9 HR and 28 RBI. Scott has hit 21 taters this year while batting .315. She adds 31 doubles, along with 63 runs scored. She's 4th in the National League in batting, 5th in homeruns and 1st in RBI!

[venusbaseball]

Chicago's Adriana Lima had a terrific July, and it earned her the American League Pitcher of the month award. She struck out 27 hitters in her 6 starts, putting together a record of 4-0 while pitching 27 innings. Her ERA in July was 1.05. For the season, her ERA of 2.50 has helped her to a 12-7 record. She has struck out 100 and walked 48 in 158.1 innings. She's 1st in the American League in ERA and 1st in wins!

Los Angeles' Vanessa Marcil couldn't have pitched much better than she did in July, and the National League thought so as well, naming the right-hander Pitcher of the Month. Her record of 4-1 in 6 was among the leagues best this month. In 46 innings of work, she allowed just 26 hits while striking out 47, compiling an ERA of just 1.76. Her ERA of 2.79 has helped her to a 14-5 record this year. She has struck out 134 and walked 55 in 164.2 innings. She's 3rd in the National League in ERA and 1st in wins!

[venusbaseball]

Divisional Races Tighten; Divas Overtake Robins

It's still anybody's ballgame! Heading into the last month of the season, no division leader has more than a 5.5 game lead (Chicago in the AL West) or a magic number less than 24 (with all teams having no more than 30 games left). Only two teams are more than 20 games behind (Boston and New York in the AL East).

With the Baltimore Robins' collapse in August (a 11-17 record), the Detroit Divas (with the best record in the VBL for the month at 18-10), the Divas overcame a 3.5 game deficit to take a 2.5 game lead over the Robins. The Divas' balanced attack - a strong offense and pitching efforts - helped lead the charge. The Robins' offense faltered, ranking in the bottom quarter of the league, leading to their demise.

Divas' Manager Angie Dickinson was quick to keep her team on task. "We've come a long way since last season (when the team finished last in the AL East). But we cannot rest on our laurels. We must continue to play good ball or it all means nothing. The team should be congratulated for their efforts, but our work is not done."

Many point to last year's mid-season signing of OF Angelina Jolie as the beginning of the turn around for the Divas. Though the Divas finished last, they finished the 2005 season strongly and carried the momentum into the 2006 season.

[venusbaseball]

The Batter of the Month award in the American League goes to Colorado's Elisabeth Hasselbeckthis time, as the first baseman displayed the best offensive perfomance in her league. Elisabeth went 39 for 95 (.411), while hitting 14 HR and collecting 34 RBI. Elisabeth has gone 147 for 453 (.325) this season, hitting 46 bombs and driving in 95 runs. She's 3rd in the American League in batting, 1st in homeruns and 4th in RBI!

The Batter of the Month award in the National League goes to Atlanta's Eva Mendes this time, as the shortstop displayed the best offensive perfomance in her league. She hit .396 with 27 RBI and slugged .781 in 96 at bats. This year, Mendes has driven in 98 and scored 78 runs while batting .285 with 28 taters. She's 2nd in the National League in RBIs and 3rd in homeruns!

[venusbaseball]

Detroit's Allison Mack had a terrific August, earning her the American League Pitcher of the month award. Her record of 5-0 in 6 was among the league's best this month. In 43.1 innings of work, she has allowed just 38 hits while striking out 24, compiling an ERA of just 1.87. In 29 starts this year, Allison has struck out 137 batters in 203.1 innings of work. Her ERA is 3.41, his record 15-10. He's 6th in the American League in ERA and 1st in wins!

Seattle's pitcher Amber Tamblyn is the National League winner of the Pitcher of the Month award in August. Her record of 4-0 in 5 was among the league's best this month. In 35 innings of work, she has allowed just 24 hits while striking out 35, compiling an ERA of just 1.54. Her ERA of 3.02 has helped her to a 5-3 record this year. She has struck out 51 and walked 17 in 56.2 innings.

[venusbaseball]

Heading into September, all four VBL divisional races were pretty much up for grab. But when the dust cleared, the leaders at the beginning of the month were able to hold on and win playoff spots - the Phoenix Firebirds just needed one extra game o do so, beating the Los Angeles Amazons, 4-3, in a one game playoff.

All four divisions were determined by 10 games or less - the Chicago Banshees had the largest margin of 8 games over the second place Colorado Valkyries. Chicago was the only repeat playoff team from 2005. The other 2005 playoff participants did not fare as well, with all three of last year's divisional winners falling to last place: the New York City Hawks in the AL East; the Atlanta Vixens in the NL West; and the Seattle Emeralds in the NL West.[/SIZE][/FONT]

And talking about reversal of fortunes, the three non-repeat division winners all finished last in 2005: the Detroit Divas in the AL East; the St. Louis Unicorns in the NL East; and the Phoenix Firebirds in the NL West. Detroit had the most improved record in the American League, finishing 41 games ahead of their 2005 record; St. Louis improved 35 games. In the AL, New York fell an astounding 43 games; Atlanta fell 35 games in the NL.

[venusbaseball]

AMERICAN LEAGUE



Detroit (96-66)

vs.



Chicago (93-69)

NATIONAL LEAGUE



Phoenix Firebirds (90-73)

vs.



St. Louis (88-74)

[giantsfan07830]

can you explain this at all

[venusbaseball]

Originally Posted by giantsfan07830

can you explain this at all

Basically, I created a league of female celebs. I am just finishing the second second.

From the VBL History page on the VBL site (www.davidelgin.com/venusbaseball):

In the Beginning

In the summer of 2003, legendary screen actor Tom Hanks, had an idea. The two-time Oscar-winner, known for starring roles in movies such as "Forrest Gump", Castaway" and "Big," took one of his roles to heart. He was determined to truly create "A League of Their Own," giving women an opportunity to assume a bigger role in America's past-time.

Calling on of his friends, (including some of his "League" co-stars - Madonna, Geena Davis and Lori Petty), Hanks had a mission. He set out to create a women's baseball league that would rival "the guys," giving the ladies a chance to share center stage while participating in the sport they loved. Little did he know at that time, the league would become an A-List, all-star affair.

The Stars Are Out

Once word got out about what Hanks was up to, a flood of stars climbed on board. They all wanted to play. Those who couldn't play, signed on as managers, coaches, and financial backers. The league was shaping up as a celebrity "must-do" event. And the world of major league sports would never be the same.

The initial plan was to start the league small, locating teams in 8 select cities. That didn't last long. By the fall of 2003, the number of teams swelled to 16 and the first pitch had yet to be thrown. A spring 2004 start was scheduled, with the initial draft to be held in February 2004.

The Planets Are Aligned

But what of a name - one that reflected the great significance of all the stars coming together, one that caught the public's eye. Hanks and crew were stubbed. Then one of the greatest beauties of all-time, Sophia Loren, came through in the clutch. The Venus Baseball League was born.
"Venus is the Roman goddess of love, representing great beauty," said Ms. Loren at the press conference announcing the name. "There can be no better way to describe this great coming together.

[venusbaseball]

Originally Posted by giantsfan07830

can you explain this at all

Also, from the VBL Facts page:

The Venus Baseball League is simulated using the Out of the Park Baseball game, version 6.5. (www.ootpdevelopments.com)

Games will be run and the results posted to the website approximately every two weeks.

Of course, this is a fictional league and is purely for recreational purposes. Player ratings and abilities were chosen at random.

[giantsfan07830]

okay i just saw there were no [psts beyond your own so i felt i would ask so i got some info.Im following

[venusbaseball]

Originally Posted by giantsfan07830

okay i just saw there were no [psts beyond your own so i felt i would ask so i got some info.Im following

Kewl. I am just trying to get caught up to real time. Would like the 2008 season of the VBL to correspond with the actual calendar.

[petrel]

I'm glad to see the Venus Baseball League back (and I was wondering if that web page would ever get updated).

--Pet

[venusbaseball]

Originally Posted by petrel

I'm glad to see the Venus Baseball League back (and I was wondering if that web page would ever get updated).

--Pet

I had some issues with my ISP and had to recreate the site. Luckily I was able to snag a copy of the previous site. Then I was on the road alot, but once baseball season began, I knew I had to get it back up

[venusbaseball]

Last season, heading into June, Divas' Manager, Angie Dickinson, and the Detroit front office were discussing team development strategies that focused on the future: which young players would be a part of that future and around whom they could build the team. Things were that bad. They were mired in last place with little hope for the rest of the 2005 season and into 2006. Just under a half season of existence and the Divas were in rebuilding mode.

Fast forward to 2006. Things have changed. Dramatically. A team that was targeted for rebuilding wins the 2006 VBL Championship. The Divas, after escaping a tight series with the Chicago Banshees (winning 4 games to 3 after being down 3-1) to win the AL pennant, beat the St. Louis Unicorns, 4-2, to be crowned champs.

"Wow, never in our wildest dreams had we expected this," said Manager Angie Dickinson. "The plan we developed last June was to be competitive in 2007 or 2008. But things just started to click."

A spark seemed to be lit with the signing of Angelina Jolie (June 13, 2005). Pitching improved. Hitting improved. Though still finishing last in the AL East in 2005, they did make it close - they ended the season just one game behind Boston. They started slowly in 2006, but overtook the Baltimore Robins in August and hung on to win the AL East.

RF Amy Smart had a break out season, leading the team in batting average (.318), home runs (44), rbi's (138) runs (150) and stolen bases (48). Allison Mack, Missy Pyle and Michelle Williams all had 16 wins for the Divas. Ludivine Sagnier had 30 saves.