The Jose Canseco award for Best Body

This was a tough one. There were a lot of hard bodies running around the diamond this year, and after much deliberation we've been able to pick the top four and this year's winner.

4th Place--Justin Pugliese

Adhering to a strict diet of animal fries, Red Man chaw, and Riptide Rush, it's no wonder why this 97 pound McHenry native is probably the most cut athlete in the league. He has somehow managed to not change in any way physically since his twelfth birthday party. And for that, Justin, we say congrats on winning this award!

Bronze--Drew Gripentrog

The league leader in GTL-ing, Drew has always been naturally ripped. Unfortunately his remarkable physique doesn't convert into bat-speed or hand eye coordination (Drew: "I hit better than YOU!!"). He is so unfamiliar with the gym he calls it James! (Drew: You stole that from Shaquille O'Neal!) So bat another eyelash Drew, your looks have done it for you again. Congrats on winning this prestigious award.

Silver--Lawson Dees

This silver medal decision was all about exposure. In this case, Lawson's body's exposure to the sun, and to the hungry eyes of the fans in the stands. The Bronze medal may have been more appropriate for this brazilian complexioned outfielder, but second place is what he deserves. Well done, Lawson.

Gold--Eric Rife

Eric's the one in the khakis.

Eric is a combination of all of the best attributes of the three prior athletes mentioned. Probably the only player in the league except Poon who can bench press his batting average, and squat his OPS. Keep it up Eric, and congrats on taking home the gold!

Surprise!!

Tonights award is for the biggest surprise of the season. There are four players who were up for the award. Coming in 4th place:
Ben Dees- Although Ben was not able to be here on a consistent basis, he made his presence felt when he was able to come. With only 34 at bats, Ben was able to hit three homeruns in critical parts of the series. Ben is always consistent on the mound, but you just never knew what you were going to get from him in the box. This year Ben was very consistent in the batters box, and showed surprising power. Biggest strength: Timely hitting. Ben seemed to also pick the perfect time to hit a bomb over the monster in left. He only hit 3 of them, but all three were in huge situations when his team needed a big hit. Ben also played SS for a series and did not commit an error and also made the hard play look routine. Weakness: Not enough trips to Tamarack Circle. Because of where Ben lives, he is not able to be here as much as we all would like. Even though he was not here very much, Ben still was able to come in 4th place for this award.

3rd place: Justin Daniel Pugliese- Justin has never been a huge threat when he is in the batters box, but for a couple of series in the middle of the season he really came alive batting over .350 for 2 or 3 series. Justin was the emotional leader of whichever team he played on. When he played for Team Pony for a brief stint, he quickly took over as the vocal leader of the team. Biggest strength: Getting in the head of the opposing team. What he lacks in ability at the plate, he makes up for in chatter at the other team. Justin does a great job at getting under the skin of the other team. He was also a very pleasant surprise when he played SS for a double-header one saturday afternoon. He ate balls up like a vacuum and always seemed to be in the right position. Weakness: Has the ability to go long stretches without a hit. If Poon wants to compete for the major hitting categories, he is going to have to pick it up in the batters box.

2nd place: Justin Idstein- What a great surprise Id has been for the league. He was not even on the draft radar when we decided teams in early May. Once Justin stepped on the field, he was an instant success. He hit .427 with 110 plate appearances which puts him in 3rd place for the whole league in BA. Justin also is a great centerfielder. He leads the league in web gems and never let any ball drop around him. Biggest strength: Multi-tooled player. Great hitter and great in the field. Idstein doesn't have a hole in his game. He had 32 singles which made him a great lead-off man for either team. Weakness: Not enough HR's. He always hits the ball square, but for some reason he just doesn't get under it enough to lift the ball out of the park. Justin was a great surprise for the league and we look forward to having him around for years to come.

1st place: William Rinn IV-Where did this kid come from? Billy has been a member of the league since we first put the bases in the ground, but this year he really caught fire and was a huge player for Team Under Armour. Billy was an everyday player playing in almost 45 games. He also hit .397 with 11 HR's and 32 RBI. In his previous 4 years he didn't hit 11 HR's, so this year was definitely a breakout year for Billy. He was also a magician on the mound. He does a great job of keeping hitters off balance, which was why he was a finalist for the Cy Young. Biggest strength: This year it was POWER! Billy surprised everyone by hitting many towering shots over the green monster. In years past, Billy was a slap hitter that would occasionally hit a ball in the gap, but this year he crushed the ball to all fields. Weakness: Sometimes he would revert back to his old ways and try to spray the ball. Billy needs to use his new found power and quit trying to go back to a couple of years ago. Billy was a huge surprise for Team Under Armour this year and has been a staple of the league from the beginning. Good work Billy.