All,

EDIT:  We've got one spot left to fill, the Philly franchise.  This franchise has been one of the premier franchises in all of Schmidt historically.  Until last year it's always had a winning season (16 straight seasons and one owner).  The last Career Power Rankings (put together by World Series Wins/Division Titles/Total Wins/Playoff Appearances) had Philly at 2nd all time.  The franchise due to years of winning (and low draft picks). is in a tough spot and needs a major overhaul.  It's got the right amount of cap space AND this year's free agency class is unbelievable (especially pitching).  Therefore I throw a challenge down to a veteran owners:

You win a division title in the next three seasons and I'll give you a $30 WIS gift certificate.  You get in the playoffs in the next three seasons and I'll give you a $15 gift certificate.

You may have heard of Schmidt League (the merits of which have been debated), and with all the available leagues out there you ought to do your homework before joining any league.  Past owners, if you'd like, can give you some feedback (good or bad).  If you'd like a wide spectrum of opinions for the last four/five seasons (two year history of the league) you could contact any of the following:  repsher, mjdato, chrisjanning.  With that said here are some reasons to join this league: 

• Vetting - This is a private league and we vet each owner (we've turned down quite a few the last two rollovers)
• No tanking - We have a minimum win rule which is enforced
• Parity - We've had six different World Series winners the last six seasons
• Health - You'll find all our franchises are in workable shape, no terrible ML teams who are bereft of talent in the minors
• Activity - The chat board is active--oh heavens, is it active....
• Training - While primarily a veteran group we take a couple new owners on each rollover and there's a lot of advice/tips shared--a lot of WIS's multiple WS winners have started in Schmidt

We've got a passionate core of owners.  But I will also say this, in the last four/five seasons, this league has done a very good job of assisting new owners in helping them learn the game.  Some of WIS's owners with multiple World Series' championships have started out in this League.

Below you'll find a list/link to the three available teams we want to fill, please contact our Commish if interested:

San Antonio Messengers
NL South
Season 17 Record:  66-96

This one is tailored for an owner who wants to make their stamp on a new team, but not have to go through 2/3rds of the rebuild process.  San Antonio has been a struggling franchise for quite some time, having not made the playoffs since Season 9.  The good news is because of these struggles, San Antonio has stockpiled some pretty good talent throughout the organization.  Ramon Hyun, Mateo Franco, Julian Mateo, and Nicholas Cairncross.  You'll get to continue the rebuild process with the #8 pick in the draft.   

Philadelphia Freedom
AL North
Season 17 Record:  69-93

Looking for a gutsy owner who's all about tradition.  You'd be hard pressed to find a team with a stronger tradition than Philadelphia.  For sixteen seasons, repsher was the owner of the franchise, and for sixteen seasons the team had a winning record, snatching up two World Series titles in the process.  Last season brought change--a new owner and the first losing season in franchise history.  We need someone who'll get Philly back to where it belongs--the playoffs.  It will be tough.  With all the winning, early draft picks have been hard to come by.  The new owner will have a low payroll to work with as only $20m on the books for next season.  Philly also resides in the first or second toughest division in Schmidt.

Scottsdale Redlegs
AL West
Season 17 Record:  81-81

For someone who likes offense, and wants to compete right away, Scottsdale is a great choice.  Scottsdale has been a perennial contender since the inception of the league, only posting a losing season twice in seventeen seasons.  They have won their division title four out of the last seven seasons.  The franchise has helped by steady ownership--mjdato rand the squad for the first fourteen seasons.  The team will continue to be strong into the future, with six players posting 25+ home runs last season.  The leader of the team is the league's best hitter, switch hitter, Donnie Jones who had a slash line of .340/.465/.702 to go with 53 home runs last year.  The pitching staff will need to be revamped a bit (team ERA over 5.00), but with a few tweaks this is a playoff team.     

i feel bamboozled

You won't feel bamboozled if you pick up that San Antonio team.  You're tailor made for it.  I'll throw in a virtual Catamaran!

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Seriously, the 2 squads still available above won their divisions 3 out of 7 seasons and 4 out of the last 7 seasons, respectively.  

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Very active league, trades, TC and WC... come join us

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Two good teams, that can turn around very quickly.

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Scottsdale's Donnie Jones .340 BA, 53 HR, 134 RBI's, 465 OBP, .702 SLG, 1.167 OPS is waiting for you.

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