The Mountaineer League

[scuffleball]

Gold Division Captures Second Annual All-Star Classic

CHARLESTON, WV - The Gold Division All-Stars won the Second Annual Mountaineer League All-Star Classic at Appalachian Power Park, 6-5, in front of 4,888 fans on a balmy, humid evening beneath the lights. The game featured 22 hits, 11 runs, and a new chapter in the growing controversy concerning pitcher David Slater of the Morgantown Monsters.

The talented pitcher, who was at the center of a league-wide brouhaha regarding all-star balloting and fan voting for days, declined to play and instead spent the entire game as a spectator from the bench.

"He said he didn't want to play," Wheeling Owls manager, Rob Lee, the manager of the Gold Division team, stated after the game. "He didn't want to cause any more controversy, I guess. At least that's the impression I got. I didn't question him; it's his decision after all."

The fans in attendance starting chanting "We want Slice! We want Slice!" mid-way through the fifth inning, and were booing by the eighth as Slater still hadn't appeared. Slater was unavailable for comment after the game. Many other players, from both teams, however, were.

"I think it's bush-league," LF Steven Hutton of the Bluefield Bullfrogs stated. "This game is about the fans, not about us. Either play or don't even bother to show up."

"I have no idea why he didn't want to play. I really didn't get to speak with him about it. He looked like he was just not here tonight, spitting sunflower seeds in the dugout the whole game," J.W. Casto, Wheeling Owl catcher remarked.

"Maybe he'd be happier in the Independent League," Jeff Derenberger, right fielder for the Huntington Hawks, chided after the game when asked about the superstar pitcher's disappearance. "I hear they have a team named the Crickets that are just chirping for a pitcher like him!"

"I can't speak for him, so no comment," Fairmont Engineers SS Dave Lowry diplomatically allowed. "We all have our own reasons for doing what we do sometimes."

"If Slater thought that by not playing he'd be avoiding controversy, he must be have seriously -- and I mean seriously -- under-thought this whole idea. Anybody with a brain should understand that doing something like dissing the fans at an All-Star game isn't the best course of action," Fairmont Engineers 1B Mark Weaver noted.

Aside from the controversy, the game was entertaining. The player of the game was Kevin Kingsley, catcher for the Huntington Hawks, who went 2-4, with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

"It was an honor to play with such a talented group of guys," Kingsley stated after the game. "It's just too bad we couldn't bring it home for the Blue Division fans here tonight."

2nd Annual All-Star Classic Box Score


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On an Out-of-Dynasty note, I was amazed when I saw that David Slater was not selected as the SP for the Gold Division team. I decided to use it as an in-dynasty element to create some controversy and make the All-Star game a little more interesting. But it makes me wonder how the code actually does select all-stars. And then he didn't even play in the game! The man is, literally, dominating the league. He did so last year as well. Very interesting . . .

[scuffleball]

Looks like the All-Star snub has lit a fire under "Slice":

Sunday, July 1st, 2007
ML Pitcher of the Month Awarded to David Slater of Morgantown
David Slater is the latest Mountaineer League Pitcher of the Month award winner. The Morgantown starter delivered time and again last month and finished up June with a sparkling 6-0 record. In six starts he tossed 49 innings, posted 65 strikeouts, and put up a 0.73 ERA. The Morgantown Monsters certainly hope Slater puts more months like this one into the record books.

Slater is a student of the game. He does his homework on all the hitters, and it seems to be paying dividends this season. The 22-year-old hurler has recorded a record of 14-1. In 18 starts, he has fanned 194 batters in 151.1 innings with a 0.89 ERA.

---------------------------

This is going down as one of the great pitching performances of all time

[scuffleball]

Monsters Fall 6-0 to Fairmont; Players Clear Benches
July 7, 2007
MORGANTOWN, WV - The Morgantown Monsters lost to the Fairmont Engineers this afternoon at Monongalia County Field, 6-0, before 3,192 testy and temperamental fans. Monsters ace, David Slater, was chased after an eventful seven and two-thirds innings by four Engineer runs in the seventh and fatigue in the eighth, losing only his second game of the season and dropping his record to a league-leading 15-2 mark.

The seventh inning saw the game degenerate into a shoving match and both benches cleared and tempers erupted in an already testy game. Slater, who had been throwing inside all night, rudely brushed back two consecutive Engineer batters early in the eighth inning. Engineer's first basemen, Mark Weaver, apparently said something from the dugout, to which Slater replied. It was then that both benches cleared.

Both teams wrestled, shoved, and argued at the mound and homeplate for several minutes before being separated and returning to their benches. Fans littered the field with trash, prompting a 22-minute delay to clean up the field. Despite the eruption, no punches were thrown and no one was ejected from either side.

"It's just one of those things," Slater stated after the game. "Apparently, some of their players don't like inside pitching."

"I just asked him if he was planning on throwing at all our guys or just the ones he wasn't afraid of," Weaver said, concerning what he had said to Slater that instigated the melee.

Weaver wouldn't say what Slater had replied back with that brought Engineer players off the bench.

"That's just between me and him," Slater coyly answered, declining to repeat his words. "If he wants to tell you, that's fine, but I'm moving on."

"Just another day in the best rivalry in the Mountaineer League," Engineers manager Daniel Poe surmised with a grin. "What do you want me to say? I don't think the league is going to suspend anybody. The umpire today let it go because no one threw any punches. We were just making a statement out there, that the best pitcher in the league doesn't intimidate us. That's baseball - guys sticking up for one another."

[scuffleball]

Lee Gone; Owls Looking for New Skipper
Friday, July 27th, 2007
WHEELING, WV - The rumors had been swirling for weeks, and the Wheeling Owls made it official today, firing manager Rob Lee. The Owls, who currently sit last in the Gold Division with a 40-57 record, will go with an interim manager until candidates can be interviewed. No timetable has been announced by the team. Meanwhile, despite the firing, Lee has already been mentioned as a future managerial candidate around the league, where more than a few managers are on the hot seat.

"It's a shame," Lee remarked, regarding his removal. "This year has been tough, and I was hoping we could finish strong, but ultimately this is the owner's decision. The people of Wheeling have been nothing but amazing to me and my family. I wish them and the Owls organization well."

[ifspuds]

Originally Posted by scuffleball

"They still around? Seriously, I had no idea. With any league that has a team named the Crickets, you have to ask that question."
-- Huntington Hawks RF Jeff Derenberger replying to a question regarding the comparison of talent in the ML and WVIL.

I like it.

[scuffleball]

Mountaineer League - End of Season Report

Final Regular Season Standings
Here are the final 2007 Regular Season standings:

Blue Division		W    L	PCT	GB
*Huntington Hawks	73  53	0.579	--
*Parkersburg Patriots	70  56	0.556	 3
Beckley Bears		65  61	0.516	 8
Bluefield Bullfrogs	60  66	0.476	13
Kanawha Valley Vipers	51  75	0.405	22

Gold Division		W    L	PCT	GB
*Fairmont Engineers	73  53	0.579	--
*Morgantown Monsters	69  57	0.548	 4
Clarksburg Cardinals	62  64	0.492	11
Martinsburg Spirit	55  71	0.437	18
Wheeling Owls		52  74	0.413	21

* - qualify for playoffs

League Leaders
Below are the final regular season league leaders in selected statistical categories:

Batting Average:
0.401	D. Lowry, Fairmont
0.377	J. Acord, Kanawha Valley
0.351	G. Rice, Parkersburg
0.344	C. Bagnold, Parkersburg
0.339	S. Hutton, Parkersburg

Homeruns:
39	M. Weaver, Fairmont
33	E. Fernández, Morgantown
33	T. Tarriman, Clarksburg
32	S. Hutton, Bluefield
31	J. Derenberger, Huntington

Runs Batted In:
145	M. Weaver, Fairmont
111	E. Fernández, Morgantown
110	V. Ortíz, Parkersburg
98	D. Thacker, Kanawha Valley
97	T. Tarriman, Clarksburg

Wins:
24	D. Slater, Morgantown
18	A. Cuecuecha, Fairmont
18	J. Williams, Parkersburg
16	O. Pérez, Parkersburg
16	L. Sirett, Bluefield

ERA:
1.09	D. Slater, Morgantown
3.25	L. Sirett, Bluefield
3.26	A. Searle, Clarksburg
3.29	C. Swank, Kanawha Valley
3.33	J. O'Breen, Martinsburg

Strikeouts:
341	D. Slater, Morgantown
205	O. Pérez, Parkersburg
177	S. Squire, Huntington
170	J. Williams, Parkersburg
167	T. Santos, Huntington

Saves:
34	W. Holland, Huntington
32	J. Costello, Martinsburg
32	S. von Tettau, Morgantown
28	J. Reguejado, Beckley
27	T. Crabb, Parkersburg

Engineer Surpasses Magical Mark
FAIRMONT, WV - First it was the Triple Crown, now it's surpassing a magical number. Every season seems to bring a new milestone in the Mountaineer League, and this season is no different. David Lowry, shortstop for the Fairmont Engineers ended the regular season with a .401 batting average, making him the first player in league history to bat over .400 for an entire season.

"I was pretty consistent all year," Lowry remarked to reporters at the conclusion of the Engineer's final regular season contest. "Then I got hurt and kind of got a little rusty. When I came back the ball looked about the size of a pea and I was struggling. Really struggling."

Lowry's average dropped from a relatively "safe" .424 with 20 games remaining in the regular season to a low of .393 with just six games left. A mini-hot streak to conclude the season brought his batting average back above .400 and put him into West Virginia baseball record books.

"I was really sweating it there for awhile, because yeah, it started to mean something to me. This has been a great year for our team, and everyone in the dugout was constantly telling me to get the record. I did it as much for my teammates as I did for me."

Playoff Matchups
The Mountaineer League Quarterfinal matchups look like this:

Morgantown Monsters @ Fairmont Engineers

Breakdown: A matchup of the two most bitter rivals in the Mountaineer League, this series has the potential to get nasty. The key to the series is Morgantown pitching (ranked #1 in the ML) versus Fairmont hitting, which is ranked #1 in virtually every major statistical category. If anyone other than David Slater can get hot, Morgantown could be tough to beat. However, Fairmont has a myriad of weapons, lead by shortstop Dave Lowry (a .400 hitter) and league homerun and RBI champion, third baseman Mark Weaver. However, Weaver only batted .200 against Slater in 25 at-bats this season, while Lowry only mustered a .231 average in 13 at-bats.

Prediction: Fairmont in six.

################################################

Parkersburg Patriots @ Huntington Hawks

Breakdown: Both of these teams are playoff veterans, with lineups that are virtually the same as last year's playoff clubs. Huntington was second only to Morgantown in pitching in the ML (3.88 team ERA), but like the Monsters, they also have a formidable offense, lead by RF Jeff Derenberger, who batted .310, with 31 HR and 90 RBI this season. Catcher Kevin Kingsley (.329-29-85) provides additional offense. Parkersburg has both pitching (3.97 team ERA) and hitting (.276 team BA), ranking third in both team hitting and pitching, respectively. The Patriots are lead by the super trio of CF Scott Hutton (.339-28-91), 3B Curt Bagnold (.344-20-69 in an injury plagued season), and 1B Victorino Ortiz (.318-15-110). If another player besides Derenberger or Kingsley gets hot, then the Hawks look to have just enough pitching to come out on top, but it should be close.

Prediction: Huntington in seven.

[scuffleball]

Patriot Left Fielder ROY Candidate
PARKERSBURG, WV – You’ll forgive Jeremy Judkins if he is always smiling. He just happens to be a very happy, and talented, young man playing professional baseball as a left fielder for the playoff-bound Parkersburg Patriots in what many consider to be the best baseball market in the state. That wasn’t always the case, however, and it’s a safe bet that at this time last year, Jeremy wasn’t smiling.

“I wasn’t real happy, no,” the polite young man from Richlands, Virginia admits. “In fact, I was thinking about quitting after the season.”

At the time, Jeremy was playing for the Dunbar Bulldogs in the West Virginia Independent League (pronounced weevil by many), a rival eight-team professional circuit with teams located primarily in the Kanawha Valley and along the Ohio River. Dunbar finished the season with a 52-62 record, a disappointing sixth place in the eight-team league and 20 games out of first. Judkins was productive, finishing with .277 batting average with 12 homeruns and 50 runs batted in. He had some speed, finishing second in the WVIL with 6 triples.

But he wasn’t happy.

“No offense to the players in that league, but the baseball was not that good,” Judkins points out. “Small fields, small crowds, and no real sense of professionalism. You’d have players smoking in the dugout during games, talking to pretty girls between innings, and generally clowning around. For some of them, baseball was the last thing on their minds. Sure, I was getting paid to play baseball, but I wasn’t enjoying baseball. Thoughts of quitting were really starting to consume me as we ended that season.”

Then the baseball gods saw fit to smile down on Jeremy Judkins, and he was unexpectedly traded to Parkersburg Patriots, and into what he considered the true major leagues of West Virginia baseball.

“I was just stunned when I got the call,” Jeremy recalls. “It literally took my breath away. I immediately felt the spark return. I remember literally floating out of Dunbar. The ride up I-77 to Parkersburg was a blur, to be honest. But I’ve never been happier.”

The Patriots were never happier to see him. Jeremy instantly filled a hole in left field, where Judkins joined burgeoning superstars Scott Hutton (.339-28-91) in centerfield and Gunther Rice (.351-4-75) in right field.

“These guys are so good. Scotty can literally cover the entire field, there really isn’t a hole in his game anywhere. And Gunthy is always telling me how to improve my reads in the field, showing me little tricks and tips he’s picked up in the Mountaineer League. I feel like sometimes I don’t belong on the same field with them,” Judkins admits.

This season, in terms of numbers, was not as productive as Judkin’s 2006 campaign with the Bulldogs, as he amassed .250-14-50 numbers in 117 games. He also saw slight drop offs in walks, on-base percentage, and slugging. But Judkins will be the first to tell you his stats are more a result of quality opposition than a lack of talent.

“The players here are just so much more talented. It goes right down the line. Overall, the quality of play in the Mountaineer League far surpasses that of the Independent League,” he says with a grin. “I’ve enjoy this season of baseball more than any other one I can remember since little league.”

[scuffleball]

Mountaineer League - The Quarterfinals

Game 1 – Morgantown @ Fairmont, August 31, 2007
FAIRMONT, WV – The Engineers open the series with a 4-3 home victory behind a 2-for-4, 2 RBI performance from All-Start shortstop Dave Lowry and a 2-for-3 outing from CF Chris MacLeister. Engineer second baseman Manuelo Nieve put Fairmont on the board with a two run homerun in the bottom of the sixth after the Engineers found themselves down 3-0 after 5 ½ innings were in the books. Morgantown got a strong outing from SP Jon Krug, who went 8 strong innings while surrendering 10 hits and registering five strikeouts and two walks. All four Engineer runs were earned. Offensively the Monsters were lead by Player of the Game Adelio Ojeda, who when 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Closer Curt Carter picked up the save for Fairmont by pitching the top of the ninth, surrendering one hit while striking out two.

Attendance - 3,640; Fairmont leads 1-0


Game 1 – Parkersburg @ Huntington, August 31, 2007
HUNTINGTON, WV – Huntington took the first game of the series with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Pullman Park. Both offenses were hamstrung all night, with only a total of nine hits registered between the two teams (five for Parkesburg and four for Huntington, respectively). The Hawks offensive pairing of Jeff Derenberger and Kevin Kingsley went 1-for-6 with a strikeout and two walks. Huntington’s best offensive player was CF Kelly Tennison, who went 2-for-4 with a solo homerun in the seventh that proved to be the game-winning run. The Patriots could muster little in the way of offense all night, as CF Scott Hutton was 0-for-4, 1B Victorino Ortiz was 1-4, and 3B Curt Bagnold ended up 2-for-3 with a walk. For the Hawks, Lawrence Butlin picked up the victory, going seven innings giving up only three hits, while walking four and striking out three. Jonah Williams took the loss for the Patriots, lasting six full innings, and also surrendered just three hits, while striking out five and walking four.

Attendance – 4,920; Huntington leads 1-0


Game 2 – Morgantown @ Fairmont, September 1, 2007
FAIRMONT, WV – The offenses came to life with 15 runs and 20 hits in game two, and Fairmont took a two games to none lead in the series, winning 8-7 at Knowles Field. The Monsters were paced by RF Sansom Wideman who went 1-for-5 with a homerun and four runs batted in. LF Emilo Ruiz also homered for the Monsters. Fairmont all-star Mark Weaver erupted for two homeruns, going 3-for-5 with four runs batted in and three runs scored. SS Dave Lowry aided the cause with a 2-for-4 performance accompanied by two runs batted in and two runs scored.

Attendance - 3,651; Fairmont leads 2-0


Game 2 – Parkersburg @ Huntington, September 1, 2007
HUNTINGTON, WV – Parkersburg dominated, scoring nine runs in the first three innings and never looked back in a 11-3 romp to square the series up at one game apiece. CF Scott Hutton proved game one was a fluke, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a run batted in. The player of the game was Patriots C Rawley Overstreet, who exploded for three hits, including a homerun in the 9th, a two runs batted in. For the Hawks, superstar Jeff Derenberger remained hitless in the series, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout and three left-on-base.

Attendance – 5,103; series tied 1-1


Game 3 – Fairmont @ Morgantown, September 3, 2007
MORGANTOWN, WV – Even the first start of the series by pitching ace David Slater couldn’t stop the rolling Fairmont Engineers, as they squeaked out a 3-2 victory in Morgantown to take a commanding three games to none lead in the best-of-seven series. The Monsters’ Slater did all he could, going all nine innings and surrendering just seven hits, only one of them for extra bases (a double in the 7th inning by [/b]CF Cornelio Ramirez[/b]). He struck out twelve Fairmont batters while walking only three. The Engineers scored all their runs in the 7th inning, and were lead by CF Chris MacLeister, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in. SP David Margueta picked up the win for Fairmont by going six full innings on eight hits with four strikeouts and only one walked batter.

Attendance – 3,166; Fairmont leads 3-0


Game 3 – Huntington @ Parkersburg, September 3, 2007
PARKERSBURG, WV – Parkersburg left their bats in Huntington, as they mustered only three hits and one run as they fell 4-1 to the visiting Huntington Hawks to fall down two game to one in the series. CF Scott Hutton lead the Patriots with two hits and the rest of Parkersburg’s starting lineup could not muster a single strike against Hawks pitching. Hawks pitcher Teofilo Santos picked up the victory on the strength of a 6 1/3 inning performance of one-hit pitching. He struck out six and walked four. CL Darwin Lopez closed out the Patriots over the final two innings and collected the save.

Attendance – 4,392; Huntington leads 2-1


Game 4 – Fairmont @ Morgantown, September 4, 2007
MORGANTOWN, WV – The Monsters managed to stave off elimination for at least one more game, finally derailing the Engineers, 5-2, on the strength of LF Emilo Ruiz’s 3-for-4, one homerun, three RBI performance. C Buinton Hevia and 1B Eduardo Fernandez each added an RBI for the Monsters. The Engineers were again lead by CF Chris MacLeister, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Luke Baldazo picked up the win for Morgantown, going eight full innings for the Monsters.

Attendance – 3,155; Fairmont leads 3-1


Game 4 – Huntington @ Parkersburg, September 4, 2007
PARKERSBURG, WV – Huntington found their offense, crossing home plate seven times on their way to downing the home-standing Parkersburg Patriots for the second straight game, 7-2. [b]RF Jeff Derenberger hit his first homerun of the series, a solo shot in the 9th, to put the final nail in the Patriots coffin. A four-run 8th had all but sunk the Patriots before the booming 404-foot dinger by Derenberger. Parkersburg’s offensive woes continued, as the trio of Hutton, Bagnold, and Ortiz managed just one hit in 11 chances.

Attendance – 4,406; Huntington leads 3-1


Game 5 – Fairmont @ Morgantown, September 5, 2007
MORGANTOWN, WV – Fairmont advanced to the Mountain States Series by defeating the Morgantown Monsters, 8-5, to capture their Quarterfinal Series four games to one. Offensively, the Engineers were lead by 1B Mike Weaver who lead the team with four runs batted in, and SS Dave Lowry, who went 2-for-3, with two runs batted in, two walks, and two runs scored. The Monsters were paced by LF Emilo Ruiz’s, with two runs batted in on a 1-for-4 evening at the plate.

Attendance – 3,177; Fairmont wins 4-1


Game 5 – Huntington @ Parkersburg, September 5, 2007
PARKERSBURG, WV – Early offense lead the way as the Patriots forced a game six by doubling up the Huntington Hawks, 12-6, at Dupont Field. The Patriots scored nine runs in the first three innings, managing to chase not one but two Huntington pitchers off the mound before the game was a third over. Offensively, the Patriots’ bats finally woke up, with CF Scott Hutton going 1-for-4 with a homerun and three RBI’s. 3B Curt Bagnold lead the team, going 4-for-5, with a homerun and two runners batted in. Huntington’s Jeff Derenberger continued to slump, going 0-for-3, dropping his series average to a dismal .111.

Attendance – 4,396; Huntington leads 3-2


Game 6 – Parkersburg @ Huntington, September 7, 2007
HUNTINGTON, WV – The Huntington Hawks advanced to their second straight Mountain State Series by eliminating the Parkersburg Patriots four games to two on the strength of a 4-2 victory at Pullman Park. Patriot bats returned to silence, as Hutton and Ortiz combined for an 0-for-6 performance. Hutton ended the series batting .227 with one homerun and four RBIs; Ortiz finished with .250-0-4 numbers. Player of the Game, Huntington pitcher Leonel Hilton, hurled seven strong innings to even his playoff record a 1-1.

Attendance – 4,879; Huntington wins 4-2

################################################## ##

2007 Mountain State Series
Huntington Hawks vs. Fairmont Engineers

[scuffleball]

The 2007


Huntington Hawks (73-53) vs. Fairmont Engineers (73-53)

Game 1 - Hawks prevail 7-5, lead series 1-0



Game 2 - Hawks score early and hold on, lead series 2-0



Game 3 - Engineers win wild shootout, trim Hawks lead to 2-1




Game 4 - Engineers shut out Hawks, tie series 2-2



Game 5 - Engineers score in 10th, storm back to lead series 3-2



Game 6 - Huntington strong in Fairmont, wins 10-6, ties series 3-3



Game 7 - Engineers win first home game of series, take first championship

[darkcloud4579]

This is looking good. I think you might have inspired me for my Wyoming dynasty in terms of where I go next, because I was trying to figure what I wanted to do...but knew I wanted a league here.

Anyway, this looks super. Keep it up. Especially love the reports!

[scuffleball]

A quick update. This dynasty is NOT dead, not even close. After reading about all the amazing new things in 2007, I am planning on holding off and resuming this once the new version of the game is released.

I have simmed up to the quarter point of the next season and plan to hold it there in preparation for the new version.

Take care, everyone!

[Y0DA55]

I hope this one isn't dead. I just started reading!

[scuffleball]

Originally Posted by Y0DA55

I hope this one isn't dead. I just started reading!

Not even close to dead. I am developing a few things and will definitely continue when 2007 is released in March.

Thanks for reading!

[scuffleball]

Just wanted to update everyone on this dynasty. I have been messing around with OOTP 2007 for a few days and have only now managed to wipe the drool from my mouth

I think it is best for me to restart this league, as I can now have some things that I would have loved to have in 2006.

So I will be restarting this league, with much of the exact same structure. The ML and WVIL will remain the same. There -may- be some restructuring of the developmental league structure. I will be adding a full college and HS feeder league system. I will also be restarting a little earlier, probably around the 1995-2000 time period.

No time frame for the restart yet, but it will be soon. I imported the league into 2007, which worked fine, but I can't reset the game year (even though I did erase the histories of all leagues). So I'm just going to start fresh

Take care everyone!

[SC_Dawg]

Well I am glad you are going to convert the league to 2007 and actually restart it. I agree that 2007 will give you the ability to do so much more than you could do with 2006. I look forward to reading the exploits of the ML and WVIL as I work on preparing perhaps for my own dynasty.

[scuffleball]

Just an update. I am struggling to get the Mountaineer League the way I want it. Something about it just isn't sitting well with me. I have gone through a ton of concepts and setups and nothing pleases me.

So I am still tweaking and trying. This is not dead. Just delayed.