Okay, so I never got the draft preview up. I suck.
My job(s) have gotten out of control and this blog has fallen off my radar screen. So, I introduce a new set of hand to Onionball. Ralph Bedwell, known to the chat forum as rbedwell and the owner of Portland, will join the fray as a poster to the Onionball forum.
If you are interested in posting to the forum, sign up for a blogger.com account and e-mail me at jpquark at earthlink dot net.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
OnIoNDEX
Still looking for a proper title for the power rating. Anyhow, no surprises here. You'll see the top five is made up of four of the same clubs. Cincinnati's index is down more than .05. I could tell you why, but I already closed the Excel spreadsheet. Whoops.
Four teams have made double-digit climbs and four others have sunk like my 401k, posting double-digit losses.
1 Cincinnati Motorboaters 0.673445783 (/)
2 Atlanta Mad Dogs 0.642110092 (+9)
3 Washington D.C. Senators 0.626355932 (-1)
4 Boston Minutemen 0.626112676 (/)
5 Nashville Saints 0.625375 (/)
6 Philadelphia Flash 0.610526316 (/)
7 Buffalo Hot Wings 0.6096875 (/)
8 Arizona Amberwoods 0.594653333 (+16)
9 Kansas City Royals 0.564064516 (-5)
10 Seattle Steelheads 0.563287356 (-4)
11 Anaheim Asylum 0.5617 (+8)
12 Austin City Limit 0.547520833 (+11)
13 Colorado Springs Cricket Club 0.532054054 (-5)
14 Charlotte Webs 0.518391304 (+14)
15 Little Rock Voodoo Cats 0.5173 (-6)
16 Minnesota North Stars 0.5172 (+5)
17 Detroit Great Lake St 0.502272727 (/)
18 New York Chechakos 0.50225 (/)
19 Memphis In The Meantime 0.501385714 (+12)
20 Cleveland Wahoos 0.485826087 (-5)
21 San Juan Epsteins 0.47025 (-1)
22 Santa Fe Booze Hounds 0.46922449 (+5)
23 Pittsburgh Diamond Kings 0.438688525 (+2)
24 Burlington Pitch Factory 0.423226415 (-2)
25 Columbus Come from Behinders 0.418 (+4)
26 San Francisco Slingers 0.37689011 (-14)
27 Milwaukee Malt Liquors 0.376820513 (-17)
28 Chicago Cubbies, of course 0.376327869 (-15)
29 Portland Beavers 0.36045122 (-3)
30 Los Angeles Stars 0.345205882 (/)
31 Monterrey Surf Riders 0.32895 (+1)
32 Augusta Black Bears 0.312930818 (-16)
Four teams have made double-digit climbs and four others have sunk like my 401k, posting double-digit losses.
1 Cincinnati Motorboaters 0.673445783 (/)
2 Atlanta Mad Dogs 0.642110092 (+9)
3 Washington D.C. Senators 0.626355932 (-1)
4 Boston Minutemen 0.626112676 (/)
5 Nashville Saints 0.625375 (/)
6 Philadelphia Flash 0.610526316 (/)
7 Buffalo Hot Wings 0.6096875 (/)
8 Arizona Amberwoods 0.594653333 (+16)
9 Kansas City Royals 0.564064516 (-5)
10 Seattle Steelheads 0.563287356 (-4)
11 Anaheim Asylum 0.5617 (+8)
12 Austin City Limit 0.547520833 (+11)
13 Colorado Springs Cricket Club 0.532054054 (-5)
14 Charlotte Webs 0.518391304 (+14)
15 Little Rock Voodoo Cats 0.5173 (-6)
16 Minnesota North Stars 0.5172 (+5)
17 Detroit Great Lake St 0.502272727 (/)
18 New York Chechakos 0.50225 (/)
19 Memphis In The Meantime 0.501385714 (+12)
20 Cleveland Wahoos 0.485826087 (-5)
21 San Juan Epsteins 0.47025 (-1)
22 Santa Fe Booze Hounds 0.46922449 (+5)
23 Pittsburgh Diamond Kings 0.438688525 (+2)
24 Burlington Pitch Factory 0.423226415 (-2)
25 Columbus Come from Behinders 0.418 (+4)
26 San Francisco Slingers 0.37689011 (-14)
27 Milwaukee Malt Liquors 0.376820513 (-17)
28 Chicago Cubbies, of course 0.376327869 (-15)
29 Portland Beavers 0.36045122 (-3)
30 Los Angeles Stars 0.345205882 (/)
31 Monterrey Surf Riders 0.32895 (+1)
32 Augusta Black Bears 0.312930818 (-16)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
What's Happening Abroad?
The scouts have been out. Here's a wrap of what's been happening in international signings:
Player Signing Franchise Pos Bonus Contract Type
Damian Park New York Chechakos P $10.2M MILB w/STI
Polin Unamuno Little Rock Voodoo Cats P $110K MILB
Luis Gonzales Cleveland Wahoos P $125K MILB
Erubiel Blanco Charlotte Webs LF $14.3M MILB
Tony Machado Memphis In The Meantime 3B $2.0M MLB
Carlos Mendez Cleveland Wahoos P $250K MILB
Benito Valentin Anaheim Asylum P $3.0M MILB
Alex Duran Monterrey Surf Riders 1B $3.0M MILB
Victor Lopez Los Angeles Stars C $3.4M MLB
Geronimo Perez Pittsburgh Diamond Kings P $3.5M MILB
Ricardo Mercedes Memphis In The Meantime SS $3.6M MILB
Miguel Montero Little Rock Voodoo Cats RF $5.8M MLB
Gorkys Blanco Memphis In The Meantime RF $60K MILB
Louie Nunez San Francisco Slingers 1B $63K MILB
Don Bang Memphis In The Meantime P $800K MILB
Player Signing Franchise Pos Bonus Contract Type
Damian Park New York Chechakos P $10.2M MILB w/STI
Polin Unamuno Little Rock Voodoo Cats P $110K MILB
Luis Gonzales Cleveland Wahoos P $125K MILB
Erubiel Blanco Charlotte Webs LF $14.3M MILB
Tony Machado Memphis In The Meantime 3B $2.0M MLB
Carlos Mendez Cleveland Wahoos P $250K MILB
Benito Valentin Anaheim Asylum P $3.0M MILB
Alex Duran Monterrey Surf Riders 1B $3.0M MILB
Victor Lopez Los Angeles Stars C $3.4M MLB
Geronimo Perez Pittsburgh Diamond Kings P $3.5M MILB
Ricardo Mercedes Memphis In The Meantime SS $3.6M MILB
Miguel Montero Little Rock Voodoo Cats RF $5.8M MLB
Gorkys Blanco Memphis In The Meantime RF $60K MILB
Louie Nunez San Francisco Slingers 1B $63K MILB
Don Bang Memphis In The Meantime P $800K MILB
Welcome to the Deadball Era
Pictured at right is Gavvy Gravath, the biggest slugger of the the Deadball Era.Remember when we first started this little league. A guy named Nerio Turner was hitting home runs at a pace that should have netted him 120+ for the season. Milwaukee had multiple 50 and 60 home run hitters. Teams with 1,000+ runs were a dime a dozen. Hell, even Memphis was putting runs up on the board.
Welcome to season three, where the bats have been as lively as old Gavvy himself.
Here's what I mean:
Pat Saunders: BA -115 BA, OPS -289.
Tanner Howard: -120 BA, -370 OPS, HR:AB ratio from 1:8.8 ABs to 1:14 ABs.
Edwin Underwood: -89 BA, -326 OPS.
Timo Phillips: -78 BA, -325 OPS.
In the meantime (that sounds like a GREAT team nickname), the top 12 pitching leaders by ERA post averages of 2.00 or less. Of those 12, only four have WHIPs that are above 1.00. This includes Ugueth Neruda in KC, Augusta's Maximo Lemon and Charlotte's Kyle Merritt. Suddenly, two-time Cy Young winner Lon Costello (6-0, 2.31 ERA) is just a good pitcher.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Onion Wars
With 22 of 162 games booked, it's high time to post our first power ranking of the season.
Again, the formula is pretty simple and rewards scoring and good pitching [Winning percentage + (team OPS-opposition team OPS) divided by runs scored margin.]
POWER RANKING #1
1 Cincinnati Motorboaters 0.729441
2 Washington D.C. Senators 0.721900
3 Kansas City Royals 0.690833
4 Boston Minutemen 0.638700
5 Nashville Saints 0.635286
6 Philadelphia Flash 0.630550
7 Buffalo Hot Wings 0.598857
8 Colorado Springs Cricket Club 0.552200
9 Little Rock Voodoo Cats 0.547444
10 Milwaukee Malt Liquors 0.547053
11 Atlanta Mad Dogs 0.546978
12 San Francisco Slingers 0.546231
13 Chicago Cubbies, of course 0.544083
14 Seattle Steelheads 0.543941
15 Cleveland Wahoos 0.506824
16 Augusta Black Bears 0.501600
17 Detroit Great Lake St 0.501455
18 New York Chechakos 0.499625
19 Anaheim Asylum 0.496276
20 San Juan Epsteins 0.458313
21 Minnesota North Stars 0.457563
22 Burlington Pitch Factory 0.455250
23 Austin City Limit 0.454750
24 Arizona Amberwoods 0.453297
25 Pittsburgh Diamond Kings 0.409553
26 Portland Beavers 0.367000
27 Santa Fe Booze Hounds 0.353100
28 Charlotte Webs 0.361444
29 Columbus Come from Behinders 0.347000
30 Los Angeles Stars 0.329500
31 Memphis In The Meantime 0.316667
32 Monterrey Surf Riders 0.229083
Again, the formula is pretty simple and rewards scoring and good pitching [Winning percentage + (team OPS-opposition team OPS) divided by runs scored margin.]
POWER RANKING #1
1 Cincinnati Motorboaters 0.729441
2 Washington D.C. Senators 0.721900
3 Kansas City Royals 0.690833
4 Boston Minutemen 0.638700
5 Nashville Saints 0.635286
6 Philadelphia Flash 0.630550
7 Buffalo Hot Wings 0.598857
8 Colorado Springs Cricket Club 0.552200
9 Little Rock Voodoo Cats 0.547444
10 Milwaukee Malt Liquors 0.547053
11 Atlanta Mad Dogs 0.546978
12 San Francisco Slingers 0.546231
13 Chicago Cubbies, of course 0.544083
14 Seattle Steelheads 0.543941
15 Cleveland Wahoos 0.506824
16 Augusta Black Bears 0.501600
17 Detroit Great Lake St 0.501455
18 New York Chechakos 0.499625
19 Anaheim Asylum 0.496276
20 San Juan Epsteins 0.458313
21 Minnesota North Stars 0.457563
22 Burlington Pitch Factory 0.455250
23 Austin City Limit 0.454750
24 Arizona Amberwoods 0.453297
25 Pittsburgh Diamond Kings 0.409553
26 Portland Beavers 0.367000
27 Santa Fe Booze Hounds 0.353100
28 Charlotte Webs 0.361444
29 Columbus Come from Behinders 0.347000
30 Los Angeles Stars 0.329500
31 Memphis In The Meantime 0.316667
32 Monterrey Surf Riders 0.229083
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Season Preview: Santa Fe Booze Hounds
From the desert, paulbliss offers a preview of his team with a nickname after my own heart (or liver):
The season 3 version is eerily similar to the season 2 team. The team is coming off what the team considered a successful season. After narrowly missing the playoffs in season 1, the team secured a wild-card berth and defeated the Philadelphia Flash in a dramatic 5 game series. The team then suffered a 4 game loss to the bulldozer of a team that is the Cincinnati Motorboaters.
As always, pitching wins in the postseason and after posting an NL-leading 1029 runs in the season 2, the offense was stopped by the Motorboaters pitching staff. Owner Paulbiss6 set out in the offseason to improve a porous rotation that has a 4.74 ERA, which was worst among NL playoff teams. After striking out in the bidding war for Benny Pujols, cheaper options were sought. The new faces include 9-year vet Randy Flanagan, who came aboard in free agency, youngster Roscoe Street, who was acquired in a trade with Atlanta and reliever Del Holtz, a FA acquisition from Minnesota.
Owner Paulbiss6 feels the team has enough to push into the playoffs again, but it needs help from the pitching staff if it is to make any headway deep into the playoffs. The window of opportunity is closing fast and the future is now.
The season 3 version is eerily similar to the season 2 team. The team is coming off what the team considered a successful season. After narrowly missing the playoffs in season 1, the team secured a wild-card berth and defeated the Philadelphia Flash in a dramatic 5 game series. The team then suffered a 4 game loss to the bulldozer of a team that is the Cincinnati Motorboaters.
As always, pitching wins in the postseason and after posting an NL-leading 1029 runs in the season 2, the offense was stopped by the Motorboaters pitching staff. Owner Paulbiss6 set out in the offseason to improve a porous rotation that has a 4.74 ERA, which was worst among NL playoff teams. After striking out in the bidding war for Benny Pujols, cheaper options were sought. The new faces include 9-year vet Randy Flanagan, who came aboard in free agency, youngster Roscoe Street, who was acquired in a trade with Atlanta and reliever Del Holtz, a FA acquisition from Minnesota.
Owner Paulbiss6 feels the team has enough to push into the playoffs again, but it needs help from the pitching staff if it is to make any headway deep into the playoffs. The window of opportunity is closing fast and the future is now.
Season Preview: Portland Beavers
Friend of the blog rbedwell checks in from the woods of Oregon with this preview of his Portland Beavers (in the interests of full discloure, I'm footing the bill on three of the pitchers he mentions in the second sentence. Ralph...you are welcome):
The Beavers are a team of castoffs. Portland’s vaunted prospects are not yet ready for prime time, so the Rose City has become the home of the unwanted masses of players who still think they have what it takes to make it in The Show. Many of them are still highly paid – but not by Portland. The Beavers roster features names and salaries like Erubiel Rosado ($6.5 mil), Frank Patterson ($5.0), Charles McCurry ($5.4), Todd Lincoln ($4.0), Kurt Hitchcock ($3.4), Trey Daniels ($4.2), and Derek Mullaney ($4.1), all of whom are being paid by teams other than the Beavers. “We have the best team that other people’s money can buy,” quipped Portland G.M. Ralph Bedwell. “We got all those guys off the waiver wire after they were released. But they still have some tread left on the tires.” In addition, the Beavers are carrying ten current or former Rule 5 draftees. “Our payroll may be only $24 million,” said Bedwell, “But we’re no joke this season. We’ll be competitive and will go all out to win every game. Realistically, .500 will make for a very successful season here on the banks of the Columbia River. And I think we’ll make it.”
The Beavers are a team of castoffs. Portland’s vaunted prospects are not yet ready for prime time, so the Rose City has become the home of the unwanted masses of players who still think they have what it takes to make it in The Show. Many of them are still highly paid – but not by Portland. The Beavers roster features names and salaries like Erubiel Rosado ($6.5 mil), Frank Patterson ($5.0), Charles McCurry ($5.4), Todd Lincoln ($4.0), Kurt Hitchcock ($3.4), Trey Daniels ($4.2), and Derek Mullaney ($4.1), all of whom are being paid by teams other than the Beavers. “We have the best team that other people’s money can buy,” quipped Portland G.M. Ralph Bedwell. “We got all those guys off the waiver wire after they were released. But they still have some tread left on the tires.” In addition, the Beavers are carrying ten current or former Rule 5 draftees. “Our payroll may be only $24 million,” said Bedwell, “But we’re no joke this season. We’ll be competitive and will go all out to win every game. Realistically, .500 will make for a very successful season here on the banks of the Columbia River. And I think we’ll make it.”
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