Power Pros Forum

June 8, 2012

Vancouver Mendenhals (47-14) @ Cincinnati Reds (31-30)

Matchup: Roscoe Heikkenen (5-1, 2.53) vs. Johnny Cueto (3-3, 4.86)

Lineup Note: Blake Carter will start over Derek Wayne in RF today, he will be available as a pinch-hitter, however.

Final
Vancouver Mendenhals - 7 | 14 | 0
Cincinnati Reds - 2 | 7 | 1

W - Heikkenen (6-1)
L - Cueto (3-4)
S - N/A

Scoring Summary
-Top 4th: (1 on, 1 out) Colton Bartlett RBI 2B to RF, Potter scores, 1-0 Mens
-Top 4th: (1 on, 1 out) Blake Carter RBI 2B to CF, Bartlett scores, 2-0 Mens
-Top 5th: (1 on, 0 out) Roscoe Hiekkenen RBI 2B to CF, Bernard scores, 3-0 Mens
-Top 5th: (1 on, 2 out) Daniel Potter RBI single to LF, Heikkenen scores, 4-0 Mens
-Bottom 6th: (0 on, 0 out) Zack Cozart solo HR (10, 406 ft, LF, Heikkenen), 4-1 Mens
-Bottom 6th: (2 on, 1 out) Jay Bruce RBI single to CF, Stubbs scores, 4-2 Mens
-Top 9th: (0 on, 0 out) Scuba Steve solo HR (5, 380 ft, LF, Ondrusek), 5-2 Mens
-Top 9th: (2 on, 0 out) Derek Wayne sac bunt, Spider-Man scores, 6-2 Mens
-Top 9th: (1 on, 2 out) Mitch Anderson RBI single to CF, Bernard scores, 7-2 Mens

Box Score:
Mendenhals Batting:
-Adams: 1-5
-Anderson: 1-5, RBI, K
-Potter: 3-5, 2B, RBI, R
-Bartlett: 1-4, 2B, RBI, R, 2 K
-Carter: 2-3, 2B, RBI
--Durham: DNB
---Inidator: 0-1, DP
-Steve: 1-4, HR, RBI, R
--Seville: DNB
-Barnes: 0-3, DP
--WildThing: DNB
---Spider-Man: 1-1, 2B, R
-Bernard: 2-4, 2 R
-Heikkenen: 2-2, 2 2B, RBI, R
--Brewer: DNB
---Wayne: 0-1, RBI, K, SH

Mendenhals Pitching:
-Heikkenen: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R/ER, 4 K, 1 BB, HR
-Brewer: .2 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 1 K, 0 BB
-Durham: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 1 K, 0 BB
-WildThing: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 2 K, 0 BB
-Seville: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 1 K, 1 BB

Reds Batting:
-Cozart: 1-4, HR, RBI, R, K, E
-Stubbs: 1-4, R, K
-Votto: 2-3, BB
-Phillips: 1-4, 3 K
-Bruce: 1-4, RBI
-Frazier: 1-4, K
-Heisey: 0-3, K, BB
-Hanigan: 0-4
-Cueto: 0-2, K
--Ondrusek: 0-1, K
---Smith: DNB

Reds Pitching:
-Cueto: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R/ER, 1 K, 0 BB
-Ondrusek: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 3 K, 0 BB, HR
-Smith: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R/ER, 0 K, 0 BB

Other Scores:
AL East:

Orioles 0 - 10 Marlins
Rays 1 - 2 Dodgers
Yankees 4 - 6 Pirates
Red Sox 0 - 3 Padres
Blue Jays 1 - 6 Braves

Blowouts:
None
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After the game, the weekly MVPs were announced. They were:

American League:

Chargers CF Dante Warner (.536/3/9)
Angels SP Jered Weaver (2-0, 0.64 ERA, 18 K)

National League:

Brewers LF Norichika Aoki (.393/3/12)
Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez (.429/3/12)

I personally thought the way Potter played this week should have put him into consideration, but whatevs.

Also, the new AL All-Star Fan Voting updates were announced. They were:

Catcher:

Matt Wieters - Orioles - 1,440,650
Joe Mauer - Twins - 1,123,780
J.P. Arencibia - Blue Jays - 993,880

First Base:

Prince Fielder - Tigers - 1,873,884
Adrian Gonzalez - Red Sox - 1,793,920
Paul Konerko - White Sox - 1,780,473

Second Base:

Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox - 1,264,006
Robinson Cano - Yankees - 1,160,658
Keith Colamarino - Chargers - 743,901

Third Base:

Evan Longoria - Rays - 1,783,835
Alex Rodriguez - Yankees - 1,463,775
Miguel Cabrera - Tigers - 1,240,476

Shortstop:

Alexei Ramirez - White Sox - 927,457
Derek Jeter - Yankees - 923,923
J.J. Hardy - Orioles - 843,757

Outfield:

Nelson Cruz - Rangers - 1,814,083
Jose Bautista - Blue Jays - 1,520,639
Dante Warner - Chargers - 1,167,180
Nick Swisher - Yankees - 1,143,806
Enrico Santiago - Chargers - 1,040,396

DH:

Adam Dunn - White Sox - 1,843,779
Daniel Potter - Mendenhals - 1,530,595
Jim Thome - Orioles - 1,480,405

Good for Potter moving up the ranks in DH. Hopefully he can secure a spot for the All-Star game. Also, kinda surprising to see a few Chargers players get votes, but they're playing some hot baseball right now, so it's kind of understandable.

And, on the rollover to the draft on the next day, they announced the NL All-Star voting update. Since we are playing NL teams for a time, I'll outline who's getting votes:

Catcher:

Buster Posey - Giants - 1,284,074
George Kottaras - Brewers - 1,117,131
Miguel Montero - Diamondbacks - 1,047,182

First Base:

Todd Helton - Rockies - 1,423,972
Joey Votto - Reds - 1,303,968
Garrett Jones - Pirates - 1,190,406

Second Base:

Dan Uggla - Braves - 1,590,586
Chase Utley - Phillies - 1,550,608
Ryan Theriot - Giants - 1,220,560

Third Base:

David Wright - Mets - 1,940,680
Aramis Ramirez - Brewers - 1,923,736
Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals - 1,773,762

Shortstop:

Jose Reyes - Miami - 1,833,975
Jimmy Rollins - Phillies - 950,487
Dee Gordon - Dodgers - 913,870

Outfield:

Jayson Werth - Nationals - 2,280,611
Matt Kemp - Dodgers - 2,100,427
Matt Holliday - Cardinals - 1,893,847
Ryan Braun - Brewers - 1,543,668
Carlos Gonzalez - Rockies - 1,520,233

Very intriguing results so far.

Draft is in two days. Off to Secaucus we go!

Carter's doing better, I see. Good to hear.

I'm interested to see who you guys get in teh draft.

I'm pretty excited for it, too. I'm gonna have a bit of a little story for the draft, too, so watch for that!

June 9, 2012

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Robert's alarm woke him up from a not-so-productive sleep. His mind that whole night was whirling around who they were going to go for in the annual draft. Would they go for a second baseman? Would they try to get an extra oufielder for AAA depth? Or maybe another middle reliever? Those questions would have to wait as he headed into the main room of the apartment he shared with Daniel Potter, who won a contest to have the hotshot GM be their roommate for the season.

"Morning, Dan," Robert said, groggily.

"Good morning, GM," Potter said, "big day today, huh?"

"Yeah. The draft's tomorrow, so I'm planning to get to the airport by noon today."

"OK," Potter replied, while watching replays of his old magic show on the TV. "Who you gonna go for?"

"Not sure yet," Robert replied, "you'll probably hear when you watch tomorrow. We have the 32nd pick, so I'm not sure who's gonna be available in terms of who we need by our pick."

As soon as he said that, a familiar person came out of the bathroom, and headed to the guest bathroom as quickly as she could. Robert spotted her immediately.

"KAYLA?!" Robert shouted, now turning to the star DH/1B/C, "Dan, how the hell did she get here?"

"It's a long story," Daniel replied, "she said something about wanting to crash here for a while. She looked like she had a bit of an event occur, so I had to let her in, the nice guy that I am."

"But still, you could've asked ME first!" Robert yelled.

"Well, I talked with her last night, while you were sleeping, and she said she could help you out with the draft. She strangely knows a lot about baseball."

"Alright, I'll add another ticket to the flight to Secaucus," Robert replied, now seeming a bit calmer than earlier, "and we'll talk about what our strategy should be. I seriously thought she didn't know that much about baseball."

"Well, from what I see, when you talk to girls, especially that one back in Cincinna-"

"How did you know I was at that diner in Cincy, Dan?"

"Magic. Ya gotta love it," Dan replied with a smirk.

Robert went online, ordered another ticket for the flight to Secaucus for the Draft, and headed out with Kayla to the airport. After going through the multiple lines of security that both of them have gotten used to by now, they boarded the plane. A couple minutes later, when both were in their seats, an athletic-looking person sat next to the two of them. Robert, being the curious person he was, turned to look at the person next to him. He recognized him immediately, from the turbin he was wearing.

"Excuse me, sir?" Robert asked. The person turned around, and looked at him, confused.

"Are you Raj Saladin, the big MLB draft prospect?"

"Yes, I am," he replied in a strong East Indian accent, "and you are?"

"I'm Robert Tomlinson, and I'm the GM of the Vancouver Mendenhals baseball team. I'm so glad to meet you, and I've heard about your story of trying to become the most successful Indian to play the game."

"Oh, it's nothing," Raj replied, "so, are you heading to the draft as well?"

"Of course I am!" Robert joyfully replied, "It would be a shame if someone didn't draft you. Tell you what, if you're still available at our pick, the 32nd pick, we would love to have you on our team. All the good players will be gone by then, so I know we're going to get ya on our team."

"It would be an honor," Raj said.

After that conversation, not much happened during the flight, and Robert, Kayla, Raj, and the rest of the passengers on the airplane landed at Newark Liberty International Airport. Then Robert and Kayla went to their hotel in Secaucus, and rested up for the next day.

That night, Robert asked Kayla, "You think we should take him? He seems like a pretty nice guy."

"Yes," Kayla replied, "you need another second baseman; you might as well take the chance."

June 10, 2012

MLB NETWORK STUDIO 42

Due to unforseen circumstances, some saying that it was Chinese hackers, the draft order that day was switched around considerably, with the Boston Red Sox getting the first pick in the draft, and going right down the line through all divisions in order. The only two constants were the Chargers and Mendenhals, getting picks 31 and 32, respectively.

"And you'd think these hackers would move us up to the top spot..." Robert mumbled to himself. He was at a table with Kayla, surrounded by multiple GMs and scouting directors from the other 31 MLB franchises. At 1:00 in the afternoon, Bud Selig announced the Red Sox's first pick.

"With the first pick of the 2012 MLB First Year Player Draft," he said in his old, monotone voice, "the Boston Red Sox select Swann, center fielder, LSU."

Everybody applauded the pick, and the draft was underway.

A lot of names passed by the other 30 picks, with many fielders being taken, but none of them was Raj, the person Robert met on the plane the previous day. When the Mendenhals pick arrived, Robert pounced on the opportunity.

"With the 32nd pick of the 2012 MLB First Year Player Draft," Selig said, "the Vancouver Mendenhals select Raj Saladin, second baseman, Calcutta Baseball Academy."

Over on the other side of the room, Raj was overjoyed to hear his name called in the first round of the draft. When he was interviewed by Matt Vasgersian of MLB Network, he said that "it is a proud day for the country of India, and I will play to the best of my ability for the Mendenhals, the best team in MLB."

Robert couldn't help but smile.

In the second round, the Mendenhals had the very last pick, and there was a bit of indecision on who to take. They needed to take a pitcher, since that was all that remained on the board.

"Kayla, do you think we should go for him?" Robert said as he pointed to a pitcher who was profiled as a hard thrower with little control.

"No. Definitely not. I actually think we should go for him," Kayla replied as she pointed to a pitcher who was a Korean left-hander, named Hou Woochan.

"Hm..." Robert said to himself. He needed another left-handed reliever, since one of them that he had now was the closer, and the other was a 10+ ERA waiting to happen with the way he was pitching as of late.

"Go for it."

"With the 64th and final pick of the 2012 MLB First Year Player Draft," Selig said for the last time, coughing after saying draft, "the Vancouver Mendenhals select Hou Woochan, pitcher, North Korean Baseball Society."

"North Korea?!" Robert yelled so loud that the people in Studio 3 could hear him.

2012 DRAFT RESULTS

Round 1: 2B Raj Saladin (2, F-5, F-57, F-5, G-3, D-8, E-7, Sparkplug)

Round 2: P Hou Woochan (88, E-111, C-82, CB Lv. 2, Sparkplug)

Agents are now available for these players, if you want them.

I'll take Woochan, and I demand he be a top secret spy

Well, its not a secret now!

But in-universe, it would be.

Nice, I like those picks.

Is it wrong for me to have wanted Raj get picked by Cleveland?

Dan Potter rooming with the GM and gets in an update without any other players. It pays to be the teachers pet.

I still want to see an update where the MLB investigates Potter for steroids or something

Real quickly: You know I've been using colors to identify the teams. Here's the teams with the colors, and if you have any suggestions as to which colors to switch to for the teams, let me know. (This is also for my reference, since sometimes I forget which colors I use for the teams)

New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Rays

Detroit Tigers
Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins

Los Angeles Angels
Texas Rangers
Oakland A's
Seattle Mariners
Charlotte Chargers

Miami Marlins
Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals

Cincinnati Reds
Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh Pirates
Houston Astros
St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers

Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks

Also, another story-like update will come later today.

Hmm, I think the Mets should be blue

I think those all look pretty good.

If you made the Mets blue, you would probably have to make the Tigers blue too.

Yeah, those would be pretty good ideas. How would these blues work?

New York Mets
Detroit Tigers (I feel like I'm using #000080 a little much, but a lot of teams have Navy as a color, so it's kinda understandable)

I think those look good.