Single season records on the verge of being broken!

Opey Higgins
DOUBLEDAY DAILY


Setting a record is one of the most enjoyable accomplishments a player can have during a career. Several of those records are being threatened this season. To Start off Chicago's Albert Wall is only 2 hr's off pace to beat Blade Stevenson's single season Home Run record of 71. Wall with 57 currently has 42 games to hit just 14 Home Runs to become the Home Run king in Doubleday.


Also, We have Philadelphia's SP Bernie Alvarez just 2 games shy of putting himself in a tie for the most single season wins of 23. Alvarez still has plenty of time with his 21- 4 record to beat Bruce Shea's record single season win total.


Last but certainly not least Colorado's Neil Campbell has 90 SB's with the remaining 42 games to swipe 39 more sb's to break the single season record held by now retired Javier Pineiro.


It's going to be exciting to see if these records are going to be broken.. So we will continue to follow along as we close out this season... One last record being threatened is the most losses in a season.. The most losses in a season by a P is 22 held by J.R. Charlton currently on Anaheim's AAA team.

Franchise Review: Detroit

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily




A look at Detroit's Franchise History



Season 1: The Franchise was started in Trenton

Key Players: Wesley Smith, Howie Daniels, Rafael Pena and Horacio Rodriguez

Aquisitions: Eugene Fogg, Woody Wilkerson

First Round Pick: CF David Bailey (AAA)

International FA's: NONE

Record: 86-76




Season 2: Franchised named new owner and moved to Detroit

Key Players: Wesley Smith and Woody Wilkerson

Acquisitions: Kip McPherson , Sarma Rose, Ronn Moore and Alex Moya

First Round Pick: 1B Terrence Hurst (AA) and RF Ken James (AA)

International FA's: C Odalis Nieves (AAA)

Record: 73-89




Season 3: Detroit

Key Players: Sarma Rose,Wesley Smith,Diego Tejera

Acquisitions: Jimmie Crespo and Dean Fitzgerald

First Round Pick: P Wendell Sullivan (Hi A)

International FA's: P Ariel Johnson (Hi A) , CF J.P. Posada (Hi A) and C Luis Cerveza (Hi A)

Record:66-96


Season 4: Detroit

Key Players: Henry Lee and Sarma Rose

Acquisitions: Jude Thomas, Steve Evans

First Round Pick: SS Denny Chong (Low A)

International FA's: P Junior Santiago (Low A)

Record:66-96

Detroit has had a rough go of it since the opening season of Doubleday they managed to maintain a level of consistency from season 3 to season 4 posting the same record. However, Detroit's bound to start moving in a positive direction with the owner getting better each season. The owner has made a few good moves and is signing some top notch draft picks. So in the next few seasons look for Detroit to be a major player in the playoffs.

The Trade Deadline Frenzy... That Never Was.

I can picture it now.

All you baseball geeks out there, getting ready for the big deadline.

Mega-nerds with baseball literature in one hand, a Phil Maxwell bobble-head in the other, positioning themselves in front of a television, just waiting to see who gets dealt where.

It's the time of the year where the contenders move past the pretenders.

It can mean the difference between resting on a first round bye, and resting until next season.

Geeks check their wrist-watch, and eagerly await for the moment of truth.

And they all find out...

...as a collective unit...

...that, well, nothing happened.

No wait, let me change that.

Boots Lesher goes to Baltimore for 3 schleps.

There's your trade deadline frenzy, people!! GO CRAZY!!

I mean, did anybody seriously think a major move would be made at the deadline?

Sure, we've seen it in the past. It's a yearly ritual that Doubleday owners love to take advantage of.

But the first half of the year saw the likes of Albert Wall, Mark Post, Pedro Bennett, Erv Hines, Robert Robinson, Johnny Durbin, Abraham Inge.. (takes a breath) Teddy Collier, Bruce Shea, and a million other talented Doubleday-ers.

And damn, I didn't even mention Albuquerque's purge of virtually every single drip of talent on their ML roster. Phil Maxwell? Spike Logan? Poseidon Webber? Junior Cerveza? All outta there! In fact, Albuquerque went ahead and RETRADED young players they got in previous trades!

All were made, WELL before the trade deadline.

And now, as we waited for the big moment of truth, all the true baseball purists end up being disappointed.

Congratulations Baltimore, you got one helluva Long Reliever there! Maybe, just MAYBE, a 5th Starter!

Thank God somebody at least did something.

Oh, and the geeks out there thank you as well.

Franchise Review: El Paso

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily


WHAT HAPPENED IN EL PASO?

A look at El Paso's Franchise History



Season 1: The Franchise was started in Mexico City...
Key Players: Philip Parrish, Jeremi Nicholas, Andres Cortez and Teddy Collier
Acquisitions: Timothy Simpson, Fritz Neugebauer
First Round Pick: SP Junior Espinoza (retired)
International FA's: Eduardo Durazo(currently in Detroit) and Miguel DeLeon (currently in Monterrey)
Record: 79-83

Season 2: Franchise named new owner and moved to El Paso
Key Players:Timothy Simpson,Teddy Collier,Dale Richard and Steven Howard
Acquisitions:James Dietz, Ivan Figureoa
First Round Pick:SP Fred May (AA)
International FA's: None
Record: 92-70

Season 3: Still in El Paso coming off a Division Title
Key Players:Julio Piedra, Timothy Simpson, Andres Cortez and Teddy Collier
Acquisitions: Izzy Darling
First Round Pick:CF Rolando Crespo (Hi A)
International FA's: None
Record:82-80

Season 4: Still in El Paso
Key Players:Timothy Simpson, Andres Arroyo
Acquisitions: Evan Kerr, Matty Ramirez and D'Angelo Torres
First Round Pick: SP Mario Bell (Hi A) and RP Frank Shields (Low A)
International FA's: Chico Servet (AAA)
Record:64-98


El Paso has been rebuilding the last couple seasons and it appears that they are finally getting some young pieces together. They have managed to trade away most if not all the huge contracts they had. This season the ML squad is one of the worst in the World but in a season or two El Paso could very well reclaim the division they once led.

Comissioner Highway Talks Crazy

Only four short seasons ago, Blade Stevenson, then of the Colorado Grizzlies, blasted 71 balls over the fence. Since that time, Stevenson has not come even come close to replicating that total. His closest attempt was a 51 homer campaign last season. Many thought his record would stand for decades to come.

Fast forward to today. First Baseman Albert Wall of Chicago has 46 homers through 86 games and has won two consecutive Player of the Week Awards. He is currently on pace for 87 home runs on the season. Obviously this is quite short of the record. Despite this, Commissioner tomhighwayhas boldly announced that he "has a feeling" that Wall will surpass Stevenson's mark by season's end. Wall needs a miracle as he will have to mash 26 more into the cheap seats in only 75 games. As you can see this is mathamtically impossible, but the commissioner seems confident.

This could end up being the dumbest prediction since Bill Gates said that "No one will ever need more than 640KB of RAM." Of course Bill Gates has an IQ of 160 and we hear Commissioner Highway just started coloring on the test with a purple crayon, so it could still yet be the most idiotic statement in history.

Discussion: Top 5 teams in Doubleday!

Opey Higgins: Welcome to Doubleday Daily Magazine! Today Mr. Schultze and I will be discussing the top 5 teams in the world. Let's dive in ...

Edward Schultze: I sure hope you left your meth at home. I'd like an actual decent conversation about baseball.

Opey Higgins: Yes, today I think I can get by without it..

Edward Schultze: Sounds good. Let's get started.

Opey Higgins: Ok, when you say the most powerful team in Doubleday you think of what team first?

Edward Schultze: You have to go with the team that currently owns the best record in baseball, Philadelphia. Great offseason moves has them above and beyond everyone else.

Opey Higgins: Yeah, getting Alvarez was huge for them..

Edward Schultze: Not just getting Alvarez. Picking up veteran players, such as Johnny Cambridge and Paul McNamara have really made a difference.

Opey Higgins: McNamara hitting .332 is playing one of his best seasons.. Cambridge has yet to get on board. But you have to admit the heart and soul of that lineup is Pizzaro with his 29 HR's and .323 average.

Edward Schultze: Veteran presence is not only shown on the stat sheet. Just being a leader in the clubhouse can make a huge difference. Those two are more than capable of showing the younger players just how to win at this level.

Opey Higgins: I agree, Moving on.. Who would you put 2nd? I am thinking the 2nd best team in Doubleday has to be Toledo.

Edward Schultze: I can't disagree with Toledo here. Their pitching has been lights out this season.

Opey Higgins: Posting a team era of 3.49 best in the world currently.. Bert Blair is pulling his weight by leading the team in wins, K's and era.. Couldn't ask for more coming from that guy!

Edward Schultze: Blair is a flat out beast! And of course, Leon Haynes is no slouch either! His 6-1 record and 2.89 era. They have been simply dominating!

Opey Higgins: Offensively they have struggled a bit.. However Corky Grant is leading the team in average, I was called crazy for naming him Toledo's MVP..

Edward Schultze: You're still crazy, but not for this reason. Grant is a superstar in the making, and he'll only get better as this team progresses on.

Opey Higgins: Yeah, I'll admit to being crazy at times... Ok the next team is a tough choice.. We have Boston and Baltimore both playing about the same level of baseball.. Who would you pick between the two?

Edward Schultze: I give Baltimore the edge. The addition of Junior Cerveza has them clearly above and beyond Boston. Erv Hines needs to dominate for the Beaneaters to have a chance.

Opey Higgins: Cerveza has been pretty good going 2-1 since being traded there.. Also the combination of Ripken and Martinez have been awesome this season..combining for 50 HR's and 139 rbi's.. Baltimore could potentially get close to Philly if they keep things going.

Edward Schultze: I can see a possible Baltimore/Philadelphia ALCS. They have some intriguing matchups if these two powerhouses were ever to meet in the playoffs.

Opey Higgins: I may not go that far, but they are both great teams and it would be a good matchup to see. For a change not having Boston or Albuquerque in the ALCS.

Edward Schultze: I would go that far. These two teams are the strength of the AL.

Opey Higgins: Once Baltimore lessens the amount of runs they allow I could agree with that.. Ok.. I know I said it would be hard to pick between Boston and Baltimore.. How about Louisville as the #4 team in the World?

Edward Schultze: If you want to go purely by record, sure. That's what I'd expect from your simple brain. Louisville is the most dominating team in the world's history. They win when it matters most, postseason time. Enough said.

Opey Higgins: Let's say we aren't going by record.. pick the 4th best team..

Edward Schultze: That's like asking who's the 7th hottest woman on Earth is. How the hell am I supposed to know? All I DO know, is that Louisville wins. Period. 4th best team or not.

Opey Higgins: And you told me to lay off the Meth.. I will make a bold statement here, Louisville is the 4th best in my mind due to the fact the owner rbedwell has always made good decisions. He has built a dynasty around what he was pretty much given when he took over the team and barely worries about the FA market. Still winning and still a threat every season.

Edward Schultze: Wow, what a bold statement. Call you 'Obvious Man', because what you just said, everybody ALREADY knows! The man knows how to win, PERIOD! I can tell you that he doesn't give a flying fadoodle what he's ranked now. Because he knows, at the end of the season, he'll be where he needs to be.


Opey Higgins: Ok, now tell me what I don't know and what everyone wants to know.. #5.. We have Boston, Montreal, Durham and St. Louis.. Your thoughts?

Edward Schultze: Flip a goddamn coin, how the hell am I supposed to know? They're all good teams. You have postseason automatics like Boston and Durham. You have the winner of the Phil Maxwell sweepstakes, St. Louis. And then you have Montreal. So you go ahead and pick.

Opey Higgins: I thought you were a sports analyst!

Edward Schultze: I thought you knew how to ask intelligent questions. Get some brain cells and come back to me.

Opey Higgins: It's your opinion.. So in YOUR opinion who would you rank #5?

Edward Schultze: I'd take any team there, but Montreal. They really suck.

Opey Higgins: I agree all the other teams seem to be superior. Montreal's odd technique has worked so far in a weak division.. But I feel since you won't answer I'll answer.. I pick St. Louis!

Edward Schultze: Way to grow a set and actually make a decision. I was about to slap an apron on you and ask you to make me some dinner. Fine, I'll choose Durham, just to be different!

Opey Higgins: My reason for picking St. Louis... The best rotation in the AL along with adding Maxwell to the offense.. They are a very good pick to win the division and possibly get to the ALCS.

Edward Schultze: Gee thanks, but my opinion still stands. Philly or Baltimore takes the AL.

Opey Higgins: Why would you pick Durham as the #5?

Edward Schultze: Because you don't agree with it. You don't understand logic or simple reasoning. You're a dolt, to be brutally honest. How can you NOT pick Durham? With that offense, and the pitching? They'll be postseason bound once again.

Opey Higgins: If they can manage to win enough games to stay ahead of Pittsburgh.. Remember you have 3 teams fighting in the NL South that could end up taking the 2 wild cards .

Edward Schultze: The only thing I have to remember is to change my underwear every morning. Pittsburgh has youth, but Durham has EXPERIENCE. That means the world, and in the end, it'll mean Pittsburgh's demise.

Opey Higgins: I guess we will see.. Well we have to wrap this up, Thanks for stopping by and offering your opinions and insults.

Edward Schultze: Insults are free of charge. My opinions, well, you'll get the bill for that.

Opey Higgins: Yeah, not sure why we pay you.. But anyone.. Folks we will be back soon with more in depth discussion of Doubleday.

Grading the S5 Draft: The Bottom Half

Well, we all just read Opey Higgins' grading of the first 15 picks.

If there's one thing we just learned by reading that, it's that writing an article and smoking meth just do NOT mix.

Speaking of smoking meth, it seemed as though a lot of the owners in this world appeared to do just that, rather than scout baseball players. Don't get me wrong, some teams were on the ball, as usual, and came away with some future primetime players.

And then, there were some players selected who aren't fit to clean the toilets out of my house.

A complete moron can make a good pick in the top 5-10 of the draft. The room for error just isn't there.

But the true geniuses of the world earn their status in the league by simply selecting value at where they pick.

It's as simple as that, folks.

I have examined the entire bottom half of the first round, compensation picks included. Some owners should be commended for their picks. Some owners should be castrated.

Top five best and worst, here we go!


Top 5 BEST


Omar Sanchez, LF, Chicago Whales (23rd overall)

How in the hell did this guy manage to slip all the way to 23? He's a legit everyday power hitting slugger who'll be mashing pitches in no time. Not the greatest defensively, but that bat more than makes up for it.


Carl Gaillard, RP, Oakland Oaks (36th overall*)

This is a legit closer, folks. Jubalado definitely ate his wheaties before the draft. Great value at 36.


Brent Crosby, C, Baltimore Lords (24th overall)

Not the greatest defensively, but he doesn't suck ass either. Plus, damn, look at that bat. He's a future everyday C who'll mash 35+ HRs a season.


Derrek Smith, 2B, Toledo Maumees (37th overall*)

I can see Smith making a couple All-Star appearances before his career is over and done with. This is VALUE, folks. Take notes, if you want. This is who you try to get in the later half of the first round.


Mark Power, 2B, Baltimore Lords (47th overall*)

Baltimore comes through again with another solid pick. It's apparent that Devonjain laid off the meth till AFTER the draft. Nice job.


HONORABLE MENTION: Christopher Hartman, SP, Toledo Maumees; Buck Guthrie, RF, Omaha Spikes


Top 5 WORST


Kenneth Wilson, RP, Albuquerque Dukes (33rd overall)

Are you serious? Did you see the other relievers that were taken AFTER this one? He's not God AWFUL, but man, he's close. I think the scouts were too busy trading their players to do their research.


Hulk Richardson, P, Ottawa Great Lake St (48th overall*)

This guy has 48th round written all over him, yet Ottawa felt compelled to select him 48th OVERALL. If this guy has any sort of a ML career AT ALL, I'll be completely shocked.


Giovanni Hemingway, SS, Salt Lake City Trappers (20th overall)

Don't get me wrong, it's good to have a strong defensive SS. However, the lack of bat makes him a 2nd-3rd round pick at best. You coulda done better, Salt Lake!


Al Danks, 2B, Durham Tobacconists (51st overall*)

Another strong defensive player, but has the offensive ability of a 6-year-old T-ball player. I understand we all have our separate formulas for trying to win, but guys like this can be had much later in the draft.


Stevie Stankiewicz, LF, Albuquerque Dukes (52nd overall*)

This guy isn't awful, but man, he isn't good either. He's just JOE AVERAGE. Average at everything, good at NOTHING. Albuquerque, good thing you got a lot of talent back from your firesale, because you sure as hell didn't get anything in the draft.


HONORABLE MENTION: Henry Garcia, SS, Texas Steers; Anybody else drafted by Albuquerque

Season 5 Top 15 Draft Grading!

Opey Higgins
Doubleday Daily



1. Burrell- B+, First pick drafting a 1B kinda diminishes this. Great player but I feel there was other options


2. Calvin Coco- Still has not signed but from what we hear the scouts on Anaheim were very unprepared.

3.Alexander Connelly- B+, Very good pick for the 3rd overall pick in the draft!

4.Andrew Evers- A, Evers falling to 4th was surprising to me.. However poor scouting may have caused this. Great pick for Colorado

5.Roger Reynolds- B, Arguably the best hitter drafted. Fell pretty much where I thought he would.

6.Gerald Hammond- B, Hammond will be a very good pitcher at the ML level. Great control and good splits.

7.Roger Hosmer- A+, The best SP drafted hands down! Hosmer has dominating pitches and very good control.

8.Michael Hernandez - B-, Hernandez is a good pick, A little low control but makes up for it with great pitches.

9.Mickey Waters- B, Waters will be a 3B on most teams. He lacks range to be an effective CF. Fast, Great contact and hits both LH and RHP's.

10.Fred Cooke- A, for a team that needs Pitching bad.. Huntington's drafting of Cooke was a very smart choice.

11.Carlos Perez- C, Great defensively but a pretty poor bat. Perez also has very low durability which will cause him to only play probably 100 games IF lucky.

12.Hipolito Urbina- B, Urbina doesn't posess a lot of speed but his bat will be above average. Good defense with pretty good range and glove.

13.Tony Bold- A, Bold looks to be a great LRP with very good control, Good splits and 2 of his 3 pitches are solid.

14.Neal Tipton- C+, Tipton is labeled a SS... However his glove and range may limit him. His bat is average at best and he's slow.

15.Randy Murray- C, Solid LF with pretty good potential.

King of Leon: SP Haynes Blasts Two Homers

By KYLE KEOUGH
DOUBLE DAY DAILY

Leon Haynes once again let his bat do the talking against the Louisville Colonels. This time, instead of a 4-for-4 hitting display--which Haynes racked up against Louisville two seasons ago in one of the best overall performances ever by a single player--Haynes wowed with his power.

The 29-year-old starting pitcher blasted an unexpected two home runs (neither a tape-measure shot) as the Toledo Mudhens continued to make their case as NL favorite with a 3-2 win over the Colonels.

Haynes, a career .211 hitter with no home runs in 301 ABs entering the contest, hit his first in the third off of starter Glenallen Clontz. Haynes followed that up with a center-field shot in the fifth.

Haynes also happened to pitch 7 strong innings, upping his record to 4-0 on the season. The righthander has grown accustomed to morphing into Albert Pujols whenever the Colonels are in town; just a couple of seasons ago, Haynes' 4-for-4 hitting performance, in which he drove in two runs, singlehandedly earned him the complete-game victory over Louisville.

Maxwell and Logan rumors: Can anyone afford what's needed to obtain one of these All-Stars?

OPEY HIGGINS
DOUBLEDAY DAILLY


Albuquerque, New Mexico

Rumors are flying around about probably 2 of the best hitters in the American league, Phillip Maxwell and Spike Logan. Owner Rootgargle has mentioned he's been fielding a large amount of inquiries for Maxwell already but he's not quite sure what the plan will be regarding the Albuquerque Slugger. He's mentioned he will wait until this coming Monday to really look into the offers that have been proposed and he'll start replying to those interested. He's also mentioned that Spike Logan hasn't been generating as much as he'd hoped he would in this time of rebuilding for the future of this team.


Albuquerque is still in the Division race only 2 games behind of San Francisco at the moment so all hope is not lost yet. Albuquerque may still find themselves in the playoffs after making the moves they plan on making. We'll update you as we find out more regarding the futures of Logan and Maxwell.