Regular Features:
Where are they Now?
Want to take a  look at the picks of the past?
2004 Amateur Draft
Past Issues
6-99
The Kids are ALL RIGHT! A look at the Rookies of HABLA
National                                                                                  American                                    

SS Ernie Banks .297 HR 9 RBI 34	RF Roger Maris .224 HR 11 RBI 34
RF Roberto Clemente .299 HR 10 RBI 33	3b Mike Schmidt .301 HR 10 RBI 34
LF Willie McCovey .263 HR 10 RBI 32	LF Larry Doby .229 HR 7 RBI 29
LF Ralph Kiner .286 HR 11 RBI 28	LF Dusty Baker .235 HR 5 RBI 18
P Whitlow Wyatt 4-6 IP 79 ERA 4.99	P Kris Benson 7-4 IP 87 ERA 4.34
	P Ted Lilly 6-7 IP 98 ERA 2.94

From The Editor:  I'm alway looking for a few potential owners.  At this time we have Three on our Wating List.  If you have any likely prospects PLEASE have them email me at jdupree@optonline.net

The Class of 2004 A Look at the First Round Draftees

Preview of the Amateur Draft
Who will be First???

The Amateur Draft is upon us, and many owners are frantically looking over their teams and deciding who to pick.  While there are some clear standouts the picture can get pretty hazy pretty fast.  This essay will look over the potential draftees and team needs.  We are including our top five "Can't Miss" Picks.
1.  Willie Mays will either be the top or the second pick.  The teams that are up for this pick are the Marlins and the Royals.  Both teams could certainly use this player as he is ready to go to the bigs right away, however, both these teams also sorely need a catcher.  The eternal question of best player available or meeting team needs.  He has all the tools. He can hit for average and power, has a great glove, and a cannon for an arm.  He's ready to go at 17, and will likely step into a starting role the day after the draft.
2.  Johnny Bench will be the top overall pick or the second choice in this draft.  Either player picked should be a much needed asset to these developing teams.  Both of the teams, Florida and KC need a catcher more than an outfielder, and catcher is a much weaker position league wide.  Getting Bench on the squad will give either team one of the premier catchers, and he's only 17.  A cannon like arm, and cannon like shots of his bat, make Johnny Bench a valid #1 or a treasure as #2 overall pick.
3.  Pick Belonging to Colorado was traded away in the waning hours prior to the trading deadline to Oakland for a king's ransom.  Oakland will have to choose very wisely with this pick.  The recent departure of El Duque Hernandez and Bob Gibson make pitching a likely need.  The A's did gain draft picks and Pete Alexander in return for these players.  Bert Blyleven would seem to be a good pick in this slot.  He's arguably the best starting pitcher in the pool.  Possessing good if not great Arm Strength, adequate control, and tremendous endurance, Blyleven is marked as a cornerstone type of pitcher for a team. Blyleven is not quite ready for the big time according to our scouts, and will probably need a few years seasoning in the minors. The only knock on Blyleven is that he tends to give up many fly balls, and with the high octane hitting in the lead those fly outs of the minors could be towering home runs in HABLA.
4. Jim Bibby  There's a fairly steep drop off in the talent level from this point.  Teams will be looking to meet individual needs as the player pool talent level drops off suddenly and steeply.  Pittsburgh is up fourth and one has to believe that the Pirates will opt for pitching and lots of it.  Last season Pittsburgh traded off the 3rd overall pick and Anaheim smiled as they picked up Steve Carlton.  This year the Buc's have yet to make a move and so seem poised to get a high level young pitcher.  One cannot imagine that the team with the worst overall pitching in the National League would go for anything else other than pitching.  Bibby  has good AS, and keeps the ball on the ground.  While his control is marginal, it should be acceptable in a short time.  Bibby is 22 and is for the most part ready.  Some may argue for Ken Kravec, but Bibby is a bit further along in his development and his top three pitches are better than Kravec's pitches.  Bibby may not be the best player available on the board, but he's a safe pick that would meet a need.
5.  Ken Kravec will likely go early in the draft.  The reason is simply that Boston is starving for pitching.  While the Red Sox are a team of needs, pitching is their most obvious flaw.  GM Gabe Austin recently was heard saying, these guys couldn't get a crippled girl scout out.  Some might opt for Steve Busby, but Kravec is better than Busby in many areas.  Boston will still have a long way to go, but will have taken a step forward.
Some of the players left on the board after these "Fab Five" will in many ways be superior to the players that should be chosen, but will be passed by due to the choosing team's needs.

Here is a short list of the "Best of the Rest"
C  Mike Calhoun is a strong catcher, although not at all in Johnny Bench's class.  Expect him to go by middle/end of 1st Round.
in a fairly deep pool of catching talent.
1b Jason Thompson is a hard hitting 1b.  His fielding skills are not premium.  Best of a moderately talented group of four. Late 1st round pick.
2b Davey Lopes is by far the best 2b in the group.  He will need some time to develop but will be a very valuable 2b in the future.  Weak depth at this position.  Mid 1st round pick.
3b  Doug Decinces is head and shoulder above the rest.  Good Stick, solid glove.  Weak pool of players. Mid 1st round.
SS Alfredo Griffin nudges out the competition at a small, but talented group of SS. Great glove and speed. Mid to late 1st Round
LF Bill Robinson is overall the best in a weaker group of LF. Good overall abilities, superb defense. Late 1st Round
CF Garry Maddox is the best of a very strong, but small group of CF. Maddox batted over .350 in the ammy league last year. Early pick, possible top five.
RF Gary Redus nudges out Barfield in a group with moderate talent.  Early 1st, Likely top 10
Starting Pitchers RHP Steve Busby nudges out Luis Leal.  Good AS, Good Control, but average endurance.  Early 1st Round, possible top five.  Very good depth at this position.
Starting Pitchers LHP  Ken Holtzman leads a  small quantity but good quality group of Southpaws.  Great EN, but average AS.  Late First

Amatuer Association The Future Face of HABLA
 "Ace of the Class"         "Hot Stick at Hot Corner"     "Sparkplug Second Sacker"   "Every Rose has its Thorns"

The HABLA Amateur Association is in its third season and is providing the future stars of the main league.

Who's Hot After 70 Games	Who's Not
RHP Jim Palmer 12-0 IP 106 H 72 K 89 ERA 1.27	Rick Rhoden 3-8 IP 80 H 95 K 51 ERA 7.94
LHP Randy Jones 5-3 IP 99 H 86 K 66 ERA 3.19	Rick Waits 1-8 IP 84 H 120 K 51 ERA 8.78
C Bob Brenly .312 HR 11 RBI 41 SLG .523 PRO .946	Carlton Fisk .236 HR 4 RBI 26 SLG .325 PRO .656
1b Leon Durham .357 HR 17 RBI 57 SLG.639 PRO 1.099	Kent Hrbek .209 HR 2 RBI 14 SLG .260 PRO.554
2b Joe Morgan .358 HR 13 RBI 51 SLG.555 PRO 1.033	Doug Flynn .231 HR 1 RBI 19 SLG .302 PRO .592
3b Butch Hobson .378 HR 20 RBI 80 SLG .686 PRO 1.135	Eric Soderholm .234 HR 6 RBI 18 SLG .371 PRO .675
SS Robin Yount .327 HR 7 RBI 37 SLG .496 Pro .903	Kiko Garcia .174 HR 3 RBI 24 SLG .254 PRO .514
LF Steve Kemp .369 HR 13 RBI 69 SLG .609 Pro 1.078	Pete Rose .237 HR 2 RBI 24 SLG .311 PRO .649
CF Andy Van Slyke .310 HR 12 RBI 46 Slg .517 Pro .920	Tony Scott .240 HR 4 RBI 25 SLG .369 PRO .696
RF Ken Singleton .339 HR 18 RBI 70 Slg .639 Pro 1.039	Sixto Lezcano .248 HR 6 RBI 40 Slg .387 Pro .718

HABLA's Minor League has Started and the Results are available on the main page.

INI Notes
I will be analyzing the game results very closely through the season, but do not anticipate any major changes.

Commissioner's Corner: Hall of Fame Selection Committee
I'll be asking for about 10 owners to form a Hall of Fame Selection Committee.  These owners will vote on the players that the game engine has selected for the HOF.  Rather than bombarding the whole league with Emails these ten owners will vote on the players chosen.  Here is how the selection will work.
1.  The game will select the pool of players initially.
2.  The comittee will then approve or deny the players chosen this will be done by obtaining a 2/3 approval vote.
3.  Final vote will be tallied on a points system.  You will get 1 vote per 2 players on the ballot.  Example: The committee approves 20 players.  Ten will be enterred into the HABLA HOF.  You would have to vote for ten players 1st Place would get ten points 2nd place 9 points and so on.  The top players via the points would be then enterred into the Hall of fame.  If you are interested in serving on this committee please let me know.

The Infamous Over Under Picks
I did pretty well last season, and so I will take out my crystal ball and make my predictions. As always, I'm sure you will rub my nose in it when I come up awry.  I'll keep these up for the season so I can be haunted by them later.

NL East: Is in some ways the best division in the league. Three Very good teams that have playoff pasts and aspirations this season compete. Montreal is mature, NY is very young, and Atlanta is more of a veteran crew. It should be a good division with three teams fighting for the title, as has been the pattern, this season.

Montreal Expos They came within a whisker of winning it all last season, and made their second appearance as a wild card team. I don't expect to see too much fall off this season. They'll be in a fight again with the Mets and Braves, and may not win the division, it will be close, but we have to give them the early nod. Over 94 Under 104

New York Mets They are the always a threat to win the division, and thier solid staff makes them a tough team in any playoff match. However, the bats are often asleep. Going for 7th NL East flag, may fall short this season. Over 92 Under 102

Atlanta Braves hung around last season, and suprised me with the level of play on the field. Free Agency hurt the team last season, but they have found some useful starting pitchers and good hitters. Not enough to take the Expos unless it all falls into place. Over 86 Under 96

Philadelphia has become a somewhat youngish team, but still has thin spots in the pitching department. Will not threaten leaders, and will not break .500. Over 60 Under 70

Florida has some very nice young hitters in the Farm and they will eventually make the Marlins a bit more aggressive. This group could be called the guppies at the present time. Over 55 Under 65

NL Central has been Houston's personal playground for the past seven seasons without ever having a serious challenge. The teams in the second division of the Central are improving, but are light years away from the Stars of this division.

Houston Astros For those expecting (hoping) for the fall of the Astros, their Spring Training record of 34 and 4 may be an eye opener. This team will not fade for awhile unless very unforseen occurences take place. Over 102 Under 112

St Louis Cardinals had a successfull season and for a short while had fantasies about a playoff berth. A youngish team that is entering into its prime. They may challenge Houston for awhile, but will fall well short. A wild Card this year is not out of the question. Over 85 Under 95

Cincinatti Reds The team has a solid cast of hitters and if the pitching is good they may have reason to be happy in Porkopolis. Probably won't challenge for anything but may break .500. Over 74 Under 84.

Chicago Cubs Management blasted at TIP last season when they were predicted as a fourth place team, but this was one that we really got right! Team is improving, but is a solid notch below St Louis and possibly a bit behind Cincy. Over 72 Under 82

Pittsburgh Pirates have got to deal off the few tradeable commodities they have and build from scratch. This is the last stop for many journeymen pitchers, and they don't seem to stay on the mound too often. They should be bad and young than bad and old. Over 60 Under 70

NL West sees one team rising further and further from the others with both the main competitors slipping further and further away. LA is always dangerous, but the Giants are the Big Boys of the West.

San Francisco is as solid a team as there is in the league. They are very young and very deep and will win the West by a very comfortable spread. Over 98 Under 108

Los Angeles battled hard for the Wild Card last season, and though they will be respectable this team has to think about rebuilding. Over 85 Under 95

San Diego had an AWFUL season last year, and is better than they showed on the field. They gambled big for a title, and lost and it's rebuilding time for the Padres. Will be decent, but not seriously challenge. Over 77 Under 87

Colorado had a season they would just as soon forget. The team is not currently owned so moves made will all have to be from within, which may help this organization. They can't get much worse. Over 50 Under 60.

AL East Although the records of this division have been awful the past few seasons, the races have been very tight, going to the last series two years in a row. Expect more of the same from this group of scrappy, don't take the "s" off teams. Any team could win this division.

New York Yankees are forever falling a bit short of the mark. This is true when the division was strong and the Yankees finished a strong second, and now that the division is weak, the Bronx Bombers seem to self destruct. However, they may eek out a win for the title this year. Over 76 Under 86

Baltimore Orioles have been a snake bitten organization for years. They have never gotten out of the cellar, and their young pitchers have been victimized by horrendous hitting. However, the pitching is gettting pretty good, and some new bats will help the Birds get out of that cage. Over 75 Under 85

Toronto Blue Jays went out and got a few vets for their pen, bats for the plate and experience for the bench. It may help this team out. Over 73 Under 83

Detroit Tigers had an unbelieveable stretch surge to launch them to the playoffs. If they hit the way they are capable they could be right in there. They will need to hit. The staff is thin. Over 73 Under 83.

Boston Red Sox nabbed the Tigers in the last series two years ago, and fell apart towards the end of last season. Expect the destruction to pick off from where they left off. Over 70 Under 80

AL Central The Black N Blue Division was just as hard fought as ever last year. This year the division will be good, but we think that one team will rise and leave the three others to duke it out for a Wild Card Berth.

Cleveland Indians I can hear the hollers from the Crew and the Twin Cities already, but the Indians, with stable ownership will come back and win the divsion easily. A lot of very impressive players on the reservation. Over 95 Under 105

Milwaukee Brewers had a great season last year, and led all the way until they stumbled late, were caught by Minnesota and lost a one game playoff. They came within an out of the World Series. Over 86 Under 96

Chicago White Sox struggled all season long and never got fully into the hunt. An awful slump in August and September and the only post season plans the Windy City Gang were making were reservations at the golf course. Over 84 Under 94

Minnesota Twins fans are loving this prediction. The Rodney Dangerfield's of HABLA feel this may be the guarantee they are looking for to win the AL Central Again. However, the Twins lost some key players and are not getting any younger. Over 82Under 92

Kansas City Royals have some new arms and some promising young players, but are far away from even the thought of a challenge. Poor Pitching Over 70 Under 80

AL West The personal training grounds for Arlie's Seattle Army en route to a possible third HABLA Championship. Some good teams in the West, but the Army (odd nickname for the Mariners) are a safer bet than US Bonds

Seattle Mariners Forward march. No one is close, yet. The question that will be asked for this season is do they win 120. Over 109 Under 119

Anaheim Angels looked like a lock on the Wild Card until they hit a September Roadblock that ruined the year. The team had all the ducks lined up, a lead, and a soft schedule, and managed to lose. They may not have recovered. Over 84 Under 94

Texas Rangers looked good for the season and every year they improve. They will make a serious run at Anaheim for second place in the West and a Wild Card berth. Over 79 Under 89

Oakland A's may be ready, but are very slow to make moves. Need to be more aggressive. Should improve. Over 70 Under 80.

Post Season Predictions: Here's the crystal ball look at October.

NL, Montreal, Houston, San Francisco, New York

SF defeats NY Mon over Houston SF defeats Montreal to go to the series.

AL New York, Cleveland, Seattle, Milwaukee

Seattle over NY Cleveland Over Mil Cleveland shocks Seattle

SF wins in 7 over Cleveland with Matty winning two and Hugh Coleman getting the big hit.