More roster moves

The Wild Things announced Monday that seven players -- outfielders Gus Benusa (pictured) and Darian Sandford, shortstop A.J. Nunziato, second baseman Shain Stoner, right-handed pitcher Gary Lee and left-handed pitchers Shawn Smith and Anthony Collazo -- have signed contract extensions for 2013, and that two pitchers have been added to the roster.

Lee (7-5, 2.89), who finished last season as a player/pitching coach, will be a Veteran, according to Frontier League roster rules. A Vet is the one player on the roster who can exceed the FL's 27-year-old age limit.

The newcomers are right-handed pitcher Cole Brand and lefty Matt Phillips.

Brand spent three seasons at the rookie-league level in the St. Louis Cardinals system. Last summer, he had a 2.97 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. I've written before that you shouldn't put much stock in rookie-league statistics because they don't transfer well to a player's potential in the Frontier League. However, what I like about Brand's numbers is that in 78 innings of pro ball he has issued only 16 walks and allowed just two home runs. Another plus is he has pro experience and is only 20 years old, which means he's still a Rookie by roster standards. Brand was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school in the 42nd round in 2010.

"Cole showed a lot of promise in his time with the Cardinals organization and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do in Washington," Wild Things assistant general manager Steve Zavacky said in a press release.

Phillips was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an undrafted player out of Cal State-Dominguez Hills in 2010. He played rookie ball that year and went 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA in 12 games, but missed all of the 2011 seasons because of an injury. Last year, he was signed by Abilene of the independent North American Baseball League and pitched in one unforgettable game. He went 2/3 of an inning and allowed four hits and four walks.

"(Phillips) comes highly recommended from the Red Sox organization and has been a strikeout pitcher in both college and his year in the Gulf Coast Rookie League," said Wild Things bench coach Bart Zeller.

The Wild Things also announced today that infielder Brad Agustin has been placed on the retired list. Agustin was one of the players acquired at midseason in a trade with London.

After reading the Wild Things' statements on these roster moves, one thing comes to mind: Why hasn't manager Chris Bando been quoted in any of the press releases?

London Rippers: R.I.P.

For most people attending the Wild Things' contest Tuesday night against the London Rippers, it seemed like just another game. The Rippers were a bit sloppy, and at times seemed disinterested, but that's not unusual for a team on the final night of a six-game road trip.

For the Rippers, the game had a funeral feel. Less than three hours after the game, the Rippers folded. "Ceased operations" is how Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee described the team's situation. At 12:01 a.m. last night, the Rippers were no more.

In other words, the London Rippers are dead. The headstone should read: London Rippers. Born: 2011-12 Offseason. Died: July 25, 2012. Cause: Lack of Money.

The Rippers' players learned less than hour before the game that the team's owners were pulling the plug on the franchise. Detroit-based obstetrician and gynecologist Othman Kadry owned 90 percent of the team. The remainder was owned by David Martin, who was the team's manager and general manager. Martin did not attend the series against the Wild Things. He missed the final five games in London's brief history.

Rumors had been circulating for several weeks that the Rippers were on shaky financial footing. London had a league-worst attendance, an average of 845 per home game at Labatt Park, where the team did not have a liquor license to sell beer. Last week, the Rippers were locked out of their team store for failure to pay rent.

According to the London Free Press, the Rippers were scheduled to pay the City of London rent payments of $6,250 June 6, June 23, July 20 and Aug. 14. The contract also specified that the Rippers were to donate $23,000 to the city in four equal instalments due in November 2011, April 2012, November 2012 and April 2013.

In place of the Rippers, the Frontier League will form a traveling team that will play London's remaining schedule. Any team that was scheduled to play at London will have home games instead against the traveling team, which will be known as the Road Warriors.

Matt Dumouchelle, the Rippers' director of media relations, declined to comment to the Observer-Reporter. He did tell the Free Press that the news hit the players hard.

"A lot of them are worried about what happens to them next, some were angry about how things went down and everyone was worried for the guys sitting next to them," he said. "It hasn't been an easy day."

The Rippers' situation also sparked a strange scene after the game. Washington manager Chris Bando and coach Jim Tatum, two team officials and an intern stood outside the Rippers' clubhouse door for about an hour, trying to finalize what turned out to be four trades for London players before the team folded at midnight.

Washington sent Doug Thennis, Will Arnold, Tanner Leighton and Tyler Oldham to London in exchanger for catcher Jim Vahalik, first baseman Mark Samuelson, second baseman Brad Agustin and outfielder Chris Lloyd.

Thennis, Arnold, Leighton and Oldham spent all of about 10 minutes as members of the Rippers. All of London's players became free agents at 12:01 a.m., though Lee said any Rippers player wanting to remain in the league would be guaranteed a spot on the Road Warriors, who will debut Thursday at Lake Erie.

At this time, nobody knows how many players will show up to play for the Road Warriors. Or how many of the new Wild Things will be in Washington tonight in time for the first game of a series against Florence.

Most of London's players went back to Ontario last night to get their cars, clothes and any other things they had left in London.

Without the four newly acquired players, Washington has only seven position players on the roster, which could make tonight's lineup interesting.