Joe Shlabotnik Baseball League

World Series 2010

2010-11-15T09:51:00.001-08:00

Short Version: Marlins over the Squirrels/Burritos in 5.

Slightly Longer Version: the old man beat the kid for the first time in any meaningful Strat Series. Ever. And I'm not counting Game 163 last fall where I "won" to prove I was the worst team in the league.

Brief Commentary: Karl and I talked around this time last year about how cool it would be if the two teams who fought over the #1 pick could fight over the #8 pick in 2010.

Game by Game:

1. Cal @ Fla: Beckett v. Weaver -- Marlins score first. In the bottom of the 4th, Kennedy, hit by pitch, later scored on a one-out single by Zimmerman, and it stayed 1-0 until Kennedy opened the door in the 7th with an error. One out later, Gonzo hit it out (his card, straight up, boom). Marlins had hopes of pulling it out until Cal put up a 5-spot in the top of 9. This game had a most familiar feel to it. This is how most all my playoff games against Karl have gone. And Hans wasn't even rolling against me, either! Final: 7-1, Beckett gets the win over Weaver. Series: Cal 1 Fla 0.

2. Cal @ Fla: Floyd v. Cueto -- Game 2 started out much the same as Game 1. Scott homered to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead, only to see Cal tie it on 2 hbp, a walk, and a sac fly. Cal took the lead in the 4th on a 2-rbi double by Kendall. But this time, the Marlins fought back with three in the bottom of the 4th. With the sacks full and nobody out, Baker's ground out moved everyone up a bas, and Izturis' single brought home two more. marlins added another in the 5th on two errors and a sac fly, then held on for the win despite another homer by Gonzo. Final: 5-4, Cueto over Floyd, with a save to Frankie. Series: Cal 1 Fla 1.

3. Fla @ Cal: Anderson v. Wolf -- There would be 7 homers hit in this game, a 3-run shot (Zimmerman) and six solos (Shoppach, Hanley, and Pence; Alexi, Ibanez twice), all surrendered by the two starters. Marlins built up a 6-0 lead only to see Cal exercise some of their own power to make it close. Final: 7-4, Anderson over Wolf, with a save to Frankie. Series: Fla 2 Cal 1.

4. Fla @ Cal: Nolasco v. Ubaldo -- Cal again built an early 4-1 lead. In the first, Hanley doubled in Kennedy, and Church singled to score Hanley. Gonzo responded in the bottom of the inning by doubling in Span. Top of 2, Ellsbury homered to score he and Barajas. Still 4-1 into the 7th when Reynolds hit a solo shot. Frankie came on in the 9th for the save, and promptly gave up a homer to.... Gonzo. But gave up nothing else. Final: 4-3, Nolasco over Ubaldo, with a save to Frankie. Series: Fla 3 Cal 1.

5. Fla @ Cal: Weaver v. Beckett rematch -- It started badly when Jones botched a fly from Ellsbury, then two outs later Kubel hit it out. And in the 2nd, another error opened the dorr for two more runs and a 4-0 lead for Florida. Kendall knocked in 2 with a double to make it 4-2. Top of 3, Hanley and Zimmerman hit solo shots, replied in kind by.... Gonzo with one of his own to make it 6-3 Florida. By the middle of the 9th, Florida had pounded out 12 runs on 14 hits, including yet another homer, this time by Barajas. Cal chose not to go quietly. With two outs, Florida once again saw another big rally commence (shades of Hans rolling for Steve). Gonzo would double in Cal's 5th run before Reynolds flew out to end the game and the Series. Final: 12-5, Weaver over Beckett. Series: Fla 4 Cal 1.

Series MVP: Adrian Gonzalez

Congratulations to the Florida Marlins!

News (Dec. 15, 2009)

2009-12-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

Florida's aggressive Off-season
Only a couple of days after being a part of a major deal with Seattle, Florida sent their ace Josh Beckett, Randy Wolf, back up outfielder Jeremy Reed, 2 second round picks (#15 and 17) and a 3rd round pick (#26) to California in exchange for the second pick in the draft, second base prospect Luis Valbuena, pitching prospects Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Tucker, and first baseman/outfielder Luke Scott. In exchange for a couple of proven veterans, Florida continued its recent trend of acquiring young players with high upsides in an attempt to rebuild from a couple of dismal seasons into a team that can compete for a championship in a couple of years.

World Series Champions acquire more pitching
Having witnessed the team they beat in the World Series make moves to acquire Javier Vazquez only days before, the Oakland Athletics were not content to sit back, but made a similar move to bolster their starting pitching staff acquiring pitcher Jon Lester along with second baseman Luis Castillo, outfielder Chase Headley and reliever J.J. Putz from the California Squirrel Demons in exchange for Shortstop Alexei Ramirez, closer Mariano Rivera and the 8th pick in the draft. California, after having made significant improvements in its starting pitching with the acquisition of Beckett and Wolf from Florida, had the ability to move one of its young promising pitchers in exchange for some help at shortstop where Ramirez will replace Ryan Theriot, and at the back end of the bullpen, acquiring aging but lethal closer Mariano Rivera.

San Francisco acquires 3rd second baseman in 3 years
San Francisco made a move to acquire second baseman Brian Roberts and closer Jonathan Papelbon from San Diego in exchange for all-hit-no-defense slugging second baseman Dan Uggla and pitcher Jonathan Sanchez. The addition of Roberts at second and the takeover of Furcal at short from the slumping Yuni Betancourt marks the third double play combination in the past 3 years for the San Francisco club (Renteria-Hudson '08, Betancourt-Uggla '09, and Furcal-Roberts '10). The addition of Uggla provides a boost of power that was noticeably absent from the San Diego club which hit only 115 Homeruns last year, better only than lowly California.

News (Dec. 12, 2009)

2009-12-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

Seattle Aims for League Best Pitching Staff
After a disappointing loss in the World Series to the Oakland Athletics, Seattle pulled off a blockbuster trade in an attempt to reach that next plateau. By sending Hunter Pence along with Jared Weaver, Adam Kennedy, the injured Kelvim Escobar and their 2nd and 3rd round picks to the Florida Marlins, Seattle acquired Javier Vazquez and the number one overall pick in which they announced their plans to draft center fielder Andrew McCutchen to fill their center field void. While Vazquez is coming off a bad year where he posted a 6-18 record with a 4.76 ERA while giving up 36 HRs for the last place Marlins, Seattle hopes he can do better. Florida, meanwhile, aims to infuse new talent into a team that has struggled recently, finishing 7th or 8th each of the last 3 years.

2009 Joe Shlabotnik World Series

2009-10-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

2009 World Series

The 2009 Joe Shlabotnik Baseball League World Series featured the underdog Oakland Athletics (86-75) against the top ranked Seattle Mariners (90-71). Although the Mariners' strong bats led by Mark Texeira finished the season with the best record in the league by 3 games, the Mariners had just barely won the season series, taking 12 to the Athletics' 11 wins. Coming into the series, there were also questions about how the Mariners would fair under the management of a live manager, having spent all of the season under the artificial intelligence guidance of a garage computer.

The Series started out in Seattle's Safeco Field, with Game 1 featuring Oakland right-hander Derek Lowe (13-12, 3.04) against Seattle's blossoming youngster Felix Hernandez (11-9, 4.34) (famously acquired from Oakland in the off-season in a deal that sent Vlad Guerrero to the Athletics). Early inning jitters were visible for both pitchers as they labored through the early innings. Seattle got 2 runs in the bottom of the 2nd, one on a J.J. Hardy RBI double, and the other on a King Felix RBI single up the middle to drive in Hardy from 3rd with 2 out. That proved to be the game winner, as Hernandez settled down and worked effectively through 7 innings allowing only 1 run in the third. He struck out pinch-hitter Ramon Vazquez to end a threat in the 6th and when A's threatened with 2 on and none out in the 7th he got Kevin Youkilis to ground into a 6-4-3 double-play. The Mariner's bullpen pitched 2 effective innings of relief and Seattle went on to win by a score of 2-1.
Seattle 1, Oakland 0

Game 2 in Seattle had Oakland's youngster Chad Billinglsey (13-12, 2.75) going against the Mariners' Ace and Cy Young Contender Roy Oswalt (19-8, 3.18). A two-out solo home run by Russell Martin in the 2nd put the A's up 1-0, but the Mariners' would equalize it on a two-out RBI single by Orlando Hudson in the bottom of the 5th, but the A's would grab back the lead quickly in the top half, scoring two small-ball runs started by an error by Mariners' catcher Gerald Laird. In the 7th, after loading the bases with no-out, Oswalt looked like he was going to wiggle out of the jam after he struck out Chris Dickerson and Ramon Vazquez, but Adam Dunn chased Oswalt out of the game with a big two-run double off the right-centerfield wall, making the score 5 to 1. The Mariners would get a run back in the 8th with a Carlos Lee solo home run, but that would be it and the Athletics' took game two 5-2, splitting the series in Seattle.
Oakland 1, Seattle 1

After a travel day, Game 3 opened in Oakland with Ben Sheets (6-14, 4.62) going for Seattle and Johan Santana (14-16, 3.27) pitching for the boys in green and gold. Both pitchers were on the top of their games each allowing 4 hits through 7 innings. The Mariners had a huge chance to score in the top of the 5th, when Johnny Damon clubbed a double into the gap in right-center field, but Grady Sizemore got to the ball quickly and the relay throw gunned down Ben Sheet at the plate. In the 8th with two out, Chris Dickerson drew a walk, and stole second as Laird's throw nearly sailed into centerfield, and a pitch later, Russell Martin's double down the line brought him home for the only run of the game to win 1 to 0. The game marked Johan Santana's third consecutive scoreless outing a streak numbering at least 26 innings, as he attempts to win over fans frustrated with his past under-performance, marked with their clamoring for him to be traded for anything, including Logan Kensing.
Oakland 2, Seattle 1

Down in the series 2-1, Seattle sent Adam Wainwright (10-7, 3.65) who, before the game, their manager called their 'secret weapon" against Oakland's Scott Baker (13-5, 3.47) in Game 4. The secret weapon turned out to be a secret weapon for Oakland as Wainwright surrendered 5 home runs in the game, back to back shots by Adam Dunn and Kevin Youkilis in the 1st, and then back to back shots again to Youkilis and Grady Sizemore in the 5th. Vlad Guerrero added a 3 run homer in the 7th to chase Wainwright and Oakland rolled to a 10-2 victory putting them only 1 game away from a World Series Championship. Carlos Lee added his second home run of the series to make it six total home runs that were hit in the game.
Oakland 3, Seattle 1

Struggling to stay alive in Game 5, Seattle sent out Game 1 starter Felix Hernandez to try and keep the Athletics from celebrating on their home field and send the series back to Seattle where they would be able to make a come back, while Oakland countered with their game one starter Derek Lowe. In just the opposite of what had happened the previous night, after Oakland had gotten on the board with a 2 run triple by Kevin Youkilis in the first, Seattle exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 3rd inning, as the first 7 batters of the inning reached base against Derek Lowe, highlighted by a 2 run home run by Mark Texeira, his first hit of the series after opening the series 0-14. Carlos Lee added his third homer of the series the next inning, and the Mariners never looked back on their way to a 13-3 rout, spoiling the hopes of the Oakland crowd. Hernandez pitched a gem of a game, a complete game 6-hitter, to send the series back to Seattle.
Oakland 3, Seattle 2

Back in the friendly confines of Safeco Field for Game 6, the Mariners sent out their ace Roy Oswalt, hoping to send the series to a game seven, while the A's sent out Chad Billingsley hoping to clinch it all. Both pitchers pitched well through 6, and the score remained 0-0 until the 7th. After an Orlando Cabrera single put runners on the corner with one out, Chris Dickerson came into hit for Billingsley and drove the runner in with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Ramon Vazquez got his first hit of the series breaking an 0-12 slump and bringing up Adam Dunn with runners at the corners and two outs. Just like in game two, Dunn got a fastball from Oswalt, but this time he got all of it, driving it out of the park for a three-run homer, and driving Oswalt out of the game. That would be all that the A's needed as the bullpen duo of Grant Balfour and Mariano Rivera shut down the Mariners. Grady Sizemore added a homerun in the 8th for good measure and the A's ended the World Series with a 5-0 victory.
Oakland 4, Seattle 2

Other Series Notables
Adam Dunn was named Series MVP, hitting .409/.500/.809 with 2 Homeruns and 7 runs batted in, including key hits in Games 2, 4 and 6.

Week 25

2009-09-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Week 25 Standings
The Giants swept Oakland and took 2 out of 3 from California, but still find themselves in 2nd as Seattle's ball club goes 6-0 on the week to take sole possession of first place. Oakland, in first place for most of the season, slumped going 1-5 on the week to drop to third for the first time since the early weeks of the season. In the race for the last playoff spot, Minnesota extended it's lead to 6 games over Pittsburgh. This weeks matchups have a rematch of the Giants and A's, this time in Oakland in a battle for second place while Pittsburgh struggles to stay in the race against Seattle and Minnesota.
Full Standings

Week 24

2009-09-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Week 24 Standings
The Oakland A's widened their lead back up to 2 games on the Giants as the club from San Francisco plays host to the A's for 3 games in AT&T Park on the bay. The A's host the Giants the following week in Oakland as the teams battle for the top spot in the league while Seattle plays Oakland only one more time. Both Minnesota and Pittsburgh went 2-4 last week to keep the race for the final playoff spot within 3 games with 18 left to play.
Full Standings

Week 22

2009-09-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Week 22 Standings
In the last 13 weeks the race for the top 2 spots has only gotten tighter, but both Seattle and Oakland have a chance to open up a lead this week as they face teams in the lower end of the standings. Pittsburgh also has a chance to pull itself right back into the playoff picture with 3 games against San Francisco and Oakland. A strong showing could make a huge difference for Pittsburgh fans.
Full Standings

News (July 30, 2009)

2009-07-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

Struggling Padres Look to Next Year, Deal Wood
Seattle shored up its struggling bullpen with the acquisition of closer Kerry Wood moments before the trading deadline. In the deal they also received starter Jared Weaver from the Padres. In return the Padres get second baseman Howie Kendrick and reliever Bob Howry. While the loss of Wood, who leads the league in K/9, hurts the Padres, management felt that being 8 games out of the last playoff spot and 13 games under .500 was necessary to acquire talent for the future in Howry and Kendrick. Seattle, while giving up a good young second baseman fills a vital need in their bullpen.

Week 9

2009-05-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Week 9 Standings
In an odd week, Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland all go 3-2 to keep the top of the standings the same as they were a week ago. The big surprises of the last two weeks has, however, been the California club who has posted a strong 8-3 record to pull themselves back out of the basement, and Oakland who has gone 9-2 reverse a 3 game deficit into 2 game lead over Seattle and Pittsburgh.
It should be a do or die week for Seattle as they play both San Francisco and Oakland this week in tough match-ups.
Full Standings

League Leaders
The league released league leaders after 8 weeks, which are posted on the side bar.

Week 3 Preview

2009-04-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

League Standings
With Oakland and Seattle tied for first place with 8-4 records, the A's host the Padres in attempts to better their previously futile record against the San Diego squad. Last year the Athletics, then in Boston, performed miserably, winning only 1 series against the Padres, and being swept numerous times.

Seattle faces off against San Francisco and then comes home to face the Squirrel Demons at home in their first encounter with the new club. While the Mariners offense has been about league average so far in the young season, their pitching staff has been phenomenal, with a team ERA of 2.77. Newly-acquired Felix Hernandez leads the team with a minuscule 1.69 ERA, while Gavin Floyd has limited opponents to less than a hit every two innings.

Although it is early in the season, the league looks to be competitive throughout the season, much better than last year when Minnesota started out a lowly 5-20 and only 3 teams finished above .500.
Complete Standings

League Leaders
The League Commissioners office released League Leaders after 2 games. Full statistical analysis is available on the sidebar.

News (Mar 19, 2009)

2009-03-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

Spring Training Games
In the first action of the year, Florida beat Pittsburgh and Oakland handed it to San Francisco in the battle of the scrubbos. In a tight game later in the evening San Diego beat Oakland 4-3 in 10 innings as former Athletic Jeremy Hermida scored the winning run. Knowing their roster spots were on the line, several key bench players put in stellar performances, while others cracked under the pressure to achieve. Teams have until Tuesday to establish their 25 man rosters, and until the 2nd week of the season to make final cuts to the 40 man roster.

Utility players exchanged
Spring training games also provided a chance for GMs to gather and exchange some of their useless parts, hoping to find treasure among the junk piles. Pittsburgh sent high-paid but less than mediocre Carlos Silva to Oakland in exchange for late round draft pick Phil Dumatrait, while Florida sent Brian Burres and Dave Roberts to San Diego for Jeremy Reed and Austin Kearns, who was the starting right fielder for last year's champions but who has since lost a job due to his real life struggles combined with Ichiro Suzuki's move to right field.

Schedule Announced
The JSBL Commissioner's Office released the 2009 schedule this week as well. While most teams expressed satisfaction, there has been rumblings from the fans of California and Seattle who don't have their home openers until Week 3. Fans are claiming there exists favoritism towards the San Diego Padres, whose owner and GM also have key roles in the Commissioners Office. San Diego does not play a road game until they make the trip up to Oakland in Week 3. The complete schedule is available below under League Resources.

News (Mar. 13, 2009)

2009-03-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

CARDS ARE HERE!
As of 7:30 pm last night, they are here! They should be available for pickup anytime after Saturday afternoon. Just let Chris know when you are coming by to pick them up. Season starts in just under 2 Weeks. Opening day is March 26th! Stay tuned for updates on Spring Training games.

UPDATE:
Spring Training games will be held this Wednesday, March 18th, starting at around the normal time of 5:30pm, as teams look to make final decisions on some key players.

News (Mar. 12, 2009)

2009-03-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

California's first deal
The new ownership of the California franchise made their first transaction today shipping out flame-throwing reliever Grant Balfour and speedster Ryan Freel to Oakland in exchange for a trio of recently drafted youngsters, left-handed starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Greg Smith, and second base prospect Luis Valbuena. The young starters will significantly improve the California rotation with Smith stepping in this year, and Gonzalez hopefully living up to his high potential in the future. The Demon Squirrels also acquire a good second base prospect, a position that is in scarce supply in the Joe Shlabotnik baseball league. Oakland picks up a right-handed bat off the bench to support Nomar Garciaparra and one of the best right-handed middle-relievers, two key components management felt they were lacking as it attempts to make a championship run this year.
With two weeks before the start of the regular season teams are making their final preparations, rumors of possible moves have been flying, be sure to stay tuned.

Draft and Other News (Mar 10, 2009)

2009-03-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Seattle Ships off Rickie Weeks
Just moments before the draft, Seattle continued its busy off season by shipping off second baseman Rickie Weeks to the Florida Fishnets in exchange for Coco Crisp and a 5th Round Pick. The move betters both teams by giving Florida a solid everyday second baseman which it has not had in recent years, while giving Seattle the defense in centerfield to replace the aging Johnny Damon who could no longer catch up to some of the tougher catches in Center. Seattle also freed up the backlog of second basement it had after acquiring Howie Kendrick and Orlando Hudson in separate deals earlier this offseason.

Draft
With the first pick in the 2009 Rookie and Free Agent Draft, Pittsburgh chose outfielder Jay Bruce. With Florida's second base position filled with its recent acquisition, Florida chose pitcher Johnny Cueto. Oakland, having swapped first round picks as part of the Vladimir Guerrero trade earlier this off-season, picked in Seattle's spot, picking Cuban 2B/SS Alexei Ramirez. For full coverage of the 2009 Draft you can click here

Pittsburgh Oakland swap utility players
Immediately after the draft, Oakland, having acquired 3 defensively capable utility outfielders during the draft in Chris Dickerson, Felix Pie, and Aaron Cunningham, sent last year's backup outfielder Darin Erstad to Pittsburgh in exchange for hard throwing Mexican lefty Jorge de la Rosa. Erstad's ability to play well defensively both in the outfield and at first base will help Pittsburgh in late innings with a defensive replacement for the lumbering Miguel Cabrera, while Jorge de la Rosa looks to add innings to the Oakland bullpen and hopefully contribute in the future.

Fully updated rosters are available below

2009 Draft

2009-02-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

Draft Day Set
The Commissioners Office, after consultation with the various team owners, has set the 2009 JSBL draft for March 9th, 2009. The draft is expected to be one of the best in recent league history with several franchise players available. For more information check the links below. The Draft headquarters will be located at ~~Boll Weevil on Clairemont Mesa Dr.~~ Longhorn on Mission Gorge Rd. beginning at around 6:15.
Best of luck to all involved.

News (Feb. 5. 2009)

2009-02-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

Seattle active again
Seattle continues its busy off-season by trading Shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to the ball club in San Francisco in exchange for second baseman Orlando Hudson.
With the acquisition, Seattle has acquired a strong depth at second base with Orlando Hudson, Rickie Weeks and Howie Kendrick all vying for playing time. There are rumors that Weeks's lack of defense and poor 2008 offensive number may send him to the minors, and Seattle may go with a platoon of Kendrick and Hudson at second.
San Francisco landing of Betancourt may indicate an end to the Edgar Renteria's era at shortstop. The Giants management was apparently unwilling to go with the declining defense and poor offensive showing of Renteria. The moving of Hudson, only one year after he was acquired from Pittsburgh opens the door for slugger Dan Uggla who's 30+ homeruns only adds to a lineup already boasting of Prince Fielder.
Updated rosters are available below

News (Jan. 30, 2009)

2009-01-30T17:33:00.000-08:00

Athletics Flip Hernandez
Oakland flipped recently acquired phenom Felix Hernandez along with second baseman Howie Kendrick in exchange for Slugger Vlad Guerrero. In the trade Oakland and Seattle also swapped first round picks and Oakland picked up Seattle's second round pick.
Vlad Guerrero slides smoothly into Oakland's powerful lineup, while Kendrick will back up second base for the Mariners behind Rickie Weeks, and Felix Hernandez bolsters Seattle's already strong rotation. With the removal of Guerrero, Seattle opens up right field for developing youngster Hunter Pence. Both teams were excited for the trade, believing it will bolster both teams chances.
Updated Rosters are available below.

The 2009 JSBL Draft (Jan. 26, 2009)

2009-01-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Draft
The Joe Shlabotnik Baseball League Commissioners' Office released the official draft list for 2009. The release also includes the draft order. The Pittsburgh Dread Pirates are slated to pick first in the up-coming draft and many baseball minds are now speculating who will be their first pick. Last year the Florida Fishnets surprised many by picking Jacoby Ellsbury after rumors had it that they were targeting Houston's Hunter Pence. This year Pittsburgh could use the skills of any one of the top players in the draft (OF Jay Bruce, 2B-SS Alexi Ramirez, or SP Johnny Cueto).
Full information about the draft is available here as well as below under the League Resources.

News (Dec. 26, 2008)

2008-12-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

San Diego busy again
The World Champion Padres are not satisfied just sitting on their accolades and have begun what promises to be a busy off-season making two big trades. The Padres acquired masher Russell Branyan from Minnesota in exchange for Outfielder Ben Francisco, and received starter Jered Weaver, outfielder Jeremy Hermida, and a third round pick from the Oakland Athletics (formerly of Boston) in exchange for outfielders Fred Lewis and Travis Buck, third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, and reliever Justin Hampson.

In its acquisition of Francisco, Minnesota rounds out its outfield complementing the presence of Gary Matthews Jr. and Pat Burrell, replacing the hurt Michael Cuddyer who was limited to under 300 PA last season.

Boston/Oakland shores up its defense with the acquisition of Fred Lewis to man its outfield, and picks up Kouzmanoff to replace the departing Miguel Cabrera. The front office was also reportedly very happy about the inclusion of Travis Buck who hit .281 with 4 homers and 10 doubles in 140 PA the year before for the Padres, but who did not meet expectations in real life. The Boston/Oakland front office fully believes he will bounce back and contribute in future years.

San Diego is thrilled in their acquisitions which they believe will increase their chances of a repeat championship. In Weaver they get a good young pitcher and in Hermida they get a good young outfielder who has never quite reached his potential and Branyan provides a huge bat off the bench, replacing the declining Tony Clark.

News (Dec. 20, 2008)

2008-12-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

Franchise Relocation #2
Disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm and jumping at the opportunity to move to a city that has supported winning teams in the past, the Boston Red Sox announced today that they are moving the franchise to Oakland where they will become the Athletics, replacing the Crackwhores who moved to Anaheim and became the Demon Squirrels. The opportunity to move into a state of the art facility and to a fan base that has proven loyal to a winning team, Boston lost its second team in just a couple of years as the Fishnets moved to Florida just several years earlier.

News (Dec. 2, 2008)

2008-12-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

Franchise Relocation
With the departure of Oakland's manager and ownership to parts unknown, perhaps partially due to their dismal showing in 2008, the Joe Shlabotnik Baseball league announces that a new franchise has been awarded. The new majority owners, a father-son cohort, selected the Big A in Anaheim, CA as their home stadium and in a much anticipated press conference announced they will be called the Demon Squirrels. While much is still unknown about the preferences of the front office, it has been rumored that they are involved in extensive planning in preparation to make the best showing and have promised their fans a competitive team beginning from day one.
With the departure of Oakland and the new California franchise, the league has release new 2009 updated rosters, which are available below

Rule Changes
The commissioner's office has released suggested rule changes for the 2009 season. Voting members are encouraged to vote and send your ballots back to the commissioner's office. Suggested rule changes can be found here, as well as below under the league resources.

News (Nov. 21, 2008)

2008-11-21T09:11:00.000-08:00

Pittsburgh trades King Felix in exchange for Miguel Cabrera
Boston and Pittsburgh announced recently the first trade of the season with Boston sending Miguel Cabrera, Jason Michaels, Julio Lugo, and Seth McClung to Pittsburgh in exchange for Felix Hernandez and Ramon Vasquez.
The trade should benefit both teams with Pittsburgh looking to replace the gaping hole at first base left by the implosion of Richie "Anglo" Sexson and adding help at short with the oft-injured Jack Wilson and in the bullpen. Boston gets a good left-handed bat to add to its infield mix at second and third, and a dynamic young pitcher, further strengthening a rotation that looks to be among the league's best next year.

Seattle looking to Wheel and Deal
Seattle's front office recently released the following information about their interests this offseason and announced that several key players in their 5th place finish last year were on the trading block:

I have some needs as do many of you. Lets make a deal! Here's what I have to offer:

SS-- I have 3 good full timers and probably would like to keep J.J.Hardy, so Christian Guzman and Yuni Betancourt are available.

RF-- Vlad Guerrero is being offered up.

2B-- Rickie Weeks is being offered up, but this ties into one of my needs.

Needs:
#1 A better starting catcher than Gerald Laird
#2 2B, so if Weeks goes, would need one back
#3 Pitching, mostly relief, but starting as well
#4 CF... how much more can I expect out of Johnny Damon?
#5 A young 3B to replace Mike Lowell down the road

While no announcements have been made, Seattle is reporting that several teams have expressed interest in Guerrero and their available shortstops

World Series!

2008-11-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

The following was release from the Commissioner's office on the results of the World Series:

Well, it was the 111-50 Padres vs. the 86-75 Giants for the Joe Shlabotnik World Series.

Game 1 featured Roy Halladay (12-12, 3.19) vs. Jake Peavy (24-2, 1.75). Both teams were held scoreless for 7 innings. In the bottom of the 8th, Tony Clark pinch hit for Peavy and singled, pinch runner Willie Boomquist stole second, but was gunned at the plate on an Ichiro single (Ichiro taking second on the throw). With two out, Carl Crawford singled home Ichiro for a 1-0 lead. In comes Billy Wagner to save the game. After getting the first two batters to ground out, Erik sent PH extraordinairre Cody Ross to face Wagner. BAM! A game tying HR. The Padres would answer back in the bottom of the 9th; Roberts and Kearns both singles, Roberts to 3rd. PH Fred Lewis knocked a sac fly to win the game. WOW! Peavy tossed 8 innings of 2-hit ball, striking out 10, walking none. PADRES UP 1-0

Game 2 featured Greg Maddux (21-7, 3.21)vs. Erik Bedard (17-6, 2.17). Both pitchers were shelled early, Maddux giving up 5 runs in 5 innings and Bedard giving up 4 runs in 6 innings, along with 12 base runners. Heath Bell pitched the 7th, allowing the tying run to score on a single by Pedro Feliz. The game was won in the bottom of the 10th -- Brian Roberts connected with a Matt Cain fastball for a 2-run HR. Another game decided in the last inning!

Padres up 2 games to none.

Game 3 in San Francisco: A.J. Burnett (12-4, 2.78) vs. Mark Buehrle (10-14, 4.23). Both pitchers were fantastic with the score tied at 1 after 7 innings. After the Padres went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 8th, Burnett walked the leadoff hitter Fielder, followed by a McCann double. Out goes Burnett, in comes Heath Bell. A groundout holds both runners, but Pedro Feliz popped a 3-run HR to put the Giants up 4-1. Thats the way the game will remain, Buehrle pitching a complete game. This game was decided in the 8th. Another close one! Padres up 2 games to 1.

Game 4: Scott Kazmir (15-10, 4.02) vs. Tim Lincecum (8-5, 4.30). Again, both pitchers were great, with the score tied at 1 after 6 innings. Frisco scored in the bottom of the 7th, making the score 2-1 SF. Until the top of the 9th...Brian Roberts led off the inning with a double off closer Juaquin Benoit. Kearns followed with a walk. Brian Schneider bunted them over. With one out, PH Travis Buck doubled home the tying runs. Ichiro flied to LF, but Crawford knocked in the go-ahead run with a single. Billy Wagner was able to hold off the Giants this time. Another last inning decision! Padres up 3 to 1.

Game 5: Do or die for SF...Back to game 1 starters Jake Peavy and Roy Halladay. Roy gave up 2 runs early, but the Giants struck back in the 5th with 3 runs off Peavy. SF would score one more run in the 8th and SD added one in the top of the 9th, but SF would play one more day, winning 4-3.

Padres up 3 games to 2.

Game 6: Do or Die II...Back to game 2 starters and back to San Diego. Greg Maddux vs. Erik Bedard. SD scored first with a run in the bottom of the second and again with a run in the bottom of the 5th. SF was getting guys on base, but could not come through in the clutch. Billy Wagner came in the 9th to earn the series save, Padres winning 2-0.

San Diego takes the series 4 games to 2.

What a fantastic series! I had a lot of fun! Thanks Erik for the series, and thanks Robert, Hans, and Amy for coming by.

Congratulations to the World Series Champion San Diego Padres!

Week 27

2008-11-21T08:46:00.001-08:00

Standings
In the last couple of weeks there have been changes in the standings, as both Boston and Minnesota made runs, while the Giants of San Francisco struggled, sliding from a 5 game second place cushion to 10 games behind the second place Red Sox. Minnesota closed out the year in fourth after getting off to one of the worst starts in Joe Shlabotnik Baseball League history at 5-20. Their dramatic comeback is probably the most talked about story in the league. On the other hand, the Padres continued dominance is also noteworthy, as they finished the year 61 games over .500 at 111-50, an astonishing testament to their well-rounded ballclub.
Full Standings

News (July 31st, 2008)

2008-07-31T15:44:00.000-07:00

Updates
With the trading deadline fast approaching and very few rumors still rumbling the league has updated the roster for all eight teams. Full rosters with team position eligibility can be found below.
The commissioner's office is slated to release an updated League Constitution which will be available shortly as well as soon as the presses have it.

Update:
The results for the proposed league changes are in. In a move to make rosters more realistic, the league voted last spring to allow position players who qualified as starters to leave for free agency if they were on the active roster did not reach a qualified number of at-bats. Team owners, however, voted down the proposal to limit hold-overs entirely with the exception of last place teams.
Full results are available below.

Week 18

2008-07-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Standings
While the Padres continue to widen their lead in first place as the season continues, increasing it to 8 games over the second place Giants who went 1-5 on the week, the race for the fourth and final playoff spot continues to tighten. Minnesota, after starting off 5-19 and for a time was on pace to be the league's first 100 game loser has turned it around, going 5 and 1 last week, and is only 3 games behind the fourth place Seattle Mariners. With only ten games separating the fourth and eighth place teams, the race for the last playoff spot is going to be a tight one.
Full Standings

Week 15

2008-07-09T15:19:00.001-07:00

Standings
Going 4-2 the Padres open up their biggest lead in the standings this year with a five game lead over San Francisco, an eight game lead over Boston and a fifteen game lead over Seattle. Seattle similarly holds a five game lead over Florida for the final playoff spot a little over halfway through the season.
Full Standings

Trade Rumors
While there have been further trade rumblings involving Dan Uggla of the Giants and Josh Beckett of Minnesota, nothing has gone through. Boston and Minnesota were rumored to be involved in a deal consisting of Miguel Cabrera and Josh Beckett, but talks on that front seem to have stalled.

Week 14

2008-07-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Standings
The Padres increased their league lead to 3 games over San Francisco by sweeping Boston for the second time at home and the third time on the season. San Diego now holds a 10-2 record against the Sox this year. Seattle also increased their lead for the fourth and final playoff spot to 3 games winning 2 of 3 from San Francisco and 2 of 3 from San Diego.
Full Standings

Seattle acquires another Centerfielder
Worried about overusing Hunter Pence and losing Johnny Damon because of underuse during the regular season, the Seattle Mariners sent reliever Derrick Turnbow to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jacque Jones. Both players are one year stop gaps with dismal 2008 seasons, and helpful acquisitions to both teams. Jones will give more time off to Hunter Pence, and Turnbow will occupy a needed spot in the bullpen allowing Chad Billingsley to move to the rotation for the remainder of the season.

Week 13

2008-06-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Standings
There's been a couple of weeks of computer series, and while information is scarce on the actual results of any individual series, the league has released the following standings going into Week 14.
Full Standings

Week 11

2008-06-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Standings
Week 11 sees Minnesota breaking out for a 5-1 week, sweeping Pittsburgh to drop them into a three-way tie for last and taking 2 of 3 from the Giants to knock them from a tie for first to third place. Manager J.S. was booed heartily, however, when he removed pitcher Jason Marquis for a pinch hitter in the 9th inning against Pittsburgh when Marquis had a no-hitter through 8. Closer Joe Nathan gave up a pitcher's card single in the 9th to lose the combined no-hitter. The irony... the roll would have been a groundout to second on Marquis's card.
Full Standings

Week 9

2008-05-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Standings
At the end of a wild week there appears to be a battle for the 4th playoff spot opening up. Seattle's 1-4 record last week dropped them to 26-27 overall and only a game above surging Florida. At the top of the standings San Francisco and San Diego continue to go neck and neck each matching the other's 4-1 record on the week.
Full Standings

Top Ten
Rumors from the Commissioner's office is that they will release a new top ten list within the next few days that may also contain the top futility players of the league, with the new philosophy that if you shame those that are struggling, perhaps they will play better.

Week 8

2008-05-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

Standings
The Giants and Padres both go 4 and 2 on the week and remain tied for first. This really is shaping more and more to be a two team race for the pennant as we move a quarter of the way through the season. Next week puts a toll on teams as they play 5 single game series. For some teams, like Boston, that means 3 trips across the country for a single game.
Full Standings

Padre Confessional
The first place Padres were paced by a hot Jake Peavy last week, but the question is will he be able to sustain such a pace since the catching corps have been taking a beating. With both catcher's injured at one point last week, the Padres had to resort to using Tony Graffanino as their catcher for half of a game. Read the full Confessional here.

Week 7

2008-05-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

Standings
The Giants and Padres remain tied atop the league after both going 3-3 on the week. The Giants took 2 of three from the Padres to move into the tie for first after having lost 2 of three from Florida. Seattle and Boston move a game closer as both went 4-2 on the week as Boston swept Oakland in Boston, and Seattle took 2 of 3 from Minnesota and then 2 of 3 from Boston in Boston in a series that saw 2 of the 3 games go into extra innings making it 6 of 9 games between these two teams that have been decided in the 9th inning or later.
Full Standings

Week 6

2008-05-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

Standings
The Giants take 2 of 3 against the visitors from across the Bay and then fly to Florida to take another series 2-1, to move into a tie for first with San Diego, who lost their first series against the third place Red Sox after sweeping their first two series.
Full Standings

Week 5

2008-04-29T19:10:00.001-07:00

Standings
The Padres go 5-1 on the week to vault into first place. San Diego has "owned Boston thus far" sweeping them both in Boston and at home. Boston dropped 5 of 6 last week to fall four games behind. Minnesota also broke out this week winning 4 of 6 for their first two series wins of the young season.
Full Standings

Padre Confesional
The Padres made the first non-DL roster move of the season sending down Randy Johnson and calling up A.J. Burnett. For the full report click here.

Week 4

2008-04-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

Standings
San Diego went 5 and 1 last week against Oakland and Seattle to move into a tie for first place with Boston. Minnesota has been the biggest disappointment this year, now standing at 5-19, on pace to lose over 100 games. They aim to turn it around next week against Boston and Florida.
Full Standings

Walking the Plank
The Dread Pirates of Pittsburgh released their first edition of Walking the Plank, giving a detailed update of their 3-3 week against the Red Sox and 11-Ouncers. Highlights of the week included a 12-2 drubbing of Jeff Francis and the first place Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Read all about it here

News (Apr. 14th, 2008)

2008-04-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

League Leaders
The Commissioners office released the Joe Shlabotnik League Performance leaders through Week Three. Upon releasing the stats, the commissioner also released the following comment "Yahoo! We have a top ten! Everyone turned in stats!"
San Francisco has the most league leaders with 7, 3 of which are held by first baseman Prince Fielder (HR, RBI, Slg. Pct.) and 3 by Matt Cain (Innings Pitched, CG, H/IP). Edgar Rentaria leads the league with 7 doubles.
An abbreviated list is posted on the right side bar, a full list of league leaders can be found here.

Week 3

2008-04-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Standings
The Red Sox are swept at home by San Diego, but then sweep Seattle to maintain a one game lead over San Francisco. San Diego moved into first after the sweep, but then lost two of three to San Francisco. San Francisco also went three and three on the week losing two of three vs. Seattle and winning two of three from San Diego. Florida stands in fourth, two games out after going 4-2 last week.
Full Standings

Red Sox Wrap-Up
The Boston Red Sox released their first week report of the year, the Red Sox Wrap-up for those fans who want an inside look into the moves of the team. Full details available here.

Week 2

2008-04-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Standings
After 2 weeks, Boston holds a one game lead over San Francisco, and a two game lead over San Diego and Seattle. This next week will be a battle of league leaders as Boston and San Francisco take on San Diego and Seattle.
Complete Standings

Week 1

2008-04-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

Standings
Boston takes a one game lead over San Francisco and Florida, by sweeping Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh and taking 2 out of three at San Francisco. San Francisco also swept Minnesota to leave them only a game behind. Florida took 2 of 3 from both Seattle and Oakland.
Complete Standings

Padre Confessional
For Padres' fans, the Padres have released to the public their first "Padre Confessional" of the season. Check it out

News (Mar. 25, 2008)

2008-03-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh Pre-Season Report
The Dread Pirates released their pre-season report this week. While there are some good players on this team, the team from Pittsburgh has some holes. However, look to this team to bring some surprises this year.

News (Mar. 23, 2008)

2008-03-23T11:17:00.001-07:00

Red Sox Release Pre-Season Report
The Boston Red Sox released their 2008 Pre-Season report to the public today. On paper this will be a team that can out hit any in the league with sluggers Adam Dunn, Miguel Cabrera, Russell Martin and Grady Sizemore anchoring the lineup. The Red Sox may struggle on defense at times, but hope to make it up with homers and extra-base hits to go along with reasonably strong pitching. The full report is available here.

News (Mar. 21, 2008)

2008-03-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Minor Deals
Minnesota and Pittsburgh did minor deals with San Diego sending San Diego Eric Hinske, Brady Clark and Jeremy Sowers. Pittsburgh acquired slugging pinch hitter Victor Diaz and pitcher Patrick Misch while Minnesota picked up starting pitcher David Bush. This is Bush's third team this off-season, having been traded to the Padres as part of the deal that brought Kevin Youkilis to Boston. These trades seem to be made with the future in mind, Misch being a rookie, and Sowers and Bush having off years in 2007.

News (Mar. 20, 2008)

2008-03-20T11:43:00.001-07:00

2008 Schedule Announced
The commissioner's office has released the 2008 Schedule. San Francisco will open at Pittsburgh and Florida at San Diego, with Boston at Minnesota and Oakland at Seattle opening the next day. For full 2008 Schedule click here

More Cuts
The Giants announced today the unconditional release of 8 players, including former starting center fielder Mark Kotsay. Full cuts of 2008 can be found here

News (Mar. 19, 2008)

2008-03-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Boston, Florida, Seattle and San Diego Trim Rosters
Over the weekend Boston, Florida, Seattle and San Diego all reduced their rosters by giving several players their unconditional release. While some hope that they may sign on as free agents next year by being picked up in next years draft, others may be on the road to retirement.
Released players included former stars Brad Radke, Shea Hillenbrand, Armando Benitez, and Jose Contreras. For a full list click here

Exhibition Games
Florida, Boston, San Diego, and San Francisco have announced preliminary plans to hold exhibition games this Thursday. It is a sign of spring!

News (Mar. 16, 2008)

2008-03-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Boston Acquires Righty Reliever Grilli
Boston acquired right handed pitcher Jason Grilli from the Florida Fishnets for the declining second baseman Marcus Giles. Giles, who had seen his second base position flooded with new prospects when the Sox drafted rookie Asdrubal Cabrera, is looking for new life on the Florida roster, while the Sox look to bolster their bullpen innings with the help of Grilli.

News (Mar. 14, 2008)

2008-03-15T17:49:00.001-07:00

Florida Pre-Season Report
The Florida Fishnets released their projected starting nine to the public. Looking to improve on a last place finish, the Fishnets have rolled out a vastly improved team anchored by a lot of young talent. Look to see this team make vast improvements over last year

News (Mar. 12, 2008)

2008-03-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

Draft Results
With the first pick Florida picked Jacoby Ellsbury. Alex Gordon was snatched by the club from Pittsburgh, and Hunter Pence followed third going to Seattle.
Full coverage of the 2008 Joe Shlabotnik Baseball League Draft can be found here

Rescheduled

2008-03-07T15:43:00.001-08:00

Draft Rescheduled
The Joe Shlabotnik Baseball League Draft has been rescheduled for 6pm on Wednesday, March 12th.

Draft Postponed

2008-03-06T22:17:00.001-08:00

The Joe Shlabotnik Baseball League Draft scheduled for Saturday, March 8th has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict.

More information on a rescheduling date and time to follow shortly.

News (Mar. 4th, 2008)

2008-03-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

Minnesota acquires Cruz Jr.
In a pre-draft deal Minnesota acquired back-up outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. from Boston in exchange for struggling infielder Nick Punto. The trade looks to benefit both teams as both players would have struggled to find playing time and were likely to have been cut after the draft.
Cruz Jr. will add depth to a Minnesota outfield where he will spell Pat Burrell, Gary Matthews Jr. and Michael Cuddyer. Punto's glove will be a big help to the Red Sox, giving them a solid defense replacement at second and third.

News (Mar. 2, 2008)

2008-03-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

Pre-Season Reports
The San Diego Padres released their pre-season report to the public this week, confidently announcing their intentions to compete for the Shlabotnik World Series title after barely missing the play-offs last season. On paper the Padres look to put into play the Earl Weaver strategy of "Defense, Pitching and three-run homers" though with less power than some of the other teams in the league the emphasis will be on the first two.

News (Feb. 25, 2008)

2008-02-27T20:36:00.000-08:00

Draft Day
Draft day will be held Saturday March 8th, 2008 at 6:30pm.
Draft order and available players are posted below.

Cards Available
Cards are available for pick up at anytime, just contact Chris beforehand to assure that he will be at home.

Voting Results
Voting Results for Rule Changes will also be available Draft day, provided that everyone returns their ballot to Chris via email.

News (Feb. 23, 2008)

2008-02-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

Cards are available for pickup
Cards are sorted by teams and those available for the draft have been sorted out as well. Just let Chris when you are coming by to pick up your team.

Vote for Rule Changes
Return your ballot back to Chris via email ASAP. See below for items up for vote.

Season starts in 4 weeks!
First series starts March 20th, draft will be scheduled shortly. Check back for more information.

News (Feb. 12, 2008)

2008-02-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

CARDS ARE HERE!
As of 7:43pm today they are here. Check back for more info about meetings and rule changes.

Season starts in 5 weeks.

News (Jan. 19, 2008)

2008-01-21T22:43:00.000-08:00

Rule Changes
In the hot stove meetings at Longhorn team owners met to discuss possible rule changes. Those items are posted below under League Resources.

2008 Cards and Pre-draft Meeting
The cards are due to be shipped out starting Friday, Feb 1. So expect they will be here about a week later. Plan on a meeting soon after that. The cost per person for the cards & scoresheets will only be $15 this year, so please bring that with you when we meet. Expect further info to follow at a later date

Managers Needed

2008-01-21T22:41:00.000-08:00

If you live in the San Diego area and are interested in playing in a face to face Strat-o-Matic baseball league please contact Chris at ccoman (at) sandi (dot) net.