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.