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.