4/3 – 4/5: Los Angeles Leopards (3-1, .750, 1st NL West) @ Philadelphia Patriots (2-1, .667, 3rd in NL East)
Outside of a few women I dated in college - one of which that was really just a three-day dalliance - I can't think of any other group of people who hate me as much as the fans of the Philadelphia Patriots. The difference, and this is important, lies in what fuels that hatred - I.E. the former have every right while the latter base their vitriol solely on the team I represent. Fair play, I guess - as if I have a choice... the things they say about my mother though? Borderline criminal. You almost have to give these miscreants a pass though - they don't have a lot to cheer for outside of LF Palmer Parker and SP Josiah Weber (who we should not see in this set), so all they really have left is to look for things to cheer against. And, the representative from California would seem to do quite nicely based on the creativity and veracity of their insults... It's just a non-stop avalanche of filthy sweet nothings yelled into my ear at a volume that can only be described as head-splitting. But I digress... Let's look at what we're dealing with here, shall we? Philly is 2-1 after taking the season-opening set off Brooklyn and looks to be every bit the prototypical Philadelphia based ballclub... malcontented, cocksure, and blessed with the type of misplaced confidence that often fuels the overachiever. Listen, on paper, this isn't a good ballclub, but, in life, they ain't no walk in the park either. We’ll have our work cut out for us here - if we get contributions from Otto and Pepper to go along with the rest we should come out smelling roses, if not... It's all cheesesteak induced onion breath and a kick in the pants on our way out the door.
5 of 162: Valhalo Contreras (0-0, 0.00) @ Vin Uhlman (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 3-2. Valhalo gave us nothing special – 6.1 innings, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 2 Ks, Otto put his first ball out of the park, and Pepper finally got a hit… but, it was all for naught as the Philadelphia Pats walked us off on the bottom of the 10th on a LF Palmer Parker run-scoring single. 3B Mick Udelhoven did most of the work for Philly going 3 for 4 with a two-bagger and a jack.
6 of 162: Cole Guzman (1-0, 0.00) @ Nolan Wilkins (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 4-1. Guzman got himself into a bit of a groove in this one giving us 8 hard-scrabble innings of work where he surrendered only 5 hits and a run while fanning 7 batsmen. RF Ethan Mullens put his first ball out of the park, a 3-run shot, Hollins scored, and Cl Jacques Jameson picked up his 2nd save of the year. Mullens swiped his 4th bag and Sparacino, Zippo, and Archie hooked up for two DPs. A good all-around effort from the club to earn the opportunity to take the series with a rubber match win tomorrow.
Elsewhere: 24-year old LF Harlem Peterson (Montreal Alouettes) went 3 for 4 with 2 homers, 3 riblets, and 2 runs in a 4-3 loss against the Portland Lagers. Harlem appeared in 112 games for Montreal in 2075, hitting .279 with 12 HR and 66 RBI, and looks to be their everyday guy so far this season. The Georgia Bulldogs alum, whose 6+ RBI game against the Blue Mountain State Goats during his freshman season of college is still often mentioned during team broadcasts, has future all-star written all over him. In permanent sharpie – big, bold, block letters.
7 of 162: Michael Brisk (0-1, 4.70) @ Paul Yeager (0-0, 1.13)
Loss, 5-2. Oof. There is nothing worse than dropping a set to Philadelphia, in Philadelphia… Yeager gave us fits over 8 innings of work – 3 hits, 2 earned, and 8 Ks – and SS Derek Jeter went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run in his first start of the season… 37-years young with a little sugar left in the tank. Brisky could only manage to stay in the game for 4.2 innings and gave up another HR… bad cheesesteak maybe? Dunno. Otto went 0 for 4, Pepper had the day off, because why not, and our Catcher Dom Cooke let one get by him that cost us a run. The mood on the flight to Ottawa is going to be maudlin.
Elsewhere: 2B Heathcote Kinton (Mexico City Jaguars) went 3 for 5 with three two-baggers and 4 RBIs in a 10-9 loss against the Ottawa Senators… what’s with all these stellar offensive performances in losses lately? I don’t like it. Kinton may be poised for a breakout campaign in 2076 – he’s come out of the gate with the quickness and is batting .357/.379/.714 with 2 homers and 10 RBIs so far…
Well, I think it’s safe to say that the sky is falling, that the hopes and dreams of 4-million plus Angelinos have been vanquished mercilessly and laid at the feet of Palmer Parker… or, maybe I’m overreacting, and this is just how it goes in baseball... such a fickle business. So far, Otto’s been stuck in neutral, Pepper is playing at a level below that of a replacement player, and Brisky has been an absolute mess – easily the worst hurler on the club so far. I’ll need our bench coach to keep him off of the strip when we get to Montreal – things get crazy up north, and Brisky courts crazy. After this debacle we find ourselves sitting 2nd on the NL West Division table and a half-game behind the Las Vegas Outlaws – our next opponent, Ottawa, by contrast, is off to a 4-1 start including a 2-game mini sweep over the St. Louis Blue Birds that spoiled their home opener. We’ll need to focus on putting the ball in play when we face off against them as they have an offense that can give you fits.
Players of the Week (MLB):- LF Aaron Johnson, 26, Buffalo Nickels – 10 for 27 (.370) with 3 HRs, and 9 RBIs
- 1B Ruben Zarate, 24, Brooklyn Atlantics – 10 for 22 (.455) with 3 HRs, and 3 RBIs
Player of the Week (NCAA):- 1B Gareth Haggerty, 21, San Francisco Dons – 15 for 34 (.441) with 6 HRs, 15 RBIs, and 15 runs scored