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AUGUST 27, 2014 SMOOTH SKIES AIMING TO WHEEL AND DEAL Montgomery Smooth Skies owner scottie14 has made his mark here in Shoeless Joe since entering the world back in S9. Three World Series titles, and countless trips to the playoffs.. he will definitely be considered one of SJ's greatest owners.. period.
Montgomery is on the move again, as far as this season goes. Stocked with talent, the Smooth Skies are once again looking to deal. On the trade block are Yuu Koh, Brace Johnstone, and Bert Price. Montgomery is currently in the market for a prospect in return. First choice is a setup reliever type, but they'll consider any position. If you're interested, hit scottie14 up in Trade Chat. AUGUST 22, 2014 LAS VEGAS VEGAN VAMPIRES LOOKING TO DEAL Add another team to those looking to move some players around: the Las Vegas Vegan Vampires.
League sources have informed the SJ Blog that team owner paranoid0 is ready to deal, and has a long list of players to make available to the highest bidders. This list includes Bill Hissey, Gus Kwon, Benji Wilhelm, Brooks Lieberthal, and Clarence Jodie. If the right deal comes their way, Las Vegas could also be persuaded to deal Archie LeMahieu. The Vegan Vampires are currently in search of younger prospects or a left handed bat that doesn't play 1B/COF/DH. In other words, make sure he can play a little defense! Interested trade parties can contact paranoid0 via trade chat or sitemail. AUGUST 20, 2014 SOURCES: ROYCE WINCHESTER ON THE TRADE BLOCK Attention all contenders in Shoeless Joe, a major pitching arm could be available very soon.
Sources have told the SJ Blog that Fargo Force SP Royce Winchester could be made available by the club. The Force weren't viewed as major contenders this season anyways, but the club was looking at Royce as a major piece in the Force rebuild. That apparently is not the case anymore. If a deal was to be made for Winchester, we're expecting major prospects to come over to the Force. The Force are looking for young pitching arms, and/or position players in return for Winchester. As much as the Force would like to make a deal, they also have no problem holding onto Winchester if they aren't "blown away" by any trade offers. Here's your shot, contenders. Time to get better right away. AUGUST 8, 2014 OFFSEASON WINNERS (AND LOSERS) We all love to judge, don't we? Luckily for you all, you get to read about mine here on the blog. Now, every team had a chance to improve from last season. Some teams did well, others.. well, not so well. WINNERS
CHICAGO ROOFTOPS
This team did about as well as you possibly could in Free Agency, when it comes to improving the offense. Signing Julian Tarraga himself was considered a victory, but also throwing in Carlos Cordero made it even sweeter. RICHMOND HIGH ROLLERS
Kenter16 named his team the "High Rollers", and for good reason. They rolled the dice in Free Agency to improve their pitching by getting Joey Holmes and Pedro Campos, and then by acquiring Renyel Cabeza and Harpo May via trade. COLORADO SPRINGS GRIZZLIES
If you know team owner jstnklly, then you'll know any team of his will be active in Free Agency. He didn't disappoint, as he added Mo Nolasco, Jose Vasquez, and Walt Forbes.. just to name a few. LOSERS
TRENTON TAYLOR HAMMERS
Eugenio Cortez.. Stevie Randolph.. Ben Skinner.. Wandy Palacios.. Dale Ramirez.. all gone. Need I say more? SAN JUAN BROWNS
This team will be tough once again this season, but any club that loses a talent like Julian Tarraga has to be considered a loser. OKLAHOMA CITY ENERGY
The talent coming in (Ben Skinner, Justin Garcia, Julian Canseco) isn't bad at all, but this club was a lot better with Joey Holmes and Carlos Cordero around. JULY 30, 2014
FREE AGENCY ROUND-UP (DAY ONE) Big names always come off the board after the first day of Free Agency, and this season was no exception. Here are some who changed teams. CARLOS CORDERO
CHICAGO ROOFTOPS 4 YR / $32.8 M It took Chicago's 23rd pick in the upcoming draft to get it done, but it was an incredible sign for the Rooftops. Cordero is in the prime of his career, and he can be counted on to play all 162 games.. and if not all 162, then pretty darn close. JOSE VAZQUEZ
COLORADO SPRINGS GRIZZLIES 5 YR / $33 M ($500K BONUS / MUTUAL OPTION / NO-TRADE CLAUSE) Vazquez always had the big time talent, but he just hasn't put it all together since he left Cincinnati. It's a huge deal for the Grizzlies, which means Vazquez will be looked at to take this team straight to the top.. but can he do it? LORENZO CASTILLA
CHICAGO JOKERS 4 YR / $20.8 M Another modest deal for a huge talent. He spent his last 6 seasons in Milwaukee, where he put up big time numbers. Now in Chicago, he's looked upon to do the same. JULY 28, 2014
MEET THE NEW OWNERS Season 24 has arrived here in Shoeless Joe World, one of Hardball Dynasty's most competitive and fun worlds. SJ features a large number of long-time owners who come back year after year to continue their quest for the SJ World Series Championship. This season, we feature a number of new owners who have decided to join the quest.. and without further a due, here they are (in random order): kblack2778 The 29 season veteran has 2 playoff trips, one division title, and a WS victory to his resume. He has spent the last 2 seasons in Second City world. kenter16 Kenter has pretty much done it all in the HBD world, including 6 WS victories. It won't be easy for Kenter in the NL South though, as he'll have scottie14 to deal with. boomslang1 With only 3 seasons under his belt, bs1 is one of the more inexperienced owners in SJ. Don't count him out just yet though, bs1 is eager to learn and he's ready to compete. cuck Another experienced owner with 51 seasons of experience. He's been to the playoffs, he's won division titles, but the big WS win has escaped his grasp. He hopes to change that here in SJ. jimmy1217 Jimmy is relatively new to HBD, with 19 seasons total.. and he has seen his share of success. The Vin Scully world veteran hopes to make his mark here in SJ. AzraelUNH Azrael is also a veteran from another world, Capra. He may have only 7 playoff trips in 45 seasons, but he's hungry to add another trip here in SJ. mmaldonado29 More new blood arrives in SJ, mm only has 7 seasons of experience. He has spent the last 6 seasons in A.Rod world, and he's ready to give SJ a try. boeing7 Another Second City world owner, boeing has 11 total seasons of experience. He has one trip to the playoffs and a division title, and he's looking for more. SIZEMORE BREAKS BANK WITH MONTREALOne of the most sought after free agents in Shoeless Joe history finally decided on where he'll be playing in S19. However, it probably won't be where you thought it would be.
The two favorites to land Sizemore was the Salem Lights and the Cincinnati Blue Darters. Both teams are former employers of Sizemores, and both have made it quite clear that they wouldn't mind his services once again. However, when the dust finally settled, one team came out on top. The Montreal Olympians, owned by bbwinksdaddy, won Sizemore's services with a max bid of 5 years/$110M ($20M per/$10M bonus). The max bid was expected, where he's headed wasn't. There's still plenty of time to go in the free agency period, so that means there's still time for Montreal to add even more talent to their roster. What this could mean, is that we may have a new major player in the NL. (2/25/13) WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!
The Colorado Springs Grizzlies, led by jstnklly, defeated the Chicago Rooftops, led by alogman1, in the Shoeless Joe S18 World Series.
This season was a first for jstnklly and his franchise. They won 98 games this season, the most in franchise history. They also won the AL West Title, their first in franchise history. The old saying goes that everything comes in threes, so for the hardcore superstitious types, the Grizzlies' Championship was inevitable. A lot of their success was due to the emergence of Greg Field. He surprised pretty much everybody with his display of power, leading the team with 55 HR and 127 RBI. Al Small was their most dependable pitcher, winning 18 games with a 3.37 ERA. The Grizzles got their title, now they have to work on defending it. The SJ Blog would like to congratulate jstnklly and the Colorado Springs Grizzlies team on their title win. (2/15/13) NEW HOME RUN CHAMPION?Through 103 games in S18, we're on the verge of witnessing a collapse of one of the longest standing records in Shoeless Joe. Cincinnati Blue Darters C/DH Eugenio Cortez is currently hitting .341 with 51 HR and 117 RBI. He's 1st in the ML in HR by 6, 1st in RBI by 16, and is 3rd in BA. Just the thought of possibly going for the triple crown is impressive enough. However, we're all amazed at the power output that Cortez has been able to provide so far. With 59 games to go, Cortez needs 24 HR to tie Hector Rodriguez' record of 75 in one season. Imagining a record being broken that was set all the way back in S1, that alone tells you just how remarkable this feat is. H-Rod's RBI record of 191 seems safe at the present time, but you never know with Cortez' hitting abilities. The SJ Blog will be keeping an eye on this story as the season goes. (1/10/13) FREE AGENCY WINNERS/LOSERSWINNERS
COLORADO SPRINGS We happen to find ourselves in this same position every season, so it seems. The franchise, led by jstnklly, always manages to pull out the blank check and is willing to do whatever it takes to improve his team. He did just that, signing the likes of Hal Bynum, Gus Keagle, and Matt Perez to improve the rotation. Also coming aboard are Otis Warden and Alex Borders, who will greatly improve their bullpen. ROCHESTER This team hasn't been relevant in the Shoeless Joe world since their S7-S8-S9 mini dynasty run. After several seasons of mediocrity, owner bobkordecki is dedicated on getting this team back on the right path. I like a lot of their signings, including Sean Thurston and Harry Rivera. Good talent at cap-friendly costs, that's the name of the game. Add Geraldo Saez and Ty Crain into the mix, and this team looks to improve by leaps and bounds. LOUISVILLE Their moves didn't make as big a splash as others, but solid across the board. Veteran talent looking to make an impact, and that's where Louisville enters. The message was crystal clear: improve the bullpen. Pablo Ramirez gives them another Long Relief/spot start option, and there are few who can do it better. Grady Diaz and Don Morris makes the bullpen tougher to crack. However, is it enough to overtake Austin in the AL South? Stay tuned. LOSERS SALEM They lost a boatload of talent at FA time, as management preferred to let them walk and scoop up the compensation picks. We're not necessarily saying they're basement bound, but any team that loses the likes of Keagle, Perez, Warden, and Miguel Johnson has to be considered a loser. SAN DIEGO Sometimes it's difficult to decide who to keep and who to let go, especially when it comes to players you've had for a while. I'm sure it wasn't easy letting James Katou go, a mainstay in the Padre organization for the past 13 seasons. Cincy quickly scooped up Robin Key, while the pitching staff took a hit with the losses of Bynum and Pat Torres. AUSTIN We're aware that this could be a 'reloading' situation, but they lost some key talent. The loss of Hooks Webster might be the biggest, as he leaves a big hole in the rotation. Thurston and Jose Valdes are big-time bats that will produce for their new clubs, Valdes especially. He got the big time contract that he was looking for, and he'll put up the stats to match. (12/04/12) WELCOME TO S18!Welcome folks, to yet another fantastic season here in Shoeless Joe. First off, we would like to congratulate scottie14 and the Montgomery franchise for winning the S17 World Series, defeating the Austin franchise in the process. Well done, indeed.
A few small changes heading into S18. First of all, we said goodbye to a long standing owner.. Shobob. For 13 seasons, Shobob guided the Austin franchise to 9 playoff trips.. including 9 AL South Division titles, 4 AL Titles and 2 World Series titles. We wish Shobob nothing but the best in his HBD career. We welcome 2 new owners into S18... pbsilver11 and sergei91. The undaunting task of continuing Austin's success now rides on pbsilver11. He's a fellow owner in another HBD Trifecta world (Doubleday), and there is no doubt he'll give the rest of the AL South all they can handle. The Houston franchise is now guided by sergei, a longtime owner with lots of success in HBD. The franchise has only seen 6 playoff trips in its history, and I have no doubt that sergei will eventually take the team to where it needs to be. With budgets now finalized, let's make S18 the best season yet! - Root (11/17/12) NEW S17 CHAMPS!The Montgomery Smooth Skies won the S17 World Series in dramatic style, coming back from the brink of elimination to win the final two games and defeat the Austin Bats.
It was clear before the series even started that superstar SP Hideki Shin was going to pitch in games 1-4-7. You have a guy of Shin's caliber, you need to pitch him. Austin was aware of this, and they showed in Game 1 that they were up for the challenge. The Bats scored 5 runs off Shin, going on to win 12-11. The Bats led the series 2-1 before Shin's next start. Shin was more Shin-like, going 7 IP and giving up 1 run and 3 hits, sparking the Skies' 4-3 win. Eugenio Cortez took the Bats one game away from the series win with his huge performance in game 5, propelling the Bats' 6-3 win. Down 3-2, the Skies needed one more win to get to game 7, and another Shin start. Ken Owens stepped up big and the Skies won 4-1. Then, it was Shin time. Austin actually led 3-1 heading into the 6th, until the Skies scored a run in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings, respectively. The Bats couldn't come back, and the Skies win the game 4-3, and the series in 7. Congratulations goes out to scottie14 and the Montgomery Smooth Skies for winning the S17 World Series. Congratulations also goes out to shobob and the Austin Bats for winning the AL Championship. (11/13/12) THE ALL NEW BLOGHere we go folks, the all new Shoeless Joe World blog.
Still under construction, but I definitely feel this blog will be much better than the old one. I wanted to get away from the blogspot.com blog, that everybody and their mother seems to have in HBD. I wanted to be different, and most of all, I wanted a better (and easier) site to work with. I think I succeeded. So please, bare with me. Be patient, and we'll have this blog as active as it once was. Thank you. -Root (9/3/12) |
S23 CHAMPION over San Juan
DROPPING OUT
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