WBL's On The Ball
With Thomas Petty and Countries from Around The World

Hello and Welcome to the first official issue of WBL On The Ball. On The Ball is a special version of PTI, but this time, instead of having sports analyzers and whatnot, I've decided to bring in ambassadors of different countries that are represented in the WBL, and some that aren't. Well I hope you enjoy, so let's get this show on the road!

The first country with us here today is....

Canada - Representing the Montreal Menace
- Thomas Petty
- Andrew Shotsman



Great Britain - Representing the Great Britain Redcoats
- Bobby Churchill
- Drew Peterson



Dominican Republic - Representing the Santo Domingo Rush
- Xavier Javuez
- Brian Malisse



Ireland - Representing the Dublin Fighting Irish
- Jermaine Potluck
- Marc O'Donalds



China - Not Represented
- Mike Hu Tsao
- Ching Chong

Russia - Not Represented
- Vladimir Putin
- Boris Broslovsky

Well that should get you to know everyone, so let's start this thing, shall we?

Canada: Hello and Welcome to the first episode of WBL On the Ball, My name is Thomas Petty and I'm reporting live from Canada with my partner, Andrew Shotsman. We're going to lead you through this program today, since we speak the most fluent English which you can understand. For this episode we have assembled the 4 countries that were in the 2008 Playoffs, and 2 other important countries that are, surprisingly, not represented. Those 2 countries are Russia and China. But for now, let's welcome Great Britain, The Dominican Republic, Ireland, Russia, and China to our show! Welcome everyone!

Britain: G' Day Mate

Dominican Republic: How are you all doing?

Ireland: Good to be here.

Russia: Hello Everyone.

China: It is a pleasure to be here.

Canada: Well It's nice to have you all here on a very special occasion as the 2010 season of the WBL is just beginning, a new year has arrived, with new surprises in store for the WBL. Our first topic of the day is expansion. Who will tank and who will stand on top?

Britain: Before any one of us says anything about the expansion teams, I would just like to say one thing. Great Britain will be the 2009 World Series Champions, no competition. As for the expansion teams, the top two that are looking really good to me is the Lions and Seoul. The Lions have recently received an influx of new players, after waiting in the dark for so long. They just signed David May and May Jr. and along with Max Powers, their rotation is looking to already be one of the best. Now it just seems as if every player now wants to go to South Africa, and they just keep coming and coming. I don't know if they will be a playoff team, considering the competition of GB, and newly formed Frankfurt.

China: China, our country, may not be in the WBL, but I would have to say that I agree with Great Britain for once. The Lions are stacked with a very impressive rotation including Max Powers, Darryl Fink, David May Jr, and Robert Kurz. The Storm look like to be an arguable opponent for the best expansion rotation with former Cy Young Justin Lewis, Travis Torlone, Ernest P. Worrell, and Pedro Ortiz. The storm also have Shawn Baig, Sam Baig, and Newcomer, which looks like a great hitting troupe. With pitching and batting, Seoul looks the best out of the 4. And the worst looking so far is Antarctica. The Chill have just made a huge trade with Frankfurt giving away a star closer and a 3B for a bunch of inactives. This move was smart for the Chill, since it gives them a chance to get up to par with the other expansion teams, and now has the hitting to go along with that. They have Jason Rhiner, who will lead them to many victories, and they have pitcher Seneca Wallace, but that's about all. Caracas is also impressive, but their rotation is full of rookies who need to develop. If Antarctica can get a couple of steals in the inactive draft, they could very well not be the worst anymore.

Dominican Republic: I would say that I have to agree with China. Rhiner has put up amazing seasons so far, and could carry the Chill to the top. But based on the increased talent level of the WBL, he will have to try harder than before, especially with only one good pitcher on the staff. I predict that they will have a losing percentage in 09, but many people have shown interest in the Chill in 2010, which could very well lead them to the top. Caracas doesn't look bad as well, but their only problem is that they don't have a player who can really stand out in the WBL anymore. Guzmann needs to improve a little before Caracas will really be on the map. Seoul looks like to be a good team, but don't expect them to go anywhere until at least 2011. And as for the Lions, I am not a big fan of their GM, Max Powers, and I think (I hope) that interest will die out in later seasons.

Ireland: Maybe ya'll are right! But there is just thing that you are forgetting. Who can forget the 2007 Dublin Team? That consisted of a great batter in that of Jason Rhiner, and a great pitcher in that of Tom Kenny. I think that history will seek to repeat itself and the Chill will be a WS contending team. I mean, think about it. The 2007 Dublin team was led to the top by Rhiner himself. His record - shattering postseason performance blew all the predictors away, and I think that he can do it again. Surrounded by a bunch of inactives just gives him more motivation to get out there and do it himself, with of course, a little help from Seneca. Seoul and South Africa can try, but they just can't get past Dublin, you'll see. But with the competition in the WH of Monreal and Santo Domingo, the Chill have a little chance of getting by both of them, and also the new and improved St. Louis, which are now a little bit worse after losing a star pitcher to the Chill.

Russia: I think that all the teams should have their money taken away and the players sent to Siberia, and then make the WBL place a team in Russia!

Canada: Russia, how many times must I tell you, you have to answer the question first! Since you Russians can never learn, let's move on to our next topic. What do you guys think of the financial system?

Russia: I think that the financial system if a bunch of bull and that Russia should get all the money made from it.

Canada: Russia, you have lost your answering privileges for this round.

China: I think that the financial system is just fine the way it is. Better players get more money, it's as simple as that. The resigning every year is genious as well. That way, you can always make sure that a player is not overpaid or underpaid.

Dominican Republic: But it's not as simple as that. My problem with the system is that players who are a million times better than others only get paid a fraction of what they're actually worth. For example, when you join the league, you are paid 500K. But just one point after that, you are paid more. I think they should make the point spread out a little bigger. The best players in the WBL have attributes over 140, and they are the real superstars. But they are getting paid the same amount as people with 91 attribute points. It's just not fair for some of the players, and some of the teams. You can be paid 15 million in just 2 short seasons here at the WBL, and that, I think, is too fast.

Britain: I agree with the Dominican Republic with the fact that some players in the WBL are very underpaid based on how good they are. But when you say that is it unfair for some of the teams, I don't agree with that. I mean, look at the job Slugga has done for this country's team. He took the financial system, and obviously found some way around it. He is an example of a smart GM who...

Ireland: Bobby, stop babbling about how good Slugga is, he hasn't even won a WS for his team yet, only Dustin Parmelee has...

Britain: Great Britain should have won that WS, and you know it! Slugga had built a super team with the number 1 pitching staff the WBL had ever seen. Montreal winning was a total fluke, and I think we all know who the real champions were. Now in 2009, Slugga still has MVP winner Shawn Walker under his belt, along with an even better batting staff then in 2008 if you can believe it. Great Britain will win the 2009 World Series, no doubt about it.

Ireland: You may be right, but Britain is for sure not winning the 2010 World Series, no matter what anybody says. Slugga may be a good GM, but he can't keep producing a winning team. There will come a time when lots of good players leave GB and flock to up and coming teams, or teams that they think have a better chance of winning. Everyone has a plan in store in 2010 on how their team will be great, and all these ideas will coincide with each other, and unfortunately for Slugga, not all his plans will go according to plan.

Russia: I've also heard of rumors that if Frankfurt didn't go big in 2009, they might move to Moscow, so that makes me happy.

Canada: Russia what did I tell you?!?!?!?! But you picked a great time to say that because this round is over. Our next topic is: Fantasy WBL Baseball, Good or Bad?

Ireland: I think its a load of crap. I mean we already have millions of Fantasy MLB baseball leagues all over the internet, I think it would be dumb of us to fill up more internet space.

Dominican Republic: But what about all the fun that people might have. Yeah sure, you have the MLB fantasy leagues, so if they get their own fantasy leagues, why shouldn't we? Reports from around the world show that the WBL is more popular than the MLB and has increased in popularity greatly since it's arrival in 2003. A WBL Fantasy League could reach to thousands of places across the world, not just the USA, where the MLB is. It could be a great thing for the world, at least that's what I think.

China: Over here in China, I know that the children who play baseball are in some fantasy baseball leagues. I know that for a fact because my son, Chong Chingy, is in one. But the players all play in the United States, and my son has never seen a real live baseball game.

Britain: We're not real fans of baseball here in Britain, but we like the occasional baseball game. In my mind, baseball is a truly American sport, but on the other hand, our GM, Slugga, is American, and a real brute as well. (I mean, did you see his last article?) Because of Britains success in the WBL, our children have been turning to fantasy baseball leagues and the growing popularity in different countries is almost overwhelming. I think that a fantasy league for the WBL would just make things even harder to handle.

Canada: But you're all forgetting the financial aspect of this situation. The hosts of these fantasy leagues could make big money of this, and could seriously hurt or boost the economy. What do you think?

Dominican Republic: In our country, we don't have many fantasy baseball leagues, since most of us don't use computers. So the economy value of the idea of a fantasy baseball league for the WBL doesn't really matter to us.

Ireland: So why don't you just keep your mouth shut, huh? I think that it is childish to be talking about a baseball sim league and how it could make or break the economy. I think we all need to grow up. How can a sim league possibly do that? You guys are out of your minds.

Russia: He's right, for once.

Ireland: What does that mean?!?!!?!?

Canada: Okay, moving on. The WBL Weekly is a magazine about the WBL that had been released in early 2004. Since then, its popularity has increased to about 7 million readers worldwide, and counting. Its yearly profit since '04 has been a whopping 30%, which is a great jump from Sports Illustrated measly profit of 13% over 5 years. A new issue is released every week, rather than every month, which allows readers to read more about their favorite baseball league. What do you guys think?

Britain: I think that the WBL Weekly is just perfect the way it is. I must admit, I read it every day and it never bores me. Even my son reads it every day, and he loves it as well. It is jam packed of interesting articles for me to read, and the best part is, they're not being written by professional editors! They're being written and edited and made by the WBL players themselves, which I think is very hard to do. Some of the pieces are just shit loads of crap, and I can name people who write those kind of articles write now, but I'd rather not. The better articles are always fun to read, and they all truly give me an insight to what the WBL is really like, because it is made by the players themselves. The people who I see hitting the homeruns on TV, and who I see blasting strikeout after strikeout.

Dominican Republic: The WBL Weekly is just a stroke of genious. It is so addictive, and it really helps that it is released every week, because I can not wait a month to read it again. I agree, with Britain, and how they work very hard to get new issues out every week, and they should be commemorated for that. Well they are paid money, so I'm sure that makes up for all the hard work they put in. My only problem with Weekly is that it's too bland. Somebody needs to think hard and come up with something truly original that is both fun and entertaining to read, while at the same time, educational about the WBL.

Russia: It is also printed in different languages, so the people of my country will have no problem to read it. Mostly our children read it, and they find it very interesting, I think. I read it a couple of times, and my only problem was that it was too bland. All it had was articles, and some of this and some of that. I think they should add some fun stuff like a cross word or something like that. That would be fun, I think.

China: And how about a website?

Canada: They already have a website...you didn't know that?

Russia: Chinese people are a bunch of dumbasses.

Canada: What is with you Russian people? Moving on...Let's take it back a tad and go to the year 2005. I think you all know what happened then, so what's your opinion on it?

Ireland: The redraft was a waste of time. All the teams ended up with the same prospects, and practically nothing changed. There were still teams on top, and teams on the bottom. You just couldn't keep doing redrafts, because one team will always be much better than another team. Southworth picked the wrong way of going about solving this. He made a lot of bad choices for the WBL.

Britain: I disagree with that. I think that Southworth was a great GM. He ran the league for 3 seasons, never missing a beat. It was a perfectly logical thing to do at the time, and most of the people in the WBL thought it would be a great idea. It would help out teams that started out badly. Who knew that GM's would be dumb, and that it would turn out this way? Southworth had no way of telling what would happen. I am sure that if you were in the same position, you would have done the EXACT same thing, and you would have taken the advice your fellow teammates and WBL players.

Dominican Republic: I hated the redraft, but mostly because it ruined Santo Domingos chances of a world series the next season. They were the best team and everyone knew it, and they were definitely going to win the 2005 World Series until the redraft came.

China: I never heard about this "re-draft", but from the looks of it, it seems like it was a smart idea. But changing around the whole league with a draft can sometimes downgrade the league, or greatly change it. I remember when in 2005, WBL profits for games went down, and everything just seemed like it was going for the dumper. But somehow, it jumped back up, and now everything is back to normal.

Canada: Well that leads us to our next topic. That is our new WBL president, Jeremy Shirley, and Co - President Gerald Schultz.

Britain: I think they are the best presidents I have ever seen. Well for something like a baseball league at the most. They work together with great proficiency, and seem to be made for each other. Not in a sexual way, but in the workplace. They always know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Even though they can't please everyone all the time, they do their job and they do it right. They keep order in the WBL, they keep it clean, and make it a safe and fun league for everyone to take part in. They are the best presidents a league could ever hope to have.

Ireland: Shirley took Southworths' job very nicely. He filled in the big gap that was left, and even put more work and determination into it. What I think is really cool is that, not only does he run the league, he is also one of the best pitchers in the league! He has already won a Cy Young, and is hoping to win another one in 2009.

China: And, on top of that, both Shirley and Schultz are GM's of their own team. Shirleys team, Montreal, won the WS two times, one in 2008 and one in 2006, and became the first team to ever win 2 WS Championships. Schultz has only won one WS in 2007, with his team, Santo Domingo.

Canada: Woo! Go Montreal! But I must say that Shirley has also been a huge help here in Canada. He has donated to Canadian foundations, and so many people that reside here look up to him. Did you know that he was born and raised in the city of Ontario? Well, a lot of people from Ontario know his personally, and they say that he's a great guy. I think I'm gonna cry! But I'm not.

Dominican Republic: Gerald has also been a role model for many people in the city of Santo Domingo. He is one of the most famous people to ever come from there, and on top of that, he's a very caring guy, and a very good person to have as a friend. Me and the city of Santo Domingo are very proud of the way he took a small city like this and made it known all over the world by producing such a great team for us. I hope that he will stay with us for a long time.

Ireland: I think we all agree that they are awesome presidents. China: Agreed.

Russia: *Laughs* I do not need to say anything because all of you are saying everything for me.

Britain: That is very true, Ireland.

Canada: Now lets...

*Door Creaks and 2 strangers walk in*

China: Who could that be?

Dontrelle Willis: Sup Ya'll



Jason Rhiner: Good to finally get here.



Canada: Hey, we weren't expecting guests today!

Dontrelle Willis: We know, but we thought that we could spice up this show a little bit and maybe add a taste of some real players, you know?

Jason Rhiner: Yeah, well my agent called me up here to do a promotion for the Chill, so....GO CHILL! And yeah, now you can start with questions.

China: Yes, I have a question for Jason Rhiner. Jason, how is it like to be playing in the WBL?

Jason Rhiner: Playing in the WBL is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I mean, playing in the MLB was fun too, but there is just so much variety in the WBL. The MLB was too boring for me, and they only reached to audiences inside the US. The WBL is very diverse, it reaches all around the world, it has its own magazine, and has a great staff of players, etc. It is very friendly in the WBL, and everyone works together.

China: Do you find it hard to both play, and at the same time write for Weekly, and also be a GM?

Jason Rhiner: Not really, I mean everything about it is really fun for me, even though some of these things may be hard to do. But mostly, it never gets in my way, and it's just something that I love to do, and that's the best feeling.

Dontrelle Willis: Man, from the looks of it, the WBL looks like to be much better than the MLB. I would love to play there.

Jason Rhiner: And we could love to have you on the Chill man, maybe you can contact me sometime after the show.

Dontrelle Willis: Aight man, I'll get back to you, but right now let's head back to the show. Ya'll people watching out there, ya'll are in fo' a surprise, cuz me and my buddy Rhiner here are gonna do a lil' demonstation right outside, so if ya'll would follow us.

*They step outside and the camera crew follows, and Rhiner picks up a bat while Willis picks up a baseball*

Dontrelle Willis: What we're gonna do here today is just do a little demonstration. You can call it the MLB against the WBL. I'll be pitching 10 balls to Rhiner, and see how many he can hit, and see where the 2 leagues really stand compared to each other.

1. Dontrelle fires the first shot down the middle, and it curves at the last second, painting the black -- 1 strike

2. This one comes fast and on the inside, and an unexpecting Rhiner swings and just catches the tip - foul ball.

3. Another fastball, Rhiner was expecting this, but he stumbles yet still manages to hit it.

4. This time, it's a change up, but Rhiner was expecting a fastball so he swings to fast and misses it.

5. Another change up comes, but this time, he was expecting it, so he hits it and it goes past the fence! That's a deep homerun guys.

6. The 6th one is a riser cut right down the left side. Rhiner gets a tip and hits it to the left of Willis.

7. This sinker comes hard down the right side, and Rhiner takes a swing and gets nothing but air.

8. A fastball painting the black comes, but Rhiner takes a large piece of that one, and sends it flying past the fence again.

9. Willis fires another fastball, and the same thing happened, past the fence yet again.

10. For the last pitch, Willis fires a hard knuckleball, and Rhiner being a master of knuckleballs, sends this one flying past the fence for the 3rd straight homerun.

Dontrelle Willis: Holy **** Man, I'm seriously joining the WBL after my contract runs up in the MLB. You're an awesome player Rhiner.

Jason Rhiner: Thanks man, you too, it was great hitting against you, maybe we could do it some other day. But now, I got to run, I have an appointment with another General Manager. Thanks for letting us on guys.

Dontrelle Willis: Aight, later Rhiner, and I got to go too guys, so see ya'll later. And by the way, nice name, Ching Chong.

Canada: Well that was...refreshing! Now let's get back to the real point of the show and round it off with this last question. What are your final thoughts on the WBL? Just say anything you thought we didn't talk about yet.

Britain: Well I would like to say that the WBL is a great league. The way Rhiner described it, it sounded almost like a heavenly baseball league. Today has helped me realize that baseball could play a huge part in our cultures, economies, etc. This is the first show I have been on in a long time, so it feels kind of refreshing. And as for last words I would like to say GO GREAT BRITAIN! 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!

Dominican Republic: This show has changed my whole view on the WBL. Before I came here I thought this would be just another interview show, but it is totally different. It has helped me interact with other nations and helped me to see other peoples opinions on the same interests. I think that I might have built some allies here, or some enemies, but all in all this was a very fun experience.

Russia: Even though I did not participate in most discussions, I found it very interesting and entertaining to be sitting here. Now I think more people from Russia should start playing. This has helped me see how good and interesting of a sport baseball really is! And of course, the money doesn't hurt either...

China: I would just like to say that I think a great idea for the league would to change the financial system around. It is just too unfair for some of the teams and players. That is probably the biggest stand I have here about anything in the WBL. It was great to be here, thank you all for the experience.

Ireland: I can't say anything now, because I'm drunk and I'm afraid I'll say something stupid.

Canada: Well join us next time, and Russia isn't invited anymore!

Here are some reviews of On the Ball Pt. 1...

Smith N Wesson said..."I loved it, I thought that this was a great show and I enjoyed watching it!"

Cleveland Dawg said..."This was a quality show man, I can't wait to watch the next episode."

Jason Rhiner said..."I loved being on the show, it was a great experience for me, and I loved hitting those homers of Willis. That was the best part."

Gerald Schultz said..."This explained all the different aspects of the WBL perfectly. I enjoyed watching it, can't wait for the next one!"

On The Ball - Bonus Episode v.1
With Thomas Petty

Hello and Welcome to On the Ball, Bonus Episode one. I hope you enjoyed watching On The Ball, and that you got some useful information out of it. But now its time to switch it up a little bit, because now we will be talking about all the recent things going on in the WBL. From Free Agent Signings to Trades, and every thing in between. There won't be a thing that you're not filled in on any more. So keep watching!

Recent Trades:

1. Dublin - Great Britain
Dublin gets Dave Smith
Great Britain gets James Sirbeepalot Jr.

At first glance, this seems like a lopsided trade in favor of Great Britain, because they are getting a player who put up massive, and MVP worthy numbers in 2008. Dave Smith was steady, but not nearly as close to the production of Sirbeepalot. So why trade him away? Well the fact is that Sirbeepalot is not active, and his huge run in 2008 was merely a fluke. Britain needed some hard, good hitting to win a WS in 2009, and they got it in Sirbeepalot. Even though he is not active, he will provide the necessary punch that they need to work their way back to the top. Britain simply didn't have time to wait for Smith to become a good player. Dublin, on the other hand, has plenty of time, because it doesn't look like they will be winning any time soon. What they needed was some talent that could grow over time, and Sirbeepalot could not help them anymore.

2. Frankfurt - Great Britain
Frankfurt gets Andrew Biggs, Tony Kobbs, Ty Quigly
Great Britain gets Ken Griff and Greg Mojonnier

Being one of the bigger trades so far, this sparked a lot of attention. One would wonder who really got the better end of this deal. Frankfurt would be getting ROY Winner Tony Kobbs, who is a great player and constantly improving. They would also be getting Andrew Biggs, a solid hitter who may one day have a huge burst in hitting, and Ty Quigly, a decent closer and the brother of the GM. Great Britain would also be getting a ROY winner and a great player in Ken Griff. This even strengthened the Great Britain lineup even more. But Greg Mojonnier doesn't really fit in this trade. There is nothing he can do to help Great Britain except, well, give up runs. Great Britain gave some great players away to the ever improving Frankfurt, but now Frankfurt is also over cap, and needs to cut back.

3. Iceland - Dublin
Iceland gets Robert Persuad
Dublin gets Chris Pianko

There is not really much to say about this trade except Dublin got screwed. Right after this trade, Persuad started to get active again and now is seeming to become a decent player someday. Pianko, however, Is still inactive, and frankly, he sucks. That's all I have to say about this one.

4. Montreal - Frankfurt
Frankfurt gets Pedro Kabler
Montreal gets Brock Weathers

Another trade with inactives. Brock is a decent hitter who has had decent seasons in his WBL career. He is a good hitter when you need one, but he can't make or break a team. Frankfurt really only did this trade to cut down on cap, which they are very well over before and after this trade. That's all I have to say about this one too.

5. Frankfurt - Antarctica
Frankfurt gets Smith N Wesson and Brooks Simmons
Antarctica gets Larry Jones, Greg Kowalczyk, Matt Patterson, Jon Vish, Jay Soester, Anthony Withers, Maki Chang.

This was one of the biggest trades of the offseasons. At first glance it would seem that the Chill would be getting a MUCH better part of this deal, but not really. The Chill desperately needed quantity over quality, so what better than to fill it up with some good inactives? This trade almost filled up the Chill-s roster, and now they only need a little more players in the inactive draft. This practically made the Chill a competitor after so little action in the clubhouse. Frankfurt, on the other side of this trade, was WAY over the cap, and needed to cut down on a LOT of players. This practically did the whole thing for them, and plus, they got 2 very active players. I would say this is a good trade for both teams, and bad for everyone else. All the GM's in the inactive draft were preying on those players, and now that they were on the Chill, it changed all their plans.

6. Frankfurt - San Juan
Frankfurt gets Jalen Montgomery and Matt Patterson
San Juan gets Joe Demayo, Ryan Reynolds, Josh Wiesfield, Ruben Wiesfield

This is one of the most talked about trades of the off-season. Everyone thought it sucked for Frankfurt, and so do I. Frankfurt is giving up their top 2 pitchers for an inactive and a rookie, and on top of that, they are trading away 2 active players who are 2 million combined (Both Wiesfields) I don't see why Frankfurt felt the need to trade them away, and arguing that trading away both wiesfields helped them with the financial situation, it didn't. This was a very bad trade, and Frankfurt got ripped off.

Recent Free Agent Signings

1. Iceland Signs Timmy Wilhelm

Oh Mr. Wilhelm, you have to be one of the biggest losers in the WBL. You come into the WBL as a rookie, and after a while, you are not even active. Meanwhile St. Louis is racking up great pitchers like Iamgonastrikeuout and both Dawgs, while you are sitting there, rotting. Then one day, you come back, out of nowhere, and place an ultimamum on St Louis. Has anyone told you that you aren't exactly the greatest player in the WBL or even close to being a "good" player. Face it man, you suck. Everyone knows that St. Louis will keep improving over the years, where have you been all this time? Doing that was not smart, because Iceland isn't going any farther than St. Louis is. I almost feel sorry for Iceland for having you on the team.

2. Santo Domingo Signs Greg Torlone

Greg is a good player in the WBL, that could help out a lot of ball clubs. Santo Domingo needed some hitting to go along with Blake Roberts, and Torlone was that guy. Nobody thought that Santo Domingo would get him, and right after the singing Max Powers replied saying his favorite word "Suck." Obviously he thought that he was getting Torlone, but obviously not anymore.

3. Santo Domingo, South Africa, Great Britain all sign Jerome Spann Jr?

This situation was kind of weird when it came up. At least 3, maybe 4 teams all made a thread making an offer to Jerome Spann and Jerome Spann Jr. This was because Spann had recently started to be active again, and he would be a decent hitter or pitcher for any ball club. It was a guessing game to find out who he was actually going to sign with. But then a funny thing happened. He then goes away for 2 days, after being active, and he fooled a lot of people with that, and he didn't sign with ANYBODY! He is not in the inactive draft where first picks will most likely want to take him.

4. South Africa Signs David May and David May Jr.

This was one of the better signings in the offseason. David May and David May Jr. were two solid players who can make a huge difference in a team. South Africa already looked stacked, and now they are stacked even more. David May was once considered one of the best in the WBL, but he has slowly gone down from there. This signing made South Africa one of the best, if not the best, expansion team, and they look like they are seriously going to compete. 5. Montreal Signs Mujuri Shipal

This is probably one of the best signings this offseason. Mujuri was a great pitcher in Montreal in 2008, and he won ROY along with Tony Kobbs. He is a great player that is improving every day, and he could really take the Montreal team to win some great games. He is a big factor in Montreal's competitiveness in 2009, after losing star Ken Griff. He can help take them to the playoffs and maybe even the WS and make them be the only team with three WS championships. But we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? There was also a big controversy on where Mujuri was going to go, but in the end, he chose Montreal. The Best of luck to him and the Menace.

Other News

The Chill Hire and Fire Fast -

Recently, the Antarctica Chill appointed newly signed Brooks Simmons to be their official scout. Things were going quite fine in the Chill, until a huge trade was made between the Chill and Frankfurt, as we talked about earlier here, and caused Brooks to lose his job. Well let's hope that the next helper on the Chill won't have his job taken away as fast.

Ace Shap Hired as RipTide GM -

In more recent news, the Cancun RipTide GM, Fransisco Rodriguez, otherwise known as K-Rod, has hired Ace Shap to do a GM trial run. After the recent firing of Smitty, K-Rod needed some help so he found it in Ace Shap. Ace has been showing interesting in a job like this for quite a while now, so now we will finally be able to see wether he is up to the task or not. As stated by K-Rod, Ace will be on a short leash, and if he makes just one mistake, he will be fired, so watch out Ace!

Jerome Spann declared inactive -

It was a funny story yesterday in the WBL as Jerome Spann had come back to the WBL and was declared active. Many teams wanted him to sign with them, and he had been showing mixed interest in them. When Santo Domingo extended an offer to him, Great Britain replied "I thought he was going to sign with us!" But, then the funny thing happened, and he didn't sign with anyone. Now he will be part of the WBL inactive draft, where he will surely be a good top round pick.

Well that's all the news for this week, join us next time on On The Ball and On The Ball bonus episode. Thank you for watching!

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