The Russell Crowe Invitational

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New Zealand Final: Bay of Plenty Steamrollers vs Northland Giants

So, Bay of Plenty. 106 wins last season, 108 this time round. What can Northland do to stop this? Bay of Plenty's acquisition of Finlay Mackay over the winter has made them beastly. Mackay picked up 11.2 WAR this season, 2.2 more than anyone else in the entire competition. But even if you can shut Mackay down, there's plenty of other hitters there including last season's aging MVP Ciaran Mackay.

Also, Bay of Plenty has the best group of pitchers in the competition.

So it's going to be a tall order for the Giants to take this one out. This was a team that wasn't even meant to be in the playoffs. Let alone here.



And, Northland go to Tauranga and take game one -- even after losing their starting pitcher early. It was a low-scoring game with runs hard to come by. The Steamrollers had a mild run in the 9th with a Baden Macleod solo home run in the very first pitch of the innings but it was a day for Giants. Northland 1-0.



They've done it again! Are the Steamrollers about to blow their second New Zealand final in a row?

Bay of Plenty started off with a roar, the first hitter got a single, the second got a single, the third got a double (plus a RBI), and then with 2 on base. Finlay Mackay blasted a home run into the crowd. It was 4-0 and people were still making their way into the stadium.

The Giants stayed in the game. They were able to consistently get hits and walks throughout and slowly made a comeback, making a solitary run in the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th inning. Enough to get the win.

Northland are up 2-0 in the series as we head to Whangarei for the next three games. Bay of Plenty are in trouble!



A massive effort from Bay of Plenty's Karmatman Prithviraj allowed them to shut the Giants out and got the hitters going, with a 3-run home run in the 8th by pinch hitter Randolph Fidge the final icing on the cake.

The Steamrollers should never be counted out. Giants still up, 2-1.



The Steamrollers tie it up against the Northland Giants! Their hitters punishing the bullpen of the Giants.

The Giants #1 pitcher Rex Uridge is out with a injury he picked up in game one, he'd likely have started one of the next games. Can they hold on?



Northland may not have their ace but Bay of Plenty certainly does. Randolph Vankrimpen was the player of the game here, he gave up one run in the first inning but didn't look back from there.

The final score got blown out a bit with 4 runs in the top of the 9th but again, the Steamrollers punishing the Northland bullpen has become a bit of a trend in this 3 game run by Bay of Plenty.

Bay of Plenty up 3-2 now -- the Steamrollers have three wins in a row now. The series heads back to Tauranga for the final two games.



The Giants are out of starters as they bring in their bullpen to start this game. Vidian van der Linden is immediately annihilated in the first innings and the Giants can barely get hits on the board, let alone runs.

BAY OF PLENTY ARE THE NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONS!

Finlay Mackay wins the Series MVP, just to back up his Series MVP from the previous round of the playoffs. Fantastic comeback from the Steamrollers, down 2-0 in the series. They won the last four games to take it out.

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Australia Final: Canberra Power vs Adelaide Zips

One season ago these two teams faced each other for the right to represent Australia in the Trans Tasman Classic. There's a bit of role-reversal as Canberra come in here as the #1 seed this time round.

The Zips have just come off an intense 7 game series against the Hawks while the Canberra Power dominated the Geelong Green Sox in a 4-0 sweep, despite missing one of their top players.

The teams split their games against each other this season, 6-6.



Last season's MVP Rex Dulihanty proved his class with 2 home runs here. The Power put up a resistance in the 7th inning but too little too late.

Adelaide are up 1-0.



It's a similar script, once again the Canberra Power rally strong in the 8th but it's not enough to overcome the deficit.

Adelaide have taken both of Canberra's home games. Can they hold on? The series now moves to Adelaide for the next three. The Zips can close this on home grounds.



Both sides grab a run in the first 2 innings of the game but it's not until the bottom of the 11th that a player is able to cross home again. In rather anti-climatic fashion, it was a bases loaded walk that finished the game. The home fans didn't care as their team went up 3-0. Just one win away!



Again, the teams finish 9 innings tied at 1-all. Again, we go to extra innings, though we need 14 rather than 11 this time. And again, the Canberra Power give up a walk with bases loaded to give up the game, the series, and the Australian title.

Bad time to be a Canberra fan sorry.

THE ADELAIDE ZIPS HAVE WON THE AUSTRALIAN TITLE!

Rex Dulihanty's Series MVP is his second this year. The Zips will take on the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers for the Trans Tasman Classic and more importantly, the right to take credit for the existence of the greatest actor of all time, Russell Crowe.

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2002-03 Trans-Tasman Classic: Bay of Plenty Steamrollers vs Adelaide Zips

It was the final that should have been last season. The Steamrollers and Zips were the #1 seeds last season but both were knocked out in their respective finals.

There's MVP galore in this matchup. Bay of Plenty have the Mackay Brothers, Ciaran Mackay won the MVP last season, and Finlay Mackay is a shoe-in for the MVP this season. Both are big hitters and Finlay Mackay has been in hot form, winning both Series MVP awards on offer in this playoff run. Their star pitcher, Randolph Vankrimpen came in second in the highly competitive NZ pitcher award.

Adelaide boast the talent of Rex Dulihanty who was last season's Australian MVP and likely to be repeat this season. Like Finlay Mackay, he's been in great form and has won both Series MVP awards on offer.

Bay of Plenty had a big advantage, 5-1 over Adelaide this season.

The series kicks off in Steamroller territory: Tauranga.



Onto game one...



A perfect start for the Steamrollers, the bottom of the 1st: Baden Mcleod gets walked, Jai Blackadder gets a single and just like that, Ciaran Mackay sends a home run into the crowd for a 3-0 lead.

But they're not done yet. Finlay Mackay gets a single away and then Domenic Brusnahan sends a second home run into the crowd. Up 5-0 now!

That's all the runs that Bay of Plenty will collect today but it doesn't matter as Adelaide can only pick up a couple later in the game. Bay of Plenty draw first blood and are up 1-0.



Bay of Plenty press the advantage early and come up with the win in game two. They take a 2-0 lead in the series as we move to Adelaide for the next three games.





The Zips strike back! An outstanding 6th innings with some crafty hitting from the likes of Vaughan McLaren and Rex Dulihanty to get those 4 runners across home base. They win 5-2 but Bay of Plenty still lead 2-1.



The Steamrollers go hard early and silence the crowd as they demolish the Zips 12-4. Bay of Plenty are up 3-1.



BAY OF PLENTY WIN! 7 runs in the 8th and 9th suddenly turned a 2 run deficit into a 5 run win! Finlay Mackay, named the Series MVP, was behind a 2-run home run in the 8th that tied it all up. He was also the runner that scored Bay of Plenty's 10th and final run.

The Steamrollers comfortably take the top prize in the Russell Crowe Invitational, winning the series 4-1.

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2002-03 Award Winners

Kiwi Conference



Runner-ups: Ciaran McLeod (Northland), Willem Wellby (Taranaki)



Runner-ups: Randolph Vankrimpen (Bay of Plenty), Randolph Alport (Waikato)

If this Randolph madness keeps up I think I'll just call it the Randolph Award. (side note: the Australian nameset which is where New Zealand drives its results from is not doing much for me. I've changed the nameset settings and we'll start to see a lot less of Randolphs, Ciarans, Willems, Domenics, Rexes, Jais, and Badens as the newly created players start to develop)

Also note: this is Randolph D'antonio's second straight pitcher of the year award.

Rookie of the Year: Rex Bendeich (Northland)

Runner-ups: Baden Ngui (Waikato), Yatsuhiro Tukker (Hawke's Bay)

Reliever of the Year: Fdrat Lambregts (Hawke's Bay) *

Runner-ups: Apekaloma Vaka (Northland), Willem Gordam (Canterbury)

Fan Favourite: Tye Jeffes (Taranaki) *

Runner-ups: Rhys McLeod (Canterbury), Finlay Mackay (Bay of Plenty)

Great Glove Award
P Rhys Mackay (Hawke's Bay)
C Vaughan Krajanic (Auckland)
1B Seb Caporn (Wellington) *
2B Tye Jeffes (Taranaki)
3B Jai Crossingham (Waikato)
SS Callum Macdonald (Auckland)
LF Randolph Crossingham (Northland) *
CF Ciaran Mackay (Hawke's Bay)
RF Kian Macdonald (Hawke's Bay)

Platinum Stick Award
P Rico Bradnock (Bay of Plenty)
C Baden Mackay (Canterbury)
1B Domenic Brusnahan (Otago)
2B Katip Hulleman (Auckland)
3B Ciaran Macleod (Northland)
SS Jai van Haren (Taranaki)
LF Willem Wellby (Taranaki)
CF Domenic Sheelah (Bay of Plenty)
RF Finlay Mackay (Bay of Plenty)

Kangaroo Conference



Runner-ups: Zachariah Birss (Queensland), Domenic Redelius (Canberra)

This is the second straight Gladiator award for Dulihanty.



Runner-ups: Vaughan Fingelson (Queensland), Zachariah Eveson (Illawarra)

Rookie of the Year: Willem Robilliard (Adelaide)

Runner-ups: Jai Culaham (Illawarra), Seb Edlich (Canberra)

Reliever of the Year: Jai dejong (Illawarra)

Runner-ups: Willem Backhouse (Bendigo), Willem Colcott (Queensland)

Fan Favourite: Rex Dulihanty (Adelaide)

Runner-ups: Domenic Redelius (Canberra), Willem Robilliard (Bendigo)

Great Glove Award
P Willem Guyatt (Geelong)
C Yoo-ngan Jue (Canberra)
1B Tye Custello (Illawarra)
2B Willem Bristcoe (Canberra)
3B Domenic Dethridge (Melbourne)
SS Randolph Pickhills (Bendigo)
LF Seb Ollson (Geelong)
CF Vaughan Courcha (Tasmania)
RF Seb Tsou (Canberra)

Platinum Stick Award
P Rex Alldred (Melbourne) *
C Yoo-ngan Jue (Canberra)
1B Tye Custello (Illawarra)
2B Zachariah Tautor (Sydney City)
3B Willem Robiliard (Bendigo) *
SS Jai Collingridge (Melbourne)
LF Zachariah Birss (Queensland)
CF Rex Dulihanty (Adelaide) *
RF Tye Lapthorne (Tasmania) *

* = Previous Winner of the Award

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Season & Career Leaders

With 2 seasons done, it's not surprising that many marks set last season were broken this time round. With the conclusion of the 2002-03 season, this is where we stand.

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2003 Offseason

We had our first semi-major retirement of the Russell Crowe Invitational. Zachariah Roneberg of the Adelaide Zips has decided to call it a day.



The second basemen was a integral member of the Zips side that finished 1st in Australia in that first season. The right handed pull hitter was an all-star and named the best hitter in his position in the 2001-02 season.

A combination of declining skills and the talents of Rookie of the Year Willem "Scuttlebutt" Robilliard saw him drop down to the bench for his second season -- where he failed to meet the vesting criteria of his contract.

At 37 years old when the competition started, he knew he was never going to have a long career. He said he was delighted to play professional baseball in Australia to finish his career.

His ability to draw walks means that he finishes his career as the leader in career on-base percentage for the Adelaide Zips plus his .430 OBP in the first season is the highest for any Zip so far. His 122 walks in the first season is also a record for the Adelaide Zips.

Fun Fact: When I was clicking around and looking at things. I found out that Bay of Plenty have conceded exactly 597 runs during the regular season in both seasons so far. Both totals are the lowest we've seen in the competition.

Rule Changes: the owners agree to reduce the first round of the playoffs to a best-of-5 series. The New Zealand and Australian finals, plus the Trans Tasman Classic will remain at a best-of-7.

Rules were also relaxed to allow Australian and New Zealand teams to designate 2 players as exemptions to the "only Australian players can play for Australian teams" (with the same for New Zealand). The move was to help the marketplace become a bit more efficient and allow teams to match their needs with the talent out there.

We have some new owners in Australia as a consortium of drycleaning specialists buy the Tasmania Tigers.

Also...

It's a dramatically lit room. A beautiful boardroom table dominates it. A man sits in the middle facing the door. This is Russell Crowe in a suit, to his side is a beautiful blonde woman and a slick young businessman. The owner of the Melbourne Sting is bought in.

Russell Crowe: Please have a seat. Look, Darryl.
Darryl: Hi Russell, just quickly, my name is Daniel.
Russell Crowe: Nice joke, Darryl. Don't you think so guys?
Blonde: Yes, nice joke Darryl.
Businessman: Crushed it Darryl.
Russell Crowe: Darryl, I've been going through some stuff lately. As you know, I'm the greatest actor of all time and I've only won one Oscar. Ron Howard has more Oscars than me. It's not right. So I'm retiring from acting and going to have a go at this baseball owner thing. Now, I don't like to use foul language so I'll hand this one over to this lovely lady.
Blonde: Your team is garbage Darryl and you are garbage. People were impressed that you didn't come last this season. That's not the vision for the Melbourne Sting that we had.
Businessman: The good people of Melbourne are baseball mad. Let's give them a product they want to go to.

Russell Crowe stands up, the businessman and blonde try to stop him. He's not actually wearing pants.

Russell Crowe: That's right. I wasn't meant to stand up. Look I'm buying you out Darryl. The ownership of the Melbourne Sting goes to me and we'll turn them into winners.

He sits back down and points and Darryl.

Russell Crowe: You're fired.

Darryl is escorted out. Russell Crowe looks at his two companions.

Russell Crowe: I have a great idea for a TV show.

So Russell Crowe is the new owner of the Melbourne Sting. He wants the wins and is prepared to be generous financially to get it. Unfortunately for prospective GMs his patience is unmerciful and involvement is interfering.

Free Agents

The Tasmania Tigers make the first big signing of the offseason with a $51m/4yr deal with SP Willem Guyatt. Guyatt was with the Geelong Green Sox, and is a two-time all-star. Last season he lead the Australian league in WHIP, HR/9 and Pitcher WAR.

The Canberra Power laid down $64m/5yrs for SS Yin-ti Shuang.. Shuang was a member of the Newcastle Ducks and is a one-time all-star. The Power haven't had any good options defensively at Shortstop since the departure of Jai Collingridge after the 2001-02 season and are hoping he can be a critical member of a championship side.

Speaking of Jai Collingridge, the Melbourne Sting have looked him up to a huge $81m/6years contract that should cover the prime of the 28 year old's career. Collingridge was a member of the Champion Canberra side but jumped ship to Melbourne for a one year contract. He's a one-time all-star and has also won the great glove award, and platinum stick award.

The Melbourne Sting are the first to take advantage of the new rules and signs a New Zealander to their squad. They grab 38 year old Randolph Throsby, formerly of Canterbury to a $16m/yr deal. Throsby didn't actually play last season but had a pretty great season in 2001-02 with a slash line of .325/.409/.563 and a WAR of 7.8 in an all-star season -- we'll need to see if the Sting can get value out of him.

The Waikato River Bandits win the bidding war for Bay of Plenty's all-star pitcher Masamoto van der Meijden with a $50m/5yr contract in a major blow for the Steamrollers dream to repeat.

But you gain an all-star, you lose one as the River Bandits lose all-star Willem Ladds to Northland with a $11m/2yr contract. Waikato isn't too bothered as Ladds is fair beyond his peak.

The Otago Thunderbolts looked to shore up their shortstop position with Australian Vaughan Fewings. A $40m/4yr contract will see the 26 year old ply his talent in Dunedin. Fewings contributed a 6.7 and 6.1 WAR to the Illawarra Hawks over the last two seasons.

Last season's Australian Home Run Champion Zachariah Birss has made the move to Newcastle for a $48m/6yr deal. The 29 year old lead the Australian league in home runs, RBIs, and walks last season. Contributing a 3.8 and 6.9 WAR to Queensland in the last two seasons. He's a two-time all-star and won the platinum stick award last season.

One of the league's oldest players has made his way to Canberra. Katip "Oil Can" Hulleman, two time all-star and platinum stick winner leaves Auckland behind for a new challenge in Australia's capital city. Hulleman lead the New Zealand league in walks the last two season and contributed 4.5 and 7.8 WAR to Auckland in the last two seasons.

Finally, as we approach the new season. OSA publish their list of the top batters and pitchers in the competition.



Finlay Mackay keeps his ranking of #1.

New: Ciaran Macleod (25yrs old), Rex Wellby (34yrs old), Jai van Haren (25yrs old), Baden Mcleod (26yrs old), Willem Robilliard (28yrs old), Rex Alldred (30yrs old)

Out: Tye Eastick (40yrs old), Vaughan Throsby (31yrs old), Willem Ladds (38yrs old), Ravichandran Prudvi (29yrs old), Katip Hulleman (40yrs old), Randolph Crossingham (33 years old)



Tye Boxsell retains the number one spot that he held last season. Less churn in this list vs the hitters.

New: Vaughan Fingelson (29yrs old), Baden Colcott (26yrs old)

Out: Domenic Heatherslaw (32yrs), Jai van Buzen (31yrs old)

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2003-04 Kiwi Conference Preview



Bay of Plenty Steamrollers (108-60)
We're predicting the third straight 100-win season for the Steamrollers. Can anyone in New Zealand hope to tame this beast? We expect 5 players to be top player caliber: Finlay Mackay (RF), Baden Macleod (LF), Ciaran Mackay (3B), Randolph Vankrimpen (SP), and Karmatman Prtithviraj (SP).

Keep on eye on Baden Macleod, he might become the first member of the 30-30 club in the RCI with his projected 31 home runs and 37 stolen bases.

Major gains: The Steamrollers used their 2 foreigner limit on some pitchers. Grabbing all-star starter Willem McCarthy and two-time all-star closer Willem Backhouse

Major losses: All-star starter Masamoto van der Meijen heads down the road to Waikato.

Contracts: Last season's MVP Finlay Mackay has a opt-out of his contract this season. Will be interesting to see if he decides to test his worth in the free agent market. After this season, he'll still have 6 years left in a $8m/yr contract. Some interesting math to happen for the 26 year old.

Injuries: Starting Pitcher Calum Mackay isn't expected back from his Torn UCL until May -- a full 18 months after he injured it. Honestly though, he'll have a hard time breaking into this rotation. Outfielder Domenic Sheelah (two-time all-star, playoff series mvp, platinum stick winner) will miss the first three weeks of the regular season with a bone bruise on his wrist that he picked up in spring training.

Northland Giants (91-77)
Ciaran Macleod was a revelation for the Giants last season, raising his WAR from 2.9 to 7.9 as the Giants made their way to the New Zealand final. They'll be looking to go one step further this time round.

Major gains: The Giants have taken a punt on 1B Willem "Digger" Ladds, the 38 year old brings a bunch of experience but appears to be on the decline. They've put him on a 2-year contract, but it has a vesting clause so expect him to be benched if he doesn't deliver.

Major losses: 1B Zachariah Sowrirajan contributed a handy 3.3 WAR to the Giants campaign last season and will be missed. Remains to be seen if Willem Ladds can fill that gap.

Contracts: They've got their key players squared away for at least another season. A lot of their role players are due to expire at the end of this season.

Injuries: Two-time Great Glove outfielder Randolph Crossingham is out for the first 3-4 months with a spring training injury. Platinum Stick winning Shortstop Callum Macdonald is out for the first month with a torn hamstring that he picked up in spring training.

Otago Thunderbolts (90-78)
A third straight playoff appearances is the expectation for Otago here. A second New Zealand title and first Trans Tasman title is the goal. Lots of hope around the batting talents of Domenic Brusnahan to improve on last season and for Randolph D'antonio to continue his domination of the New Zealand league from the mound. Their manager Vinkeneke Iluka subscribes to the smallball style of management if you're into something different.

Major gains: Otago took full advantage of the '2 foreigner limit' and signed up Australian all-star SS Vaughan Fewings. He contributed a 6.7 and 6.2 WAR in the last two seasons for the Hawks

Major losses: None

Contracts: The Thunderbolts will be relived to shed the expensive $10m contract for 37 year old starter Domenic Sverdloff when he expires at the end of this season.

Injuries: There are some long standing injuries from last season to pitchers Kazuhito van der ooij and Yen Ouwerkerk. They'll be lucky to make it back in time for the playoffs.

Wellington Lions (84-84)
The first playoff appearance for the Lions is possibly on the cards here according to our projections.Though we're not sure why.

Hoping for big things from LF Senri van Oosten, the two-time All-Star had a disappointing season last time round seeing his WAR drop from 8.8 to 4.7. Will the decline continue for this 31 year old?

Major gains: Australian Vaughan Trevelyan has been bought in to shore up the rotation at #3.

Major losses: The loss of RF Zachariah McCabe across the Cook Strait to Tasman will hurt the Lions as will the two starting pitchers Vaughan Rigbye and Teddy Wagemans. Both to Bendigo.

Contracts: Two of their aging hitters, Giacobbe de Jong and Seb van der Molen will be finishing up their contracts this season. They'll probably be worth keeping around but at a cheaper amount.

Injuries: A Spring Training incident will keep out Burcin Dijkhuizen for the first 4-5 months of the season.

Waikato River Bandits (83-85)
The River Bandits have bought in some pitching help for Randolph Alport with the acquisition of Masamoto van der Meijden from the Bay of Plenty as Waikato seeks out their first appearance in the playoffs.

Major Gains: As mentioned, Masamoto van der Meijen.

Major losses: They traded away All-star Ulisses van Essen to Adelaide for some young ones that don't hold too much promise. Possibly to make room for their prospect catcher.

Contracts: This is a certainly a team that they can keep together. No major contracts expire this season.

Injuries: They've lost Starting Pitcher Zachariah Rijk for the next 12 months after a spring training injury. Lower in the rotation but they don't really have the depth for this.

Hawke's Bay Vikings (82-86)
Manager Bradly van Meggelen takes a tactical approach to the game, and in a team that lacks star power, they certainly need it. Their bullpen, led by two-time reliever of the year Fdart "Clockworks" Lambergts is one of the best in the business but the rest of the team isn't up to that standard.

Major gains: They made an Australian acquisition with 1B Seb Brajak from Canberra. The 37 year old contributed a WAR of 4.4 last season so could be handy if he can do that again.

Major losses: None

Contracts: A lot of contracts expire after this season, remains to be seen how Hawke's Bay approach it.

Injuries: None

Auckland Aces (81-87)
The OSA ranks Tye Boxsell as the best pitcher in baseball, while he wasn't quite pitcher of the year. He still the led the New Zealand league in wins (20), strikes (329), and K/9 (12.6) and we can expect a lot more from this 26 year old. One player doesn't make a team though, we're expecting a disappointing season from Auckland and predict they'll miss the playoffs for the first time.

The loss of Katip Hulleman will be a big one and one that Auckland haven't been able to replace.

Major gains: All-star reliever Jai Culaham has been good for around 2.0 WAR in the last two seasons. He makes the move to the big smoke from Tasman.

Major losses: Two time All-star and platinum stick winner Katip Hulleman has made the shift across the ditch and signed for Canberra. He contributed 7.8 WAR last season but we'll see if he can keep that kind of performance up at 40 years old. Auckland's decision to let him go may prove them right.

Contracts: The big names of Auckland are all signed up for some time.

Injuries: Some damage to their bullpen. Reliever Vaughan Mackay will likely miss the season after an injury last year. Prospect Callum Mackay will be looking to return in 2 months following a spring training injury.

Canterbury Red Knights (80-88)
After a playoff appearance in the first season we've seen little from Canterbury and are expecting that to continue here. Expect some quality baseball from RF Rhys Macleod, provided he stays healthy. The first two seasons of the RCI have seen him pick up 13 injuries.

Major gains: They've added two starting pitchers to bolster up the #4 and #5 slot. En-go Trentelman and Rhys Mackay join up.

Major losses: The Melbourne Sting drew away All-Star Randolph Throsby and his 7.8 WAR.

Contracts: All-Star closer Willem Gordam is up after this year. Canterbury will do well to keep him around.

Injuries: None

Taranaki Bulls (79-89)
Always the bridesmaid... The Bulls have finished in 5th spot twice in a row. They're certainly an exciting team to watch, they keep their fans interested right to the last game and are still projected to get the most runs of any team this season. Expect some great offense from Willem Wellby, Jai Sverdloff, and Tye Jeffes. It's the pitching lineup that we're projecting to keep Taranaki at 9th spot this season.

Major gains: None

Major losses: Pitcher Rhys Mackay goes off to Canterbury just to make their pitching woes worse.

Contracts: The big hitters are all signed up for long contracts.

Injuries: None

Tasman Sunbirds (76-92)
We're expecting a lot from Tasman pitchers Jai Fewings and Ichirou Twisk but not a lot else from the rest of the Sunbirds. It appears the Tasman managers are more interested in getting some of that Nelson sun rather than putting together a decent ball club.

Major gains: There are some decent gains, 1B Zachariah Sowrirajan comes from Northland and RF Zachariah McCabe comes over from Wellington.

Major losses: Pitcher Rex Courhca contributed 3.2 WAR last season but the Sunbirds have decided to let him go. He's still on the free agent market though so we wonder if there's some underlying controversy here.

Contracts: Nearly everyone could leave after this season. Jai Fewings has the ability to opt-out of his multi-year contract after this season, and most of the team see their contracts end this season. Could be interesting times.

Injuries: Reliever Seb Hutchesson is out for the season.

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2003-04 Kangaroo Conference Preview



Adelaide Zips (92-76)
Two time MVP Rex Dulihanty is the key player here as the Zips look to repeat the Australian title and possibly go the extra step. Dulihanty is the heart and soul of this team, he has not missed a single game in the last two seasons. The Zips have suffered a big loss with RF Baden Gettingby's departure. Can they rebound?

Major Gains: Ulisses van Essen comes via a trade from Waikato. He helps fill in that Catcher position. Need a closer? Might as well pick up a former reliever of the year: Jai D'antonio.

Major Losses: RF Baden Gettingby is a big one. The All-Star contributed 7.1 WAR last season and hasn't really been replaced. Also out of here is LF Willem McCabe, he's taken his 3.9 WAR off to Tasmania.

Contracts: They'll be able to keep this core together for another year. Rex Dulihanty is signed through until 2006 with a player option for the next year too.

Injuries: None

Geelong Green Sox (92-76)
We can't separate the Zips from the Green Sox. The Geelong pitching staff is again stellar despite losing Willem Guyatt and should be able to boast the lowest ERA in the comp. On the hitting side, the Vaughans -- Vaughan Eykelbosch and Vaughan Throsby are both top-ten rated.

Major Gains: The Green Sox nab Tasmania closer All-Star Baden Sambandan.

Major Losses: But, the Tigers certainly didn't take the Sambandan poaching lying down, they grabbed 2-time All-Star and former pitcher of the year Willem Guyatt. So I guess they won that one.

Contracts: Nothing major

Injuries: None

Canberra Power (89-79)
The Power have been the most successful team so far but they've made some desperate signings here to keep this success going with old and easily-injured players. If it pays off then they'll likely make another run for the Australian title.

Major Gains: The Power take a punt on Auckland's 2B Katip Hulleman, the 40 year old certainly delivered for Auckland last season with a 7.8 WAR season, can he do the same for the Power? Another important signing was SS Yin-Ti Shuang who had his season interrupted by injury last season but still got 4.0 WAR in the bank. If he can stay healthy, he'll be devastating.

Major Losses: 1B Seb Brajak is lost to Hawke's Bay

Contracts: Domenic Redelius has been the star of this Canberra Power team for the last two seasons and his next contract year is a player option.

Injuries: Catcher Yoo-ngan Jue will miss the first four months of the season following a spring training incident. This is a blow for the Power, Jue has had 4.0 and 4.9 WAR in the last two seasons.

Tasmania Tigers (87-81)
The new ownership of the Tigers has made some aggressive moves to bolster up the side to make their first appearance in the playoffs.

Major Gains: Some notable signings. Willem Guyatt was the pitcher of the year two seasons ago and grabbed from the Green Sox. Adelaide's Willem McCabe is also a useful pick-up for the Tigers. Also newly sporting Tiger colours is reliever of the year Jai DeJong.

Major Losses: None

Contract: Lots of their pitchers finish their contracts after this season. SP Rex D'antonio (2.7 WAR), CL Randolph van Buizen (1.6 WAR), and Jai DeJong (2.3 WAR)

Injuries: None

Newcastle Ducks (84-84)]
Fans love a home run and Newcastle has grabbed one of the best in the business with Zachariah Birss. We've got them narrowly out of the playoffs so they'll need to up their game if they want to be in the dance.

Major Gains: The Ducks gain the services of home run champion Zachariah Birss from Queensland.He should provide a nice draw.

Major Losses: SS Yan-Ti Shuang is lost to Canberra.

Contracts: Two-time All-Star and Platinum Stick Winner Zachariah Caporn has a player option after this season.

Injuries: CF Jai Kesterton, handy for about 3.0 WAR a season will miss the first 8 weeks of the season with post-concussion syndrome.

Melbourne Sting (83-85)
Russell Crowe has taken over the Sting and sent instructions that he wants wins for the side. They made one big signing in Randolph Throsby but have been pretty quiet, so this will likely not be the year they make the playoffs. How long will Crowe be happy with a sub .500 season?

Major Gains: Randolph Throsby comes to town, he had a massive season with Canterbury last season with 7.8 WAR. Can he keep that up at age 38 though?

Major Losses: None

Contracts: The Sting will be able to shed Rex Dethridge's $10m contract after this season. Dethridge is the second highest paid player in this squad and gives a measly 0.5 WAR in exchange.

Injuries: None

Bendigo Gold Rush (79-89)
The Gold Rush suffered some big losses in the offseason so we don't think this will be the year they get into the playoffs.

Major Gains: LF Seb Ollson comes over from Geelong

Major Losses: All-Star SP Willem McCarthy is sniped by Bay of Plenty as was closer Willem Backhouse. Great Glove Winner SS Randolph Pickhills is also a loss.

Contracts: Lots expire after this season though their star hitter and pitcher are still contracted for many more seasons.

Injuries: None

Queensland Firebirds (78-90)
The Firebirds were in the playoff run right up until the final series last season but fell short after making the playoffs in the first season. We don't think they'll even make it that close this time.

Major Gains: LF Kian Maclean led the NZ league in hits and batting average in the 2001-02 season for Taranaki and then took the next season off. He's back and looking to do some damage for the Firebirds.

Major Losses: Last year's home run champion and 2-time All-Star Zachariah Birss will now be hitting his dingers for Newcastle.

Contracts: All-Star Closer Willem Colcott's contract expires after this season.

Injuries: None

Sydney City Sharks (75-93)
People. The Sharks had the most boring offseason of all time. No gains. No losses. And looking like the worst pitching lineup out there.

Major Gains: None

Major Losses: None

Contracts: Nothing major

Injuries: Reliever Tye Purss is still recovering from a fractured elbow from last season.

Illawarra Hawks (72-96)
We're projecting that the Hawks will finish dead last, just a season after finishing in the playoffs. They had a great run last season but there's been too many losses for that to continue.

Major Gains: None

Major Losses: All-Star SS Vaughan Fewings heads off to Otago. Reliever of the Year Jai Dejong heads off to Tasmania.

Contracts: The Hawks have a team option on Yin-Fat Zhen. If he wants to keep being paid then the 35 year needs to perform.

Injuries: All-Star Starting Pitcher Domenic Geaner is still 9 months away from recovery for a Torn UCL.

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October 2003

5 October, 2003
The Warthog, Callum Mackay hasn't had too spectacular of a career to date but he had a monster game against the Tasman Sunbirds to put him in the record books. He went 6-6 including 2 home runs to help the Hawke's Bay Vikings to a 13-5 win.

It wasn't enough to save his job though, he was released 10 days later.

7 October, 2003
Two days after Mackay went 6-6, Geelong's Vaughan Throsby pulled it off against Bendigo in their 8-7 win.

15 October, 2003
After winning The Shield in the last series of the season, the Tasmania Tigers successfully defend it against the Illawarra Hawks in their first outing but lose to the Wellington Lions next time round. They successfully defended it once and held it for 168 days.

That sets off a series of unsuccessful defenses as the Lions lose it to the Tasman Sunbirds, the Sunbirds to the Taranaki Bulls, and the Bulls to the Hawke's Bay Vikings. As we finish the month, the Vikings are defending against the Newcastle Ducks, they are up 1-0 in the series.

October Awards

Kiwi Batter of the Month: Finlay Mackay (Bay of Plenty) .407 BA with 7 home runs, 22 RBIs, and 21 runs scored.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Fdart Lambergts (Hawke's Bay) 13 relief appearances, throwing 13.2 innings, 10 saves, a 1-0 record, 19 strikeouts, and a 0.00 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Domenic Atteridge (Canterbury) .264 BA with 5 doubles and 2 home runs. He scored 13 times and drove in 6 runs.

Kangaroo Batter of the Month: Domenic Redelius (Canberra) .392 BA with 8 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 25 runs scored.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Zachariah Delzoppo (Adelaide) 4-0 record with a 1.27 ERA. 28.1 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Seb Birss (Tasmania) .371 BA with 5 doubles and 3 home runs. He scored 15 times and drove in 18 runs.

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November 2003

4 November, 2003
Bad news for Canterbury as they lose RF Rhys Macleod for the next 7-8 weeks. The 29 year old has contributed 5.3 and 6.9 WAR for the Red Knights these last two seasons. He'd been going at .343/.451/.618 before the injury.

6 November, 2003
We're on streak watch here as Sydney City's 2B Zachariah Tautor is now on a 25 game hit streak. The record is 34 by Tye Lapthorne.

7 November, 2003
Wellington 2B Seb van der Molen had a massive day against the Bendigo Gold Rush with three home runs, including a grandslam in the 7th innings that ultimately granted Wellington a 9-7 win.

8 November, 2003
Illawarra 1B Tye Custello has the Cycle. His team lost against the Canterbury Red Knights though.

The Hawke's Bay Vikings fend off challenges from the Newcastle Ducks and Melbourne Sting but fall against the Tasmania Tigers in a sweep. So 2 successful defenses and a hold of 10 days.

9 November, 2003
Zachariah Tautor's hit streak ends at 27 as he fails to register anything against Bay of Plenty.

12 November, 2003
Canterbury's 24 year old Domenic Atteridge goes nuts against the Tasman Sunbirds as he sent 3 home runs into the crowd. He went 4-5, rung up 8 RBIs, and scored 4 runs.

16 November, 2003
Tasmania make the first defense of the Shield but lose to the Bendigo Gold Rush. So no defenses and a hold of 8 days.

29 November, 2003
Auckland's Tye Boxsell has been outstanding so far this season. He blasted through the Taranaki Bulls with 15 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory for his side. This is the third time that Boxsell has pitched a 15+K game.

30 November, 2003
The Bendigo Gold Rush get a good run of defense on the board as they defend The Shield against challenges from the Illawarra Hawks, Canberra Power, and the Melbourne Sting. They'll next defend it against Queensland.

Stat Watch
Very early days but after two months we've got Finlay Mackay (Bay of Plenty) in a triple crown position in NZ with .364 BA, 17 Home Runs, and 48 RBIs very slightly leading the league. Tye Boxsell (Auckland) is also one win away from being in a pitching triple crown position. He currently has a 1.11 ERA, 8 wins, and 111 strikeouts.

November Awards

Kiwi Batter of the Month: Baden McLeod (Bay of Plenty) .371 BA with 33 hits, 11 home runs, 26 RBIs, and 31 runs scored.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Tye Boxsell (Auckland) 5-0 record, 40.1 innings pitched striking out 58 with a 0.22 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Zachariah van Breda (Hawke's Bay) .337 BA with 28 hits, 5 home runs, and 17 RBIs.

Kangaroo Batter of the Month: Vaughan Eykelbosch (Geelong) .340 BA with 8 home runs, 19 RBIs, and 20 runs scored.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Willem Guyatt (Tasmania) 4-1 recordo, 49 innings pitched striking out 40 with a 0.92 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Zachariah Bristcoe (Bendigo) .353 BA with 36 hits, 4 home runs, and 25 RBIs.

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December 2003

5 December, 2003
Pitchers are in demand in the latest draft as the first 3 picks all go for pitching talent. Bendigo get the first pick and take Jai Whiffin, from the University of Auckland and entice him with a signing bonus of $1.65m. Whiffin has 5 pitches up his sleeve, the best being his cutter.

He was injured back in October so Bendigo fans will need to wait until next season to see their latest prospect in action.

12 December, 2003
Is the recently released Love Actually the greatest film of all time? 2-time All-Star from Sydney City Willem Woodger definitely thinks so. He thinks that so much that he got in a fight with Adelaide All-Star Pitcher Luo-Han Qin over it. 3 and 7 game suspensions were handed out.



Woodger thought it was worth it.

18 December, 2003
The Bendigo Gold Rush resist the Queensland Firebirds but lose The Shield to the Adelaide Zips. They successfully defended it 4 times and held the Shield for 32 days.

The Zips defend the Shield against the Wellington Lions before the All-Star break and will next defend it in a top-of-the-table clash with the Canberra Power next month!

29 December, 2003
A bad season for the Sydney City Sharks just got worse as it looks like they'll lose the services of Love Actually loving Willem Woodger for the rest of the season to a fractured wrist.

December Awards

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Willem Wellby (Taranaki) .330 BA with 10 home runs, 22 RBIs, 19 runs and a .435 OBP.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Randolph D'antonio (Otago) 4-0 record, 30 innings pitched with 33 strikeouts and a 0.90 ERA
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Domenic Atteridge (Canterbury) .320 BA with 2 home runs, 14 RBIs, and 16 runs.

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Domenic Redelius (Canberra) .429 BA with 10 home runs, 27 RBIs, and 27 runs.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Randolph Layland (Newcastle) 16 relief appearances, throwing 18 innings, 9 saves, a 2-0 record, 25 strikeouts, and a 0.50 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Domenic Crossingham (Newcastle) .309 BA with 21 hits, 4 home runs, 12 RBIs, 5 walks and a .351 OBP.





Nearly everything is still up for grabs as Waikato and Canberra top their respective conferences.

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2004 All-Star Game

Kiwi All-Stars
SP Randolph Alport (WAI) - 7-4, 2.48 ERA, 105.1 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, 3.4 WAR *
SP Tye Boxsell (AUC) - 8-3, 1.81 ERA, 114.2 IP, 0.89 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 5.0 WAR
SP Randolph D'antonio (OTA) - 12-0, 1.61 ERA, 106.1 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, 4.2 WAR **
SP Liu-chun Tze (BOP) - 5-3, 2.32 ERA, 93.0 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 1.9 WAR
SP Rex Uridge (NOR) - 6-4, 2.36 ERA, 91.2 IP, 0.92 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 3.7 WAR **
SP Masamoto van der Meijden (WAI) - 11-3, 2.76 ERA, 107.2 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 2.1 WAR *
SP Seb van Noort (HB) - 7-6, 2.46 ERA, 98.2 IP, 1.27 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, 3.0 WAR
SP Randolph Vankrimpen (BOP) - 6-4, 2.14 ERA, 92.2 IP, 0.92 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 4.0 WAR **
RP Jai Culaham (AUC) - 4-2, 2.02 ERA, 40.0 IP, 0.95 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 1.2 WAR *
RP Domenic Macdonald (AUC) - 3-0, 2.36 ERA, 42.0 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 1.0 WAR
RP Willem Macdonald (HB) - 1-0, 2.31 ERA, 39.0 IP, 0.90 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 0.8 WAR
CL Willem Gordam (CAN) - 2-4, 18 SV, 2.06 ERA, 35.0 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 1.5 WAR *
CL Fðrat Lambregts (HB) - 3-3, 20 SV, 2.37 ERA, 38.0 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 13.0 K/9, 1.3 WAR *
CL Vaughan Mcquade (OTA) - 2-1, 17 SV, 1.86 ERA, 29.0 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 0.7 WAR
CL Apekaloma Vaka (NOR) - 3-2, 18 SV, 1.15 ERA, 31.1 IP, 0.89 WHIP, 13.5 K/9, 1.4 WAR *
C Tye Gaynon (WAI) - .326/.363/.467, 261 AB, 4 HR, 133 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
C Kian Macdonald (OTA) - .291/.352/.427, 234 AB, 5 HR, 118 wRC+, 1.8 WAR *
C Baden Mackay (CAN) - .226/.330/.360, 186 AB, 2 HR, 87 wRC+, 0.6 WAR *
C Engjëll van Dijkhuizen (AUC) - .262/.345/.426, 195 AB, 6 HR, 116 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
1B Domenic Brusnahan (OTA) - .309/.451/.525, 265 AB, 14 HR, 1 SB, 174 wRC+, 3.6 WAR *
1B Baden Hutchence (AUC) - .328/.389/.567, 305 AB, 14 HR, 167 wRC+, 2.7 WAR *
1B Ravichandran Prudvi (WAI) - .291/.414/.560, 268 AB, 19 HR, 163 wRC+, 2.5 WAR
2B Tye Jeffes (TAR) - .261/.394/.515, 268 AB, 19 HR, 10 SB, 143 wRC+, 3.6 WAR **
2B Seb van der Molen (WEL) - .315/.380/.519, 289 AB, 15 HR, 1 SB, 148 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
3B Ciaran Macleod (NOR) - .360/.417/.630, 303 AB, 21 HR, 2 SB, 189 wRC+, 4.7 WAR **
SS Zachariah Crossingham (HB) - .277/.325/.442, 267 AB, 6 HR, 2 SB, 105 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
SS Vaughan Fewings (OTA) - .292/.348/.444, 288 AB, 6 HR, 2 SB, 118 wRC+, 2.2 WAR *
SS Jai van Haren (WEL) - .276/.375/.441, 304 AB, 9 HR, 4 SB, 124 wRC+, 2.8 WAR *
LF Randolph Akhurst (AUC) - .290/.391/.403, 221 AB, 6 HR, 6 SB, 124 wRC+, 2.0 WAR
LF Willem Wellby (TAR) - .329/.402/.611, 301 AB, 23 HR, 5 SB, 180 wRC+, 3.9 WAR *
CF Domenic Sheelah (BOP) - .257/.328/.461, 167 AB, 6 HR, 5 SB, 114 wRC+, 0.6 WAR **
RF Baden dejong (AUC) - .260/.373/.545, 277 AB, 20 HR, 146 wRC+, 1.5 WAR
RF Finlay Mackay (BOP) - .351/.463/.677, 279 AB, 25 HR, 2 SB, 211 wRC+, 5.4 WAR *
RF Jai Prabhath (WAI) - .340/.373/.558, 215 AB, 9 HR, 3 SB, 156 wRC+, 1.6 WAR
RF Rex Wellby (OTA) - .285/.407/.506, 253 AB, 13 HR, 156 wRC+, 3.0 WAR *

Teams Represented: Auckland (7), Otago (6), Waikato (5), Bay of Plenty (4), Hawke's Bay (4), Northland (3), Canterbury (2), Taranaki (2), Wellington (2), Tasman (0)

Kangaroo All-Stars
SP Vaughan Fingleson (QLD) - 3-4, 2.67 ERA, 84.1 IP, 1.15 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.9 WAR *
SP Wing-kit Fok (NEW) - 6-3, 2.08 ERA, 90.2 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 2.0 WAR
SP Willem Guyatt (TAS) - 8-5, 1.71 ERA, 105.0 IP, 0.86 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 4.1 WAR **
SP Seb Hanscombe (GEE) - 7-6, 2.27 ERA, 91.1 IP, 1.08 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, 1.9 WAR **
SP Vaughan Ladds (BEN) - 7-2, 2.39 ERA, 113.0 IP, 0.96 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 2.4 WAR
SP Rex Mclaren (TAS) - 9-2, 2.65 ERA, 91.2 IP, 1.12 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 1.6 WAR *
SP Baden Wonnocott (NEW) - 7-5, 3.02 ERA, 89.1 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 1.2 WAR
SP Yin-fat Zhen (ILL) - 4-7, 2.90 ERA, 87.0 IP, 1.18 WHIP, 4.3 K/9, 1.1 WAR
RP Willem Durrington (ADE) - 1-2, 2.01 ERA, 40.1 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 0.8 WAR
RP Domenic Fouracre (TAS) - 2-1, 0.86 ERA, 41.2 IP, 0.74 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 1.5 WAR
RP Rex Qualtrough (BEN) - 2-1, 0.84 ERA, 32.0 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 0.9 WAR
CL Randolph Dulihanty (BEN) - 2-1, 19 SV, 1.15 ERA, 31.1 IP, 0.93 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 0.7 WAR
CL Randolph layland (NEW) - 4-3, 22 SV, 1.66 ERA, 43.1 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 12.9 K/9, 1.6 WAR
CL Baden Sambandan (GEE) - 2-3, 16 SV, 1.21 ERA, 37.1 IP, 0.91 WHIP, 12.1 K/9, 1.5 WAR *
CL Randolph Van buizen (TAS) - 1-3, 17 SV, 2.20 ERA, 32.2 IP, 1.44 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, -0.0 WAR *
CL Seb Vantassell (CNB) - 1-1, 8 SV, 1.82 ERA, 34.2 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 0.8 WAR *
C Zachariah Caporn (NEW) - .274/.341/.335, 248 AB, 2 HR, 93 wRC+, 1.1 WAR **
C Willem Fouracre (GEE) - .346/.371/.487, 156 AB, 1 SB, 135 wRC+, 1.6 WAR *
1B Domenic Acret (ADE) - .290/.371/.542, 286 AB, 17 HR, 146 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
1B Tye Custello (ILL) - .292/.353/.570, 298 AB, 18 HR, 154 wRC+, 3.1 WAR *
1B Kâtip Hulleman (CNB) - .303/.390/.493, 294 AB, 13 HR, 149 wRC+, 2.0 WAR **
2B Zachariah Tautor (SYD) - .340/.412/.572, 297 AB, 14 HR, 172 wRC+, 3.1 WAR *
3B Domenic Dethridge (MEL) - .322/.359/.505, 311 AB, 12 HR, 137 wRC+, 2.8 WAR
3B Vaughan Eykelbosch (GEE) - .318/.411/.616, 292 AB, 19 HR, 2 SB, 182 wRC+, 5.0 WAR **
3B Randolph Robilliard (ADE) - .305/.370/.510, 249 AB, 13 HR, 145 wRC+, 2.3 WAR
3B Willem Robilliard (BEN) - .329/.394/.482, 307 AB, 11 HR, 11 SB, 139 wRC+, 2.9 WAR **
SS Randolph Buggins (TAS) - .279/.388/.537, 201 AB, 11 HR, 6 SB, 157 wRC+, 2.7 WAR
SS Yin-ti Shuang (CNB) - .268/.385/.391, 276 AB, 6 HR, 1 SB, 119 wRC+, 2.5 WAR *
LF Kian Maclean (QLD) - .328/.377/.591, 308 AB, 22 HR, 166 wRC+, 2.3 WAR *
LF Hui Phan (MEL) - .343/.364/.466, 335 AB, 3 HR, 11 SB, 130 wRC+, 2.6 WAR
LF Domenic Redelius (CNB) - .387/.478/.723, 282 AB, 24 HR, 231 wRC+, 5.8 WAR **
LF Baden Stennings (ILL) - .333/.412/.604, 288 AB, 19 HR, 178 wRC+, 3.0 WAR *
CF Vaughan Courcha (TAS) - .325/.377/.506, 326 AB, 8 HR, 26 SB, 146 wRC+, 4.7 WAR *
CF Rex Dulihanty (ADE) - .323/.404/.588, 294 AB, 15 HR, 1 SB, 174 wRC+, 4.2 WAR **
RF Tye Lapthorne (TAS) - .317/.381/.542, 249 AB, 15 HR, 5 SB, 150 wRC+, 3.0 WAR *
RF Willem Woodger (SYD) - .319/.458/.488, 254 AB, 7 HR, 1 SB, 169 wRC+, 3.4 WAR **

Teams Represented:Tasmania (7), Adelaide (4), Bendigo (4), Canberra (4), Geelong (4), Newcastle (4), Illawarra (3), Melbourne (2), Sydney City (2), Queensland (2)

This year, the All-Star game takes place in Whangarei -- home of the Northland Giants!



It was a beautiful New Year's Day as the Kiwis beat the Kangaroo All-Stars 7-4.

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2004 Queenstown Classic

Las Vegas: Russell Crowe, Britney Spears, and her childhood friend Jason Something are all drunk.

Russell Crowe: We should all get married guys!

Hang on, let's just cue a flashback.

EARLIER THAT EVENING
Russell Crowe is at a high stakes poker game

Russell Crowe: OK, I see your bet and raise you my ownership of the Melbourne Sting baseball side.
Matt Damon: You're a madman Russ. I love it. I call with the soul of Ben Affleck.

Matt Damon places a glowing jar on the table

Russell Crowe: Please, you need to do better than that.

Matt Damon nods.

Matt Damon: Had to give it a shot. I also have a chocolate factory complete with Oompa Loompas.
Russell Crowe: Direct from the Hangdoodles?
Matt Damon: Do you know anywhere else to get Oompa Loompas? Come on Russ, it's like you're a rookie in the world of chocolate production. Do you even have a delectable river of chocolate?
Russell Crowe: Very well. I've got a pair of fours.
Matt Damon: Pair of threes.

They stare at each other.

Russell Crowe: Have you got the rulebook?

Later, Russell Crowe is with his entourage of Britney Spears, Frankie Muniz, Senator Mitch McConnell, and Katie Holmes in a bar. Joining them is Britney's childhood friend Jason Something.

Britney Spears: This is the most expensive tequila in the world. It is harvested from a solitary blue agave plant at the summit of Nevado de Colima by a blind Mexican cricket player. This plant is guarded by a talking dragon.
Mitch McConnell: Wait, dragons are real?
Britney Spears: Shut the **** up Mitch.

Britney and Mitch had a falling out over Thanksgiving.

Britney Spears: This dragon. Her name translates to destruction in a language lost to time, will only allow one chosen soul to harvest the plant. This bottle costs $80,000.
Russell Crowe: Let's get wasted!

PRESENT TIME

Las Vegas: Russell Crowe, Britney Spears, and her childhood friend Jason Something are all drunk.

Russell Crowe: We should all get married guys!
Britney Spears: Wait, all three of us at once?
Jason Something: Can you do that?
Russell Crowe: I can invoke actor law. Which is a real thing. I just need to find a replica of Poseidon's trident. Stay here, and don't do anything stupid like doing a boring two-person marriage with each other. That'll be lame.



As the world reeled from the news that Britney Spears had married her childhood friend Jason Something in Las Vegas, the 2004 edition of the Queenstown Classic was under way. It had proven a popular event, played out in a carnival atmosphere in the adventure capital of New Zealand. The sound of punk-pop had taken over New Zealand radio, with local bands like Elemeno P, Steriogram, and Goodshirt taking over the airwaves.

For the baseball itself, the Bendigo Gold Rush and Otago Thunderbolts met in the final and played out a thriller with the Gold Rush edging out the Thunderbolts 3-2 to take their first Queenstown Classic title.

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January 2004

17 January, 2004
Shock news as the Sydney City Sharks get sold to Ke-huy Ts'ai -- a well-known businessman from Sydney. Ts'ai is reportedly keen to invest in the side and wants them to be a playoff contender by 2007.

28 January, 2004
Fight! Wellington 2-time All-Star LF Senri van Oosten didn't appreciate getting hit by a pitch and made his way to attack the pitcher on the mound. Both players were suspended for 3 games, that's the third time that Senri van Oosten has been suspended for fighting.

The fight overshadowed the performance of teammate 2B Seb van der Molen who went 5-5 as the Lions beat the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers 15-5.

30 January, 2004
The season is over for Newcastle's Rookie of the Year hopeful RF Tye Si-Ma, the former #1 draft pick broke his kneecap and needs 5 months to recover.

31 January, 2004
The Adelaide Zips are having a good run with the Shield. Defeating the Canberra Power, Tasmania Tigers, and the Newcastle Ducks. They've currently split their series with Geelong 1-1 with the deciding game on the 1st of February.

Stat Watch

50+ Home Runs? Four hitters are currently projected to get more than 50 home runs this season. Finlay Mackay (Bay of Plenty) with 54, Baden Dejong (Auckland) with 52, Kian Maclean (Queensland) with 51, and Willem Wellby (Taranaki) with 51. Zachariah Birss, who managed 51 last season has not been able to recapture the magic of the previous summer and only has 16 to date -- projected to get 29.

150+ RBIs? No one has achieved this mark yet and we've got three players currently projected to hit it. Baden DeJong (Auckland) with 161, Finlay Mackay (Bay of Plenty) with 154, and Tye Stobbie (Sydney City) with 150.

30-30 Club? Baden McLeod (Bay of Plenty) may become the first member of the 30-30 club. He's currently projected to get 33 home runs and 33 stolen bases. He's currently got 18 of each at the moment.

20+ Wins? Masamoto van der Meijden (Waikato) is currently projected at 23. He currently has 13. Also looking to join the club is Randolph D'antonio (Otago) with 22, Baden Colcott (Geelong) with 22, and Baden Wonnocott (Newcastle) with 20 himself. Tye Boxsell (Auckland), who reached 20 wins last season is currently 9-4 and expected to finish with a 16-7 record.

January Award Winners

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Baden Dejong (Auckland) .359 BA with 8 home runs, 22 RBIs, and 19 runs.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Randolph Vankrimpen (Bay of Plenty) 3-0 record, 29.1 innings pitched with 35 strikeouts and a 0.92 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Jai Mcnutty (Otago) .361 BA with 22 hits, 1 home run, and 10 RBIs.

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Tye Jeffes (Geelong) .304 BA with 4 home runs, 22 RBIs, and 15 runs.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Baden Vanrenen (Sydney City) 3-1 record, 30.1 innings pitched with 22 strikeouts and a 1.19 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Zachariah Bristcoe (Bendigo) .302 BA with 3 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 5 runs.





Bay of Plenty and Canberra sit on top of their conferences -- a place they're very familiar with. Unlike previous seasons though, neither team has been able to build a big lead o the #1 spot is still up for grabs.

There's a lot of potential here for nearly all the teams to make the playoffs (Tasman and Sydney City probably don't need to apply) so we could be in for an exciting dash to the end.

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February 2004

1 February, 2004
The Green Sox were successful in grabbing The Shield off Adelaide Zips, they went into the month with the series split 1-1 and proceeded to dismantle the ZIps 12-3.

The Adelaide Zips successfully defended The Shield 4 times and held the Shield for 45 days.

The Green Sox will defend The Shield against the Waikato River Bandits starting on the 3rd.

2 February, 2004
Illawarra Left Field 2-time All-Star Baden Stennings got good news and bad news today. Good news was that he won player of the week. The bad news was that he was going to miss the rest of the season from a injury he picked up. I guess that's more bad than good.

5 February, 2004
It's been a dramatic series of games so far as the Geelong Green Sox and Waikato River Bandits fight for The Shield. In game one, the River Bandits rally for a late win with 3 runs in the 9th innings to pip the Green Sox 7-5.

The second game went to extra innings and ended by Geelong's backup catcher hitting a walk-off home run -- his first home run in the majors since the 2001-02 season.

For game 3, the Green Sox went into the 9th inning with a 7-6 lead but a horror pitching display saw the River Bandits score 6 runs with only a single hit. Walks, wild pitches, and fielding errors compounded to the home fan's dismay. The River Bandits have The Shield and will defend it against Canterbury starting the 10th.

18 February, 2004
Waikato defend against Canterbury but suffer two close losses against Auckland to hand the Shield over to the big city boys. Auckland will next defend the Shield against Wellington in March.

February Award Winners

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Willem Wellby (Taranaki) .343 BA with 11 home runs, 27 RBIs, 22 runs, and a .431 OBP
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Randolph Alport (Waikato) 4-0 record. 46.2 innings pitched with 55 strikeouts and a 1.54 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Zachariah van Breda (Hawke's Bay) .346 BA with 8 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 RBIs and 10 runs.

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Zachariah Birss (Newcastle) .325 BA with 10 home runs, 30 RBIs, and 21 runs.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Randolph Eastick (Canberra) 5-0 record. 28 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Zachariah Bristcoe (Bendigo) .295 BA with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 21 runs.





The Steamrollers and Power retain their slim holds on the #1 spot.

In New Zealand, the group of Waikato, Hawke's Bay and Auckland is starting to distance themselves from the pack as our playoff teams though Otago and Northland are still within striking distance.

Australia is still in flux. Tasmania and Geelong are well within striking distance of the playoffs.

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March 2004

10 March, 2004
Last season's MVP Finlay Mackay (Bay of Plenty) is out for the next month. Huge blow for the Steamrollers. Mackay had gone .332/.447/.621 to date with 36 home runs and 102 RBIs.

16 March, 2004
Canberra lose their closer for the next year. All-Star Rex Qualtrough has a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament.

17 March, 2004
Auckland defends The Shield well against the Wellington Lions and the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers but slip up when the bottom-of-the-table Tasman Sunbirds come to visit. The Sunbirds don't have any home games until April when they host the Taranaki Bulls.

Auckland successfully defended The Shield 2 times and held it for 28 days.

Stat Watch -- 25 games to go!

50+ Home Runs? Our sluggers have slowed down and Ciaran Macleod (Northland) is now the favourite with a projected 48 (he's currently on 41)

150+ RBIs? As above, the rate has dropped as we approach the last months. The favourite is Vaughan Eykelbosch (Geelong), but only to get 145. He's currently on 123.

30-30 Club? One to watch! Baden Mcleod (Bay of Plenty) already has the home runs (31) but is projected to fall short in the stolen bases (projected 29, currently has 25)

20+ Wins? Still a few contenders for this one. Randolph D'antonio (Otago) with 21, Masamoto van der Meijen (Waikato) with 20, and Baden Wonnocott (Newcastle) with 20.

March Award Winners

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Sulayman de Klerk (Taranaki) .422 BA with 7 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 23 runs.
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Tye Sverdloff (Northland) 5-0 record. 36.1 innings pitched with 35 strikeouts and 0.99 ERA.
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Sulayman de Klerk (Taranaki)

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Vaughan Eykelbosch (Geelong) .324 BA with 10 home runs, 33 RBIs and 23 runs.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Vaughan Rigbye (Bendigo) 5-0 record. 38.2 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts and 2.79 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Domenic Crossingham (Newcastle) .424 BA with 3 home runs, 10 RBIs and 13 runs.





Despite the loss of MVP Finlay Mackay, Bay of Plenty have managed to extend their lead on the rest of the competition in New Zealand. The playoff race has solidified around 5 times for the 4 spots. One of Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay, Waikato, Northland and Auckland will have to miss out.

In Australia, Canberra has barely got a grip on the #1 spot with the Tigers just a game behind. Newcastle, Bendigo, Adelaide, and Geelong are all in the hunt as well.

With just one month to go for these guys. Who can go the distance?

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April 2004

SLUMP OF THE VIKINGS
The Vikings were in a tidy 3rd spot heading into April but slumped to a 8-17 record for the final month of the season -- the only time they had a month below .500 this season.

STEAMROLLERS: 100 WINS AGAIN
Out of the 5 contenders still in for those 4 spots, that April record saw the Vikings become the unlucky team to miss out. Bay of Plenty, Northland, Waikato, and Auckland qualify in that order.This is the first time Waikato is in the playoff and is the third straight time that the Bay of Plenty Steamrollers recorded over 100 wins in a season.

THE ZIPS EDGE OUT THE GOLD RUSH
The Adelaide Zips will be in their third straight playoffs. They were tied for the 4th spot heading into April with the Bendigo Gold Rush but a better record for the Zips saw them rise to 3rd -- and the Gold Rush to 5th.

A series sweep early in the month by the Zips proves to be more than the difference between the two teams.





THE TIGERS WILL BE THE CARETAKER ONCE AGAIN
The Shield moved around a fair bit during April. The Tasman Sunbirds held against the Taranaki Bulls and Otago Thunderbolts but lost it to the Newcastle Ducks. The Tasmania Tigers immediately swept the series against the Ducks before holding it against the Bendigo Gold Rush and the Adelaide Zips.

For the second year in a row, the Shield ends the season with the Tasmania Tigers.

20 WINS FOR OTAGO'S RANDOLPH D'ANTONIO
Otago's Starting Pitcher finishes the season with a 22-3 record to finish with the second 20+ win season in the history of the RCI.

APRIL AWARD WINNERS

Kiwi Hitter of the Month: Ciaran Mackay (Bay of Plenty) .369 BA with 8 home runs, 25 RBIs, 22 runs, and a .436 OBP
Kiwi Pitcher of the Month: Liu-Chun Tze (Bay of Plenty) 4-1 record. 40.2 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts and a 1.77 ERA
Kiwi Rookie of the Month: Sulayman de Klerk (Taranaki) .344 BA with 9 doubles, 2 home runs, 13 RBIs, and 13 runs.

Kangaroo Hitter of the Month: Domenic Redelius (Canberra) .425 BA with 3 home runs, 15 RBIs, and 24 runs.
Kangaroo Pitcher of the Month: Baden Blackadder (Canberra) 4-0 record. 37.1 innings pitched with 39 strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA.
Kangaroo Rookie of the Month: Randolph Taintey (Queensland) .306 BA with 3 home runs, 9 RBIs, and 9 runs.

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The Shield Stats After Season 2003-04





As the Tasmania Tigers take on winter caretaker duties for The Shield again we take a look at the various stats. Funny that Canberra's initial hold of 7 successful defenses remains the gold standard. The closest that anyone has gone since has been 4 defenses.

7 out of the 20 teams haven't held The Shield yet. One of them, the Melbourne Sting have tried 4 times without success. The Northland Giants have never had a chance over the last two seasons.