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pauwoo · 07-12-2020, 11:01 AM

Los Angeles Leopards (7-9, .438, 5th NL West) @ Mexico City Jaguars (8-8, .500, 3rd NL West)
During our last trip to Mexico City, Leandro Mercedes and Michael Brisk went missing for two days – search parties were created, the local authorities were involved, and we feared the worst. We’d eventually find them at Arena México after confirming the rumors we’d been hearing about a mysterious new tag team that was making waves in the Federacion Universal de Lucha Libre – it seemed that their newly christened ‘Lucha de Equipo y vuelo’ was in the midst of a four-match winning streak buoyed by their contrasting styles… Leandro did his work from the top turnbuckle while Brisky was developing a reputation as a catch-styled leg lock specialist. Fortunately, for us, we were able to convince those two knuckleheads to leave that life and return to baseball just in time Michael’s start – he gave us five, labored innings and got touched up a bit in the 5th but was otherwise unscathed by the athletic diversion. This time, Brisky isn’t scheduled to make an appearance – so, all bets are off… he’ll either behave himself or rejoin the wrestling underworld and suffer a season-ending injury over the next three days. Those are the choices – I just don’t see any middle ground. But I digress… back to the task at hand – in Mexico City, we’re getting an opponent whose offense has helped them to tread water in the early goings of the 2020 campaign. They’re ranked 2nd in average, 3rd in OBP and OPS, and 5th in runs scored… it’s the pitching that has been the let down for the Jags as their arms have struggled to operate with any consistency – 12 in runs against, 11th in starters ERA, 10th in bullpen ERA, and 7th in FIP so far this year. They’ve also lost 5 straight and were most recently swept, at home, by the Philadelphia Patriots in a four-game series. We’ll have our opportunities here and could, theoretically, play our way into a winning record… hopefully, the squad will stay focused on the task at hand and not get swallowed up by all the extra-curricular activities that Mexico City will so generously offer up.

17 of 162: Merl Crawford (0-3, 3.50) @ Lee Myers (1-1, 3.57)
Loss, 9-3. Mexico City’s David Pritcher went yard from the leadoff spot only five pitches into the game – the flood gates were opened here as the Jaguars would charge 4 total runs to our account during the opening stanza… we’ll blame the elevation and our dehydration for the poor start. That Pritcher would do it again in the bottom of the second should give you an idea of what our night started off like in Mexico City… in the end, it was just more of the same, repeated over and over as we got styled on in the first game of this three-game set. We’ve cured all that ails the Jaguars and thanks to our charitable ways, they can now put that 5-game losing streak in the rearview and try to string something snappy together. Arthur Grant got his first hit in a Leopards kit, Webster hit one out and drove in two, and Mack Ramirez would close out the 20-second highlight reel with an OF assist in the bottom of the 3rd when he gunned down Gavin Dawson at 3rd.

18 of 162: Case Tunnell (0-2, 7.42) @ Casey Tucker (2-1, 3.63)
Loss, 9-5. We play the role of the heel once again in this one with Mexico City playing the face who preservers and guts out the win in the end – except, they’d not need to dig deep here as we were, again, summarily dismissed without offering up much in the way of resistance. Heathcote, taking a page out of Pritcher’s book, put two over the fence against us (including a 2-run shot off Case) with 6 RBI, and Tucker twirled 6 shutout innings for the home team. Tunnel gave up 6 runs over 5 innings of work, Mack and Webster both fanned 3 times, and we left 6 stranded as we continue to present the worst of ourselves in 2077. On another note, my accountant sent me an email suggesting that I should diversify my investment portfolio – he added something at the end about paychecks not being guaranteed forever at the end which I did not appreciate.

19 of 162: Trev Anderson (2-0, 1.02) @ Ben McGillicuddy (0-1, 6.94)
Win, 8-7. We’d survive a gonzo, 3 for 4 and 5 RBI, performance from Winslow McMillan and come away with the win. Webster and Mack, in a reversal of fortune, both hit balls out of the park and drove in a combined 4 runs, and we managed to get it done despite a disastrous outing from Trev who allowed 7 runs in only 1.2 innings. The flight to Austin will feel much longer than it actually is after this set and while getting a win after having our asses handed to us in the first two feels nice, we leave knowing full well that we got lucky here and, really, should’ve lost this one too.

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Elsewhere: 3B Mercury Alghajari, of the Brooklyn Atlantics, went 2 for 3 with TWO JACKS, SEVEN RBI, and two runs in his clubs’ 12-6 win over Tom Franzone and the Pipers. Franzone, it should be noted, sat this one out for Pittsburgh – they could’ve used his bat in the lineup it seems… Mercury is off to his best start since 2070 when he won his 1st and only Boyce Rigg Award – he’s hitting .395/.440/.921 with 6 HRs and 13 RBI so far in 2077. At 33-years old, and not aging particularly well, Aghajari’s best days are likely behind him, but, every once in a while he’s good for a breakout game that gives fans a glimpse of his former glory.

The version of ourselves that we put on display in Mexico City, like the version of ourselves we’ve put forward so far in 2077, was made even more disappointing after showing a glimmer of what we are capable of in the 3rd game. Our ability to play team-first, top-flight baseball isn’t really in question – it’s our ability to do it with any regularity that is giving us fits. In Austin, against a club that is arguably even worse than us, we’ll have an opportunity to sample some local BBQ, catch some live music, and to get this bus back on the road and going in the right direction… so far we’ve been operating with a faulty GPS system and an outdated road atlas and have veered so far off the beaten path, that getting back to the freeway may cost us another tire or two on the way. I’m hopeful that, once we re-enter the US, my phone doesn’t start buzzing uncontrollably as an avalanche of text messages come in from Phil, the media, and our public relations department. One thing is for sure – if this keeps up, then a pink slip is definitely in my future.

07-12-2020, 11:01 AM	#40
pauwoo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Seattle Posts: 2,255	2077 Season (4/16 – 4/18) Los Angeles Leopards (7-9, .438, 5th NL West) @ Mexico City Jaguars (8-8, .500, 3rd NL West) During our last trip to Mexico City, Leandro Mercedes and Michael Brisk went missing for two days – search parties were created, the local authorities were involved, and we feared the worst. We’d eventually find them at Arena México after confirming the rumors we’d been hearing about a mysterious new tag team that was making waves in the Federacion Universal de Lucha Libre – it seemed that their newly christened ‘Lucha de Equipo y vuelo’ was in the midst of a four-match winning streak buoyed by their contrasting styles… Leandro did his work from the top turnbuckle while Brisky was developing a reputation as a catch-styled leg lock specialist. Fortunately, for us, we were able to convince those two knuckleheads to leave that life and return to baseball just in time Michael’s start – he gave us five, labored innings and got touched up a bit in the 5th but was otherwise unscathed by the athletic diversion. This time, Brisky isn’t scheduled to make an appearance – so, all bets are off… he’ll either behave himself or rejoin the wrestling underworld and suffer a season-ending injury over the next three days. Those are the choices – I just don’t see any middle ground. But I digress… back to the task at hand – in Mexico City, we’re getting an opponent whose offense has helped them to tread water in the early goings of the 2020 campaign. They’re ranked 2nd in average, 3rd in OBP and OPS, and 5th in runs scored… it’s the pitching that has been the let down for the Jags as their arms have struggled to operate with any consistency – 12 in runs against, 11th in starters ERA, 10th in bullpen ERA, and 7th in FIP so far this year. They’ve also lost 5 straight and were most recently swept, at home, by the Philadelphia Patriots in a four-game series. We’ll have our opportunities here and could, theoretically, play our way into a winning record… hopefully, the squad will stay focused on the task at hand and not get swallowed up by all the extra-curricular activities that Mexico City will so generously offer up. 17 of 162: Merl Crawford (0-3, 3.50) @ Lee Myers (1-1, 3.57) Loss, 9-3. Mexico City’s David Pritcher went yard from the leadoff spot only five pitches into the game – the flood gates were opened here as the Jaguars would charge 4 total runs to our account during the opening stanza… we’ll blame the elevation and our dehydration for the poor start. That Pritcher would do it again in the bottom of the second should give you an idea of what our night started off like in Mexico City… in the end, it was just more of the same, repeated over and over as we got styled on in the first game of this three-game set. We’ve cured all that ails the Jaguars and thanks to our charitable ways, they can now put that 5-game losing streak in the rearview and try to string something snappy together. Arthur Grant got his first hit in a Leopards kit, Webster hit one out and drove in two, and Mack Ramirez would close out the 20-second highlight reel with an OF assist in the bottom of the 3rd when he gunned down Gavin Dawson at 3rd. 18 of 162: Case Tunnell (0-2, 7.42) @ Casey Tucker (2-1, 3.63) Loss, 9-5. We play the role of the heel once again in this one with Mexico City playing the face who preservers and guts out the win in the end – except, they’d not need to dig deep here as we were, again, summarily dismissed without offering up much in the way of resistance. Heathcote, taking a page out of Pritcher’s book, put two over the fence against us (including a 2-run shot off Case) with 6 RBI, and Tucker twirled 6 shutout innings for the home team. Tunnel gave up 6 runs over 5 innings of work, Mack and Webster both fanned 3 times, and we left 6 stranded as we continue to present the worst of ourselves in 2077. On another note, my accountant sent me an email suggesting that I should diversify my investment portfolio – he added something at the end about paychecks not being guaranteed forever at the end which I did not appreciate. 19 of 162: Trev Anderson (2-0, 1.02) @ Ben McGillicuddy (0-1, 6.94) Win, 8-7. We’d survive a gonzo, 3 for 4 and 5 RBI, performance from Winslow McMillan and come away with the win. Webster and Mack, in a reversal of fortune, both hit balls out of the park and drove in a combined 4 runs, and we managed to get it done despite a disastrous outing from Trev who allowed 7 runs in only 1.2 innings. The flight to Austin will feel much longer than it actually is after this set and while getting a win after having our asses handed to us in the first two feels nice, we leave knowing full well that we got lucky here and, really, should’ve lost this one too. Elsewhere: 3B Mercury Alghajari, of the Brooklyn Atlantics, went 2 for 3 with TWO JACKS, SEVEN RBI, and two runs in his clubs’ 12-6 win over Tom Franzone and the Pipers. Franzone, it should be noted, sat this one out for Pittsburgh – they could’ve used his bat in the lineup it seems… Mercury is off to his best start since 2070 when he won his 1st and only Boyce Rigg Award – he’s hitting .395/.440/.921 with 6 HRs and 13 RBI so far in 2077. At 33-years old, and not aging particularly well, Aghajari’s best days are likely behind him, but, every once in a while he’s good for a breakout game that gives fans a glimpse of his former glory. The version of ourselves that we put on display in Mexico City, like the version of ourselves we’ve put forward so far in 2077, was made even more disappointing after showing a glimmer of what we are capable of in the 3rd game. Our ability to play team-first, top-flight baseball isn’t really in question – it’s our ability to do it with any regularity that is giving us fits. In Austin, against a club that is arguably even worse than us, we’ll have an opportunity to sample some local BBQ, catch some live music, and to get this bus back on the road and going in the right direction… so far we’ve been operating with a faulty GPS system and an outdated road atlas and have veered so far off the beaten path, that getting back to the freeway may cost us another tire or two on the way. I’m hopeful that, once we re-enter the US, my phone doesn’t start buzzing uncontrollably as an avalanche of text messages come in from Phil, the media, and our public relations department. One thing is for sure – if this keeps up, then a pink slip is definitely in my future. __________________ Be excellent to each other. the Portland Pioneers \| the Los Angeles Leopards Last edited by pauwoo; 07-16-2020 at 11:00 AM.