The first signings of the season:

Day 2:
Maryland : SS Charles Fordyce, 5,785,125 per year, for 4 years.
Winnipeg : P Samuel Mazza, 7,560,001 per year, for 4 years.
Brooklyn : SS Melvin Barrett, 3,500,000 per year, for 3 years.
Sylva : 3B David Lipinski, 1,968,800 per year, for 2 years.
Brooklyn : 3B Jose Collado, 1,000,000 per year, for 1 year.
Sylva : P Theron Mire, 2,497,000 per year, for 3 years.
Pittsburgh : 1B David Solar, 400,000 per year, for 2 years.
New York : CF Courtney Mule, 350,000 per year, for 1 year.

Day 3:
Winnipeg : 2B David Austin, 1,707,700 per year, for 2 years.
Brooklyn : C Timothy Odom, 300,000 per year, for 1 year.
Winnipeg : SS Roberto Quesada, 449,400 per year, for 1 year.
Seattle : 2B Joe McReynolds, 350,000 per year, for 2 years.
Cairo : RF Jose Vargas, 570,000 per year, for 2 years.

Days 4 & 5 of free agency and Round 2 of the draft will be Friday. The league file has been updated and the web pages are in process.

The picks, along with their rankings in the new Top 100 Prospects List.

1. Winnipeg – OF D. Rushing (#5)
2. Cairo – C W. Byrd (#3)
3. New York – 1B R. Huertas (#8)
4. Sylva – SP D. Kirklin (#16)
5. Marietta – SP R. Frederickson (#37)
6. Stockholm – OF H. Lawson (#22)
7. Maryland – SP H. Gary (#28)
8. Jersey City – SP E. Cronin (#56)
9. Pittsburgh – OF G. Marcano (#95)
10. Marietta (from Helena) – SP K. Moniz (#48)
11. Pittsburgh (from Seattle) – C S. Arenas (#78)
12. Brooklyn – 1B R. Ramsey (#72)

Order for Round 2:

13. Winnipeg
14. Cairo
15. New York
16. Sylva
17. Marietta
18. Stockholm
19. Maryland
20. Jersey City
21. Pittsburgh
22. Helena
23. Seattle
24. Marietta (from Brooklyn)

No signings on Day 1 of Free Agency, but lots of offers.

Days 2-3 of Free Agency will be Wednesday, as will Round 1 of the Amateur Draft, so upload your free agent offers and email your draft selections to me.

League file is uploaded. Web pages going up now.

Note: Our new Winnipeg has dropped out. We’ve moved that team to computer control pending a new owner. Make any recommendations you might have.

This is it for signing coaches. Following this, if you have an opening, you need to contact Mack or I and offer a free agent coach a contract.

Day 4:
Winnipeg: Minors Manager Christopher Burgoyne, $302,400 per year, for 2 years.
Winnipeg: Scout Calvin Frasier, $391,000 per year, for 4 years.
Winnipeg: Hitting Coach Jaime Taylor, $342,000 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle: Minors Manager Leo Treadwell, $475,000 per year, for 2 years.

Day 5:
None

Next we move on to the Free Agent and Amateur Draft portion of our off season. Mack will be conducting the show so I’ll hand off to him.

Mack, you’re on stage…

Day 2:

Marietta: Minors Manager Arlie Yanez, $1,000,000 per year, for 2 years.
Brooklyn: Pitching Coach George Hilson, $385,000 per year, for 1 year.

Day 3:

Maryland: Minors Manager Brad McSpadden, $325,000 per year, for 1 year.
Pittsburgh: Minors Manager Bryant Seamons, $700,000 per year, for 3 years.

Days four and five tomorrow! That’ll be it for coaching signings!

I’m looking into the possibility of trading ace starter Chad Gomez. I don’t want to deal him, but his salary is holding me back as we get ready to start free agency.

What I’d like in return is a competent (2-3 star) starter, and a mix of prospects/high draft picks.

If your team is one starter short, don’t take a gamble on free agency, try to get one of the best in the game now!

I can be reached at mweintr@gmail.com or mweintr2 on AIM.

Marietta: Pitching Coach John Gaylord, $475,000 per year, for 2 years.
Cairo: Minors Manager Gerald Ake, $450,000 per year, for 3 years.
Sylva: Hitting Coach Michael Meacham, $397,800 per year, for 3 years.
Cairo: Scout Donnie Driskill, $450,000 per year, for 3 years.
Marietta: Hitting Coach Juan Ingram, $350,000 per year, for 1 year.
Maryland: Pitching Coach John Fairfield, $450,225 per year, for 2 years.
Jersey City: Minors Manager Brian Birge, $575,000 per year, for 3 years.
Seattle: Scout Donald Hallenbeck, $615,000 per year, for 2 years.
Sylva: Scout Eric Morency, $428,400 per year, for 2 years.
Brooklyn: Minors Manager James Jenkins, $850,000 per year, for 4 years.
Brooklyn: Minors Manager Kirk Hutto, $1,750,000 per year, for 6 years.
Stockholm: Scout Timothy Boerner, $356,000 per year, for 3 years.

Here’s the current plan for the 2003 preseason, just so we’re all on the same page.

1/23 (W): Nate, Coaches, Day 1
1/24 (Th): Nate, Coaches, Days 2-3
1/25 (F): Nate, Coaches, Days 4-5
1/28 (M): Mack, Free Agency, Day 1
1/30 (W): Mack, Free Agency, Days 2-3 & Draft, Round 1
2/1 (F): Mack, Free Agency, Days 4-5 & Draft, Round 2
2/4 (M): Mack, Free Agency, Days 6-7 & Draft, Round 3
2/6 (W): Mack, Free Agency, Days 8-9 & Draft, Round 4
2/8 (F): Mack, Free Agency, Days 10-12 & Draft, Round 5
2/11 (M): Mack, Free Agency, Days 13-15 & Draft, Round 6
2/13 (W): Mack, Free Agency, Days 16-20 & Draft, Rounds 7-15 (computer)
2/15 (F): Mack, Free Agency, Days 21-25
2/18 (M): Mack, Free Agency, Days 26-30
2/20 (W): Nate, Rosters locked for Rule 5 draft
2/22 (F): Nate, Rule 5 Draft
2/25 (M): Nate, Spring Training
2/27 (W): Nate, Start 2003 Season!

Right, then.

2003 is here and with it a whole new season. We’re all tied at 0-0 and it’s anyone’s ballgame!

Coaching offers are first and, while Mack will set the full schedule, I anticipate the process to begin on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 in real time.

Also, as previously discussed, Sylva has been placed on computer control. We reserve the right to place an owner in control at any time.

Questions? Post ‘em!

Good luck with the season, gentlemen!

Dateline: Brooklyn

In front of 48,556 screaming fans tonight the Brooklyn Bombers won the 2002 Overeducated League Championship 4-3 over Seattle. It’s Brooklyn’s first title in the two year old league and owner Jeremy Goldman’s first year as owner.

Seattle starting pitcher Juan Mandeville just didn’t look comfortable as the game started. Mandeville gave up a walk, a single, and a single to the first three batters he faced. Then, after striking out C Pio Pastrana, he allowed another single. In the first he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk.

Seattle would not go down without a fight. A lead off home run to Pullum in the second inning began to close the gap. Then a run scoring single by Schmeltzer in the 3rd and another run in the sixth tied it up for Seattle!

Alas, it was not to be for the northwesterners that night as Brooklyn answered in the bottom of the sixth with back to back doubles by Evans and Marone scored Brooklyn’s fourth and final run of the game and the series. That would be all it would take as the scoring was over for the night at the end Brooklyn popped the champagne at the end of the three and one-half hour contest.

All that’s left is to sweep up the confetti and to move on with the off season. What will the future hold for the OEL? More extravagant free agent signings? Catastrophic injuries and surprise free agents from overseas? Who knows? Only time will tell.