Syam-burg Flyers Win First LGML Title (October 17, 2009)

When the dust settled on the 2009 LGML season Syam-burg Flyers owner Syam Vasireddy finally stood atop the mountain. In what was largely a two team race all season long the Flyers won their first league title edging out the former champion Men Of Stone. Led by the massive power and production of Ryan Howard, the accross the board numbers of the rebounding Troy Tulowitzki and the superb pitching of ace Chris Carpenter the team moved past the Men Of Stone in the last weeks of the season as the Men Of Stone wilted in September. With a very solid and young core on offense (Howard, Tulowitzki, Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval) and a deep and very inexpensive pool of pitching (including Carpenter, Ryan Dempster, Cole Hamels and Clayton Kershaw) the future seems incrdibly bright for the Flyers. The second place Men Of Stone enter what should prove to be an interesting off-season with a glut of outfielders and several prospects apparently on the verge of making the jump to the big club. Surging forward in the last month of the season to pass the Vamp Eyers and finish third was perennial contender the Phillips Heads. Rounding out the first division was the Vamp Eyers in fourth place for the final money spot, the Hare-E Chris-Nas in fifth to miss out on both the last money spot and the first pick in the 2010 LGML Minor League Draft, and the Stepping Stonz in sixth to garner the precious number one overall pick in 2010. Hearty congratulations to all on the 2009 LGML season, and as the LGML enters its third decade in 2010 Syam Vasireddy and the Flyers go from being the hunter to the hunted.

Down the Stretch They Come... (September 25, 2007)

As the 2007 LGML campaign enters its final week much is left undecided. A single point seperates the second place Syam-burg Flyers from the fourth place Hello Larivees. These two teams round the final bend fighting with the Stepping Stonz over the runner up spot. The Flyers have been led by the power of massive first baseman Ryan Howard. Howard has mashed 43 home runs this season, including seven in the September stretch run. Karen Stoneman's Stepping Stonz have made a late push toward the top due in no small part to MVP candidate Matt "Every Day's A" Holliday. The Colorado outfielder has hit a robust .336 with 36 home runs and a league leading 131 runs batted in. Holliday has saved the best for last, smacking 12 long balls so far in September with a ridiculous OPS of 1.292. The Hello Larivees have been in second most of the season but find themselves entering the final games clawing their way back up. The Larivees spent big to acquire the services of Atlanta first baseman Mark Teixeira when he came over from the A.L., and he hasn't disappointed. Since being acquired on August 1 Teixeira has driven in 49 runs, and is swatting the ball at a .338 clip in September. The EdJim Ucations looked like strong candidates for one of the money spots but they will fall well off the pace as they will not manage to meet the 1100 innings pitched requirement. For the first time in several seasons more than one team will fail to meet the 1100 innings mark, as the last place Globo Jim Purple Cobras will also come up short. Soon the season will be over, teams will be nominating players as their team MVPs, and owners will be suffering from box score withdrawal. In the meantime, much is left to be settled.

Ahhh, Those First Two Weeks of the Season (April 23, 2007)

The honeymoon that is the first two weeks of the rotisserie season have passed. It's difficult not to love this time of the year. Hope springs forth from every pore of the roto owner's being. Your ace has an ERA roughly equivalent to the gross national product of Guatemala? No problem, it's early. Your top offensive player has spent the beginning of the season in awe of the batting powers of Mario Mendoza? Hey, if those stats came in the middle of July you'd barely notice them. You're 58 points out of first? Long, long way to go. Your boys will come around. Yes, it's difficult not to dream, as it's so early in the season that no closer has had time to blow enough games to lose his job. Huh? Lidge AND Julio? Really? Ummm..well, it's so early in the season that Kerry Wood isn't hurt yet. He is? Er, it's so dang early in the season that the Cubs are still in it. They're in last already? Never mind. Anyway, the first two weeks bring us the good and the bad, with a sprinkling of the expected. The Men Of Stone tore out of the gate led by the game's most exciting player, Jose Reyes. The 23 year old got things rolling with a .311 clip, with 1 homer, 11 RBI and 6 stolen bases. Fun to watch but frustrating (what with losing those steal opportunities), Reyes also already has three triples. Conversely, the Syam-burg Flyers got out of the blocks so slowly they almost seemed to be going in reverse. Carlos Zambrano must have missed the fact that the team had gone north from Arizona, as he appeared to still be working on new pitches (or more likely that huge contract he's going to get), sporting an ERA of almost 8. The early upstart are the newcomers, the EdJim Ucations. Led by Jimmy Rollins' 6 home runs and with Braden Looper not remembering how bad he's supposed to be (2 wins, 2.37 ERA) the Ucations find themselves sitting in second.

Don't worry, it's only mid-April. Save those FAAB dollars for the Rocket kids.

Extra Horses In the Race to the Finish (August 4, 2006)

In what has been one of the most competitive seasons in LGML history six teams head into August with legitimate championship hopes. Four teams, Hello Larivees, Men Of Stone, Ducks On The Pond and Stepping Stonz, have ben battling it out at the top the entire season. As we enter August, however, two more teams have jumped into the fray. Chris Gates' Hare-E Chris-Nas have climbed within one point of fourth with team captain Chase Utley carrying a large portion of the load. Utley, currently riding a 35 game hitting streak, was hitting .327 with 21 home runs, 69 RBI and 12 stolen bases through July 30. Not far behind are traditional LGML powerhouse The Gambino Family. The Family paid big dollars at the draft to acquire the services of Carlos Beltran and Alfonso Soriano, and neither player has disappointed. Soriano enters August with a 30-30 season practically already accomplished, hitting .286 with 32 homers, 64 RBI and 26 stolen bases though July 30. Not only is a 40-40 season a virtual lock, the first 50-50 season in Major League Baseball history is within the realm of possibility. Both teams have some holes in their lineups, The Gambino Family in the outfield and the Hare-E Chris-Nas at third, middle infield and outfield, but both teams have stopped knocking politely and have started pounding on the doors of the league's front runners. The final two months of the season are shaping up to be quite a shootout.

Here a Brandon, There a Brandon, Everywhere a Brandon (April 24, 2006)

The last week of the LGML season was a very interesting time to be a National League player named Brandon. Brandon Claussen of the Vamp Eyers started the week out on Monday with a win and seven shutout innings against Florida. Unfortunately for Vamp owner Rick Peatman Claussen went swiftly from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat, allowing eleven baserunners and nine earned runs in three innings against the Brewers on Saturday. Brandon Watson and his anemic "offense" was finally put out of his misery Sunday evening as the YouKilled Kennys followed the Nationals' lead, sending Watson to the minors and acquiring Brewers outfielder Gabe Gross. The Ducks On The Pond were the most Brandon-esque club of the week, however, as they added not one but two Brandons to the roster. Arizona reliever Brandon Medders and Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips were acquired as free agents. These acquisitions sent rumors flying throughout the LGML. At least one other LGML owner has privately speculated that Ducks owner Richard Larivee's obsession with former Duck Brandon Villafuerte has lead him to try the "One Name Equals Team Unity" strategy popularized in the early 1990's when Jason Evans (All Dogs Go To Evans) went with his infamous "All Jose All The Time" approach, acquiring every active National League player named Jose, including Felix Jose. This is, of course, just a rumor but Duck envoys (or are they decoys?) were seen recently at the team headquarters of the Vamp Eyers (Claussen), YouKilled Kennys (Watson, Sing), Hello Larivees (Webb) and Phillips Heads (Backe).

Last Minute Deal Concludes Flurry of Off-Season Trades (March 30, 2006)

A very active LGML off-season was topped off by a last minute trade between two of the league's top teams. Hours before the roster deadline Stepping Stonz general manager Karen Stoneman accepted a deal sending long time Stepper Preston Wilson to the Hello Larivees in exchange for pitcher Jason Schmidt. The two teams were uniquely matched to reach an agreement as each team was able to deal from surplus to add in a weaker area. The Hello Larivees were flush with starting pitching after the off-season acquisitions of Brandon Webb and Zach Duke and the Stepping Stonz were overloaded with quality outfielders, especially with the addition of Florida Marlins phenom Jeremy Hermida. In all, twenty-five players (twenty-two active players and three minor leaguers) and sixteen (!) draft picks changed hands over the winter. While big names like Adam Dunn, Juan Pierre, Jose Vidro, Jason Isringhausen and Ken Griffey Jr. all changed home addresses the only player to have the distinction of being traded twice during the off-season was minor leaguer Brian Dopriak, who went from the Men Of Stone through the Globo Jim Purple Cobras to the Syam-burg Flyers. Hopefully this merely serves as a prelude an active and competitive 2006 LGML campaign.

Big Names Change Hands For The Stretch  (August  3, 2005)
It took some time for the first trades of the 2005 LGML campaign to happen, but when they did a few big names changed addresses. Brothers, and frequent trading partners, Rich and Randy Larivee went first and went big. The Ducks On The Pond once again traded team captain Chipper Jones, this time packaging him with Reds' masher Adam Dunn. Coming to the Ducks from the Hello Larivees are injured third baseman Scott Rolen and NL RBI leader Carlos Lee. The next day saw The Gambino Family send closer Braden Looper to the Phillips Heads in exchange for the heavily inked A.J. Burnett and the Heads' 2006 second round minor league pick. Looper, along with Heads teammate Todd Jones, could provide enough saves to enable the Phillips Heads to gain three or even four points in the saves category. The Men Of Stone and Vamp Eyers were next to get into the act as Matt Lawton and perennial All-Star Mike Piazza packed their bags for Wisconsin to join the Vamp Eyers. Heading back to the Men Of Stone are catcher Michael Barrett, injured outfielder Brad Hawpe and the Vamps' 2006 first round minor league pick. Six of the top seven teams have now made moves to position themselves for a stretch run. With roughly a third of the season left to go this may only be the first wave of moves from the LGML's contenders.

Usual Suspects, Plus One, Lead The Way (April 25, 2005)

The month of April finds some familiar names at the top of the league. The first standings found rising powerhouses Phillips Heads and Hello Larivees leading the way followed by perennial favorites The Gambino Family, Men Of Stone and the early surprise Vamp Eyers. The Vamp Eyers have spent the last decade residing in the LGML's second division (save 2001's fourth place finish). However, early returns suggest that 2005 may signal a return to the top of the league. The team's offense stormed out of the gates, second in home runs and first in runs batted in even without the services of standout Moises Alou. Leading the charge were Colorado's Clint Barmes and Florida's Juan Encarnacion. Encarnacion, who was likely destined to be the Marlins' fourth outfielder were it not for Jeff Conine's shoulder woes, hit not one but two grand slams in the first two weeks of the season. No hitter has been hotter than the 26 year old Barmes who hit .395 (a number that has since gone up another 43 points) with 4 homers, 10 runs batted in and 2 steals in the first two weeks of the season. Certainly not to be overlooked was the addition of Roger Clemens who gave up only 1 run while striking out 18 in his first 14 innings of work. It's awfully early, but the Vamp Eyers look like the possible surprise team of 2005.

Isringhausen Dealt For Second Time This Off-Season (December 15, 2004)

Jason Isringhausen will be home for Christmas...as soon as he's sure where home is going to be. The talented closer for the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals has been traded not once, but twice this off-season. On November 29 the YouKilled Kennys dealt Isringhausen, who saved 47 games in 2004, to the Men Of Stone in exchange for NL Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. Many LGML observers were puzzled by this deal as the Men Of Stone already had Billy Wagner, Armando Benitez, Danny Kolb and Greg Aquino on board for saves. "This really was one of those occasions where making a deal brings new opportunities to make more deals" said Men Of Stone owner Chris Stoneman. Isringhausen moved for a second time on December 14 as he was packaged with outfielder Andruw Jones and the 12th and 18 picks in the 2005 minor league draft and sent to the Syam-burg Flyers for outfielders Bobby Abreu and Marquis Grissom, as well as the 3rd and 22nd picks in the minor league draft. Stoneman went on to say "Jason is a great pitcher who under most circumstances we would have loved to have kept on the roster. But the Men Of Stone have long coveted Bobby Abreu, and when Syam (Syam-burg Flyers owner Syam Vasireddy) got in touch asking about Jason, we had to try to get Bobby". Isringhausen, currently recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery, could not be reached for comment.

Wilson, Sanders Lead Kennys' Charge (May 19, 2004)

Six weeks ago the YouKilled Kennys were widely regarded as a second division team. Coming off a 2003 campaign that saw the team finish tenth 2004 was thought to be a rebuilding year. However, as mid-May rolls around, the Kennys find themselves surging in the standings, moving up three places to second in the past week. While much of the credit certainly belongs to team captain Albert Pujols and the addition of closer Jason Isringhausen, first baseman Craig Wilson and outfielder Reggie Sanders have played a crucial role in the team's turnaround. The pair have combined for 18 home runs, 52 runs batted in and 8 stolen bases in the season's first six weeks. Wilson, finally given a chance to play every day thanks to injuries to Jason Bay, Randall Simon and most of the rest of the Pittsburgh Pirates, has become the prime time slugger that most LGML observers have always believed he could be. Sanders, playing for his seventh Major League team in seven years, has been quoted as saying that he's happier with the Cardinals than he's ever been. One can only assume that YouKilled Kennys owner / rabid Cardinals fan Kenny St. Louis is just as pleased with Sanders.

Jim Edmonds and Alex Gonzalez - Their Boots Are Made For Walking (February 23, 2004)

For the second time in five days Jim Edmonds and Alex Gonzalez are packing their bags. The pair was first dealt on February 18, moving from the Hello Larivees to the Ducks On The Pond in a ten player trade. Less than a week later Edmonds and Gonzalez were again on the move, this time to the V-Reddy Rackeers  in exchange for Dodger utility man Jose Hernandez, Florida pitcher Dontrelle Willis and free agent closer Ugueth Urbina. Racketeers owner Syam Vasireddy earlier this month had expressed his club's willingness to deal young pitching for some help on offense. The pair's combined 57 home runs and 167 runs batted in in 2003 should be a major upgrade for a club that last season was in the bottom half of the league in both categories. The Ducks On The Pond have done much this off-season to remake their club, with seven players on the 2003 squad gone and four new players on board including J.D. Drew, who the Ducks had dealt away last off-season. 

Stretch Run For The Money Looking Like A Photo Finish  (August  21, 2003)

While the Men Of Stone and the Hart Worms may have used July and August to run and hide from the rest of the LGML, the league heads into the final five weeks of the 2003 campaign with much left to be decided. Ten and half points separate the third place Stepping Stonz from the eighth place V-Reddy Racketeers. The fight for fourth place is turning into an all out brawl with the Phillips Heads, the Chris Shunned Soldiers and the Gambino Family currently tied with 54 points. The Heads have been carried on the shoulders of the resurgent Javy Lopez. The 32 year old catcher is leading the team with a .325 average, 33 home runs and 82 runs batted in. What there is of an offense for the Soldiers comes in the form of third baseman Mike Lowell. With 32 homers and 103 runs batted in the San Juan, Puerto Rico native has already surpassed his previous career highs. Perennial front runners the Gambino Family has seen their legendary pitching staff fall to a more human plane this season as long time staff co-aces Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine have struggled. Riding to their rescue has been 26 year old Randy Wolf with his 12 wins and 3.46 earned run average. With a good bit of time to go, third through eighth in the LGML is a wide open race. Will one or more of these teams make a late season deal to aid them in their chase? We shall soon see.

Drew Moved From Brother to Brother in First Off-Season Deal (December 21, 2002)

Christmas time means moving time for outfielder J.D. Drew this off-season. The talented but oft-injured Drew was packaged with the number five pick in the 2003 minor league draft by Ducks On The Pond general manager Richard Larivee Jr. and shipped to brother and Hello Larivees general manager Randy Larivee in exchange for pitchers Shawn Estes and Scott Williamson, as well as the number eight pick in the 2003 minor league draft. In 2002 Drew hit .252 with 18 home runs, 56 runs batted in and 8 stolen bases while spending much of the second half of the season battling injuries. Drew, along with Lance Berkman and prospect Marlon Byrd are being counted upon by the Hello Larivees to be the team's outfield foundation for 2003 and beyond. Estes suffered through the 2003 season, finishing with only 5 wins and a 5.10 earned run average. Williamson did solid work out of the Cincinnati bullpen, recording 3 wins, 8 saves and a 2.98 ERA.

Jones and Leiter Change Addresses (April  29, 2002)

The first trade of the 2002 LGML season turned out to be a big one. Desperate for starting pitching, the YouKilled Kennys this week traded slugger Chipper Jones to the V-Reddy Racketeers for workhorse Al Leiter. The 36 year old Leiter, who  immediately becomes the Kennys' ace, has won two games this season with a sparkling 1.13 ERA. Jones, traded by the Kennys for the second time in less than a year, adds extra pop to a Racketeer outfield already anchored by Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn. The 30 year old Jones is up to his old tricks, getting out of the gate this season with a .333 average with 3 homers, 16 RBIs and a stolen base. If this is any indication of the kind of names that will be changing homes in the LGML this season fans may be in for a very interesting ride. When asked to comment on the trade a spokesman for the league office responded only with the statement that he was going to go find the Fred Lynn Trophy and dust it off since it looked like the league might need it again.

Schilling and Encarnacion Key Fast Start For Gambinos and Heads (April  21, 2002)

The race for the 2002 LGML flag has begun and racing to the front are pre-season favorites The Gambino Family and the upstart Phillips Heads. Schilling spearheaded the Gambino charge to the early lead by starting the season 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA and allowing only 18 men to reach base in his first 23 innings pitched. The Phillips Heads' Juan Encarnacion led the team's offensive charge hitting .327 with 4 homers, 11 RBI and 3 stolen bases in the first half of April. Also off on a quick pace is the very young Chris Shunned Soldiers squad led by the pitching of Vicente Padilla. The 24 year old Padilla was on fire in his first three starts, allowing all of 2 earned runs in his first 20 innings of work. Surprisingly slow out of the gate has been last season's third place finisher the Hart Worms. The Worms' starting rotation of Wade Miller, Javier Vazquez, Ben Sheets, Mike Hampton and Matt Clement combined for one win and a 6.475 ERA through tax day. The game is afoot, where it goes from here will be interesting to see.

Down The Stretch They Come... (October 2, 2001)

With a week to go in the most heated pennant race the LGML has seen in years, the Men Of Stone and Gambino Family will go to the last day of the season to decide the 2001 title. Going into the final week Barry Bonds and the Men Of Stone sport a narrow 2 1/2 point lead over Sammy Sosa and The Gambino Family. However, it will not be the home run exploits of these two men which will decide the crown, rather it is the pitching staffs that will determine who crosses the finish line first. The earned run average and ratio categories are so tightly packed at the top that one bad outing on either side could be the difference between first and second. This is not the only LGML race yet to be decided. The Vamp Eyers and Stepping Stonz are battling it out to see who finishes in fourth place and gets the final "money spot" and who suffers the fate of finishing in the dreaded fifth place spot. Meanwhile, only 1 1/2 points separates four teams vying to finish in sixth place, not only the final spot in the first division, but also the position which receives the number one minor league pick next April. One week to go, but so many rivers left to cross.

Contenders Load Up For Stretch Run (August 11, 2001)

The MLB trade deadline brought several important players to the National League, men who could each have a significant impact on the final 2001 LGML standings. The biggest move could prove to be the Vamp Eyers' acquisition of first baseman Fred McGriff. Known for his borderline addiction to Cubs players, Vamp Eyers G.M. Rick Peatman made signing the veteran slugger his first and only priority at the deadline. McGriff should be a big help to an offense that at the time of his arrival ranked seventh, eighth and seventh in home runs, runs batted in and batting average respectively. Several other teams jumped headfirst into the free agent waters as well. The Stepping Stonz, fighting mightily back toward the top of the standings after a season riddled with injury, acquired second baseman Jose Ortiz and pitcher James Baldwin. The deeply troubled YouKilled Kennys franchise signed pitcher Albie Lopez and the Chris Shunned Soldiers inked Andres Galarraga. The next week brought in a record free agent bid of $99 as G.M. Shannon Hart inked Met outfielder Matt Lawton for the Hart Worms. With these shifts in the balance of power, August and September should be interesting times in the LGML.

Stepping Stonz Bitten Repeatedly By Injury Bug (June 7, 2001)

Starting the season with a lineup consisting of Tyler Houston catching, Mark McGwire at first, Jose Vidro and Barry Larkin up the middle, Aaron Boone at third, Todd Hollandsworth, Jay Payton and Adrian Brown in the outfield and Carl Pavano on the hill would seem to be a good idea. Unfortunately for the Stepping Stonz, 2001 has not been the season to have this lineup on the field. All of these players have spent significant time on the disabled list this season, with seven of the nine still currently on the DL and outfielder Brown out for the season. Just a few weeks ago the Stepping Stonz looked like a sure-fire contender for the LGML crown, running a solid third in the standings and sporting one of the top home run clubs in the league without McGwire. However, in the last two weeks the injuries have finally caught up with the team. Between May 15 and June 5, the Stepping Stonz managed just 11 home runs, falling five spots in the category and three spots in the standings, down to sixth. Unless the team gets healthy in a hurry, a return to the top of the LGML seems unlikely. When reached for comment frustrated team owner Karen Stoneman said "Just because I work in physical therapy does not mean I want to be treating our entire roster." 

Hart Worms' Lieberthal Out For The Season (May 16, 2001)

In one of the most impressive displays of injury in recent memory, Hart Worms catcher Mike Lieberthal was lost for the season Saturday. Lieberthal tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee while trying to retreat to first on a pickoff move by pitcher Brian Anderson. Ironically, Anderson had been waived only five days earlier by the Hart Worms to make room on the roster for Tom Gordon. Anderson was claimed off waivers by the Ducks On The Pond. Lieberthal, a two time All-Star, was hitting .231 with two home runs and eleven runs batted in. The Hart Worms this week acquired catcher Johnny Estrada, called up from AAA Louisville to take Lieberthal's spot on the roster.