**As Published by Newbert on RBO League News**
The 2008-3 Elite League is finally here! Beginning August 12th teams will collide in the tournament server as they push for a run at the RBO Elite League Championship. The Elite League consists of 16 teams ready and willing to show their best. Get to know the teams below!
TechEast
TechEast, half of the T.Tech Organization, brings an explosive offense to the table. Their key offensive contributors are gatyopin2, ABSmoke, and manager Baptiste. TechEast may have to lean heavily at times on gatyopin2 and Baptiste but Nataliamo should be good for his share of homeruns.
Pitching seems like a weakness for TechEast but manager Baptiste has faith in his guys. Vejar and kiku can hang with the best when they’re on their game. DIESELUSA knocked over 1000 homers in PUGs last season but the pitching prowess of the Elite League greats might be too much for him to handle. If TechEast can get all their players on the same page and catch a hot streak they should be a serious contender to make a push for the playoffs.
Roto NL
Roto NL seems to have a history of looking great heading into league and this season is no exception. They’ve got one of the better looking offenses on paper. Though their defense can be shaky Roto NL has one standard in LF, HaZeD. He gives Roto NL some consistency in his hitting and great outfield play is always expected. Roto NL recently added the HrPower and Pesto, who will team up with nubXPRESS to handle the pitching duties. Look for nubXPRESS to use his hybrid pitcher/hitter type build to the fullest as he will probably see time both in the outfield and on the mound.
LORDV8R and Day round out Roto NL’s rather deep offense. There are quite a few questions, concerns, and haikus with Roto NL’s lineup. You never know what you’ll get out of EasyOut and BiGSwolL. Also, Scooter has yet to see an at bat this season. Ozzy may make a league appearance but he has been M.I.A. for the past few months.
Lynx
Lynx may not have a lot of Elite League experience but EWade has assembled a team that makes up for it in talent. ThatMan’s move to TechWest will probably hurt their offense but Tubby86, EWade, and N8te can provide plenty of pop. At this point in time Lynx seems like a stretch to win it all but anything can happen
I met with EWade to find out his opinion on his team for this upcoming league.
nubXPRESS: Do you think your team’s lack of league experience will hold any negative effect?
EWade: It is possible that we will have a bit of a learning curve but we’ve been in similar situations before and I believe we’ll do fine.
Do you think Lynx can be a dark horse of the 2008-3 league?
Yes, we have the confidence and believe we can compete with the best.
Bombers
Bombers are a clear-cut favorite to win the Eastern Conference heading into the season as they have the tools to score 10+ runs each and every game. Cunning, BigJuddd, and Jiraiya are all tough outs for any pitcher. Let’s not forget about the former Elite League MVP, Roguee, either. Ipwn should carry the bulk of the pitching duties but ChungFX and ThePope will probably relieve him and see more time against easier opponents.
The newer look Bombers might not be the same squad that won the 2007-3 Elite League, but they’ve got the potential to push for that 2008-3 crown.
FlightAL
FlightAL is another one of the toughies in the Eastern Conference. DrDeath is the undefined leader of the squad and always seems to carry the team on his shoulders when called upon. He’s a former Elite League MVP and has an All-Star League All-Aces under his belt as well. FlightAL’s ZachAtack will be hard to strikeout with his signature low red batting style. Even good pitchers should find themselves playing in traffic with this tough lineup. YardDog, Majewicz, D3thklok, Puddles, and Kentucky are all capable of putting up multi-HR games. Pitching could be a slight concern but BeanBalla will aid DrDeath as needed. Look for FlightAL to rough up some of the lessers of the Eastern Conference.
D Rays
The D Rays may appear pretty shallow but they’ve got a “talented” core of players. To do it, they are going to need a lot of offensive output from HAVERFORD and team manager KeenanG. Hydro08 and Tyrrel are two other offensive threats but Borrelli will most likely notch a good amount of playing time.
Ambition
Ambition, assembled only days before the close of registration, is an interesting group of players. Though team chemistry may come at a premium, they’ve got the ability to surprise any team on any given night. Bolter is the wild card of the group with his limited playtime in the pickup game clubhouse.
Teams will need to make sure not to take this Ambition squad lightly. Canada, h0w, and Nos all have ample league experience and know how to win. A personal favorite to watch is MattMan13 who will gun to prove his value to his former Empire Organization. Ambition is no pretender; they’ve got the talent to take more than just a couple wins. If there was one team to watch, it’s Ambition.
BigHeros
The BigHeros are back, though only a couple of these supermans are from the team that competed in the Elite League just a few seasons back. BigJoll, more known to the community as Molholt, will make his return to the tournament/league scene. The BigHeros are going to look for large offensive contributions from Nhr and goTWINS. They do have their own share of question marks with DanIAm, BigPoppy, 66, and Busted among others due to lack of activity within the Pickup Clubhouse.
DwH
DwH, or Donuts with Hats, is the old ReJected squad relabeled with a new name. Though a stretch to win the Western Conference, DwH has some solid bats that could surprise some teams. Ensferum will probably need to put up MVP type numbers for DwH to be a serious contender. PiLi provides DwH with some pitching but he’ll need a solid defense to back him. soulcrshr, ensferum, and AWinkler2 should satisfy that void.
FlightNL
The second team in the Flight organization, FlightNL has one of the best pitching staffs in the Elite League. SmokeOut and ElDuque team up to provide FlightNL with the pitching they need to win. FlightNL’s offense seems a little weaker than usual this season but Corv, ST3WART, and manager Papi should keep the ball flying. YanksBoy and GATECH will make their Elite League debuts and will hopefully contribute and aid in FlightNL’s 2008-3 Elite League takeoff.
Carnage
Megatron has built a pretty diverse team within the last couple of months. Looking at the current roster you find your older Carnage players in Smith, HeadAke, Megatron, and Wiggy. Then you see xXbnUtzXx making his return to Carnage. After that it just looks Swedish to me. Oh wait, that’s because Megatron has added the sexy Swedes, ToyBoy and GAWD. Carnage could have one of the top offenses yet again if everyone decides to show up. HeadAke and Wiggy always seem to be offensive producers but their defense will be invaluable to Megatron.
Sparkie is on the roster to relieve Megatron on the mound, but seems to not always be available. Six innings of pitching usually spells trouble so look for Carnage to aim for double digit runs each and every game.
Rage
Rage consists of nine players, one of the smaller rosters in the Elite League. Led by rUafraid, Rage has a few old faces mixed with a lot of new. Rage lacks experience with Duster, bden2, and GoHome96, but rUafraid and RomeyC have been around the block enough to guide them and possibly steer them to victory. Pitching may be an issue for Rage and the Western Conference won’t be showing any mercy.
RotoWire
Despite being on the fence for returning to play in another Elite League, RotoWire is back. Though only Skoal has played enough to be considered “active”, RotoWire certainly has the talent. Boget, a 3-time Elite League All-Aces winner will split duties with Skoal this time around. EviLPants, aka Midget, will focus his luck at the plate. CTap brings new faces to the plate for RotoWire this season. BenyDJet, CBothe, and JSparks will all see their share of at bats. RotoWire’s core players are still there and that’s just bad news for everyone else. CTap will rely heavily on MiiG, TarHeelS, and Haskell to bring in the runs this season. SpliF may sneak in a few rare at bats this season, but his playing time will come at a premium due to other commitments.
TechWest
The T.Tech Organization certainly has some talent in their TechWest team. Manny73, DanTheMan, and former Lynx player, ThatMan, can all carry the offense if needed. Driverhit seems to have the ego necessary to pitch but he doesn’t quite strike fear into any batters just yet. JimmyJohn should handle a large chunk of innings for TechWest. TechWest has a solid team and should be able to compete for a playoff spot.
Insanity
Insanity enters the league with an eleven man roster and probably just as many concerns. Insanity will need strong production from Killerboy, Luna21, and arodf5 to even compete. Granted a strong pitching performance can provide a win for anyone, but Curtis92 and crew will have their hands full. Insanity’s wildcards come in RickyD and Dual. If RickyD and Dual can hit like the MVPs they are then don’t take the Insanity roster lightly.
Empire
Empire’s got former MVPs, Silver Sluggers, and All-Aces throughout their roster and should be one of the top teams in the 2008-3 Elite League. First up on the Empire roster is KidNasty. He’s a 3-time Elite League MVP with enough tournament wins to write a book. After KidNasty, Empire has Frogger and MelkyNYY who both have Silver Slugger awards stashed away in their trophy cases. The anchor for the Empire team is KMAN. Despite batters getting tougher and tougher KMAN seems to find a way to get outs league after league. With two All-Aces under his belt KMAN is obviously a favorite and will be attempting to guide his team deep into the playoffs. The Empire lineup rounds out with big123, FIRE911, Oman, and Pete998, aka “Pro998”. Empire has depth and talent and will accept nothing but a championship as success.
I was able to meet up with KidNasty to talk about the upcoming league.
nubXPRESS: Do you think you can make another run at MVP?
KidNasty: Yeah, but there’s a lot of competition now especially within my own team. I’ll try.
nubXPRESS: Would you rather win a fourth MVP or take Empire to the league finals?
KidNasty: Finals, I’m a team player and I’ll do whatever Shock (MelkyNYY) needs me to do. The team comes first.
0 comments:
Post a Comment