Another seven days of the longest season, the offseason, is gone, my friends.  This sim the big news is arbitration, of course.  This is the one time where salaries and financial decisions are out of the control of the team owners and maybe some people will be surprised with what they see.

The New York Knights, in particular, had an exciting time of it with catcher William Byrd winning $5.2 million in arbitration and pitcher Abe Nix winning almost $4.5 million.  In all the Knights had $10 million dollars inflicted upon them during the process.

Other notable awards Brooklyn’s closer Steve Corner getting $2MM, Jersey City’s Wilfredo Solares getting just shy of $3MM, and two Seattle pitchers, Sherry and Canela, both receiving identical salaries of $3,477,300.  Whew!

The file is on its way up to the server now.  Give it about 20 minutes and go wild.  The next sim is Wednesday by Mack.  He’ll take us to the 21st and the beginning of free agency.  Don’t miss out!

Karl Brooks tore it up in AAA last season with a .923 OPS. He’s also a great fielder and base stealer. If you’re looking for an OF, Brooks could be your man. Send me an e-mail if you’re interested.

The first offseason sim has been held. The college and high school feeder leagues have been created. I ran a test and everything seemed to work fine. (Incidentally, Marist College and Danville High School won imaginary titles in the test league.) The only downside is that the teams’ scouts won’t generate reports on the feeder leagues for some time yet. I think the first time is the start of spring training in March. But, the OSA scout has examined the players and his/her opinions are available for perusal. High school players who turn 19 and college players who turn 22 before the June 15, 2007 draft will be in the draft pool.

Otherwise, this sim featured the post-season individual awards. These are the winners, some of whom surprised me greatly.

Gold Gloves
SP E. Blevins of the Ramapough Mountain Indians honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at P.
C J. Dominy of the Pittsburgh Pisces honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at C.
1B A. Santoyo of the Maryland Poedamnedmonium honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at 1B.
2B S. Corrado of the Ramapough Mountain Indians honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at 2B.
3B P. Looney of the Maryland Poedamnedmonium honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at 3B.
SS B. Towell of the Miami Masters of Their Domain honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at SS.
LF M. Peters of the Stockholm Sluggers honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at LF.
CF G. Pullum of the Cairo Leveemen honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at CF.
LF R. McCree of the Stockholm Sluggers honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Gold Glove Award at RF.
SP W. Font of the Marietta Mammoths honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at P.

C W. Byrd of the New York Knights honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at C.
1B J. Rivas of the Seattle Pilots honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at 1B.
2B R. Batz of the Seattle Pilots honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at 2B.
3B B. Gomez of the Jersey City Skeeters honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at 3B.
2B A. Guercio of the Gainesville Purple Porpoises honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at SS.
LF R. Gibby of the Brooklyn Bombers honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at LF.
CF T. Valle of the Seattle Pilots honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at CF.
RF M. Rondon of the Tacoma Rainiers honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Gold Glove Award at RF.

Rookie of the Year
SS D. Henriquez of the Pittsburgh Pisces honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Rookie of the Year Award.
3B M. Horne of the Seattle Pilots honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Rookie of the Year Award.

Cy Young Award
SP R. Ro of the Pittsburgh Pisces honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Cy Young Award.
SP T. Conn of the Brooklyn Bombers honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Cy Young Award.

Ted Williams Award
LF G. Croce of the Pittsburgh Pisces honored: Wins the 2006 OEL PL Ted Williams Award.
3B M. Horne of the Seattle Pilots honored: Wins the 2006 OEL SL Ted Williams Award.

OK, the only one that really surprised me is Croce winning the MVP. He was great and all, but he missed a third of the year due to injuries. That just doesn’t seem right to me that he could win.

Big congratulations to Myles Horne of Seattle for sweeping the best rookie and best hitter awards in the Socratic League. We’re all looking for a great career from him.

As a word of caution, please stay on top of your DFA and waiver lists. It’s going to be hard during the strange sim lengths we’re running in the offseason, I know, but there’s no really good solution. Everyone whose DFA time ran out this sim was able to be added to AAA rosters, so no harm done now.

Next sim will be Monday by Nate. League file is uploaded for reference. I’ll really try to get the web pages updated soon. But, I spent over three hours tonight on all the behind the scenes roll-over work, so I’ll ask for your indulgence at my failure to get it done recently.

The Seattle Pilots acquired SP Trevor Canela from the New York Knights in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in next year’s draft. Canela had barely wiped the tears from his face following the Knights’ Game 7 loss to Pittsburgh in the OEL World Series before being informed of the news.

The Pittsburgh Pisces today sent infielder Logan Scalise to the Seattle Pilots in exchange for the Pilots’ fifth round pick in next June’s amateur draft.

“We love Logan and everything he’s done for us the last few years since we signed him as a free agent. But, there’s no clear place for him to start here and he may have that opportunity in Seattle,” said Pittsburgh Owner/GM Mack Shultz. “We’re also excited about some of our young infielders in AAA, like John Laramie and Freddy Val, and want to give them an opportunity to earn that roster spot.”

Trade rumors have been swirling around the Pisces, but most observers expected something larger than this deal. Will more deals be made by the defending champs? Hard to say.

Here’s the proposed schedule, along with some notes as to what happens in the various sims

8/27 (Th) – Mack – Sim to 11/4/06 (Major awards announced / eve of arbitration / feeder leagues created)
8/31 (M) – Nate – Sim to 11/11/06 (Arbitration awards announced / eve of free agency)
9/2 (W) – Mack – Sim to 11/21/06 (free agency begins)
9/4 (F) – Nate – Sim to 12/1/06 (free agency)
9/7 (M) – Mack – Sim to 12/16/06 (skip Rule 5 draft, free agency, winter meetings)
9/9 (W) – Nate – Sim to 12/31/06 (free agency)
9/11 (F) – Mack – Sim to 1/15/07 (free agency)
9/14 (M) – Nate – Sim to 1/31/07 (free agency)
9/16 (W) – Mack – Sim to 2/10/07 (preseason starts, free agent demands drop)
9/18 (F) – Nate – Sim to 2/20/07 (preseason, free agency)
9/21 (M) – Mack – Sim to 3/2/07 (start of spring training, free agent demands drop again)
9/23 (W) – Nate – Sim to 3/9/07 (spring training)
9/25 (F) – Mack – Sim to 3/16/07 (spring training)
9/28 (M) – Nate – Sim to 3/23/07 (spring training)
9/30 (W) – Mack – Sim to 3/30/07 (end of spring training, everyone demotes players to avoid ML service time)
10/2 (F) – Nate – Sim to 4/6/07 (first regular season sim)

The championship series was decided in the winning team’s final at bat. What a thriller! Now, so as not to spoil the surprise, on to the recap.

Game Five

The two teams took the field for the final game this year in New York’s Polo Grounds looking to claim the edge in the hard fought series. New York Knights’ ace Abe Nix took the field against the Pittsburgh Pisces’ Gaby Duran, coming back from his strong Game Two performance on short rest.

The game did not start well for Nix, whose first five pitches missed the strike zone. The sixth was clubbed into the right field bleachers by Amador Zaragoza for a two-run home run, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead. Nix would settle down after that though, retiring the next eight Pittsburgh hitters in order.

Meanwhile, the New York offense mounted a relentless attack on Duran, as he could not keep the leadoff hitter from reaching base. Bill Waite led off the first inning with a walk and scored on a one-out double by William Byrd. Richard Berkeley led off the second inning with a single to center, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single to right by Joseph Prosperie. William Cook singled to led off the third and scored on a one-out single by Alfonso Reyes. After three innings, the Knights had racked up six hits and claimed the lead 3-2.

In the fourth inning, the heart of the Pisces order came to life as Danilo Henriquez’s leadoff single was followed by Darren Schmeltzer’s RBI double. But, Schmeltzer was stranded at third base. The 3-3 tie was short lived as Duran retired the first hitter in the fourth inning, but not enough of the ones that followed. Erwin Herrero doubled to left center and scored on Waite’s two-out RBI double. Cook drove in Waite with a single to right, stole second, and scored on “Whammer” Byrd’s single to right. By the time Duran retired Reyes, the Knights had seized a 6-3 lead.

Neither team scored in the fifth inning. In the sixth, the Pisces rallied. With one out, Schmeltzer singled, Donald Parson walked, and James Dominy stroked an RBI single to right. Tracy Snider followed with a RBI single and the runners moved up to second and third on the throw home. After pinch-hitter Alberto Jimenez struck out, Perry Hodgin ripped a single to right. Although Dominy’s run tied the game at six, Snider as the go ahead-run was cut down at the plate though on a strong throw by rightfielder William Cook.

In the bottom of the sixth, New York stuck again, scoring for the fifth of sixth innings. Herrero led off with a double and scored on a clutch two-out double to rightcenter by Cook. The Knights added an insurance run in the seventh, courtesy of an RBI single by Herrero. In the ninth, the Pisces got the go ahead run on, but Gary Croce flew out harmlessly to centerfield to end the game.

So, with both of the well-regarded starters having come up with less than stellar performances, the series returned to the Steel City with New York holding a three games to two lead.

Game Six

The Pisces entrusted their playoff fate to 6′7″ rookie Tsukijirou “T-Rex” Tashiro while the Knights turned to Charles Hults. A classic youngster versus veteran match-up.

Tashiro came out and went to work, striking out the side on 15 pitches. Meanwhile, “Chuck” Hults ran into more difficulty. “The Dominican God of Walks” Zaragoza drew a one-out free pass and moved to third on a double to left by “Tiny” Croce. “Spike” Henriquez opened the scoring with a two-run single to left field. Hults recovered and struck out Schmeltzer and popped up Parson to end the threat.

In the second, Tashiro hit Reyes with a pitch to start the inning, but came back to strike out Carlos Araoz, “Cal” Berkeley, and Joseph Prosperie. Six Ks through two innings for the big man. The Pisces were given a run in the bottom of the second when Dominy walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a bad throw by Herrero when fielding a sacrifice bunt. The Pisces led the must-win game 3-0.

Tashiro continued to roll, retiring the side in order in the third albeit by only striking out two of the three hitters. After Pittsburgh was held in check in the bottom of the third, Tashiro struck out two more in the fourth, giving him 10 strikeouts in four innings. Araoz broke up the no hitter with a single in the fifth, but was erased when Prosperie grounded into a double play.

The game remained 3-0 into the bottom of the fifth when Croce, Henriquez, and Schmeltzer strung together three consecutive singles to score the fourth run of the game. Meanwhile, Tashiro struck out two more batters, his 11th and 12th Ks of the game, in the sixth inning. Tashiro struck out two more in the seventh, but the Knights used singles by Reyes and Berkeley and a 3-2 walk by Prosperie to load the bases. With both set up men unavailable, the Pittsburgh manager turned to sixth starter / long reliever Larry Casler. With game-tying run at the plate, Casler induced Herrero to hit a routine fly ball to right field, ending the threat.

In the bottom of the eighth, Perry Hodgin hit a two-out RBI double down the left field line and scored on an RBI single to right by Zaragoza. The Knights scored an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth, but never seriously threatened.

So, with a 6-1 win in Game Six, the series turned to Game Seven. And oh, what a game it was!

Game Seven

This game featured the Knights’ Chad Gomez and the Pisces’ Richard Ro. “Buck” Ro was returning on three days rest for the second time, most recently off his excellent Game Four performance.

For the third time in the series, the Pittsburgh starting pitcher began the game with a run of strikeouts as Ro struck out the side, sandwiched around a one-out single by Roger Kirby. Gomez responded by retiring the side on six pitches in the bottom of the first and the terrific pitching duel was on.

Ro struck out the first two batters in the second inning, gave up a single to Salomon Tavarez, and retired Brian Micco on a groundout. Gomez walked Henriquez after a ten-pitch battle, but retired the next three hitters. In the third, Gomez singled to start the inning against Ro, but never got farther than second base.

The best threat of the game so far was in the bottom of the third when Snider’s single, a sacrifice bunt by Ro, and a walk to Zaragoza left runner at the corners for Croce. Croce smoked a line drive down the right field line, but Berkeley made a diving stop to catch the ball and end the inning.

Ro struck out the side in the fourth, giving him eight Ks for the game and Hults coaxed three routine fly balls out of the Pittsburgh hitters.

In the fifth, Tavarez had a lead off single, but never got past second base. The Pisces then got back to back singles with two outs by Hodgin and Zaragoza. But, Croce ended another threat with a pop fly to second base.

Ro hit Roger Kirby to start the sixth, but Kirby never even made it to second, thanks to some nice catches in centerfield by Snider. Schmeltzer singled with one out, but was also stranded.

In the seventh, Ro struck out Berkeley and retired New York in order. With 96 pitches of 7 inning, 4 hit, no walk, 10 strikeout baseball, Ro’s work was done. Logan Scalise pinch hit for Ro, but was part of yet another 1-2-3 inning. Like Ro, Gomez finished after seven innings yielding four hits and three walks and striking out three. The starters were magnificent, but it was now up to the bullpens.

Donald McIntyre came in for Pittsburgh in the top of the eighth inning. He retired the first two hitters before Roger Kirby grounded a single to center. The SL batting champion, Whammer Byrd, pinch hit for rightfielder William Cook. On a 3-2 count, with pinchrunner Bill Waite running, Byrd grounded out to third base.

In the eighth inning, New York turned to Javier Castillo. Zaragoza drew a walk on a full count pitch. Then, on the first pitch, Gary Croce drove a pitch deep to right field and over the wall for a two-run home run. Sweet redemption for Tiny after coming up empty in crucial at bats earlier in the game and in Game Five. Schmeltzer singled with one out, but was left at first.

And so, with a two run lead, the Pisces turned to closer Vincent Furness. The Fox got a pop up to short by Reyes. Pinch-hitter Bill Boss popped up in foul ground. A routine fly ball to left by Berkeley ended the game, as Pisces fans danced in the aisles to celebrate their first title.

And so, the long season is over. The trophy has been claimed and another great year is in the books. The league file is posted and I’ll try to get web pages up tonight or tomorrow night. The file for this upload is much larger than normal, as it includes updated pictures, retirements, etc. It’s two to three times as large as normal.

Nate and I will confer on the off-season schedule and circulate it shortly. Thanks to everyone for their involvement and let the trading season begin!

Game four, my friend, of the 2006 OEL Championship has come and gone.  This was one of those games that was never truly in doubt.  After some issues with their fitful offense Pittsburgh found itself tonight as they beat New York 8-1 behind 13 hits and 7+ innings of 5 hit, 2 walk pitching by ace Richard Ro.

Pittsburgh got on the board off New York starter Chad Gomez in the second scoring five runs while sending 10 batters to the plate.  Two walks to lead off the inning, followed by an RBI single, another walk, a fourth walk to bring in a run, another run-scoring single, and a run-allowing wild pitch by Gomez, and another run on a passed ball built all the margin the Steeltown Smashers would need today.  Pittsburgh would score three more while batting around in the sixth.

Ugly game, that, but it does knot up the series at 2 games a piece and builds the excitement for tomorrows conclusion as Mack and Eric will sim all three of the remaining games if needed due to an upcoming trip.

That means this will be the final chance to make offers to your free agents and suchlike, gentlemen!  Get those offers in!

The league file is on its way up now.  Please give it 20 minutes or so to transmit and then go to town on it.

Game Three of the OEL Championship series is in the books, sports fans!  Another fun one under the lights in New York.  With moderate winds and a 55 degree start time anything could happen!

Cutting to the chase, despite Pittsburgh’s owner, Mack Shultz trying to sweet talk his way into a win in last games comment thread New York took an early lead tonight and never gave it back.  Pittsburgh threatened to come back in the late innings but didn’t quite make it.

The final score tonight was 7-4 with New York doing its scoring in the first five frames on timely hitting and a home run by Richard Berkeley.  Pittsburgh attempted a comeback in the sixth while scoring three and leaving three on base as they batted around the order.  Pitt would put one more on the board in the ninth but it wouldn’t be enough.  New York now leads the series 2 games to 1 and could win it all on their home field with wins in the next two games.

Adding insult to injury for Pittsburgh is the loss of relief pitcher Lorenzo Carballeira in tonight’s game.  Carballeira, who appeared in 44 games this season while posting a 1.78 ERA and a strike out to walk rate of 45-13, is lost for a week, and therefore the remainder of the playoffs, when he developed finger blisters while on the mound tonight.

The next game is tomorrow night and will be run by myself.  The file is on its way up to the server and you should try to download it in a half hour or so.

As we move into the second game of the age-old question of offense vs. defense, perennial playoff choker Gaby Duran took the hill for the Pittsburgh Pisces against Billy Lowry for the New York Knights.

In sharp contract to his previous playoff history, Duran came out like a man possessed. He retired the Knights in order in the first three innings, striking out seven of the nine men to face him. Even Eric seemed a little impressed by Duran’s display.

Meanwhile, the Pisces flexed their muscles a bit in the second inning with a solo home run to left field by Donald Parson. However, the Pisces missed numerous opportunities to open up the contest, stranding five runners in the first three innings.

In the top of the fourth, William Cook broke up Duran’s perfect game with a one-out walk. But William Byrd and Alfonso Reyes both flew out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Pisces offense finally came out of it’s 12-inning coma. Perry “The Platypus” Hodgin hit a two-run double down the left field line and was followed by a single by Amador Zaragoza, an RBI single by Gary Croce, and an RBI double by Danilo Henriquez. When the smoke cleared, the Pisces led by a seemingly comfortable 5-0 score.

Duran retired New York in order in the fifth and sixth innings, as Eric began to seriously worry about whether the Knights would be able to get a hit. In the bottom of the sixth, the Pisces appeared to put the game out of reach with a three run home run by “Spike” Henriquez. Another run scored on an error and, at the end of six, the Pisces led 9-0 with the Knights yet to record a hit.

With one out in the seventh inning, batting champion “Whammer” Byrd singled to right. Another single by Reyes, a wild pitch, and a home run by Richard Berkeley put the Knights on the board and cut the gap to 9-3.

After the Pisces were retired in the seventh with only a two-out single by Henriquez, the New York offense came to life again. Erwin Herrero led off with a double and Bill Waite drew a one-out walk. But, Pisces centerfielder Tracy Snider ran down back-to-back line drives to deep center field by Cook and Byrd to escape the threat and end the inning. Will Duran remember the dominant first six innings or the shaky last two when he next takes the hill?

The Pisces again recorded a single in the bottom of the eight, but left the runner stranded, their 12th man left on base of the game. Pittsburgh turned to closer Vincent Furness to end the game. But, The Fox didn’t have it, as he gave up a single to Alfonso Reyes and a two-run home run to Carlos Araoz in just three pitches. With the score now 9-5 and still nobody out, the Pisces manager removed his closer and brought in rookie Lorenzo Carballeira. Carballeira gave up a single to Prosperie, but got out of the inning.

So, Pittsburgh’s 9-5 win leaves both teams some positives to take to New York for Game Three. The Pisces offense finally got on track, recording 15 hits and 23 baserunners in all. They also got a dominant six innings from Gaby Duran, erasing the sting of last year’s 0-4 playoff performance. But, New York can also take solace in their offensive outburst in the last three innings and the fact that, by splitting in Pittsburgh, they have claimed the home field advantage in the series.

Can Pittsburgh run off three road victories, as they did against Miami? Will the Knights’ pitchers keep the trophy in New York? Games Three and Four will be simmed tomorrow and Sunday by Nate and Games 5-7 (as needed) will be Monday. Tune in for the exciting conclusion.

League file is posted.