Standings Update 3/18/08

B.U.D.	W	L	%	GB		Remaining Games	Last Update
Rhinos	14	11	.560	--		137	3/18/08
Wahoos	11	13	.458	2.5		138	3/17/08
Oilers	12	16	.429	3.5		134	3/17/08
Warpigs	8	16	.333	5.5		138	3/16/08
M.F.D.	W	L	%	GB
Nads	36	28	.563	--		98	3/17/08
Buckeyes	14	10	.583	2		138
Inmates	10	9	.526	3.5		143
Mavs	10	15	.400	6.5		137	3/17/08
A.W.D.	W	L	%	GB
Killer Bees	14	5	.737	--		143	3/17/08
Zaps	13	11	.542	3.5		138	3/17/08
Sidewinders	16	15	.516	4		131	3/17/08
Tweeners	0	0	.000	4.5		162
N.E.R.D.D.	W	L	%	GB
Drillers	27	20	.574	--		115	3/17/08
DVs	22	17	.564	1		123	3/18/08
Fungoes	15	14	.517	3		133	3/17/08
FFTs	15	37	.288	15		110	3/17/08

Predicted 2008 Finish

Seed #1: Rhinos - BUD champs win 110 games on his way to his first ever first round bye.

Seed #2: Sidewinders - The Snakes win 103, edging out the Bees for the AWD and a bye.

Seed #3: DVs - The DVs win 94, finishing just ahead of the Drillers.

Seed #4: Buckeyes - League rules stipulate that each division must have a representative in the playoffs. So... the Buckeyes are in despite winning only 75 games.

Seed #5: Killer Bees - The Bees win 102 games, but are forced to start the playoffs on the road.

Seed #6: The Driller and Wahoos finish tied at 91 wins. The one game playoff goes to the Drillers.

First round:

Drillers beat the DVs in 5. DVs spend the rest of the weekend flickin the bean again.

Bees beat the Buckeyes in 7.

Second round:

Rhinos over the Drillers in 6.

Bees bitch slap the big brother Sidewinders in 7.

World Series:

The Rhinos over the Bees in 5.

Mock Draft of Round 1

1. Wahoos - F.Carmona
2. Killer Bees - C.Pena
3. Zaps - D.McGowan
4. Drillers - J.Chamberlain
5. Killer Bees - J.Guthrie
6. Rhinos - R.Perez
7. Nads - B.Bannister
8. Tweeners - H.Bell
9. Sidewinders - J.Soria
10. Buckeyes - G.Soto
11. Zaps - C.Marmol
12. Rhinos - M.Corpas
13. Oilers - H.Okajima
14. Mavs - E.Longoria
15. Wahoos - J.Hamilton
16. Rhinos - J.Isringhausen

The pitchers should rule the first round, especially RH relievers. Look for the Rhinos to take relievers with all three of their first rounders. The Wahoos and Bees both have two picks; expect each to take 1 pitcher and 1 hitter. LH relievers Perez and Okajima are pretty interchangeable, as are McGowan, Bannister, and Guthrie. Among the RH reliever-only guys, there's a group of 5 or so who could go in any order, depending on how important age and/or innings are to you. Of the hitters, the best ones - other than Pena - are limited in at bats. Longoria (or maybe Fukodome) should be the first uncarded player taken. I predict the first cut drafted is either Gagne or Zumaya.

Lost Transcript

Chief: (driving) So, anyway, the other day my kid spit up on my shoulder and it was so funny and Erica said we should get the camera because...
Beeboy: (riding shotgun, interrupting) Shut the fuck up and make a beer stop.
Chief: But we just stopped for beer. We bought two cases.
Beeboy: That was 10 damn minutes ago and it's already gone!
Snakeman: (riding bitch) Hey! What the hell is that?!?
Chief: 4th gear
Snakeman: No, that's my dick.
Chief: So, anyway, at work the other night this guy told me that lefthanded pitchers have never outnumbered righthanded pitchers in Major League Baseball, like EVER, and I said...
Beeboy: Goddammit. I need beer.
Snakeman: Whoa! What is that? Reverse?!?
Chief: Yes. Nice, isn't it?
Snakeman: NO!
Chief: Well, I HAVE to shift gears.
Snakeman: This isn't even a fucking standard transmission!!!
Beeboy: Beer, goddammit!
Snakeman: Seriously, let go of that.
Chief: But the DVs never complained about it.
DVs: (in the child seat in back, muffled) Now, that's not totally true.

Remember when...

While working on some stuff for the NASOMA website, I found myself looking through a notebook full of old newsletters. Like a time capsule opened 20 years later, it brought some memories flooding back.

The first Big Innings (3/11/88) is there along with every B.I. I ever wrote. The notebook also contains every issue of The Whig ("The Inmates suck!") and The Roundup (or at least every Roundup from when I entered the league). There are newsletters from Dave (the Wrinkled Pink), Norm (The Bandit), Derek (Extra Innings), Terry (no title), Tristan (The Three Wheeler), Shawn (Driller Bits), and Garth (The Chief).

Obviously, I never throw things away. There's a team update newsletter from Ab (it includes lines like "Did Lance Parrish?" and "Is Dallas Greene?") and another from Bryan (propeller-head stuff about how to predict your expected W/L record based on your final stats. Wouldn't you already KNOW your W/L record if you had your final stats?!?). There are letters sent to the league from Glenn (the first one starts out "Thanks to everyone for making our 8th season a successful one" and is hand-written, complete with a drawing of the 1987 playoff brackets.)

There is a letter from Paul White, editor of Baseball Weekly, to Mr. Norman Wheeler explaining an anomaly in a box score. There is the ranting letter sent out by Shawn complaining about the Cletes, the commissioner, and the 1993 playoffs. There is the second letter from Shawn apologizing about his outburst in the previous letter. I even have the letter the Cletes sent out resigning from the league in which he apologizes for breaking the rules. There is the letter I sent to the Texas Rangers asking for permission for us to tour the new Ballpark in Arlington before it was ready for tours, and another letter I sent to Tristan addressing his complaints about how I used his bullpen in a mail game.

One of my favorites is the letter from Terry that he wrote after attending the funeral for Randy Higdon.

Among other things, these newsletters chronicle the Warpigs getting a NASOMA franchise and becoming a first-time father in the same week; the birth of the first Driller kid; the expansion draft (first picks: Scott Scudder, Sidewinders; Walt Weiss, Wahoos; Greg Hibbard, Nads); the first trade announced via e-mail; the first NASOMASpeak ("I think I'm through trading for awhile means... I'm through trading with you for awhile."); and the Fungo wedding (several of his players signed the book).

It makes me sad that we don't have newsletters anymore. Nothing to look back at chronicling the births of our kids (and grandkids!) or the weddings or divorces or the moves or career changes... or anything that happened to us beyond the last newsletter.

I guess that comes with getting old. I'm just glad I still have these... and glad NASOMA is still a part of my life.

Deadlines and Demerits

The Nadman chimed in with an additional concern. He suggested we also have demerits for failure to send out instructions in a timely manner. It's hard to get games played if you live away from everyone else and don't have instructions. So how about if we add this to the previous proposal:

For all mail games, unless both teams have spoken and reached some other agreement, the road teams must have instructions or computer managers sent out by July 4th. The home teams should reply to confirm they have received them. One demerit for each team you fail to connect with in a timely manner.

Is that too late? Can you guys living outside of Texas get enough games played in March thru June with a July 4th deadline for instructions? Should it be earlier?

And again, this addition and the previous deadlines proposed are just common sense things. The goal is to get games done without having to cram in a ton of games in November, like the last five or so years.

I know some have commented that we should enforce the rules we have now. The problem is: the rules we have now don't have any consequences for not playing games, except that somebody else will play them for you. I don't think that's much of a consequence. I mean... You hate your crappy team? Hate watching them lose games? Easy! Just don't play the games! Somebody else will play them all for you!

With this rule, there are deadlines. And if you don't meet them, there are consequences. The consequences aren't even all that drastic, unless you miss a lot of deadlines. I don't think the deadlines are all that drastic, either. The pace isn't all that breakneck.

I think the best thing about it will be reporting our results every time we play a series. Those results can be reported on Big Innings and added to the records on the Standings page. That should be fun to read and interesting to keep up with.

Thanks, Nadman, for helping out. I've heard back from others, too. Sounds like it's something that will work. Let me hear from the rest of you.

Pigman

NASOMAspeak

From the NASOMAspeak Dictionary...

“I’m playing for next year” means… I will be losing games as often as possible to secure the best possible draft position for next year, but I’ll do so in a subtle manner and pretend to be fed up with my team the whole time in order to pull off the illusion.

“I think we should go back to protecting 15” means… There must be some reason I can’t seem to get back to the playoffs. It can’t be me!

“Thanks for trading me damaged goods” means… Fuck the Pigs.

“The Inmates should win the MFD” means… The Buckeyes will win the MFD.

(related entry) “If I don’t win the MFD this year, I never will” means… I will never win the MFD.

“All I need is bullpen, so I’ll be taking relievers with my first five picks” means… I am only three deep at shortstop; that’s a problem.

“My wife has no problem with me spending time doing Strat” means… I am a liar.

“My wife has me on an allowance” means… My wife has me on an allowance.

“I’m just flickin’ the bean” means… I flew all the way from Tulsa to go 1-4?!?

“I’ll do a better job of getting my games played this year” means… It is March.

“Has anybody heard from the [fill in team name here] in the last couple of months?” means… It is October.

“Well, if I had to lose the Series, I’m glad it was to you” means… Fuck the Pigs.

March 1st Notes

There was a flurry of last minute trades and roster adjustments last night. I've been working on this all morning, and (I think) everything is now in order. On the website, the Trades page, the Rosters page, and the Draft Grid page are all updated for both viewable purposes and the printer-friendly versions to download.

Also, on the main page there is a link to download an Excel page that combines both the official rosters and the draft picks owned by each team.

As always, if you see any errors, let me know.

Any picks you own that were later than pick 165 will have changed their number. That is due to some teams being finished drafting by then. As a result, everyone after them moves up.

We will drafting between 156 and 188 players.

On the rosters page, some teams do not have ballpark numbers listed. Ballpark numbers are not due until the draft, but if you already know yours, go ahead and announce them and I'll post them.

Roster Cuts

All the rosters have been turned in. There are about three hours left to make changes, but at the moment, everything on the website is current. Check out your roster and your draft picks and let me know if there are any errors. The printer-friendly versions have been updated, too.

Tomorrow, I will adjust the draft grid to match the number of players you protected.

Also, on the home page of the website, click on the Warpig. Soon I will have a page like that for every team.

Trades

The Rhinos trade Mark Ellis to the Warpigs for Matt Murton and the Warpig 2009 4th round pick.

The Rhinos trade pick 86 to the DVs for the DV 2009 5th round pick.

The Drillers trade Rich Harden to the Warpigs for pick 128.

The Drillers trade Randy Winn, Nomar Garciaparra, and pick 164 to the Buckeyes for pick 138.

The Warpigs trade pick 163 and the Warpig 2009 7th round pick to the Rhinos for picks 102, 118, and 134.

updated rosters

I am updating the rosters as they get turned in. If the team name on the roster page is in RED, I have not gotten their official roster. And, of course, if your ballpark numbers aren't listed just below your team name, that means I haven't gotten those numbers from you.

Deadline is tomorrow on rosters.

Trade

The Oilers trade Joe Borowski and pick 141 to the DVs for pick 139.

Trade

The Killer Bees trade Kevin Kouzmanoff, Alfredo Amezaga, and pick 81 to the Buckeyes for Mike Cameron.

The Warpigs trade their 2009 6th round pick to the Wahoos for picks 115, 147, and 163.

Please submit your ballparks and vote on the proposals below.

Rule Proposal #2

Regarding consequences for Rule Proposal #1, I propose we assign demerits. For each month you do not have your games played or fail to report your results to the league, you receive 1 demerit. Same thing for each time you fail to send your opponents their results. Fail to get your stats turned in on time and you receive 5 demerits.

The consequences for receiving demerits:
0-2 demerits: no consequence
3 demerits: you are limited to a max of 20 players when you cut down next March
4 demerits: you are limited to a max of 18 players
5 demerits: 16 players
6 demerits: 14 players
7 demerits: 12 players
8 or more demerits: 10 players max

The number of Reserve Spots you own wouldn't affect the ruling. If you have 4 Reserve Spots, you will still have 34 players at the end of the draft, but you will only start with the max you were allowed. Example: if you have 4 Reserve Spots but earned 4 demerits, you start with a max of 18 players and use the draft to get to 34. And no protecting players for anyone.

I also suggest there be three possible choices on this vote:
1. No (for whatever reason)
2. Yes (as is)
3. Yes, but wait until 2009 to implement the consequences

Rule Proposal #1

I propose we adopt a schedule for having games played and reported at the following times:
end of March, at least 20 games played
end of April, 35 games
end of May, 50
end of June, 75
end of July, 100
end of August, 120
end of September, 140
end of October, 162
Thanksgiving weekend, final stats submitted

As part of this rule, within 24 hours of playing games (or within 24 hours of returning home after Draft Weekend), each team will be expected to
1. report the results of the games to Pigman Publishing complete with the breakdown of wins and losses vs each opponent you played. This applies to both teams.
2. send all necessary game files (if you were the home team on all computer and netplay games) to your opponent. The opponent is then required to reply stating that you received the results. In the case that your computer was used for games between two other teams, you are required to send the necessary game files to both teams.

Please vote Yes or No on this proposal.

The Week Ahead

Remember, final pre-draft rosters are due Friday of this week.

If, like me, you subscribe to and watch games via MLB.com, this Wednesday is the first broadcast.

We should probably go ahead and get rule proposals (if any) written up and put out there for us all to see. We don't need to spend a lot of time at the draft debating issues if we can avoid it. I'll put out an offical proposal for deadlines and a separate one for the consequences of those deadlines. I will not be proposing any rule that deals with the drafting of uncarded players, but if you want to, dive in. We should really get this done ahead of time.

I also think it would be a good thing to go ahead and pick our ballparks now. As always, you can stay where you are, adjust your current park a max of +/-2, or take the new numbers of your current park. This being a presidential election year, you have the added option of taking any of the new parks. Bees, you are first. Go.

Also, I have made a few changes to the website. I'm learning a little bit all the time. I've added some logos to the Contacts page and am currently adding some pictures to various pages. Be sure to print yourself a copy of the schedule. And, as we get closer to draft day, print out a copy of the Draft Grid. There will be major revisions to the Grid after rosters are submitted this weekend.

Schedule

The 2008 NASOMA Schedule is now on the website. Click on the link to view it, or click on the printer friendly version to print out your own. I made a few minor formatting changes to the one he sent out. Let me know if it comes out okay for you.

Thanks, as always, to The HEAD INMATE. Nice job.

Trade

The Wahoos trade Ramon Hernandez to the Killer Bees for pick 65.

The Oilers trade Chad Qualls to the Zaps for pick 122.

Trade

The Fungoes trade Jim Thome to the Oilers for the Oiler 2009 2nd round pick.

Rules Suggestions

As for drafting or not drafting uncarded players, I have no agenda either way. Keeping the status quo is fine by me.

However, setting deadlines for playing games, reporting results, and turning in stats needs to be a priority (in my opinion).

I suggest we do this: Set deadlines this year, but hold off on any kind of consequences. If enough of the deadlines are not met, we can institute some sort of consequences for the 2009 season.

Deadlines proposed earlier:
end of March, at least 20 games played
end of April, 35 games
end of May, 50
end of June, 75
end of July, 100
end of August, 120
end of September, 140
end of October, 162
Thanksgiving weekend, final stats submitted

An important part of this is reporting your results in a timely manner. At the very minimum, both teams should report the results of a series as soon as they finish it. That would keep us from having a team at 35 games one minute and 105 the next (unless they actually sat down and played 70 games in one day). So instead of just saying, "The Tweeners are currently 34-34," you would just send emails every time you play that said things like, "Tweeners went 2-3 vs Snakes and 3-2 vs Bees today." Theoretically, I would also get emails from the Snakes and the Bees reporting the same results. Then I could just keep adjusting everyone's records as we go.

What I think would be great is if you (or I) did a short write-up on Big Innings after you play games. Like this:

BUCKEYES DOMINATE INMATES
The GP Buckeyes swept a 5-game series in Waco this weekend to up their record for the year to 63-12. Luke Scott led the way for the Buckeyes, going 18/25 in the series. Mark Buehrle threw two shutouts. Said losing Inmate manager Steve Hart, "I don't understand it. We outscored him for the series and still managed to lose all 5 games." The Inmates dropped to 22-5o.

Anyway, those are my suggestions. Part of the problem in the past is we have not had deadlines. Maybe if we have them, we can try to meet them. And if things go better this year, then consequences will never be needed. If we still have teams not playing games/reporting results/doing stats, we will be better suited to initiate consequences next year.

Trade

The Warpigs trade Luis Vizcaino to the Buckeyes for Wilson Betemit.

Trade

The Warpigs trade Tom Gorzelanny to the Killer Bees for Delmon Young.

Trade

The Killer Bees trade Adam Dunn to the Inmates for Akinori Otsuka, Damaso Marte, Matt Diaz, and pick 27.

Trade

The Warpigs trade Nick Swisher and Cody Ross to the Wahoos for Felix Hernandez and Matt Murton.

Trades

The Wahoos trade Oscar Villarreal to the Buckeyes for Taylor Bucholz.

The DVs trade Jason Bartlett to the Warpigs for Chris Ray.

Rule Proposal

For discussion...

It has been proposed (again this year), that we dispose of drafting uncarded players. Players already on your roster who did not get a card could still be kept.

Chime in with your opinion, please.

Trade

The DVs trade their 1^st and 3^rd round picks in 2009 to the Fungoes for Bobby Jenks.

New NASOMA Website

I have been working on a new website for NASOMA. It is crude and doesn't really measure up to the old one the Driller Dude used to run, but maybe it'll get better.

The Archives tab is currently empty, but will soon have league records and whatnot in there. There are tabs for Rosters, the Draft Grid, Trades, Baseball-related Links, and Standings.

There are direct links on the Home Page to Big Innings and the Tracker. Not a lot of bells and whistles yet, but it's something anyway.

So, check it out and let me know what you think.

And Steve, when you have a schedule done, send it along and I'll get that on there too.

The URL is...
http://nasoma.homestead.com/index.html

Trades

The FFTs trade picks 153, 169, 185, and 201 to the Warpigs for the Warpig 2009 7^th round pick.

The Buckeyes trade pick 122 to the Zaps for Chuck James and Ryan Madson.

Trade

The Killer Bees trade pick 1, pick 15, and Juan Cruz to the Wahoos for pick 2, pick 5, and pick 19.

Trade

The FFTs trade picks 99 and 105 to the DVs for the DV 2009 6th round pick.

Trade

The FFTs trade Benjie Molina to the Tweeners for Mark Hendrickson.

Trade

The Buckeyes trade Tony Graffanino to the FFTs for Trevor Miller.

Trades

The FFTs trade Jonny Gomes to the Inmates for the Inmate 2009 7th round pick.

The FFTs trade Derrek Lee and Francisco Rodriguez to the Sidewinders for Miguel Cabrera.

Trades

The DVs trade Carlos Beltran and Eric Byrnes to the Sidewinders for Vernon Wells and John Maine.

The Sidewinders trade Adam Dunn to the Bees for Jeff Francis and pick 9.

Trades

The Oilers trade Chris Capuano to the Warpigs for pick #160.

The FFTs trade Aramis Ramirez to the Wahoos for Derrek Lee.

The Warpigs trade Ryan Theriot and pick 64 to the Inmates for Tom Gorzelanny.

Trade

The FFTs trade Tom Glavine to the Nads for Kevin Millwood.

Stats

Well, there you go again... This is getting more ridiculous every year. Here we are in mid-January, the new cards right around the corner, and all of the final stats from the 2007 season haven't been sent in.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I would like to have a yearbook that includes everything from last year. Stats for all the teams, leaders in all the categories, etc. As it stands, if we get one at all, it will not be complete.

Seriously, how hard is it to do your stats? And how hard is it to send computer results to the guy you just played? The Bees still haven't received results from games. The Rhinos and Nads haven't bothered to even return emails about stats. I hate that I have to name names, but this is what it's come to.

Either we care about this or we don't. If we do (and I know I do), then we need to have some sort of consequences for (A) not playing your games in a timely manner, (B) not immediately reporting results to your opponent and the commissioner, and (C) not getting your stats in on time. I know the argument: If a team gets docked draft picks for not getting things done, then they'll get mad and quit. Personally... fuck em. But this isn't my call; it's the league's decision to make. So here's a suggestion for the league to consider:

1. We set deadlines for playing games. Something like:
end of March, at least 20 games played
end of April, 35 games
end of May, 50
end of June, 75
end of July, 100
end of August, 120
end of September, 140
end of October, 162
This is loaded heavy in the summer months, and with as many games as we get done at the draft, shouldn't be too hard to do. All results have to be emailed to Glenn and me by then. Results should include who you played and how you did against them. They will be posted on Big Innings for all to see. There will still be teams with 40-50 more games played than some other team, but that will be because a team is playing fast, not because the other team is lagging behind. And that's okay.

2. Set a time frame for results of mail games or netplay games to be sent to the visitor. Maybe within a week of being played? I don't know why they couldn't be sent right then, but what do I know? Maybe it's more difficult for some than others. Play the games, send the appropriate files, get a reply from the other team that they got them. Easy.

3. Set a date for final stats to be sent to Glenn and Garth. I suggest Thanksgiving weekend. Your season ended by Halloween at the latest, so that gives you plenty of time to accumulate stats and send them in. It also gives Garth plenty of time to put a yearbook together.

Now... as for consequences, I suggest we assign something like demerits. For each month you do not have your games played or fail to report your results to the league, you receive 1 demerit. Same thing for each time you fail to send your opponents their results. Fail to get your stats turned in on time and you receive 5 demerits.

And then have that result in something like this:
0-1 demerits: no consequence
2-3 demerits: you are limited to a max of 20 players when you cut down next March
4 demerits: you are limited to a max of 18 players
5 demerits: 16 players
6 demerits: 14 players
7 demerits: 12 players
8 or more demerits: 10 players max

The number of Reserve Spots you own wouldn't affect the ruling. If you have 4 Reserve Spots, you will still have 34 players at the end of the draft, but you will only start with the max you were allowed. Example: if you have 4 Reserve Spots but earned 4 demerits, you start with a max of 18 players and use the draft to get to 34. And no protecting players for anyone.

This is just a suggestion, but I think something has to be done. One year we're going to have a team showing a record of 9-11 in October, and because we never got an update, we'll discover then that they are now 92-70 and in the playoffs.

Make your comments. Make your alternate suggestions. But dammit, let's get something written down, vote on it, and make it a rule. And none of this "it would go into effect next year" shit. There's no need to put it off. Let's get this done.

Lemme hear ya.

Trade

The Killer Bees trade an '08 Reserve pick and their 2009 1st round pick to the Warpigs for pick 15 in this year's draft.

Ballpark Numbers

At this time, I am not certain these are official. I'll let you know when I hear for certain that they are. In the meantime, here are the ballpark numbers for next season. Remember, this is an election year, so you have these three options when choosing your ballpark:

1. You can stay in the park you were in last year.
2. You can stay where you were and adjust any of the numbers by a max of +/-2.
3. You can take one of the new parks listed below.

Ballpark	LH ▼	RH ▼		LH ♦	RH ♦
Arizona	13	13		13	13
Atlanta	10	10		4	9
Baltimore	6	9		8	14
Boston	15	15		2	5
ChiSox	4	7		19	16
ChiCubs	8	8		14	11
Cincinnati	9	6		16	16
Cleveland	7	7		8	8
Colorado	16	8		19	14
Detroit	9	9		8	8
Florida	6	6		8	5
Houston	2	8		12	12
Kansas City	14	14		6	6
LAAngels	11	11		2	6
LADodgers	7	7		12	12
Milwaukee	2	2		11	11
Minnesota	6	6		5	5
NYYankees	8	8		14	11
NYMets	7	4		6	6
Oakland	7	4		5	5
Philadelphia	7	7		18	18
Pittsburgh	17	12		7	1
San Diego	1	1		5	5
San Francisco	11	11		1	4
Seattle	8	2		7	7
St. Louis	9	9		3	3
Tampa Bay	5	5		9	9
Texas	9	9		12	12
Toronto	5	5		15	15
Washington	3	3		3	3

Trade

The Warpigs trade Francisco Rodriguez and the Pig 2009 3rd round pick to the FFTs for pick #15 in this year's draft and the FFT 2009 1st round pick.

Hall of Fame

The 2008 entries into baseball's Hall of Fame will be announced around lunch time today. I predict the only ones getting in are Goose Gossage and Jim Rice, with Rice just barely clearing the 75% mark needed for entry.

However, the ones who deserve to get in are:
1. Mark McGwire
2. Bert Blyleven
3. Goose Gossage
4. Tim Raines (well, MAYBE Tim Raines. As a first ballot guy, it might be more fitting that he gets in next year).

Those NOT worthy: Well, everyone else basically, but Rice, Dawson, Murphy, and Morris have gotten lots of ink lately singing their praises. All good players. None with HOF credentials. Rice will get in today (on his 14th ballot!), but he shouldn't.

Let me add that this "Steroid Era" factor comes down to this: Either you think the cloud of controversy should prohibit HOF consideration or that it should not. If you believe the former, then it doesn't matter how good the player was, you don't vote for him. If you believe the latter is true, then you base your choices on their careers. If you are among this group, McGwire has easily earned his way into the HOF and should get the vote. If you are among the other group - which is a perfectly legitimate stance, I have no problem with you excluding Mac; but you damn sure better also exclude Bonds and Clemens and every other player tainted by the Steroid Era when their name comes up. You can't just say, "Well, Bonds and Clemens were better than Mac, so they get in and he doesn't." Mac doesn't HAVE to be better than Bonds and Clemens; he just has to be good enough to get into the HOF - which he was.

By the time I get back home today, we'll know the results.

Trade

I guess it had gotten too quiet this winter, but this one should certainly wake things up.

The FFTs trade Mark Teixeira, Chipper Jones, pick 9, and pick 59 to the Killer Bees for Daisuke Matsuzaka, Adam Wainwright, Aramis Ramirez, pick 15, and pick 17.

Order Your Cards!

The SOM site is taking orders. I ordered mine about an hour ago, around 7:45 PM, Dallas time, on December 19th. Version 13 upgrade w/Card Image plus Cards. I only paid for standard shipping, so the cost was $65.50.

SGP Warriors

The SGP Warriors of the I-75 League have captured the league title for the second year in a row. Manager Garth Lewis took a team that just squeezed into the playoffs with a record of 80-80 and the 6th seed, then won three straight best-of-sevens to defend their 2006 championship.

The Warriors were led by a rotation of Webb, Lackey, Wang, and Willis; a bullpen of Putz, Street, C.Cordero, and Shields; and an offense of N.Johnson, ARod, Guillen, Swisher, F. Sanchez, Kent, Damon, and Wells. But a key to the romp thru the post-season was the play of part-time studs Lind, Theriot, Escobar, Scott, and S.Drew.

Here are the game summaries from the World Series. Take note of the All-Star roster playing for Margaritaville.

Game 1: SGP 3, Margaritaville 2. WP-Webb, LP-Halladay, Sv-Putz.

Vernon Wells hit a 2-run homer in the second inning and the Warriors rode 8.1 innings of Brandon Webb to victory. The Volcanoes scored on an Abreu sac fly in the eighth and Darryle Ward HR in the ninth, but J.J. Putz closed things out.

Game 2: Margaritaville 5, SGP 4. WP-Heilman, LP-Thornton.

Lance Berkman hit two solo HRs for the Volcanoes, including the winner in the eighth off Thornton. SGP jumped to an early 3-0 on a Nick Johnson HR and an A-Rod RBI double. Things seemed to fall apart against starter Chien-Ming Wang in the fifth, however. David Wright, Bobby Abreu, and Grady Sizemore all had singles along with 2 SBs mixed in. SGP scratched back to tie in the seventh, but Berkman was too much.

Game 3: Margaritaville 8, SGP 7. WP-Oswalt, LP-Lackey, Sv-Saito.

This time it was Margaritaville jumping to a 3-0 early lead. The first inning saw Sizemore scratch out a single before Manny Ramirez rolled a 1-4 clean shot. Abreu added an RBI single in the 2nd. SGP used 3 singles and a walk to get on the board in the second. In the 4th the Volcanoes erupted for 5 runs -- highlighted by a Manny Ramirez 3-run shot. It was far from John Lackey's night. SGP scored 2 runs in the fourth, seventh and eighth to close the gap. But the Warriors blew a shot in the ninth when, after Freddy Sanchez reached on a 2-base error by Abreu and Swisher walked, Wells struck out and Damon bounced into two to end it. The Warriors did take comfort in hitting a HR off Wagner's card in the eighth.

Game 4: SGP 5, Margaritaville 0. WP-Webb, LP-Halladay.

Brandon Webb was the story of this one. 7 hits. 1 walk. 7 Ks. Would have finished it, but the Warriors still had dreams of a Game 7 and didn't want to waste any innings. SGP jumped out quickly with an A-Rod HR to lead off the game. Nick Johnson and Carlos Guillen doubled followed by a Theriot walk. With one out Luke Scott had an RBI single. SGP added two more runs in the third to close things out.

Game 5: Margaritaville 4, SGP 1. WP-Carpenter, LP-Martinez, Sv-Saito.

In his first start of the entire postseason, Pedro Martinez pitched well to everyone but Jeff Baker. In seven innings he walked three (including the first two hitters of the game), struck out 11 and allowed four hits. Baker followed the walks in the first with a 3-run HR. He added an RBI double in the third to close out the Volcanoes scoring. The Margaritaville bullpen was outstanding -- 1 hit 4 innings.

Game 6: SGP 9, Margaritaville 8. WP-Beimel, LP-Saito, Sv-Putz.

A classic heavyweight bout. John Lackey and Roy Oswalt both struggled early, and things never really improved for either. Each team scored a pair in the first, highlighted by a Carlos Guillen triple for the Warriors and Grady Sizemore 2-run HR for the Volcanoes. The Warriors legged out two more triples (Alex Escobar and Luke Scott) in the third to score three more runs. SGP took a 7-4 lead into the seventh inning. In the seventh, a walk, a single, and an out started the inning for the Volcanoes. SGP brought in Scot Shields to face PH Darryle Ward. He promptly tied the score with a big blast. The Warriors went quietly in the eighth. Then, SGP made perhaps its most questionable decision of the season by leaving Shields in to face David Wright. He homered on Shields' card to take the lead and leave the Warriors facing quite a climb to force a Game 7. But in the ninth, Carlos Guillen lead off with a HBP. Alex Escobar hit a groundball C to move Guillen into scoring position. But with Saito pitching, getting him home would be easier said than done. After Freddy Sanchez whiffed, Ryan Theriot pinch hit and was intentionally walked. That brought up Vernon Wells. In the clutch. Against a fantastic RHP. Uh oh. He rolled 1-10 -- Triple 1-4/double. It was a double, but Theriot beat the throw home to take the lead. The inning ended 9-8. The Volcanoes, with Dave Roberts in Manny Ramirez's spot, didn't stop. Roberts lead off with a single against Putz and stole second. But Berkman (who finished with a couple of hits) and Ward both grounded out and Jamey Carroll (a ninth-inning defensive replacement) flied out to end the threat... bring up Game 7...

Game 7: SGP 9, Margaritaville 5 (11). WP-Putz, LP-Saito.

It was Brandon Webb-Roy Halladay, Round 3. Webb was good again, this time allowing one run in the first six innings. He gave up another run when pinch hitter Jeff Baker had an RBI single off Matt Thornton in the 7th. But with J.J. Putz having plenty of innings left, the Warriors brought him on in the seventh with a 4-2 lead. The Warriors added a run in the eighth on a Theriot triple and Sanchez single. That extra run would be vital. In the ninth, still against Putz, Sizemore led off with a single. Manny Ramirez struck out, but Berkman rolled 2-4 for a homer. That left Putz vs. Jeff Baker... Gone. Baker homered to tie the score. That sent the game to the 10th inning. The Warriors squandered a lead off double from Nick Johnson against B.J. Ryan. The Volcanoes went quietly. Then in the 11th off Saito, Johnny Damon hit a one-out single and stole second. Ronny Paulino struck out to leave it up to A-Rod. He ripped a go-ahead single for the lead. After stealing second, he scored on a Nick Johnson double. With Billy Wagner pitching, Carlos Guillen singled in Johnson. Jeff Kent pinch hit for Ryan Theriot -- who hit the floor on ABs -- and doubled off Joaquin Benoit. Four runs scored in all. But the Volancoes, facing Huston Street with two outs put a scare into things thanks to an error by Street. Then Jeff Baker rolled in the 1 column, but flied out to end the game.

For the series, SGP outscored the Volcanoes: 38-32. Carlos Guillen hit .355 in the series. Vernon Wells hit .310 with the biggest hit in team history. But Brandon Webb -- who allowed 4 runs in 22 2/3 innings -- was selected as the MVP of the series.

So much to do...

There are three posts just begging to get done: Something about the ratings (neither Tulo nor Polanco got 1's!), a comment or two about the Mitchell Reports (does this mean Sammy Sosa didn't do steroids? Ha!), and coming soon, a follow up on the World Series from the I-75 league which featured our own little Wahoo trying to dominate the league with a repeat championship.

Plus, my Baseball Forecaster showed up today!

Naturally, tonight is the faculty Christmas Dinner at Mercado Juarez. I feel a fever coming on. Maybe I should stay home.

Ratings Preview

Strat-O-Matic has posted the ratings for the new cards. Go here to see them.

Thanks Oilers for the heads up.

Trade

The Buckeyes trade Frank Thomas to the Fungoes for Luke Scott.

Michael Vick

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Michael Vick might be welcomed back to the Falcons after his time away if he didn't eat too much fried chicken or french fries in prison. Let me make it perfectly clear: He was wrong to say that. What he should have said was, "Hell no that fucking, dog killing convict won't be welcomed back!"

Trade

The Zaps trade Benjie Molina to the FFTs for pick 66.

Trades

These were made a couple of days ago. Sorry for the delay getting them posted.

The Buckeyes trade Jason Kubel and pick #75 to the FFTs for Ryan Freel.

The FFTs trade Jason Kubel to the Sidewinders for Carlos Delgado.

Bloopers

Vote for your favorite blooper of 2007 at MLB.com. My personal favorites are...

1. Ramon Hernandez (I laughed out loud)
2. Matt Chico (Juuuust a bit outside)
3. The Rangers (A single where the lead runner is out but the batter scores)
4. The Ranger fan (Great seats, eh buddy?)
5. Manny's foul ball (the last view is pretty cool)

All I Want For Christmas

According to Strat-O-Matic web site, the fielding ratings preview will be available December 14.

Cards and the computer game can be ordered beginning December 20.

Thanks for the heads-up, Oilers.

A Tale of Two Titles

2002- The Warpigs win 117 games, get the #1 seed and a first round bye
2007- The Warpigs win 111 games, get the #1 seed and a first round bye

2002- The Warpigs' second round opponent is the Buckeyes, managed by G.Wheeler
2007- The Warpigs' second round opponent is the Oilers, managed by H.Wheeler

2002- The Warpigs get behind 3 games to 2, win a blow out in gm 6 and a 1-run thriller in gm 7
2007- The Warpigs get behind 3 games to 2, win a blow out in gm 6 and a 1-run thriller in gm 7

2002- The Warpigs' World Series opponent is the Killer Bees, managed by P.Mullen
2007- The Warpigs' World Series opponent is the Sidewinders, managed by V.Mullen

2002- The Warpigs win the Series in 5 games.
2007- The Warpigs win the Series in 5 games.

Got Woody?

The Chief starts the playoffs in his other Strat league tomorrow, and the pitcher he faces in Game 2 will be Woody Williams. I looked at his card, and it isn't bad. He had 145 innings and a 3.65 ERA the year before. His card isn't great, but it's better than Cliff Lee, the Pig #4 starter this past year. So I looked thru the NASOMA rosters to see who had him last year. I knew he was a Tweener at one time, but that was a year or so ago at least. It turns out, he wasn't on a NASOMA team last year. Wasn't even drafted. A pitcher who is the #2 guy on a playoff team in a 12-team league wasn't even drafted in a 16-team league.

I don't know, I just found that odd.

Trade

The Warpigs trade pick 5, Jason Frasor, and the 2009 Warpig 5th to the Wahoos for Adam Lind, the 2009 Wahoo 1st, and the 2009 Buckeye 1st.

Posting Comments

Sorry about the delay. I was tinkering with the blogger options last night (flickin' the bean). I think I have found a way for you to leave a comment without the trouble of registering. However, in doing so, I also made it necessary for the site to email me for permission to publish comments. I'll change that. If any unwanted spam shows up, I should be able to delete it.

In addition, it appears I can allow others (besides myself) to post blogs. I'll ponder that option. Are there any among you who would LIKE to be able to post blog entries on here? Email me and let me know.

Thanks for reading,
Pigman

Trade

The Inmates trade their first round pick (#5) and their 2009 first round pick to the Warpigs for Javier Vazquez.

Looking Back at the 2007 Draft

A popular, although illogical, perception is that there are fewer good players to draft now that we can protect more than 15. Realistically, the only players missing from the draft are the guys who would have been cut in the old system, but you just can't convince some people of the logic. Maybe this will help. Here are some of the players we drafted last spring...

National League Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun was taken by the Rhinos with pick #103. That's a 7th round pick.
Close runner-up for ROY in the NL was Troy Tulowitzki, who went at #29, also to the Rhinos.
American League Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia was taken by the Inmates with pick #154 (10th round).
Hunter Pence to the Oilers at #125.
Kelly Johnson to the Warpigs at #109.
Tim Lincecum to the Drillers at #88.
John Maine to the Mavs at #59.
James Shields to the Drillers at #56.
Matt Garza to the Rhinos at #39.
Ryan Garko to the Fungoes at #112.
Corey Hart to the Inmates at #90.
Gil Meche to the FFTs at #153.
Oliver Perez to the Rhinos at #166.
Matt Kemp to the Rhinos at #174.
Matt Diaz to the Inmates at #181.
Cody Ross to the DVs at #178.

There's always quality in the draft, whether you are seeking prospects or just good cards. It takes two elements: (1) Do your homework and (2) Get lucky.

Trade

The Warpigs trade Cliff Lee to the FFTs for David Ross.

Trade

The Wahoos trade Mark Buehrle, Wilson Betemit, Adam Laroche, and pick 75 to the Buckeyes for Justin Speier and the 2009 Buckeye 1st round pick.

Trade

The Wahoos trade Ian Kinsler, pick 3, and pick 51 to the Zaps for Gary Matthews and pick 2.

Trades

The Wahoos trade Fernando Rodney, Livan Hernandez, and pick 41 to the FFTs for picks 35 and 75.

The Oilers trade Conor Jackson and Benji Molina to the Zaps for Chris Snyder, Michael Cuddyer, and pick 34.

Trades

The Oilers trade Gary Matthews to the Zaps for Casey Blake.

The FFTs trade Gil Meche to the Wahoos for picks 24, 35, and 75.

Sad News

The Green Oaks Hotel, home of the NASOMA Drafts of 2001-2004, will be torn down in December.

I don't know about you, but I have some fond memories of the place.

2008 Draft Order

1. Killer Bees
2. Zaps
3. Wahoos
4. Drillers
5. Inmates
6. Rhinos
7. Nads
8. Tweeners
9. FFTs
10. Buckeyes
11. DVs
12. Fungoes
13. Oilers
14. Mavs
15. Sidewinders
16. Warpigs

2007 World Series

The Warpigs are the 2007 NASOMA Champs! After getting blown out in the first game of the 2007 World Series by the Sidewinders, the Warpigs turned to their bullpen to win four straight. In games 2-4, the Warpig starter failed to last past the 2nd hitter of the game. The bullpen responded, including two wins by shutout. Series MVP Francisco Liriano was the winning pitcher in all three of those games. Ervin Santana finally gave the Warpigs a quality start in game 5, giving up only 1 hit thru 6 innings to capture the win. Travis Hafner was the hitting star for the Pigs, hitting .333 with 4 homers, three of them coming in the game 2 victory.

The Higdon is the 9th title for the Warpigs.

Game 1	1	2	3		4	5	6		7	8	9		R	H	E
Sidewinders	3	0	0		2	0	4		0	0	1		10	16	0
Warpigs	0	2	0		0	0	1		0	0	0		3	7	1
Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher
Mussina 1-0	Vazquez 0-1

The Sidewinders scored early and often in Game 1. Three Snakes (Delgado, Ortiz, and Renteria) homered in the convincing victory. Mussina went 6 innings and Ryan finished up. Hafner and VMart homered for the Pigs.

Game 2	1	2	3		4	5	6		7	8	9		R	H	E
Sidewinders	0	0	0		0	0	0		0	0	0		0	4	0
Warpigs	0	3	1		0	0	2		1	0	x		7	9	0
Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher							Save
Liriano 1-0	Zambrano 0-1							F.Rodriguez 1st

Pig starter E.Santana was pulled after allowing two singles to start the game. Liriano came in a threw 5 innings of 1-hit shutout. Vizcaino and KRod followed suit in the last 4 innings, completing the shutout. Hafner homered three times, and Granderson added a 2-run blast.

Game 3	1	2	3		4	5	6		7	8	9		R	H	E
Warpigs	0	0	0		0	2	4		0	0	1		7	10	1
Sidewinders	1	2	0		2	1	0		0	0	0		6	7	0
Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher
Liriano 2-0	Ryan 0-1

Just like in Game 2, the Pig starter (Lackey this time) was pulled after allowing hits to the first two batters. The Pig bullpen wasn't quite as good this time, and the Snakes took a 5-0 lead thru 4 innings. Still trailing 6-2 in the 6th, the Pigs put up a 4 spot to tie the game. The big blast was a 3-run homer by VMart. The game was still 6-6 in the 9th when the Warpigs scored a run off of B.J. Ryan without the benefit of a hit. Manny Ramirez walked. Pinch hitter Cory Sullivan bunted pinch runner Adam Jones over to second. Jones took third on a passed ball. After Pujols was intentionally walked, Travis Hafner brought in the run with a ground out. Liriano went the last two innings for the win for the Pigs. The Snakes' Joe Mauer homered, but it would the last homer of the World Series for the Sidewinders.

Game 4	1	2	3		4	5	6		7	8	9		R	H	E
Warpigs	0	3	0		0	0	0		0	0	0		3	5	0
Sidewinders	0	0	0		0	0	0		0	0	0		0	4	1
Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher							Save
Liriano 3-0	Mussina 1-1							F.Rodriguez 2nd

The plan worked one more time, with the Pig starter (Vazquez) coming out after two batters (although Vazquez actually recorded an out). The bullpen of Wagner, Vizcaino, Liriano, and KRod finished it for a 4-hit shutout. All three Pig runs were unearned thanks to a dropped fly ball by Vernon Wells.

Game 5	1	2	3		4	5	6		7	8	9		R	H	E
Warpigs	0	1	1		2	1	1		0	0	1		7	11	1
Sidewinders	0	0	0		0	1	0		0	0	0		1	3	1
Winning Pitcher	Losing Pitcher
E.Santana 1-0	Zambrano 0-2

Ervin Santana made the early hook strategy unnecessary by throwing 6 innings of 1 hit ball. The Pig offense scored in 6 different innings with Pujols hitting a homer.

Final Standings 2007

B.U.D.	W	L	%	GB
Warpigs	111	51	.685	--
Oilers	85	77	.525	26
Rhinos	74	88	.457	37
Wahoos	65	97	.401	46
M.F.D.	W	L	%	GB
Mavs	89	73	.549	--
Buckeyes	82	80	.506	7
Nads	77	85	.475	12
Inmates	73	89	.451	16
A.W.D.	W	L	%	GB
Sidewinders	100	62	.617	--
Tweeners	79	83	.488	21
Zaps	60	102	.370	40
Killer Bees	56	106	.346	44
N.E.R.D.D.	W	L	%	GB
Fungoes	99	63	.611	--
DVs	95	67	.586	4
FFTs	81	81	.500	18
Drillers	70	92	.432	29

Second Round Results

The Sidewinders swept the Mavs, with only game 1 being a close game. The Warpigs and Oilers went 7. After the Oilers had defeated the Fungoes in Round 1 in a game 7 thriller, they looked poised to make it to their first World Series. But the Warpigs came back from a 3 games to 2 deficit to beat the Oilers. Game 7 was another 1-run game with the Oilers leaving 2 on in the 9th.

Sidewinders vs Mavs

Game 1:
2 Sidewinders (Mussina)
1 Mavs (Cain)
W- Peavy; L- Valverde

Game 2:
6 Sidewinders (Willis)
2 Mavs (Carpenter)
W- Betancourt; L- Carpenter

Game 3:
9 Sidewinders (Zambrano)
3 Mavs (Maine)
W- Zambrano; L- Maine

Game 4:
8 Sidewinders (Mussina)
1 Mavs (Cain)
W- Mussina; L- Cain



Oilers vs Warpigs

Game 1:
4 Warpigs (Lackey)
2 Oilers (Contreras)
W- Lackey; L- Contreras; Sv- F.Rodriguez

Game 2:
6 Oilers (Myers)
4 Warpigs (Vazquez)
W- Downs; L-Vizcaino; Sv- Hoffman

Game 3:
3 Oilers (J.Johnson)
2 Warpigs (E.Santana)
W- J.Johnson; L- E.Santana; Sv- Hoffman

Game 4:
2 Warpigs (Lackey)
1 Oilers (Carrasco)
W- Lackey; L- Carrasco; Sv- Ray

Game 5:
8 Oilers (Myers)
6 Warpigs (Vazquez)
W- Qualls; L- Liriano; Sv- Hoffman

Game 6:
13 Warpigs (E.Santana)
6 Oilers (J.Johnson)
W- F.Rodriguez; L- J.Johnson

Game 7:
4 Warpigs (Lackey)
3 Oilers (Carrasco)
W- Vizcaino; L- Broxton; Sv- F.Rodriguez

First Round Results

The Mavs whupped up on the DVs, winning 4 straight games after dropping game 1. The other first round series was a classic. The Oilers won games 6 and 7 to upend the defending champion Fungoes. Game 7 went 13 innings thanks to the Fungoes' Lance Berkman hitting a 2-out homer in the bottom of the 9th. Hoffman and Putz battled from that point on, but Torii Hunter homered in the top of the 13th to win it for the Oilers.

DVs vs Mavs

Game 1:
3 DVs (Sanchez)
1 Mavs (Carpenter)
W- Calero; L- Valverde; Sv- P.Martinez

Game 2:
7 Mavs (Cain)
5 DVs (Kazmir)
W- Duchscherer; L- Kazmir; Sv- Proctor

Game 3:
7 Mavs (Maine)
5 DVs (Clemens)
W- Maine; L- Clemens; Sv- Duchscherer

Game 4:
6 Mavs (F.Garcia)
0 DVs (Wang)
W- Fuentes; L- Wang

Game 5:
7 Mavs (Carpenter)
3 DVs (Sanchez)
W- Carpenter; L- Sanchez; Sv- Fuentes

Oilers vs Fungoes

Game 1:
5 Oilers (Myers)
4 Fungoes (Sampson)
W- Myers; L- Jenks; Sv- Hoffman

Game 2:
6 Fungoes (Washburn)
1 Oilers (J.Johnson)
W- Papelbon; L-Downs; Sv- Putz

Game 3:
7 Oilers (Carrasco)
3 Fungoes (Halladay)
W- Carrasco; L- Halladay

Game 4:
2 Fungoes (Penny)
1 Oilers (Contreras)
W- Putz; L- Contreras; Sv- Papelbon

Game 5:
6 Fungoes (Sampson)
3 Oilers (Myers)
W- Sampson; L- Myers; Sv- Papelbon

Game 6:
6 Oilers (J.Johnson)
2 Fungoes (Washburn)
W- J.Johnson; L- Washburn; Sv- Hoffman

Game 7 (13 innings):
3 Oilers (Carrasco)
2 Fungoes (Halladay)
W- Hoffman; L- Putz; Sv- Broxton