Standings Update 10-1-08

With a month to go in the season, here are the current standings:

B.U.D.	W	L	%	GB		Remaining Games	Last Update
Rhinos	84	68	.553	--		10	9/23/08
Wahoos	74	72	.507	7.0		16	9/28/08
Oilers	61	79	.436	17.0		22	9/28/08
Warpigs	47	93	.336	31.0		22	9/22/08
M.F.D.	W	L	%	GB
Inmates	73	58	.557	--		31	9/7/08
Buckeyes	80	68	.541	1.5		14	9/28/08
Nads	68	72	.486	9.5		22	9/30/08
Mavs	64	93	.408	22.0		5	9/22/08
A.W.D.	W	L	%	GB
Killer Bees	95	52	.646	--		15	7/30/08
Sidewinders	88	59	.599	7.0		15	9/30/08
Tweeners	63	72	.467	26.0		27	9/24/08
Zaps	52	58	.473	24.5		52	9/27/08
N.E.R.D.D.	W	L	%	GB
DVs	86	58	.597	--		18	9/15/08
Drillers	95	67	.586	0.0		0	9/16/08
Fungoes	67	92	.421	26.5		3	9/27/08
FFTs	63	99	.389	32.0		0	8/23/08

The Magic Numbers at the moment are...
Rhinos (7)
Inmates (22)
Killer Bees (9)
DVs (10)

The Tweeners, Zaps, and Inmates failed to reach the 140 game mark by the end of the month and have been given demerits.

All games must be finished and reported by the end of October. Full stats are due by the end of November.

Trade

The FFTs trade the Buckeye 1st round pick to the Killer Bees for Tim Hudson.

Games

Sidewinders 4, Nads 1 at the Snake Pit.
The Snakeman reports...
I dragged the nads under the wire(much as I did in college on a dare - it was
for beer money, DONT JUDGE) SSWs win 4 of 5 at the snakepit. We have 10 with
the tweeners and 5 at the nads left. Then it is bean flickin time in
DFW........

With October just a few hours away, only the Zaps, Inmates, and Tweeners are short of the 140 game minimum. I fully expect the following:

*The Tweeners will have an email awaiting me in the morning with some late night gaming going on to elude the Demerit Man once again.

*The Inmates will fall just short of the mark, bitchin and moaning the whole way about how no one will play him. Somebody please play the Inmates.

*The Zaps will fall well short of the mark again, but will make various and sundry promises about getting many games played in the very near future. Then he'll go back into hibernation for a month.

33rd Roster Spot Final

The Drillers are the winners, riding the ChiSox down the stretch to victory. The Drillers earned it, because they were the ONLY team in NASOMA to take the White Sox this year.

The final numbers:
1. Drillers 541
2. Oilers 540
3. Fungoes 539
3. Zaps 539
5. Sidewinders 537
5. Wahoos 537
7. Mavs 535
8. Inmates 533
9. FFTs 531
10. Nads 524
10. Warpigs 524
12. Buckeyes 520
12. DVs 520
14. Tweeners 508
15. Rhinos 460
16. Bees 456

Trade

The Tweeners trade Giambi and the Tweener 2009 6th rounder to the Buckeyes for a 2009 reserve pick and the Buckeye 2010 3rd rounder.

33rd Roster Spot Contest Update

The Monday game between the White Sox and Tigers will help determine the winner of our contest. With only that game to go, here are the standings:

1. Oilers 540 wins
2. Drillers 539
2. Fungoes 539
2. Zaps 539

The Oilers, Fungoes, and Zaps all have Detroit, so the Fungoes and Zaps cannot win the contest. If Detroit wins, the Oilers are our champs. The Drillers have the White Sox. A Chicago win means the Drillers and Oilers tie.

Go Tigers! hehehe

Trade

Tweeners trade Kyle Lohse and the Tweeners' 2009 5th round pick to the Wahoos for Cody Ross, Nick Swisher, and the Wahoos' 2010 3rd round pick.

Games

The Wahoos went 3-2 vs the Buckeyes today. Then the Wahoos played one game against the Oilers and lost.

The Rhino magic number to win the BUD is now 7.

The Buckeyes are now a game and a half behind the Inmates. The Buckeyes have 14 games remaining - all vs the Inmates.

Update

One day to play in MLB. The Fungoes and Zaps have moved ahead of the Drillers in the 33rd roster spot contest. In fact, the Oilers have moved ahead of the Drillers, too. The standings with one day left:
1. Zaps/Fungoes 537
3. Oilers 536
4. Drillers 535

Games

The Zaps won home series against the Oilers (4 games to 1) and against the Buckeyes (3 games to 2).

The Buckeyes drop to 1 game in back of the Inmates.

Update

The Fungoes, Zaps, and Drillers are STILL tied entering the last Saturday/Sunday of the season. And the Oilers are still only 1 win behind.

Here again are your teams and the games they play:
Red Sox vs Yankees (the Drillers have the Yanks; everyone else has the Sox)
White Sox vs Indians & Tigers vs Rays (DD has the ChiSox; the others have Detroit)
Mets vs Marlins & Phils vs Nats (Oilers have Phillies; the others have the Mets)
Cubs vs Brewers (DD has the Brewers; the others have the Cubs)
Dodgers vs Giants & D-backs vs Rockies (Oilers have D-backs; the others have LA)

Just to muddy things up a bit, the Snakes and Wahoos are still just 3 wins back. The Snakes can't mathematically catch up, but the Wahoos could. The Wahoos need the Indians to take both remaining games from the White Sox to have any chance at all.

The tie-breaker, should we need it, was guessing the number of popular votes Senator McCain gets in November's general election. Here were your guesses:

Fungoes 58,279,666
Zaps 56,000,000
Drillers 73,000,000
Oilers 62,000,000
Wahoos 63,470,000

Wake me up when September ends...

Just a quick reminder: You should reached at least 140 games played by the end of this month, and this is the last weekend. Six teams aren't there yet: Oilers, Tweeners, Zaps, Buckeyes, Nads, and Inmates.

Trade

The FFTs trade the Pig 3rd round pick to the Drillers for Scott Rolen.

Games

Zaps 4, Tweeners 3

From the Tweeners...
Zaps take 4 of 7 at the Hooverdome. With all the locals consumed in preparation for the annual Tobacco Festival, no one in Logan County seemed to much give a shit about these games.

Magic Numbers

At the moment, here are the Magic Numbers for each of the Division Leaders...

Rhinos 10
* The Rhinos have 10 games to play; the Wahoos have 22. Any combination of Rhino wins and Wahoo losses that equal 10 will clinch the BUD for the Rhinos.

Inmates 28
* The Buckeyes are only a half game back. The Inmates have 31 games remaining; the Buckeyes have 24. They have all 14 left against each other. Fun, fun, fun.

Killer Bees 10
* The Bees have 15 games to play; the Sidewinders have 20.

DVs 10
* The DVs are tied with the Drillers, but the Driller season is completed. The DVs have 18 games to play. He must win 10 of them to win the NERDD.

Updated Rosters for 2009

Please visit NASOMA.org for the latest team rosters, complete with the draft picks you own. Let me know if you find mistakes, no matter how minor (like misspelled names or a pitcher highlighted as a batter or whatever).

Cards on the Table

Here are some available players...

Drillers are looking to trade for picks or second base.
Available are...
Rolen
Konerko
Posada
Andruw
Loretta
R.Soriano

Bid on one or bid on all! All Stars of recent past can be yours if the price is right.
dd

Warpigs possibly available...
Marcus Thames
Delmon Young
Adam Jones
Ryan Freel

From the Tweeners: Anyone interested in overpaying for Jason Giambi or Kyle Lohse? Tweeners seeking youngsters poised to blossom into superstars, and/or draft picks (2009 or 2010) and/or reserve picks.

If you have players you want to throw out there for consideration, either post them in the comments section, or email me and I'll add them to this list.
Pigman

Extra Roster Spot Contest

With five days left in the baseball season, we have a great race going on for the extra roster spot. Here are the totals through games of Tuesday, September 23:

1. 524 Fungoes (Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers)
1. 524 Zaps (Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers)
1. 524 Drillers (Yankees, White Sox, Angels, Mets, Brewers, Dodgers)
4. 523 Oilers (Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Phillies, Cubs, Diamondbacks)
5. 521 Sidewinders (Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Mets, Cubs, Diamondbacks)
6. 520 Wahoos (Red Sox, Indians, Angels, Mets, Brewers, Diamondbacks)
7. 518 Inmates (Yankees, Tigers, Angels, Mets, Cubs, Dodgers)
8. 517 Mavs (Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers)
9. 513 FFTs
10. 512 Nads
11. 506 Warpigs
12. 504 DVs
13. 503 Buckeyes
14. 494 Tweeners
15. 443 Rhinos
16. 441 Killer Bees

As you see, there is a three-way tie for first, with three other teams just off the pace. The Fungoes and Zaps have the same teams, so if they finish tied for first, the tie-breaker question will determine the winner. And with the Drillers tied with them at the moment, and with the Oilers, Snakes, and Wahoos on the cusp... we may finally get to use our tie-breaker. Too bad we won't know the answer to the tie-breaker until November (if ever). I haven't done the math to see if the 8th place Mavs have a chance to catch the others, but the Inmates in 7th cannot win because they cannot mathematically catch the FungoZaps.

The (last place) Killer Bees had both the (last place) Padres and the (last place) Mariners. Way to go BeeBoy!

Trade

The FFTs traded Jeff Keppinger to the Buckeyes for Brian Schneider.

Games

The Rhinos took 5 out of 7 at the Oilers. The Rhino lead in the BUD is now 7 games over the Wahoos. Time for me to find that Magic Number formula again. I wonder where I left it.

Trade

The Killer Bees trade Garrett Atkins, Heath Bell, and Russ Springer to the Warpigs for Johnny Cueto, the Inmate first round pick, and a player to be named later.

Trade

Warpigs trade Ryan Church and Aaron Boone to the Wahoos for the Warpig 6th round pick.

Games

Nads 3, Fungoes 2 at The Jock
From the Nadman...

GM1 - Halladay vs Webb - Fungoes play small ball perfectly - win 5-2

GM2 - Penny vs Arroyo - Fungoes win on 13 hits - Nads have 10 hits but strand too many baserunners

GM3 - Sampson vs Bannister - Nads manager re-shuffled batting order with JD Drew leading off for the first time - NADS win 7-2

GM4 - Penny vs Webb - Webb throws 5 hit complete games - Fungoes are shut out

Gm5 - Arroyo pitched complete game won 7-1 - fungoes had trouble moving baserunners around the bases


Mavs 4, Warpigs 1 at The BallPork

Game 1 - Mavs 10, Pigs 9 - Hardy homered twice and drove in 4
Game 2 - Pigs 13, Mavs 0 - Felix and Pineiro combined on a 5-hit shutout
Game 3 - Mavs 4, Pigs 3 - Dye hit a 3-run homer in the 8th
Game 4 - Mavs 5, Pigs 4 - Dmitri Young went 4/5. Delmon Young went 3/5. Oh, to be Young
Game 5 - Mavs 13, Pigs 10 - Dye homered twice and drove in 5

Rule Clarification

With so many close pennant races going on, this would be a good time to remind everyone what happens in the case of ties. According to our Constitution...I

If there is need to resolve a tie to determine the final wildcard berth or division winner, even if the loser is guaranteed a playoff spot as a wildcard team, a playoff game shall be played, under the direction and guidance of the Commissioner, to determine which team makes the playoffs and proper seeding. The 1-game playoff will be treated as a playoff game. At bats and innings pitched count toward the playoff totals for both teams. Teams advancing after the 1-game playoff must follow a regular pitching rotation with no day off before their first round series. The determination of the home team for the 1-game playoff is determined by roll of the dice prior to the start of the game.

In short, the head to head result is not a determining factor when it comes to the playoffs. For example, if the DVs go 9-9 the rest of the way, they will finish with the same record as the Drillers. And even though the Drillers won the season series 8-6, the two teams must play a game to determine which is the division champ (and gets the probable first round bye) and which is second place (and likely wild card team).

Another important point is that the AB and IP used in that game count toward your playoff totals, and your rotation is affected if you have to play the next series.

Trade

The Drillers trade Josh Beckett, Aaron Cook, and Andy Sonnanstine to the DiamondVision for Kelly Shoppach and Ryan Ludwick.

Games

In games played this past week...

Drillers 3, DVs 1
This from the DrillerDude...
In Barry Bond’s last regular season at bat: Game tied 1-1… Three Run TATER vs Derek Lowe for the win.

DVs 5, Zaps 0
PropellerHead reports...
Not a lot to report – when the Zaps did have a lead, the bullpen got smoked, and the DV bats stayed hot to win all 5 games.

Sidewinders 5, Zaps 2
The Snakeman reports...
My penis gets harder to find every day.

Tweeners 4, Nads 1
The Logan County Mayor reports...
The Nads wouldn't hit in the Hooverdome. The first 3 games were all decided by one run, including game 3 taken by the Tweeners 1 - 0 in 10 innings (Tweeners are 10 - 9 in extra inning games). Tweeners looked like a playoff team the last 2 games. WTF.

Buckeyes 3, Wahoos 2
This from the Chief...
Wahoos had a chance to salvage the day and blew a 6-0 sixth-inning lead in Game 5 and lost 8-7.

Game Updates

In the past week...

Drillers 4, Mavs 1

Buckeyes 5, Rhinos 5
From the Rhinos...
Rhinos miss a great opportunity to pull away from the Wahoos after having a 5-1 lead in the series and then proceed to lose the next 4. Rhino skipper says; "Of course I know that we had a lot of breaks go our way but we only remember the ones that didn't.; Tulowitzki missing a 1-11 HR with 2 on and losing 3-5 and later in the game pinch hitting and of course the guy makes an out, if you would of stayed with the original guy it would of been a 1-18 HR chance to win the game; or the 2 HR, 5 RBI game by Yunnel Escobar on 2 1-9 chances resulting in 4-5 loss, or maybe the 3 run HR on 1-6 chance with 2 outs by Yunnel and losing 2-3. "Either way it goes to show you the Rhinos just can't close the deal when it really counts; who ever said that you can't coach a great team into mediocre one."

New Flash ---Rhino 2009 season ticket prices just reduced in effort to keep fan base---

Sidewinders 4, Zaps 3

Rhinos 6, Oilers 1

Games

The Inmates went 7-3 vs the Zaps to move back into first place in the MFD.

The HEAD INMATE reports...
Inmates go 7-3 vs Zaps, including a 14-run 21-hit ass-kicking of Ian S(m)ell.

The Wahoos and Mavs split a 10-game series. The Wahoos remain 2 games behind the Rhinos in the BUD.

Strateegery

Game situation: Game tied 5-5, bottom of the 7th. Your opponent has a runner at third, but there are two outs. Your pitcher on the mound is not your best reliever, but he is a rhp who shuts down right handed batters pretty well, although he is susceptible to lefty batters. In the pen, you have plenty to choose from: a lefty or two, a backwards rhp, and a couple of rhp who are good on both sides of the card. The batters due up are:
1. lefty batter who doesn't hit LHP, but who has been crushing RHP (has already hit two homers this game)
2. on deck is a righty who is slighly below average on both sides of the card.
Either or both can be pinch hit for, although the pickings on the bench don't include anybody who is scary-good.

What's your move?
Option 1: pitch to the lefty and hope to get lucky
Option 2: walk the hot lefty and see what kind of pinch hitter comes out to replace the below average righty
Option 3: bring in a LHP and force the other manager's hand (does he pull the hot lefty? does he leave him in?). you could still walk the pinch hitter if necessary.
Option 4: same as option 3, but instead of the lefty, bring in the backwards rhp who is so bad vs rh batters that a pinch hitter is almost a certainty.

These options faced the Chief in a game. The batter was Ryan Church, who had 3 homers and a double in his last 5 at bats. The on deck batter was Garrett Atkins. The Chief went with option 4. I was then faced with the choice of a rh pinch hitter or sticking with Church. In real life, there's no way you pull a guy as hot as Church here - even if a lefty had been brought in - but this is Strat, where unrealistic moves happen all the time. In this case though, I couldn't stand the thought of bringing in Thames and watching him roll in the 2-column, costing Church another hit, so I stuck with Ryan. The Chief had been counting on a pinch hitter and an intentional walk to him, but decided since it was still the lefty bat to pitch to him. (Sidenote: The Chief actually said right before the roll: "He'll probably roll 5-9 and it won't even matter.") Church rolled 5-9 for a triple.

The damage was done, but it escalated anyway. Atkins was walked intentionally to get to the lefty hitting Hafner. Thames hit for Hafner, which brought in one of the balanced rhp's. Thames drove in both runners with a double that very nearly left the yard.

Standings Update 9/1/08

B.U.D.	W	L	%	GB		Remaining Games	Last Update
Rhinos	68	60	.531	--		34	8/3/08
Wahoos	62	58	.517	2.0		42	8/30/08
Oilers	56	64	.467	8.0		42	8/28/08
Warpigs	46	89	.341	25.5		27	8/30/08
M.F.D.	W	L	%	GB
Buckeyes	68	55	.553	--		39	8/27/08
Inmates	66	55	.545	1.0		41	8/31/08
Nads	60	60	.500	6.5		42	8/31/08
Mavs	54	83	.394	21.0		25	8/13/08
A.W.D.	W	L	%	GB
Killer Bees	95	52	.646	--		15	7/30/08
Sidewinders	75	53	.586	10.5		34	8/27/08
Zaps	33	31	.516	20.5		98	8/27/08
Tweeners	56	67	.455	27.0		39	8/23/08
N.E.R.D.D.	W	L	%	GB
DVs	80	55	.593	--		27	8/23/08
Drillers	85	63	.574	1.5		14	8/28/08
Fungoes	63	86	.423	24.0		13	8/25/08
FFTs	63	99	.389	30.5		0	8/23/08

Games

In games this weekend, the Warpigs swept two dice games from the Wahoos. Ryan Church was the hitting star both games, He homered and doubled in game 1, then hit two more homers and a back-breaking, game-winning triple in game 2. With the double dip, the Wahoos drop to 2 games back of the Rhinos.

At the Baptist Bowl, the Inmates went 5-2 against the Nads to pull closer to the MFD front-running Buckeyes.

From the HEAD INMATE...

Nads out-scored Inmates 29-25, but most of their runs came in a game 11-2 blow-out.

One interesting tidbit – Nate Schierholtz had three triples in one game.

Every team except the Zaps reached the 120-game mark by the end of August. Good job!

Games

In series played the last couple of days...

Buckeyes 3, Sidewinders 2
Buckeyes 4, Zaps 1
Zaps 3, Oilers 2
Drillers 3, Oilers 2

The Buckeye lead in the MFD stretches to two and a half games over the idle Inmates. They appear to be making their run.

Only the Zaps, Nads, Inmates, and Wahoos have yet to reach the 120 game mark. Sunday is the last day of August. Get er done!

Frustrated

My internet is down. I have had it with Time Warner and am in the process of changing over to AT&T. Unfortunately, I won't have access to the internet thru them for a couple of weeks. And to make matters worse, Yahoo mail is blocked at school (as is gmail and Big Innings - oddly, I can get to Yahoo fantasy sports with no problem).

I am updating from a friend's house tonight, and I'll continue to do this every couple of days until I am set at home.

Keep sending in your results. And remember, the end of August is coming up soon. You must be at 120 games by then. Most of us are already there.

I'll put up another poll later, too.

Games

The Buckeyes moved into first place in the MFD by taking 7 of 10 from the Fungoes.

The report from the FungoDude...

Fungoes and Buckeyes squared off today at Fungoland. Fungoes won the first two contests before rolling over and winning only one of the last eight.

Fungoes win game one, 4-2 while Iguchi hits 2 HRs. Washburn gets the win while Riske picks up the 2 inning save.

Game two goes to the Fungoes, 4-3 with Kevin Cameron picking up his second win of the season. Papelbon earns his 34th save. Fernando Rodney takes the loss.

Buckeyes win game three, 12-1. Greg Maddux picks up the win. Washburn takes the loss.

Game four goes to the Buckeyes, 8-4. Chuck James earns the win while the Buckeye pen begins to work magic on the Fungoe bats! Wakefield takes the loss.

Game five is another Buckeye win, 5-1 in 11 innings. Riske gets the loss, while Soria picks up the win in relief. Mark Grudzielanek ripped 2 homeruns and had 4 RBI for the Bucks.

Buckeyes win game six, 3-2. Papelbon blows a save in the ninth. Buckeyes tie it up in the ninth and win it in the tenth. Riske takes the loss while Soria picks up another win in relief.

Buckeyes blow a four run lead when Sizemore hits a Grand Slam to tie it up in the 8th inning. Buckeyes however, win it in the bottom of the ninth when Jack Wilson hit a walk-off single giving Riske the loss in relief. Darren Oliver gets the win for the Buckeyes.

Fungoes get a much needed win in game eight, winning it 5-4. Fungoes and starter Jarrod Washburn blow a four run lead but get the win with a ninth inning solo Homerun off the bat of Khalil Green. Cameron gets the win while Papelbon picks up a save. Jesus Colome gets the loss.

Jarrod Washburn starts game nine and scatters 2 hits over nine innings, but it is not enough. Schilling, Oliver and Soria share the shutout as the Buckeyes win it 1-0. Schilling gets the win and Soria the save. Buckeyes score their one unearned run in the first when Berkman makes a critical error.

Buckeyes finish off the Fungoes with another shutout in game ten. This time the Bucks win 4-0. Halladay takes the loss. Randy Johnson gets the win while Colome, Cordero and Rodney assist with the shutout.

Trade

The Wahoos trade their ballpark, the Reservation, to the Warpigs. In exchange, the Wahoos will receive the BallPork.

Games

The Sidewinders and Tweeners split four games.

From the Snakeman...
Peavy shut the Tweeners down in game 1 by a score of 5-1. Snakes won a slugfest in
game 2 8-7. The last two games were chinese water torture- The tweeners won
both one run games in extra innings. We have played an identical number of
games(123) and are out of range for demerits for this month.


In a rarity, the Warpigs won a game from the Wahoos, keeping the Wahoos from moving into a first place tie with the Rhinos. The Pigs came back from a 4-0 deficit to win the road game 7-4.

The Wahoo scored one in the 1st and three more in the 4th; and, with Cole Hamels coasting along with a 1-hitter, seemed to be in control. But a 2-out Delmon Young single in the 5th got the Pigs on the board. And when Albert Pujols homered to lead off the 6th, the Pigs were within two. Mark Ellis doubled and Kelly Johnson walked, chasing Hamels. Justin Speier came in and got pinch-hitter Wilson Betemit to bounce into a double play, but Ryan Church followed with a 2-run homer to tie the game.

That led to the Pigman bringing in Joba Chamberlain. Joba pitched four scoreless innings, and when Kelly Johnson wrapped a 3-run, 2-out Jon Rauch pitch around the right field foul pole in the 7th inning, the Pigs had their rare win.

Said Wahoo manager Garth Iorg, "I really only played this game today because it was going to be a gimme win and a tie for first place. This loss really sucks, and I'm not even sure it counts. I mean, come on... Ryan Church? Kelly Johnson?!? Be serious. Those aren't real baseball players. I mean, hell, Kelly is a friggin GIRL'S name, for Chrissake! And pitching Joba Chamberlain FOUR innings? WTF?!? That's just not right. We're appealing this game based on the fact that... well... that it just isn't fair!"


In DV-Land, the DVs took 5 out of 7 against the FFTs. The DVs increased their small lead over the Drillers to 2 games. The FFTs became the first team to finish their season, going 63-99.

Said FFT manager Colonel Reb, "Thank Gawd."

Demerit Thoughts

Thanks for the feedback on the Demerit rule.

The way I see it, there are four areas that require demerits for not doing your, well, duty:

1. not playing your games on time (and this includes sending instructions for mail games)
2. not reporting your results to your opponent and the webmaster
3. not sending results from games to your opponent (or not sending them to teams who used your computer for their games)
4. not getting your stats done

With regards to #1, this has only really been an issue this year with the Zapper. But it does bring up an interesting point: Is it fair to penalize a team who falls a game or two short of the goal the same as a team who is 100 games behind? I say it is not. I think we should adjust the penalty to reflect the difference. Something like... 1-20 games short of the goal = 1 demerit; 21-50 games short = 2 demerits; 50+ games short = 3 demerits.

And really, this shouldn't even be an issue as almost everybody has done a great job getting the games done on time. Unfortunately, the Zapper has been busy undergoing penile enhancement surgery and has been, therefore, unable to keep up with the torrid pace.

As for #2, this hasn't been much of an issue. All you have to do is email me the results of your series - not the stats. Please, I don't want your stats. But just email me and your opponent the W/L record of your series as soon as you finish playing it. Or CC me when you send your opponent his results. A series summary is great and makes nice copy on Big Innings, but isn't required. Just the records will do. It doesn't matter how you do it... just do it (A catchy slogan - it's a wonder it has never been used).

The biggest issue is #3. Let's ignore for a minute the games on your computer that don't involve your team. But in games you play, send stats immediately to your opponent. Easy enough, right? But if you don't, it shouldn't call for a demerit right away. For one thing, I won't know about it since you aren't required to send ME the stats. Right now if a team emails me that they are missing stats from you, I have been assigning a demerit as per the rule. Let's change that and do it like this: If you are missing stats from a team, first contact them and ask for the stats. If that doesn't solve the problem, email me and I'll contact the other team and ask for them. If that doesn't solve the problem, THEN a demerit is issued.

So, let's say the Fungoes and Wahoos play 5 netplay games at the Reservation. A week later the Fungoes haven't received the stats. Even though he knows he went 2-3, he needs the game files to do his stats. First, the Fungoes call or email the Wahoos and remind him he needs to send the stuff. If the Wahoos then send everything, all is well. If he does not, then the Fungoes call or email me. I'll call or email the Wahoos with a second reminder. If stats are sent then, cool. If not, a demerit is issued along with another reminder. And I think we could keep giving demerits until the guilty party gets off their lazy ass and takes care of business.

This way, the time frame is really up to the team waiting on the stats. If you played the games two months ago but just now remembered that you haven't received the stats, it doesn't matter. You contact the other team and if they send them, it's all good. This process probably would have saved the Rhinos from the buttload of demerits he got this summer.

As for games played between teams on a third team's computer, the Driller Dude is correct that it shouldn't be the laptop guy's responsibility. (Warpigs and Wahoos both get demerits here for acknowledging a good point by the DD.) If you play a game on someone else's laptop, either bring a flash drive or, at the very least, compile a file folder of the game files (or subsets or box scores or whatever you want) on the desktop of the laptop when you finish to make it easier for the laptop owner to send you the stuff you want. If you can email the folder to yourself right then, great. If that's not possible, at least the folder is ready to go and the laptop owner can send it to you later.

No issues yet for #4, of course, but be aware that it's 5 demerits for not getting your full stats turned in to the Chief on time. (By the way Zapper, the "Chief" is the Wahoos.)

And finally, the demerit consequences I listed on the previous entry seem pretty fair to me. I'll plan on switching the numbers on the Constitution if there are no objections.

And for the record, the decision we made at the draft this year was that the Demerit Rule passed with two conditions: 1) the consequences would not take affect until the 2009 season (for the 2010 draft), and 2) the exact numbers would be adjusted and ironed out during this season, which is what we are doing now.

Speak up if you have any objections to any of this. Your silence indicates approval. You can, of course, voice your approval too.

Games

The Oilers went 2-1 via netplay tonight vs the Inmates. The Inmate lead in the MFD is down to 1.5 over the Buckeyes and 2.5 over the Nads.

Love these pennant races!

Trade

The FFTs trade Jeff Kent to the Zaps for Akinori Iwamura.

Demerits

Here are the current consequences for demerits:

Consequences (these start in 2009)

0-2 demerits: no consequence

3 demerits: you are limited to a max of 20 players at the March cut down.

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

We had talked about altering it a bit. How about this:

Consequences (these start in 2009)

0-2 demerits: no consequence

3-4 demerits: you are limited to a max of 20 players at the March cut down.

5-6 demerits: you are limited to a max of 18 players

7-8 demerits: 16 players

9-14 demerits: 14 players

15 or more demerits: 12 players max

Trades

The Buckeyes trade Alfredo Amezaga to the FFTs for Ryan Garko.

The Buckeyes trade Ryan Freel and Aaron Boone to the Warpigs for Edwin Jackson.

The Zapman Cometh

The Zaps came through town today.

To celebrate the reclusive manager's rare public appearance, the Driller Dude, the FFTs, the Buckeyes, the Big Chief, and the Pigman joined the Zapper at Babe's for some good eatin'.

Pigman: Hey, let's get somebody to take our picture and I'll put it on the website.

Zapper: We have a website?

Games

The Drillers went 3-2 at home against the Oilers to move within a half game of first place in the NERDD.

Games

The Sidewinders went 4-1 at the Mavs.

The Wahoos went 2-0 against the FFTs to complete the five game sweep.

From the Chief...

Scores of the 5 games: 11-3, 6-5, 8-6 and the last two today at my park were 10-4 and 6-5.

In game 5, it appeared the FFTs were bound to win a game. They got hit after hit and battered around their former teammate Gil Meche for 10 hits in less than 4 innings and scored 4 runs off him. The Wahoos loaded the bases a couple innings later and I thought, ok Justin Morneau, tie this thing up. So he did. It was 4-4 until the 12th. Carlos Marmol gave up a run and then Mariano Rivera came in. Dustin Pedroia rolled in his 3 column for a hit. Then Kevin Youkilis rolled a ballpark homer. AND he got the 1 to win the game.

The Wahoos move to within a half game of the Rhinos in the BUD.

The FFTs have only 7 games remaining, all against the DVs.

Games

The Drillers took 3 out of 5 against the Sidewinders.

From the Driller Dude...
Drillers go 3-2 vs Snakes without Bonds, Ellsbury, or Lincecum. Hal was kind is all I can say.

The Drillers are within 1 game of the NERDD-leading DVs.


The Inmates and Oilers split a pair of games.

From the HEAD INMATE...
Inmates and Oilers split a pair tonight via netplay. Inmates now 60-51.

Cheatin’ Bastage Phillip scored 9 runs in two games – 8 by solo homers! Inmates hit 5 taters, 4 were solos.

The Shell-shocked HEAD INMATE

Games

The Wahoos swept three games from the FFTs today at the Reservation. The Wahoos are only a game and a half behind the Rhinos in the BUD.

Trade

The Warpigs trade Jair Jurrjens, Garrett Atkins, and Ian Kennedy to the Killer Bees for Chipper Jones, George Sherrill, and Dan Wheeler

The slow and inevitable deterioration of the human race...

Games

The Zaps took 4 out of 5 at home against the Warpigs.

Games

The Mavs went 5-2 at home against the Nads.

The Nads drop to 3rd in the MFD, a game behind the Buckeyes and three games in back of the Inmates. The Mavs are now 53-79.

A reminder, when you play a series, you have to report your results to both your opponent and the webmaster. If you don't... DEMERITS!!! Muhahaha!!!

Some people age better than others...

The Tweeners unearthed this great photo of the Oilers and some young punk.

Trade

The Inmates traded Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson to the Warpigs for Gavin Floyd, Kelly Johnson, Mark Ellis, and Victor Martinez.

Games

The Wahoos swept two more from the Warpigs today.

Here's the only play I remember...

WP: (runner at first, one out) And here's Pujols to roll another ground ball A and end the inning.
[dice rolling]
WP: 5-4, right
WH: Catcher's X. He's a 4.
[dice rolling]
WH: Passed ball. Runner goes to second.
WP: Great, now Pujols will hafta hit a line drive for a double play.
[dice rolling]
WP: Which he did.

Games

Drillers 8, Fungoes 6

From the Driller Dude...
Drillers go 8-6 vs fungoes. No blowouts, 3 went extras, and all were filled with stressful excitement.

From the FungoFanatic...
Fungoes dropped the first four vs the Drillers (7-1, 10-5, 3-2 and 7-2) and it looked like the team had checked out. Fungoes managed a 7-6 win in game five but then dropped the next two meetings 3-2 and 7-5. Drillers up 6 wins to 1 after the first seven games. Wakefield and Halladay pulled two wins out (4-3 and 6-3) of the next three game series with the Fungoes losing the finale, 3-0 in 11 innings, to stop the three game sweep at Fungoland. Fungoes very nearly won the last four game set taking the first three games (4-2, 5-3 and 1-0) before losing the season finale with the Drillers 5-3.

Fungoes wind up 6-8 vs Drillers.

Fungoes 5, Inmates 3

From the HEAD INMATE...
Inmates suck. We go 3-5 vs Fungoes today via netplay. We were out pitched, out hit, out managed, and out swore..

From the FungoFart...
Fungoes manage to win 5 of the 8 vs the Inmates today finishing 5-5 vs the Inmaties for the Season! Fungoes management however, denies the claim of 'outswearing" the Inmates. Inmates were caught stealing four times in the eight games when they were 1-17 safe or better! The swearing must have been deafening at the Baptiste Bowle!!!

Warpigs 3, Zaps 2

Game 1: Zaps 9, Pigs 7 - Jose Reyes hit a double and two triples - one with the bases loaded - for the Zap victory.
Game 2: Pigs 11, Zaps 5 - Ryan Church hit four doubles. John Lackey gets the win with a 4-inning save from Ervin Santana.
Game 3: Pigs 5, Zaps 4 - The Zaps blow a 4-1 lead. The Pigs scored 2 in the 7th, 1 in the 8th, and ended it with a bases loaded walk to Wilson Betemit in the 9th. A walk off walk.
Game 4: Pigs 6, Zaps 4 - Rich Hill gave up four homers (two to Garrett Atkins) and made 3 errors (three pitcher errors by the same guy in the same game - gotta be a record, right?). Felix Hernandez gets the win.
Game 5: Zaps 12, Pigs 11 in 12 innings - This time the Pigs blew the lead. Down 10-2, the Zaps scored 3 in the 7th and 5 in the 8th to tie it. Both teams scored in the 10th. Josh Hamilton homered off of Chris Capuano in the 12th to give the Zaps the lead. Then it got heated. Zap manager HAL tried to bring in starting pitcher Eric Bedard in the bottom of the 12th to get the save. "My bullpen is empty! My current pitcher is tired! I should be able to bring in this guy and call up a starter to take his place after the game!" Crew chief Tim Donaghy (having bet big money on a Pig win) would not allow Bedard to enter the game, however, forcing Shouse to continue. Zap Manager HAL continued to argue and was ejected, but not before digging up the pitching rubber and throwing it at the feet of Donaghy. (Side note: while digging up the pitching rubber, HAL found the fielding glove of Rich Hill.) Shouse, tired and bloodied, with his pitching arm in a sling and babbling incoherently, still managed to finish the game and claim the win for the Zaps. Warpig captain Albert Pujols, who had been lifted for a pinch hitter back in the 6th inning, commented after the game, "This is bullshit! Saving at bats, my ass! The Warpigs don't deserve a player of my caliber."

Drillers 6, Rhinos 4

The Drillers move to within a game and a half of the first place DVs while the Rhinos' lead over the Wahoos shrinks to 4 games. Things are getting interesting!

Ranger Program

The Ranger program with the story on Herman is the one currently on sale at Ranger games. It is Vol. 37, No. 8 and is dated July 28-August 3. I bought two copies last night, and my neighbor gave me two more.

Anybody want one?

Trade

The FFTs traded Ryan Doumit and Brian Giles to the Warpigs for Francisco Liriano, Chad Gaudin, and the Buckeye first round pick.

Standings Update 8/1/08

B.U.D.	W	L	%	GB		Remaining Games	Last Update
Rhinos	64	54	.542	--		44	7/31/08
Wahoos	55	55	.500	5.0		52	7/31/08
Oilers	47	53	.470	8.0		62	7/31/08
Warpigs	39	81	.325	26.0		42	7/28/08
M.F.D.	W	L	%	GB
Inmates	56	45	.554	--		61	7/30/08
Buckeyes	54	49	.524	3.0		59	7/31/08
Nads	56	50	.528	2.5		56	7/31/08
Mavs	48	77	.384	20.0		37	7/31/08
A.W.D.	W	L	%	GB
Killer Bees	95	52	.646	--		15	7/30/08
Sidewinders	65	44	.596	11.0		53	7/13/08
Zaps	23	21	.523	20.5		118	4/6/08
Tweeners	54	65	.454	27.0		43	7/30/08
N.E.R.D.D.	W	L	%	GB
DVs	75	53	.586	--		34	7/31/08
Drillers	62	47	.569	3.5		53	6/21/08
Fungoes	49	68	.419	20.5		45	7/31/08
FFTs	61	89	.407	25.0		12	7/29/08

Demerit Update

The Zaps get another demerit for not having 100 games played by the end of July.

Speaking of demerits, I see a couple of places we need to get ironed out before next year. First, in the Rhino situation, he got 7 at one time because he didn't send results of 7 different sets of games played on his laptop. But at the same time, those game were only played on his laptop because he allowed them to be. So basically, as Jose said, the lesson learned here is to not let people play games on your laptop. That, obviously, is not what we're after. The teams who played the games need those results, so SOMEBODY has to be responsible for getting them out in a timely manner. Nobody should have to beg and plead for someone to send them their game files. But does it really only fall on the guy with the laptop?

Making this irregularity stand out even more is the fact that while the Rhinos are getting 7 demerits, the Zaps are getting only 1 despite being 55 games behind schedule. That just doesn't seem right. Maybe the demerits you earn for being behind at the deadline could be dependent upon how many games behind you are. Just an idea.

The other issue is this: with the way the consequences chart is currently set up, once you get to 8 demerits, it doesn't matter how many more you get. So the Rhinos with 10 would have no incentive to follow any of the deadlines the rest of the way (including getting final stats turned in). This definitely works against the purpose of this rule, which is to get games played and stats done on time. Any ideas? We can make more steps beyond the 8th demerit, of course. Or maybe even offer a demerit bonus for getting final stats turned in early. Sort of a "buy back" system... or "extra credit."

I'd love to hear your suggestions. I don't want the system to antagonize anyone or cause anyone to get angry and quit; but at the same time, i think we need some sort of guidelines for getting things done. I figure there are three things we can do: (1) Keep it the way it is. Some of the repercussions may seem extreme, but it's not like you don't already know about it. Or (2) make some slight alterations here and there (which is what we agreed at the draft to do.) And, I guess, we could always (3) vote to get rid of it altogether.

Discuss please.

Games

The Fungoes took 3 out of 4 from the Wahoos today.

His Fungoness reports...
Fungoes won three of four vs the Wahoos today. The Highlights include the following:

Fungoes win game 1, six to three. Casilla gets the win while Papelbon picks up the save. Figgins goes 3 for 3 with 3 runs scored, a single, double and triple (pulled for defense so no shot at the cycle).

Fungoes win game 2, four to two. This one was a pitchers duel with both teams collecting four hits. After trailing 2-0 Fungoes rally for a three spot in the fourth and Sizemore hits a solo shot in the eighth for the 2 run win. Halladay picks up the win while Papelbon collects another save.

Fungoes win game 3, seven to two. Once again the Fungoes rally to erase a 2-0 deficit, this time with a three run 5th. Carlos Gomez steals home with one out for the third run of the inning. Fungoes add three in the 6th and one more in the eighth for the win. Penny picks up the complete game victory.

Wahoos win game four 8-5. Fungoes jump out to an early 3 run lead but Washburn implodes in the third allowing 6 of the 7 Wahoo runs in that frame. The Wahoo's add another run in the fourth and then hang on for the win.

Fungoes make only one error in the four games and that turns out to be, you guessed it Rick, a dropped foul pop up that Napoli can't come up with.

In games this evening, the Mavs went 8-6 against the Buckeyes and 3-2 against the Oilers.

Earlier today, the Rhinos reported on a series between the Rhinos and Mavs that was played back in June. Neither team reported it at the time and both will receive demerits. The Rhinos went 6-4 in the series.

Also, the Nads and DVs split ten games, with each team going 4-1 at home.

From the Nadman...
I am toast tonight - taught 7 hours and played a 3 hour cocktail/dinner party on the north side for Cub fans - very crazy bunch!!!

so, I decided to quick play all of the games - I should do that more often !! we went 4-1 against the mighty DVs here at the Jock. This time the DVs only saw 1 lefty - Glavine and beat him - Hernandez was off the taxi and beat the DVs twice ( 10-1 and 7-2), Webb shutout the DVs as well (4-0) and Arroyo surprisingly managed to win (3-1)

Demerits

Well, I hate to do this, but this is one of the reasons we have this rule. Game files/stats from the games played in Nashville on the Rhino computer have not been sent to the teams involved. The following demerits are all accrued by the Rhinos:

1- for failing to send results to the Fungoes for the Rhino/Fungo games
1- for failing to send results to the Fungoes for the Bee/Fungo games
1- for failing to send results to the Bees for the Bee/Fungo games
1- for failing to send results to the Bees for the Rhino/Bee games
1- for failing to send results to the Bees for the Bee/Tweener games
1- for failing to send results to the Tweeners for the Rhino/Tweener games
1- for failing to send results to the Tweeners for the Bee/Tweener games

Sorry Rhinos, but these guys need these results to do stats. It's good that it's happening this year when there are no consequences for demerits. Next year, this would hurt a lot more.

Games

The Oilers went 2-0 against the FFTs.

The Nads took 5 out of 7 against the Mavs at the Jock.

The Oilers went 3-2 vs the Killer Bees.

The Inmates went 3-2 vs the Killer Bees via Netplay.

The HEAD INMATE reports...
Inmates took 3 of 5 at the Hive via netplay tonight. Game 5 was particularly tight, with 12 total pitchers used in a 4-3 Inmate win.

In game one, the Inmates teed off for 8 homers in a 15-2 drubbing of the Bees. Duncan and Beltre hit two each. Games 3 and 4 were Bee victories, with the Inmates collecting a composite 7 hits.

Inmates are now 56-45, and avoid the dreaded demerit for July by one game. Thanks, BeeBoy!

Here are the email results I received from the BeeBoy (each one sent just seconds apart):
Email one: Attached a
Email two: Attached are
Email three: Attached are results

Apparently, a midweek drinking binge for the BeeBoy. At The Hive they call that "Getting your BUZZ on."

The Nads later took 3 out of 5 from the Tweeners.

The NadMan reports...
Tweeners go 2-3 at NADS.

It's been a fun evening - have played the MAVS and tweeners while grading final exams - the drill is to grade 5 tests - then to play 5 innings.

STRATO has certainly made grading exams much more pleasant. Still have 20 tests to go.

BUD Pennant Race Forecast

The Bob Uecker Division is a 2-team race, and every time the Rhinos appear poised to run away with it, the Wahoos claw their way back in. The current standings:
Rhinos 58-50
Wahoos 54-52 (3 games back)

Their remaining opponents:

Rhinos (54 games left):
14 vs the Oilers
10 vs the Zaps, Drillers, Buckeyes, and Mavs

Wahoos (56 games left):
10 vs the Buckeyes and Mavs
9 vs the Oilers
8 vs the Warpigs
5 vs the Zaps, Drillers, and FFTs
4 vs the Fungoes

An analysis:
Just like in the MLB, these two division opponents have a lot of the same teams left on their schedule. Unfortunately, they don't have any games left against each other. The Rhinos have 20 left vs teams in playoff dogfights of their own (Buckeyes and Drillers). I'm going to say they Rhinos hold their own in these games and go 11-9. In the 24 vs the Zaps and Oilers - two teams hard to get a handle on at this point - the Rhinos will do a bit better, winning 15 and losing 9. The Rhinos may need to do really well against the Mavs to hold off the Wahoos, but I'm only going to give him a 7-3 here. These outcomes would leave the Rhinos at 91-71.

The Wahoos have the advantage of having 27 games left against the bottom four teams in the league (Warpigs, Mavs, Fungoes, and FFTs). The Wahoos should have no trouble letting these teams fight it out for the top draft spot. The Hoos will go 19-8 vs these losers. In the 15 games vs the Drillers and Buckeyes, however, the good pitching they will face will bring them back down to earth. The Wahoos will go 7-8 vs these two teams. That leaves 14 vs the Oilers and Zaps. The Wahoos have enough to do better than .500 here, going 9-5. This would bring the Wahoos home with a record of 89-73, leaving them on the outside looking in at playoff time.

Games

The Wahoos swept two from the Warpigs today.

The Chief reports...
Wahoos hosted the Pigs on a 102-degree afternoon Monday. Wahoos won both games, 11-5 and 4-1. The highlight was Yuniesky Betancourt's 5-for-5 Game 1 and he had another hit or 2 in Game 2. Fausto Carmona improved to 14-6. Gil Meche picked up the other win. Mike Wuertz had a 4-inning save and Carlos Marmol picked up the other. Gary Matthews hit 2 homers in Game 1.

The Pigman reports...
Bleh

The Wahoos are only 3 games in back of the Rhinos for the BUD lead. The Warpigs, if they can put together a 42-game win streak to end the year, can still finish .500.

In other games, the Killer Bees put a stingin' on the Nads at the Jock. The Bees won 4 out of 5.

Games

The Killer Bees hosted the Nads and won 3 out of 5.

Game Files and Results

If you've played any games without receiving the results, email me and let me know.

Remember, if your computer was used for games, even if your team wasn't involved, it is your responsibility for getting the results (game files, subsets, stats, box scores, or whatever) sent out.

A Tale of Two Leagues

In the I-75 league that Garth has a team in (and is the 2-time defending champ), they allow in-season trades. IP/AB are carried over, and there's a trade deadline... but imagine the screaming that would go on in NASOMA if this trade happened:

Team A gets Cody Ross, Josh Phelps, Moises Alou, and J.J. Putz

Team B gets Jason Bay, Dioner Navarro, and Shawn Marcum

Team A is in a pennant race and just picked up FOUR playoff stud cards. Team B will miss the playoffs and needed to improve for next year.

Apparently the guys in I-75 love these trades, and I can see how it could help a team load up for the post season and a down and out team get some ammunition for the next season... but if I'm in the pennant race with Team A, I'm ticked.

Reminder

This Thursday is the last day of July. Everyone should have at least 100 games played by then. Right now six teams haven't reached that point: the Zaps, the Oilers, and all four of the teams in the Millard Fillmore Division.

If you have tried to get games played without much luck, all I can suggest is to try harder. Send emails. Get on the phone. Mail out instructions. If your opponents have your instructions, the onus to get the games played falls on them. BUT, you still need to contact them and let them know you are depending on those games getting played. And if you're not getting a reply to emails, pick up the phone.

I think the new demerit system is helping. We have division pennant races that we can actually keep up with, and games (for the most part) are getting played on time. However, there are still a couple of issues that need attention. I know the Inmates are concerned because they have gone to great lengths to get games played under the deadline, but haven't gotten a lot of help from potential opponents. They were just a couple of games short at the end of June, and they're only four games short right now. I don't know what the problem is with getting at least ONE series done; surely SOMEBODY will come thru and help the Inmates get over the hump. Also, we have a couple of teams who really haven't taken part lately. I've spoken with one of the two, and I suspect he'll be back in the swing soon. I don't know about the other, but going FOUR months without playing a game... well, we have a term for that. It's called the OFF SEASON.

Another issue is when critical and urgent family matters come up. For those who haven't heard, the Wheeler family has had another loss. Phillip's other grandfather (Glenn's father-in-law) passed away this weekend. It has been one crappy year in the Wheeler family - and with the passing of Vince and Philip Mullen's father, a crappy year in NASOMA. My thoughts and prayers are with them. But where matters like this are concerned in NASOMA, maybe there could be some waiver request or something. Maybe allow an additional two weeks to meet a deadline when a family emergency comes up. I have no problem with that.

Post Season Question

At the time of this writing, the most probable playoff teams are...
Killer Bees
Sidewinders
DVs
Drillers
the winner of the MFD: Inmates, Buckeyes, or Nads
the winner of the BUD: Rhinos or Wahoos
The Zaps are the only other team who might sneak into that group.

So here's my question... How many non-Texas teams have to be in the playoffs for it to be cheaper to either hold them somewhere else OR to play them via netplay?

I mean, if the playoff teams were decided by today's standings, we'd have:
the Bees of Nashville, TN
the Snakes of Lexington, KY
the DVs of Tulsa, OK
the Drillers of Lewisville, TX
the Inmates of Waco, TX
and the Rhinos of, well... I guess of Washington, D.C.

That's only 2 Texas teams and only 1 that's really a DFW-area team. But what if the Nads win the MFD? Hey, it's possible! Then we replace the Waco team with a Chicago team! And let's not forget the Zaps. Like the Nads, the Zaps over .500 but with fewer than average games played. What if the Zaps replace the Drillers as a wild card team? It is totally possible for NASOMA to have a playoff with NO Texas teams. What then? Do we continue to fly all of these teams in to DFW just so they can sleep in the McGwire and Pujols suites and watch Bryan flickin' the bean for two days?

Everyone is certainly welcome to come here (or Shawn's, I assume) and roll the dice like we usually do. I don't mind hosting even in years like this (and the several years to come) when I won't be playing. But maybe it's time to look at other options. I hate the idea of the playoffs being netplayed, but it also seems weird for some teams to play 150 or so games on the computer only to make the playoffs and have to roll dice.

What do you guys think?

Games

The Bees went 3-2 via netplay this morning vs the Warpigs. The Bees swept three at The Hive 8-6, 6-5, and 7-6. The wins made the Bees 8-0 against the Pigs, but the trip to the BallPork resulted in a rare (and odd) sweep by the Pigs over the Bees. The first game was a complete game, 5-0 shutout by Jesse Litsch, making only his 2nd appearance of the year. The final game was an 8-3 win by Jair Jurrjens, who was spot-starting for John Lackey and making his is S-O-M debut.

AWD Pennant Race Forecast

With the Tweeners 25 games back and the Zaps having played too few games to make any kind of prediction, the race - if there is one - will be between the Brothers Mullen. The Snakes and Bees. Currently, the standings board looks like this:
Killer Bees 84-43
Sidewinders 65-44 (10 games back)

Their remaining opponents:

Bees (35 games left):
10 vs the Zaps, Nads, and Inmates
5 vs the Oilers

Sidewinders (53 games left):
14 vs the Zaps and Tweeners
10 vs the Nads
5 vs the Drillers, Buckeyes, and Mavs

An analysis:
The Bees only have 35 games left, and only has four opponents to face. And all four of those are teams that are big question marks. If the Bees are not forced into some weird situations due to AB/IP issues, my prediction is that he stays pretty close to the pace he's on (or slightly under, actually) and goes 21-14. That would give the Bees a final record of 105-57.

The Snakes have 53 left, but 28 of them are against the Zaps and Tweeners. Assuming the Snakeman can stay sober for most of those 28, I'll say he takes his AWD brethren to the cleaners, going 18-10. The Nads are an enigma, having not played a game since March 20th. I'll say the Snakes go 6-4 there. The other three are shorter series against two playoff-contending clubs and a team dwelling in the cellar. I'll say 3 wins each against GPB and OUD, and 4-1 against the Mavs. If my math is correct, that would leave the SSW a lofty - but not quite good enough - 99-63.

That would give the Bees a bye and probably the #1 seed overall. The Snakes would get the #5 seed and learn what it's like to pay airfare for a first round exit and two afternoons of flickin' the bean. Or it might just lead to a Brothers Mullen World Series.