The BNN Punditry, with no history to draw upon, have embraced their inner math nerd, taken all the appropriate (and some not-so-appropriate) measurements, crunched the numbers, and spat out their best guess for each of our two sub-leagues… and, if you’re inclined to believe them, it looks like the Pikeville Pirates & their top shelf offense should run away with the division crown in the Leeward East while Brunswick and Norridge appear set to duke it out over a place at the top of the pops in the Leeward West. I’ll be honest… while I agree, whole heartedly with their assertion that the Pikeville Pirates are the class of the LL East, I think they should re-crunch their numbers in the LL West, because Norridge is likely going to run away with it.
A look at their predictions:
Pikeville Pirates
Offensively, these Pikeville Pirates are unparalleled in the Leeward League… and maybe, just maybe, in the entire Fausslandian Baseball Federation. Their lineup is a murderer’s row that will hit for power, average, and just about anything else you can think of. Defensively – they’re sound, great at the infield corners, with a right fielder whose arm should produce some legendary highlights. If there’s a gap here, a hole to fill, you could point to the pitching where Pikeville looks a bit thin, a bit pedestrian… it could end up being their undoing. I agree with the punditry – Pikeville will very likely win their division and represent the Leeward East in our inaugural playoffs… I just have a hard time seeing this staff carry them all the way to the promised land, and, if they manage to somehow make it all the way to the Faussland Series, I just don’t see many comfortable routes to victory.
Brunswick Patriots
Over in the Leeward West, the BNN pundits would have you believe that Brunswick is the class of the division – they’ve been measured, and weighed, poked, and prodded with the result, after running it through their top-secret formula multiple times, was the same… these Patriots should rule the roost. Should is, of course, the operative word. They look good – it’s true – and have all the things you look for in a winning club. A solid offense capable of running the score up every now and then with a staff that should finish in the Leeward League’s top five overall. This is to say that they’re solid everywhere, capable of temporary greatness here & there, and unlikely to make many mistakes over the course of our inaugural campaign. Will that be enough to win the Leeward West with the Norridge Whalers nipping at their heels? I don’t think so, but, then again, I’m not that great at math and I don’t even own a calculator.
Norridge Whalers
Listen… full disclosure, I’m a Norridge supporter. And, while my goal here is to play the role of impartial observer, to watch this world go by and to report on it as it does… there’s something about these Whalers. It could be their kits, a play on
this set made by txranger, or this idea I have that Norridge, nestled neatly on Carosota’s inner harbor coast, is some old-school whaling town, lit by oil lamps with harpoons left outside most of the homes, and populated by crusty old sea captains with a hometown crowd that sings sea shanties during the 7th inning stretch. They boast what is likely the very best offense in the Leeward West and back it up with a tip-top pitching staff and defensive unit that will keep most clubs off the board. I don’t see how the punditry is picking Brunswick over these guys… If I were a betting man, I’d gather up all the loose change I could find in my couch, combine it with any coins I could scrounge up from under my car seats, and bet it all on Norridge.
