The ABA has reached the halfway mark. Here are the storylines to follow as we move into the leagues 2nd half.
Domenic Loetzsch is going to make a serious run at a triple crown and another MVP. His monster season is one of the many reasons Las Vegas finds itself in the drivers seat. Koufax in the AL looks to be a 2 dog hunt between Alward and Stanton. Neither has won one yet, Stanton, many believe, has legitimate odds to be the greatest pitcher by a wide margin the league has ever seen. He's just 23 (Alward is 30 btw). There will be a player profile coming up on him shortly.
Texas' Teagan Ings (pronounced IN-JA) is a potential triple crown threat as well. He's .001 off the leaderboard at the break.
Our race is with St Louis. I'd really like to try and beat their final record. That's my "playoffs" this year. Brooklyn hasn't seen the playoffs since 1999 and just 4 times overall. No Titles yet.
Detroit? They've missed the postseason just
one time since the league began. Taking home the World Series in 1997, 2002 and 2003. They are a perennial powerhouse and very much a team other clubs try to emulate on and off the field.
In the Central Ohio started their ABA career as a playoff team from 1990 to 1997. They made it again in 2000 but nothing since then and have never taken home a world title. Chicago enters the break with a DL made up of not a single player. Their offense is clicking on all cylinders but many wonder if their 12th ranked defense will bite them in the end. They've made 7 appearances in the postseason including a 1998 to 2003 run of 4 division titles and 2 wild card appearances.
Vegas paces the west. An 8-time playoff club and one-time world champ (1996) they are coming off a 3-year dry spell and an 82-80 2004.
Alaska is a 10-time postseason team but a zero time world champion. They are coming off a 92, 97 and 97 win seasons and have been to the dance 7 of the last 8 seasons.
Denver is the defending world champion. Their 6 postseason appearances have seen them do it 5 times as a wild card. Their lone division title was last season when they took it the distance.
Over in the NL East, the Miners look to make the dance for the 14th
consecutive season. Their lone world series win was back in 1995 when they were at the beginning of a 9 year run as NL East champions.
New England is looking to make it to the dance for just the 4th time. They've never won a title and have spent 12 of the leagues 15 seasons as a bottom half of the division club.
In the central Texas is trying to make it back to back division titles and a third straight year as a postseason club. That's actually the sum of their postseason resume, 2 appearances with 1 division title.
Kansas City made the postseason from 1990 to 1994 and won the ABA's first two world series. They have not been to the postseason since. They haven't finished above 3rd since 1998.
Oklahoma has been a playoff team in 8 seasons and taken home one world series (2000). They finished 79-83 and 12 games back last year after a 94 win Division title season in 2003.
The Storm has been the NL's answer to Detroit. 2003 was their first year in existence
NOT making the playoffs. Even more impressive is the following. They've never finished below .500 (81-81 in 2003) and they've had 9 100+ win seasons including winning 101 or more games from 1995 to 2001. They've taken home 3 ABA World Series titles. They left April this year at 23-5 and were 29-7 on May 8th. They've gone 17-22 since then. Their staff is 2nd in starters ERA their pen is 1st and their offense leads the NL in OBP. San Francisco has
never had a 100 win season but they are in the midst of an 8 year run of postseason appearances. Seven of those years have come as the wild card with their lone division title coming in 2003. 22-14 on May 8th they've gone 24-15 since, picking up 7 games on LA.