Saturday night at the Barleymoe

  Little did you know that the league has a set of scouts, or would be scouts, that meet at the Barleymoe Pub to discuss this league. It really is a large group but since occasionally they do scout not all members are ever at the pub any given week. Elijah Craig is always at Barleymoe. He seems to scout using TV, the internet and Tarot Cards. The other scouts this week are Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Johnny Walker.

 Elijah: I'm drinking to the new season and don't care what you guys talk about just don't be so loud that  the waitress doesn't want to come over and refill my glass.
 Johnny: I think we ought to predict who is this years rookie of the year.
 Jack: We never get this right. Why are we doing it again this year. It's always someone who starts at triple-A and gets called up.
 Elijah: Not so loud Jack the waitress just looked over here. She's not happy with us and I need another drink.
 Jim: Elijah we just got here. How can you need another drink already.
 Elijah: You forget I work out of here. I've been here a couple of days.
 Johnny: I really like the four young guys playing for Vegas. Alcides Villareal, Benny Rondon, Russell Durbin and Shawn Maronde are all studs.
 Jim: What the hell Johnny, I scouted those guys more than you. Sure they can mash the ball but I thought they were all left fielders. You can't play three left fielders on one team. It won't work.
 Johnny: Damnit Jim you know that anybody who hits and plays left field can play first base. So only one of them is out of position.
 Jack: Hell yes. And Jack Halter is playing center field. He can cover both center and right. If he's in center any of us could play right field, well maybe not Elijah.
 Jim: So Johnny which left fielder do you like the best.
 Johnny: Durbin.You know I like right handed hitters that own right handed pitchers. He has good power, a good eye and really likes the righties.
 Jack: He is going to strike out too much. I like Rondon. He actually hits righties better than Durbin and is better against southpaws.
 Johnny: Durbin is better defensively. Don't you care about defense, Jack?
 Jack: Not when Jack Halter is playing centerfield.
 Jim: You guys haven't mentioned Shawn Maronde. He has good power and is more well rounded than the others. In fact one time I was visiting my aunt Myrtle in Moody Alabama and saw him hit 3 homers for Odenville in one game.
 Elijah: Have I had too much to drink, or does anything you just said makes sense?
 Jim: Elijah if you ever got out of here and actually scouted you would know about rivalries.
Odenville and Moody are bitter enemies on the ball field. The year I scouted Maronde, Moody was horrible but I waited until Odenville was playing in Moody to see Maronde. All expenses paid trip to see my aunt Myrtle.
 Elijah: What do you other two guys think of Maronde?
 Jack: He's okay but he's no Rondon.
 Johnny: Yea, and he's no Durbin; either.
 Elijah: Did you guys leave out the Galaxy player who doesn't play left field.
 Johnny: Yes we did Elijah. Alcides Villareal is a good second base man with a good bat. Not the power of the outfielders but he is a solid player. I might like him  better than Durbin.

 Jack: Forget these guys in Vegas. Vegas is not a place someone should work. These are young guys. The booze, the girls, the gambling. Young guys aren't going to able to concentrate on what they need to do to be stars until they are older. I just scouted the west coast. I found three studs, one in Seattle and two in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz has these two really fine pitchers. I don't know if you guys understand how to scout pitchers. It takes a finer eye; like mine.
 Jim: Are you talking about Josmil Corpas? You think he's your secret? The guy with sinker they call the Newton pitch because it drops so much. He has a good change up and slider but he lacks a dominant fast ball. That damn Newton pitch isn't going be as effective in the major leagues.
 Johnny: Josmil is good but he's not as good as J C Butler. Butler is a starter, no reliever is going to win the rookie of the year. Have you been drinking as much as Elijah?
 Elijah: Nobody drinks as much as me. It's a gift.
 Johnny: My point is that a starter, especially a starter with 5 pitches headed by a fast ball not a sinker is a bigger weapon than a reliever. Jack, what did you see in Seattle. They have a good farm system?
 Jack: Once again it's pitcher. I have a gift, maybe not Elijah's gift but a gift. Albert Perez is a Cuban, and by the time he's finishes his career he will be the second most well known Cuban pitcher of all time.
 Elijah: Who in the hell are talking about? What Cuban pitcher is well known?
 Jack: 60 years ago, the Phillies had a young Cuban pitcher who made it all the way to triple A and their forty man roster. His name was Fidel Castro.
 Jim: You mean to tell me that the Philly franchise that was really awful at that time could have pitched Castro in the majors and he would have never been a communist.
 Jack: It's possible but he wasn't good enough to pitch in the majors.
 Jim: Check again Jack, the Phillies had a lot of guys in mid 50's that weren't good enough for the major leagues. They could have taken one for the western hemisphere.
 Elijah: Are we talking baseball or geography? Please don't talk geography. Waitress...
 Jack: History aside this guy is a stud. He will be very, very good.
 Elijah: I'm feeling very drowsy. Can we pick this up in the morning.
 Jim: It's been a decade since you seen a morning, but tomorrow is good. We can talk Perez and the others tomorrow.