1959 PBA Quick-Start

[Honorable_Pawn]

So...are you looking for work?

Well, you are going to have to wait one more year because the PBA just finished the 1958 season. And, boy, what a season it was.



The Louisiana Lightning won 100 games in 1958 and took home their first Premier Cup when they knocked off the defending champions in Chicago 4 games to 3. During the League Championship Series the Lightning dropped both home games to fall behind Washington 2 games to none. They came together as a group and rattled off 4 straight wins to advance to the Premier Cup Series.

Then they won 3 straight games against Chicago to take a 3 games to none lead in the Premier Cup Series. Chicago stormed back and forced a decisive game 7. But Chicago who led the league in fielding allowed two unearned runs in the 6th inning. That’s all 3-time all-star SP Dave Labella (20-8 2.56) needed to bring home the cup to Louisiana.




1958 was a season that saw a major shift in the hierarchy of the top dogs in the Eastern Baseball League.





The New York Powers who had dominated the first decade by winning 3 Premier Cups and 7 division titles withered on the vine in 1958. An aging core of veteran stars was plagued by injury that resulted in the first sub .500 finish in team history. The death of owner Salvatore D’ezzilino in late summer punctuated a dark season in New York history.

Meanwhile the San Juan Sols who had dominated the Gulf Division over the first decade by winning 5 division titles and 1 Premier Cup in the first 9 seasons finished in dead last 30 games out of 1st place.

[Honorable_Pawn]

The big question rolling into the off season is what GM's are on the hot seat? Which teams are likely to have openings at the end of the 1959 season? We will just have to wait and see. Nevertheless, let the speculation begin.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Who's on the Hot Seat?

Owner Charlie Kerbeck of the Philadelphia Legends is not happy. He is a patient man but the fans have lost all interest and revenues are dropping. Trust me, if the situation doesn't improve in Philly soon this might just be your next job.




GM Jose Martinez is well aware that Charlie is upset.




So, on June 16 he threw his manager under the bus and fired him. It is definitely ugly in Philadelphia. Maybe your agent could arrange a secret lunch meeting with Charlie or something like that.




Philly has never made the playoffs and have been lingering in the basement areas for most of the past decade.




If GM Jose Martinez is fired at the end of the year at least you will have some decent prospects to work with. This could be a quick turn around. Jose is praying for just a couple more seasons.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Who's on the Hot Seat?

Owner Tom Christian of the Louisiana Lightning has stuck with his man for 10 seasons and last year he was rewarded with the team's first championship. After playing second fiddle to the San Juan Sols for much of the decade he really felt that his team was poised to be the next dynasty in the Gulf Division. But his aging core of stars has struggled out of the gates in 1959 and he is pissed off.




GM Salvador Reyes has struggled to keep up with the big-spending teams in the Eastern Baseball League but he has managed to put together a roster of proven veterans. 16 of the 25 active roster players are over 30 years of age. Only 1 player on the roster is under the age of 27. He is doing everything he can but Tampa Bay, Florida, & Havana are loaded with rising stars. If Louisiana doesn't turn it around it looks like this will be his last year with the team.




As you can see from the standings it is unlikely that Louisiana will catch the younger teams at the top of the division especially as the wear-and-tear of the season takes its toll on the aging veterans.




Be careful if you have your agent sniffing around for this job. This is likely going to be a major rebuild and you may not make it out alive before the turn-around is made. Louisiana currently has the worst-ranked farm system in the league. If you compound that with a glut of star veterans all becoming free-agents at the same time then you have a recipe for disaster. This will not be an easy rebuild.



Should Salvador Reyes get the axe the only real piece that you will have signed long-term is possible future Hall of Famer Dave Labella. Currently he is down with an arm injury for the next 2 months.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Who's on the Hot Seat?


Washington Warbirds owner Robert Rothstein is boiling over. For the past 10 years he has spent mad-money. But the New York Powers were loaded with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers. The worst part is that New York was very aggressive in free-agency and stole away players left-and-right. Now that there is a chink in the armor of the greatest team in league history he upped the payroll. Last year it paid off and his team won the EBL Atlantic Division. In the playoffs his team won two road games in the playoffs against the Lightning to go up 2 games to none before dropping 4 straight in a disappointing elimination. This year...He expects a championship. The team is definitely stacked and I fully expect them to turn it around so I wouldn't get my hopes up too high if this is where you want to work.






GM Milt Dirickson is fully aware of the expectations and he has built a solid team over the past few seasons.





When he has a hole in the roster he throws wads of cash at it. This is a good recipe to build a winner but when it doesn't work...Well, that's how you get fired.




Like I said earlier, there could be an opening in Washington for a new GM but I have a feeling that the players will find a way to turn it around. With all of that said, I'm not going to give you any more snap-shots of the Washington situation. If the picture doesn't change by the trading deadline we'll take closer peek at the Warbirds then.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Who's on the Hot Seat?


Owner Deuce Sabatini of the Chicago Alley Cats will not stand for failure. He has a reputation of a quick hook and has given his general manager the benefit of the doubt over the past 5-6 seasons. Last year's crushing defeat in the Premier Cup Series to Louisiana sent a rage through his soul. Chicago fell back 3 games to none and forced a game seven in a hotly contested series. His GM built the team on pitching & defense and it was the defense that cost him the Cup.

Pitching & defense doesn't sell tickets like home runs do but that really doesn't matter if you are winning championships. Chicago has won the WBL Midwest division 5 times over the past 9 seasons but only has 1 Cup to show for it. Deuce will not stand by idly as his heart-and-soul crumbles around him. Expect this position to be open at the end of the year.




GM Pat Denis is a no-nonsense GM with a dearth of experience. He has built a sneaky successful team with pitching & defense. This team is definitely built to win but the line-up just cannot score runs. I'd like to say that the team will turn it around over the next 3-4 months but I'm not so sure how far the pitching can carry them. It's a shame too. Pat has done a nice job. It's too bad his boss is such a dick.




As you can see the team is not balanced. Also, there is a slight depth problem. Moreover, check out that injury list. All of those players are starters/key players and 3 of them are all-stars. Chicago has a tough road to hoe if they want to repeat as the Western Baseball League Champions.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Who's on the Hot Seat?


Owner Jonathan Neely of the Denver Gold Sox is getting old. And cranky, God Dang-it! He hasn't had a team with a winning record since league inception 10 seasons ago. His team has a .430 winning % over its entire history. Dead last isn't just a catch phrase in Denver it's a way of life. I don't even remember how many times I have seen a GM & manager fired in this organization. It's just a part of the off season routine to see two guys from Denver get canned. I expect no less this season. If you are desperate for work because no other positions open up you can at least count on a job in Denver.



I'm not even going to bother with the GM...they needed an ass for the seat because nobody else wanted to deal with this mess:



Scroll up a couple of posts where we talked about Washington and check out that payroll. Wasn't pretty was it? The only thing Denver has going for it is the 5th ranked farm system in the league. I suggest you pass on this debacle unless, that is, you are some sick sado-masochist.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Other Notable Pissed-Off Owners





NEW YORK

When his father Salvatore died last season Anthony D'ezzelino took over the team which was in a state of transition. The team has been very shrewd about letting aging stars walk and picking up compensation picks. They have also been very successful in the trade market. One would expect that a team coming off a decade of 7 division titles and 3 Premier Cups would have a depleted farm system. This is not the case. Although the current roster is fairly weak compared to previous iterations there are some solid pieces to work with.



This would be a dream come true for a 1st year GM to take over the reigns in New York. But I highly doubt that a position will be available at the end of the season. We'll keep a close eye on it during the season though.






ATLANTA

Sonny Williams Jr. is a mean son-of-a-bitch. This also would be a dream job for a 1st year GM. Sonny will spend money and he wants championships. This would be a fun team to take over. Here is a team that has been up-and-down and back-and-forth.




Atlanta has a very nice blend of youth and veteran all-star talent but there are going to be some challenges with arbitration and with players going to free-agency. The farm system is very weak.

Quite honestly, if this position opens up, this would be a job for a more-experienced GM as there are a lot of moving parts. It may be difficult to get this team out of the hole before you get fired but at least you have pieces to work with unlike Louisiana.

There is a good chance of this position opening up since the Gulf division has 3 young powerhouse teams on the rise. Good luck taking this job.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Well, that's it for now. We'll see how things shape up around the trade deadline.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Let me take a moment to step away from the hot seat topic for a moment and go over a couple of things from the last sim. First, I told you Washington would turn it around. Watch out! Here they come!!





The other thing...kind of a big deal. The 1st player in league history to 200 wins.

[Honorable_Pawn]

At the All-Star break:

[Honorable_Pawn]

At the Trading deadline...



You can forget about the Washington job. It's just a matter of time before they run away with that division. New Jersey has no business being at the top of a division and New York is in transition. It's over in the Atlantic.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Who's on the Hot Seat?



Sean McKinley, the owner of the Boston Bombers, just pounded down a wee-bit pint-o-hops, wiped the foam from his 'stache, finished his breakfast and headed to work. On the surface everything looks normal but, trust me, it ain't. The fecal matter is about to hit the fan wicked hard.





He's got good reason to be bent out-of-shape too. Look at this crap:





I mean...really?! You'd think they could make the playoffs one time. Just one time. Not twice...one time. Pathetic.




I'm not gonna waste my time uploading images for you about the GM either. He's a freakin' bum. What a shame. They got prolly one of the best ever who ever played the game. Pat "The Bat" Diaz. This kid been real good. Guys a franchise player, gonna make the Fred McFadden Hall of Fame, and will prolly retire with 0 (as in ZERO) playoff appearances. Boston loves the guy. What a shame.




Let me tell you something. If you got what it takes and this job opens up you gotta get Pat The Bat a Cup. Frickkin guy is wicked good and he earned it. He paid his dues. it's not about you, it's about Pat.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Weren't we just talking about dis guy?

[Honorable_Pawn]

Weren't we just talking about dis guy?







Oh...we're at the end of August. There's some disturbance in San Juan but ownership has been with the same GM for 10 years. While they aren't happy right now they seem to be backing their man. Or it could be the swift surprise beheading at the last second. While I'm not about to put the San Juan GM position on the Hot Seat just yet I can't help but notice that horrible record.

[Honorable_Pawn]

The GM Fires the manager in September at the end of the season. The GM is in the last year of his contract. Hmmmmm.....

[Honorable_Pawn]

Two weeks left in the season:

[Honorable_Pawn]

After 162 games the Western Pacific Division race was not settled. a 3-team race all the way came down to one final game.

[Honorable_Pawn]

Wow!

[Honorable_Pawn]