Mallers win first Championship

The Mallers took game 7 decisively with a 7-1 final. Both teams started out by scoring one run in the first inning. In the 5th, the Mallers finally got to Javier Vazquez, scoring 3 runs and opening up a 4-1 lead. The Mallers scored 3 more runs in the next two innings to solidify their lead. Chris Carpenter went the distance, allowing 7 hits and two walks while striking out 10. Bobby Abreu was 3-5 with a homer and 3 RBIs and Ryan Zimmerman was 3-4. Abreu and Raul Ibanez were named the co-MVPs of the Series, sharing the Bud Black trophy. Ibanez hit .375 for the series including the tying HR in the game 5 that Bridgewater won 8-7. Abreu's homer in game 7 gave the Mallers the lead. "They deserve it equally" said Jaime Landsman after much deliberation.

World Series Game 7 - For the whole bag of chips

Tonight is the finale of the 2010 DMBL World Series - Game 7 in Bridgewater. The Mallers will try to complete the improbably comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and the Sugar Bears try to hold on and return to past glory. The Mallers will send Chris Carpenter to the mound, while the Sugar Bears go with Javier Vazquez. It's the third straight year that the Series is going to a game 7 - is it a bad omen that Newark lost both previous series?

Rookies!

What's the hardest part of voting for the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award?

Figuring out who is a DMBL rookie!

Luckily the hard work has been done for you, on the DMBL Exco!

Check out these write-ups of the rookie batters and the rookie pitchers. And each post is followed by a spreadsheet with all the data so you can dive in yourself. Enjoy!

Never Give Up!

While we're handing out awards, what happened to the Jeff Reboulet Award?

Find out which DMBL rookie toiled the longest before finally reaching the promised land this season. The good news: He was finally eligible after six seasons in the MLB! The bad news: He didn't appear in a game this season anyway.

"Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air."

Read all about it in a brand-new Rookie Watch With Phil Plantier.

And the pitchers!

Now you can check out the candidates for the Ben McDonald Pitcher of the Year Award:

http://excoboard.com/dmbl/143052/1728035

New on the Exco!

Not sure who to vote for in the Kevin Mitchell race? I wrote up the obvious candidates for the Batter of the Year Award (though you can vote for whoever you want) on the Exco.

http://excoboard.com/dmbl/143052/1728035?page=1#4688735

Hopefully I'll also have time to do write-ups for Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year also.

If you haven't joined the Exco yet, follow this link and sign up! It's free!

http://excoboard.com/dmbl

Bridgewater advances

For the first time in franchise history, the Bridgewater Mallers have advanced to the DMBL World Series. The Mallers, who started their DMB life as one of the original six franchises, the Columbia Crusaders, didn't even have a winning record until current owner Jamie Landsman moved the team to D.C. in 2006. The franchise finally made the playoffs for the first time in 2007, and then had their first winning season in 2008 (yeah, they were only 81-81 in '07). Now the Mallers join an elite circle of five teams that have ever made the finals (Newark, Vancouver, Arkansas, Marietta, and Austin - only Austin has not won out of that group).

The Mallers await the winner of the Newark-Marietta showdown, which resumes today. Newark will send Brad Bergesen to the mound. Bergesen shut down Marietta to win in game 3. Meanwhile, Marietta will try something different, sending lefty Jarrod Washburn up against the Sugar Bears. The Mighty Men are actually 3-1 in regular season games against Newark when Washburn starts, though Washburn has struggled in some of those starts.

Marietta stays alive

The Mighty Men stayed a live by edging past the Sugar Bears 3-2 yesterday. John Danks has now won the only two games for the Mighty Men with an 8-inning, 5-hit effort yesterday in which he gave up 2 runs and struck out 9. Javier Vazquez pitched a complete game in defeat, striking out 8 and giving up 6 hits. Jason Bay gave the Mighty Men a 2-0 lead in the 2nd with a 2-run homer, then Ichiro Suzuki singled in Chone Figgins in the 3rd to extend the lead to 3-0. The Sugar Bears finally got on the board in the 7th with back to back home runs from Jorge Posada and Kendry Morales. Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 9th to earn his first playoff save this year.

Bridgewater will try to close out their series with Vancouver at the Irondome tonight. Randy Wells will face Chris Carpenter. Carpenter pitched 4 scoreless inning in game 1 against Vancouver but was removed after a rain delay. Randy Wells pitched a solid game to earn the win in game 3 against the Mallers.

Two teams on the brink

Bridgewater's 2-1 victory over Vancouver yesterday pushed the Iron Fist to the edge of elimination. Tommy Hanson and the Maller bullpen held the Iron Fist to just 5 hits in the game and struck out 10. Todd Helton drove in both Maller runs with a 2-run single in the 3rd. Jake Peavy pitched well in defeat, giving up only 2 unearned runs on 2 hits in 6 innings.

Meanwhile, Newark tries to eliminate Marietta today in Newark. The Sugar Bears will be sending Javy Vazquez to the mound against John Danks in a rematch of game 2, which Marietta won 8-4. Newark won both of their home games over the weekend.

Marietta evens series

Marietta evened up their series with Newark, dealing the Sugar Bears their first loss of the postseason. The Sugar Bears jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first, and extended it to 4-1 after a 2-run Juan Rivera homer in the 3rd. But in the bottom of the 3rd, Adrian Gonzalez hit a 3-run homer to tie up the game at 4-4. Alberto Callaspo's RBI single in the 5th gave the Mighty Men their first lead and Chone Figgins hit a double to make the lead 6-4. An error by Willy Aybar made the lead 7-4. The Mighty Men tacked on another run in the late innings to make the score 8-4. Mike Adams pitched the final 3 innings, giving up only 1 hit and striking out 4 to earn a save.

Bridgewater and Vancouver resume their series today with the Iron Fist trailing the Mallers 2-0. Randy Wells will attempt to get Vancouver back into the series, while the Mallers will rely on Josh Beckett to bring Vancouver to the brink. Vancouver is 0-3 against Beckett this season and the Mallers are 2-1 against Wells, including one game in which Beckett outdueled Wells.

Carpenter, Aceves blank Vancouver to take 1-0 series lead

The Mallers shut out the Iron Fist yesterday to take a 1-0 series lead. Starter Chris Carpenter had to be removed after a rain delay despite pitching 4 innings of shutout ball. Juan Aceves came in and pitched 4.1 innings, blanking Vancouver on 4 hits. Meanwhile, Zack Greinke, who survived the rain delay, pitched 6 shutout innings, but was lifted in the 7th after giving up a homer to Derrek Lee and a single to Ryan Zimmerman. Ronald Belisario came in and threw gasoline on the fire, giving up 5 more runs, plus the inherited runner from Greinke. Jake Peavy will take the mound in game two for Vancouver against Tommy Hanson.

Meanwhile, Marietta and Newark begin their series in a rematch of last year's World Series. Marietta is sending Joel Pineiro up against Ted Lilly. Newark owns the season series against Marietta with an 8-5 mark, but only 3-3 in Marietta. Marietta is 1-3 against Lilly in the regular season, including a 5-hit complete game shutout in August. Newark won their only game against Pineiro 9-5, also in August. Pineiro was pounded for 6 runs in 2.1 innings, though the game was played in Newark.

Round 2 begins tonight

Well, the first two rounds were a bit underwhelming with both series being sweeps. Today we kick off round 2 with Bridgewater hosting Vancouver. The Mallers are 9-4 against the Iron Fist so far this season, including a 4-2 mark at home. Bridgewater is 2-2 against Vancouver when Zack Greinke started, but that includes a 14-inning win and all 4 games were close games, with no one winning by more than 2 runs. Bridgewater's projected starter, Chris Carpenter, (the Mallers have not yet formally announced their starter) only faced Vancouver in one game - the first game of the year - and ended up on the losing end to Greinke in a 4-2 game.

Vancouver completes sweep

Vancouver edged the Endzone Animals in game 3 yesterday to win their best-of-5 series. Once again Michael Cuddyer carried the offense, going 3-5 with 2 RBIs. Cuddyer ends the series hitting .769/.786/1.692 with a 2.478 OPS, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. Both starting pitchers were solid in their efforts. Randy Wells, who earned the win for Vancouver, pitched 7.2 innings, holding the Animals to 3 runs on 10 hits, while Jered Weaver gave up 4 runs - 2 earned - in 6.2 innings, while striking out 7. Philly held the lead until the 7th when Cuddyer singled in Lyle Overbay from second. Then Vancouver took the lead after Jason Kubel doubled in Garrett Jones. Ronald Belisario closed out the game for his second save of the series.

Sardine City tries to avoid the same fate as Philadelphia today, but has to do it in the unfriendly confines of the Sugar Bowl. Sardine City will send lefty Cole Hamels to face another lefty, Ted Lilly. The Sardines were 3-0 against the Sugar Bears with Hamels on the mound during the regular season, while the Sugar Bears are 0-2 with Lilly taking the mound, including one matchup against Hamels.

Sugar Bears rain on Sardines' parade

The Sugar Bears scored quickly in yesterday's Game 2 and took an early 2-0 series lead heading back to Newark. The Sugar Bears tallied 4 runs in the first inning after Will Venable hit a 2-run homer and Manny Ramirez tripled in a run and later scored. Venable hit his second homer of the night in the 3rd to extend the lead to 5-0. Sardine City finally got on the board in the 4th on a Nyjer Morgan single. Manny Ramirez regained the run for the Sugar Bears with an RBI single in the 7th. The Sardine offense woke up in the bottom of the 7th when James Loney hit a 3-run double to bring the score to 6-4. Travis Hafner led off the 9th with a double, but was left stranded after the next three batters were retired on easy popups by Kiko Calero.

The Vancouver-Philadelphia series resumes today in Philadelphia where the Endzone Animals will try to get back into the series after falling down 2-0. Vancouver will send Randy Wells to the mound to face Jered Weaver. Philadelphia is 1-1 against Wells, while Vancouver is 1-2 against Weaver. Both starters faced each other way back in July with Weaver outpitching Wells in a 4-2 win.

Cuddyer continues power trip, Vancouver grabs 2-0 lead

Michael Cuddyer continued to shred Philadelphia pitching, going 4-5 with 5 RBIs in yesterday's 7-4 win over the Endzone Animals. Cuddyer hit a double and two homers in the game. In the two games, Cuddyer is now 7-8 with 3 homers and 8 RBIs. Neither starter did much for their teams yesterday as Vancouver got to Roy Halladay early and often. Jake Peavy was doing well until a 6th inning meltdown that saw him give up 3 runs. Luckily Ronald Belisario pitched 3.1 perfect innings - well except for an 8th inning Scott Rolen error. Philadelphia scored 4 runs in the game, but was held to only 4 hits - 3 of which were home runs.

Meanwhile, Newark spoiled the Straphangers' playoff debut with a 4-2 win. The Sardines held a tenuous 2-1 lead as late as the 6th inning, but the Sugar Bears scored two runs in the inning to take the lead. Aaron Hill hit a solo homer to give the Sugar Bears some breathing room and the Sugar Bear bullpen shut down the Straphangers the rest of the way. Brandon Lyon, who earned the win, pitched 3.1 relief innings, giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk. The two teams face off again today with Newark sending Brian Bannister up against John Lackey. Bannister hasn't faced the Sardines this season yet, but Newark is 1-1 against Lackey.

Cuddyer powers Vancouver to Game 1 victory

Vancouver took game one of their series with the Endzone Animals. Zack Greinke continued his excellent season with an 8-inning, 2-hit effort. Greinke struck out 9 and gave up two runs as the Iron Fist won 6-2. Michael Cuddyer was the star of the offense, going 3-3 with 3 RBIs. Vancouver piled on early. Despite giving up two early runs in the first inning, the Fist came right back with 4 runs. Cuddyer tacked on a solo homer in the 3rd and then hit an RBI double in the 5th to give Vancouver some breathing room. Jake Peavy will face Roy Halladay in today's matchup. Both teams are 1-0 against their respective opponents, though both pitchers were effective in their losses.

The Sardine City Straphangers officially begin their first ever playoff run, sending Josh Johnson to the mound against Newark's Javier Vazquez. Sardine City was 7-6 in the season series with Newark. The Sardines were 5-1 against Newark at the Cannery this year and 1-1 against Vazquez. Newark is 1-1 against Johnson as well.

Playoffs begin tonight!

The 2010 Playoff season begins tonight with Vancouver hosting Philadelphia. Vancouver will send ace and Ben McDonald favorite Zack Greinke to the mound to face lefty C.C. Sabathia. Philadelphia owns the season series against Vancouver 8-5 and 4-3 in Vancouver. Vancouver is 2-0 against Philly in games started by Greinke, while Sabathia has not started this season against Vancouver, but Vancouver is tied with the second best record in the league against lefty starters. Overall, Vancouver has the 3rd best home record in the league (48-33) while the Endzone Animals have the 2nd best road record (47-34).

Last game today!

It's the last day of the regular season...maybe. All six playoff spots are secured, but in what order? Only Marietta knows their spot for sure. Bridgewater currently sits atop the Morris Division, but by only one game. If Vancouver and/or Philadelphia win their games today and the Mallers lose thiers, there could be a three way tie for first place. Yikes. And the Morris Division winner might not even have the second best record in the league. Sardine City is currently tied with the Mallers with 91 wins, making it likely that the Sardines will be the top wild card. Which leaves the Sugar Bears as the 6th team with 89 wins, right? Well...if the Sugar Bears win and Vancouver and/or Philly lose, well there are all sorts of tiebreakers to sort through. Let's take a look at some.

If there is a tie for the Morris Division lead, there will be a one (or possibly two) game play-in game on Saturday. Sardine City has winning records against Vancouver (8-3), Philadelphia(9-3), and Bridgewater(7-5), so they have the 3rd spot locked up. Amazingly, the Sardines only have a losing record against one playoff team - the Mighty Men (4-9). They are 7-6 against Newark.

Bridgewater already has at least a tie for the division locked up, so we won't really have to go into any tiebreakers with them, unless there's a 3-way tie. Bridgewater has a winning record against both rivals so will probably only have to play one play-in game in that unlikely scenario. Philly is 8-5 against Vancouver this year, so the Iron Fist need a lot to go right to get a good seed. Newark has a losing record against Philly and split their season series against Vancouver. Newark has a better run differential than Vancouver, so they'd probably win that tiebreakers, but the Sugar Bears first have to win their final game.

We have a few other little races of note as well. Blue Ridge and Hillsborough are all tied up at 82-79 with Las Vegas sitting at 81-80. Conceivably all three could end up tied up, but Las Vegas would probably like to sew up that 82nd win to get over the .500 mark. If that does happen, then we'll end the season with 9 teams with a winning record!

And at the other end of the spectrum, Carolina has already sewn up last place, but New Jersey and Arkansas both have identical records and both teams will try to avoid losing their 100th game - Arkansas for the first time in franchise history.

As for Hoboken and Amityville - well nobody cares about them today, sorry guys!

Berkman makes a move

Longtime Golden Falcon Lance Berkman went deep in an 11-2 pummeling by Arkansas on Thursday. The third-inning homer off Bridgewater's Josh Beckett was his 22nd of the year and broke up a logjam on the DMBL's all-time home run list.

Entering the game, Berkman was tied with fellow first basemen Edgar Martinez and Fred McGriff for 22nd place in DMBL history with 271 homers. Berkman is chasing Bridgewater's Todd Helton, who has only eight home runs this year and is just two ahead of "The Big Puma," with 274.

At No. 20 in all-time home runs is yet another first baseman, Rafael Palmeiro, with 330 dingers.

Guerrero passes Piazza

New Jersey's Vladimir Guerrero blasted past Mike Piazza to move into 7th place on the all-time home run list. Guerrero, who started the year with 397 home runs, has 13 dingers on the season for a career total of 410. Last week he jumped by Piazza, who's number one among catchers with 406 home runs.

Vlad the Impaler has his sights set on Ken Griffey, Jr., who is still a free agent who has vowed to hang up the spikes if he doesn't get a call by season's send. If Guerrero stays healthy he could catch Junior -- 6th all-time with 444 home runs -- in 2011. At that point, he'll also be hot on the heels of Sammy Sosa for 5th place with 446 round-trippers.

Mallers get a little breathing room

Bridgewater gave themselves a little bit of a cushion in the Morris Division with an 8-5 win over Las Vegas. Chris Carpenter improved to 9-5 with a solid 7.2 inning effort giving up only 2 runs and striking out 6. Erick Aybar and Ben Molina each had 3 hits and Molina hit 2 homers and drove in 3 runs. Alex Rodriguez hit two home runs and drove in all 5 runs in defeat for the Rats. The Mallers opened up a 2-game lead on Vancouver, who lost 10-5 to Hoboken. Kosuke Fukudome was 5-5 and Miguel Cabrera and Adam Dunn each had 3 RBIs to lead the Cutters offense. The win broke Vancouver's 5-game winning streak.

Jorge Cantu also had a 5-for-5 day for Amityville in their 11-9 win over Arkansas. The Falcons dropped their 8th straight game. The Ant Slayers scored 6 runs in the 1st to take the early lead, but the Falcons clawed their way back and tied the game up in the 5th. A Miguel Tejada double gave the Slayers the lead back and Amityville extended their lead to 9-6. The Falcons kept trying to come back, but fell just short in the end.

And now for a game that featured almost zero offense...Hillsborough's Justin Verlander and New Jersey's Andy Pettitte were locked in a 0-0 game. The Hitmen finally broke through in the 9th, as Casey McGehee hit a walk-off single to give the Hitmen the victory. Verlander lasted 7 innings, giving up 5 hits and striking out 8, but didn't get a decision. Pettitte, who did get the loss, pitched 8.1 innings, giving up 6 hits and striking out 7.

Howard, Vazquez take awards

It was a good week for Hillsborough batters this week. Ben Zobrist hit .426 with a .517 OBP and .660 slugging, scoring 11 runs, while teammate Casey McGehee hit 3 homers and scored 10 with a .999 OPS. Sin-Shoo Choo had an even better 1.065 OPS with 5 doubles and 10 runs and 8 RBIs. But the JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week award goes to Ryan Howard, who hit an astounding .441 with a .512 OBP and 1.059 slugging. Howard hit 4 homers and 2 triples (!) and 5 doubles with 11 runs scored and 11 RBIs. Enjoy your complimentary box of Gurkhas, Ryan!

Other non-Hillsborough top hitters: Bridgewater's Brian McCann (.366/.409/.683, 3 HR, 9 RBI) and Derrek Lee (8 HR, 12 RBIs), and Amityville's Brandon Phillips (.397/.426/.569, 3 HR, 14 R, 10 RBIs).

This week's BP Spills Coffee Pitcher of the Week Award was a tough one with lots of deserving candidates. There were a bunch of "comeback" candidates - pitchers who started the season poorly but had good weeks like Arkansas' Jorge de la Rosa (1-0, 1.20, 1.00 WHIP, 16 K) and Cliff Lee (2-1, 1.74, 1.02, CG), Hillsborough's Felix Hernandez (3-0, 2.45, 0.95) and Vancouver's Jake Peavy (2-0, 2.45, 1.09). Then there were the outstanding relievers like Bridgewater's Andrew Bailey (6 SV, 0.25 WHIP in 8 IP, 14 K) and Carolina's Burke Badenhop (2-0, 2.29, 1.12 in 19.2 IP). But the prize this week goes to Newark's Javy Vazquez who was 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Vazquez also struck out 24 batters in 22 IP.

Other contenders: Vegas' Brett Anderson (1-1, 2.25, 0.88), Amityville's Doug Fister (1-1, 1.26 who was released and claimed by Newark), Newark's Brad Bergesen (1-0, 1.06), Blue Ridge's Gavin Floyd (2-0, 1.83, 18K), Vancouver's Mat Latos (1-0, 2.08, 0.92) and Kevin Millwood (1-0, 2.02, 0.82) and Sardine City's John Lackey (1-0, 2.05, 0.95, 18K).

Kershaw leaves with no-no, but Ni says "no"

Clayton Kershaw had a no-hitter going in the 8th inning when he was pulled out of the game amidst many boos in the stadium. Manager Wally Backman tried to let him go, but Kershaw had walked 5 batters and was showing signs of fatigue. After throwing his 123rd pitch and hitting pinch hitter Carlos Quentin, Backman decided it was enough and handed the ball over to reliever Fu-Te Ni. Two batters later and with the crowd chanting NI, even with old ladies in attendance, the no hitter was broken up. It was the only hit the Mudcats would get. Kershaw struck out 10.

Vancouver has reeled off 5 straight wins after yesterday's 5-4 squeaker against Team Buddah. Kevin Millwood held New Jersey to 3 earned runs on 3 hits in 7.2 innings, while striking out 7. New addition Jason Kubel was 3-4 with a homer and 2 RBIs.

Bridgewater continues their hot streak, taking out Hanover Division leaders Marietta 3-1. Marietta has been suffering from a rash of injuries, including shortstop Derek Jeter, starter Jarrod Washburn, and, in an ironic twist, outfielder Brett Gardner, who's been covering for other injured starters in the outfield.

Tuesday trade roundup

Two deals went through yesterday as Las Vegas and Vancouver both tried to upgrade their lineups for a playoff push.

After faltering and losing 6 straight and losing control of the Morris Division, Vancouver has actually turned things around and won 4 straight. Their anemic offense - ranked 13th in OPS (.723) - needed a punch. The Fist grabbed Jason Kubel from Amityville to help provide that punch. Kubel was only hitting .249/.312/.444 this season for the Ant Slayers, but Vancouver thinks he can help the team score some more runs. The Fist gave up pitcher Chad Billingsley, who has been lingering all year in the minors. Billingsley was 11-11 with a 5.12 ERA and 171 strikeouts last season for Vancouver. Billingsley is still young, however, and Amityville thinks that he will rebound. In addition to the players, the two teams exchanged draft picks - Amityville gets a second rounder, and Vancouver gets a 4th.

The bigger trade involved Las Vegas sending a boatload of draft picks to Hoboken in exchange for outfielder Brad Hawpe, reliever Nick Massett, and starter Edwin Jackson. Jackson may be best remembered for being dumped unceremoniously by Blue Ridge a few months back despite having solid numbers. But the Bombers were vindicated by Jackson's putrid record in Hoboken (2-5, 9.14 ERA in 8 starts). Massett was another player that was struggling (2-0, 5.27 in 40 appearances), but Vegas thinks both players could be assets. Outfielder Hawpe is a solid player who was hitting .274/.351/.510 for Hoboken with 12 homers and 32 RBIs. The Cutters received three picks in the 2011 draft (3rd,6th, and 10th) and 2 in 2012 (5th and 12th).

Not content to just make a trade, Las Vegas decided to clean house and parted with some interesting players. Rich Harden, a player that Vegas paid a lot to acquire several years ago from Vancouver, was jettisoned as owner Eric Wickstrom had grown increasingly frustrated by his lack of production. "It's the end of an error" said Wickstrom. Harden was joined on the way out by veterans Jose Contreras, Jeremy Guthrie, and Gary Sheffield. Another interesting castoff is young first baseman Chris Davis. Davis was a high draft selection in the 2009 draft (#2 overall), but his knack for striking out had put him in the Rat Pack's doghouse (or rathouse?). Also joining Davis on the curb is outfielder Scott Hairston. The purge left room for the Rat Pack to sign retreads Randy Wolf, Juan Pierre, and Gabe Kapler. "They may not sound spectacular" said Wickstrom, "but each one has a key role to play on this squad."

Part timer takes hitter prize

Well...we don't usually do this, but... Most of the time we don't give the top player honors to part-timers, but Marietta's Taylor Teagarden had an excellent week (and a half). In only 18 at bats, Teagarden hit .500 with a .526 OBP, 1.444 slugging, 5 homers, 7 RBIs, and 7 runs. But since he's a part-timer, we're only awarding him a 5-pack as this week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week.

Other top batters: Philadelphia's Matt Holliday (.444/.512/.861, 5 HR, 10 R, 8 RBI), and Adam Lind (.400/.438/.867, 4 HR, 16 RBI), Las Vegas' Joe Mauer (.404/.473/.787, 4 HR, 10 R, 10 RBI), Carolina's Troy Tulowitzki (.370/.420/.652, 4 HR, 9 R, 16 RBI), Newark's Will Venable (.361/.368/.778, 4 HR, 12 RBI), and Bridgewater's Ryan Zimmerman (.372/.383/.698, 4 HR, 11 RBI).

Meanwhile, selecting the Worst Video Games of All Time Pitcher of the Week was a bit tougher. But we decided to go with Jake Peavy, who was 1-1 with a 1.08 ERA and 0.60 WHIP. Peavy struck out 21 in 16.2 innings and pitched a complete game, 1-hit shutout against Amityville. In his second start, he lost despite giving up only 3 hits and striking out 11.

Other top starters: Blue Ridge's Gavin Floyd (2-0, 1.17, 0.91, 16 K), Sardine City's Josh Johnson (2-0, 1.10, 0.80), Carolina's Yovani Gallardo (2-0, 1.20, 0.87, 15 K), and Newark's Koji Uehara (1-1, 2.45, 0.55) and Brad Bergesen (2-0, 1.69, 1.00).

Morris Division happenings

Bridgewater held their position atop the Morris Division with a 4-0, 4-hit shutout. Starter Erik Bedard was removed after 2 innings after a 3 hour rain delay (Amityville's starter Hiroki Kuroda also was removed) and the Maller bullpen took over. Juan Aceves pitched 4 of the innings, giving up only 1 hit and striking out 4. The Ant Slayers held the Mallers to only 5 hits, but still gave up 4 runs, including 3 in the 9th.

Blue Ridge won their 4th straight to remain tied with the Mallers - a 4-3 edging of New Jersey. The Bombers only got 4 hits in the game and scored all their runs in the first 2 innings. The Buddahs tried to claw their way back, but ended up one run short. For New Jersey it was their 6th straight loss.

Josh Johnson outduelled Jake Peavy in a 2-1 Sardine City win over Vancouver. Johnson pitched 8 innings and gave up only 3 hits and struck out 7. Peavy pitched 7.2 innings, giving up 3 hits as well and struck out 11. Vancouver dropped their 4th straight and fell 2 games out of the division lead.

Yovani Gallardo held the Sugar Bears to just 2 hits in Carolina's 5-1 win yesterday. Gallardo pitched 8 innings and struck out 9.

Greinke streak over, Vancouver bounced from first

Vancouver was knocked out of their first place tie with Bridgewater and Blue Ridge, but the bigger story was Zack Greinke's streak ending. Greinke, of course, started the season off 13-0, but couldn't hold back the Sardines yesterday. The Iron Fist had a 2-1 lead after their half of the 7th inning, but Marco Scutaro's bases-loaded double scored 3 runs for the Straphangers. Greinke's ERA ballooned to 1.87 on the season after giving up 4 runs in 7 innings.

Vancouver's loss was costly as Bridgewater defeated Amityville 8-6. Raul Ibanez was 3-4 with 2 RBIs and a double and homer as the Mallers collected 15 hits. Blue Ridge also took advantage with a 6-2 win over Team Buddah. Gavin Floyd improved to 7-3 with a strong effort, giving up 1 run in 7.2 innings and striking out 7. The Mallers hold a percentage point advantage for first place.

Las Vegas scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to tie up their game against Hillsborough and send it to extra innings. Chris Davis hit a two-run single that tied up the game in the 9th. Unfortunately for the Rats, it wasn't meant to be. Ben Zobrist hit a solo homer in the top of the 11th and Ryan Madson held the fort down in the bottom half of the inning to preserve the 4-3 win.

All-Star results posted.

The All-Star voting results are now posted: http://dmbl.us/allstar.html

Some oddities there and a few surprises.

Sardine City evens record, closes in on playoff berth

The results were mixed for Blue Ridge on their first game after the trade. Grady Sizemore went 1-5 with an RBI and Aramis Ramirez was 0-2 before leaving with an injury. The injury is not expected to keep Ramirez from today's lineup. And the worst result is that the Bombers lost their game to Hoboken 4-3. The clubs were tied 2-2 and entered extra innings. Hoboken scored 2 runs in the top of the 11th to take a 4-2 lead. Aaron Hill hit a solo homer in the bottom half, but it was all that the Bombers could get.

The Bombers lost a game in the standings to Vancouver, as the Iron Fist eked by the Sugar Bears 6-5. The Iron Fist held a 5-run lead entering the 8th, but Newark rallied to tie the score on a 3-run Jorge Posada home run. Finally in the 9th, Garrett Jones hit a solo walk off home run to give the Fist the win.

Sardine City won their 4th straight and evened their record at 41-41 and tying Las Vegas for 3rd in the Hanover Division. Ubaldo Jimenez earned the victory, improving to 9-5 with a strong 8 inning effort. Hillsborough, who was on the losing end of the 6-4 final, dropped their 4th straight.

Blue Ridge gets ready to take on Morris Division

Blue Ridge made a big trade with Carolina, acquiring two bats that they hope will propel them to the top of the playoff contenders. Blue Ridge acquired third baseman Aramis Ramirez and outfielder Grady Sizemore from the Mudcats for Carl Crawford and a 2nd round pick. Ramirez is batting .302/.387/.527 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs for Carolina. Sizemore has 15 homers and 38 RBIs though he has struggled with a .228 batting average. Blue Ridge is only 1 game behind Vancouver in the Morris Division standings and they are currently the #1 wild card seed.

Vancouver took back the Morris Division lead with a 3-0 blanking of Amityville. Jake Peavy pitched a complete game, 1-hit shutout, walking 4 and striking out 10. Vancouver, in response to Blue Ridge's deal perhaps, picked up their former first baseman Lyle Overbay off the scrap heap. Overbay is expected to take over first base duties against righties, while Michael Cuddyer will slide back into the outfield.

It was a busy transactions day as Newark became frustrated with trying to spell Marc Rzepczynski's name correctly and cut him in favor of recent Amityville castoff Scott Feldman. Feldman will make a spot start for injured Javy Vazquez and the club will reassess their needs over the All-Star Break.

Bridgewater made the other move - a minor one. The Mallers cut utility player Jose Lopez and picked up journeyman Brett Myers. Myers was assigned to the team's minor league club.

Blue Ridge takes top spot in Morris

Amityville and Vancouver took a 0-0 tie into extra innings yesterday, with Amityville prevailing after 12. Zack Greinke took his perfect record into the game and delivered an incredible performance - 9 innings, 3 hits, 12 strikeouts, but got the shaft anyway. His opponent, Anibal Sanchez held Vancouver to just 1 hit over 8 innings, while striking out 6. The game finally ended when Brandon Phillips hit an easy comebacker to pitcher Ronald Belisario, who bobbled the ball and allowed Miguel Tejada to score from third base.

The loss knocked Vancouver out of first place (by percentage points) as Blue Ridge toppled Marietta 3-1. Gavin Floyd pitched 7.2 strong innings, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 9. The teams are tied in the standings, but Vancouver has played 2 more games and is .002 percentage points behind Blue Ridge. It is the first time in franchise history that the Bombers have been in first this late in the season.

Bridgewater also took advantage of Vancouver's loss, pounding Hoboken 15-4. Matt Garza was charged with 13 earned runs in 6 innings, while the Bridgewater staff racked up 17 strikeouts. Ryan Zimmerman and Felipe Lopez each had 3 RBIs for the Mallers.

James Shields made a spot start for Newark and earned the win - his first of the year. Shields held Hillsborough to 3 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 7 in 7 innings.

Only a few more days until the All-Star Break - if you haven't voted yet, what are you waiting for?

Morris Division tightens up

Vancouver's little slump has tightened up the Morris Division standings considerably. Vancouver dropped a 7-3 game to Amityville yesterday, opening the door for Blue Ridge to tie them up, but the Bombers missed their chance. Of course it didn't help that the Bombers were playing the defending champion Mighty Men. Marietta took out the Bombers 8-3, keeping them at 1 game out of first place. Taking full advantage, however, was Bridgewater, who outslugged Hoboken 13-8. The Mallers now sit 2 games out of first place. Hillsborough, who was tied with Bridgewater going into the day, lost their game against Newark 6-1, so they dropped into 4th place, but only 3 games out. Newark's win puts them just 1 game behind Hillsborough in the wild card race. Newark is currently in the 6th and final playoff spot, 2 1/2 games ahead of Las Vegas.

Tough split on Pitching Honor

This week's JR Cigar's Smokin' Batter of the Week is Marietta's Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzo has helped the Mighty Men to a 6-game winning streak that has opened up a 9 1/2 game atop the division. Gonzalez hit a league-leading 7 home runs this week and drove in 18 runs and scoring 10. Gonzalez batted .367, but with a .474 on base percentage and 1.100 slugging.

His competition includes Hillsborough's Justin Upton (.423/.500/1.00, 10 R, 10 RBI, 3 HR), Gonzalez's teammate Chone Figgins (.476/.676/.667, 11 R), Vancouver's Garrett Jones (.455/.455/1.045, 4 HR, 10 RBIs), New Jersey's Franklin Gutierrez (.500/.500/.643), Arkansas' Skip Schumaker (.452/.469/.677, 8 R), Las Vegas' Joe Mauer (.429/.500/.571), and Sardine City's Ryan Braun (.379/.441/.724, 9 RBIs).

This week's Hottest World Cup Fans Pitcher of the Week was a tossup, so we'll give it to both players. Our first honoree is Bridgewater's Tommy Hanson, who was 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 0.73 ERA. In Hanson's first start this week, he held Blue Ridge to 4 hits in 6 innings, while giving up 2 runs, but in his second start, he pitched a 2-hit shutout of Las Vegas in which he struck out 10 Rats.

Meanwhile, Rich Harden started out well against Hoboken earlier in the week, but had to be lifted in the second inning. But he came back strong against Bridgewater, holding the Mallers to just 1 hit and striking out 10. Harden finished the week giving up just 1 hit and 2 walks in 10.2 innings, with 13 strikeouts.

Other contenders: Hoboken's Tommy Hunter (1-0, 2.35, 0.85) and Mark Buehrle (1-1, 2.87, 1.09), New Jersey's Kevin Slowey (1-1, 2.93, 14 K), and Sardine City's Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 1.62, 12 K) and John Lackey (1-1, 2.81, 0.81).

Hillsborough, Arkansas duke it out

Hillsborough dealt Falcon starter Jonathan Sanchez 12 earned runs in his 6.1 innings of work, but it wasn't enough to seal the deal. The Hitmen and Falcons had to go to extra innings where Dexter Fowler hit a bases-loaded triple to give the Hitmen a 3-run lead. The Falcons went down in order in the bottom of the 11th to end the game. Casey McGehee and Justin Upton each had 4 RBIs for the Hitmen and Kelly Shoppach had 4 hits. Lance Berkman was 3-6 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs for the Falcons.

Vancouver's lead in the Morris Division fell to just a 1/2 game as Blue Ridge defeated Philadelphia 8-5 and Vancouver dropped a 6-2 decision to Carolina. Johnny Cueto pitched perhaps the best game of his young career, holding the Fist to 2 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings, while striking out 9. Meanwhile, Blue Ridge's bullpen and offense bailed out Gavin Floyd from a lousy start. The Bombers walked 7 batters in total, but escaped with the victory anyway.

How about that Ichiro? The redhot outfielder was 3-4 in Marietta's 10-6 win over Hoboken. Since returning from the injury last week, Ichiro is hitting .458 (22-48) with 14 runs and 16 RBIs.

Slowey, Lester duel to 1-0 finish

Don't forget to get those votes in for the All-Star game! Less than two weeks away!

New Jersey and Amityville battled it out in a 1-0 pitchers duel. Seth Smith broke the tie in the 6th with a solo home run. Kevin Slowey went 8.1 innings for Team Buddah, holding the Ant Slayers to only 4 hits and striking out 5. John Lester was the hard luck loser for Amityville, pitching 7.1 innings and striking out 8.

Ichiro Suzuki kept up his hot hitting, going 4-6 with 3 RBIs and leading Marietta to a 15-9 victory over Hoboken. The "other Suzuki", Kurt, also contributed a 3-6, 3 RBI game including a home run. The Mighty Men scored in every inning except the 9th, when they just sent up random fans from the bleachers to bat in their place.

Hillsborough thoroughly dominated Arkansas in a 13-2 win yesterday. Not only did the Hitmen score 13 runs on 18 hits and saddle Falcons starter Ricky Nolasco with 10 earned runs, but they also held the Falcons to only 5 hits. Ryan Howard fell one double short of hitting for the cycle.

Comeback kids

Vancouver blew an 8-0 lead against the Falcons yesterday and ended up losing in extra innings 9-8. The Fist jumped all over starter Johan Santana early, but he settled in nicely after the 2nd, pitching 6 scoreless innings before departing. The Falcons' 4-run 8th inning tied the game up, then in the 10th Chris Coghlan hit a walkoff double, winning the series for the Falcons. Skip Schumaker ended the game 5-6 with 3 doubles.

Hoboken also came back against the Rat Pack, though a 2-0 lead is much more forgiveable. The Rats held the lead until the 9th inning. Adam Kennedy started it off with a one-out single and an error by Gary Sheffield. The next batter struck out and it looked like the Rats would be able to shut the door on the Cutters, but Denard Span hit a triple to score Kennedy. Dallas Braden was called in to take over - the Rats bullpen was exhausted with Rich Harden leaving the game early due to injury. Braden walked his first batter, then gave up the game tying single to Miguel Cabrera. Finally, Mike Napoli hit a 3-run homer to win the game for Hoboken.

Sardine City's Ubaldo Jimenez continued his breakout season. Jimenez limited the Mighty Men to just 4 hits in a complete game victory. He struck out 5 and walked 3 while allowing only 1 earned run, improving his record to 8-4.

Amityville and Philadelphia made a curious trade yesterday, giving themselves back their own draft picks and exchanging two players. Amityville sent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to Philadelphia along with their 9th round pick back. Meanwhile Philly gave up young pitcher Clayton Richard and gave Amityville back their 2nd round pick. Philadelphia also took the opportunity to do a little housecleaning, getting rid of Tony Gwynn and Kris Medlen and taking on George Sherrill and Jhonny Peralta.

Vancouver's two 5-run innings defeat Falcons

Vancouver and Arkansas battled it out yesterday to a 10-7 conclusion. The Falcons fell behind early - Vancouver scored 5 runs in the 4th to take a 5-1 lead, but the Falcons clawed back and eventually took the lead, 6-5 on a Chris Coghlan single. Vancouver tied it up the next inning when Marlon Byrd walked with the bases loaded, then the next batter, Garrett Jones, hit a pinch hit grand slam to give the Fist a 10-6 lead. The Falcons got another run, but that was it for them. Coghlan ended the game 4-5 with 2 RBIs and teammate Skip Schumaker was 5-6 for the Falcons in defeat.

In another tight game, Newark and Amityville fought a much lower scoring duel. Tied up early 1-1, Newark took a 2-1 lead in the 6th on a Nick Johnson solo homer. Amityville took the lead in the 8th, but the Sugar Bears tied it up in the top of the ninth. The Sugar Bears got into quick trouble in the bottom of the 9th, loading the bases with no outs. After retiring Matt Kemp on a shallow popup, Jason Kubel hit an easy double play ball to the third base side, but Chase Headley threw the ball into centerfield, allowing the winning run to score.

Don't forget to cast your votes for the 2010 All-Star Game. Last year there was a record number of votes cast, hopefully there'll be a good turnout this year as well.

Players of the (extended) Week

This week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week was a close one, but we're giving our box of Siglo Limited Reserves to Philadelphia's Adam Lind. Lind hit an astounding .467 (14-30) over the extended week, with a .515 OBP and 1.033 slugging. He hit 5 homers, scored12 runs, and drove in 9. His competition came from Bridgewater's Carlos Beltran who hit .459/.535/.946, also with 5 homers and 12 runs, and 10 RBIs.

Other notable hitters: Marietta's Ichiro Suzuki (.500/.500/.767, 5 2B, 13 RBI) and Adrian Gonzalez (.372/.460/.698, 11 RBI), Arkansas' Scott Podsednik (.441/.525/.471), Philly's Albert Pujols (.419/.432/.814, 4 HR, 9 R, 13 RBI), and Vancouver's Garrett Jones (.447/.512/.763, 3 HR, 9 RBI).

We all know that Zack Greinke has had a remarkable season for Vancouver and this week was no different - Greinke was 2-0, with a 1.13 ERA, 21 Ks, and 0.81 WHIP. Pitcher of the Week, right? Not so fast... How about Newark's Javy Vazquez? Started out like crap, but has turned it around with a nice 2-0, 1.06 week in which he also struck out 21 had an even lower 0.76 WHIP. Wow! But no... This week's Big Guy Fantasy Sports Pitcher of the Week goes to the unheraled Randy Wells of Vancouver. Wait...what? WHO? Randy Wells, drafted in the second round in 2010, who's been putting up a very solid rookie campaign for the Fist. Wells was 2-0 this week with a miniscule 0.56 ERA and 0.69 WHIP. Sure he doesn't strike out anyone like the other two big shots (9 in 16 IP), but he gets the job done.

Other top pitchers: Philly's Jered Weaver (1-0, 1.98, 1.24), Sardine City's trio of John Lackey (2-0, 1.76, 1.04, shutout), Ubaldo Jimenez (2-0, 2.81, 0.81, 15 K) and Josh Johnson (1-1, 1.26, 0.84, 19 K) and Newark's Koji Uehara (1-0, 1.54, 0.86).

4-hitters all around

The Endzone Animals came back from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Falcons 7-6 yesterday. After only 2 innings, the Falcons had the aforementioned 6-1 lead, but the Animals clawed back, scoring 3 runs in the 6th to bring them to within one run. In the 8th Torii Hunter hit a two-run homer (his third of the day) to give the Animals the lead. Trevor Hoffman nailed down the 9th for his 10th save.

Randy Wells continued his fine season with a complete game, 7-1 victory over the Rat Pack yesterday, in which he held the Rats to only 4 hits. Wells improved to 7-2 on the season. Garrett Jones and Chase Utley each had 3 RBIs for Vancouver.

Not to be outdone, Marietta's Joel Pineiro pitched a 4-hitter as well in the Mighty Men's 12-1 pounding of Amityville. Marietta totaled 17 hits in the contest, including 4 from red hot Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro is 9-14 with 10 RBIs since returning to the lineup from injury. Marietta has scored 45 runs during their current 5-game winning streak.

And to top the previous 4-hitters, Newark's Javier Vazquez pitched a 4-hit shutout of Sardine City. Vazquez struck out 10 in his victory and seems to have gotten his season back on track after a series of rough outings.

Streaks and swoons

The Mighty Men have reasserted themselves as the top dog in the DMBL with a 4-game winning streak. Yesterday, the Mighty Men shellacked the Ant Slayers 11-5 behind Ichiro Suzuki's 3-5, 7-RBI night. Ichiro hit a double and a home run - his 5th, to lead the Mighty Men offense. The win puts the Mighty Men up by 5 games over Newark in the Hanover Division race.

Bridgewater won their second straight game over Carolina in extra innings, this time winning 5-4 in 12 innings. Ryan Zimmerman roped a single in the 12th to drive in the winning run. Zimmerman ended the night 4-6. Bridgewater won the previous game 10-9 in 10 innings.

Blue Ridge has come down to earth, dropping their last 3, including yesterday's 10-3 drubbing at the hands of Hillsborough. Shin Soo Choo hit 2 homers in the game and his third in the series so far. Hillsborough is now only 1/2 game behind Bridgewater and 2 games behind Blue Ridge in the Morris Division.

Las Vegas, who pulled off a big trade for slugger Mark Teixeira, has yet to see the benefits of the swap. They lost their 4th straight, a 3-2 nailbiter against Vancouver. However, fans in Vegas are hopeful that Tex just needs an adjustment period to the hot desert climate, like fellow acquiree, Alex Rodriguez. As you may recall, A-Rod started his Vegas season struggling mightily, but now is one of the lineups most potent threats.

R.I.P. Jeriome Robertson

It's been a bad couple weeks for former DMBL pitchers! After the tragic death of Jose Lima, now comes word that Jeriome Robertson was killed Saturday in a motorcycle crash. He was just 33 years old.

Robertson played just one season in the DMBL, pitching for the Hillsborough Destroyers in 2004 (0-2, 12.79 ERA, 2.37 WHIP in 19.0 IP). The Destroyers had selected him in the 10th Round (#135 overall) in that year's draft; it was the only time he was on a DMBL roster.

Mr. 1,000

Just call him Mr. 1,000. Mariano Rivera of Marietta last week became the first pitcher in DMBL history to appear in 1,000 games. He worked a perfect two innings Thursday night to save Jason Marquis' 6-4 win over Las Vegas. Trevor Hoffman ranks second with 810 career appearances.

Rivera holds two other longevity records for relievers. His 10th save of the year Tuesday night was the 365th of his career, keeping him way ahead of the next closest pitcher (Billy Wagner, 290). He also has 85 career wins, the most among relievers, but with 1,029 strikeouts he still trails Hoffman (1,083) and Troy Percival (1,081) in that category.

Blue Ridge streak hits 8, Pujols Watch continues

Blue Ridge won again yesterday, their 8th straight win. Carlos Zambrano held his former team, the Mudcats, to only 1 one run on 3 hits in 8 innings, in the 6-1 victory. Kendry Morales was 3-4 with 2 RBIs on the offensive side. The Bombers remain 1/2 game out of first as Vancouver held their ground. Kevin Millwood shut down the Hitmen 3-1, surrendering 1 run and 5 hits in 8.1 innings.

John Lackey shut out the Ant Slayers 8-0, giving up only 5 hits and striking out 7 to improve to 5-4 on the year. Hideki Matsui and Marco Scutaro were both 3-5 for the Sardines, who won their 3rd straight game. The Straphangers are now 3 games under the .500 mark.

Pujols Watch: Albert Pujols hit his 37th homer of the season for Philly yesterday in their 7-5 win. Pujols also drove in 5 runs. We'll be tracking Albert's run at the McGwire record, since he doesn't appear to be slowing down at all.

The future of DMB... update!

Here's the latest from Diamond Mind Baseball. Of particular interest to us is the "2010 Season" section. Version 10 might be nice, but it isn't necessary for DMBL to survive next year.

Diamond Mind Baseball News

DMB is going all electronic. Starting June 1st, DMB will open its new integrated website and online store. From then on, orders will only be taken via the new online store and will no longer be accepted via phone, fax, email, or postal mail. Products will be available by download only; we will no longer provide “hard” (cd) copies. All technical and customer support will be via email to dmb_support@imaginesports.com.

Version 10 Release

DMB version 10 is complete and ready to go, although we did hit a few snags along the way. It's been in final beta for two months with virtually no problems discovered. In the meantime we've been reworking some of the help pages and tweaking and making minor revisions to the greatly expanded play-by-play library. We expect this new release to be up to our standards for quality and reliability, but rest assured that if any bugs are discovered that were missed during testing, we'll try to get a patch up ASAP. As usual, if you're in the middle of a league, v10 will be able to convert it so you'll be able to continue it with the new version. It's also possible to keep both version 9 and version 10 on your system, as they will not interfere with each other.

Unfortunately, David Pyke, who had been providing outstanding tech support, resigned recently due to personal reasons. David, you will be missed and we hope you'll be able to rejoin us in the future!

David’s resignation has complicated the release of version 10. In addition to handling the current technical support calls, he also was going to cover the inevitable increase in volume that arises with a new release. He had been setting up the online store for DMB as well. Although Luke handled tech support before we hired David, he is unable to cover the current load, let alone pick up the increased load of a new release. We have temporarily suspended technical and customer support until a replacement is recruited. Please be patient for now.

As a result, we are looking for a new, experienced tech/customer support person who can hit the ground running. Given that Luke does not have time to provide extensive training, the new tech support person really needs to be someone who already knows the game well, especially NetPlay (port forwarding) and Stats Transfer. The candidate should also be competent in Windows XP, Vista, and 7 and their security settings. When we last posted for this position a few years ago, we had a number of fine applicants and are hoping someone from the community can take this on (or maybe a combination of time from two or three people). If you’re interested, think you’re qualified, and are certain you can commit the time, please send your resume and qualifications to Luke (lkraemer@diamond-mind.com).

On April 30th, we also had to say goodbye to Pat Morgan, the DMB office manager who's been answering your calls and email and processing your orders over the years. Pat began another part-time job last year, which she loves. She was asked to go to full-time, which she was eager to do, and already stayed on temporarily to continue processing orders the old, manually intensive way. Because she could no longer do so, we had to suspend all DMB sales until the new store is up and running.

2010 Season

Some of you have raised concerns that the delays in version 10 foreshadow that DMB will no longer be producing new seasons. These concerns are unfounded we plan to produce the 2010 season this year just like every year. Though Luke has been working part-time for the Red Sox and will continue to do so during the MLB regular season, he'll dive into the 2010 season work once the season is over, and we expect it to be released in December as usual.

We also have some new specialty sets that will be coming out as well.

Thanks!

We realize the delays in version 10 have been frustrating, and we apologize for making you wait. We hope the new playing time limit capability, additional play-by-play, and other features are worth the wait. In appreciation for your patience, we will be charging only $14.95 for version 10. However, this special price will be available only for 90 days. The new online store will not have the ability to distinguish those who have purchased DMB in the past, so there will be no special upgrade pricing once this 90-day period expires. Version 9 owners who have not purchased version 10 during this period will need to pay the full price thereafter, which will then be $29.95.

Blue Ridge catches fire

Blue Ridge kept putting the pressure on Vancouver with their 7th straight victory yesterday, a 6-5 win over Carolina. Carl Crawford was 3-4 and Kendry Morales had 3 RBIs to lead the Bombers to victory. Blue Ridge now sits a mere 1/2 a game back of idle Vancouver.

Meanwhile in the Hanover Division, Marietta is starting to feel some pressure from their division mates. Las Vegas won 9-3 against the Mighty Men yesterday to move to within 3 1/2 games of first. Carlos Pena hit 2 homers and drove in 3 runs and Alex Rodriguez also contributed a home run. The Rats are now tied with Newark for second place.

Bridgewater outslugged the struggling Endzone Animals 12-9. The Mallers were trailing as late as the 8th inning, but they scored 5 runs to take the lead. Derrek Lee was 2-4 with 5 RBIs. Meanwhile Adam Lind was 4-4 with 4 runs and Albert Pujols was 4-5 with 5 RBIs for the Animals. Pujols hit his league leading 35th and 36th home runs of the season, putting him on pace for 92 home runs, which would obviously break Mark McGwire's DMBL record.

Remembering Jose Lima

Jose Lima didn't have a huge impact on the overall DMBL landscape - he only pitched in 3 seasons. Lima was signed as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 1998 by Carolina, but only lasted three months and was released in July. But Lima's mother called Mudcats owner Chris Pucci at home and made him feel bad about cutting the pitcher and in August, the Mudcats signed him back. While the contract specifically prohibited the Mudcats from cutting Lima, it didn't say anything about trading him. So the next year, the Cats sent Lima off to the New York Amazins (who would become the Hawaii Volcanoes later that year) in a deal for Kenny Rogers. The Amazins didn't hold onto him for too long and shipped him off to Jerusalem in a massive trade for, among others, legendary catcher Mike Piazza.

Lima was welcomed with open arms and a fresh bowl of matzoh ball soup. He soon got his chance to pitch, earning a prized spot in the Rabbis rotation and finishing with a very solid 12-10 with a 4.20 ERA. The Rabbis finished second in the Hanover Division that year with 98 wins, but were eliminated in the first round by Lima's arch enemy Carolina Mudcats.

2000 would be Lima Time as the Rabbis won the Hanover Division with 103 wins and continued on to win their first ever World Series championship. Lima regressed a bit, going 15-7, but with a 4.96 ERA. It was the last full season Lima would pitch.

Fresh off the championship season, Lima's contract had expired and the Rabbis elected not to resign him. He was drafted by the Golden Falcons in the 6th round of the Supplemental Round. There apparently wasn't much demand for Lima. He was released during spring training and did not pitch at all that season. In 2002, there were no offers, so Lima signed up with the independent Newark Bears (not affiliated with the Sugar Bears). In 2003, Vancouver signed him to a minor league deal and he pitched for their Triple A team in Tacoma. He was drafted in 2004 again in the Supplemental Round by Newark. But Newark cut him before the season began. Lima's mother again got on the phone and pleaded with Newark's owner Craig Garretson. "I know he sucks, but please give him a chance" Garretson recalls she told him. So the Sugar Bears signed Lima again in June. Lima pitched in 7 games and was disastrous (2-3, 7.04) and Newark released Lima in August.

Lima was again drafted in the Supplemental Round by Hoboken in 2005 (round 9), then cut during spring training. And that was it for Lima. For his career, Lima finished 29-20 with a 4.79 ERA in 72 games. Lima passed away over the weekend at the age of 37 of a heart attack. Hopefully for him, there's a Supplemental Round in the afterlife.

Bailey, Cabrera take prizes

This week's JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week goes to Hoboken's Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera hit .483 (14-29) with a .545 OBP and .897 slugging. Cabrera hit 4 homers, scored 7 runs and drove in 10 runs. Hoboken recently had a tough 7-game losing streak, but salvaged the week by winning their last three games. Cabrera got most of his big numbers toward the end of the week getting hits in 13 of his last 18 at bats.

Cabrera's big competition this week came from Vancouver's Ryan Ludwick (.444/.474/.917, 5 HRs, 13 RBIs). Other top batters: Marietta's Adrian Gonzalez (.391/.545/.913, 4 HR 8 R), Blue Ridge's Jason Bartlett (.500/.542/.727), Sardine City's Evan Longoria-Parker (.407/.515/.852, 3 HR, 11 RBI), New Jersey's Joey Votto (.458/.536/.833) and Franklin Gutierrez (.455/.478/.864, 3 HR), and Carolina's Aramis Ramirez (.379/.471/.793, 3 HR, 8 R, 7 RBI).

This week's Lost Pitcher of the Week Award goes to Philadelphia's Homer Bailey. Bailey, a perpetual future star prospect, finally shows some glimmer of all the hype he's received over the years. Bailey was 2-0 with an 0.69 ERA and 0.92 WHIP this week, striking out 12 in 13 innings. Not bad for an injury fill-in, huh? That's right, Bailey is only in the rotation because of a month-long injury to Philly ace Roy Halladay.

Other top hurlers: Carolina's Barry Zito (2-0, 1.29, 16 K, 1.00 WHIP), Newark's Ted Lilly (1-1, 1.93), Arkansas' Cliff Lee (2-0, 3.55), and Marietta's Mike Adams (0-0, 1.42, 11 K, in 6.1 IP, 0.32 WHIP). The hardluck loser of the week is Vancouver's rookie Mat Latos who was 0-2 despite a 2.63 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.

Guerrero catches Piazza at No. 7

New Jersey's Vladimir Guerrero matched Mike Piazza for 7th all-time in home runs Friday night at Home Depot Stadium. His 9th homer of the season, coming after a Seth Smith bomb off Marietta's John Danks to start the sixth inning, was No. 406 for his career.

Guerrero had been jockeying with Newark's Chipper Jones (393) for a number of seasons on the home run list but has pulled away in the last year or so. Once he passes Piazza, Guerrero will have to target the 2011 season to try to catch No. 6 Ken Griffey, Jr. (444) and No. 5 Sammy Sosa (446).

Buddah streak ends at 6

New Jersey's winning streak finally came to an end at 6 games. Hillsborough defeated Team Buddah 7-3 behind the pitching of Dan Haren, who improved to 8-2 with an 8-inning effort in which he struck out 8 and gave up 2 runs. Justin Upton hit a 3-run homer in the 7th to give the Hitmen the offense they needed to end Buddah's run.

Meanwhile, Vancouver keeps winning and Hoboken keeps losing. The Cutters dropped their 7th straight, a 9-4 decision to the Fist. Ryan Ludwick was 4-5 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs to lead Vancouver to their 10th win in their last 12 games.

Ricky Nolasco and Hiroki Kuroda dueled in a 0-0 game for 6 innings, but Nolasco was pulled after hitting the 100-pitch mark. Unfortunately for the Falcons, Jeremy Affeldt allowed 2 runs to score on a Jacoby Ellsbury single and Jorge Cantu sac fly respectively. The Falcons couldn't get any runs across and the Ant Slayers won the game 2-0.

Jason Bartlett (4-4) and Andrew McCutchen (3-6, 4 RBI) led the Bombers to an 11-2 thrashing of Sardine City. McCutchen was a double away from hitting for the cycle. Rookie hurler J.A. Happ improved to 7-2 with a solid 7-inning effort. Blue Ridge currently sits in second place in the Morris Division, 3 1/2 games out of first.

Ichiro Suzuki was 5-6 with 4 RBIs as the Mighty Men unleased their firepower against the Mudcats to the tune of a 15-7 victory. Chone Figgins was 3-5 with 2 triples and Kurt Suzuki was 3-4 with 2 RBIs as Marietta avoids the sweep.

Notes from around the league

Vancouver and Hoboken battled it out with Vancouver edging the Cutters 11-10 in 10 innings. Both teams got on the board early and often, leading to a 9-7 Vancouver lead after 4 innings. The Cutters clawed back and eventually tied it up on a two-run home run by Adam Dunn. The Iron Fist scored what would be the winning run off a Michael Cuddyer single in the 10th. Ronald Belisario finished the game off for his 12th save. Cuddyer ended the game 4-6 with a triple and 4 RBIs and Brad Hawpe was 4-4 with 2 doubles for the Cutters.

Jon Lester held the Falcons in check, limiting them to 3 hits over 7.1 innings, while striking out 11. Matt Kemp was 3-4 with 2 homers and 5 RBIs for Amityville in the 9-1 win.

New Jersey extended their winning streak to 6 with a 6-5 win over Hillsborough. Everyone in the Buddah lineup got one hit except Seth Smith, who had 2 hits.

Bridgewater won an important victory against the Rat Pack, ending their 3-game losing skid. Rookie Tommy Hanson held the Rats to only 4 hits in 7 innings to earn his 5th win of the year. Hanson struck out 9.

Aramis Ramirez was 5-5 with 2 homers and 3 RBIs to lead the Mudcats to an 11-6 win over the Mighty Men. The Mighty Men lost ground to both Las Vegas and Newark, who won 6-5 over Philadelphia. The Mighty Men's lead shrunk to 4 games over second-place Newark. Vegas is one game behind the Sugar Bears.

Greinke's unreal season continues against Hoboken

Zack Greinke was at it again last night, holding the Cutters to just 1 hit and 1 run in a complete game, 4-1 victory. Greinke struck out 10 in the game (his 100th of the season), improving to 10-0 on the season (and 10 apparently being the magic number of the night, Joe Thatcher saved his 10th game of the season as well). Greinke's ERA falls to a league-leading, microscopic 1.87 and is now tied for most complete games in the league (3). Vancouver extended their division lead to 3 games with the victory.

Those slugging Buddahs continued their offensive showing with a 13-3 drubbing of Hillsborough. Vlad Guerrero was 3-4 with a homer and 4 runs scored and Franklin Gutierrez continued his hot streak with a 3-5 night. The Buddahs have now won 5 in a row.

Another hot cellar-dweller is Arkansas who won their 3rd straight with a 5-3 slaying of Amityville. Cliff Lee, who had been struggling this season, pitched a solid 7 innings, giving up only 1 earned run and lowering his ERA to 7.30.

Philly survived a bigtime comeback from Newark yesterday to escape with a 7-6 win. The Animals had a 3-0 lead in the 8th, but Newark scored 2 in the bottom of the inning to bring them within one. The Animals knew they'd need some insurance so they scored 4 runs in the 9th to open up a 7-2 lead, but the Sugar Bears clawed back, capped by Adrian Beltre's 3-run homer that brought Newark to within one. Unfortunately for them, Asdrubal Cabrera popped out to center with two runners on base.

Sardine City scored 9 runs in the final two innings to stage a successful comeback against Blue Ridge and win 11-9. The Bombers were up 7-2, but Sardine City rallied to tie the game up at 7. Blue Ridge scored two more runs to retake the lead, but the Sardines kept rolling. James Loney started it off with a solo homer with one out, then Blue Ridge fell apart, giving up a 3-run homer to Willie Harris. Mike Wuertz struck out 3 of the 4 batters he faced to earn his 13th save.

Gutierrez, Bay bash their way to victory

Carolina, who's been in a bit of a freefall since being in first earlier this season, scored an important win over first place Vancouver. Barry Zito held the Iron Fist to 6 hits and no runs in 7 innings and struck out 9 en route to a 2-0 victory. Mat Latos pitched an impressive game for the losing end, giving up only 1 earned run on 3 hits in 7 innings, but it wasn't enough. The win was just the 3rd in the last 10 for Carolina.

Jason Bay's 2 home runs propelled the Mighty Men to a 7-5 win over Hoboken. Alberto Callaspo was also 3-4 in the game for the Mighty Men, who preserved their 5 game lead in the Hanover Division. The Mighty Men have dealt with injuries to their outfield, but have continued to play top shelf ball, currently riding a 3 game winning streak.

The Mallers slump continued as they were mercilessly shelled by the Sugar Bears 13-3. Jorge Posada was 4-5 with 3 RBIs and Mike Cameron had 5 RBIs for Newark. Brad Bergesen held the Mallers to just 5 hits. The Mallers have now fallen into 4th place in the Morris Division. Last week the Mallers lost 7 in a row to fall out of first place and hope that these last two games aren't an indication of a new streak.

Franklin Gutierrez hit 3 home runs - but drove in only 4 - to lead Team Buddah to a 7-5 win over Amityville. The Buddahs' offense has apparently awoken in the last few games, as the 7 runs was the lowest total in their last 5 games. The Buddahs have won the last 4 games, scoring 8 runs twice and 16 once. Buddah also score 8 runs in their last loss to Hoboken. They've got a long way to go, however, sitting 16 1/2 games out of first and 11 1/2 out of a playoff spot.

Remember when Alex Rodriguez was struggling for the Rat Pack shortly after being acquired from Amityville? Well that seems like a long time ago now with A-Rod tearing the cover off the ball. A-Rod is now hitting .284/.357/.670 since joining the Rat Pack with 11 homers and 22 RBIs. Yesterday, A-Rod again led the offense with 2 homers and 5 RBIs, but the Rats dropped a 9-7 decision to Sardine City.

Morales mops up the competition

Yeah it was no contest this week for the JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week. Blue Ridge's Kendry Morales blew away all competition with his stellar week. Morales hit .556 (20-36) this week with a .568 OBP and 1.194 slugging, hit 5 doubles, 6 home runs, scored 13 runs and drove in a whopping 20! We're going to send Kendry two boxes of smokes this week.

Some notable runners up: Bridgewater's Brian McCann (.458/.462/1.125, 4 HR, 12 RBI), Hillsborough's Carlos Gonzalez (.480/.500/.880, 2 3Bs, 7 R), Vancouver's Ryan Ludwick (.375/.423/.833, 3 HR, 7 R, 8 RBI), and New Jersey's Seth Smith (.379/.419/.966, 4 HR, 10 R, 14 RBI).

This week's Laugh Man Pitcher of the Week Award goes to Newark's Marc Rzepczynski. Rzepczynski was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, holding his opponents to only 5 hits in 12 innings of work.

Other top pitchers: Blue Ridge's Gavin Floyd was 1-0 with a 3.07 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and struck out 21 batters in 14.2 innings, Vancouver's Kevin Millwood (2-0, 2.45), Philadelphia's Jered Weaver (1-1, 2.93, 13 K), Las Vegas' Rich Harden (2-0, 3.09, 17 K), and Carolina's Burke Badenhop (8 IP of relief, 0.88 WHIP, 6 K).

Troubling news from Diamond Mind Baseball?

For those of you who don't follow this stuff -- OK, just about everybody on the planet -- Diamond Mind Baseball was purchased a couple years ago by a company called Imagine Sports. (Diamond Mind Baseball isn't just the name of our league; it's the name of the company that makes the software that Yaro uses to simulate our seasons.)

Ever since it was purchased, people have been concerned that they would stop supporting the software and just switch to an online-only model. That hasn't happened yet, but on Thursday, the owner of Imagine Sports made the following announcement:

It’s no secret that Imagine Sports acquired Diamond Mind for strategic reasons connected to its online games, not because we wanted to own a pc sports game business. The online games have been and always will be our priority, and, yes, Tom knew that when he sold the company. Nonetheless, we always thought that we could keep the PC game business going for you all, as we figured it could at least cover its costs. To demonstrate that and as a show of good faith, we tried to change very little (at first), and we put out version 9c, for which you had been waiting for awhile before we were around. We continued the season disks every year, on time and with the same quality you’d come to expect (or at least we hope we did).

After getting 9c done, however, we were not really sure where to go with game. I think it showed in our communication, and our indecision led to mistakes. To be clear, however, there was never any attempt to mislead you, nor was any product offering ever held back for any reason other than it not being complete (despite some claims here to the contrary,) including version 10.

It’s also clear that I have never been able to relate well to this community, nor have I communicated effectively with it. I’m sorry about that. Rest assured, however, that I do appreciate your passion for the game, and it’s the primary reason we’ve kept it alive. It’s also clear, however, that it will not thrive again under the management of Imagine Sports, given our online focus. Therefore, we started exploring strategic alternatives for the PC game over a year ago, including licensing, development and marketing partnerships, and even an outright sale of the PC game business. We had significant discussions with at least three parties interested in the PC game. None of those discussions came to fruition, unfortunately. However, we will now make a renewed effort to work out some sort of arrangement with the hope of finding someone or some company who wants to make this game its priority. Any of your suggestions or ideas to that end are welcome, and I’ll schedule a chat to discuss those ideas after v10 is released.

Until we do find that other party to take over, we will continue selling the game and disks via the new store, and we intend to produce the 2010 season disk as usual (and, to be clear, Luke’s contract with the Red Sox carves out time in the fall for him to do it).

So what does this mean for DMBL?

Yaro can continue sim'ing the game with or without Version 10... that really won't make any difference. Version 9c works just fine. The problem is the 2010 season disk (and season disks beyond that). In the last paragraph, the owner says "we intend to produce the 2010 season disk as usual" -- well, intend is always a troubling word in PR speak, isn't it? So we'll see.

If DMB doesn't release a 2010 season disk, we can always hope that someone releases a "homebrew" version... Stephen Drake has done a number of previous seasons, maybe he'll step up again. If worse comes to worse, maybe we can start over in 1991. I have a feeling Cecil Fielder won't be the first pick this time. ;)

Greinke dominates Animals

Zack Greinke improved to 9-0 on the season with a masterful performance against Philadelphia yesterday. Greinke held the Animals to 2-hits in a complete game shutout, walking one and striking out 14. Greinke lowered his ERA to a league-leading 1.94 and extended his strikeout league. Greinke now has 90 Ks on the season. Meanwhile, Vancouver poured on the offense, scoring 8 runs. Every starter got a hit except slumping Chase Utley.

Hillsborough held off a late rally by Bridgewater and won 7-5, retaining control of the Morris Division by 1/2 a game. Wandy Rodriguez gave the Hitmen 6.1 innings of shutout ball, holding the Mallers to 5 hits and striking out 7, but the bullpen almost gave it all up for him. It looked like the final inning would be no problem as the Hitmen retired 2 of the first 3 batters, but soon Hillsborough got into trouble. With runners on first and second Felipe Lopez lined a single that scored Erick Aybar, then Derrek Lee followed up with a 2-run double. After intentionally walking Carlos Beltran, George Sherrill finally got Jose Lopez to pop up and end the game.

Well Hoboken's Edwin Jackson gambit didn't pay off, at least not right away. Jackson was hammered for 5 runs in 4.1 innings against the Sardines, but the Cutters escaped with a 7-6 victory anyway. The Cutters, who were down 5-0 at one point, clawed their way back, until in the 9th inning, they were trailing 6-5. Jose Bautista, who had entered the game earlier when Michael Young left with an injury, hit a two-run walkoff homer to win the game.

Meanwhile, Newark, who grabbed Blue Ridge's other castoff Chris Iannetta, also got a victory despite not getting anything from their new merchandise. Iannetta was 0-3, but was hit by a pitch and scored in his Newark debut.

And of course there's Blue Ridge, who did the casting off, who got pummeled by Amityville 9-2. Matt Kemp was 4-5 with 3 RBIs and Nelson Cruz hit 2 homers and also drove in 3 runs for the Ant Slayers. Jon Garland, who replaced Jackson, was hit for 6 runs in 6.1 innings, giving up 10 hits and 2 walks, while striking out only one.