GCL blog post updates
 

Not sure if everyone around here knows about the Grand Championship League, which I like to describe as the World Cup of OOTP's online leagues, except it happens annually and there are no annoying vuvuzelas.

When we did this last year, I posted my blog updates for the league, but I've forgotten to do that in this forum for the second GCL season.

I'll fix that mistake with my next blog post, but in the meantime, you can check out links to all the blog posts so far in this thread:

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...t-updates.html

What's new in the Grand Championship League? Play at the Plate wants more offense, despite their league-best record, RIBC and RFTP have made a trade, and our commissioner Michael Branda offers his thoughts on the first half of the season and how he sees the second half shaping up:

Seeking More Offense, To Switch or Not to Switch Horses, and Our Commissioner?s Report | Grand Championship League

RIBC GM James Paterson summons the ghost of the late wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage to explain his latest trade, which is his second in three days.

RIBC GM Summons the Ghost of Randy ?Macho Man? Savage to Explain Trade | Grand Championship League

Play at the Plate (PATP) and Asahi2 have pulled off a Grand Championship League trade that bolsters PATP's so-so offense while giving up two key members of its pitching staff. Smart move or a setup for disaster for a team that still boasts the GCL's best record? We shall see.

PATP Deals Two Top Hurlers to Bolster its Offense | Grand Championship League

‘No Need to Panic,’ OTBA GM Says in Reaction to PATP Trade. That and other comments from the Grand Championship League's second season, where it's almost the end of July and two-way battles are emerging for the lead of all four divisions.

?No Need to Panic,? OTBA GM Says in Reaction to PATP Trade | Grand Championship League

The trading deadline in the Grand Championship League has passed without any additional blockbuster deals. Let's see who's winning and who's losing with two months to go in the season:

Assessing the GCL as August Begins | Grand Championship League

The latest GCL update:

As the dog days of August near their end, three of the four division races in the Grand Championship League have opened up, with ASBA, PEBA, and Play at the Plate (PATP) taking leads of six games or more in the Heinsohn, Raht, and Palkowski Divisions, respectively.

In the Cook Division, however, BSA and USBL have turned the race for first into a two-team affair, with the latter just a game out, while former leader Asahi2 has dropped to seven games back.

Read more: One Division Race Remains Close | Grand Championship League

The latest GCL blog post takes a look at how some of this season's trades have worked out for the teams involved:

How Have the Trades Worked Out? | Grand Championship League

The GCL's second season is in the books. Congrats to the four leagues whose reps made it to the playoffs: PEBA, USBL, PATP, and ASBA. Here's a look at the playoff picture, including some bold thoughts from PATP's GM:

GCL Season 2: A Playoff Preview | Grand Championship League

Who will be the heroes of the GCL's second postseason? How about a light-hitting center fielder who hit just five home runs during the regular season but two in his team's Game One, including a 16th-inning walk-off shot? The details:

Two Dramatic One-Run Games Open the GCL Playoffs | Grand Championship League

The GCL's first round playoff series are even as ASBA throttled PATP and PEBA nipped USBL:

Series Knotted at 1-1 as ASBA Drowns PATP, PEBA Wins By a Run | Grand Championship League

Is bad blood brewing in the GCL playoffs? USBL takes a 2-1 series lead over defending champs PEBA, but not without some benches-clearing drama in the process. Meanwhile, PATP avenges a 9-4 Game Two loss with a 9-4 win of their own over ASBA:

PATP, USBL Take 2-1 Series Leads | Grand Championship League

ASBA and Play at the Plate (PATP) split Games 4 and 5 of their playoff series, putting PATP ahead, 3-2. Meanwhile, defending champs PEBA erased a 2-1 series deficit with a pair of convincing wins over USBL that also put them on the brink of the Finals.

PATP, PEBA on the Finals Brink With 3-2 Series Leads | Grand Championship League

Congrats to Play at the Plate (PATP) and USBL, who survived seven-game first-round series to advance to the GCL Finals. Games 6 and 7 between PATP and ASBA saw plenty of ninth-inning drama while defending champs PEBA squandered a 3-2 series lead to lose Games 6 and 7 to USBL.

PATP, USBL Win Game 7s, Head to the Finals | Grand Championship League

What's in store for the GCL Finals? Find out in our latest blog post:

GCL Finals Preview: Who Has the Edge? | Grand Championship League

PS: We will be casting the Finals on Twitch.tv. Details to be announced. Stay tuned!

when!!???

Soon! Sorry for the delay - We've been getting our ducks in a row and coordinating everyone's schedules. We've actually simmed through Game 5 of the Finals, but the participating GMs are sworn to secrecy until the results are made public in the casts on Twitch.

We're going to hopefully record the Twitch casts on Friday and then start broadcasting them on Monday (Eddy, our play-by-play guy, does poker casts on Twitch Fri.-Sun.).

Want to see a live preview of OOTP 15? Check out Games 1 and 2 of the GCL Finals tonight on Twitch.tv at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific. PATP vs. USBL, and the winner scores free copies of OOTP 15 for his entire league!

The schedule for the rest of the games in the series will be announced during tonight's cast. See you then!

Twitch