Inside the WBL

 

Hello and welcome to the second named edition of Inside the WBL. I’m mixing it up a bit this week in many different ways. First, the points are going to Enrique, and second there will be a bunch of new articles. The first one will be how a deal gets done, an inside look how a deal between Cancun and Dublin happened. The next will be the “writers” voting for all the big time awards. Finally, we’ll have the usual March Madness, Build-A-Team and Mail Bag. Enjoy.

 

 

How A Deal Gets Done

 

            Before this whole conversation got started, it’s best to understand a little background info. On the 27th of April, after the huge “Trade Me” thread of Dice Jackson, Aaron Naiditch, my co-owner, talked to Cancun about acquiring Dice for Joe Demayo. When learning about this the next morning, the following pm summed up my thoughts:

1) Where are we getting our 5th starter from? they offered Blair to me, but I don't like Blair. 15+ ERA's don’t thrill me
2) What to do with Lionel? He's still around, not batting that bad

However, I was still fairly interested. Dublin was in an incredibly tight race, and the extra bat could make the difference. I had a chat or two with Ryan before originally talking to Kobbs. When I first talked to Ryan, the immediate thing we noticed is that a Jackson for Demayo deal was not possible. Dice was 8 million and Joe 13. Neither of us had cap room, so the great offering was on. Each of us was trying to figure out a way not to screw our teams while still getting the best possible deal. On that Friday night, Ryan and I basically hammered out a deal sending Wesley, Demayo, MacDonalds and the Prodigy to Cancun for Dice and other hitters totaling to 25 million dollars, having Cancun over by 500k. When presented to Kobbs, he said it was “too big”.

            On May 1st, Dice Jackson was traded to Caracas for Mike Smirnoff and 2 points. I was very disappointed at that time, considering they didn’t seem terribly interested in trading Jalen Montgomery or Scott Travers. I sent a pm to Nolan that day; maybe they were still interested in Demayo for someone else.

im still interested in getting a power hitter from you guys, please talk to me on aim sometime today

I even told my co-gm’s my intentions in the following pm:

these are the hitters I have "targeted". There might be more, but here is a short list

AC- Beep
CR- Montgomery/Travers

Guys who you are looking to deal with are guys who are out this year.

Anyways, late Saturday night Kobbs got on, and the deal started to flow…

jetsfan1mets: how bout this trade
jetsfan1mets: Dublin receives- Travers, Jarvis
jetsfan1mets: Cancun receives- Mayo and Kip

First one offered to me, I rejected for obvious reasons, and I can not trade myself.

jetsfan1mets: Kip and Demayo for Jalen

Again, I feel I am getting ripped off, besides for the fact I would lose a starter.

I then offer this deal, stupid now looking back on it, but it shows how desperate I was to get both of the guys on my wish list, and how much Kobbs would change

nycguy2662: tell me how close we are with this deal: trav+monty for demayo, domas, whispers and the prodigy
jetsfan1mets: brb
jetsfan1mets: back
nycguy2662: lol that was fast
nycguy2662: whaddya think?
jetsfan1mets: hold up
jetsfan1mets: ill see, im not too crazy about giving up both, but ill keep u in mind, im still talking w/ other team

 

jetsfan1mets: Monty for Kip and LaBriola

Again, this deal doesn’t please me. Labriola is doing great and is a huge asset to my bullpen.

 

Finally, we get the break of the conversation, and it only gets better from there

jetsfan1mets: kip and demayo for Monty and travers
jetsfan1mets: kip, demayo for fink and monty
nycguy2662: I like the first one better...

This next part makes me wonder if this was a random blurt out of his head

jetsfan1mets: 2nd one
jetsfan1mets: u want pts
nycguy2662: I would prefer the first one, because I need the left fielder to replace Wesley
jetsfan1mets: please!
nycguy2662: I don’t need the starter
jetsfan1mets: Fink >Demyo
jetsfan1mets: Monty>Kip
jetsfan1mets: great deal for u
jetsfan1mets: plus u get pts
nycguy2662: I don’t need the pitcher!
nycguy2662: I could use the right/left fielder
jetsfan1mets: u can sign a good right/left

 

Finally, we compromise and go off to a 3-way chat, which I forgot to save…

nycguy2662: the whole point of this deal is to make the playoffs now
jetsfan1mets: ok
jetsfan1mets: kip demayo and pts
jetsfan1mets: for monty and travers
nycguy2662: how many points
jetsfan1mets: how much will u give, ur team got 9!
nycguy2662: 4 of them are going to either inactively update Shipal/give starter duration to labriola
jetsfan1mets: then u give 4
nycguy2662: im giving you two guys who you can hold onto for a while
nycguy2662: while I'm getting one who might stay 15 games and the other a year
nycguy2662: and you're telling me 4 points?
jetsfan1mets: ok then how many
nycguy2662: let's talk with weisfield in a chat room, and see what he thinks

 

We end out hammering a deal that sends Jalen and Travers to the Irish for Wesley, Demayo and 3 points. This deal works nicely for both sides. Joe is a good pitcher that I wasn’t going to need past this year, and they have Wesley for 30 years. While Monty is a free agent after this year, I’ll make a go at him to sign. That is how you get a deal done, WBL style!

 

 

Voting

 

            In the MLB, NFL, almost every sport I know, the writers decide who wins the major awards. I have decided to take that to the WBL. However, since there are few writers this year for Weekly, it was basically an open poll. Here are the results, along with my picks

 

 

WH MVP

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st

2nd

3rd

Total

Name

 

 

 

 

 

Josh Andrews

 

4

1

 

14

Joe Slugga

 

1

4

1

12

Shawn Baig

 

1

 

3

6

 A NX

 

 

1

 

2

Kal Jordan

 

 

 

1

1

 

            The vote says that Josh Andrews should win his first MVP award. I tend to agree. Andrews had an awesome season, leading the Menace to the World Series. He had a power bat, hit very nicely for average, and played a solid first base. Runner up was Joe Slugga. Joe had one of his best years in his career. Again, I agree with Slugga being the runner up. His stats were good, bit not as good as Andrews. Third place was Shawn Baig. While Shawn had another tremendous season, I did not vote for him. My vote went to Kal Jordan. Kal is your true MVP. His average was ricdicously high, he steals bases, plays the field well, etc. He is very valuable to the Menace and my choice for third.

 

 

WH Cy Young

 

 

 

 

Name

 

1st

2nd

3rd

Total

T-Dawg

 

6

 

 

18

Shirley

 

 

3

2

8

Strikeout

 

 

2

2

6

Halladay

 

 

 

1

1

 

            This one went exactly how I voted for. T-Dawg is the hottest pitcher in the Western Hemisphere. He obliverates strong hitting teams, striking out 15 guys a game, which is sick. Combine that with giving up 20 runs all year, you got your Cy Young. Jeremy Shirley finishes 2nd, great pitcher but behind Dawg in every major category. Finishing 3rd was Imagonna Strikeout. Imagonna still counts here because he spent most of his time in the Western Hemisphere, and was probably the third best pitcher

 

 

WH ROY

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st

2nd

3rd

 

Name

 

 

 

 

 

Bear Fields

 

7

 

 

21

Stealth Biggie

 

 

2

 

4

Jesse Sneller

 

 

 

2

2

 

Any surprise? I think not…

 

 

EH MVP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name

 

1st

2nd

3rd

Total

Tony Kobbs

 

3

2

 

13

Blake Roberts

 

2

3

 

12

Richard Amato

 

 

 

3

3

Marc Southworth

 

 

 

1

1

Shawn Walker

 

 

 

1

1

 

            This was probably the tightest race of them all. My 1st place vote went to Blake Roberts. I thought his higher batting average countered out Kobbs 11 more homers. He leads Tony in nearly every other category, that’s why he got my 1st place vote, Kobbs 2nd. My third place vote went to Richard Amato. Rich had an awesome, MVP worthy season this year. Problem is he is over-shadowed by Blake and Tony, finishing 3rd.

 

 

EH Cy Young

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st

2nd

3rd

Total

Name

 

 

 

 

 

Chad Slugga

 

6

 

 

18

Paul Levesque

 

 

5

 

10

Max Powers

 

1

 

5

8

 

Another vote just how I picked it. Chad is obviously the pitcher in the East, leading in most major categories. Paul is 2nd; he could have been first but faded off in the latter part of the year. Max Powers had a tremendous year; he just got burned by a low win number.

 

 

EH ROY

 

 

 

 

Name

 

1st

2nd

3rd

Total

Alex Addler

 

4

2

 

16

Dave Thomas

 

1

 

1

4

Joe Labriola

 

1

 

 

3

Steve Sollman

 

 

 

1

1

This is the only one I totally disagree with. Addler’s stats are: .292, 14 homers, 53 RBI, 16 steals, kind of like my first year with GB. Labriola was lights out as closer this year, making him my 1st place pick. He won 9 games, lost 10, had a decent ERA, and saved a whopping 22 games, beating the record set by Enrique Gonzalez in ’09. My 2nd place vote went to Addler, because he deserved that vote. My third place vote went to DT. While having a pitiful average, he did provide some pop in his bat.

 

March Madness

 

            The sweet 16 has come! Who will face off in the final rounds? Let’s see. We’ll start with the WH (pitching), then the EH (pitching) Hope you enjoy. In the sweet 16, 2011 stats come into play; can the top players hold on?

 

WH Pitching

 

The matchup: 1. Jeremy Shirley (MON) vs. 4. Imagonna Strikeout (STL/GB)

The facts: Imagonna, recently traded to GB to help with their playoff push, had a great season this year. He was 11-3 with a 2.09 ERA. He walked 5, struck out 317, and allowed 79 hits in 159 innings. His opponent is Jeremy Shirley. Jeremy was 12-5 with a 2.30 ERA. He walked 15 and struck out 326. He allowed 85 hits in 168 innings.

The winner: Jeremy Shirley

Why: It is a tie with all statistical categories. If I am a manager in game 7 of a World Series, I want Shirley on the mound; he’ll get the job done.

 

The matchup: 2. T-Dawg (STL) vs. 6. Chris Prior (MON)

The facts: Dawg is unstoppable. He had another monstrous season. He went 12-2 with a 1.07 ERA. He walked 10 while striking out 362. He allowed 48 hits in 169 innings. His opponent is Chris Prior. Chris had a very good year on Montreal. He went 13-3 with a 4.05 ERA. He walked 4 and struck out 174. He allowed 122 hits in 160 innings.

The winner: T-Dawg

Why: He’s Dawg, an unstoppable force of unstoppableness.

 

WH Hitting

 

The matchup: 1. A NX (MON/SDR) vs. 5. Jason Rhiner (AC/SS)

The facts: Jason is one of the greatest players ever. He batted .324 with 78 homers and 144 rbi’s. Never known for being a base-stealer, he stole 10 bases this year. He walked 51 times while striking out 15. His opponent is A NX. A NX, while not hitting his monstrous numbers of Montreal, still had a fabulous year. He batted .384 with 69 homers and 144 rbi’s. He stole 11 bases, walked 44 times and struck out 13 times.

The winner: A NX

Why: .60 in batting average cancels out 9 homers.

 

The matchup: 2. Shammond Guzman (STL) vs 6. Smitty Springfield (STL/FF)

The facts: Shammond had a great year on the Stallions. He batted .304 with 78 homers and 124 rbi’s. He stole 9 bases, walked 52 times and struck out 21 times. Smitty Springfield batted .256 with 76 homers and 119 rbi’s. He stole 7 bases, walked 47 times and struck out 21 times.

The winner: Shammond Guzman

Why: .256 average does not qualify you as a top 2 hitter.

 

EH Pitching

 

The matchup: 1. Paul Levesque (SS) vs. 12. Chad Slugga (GBR)

The facts: This is probably the best matchup yet. Both are top-notch pitchers. Paul went 12-3 with a 2.14 ERA. He walked 11 and struck out 283. He allowed 79 hits inn 173 innings. Chad, who has come from incredible odds in the tournament, had a magical 2012 season. He was 14-3 with a 2.08 ERA. He walked 13 and struck out 304. He allowed 92 hits in 173 innings.

The winner: Chad Slugga

Why: In the main categories, Chad is better.

 

The matchup: 2. DP (GB/STL) vs. 6. Max Powers (SAL)

The facts: Spread the word: Dustin has fallen. The best pitcher in the WBL had his worst season ever, going 10-9 with a 5.12 ERA. He walked 9 while striking out 128. He gave up 153 hits in 154 innings. His opponent is Max Powers. Max went 8-12 with a 2.73 ERA. He walked 11 while striking out 346. He allowed 78 hits in 155 innings.

The winner: Max Powers

Why: Better stat line

 

EH Hitting

 

The matchup: 1. Richard Amato (GBR) vs. 4. Ken Griff (GBR)

The facts: Richard has remained low this year due to the fact of Roberts and Kobbs great season. He batted .324 with 99 homers and 139 rbi’s. He stole 5 bases, walked 28 times, and struck out 20 times. Griff batted .260 with 84 homers and 121 rbi’s. He stole no bases, walked 48 times, and struck out 43.

The winner: Richard Amato

Why: Like Smitty, you are not a top 2 hitter with an average under .300

 

The matchup: 3. Vin Distasio (GBR) vs. 7. Blake Roberts (SS)

The facts: Blake had another great year. He batted .382 with 101 homers and 189 rbi’s. He walked 37 times and struck out 45. Vin batted .319 with 85 homers and 134 rbi’s. He stole 15 bases, walked 57 times and struck out 31 times.

The winner: Blake Roberts

Why: Awesome average + power

 

This makes the matchups for the elite eight as follows

 

1. Richard Amato vs. 7. Blake Roberts (EH Hitting)

6. Max Powers vs. 12. Chad Slugga (EH Pitching)

1. A NX vs. 2. Shammond Guzman (WH Hitting)

1. Jeremy Shirley vs. 2. T-Dawg (WH Pitching)

 

 

Build-a-Team

 

As promised, here is your EX-Stallion and EX-Force team. There were a lot of trades between them, so some players may count twice, and some players might be the same but play different positions. There will be three pinch hitters this time

 

Ex Force

 

C- Gerald Schultz

1B- Dice Jackson

2B- Shammond Guzman

3B- Ruben Weisfield

SS- Josh Andrews

LF- Kip Wesley

CF- Ken Griff

RF- Sam Baig

SP- Paul Levesque

SP- Francisco Rodriguez

SP- Marc Southworth II

SP- Mujuri Shipal

SP- Nolan Ryan

RP- Dirk Halladay

PH- JD Boom, Vin Distasio, Jalen Montgomery

 

Ex Stallion

 

C-  Alex Zito

1B- Josh Andrews

2B-  Smitty Springfield

3B- James Sirbeepalot Jr

SS- Vin Distasio

LF- Kip Wesley

CF- Robert Crombie

RF- Sam Baig

SP- Imagonna Strikeout

SP- Chris Prior

SP- Nolan Ryan

SP-  Johan Guzman

SP- Justin Hinkley

RP- Cleveland Dawg

PH- Samuel Polly

 

C- Alex Zito vs. Gerald Schultz

Alex is an incredible hitter. He can hit for power and average, as well as play two positions. Gerald can do the same thing, but play three positions. I like the Force here

1-0 FF

 

1B- Josh Andrews vs. Dice Jackson

Josh was a Stallion, involved in one of the worst trades in Stallion history (Going to FF: P D. Yaffe, P A. Eldridge, SS J. Andrews, 3B C. Sorensen, SS V. Distasio. Going to STL: P S. Wallace). He finally blossomed this year as a great hitter. Dice had a good year, but I don’t think he is a great hitter. Win to Andrews

1-1 tie

 

2B- Shammond Guzman vs. Smitty Springfield

Both guys are great 2nd basemen. When you look at the stats though, Smitty has an embarrassing average. Shammond wins

2-1 FF

 

SS- Vin Distasio vs. Josh Andrews

They had very even stats this year, so I would look at whom I would rather have, Distasio or Andrews. Distasio has been more consistent, so I say him.

2-2 tie

 

3B- Reuben Weisfield

Reuben is a good player, but under-performs tremendously. James has over-performed in recent years. Win to James

3-2 STL

 

LF- Kip vs. Kip

Obviously a tie, they are the same player…

3-2 STL

 

CF- Robert Crombie vs. Ken Griff

While Ken Griff never played a game for the Force, he’s one of the better hitters in the game. Crombie will be eventually, but not now. Win to Griff

3-3 tie

 

RF- Baig vs. Baig

Baig will be an ex-Force very soon, tie

3-3 tie

 

SP1- Imagonna Strikeout vs. Paul Levesque

This is an interesting one. Paul was the most dominant pitcher for a year and a half. Imagonna has been a dominant pitcher is whole career. I think Paul is better, because he has been doing it as a #1 starter.

4-3 FF

 

SP2- Chris Prior vs. K-Rod

Chris is a great pitcher who flies under the radar. So is K-Rod, but Prior has put up much better stats recently

4-4 tie

 

SP3- Marc Southworth II vs. Nolan Ryan

Nolan is a pitcher who has had one good year. Marc has never really had a great year, but I find him the better pitcher

5-4 FF

 

SP4- Johan Guzman vs. Mujuri Shipal

Funny, both these guys count for both teams. Mujuri was involved in a bad deal in Stallion history (Shipal for Eldridge) and the worst deal in Frankfurt history (Dice, Shipal and Ryan to Montreal for Reynolds, Peter and Ebner) Mujuri had a horrible year, but he has won a CY, so Mujuri wins.

6-4 FF

 

SP5- Justin Hinkley vs. Nolan Ryan

Justin bounced back from a bad season, Nolan was god-awful as usual. Win to Hinkley

6-5 FF

 

RP- Dirk Halladay vs. Cleveland Dawg

Both are fabulous pitchers, about even. I would want Halladay, he is better in the clutch

7-5 FF

 

Bench- Boom and CO. vs. Samuel Polly

BOOM. Nuff said

8-5 FF wins

 

Next week, well I’m not sure

 

 

Mailbag

 

Dear Mayo,

 

            I’m a big fan of Moneyball, and I was wondering if a strategy could be used like Beane’s to succeed?

                                                                                                Arthur O’Boyle

                                                                                                            Oakland, California

Dear Arthur,

 

            Nah, not a chance. WBL Players are very multi-dimensional, and the better the player, the more expensive he is. With salary caps and everything, it’s very unlikely

 

Dear Mayo,

 

            Does Great Britain have a chance in the World Series? Montreal looks really good this year.

                                                                                                Patrick Maller

                                                                                                            Liverpool England

 

Dear Patrick,

            Yes, they have a very good chance. I like their game 1 matchup, along with the fact they can hit Shirley. Their problem in ’08 was Shipal, not Shirley. With that being said, it will be close, but neither would come as a shock.

 

That’s it for this week, happy birthday to me tomorrow! (May 9th if this does not get posted when I am writing it)