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pauwoo · 12-07-2019, 02:03 PM

Minnesota North Stars (3-6, .333, 6th NL West) @ Miami United (5-4, .556, 2nd NL East)
Shawna Betts has made her goal for 2079 widely known – it’s playoffs or bust. After five sub-.500 seasons in a row, and off to an inauspicious start to their 2079 campaign, the lenient, charitable owner of the North Stars has made it clear that it’s time to start winning. Attendance has been stagnant, her local media outlets have widely panned the efforts of her brain trust, and fan loyalty is at an all-time low… it’s a dicey time to be affiliated with the Minnesota Baseball Club, LLC. What we have here is a club with above-average power who, on paper, looks like prolific scorers backed up by a pitching staff in need of an overhaul. Their Ace is ranked 22nd (David Ouwerkerk) in the league, their closer 19th (Dylan Cain), and their best reliever 19th (Steven Parkin) … this is not a staff that inspires fear, but, instead, is one that inspires excitement. We have an opportunity here, in our second ever homestand as a Miami-based ballclub, to look better than we are – in short, if we are to fulfill our destiny as a mediocre, middle-of-the-road, bastion of averageness then it starts here – our charter, to the degree, that it has been defined, is to feast on the poor clubs and, once full, come crashing back down to earth against the better-than-average clubs. A split simply will not suffice here – we need a series win or better.

10 of 162: Keiki Kaneko (0-0, 9.64) @ Cathal Magill (0-2, 7.15)
Win, 5-1. This is how it should be – sounds weird given our talent situation, but we are, in fact, the better club here… Cathal gave us 7 innings of 3-hit, 1-run ball and Kyle weaver went 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored. Early Felger continues to provide us with solid AB’s, he’d get a couple of hits and a run in this one, and 1B Hetereki Ailani, subbing for an injured Oh Hong, went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs. Pretty happy with our effort here – nothing fancy, not a single EBH… but, we got the win, in front of 31-thousand fans. Side note: Our concessions are killing it so far this year with our Taco Dog being the clear favorite…

Elsewhere: The inaugural game of our AAA-club, the Havana Sugar Kings, came this evening on the road against the Sugar Land Skeeters. We gave SP Funky Martin the historic start and he didn’t disappoint in a 7.1 inning, 7-hit, shutout… of, course, there was some disappointment – here it came mostly from the bullpen who let three runs sneak by them en route to a 3-2 walk-off loss. Funky, an international scouting discovery out of Venezuela hasn’t developed into the Major League worthy talent we had hoped for when he was signed in 2073… his is a name that begs to be displayed in bright lights, on our mega-huge scoreboard situated in right-center. But, it likely won’t happen like that here – at least in any long-term capacity. The kid has a great fastball, pin-point control with little to no movement and not enough other “stuff” to go with it. Cool name, though.

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11 of 162: David Ouwerkerk (1-0, 4.50) @ Graham Doyle (0-0, 2.45)
Win, 6-4. Our first 4-game winning streak… Doyle wasn’t great and didn’t really have to be given Ouwerkerk’s early struggles… 7 innings, 6 hits, 4 earned for our #5. Kyle Weaver stayed sharp for us – he went 2 for 4 with a double and 4 RBIs – and Scharmer & Felger both drove one in… two swiped bags (Watanabe & Scharmer), two two-baggers (Watanabe & Weaver), and 2 nifty double plays for the squad… things are clicking a bit now and, despite it being an extremely unlikely scenario, after 11 contests we find ourselves at 7-4 on the year.

Elsewhere: SP Rad Taylor, of the Compton Raiders, pitched a complete-game 10-hitter, gave up 3 earned, and struck out 6 batters in his clubs 4-3 loss against the Salem Silverbacks in Oregon. Rad’s trajectory, at this point, has him joining the big club in LA any day now… he deserves it. But, the word is that he and Kirk Johnson don’t really get along, so, it’s possible that Megan has made his requirements for making the majors an arduous set of tasks.

12 of 162: Taylor Pushkin (1-1, 4.63) @ Cliff Slavinski (1-1, 4.40)
Win, 4-3. And the hits just keep on coming… this, a 5-game winning streak, is something of a pleasant surprise. Slavinski gave us 8 hard-scrabble innings of shutout baseball, and, while our bullpen did their level best to give this one away it was Cash Crouch, whose 2-run double in the bottom of the 10th served as our first-ever, honest-to-god walk-off, that would be the hero in this one.

Elsewhere: SP Michael Brisk, the highly paid #3 pitcher for the Golden State Warriors, pitched an 8-inning, 3-hit shutout gem against the Carolina Panthers. The Warriors won the ballgame by a score of 1-0 and are now off to a rip-roaring 10-2 start to the 2079 campaign. Theirs is a club with unfinished business, built for spend, and bent on revenge. Hopefully, they won’t blow their wad too early – they’ll be a fun club to watch this season if they can keep things together.

13 of 162: Octavio Cervera (1-1, 5.91) @ Radoslav Borovsky (8.31)
SWEEP, 11-5. We exploded in this one – all good vibes, joy-juice, and band-aids. Radoslav went 7 innings and gave up 4 runs, Scharmer, and his thick, bushy ‘stache, went 2 for 4 with a double, a ding dong, 3 RBIs and 2 runs, and Cash Crouch went 2 for 5 with a two-bagger, a jack, 3 RBIs, and a run. We got three total home runs with Early Felger hitting the third, or first as it were, Hetereki continued to fill OH HONG’s spot admirably in a 1 for 3 performance with 2 runs, we got a SAC BUNT and SAC FLY, and Scharmer stole his 6th bag of the season. We’re firing on all cylinders right now and may even be firing on a few I didn’t know we had… great stuff from the ‘Mingos.

Elsewhere: While we missed Havana’s first historic game at home, a 7-6 loss to the Austin Grackles, to complete this set, Cheech and I met at the Twin Palms Bar & Laundromat to finalize plans for his first visit to Cuba’s capital… the Twin Palms Bar & Laundromat seems like a good post-game base of operations – what it lacks in charm it makes up in earthy seediness befitting that of an unheralded dive bar near the docks. The set-up is simple… 8 stools, two 4-tops, a 2-top, a pool table that isn’t level, a couple of dartboards, and a waitstaff, if you can call it that, made up almost exclusively of U of M Volleyball players whose long legs, athletic build, and entitled attitude give the place a certain exotic charm. Cheech and I took the 2-top, off to the side in a dimly lit corner that is typically reserved for couples engaged in salacious activities, criminal or otherwise… I figured that we’d blend, after all, what’s more criminal than getting paid to run a baseball team? Long story short – Cheech and I, once my laundry is finished, will be jumping onto separate planes, Cheech to head to Havana for his first look at the Sugar Kings in a game situation, and I to Los Angeles to face my old club. The plan, as it stands, is for me to meet Cheech in Barbados in an attempt to make some inroads into standing up our United-funded youth baseball program after 4-days in La La Land where I’ll be forced to deal with my, at times, shoddy decision making as I watch my old club run roughshod over my new one…

2079 Season (4/17 – 4/20)
Miami United (9-4, .692, 1st NL East) @ Los Angeles Kings (7-6, .538, 3rd NL West)
By the time we get around to the first pitch in this four-game parlay, I’ll be looking across the diamond at a club whose core is slightly askew, all jagged lines and impressionistic flourish, styled to the nines per the whims of its GM, Megan Appel. They are still a top-flight ballclub, capable of big, big things in 2079, with injuries that have held them back from their full potential. Otto’s recovery is going well, his latest prognosis has him actually making it back before the regular season is complete, and Dontrell Gay only has a few more weeks of rehab before he can return to the clubhouse. They’re poised for a breakout – their offense is rated 2nd in OBP and Runs Scored, 1st in OPS, wOBA, and HRs, and their staff, while not quite in mid-season form, has acquitted themselves nicely so far at 5th in ERA. The reality as we enter LA is simple – we’re not quite as good as we look, and these guys are a long way from Minnesota.

14 of 162: Mirko Samsonenko (2-0, 2.25) @ Trevor Dotson (1-1, 2.93)
Loss, 3-0. When we reentered the earth's atmosphere, I knew something was wrong… our steering was wonky, our reverse thrusting capability stalled… it was the thud heard all the way in South Beach. Trevor Dotson owned us – complete game. 4-hit, shutout in game one and Rajkumar went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI… Mirko pitched well, he had some good & impressive stuff over 8 innings of work – but he gave up runs to Rajkumar, Dontrell (who must’ve been DtD instead of out), and Rake. Not much to discuss on our end – we got caught with our hand in the honey pot once, left four runners in scoring position, and Weaver hit into a rally-killing double play in the top of the 8th.

15 of 162: Cathal Magill (1-2, 4.91) @ Jonny Garcia (1-0, 7.94)
Win, 6-4. It took extra-innings to get this one sorted – an Eldin Kemp 2-run jack was all we’d require to secure this one. Ethan Loy drove in 3 runs, we got doubles from Watanabe and Loy, the aforementioned homer from Eldin, a 2-out RBI from Early, a SAC BUNT from Kemp, a SAC FLY from Loy (two of them actually), and a highlight-reel double play… all in a day's work for the hardest working club in Baseball.

Elsewhere: I took the opportunity to go see Loretta Synn and her flat track derby squad, the Rocket Queens, compete in a bout against the Atlanta Jukes of Hazzard. Lorretta, with her rapid acclimation to derby play, kept the packs tight and slow – the Queens, in their first bout of the season, earned a sweet victory by a score of 196-121. After the bout, I took the opportunity to let Ms. Synn know that she has an all-expense-paid, open tryout with the Vice City Rollers available at her leisure… she seemed agreeable, if noncommittal, to it. Balls…err, skates, on her track now… we’d love to have her join us in Miami – I have a case for her… it seems that someone stole a pair of my pants, my favorite pair of slacks, at the Twin Palms Bar & Laundromat and I really, really want them back. With the lucky quarter that I left in the change pocket, no less.

16 of 162: Graham Doyle (1-0, 4.22) @ Aiden Jensen (1-1, 2.00)
Loss, 5-2. Aiden gave the Kings 6, so-so, innings of work and that was all that would be required in this one… Aris Anaconda, up from Havana to cover for the ailing OH HONG, went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run, Rex drove one in, both men hit doubles, Anaconda’s RBI was of the 2-out variety, and we even got another stolen base in this one… but, look, let’s be honest – LA is, was, and, until some of our prospects ripen, will continue to be the better club so it is only fitting that they get the win here, in their park, in front of their people, and at my expense.

Elsewhere: A quick hit here, mostly because I have a soft spot for the kid and because my Havana outfit did nothing of note… SP Rad Taylor pitched another gem for Compton, but still hasn’t been able to secure his 1st win of the International League season… he went 8, gave up 2, and K’d 10 in a 9-8 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals.

17 of 162: Cliff Slavinski (1-1, 2.82) @ Newton Weiser (2-1, 2.01)
Loss, 11-2. A pounding, crushed like the can that we are… Newton was superb – complete game, 2-run effort from the craftsman. Bootleg HONG, Yoshimasa Sugawara, went 2 for 5 with a 2-run homer, Rajkumar went 2 for 5 with a GRAND SLAM, and even Kirk Johnson managed to secure an RBI… We didn’t do much in this one, except, maybe, wish we weren’t here… no batter registered more than a single hit, we ground into two double plays, left 4 stranded like Annie’s hard-knock life crew, and our pitching was, in a word, dreadful. But, because you have to look on the bright side of life… it should be noted that OH HONG played, got a hit, scored a run, and received a rousing welcome from the highly partisan, but not amnestic, Los Angles fans.

Notes… Well, where should I start… we had a solid 8-game stretch, managed to sweep the North Stars, and managed to not be swept by the Los Angeles Kings. So, no complaints worth leveling here… we did better than our best and I certainly don’t expect that to continue. Not with St. Louis coming to town next… our records our similar, so, maybe our fans will be fooled by that and make their way out to the park. That’s where our similarities end… see, St. Louis is a talented, well-balanced ballclub with a history of success and, well, we aren’t really any of those things – yet. In time, dear friends, in time…

12-07-2019, 02:03 PM	#471
pauwoo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Seattle Posts: 2,224	2079 Season (4/13 – 4/20) Minnesota North Stars (3-6, .333, 6th NL West) @ Miami United (5-4, .556, 2nd NL East) Shawna Betts has made her goal for 2079 widely known – it’s playoffs or bust. After five sub-.500 seasons in a row, and off to an inauspicious start to their 2079 campaign, the lenient, charitable owner of the North Stars has made it clear that it’s time to start winning. Attendance has been stagnant, her local media outlets have widely panned the efforts of her brain trust, and fan loyalty is at an all-time low… it’s a dicey time to be affiliated with the Minnesota Baseball Club, LLC. What we have here is a club with above-average power who, on paper, looks like prolific scorers backed up by a pitching staff in need of an overhaul. Their Ace is ranked 22nd (David Ouwerkerk) in the league, their closer 19th (Dylan Cain), and their best reliever 19th (Steven Parkin) … this is not a staff that inspires fear, but, instead, is one that inspires excitement. We have an opportunity here, in our second ever homestand as a Miami-based ballclub, to look better than we are – in short, if we are to fulfill our destiny as a mediocre, middle-of-the-road, bastion of averageness then it starts here – our charter, to the degree, that it has been defined, is to feast on the poor clubs and, once full, come crashing back down to earth against the better-than-average clubs. A split simply will not suffice here – we need a series win or better. 10 of 162: Keiki Kaneko (0-0, 9.64) @ Cathal Magill (0-2, 7.15) Win, 5-1. This is how it should be – sounds weird given our talent situation, but we are, in fact, the better club here… Cathal gave us 7 innings of 3-hit, 1-run ball and Kyle weaver went 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored. Early Felger continues to provide us with solid AB’s, he’d get a couple of hits and a run in this one, and 1B Hetereki Ailani, subbing for an injured Oh Hong, went 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs. Pretty happy with our effort here – nothing fancy, not a single EBH… but, we got the win, in front of 31-thousand fans. Side note: Our concessions are killing it so far this year with our Taco Dog being the clear favorite… Elsewhere: The inaugural game of our AAA-club, the Havana Sugar Kings, came this evening on the road against the Sugar Land Skeeters. We gave SP Funky Martin the historic start and he didn’t disappoint in a 7.1 inning, 7-hit, shutout… of, course, there was some disappointment – here it came mostly from the bullpen who let three runs sneak by them en route to a 3-2 walk-off loss. Funky, an international scouting discovery out of Venezuela hasn’t developed into the Major League worthy talent we had hoped for when he was signed in 2073… his is a name that begs to be displayed in bright lights, on our mega-huge scoreboard situated in right-center. But, it likely won’t happen like that here – at least in any long-term capacity. The kid has a great fastball, pin-point control with little to no movement and not enough other “stuff” to go with it. Cool name, though. 11 of 162: David Ouwerkerk (1-0, 4.50) @ Graham Doyle (0-0, 2.45) Win, 6-4. Our first 4-game winning streak… Doyle wasn’t great and didn’t really have to be given Ouwerkerk’s early struggles… 7 innings, 6 hits, 4 earned for our #5. Kyle Weaver stayed sharp for us – he went 2 for 4 with a double and 4 RBIs – and Scharmer & Felger both drove one in… two swiped bags (Watanabe & Scharmer), two two-baggers (Watanabe & Weaver), and 2 nifty double plays for the squad… things are clicking a bit now and, despite it being an extremely unlikely scenario, after 11 contests we find ourselves at 7-4 on the year. Elsewhere: SP Rad Taylor, of the Compton Raiders, pitched a complete-game 10-hitter, gave up 3 earned, and struck out 6 batters in his clubs 4-3 loss against the Salem Silverbacks in Oregon. Rad’s trajectory, at this point, has him joining the big club in LA any day now… he deserves it. But, the word is that he and Kirk Johnson don’t really get along, so, it’s possible that Megan has made his requirements for making the majors an arduous set of tasks. 12 of 162: Taylor Pushkin (1-1, 4.63) @ Cliff Slavinski (1-1, 4.40) Win, 4-3. And the hits just keep on coming… this, a 5-game winning streak, is something of a pleasant surprise. Slavinski gave us 8 hard-scrabble innings of shutout baseball, and, while our bullpen did their level best to give this one away it was Cash Crouch, whose 2-run double in the bottom of the 10th served as our first-ever, honest-to-god walk-off, that would be the hero in this one. Elsewhere: SP Michael Brisk, the highly paid #3 pitcher for the Golden State Warriors, pitched an 8-inning, 3-hit shutout gem against the Carolina Panthers. The Warriors won the ballgame by a score of 1-0 and are now off to a rip-roaring 10-2 start to the 2079 campaign. Theirs is a club with unfinished business, built for spend, and bent on revenge. Hopefully, they won’t blow their wad too early – they’ll be a fun club to watch this season if they can keep things together. 13 of 162: Octavio Cervera (1-1, 5.91) @ Radoslav Borovsky (8.31) SWEEP, 11-5. We exploded in this one – all good vibes, joy-juice, and band-aids. Radoslav went 7 innings and gave up 4 runs, Scharmer, and his thick, bushy ‘stache, went 2 for 4 with a double, a ding dong, 3 RBIs and 2 runs, and Cash Crouch went 2 for 5 with a two-bagger, a jack, 3 RBIs, and a run. We got three total home runs with Early Felger hitting the third, or first as it were, Hetereki continued to fill OH HONG’s spot admirably in a 1 for 3 performance with 2 runs, we got a SAC BUNT and SAC FLY, and Scharmer stole his 6th bag of the season. We’re firing on all cylinders right now and may even be firing on a few I didn’t know we had… great stuff from the ‘Mingos. Elsewhere: While we missed Havana’s first historic game at home, a 7-6 loss to the Austin Grackles, to complete this set, Cheech and I met at the Twin Palms Bar & Laundromat to finalize plans for his first visit to Cuba’s capital… the Twin Palms Bar & Laundromat seems like a good post-game base of operations – what it lacks in charm it makes up in earthy seediness befitting that of an unheralded dive bar near the docks. The set-up is simple… 8 stools, two 4-tops, a 2-top, a pool table that isn’t level, a couple of dartboards, and a waitstaff, if you can call it that, made up almost exclusively of U of M Volleyball players whose long legs, athletic build, and entitled attitude give the place a certain exotic charm. Cheech and I took the 2-top, off to the side in a dimly lit corner that is typically reserved for couples engaged in salacious activities, criminal or otherwise… I figured that we’d blend, after all, what’s more criminal than getting paid to run a baseball team? Long story short – Cheech and I, once my laundry is finished, will be jumping onto separate planes, Cheech to head to Havana for his first look at the Sugar Kings in a game situation, and I to Los Angeles to face my old club. The plan, as it stands, is for me to meet Cheech in Barbados in an attempt to make some inroads into standing up our United-funded youth baseball program after 4-days in La La Land where I’ll be forced to deal with my, at times, shoddy decision making as I watch my old club run roughshod over my new one… 2079 Season (4/17 – 4/20) Miami United (9-4, .692, 1st NL East) @ Los Angeles Kings (7-6, .538, 3rd NL West) By the time we get around to the first pitch in this four-game parlay, I’ll be looking across the diamond at a club whose core is slightly askew, all jagged lines and impressionistic flourish, styled to the nines per the whims of its GM, Megan Appel. They are still a top-flight ballclub, capable of big, big things in 2079, with injuries that have held them back from their full potential. Otto’s recovery is going well, his latest prognosis has him actually making it back before the regular season is complete, and Dontrell Gay only has a few more weeks of rehab before he can return to the clubhouse. They’re poised for a breakout – their offense is rated 2nd in OBP and Runs Scored, 1st in OPS, wOBA, and HRs, and their staff, while not quite in mid-season form, has acquitted themselves nicely so far at 5th in ERA. The reality as we enter LA is simple – we’re not quite as good as we look, and these guys are a long way from Minnesota. 14 of 162: Mirko Samsonenko (2-0, 2.25) @ Trevor Dotson (1-1, 2.93) Loss, 3-0. When we reentered the earth's atmosphere, I knew something was wrong… our steering was wonky, our reverse thrusting capability stalled… it was the thud heard all the way in South Beach. Trevor Dotson owned us – complete game. 4-hit, shutout in game one and Rajkumar went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI… Mirko pitched well, he had some good & impressive stuff over 8 innings of work – but he gave up runs to Rajkumar, Dontrell (who must’ve been DtD instead of out), and Rake. Not much to discuss on our end – we got caught with our hand in the honey pot once, left four runners in scoring position, and Weaver hit into a rally-killing double play in the top of the 8th. 15 of 162: Cathal Magill (1-2, 4.91) @ Jonny Garcia (1-0, 7.94) Win, 6-4. It took extra-innings to get this one sorted – an Eldin Kemp 2-run jack was all we’d require to secure this one. Ethan Loy drove in 3 runs, we got doubles from Watanabe and Loy, the aforementioned homer from Eldin, a 2-out RBI from Early, a SAC BUNT from Kemp, a SAC FLY from Loy (two of them actually), and a highlight-reel double play… all in a day's work for the hardest working club in Baseball. Elsewhere: I took the opportunity to go see Loretta Synn and her flat track derby squad, the Rocket Queens, compete in a bout against the Atlanta Jukes of Hazzard. Lorretta, with her rapid acclimation to derby play, kept the packs tight and slow – the Queens, in their first bout of the season, earned a sweet victory by a score of 196-121. After the bout, I took the opportunity to let Ms. Synn know that she has an all-expense-paid, open tryout with the Vice City Rollers available at her leisure… she seemed agreeable, if noncommittal, to it. Balls…err, skates, on her track now… we’d love to have her join us in Miami – I have a case for her… it seems that someone stole a pair of my pants, my favorite pair of slacks, at the Twin Palms Bar & Laundromat and I really, really want them back. With the lucky quarter that I left in the change pocket, no less. 16 of 162: Graham Doyle (1-0, 4.22) @ Aiden Jensen (1-1, 2.00) Loss, 5-2. Aiden gave the Kings 6, so-so, innings of work and that was all that would be required in this one… Aris Anaconda, up from Havana to cover for the ailing OH HONG, went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run, Rex drove one in, both men hit doubles, Anaconda’s RBI was of the 2-out variety, and we even got another stolen base in this one… but, look, let’s be honest – LA is, was, and, until some of our prospects ripen, will continue to be the better club so it is only fitting that they get the win here, in their park, in front of their people, and at my expense. Elsewhere: A quick hit here, mostly because I have a soft spot for the kid and because my Havana outfit did nothing of note… SP Rad Taylor pitched another gem for Compton, but still hasn’t been able to secure his 1st win of the International League season… he went 8, gave up 2, and K’d 10 in a 9-8 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. 17 of 162: Cliff Slavinski (1-1, 2.82) @ Newton Weiser (2-1, 2.01) Loss, 11-2. A pounding, crushed like the can that we are… Newton was superb – complete game, 2-run effort from the craftsman. Bootleg HONG, Yoshimasa Sugawara, went 2 for 5 with a 2-run homer, Rajkumar went 2 for 5 with a GRAND SLAM, and even Kirk Johnson managed to secure an RBI… We didn’t do much in this one, except, maybe, wish we weren’t here… no batter registered more than a single hit, we ground into two double plays, left 4 stranded like Annie’s hard-knock life crew, and our pitching was, in a word, dreadful. But, because you have to look on the bright side of life… it should be noted that OH HONG played, got a hit, scored a run, and received a rousing welcome from the highly partisan, but not amnestic, Los Angles fans. *Notes…* Well, where should I start… we had a solid 8-game stretch, managed to sweep the North Stars, and managed to not be swept by the Los Angeles Kings. So, no complaints worth leveling here… we did better than our best and I certainly don’t expect that to continue. Not with St. Louis coming to town next… our records our similar, so, maybe our fans will be fooled by that and make their way out to the park. That’s where our similarities end… see, St. Louis is a talented, well-balanced ballclub with a history of success and, well, we aren’t really any of those things – yet. In time, dear friends, in time… __________________ Be excellent to each other. the Portland Pioneers \| the Los Angeles Leopards Last edited by pauwoo; 12-07-2019 at 03:59 PM.