AL Preview

Hi everybody! Season 15 mofo's, get ready for record disparity amongst the Junior Circuit. This season's pictures were collected using google, by entering the user name "+ titties". Some results were less than satisfactory, so I would then use the team's city. Some user names offer a lot of gay porn results, such as alogman, joepatrick, and sergei. The only search that actually landed a username in the picture title was jcarver, the chick in the franchise photo is one Jordan Carver. If jcarver is Jordan Carver, oh my god I want my man gush to splatter your ruddy cheeks.

As for the league itself, there's several top tier teams and several steaming piles of crud. Very little in between.



AL WEST

Honolulu Harpoon

S14: 73-89 (88-74), 3rd
Recognizing that what this team needs most is offense, shiish upped and signed a couple of bats in Mercedes and Gomez, as well as minor league basher Izquierdo. Long and Greenburg are purty swell hurlers and the defense is killer up the middle. Won't challenge for the division title, but then, there's three teams that will absolutely not win the AL West. There's no real huge bat in the line up, even with the additions, but this team will squeeze a few more runs than last season.
Defense: B
Offense: C
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 70-92,


Salt Lake City Warriors

81-81 (70-92), 2nd
The Pixies ode to the Great Salt Lake and the city that bears it's name.
Palace Of The Brine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1kibMCLEzU&noredirect=1
In a place they say is dead
in the lake that's like an ocean
i count about a billion head
all the time
there's a motion
palace of the brine
i saw the cloning
of the famous family
i heard the droning
in the shrine
of the sea-monkey
palace of the brine
beneath reflections in the fountain
the starry sky and utah mountains
they are swimming happily
can't you see
a life that's so sublime
palace of the brine.
Range is the word for the fielders on this team. They might bobble the ball when they reach it, but they'll be reaching a lot of balls. Seriously these guys should get to a load of balls. Contact is a weak spot in a non-overwhelming offense. Lots of speed. Pitching is sub mediocre.
Defense: B+
Offense:C
Pitching: C
Prediction: 68-94


Scottsdale Storm

107-52 (100-62), 1st
Solid, solid team. You got pretty good fielding, though the weak point of this franchise. Pitching is filthy, just fucking filthy. Offense is weakish on contact but has big ass power, very good splits and eye. A World Series contender to be sure, and a lock for West title and, probably, the bye.
Defense: C+
Offense: A-
Pitching: B+
Prediction: 108-54


Vancouver Coastals

69-93 (72-90), 4th
One time, a few years ago, I was out with a bunch of staff from the place I was working at. Started the night with a couple glasses of champagne, then moved on to beer, then on to double rum and cokes. Throughout all that we did Tequila shots. My seventh shot was a Fireball so the shot also had Tabasco in it. So after about five hours I'm feeling pretty fucked up. Someone pulls out a joint and I'm like "ohhh yessshhh". Folks see I'm totally slobberknockered and try and prevent me from partaking, but I was having none of that. We smoke the joint and head back in the bar. Suddenly I know what's coming. I ask, and receive, an immediate ride home. I just make it to my toilet, and the puke just erupts from throat. I mean, i am full on heaving. Then I spray shit all over my pants. So I'm now sitting on the toilet pissing brown out my ass, and continuing to toss liquids in the mop bucket between my legs. This went on for over two hours. By the end nothing was coming out either end, but I couldn't stop going through the motions. The way I felt at that point in time, is my team. PS have never touched Tequila since.
Defense: B
Offense: C
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 65-97


AL SOUTH

Houston Colt 45s

95-67 (100-62), 2ND

Colt 45-Afroman

Wait a minute man
Hey check this out man (tell it)
There was this blind man right, (this fool right here)(man check it, hey)
There was this blind man right(hey)
He was feelin' his way down the street with a stick right (yeah), hey
He walked past this fish market, you know what I'm sayin' (fish market?)
He stopped he took a deep breath he said
"Snfffffff, woooo good morning ladies"
You like that shit man (that was pretty good)
Hey man I got a gang of that shit man
I tell you what my man on the guitar,
Hey fool on the drums.
Everyone just gather around the mic I'll tell you all these mutha fuckin' jokes but first imma start off like that, hey help me sing it homeboy (C'mon!)

Say Colt 45 and 2 zig-zags baby thats all we need
We can go to the park after dark
Smoke that tumbleweed
As the marijuana burns we can take our turn singing them dirty rap songs Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong
And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong. so roll roll roll my joint pick out the seeds and stems ridin high as hell flyin through palmdale skating on dantty rims. so roll roll the eighty three cadillac coupe devill if the tapes or my cds just dont sell i bet my cadi will.

well it was just sundown in a small white town we call it east side palmdale. when the afroman went through the white land houses when up for sale. well i was standing on the corner sellin rap cds when i met a little girl named jane. i let her ride in my cadi cause i didnt know my dady was the leader of the kun klux klan. we fucked on the bed fucked on the floor fucked so long i grew a fucken afro. we fucked to the left and we fucked to the right she sucked my dick till the shit turned white. so i thought to myself sheba sheba got my ass lookin like a zebra put on my clothes and i was on my way till her daddy showed up in a chevrolete. so i ran i jumped out the back window but her daddy he was waiting with a two by four. he beat me to the left beat me two the right the motha fucka wouped my ass all night but i aint mad at her prejudice dad thats the best damn pussy i eva had. so i grabbed a bag of weed and a bottle of whine and ima fuck that bitch just one more time.

(chorus)

i met this lady in hollywood she had green hair but damn she looked good i took her to my house cause she was fine but she wooped out a dick that was bigger than mine.

i met this girl from japan
Never made love with an African
I fucked her once
I fucked her twice
I ate that pussy like shrimp-fried rice

Don't be amazed at stories I tell ya
I met a woman in the heart of Australia
Had a big butt and big titties too
So I hopped in her ass like a kangaroo

See I met this woman from Hawaii
Stuck it in her ass and she said aaiiiii
Lips where breakfast
Pussy was lunch
Then her titties busted open with Hawaiian punch

Met Colonel Sanders' wife in the state of Kentucky
She said I'll fry some chicken if you just fuck me
I came in her mouth it was a crisis
I gave her my secret blend of herbs and spices

[CHORUS]

I met Dolly (pardon) Parton in Tennessee
Her titties were filled with Hennessy
That country music really drove me crazy
But I rode that ass and said yes Ms. Daisy

I met this lady in Oklahoma
Put that pussy in a coma

Met this lady in Michigan
I can't wait 'til I fuck that bitch-again

Met a real black girl down in South Carolina
Fucked her til she turned to a white Albina

Fucked this hooker in Iowa
I fucked her on credit, so I owe her

Fucked this girl down in Georgia
Came in her mouth, man I thought I told ya

Met this beautiful sexy ho
She just ran across the border of Mexico
Fine young thing said her name's Maria
I wrapped her up just like a hot tortilla
I wanna get married but I cant afford it
I know I'm a cry when she get deported

[CHORUS]

Have you ever went over a girl's house to fuck
But the pussy just ain't no good
I mean you gettin' upset because you can't get her wet
Plus you in the wrong neighborhood
So you try to play it off and eat the pussy
But it take her so long to cum
Then a dude walk in that's her big boyfriend
And he asks you where you from
So you wipe your mouth and you try to explain
You start talkin' real fast
But he already mad cause you fuckin' his wife
So he start beatin' on you ass
Now your clothes all muddy
Your nose all bloody
Your dick was hard but now its soft
You thought you had a girl to rock your world
Now you still gotta go jack off
Nice team, with all the tools to make the playoffs. A couple arms short of a full staff, yet
Defense: B
Offense: A
Pitching: A-
Prediction: 100-62


Florida Fire

107-55 (82-80), 1st
I don't know who caught for Florida last year, but I'm going to just go ahead and state that the addition of Julius Neal is an upgrade. The best hitting catcher in world history joins an already potent order. Defensively this squad is insane. Perhaps even insane in, say, the membrane. Speaking of the brain, did you know there are thought to be 300 TRILLION synapses in the brain?! That's 300,000,000,000,000 more than domi had. I kid, we miss you, please come back. The only weakish point is the pitching, the team is so strong in the other areas it may not be that bad.
Defense: A+
Offense: A
Pitching:C+
Prediction: 104-58


Richmond Informers

63-99 (65-97)/ 4th
Hi Jordan, my name is Mark Giffin, I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. I own a very successful cafe, and possess enormous cooking skills. My hands are becoming arthritic, but I still give a very soothing massage, and,I've been told, am very talented in the carnal arts. In fact you could say I fuck like I cook, and a lot of women have said it's the best meal they've ever had. So, what I'm saying is, Jordan, I would like to make you dinner, massage your back and neck, and then pound the tension out of your between-the-legs pleasure trap, if you get my drift (I mean I'd like to fuck your pussy).
The Informers will, once again, challenge Watching Paint Dry for levels of excitement in Richmond. The south shall rise, again! Ya, maybe one day, but not this season in Virginny.
Defense: C+
Offense: C
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 72-90


Memphis Dead Elvi

75-87 (62-100)/3rd
The plurality of the deceased Kings exceeded my low expectations and was one the precious few non awesome/shitty AL teams. So what do we got in Season15? Who cares, Monster-In-Law just started. A rom-com from 2005 starring J-Lo, Jane Fonda, and that sassiest of dykes, Ms. Wanda Sykes. I'll be back in two hours, full of good feelings and warmth for humanity. OK, back. This team reminds of the time I spent over two hours puking and shitting from Tequila and weed, did I ever mention that? If this team wins over 70 games again, I will fly down to Boston, and give sergei the longest, gaggiest, slurp splashed blow job of all time. I promise.
Defense: C+
Offense: C-
Pitching: C
Prediction: 62-100



AL NORTH

Fargo Fainting Goats

65-97 (70-92), 3rd
I said this in last seasons preview: "Hmm, according to Deivi Johnson's history expect a shitty year from him." I'm a genius. His average fell 48 points, 138 point loss in OPS, 28 less runs, and 38 less RBIs. So expect a bounce back year. And consider my point proven, that players are built with performance patterns. It happens in real life too, though. Take Josh Beckett. Here's his ERAs starting from 2003: 3.04, 3.79, 3.38, 5.01, 3.27, 4.03, 3.86, 5.78, 2.89. His winning percentages follow the exact pattern as well. as for the Goats, they boast a line-up of contact hitters, with some power and loads of speed. The defense is mediocre, and the pitching isn't what you'd call deep. Should improve on last seasons record just based on Johnson's expected better numbers.
Defense: C+
Offense: B-
Pitching: C
Prediction: 78-84



Montreal Maroons

98-64 (110-52), 1st
So mira's formula appears to be defense and power. Sprinkle in very strong pitching and you've got a defending Champ. Scottsdale is still my AL favorite this season, but the Maroons could very well be rep'sentin' in the World Series.BTW the Montreal Maroons were an ol' timey NHL team that was active from 1924 to 1938. So now you know. The Thurman & Osborn for Burns deal was a headscratcher.
Defense: A+
Offense: A-
Pitching: A
Prediction: 104-58


Milwaukee Ueckers

64-98 (94-68), 4th
Extreme Makeover: Milwaukee went into effect early last season destroying my prediction. Thanks for making me look bad. This years squad should easily beat last season's record. Pitching is some of the ALs best. Added former Vancouver bullpen tandem (happy bluegrey?) Rincon and Cornelius. Expect to see them dealt for prospects in a deal I'd never get. Offense won't be confused with Murders Row but at least knows which way to stand in the batters box. Also on the way this season are highly touted prospects Pep Choo, Junior Hoffman, and Max Andino, which will level the playing field with Montreal.
Defense: B-
Offense: A
Pitching: B+
Prediction: 96-66


Minnesota Purple People Eaters

76-86 (72-90), 2nd
Well I saw the thing comin' out of the sky
It had the one long horn, one big eye
I commenced to shakin' and I said "ooh-eee"
It looks like a purple eater to me

It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
(One-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater)
A one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me (One eye?)

Well he came down to earth and he lit in a tree
I said Mr. Purple People Eater, don't eat me
I heard him say in a voice so gruff
I wouldn't eat you cuz you're so tough

It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
One-eyed, one-horned flyin' purple people eater
One-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me (One horn?)

I said Mr. Purple People Eater, what's your line
He said it's eatin' purple people and it sure is fine
But that's not the reason that I came to land
I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band

Well bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin' purple people eater
Pigeon-toed, undergrowed, flyin' purple people eater
(We wear short shorts)
Flyin' purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me

And then he swung from the tree and he lit on the ground
He started to rock, really rockin' around
It was a crazy ditty with a swingin' tune
Sing a boop boop aboopa lopa lum bam boom

Well bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin' purple people eater
Pigeon-toed, undergrowed, flyin' purple people eater
I like short shorts
Flyin' little people eater
Sure looks strange to me (Purple People?)

And then he went on his way, and then what do ya know
I saw him last night on a TV show
He was blowing it out, a'really knockin' em dead
Playin' rock and roll music through the horn in his head
Classic, Sheb Wooley was a genius. Minnesota still has a couple decent starters, but is still showing the effects of the previous regime. Thanks for joining ruffles and good luck.
Defense: C+
Offense: B-
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 70-92



AL EAST

Chicago Black Holes

102-60(95-67)/1st
The winningest team in the AL (I think the world as well) the past four seasons. Should repeat as division champeen again, but is just teensy bit below Scottsdale, Florida, and Montreal. Powerful line-up with patience. Dummy Wayne seeks a fifth straight season of 20 plus wins. Delino Hall's ratings drop off has been stunning the past couple seasons. I checked to see if it was major injuries but it seems Hall has never been on the disabled list. Then why is he plummeting so dramatically?
Defense: B-
Offense: B+
Pitching: B+
Prediction: 98-64


New York Yankees

75-87 (59-103)/3rd
Made me look bad with my prediction last season, devon, and I don't like that. It's like you're fucking with me. You wouldn't fuck with me, would you devon? Don't fuck with me, devon. Fuck with me, and I'll fuck you up. This looks like a hawkeye team, lots of 70+ overalls but mediocre skill sets. Should be good for 70-75 wins again. This might be the thing that puts the city that never sleeps to sleep.
Defense: C
Offense: B-
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 73-89


Wichita Prairie Dogs

70-92(80-82)/4th
Woof, woof, woof. The dog of the East. Alan White is the star of the offense, and future hall of fame reliever, but past his glory days, Luis James is the hero of the hurlers. 'Nuff said. This team will compete with mine, to be the league's asshole.
Defense: C
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Prediction: 68-94


Syracuse Street Walkers

77-85 (70-92)/2nd
Seems a few players short of a full roster, so I'll have to judge what I've got to work with. Hmmmm. Nothing really stands out. The chuckle inducing name Cooper Neugebauer gets all the chicks in Syracuse and that's not a good thing. Another one of the either or teams in the AL.
Defense: C
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Prediction: 65-97

Batter up!

Oh, remember this chick from Two and a Half Men?



Emmanuelle Vaugier, a native of Vancouver, she played Mia.

NL North S15

This has nothing to do with this particular division.  I just like her.  And I like you.  Well, most of you.

Helena Homies: Three straight division wins, but no deep runs into the playoffs.  They lost a couple of guys to free agency, but got a little bit back with a trade during the off-season.  Still a solid little squad with Dizzy and O'Keefe (a black guy from Florida with the last name O'Keefe?  Sure.  Right.) and Hernandez back again, picking up Pinky gives them a little more.  I'm trying to think of something exciting to say about these guys.  Dizzy is really good, he makes me hard.  Stuart is kind of exciting.  Whoa, I actually fell asleep for a second there.  Am I distracted, or are they boring? 
Offense: A-
Pitching: B+
Fielding: C
Prediction: 85 wins, 1st in division

Iowa City Corn-ish Hens: Signed Charles Zhang after losing Santiago Johnson to free agency.  That's an even swap, right?  Nope.  While looking below average on paper, somehow these guys play .500 ball every season, and even went to the WS back in S10.  But losing Santiago hurts, as he was the majority of their offense last year.  They made one big trade where they shipped their best catching prospect for Donovan (AAA) and Pineiro (ML RP) and Martinez (ML SS/3B).  Not a bad move, as it gives them ML talent that will be in the starting lineup on opening day.  Are they world beaters?  No.  No no no no.  But they'll play .500 ball maybe get a wild card spot.  Not likely.
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Fielding: D
Prediction: 75 wins, 2nd in division

Cincinnati Red Thumpers: No big time free agent signings (or losses) and one trade that brought in a prospect, it was a quiet off-season for the RT's.  The rapidly declining Pedro Aguilera is still there.  He's made a lot of money over the years.  Davy Matthews got old pretty quickly, and wow, he gets hurt.  A lot.  I can't believe Oscar Hamilton is still playing ball.  Otherwise, these guys are as boring as Helena.  Go watch some more of the youtube video and I'll go get some coffee.  OK, everyone back?  Good, let's move on.
Offense: C
Pitching: C
Fielding: B-
Prediction: 70 wins, 3rd in division

New Britain Rock Cats: With 106 losses last season, it was the worst ever for this once proud franchise.  After not being able to sign last year's #3 pick, the Cats have picks #1 and #4, BB better hope it's a great draft class.  No free agent movement and one meaningless trade, it will be a long season in New Britain.  This is really just a boring division from top to bottom, isn't it?  They don't deserve that youtube video.  But I love them nonetheless, so they get to keep the video. 
Offense: C
Pitching: D+
Fielding: D
Prediction: 60 wins, 4th in the division

NL East S15

The theme song for the NL East this year, and St Louis specifically:

St Louis Oxbows - Six seasons under jstnklly management, three division titles and five playoff appearances, including a WS appearance last season.  Do they have what it takes this season?  Canseco, Boskie, Baez, Lombardi, Treadway, Morton, they're all back again.  The only major subtraction was Griffith being shipped off for some relievers and a prospect, but I'm sure they'll make up for his hitting with Barney Woods coming into the clubhouse.  Lombardi, Treadway, and Sivilla are still their top three guys for the playoffs, and with $121M set aside for player salaries, they're clearly shooting for another deep run into the playoffs.  But can they get over the hump?  I say no.

Offense: B+

Pitching: B+

Fielding: B

Prediction: 1st in the division, 90 wins

Rochester Red Wings: It really is amazing what a team can do when its owner wants to win.  vector21 seemed like a nice guy and everything, but Jesus H Christ he really ran that ML team into the ground.  100+ losses for three seasons, and what happens the first year adreid comes in?  A .500 ballclub.  The #1 draft pick last year, now #20 this year.  That's quite a jump.  I can't figure out what's more shocking: Rochester's jump up the rankings, or Vancouver's drop.  And how dedicated is Rochester to winning now, rather than saying "uh, we're gonna rebuild for a few more years," they went out and traded the third overall pick in S13's draft for two guys who will be Opening Day starters for the ML squad this season.  Are they going to set the world on fire?  No, but they'll win more games than last season, and they'll do it with a below average payroll, which means they're staying competitive while still building for the future.  It's a novel concept.

Offense: C+

Pitching: B

Fielding: C+

Prediction: 85 wins, 3rd in the division

Boston Massacre: Very fitting name, considering recent days events.  Hey look, tommy is back.  And much like domi, kscott has gone the way of the dodo bird.  And much like the dodo bird, it will take a couple of centuries before anyone cares that they are gone.  What?  Too soon?  Anywho, after several seasons of hardcore tanking, kscott brought that franchise to some national prominence by winning the division in S12 and then the whole kit and kaboodle during the playoffs.  He followed that up with a 105 win division title in S13, and then.....hey, look, more hardcore tanking.  Or did he go MIA?  I can't remember, the seasons and owners all run together.  So now tommy comes in to try and fix this mess, and he starts out well by signing a couple of reasonably priced vets in Mota and Pall.  He trades away Spahn and his contract for nothing (am I the only one who vetoed that deal?  You're all a bunch of pussies), while trading away some prospects for more ML talent.  Sabathia and Stuart were very nice additions, which quickly give Boston a pitching staff to be worried about.  There are still some pieces here from that WS winning squad.....maybe they can get their shit together.

Offense: B

Pitching: B+

Fielding: B+

Prediction: 88 wins, 2nd in the division

Balteemore Turpins: You know your division is in bad shape when you can lose 90+ games in four consecutive seasons and not finish last in the division during any of those seasons.  And it really says something about the entire world when a 94 loss team only has the 8th pick in the draft.  But we're not here to talk about the past, and we're certainly not here to talk about the AL.  Now I love Mr Gargle, but this is baffling to me.  Jose Latos is traded to El Paso for Willie Arias.  Jose cost Baltimore $5M in the IFA market a few seasons ago, and he then killed it in the minors for two years before batting .300+ for the Terps last season.  Willie is a 10th round draft pick who has appeared in 96 minor league games over the course of five seasons, for a 4.14 career ERA.  Willie then isn't protected and gets picked up via the R5D by New Britain.  Jose is making the league minimum and still has some room to grow.  Huh?  There are some hot slam pieces down in the minors, but they won't help Bawlmer this season. 

Offense: C

Pitching: C

Fielding: C+

Prediction: 70 wins, last in the division

Battle of The Rachels!

happy now?

I actually know this chick, kinda sorta

The Best Season EVER

More than 3/4 of the way done with Season 14, it makes absolutely no sense to put together this list, but I'm going to do it anyway.  Why?  Because I can.  Actually, this idea came to me this morning for some reason.  You know that you have hit rock bottom when you randomly start thinking of blog columns to do for your fake baseball world.  We might have done this already, I'm not entirely sure.  But this is my version.

Position by position, who has had the best single season in the history of this world?  And I'm not just talking about who hit the most HR's at a certain position (although, that is certainly a factor), but who had one season that was head and shoulders above every other season that everyone else has played at that position.  The hard part is figuring out what position each guy really plays.  Not everyone in this world has always played players at the positions that their ratings are appropriate for.  If you had a CF with a range of 75 back in S8, and he hit 100 HR's, should I not put him in the CF category?  So when I'm looking for the best season ever, I'm taking fielding into account also.  And did I probably miss someone in this list?  Oh I'm sure of it. 

Some guys who were in the running, but didn't quite make it:  Michael Washington, Geronimo Cruz, Robb Smith, Ricardo Belliard, Ellis Hernandez, Alejandro Lee, Stuart Reid, Roosevelt Brower, Hunter Bryant, Dick Iorg, Lorenzo Crespo, Ivan Santos, Alex Avila, Willie Strickland, Flash Bass, Dizzy Allen, Benny Mercado, Alex Cubillan, Justin Taylor, Tori Wagner, Karim Ayala, Rocky Baxter.

Now on to the list.

Catcher -

Julius Neal Portland Stoudemire's Age: 31 B/T: R/R Born: Brooklyn, NY Position(s): C View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  In Season 11, Neal was amazing for Jacksonville.  Catchers that can play a full 162 games are pretty rare.  Catchers who can play that full season, and hit at a .336 clip are even more rare.  Catchers who can do all of that while hitting 62 HR's and driving in 142 runs....they win the MVP award, which is what he did that season.  Drafted #2 overall in the first ever draft of this world, we knew Neal would be a super star someday, and he hit 57 bombs in his first ML season, but S11 was his best of his career, and the best of any catcher ever in this world.  (Yes yes yes, I know Washington hit 70 HR's and drove in 157 runs in only 146 games in S6, but that was in Colorado.  Do it at sea level, and then come talk to me.)  What's fascinating is how halfway through the following season, Neal was traded to Milwaukee. 

1B -

Albert Cairo Albuquerque Sandias Age: 35 B/T: R/R Born: Bani, DO Position(s): 1B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  Firstbase is always a tough position for these kinds of lists, because everyone has a 1B who has hit 50 HR's and driven in 150 runs.  My initial list was over a dozen guys, before I narrowed it down to Cairo, Ryan, and Belliard.  But how can you pass on Cairo's Season 5 in Santa Fe, when he joined the 70/70 club with 74 HR's and 71 SB's?  Throw in 188 RBI's, 166 runs scored, an OPS of 1.096, and 0 errors in 1214 putouts, and you have the best season ever for a 1B.  An MVP award, an All-Star appearance, and a Silver Slugger award capped off his season, along with 101 wins for the team, the most in franchise history.  He makes my cock hard.  That's not gay, is it?

2B -

Rick Halama none none Age: 39 B/T: R/R Born: San Bernardino, CA Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  I went back and forth on this one quite a few times.  I wanted to throw out the first couple of seasons of this world, because a lot of the numbers were a bit inflated, but....they are still numbers.  And Halama had some great ones (especially for a 2B) in the first season of this world.  48 HR's and 192 RBI's are the kinds of power numbers that you expect from a 1B or LF.  154 runs scored from the cleanup slot, along with a 1.179 OPS, and 66(!!) doubles, Halama couldn't be stopped that year.  But he didn't win the MVP.  That's how fucked up the numbers were that season, Belliard and his 74 HR's won the MVP for the AL.  Halama was more than solid defensively that year as well, fielding 2B at a .985 clip, better than his career average at the position. 

3B -

Aaron Spahn Durham Bulls Age: 33 B/T: R/R Born: Florence, CO Position(s): RF/CIF/2B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

You can't have any sort of list in this world without having Spahn pop up somewhere in it (unless it's a list of the most heterosexual players ever), and his Season 6 performance in pitcher-friendly San Diego gets him on this list.  A fairly pedestrian 35 HR's and 120 RBI's, coupled with 94 runs, 37 SB's, and only 8 errors all season earned him a spot on the All-Star team.  Let me come back to this one spot on this list in a few weeks, and I'll put Daryl Hawksworth's Season 14 down as the best season ever by a 3B.  But for now, it's Spahn and his dildo.

SS -

Domingo DeRojas none none Age: 38 B/T: R/R Born: Eldorado Culican, MX Position(s): RF/C/IF/OF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  I bet you forgot about DeRojas, didn't you?  Three 40+ HR seasons in the first four years of this world, he was a force to be reckoned with.  Season 4 was arguably his best, as he banged out 42 HR's and 105 RBI's, while scoring 104 times and stealing 27 bases.  His glove was an 85 that year, but his fielding was less than stellar, which may explain why he didn't make the All-Star team.  No Silver Slugger award either, because HBD is stupid sometimes.

LF -

Delino Ryan El Paso Mancos Age: 32 B/T: L/L Born: Charlotte, NC Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  Now we could argue all day as to whether Ryan and his 38 range and 44 glove should have been playing LF back in S6, but he only committed 2 errors for Oakland that summer, and only had 3 negative plays.  Not too shabby.  Better than seasons 9 and 10 in Indy, where he logged 262 games in LF and had 51 negative plays.  Ouch.  At the plate in S6 he jacked 69 HR's and drove in 186 runs, while crossing the plate 134 times himself.  An OPS of 1.051 (best of his career) and a nearly 1:1 BB:SO ratio (only topped by his S4 and approached by his S10), he won the MVP that year after making the All-Star team and earning the Silver Slugger as well. 

CF -

Lance Morris Jackson Generals Age: 31 B/T: R/R Born: Spencerville, OH Position(s): 2B/CIF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  I went back and forth on this one for a while.  Morris vs Bass vs Strickland.  Similar power numbers, similar speed, similar defensive numbers, etc.  Eventually I had to go with Morris' Season 5 output.  47 HR's, 129 RBI's, 35 SB's, 122 runs, and a career high 1.041 OPS.  On top of that, he was competent out in CF.  A .983 fielding percentage, he only had 7 errors all year, and only 1 negative play to his 7 plus plays.  It earned him the rookie of the year award, along with an All-Star appearance and a Silver Slugger award. 

RF -

Rob Dickerson none none Age: 39 B/T: L/L Born: Waverly, IL Position(s): 1B View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  If we go all the way back to Season 2, you'll find another of "those seasons" that will probably never happen again.  66 bombs and 179 RBI's for Dickerson, combined with a mind-blowing 1.193 OPS and 146 runs scored, he also fielded RF at a .995 clip with just 1 error all season.  An MVP, All-Star, and Silver Slugger awards all capped off his season, not to mention 110 wins, which is still a franchise record. 

DH -

Daniel Yerkes none none Age: 36 B/T: L/R Born: East Meadow, NY Position(s): C/1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  You remember Yerkes, right?  Me neither.  But way back in Season 1, he hit 57 HR's and drove in 141 runs, with a 1.103 OPS and more walks than SO's.  He made the All-Star team and won the Silver Slugger award, and was an absolute menace for Cleveland. 

SP -

Dummy Wayne Chicago Black Holes Age: 34 B/T: L/L Born: Surrey, BC Position(s): P (SP3) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  I know, I know, you all think your SP's are the best.  There was that one season when your one guy won X games and had an awesome ERA, and nobody noticed because your offense wasn't that great, and blah blah blah.  Dummy's numbers in Season 12 trump whatever your idiot pitchers have ever done.  Period.  27 wins, a 2.82 ERA, 7 complete games, a whopping 283 innings pitched, and a better than 3:1 SO:BB ratio, as he notched 281 SO's.  Talking about DH's made me soft, but looking at Dummy's numbers are making me turgid yet again.  Obviously, he had the Cy Young and an All-Star appearance that year.  I didn't name any pitchers in the "almost got there" category at the top, because nobody else was really in the running.

Closer -

Timo Cornelius Vancouver Coastals Age: 29 B/T: R/R Born: Milwaukee, WI Position(s): P (ClA) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

  Back in Season 9, Timo appeared in 56 games.  55 of those were save opportunities.  51 of those became saves.  He gave up only 7 earned runs in just shy of 55 innings of work, for a 1.15 ERA.  An OAV of .161, WHIP of 0.93, and 53 strikeouts, he was the Rookie of the Year, Fireman of the Year, and earned a spot on the All-Star team.  His 51 saves are tied for second on the all-time list of Most Saves in a Season.

There you go, pricks.  Don't say I've never done anything for you.  If you want to yell and scream about how great your guy is and how he should have been on the list.  Nobody is listening, but go ahead and scream.

Killing Time on Friday

My boss gave me a task this morning.  I nodded my head and said "sure, no problem."  He sent me an email with the contract he wanted me to look at, and I had no clue what it was he wanted me to do.  About a half hour later I sent him a file with some numbers and some info in it.  An hour after that he walks into my office with a big smile on his face and says "thanks for catching that $10K travel expense, we would have needed to swallow that otherwise."  It's a drop in the bucket, but $10K is still $10K.  So after pulling some bullshit out of my ass, I saved the company $10K, and I think I've earned myself some free time this afternoon.  I deserve it. 

Mrs njohnson78 and I bought a condo last month.  I wasn't a huge fan of the place when we first checked it out, but she kept bringing it up over and over again.  Eventually we got it for about $30K less than our original offer.  Yes, you read that right.  It's a long story, and not very exciting, but we got a fairly reasonable deal on the place.  Now it's not exactly in the ghetto of Arlington, VA, but it's not exactly in the upscale area where we had been renting an apartment for the last five years.  It's sort of on the border between a really nice area where they are selling one bedroom condo's for $300K, and the ghetto where every store sign is written in Spanish and the average apartment houses a family of ten.  Our new place is also on the bottom floor.  Our "backyard" is a 5'x7' patio, and the only thing between us and the outside world is a sliding glass door.  Do I think something bad will happen?  No.  Do I think something bad could happen?  Sure. 

So yesterday I finally pulled the trigger (partial pun intended) and bought a Mossberg 500 12ga pump action shotgun.  I kind of wanted an over/under, but the wife said that if I was getting a shotgun, she wanted a pump.  And if someone does break in, do I really only want two shots before I have to reload?  But so I was drinking with a buddy of mine last night, and he looked at me like I had two heads when I said I had bought a gun.  Now we have 32 owners in this world, and I'm fairly sure we have a pretty wide variety of Americans (along with those dirty canucks), so I wanted to post a poll and see if we have the same gun viewpoints as the general population.

Actual HBD talk?  Fine, if I must.  I've been avoiding this all season, but I think I finally need to admit I might have been wrong.  I know, it's shocking.  Both that I was wrong, and I'm admitting it.  El Paso may have spent the offseason shitting their pants, but they currently have more wins than anyone else in the NL.  I know, I know, usually my predictions go exactly as.....predicted.  Shit.  Thank god Baltimore and Jacksonville are sucking it up.  Rochester is doing better than predicted, but they won't make the playoffs, which makes me feel a little better.  My predictions of Helena and St Louis winning their divisions is looking pretty solid, although I said they would get the first round byes, and right now El Paso (!?!?!) and Albuquerque (not surprising) are in line for the #1 and #2 slots.  Jackson, Boise, and New Orleans are in the running for the wild card, which I kinda sorta predicted.  If the playoffs started today, Helena would get Boise, while St Louis would get Jackson.  And when I say "get them," I mean they really get them, hard and from behind.  No lube, and no easing it in.  Sergei, are you hard yet? 

In other news, if Buck Cain doesn't win another MVP award, I'm calling shenanigans.  I know Babe Quinlan thinks he's the next Buck, but he can lick it.  It?  Yeah, it.  And I know Shane McKnight is at the top of the Cy Young list right now, but if we vote a closer for Cy, then the terrorists win.  J.C. Stewart is going to win the Silver Slugger award for pitchers this year.  Why?  Because he's batting fucking .326 and probably has more RBI's than your SS does.  Was it publicly announced that Alejandro Lee got injured?  That poor bastard.  After so many seasons playing for shitty Hartford, he had a cup of coffee in Cincy where he probably thought it was heaven, and then he gets traded to the Durham powerhouse for a slightly longer cup of coffee, and then Houston gives him a monster contract.  When all is said and done, he'll have made about $175M when this contract runs out at the end of S18.  He'll be in his mid-30's, probably still in the low- to mid-80's overall, and he'll get another four or five year deal at $10M/yr.  Where was I going with this?  Oh yeah, he finally found a good team.  Houston is 77-55 right now and having the best season since S4-7, back when they used to go to the playoffs.  And he's hurt.  Is he going to be the best player in this world to never win a World Series?  And is there any doubt that Albert Cairo will go down as the best player ever in this world, period?  6 MVP's, 2 WS rings, 12-time All-Star, and a bunch of GG and SS awards.  700 HR's is right in front of him.  900 SB's is a long-shot, but a possibility.  Should reach 2000 runs in the next few days.  If he doesn't reach 2500 hits this year, it'll be next year.  Such a stud.  OK, that's all I've got.

Battle of the Olivias

Munn:

Wilde:

Portman vs Hathaway

Alba vs Kunis