Week 12

Hey All,

June is ending this week and the All-Star break is looming on the horizon. There were some controversial calls in the bigs this week as well, but what isn't controversial is the fact that Longball League has been a blast this year. The standings have seemed to settle down a bit with the Invisible Hands still riding atop the league, but seven of the eight other teams have a legitimate shot to win the pennant.

This Week's Three Things From the Major Leagues...

1. New York Yankee pitcher A.J. Burnett accomplished something no Yankee hurler had ever done this past week. He struck out four batters in one inning v. the Colorado Rockies. The inning was the top of the seventh and the strikeout victims were Chris Ianetta (looking), Carlos Gonzalez (looking), Chris Nelson (swinging, who then reached first on the wild pitch that was the third strike) and Todd Helton (swinging). I know striking out four guys in an inning is a rare feat, but it's hard to believe no Yankee had ever done it before.

2. San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner had a real bummer of a game last week when he gave up eight runs on nine hits in the first inning in a 9-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins. The boys from Minneapolis racked up five doubles in the inning. So it was fitting that when Giants relief pitcher Guillermo Mota came into the game, he got his team out of the inning when the Twins' Joe Mauer hit into a double play.

3. I've watched the replay about a hundred times and the Dodgers' Dee Gordon still hasn't touched home plate yet. That umpire is pure Sears and Roebuck material.

Trivia: A.J. Burnett's four strikeout inning marked the second time he had accomplished such a feat. However, that leaves him one shy of the all-time leader in this category. Former California Angels and Cleveland Indians hurler Chuck Finley holds the MLB record by recording four strikeouts in an inning three different times.

Baseball Card of the Week: Well Chuck, here's to you and your three, four strikeout innings. Here's a look at Chuck's 1987 Fleer card.

Until next week folks, remember Vernon Wells hit five home runs on this last road trip for the Halos, including one that should have been Sunday's game winner v. the Dodgers.

-The Commissioner

Week 11

Hey All,

I hope everyone had a good Father's Day weekend. The Invisible Hands are still in first, but the point differential between 1st and 7th place is down to 43 points. Also, many owners are waiting anxiously to hear how Albert Pujols' wrist and shoulder are doing. A big injury to him could really shake up the league.

This Week's Three Things From the Major Leagues:

1. The winning run was scored on a balk? Yes folks, it was. In Atlanta last Thursday night, the Mets were tied 8-8 with the Braves. NY reliever D.J. Carrasco was in a jam. He had runners on second and third and Braves' stud outfielder Jason Heyward. Then, Carrasco flinched. Home Plate Umpire James Hoye called a balk. Diory Hernandez strolled in from home plate and the Braves walked off with a 9-8 victory. It was the second time in Mets franchise history that they lost a game due to balk.

2. Cleveland won't cut this Cord soon. Rookie Cord Phelps smashed a walkoff 3-run homer to give the Indians a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday night. What's cool about this homer is that Phelps is the son of one of our league members' old college roommates. Welcome to the show, kid.

3. The Florida Marlins have gone 1-18 so far in the month of June. Florida Manager Edwin Rodriguez resigned Sunday in the wake of his team's poor performance. The Fish have nine games left this month and could easily set the record for the worst month ever by a major league team.

Trivia: As of Sunday night, Jack McKeon has been named interim manager of the Florida Marlins. That makes him the big leagues' oldest manager at 80 years old. McKeon is not the oldest manager of all-time, however. That title is still held by Connie Mack. Connie Mack managed the Philadelphia A's in 1950 when he was 87 years old.

Baseball Card of the Week: In honor of taking the helm of the Marlins again at 80, here's a look at Jack McKeon's 1974 Topps card #166. It's from his first ever year as a manager when he was the skipper of the Kansas City Royals.

Until next week folks, remember Vernon Wells has finally broken above the Mendoza Line. He's batting a cool .202.

-The Commissioner

Week 10

Hey All,

Just when things couldn't get much closer in the Longball League standings, the have. Now, only 50 points marks the distance between first and eighth place with over half of the season left to play.

This week's Three Things From the Major Leagues...

1. The Red Sox are hitting on all cylinders. They didn't just sweep Toronto over the weekend, they crushed 'em. The Red Sox outscored the Blue Jays 35-6 in the three games. The rest of the AL better be ready when the Beantown Nine comes calling.

2. This just in.... the Angels stink. They couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat. It's got to be demoralizing to the pitching staff. Take pitcher Tyler Chatwood for example, he has received zero run support from the team in half of his starts. That's just pathetic.

3. The Padres are making the Angels look like the 1927 Yankees. The Friars lost the last three games of their four game series to a Washington team that didn't score more than two runs in any of those final three games. Now, that's futility.

Trivia: So what do Sammy Sosa and Mickey Mouse have in common? It deals with Sammy Sosa holding the record for hitting home runs in the most MLB ballparks during his career. He homered in 45 different big league parks. One of those parks was Disney's ballpark in their Wide World of Sports complex in Florida. Back in 2007, the Tampa Bay Devil rays hosted the Texas Rangers in a three game set. He homered in that series. Samy Sosa and Mickey Mouse are now forever tied in baseball history.

Baseball Card of the Week: In honor of Sosa's record, here's a look at Sammy 2007 Topps Update card.

Until next week folks, remember that Vernon Wells is back from the disabled list and still hitting under the Mendoza Line.

-The Commissioner

Week 9

Hey All,

School is out almost everywhere and families art starting to fill the stadiums on baseball trips. This is when summer truly takes hold in America and the daily pennant races take over that part of peoples' minds where homework and class projects have been. Meanwhile, the Longball League keeps chugging along with the tightest pennant race in league history. We see the Invisible Hands are on top of the ladder, where a mere 12 points separate the top five teams. What a race!

This week's three things from the Major Leagues:

1. Do you think the Texas Rangers missed Josh Hamilton? Since his return the Rangers have gone 10-3, including a four game sweep of the Cleveland Indians this past weekend.

2. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's power shortage is really beginning to show. With Kendrys Morales gone for the year, Vernon Wells looking like a free agent bust, and Torii Hunter just plain not hitting, the Halos will continue to slide farther and farther back in the AL West.

3. StubHub tells a lot about a ballclub. Do you want to know if fans are backing their team? Go to StubHub. Popular teams command good prices for their tickets, bad or marginal teams have cheap, cheap tickets for sale. Heck, you can sit behind home plate for a San Diego Padres game for the price of a good outfield seat at Anaheim.

Trivia: For this fun fact, I went deep into the minor league archives and found this gem. Back on August 19, 1958 The Bisebee-Douglas Copper Kings accomplished a feat that I do not believe has occurred before or since. Each member of the starting lineup hit a home run in their 22-8 win over the Chihuahua Dorados. Yes, even the pitcher homered in this game. None of the nine starters in the game for Bisbee-Douglas ever made it to the major leagues.

Baseball Card of the Week: In honor of his triumphant return to the Texas Rangers, Josh Hamilton gets the honor. Here's a look at Josh's 2011 Topps Heritage card.

Until next week folks, remember Vernon Wells is on a rehab stint in the California League.

-The Commissioner