Warning: the following is completely made up, including any deadlines, games, features etc. I know it's never going to happen, but one can dream.
Anyway, here is what I wish Phil Harrison (or Google in general) would say at this point... *clears throat*
~ ~ ~
I know these past few days have been tough. We have been listening to the Stadia community which is craving for more games, especially existing popular games and future AAA games. We've also had plans to bring you unique first party experience directly from Stadia's own studios, but as you know, we have had to cancel these plans. This was not an easy decision, but our budget is not unlimited and we have had to decide between betting everything on one or two unique games that could take advantage of the cloud, or hundreds of existing and upcoming games from franchises that you know and love. Right now, we can't justify having both.
Gamers, you are our biggest asset. Stadia's success relies upon you and we cherish this relationship. We thank you for your trust so far and we hope that we can continue to earn it. However, you can't live on vague promises. I understand that saying "trust us" without anything to back it up may not be enough for all of you. We agree with some of you who say that game exclusives hurt consumers, but we equally agree with many of you who say that exclusives a recipe for success and that the rules of this game have been written long before our arrival and we'd need to play this game to succeed. In absence of the first party games, I'd like to present our plans to ensure Stadia still has a bright future.
First, we will bring 300 more games to Stadia in 2021, with 50 planned for 2022 and 50 planned for 2023. They include Rocket League, Hogwarts Legacy and Call of Duty, No Man's Sky, The Witcher 3, Fortnite and Apex Legends, to name a few. All our publishers have also pledged to bring all their new releases to Stadia on day 1, so you'll never have to wait longer than the console players.
Second, we'll bring more players so that you will be able to play online effortlessly. By the end of June, we will expand Stadia to the rest of Europe, Japan, and Brazil. By the end of the year, we also plan to add India, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. And we'll continue this momentum through 2022 to support even more countries. By the end of 2023, Stadia will be available in each country where Google Play will be available. Starting next week, you'll also be able to purchase Stadia Controllers and Premiere Editions at retailers in supported countries that already offer Google's products. We know that in some currently supported countries you are unable to buy Stadia hardware from any official or authorised retailer. Starting today, we'll also ship our hardware between any two supported EU countries and we aim to have a similar policy in place for other countries as we expand. We will also launch an extensive advertising campaign in stores, on TV, billboards, radio as well as online.
Third, I'd like you to update on the Stadia features. We'll implement a Wish list by the end of this month (with sale notifications!) and game gifting by the end of March. Efforts to support CCwGTV are going well, we plan to support it in May and we thank you for your patience. A search bar will appear automatically once we have 500 games in store.
Fourth, Stadia will support Ray Tracing by the end of 2021 and we plan to support up to 8K 120FPS by the end of 2023. We won't give out hardware details and as always, implementation will depend on the developer.
The targets are ambitious but if there is any delay in fulfilling these goals, we will communicate them to you ahead of time.
Finally, we will do everything we can to keep Stadia thriving and its community engaged, but we want you to have clarity about what would happen if we ever decide to discontinue the product. It's not at all likely to happen and an unconformable discussion, but we need to speak honestly about a worst-case scenario. In the event Stadia were to ever shut down, we will give you 3 years' notice so that you can finish all your games. We will offer automatic refunds all games with less than 2h gameplay. We will also offer refunds of 50% of games that you played between 2 and 20 hours, and 10% for games you played more than 20 hours. The usual 14 day period will be waived in this scenario.
We know you are worried due to shutdown of SG&E. It was your "holding deposit". But hopefully these words provide some reassurance so that you can continue to place your trust and confidence in us.
As a small token of appreciation, next time you log into Stadia, you'll find a new $5 coupon for your next game purchase. While this may not help, we hope it'll brighten up your day at least a little bit.
Thank you each and everyone for your continued support!

DCNext Proudly Presents…!
A Brand New Limited Series…

Fire & Ice

Issue #1 - Flurry

Written by Fortanono
Story by FrostFireFive, Fortanono and TreStormArt
Original Artwork by TreStormArt
Edited by AdamantAce
<< Previous | Next >> (coming February!)
=-=-=-= ❄️🔥 =-=-=-=
Class was almost over, and Tora Nansen had already taken to spreading a cold breeze around the room.
She wasn’t usually bored like this; often, she would enjoy her teacher’s bombastic lectures about Slaughterhouse Five and all the other weird books he liked to rave about, but these past few months, her mind has been absolutely elsewhere. Tora started this as a game she could play in class, to see if she could make any of her classmates jump or shiver. It was a stupid thing she did, almost a schadenfreude, but she didn’t tend to think about it that way. To her, it was just a way to keep her thoughts off of her mother when her teacher yelled on and on about books where people try their best to forget about the concept of death.
It was also good mental practice. Tora could naturally feel the air around her; she could crystallize the water vapor in the air into ice shards or simply cool it down. This new power she had was almost a sensory overload when she first discovered it; it was a sixth sense of sorts, one she had to train. It was January; this game let her hone her precision without raising any eyebrows. If she was going to go out as a hero, she knew she needed this kind of practice, and she couldn’t always find a place secluded enough where she could openly use her powers.
Tora drifted the cold breeze towards Kjartan, letting it linger in his general area for a bit longer than normal. It was small, petty behavior, but seeing the slight discomfort on his face was nice, a bit more so than others. She kept it around him for a few minutes longer, hoping he would try and bring it up, but he didn’t. Sighing, Tora let the breeze dissipate into the air and pulled out her phone, like normal people do when they’re bored in class.
Tora opened up a new tab on her browser, hiding her phone in her desk so the teacher would not notice, and went to Metamorphosis Online. Her new favorite website to frequent. It was a support board of sorts for metahumans; millions of teenagers and young adults found themselves with powers each year, and this often made things much more difficult in their lives. In the four months since she got her powers, Tora had become a trusted member on this board, giving advice to those who needed it. Here, she didn’t have to hide who she was, although she chose to keep her powers and ultimate goal to herself so it didn’t bite her back in the future. She scrolled through a dozen advice threads, replying to each one as she went. Layla from the US was going through a breakup because her boyfriend was afraid of her. Ted in Australia was convinced his sister was a metahuman too, but didn’t have much proof. Rick’s power caused him to see people in peril, but he didn’t want to be a hero. She gave out advice as she went, occasionally tuning into the class discussion but not fully paying attention. Finally, she came across one thread that caught her eye more than the others:
Burning everything around me -- help!
By greenflame01
A few weeks ago I discovered I had powers, but it’s not like a fun superhero thing at all. I have this green flame that comes out of my hands and I’m terrified and don’t know how to control it. Every day I’m worried about burning my house down, or my school, and I just don’t know what to do. Can someone help me?
Something about this message in particular struck Tora. She had always had at least some control over her power, but was often afraid that, one day, she wouldn’t be able to. Metahumans could be destructive at times, in many cases without meaning to. Tora began drafting a response, but her train of thought was cut short by the teacher ending the class. She shuffled her phone back into her pocket as the teacher handed out homework for the weekend before taking off to the cafeteria. Borghild, her best friend, sat at a table in the corner with a packed lunch and waved her over.
“” Tora said as she sat down, speaking her native Norwegian. “”
“” Borghild sighed. “” She paused for a second before suddenly covering her mouth. “ “” Tora laughed. “”
“” Borghild said. Tora pulled out a plastic container of spaghetti and meatballs that her father had made the previous night, and the two ate lunch silently for a few minutes.
Sigrid, Tora’s older sister, walked up to the table and sat down. “” she muttered. “”
“” Borghild smiled, peering through her wide-framed circular glasses. “” Sigrid had started sitting with Tora and Borghild this year after all her friends graduated. It was definitely nice, but Tora almost wanted Sigrid to make other friends; it was her senior year, and she and Borghild would be fine on their own.
The three of them sat, discussing various topics, from the other kids at their school to the American president Cale’s election to music they had started listening to. Time almost floated away from them before, like clockwork, Kjartan walked over to their table. Tora grimaced.
Borghild was the first to speak. “”
Kjartan tilted his head. “” he said. He turned to Tora. “”
Sigrid shook her head. “” she said. “”
Kjartan ignored Sigrid and kept staring at her sister. “”
Sigrid stood up. A few faces swiveled, now paying attention to the commotion at their table in the corner. “”
Kjartan shrugged and laughed. “” He darted off to his table like a scared raccoon, Sigrid sitting back down at the table soon after.
The remainder of the meal was silent. Tora spent this time deep in thought, reflecting, Kjartan Solberg had been one of her best friends in primary school; they were inseparable. For a while, his family had even moved next door to them, but his father had gotten a new job opportunity and ended up moving again. They drifted further and further apart for a few years after that, as friends often tend to do, but Tora couldn’t have been prepared for the bullying.
When he started, Kjartan quickly realized that because they were formerly friends, he could say anything remotely mean and Tora would get upset about it. Making pointed comments about her looks, imitating her unusual dialect, calling her stupid--eventually, Tora was able to take these in stride; she expected them. Then, the racism started. Tora didn’t necessarily think about it as “racism” at first; to her, calling it that almost minimized others’ experiences with prejudice. Her mother came from Sàmi heritage, an indigenous group of people who had struggled with prejudice and systemic discrimination for centuries in Norway. Tora never had problems with that, though. She looked just like anyone else, and while her dialect pinned her as not being “from” Oslo, very few people really seemed to mind. His comments just felt strange to Tora, making fun of old Sàmi customs that she never actually experienced or cared about, but they represented that Kjartan was adapting. They showed that he would do what it took to hurt her. And that was perhaps what made it really hurt.
Now, apparently, it seemed like he had adapted again. This was the first time he had mentioned her mother’s death, and that hurt more than anything he could have said. Tora was sure he knew.
As lunch ended and they returned to their schedule, Tora snarled. She only had four classes left before she could go home for the weekend. A small snowflake drifted into her hand as she left the cafeteria. She had to remind herself that there was a reason for all of this, that she was working to a very important goal.
=-=-=-= ❄️🔥 =-=-=-=
Tora sat in her bedroom, putting on her haphazardly-designed costume. She had gotten the bodysuit and gloves from some dumb superhero costume store; it was a simple periwinkle-blue fabric costume with a white diagonal line running from her left shoulder to the right side of her chest. She had bought it without thinking much about it; she needed a costume, and she wasn’t going to dwell on it. The sash she had picked up from an old thrift store, and the white boots were just an old pair that her mother used to have. Finally, she had bought a white bandana a few days ago, after having tried a series of more typical superhero masks and realizing that they impaired her vision too much. She stared in the mirror. It looked haphazardly put together, but that was fine for the time being. It was enough.
Tora took a few deep breaths, staring at herself. She hadn't expected to go out this weekend, but with the news broadcast that she had just seen, now was definitely the time to act. She creeped open the bedroom window and snuck out. It was cloudy out, and there was still a small amount of snow from Wednesday’s storm. She jumped down from the overhanging roof of her house and walked out. She had seen all of the grainy footage of superheroes jumping between rooftops, and she had wanted to try something like that, but she quickly realized that that wasn’t really a possibility. Instead, she walked out of her neighborhood like a normal person, taking note of any neighbors that were out and avoiding their lines of sight. She made her way to a nearby metro station and waited for a train. A superhero taking the train, she thought. Well, at least I won’t get hurt trying to get places.
Tora avoided eye contact with people as she boarded the Kolsås Line train; this was going to be awkward, but thankfully, there weren't that many people headed where she was with the current situation, so the crowd thinned as she got to her destination. She walked out of the station and started darting along the streets of the city until she found her way to her destination. Frogner Park.
Frogner Park was one of the tourist destinations in her home city that Tora didn't think much about; however, as she showed up, it was hard to think about anything but the park, including the mission at hand. Across a large stone plateau were various statues, each of which depicting people in various positions, completely nude. However, she quickly realized that the one thing more distracting than the statues was the attacker, the man she had come here to bring to justice. Standing in front of the tallest central statue was a man in a garish black-and-white suit and red cape. His face was completely covered by a full fabric mask that was emblazoned with a black swastika. The display seemed almost laughable, but Tora was too sickened to laugh. This man had just announced himself as the “King of Oslo” and gunned down two police officers with some sort of energy weapon. Authorities had retreated, figuring out a new plan of action.
Tora suddenly realized that she may be in more danger than she had thought. As she had come here, she had been focused on the fantasy of becoming a hero, not the reality. The reality was, this man killed two people better trained than her, and she could be next.
Oh well. She should have died with her mother in the accident. Instead, she got these powers.
“” she called out to the masked man. “”
The man chuckled. “I’m sorry,” he said in American-accented English. “You know, I’ve been trying to commit to learning Norwegian but I just, like, can’t! I’d suggest you fuck off and learn English before you die horribly.”
The man raised his pistol. Tora ducked as a blast of purple energy just barely missed her head. Quickly, she summoned a series of icicles from the water in the air, launching them at him. The man dodged several of them, but one just barely managed to hit him in the side.
“You know,” he said, “I barely know who you are, kid, but you’re making me really fucking angry.” He sent out several blasts of energy from his pistol. Tora ducked behind a statue, narrowly avoiding each shot he fired. The last one nearly hit her; Tora felt the heat of the beam as it flew by her.
Tora closed her eyes and concentrated on the cold around her; to an outside observer, she appeared to be cowering, but she was still fighting. She gathered the frigid winds around her and began to form a blizzard, picking up leftover snow from the ground as it picked up speed. As the American Nazi villain looked around for her, limping due to the first blow Tora had landed on him, he was met face-to-face with a cyclone of cold, knocking him back into the stone pavement of the park.
This was how Tora fought best. By staying out of the way, manipulating the world around her and above all, avoiding direct hits. She remained well aware that if her opponent landed any hits against her, her fate would be the same as that of the police officers he had killed. The same as her mother’s.
The villain looked around, disoriented. Tora darted between the sculptures, attempting to stay hidden from her attacker. She crystallized a sheet of ice on the stone floor beneath him, causing him to lose traction as he ran. One quickly-timed cold breeze, and the villain fell onto the ground, the pistol flying out of his hand. Sensing her opportunity, Tora launched a series of icicles at the villain; two hit, but he didn’t seem fazed by it as he got up.
“Ugh, fuck,” he stammered. He turned towards the statue that Tora was currently hiding behind; even though she couldn’t see his eyes, Tora knew that she had been spotted. “You had your fun yet, bitch? I’m gonna have a lot of fun burning you alive.” He picked up his pistol and began to take aim at Tora…
The shot never came.
The park began to get brighter and brighter around them; even though it was a cloudy day, it now felt like the sun was out. Tora felt warmer; she could sense her control over the atmosphere around her loosen just a little bit more. A ray of warm yellow light flew out of the sky and hit the man squarely in the chest. He fell backwards, collapsing against the base of the statue behind him. Tora looked up and smiled. The man floating above her was iconic. His face was shrouded in light, to the point where it hurt to look at. He had shoulder-length blond hair and a slight beard; in his eyes, Tora saw a myriad of colors swirling around. He wore a brilliant red bodysuit with intersecting white-and-blue lines coming down his chest from his shoulders and meeting around his waste. Draped around his shoulders was a short blue cape that flew in the wind.
This was Nordlys, the only hero Norway ever seemed to need. He flew along the country, taking care of any trouble that popped up in any corner of the country. For the last eight years, Nordlys was just as representative of Norway as Henrik Ibsen or the royal family. He drifted down and broke the man’s energy pistol in half in front of him. Then, in a blur, Nordlys picked up the villain that Tora had struggled so hard to fight, flew off, and quickly reappeared in front of her, the villain having been dropped off at a local police station.
“” he chuckled. “”
“” Tora smiled. “”
“” Nordlys said. “”
“” Tora asked.
“” Nordlys explained. “”
Tora stared at the hero in front of her in awe, not able to really say anything.
“” Nordlys finally continued. “”
Tora nodded.
“” Nordlys said. “”
“” Tora said. “”
Nordlys cleared his throat. “”
Tora sighed. “”
“”
Tora paused for a second and considered Nordlys’ offer. If she took this, she would have reached her goal. She would’ve become a hero. She would’ve made it. But she realized that she wouldn’t be becoming a hero in her own right; she’d be relying on the abilities of others more than her own. With what she had sacrificed, what had to happen just so she could get the powers she had now… It just didn’t feel right.
“” Tora finally said. “”
Nordlys nodded. “”
Tora took a deep breath. “”
“” Nordlys said. “”
Norway’s legendary protector took to the skies, leaving Tora in the middle of the park. She began to walk home, assuring herself that she made the right choice.
It took a bit longer than she had expected to get home, but no one had noticed her absence. It was a regular thing now for Tora to shut herself in her room for hours; her father and sister hadn’t seemed to realize that she wasn’t actually there. She snuck back through her bedroom window and popped down onto her bed, exhausted.
Tora pulled out her phone and opened her tab on Metamorphosis Online. Greenflame01’s post was still the one loaded; at this point, many people had suggested various breathing exercises to help her, as well as other ways to rein in her powers. Tora didn’t have much to add, but she still felt like she wanted to reach out, to give her some support in her time of need. She opened a new tab, and started drafting a direct message to the user.
She did not know how important this person would become to her as she began to type.
NEXT MONTH: Join Bea da Costa as she copes with her newfound metahuman gifts, and meets a mysterious ally that seems to know quite a bit about her condition…

Testing testing; check one two – DWT is live once again on Reddit!
Terrific, terrific stuff

Alas – promotion has remained minimal; a time away in the shadows I thought best after last weeks non-event. The missing match - Dundee Utd / st johnstone - was replayed there in midweek. A draw. So if it had been transferred - fuck all back anyhow. Not officially (which is summat I guess) - but for all intensive purposes; another whitewash. Ah no. Rest assured - I'll be making sure the asterisk is set in bold type explaining the break in flow as displayed by the progress checker spreadsheet. Regardless - the need for the fucking asterisk in the first place; unacceptable.
In between of course; a more ridiculous set of images you're very unlikely to see. Pricks aplenty making a right cunt of themselves on display by the fucking thousand. A big place the States of course - but the effort made by many to attend the event and be a proper off the chain crazy bastard, is indicative of a real issue evident. In terms of polar opposite mindsets, I've oft being fairly comfortable with accepting theres many whose opinion I cannot change. The aim mainly, to at least pry open the door of acknowledgment, make the cunt aware - and hope the journey life takes them on exposes them to more and more rational thought and has them adjust things from within (thus voluntarily spreading the good word of the more fundamental levels of common sense and decency to the other folks they do life together with). Impossible of course to keep track of the efforts made, given none of these pricks are ever seen or heard from again...hope more than anything.
Anyone or anything can have a key influence on something amazing happening of course; the best of things occur free of outside influence - beauty appearing purely based on random events clashing. Terrific of course - but often theres not time available, to be waiting on diamonds forming or whatever pish. The studying of behaviours makes discoveries; yadda yadda - 'look at what we've made by fusing these two things together'. The definitiveness of science, makes achieving new exciting stuff possible as fuck. The same ethos applied to human behaviour not quite as efficient alas; if anything the textbooks of study fattening by the month - 'oh sure - we sussed that in many occurences, these actions will suffice; but we also discovered a whole other mess of crap whilst we were doing pish related to the original problem. In essence - 5 times more work created (at a guess)'.
A seemingly infinite number of potentials therefore available to any human being; the potential for unexpected behaviour off the scale. This ball of debris has grown in size rapidly over the last 12+ months - reasons fairly obvious - but the chaos caused by a few quickly implemented laws to abide by, is a stark reminder of just how many mindsets there are out there these days. Sure it wasn't quite as simple as good v evil in times gone by - but these days, the heightening of splinter activity really seems to have gone into hyperspace. With tools to put your voice out there available for a few bangers, the oppurtunity to talk at the world, is oft too good to turn down (no exactly innocent of such behaviour myself tbf haha). Folk having outlandish opinion is nothing new of course - but with only the folk in range to spout the pish to, oft the voice got crushed quickly under the weight of apathy. Now - you can meet a cunt exactly like you from all over the place anywhere in the world (that has internet). Any activity where theres a few cunts involved, plans made - actual intent to inflict/perform/abuse....thats the properly scary stuff. One serial killer - terrible. Two serial killers working together...how, why and where did this relationship blossom? The conversation between the two turns sinister...who commits first to admitting they're a fucking mad cunt? Confusing that folk think they can just lay that shite out there and be filled with expectancy they're on their way to a fun filled life of horrendous activity. Whats happening in the world where they feel comfy enough just casually discussing jailworthy activity? Ach I don't know - the human mind. Loads of work to do yet - hoo mama.

Every week of late the mantra here has been detailing an emphasis on no nonsense - well I do believe that this weeks effort is the actual proper qualifier for this monicker. A solid combo combining the very fibre of elements that make up the DWT formula; at the very least a double seems solid. Not that I'm making do - I don't want to get into settling of course; more of an effort here to draw attention to the solidity of things. I'm of no doubt we're getting all of them trotting over the line and finally - FINALLY - denting that negative that has weighed the ship down for so so long. A smidge away from tipping over £300 - scary stuff. The sweat produced from the worry is harvested however and turned into fuel; from the energy we prosper 😎. So to wrap up - no longer at play, we gather all to say - we do things different today, lets go make some fucking hay. Reddit Running Total (RRT) currently sits at -£298.57. Ah no.

I’m not promoting it in the slightest to be put on; it's purely to be completely transparent about where the beans I'm spilling are being pushed towards – this is after all, a Life Experiment: Can a useless old arsehole prosper under strict weekly gambling conditions? Word of warning; prior to this – not really.

The sticky clarifies - but just to reiterate - here's the format...DRS20 is Dads Recommended Spend: £20. This is a lot of money granted - and I would encourage absolute apprehension if this sort of money represents life altering for you personally if zero is returned. I’m lucky enough to be able to afford to lose £20 in a week; but confess that if I got no return for say, 20 weeks in a row - I would likely be without something I value (a streaming service or summat). I don’t take it lightly. Four bets are placed with this outlay; a £5 Treble (DWT) and three £5 Doubles. Generally if two come up, the bet is covered (up or down £2 or so). My gambling prowess is pretty much a joke; so whilst I advertise, I in no way qualify them as a given. I’m a prick with plenty bollocks to spout is all. This is how I frame it.

So here it is - the one that recognises the added tension caused by last weeks non-adventure and vows to delivery action, joy and elation in equal measure:

Its DWT34

https://i.redd.it/gzyv2xxkanb61.gif

DWT REPRESENTATIVE	Opponent	Odds
NOTTINGHAM FOREST	millwall	11/8
PETERBOROUGH UNITED	milton keynes dons	5/4
SCUNTHORPE UNITED	barrow	23/10

16.63/1 we get for this selection – terrific.

Over 17's last week; over 16's this week - the lands of teen now residence of the DWT for now 2 weeks running (albeit last weeks was scrubbed from the record books owing to postponement. Ah no). Fairly apparent this one is, in the hunt up there at the front of the race and no mistake. Really could do with summat right out of the traps tbh; last weeks damp squib really deflated the figurative dinghy...chuck in the Dons being postponed not once but fucking twice - football was the source of much disdain over the last week. Still - over the rut we are; the delay soon forgotten when this cheeky number strolls home 😎

NOTTINGHAM FOREST now 6 games undefeated; the ship well and truly steadied. Home they are again; which will hopefully add emphasis to the need to bang in a few more goals, having thrust home just 1 or less in the last 5. But here - now we've a semblence of confidence; its time for flair and invention to take precedent. Its only millwall - fuck em.
PETERBOROUGH UNITED at a price that had me do a bitty more delving that perhaps necessary...but nowt tells me they'll foresee any more problems than most other weeks. Any doubt in their energy was soon chucked out the window after they laid Portsmouth to the sword midweek (5-1 for the love of fuck). victory keeps them on the edge of the auto-places; 12 goals scored in their last three home games suggests in the baggedness aplenty.
SCUNTHORPE UNITED Okay - a pretty obvious keystone this week are Scunthorpe; but hear me out - away to fellow strugglers barrow they are - very winnable. Beat them last time out in a tight affair; but they have that edge at least. Away form patchy; a defeat last time out - but after going 2-1 down in the first ten minutes, ran the game until a 93rd minute sealer. Before that a couple of 1-0's; they're at the races most the time. a wee rub of greenery and hey presto I reckon. Nowt like the presence of near foes to motivate.

So there we have it – nostalgia, hope and determination all apparent in equal measure. This time we do it right; wind in the sails – and off across the ocean in search of new worlds. A powerful pirate ship hunting high and low for treasures. Raise the fucking flag - the good ship DWT is back and ready to provide for its crew. If you play; play safe. DRS20 as always people.
Frustration at the amount won, is better than the heartache at the amount lost.
https://preview.redd.it/i5lwjtdianb61.jpg?width=630&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c4c9aa72f08f162731e31c7f25a640f147c50f4

Welcome back to year twelve of the Alabama Slammers Franchise Report! Here are the links to the previous versions if you want to catch up (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031). Go ahead and grab some popcorn, this is a long one.
We had another great season last year, followed by another disappointing playoff exit. I like where the franchise is at though. We have great fan interest/loyalty, talent at every level of the organization, and no bad contracts. We’re probably going to have to part with a few key contributors this offseason, but that’s bound to happen when you have as much talent as we do. With a few smart moves, we should push closer to a title this year.
As with the previous versions, I’ll list the moves I made, the rationale behind those moves, the season results, and the future outlook.
Here are the salaries heading into the offseason.
\Unless stated otherwise, all players were re-signed to their one-year arbitration estimate*
Departures (non-trades):
Edwin Aguirre
Aguirre spent some time in the majors last year when Romo was injured but wasn’t needed this season. He’s entering minor league free agency, and I don’t think he’s worth keeping on the 40-man, so he probably won’t be back.
Josh Berkner
Berkner got three shots in the majors and didn’t do much with his opportunities, so I decided to give someone else a chance. He spent the year in AAA.
Tim Mehler
Mehler is great defensively but just can’t cut it at the plate. He was out of options, so I let him leave as a free agent. He signed a minor league deal with the Rockies.
Move #1:
Signed Ali Sanchez to a 2/$3m extension. The second year is a team option with a $500k buyout.
This move isn’t very exciting, but don’t worry, things will heat up below.
Move #2:
Slammers Receive: Luis Godoy, $6.4m Cash
Brewers Receive: Robby Teeter, Sean Whiteman
This move kills three birds with one stone. I cashed out on Teeter while his value was still high, cleared some of the starting pitcher logjam, and added an elite power hitter. Also, the departure of Teeter allows us the ability to build a more versatile roster, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.
The Brewers are winning this trade from a straight value perspective, but I’m no longer in the business of trying to win trades. I’m trying to win championships. You can collect all the assets and value contracts in the world, but at the end of the day, you need top end talent to win at the highest level – and Godoy provides that. He has questionable character, but I should have enough leadership to counter his selfish ways.
Move #3:
Slammers Receive: Edgar Sanchez, Bryn Hill, Caleb Gunther, Omar Taborda, Tim Brackman
Athletics Receive: Chris West
West might have more potential than any pitcher in the league, but I felt the opportunity to acquire Sanchez was too great to pass up. He’s an elite defender, above average offensively, has durable injury proneness, and has great character. He could anchor the middle of my infield for the next ten years. West might win the next five Cy Youngs, but I’m betting against that considering his low work ethic and the general injury proneness of pitchers.
Then to make the deal even better, the Athletics threw in an assortment of high character minor leaguers. There might not be a single player in the bunch that makes the majors, but they’ll at least help provide a better environment for other guys.
Move #4:
Slammers Receive: Bob Banks, $3m Cash
Angels Receive: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Why am I getting rid of Tatis for a low-level minor leaguer with a 5% chance of making the majors? You’ll find out when you get to move number six.
The Angels signed Tatis to a 5/$237.5m extension about a week after the trade. I don’t see any way that deal ends well for them.
Move #5:
Slammers Receive: Alan McCarter
Rays Receive: Josh Epps, $1.1m Cash
At surface level, this trade doesn’t make much sense either, but I needed to clear Epps $10m arbitration estimate for next season. I think Epps is what he is at this point and I’m really not that worried about losing him. MacCarter is a good reliever and replaces Epps as the team prankster.
Move #6:
Signed free agent Willie Vega to a 7/$190m deal. The last year is a team option with a $2m buyout.
This is the driving force behind moves five and six. I fully intended to move on from Vega at the start of the offseason, but after looking at my roster at the start of free agency, I decided he was irreplaceable. He provides gold glove defense, above average offense, and hits from the left side of the plate, which makes balancing lineups much easier. I could’ve had him for much cheaper if I decided to commit last year but this is the price of my indecision.
His deal is heavily front loaded and should be movable if things don’t go well later in the contract.
Move #7 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3):
Slammers Receive: $13.7m Cash
Slammers Lose: Joe Stadler, Randy Macke, Nesty Luna
Nothing much to see here, just your annual “prospects for cash” trades. Macke is a solid player but was rule 5 eligible and I didn’t want to waste a 40-man roster spot on him.
Move #8:
Slammers Receive: $1m Cash
Dodgers Receive: Cooper Benson, Sam Lauderdale, Kade Grundy
This is just a salary dump. I have enough depth now there’s really no point in keeping Benson and Lauderdale around. I threw in Grundy to get some extra cash.
Final Financial Situation:
We have about $27m in budget room to start the year, so should be able to finish the season in the green, but I’ll probably trade a few more prospects to get closer to completing the owner goal of finishing with a balance of $20m. I’m also boosting ticket prices from $35 to $40, so that should help as well.
Here are the salaries heading into the season.
Season Outlook:
I’m very interested to see how this season turns out. We’ve been cruising along the past 2-3 years with the same core roster but really shook things up this offseason. I think these moves put us in a better position to win now and in the future, but there’s always the concern I’m just making moves out of boredom. Here are the five things I’m most curious about heading into the season:
1.) Can Vega provide close to what he’s provided the past few years? I didn’t give him that contract in anticipation of him becoming the next Barry Bonds, I just want him to keep doing what he’s doing. If he can do that for another three years, I’ll be happy.
2.) Is MacDonald really a top of the line starting pitcher? He was the best reliever in the league last year and his trade value is sky high. Every team I traded with this offseason valued him as my second-best asset after Chris West. His overall rating is really good, but I’m concerned about his lack of stuff and questionable stamina/hold runners combo.
3.) How does the offense perform after losing our 3-4 hitters from last season? I know I replaced one of them with Godoy, but players tend to struggle when first joining a new team, and we don’t have a second premier middle of the order bat. We’ll mostly be doing an offense by committee approach.
4.) Can Hines handle a full-time starting role? With the departure of Tatis, I’m moving Bernal to third base and starting Hines at first. He’s not a traditional first baseman but he played well last year and has an efficient ratings profile. I’ll be happy if he provides league average offense.
5.) How will the Hopper/Muntner DH platoon fare? Hopper should be an elite leadoff man vs. RHP and Muntner should be solid vs. LHP. I’m hoping Hopper can play a full season if he doesn’t have to play in the field.
If things go well, we should win another 100+ games and make a strong push at a title.
Batters:
Primary Lineup vs. RHP and vs. LHP when Healthy (\DH enabled in both leagues, lineup vs. RHP listed below)*
DH – Jeff Hopper
Other than a day-to-day injury to end the year, Hopper stayed healthy the entire season and played really well. He had an OBP of .370 and provided exactly what I wanted from the leadoff spot. He should be back in the same role next year.
3B – Ernesto Bernal
I forgot to mention above, but Bernal signed a 5/$110m in the offseason. He’s an all-star, has high character, durable injury proneness, and is in the prime of his career, so it made a lot of sense to bring him back at this price. He’s been with the organization for ten years and it would be really cool to have him around for ten more.
He moved from first to third base this season and made his third all-star team.
RF – Luis Godoy
Godoy didn’t have the type of year I expected but was still really good. He was an all-star starter and put up 5.1 WAR in just 128 games. I expect him to be much better next season after having a full year to adjust to his new team.
He missed the last month of the year with a sprained thumb, but he should be fine going forward.
LF – Marcus Flakes
Flakes isn’t the second middle of the order bat I dreamed about as a kid, but he did well in the role, hitting 41 home runs and driving in 101 runs. He still has one more year on a minimum scale deal, so he’ll definitely return.
SS – Willie Vega
Willie Vega: The Fifty Million Dollar Man – That doesn’t really sound appropriate for a guy with 4.6 WAR, but I’m actually very happy with what he did. Him and Sanchez formed an unreal middle infield defensive combo, which resulted in this (major spoilers for the pitcher section).
We’re not out of the woods yet with his contract but I think we’ll be good if he performs well again next year. At the end of next season, he’ll only have 4/$87m guaranteed remaining, which should be moveable if need be.
2B – Edgar Sanchez
I didn’t realize how much Epps was holding us back defensively until Sanchez came to town. He won his third gold glove and was a huge part of the reason we had a team ERA under 3. His offense was average, but I could see that getting much better the next few seasons.
1B – Jonathan Hines
I was hoping Hines would be a league average hitter, and he fell just short of that. I’ll upgrade in the offseason if the right player is available but I’m not going to break the bank. Not every player has to be an all-star.
CF – Joey Hudson
Hudson had a great year and is really starting to establish himself as one of the better center fielders in the league. He probably deserves to bat higher in the order next season, but I might wait for his baserunning to improve just a bit more.
C – Drew Romo
It’s been a long time coming, but Romo finally won his first gold glove. He’s been the best defensive catcher in the game for a while, but I don’t play my guys enough to easily rack up awards. I’d rather have them available for the playoffs.
He’s an upcoming free agent and his offense is falling off a cliff, but I’m probably going to bring him back. If things go poorly, I’ll replace him midseason.
Bench
C – Ali Sanchez
I don’t expect much from my backup catcher, and Sanchez doesn’t provide much, so I guess everyone was happy with the way his season turned out. I think I’m going to decline his team option and go with the guy that replaced him while he was injured.
IF – Manny Monzon
Monzon keeps the middle infield defense elite while the starters rest but doesn’t do much on offense. I might give someone else a shot next year.
OF – Josh Muntner
Muntner served as the primary DH vs. LHP and backed up left and right field against RHPs. He started in 99 games and really didn’t do much with his opportunity, so I guess I was one for two with my DH platoon experiment.
Replacements
C – Danny Wells
Wells filled in for six weeks when Sanchez was injured and didn’t do much worse than the vet. I’m probably going to let him have the backup catcher role next season.
OF – Mike Startzel
Startzel played well last year but I decided to replace him with a right-handed bat. He was called up when Godoy was injured and started the last month of the year in right field.
Pitchers:
Pitching Staff when Healthy
SP – Pat Dibartolo
Dibartolo had another great year, making his third all-star team and finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting. I would love to keep him around until he retires but his ratings have started to slip slightly, and I don’t think he’ll last too long into his thirties. I’ll bring him back for his last arbitration season, then let him walk as a free agent.
SP – Gilles Palacios
Palacios has come a long way since I traded for him in 2028. He was the all-star game starter and won his first Cy Young. I’ll look to sign him long-term in the offseason.
SP – Corey MacDonald
I wasn’t sure if MacDonald was good enough to be a top-of-the-line starter, but there’s no doubt about it now – he’s one of the top pitchers in baseball. He made his second all-star game, threw two complete game shutouts, won the pitcher of the month award in June, won the gold glove award, and finished third in the Cy Young voting. With his high character and durability, he should be a good player for a long time.
SP – Josh Sheppard
Sheppard was the fourth member of our golden pitcher quartet. He made the all-star game and finished second in the Cy Young voting.
SP – Jonathan Kelsey
Kelsey was decent but I had to demote him in June to make room for my number one prospect. He was called back up when rosters expanded and we went to a six-man rotation.
RP – Chris Ryan
I mentioned a few years ago that pitchers with Ryan’s profile never seem to reach their potential and it seems like Ryan has followed suit. He’s a solid player but nowhere near as good as his 70 potential suggested a few years back.
RP – Steve Bacon
Bacon really didn’t pitch enough to properly evaluate. We’ll probably go to an eight-man bullpen next season, and if Bacon is a member of it, we can properly evaluate him then.
RP – Alan McCarter
McCarter was really good and looks like he has the potential to be even better. Hopefully, his control rounds out next season.
RP – Danny Ibarra
Ibarra finally gave up his dream of being a starter and accepted his role in the bullpen. He posted almost identical stats as last year and I hope he does the same next season.
RP – Justus Evans
I wasn’t a big fan of Evans ratings profile but decided to give him a shot since he dominated in AAA last year. He was pretty underwhelming in limited appearances, and probably deserves another look, but he’ll be changing positions next season. Somehow, I didn’t notice he has great batting ratings, especially against lefties, so he’ll be the other half of the DH platoon I’ve been looking for. It’s too bad I disabled two-way players because it’d be nice to have him available as a pitcher in emergencies.
RP – Mike Ruhs
Ruhs is nothing special but he’s cheap and healthy, so he’ll be back next year.
RP – Joe McKinney
McKinney is my favorite kind of reliever. He has all the ratings of an elite starting pitcher, minus the stamina. He dominated for the second straight season and will be back again next year.
RP – Tommy Noonan
Noonan had an FIP of 1.98 and made his first all-star team, but somehow received zero reliever of the year votes. I really don’t see how this is possible since he’s probably the most feared pitcher in all of baseball. He strikes out half the batters he faces, and 60% of those that put the ball in play are hitting it on the ground to the Vega/Sanchez death wall. The voters need to show him some more respect next year.
RP – Glen Alcorn
I took a flier on Alcorn despite his history of back injuries and he’s paid off in a big way. He had an FIP of 1.86 and won the reliever of the year award. He wants to be a starter but there’s no way he’d survive a full season with his health issues.
Replacements
SP – Andy Schaffer
Schaffer was whitewashing AA early in the year, so I had no choice but to call him up. He pitched great in his 21 starts in the majors and might’ve given me a clean top five in the Cy Young voting if he pitched a full season.
Season Results:
We continued to put a stranglehold on the division, building a 20-game lead by the halfway point, then cruising the rest of the way. We locked up first place with 22 games remaining, making that our seventh division crown in nine years.
This year wasn’t about the regular season though. We’ve had multiple disappointing early round playoff exits the last few years and I’m hoping to break through and win our second title. We doubled down on pitching and defense and made sure to keep everyone as fresh as possible during the regular season.
Our injury prevention plan went great for the most part. We had zero pitchers and only two batters spend time on the IL, and one of those batters was a 34-year-old. Unfortunately, one of the batters to miss extended time was the one guy I could least afford to lose. Luis Godoy sprained his thumb in early September and was out through the first round of the playoffs. What luck.
Startzel started at RF in place of Godoy to start the playoffs, and Hudson moved up to the number three spot in the lineup. I’m not crazy about either of these options, but it’s the best we’ve got. We went with a playoff rotation of MacDonald, Palacios, Dibartolo, and Schaffer, and moved Sheppard and Kelsey to the bullpen. Justus and Bacon were left off the playoff roster.
Our first-round matchup was against the 90-72 Rockies. Their only real player of note was Steve Delaney, but he looks like the kind of guy that can swing a series. Then their offense was balanced and deep, with most players having 55+ home run power. We have more talent, but anything can happen at Coors..
Divisional Series Game 1, Slammers Win 4-2 – We started off strong in game one, getting a combined 15 Ks over nine innings from MacDonald, Noonan, and Alcorn. Then Flakes led the way on offense with 3 RBIs. The game was tied most of the way until his go ahead single in the bottom of the eighth.
Divisional Series Game 2, Slammers Win 9-2 – The pitching staff put together another great outing in game two, with Palacios, Alcorn, and Sheppard combining for 15 Ks over nine innings. Flakes led the way on offense with another 3 RBIs.
Divisional Series Game 3, Slammers Win 5-2 – I was worried their offense would come to life at Coors but we were able to keep them at bay and win our third straight game. This time it was Dibartolo, Noonan, and McKinney combining for a dominant pitching performance, with 13 Ks over nine innings. Everyone chipped in on offense to produce five runs.
Divisional Series Game 4, Rockies Win 8-7 (12) – I knew it was bound to happen at some point and it finally did – the Rockies offense came to life. Alcorn and McKinney both blew save opportunities and Ibarra gave up a walk-off homer in the bottom of the twelfth. Flakes continued his hot series with another 4 RBIs.
Divisional Series Game 5, Rockies Win 5-1 – The Rockies continued their offensive surge, taking MacDonald deep three times in four innings. Then Delaney gave them six innings of one run ball. The Rockies have momentum but we’re heading back home with the Cy Young winner scheduled to start game six. I think we’ll be fine.
Divisional Series Game 6, Slammers Win 8-2 – Palacios gave up a two-run shot in the first, then him, Ryan, and Kelsey combined for 13 Ks and 0 ER the rest of the way. Flakes was hot again, launching two three-run homers.
I was worried our offense would stall out without Godoy, but Flakes put the team on his back, winning series MVP behind his 5 home runs and 17 RBIs. We held serve at home and stole one on the road, with our pitching dominating in each of the wins. Godoy is set to return for game one of the NLCS, so I like our odds the rest of the way.
Our next opponent is the 100-62 Nationals. They have the second-best record in baseball and a very talented team. Their offense is led by MVP Doug Bridges and future hall of famer Juan Soto, and the pitching staff features stud starters Clay McAuley and Fabricio Tertlio. This looks like the de facto title series.
NLCS Game 1, Slammers Win 7-3 – Godoy made up for lost time in game one, going 3-5 with two homers and 4 RBIs. Then the pitching was solid with great performances from the usual suspects. Dibartolo, Noonan, and Alcorn combined for 11 Ks and 3 ERs over nine innings.
NLCS Game 2, Slammers Win 3-1 – Schaffer pitched a gem, giving us seven innings and only allowing one run. Then McKinney came in and closed it down with a two inning save. Godoy hit another homer, while Romo and Hines both had run scoring singles.
NLCS Game 3, Slammers Win 3-2 (14) – Whew, what a game. MacDonald and McAuley both went 6.1 innings and gave up two runs, with the last of those coming in the bottom of the seventh. Then no one scored again until the top of the fourteenth when Sanchez hit a go-ahead solo homer. Noonan, Alcorn, McKinney, and Ibarra combined for 7.2 scoreless innings in relief and Godoy hit another two-run homer.
NLCS Game 4, Slammers Win 7-2 – This one was over early. We knocked out their starter in the first and cruised the rest of the way. Palacios and Sheppard combined for 9 innings and 2 ERs, and everyone chipped in on offense.
We made a huge statement with this series. The Nationals thought they were on the same level as us, but we eviscerated them. Godoy won series MVP with his four home runs and eight RBIs.
Up next is the 93-69 Red Sox, led by veteran starting pitcher Nate Pearson. They have a deep and balanced team, but nothing that should give us too many issues. We made a key trade with them last year that netted us Alcorn and Ibarra, while sending out Chang-Hyeok Kim. I bet they wish they could undo that one.
World Series Game 1, Slammers Win 3-2 – Game one was a pitching duel between Pearson and Dibartolo, with Dibartolo coming out on top. Dibartolo, Noonan, and Alcorn combined for 14 Ks and 2 ERs over nine innings. Hopper hit a two-run home run and Godoy continued his hot streak with another solo shot.
World Series Game 2, Slammers Win 6-2 – The pitching came through again with Schaffer, McKinney, and Ruhs combing for 10 Ks and 2 ERs in nine innings. Things are looking good after two games.
World Series Game 3, Red Sox Win 10-8 – Some people say a series doesn’t start until the road team wins a game, so maybe we’re still waiting for this one to kick off. The Red Sox roughed up our pitchers and we lost a shootout late.
World Series Game 4, Slammers Win 7-2 – The pitching got back on track in game four with Palacios and Ryan teaming up to allow 2 ERs over nine innings. Flakes had four hits and Bernal drove in three runs.
World Series Game 5, Red Sox Win 7-5 – Godoy had a huge game, going 3-3 with 2 home runs, a triple, 2 walks, 4 RBIs, and 2 runs scored, but it wasn’t enough for the victory. The Red Sox got to Dibartolo early and we could never climb back. We’re heading back home and looking to close out the series in game six.
World Series Game 6, Slammers Win 11-4 – We scored early and often and took game six in convincing fashion. Godoy provided another 3 RBIs and Schaffer did enough to win. Noonan and Kelsey closed out the last three innings.
After five long years we’re World Series champs once again! Godoy had another huge series and won World Series MVP, capping off an amazing postseason run (seriously, check this out).
This wasn’t as action packed as our 2027 title run, but I enjoyed it just as much. It was very satisfying watching our pitching and defense squeeze the life out of teams. We had a team ERA of 3.32 over 16 games, which is pretty impressive considering we were playing the best teams in the league. The starters were all excellent and the bullpen was lights out. I bet other teams got tired of seeing “Slammers SP – 6.2 IP, 2 ER; Slammers RP 1 – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, Slammers RP 2 – 1 IP 0 ER.” It was like clockwork.
Noonan, Alcorn, and McKinney were particularly impressive. Noonan had an FIP of 0.62 in seven appearances and struck out 23 of the 43 batters he faced. McKinney had an FIP of 0.95 in 9.2 innings and only allowed 6 baserunners. Then Alcorn allowed zero runs in five of his seven appearances. I don’t think I would swap these guys for any other relievers in the league.
From everything I’ve written above, it’s pretty obvious that we won this championship with pitching and defense, so I think it’s worth mentioning Vega’s contract again. $50m for 4.6 WAR is terrible value but it’s not always about that. It’s about getting the right players for your team, regardless of how valuable their contracts are. It’s really easy to get caught up in trying to win the $/WAR game, but they don’t give out championships for that – they only give out World Series titles.
Here are the rest of the playoff results and MLB standings.
Also, I usually don’t mention minor league records since I don’t think they’re overly important, but we had all of our minor league teams finish with a winning record this season. Good job everyone!
Top Prospects:
We’ve turned in to a starting pitching factory. I can’t get guys to free agency quick enough to make room for the new guys coming up. This is a good problem to have, but I wish I could do as well with developing batters. It just seems so much harder to identify top position players outside of the top ten in the draft, and I can’t develop them as well either. Either way though, the farm is in great shape and should continue to be for years to come.
1.) Eddie Copping
Copping might not have the highest upside on the list but he’s the safest bet to make the majors. He had a great year in AA, winning pitcher of the year, and his ratings are pretty much major league ready. He’ll probably start next year at AAA since I have a logjam of starting pitchers.
2.) Chris Dearborn
Dearborn has great character, durability, and ratings across the board. He had a good year in A- and will contend for Cy Young awards one day if he reaches his full potential.
3.) Alex Rivera
Rivera’s offensive potential has regressed since last year, but his defensive ratings improved. He struggled in A, so will repeat the level next year. Hopefully, I didn’t cause any permanent damage to his development by promoting him too early.
4.) Jose Gutierrez
Gutierrez had a monster year in rookie ball and saw his ratings progress nicely since last season. If his catcher ability can make it to 65-70, he’ll be my starting catcher one day.
5.) Chris Brown
Brown was my first-round selection in this year’s draft. He has below average stamina and hold runners, but all of his other potential ratings are elite. He performed well in rookie ball, but I might give him another year there to improve his control.
6.) Chris Larkin
Larkin continued his steady ascent through the system, posting a good year in A+ and seeing his ratings improve since last season. He’ll start next year in AA and should be ready for the majors sooner than later.
7.) Edwin Mireles
Mireles had a solid year in A+ but missed a lot of time to injury. He’ll start next season in AA, but I won’t hesitate to trade him if the right deal comes along.
Here are his ratings from last season.
8.) Bobby Butler
I still don’t trust Butler and his normal injury proneness, but his talent is undeniable. His ratings have improved across the board since last season and he looks ready for promotion to AA. Like Mireles, I’ll trade him if the right deal comes along.
9.) Luis Arguello
If you’ve been paying close attention, you might’ve noticed Arguello is the fourth starting pitcher in the top nine from the 2030 draft. He doesn’t have the same upside as the other guys but he’s a pretty safe bet to be a back of the rotation starter, and if his movement improves, he could be elite. He’ll start next season at A+.
10.) Josh McBride
McBride’s skills have rounded out since last year and he looks ready for the majors. I doubt he’ll ever be a star, but there’s definitely value in a guy that can competently play eight positions.
Honorable mentions:
Joe Poffenberger
Poffenberger looks like the real deal but I’m always skeptical of guys with normal injury proneness and no positive character attributes. He’ll start next season at A, and we’ll find out more about him there.
Omar Taborda
I would’ve been foaming at the mouth to get Taborda in the starting lineup a few years ago but Vega and Sanchez have the middle infield on lock for the next several seasons. He might replace Monzon as the utility infielder next year, but it probably makes more sense to trade him while his value is highest.
Steve Flores
Flores made the list two years ago due to a lack of better options, but I think he’s a legitimate prospect now. He might not ever bat his weight, but he could be one of the greatest defensive shortstops of all time. I’m hoping his high character allows his offensive skills to improve the next few years.
Ray Zaragoza
I had every intention of trading Zaragoza after his season ending injury last year but there really wasn’t much interest in him. Unfortunately, he suffered another season ending injury in his first game back this year, so I doubt there will be any more interest in him now. I think I’m going to force start him as a reliever so he has a chance to make the majors in some capacity.
Promoted to MLB:
Andy Schaffer
Dropped from list:
Josh Boston
So, a low character guy is fizzling out, guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Here are his ratings from last year.
Future Outlook:
We’re in amazing position going forward. We just won the World Series, have the top four Cy Young award vote getters, have the ability to bring back everyone, and could probably even bring in another MVP caliber player. Then for good measure, we also have a great farm system. The rest of division is looking up in awe.
So, where do we go from here? It’s really fun racking up championships but it can get kind of boring after a while. I know I don’t have enough titles to be complaining about boredom yet, but we look like we’re trending in that direction. I’m thinking about making some league wide adjustments to shake things up. Here are the changes I’m considering this offseason:
1.) Re-align the Divisions
I loved the rivalry with the Braves when I first started the franchise, but we’ve kind of got our foot on their necks at the moment, and I don’t see them getting back up anytime soon. We’ve established such a strong position in the division it’s almost impossible for them to make the playoffs, and with every passing year their fan interest/loyalty gets worse and the gap between us and them only grows larger. The Cardinals are in a similar situation, and the Marlins might as well be a minor league team.
I’m thinking about re-aligning the divisions based on winning percentages from the last twelve years, putting the top four teams in one division, the next four teams in another, and so on. This would give teams like the Marlins a chance to make the playoffs and make it where teams like ours can’t put a long-term strangle hold on a division. I could re-align every ten years or so to make sure no one gets too strong of a position.
2.) Expand the Playoffs
This is the simplest change I could make but the one I like least. We currently have 32 teams in the league and eight of them make the playoffs, so it really feels like an accomplishment to make it and the playoff bracket sets up perfectly. If we added two wildcards to each division, we’d need to give two teams in each conference a bye, which isn’t somethings I’m crazy about doing. Then if we added four wildcards, or let the top two from each division qualify, it would really diminish the regular season. I seriously doubt I go this route.
3.) Eliminate Divisions
This is an appealing option, but I’ve had issues with it in the past. Basically, it becomes too easy to make the playoffs because you don’t have to worry about a juggernaut appearing in your division. If there’s a 110-win team in the league, who cares, you’ll still make the playoffs with 100 wins, so you can really let off the gas during the regular season. I might give it another try though.
4.) Expand the League
This is mostly a temporary solution, but it could make things more difficult in the short term. I have way too many players to protect in an expansion draft, so would definitely lose some depth. I might do this along with re-alignment, but it’s not a permanent balancing solution.
5.) Add Promotion and Relegation
I think this is the best route to giving everyone a chance at winning but it would require some pretty radical changes to the league. Here are some of the things I would have to figure out: Who starts out in the lower league? Do I introduce expansion teams at the same time? How many teams make the playoffs? How many teams are promoted/relegated each year? How do I do the financials? Then there are probably another thirty things I haven’t thought of yet. This is probably what I should do, but I don’t know if I’m ready to make that leap yet.
Here is the budget and salaries heading into the offseason.

Welcome back to year eleven of the Alabama Slammers Franchise Report! Here are the links to the previous versions if you want to catch up (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030).
The Slammers just wrapped up their first decade of existence and are starting to establish themselves as a top franchise. We had our best regular season in franchise history last year and should bring back most of the team this season, so I anticipate another strong run.
As with the previous versions, I’ll list the moves I made, the rationale behind those moves, the season results, and the future outlook.
Here are the salaries heading into the offseason.
\Unless stated otherwise, all players were re-signed to their one-year arbitration estimate*
Departures (non-trades):
Taylor Guilbeau
It looks like I was right to decline Guilbeau’s team option. He spent the year in AA and retired at the end.
Ludwin Jimenez
Jimenez was a pretty disappointing free agent signing. He bounced back and forth between the majors and minors and never really did anything of note. He was still arbitration eligible, but I withdrew his offer.
Connor Jones
I declined Jones team option and he signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh. He retired after the season.
Jeisson Rosario
Rosario had been with the franchise since day one, but I decided to let him leave in free agency. He played well this year but was never given an opportunity to be a full-time starter.
Oscar Trevino
Trevino is still with the organization but spent the year in the minors. He probably won’t get another shot unless we have a lot of injuries.
Move #1:
Hired a new scout.
I upgrade my scout anytime I can, even if it’s an incremental upgrade. Fortunately, my assistant GM’s contract was expiring, so I was able to move my old scout there.
Move #2:
Slammers Receive: Danny Ibarra, Glen Alcorn, $1.9m Cash
Red Sox Receive: Chang-hyeok Kim, Ramon Gallardo
This is pretty much two separate trades: Ibarra for Kim, and Alcorn for Gallardo. Kim is better than Ibarra at the moment, but I don’t think that will be the case in two years. Factor in the contract, and this is an easy decision. Then the Alcorn and Gallardo part is a challenge trade of fragile pitchers. Alcorn’s history of back injuries is frightening but I’m more willing to take a risk on a fragile reliever than a starter, and Gallardo probably wouldn’t even cut it in the majors if healthy.
Move #3 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3):
Slammers Receive: $23m Cash
Slammers Lose: Mike Marrone, Jose Vela, Bobby Batres
Money is getting tight, and the owner expects to have an ending balance of $20m at the end of the year, so I decided to sell off some prospects. I don’t think any of these guys have an MLB future.
Move #4:
Slammers Receive: Jonathan Kelsey, $700k Cash
Nationals Receive: Hunter Mink, Rawley Hector, Sam Bianco
I really don’t like this deal, but I had to clear some salary, and we have a logjam of starting pitchers. Kelsey has the potential to be really good but probably needs another year of seasoning at AAA. He’ll be available as an injury replacement and could get called up when rosters expand.
Move #5:
Slammers Receive: Jeff Hopper, Marcus Flakes
Yankees Receive: Josh Langdon, Dan Brown, Adrian Arreola, Joan Baez
I think this is going to go down as the best trade I ever make. Hopper looks like an elite leadoff man and Flakes is a switch-hitting smasher with great character and durability. I could see them combing for 8 WAR this season. They’re both rookies, so I’ll have them for many years.
As for what I’m giving up, I don’t think any of these players have an MLB future. Langdon and Arreola’s trade values were sky high around the league, so maybe the AI GMs know something I don’t, but I’m not too concerned about giving up fragile and low character players.
Move #6:
Slammers Receive: Steve Bacon, $2m Cash
Rockies Receive: Sean Neuendorf
The Rockies are getting the better player in the deal, but I wanted to move Neuendorf before his arm fell off. Bacon should be a solid reliever in a year or two.
Move #7:
Signed free agent Drew Romo to a 2/$10m deal. The second year is a team option with a $1m buyout.
Romo is the best defender in the game, so I gave him what he wanted in free agency. I probably could have gotten him cheaper but he’s the most irreplaceable player on the roster.
Final Financial Situation:
We have about $40m in budget room to start the year, so can do pretty much anything we want, but I’m going to try to keep enough space to complete the owner goal of having a final balance of $20m+.
Here are the salaries heading into the season.
Season Outlook:
I think this is the best team I’ve built yet. The pitching and defense should be excellent as usual, and I think the offense will really take off. We have two high OBP guys at the top, an all-world hitter in the three hole, two big boppers in the four and five spots, then solid guys to round out the rest of the lineup. We should have one of the better offenses in the league.
We’re also changing from a nine to an eight-man bullpen. The rotation is really good, so they should soak up more innings than previous seasons, and the bullpen is mostly full of durable players.
If things go right, I think we can have another 100+ win season and make a strong run at a title.
Move #8:
Slammers Receive: Alex Rivera
Indians Receive: Andrew McGee
I love this trade. McGee’s health scares me, so he was getting traded no matter what, but I didn’t expect to get a player this good in return. Rivera is the total package: good defense, good offense, great character, great baserunning, durable injury proneness, and a switch-hitter. If Rivera’s potential is real, and he stay’s healthy, he’ll be a 6 WAR player one day.
Batters:
Primary Lineup vs. RHP when Healthy (\DH enabled in both leagues)*
LF – Jeff Hopper
I might’ve gotten a bit too excited when I said Hopper and Flakes could combine for 8 WAR this year, but I’m not ruling it out in the future. Hopper spent a lot of time injured but was good when healthy. Hopefully, he can remain on the field next year.
1B – Ernesto Bernal
Bernal is entering his last arbitration year and playing the best baseball of his career. He made his second all-star team and was 2 points away from winning the batting average crown. I have the means to bring him back, so will look to sign him long term this offseason.
3B – Fernando Tatis Jr.
I should probably go ahead and trade Tatis. He missed another six weeks to injury, his ratings have started to slip slightly, and I won’t get a compensation pick when he leaves in free agency. But even with all that, I’m probably going to keep him. I don’t have a clear path to replacing his production and I have an excess of assets. I’d rather improve my title chances by 2% next year than have another 50-potential AA player.
DH – Robby Teeter
Teeter is also starting to struggle with injuries, so I will move him if the right deal comes along. Unlike Tatis, I think I can replace Teeter’s production. There are a lot of guys that can hit and don’t play defense.
RF – Marcus Flakes
Flakes was solid and will be back next year. I expect him to be better in his second season.
SS – Willie Vega
Vega had his best offensive season yet, winning the platinum stick award at short stop, and continues to play elite defense. He had a great six years with us but I’m going to let him walk as a free agent. He wants 10/$200m to re-sign, has no positive character attributes, and is getting close to the age when players start regressing.
I acquired him from the Braves in 2026 and I think both teams fared well in the deal. Pat Leveille has been a really good player for them.
2B – Josh Epps
I shifted around the depth charts to minimize Epps appearances against right handers and it seems to have really helped. I’ll probably do the same next year
C – Drew Romo
Romo has missed a lot of time to injury in two of the last three years. I usually move players like that, but his defense is irreplaceable. I’ll pick up his team option for next season.
CF – Joey Hudson
Hudson had a good second season and continues to solidify himself as the greatest center fielder in Slammers history. Obviously, the bar isn’t very high for that distinction, but it sounds nice. His ratings have improved since last year and if he continues to get better, he might make a great leadoff man one day.
Bench
C – Ali Sanchez
There’s not much to say about Sanchez. He provides great defense and minimal offense, which is exactly what I want from this position. He’ll be back next year.
IF – Manny Monzon
Monzon really struggled at the beginning of the year but figured things out by the end of the season. With the departure of Vega, he’ll probably be my starting short stop next season.
OF – Mike Startzel
I love what Startzel provides. He’s a solid fourth outfielder that plays good defense and hits above average. Unfortunately, he thinks he’s a starter now. We’ll see how that affects his performance next year.
OF – Tim Mehler
Mehler was bad at the plate but did exactly what I wanted. He provided excellent backup defense at all three outfield positions and started against lefties, allowing my left-handed outfielders to feast on righties and boost their confidence.
Replacements
IF – Josh Berkner
Berkner started at third base for eight weeks when Tatis was injured and another six weeks when Teeter went down and Tatis slid to DH. Somehow, he won a gold glove even though he only played in 86 games.
IF – Jonathan Hines
The fact that I have guys like Hines buried in the minors shows how far we’ve come as a franchise. He would’ve been my number three hitter ten years ago.
C – Edwin Aguirre
Aguirre filled in while Romo was injured and pretty much only played defense. There were some games I should’ve used my DH on him instead of the pitcher.
Pitchers:
Pitching Staff when Healthy
SP – Pat Dibartolo
Dibartolo had another great year and will probably be back for his last two arbitration seasons. It’s too bad he doesn’t have high work ethic or intelligence to keep him going into his mid-thirties. I’d love to keep him around for a while since he’s a fan favorite.
SP – Gilles Palacios
It was a great decision to trade for Palacios four years ago. He’s a captain, has iron man durability, and has the perfect ratings profile for my system. He’s had three excellent seasons and I have him for two more arbitration years. I’ll try to lock him up long term next season.
SP – Chris West
West started off the year dominant. He was on pace for nine WAR and the early Cy Young favorite but cooled off later in the season. He was my best pitcher and will return next year.
SP – Josh Sheppard
Sheppard had a really good season, winning sixteen games and the pitcher of the month award for August. He’s pretty old for a second-year player but that actually works out well for me. I’ll have team control for his entire prime.
SP – Sean Whiteman
Whiteman had a good year, but he’s had too many injuries for my tastes. We have a starting pitcher logjam and he’ll probably be the first one out.
RP – Sam Lauderdale
Lauderdale had another solid year but it’s probably time to move on. He’s on the wrong side of 30 and has no positive character attributes.
RP – Danny Ibarra
This might be the most ridiculous instance I’ve ever seen of a guy wanting to start that has no business doing so. Ibarra is an excellent reliever, but I have no clue how he’d survive as a starter. Hopefully, he changes his expectation next season.
RP – Chris Ryan
Ryan had another solid year and made his first all-star team. With his durability and character, I imagine he’ll be around for a long time.
RP – Tommy Noonan
Noonan cooled off a bit from last year, but that was bound to happen since he didn’t give up a run last season. Hopefully, his control rounds out. He’ll be the best reliever in the game if it does.
RP – Mike Ruhs
Ruhs didn’t have a great year but his ratings suggest he’ll be fine going forward. He’ll be back next season.
RP – Joe McKinney
In his second season McKinney has established himself as one of the best relievers in the game. He had an FIP of 2.11 and finished third in the reliever of the year voting.
RP – Cooper Benson
I’ve kept Benson around for starting pitching depth, but we’ve developed so many other guys I can probably part ways with him this offseason.
RP – Corey MacDonald
I was hesitant to put MacDonald in the starting rotation due to his lack of a third 50+ rated pitch but he’s developed that now and it’s time for him to start. He’ll be in the rotation next season.
He was the top all-star vote getter at reliever and won reliever of the year.
Replacements
SP – Jonathan Kelsey
Kelsey filled in as an injury replacement multiple times and joined the rotation full-time when we went to a six-man rotation after rosters expanded. I love his character, durability, and ratings profile, so he’ll probably be a member of the rotation on opening day next year.
RP – Glen Alcorn
Alcorn has unreal potential, but his injuries are frightening. He’s racked up about two years of back injuries in four seasons. At the time of writing this he’s been upgraded to the number 26 prospect in baseball and is a fan favorite, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of value he has around the league. If no one wants him, I’ll keep him around to boost fan interest.
RP – Steve Bacon
Bacon was called up when Alcorn suffered his most recent injury and will probably have a full-time bullpen role next year.
Season Results:
We’re starting to put a stranglehold on the division. We were 40-20 our first 60 games and bludgeoning everyone in our path. A few injuries slowed us down during the middle of the season, but the closest the Braves could get was five games back. When we started to get healthy, we steamrolled again and clinched the division with 15 games remaining.
Our pitching has always been good, but we took it to another level this year. We had a team ERA of 3.32 and led the league in almost every pitching and defensive category. We have so many good pitchers I don’t even know what to do with all of them.
Then on offense, we’ve moved past the “staying alive” phase. We had the fourth best offense in the NL. My only complaint is our lack of home runs. If we can improve that we’ll have the best offense in baseball.
Considering our record and depth of talent we were the clear favorites heading into the playoffs. Everyone was healthy to start the postseason and I went with a rotation of Sheppard, West, Dibartolo, and Palacios.
Our first-round opponent was the 85-78 Reds. Their pitching was lacking, but they more than made up for it with their potent offense. Their lineup featured MVP Ben Bovain and MVP runner-up Melvin Munoz.
We kept every game close, and only lost the series 4-2, but this was one of the most demoralizing defeats I’ve ever suffered. We lost games three and four on walk off homers in the bottom of the ninth, and games one and six on go-ahead homers in the top of the eighth. MacDonald blew two saves, Mckinney blew one, and Ibarra blew another. Those were the first, third, and fifth place finishers, respectively, in the reliever of the year voting. So much for having a dominant bullpen.
Here are the rest of the playoff results and MLB standings.
Top Prospects:
The farm system took a bit of a hit last year due to seven guys being promoted but we’ve restocked the cupboards and have a loaded farm once again.
1.) Andy Schaffer
Schaffer has improved across the board since last year and remains at the number one spot. His sinker went from non-existent in 2029, to his best pitch now, which is nice for a groundball pitcher. He had a good year in A+ and will begin next season in AA but might force his way into the majors sooner than later.
2.) Eddie Copping
Copping has improved a lot since last season and had a great year in A. He looks like a lock for the majors in a few years.
3.) Chris Dearborn
It’s looking like the decision to take Dearborn in the fifth-round last year and give him a $10m signing bonus was a good one. He’s the 67th rated prospect in baseball and looks like a safe bet to make the majors. I’ve never had a starter with three pitches and no fastball make it, but I don’t see why it can’t be done. He’ll begin next season at A-.
4.) Alex Rivera
I picked up Rivera in the Andrew McGee trade and he’s the same player now as he was then, which is a good thing. He’ll start next year at A-.
5.) Edwin Mireles
Mireles has lost some of his power potential since last season, but the rest of his skills have come along nicely. He’ll begin next season at A+.
6.) Bobby Butler
Butler has all the skills needed to be a top-of-the-line starter but I’m not getting too excited about a pitcher without durable injury proneness. He’ll start next season at A+.
Here are his ratings from last year.
7.) Josh McBride
McBride picked up experience at a lot of different positions this year and performed well at the plate. I think he’s ready for the majors, but I’ll give him a year at AAA to round out his skills.
8.) Jose Gutierrez
I’m really excited about Gutierrez. He has high character, durable injury proneness, and the potential to be above average offensively and defensively. He looks ready for a promotion but I‘ll give him another year in rookie ball since he’s so young.
9.) Josh Boston
Boston’s offensive potential has slipped since last year, but he still looks like he’ll be a useful player. A catcher with his defense that can hit is a rare find. He’ll begin next year at A.
10.) Chris Larkin
I’m not completely sold on Larkin, but he was the best talent on the board when I picked in the first round this year. He had a good year in rookie ball and will begin next season at A+.
Honorable mentions:
Josh Snellgrove
Snellgrove is pretty much the exact same player as last year. I’m not out on him but I don’t think he’ll be anything more than a backup.
Ray Zaragoza
Zaragoza was my international amateur free agent signing this year. He has a lot of potential but will be traded as soon as he’s healthy. I’m not taking a risk on a normal injury proneness pitcher that’s already suffered a long injury.
Dropped from list:
Steve Flores
Flores only made the list last year due to a lack of better options. He might make the majors as an injury replacement, but I doubt he ever hits well enough to be a full-time starter.
Dave Codes
Here’s the return of the international amateur free agent that loses all of his talent in two years.
Here are his ratings from last season.
Future Outlook:
It’s easy to get frustrated about multiple early round playoff exits, especially since I’ve averaged 105 wins the last five seasons, but it’s not time to press the panic button. We’ve made the playoffs six times and won the World series once. If you assume everyone that makes the playoffs has an equal shot of winning it all, we’re still ahead of schedule.
I do think there are some things we can do to improve our playoff success going forward. We have a deep and talented team, but we’re lacking top-end talent. We need that pitcher that guarantees you two wins every series, or a guy like Bovain that can’t be stopped at the plate. I’m not sure how we’re going to acquire those players, but that will be my future focus.
One potential avenue to acquiring one of those guys could be to consolidate some of my starting pitchers. We used a six-man rotation after rosters expanded and all six of those guys are solid starters. Then we also have MacDonald who probably needs to move out of the bullpen and Schaffer who’s going to be ready for the majors sooner than later. It’ll be tough to decide who to keep but this is a good problem to have.
Our fan interest and budget both increased at the start of the offseason, which is very exciting news. We’ve shown that we can compete with the big boys with a fraction of their resources. If they let us get a $300m budget, it’s game over.
Here is the budget and salaries heading into the offseason.

Los Angeles Rams (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)
The 2020 Philadelphia Eagles season didn’t have the start they were looking for week 1 as they opened the season without their starting LT, RT, RG, RB, DT and WR and struggled against the Washington Football team to open their season with a loss. Luckily they will get two of those starters back this week in running back Miles Sanders and RT Lane Johnson. Both will be welcome additions as the Eagles struggled to block anyone against the Football Team both on the line and from the running back position. Additionally, getting a running game going will greatly help slow the pass rush which will be impressive as the Rams posted one of the best pressure rates last week led by All-Pro Aaron Donald. Hopefully Doug Pederson learns from his mistakes of last week and gets Carson moving with some designed rollouts and mixes up his play-calling more to establish the run. If Doug tries to do the same thing as last week it will be a long day for Carson and Donald will feast. On the other side of the ball, Schwartz had Slay follow McLaurin last week and it worked as Slay shut McLaurin down, but that is more difficult this week as the Rams have two talented receivers in Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. The Eagles will need to see how Maddox holds up on the outside with a bigger challenge this week. With the struggles of the Eagles offense and their injuries on that side of the ball, the Eagles will need their defenses to limit the quick scoring Rams offense or it will be a long day. Should be a good test for the Eagles to rebound after falling flat out of the gate last week. Go Birds!

Los Angeles Rams (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)

The 2020 Philadelphia Eagles season didn’t have the start they were looking for week 1 as they opened the season without their starting LT, RT, RG, RB, DT and WR and struggled against the Washington Football team to open their season with a loss. Luckily they will get two of those starters back this week in running back Miles Sanders and RT Lane Johnson. Both will be welcome additions as the Eagles struggled to block anyone against the Football Team both on the line and from the running back position. Additionally, getting a running game going will greatly help slow the pass rush which will be impressive as the Rams posted one of the best pressure rates last week led by All-Pro Aaron Donald. Hopefully Doug Pederson learns from his mistakes of last week and gets Carson moving with some designed rollouts and mixes up his play-calling more to establish the run. If Doug tries to do the same thing as last week it will be a long day for Carson and Donald will feast. On the other side of the ball, Schwartz had Slay follow McLaurin last week and it worked as Slay shut McLaurin down, but that is more difficult this week as the Rams have two talented receivers in Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. The Eagles will need to see how Maddox holds up on the outside with a bigger challenge this week. With the struggles of the Eagles offense and their injuries on that side of the ball, the Eagles will need their defenses to limit the quick scoring Rams offense or it will be a long day. Should be a good test for the Eagles to rebound after falling flat out of the gate last week. Go Birds!

General Information
Posting Rules and Guidelines
Remember to [join us on Discord]https://discord.gg/HwwBbM3) during the game!
New to the Eagles? Take a look at our New Fan Page!
Score Prediction Contest

Date
Sunday, September 20th, 2020

Game Time	Game Location
1:00 PM - Eastern	Lincoln Financial Field
12:00 PM - Central	1020 Pattison Ave
11:00 AM - Mountain	Philadelphia, PA 19148
10L00 AM - Pacific	Wikipedia - Map

Weather Forecast
Stadium Type: Open Air
Surface: Grass
Temperature: 62°F
Feels Like: 62°F
Forecast: Clear. Clear throughout the day.
Chance of Precipitation: 0%
Cloud Coverage: 0%
Wind: Northeast 10 MPH

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite/Opening Line: Even
OveUnder: 45.5
Record VS. Spread: Philadelphia 0-1, Los Angeles 0-1

Where to Watch on TV
FOX will broadcast Monday’s game to a national audience. Kevin Kugler will handle the play-by-play duties and Chris Spielman will provide analysis. Laura Okmin will report from the sideline.
TV Map - Week 2 TV Coverage Map

Radio Streams
List of Eagles Radio network member stations with internet broadcast availability
Radio.com 94.1 Desktop Streaming

Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	WIP-FM	94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA	WCTO-FM	96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey	WENJ-FM	97.3 FM
Levittown, PA	WBCB-AM	1490 AM
Northumberland, PA	WEGH-FM	107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA	WPPA-AM	1360 AM
Reading, PA	WEEU-AM	830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA	WEJL-FM	96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WEJL-AM	630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WBAX-AM	1240 AM
Williamsport, PA	WBZD-FM	93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE	WDEL-FM/AM	101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA	WSOX-FM	96.1 FM

Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	LA MEGA	105.7 FM
Allentown, PA	WSAN	1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ	WIBG	1020 AM; 101.3 FM

Rams Radio
Rams Radio J.B. Long will handle the play-by-play duties and former pro bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew will provide analysis. D'Marco Farr will report from the sidelines.

National Radio
N/A

Satellite Radio

Station	Eagles Channel	Rams Channel
Sirius Radio	SIRI 98 (Streaming 825)	SIRI 156 (Streaming 818)
XM Radio	XM 231 (Streaming 825)	(Streaming 818)
Sirius XM Radio	SXM 231 (Streaming 825)	SXM 386 (Streaming 818)

Eagles Social Media	Rams Social Media
Website	Website
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	Twitter
Instagram	Instagram
Snapchat: Eagles	Snapchat: snaptherams

NFC East Standings

NFC EAST	Record	PCT	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Net Pts	Streak
Football Team	1-0	1.000	1-0	0-0	1-0	1-0	27	17	+10	1W
Eagles	0-1	.000	0-0	0-1	0-1	0-1	17	27	-10	1L
Cowboys	0-1	.000	0-0	0-1	0-0	0-1	17	20	-3	1L
Giants	0-1	.000	0-1	0-0	0-0	0-0	16	26	-10	1L

Series Information
The Philadelphia Eagles lead the Los Angeles Rams (Philadelphia Eagles lead series, 22-19-1)
Series History
Head to Head Box Scores
First Game Played
September 21, 1937 at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, PA. Cleveland Rams 21 Philadelphia Eagles 3
Points Leader
Philadelphia Eagles lead the Los Angeles Rams (843-842)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 2-0 against the Rams
Sean McVay: 0-2 against Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Doug Pederson vs Sean McVay: Pederson leads 2-0
Quarterback Record
Carson Wentz: Against Rams: 1-0
Jared Goff: Against Eagles: 0-2
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Carson Wentz vs Jared Goff: Wentz leads 1-0
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Eagles lead Rams: 2-0
Record @ Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Rams lead Eagles 5-4-1

Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 21 - Rams No. 09
Record
Eagles: 0-1
Rams: 1-0
Last Meeting
Sunday, December 12th, 2018
Eagles 30 - Rams 23
Nick Foles filled in for the injured Carson Wentz, taking up his spot under center after three months without game action. Foles promptly recaptured the magic, passing for 270 yards and confidently leading the Eagles to a 30-23 win over the Rams on Sunday night with plenty of help from his defense and his playmakers. Foles got plenty of help from his running game as Wendell Smallwood rushed for two touchdowns and rookie Josh Adams ran for another score as the Eagles (7-7) kept their playoff hopes quite viable with a gritty victory over the Rams (11-3), who lost consecutive regular-season games for the first time in coach Sean McVay's tenure.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap
Last Meeting at Site
Sunday December 10th, 2017
Eagles 43 - Rams 35
Carson Wentz threw for 291 yards and four touchdowns before leaving with a knee injury and Jake Elliott kicked the go-ahead 33-yard field goal with 3:45 left for the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the Los Angeles Rams 43-35 in a thriller Sunday to clinch the NFC East title.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Winner	Loser	Score
12/16/18	Eagles	Rams	30-23
12/10/17	Eagles	Rams	43-35
10/05/14	Eagles	Rams	34-28
09/11/11	Eagles	Rams	31-13
09/07/08	Eagles	Rams	38-3
12/18/05	Eagles	Rams	17-16
12/27/04	Rams	Eagles	20-7
12/01/02	Eagles	Rams	10-3
01/27/02	Rams	Eagles	29-24
09/09/01	Rams	Eagles	20-17

Injury Reports	Depth Charts
Eagles	Eagles
Rams	Rams

2020 “Expert” Picks
Week 2 - "Expert" Picks

2020 Team Stats
Eagles Season Stats
Rams Season Stats

2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

Passing

Name	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	RAT
Wentz	34	42	57.1%	270	2	3	72.5
Goff	20	31	64.5%	275	0	1	79.4

Rushing

Name	ATT	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Scott	9	35	35	3.9	0
Brown	18	79	79.9	4.4	2

Receiving

Name	REC	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Goedert	8	101	101	12.6	1
Woods	6	105	105.0	17.5	0

Sacks

Name	Sacks	Team Total
Sweat	1	3
Donald/Floyd/Brockers	1.0	3

Tackles

Name	Total	Solo	Assist	Sacks
Gerry	10	5	5	0.0
Fuller	8	5	3	0.0

Interceptions

Name	Ints	Team Total
N/A	0	0
N/A	0	0

Punting

Name	ATT	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	IN 20	TB	BP
Johnston	5	268	62	53.6	50.2	3	0	0
Hekker	3	142	58	47.3	40.7	2	0	0

Kicking

Name	ATT	MADE	%	LONG	PAT
Elliot	2	1	50.0%	38	2/2
Sloman	3	2	66.6%	35	2/2

Kick Returns

Name	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
NA	0	0	0	0	0
Webster	1	20.0	20.0	40	0

Punt Returns

Name	RET	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	FC
Raegor	2	6	3.0	6	0	2
N/A	0	0	0	0	0	0

League Rankings 2020

Offense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Rams Stat	Rams Rank
Total Offense	265.0	29th	422.0	5th
Rush Offense	57.0	30th	153.0	6th
Pass Offense	208.0	T-21st	269.0	8th
Points Per Game	17.0	T-23rd	20.0	T-19th
3rd-Down Offense	35.7%	23rd	52.9	8th
4th-Down Offense	0.0%	T-17th	100.0	T-1st
Red Zone Offense (TD%)	50.0%	T-18th	40.0%	T-25th

Defense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Rams Stat	Rams Rank
Total Defense	239.0	1st	380.0	22nd
Rush Defense	80.0	5th	136.0	22nd
Pass Defense	159.0	3rd	244.0	20th
Points Per Game	27.0	T-21st	17.0	T-8th
3rd-Down Defense	27.8%	5th	25.0%	T-3rd
4th-Down Defense	50.0%	T-19th	33.3%	T-17th
Red Zone Defense (TD%)	75.0%	T-20th	50.0%	T-9th

Team

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Rams Stat	Rams Rank
Turnover Diff.	-3	31st	-1	T-19th
Penalties Per Game	3.0	T-2nd	5.0	T-8th
Penalty Yards Per Game	20.0	T-2nd	34.0	6th

Recap from Last Week’s Games.
Eagles - In a near-reversal of the previous season's opener, the Eagles scored the first 17 points, only for the Washington Football Team to then shut their offense out for the remainder of the afternoon. Meanwhile, Washington's offense scored 27 unanswered points, and the defense sacked Carson Wentz eight times, recorded two interceptions, and forced three fumbles. With the loss, Philadelphia's six-game winning streak against Washington was snapped dating back to Week 14 of the 2016 season, and the Eagles lost the first game of the season since 2015.
Rams - Playing their first game ever in their brand-new home at SoFi Stadium, the Rams held off the Cowboys in a close battle of NFC contenders. Receiving the opening kickoff (from former Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein), Los Angeles drove 75 yards in seven plays, with Malcolm Brown scoring the new stadium's first touchdown on a 1-yard run. Rookie kicker Samuel Sloman missed on his first field goal attempt, a 29-yard try that bounced off the left upright near the end of the first quarter, but later was successful on field goals of 35 and 31 yards in the second quarter. However, Dallas took a 14-13 halftime lead as Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott scored on both a touchdown run and a touchdown reception. The Rams reclaimed the lead as Malcolm Brown (who finished with a team-high 18 rushes for 79 yards) scored his second touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run midway through the third quarter to put Los Angeles ahead 20-14. Zuerlein converted a 33-yard field goal late in the third quarter, but it would be as close as the Cowboys would get. Rookie safety Jordan Fuller led the Rams with eight total tackles, including a key tackle of Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on a fourth-and-3 play at the Rams' 9-yard line, just one yard short of a first down to kill a Dallas scoring drive.

Recap from Last Week’s Games.

Eagles - In a near-reversal of the previous season's opener, the Eagles scored the first 17 points, only for the Washington Football Team to then shut their offense out for the remainder of the afternoon. Meanwhile, Washington's offense scored 27 unanswered points, and the defense sacked Carson Wentz eight times, recorded two interceptions, and forced three fumbles. With the loss, Philadelphia's six-game winning streak against Washington was snapped dating back to Week 14 of the 2016 season, and the Eagles lost the first game of the season since 2015.

Rams - Playing their first game ever in their brand-new home at SoFi Stadium, the Rams held off the Cowboys in a close battle of NFC contenders. Receiving the opening kickoff (from former Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein), Los Angeles drove 75 yards in seven plays, with Malcolm Brown scoring the new stadium's first touchdown on a 1-yard run. Rookie kicker Samuel Sloman missed on his first field goal attempt, a 29-yard try that bounced off the left upright near the end of the first quarter, but later was successful on field goals of 35 and 31 yards in the second quarter. However, Dallas took a 14-13 halftime lead as Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott scored on both a touchdown run and a touchdown reception. The Rams reclaimed the lead as Malcolm Brown (who finished with a team-high 18 rushes for 79 yards) scored his second touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run midway through the third quarter to put Los Angeles ahead 20-14. Zuerlein converted a 33-yard field goal late in the third quarter, but it would be as close as the Cowboys would get. Rookie safety Jordan Fuller led the Rams with eight total tackles, including a key tackle of Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on a fourth-and-3 play at the Rams' 9-yard line, just one yard short of a first down to kill a Dallas scoring drive.

Connections
Rams QB Jared Goff and Eagles QB Carson Wentz were selected 1st and 2nd in the 2016 NFL draft after both teams traded up.
Eagles S Rodney McLeod played for the Rams from 2012-16.
Eagles CB Nickell Robey-Coleman played for the Rams from 2017-19.
Eagles LB coach Ken Fajole was defensive coordinator of the Rams for three seasons from 2009−2011.
Eagles TE Zach Ertz went to Stanford (2009-13) and is from Orange County, CA.
Eagles Director of Sports Performance Ted Rath worked for the Rams from 2017-2019 as their Strength and Conditioning Coach (2017) and Director of Strength Training and Performance (2018-2019).
Eagles Special assistant to the general manager Connor Barwin played for the Rams in 2018.

2020 Pro Bowlers

Eagles	Rams
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)	DT Aaron Donald (Starter)
OG Brandon Brooks (Starter)	CB Jalen Ramsey
C Jason Kelce (Starter)
LS Rick Lovato (Starter)
TE Zach Ertz
SS Malcom Jenkings (1st Alt)
OT Lane Johnson (1st Alt

General
Referee: Brad Allen
Philadelphia has produced a 22-19-1 (.536) record in the all-time series vs. Los Angeles. The Eagles own a 6-game winning streak against the Rams, scoring 30+ points in 5 straight contests.
Philadelphia is 15-8 (.652) in home games vs. Los Angeles, with victories in each of the last 2 such meetings (last: W, 34-28 on 10/5/14 at Lincoln Financial Field).
The Eagles are 23-9 (.719) at home in the regular season under head coach Doug Pederson, which marks the 5th-best home winning percentage in the NFL since 2016, trailing only New En-gland (.818, 27-6), Baltimore (.758, 25-8), Kansas City (.758, 25-8) and New Orleans (.727, 24-9).
Philadelphia has captured all 4 of its home openers with Doug Pederson at the helm (since 2016). Pederson is one of only two head coaches in Eagles history to win each of their first 4 home openers with the team, joining Joe Kuharich (1964-67).
In Week 1 at Washington, Philadelphia allowed only 239 total yards (80 rushing, 5th; 159 passing, 3rd), which were the fewest by any defense in the NFL during kickoff weekend. The Eagles limited Washington to just 27.8% (5-of-18) on third downs, which was also the 5th-best mark in the league.

Draft Picks

Eagles	Rams
WR Jalen Raegor	RB Cam Akers
QB Jalen Hurts	WR Van Jefferson
LB Davion Taylor	OLB Terrell Lewis
S K’Von Wallace	S Terrel Burgess
OT Jack Driscoll	TE Brycen Hopkins
WR John Hightower	S Jordan Fuller
LB Shaun Bradley	LB Clay Johnston
WR Quez Watkins	K Sam Sloman
OT Prince Tega Wanogho	G Tremayne Achrum
LB/DE Casey Toohill

Notable Off-season Additions

Eagles	Rams
S Will Parks	DT A’Shawn Robinson
DT Javon Hargrave	OLB Leonard Floyd
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
CB Darius Slay
	S Sean Davis
	WR Cody Latimer
	CB Kendell Fuller
	RB JD McKissic
	G Wes Schweitzer

Notable Off-season Departures

Eagles	Rams
S Malcom Jenkins	DE Dante Fowler Jr.
CB Ronald Darby	RB Todd Gurley
RB Jordan Howard	WR Brandin Cooks
WR Nelson Agholor	LB Cory Littleton
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai	S Eric Weddle
LB Kamu Grugler-Hill	CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
RB Darren Sproles	WR Jojo Natson
DT Timmy Jernigan	WR Mike Thomas
LB Nigel Bradham	LB Clay Matthews
	QB Blake Bortles

Milestones
Eagles QB Carson Wentz (99) needs 1 passing TDs for 100 career passing TDs.
Eagles WR Desean Jackson (6322) needs 145 yards to move up to 3rd on the Eagles all-time receiving yards list all-time passing WR *Mike Quick
Eagles WR Desean Jackson (34) needs 2 TDs to move into a tie for 7th on the Eagles all-time receiving TD list tying WR Jeremy Maclin
Eagles DE Brandon Graham (51) needs 3.5 sacks to move to 4th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DE Hugh Douglas
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox (48) needs 2.5 sacks to move up to 6th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DE Greg Brown
Eagles DE Vinny Curry (27) needs 1 sack to move up to 19th on the Eagles all-time sack list passing DT Darwin Walker

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (2636) needs 28 yards to move up to 16th on the Rams all-time receiving list passing WR Carroll Dale

Pro Football Focus Matchup Charts courtesy of PFF Edge (join.profootballfocus.com/edge/)
WDB Matchups (CAPS = expected shadow coverage)

Stats to Know

Pressure Rate

It doesn’t take advanced stats to know that Wentz spent most of Sunday under significant pressure. Washington sacked him eight times behind a makeshift offensive line that struggled to contain the Football Team’s pass rush. The Eagles allowed a 34% pressure rate Sunday, according to ESPN Next Gen Stats. That was the third-worst in the NFL. Five different Washington players generated at least four pressures. And it doesn’t get any easier against the Rams. The Cowboys allowed a 40.5% pressure rate Sunday night in their loss to the Rams, which was the second-worst mark of Week 1. And a big reason for that was Rams star Aaron Donald. Donald — the six-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro and two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year who has 44 sacks over the past three seasons — posted a 28.6% pressure rate on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott himself. He pressured Prescott 10 times for 35 pass rushes and finished with four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and four quarterback hits. According to Next Gen Stats, Donald’s pressure rate over the past three seasons is 13.5%, 13.9% and 14.6%. The Eagles offensive line is going to have to be ready or it is going to be another long Sunday for Carson Wentz.

Matchups to Watch
Carson Wentz vs. Himself
I note this matchup not to downplay the Rams and what they bring to the table, but to note that Wentz had plenty of mistakes that ultimately cost us the week 1 matchup. Change nothing of the game last week, bad OL, questionable scheming especially in the second half, Carson Wentz playing better wins us the game. Things were bad around him and he actively made them worse at times. These two things can be true: Wentz cost us the week 1 game and he should bounce back because he is a really good QB. This isn't the sky is falling, #TankForTrevor blurb, it's simply acknowledging the biggest change from week 1 to week 2 that would aid in a victory - Carson Wentz returning to form. There was also a lot of good last week, namely the first half! Check out the first TD throw to Ertz. Short, compressed field where he needs to make a snap decision and he comes off his first read (JJAW) and hits Ertz for 6. This is a great play by Wentz where he showed how good he is capping off a great drive. We need more of this consistency. Wentz was even missing on staples of the offense. He was erratic in the pocket and regularly off target. I love hero ball, I hate when QBs play scared, but better urgency and avoiding negative plays in the pocket would go a long way in smoothing out the rough edges of his game. It's infuriating to have some of the same issues he had in year 3 continue in year 5. Regardless, Wentz is a really good QB, so he should be expected to bounce back from a bad game every QB has once in a while. It just needs to happen quickly so the Eagles don't fall behind in the young season. This Rams secondary has a phenomenal CB in Jalen Ramsey and a really good young safety in John Johnson III; they aren't slouches. Wentz needs to be better and it would be surprising if he isn't.
Eagles (downright) Offensive Line vs. Aaron Donald and the Rams Pass Rush
Washington may have a better, deeper defensive line but they don't have Aaron Donald. He is so good he lifts a pass rush up to the top tiers of the league on his own given his dominance and versatility. Donald isn't just a Defensive Tackle; he'll line up inside and outside while wrecking every part of the OL he can along the way. Just look at what Baldy has in his review for him this week. This is a problematic matchup for Philly given their patchwork offensive line. Even though there were positive things some of the new guys did, they made a lot of mistakes, and will continue to do so in their young careers. The last time the Eagles played the Rams in 2018, Philly held Donald to 2 total pressures in probably his most ineffective game during the course of his DPOY season. The difference between that Eagles OL and this one is the health. Philly won't have a healthy Brandon Brooks; while they'll have Lane Johnson again it'll be in his first start of the season, he's coming off a late summer ankle procedure. So his effectiveness is still TBD. JP, who also played in that game, has also declined a considerable amount since then. One player returning to the field Sunday that should also give the Eagles a boost in pass protection is Miles Sanders. Not only is Sanders the best runner on the team, he's also the best pass blocking running back on the team. This alone won't stop Donald, but it should help. This defensive front from the Rams can get pushed around in the run game (more on that later) but can absolutely get after it in the pass rush department. Dallas doesn't have the line it used to either and Dak was under pressure at a roughly 42% rate, among the worst in week 1. The return of Lane Johnson should increase the effectiveness of this OL a considerable amount but given the new parts there will still be an adjustment period. This unit needs to come together quickly and the coaching staff needs to actually focus their game plan on helping their OL much more so than they did in week 1. Otherwise, expect Donald and his homies to bring the pain up front.
Eagles Pass Rush vs Rams OL
Even with some of the sustained injuries on this roster, the Eagles still have a formidable pass rush and flashed it quite a bit in week 1. The box score stats are highly deceiving in this area as Washington shifted their game plan quite a bit as the game went along. Philly pressured Haskins at a 30% clip last week. That number isn't great considering the state of Washington's offensive line. However, Haskins had the quickest time to throw in the NFL in week 1 with an average time to throw of 2.13 seconds. It's extremely difficult to pressure QBs when they get the ball out that quickly. Last week, Jared Goff was 8th in the NFL in this category, which will present some challenges for the Eagles. Dallas pressured Goff at a 20% clip last week, which is a horrendous number. Goff is a good QB and will slice you up if you don't get to him. But when you do, oftentimes he's effectively standing in quick sand as he was a bottom 8 QB under pressure (by Rating) in 2019. It's imperative this defensive front plays well this week. We already saw Malik Jackson return to form, now we need Fletcher Cox. Philly should get Brandon Graham (concussion) and Derek Barnett (hammy) back this week which should increase the effectiveness of the pass rush. Josh Sweat has also shown tremendous growth in year 3 having the best game of his career this past Sunday with TY McGill flashing in limited snaps. This offensive line from the Rams underwent a mini make-over this offseason but still has some question marks up front. This will be a real test for them as the Eagles pass rush is much more formidable than the one Dallas offers. Furthermore, this is a defensive staff that has consistently gotten to Goff of late. Given the changes on both squads, this is a good measuring stick game in the trenches.
Eagles Coverage vs Rams Receivers
Jim Schwartz had Sean McVay's number in their most recent matchup in 2018 so I am curious to see who gets the upper hand this time around. The Rams have a really good WR room with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Josh Reynolds. They also have a good tight end in Tyler Higbee. Philly has their work cut out for them this week as the Rams are much deeper than Washington. The Rams passing attack was predicated on the short, quick game with a lot of motions and play action last week. Carson Wentz led the NFL in Average Intended Air Yards while Jared Goff was last. Goff's Average Intended Air Yards were 4.3 per attempt with roughly half his passing attempts coming within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. Getting the ball to Goff's first read and out of his hands quickly is key as he can be an adventure when he is forced to hold onto the ball. McVay is really good at disguising what the Rams will do running multiple plays out of similar looks. Lastly, their receivers are great at getting quick separation and great getting yards after the catch. The defensive game plan for Philly in the secondary should look quite different this week than it did last week. There isn't one receiver the Eagles can key on for Slay to take away. I'd bet Schwartz moves him around quite a bit but with Woods as the primary recipient of special attention. Slay looked every bit as good as you'd expect last week and that's a huge addition to this secondary. One area of concern I have for Philly is the middle of the defense. This Eagles LB group is among the worst in the NFL in coverage; McVay is going to look to attack that relentlessly all game long. He did the same thing to Dallas last week. It was encouraging to see Rodney McLeod bounce back after a poor 2019 as he was every bit as spry as he once was. The rest of the middle of this defense leaves a lot to be desired. Either way, this is a deeper Rams receiving room, with a creative play-caller, and a better passer than the Eagles just faced. There was a lot of good to take from the defensive performance last week but they face a significant test Sunday in the Rams.

Special thanks to MikeTysonChicken and abenyishay for their help in creating this Game Preview.

READ Kyle Vassell wins Sky Bet League One Goal of the ...

sky bet league 1 goal of the month

sky bet league 1 goal of the month - win

What I wish Phil Harrison would say

Fire & Ice #1 - Flurry

Fire & Ice

Issue #1 - Flurry

DWT34 (January 16th 2021)

Alabama Slammers Franchise Report - Year 12: A New Era

Alabama Slammers Franchise Report - Year 11: Good Problems

[Game Preview] Week 2 - Los Angeles Rams (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles(0-1)

sky bet league 1 goal of the month video

sky bet league 1 goal of the month top