AROUND THE DIAMOND IN THE ABL ABL 2019 PLAYOFFS 10/29/19 Perfectos power their way to their third title in history!!!!! BIG STORY: Lenny’s rankings had Titusville third in the post draft rankings with the Thunder Geese 6th on the list. Last year the champion Channel Cats were at the top of the list and held serve. The Perfectos didn’t make a single trade and are the only team in at least ten years to win a cup and not make a trade. In 2014, the Perfectos had one player on their championship roster picked up via trade. Titusville proved there are several ways to win a championship in the ABL in 2019. Titusville finished three games back off the pace for the division crown and easily took care of Chesapeake Bay 6-4 in the wild card game. The Perfectos won a hard fought five game series against the division champion Crown Heights Kings to reach their 4 th Cup finals. Dexter also took the long route through the wild card with a 3-0 win past Tallahassee and then swept past the surprise division champion Blackbeards. For the Thunder Geese, this was their 5 th finals appearance. Dexter entered the Cup finals with a finals losing streak of nine straight games dating back to 2014. Their last Cup win was ironically against the Titusville Perfectos in 2014. Dexter ended the drought right away with a 6-2 win in game one as Scherzer struck out 12 Perfectos and walked zero batters. The instant classic was in game two as the Perfectos tied the game in the 9 th on a pinch-hit home run by Alen Hanson. Then in the top of the 14 th , Joey Gallo gave the Thunder Geese a one run lead but Manny Machado snatched it back with a walk off two run blast to even the series. Titusville powered their way to a romp in game three with six bombs and an 8-3 win. Game 4 the Perfectos exploded for a 15-3 victory and took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. In game 5, the Thunder Geese kept fighting as Christian Yelich hit a walk off Grand Slam to extend the series back to Titusville. The Perfectos starved off a late rally in game 6 as former B-Met Michael Conforto struck out on a Taylor Cole slider to give the Perfectos their 3 rd championship in history. Perfectos clutch hitting shortstop/3 rd basemen Manny Machado grabbed ABL Playoff M.V.P. honors hitting .250 with three clutch home runs and 10 RBI to pace T-Ville. The playoff run by the Thunder Geese should not be forgotten as they made their fifth finals appearance in seven seasons. A team that will once again be dangerous in 2020 with plenty of talent coming back to Dexter. For now, its Perfectos time as the club wins their second championship in six seasons and raises the cup as the champions of the ABL in 2019! “BAMBINO CUP” FINALS Dexter vs. Titusville (Titusville won series 4-2) GM 1 DEX 6 TV 2 GM 2 TV 5 DEX 4 14 Inn. GM 3 TV 8 DEX 3 GM 4 TV 15 DEX 3 GM 5 DEX 7 TV 3 GM 6 TV 7 DEX 4 NATIONAL FINALS Titusville vs. Crown Heights (Titusville won series 3-2) GM 1 TV 4 CH 0 GM 2 TV 3 CH 1 GM 3 CH 12 TV 4 GM 4 CH 12 TV 2 GM 5 TV 6 CH 5 AMERICAN FINALS Dexter vs. Ocracoke (Dexter won series 3-0) GM 1 DEX 3 OC 1 GM 2 DEX 13 OC 3 GM 3 DEX 6 OC 1 NATIONAL WILD CARD Chesapeake Bay at Titusville (Titusville won series 1-0) GM 1 TV 6 CB 4 AMERICAN WILD CARD Tallahassee at Dexter (Dexter won series 1-0) GM 1 DEX 3 TA 0 2019 ABL TEAMS AND MANAGERS: National Division Chesapeake Bay Channel Cats (30th Season) Scott Allen (Defending Champions) Orlando Sharks (18th Season) Buck Dietzen Titusville Perfectos (12th Season) Lenny Saaf Crown Heights Kings (2nd Season) Chris Marcello Clayton Steamships (Expansion Season) Wayne Scott Garden State Warriors (Expansion Season) Bruce Keilin American Division Tallahassee Terriers (29th Season) Don Allen Jr. Long Beach Island Starfish (17th Season) Skibby Bomysoad Dexter Thunder Geese (15th Season) Jason Cupelo Ocracoke Blackbeards (12th Season) Duran Allen La Jolla Juggernaut (5th Season) Kevin Waters Albany Lo-Sox (3rd Season) Michael Saaf East Bay Grease (2nd Season) Joe Parisi ABL 2019 IP’S Tallahassee 15 Long Beach Island 15 Chesapeake Bay 15 Albany 15 East Bay 15 Garden State 14 Crown Heights 14 Titusville 14 La Jolla 12 Dexter 11 Ocracoke 10 Clayton 9 Orlando 7 ROLLING DICE?? ( Q and A with Game Play Notes) (PLEASE TAKE NOTE) (Italic are present in the current charts) 1. If you bring the corners in (maybe to guard against the bunt), does that mean you are not holding the runner on 1st base? ANSWER: Yes, if the first baseman is "in", he can't be holding. For that reason, usually the third baseman plays "in" with a guy on first. The batter's bunting rating is still reduced on all balls hit to 3B, P, and C. TEAM NEWS: If any manager plans on not participating in the ABL next season, please let the Commish know as soon as possible for planning purposes. Please leave the league in good standing so you may return in the future if you desire to do so. If a former manager is considering returning to the ABL for next season, please request an expansion application to reactivate your franchise before November 10 th . Your franchise will officially be re- activated once the league fee is paid in full. ABL 2019 SEASON ENDING WRAP UP: Just a reminder the ABL 2019 winter meetings will not take place this season. In its place, the season ending wrap up show will take place Sunday November 24th at 6:30 p.m. eastern. The Lottery drawing will take place along with voting results. Commish giveaways for those who tune in. The show will be broadcasted online on Periscope using the @commish73 account. VOTING: Each manager is required to vote on league issues. This is a fun league and voting is one of the vehicles for getting changes into the rulebook. You may vote for one of the options presented (i.e. A, B, C, or D) or abstain. Not voting is unacceptable and Incentive Points will be lost. Voting will be conducted via e- mail this off-season. The final voting ballot will be available in the coming days. ABL 2020 FEE: The 2020 ABL fee will be $45 after the league wide vote in April. If you finish with 15 IP’s, you can get it lowered down to $35 . Win the title and it’s on the ABL’s nickel. Each manager must pay the $45 operational fee for the American Baseball League Season by October 15th for the next season. If it isn’t paid in full by Thanksgiving , the ABL will fold your team for that upcoming season unless other arrangements have been made with the league. The fees help with expenses to run the league. You may now pay by paypal using e-mail: [email protected] . You may also pay by Venmo using @scottalen1221. Remember the 2020 fee is due October 15th. Please pay the fee on time if you want to play ball in 2020. If cash flow is a problem, let the Commish know and something can be worked out. You have plenty of notice to make sure the fee is paid on time. If an Expansion Team Fee is paid by November 10th , the new manager will be able to vote in the November Off-Season voting session. The first expansion team to pay their fee in full will get the highest pick in the expansion draft. The second team to pay their fee in full will get the 2nd pick in the expansion draft and so on. There is no extra cost for Expansion teams in 2020. Fees Currently Paid: Chesapeake Bay Commish Fee Albany $35.00 Crown Heights Recruitment Fee Garden State $45.00 East Bay $35.00 Titusville $45.00 Oceanside $45.00 Clayton $45.00 Ocracoke $45.00 Long Beach Island $35.00 La Jolla $45.00 Fees on their way: Orlando $45.00 Tallahassee $25.00 Dexter $45.00 Fees Due: ( Fee could change by lost IP’s or championship ) Expansion Team $45.00 ABL 2020 EXPANSION TEAM APPLICATIONS: All possible new 2020 ABL managers must fill out an ABL Expansion Team Application. The Application will be reviewed and acceptance won’t be final until the expansion fee has been paid in full. Remember all new perspective managers must complete the new ABL Development Plan for new managers. Tell a friend or co-worker about the fun of managing in the ABL. DEADLINE FOR 2020 EXPANSION TEAMS: November 10th is the deadline for any new expansion team or re-activated team to enter the ABL for the 2020 season. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis till the cards arrive. If you have someone possibly interested, let the Commish know so they can fill out the Expansion Team Application. ABL 2020 STADIUM/NAME CHANGES: All current teams must notify the league office by November 10th if they plan on switching ball parks for the upcoming 2020 season. Stadiums are on a first come basis.