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After years of torment and being the worst team in the league, Frankfurt has finally rebounded and made a statement. In the first five games of the season they are one of five who remain unbeaten on top of the league. Their wins came against East rivals from years past, in Iceland and Dublin.

To begin the week, Frankfurt played a 3-Game series with Dublin. In the first game, Marc Southworth II took the mound for the Force going against Dublin's David Boean. The score was knotted at 0-0 for the first four and a half innings, and you could already tell that this was going to be a good game. Dublin jumped out on top when Andre Beasley hit in Babe Ruth III, who got on base due to a hit by pitch. Frankfurt didn't mess around, and came right back at them with Josh Andrews - Tony Kobbs back-to-back homeruns to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth. Southworth then took over and shut Dublin down for the rest of the game not allowing another run. The score stayed at 2-1, until the top of the ninth inning when the Frankfurt bats started making contact again. Gerald Schultz started the rally out with his 1-out double. Jason Hernandez stepped to the plate next, and sent the ball sailing 432-feet over the fence, and giving the Force a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Smith N Wesson came in, in the bottom of the ninth to finish it out, and get the save. Frankfurt’s new season with a new team had begun, and they were off on the right foot 1-0.

After winning their first game, and having a winning record for most likely the first time ever, Frankfurt came out determined to win again. This night had Zach Kobbs facing off against Dublin's Anthony Eldridge. Pedro Kapler got things going early for the Force this evening as he jacked a shot in the top of the 2nd inning, and gave his team a 1-0 lead. The Force struck again in the top of the 4th, when Richie Maple singled to the gap in right-center, and Pedro Kapler stepped to the plate, and singled to left to bring Maple home with a close call at the plate, but after the dust settled, SAFE was the call, and Frankfurt took the 2-0 lead. The top of the 5th was the next Force strike, as Tony Kobbs got a hold of one, and sent it 370-feet for the 3-0 lead. Gerald Schultz waited out the pitcher for a base on balls. Schultz steals second, and with a bad throw by the catcher advances to third. Jason Hernandez got up to the plate and singled down the line, to score Schultz and end the Force scoring for the day, and take the lead 4-0. Dublin's Dave Smith did manage to hit a solo-homerun in the bottom of the 9th, but it was too little too late for the Fightin' Irish and they fell by the same score as the night before, 4-1. Zach Kobbs pitched 8.1 innings, allowing 5 hits, and 1 run, striking out 19 as he earned for himself the player of the game.

The Force have their 2-0 start, and still had one more go 'round with the Dublin Fightin' Irish. Andy Quigly took the mound for the Force, and Roger Parmelee took the mound for the Fightin' Irish. Jalen Montgomery gave the hitting aid to Quigly in this game as he went 2-5 with 2 homeruns, and 3 RBIs. The Force took the lead in the 3rd 2-0, off a Montgomery 2-run shot, and then added to it in the 4th, and the 5th innings, to have a 4-0 lead. Mike Rotch finished the scoring for the Force in the top of the 7th, when he hit his first homerun of the season, to put his team up 5-0. The game was a dogfight after that, neither team being able to score, and that's the way it would finish 5-0, and the Force were still unbeaten. Andy Quigly went the whole game, allowing just 3 hits, 0 runs, and striking out 13. The only three Fightin' Irish to even get a hit were Duke Wallace, Dave Smith, and Jon Wiggins. The Force upended a former foe, and were on their way to what seems to be a possible winning season.

After beating Dublin three straight times, Frankfurt hosted Iceland for two games. The first game had Ty Quigly going against Tim Wilhelm. Frankfurt knew what they had to do, jump out early and not look back. They did just that; they jumped out early in the first inning, going up 3-0. Jalen Montgomery started it off with a double, followed by a Josh Andrews double that scored Montgomery, and the Force were up 1-0. Kobbs followed Andrews, and sent this ball out of the park for a 2-run shot, and the 3-0 lead. The very next inning, the Force started hitting again. This time Mike Rotch started the hitting with a single, followed by a fielding error by the third baseman on a Ty Quigly hit, putting men on first and second for the Force. After two straight failed attempts to bring them in, Tony Kobbs stepped to the plate and nailed a 3-run shot, his second of the game, and only in the second inning. Kobbs put the Force up 6-0, and was responsible for five of those RBIs. Iceland began trying to inch their way back, and in top of the 5th, Marc Southworth hit a solo-homerun, bringing the IceCats within 5. The bottom of the 5th sunk the spirits of the IceCats, as Gerald Schultz earned himself a walk, followed by a stolen base, and a sacrifice hit, advancing him to third. Richie Maple then singled Schultz home and the lead was back to six, 7-1. Pedro Kapler, the next batter, then singled, sending Maple to second. Mike Rotch followed that with a single of his own, scoring Maple, and sending Kapler to third, and himself to second. After a Ty Quigly strikeout, Jalen Montgomery singled, scoring Kapler, and sending Rotch to third. Josh Andrews capped off the inning with a 3-run homerun that dealt a blow to the IceCats morale for the rest of the game. Six runs in that inning, and the score stood at 12-1. The IceCats managed just one more run in the game, as the Force won 12-2, and dominated an old rival who used to take it to them.

4-0? Who would have thought that the Frankfurt Force could start a season out as 4-0? Well they were, and were looking to beat Iceland once more to start the season out perfect for the first time ever. The game pitted Marc Southworth II, pitching against his former teammates in Iceland for the first time since he left, against Big Poppa. Southworth II dominated the game, going 7 innings, allowing just 3 hits, and 1 run, while striking out nine. The Force and the IceCats both scored one run in the first inning, and you could already tell that this was going to be a good game. A Tony Kobbs solo homerun in the bottom of the 6th gave the Force the lead, and they wouldn't look back after that. They added another run in the 7th, as the Frankfurt Force, successfully went 5-0 in a sim for most likely the first time ever. The celebrating was on in Frankfurt as their team was finally a contender and winning some games.

There you have it, Frankfurt, coming a long way from where they were a year ago, stands at 5-0, tied with Seoul at the top of the Eastern Hemisphere. The only question remaining now is can they beat Great Britain when it comes time? The WBLedger wish Frankfurt the best of for the rest of the season, and keep up the great work so far.

Charlie barely makes the countdown of top prospects this week, as he ranks in at number 10. Charlie plays centerfield, and has just recently been traded from Iceland to Dublin in exchange for closer R. Persuad. Charlie is slowly moving himself up in this league. He is consistently active, and has a 4 in doubles, 1 in triples, 9 in homeruns, 6 in getting base on balls, and 2 on avoiding strikeouts. Charlie is a good player, but he really needs to work on his avoiding strikeouts rather then gaining walks. His fielding is also pretty stellar for a prospect. He has a B range and a .700 fielding percentage in centerfield, with a B arm. So to put this in real terms, he can field the ball without making errors pretty well with the occasional slip ups, and can also throw the ball decent, but not great yet. Charlie is definitely an up-and-comer in this league, and wouldn't surprise me to see him top 5 in this countdown by the end of the season.

Dirk ranks in at #9 on our countdown, and is working his way up the list. He currently has 10's in avoiding hits, and homeruns, with a 9 in avoiding walks. His duration as a starter isn't quite what it needs to be to become a star, but he's still a rookie and has a lot of room to improve. The things he really lacks are striking people out, avoiding doubles, and forcing groundballs. If Dirk keeps up the hardwork Frankfurt has a solid pitcher to look forward to with this guy. Be on the look out for him in the next few weeks. He just might make a splash in this league.

Eric Mayo is more then just a good player, but he is a team player. In a press conference held by Great Britain GM Joe Slugga, he announced that Eric Mayo offered to switch positions to Catcher for the sake of the team. What a guy, not only great player, but great guy. He has great attributes to, as he can hit the single, double, or triple. He can send the ball out of the park, but also avoids strikeouts very well. If I had to put this guy up against most other prospects, I'd pick him. His ability to draw the walk is another great thing he has. His ability at catcher isn't great yet, but his catcher's arm is amazing already. With a little work on fielding this player will be a stand out for the Great Britain Redcoats.

I don't know how McGlynn is ahead of Mayo, but he is, so let's go see what he can do. McGlynn can hit the ball decently for a prospect, but nowhere near as good as Mayo or some of the others already mentioned. McGlynn is on the expansion team South African Lions and will be a big help to their line-up. He is improving and that is always a good thing to have some improving. By the end of the season, he should be a stellar performer for the Lions. His fielding is quite good as well, with a great range and fielding percentage at second base. You won't see many errors from him. With a little work, this player is going to be a stand out for an expansion team who needs standouts.

Now we're talking the cream of the crop (in hitting, at least). Distasio is ready for the big leagues. His attributes are already very high and very good. He is a great hitter, who will put some balls in play for doubles, but at the same time drive some pitchers out of their minds with homeruns. Distasio is very well balanced with his hitting, but can also draw the walk often. He gets on base when you need him to, and will be a boost, to the already boosted Redcoats line-up. His fielding is amazing, with an awesome range, and an excellent fielding percentage at shortstop he will be one of the top shortstops in the league. Yet, another good Great Britain Redcoat on this list who is most likely going to be a great player for them.

Amato is another great up and comer for the Redcoats, but how he is ahead of Distasio boggles my mind. Anyway, Amato is a power hitter. Amato has great attributes in homeruns, and the doubles category. His one weakness is his vulnerability to left-handed pitchers. If he can work on that a little more, he is set to go and ready to start making the plays for the Redcoats. He is also pretty good at avoiding strikeouts. His fielding is also very good, as he has a good range, and a great fielding percentage at second base. This is one more Redcoat on the countdown. I think the rest of the league needs to beware as the Redcoats have a lot of talent.

He isn't the power hitter that we've been seeing a lot lately, but he is the consistent placement hitter who hits the RBIs in clutch times. Jerek has an 18 in doubles, a 3 in triples, a 21 in getting walks, and a 9 in avoiding strikeouts. The only problem I have here is that he is focusing more on getting a walk, more then hitting a double or a triple. Why would you want to take a base on balls, when there's a man on second and you could knock him home? Other then that this player is going to be a great clutch hitter. His fielding is just as good as he is almost perfect in the field with a great range and fielding percentage at shortstop.

Whitney may only be a rookie, like the rest of these guys, but he is most definitely ready to make a name for himself. He has great stamina as a starter, and can go the whole nine yards if he has to. He also shuts down batters and rarely gives up hits, let alone homeruns. He is going to be a dominating force in this league as his strikeouts have already reached 10. The two things that will hold this player back are his vulnerability to giving up doubles, and his groundball percentage. He must work on those two things, before he gets the fame. Other then that this player is going places and hopefully he can turn his team's bad fortunes around.

Nolan Ryan is in front of Whitney, Amato, Distastio, and Deter? Wow, this game really is messed up. Ryan is a good pitcher, don't get me wrong, but he just isn't as stand out as they are. He does limit hits, homeruns, and walks well, and he really has a handle on forcing groundballs too. His two weak spots are his ability to stop doubles, and strikeouts. He needs to work on those and then the glory will start rolling in for this young gunner. Another thing is the fact that he only has three different pitches. Batters are going to figure him our very quickly, and then just start taking him for a ride. Those are still fixable things, and all of them can't be fixed with a little work.

The pitchers take the 1-2-3. This is YET another Redcoat, can you believe it? They have four prospects on the Top Ten, can you say, greatness? Griff Jr. deserves this spot, because he is just a beast. He will hold batters to hardly any hits, or doubles, or homeruns. He will rarely gives up any walks, and his ability to strike people out is very good. He too will forces groundout, and get the 1-2-3 innings a lot. His velocity is by far the best of any prospect so far, and that is just one thing that will help "sit 'em down, shut 'em up". The only thing that I can see that may haunt this player is that he only has three pitches. If he can learn new pitches, he will have more control over the batter, and keep them guessing more.

There you have it, the top ten prospects in the WBL. Tune in next week to see who moved where, who updated what, and who is on their way to stardom!

Owner: Shamond Guzman

The Caracas Cougars don’t mess around. They came out fired up and ready to join the prestigious WBL. Owner Shamond Guzman had his troops prepared for battle, as they faced off against another expansion team in the Antarctica Chill. The Cougars came out focused and determined to be the better "new" team in the West, as they poured it on the Chill 15-4. Jermaine Guzman led the way at the plate hitting 5-6 with 1 2B, and 2 RBIs. Smitty Springfield helped out with his 3-5, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 RBI day. Kyle Smith got the first win in franchise history, going 7.1 innings, allowing 6 hits, and 3 runs, while striking out 13. An impressive day for the Cougars as they won there first game in the WBL ever.

The Cougars didn’t stop after just one either. The next day they beat Antarctica again, 11-4. Chin Hui Tsao got the win on this day, going 8.1 innings, allowing 8 hits, and 3 runs, while striking out 10. Jermaine Guzman led the way at the plate again this day going 5-5 with a homerun, a double, and 4 runs batted in. The Cougars were off and going with a 2-0 start as an expansion team, and were pumped as ever to keep their success going.

The Cougars had one more game with their counterpart expansion team, and they didn’t want this opening day series go to waste. So what did they do? They went out and beat Antarctica 27-1. 27-1? That is a pounding by anyone’s standards in the WBL. Manny Martinez got the win in this game, as he went the entire game, allowing just 3 hits, and 1 run, striking out 5. Emmanuel Toombs rose to the occasion on this day as he went 7-8 at the plate, with 2 homeruns, a triple, and 6 RBIs. Toombs unleashed a beast on the Chill. Jermaine Guzman had another excellent game at the plate, along with Ken Fingers and Smitty Springfield. The Cougars had successfully swept the 3-game series, with an expansion team, but now they were ready to beat an already accomplished WBL team.

The Cougars next opponent would be, the Cancun Riptide. Now I know I said already established, but what I meant was a team that was here for a few seasons already. Caracas went out and showed Cancun why they should leave the league and let the good teams play the game. Caracas won 10-1, with Josh Poole earning the win, going 7 innings, allowing 5 hits, and 1 run, while striking out 2. Shamond Guzman and Smitty Springfield led the attack on this day, as they combined drove in 5 runs. 4-0, and on top of the mighty West, who would’ve ever thought?

One more game left, and with a win Caracas would do the unthinkable and go unbeaten on their first day of simming. An expansion team never does that, but could they do it. Kyle Smith took the mound for the Cougars, as they went out and did what no one would have ever thought they would do. They went 5-0, and stood alone on top of the West. Smith went 7.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, and 2 runs, while striking out 9. Toombs went 4-4 on the game, while Shamond and Jermaine went 4-8 on the game. There you have it, the Caracas Cougars, five games, five wins, and an expansion team came out on top in the first day of simming.

Owner: Jason Rhiner

The Chill, as seen above, already had an 0-3 start against the Caracas Cougars, and now were just looking for their first win EVER! Unfortunately that win would have to come against powerhouse Montreal. Could they break through the bad luck that was gripping their players, and come out with a win?

On 4/5, Anthony Withers took the mound against standout rookie Nolan Ryan. To give you a quick look at how this game went, Withers exited after just 2.2 innings, allowing 7 hits and 7 runs. The game had already been spoiled and after just three innings, they found themselves down 7-0. Jeff Candy and Greg Kowlaczyk were the only one’s to even get anything going at the plate. Candy went 2-4 with 2B’s, and Greg went 2-4. In the fifth inning, the Chill finally managed to put a run on the board and were hoping to make a run of it, but Jay Soester got picked off at second base, and ended the inning. Too make things worse the Menace came back in the bottom half of the fifth and hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back homeruns. I didn’t add to many homeruns either, it was FOUR; count them, four homeruns in a row. Andrew Biggs, Cool Mo D Simpson, Dillon Shooper, and Adam Brown finished it up. They took the score back to 12-1, and shut down any hope of a comeback. The Menace would put one more run on the board by the end of the game, and the Chill would drop their fourth straight loss in their search for a win. Maybe the next night they could do it.

The next night came, and the Menace and the Chill faced each other again. Seneca Wallace took the mound for the Chill facing off against the Menace’s Jeremy Shirley. This was an obvious pitcher’s duel from the beginning. Both teams got on the board in the first, and after one it was tied at 1 run apiece. After those first runs for both teams, the pitching got much tougher and the batters just couldn’t handle it. From the 2^nd inning, through the 8^th inning, not one run was scored for either team. Jeremy Shirley left the game first, after seven innings, allowing two hits, and one run. Wallace was close to follow, after eight innings, allowing 4 hits and one run. Both pitchers had pitched their hearts out, and it was a shame to see either of them have to have their team lose this one. Relief pitching is key in this game anymore, and the Chill just didn’t have any of it. David Scheetz didn’t get one out, but gave up 1 hit and 1 run, and got credited with the loss. James Bunker pitched .2 innings, allowing 2 hits, and 2 runs, and the game was over. The Chill had fallen short once again, by the score of 4-1. The Chill are still searching for the first win, but I have faith they will get it sooner or later. Just keep going guys it will pay off sometime.

Owners: Max Powers and Quint Newcomer

South Africa and Seoul had an interesting first day of simming. They had to face off against each other all five times. The winner of this 5-game series can most likely claim to be the better expansion team, but it would be a dogfight for both teams. Let’s get into the action.

The first game wasn’t quite as close as the Lions were hoping, as they dropped the game 13-0 to their rivals the Storm. Justin Lewis was on the mound for the Storm, facing Max Powers of the Lions. The Storm put Powers out of action after just three innings, allowing 6 hits, and 5 runs. Sam Baig had a lot to do with that, with his 3-5 performance, 2 2B, 1 HR, with 4 RBIs. Jesse Newcomer also added a big help from the plate, going 3-5. Justin Lewis shut down the Lions going the entire game allowing 4 hits, and 0 runs. What an opening day performance for an expansion team. Too bad the other expansion team was on the losing side of this performance. The Lions knew they still had four more shots at the Storm, and were anxious and ready for revenge.

The next night showcased Travis Torlone going against Daryl Fink. Daryl Fink hit the showers after 7 innings, allowing 10 hits, and 5 runs. Shawn Baig went 1-4 with 2 RBIs, and Kaitin Redcloud went 3-4. Travis Torlone went the entire game, allowing just 6 hits and 0 runs, as the Seoul Storm shut out the South African Lions for the second straight night, 5-0. Seoul went up 1-0 in the first inning, when Quint Newcomer hit a triple, and then Shawn Baig reached on a fielder’s error that drove in Quint. The game stayed that way until the 3^rd inning, when Shawn and Sam Baig hit back-to-back homeruns. With two outs, Jesse Newcomer hit a single, followed by a Redcloud single that took Newcomer to third. Then Kurtis Rands drove him in with a single of his own and they were up 4-0. The bottom of the 7^th ended the scoring, when Jerome Spann scored on a wild pitch, and the scoring was finished for the night. The Storm were 2-0, and the Lions were 0-2, with a 5-0 Storm victory. The next night was another night, and the Lions wanted a win real bad.

South Africa in search of their first win sent Max Baez out to the mound facing the Storm’s Jamie Cliff. This was not going to be their first win unfortunately they would have to wait again. The Storm jumped out early when Jesse Newcomer’s hit was bobbled by the third baseman, Ronnie Payne. Jerome Spann followed Newcomer with a double, that sent Newcomer to third. Shawn Baig got the RBI with his Sacrifice Fly bringing home Newcomer, and sending Spann to third. The next batter, Sam Baig, grounded out to David May, but scoring Spann, and taking the early lead for the Storm, 2-0. The Lions threatened in the third, with Victor Vargas on third, and Samuel Polly on first, Cliff got Owens to ground out for the third out and shut down the threat. The 4^th inning, started out similar to the 2^nd, with Ronnie Payne mishandling a Sam Baig hit. Jesse Newcomer, after a James Conway pop out, then hit a shot at the first baseman, who bobbled it, allowing Baig to advance and Newcomer to be safe at first. Kaitin Redcloud then hit into a fielder’s choice, sending Baig to second, but getting Newcomer out at second. So with two outs, it was 1^st and 3^rd. Kurtis Rands stepped to plate next, and hit an RBI single, scoring Baig and sending Redcloud to third. The next pitch, Baez lost control, and Redcloud came barreling home and finished the scoring for the inning. The score now stood at 4-0. The Storm added two more in the 6^th, taking it to 6-0. The Lions finally got on the board, when Cliff, his only miscue of the game, threw a wild pitch to Samuel Polly, scoring Tim Johnson in the 8^th inning. That ended the scoring for the game, and the Lions were defeated once more, 6-1. Cliff went the entire game giving up 8 hits, and 1 run, earning him player of the game honor.

The Lions knew they were going to have to win one soon, if they wanted to win one at all. The next night was going to be their best chance yet, when David May Jr. (SAL) vs. Ernest P. Worrell (SS). This one was a pitcher’s duel from the beginning, neither team amounting much on offense, and both defense’s staying solid the entire game. The Storm got on the board in the second inning, when Jesse Newcomer reached base on an error, and Kurtis Rands single brought him home. The score stood at 1-0, for just one inning, when Jerome Spann nailed a triple, and was brought home by a Shawn Baig single. That made the score 2-0, and then pitching took over. Not one more run was scored the entire rest of the game. May Jr. and Worrell just went on fire, and kept hits to a minimum. In the end Worrell was just too much, allowing just 5 hits, and 0 runs, going the whole way and earning the complete game shutout. May’s performance was still a great one, as he allowed 7 hits, and only 1 earned run. Shawn Baig added most of the support from the plate as he went 3-4 with an RBI. Tim Johnson went 1-4 with a double to lead the Lions at the plate. The Lions record dropped as well as their heads as they left the stadium 0-4 to start the season.

One last shot at the Storm before the Lions would start the season 0-5, and would be swept by their rival expansion team. People could tell that this game was going to be a great one just by looking at the pitchers: Justin Lewis (SS) vs. Max Powers (SAL). Two well-known ace pitchers in the WBL going head-to-head in the 5^th and final game of the series between these two teams to see if the Lions could change the tide. Up to this point the Lions were 0-4, and the Storm 4-0, but the Lions looked to change their luck on this night. Seoul jumped out early, when the Baig brothers, Shawn and Sam, went back-to-back, in the top of the first inning, and started the game off on the wrong foot for the Lions. Storm – 2 Lions – 0, read the scoreboard after just one half of play, and the Lions had to dig out if they even wanted to win this one. 3 scoreless innings went by, with neither team able to produce anything. In the 5^th, South Africa began to chop away at that two run lead, when Ronnie Payne blasted a 1-out triple. Max Powers followed with a ground out that sent Payne sprawling home to cut the lead in half, 2-1. Seoul answered right back in the top of the next inning, when Shawn Baig got a hold of another Powers pitch, and sent his second homerun of the day to the seats. With that homerun he basically took the Lions’ heart and threw it in the dirt, taking the lead back to 2, 3-1. The Lions were down, but not out. After three more scoreless innings, the Lions showed they had some life in them, when Samuel Polly led of the top of the ninth with a double. After two straight outs, Mike Bazinet stepped to the plate and nailed a single down the right line, scoring Polly, and bringing the Lions within one. Payne followed up with a single of his home, sending Bazinet to third. With two outs, and men in the corners, the Lions hopes were alive and thriving. Then the unthinkable happened Kevin McGlynn struck out swinging, and the game ended. What a way to lose, go down, and fight back in the ninth, only to strike out with the tying run in scoring position.

The Storm were off to a great start at 5-0, while the Lions fell to 0-5 and have to fight back to make a name for themselves. Both teams have talent on their team, and both teams have bright futures. Best of luck to both teams in their first season in the WBL as they fight for expansion bragging rights, and post-season play.

Thanks for reading this edition of WBLedger, and please turn in next week, for the latest top ten prospect report, an inside look at one of the expansion teams and who they, game recap of a western team and an eastern team, and hopefully more. See you all next week.