ABCs ACQUIRE MORALES
Macon general manager Greg Brooking announced the acquisition of first baseman Kendry Morales and pitcher Dan Runzler.  The ABCs receieved the duo from AL frontrunner Cincinnati for prospect Freddie Freeman and a player to be named later (purportedly outfielder Shin Soo Choo.

Morales is a career .239 hitter with 0 homeruns and 9 RBI in 84 career games (40 of which occurred with Macon from 2007-2009.  Runzler is yet to appear in a PSBL game.  Choo is hitting .240 with 3 HR and 27 RBI this season, but is a career .305 hitter with 16 HR and 98 RBI in just over 600 at-bats.
MILWAUKEE WHEELING AND DEALING
Milwakuee principal owner Fidel Castro announced a series of deals this week.  In sum, the Brewers trade away many of their present commodities in exchange for future rewards.
LEAVING MILWAUKEE COMING TO MILWAUKEE
Adrian Beltre, 3b Brian Roberts, 2b
Jimmy Rollins, ss Gerardo Parra, of
Randall Delgado, prospect Stetson Allie, prospect
Scott Feldman Sammy Solis, prospect
Jon Garland Jordan Danks, prospect
  Andrew Lambo, prospect (and drug enforcer)
  Aramis Ramirez, 3b
  Milton Bradley, of
  Willie Harris, of
  Kenshin Kawakami, p
  Esmailin Caridad, prospect
  Waldis Joaquin, prospect
  Matt Maloney, prospect
  Kevin Mulvey, prospect
  Braeden Schlehuber, prospect
  Hainley Statia, prospect
  Junichi Tazawa, prospect
  James Parr, prospect
  Jess Todd, prospect
  Sean White, p
  Daniel Schlereth, prospect
  Adam Moore, prospect
  Jefrey Marte, prospect
  Mitch Moreland, prospect
JACKSON JUST MISSES NO-HITTER!
The right-handed Edwin Jackson (5-5) had his no-hit bid broken up by Alex Rios who singled with one out in the 8th inning, but earned his 5th win and a complete-game shutout.  Aaron Laffey (1-5) took the loss.  He was knocked around pretty good, giving up 7 runs in 5 innings.  'He was really impressive today,' Laffey said of his counterpart.  'Our guys were just swinging at air.'Joe Mauer ripped a bases loaded blast and Edwin Jackson carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning as the Philadelphia Quakers topped the Anchorage Seals by a score of 9 to 0 at SAFECO Field.  Mauer had a good day at the plate.  He cleared the bases with a Grand Slam homerun in the 1st inning and ripped a base-knock bringing in two baserunners in the 6th inning.  Philadelphia rapped out 10 hits for the afternoon.  
FUTURES GAME SHOWCASE IN MACON
Rookies made their mark in Boston today as Macon four Macon freshmen outshone the veterans.  Rookie catcher Alex Avila ripped 3 homeruns and had 4 RBI and batterymate, rookie Tommy Hanson, fired a complete game at RFK STADIUM where the Macon ABCs beat the Boston Red Sox by the score of 7 to 1.  Avila was unconscious out there. Rookie outfielders Wilkin Ramirez (1-4 with a 3-run homerun) and Luis Durango (1-3 with a double, walk, and run) also left their mark on a game which Macon hopes is a presage of the future.  While Boston pitching was serving softballs up there for him to hit, the Boston fans were serving up some hardball barbs when he entered the batter's box.  But he just used it as fuel for the fire.  He smashed a bases-empty 'big-fly' in the 3rd inning, smashed a two-run homer in the 6th inning and delivered a solo blast in the 8th inning.  Macon managed 9 hits in their victory.  Hanson (4-4), allowing 1 run for the game, picked up the victory. Mark Hendrickson (2-3) was hit with the loss.  He served up 3 homeruns in his 5 innings.  'It's almost like the ball was trying to hit my bat,' Avila said. 'Whenever I would swing, the ball found the sweet spot.'
REST IN PEACE, JERIOME ROBERTSON

Adapted from mlb.com.

Former PSBL pitcher Jeriome Robertson died late Saturday night following a motorcycle accident in his hometown of Exeter, Calif., according to reports.  Robertson, 33, was a member of the Brooklyn Cyclones and Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2003 season, although he never appeared in a game.

Robertson, a standout at Exeter High School, lost control of his 2007 Yamaha Warrior while making a 70-mph turn, according to the Visalia Times-Delta.  "He was such a competitor," his former high school coach, Steve Garver, told the Times-Delta. "That was one of the lasting impressions he left. He always said, 'You have to compete, compete, compete.'"  His only encylopedia line dates to his 3 June 2003 trade from Brooklyn to Pittsburgh.  In that deal, the Cyclones acquired Jeff Weaver, Joey Hamilton, and John Rocker for Robertson, Runelvys Hernandez, Ismael Valdes, Justin Miller, and the Porkers 2005 2nd and 3rd round picks.  In 12 Minor League seasons, Robertson went 81-80 with a 4.15 ERA.
VAZQUEZ CONTINUES TO DOMINATE!
Javier Vazquez struck out 12 batters at Metrodome as the Cleveland Spiders beat the Pittsburgh Pirates by the count of 4 to 1.  Vazquez (3-5) looked very much in control throughout the night.  He didn't allow much, just 8 hits and 4 walks in 9 innings.  Both teams totaled 8 hits on the night.  A.J. Burnett (2-4) was given the loss.  He gave up 6 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings.  Vazquez was jubilant in the hometown clubhouse, 'It was a lot of fun out there.  The fans gave me a lot of support as did my teammates.  We got the victory and I'll sure take 12 strikeouts anytime!'

For the season, Vazquez has compiled 99 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA in 87 innings.  He has not allowed more than two runs in any of his 11 starts, fanning at least 10 in 5 of those games.  Most remarkable, perhaps, is that Vazquez is coming off of a 4-20 campaign in 2009.  For his career, he is 103-126 with a 4.46 ERA. 
SANTANA EARNING HIS KEEP!
Johan Santana pitched 9 strong innings at Miller Park where the Boston Red Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10 to 1.  The game started off with Boston taking the lead in the first scoring one runner.  Boston finished with 14 hits in the victory.  The win was credited to Santana (5-1) who went the whole way allowing 1 run.  Scott Feldman (3-2) was tagged with the loss.  He was unable to control the Boston offense and allowed 8 hits and 2 walks in 3 and 2/3 innings.  Santana has pitched at least 9 innings in each of his 3 starts since coming to Boston.



 
 DATE Opp  INN  H  R ER BB Ks HR WLS  RECORD SV   ERA  Ks
 4/ 8 TBN  6.0  4  0  0  0  5  0 W     1- 0   0  0.00   5
 4/13 PPN  6.2  9  2  2  1  5  1       1- 0   0  1.42  10
 4/18 TBN  7.0  7  3  3  5  5  0 W     2- 0   0  2.29  15
 5/ 3 ASN  8.0  5  1  1  3  5  0 W     3- 0   0  1.95  20
 5/ 9 NEN  7.0  6  2  2  1  5  2 W     4- 0   0  2.08  25
 5/15 BCA  9.0  4  3  3  3  6  2       4- 0   0  2.27  31
 5/20 CBA  9.1  7  4  4  1 11  2  L    4- 1   0  2.55  42
 5/25 MBA  9.0  5  1  1  1  8  0 W     5- 1   0  2.32  50
2011 EXPANSION UPDATE
Commisioner Jeremy Tomasulo has announced the official beginning of the 2011 expansion process.  Adverts have been placed on www.stratfanforum.com.  The commissioner has already received inquiries and has requested that the official advertisement and related expansion information be publicized on the league website.  That information may be located on the main links section of the website.
REST IN PEACE "LIMA TIME"

The following is adapted from the ESPN.com article:

"He could dance, he could sing, but his best gift of all was that he was an extremely happy person," Lima's first PSBL manager Johnny Miller said in a statement. "He just lit up our clubhouse with his personality, which was his greatest asset. Jose was not shortchanged in life in any way. He lived life to the fullest every day."

"Everyone will remember Jose for his antics on the mound," said former Mark Bellhorn, a teammate of Lima's with the Chicago Orphans. "But he was a tremendous teammate and a great competitor. It's a big loss for the PSBL baseball family."

Those sentiments were seconded by Tony Pena, who coached Lima with Aguilas Cibaenas. "A lot of folks thought he was crazy, but Lima was an innate competitor," Pena said. "When Lima was on the mound, he would refuse to give the ball away until the game was over. I have lost a son."

Lima played two seasons in the PSBL, going 16-11, 4.81 in 2000 and 5-13, 5.10 in 2001.

He pitched for 3 teams in the PSBLs inaugural: Macon, Atlanta, and Moose Jaw. An original draft pick of the Macon ABCs, Lima imploded in Macon, losing all 3 starts (allowing 15 runs in 13 frames). Predictably, the short-fused ABCs sent him on hiw way, trading him to Moose Jaw for David Wells, Timo Perez, and Pat Mahomes.  He went 4-3, 4.95 in 10 Moose Jaw starts, but the Dogs shipped to Cincinnati (along with Alex Escobar, Rick Reed, and Jose Paniagua) for Eric "Double No-Hit" Milton, David Cone, and a 6th round pick. He never pitched for Cincinnati who immediately traded him to the Atlanta Crackers, where he went 12-5, 4.32 in 23 starts which included 2 complete games.  The Crackers released him in June 2002.

Ever reinventing himself, Lima resurfaced in Chicago in 2005.  He concluded his career with losses in his final 7 decisions and 9 of his last 11 with the Orphans in 2005.  His bright spot during that final campaign came during a 5-game stretch in which he went 4-1, including back-to-back complete games against his former team (Atlanta) and Pittsburgh.  During the stretch, 35.2 innings, allowing just 10 runs (6 of which came in one game).   
LONGO'S BIG NIGHT EXTENDS CEDAR RAPIDS DIVISIONAL LEAD
Third baseman Evan Longoria had 4 hits and 3 RBI at Angels Stadium as the Cedar Rapids River Bandits beat the Tabasco Banana Dealers 13 to 6.  Cedar Rapids jumped on top to stay in the bottom of the 2nd inning plating an isolated run utilizing 2 base hits.  Cedar Rapids out-hit Tabasco for the game, 17 hits to 8.  Clayton Kershaw(4-1) picked up the victory, allowing 5 runs in 8 innings. The losing pitcher was Matt Garza(4-1).  He allowed 9 hits and 3 walks in 4 and 2/3 innings.
MORGAN'S NEAR CYCLE AND 4 THEFTS PROPEL CEDAR RAPIDS
Center fielder Nyjer Morgan had 4 hits as the Cedar Rapids River Bandits defeated the Springfield Indians by the score of 4 to 2 at Busch Stadium.  Cedar Rapids promptly took the lead in their half of the first scoring a single run.  After an out was recorded, Morgan ripped a base-knock.  Morgan swiped second base.  Cedar Rapids continued their aggressive style with another stolen base.  Rajai Davis followed and he hit a deep fly.  Cedar Rapids had 11 hits for the afternoon while Springfield had 8.  Bronson Arroyo (4-2) was the winner allowing 2 runs in 7 and 2/3 innings. Joe Nathan recorded his 9th save.  Jeff Niemann (1-6) was the losing pitcher.  He pitched 8 innings and surrendered 9 hits and 1 walk.  Cedar Rapids continued their winnings ways improving their record to a division leading 25-15.  They are 8-2 in their last ten games.  With the loss, Springfield has a record of 4-6 lately, 21-19 overall.
POSADA BELTS 3 HOMERS
Catcher Jorge Posada slammed 3 homeruns and had 6 RBI and C.C. Sabathia whiffed 10 batters as the Newark Eagles defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 8 to 4 at Wrigley Field.  Posada was spectacular at the plate.  He belted a three-run homer in the 1st inning, lifted one out of the park for a two run home run in the 5th inning and ripped a solo home run in the 7th inning.  Milwaukee was out-hit by Newark, 11 hits to 8.  The win was credited to Sabathia (3-5) who went 7 and 1/3 innings allowing 4 runs. Aaron Harang (1-5) was charged with the loss.  He served up 3 gopher balls in 7 innings.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the performance of Sabathia - except Milwaukee.  Tim O'Sako lamented, 'He just was 'on' this afternoon.  He was keeping our guys off balance all game.  A fine game by a good strikeout pitcher - makes it a fun game for the hometown fans - unfortunately we were the visitors!'

Posada's 3 bombs give him a total of 212 for his career.
 
MACON SHIPS ACE SANTANA
Boston - The Red Sox have announced a deal which will land them ace ninety-seven game-winner, Johan Santana.  Concluding tense negotiations between former college roommates, Boston general manager Jon Calder confirmed that the Red Sox have sent closer Andrew Bailey (0-1, 14 saves) and southpaw Jason Vargas (no record) to Macon for Santana (4-0, 2.27), closer Francisco Cordero (1-1, 5 saves), and outfielder Matt Diaz (.362 2-12).  Immediate response from around the league applauds both teams; Boston for landing their ace and Macon for shedding salary while landing some quality players as well.  Macon G.M. Greg Brooking believes this is a win-win deal, although admits that it probably guarantees Boston a playoff berth while preventing Macon from reaching the postseason, something they have done every year since 2002. 
 
MILWAUKEE ANNOUNCES NEW OWNERSHIP - Open letter from new Brewers owner Tim  O'Sako
Let me be the first to welcome myself to the PSBL!! This fine organization is just the type of slack-jawed operation I have been seeking out in order to demonstrate my mastery of all things baseball. My first order of business is to berate the leadership of this league and point out the obvious, the commissioner sucks!! Therefore I would like to nominate myself as the new commissioner and begin to set about the task of turning this leaky ship into a lean mean sailing machine... unfortunately I will have to decline my own nomination as I probably won't have time to serve as the new commissioner, because I will be too busy exploiting the current commissioner through a series of trades that will serve to greatly better my team while weakening his!

On a more serious note, I do need to do some house cleaning and will be looking to trade a select few of my players, like, all of them, in order to get a new cast of characters who better suits my style. Take a look at my roster and lets open negotiations - no such thing as a bad offer, let's see what we can do. Besides, Calder is in this league, and my front office staff likes to think of him as 'ole standby' - like the fat ugly chick at the bar that you know you are going home with at 2:30 in the morning, but you don't want to admit it at 10:00pm when there is still hope of an upgrade. . . .  Signed, Communist in Cuba!