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2014 Season - AL and BL April AL Standings Players of the Month Peavy Tabbed as April's Starter of the Month: Whether Jake Peavy stays in Detroit beyond this season remains to be seen, but while he's here he's making the most of it. In April the 32-year-old certainly pulled out all the stops by winning the Alpha League Pitcher of the Month award. He put up some fancy numbers with a 5-1 record and and an ERA of 2.52. In 39.1 innings he struck out 44, surrendered 35 hits, 13 walks and proved to be a solid performer in 6 starts last month. Adam Dunn Named Best AL Batter in April: Adam Dunn has been fortunate enough to kick around the majors for years. Today he was honored for his solid hitting last month. In April, the 34-year-old put up a .313 batting average to win the Alpha League Batter of the Month. The veteran first baseman tallied 11 home runs, 26 RBIs and 15 runs scored for the month. BL Standings Players of the Month Brooklyn's Gonzalez BL Top Pitcher: Miguel Gonzalez had an outstanding April -- so good that the Beta League presented him with the Pitcher of the Month Award earlier today. "There's no way to know where the Avengers would be without Gonzalez," one fan is quoted as saying. In April Gonzalez dominated the competition, running up a 5-1 record, a 1.48 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 48.2 innings. Great April Gets Johnson BL Best Hitter Award: April was a good month for Ben J Johnson. The Buffalo center fielder had his way with opposing pitchers all month while posting a .352 batting average and was selected as the Beta League Batter of the Month. Last month Johnson put up some solid numbers: 7 home runs, 21 RBIs, 15 runs scored and a .383 on-base percentage.

2014 Season - GL and OL April GL Standings Players of the Month Verlander Chosen April's Best GL Hurler: Justin Verlander of the Washington Presidents strung a bunch of high quality starts together in April to earn the Gamma League Pitcher of the Month trophy. For the month he finished with a superlative 4 wins and 1 loss and a 1.89 ERA. The Washington star started 5 games, pitched 38 innings and struck out 40. Gamma League Picks April's Best Batter: Seasoned by several years of professional experience, 36-year-old Kidlat Escobal put together a solid offensive month for Denver and was crowned April's top batter in the Gamma League. He batted .400 with 8 home runs, 30 RBIs and 26 runs scored. OL Standings Players of the Month Reliever Romo Top OL Pitcher in April: Sergio Romo is at the zenith of his career and today he was selected as the Omega League Pitcher of the Month for April. He made 15 relief appearances for Atlanta last month, throwing 16 innings and collecting 9 saves, a 3-2 record, 22 strikeouts and a 1.13 ERA. OL's Best Batter Selected: Shelley Duncan put together a good April to earn the Omega League Batter of the Month prize. A virtual unknown, he made the most of his chance to prove to Edmonton officials that he belongs on the big league roster. The Freeze left fielder posted a .364 batting average with 8 home runs, 18 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

2014 Preseason and Preseason Predictions Our Preseason Games We had two five-game series to get us ready for the regular season. Basically, what I was looking for in the team was how well the dynamics of batting and pitching would work. This only helped to confirm what I thought I knew: we would be a pretty good offense with an occasional hiccup, our starting pitching would be OK, and our relievers would be well below average or even the worst in the BL. Series 1: at DetroitWe went 2-3: 9-8, 0-3, 3-0, 4-10, 10-11The goal was to limit all pitchers' pitch counts each game and to use the entire lineup for the games. No starter threw more than three innings, so arms could be fresh going into the season. Everyone had playing time, which I think was beneficial. Series 2: vs St. LouisAgain 2-3: 3-0, 3-2, 0-5, 4-7, 0-1I was more disappointed in how the batters responded in this series, but we were trying out a lot of combos to see who fit where. Gattis played catcher and outfield. I told the manager he was signed to play catcher more because that's where the need is, and we'll think about either calling up the rookie later or looking to free up money to sign another catcher for next year. Anyway, this was preseason, and overall I was happy with how well the starting pitching looked in limited action. Even the game where we gave up 7 was not due to the starter (Myers). Preseason Predictions by League I don't know why the preseason predictions are "off." Maybe I simulated some games before generating the predictions report?!? Anyway, I am just using this as a basis to give me an idea of where teams are expected to finish. For us, 3rd in the Beta League means some good things. Of course, 1st would be better, and anything lower than 3rd would be a disappointment.

2014 Spring Bowl - The Perfect Game If you didn't notice it on the tournament brackets, the second round of the loser's bracket featured an amazing feat by the Denver Peak's Jeremy Hefner: a perfect game! I have pasted the box score below. As you can see, 27 batters faced, 27 batters retired. Congratulations to Jeremy Hefner and being the first to throw a perfect game in the Champions Association.

2014 Spring Bowl We were not allowed to participate in the Spring Bowl because of a low finish in the 2013 BL season, so I just watched for basic scouting purposes. Until my team participates in a tournament, I consider myself to be a spectator. I certainly found the results to be interesting. Results Though the Blizzard won the Gamma League a year ago, I didn't consider them to be a major player worth taking the Spring Game. We will be in the same league this season in the Beta League, so they are a team worth watching. Other than Alex Cobb, who won the Spring Bowl MVP as Minneapolis' ace, there are a few other notable players on their team: CL Matt Belisle - He had limited time last season with Minneapolis but still managed a 0.39 ERA in 23.1 innings with 15 saves. On the season with both Portland and Minneapolis, he was 5-0 with 16 saves and a 1.85 ERA. With the Blizzard, he is the straight up closer, and he is good! 1B Mark Teixeira - .293/.373/.511, 26 HRs, 76 RBI last season, and that was a DOWN season for him. 3B Kevin Youkilis - Came over to the Blizzard in a midseason trade with Toronto. Finished the 2013 season with a line of .330/.413/.595 with 24 HR and 77 RBI. RF Domonic Brown - The youngster has emerged as a star. Had career highs of .311/.390/.556 with 28 HR and 96 RBI.

A Brief History of Promotion and Relegation, 2014 OL Omega League Atlanta Blazers2010, GL, 3rd place, Lost Gamma Cup2011, GL, 5th place, Lost Gamma Cup final, Promoted2012, BL, 11th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, GL, 11th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated Baltimore Bullets2010, OL, 11th place2011, OL, 10th place, Lost Omega Cup2012, OL, 10th place, Lost Omega Cup2013, OL, 5th place, Lost Omega Cup Boston Night Hawks / Hawks2010, BL, 8th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, GL, 4th place, Lost Gamma Cup2012, GL, 10th place, Won Gamma Survivors Cup2013, GL, 12th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated Edmonton Freeze2010, OL, 7th place, Lost Omega Cup2011, OL, 11th place2012, OL, 12th place2013, OL, 7th place, Lost Omega Cup Indianapolis Express2010, OL, 3rd place, Lost Omega Cup2011, OL, 2nd place, Won Bronze Trophy, Promoted2012, GL, 7th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, OL, 12th place Las Vegas Dealers2010, OL, 2nd place, Won Bronze Trophy, Promoted2011, GL, 7th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, OL, 1st place, Won Bronze Trophy, Promoted2013, GL, 9th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated Louisville Thoroughbreds2010, OL, 8th place, Lost Omega Cup2011, OL, 4th place, Lost Omega Cup final, Promoted2012, GL, 12th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, OL, 9th place, Lost Omega Cup Oklahoma City Bandits2010, OL, 6th place, Won Omega Cup, Promoted2011, GL, 2nd place, Lost Silver Trophy, Promoted2012, BL, 12th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, GL, 7th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated Orlando Rockets2010, GL, 9th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, OL, 7th place, Lost Omega Cup2012, OL, 2nd place, Lost Bronze Trophy, Promoted2013, GL, 8th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated Pittsburgh Energy2010, GL, 12th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, OL, 3rd place, Lost Omega Cup2012, OL, 8th place, Lost Omega Cup2013, OL, 10th place, Lost Omega Cup Promotion Series San Antonio Buzzards2010, BL, 9th place, Won Beta Survivors Cup2011, BL, 8th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, GL, 9th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, OL, 3rd place, Lost Omega Cup Vancouver Mounties2010, OL, 10th place, Won Omega Cup Promotion Series, Promoted2011, GL, 11th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, OL, 11th place2013, OL, 11th place

A Brief History of Promotion and Relegation, 2014 GL Gamma League Bronx Bombers2010, OL, 1st place, Lost Bronze Trophy, Promoted2011, GL, 10th place, Won Gamma Survivors Cup2012, GL, 3rd place, Won Gamma Cup, Promoted2013, BL, 12th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated Chicago Brats2010, GL, 11th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, OL, 5th place, Won Omega Cup, Promoted2012, GL, 11th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, OL, 2nd place, Lost Bronze Trophy, Promoted Cleveland Sluggers2010, GL, 10th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, OL, 1st place, Lost Bronze Trophy, Promoted2012, GL, 5th place, Lost Gamma Cup final, Promoted2013, BL, 11th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated Denver Peaks2010, BL, 11th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, GL, 9th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, OL, 4th place, Lost Omega Cup2013, OL, 4th place, Won Omega Cup, Promoted Honolulu Tropics2010, AL, 12th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2011, BL, 1st place, Won Gold Trophy, Promoted2012, AL, 7th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2013, BL, 9th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated Philadelphia Liberty2010, OL, 12th place2011, OL, 12th place2012, OL, 9th place, Lost Omega Cup Promotion Series2013, OL, 6th place, Lost Omega Cup final, Promoted Portland Pioneers2010, AL, 5th place, Won Alpha Cup2011, AL, 9th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2012, BL, 10th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, GL, 4th place, Lost Gamma Cup Seattle Ports2010, AL, 10th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2011, BL, 7th place, Lost Beta Cup2012, BL, 9th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, GL, 6th place, Lost Gamma Cup St. Louis Lions2010, GL, 1st place, Lost Silver Trophy, Promoted2011, BL, 10th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, GL, 4th place, Lost Gamma Cup2013, GL, 10th place, Won Gamma Survivors Cup Tampa Sharks2010, GL, 7th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, OL, 9th place, Lost Omega Cup2012, OL, 7th place, Lost Omega Cup2013, OL, 8th place, Won Omega Cup Promotion Series, Promoted Utah Mustangs2010, BL, 10th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, GL, 6th place, Lost Gamma Cup2012, GL, 8th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2013, OL, 1st place, Won Bronze Trophy, Promoted Washington Presidents2010, GL, 5th place, Lost Gamma Cup2011, GL, 3rd place, Won Gamma Cup, Promoted2012, BL, 7th place, Lost Beta Cup2013, BL, 8th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated

A Brief History of Promotion and Relegation, 2014 BL Beta League Brooklyn Avengers2010, AL, 2nd place, Lost Diamond Trophy2011, AL, 8th place, Won Honors Cup2012, AL, 9th place, Won Honors Cup2013, AL, 12th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated Buffalo Bears2010, OL, 4th place, Lost Omega Cup2011, OL, 6th place, Won Omega Cup Promotion Series, Promoted2012, GL, 6th place, Lost Gamma Cup2013, GL, 2nd place, Lost Silver Trophy, Promoted Charlotte Flyers2010, GL, 2nd place, Won Silver Trophy, Promoted2011, BL, 4th place, Won Beta Cup, Promoted2012, AL, 11th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2013, BL, 4th place, Lost Beta Cup Houston Bulls2010, AL, 1st place, Lost Diamond Trophy2011, AL, 2nd place, Lost Diamond Trophy2012, AL, 4th place, Lost Diamond Trophy2013, AL, 11th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated Memphis Hound Dogs2010, OL, 9th place, Lost Omega Cup2011, OL, 8th place, Lost Omega Cup2012, OL, 5th place, Won Omega Cup Promotion Series, Promoted2013, GL, 3rd place, Won Gamma Cup, Promoted Milwaukee Beers2010, OL, 5th place, Lost Omega Cup final, Promoted2011, GL, 12th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, OL, 6th place, Won Omega Cup, Promoted2013, GL, 5th place, Lost Gamma Cup final, Promoted Minneapolis Blizzard2010, BL, 12th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2011, GL, 8th place, Lost Gamma Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, OL, 3rd place, Lost Omega Cup final, Promoted2013, GL, 1st place, Won Silver Trophy, Promoted Montreal Saints2010, AL, 7th place, Won Honors Cup2011, AL, 4th place, Won Diamond Trophy2012, AL, 5th place, Lost Alpha Cup2013, AL, 9th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated New Mexico Suns2010, AL, 4th place, Won Diamond Trophy2011, AL, 7th place, Lost Honors Cup final2012, AL, 12th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2013, BL, 10th place, Won Beta Survivors Cup Oakland Gorillas2010, BL, 3rd place, Lost Gold Trophy, Promoted2011, AL, 5th place, Won Alpha Cup2012, AL, 2nd place, Lost Diamond Trophy2013, AL, 10th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated San Francisco Gold2010, BL, 4th place, Lost Beta Cup2011, BL, 6th place, Lost Beta Cup2012, BL, 5th place, Lost Beta Cup2013, BL, 6th place, Lost Beta Cup Toronto Thunderbirds2010, AL, 8th place, Lost Honors Cup final2011, AL, 12th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2012, BL, 8th place, Won Beta Survivors Cup2013, BL, 7th place, Lost Beta Cup

A Brief History of Promotion and Relegation, 2014 AL Without making charts, I'm not sure how to do this, so I think I'll list what teams have done to get into their current place in the associated league. Thus, I'll begin with the current AL. AL 2014 Austin Savage2010, GL, 3rd place, Won Gamma Cup, Promoted2011, BL, 5th place, Lost Beta Cup2012, BL, 4th place, Won Beta Cup, Promoted2013, AL, 3rd place, Lost Diamond Trophy Cincinnati Cyclones2010, AL, 6th place, Lost Alpha Cup2011, AL, 6th place, Lost Alpha Cup2012, AL, 3rd place, Won Diamond Trophy2013, AL, 7th place, Lost Honors Cup final Dallas Tycoons2010, GL, 8th place, Won Gamma Survivors Cup2011, GL, 1st place, Won Silver Trophy, Promoted2012, BL, 1st place, Lost Gold Trophy, Promoted2013, AL, 4th place, Won Diamond Trophy Detroit Wolverines2010, AL, 9th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2011, BL, 11th place, Lost Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, GL, 1st place, Lost Silver Trophy, Promoted2013, BL, 3rd place, Lost Gold Trophy, Promoted Kansas City Sting2010, BL, 7th place, Lost Beta Cup2011, BL, 2nd place, Lost Gold Trophy, Promoted2012, AL, 8th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2013, BL, 1st place, Won Gold Trophy, Promoted Los Angeles Actors2010, BL, 1st place, Won Gold Trophy, Promoted2011, AL, 1st place, Lost Diamond Trophy2012, AL, 6th place, Won Alpha Cup2013, AL, 6th place, Won Alpha Cup Miami Towers2010, BL, 2nd place, Lost Gold Trophy, Promoted2011, AL, 3rd place, Lost Diamond Trophy2012, AL, 1st place, Lost Diamond Trophy2013, AL, 8th place, Won Honors Cup Nashville Country2010, AL, 3rd place, Lost Diamond Trophy2011, AL, 10th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated, 2012, BL, 2nd place, Lost Gold Trophy, Promoted2013, AL, 5th place, Lost Alpha Cup New Orleans Gators2010, BL, 6th place, Won Beta Cup, Promoted 2011, AL, 11th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2012, BL, 6th place, Lost Beta Cup2013, BL, 2nd place, Lost Gold Trophy, Promoted Phoenix Firebirds2010, GL, 6th place, Lost Gamma Cup, Promoted2011, BL, 12th place, Lost Beta Survivors Cup, Relegated2012, GL, 2nd place, Won Silver Trophy, Promoted2013, BL, 5th place, Won Beta Cup, Promoted San Diego Slammers2010, AL, 11th place, Lost Honors Cup, Relegated2011, BL, 3rd place, Lost Gold Trophy, Promoted2012, AL, 10th place, Lost Honors Cup Final2013, AL, 2nd place, Lost Diamond Trophy Virginia Beach Neptunes2010, BL, 5th place, Lost Beta Cup2011, BL, 9th place, Won Beta Survivors Cup2012, BL, 3rd place, Won Gold Trophy, Promoted2013, AL, 1st place, Lost Diamond Trophy

2014 Season Notes - The Chopping Block and Team Nickname Change In the Champions Association, there is a mandatory relocation rule for teams in the Omega League that cannot improve themselves over a five-year period. The reason for the initial rules of so much movement among leagues (5 of 12 teams in the Omega League are promoted each year, for instance) was to ensure that some of the top markets would not get an unlucky draw at first, and then be in danger of losing a franchise. Despite all of the plans put in place, there are still two franchises that are "on the chopping block": the Baltimore Bullets and the Edmonton Freeze. Baltimore has been the worse of the two franchises, having only had one season where it came close to being promoted. In 2010, the Bullets finished 11th in the OL, meaning that they had no postseason. However, in 2011, despite finishing 10th, Baltimore had a chance to be promoted. They beat 3rd ranked Pittsburgh in the first round of the Omega Cup tournament, meaning they were in a battle where three of four teams would be promoted. However, Baltimore then went on to get swept by Louisville and Buffalo to remain in the OL for a third year. In 2012, Baltimore again finished 10th after defeating Vancouver in the play-in game, but the Bullets were swept by Minneapolis to end their season. In 2013, the Bullets had their highest finish: fifth. Despite that high finish, Baltimore was again swept in the first round of the Omega Cup tournament. Edmonton has had two higher finishes than Baltimore, but the Freeze also had two terrible season. In 2010, the Freeze finished 7th in the Omega League. However, they exited the first round of the Omega Cup tournament with a two games to one loss to Oklahoma City. In 2011, the Freeze missed the postseason by finishing 11th in the league. They stepped down another slot in 2012 to finish dead last. Despite the back-to-back disappointing seasons, Edmonton seemed to bounce back in 2013 by finishing 7th again. However, a first round exit to Philadelphia means they remain in the Omega League for a fifth season. Should either team fail to gain promotion this season, they will relocate to the cities waiting. The complication of the situation is that the Champions Association did not make prior rules about what would happen if multiple teams would be forced to relocate. The thought is that the top franchise waiting will get first choice of if they want to take over the Baltimore or Edmonton franchise. Because that’s where the money is, the next location spot is a second Los Angeles-area team in Anaheim. The second choice is a third New York team in Queens. Both franchises have logos and jerseys ready, so all they need is a place in the league. Also, even if neither Baltimore nor Edmonton relocates, there are talks of expanding the Omega League by two teams. The proposed expansion would mean a total of 14 teams in the league, with possible further expansion trickling up with more teams promoted to eventually expand the Gamma then Beta then Alpha Leagues. One final note: The Boston Night Hawks have decided to drop the "Night" to become just the Hawks with new logo, color scheme, and uniforms. Logo and newly acquired free agent C.C. Sabathia's baseball card below.

2013 Offseason With my team in place in its current form and arbitration behind us, I started pressing down on my targets. Without going into a lot of details about the failures, here are the people I had high on my list based on their demands and my needs. My main focus was to build depth in the bullpen, try to find a decent starter, and fill in some needs at 1B, C, and OF. I had $9.869M available to me for signing these free agents: SP Li-Ben Chen, 1 year, $2.5M My most expensive free agent because the veteran would not accept a cent less. I knew he was 40 years old, but he was someone I felt could step in as my third or fourth pitcher and at least hold the fort. Youth would have been money better spent, but there were no young pitchers within my budgetary limits, so I made Chen a Sun. 1B Jose Alaniz, 2 years, $1.6M/year For posterity sake, hit .303 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI (.387 OBP, .460 slug) for KC in 2012. Offered a definite upgrade over Rivera as my usual starter. MR Aaron Laffey, 1 year, $598,400He was looking to improve the competition he faced from his time in the Omega League with Pittsburgh, so I felt I got a bargain at just over half a mill. MR Pat Neshek, 3 years, $850,000 per yearThe longest deal I offered. Neshek was coming off a really good year in Miami, though it is probably pretty easy to have a decent year there. The Towers are freakin' good. Anyway, I felt that Neshek could be my top reliever, so I offered him a three-year deal, and he jumped on it. LF/C Evan Gattis, 2 years, $975,000 per yearGattis is one of those dynamic players GMs love to have. My intention in signing him was to make him the starter at catcher and move Kottaras to backup. If my minor league prospect Chen would blast his way into playing time, then I could move Gattis into the outfield without a problem. Regardless, Gattis was a must-get for me for depth purposes. SP C. Kluber – minor league contractFormer fifth overall pick by the Denver Peaks was there for the taking. I'm not sure if he'll ever "get" it but he has a load of potential talent. Depending where we are in the race, I may try to give him a few late-season shots to see if he can be anything for me in the future. Draft: Round 1, Pick 8 – SP Tex Etheridge, Missouri State University, 19 y.o.Tops out at 96 on the gun. Strong FB and cutter, but needs to work a lot on his changeup before he gets a big league shot. Right now he has good movement, but needs to develop more on his placement to avoid giving up a lot of big hits. Round 2, Pick 8 – CF Brandon Kirkpatrick, Sioux City HS, 19 y.o.Drafted him for SPEED. Don't know if he can ever be a great producer on offense, but if he can get on base, he can steal a base or two. Also, great range in the OF gives him a chance to be an everyday player in the future. Round 3, Pick 8 – SS Cal Ackland, Augusta Chrsitian (GA) HS, 18 y.o.Defensive gem. Will have to bat eighth in the lineup if he ever makes it to the bigs, but great arm and glove in the infield means he will be a great defensive shortstop for years to come. Pretty good plate discipline could put him in position for good K/BB ratio. Round 4, Pick 8 – SP Richard Skidmore, Dixie State University, 20 y.o.Definite project. Not a strong arm, in fact, doesn't make the hard throw. Instead, depends on an array of off speed and moving pitches. Needs to make some huge leaps in improvement to sniff the majors. Round 5, Pick 8 – 3B Ethan Riley, NY Tech University, 19 y.o.Another project. May get some early playing time, though, just to see if he has it. Needs to improve his offense, but I can see that happening if he just starts to love the game. Solid defensive player at the hot corner, so he can be an asset there. Wait and see for me, but worth the pick in the fifth round.

2013 Offseason And so my journey as the GM of the New Mexico Suns began. I have not figured out how exactly I will present my time as a GM. I believe I will tell mostly about the moves I am making to help the team improve, while giving some of the goings on around the league as they happen. However, I won't be too involved. In the end, I like God Mode much better than Micro Mode. For the offseason, I had a few roster decisions to make. A few players on the active roster were eligible for arbitration, so I assessed their skills and whether or not I wanted to keep them or let them move on. To me, it was important to free up some salary to try to improve what I felt was the team's biggest weakness: pitching. Our free agents and arbitration-eligible players: 3B Miguel Cabrera – free agent Was not going to let him get to smell the market. The first thing I did after signing my contract with the Suns was to get Cabrera’s agent on the phone. His desire was to sign a 1-year extension and either go to arbitration or negotiate a long-term deal. To me, the long-term deal sounded the best. I mean, Cabrera is without a doubt one of the best in the game, so I was happy to hear he was willing to play long-term in Albuquerque. C George Kottaras – free agent Had career lows in several offensive categories, but I’m convinced he had an off year. Therefore, I’m giving him a year. Signed a 1-year extension with arbitration eligibility the following season. 1B Andres Rivera – free agent Was not very good and indicated that he was not interested in looking elsewhere. I informed him I had other plans for the first base position, and he announced his retirement after other teams showed little interest. SP Sergio Ramos - arbitration eligible Ramos was acquired via trade for the 2013 season for OFs Alex Presley and Francisco Puguero , but he stunk it up for us when he wasn’t on the DL. In eight starts, he had a 7.02 ERA and just seemed like he was an injury waiting to happen. Thus, I let him walk. MRs Chad Cordero and Hideki Okajima – arbitration eligible Terrible. No arbitration offered. Let them walk. MR Michael Kirkman – arbitration eligible The Suns had no true closer for the 2013 season, so Kirkman filled in and did an OK job, earning 20 saves despite a pretty high 4.77 ERA in 58 appearances. Still, I thought he was someone who could help our team more than some of the other players, so I offered him arbitration. MR Mike MacDougal – arbitration eligible I was interested in maintaining MacDougal’s services, but I did not like the arbitration-projected numbers, so I withdrew the offer and let him walk. However, I let him know that I would still consider him in free agency if he was interested at all in returning to New Mexico. He said he would be. RF – Daniel Ortmeier – arbitration eligible A decent outfielder who did not have a lot of pop, but could be a valuable asset for depth without having to comb the free agency market looking for a player similar. Offered arbitration and was a little disappointed he won his arbitration case. I may have let him walk if I had known he might win it. These players were in conjunction with some other solid players I had coming back. For pitchers, John Danks and Travis Wood were the shining lights in the filth most of the pitching staff had been. Late-season acquisition Brett Myers also gave me some promise for the starting rotation. On the bench, Drake Britton was the only pitcher that gave me any hope. I was also hoping that John Axford could claim the closer role, but I didn’t have a lot of hope. The true strength of the team was on offense. In addition to Cabrera, outstanding young players Wil Myers and reigning top rookie Christian Yelich gave me a lot of hope that the future was brighter than the New Mexican sun. I could also mention 2B Neil Walker, SS Tyler Magee, CF Kirk Nieuwenheis, and reserve first baseman Justin Smoak as some other solid players to help get my offense going. In all, I was not very worried about the offense.

2013 Statistical Leaders - Omega League

2013 Statistical Leaders - Gamma League

2013 Statistical Leaders - Beta League

2013 Statistical Leaders - Alpha League

2013 Champions Bowl Results Banner Tournament of Champions Bowl History

2013 Alpha League Standings Pennant Winner Tie Breakers Austin beat Dallas in a one-game playoff for the #3 seed. Los Angeles beat Cincinnati in the overall season series lead for the #6 seed. Honors Cup First RoundBrooklyn 2, Montreal 1Oakland 2, Houston 0 Semifinals Cincinnati 2, Brooklyn 1Miami 2, Oakland 1 Honors Cup FinalMiami 2, Cincinnati 1 Alpha Cup Los Angeles 3, Nashville 1 Diamond Trophy First RoundDallas 3, Virginia Beach 2San Diego 3, Austin 1 ChampionshipDallas 4, San Diego 2 Relegation Honors Cup First Round and Semifinals Losers:Montreal SaintsOakland GorillasHouston BullsBrooklyn Avengers Diamond Trophy History Alpha Cup History Honors Cup History

2013 Beta League Standings Pennant Winner Tie Breakers Kansas City beat New Orleans in the season series for the #1 seed. Beta Survivors Cup First RoundCleveland 2, Bronx 0 SemifinalsWashington 2, Cleveland 0New Mexico 2, Honolulu 1 Beta Survivors Cup FinalNew Mexico 2, Washington 0 Beta Cup First RoundToronto 2, Charlotte 0Phoenix 2, San Francisco 1 Beta Cup FinalPhoenix 2, Toronto 1 Gold Trophy First RoundNew Orleans 3, Detroit 1 ChampionshipKansas City 4, New Orleans 1 Promotion Kansas City Sting - Pennant and Gold Trophy winnerNew Orleans Gators - Top 3 seedDetroit Wolverines - Top 3 seedPhoenix Firebirds - Beta Cup winners Relegation Beta Survivors Cup Losers: Washington PresidentsHonolulu TropicsCleveland SluggersBronx Bombers Gold Trophy History Beta Cup History Beta Survivors Cup History

2013 Gamma League Standings Pennant Winner Tie Breakers Portland won the season series over Milwaukee for the #4 seed. Seattle won the season series over Oklahoma City for the #6 seed. Gamma Survivors Cup First RoundLas Vegas 2, Boston 0St. Louis 2, Atlanta 0 SemifinalsSt. Louis 2, Oklahoma City 0Orlando 2, Las Vegas 1 Gamma Survivors Cup FinalSt. Louis 2, Orlando 1 Gamma Cup First RoundMemphis 2, Seattle 1Milwaukee 2, Portland 0 Gamma Cup FinalMemphis 2, Milwaukee 0 Silver Trophy Minneapolis 4, Buffalo 2 Promotion Minneapolis Blizzard - Pennant and Silver Trophy winner Buffalo Bears - Runner upMemphis Hound Dogs - Gamma Cup winnersMilwaukee Beers - Gamma Cup runners up Relegation Gamma Survivors Cup Losers: Oklahoma City BanditsOrlando RocketsLas Vegas DealersAtlanta BlazersBoston Night Hawks Silver Trophy History Gamma Cup History Gamma Survivors Cup History

2013 Omega League Standings Pennant Winner Omega Cup First RoundPittsburgh 2, San Antonio 1Denver 2, Louisville 1Tampa 2, Baltimore 1Philadelphia 2, Edmonton 1 SemifinalsDenver 2, Pittsburgh 1Philadelphia 2, Tampa 1 Promotion SeriesTampa 2, Pittsburgh 1 Omega Cup FinalDenver 2, Philadelphia 1 Bronze Trophy Utah 4, Chicago 2 Promotion Utah Mustangs - Pennant and Bronze Trophy winnerChicago Brats - Runner upDenver Peaks - Omega CupPhiladelphia Liberty - Omega Cup runner upTampa Sharks - Promotion Series winner Bronze Trophy History Omega Cup History

This now officially concludes my Fallout:New Vegas' Mojave Baseball League dynasty. I hope all of you enjoyed it.

The Final History of the MBL There were not enough years in the Mojave Baseball League to really have a Hall of Fame. However, there were five players who defined HOF-caliber performance. Their names with primary position and primary team: Matt Davis, 3B, Primm Outlaws Dave Griffin, SS, Westside Sarsaparillas Jimmy LaRue, CF, Goodsprings Lucky 38s/Prospectors Jim Seaman, 1B, Freeside Kings Basket Zapp, CL, North Vegas Radscorpions

The Final History of the MBL Statistics are the backbone of baseball, and there were some fine career performances. Here are the best ever single season and career numbers for both batters and pitchers.

The Final History of the MBL The most successful teams of the first six years did not remain dominant throughout the time of the Mojave. Lee's plan of a shared evaluation system leading to parity and league-wide hope from year to year proved to be successful since all but two teams could claim a title in the league's 21-year history. Surprisingly, though they had questionable management in their early years, the Gomorrah Devils/Red Rock Khans franchise turned out to be the league's best team over the 21-year span, winning four titles. North Vegas was the most successful team for regular season wins and playoff appearances, and finished second with three titles.