SOCAL ALLIANCE
2009 Rank: 3
Last season the Alliance won 4 tournaments and finished in the top 5 in 7 of them.  The Alliance faltered at the World Series when their bats went cold against a great Sin City team and finished 7th which was a disappointment to the two-time defending champions. The off season saw a lot of change for the Alliance.  Leaving the team were Hall of Famers Tim Morris (LAPD Blue) and Scott Spalding (Quake).  Joining the team will be World Series Champions Chad Bankston and Mitch Brouilette from HardCor. Also joining the team full-time will be Tommy Hayes who played in two tournaments with the Alliance in 2009 and Kevin Burger who debuted in the 2009 WS. Moving back on to the active roster will be 2008 World Series All -Tournament player Danny Wells.

ALLIANCE NEW COMERS:

Chad Bankston will primarily play 2B but can play mutliple positions if needed. Chad will bring a great glove, speed and tenacity to the Alliance line up. His steady leadership, big game experience and blue collar work ethic will fit in nicely with SoCal.

Mitch Brouilette will primarily play CF in the Alliance 3 man outfield. He will bring speed, glove and a big bat to the Alliance. Mitch’s ability to anchor any outfield will allow Alfonso “Zo” Trujillo to move full time to SS to replace the departed Scott Spalding. Mitch won the 2009 Bacon Ball Vegas HR Derby so his big bat will be called upon to deliver in 2010.

Tommy Hayes will find himself mostly as a corner outfielder for the Alliance but he will be used as an infielder when needed. Tommy is very comfortable on the dirt as that is where he usually found himself when he played on the civilian ball circuit. Tommy brings a power bat and can hit it out under any conditions as demonstrated by his home runs in the 108 degree heat of Sacramento last year.

Kevin Burger is another speedster who can play multiple positions. Kevin will play a utility role for the Alliance this year.

Danny Wells is not a newcomer but has returned after a one year hiatus. Danny, or D-Way, is one of the fastest players in police softball and his big bat and speed will make the Alliance one of the fastest teams in the circuit this year. Danny will find himself playing gold glove outfield for the Alliance and he hopes to repeat his All Tourney play at the 2008 World Series.

Simply put, this team doesn't have many weaknesses. Whether the new players can replace the veteran guidance of two Hall of Famers is yet to be seen, but talent wise they have no excuses not to be contending every tournament. 2010 theme song: “The Show” by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew

CALIFORNIA QUAKE
2009 Rank: 2
Like the Alliance, the Quake won four tourneys last year and they grabbed the second spot in the year end rankings. The Quake were active as they played in 9 tournaments in 2009 and finished in the top 5 in 7 of them. In the off season the Quake lost Hall of Famer Keith Benjamin, Robert Solis and outfielder Andrew McCormick. Additions for the Quake will be:

Mike Mayer OF formerly of Concord.  Mike is a clutch hitter for average and power and a defensive lockdown specialist with a cannon arm.

Scott Spalding SS formerly of Alliance.  Hall of Famer, All Star, 2005 Alliance MVP.  Big game experience and knows how to win.

Rick Enriquez OF formerly of Folsom Sac.  Tomahawk style power hitter.  Charlie Hustle mentality.  Always goes 100% on the field.

There is some speculation that 2010 will be the Quake’s final season and they intend to go out as champions. 2010 theme song: “Encore” by Jay Z

MOTOR CITY BLUES
2009 Rank: 17
2010 will be the teams 3rd year in existence. Like most new teams, they have had their share of struggles over the past two seasons. Obviously losing a few key starters to the Michigan Lawmen did not help, but they adapted and overcame. This team is built for the long run and is no one-hit wonder. And the ’09 off-season saw MCB actively recruiting new talent including tapping into the correctional side of the Michigan law enforcement system. Player movement: They parted ways with Chris "Woody" Harwood #6 and Rickford “Kuch" Kuchna.  Both are reported to be playing with Metro Detroit’s Finest in 2010. They have added Thick #8, Jake #4 and Jeff #44 Cardona.  Both Cardona's played in one tournament with W/O early last year.  Thick #8 has yet to experience the LE circuit, and didn't even know it existed until this past season.  All three come with civilian ball experience.  Matt Guigar #13 will be playing his first full-season with MCB.  He was a mid-season acquisition in 2009 for MCB having never played on the LE circuit.  He blended right in looking like he's played on the circuit for years. Showers #23, Scholz #27 and D. Hull #10 are all starters returning from injuries sustained during the season.  At no time did MCB have all three in the lineup healthy at the same time in 2009 but that should change in 2010. 2010 theme song: “Stronger” by Kayne West