Welcome to THE FLY-BY-NIGHT BASEBALL ASSOCIATION web site!
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CHECK OUT OUR LEAGUE LOGO
Thanks to Vic Handel we have a new league Logo! Check it out above. The logo features dice that show 2 and 6 which is tribute to the first ever game in the FBN which was played on 2/26/74. The gold borders signify our 50th golden anniversary. Of course we have the "Established 1974" featured along with bats, balls, and gloves to show that we feature all aspects of baseball. Good job Vic!
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WEEKLY VIDEO
Our weekly feature, Baseball Videos! These are from YouTube or other sources and may have advertisements in them but they are usually worth it. Each week or so we will feature a different video. YouTube or other similar websites are the host for these video's and I assume the videos are not copyright protected if they are on the YouTube website. If a video is taken down it is done by YouTube. Enjoy!!
12-07-25 Here is another Unbelievable Crimes in Baseball. It says part 6. It is the only part I could find in this series other than what I have already posted. Take a look at "The Most UNBELIEVABLE Crimes In Baseball History - PART 6".
Click here to play this weeks video clip...
If you would like to replay an old video check out the Video Archive on the left side of the website.
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LEAGUE NOTES:
FBN DRAFTThe 2026 draft is set for Sunday February 22 at 10 AM eastern. Back by popular demand is the draft day count down clock. Here's how much time you have to do all your analysis and planning.
Here is the preliminary draft order with the original pick owner and the current pick owner.
Click here for the 2026 Draft Order in PDF format... last update 12/1/25
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TEAM NOTES:
DEVIL DOODLES - 9-25
The Blue Devils wrapped up play in its 39th season in the FBN with a flourish going 17-4 in the last block to finish 95-67 - tied for the 4th seed in the playoffs with Norwich. However, Norwich finishes ahead as they handled CT winning 6 of 9 in the regular season. Norwich will have home field advantage in the Wild Card playoff series.
The Blue Devils head into the post season for the 21st time clearly on the back of the pitching staff that was outstanding all year long. In fact, the pitching staff set a new franchise record with a team ERA of 3.05 - the lowest in the teams' 39 year history. It completely obliterated the previous best mark of 3.18 set back in 1993 for a team that went 106-56. What makes it more special is that it was a complete team effort. 19 different pitchers made appearances with 10 pitchers having ERA's under 3.00 and 17 out of 19 pitchers ERA's under 4.00. Only two pitchers had double digit wins- Zach Eflin 14-7 and Andrew Heaney 11-7. The most innings pitched was 181 by Eflin. In comparison, back in 1993, only 15 pitchers were used with 4 starters pitching over 200 innings each led by Greg Maddux 25-7 2.26 294 IP. Jose Rijo won 17 games, Rheal Cormier won 16 games and Kevin Tapani won 14 games. Definitely shows how the game has changed from starting pitcher focused to the current bullpen focused.
Another franchise record was set by closer Raisel Iglesias who saved 44 games passing the previous best mark of 43 by Darren Holmes in 1994. The pitching staff also set a franchise record allowing just 403 walks besting the 411 walks allowed in 2012.
Offensively, Connecticut was very inconsistent all season long batting just .238 as a team - the 2nd lowest mark in franchise history. Freddie Freeman led the team in almost every category - 98 runs, 86 RBI, 47 doubles, 30 HR's and 85 walks but batted just .255 - much lower than expected. Bobby Witt Jr ended up having a solid season with 24 HR's, 83 RBI, 88 runs and batted .275. But overall it was much less production than anticipated and only 15 stolen bases. The biggest disappointment from the "Big 3" was Corey Seager. He batted just .244 with 21 HR's, only 70 RBI and 51 runs. The Blue Devils will need all 3 stars producing in the post season to make any kind of run and try to defend their NL pennant crown.
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DEVIL DOODLES - 8-31
The Blue Devils head into the final block of the season at 78-63 and in solid position for the final wild card playoff slot. They are about 4 games out of the 5th spot but probably not a huge deal which wild card slot they ultimately get. Either way, there will be a tough team to face in any series. There may not be any great teams this year in the NL but a lot of solid tough teams to face.
On offense, Bobby Witt Jr has slowly improved his batting average though out the year and is now up to .275 - respectable but certainly not the .300+ BA that was expected. He's on pace for 25 HR's and 85 RBI - certainly solid but not the 30HR/100 RBI's expected. Freddie Freeman has hit a bit of a slump as his BA has dropped down to .259 but he still leads the team in most offensive categories. 89 runs, 45 doubles, 29 HR's and 82 RBI. Corey Seager has been very disappointing as he hasn't put together any type of hot streak all year. He is batting just .232 with only 16 HR's and 55 RBI. Management hopes his hot streak will come down the stretch and in the playoffs.
The pitching staff continues to be a total team effort with no standout stars. Of the 18 pitchers who have appeared this season, only 2 pitchers have ERA's over 4.00 and the highest ERA on the team is 4.66. 7 pitchers have ERA's under 2.00 so consistency has been key. Zach Eflin leads the team in wins (10-7 3.06 ERA) and closer Raisel Iglesias has 35 saves. The team record is 43 saves in 1994 by Darren Holmes. Gerritt Cole, who has missed part of the season with injuries, has made 13 starts going 5-2 2.28. He will be a key piece to have in the playoffs to go along with Eflin and Merrill Kelly (3.39 ERA). Pitching will have to carry the team with the offense being so inconsistent.
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DEVIL DOODLES - 8-1
The Blue Devils completed Block 6 winning 7 of their last 8 games against Urpaign and Arsenal to improve their record to 68-55 - best they have been all year. This keeps the team in solid playoff positioning for a Wild Card spot as the team turns down the stretch for the last 39 games.
The pitching staff continues to carry the team with an overall 3.20 ERA and 10 combined shutouts. It's been a total team performance as no one pitcher has particularly stood out. 15 of the 17 pitchers who have made an appearance this year have ERA's under 4.00 and no pitcher is over 5.00 ERA. Aaron Civale has the highest ERA at 4.76 but even he has contributed 8 wins to the team. Gerritt Cole has been the best starting pitcher with a 2.28 ERA but he's missed significant time with injuries. Patrick Sandoval has been the biggest surprise going 5-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts.
Offensively, Bobby Witt Jr has slowly raised his numbers to a more respectable level now batting .262 with 23 doubles, 8 triples, 21 HR, 63 runs and 65 RBI. Certainly solid performance but management was hoping for a much bigger season. Daulton Varsho has had an odd season. Despite batting just .186, Varsho has been somewhat productive with 15 HR's and 40 RBI and 42 runs scored. If he could just boost his BA to .230 or .240 - how much better could his stats be?
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Older team articles can be found in the Team Article Archive on the left side menu.
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2025 INSIDE THE FLY BY NIGHT
Written by Ed Griffin
March 2025
Hey guys, AMERICAN LEAGUE - Divsion A Projected Finish
Ok, so this is easily the most one sided division. BC will likely win by 30 games. This isn't even one of Glen's best teams. Tucker
and Casas were hurt...Carroll and Rodriguez had down years...still this team is young and loaded. It will be an uphill battle in the years
to come for BG, AG and AT. Coming off of it's championship BG's offense tanked. They have some pitching with Webb, Greene and Holton, but
not much pop in a year when the HR is king. Arsenal has some pop with Harper, Hernandez, Merrill et all, but next to no pitching. Atlanta
has a lot of young talent led by Skenes, Guerrero and Tatis...but pitching is very thin after Skenes. Maybe next year for them. I feel
confident there will be no wild card team coming ouf of this division. ....click here to see projected team details for the American League Division A AMERICAN LEAGUE - Divsion B Projected Finish
Another AL division that looks like a one team race. The Boars are solid, not great but the balance of offense, SPing and RPing makes them easily
the most complete team in the division. They don't appear to be a great playoff team but should be good over 162 games. Picking up Blanco was very big
to round out the rotation. Rooker has turned into a beast for the Admirals, who definitely have some weapons. However, the pitching gives up too many
long balls in a HR friendly park. Jim J regularly over achieves...great manager, but he will have his work cut out with the mediocre bunch. No real
studs anywhere...just some decent players, HT looks like a .500 team to me. If you LOVE THE LONGBALL, the Grits are your play. Judge alone will probably
hit 70. GG will easily hit 300 bombs and give up another 300. The average score of a Grits' game will probably surpass what the NE Patriot's did last
year...with about the same W-L results. I'd say there is a good chance the Admirals are a wild card team, but it's wait til next year for HT and GG. ....click here to see projected team details for the American League Division B AMERICAN LEAGUE - Divsion C Projected Finish
This is the best division in the AL. Still, it looks like a one team race. After a busy offseason the Dreamers are locked and loaded and I'd say
the favorite to come out of the AL. Massive seasons by Ohtani and Soto and a very deep rotation will lead to north of 100 wins. The pen is solid, not
great, but won't be necessary during the regular season. It's possible all three wild card teams could come out of this division. All three are flawed
but solid. LW is good, but I don't like all of the LH SPing. Good offensive squad though with Betts, Yelich and Lindor at the top. Hitting vs RHP will
be the Achilles heal for UR...that's a big short coming. But solid SPing the pen is good. Secret weapon = Guether! Louisville can play some D! Three
1's in the infield and three 1's in CF. Yikes. Just hit it to Altuve. A pretty good rotation and pen as well. Who are Walker and Gaddis?! This
should be a fun division to watch. ....click here to see projected team details for the American League Division C
Projected Finish
I'm going to say this is the best division in the league. I think CT, NB and HZ will all make the playoffs. Sorry Roland...if you were in Glen's division
you'd be a second place wild card contender. In this division I just don't see it. CT has a very good offense. Witt had a monster season. Their SPing is just
ok, but the pen is top notch with Iglesias and Hoffman. The Bohemians are like those Chiefs used to be...will hit lots of HRs...with a wrinkle...they can
actually pitch. Yates = Yikes! SS is a problem though. Ahmed is a good D replacement, but will be tough to win with Bogaerts and Moore manning the bulk of the
duties. I'm sure a trade will come. The Kegs are also solid. Duran and Greene's breakouts and Skukbal at the top of the rotation makes them tough. It should be
a dog fight to win the division. I like CT, but who knows. And the Klubbers are not bad. Could they surprise again like last year? I'm betting against that. ....click here to see projected team details for the National League Division A NATIONAL LEAGUE - Divsion B Projected Finish
I believe this is Norwich's division to lose. Solid team...good D, balanced lineup, deep Sping and fantastic back end of the pen with Adam and Miller. The 89ers and
Jarheads are not bad, and Rob and Bill are great managers so they will not go away easily. AS's lineup is shallow and the pitching is mediocre at best. The Jarheads'
offense took a beating with the Trout and Acuna injuries and Goldschmidt aging out. They have a few pitchers with Ragans, Francis and Yamanoto, but I don't think that
will be enough to keep up with Norwich. Wall Street is not bad either and Kenny is a good manager so will do well subbing for Joe. Adding Horwitz to the lineup is a nice
boost and Nola, Eovaldi and Grasnow are not chopped liver. The pen is pretty shallow though. I think maybe one wild card team could come from this division, but I
wouldn't count on it. ....click here to see projected team details for the National League Division B NATIONAL LEAGUE - Divsion C Projected Finish
Only sure thing here is that Southboro sucks per Rich's plan and will probably have the top pick in next year's draft. Illinois is pretty good, but a bit weak vs RHP and
the written instructions thing makes it tough for them to compete as they normally struggle on the road. Good SPing should keep them in the mix though. Burlington is
similar...not great vs RHP, solid rotation, OF not great and a fantastic closer in Estevez but a dicey pen after that. That leaves Zanti who I make a favorite to win the
division. The resurrection of Sale and nice pickups in Bride and Profar make a difference. If they struggle it will likely be the pen letting them down. Outside of Southboro
this should be a competitive division. ....click here to see projected team details for the National League Division C =========================================================================================
Here you go. Six divisions. Should be a fun season. Good luck to everyone (except Glen who never needs it).
Let's roll!
Ed
1) Bissel Cove
2) Blue Grass
3) Arsenal
4) Atlanta
1) Belmont Street
2) Yorktown
3) Hotlanta
4) Grayson
1) California
2) Lake Wobegon
3) Urpaign
4) Louisville
1) Connecticut
2) National
3) Hazardville
4) Klee's
1) Norwich
2) Allyn Street
3) US
4) Wall Street
1) Zanti
2) Burlington
3) Illinois
4) Southboro