AMERICAN       1.    Homestead       2.    Rochester       3.    Pensacola       4.    Gnawbone       5.    Thunder Bay       6.    Berlin       7.    Fairburn       8.    Brooklyn       9.    Charleston   Top four in the American Division are very close any of them could finish 1st, 2nd,3rd, or 4th   NATIONAL 1.      Santa Catalina 2.      White Bear Lake 3.      Tenochtitlan 4.      Casper 5.      Branson 6.      San Antonio 7.      Vancouver 8.      Sheboygan 9.      Kelowna   Santa Catalina, on paper, look like the clear pennant winner in the National.

American League It should be fun watching Rochester and Pensacola’s season long battle for the AL pennant. Any of these five teams (Berlin, Charleston, Gnawbone, Homestead, and Thunder Bay) will finish between 3rd and 7th place in the AL. Both Brooklyn and Fairburn helped themselves in the latest draft, but they don’t have the horses to compete for the pot-of-AL-gold in 2023. . From the world’s third best prognosticator after Morgan Mundane and Jimmy the Greek, and slightly ahead of Liberace, I, Sammy Davis Jr., sees the AL finish this way. . 1. Rochester 2. Pensacola 3. Charleston 4. Homestead 5. Berlin 6. Thunder Bay 7. Gnawbone 8. Fairburn 9. Brooklyn National League On paper, it looks like Santa Catalina should wave the NL pennant this year. However, while their team WHIP is very solid, they seem to be a little short on championship innings. Vancouver looks to be the cream-of-the-crop in the NL. Finishing somewhere between spots 2 – 6 are Branson, Casper, San Antonio, Santa Catalina, and Sheboygan. Anyone of these teams could also finish atop the NL if the rolls go their way. . Kelona, Tenochtitlan, and White Bear Lake bring up the NL rear. I, Sammy Davis Jr., sees the NL finish this way. 1. Vancouver 2. Casper 3. Branson 4. Sheboygan 5. San Antonio 6. Santa Catalina 7. White Bear Lake 8. Tenochtitlan 9. Kelona World Series Rochester repeats as champions defeating, and exacting revenge from their WS loss a few years back to Vancouver, 4 games to 2

OUR TEAM - The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed the World By Luke Eplin I just finished reading this book. It is the Story of four men/players. Bill Veeck, Larry Doby, Bob Feller, and Leroy “Satchel” Paige and how their lives intertwined leading up to the Cleveland Indians 1948 World Series win over the Boston Braves. If I could time-travel, I would pick the thirty-year era from 1920 – 1950. The golden age of Negro League baseball (plus seeing my grandfather pitch semi-pro baseball). I love reading the history of these players. When you hear the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” it definitely applies to Our Team. Published in February of this year, I ‘d seen this book on a few occasions when I visited my local Barnes and Noble Book Store. I never picked it up to look at it, nothing on the cover said to me, “Read me.” When I look for a book to read on my Nook e-reader, I always shop the $2.99 or less list (yes, I’m cheap). I came across Our Team for $2.99 and thought, “for $2.99 I’ll take a chance." I thoroughly enjoyed this read! Bill Veeck, who bought the Cleveland Indians in 1946, tried to buy the Philadelphia A’s in 1942 and integrate it with Negro League players, bought Larry Doby from the Newark Eagles. Doby was the first Negro player integrate the American League in 1947, and the second Negro, after Jackie Robinson integrated the Brooklyn Dodgers earlier that year. Bob Feller, a farm boy from Iowa made his major league debut at the age of seventeen. A flame-thrower, he pitched in the majors for nearly 20 years winning 266 games. From the ages of 23-25 Feller served in the military during World War 2. In the age of barnstorming during the off-season, Feller faced the immortal Satchel Paige many times in front of sell-out crowds wanting to see two of the hardest throwers of their day. In 1948, the four lives intertwined to lead the Indians to the world series. A highly recommended read!