The Contest for the Extra Reserve Spot

At the All Star Break, the Mavs are still holding on to first place in The Contest for the Extra Reserve. They've led most of the season, but are getting a big challenge from the Snakes. Right now the Mavs hold their lead by the slimmest of margins, 461-460.

Barking at their heels are the Buckeyes, Fungoes, Drillers, and Tweeners at 455. The Pigs (454) and Zaps (453) are within shouting distance and fill out the top 8.

The Yankees and Rangers lead the majors with 52 wins, and the Phillies have been a huge disappointment with 37 wins, but none of those teams matter because they were picked by all 15* of us. By the same token, the Tigers and Angels won't change any outcomes, since they were chosen by ALMOST all of us - and the teams not choosing them are currently residing in the last two spots in the standings.

All of the top 8 teams have the Rays. None of the next 5 teams do.

So... the races come down to the following:

The slumping Red Sox were taken by all of the contenders except the Snakes and Zaps. If they get hot, it could mean trouble for those two teams. If the Sox continue to falter, the Mavs (and Bobby V) could suffer the consequences.

The Braves belong to all the contenders except the Buckeyes and Zaps.

Strangely enough, the only team to take the red hot Nationals was the Inmates, but they currently reside in 9th place. Picking the Nationals was astute, but it hasn't helped the Inmates overcome the poor showings of the Brewers, Marlins, and D-backs.

Those Marlins have also hurt the chances of the Tweeners and Pigs. Unless the Marlins turn it around, those two teams won't compete for the title.

The only team among the top 8 to take the Cardinals was the Buckeyes. His chances will very much rise and fall with the success of the Redbirds.

The best race is the one in the NL West. Every one of the contenders has either the Giants or the Dodgers except the Tweeners who took neither. No one took them both.

And the key to the leaderboard is the Reds. The Mavs and Snakes both have Dusty's boys. The teams ranked 3 thru 5 do not have them.

It's been pretty interesting to watch the race for the extra reserve pick. I try to update the standings every 4-5 days. Stay tuned...



(* The Nads, per tradition, have chosen not to take part in the Contest for the Extra Reserve. Said Dave, "That was just 45 seconds of my life that I chose not to waste on making predictions. Plus, by not choosing, I can't be ridiculed for making stupid picks... like the Goofs did.")