Showdown Series Wrap Up

Four huge series with pennant implication wrapped up this AM. Here's what went down.

Las Vegas swept the Cheyenne Seminoles bringing them to within a game of the NW West Lead. Moose Gates was stellar for 5 innings in Game 1 before allowing a crucial 3-run shot in the 6th to Livan Suarez. Game two saw the Double Downs overcome a 4-2 deficit to win 7-4. A 5-run 4th inning propelled the DD's to the sweep in Game 3.

Mexico City took 2 of 3 from Memphis propelled by 8 shutout inning by Brian Jung in the middle game.

The floundering San Juan Crownrificos righted the ship taking 2 of 3 from Nashville including a thrilling 4-run 9th to force extra innings in Game 1. The 'Rificos won on a bloop single in the 11th by Wil Curtis. Willard Hitchcock powered them to a win in the rubber game with a 3-run homer.

Finally, the Helena Hound Dogs swept the lifeless Sioux Falls Dakota. The Dakota could not find a clutch hit leaving 5 in scoring position in 3-0 loss to Matt Martin in game. Despite getting to ace Rafael Aguilera for 4 runs in game 2, the Dakota staff couldn't hold and 4 more were left in scoring position. Game 4 was more of the same as 5 hit day from D'Angelo Castillo paced a 17-hit attack that propelled the Hound Dogs to the sweep.

The race looks like this right now (1 game later):
NL North - Helena leads Sioux Falls by 2 games
NL East - Burlington has clinched and will get a bye (still fighting for #1 seed)
NL South winner will get the other bye. San Juan leads Mexico City by 1 with Nashville 7 back and Memphis 10 back with 13 to play.
The NL West lead is back to 2 for Cheyenne after Vegas couldn't build on the sweep.

NKOtB (kindof) Part Deux: Memphis Drillers

What Happened?: This woebegone franchise may have finally started to turn around. After 11 consecutive 4th place finishes, new owner threester combined managerial talents with the freefall of former contenders San Juan and Nashville to finish 2nd with a franchise-record 80 wins last season.

The team has been in Austin since a brief one-season stay in Mephis as the Shores under temporary ownership. While the Austin market is growing, threester has become increasingly concerned with his young players penchant for late nights on the University of Texas campus. Moreover, the move to Memphis is a direct attack on division rival Nashville's stranglehold on the Tennessee market.

The Fallout: Threester's well-documented Abba love-affair continues with the move to Memphis, allegedly the inspiration of lesser-known Abba hit, Summer Night City, which topped the charts in Ireland, Finland, and Sweden. WCM has learned that Threester is moving to Memphis is hopes of re-connecting with Frida Lyngstad, alledgely a frequent visitor to Memphis' famous Corky's BBQ.

Nashville owner drennantom is rumored to be officially protesting the move to the league office on the grounds that it violates his territorial rights. In all liklihood, he's more worried about losing Graceland as an inspiration to his team.

Mamma Mia! Baseball back in Austin

National League baseball is back in the state of Texas as the franchise formerly known as the Memphis Shores has relocated to Austin. The Austin Drillers are will open play under new owner, threester this season.

Austin Drillers (NL) threester View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The Drillers are perhaps the most infamous franchise in Second City history. They play in the most successful division, with the Mexico City Bandejos and San Juan Crownrificos combining to win 6 of the 9 championships thus far. The Drillers on the other hand, have never made the playoffs, never touch .500, never finished anywhere but 4th in the NL South, and own the record for the worst season in Second City history, 13-149 in Season 8 under the deposed sonenlaw.

So why Austin? Well, few people know that Austin was orginally named Waterloo, before changing it's name to Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin, sometimes called the father of Texas. As it turns out, new owner threester is an unabashed fan of Abba. His favorite Abba tune? You guessed it, Waterloo. Threester is rumored to have been romantically involved with Frida Lyngstad, one of Abba's lead vocalists. The trist was never confirmed and both threester and Lyngstad refused to comment for this story.