The New York Patriots - A Free To Play Project

[Magus978]

Originally Posted by gemini615

If ootp19 taught me anything, it's that Paul Waner will produce good numbers at your level. Give him a chance

Don't worry, Waner's the man now. I had to jump on his silver card at the first reasonable price. Dude's not great in the outfield, but I can live with potential errors if he's able to mash.

I've also picked up 1997 Hardware Heroes Todd Hundley (79) to be my DH. Von Hayes wasn't cutting it, so in an effort to jumpstart things, Hundley was bought a bit over the odds. Hopefully the son of Randy "Hot Rod" Hundley can be a "Hot Rod" himself and power us back to .500

EDIT: As of this posting, Hundley started his Patriots tenure out with a 2 for 3 day with an RBI. However, since it was on the road, we still lost. 1-8 on the road to start the season, and now I have a new problem. Tom Seaver is broken to the tune of 0-2 and a 6.83 ERA in his first five starts. Maybe there are just too many holes to fill at the moment.

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE .151 DAY 1 - BEDTIME REPORT

Record: 3-3
Overall Record: 12-14
Position: Last place



TRANSACTIONS
DH - Todd Hundley (79) 1997 Hardware Heroes Purchased for 700 points


HAPPY TRAILS!
RP - Todd Worrell Demoted to Reserves
RF - Jason Heyward Demoted to Reserves

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.265, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
C - Mike Lieberthal (.135, 0 HR, 4 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.295, 2 HR, 11 RBI)
2B - Granny Hamner (.192, 1 HR, 7 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.333, 0 HR, 10 RBI)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (.260, 1 HR, 10 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.319, 2 HR, 9 RBI)
LF - Jeff Conine (.309, 3 HR, 10 RBI)
LF - Stan Musial (.200, 1 HR, 5 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.226, 2 HR, 13 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.250, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (.371, 2 HR, 8 RBI)
DH - Todd Hundley (.273, 1 HR, 5 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Doug Drabek (2-2, 3.55)
SP - Rick Reed (3-1, 3.18)
SP - Livan Hernandez (2-0, 1.88)
SP - Burt Hooton (1-2, 3.38)
SP - Ron Darling (1-1, 2.84)

RP - Tom Seaver (0-2, 6.83)
RP - Josh Johnson (0-1, 11.57)
RP - Terry Leach (1-0, 2.31, 1 sv)
RP - Greg McMichael (0-0, 0.00, 1 sv)
RP - Bruce Sutter (0-0, 0.71)
RP - Jeff Reardon (1-1, 12.46)
CL - Kent Tekulve (1-2, 3.86, 6 sv)

Notes: I like good teams. I don't like this team. Ending the night under .500 is a very costly thing, especially when I looked at the schedule to start our season. I thought we could go 16-9 in April and perhaps have the division on lockdown early. Instead, we go 11-14 for the month and have a terrible view of everyone above us from the cellar. I did not think it would come to this, but I made the decision to put Tom Seaver in the bullpen to see if that'll sort him out. If not, he will not last much longer on this team. Hopefully Livan Hernandez's solid spot start to end tonight's simming was a sign of things to come from him, but I would also not be surprised if he was back in the bullpen by this time tomorrow, which would mean Josh Johnson would be next to get a turn. If I have to, I'm prepared to promote John Maine and give him a second chance.

This whole being in last place is not a good feeling, and in fact it's pissing me off. Tomorrow better be a good day, otherwise I will ring in the changes. *pulls out a manila envelope* I am prepared to enact Operation DERPCON 5 if things do not improve. You'll just have to wait and see what that means. Hopefully you won't have to see what that means.

My patience is wearing thin. Wins must come sooner rather than later, or there will be many who pay the price for their failures.



CURRENT COIN COUNT: 179

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE .151 DAY 2 - DINNERTIME REPORT

Record: 10-3
Overall Record: 22-17
Position: 1st place in NC East

TRANSACTIONS
LF - Enos Slaughter (76) 1949 Historical All Star Purchased for 275 points

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.254, 2 HR, 7 RBI)
C - Mike Lieberthal (.154, 1 HR, 7 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.308, 2 HR, 17 RBI)
1B - Gregg Jefferies (.357, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.319, 0 HR, 16 RBI)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (.277, 2 HR, 18 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.268, 3 HR, 13 RBI)
LF - Jeff Conine (.253, 4 HR, 11 RBI)
LF - Stan Musial (.214, 2 HR, 8 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.260, 4 HR, 20 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.292, 0 HR, 7 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (313, 3 HR, 13 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Doug Drabek (3-3, 3.71)
SP - Rick Reed (6-1, 3.21)
SP - Livan Hernandez (4-0, 1.86)
SP - Burt Hooton (3-3, 2.62)
SP - Ron Darling (2-2, 2.76)

RP - Josh Johnson (0-1, 3.68, 1 sv)
RP - Terry Leach (1-0, 1.88, 1 sv)
RP - Greg McMichael (1-0, 0.00, 1 sv)
RP - Tom Seaver (0-2, 6.83)
RP - Bruce Sutter (0-0, 0.60)
RP - Jeff Reardon (1-1, 9.53)
CL - Kent Tekulve (1-2, 3.14, 10 sv)

WHO'S HOT?
Livan Hernandez: 3-0, 1.48 ERA in last 5 games (3 starts, 24.1 IP)
Burt Hooton: 2-0, 0.50 ERA in last 2 starts (18 IP)
Aaron Rowand: .400 (8 for 20), 2 HR, 6 RBI in last 6 games

WHAT SUCKS?
Our bank account: There's not enough for a true all around upgrade at catcher!

Notes: First place! I knew we were better than our record indicated last night. Our starting pitching has really turned it up a notch since Seaver went to the bullpen. It's like our starters have been reborn, as we now have the best starting pitching ERA in our conference (3.38). Our bullpen has also reaped the benefits of having extra men in it, as we've lowered our bullpen ERA to a strong 3.14, good for 5th in the conference. As for our offense, Enos Slaughter might be getting his chance sooner rather than later, because as expected Todd Hundley has tailed off significantly. Unless he picks it back up and gets the batting average to around .240, it'll be very hard to justify keeping him in the lineup, and I don't wanna do that to him.

CURRENT COIN COUNT: 1,124

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE .151 DAY 2 - SWEET DREAMS REPORT

Record: 12-2
Overall Record: 34-19
Position: 1st in NC East, 9 games ahead of Oklahoma City Wolfhounds

TRANSACTIONS
C - Randy Hundley (77) 1967 Hardware Heroes Purchased for 665 points
RP - Jeff Lahti (75) 1985 Unsung Heroes Purchased for 355 points
LF - Brad Wilkerson (65) 2004 Unsung Heroes Purchased for 40 points

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter: .289, 4 HR, 12 RBI
C - Randy Hundley: .185, 0 HR, 1 RBI
1B - Mark Grace: .292, 3 HR, 25 RBI
1B - Gregg Jefferies: .450, 2 HR, 8 RBI
2B - Jose Reyes: .330, 2 HR, 25 RBI
3B - Ryan Zimmerman: .325, 6 HR, 29 RBI
SS - Luis Castillo: .275, 4 HR, 22 RBI
LF - Jeff Conine: .256, 6 HR, 19 RBI
LF - Stan Musial: .190, 2 HR, 9 RBI
CF - Aaron Rowand: .257, 5 HR, 25 RBI
RF - Timo Perez: .211, 0 HR, 7 RBI
RF - Paul Waner: .301, 6 HR, 20 RBI
DH - Todd Hundley: .258, 9 HR, 30 RBI

PITCHING STATS
SP - Doug Drabek: 5-3, 3.79
SP - Rick Reed: 8-1, 3.09
SP - Livan Hernandez: 5-1, 3.38
SP - Burt Hooton: 4-3, 3.31
SP - Ron Darling: 4-3, 2.98

RP - Josh Johnson: 0-1, 7.53, 2 sv
RP - Terry Leach: 2-0, 1.98, 1 sv
RP - Greg McMichael: 3-0, 1.80, 1 sv
RP - Jeff Lahti: 1-0, 1.93
RP - Bruce Sutter: 0-0, 0.93
RP - Jeff Reardon: 1-1, 6.75
CL - Kent Tekulve: 1-2, 2.61, 14 sv

WHO'S HOT?
Gary Carter: .385 (10 for 26), 2 HR, 5 RBI in his last 8 games
Gregg Jefferies: .500 (11 for 22), 2 HR, 6 RBI in his last 6 games
Jose Reyes: .419 (18 for 43), 2 HR, 8 RBI in his last 9 games
Ryan Zimmerman: .519 (14 for 27), 4 HR, 9 RBI in his last 7 games

WHO SUCKS?
Timo Perez: .043 (1 for 23) in his last 11 games

Notes: What an incredible month of May. The boys did alright for themselves, going 22-5 and blowing the division wide open. We've got a 9 game lead on Oklahoma City on June 2nd, and I can only see it expanding. That's not to say that we're feeling over-confident, but seeing such a big gap brings a smug smile upon my face. The bullpen, which last season was our biggest liability, has become one of our biggest assets, with a 3.39 ERA, good for 5th in the conference. We're also firing on all cylinders on offense, but I do believe we need to get Conine and Rowand going to really have a powerful offense. Still, as long as we keep playing hard and finding success however we can, the wins will keep coming and the standings will take care of themselves. The goal from day one has been promotion to bronze, and this might be the year we do it.

As a little treat for my readers, I've decided to put together a list of teams represented on the current 25-man roster. As you know, this is an NL East team, and I'm proud to say that all teams from both the 1969-1993 and 1994-current formats are represented. I feel no shame whatsoever about my Mets bias, so if you don't like it, kick some rocks.

Enjoy!

TEAM REPRESENTATION
New York Mets: 7 (Ron Darling, Rick Reed, Terry Leach, Gary Carter, Todd Hundley, Jose Reyes, Timo Perez)
St. Louis Cardinals: 4 (Bruce Sutter, Jeff Lahti, Gregg Jefferies, Stan Musial)
Chicago Cubs: 3 (Burt Hooton, Mark Grace, Randy Hundley)
Florida Marlins: 3 (Josh Johnson, Luis Castillo, Jeff Conine)
Pittsburgh Pirates: 3 (Doug Drabek, Kent Tekulve, Paul Waner)
Montreal Expos: 2 (Livan Hernandez, Jeff Reardon)
Atlanta Braves: 1 (Greg McMichael)
Philadelphia Phillies: 1 (Aaron Rowand)
Washington Nationals: 1 (Ryan Zimmerman)

CURRENT COIN COUNT: 1,049

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE .151 DAY 3 - OUT ALL DAY BUT UP ALL NIGHT REPORT

Record: 17-10
Overall Record: 51-29
Position: 1st in NC East, 15 games ahead of Oklahoma City Wolfhounds

TRANSACTIONS
Two 1,000 point packs (Filled with 100% eternal baseball disappointment! We still don't know better.)
SS - Don Kessinger (71) 1969 Hardware Heroes Purchased for 500 points

GOOD RIDDANCE
SP - Tom Seaver (74) Sold for 342 points
RP - Josh Johnson (75) Sent to Reserves

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.302, 9 HR, 22 RBI)
C - Randy Hundley (.221, 3 HR, 8 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.313, 5 HR, 34 RBI)
1B - Gregg Jefferies (.365, 6 HR, 17 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.284, 2 HR, 31 RBI)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (.273, 8 HR, 37 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.259, 5 HR, 30 RBI)
SS - Don Kessinger (3/6, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
LF - Jeff Conine (.291, 9 HR, 30 RBI)
LF - Enos Slaughter (.316, 2 HR, 3 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.269, 8 HR, 31 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.239, 0 HR, 11 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (.286, 9 HR, 34 RBI)
DH - Todd Hundley (.280, 15 HR, 47 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Doug Drabek (7-5, 3.90)
SP - Rick Reed (12-2, 3.39)
SP - Livan Hernandez (6-3, 3.42)
SP - Burt Hooton (6-4, 3.69)
SP - Ron Darling (7-5, 3.51)

RP - Terry Leach (3-0, 1.26, 1 sv)
RP - Greg McMichael (4-0, 2.08, 1 sv)
RP - Jeff Lahti (1-0, 3.27)
RP - Bruce Sutter (3-1, 1.55, 1 sv)
RP - Jeff Reardon (1-2, 6.75, 1 sv)
CL - Kent Tekulve (1-2, 1.99, 24 sv)

WHO'S HOT?
Gary Carter: .381 (16 for 42), 5 HR, 10 RBI in last 15 games
Jeff Conine: .462 (18 for 39), 3 HR, 10 RBI in last 10 games
Terry Leach: 2-0, 0.53 ERA in last 13 appearances (17 IP)
Kent Tekulve: 14 saves, 1.04 ERA in last 20 appearances (17.1 IP)

WHAT SUCKS (AND BLOWS)?
The vacuum in the clubhouse - It can both suck AND blow! Nothing but the best equipment here.

Notes: In order to make room for Kessinger, who has far superior defense than anyone on the roster, we had to send Josh Johnson down to the reserves. He'll probably be back before season's end, and if he isn't, who cares? He wasn't doing well to begin with! Anyway, we've managed to expand our gap despite a day which involved some head-scratching losses to, let's be honest, inferior competition. As a team we are no worse than 9th in almost every major team statistical category except for pitcher strikeouts (27th in that). We're showing you don't have to overwhelm people with heat to win. Finesse, balance, timely pitching, and a strong offense wins championships...and we've got all of it. As constructed, we should easily win 100 games and assure promotion even if there's a massive calamity in the playoffs.

Unrelated, I visited my second team and ended up pulling Cool Papa Bell (82) Negro League Legend. Now I wouldn't be able to use the Negro League legends on here, but for sure if I pulled one on this account, that would bring in a lot of points to make some serious upgrading. Here's hoping the next few packs I open on this team do not result in even more eternal baseball disappointment.

CURRENT COIN COUNT: 371

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE .151 DAY 4 - ALL STAR REPORT

Record: 12-3
Overall Record: 63-32
Position: 1st in NC East, 20.5 games ahead of New York Silver Stars & Dallas Terps

TRANSACTIONS
1,000 points burned in a pack (Everyone else gets good packs, I get eternal baseball disappointment)

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.302, 11 HR, 27 RBI)
C - Randy Hundley (.214, 4 HR, 12 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.307, 8 HR, 42 RBI)
1B - Gregg Jefferies (.364, 6 HR, 18 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.289, 2 HR, 35 RBI)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (.254, 9 HR, 44 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.269, 5 HR, 33 RBI)
SS - Don Kessinger (.309, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
LF - Jeff Conine (.303, 9 HR, 32 RBI)
LF - Enos Slaughter (.274, 3 HR, 14 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.267, 9 HR, 39 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.215, 0 HR, 12 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (.292, 10 HR, 44 RBI)
DH - Todd Hundley (.278, 21 HR, 61 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Doug Drabek (9-5, 3.56)
SP - Rick Reed (14-2, 3.35)
SP - Livan Hernandez (9-3, 3.39)
SP - Burt Hooton (6-5, 4.13)
SP - Ron Darling (9-6, 3.27)

RP - Terry Leach (3-0, 1.11, 1 sv)
RP - Greg McMichael (5-0, 1.57, 1 sv)
RP - Jeff Lahti (2-0, 2.70)
RP - Bruce Sutter (3-1, 1.53, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Reardon (1-3, 6.32, 1 sv)
CL - Kent Tekulve (2-2, 2.09, 27 sv)

WHO'S HOT?
Gary Carter: .355 (22 for 62), 7 HR, 15 RBI in last 22 games
Doug Drabek: 2-0, 1.93 ERA in last 3 starts (23.1 IP)
Terry Leach: 2-0, 0.44 ERA in last 16 appearances (20.2 IP)

WHO SUCKS?
Timo Perez: .083 (2 for 24), 1 RBI in last 13 games

ALL STARS
Livan Hernandez: 1 IP, 1 K
Rick Reed: 0.1 IP
Terry Leach: 1 IP, 1 K
Ron Darling: 0.1 IP
Todd Hundley: 0 for 1, K
Doug Drabek: DNP

Notes: Between 6 all stars and a 20.5 game lead, things have gone very well for the Patriots as of late. I figure it's going to take 100 wins to assure promotion in case of playoff catastrophe, so with 67 games to play, we need to go at least 37-30 to get to 100. Considering the first half we've had, I believe we're more than capable of that. Now it's just a matter of getting it done.

CURRENT COIN COUNT: 706

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE DAY 4 - SLEEPYTIME REPORT

Record: 8-2
Overall Record: 71-34
Position: 1st place, 22.5 games ahead of Dallas Terps
Magic Number: 35

Any combination of 35 Patriots wins and Terps losses will give the Patriots the NC East title

TRANSACTIONS
1,000 points spent on a pack (We can't help having eternal baseball disappointment)

HAPPY TRAILS!
SP - John Maine (74) Sold for 221 points

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.302, 11 HR, 28 RBI)
C - Randy Hundley (.215, 5 HR, 15 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.310, 10 HR, 53 RBI)
1B - Gregg Jefferies (.322, 6 HR, 21 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.291, 2 HR, 36 RBI)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (.253, 10 HR, 47 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.273, 5 HR, 35 RBI)
SS - Don Kessinger (.310, 0 HR, 6 RBI)
LF - Jeff Conine (.312, 11 HR, 39 RBI)
LF - Enos Slaughter (.269, 4 HR, 16 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.277, 11 HR, 44 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.221, 1 HR, 17 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (.291, 11 HR, 46 RBI)
DH - Todd Hundley (.279, 23 HR, 68 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Doug Drabek (11-5, 3.69)
SP - Rick Reed (16-2, 3.20)
SP - Livan Hernandez (11-3, 3.14)
SP - Ron Darling (10-6, 3.13)
SP - Burt Hooton (6-6, 4.13)

RP - Terry Leach (3-0, 0.99, 1 sv)
RP - Greg McMichael (5-0, 1.65, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Lahti (2-0, 2.29, 1 sv)
RP - Bruce Sutter (3-1, 1.33, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Reardon (2-3, 6.23, 1 sv)
CL - Kent Tekulve (2-3, 2.16, 30 sv)

bold text indicates league leader or tied for league lead

WHO'S HOT?
Livan Hernandez: 2-0, 1.29 ERA in last 2 starts (14 IP)
Todd Hundley: .364 (8 for 22), 4 HR, 12 RBI in last 7 games
Terry Leach: Has not given up any runs in last 11 games (17.1 IP)
Rick Reed: 3-0, 1.52 ERA in last 3 starts (23.2 IP)

WHO SUCKS?
Gregg Jefferies: .150 (3 for 20), 0 HR, 1 RBI in last 4 games

Notes: We can now start counting down to the day we clinch the Eastern Division. We are also pushing Las Vegas for the best record in the entire league. How does a record of 60-20 in our last 3+ months (May through the beginning of August) to pull away from the pack and do laps around them sound? If you ask me, that sounds pretty damn good. It's almost inevitable that we will win 100 games, and that in turn should guarantee promotion to Bronze regardless of what we do in the playoffs.

CURRENT COIN COUNT: 162

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE .151 DAY 5 - THE (ALMOST) CLINCHING REPORT

Record: 20-8
Overall Record: 91-42
Position: 1st Place in NC East, 26.5 ahead of Oklahoma City Wolfhounds
Magic Number: 3

TRANSACTIONS
1,000 point pack of even more eternal baseball disappointment
SP - Burleigh Grimes (79) 1928 Record Breaker Bought for 780 points
SP - Joaquin Andujar (73) 1984 Hardware Heroes Bought for 159 points

HAPPY TRAILS!
2B - Granny Hamner (75) Sold for 270 points
.261, 12 HR, 54 RBI in 124 games for the Patriots across 2 seasons

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.290, 12 HR, 35 RBI)
C - Randy Hundley (.253, 7 HR, 35 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.303, 13 HR, 65 RBI)
1B - Gregg Jefferies (.322, 7 HR, 25 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.319, 5 HR, 46 RBI)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (.262, 18 HR, 67 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.267, 5 HR, 42 RBI)
SS - Don Kessinger (.249, 1 HR, 11 RBI)
LF - Jeff Conine (.299, 12 HR, 42 RBI)
LF - Enos Slaughter (.248, 5 HR, 21 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.266, 15 HR, 60 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.234, 2 HR, 24 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (.296, 12 HR, 60 RBI)
DH - Todd Hundley (.278, 28 HR, 87 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Doug Drabek (17-5, 3.29)
SP - Rick Reed (21-3, 2.82)
SP - Livan Hernandez (13-4, 3.23)
SP - Ron Darling (13-8, 3.59)
SP - Joaquin Andujar (2-2, 2.06)

RP - Terry Leach (5-0, 1.44, 2 sv)
RP - Greg McMichael (5-1, 1.90, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Lahti (2-0, 1.73, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Reardon (2-3, 6.43, 1 sv)
RP - Bruce Sutter (3-1, 1.31, 4 sv)
CL - Kent Tekulve (2-4, 2.41, 36 sv)

WHO'S HOT?
Joaquin Andujar: 2-0, 1.29 ERA in last 2 starts (14 IP)
Doug Drabek: 2-0, 1.20 ERA in last 2 starts (15 IP)
Randy Hundley: .450 (9 for 20), 1 HR, 7 RBI in last 6 games
Jeff Lahti: 2 saves, 0.92 ERA in last 13 appearances (19.2 IP)

WHAT SUCKS?
The weather. It was awful all day. Damn you mother nature!

Notes: The champagne is on ice. It just awaits the conquering heroes to start spraying it all over themselves. I'd prefer them to drink it, because why waste overpriced alcohol on spraying it, when you can enjoy it properly by getting piss drunk? Anyway, with 29 games to go, it's not a matter of if we'll get to 100 wins, just a matter of when. The purchase of Andujar was made because Burt Hooton (6-6, 4.33) was struggling badly. The purchase of Burleigh Grimes was nothing more than insurance and some preparation for the Bronze league, as I'm not sure I want to carry two sub-50 movement pitchers in my starting rotation next season. As well as Ron Darling & Joaquin Andujar are doing, I fear they will be exposed when we go up. Thus, Grimes is insurance for them. Average stuff, good movement, better control, and three solid pitches. "Ol' Stubblebeard" won 270 games in 18 years of real life pitching, so he knows how to win.

CURRENT COIN COUNT: 408

[Magus978]

BREAKING: With a 5-3 win in 10 innings over the Lewisville Ambassadors, the New York Patriots have clinched the National Conference Eastern Division! It is very likely that they will enter the playoffs as the top seed in the National Conference.

[Germaniac]

Great job

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE .151 DAY 6 - THE INCONSISTENTLY CONCISTENT REPORT

Record: 17-12
Overall Record: 108-54
Final Position: 3rd in league, 4 games behind Vegas High Roller$ for best record in the league

TRANSACTIONS
CF/DH - Andy Pafko (86) 1950 Historical All-Star Purchased for 2,000 points
Another 1,000 pack filled with eternal baseball disappointment

Pafko will join the team next season. He has been declared ineligible for the playoffs.

HAPPY TRAILS (for now)
SP - Joaquin Andujar (73) Sent to Reserves

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.264, 13 HR, 38 RBI)
C - Randy Hundley (.254, 8 HR, 40 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.296, 13 HR, 73 RBI)
1B - Gregg Jefferies (.342, 8 HR, 37 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.313, 6 HR, 50 RBI)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (.268, 26 HR, 94 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.267, 5 HR, 45 RBI)
SS - Don Kessinger (.233, 1 HR, 18 RBI)
LF - Jeff Conine (.286, 12 HR, 43 RBI)
LF - Enos Slaughter (.274, 7 HR, 34 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.283, 18 HR, 75 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.235, 2 HR, 27 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (.298, 15 HR, 76 RBI)
DH - Todd Hundley (.271, 32 HR, 100 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Rick Reed (24-4, 2.82)
SP - Doug Drabek (20-6, 3.36)
SP - Burleigh Grimes (2-3, 1.91)
SP - Ron Darling (16-9, 3.27)
SP - Livan Hernandez (13-7, 3.69)

RP - Terry Leach (7-0, 2.00, 2 sv)
RP - Greg McMichael (6-2, 2.38, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Lahti (3-0, 2.59, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Reardon (2-3, 6.75, 1 sv)
RP - Bruce Sutter (4-1, 1.83, 4 sv)
RP - Kent Tekulve (3-5, 2.33, 44 sv)

WHO'S HOT?
Ron Darling: 5-1, 2.05 ERA in last 8 starts (57 IP)
Doug Drabek: 3-0, 1.26 ERA in last 4 starts (28.2 IP)
Burleigh Grimes: 2-2, 1.57 ERA in last 4 starts (28.2 IP)
Rick Reed: 1-1, 1.69 ERA in last 2 starts (16 IP)

WHAT SUCKS?
Our September/October form: 19-12, preventing us from getting best record in the league

Notes: Barring the completely unexpected, we are going up. We have the top seed in the National Conference playoffs, so the expectations are very high. I expect at least a NC pennant. We're more than good enough to win the whole thing, but a conference title is the least I'll accept. If we go through the trouble to win 108 games, we might as well get to the Iron Level Series. If we were gonna be a first round exit team, we might as well had just won 88 games so that we could stay in Iron another week...but since we won 108, we might as well do a thing and make a run.

We also have over 3,000 points. Now, I could be a responsible person and either get an upgrade in the auction house, or I could enhance my chances at even more eternal baseball disappointment and rip open 3 packs. For the time being, I shall be responsible and hold onto my points.

CURRENT COIN COUNT: 3,517

[Magus978]

BREAKING: Patriots fall into 2-0 hole after back to back bullpen failures. The manager has called a players-only meeting, and has threatened to rage-sell players if they do not come back and win three straight.

"If these guys do not get their heads out of their collective asses, NOBODY makes the team next year...and I mean it this time! No amount of regular season success can redeem a postseason no-show, and they know it!" The manager roared at the press before shoving his way out of the room. Among those on the chopping block are Todd Hundley, Ryan Zimmerman, Jeff Conine, and game 1 & 2 loser Kent Tekulve.

[Magus978]

BREAKING: Patriots Swept in Humiliating Showing, Still Promoted to Bronze

The New York Patriots did their best impersonation of the 2001 Seattle Mariners by winning 108 games and then promptly getting swept in the National Conference Division Series by the El Dorado Trappers. While they will still be promoted to the Bronze level, the manager called this sweep "the worst moment of my sad excuse of a life".

"This was a complete 25-man no-show. There will be so many changes that it'll make every single one of your heads spin. Why should I accept failure? Why should I pat the guys on the back and tell them everything will be okay? 108 wins and this is what I get? I don't accept this, and I want players in here who will not accept that either. For all the good we did this season, it's been washed away by this disgraceful showing. I don't want to hear "That's baseball!", because that'll just piss me off even more." Manager & GM Tom Delgado said after their game 3 defeat.

Heads have already begun to roll, as closer Kent Tekulve, game 1 and 2 loser, has already been sold for 1,000 points. Todd Hundley, Jeff Conine, and Ryan Zimmerman have also been labeled as key contributors to their failure, and have been placed on the auction house at average BIN. Now the eyes of the Patriots turn to the auction house as they hope to sell players, and be able to pick up a few good replacements for their first season in the Bronze tier.

Next Posts: Standard-fare season summary & player grades

[Magus978]

IRON LEAGUE .151 SEASON REVIEW
Record: 108-54
Overall Finish: 6th in league (Lost 3-0 in Divisional Round to El Dorado Trappers, Promoted to Bronze)

HAPPY TRAILS!
CL - Kent Tekulve (79) Sold for 1000 points
5-7, 2.84 ERA, 57 saves in 2 seasons

LF - Jeff Conine (73) Sold for 199 points
.280, 39 HR, 138 RBI in 2 seasons

CURRENTLY IN AUCTION
SP - Burt Hooton (74)
SP - Josh Johnson (75)
C - Todd Hundley (79)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (79)
RP - Terry Leach (68) DUPLICATE
SP - Max Fried (66) DISQUALIFIED DUE TO BEING A LIVE CARD

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.264, 13 HR, 38 RBI)
C - Todd Hundley (.271, 32 HR, 100 RBI)
C - Randy Hundley (.254, 8 HR, 40 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.296, 13 HR, 73 RBI)
1B - Von Hayes (.138, 2 HR, 5 RBI)
1B - Gregg Jefferies (.342, 8 HR, 37 RBI)
2B - Granny Hamner (.194, 1 HR, 8 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.313, 6 HR, 50 RBI)
3B - Ryan Zimmerman (.268, 26 HR, 94 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.267, 5 HR, 45 RBI)
SS - Don Kessinger (.233, 1 HR, 18 RBI)
LF - Jeff Conine (.286, 12 HR, 43 RBI)
LF - Stan Musial (.186, 2 HR, 9 RBI)
LF - Enos Slaughter (.274, 7 HR, 34 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.283, 18 HR, 75 RBI)
RF - Jason Heyward (.158, 1 HR, 3 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.235, 2 HR, 27 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (.298, 15 HR, 76 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Joaquin Andujar (2-3, 2.63)
SP - Ron Darling (16-9, 3.27)
SP - Doug Drabek (20-6, 3.36)
SP - Burleigh Grimes (2-3, 1.91)
SP - Livan Hernandez (13-7, 3.69)
SP - Burt Hooton (6-6, 4.33)
SP - Rick Reed (24-4, 2.82)
SP - Tom Seaver (0-2, 6.48)
RP - Josh Johnson (0-1, 5.02, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Lahti (3-0, 2.59, 2 sv)
RP - Terry Leach (7-0, 2.00, 2 sv)
RP - Greg McMichael (6-2, 2.38, 2 sv)
RP - Jeff Reardon (2-3, 6.75, 1 sv)
RP - Bruce Sutter (4-1, 1.83, 4 sv)
RP - Kent Tekulve (3-5, 2.33, 44 sv)
RP - Todd Worrell (0-2, 6.55)

Bold text indicates league leader
Italic text indicates player is no longer with club

Notes: Laying down and dying for a wildcard team, especially one who couldn't even compete with me in the regular season, really bothers me something fierce. Why go to the trouble of winning 108 games if you're just gonna stop trying once you get to the postseason? The goal was promotion, and we got that...but I'm still furious over this. I hope whoever remains at the club plays pissed off all next week and we fight for a playoff spot in bronze.

Next post won't be player grades. Those were very time consuming to do, so I'm gonna substitute it with something else. What that something else is, I have no idea yet. Maybe an in-depth analysis of the new recruits. Stay tuned.

[Magus978]

NEW ACQUISITIONS
4,000 points worth of eternal baseball disappointment

Everybody else gets the occasional great pull. I never get anything useful, so when the hell will I learn?

CL - Gene Garber (84) 1982 Unsung Heroes
Purchased for 2,500 points

- Garber has great movement and even better control. 3 serviceable pitches, and a mustache. Patriots scouts believed his mustache was his biggest asset, since it's clearly Terry Leach's biggest asset, so they agreed to pay slightly over the 7-day average for this closer, who in 1982 went 8-10 with a 2.34 ERA and 30 saves for the Atlanta Braves. He pitched for 19 big league seasons, compiling a respectable 3.34 ERA for four different franchises. In that 1982 season, he only gave up 4 homeruns and pitched to a career-best 2.1 WAR.

DH - Andy Pafko (86) 1950 Historical All-Star
Purchased for 2,000 points

- While lacking a mustache, Pafko does not lack in the ability to hit a baseball very far. With an 82 for power, as well as nothing lower than a 55 in the other four major batting categories, "Handy Andy" will fit in very nicely as the team's new DH. The reason he'll be the DH is because his outfield ability leaves a lot to be desired in the way of a rather weak arm. Pafko had a pair of 30-HR seasons, coming in 1950 and 1951. In that 1950 season, which this card is based on, he hit .304 with 36 HR and 92 RBI for the Chicago Cubs. The next season, he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers. For his career, Pafko hit .285 with 213 HR and 976 RBI.

3B - Tim Wallach (77) 1987 Historical All-Star
Purchased for 299 points

- For a third baseman, Tim Wallach was a bit ahead of his time. Spending most of his career with the Montreal Expos (1980-1992), Wallach showed a lot of power, hitting .257 with 260 HR and 1,125 RBI. This card is based off his 1987 season, where he hit .298 with 26 HR and 123 RBI, the only time he broke the 100-RBI barrier. He would only hit .290 twice, 1987 and 1990. Wallach has solid contact ability against both righties and lefties, and has enough power to slot himself in the heart of most lineups at this level. The only major weakness on Wallach is his suspect eye and avoid K's ratings, and even then, he didn't strike out all that often for a power bat, averaging 96 strikeouts per 162 games. Wallach is also a decent third baseman, with a strong arm and above average range, so he isn't a liability in the field.

I'm fairly happy with the acquisitions, even though the auction house was very barren as far as fairly priced NL East talent goes. That would explain why I went the pack route and left that puddle of tears in the corner.

With these acquisitions, it is the hope that the New York Patriots will not suck completely in Bronze, and will at the very least avoid relegation straight back to Iron. That's the goal for next season. Being decent enough to not finish dead last. 75 wins will do while I rebuild my points stack after even more eternal baseball disappointment..and in fact, I will not be opening anymore packs. Why should I waste my time constantly getting garbage while I watch everyone else pull perfects and diamonds?

PROJECTED 2024 LINEUP
1. 2B - Jose Reyes
2. 1B - Mark Grace
3. RF - Paul Waner
4. DH - Andy Pafko
5. LF - Enos Slaughter
6. CF - Aaron Rowand
7. 3B - Tim Wallach
8. C - Randy Hundley
9. SS - Don Kessinger

PROJECTED 2024 PITCHING STAFF
SP - Rick Reed
SP - Doug Drabek
SP - Burleigh Grimes
SP - Livan Hernandez
SP - Joaquin Andujar

RP - Terry Leach
RP - Greg McMichael
RP - Jeff Lahti
RP - Bruce Sutter
RP - Jeff Reardon
CL - Gene Garber

[Magus978]

BRONZE LEAGUE 240 DAY 1 - PRE-SEASON REPORT

After reviewing the teams in our league this season, I have come to the only conclusion I could possibly have...

It's gonna be a long ****ing year...

All the teams have several more golds, some even have diamonds and perfects. We've only got two gold players and a whole bunch of silvers. Achieving bronze league survival will be like winning the world series for us.

70 wins is the bar, and I'm very concerned that we won't even get that. I fear we may have come up far too soon, because we've probably been placed with some of the best bronze level teams. My gut feeling is that we're going straight back down to Iron where we belong. It's like playing in the Premier League with a bunch of non-league scrub players. It can't possibly end well.

[Magus978]

BREAKING: Burleigh Grimes throws the New York Patriots' first no-hitter in team history!

[gemini615]

Very cool, congrats!

[Magus978]

BRONZE LEAGUE 240 DAY 1 - THE MIXED BAG REPORT

Record: 13-13
Position: 2nd place in NC East, .5 behind Minnesota Twinkies

TRANSACTIONS
LF - Dale Murphy (82) 1983 Historical All-Star Purchased for 1500 points

HAPPY TRAILS
RP - Jeff Reardon (71) Demoted to Reserves
3B - Aramis Ramirez (74) Demoted to Reserves

HITTING STATS
C - Gary Carter (.229, 3 HR, 7 RBI)
C - Randy Hundley (.318, 2 HR, 9 RBI)
1B - Mark Grace (.329, 1 HR, 7 RBI)
1B - Gregg Jefferies (.280, 1 HR, 3 RBI)
2B - Jose Reyes (.264, 4 HR, 17 RBI)
3B - Tim Wallach (.239, 1 HR, 6 RBI)
SS - Luis Castillo (.292, 0 HR, 4 RBI)
SS - Don Kessinger (.404, 0 HR, 9 RBI)
LF - Dale Murphy (.120, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
LF - Enos Slaughter (.284, 2 HR, 9 RBI)
CF - Aaron Rowand (.271, 3 HR, 14 RBI)
RF - Timo Perez (.160, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
RF - Paul Waner (.323, 1 HR, 10 RBI)
DH - Andy Pafko (.278, 7 HR, 21 RBI)

PITCHING STATS
SP - Rick Reed (3-2, 3.86)
SP - Doug Drabek (1-1, 3.55)
SP - Burleigh Grimes (1-3, 3.74)
SP - Livan Hernandez (1-2, 6.92)
SP - Joaquin Andujar (2-1, 3.49)

RP - Terry Leach (1-0, 6.10)
RP - Ron Darling (1-0, 6.00)
RP - Greg McMichael (1-0, 3.86)
RP - Jeff Lahti (1-1, 2.84)
RP - Bruce Sutter (0-1, 3.60)
CL - Gene Garber (1-2, 2.61, 5 sv)

WHO'S HOT?
Burleigh Grimes: 1-2, 0.82 ERA in last 3 starts (22 IP), no-hitter
Rick Reed: 2-0, 1.69 ERA in last 2 starts (16 IP)

WHO SUCKS?
Livan Hernandez: 0-1, 12.79 ERA in last 2 starts (6.1 IP)

Notes: While I made one panic buy in Dale Murphy, I'm not quite prepared to make a panic buy to fix the pitching just yet. I'm hoping we can make a run on day 2, get the lead in the division, and earn some points. There aren't any really appealing options on the auction market, and we're not opening packs on this account, so a bullpen improvement is unlikely. However, there are a few starting pitchers I'm eyeing to replace Livan Hernandez if he continues to struggle. Our pitching in general needs to improve if we're going to stay at this pace and go past the goal of 70 wins.

CURRENT COIN COUNT: 2,422

[Magus978]

BREAKING: Due to a 7-game losing streak, the New York Patriots have fired manager The Manager. Some Guy will become the interim manager for the remainder of the season.

When asked about the credentials of Some Guy, The GM was quoted as saying "Screw Some Guy, I'm going home. The wife made fried minuteman."

Nobody is happy in Patriotland. Not even the mascot, who has a smug smile stuck on his face...and is crispy and golden brown after a few minutes in the life-size deep fryer outside the stadium.

I have to inject some humor into this...because if I don't, I'll cry knowing everything has gone completely wrong.