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FuzzyRussianHat · 07-12-2024, 12:24 PM

The Arab League Western Conference was competitive with each division having two 90+ win teams in the hunt. The top seed went to Casablanca at 99-63, finishing eight games better than Algiers in the Mediterranean Division. The Bruins earned their 14^th division title over ALB’s 19 seasons to date.

The #2 seed was Amman, winning the Levant Division at 97-65. This ended a four-year playoff drought for the Aviators, who bested Beirut by six games. Defending conference champ Jerusalem, who had won three straight division titles, plummeted from 104 wins in 2007 to a lousy 71-91 in 2008. The closest division was the Nile Division, which Giza took for the third straight year. The Goats finished 95-67, edging Cairo by only two games.

Casablanca’s Abderrazak Zourai joined Nordine Soule and Mohammed Mohamed as the only five-time MVPs in ALB history to date. Zourai had previously won the Western Conference’s top prize in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2008, the 34-year old Moroccan third baseman led in runs (112) and WAR (8.3). Zouari also had 39 home runs, 110 RBI, a .950 OPS, and 159 wRC+ to win his seventh Silver Slugger. This would end his 15-year run with the Bruins, as he would leave for MLB in the winter on a four-year, $56,700,000 deal with Baltimore.

His Casablanca teammate Abdullah Al-Tamtami won his third Pitcher of the Year award. The 27-year old Omani righty led in wins (20-5), strikeouts (332), FIP- (58), and WAR (9.1). Al-Tamtami added a 2.73 ERA over 247.2 innings with a 140 ERA+. The Bruins gave him a seven-year, $24,640,000 extension just before the 2009 season.

Amman swept Giza in the first round of the playoffs for their fourth Western Conference Final appearance and first since 1999. Casablanca was making a repeat appearance and their tenth overall. The Bruins outlasted the Aviators 3-2 to earn their seventh WC pennant (1993, 94, 95, 01, 03, 05, 08).

Basra rode an impressive offense to the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 109-53. The Bulldogs set a franchise record for wins and extended their Iraq Division title streak to six seasons. Basra scored 893 runs, while the next closest team in the conference had only 754. That was defending ALB champ Medina at 102-60, winning their sixth straight Saudi Division. The Mastodons posted a fifth consecutive 100+ win season.

Dubai’s Gulf Division streak ended at seven seasons as the Diamonds limped to a 71-91 record. Kuwait claimed the mantle at 87-75, topping Abu Dhabi by two games. This was the second-ever playoff berth for the Whales, joining their stunning 2000 title win.

The stacked Basra offense had the top three finishers in Eastern Conference MVP voting. 27-year old Comoran RF Farouk Adam ended up winning his first MVP, leading in runs (144), doubles (54), OBP (.442), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.7). The 144 runs were a single-season record that wasn’t passed until 2028. Adam also had 251 hits, 34 home runs, 147 RBI, 92 stolen bases, and a .404 batting average.

Prior to 2008, no ALB player had hit above .400 or posted 250+ hits. However, Adam didn’t even lead the conference because of teammate Hassan El Zamek. The 24-year old Egyptian CF had a 10.7 WAR effort with single-season records in hits (261), average (.407), and stolen bases (138). The average and hits mark both held until 2027, while he’d beat his own steals mark two years later. Amazingly, that got El Zamek THIRD in MVP voting.

Second was the seven-time MVP LF Nordine Soule. The 33-year old set the RBI record with 172, breaking his 169 mark from 2005. This would only get passed once in 2027. The 33-year old Comoran also had 66 home runs, his ninth 60+ homer season, finishing the season with 797 for his career. Soule had a 1.173 OPS and 10.1 WAR. You could argue that the Soule-El Zamek-Adam pairing in 2008 was the strongest outfield in baseball history. Each were locked up long-term with the Bulldogs as well.

Dubai’s Uria Lerner won his third Pitcher of the Year, joining his 2004 and 2005 wins. It was an impressive comeback for the 27-year old Israeli righty, who missed all of 2007 to a torn UCL. Lerner led in WAR (8.5), quality starts (23), and FIP- (55). He added 295 strikeouts in 219.1 innings, a 2.42 ERA, and 16-6 record. Lerner also had a 14 K, 1 BB no-hitter against Abu Dhabi in July.

Sadly, Lerner’s 2008 ended with another torn UCL that knocked him out for all of 2009. He’d manage to bounce back for an ERA title in 2010, but he’d have more injuries after that. Also worth mentioning, Medina’s Souilem Boudiaf became the second ALB closer to win Reliever of the Year four times. Boudiaf also became the fourth to reach 300 saves in ALB. He’d leave for MLB in the offseason and would bounce around teams and leagues for another 13 years.

Medina swept Kuwait in the first round, pitting the Mastodons against Basra in the Eastern Conference Final for the fifth year in a row. This was a rubber match as Basra had won in 2004 and 2006, while Medina took it in 2005 and 2007. The even year again favored the Bulldogs, who earned their third pennant 3-1.

For the second time in three years, Basra secured the Arab League Championship. The high octane Bulldogs beat Casablanca 4-1 to drop the Bruins to 3-4 in their finals berths. Finals MVP didn’t come from the stacked outfield, but from SS Chucka Debekeme. The 31-year old Nigerian in nine playoff starts had 9 hits, 4 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI. It was the fourth straight title by an Eastern Conference team.

Other notes: Amman’s Kamal Saleh set numerous playoff stats that still stand as of 2037. He tossed 15 scoreless innings with 22 strikeouts in his two starts, allowing 3 hits and 0 walks. Saleh’s H/9 (1.80), WHIP (0.20), opponent triple slash (.064/.102/.064) and OPS (.166) are all still playoff records. Sulaymaniyah’s offense struck out 1805 times, which remains an all-time Eastern Conference worst as of 2037.

Nordine Soule crossed 1500 runs scored, becoming the first to reach that mark. He was now the all-time runs, RBI, and home run king. Soule also became the second to reach 2500 career hits and would pass Hassan El Mubarak’s 2611 for that top spot in 2009. Soule won his record 12^th Silver Slugger as well in left field.

Mustafa bin Nazim joined Soule as the only ALB sluggers with 600 home runs. He also won his tenth Silver Slugger at second base. Zuhair Hamad became the third pitcher to 200 wins. SS Amr Khatab won his ninth Gold Glove.

07-12-2024, 12:24 PM	#1420
FuzzyRussianHat Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 2,897	2008 in ALB The Arab League Western Conference was competitive with each division having two 90+ win teams in the hunt. The top seed went to Casablanca at 99-63, finishing eight games better than Algiers in the Mediterranean Division. The Bruins earned their 14^th division title over ALB’s 19 seasons to date. The #2 seed was Amman, winning the Levant Division at 97-65. This ended a four-year playoff drought for the Aviators, who bested Beirut by six games. Defending conference champ Jerusalem, who had won three straight division titles, plummeted from 104 wins in 2007 to a lousy 71-91 in 2008. The closest division was the Nile Division, which Giza took for the third straight year. The Goats finished 95-67, edging Cairo by only two games. Casablanca’s Abderrazak Zourai joined Nordine Soule and Mohammed Mohamed as the only five-time MVPs in ALB history to date. Zourai had previously won the Western Conference’s top prize in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 2008, the 34-year old Moroccan third baseman led in runs (112) and WAR (8.3). Zouari also had 39 home runs, 110 RBI, a .950 OPS, and 159 wRC+ to win his seventh Silver Slugger. This would end his 15-year run with the Bruins, as he would leave for MLB in the winter on a four-year, $56,700,000 deal with Baltimore. His Casablanca teammate Abdullah Al-Tamtami won his third Pitcher of the Year award. The 27-year old Omani righty led in wins (20-5), strikeouts (332), FIP- (58), and WAR (9.1). Al-Tamtami added a 2.73 ERA over 247.2 innings with a 140 ERA+. The Bruins gave him a seven-year, $24,640,000 extension just before the 2009 season. Amman swept Giza in the first round of the playoffs for their fourth Western Conference Final appearance and first since 1999. Casablanca was making a repeat appearance and their tenth overall. The Bruins outlasted the Aviators 3-2 to earn their seventh WC pennant (1993, 94, 95, 01, 03, 05, 08). Basra rode an impressive offense to the top seed in the Eastern Conference at 109-53. The Bulldogs set a franchise record for wins and extended their Iraq Division title streak to six seasons. Basra scored 893 runs, while the next closest team in the conference had only 754. That was defending ALB champ Medina at 102-60, winning their sixth straight Saudi Division. The Mastodons posted a fifth consecutive 100+ win season. Dubai’s Gulf Division streak ended at seven seasons as the Diamonds limped to a 71-91 record. Kuwait claimed the mantle at 87-75, topping Abu Dhabi by two games. This was the second-ever playoff berth for the Whales, joining their stunning 2000 title win. The stacked Basra offense had the top three finishers in Eastern Conference MVP voting. 27-year old Comoran RF Farouk Adam ended up winning his first MVP, leading in runs (144), doubles (54), OBP (.442), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.7). The 144 runs were a single-season record that wasn’t passed until 2028. Adam also had 251 hits, 34 home runs, 147 RBI, 92 stolen bases, and a .404 batting average. Prior to 2008, no ALB player had hit above .400 or posted 250+ hits. However, Adam didn’t even lead the conference because of teammate Hassan El Zamek. The 24-year old Egyptian CF had a 10.7 WAR effort with single-season records in hits (261), average (.407), and stolen bases (138). The average and hits mark both held until 2027, while he’d beat his own steals mark two years later. Amazingly, that got El Zamek THIRD in MVP voting. Second was the seven-time MVP LF Nordine Soule. The 33-year old set the RBI record with 172, breaking his 169 mark from 2005. This would only get passed once in 2027. The 33-year old Comoran also had 66 home runs, his ninth 60+ homer season, finishing the season with 797 for his career. Soule had a 1.173 OPS and 10.1 WAR. You could argue that the Soule-El Zamek-Adam pairing in 2008 was the strongest outfield in baseball history. Each were locked up long-term with the Bulldogs as well. Dubai’s Uria Lerner won his third Pitcher of the Year, joining his 2004 and 2005 wins. It was an impressive comeback for the 27-year old Israeli righty, who missed all of 2007 to a torn UCL. Lerner led in WAR (8.5), quality starts (23), and FIP- (55). He added 295 strikeouts in 219.1 innings, a 2.42 ERA, and 16-6 record. Lerner also had a 14 K, 1 BB no-hitter against Abu Dhabi in July. Sadly, Lerner’s 2008 ended with another torn UCL that knocked him out for all of 2009. He’d manage to bounce back for an ERA title in 2010, but he’d have more injuries after that. Also worth mentioning, Medina’s Souilem Boudiaf became the second ALB closer to win Reliever of the Year four times. Boudiaf also became the fourth to reach 300 saves in ALB. He’d leave for MLB in the offseason and would bounce around teams and leagues for another 13 years. Medina swept Kuwait in the first round, pitting the Mastodons against Basra in the Eastern Conference Final for the fifth year in a row. This was a rubber match as Basra had won in 2004 and 2006, while Medina took it in 2005 and 2007. The even year again favored the Bulldogs, who earned their third pennant 3-1. For the second time in three years, Basra secured the Arab League Championship. The high octane Bulldogs beat Casablanca 4-1 to drop the Bruins to 3-4 in their finals berths. Finals MVP didn’t come from the stacked outfield, but from SS Chucka Debekeme. The 31-year old Nigerian in nine playoff starts had 9 hits, 4 runs, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI. It was the fourth straight title by an Eastern Conference team. Other notes: Amman’s Kamal Saleh set numerous playoff stats that still stand as of 2037. He tossed 15 scoreless innings with 22 strikeouts in his two starts, allowing 3 hits and 0 walks. Saleh’s H/9 (1.80), WHIP (0.20), opponent triple slash (.064/.102/.064) and OPS (.166) are all still playoff records. Sulaymaniyah’s offense struck out 1805 times, which remains an all-time Eastern Conference worst as of 2037. Nordine Soule crossed 1500 runs scored, becoming the first to reach that mark. He was now the all-time runs, RBI, and home run king. Soule also became the second to reach 2500 career hits and would pass Hassan El Mubarak’s 2611 for that top spot in 2009. Soule won his record 12^th Silver Slugger as well in left field. Mustafa bin Nazim joined Soule as the only ALB sluggers with 600 home runs. He also won his tenth Silver Slugger at second base. Zuhair Hamad became the third pitcher to 200 wins. SS Amr Khatab won his ninth Gold Glove. __________________ Baseball: The World's Game fictional world reports Continental Baseball Federation world reports (8-tier promotion/relegation sim and college feeder)