Here we go! The division everyone has been waiting for!! The mother fucking NL WEST!!!
Colorado Swingers: 92-70 in S12, 3rd in division, Wild Card
Yes, that is correct, it took 92 wins to get 3rd place in this division, a win total that would have won the North or South, and tied for 1st in the East. Although, the Swingers only won 66 games the season before. The year before that they had 85 wins. What the fuck happened in S11? Quiet tanking? A couple of important injuries? I don't care enough to look that up. They got Wesley Howry this season, and he is thanking the baseball gods that his gb/fb rating is 96. But other than that, it was a very quiet offseason for the Swingers. Strickland, Nakajima, Serrano, Iorg, Hoss, all of those jerks are still in the locker room, acting as the team leaders.
Offense: C+
Defense: B
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 85-77, 3rd
Albuquerque Sandias: 95-67, 2nd in division, Wild Card
I just noticed we had a similar down season back in S8 that fits the same pattern Colorado had during their S11. So clearly they weren't quietly tanking. They were working their asses off, just like we were. Yeah. I don't know what my prediction is for this team. Even with Jumbo last year, we got bounced from the playoffs pretty early. We couldn't afford him, and had to spend $20M to keep Rico. The offense is still quite solid with Buck, Alex, Alarcon, Avila, Dickinson, Cairo, etc. We've completely restructured our catching group, bringing up Jason Ellis from the minors, while pretending Ethan Ross and Morgan Anderson are catchers. The rotation is Rico, Stewart, Mesa, Javier and Adams. If any of them goes down with an injury, we're fucked. Defensively, we're okay. Not great, but okay. Fuck, I hate my team already.
Offense: A+++
Defense: C
Pitching: B if everyone stays healthy, D- if one guy gets hurt
Prediction: 90-72, 2nd
Salem Ownage: 99-63 in S12, 1st in division
Losing Singleton has to hurt. Trading Greenberg and Collins and Boyer and Saez and Tarasco has to hurt. Right? Right!? Then Aaron Spahn falls in Salem's lap, and everyone in the West lets out a groan. The pitching is still decent with Wohlers and Stern and a few others. They still have Ramirez and Dali and Porter at the plate, and now Spahn. I really want them to take a step backwards this season. I mean you can't trade that many pieces and still win 90 games. You just can't. Right?
Offense: A
Defense: B+
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 80-82, 4th
Boise Freedom Fries: 83-79 in S12, 4th in division
A new owner for the first time in 8 seasons, bobkordecki tries to push these guys into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. And right off the bat he makes a splash by signing Travis Shea and Kent Rivera. He works a trade that brings Chang and McGlinchy from Memphis, and suddenly we've got ourselves a playoff contenduh. Pedro is still there (for this season at least) and Tommy Simon is still there. bob ain't fucking around.
Offense: B
Defense: A-
Pitching: B
Prediction: 92-60, 1st
All the World News that's unfit for print.
Monday, March 28, 2011
NL South S13 Preview
New Orleans Posse: 82-80 in S12, 2nd in division
After four really shitty seasons, dennis has had these guys playing .500 ball the last four seasons. Is this their year to make a big jump forward? Well their only substantial move during the offseason was trading a young SS for two even younger prospects, so I'm gonna go with 'no.' The young guys are a year older and more experienced, but I don't think that'll be enough to make a big jump. Lombard and Beck are still the top ball throwing guys for the team, and who will fill in the rest of the rotation is up for speculation right now. Yearwood and Oliver are their best ball hitting guys, and then they are fairly stacked when it comes to ball picking up guys. A decent little team, but they're not gonna scare anyone.
Offense: C
Defense: B
Pitching: C
Prediction: 81-81, tie for 2nd
Jackson Generals: 79-83 in S12, 3rd in division
After three consecutive seasons of sub .500 ball, and four straight without a playoff appearance, I keep waiting for playboy to just blow the whole thing up, slash payroll, and spend two or three years losing 100 games. Instead, he gives Lance Morris a monster contract, acquires Davy Matthews, and signs another seven or eight Type A/B free agents. Maybe the busiest franchise we have ever seen in one offseason. And somehow, he's keeping salary spending just a hair over $100M. This might be the year that the Generals say "hey, remember when we used to win 100 games and go deep into the playoffs? Well, we do."
Offense: B
Defense: A
Pitching: B
Prediction: 101-61, 1st
El Paso Mancos: 84-78 in S12, 1st in division, DCS winner
After a nice run last season, El Paso laid pretty low this offseason, just signing a Type B who they appear planned to use as a long-relief pitcher. So the question for the Mancos is if their roster is good enough to hold off the fast-charging Generals? Ryan and Pineiro and Ashley and Neal are still there. Is it gonna be enough? Um, no.
Offense: C
Defense: C+
Pitching: B
Prediction: 81-81, tie for 2nd
Jacksonville Jimmies: 75-87 in S12, 4th in division
The Jimmies went to the NLCS after winning 99 games in S11, and then they shit the bed with just 75 wins in S12. Go back to the prior two seasons, and it was a similar situation where they won 90 games and won the division, then won 77 and missed out. So will they win 90-something this season and get the division title? They have a decent little team, but they traded away two ML'ers for Davy Coleman and Vasco Escobar, which will clearly benefit the squad in a couple of years, but not right now. Coleman makes me hard. Mmmmmmmmmm. But anyway, the Jimmies are running on about $48M this year, and unless your name rhymes with schmeera, you can't really get away with that in this world. At least not in the NL.
Offense: C
Defense: C+
Pitching: C
Prediction: 65-97, 4th
After four really shitty seasons, dennis has had these guys playing .500 ball the last four seasons. Is this their year to make a big jump forward? Well their only substantial move during the offseason was trading a young SS for two even younger prospects, so I'm gonna go with 'no.' The young guys are a year older and more experienced, but I don't think that'll be enough to make a big jump. Lombard and Beck are still the top ball throwing guys for the team, and who will fill in the rest of the rotation is up for speculation right now. Yearwood and Oliver are their best ball hitting guys, and then they are fairly stacked when it comes to ball picking up guys. A decent little team, but they're not gonna scare anyone.
Offense: C
Defense: B
Pitching: C
Prediction: 81-81, tie for 2nd
Jackson Generals: 79-83 in S12, 3rd in division
After three consecutive seasons of sub .500 ball, and four straight without a playoff appearance, I keep waiting for playboy to just blow the whole thing up, slash payroll, and spend two or three years losing 100 games. Instead, he gives Lance Morris a monster contract, acquires Davy Matthews, and signs another seven or eight Type A/B free agents. Maybe the busiest franchise we have ever seen in one offseason. And somehow, he's keeping salary spending just a hair over $100M. This might be the year that the Generals say "hey, remember when we used to win 100 games and go deep into the playoffs? Well, we do."
Offense: B
Defense: A
Pitching: B
Prediction: 101-61, 1st
El Paso Mancos: 84-78 in S12, 1st in division, DCS winner
After a nice run last season, El Paso laid pretty low this offseason, just signing a Type B who they appear planned to use as a long-relief pitcher. So the question for the Mancos is if their roster is good enough to hold off the fast-charging Generals? Ryan and Pineiro and Ashley and Neal are still there. Is it gonna be enough? Um, no.
Offense: C
Defense: C+
Pitching: B
Prediction: 81-81, tie for 2nd
Jacksonville Jimmies: 75-87 in S12, 4th in division
The Jimmies went to the NLCS after winning 99 games in S11, and then they shit the bed with just 75 wins in S12. Go back to the prior two seasons, and it was a similar situation where they won 90 games and won the division, then won 77 and missed out. So will they win 90-something this season and get the division title? They have a decent little team, but they traded away two ML'ers for Davy Coleman and Vasco Escobar, which will clearly benefit the squad in a couple of years, but not right now. Coleman makes me hard. Mmmmmmmmmm. But anyway, the Jimmies are running on about $48M this year, and unless your name rhymes with schmeera, you can't really get away with that in this world. At least not in the NL.
Offense: C
Defense: C+
Pitching: C
Prediction: 65-97, 4th
NL East S13 Preview
Do I really need to do a preview of this division? Can't I just skip it? Fuck.
Hartford Insurance Men: 57-105 in S12, 4th in division
Speaking of prior owners, did you know hbdgirl is back? I thought he was gone, but it appears he is back, picking up teams in Roy Hobbs and Yastrzemski. It wouldn't be a preview of this franchise if I didn't remind everyone of hbdgirl tanking his way through S1, and then winning it all in S2, and then bailing. The team has been up and down ever since then, with back to back 100+ loss seasons coming in recent history. Alejandro Lee is slowly counting the days until his contract expires and he can get Milwaukee or Portland to give him a max deal. Beyond Alejandro.....christ almighty there is not much to get excited about. I do have a news flash though. Chris Matthews is still alive!
Offense: Alejandro - A, Rest of the Team - D
Defense: D
Pitching: C
Prediction: 50-112, and a coin toss to see who gets the #1 pick
Baltimore Terrapins: 59-103 in S12, 3rd in division
You know your division sucks when you lose 103 games and finish 3rd. I guess the folks in Bawmer are excited about Whitfield, and Eddie Shiell. And they're excited about the draft this year. And they're excited about the AA squad. And they're excited about the new promotion the team is setting up. If the Terrapins give up five runs in the first inning, Natty Boh's are only $2/can the rest of the night, and you can drink all the way through the end of the game. That should keep a few butts in the seats. 'Ey dere hon, go grab me anutter Natty Boh and a craaaab-cake sanwich!
Offense: C
Defense: C
Pitching: C
Prediction: 50-112, and lots of vomit that is a mix of Natty Bohemian beer and Esskay hotdogs.
St Louis Oxbows: 91-71 in S12, 2nd in division
Finally! A team to get excited about. Canseco, Baez, Tex, Luis, etc. Fairly busy in free agency with Baez and Flores coming into town, we finally find a team that understands the concept of falling behind if you stand still. Are they world beaters? Maybe. Tex, Sivilla and Roosevelt need to be great, because the rotation gets thin pretty quickly after those three. Offensively, they're not great, but they're above average and will get the job done. Baez and Flores increase their potency at the plate for sure. I like them. I don't know how much I like them, but I like the Oxbows this year.
Offense: B-
Defense: B
Pitching: B-
Prediction: 95-67, 2nd in division
Durham Bulls: 92-70 in S12, 1st in division, World Series Champs
It's baffling to think that the WS champs almost didn't make the playoffs last season. St Louis missed the wild card despite having 91 wins last year, so if Durham had been just a little bit further back, they would have been playing golf instead of making their incredible run. Crazy. They gave Ken Wehner $50M to come in and help the rotation this spring, and they acquired Oscar Hamilton from Milwaukee. Those two guys, plus Frias, Arias and a 5th guy to be named later, that's a pretty scary rotation. Offensively they'll get it done again this year too. Reynoso, Diaz, Bubba, Jumbo, Flash (just those last three names.....who wouldn't want those three names on their roster, even if they guys sucked?) should all put up some impressive numbers this year. And to add insult to injury, they're stacked defensively too. What a bunch of assholes.
Offense: A
Defense: A
Pitching: A- (I just can't give three A's across the board)
Prediction: 100-62, 1st in division
Hartford Insurance Men: 57-105 in S12, 4th in division
Speaking of prior owners, did you know hbdgirl is back? I thought he was gone, but it appears he is back, picking up teams in Roy Hobbs and Yastrzemski. It wouldn't be a preview of this franchise if I didn't remind everyone of hbdgirl tanking his way through S1, and then winning it all in S2, and then bailing. The team has been up and down ever since then, with back to back 100+ loss seasons coming in recent history. Alejandro Lee is slowly counting the days until his contract expires and he can get Milwaukee or Portland to give him a max deal. Beyond Alejandro.....christ almighty there is not much to get excited about. I do have a news flash though. Chris Matthews is still alive!
Offense: Alejandro - A, Rest of the Team - D
Defense: D
Pitching: C
Prediction: 50-112, and a coin toss to see who gets the #1 pick
Baltimore Terrapins: 59-103 in S12, 3rd in division
You know your division sucks when you lose 103 games and finish 3rd. I guess the folks in Bawmer are excited about Whitfield, and Eddie Shiell. And they're excited about the draft this year. And they're excited about the AA squad. And they're excited about the new promotion the team is setting up. If the Terrapins give up five runs in the first inning, Natty Boh's are only $2/can the rest of the night, and you can drink all the way through the end of the game. That should keep a few butts in the seats. 'Ey dere hon, go grab me anutter Natty Boh and a craaaab-cake sanwich!
Offense: C
Defense: C
Pitching: C
Prediction: 50-112, and lots of vomit that is a mix of Natty Bohemian beer and Esskay hotdogs.
St Louis Oxbows: 91-71 in S12, 2nd in division
Finally! A team to get excited about. Canseco, Baez, Tex, Luis, etc. Fairly busy in free agency with Baez and Flores coming into town, we finally find a team that understands the concept of falling behind if you stand still. Are they world beaters? Maybe. Tex, Sivilla and Roosevelt need to be great, because the rotation gets thin pretty quickly after those three. Offensively, they're not great, but they're above average and will get the job done. Baez and Flores increase their potency at the plate for sure. I like them. I don't know how much I like them, but I like the Oxbows this year.
Offense: B-
Defense: B
Pitching: B-
Prediction: 95-67, 2nd in division
Durham Bulls: 92-70 in S12, 1st in division, World Series Champs
It's baffling to think that the WS champs almost didn't make the playoffs last season. St Louis missed the wild card despite having 91 wins last year, so if Durham had been just a little bit further back, they would have been playing golf instead of making their incredible run. Crazy. They gave Ken Wehner $50M to come in and help the rotation this spring, and they acquired Oscar Hamilton from Milwaukee. Those two guys, plus Frias, Arias and a 5th guy to be named later, that's a pretty scary rotation. Offensively they'll get it done again this year too. Reynoso, Diaz, Bubba, Jumbo, Flash (just those last three names.....who wouldn't want those three names on their roster, even if they guys sucked?) should all put up some impressive numbers this year. And to add insult to injury, they're stacked defensively too. What a bunch of assholes.
Offense: A
Defense: A
Pitching: A- (I just can't give three A's across the board)
Prediction: 100-62, 1st in division
NL North S13 Preview
Philadelphia Phanatics: 79-83 in S12, 2nd in division
Since season 6, the Phanatics have finished 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd. Using this scientific formula, they will clearly win the division this season. (Quick side note. Threester was the original owner of this team. I clicked on his name......did you know he's gone?! 230 seasons, 104 playoff appearances, 11 bullshit world series titles, and he's just gone.) Other than trading Matthews for two prospects, Philly did not change their ML roster very much. The squad still has plenty of offense with the likes of Crawford and Seneca and Burke, with the overpaid Blackley and Treadway leading the pitching staff. On paper, Philly doesn't look like anything special. But when you look at their budget ($120M), they should be a WS contender. The offense will help, and the defense won't lose them any games, so the big question is whether the pitching staff can get it done.
Offense: B-
Defense: B
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 80-82, 3rd
Iowa City Corn-ish Hens: 77-85 in S12, 3rd in division (still the worst team name in BPF, since S6)
Their "big" Type A free agent signing this season was Zephyr Bruske (who the fuck is Zephyr Bruske?) who sports a lifetime ERA of 3.61 in almost 450 innings. A good setup guy, he'll help the bullpen. They also picked up an aging Ronn Stern for a bargain ($1.8M), with escalating salary the next three seasons. On top of those two players, they got JJ Pall to help with the rotation. After a career season with 35 HR's and 116 RBI's, Johnson is back behind the plate. He and Stern will get help from Suh and Mendez and.....that's about it. Fortunately, the pitching staff might not need much offensive help. Some combination of Cambridge, Carreras, Mendoza, Pall, Navarro and Abercrombie will put together one of the better rotations in the NL, and it wouldn't surprise me if the Hens have the best bullpen in the game as well.
Offense: C+
Defense: B
Pitching: A-
Prediction: 85-78, 2nd
Cincinnati Red Thumpers: 71-91 in S12, 4th in division
I've been staring at my monitor for five minutes, trying to come up with something exciting about this team. Let me go get a cup of coffee and see if something comes to me.......OK, I've got.....no, wait.......crap, I've got nothing. I guess Vic Torrealba is pretty good, but with that stamina/durability combo, he only had 14 decisions in 32 starts last season. No big free agent signings this year, although they did make a trade that will have a slight impact on the ML roster next year. I might be biased because I drafted him, but I do like Benny Lewis (just not at SS). I'm starting to doze off, I need to move to another team.
Offense: blah
Defense: C?
Pitching: C?
Prediction:65-97, 4th
Helena Homies: 87-75 in S12, 1st in division, knocked out in first round
Yeah, here we go, here's an exciting team! They made a huge free agent signing this offseason with......Earle Law? A closer who saved 6 games last year with a 6.90 ERA? Well they at least traded for.....shit, nobody. Is this the same team as last year? Dizzy is a stud, so we can get excited about him, but he's already injured. O'Keefe is a great young pitcher who won 18 games last year with a 2.81 ERA, so we can get excited about him too. Gonzales and his $20M contract are still there, and after he saw what Jumbo got paid this year, I bet he goes to FA next season. Young ace Dan Hernandez is ready to be the SP1 on opening day. Offensively, there isn't a ton to get excited about, but the pitching staff is very solid and should take them far. In a division that is just so bleh, you kinda have to pick these guys to win it again.
Offense: C
Defense: D
Pitching: A-
Prediction: 90-72, 1st
Since season 6, the Phanatics have finished 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd. Using this scientific formula, they will clearly win the division this season. (Quick side note. Threester was the original owner of this team. I clicked on his name......did you know he's gone?! 230 seasons, 104 playoff appearances, 11 bullshit world series titles, and he's just gone.) Other than trading Matthews for two prospects, Philly did not change their ML roster very much. The squad still has plenty of offense with the likes of Crawford and Seneca and Burke, with the overpaid Blackley and Treadway leading the pitching staff. On paper, Philly doesn't look like anything special. But when you look at their budget ($120M), they should be a WS contender. The offense will help, and the defense won't lose them any games, so the big question is whether the pitching staff can get it done.
Offense: B-
Defense: B
Pitching: C+
Prediction: 80-82, 3rd
Iowa City Corn-ish Hens: 77-85 in S12, 3rd in division (still the worst team name in BPF, since S6)
Their "big" Type A free agent signing this season was Zephyr Bruske (who the fuck is Zephyr Bruske?) who sports a lifetime ERA of 3.61 in almost 450 innings. A good setup guy, he'll help the bullpen. They also picked up an aging Ronn Stern for a bargain ($1.8M), with escalating salary the next three seasons. On top of those two players, they got JJ Pall to help with the rotation. After a career season with 35 HR's and 116 RBI's, Johnson is back behind the plate. He and Stern will get help from Suh and Mendez and.....that's about it. Fortunately, the pitching staff might not need much offensive help. Some combination of Cambridge, Carreras, Mendoza, Pall, Navarro and Abercrombie will put together one of the better rotations in the NL, and it wouldn't surprise me if the Hens have the best bullpen in the game as well.
Offense: C+
Defense: B
Pitching: A-
Prediction: 85-78, 2nd
Cincinnati Red Thumpers: 71-91 in S12, 4th in division
I've been staring at my monitor for five minutes, trying to come up with something exciting about this team. Let me go get a cup of coffee and see if something comes to me.......OK, I've got.....no, wait.......crap, I've got nothing. I guess Vic Torrealba is pretty good, but with that stamina/durability combo, he only had 14 decisions in 32 starts last season. No big free agent signings this year, although they did make a trade that will have a slight impact on the ML roster next year. I might be biased because I drafted him, but I do like Benny Lewis (just not at SS). I'm starting to doze off, I need to move to another team.
Offense: blah
Defense: C?
Pitching: C?
Prediction:65-97, 4th
Helena Homies: 87-75 in S12, 1st in division, knocked out in first round
Yeah, here we go, here's an exciting team! They made a huge free agent signing this offseason with......Earle Law? A closer who saved 6 games last year with a 6.90 ERA? Well they at least traded for.....shit, nobody. Is this the same team as last year? Dizzy is a stud, so we can get excited about him, but he's already injured. O'Keefe is a great young pitcher who won 18 games last year with a 2.81 ERA, so we can get excited about him too. Gonzales and his $20M contract are still there, and after he saw what Jumbo got paid this year, I bet he goes to FA next season. Young ace Dan Hernandez is ready to be the SP1 on opening day. Offensively, there isn't a ton to get excited about, but the pitching staff is very solid and should take them far. In a division that is just so bleh, you kinda have to pick these guys to win it again.
Offense: C
Defense: D
Pitching: A-
Prediction: 90-72, 1st
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Recap of my pre-season predictions
I've honestly never gone back and looked at how my predictions faired. But reading camden's post this evening, I decided to take a gander at what little I know about this game.
Team/Prediction/Actual/Difference
Albuquerque/94-68/95-67/+1
Salem/99-63/99-63/I'm a genius
Las Vegas/90-72/83-79/-7
Colorado/75-87/92-70/+15
*Maybe the most competitive and tight division in the world. Three squads made the playoffs. Fourth would have been one game out in the NL South.
Jacksonville/88-74/75-87/-13
El Paso/78-84/84-78/+6
Jackson/75-87/79-83/+4
New Orleans/80-82/82-80/+2
*I called this the "toughest division in the entire world." A pretty close division, but not the "toughest."
St Louis/81-81/91-71/+10
Durham/80-82/92-70/+12
Baltimore/65-97/59-103/-6 I wish I had been right.
Hartford/55-107/57-105/+2
*Maybe the most tarded up division in the world. I don't care if Durham ends up winning the WS.
Philadelphia/78-84/79-83/+1
Iowa City/88-74/77-85/-11
Helena/84-78/87-75/+3
Cincinnati/75-87/71-91/-4
*Like the NL South, a very boring division. Which might explain why I was so close on three of the four.
Team/Prediction/Actual/Difference
Albuquerque/94-68/95-67/+1
Salem/99-63/99-63/I'm a genius
Las Vegas/90-72/83-79/-7
Colorado/75-87/92-70/+15
*Maybe the most competitive and tight division in the world. Three squads made the playoffs. Fourth would have been one game out in the NL South.
Jacksonville/88-74/75-87/-13
El Paso/78-84/84-78/+6
Jackson/75-87/79-83/+4
New Orleans/80-82/82-80/+2
*I called this the "toughest division in the entire world." A pretty close division, but not the "toughest."
St Louis/81-81/91-71/+10
Durham/80-82/92-70/+12
Baltimore/65-97/59-103/-6 I wish I had been right.
Hartford/55-107/57-105/+2
*Maybe the most tarded up division in the world. I don't care if Durham ends up winning the WS.
Philadelphia/78-84/79-83/+1
Iowa City/88-74/77-85/-11
Helena/84-78/87-75/+3
Cincinnati/75-87/71-91/-4
*Like the NL South, a very boring division. Which might explain why I was so close on three of the four.
From The Desk of the Beloved Commish
With the season nearly over, and Durham taking a huge first step to making BPF history with the biggest WS upset, I figure it's a good time to give a State Of The BPF Address.
The State Of The BPF is strong. Once again the NL proved to be the more competitive league. Consistent ownership for several seasons in the NL has produced a league of incredible balance. Though not blessed with the most vocal owners (nj does his best to make up for that, and I often find the NL the less verbose of the two leagues in most worlds), the senior circuit once again is also out classing the AL in re-upmanship. The AL is chock a block with Last-Minute-Larrys (myself included). If an Durham wins the WS, the AL should feel much shame.
To be honest I don't spend much time seeing what's going on in the NL, so I can't comment much on the teams. I have a couple informants who clue me in to anything seemingly, or actually, untoward. But I don't know really have a clue where teams finished, but I can comment on the AL with much more precision.
Right now I'm going to take this chance to review my predictions, so here we go:
Milwaukee
Actual/Predicted/Difference
105-57/110-52/-5
Montreal
107-55/89-73/+18 (I blame the drugs)
Florida
55-107/56-106/-1 (I can spot true crap)
Portland
66-96/72-90/-4
Chicago
104-58/100-62/+4
Trenton
84-78/81-81/+3
New York
78-84/70-92/+8
Burlington
74-88/98-64/-24 (Just the opposite of the season before where I grossly under predicted, so it balances out and makes me right for both seasons!)
Houston
88-74/63-99/+25 (Wow)
Richmond
82-80/94-68/-12
Kansas City
66-96/87-75/-21 (Fags are fickle)
Tampa Bay
64-98/63-99/+1
Vancouver
107-55/"more wins than losses, quick playoff exit"/Dingdingdingdingding.
Honolulu
94-68/81-81/+13 (Congrats shiish, good job)
Scottsdale
62-100/59-103/+3 (After a few seasons of this, would you believe the minors are stacked?)
Salt Lake City
54-108/69-93/-15
Looks like I have established my Senate. The scope of this panel will reviewing owners and/or teams that violate world rules, and admissability of potential new owners. I'm going to go ahead and put in the sub 40 mil payroll/60 minimum wins rule. So next season there better not be teams with marginal NL talent and decent FAs still on the market. I don't sweat records as much as some 9as long as it's not ridiculous), but owners are expected to field the best team possible. I'm not bothered whther Joe Blow has 20 mil more in me in prospect, but it does bother me if he's playing AAers instead of spending a bit more for a legitimate ML worthy FA.I'm fine with rebuilding, I totally agree with the concept and think it's ridiculous to get a stud FA if it won't do much more than give you a couple more wins. I'm not asking teams to spend, spend, spend, but don't play for the first pick. I like that this world allows a bit more reign in how you run your team, but I sometimes see it being abused. This rule should only be an issue to owners that are trying to lose. If the numbers are close the Senate will be convened. As an appeasement to those who favour a minimum win rule, any team winning less than 50 games will result in a Senate review. You might think 50 is too low, maybe so, but with a 43 win team in my history (and I wasn't trying to lose at all) I know it's not always a matter of intention but a mattor or combination of ineptitude and/or franchise damage by previous ownership.
That's it for now. Thanks for another successful season of BPF.
The State Of The BPF is strong. Once again the NL proved to be the more competitive league. Consistent ownership for several seasons in the NL has produced a league of incredible balance. Though not blessed with the most vocal owners (nj does his best to make up for that, and I often find the NL the less verbose of the two leagues in most worlds), the senior circuit once again is also out classing the AL in re-upmanship. The AL is chock a block with Last-Minute-Larrys (myself included). If an Durham wins the WS, the AL should feel much shame.
To be honest I don't spend much time seeing what's going on in the NL, so I can't comment much on the teams. I have a couple informants who clue me in to anything seemingly, or actually, untoward. But I don't know really have a clue where teams finished, but I can comment on the AL with much more precision.
Right now I'm going to take this chance to review my predictions, so here we go:
Milwaukee
Actual/Predicted/Difference
105-57/110-52/-5
Montreal
107-55/89-73/+18 (I blame the drugs)
Florida
55-107/56-106/-1 (I can spot true crap)
Portland
66-96/72-90/-4
Chicago
104-58/100-62/+4
Trenton
84-78/81-81/+3
New York
78-84/70-92/+8
Burlington
74-88/98-64/-24 (Just the opposite of the season before where I grossly under predicted, so it balances out and makes me right for both seasons!)
Houston
88-74/63-99/+25 (Wow)
Richmond
82-80/94-68/-12
Kansas City
66-96/87-75/-21 (Fags are fickle)
Tampa Bay
64-98/63-99/+1
Vancouver
107-55/"more wins than losses, quick playoff exit"/Dingdingdingdingding.
Honolulu
94-68/81-81/+13 (Congrats shiish, good job)
Scottsdale
62-100/59-103/+3 (After a few seasons of this, would you believe the minors are stacked?)
Salt Lake City
54-108/69-93/-15
Looks like I have established my Senate. The scope of this panel will reviewing owners and/or teams that violate world rules, and admissability of potential new owners. I'm going to go ahead and put in the sub 40 mil payroll/60 minimum wins rule. So next season there better not be teams with marginal NL talent and decent FAs still on the market. I don't sweat records as much as some 9as long as it's not ridiculous), but owners are expected to field the best team possible. I'm not bothered whther Joe Blow has 20 mil more in me in prospect, but it does bother me if he's playing AAers instead of spending a bit more for a legitimate ML worthy FA.I'm fine with rebuilding, I totally agree with the concept and think it's ridiculous to get a stud FA if it won't do much more than give you a couple more wins. I'm not asking teams to spend, spend, spend, but don't play for the first pick. I like that this world allows a bit more reign in how you run your team, but I sometimes see it being abused. This rule should only be an issue to owners that are trying to lose. If the numbers are close the Senate will be convened. As an appeasement to those who favour a minimum win rule, any team winning less than 50 games will result in a Senate review. You might think 50 is too low, maybe so, but with a 43 win team in my history (and I wasn't trying to lose at all) I know it's not always a matter of intention but a mattor or combination of ineptitude and/or franchise damage by previous ownership.
That's it for now. Thanks for another successful season of BPF.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Yay the World Series is Here!
About fucking time. Who is crossing their fingers that we get a quick four game sweep, so we can move on to next season? Oh, just me? Liars. Well it's not the most typical WS. A #5 seed with 105 wins versus a #2 seed with 92 regular season wins. Go figure. The AL is just 'tarded up, with six teams that lost 95+ games, compared to the NL's two teams that lost 95+ games. The NL didn't have a single team win 100 games (although Salem got close with 99, and four others had 90+), while the AL had four teams with 100+ wins, with the next closest being 94 wins, and then only three more that had .500+ records. Yes, I'm having fun manipulating numbers.
Durham finished the regular season tied for second in batting average, second in runs, with a team OPS of .800 that was good for fourth in the ML. A team ERA of just under 4.00 was easily the best the franchise has had in its history. Bottom ten in defense this year, they'd better hope their pitchers can get a lot of strikeouts. Clearly their top player this season has been Flash, sporting 34 HR's, 103 RBI's, and 105 runs in his first season with the squad. Bubba Coles was another big pickup for them, as he added even more firepower to their hitter-friendly ballpark. Crane, Diaz and Kelley rounded out their list of hitters with 25+ HR's this season.
Like Flash, Edgar Frias is a player who came to Durham via Milwaukee. And like Flash, he was a team leader this season with his 18 wins and 3.08 ERA. Young Pat Wilson started 33 games, while old Rickey Kidd also logged 33 starts. Rickey was the only regular starter with an ERA over 4.00 this season. If the Bulls can keep the ball out of their bullpen's hands, they should do okay in this series. But if a starter can't go quite the full distance, or gets roughed up early......bad news bears.
Across the way, Milwaukee posted a top 10 batting average this season, and saw similar rankings in every relevant hitting stat across the board. With guys like Spahn, Perez, Neal and Collins, it's kind of difficult to not have impressive offensive numbers. And they spread it around, which makes them quite dangerous. Only Spahn had over 100 RBI's, but if we spot Valentin one RBI, then that gives us Spahn plus five other guys with 75+ RBI's this season. Neal had 55 in just 66 games with the team. Combine that with his stats from Jacksonville, and he had 42 HR's and 103 RBI's this year.
Up on the mound, the entire staff combined for a 3.57 ERA, after 3.66 last season and 3.86 in S10. Reynolds and Drew both started 32 games and had sub 3.00 ERA's, while winning 17 and 18 games, respectively. Hamilton and Diaz will go into the bullpen, while Valenzuela (11-2, 2.15 ERA) will be the #3 ahead of Matthews (11-9, 3.76 ERA in his first ML season). Their bullpen isn't quite as bad as the situation over in Durham, but they took their lumps this season as well. Having Crosby out certainly does not help matters. Appearing as if they will run a 4-man rotation tells me that the Ueckers plan to push the limits of each starter, and hope they can get enough rest between starts. It will be interesting.
Both teams will hope their SP's can pitch out of their minds for 7 or 8 innings, and then cross their fingers that the offense gave the bullpen enough of a lead. Offensively, these two teams are almost a wash, but Milwaukee has the edge in the pitching category, and a slight edge in defense as well.
Prediction: Milwaukee wins in 6, and we ban everyone from trading their top players to Milwaukee for the next five seasons.
Durham finished the regular season tied for second in batting average, second in runs, with a team OPS of .800 that was good for fourth in the ML. A team ERA of just under 4.00 was easily the best the franchise has had in its history. Bottom ten in defense this year, they'd better hope their pitchers can get a lot of strikeouts. Clearly their top player this season has been Flash, sporting 34 HR's, 103 RBI's, and 105 runs in his first season with the squad. Bubba Coles was another big pickup for them, as he added even more firepower to their hitter-friendly ballpark. Crane, Diaz and Kelley rounded out their list of hitters with 25+ HR's this season.
Like Flash, Edgar Frias is a player who came to Durham via Milwaukee. And like Flash, he was a team leader this season with his 18 wins and 3.08 ERA. Young Pat Wilson started 33 games, while old Rickey Kidd also logged 33 starts. Rickey was the only regular starter with an ERA over 4.00 this season. If the Bulls can keep the ball out of their bullpen's hands, they should do okay in this series. But if a starter can't go quite the full distance, or gets roughed up early......bad news bears.
Across the way, Milwaukee posted a top 10 batting average this season, and saw similar rankings in every relevant hitting stat across the board. With guys like Spahn, Perez, Neal and Collins, it's kind of difficult to not have impressive offensive numbers. And they spread it around, which makes them quite dangerous. Only Spahn had over 100 RBI's, but if we spot Valentin one RBI, then that gives us Spahn plus five other guys with 75+ RBI's this season. Neal had 55 in just 66 games with the team. Combine that with his stats from Jacksonville, and he had 42 HR's and 103 RBI's this year.
Up on the mound, the entire staff combined for a 3.57 ERA, after 3.66 last season and 3.86 in S10. Reynolds and Drew both started 32 games and had sub 3.00 ERA's, while winning 17 and 18 games, respectively. Hamilton and Diaz will go into the bullpen, while Valenzuela (11-2, 2.15 ERA) will be the #3 ahead of Matthews (11-9, 3.76 ERA in his first ML season). Their bullpen isn't quite as bad as the situation over in Durham, but they took their lumps this season as well. Having Crosby out certainly does not help matters. Appearing as if they will run a 4-man rotation tells me that the Ueckers plan to push the limits of each starter, and hope they can get enough rest between starts. It will be interesting.
Both teams will hope their SP's can pitch out of their minds for 7 or 8 innings, and then cross their fingers that the offense gave the bullpen enough of a lead. Offensively, these two teams are almost a wash, but Milwaukee has the edge in the pitching category, and a slight edge in defense as well.
Prediction: Milwaukee wins in 6, and we ban everyone from trading their top players to Milwaukee for the next five seasons.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
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