Devils tired of losing money; Look to rebuild

Devils Press

DUNHARROW - The margin for the Devils is growing dangerously thin and without drastic measures, the possibility of finishing in the red is becoming very real.

"Baseball is a business and we're simply losing money," said Dunharrow GM jmr. "We took a shot last year at a second championship and fell short, but it was well worth it. And so we took another shot, reloading with Imcirion in the offseason, but that looks like it isn't going to pay off. We simply can't continue in this manner."

Reports are that the Devils have started shopping some of their biggest names, up to and including last year's Gandalf Award winner Hallalonn Brilhirion and 2014 Gandalf Award winner Todo Sandybanks in a quest to rebuild for the future.

"We have a good young core," jmr continued. "This won't be a rebuild, just a retool."

This Week's Star Player is Muddyfoot

Hamson Muddyfoot of the Lothlorien Lumberjacks might have lost a step over the years, but the 35-year-old second baseman can still get it done. He beat out several other worthy Mordor Conference hitters over this past week to claim the Player of the Week Award.

Muddyfoot posted a .500 batting average with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs last week while scoring 4 runs. For the week he was 13 for 26.

This season Muddyfoot is batting at a .339 clip with 5 home runs and 28 RBIs.

Hammermaker Collects Player of the Week Award

Few players his age are still in the league, but Kobur Hammermaker of the Bree Cheese clearly loves the game and clearly he can still get the job done. Last week the 38-year-old shortstop hit the ball with the consistency of someone ten years younger, which made Hammermaker a popular and well-deserved selection as Shire Conference Player of the Week.

He paced the Cheese attack by putting up a .517 batting average, 15 hits in 29 at-bats, 10 RBIs and 1 home run. Hammermaker also scored 10 runs.

Thus far this season in 46 games Hammermaker is batting .324 with 2 home runs, 17 RBIs and 41 runs scored. He has 58 hits in 179 at-bats.

Badgerdicer Swats #300

300 home runs is a lot of home runs to hit. It's a number that very few players reach. On May 17 Buugush Badgerdicer became a member of that exclusive club. He belted it at Bree-Land Ballpark against the Cheese. But sometimes milestone homers don't win the game. The powerful Bucklebury right fielder got all of the headlines, but Bree came away with the victory. They beat the Fairies 8-4.

During the postgame interview he told the press, "It's a big relief to get it over. I tried not to think about it, but it's kind of hard when you have a huge sign on the scoreboard staring at you every time you step up to the plate. The home run was nice, but I would have preferred to win the game."

His batting totals for the game showed 1 hit in 4 at-bats, 1 home run and 1 run batted in.

The hardworking and dedicated Badgerdicer also said, "I'll celebrate a little with my family tonight but not too much. This is not the last home run I will hit. I think I have a lot baseball left in me and have other goals. I'll get back to work tomorrow."

In his career Badgerdicer has played in 1587 games, batted .254 with 300 home runs and 1474 base hits.

Eugene Mayes Sidelined for Season

The news is bad in Misty Mountain. The Hops have lost the services of starting pitcher Eugene Mayes for the rest of the season due to a ruptured disc. Mayes was injured in a recent game with the Dead Marshes Uruk-hai while throwing a pitch and is expected to miss 7 months.

This season in 9 starts Eugene Mayes has a record of 1-6 with 22 strikeouts in 50.1 innings and a 4.29 ERA.

Knifecrawler Selected Top Performer in MC

There's nothing like being in the prime of your baseball career -- and playing like it. Just ask Merilmir Knifecrawler, the Isengard first baseman, who swung a sweet bat all week to not only aid his team, but also pick up the Mordor Conference Player of the Week honors.

Knifecrawler piled up 11 hits in 25 at-bats, 2 home runs and 10 RBIs while hitting .440.

Knifecrawler has collected 59 hits for the Raiders this year, 10 of them home runs. He has also netted 34 RBIs and scored 40 runs while batting .381.

Mirkwood Second Baseman Picked SC Player of the Week

At the age of 27, Borg Ditchdigger might have some potential he hasn't realized yet -- if his success at the plate last week is any indication. The Mirkwood second baseman put up some exceptional numbers the past seven days collecting the Shire Conference Player of the Week Award.

He racked up 9 hits in 20 at-bats, 2 home runs and 3 RBIs last week in 6 games.

This season Ditchdigger is swinging the bat at a .308 pace. He has hit 4 home runs and scored 29 times, while driving in 13. His on-base percentage is .417 and he has played in 39 games.

Star MR Diamondlegs Signs for 1 year

GREY HAVENS - Gundin Diamondlegs inked a deal that will keep the seasoned veteran on the Stars roster another 1 year. Earlier today team personnel announced that the 40-year-old had settled on a $5,200,000-a-year deal to play at Grey Havens Field.

It's no secret Diamondlegs is getting older, but he could still contribute a lot to the franchise.

Diamondlegs has made 12 relief appearances this year and notched no saves. To date in 9.1 innings he has a 0-2 record, 5.79 ERA with 8 strikeouts and 2 walks.

Grilgol Signs for 3 years

BYWATER - Haleodur Grilgol probably doesn't have his best years ahead of him, but he will surely contribute a lot to the Bounders effort.

Bywater locked him up for an additional 3 years at a rate of $9,710,000 per.

This season Grilgol has 11 saves. In 13 relief appearances he has hurled 14.1 innings, struck out 17 and given up 8 walks with a 1-0 record. The Bywater reliever has recorded a 0.00 ERA and allowed the opposition to hit .184 when he is on the hill.

Star of the Week Awarded in MC

Buffy *Balrog Slayer of the Misty Mountain Hops culminated a sensational week of play by being named the Mordor Conference Player of the Week.

She rocked the opposition with a .433 batting average, 13 hits in 30 at-bats, 4 home runs and 10 RBIs while scoring 5 times.

This season *Balrog Slayer is hitting .346 with 47 hits, 11 home runs, 27 RBIs, scored 23 runs and played in 34 games.