Lone Star Longing

If you would like a preview on your team, give me some ideas and point me in the right direction via trade chat or sitemail.

I remember when I started this franchise. I had a goal of hitting the wild card in my first year and running a successful club. My thought was that .500 should be a baseline for my team.

What the hell was I thinking? Seven seasons in and I've been .500 once. After my debut at 81-81, I've taken a steady dip, bottoming out at 52-110 in season five.

Part of it was rookie silliness. I thought that I could buy a pennant. I didn't have a focus. I figured that I could buy a playoff run early, reap success and rebuild the minors later. Yeah, what I didn't realize is the importance of scouting. Holy crap. I look back at world class stinkers I traded for and signed -- Kiki DaSilva, Alan McBride, Pinky Neal, Justin Goldberg, Andres James, Vladimir Hernandez, Vicente Nieves, Benny Baez, Al Posada...the list could go all night.

It takes some people longer than others to get their respective stuff together. I think we are on pace in Texas.

Last season saw the Texans post their highest win total since season two. Texas has a good core returning, with Rigo Cordero, Karim Castro and Ron Bessire making up the core of the offense. The season-ending injury of last year's centerfielder saw a trade for speedster Gene Koehlert and Phillip Miller made a convincing debut. Pitching will be a focus of the off-season, with only two starters returning -- Esteban Hernandez and Tom Miller.

The expectations for season eight are not Texas-sized, but they're big enough.

North Side Optimism

This is the first in a series of previews I'll do this off-season. I'll do them by request with some help. Sitemail me.

The world hasn't even filled and the optimism is overflowing from the North Side of Chicago.

"We feel really good about the upcoming season," Chicago Cubbies, of course owner bkevin wrote in an e-mail. "This is going to be a big year for us.

Not to say that the optimism is not warranted. The Cubbies get back MVP/Rookie of the Year Horacio Pujols and All-Star third baseman Louis Fleming. The rotation has a nice 1-2 punch in Louis Paul and Lou Maduro.

The Dominican sensation Pujols posted terrific numbers in his first full year, batting .294 with 64 home runs and 162 RBI. He walked 97 times and posted a 1.046 OPS. The 23-year-old also proved to be surehanded with the glove, committing only two errors in 1,446 chances. Fleming hit .306 with 41 home runs, providing nice protection to the rookie. Maduro was a 17-game winner a year ago, while Paul had 14 wins when you count his work in Seattle.

"There are high hopes at Wrigley this year," bkevin wrote.

Aren't there always, though?

Makin' It Rain: A Free Agency Preview

If you are confused on the definition of making it rain, I highly encourage you to read this article from Deadspin. Hell, even if you do know what it means, go read it. It's pretty funny.

For those of us not in the playoffs, the past couple of weeks have been about strategy for season five. One piece of that puzzle is free agency and the crop this year will demand some big money. You might even say that some owners will make it rain.

Let's take a look at the free agent class of Season Five.

Donovan Milligan is the big name. He hit .290 with 49 homers and 148 RBI for Cleveland. The 30 year old shortstop is going to be Oprah Rich this year as he looks to increase his income from $10.5m.

Augusta's Jamie Rollins has dropped 15 overall ratings points on my board since he signed for $17m in season one. Offensively, he's still pretty offensive, but not nearly as dominant. His home runs have dropped off by more than 50 percent and his OPS is off by more than 300 points. He won't get the same money as before, but he has potential to be a strong, overpaid DH.

Ramon Martin is one of three 100+ RBI guys on the market. He jacked 44 home runs with a .289 BA last season in Santa Fe. At 34, he might not have the defensive skills you'd look for from a third baseman, but he would make a more than adequate corner outfielder, first baseman or DH. Of course, prepare to pay up, as he'll be looking to build on his $2.7m salary.

Philip Jacobs presents a challenge to Cleveland management. Milligan is sure to hit the market looking for that Oprah Money. Do they resign Jacobs? He's a 32-year-old third baseman who hit .307-28-101 last season. He'll certainly make more than his current $9.0m salary. The question is whether he'll settle for a hometown discount.

Dorian Piper could be the sleeper in all of this. The Monterrey first baseman hit .340 with a .925 OPS in 347 at-bats last season. He's 29 years old, has gold glove potential, but lacks that typical power one expects from a corner infielder. He made $6.8m last year.

Willie Rodriguez heads the class. He comes off a spectacular year -- 16-8, 2.88 ERA and 182 strikeouts. The question remains as to whether Philadelphia will let him go or lock him up long term. He's 32 years old and makes $13.5m.

Louie Dali will demand big money coming off a season where he won 17 games and ate 218 innings. The 30-year-old got $6m from Philadelphia last year.

Raymond North is also going to ask for some big money. Monterrey's 29-year-old starter was 11-8 with a 4.01 ERA. Get him some run support and he might be real deal.

35-year-old Sammy Barnes is looking at his last deal. The Cleveland hurler was 15-6 with a 3.30 in his contract year. He was still fairly dominant, holding opposing hitters to a .228 OAV and 1.25 WHIP. He's got a couple of quality years left, but might have to take a discount from his $8.3m salary.

Ruben Otanez hits the market after a strong year in Washington. The former Detroit hurler was 9-2 with a 2.72 ERA. At 33 years old, he'll look for a three- to four-year deal with similar money ($7.8m) to closeout a stellar career.

McKay Hernandez will hope you remember his reputation as a member of KC's dynasty. He went 2-2 with a 5.75 ERA in a year which he spent time at AAA. He'll be a gamble at age 33 and an asking price north of $4.5m per year.

Willie Haynes is 34 years old and is coming off one of his best major league seasons with Cleveland. The southpaw was 12-4 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Haynes will look double or triple his money, coming off a contract that paid him $630K per.

Roscoe Street looks to build on a decent season in Santa Fe. Street was 7-7 with a 3.62 ERA. He's 27 years old and coming off a $2.7m contract. Someone is going to make some money.

World Series Preview: Positional Analysis

Don't let me fool you. I did this tonight not out of a sense of duty but as an effort to distract myself from Syracuse University nearly blowing their basketball game against the University of South Florida. And don't get me started on the Sugar Bowl...damn Saban.

Anyhow, the Onion Ball staff put their thinking caps on and came up with a position by position breakdown of the both World Series teams:

CATCHER
Portland's Guy Olson was one of three Portland players to hit .300+ with more than 35 homers. Rookie Grant Gilbert is an up and comer with offensive potential and excellent pitch calling numbers. Boston's Luke Cox hit .305 in the regular season but has lower defensive numbers than his counterparts. EDGE: Portland

FIRST BASE
Portland's Al Mendoza is an an all-world, Hall of Fame player to crushed opponent pitching in his first National League season. Guillermo Rivera hit 22 homers in 83 games for Boston, mustering a .944 OPS. EDGE: Portland. Rivera is competent. Mendoza is the gold standard.

SECOND BASE
In an interesting management maneuver, the Beavers debuted rookie Wendell Clement in the playoffs. And, since rebedwell has made every right decision this season, it turned out well. with Clement hitting .385-3-5 in 26 playoff at-bats. Boston's Howard Lee made the most of his rookie season, hitting .281-34-100 with a .910 OPS. He was equally as impressive in the field, committing just two errors. EDGE: Boston. Age and experience beats youth and ambition.

THIRD BASE
Portland's hottest hand is Philip Thompson, who has 22 hits, nine homers and 16 RBI in 51 playoff at-bats. Translation: 1.442 OPS. Nice! Equally as hot is Greg Lankford. The Sox's leading hitter on the year, Lankford batted .339 with a .968 OPS during the regular season. The trend continued in the post-season -- .392-4-13 with a 1.269. EDGE: Push.

SHORTSTOP
Neither team places offensive emphasis on their shortstops. Boston goes with Bud Rollison and a .294 batting average in 398 at-bats. Portland's Carl McMurray hit .236 in 318 at-bats. EDGE: Push. Rollison's offense is offset by his 22 errors. McMurray's offense is washed out by his two errors.

OUTFIELD
Boston's Hector Pettite hit .329 and reached base at a .399 clip. His outfield mates Tony Trevino and Howie Durham were .250 hitters with less than spectacular extra-base hit numbers. Portland's Darren Thomas had an all-star season -- 302-40-86 with 23 steals. His colleagues in the outfield -- Ken Webster and Josias Veras -- each hit 20+ homers. Webster struck out 140 times. EDGE: Portland, by a hair, because chicks dig the long ball.

DESIGNATED HITTER
EDGE: Boston, as you would expect. It's easier to have a good DH when you plan for it in your everyday lineup. When in use, Jamie Yamamoto will do it for Boston. My guess is that catchers Olson and Gilbert plus Al Mendoza will fill the role here.

STARTING THREE
Boston: Willie Trajano-Groucho Hunter-Raymond Stone
Portland: Octavio Martin-Julian Santana-Preston Mays.

I have a sneaking suspicion that rebedwell is going to drop Larry Dickens (0-0, 4.50 in postseason) for Preston Mays (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 19 Ks in postseason). EDGE: Call me crazy. If he does that, Portland has the best staff. If he keeps Dickens, call it a push.

BULLPEN
Portland's Felipe Balboa has converted all six of his post-season save opportunities, but has a 4.63 ERA in the process. Danny Duran leads the Boston 'pen with a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. EDGE: Push. Both relief staffs are sharp.

THE BLOG SAYS: It all hinges on the games in Boston. Portland has a pitcher's park and the higher-seeded Beavers will host the majority of contests this season. The Beaver Cleavers lost one game at home in the playoffs and during the LCS, Philadelphia could only muster six runs in three games at PGE Park. Boston scored over 100 more runs than the Beavers this season. And, they scored significantly more runs at Fenway than on the road this year. Both team were built very well and suited perfectly to their respective leagues. It will be a seven-game series and it will be Portland's to lose. EDGE: Portland in seven.

World Series Preview

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I had Philly playing Cleveland. What the hell do I know?

The Beavers and the Minutemen battle for the fourth Wailing Onion World Series Title. For the first time in the history of the world, neither Kansas City nor Cincinnati will be represented. Instead we have:

vs.


Meet the contenders

Boston Minutemen
RF Hector Pettitte
SS Bud Rolison
3B Greg Lankford
DH Jamie Yamamoto
C Luke Cox
2B Howard Lee
1B Guillermo Rivera
LF Tony Trevino
CF Howie Durham
*Expect Trevino to sit and Yamamoto to play LF or RF during games in Portland

Portland Beavers
CF Darren Thomas
1B Al Mendoza
3B Philip Thompson
C Grant Gilbert
LF Josias Veras
2B Wendell Clement
RF Ken Webster
SS Carl McMurray
*Guy Olson, Grant Gilbert and Al Mendoza will likely split time at DH when games are played in Boston

BALLPARK NOTES
Fenway Park 2, 4, 0, 1, 0
PGE Park -4, -3, -3, -4, -4
(1B, 2B, 3B, HR LF, HR RF)

NL Preview THUNDER

My department chair said that you can make any mundane activity exciting by adding the word thunder to the beginning or end. I hate to give him credit for it, but he's right. Now, the AL preview.

HMM: Washington reeled in Mitch Meyers for three years and $34.6m during the off-season, making one of the biggest bargains of the draft a luxury item (Meyers went off demanding in the range of $5m per). As someone who has spent big money on a non-superstar arm in the past, I scratched my head over this one. With this much money on the table, one has to hope that Meyers earns his payday. But, I also think back to J.J. Lambert in S.2. Statistically speaking, Meyers is 26-25 for his career with a 4.55 ERA, 292 Ks, 1.38 WHIP and 398 IP. Is this piece enough to push them over the hump and into first place?

ON THE RIVERFRONT: Lon Costello, Brad Bird, Al Posada and Felipe Balboa are back to front the ever dangerous Cincinnati rotation. One big change for S.3 was the jettisoning of Doug Linton to the junior circuit and the acquision of 80+ rated Ken Giovanola from Portland. Paired with the lineup that constantly scores enough runs to win, it's hard not to expect repeat performance in S.3.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: C-Springs' Rico Johnson was a good pitcher in S.1. In S.2, he evolved into a great one. He added seven wins, subtracted six losses and peeled a quarter of a run off his ERA. He and Pat Stein make a formidable duo upfront. At 32 years old, can Rico carry the Cricket Club to another 94-win campaign?

PREDICTABLE PREDICTIONS:

DIVISION CHAMPS: Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Colorado Springs
WILD CARD: Washington and Santa Fe
LCS CHAMPS: Cincinnati

AL Preview THUNDER

My department chair said that you can make any mundane activity exciting by adding the word thunder to the beginning or end. I hate to give him credit for it, but he's right. Now, the AL preview.

SHIFT OF POWER: braddavis, Midre Navarre and Benny Pujols have left the friendly confines of Kaufmann Stadium and Kansas City. ronzabill is in and with him a new focus on the future. Ugueth Neruda and McKay Hernandez are the 1-2 combo in the rotation and the offensive machine still churns with Henry Cust, Pat Saunders, et al. But, could this mean the end of KC's reign over the Wailing Onion? They are still the Vegas favorite at 5-1, but Cinci is very close at 7-2.

ALGONQUIN FOR 'THE GOOD LAND': (Only makes sense if you've seen the movie Wayne's World) Milwaukee went from AL North darling to third place in S.2. The loss of Len Heisermann certainly hurt, but something else was missing. tsteve might have fixed that problem with three important big trades. First, he picked up Doug Linton and his 80+ rating towards the end of last season, giving him an important innings eater. An off-season trade with Memphis added front-line starter Santos Bautista and lefty Vic Molina for a trio of prospects. Finally, he added low-cost closer Dante Kroon (33/38 in saves). Look for Andy Porter to be the offensive story of S. 3 in the Onion. Benny Pujols' Detroit landing notwithstanding, Milwaukee looks like it's poised to make a run.

THE BRAWL: Look for another beat-'em-up season in the East. Boston comes off an 83-win season, but the 20-game margin from top to bottom was one of the tightest divisions in the Onion. And, with each team spending money to get better, this division winner will likely be like last year's -- only a shade over .500.

IN THE DIRTY SOUTH: Richmond's wood shop bridge collapse, combined with timely Nashville wins, put the Saints in an unreachable division-leading position. Look for Nashville to rein over the South again as Memphis begins a slow rebuild and Monterrey regains its bearings.

PREDICTIVE PREDICTIONS:

Division winners: Milwaukee, Boston, Nashville and KC.
Wild Card: Seattle, Cleveland
LCS Champ: I'm at a toss-up between Milwaukee and KC. Check back with me later.

Today In The National

Your National League previews, in order of my semi-deluded predicted order of finish.

NL North
Cincinnati
What we know: Easily the NL's best pitching staff is tuned up and ready for 2008. And, the offense seems recharged.

What we don't know: If they have gelled enough to make the next step in the playoffs.
 
Burlington
What we know: jjirish took $10 million off its payroll, which immediately signals "rebuild."

What we don't know: The regulars look strong in camp. Will that translate into regular season success.

Columbus
What we know: Pretty much the same team as last year, although they are clearing out some salary right now, presumably to build for season three.

What else we know: Give them two season because, right now, Cinci owns this division.

Chicago
What we know: Even in pretend baseball, Chicago gets slapped around. They seem to have a lot of good parts, but it just didn't click last year.

What we don't know: Health. Jack Pulsipher has already gone down this spring and has found himself on the trading block. And all of the pitchers carry # signs, which either means that the GM can't decide between the lesser of evils OR it's going to be a long year with young pitching.


NL East
Phila
What we know: Last year, they had a great rotation and won the games on their backs. The pitchers are back.

What else we know: They add a couple of new bullets to the chamber in Jerome Clontz and Lefty Hodges.

Washington
What we know: They've hit 34 home runs in spring training. Their pitchers have given up 26.

Buffalo
What we know: They peeled $16m off their player budget and enter the season with a $20m prospect line. See also, "Future, Building for the".

What we don't know: How competitive they will be and whether the farm replaces the fire power lost during free agency.

Charlotte
What we know: They cut nearly $20m off their payroll and put it into operations.

What we don't know: If the spring training lineup is any indication of this season's offensive abilities. If it is, they could sustain. If not. Eek.

NL South
Atlanta
What we know: Atlanta was the hottest team in the NL at the end and they made it to the World Series.

What else we know: They increased payroll by nearly $20m.

One other thing we know: The pitching is Cincinnati/Kansas City good.

Santa Fe
What we know: This team has a lot of offensive weapons.

What we don't know: The pitching staff is plodding along at a 5.73 clip. Are they more than Dunwoody-Fultz?

Austin
What we know: The backend of the rotation seems to have issues right now.

What else we know: These guys collapsed at the end of the season and snuck into the playoffs.

What we don't know: Whether the offensive slumber during spring training breaks.

San Juan
What we know: They have a nice little nucleus of power with Timo Phillips, Olmedo Tarasco, Devon Gentry and Efrain Cheng.

What else we know: The pitchers have a team ERA of 16.14 in spring training. Ouch babe.

NL West
Colorado Springs
What we know: This lineup lacked a prolific hitter in season one. They have candidates to take that marquee role.

What we don't know: Who's going to step up? Somebody? Anybody?

Los Angeles
What we know: This team won't finish any lower than second place.

What we don't know: The tools are there to jump ahead, but can the hitters make it happen?

Portland/San Francisco

What we know: These two teams are basically the same. They are biding time, racing for 120 losses this season, only to emerge as 110-game winners in seasons 4 and 5.

What we don't know: How many international prospects they will scoop up? Over/under is (combined) 8.5.

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Hey, Ice Fishing Season is Over!

shynent sends in this dispatch from the Great White North.

Management in Minnesota knew they would have to open the checkbook to compete in the high-spending AL North. So they did just that, approving a $102 million payroll, and gave new GM shynent a simple mandate: sign Len Heiserman.

He couldn’t get it done, so now he has to hope his Plan B - free agent signings Steve Austin and Glendon Mercedes and young trade acquisitions Bunny Stoops and Don Harris - are enough to help fans forget about last season’s 94-loss nightmare.

Even if it’s not, shynent is hoping the name change to the North Stars will at least help move some merchandise.

“It’s a name with a lot of history up here,” he said. “Granted, that history was in another sport, but maybe we can fool some hockey fans into coming out and buying a few jerseys.”

If they do, they should be treated to a team that will score some runs. The rookie GM thinks his team should “hit a little bit” thanks to Austin, re-signed veteran 1B Don Foster and a fairly balanced lineup.

What he doesn't know is if the North Stars will be able to keep the opposition from scoring. Mercedes should provide solid starts, but the rest of the rotation is a crap shoot, and closer Del Holtz may get bored from a lack of save opportunities. Harris could use another year of seasoning in the minors, but Minnesota may not have that luxury.

“If he’s one of our top four guys, we’ll pretty much be forced to think about keeping him with the big club,” shynent said.

The offseason trade with San Francisco that brought Harris and Stoops into the fold raised a few eyebrows, as it came at the cost of top position prospect Harpo Dunn. But even in the cold of Minnesota, shynent knows that if he doesn’t find a way to guide the team to respectability soon, he’ll be feeling the heat.

“Look, we all know that Dunn is going to be a star, but it might be three seasons before he makes his first All-Star team,” he said. “If we keep losing 90-plus games a year, I’ll be run out of town on a rail before then.”

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It's Pronounced "Chee-Chah-Koes"

mully submitted this preview of the New York franchise.

The New York franchise is in year 2 of their 3 year plan.

"If only that damn owner would give me some ML arms we could win some games," said Coach MO Mercedes [not to be confused with his cousin Les Volkswegen] with one hand clinching a bottle of Blanton's Kentucky Bourbon, and the other feverishly working the remote, viewing last year's game tapes.

When this question was posed to GM Madmuldoon, his reply was "First, the owner Hank Steenburguon tells me who to bring up and pitch now I have this German Boozehound (No relation to Sante Fe). Telling me my Bizzness."

Madmuldoon states that next year or the year after, he plans to bring up AA Pitchers Will Rhodes, Wiki Andjujar, Kyle Crawford, and Closer Kurt Hill to the major and fill-in holes with blue chip FA'S.

When contacted later at his suite at the Marriott Marquis, Coach Mercedes replied to Mr Muldoon's statement: "There are gonna be alot of souvenier baseballs this year so you fans out there buy your tickets now." He then raised his glass of whiskey and proclaimed, "I'd rather have a Bottle in Front of me than a Frontal Labotomy."

This reporter sees a light at the end of the tunnel for this historic franchise, but whether they make it to the World Series depends on the health of the farm system.

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I Do LOVE Me Some Maple Syrup

Did you know that Vermont produces 450,000 gallons of maple syrup each year? Think about the shit you learn while reading this blog.

In addition to creating one-third of America's maple syrup output, Vermont also produced one of last season's largest collapses. Last season, the Burlington Pitch Factory was in the hunt for the NL North title before a historic flop over the last 20 games of the season.

GM jjirish70 is stuck between rebuilding and winning now. " We are in a rebuilding mode but the owner still wants to win games. Therefore we find ourselves maybe bringing talent up a lil earlier than we should and making some trades in season one that now have me raising my eyebrows."

The farm is stocked, with irish pointing to a stacked AAA squad. But, he feels that the pitching staff will be the foundation of the franchise for season two. "Our pitching will be our strong suit and that we have healthy players with speed.

"Now if the GM can ever decide if he wants to win now or rebuild and not go back and forth we might be okay."

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Life Imitates Art...Or the Other Way Around

Drawing parallels between pretend baseball and real baseball is often difficult. But, in the case of the Steel City, it's not that tough.

The Pittsburgh Pirates? Suck.

The Pittsburgh Diamond Kings? Not much better.

Even the owner said so when discussing his starting pitching options. "My starting pitching sucks and right now, I only have three legit starters," bentschnride said

The difference is that the pretend offense looks like it might be more successful than the real one. "My team has a lot a power. I wouldn't be suprised if all nine of my starters hit at least 35 home runs."

bent was optimistic though.

"All in all, its gonna be another long year in Pittsburgh."

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