All-Star Status

A quick look around the league at the All-Star break:

American League:

AL North - the Chicago and Vancouver are battling it out, tied atop the division. The Bartmans are slugging their way to the top, 542 runs, good for 5th in the AL, but will their shaky pitching staff hold up? And, wow, 5 games under leads the division?

AL East - The traditional power division in the AL stays true to form. All four teams have scored 500 runs. The 4th place New York would lead the North by 6, but they trail here by 8. Richmond Confederates leads and is gunning for a 9th straight playoff birth. Scranton and Baltimore will battle the South runner-up for the wild card spots.

AL South - Texas leads the division by 1 game and hopes to avoid being a bridesmaid by finishing 2nd for the 6th time in 7 years. Monterrey has started 11 different pitchers as off-the-wall pitching coach Ronald Lane continues to baffle the pundits.

AL West - San Francisco takes a 14 game lead into the break. They're 9-1 in the division and have the best pitching and defense in the AL.

National League:
NL North - Sioux Falls used red-hot streak down the stretch (including a 4-game sweep of Mexico City) to take the division lead by 3 games. Defending division champ Helena has led most of the way and continues to ride the pitching of phenom Rafael Aguilera (16-1, 1.07 ERA).

NL East - Burlington is leaving the field in the dust with a 13 game lead on the strength of a 16-8 record in 1-run games.

NL South - Mexico City holds the best record in the league and seems likely to take the #1 seed again despite losing 8 of 10 going into the break. San Juan, Memphis, and Nashville all appear likely to be in the wild card hunt all season in a brutally tough division.

NL West - The NL version of the AL North sees Las Vegas leading with a sub-.500 record. Their not-exactly-blistering pace, has kept mediocre Cheyenne and Arizona dreaming of a 2nd half run.

Other Story Lines:
The Dead Ball era? Only Antonio Chapman exceeds 30 hr's as the ball does not seem to fly like it once did. Still, the incomprable Chapman's 38 might be more impressive than his previous 80 HR outputs.

Cat Burgler? Has the league's taste for good hitting catchers started to hurt them? Bernard Lieber has stolen 74 of 76 bases. He may better his own record of 133 set in season 11.

Free AC? Benny Andrews has fanned 117 times. He's got a shot to break Carmine Barkley's record of 199 in season 11.

Stone hands Wayne Dickens is criminally playing SS. The commish may have to step in after 68 first half errors.

Cy Forever? The aforementioned Rafael Aguilera is out of his gord. He's probably already locked up the Cy Young award, but how many records might he break?

The Dandy Dozen: Antonio Chapman

Today's HOF post is written by new WCM correspondent, THE SPIN DOCTOR

Antonio Chapman Texas Riders Age: 25 B/T: L/L Born: Anaheim, CA Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Background:
The next Hall of Fame candidate up for discussion is an interesting and admittedly premature one. Antonio Chapman of the Texas Riders has put up such monster numbers in his five years of service that he has opened the eyes of voters. Chapman is a 6’2” left handed first baseman. Any comparisons to Ryan Howard stop there as Chapman is only 25 years old and should have numerous huge years in his future. He was the 8th pick of the draft in season 6 from Frontier High School in Whittier, near Los Angeles. The seven teams who passed on him are kicking themselves as only #1 pick Kevin Canseco has enjoyed any real success in the big leagues. Unfortunately Chapman’s high school has fallen on hard times with budget cuts at $13 million and 25 people losing their jobs.

Antonio, well known around the league as being very cheap, has failed to provide any assistance to his former school.

Resume:
Antonio has a career average of .338 and has had seasons of 67, 69, 81 and 81 home runs. While those numbers are inflated by the homer happy American League, they are still very impressive. He has already won rookie of the year, a hr derby, two mvp trophies, been voted to four all star teams and won three silver slugger awards. Suffice it to say his trophy case is full.

Rest of the Story:
Chapman has already had a very interesting life. He was born out of wedlock to former Playboy playmate, Merle Pertile, who moved to Whittier from Illinois. Antonio’s father is unknown as Merle had no shortage of suitors around town since her 38 inch bust complemented her 5’5” frame exceptionally well. Antonio’s next door neighbor was Fergie, who taught him everything she knows about the birds and the bees. Fergie was said to be well enamored with young Antonio but one night she went to far when her penchant for golden showers turned Antonio off young women for good.

Since then Chapman has been a troubled young man. He has spent time in prison for the rape of a 72 yr old woman while she was walking her dog.

Antonio thought he could get away with his crimes by hiding out in Key West. Unbeknownst to him, Second City commissioner Jwendt has spent a lot of time as the featured webcam dancer at Sloppy Joe’s in Key West. Jwendt instantly recognized Antonio and blew his cover.

After escaping Key West, Antonio took up residence in Chicago. However his attraction to senior citizens did not wane as Antonio used porcelain dolls to try and lure old woman into his clutches.

Chapman certainly has the credentials and talent to make it to the Second City Hall. Whether or not Texas GM jying98 can control Chapman's sick mind is the key to if he actually gets there.

AL MVP Race

A new feature here at Windy City Musings are the award previews. Don't forget to vote for the MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year in each league.

This year's AL MVP race might be more intriguing than it first seems. The gaudy numbers of Antonio Chapman will be hard to overlook, but a couple of other players have made a strong case.

Hardball Dynasty's

Antonio Chapman

Chapman, the season 11 MVP and a 4-time All-star, continues to tear apart the league. His 81 HRs this season trails only the 82 he hit last year in Second City history. His 195 RBI's easily led the league. Critics will point out that despite his Herculean contributions, the Riders missed the playoffs. Moreover, he plays a low-value defensive position in first base. Still, 81 HR's is difficult to pass over even in a hitter-friendly park.

Hardball Dynasty's

Bret Davis

Brett Davis played a near gold-glove caliber third base while hitting .333 with 53 HR's and 25 SB's. He knocked in 142 runs and scored the same amount. He and Chapman lead the next generation of AL stars. It's difficult to fault his game. Davis is only 26 and has made the All-star game every season he's been in the big leagues.

Hardball Dynasty's

Tony Baez

Tony Baez played just 130 games, but he made the most of his time, hitting .353 with 30 HR's and 130 runs scored. Most impressively, his 85 steals in 89 attempts is a jaw-dropper. He was about average as a second baseman, but only playing 130 games might keep him from winning.

Hardball Dynasty's

Kelvim Roa

Kelvim Roa hit .347 with 40 HR's, 144 RBI, and stole 20 bases. Still he was the 2nd best player on a non-playoff team, so hard to call him a contender here.

Hardball Dynasty's

Cody Hall

22-year old Cody Hall was EXCELLENT for Richmond, blasting 47HR's, scoring 134 runs, driving in another 121, stealing 34 bases and playing a solid CF (with a bit of time in RF and at SS). His .296 average pales in comparison to the other contenders, but his position and 5-tool performance makes him worth consideration.

STOP THROWING HIM STRIKES

Apparently AL pitchers haven't gotten the news yet but Antonio Chapman hits the ball a long ways. Stop pitching to him already.

Chapman, a 23 year-old first baseman for the Texas Riders hit 67 and 69 HRs in his first two seasons, has twice been an All-Star, won the Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby in Season 9, and he plays in one of the most HR-friendly parks in the league.

Well, season 11 is no different. In 8 games, Chapman has hit 10 Hr's including a 3-game stretch in Santa Fe (where you weigh less than you would on the moon apparently) where he his 7 HR's. That's right, 3 games, 7 HR's. For that series he was 12-15 (.800) with 3 doubles, 8 runs scored, 2 walks, and 13 RBI. For Pete's sake reigny, bean the dude already!

Antonio Chapman Texas Riders Age: 23 B/T: L/L Born: Anaheim, CA Position(s): 1B/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Chapman is not related to former Chicago Rush offensive specialist Antonio Chatman who has also played in the NFL with Cincinnati and Green Bay. They are however facebook friends.