Arfy's Ramblings

All of these close divisions made me want to go back in time and do some research.  So that's what I did.  I asked myself two questions.  Here they are, with the answers

Q: What is the least amount of games that the 4th place team in a division  has finished in Pine Tar?

A: Season 17 AL EAST
Atlanta Red Tide     radkison     86-76     .531     -   
Chicago Wind Tunnel     skidmark *     83-79     .512     3.0   
Boston Pilgrims     kjmulli *     83-79     .512     3.0   
Durham Doormats     alogman1 *     79-83     .488     7.0    

Q: What is the closest that the top 3 teams have finished to one another

A:  The answer to this one is crazy!    In Season 2 there were 2 divisions(The AL EAST AND the AL SOUTH).  Both divisions had a tie for first place with the third place team being one game out of first place.  Check this out:

ML AL East
Washington D.C. Third Party Cand bpdelia *     90-72     .556     -    
Boston Red Sox                            jway11      90-72     .556     -    
Philadelphia Cheesesteaks             domiisgod *     89-73     .549     1.0    

ML AL South
Richmond Rich       eblake *     87-75     .537     -    
Tampa Bay Thunder     rxw1 *             87-75     .537     -    
Santa Fe Express     tj01536 *     86-76     .531     1.0    

So what this means is that Tampa Bay, even though they tied for first in the division, they did not even make the playoffs!  Wow!  Can you believe this?  How angry would you be?  I'd like to hear RXW1's recollection of this season.  Please share your story in the world chat for us!

______________________________________________________________
I also thought it would be fun to examine Single Season records in this world and list them for everyone to see.   I also listed below each category, the current leader in our world in that category, plus the pace he is on for the season. Here are the top 5 in most major categories:


 All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Batting, Batting Average
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Randy Podsednik     1     Posse     dennisdee     .398  
2        Russell Powell     21     Retards     wylie715     .381  
3        Sam Wigginton     6     Wood Chippers     Starbuckdc     .378  
4        Brian Sveum     17     Pilgrims     kjmulli     .376  
5        Felipe Romero     4     Express     tj01536     .368  
This statistic requires a total of 502 Plate Appearances

Current Leader:  Juan Latos(LA) .364
Pace: .364

 All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Batting, Hits
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Al Nen     14     Ass Hats     moosedrool     245   
2        Randy Podsednik     1     Posse     dennisdee     242   
3        Russell Powell     21     Retards     wylie715     237   
3        Al Nen     11     Wood Chippers     Starbuckdc     237   
5        Ronald Clyburn     2     Kaiser Soze     cjlancaster     234   
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: Julio Navarro(Dur)  123
Pace: 265


 All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Batting, Home Runs
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Jim Blair     3     Thunder     rxw1     69  
2        Doyle Carver     1     Third Party Candidates     bpdelia     66  
3        Howard O'Brien     3     Posse     dennisdee     63  
3        Vance Piper     9     PeaceFrog     roundfrog     63  
5        Charles Torres     18     Psychics     blues_bros     62  
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: Fergie Hill(Cin) 30
Pace: 65


 All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Batting, Runs
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Ronald Clyburn     1     Kaiser Soze     cjlancaster     169  
2        Jose Rodriguez     1     Kaiser Soze     cjlancaster     164  
3        Humberto Jose     1     Posse     dennisdee     159  
3        Miguel Aguilera     6     Whale Murderers Row     bpdelia     159  
5        Lawrence Butler     4     Express     tj01536     155  
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: Julio Navarro 71
Pace: 153


All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Batting, Stolen Bases
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Brandon Kline     5     Cascades     spotsie     166   
2        Allen Sager     4     Cascades     spotsie     156   
3        Ronald Clyburn     3     Clementes     jacoby66     119   
4        Brandon Kline     4     Wood Chippers     Starbuckdc     118   
5        Gene Fordyce     10     Firestorm     jbburner     110   
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: Brent Summers((Dov) 39
Pace: 84

All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Batting, Strike Outs (worst)
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Vin Hernandez     17     Nighthawks     larryvegas     215   
2        Vin Hernandez     23     Zephyrs     Fantasy Frea     206   
3        Vin Hernandez     22     Nighthawks     Fantasy Frea     196   
4        Harry Hyzdu     3     Nationals     njohnson78     194   
5        Jeff Creek     17     Ass Hats     moosedrool     193   
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: Vin Hernandez(NO) 103
Pace: 222

All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Pitching, Earned Run Average
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        John Rucker     20     Strikers     ghutton9     1.79   
2        Felipe Cairo     3     Clementes     jacoby66     1.97   
3        Brendan Taylor     21     Hawkeyes     tk21775     2.01   
4        Dusty Lindsey     21     Juggernauts     bobbyj7     2.07   
5        Gerardo Morales     16     Bad News     douglaslee     2.11   
This statistic requires a total of 162 Innings Pitched

Current Leader: Miguel Rivera OKC 1.44
Pace: 1.44


All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Pitching, Wins
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Rich Meyers     1     Slop Tarts     steelman97     25   
2        Warren Hargrave     12     Snow Pirates     prezuiwf     24   
2        Dan Siebert     15     Nalas     bnags     24   
4        Cyrus Torres     19     Associates     elgman     23   
4        Diego Valbuena     23     Pilgrims     kjmulli     23   
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: 9 players tied with 9 wins
Pace: 19

All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Pitching, Strikeouts
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Warren Hargrave     10     Snow Pirates     prezuiwf     273   
2        Rich Meyers     2     Slop Tarts     steelman97     259   
3        Dan Shipley     3     Third Party Candidates     bpdelia     252   
4        Warren Hargrave     13     Snow Pirates     prezuiwf     246   
5        Dan Shipley     4     Third Party Candidates     bpdelia     242   
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: Geronimo Estrada(Lou) 103
Pace: 222


All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Pitching, Saves
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Moises Bennett     4     Wood Chippers     Starbuckdc     54   
1        Ubaldo Bennett     18     Juggernauts     bobbyj7     54   
3        Cam Hogan     9     Cheesesteaks     domiisgod     53   
4        Babe Mahoney     2     Night Watchmen     toe64     52   
4        Moises Bennett     2     Wood Chippers     Starbuckdc     52   
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: David Ortiz(PHI) 23
Pace: 49


All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Fielding, Good Plays (SS)
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Vin Hernandez     17     Nighthawks     larryvegas     38   
2        Vin Hernandez     21     Nighthawks     larryvegas     33   
3        Oswaldo Estrada     19     Reg     bobswagger91     30   
4        Rafael Bennett     15     Canadiens     lukeb31     28   
5        Ivan Perez     10     Riverdogs     bjohara1     27   
There are no requirements for this statistic

Current Leader: Yusmeiro Julio(HOU) 14
Pace: 30

All Franchises Single Season Top 5: Fielding, Runners Caught Stealing
Rank        Player     Season     Franchise     Owner     Stat
1        Chad Oliver     15     Kardinals     bodean     82   
2        Dude McIntosh     3     Juice     greygoose123     68   
3        Harvey Merrick     23     Pollos Hermanos     soxfan_9     67   
4        Angel Martinez     23     Moneymakers     Phillies26     65   
5        Ahmed Cedeno     23     Crunch     displacednyr     64

Current Leader: Coco Stratton(PIT) 47(43%)
Pace: 101
 

Newest member of our owner Hall of Fame

As commissioner, Ghutton9, did not really want any part of this.  But I insisted.  Receiving 68% (15 of 22) votes,   By the voting margin, I believe it is obvious that he belongs there.  He has set the bar pretty high.  He has 1 World Series  win, 10 90+ win seasons, 11 division titles and has been to the playoffs 13 of his 17 seasons.  He also is as deserving as a blog contributor posting annual reviews for all teams.  Something no other world has come even close to doing.    Not to mention turning Pine Tar into a World that actually has a waiting list.    And for this, we raise our glass to you Ghutton! 

Arfy's Ramblings

• Maybe you need to fix this?  Two teams have more Caught Stealing than Stolen Bases offensively.    Those two teams are Colorado and Kansas City
• Durham is hitting .312 as a team this season!  Holy smokes!  That's high!  The second highest team is Rochester, hitting .298
• The Seattle Strikers are intentionally walked more than any other team.  19 times this season
• Kansas City grounds into more Double Plays than any other team.  88 times.  New Orleans the fewest with only 17 times.
• Worst bench of the year?  Has to be Seattle.  Their pinch hitters are hitting 10 for 60.  Ouch!
• Kansas City if off to a rough start(13-40).  But at least they are leading the league in hitting against lefties.  .334 average
• Worst defense ever?  Wichita, despite having an awesome team name, are struggling in the field this season committing 2 plus plays and 42 negative plays.
• Jackson is 14-3 in one runs games this season.  Wow!
• Oklahoma City is 5-0 in extra inning games!
• Our current league leader in batting average?  Juan Latos from Nashville is hitting .395. I believe Nashville is taking offers on him as well.
• I think I'm more impressed by Latos OBP at a whopping .496.  WOWWWW!!!!
• Heine Rice from Nashville also has the longest hitting streak so far this season at 25 games!
• Brent Summers from Dover is leading the league in Stolen bases this season with 28.  He has been caught only 3 times.  This guy is a monster as one season in the minors he stole 84 bases.
• Gus Justice(New York) the worlds best leadoff hitter?  He's scored 53 runs so far this season!
• Antone Wright from Montreal is leading the league in Pinch hits this season hitting 9 for 22.
• I was told by 9 time champion Mike T that one of the best stats for evaluating a hitter is by RC 27.  In that case, Fergie Hill from Cincinnati is this years best hitter with a 13.147
•  Brent from Oklahoma City paid big money to acquire Miguel Rivera, and now we know why.  He has the worlds best ERA at 1.35 in 53.1 innings.
• Douglass Jennings from Los Angeles has given up the most hr's so far this season with 21.  That is surprising considering he is mostly a groundball pitcher.
• My personal favorite stat:  +/- Fielding for Shortstops.  Chun Lim Li from Fargo has 9 positive plays, 0 negative and has only committed 4 errors all season.
• And because I'm such a lover of the defensive shortstop: Most errors by a Shortstop:  Keith Williamson from Colorado with 16 errors so far this season.
• A couple notable Box scores to check out::

St. Louis vs. Dover
Rochester vs. Los Angeles

• Does anybody have any big rivalries in this world?  If so, send me a trade chat and tell me what makes the rivalry so special.  Maybe I'll dissect it and have a little fun with it.
• Also, I like to know that people are reading what I write.  Send me a trade chat and let me know and I will be more likely to mention your team in future blogs.

Season 24-NL North Preview

In this division, it was Iowa City taking the title for a third straight season. One season removed from winning the World Championship, they had a post season let down in the DCS against Houston by losing 3 games to 0. Even though, there was a time when that franchise would have been happy to just make it there and now this team has established themselves as a true force in the NL North. Fargo continued to take steps back up the ladder in the division by finishing second. A team that once made 15 straight post season appearances have now been left out of the playoffs for the past 8 seasons. Things are looking up for them though and they are close to being ready to move back in. Montreal is another team in this division that is on the move up. In season 23 they won 79 games, which is the most they've had since also winning 79 back in season 16. They will be looking to end a 9 season playoff drought this season. Only a few seasons removed from winning the division and putting together a 6 season playoff streak, this team was left in shambles last season. The past 2 seasons haven't been very kind to this franchise and it now looks like they will have to rebuild some of this team.


Iowa City Hawkeyes

Offense			1	Defense			1	Pitching
Category	Stat	Rank		Category	Stat	Rank		Category	Stat	Rank
Average	.253	11		Fielding %	.988	2		ERA	3.24	1
Home Runs	189	10		Double Plays	363	10		Opp. Avg.	.234	2
Ops.	.714	13		+ Plays	74	5		Strike Outs	1073	11
Runs	712	11		- Plays	22	5		Saves	42	11
Steals	48	16		1	1	1		1	1	1
Slugging	.397	10		1	1	1		1	1	1

Season 20 Record: 94-68(NL North Champ)
Last 5 Seasons: 470-340

Elite Glove- Bert Biggio- Biggio to my surprise has not won a gold glove, but he has been one of the best shortstops around over the past 6 seasons. He has a career .977 fielding percentage, and 5.25 range factor. Likely the most impressive of his numbers is the 100 career plus plays compared to the 1 minus play. Biggio has been elite in the field and I have to think a gold glove is eventually going to come for him.

Million Dollar Arm- Brendan Taylor- Really he has a 10 million dollar arm since that is what he's getting paid this season. Taylor has earned that though. For each of the past 4 seasons he has appeared in over half of the teams games and is racking up innings like some starters. With a career .199 OAV and 1.99 ERA, it's hard to argue that he's the most valuable relief pitcher in the league. In season 21, Taylor earned the Cy Young award, which is extremely rare for a relief pitcher. At just 28 years old, Taylor enters the first year of a 50 million dollar contract that will pay him through the age of 32.

Offense- Iowa City isn't really a team known for big offense. Last season they were below average and lacked, power and speed in the lineup. The addition of Joakim Valbuena adds some needed pop. The best hitter in this lineup though, is Octavio Armas. At this point in the season, the offense is hitting better than last season and are showing a little more power. They are improved over last season and should likely finish a bit better.

Defense- This is a strength for this franchise. They featured one of the top defense's in the league last season. The numbers are actually a bit down this season. They feature one of the better shortstops in Biggio. Ruben Manuel is a solid centerfielder, but he lacks really good range. Julio Silva is a good thirdbaseman and Hank Roling is an average secondbaseman. The team is solid in the field, but not quite great. They do have some good depth on the bench that might feature better gloves than some of the starters.

Pitching- Pitching is the strength of this team. They were one of the best in the NL last season and their numbers are looking better this season. Sticky Farquhar is a real ace of the staff and really sets the pace. Patsy Ainsworth and Dan Siebert are great 2 and 3 starters. Coming out of the bullpen is Taylor, who is likely the best reliever in the game. Dennis Coleman is a pretty good reliever as well. Then add in Victor Waner and Rondell Kirwan and this team has what is likely the best bullpen in Pine Tar. This is a great staff.

Projection-Up to this point in the season, they are in a 3 way battle for first. The division is looking tougher this season, but this team has a great pitching staff that should help them pull it out in the end. They should still be the team to beat in the division, but with the other teams closing in a  wild card spot should be attainable if they don't win the division title.



Fargo Wood Chippers

Offense			1	Defense			1	Pitching
Category	Stat	Rank		Category	Stat	Rank		Category	Stat	Rank
Average	.263	5		Fielding %	.985	8		ERA	4.25	12
Home Runs	232	3		Double Plays	370	8		Opp. Avg.	.261	11
Ops.	.764	4		+ Plays	65	7		Strike Outs	1081	9
Runs	803	3		- Plays	21	3		Saves	46	7
Steals	169	3		1	1	1		1	1	1
Slugging	.435	3		1	1	1		1	1	1

Season 20 Record: 84-78
Last 5 Seasons: 352-458

Cleanup Hitter- Tony Caballero- In just 2 full seasons in the majors Caballero has established himself as a true power threat that can hit for average and drive in a lot of runs. In his rookie season he drove in 142 runs while blasting 60 homers. He followed that up last season with 125 RBI and 53 homers. Caballero may be the most lethal hitter in the league right now with his ability to hit for power and hit in the clutch.

Future is now- Aurelio Ozuna- Ozuna is an up and coming ace in this league. He's the type of pitcher that should be in the Cy Young race every season. At just 22 years old, he already has established himself. Last season he went 19-11 with a 3.77 ERA while holding opponents to a .236 average in 214.2 innings. His numbers should only continue to get better each season. Ozuna is going to be a great pitcher for a long time.

Offense- Fargo had one of the better offense's in the league last season. So what do they do about that? They made it better by adding one of the best hitters in the league in Caballero. Adding him to a lineup that already features power hitters like Zip Sullivan, Geraldo Martin, J.A. Stanley and Rafael Hernandez gives this team some serious power. They also have the guys like Houston Graves and Orber Beltran that will be the table setters for the big hitters. Right now the teams numbers are on pace with last season, but I think they'll continue to pick up steam and finish much better this season. This is likely the best offense in the NL.

Defense- Last season this team was slightly above average defensively. They are off to a really good start this season. Chun-Lim Li is the shortstop and he's pretty good. He has a decent glove, good range and a really good arm. Zip Sullivan is a great glove at second. Raymond Franco is solid in centerfield. The team is pretty solid defensively, but I think they've over achieved a bit so far. They'll likely come back to the pack some and finish close to last season.

Pitching- Pitching has not been this teams strong area. The rotation does feature Ozuna at the top of it, but they aren't deep. Steven Hernandez, Jeremi Rice, and Buddy Jackson are all mid to back end of the rotation pitchers. The bullpen isn't especially strong either. Rickie Metcalfe is a pretty good closer, but he's all they have in the pen. The staff has performed among the best in the league so far this season, but they don't look like a team that can continue that trend. This team looks like they have below average pitching.

Projection-Fargo features a great offense and solid defense. The pitching doesn't look very good though, even though they have put up the numbers. Right now they are on top of this division and should make it a good race all season long. If nothing else they are a for sure wild card team. Even with a less than ideal pitching staff, this team should win over 90 games.



Montreal Leaf Blowers

Offense			1	Defense			1	Pitching
Category	Stat	Rank		Category	Stat	Rank		Category	Stat	Rank
Average	.248	13		Fielding %	.988	2		ERA	3.99	9
Home Runs	200	8		Double Plays	366	9		Opp. Avg.	.260	10
Ops.	.710	14		+ Plays	50	14		Strike Outs	1020	14
Runs	725	9		- Plays	17	1		Saves	43	10
Steals	108	10		1	1	1		1	1	1
Slugging	.402	9		1	1	1		1	1	1

Season 20 Record: 79-83
Last 5 Seasons: 337-473

Hot Corner Slugger- Alex Suzuki- Suzuki is developing into a real power threat for this team. In his first 2 seasons he hit 25, and 29 homers, but then he had a breakout season with 44 in season 23. I haven't noticed very many slugging thirdbaseman in the league while doing these previews, but this guy is a pretty solid fielder as well. Suzuki has great durability and is the kind of player that this team will get 155 games out of if he can stay healthy. That will allow him to continue putting up power numbers in line with last season.

Doubles Machine- Rickey Masterson- Masterson is off to a pretty good start in his career overall. He hits for a good average, steals bases and hits some homers. The thing that stands out about him though is his ability to rack up the doubles. He has 6 straight seasons of 35+ doubles maxing out at 47 in season 18. He has surpassed 40 doubles 3 times and is well on his way to doing it again this season. Masterson has been a very well rounded player, but he is a double machine.

Offense- Last season, Montreal featured a pretty average offense. The team is off to a really good start this season, as they are on pace to hit more homers and score more runs. They are also hitting better and getting on base at a better rate. The offense features, Rickey Masterson, Alex Suzuki, Nate Carter, and Jim Hawpe. This is a pretty good offense that should continue the pace they've set early on. I think they are a top 5 offense in the NL.

Defense- This is an area that the team was pretty good last season. They didn't commit very many errors and didn't make minus plays very often. They could've used a bit better range though. Walt Phillips has the ability to be a gold glove caliber shortstop, but he's stuck in a reserve role. The team favors Jim Marte in that spot, and he's good, but he'll make more errors with the glove. Nate Carter is a really good glove to have at third. Jim Hawpe is the centerfielder and he's just average. Overall, the team isn't great defensively, but they are better than average.

Pitching- Montreal featured an average pitching staff last season. They are actually doing worse this season. Bret O'Leary has been a great addition to the rotation, but the rest of it is pretty weak. Benny Villano is pretty average and fits a middle rotation role. The bullpen has a few better arms in it. Tom Leonard is a really good closer. Mike Clinton and Cozy Lawrence are a couple of good setup men as well. The bullpen is the strength of the staff. Montreal has solid pitching when put together, but they aren't better than average.

Projection- Montreal is an improving team and they have the record to prove it. The offense is really good and a real strength for this team. The defense is pretty solid as well. The pitching staff could use some help though. If this team could find a way to improve the rotation, they would be really dangerous. As it is now, they'll challenge for the division title and a wild card spot, but I don't think they'll be able to pull it off. A huge accomplishment for them would be winning 90 games this season and cementing themselves as a real challenger.



Madison Melons

Offense			1	Defense			1	Pitching
Category	Stat	Rank		Category	Stat	Rank		Category	Stat	Rank
Average	.254	9		Fielding %	.983	11		ERA	8.53	16
Home Runs	215	5		Double Plays	422	1		Opp. Avg.	.322	16
Ops.	.734	8		+ Plays	86	2		Stike Outs	685	16
Runs	724	10		- Plays	24	7		Saves	24	16
Steals	145	4		1	1	1		1	1	1
Slugging	.418	5		1	1	1		1	1	1

Season 20 Record: 46-116
Last 5 Seasons: 415-395

5 Tool Player- Raymond Petrov- There aren't many 5 tool players in the league, but Petrov is definitely one of them. He has a great glove, good arm, good speed, the ability to hit for average and power. In his 5 seasons in the league he has displayed his ability to do all of those things, but his one tool that stands out the most is his speed. Petrov has 278 steals in his 5+ seasons in the league which has helped him score 627 runs. When he gets on the bases, he scores.

Rare Abilities- Benito Rodriguez- Rodriguez brings some rare abilities to the table. He has great contact, really good power and blazing speed. In each of his 3 seasons he has hit 20+ homers, 85+ RBI, 85+ runs scored and 20+ steals. I'm not even sure he's had his breakout season yet. I expect that he should be able to hit 30+ homers, 100+ RBI, 100+ runs and steal 40+ bases. He has that kind of ability.

Offense- Madison was slightly below average offensively last season. They did rank in the top 5 in homers and steals though. They are off to a much better start this season, but they aren't stealing as much and are also off of the homer pace they set last season. They are scoring more runs and getting on base more though and that's a positive. Petrov is the center piece of the offense. Fausto De La Vega can hit as well and provides some power. Angel Martin and Benito Rodriguez are also nice weapons to have in the lineup. The offense does look pretty solid and should stay on pace with how they've started. That only makes them a slightly better than average team though.

Defense- The defense was pretty bad last season, but they did show some good range. They look pretty much the same this season. Petrov is the shorstop, but he lacks ideal range and arm accuracy. Les Worrell is a pretty good centerfielder though. Eugenio Frieri and Thom Blair have shared duties at second and both are pretty good fielders their. I think this defense is solid and won't cost them any games, but they aren't a top tier bunch.

Pitching- The pitching was awful last season. Quite possibly the worst ever. That's what happens when an owner abandons a team though. Of course, they can't be as bad this season. It's not even possible with triple A pitchers. Really though, they are actually pretty solid this season. Bill Kydd was a nice addition in the off season to the rotation. Rudy Parker is pretty solid as well. Neither are aces though and the rest of the rotation just isn't very good. I really like the bullpen of Mitch Mota, Ricardo Johnson, and Victor James. They are all really good. The 3 of them boost this staff up from bad to slightly below average.

Projection- Madison has a good offense, solid defense and below average pitching. This isn't going to win them a division or a wild card spot. They are a team that needs quite a few pieces to be able to contend. They do have some really good pieces in place though and could choose to not go the full rebuilding route. I'll be interested to see what direction ownership decides to take them in a really tough division.



Predictions
Iowa City is the defending champ and they have a really good pitching staff. They've improved offensively and should be able to repeat at the top. Fargo is getting better every season and the offense they feature puts them up there near the top of the league. They aren't very many pieces away from being a top team in the NL once again. Montreal is another team on the way up in the division and they continue to get better each season. They are going to push the other teams in the division and could possibly sneak into a wild card spot. Madison just doesn't have enough pieces to really contend in the division. They aren't a bad team, but they aren't good enough to contend for a post season spot either.

1. Iowa City Hawkeyes
2. Fargo Wood Chippers
3. Montreal Leaf Blowers
4. Madison Masterblastas