"Alex"ander the Great

Alez Rodriguez of the Soldiers has 523 career homeruns in the Lp2 and is currently in 3rd place on the all-time list, behind Lou Gehrig. The Soldiers and Matt Bracken hope that by the end of the 2005 A season, Alex is in sole possession of 2nd place on the all-time list. "If he hits 48 home runs, not only will he be in second place, he would have had another big season," stated Matt Williams, GM for the Florida Christians, "and if he has another big year, I expect the Soldiers to compete for another title.

Retired Christian Babe Ruth leads all jackmasters with 703, followed by the retired Iron Horse at 570. Rodriguez sits at 523, while Roller Barry Bonds is 2 behind at 521.

Vazquez on the block?

Rumors abound that the Homestead Pythons offered the Ybor City Rollers starting pitcher Javier Vazquez in a deal for Todd Helton. Javier, who was one of the first players acquired by the expansion team via a trade with the Accies seemed ambiguous about the rumor. "I thought they really wanted me here," said Vazquez, "But, if they want to trade me that's fine, too. If I get traded to the Rollers, I'll be playing for a title immediately. If I stay here, I can help bring up the young guys. I'll pitch anywhere."
Others felt the deal was just a rumor. "I don't see the Rollers moving Helton for Vazquez," stated one team executive, "I don't see them moving Helton unless a major upgrade comes their way."

Feelin' Felix

Felix Hernandez is a hot topic around the Lp2 baseball league. Nearly everyone expects the Soldiers to take him first in the upcoming Lp2 rookie draft and he's probably a shoe-in to be the first pick in the inaugural AFL draft. "I don't see how the Soldiers would take anyone else," stated one GM, "We all know why he traded up for that selection and Felix is the reason." Many feel that Hernandez will make an immediate impact in the Lp2 bigs, as the Soldiers look to get him some work right away. "He's going to get some innings with the Soldiers, that's for sure," said one scout, "They'll limit his usage, but he'll definitely be throwing a few innings." Will the Soldiers make him the first selection? We'll soon find out.

Helton Packing Bags?

News out of Ybor City has the Rollers in talks with an unnamed team. These talks supposedly involve a top Ybor player, rumored to be Todd Helton. The rumor surfaced this morning on the Roller team board and simply stated, "Word has surfaced out of Ybor that Todd Helton's name has come up in trade discussions. More news as it becomes available."

The first basemen has spent the past 6 plus years in Ybor, and ranks among their all time most prolific hitters. He is also poised to pass the recently retired Babe Ruth for the all time LP2 record for career doubles. Helton currently has 493 to Ruth's 524.

Could Helton, who has led the Rollers to the top of the heap over the past 6 years actually be heading to another team? "I'm just looking to play some ball," said Todd, "Wherever I play I'm going to make the best of it."

Rookie League: A Few Good Men

The Lp2 Rookie and Winter Ball league is still looking for a few good men for its inaugural season. "It's going to be a lot more fun than you think," stated the commissioner, "I think it's going to be one of the selling points to future members. " The league, which is in the organizational stages, will not only allow prospects a chance to play in the Lp2 long before they reach the MLB, players drafted into the AFL will be allowed to come back each winter until they reach the age of 26. "I wish this league was around before I got here," stated B.J. Upton.

New Front Page

The temporary "Lp2 Gazette" page has been replaced. Now, www.lp2baseball.com will utilize a much more user-friendly, participatory and interactive "home base". With this page, Lp2 members can not only keep abreast of what's going on in the Lp2 leagues, but they can also add to the headlines and discussions!

"We are always looking for new ways to keep our pages fresh and organized," stated the commissioner, "this not only gives us the opportunity to do that, but it also gives us much, much more in the way of interactiveness."

The new home base was created for not only the Lp2 members, but for its fans and visitors. "We wanted to be able to give not only our members, but our fans and visitors
something more organized," continued the commissioner, "We felt that this would be a great addition to our highly visited message board, as now Lp2 members can actually post news briefs and articles from any Lp2 league directly on the front page. It will become a 'must-visit' for all Lp2 leagues."