The bad and the good

Let's start with the good news.

The Blues are proud to annonce a major international signing. Desi Rincon, 18 years old, has accept a minor league contract with a signing bonus of 6 millions. Rincon has the talent of an average SS, but he should ends at third base or corner outfielder. He is now playing at Low A level as the starting shortstop.

Another 18 years old international prospect, Desi Samuel, has joined the Blues in the High A level. This addition to the team was made to replace two injured pitchers, but Samuel may keep his job if he is doing well.

The bad news is that the Blues have lost their #1 starting pitcher, Alex Beltre. Beltre has been put on the 15 days disable list, and should be out of action for the next 25 days. It's a big lost for the team, but Christy Gold will take his spot in the rotation.

The Blues have also lost two other pitchers in the minors leagues. Craig Greenwood and Taylor Powell at the Low A level have been put on disable list. Greenwood is on the 7 days list and should be back in about 4 days, but Powell will be out for 138 days and has been sent on the 60 days list.

Opening Day at a Glance

by Max Winters

Spring Training has run its course, and now the RBIs and groundouts and foul tips all mean something. The action kicks off with a slate of eight games tomorrow afternoon, and we have got a preview of each one for you. Let's take a look at how the opening games might play out, including probable starters.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Augusta Lobstermen @ Montreal Expos
Dale Howe vs. Cristian Casey
- Augusta may be short on arms in their starting rotation, but they are very strong at the top with Dale Howe. Even so, the Expos will toss a $9-million man on the mound that should outduel the Lobstermen's finest. Cristian Casey can go deep into ballgames and has a better offense supporting him. And never underestimate home field on opening day.
Prediction: Montreal 5, Augusta 1
Actual: Montreal 4, Augusta 0

Kansas City Masterpiece @ Cincinnati Boomers
Darrell Bennett vs. Greg Ross
- Cincinnati has not selected an opening day starter yet, and Kansas City's is subject to change. But assuming these two toe the rubber head-to-head, it will be an interesting battle of "bend, don't break". Unless Bennett's nerves get to him, he should do just enough to deliver a win to the Masterpiece.
Prediction: Kansas City 6, Cincinnati 4
Actual: Kansas City 10, Cincinnati 2

Atlanta Crackers @ Charlotte Knights
John Burroughs vs. Hamish Harvey
- This NL South showdown figures to be a dandy. Two legitimate aces should keep this a low-scoring nailbiter. If it gets to the closers, Atlanta has the edge, but Charlotte should position itself out in front and hold on, barely.
Prediction: Charlotte 3, Atlanta 2
Actual: Charlotte 5, Atlanta 4

Arizona Flip-Floppers @ Oklahoma City Kingfishers
Hooks Perisho vs. Ron Moran
- It is hard to find a hole in Perisho's game, and it may be difficult for the Kingfishers to do so as well. On the other side, Ron Moran is a threat to throw a complete game shutout every time he takes the ball. In a pitcher's park, expect a defensive war. The Kingfishers have more bats, so they get the edge.
Prediction: Oklahoma City 2, Arizona 0
Actual: Arizona 5, Oklahoma City 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Chicago Gangsta' Chimps @ Cleveland Lake Mistakes
Tommy Martin vs. Edgar Leon
- Neither starter is a boneified ace, but Leon is a slight notch above Martin. Neither lineup jumps off the page at you either. The Jacobs Field faithful should leave happy, though, if only because they outlast the Chimps.
Prediction: Cleveland 7, Chicago 5
Actual: Chicago 6, Cleveland 0

Huntington Guyandottes @ Hartford Hartattacks
Coco Casey vs. Terry Bordick
- Probably the most intriguing matchup of opening day given that both teams are expected to be big players in the AL this season. Bordick is 10 years older than his counterpart, and his wily finesse style should pace his team to a win. But this one is really up for grabs.
Prediction: Hartford 4, Huntington 3
Actual: Hartford 2, Huntington 1

Nashville Sounds @ Texas Longhorns
John Suzuki vs. Danny Harville
- The Longhorns are going to rely on their offense to help them contend this year. But Danny Harville will intimidate no one, and this matchup could easily turn into the highest-scoring affair on day one. If the Sounds' offense shows up, they'll win this one going away.
Prediction: Nashville 9, Texas 5
Actual: Nashville 8, Texas 0

Colorado Damage @ Anaheim Angels
Ugueth Melendez vs. Brendan Norton
- This is another matchup where the starters have not been confirmed, but the pitchers listed here represent the best option for each franchise. Anaheim fields a superior team and Melendez has a tendency to implode due to control issues. Colorado would need a lot of help to win this one.
Prediction: Anaheim 6, Colorado 2
Actual: Colorado 3, Anaheim 0

Of course, the excitement of the regular season beginning is that the unpredictable game we all know and love will run its course, and frequently produces wild results. So buckle your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen, because the boys of summer have arrived.

Ready, Set, Go !!!

Since the spring training camp is over, the Blues are looking for their first season of their history. Many young players have shown their potential so far, but only few of them have made the big league.

The Blues's big league roster is now complete, and they are ready to start the season. Alex Beltre will start the first match for the Blues. The other pitchers of the rotation are Roosevelt Gant, Rico Parra, Pedro Crespo and Christy Gold.

Finally, the closer role has been given to Wes Aumont. He has two great pitchs and a high control.

The rest of the pitching staff is Terry Forster, Sammy Alvarado, Antone Redmond, Roosevelt Hines, Del Guzman and Julio Mercado.

The Blues have bigs hopes for all those players, and they think that they can be in the fight for the division title.

Bryan Guerrero will be the leadoff player in the impressive lineup of the Blues. Hades Mullin and Rafael Montanez will follow as #2 and #3. The cleanup spot will be hold by the all-star third baseman, Nigel Kelly.

The catcher Alex Forest will hit at the fifth rank, followed by Von Byrne and Brent Gross. Those three players can hit the ball and produce many points.

At the end of the lineup, we have Len Torrealba and Jerry Piazza. Torrealba has a decent bat, but his defensives qualities will be very useful for the Blues.

The Blues have a backup catcher in Roosevelt Hunter, two backup players that can play almost everywhere on the field in Cookie Meulens and Yoo-Nah Vanguri. The last backup player is right fielder Rico Tabaka. His high speed may be use as pitch runner to get an extra base when needed.

The Memphis fans will see a lot of action around the field. The Blues have speed and power on the players side, and control on the pitchers side. This is the most important ingredients for the success of a team.

See you on the field.

Young talents in training camp.

Before the training camp, the GM of the Nashville Sounds jeanpaul22 told me that there was some young talents in this team and since the camp has begun, I can only agree with him, this team has some young guys that will be in the Major Leagues soon.

Let's start with Mark Blackwell a fantastic young SS, at only 20 years old, he could play in the majors right now. He hits for contact, power and see no difference between lefties and righties. Of course a little time in the minors will help his development but he's not far from the bigs.

Adam Huff will be a rookie this year for the Sounds but make no mistake, this young guy will play a very important role with the team. At 24, Huff, a third baseman, will hit in the clean-up spot, he has everything he needs to be successful in that spot, power, contact, and he's not afraid of lefties or righties.

Hulk Bryne and Luis Mendoza, both 21, also play SS but with Blackwell in front of them they could end up anywhere in the field as they are very good defensively and offensively.
Note that Mendoza has more power then Bryne.

Another position that seem very strong in the farm system is catcher.

Albert Osuna, 23, will be a very good defensive catcher, while Hideo Matsui, 20, will probably play DH.
The one that combines offensive and defensive abilities is the 19 years old Tim Barnes. He is good at calling the game and has a very good arm. At the plate, he brings power and he is tough to get out especially against righties.
Another catcher to mention is the 20 years old Fergie Lowell.

One of the best prospect in camp is a pitcher, Tony Crespo, 22, an amazing young starter that should be here very soon, maybe this season. With a great control, a suberb fastball, he can pitch many innings each outing.

Other guy to watch: Ed Parnell(3B), Matt Rivera(RP) and Yank Phelps(SP).

Well that's it for today, next time, we will take a look at the Sounds debut.

Memphis Blues - Season I Preview

Since the spring training camp has started, the Memphis Blues are doing great. With a solid pitching rotation, involving Pedro Crespo, Roosevelt Gant, Rico Parra, Christy Gold and Alex Beltre, the Blues are looking for a great season.

There is no designed closer for now, so Julio Mercado and Wes Aumont may split closing opportunity.

There is still some free spots in the ML pitching staff for the upcoming season. Maybe we will see some young players having there chance.

There is only few pitching prospects in the minors, so the Blues hope to avoid major injuries in the ML.

For the positions players, the ML staff is almost complete. The offensive success of the Blues depends on Rafael Montanez(CF), Nigel Kelly(3B), Von Byrne(2B) and Alex Forest(C). The defensive of the Blues may be a problem, but we will see.

The leadoff hitter will probably be Bryan Guerrero(LF). If he reach the bases, he may be in the top for stolen bases.

The Blues were not very active on signing free agents. This first season will be use to evaluate some players, and some changes will be done if need.

Does the Blues have the perfect staff for WS? We will have to wait before anwsering this question.

We are waiting for the real season to start.

Pride of the Dodgers

Its that time of year again. We're all in first and the future is bright. Los Angeles is buzzing now that longtime fan and resident knucklebones will GM the team. A certain amount of pride is always at stake when running this team.

I can remember the 77 series or 78 when Jackson hit those 3 hrs against us. I actually cried. lol. The dreaded Yankees are the enemy of not only my beloved Dodgers, but my home team the Red Sox. Back in 81 they finally beat the Yanks. For some reason who was on that team is vague. Oh it was the 80's and I was 16. I had other stuff on my mind. haha. The 88 series I'll never forget. Hershiser was amazing. A bulldog he was. Now that was a team that won without a bat in the lineup. Gibson won the mvp with what 25 88 290. or something? Scioscia was the catcher. Ah .. wasn't Fernando on the team in 81? or was it 83? That guy screwed up my windup the rest of my life. He was definately my favorite player at the time. As a younger kid Garvey was my idol and role model. I was really traumatized later on when I found out what a tool he really was and the good guy thing was all an act.

You may wonder why a guy from Boston would be a Dodger fan all his life. I owe it all to the book boys of summer. My actual favorite team doesn't really exist anymore and I never saw them play. I could name a bunch of those 50s Dodger guys, but why bore anyone? Let me just say that when you got Camperneris, Robinson, Koufax, Roe, Labine, Cox, Snider, Furillo, Reese, et all. You should win a lot. They were ahead of their time with that bashing lineup and ebbetts field. What a great team. I've always had a liking for teams that could smash the ball. The entire 1930s season. The 34 Cardinals 46 Red Sox, Too many yankme teams to mention, The 50s whiz kids from Philly. The A's during the 70s. My favorite all time offensive team had to be the 82 Brewers though. I could probably name the whole lineup. Dont ask me who pitched. haha. Pete Vuckovich and Pat Travers? Anyways, since I was rambling in chat, I thought I'd throw something up. I dont get a good feel for the team until I've played a couple spring training games and get the kinks out. I will say that when I run my Dodgers its definately going to be my best effort. The losses will be painful and the wins just expected. Theres something magic about these guys and I believe we're going to have a remarkable season. Dodger Pride is a stake. I wish you all the best of luck with your teams and I will do my best to ensure you all dont return in two seasons with your miserable records. Let the games begin! Dodger Blue baby! :)

New Baseball Team Seeks Identity

by Max Winters

Oklahoma City -- The Oklahoma City area has been abuzz ever since the Seattle Supersonics relocated this offseason. And while the Ford Center prepares to launch its first full season as the home arena for an NBA franchise, another new OKC team is preparing to grind through a baseball season. It is ironic, then, that the unnamed NBA franchise has more of a name for itself among locals than the Oklahoma City Kingfishers, a member of the new Double Mendoza Baseball League.

The Kingfishers have had an active offseason in preparation for their inaugural year of competition. A pair of blockbuster trades have helped them fill the holes in their roster and should give the fans more than a few reasons to visit AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. Among the players recently acquired through trade or free agency include SP Tony Milliard, who helps solidify a starting rotation that was very short on talent. Also coming over in the same deal was young 3B Magglio De La Vega. The switch-hitter should feature prominently in the Kingfishers' offense for years to come.

Worth keeping an eye on throughout the year is whether or not the Kingfishers have enough bullpen arms for the long season. While they have some talent that will attempt to protect late leads, no one particular player stands out. The closer role may be a closer-by-committee, at least to start the season, and that is always a slippery slope to tread.

However, assuming they do not develop an inferiority complex due to the higher profile NBA franchise also preparing for its season, these Kingfishers should give the rest of the NL West a run for their money.

Nashville Sounds

Hi, I'm Rodger Brulotte, and it is my first paper about the Nashville Sounds.There is a lot of trade in both league since the beginning of season 1, but not for the Sounds. According the Sounds GM, jeanpaul22, it is because the team is almost ready for the season.Starting with the pitchers, with John Suzuki and Hal Wilkinson the rotation should be solid and with Sonny Bell to close, the bullpen should be OK.The defense should be very strong with CF Russell Kelly, Larry Hurst at short and Ted Lomasney behind the plate.The team should score many runs with futur all-star second baseman Danny Brunette and rookie third bagger Adam Huff in the middle of the line-up.Of course it is too soon to predict anything but it should be a very fun season for the fans.I'll be back for the training camp.

Welcome Double Mendozanites!!

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