PORT LOUIS (AP) - As many of you know, I’ve been watching over the Port Louis Dodos this year in owner Gianluca Greggio’s absence. I had been following Weaverball for quite some time, and even was inspired enough by it to become the Commissioner of my own league, the Ted Williams Memorial League. I spent a while on the waiting list for my own Weaver franchise, and I’m still atop that list. It seems none of you want to quit.

Well, it looked like I inherited a piss-poor team with lots of hitting talent but no pitching worth a damn. It hasn’t really turned out that way. Here’s my midseason report.

Record:
I’m 37–51 (.420), much better than I thought I would be. I’m in fourth place in the Polanski division. I can’t complain about that, I guess. This team has been a cellar-dweller from what I understand.

Trades:
I’ve made a pair of trades this season, both with the Toyko Tsunamis. I recognized I badly needed young pitchers, and both trades helped me fill that need.

In the first deal, I sent RF Flaherty (a good hitting prospect) and 1B Miller (a throw-in) and my #2 and #3 Ammy picks for P Troy Peters (a pitching prospect I’m really high on), Billy Howard (another solid young arm), and LF Frank Leyritz (I needed a starting LF, and he’s young).

In the second deal, I acquired Tom Maher, Bret Brideweser, and the #6 pick in the first round for 2B prospect Rodzowski and the #5 pick. I basically got Maher and Brideweser for the 2Bman. So, four young potential starters for me between the two deals.

Draft:
With the #6 pick in the draft (my only pick) I took Paul Olien. So far I’ve acquired five young starting pitchers to set Gianluca up.

Positional Analysis:
C: Jesse Powell, a 25 year old power-hitting catcher, is my favorite player on this team. I’ve got high hopes for him. So far, he’s hitting only .230 but he does have 12 homers and 30 RBI. Todd Greene was the DH for most of the first half. He’s hitting only .191 with six homers, so he lost that job. He’s 39, so I don’t expect him to hang around much longer.

1B: There were some rumblings I heard about Hank Greenberg being a poor all-timer pick, but he’s silencing his critics this year. He was selected to the all star team, and is hitting .330 with 23 homers and 48 RBI.

2B: James Cardoza has been extremely solid at second base. He’s hitting .271 with 20 doubles and 10 homers despite missing time with an injury. SS Juan Bautista had filled in for him but has since moved to DH. He’s hitting .250 with seven home runs.

3B: 37 year old Yuza Izumi has recently moved to the leadoff spot so we can get some on base guys up top. Izumi is hitting .277 with 21 doubles, 14 homers, and 36 RBI.

SS: Jhonny “Don’t call me Johnny” Perez is hitting .214 with 10 homers and nine steals. He was hovering around .200 while in the leadoff spot but was moved down in the order. He seems to be perking up a bit.

LF: Frank Leyritz, acquired from Tokyo, is young and is showing the power potential he couldn’t show in Tokyo. After a very slow start, Frank is hitting .225 with 14 homers and 37 RBI.

CF: Edgardo Velazquez and fan favorite Wimpy Jok have split duty at CF and seen time at DH. Velazquez is hitting .223 with 8 HR while Jok sits at .203 with four homers.

RF: Karim Garcia looks like he is one of the Weaverball greats. He is certainly playing like one this year. Garcia is hitting .256 with team leading totals in HR (24) and RBI (51). He hit home run #400 earlier this year.

Rotation: The rotation started off surprisingly well, then slipped a little, but has maintained a steady, surprising pace. Free agent acquisition Ron Souza is the ace and is 8–8 with a 3.30 ERA. Veteran Andy Larkin has been solid as the #2, going 6–9 with a 3.83 ERA. The popular William VanLandingham started off hot, but has settled to a 6–8 record with a 4.43 ERA as the #5 starter. #3 starter Tony Conley is 6–8 with a 4.33 ERA. #4 starter Joe Gamble has had little luck and is 3–9 with a 4.75 ERA. I’ve been pleased with the guys as a whole.

Bullpen: Closer Charlie Perzanowski has only 9 saves and fifteen innings (in 25 appearances). Not sure how he can be used more, but he does have a 2.40 ERA. Lefty George Bonilla has thrown 71 innings in relief and has a 4.82 ERA. Frequently used righty Jose Colon has a 7.21 ERA. He and these other relievers have struggled: Tom Marsans (6.04, but down for six months with an injury), Randy Butler (7.25), and a cast of others. The bullpen is certainly our number one weakness.

As a whole, it’s been a great experience. I’m really not looking forward to giving this team back. With fictional (or semi-fictional) leagues like this, I tend to grow an attachment to the players I take command of. With all of the time and discussion I’ve invested into this team, I doubt I’d be able to invest it in another Weaver team. I already run my own league and take part in a couple others, so time is tough to come by. What I may do when Gianluca returns, is run the team jointly with him, as a member of his staff. That would likely be ideal. We’ll see.

It’s been fun!