REPORT: Chicago close to dealing RF Grabowski

Chicago --

After another disappointing season  which saw the Chicago ThnksFrThMrmrs finish 67-94 and a whopping 40.0 games back of the division crown, it appears more changes are coming to the franchise. Sources have said today that GM Gooserules is looking to move on from RF Dizzy Grabowski. Grabowski, 29, is arbitration eligible for the third time this winter and is said to be seeking a hefty raise over his season 35 salary.

Sources close to the season 28 first round draft pick have said that Grabowski is more than willing to sign a long term contract with his current team. Season 35 was an up and down campaign for Grabowski who slashed a combine .275/.336/.425 but also hit the fewest home runs of his career.
Two to three teams have reportedly already checked in on the RF with one executive saying that a deal is "imminent".

Season 35 Wrap-up: The Dark Knights take back Gotham !

Season 35 is in the books and the New York Dark Knights emerged from an eventful postseason as World Series Champs after a 4-0 sweep of the Hartford Hacks. 

The Dark Knights had a tough route to the WS, overcoming a stubborn Little Rock before exorcising some demons with a sweep of Anaheim who had beaten them in the playoffs in both the previous 2 seasons. The NLCS against Augusta was a classic with New York clinching in Game 7 on the road against the team most experts favoured to repeat their World Series win of the previous season.

Meantime, in the ALCS, Hartford staged a Lazarus-like comeback from 0-3 down against a great Scranton team who must have felt they had one hand on the Championship trophy before The Hacks wore them down and finally won out in Game 7. A comeback so stunning, even Jim Rome was lost for words !

Unfortunately for Hartford, they must have left it all out on the field in the ALCS because, in the Fall Classic, The Dark Knights proceeded to win the first 2 at Welch Park before completing the sweep back in New York.

Built around young pitching talent in the likes of Geraldo Baez, Fausto Jiminez and Maicer Romero and with solid hitters such as Bobby Strong, Mike Lankford and Daryl Blume, the Dark Knights should challenge again next season but, after 6 different Champions in 6 seasons, it's clear they'll have a fight on their hands to retain the trophy, especially with powerhouses like Augusta, Anaheim, Hartford and Scranton among a number of teams hungry to knock them off their pedestal.

Story of the postseason has to be veteran slugger Daryl Blume, who finally won his first WS Ring to complete an honor roll that includes 5 MVP awards, 8 All Star appearances,  7 Silver Slugger awards and 3 Home Run Derby wins as well as passing 500 career Home Runs in season 35. Not a bad resume you'd think but he famously said before he was traded from Houston in Season 34 that he'd come to New York to win and that he'd trade it all for a World Series Ring.

Now he doesn't have to. 

Opening Day Season 32

Season 32 Opening day has arrived and with a full docket of games between the two cycles, teams kicked off their quest to dethrone defending World Series Champion Jackson Rednecks.

News & Notes From opening day, season 32:

Season 32 started off with a bang as eight games were scheduled for the opening cycle of the season. Among the teams facing off were the Toronto Sky Raiders & the Kansas City Wood Sox led by first time GM Hobosoup. It was a seesaw battle between the division rivals as the lead changed hands on four separate occasions before Kansas City stomped it's way back from a 9-4 deficit and picked up the win in the 9th on an RBI single from Buck Collier that plated Nicholas James, who had reached early in the inning with an RBI single of his own.

Collier went 2-4 and had the game winning RBI.

Elsewhere, the defending AL South champions Monterrey Bay lost 7-5 to the Wichita Destroyers. The bigger loss for Monterrey Bay came in the first inning when with two on and two out Bay ace Robin Cerda called for the trainer. After a brief conference on the mound the 33 year old Cerda left the game and was later diagnosed with Elbow tendinitis and placed on the 60-day DL.

Cerda was coming of a year in which he went 19-7 with a 3.55 ERA and was an all-star

 

The injury comes as a crushing blow for Monterrey who earlier in the day acquired Luke Leon to improve upon their already sound rotation.



The Rest Of The Opening Day Scores:

Report: Helena inks Stocker

Helena --
Tyrone Stocker is now the ACE for the Helena Headliners. After spending his entire 10 year pro career as a member of the Richmond Bulldogs organization, the 31-year-old flame throwing righty has agreed to a five year $100 million deal with the Helena Headliners. Sources also indicated that Stocker will be receiving a $10 million bonus, bringing the contract total to $110 million over five years.

The former Bulldog is coming off a season in which he went 14-11 with a 2.63 ERA over 233.1 innings. He also struck out 230 batters (a career high) and walked only 63. Season 31 represented a bit of a bounce back campaign for the former CY Young Award winner as he improved upon the previous season in Wins, ERA, WHIP, Strikeouts, Walks, and Runs Allowed.

For Helena, he represents an upgrade at the top of their rotation with last year's team wins leader, Maicer Morales, departing via Free Agency. The Headliners are coming off a season in which they went 76-86 and finished last in the NL North a whopping 31.0 games behind perennial powerhouse, and World Series runner-up, Fargo.

The 3-time All-Star should not only represent stability at the top of the rotation (having pitched over 200 innings in 6 of his 8 big league campaigns) but should also be able to use his experience in the clubhouse as Helena continues its journey back from rebuilding. 

A call to Headliners' GM Hystericslap was not immediately answered. Stocker's agent Nick Brown however stated that ten to twelve teams were in on his client. He wouldn't comment, though, on whether his former team or their new GM, dawg39759, had made a significant offer.