#1 - Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles (AL) eryanf View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Franchise Power Points: 107

Cumulative Record: 669-465

Playoff Achievements: Division Title (S3, S4, S5, S6 & S7); Division Championship Winner (S3, S4, S5 & S6); League Championship Winner (S4, S5 & S6); World Series Champion (S4, S5 & S6)

Best Season Record: Season 7 (113-49)

Worst Season Record: Season 2 (74-88)

Franchise History- Yes folks, here we have it, the true Dynasty in Glavine300. The Baltimore Orioles are one of the original franchises in Glavine300. They have been here since Season 1 and had a period of pure domination in Seasons 3-6. It is amazing to see how many star players have worn the Oriole jersey. Glendon Carter, Douglas Hunter, Ken McInerney, Vic Estrada, Al Urbina, Kip Kingland, Ned Cook, Ray Gilmore, Melvin Zhang, Glendon Boggs, Gaylord Glass, Glenallen Gibson, Ed Hitchcock, Gene Vickers, Shannon Cortes, Lynn Grebeck, Alvin Ingram, Stan Nathan, Reginald Hall, Kirk Dwyer, Shayne McBride, Don Lee, Rico Estrada, Bronson Stone, Chris Camilli, Jay Bottenfeld, Vince Fabregas and David Molina have all hung their hat in Baltimore at some time during their career. Most of these players have some sort of award ranging from All Star Team to Cy Young to MVP. It’s incredible to see the talent that eryanf has had access to. A lot of it traded for or traded away…some great trades and some horrible ones, anyway you slice it eryanf has found a way to win. It is arguable that he was handed down the most loaded franchise in the league from Season 1. When you look at the names on his original roster it is easy to see why he was able to build a dynasty. There was an awful lot of talent at his disposal to use to build the ultimate franchise. Either way, by Season 3 the Orioles were emerging as the team to beat in the American League. (Their first 2 seasons were quite uneventful) They made the playoffs in Season 3 but were defeated in game 7 of the ALCS by the San Juan Warlords. This would be the last time they were beaten in a playoff series for quite some time. In Season 4, 5 & 6 they won an unprecedented 3 championships in a row. (Defeating the Arizona Dust Devils, Buffalo Nanucrons and San Francisco Zodiac in the World Series.) The team was unstoppable…until Season 7. Season 7 saw the resurrection of the Warlords and the begin of a decline for the Orioles. They were still a dominant team but could not keep pace with San Juan and were defeated by them in the DCS ending the most amazing run in Glavine300 history.

Franchise Outlook- The future remains uncertain for the Orioles. (Owner eryanf has announced his retirement since the start of these write-ups.) Without eryanf, it is unclear whether or not the Oriole Magic will continue. The team is still in decent shape though it looks as if payroll is going to be an issue in the not too distant future. It doesn’t look like their minor league system is stocked either as eryanf has traded most of their recent draft choices away. (Jemile Ross and Clem Rizzo are two of the bright spots in the minors.) Anyway way you slice it, whoever is lucky enough to take over this storied franchise will have a tremendous amount of work to do to re-create the magical run that this team has had so far. GSPN will be interested to see what happens.

#2 - San Juan Warlords

San Juan Warlords (AL) jwinner5 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Franchise Power Points: 81.5

Cumulative Record: 550-584

Playoff Achievements: Wild Card Berth (S1, S7); Division Title (S2, S3); Division Championship Winner (S1, S2, S3 & S7); League Championship Winner (S1, S3 & S7); World Series Champion (S1, S7)

Best Season Record: Seasons 2, 7 (97-65)

Worst Season Record: Season 6 (48-114)

Franchise History- The San Juan warlords are the proof in Glavine300 that there are many ways to skin a cat. They came in as the #2 overall ranked team but have an overall losing record of 550-584. Jwinner is one of the original owners in Glavine300 and started out strong. In Season 1his team went 93-69 to claim a Wild Card berth and made it all the way to the World Series, defeating the Memphis Mancs, 4 games to 2. In Season 2 they were back at it again but were knocked out of the ALCS by the Las Vegas Dealers. Season 3 saw another playoff run, the Warlords went 96-66 and went to the World Series for a second time, but were defeated by the Arizona Dust Devils. At this point, the tides turned for the Warlords. They had let a lot of players leave for free agency and things just went south. The next three seasons they went 52-110, 67-95 and a pathetic 48-114 respectively. Rumors swirled in the GSPN offices that San Juan was tanking their team in order to get top tier draft picks. Either way, in Season 7 they caught on fire again, winning 97 games and taking their second World Series. (The writers at GSPN also think it noteworthy that since the start of these articles, the Warlords have also won the Season 8 World Series.)

Franchise Outlook- The Warlords are a powerhouse franchise. They have big bats and stellar pitching and it looks as though they will be the team to beat in Glavine300 for the next several years. The pitching staff is headed up perennial Cy Young winner Danny Cummings. There are also some young studs on that staff too including Wayne McCartney and Miguel Castro. The Warlords also have a stellar hitting lineup led by Kirk Dwyer, Shigetoshi Wang, Rolando Diaz and Wilfredo Johnson. Basically, this team is full of studs…and a lot of them are studs that get paid the league minimum. It won’t be until the majority of this team starts making money and jwinner tanks his team again that this squad might be disassembled. When that time comes, maybe someone else in this league will have a chance at winning.

#3 - San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants (NL) dcinto View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Franchise Power Points: 77

Cumulative Record: 630-504

Playoff Achievements: Wild Card Berth (S3, S6); Division Title (S4, S7); Division Championship Winner (S3, S4, S6 & S7); League Championship Winner (S3, S4 & S6); World Series Champion (3)

Best Season Record: Season 4 (112-50)

Worst Season Record: Season 1 (82-80)

Franchise History- This franchise started out in Arizona as the Dust Devils. They spent their first 5 Seasons there with some considerable success. They started out rather slowly, posting winning records in Seasons 1 & 2 but failing to make the playoffs either year. In Season 3, they went on a tear. The Dust Devils went 92-70 to secure a Wild Card spot in the playoffs and then got hot and made it all the way to the World Series where they defeated the San Juan Warlords 4 games to 3. They also made it to the World Series in Season 4 but were taken down by the Baltimore Orioles 4 games to 1. In Season 5, the franchise was bought by sweetsalve, renamed the Zodiac and moved to San Francisco. They found similar success, making it to the World Series in Season 6 (lost to Baltimore, 4-2). Season 7 was another successful year for the Zodiac, they won the NL West but were knocked out of the NLCS by the Buffalo Nanucrons, 4 games to 1. In Season 8 the team was sold to dcinto and renamed the Giants (they stayed in San Francisco) dcinto hopes to continue the success of this storied franchise and bring home yet another championship.

Franchise Outlook- This team is unquestionably led by stud pitching ace Tony Cordero. He has pitched incredibly for this franchise, amassing 122 wins and a handful of awards (including ROY and Cy Young) over the last several seasons. Tony is the kind of pitcher you can build a franchise around. The Giants have some other serious talent at the major league level as well, including Bernard Elarton, Vic Bennett and Ray Orosco. There is not a tremendous amount of talent in the minors for this team. Kenny Blair and Rudy Bold are a couple of the bright spots from recent draft years. The lack of minor league talent is not that alarming for this squad though. The major league team is pretty young, so they have a few years before they will really need to start turning the team over and it looks as if there are replacement players in the minors for the older vets who will be retiring soon. All in all, this team is in decent, playoff contender shape. It will take a couple of moves to get them back to the World Series but they are a lot closer than a lot of teams.

#4 - Detroit Wheels

Detroit Wheels (NL) afeigenb View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Franchise Power Points: 70

Cumulative Record: 649-485

Playoff Achievements: Wild Card Berth (S6); Division Title (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 & S7); Division Championship Winner (S1, S5 & S7); League Championship Winner (S5, S7)

Best Season Record: Season 5 (101-61)

Worst Season Record: Season 4 (84-78)

Franchise History- This franchise is the model of success for the National League. They are one of the original franchises in Glavine300. Starting out as the Buffalo Nanucrons, they have dominated the NL North since their inception. They have made the playoffs every year in the first seven seasons of play, winning the NL North a record six times. They have also made it to the NLCS three times in Seasons 1, 5 & 7 and made it to the Worlds Series in Season 5 (lost to Baltimore 4-3) and again in Season 7 (lost to San Juan 4-1). After Season 7’s World Series defeat, the team’s original owner, afeigenb, packed up the team in the middle of the night and moved them to the Motor City where they became the Detroit Wheels.

Franchise Outlook- While this team’s resume is incredibly impressive, they still have not been able to bring home a championship. Hurlers Ebeneezer Miller and Frank Matsui head up their formidable pitching staff and the lineup is led by Wiki Ramirez and Lorenzo Sanchez. This, however, has still not been enough to push them over the hump to a championship. Unfortunately, there minor league system is not loaded with talent. This leaves a big question mark about the future of this franchise. How will afeigenb get this team to walk away from a World Series a winner? Time will tell, and hopefully for his sake and the sake of his fans he will find a way…because noone ever remembers who lost the World Series.

#5 - Las Vegas Dealers

Las Vegas Dealers (AL) TheCoach21 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Franchise Power Points: 68

Cumulative Record: 670-464

Playoff Achievements: Wild Card Berth (S6, S7 & S8); Division Title (S1, S2, S3 & S5); Division Championship Series Winner (S2, S7); League Championship Winner (2); World Series Champion (S2)

Best Season Record: Season 5 (106-56)

Worst Season Record: Season 4 (89-73)

Franchise History- This franchise started out in the Great Northwest as the Tacoma Starbucks. They started out dominantly as one of the best teams in the American League. They had a 104-58 in Season 1 and won the AL West but were unexpectedly swept out of the DCS by the San Juan Warlords. The team was sold to TheCoach21 before Season 2 and renamed the Las Vegas Dealers. The Dealers coasted to a 100 win season and a World Series victory in TheCoach21’s first year. They defeated the Salem Witch Hunters in the Series 4 games to 1. The Coach found similar success in the following years, but none like his first year at the helm. In Season 3, the Dealers won the AL West but were swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the Baltimore Orioles. In Season 4, the Dealers slipped and did not make the playoffs at all. In Season 5, they won the AL West again but again were beaten in the second round. That would be the last year to date they would win the division. In each year since they have secured a Wild Card berth and had some success in the playoffs. Season 7 saw them make the ALCS where they were swept by the San Juan Warlords.

Franchise Outlook- The Dealers major league squad has some serious talent. The bats are led by sluggers Ken McInerney and Manny Lewis and the pitching staff is led by Harry Hendrickson, Max Renteria and Victor Prieto. The one thing the Dealers lack though, is youth. Three of the Dealers top pitcher are 31 or older and 15 out of 25 on the major league roster are at least 30. This means there will have to be some major changes in Las Vegas for this team to keep its second place spot in the AL West. The Dealers has drafted some young talent that is currently in the minors, including players Kirt Turner and Corban Rolls. Ichiro Kojima and Wiki Santos are International Prospects currently in the minors that show some promise as well. However, the 4 players I just mentioned will not even begin to fill the holes that will be in the Las Vegas lineup over the next few years. If TheCoach21 wants to remain competitive, he is going to have to find a way to fill his holes…the writers at GSPN think that Jumbo Dong might be just the right fit…

# 6 - Honolulu Monk Seals

Honolulu Monk Seals (AL) nadawg77 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Franchise Power Points: 49

Cumulative Record: 675-459

Playoff Achievements: Wild Card Berth (S1, S2 & S5); Division Title (S4, S6 & S7); Division Championship Series Winner (S6)

Best Season Record: Season 6 (115-47)

Worst Season Record: Season 3 (80-82)

Franchise History- The human drama of competition…the thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat…In our #6 ranked franchise, we have a team that has experienced a fair amount of both. The Honolulu Monk Seals are another one of the original and most storied franchises in Glavine300. They are also the winningest franchise in Glavine300 history in the regular season (675-459). It is the postseason where they stumble. In Seasons 1 & 2, they secured a Wild Card berth in the American League but were defeated in the DCS. Season 3, they posted their only losing record (80-82) and also failed to make the playoffs for the only time in their history. Season 4 saw them declare themselves the “class of the American League” and win the AL West for the first time. They faltered, however, in the first round of the playoffs. In Season 5, they entered the playoffs with their third Wild Card berth but were swept out of the DCS by the Baltimore Orioles. The following year, they won the AL West with a dominant 115-47 record and marched to the ALCS without losing a game. Their progress was quickly halted by the Baltimore Orioles again, who swept them out of the playoffs for a second year in a row. Season 7 saw another dominant year, 110-52 and another AL West Championship. Yet again, they faltered in the postseason, getting swept out of the DCS by the Las Vegas Dealers.

Franchise Outlook- The future looks pretty bright for the Monk Seals, they have consistently been one of the most competitive teams in Glavine300. They will, however, need to keep improving if they want to make the move from a playoff team to a champion. They have some serious talent on their major league squad. Veteran Ace Douglas Hunter leads up their pitching staff while hurler Raul DeLeon represents the new regime of arms in Honolulu. They also have some strong young bats on the team too. Julio Pena, Glendon Carter, Javier James and Melvin Zhang are all dynamite and under 30 years old. The Monk Seals also have some future talent in the minors, including potential Ace Samuel Cannon and slugging Catcher Theo Wynn who should be on the major league squad in the next season or two. Hopefully, for the Monk Seal faithful, owner nadawg77 will find the right formula to win in the postseason and produce a champion.

# 7 - Salem Witch Hunters

Salem Witch Hunters (NL) thebug715 View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Franchise Power Points: 48

Cumulative Record: 595-539

Playoff Achievements: Wild Card Berth (S4, S5); Division Title (S1, S2 & S3); Division Championship Series Winner (S2, S4); League Championship Winner (S2)

Best Season Record: Season 3 (99-63)

Worst Season Record: Season 6 (70-92)

Franchise History- In the Salem franchise, we have another one of the pioneers of Glavine300, thebug715. He started out strong, managing his Witch Hunters to NL West division titles in Season 1, 2 & 3. (Season 2 also saw a run all the way to the World Series where they were defeated by the Las Vegas Dealers, 4 games to 1.) Seasons 4 & 5 also saw some success; the Witch Hunters took Wild Card berths into the playoffs both years and in Season 4 the Salem team made it to the NLCS where they were edged by the Arizona Dust Devils, 4 games to 3.) Things haven’t been so kind to the Witch Hunters lately, the team has not posted a winning season since Season 5. In Season 6 they posted a paltry 70-92 record, their worst ever, and in Season 7, things were not much better. The team went 73-89 and failed to make the playoffs again.

Franchise Outlook- The Witch Hunters major league squad has a core of talent. The team’s youth movement is led by slugging third baseman, Vicente Guzman, and future star left fielder, Lazy Harris. Hurler Phillip Coleman is also a player of note. Minor League players of note are Shortstop Carl Townsend and pitchers Rob Barrett and Julian Reyes. The writers at GSPN think the Salem franchise has a good chance of returning to prominence in the NL West as well, due to good drafting. Some notable draft picks that have not already been mentioned are Vin Mangual, James Crow and Steve Hartman. It looks as if this franchise will be ok. They may have slumped the last few seasons but they will return to their winning ways soon enough. They are well managed, well run and should be a competitive force in the National League again very soon.