Not a creature was stirring, except an Endzone Animal

Yeah I know we said we'd take a vacation, but the Endzone Animals just had to wake us out of hibernation.

The Animals have been extremely busy on Christmas Eve Eve, completing three deals in the span of a few hours. The first deal sent third baseman Troy Glaus to division rival Vancouver in exchange for a 5th round draft pick. The acquisition of Glaus likely spells doom for incumbent third baseman Mike Lowell.

Next on the agenda, and the biggest deal of the three, was sending ace pitcher Johan Santana to another divisional rival, Arkansas, in exchange for superstar slugger Alex Rodriguez. Neither player performed up to expectations last season (yes the Falcons expected even more out of A-Rod than a .993 OPS!), so a change of scenery may work out well for both.

Finally, in another deal with a divisional foe, the Animals acquired pitcher Shawn Marcum from D.C. in exchange for two mid-level draft picks. Marcum was 11-8 with a 4.93 ERA last year for the Bushslappers and should slot in to the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation.

Team Review: Vancouver Iron Fist

The Iron Fist ended their 13-year skid by winning their first championship since 1994. Vancouver then went on to take the top two awards - the McDonald and Mitchell - in an unprecedented trifecta.

What went right: Almost everything. Sure the Fist took both teams to 7 games in the playoffs, but they got the result they wanted. Jake Peavy took the McDonald award and was the anchor of a very solid rotation. Meanwhile, David Ortiz led one of the top offensive lineups en route to his Mitchell award. Manny Corpas claimed the closer role in one of the top bullpens in the league.

What went wrong: Ben Sheets continued to underwhelm and Billy Wagner slipped a bit before rebounding towards the end of the year. Rich Hill was pretty much a bust until atoning in the World Series. Michael Young and Victor Martinez were somewhat ordinary in a star-powered lineup.

2009 Outlook: Can Vancouver defend their title? The offense will take a bit of a hit as some of the older players regress. Moises Alou will hang up his spikes and Andre Ethier was traded in the offseason. But the pitching staff is still strong and the Fist should have enough to at least return to the playoffs.

We are going to be taking a break for the rest of 2008. Have a happy Holidays!

Team Review: Tampa Bay Plunkers

When Bill Levesque inherited the Plunkers, he was taking on a team that had a good recent history of making the playoffs. The Plunkers were in contention until the last week of the season despite some unforeseen circumstances that led to Levesque's abdication of the franchise towards the end of the 2008 season.

What went right: Torii Hunter had perhaps his best DMBL season and James Loney and Brian Roberts were solid as well. Lee Gardner was a find as one of the league's best closers (tied for 2nd in the league with 28 saves). Andy Pettitte started out winning his first 7 decisions, and ended with a solid 15-6 record. Despite a lot of mediocrity on the roster this team was in contention for most of the season.

What went wrong: The smoke died down and the mirrors broke before the season was over. The rest of the pitching staff ranged from disappointing - Roy Oswalt (11-13, 4.38) - to ugly - Jered Weaver (7-11, 6.56). The offense was very mediocre and could not overcome the deficits in the rotation.

2009 Outlook: Returning as the Amityville Ant Slayers and under new ownership, the team has some work to do. Already there has been some roster maneuvering (Adrian Gonzalez is out, Jon Lester and Dioner Navarro are in). There are enough parts on this team to actually be competitive in 2009, so a complete overhaul is probably not necessary. Look for the Ant Slayers to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack in '09.

Team Review: Sardine City Straphangers

The Straphangers made major strides in their second season. Despite only improving by 11 wins and finishing 10th overall, the Straphangers were in the playoff race for a good portion of the season, even flirting with a .500 record at one point. The Calvosa brothers knew that the team had little hope of advancing in the playoffs should the stars align, so they ended up trading away a some of their spare parts before the deadline. However, things look very good for the Straphangers in 2009...

What went right: B.J. Upton and Ryan Braun blossomed into stars on the offensive side, while Fausto Carmona and Cole Hamels did well in the rotation. Akinori Otsuka was an anchor in a shaky bullpen before being traded away.

What went wrong: The Calvosas had no pretense of their team's abilities - there were some smoke and mirrors involved in the team's improbably playoff run. Daisuke Matsuzaka showed signs of life but ultimately lost 19 games with a 5.22 ERA. Most of the bullpen was inconsistent. The team got subpar production from Kevin Youkilis, Ken Griffey, and Raul Ibanez.
2009 Outlook: The Sardines look like they might make the first step toward becoming a contender this season. With a real shot to make the playoffs, it will be interesting to see what strategy the Calvosas employ in their draft. The club has high expectations of youngsters Braun, Youkilis, Evan Longoria, and Carlos Quentin. The pitching staff may require a bit of tinkering, but Hamels and rookie Joba Chamberlain should be a good start.

Team Review: Philadelphia Endzone Animals

The Animals followed up their successful 2007 campaign with another good season in 2008. The Animals once again advanced to the second round of the playoffs, but were knocked out by the powerful Sugar Bears. Will 2009 be their year?

What went right: Magglio Ordonez had an MVP-caliber season and other offensive cogs like Jorge Posada, Albert Pujols, and Mark Teixeira all had great years as well. Brandon Webb and Matt Cain had solid years in the rotation and the bullpen was one of the best.

What went wrong: Johan Santana (13-11, 5.23) was a big disappointment as was rookie Yovani Gallardo (11-9, 5.76). The team was forced to make two deals for starters - one turned out ok (Kyle Kendrick from Vancouver) and the other was no improvement over the others (Aaron Harang of Blue Ridge).

2009 Outlook: It doesn't look like this team is going away anytime soon. The pitching staff should be as good as ever, that is, assuming that Santana will return to form. The offense has plenty of pop to it. The Animals should once again be a top contender for the DMBL crown.

Team Review: Newark Sugar Bears

The four time defending champions entered the season with lofty projections, but fell just short of their fifth straight title. Amidst a lot of adversity from rival teams and an announcement from GM/owner Butch Garretson that he may hang up the reins of the team after the season, the Sugar Bears still won the Hanover Division and the Commissioner's Cup.

What went right: The team steamrolled through the season, winning 114 games and clinching the division early on. Once again the offense was a juggernaut - led by Chipper Jones, Matt Stairs, Jack Cust, and the rest of the usual suspects. The pitching staff was solid once again - Javy Vazquez won 21 games, and James Shields and Randy Johnson also held their own in the league's toughest venue for hurlers.

What went wrong: Hard to say much went wrong for Newark - they were one game away from winning it all again. It was no secret that there was much resentment towards the Sugar Bears, limiting any midseason help that the team would get. In fact, Newark was unable to consummate any trades during the course of the 2008 season. The bullpen, a strength on previous teams, was still solid, but not dominant. The lack of a clear closer may have actually hurt the team this season - their 38 team saves was tied for lowest among all the playoff teams. While Jared Burton and Manny Delcarmen were very good, the rest of the pen was disappointing.

2009 Outlook: Anyone who thinks that the Sugar Bears won't be back next year is fooling themselves. Despite the fact that they may have to play in a more equitable stadium, the team is still built for success. The road to the championship seems to always go through Newark...

Bedard dealt for bag of potato chips

D.C. cashed in Blue Ridge's 2nd overall draft pick, acquiring Erik Bedard from Las Vegas along with their 1st pick in 2010 in exchange for the pick. Bedard was probably the ace of the Rat Pack's 2008 staff, going 15-3 with a 3.47 ERA, but frustrated Rat Pack owner Eric Wickstrom decided that it was time to jettison the left hander. Bedard had his breakout season in 2007 with Philadelphia, going 17-9 with a 3.94 ERA for the Morris Division champions, but he was soon dealt in the offseason to the Rat Pack.

Vegas has announced that they are now shopping that 2nd pick. A few teams are rumored to be interested, according to unnamed sources. Meanwhile, Bedard may have made righty Shawn Marcum expendable in D.C. The club has reportedly already offered the starter to other DMBL teams.

Stats updated

I'll leave Newark hanging over the weekend waiting for their Team Review...

Meanwhile, all of you can start some of your draft prep by heading over to the main site to check out the updated rosters and free agent lists. Remember that these are just the eligible free agents for the 2009 season.

Team Review: New Jersey Team Buddah

New Jersey finally has had enough of Team Buddah's losing ways and have ordered the team to leave by January. So the Buddahs will pack up and head north to Connecticut. "That's pretty harsh, considering Harrison, Hoboken, and Hillsborough all had more than 2 losing seasons" said team owner Mike Hornick. Anyway, the Buddahs did end up in last place overall and will pick first in every round but the first.

What went right: Did I mention they finished last? Right. Well Bobby Jenks did have a stellar year in relief (1.49 ERA, 24 saves, 1.02 WHIP in 64 games) and Joe Blanton and Brad Penny didn't completely embarrass themselves either. Actually, the Buddah bullpen wasn't too bad, with George Sherrill and Tony Pena also having decent years.

What went wrong: Everything else. The offense had a .297 team on base percentage and no one, except Khalil Greene (with 20 at bats), finished with a batting average of .300 or higher. Oliver Perez (3-19, 5.80) and Tom Gorzelanny (6-16, 5.91) were dreadful.
2009 Outlook: Having the first pick certainly will help - it will have to. The Buddahs had a few nice finds in Joey Votto and Ryan Dempster (since traded). There are a few decent cogs that Buddah has to work with, but this will most definitely be another rebuilding year.

Team Review: Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta

After going toe-to-toe with the Sugar Bears in the '07 Series, the Mighty Men tossed in the towel on the '08 season and going into rebuilding mode. The Mighty Men held the basement for much of the season, but a strange late-season surge took them up into 12th place and almost undoing all their plans for 2009...until they lucked out with a #1 Lottery pick...

What went right: Hard to say that this is one for the "right" column, but considering David Landsman's strategy to give up on the '08 season, then the results were pretty much on target. Josh Hamilton and Brandon Morrow were real finds and look to have better roles next season (though Morrow will have to have that expanded role for Sardine City - he was traded in the offseason). The Mighty Men also stacked up on pitching and that seems to have paid off for them.

What went wrong: A late season surge that saw the Mighty Men lose what seemed to be a safe cushion and fall out of last place. Statistically for the 2008 season, just about everything went wrong, but according to the Landsman plan, everything worked out just fine.

2009 Outlook: With a record pace of wheeling and dealing in the offseason, the Mighty Men are set up nicely to make another run at the World Series. Much of the roster has been turned over, so you may not even recognize the new Mighty Men.

Team Review: Las Vegas Rat Pack

The Rat Pack went from last to being one of the top teams in the league this year. They actually had the second-best record in the league, but were unfortunate enough to be in the same division as the Newark Sugar Bears. The Rats worked tirelessly and turned over their roster several times to reach the Promised Land.

What went right: Just about everything. The Vlad Guerrero deal paid off (.342, .984 OPS, 14 HR, 49 RBI in 55 games). Carlos Pena, the team's first round draft pick, was an MVP candidate (53 HR, 130 R, 137 RBI, 1.023 OPS). The team had no real holes in their lineup. Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett had great seasons in the rotation.

What went wrong: The bullpen was a bit disappointing. Joe Nathan, acquired from D.C., was a bust. Josh Beckett, acquired from Blue Ridge, didn't provide as big of an impact as hoped for, but the club didn't give up all that much to get him. The team was one game short of making it to the DMBL World Series, so it's hard to say that they got anything really wrong though.

2009 Outlook: The Rats mortgaged the 2009 season (and possibly 2010) in exchange for a run last season - they traded away 6 picks this year and only got one back and dealt 4 picks already in 2010. Nevertheless, the team has a pretty decent core for next year, particularly in their pitching, and with a little bit of good fortune, could return to the post-season.

Team Review: Hoboken Cutters

The Cutters kind of, but not quite, hung around in contention this year again, but ended up on the outside looking in - a 9th place finish that not only left them out of the playoffs, but also keeps them out of the really sexy draft positions. The Cutters have long been known for hovering right around that .500 mark, never too high and yet never too low, though we should note that this year's mark (72-90) is the worst in Cutters franchise history. Overall the Cutters are only 34 games under .500 in their entire history (631-665).

What went right: Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez both had their usual superb seasons and Ian Kinsler and Travis Buck had breakout offensive years. Rookie pitcher Jeremy Guthrie was in the mix for the Listach and even got a vote for the McDonald. The Cutters were able to add extra picks in the middle rounds of the 2009 draft.

What went wrong: The rest of the rotation was disappointing, especially hyped youngster Scott Kazmir, who was shipped out after the season. Guthrie was the only starter with an ERA under 5.00 or with a winning record. Chris Duncan and Chad Tracy were major disappointments in the lineup. We won't even talk about Hunter Pence...

2009 Outlook: Finishing dead last in the Mirror League doesn't bode well for the Cutters in '09. The plan for next season is unclear. The team has some good core players, but a weak supporting cast. Most likely it will be a rebuilding year for the Cutters, but you can never count the Cutters out of one of those unlikely "from out of nowhere" seasons.

Team Review: Hillsborough Hired Hitmen

The Hitmen were built to contend in 2008 and had a pretty good year, finishing in the final playoff spot. They lost to the heavily-favored Rat Pack in four games in the first round.

What went right: The pitching staff was the second best in terms of team ERA. John Lackey was the ace of a very young staff that should continue to improve and grow. Takashi Saito anchored an excellent bullpen. Ryan Howard was very productive in the lineup, despite a low batting average, slamming 49 homers with an .896 OPS.

What went wrong: Outside of Howard, the offense was mediocre. The power was lacking - outside of Brad Hawpe and Howard, no one else had more than 20 home runs - and the team was 9th in total runs scored and 9th in OPS.

2009 Outlook: Things look good for the Hitmen. The pitching staff should grow into one of the better ones in the league and the team has enough components on offense to build around. A good draft to fill out a supporting cast could make the Hitmen a contender in '09.

Team Review: D.C. Bushslappers

The Bushslappers had their best season in franchise history (including the Columbia years), including their first +.500 record (88-74). Sure they got swept in the first round by Philadelphia, but no one was expecting them to win that series.

What went right: The Slappers were a solid all-around team. They didn't have any superstars (ok maybe one), but instead they had many contributers. Jonathan Papelbon took the Eckersley Award as the best reliever. The pitching staff overall was solid, with all but 3 games started by the same five pitchers. The Slappers ranked 3rd in ERA and were 6th in OPS.

What went wrong: Well, maybe they could have used one or two monster sluggers to scare opposing pitchers, or a true ace pitcher to scare opposing sluggers. The team just folded when the playoffs came, batting .194 with a .548 OPS and accumulating a 5.90 ERA in their 3 games.

2009 Outlook: The team has a new name for the '09 season and with that they hope they can bring some "change" to the clubhouse and get over that hump. The team looks to have a similar composition next year. Derrek Lee, out all year due to injury, will return, but starter Kelvim Escobar will likely miss the year.

Team Review: Carolina Mudcats

The Mudcats always seem to fluctuate in and out of contention. After a disappointing 2007 season, the Cats were hoping for more in 2008, but instead finished just 2 games out of last place overall.

What went right: Well... not that much really. Dustin Pedroia had a great year as the number one overall draft pick and won the Listach Award. The Mudcat bullpen was solid, at least until the trade deadline, when much of the roster was jettisoned.

What went wrong: Just about everything. The offense sputtered and finished near last in OPS. Barry Zito, Brian Bannister, and Mike Pelfrey were disasters in the rotation, and reliever/closer Brian Fuentes threw as much gasoline on the fire as he could find. The team led the league in blown saves (11 by Fuentes alone) - this despite the fact that the team was tied for fourth in quality starts.

2009 Outlook: Things don't look much better at the moment for the Mudcats. They'll need an extremely strong draft and some good keepers to get back in contention next season. The rotation looks to be decent for next year, but the team needs major help on offense.

Team Review: Blue Ridge Bombers

Hey we're back from a nice long vacations...let's pick up where we left off:

Tom Zagenczyk took over for Paul Barbosa and moved the South Boston Gang over to Blue Ridge. Zagenczyk knew that this would be a rebuilding year, so it was not much of a surprise that the team ended up in 13th place overall when the dust had settled. However, Blue Ridge was in wild card contention for about half the season, until the team made the decision to forego an unlikely playoff run in order to get in a better position for the 2009 season. So the Bombers got rid of Eric Byrnes, Dustin McGowan, Aaron Harang, and the biggest producer, Vlad Guerrero.

What went right: Amazingly the team was in contention, though barely, at the All-Star Break, behind players like Guerrero, Prince Fielder, Harang, and McGowan. Of course most of the top producers were sold off, so that explains the drop right there. The team did well to sell high on Dan Uggla and cash in on his MLB first-half success.

What went wrong: It's hard to point the finger at some of the replacement players that were brought in after the purge, since there was an expected dropoff. However, it is still up in the air if Blue Ridge really got enough value for their players. The Josh Beckett trade in particular was maligned in the press, and the Guerrero deal also seemed somewhat underwhelming.

2009 Outlook: It looks like another rebuilding year for the Bombers (or is that a "building year"?), as the club doesn't look to have a good enough core to compete with the top players. The draft will be the key for this club's success in 2010.

It's like discovering plutonium...by accident!

The first three-way deal in league history was executed over the weekend when Las Vegas, D.C., and Philadelphia exchanged commodities. And yes, you read that right, Marietta was NOT involved!

Here's a breakdown of who got what. Las Vegas acquired uber-prospect David Price formerly of Philly, D.C. got pitcher Chris Young, and Philadelphia got 2 2nd round draft picks for this year.

Price, drafted in round 7 of the 2008 draft, made headlines by pitching well in that "other league's" playoffs, but will likely spend the 2009 season in the minors. Young, who started with D.C. back in 2006, returns home after 2 1/2 years in Vegas. Young was probably the only decent pitcher in the '07 Rat Pack rotation and had a solid, unspectacular season in '08.

Meanwhile, the Endzone Animals, who looked like they could almost skip the draft coming into the offseason, get some valuable picks early on in the draft.

Marietta keeps wheeling and dealing...

Yesterday the Mighty Men made their 4th deal of the offseason (on 4 consecutive days, mind you), acquiring Ryan Dempster from Team Buddah for three draft picks, including Las Vegas' first round pick this year. Wait a sec...this just in...make that 5 deals in 5 days... Marietta has just confirmed a deal with Blue Ridge that sends third baseman Edwin Encarnacion to the Bombers for a 3rd round pick in 2010.

Dempster has had a rocky DMBL career so far, fluctuating between starting (2001-2002) and relief (1999,2006-2008) roles. Marietta envisions Dempster as a cornerstone to their rotation, seeing as Dempster's best DMBL season was as a starter back in 2001 with Philadelphia (7-14, 4.91).

Meanwhile, Encarnacion now finds himself with his third team in three years. Encarnacion started as a highly-touted prospect for the Rat Pack - so highly that the Rats dealt away fellow third bagger Ryan Zimmerman. Encarnacion's rookie season was solid, if unspectacular and the Rats traded him away to the Mighty Men for a 7th rounder. While Encarnacion showed a bit better improvement in his power in his second DMBL season, his other numbers fell a bit. Nevertheless, his stock seemingly improved as he now was cashed in for a 3rd round pick.

Marietta insists that they will go "into hibernation for a while" now, so a 6th consecutive trade is unlikely, but one can never count out a Landsman when it comes to making deals.

D.C. announces "Change"

The D.C. Bushslappers have officially announced that their team will now me known as the "O-Bombers". With the end of the 2008 Election, and President Bush's subsequent departure looming, it was time for a change, or errr Change. Never ones to hide their political affiliation, D.C. also did a house cleaning, firing their entire staff, including manager Kevin Elster after learning that Elster had voted for McCain in the Election. "We just can't have that kind of disobedience in our clubhouse" said team owner Jamie Landsman. Also gone was reserve infielder Ramon Vazquez, who was seen planting a Republican election sign on his front lawn. Vazquez was traded along with a draft pick to Newark for Hideki Matsui. "Now there's a nice blue-blooded guy" said Landsman referring to Matsui. D.C. was well known for holding several pro-Obama rallies in their stadium, as well as donating large portions of their ticket revenues to his campaign. Democratic senator John Kerry said he endorsed the change, but was sad that he would not be featured in the team's logo anymore. President Bush was unavailable for comment.

Another day, another Mighty deal

The Mighty Men have kept the trade wires steaming with another pair of deals. Last night the Mighty Men acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from the Amityville Ant Slayers in exchange for pitcher Jon Lester. Lester was taken in the second round of last year's draft by the Mighty Men and was probably the ace of the staff in 2008, for whatever that means. Nevertheless, scouts liked what they saw in Lester and think that 2009 could be a breakout year for the youngster. Meanwhile Gonzalez was seen as expendable, considering the Ant Slayers already had James Loney on the roster. Gonzalez had a very good rookie year for the Honolulu Sharks in 2007, but regressed slightly with Tampa Bay. With the acquisition of Gonzalez, recently-acquired Kevin Youkilis will likely be shifted over to third base. This looks like bad news for incumbent third baseman Edwin Encarnacion though.

The Mighty Men followed that up with a morning deal sending farmhand Todd Wellemeyer to the D.C. Bushslappers for a 7th round draft pick. Wellemeyer was disastrous in a relief role for the Mighty Men, but he still has some upside. The Bushslappers seem to think that he would do well in the starting rotation, so he will get every chance to make the staff.

Wheeling and dealing...

The third trade of the offseason has been completed. This may be the most trades committed in such a short period since the season ended. This time it was Marietta trading with Sardine City. The Mighty Men acquired Kevin Youkilis from the Sardines for Conor Jackson and Brandon Morrow. Jackson was acquired in an offseason deal with Vancouver prior to last season and once again finds himself shipped off during the break. Morrow, taken in round 12 of last year's draft, pitched an incredible 131 games in relief. The 24-year old may have a future in the rotation, but will likely spend the upcoming season in the bullpen. Youkilis had a subpar season with the Straphangers in '08, but is a potential star. Known familiarly as the "Greek God of Walks", Youkilis is an OBP monster who hopes to improve on his (so far) lackluster DMBL career. The trade seems to indicate that the Mighty Men, who lucked into a first overall pick with this year's draft lottery, see themselves as playoff contenders. As for Sardine City, the jury is still out. The team has a solid core of players that could be competitive, but it'll be up to the team's management if they want to go for it this year or play it conservatively and try to build up one more year. This trade certainly can play both ways.

Last call for votes and Lottery update

Draft Lottery results will be revealed before the end of the day today, so stay tuned. There were some interesting shifts in the order...

Also I'm taking a last call for voting - I have not received a lot of ballots so the rest of you slackers email me your selections for Top Hitter, Top Pitcher, and Rookie of the Year!

DMBL Mirror League

Almost forgot to take one last look at the ol' DMBL Mirror League. Last year, Hillsborough's owner Brent Campbell let no opportunity slide to remind everyone that he won the Mirror League in '07. This year he'll have to settle for a tie atop the standings with the infamous Newark Sugar Bears. But how did it all pan out for last year's top Mirror finishers?

Well, #1 ranked Hillsborough finished 6th overall. The solid core of keepers kept the Hitmen in the race all year long. #2 in last year's standings was 2008 DMBL champion Vancouver and #3 was the runner up Sugar Bears. The other playoff teams: D.C. (#4), Las Vegas (#6), and Philadelphia (#7). The fifth place team, South Boston/Tampa Bay was in the playoff hunt all season long and even occupied a playoff spot for much of the season. The last place team in the Mirror League also became the last place team in 2008 - New Jersey Team Buddah. But enough about last year, let's see who this season's top finishers were...

Like I mentioned earlier, Newark and Hillsborough finished tied for the top spot. I guess the Sugar Bears' Reign of Terror isn't quite over just yet. Good news for Campbell though, he will still be able to brag and keep his Mirror League banner flying high over the Toilet Bowl. Finishing in third are the Arkansas Falcons - a team with a great history in the DMBL that has been sidetracked lately. Could a return to the playoffs be in the cards for the Falcons? In #4, the Vancouver Iron Fist. Clearly they will have their hands full defending their own division, let alone the DMBL title. 5th is Las Vegas, who looked like they tossed their entire future for a run at the title this year. Maybe the Rats fortunes aren't spent just yet... The 6th playoff team, according the Mirror League would be the Sardine City Straphangers. The Sardines flirted with contention in 2008, so it should be no surprise that they appear poised at a real playoff chance in 2009. With a very young roster, the Straphangers look ready to finally make a run for it.

At the bottom of the heap, things don't appear to be much better for the Buddahs, who moved from Jersey to Stamford, but also from #14 all the way up to...well...#13. Finishing at the bottom are the Hoboken Cutters.

The Mirror League projected well in 2008, but don't take this as Gospel. Projections were way off for the 2007 season where 4 of the top 6 finishers didn't even make the playoffs.

Team Review: Arkansas Golden Falcons

The Arkansas Falcons finished eighth overall, 12 games out of a playoff spot and 12 games under .500, making it the second straight losing season for the Falcons. 2008 was the worst ever finish for the proud franchise. The Falcons were built to compete on offense, and neglecting the pitching staff. However, the strategy soon sunk the Falcons roster as many of the top teams had both very good offenses and very good pitching staffs.

What went right: With an offensive mindset as a goal early in the season, the team ended up finishing 5th in team OPS and 5th in total runs scored. Most of the runs were scored by slugging away - the Falcons were second in team home runs (3 behind Newark), and 5th in slugging percentage (.457). Alex Rodriguez had a great year hitting .297 with a .993 OPS, 38 homers and 99 RBIs. David Wright put together another MVP-caliber season - .306, 45 homers, 115 runs, 115 RBIs, and 13 SBs.

What went wrong: The lack of attention to the pitching staff hit the Falcons harder than expected. While youngster Jeremy Bonderman was solid, as was veteran Curt Schilling, the rest of the rotation was horrendous. So bad, in fact, that the Falcons resigned Roger Clemens to give them a fighting chance for the playoffs. Brandon Phillips, Lance Berkman, and J.J. Hardy were disappointing. Adam Dunn was mediocre, though he was shipped off to Philadelphia in a mid-season trade.

2009 Outlook: Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have announced their retirement. The Falcons should have enough offense for next year, but again, the problem will be with the pitching. Curt Schilling will miss next season and may also retire. Pedro Martinez also will most likely not contribute much in '09, leaving the rotation in the hands of Cliff Lee and, well, not much else. Wandy Rodriguez and maybe Andy Sonnanstine will likely occupy spots in the rotation. Unless the Falcons have a stupendous draft, they'll once again face an uphill climb.

Second trade already...

That's right, the DMBL World Series is barely a few weeks over and now the second trade of the offseason is completed. Hoboken traded young lefthander Scott Kazmir to the Philadelphia Endzone Animals in exchange for Adam Dunn, their 9th pick in this year's draft, and a 6th rounder in 2010. Hoboken drafted Kazmir in the 5th round of the 2004 draft (64 overall), but kept him in the minors until the 2006 season when he got his first cup of coffee. Kazmir started 6 games that year, but was bombed to the tune of a 7.99 ERA. Things improved the next season for Kazmir, earning a full-time rotation spot and amassing a 14-13 record with a 4.64 ERA. Kazmir took a big step back in 2008, going 8-19 with a 6.10 ERA, but Philadelphia thought he may have just needed a change of scenery. Meanwhile, Adam Dunn, who had been a mainstay with Hillsborough for many years was part of the Alex Rodriguez deal that sent him and A-Rod to Arkansas. The Falcons, sensing that a playoff appearance was not in the cards, sent Dunn to Philadelphia in July in exchange for Jonathan Sanchez and a draft pick.

Rock the Vote 2008

Seeing as tomorrow is Election Day, let us not forget our own votes.

Voting for the Kevin Mitchell Most Valuable Hitter Award, Ben McDonald Pitcher of the Year Award and the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award is still open. For the Mitch and the Ben Mac, it's the top 6 and for the Stash, it's the top 3.

Get voting! Voting results will be announced some time next week.

Glaus ousted from Newark

The champagne bottles haven't even emptied before the first trade of the season was completed. Newark sent platoon third baseman Troy Glaus to Philadelphia for outfielder J.D. Drew. Glaus returns to the place where it all began. Glaus began his career in 2000 for the Philadelphia Eagle Wings, sharing time at third base with Scott Rolen before being sent in a trade to Columbia before the 2003 season. Newark, who just lost in the DMBL World Series, said they couldn't get Glaus out of there soon enough. "It's all his fault" said Sugar Bears skipper Don Mattingly. "If it wasn't for that miserable bastard, we'd be the ones celebrating." Glaus hit a pathetic .182 in the playoffs, but with a respectable .763 OPS in 11 at bats. "I'm tired of making excuses for Troy" said an irate Butch Garretson after the Series. "Every day 'Oh I didn't get enough at bats' or 'What about Salty? It's downright pathetic." Glaus was puzzled by the statements. "I don't even think I got in enough games to be the sole reason we lost, but I guess they're entitled to their opinions" said Glaus on his way out of the stadium. Incumbent third baseman Chipper Jones is looking forward to taking on both ends of the platoon once more. "At least now I don't have to split my time with that has-been" said Jones. "By the way, he's also a terrorist and he kicks puppies for fun."

We have a new champion!

That's right, the Vancouver Iron Fist have unseated the 4-time defending champion Newark Sugar Bears in a tough 7-game series. Vancouver won for just the first time since 1994 and the first time in the DMB Era. Vancouver has appeared 5 times before in the World Series since their last win, but lost to Newark 3 times and Arkansas twice.

As in 4 of the 6 previous games, Vancouver got on the board first. Victor Martinez blasted a 3-run homer in the second inning and Curtis Granderson had an RBI single to give the Fist a 4-0 lead. Chipper Jones, who has hit 4 home runs in this series, then hit a solo home run to put the Sugar Bears on the board. With the score 5-2 in the 5th, Moises Alou dropped in a single to score 2 more runs, extending the lead to 7-2. Vancouver piled on and scored two more runs in the next inning. But count the Sugar Bears out at your own peril. In the bottom of the 6th, the Sugar Bears would score two more runs, then scored two more in the 7th, closing it to 9-6. In the 8th however, David Ortiz hit a big 2-run home run to give the Fist the confidence to close it out. Vancouver tacked on 3 more in the 9th to make it 14-6. Billy Wagner retired the side in order in the 9th to earn his 2nd playoff save. Rich Hill earned the win in his only postseason start, going 6.1 innings and giving up 6 runs. James Shields was roughed up again in the Cereal Bowl, lasting only 2+ innings and giving up 5 runs on 7 hits.

David Ortiz was given the Bud Black Award as the playoff MVP. Ortiz led the team with 7 post-season home runs, including 3 in the World Series, and 17 RBIs. "To be honest" said manager Darren Daulton at the post-game press conference "there were many MVPs on this club. Ben Sheets, Chase Utley, Curtis Granderson, Todd Helton, the list goes on. That's the mark of a great team!"

Game 7: Hill vs Big Game

Vancouver and Newark take it to the field one last time to decide the 2008 DMBL Champion. Newark will send "Big Game" James Shields to the mound for the third time this series. Shields was destroyed in game one in the Cereal Bowl, but earned the win in game 4 in Vancouver (despite giving up 5 runs in 6 innings). Meanwhile, Rich Hill will make his first start of the postseason. Hill, who only made 10 starts all season - including 3 starts against Newark - earned this start with three solid appearances in the final round. Hill was not even on the active roster in the series against Las Vegas, but manager Darren Daulton thought he would be more of an asset against the Sugar Bears than veteran Greg Maddux. In Hill's first appearance, he earned a 4-inning save in Vancouver's 13-5 rout in game 1, allowing only one hit. Hill pitched again in game 4, making a key strikeout to end a Sugar Bear rally, but giving up a solo home run the next inning. Finally, Hill pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in game 5, allowing one hit and striking out 4. Hill is notorious for not being economical with his pitches, so Chad Billingsley and Zack Greinke are prepared to go if Hill appears to falter.

There will be a game 7!

For only the 6th time in DMBL history a World Series will go the full 7 games. The last time was 2004 when Newark began their 4-year streak by defeating Arkansas.

Vancouver took an early lead in game 6 when David Ortiz doubled in Curtis Granderson to give the Fist a 1-0 lead. But both pitchers were solid and did not give up any runs through the next 4 innings. That is until the bottom of the 5th when the bottom fell out for Javy Vazquez. Andre Ethier began the inning with a double down the line, then Michael Young and Granderson got back-to-back hits to make the score 2-0 Vancouver. Todd Helton smashed a base hit scoring two more runs, chasing Vazquez out of the game. Ortiz came through again and extended the lead to 5-0 with an RBI-single. A Carlos Guillen error led to another run, while another scored on a fielder's choice, making it 7-0 when the inning was over and done with. In the inning, the Sugar Bears surrendered 6 runs on 5 hits, 2 errors and a wild pitch.

But Vancouver was soon to face their own problems. Chipper Jones lined a double with one out the next inning, then scored when Matt Stairs followed it up with another double. Manny Ramirez then hit a 2-run homer to make it 7-3. Later in the inning, Nick Swisher hit another 2-run homer to bring the Sugar Bears to within 2 runs. The Fist dugout was sweating...

Troy Glaus hit a solo home run in the 7th to make the score 7-6, but that's as close as the Sugar Bears would get. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia made a costly error that led to an insurance run for Vancouver in the 8th. The two-headed closing monster of Vancouver - Manny Corpas and Billy Wagner - retired the side in the 9th to close out the win and force game 7.

Sugar Bears look to wrap it up today

Once again, Vancouver finds itself down 3-2 in this playoffs. Last time, they were able to rebound against the Rat Pack. Can they do it again? Against the Sugar Bears?! The series returns to Vancouver where Ben Sheets will take the mound for Vancouver and Javier Vazquez goes for Newark.

Newark pushes Vancouver to the brink

The Sugar Bears won the crucial game 5 yesterday in Newark 6-3. Randy Johnson shut down the Iron Fist offense for 5 innings, allowing only 1 earned run on 6 hits and striking out 9. The Sugar Bears jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Carlos Guillen hit a single with the bases loaded in the first. Vancouver scored a run in the 2nd on a Todd Helton single, then tied it up in the 3rd on a Moises Alou double. Bobby Abreu gave the Sugar Bears the lead with an RBI-double in the 4th and Guillen extended the lead with a 2-run homer in the 5th. David Ortiz homered in the 8th to make it 5-3, but Newark got the run back in the bottom of the inning. Brian Shouse made it interesting in the 9th by walking the first two batters, but they were left stranded. The teams are off today, returning to Vancouver tomorrow.

Vancouver takes the lead

Once again, Vancouver jumped on the scoreboard early and held the lead, taking game 3 by a 6-3 final. Todd Helton drove in the first run with a double in the second inning. David Ortiz would bring him home on a sac fly, giving the Fist a 2-0 lead. Helton extended the lead with a 2-run homer in the 3rd to make it 4-0. Chipper Jones finally put the Sugar Bears on the board with a solo home run in the 4th, but Andre Ethier answered him with one of his own. The Fist made it 6-1 when Moises Alou hit an RBI-single in the 5th. Chipper Jones hit his second homer of the game in the 6th, but again, no one was on base for him. The Fist held the lead until the 9th, when Yadier Molina hit a pinch hit home run to make it 6-3, but that was all for Newark.

The teams will meet again today for Game 4 where Chad Billingsley will start for Vancouver. Billingsley has started two regular season games against Newark, both at the Cereal Bowl. He's 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. The Sugar Bears are still undecided, possibly opting to go with game 1 starter James Shields over Chien-Ming Wang. Shields, of course, was roughed up in game 1, not even escaping the second inning. Perhaps Mattingly may choose to play Shields rather than subject him to another beating in front of the home town faithful.

Game 3 in Vancouver

Today's matchup returns to Vancouver where the Sugar Bears are 1-5 in the regular season. The Iron Fist send out Ben Sheets who was 0-1 against the Sugar Bears this year with a 9.28 ERA and 1.59 WHIP (this includes a disastrous start in the Cereal Bowl) in two starts, while Newark counters with Javier Vazquez (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 1.07 WHIP).

Sugar Bears even it up

It was a bit much to expect Vancouver to take 2 of 2 from Newark in the Cereal Bowl. Newark tied up the series with a 7-5 victory yesterday. Vancouver was the first one on the board again when Jose Guillen drove in a run in the first. But Newark tied it up in the second with a Carlos Guillen triple and then later took the lead after Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled in Guillen. Newark broadened the lead when Salty doubled in another run and Mike Fontenot drove in another for a 4-1 lead in the 4th. After a half hour rain delay, manager Don Mattingly pulled Randy Johnson from the contest, giving way to the Newark bullpen. Zack Greinke, who started for Vancouver, was also pulled. Vancouver scored a run in the 6th to pull within 2. Vancouver's playoff hero Chase Utley tripled in another run to make it a one-run game in the 7th. Newark pulled away in the bottom half on a 2-run Nick Swisher homer, then tacked on another in the 8th. Vancouver made it very interesting in the 9th. With two runners on, pinch hitter Mike Lowell smashed a line drive to left, scoring a run. Moises Alou hit a single to score another run, but the next two batters were retired to end the game.

The two teams will head to Vancouver tomorrow where Javier Vazquez will take on Ben Sheets.

Game 1 goes to Vancouver!

Yowza, who'd have expected that not only would Vancouver take game one in Newark, but take it in so convincing a fashion? Vancouver pounded out 13 runs and 21 hits en route to a 13-5 victory.

The Fist got on the board quickly with a 2-run David Ortiz homer in the first inning, but the Sugar Bears answered in the bottom half with a 3-run Chipper Jones homer of their own. That would be the last time the Sugar Bears would hold a lead. Vancouver exploded in the second inning, starting with an error by Mike Fontenot that got leadoff batter Mike Lowell on base. Two batters later Michael Young tied the game up at 3 with a double down the line. Curtis Granderson lined a single to score Young, giving Vancouver the lead. After Todd Helton doubled and Chase Utley singled, starter James Shields was removed from the game, replaced by Scott Downs. Downs got off to a good start, striking out Ortiz, but fell apart immediately after, giving up three more hits and hitting a batter. After the smoke cleared, Vancouver scored 7 runs and was leading 9-3. Newark scored 2 more runs in the 5th but that was all they could muster against starter Jake Peavy. Peavy, despite earning the win, was not impressive, lasting only 5 innings and giving up 5 runs, 10 hits and 5 walks. Rich Hill, who replaced Greg Maddux on the World Series roster, shut down the Sugar Bears for the final 4 innings. Hill only gave up one hit and 3 walks and struck out 3. With the impressive performance, Hill may have earned himself a start later in the series. On the offensive side, Curtis Granderson and Moises Alou were both 4-5 and Victor Martinez had 3 RBIs.

Game 2 will feature lefty Randy Johnson for Newark and Zack Greinke for Vancouver. Johnson pitched a solid game 2 for Newark against Philadelphia though the Sugar Bears would eventually lose the game. Greinke was roughed up a bit against Las Vegas in their game 2 matchup. Johnson is 0-1 in the regular season against Vancouver with a 2.93 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, while Greinke only faced Newark once in the regular season (5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 9 K).

Series starts today!

Newark and Vancouver go at it again for the second time in 3 years. In three previous Series matchups, Vancouver has drawn the short end of the stick, but they remain optimistic. "It's not easy going up against the juggernaut" said Vancouver manager Darren Daulton, "but we think we have a good chance to bring the trophy back to the Pacific Northwest." Of course Vancouver hasn't won the DMBL title since 1994, back when they were the juggernaut of the Microleague Era. In 2008, Vancouver won the season series with Newark 8 games to 4, so the confidence level is healthy. But Newark is a different animal when it comes to the playoffs. The Sugar Bears easily disposed of the Endzone Animals in five games and have had a week to prepare for the Series. Sugar Bears owner Butch Garretson has been mum so far on the identity of the game one starter - James Shields or Randy Johnson are likely. Meanwhile, Vancouver has confirmed that Jake Peavy will start for the Fist. Peavy is 2-0, with a 6.50 ERA against the Sugar Bears this year in 3 games, including a rough start in Newark earlier in the season.

Game 7 tonight

This is it for Vancouver and Las Vegas. For all the marbles...

Also, FYI, the World Series game 1 will be pushed back to Monday.

All tied up!

Vancouver took the early lead yesterday and withheld a late Vegas rally to knot the series at 3 and force a game 7. Vegas scored early as Ben Sheets got into several jams in the early innings. In the first inning, the Rats managed to load the bases, but Sheets escaped with only one run scored, then worked out of another bases loaded jam in the second, once again only allowing one run. Vancouver came roaring back in the third, scoring four runs, including a 2-run Chase Utley home run. The Fist extended the lead to 5-2 with a solo homer by Michael Young in the 4th. Utley hit another home run, this time a solo shot in the 6th. Meanwhile, Ben Sheets had settled in and retired 10 out 11 batters since the rocky first two innings. But those early innings racked up Sheets' pitch count and he was replaced with Matt Herges in the 6th. Curtis Granderson's 2-run homer capped a 4-run rally in the 7th to give the Fist a 9-2 lead. Herges was cruising along until the 7th when he surrendered a 2-run blast to Jim Thome. In the 8th, it looked like the wheels were going to fall off for Vancouver, as Herges quickly got into a jam. Billy Wagner came in and the Rats narrowed the lead to 9-6. But that was all the Rats would get. Manny Corpas closed out the 9th for his 3rd save.

The teams return to Vancouver Friday for game 7. Vancouver has Chad Billingsley scheduled for the game, while Las Vegas sends out Josh Beckett.

Do or Die Time for Iron Fist

Vancouver faces elimination today as they return to Las Vegas for game 6. Vancouver will send out Ben Sheets, who pitched a complete game but lost in game 3. A.J. Burnett, who pitched well but did not factor into the decision in game 2, will pitch for the Rats. Vegas has already won as many games in the playoffs against Vancouver as they did all season, but manager/GM/owner Eric Wickstrom is hoping for just one more. "We put a lot of effort into this team and feel like we may not have another shot like this for a while" said Wickstrom.

Rats, Bedard take control

The Rats took a 3-2 series lead against Vancouver yesterday with an 8-2 romp over the Morris Division winners. Erik Bedard was masterful, pitching 7.2 innings and holding the Fist to only 2 runs on 4 hits and striking out 12. Meanwhile, Jake Peavy was pummeled for 7 runs, 4 earned, in 5 innings. Jim Thome led the offense with a 2-4 night with 3 RBIs. David Ortiz hit two homers on the losing side but there was no one on base for him to drive in as the rest of the squad combined for only 3 hits. Vancouver will send Ben Sheets to the mound for game 6, while the Rats return with A.J. Burnett.

Sugar Bears will defend their title...again

The Sugar Bears advanced to the championship round for the 8th straight season, getting a chance to extend their championship streak to five. The Sugar Bears disposed of the Endzone Animals in 5 games, ending it with a 7-4 victory at the Cereal Bowl. The Animals sent out Matt Cain, who was victorious in game 2, but it wasn't meant to be. The Sugar Bears took the lead first, scoring once in the 4th and then 2 more on Nick Swisher's homer in the 5th. But Jorge Posada hit a two-run homer and Adam Dunn followed up with a solo shot in the 6th to tie it up. The Animals took a 4-3 lead on a Jimmy Rollins single, but it was short-lived. With two outs in the 7th, Matt Stairs hit a grand slam, giving the Sugar Bears a 7-4 lead. The Sugar Bears got into some trouble the next inning, walking the leadoff hitter and then hitting another, but Mark Teixeira bounced into a double play to end the inning. Manny Delcarmen sent the Animals down in order in the 9th to earn his 3rd save of the series and closing the door on the Animals' 2008 season.

Tonight Vancouver and Las Vegas try to gain control of their series, tied at 2-2. It'll be a rematch of game one as Vancouver sends Jake Peavy and Vegas counters with Erik Bedard. The Rats hope that the result will be different as Vancouver took game one 4-3. Interestingly enough, 3 of the first 4 games have been decided by one run - a situation that the Rats excelled in for the most part of the 2008 season.

Sugar Bears take lead with 6th inning rally

Newark took back the home field advantage from Philly with a 6-4 victory yesterday. The Animals looked like they would hold off the mighty Sugar Bears, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Sugar Bears rallied for 6 runs in the 6th, starting with a Matt Stairs grand slam. The Sugar Bears will send Chien-Ming Wang out for game four, while the Endzone Animals will turn to Johan Santana, pitching on three days' rest. Wang has been disastrous against the Animals this year, going 0-2 with a 9.87 ERA and horrific 2.19 WHIP in 3 starts. Wang's two worst starts were in the Cereal Bowl, so the Sugar Bears hope he will not continue the trend.

Las Vegas-Vancouver resumes today in Sin City with Ben Sheets taking on Josh Beckett. Beckett has only made on start against Vancouver in a Rat Pack uniform, a 3-1 loss in early August, but overall he's made 4 starts (3 as a Blue Ridge Bomber) and has a 1-2 record with a 4.10 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Sheets has also been solid in 4 starts against the Rats, going 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.

Vegas knots series with Fist

Las Vegas evened the series with the Iron Fist yesterday. Once again the Rats got up early after Jim Thome blasted a two-run homer in the 3rd. Thome extended the lead to 3-1 with a solo homer in the 5th. Vancouver tried to claw their way back, but every time they seemed to be getting closer, it was Thome time. The Rats put the game out of reach when Thome hit his third homer in the 7th, making the score 5-2. Vancouver would scrape out another run, but that was that. The Rats host the next game of the series Friday, when Ben Sheets and Josh Beckett square off.

Philadelphia hosts the Sugar Bears today, resuming their 1-1 series as Brandon Webb will take on Javier Vazquez. Webb has been roughed up by the Sugar Bears this year to the tune of a 4.82 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 3 starts. It should be noted that his two rough starts were at the Cereal Bowl and his one start in Philly this year was a complete game shutout. Meanwhile, Vazquez has been solid against the Animals, going 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 0.933 WHIP in two starts - one at each of the stadiums.

Philly evens series with Sugar Bears

The Endzone Animals took a huge step toward knocking off the defending champions by stealing a game at the Cereal Bowl yesterday. It all started in the 6th inning when the first two batters reached base and then Albert Pujols was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. After some glares were exchanged, and a sacrifice fly from Gary Sheffield, Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer to give the Animals a 4-2 lead. But Newark wouldn't go down so easily. Mike Fontenot hit a run-scoring single to chase starter Matt Cain out of the game and then Nick Swisher came through with a single to tie the game. In the 8th inning, the Endzone Animals rallied again. Albert Pujols led off with a home run to give the Animals the lead again. Kelly Johnson homered later in the inning - a 2-run liner to right - to extend the lead to 7-4. Once again, the Sugar Bears came storming back. Matt Stairs hit a two-run homer to narrow the lead to one run, but Carlos Guillen hit a weak grounder to end the game. The two teams will take today off, travelling the Turnpike and enjoying the beautiful sites of refineries and traffic jams.

Meanwhile, Vancouver hosted Las Vegas in another closely contested game. The Rats got on the board quickly. Ichiro walked to lead off the game and promptly stole second, then tagged up on a Joe Mauer fly out and scored on a sac fly. Then in the second, Chone Figgins hit a two-run double to give the Rats a 3-0 lead. David Ortiz answered with a home run the next inning, but it was only one run... Things were going well for Erik Bedard and the Rat Pack until the 5th inning when everything fell apart. Michael Young led off with a double, but the next two Fist batters struck out. It looked like Bedard would escape unharmed, but Moises Alou came through with a base hit, scoring Young. Jose Guillen doubled and then Bedard walked the bases loaded. Bedard fell apart and walked the next two runs home, giving the Fist a 4-3 lead. And that was all the scoring for the rest of the game... Billy Wagner and Manny Corpas combined to pitch the ninth inning and preserved the lead. In all, the Rats were held to a mere 2 hits and 5 walks, and struck out 10 times. Carlos Pena's homer streak was snapped. Today, it's Zack Greinke vs. A.J. Burnett. Greinke is 3-0 this season against the Rats with a 2.20 ERA and Burnett is 0-0 with a 3.55 ERA in 2 starts.

Sugar Bears draw first blood

The second round kicked off yesterday with the Sugar Bears hosting the Endzone Animals. Philly jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning, culminating with Adam Dunn's two-RBI double. Jack Cust then tied it all up at 3-3 in the third with a two-run homer. Things then started to fall apart for the Animals. The next inning, the first two Sugar Bears reached base and then Johan Santana threw a wild pitch which advanced both runners into scoring position. After getting Yadier Molina to pop up, Hideki Matsui came through with a single that scored both runners. Clearly rattled, Santana walked the next two batters, loading the bases. That was all for Santana. Reliever Jon Rauch got Manny Ramirez to fly out to center field, but it was enough to score the runner from third, making it 6-3 in favor of the defending champs. Jorge Posada and Albert Pujols hit back-to-back doubles in the 8th inning, but that was all that the Animals could muster for the rest of the game. Despite the loss, the Animals have to feel pretty good about the way their bullpen held off the mighty Sugar Bears offense. Rauch and Jason Isringhausen combined to pitch 4.2 innings of scoreless, 2-hit ball and struck out 7. Game 2 late tonight.

Meanwhile across the continent, in Vancouver, the Fist prepares to host the Rat Pack tonight. Vancouver sends up ace Jake Peavy against Erik Bedard. The Fist have owned the season series, including winning 9 straight against the Rat Pack. The Fist have outscored the Rats 82-53 in the season series. If you take out the early-season sweep, the Fist have held the Rats to 27 runs over the past 9 games - and that's without ever facing Peavy. Bedard did pitch one game against Vancouver, lasting 6.1 innings but surrendering 7 runs and 9 hits in a 9-3 loss back in May.

Newark/Philly starts today

Well today starts the series between Philadelphia and Newark at the Cereal Bowl. Newark sends James Shields to the mound while the Animals counter with Johan Santana. Newark owns the season series between the two teams, taking 7 of 12, including a 3-game sweep the last time the two met in Philly. The Animals actually split the series in Newark, winning 3 of the 6 games they played there. Santana will be relied on heavily in this Game 1. In three starts against Newark this season, Johan has gone 2-0 with a 3.78 ERA in 16.2 innings with a scary 1.68 WHIP and 25 strikeouts. Shields has played in two games against the Animals, but hasn't made it out of the third inning in either start - both times leaving with various injuries.

Check out the latest edition of This Week in the DMBL for Zane's picks for top hitter and pitcher of the week as well as a detailed recap of the first round.

Rats send Hitmen sleeping with the fishes

The Rats finally put the Hitmen away yesterday. The two teams battled it out and it was pretty close for a while. Carlos Pena, hitting a homer in all four post-season games, hit a solo dinger in the 2nd to start the scoring. Aubrey Huff countered with one of his own to tie the game up in the 3rd. Pena got things started again in the 4th with a double. Justin Verlander gifted the Rat Pack with a run, by first balking Pena over to third, then scoring him on a wild pitch. In the 8th with the score 3-2 in favor of the Rats, Carlos Pena, once again, hit a double that scored Ichiro. Vlad Guerrero followed up with a 2-run single that broke the game wide open for Vegas. Carlos Lee hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to make the score 6-4. Carlos Marmol retired the Hitmen in order to pick up the save and send the Hitmen to the golf course.

Las Vegas will now take on Vancouver starting Tuesday. Philadelphia and Newark will battle on Monday.

Vegas regains control

Las Vegas may have ceded the home field advantage after their loss Monday, but they got it right back after yesterday's victory. The Rats' Carlos Pena homered in his third straight game - a 2-run homer in the 7th. Also, Ichiro was 3-5 with a triple for the Rats. Meanwhile, Josh Beckett pitched 7 quality innings, limiting the Hitmen to only 5 hits, 1 walk and 2 runs, while striking out 6. The Rats will try to ice the Hitmen tonight in Hillsborough.

Remember this year we will start awards voting earlier. Take the time to vote for your top 6 pitchers and top 6 batters, as well as the top 3 rookies of the year. Phil Plantier has posted a handy-dandy guide to this year's top rookies, for those who don't know who's eligible.

Philly sweeps Bushslappers

The Endzone Animals finished off D.C. yesterday with a marathon 13-inning win. It started off well enough for the Animals. Mark Teixeira lined a two-RBI single in the first inning to give the Animals a 2-0 lead. But in the third inning, the Slappers erupted to score 6 runs and took a 6-3 lead. In the fifth, after a Magglio Ordonez solo homer, Teixeira again came through with a 2-run homer to tie the game up at 6. It was soon becoming the Mark Teixeira show - in the sixth inning, Tex did it again, this time another 2-run single to put the Animals up 8-6. But the Slappers would not go away quietly. They scraped back until Jason Giambi tied the game up with a solo home run in the eighth. The two teams would battle for the next four innings, taking turns working out of various jams. The Animals took the lead for good in the 13th when Albert Pujols hit a solo home run and the Slappers went down in order in the bottom of the inning. Tex ended the game 5-6 with 7 RBIs, 2 doubles and a home run. Hillsborough-Las Vegas resumes today in Hillsborough.

Markakis powers Hitmen to tie series

Well things certainly got interesting in a hurry in the Las Vegas-Hillsborough series as the Hitmen knotted the series at one with a 4-3 victory yesterday. Ironically, Vegas was the poster child for one-run victories during the regular season, but may have used all their mojo before the playoffs. The Rats jumped out to an early lead when Frank Thomas and Carlos Pena hit solo homers in the second inning. But the Hitmen played copy cats in the third and tied it up with a pair of solo shots of their own - Nick Markakis and Dmitri Young. The score remained tied until the 7th when Markakis hit his second homer of the day - a two-run blast that gave the Hitmen a 4-2 lead. Vlad Guerrero answered with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, but the Rats were still one short. Takashi Saito was brought into the game and promptly struck out 3 of the final 5 batters to earn the save. The series will resume Thursday in Hillsborough.

Philly, Vegas stomp the competition

Philly leaves for D.C. after taking a firm hold on their series with the Bushslappers. The Endzone Animals left no doubt after shutting down the Slapper bats 4-1 on Saturday then 7-2 on Sunday. Brandon Webb pitched 8 innings and allowed only one run on 5 hits, then Matt Cain won the battle of the rhyming starters (vs. John Maine) by pitching 7 innings of 4-hit ball, allowing only 2 runs and 3 walks. Maine tried in vain to best Cain, but was slain to no gain...or something like that. The series picks up again on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Vegas took a firm stand in week one against their arch-nemesis Hillsborough with a 9-0 pounding of the Hitmen. A.J. Burnett pitched 7 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball, striking out 11. Meanwhile, Matt Holliday led the team with 3 RBIs and Carlos Pena hit a double and a homer. Game two is later today.

Avast me swabbies, tis time for the playoffs

Arr, Avast ye mateys! It be International Talk Like a Pirate Day today and we be gettin' inta the spirit of things. So today's blog be in Pirate-speak, ye scurvy dogs.

Tomorrow the 2008 DMBL Playoffs begin with the D.C. Bushslappers facin' the Philadelphia Endzone Animals. Now the Animals be winning the season series, but just barrrrrely - 7 games to 6. Interrrrestingly enough, the Animals be much better against the Slappers in the nation's capital, winnin' 4 of 6 there, while only going 3-4 in thar own stadium. Both teams faced each other recently, in D.C., where the Animals took 2 of 3. Philly has outscored the Slappers 69-55 in their 13 games.

Meanwhile, Hillsboro' and Vegas start thar series on Sunday. The two became bitterrr rivals way back before the season when Hitmen owner Brent Campbell stARRted trash talking with Rat Pack owner Eric Wickstrom. The Hitmen own the winnin' record in the season series, takin' 7 of 12. A closer examination of the stats tells a different story. The Hitmen established their dominance early on, winnin' their first 7 games against the Pack, but the Pack rallied back and won their last 5. We all know that the hot team usually prevails in the playoffs - it be all about momentum. Hillsborough outscored the Rats 87-67 over the course of the season.

Final Regular Season Players of the Week

Whoops, looks like I missed a post yesterday, but no fear, we have the selections for Players of the Week today!

Hitter of the Week

It was pretty hard to find good candidates this week - few had eye-popping numbers despite having two extra days to accumulate stats. Nevertheless, Philadelphia's Adam Dunn looks lik ea runaway winner for the final regular season JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week Award. Dunn led all hitters with a 1.095 slugging percentage and was second with a .538 on-base percentage. He was second in the league in RBIs (10) and tied for first in home runs (4).

It was a good offensive week for Vancouver. Mike Lowell led all batters with 13 RBIs and Andre Ethier was second in the league in slugging (.862) and tied for the lead in doubles (7). Curtis Granderson led the league in triples (3) further extending his DMBL-era record. David Ortiz had another good week, tied for the league lead in walks (10).

Other notables...Shane Victorino of New Jersey led the league in batting with a .472 average and had 3 stolen bases to boot...Las Vegas' Vlad Guerrero was one of four players tied for the lead in home runs with 4, but also put up a 1.217 OPS, 10 runs, and 8 RBIs on the week.

Pitcher of the Week

Unlike the hitters category, there were several deserving pitchers for top honors this week. Las Vegas, in particular, seemed to have the top stable of arms for the week. Old man El Duque pitched a complete game and went 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in his 15 innings. Chris Young, who has been a disappointment this year, put together a solid 1-1, 1.29 ERA week with an 0.71 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 14 innings. But the cream of the crop was the much-maligned Josh Beckett who finally fulfilled some of his promise. Beckett was 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA, including a complete game shutout and 16 strikeouts in 14.2 innings. Beckett takes this week's Drama Prairie Dog Pitcher of the Week Award.

Beckett has some seriously stiff competition from Hillsborough's C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia kept pace with Beckett, winning both his starts, including a complete-game shutout. C.C. put in another 8 innings in his other start and totalled 18 strikeouts with a 1.59 ERA and 0.71 WHIP - both just slightly higher than Beckett. Sabathia's teammate Justin Verlander also had a good week preparing for the playoffs (1-1, 2.76 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, CG, 10 K, 16.1 IP).

The top reliever had to be Tampa Bay's Lee Gardner. Gardner pitched in 6 scoreless appearances, earning a tie for the league lead in saves (3) with an 0.63 WHIP.

Other top performers: New Jersey's Brad Penny led the league in ERA with 1.29 and was 2-0 with a 1.21 WHIP...Vancouver's Jake Peavy notched two more wins to extend his league lead in the category, but also had 17 Ks to go with it...Sardine City's Fausto Carmona was another 2-0 pitcher with a 2.08 ERA in his 13 innings of work...Finally Hoboken's Jeremy Guthrie deserves some kudos for his 1-1, 1.93 ERA, 1.07 WHIP week which includes a 7-0 shutout of D.C.

Last place teams scramble for position

The season ended yesterday for 6 of the DMBL's teams. New Jersey has a firm hold on the #1 draft pick next year, one game ahead of Marietta. Both teams are done. Carolina also finished with a 100-loss season, but can slide into 12th place if Blue Ridge wins today's game. If Blue Ridge loses, then Marietta slides up into 12th place - a virtual disaster for owner Dave Landsman. You can bet he'll be the biggest Rat Pack fan today.

Hillsborough and D.C. both lost yesterday giving us one more day of seeding excitement. D.C. was shut out by Jeremy Guthrie and the Cutters 7-0. Guthrie went the distance, picking up his 15th win and getting his ERA under 4. Meanwhile Fausto Carmona shut down the Hitmen in a 5-1 victory for the Straphangers. Ryan Braun's three-run homer in the 5th set the pace.

D.C.-Hillsborough race heads into final stretch

We'll postpone the awards until Wednesday so we can include the last two games in our "week". Yeah, that and I forgot to run the reports, but maybe this will work out better anyway...

As it stands now, there's nothing of interest to write about except the big D.C.-Hillsborough battle for 5th place. D.C. is still up by one game on the Hitmen with two games left to play for each team. Hillsborough hosts Sardine City for the final two games, a team that they are 3-7 against. Hillsborough will send Dan Haren and C.C. Sabathia to the mound for those games, but Sardine City will counter with thier top two - Fausto Carmona and Cole Hamels.

Meanwhile D.C. hosts Hoboken, who they are 6-4 against on the season. D.C. will send Kelvim Escobar and John Maine up against Jeremy Guthrie and Jon Garland. It would seem like D.C. has the upper hand, but D.C. has a losing record (4-9) against the Hitmen this year, meaning that a tie would demote the Bushslappers to last place - there is no one game playoff for seeding.

Hitmen gain ground on Slappers

Well, here we are at the final weekend of the regular season. The top four positions are locked up in order. Hillsborough and D.C. have both clinched playoff spots, but their order is too close to call. D.C. lost 5-0 yesterday to Carolina. Mike Pelfrey won his first career DMBL game with 6 innings of 2-hit ball. Meanwhile C.C. Sabathia pitched a complete game shutout (6 H, 8 K), outduelling Blue Ridge's Ted Lilly (8 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 5 K) to move the Hitmen to within one game of the Bushslappers. Interestingly enough, it might be to the Hitmen's best interests to remain in 6th place. Hillsborough is 7-5 against Las Vegas (who they would face if the season ended today) this year as opposed to 4-9 against Philadelphia. As for D.C., it doesn't really matter. They're 6-6 against the Rats and 6-7 against the Endzone Animals.

This'll all probably be wrapped up by Monday, so it should be an interesting weekend, to say the least.

Falcons sweep Hitmen

Tampa Bay shut out Las Vegas for the second straight day. This time it was Andy Pettitte going the distance, holding the Rats to 5 hits and improving to 15-6 on the season. For Pettitte, it was his 39th career complete game, tying him for with Kevin Appier for 15th overall and his 13th career shutout - good for 9th place overall, one behind Roger Clemens.

Arkansas completed the sweep of Hillsborough, taking a 5-1 win over the Hitmen. Former Hillsborough teammate Jeremy Bonderman evened his record at 12-12 with a 7.1 inning, 5-hit performance in which he struck out 8 Hitmen. Somehow the Falcons won, despite being limited to only five hits and one walk. Hillsborough falls to an even 2 games behind D.C. for the 5th playoff seed and their playoff magic number remains at 2.

Newark clinches 1st spot

Well Newark finally did it - the Sugar Bears broke their losing streak and clinched the Hanover Division by shutting out Hoboken 5-0 yesterday. Chien Ming Wang pitched 5.1 shutout innings and Luke Scott drove in 2 runs in the match. The dejected Las Vegas Rats went on to be shut out as well, by the Plunkers. Jered Weaver pitched 7 shutout innings in the 2-0 win for Tampa.

Hillsborough dropped their 4th straight game, a 4-3 squeaker to Arkansas. Of course Hillsborough just came off a streak that saw them win 16 of 18 games, so their timing is questionable with the season ending next Tuesday.

The Hitmen lost no ground to D.C. as the Slappers dropped a 7-2 decision to Jake Peavy and the Iron Fist. Peavy won his league-leading 23rd decision.