The first full week of the 2007 NEBL season is over and its time to take a look at how the clubs are fairing so far. Since the teams have played anywhere between 8 and 10 games it is still very difficult to make predictions, but there have been some outstanding moments. The latest published standings appear at the bottom of the home page.The best record in the league so far belongs to the Long Island Sounders who are 7-3 although their opponents in the first week have a combined record of 12-17. They took 3 out of 4 from division opponent Red Bank scoring 29 runs and lead the NEBL with 62 runs scored so far. They have gotten 106 hits and have stolen 10 bags. Offensively, they do look powerful. However, their starters have a combined ERA of 4.36 (6th overall) and a team ERA that comes in the bottom third of the league.
The Sounders’ biggest competition for the Midlantic Division will be the Atlantic City Jacks who trail by just one game. We will get a real sense as to how these teams will compete by the end of this week. The Jacks face the Bombers and the 6-4 Lynchburg Muskets to open the Casino Dome this week. The Sounders will take on the Easton Rivermen and the Providence Bears, both clubs the Jacks have already faced.Gabriel Rodriguez (CF) of the last place Easton Rivermen was named Player of the Week. Although his team struggled, he went 12 for 24 and driving six runs.
The Saratoga Stangs are a game in front of the Brookfield Steamers in the Upstate Division but as a team effort. Felix Alfaro (1B) is second in the league with 4 HRs and Rafael Valdiva has the second best ERA at 0.61 – although no wins in two starts – and that’s it for any particular star power. The Steamers opened the season 1-3 as they played at Long Island before coming home and winning four of the next six.In the Piedmont Division, the Lewes SeaDogs and the Lynchburg Muskets share the lead at 6-4. They split the weekend series in Lewes as Lynchburg’s Lee Ward (CF) went on a tear hitting four home runs in the last three games (to lead the league with five). The Kitty Hawk Wings (4-4) and the Landover Prawns (4-5) round out the bottom of the division. Landover has promise in pitcher Dale Simon who leads the league with 23 Ks in three starts.
The series to watch this week starts Monday, when the Providence Bears will go to Saratoga to face the Stangs in a three-game set which could set the tone in the Upstate Division.
Also of interest this week is the opening of the European Federation of Baseball Schedule. The Lisbon Tubaroes will go to Italy to face the Fiernze Friars. Stockholm Vikinga set out to Frankfurt, Germany to face the Silberadler. Glasgow’s Highlanders will host the Lyon Revolutionnares and their UK counterparts, the Manchester RedCoats will go to Copenhagen Denmark to face the HavenHonden. In a battle of kings, the Namur (Belgium) Leeuwen (lions) will go to Madrid to face Reyes. The sixth game on the schedule is in Luxembourg with the Ducs hosting the Cavaliers of Basel-Stadt Switzerland.
