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(AP)
Here...we...go! The 2031 season is underway. The hopes and dreams of Spring Training are over and it's time for managers and fan bases across the land to either celebrate or panic. Two teams that aren't in panic mode are the defending champion Hartford Whalers and the IL powerhouse Washington Bats. Both teams went 5-1 during opening week. One team that is in panic mode is the Toronto Canadians who went 0-7. To be fair though people around the league knew it was going to be a rough year up north as they continue to look to the future.
Power Rankings
1) Washington Bats (159.0, ++)
2) Hartford Whalers (158.0, ++)
3) Batavia Red Jackets (148.0, -)
4) Maine Guides (126.0, ++)
5) Santo Domingo Rum Runners (125.0, ++)
6) Montreal Exports (124.0, ++)
7) Baltimore Bulldogs (112.0, --)
8) Seattle Pilots (104.9, ++)
9) Denver BC (102.9, --)
10) New Orleans Dukes (100.9, +)
11) Indianapolis Racers (91.0, --)
12) Pittsburgh Millers (91.0, ++)
13) Los Angeles Dinos (89.0, --)
14) Miami Sharks (89.0, --)
15) New York Knights (89.0, -)
16) Wilmington Wildcats (89.0, ++)
17) Windy City Blues (89.0, ++)
18) Pawtucket Patriots (69.0, --)
19) Carolina Tobs (59.0, --)
20) Philadelphia Freedom (59.0, --)
21) California Kodiaks (55.0, --)
22) Syracuse Snappers (30.0, -)
23) Phoenix Roadrunners (22.0, --)
24) Toronto Canadians (-14.0, --)
Performance of the Week
1B Dave Hodge - Last season he played in only 48 games for the Seattle Pilots but was rewarded by the Dukes with a cool $3.0 million contract this off season to the chuckle of more than a few critics. On April 9th though against Toronto he had three hits, two home runs, and drove in six as New Orleans pounded Toronto 19-6.
Injury of the Week
P E.J. Felton - The DK took Spring Training off to sip Smirnoff Ice Lites on the beach and missed the injury to Felton. The 22 year old played in the BLB the last two seasons and is one of the leaders in the clubhouse of the defending champs. Sadly on March 6th he tore his rotator cuff and will be out for the entire season and possibly longer. For a team to lose someone who pitched over 160 innings combined the last two seasons is a huge disappointment to the organization.
Prospect of the Week
RF Marco Taylor - In 19 games so far for Bishop Gorman he's hitting .520 with 10 HR's and 32 RBI's. He won the award for top high school hitter the last two seasons, he's "relaxed and confident, aggressive when needed" according to scouts and he's the consensus #1 pick in the upcoming draft.
Five Things We Think We Think
1. Turell 'Two Ton' Morris is on pace for...hold on...being told by my editor we're not allowed to talk about 'Two Ton' until at least May. Well Dave Hodge is on pace to hit 93 home runs...which would be 15 short of someone else.
2. Toronto is 4.5 games back in the Lager and their playoff odds sit at 0.2 percent. It's April 14th. Opening Day though brought almost 39,000 fans to Toronto Stadium and it was rocking. By the end of the three game series against Maine though only 18,000 paid admission. As we mentioned before they are looking to the future and have four 1st round picks in the upcoming 2031 draft.
3. Many figured that when the Red Jackets signed Hoon 'Yard Man' Park this off-season he'd be on the trade block as soon as eligible. Instead Batavia started the season 4-1 and Park is 2-0 with a 0.77 ERA. If he goes 46-0 look for the Red Jackets to be in contention for the Stout late into the season.
4. Jaime Bushnell for Pittsburgh started out the year hitting .095. Javy Gudino of Montreal started out the year hitting .154. Both of these guys hit over .300 last year. The binding stat between them though is that they were both beaned three times this week. I wouldn't want to stand in the box either.
5. Run Ricky Run. Ricky Figueroa of Denver stole five bases this week out of six attempts. Last season he stole 45, the year before that 54. The record is 87 set in 1978 by by Sonny Fulton. In his six season in BLB prior to 2031 he stole 272 bases, which puts him 405 behind career leader Jerry Daly. To be fair though to 'Heartthrob' the top three leaders in that category...Daly, Mel Woodbury, and Hector Chavez were all involved in the Virginia steroid scandal of the 1990's.
Stat of the Week
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| Largest Percentage Increase In Attendance (Top 25 Teams) |
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