[scuffleball]

***edited 7/25/06 to reflect changes to be made to league structures***

Backstory and Setting

Setting
Present Day, Modern Era

The Baseball Universe
MLB has never existed. Baseball is still very popular, but the 'pro' game has never gone national. It's regional with many regional leagues considered the real 'big' leagues (The Southern States League, for example, playing in the largest markets is one of them). As a result, many states now have their own professional leagues, collectively known as the "State Leagues". California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, and New York are the 'Big Six" State leagues.

Most state leagues will only allow players from their own state to play. For this dynasty, I will only be creating the West Virginia league and farm system. My idea is that any other players here who create their own state leagues will just be considered as part of my universe (I know there is going to be a Michigan State League dynasty as well, so I will just consider that part of my universe and may even mention it from time to time. But it will have no bearing on my own dynasty in any real sense).

League Structure
The Mountaineer League will begin play in April, 2006. The league is comprised of 10 teams aligned in a two five-team divisions (Blue and Gold). Each team will play in a city within the state of West Virginia. Teams will play a 126-game regular season schedule. The two division winners plus two wildcards teams will advance to the playoffs (all series Best-of-Seven games). The championship series is known as The Mountain State Series. All players will be native to West Virginia or any county in another state bordering the state.

A rival league will also appear, called the West Virginia Independent League, or WVIL for short (pronounced wee-vuhl). The two leagues will not like each other and that will play out over the course of my dynasty. WVIL is comprised of eight teams in a single table, playing a 114-game schedule, with the two finishing teams advancing to the playoffs (Best-of-Seven games final). Championship Series is known as The Coal Series.

The farm system is comprised of a single tier, collectively known as the Mountain State Baseball Development Association (MSBDA). The MSBDA consists of three leagues:
1. North Counties League (NCL) - 6 teams, 116-game schedule (associated with the ML)
2. Appalachian League - 10 teams/2 divisions, 120-game schedule (associated with the ML)
3. Central Baseball League (CBL) - 8 teams/2 divisions, 104-game schedule (associated with the WVIL)

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

The first few posts will be setting the backstory, general setting and developing the rivalry between the two WV pro leagues. In all instances, I will try to use real places, buildings, streets, and other locations in the state of West Virginia. My knowledge of the entire state is not complete, so I may mess something up a little in places like Wheeling (I have never been there), but I will strive for accuracy.

Hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for taking the time to even read this far This is my first dynasty on here and I am really looking forward to continuing the rich tradition of previous dynasties. I don't for one minute think that mine will be better than anyone else's dynasty, and I hope everyone will enjoy my effort.

Thanks!

***edited 7/25/06 to reflect changes to be made to league structures***

[scuffleball]

February 3, 2004
Laidley Tower
League Offices – Mountaineer Baseball League
Charleston, West Virginia

James L. Holcomb, commissioner of the recently formed Mountaineer Baseball League, gazed blankly out his eleventh story window across downtown Charleston. The next 24 hours would officially birth West Virginia’s first independent and fully professional baseball league, a monumental moment in the history of sports in the state. The League’s newly hired Director of Media Relations, Scott Sutherland, cleared his throat behind him from his seat across the commissioner’s desk.

“They aren’t going to be happy about this,” he stated blandly, as if his words were common knowledge.

Commissioner Holcomb smiled one of those exasperated, drained smiles before turning around. “No, I suppose they aren’t.” He slumped into his chair, pyramiding his hands over his mouth, his index fingers digging deep into his upper lip. He sighed with resignation. “But we have to stay within the business model. That’s the only way this will work. More than ten teams just isn’t financially feasible . . . not for the inaugural season. Start up costs would more than double. The league would be broke by May.”

Sutherland nodded as if he’d heard that a thousand times.

The Commissioner sit back. “Surely everyone understands that, Scott. I mean, they are all businessmen. A sixteen team league is not a viable option here. Hell, if we were in Ohio or Pennsylvania it might make sense, but not here. Not with our markets.”

“Rumor is that some of the applicants are going to form a rival league should they not make the cut here with us,” Sutherland noted.

Holcomb nodded, all too aware of that rumor. Truth be told, he knew it was more than a rumor, but he hoped against all hope that it was simply that. “South Charleston, Weirton, and Teays Valley leading the charge, no doubt.”

Sutherland nodded. “Those are the clear choices, yes.”

The Commissioner thought for a moment, contemplating that reality. “Weirton I can almost understand, considering their proposal,” he conceded. “Under the right circumstances they would be a good market for us.”

“But not at the present, not without a suitable stadium lease, or even the prospect of signing one in the next year,” Sutherland countered.

The Commissioner nodded. He sighed again – he had been doing that a lot lately, since the decision to open with a ten-team league instead of ballooning up to a sixteen team circuit had been made. “A rival league would destroy any goodwill we’ve built up to this point. Those owners know that. Charles Martin, in particular, knows that. We’ve had a lot of favorable press about the league. A lot of coverage from all over the state. People are sincerely excited about this. We have a golden opportunity – a once in a lifetime chance – to make this work and last. Professional baseball in West Virginia. If we come out of this meeting with six to ten prospective owners jumping ship to form another new league we’ll all look like jackasses.”

“I’ve heard anywhere from six to ten teams, most probably eight,” Sutherland remarked. “Word is that Charles Martin has already been anointed the new league’s commissioner . . . should he not get accepted into our fold.”

“South Charleston’s not in,” Holcomb retorted, sounding slightly annoyed. “Martin’s seen the marketing reports. It’s too close to Charleston and would split the fan base too drastically. And frankly, Charleston has better facilities and, just between you and me, a better owner.”

“Oh, I absolutely agree, Commissioner,” Sutherland acknowledged, flipping through a stack of papers in his lap. He finally produced a spreadsheet, holding it up. “Report indicated that neither team would be viable should they both be awarded franchises.” He smiled. “But I digress . . . “

Commissioner Holcomb sighed, as if the act could purge the distaste of the last few sentences from his system. If he were to never hear the name Charles Martin again it would be too soon! “Here we sit, on what should be a very exciting day, fretting about a loudmouth who will go and do something stupid when he doesn’t get his way.”

Sutherland nodded. “Another league has no long-term viability. It’s one league or nothing. This state, this economy, can’t support two professional baseball leagues.”

The Commissioner grunted. “Don’t think for a minute that silly little things like marketing reports or viability studies will stop them, Scott. They saw the projections, same as the founders of the Mountaineer League. Hell, that’s what brought twenty owners here instead of just ten. They want in, want their piece of the pie. They sense the same thing that you and I do – that West Virginians are ready to support their own professional baseball league.”
Sutherland nodded.

“All along we were going with ten teams, ten solid franchise and business plans, a viable business model . . . then the proposals start rolling in,” the Commissioner continued. ”Cross Lanes, Moundsville, St. Albans, Weirton . . . they all wanted in. So we took and extra four months and studied it.”

“And it won’t work,” Sutherland chimed in. “Too much overhead, too much watering down of state-wide talent. Frankly, the product would suck with sixteen teams.”

“Right. And if the product sucks, we die. So we are going to go with the original ten: Charleston, Huntington, Parkersburg, Clarksburg, Fairmont, Morgantown, Wheeling, Martinsburg, Bluefield, Beckley.”

“The strongest markets, and aside from Weirton, the largest markets in the state. You’re preaching to the choir, Commissioner,” Sutherland summed up with a smile.

It was quiet for a moment. Commissioner Holcomb grinned. “It is exciting, isn’t it? Our own league, made up of homegrown talent. No more having our best players leave to play in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, or the Southern States League.”

Sutherland joined in the grin. “It’s very exciting, Commissioner. This has been the dream of a lot of people for a while now.”

“So we need to discuss final preparations for tomorrow. We’ll want to do it right.”

Scott sit up. “We go to the press conference tomorrow, announce the ten franchises, and build on the excitement that’s already been generated in the press. I say we don’t worry about the possibility of another league being formed. Potential players in Hinton or Charles Town or Paden City will want to play for us anyway. We will be the league in West Virginia. Where is this rival league going to get their players? Class A high schools? Believe me, we’ll drown out any splash a rival league will make initially.”

Commissioner Holcomb took those words in, mulling them over. A smile creased his lips. “Now I remember why we hired you, Scott.”

“Thank you, Commissioner.”

“Now let’s get to work . . .”

[ifspuds]

You've got a terrific start with this, scuffleball: good solid writing and a solid premise. It's obvious you've put a lot of thought into it. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

[SC_Dawg]

Originally Posted by scuffleball

Scott sit up. “We go to the press conference tomorrow, announce the ten franchises, and build on the excitement that’s already been generated in the press. I say we don’t worry about the possibility of another league being formed. Potential players in Hinton or Charles Town or Paden City will want to play for us anyway. We will be the league in West Virginia. Where is this rival league going to get their players? Class A high schools? Believe me, we’ll drown out any splash a rival league will make initially.”

Very nice throwing in a Paden City! Wonder how many non Upper Ohio Valley natives will know where to find Paden City.

I am very much looking forward to seeing this set of leagues play out their seasons.

Keep up the excellent writing please!

[scuffleball]

Thanks guys!

I'm going to post a few more 'foundation' posts and then download the game (yes!) and get to work setting up the leagues.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how they play out.

And you'd be hard pressed to find 1,000 people in West Virginia that could tell you how to get to Paden City

[Big Six]

This looks like it will be lots of fun, scuffleball. I'm looking forward to Opening Day!

[scuffleball]

February 6, 2004
The Country Kitchen Restaurant
D Street
South Charleston, WV

The meeting had been going on for more than two hours and showed no signs of ending any time soon. Eight men, each wearing an expensive suit, and been huddled around a wobbly table in the far corner of the diner and conversing in hushed whispers since arriving. They had ordered very little, and it was clear they were not in the restaurant to eat.

“What are they going on about?” a waitress asked the cashier as she passed by, indicating the group with a tip of her head.

“Don’t know,” the cashier replied with a shrug. “Something about baseball, I think.”

The waitress’s face lifted with that. “The Mountaineer League?” she whispered, moving closer to the cashier’s counter. “I was really excited when they made the announcement a couple days ago. Watched it on TV.”

The cashier shrugged again; she wasn’t a sports fan, let alone a baseball fan.

The waitress sighed and decided to walk up to the group, her curiosity getting the best of her. The men quieted as she approached.

“Excuse me, gentlemen, but I was just wondering if you all work for the new baseball league that’s starting up next year,” she inquired, clearing off some empty glasses from their table. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you were talking about baseball.”

In unison, their expressions soured.

“No, not quite,” one of the men replied less than enthusiastically.

The waitress smiled in apology and hastily returned to her duties.

Charles Martin watched the waitress walk off with a sigh. Damned Mountaineer League was already taking hold.

“If I were a superstitious man, I would take that question as a bad omen,” one of the men, Tom Goodwin, remarked with a smirk. He glanced around the table. “Fortunately for me, I don’t believe in superstitions.”

The group shared a thin chuckle, followed by a moment of uneasy silence. The meeting had been tense up to this point, the eight men having become clearly divided into two camps, “pro-league” and “pro-integration”. The first camp, lead by Charles Martin, was hellbent on the formation of a new baseball league to collect those markets in the state that were recently denied membership into the ten-team Mountaineer League. This group consisted of the aforementioned Martin, Doug Neale of Moundsville, Sam McConnell of Teays Valley, and Jimmy Brustle of St. Albans. The second camp, consisting of Paul Cottrell of Weirton, Greg Stynes of Dunbar, Frank Giammi of Vienna, and Tom Goodwin of Cross Lanes, were not as convinced. They clearly wanted to make some kind of deal with the Mountaineer League, either as part of a farm club system or eventual expansion.

“I agree,” Martin remarked, almost unexpectedly, and his words drew some surprised expression and raised eyebrows from his supporters. “But we can’t let the fact that a waitress in South Charleston thinks we’re the Mountaineer League dissuade us.”

It was quiet for a moment.

“I’m just worried about the economies of this whole thing, Charles,” Paul Cottrell spoke up. A few other of the men silently nodded their agreement.

The pro-league group shared a knowing look. Of the eight owners gathered for the meeting, Cottrell was easily the weakest link in terms of founding a rival league. His intentions to join the Mountaineer League were well known, even now, three days after the announcement of the ten franchises that had made the cut for the fledgling circuit.

“I mean, these are unchartered waters, if you ask me,” Cottrell pressed after a moment. “What makes us think that the Mountaineer League is going to work, let alone flooding the cup with a whole other league?”

“Paul’s got a point,” Tom Goodwin chimed in. “This is a damned risky move on our part. If we come out and announce another new league, so soon after their announcement, we’ll just look like a group of bitter old men who didn’t get into the club.”

“Agreed,” Greg Stynes noted. “I’ve wanted a professional baseball league in this state for a long time, but as I sit here and think this over, the more I am left with one question: What makes us think that this state will support another, rival league? More importantly, what makes you, Charles, think that the eight of us can make this thing work?”

All eyes fell on Charles Martin, and with an easy smile, he met them all.

“Gentlemen, I believe we are putting the horse before the cart here,” he began, calmly, thoughtfully, as if he had considered those questions before. “You are approaching this from the perspective that we have established the league. We have done no such thing. This meeting, the first of many, I hope, is to merely discuss, among friends, our options. Clearly, one option is to form our own league.”

“We aren’t here to cement the league tonight,” Doug Neale noted. “Like Charles said, we’re here to talk, discuss, to get to know one another and see if this is possibly something that we may want to take on.”

Jimmy Brustle leaned across the table, and everyone unconsciously huddled in around him. Brustle was a thick, heavy-set man with bushy black curls for hair and eyes that bristled with an unbridled love of life. If he wasn’t smiling, you knew something was wrong.

“Gentlemen,” he began with a mischievous smirk. “Let me be as honest as I can here. Like some of you, I have my doubts about this new league idea. I hate the idea of being one of those guys, you know? One of those party-pooper types who just storms forward regardless of the time and effort put into someone else’s project.”

He seemed to revel in the pregnant pause for a moment.

“But this ain’t one of those times, you know? We all love baseball . . . hell, it’s America’s game! And a couple days ago, it became West Virginia’s game, too. We just happened to be on the outside looking in, and that stings for sure, but it’s reality. Now, do we sit back and just let those other guys have all the fun? I, for one, say hell no! No where in the rules of baseball does it say that only one league is allowed.”

He paused again.

“I looked, it ain’t there.”

“I find it hard to believe that you read the rulebook!” Sam McConnell joked and the group laughed, the tension now easing.

Brustle smiled, lighting a cigar, and easing back in his less-than-comfortable chair. “Never said I read it . . . I said I looked. Big difference.”

The group laughed again, and the tension finally relented. Orders for food picked up, and soon three waitresses were buzzing around the table. As they dined, discussions revolved around more practical matters – where to get players, the length of any potential schedule, possible venues, all matters Charles Martin was more than happy to allow to blossom.

As they finished their respective meals, Paul Cottrell eyed Charles Martin curiously. “I’m not 100 percent convinced about this whole thing, Charles, but I can say that you at least have my attention for now,” he said with a smile.

[darkcloud4579]

This will be good.

[spark240]

So, did this project ever get underway?

[GrimmyDee]

Having lived in Wheeling for the past year and getting to know there surrounding area fairly well I ask you...no, I beg you - do not let this thread die!

[SC_Dawg]

Originally Posted by GrimmyDee

Having lived in Wheeling for the past year and getting to know there surrounding area fairly well I ask you...no, I beg you - do not let this thread die!

I wish I was in Wheeling right now. It has to be cooler than here in Columbia SC and a fish sandwich from Coleman's sounds oh so good. As usual my wife would like some DiCarlo's pizza.

[scuffleball]

It's not dead. I'm waiting for the final patch up, then I'm going to get started

I have been playing around with a test ML/WVIL setup to make sure the numbers will work and some of my ideas won't kill anything in-game.

Thanks for the interest, by the way

[scuffleball]

Now that the final 1.0.2 patch is out, I plan to get started on this either sometime this week or this weekend. I have edited the intial post to reflect the new league structure the leagues will go with, as it made more sense in my 25+ season testing I did with these teams.

I plan on simulating 2-3 weeks at a time, stopping every day to take some indepths peeks for myself, then providing some stories and other insights into the leagues, players, atmosphere, how the fans are reacting, etc. Whenever possible, I will try to formulate my posts as news stories in the local papers. Some will be 'behind-the-scenes' stories; others will be interviews with players, coaches, etc. I will also be building a rivalry between the two leagues as the seasons progress. I will not be simming in realtime, so I will get to 2010 and beyond (hopefully) well before we get there in real life

I am also developing a website that I hope to have up soon that will provide all the statistical meat for the leagues as well as some other information. There will be five leagues in total (as explained in the initial thread post).

I will also be creating some of my friends and putting them in the initial league draft to see where they end up. They will probably be the focus of my posts, since they are going to (probably) be the best players in the league

So thanks again for everyone bothering to read and post in the thread. I'm looking forward to bringing baseball to my home state!

[scuffleball]

Mountaineer League Report
The first 15 games of the inaugural Mountaineer League season are in the books, and baseball fans in West Virginia have been treated to some remarkably competitive and entertaining baseball. Attendance, the top pre-season concern among league officials, has been strong in all ten markets, with many teams playing at 75% or higher capacities.

Break Even Baseball?
The Blue Division, considered by many to be the strongest of the league's two divisions, is off to a rocky start, as no team is currently playing break-even baseball. The division's worst team, the Beckley Bears, have complied a less-than-impressive record of 5-10, yet they find themselves only two games out of first place. Three teams, Bluefield, Huntington, and Parkersburg, are wrestling for control of the division with 7-8 records, respectively.

The division's five GMs generally agree that parity, combined with early season kinks and jitters, explains the overall lackluster performance of the five teams, and many experts agree that by season's end, the eventual league champion is likely to come from the Blue Division.

In Their Own Words
"To tell you the truth, I haven't lost one night of sleep over it. I was more worried about people showing up for our games than what a so-called rival league is going to do. We had a strong opening, I'm elated with that, and all signs indicate we're only going to get stronger as we move deeper into this season. Do I wish them well? I do, but not at our expense, or at the expense of quality baseball for the fans of this state. Let's just say that two professional leagues in West Virginia is not a good idea . . . and it wasn't our idea."
-- Mountaineer League Commissioner James L. Holcomb when asked by reporters for his comment on the WVIL's upcoming opening day.

Current Standings
Here are the Mountaineer League season standings through 15 games:

				
Blue Division		W   L   PCT    GB
Bluefield Bullfrogs	7   8   0.467   -
Huntington Hawks	7   8   0.467   -
Parkersburg Patriots	7   8   0.467   -
Kanawha Valley Vipers	6   9   0.400   1
Beckley Bears		5   10  0.333   2
				
Gold Division		W   L   PCT    GB
Morgantown Monsters	11  4   0.733   -
Clarksburg Cardinals	9   6   0.600   2
Fairmont Engineers	8   7   0.533   3
Martinsburg Spirit	8   7   0.533   3
Wheeling Owls		7   8   0.467   4

League Leaders
Below are the current Mountaineer League statistical leaders in selected categories:

		
Batting Average:		
0.421	J. Griesck, Wheeling
0.385	J. Derenberger, Huntington
0.385	T. Moore, Clarksburg
0.373	A. Ojeda, Morgantown
0.373	C. Ramírez, Fairmont
Home Runs:		
6	A. Butler, Kanawha Valley
5	A. De La Portilla, Clarksburg
5	E. Fernández, Morgantown
5	I. Shrum, Clarksburg
5	R. Thwaites, Kanawha Valley
Runs Batted In:		
22	I. Shrum, Clarksburg
18	V. Ortíz, Parkersburg
15	E. Fernández, Morgantown
15	C. Rogers, Bluefield
14	F. Cardinales, Martinsburg
Wins:		
4	D. Slater, Morgantown
3	L. Hilton, Huntington
3	A. Navarro, Martinsburg
3	J. O'Breen, Martinsburg
ERA:		
1.34	D. Slater, Morgantown
1.88	O. Pérez, Parkersburg
1.97	M. Pachón, Beckley
2.11	A. Perkins, Bluefield
2.22	S. Squire, Huntington
Strikeouts:		
39	O. Pérez, Parkersburg
38	S. Squire, Huntington
36	D. Slater, Morgantown
30	J. Williams, Parkersburg
29	T. Santos, Huntington

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

WV Independent League Report
The rival West Virginia Independent League kicked off shortly after the Mountaineer League season, and much like the ML, the WVIL didn't disappoint. Surprisingly strong crowds, particularly in Weirton and Teays Valley, welcomed the upstart league. Moundsville jumped out to the early season lead, and sits at the top of the league with a 9-5 record. The Crickets are lead by the bat of catcher Rolón Encino's 5 home runs, good for the second best tally in the league. The Wincester, Virginia native is also batting .277 with 7 runs batted in.

In Their Own Words
"They said it couldn't be done. They said we were just crying over spilled milk, that we were going to ruin professional baseball in West Virginia before it even got off the ground. They said that the Independent League was a pipe dream. Looks like they were wrong."
-- WVIL Commissioner and South Charleston Mounds Owner, Charles Martin on opening day of the inaugural WVIL season, April 16, 2006

Current Standings
Here are the WV Independent League season standings through 14 games:

Team			W   L   PCT    GB
Moundsville Crickets	9   5   0.643   -
Cross Lanes Greyhounds	8   6   0.571   1
Weirton Steelhats	8   6   0.571   1
South Charleston Mounds	7   7   0.500   2
St. Albans Dragons	7   7   0.500   2
Vienna River Hounds	7   7   0.500   2
Dunbar Bulldogs		5   9   0.357   4
Teays Valley Thunder	5   9   0.357   4

League Leaders
Below are the current WV Independent League statistical leaders in selected categories:

		
Batting Average:		
.449	P. Bolyard, South Charleston
.396	J. Martínez, Cross Lanes
.393	E. Gallion, South Charleston
.370	P. Chávez, Cross Lanes
.360	J. Miranda, Teays Valley
Home Runs:		
6	E. Cardanas, Weirton
5	R. Encino, Moundsville
5	E. Gallion, South Charleston
5	J. Perry, St. Albans
4	3 tied with	
Runs Batted In:		
20	E. Gallion, South Charleston
16	E. Cardanas, Weirton
13	B. Swissher, Vienna
12	J. Perry, St. Albans
11	2 tied with	
Wins:		
3	3 tied with	
3	R. Anne, St. Albans
3	T. Rivera, Moundsville
3	J. Wood, Weirton
2	11 tied with	
ERA:		
1.93	J. Wood	Weirton
2.00    T. Rivera, Moundsville
2.25	J. Sulley, Vienna
2.25	M. Bechtold, St. Albans
2.37	S. Ramas, Cross Lanes
Strikeouts:		
28	J. Wood, Weirton
25	A. Jefferies, Teays Valley
25	A. Perry, South Charleston
21	M. Bechtold, St. Albans
21	E. Berryman, Moundsville

[SC_Dawg]

Oh man who do I root for? I have lived in or worked in Weirton, Wheeling and Moundsville. Ah well I suppose I will root for Wheeling in the Mountaineer League and Moundsville in the Independent League.

Now if there are players from Bellaire Ohio on one of those teams I will have to seriously think about my allegiance and if any other team has players from Martins Ferry Ohio it will immediately sway my allegiance.

[GrimmyDee]

Wheeling Owls 7-8? Oh the humanity!

If they need a 33-year old catcher with bad knees, I will offer my services. Excellent read and I am looking forward to the next installments.

Originally Posted by SC_Dawg

Oh man who do I root for? I have lived in or worked in Weirton, Wheeling and Moundsville. Ah well I suppose I will root for Wheeling in the Mountaineer League and Moundsville in the Independent League.

Now if there are players from Bellaire Ohio on one of those teams I will have to seriously think about my allegiance and if any other team has players from Martins Ferry Ohio it will immediately sway my allegiance.

Looks like we would have to start an Ohio Valley League to get Bellaire and Martins Ferry in. Not to mention St. Clairesville and a few others.

[SC_Dawg]

Originally Posted by GrimmyDee

Wheeling Owls 7-8? Oh the humanity!

If they need a 33-year old catcher with bad knees, I will offer my services. Excellent read and I am looking forward to the next installments.



Looks like we would have to start an Ohio Valley League to get Bellaire and Martins Ferry in. Not to mention St. Clairesville and a few others.

Well he has a player who calls Winchester VA home so I am hoping he has a Martins Ferry native or two in the league.

[scuffleball]

Did a little checking this morning when I got to work. Here are players currently in the West Virginia Baseball Leagues system from that area. There is actually one player from Martin's Ferry (highlighted in blue)

Albán De La Portilla - from Bellaire, OH, currently the starting SS for the Clarksburg Cardinals in the ML
Elvis Maiden - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SP for the Parkersburg Patriots in the ML
Zachary Mowery - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a MR for the Fairmont Engineers in the ML
Toraidio Roblez - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SP for the Kanawha Valley Vipers in the ML
Wirrin Schreck - from Bellaire, OH, currently the backup C for the Wheeling Owls in the ML (appropriate I think)
Loren Stark - from Steubenville, OH, currently the starting 1B for the Huntington Hawks in the ML
Christian Marentis - from Steubenville, OH, currently a MR for the Jackson Co. Panthers in the Appalachian League
Danny Stewart - from Bellaire, OH, currently a RF for the Fayetteville Heat in the Appalachian League
Julián Villarreal - from Steubenville, OH, currently a MR for the Oak Hill Blue Rocks of the Appalachian League
Julio Arellano - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SP for the Philippi Generals of the North Counties League
Denny Unicombe - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SP for the Randolph Co. Lions of the North Counties League
Salvador Valasques - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SS for the Randolph Co. Lions of the North Counties League
Jason Voss - from Steubenville, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the North Counties League
Mannix Wrenn - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a C for the Philippi Generals of the North Counties League
Bill Keffer - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the WV Independent League
Brian O'Moledy - from Steubenville, OH, currently a MR for the Moundsville Crickets in the WV Independent League
Cefe Dure - from Steubenville, OH, currently a RF for the Summersville Gulls of the Central Baseball League
Klaas Hastings - from Steubenville, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the Central Baseball League
Randy Holden - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a Free Agent 2B in the Central Baseball League
Turner O'Tierney - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a MR for the Buckhannon Wizards of the Central Baseball League
Will Pettus - from Martins Ferry, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the Central Baseball League
Shelby Utter - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a SP for the Weston Reds of the Central Baseball League
Jared van Schoonhoven - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the Central Baseball League

[SC_Dawg]

Originally Posted by scuffleball

Did a little checking this morning when I got to work. Here are players currently in the West Virginia Baseball Leagues system from that area. There is actually one player from Martin's Ferry (highlighted in blue)

Albán De La Portilla - from Bellaire, OH, currently the starting SS for the Clarksburg Cardinals in the ML
Wirrin Schreck - from Bellaire, OH, currently the backup C for the Wheeling Owls in the ML (appropriate I think)
Danny Stewart - from Bellaire, OH, currently a RF for the Fayetteville Heat in the Appalachian League

OK so I cannot root for Clarksburg, Wheeling or Fayetteville now. Being a Purple Rider from Martins Ferry I cannot root for any team containing a Blair Big Red. It just ain't possible. No Purple Rider in the world is permitted to root for any Evil Village native.

Elvis Maiden - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SP for the Parkersburg Patriots in the ML
Toraidio Roblez - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SP for the Kanawha Valley Vipers in the ML
Loren Stark - from Steubenville, OH, currently the starting 1B for the Huntington Hawks in the ML
Christian Marentis - from Steubenville, OH, currently a MR for the Jackson Co. Panthers in the Appalachian League
Julián Villarreal - from Steubenville, OH, currently a MR for the Oak Hill Blue Rocks of the Appalachian League
Julio Arellano - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SP for the Philippi Generals of the North Counties League
Denny Unicombe - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SP for the Randolph Co. Lions of the North Counties League
Salvador Valasques - from Steubenville, OH, currently a SS for the Randolph Co. Lions of the North Counties League
Jason Voss - from Steubenville, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the North Counties League
Brian O'Moledy - from Steubenville, OH, currently a MR for the Moundsville Crickets in the WV Independent League
Cefe Dure - from Steubenville, OH, currently a RF for the Summersville Gulls of the Central Baseball League
Klaas Hastings - from Steubenville, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the Central Baseball League

Not a bad representation for Stupidville errr... Steubenville. Sorry old bad joke that had to be told.

Zachary Mowery - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a MR for the Fairmont Engineers in the ML
Mannix Wrenn - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a C for the Philippi Generals of the North Counties League
Bill Keffer - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the WV Independent League
Randy Holden - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a Free Agent 2B in the Central Baseball League
Turner O'Tierney - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a MR for the Buckhannon Wizards of the Central Baseball League
Shelby Utter - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a SP for the Weston Reds of the Central Baseball League
Jared van Schoonhoven - from St. Clairsville, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the Central Baseball League

Also not a bad representation from STC. Everyone knows the Red Devils football is not any good so maybe their fictional baseball players will be.

Will Pettus - from Martins Ferry, OH, currently a Free Agent SP in the Central Baseball League

Hmmmmm Only 1 player from Martins Ferry. That just ain't right! Afterall everybody knows the Purple Riders have better athletes than the Big Red and Red Devils

[scuffleball]

The latest league reports are now up, providing all the stats for the first 35 games of the Mountaineer League season. In the Blue Division, the Parkersburg Patriots are finally starting to take a little control, while in the Gold Division, the Morgantown Monsters continue to dominate, anchored by solid pitching.

Write ups and more articles to follow.

You can find the league reports at: West Virginia Baseball Leagues Online Reports.

The WV Baseball Leagues Online Reports are sponsored by MetroNews, West Virginia's source for the latest news and state sports stories.