MLB 09: The Show - March 3, 2009 - Demo Out Now!

Nothing has come out about it specifically. Hopefully they make the rosters easier to manage this year between the minors and majors outside of franchise
 
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I would highly suggest people preorder this game that are interested. I live in St. Louis [baseball capital of the US outside of the Yanks and Sox :X ] and it took me a full week and trips to about 20 different stores selling videogames to get a copy last year since I didn't preorder as I was unsure of which game I wanted.
 
I'd love some non-generic minor league parks, for one.

But who am I kidding...this will be a pre-season purchase. Hopefully someone will have some bonuses or deals.
 
[quote name='Krams706']Pedroia's on the cover? SICK.[/quote]

yeah... that's what I'm going to be every time I have to look at it to take the game out of the box.
 
[quote name='Krams706']Does anyone know if there are playable minor leagues in this game? Not just in Road to the Show, but in Franchise mode?[/QUOTE]

You could play as every team's AA and AAA team last year so I would assume that you can this year.

This is easily a day one purchase for me. 08 was my first experience with the game and I easily got my money's worth and have no regrets about picking up the next one a year later.
 
[quote name='slickkill77']Guys the ps3 version of the show is $56.99 on Amazon.com right now[/quote]

It's a good thing you have Amazon Prime to order that with huh? ;)

Nice find. I'll probably place a pre-order, but hope that I can do better than saving $3 + tax. But who am I kidding? This is one of the few games easily worth full price anyway.

It's really sad that 2K bought the MLB license and STILL can't manage to be the best baseball game available. I guess they're going for quantity over quality though with MLB Front Office, The Bigs, MLB Superstars and all the other crap games I can't remember. But at least their deal didn't suffocate the sport like EA did with Madden.
 
It did though because unless you own a Sony system, you miss out on the best baseball game out there. They're pretty much the only option on the 360, Wii, and DS.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']It did though because unless you own a Sony system, you miss out on the best baseball game out there. They're pretty much the only option on the 360, Wii, and DS.[/quote]

Yeah, I guess that's true. But at the same time, it has also turned The Show into a bit of a system mover because I know of a few people who bought a PS3 just so they wouldn't have to play 2K baseball, haha.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']It's a good thing you have Amazon Prime to order that with huh? ;)

Nice find. I'll probably place a pre-order, but hope that I can do better than saving $3 + tax. But who am I kidding? This is one of the few games easily worth full price anyway.

It's really sad that 2K bought the MLB license and STILL can't manage to be the best baseball game available. I guess they're going for quantity over quality though with MLB Front Office, The Bigs, MLB Superstars and all the other crap games I can't remember. But at least their deal didn't suffocate the sport like EA did with Madden.[/quote]

:applause:
 
[quote name='DestroVega']yeah... that's what I'm going to be every time I have to look at it to take the game out of the box.[/quote]

Pedroia's the man. How dare you?!

[quote name='WatchdogXC']You could play as every team's AA and AAA team last year so I would assume that you can this year.

This is easily a day one purchase for me. 08 was my first experience with the game and I easily got my money's worth and have no regrets about picking up the next one a year later.[/quote]

Nice. I didn't have a PS3 last year (still don't, yet), but thanks for the info. I try to make my franchises as realistic as possible, so I want to play with Lars Anderson, Michael Bowden, etc. on the PawSox.
 
[quote name='Krams706']Pedroia's the man. How dare you?![/quote]

Yeah, I hear he's a man's man...:booty:

[quote name='Krams706']Nice. I didn't have a PS3 last year (still don't, yet), but thanks for the info. I try to make my franchises as realistic as possible, so I want to play with Lars Anderson, Michael Bowden, etc. on the PawSox.[/quote]

Well, even if you can control the teams in the game, the actual players can't appear on the roster until they've played their first big league game. It's part of the MLBPA licensing agreement. You'll have to edit the names yourself if you want those guys.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']Others will be able to edit rosters and share them online, so you may not have to do it yourself this year.[/quote]

Good point. I forgot that we can rip off other people's work now, haha. Man, sports games sure have changed. I remember entering player names myself on Ken Griffey Jr. Presents MLB on the ol' SNES. Those were the days :)
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']Good point. I forgot that we can rip off other people's work now, haha. Man, sports games sure have changed. I remember entering player names myself on Ken Griffey Jr. Presents MLB on the ol' SNES. Those were the days :)[/quote]

Oh my god dude... I bought a Sports Almanac for Ken Griffey because they had every single team roster and I edited the whole fucking game myself.


I had every single player fixed. Ken Griffey Baseball, the first one, for SNES is still my favorite game of all time I think. (that and Little League) It's funny how Manny and Jeter are both the same size in that game in their Rookie campaigns.
 
[quote name='DestroVega']Oh my god dude... I bought a Sports Almanac for Ken Griffey because they had every single team roster and I edited the whole fucking game myself.


I had every single player fixed. Ken Griffey Baseball, the first one, for SNES is still my favorite game of all time I think. (that and Little League) It's funny how Manny and Jeter are both the same size in that game in their Rookie campaigns.[/quote]

Haha, yeah, I always used to put Jeter's name in too. But actually, it's not Jeter. It's Mike Gallego. The first Ken Griffey game was from 1994, and Jeter didn't come up until 95.
 
Holy shit man, you are totally right. I forgot altogether, I only thought it was jeter because I now play on my modded XBox the old game and I just figured it was Jeter.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']
Well, even if you can control the teams in the game, the actual players can't appear on the roster until they've played their first big league game. It's part of the MLBPA licensing agreement. You'll have to edit the names yourself if you want those guys.[/quote]

Bowden pitched in a game last year, but Lars didn't play. In 2k8 they had the player, just not the name, but with the same initials (i.e. Lars Anderson is Larry Andrews). Did they have that in The Show?
 
[quote name='Krams706']Bowden pitched in a game last year, but Lars didn't play. In 2k8 they had the player, just not the name, but with the same initials (i.e. Lars Anderson is Larry Andrews). Did they have that in The Show?[/quote]

I never really paid much attention to the default rosters, to be honest. But one of the best things about The Show is that they update the rosters weekly. Every Monday, you sign on, and there's a fresh roster for you, with all the call ups, transactions, and injuries. This won't help much once you start your franchise, but it's great for online. Well, except maybe in league play.

As some guys in my 2.0 (2nd half of the year) league learned last year, it really sucks controlling a team that just gives up the last month or two of the season. Between guys being shut down and rookies being called up, it makes for some pretty ugly lineups. This is another reason I think doing a fantasy draft will be the way to go...so even if one team tanks, it won't affect your whole club.

I can really tell I'm ready for spring training. I've been dusting off some of my old baseball games (including the aforementioned Ken Griffey's MLB) and playing a game or two to relive some of the great teams from years gone by. Can't wait to see what The Show 09 adds to the legacy!
 
I am pretty sure if you draft a fantasy team and then play a league with drafted teams, they do not change whether an injury happens or otherwise.
 
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/01/13/mlb-09-the-show-franchise-mode-enhancements/

Some info on enhancements of the franchise mode:
Hey everyone - MLB FE team here to bring you the first installment of the MLB 09 The Show blogs. For this entry, we’ll be talking about some of the details that have gone into the Franchise mode enhancements. When we set out this year’s plan, one of our goals was to blow out the personnel aspects of the Franchise experience. Starting with the beginning of spring training, the rosters you will carry into spring will be those of their real-life counterpart, the long awaited 40-man rosters. Now you will have to manage your Spring Training roster a little more carefully to ensure your young players get the looks they need.

Moving on to the regular season, you will now be dealing with many of the various roster-related items all GMs have to deal with. You will be in control of designating players for assignment, waiver transactions, handling Minor League options, and managing your 40-man roster.

Once in June, you will have the Amateur Draft to participate in. Along with drafting players, the Amateur Draft also includes Supplemental picks for those teams that failed to re-sign Type A or Type B free agents in the offseason.

​

Once your season hits September, your 25-man roster will expand to the full 40-man where you will then have to decide who get’s the call and who doesn’t. If your Franchise is successful enough to make the playoffs, you will have to manage your rosters accordingly, and will only be able to replace players on the roster between series.

The Offseason is where the real fun starts. We’ve changed the Offseason system so that instead of traveling from menu to menu, going in and out of various screens, now all of your responsibilities can be found within the schedule. There are several important dates for you to be aware of in order to ensure your rosters are setup for the next season.

  • The 15th day of the offseason marks the end of exclusive free agent negotiating.
  • November 20th is the final day to align your 40-man roster in order to protect your players from the Rule 5 draft.
  • December 1st is the final day to offer arbitration to eligible players, or to offer any Type A or Type B free agent compensation.
  • December 7th is the deadline for any free agents offered arbitration to accept or decline the offer. If a player accepts the offer, they will go back on your roster. If they decline, they will become a free agent and are allowed to sign with any team.
  • Between 12/5 and 12/12, the Rule 5 Draft takes place.
  • December 12th is the deadline to tender contracts to players or they will become free agents.
    Arbitration hearings take place in early February.
  • After 2/15, any player with less than 3 years can have their contract renewed if they remain unsigned.
​
​

As you can see, a lot of focus has been placed on bringing increased depth to roster and team management within Franchise mode. But these enhancements aren’t limited to only Franchise mode, and the same depth can be found in Season and Road To The Show modes.

- Kolbe Launchbaugh and Aaron Luke
​
​
​
Click to expand...
 
Wow! Those are ridiculously huge changes to the way franchise mode will play out. Just that alone added to last year's gameplay is worth $60. EA should take notes to apply to Madden. THIS is how you improve your game year after year...by adding new features that make the game more realistic, rather than little gimmicks and mini games.

I can't believe how excited I am just at the thought of managing a 40 man roster. I always thought it was stupid that spring training games would have starters throwing 7-8 innings. Being able to expand in September will be really nice too! Then throw in the amateur draft and even freaking supplemental picks! It doesn't get much more realistic than that.

The only down side to doing all this is that it will make me want to actually continue with my franchise next year rather than moving on to The Show 2010. I usually play a full 162 game season, and follow along right with the MLB schedule. I really don't ever play more than one season of my franchise. But all these new features will make me want to.

It would be nice if a day comes when game saves are backward compatible, so you could move them to the next game to get all the new features, updated gameplay, etc., without losing your progress. You'd really think something like that would be doable because all it really needs to store is your statistics and accomplishments at the end of the year, and then just pre-load them into your new season in the next year's game. Considering EA has let you import draft classes from their NCAA to NFL/NBA games for years, the technology should be there. I've wanted roster updates during franchise play for years, but I at least understand why that would pose problems. BC saves seems far more feasible.
 
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[quote name='slickkill77']Better?[/quote]

We may be Spankees, but need I point out the irony of a Rays fan calling anybody a Choker? Granted, the Mets bring a whole new meaning to the word..but still ;)
 
Hey someone has to lose the series. I don't see how that's choking. We beat the Red Soxs in the ALCS....wait what happened in 2004 again? Or maybe it was the 2003 World Series? Oh no, it was the 2001 World Series! Got Choke?:D
 
[quote name='slickkill77']Hey someone has to lose the series. I don't see how that's choking. We beat the Red Soxs in the ALCS....wait what happened in 2004 again? Or maybe it was the 2003 World Series? Oh no, it was the 2001 World Series! Got Choke?:D[/quote]

Haha, 26 man. 26 :cool:
 
They can easily make franchises carry over if they want to... they should do that... all it really keeps track of is stats that the new year's game could import into it's saved memory files.
 
[quote name='DestroVega']They can easily make franchises carry over if they want to... they should do that... all it really keeps track of is stats that the new year's game could import into it's saved memory files.[/quote]

Yup, and it would be such a huge selling point for people to buy the new game too. They could tag it as "Continue Your Dynasty!!!" Like I said before, adding all these amazing new features is going to make me NOT want to move on to The Show 2010, if I can't take all my hard work with me. Still waiting on my Thinktank job, Sony. You need me. You know you do. hahaha :)
 
FYI for those who don't like the cover athlete (like me); last year someone on the official MLB 08 board on playstation.com was making custom covers for anyone who asked. It looked just like the real thing except it was another player. I of course had Pujols. You might want to check there again once the game ships.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']FYI for those who don't like the cover athlete (like me); last year someone on the official MLB 08 board on playstation.com was making custom covers for anyone who asked. It looked just like the real thing except it was another player. I of course had Pujols. You might want to check there again once the game ships.[/quote]

Good to know. I'd rather have Hannah Montana on my cover than Dustin freaking Pedroia
 
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/01/20/mlb-09-the-show-%E2%80%93-new-and-improved-ai/

New improvements to AI are detailed:
Today we’re going to show you some of our new and improved A.I. for MLB 09 The Show. Realism is THE most important thing to use here on the MLB 09 The Show team. Year in and year out, with a development team that has a wealth of baseball knowledge, not only as fans of the game but development members that have actually played the game at very high levels, we dedicate ourselves to making the most realistic baseball experience possible. That being said, there were a few things about last year’s game that were a bit frustrating and not as realistic as we would have liked. As much as we would like to tackle every idea out there, we strategically have to pick and choose our battles. This year we decided to work on a little bit of everything, so today I’m going to highlight four of them.
1. CPU Fielder routs to the ball
In our quest to make the perfect baseball simulation, balancing the game can be a long difficult task. In order for our batters to reach the correct amount of doubles and triples in our game, we needed a couple things to happen.

  • The batter needs to get out of the box appropriately, round the bases correctly, and have his true-to-life times from home to first, first to third, etc…
  • The fielders need to react naturally, the same way they do in real life. Basically, if the runners are going to behave realistically, then the fielders need to as well, otherwise you would not have balance. So this year, our infielders and outfielders will react and behave appropriately on balls hit down the lines or in the gaps. No more direct routes to the ball keeping you at first if you should have had a double. Now, in MLB 09 The Show, you will see outfielders rounding the ball, cutting it off at a BACK angle or just playing it off the wall. This truly looks and feels like you’re playing in The Show.
2. Infielder Hot Shots
Another part of last year’s game that I felt needed improvement to bring it that much closer to real life was the fact that fielders would catch just about everything hit their way. For the most part, if they could reach it, they would catch it, with a few deflections here and there. This year, in MLB 09 The Show, our infielders become human again and are now vulnerable to Hot Shots coming off the bat of Albert Pujols. We’ve developed a system that will allow for the player to miss balls based on how hard they’re hit, the fielding ability of the player, and the player’s reaction time. Some balls are just too hot to handle for anyone, but if you are playing with the Gold Glovers, they’ll have a better chance of making some unbelievable plays. Balls will also take bad hops and hit off the player, and yes, your infielders will even make errors. Even though we’ve had errors in games past, we focused a bit more on it to, once again, bring this game closer to real MLB. The cool thing about this is, with the addition of the new routes to the ball, a shot down the line can get by that third baseman and give you a realistic chance to stretch it in to a double. These are my favorite plays.
3. Tags
We used to have a very generic set of tags that basically set the facing direction toward the incoming runner and then we would apply the tag. That OLD system would not account for the infielders set up at or around the base and the attacking angle of the runners slide. Now, in MLB 09 The Show, we consider all of that. We have all new setups that are tailored for every base and every direction the throw is coming from. The catcher also has his own setup and tag system. We even have an all-new system for pickoffs and back picks. This makes for some really exciting plays at the base that make you feel like you’re part of a real Major League Baseball experience

And I just wanted to mention this even though it really doesn’t have to do with the tag section. For those of you that play our game regularly, you will know that we have always had a problem with “going the short way” with two outs. Well, you’ll no longer be frustrated trying to go the “short way” with two outs. With the incorporation of our “on the run catch system,” on a ground ball to the third baseman with two outs, you can branch your throw to second and get a really cool catch on the run by the second baseman for the out, without having to throw across the diamond. The CPU will do this as well. Another side note, the CPU will tag your runner in the baseline if he can, instead of ignoring the runner and throwing to the base. You guys that play our game know what I mean.
​
4. Pitcher / Batter duel
The Pitcher/Batter Duel has always been what makes or breaks a true to life baseball simulation. We have dedicated a whole year to improving this feature and we will continue to do this as long as we make this game. This is extremely important to us here on the MLB 09 The Show Team, and I know you’ll appreciate the advanced technology, logic and dedication that has gone in to it. Oh yeah…we also have a new level for all you guys that brag about H.O.F. Mode being too easy. It’s called Legend Mode. Good Luck!!

Also, be sure to catch a special interview of MLB 09 The Show cover athlete Dustin Pedroia on ESPN First Take live from Sony HQ tomorrow at 11:15am Eastern Time, as well as a live ESPN News segment that will air throughout the day.
Click to expand...
 
Wow, it's blowing my mind how many "little things" they're working on fixing. Being cheated out of doubles, superhero reflexes in the infield, and lazy lobs with 2 outs were really nitpicking problems with last years game. If they can eliminate all that, this game should be flawless!

I just hope they don't go to the other extreme of "realism" with the bad hops and errors. That's an area that requires such a delicate balance. Going too far in the other direction would ruin the game far worse than infielders vacuuming up everything hit their way. The last thing we need is infielders booting everything.
 
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/01/27/mlb-09-the-show-%E2%80%93-road-to-the-show-enhancements/

Tweaks for Road to the Show mode detailed:

Hey everyone, Aaron Luke (Designer) here to bring you the next installment of the MLB 09 The Show. This entry will focus on the enhancements to Road To The Show. This year’s edition of RTTS has received enhancements to nearly every aspect of the mode.

Starting with the front-end aspects, the PS3 Create Player system has received some new editions that will allow you to customize even more aspects of your player. With the new Sounds Of The Show feature, we’ve been able to support audio customizations that will allow you to pick not only your batter walkup music, but also your reliever entry music and a home run celebration song. In addition to editing custom music, you can also create custom fan chants, cheers, and jeers to assign to your player (or any other player using the Edit Player feature). The player accessories have also seen upgrades to support a variety of new items including: wrist tape, batting gloves in pockets, glasses, eye black, baggy pants, and stirrup socks for your old schoolers. But the player customization doesn’t end with the Create Player process — we’ve also added in the ability to edit your player any time after creation. You won’t be able to edit his position or attributes, but you will have full reign on editing his appearance, accessories, and the all-important player number.





Once you’ve settled on your player’s look, you now have a choice – enter the draft and let your fate be decided by the powers that be, or for those OCD heads not willing to let fate decide, you will still have the ability to select your favorite team.



Another new, yet subtle addition sure to make an impact is RTTS specific fast-forwarding options. We’ve heard your calls and answered by giving you more control over the appearances you take part in. The new options include the ability to set how many fielding opportunities you take part in, with settings ranging from: All = same as before, you’ll take part in all fielding opportunities, Half = you will only participate in non-routine chances, or None = any fielding for your player will be skipped.

You will also be able to set what types of baserunning opportunities you’d like to participate in: All = you will participate in all baserunning opportunities for your player, Lead Runner = you will only be involved in situations where your player is the lead runner, or None = all your opportunities will be fast-forwarded.

Lastly, to allow you to control how much CPU teammate hitting you want to watch, we’ve given you the option to choose between the following settings: All = you will see all pitches of the at-bat, Half = half the at-bat will be fast-forwarded, and Quarter = three-quarters of the at-bat is fast-forwarded.

As some of you may have read in the first blog: Franchise Mode Enhancements, we’ve made several roster related additions this year, including 40-man rosters, Arbitration, Waivers, and more. These additions will also be a part of the Road To The Show experience. Your player will be subject to exposure to these elements, just as the real-life counterparts have to deal with. Now managing your contract negotiations will be even more important as a club may try to undercut you, offer you a contract to buy out some of your arbitration-eligible years, or even string you along until they are able to simply renew your contract.





Moving on to the gameplay portion, one of the big goals this year for the in game aspects was to provide the user with a more immersed experience by incorporating RTTS player-oriented presentations. Now when you win a big game, you’ll be able to see the team celebrations. The presentation aspects aren’t just focused on winning big games — we’ve created custom game intros for your player as well. So if you’re a shortstop starting on defense, you’ll see an intro of your player warming up on the infield. We’ve taken the presentations even further to revamp the in game goals so that it too is presentation based. You’ll now see your goal, or situation, but you’ll also get player specific stats relevant to the situation you are in.



The gameplay experience itself has also seen one major new addition. The baserunning controls have been customized to use the left analog stick to control all your runner movements. No longer is baserunning as simple as a single button press. Now you will have to maintain his movement by pressing on the analog stick in the direction you’re heading (or retreating). If you’re in the old mind frame of looking for the CPU to take over your runner at a certain point, you’ll keep looking, as that won’t happen now. If you’re on first and the CPU attempts a pick off, you are responsible for getting him back. On a ball hit in play, your runner will be left out to dry if you’re not paying attention and sending him yourself.



To round out the gameplay experience, we’ve also made improvements to the training points you receive. The stats in the past were a little too simple and needed more depth. This year, we’ve included conditions to certain stats so that getting 1 hit in 1 at-bat is worth more points than getting 1 hit over multiple at-bats. This is especially important for a pitcher in that working deeper in the game will reward you higher points than before. The training area has received a major improvement above just the points you’re awarded; we’ve created an all-new training mode for batting and base stealing. I’m not going to divulge much on the topic here, as Eddy Cramm (Senior Designer) will be elaborating on this in a blog post to come soon.



As you can see, Road To The Show in MLB 09 promises to be a different experience than before with both major additions and minor subtleties to round out the mode. Thanks for your time and good luck with your Road To The Show.

Click to expand...
 
The gameplay experience itself has also seen one major new addition. The baserunning controls have been customized to use the left analog stick to control all your runner movements. No longer is baserunning as simple as a single button press. Now you will have to maintain his movement by pressing on the analog stick in the direction you’re heading (or retreating). If you’re in the old mind frame of looking for the CPU to take over your runner at a certain point, you’ll keep looking, as that won’t happen now. If you’re on first and the CPU attempts a pick off, you are responsible for getting him back. On a ball hit in play, your runner will be left out to dry if you’re not paying attention and sending him yourself.
Click to expand...
I'm not such a fan of the changes to baserunning, so I'm hoping there will be the option to revert to last year's controls.

Edit: They confirmed in the comments that there's no other baserunning options in RTTS.
 
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[quote name='MSUHitman']FYI for those who don't like the cover athlete (like me); last year someone on the official MLB 08 board on playstation.com was making custom covers for anyone who asked. It looked just like the real thing except it was another player. I of course had Pujols. You might want to check there again once the game ships.[/quote]

If you guys are looking for custom covers, I've been making a lot for the folks over at Operation Sports. So far I think I've created about 26 or so covers ranging from Prince Fielder to Ted Williams.

http://www.operationsports.com/forums/scea-sports-mlb/288632-mlb-09-show-custom-covers.html

Here's a sample:


As for the game, sounds really good so far. Glad they fixed the doubles problem, last year's game I had something like 10 hits in a game and with 9 of them usually being singles.
 
Well I'm sold on this game now. Is there going to be a CAG league? Since I would like to participate after the disaster that was the NHL 09 league with nobody playing. For these custom covers, where does everybody go to get them printed at?
 
I'm sold too. I liked last year's version, but being out of the sim baseball video game loop, the game was damn hard for me to adapt to, so I gave it up in favor of waiting until this year's version.
 
If Dustin Pedroia wasn't on the cover this would be an insta-buy even for a cheapass like me. Sony really dropped the ball on this one.
 
[quote name='arnoldhead']If Dustin Pedroia wasn't on the cover this would be an insta-buy even for a cheapass like me. Sony really dropped the ball on this one.[/quote]

Are you serious?
 
[quote name='TheRock88']Are you serious?[/quote]
Sort of. Sports games drop in price pretty fast so I was planning on waiting a while before picking it up, and seeing Pedroia on the cover makes the wait easier. If someone else was on the cover it'd be a more difficult decision.
 
[quote name='arnoldhead']Sort of. Sports games drop in price pretty fast so I was planning on waiting a while before picking it up, and seeing Pedroia on the cover makes the wait easier. If someone else was on the cover it'd be a more difficult decision.[/QUOTE]

as childish as it may seem, Im with you 100%
 
[quote name='arnoldhead']Sort of. Sports games drop in price pretty fast so I was planning on waiting a while before picking it up, and seeing Pedroia on the cover makes the wait easier. If someone else was on the cover it'd be a more difficult decision.[/quote]

Then follow The Rock's link to Op. Sports and get one of the custom covers. Just print them out and you're good to go.

Thanks Rock, I'll use either your Pujols one or the Wainwright one someone else made.
 
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