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04/12/2066
The 88th season opener in Brewers League Baseball has come and gone. After the Windy City Blues took home the 2065 crown, the stadiums were empty and dark once again. And then, at last, comes spring. The long winter gave way to renewal as gates swung open and ballparks awoke, their seats filled once again with jubilant fans. The smell of fresh-cut grass and hot dogs returned, and the scoreboard lit up with new possibilities. Opening Day is not just the start of a season; it is a ritual of rebirth, a reminder that even after the darkest winter, the game will always return, as timeless and enduring as the changing of the seasons.
Thank you to our new assistant, but enough of all that...back to the action! This past week the Tobs, Wildcats, and Exports were the toast of the league as they all went 6-1. On the other side of life Maine and Washington went 0-7. Wait...what? We expect that from the Guides, who were picked to go 41-121 in the OSA Season Predictions, but not the Bats. With newly signed superstars Marc Dillard and Teddy Burch, Washington went on the road to Carolina and Windy City and just couldn't come away with a win. With four one-run losses and heaps of talent, we think they'll be just fine this season. Maybe?
Power Rankings
1) Carolina Tobs (160.3, ++)
2) Montreal Exports (158.3, ++)
3) Wilmington Wildcats (158.3, ++)
4) Syracuse Snappers (154.9, ++)
5) California Kodiaks (133.5, -)
6) New York Cyclones (129.5, ++)
7) Seattle Pilots (124.1, ++)
8) Toronto Canadians (107.8, ++)
9) Windy City Blues (107.8, ++)
10) Pawtucket Patriots (105.8, ++)
11) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (105.8, ++)
12) Batavia Muckdogs (104.8, --)
13) Indianapolis Clowns (104.8, --)
14) Phoenix Roadrunners (102.8, +)
15) Baltimore Bulldogs (101.8, --)
16) Hartford Whalers (77.2, --)
17) Los Angeles Sharks (50.5, --)
18) Denver Bulls (47.5, --)
19) Dallas Drillers (46.5, --)
20) Pittsburgh Millers (46.5, --)
21) New Orleans Voodoo (25.1, --)
22) Philadelphia Freedom (24.1, --)
23) Maine Guides (-14.0, --)
24) Washington Bats (-14.0, -)
Performance of the Week
1B Joey Fontana - This kid hit .318/.391/.630 with 13 HR and 42 in 2063, while he was in high school. Now three years later he's in the BLB and lighting it up. On the second day of the season against Denver, he went four for five with two home runs and a double, while adding six RBI and scoring twice. Seattle won 11-3 and Fontana stated after the game, "Winning is all that really matters and we got it done today."
Prospect of the Week
LF Elias Hall - The 20 year old junior from Oklahoma State is the same age as Fontana, and is eligible for the 2066 draft where he could be a top pick. This season for OSU he hit .282/.379/.629 with 17 HR and 35 RBI while putting up a 136 OPS+. He's a 2x NCAA All-Star and scouts say he "projects to be an elite big league left fielder."
Five Things We Think We Think
1. The OSA predicted Wilmington to win 103 games, and Maine to lose 121 games. The Daily Keg predicted Wilmington to finish third in the Lager, and Maine to finish fourth in the Ale. As of now it appears the DK isn't very good at predictions. The Wildcats are 6-1 and added Sherwin Kendrick and Trent West this past week. Both are good to great, as Kendrick went 12-10 with a 3.82 ERA last season with Washington, while West put up a .939 OPS and hit 38 home runs for Pawtucket. The Guides are 0-7 and were outscored by 35 runs in just one week. Their fans were not impressed. The good thing for Maine is that the Ale hasn't been very competitive lately. The bad thing for Wilmington is the Lager has been. Every single team in that division has the ability be above .500, with Montreal, Santo Domingo, and Dallas having the chance to win 90+ games. It's a long season though, and as mama always says, "don't live and die week by week in the BLB."
2. The WBC gave us a little baseball this off-season, as the United States won it for the first time in the last three tournaments. In 2056 it was Europe who beat the US 2-1, and in 2060 it was Africa who shocked the world and swept the US in the title game. This past season though the US finished 12-3 and swept the West Indies to get their first trophy since 2052. That 2052 team featured pitchers such as Theodore Blume, Martin Hoffman, Jannero Peter, Andy Phillips and Cayden Wittmeyer, and hitters such as Dwight Bell, Colby Hullinger, Dane Jennings, and Dennis Daly. This season the US was led by Marc Dillard (who threw a perfect game), Grant Henry, 18-year-old Lewis Coleman (who went 3-0), Brian Van Hook, Evan Olsen, Andy Christman, and Dominick Booth.
3. The minor leagues play ball this week, which means the 2066 BLB Draft is right around the corner. We already discussed Elias Hall, but this year’s draft appears to be a little more exciting than last year’s dud. The biggest excitement last year was the mix-up over the second overall pick by Phoenix. This season the Roadrunners have the first overall pick, once again followed by Maine. With what appears to be a lot more talent, hopefully things go smoother this time. With the minors starting up, that means the NCAA, CCBL, and High School teams are in their final week. Looking over the leagues, no team has been more impressive than the Orleans Firebirds of the CCBL. They have won 23 straight games and are 39-6 on the season. They have gone 23-1 on the road, lead the league in almost every hitting and pitching category, and have outscored their opponents by 147 runs. We see a first round sweep coming up by a .500 team come playoff time.
4. It was a quite a week in the BLB in the front officers, as Andrew S took over the Baltimore Bulldogs. From 1978 to 1990 he led the Maine Guides to six titles. He then left baseball due to family life but came back to run an expansion team in Kansas City, where he built them up and won a championship in 2024. Stepping away once again he hasn't been seen since 2027. He resurfaced a few years back, taking on small roles assisting clubs behind the scenes, but was looking for a bigger role. Now ready to get back into it, he will now lead the Bulldogs who saw their GM step down last week.
That GM was none other than Delandis D. Coming into the league in 1983, Delandis has led the Baltimore Bulldogs over the course of 13,366 games. Over those games he's 854 games over .500, third most all-time. He led Baltimore to the postseason 45 times, winning championships in 2001 and 2058. Delandis is without a doubt one of the greatest and most influential GMs in the history of the league, and he will be sorely missed. The good thing about the BLB is we rarely say goodbye, we just say, "until we meet again."
5. Week two means interleague as the Domestic and Import do battle.
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Stat of the Week
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