July Madness - Game Under the Spotlight

[Muppetus Galacticus]

On any other day...

The WVL are now 2-2 after a stunning performance from the BPLA which saw them victorious 15-6. Samual Kamen picked up the loss and looked to struggle for the 4 innings he stayed in, giving up 11 hits and 10 runs including 5 homers. Jacob Scheer came in to relieve him in the 5th but the BPLA offense was on a roll and they were not to be stopped. Scheer gave up a futher 5 runs off 8 hits.

Jasper Crook exploded in his first start of the tournament for the BPLA. He went 4 for 6 with 2 homeruns and 7 RBI. SS Richard Huckstep continued to perfrom well going 3 for 5, also with 2 HRs and 6 RBI. Sanchez and Ortiz hit solo shots that made every run scored come off homeruns.

The WVL offense wasn't exactly shacking today either. The top of the order being the most productive with Kenneth Sutton grabbing his first longball of the year with 2 on and 2 out. Mariscal also added a 2-run bomb. But those homers in the 8th and 9th innings proved to be too little and too late. On another day, against other batters the story might well have been a differant one.

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After the match we had an exclusive interview with WVL manager, Muppetus Galacticus. We started off by asking him how he feels his team is performing so far.

"I was hoping to be at least 3-1 at this point, but seeing what the other teams have in their arsenal I am very happy to be 2-2. I'm just glad we won't have to face the BPLA again, at least not until the finals."

We then asked about the atmosphere and morale inside the locker room. Enquiring also on the 2B situation; with Carlos Reyes day-to-day with a pulled hamstring, and also Fred Weeks' comments this week that he wants to move up the order.

"Carlos is still very effective. He will probably get one or two more days off, pinch hitting if needed. Fred is doing a great job for us so far, he would probably be keeping Carlos out of the lineup right now anyway. HE struggled a little today but lefties are his weakness.

"I have spoken with Fred about his public comments and he knows it is wrong to just come out and say things. It is all straightened out now."

Finally we asked about tonights match and where he sees the team will be come playoff time.

"Sam [Kamen] had trouble hitting his spots and he get ripped to shreads out there. When we put [Jacob] Scheer out there the BPLA proved it was no fluke and they just kept hitting away, although Jacob managed to keep it in the park for the most part. Sadly the damage had been done and our comeback was way too late.

"As for what our chances are in this competition - do you have a crystal ball handy? This is going to be such a tight contest all the way through. But we are really gunning to be winners of our division. If we can win our next 2 games and finish the first week on a high then I will be confident of us carrying on that form. But like I say, it is all up in the air till the end."

We will have another exclusive interview with Muppetus Galacticus after their final game of the season and you can read it here on the 14th.

[84CubsFan]

Been away for a few. Love these write-ups, guys. Very fun league.

And Cuss, what are you feeding your players? (Or what are you feeding mine???) Two shut-outs vs. my NML!!! Nice!!

[Cuss16]

but i have no answer against the WBL.

ps. just looking over some stats, BPLA is leading everyone in average as a team. They had two wins both with a score of 15-6!!

[Cuss16]

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Day 7 will feature the hottest team of the tourney in C2C against the coldest team in JBL. C2C has the best record right now in the tourney with 5 wins and only 1 loss, while as the struggling JBL allstars have only won once. Still JBL is not a team you should underestimate. This game should be a good indication of how tight this tournament really is.

JBL hasn't played especially bad, they are, most of the time, just unlucky. Other than the game they got blown away by BPLA, 15-6, they have managed to stay close to all the other teams. Twice they have lost by one run and once they lost by 2. The JBL offence has not been all that horible either. They are 4th in runs scored in Pool A and are hitting at an average just a bit under the pool average. The pitching seems to be the only reason of their struggle, they have the highest ERA in the pool. However other than the game against BPLA they haven't really allow a lot of runs in any other games. Taikan Seriyo looks to take the mound tomorrow as the JBL tries to keep their playoff hope alive. Seriyo was a 15 game winner in the regular season, however in this tournament he has a 18.90 ERA. He will certainly look to lower in that department tomorrow. Everthough JBL hasn't been one of the big batting teams, they do have some big bats to watch out for. SS-Nitarou Kenshin had 48 HR and 123 RBI's in the season and is now batting .375 with 1 HR and 4 RBI's. 1B-Urani Juzo is also hot right now batting .353 with 1 HR and 5 RBI's. If JBL wants to win the cup they will absolutely have to win tomorrow against the best team so far in the tournament.

C2C on the other end has nothing to worry about. They have absolutely no pressure whatsoever to win tomorrow. Wth 5 wins in 6 games, they are almost gurrenteed a playoff spot in the tourney. However if they want to make sure a playoff birth, they should take this oppotunity and take advantage of the currently ranked last place team, JBL. Through the first week of Round Robin play, C2C has played perfect fundamental baseball with solid batting and phenomenal pitching. Fielding has also been a strong point for the C2C allstars as they have yet to make an error after 6 games. "There's no 'I' in team" is a perfect description of this team. The individual batting stats on this team looks nothing special (other than Tom Brown, coz of the blow out game they just had), but they get the job done, hitting when it counts. The poitching keep them in every game, the lineup is not pressured to produce at all. Whipper Will Anderson is scheduled to start for C2C. He has 195 career wins coming to the tournament. So far after one game pitched, he went 8.2 innings allowing only 1 run against the XBL allstars. Look for this team to go far in the tournament.

I will have to go with the favorite in this match up. I take C2C over JBL by 3 runs. And once again, if JBL is looking to go any further in the tournament, they will have to win this game, but C2C just looks too strong for this young JBL club.

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Prediction stats: 4-2 and -2.8.
*all files and reports are up except for highlights, they will be up later tonite.

[Cuss16]

-XBL takes on CDML both are one game behind their respective group leaders.
-POTD vs WBL, POTD will need to win to try to stay close to the rest of the pack.
-NBL looks to extend the lead in their group against the IPBball. And they have a very good shot at it with Cy Mill pitching today.
-MaxLB takes on the most offensive team in the league, NBA.

Be sure to check out the new mag cover.
Highlights are up now, week one highlights will all be erased tomorrow. So save any that you may want to keep.

[potatoman]

OH MAN !! HOW DID HEILMAN LOSE THAT CRUCIAL GAME!!! GAHHHHHHH.....HOW?! HOW?! HOW?! better win tommorrow

[Muppetus Galacticus]

WVL win again - somehow!

The WVL took their record 3-2 last night to keep up with division rivals, MaxLB. But it was a match the POTD will not be happy about.

The WVL bats only hit one RBI in their 3-1 victory, the other runs coming off an error and a wild pitch. "Fats" Malley of the POTD pitched 7.2 innings striking out 12 and picking up the loss. In his last match, he struck out 14 and recorded the loss.

Carlos Reyes was the man to hit the RBI in the 7th, coming in to pinch hit for Fred Weeks. Offense was sparse on both sides in a picthing duel. Douglas Chapple pitched the whole 9 innings for the WVL giving up 5 hits, striking out 2 and picking up the Player of the Game.

Tomorrow the WVL face the USBA who are currently 2-1. Gerald Leavy will get the start for the WVL. In his last outing he went 9 innings, letting a couple of runs in and striking out 8. The USBA starter will be Jon Staples in his first start. Both sides are looking to get the edge in their divisions.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

potatoman: 15 K's and a loss- ouch. I feel sorry for Malley of the POTD ^^^, 26 strikeouts in two games and he loses them both.

Muppetus Galacticus

[Cuss16]

Monday 7/7/2003: Lestrick and Viera win Player of the Week award
Ben Lestrick of NBL wins his 1st Player of the Week award for dominating Pool A's hitters the entire week. He was in a zone all week, compiling an ERA of 0.61 while going 2-0. NLB's third baseman Jose Viera had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the Pool B Player of the Week. Viera helped his team with an average of .529 and 6 RBI in 17 at bats.

Congrats sending out to Lestrick and Viera for being the first players of the week ever in World Cup history!!

And Muppetus Galacticus, after looking over USBA players stats for the past seasons, I would think you got another tight, hard-fought game coming up for you.

[potatoman]

ESPN
July Madness Coverage for XBL

[ESPN INTRO MUSIC]
"The XBL suffered a devastation loss on July 6th. Aaron Heilman tried his best, striking out 15 batters but it was not enough for XBL to win. NBL's pitching shut out the XBL Allstars on 5 hits and XBL let 3 of the 5 batters Heilman left on base, to cross the plate. After the game, Heilman had a little to say:

'I could have pitched better but if i did only allow 1 run or 0 runs, we still would not win. I need run support and these are supposed to be the best in my league. I did not think it would be this tough to score runs. I will continue to try my best in this tournament. If nothing else, i wish to hold the record for the league for strikeouts'

The XBL Allstars face CDML Allstars tonight and things will be the same. Tonight CDML will be throwing out Salvaggio to pitch against Adam Wainwright. What? What? Wait a minute....scratch that. My sources tell me that Wainwright will not be starting tonight. The starting pitcher will be announced later in the show, we are not sure yet. Wait, yes, it has been confirmed that closer P.J. Bevis will be on the rubber against CDML. Wow, this is a surprise...we'll have more on this when we get back so stay tuned...."

[Commercial Break]

"We're back and YES, Adam Wainwright will NOT start tonight for XBL. Instead, the current closer P.J. BEVIS will start. Fransisco Rodriguez will replace Bevis's closer role. This is certainly unexpected. Now WHY would XBL start P.J. Bevis when Wainwright who I think is much better, is well rested and can pitch? We have some phone calls that i want to put on the air.

JACK FROM MINNESOTA....

JACK: I think Bevis starting is CRAZY! This guy is NOT BETTER THAN WAINWRIGHT! DON'T START BEVIS! DON'T START BEVIS! #@%%#$%# DONT $#%#$%^#^& START HIM @#%@
[hangup]

Well im quite sorry, some fans are awfully rude....Michelle from Georgia, you are on the air.

MICHELLE: I think the manager started Bevis because if yeatman is injured and the manager wants to get atleast 4 starting pitchers that are fully healthy. Is Yeatman still able to play?

....possibly, he is listed as day to day but if XBL plays him, they should be careful since he will not be pitching at his full capacity....

MICHELLE: I thought so....if Bevis can prove that he cna pitch here, XBL will have a better chance to win and have more talented pitchers starting. Heilman can start next game possibly on 3 day rest....

...Thank you michelle, you made some good points.....Naveed from Alabama..

NAVEED: HALLO. I dink tat Bevis iz a goot choice fur tonight. Rodriguez can close dee game goot. XBL will win....

...thank you Neveed.....indeed, Rodriguez can close the game. I guess the manager thinks this is the best descision for the team. It seems like he was not extremely certain when announcing his decision. He has just stated that Bevis has a 90% chance of starting. He will be watched during warmups and if the manager doesn't like what he sees, Wainwright is available at anytime. He will possi-.......wait heres an interuption

'WE NEED TO WIN and i will try anything that may work to do it. If that requires making Pujols pitch, i will do it. If Reyes can pitch, i will do it because whatever we are doing now, it is not working! I will be changing a lot of things up soon.Some of these players are slumping and not playing the way they CAN play and the tounament isn't long enough for them to get out of a slump. Fans be warned, there could be MANY changes comming up.'

That was the manager of the XBL allstars. As you just heard, many changes will start occuring. Lets all hope that they work. As i was saying, Wainwright might have a good chance of starting because Bevis is a bit rusty and hasn't pitched much in this tournament.

After the break....THE WORLDS BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER IS.........10 years old? Back after this....."

[Cuss16]

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After a exciting day 7 full of upsets and surprises, i dont know how i can make Day 8 sound any better. Anyways, I choose USBA and NML to play the game of the day since both were highly rated by me to start the tournament. After another "upset" by POTD, USBA doesn't seem to be the favorite any more. They seriously need to start winning some tight games in order to keep up with the expectation of making the playoffs. NML onthe other hand has lost 4 times, twice to the MaxLB by shutouts. But three out four time they lost, they lost within saving range. They are also one of the only 2 teams so far to beat the hottest team, C2C. I cant stress enough, after seeing the JBL game any team can beat any team.

NML hasn't been playing good, just average. As a team they have a .248 batting average and a 5.94 ERA. Those stats aren't horribly bad, just a bit above the pool average. However, to beat a team like USBA, they will need a sensational game from all their players, from the mound to the batter's box. Individually, no one on the lineup has contributed much, especially Victor Emery, who is one of the most amazing player this tournament has ever seen. He is only batting .250 with 1 HR and 3 RBI's so far. Eugene Goulet is scheduled to start tomorrow. He is a career 185 game winner with a career 2.45 ERA. However he hasn't been effective in the tourney yet. Currently he has a 15.75 ERA and only 4 IP in his first game. He will need to pitch like he did in the NML for them to even stay in the game.

The USBA almost have to win this game to stay in with TPL for the group lead. In my opinion, USBA has been playing sub-par baseball. They shoudl be like C2C right now. Maybe the three days off in the begining slowed them down a bit. Nontheless, they still got some players playing great baseball. RF - Jeffery Larkin is hitting .500 with 1 HR and 5 RBI's in only 2 games played. As a team USBA is batting pretty much on the pool average. However they are pretty good on the pitching end. AS a team, the USBA ERA is 3.09, almost 2.00 under the pool average. Ace Mark Jacoby is going to take the glove tomorrow. He pitched a sensational game one of the tournament against CDML, 9 IP 2 ER and 12 K's. Looks for him to repeat that performance against the NML.

This game would prove to be crucial for both teams. NML will need this one for sure to keep playoff hope alive, while as USBA will need to win this one just to keep up with struggling TPL team. I'll take USBA by 3 runs.

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Prediction stats: 4-3.
*all files and reports are up except for highlights, they will be up later tonite.
*Check out the first ever players of the week.
*Great write up potatoman!! It's very interesting. I still cant believe Bevis won.
*And i just have to let everyone know : JBL UPSETS C2C 2-1 I am totally shocked by the result of this game. And like i posted before this game perfectly indicates how tight this tournament really is...
*Still, C2C has yet to make an error as a whole team.

[Cuss16]

-CBL vs. CDML, two awsome pitchers will face each other in this game. jose "The Scorpion" Segura of the CDML against Randolph Potts, both with identical game one stats, 1.04 ERA 8.2 IP 7 K.
-TPL looks to stop losing streak agains the IPBball who just lost 3 straight games today.

Be sure to check out the new mag cover.
week one highlights will all be erased later tonite. So save any that you may want to keep.

[potatoman]

BEVIS PITCHES HIS ASS OFF
P.J. Bevis gives XBL 110% effort and it pays off! [K-Rod gets the save]

XBL- Before the game, P.J. Bevis, not Adam Wainwright, was the pitcher who was warming up. Bevis had good control and showed that he was ready to pitch and had the managers approval. There was a conversation between Bevis and the manager and after the conversation was over, the manager had a smile on his face. A smile like he knew that it was the right thing. Bevis pitched 7.2 innings, allowed 5 hits, and 2 earned runs. He also had 3 walks compared to 10 strikeouts. We caught up with Bevis and asked him for a few words...

"I knew i had to win and do my job and my team would do their best to back me up. I did my best and it showed."

K-Rod whom many people doubted got the win but not after he gave up 1 run and had the tying man on base. He finally struck out Mingo to end the game.

Other game noteable moments.....Bevis stuck out the side in the 6TH AND 7TH INNINGS!!!!

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Leavy Leads the Way

In a day full of 1 run games, the WVL pulled off a big 5-4 win against the USBA last night. The WVL went into the 6th all tied at 2, with HRs from Azar (3) and Loucks (1) in the 2nd and 5th. Julio Mariscal (3) then hit a two run shot after Sutton had put the WVL into the lead with his bat.

Gerald Leavy (2-0) would remain in control for 8 innings, giving up 3 hits and striking out 8 before Fred Folder came in to close out. But things would not prove easy for him. He gave up 2 runs off 3 hits in the 9th but managed to hold on for the save (2).

Tomorrow the WVL take the day off before what should be another gruelling game against the NLB. The WVL bats will be looking to light it up again against the NLB pitching staff, but have to hope Albert Diaz is on strong form against their awesome offense.

[Cuss16]

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After a off day for most teams today, everyone will be back in business tomorrow. One of the most intriquing match up of th game definitely has to be CBL vs C2C. After winning 7-4 today against CDML, CBL sneaks only 1 game behind the best team in the tourney, C2C. This game will for sure be proven to be very important as playoffs is just around the corner, and only one team can take first in the group.

CBL is a team with consistent batting and pitching, but especially batting. The team is currently batting .266, well over the pool average. Individually, a few players on the lineup stands out. 3B-Jason Gaylor, .333 1 HR 6 RBI's, RF-Steve Bayne, .259 3 HR 8 RbI's, and C-Kirk James, .316 2 HR 3 Rbi's. The team pitching is probably their weakness. As a team they have a 4.19 ERA, which is just above the pool average of 3.98. Veteran Toby Hall is taking the mound tomorrow. So far he hasn't done much, allowing 6 runs to FLB in 7.2 innings of work in game one. He is not the best pitcher they want to start the big game tomorrow, however C2C is not known as a very offensive club, so my guess is that Hall will be alright for tomorrow.

C2C is in trouble now, after not taking advantage of playing against JBL on Tuesday, they are now just 1 game up on the CBL allstars. This game will be a must win for both clubs. And as been mentioned before, C2C has almost no offence at all, they will be looking for their pitching to come through again like the many tiems before. The career 230-win, Benjamin White will take the mound tomorrow. White is a great pitcher with an awsome arm. He has already pitched one game this tournament. He pitched a complet game shut out with 10 k's. CBL will definitely have trouble scoring any runs against White. Also look for Tom Brown to show his power and skills to the rest of the World.

This game will be one of the tightest game in the whole tournament. It will probably decide the playoff team. I just can't wait for this exciting Goup 1 rivary to get started. I'll take CBL by 1.

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Prediction stats: 4-4.
*all files and reports are up except for highlights, they will be up later tonite.

[Cuss16]

-XBL takes on IPB, a very good pitching match up as Wainwright (0-1 2.57) faces off against Fizer (1-0 2.16)
-POTD vs USBA, rematch of two of the most wel-known online league teams get it on. POTD won the first tiem 6-5.
-MaxLB takes on Group 6 leader TPL, Cliff Hass, who struck out 16 batters in his first game, will face kenneth "Booker" Storey who didn't earn anyone in the first game that he pitched.

Be sure to check out the new mag cover. Dedicated to the CBL!

[potatoman]

XBL Cruising with clutch hitting and brilliant pitching...

XBL extends their record to 4-2 still 1 game behind NBL, who are 5-1. According to the numbers, the XBL should have a 5-1 record and NBL should only be 3-3 but NBL just keep winning and XBL got unlucky one game.

Wainwright was outpitched by Fizer both only lasting 7 innings. Through 7 innings, Fizer would have been the winning pitcher but XBL relief pitchers threw two innings of no-hit ball while IPB's Johnson and Moore let up 4 runs in the 8th, pitching 2/3 inning together. Aguinaldo had to come in to get the last out but it was already too late, XBL had taken a 6-3 lead. Rodriguez came into the 9th striking out one and let up no one on base to get the save. This game help the XBL a lot. Their pitching currently has the 3rd best ERA in the league and they are hoping they will improve.....more to come

[Cuss16]

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With the round robin portion of the tournament ending in just 4 days, many teams will desperately need to win some games tomorrow to try to clinch a spot in the playoffs. This was a hard choice to choose the Game of the Day, but i think the best match up tomorrow will be TPL facing off against WVL. Both are currently leading their own group. This will be the one and only time in the round robins the two will face one another.

TPL is now feeling the pressure after sweeping POTD for the first three games of the tournament, POTD has won 3 in 4 games and is now only 1 game behind TPL for the group playoff spot. So far TPL looks like a strong enough team to win though. They have yet to lose in 1-run games. However their stats is not so pretty. Both of their team batting average and team ERA are well behind the Pool average. They've only been winning because someone on the team always comes up in the clutch. They do have some nice players tho, with 3B-Curtis Snyder, Leslie Williams, etc.. The pitching has yet to perform well except for closer, Roy Cimino who has saved 3 games already and still maintaining a 0.00 ERA. Jose "king Fish" Costas is scheduled to start tomorrow. He pitched one game so far in the tourney against C2C, which he lost allowing 6 runs in just over 7 innings of work. WVL will look to take advantage of this pitching proned team.

WVL on the other hand is not on any kind of streak. They are a cnsistent team that wins when they deserve to win and loses when they don't. They are just as cold as TPL as a team in batting average, but they are a lot better than TPL in ERA. Heck, they are a better than a lot of teams in pitching. Del Griffin is scheduled to start. He pitched one game so far in the tourney pitching 8 innnings agaisnt the WBl allowing only 1 run and struck out 7. lok for him to dominate the mound once again. Their batting as a team is pretty average but they do have some players that stand out. C-Kenneth Sutton, 3B-Julio Mariscal, and DH-Humberto Azar. WVL will need this win to take the sole lead of group 5.

I am going to take WVL by 3, since that individually they out-match TPL. As long WVL play it plain and simple and not give TPL any chance for a 9th inning blast, they should come on top. However I am 4-5 in predicting, so who should listen to me anyways.

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Prediction stats: 4-5.
*all files and reports are up except for highlights, they will be up later tonite.
*Congrats to NBL for their quiet 5-1 success. I dedicated today's issue to the National Baseball League.
*I can't believe C2C has still yet ot make an error after 9 days. The only team in the tourney to have "perfect" defence.

[Cuss16]

-NBL @ CBL, Ben Lestirck will pitch his 3rd game of the tourney. He has a .61 ERA in the tournament.
-USBA @ WBL, Nel Maddux vs Benjamin Arriaga. Both with a win and a 3.68 ERA inthis tournament so far.
-MaxLB takes on the "streaking" NBA, NBA has won 4 straight.

[deh34]

from our HK Sharks and Jonathan Santillan owner...

Jonathan Santillan was not a happy man after the WBL's 5-3 loss to POTD Monday in World Cup action, dropping the team's record to 2-4, good for last place in group 5. Santillan was upset that he was benched for the game while slumping OF's Oscar Ramos (.192, 0, 0) and Christian Wilson (.200, 0, 0) started in his place.

"The team is struggling, we need the games in the round-robin to stay in contention for our pool," Santillan told reporters after the game, "If he (WBL commissioner Dave Horn) doesn't want me to play, I'm wasting my time here, if we aren't going to try to win, I'm wasting my time here, with broken ribs I came to play and represent my league, maybe I should go home and rest."

Santillan sat at the far end of the dugout for 7 innings and would not even talk to Shark teammate Pedro Decarlo when he approached the sulking slugger. "He's that intense, he wants to win so bad," explained Decarlo, "to just sit there must have been killing him."

With 2 out and a runner on in the 8th, WBL down by two, Santillan was sent to pinch hit for Michael Deputy (.000, 0, 0), he hit a monster shot to deep right-center that was caught at the track by CF Philip Becker. Santillan played CF in the 9th.

http://worldbl.netfirms.com/