A semi-coherent breakdown...

The playoffs are here, and that means the Los Angeles Bruins are taking part of the thing. Honorable mention should go to THE O-R-L, Jacksonville Jackhammers, Baffin Beavers, Niagra Falls Frenzy and San Francisco Liberals all of whom finished well over .500; though, were unable to join the dance.

The playoffs will feature Sacramento facing off with Boston, a team they just swept to make the playoffs and YOUR Los Angeles Bruins facing off against the Hitmen of Hendersonville.

The Bruins have been lucky enough to line-up their rotation and have released the following info for the first two games of the series.

Game 1: Starting Pitcher: Ricky Bolden – There’s really no surprise that 3x division winning manager Brad Anderson tossing out Bolden in game one, but the bigger surprise is that of Game 2 starter…

Game 2: Starting Pitcher: Ethan Pickup (if HEN hosts the first two games) and Manuel Jiminez (if LA hosts the first two gams). – Los Angeles manager doesn’t often believe in ‘splits’ but felt Jiminezs’ overwhelming statistics, and Pickup’s veteran prowless would serve the team better going forward in the series. This would allow Jiminez to pitch on full rest in Game 6 (if it gets to Game 6, and LA is hosting) and would ensure both of Pickups’ starters were on the road, leaving Phillips as the teams Game 7 starter.

IF HEN hosts: GM1-Ricky Bolden, GM2-Ethan Pickup, GM3-Harvey Phillips, GM4 Manuel Jiminez, GM5 Ricky Bolden, GM6-Ethan Pickkup, GM7-Harvey Phillips

IF LA hosts: GM1-Ricky Bolden, GM2-Manuel Jiminez, GM3-Ethan Pickup, GM4-Harvey Phillips, GM5-Ricky Bolden, GM6-Manuel Jiminez, GM7-Ethan Pickup

This of course like everything else could change depending on how the series plays out, and whether or not the Bruins lead/or fall behind.

Statistics for the Bruins starters versus H’Ville:

Ricky Bolden: 2GS

GM1 @ LA: 8IP 4H 2ER 0BB 4K

GM2 @ HEN: 8IP 6H 0ER 0BB 7K

Ethan Pickup: 2GS

GM1 @ LA: 7IP 4H 3ER 2BB 8K

GM2 @ HEN: 7IP 6H 3ER 3BB 1K

Harvey Philip: 1GS

GM1 @ HEN: 3.1EP 7H 5ER 2BB 0K

Declan Parsons made two other starts versus the Hitmen, and MR D. Ruiz/J. Gilbert also got a pair of starts after Brad Andersons mid-season, line-up card malfunction.

The Bruins have the leagues best defense behind their pitchers, that coupled with their speed (if they can get on base) should provide some interesting challenges. With HEN’s studly defensive catcher Lopez, look for Pena to be the only one who really looks to test his limits – in the starting lineup. Ingilby will be sure to cause hell on the base paths’ if he pinch runs in the late innings.

The Bruins come in with the leagues, 10th / 11th or 12th most productive offense depending how you look at it. Brad Anderson has released the starting lineup for the first two games as well.

vs SCOTT HILL (we assume)

RF Pena, Augusto

2B Garner, Woody

LF Newell, Cooper

DH Jaramillo, Enrique

C Harle, Julian

SS Kim, Jong-min

1B Nunez, Jose

3B Padilla, Juan

CF Brouthers, Lee

vs WALTER BAMBER (we assume)

RF Pena, Augusto

2B Garner, Woody

LF Newell, Cooper

3B Jaramillo, Jaramillo

C Harle, Julian

SS Kim, Jong-min

1B Nunez, Jose

CF Brouhers, Lee

3B Padilla, Juan

The next set of information is set to come out late Saturday evening, with an emphasis on the bench of the Bruins.

Another year, another division title...

The Bruins clinched the Zaphod for the 3rd straight year, this time in game 158 versus division foe El Paso Diablos. The Bruins had the toughest schedule through-out the summer months, but lead the division when it counted... at the end. The team also jumped out to a good start and led through-out the earlier month(s) as well.

The Bruins will travel up to H'Ville to take on the 2010 Champion Hitmen, a team that like themselves has won a division title for three years in a row. Last time the two teams met in the post-season, Manuel Rodriguez and Scott Hill did their best 'top-this-if-you-can' going back and forth all series, leading their teams to where they needed to get.

In the end, HEN took out LA in Game 7 - 4-2, with Griffin getting his fourth save of the series (Morales had 3). The storylines are set...

Can Scott Hill and Walter Bamber carry a depleted squad against the very same Bruins they took 6 of 9 from this year. Strangely though, even a depleated HEN offense would carry 3 of the 5 best offensive players in the series. Add Prowse, Padilla, and Burkholder to the mix and HEN would have been hoisiting the title about their heads no doubt.

More information about the HEN/LA series will be posted later.

It's September and the bottom hasn't fallen out yet,...

... and that isn't a huge shock.

The Bruins offs-season trades set the team where they needed to be, and put them on the right course; but just as June tested the two-time division winning franchise they have another test.

13 of 14 on the road vs playoff teams (less Maui, who traditionally crushes the Bruins and legendarily took 18 or 19 vs them last year) a day off then finishing off a small series vs NY then off to SAC ELP and finishing out at home versus SF.

The next two weeks are the basis of the conversation on the eve of the draft tonight, as the Bruins take on SF (4-6 vs them this year), NFF (1-5 vs them this year), MAUI (7-8 vs them this year) and BAF (3-3 vs them this year).

Ricky Bolden, Harvey Phillips, Declan Parsons and Ethan Pickup are set to go for the Bruins vs SF the pivotal set.

Bulletpoints...

This season has been a very confusing one of the Bruins, which has seen them bounce from 5 up, to 5 down in the division.

With August halfway gone, here's some bullpoints from the last sim and change...

* A 4-1 sim for the Bruins means a 4-1 sim for the Frenzy, and 3-1 sim for the Mentalists. Figures.
* Boston took out UTL Jose Nunez, and karma took out SP Jose Lara -- both will miss the rest of the season.
* The roster expands in three sim's. LA looking for help at the plate, but their may not be much.
* Newell makes his return to the lineup next sim.
* Phillips misses his scheduled start date, so the Bruins will push it back and start someone on four days rest.
* The Bruins will sit down and try to figure out a plan of attack, as they play 21 days straight. Their aren't many bats to go around, and some of the better ones will have to sit.

Deadline tidbits...

* With the Trade Deadline looming, the Bruins have brought UTL Woody Garner from Greenville to Los Angeles to pencil into Brad Anderson's every day lineup.

* The Bruins are in talks with one or two more teams about bringing one more utility guy to even out the bench within the infield, pushing Ingilby back to his day-to-day, position-to-position model.

* With the Bruins having locked manager Brad Anderson up for the next five years, it has been confirmed Anderson has convinced the give Phillips the $6M annually he is seeking and tick on some performance bonuses in case Phillips develops further, " Give him something to work towards " noted Anderson.

* The Bruins find themselves in second place after taking just one of three from Sacramento which saw the club blow a lead late in game two.

* As far as contracts go, the Bruins will be at 101M of a 98M budget to start the 12' campaign, which is a number that management is seemingly okay with, though, the team would look to fill the squad with MLC's and hope injuries stay mild.

Another shitty sim for Los Angeles...

The Bruins did what they did best last week,... split series and go 2-3.

The Bruins find themselves just a game ahead of the rest of the "ever-so-tight" pack in the Wild Card race with the All-Star break around the corner.

While seemingly everyone on the Bruins has went into the shitter, SP Ricky Bolden pitched a great game versus Sacramento help the Bruins save face and split the series.

" It was just another game " Bolden was quoted as saying after being the team formerly known as the Squids.

The more interesting note to come from the VBL6 this week is that JTP has taken control over the Orlando franchise again making the Wild Card race, and rest of the ML alot more interesting.

All in all, this season is turning out to be the greatest yet.

It's getting Rowdy in Los Angeles...

Rumors broke late Monday afternoon, that Los Angeles had acquired starting pitcher Harvey Phillips from the Haddonfield, for fan favorite; Manuel Rodriguez, former set-up man Floyd Faulkner, CF Jorge Gutierrez and SP Glenn Christensen who fell from grace during Spring Training.

While ManRod and Phillips have pitched do a duel this season, the lefty will help Los Angeles down the stretch run versus teams who prevent lefty heavy lineups. Los Angeles park should also provide a spark to Phillips whose coming from a different league and will now face real competition.

ManRod pulled up lame in his last start, so Phillips coming over is going to be a real godsend for the Bruins who would have had to slot Joe Brooks into the rotation, but were hesitant to do so after Brooks has dominated in the bullpen this season.

Los Angeles is looking forward, trying to catch Sacramento and having Phillips can't hurt.