SAN JOSE (AP) - Editor's Note: This article is a reprint of a post in the Weaver Forum about the young hitting in the league by J.J. Wurz. He decided to make it part one of a two part series detailing the up and coming talent in the league, a follow-up article about the young pitching around the league that will be posted later this week.

Well, it's been a solid 7 seasons now and as owner of the very youth oriented Edmonton Orcas, I can admire the sloughing off of talent. About 4 seasons ago I did an article about the lack of youth in Weaverball. Now, it's showing. Here's a quick look at the offensive side of the ball. Quality players 27 years old or younger (60-70+ in CH and PH). A .5 rating means having potential or speed or something solid, like 80/50 or 55/75. Teams are ranked by total score.

Edmonton Orcas - 4 + .5 x 3 (Paul Burnett, Roy David, and Kelly Laskey)
Berlin Brewmasters - 4 + .5 x 2 (Doc Dahl and Rod Lewis)
New York Nukes - 3 + .5 x 2 (Hal Cater and Stub Libke)
Jamaica Rastafarians - 2 + .5 x 3 (Jay Corwin, Frank Lillard, and Johnny Flaherty)
Cairo Scorpions - 3
Cozumel Mayans - 2* + .5 x 2 (Ed Calloway and Terry Whitted) *(freak Thomas)
Vancouver Mounties - .5 x 6 (Miller Moser, Orlando Tracy, Tom Belle, John Donohue, Hector Criss, and Floyd Lauer)
Argentina Archers - 2
Rio de Janerio Capybaras - 2
Hong Kong Dragons - 2
Tokyo Tsunamis - 1 + .5 x 2 (Eddie Brown and Cameron Priest)
Havana Cigars - .5 x 4 (Danny Hoffman, Tom Nelson, Vern Remlinger, & Joe Greene)
Moscow Cosmonauts - 1 + .5 (Lew Main)
Tehran Knights - 1 + .5 (Bob Bennett)
Stockholm Swedes - 1 + .5 (Johnny Bracken)
Chernobyl Mutants - .5 x3 (Ron Thompson, Hector Fulmer, and Charlie Cudworth)
Bombay Elephants - 1
Sicily Godfathers - 1
Long Beach Lobsters - 1
Los Angeles Riots - .5 x 2 (Tommy Gooch and Doug Conrad)
Bora Bora Surfriders - .5 x 2 (Tris Speaker and Bobby Tettleton)
Johannesburg Steelmen - .5 (Al Moore)
Honolulu Volcanoes - .5 (Fred Bottomley)
Amity White Sharks - 0

There's the breakdown. Half the teams have 2 or less players fitting the qualifications. I'll check out pitching later if someone else doesn't hit it before the weekend. I think youth is primo right now considering the rapid aging of many vets and retirements soon to be on the horizon for many teams.