BRASSball League News

August 2004

www.brassball.org

AL Report

(AL Reporter ñ Robert Smith)

AL EAST Expanded Standings
	W-L	GB	HOME	ROAD	Vs LH	1-RUN
Bakersfield Rattlers	75-65	---	39-31	36-34	26-15	29-19
Moline Cutters	62-78	13	31-39	31-39	24-20	27-21
Minnesota Mudcats	58-82	17	34-36	24-46	19-26	13-25
Hessville Everreadys	53-87	22	32-38	21-49	17-26	20-18

The Rattlers once again had a 14-14 month. They now have been 14-14 in 4 of the 5 months they have played so far. The only month they didnít go 14-14 was in June when they were 19-9. The Rattlers offensive was led by Derek Lee, Lee belted 8 homeruns and batted .305 for the month. Tim Hudson had another solid month as he went 4-2 with a 1.74 era. Keith Foulke was solid closing out games for the Rattlers as he was 2-0 with 7 saves and a 2.35 era.

The Cutters had a rough month of August going 9-19 but remained in 2^nd place. Rocco Baldelli led the charge offensively batting .345 with 5 homeruns and 19 rbi. Brad Wilkerson contributed 6 homeruns and a .303 batting average. Rookie Mark Prior was the lone bright spot for the Cutters pitching staff going 3-3 with a 3.97 era.

Minnesota also had a rough month in the East as they could manage only a 10-18 record. Once again A-Rod led the offense with a .333 batting average, 7 homeruns and 22 rbi. Jay Gibbons had a solid month hitting .288 with 8 homeruns and 23 rbi. The Mudcats pitching was lit up to the tune of a league worst 6.27 team era. Rookie Jeremy Bonderman took his lumps going 1-5 with a 8.90 era.

Hessville remained in last place despite going 12-16 for the month. Rondell White clubbed a team high 7 homeruns while driving in 18. Rookie Dontrelle Willis did not get support going only 1-1 despite a 3.57 era.

AL CENTRAL Expanded Standings
	W-L	GB	HOME	ROAD	Vs LH	1-RUN
New Hampshire	77-63	---	46-24	31-39	21-13	22-28
Cook County	63-77	14	28-48	35-35	18-17	14-22
Box City Parcelman	60-80	17	33-37	27-43	14-20	16-12
Plaza Lions	53-87	24	27-43	26-44	13-17	13-20

New Hampshire pretty much clinched a division title by going 18-10 in August to open up a 14 game lead. Newly acquired Carl Everett contributed right away as he hit .326 with 8 homeruns and 17 rbi. Torii Hunter had a big month as well hitting .294 with 11 homeruns and 28 rbi. The pitching was solid as well led by Kelvim Escobar who went 4-1 with a 3.28 era.

Cook County remained in 2^nd place while going only 13-15 in August. The Maulers hit a paltry .219 as a team in August. Rookie Carl Crawford was solid though, as he hit .298 with 21 stolen bases. The pitching staff kept the Maulers in games led by Jon Garlandís 4-1 record and 2.57 era.

Box City remained in 3^rd place while also posting a 13-15 record. Raul Ibanez continued to scorch the ball for the Parcelman as he hit .322 with 5 homeruns and 24 rbi. The pitching staff was hit hard as the team era was 5.86. The lone bright spot for Box City was Corey Lidle who went 2-0 with a 2.95 era.

The Plaza Lions had one of there best months of the year going 14-14. Preston Wilson hit only .226 but led the team in homeruns with 9 and rbi with 28. The pitching helped Plaza to their 14-14 record as they posted a team era of 4.05. Brian Reith was solid out of the bullpen posting a 2-0 record and a 0.63 era.

AL WEST Expanded Standings
	W-L	GB	HOME	ROAD	Vs LH	1-RUN
Toledo Mudhens	92-48	---	50-20	42-28	28-17	20-20
Santa Barbara	78-62	14	39-31	39-31	22-19	17-30
Boston Rust	57-83	35	31-39	26-44	17-30	16-25
Brooklyn Bulldogs	51-89	41	28-42	23-47	16-28	23-23

The Toledo Mudhens had the best record of any American League team in August going 21-7 to open up a 14 game lead. The Mudhen offense was unstoppable, hitting .294 with 44 homeruns and 160 rbi for the month. Luis Castillo was the table setter hitting .373 with 20 stolen bases. Andres Galaragga chipped in with 6 homeruns and 13 rbi in only 56 at bats. The pitching staff was also impressive as the team posted a 3.45 era. Esteban Loaiza was 4-0 with a 1.30 era while rookie Ryan Franklin went 7-1 with a 3.59 era.

Santa Barbara has a disappointing month going 13-15 but you wouldnít know it by looking at the numbers the Outlaws put up. They hit .282 as a team with 48 homeruns. Nomar Garciaparra had a tremendous month hitting .394 with 7 homeruns and 24 rbi. The pitching staff had a league low 3.35 era. Roy Halladay was 2-2 with 2.52 era.

The Boston Rust had a tough month going 10-18. Offensively Manny Ramirez again was the star batting .416 with 8 homeruns and 23 rbi. Not to be outdone Aubrey Huff contributed a .355 average with 8 homeruns and 29 rbi. The pitching staff was the problem as the Rust team era was 5.49. Carl Pavano was roughed up going 0-5 with a 5.91 era.

The Bulldogs remained in the basement going 10-18. The Bulldogs hit a league low 14 homeruns in August. Alex Cintron was one of the bright spots hitting .317 with 3 homeruns and 17 rbi. The Bulldogs pitching was lit up in August. Javier Vazquez had a month to forget going 1-4 with a 11.13 era.

American League Player of the Month: Aubrey Huff

American League Pitcher of the Month: Esteban Loaiza

American League Projected Player of the Year: Manny Ramirez

American League Projected Pitcher of the Year: Tim Hudson

NL Report

(NL Reporter ñ Ray Martin)

Rank	Team (LM/PR)	Record	Home	Away	BA	ERA	August	BA	ERA	Notes/Award Contenders Season-to-date:
#1	Metropolis (#2/#1)	109-31	57-13	52-18	.278	2.95	25-3	.306	3.91	With the support of an amazing 25-3 record, Metropolis regains the top spot in the NL, going into the showdown with Ocala.
	Wells-.360 2HR 20RBI Martinez 3.06 4-0									Cy-Jason Schmidt 18-4 2.55 MVP-Barry Bonds .326 45 109
#2	Ocala (#1/#2)	106-34	59-11	47-23	.307	3.54	17-11	.309	4.24	Much like Highlander, ìThere can only be oneî and Ocala is in a colossal struggle with Metropolis for the division championship. Theyíll certainly be providing a preview of a playoff match-up, as they slug it out with a home and home the last month.
	Sheffield .333 10HR 27RBI and 27Runs Shield 2.57 3-1 33Kís									Cy-Todd Henton .352 36 137 MVP-Scott Shields 16-1 2.85
#3	Stanley (#3/#3)	89-51	43-27	46-24	.272	4.16	20-8	.283	3.83	Any other year Stanley fans and youíd be special. Picked #3 preseason, you delivered on the high expectations. Anything can happen in a short series.
	J.Gonzalez.371 11HR 15RBI J.Lopez .290 10HR 18RBI									Cy-Schilling 13-6 3.05 MVP-Lopez .304 43 108

Rank	Team (LM/PR)	Record	Home	Away	BA	ERA	August	BA	ERA	Notes/Award Contenders Season-to-date:
#4	Glen Allen (#3/#4)	83-57	41-35	42-28	.285	4.40	13-15	.251	4.11	Falls out of tie with Stanley and back into projected #4 spot/into another tie with Springfield. Solid team with 90+ wins virtually guaranteed.
	Pujols-.327 8HR 25RBI Donnelly 0.00 1-0 4 saves.									Cy- Donnelly 1.41 31 Saves MVP- Pujols .378 52 142
#4	Springfield (#5/#5)	84-56	47-23	37-31	.278	4.26	14-14	.284	4.43	Truly a solid team and contender in any year without the two powerhouses. Projected at #5 and has done a superb job in maintaining that prowess with the fine franchises in the NL.
	H.Blalock .372 4HR 19RBI J.Guillen .362 4HR 15RBI J.Smoltz 1.84 1-0 5 Saves									Cy-Smoltz 1.86 5-1 24 saves MVP-Bagwell .304 35 95
#6	Charlevoix (#6/#11)	81-59	41-29	40-30	.309	5.32	16-12	.315	6.49	Still clearly the most underestimated team in the NL and not an overachiever. Outstanding hitting continues to make up for the pitching. If you love softball then this would be your team.
	Loretta-.344 4HR 19RBI D. Lowe 4.40 ERA 5-0.									Cy-Lidge 3.51 24 saves 6-2 MVP-Loretta .366 17 71
#7	Bloomington(#8/#6)	74-66	38-32	36-34	.291	5.01	19-9	.304	4.74	Meeting expectations after early trials. Only surprising Charlevoix stands between them and pre-season projections.
	Big Three-Irod-.379 7HR 21RBI, Soriano-.315 11 24RBI and Suzuki .306 4HR and 16RBI.									Cy-Rivera 3.61 31 saves 0-8 MVP-Soriano .324 44 126 36SB
#8	Gem City (#7/#9)	69-71	35-35	34-36	.270	4.72	8-20	.228	5.41	Poor month coupled with Bloomington surge places them down a spot and struggling for a revered .500 season.
	Harvey .300 4HR and 20RBI. Looper 1-0 2.49ERA.									Cy-Benitez 3.38 19saves 6-3 MVP-Delgado .302 32 90
#9	Maine (#10/#8)	60-80	27-43	33-37	.247	5.02	17-11	.267	3.85	Nice month at 17-11 and has outside shot of catching Gem City and getting out of the bottom third.
	Hidalgo .342 5HR and 19RBI Hentgen 1.88 3-0 2CG									Cy-Hentgen 8-6 3.31 MVP-Rolen .281 22 80
#10	North Georgia (#9/#7)	55-85	26-44	29-41	2.83	5.27	8-20	.261	5.42	A horrible month at home (1-13) solidifies this teams position in the bottom third. Looking to next year and high picks.
	Patterson-.351 7HR 16RBI and 8SB. Polanco-.287 7HR 23RBI.									Cy-Pettite 4.56 11-12 MVP-Renteria .362 13 71 25 SB
#11	Port Richey (#11/#12)	52-88	26-44	26-44	.266	5.37	11-17	.262	5.47	#10 is in sight given the recent struggles of North Georgia, otherwise an uneventful conclusion to a rebuilding year.
	D.Mientkiewicz .308 2HR 18RBI J.Towers 1.95ERA 2-0 27.2IP									Cy-Oliver 4.29 10-11 MVP- Mientkiewicz .324 5 51

Rank	Team (LM/PR)	Record	Home	Away	BA	ERA	August	BA	ERA	Notes/Award Contenders Season-to-date:
#12	Fleetwood (#12/#10)	39-101	22-48	17-53	.254	6.30	11-17	.248	4.66	Good news is that it can only be improvements from here and some promise is evident on this roster.
	Cabrera .265 7HR and 25RBI Seo 4-0 2.66ERA.									Cy-Seo 11-7 4.76 MVP-Abreu .307 13 69 15SB
	Bold-League best or MVP/CY Young Favorite
Note:	LW-Last weeks ranking
	PR-Preseason Ranking

National League Player of the Month: Gary Sheffield

National League Pitcher of the Month: Pat Hentgen

National League Projected Player of the Year: Albert Pujols

National League Projected Pitcher of the Year: Brendan Donnelly

League Membership Dues

Itís an even year so once again we have dues. The dues will remain at $15. These are mainly used to pay for the website and BRASSball Championship trophy. As usual, these should cover us for the next two seasons. If you are interested, the website cost the league $99 last year and the trophy $46.

Player Usage

Be sure to monitor those PA/IP in the final month. Failure to stay within the proscribed limits will result in substantial fines. Each PA over the buffer limit of 5 PA is $250,000. Each IP over the buffer limit of 3 IP is $500,000. Keep in mind, the buffer is not ìadditionalî PA / IP. These are there in case of ìextraî PA / IP that occur during the course of the month. A example of this could be a couple of road games go many extra innings, or your teamís offense has a colossal month on the road. In all cases, be sure to notify ASAP of these situations. It will be much easier to plead your case if you are upfront rather than having me catch it later. One last note: The league file has NOT been adjusted to the 105% limit. So, if you have a player with 600 PA and you have used 580 to date, you will have 20 PA plus 30 (the 5% additional) or 50 PA.

MO Usage

MO players can be used in September without any additional cost. Also, you do not need to notify the LD of the players that will be used. Consider the $100,000 that you paid them at the beginning of the season the charge for using them this final month.

September Roster Limit

The roster limit for September play is 35 players. This is not a 35-player limit per game or series, rather a 35-player limit for the entire month. If you wish to use more than 15 pitchers, you will need to activate/inactivate the 16, 17, 18, etc. pitchers on an as-needed basis. This is due to Stratís 15-pitcher roster limitation.

AL Reporter Needed

The American League Reporter position is open for 2005. This position pays $3,750,000 and will begin at seasonís end (beginning with the playoffs).

Thanks to Robert Smith for doing a great job authoring the ALís articles for 2004. Due to a busy schedule, Robert Smith will not be able to continue as the American League Reporter.

End of the Season Signings

MO, Y1, Y2, A, U and ìamî player signings are due by October 25. For roster administration purposes, I will begin moving all players currently on MO, Y1, Y2 and ìamî to their next contract and highlight them in color. This roster file will be provided shortly after the completion of the season. This will aid you in your decision-making. However, I also recommend that you refer to the constitution for clarity on this subject. I know there are some tough decisions out there. It might be beneficial to give some of these some advance thought. By the way, roster cuts are also due on this date. As always, if you have questions on this, let me know.

League Member E-Mail Changes

David Barberís e-mail has changed. Dbarber600@yahoo.com is now the e-mail home for Moline.

Trades

95. Toledo trades Alfredo Amezaga to Bakersfield for Bakersfieldís 2006 4^th round draft choice.
96. Santa Barbara trades Adam Piatt to Bakersfield for Bakersfieldís 2005 8^th round draft choice.
97. Fleetwood trades Chad Gaudin to Metropolis for Mark Grace, Maineís 2005 2^nd round draft choice and $150,000.

Upcoming League Deadlines

September 15

September Home Series Results deadline

Series results for September are due to home opponents, League Statistician and

Backup Statistician.

September 25

Dues Payment deadline

Dues of $15 are due to the LD.

Rule Change Proposals deadline

Proposals for change are due to the LD.

Contract Extensions deadline

Free agent contract extensions are due to the LD.

October 25

Contract Signings / Roster Cuts deadline

- MO, Y1, Y2, A, U and ìamî contract signings are due to the LD.

- Any roster cuts are due to the LD.

League Awards Ballot deadline

League Award ballots due to the LD.

Rule Changes Ballot deadline

Rule Change ballots due to the LD.

League Membership Articles

Jim Clark and Ray Martin have submitted articles this month.

Mets Watch August 2004

Dog Days Hit in Glen Allen

The Mets knew that this would be an important month in their pennant drive. They faced competition from the National League Central Division and only won five games in The Yard. The Mets could only win one game in each series from the Yellow jackets of North Georgia, Ocelots of Ocala and the Metropolis Avengers. Ocala and Metropolis are the best two team in all of Brassball, so one will win the division and the other the wild card so the Mets need to win their division to make the playoffs.

At the start of the final month of the season, the Mets are one game behind the Isotopes from Springfield and only two games ahead of the Charlevoix Tigers. Manager Clark expressed some concern; ìThe Tigers have some awesome hitters while the Isotopes have a great bullpen. Our defense is better than either with the addition of Vizquel, but the entire team must be ready to play to win this division! Heck the Everglades could be a key factor as spoilers so we cannot take them lightly either. In spring training I told the guys it would be a marathon and now we are down to the last mile.î

MVP, MVP!!!

Met fans can be heard with this chant whenever Albert Pujols comes to bat. We are not talking merely about the Glen Allen MVP, but the Most Valuable Player of the entire National League! Albert leads the league in average .378, runs 139, slugging % .758, total base 405, IBB 14 while being second in hits 202, RBI 142, HR 52 and OBP % .463. All this while only hitting .234 last month at home with only 11 hits, 3 HR and 10 RBI. Bench Coach Stanley commented, ìImagine where he would be if he had his typical month at The Yard.î

Pujols the ever-humble giant commented briefly, ìWe could not win much here (pointing to his home field) now we second place. Must do better next month to win the East.î Then he pounded a few line drives off the fence in center field.

Speed

Mets first base and base running coach Mookie Wilson could only smile when asked about Juan Pierre, ìDo you see how fast he is?î Juan was successful in17/21 stolen base attempts, but only batted .230 last months after his addition to the Glen Allen from Brooklyn. After trading leadoff hitter Brian Roberts, Pierre must get on base a little more if the Mets have any playoff aspirations.

Howard Johnson the Hitting coach has been working with Pierre to try to level his swing. ìWe do not need WTP (warning track power) from our lead off spot. He needs to let the big guys swing for the fences and just use his talented legs to mess up the opposing pitchers and defense. I like to see Vizquel bat second because as a veteran base stealer he allows Juan the opportunity to steal, or advance on hit and run etc.î

Possible Rule Proposal for a litmus check-

by Ray Martin

With the conclusion of each season, I try and reflect on an adjustment that I believe would enhance the overall playability and competitiveness of the league. With that in mind, I believe that an adjustment to the roster levels/draft protection limit would make for quicker rebuilding and enhance parity.

Currently we are allowed to protect 30 players and our amateurs prior to the draft. Iíd suggest that we lower this number to a total of no more than 25 players, to include amateurs. Now before you universally dismiss this as the ranting of a heretic, consider that it would certainly enhance the draft and in reality it would not be so great as to make great players be released. Also it would really not endanger a contender from falling into an pretender, but it would help in spreading the youth and force teams to trade in areas of excess a little more from their veterans or at least leave them exposed.

If the amateurs being included is a sticking point or too liberal, then Iíd suggest a 25-man protection be allowed, with amateurs not being included. This wouldnít make for the beauty of the number 25, which is much more rooted in baseball than 30, but would be a step in the right direction. I believe that free agency would become stronger, as given the likelihood of players having to be exposed then greater care would be made in the signings and ultimately better dispersing.

Also, Iíd like to have you consider then having a 40-man roster with amateurs included ( number of amateurs not limited to any number, but each team would be allowed to have 40 players at all times to include amateurs ). This measure I believe if coupled with the 25 man protection would make the draft truly interesting deeper than in years past. Anyway these are them in written form for your consideration, if I get some positive feedback ( feel free to adjust to a way that youíd be more in favor of ), then Iíll look to see if a formal rule proposal is warranted.

1. Rosters are set at a forty maximum and any deal that ends up with more than that must include a cut to be accepted. With this would come a 25-man protected list (Any number of amateurs may be included) prior to the draft. Then a 15 round draft would be conducted for all teams, where reclaims could be made of new players selected.

2. With this change Iíd also suggest that the claim amount be adjusted to correspond with the round the player is selected and then that amount be given to the team that lost the player ( One of the Options below ).

A) Any player taken rounds 1-5 returns 150K to the original team, 6-10 returns 100K and then 11-15 returns 50K.

B) Each round costs less by 10,000 throughout each round of the draft.

1^st round-150,000, 2^nd round-140,000, 3^rd round-130,000, 4^th round-120,000, etc.

Your thoughts? Stick or boomerang yours to decide?