The Official Canyon League Blog

Cup of Joe, Sanka Edition: 2008 Mock Draft

2009-02-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

We are featuring a new entry in what will hopefully become a new semi-regular Canyon League Blog column: the Sanka Edition of the Cup of Joe (aka Joe English). Today, we have the Mad Englishman's take on the 1st Round Rookie Draft...keep in mind that these opinions may be intentionally distorted in a subtle attempt to alter the draft for nefarious purposes. Without further adieu, take it away Joe #2:

Canyon League Mock Draft 1.0

It is less than six weeks until the much anticipated Canyon League Selection Meeting. It is rumored that teams are heavy negotiations as they jockey for position to improve their organizations. Some GMs will be looking to improve their teams for the immediate future, looking to win the Canyon League World Series, while some have already conceded that 2008 will be merely a step on the way to future glory.

I have not spoken to any of the 11 other GMs in advance of this story…I have no sources…no proof…so I’ll be submitting this story to the New York Post…I figure that they’ll have plenty of room if there is no teacher sleeping with her 13 year old student or a governor sleeping with a hooker (and since New York Governor David Paterson is legally blind and has been since the age of 3 months he would not know what he’s missing anyhow) to splash on the front page!

I’ve tried to analyze each roster in an attempt to successfully estimate each team’s chances in 2008 and how those chances will affect their draft selections. Here are my prognostications on how the first round of the rookie picks will shake out.

1 – Houston Seraphs

Houston Seraphs general manager Joe Emmert has made it no secret that he is in the middle of his rebuilding his organization in search of 8th CLWS title. The cupboard is not completely bare. There are some young players who are proven at the major league level; but there is just not enough depth to be a major player in 2008. Emmert will select Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner, who is rated as the second best pitching prospect in all of baseball at age 19, after Rays phenom David Price. Adding Bumgarner to recent selections Jake McGee and Wade Davis of the Rays, and Gio Gonzalez of the Athletics and current staff ace Roy Oswalt and you could be looking at a deep and balanced staff in the not too distant future.

2 – California Cannons

This may be the season that the Cannons put it all together. The Cannons have a very good pitching staff heading into the 2008 season. GM Colby Spere knows he is four or five deep in the rotation and solid at the end with two of the games best closers. The Cannons may have a concern or two on offense. The limit of ABs for 2B Orlando Hudson and C Jorge Posada ABs and the lack of offense from the centerfielders are sore spots. Spere will select White Sox 2B/OF Alexei Ramirez to help at 2B and in CF and might look to ease his catching concerns during the free agent round or later in the rookie draft.

3 – San Diego Gulls

The Gulls come off winning the western division in 2007 and pick this high thanks to a trade with San Francisco. The Gulls boast a solid lineup and pitching staff. GM Nelson Somers knows his rotation is deep and his relief corps is solid. His options at 1B might be of a bit concern, but he has enough pop elsewhere to offset any problem, which could be considered minimal at its worst. The thought here is that there may be an advantage to taking Giants C Buster Posey who will turn 22 the day before the draft and is the top rated prospect at his position behind only Orioles stud Matt Wieters. The alternative is that he could also add another stud pitching prospect.

4 – Seattle Sea Bees

It would seem that Sea Bees GM Greg Weidemann would be trying to rebuild with his 2008 draft. He does have some good parts to work with, and his defense up the middle should be fantastic, but there may be holes at the hot corner and behind the dish. Posey would be the ideal catcher of the future. If Posey is off the board and because there are no 3B prospects worthy of a pick this high, Weidemann will select Rangers RHP Neftali Feliz, the highly regarded 20 year old fireballer.

5 – Baltimore Colt 45s

The Colt 45s finished last in the eastern division in 2007, but their record was respectable, finishing at 25-31. They have some good young talent and enough young arms that they could be on the verge of some good things in 2009 and 2010. This looks like a rebuilding team in terms of their draft approach. They have a replacement for the recently traded Derek Jeter in Yunel Escobar, but beyond Escobar and Alberto Callaspo, the talent is thin. GM Loren Nodolf will select Rays SS Tim Beckham, the number 1 overall draft pick in 2008. Nodolf can address other issues later in the rookie portion or in the free agent round of this draft with his other 7 choices.

6 – New York Knights

The Knights finished just one game below .500 last year and they have procured 8 total picks in an effort to help rebuild the franchise. Things are looking up in NY for GM David Moxness in his 3rd year at the helm. He has two of the top starters in the league and what seems like a sure thing in Rays LHP David Price and some young starters who could easily fill the four and five spots to Moxness’ satisfaction. The Knights are a bit more challenged offensively with little in the way of depth. It looks as if the most need is in the infield and it may turn out that Moxness’ choice of White Sox SS Gordon Beckham may play a position besides shortstop on the big league level as some scouts believe he might be switched to 2B or 3B in the future; apparently he has the power to make that transition work, how well he would adjust defensively remains a mystery.

7 – Boston Blue Sox

While in contention for awhile, the Blue Sox faded in the second half of 2007 despite what GM Joe English deemed as a ‘favorable’ schedule. The Sox have young talent offensively, which allowed English to trade long time LF Carlos Lee this offseason for a pick later in this draft. The Sox staff is at best serviceable but the staff is still young and English expects improvement over time. The bullpen is below average and needs to be given some serious attention. The run of shortstops could continue at this spot due to the fact that the Rangers expect Michael Young to pay 3B this season and since Omar Vizquel is at best a defensive replacement at this point in his career. The inside scoop is that the Sox expect to contend in 2008 and the selection of Angels RHP Jose Arredondo fills a need in the bullpen and that the selection of a future SS will wait until later in the draft or next off-season. It has also been suggested that this pick might be available for trade…take that for what it’s worth.

8 – Detroit Scouts

The Scouts made a run late in 2007 only to fall short in the season’s final rounds. Scouts GM Erin Weidemann has a solid offense consisting of a mix of veterans and young stars who are game changers while still not quite in their prime athletically. The starting rotation is not as solid as in past years and injuries will force her to explore other options at points during the 2008 season; the bullpen remains solid. The Scouts could go in many directions here but my guess is that they go the prospect route and tab Braves RHP Tommy Hanson given that he is almost ready to contribute at the major league level.

9 – Cincinnati Zouaves

The Zouaves joy over winning the central division in 2007 was short lived as they failed to make the Canyon League World Series. GM Tully Moxness was unavailable to return calls when contacted about his team’s disappointing playoff performance. The Zouaves should contend again in ’08. The lineup boasts plenty of speed and power at the top and should be formidable once again. The only area of concern might be outfield depth as it seems injuries have haunted GM Moxness and his options there are limited past the scheduled starters. The pitching staff should be fine and the bullpen has many available options that could be effective. The feeling here is that another bullpen arm is the target and Moxness selects Dodgers RHP Corey Wade to help get him bridge the gap from the starters to his closer.

MOXNESS'S REBUTTAL: I can tolerate one Dodger reliever but no way will I have two of these guys. I'd actually have to root for the Dodgers to win games. Blech!

10 – San Diego Gulls

The Gulls will use the second first round pick to grab another stud pitching prospect using this pick to choose Orioles LHP Brian Matusz, the 20 year old who pitched locally in college for the University of San Diego Terreros.

11 – New York Knights

The Knights use their second first round selection to add Rockier OF Dexter Fowler who is a five tool player who appeared briefly with the Rockies last season. He projects to be future star outfielder for the Knights.

12 – Detroit Scouts

The Scouts acquired their second first round pick from the eventual Canyon League Champion Cleveland Thunder in exchange for RHP Javier Vazquez. As previously noted, the Scouts have many options in the first round due to the organizations depth. The guess here is that the choice is Diamondbacks RHP Max Scherzer who has top of the rotation ability and should reach that goal if he can locate better than he did in he brief major league appearance last season.

There it is folks. The first 2008 mock draft is complete. It is possible that more trades will come down and this will change. But as it stands on Friday, February 19, 2009, this is my prognostication…this is all for fun and not intended for wagering purposes!

Constitutional Question

2008-08-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I hate these little issues, but several people have been bugging me about a rule that isn't clarified in the Constitution; even I'm not 100% sure of the correct rule here.

We've had a long standing rule that you have to carry two players at each defensive position on your roster, and you can only start a player at each position who is carded for it. Thus, Jose Canseco can not start at 2nd base, even though he played there in high school, because it's not on his card. The only exception is that a corner outfielder can play either LF or RF. The issue is Centerfield. I was under the impression that you could only start a player in CF if he has a card at that position. A couple of people have mentioned that Shannon is starting Barry Bonds in CF, even though he is only carded for LF and asked for clarification Does anyone else have any insight into whether this is following established rules? If not, we should add an addendum to the Constitution regarding this, one way or the other.

My vote is that if we've been allowing uncarded players to start in CF without an argument, then we should continue through the next season. However, starting next season, only players with CF on their card should be allowed to start in this position.

What say you all?

San Diego Free Agent Proposal

2007-11-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

San Diego GM Nelson Somers has proposed the following amendment to the league constitution. If approved, this will take effect for the 2008 Draft (held in Spring '09).

"How about if the four playoff teams pick last, but are allowed 1 additional free agent pick at the end of the draft.I do believe that teams that make the playoffs, are a more astrictive team to the free agent market.That will also stop teams that know they have no chance of winning it all, from dropping out of the playoff race intentionally. Thanks SD "

Please vote in the comments section below. Thanks Cin.

Round 13 Status

2007-10-12T13:16:00.001-07:00

Well, there's really not much of a need for this except to say good job on finishing the round on time. The sole remaining series is San Diego vs. Seattle, which is tentatively scheduled for tonight. Kudos should also go to the Eastern Division, which is completely finished for the 2006 season (thanks to Loren's aggressive pursuit of a finished season before his departure to a place that doesn't even exist on Google Earth). I'll try to post a Round 14 preview, since I couldn't get the Central and Western division previews done after the Eastern one. Good luck everybody - this season is turning into one just as good as the real 2007 MLB we just experienced. I hope I'm the Rockies and not the Mets!

The Official League Constitution Blog Entry

2007-10-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Here is the promised constitution entry. Please take some time to look over the Constitution, and let's essentially playtest our system. Let's try to come up with scenarios for anything and everything that aren't covered by the constitution, and then comment about them. We'll put the ideas up for league-wide votes by the beginning of December and then send out a rough final draft once that's done. We've set the deadline for a finalized document of January 31, 2008. If you want your voice to be heard regarding the way the league is structured, this is the place to do it. The more we participate as individuals, the better the league is going to be!

At Long Last, The League Meeting Summary

2007-10-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since my last blog entry, and I apologize for the lenthy hiatus. I will try to avoid these, but my brain has been fried by a payroll software conversion. On the bright side, I am now a master of ADP's PayExpert product! Anyway, here's the recap of the 9/23, which was filled with much love, laughter, tears and profanity:

1) Joe Emmert's long reign as the league commissioner is officially over after this season, and the office will die will him. He will now be known as Honorary Commissioner & Founder Emeritus. His sole remaining duty will be to maintain the league's history and statistical archives, which I think we can agree is a task that none of us has the mental strength or free county worktime to perform. It was agreed that a majority vote of the three-member Council will now be the final word on deadlocked league matters. Ongoing, any changes to the league structure, operations and constitution will be decided by a majority vote by league members; the council will make the final decision in case of ties. Since the council has now increased in importance, we decided to recall the current membership and put it to a new vote. We need to vote for three people this time, since we're electing a completely new council. We mentioned a two-week window for a vote, but since it's been in limbo, why don't we just make the voting deadline two weeks from this Sunday (October 28th)? Joe English is the only person to officially announce his candidacy, although I did establish an exploratory committee for the purpose of receiving federal election funds. I'll follow Joe's example and throw my hat into the ring. All others who want to run should e-mail the league as soon as possible, and as a parting gesture, let's have the soon to be former Commish tabulate the votes. Farewell Joseph, We Hardly Knew Ye!

2) The Constitution: Christian's first draft was a good jumping off point, but we agreed that the league needs to finalize and ratify an official draft. The next blog entry will be regarding ideas for the Constitution, so if you have any thoughts, you need to post them there. Sometime in November or early December, we'll take a vote on every section/new idea and then we'll post a preliminary "final" draft. The deadline/final voting for this was established as January 31st, 2008; once the final vote has occurred and any changes are made, we will post the final document on the website.

3) Minor Leagues: Christian referred to this idea as a "pussy way to go", and the majority of the league agreed. As it stands, there will be no minor league system.

4) Respect for Fellow GMs: It was agreed that this should be done without having to create any rules and regulations. Since earlier this year, we've had good league relations and no hurt feelings, other than a little violin-playing pantomime that set off yours truly at the league meeting. We agreed to tone down the attack e-mails and phone calls after GM decisions that we don't particularly like, and we'll create a media section on the website. I'll add a link, and if anybody wants to write a column, either infrequent or on a regular basis, send it to me and I'll post it up. The idea is to keep it tongue and cheek and not be rude.

5) League File: One computer should be the official league system, and Christian agreed to maintain this. After each round, an .lzp file with just that round's games will be sent out and posted on the website. We'll maintain an archive for the entire season's rounds on the website as well.

6) Missing Series Deadlines: We agreed to hold back on establishing a system of penalties for missing games, but we did see this as an ongoing problem. The view of the league was that we're all big kids and that we don't need a parental figure telling us to get things done. As a compromise, we agreed that league members will e-mail me midway through the round to update the status of unplayed series; I will write a blog entry for the round letting everybody know what's happening. As a sidenote, we've been doing a good job of getting games in since the league meeting.

7) Redrawing Divisions: Nobody saw the value in this, so for at least another year, the divisions will stay the same.

8) DH Rule: Even Loren, the guy who proposed this idea, felt this was a bad idea. No DH!

9) E-mailing Series Results: Starting next season, we agreed to start sending out the game results in a .ZIP archive rather than as individual files. I will post a blog entry that explains how to use .ZIP files so that we can all practice this before the start of the '07 games. Also, we will make sure to check off the standard subsets for each game, and the box score and play by play files should be sent along with the game files. Can someone explain how we get these files to come up? I know it's a game option, but I honestly don't know how to do it either. Prior to next season, we'll post a "How to" for each of these tasks.

10) 25 Man Rosters: Starting next year, we agreed that prior to roster expansion, all series will be played with the same 25 man roster from start to finish, with the exception of injury replacements and players returning from injuries.

11) Waiver Pool: It was agreed that a team's day in the waiver pool rotation is a commodity that has to be treated like a player. If a team wishes to trade their spot to another team, they must at a minimum trade the pick for another asset of value (player, draft pick, another waiver pool day in the current or subsequent season).

12) Trade Deadline: We agreed that the current system works fine. In order for a traded player to be eligible for the postseason, they must be traded prior to the trade deadline. Players can be traded after the deadline, but they will not be eligible for postseason play with their new team.

13) Post-Season Rosters: We agreed that rosters for each series should be handled individually. No changes can occur to a roster during a series, except in case of injury, but the rosters can be changed between one round to the next.

14) Injuries: Other than the "Great Lockout" in the mid-90s, this is the single most contentious issue in the history of the league. After much arguing, shedding of tears and a spontaneous performance of Weideman's 3rd Violin Concerto, we came to a tenuous agreement to change the schedule format, beginning next season. To limit the importance of injuries, there will be three days off between each series. This will be an experimental format that will be revisited after the 2007 season. I can't wait for the next league meeting!

I think that covers everything from the meeting, but if I missed anything, please comment. It was great to get everyone together, even if we were a little heated at times. I can't remember the last time we had 10 of 12 managers together in one place (although I'm pretty sure that Loren's house will now be unavailable for future league meetings!). Hopefully, we can get back to some of our annual traditions next season, like the All-Star game, league barbeques, and boxing matches!

An Inspirational Story

2007-09-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

I found this story/blog entry on Baseball America; it's a regular feature by a guy who will most likely be a permanent minor league pitcher, maybe someone who'll get a couple of cups of coffee at the most. Anyway, it really says a lot about the role sports plays in our lives and that, while they may seem like meaningless games or a way to make a living to the guys playing them, they're a lot more important to other people. Baseball has been more than just a game to me; ask my dad what baseball meant for me the week that my brother died. The Reds were playing in the World Series, and I drove up to Oakland with my dad and saw them win the whole thing. It was a catharsis that helped me cope with my grief, pain and loss, and even though Chris Sabo and Rob Dibble may have been just 'playing a game', one person in rightfield was getting a whole lot more from their efforts than that.

I hope this moves you as much as it did me:

Dirk Hayhurst is a 26-year-old righthanded reliever in the Padres system who has spent parts of three seasons at high Class A Lake Elsinore.

Though he made it all the way to Triple-A Portland last season, Hayhurst began this year back with the Storm, officially making him a California League veteran.But after going 0-1, 1.80 at the Lake, Hayhurst was promoted to Double-A San Antonio in early May, and made two appearances at Triple-A Portland before settling into the Missions' bullpen. Currently, Hayhurst is 3-1, 3.77 in 45 innings in the Texas League.The 2003 eighth-round pick out of Kent State is writing a diary for Baseball America this season, delving into the side of the minor leagues fans seldom see.

A mother brought her son past the bullpen a few days back. As they approached, we instinctively acted as if our attention was wrapped up in the game; looking away from them, avoiding eye contact.

They made their way directly to us, eyes trained on us, hoping to catch our attention. Soon they had closed the distance and were standing right in front of us, staring expectantly through the fencing with wide eyes and nervous smiles.

"Hello," said the mother. We said nothing in return and continued to act as if we couldn't see or hear her. She stumbled at our coldness, and cast hear eyes around sadly. She looked at her son, who never took his eyes off us, smiled, and then mustered enough courage to try again.

I can't explain to you what its like to avoid someone on purpose. When I write about the concept it just seems too rude and heartless. Maybe it is, but I still do it all the time. In my line of work, sometimes you have to ignore people. You have to tune out the noise of the game. There is no shortage of kids who want balls just because some other kid got one. No shortage of folks who want scraps signed with illegible autographs because everyone else is doing it. No shortage of begging, and pleading for stuff they don't really need, just want because someone else has.

Besides, my signature is just that: words written across something to spell my name. And my name is not important (hence, non-prospect diaries!). Yet to baseball fans, signatures are very important. They're so important in fact, even the mascot signs balls. It doesn't even have to be my name, or a name at all, just the fact we players scribbled on a scrap for fan is enough. Its all about the context.

For me, it's a dead ritual, and doesn't make sense. Maybe this is because I know who I am. Because everyday I see the mistakes and shortcomings I deal with that humanize me. I disagree that I am somehow more valuable because I do this job. Fans however, see my clean uniform and their boyhood dreams incarnate. When my hand presses a pen to paper, they find it magical. I don't understand why this works the way it does, but its lack of logic in no way negates the reality of it.

"My son," said the mother as she looked at her boy, "would really like to meet you."Again, she smiled nervously and again she was met with silence.After a moment I broke and said hello to the young boy. He smiled and tried to hide behind his mom like young kids do when they are nervous. Mom asked him if he could be a big boy and say hello in return? He did, in a mute voice, then ducked behind his mother again. I bent down at the fence to get on the boy's level, steadying myself with one hand on the links. As I did this, the mother knelt down quickly and put her hand on mine. My comfort zone was just violated, but before I could say anything, she spoke, in a soft and sad voice saying, "My son has liver cancer. It's terminal. He really wanted to do this before . . . um, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with him."

I was silent again, but this time for a different reason. I stared at the young boy, then at his mother whose face was serious and stalwart. The fellas around me had started talking with the young boy where I left off, though they were unaware of his condition. I walked away from the scene and over the some of the guys and whispered what I was just told. We looked at each other and, without a word of discussion, scooped up the youngster and placed him the pen with us.

We sat him down in one of our chairs and took seats around him. There he sat while we lavished him with attention. We asked him about everything a young boy loves to talk about: toys, baseball, candy, parks, games . . . We acted amazed at his stories and affirmed how he would become a big leaguer someday. We made him feel special, because he is. Finally, when our time was up and he had to go, without request or prompting, we produced a baseball and signed it for him.

When we gave the boy that ball, there was no dead ritual involved. Our names were no longer scribbles to be collected, and the ball was no longer a souvenir. That baseball was now a letter, and each signature was a testament of hope, encouragement, and joy. I can't explain to you how much happiness it gave that mother and her son to share those moments with us.I still can't explain why people treat us so special for putting on a baseball uniform. But in those few moments together, it didn't really matter--in those few moments, baseball made perfect sense.

You can reach Dirk at dirkhayhurst@baseballamerica.com.

A Preview of the League Meeting

2007-09-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

My sources in the future have sent me a glimpse of the upcoming league meeting. Things look they're going well at this point:

Injury Scenario

2007-09-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a hypothetical situation that involves roster management, injuries and the post-season. Let's say that you're winning your division, and on the last day of the season, all three of the catchers on your roster suffer fifteen game injuries. Since any acquisitions made after the trade deadline are not eligible for the post-season, what would you do in this case? Technically, a team that doesn't have two position players on their roster has to forfeit - what would we do here? It's one for the constitution, I suppose.

PS This is only one of the many reasons I'd like to see the injuries turned off until Strat comes up with a solution to the current problem.

The League Meeting: A Wrinkle In The Plan

2007-09-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Christian has advised that he will be in Santa Clarita on Saturday, the 22nd, and he can stay up there overnight until Sunday. He's down with doing the meeting somewhere in the SCV instead of in OC. How does everybody feel about making the change? Loren's traveling right now, but he did offer his place as a potential meeting location. What say everybody? If we can get a final headcount by the end of the week, I'll start working on a meeting agenda. These are definitely some of the items that people want to discuss:

Redrawing the divisions
The missed series deadlines
Injuries being turned off
The 1911 Season
Finishing the Constitution
Potential managerial vacancies
Standardization of game procedures
Playing the All-Star Game

If there's anything else not on the list, comment here. I highly recommend that you sign up for a Blogger account so that we all know who's leaving the comment, but otherwise, if you're anonymous, just say who you are in the body of the comment.

'06 Pennant Race Preview, Eastern Division

2007-09-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

With the '06 season coming down to the final four rounds, let's take a look at each division and what lies in store for the rest of the year. This season has turned out to be extremely competitive in every race, especially for the Central Division and Wild Card. Five teams could potentially be fighting it out for the Wild Card in the very last series of the year, which is going to make for some extremely contentious matches (and a lot of screaming and yelling). Here's how the Eastern Division is shaping up:

1st Place: Cleveland Thunder, 25-15

The Thunder started the season at 5-8 but have dominated their opponents after that, going 20-7 to take a strong lead in the division. Manny Ramirez, Carlos Beltran and A-Rod have torn up league pitching this year and are among the league leaders in homers and OPS. Beltran has hit an eye-popping 18 doubles. The team itself is hitting .261 and has stolen a respectable 22 bases (but with a +14 in SB-CS ratio). Of the team's stars, only Vladimir Guerrero has been having anything close to an off-year (.209 BA, .646 OPS). However, it's the pitching, not the hitting, that is going to easily carry the Thunder to a post-season berth. The pitching staff leads the Canyon League with a 3.61 ERA and is paced by starters C.C. Sabathia (6-2) and John Lackey (5-1). While the rest of the rotation has been decidedly average, and even disappointing in Dontrelle Willis's case (2-3, 5.40 ERA), the bullpen has been lights out. Free-agent draftee Scot Shields is making a case for the Cy Young award, with 10 saves in 12 attempts and a miniscule 0.87 ERA (with only 2 earned runs allowed all season). Justin Duscherer has done a very effective job in his role as primary setup man, and Oscar Villareal, Matt Capps and Brandon League have also pitched very effectively in different relief roles (all with ERAs below 3.30). Even Jose Valverde has struck out 22 batters in 13 innings.

Remaining series: Baltimore, San Diego, New York, Boston. None of these series should pose a serious challenge to the Thunder's stampede toward a Canyon League title. Baltimore's pitching staff can't match up to Cleveland's offensive onslaught, and San Diego is not in their league right now. New York and Boston will be lucky to win one game in their matchups with the Thunder.

Projected Finish: 1st place, 36-20.

2nd place, Baltimore Colt 45s, 21-15

In his pre-season preview of the Colt 45s, the Commish predicted a last place finish for them, based on woeful pitching and other issues left unadressed by GM Loren Nodolf. While they're not dominating the division, they're far from the cellar dwellers (more on the Blue Sox later). The Colt 45s fortunes might rest on their unplayed Round 10 series vs. California, which could leave them thinking about next season or could see them pushing the Thunder in a serious fight to the finish. Statistically, Baltimore is definitely middle of the pack at best, and their record seems to indicate that Nodolf has been getting by on smoke and mirrors. Only one Colt 45 hitter has reached double digits in home runs, and that player, Jim Thome, is now playing for the Houston Seraphs. Additionally, his replacement, James Loney, is very limited in ABs for the rest of the season, which leaves Shawn Green as the primary first baseman down the stretch; Clayton Kershaw may pay dividends in future seasons, but last I checked, A-ball pitchers don't get to play in the Canyon League. With Thome plying his trade in the Central Division, it will be up to Shortstop Derek Jeter (.364 BA, 1.064 OPS) to carry the team the rest of the way. Underrated CF David DeJesus has also been productive this year (.500 SLG), but it will be a challenge for him to finish as strongly. While nobody on the pitching staff will populate the Cy Young balloting, many have had effective seasons up to this point. Todd Jones has 7 saves in only 9 innings, and Juan Cruz is 4-1 in a middle relief role. The starters have all been very average but only Noah Lowry has been brutalized thus far (6.75 ERA, 37 hits in 23 IP); Lowry has to get on track for the team to have a chance to make the post-season.

Remaining series: California, Cleveland, Atlanta, Boston, New York. 20 games remain, and it looks like a roller coaster ride that will lead to a 10-10 finish. The loss of Thome coupled with the weak Baltimore pitching staff makes Baltimore a decidedly average team, but their hot start will still leave them with an over .500 finish. Loren's been a tough manager, though, and he's defied expectations before, so a miracle title is still a possibility.

Projected Finish: 2nd Place, 31-25

3rd Place: New York Knights, 20-24

The Knights were a franchise in serious disarray when orphaned by ex-GM Rick Hand. The team was offered to several potential replacements, but the AARP status of so many New York players saw the suitors run away faster than the characters at the end of a Casper cartoon. Luckily, David R. Moxness was the perfect masochist for the job, but cleaning up the roster almost caused his hair to fall out ala Roger Maris. Between the waiver pool and trades, the Knights have sent 14 long-time players off to greener pastures, including star First Baseman David "Big Papi" Ortiz and CF Johnny Damon. While not a serious challenger to Cleveland and Baltimore, the Knights have played a respectable brand of baseball and have deflated the 'sweep hopes' of more than one opponent (Houston and Atlanta still have yet to recover). "Big Papi" paced the hitters with 16 homers during his final season in New York, and he's probably on his way to the league MVP. New everyday First Baseman Justin Morneau is hitting .425 since the trade, and he's going to make it easier for Knights fans to forget Ortiz. On the pitching side, top starters Brandon Webb, Chris Young and Dan Haren are 9-13, but their numbers are stronger than that record. Save leader Bob Wickman (7) was sent to San Diego in the "Big Papi" trade, and NY intends to use a closer by committee the rest of the way. The present may be somewhat gloomy, but the future is considerably brighter; unlike his predecessor, Moxness covets draft picks and currently has 10 waiting for him in the '07 draft. He also acquired young studs Troy Tulowitzki and Chris Young (the outfielder), and they'll make opponents miserable beginning next season.

Remaining series: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Baltimore. Nothing is going to be easy for the Knights down the stretch, and their depleted bullpen forces the starting rotation to bear the load. Emmert predicted the Knights would finish with more wins than the Zouaves, but a 3-9 finish won't get them there. The weak finish will give the Knights a solid position in next season's draft, and they'll finish with a much better record in 2007.

Projected finish: 3rd place, 23-33

4th Place, Boston Blue Sox, 15-29

My grandmother always threw out that line, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all", but a) I have to write something about Boston, and b) she's dead, so I don't have to listen to her bitching anymore. January 22nd seemed like an ordinary day, but for the teams in the Central Division not managed by Shannon Somers, it is a day that will live in infamy forever. Boston was in a serious rebuilding mode, adding youngsters like Cameron Maybin and Alex Gordon to a roster that was very similar to the Atlanta Rebel franchises of the late 90s/early 21st century. Suddenly, the following trade was announced: Atlanta trades Chad Cordero (p) and their 2006 Free Agent pick (12th overall) to Boston for the Blue Sox 2006 Free Agent pick (3rd overall) and their 2006 1st round rookie pick (3rd overall)
Little did Boston GM Joe English realize at the time, but this trade would set off a trading frenzy that has never been seen before in the Canyon League. It is doubtful he was prepared for the angry tirade that the Commish would level at him, and the trade sparked an ugly month in terms of bad manners and rude e-mails that have thankfully abated. While the trade did fill one major need of the Blue Sox, it cost them a shot at young talent like Evan Longoria or Yovani Gallardo and free agent Matt Holliday. The Rebels were able to flip their stronger draft status into Eric Bedard, and in exchange, the Blue Sox received Chad Cordero and drafted Ryan Freel with the #12 FA pick. It was the Matt Mantei/Jake Peavy trade, 2006 version, with the Rebels exploiting a team's desperate need for a closer and getting much stronger for the effort.

As for the season, it's been another one of futility for the Blue Sox. Without going into painful detail, very little has worked for Boston, although Cordero has been very effective, with 9 saves and a 2.29 ERA. The problem is the rest of the pitching staff, which has more members with ERAs over 6.00 than under. Felix Hernandez has been brutally ineffective, with an eyepopping 8.51 ERA and 15.5 H/9IP. Underperforming stars like Chase Utley and Ryan Freel have pushed the Blue Sox to a worse record than they deserve, but this was never a team with a chance to contend in 2006. The future still looks bright in Boston with young studs King Felix, Philip Hughes and Cameron Maybin, among others, all ready to dominate for years to come.

Remaining series: SF, Baltimore, and Cleveland. Three tough opponents left to go, but for some reason, the Blue Sox should put up a good fight and will go 7-5. It's not nearly enough to salvage the season, but Joe English can head to next season with his dignity and a good future intact.

Projected Finish: 4th place, 22-34

Next Up: the Central Division. Will they figure out a way to make trades legal after the deadline? Will Emmert and Shannon fight to the death in Nelson's orchards next week? Stay Tuned!

Inagural Canyon League Confidential

2007-09-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Today's marks the beginning of a new weekly column here on the CL Blog: Canyon League Confidential. We'll be talking about anything and everything in CL world, from the pennant races to the gossip that goes on behind the scenes. We hope you enjoy it - drop us a line with suggestions for our next column. Away we go:

From the Penthouse to the Outhouse -

San Diego's Mega-Meltdown

It's beginning to look like Cinderella's coach turned back into a pumpkin much earlier than anticipated by her fairy godmother, as the scrappy San Diego Gulls have gone from a hot 19-7 start to a sub .500 record of 20-22. For those of you who aren't math majors, that's a 1-15 record since they sat atop the league's best record. Not since the incident at Chernobyl has a meltdown of this proportion been witnessed. GM/Manager Nelson Somers has begun to drink heavily, and the players are on the verge of a 'Storm The Bastille'-like revolt. We sat down with an anonymous Gull team leader, and he painted a portrait of a team that is more Jackson Pollock than Thomas Kinkade. Fasten your seatbelts - it's gonna be a bumpy night:

Q. Hi , thanks for talking with us after a second painful loss to your hated rivals here in San Francisco. What is your opinion of your team's performance, especially over the last 16 games?

A. It's a freakin' embarrassment what we're going through right now, losing so much, playing like we're in last place! I don't take that lightly. I don't take it as nothin'. I'm embarrassed. I can't even pick up my head because we're so bad. I can't take it no more

Q. Does losing so much, so fast, ever get any easier?

A. I'm freakin' tired of being embarrassed. I just hate losing. I'm sorry. I'm not a big guy on anything else but winning. If nobody likes the way I take it or go about it, come and see me. I just like winning. That's why we're here.

Above: "Mr Anonymous"

Q. What do you think needs to change? Is it your GM or the players? Some have said that after your hot start that Nelson Somers began to create a 'soft' environment and encouraged players to focus on their stats.

A. I don't care with who or without who, but winning needs to be our priority! We came here to win. We didn't come here to be part of a country club just to pass the time, just to get paid. At least I didn't come here for that. I didn't come here to frickin' lose. People have got to understand, if you think only for yourself and your numbers and not the team, you're probably going to have a so-so year. But if you play for the team, to win, you're going to have way better numbers. If we have people here who are worrying about getting paid or just happy to be here and not worrying about winning, they're on the wrong team - or I am.

Q. So you're saying some guys have fallen into the 'spoiled superstar mode'?

A. We have a saying in Loompaland: 'I put my little piece in the puzzle.' What I do on the field is my piece. But I can not carry the team. Magglio Ordonez can not carry the team. Hanley Ramirez, nobody. This has to be done together. If we do it together, we're going to be fine. If we go separate ways, then it's going to be another year like this year.

Q. On the positive side, you have fourteen games left to play and have just made some solid player acquistions for the stretch run. What do you think the team needs to do in that time to win the West?

A. Go out there between those lines and respect the game. Go all out for 31/2 hours and respect your teammates. That's the biggest thing here, respect your teammates and work your ass for nine innings. If you get beat, you could keep your head up. But if you beat yourself or you don't come out with the right energy or desire, if you're coming out just to get paid, it's hard on everybody.

If the rest of the Gulls can carry this attitude with them in their next two games in SF and for the rest of the season after that, San Diego should be the team to beat in the West; otherwise, fans are about to grow restless with the Gulls rebuilding process, and a new GM may be needed to finish what Nelson Somers can't.

Blame It On Your Brother!

A major performance-enhancing drug-related scandal is brewing in the Canyon League, and to nobody's surprise, it's a division-leading team run by a Somers brother; to everybody's surprise, it's not the Gulls - it's the Thunder. In a development sure to take the wind out of the sails of the 'Good Ship Candy-Pop', two Thunder players, Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus, have been implicated for using both anabolic steroids and Human Growth Hormone. According to inside sources, both players received shipments from a medical lab called SHANSOM Peformance Tech Inc., located on a remote property known as Shiells Ranch in Fillmore, CA. This is a well-known illegal pharmaceuticals operation that trades its wares at farmer's markets throughout the state of California, using a produce business as its front. Nobody at this operation could be reached for comment, and at present, we are still trying to determine who owns and manages this top-secret organization. In a phone call that could only be described as 'ugly', Thunder manager/GM Chris Somers had this to say about the allegations:

"If you want answers, ask my brother!!! He's the guy behind all of this. I just sell candy to the horse people and try to run my team in my spare time. He's the one who turned everybody on to that lab, not me. I was planning on trading those guys to the Gulls anyway - I need more pitching! Now leave me the f&c* alone - Jennifer needs help in the kitchen"

Above: Rick Ankiel at a Recent Workout

While our insiders did report that highly secretive trade talks did take place between San Diego and Cleveland last night, we aren't sold on the 'blame my brother' stuff. It is interesting that the tangled web of deceit does seem to lead back to San Diego, however. It's obvious the "best behavior" of Nelson Somers is most definitely a thing of the past!

1911 - Chicago Team Announces Name Change

2007-09-04T15:45:00.001-07:00

The team formerly known as the "Chicago Breeze" in action at the West Side Grounds

Chicago (AP) - At a heated press conference held outside their historic West Side Grounds ballpark, the Chicago Breeze announced their intention to rename the franchise the Chicago Orphans, which will take effect at the start of the 1911 season. Surrounded by a group of small tykes from the Jackson Street Home for Abandoned Children, Team Owner and General Manager Colonel Thorlief Moxness, the maverick saloon and tinned beef magnate, excitedly proclaimed, "The Chicago Orphans will be the pride of the Canyon League, turning those worthless Steelmills into scrap metal. The Steamers will run all the way down to Mississippi when we get done with them. The Stranglers will choke on their own vomit after losing game after game to us. The Bluecoats will turn green with envy when they see our record. The Explorers will discover what last place feels like. The Americans will want to burn down Washington again after they lose another game at home to us. And the Warriors will lose every battle to us just like Custer at Little Big Horn - in a slaughter!!!" Col. Moxness, taking swigs from his bottle of Rye Whisky, talked about the exciting changes he has in store for his new team, proclaiming 1911 as "the year of Adoption" and that he will personally adopt an orphaned child for every win the team has during the '11 season.

When asked why he felt the need to change the name of the franchise, the somewhat inebriated and cantankerous owner responded, "This is my team - mine! And I'll do what I want. The Orphans were my favorite team when I was growing up, and I always wanted to own them. Besides, the name Breeze is for pussies."

The new roster has yet to be filled out, but no matter who's playing in the West Side Park infield, it should be an exciting year of base ball!

In Defense of Dumping

2007-08-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article that concerns recent league events, courtesy of Baseball Prospectus:

Dumping
by Kenn Ruby

My league’s constitution defines dumping as "…the inelegant but scientifically precise term used to describe what happens when a team out of contention gives up on the season and trades to a contending team its most expensive talent and its players who will be lost to free agency at the end of the year, typically for inexpensive players who can be kept the following season. A ‘dump’ trade is always unbalanced, sometimes egregiously so, with the contending team giving up far less than it gets, and the non-contending team giving up much more in order to acquire a nucleus for the following season.”

It’s a good definition, and anyone who plays in a keeper league is signing up for a league in which dumping could occur. So why does it always cause such hard feelings?

Fantasy baseball players strive to pattern their game to be as close to its real-world counterpart as possible, but this question may be one of the fundamental divergences between our game and the real thing. Dump trades happen all the time in real baseball. They’re accepted as part of the game, and when the Braves get Mark Teixeira for their best prospects, they’re considered savvy and “going for it now.” The Rangers may get the last laugh in 2009, but the Braves could win this year.

Dumping in fantasy baseball often has the opposite effect. A lopsided trade--whether a true dump or not--could damage the integrity of the league with shouts of “veto!” and “throw him out of the league!” I get questions all the time at RotoWire.com from people who say, “this trade was vetoed in my league,” and I look at it and wonder why. Someone recently asked me why an Ichiro Suzuki for Ryan Howard trade was vetoed in his league. The owner receiving Ichiro was solid in power but needed batting average and steals. The owner receiving Howard needed some power but had the highest batting average in the league. That's a perfect trade for both teams, yet it caused an uproar in that league, presumably from someone who wanted Howard for himself and felt he could have offered more.

And that may be the crux of it all. We think we could’ve offered a better package. We look at a dump someone else made and say, “why didn’t I think of that?” We overvalue our own players, we undervalue our competitors’ players, and we start questioning the relationship between the dumper and dumpee. Feelings get hurt.
As far as I can tell, you don’t see that in the majors. We all think that being baseball fans and fantasy baseball owners qualifies us to be a better general manager then the guys running real teams, but in actuality, we probably wouldn’t do a better job than our real-life counterparts. Well, maybe except for David Littlefield.

Real-life general managers are forced to take the emotion out of it. While we might think that the $800 we’re “losing” as a result of an unbalanced trade is a lot of money, even the worst GMs in the league have millions of dollars at stake. Do you think that Mets GM Omar Minaya was upset when it looked like the Braves were going to get Teixeira? Do you think he tried to veto the trade? No, he just worked a little harder to bring in Luis Castillo and probably made sure Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran saw the Mets team doctor that day.

When you play fantasy baseball, there is no greater day than draft day. You sit in a room for 10 hours with 11 other people just like you. They may be your friends, mere acquaintances, or perfect strangers, but you tease each other like you might tease your own brother. For one day, you are all family.

It’s those familial bonds, though, that get you into trouble. When a dump trade happens in a league among friends, it’s very easy to take things personally. “Hey, this guy was my brother three months ago! How could he do this?” To the two trading owners it could be even worse, especially if you have a guilty conscience: “What will they think of me? Will they even want me back? Should I have given up even more?”

Whether you’re directly involved in a trade or not, you need to block out those thoughts and have the strength to make the dump deal to win the league. Like it or not, it’s difficult to win in a keeper league without some kind of dumping. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but once there is one dump, others will soon follow, and you need to hop aboard the train just to keep pace.

I started the ball rolling in my league a few weeks ago, trading Tim Lincecum, Matt Kemp, Fred Lewis, Will Inman, and others for a nice package of expensive non-keepers. I really had no choice but to make a move. Our top four are so tight that there is no margin for error left. I knew my competitors would be trading at our July 31 deadline, despite the fact that there hadn’t been a deal in months in our league. This lack of trading was very uncharacteristic for our league, but it was very clear to me that we were all waiting to see what the others would do. I didn’t even necessarily need all the players I received, but I was just happy that they didn’t end up on the roster of any of the other contenders.

So I pulled the trigger. There wasn’t a big response from my league. Were the other contenders upset? Did they sit there stewing over their misfortune? Not a chance. A week later, the other contenders responded: they made strong trades of their own. Now we’re all locked and loaded and ready for one of the greatest pennant races our league has ever seen (a recent glance at the standings revealed a three-way tie for first with fourth place half a point back).

I like to think our league is more enlightened than most, that the personal stuff doesn’t enter it. We all just do what we have to do to win. It’s a lesson to take to heart. If someone in your league makes a deal you don’t like, your goal should be to top it. Isn’t the whole point of the game to have better players than the other guy anyway?

A wise man once said, “it’s not personal…it’s strictly business.” Of course you can still be friends with the other players in your league, but until you run your team following this mantra, you’ll never be consistently successful playing this game.

An Invitation for 'Hard-Core's' only

2007-08-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

I thought this was an invitation to view the Commish's 'Private Reserve' of quality Exotic Pictures, but it turned out to be a cool idea. I'm down with the idea and call dibs on the 'Chicago Breeze' (as long as I can change the lame-ass name; there's precedence - many of the teams of that era had yearly nicknames that changed with the whims of the sportswriter's, e.g. Brooklyn Bridegrooms). I promise not to ask for 'Censors'. Here's Joe's original post:

First came the Canyon League modern era (1986-present). Then we ventured back into the past to complete the Canyon League retro era.(1961-1985). Now we go way, way back in time, to the beginning of the 20th century, to unearth the Canyon League's 'way-way retro era'. Beginning this December, I'm going to kick off the Canyon League's 1911 season, the earliest 'Super-Advanced' baseball season Strat-O-Matic has ever produced. Yes, you heard me correctly- the 1911 season. For those who know nothing about the magical 1911 season, a couple of suggestions; go to the 02-27-04 entry of the Stratosphere on the official S-O-M website. It has an extensive and interesting overview of the season. Also, look up the season on the baseball-reference.com website. Twenty-five future Hall-of-Famer's participated in the 1911 season, including Cy Young himself, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Hall-of-Fame worthy "Shoeless Joe" Jackson... This season is so old even Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, Chicago were yet to be built! Managing in this era will be entirely different from the way we run our current Canyon League teams! Most AL and NL teams averaged between 25 to 40 homeruns for the season, but stole an average of 200 bases. The fielding was entirely different from today as well; The average MLB team committed almost 300 errors for 1911. You heard me right- 300... Look up the numbers. They'll fascinate and perplex you.The season will be played between December 2 and mid-March, 2008. The league will consist of eight original Canyon League teams:St. Louis Steamers (today's Atlanta Rebels)Boston Stranglers (today's Detroit Scouts)New York Warriors (not the Knights)Philadelphia BluecoatsChicago BreezePittsburgh SteelmillsDetroit ExplorersWashington Americans(No teams West of the Mississippi- no Seraphs or Cannons or Gulls)The schedule will be 56 games long. One league, no divisions. Each team plays the others 8 times. Top two teams compete in the World Series. Draft will be a combination of human picks (assuming anyone wants to participate) and Draft-O-Matic. Rosters will be between 25 & 28 players.If you can commit to playing a four-game series every two weeks (same as we do now) over this winter and then again next winter to complete the season, and would like a unique challenge unlike anything you've ever managed in Strat-O before, then drop me an e-mail and I'll give you more details.--Emmert

Fall Canyon League Meeting/Belated All-Star Game

2007-08-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

In order to get the league back to a happy place, Joe English has suggested a fall meeting to address issues and/or stage a cage fighting tournament (my money's on Erin - chicks use their nails!). Currently, it looks like an upcoming Sunday in September or early October is the best time for everybody. My vote for location is Anaheim, either at the National Sports Grill near the Big A or in one of the Stadium Lofts apartments across from the stadium (we can pretend to be potential homeowners - they're so desperate for buyers right now that they'll do anything).

If you'd like to have an issue or idea addressed, leave a comment (if you don't have a Blogger/Google account, just say who you are at the top of the 'anonymous' message). I'll post a tentative meeting agenda on the website in the week leading up to the meeting.

Since it hasn't been played, we can also play the All-Star game and kill two birds with one stone. I vote for Mark Prior as the starter for my team.

First Post - What Do I Win?

2007-06-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

This is the new "Official Canyon League Blog", which will hopefully turn into something interesting and not end up as just another dead page on the internets.