The Rule V draft is also tomorrow so I have protected those who need to be protected and dropped some dead weight from my 40 man. I currently have 2 openings but I may add one more guy I have not decided yet.

The roster freeze for the Rule V draft is almost upon us. I am hoping to score with the first pick.

Spring training has begun and I am ready for the actual season to start. I have been attempting to organize my minor league system moving players around and getting set for the season to start.

I think I have a decent squad this year and we should improve drastically. My prediction is 70 wins, which is 20 more than last season.

I will post my opening day line up as we approach it. I am also still looking around at some FAs who are still out there and debating if I want to take a flyer on one of them.

9 games into spring training and I broke down today and signed Randy Mahoney.

I didnt really have a spot for him, and I dont know where exactly I am going to use him but he can hit better than half my line up and at 1 year and 1.3 mil I will find a spot for him.

Looking at things I think I am going to go with 15 position players and 10 pitchers. I will not be able to last like that, especially with the dur/sta that I have on my staff right now but I open my season with 7 games, a day off, 7 games and a day off.

That and I have 2 very good SP options in the minors right now. One is injured until a week into the season and the other could use a little more time in the minors. Also if I keep them down there for a handfull of games it will delay thier arbitration for another year as the game does not have "Super 2s" I have never used this method before with my prospects but this actually is a time where I have talent up there and am not holding them back at the expense of being better.

A week into the season this may all sort it self out with a position player injury or a slump or a trade.

The season is under way and the Wingnuts are 3-1.

We picked up a 6-5 victory in 10 innings on opening day. Lost 1-0. Then won 9-7 when we scored 4 in the top of the 9th and then 7-4 in extra innings.

The 4 runs in the 9th in game 3 came off the bat of Mahoney when he hit a GRAND SLAM with 2 outs!!!

After 2 extra inning games and only 2 starters making it into the 5th in the first 5 games I have had to go to an 11th pitcher already. Rudy Ford has been designated for assingment. Meaning he is on the waiver wire and any team can have him on their ML roster and I foot the bill for everything over the league min which means about 500K.

If no one claims him he has the choice of becoming a FA and giving up his money owed or going to my minors.

In his place I have called up Russell Koskie

Oh and we won again. 4-1 on the season.

The Wingnuts are now 6-2 on the season.

A few early season trends that will not hold...

I am leading the league in slugging.

I also have 4 different pitchers with a save. My bullpen has been very inconsistent. I do have a very good pitcher in AAA who is a starter. I may be forced to bring him up mid season and move another SP into the bull pen.

After a 6-1 start we were swept in a 3 game series and are on an L4 and sit at 6-5.

3 game set with the team I am tied for 1st with starts any min now.

Wingnuts sweep and sit at 9-4. I can honestly say I did not see that coming.

I have the PM game against Omaha and then an off day for the PM2 game. Then I continue the series with Omaha. I like to rest guys either going into or coming off an off day. I dont have any proof of an advantage of this but i think giving 2 straight off days to guys is good. Thats just me though.

Does anyone have any questions at this point in the season? Anything they want to know? Or even any comments they want to make, things that I have done that do not make sense to them?

My best prospect John Trammell, the one I intended to call up shortly, just went down with a chest injury. Luckily it is only for 12 days but I really did not want to see that happen.

Although I know this will secure the forum jinx I am going to post some of this here. I usually evaluate teams once a week during the regular season and I have a few moments here.

I am currently 11-5 and hold the best record in the world. A lot of smoke and several mirrors here.

Pitching wise we are hanging in there. My bullpen has preformed well but they tire quickly. John Trammell, who is linked above, will probably be up soon to add another arm to the roster.

The main problem I have is there is my starters are in the 60s for stamina so they do not last beyond the 5th very often and I have some guys in the pen whose durability is in the 50s meaning they pitch then take a day or two off.

I am happy with the preformance of my Rule V pick up Ken Hargrave who most did not think would be taken with the 1st pick. I was hesitant as there were other good players but I needed pitching and have had very good success with a similar rated player.

Offensively the middle of my line up has been great. Carlos Molina and Carlos Rincon have been amazing. Molina could be player of the week.

I am going to need someone who can give a break to my SS and CF. That player may be in my minors at the moment and I may have to look into a way to create a roster spot but as it is I already want to add a pitcher so I dont quite know what I am going to do yet.

For now Emilio Nieves will have to do in center. For what it is worth I did play my CF last year in all 162 and he only wore down to 91 or 92 % so I do not need a lot of off days for him. I also have used Nieves to blow my 2nd basemen.

My next 13 games are against teams who are above .500. Then I get the odd ball 7 game series agaisnt a 5-11 team.

Forum Jinx strikes and we kick the ball around in our first two games agaisnt Charlotte. The USA World Cup team has nothing on us.

I am in a very bad mood. Up 3-1 in the 9th simmy brought in a pitcher set to rest. He gives up 3 and we lose.

Not exactly sure why they did that, I had a pitcher in who had hit thier pitch count but no one else avalible to come in. I would have assumed simmy would stay with the current pitcher over bringing in someone who was tired and set to rest.

This also has blown up my bullpen because I assumed the pitcher who came in would be at 100 for the next game, instead he is at 57.