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1970 PTBBL Playoff Picture |
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Written by Rory Noble
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Saturday, 15 May 2010 04:04 |
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CONTINENTAL LEAGUE  VERSUS 
SEASON SERIES: 10-8, Rochester While Rochester only holds a 2 game lead in the season series with New Orleans, their 101 wins makes them the team to beat in the Continental League. They have a good mix of talent both at the plate and on the mound which could make for a tough series for the Free Booters. New Orleans does have their share of talent as well. Keeping the games from becoming blowouts early might be the key to success for the New Orleans team in the post-season. PREDICTION: Rochester in 6 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE
 VERSUS 
SEASON SERIES: 12-6, Boston While the Edinburgh Clan seemed to dominate every team they faced throughout the season, the one team they couldn't seem to get a handle on were the Boston Gators. The Clan lost just 46 games all together, but 12 of those were to the Gators. Both teams come into the playoffs posting at least 100 wins each, but can Boston continue their past successes against the killer starting rotation of the Clan? PREDICTION: Edinburgh in 5 |
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Players of the Month (July, 1970) |
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Written by Rory Noble
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Wednesday, 21 April 2010 16:35 |
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INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE Batter of the Month 1B Paul Doss Edinburgh Clan  If you're looking for a proto-typical slugger in the PTBBL, look no further than Doss, who wins his 2nd POM Award for the year. In July, Doss once again showcased his power game, hitting 14 doubles and 11 home runs. He finished the month hitting .331 and had 31 RBI and 31 runs scored.
Pitcher of the Month SP Paco Fonseca Edinburgh Clan  Fonseca doesn't always have a great outting on the mound, but in the month of July, he looked as good as any pitcher in the league. In his 6 starts, he went 6-0 with an ERA of 3.50. In his 43.2 innings pitched, he struck out 20 batters, gave up 20 walks, allowed 3 home runs, but only gave up 17 earned runs for the month, quite an accomplishment for the 22 year old hurler.
Rookie of the Month 1B Juan Francisco Berlin Red Barons  The young Francisco, who turned 21 years old on June 30th of this year, celebrated his birthday throughout July with his best month ever as a pro. He hit .357/.475/.548 for the month on 41 of 115 at the plate with 8 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 HR. He added 36 runs and 26 RBI as well.
CONTINENTAL LEAGUE Batter of the Month RF Ken McCLure Rockford Rude Dudes  Continental League players, coaches, management, and fans a like all know the hitting skills of "The Wizard", who takes home his second POM Award of the season. McClure was once again magnificent at the plate, hitting .363 with 5 doubles, 8 home runs, 26 runs scored, and 24 RBI. His plate discipline is becoming the stuff of legend as he was issued 16 walks and only struck out twice in his 102 at-bats.
Pitcher of the Month SP Raul Solis Allegheny River Runners  Solis may have started the year in the pen for the River Runners, but after moving into the starting rotation, he hasn't looked back. In July's 7 starts, the 20 year old went 5-0, and his ERA of 2.79 was among the best in the league for the month.
Rookie of the Month 2B Sean Harris Enumclaw Stallions  Harris has had a couple of minor inuries keep him out of the lineup during the course of the year, so he has flown under the radar of many teams. After his performance in July posting a batting average of .393, every team in the PTBBL is aware of the 24 year old switch-hitter. While not a true power hitter, he did have 2 home runs, 7 doubles, scored 14 runs, and batted in 19.
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Is History Being Made in the PTBBL? |
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Written by Rory Noble
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Wednesday, 05 May 2010 20:24 |
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While 100-game winners are not totally commonplace in Major League Baseball, the PTBBL, in it's first season of existance, has not only fielded a 100 game winning team, but may also have that team place it's mark in baseball history. Currently, the Edinburgh Clan are atop the International South League with an amazing 109-38 record. That's a .741 winning percentage for those unsure of the math. Almost equally amazing is the Clan's starting rotation, which has already given the PTBBL three, yes three 20-game winners: Francisco Lopez (22-3), Ben Jones (22-5), and Paco Fonseca (21-4). Now, for the historic possibilities: Only one team in baseball history has fielded four 20-game winners. 50 years ago, the Chicago White Sox had the only instance of four pitchers each winning 20 games, and that team didn't even win their pennent! The Clan have two other pitchers in their rotation who are having outstanding seasons, and both are within reach of the 20 game plateau. Michel Fournier is at18-6 while Douglas Long is right behind with a 17-7 record. With approximately two and one half weeks left in the regular season, it is not unthinkable that one of these player could make it to 20 wins. Should both manage the feat, it would be the only instance ever that one team fielding FIVE 20-game winning pitchers. "Should the Clan pitching staff accomplish this monumental feat, I believe it will put the PTBBL right into contention with our MLB counterpart," said commissioner Rory Noble in a recent interview. "To see a team get one or two pitchers that can pitch well enough to win 20 games each is exciting, but to see a team with three already, and a chance for one or two more is almost beyond comprehension. I've looked over the Clan's remaining schedule, and it looks as if both Fournier and Long will have three more starts each, giving both ample chance to reach 20 wins." MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn was noted as saying this regarding the Edinburgh Clan pitching staff: "Must be something in the fog over there. I can't see any reason why that team should have one guy winning 20, let alone three. They're just not that talented." When told of Commissioner Kuhn's statement, Noble fired back. "That just shows his ignorance towards our players, our teams, and our league as a whole. It's just another jab by the 'big, bad bully' who has ruled the school playground the longest. I'll tell ya what, Kuhn, bully all you want...we're not going anywhere!" Fournier's remaining starts are against the Washington DC Freedom, the Hartford Hot Shots, and the Johannesburg Zulu. He is currently 3-0 against Washington DC, 2-1 against Hartford, and 1-2 against Johannesburg for the season. Long has starts scheduled against Washington DC (3-0) as well as the Boston Gators (1-2) and the Columbia Warriors (2-1). |
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Players of the Week (7/20/70-2/26/70) |
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Written by Rory Noble
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Monday, 19 April 2010 05:46 |
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INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE 1B Jim Bowden Miami Orange Crush  Miami's Bowden shows why he was an All-Star this season, and a previous POW winner, by hitting .577 for the week, with an OBP of .621. He went 15 of 26 with two doubles and a triple.
CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CF Tom Sullivan Allegheny River Runners  The 22 year old Sullivan, who was the 17th overall pick in the inaugural league draft, wins his first POW award this week. He went 13 of 22 at the plate for an amazing .591 batting average, and added 3 RBI and 7 runs to his stat line for the year.
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