"Sleepy" Title Town Gets A Visit
~~
Anderson:  We Represent The Average Joe

ACBA lead reporter Harry Doyle caught up with 2012 Champion Michael Anderson at the Green Bay off season facility late last month. The owner was coaxed into a sit down interview, being pulled away from a physical therapy session following shoulder surgery.

Doyle: Hey Coach, great to see you again. I know you're probably not thrilled to see me show up here after that incident with the Sausage Race back in the World Series...
Anderson: Forget about it. Water under the bridge, Harry.
Doyle: Ahhh, 'preciate that... I really do. Well it sure is quiet up here in the woods, huh coach? I guess things have settled down quite a bit since September. Boy, what a circus for this small community.
Anderson: It’s funny how the press disappears as soon as that first cold weather hit. Seriously though, in a league of this quality there really is no off season. If you aren’t constantly trying to improve, you will get left behind.
Doyle: Going back over that night---you know--Game 7. When did you know? I mean, you guys pulled away pretty early, especially after those 2 previous games.
Anderson: To be honest, I didn’t relax until the last out was made. After losing two games at home and getting obliterated in game six, I wasn’t taking anything for granted. Luckily for me Jake Taylor, our bench coach had a lil sumpin’ sumpin’ that calmed me down, otherwise I think I would have crapped the bench.
Doyle: (Gesturing his finger to the side of his nose), I gotcha. We all need a little sumpin' sumpin' now and then. Going into that game on a 2 game slide, what were your thoughts? "Is this really happening, is it going to slip away?" or were you pretty confident?
Anderson: No, I was pretty nervous. I actually had my uni pants on backwards for batting practice. You have to remember that our manager had gone AWOL after game 6 so I had to come down from the Ivory Tower to run things. Thank God I had a great support staff to lean on. I’ll never forget the moment when Nuke Laloosh pulled me aside and said, “This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Sometimes it rains. Think about it.”
Doyle: Yeah, that's great advice from Nuke right there. The guy is a deep well of baseball wisdom. So, has everybody gotten their day with the September Classic Award the way they do it with the Stanley Cup?
Anderson: You bet! We made a point to ensure everyone in the organization got to spend time with the prize. I’m fairly certain that Balfour used it as part of his animal husbandry project in Australia and that CarGo had it drilled and tapped to use as a gear shift in his ‘63 Impala. I was the last one to get it and it certainly looked like a dorm room after a frat party. I cleaned it up as much as possible and have included a photo of us at the field.
It now sits on my desk in my office at the ballpark. I felt it only fair that every player I interview in the off season should see it and know what the expectation is. We separate the men from the boys pretty quick here.
Doyle: How do you follow up a championship season? What's next for Green Bay?
Anderson: This will be a key year for our vision- we have enough cap room to make some long term moves and enough picks to fill both the minor league and major league rosters plus make some deals. We have an excellent, young offense and need to sign a couple of starting pitchers of the same caliber. We definitely will explore the trade market to acquire what we need.
Doyle: You have arguably the best jump in the draft with 7 picks in the first 4 rounds. Does this spell doom for the rest of the league? Do I hear chants of "Repeat" echoing down these snowy, lakeside streets?"
Anderson: (Laughs). I think that “doom” and “repeat” might be a tad bit presumptuous. The league is full of quality managers and strong teams. We like our chances, but the truth is that anyone can win this thing with a plan and some good luck.
Doyle: Does World Series MVP Grant Balfour fit into the picture at all? He was instrumental in your title run, but the way your roster is built, does he even stand a chance?
Anderson: We would love to have Grant back. His contributions last year can not be overstated. Unfortunately, roster space is limited. This league only allows one active relief pitcher and we have Drew [Soren] signed to a long term contract. I can tell you that our plan is to have one more closer by the beginning of the season and we would be ecstatic to see Grant in that role.
Doyle: I know some people around the league have complained that the media is in your pocket---and here you are with yet another profile piece. Is there anything to this or is it just jealously. I mean, that's kinda what happens when you win, right?
Anderson: We like to think that we represent the average Joe and have embraced the media due to our small population up here. We were among the leagues biggest draws on the road last year and I attribute that to our good relationship with the National Media. Credential requests for opening day are already 3  times what they were last year and our new cable channel is among the most popular on Charter for males 18-35. We certainly won't model our relationship after Jerry Jones and create news, but we do like to see our name in the paper or on the web every once in awhile.


CONTINUED ON COLUMN 3--->

DRAFT: WHO GETS WHAT?

Picture
Mark your calendars, because February 26 is fast approaching.

The countdown is on as we steam roll towards the 3 round offline draft. The lottery results were announced at the Winter Meetings and in case you missed it, expansion team Mid-Michigan Mud Hens have the overall number 1 selection.  

With some pretty high profile names on the market and the expansion draft in the rear view mirror, the Mud Hens and the Warriors have a chance at a pretty quick build.

"It's a competitve league and this season will be no different," ACBA Commissioner said. "But these guys know what they're doing and they shouldn't have any trouble jumping into the fray.

For the rest of the league, it's a second chance at starting over.... or 3rd... or perhaps 13th?
A chance to wipe the slate clean and get your team back into the mix. or at least clear the dead weight and retool. The thrill of the opportunity to win a title is available to everyone on draft day. 

So how will it shake out? Who will be the big winners... or big losers of this year's draft. You never can tell. So get those draft sheets out and start doing your homework. Draft Day is almost here. 

4 Beautiful Words
~~

It's been three and a half months since Grant Balfour threw the last pitch, effectively ending the World Series and with it the 2012 season. 

Now, the holidays are behind us. The New Year has been rung in. And for those of us that live in the South, spring is in the air. The sound of a baseball snapping into the glove. The smell of fresh cut grass. The feel of a slight breeze passing over you as the sun warms your shoulders. 

It's the perfect time of year and we're just a few short weeks away from hearing those beautiful words that will put the winter doldrums in the rear view mirror for good. The words we all love and that universally signal the start of the new baseball season:

"Pitchers and Catcher report."

Winter Meetings Recap
~~
Small turnout spurns Commissioner
"Owners decide to forego the right to vote"

The votes are in and the 2013 rule changes have been determined.

Among the surprises: No DL slots for the upcoming season, although at least 1 DL slot will likely be added in 2014.

The offline draft is back for another year, however it will be trimmed from 5 rounds to 3, largely due to the expansion of the league. Beginning on February 26, the offline draft will still take 18 days and will lead up to the 17 round online draft which will be held on March 16.

As for the rest of the rules, not much of a surprise in the upcoming changes:

- The TAC team will only be utilized in blatantly unbalanced trades, or if any owner invokes it within 24 hours of commissioner approval

-Second chance contracts have been eliminated

-Tie breakers to determine playoff seeding will revert back to regular season results, no longer a one-game playoff

-Two minor league slots added, increasing the minor league roster from 8 players to 10

The rule book is currently being updated to reflect the new changes and should be released by the middle of January.

With a smaller than expected Winter Meetings turnout, the commissioner has decided to indefinitely cancel any future meetings. "If owners choose not to exercise their right to vote, then they're placing their trust in me to make those changes," the commissioner wrote in a statement. "It's the way the league has been run in the past and it looks like it will continue to be run that way in the future."

After two tries, the Winter Meetings had been suspended for more than 5 years due to a lack of interest. The event was brought back to include owners in rule-change decision making and a strong showing was anticipated, but was not the case. 

Austin Builds by
Cutting Dead Weight

The annual December 1 deadline to buy out contracts came and went quietly and without much activity. 
Only 8 players were bought out this offseason, many whom were cast off well before the deadline. 
The Austin Red Legs were the busiest team,  severing  five  contracts on players considered to be dead weight. Among them: OF Jeremy Baltz, OF Travis Snider,  starting pitchers Ubaldo Jiminez and Roy Halladay and C Brian McCann.
Austin saved a sizeable chunk in team salary, even getting themselves underneath the cap for the time being, but they will also pay a hefty $28 in opt out fees in 2013 just freeing up the contracts.

"We didn't want to let Roy or Brian go, but we have to look at 2014 like we're a title contender," Cheslock said. "We're going to be much more competitive in 2013 than we were last year but in 2014 we feel like we could compete for a championship if things play out right. But part of that is continuing to find the right pieces and to do so at the right price. If we're going to bust over the salary cap, we're going to do it feeling good about what lies ahead, not wasting another year in a state of mediocrity -- and that's how we approached this year's deadline. We made a couple of late decisions but we'd been toiling over those for a few weeks. With a pretty good draft position, we feel like we can recoup the losses and continue to tack on the key pieces that can put us over the top."

Austin of course has 8 picks in the first 5 rounds in the upcoming draft and another 9 picks in the first 6 rounds of 2014. With enough early picks, the Red Legs certainly feel like they are in the pole position over the next couple of seasons and will look to capitalize by the end of 2014.

Florida, Green Bay and Portsmouth also took advantage of the opportunity to wipe out bad deals.

Florida let OF Jose Tabata go, while Green Bay and Portsmouth cuts ties with starting pitchers Brandon Webb and Brandon Beachy, respectively.

Gift Wrapped in Time
for the Holidays

Flint owner Tim Aspin sent over a nice welcoming package to friend and colleague, Brent Ford, new owner of the Mid Michigan Mud Hens. The two teams completed a trade in early December involving 10-plus picks, loading the Mud Hens back end of the draft with double picks from Round 13 all the way to the end.

"It seemed like the neighbourly thing to do" Aspin said when approached about the deal. "We're happy to give Brent a leg up. He's new around here and could use a little jump start."

"Did he say that?", Ford asked reporters when questioned. "Don't think for a second he was trying to help me out. Tim's a great guy but he got a little something out of that deal too."

Indeed the Failures did, acquiring the Mud Hens 3rd and 9th round picks as well as $10 in 2013 cap money. Flint also included minor leaguer Jonathan Singleton in the deal, who remains without a contract. Ford has taken his time negotiating with his new players from the expansion draft and it doesn't seem like Singelton will be receiving any special consierations from his owner either.

It's well documented that the two owners have a history, but exactly what that history is is still  unknown. One thing  is  clear: the investigative reporters of the ACBA have some homework.
<---CONTINUED FROM COLUMN 1
Doyle: Alright Coach. I'm gonna get out of your hair. Looks like you need to hit the ice bath anyway?
Anderson: Yep. Just coming off my third rotator cuff surgery. And my son, he's recovering from Tommy John. I guess since he's going to have some extra time on his hands, he'll be assisting with the minor league draft team this year. I thought he might bring a unique perspective to our evaluations being a current player. And my hope is that this may be the first step in his journey toward ownership. If nothing else, it will keep him from asking for money all the time.
(Both laugh).

Atlantic Coast Baseball Association 2013 ©