Playoff Preview (Mexico City)

Mexico City Bandejos (NL South Champs, NL #1 seed)
The Bandejos staged a late season rally to claim their 4th straight NL South title. Incidentally, their 3 WS titles all came after wild card seasons. The Bandejos won 29 of 39 late season games before resting some starters in a 10 of 18 finish.

Hitting:
2b Jalal Rivera (.301-44-131) and RF Del Gil (.304-50-138) power an explosive offense. Season 8 MVP Alex Shibata remains a dangerous force but hasn't been the same since his break-up with Japanese pop star Jun Shibata. His .258 average and 42 HR's are career lows for the 2nd straight season. This season's 124 K's are 28 more than he's had in any previous season.

Team BA: .283
Team HR: 285
Team SB: 138

Pitching:
Ozzie Myers (18-6, 3.32 ERA) and Brian Jung (20-7, 3.31 ERA) form a dangerous 1-2 punch in the rotation. Willie Velazquez (13-4, 3.06) is likely to get the #3 spot for the playoffs despite where some pretty lame eye black. Rob Shields appears to have lost the closer role to veteran Benjamin Ardoin. The end of the bullpen might be the only vulnerability in this perenial contendor.

Team ERA: 3.65
Team SV: 41-65
Team HR Allow: 181

Tabloids getting to Shibata?

Season 8 MVP Alex Shibata has been handcuffed by the Cheyenne Seminoles so far in the NLCS with 3 straight 0-4 performances. Shibata, who's .309 65 Hr, 155 RBI season was one of the best in Windy City history, came back to earth in Season 9, hitting just .274 while his HR total fell to 50 and his RBI tally to 123. Many theories have swirled regarding the reason for Shibata's slide, but now, Windy City Confidential (the tabloid section of this fine site) has uncovered breaking news.

Shibata's relationship with his long-time wife, Japanese pop star Jun Shibata is on the rocks. Jun, who's basically Japan's poppy version of Alanis Morissette, is no thrilled with Alex's decision to spend most of the off-season in Playa Del Carmen, the spring training home of the Mexico City Bandejos. Rumor has it, that her soon-to-be-released single, loosely translated as "Baby Won't Swim with Me", is a ballad bemoaning Alex's decision to spend the off-season on the beach rather than on tour with his wife.

Shibata, who has steadfastly refused to comment on the situation dismissed Japanese reports when questioned about his time in Mexico. He actually had to be restrained when one tabloid reporter asks about unsubstantiated rumors that Shibata has been linked to 80's pop star Tiffany, a team-employee that's been coaching the Bandejos dance team for the past three seasons.