Outlaw Career Hits Leaders

Twenty-two years of Outlaw All-Time hits leaders, from 1991 to 2012 including the predecessor NASBL Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres:

1. 2474, Manny Ramirez, 1995 - 2011
2. 1879, Omar Vizquel, 1996-2011
3. 1631, Albert Belle, 1992-2001
4. 1625, Kenny Lofton, 1993-2001
5. 1255, Tony Gwynn, 1994-2000

There was no change in the top five this year, although Adrian Gonzalez displaced Sandy Alomar in the sixth spot, almost 300 hits behind Tony Gwynn.

Illinois Deals Last Original Chow

Illinois Times - The Chows made headlines today by dealing their long-time face of the franchise Carlos Beltran.  After trading Halladay earlier this offseason, the Chows have now dealt their two longest tenured players and both faces of the franchise.  Beltran is atop the Chows all-time leader board in Games, AB, Hits, Doubles, Home Runs, Extra Base Hits, RBI's, Runs and Walks.

"We are in a rebuilding year and the acquisition of Upton relegated Carlos to DH.  The chance to get a youngish talented starter and our 2nd round pick back was too much to pass up.  We wish Carlos well and will always consider him a part of our franchise."

The deal sends Beltran, Maholm and the ILL 4 to Troy for Samardizja and the ILL 2 (previously dealt to the Haymakers).  The Chows are hoping for a quick turnaround and want to get younger while acquiring players who can help as soon as next year.  This deal nets two of those guys.

"Jeff is an amazing athlete with amazing stuff.  His K rate points to long-term success.  We had a surplus of OF and this deal just seemed to make sense for us."

Haymakers Add an Arm!

Troy, NY:  The Haymakers made a move to upgrade their rotation today by adding Josh Johnson for Luke Hocheavr and a round 1 pick.  The oft injured, but very talented pitcher joins a rotation for Troy looking to make their third playoff appearance in a row in 2013. He also adds a much needed balance and potential ace for a team who will be lacking one after Carpenter's injury that will keep him out in 2013.
   "Losing Carp for 2013 is tough, especially since he has won at least 15 games every year for us," said GM Ken Anderson, "hopefully Johnson will be able to counteract that a bit."
   Josh Johnson has had his own success, winning 19 games while pitching for the world champion Iron Pigs in 2011 and in the championship in 2012 for the Bulldogs (still to be decided); and hopes to continue that success for the Haymakers.  "Pitching against this team (Troy) in 2011 was tough, they intrigued me."  he said, "Now I'm here and hopefully will be able to bring this team back to the championship."
   At this point Johnson joins the you phenom Madison Bumgarner, wiley veteran Hirkoi Kuroda (who was with Johnson in 2011 for the Iron Pigs), and wild card Jeff Samardija as an interesting group of arms.  "We are trying to build a team that will contend year after year," said the GM, "Something that will bring the fans to the new park that will be open this upcoming season.  Hopefully Johnson will be with the team for a number of years."

   The Haymakers are looking to fill some other key parts with what looks to be the 5th overall pick and 2 key second round picks.  

2012 NASBL Post-Season Awards Announced

The 2012 NASBL Post-Season Awards banquet was heavily attended by fans of Outlaw Josey Wales, the Slatington Bulldogs, and the Lake Champlain Cannibals.

Individual Awards winners included:

TG MVP:  Matt Kemp, OJW (.330/46/116).  The Tastes Great Triple Crown winner surprised no-one by receiving the maximum number of 1st place votes. 

LF MVP:  Jose Bautista, SBU/TRY (.319/55/124).  The first ever mid-season trade player ever to win an NASBL MVP award, Bautista was also the first ever mid-season trade player to win a Less Filling Triple Crown.

TG Cy Young:  Justin Masterson, OJW (20-3, 2.10).  Outlaw completes a sweep of the major awards with the league ERA leader, who was also 2nd in the TG in wins.

LF Cy Young:  Matt Cain, SBU (26-4, 2.47)  Cain posted the 2nd highest single-season win total of all time, trailing only 2003 NJT's Randy Johnson and his mark of 27.

TG Rookie of the Year:  Freddie Freeman, LCC (.283/22/73)  The 1st rounder (10th overall) led all TG rookies in HR and RBI while bringing home Lake Champlain's 3rd ROY award (joining 2005 Coco Crisp and 2007 Brian McCann.)

LF Rookie of the Year:  Jemile Weeks, SBU (.321/4/38).  Rickie's younger brother narrowly missed ruining Jose Bautista's triple crown party, but avoided doing so by failing to accumulate enough ABs to qualify for the batting title.  Still, the limited playing time did not prevent Weeks from accumulating an impressive 45 SB.

TG Fireman of the Year:  Joel Hanrahan, LCC (7-4/1.33 /27) and Craig Kimbrel, OJW (6-1/1.93/28).  For the 2nd year in a row, an NASBL Fireman of the Year vote results in a tie.  Last year it was Hung Chi Kuo (VFS) and Huston Street (TRY.)

LF Fireman of the Year:  Ryan Madson, SHA (3-3/1.55/38) 1st in the LF in saves (and 2nd overall behind only Mariano Rivera, who accumulated 40 between 2 conferences,) Madson brought 1st time / long time NASBL GM Mike Johnson home some hardware.


Congratulations to all the award winners!

Swaps!? - a look back at some major Troy trades

Troy, NY: As the Haymakers prepare for what looks to be their second consecutive playoff appearance, the sports department decided to take a look at some past major trades made and how they worked out for both teams:

1. 2008 Draft Day: Chase Utley, Carl Crawford and Matt Capps to Lehigh Valley(I can't remember if this was with Kevin or the old franchise) for Jered Weaver, Matt Holliday and Mark Ellis. After their first full season, Haymaker GM was looking to make their own stamp on the franchise and looking to pick up young pitching talent. The team lost 103 games and Ellis and Halladay were both gone after just one season with the team; Holliday traded and Ellis cut. Lehigh Valley on the other hand won 96 games and the TG South title. Weaver and Holliday netted a couple of quality players in future trades, so this may be a push.

2. 2007 Offseason: Ichiro Suzuki to Seattle for Andrew Jones, Andre Ethier and David Eckstein. Boy did this one backfire....Continuing with the making a stamp on the franchise, GM Ken Anderson traded the long time Canyon County leadoff hitter for three part time players. The front office staff was sure that Andrew Jones recent struggles were only temporary, but after one season with the team where he hit only .182 he was cut. Eckstein also only lasted one season while Ethier stayed three seasons as the cleanup hitter against righties going about .255 with 46 homeruns during that span. Suzuki enjoyed four successful seasons as the leadoff hitter in Seattle before recently tailing off due to age.

3. 2008 Pre-cutback trade: Matt Holliday to Grundy County for Brandon Phillips, Yuniesky Betencourt and Jason Marquis. This deal worked out to be Matt Holliday for Brandon Phillips as both Betencourt and Marquis were cut from the team a short while later without playing at all for Troy. Phillips is still with the team and is a fan favorite and fixture at second base. His numbers have not been overwhelming, only averaging .250 batting average, 18 homeruns and about 20 stolen bases; but the front office is very happy with his play as one of the best defenders in the league. Holliday spent three very productive seasons with Grundy County and is currently with Slatington looking to win a championship.

4. 2010 Draft Day: Adrian Beltre to Outlaw for a round 4 pick. Boy this was a doozie...after picking up Pablo Sandoval earlier in the same draft (4th overall), Beltre was deemed expendable and moved for a 4th round pick which netted....Brandon Lyon! Lyon enjoy two somewhat successful seasons with Troy, even going 7-1 in the bullpen during the championship run last season. Beltre, coming off his worst season with Seattle (only a .683 OPS) signed with Boston and only became the best 3Bman in baseball over the next three years. Probably the most lopsided trade in the Haymaker franchise.

5. 2010 Postseason: Jered Weaver, Andre Ethier and Omar Infante to Springfield for Josh Hamilton and Mike Adams. After seeing that Josh hit .400 against righties GM Ken Anderson had to have him on his team and ponied up; moving breakout ace Jered Weaver. Josh Hamilton and Mike Adams helped bring the first championship appearance to Troy and are pivotal to the current year playoff push. Weaver, Infante and Ethier helped bring a 101 win season to Springfield last season. Weaver has solidified his stance as a staff ace while Hamilton is still one of the best hitters in the league. I'd call that a Push.

6. 2012 Block 2: Jose Bautista to Slatington for Edwin Encarnation and a VFS round 1 pick. Lots of heads were scratched when Bautista was moved from what was considered a playoff lock team to a division rival. Troy GM, playing a hunch in what can only be called a mad scientist kind of way, decided it was time to move the breakout star. Bautista is only contending for a triple crown while making Slatington look like a championship team. His 51 homeruns and 115 RBI's are currently leading the NASBL. E5 is having a Bautista like breakout and currently tied for 7th in MLB in OPS with .947 (tied with teammate Josh Hamilton, no doubt) and the VFS round 1 pick is looking to be a top 6 pick in what will be a deep draft. We may not know for a few years who will get the better end of this deal, but a championship to Slatington will push the pivot in their direction.

So that was a look back at the six biggest trades in Troy history. With no clear wins and a couple obvious losses (Ichiro and Beltre), it may be possible that tinkering too much can be a bad thing...

Illinois has Good Block III & Makes First Deal for Next Year

Illinois Times:  

In the world of NASBL it is possible to work on two seasons at the same time.  It was a busy Saturday morning for Chows GM Brad Sherlag as Illinois solidified its play-off position by going 13-4 in the Block III home games.  "We are very excited to look ahead to our first ever postseason birth.  We worked hard to get into this position, making a lot of offseason deals to bolster our offseason.  While Outlaw is definitely the team to beat, anything can happen in short series.  Through Three Blocks, the club has performed well and we are in a strong position to make it in."

Shortly after finishing the Block, Sherlag completed his first deal for next season.  "No matter what happens this year, next year is shaping up to be a usual rebuilding year for the Chows.  We are looking to add a lot of good young talent - and one of the talented under 25 year old players became available.  The price was high - but we had to pull the trigger and part with one of our two remaining original Chows."

The deal sends Roy Halladay and Brandon Beachy to the Bulldogs for Justin Upton and Jon Lester.  "Upton was really the key to the deal for us.  While it was hard to pull the trigger, getting a player who has hit 100 home runs in MLB before his 25th birthday was something we couldn't resist."  Upton's position is RF, so fans are wondering if the other original Chow, Carlos Beltran will also be switching uniforms next season.

Over the years, there have been a plethora of offers for Halladay - time will tell if the Chows picked the right time and right deal to trade Doc.

TG Cy Young Wannabes Duel At Outlaw Pond

Outlaw Pond on a sweltering August day.

Clayton Kershaw, 14 wins - 5 losses, 2.85 ERA, 163 strikeouts.
Justin Masterson, 15 wins - 1 loss, 2.32 ERA, 109 strikeouts.


Both gunslingers swagger into Wreckin' So Field at High Noon looking to enhance their Cy Young creds. 

Only one will walk out a winner.


Kershaw and Lake Champlain draw first blood, as cannibals are wont to do, in the bottom of the second when a Punto sacrifice fly plates McCann.

Konerko wounds Outlaw further by firing a blast over the centerfield fence in the third.


Outlaw takes the hit, staggers, but never says die.  Pedroia singles home Andrus to get one back in the bottom of the third.


A Beltre error opens the door for the Cannibals in the fourth and Lake Champlain take full advantage and scores twice for a 4-1 lead.


Masterson settles down ant throws bullets the rest of the way, but is it too late?

Matt Kemp blasts a two-run shot off Kershaw in the seventh to close the gap to one, but Kersaw and Hanrahan  shut the door the rest of the way.

The wounded Masterson and the Wales limp off the field vowing to live to fight another day.

BOXSCORE: 2012 Lake Champlain Cannibals At 2012 Outlaw Josey Wales  8/11/2012

  Cannibals          AB  R  H RBI AVG     Josey Wales        AB  R  H RBI AVG
  F.Freeman 1B        4  0  0  0 .300     J.Bay LF            5  1  1  0 .224 
  C.Granderson LF     4  0  0  0 .233     D.Pedroia 2B        3  0  1  1 .253 
  P.Konerko DH        3  1  1  1 .282     M.Kemp CF           5  1  3  2 .331 
  M.Joyce RF          4  0  0  0 .307     N.Cruz RF           4  0  0  0 .274 
  B.McCann C          4  2  1  0 .218     A.Beltre 3B         4  0  1  0 .271 
D-M.Treanor C         0  0  0  0 .340     D.Ortiz DH          3  0  0  0 .311 
  O.Hudson 2B         4  1  1  0 .209     M.Napoli C          4  0  0  0 .282 
  D.Murphy 3B         3  0  2  1 .308     A.Gonzalez 1B       3  0  2  0 .312 
A-R.Zimmerman 3B      1  0  0  0 .238     E.Andrus SS         3  1  1  0 .304 
  N.Punto SS          2  0  0  1 .282   B-L.Berkman PH        1  0  0  0 .280 
  R.Sweeney CF        3  0  1  0 .307   C-D.Descalso SS       0  0  0  0 .242 
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     
         Totals      32  4  6  3                 Totals      35  3  9  3

A-Subbed Defensively (3B) For Murphy In 8th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Andrus In 8th Inning
C-Subbed Defensively (SS) For Berkman In 9th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (C ) For McCann In 9th Inning

Cannibals....... 0 1 1  2 0 0  0 0 0  -  4  6  1
Josey Wales..... 0 0 1  0 0 0  2 0 0  -  3  9  1

Cannibals (63-41)        IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
C.Kershaw WIN(15-5)       7       8   3   3   5   9   1   2.93  A1 D6
C.Martinez HOLD(6th)      1       1   0   0   0   0   0   3.51  D7 E1
J.Hanrahan SAVE(14th)     1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.30  E2
Totals                    9       9   3   3   5  10   1

Josey Wales (84-31)      IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA  SCORESHEET
J.Masterson LOSS(15-2)    6       5   4   2   1   4   1   2.34  A1 C6
J.Affeldt                 2 2/3   1   0   0   0   1   0   3.51  C7 D6
H.Rodriguez               0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   2.56  D7
Totals                    9       6   4   2   1   5   1

ATTENDANCE- 47,768 DATE- Tuesday, August 11th 2012 TIME- Night
T- 2:58
LEFT ON BASE- Cannibals: 3  Josey Wales:10
DOUBLE PLAYS- Cannibals: 2  Josey Wales: 1
ERRORS- C.Granderson, A.Beltre
DOUBLES- D.Murphy(22nd), J.Bay(8th)
HOME RUNS- P.Konerko(20th), M.Kemp(35th)
STOLEN BASES- E.Andrus(30th)
SACRIFICE FLIES- N.Punto
WALKS- P.Konerko, D.Pedroia-2, N.Cruz, D.Ortiz, A.Gonzalez
STRIKE OUTS- C.Granderson-2, P.Konerko, M.Joyce, O.Hudson, J.Bay, D.Pedroia-2,
             M.Kemp, N.Cruz-2, A.Beltre, D.Ortiz-2, M.Napoli
GIDP- N.Punto, A.Beltre, M.Napoli
2-out RBI- P.Konerko