Jason
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Age: 29
Habla Team: San Fran
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: around 7yrs, 3 leagues/ CBA
Number of Habla Titles: goose egg
Favorite Actual Major League Team: Cincinnati
Greatest Sports Memory: Not a lot of good memories to choose from, but I
would have to say the '90 Reds' wire-to-wire run.
Hobbies: drinking, gambling, sports watching, video games
Favorite Movie: Major League
Favorite Book: Check out my hobbies...how could I find time to read?
Favorite Beverage: Budweiser
Favorite Vacation Spot: anywhere that I haven't already been
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I have recently realized that I
don't enjoy the NCAA tournament (or basketball, for that matter) unless I'm
standing in a crowded bar on a day that I should be working...is that wrong?
Toughest Division in Habla: NL Central
Most Overrated Habla Team: Baltimore...horrendous division...but, the same
could be said about the NL West.
Most Underrated Habla Team: Atlanta...if they can squeak in, they have the
goods to win it.
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Put the George boys on opposite sides
of a coin and flip it.
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would like to
manage: Reds or Royals.
What you like most about Habla: The legitimacy and consistency.
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: I don't think it's
possible with the .ini the way it is, and he is currently in the league,
but, I would love to have/see a player that mirrors the real Rickey
Henderson. You know, a .420 obp, 80-100 sb, 20hr type guy.
What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Anyone who
would lay down and let me finally win one. Or...NY Yankees
Favorite player on your roster? Easy...Sisler
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
GM Profile: Oakland A's
Jon
Location: Litchfield Connecticut
Age: 22
Habla Team: Oakland A's
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: I started about 3 years ago in MDBA, it
shut down and Casey brought me into HABLA.
Number of Habla Titles: None sofar, but I did take the A's to thier
first World Series apearence in Habla history.
Favorite Actual Major League Team: New York Yankees!
Greatest Sports Memory: Tough one. I would have to say back when I
was a youngster in little league baseball. No one was on base, was the
bottom of the 6th ( all we played to then ), and the score was tied. I
was at bat, hit a long line drive down the LF line. The fielder
reached over the fence and grabbed it. Its bitter sweet, as we lost
that game but I got a nice story to tell.
Hobbies: Too many, Darts, Pool, Softball, Bowling, ATVs, Vgames,
writing, paintball, lots more.
Favorite Movie: Goodfellas or the Rocky Series
Favorite Book: Hatchet Series by Gary Paulsen
Favorite Beverage: H2O
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I own and drive an 84 El
Camino SS, which is older then me!
Toughest Division in Habla: AL Central, the Royals fought thier way
back to the top.
Most Overrated Habla Team: I hate to say it because he is a friend of
mine but the Florida Marlins, even tho in 1st place in the NL East, I
think come post season time they will get handled quickley. Prove me
wrong Tony! : )
Most Underrated Habla Team: I was going to say the Giants but after
thier recent decision I would have to go with Atlanta
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Well I trade alot as most of you
know, its hard to choose just one GM but in the end me and Terry ( DET
) always seem to be on the same page.
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Well since I dont like to be a flash inthe pan team, I
would def pick Atlanta, once primed we are all in trouble.
What you like most about Habla: As most say the people. When i first
came to Habla i wasn't ganged up on and had my team robbed liek you
would in most leagues, instead most everyone helped me build the A's
into what they are today and i thank them for thier help.
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Well my fav
player is already in Habla and is dominate AKA Roger Clemens, but i
would like to see Yogi Berra
What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Been
talking about it for a few seasons, none other then the St. Louis
Cardinals.
Favorite player on your roster? Hard to pick just one, but from day
one Oliver Perez has been my ace and look like he may win the Cy Young
this year.........again
Location: Litchfield Connecticut
Age: 22
Habla Team: Oakland A's
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: I started about 3 years ago in MDBA, it
shut down and Casey brought me into HABLA.
Number of Habla Titles: None sofar, but I did take the A's to thier
first World Series apearence in Habla history.
Favorite Actual Major League Team: New York Yankees!
Greatest Sports Memory: Tough one. I would have to say back when I
was a youngster in little league baseball. No one was on base, was the
bottom of the 6th ( all we played to then ), and the score was tied. I
was at bat, hit a long line drive down the LF line. The fielder
reached over the fence and grabbed it. Its bitter sweet, as we lost
that game but I got a nice story to tell.
Hobbies: Too many, Darts, Pool, Softball, Bowling, ATVs, Vgames,
writing, paintball, lots more.
Favorite Movie: Goodfellas or the Rocky Series
Favorite Book: Hatchet Series by Gary Paulsen
Favorite Beverage: H2O
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I own and drive an 84 El
Camino SS, which is older then me!
Toughest Division in Habla: AL Central, the Royals fought thier way
back to the top.
Most Overrated Habla Team: I hate to say it because he is a friend of
mine but the Florida Marlins, even tho in 1st place in the NL East, I
think come post season time they will get handled quickley. Prove me
wrong Tony! : )
Most Underrated Habla Team: I was going to say the Giants but after
thier recent decision I would have to go with Atlanta
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Well I trade alot as most of you
know, its hard to choose just one GM but in the end me and Terry ( DET
) always seem to be on the same page.
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Well since I dont like to be a flash inthe pan team, I
would def pick Atlanta, once primed we are all in trouble.
What you like most about Habla: As most say the people. When i first
came to Habla i wasn't ganged up on and had my team robbed liek you
would in most leagues, instead most everyone helped me build the A's
into what they are today and i thank them for thier help.
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Well my fav
player is already in Habla and is dominate AKA Roger Clemens, but i
would like to see Yogi Berra
What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Been
talking about it for a few seasons, none other then the St. Louis
Cardinals.
Favorite player on your roster? Hard to pick just one, but from day
one Oliver Perez has been my ace and look like he may win the Cy Young
this year.........again
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
GM Profile: Philadelphia Phillies
Jim
Location: Holt,Michigan
Age: 51
Habla Team: Philadelphia Phillies starting with 2019 season
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: This is my 3rd FPS98 league..The first
two are defunct...Gary was in DHBL for a short time and invited me to
join HABLA..
Number of Habla Titles: 1
Favorite Actual Major League Team: Detroit Tigers
Greatest Sports Memory: Turning an unassisted triple play in the Class
A Modified Fastball State Championship softball tourney..I am a SS and
with runners on 1st and 2nd they took off with the pitch and as I
moved to cover second base the batter hit a sceamer up the middle
which I caught and stepped on second then tagged the runner coming
from first....
Hobbies: Playing softball again in a 50 and over league after 10 years
off...Fell in love with Strat-o-Matic Baseball and am involved in two
leagues now and commisioner of one..
Favorite Movie: Highlander
Favorite Book: The Sherlock Holmes Mystery's
Favorite Beverage: Strawberry Ice Tea
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I am a delivery driver for
UPS and I am the father of two girls 23 & 19....Fatherhood has been
the toughest and most satisfying journey of my life..
Toughest Division in Habla: N.L. East by far...Has always been tough
with Jeff,Gary and Felix in my early days but with Casey taking over
Atlanta the division is 5 deep now..
Most Overrated Habla Team: My Phillies !!!
Most Underrated Habla Team: Cleveland always seems to surprise me..
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Gary
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Detroit Tigers or Houston Astros...I had Houston in
the DHBL and won 119 games one year..
What you like most about Habla: friendships
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Al Kaline,
the consumate professional
What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Why? Any
team really ...with all games being road games :)
Location: Holt,Michigan
Age: 51
Habla Team: Philadelphia Phillies starting with 2019 season
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: This is my 3rd FPS98 league..The first
two are defunct...Gary was in DHBL for a short time and invited me to
join HABLA..
Number of Habla Titles: 1
Favorite Actual Major League Team: Detroit Tigers
Greatest Sports Memory: Turning an unassisted triple play in the Class
A Modified Fastball State Championship softball tourney..I am a SS and
with runners on 1st and 2nd they took off with the pitch and as I
moved to cover second base the batter hit a sceamer up the middle
which I caught and stepped on second then tagged the runner coming
from first....
Hobbies: Playing softball again in a 50 and over league after 10 years
off...Fell in love with Strat-o-Matic Baseball and am involved in two
leagues now and commisioner of one..
Favorite Movie: Highlander
Favorite Book: The Sherlock Holmes Mystery's
Favorite Beverage: Strawberry Ice Tea
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I am a delivery driver for
UPS and I am the father of two girls 23 & 19....Fatherhood has been
the toughest and most satisfying journey of my life..
Toughest Division in Habla: N.L. East by far...Has always been tough
with Jeff,Gary and Felix in my early days but with Casey taking over
Atlanta the division is 5 deep now..
Most Overrated Habla Team: My Phillies !!!
Most Underrated Habla Team: Cleveland always seems to surprise me..
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Gary
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Detroit Tigers or Houston Astros...I had Houston in
the DHBL and won 119 games one year..
What you like most about Habla: friendships
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Al Kaline,
the consumate professional
What team would you like to meet up with in the World Series? Why? Any
team really ...with all games being road games :)
Friday, February 27, 2009
GM Profile: Baltimore Orioles
Tony
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Age: 34
Habla Team: Baltimore Orioles (current) Cleveland Indians (original)
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: Habla has been my only league
Number of Habla Titles: 0 so far :-(
Favorite Actual Major League Team: WORLD BLEEPING CHAMPIONS Phillies
Greatest Sports Memory: Cant think, im guessing the last world series
becaus eit ended our 100 plus sport season drought, and specifically
because of the game 5 2 day rain delay
Hobbies: golf when i can
Favorite Movie: Heat, Goodfellas, Casino, a DiNiro fan i am
Favorite Book: not much of a book reader, more magazines
Favorite Beverage: iced tea in the summer, coffee anytime, and Knobs
Creek in "social " situations
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: i have a beautiful 16 month
old girl, who is everything
Toughest Division in Habla: hard to say there are good teams in each
division, trying to think which might have the most good teams, maybe
NL East, or AL Central, but most will have 1 or 2 good teams
Most Overrated Habla Team: HHmmm not sure on that one, Boston !!! HAHA
Most Underrated Habla Team: Anaheim, their pitching looks like its
coming together
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Always have worked well with Luke
from Minn, even when we were rivals in central
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Cleveland, would like to finish where i started
What you like most about Habla: Its fun and challenging
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Chane
Winther, as long as i get him on my team
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Age: 34
Habla Team: Baltimore Orioles (current) Cleveland Indians (original)
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: Habla has been my only league
Number of Habla Titles: 0 so far :-(
Favorite Actual Major League Team: WORLD BLEEPING CHAMPIONS Phillies
Greatest Sports Memory: Cant think, im guessing the last world series
becaus eit ended our 100 plus sport season drought, and specifically
because of the game 5 2 day rain delay
Hobbies: golf when i can
Favorite Movie: Heat, Goodfellas, Casino, a DiNiro fan i am
Favorite Book: not much of a book reader, more magazines
Favorite Beverage: iced tea in the summer, coffee anytime, and Knobs
Creek in "social " situations
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: i have a beautiful 16 month
old girl, who is everything
Toughest Division in Habla: hard to say there are good teams in each
division, trying to think which might have the most good teams, maybe
NL East, or AL Central, but most will have 1 or 2 good teams
Most Overrated Habla Team: HHmmm not sure on that one, Boston !!! HAHA
Most Underrated Habla Team: Anaheim, their pitching looks like its
coming together
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Always have worked well with Luke
from Minn, even when we were rivals in central
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Cleveland, would like to finish where i started
What you like most about Habla: Its fun and challenging
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Chane
Winther, as long as i get him on my team
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
GM Profile: MN Twins
Luke
Location: Springfield, Illinois
Age: 26
Habla Team: Twins
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: HABLA when I was 15. Left then came back in 2001
Number of Habla Titles: 1
Favorite Actual Major League Team: Cardinals
Greatest Sports Memory: Cardinals winning 2006 World Series or Duke
over Arizona in 01.
Hobbies: Baseball Scouting, History, and Reading
Favorite Movie: Braveheart
Favorite Book: Glory of thier Times by Lawrence Ritter
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I have a HABLA family tree.
Brought Casey and Nick in who in turn have brought in Steve and Nate.
Also brought in former owner Brian Vaughn.
Toughest Division in Habla: NL East. Pretty even playing field.
Most Overrated Habla Team: Boston is solid, but not sold on them and
their hot start.
Most Underrated Habla Team: Dodgers. Chris quietly puts a contender together.
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Expos or Astros. On the same
page with them.
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Cardinals or Blue Jays (I was the Blue Jays in another
league way back)
What you like most about Habla: Civil Nature. I am in a football
league where guys are constantly moaning and groaning at each other
publicly. I also love the historical aspect HABLA brings to the table.
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Bob Gibson.
He was in it before, but my favorite player from an era not my own.
Location: Springfield, Illinois
Age: 26
Habla Team: Twins
Sim Baseball Exp/1st league: HABLA when I was 15. Left then came back in 2001
Number of Habla Titles: 1
Favorite Actual Major League Team: Cardinals
Greatest Sports Memory: Cardinals winning 2006 World Series or Duke
over Arizona in 01.
Hobbies: Baseball Scouting, History, and Reading
Favorite Movie: Braveheart
Favorite Book: Glory of thier Times by Lawrence Ritter
Anything Else You Would Like Us To Know: I have a HABLA family tree.
Brought Casey and Nick in who in turn have brought in Steve and Nate.
Also brought in former owner Brian Vaughn.
Toughest Division in Habla: NL East. Pretty even playing field.
Most Overrated Habla Team: Boston is solid, but not sold on them and
their hot start.
Most Underrated Habla Team: Dodgers. Chris quietly puts a contender together.
Easiest Owner to Work a Trade With: Expos or Astros. On the same
page with them.
If you weren't managing your current team, what's a team you would
like to manage: Cardinals or Blue Jays (I was the Blue Jays in another
league way back)
What you like most about Habla: Civil Nature. I am in a football
league where guys are constantly moaning and groaning at each other
publicly. I also love the historical aspect HABLA brings to the table.
Player you are dying to see/or make a comeback in Habla: Bob Gibson.
He was in it before, but my favorite player from an era not my own.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Game 7: Who Ya Got?
If you were in a game 7 situation, which active pitcher would you choose to want the ball to? I’ve only submitted candidates who have won a championship (sorry Jim Perry). Interestingly, Van Hekken is the only pitcher here who has won titles with two different teams (Brewers and Marlins). Well, actually, McDevitt has as well, but he did not make much of a positive contribution to the Twins title team. Hopefully, this stirs up some good conversation.
Oliver Perez 209-120 3.39 ERA 2 Rings (Rangers)
Burleigh Grimes 149-86 3.03 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Addie Joss 210-142 3.12 ERA 1 Ring (Pirates)
George Blaeholdger 94-46 3.56 ERA 1 Ring (Expos)
Rick Reuschel 181-142 3.30 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Orel Hershiser 165-83 3.01 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Danny McDevitt 133-92 3.41 ERA 2 Rings (Twins, Pirates)
Adam Eaton 206-111 3.12 ERA 1 Ring (Phillies)
Zachary Grienke 175-138 3.45 ERA 1 Ring (Phillies)
Jake Peavy 210-120 3.47 ERA 3 Rings (Rangers)
Doug Rau 157-74 3.28 ERA 2 Rings (Rangers)
Kelvim Escobar 181-158 4.00 ERA 1 Ring (Brewers)
Andy Van Hekken 241-155 3.45 ERA 3 Rings (Brewers, Marlins 2)
Roger Clemens 261-211 3.55 ERA 2 Rings (Royals)
David Cone 184-81 3.35 ERA 1 Ring (Twins)
Tom Glavine 135-70 3.78 ERA 1 Ring (Twins)
Ken Brubaker 129-102 3.21 ERA 1 Ring (Pirates)
Oliver Perez 209-120 3.39 ERA 2 Rings (Rangers)
Burleigh Grimes 149-86 3.03 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Addie Joss 210-142 3.12 ERA 1 Ring (Pirates)
George Blaeholdger 94-46 3.56 ERA 1 Ring (Expos)
Rick Reuschel 181-142 3.30 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Orel Hershiser 165-83 3.01 ERA 2 Rings (Marlins)
Danny McDevitt 133-92 3.41 ERA 2 Rings (Twins, Pirates)
Adam Eaton 206-111 3.12 ERA 1 Ring (Phillies)
Zachary Grienke 175-138 3.45 ERA 1 Ring (Phillies)
Jake Peavy 210-120 3.47 ERA 3 Rings (Rangers)
Doug Rau 157-74 3.28 ERA 2 Rings (Rangers)
Kelvim Escobar 181-158 4.00 ERA 1 Ring (Brewers)
Andy Van Hekken 241-155 3.45 ERA 3 Rings (Brewers, Marlins 2)
Roger Clemens 261-211 3.55 ERA 2 Rings (Royals)
David Cone 184-81 3.35 ERA 1 Ring (Twins)
Tom Glavine 135-70 3.78 ERA 1 Ring (Twins)
Ken Brubaker 129-102 3.21 ERA 1 Ring (Pirates)
Friday, January 23, 2009
Steve's 2036 Predictions
AL East
1 Baltimore Orioles
2 Boston Red Sox
3 Detroit Tigers
4 New York Yankees
5 Toronto Blue Jays
The Boston rotation is looking very solid, but it probably won’t be enough to hang with a still deeper Orioles team. Baltimore still boasts the two biggest stars in the division (Haywood and Baines) and a pretty strong rotation themselves. The Yankees will be very good soon, but are still a couple seasons away.
AL Central
1 Minnesota Twins
2 Kansas City Royals
3 Chicago White Sox
4 Cleveland Indians
5 Milwaukee Brewers
The Twins and Royals are still the teams to beat, but this division has gotten a lot tighter. The White Sox youth are beginning to make a big impact and the Brewers pieced together a decent rotation through free agency. The most dominant player in the division (Howard) will keep the Indians in the mix.
AL West
1 Oakland Athletics
2 Texas Rangers (WC)
3 Anaheim Angels
4 Seattle Mariners
This could be a very strong division led again by the A’s. The Rangers need a big bounce back year from the top of their rotation in order to contend. With the young talent on Seattle’s and Anaheim’s rosters, we could see all four teams break the 80 win plateau.
AL MVP: Terrence Lee
AL Cy Young: Burleigh Grimes
AL ROY: Lastings Milledge
AL Fireman: Houston Street
NL East
1 New York Mets
2 Atlanta Braves
3 Philadelphia Phillies
4 Montreal Expos
5 Florida Marlins
The begin of the Braves reign of dominance is probably still a season away, as the Mets still appear to have the upper hand for now. How did the Marlins fall so far, so fast. Expect the Babe to ask to be traded to a contender soon.
NL Central
1 St. Louis Cardinals
2 Houston Astros (WC)
3 Chicago Cubs
4 Cincinnati Reds
5 Pittsburgh Pirates
This should again be a two horse race, with the Cubs, Reds and Pirates still in the middle of rebuilding projects. At the end of the day, as good as Abreu and Cepeda are, there not Hank and Turkey.
NL West
1 San Francisco Giants
2 Los Angeles Dodgers
3 San Diego Padres
4 Colorado Rockies
With the signing of Gehrig and the acquisition of Beckett, the Dodgers showed they are in it to win it. However, the Giants rotation led by Wang and Roe will likely be too much to overcome.
NL MVP: Prince Fielder
NL Cy Young: Chien-Ming Wang
NL ROY: Lance Talford
NL FOY: Clay Carroll
1 Baltimore Orioles
2 Boston Red Sox
3 Detroit Tigers
4 New York Yankees
5 Toronto Blue Jays
The Boston rotation is looking very solid, but it probably won’t be enough to hang with a still deeper Orioles team. Baltimore still boasts the two biggest stars in the division (Haywood and Baines) and a pretty strong rotation themselves. The Yankees will be very good soon, but are still a couple seasons away.
AL Central
1 Minnesota Twins
2 Kansas City Royals
3 Chicago White Sox
4 Cleveland Indians
5 Milwaukee Brewers
The Twins and Royals are still the teams to beat, but this division has gotten a lot tighter. The White Sox youth are beginning to make a big impact and the Brewers pieced together a decent rotation through free agency. The most dominant player in the division (Howard) will keep the Indians in the mix.
AL West
1 Oakland Athletics
2 Texas Rangers (WC)
3 Anaheim Angels
4 Seattle Mariners
This could be a very strong division led again by the A’s. The Rangers need a big bounce back year from the top of their rotation in order to contend. With the young talent on Seattle’s and Anaheim’s rosters, we could see all four teams break the 80 win plateau.
AL MVP: Terrence Lee
AL Cy Young: Burleigh Grimes
AL ROY: Lastings Milledge
AL Fireman: Houston Street
NL East
1 New York Mets
2 Atlanta Braves
3 Philadelphia Phillies
4 Montreal Expos
5 Florida Marlins
The begin of the Braves reign of dominance is probably still a season away, as the Mets still appear to have the upper hand for now. How did the Marlins fall so far, so fast. Expect the Babe to ask to be traded to a contender soon.
NL Central
1 St. Louis Cardinals
2 Houston Astros (WC)
3 Chicago Cubs
4 Cincinnati Reds
5 Pittsburgh Pirates
This should again be a two horse race, with the Cubs, Reds and Pirates still in the middle of rebuilding projects. At the end of the day, as good as Abreu and Cepeda are, there not Hank and Turkey.
NL West
1 San Francisco Giants
2 Los Angeles Dodgers
3 San Diego Padres
4 Colorado Rockies
With the signing of Gehrig and the acquisition of Beckett, the Dodgers showed they are in it to win it. However, the Giants rotation led by Wang and Roe will likely be too much to overcome.
NL MVP: Prince Fielder
NL Cy Young: Chien-Ming Wang
NL ROY: Lance Talford
NL FOY: Clay Carroll
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Mock Drafts
Casey and Steve have each come out with their rendition of how they think the draft will go. Enjoy!
Steve’s Mock Draft
1 PIT: SP Obi Ochiba. His top 2 pitches are very similar to one Roger Clemens.
2 TOR: 1B Bill Terry. When you have a hole at 1B you can’t pass on a talent like this.
3 PIT: 3B Frank Baker. His bat is a little better than prospects’ Alex Gordon and Garrett Atkins, both traded during this past off-season.
4 NYA: LF Zach Wheat. He’ll be a tremendous 2 or 3 hitter in this league.
5 PIT: SP Ryan Dempster. With no shortstops better than what they already have, the Pirates take the next best pitcher.
6 CHN: RF Ryan Braun. The Cubs fill the weakest spot in their future lineup with a gem here.
7 CHA: C Sonny Delfino. Derek McPhew is a decent prospect, but not at the same level as Delfino.
8 ATL: RP Francisco Cordero. When you don’t really need anything you may as well add bullpen depth.
9 TEX: 1B Adrian Gonzalez. The Rangers grab a 1B bat that will remind them a lot of the one Luke Easter held for several seasons.
10 CLE: RF Magglio Ordonez. Ryan Howard would love to see this guy hitting in front of him.
11 PIT: SP Urban Shocker. The Pirates find themselves building much of their rotation in this draft.
12 SD: SP Eppa Rixie. After trading Preacher Roe and Ray Willow they must rebuild their rotation.
13 SD: SP Gus Weyhing. Ditto
14 BOS: 1B Jack Elliot. Reminds a lot of scouts of Harmon Killabrew.
15 SEA: C Grub Parsons. He’s Joey Mauer with a bit more power.
16 ANA: 1B Roger Connor. The Angels nab the last elite 1B in a great 1B class.
17 SD: SP Homer Bailey. Why not? Last year they took all OFs.
18 MON: SP John Danks. He should make a solid foursome with Jimmy DeShong, Cap Wilkerson and Johnny Lush.
19 NYN: LF Billy Williams. Too much of an upgrade over Carlos Lee to pass up.
20 LA: CF Raul Andujar. He’ll make a middle of the lineup guy.
21 HOU: 2B Alexei Ramirez. Charlie Gehringer’s getting a little long in the tooth.
22 ATL: RP Wally Threet. How ‘bout some more bullpen help.
23 FLA: LF Harry Stovey. The Marlins don’t have much in their farm system right now.
24 NYA: SP Miguel Sedaris. To get a guy with two pitches in the 80s and no glaring weakness, here, is pretty good.
25 CHN: SS Tol Rendquist. His speed and defense make him a definite upgrade over Troy Tulowitski.
26 ATL: LF Jason Bay. What about a good bench hitter?
27 STL: SP A.J. Burnett. Not a lot of holes here.
28 ATL: 2B Howie Kendrick. Honestly, what do they need!?
Casey’s Mock Draft
1. Pirates – P Obi Ochiba: best P in the draft and Steve will add a great one to his staff
2. Jays – P Amos Rusie: That FB in the 90’s is going to be hard to pass up, along with a couple other nice pitches, CO could be a concern
3. Pirates – OF Ryan Braun: Steve already has 2 great 1B so he will take the best hitting OF in the draft
4. Yankees – P Urban Shocker: Marky Mark could use a good young pitcher and I like Shocker better than Dempster
5. Pirates – P Ryan Dempster: Got to keep building up that staff and Dempster will do nicely
6. Cubbies – 1B Bill Terry: Andreas could use a stud 1B and he’ll have it with Billy
7. White Sox – C Sonny Delfino: Mike needs a franchise catcher and guess who is still out there
8. Braves – RF Magglio Ordonez: Not wasting this pick on a RP, we could add some depth with a good hitter
9. Rangers – 1B Adrian Gonzalez: Nick goes with another stud 1B here, looks like Stargell and Easter
10. Indians – P Eppa Rixe: Greg needs some pitching help and should get it with Rixie
11. Pirates – 3B Frank Baker: Steve could use a sure handed good hitting 3B
12. Padres – P Homer Bailey: appears to have good stuff and aren’t the Georges Reds fans?
13. Red (recent trade) LF Zach Wheat: Looks to be a good all around player, makes sense
14. Red Sox – P AJ Burnett: Dave already has a good 1B (the guy who was left off the MVP ballot)so he will snatch up a good young P
15. Mariners – 1B Jack Elliott: Newcomer Natedog makes his first big decision for the franchise and getting a stud 1B should please the fans
16. Angels –P Bronson Demille: This guy just seems like a KL guy. High risk high reward, his pitches look too good
17. Reds (recent trade) – 1B Roger Connor: Might as well pick up a great hitter for the future
18. Expos – LF Harry Stovey: looks to be a good power hitting OF with speed
19. Mets – P Francisco Cordero: these guys are always looking to add to the pen
20. Dodgers – P Miguel Sedaris: Chris always has good luck with young pitchers
21. Astros – 2B Alexei Ramirez: good replacement for old man Gehringer
22. Braves – LF Billy Williams: might as well keep adding depth
23. Marlins – CF Raul Andujar: maybe Tony can start rebuilding with a good young OF
24. Yankees – P John Danks: Marky Mark might as well pick up another solid P here
25. Cubbies- CF Jack Braden: Andreas needs more offensive for his group of young P’s
26. Braves – P Graham Tesnar: I’d take a solid pitcher here
27. Cards – LF Jason Bay: a good value OF falls to Jeremy, bummer for the NL Central
28. Braves – C Grub Parsons: this guy will actually probably go higher, but I’d take him here
Steve’s Mock Draft
1 PIT: SP Obi Ochiba. His top 2 pitches are very similar to one Roger Clemens.
2 TOR: 1B Bill Terry. When you have a hole at 1B you can’t pass on a talent like this.
3 PIT: 3B Frank Baker. His bat is a little better than prospects’ Alex Gordon and Garrett Atkins, both traded during this past off-season.
4 NYA: LF Zach Wheat. He’ll be a tremendous 2 or 3 hitter in this league.
5 PIT: SP Ryan Dempster. With no shortstops better than what they already have, the Pirates take the next best pitcher.
6 CHN: RF Ryan Braun. The Cubs fill the weakest spot in their future lineup with a gem here.
7 CHA: C Sonny Delfino. Derek McPhew is a decent prospect, but not at the same level as Delfino.
8 ATL: RP Francisco Cordero. When you don’t really need anything you may as well add bullpen depth.
9 TEX: 1B Adrian Gonzalez. The Rangers grab a 1B bat that will remind them a lot of the one Luke Easter held for several seasons.
10 CLE: RF Magglio Ordonez. Ryan Howard would love to see this guy hitting in front of him.
11 PIT: SP Urban Shocker. The Pirates find themselves building much of their rotation in this draft.
12 SD: SP Eppa Rixie. After trading Preacher Roe and Ray Willow they must rebuild their rotation.
13 SD: SP Gus Weyhing. Ditto
14 BOS: 1B Jack Elliot. Reminds a lot of scouts of Harmon Killabrew.
15 SEA: C Grub Parsons. He’s Joey Mauer with a bit more power.
16 ANA: 1B Roger Connor. The Angels nab the last elite 1B in a great 1B class.
17 SD: SP Homer Bailey. Why not? Last year they took all OFs.
18 MON: SP John Danks. He should make a solid foursome with Jimmy DeShong, Cap Wilkerson and Johnny Lush.
19 NYN: LF Billy Williams. Too much of an upgrade over Carlos Lee to pass up.
20 LA: CF Raul Andujar. He’ll make a middle of the lineup guy.
21 HOU: 2B Alexei Ramirez. Charlie Gehringer’s getting a little long in the tooth.
22 ATL: RP Wally Threet. How ‘bout some more bullpen help.
23 FLA: LF Harry Stovey. The Marlins don’t have much in their farm system right now.
24 NYA: SP Miguel Sedaris. To get a guy with two pitches in the 80s and no glaring weakness, here, is pretty good.
25 CHN: SS Tol Rendquist. His speed and defense make him a definite upgrade over Troy Tulowitski.
26 ATL: LF Jason Bay. What about a good bench hitter?
27 STL: SP A.J. Burnett. Not a lot of holes here.
28 ATL: 2B Howie Kendrick. Honestly, what do they need!?
Casey’s Mock Draft
1. Pirates – P Obi Ochiba: best P in the draft and Steve will add a great one to his staff
2. Jays – P Amos Rusie: That FB in the 90’s is going to be hard to pass up, along with a couple other nice pitches, CO could be a concern
3. Pirates – OF Ryan Braun: Steve already has 2 great 1B so he will take the best hitting OF in the draft
4. Yankees – P Urban Shocker: Marky Mark could use a good young pitcher and I like Shocker better than Dempster
5. Pirates – P Ryan Dempster: Got to keep building up that staff and Dempster will do nicely
6. Cubbies – 1B Bill Terry: Andreas could use a stud 1B and he’ll have it with Billy
7. White Sox – C Sonny Delfino: Mike needs a franchise catcher and guess who is still out there
8. Braves – RF Magglio Ordonez: Not wasting this pick on a RP, we could add some depth with a good hitter
9. Rangers – 1B Adrian Gonzalez: Nick goes with another stud 1B here, looks like Stargell and Easter
10. Indians – P Eppa Rixe: Greg needs some pitching help and should get it with Rixie
11. Pirates – 3B Frank Baker: Steve could use a sure handed good hitting 3B
12. Padres – P Homer Bailey: appears to have good stuff and aren’t the Georges Reds fans?
13. Red (recent trade) LF Zach Wheat: Looks to be a good all around player, makes sense
14. Red Sox – P AJ Burnett: Dave already has a good 1B (the guy who was left off the MVP ballot)so he will snatch up a good young P
15. Mariners – 1B Jack Elliott: Newcomer Natedog makes his first big decision for the franchise and getting a stud 1B should please the fans
16. Angels –P Bronson Demille: This guy just seems like a KL guy. High risk high reward, his pitches look too good
17. Reds (recent trade) – 1B Roger Connor: Might as well pick up a great hitter for the future
18. Expos – LF Harry Stovey: looks to be a good power hitting OF with speed
19. Mets – P Francisco Cordero: these guys are always looking to add to the pen
20. Dodgers – P Miguel Sedaris: Chris always has good luck with young pitchers
21. Astros – 2B Alexei Ramirez: good replacement for old man Gehringer
22. Braves – LF Billy Williams: might as well keep adding depth
23. Marlins – CF Raul Andujar: maybe Tony can start rebuilding with a good young OF
24. Yankees – P John Danks: Marky Mark might as well pick up another solid P here
25. Cubbies- CF Jack Braden: Andreas needs more offensive for his group of young P’s
26. Braves – P Graham Tesnar: I’d take a solid pitcher here
27. Cards – LF Jason Bay: a good value OF falls to Jeremy, bummer for the NL Central
28. Braves – C Grub Parsons: this guy will actually probably go higher, but I’d take him here
Sunday, March 23, 2008
2034 Habla Mock Draft
Steve has put together a mock draft to keep tradition going. Whether it helps you scout the players, gives another opinion on need, or is just for fun, we think it is worth doing. Check it out.
1 SP Joba Chamberlain (ATL)- The best pitcher in the draft goes to the Braves, as if they needed any more ace caliber prospects.
2 SP Rube Foster (BOS)- The Red Sox could go a number of directions here, but it doesn’t hurt to get that ace, and Foster should be one.
3 SS John Henry Lloyd (SD)- Lloyd is in the same mold as Hanley Ramirez from last season’s draft. He has a rare combination of a big stick, great speed and very solid D.
4 2B Ross Barnes (CHA)- Brings similar offensive punch to the table as Lloyd, just not as big an asset, defensively, as him.
5 1B George Sisler (CHN)- He should be a tremendous bat in the middle of the Cubs order for many years.
6 C Buck Ewing (MIL)- You don’t see catchers that can hit and run like he can. Oh, did I mention he plays great defense, as well?
7 3B Ron Santo (BOS)- Santo is the best positional player prospect left at this point and would definitely fill one of many holes in the Red Sox lineup.
8 RP J.J. Putz (ATL)- If there is no trade here, expect the Braves to beef up the bullpen with the elite reliever of the class.
9 SP Ed Walsh (ATL)- What do you get the team that already has everything? Why another high upside SP prospect, of course.
10 RF Brock Sampson (LA)- This just in, Dave Parker is really old.
11 SP Pud Galvin (COL)- With no, blow you away, hitting prospects left, the next best pitcher makes perfect sense.
12 SP Ted Lyons (OAK)- With 3 SPs age 35 and older, Lyons looks to be a good fit.
13 LF Dingo French (CHN)- Another solid bat here would help the Cubs out nicely.
14 LF Goose Goslin (ANA)- Goslin brings solid defense and a better than average bat to the table.
15 SP Shotgun Diller (SD)- Diller looks to be the best starting pitcher available.
16 1B Jesse Bardot (PIT)
17 CF Carlos Sanibel (NYA)
18 RP Jordan Prior (NYN)
19 SP Charley Radbourne (CHN)
20 3B Spencer Starling (CHN)
21 SP Stewie Glover (CHA)
22 RF Bobby Veach (CHN)
23 C Dominick Rizzo (BOS)
24 1B Ned Elkins (DET)
25 SP Allen Beaucher (CHA)
26 C Derek McPhew (ATL)
27 SP Andrew Collins (DET)
28 RF Willie Keeler (SEA)
1 SP Joba Chamberlain (ATL)- The best pitcher in the draft goes to the Braves, as if they needed any more ace caliber prospects.
2 SP Rube Foster (BOS)- The Red Sox could go a number of directions here, but it doesn’t hurt to get that ace, and Foster should be one.
3 SS John Henry Lloyd (SD)- Lloyd is in the same mold as Hanley Ramirez from last season’s draft. He has a rare combination of a big stick, great speed and very solid D.
4 2B Ross Barnes (CHA)- Brings similar offensive punch to the table as Lloyd, just not as big an asset, defensively, as him.
5 1B George Sisler (CHN)- He should be a tremendous bat in the middle of the Cubs order for many years.
6 C Buck Ewing (MIL)- You don’t see catchers that can hit and run like he can. Oh, did I mention he plays great defense, as well?
7 3B Ron Santo (BOS)- Santo is the best positional player prospect left at this point and would definitely fill one of many holes in the Red Sox lineup.
8 RP J.J. Putz (ATL)- If there is no trade here, expect the Braves to beef up the bullpen with the elite reliever of the class.
9 SP Ed Walsh (ATL)- What do you get the team that already has everything? Why another high upside SP prospect, of course.
10 RF Brock Sampson (LA)- This just in, Dave Parker is really old.
11 SP Pud Galvin (COL)- With no, blow you away, hitting prospects left, the next best pitcher makes perfect sense.
12 SP Ted Lyons (OAK)- With 3 SPs age 35 and older, Lyons looks to be a good fit.
13 LF Dingo French (CHN)- Another solid bat here would help the Cubs out nicely.
14 LF Goose Goslin (ANA)- Goslin brings solid defense and a better than average bat to the table.
15 SP Shotgun Diller (SD)- Diller looks to be the best starting pitcher available.
16 1B Jesse Bardot (PIT)
17 CF Carlos Sanibel (NYA)
18 RP Jordan Prior (NYN)
19 SP Charley Radbourne (CHN)
20 3B Spencer Starling (CHN)
21 SP Stewie Glover (CHA)
22 RF Bobby Veach (CHN)
23 C Dominick Rizzo (BOS)
24 1B Ned Elkins (DET)
25 SP Allen Beaucher (CHA)
26 C Derek McPhew (ATL)
27 SP Andrew Collins (DET)
28 RF Willie Keeler (SEA)
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Owls Power Rankings
August 15, 2033
You asked for them so it's your fault. So here we go with my view of the power in the Habla.
1. Minnesota- Veterans like Tony Perez, Luke Easter are putting this team on their backs and fighting off strong challenges from Kansas City and Cleveland. Can the veterans stay healthy?
2. St. Louis- Known for their speed, pitching and defense in the past this year you can add power to that list as Hank Aaron and Turkey Stearnes are the best Combo of hitting in Habla.
3. Florida- has a team ERA of fewer than 3. They have outscored their opponents by 140 runs. Babe Ruth has been tearing the cover off the ball since an early season benching. Team leads the NL East that has 4 teams over .500
4. New York Mets- The young talent has matured and add to the mix a few veterans this team should be a force for a number of years. Great job by Mark in a tough Division
5. San Francisco- High powered Hitting lead by 1B Derek Lee is getting help from solid pitching by the starters. Pen is a question mark but it rarely comes down to the pen being a factor. This team is on cruise control and losing Berkman hurts but the Giants have depth.
6. Seattle- Pitching leads this team. All five starters have double digit wins.
A balance hitting attack gets the job done. Team concept all the way
7. Orioles- Team has been one of the surprises of the season. Injuries have been and continue to be a problem. RP Houston Street must give Tony a heart attack when enters with his .326 Oavg but finds a way to get it done as his 2.25 ERA and 20 saves prove.
8. Kansas City- Travis has this young team in the mix again. Mike Robinson wrecks havoc on the bases. Chris Duncan and Michael Coleman are knocking them in. Roger Clemens, Manny Symthe and Company are solid.
9. Philadelphia- Veterans Brooks and Frank Robinson are playing like there is no tomorrow and there might not be as their careers are winding down.
Add RP Jason Simontacchi to that list.
10. Cleveland- Team that usually stays under the radar but 3B Clete Boyer and CL Luis Viscaino are having break out seasons and have this team in the playoff race. The recent addition of SS Addie Herald could be the move needed to make it.
11. Texas- Defending Champs not the team of last year but steady improvement has this team ready to make a push to defend its title. Hack Wilson and Harmon Killebrew make this team a threat.
12. Houston- The Astros were fast out of the gate riding their pitching but were stating to fade. Sam had an answer for that by bringing in 3B Orlando Cepeda, RF Bobby Abreu and 2B Charlie Gehringer. Now is there still time to make a playoff push?
13. Montreal- The Expos are in transition. Phil Niekro and Charlie Gehringer are gone. No real stars other then RP Saito who is having an off year by his standards.
14. New York Yankees-The Yanks were down for the count after a terrible start but have taken the mandatory 8 count and now have the Orioles in their sites. P Barrios is starting to look like the pitcher of previous years while P Sparks has kept the team afloat.
15. Cincinnati- Reds are the NL version of the Yanks. Terrible start, trade winds were blowing, team ready to torn apart but out of the turmoil the Reds rally. Team is now has a .500 record but have outscored their opponents by 69 runs make this team one you don't want to play. BTW in Darts scoring 69 points is what we call a "Happy Meal."
16. Toronto- Jays bats seem to be wearing down. Not a good sign but there is still time to turn it around. RF Andre Dawson expected return from the DL could be the boost needed.
17. Pittsburgh- Pirates were not playing up to their talent and moves were made. Team in transition but playing well of late
18. Anaheim- KL needs answers to his pitching staff with a league low 48 Quality Starts. Hitting is strong as Lyons and both Howards have 100 Homers between them.
19. Colorado- Not an overly talented team but a talented coaching staff getting the most out of it. P Sid Fernandez having a banner year
20. Oakland- Jon has made many moves and judging by the recent play moves in the right direct. The Pitching with the addition of Dave Roberts, Frank Owen and Phil Niekro makes this team one to watch out for. Better have catchers that can throw as they A's have some burners.
21. Los Angeles- Dodgers are at the crossroads and they are competitive. Veteran Dave Parker is still a draw as he approaches 1100 Homers. Team needs pitching
22. Detroit- Tigers are still rebuilding and making progress. The Tigers bull pen has been a strength. RP Linc Boxer has been great.
23. Chicago Cubs- Cubs are being molded by Andreas to fit his style of play and it's still a work in progress. Recent hitting woes have slowed that down.
24. Chicago White Sox- Team needs better starting pitching. Ruben Gomez filled in one slot but more is needed. Team has also had problems on the road. Wait till next year.
25. Milwaukee- Brewers need bats. SP Jake Miller is 1-9 with a 3.83 ERA says it all. Team still needs a solid 5th starter.
26. San Diego- What a difference a year makes. There is a rumor that a disgruntled employee stores the bats in a big cooler. Looking at the stats it might be fact.
27. Boston- Not much activity here makes one wonder if there are rumblings for a coaching change in the near future.
28. Atlanta- Team is wheeling and dealing as this team could be moving up the charts in the near future,
Read it, enjoy or get pissed and my answer to that is what do I know?
Good gaming
The Owl
You asked for them so it's your fault. So here we go with my view of the power in the Habla.
1. Minnesota- Veterans like Tony Perez, Luke Easter are putting this team on their backs and fighting off strong challenges from Kansas City and Cleveland. Can the veterans stay healthy?
2. St. Louis- Known for their speed, pitching and defense in the past this year you can add power to that list as Hank Aaron and Turkey Stearnes are the best Combo of hitting in Habla.
3. Florida- has a team ERA of fewer than 3. They have outscored their opponents by 140 runs. Babe Ruth has been tearing the cover off the ball since an early season benching. Team leads the NL East that has 4 teams over .500
4. New York Mets- The young talent has matured and add to the mix a few veterans this team should be a force for a number of years. Great job by Mark in a tough Division
5. San Francisco- High powered Hitting lead by 1B Derek Lee is getting help from solid pitching by the starters. Pen is a question mark but it rarely comes down to the pen being a factor. This team is on cruise control and losing Berkman hurts but the Giants have depth.
6. Seattle- Pitching leads this team. All five starters have double digit wins.
A balance hitting attack gets the job done. Team concept all the way
7. Orioles- Team has been one of the surprises of the season. Injuries have been and continue to be a problem. RP Houston Street must give Tony a heart attack when enters with his .326 Oavg but finds a way to get it done as his 2.25 ERA and 20 saves prove.
8. Kansas City- Travis has this young team in the mix again. Mike Robinson wrecks havoc on the bases. Chris Duncan and Michael Coleman are knocking them in. Roger Clemens, Manny Symthe and Company are solid.
9. Philadelphia- Veterans Brooks and Frank Robinson are playing like there is no tomorrow and there might not be as their careers are winding down.
Add RP Jason Simontacchi to that list.
10. Cleveland- Team that usually stays under the radar but 3B Clete Boyer and CL Luis Viscaino are having break out seasons and have this team in the playoff race. The recent addition of SS Addie Herald could be the move needed to make it.
11. Texas- Defending Champs not the team of last year but steady improvement has this team ready to make a push to defend its title. Hack Wilson and Harmon Killebrew make this team a threat.
12. Houston- The Astros were fast out of the gate riding their pitching but were stating to fade. Sam had an answer for that by bringing in 3B Orlando Cepeda, RF Bobby Abreu and 2B Charlie Gehringer. Now is there still time to make a playoff push?
13. Montreal- The Expos are in transition. Phil Niekro and Charlie Gehringer are gone. No real stars other then RP Saito who is having an off year by his standards.
14. New York Yankees-The Yanks were down for the count after a terrible start but have taken the mandatory 8 count and now have the Orioles in their sites. P Barrios is starting to look like the pitcher of previous years while P Sparks has kept the team afloat.
15. Cincinnati- Reds are the NL version of the Yanks. Terrible start, trade winds were blowing, team ready to torn apart but out of the turmoil the Reds rally. Team is now has a .500 record but have outscored their opponents by 69 runs make this team one you don't want to play. BTW in Darts scoring 69 points is what we call a "Happy Meal."
16. Toronto- Jays bats seem to be wearing down. Not a good sign but there is still time to turn it around. RF Andre Dawson expected return from the DL could be the boost needed.
17. Pittsburgh- Pirates were not playing up to their talent and moves were made. Team in transition but playing well of late
18. Anaheim- KL needs answers to his pitching staff with a league low 48 Quality Starts. Hitting is strong as Lyons and both Howards have 100 Homers between them.
19. Colorado- Not an overly talented team but a talented coaching staff getting the most out of it. P Sid Fernandez having a banner year
20. Oakland- Jon has made many moves and judging by the recent play moves in the right direct. The Pitching with the addition of Dave Roberts, Frank Owen and Phil Niekro makes this team one to watch out for. Better have catchers that can throw as they A's have some burners.
21. Los Angeles- Dodgers are at the crossroads and they are competitive. Veteran Dave Parker is still a draw as he approaches 1100 Homers. Team needs pitching
22. Detroit- Tigers are still rebuilding and making progress. The Tigers bull pen has been a strength. RP Linc Boxer has been great.
23. Chicago Cubs- Cubs are being molded by Andreas to fit his style of play and it's still a work in progress. Recent hitting woes have slowed that down.
24. Chicago White Sox- Team needs better starting pitching. Ruben Gomez filled in one slot but more is needed. Team has also had problems on the road. Wait till next year.
25. Milwaukee- Brewers need bats. SP Jake Miller is 1-9 with a 3.83 ERA says it all. Team still needs a solid 5th starter.
26. San Diego- What a difference a year makes. There is a rumor that a disgruntled employee stores the bats in a big cooler. Looking at the stats it might be fact.
27. Boston- Not much activity here makes one wonder if there are rumblings for a coaching change in the near future.
28. Atlanta- Team is wheeling and dealing as this team could be moving up the charts in the near future,
Read it, enjoy or get pissed and my answer to that is what do I know?
Good gaming
The Owl
Saturday, January 05, 2008
A Word from the Trade Chair
Hey guys. Jeremy of St. Louis and the current trade chair has a few thoughts on trades for the new owners and a good reminder for the vets. Here we go.
Happy 2008 gentlemen! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season. Since we have some new owners with us this year in Habla, I wanted to make sure that everyone's on the same page when it comes to conducting trades.
1) Make sure that all trades are submitted using the following format; for example:
St. Louis gets:
MON #1 pick
$5 cash
Montreal gets:
P Cal Eldred (move to Active, #3 SP slot; P Blaeholdger to AAA)
The format makes it easier for me to evaluate trades quickly and efficiently, plus it helps eliminate any confusion as to a trade's particulars.
Please make sure to include the position of any players involved. Feel free to include any roster moves you need to make as well. Otherwise you need to include them in a separate email to Gary. DO NOT blame Gary when he has to makes roster cuts/moves for your team because you failed to provide them; ever since the aliens abducted him, Gary's psychic powers have gone in the toilet:). Keep in mind that the commissioner is certainly within his rights to refuse to process a trade until BOTH teams have sent in their necessary roster moves. So make sure to send in those roster/lineup moves at some point prior to the next sim.
2) Once both owners have agreed to a trade, it's time for one of them to write it up and submit it. You only need to send it to 2 people: myself and your trade partner. You may certainly email Gary and Nick at this point too, but I've always viewed that as just a great way to clog their Inboxes with needless email messages.
Once I've received a trade submission, the next step is for the trade partner to send in his agreement to the trade details, i.e. his confirmation. Again, you need only send it to your trade partner and myself. Usually an email reply to the original write-up works best, something along the lines of "St. Louis agrees to this trade".
3) Once I've received confirmation from both owners, I will then look it over. Assuming it's approved, I will then notify both of the owners, as well as Gary (who processes it) and Nick (who handles the $ end of things). Only upon the sending of my approval does a trade become binding. If I didn't send an approval, then the trade didn't/shouldn't/hasn't happened.
4) The last step is to announce the trade to the rest of the league. Simply put, this lets owners know. Afterall, it's only sporting of you to allow your fellow owners the opportunity to take your most recent blockbuster trade into account when implementing their master plan for league domination:).
Failure to announce a processed trade within 1 or 2 sims will result in a verbal reminder from me, assuming I catch it. Repeat offenders will seriously begin to mess with my Chi.
DO NOT be a Premature Ejac-Announcer! Please wait for approval before announcing to the league.
Although it's not necessary for both teams to make the announcement, it's encouraged. Especially if it's accompanied by a write-up or update from your team.
That's the process. A big part of being trade chair is to make sure that the newer owners are being protected and aren't getting "hosed" on deals. So be nice to the new guys! The more talent involved in a deal, the more consideration I tend to give to a potential trade. The longer you've been an owner in this league also means that I give you greater leeway when it comes to making trades. When a deal involves two veteran owners, that's usually good enough for me. Not only do I feel you've earned my trust, but I'm disinclined to second-guess someone who's proven to me over the years that they know what they're doing.
Generally I'm LOATHE to meddle, tweak, or nix deals. I will only do so if I think a trade is seriously broken. I'm a believer in free markets, so naturally I want teams to announce their trade intentions as often and as clearly as possible. How many times have you seen a deal come across the league email where you said, "Shoot. If I had known Player X could've been had so cheaply, I would've made an offer"? If I have misgivings about a trade involving Player X, the very first thing I do is make sure that the rest of the league knew that Player X was available in the first place. Assuming that's the case, Habla then becomes as close to a theoretical free market as we could hope for; it gives everyone an equal chance to compete for Player X's services. Ideally, every season the market value for tradeable assets (picks, players, ca sh) is what the league's 28 owners determine them to be. And believe me, market values change from season to season. For example, how hard is it this year to pick up good starting pitching? Compared to last year, I would say much easier. From what I've seen so far in the 2033 season, there are plenty of good starting pitchers who've been made available for trade. However will that pitching glut hold true for next season? Unlikely from my experience.
Suffice it to say that I view any intervention in a trade as something best employed judiciously.
I always ask the same basic question when looking over a trade; "Can you make a reasonable case that both teams are better for having made this deal?" Now admittedly that sometimes means me having to look at a deal from some very different perspectives, but for every deal I've approved, it means I was able to convince myself in some fashion that both teams were better as a result.
By far the easiest role for the trade chair to play, although arguably the most important one, is to serve as the final arbiter of agreement between trading partners. Imagine, without a trade chair you could simply announce to the league that you've traded your struggling backup 2B for Robbie Alomar. Talk about a recipe for confusion and endless flaming emails! Chaos! Anarchy! Thus this vast Habla bureaucracy. . .
So that hopefully offers some insight into how I view the function of the trade chair. However in my view it is NOT the trade chair's job to help insure that you get the best deal possible. Would I like you to? Absolutely. Even though I might think that you could get more cash or a higher draft pick out of a deal (or even a better deal elsewhere), it's not the trade chair's place to tell you so. The trade chair's job is to help facilitate trade between teams, not to nitpick, critique, or otherwise complicate the process.
If you're interested in getting the most out of a deal, I would encourage you to solicit some feedback from your fellow owners. Especially when you've got a big deal on the table. Would they pay that much? Is it a fair trade-off? Is he inflating P Eldred's value? Stuff like that. If you're new and don't "know" a lot of the Habla owners, feel free to ask any of the eboard members. All are knowledgeable guys who would be more than willing to answer questions and offer their opinions if asked. They're a great resource; use them!
Lastly, if ATL winds up owning 15 of the top 28 selections in this year's draft like they did last year, don't look at me; we're all consenting adults. Go Casey! Lol.
Thanks for the time gentlemen. Enjoy the new year.
Jeremy
Happy 2008 gentlemen! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season. Since we have some new owners with us this year in Habla, I wanted to make sure that everyone's on the same page when it comes to conducting trades.
1) Make sure that all trades are submitted using the following format; for example:
St. Louis gets:
MON #1 pick
$5 cash
Montreal gets:
P Cal Eldred (move to Active, #3 SP slot; P Blaeholdger to AAA)
The format makes it easier for me to evaluate trades quickly and efficiently, plus it helps eliminate any confusion as to a trade's particulars.
Please make sure to include the position of any players involved. Feel free to include any roster moves you need to make as well. Otherwise you need to include them in a separate email to Gary. DO NOT blame Gary when he has to makes roster cuts/moves for your team because you failed to provide them; ever since the aliens abducted him, Gary's psychic powers have gone in the toilet:). Keep in mind that the commissioner is certainly within his rights to refuse to process a trade until BOTH teams have sent in their necessary roster moves. So make sure to send in those roster/lineup moves at some point prior to the next sim.
2) Once both owners have agreed to a trade, it's time for one of them to write it up and submit it. You only need to send it to 2 people: myself and your trade partner. You may certainly email Gary and Nick at this point too, but I've always viewed that as just a great way to clog their Inboxes with needless email messages.
Once I've received a trade submission, the next step is for the trade partner to send in his agreement to the trade details, i.e. his confirmation. Again, you need only send it to your trade partner and myself. Usually an email reply to the original write-up works best, something along the lines of "St. Louis agrees to this trade".
3) Once I've received confirmation from both owners, I will then look it over. Assuming it's approved, I will then notify both of the owners, as well as Gary (who processes it) and Nick (who handles the $ end of things). Only upon the sending of my approval does a trade become binding. If I didn't send an approval, then the trade didn't/shouldn't/hasn't happened.
4) The last step is to announce the trade to the rest of the league. Simply put, this lets owners know. Afterall, it's only sporting of you to allow your fellow owners the opportunity to take your most recent blockbuster trade into account when implementing their master plan for league domination:).
Failure to announce a processed trade within 1 or 2 sims will result in a verbal reminder from me, assuming I catch it. Repeat offenders will seriously begin to mess with my Chi.
DO NOT be a Premature Ejac-Announcer! Please wait for approval before announcing to the league.
Although it's not necessary for both teams to make the announcement, it's encouraged. Especially if it's accompanied by a write-up or update from your team.
That's the process. A big part of being trade chair is to make sure that the newer owners are being protected and aren't getting "hosed" on deals. So be nice to the new guys! The more talent involved in a deal, the more consideration I tend to give to a potential trade. The longer you've been an owner in this league also means that I give you greater leeway when it comes to making trades. When a deal involves two veteran owners, that's usually good enough for me. Not only do I feel you've earned my trust, but I'm disinclined to second-guess someone who's proven to me over the years that they know what they're doing.
Generally I'm LOATHE to meddle, tweak, or nix deals. I will only do so if I think a trade is seriously broken. I'm a believer in free markets, so naturally I want teams to announce their trade intentions as often and as clearly as possible. How many times have you seen a deal come across the league email where you said, "Shoot. If I had known Player X could've been had so cheaply, I would've made an offer"? If I have misgivings about a trade involving Player X, the very first thing I do is make sure that the rest of the league knew that Player X was available in the first place. Assuming that's the case, Habla then becomes as close to a theoretical free market as we could hope for; it gives everyone an equal chance to compete for Player X's services. Ideally, every season the market value for tradeable assets (picks, players, ca sh) is what the league's 28 owners determine them to be. And believe me, market values change from season to season. For example, how hard is it this year to pick up good starting pitching? Compared to last year, I would say much easier. From what I've seen so far in the 2033 season, there are plenty of good starting pitchers who've been made available for trade. However will that pitching glut hold true for next season? Unlikely from my experience.
Suffice it to say that I view any intervention in a trade as something best employed judiciously.
I always ask the same basic question when looking over a trade; "Can you make a reasonable case that both teams are better for having made this deal?" Now admittedly that sometimes means me having to look at a deal from some very different perspectives, but for every deal I've approved, it means I was able to convince myself in some fashion that both teams were better as a result.
By far the easiest role for the trade chair to play, although arguably the most important one, is to serve as the final arbiter of agreement between trading partners. Imagine, without a trade chair you could simply announce to the league that you've traded your struggling backup 2B for Robbie Alomar. Talk about a recipe for confusion and endless flaming emails! Chaos! Anarchy! Thus this vast Habla bureaucracy. . .
So that hopefully offers some insight into how I view the function of the trade chair. However in my view it is NOT the trade chair's job to help insure that you get the best deal possible. Would I like you to? Absolutely. Even though I might think that you could get more cash or a higher draft pick out of a deal (or even a better deal elsewhere), it's not the trade chair's place to tell you so. The trade chair's job is to help facilitate trade between teams, not to nitpick, critique, or otherwise complicate the process.
If you're interested in getting the most out of a deal, I would encourage you to solicit some feedback from your fellow owners. Especially when you've got a big deal on the table. Would they pay that much? Is it a fair trade-off? Is he inflating P Eldred's value? Stuff like that. If you're new and don't "know" a lot of the Habla owners, feel free to ask any of the eboard members. All are knowledgeable guys who would be more than willing to answer questions and offer their opinions if asked. They're a great resource; use them!
Lastly, if ATL winds up owning 15 of the top 28 selections in this year's draft like they did last year, don't look at me; we're all consenting adults. Go Casey! Lol.
Thanks for the time gentlemen. Enjoy the new year.
Jeremy
Monday, November 26, 2007
2032 Draft Grades
Steve (PGH) and I thought it would be fin to hand out draft grades again. These are our opinion, and certainly are subjective to an extent, so don;t take them too seriously. Also, the grades are only partially based on talent that you got, and they look more at what you did with what you have. Here you go.
Boston A+
1B Sadahura Oh
CF Josh Hamilton
Getting an absolute stud at 5 is huge, maybe the best 5th pick ever. In addition, nabbing Hamilton in round 2 makes Bostons draft a profitable one.
Atlanta A
1B Prince Fielder
P Felix Hernandez
SS Hanley Ramirez
CF Grady Sizemore
P Gil Meche
2B Ian Kinsler
RP Chad Cordero
RP Brian Wolfe
Since we were able to script the first 7 picks of the draft, 4 of which belonged to Atlanta, it is no surprise that we are grading this team high. One of if not the best draft in memory by a single team, Casey is building a powerhouse. The high point was getting 2B kinsler in the 2nd round, a great talent to fall that low. The low point was taking Meche, a 23 year old pitcher when he already has great starters. Zumaya would have been a better pick here. But, that is minor in this great draft.
Pittsburgh A
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
3B Alex Gordon
CF Hunter Pence
P Micah Figgs
Salty is a great pickup. The number of stud catchers is on the rise, but being one of the 4 or 5 teams that have one is a huge plus, which is why this pick was so huge. Gordon, too was an amazing pickup so late, as was Pence. When currently good teams get high draft picks and draft well, look out.
Kansas City A
Traded #1 for CF Mike Robinson
P Freddy Mendoza
SS Stephen Drew
RF Puddles Sheldon
The trade of his #1 for Mike Robinson met a huge need foe the Royals, giving the a CH/SP guy who can come in and score runs right away. In addition, his other 3 picks were all smart, bringing in very good starting pitching, and filling a hole at short.
Florida A-
3B Garret Atkins
With only one pick, and the league making it for him, it is hard to grade this well. Although, getting Atkins this late is a great pickup.
HoustonA-
LF Matt Holiday
RP Matt Lindstrom
SS Steve May
Holliday was one of the top outfielders in the draft and one of the top pure hitters as well. Lindstrom was a very nice pickup in round 2 as well.
Colorado A-
P Francisco Liriano
RP Joel Zumaya
P Spencer Kriegel
C Jack Behrman
Colorado, in the GM's first draft was able to emerge with the top Starting Pitcher and the top Reliever in the pool. Kriegal was also a fine pickup, but Behrman was a reach.
Texas A-
RF Delmon Young (Draft day trade)
2B Kelly Johnson
Trading to get Delmon Young at the time of the pick continues to make a great team younger. Johnson also provides a protege since Biggio is aging.
San Diego A-
P Danny Kingston
P Mac Thomas
P Bert Dilly
SD was making calls and pulling strings to make things happen, and we like to see that. Mike was able to trade for the pick to get P Bert Dilly, a huge risk, but a guy with huge upside. We would all do better to take more chances like this.
Toronto B+
P Tim Lincecum
C Big Bear Andrews
P Kason Goddard
P Jim Tweedles
Lincecum was a good pick, further building that rotation. Andrews was okay: nothing special but at an important position.
Anaheim B+
RF Nick Markakis
P Samuel Gereson
P Casey Jannsen
SS Jimmy Anderson
Markakis is a great pickup and will add will help round out a potentially very good offense. Gereson certainly has upside and Jannsen is a good pickup for the 3rd round.
Milwakee B+
P Scott Kazmir
P Eduardo Lodermo
P Eric Bauer
Kazmir was one of the top pitchers and will do very well in Milwakee. Lodermo is very solid for a 2nd rounder.
Oakland B
C Brian McCann
P Matt Garza
C Kenji Jahima
1B Ryan Garcon
RF Franklin Gutierez
Los Angeles B
P Fausto Carmona
P Mike Palmer
New York Mets B
Traded #1 for CF Tris Speaker
SS Travis Ykema
1B Eric Bittner
P Brandon Morrow
P Joakim Soria
Speaker is a huge gain, and the two pitchers are both great picks. Ykema may have been high and Bittner is a gamble.
Saint Louis B
C Bobby Wilson
LF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Placido Polanco
CF Jesus Sindari
3B Freddy Sanchez
P Mel Napier
A lot of picks really helped out STL in this draft. Wilson and Sanchez were both pretty good picks. There were no bad picks in STL's draft, but it would be easy to make the case for slightly different choices.
San Francisco B
P Andy Virmin
A cheap 3rd rounder will fill a roster slot in LOW for awhile, if nothing else.
New York YankeesB-
RP Chad Cordero (clone)
RP Justin Hampson
2B Frank Sundin
P Camilla Rodriguez
Cordero is good, and Hampson is okay, but there is nothing special about the Sundin or Rodriguez picks.
Cleveland B-
P Ricardo Torrez
May be able to eat up some innings in relief.
Cincinnati B-
P Brett Conlon
Low control and average pitches make Conlon a career AAA player, but not much was left this late.
Detroit B-
RP Bobby Jenks
Jenks is certainly a very good reliever, but there were probably better players on the board.
Seattle B+
Traded #1 to NYN for 4 players
2B Cooper Greer
They traded their #1 for 4 players, and while it was partly because of cast and roster spots, they could have gotten a very good player with that pick.
Philadelphia C-
P Doud Slaten
Made a fine pick. Too bad they didn't have more in a draft like this.
Baltimore C-
Traded #2 pick for SS Royce Clayton
There was a player very similar to Clayton taken 17 pick after this one. If they would have kept it, they could have gotten a very good player.
Chicago White Sox D
P Raphael Perez
RF Jack Cust
P Nick Remlinger
CF Jay Backus
We had Perez ranked as the 7th best reliever, and he was the first one taken. Players like Cust are a dime a dozen and Remlinger, too, won't win any awards.
Boston A+
1B Sadahura Oh
CF Josh Hamilton
Getting an absolute stud at 5 is huge, maybe the best 5th pick ever. In addition, nabbing Hamilton in round 2 makes Bostons draft a profitable one.
Atlanta A
1B Prince Fielder
P Felix Hernandez
SS Hanley Ramirez
CF Grady Sizemore
P Gil Meche
2B Ian Kinsler
RP Chad Cordero
RP Brian Wolfe
Since we were able to script the first 7 picks of the draft, 4 of which belonged to Atlanta, it is no surprise that we are grading this team high. One of if not the best draft in memory by a single team, Casey is building a powerhouse. The high point was getting 2B kinsler in the 2nd round, a great talent to fall that low. The low point was taking Meche, a 23 year old pitcher when he already has great starters. Zumaya would have been a better pick here. But, that is minor in this great draft.
Pittsburgh A
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
3B Alex Gordon
CF Hunter Pence
P Micah Figgs
Salty is a great pickup. The number of stud catchers is on the rise, but being one of the 4 or 5 teams that have one is a huge plus, which is why this pick was so huge. Gordon, too was an amazing pickup so late, as was Pence. When currently good teams get high draft picks and draft well, look out.
Kansas City A
Traded #1 for CF Mike Robinson
P Freddy Mendoza
SS Stephen Drew
RF Puddles Sheldon
The trade of his #1 for Mike Robinson met a huge need foe the Royals, giving the a CH/SP guy who can come in and score runs right away. In addition, his other 3 picks were all smart, bringing in very good starting pitching, and filling a hole at short.
Florida A-
3B Garret Atkins
With only one pick, and the league making it for him, it is hard to grade this well. Although, getting Atkins this late is a great pickup.
HoustonA-
LF Matt Holiday
RP Matt Lindstrom
SS Steve May
Holliday was one of the top outfielders in the draft and one of the top pure hitters as well. Lindstrom was a very nice pickup in round 2 as well.
Colorado A-
P Francisco Liriano
RP Joel Zumaya
P Spencer Kriegel
C Jack Behrman
Colorado, in the GM's first draft was able to emerge with the top Starting Pitcher and the top Reliever in the pool. Kriegal was also a fine pickup, but Behrman was a reach.
Texas A-
RF Delmon Young (Draft day trade)
2B Kelly Johnson
Trading to get Delmon Young at the time of the pick continues to make a great team younger. Johnson also provides a protege since Biggio is aging.
San Diego A-
P Danny Kingston
P Mac Thomas
P Bert Dilly
SD was making calls and pulling strings to make things happen, and we like to see that. Mike was able to trade for the pick to get P Bert Dilly, a huge risk, but a guy with huge upside. We would all do better to take more chances like this.
Toronto B+
P Tim Lincecum
C Big Bear Andrews
P Kason Goddard
P Jim Tweedles
Lincecum was a good pick, further building that rotation. Andrews was okay: nothing special but at an important position.
Anaheim B+
RF Nick Markakis
P Samuel Gereson
P Casey Jannsen
SS Jimmy Anderson
Markakis is a great pickup and will add will help round out a potentially very good offense. Gereson certainly has upside and Jannsen is a good pickup for the 3rd round.
Milwakee B+
P Scott Kazmir
P Eduardo Lodermo
P Eric Bauer
Kazmir was one of the top pitchers and will do very well in Milwakee. Lodermo is very solid for a 2nd rounder.
Oakland B
C Brian McCann
P Matt Garza
C Kenji Jahima
1B Ryan Garcon
RF Franklin Gutierez
Los Angeles B
P Fausto Carmona
P Mike Palmer
New York Mets B
Traded #1 for CF Tris Speaker
SS Travis Ykema
1B Eric Bittner
P Brandon Morrow
P Joakim Soria
Speaker is a huge gain, and the two pitchers are both great picks. Ykema may have been high and Bittner is a gamble.
Saint Louis B
C Bobby Wilson
LF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Placido Polanco
CF Jesus Sindari
3B Freddy Sanchez
P Mel Napier
A lot of picks really helped out STL in this draft. Wilson and Sanchez were both pretty good picks. There were no bad picks in STL's draft, but it would be easy to make the case for slightly different choices.
San Francisco B
P Andy Virmin
A cheap 3rd rounder will fill a roster slot in LOW for awhile, if nothing else.
New York YankeesB-
RP Chad Cordero (clone)
RP Justin Hampson
2B Frank Sundin
P Camilla Rodriguez
Cordero is good, and Hampson is okay, but there is nothing special about the Sundin or Rodriguez picks.
Cleveland B-
P Ricardo Torrez
May be able to eat up some innings in relief.
Cincinnati B-
P Brett Conlon
Low control and average pitches make Conlon a career AAA player, but not much was left this late.
Detroit B-
RP Bobby Jenks
Jenks is certainly a very good reliever, but there were probably better players on the board.
Seattle B+
Traded #1 to NYN for 4 players
2B Cooper Greer
They traded their #1 for 4 players, and while it was partly because of cast and roster spots, they could have gotten a very good player with that pick.
Philadelphia C-
P Doud Slaten
Made a fine pick. Too bad they didn't have more in a draft like this.
Baltimore C-
Traded #2 pick for SS Royce Clayton
There was a player very similar to Clayton taken 17 pick after this one. If they would have kept it, they could have gotten a very good player.
Chicago White Sox D
P Raphael Perez
RF Jack Cust
P Nick Remlinger
CF Jay Backus
We had Perez ranked as the 7th best reliever, and he was the first one taken. Players like Cust are a dime a dozen and Remlinger, too, won't win any awards.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
2032 Mock Draft
After a record setting break in the league, we are finally up to looking seriously at the Ammy Draft. For the second year in a row, Sheffy and I will be doing a mock draft, sharing what we think are the wise and likely picks. We generated the Draft Order based on all we knew at the time. We hope you enjoy and feel free to comment. Here we go!
1. ATL: Nick- 1B Prince Fielder. Atlanta is apparently a hangout for young studs, and the best player in the draft will fit right in.
Steve- P Francisco Liriano. Well, I already botched this one up. However, I thought the Braves might take the best pitcher in the draft knowing they could get one of the first baseman with the 3rd pick.
2. COL: Nick- P Francisco Liriano. When rebuilding, like the Rockies will be doing, it helps to have an ace to build the staff around. Liriano is the best hurler in the pool.
Steve- 1B Prince Fielder. Colorado has holes all over the place, so they will take the best player in the draft and begin to build an offense.
3. ATL (CHN): Nick- P Felix Hernandez. Adding a 4th stud starting pitcher to the club, the Braves snatch up Hernandez. Watch out for the Braves in 5 or 6 years.
Steve- 1B Sadahura Oh. Here is where I expected Atlanta to get their first baseman. Oh looks to be somewhat similar to Lou Gehrig.
4. ATL (KC): Nick- SS Hanley Ramirez. Let me say what is on everyone's mind...yes it is rediculous that the Braves have this many high pick 2 years in a row with such great draft pools. That being said, they will take the SS that will quickly become the best in the league.
Steve- SS Hanley Ramirez. Another pick for the Braves. Here they take a guy who will be the best middle infielder in the league.
5. BOS: Nick- 1B Sadahura Oh. Oh is a steal at 5, and provides a feared bat in the middle of the Sox lineup for a long time.
Steve- P Felix Hernandez. Boston’s pitching has really fallen apart since their trip to the World Series 3 years ago. It’s time to get an ace.
6. ATL (DET): Nick- CF Grady Sizemore. With their 4th pcik in the top 6 (excuse me while I vomit), the Braves take Sizemore to fill a very important position on the field, giving them young studs at 6 offensive positions and 4 stud pitchers.
Steve- CF Grady Sizemore. This is ridiculous. With their 4th pick in the top 6, Atlanta adds another prize bat.
7. OAK: Nick- C Brain McCann. Hard to pass up a top 5 catcher like this whn he is on the board at 7.
Steve- C Brian McCann. Oakland still has some of the pieces in place to turn things around. McCann gives them some hope of reestablishing a potent lineup.
8. PGH (BAL): Nick- 3B Garret Atkins. Can play first base, which the Pirates need, and though 3B Gordon has much better speed, Atkins is ready to play now, which is also what the Pirates need.
Steve- 2B Dib Williams. At 37, he’ll provide a lot of veteran leadership. Club is hoping he can be a player coach (did you really thing I’d give away who I want).
9. HOU: Nick- 3B Alex Gordon. He won't be ready for awhile, but he is a great hitter and defender. Can you believe a guy like this could fall to 9?
Steve- 3B Alex Gordon. Gordon still has a lot of growing to do, but he has tremendous potential and the Astros have lots of time.
10. MIL: Nick- RF Delmon Young. Gives the Brewers a very solid bat to help them manufacture runs in a tough division.
Steve- C Jarrod Saltamacchia . His bat behind Greenberg’s would make the middle of the Brew Crew’s lineup much more dangerous.
11. LA: Nick- P Scott Kazmir. Some would say the Dodgers have not had a really good pitcher since Billy Chapel, so Kazmir will help them in that category.
Steve- P Scott Kazmir. The Dodgers have been without a true ace since Billy Chapel retired.
12. NYN: Nick- C Jarrod Saltamacchia. A great cathcer is always a good pick, particularly this late.
Steve- SS Travis Ykema. The Mets are really a team without much for holes. Ykema would improve on one of their weaker spots.
13. NYN (CLE): Nick- P Tim Lincecum. Another arm to help solidify a talented, but chaky rotation.
Steve- C Bobby Wilson. Wilson allows the Mets to improve in one of the few spots they can at this point.
14. ANA: Nick- CF Hunter Pence. The 2nd really good CF in this draft will add even more pop to the Angels lineup.
Steve- 3B Gerret Atkins. Teamed with the Howard brothers and Slater, this Angels offense will soon be very good.
15. CHA: Nick- LF Matt Holiday. The Sox are right there in a tough division, so Holiday could get them over the hump.
Steve- P Tim Lincecum. The White Sox have never had trouble scoring runs. What they’ve needed is consistent pitching. They should get that here.
16. TOR: Nick- RF Nick Markakis. The last of the elite outfielders in the pool, Toronto can certainly add a nice player at this spot.
Steve- LF Matt Holiday. How is a bat like this still around. Toronto will go crazy if this happens. Finally, a big time bat to go with what has become a strong pitching staff.
17. ATL (TEX): Nick- 2B Ian Kinsler. The Braves add another piece to a scary puzzle.
Steve- 2B Ian Kinsler. Atlanta fills another hole with a great player.
18. FLA: Nick- C Bobby Wilson. Florida already has a lot, but the smart pick here is to add the 3rd good catcher in the draft.
Steve- P Fausto Carmona. The Marlins don’t really need anything so they’ll just take the best pitcher on the board.
19. KC (CIN): Nick- SS Travis Ykema. The second best SS in the draft is nothing to cry about at this point. Very good value.
Steve- RF Delmon Young. Another team ecstatic that a bat of this talent may fall to them. He should be a perfect compliment to Graves and Duncan.
20. STL: Nick- P Fausto Carmona. Another good arm in a pitchers park will help them fight for the NL Central crown.
Steve- P Gil Meche. Here’s another team without much for holes. Meche looks to be the best pitcher available.
21. SEA: Nick- P Gil Meche
Steve- 2B Kelly Johnson
22. PHI: Nick- RP Joel Zumaya
Steve- P John Maine
23. SF: Nick- RP Joakim Soria
Steve- RP Joel Zumaya
24. PGH (SD): Nick- RP Bobby Jenks
Steve- RF Nick Markakis
25. KC (PGH): Nick- RP Chad Cordero
Steve- SS Stephen Drew
26. MIN: Nick- CF Josh Hamilton
Steve- CF Hunter Pence
27. DET (MON): Nick- P John Maine
Steve- P Freddy Mendoza
28. NYA: Nick- P Freddy Mendoza
Steve- RP Joakim Soria
1. ATL: Nick- 1B Prince Fielder. Atlanta is apparently a hangout for young studs, and the best player in the draft will fit right in.
Steve- P Francisco Liriano. Well, I already botched this one up. However, I thought the Braves might take the best pitcher in the draft knowing they could get one of the first baseman with the 3rd pick.
2. COL: Nick- P Francisco Liriano. When rebuilding, like the Rockies will be doing, it helps to have an ace to build the staff around. Liriano is the best hurler in the pool.
Steve- 1B Prince Fielder. Colorado has holes all over the place, so they will take the best player in the draft and begin to build an offense.
3. ATL (CHN): Nick- P Felix Hernandez. Adding a 4th stud starting pitcher to the club, the Braves snatch up Hernandez. Watch out for the Braves in 5 or 6 years.
Steve- 1B Sadahura Oh. Here is where I expected Atlanta to get their first baseman. Oh looks to be somewhat similar to Lou Gehrig.
4. ATL (KC): Nick- SS Hanley Ramirez. Let me say what is on everyone's mind...yes it is rediculous that the Braves have this many high pick 2 years in a row with such great draft pools. That being said, they will take the SS that will quickly become the best in the league.
Steve- SS Hanley Ramirez. Another pick for the Braves. Here they take a guy who will be the best middle infielder in the league.
5. BOS: Nick- 1B Sadahura Oh. Oh is a steal at 5, and provides a feared bat in the middle of the Sox lineup for a long time.
Steve- P Felix Hernandez. Boston’s pitching has really fallen apart since their trip to the World Series 3 years ago. It’s time to get an ace.
6. ATL (DET): Nick- CF Grady Sizemore. With their 4th pcik in the top 6 (excuse me while I vomit), the Braves take Sizemore to fill a very important position on the field, giving them young studs at 6 offensive positions and 4 stud pitchers.
Steve- CF Grady Sizemore. This is ridiculous. With their 4th pick in the top 6, Atlanta adds another prize bat.
7. OAK: Nick- C Brain McCann. Hard to pass up a top 5 catcher like this whn he is on the board at 7.
Steve- C Brian McCann. Oakland still has some of the pieces in place to turn things around. McCann gives them some hope of reestablishing a potent lineup.
8. PGH (BAL): Nick- 3B Garret Atkins. Can play first base, which the Pirates need, and though 3B Gordon has much better speed, Atkins is ready to play now, which is also what the Pirates need.
Steve- 2B Dib Williams. At 37, he’ll provide a lot of veteran leadership. Club is hoping he can be a player coach (did you really thing I’d give away who I want).
9. HOU: Nick- 3B Alex Gordon. He won't be ready for awhile, but he is a great hitter and defender. Can you believe a guy like this could fall to 9?
Steve- 3B Alex Gordon. Gordon still has a lot of growing to do, but he has tremendous potential and the Astros have lots of time.
10. MIL: Nick- RF Delmon Young. Gives the Brewers a very solid bat to help them manufacture runs in a tough division.
Steve- C Jarrod Saltamacchia . His bat behind Greenberg’s would make the middle of the Brew Crew’s lineup much more dangerous.
11. LA: Nick- P Scott Kazmir. Some would say the Dodgers have not had a really good pitcher since Billy Chapel, so Kazmir will help them in that category.
Steve- P Scott Kazmir. The Dodgers have been without a true ace since Billy Chapel retired.
12. NYN: Nick- C Jarrod Saltamacchia. A great cathcer is always a good pick, particularly this late.
Steve- SS Travis Ykema. The Mets are really a team without much for holes. Ykema would improve on one of their weaker spots.
13. NYN (CLE): Nick- P Tim Lincecum. Another arm to help solidify a talented, but chaky rotation.
Steve- C Bobby Wilson. Wilson allows the Mets to improve in one of the few spots they can at this point.
14. ANA: Nick- CF Hunter Pence. The 2nd really good CF in this draft will add even more pop to the Angels lineup.
Steve- 3B Gerret Atkins. Teamed with the Howard brothers and Slater, this Angels offense will soon be very good.
15. CHA: Nick- LF Matt Holiday. The Sox are right there in a tough division, so Holiday could get them over the hump.
Steve- P Tim Lincecum. The White Sox have never had trouble scoring runs. What they’ve needed is consistent pitching. They should get that here.
16. TOR: Nick- RF Nick Markakis. The last of the elite outfielders in the pool, Toronto can certainly add a nice player at this spot.
Steve- LF Matt Holiday. How is a bat like this still around. Toronto will go crazy if this happens. Finally, a big time bat to go with what has become a strong pitching staff.
17. ATL (TEX): Nick- 2B Ian Kinsler. The Braves add another piece to a scary puzzle.
Steve- 2B Ian Kinsler. Atlanta fills another hole with a great player.
18. FLA: Nick- C Bobby Wilson. Florida already has a lot, but the smart pick here is to add the 3rd good catcher in the draft.
Steve- P Fausto Carmona. The Marlins don’t really need anything so they’ll just take the best pitcher on the board.
19. KC (CIN): Nick- SS Travis Ykema. The second best SS in the draft is nothing to cry about at this point. Very good value.
Steve- RF Delmon Young. Another team ecstatic that a bat of this talent may fall to them. He should be a perfect compliment to Graves and Duncan.
20. STL: Nick- P Fausto Carmona. Another good arm in a pitchers park will help them fight for the NL Central crown.
Steve- P Gil Meche. Here’s another team without much for holes. Meche looks to be the best pitcher available.
21. SEA: Nick- P Gil Meche
Steve- 2B Kelly Johnson
22. PHI: Nick- RP Joel Zumaya
Steve- P John Maine
23. SF: Nick- RP Joakim Soria
Steve- RP Joel Zumaya
24. PGH (SD): Nick- RP Bobby Jenks
Steve- RF Nick Markakis
25. KC (PGH): Nick- RP Chad Cordero
Steve- SS Stephen Drew
26. MIN: Nick- CF Josh Hamilton
Steve- CF Hunter Pence
27. DET (MON): Nick- P John Maine
Steve- P Freddy Mendoza
28. NYA: Nick- P Freddy Mendoza
Steve- RP Joakim Soria
Thursday, September 27, 2007
End of Season Award Winners!!!
The votes have been cast, the ballots are in, and the points have been tallied. Here are your 2032 Award Winners.
NL MVP
Parker 70
Melton 65
Walker 34
Lee 13
Blaylock 9
Cepeda 8
Berkman 4
Floyd 4
AL MVP
Snyder 72
Larkin 50
Jackson 38
Morgan 11
Killabrew 11
Prez 8
Easter 5
Olerud 4
Lee 3
Gehrig 3
Martinez 2
NL Cy Young
Joss 53
Livingston 37
Roe 33
Blaeholder 27
Brubaker 21
Willow 20
Hershiser 8
Cox 6
Blank 1
Niekro 1
AL Cy Young
Barrios 73
Rau 66
Blackwell 24
Cone 18
Smiley 12
Belcher 6
Goldsmith 6
Halliday 2
NL Rookie of the Year
Lette 101
Zimmerman 54
Solaris 34
Odell 6
Carrol 5
Bradley 4
Clarke 3
AL Rookie of the Year
Verlander 96
Graves 50
Kramer 30
Beck 14
Lando 10
Anderson 7
NL Fireman
Saito 70
Stone 35
Barnhardt 24
Solaris 23
Holloway 21
Face 11
Takatsu 8
Wright 8
Otsuka 4
Amonte 3
AL Fireman
Sherry 44
Pappas 40
Kellaher 39
Gagne 37
Tyler 12
Street 10
Stock 10
Lasher 8
Charlton 2
GM of the Year
Nick 61
Mike 52
Scott 35
Expos 17
Jason 11
Arvin 7
Casey 5
Sheffy 4
Luke 2
Thanks for voting guys, and for another great season.
NL MVP
Parker 70
Melton 65
Walker 34
Lee 13
Blaylock 9
Cepeda 8
Berkman 4
Floyd 4
AL MVP
Snyder 72
Larkin 50
Jackson 38
Morgan 11
Killabrew 11
Prez 8
Easter 5
Olerud 4
Lee 3
Gehrig 3
Martinez 2
NL Cy Young
Joss 53
Livingston 37
Roe 33
Blaeholder 27
Brubaker 21
Willow 20
Hershiser 8
Cox 6
Blank 1
Niekro 1
AL Cy Young
Barrios 73
Rau 66
Blackwell 24
Cone 18
Smiley 12
Belcher 6
Goldsmith 6
Halliday 2
NL Rookie of the Year
Lette 101
Zimmerman 54
Solaris 34
Odell 6
Carrol 5
Bradley 4
Clarke 3
AL Rookie of the Year
Verlander 96
Graves 50
Kramer 30
Beck 14
Lando 10
Anderson 7
NL Fireman
Saito 70
Stone 35
Barnhardt 24
Solaris 23
Holloway 21
Face 11
Takatsu 8
Wright 8
Otsuka 4
Amonte 3
AL Fireman
Sherry 44
Pappas 40
Kellaher 39
Gagne 37
Tyler 12
Street 10
Stock 10
Lasher 8
Charlton 2
GM of the Year
Nick 61
Mike 52
Scott 35
Expos 17
Jason 11
Arvin 7
Casey 5
Sheffy 4
Luke 2
Thanks for voting guys, and for another great season.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
An Interview with the Champs: Texas Rangers
Sheffy here, conducting the 2nd annual post World Series interview with the GM who won it. We have the GM answer the same five questions to get to know some GM's better. We started last year with Gary of the Expos, and this year we are interviewing Nick from the Rangers who has just won his third World Series championship in Habla.
1. How does it feel to have won the Habla World Series?
It feels very good. Each World Series win has been different, from the young, emerging team in 2024, to the juggernaught in 2026. This one was more of the underachieving team getting it done when it counts.
2. Did your team surprise you this year?
Yeah, to be honest I thought they would be better. We have averaged 102 wins in this dynasty run, so 94 is a bit lower. Our hitting and pitching were both down, for whatever reason. But, I'd gladly take a regular season like this again if it ends with another ring.
3. What is the one move you made that help you become an elite team in this league?
Gosh, there are so many. The first was probably drafting Jake Peavy at a time when I thought my pitching was set (man was I naive). That originally put me in the hunt. Trading up to get Tris Speaker was huge, as was deciding to take a chance on Doug Rau 1st overall. The trade for Hank Aaron. The trade for Lou Gehrig. I think it would be a toss up between the Rau decision and getting Gehrig, because Rau is my best pitcher and Gehrig my best hitter.
4. What is the secret to winning a Habla World Series?
Honestly, after the amazing teams I have built that have fizzled in the first round of the playoffs, and also winning World Series' with 92 and 94 win teams, I have given up on caring about the regular season. My goal has changed to simply get to the playoffs, where you have a 1 in 8 chance. I think it almost all luck. A case in point is this years Yankees, who set the wins record at 122 and then lost in the first round. Sure they had a huge injury, but they were not a first round exit team. This new goal has changed my philosophy, though. I used to relish having 5 great pitchers. I'm not sure you need that anymore. If you can have an ace, 2 really good pitchers, and 2 serviceable guys who can help get you to the playoffs, then you can set your front three up in a playoff series. It still helps to have 4 or 5 in case you have an injury, but I traded away a great pitcher in Preacher Roe for Terrence Lee to make my lineup better because that fit this new philosophy better. It was a gamble, but it paid off.
5. Is there anything you would like the league to know about you as a person?
Ummm...well I guess I would say that I have a huge heart for justice issues; things like poverty and forced labor over seas. I think these are issues that we as Americans have to face and stand up against. We cannot continue to be ignorant about these things.
Thanks for the time.
1. How does it feel to have won the Habla World Series?
It feels very good. Each World Series win has been different, from the young, emerging team in 2024, to the juggernaught in 2026. This one was more of the underachieving team getting it done when it counts.
2. Did your team surprise you this year?
Yeah, to be honest I thought they would be better. We have averaged 102 wins in this dynasty run, so 94 is a bit lower. Our hitting and pitching were both down, for whatever reason. But, I'd gladly take a regular season like this again if it ends with another ring.
3. What is the one move you made that help you become an elite team in this league?
Gosh, there are so many. The first was probably drafting Jake Peavy at a time when I thought my pitching was set (man was I naive). That originally put me in the hunt. Trading up to get Tris Speaker was huge, as was deciding to take a chance on Doug Rau 1st overall. The trade for Hank Aaron. The trade for Lou Gehrig. I think it would be a toss up between the Rau decision and getting Gehrig, because Rau is my best pitcher and Gehrig my best hitter.
4. What is the secret to winning a Habla World Series?
Honestly, after the amazing teams I have built that have fizzled in the first round of the playoffs, and also winning World Series' with 92 and 94 win teams, I have given up on caring about the regular season. My goal has changed to simply get to the playoffs, where you have a 1 in 8 chance. I think it almost all luck. A case in point is this years Yankees, who set the wins record at 122 and then lost in the first round. Sure they had a huge injury, but they were not a first round exit team. This new goal has changed my philosophy, though. I used to relish having 5 great pitchers. I'm not sure you need that anymore. If you can have an ace, 2 really good pitchers, and 2 serviceable guys who can help get you to the playoffs, then you can set your front three up in a playoff series. It still helps to have 4 or 5 in case you have an injury, but I traded away a great pitcher in Preacher Roe for Terrence Lee to make my lineup better because that fit this new philosophy better. It was a gamble, but it paid off.
5. Is there anything you would like the league to know about you as a person?
Ummm...well I guess I would say that I have a huge heart for justice issues; things like poverty and forced labor over seas. I think these are issues that we as Americans have to face and stand up against. We cannot continue to be ignorant about these things.
Thanks for the time.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
SS Jan Mallory Hopes to be the First Woman in Habla
Our world is on the fast track to gender equality, and SS Jan Mallory thinks that applies to the Habla Baseball League as well. For the first time ever, a woman has entered the amateur draft in hopes of being the first female in the league. While playing collegate softball, Jan would play in men's baseball leagues on the side and hold her own. Her outgoing and abrasive personality would often times get in the way, however, as she would continually get into fights with teammates who were not comfortable playing on the same team with a woman. "She would yell at us and tell us about her bra burning parties she was hosting at her house, as if we wanted to hear that," said teamate Joe Sexist.
"All of them boys are just jealous!" exclaimed an angry Jan referring to the men she played with. "They hate to see a woman beat them. The boys in Habla are gonna hate it to. They just aint gonna like it, but they better get used to it." It turns out, despite her mediocre success playing in recreational men's leagues, "The Jan", as she is referred to, is not that good of a player (click image for player profile). She is a poor hitter. Her 26 speed potential does not leave much room for her to even make a squad as a pinch runner. She is listed as a shortstop, but can play severall other positions. Unfortunately, she is equally bad at all posititions she plays. "The only chance she has at getting drafted," said Habla Eboard member Nick Fox, "is if a team needs a filler in LOW, which there is a pretty good chance of. If she does get taken late as a filler, she will feel like she accomplished an amazing feat, and she will have broken the gender barrier in Habla." Will a team take a chance on the young liberal female who wants to play professional baseball? We will only have to wait a couple of days to find out.
2031 End of Season Award Winners
NL MVP
Ruth 74
Parker 70
Duhram 30
Walker 22
Simmons 15
Robinson 10
Hobbs 9
Stearns 8
Mitchel 1
Klezewski 1
ALMVP
Gehrig 104
Easter 90
Aaron 21
Jackson 16
Gibson 5
Perez 3
Matsui 2
Gant 1
Ortiz 1
NL Cy Young
Van Hekken 119
Niekro 54
Grimes 18
McDevitt 14
Joss 13
Willow 8
Brubaker 6
Wickersham 4
Spahn 3
Nichols 2
Perry 1
Blank 1
AL Cy Young
Barrios 119
Hampton 37
Rau 20
Roe 19
Livingston 14
Tauscher 13
Bonderman 12
Hough 4
Sain 1
Valenzuela 1
Jackson 1
Belcher 1
Cone 1
NL Rookie of the Year
Willow 69
Blank 59
Melton 40
Apple 11
Gravens 10
Ferrick 8
Bourne 5
Lee 5
Duvereaux 3
McCallister 2
Stairs 1
AL Rookie of the Year
Hampton 123
Williams 49
Kaplar 25
Tyler 21
Dent 12
Memmit 10
Whittle 7
NL Fireman
Stone 68
Face 45
Saito 45
Takatsu 37
Simontacci 19
Barnhardt 6
Acker 6
Conley 5
Bourne 5
Otsuka 4
Timlin 3
AL Fireman
Pappas 55
Roney 49
Kellaher 47
Sherry 27
Stock 20
Rodriguez 12
Demmit 10
Tyler 6
Tewksberry 5
Steller 3
GM of the Year
Gary 123
Scott 44
Luke 36
Mike (CWS) 14
Chris 11
Steve 5
Felix 4
Nick 2
Ruth 74
Parker 70
Duhram 30
Walker 22
Simmons 15
Robinson 10
Hobbs 9
Stearns 8
Mitchel 1
Klezewski 1
ALMVP
Gehrig 104
Easter 90
Aaron 21
Jackson 16
Gibson 5
Perez 3
Matsui 2
Gant 1
Ortiz 1
NL Cy Young
Van Hekken 119
Niekro 54
Grimes 18
McDevitt 14
Joss 13
Willow 8
Brubaker 6
Wickersham 4
Spahn 3
Nichols 2
Perry 1
Blank 1
AL Cy Young
Barrios 119
Hampton 37
Rau 20
Roe 19
Livingston 14
Tauscher 13
Bonderman 12
Hough 4
Sain 1
Valenzuela 1
Jackson 1
Belcher 1
Cone 1
NL Rookie of the Year
Willow 69
Blank 59
Melton 40
Apple 11
Gravens 10
Ferrick 8
Bourne 5
Lee 5
Duvereaux 3
McCallister 2
Stairs 1
AL Rookie of the Year
Hampton 123
Williams 49
Kaplar 25
Tyler 21
Dent 12
Memmit 10
Whittle 7
NL Fireman
Stone 68
Face 45
Saito 45
Takatsu 37
Simontacci 19
Barnhardt 6
Acker 6
Conley 5
Bourne 5
Otsuka 4
Timlin 3
AL Fireman
Pappas 55
Roney 49
Kellaher 47
Sherry 27
Stock 20
Rodriguez 12
Demmit 10
Tyler 6
Tewksberry 5
Steller 3
GM of the Year
Gary 123
Scott 44
Luke 36
Mike (CWS) 14
Chris 11
Steve 5
Felix 4
Nick 2
Monday, May 21, 2007
2031 Mock Draft
As we are approaching the ammy draft on Thursday, Sheff and I decided to do a mock draft. We each pick for each team in the first round and give our reasons. Hopefully this adds a little fun to the draft and the league and gets some conversation going. This also replaces the yearly ammy preview, showing through the mock draft who we think the top players are. Here we go!
1. ATL: Nick- SP Carlos Zambrano. Despite having great pitching prospects already, they can get the hitting they need at 3 and 4. So, they’ll take the best pitcher in the draft.
Steve- RF Ed Delahanty. With 4 quality pitching talents in the minors, the Braves will look to get the guy who could become the best table setter in the league.
2. SF (BAL): Nick- RF Ed Delahanty. You can’t pass up a table setter like this. He will help the Giants score a lot of runs.
Steve- SP Carlos Zambrano. With Chien-Ming Wang, the Giants will a tremendous 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
3. ATL (KC): Nick- CF Ken Williams. Here’s where they’ll go hitting. Williams is a great 5-tool player and a great addition to the middle of their lineup.
Steve- CF Ken Williams. Should hit in the 3 hole for years to come.
4. ATL (MIL): Nick- 3B Al Rosen. Going hitting again, Rosen will help this offense and is a good fielder.
Steve- 3B Al Rosen. It won’t be long before Rosen is a premier 3B in this league.
5. CIN (COL): Nick- SP Daisuke Matsuzaka. Going to Cincinnati will give him a great opportunity to succeed. I believe he will.
Steve- SP Daisuke Matsuzaka. This guy is a gamble, but should be interesting to watch. With 6 decent pitches, his upside is huge.
6. NYN: Nick- LF Ray Blade. A poor fielder, but plenty of pop to drive in runs.
Steve- CF Jack Ryan. Not the Tom Clancy character, but a very solid hitter with decent speed.
7. HOU: Nick- CF Jack Ryan. Ryan will be a welcome addition to a mediocre outfield.
Steve- LF Rocky Colavito. With his GF, Pull and Power ratings he could hit a ton of homers.
8. KC (CHN): Nick- 3B Eddie Yost. He’s got a pretty good bat and fills a hole for the Royals.
Steve- 2B Josh Barfield. Barfield is a good hitting 2B with decent defensive abilities.
9. TOR: Nick- SP Eddie Plank. The smart pick is to take a good pitcher that will eat up a lot of innings. Plank fits the bill.
Steve- SP John Ward. A little older, but with 2 very good pitches and 2 more solid ones, he could be a nice #2.
10. CLE: Nick- SP John Ward. This team needs starting pitching and Ward is the best on the board.
Steve- SP Eddie Plank. After trading Dave Dravecky, they probably have the worst starting pitching talent in the league.
11. SD (OAK): Nick- 2B Josh Barfield. Barfield is a great talent that fills a much- needed hole for them.
Steve- 2B Bid McPhee. McPhee has similar offensive skills to Ozzie Smith and a decent glove as well.
12. ANA: Nick- 3B Akinori Iwamura. A good fielder and a good hitter makes him a smart pick to fill the hole at the hot corner.
Steve- LF Ray Blades. Cecil Fielder’s lack of ability to make contact could mean his days as a starter are numbered.
13. ATL (DET): Nick- LF Rocky Colavito. Everybody needs a homerun hitter to drive in runs. Colavito will be a good candidate for this in Atlanta.
Steve- SP Frank Owen. He’s probably the best starter on the board still.
14. STL (SF): Nick- C Cal McVey. The best catcher in the draft fills a hole nicely in the middle of the first round.
Steve- 1B Rudy York. GM Worst is unhappy with Dale Alexander’s fielding. York is a solid fielder and is a big upgrade on Lucerne Blue at the plate.
15. BOS: Nick- 1B Rudy York. York provides a little anxiety for pitchers, which is something Boston desperately needs.
Steve- RF Dante Bichette. This team is in bad need of someone with some pop. Bichette could immediately hit in the 3 or 4 hole.
16. SEA: Nick- RP Les Owen. As relief pitching becomes more important, it becomes crucial to take them high. Seattle will take the best one here.
Steve- 3B Akinori Iwamura. Aki Iwa will fill the M’s most glaring need at third base.
17. BOS (SD): Nick- RF Dante Bichette. Great value this late in the draft will help their power issues as a team.
Steve- RF Jim Smith. Red Sox get another solid bat to add to their weak hitting lineup.
18. BAL (PHI): Nick- 2B Bid McPhee. Great speed and good fielding make him a welcome addition to the Orioles infield.
Steve- C Cal McVey. The best receiver in this draft would be a nice fit in Baltimore.
19. TOR (STL): Nick- SP Frank Owen. It’s always wise to stock up on pitching. Owen is a good pickup at this point.
Steve- RP Les Owen. Frank’s brother should be one of the best long or middle relievers in Habla some day.
20. LA: Nick- RF Jim Smith. He’ll help bring some youth to an aging outfield.
Steve- SP George Bradley. His good curve and knuckler could help fill a rotation spot in the future.
21. TOR (CIN): Nick- SS Dave Bancroft.
Steve- SS Dave Bancroft.
22. DET (PIT): Nick- SP George Bradley.
Steve- SP Jake Weimer.
23. CHA: Nick- RP Tom Henke.
Steve- RP Tom Henke.
24. TOR (FLA): Nick- SP Jake Weimer.
Steve- 3B Eddie Yost.
25. DET (TEX): Nick- SS Troy Tulowitzki.
Steve- CF Lloyd Waner.
26. MON: Nick- RP Hideki Okajima.
Steve- RP Hideki Okajima.
27. COL (MIN): Nick- CF Lloyd Waner.
Steve- 1B Greg Walker.
28. NYA: Nick- SP Jimmie DeShong.
Steve- SP Jimmie DeShong.
1. ATL: Nick- SP Carlos Zambrano. Despite having great pitching prospects already, they can get the hitting they need at 3 and 4. So, they’ll take the best pitcher in the draft.
Steve- RF Ed Delahanty. With 4 quality pitching talents in the minors, the Braves will look to get the guy who could become the best table setter in the league.
2. SF (BAL): Nick- RF Ed Delahanty. You can’t pass up a table setter like this. He will help the Giants score a lot of runs.
Steve- SP Carlos Zambrano. With Chien-Ming Wang, the Giants will a tremendous 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
3. ATL (KC): Nick- CF Ken Williams. Here’s where they’ll go hitting. Williams is a great 5-tool player and a great addition to the middle of their lineup.
Steve- CF Ken Williams. Should hit in the 3 hole for years to come.
4. ATL (MIL): Nick- 3B Al Rosen. Going hitting again, Rosen will help this offense and is a good fielder.
Steve- 3B Al Rosen. It won’t be long before Rosen is a premier 3B in this league.
5. CIN (COL): Nick- SP Daisuke Matsuzaka. Going to Cincinnati will give him a great opportunity to succeed. I believe he will.
Steve- SP Daisuke Matsuzaka. This guy is a gamble, but should be interesting to watch. With 6 decent pitches, his upside is huge.
6. NYN: Nick- LF Ray Blade. A poor fielder, but plenty of pop to drive in runs.
Steve- CF Jack Ryan. Not the Tom Clancy character, but a very solid hitter with decent speed.
7. HOU: Nick- CF Jack Ryan. Ryan will be a welcome addition to a mediocre outfield.
Steve- LF Rocky Colavito. With his GF, Pull and Power ratings he could hit a ton of homers.
8. KC (CHN): Nick- 3B Eddie Yost. He’s got a pretty good bat and fills a hole for the Royals.
Steve- 2B Josh Barfield. Barfield is a good hitting 2B with decent defensive abilities.
9. TOR: Nick- SP Eddie Plank. The smart pick is to take a good pitcher that will eat up a lot of innings. Plank fits the bill.
Steve- SP John Ward. A little older, but with 2 very good pitches and 2 more solid ones, he could be a nice #2.
10. CLE: Nick- SP John Ward. This team needs starting pitching and Ward is the best on the board.
Steve- SP Eddie Plank. After trading Dave Dravecky, they probably have the worst starting pitching talent in the league.
11. SD (OAK): Nick- 2B Josh Barfield. Barfield is a great talent that fills a much- needed hole for them.
Steve- 2B Bid McPhee. McPhee has similar offensive skills to Ozzie Smith and a decent glove as well.
12. ANA: Nick- 3B Akinori Iwamura. A good fielder and a good hitter makes him a smart pick to fill the hole at the hot corner.
Steve- LF Ray Blades. Cecil Fielder’s lack of ability to make contact could mean his days as a starter are numbered.
13. ATL (DET): Nick- LF Rocky Colavito. Everybody needs a homerun hitter to drive in runs. Colavito will be a good candidate for this in Atlanta.
Steve- SP Frank Owen. He’s probably the best starter on the board still.
14. STL (SF): Nick- C Cal McVey. The best catcher in the draft fills a hole nicely in the middle of the first round.
Steve- 1B Rudy York. GM Worst is unhappy with Dale Alexander’s fielding. York is a solid fielder and is a big upgrade on Lucerne Blue at the plate.
15. BOS: Nick- 1B Rudy York. York provides a little anxiety for pitchers, which is something Boston desperately needs.
Steve- RF Dante Bichette. This team is in bad need of someone with some pop. Bichette could immediately hit in the 3 or 4 hole.
16. SEA: Nick- RP Les Owen. As relief pitching becomes more important, it becomes crucial to take them high. Seattle will take the best one here.
Steve- 3B Akinori Iwamura. Aki Iwa will fill the M’s most glaring need at third base.
17. BOS (SD): Nick- RF Dante Bichette. Great value this late in the draft will help their power issues as a team.
Steve- RF Jim Smith. Red Sox get another solid bat to add to their weak hitting lineup.
18. BAL (PHI): Nick- 2B Bid McPhee. Great speed and good fielding make him a welcome addition to the Orioles infield.
Steve- C Cal McVey. The best receiver in this draft would be a nice fit in Baltimore.
19. TOR (STL): Nick- SP Frank Owen. It’s always wise to stock up on pitching. Owen is a good pickup at this point.
Steve- RP Les Owen. Frank’s brother should be one of the best long or middle relievers in Habla some day.
20. LA: Nick- RF Jim Smith. He’ll help bring some youth to an aging outfield.
Steve- SP George Bradley. His good curve and knuckler could help fill a rotation spot in the future.
21. TOR (CIN): Nick- SS Dave Bancroft.
Steve- SS Dave Bancroft.
22. DET (PIT): Nick- SP George Bradley.
Steve- SP Jake Weimer.
23. CHA: Nick- RP Tom Henke.
Steve- RP Tom Henke.
24. TOR (FLA): Nick- SP Jake Weimer.
Steve- 3B Eddie Yost.
25. DET (TEX): Nick- SS Troy Tulowitzki.
Steve- CF Lloyd Waner.
26. MON: Nick- RP Hideki Okajima.
Steve- RP Hideki Okajima.
27. COL (MIN): Nick- CF Lloyd Waner.
Steve- 1B Greg Walker.
28. NYA: Nick- SP Jimmie DeShong.
Steve- SP Jimmie DeShong.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Interviewing the Champ: Gary of the Expos
I am starting a new tradition where we will interview the GM of the Habla Champion after he wins the World Series. I think it will be a fun way to get to know some GM's better. We start with Gary of the Expos, who as one of the longest tenured owners just won his first ring. Congratulation again, Gary. Here is the interview.
1. How does it feel to have won the Habla world Series?
It feels great. It was a loug haul which makes it that much sweeter.
2. Did your team surprise you this year?
Not really. We had a great year last year and this is a veteran group. They really wanted it after last years 1st round exit.
3. What is the one move you made that help you become an elite team in this league?
Drafting P Takashi Saito. We needed a closer and he's been great.
4. What is the secret to winning a Habla World Series?
I think you are asking the wrong guy. After all the failures I've had I guess the odds eventually went in my favor.
5. Is there anything you would like the league to know about you as a person?
I'm old school. I'm responsible for my actions. It use to bug me as I was refered to as a "nice guy" but now I'm pleased to hear it. When I was young I use to wish I could gain weight and now that I'm middled aged I'm about twice the man I used to be. Careful what you wish for. LOL
1. How does it feel to have won the Habla world Series?
It feels great. It was a loug haul which makes it that much sweeter.
2. Did your team surprise you this year?
Not really. We had a great year last year and this is a veteran group. They really wanted it after last years 1st round exit.
3. What is the one move you made that help you become an elite team in this league?
Drafting P Takashi Saito. We needed a closer and he's been great.
4. What is the secret to winning a Habla World Series?
I think you are asking the wrong guy. After all the failures I've had I guess the odds eventually went in my favor.
5. Is there anything you would like the league to know about you as a person?
I'm old school. I'm responsible for my actions. It use to bug me as I was refered to as a "nice guy" but now I'm pleased to hear it. When I was young I use to wish I could gain weight and now that I'm middled aged I'm about twice the man I used to be. Careful what you wish for. LOL
Monday, April 23, 2007
Coors Light Cold Hard Facts
We got a chance recently to sit down with Steve, the head researcher of the Habla blog and manager of the defending champion Pirates and ask him a few questions about the history of Habla based on his recent research. Here we go with a 6 pack of questions.
1. Is Joe Jackson the best player in Habla History?
This is only my 5th season, so it is hard to say since I never saw players like Mantle and Chane Winther, but from what I saw of Jackson, he is the most complete player that I’ve ever seen.
1A. As a follow up, are any current players potential candidates to challenge him for that title?
As a complete player, Turkey Stearns has the potential to challenge him. As far as impact for a team, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth are up there.
2. Will we ever again see a team as good as the Mariners of early Habla were?
Average 112 wins over 14 seasons? I think we could see a team have a dynasty last as long as they did, but I don’t see a team averaging that many wins for that long of time.
3. Of the teams who have not won a World Series, who will be the next to win?
I’m gonna say either the white Sox or the A’s. The Sox seem to have a 3 or 4 year window here where they could do it. The A’s simply because the have Rob Peterson as their GM and he has the track record of getting it done.
4. Will the current Yankees team be remembered as a top 10 dynasty when they are forced to rebuild?
That’s tough. I’m going to say no, because throughout their good years coming up they will be battling the Rangers, Twins, and White Sox, all really good teams, so even if they have a great run they may not make it to more than a couple World Series’.
5. How will the 2031 draft be remembered in comparison to all the other drafts of this era?
Deep and Powerful is the phrase that comes to mind. Some HUGE stars at the top and many good players in the later rounds, the latter of which has not been seen for a long time in the league. The depth is the best we have seen in a long time.
6. Would you rather take a tennis ball strait to the groin or step in fresh dog poop barefoot?
I think the dog poop, because then you can just go find a hose. You can do something about the dog poop, but the groin shot you just have to wait it out until the pain subsides.
1. Is Joe Jackson the best player in Habla History?
This is only my 5th season, so it is hard to say since I never saw players like Mantle and Chane Winther, but from what I saw of Jackson, he is the most complete player that I’ve ever seen.
1A. As a follow up, are any current players potential candidates to challenge him for that title?
As a complete player, Turkey Stearns has the potential to challenge him. As far as impact for a team, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth are up there.
2. Will we ever again see a team as good as the Mariners of early Habla were?
Average 112 wins over 14 seasons? I think we could see a team have a dynasty last as long as they did, but I don’t see a team averaging that many wins for that long of time.
3. Of the teams who have not won a World Series, who will be the next to win?
I’m gonna say either the white Sox or the A’s. The Sox seem to have a 3 or 4 year window here where they could do it. The A’s simply because the have Rob Peterson as their GM and he has the track record of getting it done.
4. Will the current Yankees team be remembered as a top 10 dynasty when they are forced to rebuild?
That’s tough. I’m going to say no, because throughout their good years coming up they will be battling the Rangers, Twins, and White Sox, all really good teams, so even if they have a great run they may not make it to more than a couple World Series’.
5. How will the 2031 draft be remembered in comparison to all the other drafts of this era?
Deep and Powerful is the phrase that comes to mind. Some HUGE stars at the top and many good players in the later rounds, the latter of which has not been seen for a long time in the league. The depth is the best we have seen in a long time.
6. Would you rather take a tennis ball strait to the groin or step in fresh dog poop barefoot?
I think the dog poop, because then you can just go find a hose. You can do something about the dog poop, but the groin shot you just have to wait it out until the pain subsides.
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