DARWINS MAKE STEAL, TRADE AFTER LOSSES DURING TIME OF NEED

Ryan Freel of the Friars

for

RHP Brandon Lyon of Darwin.

And a recent grab of Jeff Francouer has bolstered the outfield of the Finches, greatly aiding our current good outfielder Josh Hamilton who has been stretched to his limit! When questioned about the release of Francouer by Texas, the Finches' manager responded:

"It is a bit bewildering that Texas would just go and throw away a good player for some rookies. Sure, the rookies have a great chance at blooming but you should always have a backup plan. I admit I released Francour as a free agent but that was due to budget constraints and was sad to see him go. Now with a base salary of .40, he is definately welcomed back. Had Texas just made the right offer I would have traded to get him back but alas in this case he loses a player and with nothing to show in return. I do not wish to say I have hostile feelings toward Texas, but this situation could have proved more beneficial for their club in the end."

FINCHES FOR SALE

The Darwin Finches, who posted the league's best record in 2008 only to fall in the World Series, have placed the majority ownership of their club on the open market. GM and majority owner Scott Hatfield has indicated that in this poor economy he wants to diversify his investments, and so he has made his controlling interest in the ball club available.

Early indications are that an investment group headed by former Black Mesa GM Ryne O'Connor has the inside crack on acquiring the ballclub, having given early indications that they would keep the Eastern Division champs in the Northern Territories of Australia as a condition of the sale, pending approval from the Commissioner's Office.

Unknown, at this time, is whether or not the club will attempt to keep the pricey veterans in its nucleus to make another run at a world championship, or whether the team will begin transitioning to youth while attempting to remain competitive.

As for Hatfield, rumor has it that the former Delta and Darwin GM is looking for a new challenge and has been petitioning the league to consider expansion.