By: Nick Alicea
This season will be the first year of the ABL to use rivalries for reward points. Every team has a set rivalry, and some teams already have 2 and rivalries. In this article, I will breakdown the good, the great, and the rivalries that make you say huh? The scale will be out of 1-5, starting from lowest to greatest. More rivalries will be added when completed on the site.
Las Vegas Scorpions vs. New Orleans Colonels Rating: 1.0
C'mon, this rivalry is basically a joke right now. It's so bad that there really doesn't need to be a name for it at the moment. There needed to be 1 more rivalry in the SL and commissioner Jay Soester told the two owners to start hating each other, cause their rivalry was set. Owners Nick Alicea and Dan Romito don't really have much of hatred towards each other, even though Alicea is a minority, and Romito hates pretty much all minorities(because pretty much all of them piss him off). Alicea does like some sports teams that Romito does not like (NY Jets and Yankees), and he likes the Miami Heat while Romito loathes basketball because it is a black sport. Right now this is basically an unfair rivalry because the Scorpions have the much better team while the Colonels are preparing for the future. This can easily be seen by the 18-7 record Alicea has compiled against Romito in their 2 seasons owning in the ABL. The two don't even consider each other rivals, as they made quite a few trades between themselves before the draft. Las Vegas is the gambling capital of the world while New Orleans is the underwater capital of the world. The 2 cities are on opposite sides of the country. Basically, every way you look at it, this rivalry doesn't make a while lot of sense. Romito has a good developing team, but it won't be enough to stop Alicea's Scorpions this season.
Season Prediction: Las Vegas wins 7-3
Detroit Bulldogs vs. Cleveland CrusadersRating: 1.0
On paper, Cleveland and Detroit could be two cities primed for a rivalry. However, at the moment, this rivalry isn't so great as well. Cleveland is and will be this season, the worst team in the ABL. Detroit on the other hand is at least a playoff contender even without an owner. Even when someone takes over (Anton is one of the prime candidates), this rivalry won't be good for quite some time. Cleveland has a lot of improving to do to compete with Detroit, not to mention compete for the 2nd worst record in the ABL. Karamol did do a pretty good job in this past draft to improve his team, but he made another bonehead move when trading for the same players on Indiana twice. It's a good thing he has such a low payroll that $15 million won't hurt him. The Bulldogs still have a pretty good team lead by John Ploya, and some prospects to back them up. However, an owner will be needed for any chance of recent draft pick Kuno to develop to close to his full standards. The Crusaders don't have much of a team right now but maybe will down the line. Season Prediction: Detroit wins 9-1
Miami Talons vs. Tampa TigersRating: 1.5
If former Tigers' owner Ty Heath was not leaving the ABL, this rivalry would have been much better. No matter who takes over the Tigers, he won't be quite the same as Heath, a very well respected owner and member of the ABL. Even with Heath, the Talons were going to dominate the season series. Now, it's just less fun to see Miami kill them without the good owner behind Tampa. In only their 2nd season, Tampa should look for good strides in a somewhat weak division. Dill losing his ratings really hurt this team, and after drafting no respectable pitching prospect for the future, the Tigers are left with a top 10 prospect list of all hitters. Look for this future Tigers team to have great hitting but have a lack of pitching until the problem is addressed. There's no need to talk about Miami; the 2-time champions are still in good form for this season. The upside to this rivalry is how close the 2 franchises are from one another (251 miles). If Tampa does improve, there could be some heated series down the road. However, for now, this rivalry receives a lower rating for Tampa's lack of an owner and Miami's domination over every team.
Season Prediction: Miami wins 14-4
New York Bombers vs. Indiana EaglesRating: 1.5
This rivalry was basically formed because of two owners looking for a rivalry. Indiana's Ben "Frenchy" Lapointe could easily be a rival with half of the league's owners, but many of these owners had more important rivalries or just haven't approached Lapointe about a rivalry. Either way, a NY/IND showdown doesn't seem like a great rivalry on paper. However, Engelwood and Lapointe have proven themselves to be annoying. Therefore, maybe make a name that demonstrates that both of them are annoying? Even if you hate him, Lapointe has proven himself to be one of the most active members in the ABL while Engelwood lost a lot of respect in the offseason after he took over New York. There is one pretty close similarity between the two franchises: they both have a hell of a lot of catchers (NY has 10, IND has 14). This rivalry could be interesting since both teams are pretty close in talent and have similar owners, but it isn't nearly one of the best the league has to offer. Look for these two teams to remain close with New York winning the season series by a slight edge.
Season Prediction: New York wins: 6-4
Carolina Cobras vs. Atlanta Sun DevilsRating: 1.5
This is a rivalry of two contrasting owners. The main difference: Colt Ciccone is a 3-year veteran while Ben Phillips is about to own for his first season in the ABL after being mostly inactive for much of the 2006 season. Colt has always been known to trade picks and prospects for talent that can play right now. Phillips opted to trade out of his #2 spot to St. Louis in the amateur draft. From a location perspective, this is not a bad choice of rivals as the two cities are in states separated only by South Carolina, and even parts of the 2 states touch each other. The Peach and Tar Heel States also have two baseball teams at completely different levels of talent. The Carolina Cobras were 1 win away from reaching Miami in the SLCS; Atlanta has never made the playoffs and doesn't appear to be close in the next few years. For now, this series won't be very entertaining, but if Colt keeps trading for modern day talent and Atlanta keeps their young upcoming talent, then these two could have a decent rivalry in the future.
Season Prediction: Carolina wins: 14-4
Miami Talons vs. Atlanta Sun DevilsRating: 2.0
This matchup is a little more intriguing than Carolina-Atlanta. Miami may be killing Atlanta worse than Carolina does, but I think you'd rather get killed by the 2-time champs. Atlanta may not be able to pitch many shutouts right now against Miami or any team (unless Taisho is on the mound), but they have some pretty good hitting prospects that could lead the way down the stretch. Also, these two cities have similar baseball temperatures in the hot summer days. The only difference is that Miami has the squeltering humidity to make the weather even worse. Again, these 2 teams may not have outstanding games for a few years, but they should produce some pretty decent matchups eventually.
Season Prediction: 15-3
Los Angeles Lions vs. New Orleans ColonelsRating: 2.0
I'm kind of scratching my head as to how this rivalry came to be, but it will be one of the more entertaining rivalries to follow throughout the season. Although New Orleans may not be able to keep up with Los Angeles, the cities themselves make for an interesting rivalry. Los Angeles has nothing but smog in the skies every morning while New Orleans has plenty of water left in the city. The difference between the NO-LV rivalry and NO-LA rivalry is that Romito and Morse decided to create this rivalry. I don't know why but they did, but they should hype it up and make it a successful one. Unfortunately, on a record standpoint, this probably won't be too close.
Season Prediction: Los Angeles wins 7-3
New York Bombers vs. Philadelphia DemonsRating: 2.0
Both New York's Engelwood and Philadelphia's Svec have made some noise in this past offseason. However, Svec made noise by making a big trade that involved removing Sebas Solorio and acquiring MVP Marc Poles, while Engelwood lost a lot of respect and has made many people start to hate him. This is still a pretty good rivalry because it involves two big cities, who are in the same division, and will be most likely battle for 3rd place. Bragging rights will be mainly what these teams play for a long time, especially with Cleveland being kicked out of their division. I'm pretty sure in Svec's abilities to make his team a winner even with tough Boston and Connecticut teams in the Northeast. However, Engelwood has not shown me much and is entering his first season of owning in the ABL. This rivalry can only be as good as the owners make it.
Season Prediction: Philadelphia wins: 11-7
Los Angeles Lions vs. San Diego PelicansRating: 2.5
The Pelicans will only be entering their 2nd season, and both Morse and Fogger will be owning in their 2nd seasons. For this upcoming season, this matchup may not be as great as it can be in future years, when expansion hits. Then Los Angeles and San Diego will be closer in the standings, especially with some of the talent San Diego has rising in their minors. This is a great rivalry in terms of how close the two cities are (about 150 miles), and the California showdown should be entertaining for many years to come. The two owners don't really have a hatred towards one another as well. In a few years this could be a good rivalry but right now, it receives a lower rating because of the complete difference in talent.
Season Prediction: Los Angeles wins 13-5
Chicago Cardinals vs. St. Louis StallionsRating: 2.5
For 1 season, this could be a very good rivalry. However, in a few years this rivalry could lose a lot of its luster. The two ballclubs will be in the same division for the last time, with the teams going to the new Great West and Great Lakes Divisions. After making the playoffs for the first time, the two teams will battle in the Midwest for the last time. The two owners are also very similar; Fink and Frank aren't the most active members, but still contribute to the league, and are respected. It will be disappointing to see these two teams leave the same division, but they can still be a pretty decent rivalry in a few years, even with the decrease in games against each other. Right now, Chicago still holds the edge over the Stallions and is still the defending champions.
Season Prediction: Chicago wins 12-6
Houston Outlaws vs. New Orleans ColonelsRating: 3.0
This could be a very good rivalry in a few years, especially with two very similar teams. Both teams are upcoming threatening powers, with a lot of prospects and great minor league systems. Both teams also have good owners in Dan Romito and "Carrottop" Kyle Borland. Both owners respect each other and are not jackasses. What makes this rivalry even better is the fact that the two teams will be entering the same division (Texas Division) next season. Also, they have cities pretty close in distance. This should be a very good rivalry, possibly even next season, when these two teams along with Dallas compete for the division title.
Season Prediction: Houston wins 6-4
Dallas Rattlers vs. Houston OutlawsRating: 3.5
Owners Ben Whitley and Kyle Borland battled last year for 3rd place, probably will be this season, but will be competing again when they join the new Texas division. The two teams have been pretty close to one another the last two seasons (21-21 against each other), and last season, Houston finished with the better record by 1 game. These franchises will most likely help decide the Southwest Division title again and will be very competitive against one another. Houston and Dallas rank 1 and 2 in the ABL in top systems, so they should lead the way for great teams in the future. However, they along with New Orleans will all have great teams upcoming which could lead to great series in the Texas Division. In the Texas Showdown, the two teams are pretty close from one another (about 250 miles), which will cause an increased hatred towards one another. Whoever gets the Austin team next season is going to have an extremely tough task ahead of him, because Dallas and Houston (as well as New Orleans) are two teams that could have outstanding dynasties in the future. Right now, these teams are so close that it wouldn't be surprising to see them tie for 3rd. This rivalry's rating will easily go up in future seasons.
Season Prediction: Tie 9-9
Minnesota Monarchs vs. Indiana EaglesRating: 4.0
This rivalry is not one based on records in the standings, but by the hatred the owners show for one another. Monarchs' owner Tim Schneider hates basically everyone, but he shows an extra hatred for the Indiana Eagles. This basically started last season when Lapointe guaranteed he would have a better record than the expansion Monarchs. That didn't go so well. Midseason, Lapointe started trading away players again and finished 45 games behind Minnesota. I know Minnesota was good for their first season but do not guarantee you'll do better than a team and then finish that far back, even if trading players is helpful to the team. The cities aren't close, the talent isn't close, but the hatred show more than suffice this rivalry for the upcoming season. Minnesota still holds the edge and should dominate this upcoming season.
Season Prediction: Minnesota wins 14-4
Carolina Cobras vs. Miami TalonsRating: 4.0
Now the rivalries based on talent start to form, starting with Carolina and Miami. After recent movement, Carolina's Colt Ciccone feels he can win 111 games this upcoming season. Miami has had the best record for three seasons and can easily continue that trend this season as well. Carolina was the surprise team last year and played Miami pretty well (8-10). Despite the losing record, it is a better winning percentage than most teams can boast against the 3-time SL champs. Both teams don't have a lot to boast in terms of prospects (Carolina can't really boast at all) as Ciccone trades for talent now while Jay Soester has a very good ML roster and some decent prospects in the minors. After trading away Marc Poles, Sebas Solorio has a big role to fill replacing the MVP. He along with the rest of the team is going to have another overachieving season to have a chance at beating out the Talons. Even overachieving doesn't seem to be enough, and will have to settle the score in the playoffs.
Season Prediction: Miami wins 11-7
Los Angeles Lions vs. Las Vegas ScorpionsRating: 4.5
Los Angeles and Las Vegas are the only teams to be in the top 2 of their divisions all 3 seasons. This could be a trend that lasts for a few more years as well. What makes this rivalry great is how close the teams have been all three seasons. Los Angeles won the Southwest in 2004 and 2005 by 4 and 3 games respectively. Last season the Scorpions took the division title in the final 3 games of the season, sweeping the Lions and winning the division by those 3 games. Owners Nicholas Alicea and Nate Morse don't hate each other, but they do hate each other's ballclubs. Last season, Las Vegas led very close marks in ERA (by .03 points) and Average (by .003 points). The two cities are only about 250 miles away and will be in the Southwest Division forever. These two teams have seen a lot of each other and will see even more of each other for a very long time. If these teams finish as close as they have, it should be one of the great rivalries for a while. As of now, the season series could go either way (LV won 10-8 last year), and it will probably be the head to head record that decides the Southwest Division title again.
Season Prediction: Las Vegas wins 10-8
Connecticut Thunder vs. Boston BearsRating: 4.5
Connecticut and Boston have two of the best minority owners in the ABL, not to mention two of the best teams as well. Last season, the Thunder and Bears had the two best records in the NL but both were shut down in the playoffs by the mighty Chicago Cardinals who eventually won the ABLCS. Alan Oldiges and Matt McGrath are two respected owners who have done a lot for their teams to get in position to win the title. Their matchup this season in the Northeast should be a great one. Last season, the crowds for both teams were the largest when they played one another, and that should be no different this season as well. Both teams have good pitching and hitting, and are doing pretty well in their minor league systems. Even though Boston went 11-7 against Connecticut, they were not able to win the division last year. That could be different this season, with Matt McGrath, last year's Owner of the Year, wanting the division title more than ever. Now, can this Bears' team respond and get the first division title in Boston history? It will be close, and certainly can be done.
Season Prediction: Boston wins: 10-8
Carolina Cobras vs. Las Vegas ScorpionsRating: 5.0
The ultimate rivalry for the 2007 season comes between the Carolina Cobras and Las Vegas Scorpions. This rivalry was started before the the rivalries section was established. It all started in the Divisional round of the 2006 playoffs when the Scorpions won the series over Carolina 3-2. Colt Ciccone went on a 2-week drinking binge and decided to make Nick Alicea and the Scorpions his primary rival. These teams played very close baseball last year against one another. In fact, after tying 5-5 in the regular season, the postseason allowed the Scorpions to win 8-7 overall. Their total record was only different by 1 game as well. Ciccone and Alicea hate each other�s teams and each other, but still respect each other enough to talk about how great their teams are to one another. It doesn't matter that the 2 cities are about 2200 miles apart, they should produce some great games that will have the league applauding. Right now, "The Only Rivalry That Matters" is Carolina vs. Las Vegas.
Season Prediction: Las Vegas wins 6-4
This won't be all of the rivalries that come about in the 1st season of the ABL, as many more will be added. Throughout the season, the rivalries will be tracked based on the quality of the games, any achievements that happen during a game, etc. This was my first attempt with html in a while so any feedback on the article or site is welcomed.
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