After the Stand - A Very Fictional OOTP6 Dynasty [Archive]

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KWhit

08-12-2004, 11:25 AM

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/After_the_Stand.jpg

After mulling the idea around for a few weeks, I have finally decided to get my butt in gear and start my first dynasty thread. This is going to be an OOTP6 dynasty based on one of my favorite guilty pleasure reads – Stephen King’s “The Stand”.

I will try to keep spoilers of the book to a minimum, but to be honest, if you plan on reading the book someday and don’t want something spoiled, you probably should skip this thread. Better yet, go read the book ASAP and then come back and read this!

But if you haven’t read the book (and don’t care if I give away a little bit of the plot here and there) read on – I’ll include enough of the story as I go so you aren’t totally confused.

And to those of you who know the book better than I do – I’m sure I’ll screw plenty up as I go along (I don’t have the book memorized, that’s for sure!). I’m just using what I remember of the novel as a jumping off point.

Marmel

08-12-2004, 11:39 AM

Great idea, look forward to it. The Stand is one of my favorite reads of all time.

Travis

08-12-2004, 11:42 AM

Should be an interesting story line to say the least. Looking forward to this.

KWhit

08-12-2004, 12:20 PM

Thanks guys! At least I know somebody will be taking a look at it!

Others may be wondering if a combination of OOTP and Stephen King will be entertaining. I don’t know, but I’m going to give it a shot. Hopefully you will enjoy it.

A lot of this will be presented as diary-type entries by the GM and Manager of the Boulder Freedom (the team I’ll be controlling for this endeavor).

The basic premise of The Stand is that a superflu decimated 99.9% of the world’s population. Pockets of the survivors make their way to Boulder, CO and to Las Vegas, NV. The novel chronicles these survivors in a battle of good versus evil.

After the events of the novel, people begin to inhabit other cities/towns in the Midwest. These cities will make up my league. Things should become clearer once I get going, but there is going to be more to this than just a simple baseball league.

So sit back and enjoy.

Radii

08-12-2004, 12:32 PM

Interesting, I'll be following.

JeeberD

08-12-2004, 12:45 PM

Sounds cool.

M-O-O-N! That spells home run!

KWhit

08-12-2004, 01:42 PM

It has been many years since the events we now reverently refer to as The Stand. After the amazing turn of events in Las Vegas, life began to return to normal. Everyone banded together to get the power back on for good, and people started to find their niches in this new society.

Well, most people did anyway. I hate to say it, but I haven’t quite lived up to my pedigree. You see, I am the first-born of the “new world”. After the super-flu known as Captain Trips killed 99% of the world’s population, no one was sure if the human race would be able to continue.

There were practical considerations such as getting the power running and making sure that the food and water supply would sustain those that were left. But the biggest fear that the residents had was that their future children may not be immune to the flu. I was the first test – the first child to be born after the disease hit. At first, everyone thought I was going to be just another casualty of the flu – I had all the symptoms when I was born and it was just a matter of time until I went into the great beyond. But I rallied. It seems that I somehow resisted the airborne killer.

The Boulder Free Zone celebrated like it never had before (even more than after the events in Las Vegas). I was a hero before I had even wet myself for the first time. How does a child grow up under such scrutiny? Well, I guess I never really did grow up.

My parents (heroes in their own right, since they were instrumental in bringing the evil one to his knees) were convinced I was going to be something special. They pictured me becoming a great leader when I grew up, an opinion they constantly shared with everyone, much to my dismay. I’m sure you can imagine how enticing it was for the bullies to be able to say, “I kicked the shit out of the future President of the New States of America!” Not that President was in the cards for me anyway, no matter what the expectations were.

SplitPersonality1

08-12-2004, 03:54 PM

M-O-O-N that spells "I'm really going to like this dynasty". Interesing premise. This should be a good one.

kingfc22

08-12-2004, 03:57 PM

very interesting. I'll be following

KWhit

08-12-2004, 09:21 PM

I’m getting ahead of myself, I suppose. I don’t know why I’m trying to explain the world as it is in these short years after the coming of the Flu, because I’m sure you already know all that. If you don’t, there was a great history of those days written by a resident named Stephen King. I never met the man, but I hear he was considered a wacko in Boulder before publishing his great book. It is very informative, and of course, my parents (Fran Goldsmith and Stu Redman) are featured prominently in it.

I mentioned that I floundered for years as I grew up. Well, that’s an understatement. I was a laughingstock. You see, my father gave me a blessing and a curse – the love of baseball.

For those who don’t know, baseball is a wonderful game that was played before the flu struck. For those of you who were born after the flu like me, it may be hard to believe that thousands of people would gather night after night to watch people throw and hit a ball, but it’s true. And oh, the joy it brought. My father was a baseball fan and he passed that along to me with wonderful stories about the greats like Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson.

I was determined to bring the game back. People thought I was crazy. There were more important things to rebuild than a simple amusement! That’s how they always put it. “A game” they’d say derisively, or “It’s just a boy’s diversion”.

But I persevered. I was 12 when I first tried to organize a small league. I was able to field a couple of teams, but the boys and girls got tired of only playing against each other, so it fell apart. It wasn’t until a few years later that I founded the Free Zone Baseball League.

The only reason that the league ever happened was that I convinced the Zone’s Council members that we needed to reach out to the other settlements that sprung up as people dispersed from Boulder. The baseball teams could travel around from town to town to bring everyone together again. This wouldn’t have worked if my father hadn’t used his considerable clout to make it happen. I don’t think he half believed the things he said to the council, but he did it for me. He could see how much I wanted this.

So I was a player/manager for the Boulder Freedom during the first two seasons of the league. Other teams were formed in the surrounding areas and we began to pull together a small fan base.

Our initial goals seemed to be within reach. We felt like the other communities were closer to us than ever before because of a little friendly competition. And I had brought baseball back into the world.

Wolfpack

08-13-2004, 10:13 AM

Hey, Pete. :)

KWhit

08-13-2004, 12:56 PM

Things wouldn’t stay so simple, though. A few weeks ago, I started having nightmares. of him. If you don’t know who I mean, count yourself lucky. He’s the man with no face, the Walkin Dude. Some know him as Randall Flagg. He’s a servant of the devil or maybe even the devil himself. He’s the cold face of evil that lurks in the abandoned subway tunnels that stink of decay and death.

I continued to manage the team, and even though no one mentioned it, I could tell something was wrong with them. They too hadn’t slept. I asked my good buddy and catcher on the team, Bud Watkins, how he was doing. I asked if he was sleeping through the night. He laughed at me, wondering if I was taking the pennant race a little too seriously. But I could have sworn his laughter was a bit forced.

The road trip ended last week and I was able to sleep in my own bed. My sleep was a little better there, and a thought came to me. We really were in a heated pennant race, and I thought it would be nice to have a sell out when the 1st place team from Kansas City made the trip into Boulder for the weekend. And maybe it would take my mind off of those dreams.

I decided that the team needed some publicity. One of the few entertainments that we indulge in is the movies. We’re not making any new ones yet, but we love to gather in the theater and take in the classics, like Casablanca, The Terminator, or Caddyshack.

I decided that the town needed to see Field of Dreams. I talked Timmy, the projectionist, into digging it out of the storeroom he found in the old movie studio in downtown Boulder. My father had let me watch it on our first VCR, before the power surge fried its innards.

I plastered posters all over town listing the showtimes and that everyone who came out would receive a free ticket to one of our games against the Kansas City Tornados. It was an amazing turnout. We had to schedule more viewings to get everyone in who wanted to see it.

The response was incredible! I was applauded and thanked and kissed by people who were moved by the movie and excited that baseball was a part of their lives. Why hadn’t I done this sooner? And why did it seem that this was such a big deal to everyone all of a sudden?

The answer came in the form of a little girl who tugged at my sleeve as I was shaking hands outside the theater. She must have only been 7 or 8 years old. I leaned down to her and she whispered “I dreamed about that game.” I smiled and asked her for her name. “Sally Barton,” she said. “I dreamed about that game. I dreamed that I could hit the ball and run so fast! Now I know what to call it. Baseball.”

I smiled and asked when she had seen us play? She said she had never seen it before except in her dreams. Her mother confirmed this, saying that Sally had told her all about the dreams. The mother was named Barbara. She told me, “Sally told said she dreamed she could hit the ball and run like the wind. She said it was important we come to the movies tonight. I didn’t even know what was playing, and I don’t think she did either.”

Sally frowned, listening to us talk. “We have to beat him,” she said. “We have to beat that bad man.” I knew who she meant. Her mother did too. I took my leave and thanked them for coming, but I was unnerved. I immediately went home, ignoring the pats on the back as I left.

SplitPersonality1

08-13-2004, 02:06 PM

Ths is very, very good. I am (im)patiently waiting for the next installment.

Good stuff, keep it up.

JeeberD

08-13-2004, 10:24 PM

Awesome stuff!

So is Randy going to be pitching for Vegas?

KWhit

08-15-2004, 11:21 AM

Thanks everybody for the kind words. I'm having a blast writing it up so far. Updates will be coming soon, cause I'm anxious to get to the baseball!

But, having a baby is cutting down on my free time. Imagine that.

Wolfpack

08-15-2004, 08:13 PM

Awesome stuff!

So is Randy going to be pitching for Vegas?

Um, Vegas ain't there anymore. He's probably pitching for a minor-league team out in Dakar or perhaps Lagos (inferring from what I remember where he ended up). Wonder if he still wears his "How's your pork?" button?

Scouts do say he has major league stuff and has an uncanny ability to understand the batter he's facing. :)

JeeberD

08-16-2004, 11:21 AM

Bah, just cause there was an itty bitty nuclear explosion in Vegas doesn't mean that it's not there anymore... ;)

I always had the impression that Randy wound up in far South America, but it's been a while since I read the book...

KWhit

08-16-2004, 12:23 PM

That night, I arrived at my house to find the door open. No one locks their doors here. We’re not afraid of each other. Not since the Walkin Dude was defeated. But now, the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. I felt that no matter what I did, I should not go inside. Something earth-shattering was waiting for me there. I knew it.

But of course I went in. I had to, as much for curiosity as anything else. I stepped into the hallway, directly into a huge bear-hug. “Oh, Buddy! Buddy! I’m so sorry! I’m sorry!” I recognized the voice immediately. It was my old friend Tom Cullen. He was my father’s age (or thereabouts) but he and I were famous friends growing up. He saved my father’s life years ago and stayed with us from time to time. He was a great playmate. You see, Tom was slow. Well, okay, he was retarded. But he could amaze you sometimes with his quick wit and his reasoning skills. There were times when he was smarter than any of us.

He was bawling. Big fat tears had soaked his face. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Kansas!” Tom had left Boulder a few years before to “see the world.” He sent postcards by way of messenger when he could and the last one I received was from Topeka.

“I had to come back! Bad dreams! About you.” Fear slammed into my heart. More dreams? “I did a bad thing!”

“What did you do?”

“I sent him to you. I didn’t mean to!”

I sat him down on the bed and tried to calm him down. Finally, he told me everything.

“I was having dreams about you-know-who.” I knew, all right – the evil one, Flagg. He was getting around again, it seemed. “He asked me things.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“He’s bad! M-O-O-N, that spells Bad! He told me he was going to kill us all! And he asked me how I wanted him to kill us. He wanted me to decide!”

At first, I thought Tom had maybe watched the movie Ghostbusters and gotten confused that it was real, but Tom wasn’t like that. He knew real from imaginary.

“Did you answer him?” I asked.

“No. Not at first. I came to see you. I wanted your help. I followed you to the movie theater, but then I couldn’t find you. I sat down to rest in the theater and ended up watching the movie. I must have fallen asleep, though, because I dreamed again. He came and asked me. He made me give an answer. He kept asking how he should destroy us. I’m sorry, Buddy. It was the only thing I could think of after watching that movie!”

“What did you say? Just tell me Tom.”

“Baseball. I said baseball.” Tom collapsed into me, sobbing, holding onto me for dear life.

At that moment, a word came into my head. I didn’t know what it meant, but it was there all the same – “Ka.”

KWhit

08-17-2004, 01:20 PM

I comforted Tom the best I could that night, but I needed some comforting myself. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had the time for any relationships of note. The Free Zone Baseball League took up too much of my time. I was scared – terrified, in fact, but I had to put on a brave face for Tom, and there was no one I could turn to for comfort.

The next day, the message arrived. It was lying on my doorstep when I awoke, bleary eyed from lack of sleep. It was written in blood (what else?) on the back of an old newspaper clipping that read “Superflu Strikes – Millions Dead”.

You thought you had seen the last of me?
You thought you were safe in your 'society'?
Well, little boy, you better think again,
I won’t be defeated as I was back then.
I will be joining your silly game for boys.
I will beat you with your own little toys.
Thanks to Tom, we go to war.
Baseball is how we’ll keep the score.
We’ll play for twenty years to meet our goals.
Instead of trophies, we play for souls.
- R.F.

There was another note. A list of rules that we would play by.
We will be creating a new league – The Eternity Baseball League. We will play for twenty years, gaining points as we go. If the Free Zone has more points after twenty years, I will once again be vanquished. If my minions have more points, then I will claim the souls of all who live in the Zone. Sounds fair, eh?

Of course, these rules may change at any time of my choosing.

Your primary team, of course, will be the Boulder Freedom. They will gain points based on their accomplishments. My primary team will be the Las Vegas Legion. I will gain points based upon their accomplishments. Yes, I have rebuilt the city of sin in another desert location. I assure you, the radioactivity levels won’t affect your players… much.

JeeberD

08-17-2004, 01:55 PM

My primary team will be the Las Vegas Legion.

Vindication! Take that, Wolfpack! :p :D

KWhit

08-17-2004, 02:22 PM

Vindication! Take that, Wolfpack! :p :D
Yep. I couldn't see RF making his home base anywhere else, so he had to rebuild it.

kingfc22

08-17-2004, 02:30 PM

Just make sure R.F. doesn't catch you stealing his signs.

Wolfpack

08-17-2004, 02:33 PM

How about Reno, AC or LA? Sure, Vegas makes sense, but the world outside the free zone has no laws whatsoever, right?

(digs in heels... :) )

KWhit

08-17-2004, 03:11 PM

And I thought that Las Vegas Legion was a cool team name for our good buddy RF.

KWhit

08-21-2004, 01:47 PM

Flagg's note also detailed the points we’re playing for. Las Vegas and Boulder can gain the following every year.

Head to head (BLD vs LV only) 5
H2H Shutout 7
H2H In the World Series 10

Div Champs 15
League Champs 25
World Series Champs 50

Win a playoff game 2
Win a WS game 4

Finish below .500 -10
Finish last in division -20
Win 100 Games 10

10 Game Win Streak 10 Plus 1 for each additional
5 Game Losing Streak -5 Minus 1 for each additional

Individual:
Win Rookie of the Year 10
Win MVP 10
Win Cy Young 10
Win Batting Title 5
All Star 5
Gold Glove 5
Hit 40 HR 5
Win 20 gms 5
Break a major record 5 to 20
Perfect Game 15
No-Hitter 10
Hit 3 Hr in a Game 5
League Notes:
The league will consist of 16 teams. 2 leagues with 2 divisions of 4 teams each. 4 teams are currently loyal to the Free Zone (led by me and the Boulder Freedom). 4 teams are currently loyal to Chaos (headed by the evil Randall Flagg and his Las Vegas Legion). 8 teams are independent. This may change based upon various criteria that will be noted as we go. These loyal teams are important for 2 reasons. First, my team, Boulder, may only trade with teams that are loyal to the Free Zone (CPU controlled teams may trade with any team they wish). The teams that are loyal to the cause can also gain points for our side (and the teams loyal to chaos gain points for Las Vegas). These allies teams earn ¼ of the point value above for their side.

KWhit

08-28-2004, 09:16 AM

Here’s the league structure. Teams that are loyal to Boulder are noted with “Freedom” and teams loyal to the evil Las Vegas Legion are noted with “Chaos.” I have an interleague schedule set up, so I'll be playing a home and home series with Vegas every year. I will play those games out. All the rest of them I’ll sim.

Freedom League
East
Topeka Xpress (Freedom)
Iowa Battle Hawks (Freedom)
Kansas City Tornados
Omaha Storm

Freedom League
West
Boulder Freedom (Freedom)
Provo Knights (Freedom)
Dakota Rush
Santa Fe Heat

Power League
East
Colorado Springs Bombers (Chaos)
Tombstone Bandits (Chaos)
Mesa Navajo
Waco Fire

Power League
West
Las Vegas Legion (Chaos)
Carson City Moonlight (Chaos)
Reno Blackjacks
Tijuana Wild

KWhit

08-28-2004, 09:18 AM

I also have a list of 20 random events that will happen from time to time. At first these will occur 2-3 times per season. Most of them benefit the side of Chaos (the Bad Guys). It is my intention to use these to even the odds between me and my CPU counterpart. 2 or 3 of these events do benefit the Free Zone (The Good Guys). I will use dice rolls to determine which of these events occur. I will just include them in my write-ups as we go along.

KWhit

10-04-2004, 10:23 AM

Dang, it's been a while since I played around with this. Finally, I have a little free time, so things will get cranking soon.

I am going to try to position myself as a middle of the road team initially. I set up an initial standard (not serpentine) draft with Boulder picking 9th out of 16 teams. Las Vegas will pick 1st in every round. I want to set them up as a powerhouse team. They’ll be given the most $$ and should be able to field a good team every year. I will stipulate that my payroll has to be within the bottom half of the league or be no more than ½ of the $ of the highest team’s payroll (but this may change as I see how things go).
Another wrinkle I’m throwing into the draft is that when I pick, I will have to draft a player who is loyal to my side. To simulate this, during every round, I will decide who I want to pick. I will then make a roll with a 20 sided die (my D&D geekiness is coming through already). If the roll is 1-10, the player is loyal to chaos and I cannot pick him and must choose another player. I’ll pick someone else and then roll to see if I can pick them. If the roll is 11-20, I can pick the guy I want. I will let the AI pick whoever it wants for all the other teams.

The idea is that I want to make this a challenge. Cutting my draft pool in half compared to the other teams will definitely make this more difficult.

KWhit

10-04-2004, 10:59 AM

I pick 9th in each round of the initial draft. I am obviously going to look for youth, which will work well since I need to keep my payroll low. For rounds 1 and 2, I plan on picking a top notch SP and a big bat who already have good ratings but are ideally around 26-27 years old. I will build my team around these guys. From then on, I’ll see what’s available, but continue to look for youth and value. I haven’t played v6 enough to have a great feel for it yet, so I’ll be learning it as I go.

fantastic flying froggies

10-04-2004, 11:15 AM

Very nice! I'd miss this the 1st time around, but I'll definitely be following this!

Keep it coming!

KWhit

10-04-2004, 01:54 PM

I brought in a number of players to take a look at before the initial draft. My coaching staff hasn’t even been put together yet, but I enlisted some of the people I trust who worked with me on my team in years past. We first evaluated the players on current abilities and future potential, not even looking at players over 30 for the first couple of rounds.

Immediately, a few players stood out from the pack:

KWhit

10-04-2004, 02:44 PM

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/clubb.JPG

<TABLE class=overall><TBODY><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g2><TD class=s5>Pitching Ratings

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Pitching</TD><TD>Stuff</TD><TD>Movement</TD><TD>Control</TD><TD>Velocity</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Overall</TD><TD>85</TD><TD>67</TD><TD>65</TD><TD>93-96 Mph</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Versus LHB</TD><TD>85</TD><TD>67</TD><TD>65</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Versus RHB</TD><TD>84</TD><TD>67</TD><TD>64</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Talent</TD><TD>85</TD><TD>67</TD><TD>65</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

KWhit

10-04-2004, 02:46 PM

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/ceniceros.JPG

<TABLE class=overall><TBODY><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g2><TD class=s5>Pitching Ratings

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Pitching</TD><TD>Stuff</TD><TD>Movement</TD><TD>Control</TD><TD>Velocity</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Overall</TD><TD>78</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>67</TD><TD>91-94 Mph</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Versus LHB</TD><TD>74</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>65</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Versus RHB</TD><TD>82</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>68</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Talent</TD><TD>78</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>67</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

KWhit

10-04-2004, 02:47 PM

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/collins.JPG

<TABLE class=overall><TBODY><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g2><TD class=s5>Ratings

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Batting</TD><TD>Contact</TD><TD>Gap</TD><TD>Power</TD><TD>Discipline/Eye</TD><TD>Avoid K's</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Overall</TD><TD>83</TD><TD>61</TD><TD>90</TD><TD>73</TD><TD>67</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Versus LHP</TD><TD>93</TD><TD>65</TD><TD>93</TD><TD>78</TD><TD>69</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Versus RHP</TD><TD>79</TD><TD>59</TD><TD>88</TD><TD>71</TD><TD>66</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Talent</TD><TD>83</TD><TD>61</TD><TD>90</TD><TD>73</TD><TD>67</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

KWhit

10-04-2004, 02:48 PM

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/bunnell.JPG

<TABLE class=overall><TBODY><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g2><TD class=s5>Ratings

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Batting</TD><TD>Contact</TD><TD>Gap</TD><TD>Power</TD><TD>Discipline/Eye</TD><TD>Avoid K's</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Overall</TD><TD>79</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>83</TD><TD>97</TD><TD>69</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Versus LHP</TD><TD>78</TD><TD>80</TD><TD>82</TD><TD>96</TD><TD>68</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Versus RHP</TD><TD>80</TD><TD>82</TD><TD>84</TD><TD>97</TD><TD>69</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Talent</TD><TD>79</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>83</TD><TD>97</TD><TD>69</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

KWhit

10-04-2004, 02:51 PM

My colleagues then informed me of something I already knew – it was highly unlikely that any of these guys would be around when we picked 9th.

I began to dig deeper into the draft pool, looking for a good all around player. I don’t want to sacrifice defense just to get a guy with pop (and that’s what seems to dominate the next tier of offensive players).

I strolled over to the bullpen area to take a look at someone who is generating some buzz around the field. They call him “Twig” – Edgar “Twig” Fons. No one knows why they call him that, and he isn’t telling. He’s not especially tall or thin, so the obvious reason is out. He looked impressive during his workout. He will definitely be high on my draft board.

KWhit

10-04-2004, 02:57 PM

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/fons.JPG

<TABLE class=overall><TBODY><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g2><TD class=s5>Pitching Ratings

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Pitching</TD><TD>Stuff</TD><TD>Movement</TD><TD>Control</TD><TD>Velocity</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Overall</TD><TD>73</TD><TD>62</TD><TD>73</TD><TD>89-92 Mph</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Versus LHB</TD><TD>67</TD><TD>59</TD><TD>70</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Versus RHB</TD><TD>78</TD><TD>65</TD><TD>76</TD><TD> </TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Talent</TD><TD>73</TD><TD>62</TD><TD>73</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

KWhit

10-04-2004, 03:03 PM

Another player that really impressed me is a youngster who is ready to play right now. Just 20 years old, this kid showed better skills than all but a few of the more veteran guys out here. He’s fast and has great range at SS too. I really like the looks of him.

KWhit

10-04-2004, 03:05 PM

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/reyes.JPG

<TABLE class=overall><TBODY><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g2><TD class=s5>Ratings

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Batting</TD><TD>Contact</TD><TD>Gap</TD><TD>Power</TD><TD>Discipline/Eye</TD><TD>Avoid K's</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Overall</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>90</TD><TD>63</TD><TD>100</TD><TD>37</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Versus LHP</TD><TD>48</TD><TD>84</TD><TD>61</TD><TD>100</TD><TD>32</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Versus RHP</TD><TD>60</TD><TD>93</TD><TD>64</TD><TD>100</TD><TD>39</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Talent</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>90</TD><TD>63</TD><TD>100</TD><TD>37</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

KWhit

10-04-2004, 03:09 PM

As I was salivating over these players, I heard Tom Cullen calling me. I waved him over.

“Tom, what is it?” He was out of breath and looked upset.

“Something’s wrong!” he said. Then he cut his eyes around at the players who were now staring at him. “They want you to fail.”

I pulled Tom down into the clubhouse. As we walked down the hall toward the locker room, he began to sob.

“It’s okay. Just tell me what you mean.” I sat him down and he caught his breath bit by bit.

In a calm and certain voice, Tom said, “I can feel it. They work for the bad man.”

And I knew he was right. It made sense. Why wouldn’t Flagg try to tilt the game even more to his favor by trying to get some of the players who are loyal to his side onto my team. They could easily throw games to ensure that we lost.

But Tom didn’t sound like he reasoned this out. “You said that you feel it. What do you mean?”

“I was talking to one of them, and I could just tell. I could feel the badness.”

Tom had always shown flashes of some sort of sense about people. Even though he was slow, it was possible that he had abilities to judge the character of people better than any of us.

“I have an idea.” I said. “Tom, we can’t let any of the bad people onto our team.”

“No way, Jose.”

“So you have to tell me who the bad people are. When I want to draft somebody, I am going to get you to talk to them and tell me if they’re okay or not. Can you do that?”

“M-O-O-N, that spells Yessireebob!”

“Okay. Tom, you got the job.”

And that’s how Tom Cullen became my lead scout.

kingfc22

10-04-2004, 09:02 PM

Glad to see this back KWhit.

JeeberD

10-05-2004, 01:33 AM

Excellent work.

KWhit

10-05-2004, 11:28 AM

Thanks guys. I'm having fun so far, but anxious to get some baseball played!

KWhit

10-05-2004, 11:31 AM

I just returned from draft day one and boy am I exhausted. I feel pretty good about what I came out with so far, but it was a very strange experience. Just a sign of things to come in this league, I’m sure.

The draft was scheduled to begin at 8:00am. Each team was allotted 5 minutes to make each pick. I arrived at the draft location early and began to compare notes with Tom. He had conducted interviews with many of the players that interested me. I guess “interviews” is too strong a word to use. Basically, Tom shook their hand and asked them some random question like “What’s your favorite color?” or “Dude, where’s my car?”

After an awkward moment or two of silence, Tom usually has a good idea of the man’s character (or lack thereof).

I took a look at the list of names that he deemed “Baddish” (as he put it) and did not like what I saw. At the top of his list was a name that I had picked out as a likely 1st round pick – Edgar Fons. They call him “Twig,” and I was thinking that he could be the best starting pitcher still available at pick 9. Looks like I will have to go another direction.

Other managers started making their way into the auditorium. Soon they would let the fans in who were impatiently waiting outside. I spoke to a few of the guys that I knew from previous baseball clashes.

A good friend of mine, Red Austin, is the manager of the Topeka Xpress. They were going to be important to my success as they were allied with me in my battle against Flagg. The strange thing was that no one knew it. Another of Flagg’s rules was that we couldn’t let any of the other teams know the stakes we were playing for. Otherwise they might funnel their best players to my team to try to help me achieve victory. I intended on keeping the secret. I wasn’t sure, but something told me that if I let Red know what was really going on, Flagg would know. I didn’t want that.

KWhit

10-05-2004, 03:23 PM

They let the fans into the draft location at 7:30. It was such a strange array of people, I don’t think I will ever forget it. The Boulder Freedom had a respectable contingent, as did many other teams, but by far the greatest number were fans of the Las Vegas Legion. They were a rowdy bunch, to say the least. A number of fights broke out at first, but then a group of men dressed in pale yellow coats came into the room.

The raucous Vegas fans quieted immediately at the sight of them. In fact, everyone grew silent. They were tall brooding men who moved slowly toward the commotion. It took me a moment before I realized that they all had a red mark on their forehead. I was too far away to be sure what it was. Maybe a tattoo.

One of the men stopped in the aisle and pointed at a fan seated in the auditorium. He was wearing the Vegas colors, and I believe he was causing much of the ruckus. The fan was scared. He tried to back away, but the other Vegas fans seated to his right and left grabbed hold of his arms and started pushing him toward the aisle. Pretty soon everyone nearby got into the act, almost falling over themselves to help push the unlucky fan out to where the man in the yellow coat waited.

The rest happened very quickly. All of the men in yellow coats converged on the fan and violently hauled him out of the room, heedless to his cries and pleas. And as fast as they arrived, they were gone. A few people in the crowd uttered a nervous laugh or two, but none of the Vegas fans were laughing. They knew the score, and were on their best behavior for the rest of the day.

JeeberD

10-05-2004, 03:44 PM

Low Men!!!!

KWhit

10-06-2004, 08:24 AM

Low Men!!!!
You know it.

KWhit

10-08-2004, 03:03 PM

I’ll admit, it was hard to concentrate after that. I couldn’t help but think about what was happening to the man who was taken away. But I had to focus on the task at hand. This was important. It was almost time to begin the draft.

And that’s when I realized that no one from Vegas had shown up yet. No manager, coaches, scout – just a bunch of now contrite fans. And it was time for the draft to start.

At 8am sharp, a small man wearing a suit walked out on stage. Balding and slight, he didn’t look like much, but he strode across the stage with confidence. He nodded to the crowd and spoke with authority:

“Welcome to the birth of a brand new and exciting brand of baseball. In the past, before the plague destroyed so much, baseball was a game that brought together the rich and the poor, the pious and profane, the lucky and the downtrodden. Now we must bring together a world ravaged by the unthinkable. Torn apart by a disease that cleansed the world of many of its best and brightest.

It is with great honor that I accept the position of Commissioner of this fine league. I’ll be keeping an eye on you all to ensure that you all play nice. I will rule decisively but fairly in all matters. But enough talk, let’s begin. Once again, I welcome you all to draft day of the Eternity Baseball League!”

Of course, we all applauded. I couldn’t feel my hands slapping together, however. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, that I felt like I would lose my balance on each beat. It was overwhelming, the thought of what my responsibility was. And the worst part was that only Tom and I knew.

And just at the moment that I thought of Tom, I saw him bounding over the table in front of us and running to the stage. What was he doing?! The startled Commissioner tried to turn away, but Tom was quick and hopped onto the stage and grabbed his shoulders, turning him back to face him.

The applause had stopped. The room was tense and quiet. To his credit, the commissioner stayed calm and said, “What is it, son?”

Tom swallowed hard and blurted out, “Will you still love me tomorrow?” Until then I had no idea what he was doing, but now I understood. He wanted to see if the league commissioner was trustworthy or if he was with Flagg.

The crowd laughed. So did the commissioner. I wasn’t laughing, though. Neither was Tom.

“Of course I will, Tom Cullen,” he said. And then he winked at him. Tom shook his hand and stepped off the stage. He walked back and sat in his spot next to me, smiling the whole way.

“It’s okay,” Tom said. “He’s going to be fair.”

I finally let out the breath I had been holding. What a relief that was, but I still wondered who this man actually was, where he came from, and why he was the commissioner of this league.

But there wasn’t time to dwell on these thoughts as the draft had just begun.

KWhit

10-08-2004, 03:05 PM

The clock ticked off the seconds, but there was still no sign of a representative from Las Vegas. Almost 4 minutes had passed since the clock for the first pick in the draft started ticking.

1:10.
1:09.
1:08.

So Flagg had a minute left or he’d lose his pick. I wondered what he could be doing that would keep him away. Torturing babies? Pulling the legs off a spider? Whatever it was, I couldn’t help but get excited that maybe Vegas would miss out on the top pick.

But of course that was too much to hope for. At that moment, the doors to the auditorium burst open, and a man entered. It wasn’t Flagg. He looked to be around 50 years old and wore a black suit and black shirt. The only color he wore was in his crimson colored tie. He walked with purpose toward the stage and with the clock reading ten seconds left, he made it to the microphone and said, “With the first pick in the Eternity League draft, the Las Vegas Legion select Starting Pitcher Valentin Ceniceros. We welcome him to the Legion.” And with that, he walked to the table reserved for the Legion, and sat down – no notes or anything in front of him.

And the draft continued.

KWhit

10-08-2004, 03:16 PM

Valentin Ceniceros

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/ceniceros.JPG

<TABLE class=overall><TBODY><TR><TD class=empty>Pitching Ratings</TD></TR><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Pitching</TD><TD>Stuff</TD><TD>Movement</TD><TD>Control</TD><TD>Velocity</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Overall</TD><TD>78</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>67</TD><TD>91-94 Mph</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Versus LHB</TD><TD>74</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>65</TD><TD></TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Versus RHB</TD><TD>82</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>68</TD><TD></TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Talent</TD><TD>78</TD><TD>81</TD><TD>67</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

So Vegas goes with a pitcher at #1. A solid pick, in my opinion. This guy looks to be the top pitcher in the league. The only drawback is that he's already 30 years old. I'm sure he'll win a lot of games for them, but who knows how many great years he has left in him. Personally, I would have gone younger at #1. But look at that picture. He looks like a smug son of a bitch, doesn't he? Perfect for Vegas.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

KWhit

02-23-2005, 05:39 PM

Getting this going again. Truth is, I got way sidetracked in baby-land. It's tough being a new father. Oh, and IHOF has been eating away all my gaming time. But it's baseball season once again, so I have the fever for some hardball.

KWhit

02-23-2005, 05:44 PM

The first few picks went about as I expected. Most of the top-level players I had my eye on were unfortunately (and expectedly) gone by the time pick 9 came around. Three starting pitchers were gone. But “Twig” was still sitting there. He was definitely the best SP still remaining, but, of course, I couldn’t pick him. Tom said he showed tendencies toward evil and couldn’t be trusted. So I’d have to look elsewhere.

The other SPs seemed to be a bit of a drop off, so I looked at position players. Ah! The young SS James Reyes was still there. His ratings are already high and he is only 20 years old. However, I don’t expect him to improve too much, so he may never get to the offensive levels of some other players still on the board. But he’s a great fielder at a key position and he has good running speed, too. I ask Tom what he thinks.

“He’s a good one!” Tom said through a smile.

It’s very possible that I am taking him too early, but he could conceivably anchor my infield for the entire 20 years of this contest against Flagg. In the end, his youth was the deciding factor, so I pulled the trigger and made him the top selection of my franchise. Hopefully he was mature enough to handle the high expectations that would undoubtedly come from being taken so high.

KWhit

02-23-2005, 05:47 PM

http://home.comcast.net/~klwhit/reyes.JPG

<TABLE class=overall><TBODY><TR><TD class=empty>Ratings</TD></TR><TR><TD class=empty><TABLE class=s0><TBODY><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Batting</TD><TD>Contact</TD><TD>Gap</TD><TD>Power</TD><TD>Discipline/Eye</TD><TD>Avoid K's</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Overall</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>90</TD><TD>63</TD><TD>100</TD><TD>37</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Versus LHP</TD><TD>48</TD><TD>84</TD><TD>61</TD><TD>100</TD><TD>32</TD></TR><TR class=g2><TD class=s1_2>Versus RHP</TD><TD>60</TD><TD>93</TD><TD>64</TD><TD>100</TD><TD>39</TD></TR><TR class=g><TD class=s1>Talent</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>90</TD><TD>63</TD><TD>100</TD><TD>37</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

KWhit

02-24-2005, 08:30 PM

<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" width="624" id="AutoNumber1"><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">1</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Las Vegas Legion (Chaos)</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Las_Vegas_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Valentin Cineceros</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">SP</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Stuff</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Control</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Movement</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">78</td><td width="69" align="center">61</td><td width="69" align="center">81</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">2</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Carson City Moonlite (Chaos)</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Carson_City_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">William "Colonel" Collins</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">3B</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">83</td><td width="69" align="center">90</td><td width="69" align="center">73</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">3</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Topeka Xpress (Freedom)</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Topeka_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">James Bunnell</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">SS</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">79</td><td width="69" align="center">83</td><td width="69" align="center">97</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">4</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Provo Knights (Freedom)</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Provo_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Robert "Sunshine" Clubb</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">SP</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Stuff</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Control</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Movement</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">85</td><td width="69" align="center">65</td><td width="69" align="center">67</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">5</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Dakota Rush</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Dakota_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Werner "Thumper" Dewald</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">SP</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Stuff</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Control</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Movement</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">76</td><td width="69" align="center">59</td><td width="69" align="center">79</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">6</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Colorado Springs Bombers (Chaos)</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Colorado_Springs_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Johnson "Viper" Baze</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">RF</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">80</td><td width="69" align="center">82</td><td width="69" align="center">77</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">7</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Mesa Navajo</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Mesa_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Donald Ambrose</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">3B</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">65</td><td width="69" align="center">97</td><td width="69" align="center">92</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">8</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Tombstone Bandits (Chaos)</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Tombstone_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Luis "Pumpkin" Villa</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">RF</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">78</td><td width="69" align="center">90</td><td width="69" align="center">100</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">9</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Boulder Freedom (Freedom)</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Boulder_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">James Reyes</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">SS</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">56</td><td width="69" align="center">63</td><td width="69" align="center">100</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">10</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Reno Blackjacks</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Reno_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Edgar "Twig" Fons</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">SP</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Stuff</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Control</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Movement</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">73</td><td width="69" align="center">73</td><td width="69" align="center">62</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">11</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Kansas City Tornados</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Kansas_City_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">William Evans</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">RF</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">75</td><td width="69" align="center">83</td><td width="69" align="center">84</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">12</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Santa Fe Heat</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Santa_Fe_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Glenn Wachtel</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">C</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">80</td><td width="69" align="center">65</td><td width="69" align="center">100</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">13</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Waco Fire</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Waco_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Ernest Bramble</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">SP</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Stuff</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Control</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Movement</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">73</td><td width="69" align="center">63</td><td width="69" align="center">68</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">14</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Tijuana Wild</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Tijuana_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Erik Herrell</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">2B</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">65</td><td width="69" align="center">85</td><td width="69" align="center">63</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">15</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Omaha Storm</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Omaha_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">James Bennett</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">LF</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">62</td><td width="69" align="center">96</td><td width="69" align="center">73</td></tr><tr><td width="26" bgcolor="#800000" rowspan="3">16</td><td width="285" rowspan="3">Iowa Battle Hawks (Freedom)</td><td width="66" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Iowa_Logo.jpg" width="60" height="60"></td><td width="207" colspan="3">Ignacio Delvalle</td><td width="34" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#808080">SS</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Contact</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Power</td><td width="69" align="center" bgcolor="#FF0000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="69" align="center">62</td><td width="69" align="center">78</td><td width="69" align="center">92</td></tr></table>

KWhit

02-24-2005, 10:11 PM

I feel pretty good about the way the rest of the draft played out. I think that I should have a competitive young team. I went after a prospect or two earlier than the other teams but I was cautious about this strategy because I felt that I needed to be sure to field at least a decent team from the get-go (and I didn’t want to exploit the AI knowing I had 20 years to play out).

However, there were quite a few high quality players that I missed out on (a couple of really hot prospects, too) because Tom deemed them “questionable” and thought they might be in league with Flagg. I can’t help but feel that this has handcuffed me a good bit, making my roster weaker than it would otherwise be. But no one said this would be easy. We shall see.

KWhit

02-24-2005, 11:02 PM

Our first game of the season pits Boulder vs the Kansas City Tornados. I’m anxious to get the season started and to see exactly what we can do.

The opening day festivities were quite a sight. The game was a sellout – standing room only at 35964. The day began with a tribute to the ballplayers who had come before us. We played radio highlights of some of the greats who were taken down when Captain Trips hit. For many of the youngest fans in attendance, that was the first time they had ever heard the names of Ruth, Mays, Robinson, Aaron, and Gibson.

Perhaps the most chilling of all was a highlight of the last game played from the old Major League Baseball. It was during the plague’s first major spread across the country years ago and many teams couldn’t field an entire 25 man squad. The rest of the league’s games had been cancelled indefinitely.

Jack Buck was making the call, wrapping up the broadcast. Listeners could hear quiet coughing in the background.

“And so, ladies and gentlemen, this one’s in the books. And with that, baseball will take a pause. I don’t know when, but baseball will return, but it will return without many of these stars that have shone so brightly. Those stars have burned out, but I guess new stars will have to be made to replace them.

With one voice we say, “There is no choice today,
There is only one thing to do.”
Everyone is saying the same thing and praying,
That we end these senseless moments we are living.

And this much I truly know: we shall beat this silent foe,
And our children will enjoy the future we are giving.”

KWhit

02-25-2005, 09:34 AM

It was a little tough to breathe after hearing that. The enormity of what I was now responsible for became clear. I don’t know if Flagg had anything to do with Captain Trips, but he sure took advantage of the situation, trying to remake the world that was left into a world of his ghastly vision. And I knew that if I failed, what would befall us would be worse than the plague itself.

KWhit

02-25-2005, 09:55 AM

Boulder Freedom Opening Day Lineup <img border="2" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Boulder_Logo.jpg" width="134" height="111"><table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#C0C0C0" width="900" id="AutoNumber1" height="137"><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">1</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1"src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Castellanos_Andres.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">Andres Castellanos</td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">CF</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">Castellanos is not exactly what we're looking for in a leadoff man and will likely be moved from that position after we see how our other players perform.  He does have outstanding speed, stealing ability and running instincts, so he gets the nod in the early going.  He is an excellent defensive player and can play a ton of positions for us - 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, and RF.</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Contact</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Power</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">42</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">27</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">27</td></tr><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">2</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Rodriguez_Bernal.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">Bernal Rodriguez</td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">RF</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">Another good and versatile fielder, Rodriguez shines at all outfield positions. He's a left handed batter, so we'll start him at #2 against righties because of his decent contact hitting and eye. He'll drop in the order against southpaws.  He also runs the bases well. </td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Contact</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Power</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">44</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">18</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">50</td></tr><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">3</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Reyes_James.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">James Reyes</td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">SS</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">We expect huge things out of James. Our top pick in the draft and just 20 years old!  We hope he can handle the pressure. James has a good glove and will anchor the infield for years. It will be nice to have such a great hitter playing SS. Any time I can get solid offensive production from a middle infielder, I like to take advantage of it. It will be fun to watch him grow up and improve.</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Contact</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Power</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">56</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">63</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">100</td></tr><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">4</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Trujillo_Angel.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">Angel Trujillo</td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">1B</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">Angel was our second pick in the draft. He's our slugger, and should see a ton of walks too. Nothing to write home about in the field or on the bases, but that's not what we got him for. Just hit us some dingers, Angel.</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Contact</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Power</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">56</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">94</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">100</td></tr><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">5</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Cespedes_Guillermo.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">Guillermo Cespedes</td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">2B</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">Guillermo is the old man of the team. At 35, he's the oldest position player on the team (SP Edward Cruys is 39). He'll do all right for us at the 5th spot, but may end up at 6th if Toyoaki plays well. Somewhat of a liability in the field, he is not our long-term solution at 2B.</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Contact</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Power</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">47</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">55</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">14</td></tr><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">6</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Toyoaki_Raijirou.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">Raijirou Toyoaki </td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">C</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">Doesn't have a great throwing arm, but Toyoaki should make up for it with his bat. Should be a good all around hitter for us, I just hope his defense doesn't kill us.</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Contact</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Power</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">42</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">55</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">47</td></tr><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">7</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Abrego_Jeremy.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">Jeremy Abrego</td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">3B</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">Abrego plays a mean 3B. He also plays well at 2B, and may see time there as well. He's not going to scare anybody with his bat, but he won't embarass us either. And he has a cannon for an arm - best on the team (maybe better than some of our pitchers).</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Contact</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Power</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">45</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">41</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">31</td></tr><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">8</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Hawkins_Loren.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">Loren Hawkins</td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">LF</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">Hawkins has average range, but he's not comfortable in any position other than in LF. Not a bad player, but nothing to get too excited about.  Has some good running speed, but no base stealing skills or running instincts to go with it.</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Contact</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Power</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Eye</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">40</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">45</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">43</td></tr><tr><td width="52" bgcolor="#808000" rowspan="3">9</td><td width="92" rowspan="3"><img border="1" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Earle_Harold.jpg" width="90" height="135"></td><td width="194" height="40" colspan="3">Harold Earle</td><td width="76" height="46" bgcolor="#808080" rowspan="3">SP</td><td width="479" rowspan="3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#FFFFFF">Our #1 starter, Earle was drafted in the 3rd round. His endurance is excellent, and we like his movement and control. I was hoping that our ace would be more intimidating, but our position in the draft (and Tom's opinion of certain players) didn't let us get the true star-quality pitcher we were looking for.</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Stuff</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Movement</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center" bgcolor="#800000">Control</td></tr><tr><td width="70" height="3" align="center">45</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">71</td><td width="61" height="3" align="center">61</td></tr></table>

KWhit

02-25-2005, 10:27 AM

And so I steeled myself for the challenges to come and turned my attention to the ballgame at hand.

I’m starting Harold Earle as my #1 SP. He’s not the dominating force I’d like with a #1, but he has great movement and endurance. With some decent run support, he should do just fine this year.

Kansas City has a more seasoned, more talented pitcher going today. They call him “Mr. Cool”. His name is Richard Weiland. We had him targeted and would have taken him in the 2nd round, but he was one of the guys that Tom Cullen warned me may be in league with Flagg. He was eventually taken two picks later by KC. He’s a solid player – a threat to win 20 with the right team, and I couldn’t help but wish he was a part of my club. I sure hoped Tom knew what he was doing.

The pregame matchups don’t look too favorable for us with the commentators only giving us the edge in one spot – our cleanup hitter Trujillo. At least we’re playing at home.

KWhit

02-25-2005, 10:28 AM

Once the game got under way and the umpire shouted “Play Ball”, things went downhill fast. On Boulder’s very first pitch as a member of the Eternity Baseball League, SP Harold Earle gave up a line drive base hit that almost took his head off. Hopefully that is not an omen.

The runner was caught stealing on the next pitch, but that was followed up by a double by 3B Stephen Daniels.

After a ground out to 2B, KC got on the board with a single from Aguiar to go up 1-0 after 1 inning.

In the bottom half, things didn’t start off well for us on offense either as leadoff hitter CF Andres Castellanos struck out. A weak ground out by Rodriguez and then a fly out by our 1st round pick Reyes ended our 1st inning in the league 1-2-3.

Nothing in the 2nd for KC. A couple of strike outs for our offense in the bottom half.

3rd inning: Court ground out. Daniels with another double, this one down the 3rd base line. Evans – line drive double between LF and CF and an RBI. Next up, Aguiar, who takes a 3-2 fastball deep to CF and GONE. It went 424 feet and scored 2 runs. That’s 3 RBI for him and they led 4-0.

Bottom half for Boulder – 1-2-3 inning again.

4th inning – Leadoff HR for catcher Glenn Hamilton. 5-0. I debated about taking out Earle, but decided to let him go. I have more trust in my SP than I do my MR.

Bottom 4th: More omens for Boulder? Maybe. We finally get our first franchise hit, and fittingly it was by our 1st round draft choice James Reyes, who ripped the ball down the first base line. An easy double, but he tried to stretch it to a triple, and even more fittingly was thrown out at third. So the no hitter is over, but KC’s pitcher was still facing the minimum through 4 innings of play.

Top 5: Daniels with a single – he’s 3 for 3. And Aguiar follows up with another HR. This one went 366 feet to LF for his 2nd HR and 5th RBI of the game. 7-0 KC.

I finally pulled Earle and replaced him with Roberto Sanchez. Why did I wait so long??? Sanchez got out of the inning with no further damage.

Sanchez pitched well until the 7th when (guess who) Aguiar got another RBI single to go to 4-4 with 2HR 6 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Boulder finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the 7th after a couple of hits (one of them Reyes’s second double of the game) and then an error by the pitcher Mr. Cool. But we could only manage one run.

In the 9th, Daniels got his 5th hit but Aguiar couldn’t get his. He ended up at 4-5.

The game was ugly for us as we lost 8-1 and were never in it. Their pitcher Weiland pitched a beauty, going 8 and 2/3 and only giving up 1 run on 5 hits.

KWhit

02-25-2005, 10:29 AM

Positives for us to take from today:

There weren’t many, but Reyes played well going 2-3 with 2 doubles and Sanchez pitched well out of the pen – giving up 1 run in 4 and 2/3 innings. Clearly, I should have gone to him earlier. Also, our defense held up; we had no errors on the day.

Another positive – it can’t get much worse… I hope.

KWhit

02-25-2005, 10:38 AM

We came back to take the next two games from Kansas City and win the series, but then lost 3 straight to Omaha. We were in all three games, losing by a combined score of 15-11. So even though we were swept, we played decently. We ended the week at 2-4. Vegas had an even worse week. They are at 1-5. I won’t continue the weekly updates, but thought I’d go ahead and document this one since it’s the first week of the league.

Player of the Week

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v684/KWhit/Aguiar_Mario.jpg
Mario Aguiar
Kansas City Tornados

Mario Aguiar ended up winning the Player of the Week award, primarily because of the 3 games he had against us. He hit .467 with 3 HR and 11 RBI in those three games. He sent our pitching staff a thank you note after the series. Hey, Mario! Bite me.