Saskatoon-Mr. Chabot has put together a great team with a solid blend of speed,
power and pitching.Centerfielders Nakada and Nohel provide the speed while OF
Ingerton is all power.Bartholomay leads a tough staff.These guys are ready
for the beer NOW and for years to come.But not this year quite yet.

MooseJaw-This is a very scary team,It will take some hard work to knock off
Saskatoon but we all know if anyone can do its this team.LF Dortch and 1B Gamba
apply some heavy hitting While Nale has been Nails on the mound thus far this year,
5-2 3.02 ERA.Team has an owner that will go and get a player or 2 if needed.

Regina- Can Harold get this team moving in the right direction in his first year??
He has 2 tough teams to battle for the division but has the tools to do so.
I say not until this guy gets a season under his belt.Still very capable of
winning the division though.

Yellowknife-A pretty solid team with only a few holes BUT not at
the level of the top 3 teams. 

Winnepeg-The Cobra's just are not a good team.They do have some promising
young players though and hopefully Mr. Reginald will build on that. Its to bad
Reginald did'nt get the Regina team,would have been a nice fit.

CENTRAL

Lethbridge-The Typhoon seem to always be a threat.Team has a solid
lineup led by CF Monsignor and C.Janks,P.Tollesford has been lights out
in the early going 8-0 1.03 ERA.Great hitting and pithing will equal great
drinking. GULP,GULP for the Typhoon this year.

Cold Lake-New owner Dan Callegari had changed the name and has a really
neat logo,props for the logo.I don't like when owners change the
team name and neither does this team,hitting only .244 to prove it.. 
BUT the pitching here is phenominal and the hitting will likely pick up.
A VERY DANGEROUS TEAM..Team may look to upgrade at 1rst and 2nd.

Calgary-Michel has made the Rempart a great team no doubt.Just like the East
this is a 3 team race for the division.Calgary,Leth,Leduc AKA Cold Lake.
Roster is loaded with superstars.

Sherwood-If only Brendan could change that last name. lol
The ice are a rebuilding team and can do so around super Rookie catcher Crawford.
One has to wonder why they unloaded their first round pick.hmmm Team needs to 
get some pitching help.P.Grossen has been a pleasant surprise and OF Rock continies
 to play good baseball for the ice.

St Paul-Jeff Webb did another NO,NO changing his team name.New owner,
New name will equal bad season.I do like the core unit of this team and if 
Mr. Webb plays his cards right he could make this team repectable in a season or two.

WEST

Kelowna-The only team dunb enough to play in a Canadian league and name his team
the Americans.After a tough loss in the finals they are slow out of the gate.
Expect a first place finish for these guys.If only they could get some pitching..

Creston-New owner David Charron has put some excitement back in Creston.
He was smart enough to leave the name alone also.This is a veteran team that
has a good shot at beating Kelowna for the division.C.Hippe has been tearing
the cover off the ball and P.Mize looks good early also 4-1 1.43 ERA.

Vancouver-Rob has a decent squad in Vancouver BUT its still not good enough.
2B Moers and CF Foley won't be the reason this team loses games.
May possibly be a team in rebuilding mode.

Victoria-The Islanders Dave Dearing has his work cut out for him.
Team BA only .223 in the early going,OUCH..Come see this team in 3-4 seasons..

PREDICTIONS-
EAST-Saskatoon
CENTRAL-Lethbridge
WEST-Kelowna
Wildcard-Coldlake,MooseJaw or Calgary??????hmmm You pick one,
it could be any one of them.
Lethbridge wins the Farmers and beats whoever the Fishermans throw their way, 
Most likely the Crusaders..
I hope you all enjoyed it.Good luck to everyone..
If you don't like what I wrote about you your team call 1-800-whogivesashit...

Fishermans East: 

Fredricton Bandits – I can’t see a team right now in the east coast that
can de-crown these guys. Fredricton has won the division three years in
a row and they still have Hayden Revelez and Simon Cockburn

Blackwater Kolts – With a fresh new owner, the runner-ups in this division
in the last three years should make a push at Fredricton. If Blackwater get
solid play all around, something they had when they won in 2002, they should
make some noise on the East Coast.

Charlottetown Blues – Charlottetown is still a quality ball club but they might
be going down the standings in a few years. Third baseman Frank Duckworth has
preformed well in the last few years. If they get good pitching and good at-bats,
the Blues might push for second

PEI Argonauts – Justin Herrington hates to lose but it might not be a winning
season on the island. Herrington never sits still. PEI will make a push,
but not this year. PEI has a good solid future built by Herrington that
will prove into a contender eventually.

West Bay Red Skulls – West Bay hasn’t done anything lately in the East’s
and won’t do much in particular this year. West Bay will sit in the seller a
while longer unless some one helps them. The Skulls need pitching… and quick

Fishermans Central

Ottawa Milkmen – Owner Aaron Candy and the Cows took giant step last year to
qualify for the playoffs. Ottawa looks like the finally de-throned Port Hope in
the Central. The Milkmen look good this year and may be playoff bound again

Port Hope Battery – Port Hope is a good team and has a lot of talent but it looks
like Ottawa and has taken over the division. Port Hope though will challenge
Ottawa and if not, give a run for the wildcard. 

Drummondville Doughboys – A lot of question have been circulating this team in
the off-season. Can they stay healthy? If so, can they contend? Or is this the
end of the one-year run? Questions, Questions but if they Doughboys stay healthy,
they will contend and possibly win.
 

Quebec Bulldogs – Le Bulldogs are rapidly looking for prospects. A owner, who did
not want to be named, said the Bulldogs and their owner, Claude Seanosky has been
rapidly trying to get rid of prospects and disgruntled veterans on the owner
exclusive Pub. 

Val-d’or Sharks – Val-D’or isn’t going anywhere this year. The have a strong future
lead by Jackie Dent. This team will be very strong in seasons to come but not this year.

Fishermans West:

Owen Sound Crusaders – The Crusaders are a strong team which is the reason they
won the Beer last year. Graham Colvin has built a very strong team. They are
off to a slow start but they have strong pitching depth in Maximo Bigsby,
Tony Barrett and Wayne Campbell that will lead them to success. Interesting sidenote,
the Crusaders have never won the division and have finished second eight straight years.

Toronto Polar Bears – I like this Polar Bears ballclub. Owner JF Morin has
built a very young, strong ballteam. Because they are young and in a strong
division, there isn’t much pressure on them. The Polar Bears will be the
darkhorse on in Ontario for another year.

Windsor Spitfires – Windsor is one of the strong clubs in the CBL and I would
pick them to finish first anywhere else. But this is the West and anything can happen.
I like Windsor chances but they are getting older and losing their dominance.

Guelph Storm – A few years ago, the Storm were at top of the Fisherman’s West standings.
It looked like Owner Eric Radcliffe had finally turned this team around. Then, the club
just fell down to the sellar. After finishing with 99 wins in 2008, the club had just
74 in 2009 and don’t expected 2010 to be any different.

Fisherman’s Wildcard: Port Hope Battery

Farmers East:

Moose Jaw Dragons – After a tough 2008, the Dragons responded with a Moose Jaw-like
season in 2009 topping the Farmers East like they have 7 times since 2002 with 103 wins.
With superstars like Braddon Dortch, Stewart Gilks and Machemba Gamba,
the Dragons will once again succeed in the East.

Saskatoon Yellow Jackets – Guy Chabot has built a young team similar to the one
in Toronto. The Jackets, once the laughing stock of the CBL, have built a contender
in the Prairies. A big piece is one of the best pitchers in the CBL, Hooks Fife.
It won’t be long before this team reaches October and getting closer to the
Ice,Cold Beer.

Regina Pirates – The Pirates, once considered a good as Moose Jaw have fallen
in this division. The team still has good bats, with the likes of Kris Nunn and
Johnathen Scarett. They might not have enough pitching depth to take them all the way.

Yellowknife Blue Notes – The pride of the Northwest Territories, the Blue Notes
haven’t finished over .500 since 2005. Finishing at the bottom hasn’t been that bad,
allow the club to draft prospects Joaquin Oberkfell and U.T. Sullivan. Look for the
blue Notes to be on the rise in a few years.

Winnipeg Cobras – With no real strengths, the Cobras have struggled in years past.
There pitching staff has no clear-cut as or no big power man in the line-up
forcing the club to play the waiting game with prospects.

Farmers Central:

Lethbridge Typhoon – Lethbridge has one of the best all around ballclubs in the
CBL and several superstars. Several outlets have reports that George Steinbrenner
has offered many Typhoon player multi-million dollar contracts to play in the
Yankees organization but have stayed because owner James Wesley has offered Beer.
Still, the Typhoon will easily win this division by a landslide.

Cold Lake Mud Cats – Let me repeat that last sentence: The Typhoon will easily
win this division by a landslide. Yes, for the first tiem in a while, the
Leduc-Cold Lake franchise might not finish atop their division. Dan Callegari
still has many of the best players in the CBL and that helps with Jovon Yakow,
Skeeter Manderson and the list goes on. The Mud Cats win the Central or
Wild Card but either way, they will be in the post-season.

Calgary Remparts – What about Calgary? Oh yes, the great baseball team built by
a baseball expert, Michel Bernier. Michel has turned a sorry-ass baseball team
into contenders. Still, the Remparts could get the wild-card or even win the division.
The thing is, no matter how good you are here, this division is to strong.

St. Paul Pride – The Pride are not the best baseball team you’ll ever see but
enough to hold of Sherwood Park, which really doesn’t take much. The Pride are
in a rebuilding stage and, well, not much will happen here.

Sherwood Park Ice – Oh boy, the Sherwood Park Ice might be one of the worst teams
in the CBL’s history. Macgranachan acquired San Denyer in the off-season to get
the bats working again but that’s not the problem. “Our pitching staff is full of
a bunch of hillbilly, farm boys that learned how to pitch by watching Doc Windgate.
Anyways, this team is going nowhere. For Now.

Farmers West:

Kelowna Americans – If Frank Halpa wants to win the Beer anytime soon, this is
the year to do it. With a team full of aging vets, Halpa clock is ticking to win
a championship. With big bats, soild staff and the best bullpen in baseball,
Kelowna should contend for one or two more years before slowly dropping off.

Creston Kokanne – The Kokanne won the CBL one year, then had an off-year next season.
Maybe one of the hardest teams to predict in baseball, Creston should rebound with a
new owner what also comes with a fresh, new start.

Vancouver Giants – The Giants have bounce back and forth out West the last few years.
Pitching has been the big problem for Vancouver. Having enough offense to win at some
points, the bullpen blows more leads then a usual team. Look for the Giants to stay
competitive though.

Victoria Islanders – This team is in trouble. With no player to start building their
team around, Victoria is going to have to wait for something. Until then,
nothing is going to happen.

Farmers Wildcard: Cold Lake Mud Cats

CBL Championship Game: Lethbridge over Ottawa in 5. 

The following article does not in any reflect the views of the CBL or any of its affiliates.
Due to the extremely successful product put together by the CBL staff,
there were No rule changes for the 2010 season.

Some of the bigger off-season news:
(i)  For the first time ever the Fisherman’s League may repeat as champions
(ii) Owen Sound looks to make the playoffs let alone repeat 
(iii) New owners have set up in, Edmonton, Creston, Blackwater and Fredericton 
(iv) Shane -HoopDogg- Hoopfer becomes Fisherman president
(v) Leduc moves to Coldwater and Edmonton moves to St Paul
(vi) Kelowna tries to prove to the media that last season was not a fluke
!!!!Good luck to all in 2010!!!! 

The Association

New owners, a new champion and a tenth season! One decade after beginning play, the
league looks to be in its strongest position ever! The new Journalist of the Year
award helped the CBL obtain its strongest article-writing season EVER! With the
quality of articles and quality of the league improving each and every year,
this big #10 will be a year to remember for many the next few decades! Many
off-season moves, big and small have been made, that have transformed some pretenders
into contenders. Some teams have gone into rebuild mode, while others are looking to
make their first real push to stardom. It will be interesting to see how surprises such
as Toronto, Calgary and Kelowna will hold up under the added pressure that comes
with being a sweet surprise. It would not be surprising however, if we see up to
5 new playoff teams as teams such as Saskatoon, Drummondville, Toronto,
Lethbridge and Vancouver all will make big pushes for a new playoff drive.
Graham Colvin will continue to be commissioner of the Pioneer and Collegiate
baseball leagues. A new addition to the front office staff is Shane -Hoopdogg- Hoopfer
taking the place of AWOL-ed Steve McCoyne. Hoopdogg says “this season will be a
learning experience, and I expect to be here for the next decade or so . . . .
I hope to learn a lot from me homie Frankie Halpa”.  This season will have some
really sweet surprises and some really ugly surprises as well. Another very fast-paced,
interesting and exciting season is just around the corner, and without further delay,
LETS PLAY SOME BALL!

Fisherman's East
* Denotes Wild-Card

1) Fredericton: The Bandits have won the division 7 out of 8 years in a row.
In the leagues second weakest division, Fredericton is a decent team, but their
competition really does suck. The best lineup in the Fishermans League, their
latest acquisitions namely 2B Aaron Frausto and 3B Brandt Passmore, have filled
the only 2 gaps this team had. Not much more to say about them, other than the
fact that they will once again fail in the playoffs, because as everyone knows,
Hayden Revelez and Barney Shannon may be able to get 10 runs, but it’s the
pitchers who have to prevent them. 

2) Blackwater: After a decade of trading their draft package away for players,
Blackwater may finally have the solid ownership they need. Although they have
lost 2B Aaron Frausto to archrival Fredericton, the Kolts will come within 10
games of the division. Once again, their age will catch up to them, as it has
in the past, and after a long battle for first all year, they will flag out in
mid-August. The Kolts really need to re-build from ground zero, as the fact that
they have ZERO prospects and ZERO picks, and that they are old, mean that they
will only decline from here.   

3) Charlottetown: Another team saddled in mediocrity, the Blues have never fallen
into the cellar in the Fisherman’s East for as long as I can remember. However,
other than their lucky-assed year, they have not come close to obtaining the division
title in years. They are young, and have decent prospects, but a .500 season
seems too much for this team. P Doug Rakow, has come up through the ranks,
and could very well be the Rookie of the Year.

4) PEI: After re-vamping the “PEI WAY”, they are finally headed in the right direction.
After being delivered Pizza Agosto-Lopez in the SUP draft, they have the first
closer they have ever had in years. This team also has the #1 pick overall.
Although acquired from Sherwood Park at a hefty price, they will have a superstar
in their hands. Although the team is improving in every way, they will not win more
than the 58 they won last year, and they will set a record low for base hits and HRs.
2013 is the new target year. 

5) West Bay: This team will NOT come out of the cellar for the next decade.
They do NOT trade to improve, and the prospects they draft really are something else.
He lack of depth (less than 18 hitters) is what really kills them. Being the leagues
youngest team hurts too! With ZERO good veterans, the youngsters have nobody to learn from.
If West Bay ever expects to leave the cellar, they really need to re-hire the entire
scouting staff. This is a team that will be remembered forever, because unlike a
time such as Sherwood Park, these losers (the players not Stéphane, he is cool)
may not even win 45 games!

Fisherman's Central

1) Drummondville:  WOW! Look at how far they have come. This team is once again
loaded with pitchers. All they need are two 30+ HR guys and they are set for stardom
*Cough*J.Grief *Cough*. This year Drummondville will be the surprise team. It may also
help their status league-wide, since Shane -Hoopdogg- Hoopfer is now the Fishermans President.
Hey, if Kelowna can be bribed to lose as they were by Owen Sound, Hoopdogg can bribe the
Doughboys opponents, to lose as well. Finally, the Doughboys will have a winner. Owner
of the Year winner if this team hits 90 wins or makes the playoffs. 

2) Port Hope: One of the former powerhouses on the way down, Riggs Babiarz may be
available this year. Kinsella has no chance of winning more than 85 games, and
therefore should take a 2-3 year playoff hiatus, clear out 1-2 absolute studs,
and then while picking up good players for the studs, pick up good prospects as well.
Babiarz is my early-season Player of the Year favourite. 

3) Ottawa: The surprise team of the Fishermen of 2009, they will be just like the 2007
Charlottetown Blues. They have made their 1-year run, and they will now return to mediocrity.
This young team does have alotta upside though. They have one of the best farm systems,
Single A teams and they are young. For the 3rd straight year, WTF IS A MILKMEN? I am
lobbying for a change of names, as this probably is why Ottawa wins so much. The opponents
are laughing too hard looking at the stupid ugly cow on the jersey. Hell why don’t we
rename them the Calgary Pigs, Quebec Chickens and Saskatoon Polar Bears? Oh wait,
I think someone already named their team the Polar Bears! 

4) Québecois: They will be the low-key surprise team of the year. Although they will
get only about 75 wins, this is a HUGE 10 more wins than ANYONE is expecting them to
get. All-star Chito Berger has been making trade-me demands, and should be on a contenders
team by the end of the season. This is one of only a handful of teams that have NEVER
made the post-season. This teams best season came in 2002 when they were an astonishing
89-73, yet never made the playoffs. They have never finished better than 3rd and with
up and coming powerhouses in Drummondville and other wild-card teams, Québec may be a
few years off. Star catcher Pudge Bonnici is the top prospect on this team, and it will
be interesting to see how he handles the pressure from Québec fans.

5) Val D'or: After making two low-key deals in the off-season, Val D’or will be a
stronger and faster team. The moves were questionable however, as they ended up dealing
away a few good young prospects. Owner Thiebierge, has the team headed in the right direction,
after his reading of the best selling book Moneyball. This team breaks down the stats to
the nitty-gritty and he maximizes the potential growth of players on and off the field.
Young star OF Jackie Dent, is the only untouchable on this team. Jackie is the cornerstone
of this franchise, and they will be built from Jackie’s #4 spot in the order and out.
This is a team on the rise. 

Fisherman's West

1) Toronto: Although this may seem extreme, one of the leagues most under estimated
GM’s is at it again. After this Polar bear team came outta the Blue to win more than
75 games last year, I see them making huge strides. A few trades and this team will
be up with the big boys. They may not even need 100 wins to win the division, as
declining Owen Sound and Windsor teams, mean winning is not as hard as it was.
Guys such as Tarrence Appelmann have solidified this team as a team ready to be
as dominating as the Bandits for the decades to come.

2) Windsor*: The lack of a stable ownership group, this team has been falling ever
since their berth in the 2007 Battle for Da Beer. However, due to weak opposition
they should win the wild card by at least 5 games, with veterans such as P Pat Lilla
and Jeffrey Selva should be able to see their VERY LAST post-season berth for the next
5 years to come. Toronto and Owen Sound will once-again dominate the division. With
19 of the 24 starters over the age of 30, and at least 4 of them announcing retirement
after 2010, this is a Spitfire team that will never be the same! Even the loss of
P Mauro Bothman will hurt this team badly,
 
3) Owen Sound: A year after their come-from-behind win in the Battle For Da Beer,
Owen Sound will have an off-season. 8 straight seasons of second place will come
to an end with this third placed finish. 7 years of wild-cardness will be snatched
from their hands, as a new team will be looking to take over the Owen Sound regime.
Only 1 team has ever won back-to-back beers, and Owen Sound will not be joining them.
The CCBL and CPBL continue to run, with much thanks to Man-Of-The Year Graham Colvin.

4) Guelph: After years of building up for the big run, the so-called playoff contending
team has taken one step backwards. Trying to figure out what’s wrong, busy owner
Eric Radcliffe is expected to trade away all guys who are over 30 with good stats.
This team will no longer be signing veterans but unloading them. I expect this team
to be the best cellar-dweller in the league and still win 73 games. However, give it
2-4 years and this team will Storm into the playoffs as a wildcard berth!