Looking back at 2008

All of my life, I have associated years with the significant events that happened that year. And often, that association was baseball related. 1967 was the Red Sox/Cardinals and Bob Gibson... 1969 was the Orioles (I saw them play in Anaheim that year) and the Amazin Mets... 1975 was the Red Sox/Reds and Game 6... 1982 was Harvey's Wallbangers... 1989 was the A's/Giants and the earthquake... 1998 was the great home run chase and the year my family and I went on our baseball vacation...

And there are the Strat-centered references. 1987 was the birth of the Warpigs... 1989 was my first title... 1995 was the year we lost the division to the Fungoes and then got a second chance against him in the World Series...

And of course there are other things outside of baseball I associate with certain years. 1963 was the Kennedy assassination (both of my parents were in Dallas to see him that day)... 1969 was man walking on the moon... 1978 was the year I graduated high school... 1982 was the year I got married... 1987 was Aren... 1993 was Kara... 2007 was when I became Catholic...

So what things will we associate with 2008? Our country elected its first black President... Michael Phelps dominated the Olympics... the Inmates won their first division title... the DVs reached their first World Series... the Killer Bees won their first championship...

But 2008 will always be, for me, the year we lost Herman. It still seems almost surreal that he is not here and won't be at the draft next year. I keep expecting to hear from him with some question about the computer or how to order his cards or a comment about something I wrote on Big Innings. Everytime I make a trade I expect an email ragging on me about how I took advantage of someone. And I don't know WHAT I'm going to do about my tax questions next year.

This past year was rough. It took its toll on us emotionally and physically. We argued and fought, but we laughed and made up, too. We head into 2009 with a new owner, a new champion, and maybe a new perspective on Strat's place in our lives. It may not be life or death, but it's important in the connection it gives us to each other and the release it gives us from the day to day grind of work. It's nice to have something like that. Something we love. Something that requires us to count on each other and have others count on us.

Here's to a great and prosperous 2009. Let's have some fun. To quote manager Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own...
May our feet be swift; may our bats be mighty; may our balls... be plentiful.

Ordering Cards

It is 5:00 Thursday evening... and I was just able to order my cards and Version 14.0 upgrade online.

Oh, and my Baseball Forecaster came in today's mail!

Diana just THOUGHT we were going out tonight for our anniversary! Woohoo!

Trade

The DVs trade Pedro Martinez to the Sidewinders for Jeff "Don't call me" Francis.

Any of you guys call me Francis, and I'll kill you.

And I don't like nobody touching my stuff. So just keep your meat-hooks off. If I catch any of you guys in my stuff, I'll kill you. Also, I don't like nobody touching me. Now, any of you homos touch me, and I'll kill you.

Trade

The Buckeyes traded Jack Wilson and pick 58 to the Sidewinders for Kevin Gregg.

Trades

The Buckeyes traded Luke Scott to the FFTs for Pedro Feliciano and Chad Gaudin.

The FFTs traded Melky Cabrera to the Warpigs for Marcus Thames.

Uncarded Update and Range Ratings

I have gone thru the rosters and moved the uncarded guys to the bottom. They are highlighted in blue. I think I got them all, but it would help if you checked your roster to see if I overlooked anyone. To see the rosters, go to NASOMA.org and click on the link for updated rosters.

An interesting note: David Price will not have a card.

Also, SOM has released the defensive range ratings for the new cards. Go here to download the spreadsheet.

The 1's:
C - Y. Molina, Mauer, R. Martin, J.Varitek
1B - M. Texiera, A. Gonzalez, Pujols, Kotchman, C.Pena, Youkilis, D.Lee
2B - Pedroia, Phillips, Hudson, Iwamura
SS - Rollins, J.Wilson
3B - Beltre, Rolen
LF - Crawford, Endy Chavez, B.Anderson
CF - Beltran, T. Hunter, Sizemore, Victorino, McLouth, Cameron, B.Anderson
RF - Ichiro, Markakis, F. Guitierrez, Victorino

A Christmas Carol

Tomorrow night (Thursday) is the opening night of the musical. If any of you locals want to come, that'd be great. Get there early and watch me singing Christmas carols in the lobby as part of a quartet. Good fun.

Final Demerit Totals

With the Rhinos and Nads failing to get their final stats in on time (5 demerits each), the final demerit total for the 2008 season is:

16 Rhinos

6 Nads

5 Sidewinders

5 Zaps

5 Inmates

3 Mavs

2 Buckeyes

1 Warpigs

1 Tweeners

1 Killer Bees

According to the new rule, the following consequences have been earned:

Mavs - limited to a max of 20 players at the March cut down.
Inmates, Zaps, Sidewinders, and Nads - limited to a max of 18 players
Rhinos - limited to a max of 12 players

Now, as agreed upon, there will be no consequences assessed this time... but next year there will.

Draft Picks

On the 2009 Rosters page, I have converted the draft picks you own into the actual number of the pick for the first ten rounds. From this point forward, it would be easier if we refer to those picks by those numbers (in the case of trades or whatever). It makes it easier to keep track of.

I'll do the same for rounds 10+ after rosters are set in February or March. You can still trade those late round picks, of course. At the moment, everybody owns just their own picks in those rounds (except for the Pigs, who traded their 12th to the Buckeyes.)

As always, if there is a mistake, please let me know.

A couple of interesting things about the draft picks up to this point...

The Fungoes have 3 firsts, 3 seconds, and 3 thirds. They will have selected 9 players before the FFTs select their first.

The DVs, Warpigs, and Tweeners all have only six picks in the first 10 rounds. The Fungoes have the most picks in rounds 1-10 with 15.

The Nads and Sidewinders both own only their own picks and no more.

Oh, and just as a reminder... The number of draft picks you can actually make is determined by how many players you protect. The formula is:

30
- the number of players you protect
+ the number of reserves you own
+ 2
= the total number of draft picks you can make

Let's say for example that you keep 22 players and you have 2 reserves.
30
- 22
+ 2
+ 2
= 12 draft picks

The last two of those 12 would be optional. If you use them, you will be required to make cuts afterward to get back to 30 plus your reserves.

Uncarded selections are tied to the number of reserve picks you own. You can only protect or draft as many uncarded players as you have reserve picks. If, for example, you have two reserve picks, you may draft a maximum of two uncarded players. If you already have one uncarded player on your protected list, you may only draft ONE more uncarded player. You don't have to draft ANY uncarded players, of course.

Trade

Tweeners traded their 2009 2nd round pick and 3rd round pick to the Inmates for James Loney and Corey Hart.

Trade

The Buckeyes traded Joakim Soria and a 2010 Reserve to the Warpigs for the Wahoo 1^st round pick and a 2010 1^st.

Stats

Click on the team icons on the home page of NASOMA.org to see final stats for each team.

Another Quick Reminder

We still need final stats from the Tweeners, Nads, Rhinos, and umm... the Wahoos. Deadline is November 30.

Also, please check your rosters and draft picks as they appear on the current downloadable spreadsheets on the home page of NASOMA.org. If there are errors, let me know; but also, if you want to go ahead and make some of the more obvious cuts, that would make my job easier later on.

And on a personal note, the first pick in the draft is available. Let's talk trade!

Official 2009 Draft Order

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

I will have a draft grid created soon. I'll put it on the home page of the website.

World Series Trivia

The NASOMA Playoff page has been updated.

The Killer Bees are the 11th different club to win the NASOMA World Series in the 29 year history of the league. The DVs were the 18th different team to play in the World Series.

Eight current clubs have won it all: Warpigs (9 titles), Buckeyes (7), FFTs (3), Drillers (2), Sidewinders (1), Zaps (1), Fungoes (1), and Killer Bees (1)

Only the Nads and Rhinos have yet to play in the final round. Well, and our new team, the SuperGoofs, of course.

In the last 16 years, the finals have been a 5-game or 6-game series 15 times. The only exception was the 7-game series between the Warpigs and Drillers in 2003. There have been no 4-game sweeps in the last 16 years.

Ironically, in the first 13 years of the league, the Series went either 4 or 7 games ELEVEN times.

There have been 4 sweeps in 29 years. The last one was in 1992.

All Hail the Killer Bees!

The Killer Bees swarmed the DiamondVision 4 games to 1 to win the 29th NASOMA World Series. The championship is the first for the Bees. Congratulations to the new champs and to the DVs for a very fine season.

2008 NASOMA World Series

Game 1 - Killer Bees 12, DiamondVision 3

World Series – Game 1

October 10, 2008

The Bee Hive

DIAMONDVISION      AB  R  H RBI AVG       

C.Utley 2B          3  1  0  0 .000       

M.Ordonez RF        4  1  2  2 .500     

T.Helton 1B         4  0  1  0 .250       

M.Holliday LF       4  1  3  1 .750       

K.Griffey Jr DH     4  0  0  0 .000     

M.Lowell 3B         4  0  0  0 .000       

R.Ludwick CF        3  0  0  0 .000       

B.McCann C          4  0  0  0 .000       

O.Vizquel SS        0  0  0  0 .000   

M.Scutaro PH,SS     2  0  0  0 .000                                               

       Totals      32  3  6  3                 

Killer Bees        AB  R  H RBI AVG

K.Lofton LF         4  1  0  0 .000  

M.Cameron CF        1  0  0  0 .000  

R.Cano 2B           6  2  3  3 .500  

C.Jones 3B          1  0  0  0 .000  

D.Easley PH,3B      3  1  0  0 .000  

C.Pena DH           3  2  1  0 .333  

M.Teixeira 1B       4  1  3  0 .750  

B.Hawpe RF          1  2  1  31.000  

A.Kearns RF         0  0  0  0 .000  

M.Tejada SS         3  2  1  3 .333  

R.Hernandez C       5  0  2  2 .400

R.Willits CF,LF     4  1  2  1 .500  

       Totals      35 12 13 12

DIAMONDVISION... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 3 0  -  3  6  0

Killer Bees..... 0 0 1  0 5 4  0 2 x  - 12 13  0

DIAMONDVISION (0-1)   IP      H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

J.Maine LOSS(0-1)      4      3  1  1  3  4  1   2.25

S.Kazmir               0 1/3  0  3  3  3  0  0  81.00

J.Borowski             0 1/3  3  2  2  1  1  0  54.00

C.Ray                  1      1  4  4  3  1  0  36.00

A.Heilman              2 1/3  6  2  2  2  1  1   7.71

Totals                 8     13 12 12 12  7  2

Killer Bees (1-0)     IP      H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

J.Verlander WIN(1-0)   9      6  3  3  3  7  2   3.00

Totals                 9      6  3  3  3  7  2

ATTENDANCE- 49,067 DATE- 10-10-08  TIME- Day  T- 2:46

LEFT ON BASE- DIAMONDVISION: 5  Killer Bees:12

DOUBLE PLAYS- DIAMONDVISION: 1  Killer Bees: 1

DOUBLES- M.Ordonez(1st), M.Holliday(1st), 

M.Teixeira-2(2nd), B.Hawpe(1st), M.Tejada(1st)

HOME RUNS- M.Ordonez(1st), M.Holliday(1st), 

R.Cano-2(2nd)

SACRIFICE HITS- M.Tejada

WALKS- C.Utley, R.Ludwick, O.Vizquel, K.Lofton, C.Jones, 

D.Easley, C.Pena-2, M.Teixeira, B.Hawpe-3, A.Kearns, 

M.Tejada, R.Willits

STRIKE OUTS- C.Utley-3, M.Ordonez, K.Griffey Jr, 

M.Lowell, B.McCann, C.Jones, D.Easley-2, M.Teixeira, 

R.Hernandez, R.Willits-2

GIDP- M.Ordonez, D.Easley

Game 2 - DiamondVision 4, Killer Bees 2

World Series – Game 2

October 11, 2008

The Bee Hive

DIAMONDVISION      AB  R  H RBI AVG       

C.Utley 2B          4  0  0  0 .000     

M.Scutaro 2B        0  0  0  0 .000       

M.Ordonez RF        5  0  1  0 .333       

T.Helton 1B         2  0  0  0 .167       

M.Holliday LF       3  1  1  1 .571     

V.Wells CF          0  0  0  0 .000       

K.Griffey Jr DH     2  0  0  0 .000   

J.Guillen PH        1  0  0  0 .000     

J.Hannahan PH       1  0  0  0 .000       

M.Lowell 3B         3  1  1  0 .143     

R.Ludwick CF,LF     4  1  1  2 .143       

B.McCann C          4  0  0  0 .000     

O.Vizquel SS        3  1  2  0 .667                                          

       Totals      32  4  6  3                 

Killer Bees        AB  R  H RBI AVG

R.Willits CF        4  0  1  0 .375  

R.Cano 2B           4  0  0  1 .300  

C.Jones 3B          4  1  2  1 .400  

C.Pena DH           4  0  1  0 .286  

M.Teixeira 1B       4  0  0  0 .375  

B.Hawpe RF          1  0  0  0 .500  

A.Kearns PH,RF      3  0  1  0 .333  

M.Tejada SS         3  0  1  0 .333  

K.Lofton LF         1  0  0  0 .000  

M.Diaz PH,LF        3  0  2  0 .667  

R.Hernandez C       1  0  0  0 .333  

P.Lo Duca PH,C      2  1  1  0 .500  

       Totals      34  2  9  2

DIAMONDVISION... 0 0 1  2 0 0  0 1 0  -  4  6  0

Killer Bees..... 1 0 0  0 0 0  1 0 0  -  2  9  1

DIAMONDVISION (1-1)   IP      H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

D.Lowe                 2      3  1  1  3  0  1   4.50

B.Tallet WIN(1-0)      3 1/3  2  0  0  0  4  0   0.00

C.Schroder             1      2  1  1  0  0  0   9.00

S.Kazmir               1      0  0  0  0  1  0  20.25

J.Borowski             0 1/3  0  0  0  0  1  0  27.00

B.Jenks SAVE(1st)      1 1/3  2  0  0  0  3  0   0.00

Totals                 9      9  2  2  3  9  1

Killer Bees (1-1)     IP      H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

C.Billingsley LOSS(0-1)4      5  3  2  3  5  1   4.50

G.Sherrill             0 1/3  0  0  0  1  1  0   0.00

H.Bell                 3      1  1  1  1  2  1   3.00

J.Isringhausen         1 2/3  0  0  0  0  1  0   0.00

Totals                 9      6  4  3  5  9  2

ATTENDANCE- 46,887 DATE- 10-11-08 TIME- Day  T- 2:47

LEFT ON BASE- DIAMONDVISION: 7  Killer Bees: 9

DOUBLE PLAYS- DIAMONDVISION: 1  Killer Bees: 1

ERRORS- C.Jones

DOUBLES- A.Kearns(1st), M.Diaz(1st), P.Lo Duca(1st)

HOME RUNS- M.Holliday(2nd), R.Ludwick(1st), 

C.Jones(1st)

STOLEN BASES- O.Vizquel(1st)

SACRIFICE HITS- M.Lowell, P.Lo Duca

WALKS- C.Utley, T.Helton-2, M.Holliday, O.Vizquel, 

R.Willits, R.Cano, M.Tejada

STRIKE OUTS- C.Utley-2, T.Helton, M.Holliday-2, 

K.Griffey Jr-2, R.Ludwick-2, R.Willits-2, R.Cano, 

C.Pena, M.Teixeira-3, A.Kearns-2

GIDP- J.Guillen, R.Cano

PASSED BALLS- R.Hernandez

Game 3 - Killer Bees 5, DiamondVision 3 (in 12 innings)

World Series – Game 3

October 13, 2008

Depends Bowl

Killer Bees        AB  R  H RBI AVG       

R.Willits CF,LF     5  1  1  0 .308       

R.Cano 2B           6  1  2  1 .313       

C.Jones 3B          4  1  1  0 .333       

C.Pena DH           4  1  2  3 .364       

M.Teixeira 1B       5  0  0  0 .231       

B.Hawpe RF          2  1  1  0 .500     

D.Easley PH         1  0  0  0 .000     

A.Kearns RF         2  0  0  0 .200       

M.Tejada SS         5  0  2  1 .364       

K.Lofton LF         2  0  1  0 .143   

M.Cameron PH,CF     3  0  0  0 .000     

R.Hernandez C       4  0  1  0 .300               

       Totals      43  5 11  5                 

DIAMONDVISION      AB  R  H RBI AVG

C.Utley 2B          5  0  1  2 .083  

M.Ordonez RF        4  0  0  0 .231  

T.Helton 1B         4  0  1  1 .200  

M.Holliday LF       5  0  0  0 .333  

K.Griffey Jr DH     6  0  0  0 .000  

M.Lowell 3B         5  0  2  0 .250  

R.Ludwick CF        4  1  0  0 .091  

B.McCann C          4  1  0  0 .000  

O.Vizquel SS        1  1  1  0 .750  

M.Scutaro PH,SS     1  0  1  0 .333  

J.Hannahan PH       1  0  1  0 .500  

J.McDonald SS       1  0  1  01.000  

       Totals      41  3  8  3

Killer Bees..... 0 1 2  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 2  -  5 11  0

DIAMONDVISION... 0 0 1  0 0 0  1 0 1  0 0 0  -  3  8  2

Killer Bees (2-1)   IP      H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

P.Hughes             2 2/3  1  1  1  2  2  0   3.37

J.Isringhausen       3      2  0  0  1  2  0   0.00

R.Springer           0 1/3  0  0  0  0  0  0   0.00

H.Bell               2 1/3  3  2  2  3  3  0   5.07

D.Wheeler            1 2/3  1  0  0  2  4  0   0.00

T.Hudson WIN(1-0)    2      1  0  0  0  1  0   0.00

Totals              12      8  3  3  8 12  0

DIAMONDVISION (1-2) IP      H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

C.Wang               2 1/3  6  3  3  2  0  0  11.59

J.Borowski           2      0  0  0  0  0  0   6.74

B.Tallet             3      0  0  0  2  2  0   0.00

S.Kazmir             0      0  0  0  1  0  0  20.30

B.Jenks              2 2/3  2  0  0  1  5  0   0.00

C.Schroder LOSS(0-1) 2      3  2  2  0  1  1   9.00

Totals              12     11  5  5  6  8  1

ATTENDANCE- 45,454 DATE- 10-13-08 TIME- Day  T- 4:10

LEFT ON BASE- Killer Bees: 9  DIAMONDVISION:11

DOUBLE PLAYS- Killer Bees: 2  DIAMONDVISION: 4

ERRORS- B.McCann, O.Vizquel

DOUBLES- C.Jones(1st), C.Pena(1st), B.Hawpe(2nd), 

K.Lofton(1st), R.Hernandez(1st), M.Lowell(1st)

TRIPLES- R.Cano(1st), C.Utley(1st)

HOME RUNS- C.Pena(1st)

STOLEN BASES- R.Willits(1st), O.Vizquel(2nd), 

J.Hannahan(1st)

SACRIFICE HITS- J.McDonald

WALKS- R.Willits, C.Jones-2, C.Pena-2, M.Teixeira, 

C.Utley, M.Ordonez-2, T.Helton-2, M.Holliday, R.Ludwick, 

B.McCann

HIT BY PITCH- R.Hernandez

STRIKE OUTS- R.Willits, M.Teixeira-3, A.Kearns, 

M.Cameron-2, R.Hernandez, C.Utley-2, M.Ordonez, 

T.Helton-2, M.Holliday-2, K.Griffey Jr-2, R.Ludwick-2, B

.McCann

GIDP- R.Cano, C.Jones-2, D.Easley, C.Utley, M.Holliday

Game 4 - Killer Bees 5, DiamondVision 3

Game 5 - Killer Bees 5, DiamondVision 2

Trade

In a lame effort to get their sorry-ass names in the news at playoff time, the Wahoos and Buckeyes made a trade.

The Wahoos trade their 4th round pick and a 2010 9th round pick to the Buckeyes for a 2010 5th and a 2010 Reserve.

World Series Preview

Game 1 at The Hive
Justin Verlander, Bees (17-7, 4.60) vs John Maine, DVs

Game 2 at The Hive
Phillip Hughes, Bees (8-3, 3.31) vs Derek Lowe, DVs

Game 3 at Depends Park
Tim Hudson, Bees (15-7, 5.14) vs Chien-Ming Wang, DVs

Game 4 at Depends Park
Verlander vs Maine

Game 5* at Depends Park
Hughes vs Lowe

Game 6* at The Hive
Hudson vs Wang

Game 7* at The Hive
Verlander vs Maine

DVs Dominate!

The DiamondVision are heading to their first World Series after dumping the Rhinos in 6.

A date for the World Series has not been set, but it will pair the DVs and the Killer Bees. Makes me wish we were all meeting here in person so we could stand around and harass them while they rolled the dice.

A tentative starting pitcher match-up:
Game 1 - Justin Verlander, Killer Bees vs John Maine, DVs

Congrats to both of you. Nice to see some new blood in the finals. Don't get used to it. lol

DVs vs Rhinos

Game 1 - DVs 3, Rhinos 2

Mike Lowell and Ryan Ludwick homered to lead the DVs.

Game 2 - DVs 4, Rhinos 3

The DiamondVision scored three times in the bottom of the 9th for the win. Mike Lowell's double ended the game. The Rhinos had the bases loaded three times without scoring a run, including on one occasion, a 6-2-3 double play.

Game 3 - Rhinos 5, DVs 2

The Rhinos won at home behind the hitting of Hanley Ramirez, who went 3-4 with a homer. Geovanny Soto chipped in with a 2-run pinch hit double.

Game 4 - DVs 4, Rhinos 0

John Maine and four relievers combined to throw a 1-hit shutout. The DVs are up 3 games to 1. The series will resume tomorrow night.

Game 5 - Rhinos 7, DVs 4

The Rhinos stave off elimination by coming from 4-1 down to take game 5. Matt Kemp led the way with a 5-5 night from the lead off spot.

Game 6 - DVs 2, Rhinos 0

Back in the friendly confines of the Depends Bowl, Chien-Ming Wang and two relievers combined to shut out the mighty Rhino offense. The DV runs came in the 8th off of J.J. Putz. Omar Vizquel singled on a ballpark homer roll, and Chase Utley brought him in with a triple before scoring on a base hit by Magglio Ordonez. In the post-game celebration, frenzied DV fans tore down the goal post in centerfield.

Trade

The Buckeyes traded Ryan Garko to the SuperGoofs for Joe Crede.

Bee-autiful!

The Killer Bees are headed to their second World Series appearance after eliminating the Sidewinders in 6 games.

Game 6 was the third extra-inning game of the series. The Snakes' Edgar Renteria homered in the top of the 13th, but Bee Mark Teixeira hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning to kick off the celebration at The Hive.

The Killer Bees' only previous World Series appearance was a 2002 loss to the Warpigs. Their opponent this time will be a World Series novice. The Rhinos and DiamondVision face off tonight for the right to advance to their first World Series.

A Message from the Chief

I'm already starting to think about the yearbook and would love to take any newsletter or photo submissions from league members.

Stat Reminder

Just a reminder that final stats are due to the Chief by Thanksgiving weekend. At the moment, he still needs stats from the Rhinos, Killer Bees, Sidewinders, Tweeners, Fungoes, Nads, and Wahoos (yes, he still hasn't received stats from himself).

Killer Bees vs Sidewinders

Game 1 - Sidewinders 6, Killer Bees 3

The Snakes scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th for the victory. The two teams combined to use 15 pitchers in the game.

September 30, 2008 – 2nd Rd – Game 1 – The Bee Hive

SIDEWINDERS        AB  R  H RBI AVG       

E.Byrnes LF         4  1  1  0 .250       

N.Markakis RF       4  0  2  2 .500       

D.Wright 3B         3  1  1  0 .333     

D.Ortiz DH          2  0  0  0 .000     

J.Dillon PH         0  1  0  0 .000       

S.Downs P           0  0  0  0 .000       

T.Percival P        0  0  0  0 .000       

K.Gregg P           0  0  0  0 .000     

D.Lee 1B            4  1  4  01.000   

D.Young PH          1  0  1  11.000     

J.Velandia SS       0  0  0  0 .000       

C.Beltran CF        4  0  0  0 .000       

E.Renteria SS       4  1  2  1 .500                                          

G.Zaun PH           0  0  0  1 .000                                          

M.Derosa 1B         0  0  0  0 .000                                          

J.Mauer C           4  0  0  0 .000                                          

A.Hill 2B           3  1  0  0 .000                                          

       Totals      33  6 11  5                 

Killer Bees        AB  R  H RBI AVG

K.Lofton LF         4  1  2  1 .500  

R.Cano 2B           2  0  0  0 .000  

D.Easley PH,2B      2  1  1  1 .500  

C.Jones 3B          4  0  0  0 .000  

C.Pena DH           4  1  1  1 .250  

M.Teixeira 1B       4  0  1  0 .250  

B.Hawpe RF          2  0  1  0 .500  

M.Diaz PH           1  0  0  0 .000  

A.Kearns RF         1  0  1  01.000  

M.Tejada SS         4  0  1  0 .250  

R.Hernandez C       4  0  0  0 .000  

R.Willits CF        4  0  0  0 .000  

       Totals      36  3  8  3

SIDEWINDERS..... 0 0 0  0 2 0  0 1 3  -  6 11  1

Killer Bees..... 0 0 0  0 0 1  0 2 0  -  3  8  1

SIDEWINDERS (1-0)     IP      H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

C.Zambrano             5      3  0  0  0  7  0   0.00

R.Perez                0 2/3  2  1  1  0  1  1  13.50

R.Betancourt           1 2/3  1  1  1  0  1  1   5.40

S.Downs WIN(1-0)       0 2/3  1  1  1  0  0  1  13.50

T.Percival             0 2/3  1  0  0  0  2  0   0.00

K.Gregg SAVE(1st)      0 1/3  0  0  0  0  0  0   0.00

Totals                 9      8  3  3  0 11  3

Killer Bees (0-1)     IP      H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

J.Verlander            5      5  2  2  3  4  0   3.60

G.Sherrill             0      0  0  0  1  0  0   0.00

H.Bell                 2      3  1  1  1  5  0   4.50

J.Isringhaus LOSS(0-1) 1      2  1  1  1  0  0   9.00

M.Timlin               0 1/3  0  1  1  1  0  0  27.00

D.Marte                0      0  1  1  1  0  0   0.00

R.Springer             0 1/3  1  0  0  1  0  0   0.00

D.Wheeler              0 1/3  0  0  0  0  0  0   0.00

Totals                 9     11  6  6  9  9  0

ATTENDANCE- 49,503 DATE- 9-30-08 TIME- Day  T- 3:36

LEFT ON BASE- SIDEWINDERS:11  Killer Bees: 6

DOUBLE PLAYS- SIDEWINDERS: 0  Killer Bees: 3

ERRORS- A.Hill, C.Jones

DOUBLES- N.Markakis(1st), M.Teixeira(1st)

HOME RUNS- K.Lofton(1st), D.Easley(1st), C.Pena(1st)

STOLEN BASES- E.Byrnes-2(2nd), C.Beltran(1st)

SACRIFICE HITS- N.Markakis

SACRIFICE FLIES- G.Zaun

WALKS- E.Byrnes, D.Wright-2, D.Ortiz-2, J.Dillon, 

C.Beltran, J.Mauer, A.Hill

STRIKE OUTS- N.Markakis-2, D.Wright, D.Ortiz, 

C.Beltran-2, E.Renteria, J.Mauer, A.Hill, C.Jones, 

C.Pena-2, M.Teixeira-2, B.Hawpe, M.Diaz, M.Tejada, 

R.Hernandez-2, R.Willits

GIDP- D.Ortiz, E.Renteria, A.Hill

PASSED BALLS- R.Hernandez

Game 2 - Killer Bees 6, Sidewinders 4

Brad Hawpe doubled and homered and drove in three runs to help the Bees even up the series and a game apiece. Continuing a trend, the two teams used a combined 16 pitchers.

October 1, 2008 – 2nd Rd – Game 2 – The Bee Hive

SIDEWINDERS        AB  R  H RBI AVG       

E.Byrnes LF         5  2  3  0 .444       

N.Markakis RF       5  1  3  0 .556     

D.Wright 3B         4  0  1  2 .286       

D.Ortiz DH          3  1  1  1 .200     

D.Lee 1B            4  0  1  1 .625       

C.Beltran CF        2  0  0  0 .000     

J.Mauer C           3  0  0  0 .000     

J.Dillon PH         1  0  0  0 .000     

G.Zaun C            0  0  0  0 .000       

E.Renteria SS       4  0  0  0 .250     

A.Hill 2B           4  0  1  0 .143                                             

       Totals      35  4 10  4                 

Killer Bees        AB  R  H RBI AVG

M.Diaz LF           3  0  0  0 .000  

K.Lofton PH,LF      2  0  1  1 .500  

P.Lo Duca C         3  0  2  0 .667  

R.Hernandez PH,C    2  0  0  0 .000  

D.Easley 3B         1  1  1  0 .667  

R.Willits CF        2  0  1  0 .167  

C.Pena DH           3  0  0  0 .143  

M.Teixeira 1B       4  1  2  0 .375  

M.Cameron CF        1  0  0  0 .000  

C.Jones PH,3B       3  0  0  0 .000  

A.Kearns RF         1  0  0  0 .500  

B.Hawpe PH,RF       3  2  2  3 .600  

M.Tejada SS         3  1  1  1 .286  

R.Cano 2B           4  1  2  1 .333  

       Totals      35  6 12  6

SIDEWINDERS..... 3 0 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  -  4 10  0

Killer Bees..... 0 0 0  4 0 1  0 1 x  -  6 12  1

SIDEWINDERS (1-1)   IP       H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

T.Lilly              0 1/3   1  0  0  1  0  0   0.00

S.Downs              3       2  2  2  0  5  0   7.36

P.Neshek             1       3  2  2  0  0  2  18.00

K.Gregg              0 1/3   1  0  0  1  1  0   0.00

R.Mahay LOSS(0-1)    0 1/3   1  1  1  0  1  0  27.00

R.Betancourt         1 2/3   2  0  0  0  0  0   2.70

R.Perez              1 1/3   2  1  1  0  0  0   9.00

Totals               8      12  6  6  2  7  2

Killer Bees (1-1)   IP       H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

T.Hudson             4       5  3  3  1  3  0   6.75

R.Springer           0 1/3   1  1  1  0  0  0  13.50

J.Isringhaus         0       1  0  0  1  0  0   9.00

D.Marte              0 1/3   0  0  0  0  0  0  27.00

H.Bell WIN(1-0)      3       1  0  0  0  4  0   1.80

G.Sherrill           0 1/3   0  0  0  1  1  0   0.00

C.Billingsle         0 1/3   2  0  0  0  1  0   0.00

M.Timlin             0 1/3   0  0  0  0  1  0  13.50

D.Wheeler SAVE(1st)  0 1/3   0  0  0  0  0  0   0.00

Totals               9      10  4  4  3 10  0

ATTENDANCE- 47,508 DATE- 10-1-08 TIME- Night  T- 2:57

LEFT ON BASE- SIDEWINDERS: 8  Killer Bees: 8

DOUBLE PLAYS- SIDEWINDERS: 0  Killer Bees: 0

ERRORS- D.Easley

DOUBLES- E.Byrnes(1st), D.Lee(1st), K.Lofton(1st), 

P.Lo Duca(1st), B.Hawpe(1st)

HOME RUNS- B.Hawpe(1st), M.Tejada(1st)

STOLEN BASES- D.Wright(1st)

SACRIFICE HITS- M.Tejada

SACRIFICE FLIES- D.Ortiz

WALKS- D.Wright, C.Beltran-2, D.Easley, C.Pena

STRIKE OUTS- E.Byrnes, N.Markakis, D.Wright, D.Lee-2, 

C.Beltran, J.Mauer, J.Dillon, E.Renteria-2, P.Lo Duca, 

C.Pena-2, M.Teixeira, C.Jones, A.Kearns, M.Tejada

Game 3 - Sidewinders 2, Killer Bees 1 (in 11 innings)

Carlos Beltran homered to lead off the bottom of the 11th.


Game 4 - Killer Bees 2, Sidewinders 1 (10 innings)

Mark Teixeira homered to lead off the top of the 9th to tie the game. Robinson Cano homered in the 10th to win it.


Game 5 - Killer Bees 5, Sidewinders 2

The Bees are up 3 games to 2 heading back to The Hive.


Game 6 - Killer Bees 6, Sidewinders 5 (13 innings)

Mark Teixeira hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 13th inning to lift the Bees to their second World Series trip in 6 years. Edgar Renteria had homered in the top half of the inning to give the Snakes a brief lead.

Round Two Preview

All I know is the rumor that the Bees and Sidewinders were planning on getting started via netplay tonight. Carlos Zambrano is scheduled to go in game 1 for the Snakes.

The DVs and Rhinos are playing Sunday night.

Sidewinders Advance

I haven't received the box scores from the games at the Snake Pit, but it's official: The Sidewinders beat the Inmates 4 games to 2 to advance to the next round.

The Snakes will face a familiar opponent, the Killer Bees, for the right to go to the World Series.

DVs and Rhinos, feel free to get started on your series.

Good luck to everyone. And send me those box scores!

Name Change

The interim title has been removed from the manager of the Oiler franchise. His first two acts as official owner of the team are the trade with the Wahoos posted earlier and the unveiling of the new team name. Please welcome The SuperGoofs to NASOMA.

Sidewinders vs Inmates

Game 1 - Inmates 4, Sidewinders 0

Johan Santana shuts out the Snakes. The Sidewinders actually outhit the Inmates, but two of the Inmate hits were homers off of the Snake starter and loser Jake Peavy.

September 23, 2008 – 1st Rd – Game 1 – Baptist Bowl

SIDEWINDERS        AB  R  H RBI AVG       

J.Dillon LF         2  0  0  0 .000       

E.Renteria SS       4  0  1  0 .250       

D.Ortiz DH          3  0  0  0 .000     

D.Wright 3B         4  0  0  0 .000       

C.Beltran CF        4  0  0  0 .000     

D.Lee 1B            4  0  2  0 .500     

N.Markakis RF       3  0  1  0 .333     

M.Derosa PH         1  0  0  0 .000       

A.Hill 2B           3  0  0  0 .000       

G.Zaun C            3  0  2  0 .667                                             

       Totals      31  0  6  0                 

INMATES            AB  R  H RBI AVG

W.Taveras CF        4  0  1  1 .250  

A.Dunn LF           3  0  0  0 .000  

C.Hart RF           0  0  0  0 .000  

R.Castro C          3  1  1  1 .333  

J.Gomes PR          0  0  0  0 .000  

R.Paulino C         0  0  0  0 .000  

R.Howard DH         3  0  1  0 .333  

J.Loney 1B          3  1  0  0 .000  

C.Guillen SS        3  0  0  0 .000  

R.Theriot SS        1  0  0  0 .000  

D.Murphy RF,LF      4  1  2  2 .500  

A.Beltre 3B         2  1  0  0 .000  

O.Hudson 2B         3  0  0  0 .000  

       Totals      29  4  5  4

SIDEWINDERS..... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  0  6  0

INMATES......... 0 2 0  0 0 1  1 0 x  -  4  5  1

SIDEWINDERS (0-1)    IP       H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

J.Peavy LOSS(0-1)     6 1/3   4  4  4  3  3  2   5.68

R.Perez               1       1  0  0  2  1  0   0.00

R.Betancourt          0 2/3   0  0  0  0  1  0   0.00

Totals                8       5  4  4  5  5  2

INMATES (1-0)        IP       H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

J.Santana WIN(1-0)    9       6  0  0  2  8  0   0.00

Totals                9       6  0  0  2  8  0

ATTENDANCE- 47,296 DATE- 9-23-08  TIME- Day  T- 2:30

LEFT ON BASE- SIDEWINDERS: 7  INMATES: 6

DOUBLE PLAYS- SIDEWINDERS: 0  INMATES: 2

ERRORS- C.Guillen

HOME RUNS- R.Castro(1st), D.Murphy(1st)

WALKS- J.Dillon, D.Ortiz, A.Dunn, R.Castro, R.Howard, 

J.Loney, A.Beltre

HIT BY PITCH- J.Dillon

STRIKE OUTS- J.Dillon, E.Renteria-2, D.Wright, 

C.Beltran, A.Hill-2, G.Zaun, W.Taveras, A.Dunn, 

R.Castro, D.Murphy, A.Beltre

GIDP- D.Wright, N.Markakis

Game 2 - Sidewinders 5, Inmates 2

The Snakes pounded John Smoltz to tie the series.

September 24, 2008 – 1st Rd – Game 2 – Baptist Bowl

SIDEWINDERS        AB  R  H RBI AVG       

D.Young LF          5  0  1  2 .200       

N.Markakis RF       5  1  1  0 .250       

D.Wright 3B         4  0  0  0 .000     

D.Ortiz DH          3  2  1  0 .167     

D.Lee 1B            2  0  2  1 .667     

C.Beltran CF        3  1  0  0 .000       

E.Renteria SS       3  1  1  1 .286       

J.Mauer C           3  0  0  1 .000     

A.Hill 2B           4  0  0  0 .000                                               

       Totals      32  5  6  5                 

INMATES            AB  R  H RBI AVG

O.Hudson 2B         3  1  0  0 .000  

R.Ankiel CF         0  0  0  0 .000  

W.Taveras PH,CF     1  0  0  0 .200  

J.Gomes PR,RF       2  1  1  0 .500  

R.Howard PH         0  0  0  0 .333  

C.Hart RF,CF        3  0  1  1 .333  

R.Paulino C         1  0  0  0 .000  

R.Castro PH,C       3  0  1  1 .333  

J.Loney 1B          4  0  0  0 .000  

C.Guillen SS        2  0  1  0 .200  

D.Murphy LF         4  0  2  0 .500  

A.Beltre 3B         4  0  0  0 .000  

A.Dunn DH           4  0  1  0 .143  

       Totals      31  2  7  2

SIDEWINDERS..... 1 0 0  1 0 3  0 0 0  -  5  6  0

INMATES......... 0 0 1  0 0 0  1 0 0  -  2  7  1

SIDEWINDERS (1-1)   IP       H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

T.Lilly              0 1/3   0  0  0  0  1  0   0.00

K.Gregg              2 1/3   1  1  1  2  2  0   3.86

S.Downs WIN(1-0))    1 2/3   2  0  0  0  2  0   0.00

R.Betancourt         2 1/3   3  1  1  1  2  0   3.00

P.Neshek             1 1/3   1  0  0  1  2  0   0.00

R.Mahay              0 2/3   0  0  0  0  1  0   0.00

T.Percival           0 1/3   0  0  0  1  0  0   0.00

Totals               9       7  2  2  5 10  0

INMATES (1-1)       IP       H  R ER BB SO HR    ERA  

J.Smoltz LOSS(0-1)   5 2/3   5  5  5  5  7  0   7.94

J.Zumaya             0 2/3   0  0  0  0  1  0   0.00

F.Morales            0 1/3   1  0  0  0  1  0   0.00

B.Howry              2 1/3   0  0  0  0  4  0   0.00

Totals               9       6  5  5  5 13  0

ATTENDANCE- 45,065 DATE- 9-24-08  TIME- Day  T- 2:36

LEFT ON BASE- SIDEWINDERS: 7  INMATES:10

DOUBLE PLAYS- SIDEWINDERS: 0  INMATES: 0

ERRORS- A.Beltre

DOUBLES- D.Lee(1st), D.Murphy(1st)

SACRIFICE HITS- D.Lee-2, O.Hudson

SACRIFICE FLIES- C.Hart

WALKS- D.Wright, D.Ortiz, C.Beltran, E.Renteria, 

J.Mauer, O.Hudson, R.Howard, C.Hart, C.Guillen-2

HIT BY PITCH- W.Taveras

STRIKE OUTS- D.Young-3, N.Markakis-3, D.Wright, 

D.Ortiz-2, C.Beltran, J.Mauer, A.Hill-2, O.Hudson, 

C.Hart, R.Castro-2, J.Loney-2, C.Guillen, D.Murphy, 

A.Dunn-2

Game 3 - Inmates 10, Sidewinders 8

The Inmates scored 4 runs in the 9th for the win. Aaron Hill had two homers and a double for the Sidewinders.


Game 4 - Sidewinders 5, Inmates 3

The game included hitting, pitching, runs... stuff like that.


Game 5 - Sidewinders 4, Inmates 0

Jake Peavy shuts out the Inmates and Johan Santana. The Snakes go up 3 games to 2. Heading back to the Baptist Bowl.


Game 6 - Sidewinders 8, Inmates 3

In the fifth inning, down 2-0, the Snakes explode for 4 runs, 3 of them coming on a home run by Eric Byrnes. The Sidewinders advance to the next round where they will meet the Killer Bees.