1) So-Cal-Alliance: Simply the team to beat. The George Reyes and Ray G pickups only make this team harder to beat. All around soundness. Played without Zo all year. Him coming back is like adding another Ryan Coe to the team. 10 losses in two years is sick. This team didnt dominate last year like they did in 2007. They could be ripe to take down. 2 time champs. Remains King of the Mountain until proven otherwise. Back 2 Back WS Champions, not really a need to say much more...They have to remain on top until someone is able to knock them off. Add George and Ray G? Silly line-up!! 2X defending WS Champs!! Will this team become complacent? #1 until they get knocked off.

2) Quake: Retooled and has an ax to grind in 09! Look for this team to play with a chip on its shoulder. Looking to retake #1. Age could be a factor for this team. Whether it will be a positive or a negative is yet to be seen. Always tough even with some of there personnel losses. Finishing in top 3 depends on how some of their pick ups produce in their new surroundings. Huge loss when Regino decided to play with Sac Police, however pickups of Matty Boykins and Johnny Ballgame should help fill the void. Lots of veteran talent, and added one of the quietest best players in PS....Johnny Ballgame. Derwin won't let this slip! All the talent in the world but this team gets too emotional when games get tight and lose focus which is what keeps them from being my #1. Even when they lose a couple of key players they always pick up just the same. With the addition of Johnny Ballgame & my boy Matty they will still be a force to reckon with.

3) Sac Police: The Regino and the Delacruz pickups on top of their already potent lineup will be simply explosive. Cream of the crop in Northern California. Looking to travel a lot which will get this team lots of positive exposure. State Razed seemed to be their nemesis last year beating them 6 out of 7 times. Things could be different in 09! One of the few teams I believe will have a legit shot at dethroning the Alliance. Huge pick ups Regino and Jose D. make this team a final four at the 09 series. An already solid team gets a huge lift from Jeff Regino who always plays well enough to be in the running for POY, and the addition of the hard hitting 3 bagger from the Razorbacks will be a nice compliment. Added some serious talent in the off-season, Jeff Regino makes this one tough squad, but will Justin continue his climb? With their off-season moves/pickups if they don't finish in the top 3 I feel it was a waste of an off-season. They are way too good not to!

4) Hard-Cor: Always quiet in the offseason and always shows up stacked and loaded year after year! The 2 Stanisluas pick-ups were huge for this team.
Always tough. Some new additions just like many teams in the West. It is a case of everyone trying to keep up with Socal. The new additons must keep up the Hard Cor mystique of never being out of a game. With Mark Tolliver on the mound and a team behind him that always seems to hit you have to keep them in the top 5. They will need to make up for a disappointing finish at the 08 WS.
Tolly and Big Mark scored by scooping up some talent in Mitch Broulette. Let's see if the new additions make this team tougher in the long run. With the pickups of my boys Chad & Mitch to solidify their defense holy crap watch out for them.

5) DEA Combo: Jimmy Gomez went out and just completely revamped. Got some familiar faces back and got some other great Quality pick-ups. G-Rod will save this team 5-7 runs a game and just make this team a top team once again. Power, Defense,Pitching, they have it all. New additions bring back some of their luster. They could move up or down depending on how they jell. Lots of big moves in the offseason including a stud pitcher, if this team clicks they could easily be a top 3 team by years end. Jimmy is a class act, and has quietly put some new pieces in place. Serious gamers on this squad and will run like the wind with team speed. Also, watch for some added pop from this crew! No matter who they lose in the off-season they are another team to pick up just as equal of talent. Don't worry about DEA they will be just fine.

6) LAPD Blue: Has all the talent but cannot get everyone there all season. Losing G-Rod may be a signal there is trouble internally on this team. How do they recover from the loss of their pitcher? He was a tough U Trip pitcher and those are hard to find in Police softball. I heard some guys complaining at the series about playing time going to guys who werent there all year. This will be the teams downfall if it happens in 09. Their offense will be their strength. It could cover for mediocre pitcher. Lots of talent to choose from, and always bring a solid team, question will be whether or not they travel to any tourneys North of L.A. This team needs committed players. The rotating roster will never work over a course of a season. This squad is always tough. Great core of guys can hit and throw leather equally. A top 5 team. This team should travel an test themselves more.

7) Nitro2Go Hitmen: After a taste of winning at the World Series picked up some key young unknown players to PS. They will surprise some folks in 2009. My pick to crack the top five. Solid team with a good showing at the WS and a huge pick up in Joe Mestres. This team is starting to realize that they can win. Can they take it to the next level? Joe is one of the best hold em down USSSA pitchers in the business, but will too many additions hurt this crew? I doubt it. This teams run of three one run wins at the World Series was a turning point and I expect big things from them in 2009. Look for a big move in 2009! With the addition of Joe Mestres they immediately made themselves a contender. Will love to watch these guys this year.

8) WestCoast Aftershock: Watchout. This team is good but a top 5 finish will be tough for them. New Team with a major improvement in Speed and Defense. Will be a powerhouse to reckon with. Lost some big power in Andy Williams and Johnny Sunia but should rebound ok. Lack of defense was made up for with an exceptional offense in 08. They had many changes in the off season but they will still be in the top ten. A lot of talent and added Quake OF’er Denton. Offseason losses suffered may end up being a blessing in disguise. This team will always bang with the best of them. Did they add enough defense to contend for a top 5? Jimmy is one of the classiest guys around, and Dante has eye popping power. Will the new guys step up? Losing A. Williams won't hurt this team. With the bats they already have they will be competitive with whomever their playing against.

9) Folsom-J-Cats.. Young team looking to play in 9 tourneys. This alone will get them the points necessary to be a top 10 team. Playing in mostly Nortern Tourneys should help these guys place in top 4 in most of them. Team has solidified there Defense with Q in the outfield and the pickup of another slick fielding infielder no-one knows about. Combine this with the Explosive Power they already have they will score, score, score. Still lacks the overbearing presence on the Hill which is necessary to beat the top 5 teams in PS. Overall they will improve from 2008! My longshot pick of the year to be a nuissance! Q Lew is a huge pick up in the outfield and the new addition of (3B) TJ Kleine (a High Desert transfer to New Folsom) will allow the CATS more flexibilty in their defensive assignments. Eric Moltzen's development as an overall hitter will determine where the CATS end up. This team plays everyone tough. The addition of Q qill be huge. If this squad can get focused early, they will run in the top 10 all year. The additions will help, but they run on adrenaline, and will need to keep it going for a long season!! With the solid core of youngsters and the addition of my boy "Q" to solidify the outfield look out. They have always played on emotion, and when it's positive they can beat anybody. I would love to not even put these guys on the top 15, I just can't.

10) Sin City-Combo....Ready to break the Top Ten! They picked up some key guys off of the other local Vegas team which make this team legit! Great showing in Tahoe had teams watching them. A team which everyone will respect more in 09. very strong in a couple of tournaments, and capable of beating good teams when everyone shows up. This team is scrappy and can flat out play. Can they get all of their team to all of the tournaments they play? This is the burning question for this team.